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Episode I Episode II Episode III
Episode IV
Episode V
Episode VI Star Wars Clone Wars
The Animated series from Comedy Central here is information about Clone Wars Created by Genndy
Tartakovsky. These 20 episodes, which played on the
Cartoon Network, Available on DVD can be viewed as a
seamless 69-minute whole or as individual chapters. DVD features
include two commentary tracks, a making-of featurette, video game and Episode
III trailers, and an Xbox playable demo of the stealth game Republic
Commando. If you're a fan who can't wait for Episode III, Clone Wars is
essential viewing. _____________________________________________ General Grievous
The New Bad Guy in Episode III. Read
all about him here _____________________________________________ Star Wars Trilogy DVD "A long time ago, in a galaxy
far, far away..."
_____________________________________________ Star Wars is a series of science fantasy films
created by writer/producer/director George Lucas. The six-film series began
in 1977 with the release of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, and has since become a pop culture
phenomenon, spawning a major franchise of films, books, video games,
television series, and other merchandising spin-offs. In 2005, Forbes
Magazine estimated the overall revenue generated by the entire Star Wars
franchise (over the course of it's 28-year history)
at nearly US$20 billion, easily making it the most successful film franchise
ever. The Star
Wars story employs archetypal motifs common to both science fiction and
classical mythology. It is an excellent example of the space opera sub-genre
of science fiction. Spoiler
warning: Plot and/or ending details follow. The only clue
given to indicate the time setting of Star Wars is the line that opens
each film: "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...". This is an allusion to the classic fairy tale line
"Once upon a time, in a faraway land...", and other variations
thereof. It may reflect that the films are to be interpreted as myths of the
future, as opposed to literally meaning the events take place in the past.
Lucas himself intentionally left the details open to interpretation. Although it is
unclear when the stories take place, the scope of the entire Star Wars
fiction covers over 25,000 years, with the film series spanning only two
generations. As far as
location, all of the characters of Star Wars come from the same galaxy
(except a race called Yuuzhan
Vong, introduced in a novel series dubbed New Jedi Order). A lot of the
movies "hover" around Coruscant. Unlike traditional science fiction
films preceding it, the Star Wars world, particularly of the original
trilogy era, is portrayed as dirty and grimy rather than sleek and
futuristic. In interviews, Lucas tells of rubbing the new props with dirt to
make them look weatherworn, a concept he refers to as "a used
future." He may have been inspired by Sergio Leone, whose 1960s films
performed a similar function for the Western genre. This break from traditional
science fiction films may have influenced the cyberpunk genre that emerged
around 1984. An example of this might be the movie Blade Runner, which also
spawned off a game.
Ratings are Motion Picture Association of America. Episodes I,
II, and III chronicle Anakin
Skywalker's rise as a gifted young Jedi and his
eventual fall to the Dark Side of the Force as Darth
Vader, under the influence of the evil Sith
Lord Darth Sidious. Sidious
manipulates the Trade Federation into invading and occupying Naboo and
secretly orchestrates the Clone
Wars, a conflict between the Episodes IV,
V, and VI center on Anakin's son, Luke
Skywalker. Restless for adventure, Luke joins
the ragtag Rebel Alliance in its struggle to overthrow the evil Empire. He
trains to become a Jedi like his father, whom he believes was killed by Darth
Vader, and is profoundly shaken upon learning that his father is actually
Darth Vader himself. Luke successfully resists the efforts of Vader and the
Emperor to turn him to the Dark Side; instead, he turns his father back to
the Light Side while the Rebel Alliance fleet scores a decisive victory to
end the war. The first film
released in the series, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, has been
selected to The National Film Registry of the Library of Congress. It was
originally titled Star Wars without an episode number; it works as a
standalone story, although Lucas claims it was always intended to be a part
of a larger saga. After it's popularity boomed, the
episode number was added and it was followed by Star Wars Episode V: The
Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. Together
these three films are known as the "Original Trilogy." After a
hiatus of sixteen years, Lucas followed up with the "prequel
trilogy" of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Star Wars
Episode II: Attack of the Clones, and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge
of the Sith. Creation of Star Wars and production of
the films It all started
with a concept, back in the early 1970s, by George Lucas.
George Lucas
originally wanted to make a film of Flash Gordon but the rights were owned by
Dino de Laurentiis and he decided that it would be
cheaper to make up his own characters. Much of the plot and characterizations
were borrowed from the 1958 Japanese film The Hidden Fortress starring
Toshiro Mifune and directed by the famed Akira
Kurosawa. Lucas had gone through several revisions, which helped provide
plenty of material for the subsequent films. There were countless problems
during the filming, and the majority of critics and movie goers never
expected the film would achieve the measure of success it did. The first film
was released in 1977, and its novelization hit the shelves a year earlier.
