Well, my last goodbye blog was so well received; I thought I'd go another round...
Over the last thirty-three years I've quoted Star Wars many, many times, and I'm thinking now about how the words of The Saga affect us, and stay with us.
So here are some favorite passages, as usual they are not in any particular order...
1. For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times, before the Empire. (Obi-Wan Kenobi, ANH)
These are words that hooked me on Jedi for life. What wonderful beings they must be! I was intrigued by the idea... and even more by this:
2. The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us, penetrates us, it binds the galaxy together.
Wow. The Force. I love it. Here at last was the answer to life. And the Jedi get to use it to their advantage? Cool. So not only are the Jedi brave and dedicated, they have special powers! Like levitating things and talking their way out of trouble with simple minded stormtroopers.
3. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter! (Yoda, TESB)
Now this was really cool. We are more than our bodies, more than our visible selves.
4. Do! Or do not! There is no try.
This one I'm not so sure about. Being an underachiever, I never much believed in "Do it or die trying." However, it is a memorable quote, as my dentist reminded me a few years ago.
5. I am a Jedi, like my father before me. (Luke Skywalker, ROTJ)
Well, Luke's father is a bit of a loser, but I can appreciate the sentiment. And Luke was just so damn cool and collected when he said that, it was hot... I mean... er... it was wonderful!
6. Laugh it up, Fuzzball! (Han Solo, TESB)
In one sentence, you get to see not only Han's affection for Chewie, but it's confirmed that he's got a thing for Leia.
7. Were you and Satine ever...
I don't see what possible bearing that has on the current situation! (Anakin and Obi-Wan, TCW "Voyage of Temptation")
So here we have Anakin asking Obi-Wan if he was romantically and intimately involved with Duchess Satine. And Obi-Wan's answer says it all. Yes, he was. And it was something wonderful and deeply felt, and thus he doesn't want to discuss it. Also, it was artfully written so that adults got it, but it went over the heads of younglings.
8. I used to bull's-eye womp rats in my T-16 back home, they're not much bigger than two meters."
Stang! I don't want to run into any womp rats in any dark alleys... but, as Charlie Ross says, "Why are we using the metric system?"
9. He must follow his own path; no one can choose it for him. (Princess Leia, ANH)
Words to live by. Too bad a lot of people in this galaxy don't heed them!
10. It's a nine-part story... (Paraphrasing George Lucas, 1978)
Come on, George... tell us what happens next!
OK, those are some of my favorites, how about the rest of you? Tell us what and why!
My time here is running short, so this may be it!
With the discontinuation of Hyperspace, and my subscription running out soon, this may be my last blog entry. The PTBs (powers that be) say we will still have access to our blogs, but no one will answer the question if the blogs will be functional or not!
So here it goes... my overview of Star Wars, according to Me... (In no particular order)
1. The saga should be viewed in the order in which it was released. Sorry George, but I love the surprises, cliffhangers and prequel moments too much to recommend it any other way. Viewing it 1-6 is for the simple minded.
2. When I was younger I was so in love with Luke Skywalker. He was so heroic, in an understated way. And cute, too. But as I got older, and Obi-Wan got younger, I totally fell for him. Obi-Wan is my hero of all time. He's loyal, brave, dedicated... and cute, too. Totally hot.
3. Obi-Wan's hair is brown in TPM, red in AOTC and blond in ROTS. I think he was having an affair with a hairdresser, but he obviously leaves her behind when he goes into exile... thus the white hair in ANH.
4. Anakin Skywalker is the biggest disappointment of the entire saga for me. I always pictured a bigger than life, heroic figure that somehow met with evil and fell to the darkside against his will. Instead we got a sniveling teenager who can't stop thinking with his lightsaber. He may have been a great pilot and a cunning warrior, but all we got to see was a whining mama's boy.
5. Boba Fett is dead. He fell into the Sarlacc and was slowly digested over a thousand years. End of story.
6. However, I do enjoy much of the EU. I like Mara Jade, and I'm glad Luke fell in love and got married, especially to a redhead. Han and Leia have a great marriage, although the death of their son Anakin was tragic and a waste of a great character. I rooted for Jacen's death, though. And Jaina's romance with Jagged Fel doesn't thrill me.
7. Speaking of the EU, Karen Miller has written three Clone Wars books that are great. FOTJ is getting interesting, but the books need to come out more often. And, like LOTF, it will probably turn out that the story could have been told in three volumes instead of nine. Christie Golden is a breath of fresh air to this series, though!
8. I confess that I didn't see Star Wars (ANH) on opening day in 1977, or TESB in 1980. But I did see ROTJ on opening day in 1983. I couldn't wait another day to find out if Vader was really Luke's father, or if it was just a big fat lie.
9. I'll never forget the first time I saw TESB in 1980 though... when Vader said, "No, I am your father!" my sister elbowed me in the ribs and whispered, "What do you think of that?" (She'd already seen the movie)
10. In 1985 I had a boss who was disgusted by my love of Star Wars. He thought it was evil an irreligious and tried to bring it up during the lawsuit that followed my termination... the arbitrator almost LOL...
11. I have an original R2-D2 Cookie Jar from the 70s on my kitchen shelf.
12. I'm a member of the Rebel Legion with two Jedi costumes, and a Mara Jade. My geekiness is no secret. I like to play dress-up and play with lightsabers.
13. All my closest friends are into Star Wars, and I met them all right here. Think that's weird? Too bad.
14. John Williams is a genius.
This blog has gone on long enough! I don't want one of those long entries that no one reads because there's no action in it... LOL
May the Force be with us all!
