Star Wars Challenge Day 30

The last day of the challenge - why you love Star Wars.

Well...one thing I love about Star Wars is the Jedi Order.

wookieepedia

I've been fascinated by their culture and teachings, and most of my favorite characters are Jedi.  I love reading about them, lightsaber techniques, and the Jedi Way.

Second is the creativity Star Wars has inspired.  Costumes, comics, fan fiction, fan art, crafts etc.  It's great to see fans get so into it and the amazing works they produce, and it's fun to try and follow in their footsteps with my small creations.

But what I love most about Star Wars is the community it creates.

For me, this has made my life better in three ways:

First, with offline friends - a young boy I had an air lightsaber duel with and then talked Star Wars for a while afterward, an obsessed girl I met once, a man at a recent event.  It gave us something to talk about, and without it I probably never would have had the chance to be friends with them.

Second, with online friends.  In January I joined The Lakehouse, a forum for Christian Star Wars fan girls (but you don't have to be a Christian to join!).  Throughout the past year, I've had so much fun there, the friends I've made are some of the nicest people, and I think it all has helped me be more confident in my geekyness.  If you haven't been there, I highly recommend you check it out!

Finally, with my brother.  Over the years we have had so much fun with Star Wars together, between role-plays, song parodies, Halloween costumes, arguments discussions, and more.  Between that and Lord of the Rings, we've become really close.

And there we have it!  I have so enjoyed doing this and I want to thank you all for reading and your comments.  They have greatly brightened this month for me!

But before we go, here is one of my favorite Star Wars-related videos.  Enjoy!

May the Lord be with you!

Star Wars Challenge Day 29

Best personal Star Wars memory...

I'm not sure if it's my favorite, but in the summer of 2010 my brother and I were able to go to Star Wars Celebration V!

wookieepedia

The whole experience was very cool, but here are a few highlights:

Meeting Ashley Eckstein - I love her!  We found the Her Universe booth in the exhibit hall and she was there talking to fans.  A big thank you to my brother for getting us to talk to her; I would have chickened out otherwise!  Although I was awkward the whole time we chatted and took pictures, I was so thrilled to meet her!

TCW panel - In the afternoon, I went to a TCW behind-the-scenes panel with Dave Filoni.  It was really interesting and fun and I learned a lot about the show, but the best part was that Dave mentioned Lord of the Rings - twice!  I love him forever now.

The costumes - My favorite part of the event!  The fan's costumes were amazing!  How cool it was to walk among Jedi, Padmés, Darth Vaders, and so many more.  There were three guys dressed as Jedi versions of Mario, Luigi, and Toad - I hope they come next time!  And as we were leaving, we saw Darth Vader have a lightsaber duel with Darth Nihilus (I looked that up) which was really cool.

I am so thankful that we were able to go, and I cannot wait until Celebration VI!

There are a few other memories that are dear to my heart, but I think they'll fit into tomorrow's post - the last day of this challenge!  Until then, may the Lord be with you!

Star Wars Challenge Day 28

I can't believe this month is almost over!  Today is favorite Darth Vader quote.

shadows of reflection

"The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force."

My reasons are kind of along the same lines as yesterday's.  Replace the Force with God and it talks about how great His power is.  Like the faith that can move mountains verse, God's power is beyond what we can imagine.  So is His love.  But of course, God is good and the Death Star is not.  Totally not.

The other thing I like about it is that it's so fun to say.  "Insignificant."  Quoting and doing impressions of different characters is something I have a lot of fun with so I tend to like lines that are fun to say.

Well.  That was short.  That's about it, so as another follow up to yesterday, here is Darth Vader recording his voice for TomTom GPS:

May the Lord be with you!

Star Wars Challenge Day 27

Favorite Yoda quote...

I've got two:

"Size matters not.  Look at me.  Judge me by my size, do you?  And well you should not.  For my ally is the Force.  And a powerful ally it is."

And...

"Aw, cannot get your ship out?"

The first one because it's kind of inspiring in that it says that we are more than our limitations.  Replace the Force with God (or "the Lord" sounds good) and it's really cool.  God helps us rise above our weaknesses.

And I'm short.

The second one is just silly.  I like crazy Yoda and have had fun with this line.

Here's a bit of Yoda silliness...

May the Lord be with you!

Star Wars Challenge Day 25 & 26

Hey everyone!  I didn't have time to post yesterday, so I'll be combining two days.

First is favorite EU book.

