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Book Review: Force Collector

On July 30, 2020

In Book Review, Science Fiction, Star Wars

Force Collector by Kevin Shinick
My rating: [rating=5]

In my last book review I talked a bit about the young adult genre and I hardly qualify as a “young adult” (however I’m not exactly “old” either) but I digress. I won’t turn down a good young adult novel but, I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure about this book. This is another book in the “Journey to Rise of Skywalker” series and I’m eager to learn more about the lore that brought us to that epic conclusion. Therefore, regardless of my age and how it corresponds to “young adult”, I read it and I was not disappointed. This is my book review of Force Collector.

Brief Synopsis and Biggs’ Review

Karr is a thirteen year old child on Merokia who suddenly discovers he’s Force sensitive. The Force allows him to see the history of the Jedi whenever he touches an artifact that, at some point in the past, encountered the Force. Now he’s determined to discover the truth about the Jedi. His journey will take him across the galaxy, to many familiar places and faces. He will learn not only about the Jedi but about his own past and his destiny.

I think what I enjoyed the most about this book is the different ways it links all the movies together. I’m a sucker for subtle references and Easter eggs. They are like the Force itself, binding the galaxy together. I know, that was corny. I’ll be honest, when I first started reading I was confused about where it occurred in the timeline. The last book I read, in this series, takes place just a few months after The Last Jedi. Naturally I assumed this book would be somewhere in the same time period. It is not. So, for future readers, it takes place BEFORE The Force Awakens; that is extremely relevant to the events of this book.

Unlike Spark of the Resistance, this book doesn’t add any context to Rise of Skywalker. It’s a fun stroll down memory lane. It’s sole purpose, in my opinion, is to advance the lore of the Jedi. It provides an idea of how and why the Jedi may have become so mythical and elusive after Return of the Jedi.

I definitely recommend this book for Star Wars fans. I had a hard time putting it down.

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
– Dr. Seuss

SWTOR: Return of the Sith Juggernaut

By Biggs

On July 23, 2020

In Gaming, MMORPG, Star Wars, SWTOR

I’m a little over a month into my World of Warcraft hiatus. While I do miss logging into my Paladin and hanging with my raid team, I’ve been busy tanking it up with my Sith Juggernaut in Star Wars: The Old Republic. I was fortunate to get into the beta of this game way back in 2011 and I loved it. As I mentioned before, two subscriptions is not economical to maintain a mmo/real-life balance, so I kept the one that more of my friends were playing. The game has changed a lot the past nine years so I thought I’d share some of my thoughts on these changes in this post I’m calling “Return of the Sith Juggernaut”.

F2P, Game Time and the Cartel Market

It’s probably been about 6 years since I’ve played SWTOR and wrote a gameplay post. When my WoW hiatus started I didn’t buy any game time right away. I played the Free-2-Play version for a few weeks first and, only recently, bought some game time. I, honestly, didn’t feel as stymied about the F2P restrictions as I felt in the past. Granted I do have a “preferred” status which means I do receive additional liberties (such as a 1 million credit cap as opposed to the 350k credit cap). It may have helped that I was away from the game long enough that I accrued over 9,000 Cartel Coins.

I love the Cartel Market system. I’ve only spent about 4k of my Cartel Coins so far, mostly on species and gameplay unlocks. I think one of the mechanics I really like is the daily “Flash sales”. Every day an item from the Cartel Market is on sale for 50% off (or more) and only for about 14 hours. If you are patient enough you can wait for some really cool mounts or costumes to come down in price. The minor drawback is that it only unlocks for the character you bought it on, however you can unlock it account-wide for a few more Cartel Coins.

Speaking of costumes, the outfit designer feature is really cool. It’s similar to the Warcraft transmog system except the costume remains even after you replace a piece of gear. In some ways I like that better than transmog except you can’t overwrite your weapons.

Flashpoints and Expansions

I didn’t activate a recurring subscription, instead I purchased their non-recurring 60 days of game time. I really like this idea of only one time purchases of game time without having to buy a game time card. In fact, not only does it grant you a one time purchase of game time, it also fully upgrades to the current expansion. Prior to my initial exit from the game, Rise of the Hutt Cartel was the current expansion. Therefore I didn’t have any of the content after that expansion unlocked. Now I can reach max level of Onslaught without a recurring subscription or expansion purchase.

Flashpoints (which is the SWTOR version of 5-man dungeons) have a new mechanic that I really like. Story Mode. This means you can complete a flashpoint solo, or with a smaller group. The mobs health and damage is reduced and you also receive an additional companion droid to help with the fights. I love this. It always kind of bothered me, in World of Warcraft, that the main story arcs always ended with a dungeon quest. There are even some professions that require a dungeon visit. I usually end up waiting for months to finally finish these quests because I feel blocked by the dungeon.

I get that Blizzard is trying to foster a community environment and these quests are designed to be completed with a group. However, I don’t always feel like hunting for a group of folks or waiting on the Looking-for-Group tool. I just want to complete my quest (and thus the story). SWTOR Story Mode let’s me do that. Blizzard needs to do this.

