Your Own Theme Music

This is a short blog post on a type of music I have really gotten into over the past few years - epic music. You may have noticed in trailers for video games and movies that the background music is different from what might be on the actual official soundtrack. A perfect example of this is the music to the trailer for Inception. The incredible work is *not* done by Hans Zimmer, even though he did the soundtrack. It was written by Zack Hemsey and you can find the song, Mind Heist, on You Tube.

The song that started this all for me was Immediate's Darkness on the Edge of Power. Follow the link and listen to it now. This will give you an idea of what I am talking about! What I love about this is that you can listen to it while working, driving, household chores, or any mundane task and it adds an element of significance and drama to what you are doing. It helps me to focus and work more efficiently - especially those mind-numbing repetitive tasks you just have to do.

I imagine most of these musicians and fans, such as me, can trace their interest in this style of music to the seminal works of John Williams. So there is your Star Wars tie-in to this blog!

You Tube has a huge selection of epic music to listen to with a simple search. The musicians for this whole sub-genre of music have started releasing "public" albums of their works. They are amazing and you should buy them on Amazon and iTunes! Here are my top choices, ranked in order:

Invincible by Two Steps From Hell
This "group", which I think has a lousy name, is probably the best of any of the epic music musicians. This particular album has wall-to-wall greatness. My favorite is Velocitron.

Illusions by Thomas Bergersen
This album is by one of the members of Two Steps From Hell. There is not a single bad track on this album either. It is hard to pick my favorite, but I'd say Immortal and Rada are my top two.

Trailerhead: Saga by Immediate
This album has my first favorite, Darkness on the Edge of Power, which I mentioned earlier. It is hard ranking this album only third, but I'd say these top three are all "must buys".

I would also recommend any of the soundtracks by Hans Zimmer. He is an amazing talent. Two Steps From Hell has several other albums out as well (check out Aesir from Archangel), which I would recommend. But I hesitate a bit with SkyWorld. There are a few vocal tracks on that album that just don't fit and one of them is just plain bad.

Immediate also has several albums out that are all great. Take a listen to How to Control the Dream from Trailerhead: Triumph and The Reluctant Warrior from the original Trailerhead.

Lastly, I will mention Globus, which has some great choral type of music. My personal favorite of their's is Preliator. It sounds like a martialing of an army heading to a decisive battle.

Oh, I forgot to mention that the albums have 20+ tracks and if you get the MP3 version it is only nine or ten bucks - a fantastic bargain!

Threads: Luke Skywalker

I am starting up a new series of blog posts that studies the story threads left available that could tie to Episode VII. The announcement that the prior EU is firmly not canonical has now opened up the future beyond Return of the Jedi to almost limitless possibilities.

What I will attempt to do here is look exclusively at the Story Group canon - the six films and the Clone Wars series - and see what are the plausible trajectories a specific character might follow, leading into Episode VII. Let's start with the principle hero from the original trilogy, shall we?

How Does Luke Continue to Grow in His Knowledge of the Force?

"No more training do you require. Already know that what you need."

One aspect of Luke we don't see in the OT movies is how he learns more about being a Jedi without a teacher. For example, we don't know how Luke learned to move objects when we see him get his lightsaber to defend himself against the Wampa on Hoth.

Is ghost Obi Wan instructing him? I tend to think not because he only appears to Luke when he is on the verge of collapse and it was just a faint image - the first time we have seen Obi Wan since the Death Star. Some theorize that Obi Wan's Force ghost appears more strongly to Luke as he himself becomes a more powerful Jedi. Other potential sources of training could be holocrons, which was an EU creation but canonized in the Clone Wars. Also there could be Force sensitive people out there who are not Jedi but have an affinity towards those type of beliefs. I think of it like the Clone Wars Nightsisters, but good instead if evil. 

This question training is one of the chief reasons why I want to read Kevin Hearne's Heir to the Jedi when it comes out next March. It will be a canonical book so we should hopefully get some answers from this. This factoid can be a major factor in determining the trajectory of Luke's story. 

I wonder, after Return of the Jedi, if the ghostly triumvirate of Anakin, Yoda, and Obi Wan will continue to exist and give Luke council over the years leading up to Episode VII. Over the course of developing the original trilogy, Lucas toyed with the idea of having the ghost of Obi Wan disappear and merge into what is now called the Cosmic Force. Will that have happened when we see the sequel trilogy?

Does Luke Reestablish the Jedi Order?

"Luke, when gone am I, the last of the Jedi will you be. Pass on what you have learned."

The EU assumed Luke would follow Yoda's request to pass this knowledge on by recreating the Jedi Order. They had him traveling around the galaxy looking for force sensitives to join him at his court of Camelot. Oops, sorry, wrong franchise. 