I love the EU, especially the rise of the Empire era, and Jude Watson's books are one of my favorite parts of Star Wars.  My favorite of them would have to be Jedi Apprentice Special Edition: Deceptions.

wookieepedia

It takes place both before and after The Phantom Menace, so it has Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Anakin, which is a big plus for me.  In the first half of the book, Obi-Wan is accused of killing a fellow Jedi trainee.  The second half includes Anakin as a twelve-year-old and characters introduced in the first half.  When I first got it from the library, I think I read it three times before it had to be returned.

My number two is Jedi Quest: The Changing of the Guard - one of the funniest in the series!


Today's prompt is favorite Obi-Wan quote, and here are a few I really like:


"The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us.  It binds the galaxy together."

"The Force will be with you...always."

"Oh...yes."

"Oh, I don't think so."

"You were the Chosen One!


"Sith Lords are our speciality."

And probably several others that I'm not thinking of right now - you know how much I like Obi-Wan!

I hope all you Americans had a great Thanksgiving, and to all, may the Lord be with you!

Give Thanks

It seems that everyone is doing a post like this today!

I'm thankful for...

My family

My friends (offline and on, especially those who are reading this :))

Health for myself and family

Star Wars

Lord of the Rings

Professor Layton

Phoenix Wright and Turnabout Musical

Fangirling

The Lakehouse

Blogger

Sticky notes

Music

My faith and all it brings me

Facebook

Fanfiction

Pencils

Musicals

My theater group

Religion class

My followers and commenters

You, who are taking the time to read my blog. :)

thanksgivingwallpapers.blogspot.com

Happy Thanksgiving, my friends!

Star Wars Challenge Day 24

"A character you dislike."

I guess that would be Captain Panaka.

wookieepedia

Sorry to all who like him, but I was pretty indifferent on him in The Phantom Menace, and found out from Wookieepedia that he told Palpatine about Anakin and Padme's marriage (giving Palpatine the means to lure Anakin to the dark side) and he joined the Empire.  So I'm definitely not crazy about him (except his hat, which is cool).

But this post would not be complete if I did not mention Governor Tarkin.

wookieepedia

He's the guy I love to hate.  Tarkin is one of the more ruthless bad guys in Star Wars, and the fact that he was okay blowing up an entire planet, killing billions of innocent people, is revolting.  He used to be my least favorite character, but I was impressed with how he was done in The Clone Wars (just like how a younger Tarkin would be, I thought), that I started to *grumble* not mind him quite as much. *grumblegrumble*

So that's my story.  And now I'm going to have their pictures on the front page of my blog for days.  Ah well.

Speaking of Tarkin, here's a fun parody of Be Our Guest:

May the Lord be with you!

Star Wars Challenge Day 23

Something you wished was different.

Guess what - I actually know what I'm going to talk about!  A miracle, I know...

The thing I wished was different is...

Stewjon.

Yes, kind of silly and not actually from the movies, but this is what I want different.

Stewjon is the name of Obi-Wan's home planet, and was created at Celebration V.  During the Main Event, an interview with George Lucas by Jon Stewart, George was asked what the name of Obi-Wan's home planet was.  George answered, "this is one of the first things I wrote in the very first script. He comes from the planet Stewjon."

Now nothing against Jon Stewart, whose name provided the base for Stewjon, but I really don't like it.  I guess you could say it's ok because there are stranger names in the galaxy far far away, but I would have liked for the planet Obi-Wan comes from to have a prettier name.

I used to want to know where Obi-Wan was from, but now I wish I didn't.  And I no longer have any desire to know where Qui-Gon is from!

Here's what he and Obi-Wan were saying before the interview.

Original pic from Shadows of Reflection

May the Lord be with you!

Star Wars Challenge Day 22

Favorite RotJ moment.

Ok guys, this will be the last indecisive post of this challenge.

Maybe.

I really liked the ending, when all the Rebels are celebrating together as I have already mentioned.  Here are a few other parts I really like.

Shadow of Reflection

When Han is assembling his command crew and Luke returns from Dagobah.  I just love seeing Han, Leia, Luke, and Chewie being friends.

Shadows of Reflection

"I don't know - fly casual."
One of my favorite lines from the movies.

Shadows of Reflection

Vader and Luke have a conversation without trying to kill each other.  I like how in this moment Luke seems to genuinely love this evil man who is his father and wants to help him.  Vader appears regretful of his past choices when he says that it is too late for him.  There still is a little bit of Anakin there.

Shadows of Reflection

"I am a Jedi...like my father before me."
Luke stays strong in the face of great temptation and stands up for what he believes in, even though it pretty much means certain death.  Sarah wrote a really great post on this scene which made me appreciate it a lot more.

So there you go!  And to end this post...

