“Never tell me the odds!”

This week has seen rumours that if we are to belive them that our beloved scruffy looking nerf herder wont be making it to Star Wars Episodes VIII and IX.  In some ways this will be a shame but like a friend of mine said maybe this was the only way to get Harrison Ford back to play Han Solo.  Harrison Ford originally wanted his character to die in Return of the Jedi so maybe his wishes have been granted.  I know these are rumours and we know nearly nothing official about Star Wars Episode VII The Force Awakens but it does make me feel quite sad that they might kill him off.

My reasons are mainly to with the Star Wars Universe.  In Return of the Jedi we see a change in Han.  When we first met him he was only in it for him self, he was a very selfish person

“Look, I ain’t in this for your revolution, and I’m not in it for you, princess. I expect to be well paid. I’m in it for the money”

but as the trilogy goes on we see a change come across him no longer selfish and uncaring but willing to put his life on the line for whats right for the galaxy and his friends.  In the books we get to see more changes in him as he courts Leia and finally marries her and then his journey into parenthood.  It’s at this point I would like Han Solo to survive and continue a long and fulfilling life.  It was a very difficult decision for Leia to have kids.  At first she was really worried that one of her children would end up taking after their grandfather Anakin Skywalker but after reading her real mothers journals she gets to see Anakin Skywalker in another light and that persuades her to make the journey into motherhood.  In the end they have three children, the twins Jaina and Jacen and then later Anakin.  But things don’t go as planned. Anakin is killed during the Yuuzhan Vong war and Jacen turns to the dark side becoming Darth Caedus who is then later defeated and killed by his twin sister Jaina “The sword of the Jedi”  We get to see Han Solo in a completely different light as these events go on even him coming to logger heads with Luke about his kids (and Luke’s son) going on dangerous Jedi missions.  Its  sad times for the Solo family but there is a light at the end of the tunnel in the form of a granddaughter called Allana.  Near the end of the 2nd galactic civil war the Solo’s think their granddaughter (at this point they have only known she was Jacen’s daughter for a very short time) had been killed by a nano killer sent by the moff council.  Later we learn this was just a rouse much to Han and Leia’s delight and disguised as a war orphan Han and Leia get to adopt her so she is safe from all the politics of her home world plus learning a hell lot more about life and the galaxy from the Solo’s, also not forgetting a normal childhood (well I say normal but there’s never a dull moment when you are with Han and Leia).

So in my view yes it would be nice to see Han’s character through his journey of parenthood and all the ups and downs that come with it which we may see a glimpse of as other rumours say Daisy Ridley’s character could well be Han and Leia’s daughter but if the only way we are gonna get back Harrison Ford back is to kill his character off then so be it.

I will just leave you with this quote from one of my favourite Han Solo moments.

“Had a slight weapons malfunction, but everything’s perfectly alright now. We’re fine, we’re all fine, here, now, thank you. How are you?”

May the Force be with you…… Library Jedi signing out…….

 

The first stand alone Star Wars movie. Will it be about Han Solo?

A happy new year to all you Star Wars fans out there. I hope you all had a good one!  With February drawing near the filming of the first of the standalone Star Wars films will begin. If rumours are correct the film will be about, as Boba Fett calls him “That old space bum” Han Solo. There has been a lot of speculation on what part of his life the film will focus on.  My thoughts are that the film will focus on how Han Solo became the Han Solo we all have become to love.  Hopefully we will get to see him as a young man and the events that led him to become a smuggler and on how he met his best friend Chewbacca and how he got his hands on the Millennium Falcon. Of course the following is from the Star Wars extended universe which is no longer canon, so how much of his life’s history will change we wont know until the film comes out on 2016

Han Solo was born on Corellia and was orphaned at an early age.  Found at a space port by Garris Shirke, a Fagan type of character Han wan was taught the arts of the pick pocket.  As he got older he was used in a number of schemes and cons.  Han was befriended by Shirke’s ships cook a wookie called Dewlanna who taught him the wookie language of Shyriiwook and started his long time love of the wookies.  After many years Han was able to leave Shirkes gang and ended up at the imperial academy on Coruscant where Han went into imperial training to become a fighter pilot.  Han finished top of his class and left the academy as a Lieutenant, but his career was short lived when he stunned his commanding officer who was beating the wookie Chewbacca.  For saving his life Chewbacca owed Han a life debt and together they went on the run becoming smugglers.  Han Solo would eventually become the owner of the Millennium Falcon which he won at a game of sabacc of Lando Calrissian who would become a life long friend.  The rest Of Hans life is well known after he accepts to take an old wizard, a young man and two droids to the Alderaan system.

