Listener Mailbag: December 14, 2011

We've got thoughts on The Clone Wars, the top Star Wars events of 2011, and more in this week's Listener Mailbag!


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Hello Jason & Jimmy Mac,

I just caught the last part of your live ForceCast Listener Feedback show and I've got to side with the guy who called in about the Tantive IV. Like him I've always pronounced it like they do in the Radio Drama - Tan-Tiv-EE 4. I practically grew up listening to the Star Wars Radio Drama. My dad recorded the drama off the radio back when they were originally broadcast using an old reel to reel tape recorder (which he later transcribed to cassette tapes). Since there was no video release at that time it was the only way to re-live the movie and I listened to it over and over again. Because of that, to me it's always been the Tantive IV (with the "e" pronounced). I kind of think of it the same as 4-LOM. It's always been 4-LOM and not 4-L-O-M even though technically 4-L-O-M makes more sense since it's his robot designation (like C-3PO is See Threepio and not See Three Po).

Anyway, I just wanted to weigh in on that and also totally agree with Jimmy Mac and never call it the "Sundered Heart".

Thanks guys. Keep up the good work. You're the best podcast around about Star Wars or anything. May The Force Be With You... Always.

John Westfall
from Scott Depot, WV


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Here's what I think were the top Star Wars events in 2011.

1. Star Wars Saga on Blu-ray

By far this was the top star wars event in 2011! Being in the auditorium when this was announced at Star Wars Celebration V was my highlight from 2010. Getting to finally see these 6 films we all love so much in beautiful high definition was definitely the Highlight of 2011! Lucky for me I got them the night before they were actually supposed to be released and started my saga marathon early!

This was by far the TOP Star Wars story this year despite the "NOOOOOO" overreaction controversy! From the amazing deleted scenes (Qui-Gon returns, granny X-wing fighter pilot, etc.) to all the special features and documentaries, this set had it all! If you don't own this by now how can you call yourself a fan!?

2. The Clone Wars events - Savage Opress/Season 3 finale featuring Chewie/The Mortis trilogy/Krell arc

The Savage Oppress trilogy was DEFINITELY worthy of being on the big screen, unfortunately I had to wait to see this on the small screen. BUT it was so worth the wait, truly cinematic! The Mortis trilogy had been hyped as far back as Celebration V, it was finally revealed early last winter and in my opinion it did NOT disappoint! I mean we got to see Qui-Gon as a force ghost! Was he real? Hmm, I guess we shall have to wait & see. :) Seeing Chewie in The Clone Wars was a VERY cool addition, his interactions with Ahsoka brought back many OT feelings and it was a great way to end a VERY strong second half of Season 3. The Krell arc showed us that Anakin wasn’t the only Jedi that could go bad! This guy was brutal! Great arc!

3. Star Wars: The Old Republic PC game

The fastest selling game pre-order in history, selling out in mere minutes! This has to be amongst the top events of 2011. With its unofficial launch a mere week away, I for one am VERY excited! From what I've played so far in the beta, this is sure to impress millions of gamers and dissuade the naysayers. Whether it has the staying power is another question, but with its AMAZING voice overs (full of Clone Wars actors), fun gameplay, quick action, and innovative story telling, it has the potential to be one of the greatest MMOs out there! As a side note: Both the Revan and Deceived Old Republic novels were very well done also, and they help fill in the lore about the game.

4. Star Tours 2.0 relaunch

Although I've never been on either the 1.0 or 2.0 rides, the relaunch of Star Tours was definitely amongst the top events for 2011. From everything I've seen on YouTube of the ride it looks pretty phenomenal! The 3D is a great way to fully integrate the latest and greatest technology, perhaps I'll get to see it next year at C6. Speaking of which...

5. Celebration 6 announcement

The announcement of the return of Celebration back to Orlando and so soon after CV was a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one! Let the party begin next August in O'Lando! Hopefully, I'll get to go again and see you guys there!

