It’s ‘Star Wars’ Day at MidAmeriCon II, so let’s watch a young Mark Hamill explain the film in KC in 1976

If you spot a few dozen Imperial Stormtroopers, a couple of Jedi knights or the occasional scruffy-looking nerf herder in downtown Kansas City today, that’s because it’s “Star Wars” Day at MidAmericon II.

This is the second time Kansas City has hosted the world science fiction and fantasy convention. The first time was in 1976, when few people knew what “Star Wars” was.

Star Mark Hamill was in Kansas City for that conference 40 years ago, and organizers were able to dig up some footage of the man who would soon be known galaxy-wide as Luke Skywalker promoting the movie to MidAmericon audiences in Kansas City in ’76. Here, he talks about how silly he thought it was that none of the good guys ever was hit by the Stormtrooper blaster fire and how creator George Lucas had to explain to him it was a fairy tale, in a way.

MidAmericon II continues through Sunday at Bartle Hall. Single-day admission ranges from $40-$70, with some extra fees for certain sessions. For a schedule, go to MidAmericon2.com.

This story was originally published August 19, 2016 at 9:09 AM with the headline "It’s ‘Star Wars’ Day at MidAmeriCon II, so let’s watch a young Mark Hamill explain the film in KC in 1976."