Going wookie for ‘Star Wars’ at Big Newport

Deepa Bharath

NEWPORT CENTER -- For Matthew Aston, waiting isn’t a chore.

Every second is fun. Every minute is laced with merry anticipation.

And every hour that passes snowballs into a gigantic force, charged with

thrill and powered with excitement.

Aston, a Santa Ana Heights resident, is one of several “Star Wars”

fans who have pitched tents outside the Edwards Big Newport theater at

Fashion Island hoping to snag some of the best seats for the first

screening of “Episode II: Attack of the Clones” at 12:01 a.m. Thursday.

Aston, like most others, has been waiting for the last 10 days.

“I’ve never felt bored waiting,” he said. “I love to socialize, meet

people. You know, we do have at least one thing in common.”

That’s how he met Laura Kaszynski. They hang out together and chat

about stuff -- mostly “Star Wars” stuff.

The world outside their microcosm reacts in different ways to their

passion, or so-called obsession.

“I always hear the good stuff,” Aston said. “I always hear people

yelling, ‘You people who love “Star Wars” are awesome.”’

Kaszynski said she hasn’t heard those people -- not yet.

“I’ve always heard people yelling out that we’re freaks,” she said.

“You’re listening wrong,” Aston remarked with a laugh.

“Oh, come on,” Kaszynski said. “People throw eggs at us at 8 in the

morning and yell nonsense.”

“Well, they’re just being nice,” Aston said, smiling broadly. “They’re

making sure we get breakfast.”

If everything goes well, Aston will be dressed as a Jedi knight for

the big event.

Justin Emilio, a Golden West College student, won’t be in costume this

time.

“I was for ‘Episode I,”’ he said. “I was Luke Skywalker with Yoda on

my back. It was pretty cool.”

Emilio has been a fan since seventh or eighth grade.

“The movies are great because of their vastness,” he raved. “The

different characters, great story, the drama -- there’s this mix of a lot

of different elements that make these great movies.”

Passersby glanced curiously at the tents, most of which seemed

comfortably furnished with couches, televisions, stereos and video game

centers.

Kaszynski says, around here, you can’t go wrong trying to make

friends.

“If you run out of stuff to talk about, you could always say ‘How

about Darth Vader?’ and the other person goes ‘Yeah!’ and it’s all cool.”

Barbara Thomas, who works in a building nearby, couldn’t stop smiling

as she walked by the theater.

“We look out of our office windows and get a kick out of it,” she

said. “I think it’s a fun thing for them to do. I’d never do it, but I

think it’s cool the theater allows them to do it.”

Cool or uncool, for fans like Aston, it’s high priority.

“We’ve had great weather, and I’d love to go to the beach and surf,”

he said. “But when it comes to ‘Star Wars,’ there’s nothing more

important.”

What makes it worth the wait? For Aston, “the legacy of Darth Vader”

-- mostly. But it’s not just that.

“It’s everything,” he said. “Hanging out, chatting and waiting in line

to walking into the theater. Then the lights are turned off, the film

rolls, and everybody shuts up with pure respect that we’ve got another

one.”

* Deepa Bharath covers public safety and courts. She may be reached at

(949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at o7 deepa.bharath@latimes.comf7 .