6. Grand re-opening of Rancho Obi-Wan

At long last and well covered by the ForceCast, 2011 saw the grand reopening of the newly renovated and reorganized Rancho Obi-Wan, with plenty of coverage on the web, it was nice to see the inside of Rancho Obi-Wan and some of the renovations that Steve has had done! Man would I love to visit there one day! :) Id never want to leave!!

7. Vintage Ben Quadinaros

After seemingly years of campaigning by Kyle Newman, Hasbro is finally turning Ben Quadinaros into glorified plastic in the 3 3/4" scale! Petition for 2012: Next up, Kitster?? I'm sure Jimmy Mac would be pleased!

8. Star Wars: Detours TV show

Slowly but surely we are getting nuggets of information about the show, this year saw the title slip by none other than George? Hopefully 2012 sees some more solid info, including a release date! Even better would be the news that the live action show has been green lit for production! :) One can only hope, the scripts are on the shelf! So we’re part way there!

9. Official Star Wars site relaunch (for better or worse)

In my opinion a bit disappointing, I really miss a lot of the old features, including their databank and the Dave Filoni clone wars commentaries. Hopefully the features start to see their way back to the site soon!

10. Poor Hasbro distribution for Vintage 3 3/4"

By the end of 2010 I had all but given up on trying to track down vintage at the normal brick and mortar retail outlets. Instead I turned my focus to my local comic book stores and had them ordered in specially for me. Not only did I get them minty fresh, but also un-punched. If there was a few figures I wanted as openers I went to the other comic book stores in town and bought duplicates that way. Hopefully 2012 sees better distribution so that the modern vintage is easier to find then the actual original vintage.

Additional items of Note:

- Classic OT Tarkin showing up in the clone wars in the well done Citadel trilogy

- Cool VW Kid Vader using the force Super-Bowl commercial

- Episode 1 3D trailer (which I still have not seen yet)

- LEGO Star Wars: The Clone Wars

- The announcement of the return of Darth maul & the death watch in 2012 to the clone wars!

- TheForce.Net Holiday Special April fools' joke

- Collectors edition & Jedi journals crossover team up at SDCC, great job!

Personal item of note: Getting the Sideshow 1/6th scale Dagobah environment - Yoda's hut! Love this thing! See my attached pics.




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I was playing trivia at Pizza Capri in Woodstock, GA and saw this awesome neon bar sign.

Billy Dee Approved!

Bill


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ForceCast,

While I regularly enjoy the ForceCast and The Clone Wars Roundtable discussions there has been an ongoing matter of some irritation to me which I feel that I must address.

I understand that there remains a great deal of latent hostility directed towards the Gungans making them the natural target for all complaints about the Star Wars setting, nevertheless I feel I can no longer dignify this childish narrow-mindedness with silent acquiescence amid what has become an unceasing torrent of shallow accusations unsupported by actual critique that the Gungan episode arc in this season’s “The Clone Wars” fell outside of believability. Specifically what I refer to is the consistent dismissive nay saying with respect to the Gungans taking down Grievous where Jedi had been unable. Let me offer an actual thought, amid the knee-jerk complaints and echo chamber whining that has thus far passed as analysis, from the Shinkage School of Swordsmanship - "Victory goes to the one who has no thought of himself."

What upsets me more than the lack of logic, the absence of basic objectivity, the unwillingness of virtually every commentator to remember the characters name or how Roos Tarpals won the fight instead dismissing the entire affair as “Gungans somehow taking down General Grievous”, more than these things I find it downright insulting that the very concept of sacrifice as presented here, and once revered in western civilization as a noble virtue, is today something to be readily and easily dismissed in our heroic tales. The fallacious notion that only “big men” can perform great deeds, that only the Jedi could take down Grievous, is ultimately only an excuse for the denigration of the common person.

So go back to your irrationally prejudiced Gungan bashing, however do try to remember that the character’s name is “Roos Tarpals” not “some Gungan.”

