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Steve Jobs and George Lucas: Heirs to the Disney Empire

DevanJedi — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 14:22:56 +0000

In 1985, Steve Jobs left Apple. A year later, he paid George Lucas $5 million to acquire technology rights for a computer division within Lucasfilm. Steve Jobs named this division Pixar.

In 2006, after an unprecedented run of successful films, Disney bought Pixar for $7.4 billion dollars in an all-stock deal. Overnight, Steve Jobs was Disney’s largest individual shareholder with 7% ownership and a seat on the board. After his death in 2011, his trust holds these shares.

Today, Disney acquired Lucasfilm for $4 billion making the Jobs estate the largest stakeholder in Lucasfilm’s future. And since the acquisition was partly a stock deal, it makes Lucas a fairly large shareholder in Disney.

Disney, Apple and Lucasfilm (really, Star Wars) are very similar companies. Each was shaped by the singular vision of a perfectionist. So much so that each company was synonymous with their CEO in their lifetimes. Walt Disney, Steve Jobs and George Lucas.

Jobs and Disney didn’t relinquish control until their deaths. Lucas has chosen to see his baby transition to a new home while he is still around to manage it.

For all of these reasons, I find it fascinating and reassuring, and perhaps it’s no coincidence, that Jobs (through Pixar and his estate) and Lucas are responsible for the future of Disney.

A side note on the circular nature of these things. In 1986, George Lucas produced the love-to-hate-it Marvel-owned Howard the Duck. Today Marvel and Lucasfilm are under the same Disney umbrella.

Image credit: Pixar Wars by Andrew Chesworth

Disney Acquires Lucasfilm, Star Wars Episode VII in 2015

DevanJedi — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 21:51:21 +0000

Details soon, full story here.

Highlights:

Star Wars Episode VII targeted for 2015.

More feature films expected to continue the Star Wars saga and grow the franchise well into the future.

George Lucas: “It’s now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers. I’ve always believed that Star Wars could live beyond me, and I thought it was important to set up the transition during my lifetime.”

The transaction value is $4.05 billion.

My early thoughts: I’m scared, but excited. This is a big deal. My daughter will have Star Wars films of her own to grow up with, should she enjoy them. On the other hand, anything new has the potential to ruin a legacy.

On the other, other hand, this will turn Star Wars in to something akin to a true franchise without an author. Free from Lucas, it may be free to be something different.

And finally, while I’ll miss the 20th Century Fox fanfare, I look forward to Cinderella’s castle and when you wish upon a star to introduce the next Star Wars film.

More thoughts and news soon. It’s like 1977, and 1997, all over again.

GFA Turns 12

DevanJedi — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 21:12:38 +0000

While the glory days are gone, GFA still lives on, with large numbers of visitors daily thanks to the mysterious algorithms at Google. Thanks to all the long time visitors. I hope to have new stuff in the new year.

Celebration V Highlights

darthrand — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 17:20:23 +0000

Whether it’s your first or your fifth time, Star Wars Celebration, an annual Star Wars convention this year held in Orlando, Florida, the enormous amount of things to do and see can be overwhelming. Here are a few highlights that are definite must-sees!

One Man Star Wars
Charles Ross returns to Celebration to perform his one man show, “The One Man Star Wars Trilogy”. Ross uses no props and no instruments, only his voice, to create a fun and unique take on episodes IV, V, and VI.

Troop-athon Races
Troop-athon races returns for an event that is sure to have helmets rolling! The 501st Legion Troop-athon is a friendly competition between armored fans from all over the galaxy. The competition includes Ewok tossing, a Segway race, and a list of other challenges set up to test the soldiers’ skills and ability to perform in armor!

Bounty Hunt
The Bounty Hunt is a chance for you and your friends to prove yourself to the Bounty Hunters Guild! Players are given clues to solve, with the clues increasing in difficulty as they advance. Celebration V is your hunting grounds, and marks are given varying Credit amounts on their heads depending on difficulty.

Props Strikes Back
For the first time in the United States, Stefan Cembolista and the Belgian Star Wars prop crew will be presenting their replica collection for all to see! Some of the replicas on display include a full scale wampa, a 1:6 scale AT-AT, a Speederbike in front of a life-size Endor bunker, a life-size Snowspeeder, which you can get inside, a 1:6 scale X-Wing fighter, and MUCH more! They will also have a full scale TIE Interceptor, the first of this size to be built! And yes, they are even letting fans get in the cockpit!

Echo Base Diorama
As a Celebration regular, Frank D’lorio is back at Celebration to build a giant diorama of Echo Base with the help of fans! Echo Base was chosen to commemorate the 30th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back. Hasbro has made a generous donation of action figures and vehicles, and D’lorio set up an action figure donation fund for those who may not have their own action figures. Each fan gets to take home a piece of the diorama on the last day of the show!

My Star Wars Story
The Stories Project is asking fans to share their experience of Star Wars through video! They will have cameras set up so that any fan can have their 15 minutes of nostalgia and fandome videotaped for Lucasfilms.

Get Tattooed Live
The Star Wars tattoo program is back with a bold new feature! Instead of simply displaying body art, they will have almost 20 tattoo artists present, ready to give fans the ultimate memento; getting tattooed live! They will also have a display called The Empire Skates Back, a series of Star Wars themed skateboard decks, presented by Shane Turgeon, author of The Force in the Flesh. The decks will be auctioned off for the Celebration Make A Wish charity.

Last Tour of Endor
Star Tours at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is powering down temporarily to make way for the new Star Wars 3-D attraction coming in 2011, and they’re sending it off with a Death Star bang! The event promises to be the largest private party held at a Celebration to date. The party takes place “after hours”, from 8 pm to 1 am, and features exclusive merch, Disney characters dressed as Star Wars characters, a stunning fireworks show, a special edition of “Hyperspace Hoopla”, and more!

These events and many, many more make for a fun filled adventure any Star Wars fan can enjoy! For more information visit http://www.starwarscelebration.com/

Star Wars Title Announced For Kinect

darthrand — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 21:11:35 +0000

At E3 this weekend, Kinect for Xbox 360 (formally known as Project Natal) announced that one of their first games will be a Star Wars title. For those who don’t know, Kinect is the 360’s camera based motion-sensing add-on, to be released in November.

Very little information was given about the game, though the demo video was said to look very much like The Force Unleashed. The video showed a male Jedi fighting waves of droids and stormtroopers using a lightsaber and the Force. The Jedi deflected blaster shots, used power-slides to move, and even used the environment to his advantage before Darth Vader showed up. The video ended in a duel between the two.

Kinect uses bodily motions rather than remote motions like the Wii. The player, or “actor”, uses movements to control what the character does, using their arms, legs, and whole body. Despite the lack of hard facts thus far, the game shows a lot of promise. The game is said to be released sometime in 2011.

Five Great Star Wars Song Parodies

darthrand — Wed, 26 May 2010 14:10:23 +0000

There are literally thousands of parody songs about Star Wars out there. There is no way I could review them all and decide which are “best”, so I decided just to feature five songs that I personally really like. [Ed: We did one with The Beatles’ song Yesterday many years ago.]

5. “Jedi Drinking Song” by John Ryan of the Dust Rhinos
I’m a big fan of Celtic style drinking songs, so of course this one caught my ear. Its a funny little tune about drinking a little too much and finding yourself trying to become a Jedi.
Favorite line: “I looked that puppet in the eye and said give me the test”

4. “We Didn’t Start The Star Wars” by Mikey Squirrel
This parody is as catchy as the song its tuned to. While its mostly just a list of characters, planets, and other aspects of Star Wars, there are little jokes thrown in. The rhyming is really clever, and the video is fun to watch.
Favorite line: “We didn’t start the Star Wars, no we didn’t dream them but we went and seen them”

3. “Yoda” by Weird Al Yankovic
Weird Al Yankovic is the king of parody songs, so it would be rude not to mention him here. Weird Al actually does three Star Wars songs, but I chose just one. “Yoda” makes me laugh every time I hear it. Its just so well put together, and goes so well with the original song, “Lola” by The Kinks. He also does “Livin’ La Vida Yoda” and “The Saga Begins”.
Favorite line: “The long term contract I had to sign says I’ll be making these movies till the end of time with my Yoda”

2. “Star Wars Theme Song” by Goldentusk
A creative song set to the tune of the main theme of A New Hope. A lot of work was put in to the video and the lyrics. And he does all three movies in five minutes.
Favorite line: “May the Force always be with you, if its not, you’ll end up just like Anakin”

1. “Star Wars Cantina” by Richard Cheese
This is my favorite Star Wars parody song! Richard Cheese fits this song with Barry Manillow’s “Copacabana” perfectly. It will get stuck in your head for days and days!
Favorite line: “In that galaxy far, far away Luke has had a lousy day”

Top 10 Vacation Spots of the Star Wars Universe

darthrand — Thu, 06 May 2010 15:00:51 +0000

Dantooine: Go camping on one of Dantooine’s luscious valley floors, where the rebel base is definitely not located.

