Biggs' Zone

A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

Tag: Star Wars Page 30 of 45

Thank You Peter Mayhew

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On May 7, 2019

In General Cogitation

Why do I find it so difficult to talk about the passing of a man I never knew but who was also a huge part of my life? Last week we lost our favorite Wookie. Peter Mayhew portrayed our beloved Chewbacca through 40 years and 5 movies. Chewie was more than a character to Peter, he was apart of who he was (much like C-3PO is to Anthony Daniels, except maybe not quite as eccentric). It’s so easy to forget that the actors are not as immortal as the characters they have brought to life. While the characters will live on forever losing someone like Peter Mayhew (or Carrie Fisher and Kenny Baker) still feels like you lost an awesome family member whom you never met. It feels trite but suffice it to say, thank you Peter Mayhew; thank you for making Chewie real for us.

My Favorite Chewbacca Moment

Chewbacca is probably the most beloved character in the Star Wars franchise and among the best characters in the history of film. It’s hard to choose a favorite moment because Chewie has so many of them. Peter portrayed Chewie in five of the Skywalker Saga films (Revenge of the Sith, A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens). If I have to pick a favorite moment and, given that my favorite movie of the saga is Empire Strikes Back, then it’s when Luke is preparing to leave and bids Han and Chewie farewell, Chewie suddenly hugs Luke. It always brings a smile to my face.

Remembering Peter Mayhew

Click to enlargeI have been to two Celebration events, 2002 and this year (2019); and at both events I saw Peter Mayhew, but just in passing. In 2002 he was walking around the convention floor, on his way to his autograph session. He would stop occasionally to take pictures with fans, always with the same goofy smirk you often see in all his convention photos. I regret never signing up for a picture or autograph. The picture on the left is one I took as I was passing by his autograph session. My daughter tells me he turned and smiled at her before we walked away.

https://twitter.com/HamillHimself/status/1124093358798929920?s=20

As you can see the actors that knew him well had wonderful things to say about Peter. A “gentle giant” that loved his work, loved the franchise and loved his fans. It’s sucks saying good-bye but, as Luke said, “Nobody’s ever really gone”.

Thank you Peter Mayhew and May the Force Be With You.

Breathe. Just breathe. Now reach out.

The Fight Against Star Wars Fan Toxicity

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On April 25, 2019

In Fulmination, Star Wars

Star Wars Fan Toxicity

I absolutely cannot abide toxic fans. One of the things that really get my troll coals burning is people attacking other people because something didn’t play out the way they imagined it. I’ve been on these diatribes before that Star Wars fan toxicity is ruining Star Wars (and it’s definitely not Disney). Personally, I feel that unless Disney explicitly snubbed your fan fiction, your expressed opinions, and/or your recommendation letters then you have zero creative control over the plot of the movies. They are not your story to tell. If you disagree, that’s fine. However, resorting to toxic social media behavior doesn’t make it right. In fact, it makes you wrong and a disgusting tyrant. Actors and actresses are paid to play a role and a majority of them put a lot of work, and a bit of themselves, into their roles. Attacking a role they played is attacking the person and its asinine.

I Will Always Defend All The Movies

We need to fight against all this Star Wars fan toxicity. Nobody deserves to be lambasted for a role they are paid to play and it’s incredibly naive to think it doesn’t affect them. Daisey Ridley (Rey) and Kelly Marie Tran (Rose Tico) are no longer on social media. Apparently some so-called “fans” disagreed with the Rey and Rose characters so much they tormented both actresses on their respective Twitter or Instagram accounts. Now their accounts are gone; deleted because of the sexist and racist vitriol from alleged “fans”. If that isn’t egregious enough for you then let’s talk about Ahmed Best.

