The nuanced hype so far...or why I am excited about Star Wars: EpisodeVII: The Force Awakens

The thing that impressed me about the reveals so far for Star Wars: Episode VII: The Force Awakens is how much care, love and reverence is immediately apparent. And how realistic everything seems to be. It is tactile. It is visceral. 

It reminds me of 1977, when we all felt like we had been dropped in a real place...a far away place, but real. It didn't feel like sets. The characters didn't feel like actors. Chewbacca never felt like a man in a costume...he was a fully realized being. Artoo wasn't a prop...he was a relateable entity. The Galaxy that George Lucas built was home.

So, when JJ did the Omaze video on that wonderful desert set with the old alien carrying the packages of chicken-things...we were all (well most of us) back to a wretched hive of scum and villainy that we hadn't been to in a long time. A long time.

The video of the Millennium Falcon that slowly panned across the detailed ship further whetted our appetites. The fact that it transitioned seamlessly into a tight surprise of the Batmobile hidden on the underside demonstrated the level of care and detail the production team was striving for, but at the same time, they were filled with a sense of fun and wonder. There was a self-awareness that let us know that they knew how much we, the fans, were a part of this journey.

And it was a special treat for the earliest fans who remember the early documentaries which explained that the epic models used on the blue-screens to film those starships were as realistic and detailed as they were because they were pieced together from other existing models. Cars, ships, trains...anything and everything was fair game when the shape and feel was right for the realism in Star Wars. Including a model of the Batmobile on the underside of the Falcon hearkens back to those days.

So, when the first teaser was released on Black Friday 2014, millions of us watched 88 seconds of footage that took its time to build to a mighty crescendo. The dissolve to a bright desert planet instantly brought us back to a familiar welcome place. Similar to what Ford would say in the second teaser, we were home.

A deep, textured voice drew us in. "There has been an awakening. Have you felt it?" Who was this? Is he a good guy or bad? Limitless narrative possibilities began swirling in our heads as to where this new adventure might be heading.

And then like a jolt, a stranger burst into view. We we shocked by his sudden appearance. And instantly we were drawn to his story. First, we recognized the blaring horn blast which built tension as Luke stood before a vile, powerful crime lord hovering over certain death in the maw of the mighty Sarlacc Pit.

But then, we lept to the thoughts: Who was he? Why was this so scared? Was he a Stormtrooper on the run from the remnants of an evil galactic empire...or was he a hero in disguise like Han and Luke on the Death Star or something else entirely? A swirl of violins and rising music amped up the energy further. And the unmistakable sound of the Probe Droid nearby brought up the question...was this droid helping him find his prey...or was HE the prey?

Then a flood of images washed over us. Nothing had changed, but everything changed. A droid raced across a frontier...instantly recognizable but new...filled with energy and determination. And like specters from the past, echoes of imperial Stormtroopers preparing to unleash fury and menace. 

In the brightness of day, we saw a young woman racing towards adventure. But we also saw her speeder, an evolution of a landspeeder we met in '77 combined with a podracer we met in '99. The sound was loud, clear and vibrated like the real world would. X-Wings raced in a fully realized environment, a pilot with a look of passionate determination.

The Force was awakening. The Light Side. And the Dark. A black hooded figure tromped, heavily through a secluded, cold unforgiving wilderness. But this figure was ready to explode with rage...his red bladed weapon belching out fire, lightning and venom. 

And then...like something out of a dream burst a ship we all knew with a powerful musical introduction that cemented us back in a place we had long remembered. The Millennium Falcon moved in ways that seem completely familiar, but in energetic and frenetic motions that were completely fresh and new.

As our pulses began to return to normal we heard familiar mechanical breathing and a familiar crack-hiss of an ancient weapon igniting. An elegant weapon from a more civilized time.

When months later, in April 2015, a Celebration began in a place called Anaheim, even more care and passion for detail was revealed. More images, sounds and music drew us slowly into the past (Vader's mangled mask), the present (Luke's mechanical hand placed tenderly and with a bond of true friendship on Artoo) with glimpses of the future (Leia's journey in The Force since we last saw her) and references to the next generation taking their place in the ongoing adventure. 

You have that power to. A line spoken to a beloved character in 1983... reverberated still to an unknown character in 2015. But theses words...

you have that power, too...

were also directed at the audience. It was a recognition to the fans that they are a part of this journey, too, and always have been.

