Darth Vader thrust his lightsaber into the air, staring down a group of young Jedi warriors also wielding brightly colored weapons, as a three-man Star Destroyer narrowed in on its target.
No, this isn’t a scene from the latest Star Wars movie, it is the entryway to Century 16 movie theater in Mountain View where hundreds of fans anxiously awaited the opening of Star Wars Episode III — Revenge of the Sith early this morning.

The theater was filled with teenagers and adults, mutually sharing the excitement of the premier and a return to the world of fantasy. According to Century 16 employee Brandon Fong, the movie played in seven theaters, each holding about 400 people.

Fong also said that the first showing of Episode III has been sold out for over a month.

"Everything is sold out for the early morning showings except for the 12:55 a.m. showing, which was added just yesterday," Fong said.

Episode III marks the end of a three-part prequel, and for many fans, the end of an era. The movie explains many questions raised by George Lucas’ original trilogy, which began with Star Wars: A New Hope in 1977.

"This one has a lot of the original ingredients," said Arthur Snyder, father of senior James Snyder and former film major at Stanford. "It’s is going to show that supposedly evil can win."

While many diehard Star Wars fans came for love of the series, others participated in the event out of pure curiosity.

"It’s a great film, but it’s also a great scene," said Felix Mariposa, a Target employee who was attending the 12:30 a.m. showing with a group of coworkers.

Mariposa said his interest in Star Wars began in college when he discovered lightsaber toys. Now, his admiration for the movies gives him an excuse to get together with friends.

"Some of us are obsessed, some of us are here for fun," said Target coworker Nicole Williams. According to members of the group, all of whom were carrying lightsabers, this was a fun way for them to congregate outside of work.

Not everyone dressed up for the event, but many attending earlier shows came in full costumes.

"You can really tell the 12:01 a.m. crowd apart [from the other showings]… It’s a lot different," said senior Wayne Lin, who waited in line beginning at 8:30 p.m. for the 12:10 showing. "You see a lot of Vaders and Chewbaccas at 12:01, and just Jedis at 12:10."

While he was greatly anticipating the last Star Wars, Episode II, movie, which he said "made [Steven] Spielberg cry," Lin claims he is not a "hardcore" fan, because he has not read the books or played the video games. He did buy tickets for himself and a friend on May 9, however, and was disappointed that his friend cancelled on him at the last minute.

"He decided to do something better," Lin said. "But there’s nothing more important… I guess we have different priorities."

Senior James Synder also came to see the 12:10 a.m. showing with his three brothers and father. According to Synder, this rare event was "a family bonding thing." They were not interested in dressing up, however.

"I’m just here for the movie… I like to be comfortable," said Synder, whose family had been taking turns camping out on theater floor since 11:30 in the morning.

In contrast, a group of Los Altos High School students chose to sacrifice comfort for spirit and built a Star Destroyer out of cardboard, which they attached around their waists to create the effect of a moving ship. Alex Wheatley, who had the idea of dressing up for the event, said the friends were not that serious about Star Wars but enjoyed the scene.

"It was either this or school work," Wheatley said.

Though not all those who waited in the lines that stretched as far as the parking lot were lifelong Star Wars fans, they shared one thing in common: an appreciation for the enthusiastic atmosphere that the films create.

According to Will Agramonte, a sophomore at Gunn High School, students celebrated the opening of Episode III with lightsaber battles at school and a number of them wore costumes.

"Not a lot of people dressed up, but there are quite a few of them [Gunn students] here tonight," Agramonte said.

Whatever their motives, opening night attendees gathered in masses to be a part of an international, historical event in the world of film.