Mukilteo Beacon - Your Hometown News Source

Forty years ago, as I walked across a theater parking lot, preparing to see "The Empire Strikes Back" and pretty excited about it, my companion was also pretty excited. Even though he'd already seen the movie.

And as we headed toward the ticket booth, my buddy shook his head in anticipatory wonder. "I still can't believe Darth Vader is Luke's father," he said.

My life was forever altered by a stray comment, then, although to be honest I still really enjoyed the movie. I just get amused by being the victim in a spectacular way, having one of the most famous reveals in film history spoiled fo...