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A free showing of all six films began Wednesday morning in Los Angeles

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updated 6:44 p.m. ET May 23, 2007

LOS ANGELES - Seventeen hours in a darkened theater not so far away? Welcome to the “Star Wars” marathon.

A free showing of all six “Star Wars” movies began Wednesday morning at the Los Angeles Convention Center and was expected to end at 2 a.m. Thursday.

The event kicked off a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the release of the original film.

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Several thousand people showed up for the screening, which included brief intermissions.

“Because the saga spans 30 years, it spans multiple generations of fans as well,” event spokesman Jonathan Zaleski said. “There are people in costume, families. It’s an interesting mix.”

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“You get the usual assortment of Storm Troopers running around,” he added. “I imagine it’s pretty uncomfortable to sit for 17 hours encased in plastic.”

Lucasfilm Ltd. supplied the digital prints for the movies and is involved in “Star Wars Celebration IV” at the Convention Center. That event, open to fan club members Thursday and to the paying public Friday through Monday, was to include costume contests, exhibitions of movie props, autograph opportunities from “Star Wars” celebrities and even a Storm Trooper “Olympics.”