Biggs' Zone

A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

Category: Geek Canon Page 6 of 10

Star Wars: Are The Jedi Really Ending?!?

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On April 18, 2017

In Geek Canon, Star Wars

Are The Jedi Really EndingSince the trailer for ‘The Last Jedi’ premiered everyone is losing their minds over Luke’s ominous words “… it’s time for the Jedi to end“. Between those words and the title of the movie, I can see how people are drawing that conclusion. Are the Jedi really ending? Has Luke gone to the Dark Side? Maybe Luke has lost his damn mind??! This is what is so much fun about watching the trailer; we will spend the next 240 days coming up with hypothesis after hypothesis. I am going to dive into some of the popular ones which intertwine with some of my theories. If you are reading this then I am going to assume you have seen The Force Awakens. I will mention some of the big spoilers of the movie to help augment my theories.

Theory 1: The Jedi Really Are Ending

Let’s consider the fact that Luke means exactly what he says. The Jedi are ending. No interpolation. No hidden meaning. Honestly this makes sense to me. The Sith have been destroyed. The Empire has been dismantled. What place do the Jedi have in the galaxy now? In 30 years the galaxy hasn’t really needed the Jedi. The Jedi are essentially like the French musketeers of the 1600s who were a private cavalry for the King. They were ineffective against Napoleon and ultimately disbanded. Without a purpose the Jedi have no reason to exist. Perhaps Luke knows this and, while also lamenting Ben Solo’s turn to the Dark Side, feels the Jedi Order is over.

What is the point of training new Jedi if they have no purpose? The New Republic fighters and military leaders prove they are quite capable of defending themselves against the First Order; despite the devastating loss of the Hosnian system. Clearly Luke feels he is not capable of effectively training new Jedi which, in his mind, don’t really serve a purpose anymore.

Theory 2: Luke Thinks He has Failed as a Jedi

After having failed to properly train Ben Solo, now Kylo Ren, he feels he has failed the Jedi Order, Leia and Han, and himself. He’s saying it’s time for the Jedi to end because he’s not going to train more and there is nobody else to carry that mantle. Everyone keeps focusing on the end of the quote but the full quote from the trailer is “I only know one truth; it’s time for the Jedi to end“. We don’t know the context in which he says that line. I imagine it’s something that occurs in a conversation not long after Rey’s arrival. I envision the interaction going something like this:

Rey: “The Resistance needs you. They need to know the truth.”
Luke: “I only know one truth; it’s time for the Jedi to end“

Perhaps Rey has already told Luke that Han is dead, killed by Kylo Ren. Luke feels responsible for his friend’s death because of Ben’s turn to the Dark Side and his obsession with Darth Vader. Perhaps if he hadn’t been so focused on rebuilding the Jedi, he could have prevented Han’s death and the rise of the First Order. However, something or someone, perhaps even Rey, convinces Luke that the Jedi should not end and the New Republic needs their protection once again.

If I were the director this is exactly what I would do. You use a line like “it’s time for the Jedi to end” in the trailer to tease your audience. I would want them all asking the question “are the Jedi really ending”? J.J. Abrams set this up perfectly; since Luke didn’t have any dialog we have no idea what his demeanor is. It creates the perfect enigmatic scenario.

Theory 3: Luke has Become the Elusive Gray Jedi

This is one of the most popular theories, and my favorite. It’s also probably the quintessential riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. This is a theory that dates back to Return of the Jedi. If Luke actually is the one that will bring balance to the Force, a Gray Jedi is how that prophecy will be fulfilled. You cannot have order without chaos, therefore you cannot have balance without the Dark Side and the Light Side. A Gray Jedi can walk the line between both. Mace Windu is widely believed to also be a Gray Jedi as he has training in both the Dark Side and the Light Side of the Force. A Gray Jedi believes that there isn’t a Dark Side or a Light Side, there is just “the Force”.

So when Luke says “it’s time for the Jedi to end“, perhaps he means the traditional Jedi. Perhaps he’s referring to the dawn of the Gray Jedi where peace can only be maintained by embracing both sides of the Force (i.e. “it’s so much bigger”). Maybe it is the fate of the Skywalkers to become the Gray Jedi and it is time for younger blood to build a new Jedi Order. Remember these nine movies are considered the “Skywalker Saga” so the fate of Luke does not necessarily dictate the fate of the Jedi.

