A NOVEL new viewing order for Star Wars

For quite a while, my preferred order of the Lucasian Star Wars movies was Episode 4, then 5, then 1, then 2, then 3 and finally 6.  This would make the "Prequel Trilogy" a flashback in the middle of the "Original  Trilogy", and preserves ROTJ as the climax of the six.  I call this the "Flashback Order".  It is sort of a variation on the "Machete Order", which does the same thing, but skips Episode 1. (Reading about the Machete Order is what got me thinking about what happens to the narrative if you change the viewing order.)

But recently I thought of a new NOVEL way of being introduced to Star Wars.  By "novel", I mean that this viewing order would have the audience to jump back and forth in time throughout the saga, just as would be perfectly normal in a written novel.  So, what I call “The Novel Order” would be as follows:

• Episode 4 (ANH), then
• Episode 1 (TPM), then
• Episode 2 (AOTC), then
• Episode 5 (ESB),  then
• Episode 3 (ROTS) and finally
• Episode 6. (ROTJ)  

This is what I think is the best order...probably.  But WHY is this an optimal order?  You have to think about what you learn in each movie and how the narrative would play out.   As I said, written novels jump around this way all the time as a narrative technique.   You begin in the middle of the action to get you interested in the setting of the story and the characters affected.  Then, once you're invested in the story, more mundane details to give backstory and context more depth and texture.  Each chapter of the story moves the story further along, while creating a richer and deeper saga to experience.  Lucas' use of "rhyming poetry" between the Originals and the Sequels makes this method even more appealing.  I think it would be amazing to experience SW in this order.   

Here's a breakdown of the rationale for why it works, by thinking of what you learn in each Episode:

Episode 4 (A New Hope):
We jump right into the action.  We immediately get the sense of the state of this Galaxy far, far away with the opening shots of the cool looking spaceships...one that is small and plucky being chased (picked on) by one that is  massive and imposing.  We meet Vader. Boo!!! We meet Leia...quite the fiery leader! We meet Luke..will this headstrong idealist get caught up in some damn-fool crusade? We meet Obi-wan...hero of The Clone Wars and comrade of Leia's father, Bail Organa. We meet Han...can he escape his past and do the right thing? We learn that Luke's father was a hero killed by Vader. We learn there is a galactic empire that emerged after the Jedi were destroyed.

Episode 1 (The Phantom Menace):
We already know that the Jedi were wiped out by Vader, so, the first thing we see are Jedi in action.  And not just Jedi, but a young Obi-wan and his master.  Obi-wan...the only Jedi to survive the Dark Times, as far as we know.  This Padme sure is a brave leader, despite being so young.  And we meet Anakin Skywalker.   We see him use The Force to help his friends and to escape from slavery.   What a great kid.   I can totally see why he'll grow up to be a great hero, just like Obi-wan said.  Him being separated from his mother sure was a touching moment.  I sure hope he learns to cope with that loss.  We get to see Jedi being Jedi...just keeping the peace throughout the Old Republic.  I wonder what Old Ben could have been talking about when he talked about Vader wiping out all the Jedi.  That'll be a tragedy!  And that Yoda guy is pretty cool.  I wonder who that guy in the dark robe pulling all the strings is.  Wonder why that red faced guy is so upset.   He was pretty awesome.

Episode 2 (Attack of the Clones):
The Old Republic shows a bit a tarnish.  Whoa...Anakin seems to have gone through a lot.   Wow...killing those sandpeople seems pretty dark.  Anakin must feel pretty awful knowing that if he had used his power in the first place his mother would be alive.  Hmmm.  That Yoda guy teaching the younglings was pretty neat.   I wonder if he taught Obi-wan when he was that age?  We meet Jango Fett and his son Boba.  Cool armor.   We meet Bail Organa.  Isn't he the guy whose planet got demolished in Episode 4?  Hmm.  The Clone Wars erupt.  Wow...Vader must be coming soon.  The Seperatists have the Death Star plans.  And we know Vader is connected to the Death Star.  So, Vader will probably be a Seperatist General.  Maybe even the guy who takes over after Dooku.  This Clone War must be when all of the other Jedi get killed leaving Obi-Wan as the only surviving Jedi. 

