The Coolest Denizens From a Galaxy Far, Far Away

I've probably seen each “Star Wars” movie a billion times. Okay, I might be exaggerating that number just a bit, but I am a big fan of the movies because of how imaginative the world and its various characters and critters are, and I do have some favorites.

Image source: starwars.wikia.com

The first creatures on my list probably qualify more as cute rather than cool, but I have a soft spot for the Ewoks. While some people find these living teddy bears absurd, I think they're adorable, and the fact that their village is built on tree houses just makes me love them even more. I admit that their penchant for roasting storm troopers and Han Solo is off-putting, however.

Jedi Master Aayla Secura was a Twi'lek Jedi General. Though she would eventually sacrifice herself in the series, during her appearances, I always thought that Aayla Secura was so cool. Her character's look was graceful, and of course, her smarts and lightsaber skills were nothing to be scoffed at.

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Now the banthas don't exactly have much to do in the movies – they're basically yaks that look like they'd smell like sweaty fur but the whole reason I love them so much is because George Lucas bothered to show them in the movies. They're background creatures but that they exist on film makes the Star Wars world richer and more immersive.

And finally, “Star Wars” wouldn’t be Star Wars without the droids like C-3PO, R2-D2, and BB-8. I adore these metal critters so much (I even write fanfic about an original character called Eber-CT) because they're cute, and they also manage to convey so much by just their "bleeps" and "bloops" and some blinking lights as in R2's case.

Hey! Wendy Eber here, and for me, some of the biggest draws of the franchise are the creatures that live in the Star Wars worlds. Connect with me on Twitter to learn more of my opinions on Star Wars and other things.

George Lucas: The Galactic Creator

Very few people in film history have a body of work more enduring than George Lucas’. He created both “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” movie franchises. He founded Lucasfilm and Industrial Light and Magic, both studios responsible for many of the greatest blockbusters in film history. He also founded American Zoetrope with “The Godfather” director Francis Ford Coppola, after finishing school at the University of Southern California (USC) in 1967.

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His early success though came from the 1973 movie “American Graffiti.” It was a film about Lucas’ early life. It was a hit with audiences and critics alike. The film was nominated for five Oscars, including Best Picture.

But nobody could have predicted that in four short years, Lucas would go one to create what would be his greatest achievement. A troubled production would not stop “Star Wars” from becoming the biggest blockbuster in history at the time. And decades later, no other film franchise has come close to the reaction “Star Wars” elicits from its loyal fans when new installments are announced. Lucas created a cultural phenomenon that transcended barriers and would continue to do so for decades.

Incredibly enough, Lucas’ creation has only gotten stronger in time. Even after the sale of Lucasfilm to Disney, Lucas still continues to be one of the most successful moviemakers in the history of American cinema.

Image source: Wikipedia.com

Wendy Eber loves everything ‘Star Wars.’ To learn more about the famed film franchise, read the blogs posted on this site.

Where The ‘Star Wars’ Prequels Fell Short

When it comes to “Star Wars,” the longstanding debate on which is better, the prequel or the original trilogy, will rage on for a long, long time. The reality of it and the overwhelming response from audiences and critics alike will always paint the prequels in a much less favorable light.

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What went wrong? The prequels had a stellar cast. The visuals were impressive. It referenced a lot the things that were seen in the original trilogy. It had the best marketing any film franchise could hope for. So what went wrong? Here are a few things people observed.

Lacking in a sense of adventure

Whereas the original trilogy showed Luke, Leia, Han, and the rest of the gang on an adventurous journey, constantly being hounded by Darth Vader and the Galactic Empire, the prequel trilogy just seemed too focused on politics and the character development of Anakin Skywalker.

A plunge in the importance of lightsabers

In the original trilogy, when the audience hears the unmistakable sound of a lightsaber being activated, they knew that something big was going down. In the prequel trilogy, lightsabers were activated as often as blasters being shot.

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Too much focus on one character, played by two bad actors

As mentioned earlier, the original trilogy had many interesting main characters aside from Luke, Leia, and Han. Lando was there, along with Chewy, Obi-Wan, Darth Vader, and Palpatine. The prequels devoted a huge chunk of the storytelling to developing Anakin into Darth Vader, leaving very little to the rest of the characters.

Wendy Eber eats, breathes and lives 'Star Wars,' and she has the fan fiction to prove it. More 'Star Wars' reads here.

Three Things We’re Dying to See in Rogue One

After shattering dozens of box-office records in this galaxy with Episode VII: The Force Awakens, the Star Wars saga adds another dimension by going back in time to recount the events between Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Episode IV: A New Hope. Here are a three of things Star Wars fans can’t wait to see in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story this Christmas.

Jyn Erso
 Jyn Erso (played by Felicity Jones) will be the second female lead in a Star Wars movie after Rey (played by Daisy Ridley) in The Force Awakens. Judging from the trailers, Jyn Erso plays a hard-nosed youth who finds herself smack in the middle of the rebellion. There are many interesting rumors surrounding Jyn and how she impacts the rest of the saga.

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Chirrut Imwe

The incomparable Donnie Yen finally makes an appearance in a Star Wars movie! His character is an interesting fellow – a blind man, skilled in fighting, living in a planet where materials to construct lightsabers are found. And yet, he isn’t a Jedi Knight or Master.

Image source: metro.co.uk

  
Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker
Arguably the greatest of all science-fiction villains returns as the saga’s big bad. Though it’s not clear at the moment just how Darth Vader will play into all of this, fans nonetheless will welcome seeing him after more than a decade. And with Rogue One being a chronological sequel of sorts to Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, fans will be sure to see Anakin Skywalker more broken than ever, still trying to come to terms with the death of his beloved.

Wendy Eber is a life-long Star Wars fanatic. She studies the saga in an academic setting, and has written some very interesting fan fiction based on that galaxy far, far away. For more discussion on Star Wars, read the blogs on this site.

I See What You Did There: Clever Star Wars References In Mass Media

Since the release of Star Wars on the big screen and following its several prequels and sequels, many fans of the film have made it a point to dot their own shows, games, movies or any other form of media with Star Wars "easter eggs". Much like Disney's knack for injecting past and future film characters across all their feature films, so are there hidden Star Wars jewels. Here are some notable examples.

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Star Trek

Even before J.J. Abrams was asked to direct The Force Awakens, he had already shown his love for the franchise. In the 2009 reboot of Star Trek, eagle-eyed fans caught sight of a familiar drone among the debris of the Starfleet floating past the USS Enterprise.

Final Fantasy

There have been plenty of releases for this game and they are not always connected but some have recurring character names like Biggs and Wedge. They are minor characters that always appear as a pair in some Final Fantasy titles. Aside from being an inseparable duo in the Square Enix games, they are also part of Luke Skywalker's Red Squadron in Episode 4.

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Indiana Jones

In Raiders of the Lost Ark, Stephen Spielberg planted two famous characters from the Star Wars universe into hieroglyphics. The bickering duo, C-3PO and R2-D2 make their appearance as carvings on the wall, just as Indiana Jones retrieves the Ark of the Covenant. In Temple of Doom, another easter egg makes way to the big screen; this time it’s an establishment called Club Obi Wan.

Hey there! I am Wendy Eber, cinephile and Star Wars geek. Learn more about the Force and the Dark Side by subscribing to my blog.

Sci fi Within Sci fi: The Nestled References Of Star Wars

It's no secret that “Star Wars” was inspired by countless other stories, including other science fiction shows. On occasion, however, you would see one idea or name that was less “inspiration” and more “shout out,” an occasional reference or connection.

Image source: starwars.com

The Foundation Series: The city-planet

Planets whose terrains are comprised entirely of cities are common in the franchise, prominent among them Coruscant, capital of the Republic and the Empire. The planet spanning city is not a new concept, and “Star Wars” appears to have borrowed this idea from Trantor, capital of the Empire from the “Foundation” series by the father of American sci-fi, Isaac Asimov. The main difference is that while both Trantor and Coruscant are completely paved over, Trantor is described as dominated by dome structures whereas Coruscant involves skyscrapers built on top of previous skyscrapers.

The Day the Earth Stood Still: The Nikto

The mark of this otherwise unrelated film is seen in the references to its iconic phrase “klaatu barada nikto.” It mainly appears in the “Legends” expanded universe, but is also represented in the present canon by Nikto, a culturally diverse species that commonly appears throughout “Star Wars” media.