/MTFBWY

The Force. It calls to you. Just let it in.

 

How Will Star Wars Survive Without Leia?

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On January 8, 2017

In Geek Canon, General Cogitation, Movies, Star Wars

How Will Star Wars Survive Without LeiaMany of us are still lamenting the loss of our beloved princess. I know all of her co-workers are still beside themselves with grief. We all wish everyday since the Tuesday after Christmas, was a bad dream that we all will wake up from. Sadly that will not happen. We must endure and ensure every future generation knows the brilliance and beauty of Carrie Fisher (our Princess Leia). Aside from grief, we are all curious how will Star Wars survive without her?

WARNING: If you haven’t seen The Force Awakens (which is unheard-of) and you have, miraculously, avoided spoilers then stop reading. I need to talk about details of the movie to further this rumination.

Star Wars Without Princess Leia

It’s difficult to imagine Star Wars without Princess Leia. We were hopeful when she was stable, but when she passed you could have knocked us all over with a feather. Disney did confirm that all of her scenes for Episode VIII were complete but it still begs the question, what happens in Episode IX? After killing off Han it creates and interesting conundrum in regards to Kylo Ren’s story.

Kathleen Kennedy and the Lucasfilm team have a meeting coming up to discuss Leia’s future in the franchise. I do not expect that they will share her fate with us until the release of Episode VIII or Episode IX. I think their smartest move would be to kill Leia off-screen. Since Episode VIII is now in post-production, it’s possible they could edit something in at the very end. Personally I hope they edit in a dedication rather than an off-screen death.

The right move, I think, would be to write an off-screen death for the beginning of Episode IX and work it into Kylo Ren’s story. While Rogue One was fairly successful bringing Peter Cushing (aka Tarkin) back to life; I don’t think digitally inserting Carrie Fisher for all of Episode IX would be the right thing to do.

We’re Grieving. It’s a process.

Star Wars fans, the world over, will, beyond a doubt, miss our beloved princess. Episode VIII is going to be difficult to watch knowing its the last time we will see her. Granted it will nearly have been a year by the time the movie comes out and we will all have accepted her death by that time. I’m sure seeing her again will bring back some fairly painful emotions. I know that might sound ridiculous but, just as Robin Williams, she was a pillar of our childhood. I saw Rogue One the day after her passing and seeing her at the end, despite the fact it was digital, left me verklempt.

In a way, however, it’s almost poetic that Carrie Fisher’s last movie is Star Wars. She has done several other great movies (ex: Blues Brothers, The burbs, etc) but everyone knows her, and will remember her, eternally as Princess Leia. Disney has been far more successful and true to the franchise since they took the reins. I think Kathleen Kennedy will do the right thing. Star Wars will never be the same, but she will always be our princess.

/MTFBWY

The Force. It calls to you. Just let it in.

 

DC is Rivaling Marvel with The Flash

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On November 7, 2016

In Biggs On, Comic Books, DC, Geek Canon

DC is Rivaling Marvel with The FlashRemember last year when I talked about the great television Marvel is producing? Well I think DC is making a comeback in the form of The Flash. If you haven’t been watching it, then call your doctor because something is wrong with you. Other than Batman and Superman, I don’t know that much about the heroes of DC comics. I was hearing great things about The Flash but I just kept putting it off. After watching the cross-over episode of Supergirl, we finally said “OK, we need to watch this show”. We are in the third season and I have to admit DC is rivaling Marvel with The Flash.

The cast consists of mostly unknowns. Tom Cavanagh and Victor Garber are about the only recognizable faces on the show (except for the Arrow crossover episodes with Steven Amell). The lead role of Barry Allen/The Flash is played by Grant Gustin; whose prior roles were on Glee and 90210 (2013). This is one of those shows where a no-name cast provides remarkable entertainment. The actors really begin to show their range in the second season when they have to portray their doppelgangers. Tom Cavanagh, in particular, gives a superb performance as multiple doppelgangers; and the latest iteration reminds me of his role as J.D.’s brother in Scrubs.

