As a writer and producer for such hit shows as "Alias," "Lost," and "Heroes," Jesse Alexander is not only one of the geek elite on the Hollywood scene today, but an avid Star Wars fan. Alexander took time out to chat with Starwars.com about his love for the Star Wars franchise, the origins of transmedia, the collectibles he'd save in a fire, playing it cool around Carrie Fisher, his childhood visit to ILM, why he'll never make fun of Porkins and which "Heroes" character he thinks is most like Luke Skywalker.
What was your first introduction to Star Wars
I remember when I was 10 years old seeing the commercial on TV and getting a glimpse of the lightsaber fight between Darth Vader and Obi-Wan; and then some footage of a TIE fighter shooting at the Falcon. I was completely blown away. I couldn't figure out what it was. I was fascinated by something I wasn't sure what I had seen. My father later took me to Grauman's Chinese Theater to see Star Wars in 1977 shortly after it opened. The theater was so crowded that we couldn't sit next to each other, so as a 10-year-old I was kind of freaked out that I was in a strange city in a theater and I had to sit away from my dad. But then watching this amazing movie energized my life creatively and helped me become the person I am today.
When you went home did you immediately draw the characters, write your own stories, and play out your favorite scenes with your toys?
Absolutely! The challenge for all of us who were part of that first generation of Star Wars kids that even though George Lucas had a vision of creating a property with merchandise to support it, there was nothing coming out yet to the stores. We were all obsessed! I was into drawing so I would sketch out TIE fighter and X-wing battles, and stick figure lightsaber duels constantly.
At the time I was also into making Super-8 movies with all my friends. That was the way I expressed myself as a super geek. So me and my friends would make our own Star Wars films and got really ambitious with what we were trying to do with effects. We turned our parents' cars into spaceships. It really expanded the way I envisioned how I could be creative with the tools that I have within my grasp.
When you were using your toys to act out scenes and make new Star Wars tales, which toys were your favorites to cast in roles?
I was so into hunting down and collecting the toys that some of my most critical Star Wars memories revolve around getting to the toy store in Santa Barbara, the town where I grew up. When I saw that landspeeder on the shelf, I couldn't believe it when I had it in my hands. That landspeeder was so well-made as a toy and beautifully lived up to its potential. It still has a place of honor on my shelf of toys. I look at that toy so fondly not only for the memories it gave me but for the ideas of what was possible in terms of bringing a piece of mythology into the physical world. And I definitely miss my Imperial Troop Transport which had the sound effects in it. That for me was an iconic toy because it was Expanded Universe before that concept even really existed. The fact that it had sound effects and an amazing design that felt like it really was part of the Star Wars universe made it really stand out. They have one for sale at a store near me and I look at it constantly and think about picking it up. But I'll have to win the lottery to allow myself to get it.
What's the one item in your current collection you'd save if your house was on fire?
Most Star Wars fans have probably thought about this question. I would probably grab the landspeeder and my Han Solo blaster. And there's a Luke Skywalker figure that's an Early Bird Special vintage I would save, plus the plush Chewbacca I used to sleep with as a little kid. I'd also save my Harrison Ford autograph that I got as a kid. I wrote him a fan letter and I got a picture of him and someone wrote a signature with a thank you note. I just loved it whether it was real or not.
I'm really thinking of this as "How can I fill my arms as I flee the fire?" If I can carry one item, I can carry three! (laughs)
The key is probably to keep all your prized items in one spot close to the door in case of emergency. I wonder how Steve Sansweet would save his collection?
That guy is screwed. If Rancho Obi-Wan goes up in flames, forget it. I love watching the Visit to Rancho Obi-Wan videos on StarWars.com! I'd love to see his collection in person. So far I've just been to the Lucasfilm Archives at Skywalker, which I consider to be a highlight of my career. It was awesome to see the early prototypes of the ships like the TIE fighter mockups that had been cobbled together out of construction paper, Styrofoam and cardboard. But walking around the Ranch was great. That whole place came out of the vision of one person who wanted a place for all creative people to come and work on their craft.
Did you get to ride on one of the rickety Skywalker Ranch bikes?
Are you kidding? Of course I did! I got up super early and rode around the Ranch all by myself. Set up my camera and took pictures of myself in front of the buildings and next to Ewok Lake. I was going to be there for 48 hours and I planned on getting every bit of enjoyment out of this experience.
Considering your on-going appreciation for Star Wars collectibles, how did your video review for Gizmodo of the Hasbro's 2.5-foot Star Wars Legacy Collection Millennium Falcon come about?
Brian Lam at Gizmodo approached J.J. Abrams, who is a very good friend of mine, and J.J. punted it in my direction. I was more than happy to dive in. And Brian just sent it to me with the idea that I would just write something about it. But I got it and it was so beautiful, so I tried to do some unboxing photographs, then take some of my action figures and put them in there. I ended up doing the video review just for the fun of it. I love that stuff so much. I enjoy the toys and the expanded world and all these other products as a fan, but I also appreciate and learn from them as a creative professional trying to see how Lucasfilm continues to extend their brand.
What do you think of fan culture now as opposed to back when you were a kid?
It was such a different time back then. Now with the Internet, you can reconnect with fans from that era and share experiences and information. But back then geek culture was so distributed and we really didn't have a way to connect with each other. Certainly there were conventions here and there, but there really wasn't that immediate way to build a community. There's an amazing store in Santa Monica called Whimsicalley that's all Harry Potter stuff, and it's the greatest place ever. They have beautiful sweaters, shirts, scarves and wands. And just to think how far we've come in fan culture with creative products and how were immerse ourselves in those properties. If something like Star Wars had popped today it would really be amazing to see how the fans would embrace it. Harry Potter is an example of what the modern-day version of something like Star Wars hits geek culture when it really needs it.
Lucasfilm seems to have embraced the concept of "transmedia" early on with the concept of the Expanded Universe of video games, card games, role-playing games, comics, and novels in addition to the movies.
There was little information out there at the time, and obviously we didn't have the Web yet, so trying to learn more about this world, this universe and this movie -- to immerse ourselves in it -- was very challenging in those early days. The feeling of wanting to be part of a mythology is something that has shaped the way I approach the work that I do -- creating and fleshing out these media properties that I've been involved with to make sure that the fans can have an authentic, organic and immersive experience that allows them to enjoy shows like "Heroes" and "Lost" however and whenever they want to experience it.
At that time I don't think people really understood that type of approach, but Lucas did, as did the people that he had working with him at Lucasfilm. They got how to build a property that fans could enjoy in so many ways. It seemed like there was a real vision in how that was going to happen in those early days. What Lucas, and everyone else at Lucasfilm, has done in terms of transmedia exploitation of properties has set the benchmark for everyone who's trying to do well in that space.
