ForceCast.net: Listener Mailbag: January 20, 2012

Listener Mailbag: January 20, 2012

Posted by Eric on January 20, 2012 at 01:30 PM CST

This week: thoughts on The Clone Wars episode Escape from Kadavo, a Daniel Logan story, and a little girl and her Palpatine doll!

*******

Hey, Jason and Jimmy. This is Shannon from Virginia and I�m a longtime ForceCast listener. I just wanted to share these pictures and a story about my two year old daughter Darcy and her new best friend �Darth Happy�.

My wife and I made a trip to the comic book shop with Darcy a couple of weeks ago. In the comic shop, Darcy found a figurine of the Emperor and it was Dark side love at first sight! Of course, we had to take Darth Sidious home with us. Darcy and the Emperor became best friends and their inseparable. She points at his evil smile and renamed the Sith Lord �Happy�. Darcy constantly carries him everywhere she goes and cuddles with him for nite nite time.

I�ve attached a few pictures of Darcy with her friend Darth Happy. By the way, Darcy turned two years old on January 12th.

Love the podcast. May the force be with you!

Shannon Church

*******

Hi guys! Thanks for another great episode -- I've been listening for over 4 years now, and very grateful to have you guys dedicate your time for what has become my most anticipated weekly entertainment.

Just finished listening to the always-lively Daniel Logan on this week's ForceCast, and it prompted me to send you guys a story of my own personal encounter with the young bounty hunter, which I've been meaning to send in for quite a while. I'll never forget, the day Boba Fett tried to steal my girlfriend right in front of me, lol...

It was 2008, Star Wars Weekends at Disney's Hollywood Studios here in Orlando. As a local with a Disney annual pass, I never miss a year. I was there with my former girlfriend, a very attractive young lady. The guest stars for this particular weekend was a double-dose of Fett: Jeremy Bulloch and Daniel Logan.

At Star Wars Weekends, the guest stars generally have autograph sessions throughout the weekend --- but as anyone who has attended knows, scoring a spot at one of their sessions is no small feat. Disney uses a "Fastpass" system, whereas you must be at the park extremely early to stand in line for one of these Fastpasses, which then allows you a "reservation" in line at the stars' autograph session later on that day. Since we didn't arrive until later, I had no shot of scoring an autograph. So we figured we could at least creep up near their autograph tents and score a couple pics, paparazzi style.

Since my lady friend was manning the camera, she got up pretty close to Daniel's little tent and snapped a couple pics as I stood back a few feet. As she snapped her last pic, Daniel looks up at her --- and I see - almost in slow motion, with all that Logan charm - he gives her a sly smile and a quick wink, and before you could even tell it happened he was back to greeting his fans in line. She comes back, smiling ear-to-ear. "Okay", I said, "that just happened. Boba Fett totally just shot you some Mandalorian Mojo."

After lurking around the autograph tents for a few more minutes, doing my best to give this cocky Fett kid my best stink-eye (he didn't seem to notice ME, go figure), I lucked out when a fellow fan overheard me saying how I wished I had come early for a Fastpass, and he happened to have an extra one for Jeremy Bulloch that he no longer needed since he had already gotten one (Star Wars fans are the best, huh?). Autograph sessions were coming to an end soon, so I scrambled to Tatooine Traders (the Star Tours gift shop) to find something for Mr. Bulloch to sign. My Star Wars collection leans towards the "quirky" side, so I bought a Boba Fett Mr. Potato Head figure (Spuda Fett!) and figured I'd get Bulloch to sign his little helmet. We raced back over to the autograph tents, and got in Bulloch's line just as it was closing. Success!

But as I'm walking away admiring my new favorite treasure for my collection, I glance up at Daniel Logan - who's line is now roped off and guarded by Disney Police as he's signing his last autograph - and say to my girlfriend "It's a shame I can't get both Fetts to sign his little helmet. How often do you get a chance like that?" So, thinking on her feet, she grabs Spuda Fett from me and says, with this devilish grin, "Leave it to me".