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My Chicago Star Wars Celebration Experience

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On April 22, 2019

In Geek Culture, Star Wars

I have been looking forward to the Star Wars Celebration for two reasons. First, the last one I went to was 2002, when it was in Indianapolis for the release of Attack of the Clones. Second, its in Chicago this year, my favorite city. Ultimately the best part of the going to the event was bringing my five-year old daughter. This is my Chicago Star Wars Celebration experience.

I don’t think I need to go into the big news. Everyone who cares should already be aware of the release of the first trailer and the title. I did not get to sit in on the panels since I only had a day to absorb as much as I could while keeping a five-year-old entertained.

A Little Leia Changes the Experience

When I went back in 2002 I was just this nerd wandering around the convention center taking pictures and getting autographs. I seemed convinced my experience would be the same except now my daughter would have to endure it. I was completely and utterly wrong! She dressed up as Princess Leia, and apparently a five-year old Leia is as popular as a celebrity. (Sorry, pictures will only be available for friends and family).

This is all the free stuff she got

She was constantly receiving free stuff from vendors and random fans, including fans from other countries. She was getting requests to be photographed or to be in a picture with other people attending the convention. As shy as she comes off, I think she secretly enjoyed the adoration. I cannot express how humbling and amazing the Star Wars fans were at this convention and it really made my daughter feel special. If this experience doesn’t make her a Star Wars fan, then I’ve done all I can do.

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FINALLY! Episode IX Title and Trailer

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On April 12, 2019

In Movies, Star Wars

We have been waiting for months. Mark Hamill and Anthony Daniels have been teasing us. They teased us at the Super Bowl. They teased us all through March. We were even teased for the first day of the Celebration. We had to wait until the second day of the Star Wars Celebration, during the Episode IX panel for J.J. Abrams and Kathleen Kennedy finally gave us what we all wanted!! Episode IX Title and Trailer!

The Title: The Rise of Skywalker

The Trailer:

Just as the previous two movies, I instantly got chills! I will share my analysis of the Episode IX title and trailer in a later post (after my heart rate returns to normal and I’ve had a chance to watch it a dozen times).

Breathe. Just breathe. Now reach out.

Book Review: From A Certain Point of View

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On March 19, 2019

In Book Review, Geek Canon, Geek Culture, Science Fiction, Star Wars

From a Certain Point of View (Star Wars)From a Certain Point of View by Ben Acker
My rating: [rating=4]

When I picked up this book to read, I had similar concerns about it as I did about the Princess Leia book. I wasn’t sure what I was getting into. In fact before I even added it to my “Currently Reading” list on Goodreads, I read the first chapter. It didn’t take much after that for me to keep reading it. This book was published back in 2017 for the 40th anniversary of the Star Wars franchise. It is a massive collaboration of 40 different authors (because 40 years, get it?) each writing a chapter. Some of the more well-known contributors are Christie Golden, Chuck Wendig and Wil Wheaton (yes, Wesley Crusher). Here is my book review of “From A Certain Point of View”.

No Synopsis Required

I should have read the synopsis before I picked up this book. This book doesn’t require a synopsis because it’s the plot of Star Wars A New Hope. If you don’t know the plot of Episode IV then why are you here? The unique feature of this book is the events of A New Hope are told from the perspective of background characters. As boring as that sounds, it’s actually quite interesting.

Every chapter isn’t as interesting as some of the others. In fact there are a few chapters that are really superfluous. There are too many chapters that focus on the events in the cantina. The Greedo chapter and, perhaps, the Wuher chapter are really the only ones worth keeping. There are a couple of chapters on the Death Star, during the destruction of Alderaan that are pretty uninteresting too. For example, the chapter with the MSE droid and TK-421 is probably my least favorite chapter. His personal life and aspirations of MSE racing were gratuitous; so much so I actually skipped some of it. Another chapter I felt similarly about was Omi, the trash compactor beast. Pretty dull.