May the Lord be with you!

Star Wars Challenge Day 21

Favorite ESB moment.

Although ESB is actually my least favorite of the Star Wars movies (I like it fine but prefer the others), I have a couple things.  There's the part when Han glares and points at C3P0 which I would have posted about, except I cannot figure out when in the movie it is and thus can't find a picture.  But I have another!

wookieepedia.com

He reminds me of Jack Sparrow sometimes.

"Son...I'm Captain Han Solo...Savvy?"

Yes, this is really short but it's late and this is all I have for today.  But I'll leave you with a cute video:

May the Lord be with you!

Star Wars Challenge Day 20

Today is favorite moment from A New Hope.

To better remember the movie (it's been a while since I've watched it), I went through a bunch of screen captures and came up with three parts I really like.

Because you all know how decisive I am.

One is when everyone's on their way to Alderaan and they're just hanging out - Luke is practicing with his lightsaber, Ben is helping him, R2 and Chewbacca play holochess with 3P0 looking on, and Han adding his comments about hokey religions and upsetting Wookiees.

wookieepedia

Second is when Luke goes off to find Leia's cell and Han tries to dissuade more troopers from coming up.  This part is just so funny and Han's "how are you?" is one of my favorite lines from that movie.

Finally, when Darth Vader's ship gets knocked away by Han, and Luke is able to trust the Force and land his shot.  So happy in many ways.

While we're talking about A New Hope, here's a neat video my dad showed me a while ago.

Does anyone know of a good Star Wars gallery that doesn't mind if their pictures are used (with or without credit)?  I know of a few galleries, but they are only of certain parts of the saga.

Hope you all have a good week, and may the Lord be with you!

Star Wars Challenge Day 19

Favorite RotS moment...

Well, I had picked a part to talk about, but it turned into a lengthy discussion more about The Clone Wars than Revenge of the Sith.  I'll look into finishing and posting it later, but today is for RotS, specifically when Obi-Wan confronts General Grievous.

wookieepedia

I know I talked about this part before, but it wasn't long and it was either this or another Obi-Wan/Anakin friendship moment.

After watching from above for a short time, Obi-Wan leaves Boga (and yet another cloak) to confidently leap down right in front of Grievous and in the middle of a large number of blasters turning toward him.

During a panel at Celebration V, Dave Filoni mentioned a cool moment of Ewan McGregor's acting that I hadn't noticed before.  General Grievous ignites his four lightsabers and starts spinning two so that they scrape the floor.  As he advances toward Obi-Wan in this manner, the Jedi Master gets this little smile on his face; the grin of a skilled warrior.  I thought that was pretty neat.

And of course the rest of the scene is cool too, with the dialog between the two and the initial clashes of their battle.

By the way, any idea how many cloaks Obi-Wan loses throughout the movies?  The Jedi seamstresses must hate him...

May the Lord be with you!

Star Wars Challenge Day 18

Similar to yesterday, today's prompt is favorite moment from AotC.

Not feeling like writing right now, but posting last night made me feel better so let's try something...

This isn't too much, but I like the part when Obi-Wan first talks to Lama Su.

...Which I cannot find a good picture of.

But imagine what it must have been like for Obi-Wan - he's investigating an assassin.  Totally normal, right?  Then he finds out this planet was erased from the Jedi Archives.  He goes there, and finds out they have an army ready for the Republic...which was ordered by a Jedi.

Obi-Wan plays it cool but it must have been pretty shocking, as Jedi don't tend to do those sorts of things.

Oh, and don't they have the coolest chairs on Kamino?

clonewars.dramatic-personae.net

You can kind of see it there - it's like a spoon.  Kind of weird, but I've always loved those chairs.  For some reason I can't find any good pictures from AotC but oh well!

Sorry for the short post!  Hope you have a good weekend!

Star Wars Challenge Day 17

Favorite TPM moment...

How about any moment that has Qui-Gon and/or Obi-Wan in it?

All right, what about...I can't find a good picture from the Council scenes, but how about the beginning of the movie?

wookieepedia

 

I'm kind of tired tonight for a long post, so in a nutshell I like this part because it's a Master and Padawan just being...normal.  And doing some cool lightsaber stuff, but all in a day's work, right?  In case I haven't mentioned it before, I kind of like the Jedi.  So I'm interested in pretty much anything that shows what they're like, especially when it includes Jedi by the names of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn.

