Star War Arcana

EDITOR'S NOTE: EVEN IF YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT ALL THIS STAR WARS PHILOSOPHIZING, THE PICTURES ARE PRETTY GROOVY, HUH?

The Cruel Fate of Shaak Ti
Just by virtue of being Force-wielding guardians of peace and justice, every Jedi character in the prequel trilogy has a fan following of some sort. This makes Order 66 a bitter pill for some, as their cherished heroes get roasted by blaster-fire from their once-loyal clone troopers. EDITOR'S NOTE: EXTREMELY BITTER. (AND WHAT KIND OF COLD-HEARTED DWEEB WOULDN'T ACHE AT THIS? I MEAN...REALLY!?)But there's a greater indignity than getting shot in the back by your lieutenant; it's getting cut from the film altogether.

So, looking back at some of the earliest Set Diaries, there's an unasked question lingering over the reports of Barriss Offee, Luminara Unduli, Bultar Swan and Shaak Ti undergoing makeup tests: "What Happened?!" A thing to keep in mind about the diaries published before the start of principal photography: much of the crew in Sydney was working off an approximation of the shooting script.

It wasn't working in the dark, exactly, but the picture of what Episode III would finally be was definitely murky. As the shooting script was coming together, Heads of Department were kept apprised of the storyline as it affected them. They had already set up shop in Sydney, and the pressure was on to produce with their staff and assets -- they couldn't just sit around, after all. So, all manner of tests -- makeup tests, camera tests, costume tests, etc. -- were well underway in May 2003 to be as prepared as possible for when actual production began.

A printed chart of headshots labeled "EPISODE III JEDI" could be found tacked to the walls of the Hair and Makeup Department and the Creature Shop as I covered each of these test sessions.

Sixteen Jedi were featured on the chart, not all of which made the final cut.


Shaak Ti has the dubious distinction of being cut from the film twice. Originally, she would have been referenced in a line of dialogue during the opening space battle, a rarity when you think about it. No screen Jedi outside of Qui-Gon, Yoda, Mace, Obi-Wan and Anakin has been identified by name in the prequels.

ANAKIN: The last message we had from Master Shaak Ti, she was still with the Chancellor.
OBI-WAN: She's the most cunning of Jedi. She's even shown me a few tricks. They won't catch her.
ANAKIN: Artoo, trace Shaak Ti's homing signal!

Artoo's scan produces the command ship on Anakin's scopes, the one "crawling with vulture droids," and then the film weaves into now-familiar territory. But in the script and during production, Shaak Ti continued to be referenced in place of the Chancellor, until Obi-Wan and Anakin discover her in an abandoned corridor, sitting strangely despondent on the floor.


EDITOR'S NOTE: COOL IMAGE.

That was shot on Tuesday, August 19th, 2003, the 37th day of shooting. Stage 1 housed the "wide hallway" set for the Trade Federation cruiser, the same set doubled as the stretch of corridor where Anakin, Obi-Wan and Palpatine get caught in Grievous' ray shields (which was shot the same day).

It was easy enough to feel bad for Shaak Ti that day. She was so passive and broken, sitting on that grimy floor, with General Grievous towering behind her in our imaginations. Making her all the more sympathetic were the huge black contacts that actress Orli Shoshan had to wear while filming to complete her alien look. Orli had a hard time refraining from tearing and blinking while wearing them, something that George Lucas and John Knoll felt confident they could reduce in post if necessary.

Duncan Young, the off-screen dialogue reader, stood in as Grievous, standing atop an apple box behind the seated Shoshan. He read Grievous' dialogue with a snarl, coached by Lucas to approximate actor Lionel Stander's vocal qualities. "Shaak Ti," says Grievous, "your lightsaber seems a little battle-worn. It will need considerable cleaning, but it will do the job."

There's a sharp intake of air from Shaak Ti as she arches her back. Grievous has stabbed her through the heart. Her body slumps and Anakin and Obi-Wan turn grim.



"It was something I thought was great," said Concept Artist Ian McCaig at the time. He, along with Derek Thompson, helped to develop the sequence in preproduction through storyboards. "It's a way of introducing Grievous the way Vader was introduced to us, when he strangles that Rebel officer. You know he's a bad guy."

But the opening sequence aboard the cruiser was running too long. It was taking too much time to get into the meat of the story -- the story of Anakin's fall -- so Lucas excised much of the serial-type hi-jinks. Shaak Ti was a victim of those cuts, and all reference to her at the start of the film were removed. She was spared a grisly death.

Shaak Ti tenaciously continued to cling to life. While the artists at Cartoon Network were developing the Star Wars: Clone Wars micro-series, they thought to explain her absence from the start of the film by having her die in at Grievous' hands in their series. This was rejected; there was something about the image of Shaak Ti convulsing as a lightsaber speared her heart that stuck with Lucas, and she again faced an unseen executioner in front of cameras a few months later.

During the pick-up shoot at Shepperton, Shoshan was scheduled for a single scene of shooting. She traveled from Australia to London to brave the makeup process again. The scene was eerily familiar, but instead of sitting on the floor, she sat on one of the thick disc-like ottomans Jedi have in their private quarters (Knoll would refer to them as big wheels of cheese). The slatted window-shade casts a film noir shadow on her. Hayden Christensen, wearing his dark hood up, steps into frame. "What is it, Skywalker?" asks Shoshan. There's no answer, other than a stab in the back.



It took many takes to satisfy Lucas, something that was profoundly felt by much of the crew since it was the last day of a very busy two weeks worth of shooting. Much of that morning of September 3, 2004 was dedicated to Shaak Ti's demise. But for all that effort, it was cut from the movie (a scene of her in the Temple did make it into the novel, though).

Ultimately, this murder raised more questions, and was incongruous with the preceding shots of Anakin marching up the steps of the Jedi Temple with a column of clone troopers. Surely troopers weren't waiting patiently at the door while Anakin killed Shaak Ti, but if they were storming the temple, why was Shaak Ti meditating? How did she not know that her brethren were dying just outside her door? Ultimately, it didn't work cinematically, but that's what editing is for.

For those who wonder, the long lead-times of toy and merchandise production is what accounts for Shaak Ti being featured in Episode III product despite her minimal presence in the film. EDITOR'S NOTE: AND LET'S FACE IT....SHE MAKES A VERY COOL-LOOKING TOY!

She is in the movie... just briefly.

When Yoda confers with a holographic Jedi Council while on Kashyyyk, Shaak Ti is among one of the tiny tabletop projections.

In this case, she was played by ILM Production Manager Maria Brill, shot against bluescreen while sitting in a Jedi Council chair.

A look at the webcam archives pulls this up at January 6, 2005, 11:03 a.m.



Showdown on Utapau
The Clone Wars began on Geonosis, a barren world beyond the Republic's sphere of control.

They ended on a comparably obscure planet: Utapau -- a planet where colossal erosion has become a cradle to a unique and striking civilization, a world that has cowed to the terrifying might of the Separatists, and the last bastion of the Confederacy and their cyborg leader.

Here, Obi-Wan Kenobi leads his loyal EDITOR'S NOTE: LOYAL? HAH! clone forces to finally face the faceless scourge of the Jedi, General Grievous. As battle erupts a momentous tide begun on Coruscant engulfs Utapau, and the clone troopers suddenly switch allegiance and the very nature of the war itself changes. EDITOR'S NOTE: SNIFFLE.....



SOME COOL UTAPAUN BACK-STORY:
The native inhabitants of Utapau are divided into two distinct species.

The taller, stately Utapauns are more highly evolved, and present the public face of the planet to travelers from abroad. They have deeply lined ashen faces, dark eyes, gaunt builds and wrap themselves in thick yet tightly-bound clothing that covers all but their faces and hands.

These Utapauns control the planetary government and administer the port facilities in the sinkhole cities.

When the Confederacy of Independent Systems subjugated Utapau during the Clone Wars, it was these Utapauns who peacefully capitulated to preserve their world, living a life in servitude to their Separatist rulers.


EDITOR'S NOTE: PRETTY NIFTY COSTUME IDEA...THAT AUBERGINE GET-UP ON THE DUDE (DUDETTE?) BEHIND TION MEDON.

Conversely, little changed for the smaller natives of Utapau. EDITOR'S NOTE: I BELIEVE THEY ARE CALLED UTAI. (THERE WILL BE A QUIZ).The stubby working class aliens have short, stocky builds and rounded faces with distended eyes. Since they have little involvement in the management of the planet, sticking mainly to such menial chores as tending to the dragon corrals and working as ground crew on the various landing platforms, these Utapauns saw little change in their day-to-day life.

When Obi-Wan Kenobi arrived on Utapau to search out General Grievous, he made contact with Port Administrator Tion Medon. Despite being watched by Separatists overseers, Medon surreptitiously informed Kenobi that the planet was under siege and that Grievous was indeed hiding there. Kenobi returned the covert favor by tipping Medon off about the incoming Republic task force that would liberate the planet.



Medon spread the word to the Utapaun resistance, so that when the Republic clone troopers did storm Utapau, they were bolstered by native Utapaun forces.