Bespin: Hang out among the clouds in the planet with the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets in the galaxy.

Endor: Hike through Endor’s historical forests! (warning: do not pull hanging meat off trees)

Hoth: The galaxy’s most popular ski resort, and home of the mythical Wampa!

Ossus: Take in the epic history of the Jedi!

Yavin IV: Visit the ancient Massassi temples, and the old Rebel base!

Ando: Covered in ocean, Ando is the perfect place for swimming and fishing!

Korriban: Take the kids to visit the tombs of Sith Lords of old!

Naboo: Picnic in Naboo’s tranquil scenery and be sure to visit the Queen!

Alderaan: Uhh, nevermind.

You Know You’re A Star Wars Nerd When…

darthrand — Mon, 03 May 2010 11:28:59 +0000

...you frequently get headaches trying to move things with your mind.

…you say “Use the Foooorce” in completely serious situations.

…you tell people your hunk-of-junk car can make the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs.

…you don’t care that a parsec is not a measurement of time.

…Jar Jar Binks makes you cry.

…Mark Hamil calls you a Star Wars nerd.

…you have a tan line from your Darth Vader helmet.

…all your home movies involve you and a lightsaber.

…you’ve had an argument about whether Darth Vader’s breathing sounds like “huul-kaa”, “hoo-pah”, or “choo-kaa”.

…you know the back story of every creature and character that has even a single second of screen time.

…you had a memorial service for Chewy (RIP).

…Guiness makes you think of Ben Kenobi instead of beer.

…you think of lightsabers every time you use a flashlight.

...you use Star Wars quotes as a part of your daily life.

…you watch a show you hate because they used a Star Wars quote once.

…you can name three generations of Hutts.

…you buy Star Wars costumes with no real intent on wearing them for Halloween.

…your license plate says “WildKardde”

…you know the Old Republic history better than your own country’s.

…you defend George Lucas no matter what.

…the intro crawl of A New Hope still makes you quiver.

…you’ve lost several night’s worth of sleep wondering where the yellow ladder on Luke’s X-wing went.

…you’re bummed that Taco Bell never made a “Chancellor Supreme.”

…you worry about which fictional comic book story is more real than the others.

…you really love this website.

Long Ago, or Far Away? A Look At Star Wars Technology

darthrand — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 17:15:46 +0000

Star Wars is a captivating tale for many, and with any huge fan base comes the united wish that the universe was real place we could all go and live. We may not have the Force, and we may not have made first contact yet, but we’re getting very close to a few other things George Lucas wrote about so long, long ago. The biggest aspect of any sci-fi story is technology. If you look at Star Wars tech, some of it can be found in our world today, if not in the near future.

Holograms are within arm’s length. Virtual reality is close to being perfected, and projectors are already widely available. The LG eXpo is a smartphone with a projector that was released in December of 2009. If these technologies were combined, and there was a way to make virtual reality portable, it would be easy to set up a way to project your own form to a friend or family member in another country.

Laser weapons are actively being researched by the U.S. Army’s Advanced Energy Armaments Systems Division and Stellar Photonics. The Airborne Laser is a 747 modified to emit a continuous-beam. Several companies are working on portable laser weapons for the U.S. Army. The PEP (pulsed energy projectile) is nearly finished, and may replace the stun gun within the next few years. Granted the PEP is more like a plasma pistol from Halo, but they’re getting there!

Robots are becoming more and more common in our time. Japan recently started testing the use of robots to aid the elderly in nursing homes. ASIMO is a humanoid robot developed by Honda that can recognize faces, sounds, moving objects, postures, gestures, and environments. The care-providing robot FRIEND is a semi-autonomous robot designed to support people who suffer from muscle diseases, strokes, or paralysis. It is also used by elderly people. The FRIEND is designed to aid these people in daily activities, such as cooking or even working, so that they can do these things on their own. Next I’m sure we’ll see 20 foot tall four-legged robots walking through the streets!

