Support for Hayden Christensen at the End of Return of the Jedi

A strange thing happened over the weekend while my wife and I were watching Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi.

First you need to understand my wife is more of a fan of Star Trek then Star Wars, so while she's seen the movies before her memories of them were mostly bits and pieces.

So over the past few months we have been re-watching all the movies in a row from I-VI.

So we come to the end of the movie, which again my wife really doesn't remember all that well.

The alliance on Endor is celebrating the destruction of the second Death Star, Luke turns to see the force ghosts of Obi-Wan and Yoda, and we all know what happens next.

The force ghost of Anakin Skywalker appears.

Originally this was played by Sebastian Shaw, but my wife and I were watching the Blu-Ray version so instead it was Hayden Christensen.

Here's where it got interesting.

My wife sitting next to me gasped when it happened.

I looked over at her, and she was starting to tear up, "OK, that one got me a little," she said.

Again my wife didn't remember the end of ROTJ, and her only real connection to Anakin had been played by Hayden.

To her this was a true redemptive moment.

The young man she last saw in Star Wars III burned and broken was now standing before his own son, whole and healed.

It was the first time I thought, "Hey, maybe Lucas was on to something when he made this change."

There are people young and old whose first introduction to Darth Vader was as that little boy on Tatooine or maybe even the young Jedi fighting in the Clone Wars.

The truth is the six films are supposed to be about the redemption of Anakin, and the change to add Hayden, while lambasted by purists, is actually the right thing to do.

I realize I could get many negative comments on this, and I myself am shocked to hear myself admit it.

We talk so much about George Lucas ruining our childhoods by making changes to the movies, but maybe it's we who are ruining the special moments in rediscovering Star Wars by criticizing every little edit.

It's this negativity the original fans must put aside if we truly want to enjoy what is turning out to be a bright future for the franchise.

Geek 101: Doctor Who

So you've just started dating someone, and the person notices some weird eccentricities about you.

Maybe he or she is wondering why you are obsessed with the color blue, when it's 100 degrees outside why you don't take that 12 foot long scarf off, or why you cry ever time some one says, "I Don't Want to Go"?

That's right your significant other is learning a hard lesson: you are a whovian.

Maybe you've enjoyed it all your life, maybe you just got into it recently.

Either way it's something you truly enjoy and hopefully your partner is interested in learning why.

Here are some tips to introducing the elusive Time Lord to your partner.

Fortunately a new season is starting in August so now is the time to begin learning about Doctor Who.

If you are interested in doing a Who-A-Thon it's not to difficult as most of the streaming platforms have most if not all of the new doctor.

However, at more than 100 episodes, that can seam awfully daunting, so maybe starting out with something simpler.

I would suggest maybe starting out with the first episode staring Matt Smith, "The Eleventh Hour" because it really is a fresh start with a new doctor, new companions and even a new executive producer.

But, what about the classic series.

Well there you are looking at nearly 800 episodes spanning 26 years which is an even more daunting task.

This took some thought, but I eventually narrowed it down to one doctor, Tom Baker, and one set of self-contained episodes: "The Key to Time".

This series ran over one season with six stories included in 26, thirty minute episodes.

The series is easy and fun to watch, plus Mary Tamm is adorable as Romana.

Of course the beauty of Doctor Who is every episode takes place in a different time and place, so one can truly begin watching at any point.

Geek 101: Star Wars

So, you love Star Wars.

Maybe you grew up knowing every line, playing with the action figures and sparring with your friends with flashlights in the fog pretending they're light sabers.

But, now you've gotten married or dating a person who has no idea why you are both excited and frightened by the aspect of the upcoming Star Wars VII.

Fortunately introducing your partner or children to Star Wars isn't a difficult thing to do.

The best thing to do is just simply sit down and watch Star Wars IV: A New Hope.

You can watch the other movies from there.

If you are interested in doing a Star-Wars-A-Thon it shouldn't take up too much time, only about 13 hours and 17 minutes.

Compared to the 372 hours for every Doctor Who episode that's not too bad.

If you want to knock about two and a quarter hours off, skip episode one and watch the movies in Machete Order.

Machete Order which consists of IV - V - II - III - VI allows a person to get the view from the Luke Skywalker.

Once we learn who Luke's father is episodes II and III work as a sort of flashback between Anakin and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Whichever way you want to go, I would highly recommend you start with Episode Four no matter what.

It really does introduce the Star Wars Universe to the viewer better than any other film.

Also, the prequels probably won't be a big part of the movies coming out in 2015, so if all you watch is just watch IV, V and IV you should be good.

Of course there's also the Clone Wars which Netflix is now streaming, but it's not imperative that a person watch the show to get an idea of Star Wars.

There are also a huge number of comics, books and games which expand the universe, but at this point it's unclear if it will remain unscathed in the future of the Star Wars Universe.

Star Wars remains a huge part of geek culture and a great stepping off point into the world of science fiction.

Next up in Geek 101, we'll jump into the realm of Doctor Who!

Geek 101: An Introduction

One of the things I have noticed recently is the world of geek culture is growing rapidly as are the number of people who enjoy some of the things we have all our lives.

The works go back even before I was born with things like Doctor Who or Star Trek or comic books.

I grew up with most of these things and have spent the past 40+ years watching, reading and enjoying them.

But, there are many who haven't.

Some are far too young, especially a majority of millennials whose first experience of sci fi was the Phantom Menace.

Then there are older people who are dating a "true believer".

I was fortunate my wife had a good understanding of the culture growing up a Star Trek fan, even owning a first edition Star Fleet Technical Manual from the 70s.

But for those guys or girls out there who get involved with someone who doesn't have a clue, I want to provide a few posts to give you an idea of how to start teaching your significant other about our world.

First off, don't keep it a secret.

I know some who don't want to introduce a partner to this stuff.

It used to be out of embarrassment, but now a days it's cool, so let your geek light shine.

If your partner is interested, teach them.

It makes life so interesting.

So for the next couple of posts I'll go over certain aspects of the geek culture and what items are best to introduce to those with limited or no knowledge of it.

Leave me a comment on any of the subjects you would like me to go over.

We'll start with Star Wars followed by Doctor Who, coming soon.

First Ever OKC Retro Gaming Convention

Finally!!! OKC is getting a new convention! Granted it's not Comic Con, but it's a start.

The folks at the Retro Gamers Society are bringing us Super Bit Con Saturday, March 29th in the Hobbies, Arts and Crafts Building at State Fair Park.

The event runs from 9AM to 11PM and includes more than 50 vendors.

There will also be a Cos Play contest for kids and one for adults.

Organizers say on each side of the Hobbies, Arts and Crafts Building will be game rooms.

One area will be Arcade style games donated by Cactus Jack's Family Fun Center and the other will be the home gaming systems.

RGS' Brandon Cole Phillips says the convention is based off a similar event in Portland.

I can tell you my son and I are thrilled to be attending Super Bit Con this Saturday.

For year's Oklahoma City has had only one convention to attend, Sooner Con every June.

While Sooner Con is fun, it couldn't measure up to events in other parts of the region.

Super Bit Con creates a chance to show the world that the geek culture has a place in Oklahoma City.

Hopefully, this will be the first of many conventions to start here.

Tickets are $6 for adults, $3 for kids and veterans, and free for those under 6 or over 60.

If you need more convincing here's the story I produced for KOSU!

Hope to see you there!

What Happened Between Star Wars VI and Star Wars VII?

This week we learned that Star Wars VII, set for release in December of next year, is taking place 30 years after Return of the Jedi.

This actually makes sense, seeing as how it's been 30 years since that movie came out.

The timeline of the Star Wars Universe is currently measured in whether the event preceded or followed the Battle of Yavin where the first Death Star was destroyed as depicted in Star Wars IV: A New Hope.

For example, Luke Skywalker was born 19 years Before the Battle of Yavin or 19BBY

The Battle of Endor depicted in Return of the Jedi where the second Death Star was destroyed and the empire ended happens four years After the Battle of Yavin or 4ABY.

So, if Star Wars VII is taking place 30 years after that it would be in 34ABY.

While that seems to be a long stretch of time, there are actual events that happened in the galaxy far, far away according to a multitude of books and graphic novels.

Now, the history of those three decades is dependent on the Star Wars Continuity Working Group which is deciding on a unified timeline of the Star Wars Universe.

Here's what we know so far:

Han and Leia were married in 8ABY and got busy.

They had three children: the twins, Jacen, a boy, and Jaina, a girl, and their youngest son, Anakin.

In 20ABY, Luke Skywalker married Mara Jade, an employee of Emperor Palpatine who was at one point ordered to kill Skywalker.

The two of them had a son and named him Ben.

During this time the Jedi grew, the empire came back, then fell apart and Palpatine was cloned and killed again.

There was also a massive war with a race known as the Yuuzhan Vong who invaded the galaxy and nearly destroyed all sentient life there.

The Yuuzhan Vong war takes place between 25 and 29ABY.

The war began with the death of Chewbacca after saving Anakin Solo.

Anakin also gets killed during the war in 27ABY.

Not much is written about the years between 29 and 35, so J.J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan have some free wiggle room.

If the working group keeps continuity in place, Jacen will eventually turn to the dark side, become Darth Caedus, kill Mara Jade and then be killed himself by his twin sister, Jaina.

This of course makes for awkward family get togethers on Life Day.

Now you are up to date on all that might have been between Star Wars VI and Star Wars VII.

Whether it all stays that way remains to be seen.

A New Day for Star Wars

I'm not sure if we can say it will be a "day long remembered", but at least it's a start.

Not long ago I bemoaned the fact that there would be nothing new from Doctor Who for about six months.

While Star Wars comics and novels are still coming out, the new movies are still about two years out.

The new Disney series Rebels isn't expected till Fall although there could be a feature length TV show during the summer on Disney XD.

The comics themselves are bitter sweet as Dark Horse is winding down its titles in anticipation of Marvel Comics, now owned by Disney, taking over the graphic novel expanded universe.

But today Netflix has added Star Wars: The Clone Wars to its list of products for streaming.

For those unfamiliar with The Clone Wars Saga, it was put together soon after the final movie in the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy.

While George Lucas promised no more movies, he did produce a feature length film using computer animation called Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

While the movie wasn't that great, the series that followed was different.

I am ashamed to admit, I missed the first couple of seasons of The Clone Wars I eventually started watching and found it enjoyable.

The series which like M.A.S.H. lasted longer than the war itself tells the story of what happened during the three years between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.

Again the movie itself wasn't that great featuring a story of Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi  trying to protect Jabba the Hut's child.

But, the series showed promise from the very first episode where Yoda and three clone troopers are trapped on a planet following an ambush by the separatists.

Yoda's talk to them of how they are still unique and part of the force reminds me of his wisdom from Empire Strikes Back.

The series eventually became part of canon, and story lines were being used in the expanded universe novels.

The show ended rather abruptly when Disney bought Star Wars.

Now Netflix has not only the first five seasons, but a sixth which will end the story line.

Not only am I excited, but so is my son, whose jaw dropped when he saw the trailer.

It's a fantastic time to be a Star Wars fan, and I look forward to the future.