Episode 5 (The Empire Strikes Back):
We catch up with Luke and friends.  Hokie smokes!  Yoda survived the Jedi purge!!! Wow...what happened to him?  Sure is neat to see him training Luke.  Yoda seems so dark and jaded.  I wonder how bad it got for him to end up marooned on swampy planet.  Oh...we see Boba Fett grown up now working with Vader.  Hmm...that Emperor in the hologram looks a lot like Palpatine...could it be that they are one and the same?  Aww...Han and Leia seem to fallen in love.   Luke will be so sad...but obviously there is still quite the strong connection. Vader reveals he's Luke's father!  (Spoiler Alert)

Episode 3 (Revenge of the Sith):
We get to see how Anakin falls and becomes Vader and how Palpatine becomes the Emperor.   We get to see the Jedi wiped out.   Oh...that's what happened to Yoda!  And we FINALLY learn that LEIA is Luke's sister...and has been the whole time!   Oh, THAT is why Bail Organa is connected to Obi-wan and how he knows where he is.  

Episode 6 (Return of the Jedi):
Now we know the whole backstory of it all!   Time to wrap it all up in a neat bow for an AWESOME CLIMAX!!  Yub nub!!  Celebrate the Light!!

Episode 7 (The Force Awakens):
And now we're ready for the final chapters.  There has been an awakening.  Have you felt it?  The dark side and the light. The Force...it's calling to you.  Just let it in.

Episode 8 (The Last Jedi):
I have no idea yet how Episodes 8 & 9 and the anthology stories would fit.   Time will tell.  I would expect them to fit in in the order released.

Thoughts?

Gene Wilder RIP

Gene Wilder in 1970

I thought the best way to celebrate the life of Jerome Silberman (aka Gene Wilder) (June 11, 1933 - August 29, 2016) would be to enjoy a few of his most memorable moments.  So, enjoy and smile.  And any time you need a quick smile in the future feel free to come on back here.

(And if I forgot any good ones...please post them in the comments.)

Coming Soon: Star Trek: Discovery

Among the revelations:

• The show will be set 10 years before Star Trek: The Original Series. (Rosie's thoughts: I'm sure it'll be good, but I wanted a post-TNG time period.)

• The main character will be a woman, but not a captain. (Rosie's thoughts: Don't care if the lead is male or female, but having the main character not be a captain sounds...intriguing.)

• The first season will consist of 13 episodes, with the show as a whole serialized and playing out like a novel, “with each episode being a chapter of that novel." (Rosie's thoughts: Sounds great!  DS9 was a pioneer in today's long form episodic storytelling.  Enterprise did some great use of this style, too.)

• There's an incident, an event, in the history of Starfleet that has been talked about (in previous Star Trek shows), but never fully explored." (Rosie's thoughts:  When is the first episode?)

Here's the full article with more details:

http://www.startrek.com/article/bryan-fuller-reveals-discovery-details

What are your thoughts?

ABC's "the muppets." isn't The Muppet Show...but that's okay.

It did not take me long to really start to enjoy ABC's "the muppets."  Although it is NOW one of my favorite shows, this was not the case, at first.  And it is because there is one obvious flaw.  ABC's "the muppets." is not for kids.  At all.  Well, mostly. (It gets much better in that regard as the season progressed due to some interesting story developments...more on that later.)

Jim Henson's The Muppet Show back in the '70s was aimed 50% at kids and 50% at adults. But ABC's The Muppets, I'd say, it starts more like 10/90 or 5/95 in favor of adults.   There are very few jokes that don't work other than their subtle meaning.  The visuals have a bit of whimsy.   There is music, which is wonderful...but it's brief.  Maybe one or two songs per show.

This is not the advertising you use when you are trying to court children for your audience:

This, in itself, would be annoying, if you are watching it with the assumption that it SHOULD be a kids show.  The first description I heard of this version of "the muppets" was that it was just like the old show, except everyone is an asshole.

And if this show was for kids, that'd be true.  But it's not.  It's just for adults.  And...once you realize that it's meant to be FOR adults who USED TO BE kids and who REMEMBER being a kid, the show really starts to work.

It is a show about ourselves.  It is a show about characters with the same flaws that we have.  The same hopes and dreams that we have.  It is a show by adults who have lived hard lives meant to be viewed by adults who have lived hard lives.  But, at the same time, those same adults must also still have hope that, together, we will get through it all.

The very fact that Kermit and Piggy start the show "broken up" is a mature, natural progression of their relationship.  And their interaction since their break-up is really, really moving and complex.  The exploration of their incompatibility due to Piggy's self-centeredness and Kermit's self-doubt is really interesting.   His new girlfriend, Denise, (a younger pig) seemed like a cheap gag, but they used it to take the story and characters in interesting places.  Kermit and Piggy's cautious reunion throughout the season has followed mature themes such as trust, desire, fear of rejection and fear of aging.  These two have been through the wringer.  They have had ups and downs.  Each has pushed the other to their limits.  This is a relationship that rings true.  Warts and all.  (See what I did there?  I made a pun about frogs.  Sorry....couldn't be helped.)   And with a bond that deep, it resolves itself into one question.  The question that has plagued them since "the muppets" re-entered our lives.  Team Friendship.  Or Team Love.

