REC.ARTS.SF.STARWARS FAQ -- Please Read Before Posting!
Kevin M. Hebert
This was ftp'd from wpi.wpi.edu. I felt it could use a repost, considering
the "Stormtrooper bonks his head" posts have been coming out again. The
FAQ is over 1 1/2 years old, though, and needs major revisions. Any volunteers?
*** rec.arts.sf.starwars ***
Frequently Asked Questions List (FAQ-L)
Version 4.10 - 08/04/93
Introduction =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
This is the Frequently Asked Questions List (FAQL) for the newsgroup
rec.arts.sf.starwars. The purpose of a FAQL is to compile authoritative
answers to many commonly asked questions so that the group will not be
cluttered with repetitive requests for the same information. This list
will be posted to rec.arts.sf.starwars on a bi-weekly basis. Please read
it before posting to see if your question has already been answered!
The rec.arts.sf.starwars FAQL is currently being maintained by me -
Gallandro. The original document was compiled by Christopher Wolf. Many
others have also contributed to the information contained in this list.
If you have any suggestions for corrections, modifications or additions to
the list--especially new theories concerning the speculative questions at the
end of the document--please e-mail them to me at dke...@hacks.arizona.edu.
If you have a question which you think should be added to the list it
would be greatly appreciated if you could also provide the answer (with
source references!).
Thanks and May the Force be With You... Always.
Table of Contents =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Changes for this Revision
Commonly Used Abbreviations
Archive Information
Question: Topic:
001 Why is Star Wars titled Episode IV?
002 Were there scenes cut from SW after its release?
003 Was RotJ originally titled _Revenge_ of the Jedi?
004 Do scripts exist for the other trilogies? Will they
ever be made into films?
005 Did Lucas "borrow" ideas from other films?
006 What else have the Star Wars stars done?
007 What/where is the "Fall of the Republic" script?
008 What other Star Wars novels exist?
009 What Star Wars related items have appeared on TV?
010 What about adaptations to other media? (comics, radio)
011 What sources are canon in the Star Wars universe?
012 What is Hardware Wars?
013 What are the hardware requirements for X-wing?
014 How can I participate in a Star Wars MUD?
015 Are the Star Wars toys/action figures valuable?
016 What is the "C-3PO penis card"? Is it valuable?
017 How can I contact Star Wars vendors?
018 Where is the infamous tennis shoe in RotJ?
019 Why are there yellow boxes surrounding TIEs?
020 What other editing/SPFX bloopers are there?
021 Why did Han Solo say parsecs?
022 How old is Yoda?
023 Is the Death Star capable of hyperspace travel?
024 Why does Vader's TIE fighter look different from the rest?
025 How can I understand incomprehensible dialog?
026 What is the Journal of the Whills?
027 What are the Clone Wars?
028 Why did Ben tell Luke it was "your father's lightsaber"?
029 What is the Sith?
030 Why didn't the Death Star blow up Yavin?
031 Why didn't it come out of hyperspace in a better spot?
032 Who was in the other Y-wing that survived the attack?
033 How did the Falcon get to Bespin?
034 Why doesn't C-3PO recognize Leia in the hologram?
035 Is C-3PO a good storyteller?
036 Is Captain Antilles related to Wedge?
037 Why did Darth Vader die?
038 Why didn't he disappear when he died?
039 Who is Uncle Owen related to?
040 Why is Owen's last name different from Ben's?
041 Why isn't Owen Force-sensitive?
Changes for this Revision =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Added information on title change from Revenge of the Jedi
Added information regarding 'The Hidden Fortress'
Canon question has been rewritten entirely
Added quote concerning the Sith
Added Question 038 concerning Vader's lack of disappearance on death.
A few new tidbits added on new books, old TV shows, and Captain Antilles
Minor errors corrected throughout.
Questions affected (excluding minor error corrections):
003, 005, 006, 008, 009, 011, 029, 036, 038
Commonly Used Abbreviations =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Some of these abbreviations are used within this document; the rest show up on
the newsgroup fairly regularly.
r.a.s.s rec.arts.sf.starwars
ANH: A New Hope, the subtitle of the original movie
CLV, CAV: Constant Linear Velocity and Constant Angular Velocity. These
are laserdisc formats. CAV allows you do things like freeze-frame
and slow-motion with better clarity, but limits you to half an hour
of playing time per disc side. CLV can hold an hour's worth of
video on each side, but your special effects are more limited.
DE: Dark Empire
DH, DHC Dark Horse Comics, comics publisher
DFR: Dark Force Rising
DS: Death Star
ESB, TESB: The Empire Strikes Back
HTTE: Heir to the Empire
LBX: letterbox; a display format for video and laserdisc. Letterbox
format preserves the aspect ratio of the original theatrical
release by putting black bands at the top and bottom of the screen.
Also known as Widescreen format. The alternative is to cut off
the ends of the picture and pan back and forth between important
elements. This is commonly called Pan & Scan.
LS: more frequently represents lightsaber than Luke Skywalker
Other characters are often referred to by initials, but these are fairly easy
to figure out given the context (HS for Han Solo, DV for Darth Vader, etc.;
GMT is probably Grand Moff Tarkin instead of the more familiar Greenwich
Mean Time)
MPC: model manufacturer. They have made models of many SW craft.
POF, POTF: Power of the Force
(a packaging Kenner used for action figures around 1984)
ROJ, ROTJ: Return of the Jedi
RPG: role-playing game
SD: Star Destroyer
SPFX: special effects
SSD: Super Star Destroyer (Vader's flagship in ESB)
SW: Star Wars (I hope that's fairly obvious...)
TALS: The Adventures of Luke Skywalker
THX: The name of the sound system for movie theatres that Lucas helped
to develop. The name THX comes from the name of his first feature
film, THX-1138, and also from the initials of the system's
creator, Tomlinson Holman.
TIE: Twin Ion Engine
TLC: The Last Command
Archive Information =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
There is an anonymous ftp site at wpi.WPI.EDU (130.215.24.1). In the
/starwars directory there is all sorts of Star Wars material in electronic
form. The site contains the complete scripts to Star Wars, Empire Strikes
Back and Return of the Jedi, as well as the fake Fall of the Republic
script. The site also has lots of other fan fiction, text files containing
factual information and interviews, image files in a variety of formats,
various files pertaining to the X-wing game, and other miscellaneous Star
Wars related files.
The Archive is maintained by Scott Streeter (s...@wpi.WPI.EDU), a regular
reader of r.a.s.s. He posts directories of the entire Archive on a bi-weekly
basis. He also rotates the GIF files, due to space limitations. If the one
you want isn't there, it'll be back.
As with most FTP sites, there is a directory called incoming (under the
/starwars directory), where you can place items you wish to put on the
Archive. Leave something here and Scott will place it in the appropriate
place. Also, send him e-mail if it's not obvious what it is.
