Star Wars Joy and Fun-ness Episode I: The Inquisitive Menace
I saw someone post a list on Twitter the other day, designed to be a daily list of things to post related to Star Wars in the month+ leading up to "The Rise of Skywalker," the ninth episode and the final chapter in the Skywalker Saga (the main Star Wars movies). I wanted to play along, because a) I love Star Wars, and b) I love lists.
Rather than do it one day at a time, however, I'm going to do it here on the blog in three installments (ten in each post), followed by a bonus post after The Rise of Skywalker is out.
So.
1) First Star Wars memory: I don't have a memory or moment that was my first "BOOM STAR WARS" experience, like so many others do. What I do remember is watching the movies as recorded off TV onto VHS tapes. In particular, I remember this commercial during The Empire Strikes Back, and a little green "Go Mizzou" message during the scene in Return of the Jedi when Leia/Boushh is sneaking around Jabba's palace. That also meant I never knew about certain scenes until I got to see non-TV-recorded versions, like Luke and Biggs reuniting before the Battle of Yavin or the death of Oola. Suddenly so much made more sense.
2) All-time favorite outfit #3: Whoo, this is tough, because Star Wars costume designers are BRILLIANT. I'll go with one of the saga's fashion icons - Leia - and her outfit on Cloud City (which sadly the best version I can find is in toy version). I love the red and white, I love her hair, it's just a great look overall.
3) Your favorite lightsaber: Man, there are some good ones, but I have to go with my boy Darth Maul. In Star Wars Legends (the Expanded Universe that's no longer canon), there was a dark Jedi named Exar Kun who had a double-bladed lightsaber. When I saw the preview for The Phantom Menace," my brain exploded: IS THAT EXAR KUN? It wasn't - it was Maul - but the reveal of a double-bladed lightsaber in the movies opened the door for all kinds of variations on traditional Kedi combat: using two blades, lightsabers with a crossbar, even a double-bladed spinning lightsaber! I have a special place for the Hero's Lightsaber (Luke's which ended up with Rey) but Maul's is tops.
4) Weirdest thing in Star Wars: I mean, where do you start? Since I just watched Rogue One, I'm gonna say Bor Gullet. It's this weird, blobby creature that has tentacles and can apparently read your mind? It's just really weird.
5) Favorite ANH moment: I JUST watched this very recently, so you'd think this wouldn't be that tough. You would be wrong. As a kid it was definitely the moment Luke blew up the Death Star. Fun bit: my friend Bobby and I, as kids, determined we'd memorize the dialogue from the whole battle scene. We didn't. Now, I think - and I'm taking this page from my favorite Star Wars podcasters - it has to be the whole cantina sequence. Not only do we meet my favorite character (Han), we really get our first glimpse of just how alien and bizarre this far, far-away galaxy is going to be. The music, the aliens, the roughness - it all just works so well.
6) Top 3 soundtracks: Yikes. Um, all of them? They count as one, right? No? Frick. Okay, then. In no particular order, I need to say Rogue One (just read my thoughts about it here), Return of the Jedi (the whole Endor battle music sequences just slam) and The Force Awakens (Rey's Theme, The March of the Resistance, the end music on Ahch-To...swoon). Honorable mention goes to The Phantom Menace which gave us "Duel of the Fates" and the "Flag Parade."
7) Pick a planet for vacation: Easy answer is Naboo. Seems like the perfect climate for me - not too hot, very temperate, beautiful vistas. I'd definitely lose a lot of time wandering around the cities. Other choice would be Alderaan - we don't see the landscape in the saga movies (except briefly at the end of Revenge of the Sith), but by all accounts it's very mountainous and beautiful (below art of Alderaan is from the official Star Wars page):
8) Funniest blooper: Gotta go with a classic - stormtrooper nails his head on a Death Star door (check out the :09 mark)
9) Dark Side or Light Side? Why?: I mean, Light Side, of course. The Dark Side can't be controlled. It only ever inevitably leads to corruption and destruction. Prove me wrong. Even neutral Jedi lean toward the Light Side in preserving life and peace. Plus, the Dark Side only gets one color of lightsaber - red. The Light Side? Blue, green, purple, yellow, white, even black!
10) Best Star Wars meme #2: I admit, I appreciate memes but I don't know them that well enough to rank them. So I'm just gonna choose memes that I like. Such as this one:
Dark, I know. But hilarious.