The rest of the cast is presented with just as much care.  Kermit and Fozzie's endearing friendship is absolutely charming.  As the season proceeded, they fleshed out Gonzo the Whatever-He-Is, Rizzo the Rat and Pepe the Prawn, who have a  great camaraderie.  Scooter is very interesting, too.  (Although I am bummed that they didn't bring back his sister Skeeter...hopefully next season, she'll return for a visit from traveling the world.  Maybe she's out there somewhere with Uncle Travelling Matt).  The band is HILARIOUS!   Chip, the IT guy (an old previously nameless character) is a real stand-out.  The introduction of Yolanda the Rat has been a wonderful addition to the cast, too.  Bobo the Bear is charming.  Everyone is charming!  And Uncle Deadly really shines.  His supportive, tender friendship with Piggy gave more depth to Piggy's narcissistic characterization than anything that has come before.

Basically, ABC's The Muppets is a slowly developed, complex modern sit-com.   The show's got lots of gags, but also underlying subplots and storyarcs that really pack some punch in mature, intelligent ways.  The episode where Gonzo wants to re-live his glory days as a stuntman which leads to Kermit's complete support and encouragement to not give up on his dream is really surprising and charming.

In the middle of the season, a trendy outside consultant comes in to try and improve Miss Piggy's struggling show-within-a-show.  What Kermit eventually realizes is that Miss Piggy's show is missing is The Muppets.  He realizes that the spark that has been missing is that The Muppets belong on scene performing, delighting and amazing, not as somber drones worried only about work.  And with that revelation, so too, does the tone of ABC's the muppets.  The complex foundation that was developed in the first half of the season pays off as it is decorated with the wit, whimsy and charm that we come to expect from Jim Henson's legacy.

Even the opening credits with the Muppets all starting their day leaving Kermit in a swirl of chaos and mayhem at the craft services table evolved into something moving and charming.  The first half of the season ended this madcap opening with Kermit demoralized as he started each day already defeated and alone.  But as Kermit and Piggy's relationship rekindled, Piggy's selfless act of bringing a Starbucks coffee to her mon cheri transformed the chaos into a scene where Kermit clearly was portrayed as feeling like he could take on the world knowing that he was not all by himself.  Piggy, his one true love, his very best friend, would always be there right by his side.  The repeated opening line "Time to get things started" took on a whole knew meaning as this context shifted.

Bill Prady and Bob Kushell should be commended for what a wonderful job they have done of actualizing these characters with charm, care and realism.  It's not the same show that we grew up with.  but that's okay.  Because we grew up.  And "the muppets" grew up with us.

Personally, I think Henson would have liked what this show evolved into.  Why do I think that?  Because...love.

Rey Kenobi Skywalker? The Generations of Kenobis interwoven with the Generations of Skywalkers

Rey Kenobi Skywalker?



It's possible that our new friend, Rey 
has a lineage completely new to our saga.
It's possible that we've never seen 
the family that she's waiting for.

We never saw Han Solo's family
before he was introduced in A New Hope.
So, it wouldn't be the first time a wild card 
without a pedigree was introduced 
to the Journal of the Whills

But, based on the type of stories
that have been at the heart of  Star Wars,
I, like most fans (I think) believe there is foreshadowing 
throughout Star Wars: Episode VII: The Force Awakens, 
that Rey's family tree will be filled 
with familiar faces and names.

But which faces and which names?

Rey Skywalker?

Daughter of Luke?
Cousin to Kylo Ren, the Son of Leia?

Probably.
*************************************************************************

Or Rey Solo? 

Daughter of Leia?
Twin Sister of Ben Solo...Kylo Ren

Nope.  They were born about ten years apart.

*************************************************************************
Or could she be related to Palpatine?

A secret Granddaughter?  A clone?



Perhaps.
That WOULD satisfy the trope of
Skywalker (Kylo Ren) versus Palaptine (Rey)
which ripples throughout the entire saga.
*************************************************************************

But what about Rey Kenobi? 
Or perhaps...Rey Kenobi Skywalker?

Daughter of Luke Skywalker and the daughter of Obi-wan's...daughter?
Rey...Granddaughter of BOTH Darth Vader AND Obi-wan Kenobi?
Granddaughter of the man who was like a brother to Anakin?
Granddaughter of the man who is linked forever
to Anakin's fall to the Dark Side?

Now...this...just...got...interesting.

And...if Obi-wan had a child
...who was the mother?

