Long, Long Ago, in a Childhood, Far, Far Away (1:08 AM)

My favorite was Boba Fett. He had a great-looking space suit and a large gun.

When we were nine years old, my cousins and I would play with Star Wars toys. My cousin, V---, came back from the States to live again in the Philippines. A Balikbayan, he had an American accent and, amazingly, a nearly complete collection of Star Wars action figures.

Ever since Star Wars came out and George Lucas started merchandising it into toys, my cousin had been buying about one action figure a week. Every time they would go into a mall or store, he would come out with a new action figure. For his parents, it was a relief that their son was obsessing with only one thing, one harmless thing, so they indulged it. And for everyone else, it was easy to figure out what to give him for his birthday or Christmas.

We played during summers when school was out, spending afternoons at my cousin's house, right after siesta.

The action figures were packed safely and individually in cases and boxes. The tiny laser guns and laser rifles and, of course, light sabers, were packed together so as not to lose them. This was my cousin's treasure: he dared not lose any of them.

Once we gathered at his house, two or three or four cousins, he would open them all up and generously let us choose one action figure to play with. I always got Boba Fett. Someone would get Han Solo, then Luke Skywalker. No one would choose the Stormtrooper--those bungling idiots in shiny, white Monobloc armor.

But my cousin was the connoisseur, the true believer. He would never get the obvious heroes. He'd pick others, like Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian, a TIE Fighter Pilot, an Ewok warrior. More often than not, he would choose Darth Vader.

This was before anyone knew about Episodes I, II, and III. No one knew about the Sith or the Clone Army or Count Dooku. This was a time of good and evil and space adventures. This was long, long ago, in a childhood, far, far away.

He would choose Darth Vader.

Aside from the action figures, he also had some toys, like the much fought-over X-Wing, the Tie Fighter, Boba Fett's funny, sideways-flying ship, and--my favorite--the Taun Taun.

I've always said that my favorite was the Empire Strikes Back. I loved the snow, the new costumes, the AT-AT walkers, and the Imperial Destroyer. This was when everyone started growing up and realized their destinies.

We kept on playing with Star Wars for a few years, then we left the province and moved to Quezon City to start high school. We stopped playing with Star Wars by then.

Nearly two decades later, when I was much older, I would find out that Boba Fett was cloned from Jango Fett, played by Temuera Morrison. And that under his helmet, he looked like all the other Stormtroopers. They are all the same clones, from the same genes of a Maori, a Kiwi, a New Zealander.