This is going to be a short post, but I have a special edition.  You know the musical Annie?  Well, it turns out that you can take the songs, in order, and put them into The Phantom Menace with a few lyric changes and...it works.  Seriously.  So I kind of wrote the whole thing, including a script.  A few songs need to be written yet and the whole thing needs to be edited, but here is one okay song for your enjoyment.  There are a few awkward parts that need work, it's definitely not done yet, but here's my first draft.  Sung to the tune of "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile," this song takes place during the Senate meeting where Queen Amidala is pleading her case.


PALPATINE
This is Queen Amidala, saying:

QUEEN AMIDALA (PADMÉ)
The bounty men
And the Hutt Clan
You know they’re both vile
But Brother,
I ask that you put Nute Gunray on trial

You think that he trades legally
This isn’t his style --
But Brother,
I ask that you put Nute Gunray on trial

Our planet is bearing
Invasion
That they bestow
My people live their lives in fear
From a dangerous foe
The Federation

So, Senator,
So, Chancellor,
Consider a while
Remember,
I ask that you put Nute Gunray on trial

PALPATINE
Ready or not, here he goes
Listen to Jar Jar
Tap his smilin’ toes

VALORUM
Ah, the gungan Jar Jar Binks.

JAR JAR
Doo doodle-oo doo
Doo doodle-oo doo
Doo doo doo doo
Doo doo doo doo

They brought in the big droid army
They have lots of guile
But, brother
Our people are oppressed
Hear our request
Put Nute on

QUEEN AMIDALA (PADMÉ)
T--

JAR JAR
R--

PALPATINE
I--

QUEEN AMIDALA (PADMÉ)
A--

ALL THREE
L--put Gunray on trial

QUEEN AMIDALA (PADMÉ)
We matter
So, Senator,
So, Chancellor,
Consider a while!

There you go!  Hope you're all having a good week.  I've been pretty busy but hopefully next week I'll have more time for commenting on blogs and such!  May the Lord be with you!

Star Wars Challenge Day 16

"Photo of your Star Wars-related things."  Yay, something easy!

Here is my mishmash of Star Wars items. There is...
-R2D2 and Yoda
-Their paper counterparts: Yoda has an origami finger puppet made from directions in The Strange Case of Origami Yoda (and online), and R2 is a paper mailbox. In 2007 for the 30th anniversary of A New Hope, the USPS issued Star Wars stamps and set up a bunch of R2D2 mailboxes. On StarWars.com at the time there was a printable mailbox which I made.
-Lightsabers: two are storebought, and one I made with a papertowel tube, aluminum foil, construction paper, and other materials. It was mostly put together to see if it would work, and I could make a better one if I put more time into it.
-Celebration V souvenirs: I have my badge from the convention as well as a set of postcards I bought there. I've been meaning to display them but have somehow managed to put if off for over a year. Wow.
-Pez dispensers: might be from my brother's birthday.
-Books: The Star Wars Craft Book (which is cool but I don't have the materials for most of them), and The Jedi Path, which I absolutely love as a Jedi-obsessed fan.
-Nintendo DS games: Lego Star Wars II and the complete saga edition.  Love LSW II - it's different from the computer/gamecube editions and despite the glitches it's really fun.  Complete Saga is basically the same as the Wii version but as it is smaller the graphics aren't nearly as good.  Of course the advantage is you can take a DS places, but you can't really bring a Wii and TV into a waiting room...
-Santa Darth Vader bobblehead: this was from Christmas a couple years ago. I keep it on my shelf all year round - it's too funny and cute.
-Finally, my dear Obi-Wan action figure.

Books!  Our collection includes several Jedi Apprentice books, Jedi Quest, Rebel Force, Young Jedi Knights, and a few others stuck in there.  Most are out of print but can be found (usually for good prices) at Thriftbooks.com.

Not shown are Lego Star Wars sets, a Her Universe tee, and a couple costumes.

So there you go!  This was a lot of fun to put together.  Hope you had or will have a great day!

Star Wars Challenge Day 15

We're halfway through!  Today is "a scene that makes you sad/angry."

Well, one that I've had on my mind since looking ahead yesterday is when Palpatine creates the Empire.

wookieepedia

"So this is how liberty dies - with thunderous applause."

Palpatine is lying - he's been lying for a long time.  With one speech, he turns the Jedi, who had been giving their lives for the Republic, into enemies.  After working to gain support for years, he finally takes full control of the galaxy.

And everyone applauds him.

This makes me sad and angry.

Jedi seek to serve others rather than ruling over them, for the good of the galaxy. - The Jedi Code

Palpatine is doing the opposite - he's not trying to make the galaxy a better place, as Anakin thinks.  He takes it out of selfish desire for power.

