Discover the history of 'Star Wars' at three library talks by CLC sociologists

The "Star Wars" films not only reshaped expectations of what cinema could deliver, but also sparked the world's imagination.

Step back to 1977 with College of Lake County sociology instructors John and Maria Jose Tenuto, who will share their research exploring how our culture reacted to and was influenced by the original films in three presentations at local libraries this fall.

The Tenutos will share stories, forgotten trivia, rare photographs and more during a look at the world's newest mythology, painting a vivid picture of what it was like when "Star Wars" premiered.

"A Long Time Ago: The History of Star Wars" will be presented on Saturday, Oct. 3 from 1-2:30 p.m. in the Radmacher Meeting Room at the Skokie Public Library, 5215 Oakton Street, Skokie.

The Tenutos will repeat the talk at two Lake County libraries: Cook Memorial Library in downtown Libertyville on Nov. 14 from 2-3:30 p.m.; and at Warren Newport Library in Gurnee on Dec. 10 from 7-8:30 p.m. The presentations are free, but registration is required in advance at the libraries' websites.

John Tenuto received the College of Lake County 2013 Outstanding Full-time Faculty award and has given dozens of public presentations and media interviews on the sociology of the "Star Trek" film and television shows. The Tenutos write frequently for Star Trek websites and are well-known experts on the TV and movie series. John Tenuto gave four presentations at the Star Trek convention in Las Vegas to more than 5,000 people over the summer, providing a tribute to the show's late star, Leonard Nimoy.