So hopefully when Star Wars episode VII The Force Awakens comes out we might be seeing the first trailer for the first of the Star Wars standalone films.

 

May the Force be with you…….

Aren’t you a little short for a stormtrooper?

  Just recently we got to see the new design for the Stormtrooper helmet for Star Wars episode VII.  The new design pays homage to Ralph McQuarries original art work while still looking new and original.  There are also similarities to the original Stormtrooper helmet from episodes IV, V and VI.  Going all the way back to the Clone Wars the Stormtrooper armour has come along in steps and bounds to what we see now in Episode VII.

The first clone troopers received Phase one clone trooper armour.  Twenty form-fitting plates sealed to a black body suit and resembling Mandalorian Shock trooper Armour.  The armour was a dazzling bright white and the helmet had a fin along the top.  During the Clone Wars the Phase II armour was brought in.  This armour was lighter and more comfortable to wear.  The new armour was more advanced and came with a lot of improvements such as an air filtration and oxygen system, polarized lenses and the boots were magnetized and incorporated a grav-field alternator to ensure stability.  There was also many variations to suit different environments and missions.  After the birth of the Empire clone troopers were called Stormtroopers and again there was a change in their armour.  The stormtroopers armour composed of eighteen pieces that attached to a black body suit.  Again this armour came with many of the things that were contained in the Phase II armour.  The new stormtrooper armour also contained power gloves, Manual suit seal and environmental controls, knee protector on the left to make kneeling firing position more comfortable and IFF circuitry in the back for easier identification.  The helmet contained advanced filtering systems, communications and visual aids to support the stormtrooper in action.  The utility built carried by the stormtrooper carried quite an amazing amount of equipment, including a grappling hook, four spare blaster power packs, three ion flares, rations, a spare comlink, two med packs plus a thermal detonator plus other equipment.

 

The Jedi code

  As may of you know I`m a follower of the Force.  I try to use the lessons and quotes from the Star Wars universe to help me in everyday life.  Jedism has many roots in Buddhism and if you read into a lot of the Jedi mysticism you can usually find something that will solve any problems that you come up against.

There is no emotion, there is peace.

There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.

There is no passion, there is serenity.

There is no death, there is the Force.

There is no emotion, there is peace

Emotions are a part of us.  Even powerful Jedi were not immune to showing their feelings.  Young Jedi leaners are taught to explore their feelings and understand them.  If a Jedi cannot confront their feelings that Jedi will never know peace.

There is no ignorance, there is knowledge

A Jedi should try to understand the world around them.  ignorance is a part of life but should never be feared.  The Jedi archives contains one of the biggest collections of knowledge in the Star Wars universe.  A Jedi must use not only their rational mind but also their intuitive mind to ascertain the truth of a situation.

There is no passion, there is serenity

Be for a Jedi acts he must be one with the Force.  A Jedi must only draw their weapon in defence only.  A Jedi must be calm and clear-headed in all situations.  Passionate use of power will lead to that Jedi to head down the path to the dark side.

There is no death, there is the Force

The sense of loss is often greater for a Jedi.  However death in not a tragedy but a part of life.  The Force in us continues even in death.

 

Jedi quotes

“Do or do not… there is no try.” — Yoda

“Luminous beings are we. Not this crude matter.” — Yoda

“Your eyes can deceive you, don’t trust them.” — Obi-Wan Kenobi

“You will find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view.” — Obi-Wan Kenobi

“Remember, concentrate on the moment. Feel, don’t think. Trust your instincts.” — Qui Gon Jinn

“Be mindful of your feelings.” — Mace Windu

” His heart was in the right place, but he tried to answer Grievouses power with his own.” — Kit Fisto

“The crystal is the heart of the blade. The heart is the crystal of the Jedi. The Jedi is the crystal of the force. The force is the blade of the heart. All are intertwined.” — Luminara Unduli