Carefully planned for years, Palpatine's charade of righteousness was almost impossible to detect.  Would I have detected it had I lived in a galaxy far far away?  Not likely.  Which brings me to two points:

Try to not put people up on a pedestal.  No matter how great they seem, they are still human.  This is hard.  It's hard not to put a lot of faith in people, but when they fall and you can be left angry and confused.  This has been on my mind lately.

The other is we have to always seek the truth and try not to be swayed by feelings.  The truth is not always easy to find, but we have to look.

Now...I'm feeling pretty down.  Let's try to lighten the mood a bit, shall we?

Here's something some friends showed me last night (thanks guys!):

May the Lord be with you!

Star Wars Challenge Day 14

A scene that makes you happy...

Um...kind of drawing a blank here, which is sad because this should be easy.

How about...when Obi-Wan visits Dexter Jettster!

This scene does make me happy.  It's one of the few relaxed moments of Attack of the Clones - old friends talking, joking, and Dex helps Obi-Wan out.  He figures out where Obi-Wan's dart came from pretty quickly, and it makes you wonder what kind of adventures he's been on, or how much information has been passed through him.

And what's cool about the friendship that Obi-Wan and Dex have, is that they don't have relationship problems, which is pretty rare in Star Wars.

Basically, I like the scene because it's cute and relaxing.  Oh, and isn't Dex one of the few characters that Obi-Wan hugs in the movies?

I'm going to need to find myself a Dexter Jettster costume.

Star Wars Challenge Day 13

Today is favorite quote!

I just love quotes.  When I'm reading a Star Wars book and come across a bit of Jedi wisdom, I always write down the page number so I can come back later and copy the quote.

As you probably guessed, I don't have a favorite.  Here are a few I really like right now:

"I am a Jedi, like my father before me." - Luke Skywalker

"There's always a bigger fish." - Qui-Gon Jinn

"But I was going to Tosche Station to pick up some power converters!" - Luke Skywalker

"I don't know - fly casual" - Han Solo

"You were the chosen one!" - Obi-Wan Kenobi

"You having a little trouble with your droid?" - Lando
"No, no problem.  Why?" - Han

Luke: "Ben, what is our purpose as Jedi?"
Ben Skywalker: "Well… to keep the Force in balance and to help people stay in balance with the Force. To detect wrongs and make them right. To serve as models for very attractive lines of boots."
Luke: "Let's go back one."

Some are cool, some are funny, and some are just fun to imitate.  There are a ton more I like (mostly parts of conversations), but if I listed them all we'd be here all night.

As a quote lover, I've had a lot of fun with the StarWars.com soundboards.  Whether creating conversations between people who have never met, or just hitting quotes over and over again for fun, I've spent quite a bit of time on there.

Here's a little mix I just made - Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan go to Han to get parts for their ship, but things don't work out too well...

May the Lord be with you!

Star Wars Challenge Day 12

All-time favorite scene!

Again, I don't really know what my favorite is, but I've picked out one to talk about.

It's actually a deleted scene from Revenge of the Sith.

The Moons of Iego

In the part shown by the picture, Obi-Wan and Anakin are surrounded by droids on Grievous' ship at the beginning of the movie.  They plan their escape using hand motions and just enough amusing conversation for viewers to understand what's going on.  In The Clone Wars, Eeth Koth uses hand motions to silently communicate his location to the Jedi (translated by Obi-Wan), but they seem different enough that I like to think Obi-Wan and Anakin's code is something they invented themselves.

The rest of the clip is a great too.  I love the Obi-Wan/Anakin interaction - you can see that they're such good friends, and they seem to have fun together.  It's sad that their friendship falls apart soon after, but until then it's fantastic.

May the Force be with you!

Star Wars Challenge Day 11

Today's prompt is favorite battle!

...I haven't a clue what to write about.

In the last couple of years I have become interested in lightsabers, and I enjoy the parts where I can see the different styles.  But for me, Star Wars is really about the characters, and I've never been that into the battles.  Guess I'm missing the point of Star "Wars" huh?

Well, I just made a list of all the battles in Star Wars and I still don't know.  But here are a few thoughts.

TPM - Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan vs. Darth Maul
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan both use an acrobatic form of lightsaber combat in this battle, as is shown by Obi-Wan's flip at the beginning of the duel.  I so wish I could do those flips and long leaps.

AotC - Geonosis rescue
200 Jedi all get together to save three people.  That's really nice when you think about it.  But for the fighting, one part I really like is when Obi-Wan spins around his lightsaber, waves it across his body, and plunges it into a beast.  From some YouTube videos (check out banditcar's tutorials!) I was able to learn a few lightsaber spins, including that one, and seeing something from the movie that I can do is really cool.