In a cruel reversal, however, Chancellor Palpatine secured his position of Emperor and immediately subjugated Utapau under martial law.

His loyal clone troopers EDITOR'S NOTE: YEAH. HERE WE CAN SAY THE WORD 'LOYAL' AND MEAN IT, I GUESS. (HARUMPH). defeated the Separatist battle droid units, but almost immediately began placing Utapaun resistance fighters under arrest to further control the planet. EDITOR’S NOTE: YEAH….LIFE’S A, UMM…SITH.

EDITOR'S NOTE: I PULLED THESE (FOLLOWING) COOL DISCUSSIONS FROM THE BLOG OF A FELLOW WHO CALLS HIMSELF 'GHENT' (FOR THE COMPUTER SLICER CHARACTER IN SOME OF THE EU BOOKS). THIS GUY HAS BEEN AROUND FOR ABOUT 15 YEARS OR SO, AND WAS ACTUALLY ONE OF THE REASONS I GOT INTO SW ONLINE DWEEBING WAY BACK WHEN.

HIS DISCUSSIONS AND INSIDE INFO, EVEN BACK TO THE VERY EARLY DAYS, HAVE ALWAYS BEEN QUITE INSIGHTFUL AND INFORMED. ENJOY!

SW Exegesis: Why doesn't Obi-Wan remember Artoo?
With millions of fans having seen Revenge of the Sith, and now having had time to watch the classic trilogy again since, I've been bombarded by family, friends, co-workers, and reporters with questions about the ties between trilogies.

Most commonly, the well-meaning person thinks they've come up with a brand new "plot hole" that blows apart the credibility of the saga.

I'm thrilled how Episode III has people thinking about all six movies, but there are a few questions that are worth answering here to save myself some time in the long run.

Here's the first of what may become a series.(Note: The views below are Ghent's only.)

===========Why doesn't Obi-Wan remember R2-D2?
One easy answer is simply that Obi-Wan just doesn't.

Astromech droids are extremely common, it was 18 years ago and it was Anakin's droid. Would you recognize all of your 1987 roommate's appliances if you saw them today?

However, given the specific exchanges between Obi-Wan and Artoo in Episode III, that answer isn't very satisfying to me. EDITOR'S NOTE: AND GIVEN HOW SPECIFICALLY ANAKIN TINKERED WITH ARTOO, AND HOW AWARE OF THESE FUNKY MODIFICATIONS OBI-WAN WAS.

I've always assumed that Obi-Wan recognizes exactly who Artoo is. EDITOR'S NOTE: OBI-WAN KEEPS A LOT, DISSEMBLES A LOT. (HE KNEW A LOT ABOUT WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH ANAKIN AND PADME BEFORE HE EVER LET ON, TOO).

Let's talk though Old Ben's exchange..."Hello there! Come here, my little friend. Don't be afraid."

Look at Obi-Wan's eyes... there's recognition there, followed by a quick assembly of the puzzle.

The son of Anakin that he's been watching over is out where he shouldn't be, and Anakin's droid is standing hiding in the rocks. Whatever is happening is clearly serious, but it probably means that his time of hiding is over, and that makes him a little happy. "Hello there!" in a gleeful voice... the same one Kenobi uses to taunt General Grievous. "Little friend" is literal... "good to see you!"EDITOR'S NOTE: AWWW....SWEET.

"Don't seem to remember ever owning a droid. Very interesting."

Of course, clever fans want to jump on this as a big contradiction since Obi-Wan clearly had droids in his prequel starfighters. Remember, though, that Ben is dealing strictly in the land of "point of view" here, trying to keep the "Darth Vader is your father" secret as best he can. "Well of course I remember this little guy. He belonged to your mom and then she gave him to your dad until that day I left him for dead!" wasn't going to cut it.

This response is to Luke's statement, "He claims to be the property of an Obi-Wan Kenobi." After first shuffling around with some nonsense about his old name (yes, Yoda calls him Obi-Wan after Luke's birth... let's stay on target here people), Ben is the master of not technically lying. EDITOR'S NOTE: LYING? NOT THE JEDI WAY. FIBBING OR FUDGING? THAT'S OK.

Artoo was always the servant of Padme or Anakin... never Obi-Wan.

Perfect! A simple, "This droid never belonged to me," would have been the truth and accomplished the same thing... but Ben pushes a little further.

But what about R4-P17?
Obi-Wan's poor Clone Wars companion suffers off-screen humiliation on Geonosis and eventually has his head cut off at the hand of buzz droids, and that loyalty is repaid with Kenobi denying ever owning any droid ever. (Not to mention, the slight to Hyperspace members who voted for R4-G9's color scheme.)

Here, it's important to recall that the Jedi were firmly forbidden from having possessions or attachments of any kind. They would have thought of starfighters and droids as assets of the Republic. An Air Force pilot wouldn't claim to have owned an F-16, and I would not claim to have owned a photocopier.

"Now, let's see if we can't figure out what you are, my little friend. And where you come from."

This statement might be the best support for the "Obi doesn't remember R2" position, but again I like to think there are shades of subtext here.

At the most straight-forward level, it's easy to imagine that Obi-Wan is thinking, "I left you on an Alderaan cruiser near Anakin's other offspring. What have you been doing since then? What are you doing here?"

Recall that this line is said immediately after the entire convoluted "Vader killed your father" story. Artoo was there for the events described and knows full well that Obi-Wan is stretching the truth beyond anything a droid would be comfortable with. What if Obi-Wan's abrupt change of subject here is his way of saying to Artoo, "I know that you know that I'm not telling him everything, but keep your mouth shut like we planned"?

=================So, it's up to you to judge... either Artoo has the kind of generic appliance face that Obi-Wan doesn't remember, or the old Jedi knows exactly who he's dealing with and we have some rich subtext going on. EDITOR'S NOTE: OH I VOTE THE LATTER, DEFINITELY. I THINK BY NOW WE KNOW OBI-WAN AS THE MASTER OF DEFLECTION AND COY PARTIAL TRUTHS.

Either way... this isn't a plot hole to sink the saga.

SW Exegesis: Why wasn't Leia a "Hope"?
Continuing my extremely slow Star Wars exegesis series, today I examine the questions that arise from Obi-Wan's famous line in The Empire Strikes Back as Luke flies away from Dagobah, "That boy is our last hope."Of course, Yoda replies, "No, there is another."

This exchange has caused consternation among some fans, who wonder if Ben somehow didn't know about Leia, or why exactly she wasn't a hope?

Unfortunately, this can't even be discredited as a simple slip of the tongue or lapse in memory, since Obi-Wan repeats in ROTJ to Luke, "You were our only hope."

Obi-Wan clearly believes in Luke alone as "hope", despite Yoda's reminder and support of Leia.

Didn't Know?
Since Ben is the one who tells Luke about Leia, ROTJ alone should be enough to dissuade any "Ben doesn't know about Leia" silliness.

Episode III lets me not even address it. If you're hung up on this point, there's nothing I can do for you.

Dismissed at Birth?
Is Obi-Wan simply a chauvinist? Luke is hope because he's a boy, Leia is inconsequential because she's a girl? EDITOR'S NOTE: OH, SAY IT ISN'T SO OBI-WAN, SAY IT ISN'T SO!

Let's look at Obi-Wan's statement later in the same ROTJ exchange..."The Emperor knew, AS I DID, if Anakin were to have ANY OFFSPRING, THEY would be a threat to him (Anakin). That is the reason why your sister remains safely anonymous."

This is plural and inclusive language.

At the time of their birth, Obi-Wan foresaw that both twins were an equal threat to Anakin. This would seem to preclude a sexist attitude.

So, something has happened between the twins birth and Ben's death to shift his hopes from both siblings over to Luke.

What is Hope?
Perhaps we should look at what Obi-Wan and Yoda were hoping Luke (or Leia) would do?

Is their disagreement a matter of mere semantics over the word "hope"?

As Luke is leaving Dagobah in ESB, Obi-Wan leaves no clues, but his conversation with Luke in ROTJ is very single-minded in what he wants Luke to do.

LUKE: I can't do it, Ben.

BEN: You cannot escape your destiny. You must face Darth Vader again.

LUKE: I can't kill my own father.

BEN: Then the Emperor has already won. You were our only hope.

The death of Vader is Obi-Wan's objective. To finish what he started on Mustafar. A failure that has haunted him for 18 years... and aged him 30 years. EDITOR'S NOTE: I THINK THE SANDS AND WINDS OF TATOOINE TOOK CARE OF THAT SECOND PART.

BUT NOW, IN FULL CONTEXT, HOW SAD OBI-WAN'S OBSESSION WITH OBLITERATING ANAKIN/VADER SEEMS.

WHEN HE WAS UNABLE TO KILL ANAKIN ON MUSTAFAR, OBI-WAN WAS SO ANGUISHED BY HAVING TO FIGHT HIM AT ALL, AND HAVING TO LEAVE HIM TO PAIN AND FIRE. 18 YEARS OF EXILE HAVE HARDENED HIS HEART SO MUCH? TO WHERE, WHEN LUKE OFFERS THE OPTION OF RECLAIMING ANAKIN....SOMETHING OBI-WAN ASKED OF YODA IN ROTS....,OBI-WAN NOW HOLDS NO CHANCE FOR THIS REDEMPTION. HOW VERY VERY SAD.

