So Much for the Trailer...

I’m back on the bloggers chair after a long hibernation!! Any way, let’s get down to business…

Horror Beyond Imagination

Sorry folks that I have been off the bloggers chair for such a long time. Watching the World Cup has been taking away most of my free time and I haven't had the right motivations to finish my piece on the Jedi Order which will be coming on it's way. Anyway let's cut the meat. 

Of all the rumors that we have seen of Episode VII, their have been some stinky ones, but none that come close to my fears of what I absolutely DO NOT want to see in the upcoming Star Wars Trilogy. This one really came close to terrorize my sanity and at the time of release and made me not want to even care about the future of Star Wars anymore. But how can I divorce myself from that? It would be like ripping a hand or something out of me. Thankfully, a well known guy from a respected Star Wars website debunked the most chilling part of the rumor. 

But anyway, here is why I consider it to be Horror Beyond Imagination, the rumor that the Inquisitors would be the villains of Episode VII, that they would try to resurrect the Sith, and that our heroes are still the Rebel Alliance and have been fighting a war for 30 years: 

1. The Prophecy of the Chosen One: Folks the truth is that whether you like this prophecy or not, it's pretty much the equivalent of Holy Trinity importance in the Star Wars universe. It's what the first six films rotated around and what arguably two of the most important arcs of the Clone Wars one way or another touched upon. This is one of the most important cruxes of the story that very few fans really understand, one which the EU certainly never did and decided to massacre it by bringing back the Emperor as a clone, having another Sith Empire take over the galaxy centuries later and so forth. So please JJ, for the love of Yoda and the Whills, DON'T BRING THEM BACK!!!!! Reducing Anakin's sacrifice to merely saving his son reduces the importance of the hero as a World Redeemer and merely makes it a family drama. It really reduces the weight and the importance of the character's act. 

2. So, Luke isn't very strong in the Force?: Here's the thing. The war between the Rebels and the Empire took about 4 years to be, in which they managed to destroy both Darth Sidious and Darth Vader, two of the most powerful beings in the galaxy. Are you seriously telling me that Luke Skywalker, a fully trained Jedi Knight, couldn't defeat a group of Force users that where probably weaker than Vader? AFTER 30 FREAKIN" YEARS? Talk about a Plot Hole the size of Jabba the Hutt. Talk about lazy and weak storytelling. 

3. What the hell was everyone Celebrating For?: So yeah, we all know that at the end of Episode VI a bunch of planets (including none other than Coruscant!) where celebrating the demise of the Empire, going so far as to bring down the statues of the Emperor and easily get rid of whatever Imperial  security was stopping them at the time. Sure, it's fairly possible the Empire didn't fall entirely, but not even in the EU did they last that long. With the Balance of the Force, it would be nice to think that the galaxy is a more peaceful and enlightened place, where war isn't breaking the toll everywhere and planets aren't getting destroyed and such. Which brings me to my next point...

4. Star Wars IS NOT meant to be a dark and depressing story at the end of the day: So you know, the generation of people in the prequels faced in the end something worse than what they could have imagined. The galaxy was left in a state of despair. But despite the fact that Star Wars deals with complex and dark issues, Star Wars has always been about seeing the goodness in people and having an optimistic outlook on life. It's very telling that when compared to many blockbusters of the last decade, Star Wars is one of the few that is life-affirming and has been for the most part, family friendly entertainment with only one film having a PG-13 rating. And contrary to many people who are so obsessed with violence and darkness, I commend George Lucas for having done that, which is something Steven Speilberg identified as what made Star Wars special, mainly it's "marvelous innocence and naivete". Making Episode VII having an apocalyptic backdrop makes the accomplishments by Luke and the Rebel Alliance worthless, ruins the beautiful ending of Jedi, and most of all isn't in accord with what Star Wars should be about. Having Luke's generation go through something just as bad, if not worse than the previous generation, is such a huge letdown and perhaps the biggest reason why the EU post Jedi was such a massive failure. 

