‘Star Wars’ fans in Santa Rosa come out in force for ‘The Last Jedi’

Damian Salinas and his friends eagerly waited for hours Thursday outside the Roxy Stadium 14 on Santa Rosa Avenue to be among the first to see “The Last Jedi,” the latest installment of the wildly popular Star Wars saga.

The wait was nothing compared to the anticipation built up over the past two years for the 22-year-old Windsor resident, dressed as the movie epic’s conflicted dark warrior, Kylo Ren. Salinas said he and his friends purchased their tickets weeks ago.

“We’ve been looking forward to this since ‘The Force Awakens,’” he said, referring to the 2015 film that broke box-office records.

Salinas spent four hours Wednesday night putting the finishing touches on his costume, which he first wore to “The Force Awakens” screening. His friends also wore handmade costumes of R2-D2, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Han Solo, a Clone trooper and a Jedi knight. Another attached felt horns to a polar bear onesie to create a wampa ice creature from “The Empire Strikes Back.”

They were among the hundreds of die-hard fans out in force for the preview screenings at the Roxy, which scheduled nine screenings Thursday. The theater sold more than 765 tickets by 6 p.m.

A special fan screening at 6 p.m. included a five-minute filmed introduction by director Rian Johnson. About 50 people, including Frank Ergas and his niece, Kennedy Salinger, 7, attended the fan event and received free popcorn and Star Wars trading cards.

“Anticipation isn’t quite the word,” Ergas said about the film, which he planned to see twice Thursday. “It’s impacted me like no other movie (series). I can still say it’s my favorite movie of all time.”

His father introduced him to Star Wars, said Ergas, who then introduced the series to his niece when she was 2.

“It’s familial,” he said.

“It’s like a big adventure,” said Salinger, who wore pink-and-purple Star Wars pajamas and waved her arms as if she had lightsaber, the signature weapon of a Jedi.

Asked what drew her to the series, she said it was the range of human emotions.

“Sometimes, you cry of joy. Sometimes, you feel a little fear (and) a little madness - just a little,” she said.

Early showings also were held throughout the county, including in Rohnert Park, where Nate Lopez, 38, and his friends saw the movie, which officially opens Friday. He was excited to see the return of Luke Skywalker.

“I’m definitely more excited about this day, more than Christmas,” said Lopez, who watched the previous episode to get psyched for the new film.

“I’m in the Star Wars world,” he said. “I’m in it.”

At the Roxy, people spilled into the theater lobby all evening, some dressed like their favorite characters and others carrying lightsabers. The excitement couldn’t have come at better time for the county, said Casey Williams, 40, of Santa Rosa.

“It’s been a pretty rough year. Politics. Disasters,” he said. “It’s cool to take your mind off things.”

He bought tickets a week earlier to see the movie with friends and his 16-year-old son. Williams was about 5 years old when his parents took him to watch “The Empire Strikes Back” at the Coddingtown theater. Ever since, he has been hooked.

“I was all about Star Wars. I had ‘Star Wars’ bedsheets, ‘Empire Strikes Back’ curtains in my bedroom, a ‘Return of the Jedi’ garbage can. I had it all,” said Williams, who now is sharing that love for the series with his son.

“It’s a really cool thing to be able to share that excitement with your kid,” he said. “It keeps going through the generations.”