If you need help with ftp or with decompressing or viewing the files on the
Archive ask your local guru or system administrator. Please do NOT send
e-mail to me or post to the rec.arts.sf.starwars group asking for help with
ftp or unpacking files on the Archive - thanks!
Frequently Asked Questions -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Q 001: Why does it say Episode IV in the scroll-text at the beginning
of Star Wars, Episode V in The Empire Strikes Back and Episode
VI in Return of the Jedi? Did the Episode IV sub-head appear
in the original theatrical release or was it added at a later
date?
Answer: The Star Wars saga as originally conceived by Lucas was much
too large to be made into a single film or even a single
trilogy so Lucas structured his ideas into three trilogies.
He decided to make the middle trilogy (Episodes IV, V and VI)
first because he believed it had the greatest chance of being
a theatrical success.
An interesting point is that the "Chapter IV: A New Hope"
sub-title did not appear until the 1979 re-release of the movie.
Randal Schwartz (mer...@romulus.reed.edu) says the following
about the '79 release:
That was the one with the extended trailer for ESB, which
came out the following summer. So the order was:
summer of '77: SW [no IV]
summer of '78: re-release of SW [no IV]
(but Westgate was still playing it)
summer of '79: retitled SW IV, with ESB trailer
summer of '80: ESB
The reference to "Westgate" was that the Westgate theatre
(just a few blocks from where I am typing this) was *still*
playing it. They set the record worldwide for the longest
continuous run for SW [sans IV], something like 79 weeks.
So, naturally, it wasn't a "re-release" for summer of '78.
(We web-footed Oregonians see a *lot* of movies. :-)
Empire Strikes Back (1980) was always sub-titled Chapter V and
Return of the Jedi (1983) was always sub-titled Chapter VI.
(Note: the name of the first FILM is Star Wars - the name of the
CHAPTER is "A New Hope" In Empire Strikes Back and Return of
the Jedi the film name and chapter names just happen to be
the same. All the films together are collectively referred to
as the Star Wars saga.)
Q 002: Were there scenes cut from Star Wars after its original theatrical
release? I seem to remember a reunion scene on Tatooine between
Luke and his friend Biggs on leave from the Academy.
Answer: This scene never appeared in any theatrical release of Star Wars.
The scene is described in the novelization of Star Wars and
apparently was even filmed since images from it appear in the Star
Wars picture-book adaptation. Perhaps is why so many people swear
that they remember seeing the scene at one time. Also there was
apparently a scene in the Rebel hangar which was filmed but not
included where Red Leader speaks to Luke about having met Anakin
Skywalker and what a great pilot he was. Another scene that was
originally intended for Star Wars was an encounter between Han
Solo and Jabba the Hutt at the spaceport on Tatooine. The scene
was partially filmed but never finished because Lucas was
dissatisfied with his options for portraying Jabba due to budget,
FX technology and story constraints. Partial unfinished footage
of this scene can be found on the VHS video titled From Star
Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga.
The only visual difference between any current print of Star
Wars and the original theatrical release is the aforementioned
addition of the "Episode IV" title in the roll-up. There are,
however, minor differences in the soundtrack; in fact, because
Lucas had more time to work on the sound before Star Wars was
released internationally, the sound in non-U.S. releases is of
slightly better quality.
Some of the differences in the audio between the original
release and currently available ones: 1) When the Stormtroopers
are chasing Han & Chewie through the Death Star corridors in the
original release they first say "Close the blast doors, close
the blast doors!" and when they get trapped on the wrong side of
the door they then say "Open the blast doors, open the blast
doors!" In the VHS version the "Close the blast doors" line is
not audible. 2) Aunt Beru's voice is distinctly different
(lower in pitch) in the original movie. 3) The line spoken by
the Stormtrooper who finds the door locked, behind which R2-D2
and C-3PO are hiding outside the cantina, in the original
version is "The door is locked; move on to the next one." In
VHS versions, the line is "It's secure; move on to the next
one." Deborah Padgett (pad...@inyo.caltech.edu) adds two
others: 4) Some of Chewbacca's "lines" as he leaves the cantina
are deleted in the later versions. 5) The little chess critters
on board the MF make more cute noises in the original. Another
is contributed by Joe Stremick (red...@carson.u.washington.edu):
6) The echo during the chasm fight/rope-swing scene is in some
prints and not in others. The echo, which is on Luke and Leia's
dialogue, is *really* cool.
Elaborates Douglas Quale (qu...@spock.cs.wisc.edu):
Things are confusing because there were in fact two
soundtracks, mono and Dolby surround stereo. The
differences in the soundtracks are fairly minor, the most
prominent changes being Aunt Beru's voice (so different
sounding that it may have been dubbed by a different
actor), the ``Close the blastdoors!'' line, and the bit
with the droids hiding behind the door in Mos Eisley.
Finally, a line spoken by C-3PO was added in later VHS and laserdisc
releases. As R2-D2 is bringing up the plans of the Death Star to
find the tractor beam, 3PO says "The tractor beam is coupled to the
main reactor in 7 locations."
Q 003: Wasn't Return of the Jedi originally titled Revenge of the Jedi?
Why was it changed?
Answer: Up until shortly before it was released ROTJ was indeed titled
Revenge of the Jedi and some promotional materials (movie posters,
patches etc.) were printed with that title. Materials saying
Revenge of the Jedi are now collector's items. There are two
explanations commonly given for why the title was changed:
1) Revenge isn't very Jedi-like. 2) The studio wanted to avoid
confusion with Star Trek II which was due to be released at
about the same time and was originally titled Vengeance of Kahn.
Bantha Tracks, the newsletter of the now-defunct Official Star
Wars Fan Club, printed the following blurb in issue #19:
Both REVENGE OF THE JEDI and BLUE HARVEST were working
titles for the third film in the STAR WARS Saga Trilogy,
"The Adventures of Luke Skywalker." REVENGE OF THE JEDI
was used during filming at EMI Elstree Studios in
England, while BLUE HARVEST was used by our crews during
filming in Yuma, Arizona and Cresent City, California,
U.S.A. RETURN OF THE JEDI has always been the title of
the film and appears on the first draft of George Lucas'
script.
Q 004: Does Lucas have scripts/stories already written for the other
episodes in the saga? Will he ever make them into films?
Answer: No one knows for sure how much development Lucas had done on the
plots/scripts for the other trilogies at the time Star Wars was
released. Some people believe that Lucas has scripts for ALL the
films locked away in a vault someplace. Most people believe
that he has lots of story ideas and possibly preliminary
treatments for the films but not complete scripts.
After Return of the Jedi, Lucas stated he would not make any
more Star Wars films - he needed a creative break and had other
projects going he wanted to concentrate on. Recently however
Lucas has changed his mind and has publically stated that he will
soon be starting work on new Star Wars films. The next films
to be produced will be Episodes I to III of the saga. They
will all be filmed simultaneously and will be released in
consecutive years sometime before the year 2000. No one is sure
of the exact release dates and to the best of our knowledge
Lucas has not started actual work on the films yet.