5. OT 2.0 and so much for "Moral and Philosophical Issues": Basically what this argument amounts for is saying that if this rumor would be true, it would be basically another version of the Original films, with little regards to change the story or make it original, or even throw curveballs. It throws into question if Lucas's ideas for the Sequels are even being applied to this new series. Worst of all, it makes you think what exactly JJ Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan have been doing for this past year writing that script, considering the fact that this plot is basically an EU fanfic. I mean, why would I even want to watch another film series about the Rebel Alliance destroying the Empire, when that is literally what we saw previously in the other trilogy?

The good news, as I guess could be said is that Eric Geller from The Force.Net was informed by an unnamed source (probably Pablo Hidalgo or someone at Lucasfilm) that the Inquisitors hell bent on resurrecting the Sith would not be the villains. However, it still leaves the Empire part of the story unknown. Several other rumors have been pointing towards the direction that an Empire, albeit changed stylistically and more modern, might be the villain of the film. This could only work within the context of the story if it is a) a New Empire inspired and created from the previous one or b) a Remnant that went into hiding until the time was right. So you know folks, let's not give up hope yet.

Clovis Arc Review

If any of you have been sitting under a rock, or have been in a far away land disconnected from civilization, then you should know that all 13 Episodes of the Clone Wars Season 6 are available for streaming in Netflix. And let me say, they look gorgeous. If you wish to have a sneek peek, then by all means, be my guest and watch the trailer here:

As the Clovis arc is apparently set before the season finale events of Season 5, I decided to watch this arc first. So now, here is my review:

SPOILERS AT YOUR OWN RISK

New Info on Star Wars Rebels

Most of you probably know already the info that was released about Star Wars Rebels in the New York Comic Con. However, I still would like to analyze and say my own opinion on the matter. 

For starters, we got to see the first look on one of the main villains of Rebels, and that will be the Inquisitor, a dark Jedi tasked by Darth Vader to hunt down the remaining Jedi Knights. 

He striked to me at first as looking too much like the Son from the Mortis Trilogy, but I later got over it to realize that the two would be very different characters. 

It's also important to note a couple of things: Pablo Hidalgo is known to have said at some point that there would be Inquisitor(s) not just an Inquisitor. Perhaps this guy will be the main focus of the show, but then it brings into question the grand-scheme of things-when will these guys be killed off? And by whom, if so few Jedi are left? It's certainly interesting to see what approach they will take, to see, if the Inquisitors are killed before A New Hope or after. 

Dave Filoni goes on to talk more about it on the video, about how it's going to be Empire-centric with it's villains. It's important to note that many Clone Wars veterans, including Joel Aron and Killian Plunkett, will be involved in the making of the show. New, as well as old vehicles and ships will make appearances in the show. Rebels will take place 14 years after Revenge of the Sith and 5 years before A New Hope.

Another interesting bit we got to know was that George Lucas's ideas for the time period would be incorporated into the show, but he would no longer be directly involved. Dave Filoni has taken the helm as the storyteller, which is a great thing, because he has now been assigned the rank of ''Master'' after 8 years of working with George in Clone Wars, and George can now go happily into retirement with Mellody and their daughter, Everest. 

One of George's ideas for the time period, would be that the Stormtroopers would be made up of ''brainwashed'' civilians, mainly because the clones were too individualistic for the Empire. Due to accelerated aging, the Jango Fett clones are no longer serving as soldiers, and are instead training the Stormtroopers, or are retired and abandoned by a galaxy that never really cared for them. All of these implications put into question the execution of Order 66, which will be further explained in the upcoming bonus content, to be released in 2014. 

Another interesting concept is the fact that much of the show will take place in Lothal, a planet that wasn't involved in the Clone Wars and is instead now being occupied by the Empire. With the promise of economic prosperity, the Empire soon becomes a military and crushing force on the planet, recruiting Stormtroopers and building TIE fighters. It's fairly possible that this show could go on to be a critique of Imperialism and Industrialization, and may touch on environmentalism, something that wasn't really explored in the Clone Wars. 