In the Dagobah conversation, Yoda appears to agree with Obi-Wan. Yoda warns, "Only a fully trained Jedi Knight with the Force as his ally will conquer Vader and his Emperor."

Hmm... is conquer the same as kill?

Interestingly, on Yoda's death bed, he makes no reference to killing Vader. He tells Luke, "One thing remains: Vader. You must confront Vader. Only then, a Jedi will you be." Yoda does not make killing Vader a goal, just confrontation. You'd think if Vader's death was the most important goal for the galaxy, Yoda would mention it.Yoda does leave a dying command... "Luke, the Force runs strong in your family. Pass on what you have learned." Interesting... the most important thing is to pass on what he learned, not kill Vader.

Is it possible that Obi-Wan has a short-sighted view of "hope" (the death of Vader), while Yoda's "hope" is the long-term continuation of the Jedi legacy?

Leia's knowledge and ability in the Force at the time of ROTJ certainly wasn't enough to kill Vader, like Luke's. So Obi-Wan may have been right, "from a certain point of view".

Meanwhile, the continuation of the Jedi legacy could certainly have happened through Leia.

Conclusions
What do we know for sure?

Obi-Wan and Yoda's opinion of Leia's status as a "hope" differed. This difference was one of opinion, not sexism or a lack of knowledge.There are plenty of possible reasons Obi-Wan may have favored Luke... his familiarity with Luke and unfamiliarity with Leia creating a bias, Luke's level of training vs. Leia's, evidence of differing gifts as the twins developed, secret midichlorian tests, or maybe just a difference in what was being hoped for as discussed above. There simply isn't enough evidence to know for sure.

Since there's no stretch of logic (if I do say so myself) for this line to make sense, this is no plot hole.

===================Before I go... one last observation:

Notice how Obi-Wan completely ignored Padme's dying words, "Obi-Wan, there is good in him," even when her son repeated those very same words in ROTJ, "There is still good in him."

Obi-Wan (and possibly Yoda) never understood that redeeming an evil man would be more powerful than destroying him.

Just as the Jedi had such a clear idea of what they thought the Chosen One would be, Ben and Yoda seem to have a clear expectation of what the "Hope" would do. All of the prophesies came true, but because the Jedi's preconceived notions limited their minds how the prophesy would look, the galaxy suffered a lot of avoidable pain. That's interesting to me. EDITOR'S NOTE: AND TO ME, AS WELL. AND FOR ALL THE GIFTS BIRTHED TO YODA AND OBI-WAN, FOR ALL THEY LIVED THRU AND CAME TO UNDERSTAND, THEY NEVER REALLY LET GO OF THEIR ABUNDANCE OF PRE-CONCEIVED NOTIONS ABOUT THE NATURE OF THE FORCE IN THE UNIVERSE.

IN THE NOVEL OF ROTS, YODA COMES TO A GLIMMER OF COMPREHENSION THAT HE HAS SPENT MOST OF HIS LIFE TRAINING JEDI TO FIGHT AN OLD WAR, WHEN THE NEW WAR REQUIRED COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SKILLS AND WAYS OF LOOKING AT THE FORCE.

BUT EVEN FOR THAT, WHEN PUSH COMES TO SHOVE WITH LUKE, HE'S STILL SLAYING OLD DEMONS IN HOW HE INSTRUCTS LUKE. AND BECAUSE OF THIS, EVEN LUKE IS STUCK WITH SOME VERY OUT-MODED WAYS OF DEALING WITH THE FORCE. FOR YEARS. (BOB----YOUR NEPHEW WAS SO WORRIED THAT THE GALAXY WAS BEING TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF BY THESE SUPER-HUMAN JEDI; ALL THAT POWER, AND STUMBLING AROUND IN THE DARK. SEEMS LIKE THE MIDI-CHLORIANS HAVE A TWISTED SENSE OF HUMOR).

SW Exegesis: How does Leia remember Padme?
Episode III reveals that Padme dies of a broken heart shortly after the birth of the twins.

So how can her daughter, Leia, have memories of her more than 20 years later?

It's worth noting that the film doesn't get specific about the time frame between the birth and mother's death. It could be minutes, it could be hours. I think it's reasonable to say that the intent is less than 24 hours, since it is inter-cut with the re-construction of Anakin. By the time the Vader suit is on, Padme is dead and Anakin's medical needs seem pretty urgent.

Suffice to say that regardless of a timeframe of minutes or hours, it seems fast for Leia to have made memories.

Yes, Leia's talking about Padme
I've seen it suggested that Leia is speaking of her adopted mother (the Queen of Alderaan, Bail's wife) rather than Padme.

Let's look at the exchange...
LUKE: Leia... do you remember your mother? Your real mother?

LEIA: Just a little bit. She died when I was very young.

Asking someone if they remember their real mother is really gutsy, unless you've had previous conversations establishing that they are adopted. In that context, the "your real mother" clarification definitely means biological mother.If they hadn't previously discussed it, Leia would have replied, "How did you know I was adopted?" (assuming Leia knows), or "What do you mean my real mother? I have only one mother."

Besides, if it's not Padme then this exchange has no dramatic meaning.

Images and Feelings
So, what does Leia claim she can remember?

LUKE: What do you remember?

LEIA: Just images, really. Feelings.

LUKE: Tell me.

LEIA: She was very beautiful. Kind, but sad.

It is certainly common for every day people to describe their earliest memories in terms of emotions and images. These impressions may or may not be accurate, but feel real. Typically specific lasting memories are not formed until a few years into life, but there are exceptions. This may or may not be true in the Star Wars universe.

While it is in no way critical to this discussion, nor can it be backed up by movie evidence, it is even possible that Bail at some point showed Leia a photograph of her biological mother. It is commonplace for the brain to mix memories of images with memories of the actual event.

Memories or Visions?
Yoda tells Luke, "Through the Force, things you will see. Other places. The future... the past. Old friends long gone."

The movies imply that Leia is Force sensitive. It is certainly possible that while growing up, Leia received visions of her mother through the Force. Visions of the past, precisely as Yoda describes.

Notice that Luke's Force vision of the future also came in images and feelings, "I saw a city in the clouds" and "They were in pain".

Pre-Birth Connection
It is also possible the Leia's impressions of her mother formed before her birth.

What can the films tell us about this?

Yoda says of the Force, "Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you. Here, between you, me, the tree, the rock. Yes, even between the land and the ship."

Yoda is certainly not placing the burden of conscience or will, or even sentience, on the connections the Force will make. Life-to-life seems to be the only requirement. (Are rocks alive?)

A mother-daughter binding in the Force existed in some form. It is inconclusive as to whether the general connection in the Force of all things is enough for specific awareness or not. Certainly Padme is not aware of both twins. Then again, Padme is not portrayed as a Force user, so we can't necessarily expect her to feel these Force connections.

Qui-Gon explains to Anakin, "Midi-chlorians are a microscopic life form that resides within all living cells and communicates with the Force."

Again, this is a clear description of the nature of the communication and connection in the Force to be an involuntary one, happening without need of will or consciousness.It is safe to assume that as a feared offspring of Anakin, Leia has a midi-chlorian count that is at least above average if not exceptional. In the months Leia was in the womb, there would have been a lot of Force-based communication and connection with her mother, whether Leia was aware of it or not, leaving cellular, midi-chlorian, and even "real" memories of Padme.

Conclusions
Exceptionally early memory-making, later-in-life visions from the Force, or pre-consciousness connection through the Force are all viable reasons why Leia would have formed lasting memories of Padme in the minutes or hours they shared in a medical room together.

This isn't a plot hole.

Beyond What we "Know"... My Thoughts
My personal opinion cannot be backed up from the films, so I leave to you only as food for thought.

I believe that the highly Force sensitive twins were abnormally conscious and aware even in the womb, and that Leia's memories were more than passive, but were part of a real relationship formed before birth.

This line of thought is endorsed in the Star Wars expanded universe.

In Dark Empire, Leia's unborn twins (Jacen and Jaina) lend their Force power to their mother, to help defeat Palpatine one last time.

Why not Luke?
I can hear many of you asking... OK, so why doesn't Luke remember? If you're the father of more than one child, you'll need little convincing that each sibling develops very differently... but perhaps I will tackle in more depth in the future. EDITOR'S NOTE: SEE. I TOLD YOU THIS GUY WAS GOOD. DISCUSSION?

BUT WAIT...THERE'S MORE.....

SW Exegesis: Why didn't Owen recognize C-3PO?
This question was actually really popular when Episode II came out, but I'm bringing it out now because I still hear it in whispers here and there.

When Uncle Owen visits the sandcrawler in ANH, why doesn't he recognize C-3PO? (And, presumably, R2-D2... though I don't hear that asked.)

That's a natural question... after all, C-3PO lived on the Lars farm. From the films, we don't know exactly how long he lived there, but it could have been as long as ten years.

