Posts tagged ‘star wars’

April 19, 2010

star wars, the bible and interpretation

Ok. That’s pretty cool.  Cool enough that I’m super jealous that The Manny found this just last week on GeekDad, and it’s too late for us to get in on the creative action.  Bummer.

I was watching the work people put in on “The Escape” (video at the end of this post), and I found myself engaging with it canonically.  As fans, none of us have the time or resources to put an entire Episode together, let alone the entire Classic Trilogy.  And even if one or two of us did, there would be a lot of points to quibble about.  Shoot, think about how much dorks people debate about the remakes George did.  Serious debate over minor changes and added scenes.

The best most of us could do is hope to master a small section while staying true to the overall corpus.  You then put the pieces together and work from there.

Watching ‘The Escape’ I had a lot of different reactions.  I enjoyed seeing the different mediums people used.  I thought the coolest segments were the ones where people tried really hard.  Some of the clips stayed very true to the originals.  Others were clearly making an attempt to mock the franchise, and some of the mockeries required a lot of effort.

As I’ve been analyzing the video an psycho-analyzing myself, some questions have popped up about how I and we interpret the Bible:

  • Are we trying to make statements or discern statements?
  • How can we express truth communicated via written word through other mediums?
  • How much effort do we really put into thinking through things (theological or otherwise) that we are really passionate about?
  • Do we focus more on what people are getting right or on what they are getting wrong?
  • How can good-intentioned people interpret the same thing in two completely different ways?
  • Why is it so hard to get a good Wookie costume?
  • Do I lose my fanboy card if deep down inside I wish “Kissed by a Rose” was part of the official Star Wars soundtrack?
  • How many posts labeled both Star Wars and Theology can I have before I get kicked out of the church?

Renew and Restore

March 2, 2010

star wars jesus

Some folks are going to find that picture offensive. Me too. Typically, I’m loathe to promote any image advocating an Anglo Jesus that pays no respect to the fact that Jesus was actually Middle Eastern. But you know me. I’m edgy. I’m provocative. I’m post-modern.

Wait, wait, wait. Take that last one back. Star Wars happened “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” So I guess it really isn’t post-anything. That would make me historically-intergalactic more than post-modern. I hope I get to put that on a PhD application someday.

Anywho…rafting sandals aside, that’s a deeply spiritual picture for me. A lot of fundamentalists out there probably think Jesus would never associate with Storm Troopers, but au contraire. Indeed, Jesus associated with Huts (tax collectors), Self-righteous and hypocritical Jedi (Pharisees),  and Lepers (Jawas and Sand People). Jesus could even be seen sharing meals with scum and villainy at Mos Eisley on a regular basis. Can I get an Amen up in here!?!?!?!?!?!!!!

If nothing else, in a world where all kinds of narcissistic fools sport blinged out crosses, isn’t it nice to see Jesus humbly sporting a wooden piece?

This moment of zen deep christian spiritual reflection was made possible by the fine folks over at  For great justice.

February 16, 2010

produced for a focus group of me

I’d like to go ahead and thank Adidas for producing this commercial with me in mind.  It truly is a work of art.  I didn’t even know they were trying to cram all of my favorite things into a commercial.  What a pleasant surprise.  For the record, they didn’t have to do this.  The Star Wars line of sneakers has effectively brought my sneaker lust out of dormancy after I had kept it in check for a better part of seven years.  Once an addict, always an addict.

Star Wars.  Soccer (in the form of a Beckham cameo).  Hip Hop (Snoop and Daft Punk).

Other than a slab of ribs and a picture of my family, I can’t imagine what else they could have put in that commercial to make it any more appealing to me.

Officially, the there is only one person who loves this commercial more than I do.  Elli.  I have it downloaded onto my phone and every single day she asks if she can watch Darth Vader.

Gladly, little lady.

That’s my girl.

Renew and Restore

December 10, 2009

reflection: star wars in concert

h/t Docking Bay 94

That trailer is interesting, but it doesn’t get me hyped. As a historical piece, it’s interesting. But it’s at a disadvantage for a handful of reasons. C3PO’s voice needs a little auto tune. Seriously wonky narration. Darth Vader and Obi Wan are using neutral-colored light sabers. The Star Wars logo is in blue.

There is one aspect of the trailer that stands out above the rest: the generic B-track music. A couple of chords gaining in volume and intensity. That’s it. In context, it’s not a big deal. This was the first trailer for the film, after all. But it’s still strange to watch without the iconic Star Wars music.

Last night I had the chance to experience that iconic music in a whole new way. My in-laws got me tickets to Star Wars: In Concert, and it was incredible. The Royal Philharmonic presented music from all six films. Synchronized montages from the films accompanied the music on what looked to be HD on a gigantic LED screen. I was blown away by the picture quality to the point where I really want a Blue-Ray player specifically to watch Star Wars. The icing on the cake had to be the lasers and choreographed lighting. For a dude who wore out a few VHS cassettes watching the films over the years, it was a multi-sensory joy. Oh, and it was narrated live by Anthony Daniels (C3PO).

I literally got chills on five separate occasions: when the show started off with the THX theme, at the first brass blast of the main theme, during Duel of the Fates, and both times the Imperial Death March was played.

The whole experience was just really well done, which it had to be considering how ridiculous attentive to detail we Star Wars faithful can be.  But the buzz on Twitter last night was mostly positive in spite of all our expectations heading into the night.

Random Thoughts:

  • My one criticism: not enough Chewbacca.  I could be wrong, but I only remember a single Wookie howl in the whole show.  Wookies are like cow bell…you can always use more.
  • There were so many kids at the show.  Good to know the legacy is being passed down to a new generation.
  • I can’t imagine the logistics of setting up a show like this.  It was in an arena, so the sound had to be big.  I noticed that every single instrument had a small mic on it.  Can you imagine being in charge of that sound board?
  • Not as many concert attendees in concert as I anticipated.
  • The show exceeded my wife’s expectations.  She’s not into the Star Wars thing, so that’s a win.
  • Darth Vader is the best villan ever.
  • The Imperial Death March LOOKS really cool when it’s being played.  So much precision from the strings.

If the show comes to your town, go see it.

Renew and Restore

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