Seriously though, this may not be necessarily the case. If we consider Luke's actions in Return of the Jedi, we see him reject both Yoda's and Obi Wan's instructions to kill Darth Vader. Now that know what happens in the prequels and the Clone Wars, we see how the Jedi Order became corrupt and deceived. They were generals of a slave army to ensure star systems don't try to become independent. They were aggressive. They killed people. They did not embrace what Yoda would later instruct Luke that the Force was for knowledge and defence, never for attack. 

It is clear that the Yoda of the OT is different than the Yoda of the PT. The difference? Qui Gon Jinn's instruction from beyond. So in some ways we shouldn't be surprised that Luke took a different path. I contend that Yoda and Obi Wan's instruction to kill Vader was Clone Wars era thinking. They did not believe someone could be turned back to light. This is understandable because all Jedi saw attachment, and therefore strong relationships, as a bad thing that led to selfish behavior and ultimately to the dark side.

Yet what does Luke do? First, he senses good in Vader which apparently no one else (Yoda, Obi Wan, even Sidious) could either see or truly consider possible. Second, even though Luke clearly has attachment to his father and his sister, he chooses to sacrifice himself as a Jedi rather than succumb to the dark side. The Emperor did not see that coming! Lastly, Luke redeems his father and turns him back to the light by appealing to their attachment of father and son. Had Luke followed the ways of the Jedi Order, he would have failed and the Emperor would have triumphed.

I can imagine Luke researching the past of the Jedi Order with all the resources available on Coruscant and the core worlds and not like what he saw. Kyle Newman, director of Fan Boys and regular contributor to the fantastic podcast, Rebel Force Radio, has stated his belief that Luke would *not* reestablish the order. He thinks Luke will become essentially a hermit, like Yoda. I don't think that is will be the case. I think he will create some kind of Jedi organization, but not in the same form as we have been accustomed to seeing them.

Will Luke Become a Force Ghost When He Dies?

This is something I think most fans from the OT generation, like myself, have always assumed. Prior to the prequels, we thought all Jedi lived on after death in these ghost forms. Now we know that it is incredibly rare in the history of the Jedi - practically unheard of! Should we assume that the ghostly triumvirate will teach Luke this ability? Will they be allowed to do so?

Our last look at Luke Skywalker in the films shows him seeing the force ghosts of Yoda, Obi Wan, and his father as they celebrate their victory over the Emperor. We now know, thanks to the prequels and the Clone Wars, that these three are the only Jedi in the universe who can exist like this (one could argue for Qui-Gon Jinn if you want to be technical). 

How did these Jedi gain such knowledge? They were taught from beyond by Qui-Gon, under permission of the priestesses as shown in the Yoda arc for Season 6. Yoda was allowed to be taught because of the imbalance of the Force - that the light side cannot be allowed to be extinguished. But now with Vader redeemed and the Emperor gone, will the special ability still be taught? Will these Force ghosts even still exist or will they fade away into the Cosmic Force?

Will Luke still have these teachers?

Star Wars Day in Review

Well another Star Wars Day is in the books. I must say it is becoming a bigger deal each year. Of course having a slew of movies coming out, with casting announcements less than a week old, and a new television series on the way, does not hurt either!

In terms of news there really wasn't any great revelation. But with bombshells like the EU reboot and the Episode VII casting announcement, it is hard to top that! It was nice getting the full trailer for Rebels. It looks like a great show! I'm really looking forward to it. 

I think part of the issue was that the 4th was on a Sunday this year. Apparently that is not a good day in Hollywood to do major promotion work. I'm pleasantly surprised by this. 

It was awesome getting a short video from J.J. and Lawrence Kasdan wishing everyone a happy SW day! I loved seeing all the celebrities, from Wil Wheaton to Samuel L. Jackson, to new celeb John Boyega get into the spirit of things via Twitter and Facebook. 

There were some great shopping deals this year. Last year I got the enormous Blueprints hardcover book for a fantastic price plus a tee shirt from We Love Fine that has the Boba Fett logo on it. It is a pretty obscure SW reference and I have yet to meet someone who recognizes it outright. Quite a few think it is a Fender reference, given the "F" shape in it.

Well there were a lot more tee shirt options this year! I was disappointed in TeeFury's offerings this year - there were two - one was boring and the other just weird (a psychedelic Yoda). Fortunately We Love Fine had a great selection. I spent quite a bit of time yesterday studying the shirts. I like ones that have subtle references and are styled in a unique way. I picked out two but waited to order them on May 4th since it was 25% off. 

One thing I missed out on was the free May the Fourth pin over at Think Geek. You only had to spend $20 to get it. I put it off to tomorrow and they sold out. At least they still had the 20% deal for Star Wars merchandise. 

Lastly, over on Amazon I got a few graphic novels on Kindle. I'm not a huge comic book reader and the EU reboot makes this not as important reading, but 90% off is too good to pass up for some titles. 

Anyway, all in all it was a great Star Wars Day!

