At a recent midnight outing to Toys R Us, Jones prepped her on the fine art of the "Star Wars" toy run. "He told me to just grab one of everything, but to be sure to look for the different markings on the droids. It was crazy. I'm only 5 feet tall and there were all these grown men pushing and shoving. I almost got crushed."

After he returned from the official "Star Wars" convention in Denver, McBride issued an edict: "We have to have one hour a day where we don't talk about "Star Wars."

The insanity of the past few weeks aside, McBride explains why she puts up with it all. "We've been together so long and know each other so well, our relationship definitely goes a lot deeper than this 'Star Wars' craze."

Every SWW interviewed said their exes are great guys. It's just that their love of "Star Wars" is intense. Jones' middle-of-the-night toy runs are indicative of "Star Wars" fanaticism. Others may spend reckless amounts of money on toys. Like closet drinkers, they buy figurines on the sly to hide their spending from their wives. "Michael used to sneak around purchasing toys," says Jennifer Wistock, 27. "I'd ask him if he had been to Toys R Us and he'd deny it."

Whether a man paints his chest green and wears a cheese-head hat at a Green Bay Packers game or plays with a light sabre, the underlying issue is passion, says Rick Brown, executive director of the Institute for Imago Relationship Therapy. "If passion is not happening between the couple, it's going to happen somewhere else, whether that be work, golf, another person or 'Star Wars,'" Brown says. "The question one must ask is, Am I watching 'Star Wars' or playing golf because I really enjoy that? But if I weren't, would I enjoy being with my partner just as much?"

While the female fan base continues to grow, "Star Wars" is still pretty much a guy thing. So why does "Star Wars" continue to have such a strong hold over males into their adulthood? There are as many theories as there are interpretations of the films.

One such theory has it that "Star Wars" made its debut in the late '70s when the American divorce rate was skyrocketing. Many of the films' hardcore fans are children of divorce. A character such as Obi-Wan Kenobi filled the father-figure void, while Luke Skywalker is presented as a child of a broken home.

Alex Newborn, 29, was 7 when he first saw "Star Wars." His parents were divorcing around the same time. Newborn recalls how the breakup of their marriage left him confused and troubled. "You question everything." He didn't know which parent was right or wrong. "In 'Star Wars,' good and bad were clearly defined"; it was "a sort of escape," he said.

Newborn, who lives in Alabama, said he warned his now ex-wife about his interest in "Star Wars," but she just didn't get it. "She thought 'Star Wars' was something I might outgrow once she put a ring on my finger," he said. "She didn't accept me as I truly was."

Michael Wistock, 30, was less than 1 year old when his parents divorced. "Watching those movies filled a great void," he said. "The lessons were basic and simple. About doing what's right and wrong. It gave me a very positive self-image."

As a "chunky" kid, Chad Finke, 27, found the films empowering. "They were PC before there was PC," said the San Francisco attorney. Here was this cool guy, Han Solo, and his best friend was Chewbacca. It made you think that no matter what kind of misfit you were, you could fit in."

For some guys, the biggest draw is Harrison Ford's character, Han Solo. "There's not a 'Star Wars' fan who does not want to be Han Solo," explains Campbell. "He's the dashing rogue. He gets to fly the cool ship and kiss the princess. He's not bound by any rules but his own."

In short, Han Solo is 100 percent man, one who embodies qualities that Campbell says many men feel they have lost as women have made gains toward equality. Campbell says most men fully support these gains, but they're left feeling anxious. "Guys are so worried today that if they compliment a girl at work on her dress that they're going to be sued for sexual harassment."

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