How could Kenobi have had a family?

And how could a descendant have ended up alone on Jakku? 

A key to this mystery could (should) lie with the Tusken Raiders.  

The Sand People.  You heard me.

I know that this theory sounds crazy, at first.  
(Actually...it pretty much continues to sound crazy.)

But hear me out...it gets pretty cool and really fun!!  

And it does turn the character Obi-wan Kenobi on it's head.  If true, it would mean that much of what we thought we knew about Obi-wan Kenobi is wrong.  But it would be a stellar example that
many of the truths that we cling to depend greatly upon our point of view.  And also that Obi-wan doesn't always tell the whole story...in an effort to protect the innocent.

Here is the quick and dirty summary of my "Rey Kenobi Skywalker Theory":

• Between Episode 3 and 4, while living as a hermit on Tatooine, Obi-wan meets, falls in love with and marries the sole survivor of the Tuskan Raider village that Anakin had destroyed in Episode 2.  
• They have a daughter, but Obi-wan and the mom agree that the child should grow up with other Sand People.   Obi-wan can not go with them because he must still focus on watching over Luke.
• The mom is killed when the Imperials destroy her new Tusken Raider village.  The imperials need to leave false evidence to cover-up their involvement on their deceptive attack on the Jawas during their hunt for the stolen Death Star plans during Episode 4.  The mother's sacrifices allows her daughter to get away.
• She is now alone on Tatooine, just as her mother had been.  Having no where else to go, she travels to her father's home in Jundland Wastes for shelter.  She arrives to find it empty.  She would not know that the very same Imperial danger that disrupted her life also disrupted that of her father, Obi-wan.  She did not know that he would not return because he had traveled to Mos Eisley to find passage to leave Tatooine to travel to Alderaan...a journey he would never return from.  There she would remain.
• After the First Death Star is destroyed, Luke returns to looking for somewhere to meditate and seek knowledge, he travels to the home of Obi-wan Kenobi.   (See Marvel Comics)  Obi-wan's daughter stays hidden from this stranger, but Luke senses her presence.  He thinks he is feeling is a lingering feeling of his old Mentor even though it's slightly different.  Luke is tracked there by Boba Fett and the house is destroyed.  Obi-wan's daughter becomes a hermit nomad like her parents.  She travels the surface of Tatooine aimlessly scavenging and struggling to survive.
• After the Second Death Star is destroyed in Episode 6, Luke senses that the Darkness that he thwarted on the massive battle station still lingers in the Galaxy.  He begins a quest to vanquish the Darkness once and for all and he starts a new Jedi Academy.  Eventually, he decides to use the Force to reach out an feel others who are sensitive to the Force to begin a new Jedi Academy.  In his meditations, he realizes that the Force sensation he got back on Tatooine wasn't Obi-wan, but another.  The strength in Ben's daughter is strong, so when Luke returns to Tatooine, one last time, he finally finds her.  He invites her to be a member of his nascent Jedi Academy.  She is hesitant, but she senses the goodness in Luke and accepts.  
• While at the Academy, she and Luke fall in love.  Much like her father, Obi-wan, she finds comfort and understanding with another lonely survivor.  They marry and their daughter, Rey, is born at the Academy. 
• Luke continues to sense the ever growing Darkness in the Galaxy and he and his wife agree that she should take Rey away from the Academy for her own protection.  They return to her home on Jakku.
• After Snoke and Kylo Ren destroy the academy, Obi-wan's daughter, who has sensed the disaster, in a panic, rushes to do what she can to protect Luke.  She makes sure the Lor San Tekka can look after her.  But since his Church of the Force would be a target of Dark Forces, Rey can not stay with him.  She leaves Rey with Unkar Plutt out of desperation.  It is only meant to be a short time.  When Obi-wan's daughter leaves, Lor San Tekka records the Lightspeed Jump trajectory, which will later be a necessary starting reference point to later find Luke with the other information on Luke's location with Leia in Artoo.
• Obi-wan's daughter gets killed when she returns to the Academy.  Luke flees with her body and eventually buries her at the First Jedi Temple.  He knows that even though her life would be harsh, it would be too dangerous to return to Jakku for Rey.  He knows she is strong enough to survive.  He can feel it.
• Rey grows up.  She (the granddaughter of Obi-wan Kenobi, child of Luke Skywalker) and Kylo Ren (child of a princess and a scoundrel) who fight at first will eventually join forces and discover that balancing between the Light and the Dark is the only way to defeat Snoke and to bring balance to the Force.

Captain Phasma - Not a Disappointment...just Underutilized and Misunderstood (A Rosie Revision Essay)

Captain Phasma was not a disappointment...just underutilized and misunderstood with hints at more awesomeness to come!