 

My top five favourite Star Wars characters…. Whats yours? Number 1 is………

At last we have reached number one in my list of the top five of my favourite Star Wars characters.  Coming in a number one is the Jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi.  The first time we officially meet Obi-Wan is when he rescues Luke Skywalker from the Tuskens.  We then learn some of his past history as a Jedi and as a  general during the clone wars when he talks to Luke about Luke’s father Anakin Skywalker.  Obi Wan was a skilled Jedi and very powerful in the force.  He was an excellent fighter pilot (even thou he hated flying) and a master of the Soresu style of lightsaber combat.  Even thou he was a master with the lightsaber Obi Wan preferred to talk and work things out then fight thus earning him the nickname of “The Negotiator”

Obi-Wan nearly didn’t make it as a Jedi as he was not selected to be a padawan learner and ended up being transferred to the Jedi Service Corps.  It was with the corps that he helped Qui-Gon Jinn who was on planet with a mission.  After that Qui-Gon took Obi-Wan as his padawan learner.  Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were to completely different personalities but made a very effective team completing many missions together.

Kenobi: “I have a bad feeling about this.”

Jinn: “I don’t sense anything.”

Kenobi: “It’s not about the mission, Master. It’s something elsewhere…elusive.”

It was on a mission to try to end the blockade of Naboo and the later adventures that would follow, Obi-Wan first met his future Padawan Anakin Skywalker while on Tatooine.  In later events that followed he promised his dying master that he would take on the young boy and teach him the ways of the force.  Obi-Wan was a patient teacher to Anakin who was not the easiest of pupils and they had many adventures together.  It was Obi-Wan that discovered the clone army on Kamino.  During the clone wars Obi-Wan like nearly all of the Jedi masters acted as general to his clone soldiers.  Obi-Wan took part in many of the battles during the clone wars.  It was during the clone wars that his padwan Anakin became a Jedi Knight and it was also when Obi-Wan came face to face with the murder of his former master Darth Maul.  It was Obi-Wan you killed General Grievous while on Utapau.  It was on Utapau that Obi-Wans clone troopers turned on him after the issue of order 66.  Obi-Wan was able to survive his attack and was able to meet up with Jedi Grand Master Yoda where they discovered that most of the Jedi had been killed and that they had been betrayed my the Supreme Chancellor and Obi-Wans old padawan learner Anakin who now was a Sith lord under the name of Darth Vader.  Obi-Wan meet his former padawan on Mustafar where they battled with Obi-Wan coming out the victor.

“You were the Chosen One! It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them! Bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness!“―Obi-Wan Kenobi

Obi-Wan left what was left of Darth Vader on the bank of a larva river leaving the Force to decide his fate.  He took Vaders lightsaber and with the unconscious Padme met up with Yoda And Senator Bail Organa.  To their surprise Padame gave birth to twins Luke and Leia.  Leia was adopted by Organa and Obi-Wan took Luke to Tatooine to live with his step uncle and aunt Owen and Beru on their moisture farm.  Obi-Wan stayed on Tatooine to watch over Luke from afar and wait till he was old enough to learn the ways of the force.  Obi-Wan went into exile and changed his name to Ben.  Many years later while Luke was looking for R2-D2 who had escaped from the farm Luke ran into a group of Tuskens who attacked him.  Obi-Wan using the force to make him self sound like a Krayt Dragon scared the Tuskens away and took Luke back to his home.  There he gave Luke his father’s lightsaber and told him a half truth about his father being a Jedi and being killed by Darth Vader.  Obi-Wan watched the message from Leia asking for his help and then asked Luke to join him and learn the ways of the force.  At first Luke said he could not help but after the death of his aunt and uncle he decided to help and learn to be a Jedi.  Soon we are aboard the Millennium Falcon with Han Solo and Chewbacca on their way to Alderaan.  When they arrive at their destination they find the planet has been destroyed and end up running into the Death Star.  While the others are helping Leia to escape Obi-Wan goes to deactivate the tractor beam.  On his way back to the Millennium Falcon he feels the presence of Darth Vader.