The Jedi did come to be mentioned by Hidalgo, saying that with the Inquisitors goals, ''The fact that there is one in the series...the Empire has reason to believe there are Jedi somewhere.'' Hidalgo recognized that ''There is a presence for the Jedi in the show but we are being very cognizant of the fact  that Order 66 signifies something.'' They also want to keep in mind the importance of Luke Skywalker being the only Jedi a few years after this show is set. 

That does bring to question one thing...Ahsoka. Will Ahsoka still be a Jedi, or not in this show, or will she appear? That remains to be answered, along as to which famous film characters will make an appearance. 

So far this is probably the best thing to have come out of the Disney acquisition. 

Possible Planets and Locations for Episode VII

It seems that it has been forever since I have made any speculation post regarding Episode VII. An important one of course, and one I seem to have missed at some point, is the speculation regarding what planets and locations we will see in the next Star Wars films. Here are some possible places we might see:

1. Coruscant

If their is one planet that must return in the next films, it's Coruscant. The capital of the Republic and the Empire, which was encompassed of one big city, was very prominent in Episodes I,II and III. In Episodes IV and V it's completely absent and in Episode VI we only see it at the very end, when everybody is cheering over the destruction of the Empire, statues of Palpatine are torn down and stormtroopers are incapable of stopping the masses of happy people. We barely saw it in the later films, due to the fact that most of the action took place in the Outer Rim, where the Rebels where building up their armies and recruiting star systems to support their cause. However, assuming that the Republic has been restored and fully functional in Episode VII, we will likely see Coruscant again. It would be nice to see some changes to the city compared to what we saw previously, as well as bring back major points of importance, like the Jedi Temple and the Galactic Senate. So, if anything, Coruscant is a given in the next trilogy. And to all the haters who can't stand CGI: If you don't think the picture above looks realistic, their is something wrong with your eyes and you better go see a doctor. 

2. Tatooine

Despite the fact that Tatooine is a backwater planet located in the Outer Rim, it's by far, the single most important planet in the Star Wars saga, due to the fact that it's where Anakin and Luke Skywalker were raised and the place where the Jabba the Hutt lives and appears in 5 of the 6 films. It's hard to see how Tatooine could be involved in the next trilogy in particular if Luke's kids are raised in Coruscant. But, you never know. The only requirement would be to go to Tunisia. 

3. Naboo

Coruscant, Tatooine and Naboo are the 3 most important planets in the six films. Naboo would be the third in that ranking, since it's the home planet of Padme Amidala, mother of Luke and Leia and wife to Anakin. Naboo features prominently in Episodes I and II and briefly in III and VI. Whether or not we see it again in Episode VII and beyond is anyone's guess. The same problem exists here as it does with  Tatooine in the sense that it's difficult to see how it could be involved. I would imagine however, that Luke and Leia might have visited the planet at one point, in order to find out more about their mother. 

4. Dathomir

I'm simply throwing in a wild guess here, but if the Nightsisters do turn out to be the villains of Episode VII, then I guarantee you we will see the red planet Dathomir once again, as seen in The Clone Wars. 

5. New and Unknown Planets

In every Star Wars film we are always introduced to at least one new and exciting planet. My bet on Episode VII is that we will likely see more than one new planet. We may likely also see some familiar places from either TCW or the films, planets like Mandalore, Bespin and Felucia. Some rumors have indicated that partial filming may take place in Ireland, which would allow for us to see a new and distinct planet. At the same time, I am 99.99999999% certain that Coruscant WILL appear in the next film. 

THX 1138

THX 1138 was the directorial debut of one of the greatest filmmakers of our time, George Lucas. His mentor and friend Francis Ford Coppola helped produce the film, which was developed from Lucas' student film Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 43B which he made in 1967 while attending University of Southern California's film school. The film was the first view to the world to what George Lucas was capable of. The film was released on March 11, 1971.