The sixth and final Star Wars film, Episode III, was released on Lucas
originally wrote the script for the first three movies as one film, but later
decided to divide it into episodes. He also wrote a back story to help him
understand the relations between Vader, Luke, and Obi-Wan. He used this story
as a guide when he wrote Episodes 1 to 3 in the late 1990's and early 2000's.
There is much rumor and myth concerning a supposed third trilogy concerning
the fall of the Galactic Empire and the rise of the Episodes IV,
V, and VI were shot at, among other locations, Elstree Studios, in
Han Solo and
Jabba the Hutt in Episode IV's Special Edition George Lucas
has tinkered repeatedly with the original trilogy. Episodes IV through VI
were remastered and re-released (both theatrically
and on VHS) during 1997, and again on DVD in September 2004. The films
underwent extensive clean-up and restoration work, and Lucas took advantage
of this opportunity to make a number of changes. In a September 2004
interview with AP, he explains his reasons for the changes: To me, the
special edition ones are the films I wanted to make. Anybody that makes films
knows the film is never finished. It's abandoned or it's ripped out of your
hands, and it's thrown into the marketplace, never finished. ... Most
artists, most painters, even composers would want to come back and redo their
work now. They've got a new perspective on it, they've got more resources,
they have better technology, and they can fix or finish the things that were
never done. ... I wanted to
actually finish the film the way it was meant to be when I was originally
doing it. At the beginning, people went, "Don't you like it?" I
said, "Well, the film only came out to be 25 or 30 percent of what I
wanted it to be." ... If you read any
interviews for about an eight- or nine-year period there, it was all about
how disappointed I was and how unhappy I was and what a dismal experience it
was. You know, it's too bad you need to get kind of half a job done and never
get to finish it. So this was my chance to finish it. Some of the
changes are cosmetic, such as adding new special effects which weren't
possible with previous technology. Other changes affect plot or character
development. For example, one of the more controversial of the changes is
known by fans as "Han shot first": in the original release
of the 1977 film, Han sits at a bartable with an
alien named Greedo, a bounty hunter looking to cash in on the bounty placed
on Solo by the gangster Jabba
the Hutt, to whom Han owes money. Han casually
shoots and kills Greedo. In the 1997 re-release this scene has been changed
so that Greedo shoots first (and misses terribly) and Han's shot is clearly
in self-defense. After fan outcry that this ruins the introduction of Han as
a rogue, the 2004 DVD release of the film edits the scene so that both
characters fire at almost the same time. Another
derided alteration was made to a scene at the very end of Episode VI, when
the spirits of Obi-Wan
Kenobi, Yoda and Anakin
Skywalker look onto the Rebels' celebration. Anakin's
face was changed to that of Hayden Christensen, the Canadian actor who played
Anakin in Episodes II and III. Some reviewers agree that this was a clumsy
change which sacrifices continuity and the thematic element of redemption, in
an attempt at cosmetically tying the films together. The re-release
changes are a point of contention among fans, many claiming that they taint
the movies. The fans' ire is increased by the impossibility of legally
obtaining DVDs of the original releases. Ironically, Lucas testified before
the U.S. Congress in opposition to colorizing black and white films (a
position he has reiterated as recently as August 2004). Many fans see this
attitude as hypocritical, others argue that the
types of alterations Lucas is opposed to are done without the consent of the
artists involved in the original production, as opposed to changes he made to
his own films. At a ShoWest convention, George Lucas demonstrated new
technology and stated that he is going to release all six movies in 3-D. The original
versions of the classical three films are loved by many. Numerous fans of the
series wish to see the original, theatrical versions of the films released,
in addition to the already released versions that have been tinkered with.
The three films of the Original Trilogy are sometimes referred to (initially
by Kevin Smith) as the "Holy Trilogy" Mostly ancient
mythology, philosophy and even a bit of religion. Many of the themes
within Star Wars reflect elements of Greek tragedy, Roman mythology, and
Japanese chambara such as the prominence of prophecy and the inability to
control one's destiny. For example, Luke's relationship with his father shows
evidence of influence from Greek tragedy. Another example occurs as Anakin
Skywalker causes the death of his wife Padme
Amidala through his actions in trying to save
her. The Star
Wars films also show considerable similarity to Asian Wuxia "Kung
Fu" films. In films of this genre, the protagonist almost always begins
with a clear objective to avenge the death of someone dear (an old master,
his father, or his entire family). Starting as an apprentice, he grows to
become the most powerful Master of his art in Kung Fu and rightfully settles
old scores inflicted to his loved ones. The influence of Japanese pathos is
obvious in the technique of the lightsaber being similar to the use of the
Japanese Samurai swords, and the etiquette-conscious Jedi humility to the
Japanese bows in greetings. The Jedi also live by a code of conduct and
battle similar to the Samurai Code (or Bushido) as well as providing
protection without being soldiers for a particular Nation or Government.