A bit bewildered, I slowly follow as she runs over to the edge of the ropes blocking his tent, clutching the Spuda Fett. Daniel looks up and sees her, and gives her another of his damned charming grins as he waves her over. "Come on up!" he says. "I can't, the line is closed", she says in a sheepish tone as the Disney Police stand guard. "Let her up, let her up!", Logan tells the guards. Reluctantly, but caught off guard, they confusingly let her pass --- and I come scrambling up behind her. Just as I make it up to the table, I hear him saying to her "I saw you snapping pictures earlier", now with the Logan Charm Smile turned up to 11. "You a Star Wars fan?", he asks.

And then, the moment when that charming smile faded --- as she says, "Well, my boyfriend is". You should have seen the look on his face as she stepped aside to reveal her nerdy boyfriend, wearing a Han Solo shirt no less. And I give him my best Harrison Ford-half-smile-shrug. Lol.

But -- I have to say -- even though he was a bit thrown off to see she wasn't alone, his faded smile quickly came back as he realized he was still doing a solid for a real Star Wars fan. He was super nice, and as he signed the Spuda Fett helmet on the opposite side from Bulloch's signature he threw in a quick joke -- "I see you got Grandpa Fett to sign it too!"

The Spuda Fett, complete with both Fett autographs on his little helmet, is now a priceless piece in my collection. But even more so, I'll never forget the day when Boba Fett put the moves on my girl right in front of me. But, all's fair in love and war in the life of us scoundrels and bounty hunters I guess.

Sorry this is so long guys, but I've been meaning to share the story for so long --- and although I didn't know much about Daniel Logan at the time this happened, I always get a special chuckle to myself when you guys make jokes about him charming the ladies, lol. Because trust me, it's totally true.

Thanks guys, and much love to Daniel --- he's a great ambassador for Star Wars, and us fans are lucky to have his energy at our fan events.

Love,
Matt R.

*******

Hey Jason & Jimmy,

Just wanted to chime in on the last episode of The Clone Wars Season 4 slaver arc: Escape from Kadavo.

Stunning visuals

You truly need to see these episodes in full HD to appreciate the quality of the visuals, absolutely breathtaking!

Early on there's a shot of the solar sailer entering the planets atmosphere and the ships solar sails crumple and fold back into the ship itself...This looked like it was as good if not better than the animation effect from Episode 2!! Jaw dropping! In this same shot even before the wings crumple you see the blue glow of a hologram for a brief second in the cockpit of the ship, in the next shot we see Dooku conferring with Sidious, these little details further help pull you into a living breathing universe.

Master/apprentice relationship

I noticed that Dooku seemed a bit surprised when Sidious asks him to "off" the queen if she gives resistance, this puzzled me a bit...why would he care or show surprise or shock? However, when it came down to it no matter how strongly the queen resisted, her resistance was futile, Dooku didn't even have to look at her, he just force choked her out. Brutal!

Writing

I need to give credit here to Henry Gilroy, WOW! He really wrote the characters into a corner. Especially with Obi-Wan, you felt like he really was stuck between a rock and a hard place. There was nothing he could do and he needed Anakin and the cavalry to come to the rescue. It was hopeless for him and yes he truly would have been broken if he had not been rescued. I guess this is one of those 10 times Anakin rescues Obi-Wan as they reference throughout the Prequels.
BUT to get back to the writing on the show, I do really miss Henry's writing! Looking back at some of Season 1's episodes they still hold up for me, nearly 5 years later!

Dying Light in a galaxy of growing darkness

I loved Anakin's rescue of Ahsoka; where he used the force to lift her cage off the hooks and to safety. The music cues here helped remind you that the Jedi are special in the galaxy, that their abilities are not everyday run-of-the-mill. They are unique, and despite the turmoil because of the Clone Wars, they are a true light in a galaxy of darkness. However, not everyone sees it that way as evidenced from the male Togruta who told Obi-Wan to stop helping him as he only made things worse! I guess this is a growing theme this season (see Krell arc) that the writers are expanding upon as we head to ROTS. The citizens of the galaxy are slowly turning against the Jedi.

