Let’s start by wishing Star Wars: A New Hope a happy birthday. It was this day back in 1977 that the movie premiered to audiences everywhere. A space western at its core, few had dreamed that it would be the success it has been to this date, and would bring George Lucas to incredible fame, along with his band of characters. I remember being 12 when I first saw the movie. It was one of my first actually going to a theater by myself and I loved every minute of the adventure. Seeing the ships disappear in light speed on a full screen really was memorable for me. And after that, I had bought or gotten for Christmas, a whole lot of Star Wars games that I wanted. And even to this day, with all the other movies and TV shows out, I’m still fascinated. And I do think Lucas has earned his place among the greats like Walt Disney and Jim Henson as one of the most creative minds in the Universe.
Speaking of Disney, George Lucas was there to do the proverbial ribbon cutting for Star Tours II: The Adventures Continue. In a ceremony that could only take place in the deepest reaches of the galaxy or in a theme park in Orlando. Had to love the way he was introduced. Darth Vader was threatening to shut down the ride and mentioned about no one can stop him. That is when Lucas and Bob Iger, who is the head of the Walt Disney Company stepped out with light sabers in their hands. That is when Iger turned to Vader and said “Prepare to meet your maker.” Which we thought was pretty funny. The “show” was the typical Disney mayhem, only with Star Wars characters taking the lead. Lucas looked a bit tired. Perhaps it was all the rides he said he took on the new flight simulator attraction. Anthony Daniels, Dave Filoni (Director of Clone Wars), Ashley Eckstein, James Howard Taylor and Daniel Logan, who’s childhood picture would look much more familiar. Yes, it’s the young Boba Fett. For him, it must feel a bit bizarre, as he is rarely associated with the film. He looks like he has a better attitude though than Jake Lloyd on the issue, although his portrayal didn’t get near as much as pounding as the young Anakin.
It seems that if you run a TV show and your name is Seth, you may have a parody of Star Wars in your future. Or maybe not. But Seth MacFarlane’s Family Guy on Fox did for their last episode which they called It’s a Trap, after the famous line by Admiral Ackbar. Stewie Griffin reprises his role as the diminutive but just as evil Darth Vader, Brian plays Chewie, Peter as Han Solo, Lois as Princess Leia, Meg as Jabba and Chris as Luke. They say in the promo that it’s the third and last, but we doubt it. But if you want to see it, you can check it out on Hulu, but you may want to hurry since they only keep so many episodes. By the way, if you are wondering about the other Seth. It’s Seth Green of Robot Chicken who has done a few parodies themselves.
And that’s about all the news for today. Thanks for reading.