Episodes I to III are expected to take place about 20 years
before Star Wars. The plot is expected to concern the fall of
the Old Republic, the rise to power of the Emperor, the Clone
Wars and the exploits of Ben Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker.
No plans are currently being made to produce Episodes VII to
IX. Apparently these episodes as conceived by Lucas take
place about 20 years after ROTJ and may also involve a new
set of actors and characters (the descendants of the original
heros?). Lucas has stated many times that the only characters
which would appear in all 9 episodes are the droids R2-D2 and
C-3PO.
Q 005: Isn't Star Wars a rip-off of a Japanese film called The Hidden
Fortress or <insert your favorite film here>?
Answer: Lee Campbell (el...@ai.mit.edu) writes:
It's pretty clear there *is* a connection between 'Star Wars'
and a Japanese film called 'The Hidden Fortress' made by Akira
Kurosawa. Not that SW is a copy of THF, just that THF
was *one* of the inspirations for SW. [In] this Japanese
epic, a lord has been defeated, his empire overrun, but his
daughter the princess is still free. Some samurai and
retainers are trying to bring her back across a hostile land
to another lord's domain where she will be safe.
Mike Rosenlof (mi...@neopath.wa.com) adds:
In 'The Hidden Fortress', there is a samurai general who
is escorting a princess with a large stash of gold
(a.k.a. something very valuable to her family that the
enemies are trying to take from her). There are also two
farmers who argue a lot, one short and fat, one tall and
thin. There is a duel between the general (played by
Mifune Toshiro) and one of the enemies that is
reminiscent of the Vader-Kenobi duel (except I believe
Mifune wins). Story elements are closer than the FAQ
currently indicates. But it is true the Star Wars in not
simply a remake of this film.
It's been a while since I've seen "Kakushi Toride no San
Akunin" (Three villains in a hidden fortress), but I do
recall the similarity of the way wipes and fades were
used between scenes to indicate the passage of time.
Some people who have seen both films say that there are also
similarities in the dialog, film-making techniques, camera angles,
etc.
To answer the more general question about parallels between
Star Wars and other films (in this case Wizard of Oz)
Teri (te...@sdd.hp.com) writes:
I think it is not so much that plots were ripped off but that
both movies express the ancient archetype of the hero who goes
on a quest. In this sense they are very similar. The "plot"
is really an old, old one that goes back to the first
storytelling days of man. The hero is usually aided by
supernatural forces against perilous dangers and ultimate
evils. Joseph Campbell (comparative religion/mythology) has a
lot to say about archetypes like this. See "The Hero of a
Thousand Faces," or some such. This theme appears across many
cultures and many different times. You might argue that the
Indiana Jones series partook of this as well. Or "Clash of
the Titans," a greek myth brought to the screen.
Steve (sd...@poe.acc.Virginia.EDU) adds:
I would add that one of George Lucas's original plots for Star
Wars is even more remarkably similar to Hidden Fortress than is
Star Wars as it was released. For a complete synopsis of this
original story see Dale Pollock's 1983 biography of George
Lucas, Skywalking. Star Wars, if made using this plot, might
well have been open to a lawsuit by the authors of Hidden
Fortress; the only point of divergence is that Star Wars occurs
in outer space.
Q 006: What other movies have Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, or Harrison
Ford been in? What are they doing nowadays?
Answer: A list of all the movies that Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison
Ford, and Sir Alec Guiness have been in is available on the Archive,
called actors_film_list.Z.
Harrison Ford, of course, has a quite successful movie career.
Recently he has made a special guest appearance on an episode of
"The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles." Mark, in addition to the few
movies he's appeared in since Jedi, has done a lot of Broadway and
off-Broadway plays. He also played the Trickster on a couple of
episodes of "The Flash," and is currently the voice of the Joker
and of Robin in the animated "Batman" series. Carrie has published
a bestseller or two, and has translated one of those to the big
screen.
Q 007: I've heard of a movie script that is supposedly for Episode III
of the Star Wars saga. Is it real? Where can I get a copy?
Answer: It is entitled Fall of the Republic and is not a complete script
but more of a plot outline. It is generally agreed that it
was NOT written by Lucas or anyone with inside knowledge and
therefore should be treated purely as speculative fiction.
It is available on the Archive.
Q 008: What novels have been created that are set in the Star Wars
universe?
Answer: The official novelizations of the movies are:
Star Wars by George Lucas (ghostwritten by Alan Dean Foster)
Empire Strikes Back by Donald F. Glut
Return of the Jedi by James Kahn
There are also several official picture-book adaptations of each
of the movies. Additionally many other authors have written
books set in the Star Wars universe with the permission of
LucasArts. The most recent such works are a cycle of three
novels by Timothy Zahn which are set after Return of the Jedi.
These novels are NOT episodes VII, VIII, and IX of the Star Wars
movies.
What follows is a list of various books, loosely organized by
category, compiled from my own collection and from the Star
Wars bibliography being maintained by Erik Olson (ols...@rpi.edu).
The books containing stories outside of the movies are all listed
(to the best of my knowledge), but the coverage of other books
(sketchbooks, Art Of books, etc) is somewhat, well, sketchy.
This list does not include the many children's books based on
adaptations of parts of the movies, comics series (see Question
010) or the Saturday-morning cartoon series (see Question 009).
It also does not include any of the books published by West End
Games (associated with the role-playing game; see Question 010).
Novels:
1976 Star wars: from the adventures of Luke Skywalker: a novel
by George Lucas [ghostwritten by Alan Dean Foster]
1978 Splinter of the mind's eye: from TALS / Alan Dean Foster
1979 Han Solo at Stars' End: from TALS / Brian Daley
1979 Han Solo's revenge: from TALS / Brian Daley
1979 Han Solo and the lost legacy: from TALS / Brian Daley
1983 Lando Calrissian and the mindharp of Sharu / L. Neil Smith
1983 Lando Calrissian and the flamewind of Oseon / L. Neil Smith
1983 Lando Calrissian and the starcave of ThonBoka / L. Neil Smith
1983 Return of the Jedi / James Khan
1987 Star Wars--the first ten years--storybook trilogy
1991 Heir to the empire / Timothy Zahn
1991 Dark Empire (limited series) (Dark Horse Comics)
1992 Dark force rising / Timothy Zahn
1993 The last command / Timothy Zahn
Children's books:
1979 The Maverick moon / illustrated by Walter Wright
1979 Mystery of the Rebellious Robot / ill. by Mark Corcoran
1979 The Wookiee storybook / ill. by Patricia Wynne
1980 The Empire strikes back storybook / Steneman, Shep
1984 Wicket finds a way / Melinda Luke
1984 Three cheers for Kneesaa! / Jane E. Gerver
1984 The Ewoks' hang-gliding adventure
1984 The baby Ewoks' picnic
1985 The Ewoks and the lost children (The Ewok Adventure)
1986 The ring, the witch, and the crystal (The Battle for Endor)
Young adult books (by Paul and Hollace Davids):
1992 The glove of Darth Vader
1992 The lost city of the Jedi
1992 Zorba the Hutt's revenge
1993 Mission from Mount Yoda
1993 Queen of the Empire
1993 Prophets of the Dark Side
Books with additional info:
1977 The Force of Star Wars / Frank Allnutt
1980 The Empire strikes back sketchbook
1980 Once upon a galaxy: A journal of the making of TESB
/ Alan Arnold
1982 The Jedi master's quizbook / Rusty Miller
1983 Making of Return of the Jedi / John Phillip Peecher (ed.)
1983 Skywalking / Dale Pollock
1983 The Art of Return of the Jedi
(with movie script by Kasdan/Lucas)
1984 A guide to the Star Wars universe / compiled by Raymond Velasco
For a longer listing (including complete card catalog references,
descriptions etc. for each work) or to make contributions to this
list please write to Erik directly at ols...@rpi.edu. Also, a
long list (also including card catalog references, etc.) from Dan
Abend (ab...@skink.cis.ohio-state.edu) is available on the Archive.
Concerning upcoming books, the following information is from the
Dark Empire trade paperback:
"For Bantam Books and Lucasfilm, Ltd., I myself [Kevin J.
Anderson] am writing three Star Wars novels, working with
the other authors who are also telling the saga that
takes place in the years following ROJ... Kathy Tyers
tells the story of Rebel and Imperial troops forced into
an uneasy alliance against an even greater alien threat.
Kenneth C. Flynt brings Luke back to Tatooine in search
of an artifact that once belonged to Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Dave Wolverton shows us Han Solo's complicated courtship
of Princess Leia. My own trilogy tells the story of
Luke's attempts to reestablish the order of Jedi Knights,
founding a Jedi 'academy' of self-discovery and training."
A recent issue of Locus also reported:
ROGER MACBRIDE ALLEN has contracted to do three Star Wars
novels for Bantam, via agent Eleanor Wood.
Q 009: What Star Wars related items have appeared on TV?
Answer: For each of the movies there was a "making of" TV special aired
on network television. Approximately 48 minutes each, they are:
The Making of Star Wars -- hosted by C-3PO and R2-D2 (1977)
SPFX: The Empire Strikes Back -- hosted by Mark Hamill (1980)
Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi (1983)
In 1979, "The Star Wars Holiday Special" (involving Chewie
visiting his family on the Wookiee home planet) aired for its
first and last showing. Most of the major movie characters had
cameos. There was also a short cartoon in the middle which
was the first appearance of Boba Fett. The show clocks in at 1:34
without commercials. Bootleg copies of the show (there are no
legal copies available) can be found at many SF conventions, and
some SF dealers.
Characters from Star Wars have done guest shots on the likes of
Sesame Street and the Muppet Show.
The years immediately following Return of the Jedi saw two TV-movies
about Ewoks: The Ewok Adventure: Caravan of Courage, and The Ewoks:
Battle for Endor. There was also a Saturday morning Ewok &
Droids cartoon. The first season it was "The Ewoks and Droids
Adventure Hour," which was split into two half-hour episodes, one
concerning the adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO and the other those
of Wicket and his friends. For its second and last season the
cartoon was shortened to a half-hour and called simply "Ewoks,"
eliminating the droids from the show entirely.
Around 1985, PBS aired a special entitled "From Star Wars to Jedi:
the making of a saga" which is now available with the boxed set
of the trilogy.
More recently, this past March, PBS aired a special called
"American Masters." This was more of a biography of George Lucas
than information pertaining particularly to the Star Wars trilogy.
Q 010: Has the Star Wars series been adapted to any other form of media?
Answer: There are several comic book series. The first series was by Marvel
Comics and started with an adaptation of Star Wars and continued
on past the end of ROTJ for a total of 107 issues. Marvel also did
official comic adaptations of Empire Strikes Back and Return of the
Jedi as limited series.
Star Comics, a division of Marvel aimed at younger readers, put
out two short lived series, one based on the Ewoks cartoon and
the other on the Droids cartoon.
Blackthorn also did 3 Star Wars 3-D comics.
Andy (hum...@vms.cis.pitt.edu) adds:
In addition to the 107 issues of the Marvel comic, Marvel
published 3 Annuals and at least two paperbacks (the paperbacks
may have been reprints of UK Star Wars comics or from the
newspaper strip, but they were not part of the 107 issue run).
Of the 107 issues, numbers 1-6 adapted Star Wars, and numbers
39-42 adapt ESB. RotJ was a 4 issue mini-series.
The Star Wars newspaper strip has been reprinted in a 3-volume
hardbound set by Russ Cochran Publishing.
A new limited series (6 issues) of Star Wars: Dark Empire comics
was recently produced bi-monthly by Dark Horse Comics. They are
supposed to be consistent with Zahn's novels but take place at a
later date. These also are NOT Episodes VII to IX of the Star
Wars saga. Dark Horse has announced plans to produce additional
series set in the Star Wars Universe, and you can find previews
of one called "Tales of the Jedi" in both Dark Horse Comics and
Dark Horse Insider.
Dark Horse has also started publishing "Classic Star Wars,"
another reprint of the newspaper strip, in slightly modified
form to fit the comic book medium rather than the newspaper,
and with color added.
There is a Star Wars role playing game produced by West End
Games. They produce a lot of supplemental source books for
the game containing tons of interesting info about the
characters/history/technology of the Star Wars universe.
National Public Radio also did radio broadcast adaptations of
Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back. The voices of Mark Hamill,
Anthony Daniels, and Billy Dee Williams (for Empire) are used
in this series; the other characters have relative unknowns doing
the readings. The script for the adaptation was written by Brian
Daley. See Question 017 for information on ordering this set.
No radio drama was ever produced for Return of the Jedi.
Several Star Wars computer games also exist. There were several
coin-op arcade games and ports of these games to various
computers and consoles. Most recently, there is a new computer
game called X-Wing. It uses realistic 3d-graphics to allow the
player to simulate flying X-Wing, Y-Wing and A-Wing fighters in
missions against the Empire. See Question 013 for more
information on this.
Also, recently released is the Star Wars pinball game.
Q 011: What does "canon" mean? What sources are considered canon in the
Star Wars universe?
Answer: First, a little background. Nathan Hill tells us:
"Canon" is a term borrowed from theology. In reference
to scripture, it denotes those writings which are considered
"the word of God". Other spiritual writings may be considered
helpful but not 100% reliable; these are "apocraphal
writings", and some are held in higher esteem than others.
Basically, you are supposed to accept canon as true and
look on apocrapha with some skepticism.
Brian Panulla (BJP...@psuvm.psu.edu) adds:
The word "canon" in this case is most directly related to the
CanonWars(tm) that occur weekly on the StarTrek groups. Yes,
it was derived from the religious definition by a few
overzealous Trekkers a few years back to account for the
various YATIs (Yet Another Trek Inconsistency). They decided
that some of the shows just plain "didn't happen". Most of the
Trek novels likewise "didn't happen."