RotS - Obi-Wan and Anakin vs. Dooku
I'd like to watch this part again to see Dooku's use of a traditional form of lightsaber combat, but what I like about this part is Anakin tries to follow the Jedi Way but Palpatine manipulates him, Anakin won't leave Obi-Wan even though the mission should come first, and finally because Obi-Wan says "speciality".

RotS - Obi-Wan vs. Grievous
Mostly because of Obi-Wan's lines and expressions before and after the battle.  "Oh, I don't think so," and "So uncivilized."

RotS - Obi-Wan vs. Anakin
Too sad for me to enjoy that much, but this is probably one of the most epic battles in the saga.  The ending lines of "You were the chosen one," and "You were my brother, Anakin.  I loved you."  Those are just great.

RotJ - Battle over the Sarlacc pit
Arda likes a battle that doesn't have Obi-Wan?  This part is just so cool - Luke, Leia, and Lando execute a carefully planned rescue.  I love the moment when Luke is about to jump off put he hangs on, catches his lightsaber, and turns the situation around.  The heroes all work together really well and win the day.

Back to Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan vs. Darth Maul - toward the end, the three are separated by shields, which only open long enough for Qui-Gon to get through and battle Maul.  Obi-Wan can't get far before he is stopped.  He can't help his Master and Qui-Gon is stabbed right in front of him.  Shouldn't Obi-Wan have used Force Speed to get through the shields before they closed again?

...I take it back.  Have a great weekend everyone!

Star Wars Challenge Day 10

Favorite Star Wars photo!

...Only one?

I don't have a very large collection of Star Wars pictures, but I pulled out a few:

Any picture of the inside of the Jedi Temple makes me happy.

Part of Star Wars Weekends promotion - love the expressions of the innocent bystanders.

Three of my favorite characters from The Clone Wars all with their new looks.  And as shown by a contest on StarWars.com, great for captioning.

And of course...Obi-Wan. ♥  I just love this picture.

There are probably a lot of pictures out there that I like as well, but I've only just started saving more pictures so this is what I have for now.

Ah, how about one more:

May the Lord be with you!

Star Wars Challenge Day 9

Yesterday we had favorite Original Trilogy movie, and now it's time for favorite Prequel!

My favorite is The Phantom -

No wait.  Revenge of -

Um...Revenge of the Menace?

How about this - the first half of Revenge of the Sith, and the parts in The Phantom Menace that have Qui-Gon and/or Obi-Wan in them.

I can't decide.

The Phantom Menace is awesome because it has Qui-Gon.  Revenge of the Sith is awesome because it has older Anakin.  For me, choosing between the movies is choosing between the characters.  And that's hard.

The Phantom Menace introduces most of the important characters in the prequel films and creates the foundations needed for later developments, such as the source of Anakin's attachment issues and Palpatine's rise to power.  And Qui-Gon's in it.  And it's his only movie.  So even though I'm not too into the podracing or Gungan battle, I really like the movie.  The Jedi Council scenes are some of my favorites, as well as Qui-Gon's moments with Anakin and Obi-Wan.

What's great about Revenge of the Sith is most of the prequel characters have already been introduced and developed in The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, so film could move through the story and bring the trilogy to it's conclusion.  Now that Obi-Wan has completed Anakin's training, he's a lot more relaxed than in AotC and he and Anakin have some fun interactions.  And yes, the end of the movie is incredibly sad and depressing, but I did say I liked the first part, right?

Oh yes, and Padme has beautiful outfits in both movies.  Don't make me decide between them either.

To end this indecisive post, here is a video: the audio of the Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End trailer put to clips from Revenge of the Sith - epicness.

May the Lord be with you!

Star Wars Challenge Day 8

Today is favorite Original Trilogy movie.

I have to say Return of the Jedi.

blueharvest.net

There are a bunch of things I like about this movie - Luke is way more mature and close to becoming a Jedi, Han and Leia finally get together, all are friends and are just working together to stop the Empire.  And they do.  I'd say odds were against them but a certain someone doesn't like to hear the odds.  I just love the part at the end when everyone is celebrating and hugging each other - it makes me want to cry, and I have often avoided listening to the song so I wouldn't get emotional.  Their friendships are just so beautiful and their enthusiasm at finally, actually winning can be contagious.

Love the costumes too - Leia's Ewok dress, Luke's outfit, and the Endor camouflage are my favorites.

There are so many fun parts in the movie - and some that are even more fun when preformed by one man:

This guy is amazing - I got to see his One-Man Star Wars show and his talent blew me away.  Enjoy, and hope you're all having a good week!