The film itself is set in a dystopian world, in which the population is controlled by android police officers and mandatory use of drugs that suppress emotions and sexual desire. The main character of the film, THX 1138, stops using his medication for some time, and has intimate relations with her roommate. He is eventually imprisoned as the government discovers this, in an area that resembles a white limbo world. He escapes with the help of SRT, and the android police goes off in an all out chase against them.

George Lucas is very clearly influenced in this film by none other than Arthur Lipsett's short 1963 abstract film, 21-87 (shown below). The meticulous editing and combination of audio and visual montage was both groundbreaking and influential, in particular when it comes to this film, and many of Lucas's future projects. An echo of a phrase in this film even inspired George Lucas in the creation of the Force in the Star Wars films:
"Many people feel that in the contemplation of nature and in communication with other living things, they become aware of some kind of force, or something, behind this apparent mask which we see in front of us, and they call it God."

It's also important to note that other things that show up in THX 1138 are clearly seen in the Star Wars films, in particular the vehicle chases. The end sequence of THX 1138 has a car chase, which clearly shows George's passion for automobile racing. The oppressive stance of the government shown in the film is in a lot of ways similar to the Galactic Empire in Star Wars, showing George's views of fighting the system that treats us like machines and threatens to destroy our humanity. And perhaps most notorious of all the similarities, is the sunset the main character sees at the end of the film, much like the sunset Luke Skywalker sees at the beginning of A New Hope. It wasn't until several years later when Seth MacFarlane interviewed George Lucas that it was revealed that the sun represents being outside the box. The sunset is the essence of change, and the people who are staring at the sunset are going from a life of inside the box which is basically, the same every day, to the unknown. Their running either to a nightmare or to a new dawn and they get a second chance.

George Lucas with THX 1138 showed the world that he was a guy with a wild imagination, a brilliant storyteller and an original thinker who seeked to defy the status quo and change the world. While the film suffers by being boring at parts and being somewhat difficult to follow through, it's still an innovative breakthrough. He wasn't George Lucas yet; he was discovering himself and seeing what worked and what didn't. But it was still the first time he made himself known to the world.

Rating: 8/10

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is the Star Wars film that manages to bridge the saga together. George Lucas needed to end the trilogy on a high note, and tell the story the way it was intended to be. Parts of the film, as seen in a recently released conversation between Lucas, Howard Kazanjian and Lawrence Kasdan dating back to the early 80's reveal that many of these plot points had been mapped out way back. George simply needed to make some re-writes, and improve the story. 

Palpatine is in the final stage of the Sith Grand Plan. He now has, unlike the previous two films, 3 goals in the entire film. First he needs to turn Anakin Skywalker into a fearsome Sith Lord. He has to also get rid of the Jedi in order to eliminate any threat to his rule and finally, declare himself Emperor of the galaxy. Sadly, to the disfortune of our héroes, Palpatine's plan gets carried out at the end of the day. 

Anakin, now a much more mature Jedi Knight, is seen as the kind and good hearted hero that Obi-Wan describes in A New Hope, at least at the beginning of the film. Obi-Wan is now a leading member of the Jedi Council, a very wise Jedi Master in his own right. Padme Amidala, continuing to serve as Senator of Naboo, is pregnant with twins. Padme's pregnancy puts in danger the secrecy of her relationship with Anakin, while at the same time she is increasingly worried with Palpatine's dictatorial powers, as is her fellow senatorial friends, Mon Mothma and Bail Organa. 

Anakin's defeat of Count Dooku, at the command of Palpatine further enact the character into the clutches of the dark side. But perhaps Anakin would have never turned had he not dreamed the nightmare of Padme's death in childbirth. That my friends, was the catalyst that turned everything upside down for our hero. 