Crossover Cohesion

It appears that DC has taken some lessons from Marvel’s success with crossovers. Although DC utilizes its other shows whereas Marvel mixes in its movies with its TV series. Arrow is already a great show in-and-of-itself, but the crossover episodes are fantastic. In large part the success of the crossover episodes is what has lured us in to watch the other series. We actually started watching Supergirl first. The episode where the Flash comes to her Earth lured us in to watch The Flash.

Last year DC launched a new series called “Legends of Tomorrow” which incorporates several characters from both The Flash and Arrow. One of my favorite villains from The Flash, Captain Cold played by Wentworth Miller, is now one of the lead characters on Legends of Tomorrow, thus luring us into that show. Speaking of villains of The Flash, I have two words that also makes the show awesome: Mark Hamill. Yes, Mark Hamill plays a villain called Trickster on The Flash and he is amazing! There needs to be more episodes involving Trickster because I’m blown away every time Mark speaks.

So there you go. If you’ve been watching Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and/or any one of the other shows I’ve mentioned above, then you should add all of them to your watch list. The synergy DC is lacking between the TV series and movies, it makes up for in these shows.  If you can’t watch all of them, then definitely put The Flash and Arrow at the top of the list.

minions_iconI could accomplish so much more if I only had minions!

The Big Bang Theory Does Not Mock Geeks

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On September 21, 2016

In Geek Canon, General Cogitation, Soapbox

My favorite type of sitcoms are, what I call, highbrow comedies. Fraiser was the first, and will always be, my favorite highbrow comedy. I enjoyed it because the dichotomy that people with an extensive vocabulary are not necessarily haughty or persnickety. Despite their affluence they still found themselves in the same awkward predicaments as Ross, Rachael, Monica, Chandler, Joey and Phoebe. When Fraiser ended in 2004, after 11 seasons, I thought it was the end of highbrow comedy, until I found The Big Bang Theory.

Big Bang Theory Does Not Mock Geeks

I own the same caffeine molecule shirt BEFORE I saw it on TBBT

I was surprised to learn there are other individuals like myself (i.e. geeks) who felt the show made a mockery of geeks. I disagree, I think The Big Bang Theory does not mock geeks. In fact, it teaches us to embrace who we are and it teaches the world to accept us the way we are.

The Big Bang Theory paralleled my life in some capacity. Actually it was almost uncanny in many situations. When I saw Leonard wearing that caffeine molecule shirt I knew I was going to enjoy how the show was analogous to my life. It starts its 10th season this year, and the show still makes me laugh myself to tears. It’s the intellectual, re-imagining of Friends.

The Tropes are the Pillars of Our Identity

The show does make heavy use of geek cultural tropes. Comic books, Star Wars, Star Trek, super heroes, video games, etc! These are not tropes, they are the pillars that define us! It is that sense of identity that makes the show so easy to relate to. Let’s face it, we were all socially awkward and intimidated by the opposite sex when we were younger. It’s possible some are the same as adults. When we were growing up, because we preferred books to booze and video games to sports games, we were “geeks”. Today, “geek” doesn’t have the same negative connotation.

When I was a kid, it was a huge insult to be a geek. Now it’s a point of pride in a weird way. – J. J. Abrams

Perhaps those that find the show offensive to geeks are marred by the demons of their past. When you spend your whole life trying to discard that label, you have a hard time letting go of that negative association. If The Big Bang Theory has taught us all anything, it’s that our perseverance will pay off. Penny and Leonard’s relationship shows us that smart is the new sexy; they don’t ignore the “nerdy guy with the hot girlfriend” dichotomy. We can “get the girl” and still be true to ourselves.

Geek is Passion

So I do understand why some may find the social structure in The Big Bang Theory difficult to believe. Bullying back then was just as awful as bullying is today. It’s very difficult to overcome. Our damaged self-esteem makes us believe we will live a lonely and clandestine life. The Big Bang Theory shows us that you can overcome bullying, love something with unbridled passion, and NEVER be afraid to show it. Let go of those old wounds because, in reality, we are all geeks about something.