Once again I profess that I enjoy and appreciate your shows, and I wish all ForceCast listeners, commentators, you and your families nothing but the best.

Take care,

Douglass from Atlanta


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Hi Guys,

Well it was dubbed 'Battle Lines' so this season has finally started to deliver!
Well actually I loved opening story arc on the water home world of Mon Cal - plenty of action and character development there as well, then we had a couple of episodes as the calm before the storm that is Umbara. Even the droid centric stories had moments of action - just snippets of some other story arc happening just off screen and just glimpsed through the droids' eyes (does R2 have eyes or just sensors). General Grievous fighting Jedi, spaceship action, bounty hunters etc.

And now we've seen the full 4 part story set on a new world in total darkness and centred around, lets face it, the main protagonists of the Clone Wars, the clones. And of course Jedi master the likes of which we have never seen on SW, one who has no love for the clones and treats them basically as meat for the grinder (as uttered by one of the clones themselves) and a ruthless approach to war and loss. I won't go into the story itself but just to give my thoughts on this story as SW plain and simple.

The level of detail on the environments, hardware and characters is incredible (for a movie let alone a weekly TV series - only into its forth season and no doubt made for considerably less than if any of the major studios had been behind it). The battle is choc full of explosions, new hardware, great sound effects (new and old) exciting dialogue exchanges and plotting. The editing on the show has always been one of its strengths - why wouldn't it be with GL - editor extraordinaire at the helm but these episodes have given us a master class on how to make 22mins seem like 45mins. And not in bad way but in way that makes the viewer think how on earth did they pack so much in and surely it must be ending soon. The sound designers have excelled themselves - yet again. But its the story that makes this story standout. Is it a foreshadow of things to come - order 66? Jedi Master Krell hints at the distrust of the Jedi and the new order about to come to pass. We the viewer know all this but the in story characters do not, and that is what makes the stories so compelling to watch. What will happen next, what does this or that foreshadow, how will all the dots be connected? Actually the almost total absence of the 'main' characters has been a revelation for me. The story becomes even more engrossing. My only complaint is that I wanted to see some conflict or resolution between Krell and the Jedi Council or even Kenobi or Skywalker personally - I just hope that is to come in a future episode. But we still have no mention of the events on the force planet in the last season or the droids' antics in some of the other stand alone episodes. Filoni we need these dots connected or at least hinted at, that's what will make this show stand out from all the others who are too afraid to stray away from the tried and tested episodic formula of TV - no resolutions or endings (except Lost, ST TNG or ST Voyager maybe). In fact go beyond the dots and add more texture to the prequel movies by referring to and depicting scenes from them (this story in fact had one dialogue exchange which did just that - clones discussing young Anakin's attack on the droid control ship in TPM. More of this please Dave.

Regards,

Siddique Hussain


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Hey, ForceCast crew!

I'm writing today to share an idea with you that I've been thinking about for a while and want to get off the ground and, since you've been a big part of it, I want to share it with you first. Let me start with how you've been involved without even knowing it: I have loved the discussions you guys have had about the mythology of Star Wars and especially the hero's journey aspects of the saga. And then, I think it was Jason, threw out that famous George Lucas quote: "The point of the movies is to get on with your lives, to take that challenge, to leave your uncle's moisture farm, to go out in the world, and change it to save the universe." As I've thought about that quote, I started to realize this really is a life-changing quote if we realize that George is challenging each and every one of us directly.

Let me explain that: I am a life-long geek. One of my earliest memories is a random scene of stormtroopers on the Death Star while watching Episode 4 at my friend Eddie's house. I sat down every Saturday night with my family to watch (shudder) Star Trek: The Next Generation. I love Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Firefly. But, as is the case with you guys, I married a wonderful girl who is not a geek. I remember a day a couple years ago looking at her Netflix queue and comparing it to mine and realizing how vastly different we were. She had documentaries about homeless Romanian kids who sniffed paint so they wouldn't feel hungry while living in sewer tunnels. Or one about a photographer who taught the children of prostitutes how to take pictures in the slums of India. I realized something obvious: we have different passions, but mine seemed a little bit more . . . shallow. I wasn't comfortable with that because, like everyone else, I don't want to be thought of as oblivious or a navel-gazer. I really do want to be aware of what is going on in the world and do something about the bad parts but, for whatever reason, I was just wired to care about epic space battles more than what is going on in our own world.

