I was flying back to the Bay Area — into Mineta San José International Airport — this weekend from Japan and found that the force was with me.

The second I confirmed my flight with All Nippon Airways, the counter clerks and flight crew began commenting how lucky the passengers were to be part of the "Star Wars" flight.

A buzz began to make the rounds at Narita International Airport as people from various countries maneuvered to windows to take photographs of the Boeing 787 designed as R2-D2.

As we boarded, the Star Wars theme was evident on the seat backs as well as souvenirs.

As the plane prepared to take off, I was able to shoot a video of the Star Wars lighting and music for NBC Bay Area just as we were told to start putting away electronic devices. Whew!

It made the flight a little more unique and fun. However, despite friendly service and a smooth eight-plus-hour flight, many passengers would have liked the Dreamliner to go into hyperspace as part of the Star Wars experience.