Being a geek is all about being honest about what you enjoy and not being afraid to demonstrate that affection. It means never having to play it cool about how much you like something. It’s basically a license to proudly emote on a somewhat childish level rather than behave like a supposed adult. Being a geek is extremely liberating. – Simon Pegg

minions_iconI could accomplish so much more if I only had minions!
Suicide Squad

Movie Review: Suicide Squad

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On September 7, 2016

In Comic Books, DC, Movies, Reviews

Suicide Squad

Suicide Squad

Directed by: David Ayer
Starring: Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie

My Rating: [rating=4]

It has been a while since my last movie review post. Batman vs Superman (BvS) may have been the last one I did so it’s serendipitous that Suicide Squad is next. I can’t believe there was no warning that you should see BvS before you see Suicide Squad. It picks up shortly after the events of BvS so you should watch that first, if you don’t want a spoiler.

Suicide Squad is esoteric to comic geek canon. In other words, if you are not familiar with DC villains then you probably have no idea what the “Suicide Squad” is. The Joker (Jared Leto) will be the most recognizable name among this motley crew. Those that are slightly more enlightened will recognize Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie). The lesser known villains in this movie are Deadshot (Will Smith), Killer Croc, Boomerang and Diablo. They are all villains that have been captured by either Batman or The Flash, both of which make cameo appearances.

[Quick Plot Summary]

When the kind of justice Gotham needs isn’t the kind Superman or Batman are willing to provide, a new kind of vigilante is needed. The most dastardly of Gotham’s villains are locked away and forgotten. However, assembling the right group of them will provide a set of skills that can thwart meta-human terrorist threats. The trick is, how do you control them so they don’t start their own terrorist plots.

Don’t Believe All The Critics

Despite what many other critics and movie goers have been saying, Suicide Squad is a good movie. Granted I am not a big DC comic nerd or pundit. I don’t know how well each actor portrayed their respective villain as it pertains to canon. Will Smith is the biggest name in the movie and I’m glad he didn’t turn it into “The Will Smith Show”. He did share the spotlight well with the other characters, especially Margot Robbie. There is good chemistry between Deadshot and Harley Quinn, and the rest of the crew to be honest. So with that said, I think Suicide Squad is a better movie than Batman vs Superman in terms of plot and the quality of the acting.

One final note. I firmly believe that the music makes the movie and this wouldn’t be a “Biggs Movie Review” if I didn’t comment on the music. Keep in mind that I am referring to the score soundtrack and not the album soundtrack. The film’s composer is Steven Price and an hour into the movie I began wondering if it was available on iTunes. The mood of the music matched the mood of each scene perfectly. When you don’t realize that you have been completely bewitched by a scene, that is a sign of good music. Hats off to Steven Price.

film_reelThe screen is a magic medium. It has such power that it can retain interest as it conveys emotions and moods that no other art form can hope to tackle.
– Stanley Kubrick

Happy Towel Day!!!

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On May 25, 2016

In Geek Canon

Happy Towel DayAccording to the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy:

A towel, it says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great practical value. You can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapours; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a miniraft down the slow heavy River Moth; wet it for use in hand-to-hand-combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (such a mind-bogglingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can’t see it, it can’t see you — daft as a brush, but very very ravenous); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.

More importantly, a towel has immense psychological value. For some reason, if a strag (strag: non-hitch hiker) discovers that a hitchhiker has his towel with him, he will automatically assume that he is also in possession of a toothbrush, face flannel, soap, tin of biscuits, flask, compass, map, ball of string, gnat spray, wet weather gear, space suit etc., etc. Furthermore, the strag will then happily lend the hitch hiker any of these or a dozen other items that the hitch hiker might accidentally have “lost.” What the strag will think is that any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still knows where his towel is, is clearly a man to be reckoned with.

Today is the day we celebrate the work and life of Douglas Adams. He enriched our lives with Improbability Drives and Pan Galactic Gargle Blasters. Show your appreciation and bring your towel with you everywhere and go to towelday.org to see what events might be going on near you.

So long, and thanks for all the fish.

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