Darth Vader: “I’ve been waiting for you, Obi-Wan. We meet again, at last. The circle is now complete. When I left you, I was but the learner. Now I am the Master.”
Obi-Wan Kenobi: “Only a master of evil, Darth.“

To distract Darth Vader and the stormtroopers from Luke, Leia, Han and Chewbacca, Obi-Wan battles Darth Vader.

Darth Vader: Your powers are weak, old man.
Obi-Wan: You can’t win, Darth. If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine.

With those final words Obi-Wan holds his lightsaber straight in front of him and as Darth Vader takes the killing stroke Obi-Wan vanishes and Darth Vaders lightsaber strikes just empty robes!  This was not the end for Obi-Wan.  Just before his self exile on Tattoine Yoda gives him a new lesson to learn, How to become a Force Ghost.  Obi-Wan speaks to Luke during the battle of Yavin helping Luke use the force to destroy the Death Star.  Obi-Wan helps Luke a number of times even taking over Luke’s body so he could survive a dual with Darth Vader.  Obi-Wan appears to Luke after he had escaped the Wampa telling Luke to go to Dagobah so he can start his Jedi training from Yoda

Obi-Wan: “You will go to the Dagobah system”
Luke: “Dagobah system?”
Obi-Wan: “There, you will learn from Yoda, the Jedi Master who instructed me.“

Ob-Wan appears to Luke again just after the death of Yoda to tell Luke the reason why he didn’t tell him the truth about his father and then again after the battle of Endor Obi_wan appears to Luke with the force ghosts of Yoda and Anakin Skywalker.   It was about  five years after the battle of Endor that Obi-Wan appears to Luke for the very last time.  Obi-Wan legacy lives on in Luke and Mara‘s son Ben Skywalker and Obi-Wans skill as a tactician.

Obi-Wan: “And now, farewell. I loved you as a son, and as a student, and as a friend. Until we meet again, may the Force be with you.“

It was not really till the three pre equal films and the clone wars series that we really got to know Obi-Wan.  Through all his serious nature there was a more human side to him, making jokes and even falling in Love and nearly leaving the order!

Satine: “I’ve loved you from the moment you came to my aid all those years ago.” […]
Obi-Wan: “Had you said the word, I would have left the Jedi Order.“

Obi-Wan tries his very best when he takes on Anakin to be just as good a master as Qui-Gon was to him and you could see the hurt in him when he finds out that Anakin has gone over to the dark side and ends up believing that maybe he had let down Anakin in someway not knowing that it was Darth Sidious plotting and arranging matters that finally drove Anakin to the dark side.  Obi-Wan will always be my favourite character and Jedi in the star wars universe!.

 

Some Obi-Wan quotes

Obi-Wan: I have a bad feeling about this.
Qui-Gon Jinn: I don’t sense anything.
Obi-Wan: It’s not about the mission, Master. It’s something… elsewhere. Elusive.

Elan Sleazebaggano: You wanna buy some death-sticks?
[Obi-Wan executes the Jedi Mind Trick]
Obi-Wan Kenobi: You don’t want to sell me death sticks.
Elan Sleazebaggano: Ah, I don’t want to sell you death sticks.
Obi-Wan Kenobi: You want to go home and rethink your life.
Elan Sleazebaggano: I want to go home and rethink my life.

General Grievous: Anakin Skywalker. I expected someone with your reputation to be a little… older.
Anakin Skywalker: General Grievous… you’re shorter than I expected.
General Grievous: Jedi scum!
Obi-Wan Kenobi: We have a job to do, Anakin. Try not to upset him.

Obi-Wan Kenobi: Hello there!
General Grievous: General Kenobi, you are a bold one!

Obi-Wan Kenobi: You have allowed this dark lord to twist your mind, until now, until now you’ve become the very thing you swore to destroy.
Anakin Skywalker: Don’t lecture me, Obi-Wan! I see through the lies of the Jedi. I do not fear the dark side as you do. I have brought peace, freedom, justice, and security to my new Empire.
Obi-Wan Kenobi: Your new Empire?
Anakin Skywalker: Don’t make me kill you.
Obi-Wan Kenobi: Anakin, my allegiance is to the Republic, to democracy.
Anakin Skywalker: If you’re not with me, then you’re my enemy.
Obi-Wan Kenobi: [realizing that Anakin is consumed by evil and there’s no reasoning with him anymore] Only a Sith deals in absolutes.
[draws his lightsaber]
Obi-Wan Kenobi: I will do what I must.
Anakin Skywalker: You will try.
[draws his lightsaber and confronts Obi-Wan]

