The "Celebrate Star Wars" Thread

[Tuskin38]

wasn't that a movie turned into a TV series turned into a mini-series

Other way around actually, the movie was a few episodes of the series turned into a movie.

It is also unrelated to the 2D Clone Wars mini-series except for a character and some designs.

 

[fireproof78]

In this 40th anniversary year, I would like to remember a guy who I don't see getting a lot of mention: John Mollo. One of the well-deserved Star Wars Oscar winners, Mollo was responsible for what I consider the greatest of all science fiction movie wardrobes. Futuristic and familiar, fantastic and realistic, his costume designs have a believably that holds up about as well today as in the late '70s.

My favorite example of his genius is the Imperial officer's cap. It's so unobtrusive, realistic and effective, one might just assume it has to be lifted from something in real life. But it's a completely original design. I can't think of another example of science fiction headgear that succeeds so completely. Most productions don't even bother, and those that do either just adapt actual designs (Forbidden Planet) or go with something over-designed and implausible-looking (ST ID).

Around the same time as I was going Star Wars crazy in 1977, I was also becoming intrigued with uniforms and their associated symbology, an interest that continues to this day. And I went to the library and checked out all the books they had on the subject, and guess what, a few of them were by John Mollo (and his brother Andrew)! And I recognized that name and I thought that was really cool. And I've collected a lot of his out-of-print books over the years and really enjoy them.

Anyway, thanks and may the force be with you, Mr Mollo!

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Completely agree. And I hope to hear more about what you find in uniforms and their symbolism.

One of the most iconic things about Star Wars is the lightsaber, laser sword, or whatever you would like to call it. I personally have been fascinated by the weapon since I first saw it in ROTJ. And, even if you're not a Star Wars fan, the imagery is so iconic it's hard not to be familiar with it.

So, in no particular order, here are my personal favorite lightsaber duels, from across the fandom:

-"Essence of the Force" is one of the first fan films I got to watch and interested me in choreographing my own stunts. There is a lot of fun, interesting nods to Star Wars lore, as well as a great ending.

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-"Conflict Within" is a personal favorite that may not resonate with everyone, because it is put together by a Christian pastor, and the religious allegories are strong. However, for me, it fits quite well, and is an enjoyable duel.

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-"Ryan vs. Brandon" is another interesting take. It was created by Ryan Weiber, of Lucas Arts, and was one of the first to really design a way to do lightsabers in Adobe After Effects. He had a "Vs." series going on, and this was the latest installment, showcasing some interesting fight moves.

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Alright, moving in to the lore itself, is the duel between Dooku, Obi-Wan and Anakin on Grievous' ship. I take most of my enjoyment of this duel from the ROTS novel, primarily because it showcases the intricacy of what Obi-Wan and Anakin were doing in terms of their strategy and technique. It also gives greater insight in to Dooku's mindset and how he thinks he is winning, only for it to be turned on him rather suddenly. Below is a quick description of the differences between the book and the film:

The first lightsaber fight of #RevengeoftheSith takes place between Anakin and Obi-Wan against Dooku. In the film, this is a relatively quick fight. Dooku enters, they all fight, Obi-Wan gets knocked out, Anakin kills Dooku, next scene.

However, in the novel, before the fight even begins, Dooku and Palpatine go over their plan together. Palpatine essentially tells Dooku to kill Obi-Wan and then surrender to Anakin. However, as we know, Palpatine had other plans for Dooku.

The fights are fairly different. In the movie, Dooku seems to be on par with both Obi-Wan and Anakin, keeping them at bay until Dooku manages to knock Obi-Wan out. In the book, Dooku still takes down Obi-Wan, but both Jedi are depicted as overpowering Dooku in the fight, as he is constantly on the back peddle, hurling chairs at them, in attempt to gain some distance. The old Count actually begins to panic and spends most of his energy trying to kill Obi-Wan.

Both the book and movie are the same in regards to Count Dooku’s death. However, the book gives us more insight into what Dooku is thinking when he realizes he’d been betrayed by Palpatine. Dooku’s last thought before being beheaded by Skywalker was: Treachery is the way of the Sith.

"Darth Maul vs. Obi-Wan" in Star Wars Rebels. This, very much, showcases the Jedi as Samurai. More than that, it is evocative of how Obi-Wan has changed when he encounters Maul again. It might be short, but it is powerful:

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Finally, is Luke vs. Vader, in ROTJ. As much praise as ESB's duel gets, I have always found the ROTJ duel more satisfying, more emotionally driven and feeling like a lot more is on the line. Plus, the way Luke decides not to give in is one of my favorite moments, and an iconic line:

 

[ALF]

I got the PS4 dowloadable version of the old PS2 game Bounty Hunter for $5 and played it for a little while. Obviously since it's a PS2 game it's lot more primitive than the modern games, but it's still pretty fun. I also read through the free samples for the e-books of Guardians of the Whills and Rebel Rising. I'll be starting a complete read through of Smuggler's Run later.

JD, did you end up playing Bounty Hunter? I wonder if they will port "The Clone Wars" old PS2 game for PS4, that game was fantastic, I've been replaying it recently.

On May the Fourth I managed to get Rogue Squadron 3D working on Windows XP and played the first 4 missions. What a trip. It was a great way to celebrate.

 

[JD]

Yeah, I played Bounty Hunter for a bit, and it seemed good. I quite after getting frustrated when I kept falling back down after I got the jetpack in the first level. I didn't quite for good though, I'll definitely get back to it later this week.

 

[Tuskin38]

On May the Fourth I managed to get Rogue Squadron 3D working on Windows XP

If you ever want/need to rebuy it, the GOG version works on modern machines.

If anyone wants to buy a Star Wars game released before 2000, I recommend getting them off GOG, since they usually include fixes to work on Modern Systems. All the ones I've bought off there work on Windows 10

I'm surprised how well Shadows of the Empire works.

 

[publiusr]

I can see a true reboot in 2077.