Star Wars Challenge Day 7

Back to the bad guys - favorite Sith!  Mwahahaha!

Yes, well, let's get on to the post.

My favorite Sith is Count Dooku.

wookieepedia

 "Twice the pride, double the fall."

On day three I said that I liked Vader, even though he was a bad guy, because he had good in him, was good once, and had an awesome voice.  Dooku pretty much fits into those three as well.

He was definitely good once - he was a highly respected Jedi Master.  Jude Watson's The Legacy of the Jedi has a part that shows him as a Padawan, and another when he is training Qui-Gon, something I would love to see more of.

Does he still have good in him?  I can't say for sure.  In the Revenge of the Sith novel he almost seems a little fond of Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon's Padawan, and wishes that he was the one to become a Sith rather than Anakin.  Of course, he still tries to kill Obi-Wan so I'm not sure how valid this argument would be.

But his voice.  Wow.  Just amazing.  Christopher Lee is one of my favorite actors mostly because of his voice.

Something interesting about Dooku is how close his story is to Saruman's in LotR, and not just because they are played by the same actor.  In a nutshell...

"Gandalf! You have fought gallantly! Worthy of recognition in the archives of Minas Tirith. Surrender, and your lives will be spared."

"The Dark Side of the Force pierces all - cloud, shadow, earth, and flesh."

Saruman: *into the Palantir* "I have good news for you, my Lord.  The war has begun."
Sauron: "Excellent.  Everything is going as planned."

"Dooku!  Your lightsaber is broken!"

Star Wars Challenge Day 6

Favorite ship!  I'm not really into the ships of Star Wars, but I think my favorite might be the Eta-2 Actis-class light interceptor.

Yeah, I looked that up.

wookieepedia

These are the ships that Anakin and Obi-Wan typically fly - I would call them Jedi starfighters, but a trip to Wookieepedia told me that any ship flown by a Jedi is a Jedi starfighter.  Oh well.

In the original Lego Star Wars video game, each movie had one level where you would pilot a ship.  Although at first I found them boring and frustrating, I eventually warmed up to them - especially the first level of Episode III, Battle Over Coruscant.  The path you follow leads you through some of the twists and turns from that part in the movie.  I don't know why, but I really enjoy it.

I guess I like them because they're...well, besides the fact that Obi-Wan and Anakin use them, I see them as slick and maneuverable.  And although they don't have hyperdrive generators, they can use those super cool hyperspace rings.  Starships are not my area of expertise, so please excuse me if my facts are totally off.

Guess I'm a sci-fi fan that doesn't know anything about sci-fi.

That's about it - I've been looking for something cool/funny regarding Jedi starfighters to end this post with but have come up empty, so here is something unrelated but still awesome!

*tries to find something*

All right, several of you have probably seen this, but if you have not you must watch it!

May the Lord be with you!

Star Wars Challenge Day 5

Today is favorite droid!

...But I don't have a favorite droid.

Well, I sometimes like C3P0 and R2D2, but it depends on what I've been watching/reading.  So let's talk about...Todo 360!

wookieepedia

"I am a techno-service droid, not a butler droid!"

Todo is Cad Bane's droid from the The Clone Wars, and so far has appeared in seasons two and three.  I've always found him funny and an interesting "sidekick" for Bane.

Fun fact: as I was reading about him on Wookieepedia I noticed that Todo is the same height as Yoda, .66 meters.

Palpatine: Did you say Order 66?  *evil cackle*

Hey!  As I was saying, he is .66 meters tall, which is about 2.17 feet.

Palpatine: I knew Arda would come to the dark side.

Get lost already!  So anyway, Todo's first episode is a lot of fun - I love the part where Todo breaks into the communications room in the Jedi Temple only to find four Jedi staring back at him.

Palpatine: Foolish Jedi.

He tries to pretend he's a Temple droid, greeting the esteemed Jedi Masters with "hey guys," and makes the excuse that he was just "ah...testing the access hatch. Works great!"

Palpatine: They are blind, all of them.

Another thing I just saw on Wookieepedia - Todo was rebuilt by Anakin after he exploded in Holocron Heist in the attempt to learn more about Cad Bane.  Todo escaped, however, and that's how we were able to see him in Evil Plans and Hunt for Zero.

Palpatine: They can't even keep a weakling droid in custody.

Hmph.  Well, I hope you all have a great weekend!  I've got a Sith to exterminate...

Star Wars Challenge Day 4

Favorite Jedi!  The Jedi are one of my favorite things about Star Wars, so this is much easier than picking someone from the Empire.

