This is Rep. Derek Kilmer, Democrat of Washington.
Kilmer really, really likes Star Wars. Here he is with his daughters Tess (as Han Solo) and Sophie (as Leia) last May 4, known to Jedi everywhere as Star Wars Day.
Kilmer is raising his daughters right: Even though they're young enough to experience the franchise starting with the newest films like some unlucky kids do, Kilmer's kids started Star Wars with Episode IV. The way people should.
"I showed them to them exactly the way I saw them," he told BuzzFeed News. "I didn't want my kids' first exposure to Star Wars to involve Jar Jar Binks."
So Kilmer is a true fan. There's literally a cardboard Luke Skywalker in this guy's Capitol Hill office.
But Kilmer is also a politician. That means he is also a true fan of campaign donations.
Last week, a D.C.-area Star Wars fan tipped BuzzFeed News to a Kilmer fundraiser that promised an early screening of The Force Awakens to Kilmer donors.
The tip was true. An invite did go out promising an early screening and charging $250 a ticket for individuals to attend ($750 per ticket for PACs). But after we asked about it, the invitation changed and a new one went out. Here it is:
The new version carried this correction:
What happened? Well, although the official Star Wars release date is Dec. 18, it turns out theaters can start showing the movie at 7 p.m on Dec. 17. Kilmer snagged a private screening, but it's not starting until after other people can also see it.
A movie theater manager in Washington told BuzzFeed News a couple of well-heeled companies were also holding private screenings after 7 p.m. on Dec. 17. The manager said it was possible there were some screenings scheduled before 7 p.m., too, but those wouldn't be allowed without a sign-off from Disney, the company that owns Star Wars.
A Disney representative did not respond to a request for comment. Neither did a representative for Regal Entertainment Group, the theater chain hosting Kilmer's event.
These screenings are hard to get. Kilmer's office started the process of renting a theater for a private showing of the new Star Wars film "last January," according to a staff member.
"Due to the volume of requests from others the 17th was the time that worked out best on their end and is what they offered us," the staffer said. "So we took it."
Kilmer's event will not be the first time he's tried to raise money with Star Wars. He has hosted an annual Star Wars trivia night fundraiser for three years, and he hosted a fundraiser screening of Episode IV in 2013. He likes those starscape invites.
In an interview, Kilmer told BuzzFeed News he doesn't like that he has to spend so much time raising money. But since he does, he wants to do it in ways that are fun.
"Unfortunately you have to do it, but I've decided I'm not going to have fundraisers I would not want to go to," he said. "And so, to me this is just a fun opportunity to see a movie that I'm totally jazzed to see and that a lot of folks are excited to see."
"There's a lot of fundraising in D.C. that involves eating stale donuts or bagels," Kilmer explained. "And, you know, being in a nondescript room. I'd much rather do something that livens it up a little bit."
Not surprisingly, he's pretty psyched about the new movie and says he'll be able to enjoy it even if he has to work while he's watching it (i.e. mingle with the people and companies who bought the tickets).
"I'm going to enjoy it, sit back and enjoy it!" Kilmer said.
On Monday, Star Wars tickets go on sale to the general public after a new trailer debuts on Monday Night Football. Lines are expected to be long.
We asked Kilmer if he thought it was fair as a fan to offer a way for donors to see Star Wars before most fans and without waiting in the long lines like everyone else.
"We thought this would be a cool opportunity to share this with people. If you came into my office, you would see I've got a cardboard Luke Skywalker in my office. I've got a Yoda 'do or do not' pad. I've got a Boba Fett bobblehead in my office," he said. "For me this is just the excitement about a movie. I grew up with this and so did my kids."
Our tipster, however, was less impressed. But no less nerdy! The tipster did the math.
"That's quite the premium, given that the screening is on 12/17, and the actual release date is the 18th," the tipster wrote in an email. "So you're basically paying [a huge] markup."