StarWars_IntroToTheForce

I've been on a journey in a galaxy far far... well you get the gist. As a kid growing up in the 90's/00's my more vivid memories of Star Wars were of my dad making it a serious point to see Episode 1,2,and 3 in theaters, since him and my mom remembered the magic and awe of seeing the originals as kids, huddled with siblings in the back seats of minivans with what I can only imagine the smell of stale cigarettes, hot dogs, and popcorn wafting through the air. We didn't ever have much growing up but my dad would have moments of fierce determination, scrounging money to afford taking my two siblings and myself to experience what he deemed "momentous occasions" and for all his flaws you really had to love him for it.

As a younger child I remembered watching the original Star Wars Trilogy on Betamax with my mom and uncle (and between us in a hushed whisper I absolutely hated them).

For anyone not old enough to remember this lost form on media I present the Betamax Tape

Maybe it was being forced to watch them in succession as a toddler, wondering when it would end and I would be freed of my shackles to watch my movies or maybe it was the in continuities of the films I was already very aware of as a child but I just could not understand the hype. I carried this bitter attitude with me into my teens when heading in to see the Prequel Trilogy.

My little brother was completely enthralled, my sister entertained, and I... well I liked the popcorn. I actually did enjoy portions of the film like the short lived underwater monster attacks, Darth Maul being one of the coolest villains I had ever seen (kudos to Ray Park), and how I shared in with everyone's collective crush on Natalie Portman (which started for me after having watched Leon The Professional at way too young an age, I know lots of "not cool bro" to unpack in that movie and I will in another blog but lets get back to the topic at hand) I liked the movie alright. After the movie came out critics and fans amassed to voice their displeasure in the film and characters, and maybe it's the dark side in me but their anger fueled me, I couldn't help but champion the films just to piss off every Star Wars fan friend I had (yes, I also tell people Tokyo Drift is by far the best Fast & Furious film in the franchise). At this point Star Wars just wasn't my thing and it remained under my radar for the next 25 years or so.

Ok maybe the fans had every right to talk shit #nightmarefuel

I continued living my life averting Star Wars conversations, thinking baby Yoda seemed cute (I now know his name is Grogu), and oblivious to the force. It wasn't until recently when my wife who loves Star Wars sat me down to "re-experience" the original films again, that I had much of an opinion of the franchise at all. Re-watching the films I started to understand the reason why so many fans had thrown themselves into the series fandom, but the incontinuities still bothered me, almost as much as the CGI upgrades of the original practical effects. By the way these "upgrades" have soft nudged my want to start collecting Laser Discs to experience the original physical media glory of yester-year, so I'll keep everyone posted on if Laser Disc collecting gets added to what my wife calls my "ADHD Hobby Rotation". Also, let me point out that I am not an absolute purist, I do understand that CGI can significantly enhance the quality of many films that otherwise may become long forgotten and discarded if left to exist in low grade physical form.

I will always stand 11 toes down on practical effects usage over CGI, this scene was strange

After watching the films with my wife I wanted more. I wanted to know how Darth Vader couldn't sense Yoda, Obi-Wan or a hint of his children, Leia literally had multiple prolonged close encounters with Darth Vader like ultimate bad father material. Not being recognized through the force by your father is worse than getting a birthday card from your estranged dad, 3 months late, with the wrong age and a $10.00 coupon for Hooters wings by far. On that note, why didn't Leia get more play in the films (other than the fact she was a female character in the 70's) she was like I have zero powers but I'm still that bitch! I'm standing against the Empire even though I have everything to lose and I'm gonna lead an Army. Also, how did someone with seemingly no powers survive so long. How did Luke not know Uncle Ben was a badass, or that Leia was his sister how did she not know so many questions....

"I actually hate Creed, Puddle of Mud, and all the other divorced dad rock you listen to I want mom to have full custody!"

Well as they say the force guides events subtly, I happened to be complaining about many of the questions that still plagued me. As much as I liked Star Wars I felt like it was a hodge-podge storyline written the morning before the essay was due. My complaints and questions happened to fall on the ears of a few wise and super nerdy coworkers who suggested I explore the EU (extended universe) of Star Wars novels. As a fan of listening to podcasts and audiobooks as I work, I scoured the reddit threads for a starting point and began my quest for knowledge.

Holy Shit! That's a lotta nuts! (Kung Pow: Enter the Fist 2002)

Apparently the EU is divided into two major categories "Canon" which is what the DIZ accepts to explain their productions within the franchise, and then there is "Legends" which is everything not accepted as doctrine for the franchise. As a lover of forbidden knowledge, unprovable myth, and the X-Files I obvious started with Legends because no one can tell me what to believe!

As you can see from the chronological list above, this is going to be a huge undertaking, but I am driven by my spite and fueled by my need to accomplish unnecessarily convoluted goals so here I am. Welcome to my introduction to the force, where I will be reading many novels, watching many hours of cinema, and collecting a few things along the way. May the force be with us all!