Since I already talked about Obi-Wan on day one, this post is dedicated to his master, Qui-Gon Jinn!

"Feel, don't think.  Use your instincts."

 

He is another character that I probably really like because of the Jedi Apprentice books.  When it was announced that he would appear in TCW (voiced by Liam Neeson!) I was beyond excited.

 

Qui-Gon is so wise and connected to the Living Force, keeping him in the present moment, and making him compassionate toward all creatures.  Even Jar Jar Binks, much to Obi-Wan's dismay.

He's also a bit of a rebel.  Although the Jedi Council, 12 of the greatest Jedi in the Order, have one idea about how things are, Qui-Gon will do what he believes to be right.

But he's a lot of fun too.  His dry sense of humor is great.  And if anyone writes song parodies, his name fits in everything.  Especially super hero songs like Larry-Boy and Darkwing Duck.

Oh, and he's hilarious in the webcomic Darths & Droids.  Does anyone read it?  If you don't, I'd definitely recommend it.  You can find the first strip here.

That's all for tonight - so long, and thanks for all the bigger fish.

Star Wars Challenge Day 3

So we've had good guys the past couple of days, but now it's time for the bad guys - Favorite member of the Empire!

...And sorry, but the guy I thought of I like because he's not all bad.

Darth Vader.

wookieepedia

"All too easy."

I like him because he is/was Anakin Skywalker and has an inner conflict between good and evil.  He is a pretty cool villain, and although I'm not frightened of him anymore, he still makes me nervous once in a while when I'm thinking about how the heroes see him.

Before I really saw Star Wars, I thought Vader had some vacuum cleaner in his helmet and would suck people up in the air toward him and than release them tumbling on the floor.  Guess I was a bit off.

Well, this post seems kind of lame.  I'm really not into bad guys and I mostly like them because they have either have good in them, were good once, or have an awesome voice.  Vader has all three.

But these are not his only qualities.

That's all for now - thanks for reading, and may the Lord be with you, because the ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Lord.

Star Wars Challenge Day 2

Today's prompt is "Favorite member of the rebellion."  For me...

Luke Skywalker!

wookieepedia

"I am a Jedi, like my father before me."

Two things about him really stand out at me.  One, as a farmboy on Tatooine, he's always looking to the horizon, dreaming about adventure.  Although Yoda wasn't too crazy about this trait, it's an easy one to relate to.  Here I am gazing out at my upcoming life, wondering what I'll do and life as an adult will be like.  And like Yoda also said, how often is my mind away from where I am and what I'm doing?  For Luke, his dreams were realized, probably more dramatically than he imagined.  We, on the other hand, will likely have quite a different fate.  Although I can imagine it, there's not going to be an elderly man in my neighborhood who one day tells me that I'm Force-sensitive and we run off to save the world from a meteorite or something.  But whatever we do, we can put our all into it, and change the world in our own way.

This is getting more inspirational than I intended.

The other thing is how he'll give anything for his friends.  Flying into the Death Star, racing to Cloud City, and giving himself up to Vader and the Emperor, Luke doesn't let doubt get to him.  Each of those three times, someone told him that he was crazy, and maybe he was.  But he would rather risk himself than let his friends suffer.  "No greater love is there than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends."  I bet Luke would do that.  And that's a great example to follow.

Since Luke is so great, wouldn't you just love to meet him?

Thanks for reading, and may the Lord be with you!

Star Wars Challenge Day 1

Sarah at a certain point of view posted a Star Wars challenge for the month of November.  It sounds like a lot of fun and it a great way to blog while I'm busy (and procrastinating) so I am going to take a shot at it!

Today is "All-time favorite character."  For me, it's one of my favorite characters ever.  Obi-Wan Kenobi.

I probably became a fan of him from reading the Jedi Apprentice and Jedi Quest books, which are partially from his point of view.

"Obi-Wan is a great mentor; as wise as Master Yoda, and as powerful as Master Windu" - Anakin Skywalker.

The teacher of both Anakin and Luke, Obi-Wan is stable, calm, skilled, dedicated, and has a great sense of humor.

And yeah, he's kind of handsome too.

Obi-Wan is one of the characters in Star Wars that I can relate to the most; we're both cautious, and he worries about Anakin while I worry about...life.

In short, I think of Obi-Wan as one of the best Jedi ever.  I love him, consider him as a friend, and find myself wishing like crazy that he was real.

Feel free to comment with your favorite character, especially if you're not doing the challenge, (and talk about how awesome Obi-Wan is)!

May the Lord be with you~