Through the Force, things you will see. Other places. The future... the past. Old friends long gone.

We saw images of conflict... danger... trepidation. But we saw images of growing bonds of connections. And we saw sheer joy of adventure. And we returned to home.

The behind-the-scenes footage from San Diego harkened back to pulling back the veil on a magic show that we were to welcomed to from the very beginning in the 70s. 

The care, dedication and determination for perfection came through throughout the glimpses of the creative team who picked up the torch to share the oldest story in the world. The monomyth. The Hero's Journey.

A reverence for the material and a recognition of the joy and whimsy of returning to this sandbox was clear with each frame. The sparkle in the eye of the perky young woman in the Power Droid...the Gonk Droid costume was infectious. A carpenter who says, "I come to work every day smiling." The look in the eyes of old friends...Hamill, Fisher, Daniels, Davies, Mayhew, Ford. Guiding compasses...Kennedy, Kasdan. The excitement in the faces of the next generation...Abrams, Boyega, Ridley, Issacs.

All of this and more fills me with hope.

I find I'm so excited that I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it's the excitement only a geek can feel. A geek at a start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain. I hope I can make it to opening night. I hope to see my old friends long gone. I hope that Episode VII is as fantastic as it has been in my dreams. 

I hope.

Measure of a Man - Enterprise Crew on Trial (A Rosie's Revisions Essay)

One of the things that struck me during a recent re-watch of TNG is how much I have enjoyed all things about Pulaski. Great character. Stellar actress. I think it was clear that they wanted the character to evoke the moral clarity, stubbornness and belicose nature of Dr. McCoy from TOS, so some of the conflict did seem a bit forced, from time to time.  But overall, I really thought her inclusion in the crew was positive.  

What i think really shines as a highlight of Pulaski's addition to the crew is the development of the relationship between her and Data all throughout Season 2.  This was one of my favorite themes from Star Trek, harkening back to the logic/emotion debates of Spock and Bones. 

So, one missed opportunity I imagine could have been a really interesting set of character moments at the trial for Data’s soul in Measure of a Man.

The completely underrated Dr. Pulaski

My suggestion is that Geordi should have been brought in as a witness to establish Data's technical nature (rather than Data defining himself.) The other shift would be to have Pulaski brought in to testify against Data to establish that he was not alive.

All of this would be done with Maddox prosecuting the case himself. You lose the drama of having Riker as a crew member conflicted between duty and friendship, but you shift that role to Pulaski. And her recognition that she truly had become friends with this machine would have been really emotional and moving.  (The epilouge if the final conversation was Data and Pulaski would've been amazing!)

So...I took the script, tweaked it to shift the roles as I described (and added a few touches of my own). Here is what I came up with:

***************************************************

LOUVOIS: This hearing, convened on Stardate 42527.4, is to determine the legal status of the android known as Data. The office of the Judge Advocate General has rendered a finding of property, the defense has challenged. Commander Maddox?

MADDOX: Computer, please enter into the record and read aloud the material specifications of Lieutenant Commander Data.

COMPUTER: Lieutenant Commander Data is composed of 24.6 kilograms of molybdenum-cobalt alloys and 1.3 kilograms of bioplast sheeting with a skull composed of cortenide and duranium.

MADDOX: Your honour, I call Lieutenant Geordi LaForge.

(LaForge goes to the witness chair and puts his hand on a scanner on the table.)



COMPUTER: Verify. Lieutenant Geordi LaForge. Current assignment, USS Enterprise. Chief Engineer

MADDOX: Lt. LaForge, in your capacity as Chief Engineer of the USS Enterprise, is it in your purview to understand all technical components of the Enterprise and to ensure that they are functioning within Starfleet regulations and specifications?

LAFORGE: Yes, sir.

MADDOX: And do you maintain Lieutenant Commander Data in this capacity.

LAFORGE: (A bit uncomfortable) Well, I do what I can to keep Data, uh, Lieutenant Commander Data at top performance. But much of his functioning is well beyond typical Starfleet standards. He is more of an expert on himself than I am.

MADDOX: But there is no one in Starfleet…perhaps excepting Commander Data and myself, who is more knowledgeable regarding Data’s functions and capabilities.

LAFORGE: Yes, I suppose that’s true.

MADDOX: Thank you, Lieutenant. What is Data?

LAFORGE: Sir?