Obi-Wan: I have something here for you. Your father wanted you to have this when you were old enough, but your uncle wouldn’t allow it. He feared you might follow old Obi-Wan on some damn fool idealistic crusade like your father did.
Luke: What is it?
Obi-Wan: Your father’s light saber. This is the weapon of a Jedi Knight. Not as clumsy or random as a blaster; an elegant weapon for a more civilized age. For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times… before the Empire.

Stormtrooper: Let me see your identification.
Obi-Wan: [with a small wave of his hand] You don’t need to see his identification.
Stormtrooper: We don’t need to see his identification.
Obi-Wan: These aren’t the droids you’re looking for.
Stormtrooper: These aren’t the droids we’re looking for.
Obi-Wan: He can go about his business.
Stormtrooper: You can go about your business.
Obi-Wan: Move along.
Stormtrooper: Move along… move along.
Obi-Wan: That’s no moon. It’s a space station.

Obi-Wan: Use the Force, Luke.
Obi-Wan: [after hiding from the stormtroopers on the Millennium Falcon] Who’s the more foolish, the fool or the fool who follows him?

 

Am I the only one getting put off the new film by all these plot details?

Sitting out in the back garden yesterday having a coffee and a cigarette I come across the new plot details for episode VII and a near animal growl animates from my mouth!!!!!  If you haven’t heard the news the latest plot is as follows

After the opening crawl updating us on what’s been happening since Return of the Jedi the camera pans down not to a space ship but a severed hand holding a lightsaber.  This hand and lightsaber some how survives re entry to a desert planet and are found by Daisy Ridleys and John Boyega charcters.  They know the lightsaber is a relic of the past and decide to try and find the owner.  In their travels they come across Han Solo and Chewbacca who are no longer piloting the Falcon????  Han recognises the lightsaber as the one Obi Wan Kenobi gave to Luke Skywalker.  Han has not seen Luke since the battle of Endor so they all go on a hunt to find Luke.  Meanwhile what’s left of the Empire are building a new secret super weapon on some ice planet.

 

Ive got one or two problems with this!!!!  How does a hand survive re entry through a planets atmosphere???  If the lightsaber Han recognises is the one originally built by Anakin Skywalker then how did it survive the fall through the planet Bespins core????  and then reach outer space.  Also a Jedi’s lightsaber is not indestructible and again that begs the differ on how it survived re entry in a planets atmosphere?  Also what’s been happening since Endor?  At the end of Return of the Jedi everyone from Bespin to Coruscant to Naboo were celebrating the fall of the Empire! so its sounds like everything did not go quite to plan for the Rebellion.  Then there the new superweapon that’s being built.  Its much smaller then the Death Star but it can destroy whole solar systems not just planets.  This smacks of the Sun Crusher which was not a very large ship but could take out whole solar systems just by making the systems sun go super nova.  The story also smells like a revamp of episode VI with very similar characters on a very similar quest.

But again all these rumours could be false just a red herring to taste the waters of all us Star Wars fans out there.  I`m gonna keep reading the rumours as they come up even if they make me mad and want to send Boba Fett after JJ Abrams.  We will just have to sit tight and wait for when the movie hits the cinema and probably all these worries will be for nothing.

On other news yesterday we got to see the new design for the X-Wing which many of us (even my good self) mistook for a Z-95 Head Hunter!

Till next time. May The Force Be With You!!!!!

 

 

My top five favourite Star Wars characters…. Whats yours? Number 2 Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader

At number two of my favourite Star Wars charterers in the former slave boy turned podracer champion later Jedi knight and then Dark Lord of the Sith Anakin Skywalker.  When we first met Anakin he was the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader way back in Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope.  Back then we didn’t know his true identity only that he had supposedly betrayed and killed Anakin Skywalker and then the shocking truth revealed its self in Star Wars Episode V The Empire Strikes Back that Darth Vader was Anakin Skywalker!!!!!

Darth Vader: “Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father.”

Luke Skywalker: “He told me enough! He told me you killed him!”