Aliens

I was glad to finally see the Togrutans as a larger species in the show. Previously we only had visited Shaak Ti outside of Ahsoka as representations of the Togruta species. I finally figured it out, though! The Zygerrians look like the love child of a Devaronian (devil horned looking alien in the Cantina) and a Shistavanen (the Wolfman from the Cantina).

Theme of slavery

It was pretty clear here what the theme was, that of the relationship of master/slave; from the Zygerrian slavers and the Togrutans to Dooku & the queen to Anakin and his former life as a slave. With the queens dying breath it seemed like its hard to escape slavery, with the exception of death as both the queen and eventually Anakin will have to learn.

Coolness

The Wolf Pack clones are incredibly cool looking in their armor and decals. So does this mean that Jason, Jimmy, and Steve Sansweet will get Wolf Pack armor, being honorary members and all? When Rex threw that pike into the slave overseer with a smirk that really was the icing on the cake for me for this arc! :)

Overall

This episode had it all, though. From the one-on-one fight between Anakin & Dooku to the huge action set piece at the end, I was on the edge of my seat the whole way through! A fantastic end to the slaver trilogy! Can't wait to see the next Mando episode with Lux! Season 4 is ramping up!

Cheers,
Faithful forcecast listener,
Will Melay from St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada

*******

An Open Letter To "Fake" Fans from A Fourteen Year Old

With George's recent announcement of retiring and being done with Star Wars I want to say something to all the supposed "fans." I'm 14 and don't have the bias of seeing the original trilogy in theaters. I also did not get to see any of the prequels in theaters. But I'm a true fan. A real fan likes all 6 movies and does not give it an F as Kyle Newman puts it. No matter what George did, whether it was the prequels, The Clone Wars, or even donating money to charity, you just had to complain. Now George is done with it and it is every fake "fan's" fault. I know everyone will dismiss this email because I'm too young and say I don't know what a good movie is. This is my honest opinion, not a trolling comment. I'm just disappointed in all the people who claim to be Star Wars fans but have not liked anything since Empire. I'm disappointed with the "fans" that only looked at the negative parts of the prequels. Well, good job you guys, George is done, so have fun with a world without new Star Wars. Also, the original trilogy is far from perfect. So quit acting like Return is better then Revenge. They are all great. They are all the best movies of all time. But because these "fans" couldn't shut up and be happy with what they got, they ruined it for the rest of us. It reminds me of when I was little and the teacher would make everyone put their heads down on their desk for something one kid did. Who knows what's going to happen to Underworld the TV series or The Clone Wars? But guess what, since you pissed off George, he is going to have nothing to do with it. To the real fans, we'll stick together and continue to love Star Wars. To the fake "fans," go soak your head.

From,
Zack

*******

Hey Jason & Jimmy,

So with the news this week that George is retiring and stepping away from the business, what does that mean for us diehard Star wars fans?

It leads to some rather big questions: who will now take up the head role in the various Lucas companies?

With this retirement does this effectively kill any hopes of the star wars live-action TV show?

Will Star Wars just slide into obscurity like other franchises have? No more multimedia? Novels, books, games, tv shows? Or even Celebrations? Or will it continue on in some manner?

I was most taken aback with George's statement on making more star wars films: that why should he make more films when all people do is complain about them...

George needs to think about those of us he HAS inspired and entertained for countless hours with his films, that he should listen specifically to us when considering on making more films and forget the whiners!

In some ways, I feel panicked about all this, like I need to purchase as much star wars books, comics, collectibles as I possibly can! Because this is it! There's nothing more coming and it will all soon end!

But after I think on it a bit I feel a sense of calm, in knowing that I have enjoyed and will continue to enjoy all the films and surrounding material for years to come, BUT that yes things do eventually come to an end.

Can't wait to hear your thoughts on George's retirement next week on the show!

Faithful ForceCast listener,

Will from St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada

*******

Hey guys, the podcast is great as always!