MADDOX: What is it?

LAFORGE: He is the Second Officer of the USS. Enterprise.

MADDOX: No…let me be more clear. WHAT is it, not WHO is it?

La Forge: (He pauses as he begins to understand Maddox’s question.) Oh, I see. (He pauses.) He is an android.

MADDOX: Which is?

LAFORGE: Well, I suppose it boils down to an automaton made to resemble a human being.

MADDOX: Automaton. Made. By whom?

LAFORGE: Doctor Noonien Soong.

MADDOX: And he was?

LAFORGE: Commander Maddox. You know better than I that Doctor Soong was the Federation’s foremost authority in cybernetics.

MADDOX: More basic than that. Again…WHAT was he, not WHO?

LAFORGE: (Fully understanding now.) Doctor Soong…was human.

MADDOX: Thank you. Chief. What, to your knowledge, is the capacity of Lt. Cmdr. Data’s memory, and how fast can it access information?

LAFORGE: He has an estimated ultimate storage capacity of over eight hundred quadrillion bits. We’ve documented his total linear computational speed to be as high as sixty trillion operations per second.

MADDOX: I have no further questions.

PICARD: Thank you, Lieutenant. You are excused.

(LaForge stands up and walks toward the exit. He stops at Data and pats him on the shoulder.)

LAFORGE: You’re gonna be fine.

DATA: Thank you, Geordi, for your expression of optimism.

(Geordi leaves the courtroom.)

MADDOX: Your Honour, I offer in evidence prosecution's exhibit A, Lieutenant Commander Data.

PICARD: Objection! Data is not a thing!

LOUVOIS: That is what this hearing will determine, will it not?

PICARD: Well, at least, let the record reflect his outstanding record of service.

LOUVOIS: Agreed.

PICARD: Computer, enter into the record and read aloud the service record of Lieutenant Commander Data.

COMPUTER: Lieutenant Commander Data. Current assignment, USS Enterprise. Starfleet Command Decoration for Valour and Gallantry, Medal of Honour with Clusters, Legion of Honour, the Star Cross.

MADDOX: May I proceed?

LOUVOIS: Jean Luc?

PICARD: Please, do so.

MADDOX. Thank you. As Exhibit B, I offer a rod of par-steel. Tensile strength, forty kilobars. Commander, would you bend that?

PICARD: Objection! There are many life forms possessed of mega strength. These issues are not relevant to this hearing.

LOUVOIS: I'm afraid I can't agree, Captain. Proceed with you demonstration, Commander.

(Data easily bends the heavy rod neatly into a U shape.)

MADDOX: I request to be allowed to remove the Commander's hand for your inspection.

PICARD: Objec… (changes his mind) It doesn't matter. Objection withdrawn.

LOUVOIS: Proceed, Commander.

MADDOX: Thank you, sir.

(Maddox twists and pulls off Data's left forearm and hand.)

MADDOX: The Commander is a physical representation of a dream, an idea conceived of by the mind of a man. A brilliant man. It's purpose is to serve human needs and interests. It is a collection of neural nets and heuristic algorithms. It’s responses dictated by an elaborate software program written by a man. It’s hardware built by a man. And now. And now…a man will shut it off.

(A flick of the hidden off switch, and Data slumps across the table)

MADDOX: Pinocchio is broken. Its strings have been cut.

(A horrified silence descends)

PICARD: I request a recess.

LOUVOIS: Granted.

[Ten forward]

(There is only one customer present, sitting at the bar.)

GUINAN: Do you mean his argument was that good?

PICARD: Maddox's presentation was devastating. He almost convinced me.

GUINAN: You've got the harder argument. No one, even Data is disputing that he is a machine.

PICARD: That's true.

GUINAN: You're worried about what's going to happen to him?

PICARD: I've had to send people on far more dangerous missions.

GUINAN: Then this should work out fine. Maddox could get lucky and create a whole army of Datas…all very valuable.

PICARD: Oh, yes. No doubt.

GUINAN: He's proved his value to you.

PICARD: In ways that I cannot even begin to calculate.

GUINAN: And now he's about to be ruled the property of Starfleet. That should increase his value.

PICARD: In what way?

GUINAN: Well, consider that in the history of many worlds there have always been disposable creatures. They do the dirty work. They do the work that no one else wants to do because it's too difficult, or too hazardous. And an army of Datas, all disposable, you don't have to think about their welfare, you don't think about how they feel. Whole generations of disposable people.