Anakin, having suffered painfully from the death of her mother, not being able to accept that he can't control the fate of those he loves, ultimately leads him to do anything possible to stop Padme from death. Being tormented with this vision, combined with the fact that Obi-Wan leaves to Utapau to defeat General Grievous, leaves Anakin vulnerable. Sidious takes advantage of this and starts to work on him. He makes him doubt his relationship to the Jedi Order and makes him think that good and evil are simply points of view. Ultimately, throwing in a little tale of his old master, Darth Plagueis, he manages to finally have Anakin be interested in finding the ways of the Sith, and save her wife. After all, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Anakin, unable to let go of Padme, sells his soul to the devil, and becomes the dreaded Dark Lord of the Sith, known as Darth Vader. He goes to the Jedi Temple, in order to wipe out the remaining Jedi left in Coruscant. Palpatine sends a message via the Holocron to Commander Cody and the other clone officers, to execute Order 66, and kill the Jedi. Obi-Wan survives by chance. Yoda senses the entire tragedy happen, and his expression of sadness is so tremendous you can't help but feel his pain. He realizes that Commander Gree is about to kill him, and in a move of a few seconds, kills him and the other officer. Chewbacca and Tarfful help him escape.

Palpatine on the other hand, with the Separatists basically at the mercy of the Republic at this point and the Jedi all but extinct declares the first Galactic Empire. Bail and Padme witness in horror as the apparent kind and honest man reveals himself as what he really is.

Obi-Wan and Yoda realize that they must act as quickly as possible in order to defeat the Sith. Yoda gives his best in an epic duel with Sidious, but despite his impressive skills, is simply unable to kill the Emperor. Obi-Wan on the other hand, goes off to Mustafar to try and defeat Anakin. He watches in horror and pain as his former friend burns in the lava.

Obi-Wan goes off in Padme's Naboo starship to the asteroid field of Polis Massa, where Bail Organa and Yoda await them. Padme is sent to the emergency room, where she gives birth to the twins, Luke and Leia. Padme is apparently dying, for reasons beyond comprehension. As she dies, the newly built and fully restored Darth Vader shines in the medical room in Coruscant, with his distinct black cloak, black armor and faceless mask. As Palpatine tells him that he killed Padme, Vader rages in anger, destroying whatever he had left of Anakin. Padme has her funeral in Naboo, with Jar Jar, Boss Nass and others, mourning over the death of the heroine of Naboo. Obi-Wan delivers Luke to his family in Tatooine, while Bail Organa adopts Leia in Alderaan.

Another theme that this film deals with, despite it's limited screen time, is the one of immortality. We learn from Palpatine's tale of his master, which proves to be for the most part true as seen in James Luceno's novel, that the Sith are so selfish that they can't bear the thought of death. The Jedi on the other hand, realize that the true path to immortality is that of selflessness and love, which Qui-Gon learned at some point and passed on his knowledge to Yoda and Obi-Wan. They realize that their is a good path to the afterlife, while the Sith are traumatized of dealing with hell.

Revenge of the Sith is by far the biggest Star Wars film. It has the most number of planets, most number of characters, and most number of lightsaber duels. Despite all of this, it has always been my least favorite Star Wars film. I think it's as good as the other Star Wars films, but the biggest problem it has is that it's the only Star Wars film that isn't for children. It's too tragic and dark and sad. Of course, George Lucas couldn't make the film any other way, so it stands as it is.

The hateboys tended to dislike Sith the least, probably due to its darker nature and the fact that it's the most similar to Episodes IV, V and VI.

Now that Anakin has become the fearsome Darth Vader, is he still the Chosen One? With the Empire hunting down the last of the Jedi, what hope remains for the galaxy? Or was Padme right when she said that their was still good in him? Only time will tell.

Finest Moments of the Film:

1. Battle Over Coruscant. In particular the opening scene with the Force theme.

2. The Tale of Darth Plagueis the Wise. It really made me wonder about who was Darth Plagueis and about the nature of the Sith.

