When it was first released, I considered ESB to be a separate adventure in the SW universe which happened to feature familiar characters and some new ones. Of course, to my 8-year-old self, any new Star Wars was welcome, but since Star Wars didn't end with a cliffhanger, The Empire Strikes Back seemed like a brand new story to me.
Of course, by the end of Empire, it was pretty clear that the story was going to be continued, and by that time everyone knew Lucas was making a trilogy.
But I tend to think of the original Star Wars as its own movie, followed by the duology of Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
This post has been edited by Devout Catalyst: 30 May 2005 - 09:47 PM