Clone Wars -- "Mercy Mission" (Ep. 4.5)

-- Understanding is honoring the truth beneath the surface.

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I'm going to start by saying that this is not a bad episode; however, it does feel like a throwaway episode. Nothing significant happens in it, and it's not connected to anything else. And there are some things in it that don't make a lot of sense from an overall plot standpoint. Well, one thing: C-3PO and R2-D2 being off on a Republic cruiser with a bunch of clone troopers.

Commander Wolffe and his men are headed to some battle area when they are sidetracked by this mercy mission to aid the Aleena. C-3PO is needed as a translator, which is fine for this episode, but it doesn't explain why the droids are on the ship to begin with. C-3PO tends to stick to Padme's side as her personal protocol droid, and R2 is generally with Anakin, so it's strange that the droids would end up on this ship with Wolffe and his troops. And there's no explanation provided.

Beyond that, it's pretty standard 3PO/R2 hi-jinks. Everyone wants 3PO to shut up, and R2 goes off on his own and does things. There are also fairies and tree people, so I guess it's not quite standard. Oh, and the Aleena have a very ewok vibe with a lot of the same kind of chanting sounds, though they don't quite bring themselves to worshiping the golden droid.

It's a fine episode, I suppose, and it might have been a nice one off as a break between heavier stories, but as the fifth episode of this season in which nothing significant is happening, it just feels like more nothing. I've gotta say, though, the uniforms of Wolffe's group are pretty cool for clone trooper gear.


"Welcome to our disaster. Glad you could come."

Clone Wars -- "Ambush" (Ep. 1.1)

-- Great leaders inspire greatness in others.

The first episode of The Clone Wars television series starts us off with some good old-fashioned Yoda shenanigans. I'm talking a Yoda that hearkens back to The Empire Strikes Back, mischievous laugh and all. And teaching moments. It's interesting how little teaching we get from the Jedi's greatest teacher in the overall scheme of things in the Star Wars universe, so it's nice to see him sit down with some clones for a nice teaching moment.

For many, this is also the first real introduction to Asajj Ventress, the semi-apprentice of Count Dooku. Ventress is an interesting character and one integral to the Clone Wars story line, but, here, she plays the more passive role of temptress, serving in the background rather than as an opponent to Yoda.

The most important aspect of this episode has to do with the clones and the acknowledgement that, though clones, they are each individuals. Or, at least, have the capacity for individuality. They don't often see it in themselves, but Yoda makes it clear that the force lives in each one of them making them unique beings, one of the same themes the widely popular Orphan Black is currently exploring (but it was done here, first). [This is a theme that will be revisited throughout the series.]

And there are the droids. The droids do get played off for comic relief throughout the series, and I can understand that being upsetting to certain people, the same people who get upset about Ewoks and Jar Jar. All I can say about that is some people project too much seriousness into a story that was always meant to contain humor. So, sure, the battle droids AI is a little faulty. Or just not very bright. Which makes sense, since you want the droids to be just smart enough to follow the order of, "March out there and be killed," but not smart enough to respond with, "No way! I'll get killed!" They allow for a little bit of fun in a show (for kids) that would otherwise be way too serious.

"Ambush" is a good starting place for the series. It's hard to go wrong with Yoda.

"I just got promoted!"

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"If you decide not to make things..." (an IWSG post)

"If you decide not to make things, all you've done is deprive the world of all the stuff you could have brought to it."
--Neil Gaiman

This is a great quote by Neil and not something that I haven't said before, but I've never said it like that, and I love the way he put it: "...all you've done is deprive the world..." That's just fantastic.

Often, people will feel great conflict over creating. It can be debilitating.
"Is it good enough?"
"Am I good enough?"
"What if it's no good?"
"Am I just wasting my time?"
Oh, it goes on and on and on, and, if you visit enough blogs of pre-published writers or, even, some post-published writers, you will run into all of it and more.

I think, maybe, we're asking ourselves the wrong question. Oh, I get it. "Is it good enough?" is an important question if you're trying to get traditionally published and all of that, despite the evidence that plenty of stuff that isn't really "good enough" gets traditionally published all the time. Some of that stuff that isn't "good enough" even becomes incredibly popular. But that question, that question about being good enough, isn't so important in a digital age of self-publishing. If it was ever important at all.

I think the better question to be asking is, "Is it me enough?" Is it the story that you want to tell? Is it the story that only you can tell? Are you bringing to the world that thing that only you can bring to it?