In the Star Wars universe, there is no defined canon.
A common misconception is that the movies (and, some say, ONLY the
movies) are canon. This cannot be true, because then we have to
accept as canon the fact that Luke yelled "Carrie!", that there are
yellow lines around the TIE Fighters, etc. (see questions 019-020)
The canon issue is further complicated by the fact that some of
Lucas' ideas changed between Star Wars and Jedi. If we take "canon"
to mean "won't be contradicted by any subsequent movies" (another
common misconception) then the entire concept remains undefined
until the final movie is released. This definition also ignores
slight inconsistencies between the already-existing movies.
Tom Veitch, author of the Dark Empire comic, has said:
The comics that Dark Horse is (and will) be doing are just as
"official" as Zahn's books and WEG roleplaying materials.
Ultimately EVERYTHING that is licensed takes place in an
"alternate universe" and is subject to being blown away by
films originating from the source (George Lucas).
My advice is to ignore the entire debate over what is canon
and what is not - form your own interpration of the Star Wars
universe based on the source material YOU enjoy and don't worry
about what is "official" and what is not.
Q 012: What is Hardware Wars? How can I view a copy?
Answer: Hardware Wars is a thirteen-minute, very funny, very low budget
parody of Star Wars. It has been spotted for rent at some
Blockbuster Video stores, on a tape called "Hardware Wars and
other film farces," which also contains three other short films:
"Closet Cases of the Nerd Kind," "Bambi Meets Godzilla," and
"Porklips Now," which, like Hardware Wars, was made by Ernie
Fosselius. (Thanks to David Gray (dxg...@hertz.njit.edu) for
info on this tape.)
Q 012.5: Is Hardware Wars canon?
Answer: Very funny.
Q 013: What are the hardware requirements for the X-wing Simulator?
Will it ever be available on anything other than PC clones?
Answer: The performance on a 386 is more than adequate. A 286 will work
too, but you will want to turn off all the extra options to make
the speed bearable. Although the game does not require one, most
people have found that a joystick is necessary to get an adequate
amount of control over the game.
Adds Rene Borowski (bo...@colorix.ph2.uni-koeln.de):
I saw X-Wing on a 286 20Mhz with 1Meg RAM at a friend of
mine. I would say - you can't play, because your
reactions with the joystick are to slow calculated and
realized from the computer. Maybe you know this effect
from "old" C64 times: You pull the stick, but nothing
happens, a second later the plane flies a looping,
because you tried to pull again and again.
There are no plans to port the game to any other computers. The
flight engine was written specifically for the PC architecture,
and LucasArts says that porting it would not be cost-effective.
Q 014: How can I participate in a Star Wars MUD?
Answer: First for those of you who don't know what a MUD is it stands
for Multi User Dungeon and is a multi-player on-line interactive
role-playing game. The Star Wars MUD described below allows
you to role-play a character in the Star Wars universe.
Thanks to Steven Parks (nud...@camelot.bradley.edu) for the
following info:
This MUD is in the Netherlands. For a good proportion of
the world, this is long-distance. Be nice to the world,
the phone companies, and yourselves and don't abuse our
MUD-ding privileges.
This is a MUD. You will have to telnet to the location
and connect to a specific port ("telnet <location> <port>").
The location and port is <duteca4.et.tudelft.nl 8888>,
or, as i understand for a better connection or something,
use the IP numbers: <130.161.144.22 8888>. Once connection is
complete, you will be asked for a name, which you can choose to
be an alias. Then you will enter a password, to be repeated
for verification. (On my first time, a lot of information
passed the screen, and I wasn't ready to pause to read it all.
this shouldn't happen to _you_ now... =)
As I previously stated, this is a MUD; but not just any MUD,
such as a social MUD. This is an LP-MUD, which means you start
at the beginning and continue until you win... ...or die
trying, I guess. The object is to become a jedi, running around
and using the force. You _can_ save your position, therefore
allowing you to return at a later time.
A more recent Star Wars MUD (MUSH actually) is located at
durrance.colorado.edu (128.138.253.120) port 4402, says Mike
(str...@durrance.colorado.edu). Simple instructions are given
when you log on. (Note that the commands are CASE-SENSITIVE.)
Q 015: Are the action figures/toys worth anything as collectors items?
Answer: Chris Georgoulias (cmg...@eos.ncsu.edu), a USENET guru on Star
Wars collectibles, writes the following long-winded response:
Because the toys were produced in such vast numbers,
collectors generally like to acquire toys that are in the
best possible condition, with the most to offer. Usually
this entails toys that have surpassed their purpose of
play and have kept their original store appearance by
remaining mint in their packaging. The action figures
were the strongest point of the entire toy line and were
produced for more than 8 years. As a result, the number of
"common" figures outnumbers the rarer ones by 20:1. In
general, the average loose figure isn't considered
"collectible" because it is widely available. But the
inclusion of the original package, "card," causes the
value to increase significantly. The price can further
increase depending on the particular card the figure is
packaged on, with some mint carded figures worth up to
$400 nowadays. Loose playsets seem to fare better in the
collectors market, but again with more loose toys
available, the boxed toys still command higher respect for
the simple fact that kids, who were the target consumers,
usually threw out all the packaging. In fact, if one
thinks about it, it's actually the package that is the
rarity and not the toy. The line of 12" dolls seems to be
have the best value of all the loose toys, with values of
up to $250 with all the accessories. There were also
special sets that were available only at major retailers
such as Sears and JCPenny. These sets, even loose,
command high prices because of their limited availability.
Kenner produced many different toys for the Star Wars saga
and it is difficult to account for each one in a format
such as this. It is recommended that a anyone who is
interested in the current values of the toys seek out "Toy
Shop" magazine. This magazine exists as the toy
collector's marketplace and is the very best place to see
the current retail (selling) values of toys. Price guides
are a great way to see all of the toys that were made, but
the values are only guides and not selling prices.
Attending toy shows is also another great way to find out
the current values of the toys. But, like anything else,
it pays to check out many dealers and do some comparative
shopping. You WILL find large fluxuations in prices from
dealer to dealer and city to city. Do yourself a favor
and get as informed as possible before you journey into
the world of toy collecting. You have to be alert so you
won't get burned, but you'll have a blast while you're
amassing a collection. Speaking from experience I can
say that it is truly a joy to participate in, and when
1997 rolls around we can all watch the market for Star
Wars toys hit the roof!
Q 016: What is the "C-3PO penis card"? Is it valuable?
Answer: Card #207 of the green Topps series is a picture of C-3PO, modified
by a prankster at Topps to give the droid an extra appendage. This
was corrected in later prints of the cards. The original card
generally sells for about $15, and the corrected one, while
actually rarer, is much less sought after and not worth much more
than any other card in the series.
A GIF of this card is sometimes on the Archive; see "Archive
Information" above for further information on GIF availability.