It was also about that time that your conversations about the mythology of the saga and the fact that these stories are meant to socialize us started popping up in the ForceCast. Then one day you were doing the Audible plug and talked about the Charlie Rose/George Lucas interviews and pulled up a preview where Lucas talked about how these great stories that older humans have been telling younger humans from the dawn of time aren't just entertainment, they're tools for socializing, for passing on the values and morals of one generation to the next. These stories exist because someone wants us to acquire courage, perseverance, compassion, honor, and all the rest. And that's why we cheer for those heroes, not only because they accomplish some heroic feat, but because they become the kind of people that our ancestors idealize.

And that's when I began to realize that there's a sort of disconnect with geek culture. Of everyone on the planet, it is us geeks who should be the bravest, most persevering, most compassionate individuals around because we are so invested with these stories that share these values. But what are we known for? How are geeks seen by the rest of the world? Not like that. We're better known for our collections and internet squabbling and conventions. That's what has ended up defining us, not the values we are supposed to have internalized. That is not to say that there isn't some fantastic good being done by geeks, Steven Stanton and, of course, the 501st come to mind for their amazing work. But, by and large, that is not what defines us.

So here's what it comes down to: we are all heroes and we all have our own journeys to go on. They won't feature a dark lord or spaceships or lightsabers because those things don't exist on our world. Instead of evil characters we have disease, hunger, poverty, and lack of education. Instead of lightsabers, blasters, or the Force, we have money, communication, and numbers. If we can band together to put those things to work against the evil that really is prevalent on earth, we can make a huge difference. That could be, in Fanboys parlance, our Death Star. And who else but us geeks is better suited for that kind of job?

This has all been pretty abstract stuff so let me propose something concrete. Podcasts have an amazing ability to create community, as you guys have proven, and just about every geek community has a flagship podcast. As podcasters, you have a platform, an audience, and lines of communication to other podcasts. What if you guys and, for instance, The Signal and, say, a Star Trek and/or a Harry Potter and/or a Lord of the Rings and/or Marvel/DC and/or a (gulp) Twilight podcast all sent out a challenge to your communities to pick a cause that deals with one of the evils of our world, and support the heck out of it with donations of time and money? This doesn't have to be anything complicated and I have a feeling that by challenging other fandoms, some natural fanboy/fangirl competition would arise ("We're not going to let the Trekkies win!"). Once a bunch of different podcasts are signed on, set a finite time period that the contest to raise money/volunteer hours goes, and then bragging rights go to whoever has done the most good when the time is up. Obviously there are a lot of logistics that would go into this, but there are plenty of brilliant people in the listening audiences who could organize and manage this stuff and the only thing for you guys to do would be to give the cause a voice and support.

And really this is just an opening shot. If this is done right and people catch on to this idea, this could change what being a geek is all about. That doesn't mean we give up fandom, but rather we use our fandom in a way that benefits everyone rather than just ourselves. We take the way that we're already wired and put our passion, intelligence, and creativity towards something bigger than ourselves. If we don't want to be thought of as the butt of jokes or a target market, this is one way we make it happen as a unified community in a way that celebrates our uniqueness.

If you've made it this far into this email, thank you so much for reading it. I realize that this is completely strange, but it's something I'm becoming more and more convinced that we need and this is my best idea on how to get this idea going. I'd love to answer questions and discuss this some more with you guys if you have any interest in this at all. Thanks again for reading and may the Force be with you!