Appearance
Physical appearance is the most obvious method by which most beings are recognized. This is most likely the main reason why Owen wouldn't know him. We can tell from other protocol droids depicted in the films (TC-14, K-3PO, and the rude droid on Bespin, for example) that C-3PO's exterior appearance was extremely standard. He has no distinguishing physical features that would give Owen a clue. Color seems to be the only difference.When Anakin took C-3PO from the homestead (without asking, I might add), the droid had a hodge-podge collection of beat up grey / silver coverings. Owen never saw 3PO with gold coverings.

An interesting point, though not really admissible in an exegetical discussion, is that in the original script for Episode II C-3PO was still in his "naked" Episode I appearance when Padme and Anakin arrive. Padme later found a box of coverings and was the one who put them on while waiting for Anakin to return. While those scenes were filmed, the concept was later discarded.

The deleted scene does raise another valid point to our discussion, though. It is possible that C-3PO spent some, or even most, of his time at the Lars homestead in his naked form. First impressions can be the most lasting, and perhaps that is the form Owen best remembers of his step-mother's protocol droid.

Notice that Owen does immediately recognize what C-3PO is. "You, I suppose you're programmed for etiquette and protocol." This language along with the dismissive tone indicated a lack of respect, at some level, toward the entire class of protocol droids. It is unlikely that someone with such a dismissive attitude toward a group would look more than superficially at an individual member of said group.

Name
So what about when 3PO introduces himself, "I am C-3PO, human cyborg relations..."? How many C-3POs would Owen have encountered?

BUZZ... trick question. Despite the protocol droid's usual routine of getting his name in immediately, he is never actually introduced by name to Owen in ANH.

OWEN: You, I suppose you're programmed for etiquette and protocol.

THREEPIO: Protocol? Why, it's my primary function, sir! I am well-versed in...

OWEN: I have no need for a protocol droid.

This is why C-3PO has to introduce himself in the garage to Luke, but Owen is not around.

Later in the blue milk dinner scene, Luke never mentions the names of the droids to Owen. After Luke leaves the table, Owen never sees the droids again.

Voice
Each protocol droid that speaks in the movies has a different voice. It is possible that every droid has a unique sound and that Owen should recognize it. However, the practicalities of mass manufacturing would seem to dictate a finite selection of voices that could be selected for a given model. There isn't enough evidence to be conclusive on this matter.

Shared Background
If one learns that they have a shared past experience with someone (say, common town, high school, hobby or club), that can trigger the brain to make other connections and rediscover or recognize the other person by putting the puzzle pieces together.Owen seemingly randomly blurts, "What I really need is a droid that understands the binary language of moisture vaporators." Does Owen recall that his family once had a protocol droid who programmed moisture vaporators? If not, this might be quite an unreasonable query for a class of machine seemingly not made for such labor.Threepio replies, "Vaporators! Sir - My first job was programming binary load lifters... very similar to your vaporators in most respects." Since the droid's memory is wiped at the end of Episode III, this first (from lobotomized 3PO's point-of-view) binary load lifter job likely took place on the Tantive IV.

Even if Owen were to have a suspicion that this droid is the same one that his step-mother brought to the farm, Owen would know that 3PO's REAL first job had nothing to do with load lifters (would that first job be shining podracers?) and the 3PO he knew would know the binary language of moisture vaporators.

Since Owen would have no reason to think the droid to be lying, this piece of contradiction would have severed any connections being formed in Owen's head.

Time
Of course, there's the obvious argument that it's been about 20 years since they last saw each other, so given Owen a break. Maybe he's just a forgetful guy.EDITOR'S NOTE: AND IT'S REALLY HOT ON TATOOINE, AND REALLY SANDY. AND OWEN DOESN'T STRIKE ME AS A DEEP OR INTROSPECTIVE TYPE OF GUY....SITTING ON THE DUNES, MUSING ON ALL THE DROIDS HE'S OWNED.

ConclusionDifferent color, generic face, no name, conflicting backstory... I say this is very reasonable behavior. Not a plot hole.

======================One parting thought, if I may.

When Luke says, "He says he belongs to someone called Obi-Wan Kenobi," Owen's reaction is clearly one of suppressed emotion and, I think, putting some pieces together in his mind.

Is it possible that in that second, Owen's mind flashes backward in time to the very first time he ever hears the name Obi-Wan Kenobi... during the funeral of Shmi Skywalker from the voice-chip of C-3PO with R2-D2 at his side?

"It seems that he is carrying a message from an Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Does that memory start the farmer connecting the dots?

When Owen blurts out, "That wizard is just a crazy old man," is he actually thinking, "Oh man, these droids could expose the lies I've been telling this kid all his life"? That's the fear that motivates his orders, "Tomorrow I want you to take that R2 unit into Anchorhead and have its memory erased. That'll be the end of it." Or, "That'll get rid of the evidence."

The scene plays a little more interesting if you think of that connection happening and that subtext beneath the dialog. EDITOR'S NOTE: OOOOOO.... (ACTUALLY, ALL OF OWEN AND BERU'S SCENES PLAY A BIT DIFFERENTLY, A BIT RICHER AND MORE POIGNANTLY, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT OBI-WAN LURKING OFF-SCREEN ALL OF LUKE'S LIFE, AND OF WHAT THEY KNOW OF ANAKIN AND OF WHAT THEY ARE BURDENED TO TRY TO SHIELD LUKE FROM).

HERE'S MY NEW T-SHIRT IDEA: "ROTS" CHANGED EVERYTHING

Hump Day Dweebing....Star Wars Odds-N-Ends

EDITOR'S NOTE: I CAN'T HELP IT. THERE ARE PICTURES. AND THEY ARE PRETTY. AND THERE ARE NEWS ITEMS. AND THEY SAY "STAR WARS" IN THEM.

MUUUUUSSSSSSSSSSSSTTTTTTTTT POST..........

Star Wars boosts entertainment Web usage
The release of the new Star Wars film brought millions of Web users to movie-related sites, according to ComScore/MediaMetrix.

Movie ticket merchants capitalized on the interest with year-over-year traffic increases as much as 75% EDITOR'S NOTE: 75%!!!! WE ROCK!!! to MovieTickets.com, Fandango.com and Moviefone.

MediaMetrix's movies category of Web sites had a 12 percent increase in visits during May, to 58.5 million.

Meanwhile, MovieTickets.com announced it has added 20 theater chains to its online ticket selling services. It now represents more than 10,000 screens through 59 movie exhibitors. EDITOR’S NOTE: AND WE HELPED!

Norwegian Princess Leah is christened
Two-month old Norwegian princess Leah Isadora, whose first name was inspired by Star Wars heroine Princess Leia, was christened in the royal palace chapel.

Born on April 8, Leah Isadora is the second child of Princess Maertha Louise and writer Ari Behn, and the third grandchild of King Harald and Queen Sonja.

Her mother told Norwegian paper Aftenposten that Ari Behn had travelled much in the Middle East, "and Leah comes from there".

"And I have to admit that I am a great Star Wars fan and Princess Leia has always been the most beautiful woman in the world," Maertha Louise said. EDITOR'S NOTE: TWO WAYS TO LOOK AT THIS COME TO MIND. 1) STAR WARS FANDOM IS SO OMNIPRESENT, EVEN ROYALTY ARE NOT IMMUNE. OR 2) ROYAL FAMILIES ARE STILL RATHER IN-BRED.

In the first Star Wars movie trilogy released in the 1970s and 80s, Carrie Fisher played Princess Leia who, unaware that she is the dark lord Darth Vader's daughter, is adopted by the royal family.

Her other first name was inspired by Isadora Duncan, a famous American dancer early in the last century, who was choked to death in 1927 when her scarf got caught in a wheel of her convertible car while she was driving through the French riviera city of Nice. EDITOR'S NOTE: INTERESTING MIX OF ROLE MODELS. (HOPE SHE PICKS PRINCESS LEIA OVER THE LOONIE DANCER).

Leah Isadora is fifth in line to succeed King Harald as sovereign.

Turn On, Tune In, Veg Out
By NEAL STEPHENSON
Published: June 17, 2005
Seattle
IN the spring of 1977, some friends and I made a 40-mile pilgrimage to the biggest and fanciest movie theater in Iowa so we could watch a new science fiction movie called "Star Wars."

Expecting long lines, we got there early, and found the place deserted.





As we sat on the sidewalk waiting for the box office to open, others like us drifted in from the towns, farms and colleges of central Iowa and queued up behind. When the curtain in front of the big Cinerama screen finally parted, the fanfare sounded and the famous opening crawl appeared against a backdrop of stars, there were still some empty seats. "Star Wars" wasn't famous yet. The only people who had heard about it were what are now called geeks. EDITOR’S NOTE: AHEM…..OR DWEEBS.

Twenty-eight years later, the vast corpus of "Star Wars" movies, novels, games and merchandise still has much to say about geeks - and also about a society that loves them, hates them and depends upon them.