3. Obi-Wan vs Grievous. Great fight.

4. Palpatine's declaration of the Empire.

5.The fight between Anakin and Obi-Wan and Yoda and Palpatine

6.The deilvery of Leia in Alderaan and Luke on Tatooine

Rating: 10/10

Top 100 Star Wars Characters 80-71

Sorry folks that this part of the list came late, but I have been busy lately in my own personal life. On a second note, I do want to say that I have come back from my short Star Wars Vacation, and that I am back in the bloggers chair once again.
To see the previous lists click here: http://thestarwarsdefender.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-top-100-greatest-star-wars.html
and here: http://thestarwarsdefender.blogspot.com/2013/02/top-100-star-wars-characters-90-81.html#more

The Expanded Universe: alternative universe on the way?

Adi Gallia was killed by Savage Opress. Even Piell died in the Clone Wars. Asajj Ventress left Count Dooku. The Mandalorians are different now.

What do all of these events that have taken place in The Clone Wars have in common? They all have overwritten events that had previously taken place in the Star Wars Expanded Universe. The fans have revolted over such minor things, that have perhaps declared a comic or two as ''non-canon'' and created some inconsistencies with other previously established works. Now, a new trilogy of Star Wars lies on the horizon, in a time period which is heavily convoluted with so many things it's not even worth tracking what has transpired since Return of the Jedi. With the story treatments coming from George Lucas himself, that entire time period faces the near-certain inevitability of being no longer part of the Star Wars canon. We are talking about nearly 200 comic books and novels combined. If the fans get upset because Adi Gallia was killed by Savage Opress and not General Grievous, imagine what will happen now? 

The problem ultimately doesn't lie with George, even if many will be and are angry at him because he ''allowed so many novels and comic books to be written and now wants to make movies that will render those irrelevant.'' George has every right to do what he wants with his own universe, whether you like it or not. The writers of the EU have the privilege to be playing in George's playground, not the other way around. Perhaps the opening crawl of Episode VII will say something like ''The galaxy has been at peace since the Battle of Endor'' and will render that part of the EU as non-canon, or it will throw it into an alternative timeline. Who knows. It's not my universe to decide. 

The important thing to point out is that many fans have moved on from the films and have established the EU as something as sacred or even more important, than the movies. They have delved themselves so badly into the EU to the point in which they no longer read or watch something for fun, but are instead preoccupied that it won't adhere to the continuity. 

Star Wars used to be about having fun for these fans, but now that they have immersed themselves so badly into this fictitious universe that they take everything that happens in it too seriously, as if they were Christian fundamentalists who take everything from the Bible as literal. They are literally stabbing themselves in the back for being too immersed into every single product that comes out of Lucasfilm. 

That is a great part of the reason why I have only read 2 novels of the Expanded Universe: Labyrinth of Evil and Star Wars: Darth Plageuis. I like to read things that have some sense of relevance to the films, or watch a show that also has some sense of relevance to it. That's a great part of the reason of why I have little to no interest about what the novels depict happens after Return of the Jedi. 

I guess that also one of the main reasons why it seemed to make some sense to continue making books and comics depicting the events after Jedi was because well, back in 1983, the ending with Yub-Nub didn't exactly give sense to what had transpired in the galaxy as a whole, nor with the main characters. The stories of Luke, Han and Leia, could have continued with Thrawn as the bad guy. But ever since 1997, 2004 and the release of Episodes I-III, you get the sense that Darth Vader's redemption becomes the act of the fulfillment of the prophecy of the Chosen One, and that the Sith should have never returned. You also get the sense that if even in the most backwater and criminal planet of the galaxy, Tatooine, they are celebrating the death of the Empire, then that means that almost every planet in the galaxy manage to liberate themselves from the Empire. Besides, the simple fact that both the Jedi Temple and the Galactic Senate are present when Coruscant is shown, must imply the fact that democracy has returned to the galaxy. So ultimately at the end of the day, the stories that take place after Jedi are basically a complete contradiction to everything settled down here. 