PICARD: You're talking about slavery.

GUINAN: I think that's a little harsh.

PICARD: I don't think that's a little harsh. I think that's the truth. But that's a truth we have obscured behind a comfortable, easy euphemism. Property. But that's not the issue at all, is it?


[Courtroom]

PICARD: Commander Maddox has dramatically demonstrated to this court that Lieutenant Commander Data is a machine. Do we deny that? No. Because it is not relevant.

We, too, are machines, just machines of a different type. Commander Maddox has also reminded us that Lieutenant Commander Data was created by a human. Do we deny that? No. Again it is not relevant. Children are created from the building blocks of their parents' DNA. Are they property? I call Lieutenant Commander Data to the stand.

(Data goes to the witness chair and puts his hand on a scanner on the table)

COMPUTER: Verify. Lieutenant Commander Data. Current assignment, USS Enterprise. Starfleet Command Decoration for Valour and…

MADDOX: Objection, your honour. We've heard all this.

LOUVOIS: Sustained. Captain, please proceed with your questions.

(Picard has Data's case with him. Picard opens it.)

PICARD: What are these?

DATA: My medals.

PICARD: Why do you pack them? What logical purpose do they serve?

DATA: I do not know, sir. I suppose none. I just wanted them. Is that vanity?

PICARD: And this?

(He holds up a book.)

DATA: A gift from you, sir.

PICARD: You value it?

DATA: Yes, sir.

PICARD: Why?

DATA: It is a reminder of friendship and service.

(Picard activates the hologram of Tasha.)

PICARD: And this? You have no other portraits of your fellow crew members. Why this person?

DATA: I would prefer not to answer that question, sir. I gave my word.

PICARD: Under the circumstances, I don't think Tasha would mind.

DATA: She was special to me, sir. We were…intimate.

(Louvois sits up)

PICARD: Thank you, Commander. I have no further questions for this witness.

LOUVOIS: Commander Maddox, do you wish to cross examine?

MADDOX: I have no questions, Your Honour.

LOUVOIS: Thank you. You may step down.

(Data returns to his seat.)

PICARD: I call to the stand Doctor Katherine PULASKI.

MADDOX: Objection. Lieutenant Commander Data is not alive. What possible relevance would a medical opinion be on these proceedings?

PICARD: They are at the very core of your argument. You say he is not alive and thus, he has no rights. I disagree.

LOUVOIS: I’ll allow it. But keep it to the facts of the case.

PICARD: Understood. (Picard presses his comm. link.) Doctor, we are ready for your testimony.

(Over the comm.) Pulaski: Yes, sir. I’ll just be a moment.

(Doctor Pulaski enters the room and sits in the witness chair. She puts her hand on a scanner on the table.)

COMPUTER: Verify, Commander Katherine Pulaski, MD. Expertise in Linear Viral Propagation, Ocular Prosthesis, Cardiac Sustainment and Replacement, Bio-molecular Regeneration and Memory Engram Manipulation, Current Assignment: USS Enterprise, Chief Medical Officer

PICARD: Doctor, in your professional opinion, is Lieutenant Commander Data a sentient being?

PULASKI: (She pauses to consider the question.  She thinks of her observations of Data since her arrival on the Enterprise)  No. In my professional opinion, Data is not sentient.

PICARD: Doctor, would you enlighten us? What is required for sentience?

PULASKI: Intelligence, self-awareness, consciousness.

PICARD: Can you prove to the court that I am sentient?

PULASKI: Well, you certainly satisfy the definition of sentience.

PICARD: So I am sentient, but Data is not?

PULASKI: That's right.

PICARD: Why? Why am I sentient?

PULASKI: Well, you’re self-aware.

PICARD: Ah, that's the second of your criteria. Let's deal with the first, intelligence. Is Commander Data intelligent?

PULASKI: Yes. It has the ability to learn and understand, and to cope with new situations.

PICARD: Like this hearing.

PULASKI: Yes.

PICARD: What about self-awareness. What does that mean? Why am I self-aware?

PULASKI: Because you are conscious of your existence and actions. You are aware of yourself and your own ego.

(Picard turns his attention to Data.)

PICARD: Commander Data, what are you doing now?

DATA: I am taking part in a legal hearing to determine my rights and status. Am I a person or property?

PICARD: And what's at stake?