In the opening sequence of the new Star Wars movie, "Episode III: Revenge of the Sith," two Jedi knights fight their way through an enemy starship to rescue a hostage. Ever since I saw the movie, I have been annoying friends with a trivia question: "Who is the enemy? What organization owns this vessel?" EDITOR’S NOTE: THE ENEMY IS US? (NO…THE CIS, THE CONFEDERACY OF INDEPENDENT SYSTEMS. IT IS A TRADE FEDERATION SHIP, ISN’T IT?)

We ought to know. In 1977, we all knew who owned the Death Star (the Empire) and who owned the Millennium Falcon (Han Solo).

But when I ask my question about the new film, everyone reacts in the same way: with a sudden intake of breath and a sideways dart of the eyes, followed by lengthy cogitation. Some confess that they have no idea. Others think out loud for a while, developing and rejecting various theories. Only a few have come up with the right answer.

One hyperverbal friend was able to spit it out because he had read and memorized the opening crawl. Another, a hard-core science fiction fan, had been boning up on supplemental materials: "Clone Wars," an animated TV series consisting of "epic adventures that bridge the story arc between 'Episode II: Attack of the Clones' and 'Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.' "

If you have watched these cartoons - or if you've enjoyed some of the half-dozen "Clone Wars" novels, flipped through the graphic novels, read the short stories or played the video game - you will know that the battle cruiser in question is owned by the New Droid Army of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, which is backed by the Trade Federation, a commercial guild that is peeved about taxation of trade routes. EDITOR'S NOTE: AHA! (AND I DIDN'T READ AHEAD AND CHEAT. THE QOTD DOES NOT CHEAT!)

And that is not the only aspect of "Episode III" that you will see in a different light. If you watch the movie without doing the prep work, General Grievous - who is supposed to be one of the most formidable bad guys in the entire "Star Wars" cycle - will seem like something that just fell out of a Happy Meal. EDITOR’S NOTE: ALBEIT A HAPPY MEAL WITH SOME SORT OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE.

Likewise, many have been underwhelmed by the performance of Hayden Christensen, who plays Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. Only if you've seen the "Clone Wars" cartoons will you understand that Anakin is a seriously damaged veteran, a poster child for post-traumatic stress disorder. But since none of that background is actually supplied by the Episode III script, Mr. Christensen has been given an impossible acting task. He's trying to swim in air.

In sum, very little of the new film makes sense, taken as a freestanding narrative. What's interesting about this is how little it matters. Millions of people are happily spending their money to watch a movie they don't understand. What gives? EDITOR’S NOTE: THE FILMS MAKE PERFECT SENSE TO ME. BUT THEN, I’VE DONE MY HOMEWORK! (OCD FINALLY PAYS OFF!)

Modern English has given us two terms we need to explain this phenomenon: "geeking out" and "vegging out."

To geek out on something means to immerse yourself in its details to an extent that is distinctly abnormal - and to have a good time doing it. EDITOR’S NOTE: OK, I DEFINITELY FIT THIS DEFINITION. EXCEPT, WHY IS IT ABNORMAL? (I GUESS IF I HAVE TO ASK, I’M TOO FAR GONE TO UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT?)

To veg out, by contrast, means to enter a passive state and allow sounds and images to wash over you without troubling yourself too much about what it all means. EDITOR’S NOTE: OK, THIS EXPLAINS THE STATE OF POLITICS AND REASON AND COMPREHENSION IN AMERICA RIGHT NOW. (SO….GEEKING…OR RATHER DWEEBING………..-OUT AIN’T SO BAD IN COMPARISON. HUH HUH HUH???!!!!)

In corporate-speak, there is a related term used when someone has committed the faux pas of geeking out during a meeting. "Let's take this offline,"EDITOR’S NOTE: SHUDDER. JUST HAD AN EVIL CORPORATE FLASH-BACK. someone will suggest, when the PowerPoint slides grow dark with words. Literally, it means, "I look forward to geeking out on this topic - later." But really it's a polite synonym for "shut up already!" EDITOR’S NOTE: IT’S ACTUALLY A NOT-SO-POLITE WAY TO SAY YOU’RE STEPPING ON TOES OR BEING IMPOLITIC, OR IN SOME WAY BOTHERING SOMEONE WHO IS A DECORUM GATE-KEEPER.

The first "Star Wars" movie 28 years ago was distinguished by healthy interplay between veg and geek scenes. In the climactic sequence, where rebel fighters attacked the Death Star, we repeatedly cut away from the dogfights and strafing runs - the purest kind of vegging-out material - to hushed command bunkers where people stood around pondering computer displays, geeking out on the strategic progress of the battle.

All such content - as well as the long, beautiful, uncluttered shots of desert, sky, jungle and mountain that filled the early episodes - was banished in the first of the prequels ("Episode I: The Phantom Menace," 1999).

In the 16 years that separated it from the initial trilogy, a new universe of ancillary media had come into existence. These had made it possible to take the geek material offline so that the movies could consist of pure, uncut veg-out content, steeped in day-care-center ambience. These newer films don't even pretend to tell the whole story; they are akin to PowerPoint presentations that summarize the main bullet points from a much more comprehensive body of work developed by and for a geek subculture.

"Concentrate on the moment. Feel, don't think. Trust your instincts," says a Jedi to the young Anakin in Episode I, immediately before a pod race in which Anakin is likely to get killed. EDITOR’S NOTE: HUSH, FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WERE ROOTING FOR THAT. It is distinctly odd counsel coming from a member of the Jedi order, the geekiest people in the universe: they have beards and ponytails, they dress in army blankets, they are expert fighter pilots, they build their own laser swords from scratch. EDITOR’S NOTE: AND SOME OF THEM ARE HOTTIES! (HIPPY HOTTIES?)

And (as is made clear in the "Clone Wars" novels) the masses and the elites both claim to admire them, but actually fear and loathe them because they hate being dependent upon their powers. EDITOR’S NOTE: SOMEONE WHO HAS READ THE EU. WHO GETS IT. HAPPY SIGH…..

Anakin wins that race by repairing his crippled racer in an ecstasy of switch-flipping that looks about as intuitive as starting up a nuclear submarine. Clearly the boy is destined to be adopted into the Jedi order, where he will develop his geek talents - not by studying calculus but by meditating a lot and learning to trust his feelings.

I lap this stuff up along with millions, maybe billions, of others. Why? Because every single one of us is as dependent on science and technology - and, by extension, on the geeks who make it work - as a patient in intensive care. Yet we much prefer to think otherwise.

Scientists and technologists have the same uneasy status in our society as the Jedi in the Galactic Republic. They are scorned by the cultural left and the cultural right, and young people avoid science and math classes in hordes. The tedious particulars of keeping ourselves alive, comfortable and free are being taken offline to countries where people are happy to sweat the details, as long as we have some foreign exchange left to send their way. Nothing is more seductive than to think that we, like the Jedi, could be masters of the most advanced technologies while living simple lives: to have a geek standard of living and spend our copious leisure time vegging out.

If the "Star Wars" movies are remembered a century from now, it'll be because they are such exact parables for this state of affairs. Young people in other countries will watch them in classrooms as an answer to the question: Whatever became of that big rich country that used to buy the stuff we make? The answer: It went the way of the old Republic. EDITOR’S NOTE: PLEASE WAIT TILL I’M DEAD? AND BURY ME IN MY HAPPY, STAR WARS, DWEEBIE PLACE.

A Look Inside Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide


Star Wars fans already know DK Books are authoritative, in-depth, compelling and visually rich thanks to the Incredible Cross-Section, Inside the Worlds of... and Visual Dictionary series that have explored the Star Wars saga.

They may have noticed the absence of an "ultimate guide" -- DK's hardcover top-to-bottom illustrated exploration of a fantastic subject, such as the guides they've published for Spider-Man, Batman, Hulk and The Transformers in the past.

This Fall, the time is right for Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide, written by saga expert Ryder Windham.

The entire Star Wars experience is explored -- from the films, expanded universe, behind-the-scenes, collecting, Star Wars fandom, and more.

It's the perfect introduction for new fans and an invaluable addition to every fan's collection.

Here's a preview of some of the spreads in the book, which is due out in October.
EDITOR'S NOTE: GAMEMASTERDAVE ----CHECK OUT THIS FIRST PIC; YOUR FAVE TIME PERIOD!!!















EDITOR’S NOTE: I DON’T USUALLY BOTHER WITH THESE COFFEE-TABLE EXTRANEOUS TOMES, BUT THIS ONE LOOKS GORGEOUS. MIGHT HAVE TO SPLURGE…..

EDITOR'S NOTE: AND DID I NOT PROMISE SOME YUMMY PICS??? (TRUE TO HER WORD, THE QOTD IS....) THESE ARE FROM AN ON-GOING PICTURE SERIES AT STARWARS.COM ENTITLED 'SITH SNAPSHOTS'.

LOVELY TO LOOK AT , DELIGHTFUL TO TOUCH, AND HEAVEN TO KISS..... (EVERYBODY SING!)


THE CHOSEN ONE: Was it his destiny or was it his choice? Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) stands at a crossroads.


BEARER OF BAD NEWS: Director George Lucas described the scene where Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) tells Padmé(Natalie Portman) what he knows about Anakin as the "scene that explains it all." EDITOR'S NOTE: OOOOOOO!