Lucas has stated that his intention was to create in Star Wars a
modern mythology based on the studies of his friend and mentor Joseph
Campbell. He has also called the first movie's similarity to Akira Kurosawa's
film The Hidden Fortress an
"homage".
Yoda The essential
trademark of Star Wars' philosophy is its reliance on The Force. Star
Wars stresses the self-destructive nature of fear, anger, and hate,
summed up in Yoda's words ("Fear is the path to the dark side:
fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering"),
as well as placing one's feelings for certain people aside. For example, Luke
Skywalker is told to remain on Dagobah to
complete his training rather than rescue his friends from Cloud City, because
doing so will "destroy all for which they have fought and
suffered." This aligns
with the philosophy of most religions, which emphasize rational thought and
meditation as the path to enlightenment, as opposed to the "Dark
Side", of violent passion and emotion. It also aligns with secular
Enlightenment thought, based in reason (the light side) and passionate and
often violent pre-WWI romanticism (the dark side). Undoubtedly,
however, the strongest influence was the Taoist-philosophy. The Force is also
very similar to Qi. The practioners of Qi according to the Taoist annals can live upwards of 200
years. Many true taoist masters eventually became
"san" or spirit-like beings, immortals who
could partake and interact in the day-to-day earthly activities, not unlike
what Obi-Wan and Yoda became after their passing, in their tutorials with
Luke. Taoism emphasizes smooth flow of the Qi being the balance of the Ying
and Yang forces to all manifestations including the human anatomy and the
environment, again not unlike the duality of the Sith and Jedi being the dark
and light extremes of the Force. The sequel
started in Episode IV with the obvious cliché — Darth Vader in matte and
shiny black outfit, with Leia Organa in pristine white robes, alluding to the
concepts of Good versus Evil. With the exception of Anakin in the teenage
years in Episode II and III (Although one could arguably say that he was a
bit "destined" for the Sith, so maybe this does not count as an
exception to the rule) and Luke
Skywalker in Episode VI, black costumes seem to
be reserved exclusively for the darker Empire and its Emperor. Whether
intentional or not, the use of language was dramatized — the Empire minions
almost always spoke with British accents whilst most of the Rebels spoke
unadulterated American English. Likewise, all Imperial officers were
outfitted in tailor-cut Nazi-like uniforms, with the Rebels in looser and
more ascetic overalls. Technology Another
archetypal conflict in the series is between technology and nature.
Throughout the films, under-armed nature dwellers (Ewoks and Gungans) defeat
highly mechanized space ship-dwelling enemies. Many of these asymmetries are
between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance. For example, the rebels wear
clothing that match their environment (greens, browns or whites) while the Stormtroopers always wear white synthetic armor. The TIE
fighters are shown as impersonal swarms of metal while the X-wings are
individuals; a similar symmetry also exists between the faceless, armor-clad
Imperial Stormtroopers and their crisp, uniformed
officers, and the various individual members of the Rebel Alliance. More
recent examples can be seen in Star Wars Episode III:
Revenge of the Sith: Jedi Master Obi-Wan
Kenobi, mounted atop a lizard-like veractyl, pursues and combats the semi-mechanical General Grievous
mounted atop a one-wheeled mechanical vehicle; after the execution of Order
66, the somewhat inhuman Clone troopers are shown slaughtering a number of
Jedi characters without a second's thought, whose striking art design gives
them clear individuality. This concept emphasizes the general idea that
technology is in opposition to humanity. This site explains this theme and others in its
analysis of the writing of Star Wars. There seem to
be repeated elements amongst the Star Wars films (Lucas makes mention
of his fondness for repeating elements in several of the DVD audio
commentaries):
Splinter of
the Mind's Eye, 1978 The Expanded
Universe refers to all of the officially licensed Star Wars
material outside of the two trilogies, including books, comics, games, and
other forms of media. The Expanded Universe expands on and continues the
stories told in the six films. The Expanded Universe has taken place anywhere
from 25,000 years before The Phantom Menace to 26 years after Return
of the Jedi. The Expanded Universe material has been portayed
before, during, between, or after a film or films. Works of the Expanded
Universe are not written by George Lucas himself, but by other authors. These
authors' stories are then approved by Lucas as part of the overall official
Star Wars continuity and are deemed canon. The Expanded Universe officially
began with Alan Dean Foster's 1978 Star Wars spin-off novel, Splinter of
the Mind's Eye. George Lucas
has chosen to personally concentrate on his films rather than Expanded
Universe material, but he retains ultimate creative control over the Star
Wars universe. Therefore, Lucasfilm Licensing must devote considerable
effort to ensuring continuity between various authors' works and Lucas's
films. Occasionally, elements from the Expanded Universe are adopted into the
highest tier of Star Wars canon: the movies (e.g., the name of the planet
Coruscant first appeared in Timothy Zahn's novel Heir
to the Empire). Some purists reject the Expanded Universe, believing that
only the events in the film series are part of the "real" Star
Wars universe. However most
of the events in the EU are controlled by the publishers and ultimately by
George Lucas. The death of cetnral characters and
such must at first pass his screening before authors are given the go-ahead.