DATA: My right to choose. Perhaps my very life.

PICARD: My rights. My status. My right to choose. My life. He seems reasonably self-aware to me. Do you agree, Doctor?

PULASKI: Yes. Yes, I do.

PICARD: Do you like Commander Data?

PULASKI: (She pauses to consider this.  A subtle smile creeps to her face. She confidently responds.) Yes. Very much so. In my short time on the Enterprise, he has become a welcome companion and a dear friend.

MADDOX: Objection! This is absurd!

PHILIPA: Jean Luc, do you have a point?

PICARD: Doctor. What is Lt. Commander Data?

PULASKI: A machine.

PICARD: Is he? Are you sure?

PULASKI: Yes.

PICARD: You see, he's met two of your three criteria for sentience, so what if he meets the third. Consciousness…in even the smallest degree. What is he then? 

PULASKI:  I suppose when I think of it that way...I really don't know.

PICARD:  Well, I don’t know either.

(to Maddox) Do you? 

(to Louvois) Do you?

Well, that's the question you have to answer. Lt. Cmdr Data is a marvelous feat of Engineering and programming. He is a marvel and Commander Maddox now proposes to dismantle him.

MADDOX: So that I can learn from it and construct more!

PICARD: How many more?

MADDOX: As many as are needed. Hundreds, thousands if necessary. There is no limit.

PICARD: A single Data, and forgive me, Commander, is a curiosity. A wonder, even. But thousands of Datas. Isn't that becoming a race? And won't we be judged by how we treat that race?

Your Honour, the courtroom is a crucible. In it we burn away irrelevancies until we are left with a pure product, the truth for all time.

Now, sooner or later, this man or others like him will succeed in replicating Commander Data. And the decision you reach here today will determine how we will regard this creation of our genius. It will reveal the kind of a people we are, what he is destined to be. It will reach far beyond this courtroom and this one android. It could significantly redefine the boundaries of personal liberty and freedom, expanding them for some, savagely curtailing them for others.

Are you prepared to condemn him and all who come after him to servitude and slavery? Your Honour, Starfleet was founded to seek out new life. Well, there it sits! Waiting.

You wanted a chance to make law. Well, make it a good one.

(A silence fills the courtroom as Picard sits down.)

PHILIPA: Thank you, Doctor. With Captain Picard’s concurrence, I believe you are excused.

PICARD: Yes, of course. Thank you, Doctor. (He reflects for a moment.) Thank you.

(Pulaksi rises from her seat. She begins to leave the room and pauses at Data. She nods at him and he returns the nod. She leaves the room.)

LOUVOIS: It sits there looking at me, and I don't know what it is.

This case has dealt with metaphysics, with questions best left to saints and philosophers. I'm neither competent nor qualified to answer those. I've got to make a ruling, to try to speak to the future.

Is Data a machine? Yes. Is he the property of Starfleet? No.

We have all been dancing around the basic issue. Does Data have a soul? I don't know that he has. I don't know that I have. But I have got to give him the freedom to explore that question himself.

It is the ruling of this court that Lieutenant Commander Data has the freedom to choose.

(Data walks over to Maddox)

DATA: I formally refuse to undergo your procedure.

MADDOX: I will cancel that transfer order.

DATA: Thank you. And, Commander, continue your work. When you are ready, I will still be here. I find some of what you propose…intriguing.

(Data leaves.)

MADDOX: He's remarkable.

LOUVOIS: You didn't call him it.

(Maddox leaves.)

LOUVOIS: You see? Sometimes it does work.

PICARD: Dinner?

LOUVOIS: You’re buying.


[Ten Forward]

DATA: Doctor, there is a celebration on the Holodeck.

PULASKI: I have no right to be there.

DATA: I do not understand.

PULASKI: Data...because of my testimony, Maddox came that close to winning.

DATA: Yes, Doctor.

PULASKI: It almost cost you your life!

DATA: Is it not true that had you failed to testify, Captain Louvois would have ruled summarily against me?

PULASKI: Yes, I suppose.

DATA: That action injured you, and saved me. I will not forget it.

PULASKI: You're a wise man, my friend.

DATA: Not yet, Doctor. But with the help of you and my other friends, I will be.

(She smiles at him.  Together, they walk out into the corridor headed to the party.  The door closes behind them.)

(Exterior shot of Enterprise and THE END.)