Star Trek: Shared crew and chummy creators

Ah, our old nemesis (heh). While Star Wars and Star Trek co-influenced one another (and Star Trek itself was one of the many, many inspirations for Star Wars), they are widely different franchise themes and, as mentioned, it is common for people to notice that some Star Wars and Star Trek fans do not get along.

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This did not stop “Star Wars" and “Star Trek” production crews to be involved with one another. George Lucas himself is friends with William Shatner, who played the famous Captain Kirk in the series. Another Star Trek veteran, George Takei, also lent his voice to one of the Confederate villains in the second “Clone wars" television series. J.J. Abrams, the director and producer of the Star Trek films (yes, he's still with them) directed “The Force awakens.”

Wendy Eber, literary critic and lover of all things “Star Wars,” here. Follow me on Twitter for more on my thoughts, “Star Wars” related or otherwise.

The Philippine Lightsaber Guild: The Force is strong in Southeast Asia

The release of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” last year has widened the appeal of the film franchise to include not only diehard fans but new recruits as well. And “Star Wars” popularity is not only contained in the U.S. but has reached all corners of the world. In fact, in the Philippines, an island nation in Southeast Asia, there exists an organization that is devoted to all things “Star Wars.”

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The Philippine Lightsaber Guild is a nonprofit group founded by “Star Wars” enthusiasts. At present, the organization has 13 “temples” in different cities and provinces around the Philippines. Members of the guild meet on a monthly basis (some even more frequent), to teach each other the skills and values that come along with wielding a lightsaber. Most of the time, they go through rigid physical training, which serves as an intense aerobic workout with swords. One of the first major activities of the group was a gathering of some 200 “Star Wars” fanatics who, as expected, came with their lightsabers.

But it is not all about wielding the lightsaber for the guild members. The most recent event of the Philippine Lightsaber Guild is a month-long short film competition, which started last March 29. Five secret judges will review all video submissions about the theme “lightsaber drama.” Winners will be announced on “Star Wars” Day, which is held globally on May 4.

The Philippine Lightsaber Guild joins other groups that embrace the Force. One of the most renowned groups is the Empire Saber Guild, the New York chapter of the Lucasfilm-recognized international “Star Wars” costuming and performance organization, Saber Guild. Incidentally, the Philippine Lightsaber Guild is the third lightsaber group to come out of the country. The previous two groups, Saber Suicide Squad, and The Saber Authority were more oriented on the martial arts aspect of lightsaber fighting.

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Wendy Eber is a ‘Star Wars’ superfan. She is also writes fan fiction about a droid named Eber-CT. Follow her on Facebook for more on her tales about a galaxy far, far away.

The Hollywood Force: Celebrities who are Star Wars Fans

Many Star Wars fans freaked out with the release of the latest movie, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” and it seems that the hype won’t die down any time soon. Here are some of Hollywood’s brightest stars that have joined the force.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

JGL proved he’s more than just a pretty face when he dressed up as Yoda, DIY costume, in the red carpet premiere of the latest Star Wars movie.  

Cara Delevigne

Supermodel Cara Delevigne sported a Jabba the Hutt costume on a local theater to watch the movie in character and in style.  

Daniel Radcliffe

Harry Potter is a fan of Star Wars! He admittedly stated that he’s new to the force, and that he’s making a big catch-up. To make up for lost time, he reportedly crashed the filming of “The Force Awakens.” He is also a good friend of Adam Driver who plays Kylo Ren.

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Benedict Cumberbatch

Cumberbatch is a big Star Wars fan, and does crazy Chewbacca and Jar Jar Binks impersonations. He also visited the Episode VII set and hung out with the stars.  

Image source: mirror.co.uk

Anna Kendrick

Kendrick is a fan of anything sci-fi. She geeked out on Twitter when the Episode VII trailer came out. She also spazzed over meeting the original Princess Leia, Carrie Fisher.

I’m Wendy Eber, a teacher, fan fic writer, and a Star Wars fanatic. To express my devotion for the Star Wars franchise, I wrote about a droid named CT-Eber. Follow me on Facebook for all things Star Wars.