Darth Vader: “No, I am your father.”

I don’t know about you but those three lines had me on the edge of my seat when I was a kid and even now I get goose bumps!  At the end of Star Wars Episode VI The Return of the Jedi Anakin redeems him self and brings the prophecy of the chosen one to an end when he saves his son Luke and sacrificing him self when he killed the Emperor.  Later on when George Lucas returned to the Star Wars universe with Episodes I, II and III we get to meet the young Anakin Skywalker and watch his full to the Dark Side.

Luke: No, my father didn’t fight in the Clone Wars. He was a navigator on a spice freighter.

Obi-Wan: That’s what your uncle told you. He didn’t hold with your father’s ideals; he felt he should’ve stayed here and not gotten involved.

Luke: You fought in the Clone Wars?

Obi-Wan: Yes. I was once a Jedi knight, the same as your father.

Luke: I wish I’d known him.

Obi-Wan: He was the best star pilot in the galaxy, and a cunning warrior. I understand that you’ve become quite a good pilot yourself.

Obi-Wan: And he was a good friend.

In Star Wars Episode I The Phantom Menace we meet a young Anakin, a slave for the junk dealer Watto.  He helps out Qui-Gon Jinn and Queen Amidala winning the parts for their space ship as well as being freed from slavery.  After the death of Qui-Gon, the Jedi Knight Obi Wan Kenobi takes him on as his apprentice against the wishes of the Jedi council.  Its not an easy partner ship for the pair but always in the back ground is Darth Sidious manipulating him with lies and dark Sith magic..  Its Sidious who arranges and pushes Anakin and Padame in to a forbidden romance and its Sidous who tells Anakin to use his emotions.  And in the end Darth Sidious gets his way, turning Anakin to the dark side and giving him the Sith name of Darth Vader.  We learn in the book that Anakins birth by the midi-chlorians was caused by Darth Sidious’s master Darth Plagueis.  And it was both Darth Plagueis and Darth Sidious who realized that if Anakin was trained by Qui-Gon  then Anakin would be lost to them as a possible Sith Lord.  How different would of Anakins life had been if he was trained by Qui-Gon.  It would have been a wholly different story if he had.

Anakins story is a sad story full of lose and hurting partly caused by Darth Sidious.  Even when he is Darth Vader he knows his whole life was manipulated by Sidious to become his apprentice and it takes sacrificing his own life to save his son to bring him back to the light.

Why I`m such a massive Star Wars Geek and pround to call my self a Jedi!

  My other half thinks I`m weird and my son Cameron thinks I`m just strange!  (My young daughter thou does think I`m cool) But I don’t care I`m a massive Star Wars geek and PROUD!!!!!!!  The picture above of me defending my self against a viking is from a human book event we held at the university I work at.  I was a human book that could be lent out to anyone and my subject was on being a Jedi and what being a Jedi meant to me.  It was a cool event plus it meant I could wear my Jedi costume all week at work (Got some very funny looks from the students that week I could tell you!)

I`m a massive Star Wars fan and have been since I was a little kid.  I loved the films and had the figures and some of the vehicles and space ships.  The only difference now is that I have more star wars figures and spaceships then I did as a kid plus loads of books, comics, lightsabers, costumes and other Star Wars bit and bobs.  The first time I described my self as a Jedi was back in 2001 for the UK census but it was later on that I seriously described my self as a Jedi to the bemused looks of others.  I have had my ups and downs in life-like a lot of other people and the more I read into the Jedi belief system and the Jedi code the more I could relate to it.

There is no emotion, there is peace.

There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.

There is no passion, there is serenity.

There is no death, there is the Force.

I found those four lines made a connection to my life and ever since have tried to keep to them, and you know what?  it works!!!!  I would not say that I am a Jedi master but what I think made the connection was seeing the Jedi in the films and reading about them in the books and all the things that went into creating the Jedi when George Lucas first put pen to paper way back in 1973 hit a chord with me and everything that I am into.  I love  history specially celtic mythology and stories about those ancient heroes and gods, Kings and Queens, Kingdoms and Empires which have always fascinated me and my book shelves at home are lines with books on the subject.  I  wouldn’t say that I know everything there is to do with Jedism but you can learn more from the Jedi Church web site.  One example I can give you that being a Jedi has helped me in my life is that the Jedi don’t hate and don’t get angry and I have found that if certain people’s annoy me, specially people I have to work with I just don’t worry about them.  I don’t get annoyed with them I just don’t bother thinking about them, I stay polite and try to have as little to do with them as I can.  Doing this I don’t get stressed or worried and end up a much happier person.  I know you can learn these life lessons from other beliefs but for me it was Star wars and the Jedi code that made it all make sense to me.