On a final note, playing the game again reminds me how amazing the voice acting and writing is, especially of class companions. I also love the fact that they incorporated music and creatures (ex: the varactyls) from the prequels. I really do love this game.

If you’re interested in playing this game visit the website: www.swtor.com.

/MTFBWY

“ I’ll do it, on one condition – if I die, you have to build a statue in my honor. An Expensive one. ”

Book Review: Spark of the Resistance

By Biggs

On July 10, 2020

In Book Review, Science Fiction

Spark of the Resistance by Justina Ireland
My rating: [rating=4]

I’m going to take this opportunity to speak on the Young Adult genre before I dive into this review. Granted, this book is actually classified as “Children’s Middle Grade” but I’m going to juxtapose the Young Adult genre to make my point. I am hardly a “young adult”; in fact I probably haven’t been one in 15 (or more) years. Regardless, I won’t turn down a good Young Adult novel, I’ve read quite a few. The genre doesn’t necessarily define the audience.

That being said, this is the first time I’ve read a “Middle Grade” children’s book for myself. Obviously its not a typical genre for me. There are four books in the Journey to Rise of Skywalker series (which includes the novelization of Rise of Skywalker). I really enjoy the new characters from the sequel trilogy and so very I’m eager to read more about them.

Biggs’ Synopsis and Review

This book takes place just a few months after the events of The Last Jedi. Rey, Poe, Rose and BB-8 are returning from a mission on behalf of General Organa. They unexpectedly receive a mysterious distress call, for the Resistance, from Minfar. Leary of a trap the heroes venture to Minfar where they befriend the Zixon and stumble onto a First Order plot.

This book is a mere 224 pages and probably about a 14pt font (perhaps these are characteristics of the “Middle Grade” genre). I really enjoyed the book and I’m very happy that I read it. Of course now I am committed to reading the other books in the series. Granted I’m not terribly upset by that, I had always planned on reading the Rise of Skywalker novelization anyway (I’ve read the novelization of all the other Skywalker movies). In fact I’ve already started a second book in the series. This book is not terribly vulgar or violent and the Zixon are your Ewok-like anthropomorphized creatures; because … Disney. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t hate the characters, just seemed like typical a Disney story mechanic.

It’s a quick, fun read and if you’re interested about the events that lead up to the ninth Skywalker film, I’d recommend reading this one. I mean, we’re all in quarantine anyway. If you’re alone and the weather is nice, you could hop out to the patio or balcony and easily read it in a day.

/MTFBWY

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
– Dr. Seuss

HMDYK About Sir Alec Guinness

By Biggs

On June 21, 2020

In HMDYK, Movies, Star Wars

All right, we talked about two bad guys so let’s cover some neat trivia about a good guy. The good guy! Of all of the good guys in Star Wars, I don’t think anyone compares to Obi-Wan Kenobi (except, perhaps, Yoda). The man endured the loss of his best friend/brother to the dark side and even witnessed him slaughtering younglings. Satine Kryze, the woman he cared about most, is murdered right in front of him. He is betrayed by his first in command because of Order 66 and becomes, essentially, one of the last remaining Jedi. After ALL of that, he is never once tempted by the dark side. A Jedi as legendary as Obi-Wan Kenobi can only be initially portrayed by a legendary actor. So how much do you know about Sir Alec Guinness?

Sir Alec Guinness passed away in 2000 from lung cancer at 86 years old. In 1959 he was knighted by Elizabeth II for his contribution to the arts. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and received a lifetime achievement award in 1980. He was only married once and has one child.

Unlike the previous actors, Sir Alec Guinness’ film career spans only 63 credits. However, similar to Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, he has portrayed some pretty notable characters. I really think he is one of those actors more people need to talk about and appreciate. Before we get into his other roles, I want to share some behind-the-scenes Star Wars trivia.

A Love-Hate Relationship

He apparently claims it was his idea that Obi-Wan Kenobi is killed in the first movie to reduce his involvement with the film. He never hated the movie but he did hate the fact that it’s the only role people knew him for despite all his previous roles. I, honestly, don’t blame him; as you will soon see, he had a great career. The other actors in the movies claim he was very professional and very kind, however he once told a fan to “never watch it [Star Wars] again”. Despite his mixed feelings fans, actors and even Disney continue to honor the man that brought us Obi-Wan. Ewan McGregor would spend hours studying his earlier films in preparation for the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi in the prequels. Disney and J.J. Abrams even **cast his granddaughter, Sally Guinness, in Rise of Skywalker to honor his memory.

As I already said, Sir Alec Guinness should be appreciated for more than his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi. He has a lifetime achievement award for only 63 films so you know there is more to this mans’ career than a decrepit hermit Jedi. In the 1940’s he was in a couple film adaptations of some fairly well known novels; Great Expectations and Oliver Twist. Fun Fact: the voice for Watto was modeled after Guinness’s performance as Fagin in Oliver Twist.