A Handful Does Not Ruin the Bunch

Despite the handful of tedious chapters, there are many that more than make up for it. There is a chapter where Qui-Gon is communing with Obi-Wan that I really enjoyed. The chapter from Tarkin’s point of view as well as a couple of members of the Imperial High Council are really fun. I think my favorite chapter is the one where a stormtrooper is filing an incident report from the events at Mos Eisley. I know that probably sounds as dreary as MSE racing but the author, Daniel Jose Older, makes it very entertaining. In fact his Star Wars book, Last Shot, is on my short list to read next.

Superfluous chapters aside, this is a great book to read. I would definitely recommend it for any Star Wars fan. If you’re reading a chapter that you find especially boring, you can freely skip it without missing something important. None of the chapters really build on each other, they only accompany the main plot of the movie. I’m really glad I decided to read it.

View all my reviews

diablo3-reading“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
– Dr. Seuss

 

Star Wars: Luke Isn’t Broken in The Last Jedi

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On March 11, 2019

In Movies, Star Wars

Several new stories keep popping up on social media that Disney (or J.J.) are calling in George Lucas to “fix Luke”. Apparently Luke’s character evolution did not appeal to many people. This isn’t just some other thing the manbabies cried about on social media; some of my friends have made similar comments. Luke’s behavior is exactly what I was expecting so I’m not sure what needs to be “fixed”. You’ve heard the idiom “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”; well I believe Luke isn’t broken in The Last Jedi.

The Trailer and TFA Made It Very Clear

When the trailer came out, I’m sure I wasn’t the only one watching it multiple times. However, I must have been watching a different trailer than other folks. There is plenty in the trailer (and The Force Awakens) to suggest that Luke is despondent. Luke, being the first of a new line of Jedi, would feel obligated to begin training new Jedi. His hubris would be his downfall when he fails with his own nephew. Yoda and Obi-Wan also went into exile when they failed the Jedi Order, Ahsoka did it when she left the Jedi Order. Luke doesn’t need to be fixed, he’s reacting as any human being would react; he’s reacting as even the most powerful Jedi reacted.

Look, I get it. I wanted to see Luke pick up a lightsaber and mow down some First Order and watch Kylo Ren soil his emo pants. However, that wouldn’t make any sense based on the events of The Force Awakens. It’s also against Luke’s character to be this Jedi harbinger of death. It would also make him like his father, whom he doesn’t want to be. So much so that when he was tempted to destroy Ben Solo, he exiled himself instead. His attempted murder is the catalyst for Ben Solo to become Kylo Ren. We all wanted to “fan girl” around Luke as he wields the Force with indestructible tenacity, but it would be completely incongruent with the story. The point is making a movie like Star Wars isn’t about pandering to the fans, it’s about telling a story.

Disney’s Perpetrating False Rumors

My other theory is that Disney is using this “power of influence” grip social media has on the world and intentionally stirring the pot. People are so gullible they will believe anything they read on Twitter and Facebook. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if there are people employed that knew just the right words to use to incite rumors and speculation. The point isn’t to reveal anything about the movie, just simply to garner attention and discussion.

If you think I’m stretching then let me provide some examples of conflicting reports. Around the 17th of February a story came out where Abrams stated any of the “complaints” [alleged] fans had with The Last Jedi won’t affect Episode IX.  Less than 10 days later the reports of George Lucas coming in to “fix Luke” started surfacing. Upon further observation of these two stories I noticed something interesting. The former is from a reputable source (aka. Screen Rant) while all the stories related to the latter are rumors concocted by bloggers, vloggers and theorycrafters. Which leads me to believe they are just wishful thinkers and bellyaching “fans”.

In all honesty, I trust Kathleen Kennedy and the folks at Lucasfilm. I’m open-minded when it comes to these movies, unlike all of those fair-weather fans. I love all of the sequel trilogy movies and if they allegedly “fix” Luke, then that’s cool by me. As long as the story still makes sense (and they don’t kill the droids).

/MTFBWY

Breathe. Just breathe. Now reach out.

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