As well as the serious side to this article lets not forget that the Star Wars universe is just really, really AWSOME!!!!  The films, cartoons, books and comics take you to that galaxy far far away and opens up your imagination to an amazing universe of mystic knights, evil sorcerer, fantastic space ships and distant worlds you could only dream about.  So until Star wars Episode VII comes out and Star Wars Rebels makes an appearance this autumn keep on watching the episodes I to VI as well as the clone Wars series and keep on reading all them books and comics (you have plenty to choose from)  And May the Force Be With You!

 

 

My top five favourite Star Wars characters…. Whats yours? Number 3 is Luke Skywalker

My top five favourite Star Wars characters…. Whats yours? Number 3 is Luke Skywalker.

My top five favourite Star Wars characters…. Whats yours? Number 3 is Luke Skywalker

At number 3 of my all time favourite Star Wars characters is that young farm boy from Tattoine Luke Skywalker.  My favourite scene with Luke in it will always be the shot of him staring out into the setting suns of Tattoine with Binary Sunsets written by John Williams playing in the background.  The first time we see Luke he is with his uncle Owen buying droids off the local Jawas.  The purchase of those two droids leads Luke on his path to becoming one of the greatest Jedi of all time!!!!!  The young Luke was very much like his father, an excellent pilot and a desire to see the stars!  In the films we see Luke grow up quite a bit, from a young farm boy rushing head on with danger to help his friends and then we see the more grown up mature Luke who will still rush in to help his friends but this time he has more confidence in his powers and all ways has a plan first!  Luke finally creates the New Jedi Order learning from the past mistakes that the old Jedi order made which made them easy pray to be culled by the Sith.  He also marries Mara Jade, an ex Emperors hand who originally wanted to kill Luke and together they have a son Ben.  As the years go on Luke becomes one of the most powerful Jedi ever, even more powerful then his father but see’s little peace in the galaxy as he fights in one war after the other!  If the rumours are true in the next movie we will see Luke Skywalker hiding out on Tatooine after 30 years of fighting off Jedi hunters.  I was hoping that the story line would be more in line with the expanded universe but alas that does not seem too be.  I am hoping  that they explain what Luke has been doing over the last 30 years to expand his Jedi powers and if he has been training up new Jedi.  The rumours that he are hearing about the new film makes it sound like a reboot of Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope but we will just have to wait and see.

Luke facts

When Luke was dragged under by the a Dianoga in the trash compacter Mark Hamill had to hold his breath for so long that he ended up blowing a blood vessel in his face.  After that he was filmed from one side till it cleared up.

Mark Hamel did all his own stunts in Star Wars Episode VI Return of the Jedi except in two scenes.  First scene was when Luke jumps of the plank at the Sarlacc pit and the second scene is when he is fighting Darth Vader on the Death Star and Vader hurls his light saber cutting the supports of the the catwalk that Luke is standing on.  Both of these stunts were performed by Colin Skeaping who was Mark’s stunt double.

Mark Hamill kept Luke’s boots from the first Star Wars film

When the first Rebel ships escapes Hoth the voice on the PA that says “The first transport is away” was actually Mark Hamill’s voice.

Mark Hamill has played Luke Skywalker in The Muppet Show, Family Guy and Robot Chicken

Mark had to bang his head 16 times in Yoda’s hut until the director was satisfied.

Just before Star Wars was released Mark Hamill was nearly killed in a car crash.  He had to have re constructive surgery on his face.  The scene when Luke was attacked by the Wampa was used to disguise his injuries.

When on Dagobah when Luke is just about to leave and Yoda and Obi Wan are trying to purswade Luke to stay and complete his training, Luke pulls a snake from one of the X Wing engines which ended up biting him on the hand even after being ensured that none of the snakes would bite

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