Hump Day Dweebing....ODDBOB ALERT!!!

EDITOR'S NOTE: I LULL YOU INTO A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY, AND THEN TOSS AN ODDBOB POSTING INTO THE MIX.

YES, IT'S EVIL OF ME. BUT I HAVE NO CHOICE. JUST WHEN IT SEEMS SAFE TO OPEN MY OWN EMAIL, ODDBOB SENDS THESE MISSIVES ALONG. AND THE VOICES IN MY HEAD MAKE ME OPEN THEM AND THEN SHARE THEM WITH YOU.

The Top 10 SF Blog Sites
10> Beeblebroxers or Briefs?

9> The Zaphod Files

8> Arthur Dent's Mostly Harmless Blog

7> Daily Sith EDITOR'S NOTE: I THINK THIS MIGHT BE ODDBOB'S ACTUAL PERSONAL BLOG.

6> Lidz: The Toupees of Trek (Spacey thoughts from the top... of my... head)

5> Spock: Pointed Observations

4> Yoda: My blog, this is.

3> Twiki: Bloggybloggybloggy

2> MeesaBlogsa

and the Number 1 SF Blog Site...

1> Valentine Michael Smith: Tasteful Thoughts

EDITOR'S NOTE: REMEMBER....ODDBOB DOESN'T HURT PEOPLE; READING ODDBOB HURTS PEOPLE.

Hump Day Dweebing.....Da Biz

AMC, Loews Cineplex plan to merge
Movie theater chains AMC Entertainment Inc. and Loews Cineplex Entertainment Corp. said Tuesday they plan to merge, and will be led by current AMC Chairman, CEO and President Peter C. Brown.

The new company will be called AMC Entertainment Inc. and will be headquartered in Kansas City.

The combined entity will own, manage or have interests in about 450 theaters in 30 states and 13 countries. An integration committee will be formed in which Travis E. Reid, president and CEO of New York-based Loews Cineplex, and Brown will serve as co-chairs.The merger agreement also provides for the merger of AMC's and Loews' holding companies.

In late 2004, a group of private investors purchased AMC, the nation's second-largest theater chain, for about $2 billion. Bain Capital, Carlyle Group and Spectrum Equity Investors acquired Loews Cineplex from Onex Corp. and Oaktree Capital Management in 2004 for $1.5 billion.Michael L. Savner, an analyst with Banc of America Securities, said in a research note that the merger "makes sense ... given the similar urban focus of both companies and the benefits that can be achieved through economies of scale."EDITOR'S NOTE: IN OTHER WORDS, THE MOVIE THEATER BIZ STINKS RIGHT NOW, AND WE'RE BOTH DYING. SO MAYBE, WE CAN STAVE DEATH OFF FOR A BIT, IF WE'RE BIGGER. (TOO MANY MBAS, NOT ENOUGH LONG-TERM CLEVERNESS. IMHO....)

Savner said the nation's largest movie theater chain, Regal Entertainment Group, and the third-largest chain, Carmike Cinemas Inc., focus on different markets than AMC and Loews, so he does not expect "meaningful competitive implications."EDITOR'S NOTE: NOAH WEBSTER, IS THAT YOU SPINNING SO FEVERISHLY IN YOUR GRAVE?

And although Hollywood has been experiencing its longest box-office decline in 20 years, Savner said he expects trends to improve in the second half of the year.

AMC spokeswoman Pam Blase said the industry always has ups and downs."It's safe to say we're in a down cycle right now, but it will go up again and we will be there with a very strong company," Blase said.EDITOR'S NOTE: BIZ FOLKS ARE SO CUTE WHEN THEY GO TO THEIR HAPPY PLACE. She could not say if the merger would result in theater closings or layoffs, saying those details would be determined in the next several months.

Marquee Holdings, which is controlled by JP Morgan Partners and Apollo Management affiliates, will continue as the holding company for the merged businesses. Bain, Carlyle and Spectrum -- stockholders of LCE Holdings -- will own about 40% of the new holding company.The companies said they plan to refinance their senior credit facilities in connection with the closing of the merger. The merger will not constitute a change of control for the outstanding senior notes of Marquee Holdings Inc. or the outstanding senior notes or senior subordinated notes of AMC Entertainment Inc.AMC and Loews said they expect the merger to close within six to nine months, subject to antitrust approval and financing completion. Financial details of the deal weren't disclosed.

In 2004, AMC reported a loss of $10.7 million on revenue of $1.78 billion. The company currently owns more than 230 theaters with about 3,500 screens. Loews Cineplex, the oldest theater circuit in North America, has about 2,100 screens at 200 theaters worldwide.

Blase said the merged company will own, manage or have interests in theaters in 14 countries: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China (Hong Kong), France, Japan, Mexico, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, the United Kingdom, the U.S. and Uruguay.

Split panel rejects SAG games deal
SAG's bitter infighting claimed another victim Tuesday as members of the national executive committee voted along party lines to reject the recently negotiated video game contract against the wishes of members and the negotiating committee.

It is believed to be the first time in SAG's history that board members have used the routine approval process to overrule the unanimous recommendations of a negotiating committee.

Further chaos was created because AFTRA, which co-negotiated the deal, accepted the new 3 1/2-year contract last week and the old agreement expired May 13. EDITOR'S NOTE: AND MEANWHILE, MOST ACTORS CAN'T GET WORK OF ANY KIND. (SO HOW MANY ANGELS CAN DANCE ON THE HEAD OF A PIN?)

Valenti leaves mark on D.C. HQ
WASHINGTON -- A group of the industry's top leaders will be on hand today to rename the MPAA's headquarters building here the Jack Valenti building in honor of the man who was Hollywood's face in Washington for 38 years.

Among the executives expected to attend the dedication are Dan Glickman, Valenti's successor as MPAA president and CEO; Ron Meyer, president and chief operating officer at Universal Studios; Peter Chernin, News Corp. president and chief operating officer; Barry Meyer, Warner Bros. chairman and CEO; Brad Grey, Paramount Pictures chairman and CEO; and Robert Iger CEO-elect of the Walt Disney Co.

Hump Day Dweebing....a wee bit of TV News

9/11 Reflected in Fall Sci-Fis
June 20, 2005By A.J. Frutkin
Most analysts credit ABC's Lost with spurring next season's flurry of network sci-fi dramas.

But the events of Sept. 11, 2001, also may have impacted the trend.

In ABC's Invasion, a Florida community faces the unsettling aftereffects of a hurricane.

On CBS' Threshold, government officials try to stave off an attack from outer space.

NBC's Fathom finds scientists coming face-to-face with mysterious creatures from the deep.

Far from Steven Spielberg's benign view of aliens in ET: the Extra Terrestrial or Close Encounters of the Third Kind, what these series share is a portrayal of the unknown as menacing.

Such observations may not be that surprising. After all, in an age of global terrorism, suicide bombers and underground cells, the idea of hostile forces infiltrating America's neighborhoods, schools and workplaces is a top-of-mind subject not only for viewers, but for Hollywood creators as well.

"We live in a very unstable time," said Shaun Cassidy, creator of Invasion. "People are afraid because there is no rule book and no assurances." EDITOR'S NOTE; THIS MAY BE, AND IT MIGHT EVEN BE DUE TO 9/11. BUT CASSIDY HAS BEEN PRODUCING WEIRD, DISTURBING STUFF FOR A VERY LONG TIME. (ALL THAT DADOORUNRUNNING FROM HIS EARLY YEARS, NO DOUBT).

Some media buyers are reluctant to directly link 9/11 to next season's sci-fi and mystery shows, noting that broadcasters are more concerned with creating escapist fare than programs steeped in social and political metaphors.

"The media's motivation is to make prime-time hits," said John Rash, Campbell Mithun's chief broadcast negotiator. "But at a time of an undefined end to the war on terrorism, let alone the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, these shows may have tapped into the current American psyche."

Cassidy noted his series primarily is a family drama about a blended household and the challenges that arise both from divorce and re-marriage. Although he said he didn't set out to create an allegorical tale about 9/11, "obviously it was in my subconscious."

Brannon Braga, exec producer of Threshold, echoed Cassidy's sentiments, noting that any reference to 9/11 was "not intentional." However, with three TV series all dealing with the unknown, the terrorist attacks "must be in the zeitgeist...There's something in the blood right now," Braga added. "There can be no doubt that, even subconsciously, 9/11 is a thematic undercurrent in our show, for sure."

Intentional or otherwise, the unease portrayed in next season's sci-fi and mystery shows is a sign of the times, agreed several advertisers. "It's no secret that popular culture and entertainment are driven by what is happening nationally and internationally," said Tom Weeks, director of entertainment at Starcom. "I definitely think we're in a culture where the idea of good versus evil has been heightened. In a post-9/11 world, where there are no easy answers, all these shows are reflective of what this country is going through," Weeks added. EDITOR'S NOTE: THANK HEAVENS WE GET THE HIGH-END INTERP FROM A BUNCH OF ADVERTISING PEOPLE. BECAUSE ADBIZ FOLKS....MEDIA BUYERS IN PARTICULAR...ARE KNOWN FOR THEIR DEPTH AND INTELLECTUALISM. (SMIRK).