Of course, that circles back around to "am I good enough?" and "what if no one likes me?" Questions, really, about self worth and esteem, and those can be... well, those can be hard to ignore. But we need to ignore them. We need to ignore them so that we can focus on that story that can only come from us.

So... some examples:

George Lucas made a short film while he was in college called "THX-1138" which is supposed to be brilliant. When he graduated, he wanted to make a movie called American Graffiti, but he couldn't get anyone to be interested in that. What he found was people that wanted him to make a full length feature out of THX. He said THX wasn't a full length kind of thing, but that's what they wanted, so that ended up being his first movie. It didn't do as well as everyone else thought it would. Once he was able to make Graffiti, which he did for almost no money because THX had flopped, it became the most successful film ever made up to that point and held that title for something like 30 years.

Lucas was under contract with Universal for two movies, and the next movie he wanted to make was this thing called Star Wars which Universal wouldn't back. They wanted a sequel to Graffiti. Lucas said that story was finished and didn't want to make a sequel. Eventually, he got 20th Century Fox to take Star Wars, and Universal got American Graffiti 2. How many of you knew there was a sequel?

Tolkien wrote this whole history of this place called Middle Earth, but he couldn't get anyone interested in what he called The Silmarillion. He ended up getting an unrelated novel, The Hobbit, published. The publisher wanted a sequel, but Tolkien didn't have a sequel in mind for it nor did he want to write one. They insisted. He did try, but what came out of that attempt was more Middle Earth, The Lord of the Rings, which the publisher didn't want. They ended up taking it anyway, probably realizing they just weren't going to get what they wanted out of Tolkien. And, in the end, The Hobbit became part of Middle Earth.

Heck, even Twilight was something that came straight out of Stephanie Meyer, because, before that book, if you had asked anyone if they would have thought that sparkly vampires would be a good idea, I don't think you would have found a single person that would have said "yes."

I could go on and on with these examples and go one to debate the success or lack there of when artists strayed from what the story that was coming from them into other areas. For instance, the thing most criticized about Return of the Jedi is the ewoks, a thing which Lucas did not envision but fell back on because he didn't feel like he could realize his vision of an epic battle of wookies against the Empire. There's Kevin Smith and his decline in success as he tried to move toward making movies he thought people wanted rather than making the movies he wanted to make. And more and more and more.

The thing is, though, when you try to make what you think people want, everyone is disappointed, because you can't meet the expectations of everyone and, then, you haven't even made something you're happy with, so no one is happy. Make the thing that only you can make -- the book, the movie, the painting -- and don't worry about the rest. Don't deprive the world of that thing that only you can bring to it.

I'll leave you with this:


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The Star Wars Christmas Special

No, not that Star Wars Christmas Special. Which is just the oddest thing in the world to have a cult following. I mean, have you seen the "Star Wars Holiday Special"? Of course, when I was a kid and I saw it, I loved it. But I was eight. And it was Star Wars. I sort of agree with Lucas, now, though, in that it's the worst thing that's ever been made. I can barely see clips from up without thinking, "What were you thinking? Seriously?" The point is that it's a lot of those same people that hate Jar Jar that also love the Star Wars Christmas thing, and I can only think, "What are you thinking? Seriously?" These are the people that call the Holiday Special the Holy Grail of Star Wars.

But that's people for you.

And we're not watching the "Star Wars Holiday Special" at my house this year. Mostly because I don't own it unlike those made for TV ewok movies which we do own and my kids used to watch constantly.
But I digress...

All of that to say that Star Wars is always a big part of Christmas at our house. For those of you that were around last year, you may remember that I got this:

And I made these (although I don't think I ever posted pictures of them):

(there were also regular peppermint bark ones, but Han shows up better in these)

I added a couple of molds this year and made these:

Then we had not one but two Lego Star Wars Advent calendars!

I'm voting for Snow2-D2 as the astromech's name, but my son hasn't approved it.

There are even Star Wars ornaments on the tree (which is nothing compared to what I have planned for next year!)

Next year, the Death Star will have to be at the top of the tree.

Naboo being attacked by a giant space dinosaur. Yes, we also have dinosaurs on our tree. And Spider-Man (not pictured).

So there's just a little flavor of Christmas at my house. It's kind of pepperminty, don't you think?

Oh! I also have it on good authority that Santa's bringing season 4 of Clone Wars, so I see a marathon coming starting the day after Christmas.

So... however it is you celebrate your holiday, I hope it is a grand and joyous one!

Merry Christmas!!!

[As a special Christmas bonus, most everything I have available will be FREE! for your Kindle or Kindle app on Christmas day and the day after. Just go here for a full list!]