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part one As we continue fixing The Phantom Menace, we have reached the point where Qui Gon and Obi Wan have escaped death on the Trade Federation ship and are sneaking down to the surface of Naboo. There’s a scene where Queen Amidala speaks to Nute Gunray, and this scene is followed by the Queen conferring with her highest counselors. I would change none of this. I like the mystery here as it’s unfolding: the Queen’s belief that the ambassadors have arrived and commanded the Federation to make settlement, while the Federation insists that the ambassadors have never arrived. Likewise,Down the rabbit hole….

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Last week I posted a YouTube thingy collating the ten best sound effects of Star Wars, and I indicated that I thought one sound was horribly missing while one made no sense to be included at all. Here it is again: The one that I don’t think belongs there at all is the Techno Union guy. I think he’s a neat touch, but he’s a throwaway gag, really. What’s missing? The Millennium Falcon, obviously. That ship has a totally distinctive sound to its engines, such that in the movies you can always tell when the Falcon is onscreen or approaching.Down the rabbit hole….

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Long-time readers will know that I am a member of that terribly small, but incredibly zealous, band of folk: those who admire and enjoy the Star Wars prequel trilogy. I enjoyed, and continue to enjoy, each one of them, and I refuse to view them as disastrous films done in by George Lucas’s money-grubbing hubris. The Daughter and I just watched The Phantom Menace this past weekend, and damned if I still can’t see what it is about that movie that everybody hates with such fury. But while I do openly admit to loving these films – long posts aboutDown the rabbit hole….

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Writer at work, originally uploaded by Jaquandor. Stop botherin’ me. I’m writin’ here. Sorry about the dearth of posting the last few days, folks, but the week here at Casa Jaquandor got a bit unexpectedly busy over the last few days. Not bad busy, just a whole lot of stuff that ended up on the plate and being more time-consuming than I’d figured at the time. Plus, I’ve been fending off a minor head cold. Regular posting should begin again tomorrow. By way of a progress report: I’ve been doing a lot more fiction writing lately — I finished aDown the rabbit hole….

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I was just reading a message board thread somewhere — never mind where, not important — where several folks hold forth on the notion that the opening space battle in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is hard to follow because there’s so much visual stuff going on. I can only read that and wonder if they bothered trying to pay attention, or if they just closed their eyes and thought of England or something. I saw that thing twice in the theaters on opening day, and even on DVD at reduced size, I’ve never had problems followingDown the rabbit hole….

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Whoops. I just didn’t get around to it, folks. So here’s some weirdness: :: Lynn has what is either the greatest T-shirt in history, or the evilest. It’s printed with spoilers. Don’t believe me? Check it out — but there may be spoilers there. :: Pound for pound, the best source for pure strangeness is Warren Ellis, who today has a link to the most appalling idea for a reality-TV show ever. Sooner or later, all Monty Python sketches come true, it seems. And three bits of video weirdness in honor of Star Wars. First, two of my favorite fan-madeDown the rabbit hole….

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It all began thirty years ago today. Of course, I didn’t see it on opening day; I was five, after all, and it took a while for the thing to become a Big Cultural Phenomenon. My mother says that when she saw in the papers what was going on with this space movie, it was she who decided that come hell or high water, her kids were going to see it. So it was late summer, I think, by the time we finally saw it. Maybe it was early summer. Actually, I honestly don’t recall. The movie came out whileDown the rabbit hole….

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What better way to celebrate my blog’s “rebirth” onto New Blogger than by geeking out for a bit? So here’s a timely descent into some serious Star Wars geekery! A reader e-mailed me a link to this essay a couple of weeks back, and I’ve been tossing it around in my head ever since. It’s a bit of speculation into what goes on between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, as well as an exploration of possible character motivations in the Original Trilogy that we didn’t realize at the time. The basic conclusion drawn is that the Rebellion’sDown the rabbit hole….