Moffit regrets the return of Gallifrey. Thus...Moffit doesn't understand Doctor Who.

Stephen Moffit got it right.  I thought that the events of the 50th anniversary special were PERFECT!!

He may regret his narrative choices (http://www.followingthenerd.com/tv/steven-moffat-haunted-by-doctor-who-guilt/#sthash.fa4B6HXJ.dpbs), but I say that he was right the first time.

The special had everything.   It had nods to the past, reverence for the present and a sharp eye on the future.  It had historic exploration, alien menace and timey-whimey madness and fun.  

It had ethos, pathos and logos.   It had ethical dilemmas, it had danger and, at its heart, it had salvation.   And the source of this salvation was trust in oneself and trust in friendship.

Since its first broadcast in 1963, The Doctor has faced countless No-Win scenarios and has time and time again saved the day.

As Craig Ferguson said...Doctor Who is a celebration of the triumph of intellect and romance over brute strength and cynicism.

In 2004, when the BBC brought back Doctor Who, Christopher Eccleston brought a sense of optimism and whimsy, but this was tempered with an underlying sadness.

Throughout its five decade run, the series has had episodes where The Doctor saves the day, but there have always been costs...sacrifices.   Companions lost, civilizations destroyed, regenerations spent.   By reintroducing the character in the wake of The Time War embodied all of the harsh realities of the show but presented a being who despite all of the loss in his wake...still chooses to help.  Chooses to run when necessary and chooses to fight when all else fails.  He chooses not to give up.

And Doctor Who, at it's heart, is know for being clever enough to figure out a solution in the end (typically...just in the nick of time) and brave enough to face the fiercest of foes.

The Doctor would ALWAYS find a way to succeed...eventually.  Will he always?  Who nose?

To have the guilt and angst of the 9th Doctor (a guilt of 50 years of sacrifices) redeemed by the 10th, 11th and the War Doctor with the invaluable assistance of the first eight was, well...it was FANTASTIC!

200 freakin' days until EPISODE VII

@SW_TFG: 200 FREAKIN' DAYS UNTIL... #StarWars #TheForceAwakens #Countdown http://t.co/Qpl6TflhaB

They are ALL my favorite Star Wars film

Q1: "So...which Star Wars film is your favorite?"

************************************

Why not ask....

Q2: "So...which of your children do you love the most?

************************************

The answer to the second question is simple:

A2: "I love both of my children the same.  

I have the same feelings for Billy that I have for Not-Billy."

************************************

The answer to the first is not so simple.

That being said, here is the correct answer:

A1:"ESB is my favorite."   

Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back has the best, most moving and realistic emotional moments in the films.  It shows the events that result in our protagonists changing and turning into the heroes we love.

But is that where we stop?  NO!  Because, they are all facets of one story.  They are all important.  And they are each loved for their own reasons.

The tone of ANH and ROTJ are vastly different than ESB, as they are from each other.  TPM, AOTC and ROTS each have their own voices, too.  And they are equally important to the overall story arc.

I think an analogy can be used to wrap my brain around each film in its place in the saga.

Think of it like being pushed into a swimming pool...   

ANH:  First, the sensations are shockingly different than being on dry land.   The instant change from 90 deg F summer heat to the frigid wet coldness of the 80 deg F water.  The disorientation of being surrounded by water without a solid footing.  But it is instantly fun and exciting, but also a little scary being on your own.

ESB: You're now use to the water, and are starting to learn how to float and navigate the waters. You sink or swim on your own.   Learn what works and what doesn't.  

ROTJ:  Now, you are fully adjusted to the water and have your bearings on how to move.   You can now pull out the stops and race around the pool swimming.   You are no longer thinking how different this is from walking...you are just enjoying the sensation of floating on water and having fun.

Each movie has its own excitement and elements to love.  But without the set-up in ANH and payoff in ROTJ, the emotional resonance of ESB would be lost.

So, how does this analogy extend to the Prequels?

TPM: You are now an expert swimmer.  But you are now at the pool with your child.  You get to enjoy playing in the kiddie pool and at the shallow end...not because you enjoy these things on their own, but because you get to experience the simple pleasures through fresh eyes.   But parent conversations on the side of the pool range from discussions of school and camp to the more serious adult ideas.   You are mainly there for the little one.  Billy and Not-Billy are having a ball, and you are having fun with them, especially enjoying how much fun they are having.  You find yourself having fun, too.  But you can't wait until they get to the big pool.