Q 017: How can I contact the LucasFilm fan club? Who do I contact to
order the Star Wars radio drama? What is the address of West
End Games?
Answer: The Lucasfilm Fan Club puts out a quarterly newsletter, along with
offering assorted memorabilia from Star Wars and other Lucasfilm
projects (Indiana, Jones, Young Indy, etc.) Their address is:
The Lucasfilm Fan Club
P.O. Box 111000
Aurora, CO 80011
USA
Membership in the Fan Club costs $9.95 a year.
Highbridge Company is producing the Star Wars radio drama. You
can probably find it in a local bookstore. Failing that, you
can contact Highbridge Audio at:
or
1000 Westage Drive
St. Paul, Minnesota 55114
Copies of the Star Wars adaptation are available on tape and
CD; also, on CD, you can get a deluxe edition which contains
both Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back. ESB won't be released
by itself for a few quite a while yet; October is what the current
rumors say.
You can contact West End Games at:
West End Games
RD 3 Box 2345
Honesdale, PA 18431
(717) 253-6990
Q 018: Is it true that a tennis shoe appears in one of the space battle
scenes in ROTJ? If so where?
Answer: Page 120 of the book "Industrial Light and Magic: The Art of
Special Effects," by Tom Smith, says:
In Return of the Jedi, there were some shots where scores
of ships were seen at the same time. Needless to say, it
was very complicated and painstaking work. Once Ken got
so frustrated by all of the ships in Jedi that he took
off his tennis shoe and put it in the film as part of the
Rebel fleet. The shoe actually ended up in the final
film, though you have to know exactly where to look in
order to see it.
Despite the claims of several people to have found the infamous
tennis shoe in several different frames examination of these
frames on high-end video equipment has always resulted in the
conclusion that no shoe was actually in those frames. It's
possible that the shoe is not identifiable as such from whatever
part of it is on the screen.
Q 019: Why do the TIE fighters in the VHS versions of ROTJ have very
faint hazy yellow boxes surrounding them?
Answer: It's an artifact of the special effects process used to matte the
space-ships. This happens to be more visible on home VHS-TV
set-ups than it is in the movie theatre. Here with additional
information is Dan Goldman (dgol...@CS.Stanford.EDU):
The answer given to me by employees of both ILM and Home
THX (which does video transfer quality assurance
nowadays, too) was that these artifacts were due to poor
video transfer. Had the light levels been correctly set
during the transfer process, the garbage matte lines
would be truly invisible. The THX folks also mentioned
that the artifacts appeared because the dynamic range of
a videotape was so much smaller than that of film (20:1
vs. 2000:1, with LaserDisc around 200:1), but that is a
pretty weak answer to me. After doing some work in color
correction myself, my hunch is that the transfer process
does not adequately compensate for the different response
characteristics of film vs. video. Darkening your TV
screen can compensate to a certain extent, but not very
accurately.
Q 020: What other editing/SPFX bloopers appear in the films?
Answer: Far too many to list here. A separate list, called "The Bad
Guide to Star Wars" is kept by Brandon Gillespie
(bra...@cc.usu.edu). This list is available on the Archive and
is posted to the group periodically. It also contains bits of
trivia and things to watch for in the trilogy.
Some of the more "famous" bloopers: In the first movie, in the
scene where the Stormtroopers break into the room on the Death
Star where C-3PO and R2-D2 are holed up, one of the troopers bumps
his head on the door. (This isn't technically a blooper but it's
fun to watch anyway.) Also, during the saber duel between Vader
and Kenobi, in some frames they forgot to colorize Kenobi's saber
(use single frame advance to see this clearly). And after the final
battle, when Luke arrives back in the Rebel hangar, he yells out
"Carrie" instead of "Leia."
In Return of the Jedi during the scene in Jabba's palace, the
dancer with the twin head-tails falls out of her costume for
several frames right before Jabba opens the trap door dropping her
into the pit. (You probably need a single frame VCR to see this.)
In the throne room scenes there is a dark-blotch that looks like
bad touch-up work consistently visible on the left of the Emperor's
face near the shadows of his hood. This, like the yellow lines,
is not apparent in film versions, only on video.
Q 021: Why does Han Solo say that the Millennium Falcon made the Kessel
Run in under 12 parsecs when parsecs are a unit of distance
instead of time?
Answer: The following letter and response appeared in issue #6 of the
Marvel Comic series:
...someone made an astronomical error. On page 16, panel
5 [of issue #2], Han Solo says his ship "made the Kessel
Run in less than twelve parsecs." I'll bet he can run the
mile in less than 100 yards, too. A parsec is a measure
of distance, approximately 3.26 light years. (A light
year is about six trillion miles.) I expect my goofy,
gilded no-prize by earliest mail.
Michael Blue
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
We'd love to present you one, Mike, since you're right on
target. However, we asked George about it, and he says he
wrote that line for the movie on purpose, partly as an
in-joke and partly to show that Han Solo was something of
a bull artist who didn't always know precisely what he was
talking about. So, we're afraid you'll have to take it up
with Mr. Lucas himself! --Roy [Roy Thomas, writer and
editor for the comic at the time]
I've seen this explanation elsewhere too, but for the life of me
I can't find the source.
Some choose not to believe this explanation, feeling instead that
Lucas screwed up and came up with that explanation later to cover
it up. While this doesn't sound like something he would be likely
to do, only Lucas himself knows for sure.
If you want an explanation that makes sense in context of the movie,
the following have been proposed: 1) During the oddities of
hyperspace travel time and distance are interchangeable. 2) Han
was boasting that he had discovered a new physically shorter route
to make the Kessel Run.
Also note that the novelization uses "standard timeparts" instead
of "parsecs."
Q 022: How old is Yoda? As I recall, he stated he was 800 in Empire
Strikes Back but 900 in Return of the Jedi.
Answer: In Empire, his actual words are "For 800 years have I trained Jedi."
The only thing this tells us about his age is that he is over 800
years old. In Jedi he has a line that says "When 900 years old you
reach, look as good you will not."
Some trading cards released after Empire list Yoda's age as 973.
While this is not an official source, note that it is not
inconsistent with what is said in the movie, since he never comes
right out and says he is EXACTLY 900 years old.
Q 023: Is the Death Star capable of travelling through hyperspace? It
doesn't look like it has any engines.
Answer: It would have to be to be of any use to the Empire. If it were
restricted to sublight travel (or no travel) it could hardly be
considered a threat to anything but a very small part of the
galaxy.
No specific mention is made of its hyperspace capabilities in the
movies, but the role-playing game source material discusses this
more. As far as the lack of engines, there are two possibilities:
1) It doesn't have conventional engines for propulsion; it merely
has the necessary hardware to enter hyperspace, which could
possibly require no exterior engines. 2) Since we only see it
from one view (facing the disk containing the planet-buster), we
don't know what's on the back, and it actually does have engines
there.
Q 024: Why does Darth Vader's TIE fighter look different from the others?
What are those other TIE fighters that look like his in Empire and
Jedi?