He’s in a few other movies you may have heard of; Doctor Zhivago, Lawrence of Arabia and The Bridge on the River Kwai. The latter two films both won Best Picture. Obi-Wan Kenobi is the role that would make him famous but seeing the distinguished career he had prior to Star Wars I feel inclined to go back and watch his other films.

Star Wars Month Wrap-Up

By Biggs

On May 31, 2020

In Star Wars

Today is the last day of Star Wars month. May 31st doesn’t have any coincidental Star Wars parallels. In fact the 25th was pretty much the last Star Wars themed day for the month. Some folks have tried to come up with a theme every day of the month. It’s a valiant effort but the vast majority of them are a stretch.

One of the suggestions for May 31st I found interesting. If you wanted to commemorate the day I suppose watching Return of the Jedi or Rise of Skywalker makes sense. Your preference. Personally I’m watching Rise of Skywalker as that’s, currently, the final chapter in the Star Wars universe. So for the Star Wars month wrap-up, how did I fare with my goals?

The 11-Movie Re-Watch

The most appropriate goal for the month is watching all the movies. There are 9 movies in the Skywalker Saga and 2 spin-off films. The combined runtime of all 11 movies is approximately 25 hours. The order in which you watch the movies is your choice. Personally I chose chronological order (as opposed to theatrical release order).

This year was particularly special as my daughter insisted on watching all 11 movies with me. If there is one positive thing I could take away from this covid ordeal its that we got to watch these movies together. Under normal circumstances she would have been at school or daycare. We did not watch the Clone Wars movie that introduces the animated series. I feel like I probably should have included that.

This year was the first time she saw Revenge of the Sith (my personal favorite of the prequel trilogy). I hadn’t shown that to her previously because it’s pretty dark. In fact I even warned her that the movie doesn’t really have a happy ending. She did not like how evil and cruel Anakin becomes. When the movie was over her exact words were “I am never watching that movie again!” I was amused but not terribly surprised.

Series and Soundtracks

I finished watching The Clone Wars series, which wasn’t all that difficult. I was caught up to Season 7 prior to its release and I was watching each new episode as it came out. Dave Filoni did an amazing job wrapping up that series. On the other hand, I did not finish watching Rebels. In fact I only made it through two seasons, which is surprising. Rebels is, by far, my favorite of the animated series. Since I haven’t finished Rebels, that means I did not watch Star Wars Resistence either.

I only watched one episode, so far, of the Disney Gallery series on The Mandalorian. The first episode was really good, I just prioritized the movies and Rebels above this docuseries. If you’ve watched all, or any of it, please let me know your thoughts. I’ll probably try to finish everything else first and then finish watching it. Before Season 2 comes out in the fall, I will re-watch The Mandalorian.

As a final homage to the Star Wars franchise, I managed to listen to all 11 soundtracks while jogging this month. I really wish there was a consolidated album for The Mandalorian music. I found a great Spotify playlist which is essentially what I want in a non-streaming format.

I admit, while March and April seemed to drag on because of the state of the world right now, May seemed a little less “doom and gloom”. I owe it to my love of this great franchise to get me through these crazy times.

Also, coincidentally I started playing Star Wars: The Old Republic again this month. One of those Bob Ross “happy accidents”.

/MTFBWY

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

Happy Geek Pride/Towel/Memorial Day

By Biggs

On May 25, 2020

In Geek Culture, Star Wars

Geeks everywhere salute those that paid the ultimate price for our freedom

Geek Pride Day (also known as Towel Day) is the closing bookend for this geek filled holiday month. This is the second biggest geek holiday in May. Geek Pride Day is the anniversary of the release of the first Star Wars film (A New Hope) and Towel Day (in honor of Douglas Adams, author of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy). However this day has become more meaningful than the coinciding of those two events.

An important reminder, that today is also Memorial Day and the celebration of Memorial Day should be paramount. After all, if it weren’t for those that made the ultimate sacrifice we wouldn’t have the freedom to express our “geekery”.

After remembering the fallen, this day can also be a reminder to all of us that we shouldn’t be ashamed of being a geek. If Stan Lee taught us anything its that we should be proud and embrace it. I know most of us were probably picked on in school. We were probably often labeled a geek or nerd because we were smarter than most. It was a moniker of shame, a negative connotation for those that were studious and socially inclined. But not anymore.

The meaning has changed.

Now geek is a moniker held in high esteem. In some way or another, we are all geeks about something. You could use geek interchangeably with enthusiast or expert. It doesn’t have to be Star Wars, or comic books, or video games. You could be a geek about cars, a fishing geek, sports geek, fitness geek. It isn’t just about intellectual pursuits anymore. It’s just about loving something that makes you happy.

So today we salute:

First and foremost, the fallen! (Many of them were geeks too)
The Star Wars fans
The Trekkies
The book worms
The comic book nerds
The computer geeks
The gamers
The whatever-your-hobby-is geeks
The whatever-interests-you geeks

Never be ashamed of your heart or your mind!

/MTFBWY

“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

A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

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