Confession #2-I Don't Like Anakin Skywalker Either

This one went longer than I planned.  I guess that's what happens when I try to write something a paragraph at a time over the course of a week.

I tried very hard to like Anakin.  He had a lot to recommend him.  Obi-Wan Kenobi--who is tied with Princess Leia as my favorite Star Wars character--gave him high praise in Star Wars: A New Hope.  He tells Luke that Anakin was "the best star fighter pilot in the galaxy, a cunning warrior...and he was a good friend."

Confession # 1: I Don't Like Luke Skywalker

When I first watched A New Hope, way back when it was just called "Star Wars," I thought Luke was a whiny little brat.  In The Empire Strikes Back, I saw him go from whiny to cocky and rude.  Yes, I'm well aware that it's probably an intentional character development arc, and I understand the progression of the protagonist from immature and (somewhat) self-centered to over-confident and then finally to the mystic hero and leader we saw in Return of the Jedi.  That doesn't mean I have any reason to like Luke.  I'm definitely sorry for him.  I sympathize with his feelings of being trapped on Tatooine.  I know he feels guilty and never had a real chance to grieve for Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen. I cheered when I decided to go after Han and Leia because they were his friends and it was the right thing to do no matter what Yoda or Ben had to say.  He was put in a really awful position in Return of the Jedi.  None of those things make him interesting or likable.  They just make him a classic hero.

I always thought Star Wars would have been a much better series if the story had been told from Princess Leia's point of view, and if she had been allowed to explore her heritage as a Jedi along with her brother.  I don't like very much of the Star Wars Expanded Universe (that's a whole other post) but one of the things I like least was the utter failure of its writers to do justice to Leia Organa's character, especially when it came to her development as a Jedi.

That really has nothing to do with my dislike of Luke, but I wanted to say it and I figured this was as good a place as any.

Tune in next week to hear why I don't like Anakin either.

8 Confessions of A Star Wars Fan: Index

My arm is doing a little better, so I thought I'd try a short series of posts.  I recently talked with someone about the way that it seems like most of the things people in my fandoms enjoy about a franchise are things I really don't like.  This came about after that.

•  I don't like Luke Skywalker
• I don't like Anakin Skywalker either.
• I think the Old Jedi Order was run by emotionally disturbed morons.
• I think the Sith were actually less disturbed than the Old Jedi.
• I despise the Anakin/Padme relationship, but I once shipped it.
• I wanted to marry Lando Calrissian.
• I love Darth Vader
• I used to be terrified of Darth Vader.

More Cancelled Shows I Like

It just seems to be my lot in life to discover interesting television that nobody likes.  Okay, somebody must like them, but apparently not enough for ABC to be happy.

666 Park Avenue and Last Resort caught my eye a few weeks ago.  I happened to leave ABC's website running after a Castle Episode, heard the intro to 666 and was intrigued despite having previously written the show off for the over-the-top premise and villain straight out of an old radio serial.  Then the same thing happened with Last Resort.  I was on the phone when it started.

Neither show is really something that would normally interest me.  I don't enjoy horror as a genre, I don't care for shows that focus heavily on military action and the looming threat of nuclear war.  I haven't seen enough to offer a detailed commentary on either show, but 666 is more fun than frightening, and Last Resort was actually uplifting in a strange way.  Perhaps I'm just odd.

They're worth checking out if you're looking for a diversion.

My arm is starting to hurt, so that's all I'll say for now.

Ouch.

Just a quick note.  I've hurt my arm (again.) and typing is really difficult.  So I definitely will not be able to post any detailed text content (tutorials on Encompass Rose or commentary on Fandombouquet) for a while.  Probably until March.  Looks like I won't be participating in any of the writing challenges this winter either.  Maybe Nano in the fall, but I can't plan that far in advance.

Happy New Year

Yeah, I'm a little late.

But I hope everyone's doing well.  I have no living room at the moment.  The renovations that I've written about in my last couple of posts here are dragging on.  Most of my DVDs are still in storage, the TV is completely not accessible, and the most writing I've been able to do is an occasional tutorial over on my other design blog, Encompass--Rose.

I can't say when that will change.  I'd like to get back to my blog series here, but it's really difficult to write well thought out articles with dudes sawing and hammering in the hallway.

I'm behind in all my fandoms and it's going to be a while before I can catch up.

Hopefully, the second half of 2013 will see this blog pick up again.

Awesome Star Wars Painting

Star Wars fans have got to check this out.

It's an awesome watercolor painting featuring my favorite Star Wars character, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Ann Marie Bone Painting

Ann Marie Bone is a fantastic painter I discovered recently via DeviantArt.  You should check out the rest of her gallery too.