Answer: While this is never discussed in the films, various other sources,
such as the MPC model kits and the role-playing game sourcebooks,
tell us that Darth Vader's TIE fighter was a prototype model, the
bent-wing design providing better solar collection capabilities than
the regular straight-wing design. Two other types of TIE fighters
appear in the last two movies using the bent-wing design. In the
asteroid sequence in Empire, there are vessels called TIE bombers,
which look very similar to Vader's TIE except that they have two
pods between the solar panels. In the final space battle in Jedi,
vessels known as TIE interceptors appear. These have the bent wings
and a single pod, but the wings have large cut-outs down the front
to provide greater visibility.
Q 025: In scene _____, _____ says something like "__ _____ ___," but I
can't understand (him/her) clearly. What is (he/she) saying?
Answer: Questions of this sort are best answered by consulting the script
to the film in question. All three scripts are available on the
Archive; however, be aware that there ARE differences between the
scripts and the actual movies. If, after consulting the script,
you cannot find the lines, or you are convinced that what the
character actually says is different from the script, then AND ONLY
THEN should you post the question to the net.
The remainder of the questions are ones to which the answers are pure
speculation. It may seem somewhat silly, then, to include them in the list
of Frequently Asked Questions, but these still fit that definition.
Hopefully, by including these here, people will get a sense of what topics
come up repeatedly on r.a.s.s and some idea of the speculation that has
taken place in regards to the answers.
Q 026: What is the Journal of the Whills?
Answer: This is mentioned in the intro to the Star Wars novelization and
hardly anywhere else. Its significance is unclear, but it might
be similar in concept to the Red Book of Westmarch, the ficticious
book from which Tolkiens's Lord of the Rings story supposedly comes.
Q 027: What are the Clone Wars?
Answer: No one knows for sure. All that is known is that they were fought
around the time of the fall of the Old Republic and that Ben
Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker fought in them. It is generally
believed that these wars had something to do with the Emperor's
ascendancy to power and extermination of the Jedi. A common (but
unsubstantiated) claim is that the war was between the Jedi and
genetically cloned soldiers created by the Emperor - who later
became known as Stormtroopers. (Although there is little evidence
from the movies that Stormtroopers are clones, you can find an
article of questionable validity on the Archive which explains in
detail how the cloned troopers are raised and trained.)
Q 028: When Ben gave Luke his first lightsaber, he said "Your father
wanted you to have this when you were old enough." Why would
Vader have wanted his son to have a lightsaber?
Answer: Many believe that at the time of the filming of Star Wars, Lucas
hadn't decided to make Darth Vader Luke's father. In that
context, the statement makes sense. Some ideas for a reason that
fits in the context of the rest of the trilogy: 1) what Ben said
to Luke was only true "from a certain point of view." 2) Ben was
extrapolating what Anakin would have wanted, had he not turned to
the Dark Side (a variation on the first idea). 3) Before Anakin
became Darth Vader, he told Ben that if he ever had a son, he would
want his son to have the lightsaber.
Q 029: I've seen Darth Vader referred to as "Dark Lord of the Sith."
What does that mean?
Answer: Again, only Lucas knows for sure. The novelization implies that he
was only one of several Dark Lords of the Sith. This phrase is
rarely used to describe Vader in anything written after ESB, so
again it may be something Lucas changed his mind about.
As an extra bit of trivia, Afzal Ballim (af...@divsun.unige.ch) adds:
I remember when SW:ANH was first realised in Ireland I went
to see it during the first week. In the cinema you could
buy various memorabilia. One of these was a glossy magazine
(on matt paper) that contained stills from the film as well
as explanations of various characters in the film. I remember
them describing Vader as being a Dark Lord of the Sith,
creatures who need special breathing apperatus to live in our
atmosphere.
Since ROTJ reveals Vader to be human, this has obviously been
invalidated, but perhaps shows an early idea.
Q 030: Why did the Death Star take the time to orbit the planet of Yavin
to get to the moon? Couldn't it have just blown up the planet?
Answer: First, keep in mind that the Tarkin felt that the Death Star was
invulnerable. To him, there was no particular hurry to get to the
moon.
Possible answers that have been suggested on the newsgroup are:
1) Because Yavin was a gas giant (according to the RPG materials)
the Death Star's weapons wouldn't have worked on it; there was no
solid matter to "blow up." 2) Also derived from the RPG, where
money is an important factor, is the idea that the operating cost
of the super laser was too high to make it worthwhile. 3) Preparing
the weapon to fire may have taken some time, possibly more than the
half hour it would have taken just to orbit the planet. 4) Yavin,
due to its size, would have probably destroyed the Death Star in
its explosion. (This is mutually exclusive with #1, since it
assumes the planet could be destroyed.) 5) The Marvel comic
reveals that the Empire has certain interests in the planet
itself, which would be upset by its destruction.
Most likely, the real reason was simply dramatic license.
Q 031: Okay, then so why didn't the Death Star just come out of hyperspace
on the other side of the planet, where the moon was?
Answer: This is almost certainly dramatic license, but there are some
other possibilities (surprise!): 1) The homing beacon wasn't
that accurate and couldn't pinpoint the Rebel Base's location
with enough precision. 2) It would have taken too much time,
because they would have had to take an indirect route. This
borrows from the RPG's idea of hyperspace shadows of realspace
objects. 3) They thought they could sneak up on the moon this
way.
Solution #1 above leaves the question about why they didn't
reenter hyperspace when they realized their mistake, but that
can be answered by #2 or by ideas from the previous question
(too great a cost, too long to reactivate hyperdrive, etc.)
Q 032: After the attack on the first Death Star, four ships fly away: two
X-wings (Luke and Wedge), The Millennium Falcon, and a Y-wing.
Who was in the Y-wing?
Answer: It could have been anyone who we didn't see die in the battle. If
you watch carefully you'll notice that most of the action
presented on-screen is carried out by X-wing pilots. An Imperial
officer states at one point that thirty ships are attacking the
Death Star. Thus, a squadron of Y-wings may have been drawing the
Imperials' fire or attention away from where their goal really
was.
Q 033: In ESB, after their escape from the Star Destroyer Fleet the
Falcon's hyperdrive is still not working. How do they make it
to Bespin and how long does it take?
Answer: There are two possible answers: 1) According to the Star Wars
role-playing game most ships have a back-up hyperdrive which
can be used in emergencies. It is slower than normal hyperdrives,
has a shorter range, is more easily tracked and is only good for
a few uses. It takes a while to switch to back-up which is why
Han couldn't use it escape the Star Destroyers. 2) The time
interval between the Falcon's escape from the Imperial fleet and
its arrival at Bespin is a lot longer than it originally appears
to be. (1 & 2 are not necessarily mutually exclusive) This also
allows sufficient time for Luke's training on Dagobah to occur.