Let me know your thoughts or choices for any of the above items! Share it with your friends - I'd love to hear what they have to say as well!
Rather than do it one day at a time, however, I'm going to do it here on the blog in three installments (ten in each post), followed by a bonus post after The Rise of Skywalker is out.
So.
1) First Star Wars memory: I don't have a memory or moment that was my first "BOOM STAR WARS" experience, like so many others do. What I do remember is watching the movies as recorded off TV onto VHS tapes. In particular, I remember this commercial during The Empire Strikes Back, and a little green "Go Mizzou" message during the scene in Return of the Jedi when Leia/Boushh is sneaking around Jabba's palace. That also meant I never knew about certain scenes until I got to see non-TV-recorded versions, like Luke and Biggs reuniting before the Battle of Yavin or the death of Oola. Suddenly so much made more sense.
2) All-time favorite outfit #3: Whoo, this is tough, because Star Wars costume designers are BRILLIANT. I'll go with one of the saga's fashion icons - Leia - and her outfit on Cloud City (which sadly the best version I can find is in toy version). I love the red and white, I love her hair, it's just a great look overall.
3) Your favorite lightsaber: Man, there are some good ones, but I have to go with my boy Darth Maul. In Star Wars Legends (the Expanded Universe that's no longer canon), there was a dark Jedi named Exar Kun who had a double-bladed lightsaber. When I saw the preview for The Phantom Menace," my brain exploded: IS THAT EXAR KUN? It wasn't - it was Maul - but the reveal of a double-bladed lightsaber in the movies opened the door for all kinds of variations on traditional Kedi combat: using two blades, lightsabers with a crossbar, even a double-bladed spinning lightsaber! I have a special place for the Hero's Lightsaber (Luke's which ended up with Rey) but Maul's is tops.
4) Weirdest thing in Star Wars: I mean, where do you start? Since I just watched Rogue One, I'm gonna say Bor Gullet. It's this weird, blobby creature that has tentacles and can apparently read your mind? It's just really weird.
5) Favorite ANH moment: I JUST watched this very recently, so you'd think this wouldn't be that tough. You would be wrong. As a kid it was definitely the moment Luke blew up the Death Star. Fun bit: my friend Bobby and I, as kids, determined we'd memorize the dialogue from the whole battle scene. We didn't. Now, I think - and I'm taking this page from my favorite Star Wars podcasters - it has to be the whole cantina sequence. Not only do we meet my favorite character (Han), we really get our first glimpse of just how alien and bizarre this far, far-away galaxy is going to be. The music, the aliens, the roughness - it all just works so well.
6) Top 3 soundtracks: Yikes. Um, all of them? They count as one, right? No? Frick. Okay, then. In no particular order, I need to say Rogue One (just read my thoughts about it here), Return of the Jedi (the whole Endor battle music sequences just slam) and The Force Awakens (Rey's Theme, The March of the Resistance, the end music on Ahch-To...swoon). Honorable mention goes to The Phantom Menace which gave us "Duel of the Fates" and the "Flag Parade."
7) Pick a planet for vacation: Easy answer is Naboo. Seems like the perfect climate for me - not too hot, very temperate, beautiful vistas. I'd definitely lose a lot of time wandering around the cities. Other choice would be Alderaan - we don't see the landscape in the saga movies (except briefly at the end of Revenge of the Sith), but by all accounts it's very mountainous and beautiful (below art of Alderaan is from the official Star Wars page):
8) Funniest blooper: Gotta go with a classic - stormtrooper nails his head on a Death Star door (check out the :09 mark)
9) Dark Side or Light Side? Why?: I mean, Light Side, of course. The Dark Side can't be controlled. It only ever inevitably leads to corruption and destruction. Prove me wrong. Even neutral Jedi lean toward the Light Side in preserving life and peace. Plus, the Dark Side only gets one color of lightsaber - red. The Light Side? Blue, green, purple, yellow, white, even black!
10) Best Star Wars meme #2: I admit, I appreciate memes but I don't know them that well enough to rank them. So I'm just gonna choose memes that I like. Such as this one:
Dark, I know. But hilarious.
Let me know your thoughts or choices for any of the above items! Share it with your friends - I'd love to hear what they have to say as well!
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