The Expanded Universe now numbers several hundred books, most of which are
decent sized novels. While most are either single,dual or triology style
books written by the same author, publisher Bantam has recently orchestrated
the New Jedi Order series, a massive colelction of
19 books written by various authors. Since the
premiere of the Star Wars saga, there have been a handful of
officially sanctioned parodies and Expanded Universe live-action productions: A two-hour
television special which aired during the 1978 holiday season. In it,
Chewbacca, accompanied by his loyal friend, Han Solo, must return to
Chewbacca's home planet of Kashyyyk (pronounced cash-eek) for Chewbacca to
celebrate Life Day with his family of Mala, Itchy,
and Lumpy. They all run into trouble with The Empire, though, which is making
the endeavor difficult. The Empire is searching for Rebels on Kashyyyk.
Throughout the special, numorous TV and Music stars
of the late 70's made an appearance in variety show-type acts. The show was
greatly anticipated by fans, but then was just as greatly reviled due to its
meager plot, lack of action, and nonsensical musical numbers. It is
significant for introducing bounty hunter Boba Fett. Lucas has suppressed
re-release of the material.
Caravan of
Courage centers on a family marooned on the forest moon of Endor. The family, known as the 'Towani' family,
are separated when their shuttlecraft crashes on Endor. While the
parents are soon captured by the giant known as the Gorax, Mace and Cindel, the son and daughter, are missing. When the Ewoks
discover the Towani children in the remnants of the
shuttlecraft, it becomes clear that the children must establish trust with
them in order to embark with them on an adventure to rescue their parents.
In The Battle
For Endor, an army of Marauders, led by King Terak
and the witch Charal, attack the Ewok village. Cindel and Wicket escape into the forest, where they meek
Teek and Noa. They must
befriend Noa in order to team up to defeat the
Marauders.
A 24-minute
fictional mockumentary-style movie, focusing on
Warwick Davis's decision to become an actor and act as Wicket in Star Wars Episode VI: Return
of the Jedi. The show starts out with
Warwick trying to decide what to do in life, and as he becomes Wicket, he
searches the sets of the feature film and interacts with the characters until
he finally finds where he needs to be and "becomes" Wicket.
A 20-minute mockumentary-style movie, focusing on the "true"
story of R2-D2's life. This was actually an alternate, made-for-fun movie by
some of the crew of Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. This
was, unlike the other made-for-fun mockumentary,
released on DVD.
A
Lucasfilm-sponsored contest of short films, known as "FanFilms," made by Star Wars fans about,
referencing, and parodying the Star Wars saga.
A multimedia
project created by Lucasfilm in order to test the market for later Star Wars
film releases. This wasn't an actual film, but very close to it. The project
consisted of a novel, comic book, sound track, video game, concept art,
action figures, and so on. The story was set between the events of The
Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. See also: List of Star Wars books Star Wars-based fiction predates the release of
the first movie, with the 1976 novelization of "A New Hope"
(written by Alan Dean Foster but credited to George Lucas). However, Foster's
1978 novel, Splinter of the Mind's Eye, was the first EU work to be released. In addition to
filling in the time between the movies, this additional content greatly
expands the Star Wars timeline before and after the film series. Star Wars fiction flourished during the time of
the original series (1977-1983), but slowed to a trickle afterwards. In 1991,
however, Timothy Zahn's celebrated Thrawn Trilogy debuted, sparking a new interest in the Star
Wars universe that gained momentum with the releases of the special
editions and new films beginning in the late 1990s. Other notable books
include The X-Wing Series, by Michael A. Stackpole,
and the New Jedi Order series, by various authors. Another series of
books is the Young Jedi Knights, by Kevin J Anderson, which follow the
adventures of Jacen and Jaina
Solo and their friends. |
The Phantom
Menace Attack of the
Clones Revenge of the
Sith Star Wars (A The Empire
Strikes Back Return of the
Jedi Whats new in ROTJ Special Edition Star Wars Fonts |
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