The EU after Jedi is written by so many different authors, that the direction of the story goes off in a strange sense. By the time you get to New Jedi Order you are beating on a dead horse, and by the time you get to the Legacy comics, the formula of the films is so xeroxed and repeated it's not worth even paying attention. It's better to see things the George Lucas way and think that none of that ever happened. 

But now that the long speculated sequel trilogy is lying their, to be released in 2015, you go back to look at the EU post ROTJ, floating around, contemplating whether the hateboy's wet dream, and my worst nightmare, might have a chance of coming true. The good thing is that George hasn't given the bastion yet, and the next film is on the way of being an original story taken from his story treatments. So if you add up that with the fact that in his universe, non of the post-ROTJ EU ever happened, then, we have the likely chance of seeing a film that will not only stay true to what was previously established in the Star Wars films, but also take the story of Star Wars into a place we haven't seen from George Lucas's universe. 

An alternative universe might be helpfull in getting both George's film into the screen, while at the same time controlling some of the rage of the hateboys. What do you guys think? Share your thoughts below. 

Return of the Jedi: Why it's my favorite

Of all the Star Wars films, which I all absolutely love by the way, none leave me as satisfied and happy when I end watching them as Return of the Jedi does. It's probably one of the most epic, and it undeniably is the most important tipping point of the Star Wars saga. I think that theirs a reason why Ryder Windham's excellent biographies of Luke, Anakin/Darth Vader and Obi-Wan's all start right before Return of the Jedi, and all of the other movies previous to it act as a flashback: It's ultimately the moment when the final fate of the galaxy is decided. And in a lot of ways, I think it has some of the most memorable scenes of all the films. In particular Yoda's death, Obi-Wan's last talk with Luke, Luke revealing to Leia their parentage, and the whole fight with Darth Vader, Luke and the Emperor, are really among the best in Star Wars.

The movie itself acts as the fulfillment of the prophecy of the Chosen One, and in more general terms, an ultimate battle between good and evil, in which eventually good prevails. It acts as the ending of the story, even if we are going to have three other movies told after this one (Which I hope doesn't screw up the ending of Return of the Jedi).

Many fans tend to complain about how the Ewoks ended up defeating the Empire, but the Ewoks didn't  actually win if you come to think of it. They simply needed to penetrate the shield generator on the forest moon of Endor, and make it explode in order for the second Death Star be destroyed, along with  the important members of the Empire. The Ewoks helped the outcome of the war, but they didn't actually win.

Ultimately the fun of Episode VI is to see how the story comes to its epic conclusion. And for some reason, every time I see the Ghosts of Obi-Wan, Yoda and Anakin smiling and looking at Luke and the others in the end, while the Victory Celebration plays in the background, is just...wonderful. It's one of those moments that I like to live over and over again, and leaves things so nicely wrapped up it makes me incredibly happy to watch it. That is why Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, is my personal favorite Star Wars film.

Conflict in Episodes VII-IX

Another of the big mysteries that encompass the next trilogy of Star Wars films, is primarily the part of warfare. Even though the story is titled ''Star Wars'' the Wars part of the title seems to be somewhat out of context when you refer to anything post-Return of the Jedi, despite what the EU shows in that time period. Once you brought balance to the Force, even if your own children have to maintain it, it kind of has to symbolize how the battles that follow will not be the same as the ones previous to it. Let me explain myself better:

When we are introduced to the beginning of the story, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, the battles were focused on the Gungans fighting off the Trade Federation's droid army. The army was not meant to be a large one, and was mainly used to defend the shipments the federation did. The war here is similar to how in Return of the Jedi, the Ewoks face off against the Empire, in the sense that it's a group of native species to that home planet fighting off a tyrannical regime. By the time we get to Attack of the Clones, Count Dooku has managed to assemble a more powerful and much bigger droid army than the one we saw in Episode I, combining the droids assembled by a series of banks and corporations. At the same time, as part of the Sith Grand Plan, the Jedi become aware of the creation of a Clone Army assembled by the Kaminoans, which had been ordered in secret by Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas ten years earlier. Once the Republic feels in serious danger by the increasing threat of the Separatists, the Senate decides to allow for the use of this Clone Army. So, the beginning of the Clone Wars is in a sense the first full scale war we see in the saga.