A company called HoverTech offers an e-book that contains a concept and directions for building your won hoverboard. They are also actively researching a whole list of hover technologies, from hydrostatic to magnetic. ACVs (air-cushoined vehicles) are already fairly common, using a “skirt” to contain high pressured air below the vehicle, making it easy to travel on land and on water. A company called Moller developed the M200G, which will sell for around $125k. It can hover 10 feet above the ground and travel at 50 miles per hour.

Scientists are making breakthroughs all the time, each discovery unlocking even more questions and research opportunities. As for things like hyperspace and giant spaceships, it seems we will have to wait a little longer. But be patient, Star Wars fans. The future is bright.

Seven Star Wars Villains You Don’t Know

darthrand — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 02:58:03 +0000

We all know the big guys; Darth Vader, the Emperor, Jabba the Hutt, Exar Kun, Grand Admiral Thrawn, and so on. But what about the others, the ones who might have only been in one book, the ones few know or think about? I’d like to take a moment of your time to discuss just a few lesser known (yet just as devastating) evil, low-down, no good bad guys.

Gethzerion

(first appeared in The Courtship of Princess Leia by Dave Wolverton)

Gethzerion was a leader of the Nightsisters on Dathomir during the events of The Courtship of Princess Leia. The first line of The Essential Guide To Characters is “If the term ‘witch’ ever truly applied to anyone, it certainly applied to Gethzerion”. The Nightsisters are a race of women who use the Force as magic, i.e. casting spells, chanting, and the like. Gethzerion possessed the knowledge that there was no need for these rituals, and decided to withhold this information so as to intimidate and control others. Han Solo had a bounty placed on his head by the Hapans (refer to #2 on this list), and when he crashed the Falcon on Dathomir, Gethzerion was contacted by Imperial Commander Zsinj, requesting a trade: Han Solo for a ship so that the witch could leave Dathomir. Gethzerion agreed, and even offered the service of the Nightsisters in her clan and Princess Leia. She was of course defeated by Luke Skywalker, but not before wreaking havoc on our heroes, other Nightsister clans, and even the planet itself. Gethzerion used the Dark Side of the Force to conjure up Force storms to attack the Nightsisters of the Light Side, Luke Skywalker, and his companions. When she sensed her defeat, Gethzerion tried to escape on one of the carriers leaving for Zsinj’s ship. But Han Solo followed her in the Falcon, and blew up the carrier carrying Gethzerion and the other evil Nightsisters.

Ta’a Chume

(first appeared in The Courtship of Princess Leia by Dave Wolverton)

Queen Mother Ta’a Chume was the ruler of the Hapes Cluster, a cluster of planets ruled by women. So you can imagine how she felt about both her children being male! The first, she had assassinated! The second, Prince Isolder, was expected to find a wife that could bare him many daughters. The first woman Prince Isolder loved was “mysteriously” killed. The second was Princess Leia, who Ta’a Chume saw as a weak pacifist, and was convinced that if she were to be queen the Hapan dynasty would collapse within a year. Even so, they traveled to Coruscant to shower Princess Leia with gifts. While the Prince tried to snatch Leia away from Han, the queen hired assassins to take care of Leia. But Isolder himself foiled his mother’s assassins! Eventually Luke got involved and he and Isolder found Ta’a Chume out and confronted her. Eventually, Isolder chose another bride: Tenenial Djo, a Dathomir witch! Ta’a Chume was furious, but Isolder and Tenenial went and got married anyway. Eventually they had a daughter, and Grandmother Ta’a Chume doted on the child as much as she could.

Kueller

(first appeared in The New Rebellion by Kristine Kathryn Rusch)

Formally known as Dolph, Kueller was one of Luke Skywalker’s students at the Jedi Praxeum. After the government, known as the Je’har, on his home planet of Almania killed Kueller’s parents (along with anyone else who opposed them), he fell to the Dark Side. He then formed a resistance, massacred the Je’har and their sympathizers, took another of Luke’s failed students as an apprentice, and wiped out the populace of one of Almania’s moons. His next task was to get revenge on Luke and the New Republic for not aiding the Almanian people against the Je’har. He sent his new apprentice, Brakiss, to a droid factory to start manufacturing explosive-rigged droids which were then sold to the New Republic. Some of those droids ended up in the Senate Hall, and then were activated, sending a series of explosions throughout the senate. Many were injured, including Princess Leia. After that Luke, Leia, and a New Republic fleet went to Almania to stop Kueller once and for all. A battle commenced which almost ended in the death of Luke Skywalker, but Mara Jade and Han Solo came to his rescue carrying Force-restricting ysalamir. Realizing he had lost the upper hand, he prepared to activate another set of explosive-droids, but C3P0 and R2D2 had already deactivated the bombs. Kueller was shot dead by Princess Leia.