AOTC: Billy and Not-Billy are getting older (bless their little hearts) and they are ready for the big pool.  They can explore on their own.  Find areas of the pool you are familiar with from years ago, but they are playing new games you don't know mixed in with the old favorites.  Sometimes you play with them, sometimes they play on your own and sometimes, during Adult Swim, the pool is yours again.  You get to enjoy swimming for you...just for you, just like you remember it.  Well, it's not quite as much fun as you remember it...but it is still enjoyable.

ROTS:  Billy and Not-Billy are ready for the deep end.  They are going off the diving board now.  You are not sure they are ready.  They might get hurt.  It might be too much.  But you know they are old enough now that they can handle more.  They can take it.  And you can let them.  You have watched them grow.  They are ready for deeper waters, riskier ideas.  They will be fine...and you enjoy seeing them mature ready for anything.   You know that someday they'll be taking their own little ones to the pool.  But not today...today you just enjoy the warmth of a summer afternoon and relax.  You realize that being at the pool, away from the hustle and bustle of life feels just a bit like going to a Galaxy Far Far Away.  And it reminds you of a Long Time Ago.  

Star Wars: Rebels Era: A Crystal Latticework

CAUTION:  THERE BE SPOILERS AHEAD!!  YEE HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!

I think that the major plot line that the Disney Story Group will be using to as the focus of the Rebels era is the building of the Death Star as the rallying impulse to form a cohesive Rebel Alliance.  Nearly all of the content that has been released has focused either on the building of the crew of the Ghost or on the building of the Mobile Battle Station, code-named...the Death Star.

Let's look at some of the recent productions coming from The Story Group:

• Story Reel episodes of Clone Wars (A Death on Utapau, In Search of the Crystal, Crystal Crisis and The Big Bang), first made available on 9/25/14:
• These episodes were made available on starwars.com and show Anakin and Obi-wan on Utapau dealing with the Seperatists obtaining a massive Kyburr crystal.  The episode does not mention the Death Star...but, as a longtime fan, my conclusion is that the Death Star was being built by the Seperatists.  It was seen as a red hologram with Poggle the Lesser and Count Dooku in Episode II: Attack of the Clones and in the midst of construction by the Imperials at the end of Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.

• Tarkin, published 11/4/14:
• This novel dealt with securing passage for delivery of critical supply lines.  A main plot of the novel is the construction of the Death Star itself.

• Star Wars: Rebels 
• Episode, "Breaking Ranks"  The series has had several episode has already had story lines dealing with the Empire transporting Kyburr crystals.    In the episode, "Breaking Ranks", Ezra inflitrated the Imperial Academy on Lothal with the mission of getting intel on the transport of a powerful, massive Kyburr crystal, which Hera and Kanan take care of, in a most impressive explosive display.
• Epsiode "Empire Day"  Sabine discovers a mysterious 5-year plan by the Imperials.

• Star Wars: Rebel: Servants of the Empire 
• Many of the fans, myself included have wondered...why all the focus on Lothal?  Is this new fictional world the focus just to allow for a storytelling setting that is a home to be protected.  Is it meant to be thought of as one of any worlds slowly being ensnared in a growing dragnet by the Empire throughout the galaxy?

• I think it's more than that.  In this novel, it was indicated that at least part of the the Empire's interest in Lothal based on its unique minerals and crystals.   This makes me think that the sudden interest in a backwater farming world is based on the Imps hope to find a massive Kyburr crystal on Lothal.

• Rogue One, Anthology Film, to be released December 2016
• Finally, we know that the first Anthology film, Rogue One, will deal with the theft of a certain set of plans which, when analyzed, could prove disastrous for the Empire.

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All this leads me to see a growing lattice of interconnected stories which, each telling their own part, are creating a massive, complex interwoven tale that spans a Galaxy, far, far away.

Episode VIII - May 26, 2017

May 26 is Memorial Day.   It is the weekend all six of the originals were released, plus it was the initial target date for Episode 7.  

The studios get less money from tickets with each successive weekend, so they try to maximize the first weekend's box office.   By doing it on a holiday, they get to extend the number of people that can see it that first weekend.

Plus...by having it Memorial Day, kids can see it repeatedly once school gets out,

Plus...it gives plenty of time to market Christmas presents.

Plus...no...that's it.