The Star Wars Holiday Special – A “What Christmas Means To Me” Reflection

I watched it.  I finally watched it.  The much-maligned, infamously lampooned Star Wars Holiday Special – the story George Lucas preferred to forget.  Debuting on 17 November 1978 on CBS, the story is set between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back.  It’s the very first appearance of Boba Fett!  Of Chewie’s family!  Of the Wookiee homeworld!  Despite these firsts, it was near-universally panned and the special was never rebroadcast nor officially released on home video.  But after writing about the Guardians of the Galaxy and their Holiday Special, it seemed fitting to watch the original (thanks YouTube!) as the latest installment in my holiday series.  See, it’s Christmastime again, so ‘tis the season for me to read and watch a buncha Christmas specials and use them to reflect on what Christmas means to me just like Stevie Wonder does in the very song which inspired this series.  And, just like Stevie Wonder sings about, “All these things and more, darling (all these things and more) / That’s what Christmas means to me, my love,” Christmas means a lot of things to me, too.  It turns out The Star Wars Holiday Special is a surprisingly perfect example of an important one.

The Last Jedi and Star Wars’ Movement from Mythology to Folk Tale

When I came out of my first showing of The Last Jedi, I was ready to say I liked it.  By the time I exited my third showing of The Last Jedi, I was ready to say I really liked it.  I was still struggling to figure out where to place this film in my larger emotional and intellectual experience of the Star Wars Saga but I was able to say, as a film, The Last Jedi was well done.  I was not ready for the heatedly divisive storm that followed.  As someone who needed a year and a half to be able to like The Force Awakens, I certainly appreciate the pain many feel over this film.  I’m just a bit surprised, given reactions to The Force Awakens, this film caused such an uproar.  Anyway, I’m finally ready to delve into my thoughts and feelings on The Last Jedi.  Be warned MASSIVE SPOILERS WILL FOLLOW.  So if you haven’t seen it, I suggest you come back and read this once you have.

Star Wars ComLINKS – My Favorite Droid

As a loving tribute to the wonderful Kenny Baker, the man who brought Artoo to life in the Star Wars films, this month’s Star Wars ComLINKS is dedicated to the droids of the Star Wars Saga!  The ComLINKS assignment is to write about my favorite droid and reflect on exactly why they hold that special place in my heart.  I often write about how it takes me forever to settle on my topic for posts like these, be they ComLINKS or T5W.  But this time it took me all of 0.00004 seconds to know who I was writing about.

Shattered Empire…and Shattered Expectations

A year ago today, Marvel Comics released the first issue of the Star Wars: Shattered Empire miniseries.  It was an exciting and central piece of Disney’s “Journey to The Force Awakens” celebration.  With the old Expanded Universe of stories “thrown out,” this was our first look at the new Disney Canon’s version of what happened immediately after the Battle of Endor.  In the year that’s followed I’ve read seventy comics, eleven novels (five were YA), watched two full seasons of Star Wars: Rebels and (obviously!) seen The Force Awakens (a ridiculous nine times in theatres).  I’ve approached the Disney Canon excitedly, eager to see their new vision of a post-Return Of The Jedi universe…and, honestly, I’ve been disappointed.  For me, it’s not as good as the old EU.  I’m sad, a little frustrated, and (perhaps weirdly) still very hopeful. 

Darth Vader #24 – A Moving Masterpiece

I wasn’t planning to write this post.  I’m normally not one for single issue reviews or reflections.  But when I read Darth Vader #24 on Wednesday I did something I’ve never done with a comic…I immediately flipped to the front to read it again.  And since then, the story’s been bouncing around in my head.  I can’t stop thinking about it.  So I figured I’d write about it.  Don’t worry, if you haven’t read it, there’s spoiler protection.  And if you have (or are wild enough not to care about spoilers), I’ll reflect with detail on why the specifics of the issue are so important to me too. 

So…what’s Luke Skywalker been up to??

There’s no new post on My Comic Relief today as I’ve been writing a post for The Imperial Talker about Luke Skywalker!  That’s right, the Luke Skywalker!  I talk about his importance as a mythic hero as well as the questions his activities between Return Of The Jedi and The Force Awakens raise.  There’s discussion of the old Expanded Universe, the new Disney Canon, and all sorts of other awesomely nerdy stuff too.  So if you’re feeling like your day needs a little more Star Wars (and whose doesn’t??) or you’d like to ponder Luke’s role as mythic hero, or even if you’d just like a little of my usual reflective rambling, please head here.  Be warned, there are spoilers for The Force Awakens (which, c’mon, I’m sure you’ve already seen) as well as minor spoilers for the new novel Star Wars: Bloodlines – although nothing major about the novel’s plot is discussed, just asides where Luke’s mentioned.  I also talk about the final issue of last fall’s four issue comic miniseries Star Wars: Shattered Empire.  Enjoy!