Hethrir

(first appeared in The Crystal Star by Vonda McIntyre)

Hethrir could have been considered a “mad scientist” of sorts. After the fall of the Empire (which he had been loyal to), Hethrir set up a mobile research center called Crseih Station to test the limits of realspace, hyperspace, and otherspace. At one point Crseih Station relocated to the Crseih system, where it orbited a black hole and a crystallizing white dwarf star. The combination of the disturbances in the Force caused by the crystallization of a star and Hethrir’s torturing of his prisoners, Waru was brought in to the galaxy. Waru was a strange, hideous, and mystifying alien from another dimension. It was a Force-sensitive mass of flesh that claimed to be a healer. Waru also claimed that it needed to feed on Force-sensitive victims in order to use their Force essence to open up a new black hole back to it’s own dimension. Hethrir agreed in exchange for power over the Force. Hethrir was also one of many to attempt to rebuild the Empire. After gathering an army of well-armed gangsters, former Imperial lords, Force-sensitive youths that were “purified” by Waru, and Deep Core warlords, funded by slave trade, the Empire Reborn had become a force to be reckoned with. But neither him nor Waru was satisfied. Waru needed a person exceptionally strong in the Force, and Hethrir wanted Waru’s knowledge and power. Hethrir kidnapped Anakin Solo and brought him to Waru with plans to sacrifice him to the horrific alien. Waru had great respect for Darth Vader and knew the Skywalker heritage, and believed that this sacrifice would finally get it home. Luke attempted to save infant Anakin by diving in to Waru’s mass, and Leia and Han followed to retrieve him. After losing both sacrifices, Waru became infuriated that Hethrir had not fulfilled his end of the bargain, and then consumed Hethrir himself. Using Hethrir’s Force power the being returned to it’s own dimension.

Waru

(first appeared in The Crystal Star by Vonda McIntyre)

See “Hethrir”.

Joruus C’Baoth

(first appeared in Heir To The Empire by Timothy Zahn)

This one may be more well known than some of the others on this list, but he’s definitely a doozy. Joruus C’Baoth was a clone of Jedi Master Jorus C’Baoth that was created by the Emperor. He was used as a guardian of an Imperial storehouse at Mount Tantiss on Wayland. When he was discovered by Grand Admiral Thrawn, he joined forces with him to fight against the New Republic after being promised a few new Jedi Apprentices; Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and her unborn twins. C’Baoth’s plan was to create an army of Dark Jedi to take over the galaxy. As you can tell by his plans, Joruus was…well, insane. He sent a message to Luke to come to him on Wayland. Luke was skeptical about finding a Jedi that hadn’t been hunted down, but he went to meet C’Baoth anyway. There he was trained by Joruus under the guise of a Jedi Master. Luke soon realized that C’Baoth was an insane Dark Side wielder. The lessons he had been teaching Luke were contrary to what Yoda had taught. C’Baoth believed that non-Force users were inferior to them, and that they should be controlled by superior beings such as themselves. But Luke decided to try to turn him to the Light Side in order to gain a powerful ally. Eventually, Joruus sensed Mara Jade on the planet, who had been imprisoned by her boss, Talon Karde. While C’Baoth tried to kill her, Luke (with the help of R2) helped her escape. After Joruus was injured by R2, he went to Thrawn, whom he blamed for Luke’s escape, and demanded that “his” Jedi be given to him as promised. Finally Thrawn decided that the Jedi clone was too powerful, and too insane, and locked him inside Mount Tantiss. There, after a long, grueling showdown, he was killed by Mara Jade’s lightsaber.

Darth Traya

(first appeared in Knights of the Old Republic II)

Darth Traya was a pre-Mandalorian Wars historian who turned to the Dark Side after being exiled from the Jedi Council. She was eventually (and inevitably) betrayed by her Sith apprentices, which in turn caused her abhorrence of both the Jedi and the Sith. She then sought to rid the galaxy of both Orders. A Jedi Exile she had tried to take under her wing defeated her in her own academy of evil. Thus, she is known as the Lord of Betrayal.

There are, of course, many others. Far too many for this list I’m sure. Perhaps a part II is in the future? But for now, the Jedi have plenty to do!