A long time ago in a theater that probably doesn't exist any more, a movie came out that defined summer entertainment for decades to come. Star Wars landed hard and dominated the box office, cementing into place the trend of the summer blockbuster that Jaws had kicked off a couple years back. The next two movies completed the story, and despite it wrapping up closing on fifty years ago Star Wars has never gone away. Books, comics, expanded universes, tv shows, video games where the Darth Vader fight has him transform into a helmeted scorpion are all part of Star Wars' past, and that of course includes pinball as well. From slightly dodgy early-80s layouts to the techno-wizardry of Episode 1, Star Wars has a long pinball history and today it gets even bigger.
Star Wars and Pinball, A Long-Term Union With No End In Sight
Stern's latest table is Star Wars: Fall of the Empire, featuring scenes and table-toys from The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi brought to life with the new Spike 3 system. Jabba the Hutt perches in the upper-right, slug-body wrapped around a pinball, while the Millennium Falcon and Death Star II hang out nearby. An AT-AT stands on the upper left side, and when the spiral ramp curling around and over it is hit the walker drops to its knees as if someone had exploited its obvious design flaw. The Death Star, of course, has a ramp leading up to it for the traditional shot straight into its heart, as all good Star Wars pinballs are required to have.
The art for the table is just as packed with detail, from character art for the eight shots for Darth Vader, Yoda, Luke, Droids, etc, to Luke and Vader fighting it out while the least appealing villain in the history of villainy, Palpatine (credit to Lucas for not making his baddy a seductive charmer, but rather someone who looks like his evil has taken the logical toll), sits smugly in the background. It's a packed table for Star Wars fans, enhanced with the new Spike 3 system that gives it a bigger monitor than previous models and, for something a player laser-focused on the field can actually appreciate, richer audio features. For those with the disposable income to play at home, Spike 3 even comes with wireless headphone support, a nicely practical feature.
Star Wars: Fall of the Empire comes in Stern's standard three editions- Pro, Premium, and Limited. Pro is the budget version, missing the Jabba section of the playfield, while Pro is fancier with all the bells and whistles. Finally, Limited is sold out of its 770-unit individually-numbered run already, but for those who were able to get that version it's got anti-reflection glass, upgraded audio, exclusive colored railings, and the deluxe treatment applied to every part of the package. For the rest of us, we'll just have to keep haunting our local pinball hangout and hope that latest silverball retelling of the original Star Wars story shows up soon.
