Oh Goodness I just read this thread!!! I had such a good laugh!!!
I heard of this infamous Christmas special many times. I have never ever seen a clip of it, and I don't intend to see it anytime soon. I am not a fan at all of the later Star Wars movies (ugh), and have only seen a New Hope out of the first 3.
Prim you make a good point. If those 4 TV shows can do so well why couldn't the 3 prequeals be just as good? Did Lucas have his head in the sand for all those years? Good lord even anime is better then those last 3 movies!!!!
I do think the rest of the original trilogy is worth seeing, if you ever feel like it. A lot of people say The Empire Strikes Back is the best film of the six by far, and I tend to agree. A lot of people dislike Return of the Jedi, and it has its weak spots, but it does finish the main story well and does include some wonderful scenes.
“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
The idea of an aboriginal race being ignored by the Empire until it was too late was cool. The marketing-guided implementation of big-eyed teddy bears was not.
I think in the original conception they were supposed to be Wookies, which would make for a neat tie-in with the rest of the story—but Wookies weren't marketable enough. Lucas wanted something a three-year-old wouldn't be afraid to snuggle. Which was a pretty strong warning for the way the prequel trilogy was going to go.
“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
They were definitely cute. But I didn't like cutting away from Luke's battle with Vader and from the attack on the Death Star to the cute, comical Ewoks with their cute rope-and-log weapons of crushing and destruction.
“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
George Lucas didn't make it all up, you know. He was visited one night by an Alien who wanted the story told. He was lost, far from home, and knew he might never make it back.
But Lucas lost a lot of the notes he took and when he tried to remember it all, he got terribly mixed up and spoiled an epic and wonderful tale.
The Alien did make it home, after all, however, and when word got out of what he'd done, he was sent to Krypton, in exile. This guy looked just like a white-haired Marlon Brando, apparently, and rumour has it he got married there just before the thing went kablooie.
The Galactic Council met not long ago and they are still arguing over what to do to Lucas.
That said, he thinks the somersaults and whirling around in the Star Wars fights are entirely silly; you don't turn your back on your opponent for a split instant during a fight. But he thinks they're still kewl.
The somersaults, etc. are to build up strength force wise and so on. Don't ask me how. It's sort of like to help force your opponents lightsaber through your opponent and so on...
Is that canon or fanwank? It's certainly not movie canon.
“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
I actually don't intend to get into a purist/revisionist battle over Star Wars. But I'm stubborn over wanting to be able to judge a piece of art just for itself, as it's presented. If I have to consult another source for something to stop seeming silly, that's a flaw in the art. I even consider it a flaw in Lord of the Rings (the book) that not enough is said about Arwen. Yes, there's an appendix, but that isn't part of LotR the story, so I feel free to judge LotR without it.
“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
I'm presuming the is because you are astounded at my wondrous wondrousness, the is you acknowledging said. The could be comforting Prim because she didn't know about twisty fighting in SW...
My psychology prof mentioned today how much he hates the show Everybody Loves Raymond, and I agreed with him completely. That show had the highest ratings of all sitcoms for years and years but to me it was just the most awful show! So, that's something I can think of that was supposed to be so great but in my opinion is absolutely rotten.
It's always great to see you, Wilma!
It's certainly not movie canon.
