The ''Phantom'' front lines

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Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

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Inside the main exhibition hall, among the stale, rancid odors of sweat, mildew, and fast food (the only eats available were from official licensees Pepsi, Taco Bell, KFC, and Burger King), fans flocked to purchase all manner of merchandise. The hot ticket? A limited edition of the Phantom companion novel, signed by author Terry Brooks (cost: $85). Fans also hauled off posters, comics, hats, action figures — basically, any bric-a-brac that boasted a Phantom image. Of course, as with everything at the show, the actual buying experience seemed secondary to the defining Star Wars event: standing in line. "Three hours to buy a damn T-shirt!" groused Oshkosh, Wis., native Josh Patterson, 23. Patterson, who'd arrived in an elaborate, homemade Boba Fett outfit, took stock of his mud-splattered situation: "And it took me a week to put this Fett thing together!"

The most surreal event: the Jar Jar Jam. The crowd cheered wildly as Park introduced Ahmed Best, the dancer-actor who provided the voice for the computer-generated character Jar Jar. People then looked decidedly puzzled as Best beat-boxed the Star Wars theme, pumped his fist, and screamed: "How many of y'all bought my action figure? Y'all got to buy mine. None of that Darth Maul!" After swaying awkwardly to Best's hip-hop/funk vocal stylings, folks cleared out quickly — perhaps saving energy for the final day, when mercifully, the sun broke through, and the mercury finally crept above 50 degrees.

Though the Jam could have stood as Exhibit A in proving that the convocation was simply a Woodstock for pasty space freaks, there was also evidence that for some, the convention was about more than just getting in touch with your inner nerd. Leading his apple-cheeked 5-year-old daughter Taylor through the lines, IBM computer trainer Carl Cunningham, 27, remarked: "It's always hard to find a meaningful way to connect with your kids, and we bond over this stuff. So I think it's great."

Of course, Cunningham, who also happens to help run fan site JediNet.com, couldn't help but let a little of the fanatic peek through: "But have you seen the Sith Droid Attack Game? Awwww...man!"