MINDHUNTERS TV Series in the Works
IM International media has signed "a deal with action TV veteran Jay Firestone, Japanese production house Kadokawa Pictures and German-based genre specialists Action Concept to co-develop and co-finance joint projects."

First up IM is looking to develop a TV series based on their thriller MINDHUNTERS, about a group of FBI profilers-in-training who discover on an exercise mission that there is a killer amongst them.

The feature film starred Eion Bailey, Clifton Collins Jr, Will Kemp, Val Kilmer, Jonny Lee Miller, Kathryn Morris, Christian Slater and LL Cool J. It was directed by Renny Harlin.

Hump Day Dweebing...Movie News

EDITOR'S NOTE: FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO MISSED IT, BE SURE AND LOOK FOR THE AFI SALUTE TO UNCLE GEORGE IF USA NET REPEATS IT. (IT WAS LOVELY. AND CARRIE FISHER WAS SCARY/FUNNY).

ON TO MOVIE DWEEBING------

FIRST UP, THANKS TO CHEWYANDY FOR PASSING ALONG THIS "NARNIA" POSTER!



Scott Plunges in With DIVERS
Fox 2000 has signed Ridley Scott to direct and produce SHADOW DIVERS, which is an adaptation of Robert Kurson's bestseller.

CAST AWAY's William Broyles wrote the script, which centers on two wreck divers who in 1991 discovered the hull of a German U-boat in waters off New Jersey. The divers spent seven years searching for the truth behind the ship and men who died inside it.

Fox ZOOMs in on Sony
20th Century Fox is looking to put the brakes on the release date of Sony Pictures' ZOOM.

Fox and Marvel Enterprises "have filed suit against Sony Pictures Entertainment and Revolution Studios, alleging that their upcoming pic is confusingly similar to X-MEN:" because the story includes "teenage mutant super-heroes, an underground training facility, and a sinister government program." EDITOR'S NOTE: YEAH.....BUT OTHER THAN THAT, I HOW IS IT ANYTHING LIKE XMEN? (SNICKER)

Sony is looking to release ZOOM two weeks before X-MEN 3 comes out next May 2006. The film is based on Jason Lethcoe's graphic novel "Zoom's Academy for the Super Gifted." The story centers on an out-of-shape former superhero who has lost his powers and is reluctantly called back into action to turn a ragtag group of kids into a new generation of superheroes to save the world from destruction. EDITOR'S NOTE: HEY! I WENT TO A SCHOOL FOR THE GIFTED; MAYBE I CAN SAVE THE WORLD FROM DESTRUCTION! (WELL...THAT'S WHAT THEY TOLD US THE SCHOOL WAS.....HMM....BUT WHAT WAS WITH THOSE PADDED WALLS???)

Cumming chopped from X-Men 3
Alan Cumming has been given his walking papers from the mansion of mutants.

Expected to reprise his role as Nightcrawler in "X-Men 3", Cumming has been told he'll not be required back for the Brett Ratner helmed second sequel, says his official site and Coming Soon.

Cumming's official site says : "EX X MAN!! Alan will NOT be appearing in X3. Fox has not picked up his option to play Nightcrawler for a second movie".

Funnily enough, even Variety mentioned that Cumming was one of the "X-Men 3" troops, in an item last month. EDITOR'S NOTE: WAS THIS JUST A PLOT ADJUSTMENT....NO STORYLINE FOR NIGHTCRAWLER? OR WAS IT SOMETHING CUMMING SAID?

Bauer on the Big Screen
Looks like the long-suffering Bauer clan are going to tick on over to the big-screen.

According to The Calgary Sun, a "24" movie is on the drawing board.

A year or so back, producers mentioned that they had an idea for a direct-to-video "24" movie - with a whole new troupe headlining it - but seems they've scrapped that idea in favour of a big-screen venture.

"The last I heard, the first hour will not be in real-time, but then something big will happen and real time will kick in. It still has to be worked out -- it's at a stage where they need to write it" said director/producer Jon Cassar.

According to captain decisionEDITOR'S NOTE: 'CAPTAIN DECISION'? , the "24" movie's storyline will likely revolve around whatever is happening on the TV series at the time.

"It could still be two years from now, so it's far too early to say," he says, adding that if he did know he wouldn't be sharing it with a scoop-hankering reporter.

No word on whether Kiefer Sutherland will front up for the film - but if he has anything to do with it, I'm sure he's already expressed interest. It could be his 'big screen' comeback.

Jack Thompson teaming with Harry Potter?
According to The Sunday Herald Sun, vet great Jack Thompson - last seen on a hovering device in "Star Wars Episode II : Attack of the Clones", much to the dismay of his fanclub EDITOR'S NOTE: WHO WERE REALLY HOPING FOR NUDE TABLE-DANCING?- is in talks to join the cast of "December Boys", starring opposite Daniel Radcliffe.

"Harry Potter" himself, Radcliffe, arrives down under within the month to check out where he'll be plonking his frame for the next few months.

Based on the novel of the same title by Michael Noonan, the film revolves around four young orphan boys in 1960s Australia. Having all but given up hope of ever being adopted, the tight-knit friends are on a seaside holiday one summer when they find themselves competing for a place in the home and family they all long for.

Gellar to Play ALICE in Wonderland
Universal Pictures has signed Sarah Michelle Gellar to star in ALICE, which is based on the EA videogame created by American McGee. Marcus Nispel will direct. Erich and Jon Hoeber wrote the script.

This twisted take on Lewis Carroll's classic "picks up Alice after her home has been destroyed and family killed. The sole survivor of the disaster, she returns to a dark and threatening Wonderland where she must confront her fears before returning to her normal life." EDITOR'S NOTE: WHATEVER.

Never Fear, UNDERDOG is Here


EDITOR'S NOTE: THE THEME SONG IS GOING OVER AND OVER IN YOUR HEAD NOW, HUH? (EVILNESS, THY NAME IS QOTD.....)
Disney is putting together a deal to turn the classic TV cartoon UNDERDOG into a live-action feature. The story will center on a diminutive hound named Shoeshine who gets superpowers after a lab accident. When he's adopted by a 12-year-old boy, the two form a bond around the shared knowledge that Shoeshine is really Underdog.

Jay Polstein and Spyglass Entertainment's Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber & Jonathan Glickman will produce. The script was written by by Joe Piscatella and Craig A. Williams.

Gary Barber said in a statement, "Anything where you have a dog in that superhero context, that's appealing on a global basis." EDITOR'S NOTE: DONCHA LOVE IT WHEN THE MARKETING DEPARTMENT SPEARHEADS THE PROJECT? (NEXT WEEK, THE RESEARCH DEPARTMENT WILL BE PLAYING THE LEADS IN A BAZ LUHRMANN PRODUCTION. FORTUNATELY, BAZ IS ALL ABOUT THE ART DIRECTION, SO NO ONE IS LIKELY TO NOTICE).

The companies hope to begin filming at the start of 2006 in Canada.

UNDERDOG was created by Buck Biggers and Chet Stover. It ran on TV from 1964 until 1973.

M:I3 Lands Fishburne
Paramount Pictures has signed Laurence Fishburne to star in MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 3.

Fishburne joins a cast which includes Tom Cruise, Keri Russell, Ving Rhames, Michelle Monaghan, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers and Philip Seymour Hoffman

J.J. Abrams is directing. The film is currently budgeted at $150 million. EDITOR'S NOTE: 150 MILLION? EESH. J.J. ABRAMS....GOOD. MOST OF CAST....GOOD. TOM CRUISE. AH WELL.....

'Angel' to fly with Amiel at helm
Jon Amiel is set to direct the feature film "Angel Makers" for the London-based production company The Producers.

Based on a true story, the film tells the tale of women in a Yorkshire farming community during World War I who turn murderous when their husbands return from the trenches to discover their places on the farms and in their beds have been taken by German POWs.

The Producers' Jeanna Polley will produce "Angel Makers." Amiel worked closely with writer Paul Billing on developing the script.

We're outta Hairspray
The recently announced film version of "Hairspray" has had it's start date and release date rubbed from the New Line calendar, and is eyeing a spot on a 2006 Calendar, says Variety.

There's been some major developments with the film - a remake of the ol' John Waters flick - with co-directors Jerry Mitchell (He choreographed the stage musical) and Jack O'Brien (Snagged a Tony for directing it) leaving the film. Because of the delay they could no longer fit it into their schedules and resigned from their duties.

In addition, the studio has decided to delay the release of the film from Christmas 2006 to summer 2007, with shooting scheduled to begin in the Spring.

Rob Marshall, who directed and choreographed the stage version, is in talks to direct the film, says the trade. John Travolta was asked to play Edna Turnblad, but no decision will be made on that until a rewrite of the film is scrawled and a director - likely, Marshall - is on board.EDITOR'S NOTE: HARVEY FIERSTEIN WAS NOT A BIG ENOUGH NAME TO REPRISE HIS TONY TURN?