According to someone who's name I accidentally deleted:
I figure it takes at least one year for Luke's training and
for the Falcon to get to Bespin. In Star Wars, Han says that
the Millennium Falcon can "make it to point five past
lightspeed". I take this to mean that the Falcon has a top
speed of 1.5c without using hyperdrive. Interstellar
distances are usually between 2 and 5 lightyears (Alpha
Centauri is 4.3 lyrs away from the sun). That could mean it
would take anywhere from one to three years assuming a
galactic star density similar to ours.
It's also possible that travel at near-light speeds in realspace
produces relativistic effects, slowing down time for those on
board the Falcon. So, for example, to those aboard the Falcon, the
trip may seem to have lasted for a couple of weeks, while Luke spent
a year on Dagobah training with Yoda.
Q 034: At the very opening if Star Wars, C-3PO utters "There'll be no
escape for the Princess this time." Later, when Luke asks who is
in the hologram R2-D2 plays, 3PO says "I'm not quite sure." Why
didn't he know who she was?
Answer: The obvious answer is that he knew the Princess was aboard the
ship but had no idea what she looked like. Another explanation is
offered by the Star Wars radio series (episode 3), where C-3PO and
R2-D2 are instructed to "restrict and protect all references to
Leia Organa's identity and presence aboard this vessel."
Q 035: Earlier in that same scene, C-3PO claims he's not a good
storyteller. In ROTJ, on Endor, however, he certainly seems like
quite a good storyteller, when he tells his story to the Ewoks.
Why the discrepancy?
Answer: The most logical answer is that this isn't really a discrepancy
at all. If you listen carefully to the story he tells the Ewoks,
you can pick out enough English words and sound effects to follow
it, and you'll discover that he sums up everything that happened
between the beginning of Star Wars until the end of ESB in less
than thirty seconds. By most standards this would hardly be
considered good storytelling.
Some people still believe that this is a blooper. Still others
offer alternative explanations: 1) 3PO downplayed his
storytelling ability to Luke because he didn't want to tell a
bunch of stories. 2) 3PO was not aware of his storytelling
ability until he was actually required to use it. 3) His
storytelling ability improved between when he first spoke with
Luke and when he addressed the Ewoks.
Q 036: Still regarding the same scene in the garage, C-3PO tells Luke
that his and R2's last master was Captain Antilles. Who is this
person, and is he related to Wedge Antilles?
Answer: Not only is there not a satisfactory answer to this question,
there isn't even any agreement between sources as to what was said.
In the novelization, C-3PO tells Luke that their last master was
Captain Colton. To further complicate things, the name Antilles
pops up again, in a (questionable) source: The Jedi Master's
Quizbook. Here, Leia's adopted father is called Bail Antilles,
while in the novelization (and most other sources) he is Bail
Organa. He isn't named in the movie.
It should be noted that Leia is referred to as Leia Antilles in
earlier drafts of the original screenplay. Perhaps Lucas had some
plans for the Antilles connection that he later scrapped. (Thanks
to Devin R. Clancy (DC4...@auvm.american.edu) for this info.)
In the radio series, Captain Antilles appears in the second and
third episodes as a close friend and Rebel consort of Leia's. He
is the one fatally questioned by Vader when Leia's ship is attacked.
This is probably unrelated to the idea of Leia being an Antilles,
since the radio show was written some time after the movie came out.
Q 037: What was the cause of Vader's death at the end of Jedi? He wasn't
critically wounded in the lightsaber duel.
Answer: Possibilities: 1) It was the Emperor's lightning that did him in;
it may have interfered with his mechanical life support systems.
It didn't kill Luke immediately, but as Vader picked the Emperor
up, he may have turned up the juice. Also, just before Vader makes
his move, the Emperor says, "Now, young Skywalker, you will die."
This is after he has already been zapping Luke for a few minutes,
implying he didn't have his electricity at death-intensity until
that moment.
2) The turn from the Dark Side of the Force back to the good
side was too much for him. He is the only being known to have
accomplished this.
Q 038: When Obi-Wan and Yoda died, they both disappeared, but when Darth
Vader died he didn't. Why not?
Answer: A semi-authoritative answer to this is provided in issue #26 of
Bantha Tracks, during an interview with Richard Marquand, who
directed ROTJ, and Howard Kazanjian, ROTJ's producer:
Q. Why is it Vader didn't disappear and Ben and Yoda did?
Richard Marquand: Sure wish George was here.
Howard Kazanjian: Dramatic license, a great deal of Vader
was machine. Machines wouldn't disappear.
If you don't like that answer (and it begs the question "why
didn't the non-machine part of Vader disappear?"), you may
prefer one of these: 1) Vader didn't actually die at the moment
when he closes his eyes on the shuttle ramp. He may have been
brain-dead at that point, and the machinery that comprised most
of his body kept him alive longer after that than a normal
person would be. 2) Not all Jedi disappear when they die. Ben
and Yoda may have been particularly powerful Jedi and were able
to transcend death in that manner, but Vader was not powerful
enough to do so. There are other possible reasons why he might
not have been able to disappear; perhaps he was still too
tainted by the Dark Side, and only pure-hearted Jedi are able to
pull off that trick. Perhaps he simply didn't know the
necessary mental preparations. It has been suggested by several
people that perhaps it was Luke's burning his body that freed
his spirit and allowed him to appear with Ben and Yoda at the
end, since he didn't disappear.
Q 039: Who is Uncle Owen related to?
Answer: A common, but flawed, line of reasoning is that, since Owen is
Luke's uncle, he must also be Anakin's brother. This is invalid
for two reasons: 1) if Beru were Anakin's sister, Owen could still
be Luke's uncle, by marriage instead of by blood, or 2) it's possible
that neither one of them is related to Luke or Anakin in any way; he
simply calls them "aunt" and "uncle." (This is not uncommon in our
own galaxy.) Luke may actually believe them to be blood relations
even if they aren't.
The novelization and the script for Return of the Jedi both reveal
the Owen is Ben Kenobi's brother. This is met with skepticism by
some readers of this group, but is no less likely than any other
theory floating around.
Q 040: So, if they're brothers, why do they have different last names?
Answer: The novelization and various other sources tell us that Owen's last
name is Lars. Perhaps Owen changed his last name so he wouldn't
be associated with Ben. Perhaps, according to the customs of
their galaxy, Owen took Beru's last name when he married her.
(Regarding these customs: while there is no information from the
movies about it, when Leia and Han get married in Zahn's
trilogy, she changes her last name to Organa-Solo.) Perhaps
they're not brothers at all; Lucas changed his mind about it,
and removed that part of the scene from Jedi for that very
reason.
Q 041: If Owen IS related to Ben, or even Anakin, shouldn't be be Force-
sensitive?
Answer: Perhaps. Perhaps he chose to ignore that part of his life,
associating it with "damned-fool idealistic crusades." Perhaps
being related to a Jedi or other Force-sensitive does not guarantee
that one will be Force-sensitive (recessive genes and the like).
Perhaps he realized that with the Empire in power, it was wise to
hide any Force abilities he might have.
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