Category: Opinion

The Expanded Universe Explains, Vol. V

Posted on January 7, 2014by Scotch Tape and Popsicle Sticks

Thanks once again to Pearlann Porter, my endless font of Star Wars questions.

10. Who was the persuader/catalyst for engaging with Luke, Obi-Wan or Qui-Gon?

It was the plan all along. As of Revenge of the Sith, Yoda had already been communing with Qui-Gon for some time, so to what extent Qui-Gon talked him into what eventually became The Plan is hard to say. Also hard to say is how Ben would’ve handled Luke had the droids not shown up when they did—it’s hard to imagine him just knocking on the door one day and trying to take Luke off for training.

But what we can say is that training was definitely in the cards all along. The RotS novelization is indispensable in this area, as it’s the best (and basically only) guide for what’s going on in Yoda’s head at the end of the movie. Basically, after proving unable to best Palpatine in their Senate fight, Yoda comes to the realization—again, having been nudged in this direction by Qui-Gon, in all likelihood—that the Jedi Order that he and Obi represent just isn’t equipped to handle the Sith that Sidious and Vader represent.
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Classic Star Wars Re-Visited 20 Years Later

Posted on January 2, 2014by Obiwomble's Outlook

Some stories make such a strongly positive impression that you wish to own them but not necessarily rush to re-read them! Classic Star Wars by Archie Goodwin and Al Williamson is one such story. As part of my general upgrade to trades over comics, I secured copies of them some years back but had not read them. I read the issues but that was 20 years ago and I’m certainly not who I was then so how does it look to me now?

Originally published as a newspaper strip from 1982 to 1984, this 3-year tale focused on the then largely vacant gap between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back (ESB). In this way it set the tone, perhaps unknowingly, for all subsequent bridging stories, at least up until the Clone Wars material – they wrote it knowing what they were bridging to! Dark Horse Comics decided to re-publish the strip but they wanted to publish it as a monthly comic, in colour. An extensive period of re-formatting and careful colouring followed, as colour could easily obscure the graceful linework by Williamson if done carelessly. The 20-issue series ran from 1992 to 1994, with it being collected into 3 trades in 1996.

Two decades on and I’d estimate that I’ve read around a couple of hundred Star Wars comics in that time, how can a 20-issue series, of material written in the 1980s compare to these? The answer is quite easily because quality is timeless and the one thing no would ever accuse either Goodwin or Williamson of lacking is superb creative skills! It also avoids a couple of pitfalls that older material, at least where the superheroes of Marvel and DC are concerned, regularly fall into.
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Star Wars and Genre: Swashbuckling Adventure

Posted on December 31, 2013by
Errol Flynn, king of the swashbucklers, in art for Captain Blood
Errol Flynn, king of the swashbucklers, in art for Captain Blood

What is swashbuckling adventure? The term conjures images of dashing heroes rescuing damsels in distress via energetic swordfights in a romantic historical setting. It should be obvious that there is some of this in Star Wars’ DNA: it is dominated by dashing, high-octane heroic adventure, and sometimes openly apes the tropes of swashbucklers. Twice, a lightsaber-armed Luke Skywalker rescues Princess Leia and escapes by swinging across a gap on a rope (it’s not real swashbuckling adventure until somebody swings from a rope, vine, or whip). At its core, Star Wars is a spiritual descendant of swashbuckling adventure, which means the genre should occupy a significant place in the Expanded Universe.

There are certain tropes that go along with the swashbuckler: elaborate fencing-centric action sequences, romance with a damsel in distress, a bold and idealistic hero fighting against oppression or cruelty, a wicked villain in a position of power (who must inevitably be defeated in a swordfight), a historical setting of approximately 1200-1800 (or a fantasy version thereof). Think Robin Hood. But fundamentally, swashbuckling adventure is about an attitude. A swashbuckler’s approach to entertainment is energetic and flamboyant: its characters are larger than life, its plot one of constant thrills and excitement, its tone exuberant. It is almost never in question that the hero will win; the point of the story is to enjoy the fun-packed journey to victory.
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On Jaina Solo’s Hands – Examining Privilege in the Galaxy Far, Far Away

Posted on December 30, 2013by Scotch Tape and Popsicle Sticks

A few weeks back, a critical discussion of the Legacy of the Force series at the TFN Literature forum turned to a topic that doesn’t normally come up too often: privilege.

The specific impetus was the penultimate novel, Revelation, wherein Jaina Solo spends time training on Mandalore in preparation for a confrontation with her Sithy twin brother. Boba Fett’s fellow Mandalorians, thoroughly established by this point as hardscrabble farmers for whom mercenary work is only an intermittent source of income, are quick to laugh off the ex-Chief of State’s daughter with the (possible) Coruscanti accent, and what they see as her pretensions of warriordom, but over time she proves herself up to their challenges and, eventually, earns a grudging respect.

But this is Karen Traviss, an author with, well, a singular perspective on the Jedi Order’s place in the larger galaxy—so it’s perhaps unavoidable that the prose squeezes a little more sympathy for the Mandos (even from Jaina’s POV) than we’re used to seeing, dwelling here and there on, say, the softness of Jaina’s hands, her education, her growing up well-fed, and so on.
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What Star Wars Can Learn From Marvel

Posted on December 20, 2013by Halcyon Days

I confess that I am not a Marvel comics reader. I did not grow up with Iron Man, Thor and Captain America as my heroes. However, they are now. MCU has fully captivated my inner child since I first saw Iron Man in 2008. I did not jump on the bandwagon right away as far as the other movies. I didn’t see Thor or Captain America in the theaters (something I regret) but when Avengers was coming out I decided that I needed to see the others in order to fully appreciate the movie. I’ve been kind of obsessed ever since.

tumblr_static_loki-1The first thing that I find important is to have the right casting. One of the main complaints from the Prequels is that some of the casting decisions were off and that hurt the movies. The casting for MCU has been really well done. They went out and found the right actors for the roles. Robert Downey Jr. is Tony Stark. His ability to fully embrace the character makes the movie more believable and enjoyable. Chris Hemsworth initially lured me in to the Thor movie but the chemistry between him and Tom Hiddleson is what keeps me coming back. I understand from the comics perspective that Hiddleson’s portrayal of Loki doesn’t always match up but I think it is easier to forgo that for fans because of how well the two actors fit together. Chris Evans’ ability to be a humble down home sexy is the perfect combination for what I want to see in a Captain America. Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury continues to show the brilliance of the casting decisions. MCU also had the guts to admit to a bad casting decision with the Hulk by recasting until they found the right fit for the series.

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