Matt


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Hi Jason & Jimmy

I'm a long-time listener to the Clone Wars Roundtables. Alas I rarely have time to listen to the regular ForceCast shows, but I always make time for the Clone Wars Roundtables, not least because in the absence of a Cartoon Network subscription I'm about a season and a half behind in terms of what I've actually seen but I like to keep up to speed with what's going on, and I just like the show. I know that there are other quasi-nefarious ways to watch the show online in the UK but as a practising Intellectual Property lawyer who spends his working day advising clients on how to protect their commercial IP I can't really justify it (although tell Mr. Bateman not to worry as I don't act for Lucasfilm ;o) ) . I don't mind exposing myself to spoilers and to be honest by the time I clap my eyes on that Season Three box set this Christmas I'll have forgotten much of the specifics of your discussions about the episodes in question. Anyway, I digress.

I had two reasons for finally getting in touch with you guys: firstly to say a huge thank you for all the hard work that you and the regular contributors put into the show. Even when you're talking about an episode that hasn't set your world on fire, your passion for Star Wars shines through. As a child of '77 and a lifelong Star Wars fan - thank you.

Secondly I just wanted to share something from history that I discovered in the last couple of years and which I think sheds a degree of light on GL's choice of name for Ahsoka, and perhaps gives some clue as to her fate. Apologies if this has been raised before, but I've listened to all of the Roundtables since Season 1's "Ambush" and I don't think it has come up.

Ashoka the Great (note the slightly different spelling) was an Indian Emperor from around 269 BC to 232 BC. He became a pacifist and embraced Buddhism after a particularly brutal war which he had waged out of a desire for conquest. According to Wikipedia:

"He was later dedicated to the propagation of Buddhism across Asia and established monuments marking several significant sites in the life of Gautama Buddha. Ashoka was a devotee of nonviolence, love, truth, tolerance and vegetarianism. Ashoka is remembered in history as a philanthropic administrator...

As the legend goes, one day after the war was over, Ashoka ventured out to roam the city and all he could see were burnt houses and scattered corpses. This sight made him sick and he cried the famous monologue:

What have I done? If this is a victory, what's a defeat then? Is this a victory or a defeat? Is this justice or injustice? Is it gallantry or a rout? Is it valor to kill innocent children and women? Do I do it to widen the empire and for prosperity or to destroy the other's kingdom and splendor? One has lost her husband, someone else a father, someone a child, someone an unborn infant.... What's this debris of the corpses? Are these marks of victory or defeat? Are these vultures, crows, eagles the messengers of death or evil?

The brutality of the conquest led him to adopt Buddhism, and he used his position to propagate the relatively new religion to new heights, as far as ancient Rome and Egypt. He made Buddhism his state religion around 260 BC, and propagated it and preached it within his domain and worldwide from about 250 BC. Emperor Ashoka undoubtedly has to be credited with the first serious attempt to develop a Buddhist policy."

Is this the journey that Ahsoka Tano is on? Warrior to complete pacifist? Will Ahsoka be witness to (or worse, party to) some great massacre or other tragedy that leads her to leave the Jedi Order for the sake of her own conscience? Will she begin to see the dark ends to which the Republic Army is being directed? Will this bring her into conflict with her Master and force her to make the decision to leave the Order and the war behind rather than remain on a collision course with some dark fate, be that her own turn to the dark side or a confrontation with Anakin as he slips further into Palpatine's pocket?

Personally I love the idea that Ahsoka having survived Order 66, gets out there in the universe and does some good after the war. I can imagine her featuring in the live action TV series, trying to make good the wrongs done in war by both sides but being inexorably drawn into a new conflict as the nascent Rebel Alliance finds it feet. Would that not be (a) very very cool, and (b) good cross-pollination of different strands of the franchise?

Who knows, but I thought it was good food for thought. Chomp away chaps.

Jonny M


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Thanks to all of this week's mailbag contributors! Keep your emails coming to forcecast@forcecast.net.

Related Stories:

Listener Mailbag: January 27, 2012
Listener Mailbag: January 20, 2012
Listener Mailbag: December 23, 2011

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