musings on a Death Star

One of the good things about the Star Wars prequels is that I have a bigger sense of the importance of blowing up the Death Star. Like, why they're having a big ole medal ceremony. Having actually scene the senate in action, it feels a bit more real when they talk about the senate being dissolved because they now have the DS; and how this really weakens the Empire's ability to control.

...Or is it my poli sci degree that helped? I learned that for a dictatorship to work, for a long period of time (as this one has) a couple things help...

1. a % of the populace that has a direct interest in the ruling party ruling. You can't control everyone, you need some people on your side. (The Alawis in Syria, the Sunnis under Saddam.) And then you stock the army with those people. In Star Wars they probably don't even need that, because they have a bunch of clones willing to do whatever they want.

2. You need strength, and the willingness to use it. You need to be willing to roll tanks over a square full of peaceful protestors, or flatten a rebelling city. The DS definitely gives you this ability, and blowing up Alderaan shows the willingness to use it! ...So, take away that massive fire power, and you've certainly got an important victory on your hands. Real and symbolic.

Unfortunately the rebels didn't realize that while it took the Empire 20 years to build the first DS, it'll only take them one movie to build a second. Doh!

On to movie 5.

Scene from the past [recreation from memory]

Scene: Sometime in the 1990s. Living room of Mabel and her roommate Delyriam. Mabel's brother Pablo, and Delyriam, are each holding one of the kittens, flying them around the room.

Pablo [looking over his shoulder to Delyriam whose hot on his tail] - I can't see him! I can't see him! ... It's on me tight I can't shake him! ... [Delyriam and kitten is blown away.] Thanks Wedge!

Nooooo!

Oh, I got all verklempt when the babies were brought to their new mommies. Such a sad ending. Movie #3 is really good, much less bad dialogue. Except for the "Noooooo!" though... even that is hard to regret because it's become part of our popular culture humour.

My young charges

"Feed me, little auuuuntiiie feed me!" (sung to "Walk Up Little Suzy) - Sue-Ellen cat, or Suzy


JR's communications are a little simpler. "Meow meow meow meow meow." Means play play play with me.

watching Star Wars

My cat sitting stint is almost through. Today I'm watching my Star Wars movies on the big tv.

I haven't watched them in years. You know... if you could only fix one element to make episodes 1-3 better, you would only have to fix the dialogue. I mean, the midichlorians could go, and there's all those weird cultural appropriations (that is to say, the racism). But the main problem is the stilted dialogue. Even the Jar Jar problem would be fixed by dialogue--he just talks too damn much. Fixing the dialogue wouldn't even be that hard, it's just stiff. It just needs a few words dropped or replaced to make it flow better.

The action scenes are still fantastic. In movie 1 -- the initial Trade Federation fight scene, the pod race, and the final battle are all great. I'm now on movie 2 and the entire ending of the movie, from Shmi's death onward is riveting. The effects are great, the creatures, the costumes, the music, the ships, the worlds--they're all awesome. If only someone could have snuck a script doctor in behind Lucas' back.

Which is funny, because Harrison Ford famously mocked* the crappy dialogue in the original Star Wars. But at least Lucas was small fry enough that other people were probably able to change the dialogue on him... and he didn't write the screenplays for Empire and Return. God knows why he took up the pen again for 1-3.

Little Suzy just jumped up beside me, and she rarely does cause she's a big scaredy. Means it's "feeeed me sooofties!!!" time. Then I'll start movie 3...



And by the time we reach movies 4-6 it should be dark outside and we'll be at Top Movie Watching Experience time.



*"You can write this stuff but you can't make me say it."

(Art by Katie Cookie.]

Scenes from a job - Les Canadiens

Boss [checking his phone cause his cousin just sent him the hockey score] - I shouldn't be doing this. We don't let staff do use cell phones.

Mabel - You're in the office, no one will ever know. ...If you can trust me.

ahhh the 80s

Watching Dynasty and reading Sidney Sheldon is so revealing about the 80s. Both Dallas and Dynasty had storylines about mothers taking jobs (Pam and Fallon) and their husbands having trouble with it. And all the 80s trashy novels that I loved so much--they're ALL about feminism and capitalism.

Every book is about a young man or woman, often an immigrant, who rises from total poverty to become the head of a huge super-rich conglomerate, all because of their own genius and hard work and often some need to get revenge or "show someone". That's the history-rich backstory that starts in chapter 2.

The rest of the book focuses on the daughter of this genius, and how she inherits the empire, and has to fend off all sorts of baddies.

There's still a lot of romance, or focus on the importance of having a relationship; but owning, running, and ruling a massive empire is a key part of the identity of all the heroines. And pretty much ALL these books are about business empires, like Dallas and Dynasty--money money money was obviously on our minds in les 80s.

And sex of course. As Scottie in the Star Trek movie would say: "It's excitin'!"