Some things I've heard lately on the ForceCast and Roundtable got me thinking about something I'd like to see on The Clone Wars. Jason, you have said that you want to see The Clone Wars do episodes that move the story along in the direction of the movies and Henry Gilroy (I think) said that he'd like to see them tie some element of the season in with the 3D movie episode that will be in theaters that same year. I think what I'd like to see would meet both your requests and answer some questions that I have had for a long time. I want to know the details of the origin of the clone army. What was Master Sifo-Dyas' role and what happened to him, Dooku's selection and hiring of Jango, and how about a look at what led up to Dooku leaving the order. I know this will require flash backs but I'd like to have the details cleared up. Maybe this has already been covered in some EU books, if so, I'd like to know which ones. The other thing I'm looking for is a Senate requested Jedi investigation into the origin of the clone army. I find it hard to believe that people like Bail Organa and Padme would not want to know where the credits came from to pay for millions of clones and all the vehicles and equipment they need, and that the Jedi would not want to know the fate of Sifo-Dyas and how this army that they now lead came into being without them knowing. Plus, how could they lead this army and not know about order 66? They could introduce a new Jedi who would go under cover (like Vos in the "Republic" comics) and try to discover the true source of the money and people behind the commission of the army. He would be a character with an unknown future like Ahsoka and Rex. They could have him track things all the way to Sidious himself but be killed by Sidious before he can report back to the council (like the ending of Labyrinth of Evil). We haven't seen Sidious in action in the Clone Wars since he gets others to do his dirty work, but this would be an opportunity to let him show his stuff.

If you like the ideas and they haven't already been detailed in books, could you pass them along to your friends on the Clone Wars staff?

Thanks, keep up the great work.

Ron in Ohio

*******

Hey Jason and Jimmy,

Loooong time listener, first time emailer, overall huge fan of the show.

I love listening to the ForceCast because you guys can tackle the saga we love with serious discussion, while peppering a lot of humorous bits. I think I need a bit of both now.

Since Episode I was released in '99, I have put up with so much George Lucas and Star Wars bashing. From my friends, family, the media, supposed "Star Wars" fans, message boards, etc. etc. you've heard and discussed it all before. It has all been just an annoyance and has never gotten to me. I just shrug my shoulders, shake my head, and move one. I don't mind the teasing we all give the guy occasionally. In fact, I like how GL uses what everyone says and pokes fun at himself on Robot Chicken, last year's Spike Scream Awards, even in the occasional interview. One must be able to laugh at themselves.

As you know, Lucas recently announced his retirement from the major motion picture industry. Once again the GL bashers started throwing fuel on the "hate flames" for him. Everything from the whole "Lucas raped my childhood" garbage again (which is such a inappropriate use of the word "rape") to people saying that he can't take criticism "so he shouldn't be making movies". All of it is once again running rampant around message boards and on people's lips when the topics of GL's retirement or Star Wars are brought up.

This time, it's finally gotten to me.

The severe hate speech about him, the wishes for terrible things to happen to him, the overall gladness of his retirement, and the ignorance about who and what he is has really brought me down. "Lucas is 'wrong'. The prequels 'ruined' Star Wars for everyone". Yadda, yadda; we've heard it all and it continues. It just won't go away! Recently I've tried doing something I've never attempted: civilly conversing with the haters and naysayers on some message boards. At the end of it all, I figured out one thing: it seems that all of this negativity has engrained itself into our culture and it can never be shaken off.

I understand that bottom line, this is all about a series of science fiction movies and their director. I understand people have differing opinions about things and that people are passionate about them. But damn, you'd think people would give it a break after 13 years of spouting the same hateful, negative nonsense that they label as "criticism".

Sorry for the long and Debbie Downer (wah-waaaah!) of an email. It's been 13 years in the making for me, I guess, and my shell isn't so thick after all. :D Keep up the good work on the show and I'll see you at Episode I 3D.

-Chuck B. from Milwaukee

*******

*******

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

Related Stories: