Episode 5 of the Mandalorian compared to a New Hope. Also...Boba Fett?

Long time Star Wars nerd here, if you didn't already know. I'm here to show how much fan service was actually in the latest episode of the Mandalorian. I've watched it once now, so I might have missed a few things. Stick around to the end and add anything you caught I might have missed! Spoilers for the episode beyond this point, obviously.

Back in 1977, when the first Star Wars debuted, one of the most powerful scenes was the opening. As soon as the opening crawl ended and faded away, we were treated to a pan down of the moons and surface of Tatooine with the Tantive IV flying past. Wow! So here is  shot #1.

Iconic opening scene...

The next scene, almost immediately after scene 1, is a sweeping view of the Mos Eisley space port with the Razor Crest coming in for a landing. The match comes from when Luke, Ben and the droids are checking out the city for the first time.

You'll never find a more wretched hive...

Of scum and villainy...

When visiting lovely Mos Eisley, you better stop in at the Cantina! Now droids allowed! (In fact, they're serving you drinks!)

The actual cantina... minus a few characters. Look! There's Treadwell the droid...

And when in the Cantina, make sure you check out Han Solo's booth. Too bad this character didn't have half the charisma as Han.

I have a bad feeling about this...

This next scene wasn't actually in a New Hope, but I remembered the photo on one of my old Star Wars books when I was a kid. I always thought that Stormtrooper was pretty awesome and that the Dewback was just as cool, and lifelike.

Dewback!

There were a lot of other things that were Star Wars fan service as well. From the EV robot serving drinks, to the R5 droid rolling past, that Treadwell droid I showed in one of the pictures, even the tracking systems on the star fighters were old school. But was this all worth it?

It... felt different, this episode. It was a familiar trip down memory lane and I appreciated it. But is the story enough to carry this episode without all the flashbacks? I mean, if you removed all these nods, does the story stand alone?

What we have is a story of Mando helping out a young bounty hunter in need. Or trying to. The kid ends up falling prey to dreams of fame and fortune and tries to go against Mando. Who pretty much takes him out in a fairly unspectacular fashion. All Mando is learning is not to trust anyone. And he didn't really help.

I'm going to watch it again, just because I like to see if I missed anything the first time around. To say goodbye, here is my final comment on that "mysterious stranger" at the end of the episode. I heard a clinking like spurs, and something triggered in my subconscious. Where had I heard that before? Then it hit me.

If you have Disney+ go to these two times and listen. You'll hear the same sound effect...

If you listen to the sound of the spurs here and in the Empire Strikes Back, you'll find they are identical. Is Boba Fett going to make a come back? And does he need to?

It would make sense. Boba Fett climbed out of the Sarlacc from Jedi on Tatooine. He could have been hanging out on this planet for a while now. And Mando has obviously been here before. He can talk with the Tusken Raiders. 

As a child, I'd have died to see Boba Fett make a return. But now, do we need to see him? Would it make sense? And would it take away from this show? 

What do you think? Did you notice anything I missed? Do you agree with the Boba Fett thing? Let me know in the comments, and thanks for reading!

The Rise of Skywalker... What does it mean?

Rise of Skywalker. I've had some time to stew over the meaning of this title for a while now, ever since the teaser popped out a little bit ago. (read through my breakdown of that trailer here). So, what's the "Skywalker" in "Rise of Skywalker?"

First let's look at the titles of the endings of each SW trilogy...

Let's take a look back at the end of each subsequent trilogy. We have: Revenge of the Sith, Return of the Jedi, and now Rise of Skywalker. (That "R" alliteration with the titles isn't chance, by the way!)

We all know that the stories in the Star Wars galaxy tend to repeat themselves, with new characters and intentions, so I believe that the intention here is to signify that "Skywalker" isn't a person, but a belief, or what the new "Jedi" will become. 

There is a huge push in the last couple of years in Star Wars to make it clear that the Jedi weren't a perfect sect. Anakin was meant to bring balance to the Force, but does balance have to mean only good wins?

There must be a balance... between Dark and Light.  

Check out this sequence in The Last Jedi (which, in itself means the Jedi are done...). Rey has begun her lessons with Luke and he has her focus on everything around her. This is what she feels and describes:

Although Rey has the ancient Jedi texts, I think she will use them not to recreate the Jedi, but to trace back the origins to the first Jedi, and see where the split happened between the Jedi and the Sith. Take the Prime Jedi...

From The Last Jedi Visual Dictionary, this is an image of the Prime Jedi in a state of meditation and balance

This is theoretically the first Jedi. Notice the balance between dark and light. What went wrong? Was it something as tragic as what happened in The Dark Crystal movie? (for those of you who don't know what I mean, in the land of Dark Crystal there was once a peaceful group of beings who grew greedy and split the pure crystal in the land, and thus split the beings into two groups: the gentle Mystics and the evil Skeksis. Very similar to the Jedi and the Sith...)

There is a new Dark Crystal prequel coming up... and I think that its story will show the split of the original beings of Light. 

The Jedi are flawed. The Sith are flawed. Together, they can become strong. 

Rey will go on a spiritual pilgrimage. To get back to the roots of what the Jedi were originally, and try to start a new Order of her own. The Skywalker Order. 

Already, the movement has begun. I read the book: "The Legends of Luke Skywalker" by Ken Liu,  (see my "meh" review on Goodreads) and in it, the legend of Luke Skywalker was spun across the galaxy. Everyone had a different idea about who or what he was and what he stood for. But one thing was true in all of them: he was legendary. 

So, people will forget who he was, but they will know the symbol that he now is. Check out the kids at the end of The Last Jedi. The stable kids in the Fathier arena are all gathered telling stories of the legend, Luke Skywalker. 

A nice replica of the stand-off on Crait. 

And who do the kids all want to be? A Skywalker. Not just Luke Skywalker, they all want to be like him. And the spark has lit that fire. When Rey christens her new Order of Force users the Skywalkers, all these kids and people all around will want to join. To bring Balance. 

Magic Broom boy will be a Skywalker, someday. 

So that's it for now. What do you think? Am I way off base? Am I overthinking things? Will the Rise of Skywalker be just Kylo Ren's return to the light side? 

By the way, give the Kylo Ren Reacts to the Rise of Skywalker Teaser a view. It is of course pretty funny, but also he gets strangely poignant toward the end and really focuses on the music portion of things. I had been brewing these ideas lately and then I saw someone else react the same way. I have a good feeling about this...

Let me know! Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @sciteachah

The Rise of Skywalker: My Breakdown of the Teaser... and Beyond.

First off, wow. That teaser was everything I wanted. Excellent. It's got everything I needed to tide me over until December. As a long time fan of the series (about 42 years now) I feel I can offer some insight into what the trailer revealed about the upcoming movie.

Which planet? Not what you think!

The teaser opens with Rey hanging out on a desert planet. Which desert planet? There are so many options. Your first instinct is to guess Tatooine. They'll want to revisit Luke's or Ben's old place, right? Or maybe ever Jakku? Rey certainly wants to go back there to see if her parents checked in. No.

Jedha.

Yes, Jedha. Check out the rock formations. Check out the vegetation. None of that on Tatooine or Jakku. And this, I believe, is the theme of the Rise of Skywalker. A need to go back to the roots of what the Jedi were. Before the Jedi, or different than the Jedi, since there is a problem with the only "good and bad." The Whills. There is much history on the Whills, but never really talked about. (or written, frankly). I believe this is the movie it "will" make its appearance. And we know that is what Baze Malbus and Chirrut Imwe were all about in Rogue One. They were Guardians of the Whills.

Reading a book in Star Wars? 

We know Rey took the Jedi texts from Ach-To, the island Luke inhabited in The Last Jedi. They were hidden in the Falcon in one scene. I believe she will read these books and try to find the beginning of the "Jedi" before things became "Light vs. Dark," and more of a Balance. These books will point to a very ancient place where there are Jedi remains... and that must be Jedha.

Want another clue? It is not from the teaser, but from Star Wars Celebration. Look at these couches:

recognize these couches/benches from Rogue One? I do!

These were the crates used to carry Kyber crystals off of Jedha

Why make crate couches like these if you're not going to reference the planet they're from? Rey's Lightsaber was busted up during by her and Kylo... it needs several new parts, including a kyber crystal. What better place to get one than on Jedha?

Ok. I'm just getting warmed up here. I'm really excited about the next scene that happens. Rey is carrying the legacy saber, or "Rey's Lightsaber" now. That's awesome. Did she repair it? With what? It looks... different. The black section there is different than the original. But this scene isn't all about the saber. It's also the blaster she has holstered at her side. That is Han Solo's gift to her, as the Lightsaber is Luke's. "We've passed on all we know," Luke says this over the video at this point. I like that this means the knowledge of the Jedi, but also Han's knowledge.

This is a quite deliberate juxtaposition of the Force Luke passed on and Han's craftiness. Don't forget the blaster. It's AS important to her character as the saber. 

Then comes the awesome showdown of "man vs. machine..." A New Hope was a classic approach to this, as Luke trusts himself to destroy a huge Death Star. Rey takes a leaping backflip over an incoming Tie. What? I'm guessing this is only a teaser image and won't be in the actual movie. It's cool though!

First set of goosebumps

Then we've got a solo mission to some hidden city in the mountains. Who's flying that A-Wing? Can't wait to find out. The A-Wing is one of my low-key favorite ships in the series. I'm guessing it's Rey. I have a reason why and it's in an upcoming shot... (more on that later).

Is Rey tracking down Jedi clues? this looks like a remote place some ancient Jedi would hang out in. Maybe Ezra shows up? Wouldn't that be something. 

Then there's a scene of Kylo mowing down someone and repairing that mask he trashed after Snoke shot it down. But it's back, apparently.

Only a little lens flare? C'mon JJ!

Is he the only "bad guy?" I'm sure he isn't. Nothing is shown in this teaser, but I am certain that the Knights of Ren will make a much-anticipated appearance. (My original guess for the new movie's name was "The Rise of the Knights." Listen about their blurbs in the Force Awakens and read "The Art of the Force Awakens" by Phil Szostak. There's plenty I'm going to reference from that book.

Here's a clip of the Knights in the Art of the Force Awakens. A lot of material was developed for them... now is the time to reveal!

Cute droids!

But where's R2? NOBODY puts R2 in a corner. 

Then there was clearly the BEST part of the teaser:

Yeehaw!

And the best ship...

Wait... who reordered the round radar dish?! 

Threepio, Finn, and Poe escaping with some loot/rolled up scrolls (or maybe just their lives?)

Still on Jedha getting Jedi clues... (again, where's R2?!)

Then a cutaway shot to the A-Wing pilot... whizzing past a Star Destroyer? Like an OLD SCHOOL Star Destroyer! What's that doing around still? Some remnants of the old Empire?

I'm pretty sure that's Rey going to take down a Star Destroyer. Here's why I think so...

Remember I said I loved "The Art of the Force Awakens?" There's lots of great concepts that were never used in the first two movies, and this A Wing Star Destroyer scene looks super familiar to me. Rey is whizzing around in an X Wing with the top down and using her lightsaber to slice it up. Don't believe me?

I'm guessing this is going to go down like this. 

Cut to Leia checking out Han's old medal she gave him on Yavin 4...

Probably Han's, right?

Cut to me definitely wondering who's cutting onions in the room...

Looks like they're using her old footage wonderfully. Miss you, Carrie!

And then to the next scene... look where they are. Just look! That's the second Death Star remains! Endor has an ocean!

Are there ocean dwelling Ewoks? Yub nub!

Referencing the book again, there are some COOL underwater images of the destroyed 2nd Death Star. They've got to be looking for something the Emperor had stashed away. Holocrons? Something else? Looks like Rey's scavenging background is going to pay off. Please tell me they're after Darth Vader's lightsaber...

One of 3 underwater scenes in the Art of the Force Awakens...

Does Rey need Vader's saber to repair her own? Like some sort of Skywalker legacy that needs both pieces of the light and dark to become one? Oh please be this. That sounds cool.



And then what else do they uncover there? Something Luke says is really unsettling at this point... "No one is ever really gone..." Who is he talking about? Him? Yoda? Ben?

Thanks Youtube subtitles for confirming that was him. And thanks for my second set of goosebumps. 

Or the Emperor?

Well, that's it. I'm guessing this movie will take Rey and friends from one side of the universe to the other to see a lot of strange things. Collecting Jedi relics, finding a balance to the Force. Meanwhile Kylo Ren will posse up with his gang of Knights of Ren and try to track down the remaining spark of Resistance. The real question for us all to ask is whether or not anyone can ever truly be too far gone down the Dark path...

May the Force be with you. Perhaps we'll see I'm totally off base by the time December rolls around, but maybe not. I'll address this entry in 8 months time, I suppose! And yes, I will vow to not watch another Star Wars trailer and let this be my only musing into the end of the Saga. Too much of a trailer can give much away.

Upon closer inspection of Ultima Thule...

Solo: A Star Wars Story Review

Solo: A Star Wars Story by Disney Lucasfilm Press
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Want a near word for word transcription of the movie? Well, this is very nearly it. Outside of a few cool inside bits of information, (the insight into that crazy space creature, a few character tidbits I was wondering about [was it really Twotubes at the end of the movie in Enfys Nests gang... a Saw Guerrera compatriot... and yes it was], hearing all of Chewie's dialog in English (that was cool instead of "grwwl arrgh" for the whole book), then the book was just like the movie.
Which isn't a bad thing. It's just not a new thing.

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My review of "Lando's Luck" by Justine Ireland

Star Wars: Lando's Luck by Justina Ireland
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A good fun Star Wars tale. Just don't expect anything too deep, it is a "junior" title. But, I did enjoy listening to it.
I really enjoyed hearing more about Lando, but when the story shifted to the other character I felt a little distracted. Not that it wasn't fun, it was that I wanted MORE Lando.
The story starts with a minor character from the Force Awakens: Bazine Netal. Now, I liked the story she was in, so I was excited to hear more about her. BUT... she's just in there to be in there. Although, it does make me wonder when this part of the story takes place with her in the overall timeline.
A quick mission, no real threat from the Empire, just some thugs wanting their money back from Calrissian, but you do get to the heart of Lando (since the rest of the stuff is all McGuffin anyway). Have you read it? Let me know in the comments!

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Just a little something I saw in my mind today.

Punch it!

Photoshop steps inside