Star Wars Day 2014

Here is a quick summary of the happenings & shopping deals for Sunday, May the 4th!

HAPPENINGS

• Disney Channel - New Yoda Chronicles episode (May 4, 7 p.m. ET/PT)
• Disney Channel - Premier of full Star Wars Rebels trailers (during Yoda Chronicles)
• Star Wars Journeys: The Phantom Menace iOSApp - Released 

SHOPPING DEALS

Here are the best deals, in my opinion:

• Think Geek - 20% off SW merch plus a free pin when you spend just $20! (now through May 5, ends midnight Eastern Time)
• Mimoco Flash Drives - These used to be very expensive, but the prices have come down considerably. (May 4 Only, ends midnight Pacific Time)
• We Love Fine - These are high quality T-Shirts. I got a Boba Fett logo one during last year's Star Wars Day and I still love it! 25% off makes this an especially good deal. (May 4 Only, ends midnight Pacific Time)
• Disney Store - The don't have a huge selection of Star Wars stuff yet, but there are a few nice T-shirts there that I like. Good prices! (now through May 18)

Here is a more comprehensive list:

• Amazon - exclusive, official Star Wars Rebels t-shirts (available through May 10)
• Disney Store - Free pin if you happen to be one of the first 100
• Gamestop - Sweepstakes
• Hallmark - Free e-card
• Hallmark - 20% off personalized Star Wars Cards
• Hallmark - Prize packages (valid through May 5)
• Lego Stores - Free poster with any Lego Star Wars purchase in-store (May 3-5)
• Lego.Com - Free Lego Darth Revan minifig if you spend $75+ online (May 3-5)
• 15% off Star Wars M&M candy items (through May 4)
• Party City - 50% off Star Wars tableware
• Pottery Barn Kids - 20% off Star Wars items + free gift
• Sideshow Collectibles - sweepstakes for Vader bust
• MyCoolCarStuff - 50% Star Wars items, like this awesome sunshade!
• Star Wars Pinball for iOS - free (May 4)

Be sure to check out the official Star Wars page for all the latest information!

This deal's getting better all the time!

Verily, A New Hope (Book Review)

I love Shakespeare. One of my favorite classes in high school was an English class focusing exclusively on the bard and his plays. We studied Hamlet thoroughly in the lead up to the film release of the play starring Mel Gibson (yes I am old). I'll never forget the time when we had a class field trip to see the movie that as we were laughing at Shakespeare's jokes, I overheared a pair of elderly ladies trying to understand what was funny.

So when I heard of Shakespeare's Star Wars - it was a truly Reese's Peanut Butter Cup moment - chocolate and peanut butter? Awesome! Now having read the book, I must say author Ian Doescher delivered a fantastic work!

All of the hallmarks of a Shakespeare play are clearly evident even to the non-scholar like me:

• The play is in five acts
• There is minimal stage direction
• Rhyming couplets close each scene
• Characters have "asides" (what we call "breaking the fourth wall" now)
• Soliloquies (asides that are delivered alone on stage)
• Use of iambic pentameter

He references several of the tragedies, namely Hamlet, Romeo & Juliet, King Lear, and MacBeth. He also refers to several histories: Henry V, Richard III, and Julius Caesar. There is also a bit from As You Like It and even a few sonnets in there too!

But you can tell that Doescher is not just a Shakespeare fan but is truly a Star Wars fan as well. He didn't simply take the Episode IV script and shakespeare-ize it, he truly did an interpretation of it. There are extended scenes, like the tragic tale of stormtrooper TK-421 who correctly theorizes that the droids they are looking for are hidden the Falcon. His partner talks him out of it and they are called up the gangplank to give some help - and the rest is history!

He employs R2-D2 as a character like the Fool from King Lear in that he speaks truth but no one believes or understands him. This is done wonderfully when Artoo  has spoken "asides" in English.

...

In closing, I thought I would take a moment to describe what iambic pentameter is. Many people know that is how Shakespeare wrote his plays but few really understand what the heck this phrase means! Iamb means two syllables in a soft-STRESSED arrangement, such as "en-JOY". Pentameter means there should be five iambs in a line.

Here is an example of iambic pentameter:

I'd RATHer BE a HAMmer THAN a NAIL

Note though that Shakespeare did not exclusively use iambic pentameter in his plays. When it came to words spoken by characters of a lower social class, he would use regular prose instead. He would also sometimes intentionally break the rules of iambic pentameter: "to BE or NOT to BE that IS the QUESTion.". That last "-ion" is a weak ending that extends past the five iambs. The author, Ian Doescher, stated that even though he was much more rigorous in following iambic pentameter than Shakespeare ever was, he still has about a dozen lines that break this pattern in his book.

To learn more about Shakespeare and how Ian Doescher wrote this book, be sure to read the excellent Educator's Guide on the Random House website!