A long time ago, in a nation's capital far far away...

For several years now, I've been the resident "Star Wars" expert (read: Freak) in my office, which is actually tantamount to being an exhibit that is on loan from the Smithsonian. When the intern coordinator gives tours of the office, she's sure to point me out, not as the systems administrator, but as the local oddity. My cubicle has Star Wars memorabilia pinned to its fabric walls: postcards, an invitation to a special screening of the "Return of the Jedi: Special Edition," and naturally, a Han Solo calendar. Pez dispensers and little figures of Palpatine and Vader grace the shelf above my desk. And if I'm feeling particularly in the mood, I break out the wrist/mouse pad set and fire up one of the various character themes for the computer.

All this has led to my being called Artoo by my co-workers - my lack of height having nothing to do with their choice of nicknames, I'm certain.

Despite all this, I was a bit surprised when I received an email from Meredith Bragg, a young filmmaker who lives in Arlington, Virginia. In the process of pre-production for a documentary on how fans in the Washington, DC area were preparing for the opening of Episode I, Meredith was cruising the various Star Wars sites on the Internet. When he reached Echo Station, he read one of my works and noted that I was a DC local. His email expressed his interest in speaking with me about participating in his documentary. I let him know I was interested, and we talked about his project and what I, as a Star Wars fan, could contribute.

Eventually, I made the cut to be one of three fans that Meredith would chronicle in the days leading up to May 19, 1999. The other two were H.T. (whom I didn't get a chance to meet) and Erik, who was leading our group of fans in planning our campout at the Uptown Theater. For several weeks, Meredith interviewed me at home, visited my infamous cubicle and attended a couple of the planning meetings we held before the opening.

During one session at my apartment, Meredith filmed what had to be one of the funniest aspects in the documentary - my mom! (My mom also doubles as my roommate, but no 'return to the nest' jokes here; she moved in with me!) There's a long-standing controversy in my family: back in the late 1970s, my younger brother and I collected trading cards from the original film. This was back when they still came with a stiff piece of pink bubble gum that could double as aluminum siding. Dave and I were rather meticulous, keeping the cards in a large plastic Halloween pumpkin. Mom swears to every known deity that one day, we left the cards scattered about and in accordance with previous warnings, she tossed the cards. Five hundred mint condition cards, folks. Cards that if sold now on Ebay, could put my nephew through college. Needless to say, Mom and I recounted each of our sides for Meredith. But, twenty-something years later, I've gotten my justice - Mom admitted on camera to being a WCW junkie... Muahahahaha!

Now that Meredith has finished the editing process, his documentary, "Waiting for Jar Jar," was shown at a film festival in Charlottesville, Virginia at the end of February. The opportunity recently came up for me to ask him some questions for a change!

EchoStation: How did you first become interested in “Star Wars?”

Meredith Bragg: I've been interested since I saw The Empire Strikes Back. I loved the AT-ATs... Then in high school I happened to hang out with a group of kids who fed my obsession.

ES: What prompted you to film a documentary about fan reaction to Episode I?

MB: I knew that it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I was looking for a subject... it just fit. I couldn't have asked for something better. What I couldn't do was a nationwide documentary... so I narrowed it down to DC fans, then I narrowed it some more to specific individuals.

ES: Was it difficult to find fans who would participate in a documentary? How did you settle on the people you picked?

MB: It was actually really easy. I interviewed a bunch of people and had to cut out a few as the project went on for numerous reasons (lived too far, weren't going to go to the Uptown, etc.) People were really great about the whole thing.

ES: Did you expect the big reaction that occurred in DC?

MB: I expected something, though I had no idea what. But that's what was so great about the whole thing.... I had no idea what was going to happen. So I shot everything I could while still working a 60-hour week. It was interesting.

ES: The finished product runs nearly 30 minutes. How many minutes of actual footage did you record? How difficult was it to pare it all down to half-an-hour?

MB: I recorded about 25 hours worth of footage. You have to understand that I was following people for three months before it happened. Editing was the hardest thing. It hurts to edit a scene that you loved... but no one is going to care what you went through in order to get this shot or how much time it took you to get that shot. If it doesn't engage the audience then it shouldn't be in there. I had to cut a lot of things I loved simply because it didn't move the story along. My first cut was a little over an hour long... it took about 5 more cuts before the last one... every time I took out more stuff I really liked. That's what making a documentary is all about.

ES: When you started talking to people about doing this project, what was the reaction? Did people not involved with “Star Wars” think you were a demented fanboy?

MB: I think people were a little bit afraid that I was going to skewer them. Afraid that I was going to make a "Hey, let's watch these idiots camp out and laugh at them" movie. After they realized that I knew what a blockade runner was and had seen the Holiday Special, they felt better. The people who weren't fans thought it was a good idea... good story.

ES: You saw the press that “Star Wars” fans were getting from the likes of Mitch Albom and others. Did you initially expect that the fans you were would interview would be crazed freaks?

MB: Actually... yes. I expected more fanaticism. I also didn't expect such a wide disparity in age, sex, race, etc. One of the key things I learned was that everyone who is a big fan knows it. They know it's not real life, they know that it is a little weird that they are so wrapped up in a film and they can joke about it. I think there is a lower crazed-fan quotient than Star Trek fans.

ES: What were your thoughts about the fans in your film once you got to know them?

MB: All of them knew they were a little crazy. They had fun with the fact that they were. It was nice.

ES: You’ve spent the better part of a year on this project, and the result is fantastic. Do you have future plans for something similar, like a one-year anniversary of Episode I film?

MB: I really haven't thought about it much. Perhaps.

ES: What is your overall feeling about what you’ve accomplished? And if you could do it over again, is there anything you would do differently? Or would you leave everything as it turned out?

MB: I did this as a learning experience. I had never tried to do a documentary and it was the first time I was able to use professional equipment. I made plenty of mistakes and I learned from all of them. I would love to have not made those mistakes... but not at the expense of having learned from them. Someone once told me that "a documentary is never finished, just abandoned," and I think that is true for this one. There will always be things that I wish I could change, things I wish I could tweak, but I have officially abandoned it. I learned what I could and I think I did the best job possible. I am very happy with it.

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