Star Wars Archives - Page 40 of 45

My First Fanboy Episode VII Concern

On July 22, 2015

I try not to read too many spoilers about The Force Awakens because I want to be surprised by the story just like anyone else. However in a couple of recent posts/interviews people have alluded to the possible death of one of the original characters.

Before I go any further I am going to do the ole’ SPOILERS warning. If you have read any of the books from the expanded universe then I won’t unveil anything new (and I am referring specifically to Vector Prime). Also, if you don’t want to hear the rumors going around about the upcoming movie, you may want to stop as well.

Continuing on …

If you are familiar with any of the Star Wars lore then you know the reason Chewbacca is always by Han’s side is he owes Han a life debt. At some point in the past Han saves Chewie’s life and therefore Chewie will remain by his side to fulfill said debt. I don’t recall anywhere else in the canon that suggests Chewie has ever fulfilled his life debt but its probably safe to assume he has not. Which brings us to Vector Prime. Vector Prime takes place several years after ROTJ and Han and Leia are married with three kids (Jaina, Jacen and Anakin). I don’t know the specifics as I haven’t read Vector Prime (yet) but I do know that Chewie fulfills his life debt by giving his own life to save Hans’ kid(s).

So that’s the lore as it stands today. (Btw, all books published using the Star Wars name and characters must be approved by George Lucas.)

In recent plot discussions about The Force Awakens, there have been statements that allude to the fact that either Han or Chewie die and the popular rumor is that it’s Han. At the risk of sounding like a nerd raging fanboy, this is NOT in line with the expanded universe. It doesn’t matter which one of them dies (assuming the rumor is true), neither are supposed to die before Han and Leia’s kids are born. When we deviate from the widely known canon we start to look as inconsistent as Star Trek!

Yes, I went there! I just compared Star Wars to Star Trek! Granted Star Trek couldn’t keep its story/timeline straight through all the television series and movies whereas we are comparing movies to books. You cannot use the old [Star Trek] cliché that the books are an “alternative universe or timeline” because that is WEAK! You cannot expect us nerdier Star Wars fans to read the books outside the context of the movies because, in our mind’s eye, that’s our sole basis for comparison.

After all, it is those of us that are the mega-Star-Wars-Universe-nerds that can look past the plot and acting flaws of the prequels (or Phantom Menace at the minimum). So, just like a losing wookie, it would also be unwise to piss us off.

I could get so much more accomplished if I only had minions!

The MMO Times: ID4 Edition

By Biggs

On July 2, 2015

In Gaming, MMO Times, MMORPG

Issue 120: It’s already Independence Day, where has this year gone. The days are already growing shorter and we are already a third of the way through the summer. Gaming is definitely one way to spend those hot summer days. Granted going outside is good for the ole belly, but there’s nothing good about heat stroke. Plan your day-star activities carefully.

Now that E3 is in the bag, I am trying to get back to news that is more specific to MMOs, though there are a couple of interesting non-MMO news. I also wanted to mention the fact that Steam’s impending console has already sold out of pre-orders for the October deliveries. It’s surprising that so many people blindly throw their money at a new gaming system without knowing how good it is. Don’t get me wrong I think Steam is great, but just look at the PC version of Arkham Knight which is still making headlines (and not in a good way).

There is news about the much anticipated new content for Heroes of the Storm, TSW’s anniversary event, the Rakghoul plague returns to infect the universe, unexpected news about Patch 6.2 and other things to check out. Make sure you get out there and enjoy our nation’s birthday (assuming you live in the States) and be safe out there.

Read More

The MMO Times: RIP Sir Christopher Lee

By Biggs

On June 11, 2015

In Gaming, MMO Times, MMORPG

Issue 118: The man we all thought was really immortal, Christopher Lee, passed away on June 7th (his wife wanted to delay the public announcement so his family could be made aware privately). Everyone mostly remembers him for his role in Lord of the Rings and, of course, Star Wars. He also played a pretty frightening Dracula (opposite fellow Star Wars legend, Peter Cushing). He lived a very full and epic life and passed away at 93. RIP my good man.

We are a week away from E3 and I wonder what will happen that will make it exciting since everyone keeps making major announcements before the opening ceremonies. First we heard about Fallout 4 and rumors of a new XBox controller which Microsoft just confirmed along with a 1TB hard drive (to be revealed at E3). My 80’s nerd-child squealed with joy when I heard about the Mega Man Legacy Collection coming soon.

Even Blizzard is unearthing several announcements (as you will read below). In fact, this post seems pretty Blizzard-heavy again but they seem to be the only ones producing MMO news. In fact I think I touched on all of their current titles, but there is other news, including the annual Steam money-sink. KCGO

Read More

Ruminations of a Die Hard Fanboy

By Biggs

On May 13, 2015

In Geek Canon, Movies, Star Wars

Cast of 2009 film Fanboys

When I was ten years old I saw Star Wars for the first time and from that moment on there was no turning back. I remember when I was in my teens and my grandma once remarked “remember this because eventually I will grow out of it”. Sorry grandma, its 20 years later and I’m a bigger Star Wars nerd now than I was yesterday and the day before that … and the day before that. I love all the movies; and I mean ALL the movies. 1-6.

Why do I like the prequels, you ask? The reason is simple – because its Star Wars.

I had a conversation with a friend of mine about the movies and prequels recently. When I gave him the reason I enjoyed the prequels his response was “That’s awful”. I laughed. He isn’t a fan of the prequels, and I know there are hundreds and thousands of TOT (that’s my acronym for The Original Trilogy) that do not like the prequels. It occurred to me then that I believe there are two kinds of fans out there. Fans of the Star Wars movies and fans of the Star Wars Universe. I am the latter.

You see I liked the prequels because of the music, the characters, the history of the characters, the planets, the lore, the ships, and how all those things are part of this massive, albeit imaginary, universe. I do recognize that all three prequels were deeply flawed (i.e. Jake Lloyd, Hayden Christensen, Jar Jar Binks) but that hasn’t changed the fact that I still enjoy watching all six movies equally when I need to get my Star Wars nerd-fix. If I can’t get my fix from watching one of the movies, then I will get it from one of many other sources (by the way the books for the prequels are actually quite good).

I’ve noticed that most people that fall under the Star Wars movie fans are likely making comparisons between the prequels and TOT and, obviously, siding with the originals. I can respect their opinion, despite the 35 years of changes in technology and film-making. It’s interesting to ponder if TOT would be different if they had been made within the past 10 years and would they still have the same cult following. Be that as it may, I imagine the interest in Star Wars ends at the movies for those that are fans of the movies. I’m probably being a little presumptuous when I say those that are simply fans of the movies probably haven’t read any of the books, Essential Guides, Steve Sansweet‘s Encyclopedia, or played many of the games; all of which expand on the lore and add depth to the universe.

So the question on everyone’s mind now is will J.J. Abrams redeem Lucas from the prequels (especially among the haters)? I do not think there is a better person to direct 7, 8 & 9 (with the possible exception of Irvin Kershner but he’s kind of dead). I base that opinion on the fact that I enjoyed both Star Trek movies he has recently completed. I can tell you now, I already love The Force Awakens 🙂

P.S. Why is it that none of the Trekkies whine so much about any of their movies and TV series? Are they not as passionate? Or are they just better fans? 😉

/MTFBWY