The war by the time it meets its conclusion in Episode III, moves quickly from the transition phase of Droids vs Clones, to Clones killing the Jedi. It's much more tragic in scope, and it's somewhat overshadowed by the fights that take place at the end of the movie. Once we get to Episode IV,V and VI, we get to see that the Clone Army has been transformed into a Stormtrooper Army, in which they become a racist, imperialist regime similar to how the Nazi's where in World War II. The Rebel Alliance ends up being composed of the groups of Senators, Governors, Military officers, and the few remaining Jedi whom want to overthrow the Empire and bring back the Republic. The Rebel Alliance eventually manages to defeat the Empire, and with the help of the last of the Jedi, Luke Skywalker, he defeats the Sith.

What the next conflict will be in Star Wars-what it will be called-and which parties will be involved-is anyone's wild guess. If the next stories are much more ethereal in nature than the previous ones, and if we are talking about a time period in which balance to the Force took place previously, it's difficult to see what could happen next. They would obviously have to be different and have an impact that is much less severe to the galaxy, contrary to what we see in the EU.

Potential Sidekick Villains for Episode 7

Sidekick villains have always been central to Star Wars, in which most of the time they work for the main villain of the first six Star Wars films, the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, who went by Palpatine in public. Even though he is the main antagonist of Star Wars, he only makes his appearance clear by the time you get to Episode III and that is when you discover that Palpatine and Sidious are the same. He briefly appears in Episode V and makes a final appearance in Episode VI. Besides the Sith apprentices to Palpatine, their are a couple of sidekicks that are known for doing the bidding of the Sith, or of the Empire, be it the Trade Federation or the bounty hunters. So, who do you think will be the sidekick villain for Episode VII? Here are some potential candidates:

1. Bounty Hunters

Bounty Hunters have always been central villains to the Star Wars movies, and to The Clone Wars. Jango Fett was the central bounty hunter villain of Episodes I-III, while his ''son'' Boba Fett was central to Episodes IV-VI. Will Boba Fett's son replace him after he got eaten by the Sarlacc in Episode VII? Or will the next bounty hunter resemble something more ''Western'' like Cad Bane? 

I have to admit, I am a huge fan of this guy. He is the Cowboy of Star Wars.

2. Mandalorians

Now, for those of you who haven't watched The Clone Wars, The Mandalorians are basically a group of super commando warriors who use an armor similar to that of Jango Fett. They act as a terrorist group who intends on reclaiming their Planet Mandalore from the pacifist Duchess Satine-Obi-Wan's former love interest-and bring back Mandalore to it's previous warrior-like ways. So, it should come as no surprise if we get to see these guys in Episode VII. The only problem I might see is that it could potentially create confusion with Jango and Boba.

3. The Hutts

Another Obvious potential ally to the bad guys could be a Hutt. Jabba was one of the prominent sidekick villains to Episodes IV-VI, until his death in the hands of Princess Leia. Another member of the Hutt clan, potentially Gardulla or one of the other guys we have seen in The Clone Wars, could fit in the role of the evil Hutt.

4. Zygerrians

The Zygerrians are a fairly new concept that was introduced in The Clone Wars. They were once a great Slave Empire that thrived until the Jedi managed to destroy it. Once the Sith seeked to have millions of slaves under their command, they tried to reconstruct their Slave Empire. Eventhough the Republic managed to destroy their efforts on time, it's very likely that the Empire ended up having a gigantic number of slaves. Once the Empire collapsed, who knows what happened to these guys. One possible story might have to do with Luke and the rest of the Jedi trying to free the slaves. Who knows.