By Julian Walker
Times Staff Writer

Bob Jablonowski describes himself as “the biggest geek on the block and proud of it.”
Maybe in this universe.
But in a galaxy far, far away, it’s a safe bet that Jablonowski is strong in the Force.
Apparently, he has mastered the subtleties of the Jedi Mind Trick, too.
How else do you explain his ability to inspire a block full of kids in Mayfair to don costumes on a Friday evening in the late spring?
To hear Bob and his wife Lynn tell it, it’s simply Star Wars mania. And it’s not just the kids who are caught up in the hype.
The adults are just as giddy. In fact, they could hardly hide their excitement during a Star Wars block party that they organized to celebrate the release of Episode II: Attack of the Clones.
On the evening of May 24, the 3100 block of Englewood St. resembled a distant space location. Fifteen families and their kids, Lynn Jablonowski estimated, participated in the event that could best be described as part costume party, part intergalactic re-enactment.
The Jablonowskis organized a similar affair three years ago when the previous Star Wars film, Episode I: The Phantom Menace, opened in theaters.
Homes were decorated with Star Wars paraphernalia, and children and adults alike were dressed as their favorite Star Wars characters, down to the ubiquitous light sabers.
The wholesome fun, said the Jablonowskis, is part of the Star Wars mystique, and that is the quality that endears the series to fans.
“It’s a movie that I can take my kids to, and I don’t have to worry about what they are about to see,” Lynn explained. “I think that (Star Wars creator/visionary) George Lucas really keeps everything clean. He keeps it to good versus evil, and I think that’s a wonderful message for children because this whole world is all about good versus evil.”
Bob agrees.
“I think Star Wars is what’s good in this world. It’s the basic story of good versus evil,” he added. “And the kids have fun with it. I’d rather see the kids have fun getting dressed up and eating pizza than having them out there on the corner.”
For the evening, Bob and Lynn dressed as Uncle Owen Lars and Aunt Beru, the caretakers of a young Luke Skywalker. They were surrounded by a cadre of would-be Jedi — each skillfully wielding replica light sabers — bounty hunters, Sith Warriors and Republic royalty.
The ring leader of the group, who inspired a sense of esprit de corps among his fellow Jedi Knights that even Master Yoda would be proud of, was young Ben Kappler.
And the 12-year-old truly looked the part.
Dressed in a white tunic, brown cloak and gray sweat pants, and clutching a green light saber in his hands, Kappler explained with enthusiastic detail the intricacies of the Star Wars universe as a Padawan learner braid, indicative of a Jedi apprentice, hung from behind his left ear and swayed gently in the breeze.
For the evening’s festivities, Kappler dressed as Anakin Skywalker, the central figure of Episode II. But that is not the youngster’s only Star Wars identity.
In the amateur Star Wars-inspired movies that he and other neighborhood kids shoot with the assistance of the adults, Kappler is the primary screenwriter and a lead character in the productions.
As “the great Jedi” Ben Caponi, Kappler’s character kills himself in the kids’ movie, called Episode VII, to save his apprentice Vince Jabdu and is then transported to a parallel universe.
Jabdu, also known as 9-year-old Vincent Jablonowski, is Caponi’s (that’s Kappler) Padawan learner — the Jedi designation for trainee.
As such, he sports garb befitting a boy in his position: a tan cloak, brown tunic and the trusty light saber. Tagging along in the movie was 6-year-old Nick Jablonowski, who is just old enough to adroitly handle a blue light saber.
The home movie, and the block party for that matter, weren’t merely for the boys, however.
Flocks of neighborhood girls, their hair pulled into two buns, wore converted white confirmation gowns, each doing her best Princess Leia Organa interpretation.
There were the Mangle sisters — Tina, 8, and Jen, 12 — who confessed that they are not fans of the “Holy Trilogy,” as some fans call the Star Wars series.
Tina said she does like the strong female roles in the movies, including Padmé Amidala and Leia.
Her older sister Jen, meanwhile, described both Jedi Master Yoda and Anakin Skywalker as “cute.”
But the day wasn’t solely devoted to the good guys, either. A fair share of baddies found their way to the celebration in Galaxy Mayfair.
The most heinous of those characters was Darth Derek, who struck an ominous pose in his dark-as-night outfit and inspired fear with his blood-red light saber.
His alter ego is 10-year-old Derek Kappler, Ben’s younger brother.
“Darth Maul is a loser; only Darth Derek is cool,” declared Derek, pooh-poohing the villainous Sith Warrior in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
Neighbor Richard Pace also donned the black and red garb of the Sith for his portrayal of King Richard, the fictional character created by the fertile mind of Ben Kappler.
In the home movie, Pace, 12, is a neutral character who operates on both sides of the Force.
Another bad guy was intergalactic bounty hunter Miko Fett, also known as 12-year-old Michael Greco. According to Ben Kappler, Fett provides the comic relief in his script.
“He brings comedy to it. . . . Without him, Episode VII would not have been anything good,” Kappler said of his movie. “See, he works for money. He is the richest man in the New Republic. If he don’t make more than ten-million Republic credits, then he isn’t working for you.”
If all of this Star Wars jargon seems a bit confusing, blame the kids for believing that everyone is as devoted to the subculture of the sci-fi lore.
“You gotta respect the way Yoda says his sentences backward,” said Kappler. “An example is that Yoda might say, ‘Hard to see, the dark side is,’ instead of ‘The dark side is hard to see.’”
Kappler clearly is one of the more loyal subjects of the world of Lucas. He has read novels about the series and played the video games inspired by the saga.
“And he pretty much has done these scripts in all of his spare time,” added Patty Kappler, Ben and Derek’s mother. “He dedicates a lot of his time to Star Wars. I guess it will be his life for the next couple of weeks.”
It seems that way indeed.
The kids got the idea to make a movie during the Mother’s Day holiday weekend after watching Lynn Jablonowski film her son Nick playing with his toy light saber.
That weekend, the neighborhood kids shot a 13-minute feature about Star Wars — the plot line follows the youngsters’ vision of what happens after the events of Return of the Jedi.
Two days after the recent block party, the kids shot a follow-up to that feature, with Lynn Jablonowski directing and Patty Kappler serving as her first production assistant.
“The last movie was kind of a rough draft,” Lynn explained. “This time, we’re more into sound effects and better props. All of the kids are going to be involved this time. On this one, we’re a little more organized. . . . We used our imagination and took it one step further.”
She might even submit one of the amateur movies for consideration in an annual film contest for Star Wars fans.
Of course, the hysteria that grips the 3100 block of Englewood St. raises the obvious question: What will these folks do when George Lucas completes his second film trilogy and they have no more movies to anticipate?
“I’ll cry. Then I’ll go to George Lucas and beat him until he makes some more,” Ben Kappler said with a laugh.