In the weeks following the premiere of Star Wars: Episode VII: The Force Awakens, many have said Captain Phasma was a disappointment.  But I disagree. To some extent, I generally agree with some of this basic assessment.  I understand where these thoughts come from.  But, ultimately, I see more there.  Much more.

When the remarkable Gwendoline Christie was announced as being cast to play the armored bad-ass, many fellow geeks had very high expectations due to her fan-favorite portrayal of "Brienne of Tarth" on the wildly popular HBO series Game of Thrones.  "Brienne" is also an armored bad-ass, with enormous bravery, strength and pathos.  Ms. Christie's excitement and enthusiasm was apparent to the fans who saw her appearances at Star Wars Celebration and other publicity events.  She was clearly as much a fan of being in Star Wars as we were of seeing a brand new film.

But the minimal screentime and action of "Captain Phasma" in TFA was cause for concern and complaint from many fans of both Star Wars and Game of Thrones.

So, I am in the camp that thinks a more accurate description is that she was not a disappointment, but she was underutilized in TFA.   And more than that...I think the character has been misunderstood, as well.

In the scenes where she appeared in the film, Ms. Christie portrayed a very effective menacing villain.  Her steely determination when ordering the destruction of the sacred village on Jakku at the beginning of the story was vicious and cold.   Her methodical persistence in adherence to rules and protocol, especially in terms of her criticism and relentless obsession with the traitor, FN-2178, were emblematic of a faithful soldier dutifully following orders of a tyrannical regime.

One missed opportunity:

I did think that there was one scene that would have greatly improved if the action of the Riot Trooper had been played out by Captain Phasma.  It would have been understandable when she had a different weapon than the other troopers shown in the film.  The fight was dynamic and exciting.  The fight showed Finn being bested by a superior fighter, which, no doubt would be followed up with more plot developments in the remaining two Episodes.   This would have been another step on Finn's Hero's Journey.

As I said...the tweak I would have loved to have witnessed would have been the exact same sequence, but with Captain Phasma wielding the amazing baton of vibro-death.  As it was presented in the film, the Riot Patrol Trooper gets killed before finishing off his prey.  And just moments later, our Resistance heroes get captured regardless.  So, of course, in this revised version, it would have ended without Han Solo killing the trooper to save Finn.  And since moments after the fight, our heroes get captured regardless, why not have this fight end with Phasma knocking Finn to the ground and then having her troopers just collect her prize?  

It would have given Phasma that moment to shine as a warrior in addition to a cold, fearless leader.  That would have transitioned seamlessly to her shifting to the lake as the X-Wings arrived.  But...as I said...just a missed opportunity.  But the lack of physical action of the character was one of the prime complaints about the character.

One misunderstood scene:

This is apparent in all except her most pivotal scene.   My initial thought about how quickly she lowered the shields at Starkiller Base was that it would have seemed more plausible that she would simply refuse to comply and sacrifice herself, if necessary, for the cause.  A cynical view of this action is that this only happened to move the plot forward.  In other words, she acted out-of-character as a coward fearing for her life.

However, the reason she states in the movie (and expanded upon in the novel) does ring true to me.  She does not consider the act of lowering the shields as a risk, since she is so confident/arrogant to believe that her troopers will simply retake the control room as restart the shield.   In its own way, it is an continuation and extension of the arrogance of Tarkin and the other Imperials (including Palpatine in ROTJ) showed refusing to acknowledge the Rebellion, and likewise, The Resistance, as a credible threat. 

BUT...the First Order will, no doubt, find out that she was the one who lowered the shields. And it won't matter much that she thought that her troops would retake them shortly after to restore the shields without incident. The Empire wasn't very forgiving for failure of this magnitude.   I can't imagine The First Order would be any more forgiving.

She may find herself on the run from The First Order, just like Finn.   But, unlike Finn, she will still be a true believer.  So, her exile will be a very different struggle for her to cope with.  The bottom line...I can't WAIT to see what happens next for Captain Phasma along with all our new other heroes and villains in 2017 in Star Wars: Episode VIII!!!

Dead Parrot...I mean, dead smuggler

(A customer enters a pet shop.)

CUSTOMER: 'Ello, I wish to register a complaint about this smuggler what I purchased back in 1977 from this very boutique.

OWNER: Oh yes, the, uh, the Corellian Blue...What's, uh...What's wrong with it?

CUSTOMER: I'll tell you what's wrong with it, my lad. 'E'S DEAD, that's what's wrong with it!

OWNER: No, no, 'e's uh,...he's resting.