Star Wars Fun Facts

• George Lucas based the original Star Wars movie around ideas of 'The Hero with a Thousand Faces' by Joseph Campbell's book.
• Lucas used inspiration from Akira Kurosawa's 1958 film, 'The Hidden Fortress', to help tell the giant sci-fi story of Star Wars. The word Jedi is supposedly derived from the Japanese word Jidaigeki meaning period dramas. These are the types of films that Kurosawa would typically create.
• Lucas' initial draft for the Star Wars script was far too long. When 20th Century Fox agreed to make the movie, Lucas gave them the final screenplay which was over 200 pages long. The average screenplay for a movie is between 95 and 125 pages. Due to the length of the original screenplay, Lucas cut out the second two acts. The first act was made into what would be eventually called "Star Wars: A New Hope", and the latter two acts were made into "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back", and "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi".
• Lucas initially used a series of 21 drawings which he commissioned from the illustrator Ralph McQuarrie to pitch and promote Star Wars.
• Harrison Ford was initially not intended to play the role of Han Solo. He had previously been cast in Lucas' movie "American Graffiti" and he wanted to look for unknown faces. He saw dozens of other actors, including Kurt Russell, but ended up choosing Harrison Ford because of his delivery feeding lines to the other actors.
• Orson Welles was originally going to be the voice of Darth Vader, but Lucas thought that his voice would be too recognizable.
• Star Wars' iconic opening crawl scene was created with practical effects. It was created by placing 2-foot-wide yellow letters over a 6-foot-long black paper background. The camera was slowly passed over the paper to mimic the crawl. In total, it took three hours to shoot.
• Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher actual had to perform the swing over the Death Star chasm themselves. The production couldn't afford stunt doubles so Hamill and Fisher, secured by safety harnesses, swung across the platform thirty feet above the studio floor.
• The original Millennium Falcon, unlike the one we know today, was long and cylindrical.
• Many theaters didn't want to show Star Wars. Less than forty theaters originally agreed to book show times for the movie after it's release date was moved up to before Memorial Day. The studio thought that it would bomb in a crowded summer movie lineup.
• After the amazing success of "Star Wars", and the studio trying to undermine Lucas every step of the way, he decided to fund "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back" out of his own pocket. This was unheard of at the time. The Bank of America Branch that gave him a loan for the movie ended up pulling out, forcing him to ask 20th Century Fox for help and give up certain rights on the movie.
• Some of the scenes from "The Empire Strike Back" that occur on the planet Hoth were filmed at a glacier in Norway.
• Yoda was originally called "Buffy"

   

  . This was eventually changed to "Minch Yoda" which was later shortened to the name we know today, simply "Yoda".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tips for Padawans

Padawans, or students to a Jedi Master, have responsibilities, roles, and expectations that they must live up to. While in training, the Padawan is to remain attentive at all times to the teachings of the master. They are required to do what is asked of them at all times, whether or not they agree or feel that it is the right thing. They are required to be respectful; this entails addressing the master in a respectful manner. Padawans are required to complete the training that is asked of them in a timely manner according to the guidelines and restrictions set by the master. Padawans are also required to be respectful and work well with the other Padawans. Hindering the training of other Padawans will not be tolerated by the masters. In order for a Padawan to be successful they should trust in the training of the master and apply the training in the way that the master has intended. The Padawan should listen more than they speak. A Padawan should ask question when they do not understand a part of their training. It is through questions that mysteries will be revealed. A Padawan should be open to new ideas and refrain from being closed minded. A Padawan should accept that they do not understand certain things and that their master knows what they are talking about. Most importantly, a Padawan should only use their powers for good and to help others.

Lucas Reveals Star Wars Perspective

George Lucas, writer of the first six movies in the Star Wars saga, has revealed that the story of Star Wars has been told from the perspective of a character that may not have been expected by most fans. The well known droid character from the movies, R2-D2, is actually the narrator of the story. Lucas says that the droid is the keeper of the "journal of the whills"; which is a fictional book that holds all of the details involving the rebellion against the empire, the force, the Jedi order, the Dark Side, and basically all things that exist within the fictional Star Wars universe.
Lucas has also revealed that R2 is recounting the events in this journal approximately one-hundred years after the plot of the sixth movie, "Return of the Jedi". It can also be assumed that this journal holds other tales outside of the main plot line of Star Wars. This would explain the creation of the new spin-off plots such as "Rogue One".

The newest release in the Star Wars story was a huge success in movie theaters. Episode 7, "The Force Awakens" has reached the number one rank for all time box office gross profit. The movie reached an astounding profit of $935,832,841. It passed the number two movie, "Avatar"; which reached a box office gross of $760,507,625, by $175,325,216. In it's opening weekend alone, "The Force Awakened" reached a box office gross profit of $247,966,675, and a worldwide gross profit of $528,966,675. Both holding the number one all time rank for box office gross profit.

 

A group of Star Wars fans have come together and raised money to petition Lucasfilm. They have paid for a billboard which asks the company to bring back and expand on the original "Expanded Universe" or "Star Wars Legends." This story line is outside of the Star Wars movies. The group is asking that the company expand further in this direction and create of sort of new timeline for the Star Wars spin-off. Disney is working on a project similar to this groups demand. They are
 creating "Rogue One", a Star Wars spin off story-line.
The Give Us Legends group organized the raising of the money and the billboard. It raised $4,784. The billboard is on the corner of Steiner and Lombard in San Francisco.

There is much speculation as to who the father of Rey, from "The Force Awakens", is. Several theories have already surfaced since the release of the movie. One of the theories is that Rey is related to Emperor Palpatine. The evidence behind this is the fact that she was left alone to wait on her family for her whole life. This theory states that her family is most likely dead and/or never coming back. This story would have been conjured up to keep Rey waiting for her family. It is believed that Luke abandoned her on this planet so that she would never leave and learn the ways of the force.
Another theory is that she is the daughter of Luke Skywalker. This would explain the look that he gives her at the end of the film. This would also explain how she is clearly so powerful with the force without any training. This would also make her the granddaughter of Darth Vader (Anikan Skywalker) who was also very strong with the force at a young age. This is supported by the theme music of Luke Skywalker playing when she battle Kylo Ren.
Rey could also be the daughter of Obi-Wan Kenobi. This would explain why Han and Luke look on her with a sort of hidden fondness. This would also explain her strength in the force.

Han Solo Jacket Auction

Harrison Ford, star of Star Wars episodes 4-7, has announced that he will be auctioning Han Solo's episode 7 jacket. Solo, Ford's character, can be seen wearing this jacket in his first appearance in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The proceeds from this auction will go to benefit the NYU Langone Center and FACES (Finding A Cure for Epilepsy and Seizures). The bidding will start at $18,000 on ifOnly.


Rogue One

Rogue One, the first Star Wars anthology film is set to be released on December 16th, 2016. The story is set in the Star Wars universe, and focuses on a band of rebels who intend to steal the plans for Death Star.