Mission statement

Star Wars: an epic film franchise that first began with "A New Hope" in 1977, although did it really begin then? Episode 1 - "A Phantom Menace" - was released over 20 years later as the batch of CGI prequels renewed interest in the Star Wars series, and there may even be more films to come. Star Wars is a hugely successful franchise, and has clearly captured the collective imagination. The archetypes and universal characters of the Star Wars world capture something deep in all of us. The philosophy of the Star Wars films is also very interesting, with the Jedi and the Sith representing polarities of experience. The Jedi philosophy is very related to Zen, and The Force is a direct reference to Zen and other eastern philosophies.

The premise of this blog is to showcase the many new innovations, inventions, artefacts and ideas that are inspired by the pop-culture phenomenon known as "Star Wars." It is amazing how many Star Wars-inspired things constantly pop up, and it doesn't seem like people can get enough. From Star Wars tattoos to Storm Trooper helmets and Darth Vaders made out of Lego, fans always find new ways to show their adoration. I for one am determined to get to the bottom of why our culture is so persistently fascinated by these films and the mythology surrounding them. This blog will explore and document the ongoing cultural fascination of the pop phenomenon known as "Star Wars".

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Chewie Chat

(link)

Chewbacca is not known for being a talkative Wookie, or whatever species he is. In fact, it is rumoured that the gnarling sounds that Chewbacca is famous for were produced by foley artists torturing a caged bear. However, we should not ignore the pivotal role of Chewie in the Star Wars movies as Han Solo's loyal sidekick. Now the internet has a fitting tribute to Chewie, as the cartoonist Doug Savage has produced a cartoon of all Chewbacca's dialogue from Star Wars. As you would expect, the dialogue is not in English or any known language, so the cartoon seems to be intended as some kind of joke, but to what end is not entirely clear.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Trek VS Wars - an update

The rivalry between Star Wars and Star Trek has recently been expressed through William Shatner and Carrie Fisher. I did an earlier post on the subject, and you can revisit it here. Now Mr Sulu AKA George Takei has given his input into the matter with a nice video and which he offers these wise words:
Fellow star folks, cool it down and shut your big wormholes! Each is wonderful in its own special way.
I agree, Shatner should shut up. Anyway, it's a cool video and Sulu is pretty funny. He wants to unite the two star camps against a common enemy: Twilight. I don't know what the star folks can do about the Twilight juggernaut, but it's a completely different type of movie. Who would you rather see: Princess Leia, Captain Kirk, or an emo Vampire?

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Star Wars Christmas

(Link)
It's almost Christmas, and who could forget that wonderful Star Wars Christmas Special starring Chewie and all his Wookie pals? Not to mention Bea Arthur's stunning performance, it was a very special festive sensation in all its kooky glory. As Adam Frucci says in his great post at Splitsider, it's a bit like a Tim and Eric episode; kind of surreal, goofy humour. Well here you can watch it again on Google Video and relive the magic!

Ninja Force Battle

A lone Jedi confronts an army of Sith ninjas in this amazing battle! Great fighting and Force action by Team2X! Love the ending!

Darth College Carol

The students at Algonquin College are studying hard for exams, when suddenly Darth Vader appears with a Santa hat and an electric guitar! He plays a few power chords and then conducts an array of disciples in a rousing rendition of 'Carol of the Bells'. See how he holds the entire library in his Force-Grip and shows that there truly is no limit to his power!

Friday, December 9, 2011

Cello Hello

Finally some high-class Star Wars references! This is an amazing video of Steven Sharp Nelson playing the Star Wars theme on cello. He plays both the Jedi and the Sith parts, and it's all acted out really real; completed with lightsabres for the cello bows of course, and lots of other cool action. I like it when Darth Vader turns up and starts playing Cantina Band on the accordian, and Chewbacca also features. Steven Sharp Nelson makes other videos as The Piano Guys, and he ends the video with some Jedi mind tricks and attempts at hypnosis to further The Piano Guys' Agenda.


The above was high-class, now the standard is very much lowered. There is this pretty dumb Youtube video response by MeganSpeaks, in which she asks whether you would rather be Jedi or Sith.


And this monstrocity from lovelliemain:

Star Wars Christmas

This is a pretty awesome home-made comedy video by a true Star-Wars fan. The story is great: while playing Skyrim, Francis is interrupted by his mum asking him if he wants to open some Christmas presents. Although Skyrim is an absorbing game and he seems to be quite a gamer, who could resist the lure of opening presents early? Not this guy, and it looks like this would be the only possible reason (besides necessities) that he'd willingly stop playing. See his eyes light up when she gives him two presents, which unwrap to reveal Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader lightsabres. When he is unwrapping one, he quite rightly says "This better not be that Qui Gon Jinn shit." Luckily it wasn't. The rest of the video consists of Francis going nuts and trying to duel his disabled brother, who is 'the worst Vader'.

This is actually, youtube user boogie2988 and he has a channel with a lot of videos and playlists. He does lots of videos playing this Francis character, but he also does serious videos. Even though this is meant to be funny and is scripted, only a Jedi could be this convincing..