All Eyes on Australian actress
Lovely Emilie de Ravin - caught up with her a month or two back - is hitching a tug off that Island - um, she stars on "Lost" - to make a flick.

According to Variety, Everyone's favourite Castaway Mamma will lead the cast of Fox Searchlight's "Hills Have Eyes" remake, joining the already-locked Kathleen Quinlan, Aaron Stanford, Ted Levine and Vinessa Shaw.

No word on whether she'll be keeping her ever-so-distinctive Australian accent for the role. She's played an American before, Tess on TV's "Roswell",EDITOR'S NOTE: BOO HISS. TESS BAD. (NASTY LITTLE TROLLOP!) so it's possibly she'll be wearing the trousers of a stateside resident here again.

Fraser aboard Mummy 3 and Guangxi
Brendan Fraser unofficially announced a third "Mummy" movie at a press conference in Shanghai yesterday, says Monkey Peaches.

There to plug a film he'll be shooting in China called "The Children of Guangxi", the one-time Superman contender let slip that a script for "The Mummy 3" does exist, and although he's not allowed to announce the film officially yet, hinted that China/Asia may serve as a backdrop. EDITOR'S NOTE: YAY! AND BRING BACK RACHEL WEISZ????

Roger Spotiswoode will direct "The Children of Guangxi". Set in Shanghai in 1937, it tells of a journalist who resisted to pay attention towards the Japanese invasion of China and later has a change of heart after witnessing the horror of Nanjing Massacre. Later he traveled to Guangxi and led some 50 to 60 war orphanages to safety. Michelle Yeoh and Chow Yun-Fat are believed to be in talks to co-star. Paul Haggis penned the script.EDITOR'S NOTE: OOO...PAUL HAGGIS! SURE TO BE INTERESTING AND WELL-WRITTEN!

The AFI Salutes UNCLE GEORGE. TONIGHT!

EDITOR'S NOTE: TONIGHT. USA NETWORK. 8P-10P (CST). BE THERE.

HERE ARE SOME PICS -----

Trivia question: Who was the man in costume as 200-year-old Wookie Chewbacca in both Star Wars and Episode III? Answer: Englishman Peter Mayhew. He's turned this one role into a life's worth of convention appearances, sideline businesses and charity-related work. Sure beats being a hospital attendant. EDITOR'S NOTE: MY DREAM GIG. (GUESS I'M TOO SHORT FOR A WOOKIEE?)



What would a George Lucas party be without the presence of R2D2 and C3PO? They're still more engaging than an army full of I, Robot CGI extras.



Thanks to his Jaws and Lucas' Star Wars, going to the movies in summer has never been the same. In presenting the award to Lucas, Spielberg compared him to H.G. Wells and Jules Verne, other emissaries who brought science-fiction to the masses.



Mark Hamill, the actor who got it all started back in 1977 alongside Carrie Fisher. Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia are to the second half of the 20th century what Rhett Butler and Scarlett were to the first half. With Atlanta and the galaxy respectively burning in the background. EDITOR'S NOTE: OK...EXCEPT FOR THAT BROTHER/SISTER ISSUE?


EDITOR'S NOTE: YEAH, HE'S CRAGGY. BUT IT STILL WORKS FOR ME. (ONCE A LUKE SKYWALKER GIRL, ALWAYS A LUKE SKYWALKER GIRL).

Not so long ago, the sight of Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart together would have sent the paparazzi into a frenzy. But like hot L.A. restaurants, hot L.A. couples only last about six months. Then the crowd moves on to another.


EDITOR'S NOTE: AWW...LOOK AT THE HANDSOME OLD GEEZER AND HIS...AS BRIDGET JONES PUT IT....'AMERICAN STICK INSECT'. (WHATEVER....)

Can you believe Billy Dee Williams is almost 70? His last Star Wars-related gig was a voiceover part on a 2002 video game, and he was also memorable that same year in the comedy Undercover Brother.


EDITOR'S NOTE: LANDO'S HOLDING UP PRETTY DURN WELL, HMM?

Funnier Than Hearing Shatner Sing To ------

EDITOR'S NOTE: JUST FOR THOSE NON-DWEEBS WHO GET STAR WARS AND STAR TREK ALL JUMBLED. NOW WE'LL NEVER GET IT STRAIGHTENED OUT FOR THEM!

AND THE MAN OF THE HOUR-------

Said Spielberg at the AFI evening of Lucas: "You have many years ahead of you to create the dreams that we can't even imagine dreaming." In other words, no early retirement for this guy. EDITOR'S NOTE: LET'S FERVENTLY HOPE NOT!



EDITOR'S NOTE: GOT MY VCR ALL SET. MAZEL TOV, UNCLE GEORGE!!! (AND WATCH TOMORROW NIGHT....CBS....7P-10P. AFI-100 YEARS, 1OO BEST QUOTES).

Dweebing is Good (Wise words from an Expert)

EDITOR'S NOTE: LOVELY FOOD FOR THOUGHT TO CLING TO WHEN THE ANTI-SCIFI SNARKERS SMIRK DERISIVELY AT WE DWEEBS. (TAKE THAT MOTHER!)

'Aliens have taken the place of angels'
Margaret Atwood on why we need science fiction
Margaret Atwood Friday June 17, 2005
Before the term "science fiction" appeared, in America in the 1930s, during the golden age of bug-eyed monsters and girls in brass brassieres, stories such as HG Wells' The War of the Worlds were called "scientific romances". In both terms - scientific romance and science fiction - the science element is a qualifier. The nouns are "romance" and "fiction", and the word fiction covers a lot of ground.

If you're writing about the future and you aren't doing forecast journalism, you'll probably be writing something people will call either science fiction or speculative fiction. I like to make a distinction between science fiction proper and speculative fiction. For me, the science fiction label belongs on books with things in them that we can't yet do, such as going through a wormhole in space to another universe; and speculative fiction means a work that employs the means already to hand, such as DNA identification and credit cards, and that takes place on Planet Earth. But the terms are fluid. Some use speculative fiction as an umbrella covering science fiction and all its hyphenated forms - science fiction fantasy, and so forth - and others choose the reverse.

I have written two works of science fiction or, if you prefer, speculative fiction: The Handmaid's Tale and Oryx and Crake.

Here are some of the things these kinds of narratives can do that socially realistic novels cannot do.

· They can explore the consequences of new and proposed technologies in graphic ways, by showing them as fully operational. We've always been good at letting cats out of bags and genies out of bottles, we just haven't been very good at putting them back in again. These stories in their darker modes are all versions of The Sorcerer's Apprentice: the apprentice finds out how to make the magic salt-grinder produce salt, but he can't turn it off.

· They can explore the nature and limits of what it means to be human in graphic ways, by pushing the envelope as far as it will go.

· They can explore the relationship of man to the universe, an exploration that often takes us in the direction of religion and can meld easily with mythology - an exploration that can happen within the conventions of realism only through conversations and soliloquies.

· They can explore proposed changes in social organisation, by showing what they might actually be like for those living within them. Thus, the utopia and the dystopia, which have proved over and over again that we have a better idea about how to make hell on earth than we do about how to make heaven. The history of the 20th century, where a couple of societies took a crack at utopia on a large scale and ended up with the inferno, would bear this out. Think of Cambodia under Pol Pot.

· They can explore the realms of the imagination by taking us boldly where no man has gone before. Thus the space ship, thus the inner space of the hilarious film Fantastic Voyage, the one where Raquel Welch gets miniaturised and shot through the blood stream in a submarine. Thus also the cyberspace trips of William Gibson; and thus The Matrix, Part 1 - this last, by the way, an adventure romance with strong overtones of Christian allegory, and therefore more closely related to The Pilgrim's Progress than to Pride and Prejudice.

More than one commentator has mentioned that science fiction as a form is where theological narrative went after Paradise Lost, and this is undoubtedly true. Supernatural creatures with wings, and burning bushes that speak, are unlikely to be encountered in a novel about stockbrokers, unless the stockbrokers have been taking a few mind-altering substances, but they are not out of place on Planet X. The form is often used as a way of acting out the consequences of a theological doctrine. The theological resonances in films such as Star Wars are more than obvious. Extraterrestrials have taken the place of angels, demons, fairies and saints, though it must be said that this last group is now making a comeback.

We want wisdom. We want hope. We want to be good. Therefore we sometimes tell ourselves warning stories that deal with the darker side of some of our other wants. As William Blake noted long ago, the human imagination drives the world. At first it drove only the human world, which was once very small in comparison to the huge and powerful natural world around it. Now we're close to being in control of everything except earthquakes and the weather. EDITOR'S NOTE: AND OURSELVES...OF COURSE.

But it is still the human imagination, in all its diversity, that directs what we do with our tools. Literature is an uttering, or outering, of the human imagination. It lets the shadowy forms of thought and feeling - heaven, hell, monsters, angels and all - out into the light, where we can take a good look at them and perhaps come to a better understanding of who we are and what we want, and what the limits to those wants may be. Understanding the imagination is no longer a pastime, but a necessity; because increasingly, if we can imagine it, we'll be able to do it.