Six days ago, in a post office close, close by … Yoda and Obi-Wan out in force for debut of 'Star Wars' stamp series BY KAREN E. BOWES Staff Writer KEYPORT - Two Jedi Masters held up the line at the West Front Street post office Friday morning, annoying some and amusing others. Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi doled out cookies and tiny paper R2-D2s to customers before standing in line to buy sheets of the new 41-cent "Star Wars" stamps. And while Kenobi attempted to avoid paying by using a Jedi mind trick on postal worker Susan Paulin - a move that drew eye-rolling from a few fellow customers in line behind them - Yoda stood silently (perhaps wisely?) behind his fellow Jedi, fully aware that no one, not even a 900-year-old green Muppet, can cheat $6.15 out of the federal government. Fans across America rejoiced last week as the United States Postal Service released a limited edition sheet of 15 "Star Wars" stamps. The release date was chosen in celebration of the original movie's 30th anniversary. Keyport postal workers Carmela Rapolla (Yoda), of Matawan, and Roger Cheow (Kenobi), of Perth Amboy, were good sports in their "government-issued" costumes, as Cheow described them. The pair stood among the foot traffic at the office for two hours Friday morning, greeting all with a friendly "May the force be with you." KAREN BOWES Yoda (Carmela Rapolla, Matawan) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Roger Cheow, Perth Amboy) wait in line to buy "Star Wars" stamps from postal worker Susan Paulin, Hazlet, Friday morning at the West Front Street post office, Keyport. The original "Star Wars" premiered on May 25, 1977, in just 32 theaters across the country. Today the movie and its five sequels and prequels comprise the biggest grossing film series in history, according to the USPS. In case you've been living under a Tatooine rock for the last three decades, the films tell an epic tale of good versus evil through Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker. The father and son duo duke it out with their light sabers, cut each other's hands off and use the force to lift large objects and determine the fate of the galaxy. There are also exploding planets, space battles, a love story or two and creatures playing funny music in bar. "It's expected the 'Star Wars' stamps will be as popular as the movie," post office spokesman George Flood said in a press release Friday. "To make sure there are enough of them, USPS has printed 30 million sheets. That's a total of 450 million 'Star Wars' stamps for fans to collect." The stamps feature characters and iconic images from all six films, including Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Princess Leia, R2-D2, C-3PO, Yoda, Queen Padmé Amidala, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, Darth Maul, stormtroopers, Boba Fett, the Millennium Falcon and an X-Wing fighter. To build the buzz, the postal service began promoting the stamps in March by decorating random collection boxes as R2-D2. One such robot-wrapped box, located on the corner of Main and West Front streets, is one of only nine in the state. The stamps and other collectable merchandise is available for purchase at most post offices and on-line at www.usps.com.