I've on occasion gone on the excessive geekish rant that has to fall under the category of geekish just from the standpoint that it has something to do with Star Wars. Of course I know plenty of folks who don't fall under the "geek" category who love Star Wars as much, if not more than, I do. It's a bitter love-hate relationship.
I love The Empire Strikes Back, the second film and only one not directed by George Lucas (which speaks volumes in itself). It has an excellent story, a sad plot with lots of intense emotion, brings a greater understanding to the viewers the nature of the Force and what it means to be a Jedi, provides startling revelations to those who are not in the know (I was fortunate to see the film when it was first released in the theaters before my childhood friends could spoil the surprise for me), and is an all around amazing film.
The rest - could be better. Would certainly be better if not for the inclusion of annoyances such as Jabba the Hut getting his tail stepped on by Han Solo (in the DVD re-released edition), the Jar-Jar mess, the idiotic cartoon-like computer animated music performance in Jabba's palace prior to the entrance of Chewbacca and Princess Leia disguised as a Bounty Hunter (again in the DVD re-released edition), and the sensation that over 99% of the new Star Wars films (Epidodes I, II and III) feel as though they were filmed in front of a blue-screen so that everything else aside from the actors could be added with computers later, including static scenery.
So...there's a certain distaste in my mouth. I've never really even liked Luke - he's far too whiney for this one. I've been more of a fan of Han Solo - he's cool, has the badass spaceship, not to mention gets the girl.
And yet I have a distinct fascination with all things to do with being a Jedi.
What sucks is that as far as the films are concerned, if I want to know what it means to be a Jedi I only have the venerable and somewhat mad Yoda and the self-sacrificing aged Obi Wan Kenobi for reference in the original trilogy (Episodes IV, V and VI). Otherwise I have the stiff-as-board actors who were really not much more than George Lucas's puppets in Episodes I, II and III - or the creepy Anakin turning into Darth Vader, or the way over-the-top Senator Palpatine, especially after he becomes the Emporer. In short - there's not a whole lot to go on other than don't stray toward the Dark Side, use the Force, concentrate, the Force is for knowledge and defense, never for attack, size matters not, and you must unlearn what you have learned.
If you want to know more you need to delve into other aspects of the Star Wars universe, preferably those areas that have not been directly tainted with George Lucas's influence (yes, I have to give the man props for creating the universe, however with his success he has become like an evil God who ruins whatever he touches within his creation). Those areas are novels and comic books continuing the story of the film characters following The Return of the Jedi, and also novels and comic books of what came before.
Most notably there are video games, and perhaps the best of those are Knights of the Old Republic, and its sequel - Knights of the Old Republic 2. I bring these games up because even now, on modern computer systems, these games are still excellent in terms of graphics, gameplay, story and entertainment. Furthermore, they help expand the understanding of what it means to be a Jedi, or a Sith, within the Star Wars universe.
So I'm a wee bit excited over the upcoming MMORPG: Star Wars - The Old Republic. I'm not a big fan of MMORPGs in general, although I have found Star Trek Online to be far more entertaining than others out there. I also need to mention that there already was an MMORPG released under the Star Wars name by EA, which has seen its share of ups and downs, and has managed to generate a massive amount of bad feelings. That Star Wars was based on the movies, however. This Star Wars is in the past, over a millenia before there was even the idea of an Anakin Skywalker or a Darth Vader.
The Old Republic has entered into Beta testing phase, and apparently there is already an overwhelming number of people clamoring for an opportunity to participate. The game is expected to release sometime in the Spring of 2011. I for one, am rather excited at the idea of getting another chance to get an idea of what it is like to be a Jedi. Jedi won't be the only characters people can create, however - there will be Sith of course, and also smugglers, soldiers, spys and the like.
If you have not yet had a chance to see the trailers, here's a couple for your viewing pleasure:
Deceived:
Hope:
