What’s Your Star Wars Major?

I was scrolling through Twitter the other day (which I don’t actually do that often) and came across a post in which a guy was talking about how he was trying to explain Star Wars to his father, but it was hard because there was so much to it. He said that fans these days had to pick a “major” (like in college) and focus on that aspect of it.

And it kind of made sense. Not many fans know everything about every aspect of the franchise (although there may be a few, lol). There’s just too much, with a lot of moving parts. Here’s just a short list of certain aspects of Star Wars one could focus on, depending on one’s interests:

The Skywalker Saga (kind of like Star Wars 101; it’s required for all of the others)
The Old Republic
Mandalorian history and culture
The criminal underworld (bounty hunters, gangsters, crime syndicates, etc.)
The Jedi (of any particular period, or all of them)
The Sith
The Force
The High Republic
The Comics (any number of the zillions out there)
Legends books
Canon books
Gaming
Thrawn, or any other particular character

You get the idea.

For myself, beyond the Skywalker Saga, I choose to focus on the Jedi, canon books, and the High Republic. Those are the areas I have the most interest in (one might even say an obsession with, lol). Others love the Sith, or bounty hunters, or ships, or learn Aurabesh. It’s been around for so long, and has been added to and enriched with so many shows, books, and comics, that one could make a study of it for a lifetime. It really is extraordinary. The only other fandom I can think of that compares in depth is Tolkien, as far as history, culture, and having a mythic quality to it.

It’s what I love about Star Wars–even if they stopped making new content (which is clearly not happening), I’d have plenty of areas to explore for a very long time. If I get tired of one area, I can try another area and see what I can learn and how it all ties together.

Here’s a few other other things you could make a study of:

Symbols By Era (I didn’t know Yoda had a crest!)

Clone troopers and their regiments

Droids

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Aliens, Planets and Systems, Weapons, the list goes on and on…

So, if there was a “Star Wars University” out there, what would be your major? How many minors or concentrations? Or are you going for the PhD and learning all of it? (Kudos to you!)

Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

My Entertainment Weekend Update

Hello my friends, and happy weekend. I hope you all had a great holiday this year.

So I finally finished Kenobi, by John Jackson Miller, and Smuggler’s Run by Greg Rucka. Kenobi is a wonderful Legends book about Obi-Wan when he first arrives on Tatooine to watch over Luke. Smuggler’s Run is a short middle grade adventure featuring Han Solo and Chewbacca, and it was a fun, quick read and one that adds to my “Journey to the Force Awakens” collection. They include The Weapon of a Jedi (about Luke), Moving Target (Leia) and now Smuggler’s Run (Han). They’re all set up with someone during the time just before The Force Awakens telling someone else a story about these characters back in the day and their adventures. It’s a neat little set-up.

So now I’ve picked up The Rising Storm, by Cavan Scott, to re-read before The Fallen Star comes out in a few weeks. I want to refresh my memory of the events in that book before I start the new High Republic adventure.

I followed up my viewing of “The Essential Clone Wars” on D+ with Seasons 6 & 7, although I skipped a few arcs of S6 (mostly the ones with Padme and Clovis). The arc with Fives finding out about the inhibitor chips is vital for S7, and then Yoda’s journey to learn about becoming a Force ghost and facing trials is interesting. I watched all of S7, beginning with the Bad Batch arc, Ahsoka’s adventures with the Martez sisters (I thought about skipping this arc, but the sisters have kind of grown on me), and of course, the last four episodes of Ahsoka facing Maul and then she and Rex during Order 66. Amazing, brilliant Star Wars in these last few episodes. It knocks me off my feet every time.

Why Do Fans Think Spider-Man Might Be in the Hawkeye Finale? — Nice suits.

In Marvel, I watched the finale of Hawkeye, and it satisfied. It wrapped things up rather quickly, and that’s fine. Kate dealt with Kingpin, Maya dealt with her cousin, and then also Kingpin, and Clint dealt with Yelena. I actually came to like Jack in a weird way, and how the Larpers tried to recruit him to their group. I’m still not sure what the deal is with the watch and how it ties to Clint’s wife–I’m a Marvel newbie, so I had to look it up. Apparently, it refers to the comics where Clint’s wife Bobbi was SHIELD Agent 19, and then left to become a superhero named Mocking bird. Just a little wink wink to those who are familiar with the comics (which is not me, lol).

And that wonderful, cheesy performance of Rogers: The Musical at the end was great. I was kind of hoping Clint went back to finish watching it and appreciating the homage, but oh well. So not the best Marvel series, but not the worst, either. My ranking is Loki, Wandavision, Hawkeye, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. I love Sam and Bucky, but sorry guys, it just didn’t do it for me, lol.

Okay, so I saw Spiderman: No Way Home, and I have to say it was AWESOME!

SPOILER WARNING FOR NO WAY HOME, IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN IT AND PLAN TO, STOP RIGHT HERE!!!!!

I don’t even know where to begin with this movie, because it was just so perfect in every way. First of all, I love Dr. Strange, he’s my favorite Marvel character next to Loki, so seeing him here was just wonderful. Tom Holland is always a great Spidey, just so sweet and vulnerable and with the biggest heart. Seeing all the past villains was cool (even though I didn’t know the ones from the Andrew Garfield movies since I haven’t seen them–yet), but seeing all three Spideys in one movie was just beyond all my expectations. I loved Toby Maguire as Spiderman, and when I saw Andrew Garfield show up, I thought, ooh, can it be? Will we see Toby too? And then there he was, an older and wiser Peter Parker stepping through the portal, and my heart just soared. All three of them learned something from the others here, and it was great to see. There’s plenty of tragedy, too, and it broke my heart: May’s death, and Peter’s friends not remembering him. That poor kid. 😦 Anyway, it was a great movie and ranks right up there with Shang Chi, my other favorite new Marvel movie.

Spider-Man: No Way Home Leaked Pics Confirm Multiverse Crossover; Andrew Garfield & Tobey Maguire Spotted In The Climax Scene — Who’s the best Spidey? Answer: all of them.

Sooo–I finally got my Star Wars tattoo! Here it is:

May be an image of 1 person and tattoo — For light and life.

I absolutely love it! It’s my first tattoo (at 50!) and it was a fun, interesting, and slightly painful experience, lol. Not bad at all, though, and well worth it. What do you think of it?

That’s the scoop for this week. What’s been entertaining you? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

A Whole Lotta Star Wars Books Next Year

As a booklover and a Star Wars fan, there’s a lot to be excited about for 2022. There’s a ton of Star Wars books coming out, and I’ve pre-ordered nearly all of them. Looks like I’ll be a very busy reading bee next year! Here’s a run-down of what’s coming up:

The High Republic:

The Fallen Star, by Claudia Gray. January 4th. Adult. The second wave of the High Republic stories is kicked off by this adult novel which continues the Jedi’s struggles against the Nihil. I love Claudia Gray’s novels, so I have very high expectations for this one.

Midnight Horizon, by Daniel Jose Older. Feb. 1st. YA. The young adult entries in the High Republic have been hit or miss with me, but this one concerns Reath Silas, a Jedi Padawan that I’m particularly fond of. So I have high hopes.

There’s also:

Queen’s Hope, by E.K. Johnston. April 5th. YA. I’ve enjoyed the previous two entries of the Padme series (a character who’s often gotten short shrift, in my opinion), and this third in the trilogy promises to be the best of the bunch. It concerns Padme’s marriage to Anakin during the Clone Wars, and I’m eager to see her side of the story.

And then there’s also a new batch of canon Star Wars:

Brotherhood, by Mike Chen. May 10th. (Adult? I think so.) This book centers on Obi-Wan and Anakin on a mission to Cato Neimoidia during the Clone Wars, and maybe we’ll get an answer to Obi-Wan’s cryptic reference to “that business” of Anakin saving him that “doesn’t count.” At any rate, it’s an Obi-Wan and Anakin adventure, and I’m so here for it. Maybe it will coincide with the Obi-Wan series on Disney+?

Stories of Jedi and Sith. June 7th. Middle-grade short stories. This one isn’t as high on my list, but I’m sure I’ll check it out at some point. I recognize a few of the authors and they’re quite good, so I’m betting these stories have a lot to offer.

Shadow of the Sith, by Adam Christopher. June 28th. Adult. No cover yet. This is the one people are frothing at the mouth for–it’s a post ROTJ Luke story (finally!) And it refers to events that will take place in the sequel trilogy: Luke and Lando are pursuing Ochi of Bestoon, a Sith assassin tasked with kidnapping a young girl–Rey. This one comes out on my birthday, and it will make a splendid birthday present to myself, lol.

Padawan, by Kiersten White. July 26th. YA. No cover yet. This one is about Obi-Wan when he is newly apprenticed to Qui Gon Jinn, on a mission to a planet with Force-wielding kids and teens. This one sounds fun, and really, there can never be too much Obi-Wan Kenobi, right?

I’m looking forward to ALL of these books, and I’ll be in Star Wars book heaven for at least half the year.

Are you looking forward to any of these books? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

My Entertainment Weekend Update

Happy weekend, my friends!

I haven’t gotten too far in books this past week; still dribbling through Kenobi and Smuggler’s Run. I’m not sure why–I think I’ve just been busy getting ready for Christmas. But it’s okay. I’ll be done with them by the time The Fallen Star by Claudia Gray comes out on January 4th. I’m super excited for this book, which is the adult novel in the next wave of High Republic books. And it kicks off almost an entire year of Star Wars publications I’ve already pre-ordered. I think I’ll do a separate post on those books sometime next week, so stay tuned.

Hawkeye Episode 6 was quite good. We got Yelena Romanov’s appearance, which was fun, but I thought the character kind of laid it on a little thick, if you know what I mean. The banter went on far too long, in my opinion. It’s one of the criticisms I have with the show, which is that I feel the writing could be a little tighter. It tends to meander on unnecessarily sometimes. Oh well. And I heard that Kingpin is probably the big bad in the story, which turned out to be true, but as a Marvel newbie, I have no idea who that is, lol. That’s okay, too. I’ll figure it out. And–surprise!–Kate’s Mom is involved somehow with the big guy. There’s only one show left, and I’m wondering how all of this is going to be played out and wrapped up.

I’m not crying, you’re crying. No, I’m crying.

I finished my viewing of Disney+’s “Essential Clone Wars,” which goes up to the last episode of season five with Ahsoka leaving the Jedi Order (I’m guessing they consider all of seasons 6 and 7, which are much shorter, as essential viewing, and I agree with that assessment). There’s about twenty or so episodes that were plucked out of seasons 1-5, and they were pretty awesome indeed, especially the whole deal with Maul and Savage Opress, Death Watch and Mandalore, Satine’s death, and the Dark Saber. Ahsoka being accused of bombing the Jedi Temple and subsequently leaving the Order was great, too. That moment she walked away from the Council with Anakin running after her and their parting words had me in tears, I’m not kidding. I think I’ll watch seasons 6 and 7, which will probably get me up to the premier of The Book of Boba Fett on the 29th.

I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge the death of Anne Rice, the author of The Vampire Chronicles, the Mayfair Witches, and many other books that I devoured back in the day (90’s to early 2000’s). Her books were passionate, fun, mesmerizing and thoughtful all at the same time. Sometimes they were a little outrageous, lol. But she wrote her passions and didn’t apologize for it, and inspired me to do the same at the time (I have several desk-drawer novels from this time, lol). I eventually donated my piles of Anne Rice books to libraries and bookstores, but I do still have the book that started it all: Interview With A Vampire. The story of the vampires Louis and Lestat will always be one of my favorites. She was 80 years old and died of complications from a stroke. Rest in peace, Anne. I hope all of your spiritual questions will now be answered.

Anne Rice~I have enjoyed every book I have ever read by her, which is almost every book she has ever written. Just a few more to go. — I like this woman.

Last week I mentioned that I was in the process of getting a Jedi Order tattoo, and now I actually have an appointment date: Wednesday Dec. 22nd. I can’t wait! I’ll share a pic of it in my next update post.

Finally, Spiderman: No Way Home premieres this weekend, and I’m actually going to see it in the theater, probably Sunday. I can’t remember the last movie I saw in a theater, and I finally have some time (and a movie gift card from last Christmas I haven’t used yet, lol). I can’t wait to see Peter and Dr. Strange, and all those villains! It’s gonna be a blast.

That’s it this week. What’s been entertaining you? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

My Entertainment Weekend Update

Hello friends, and happy weekend!

So my book club picked our new novel to read and I read it all in three days, lol. It’s called The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. It’s about a British woman named Nora Seed who is at a low point in her life and decides to end it. After she overdoses, she finds herself in a place called The Midnight Library, where there are endless shelves of books that represent an infinite number of possible lives she has led, depending on the decisions she’s made. The “librarian” there, Mrs. Elm, encourages her to choose books based on different decisions she might have made, in the hope of finding her “perfect” life. She then goes on an odyssey of possible lives, including ones in which she is an Olympic swimmer, a rock star, a country inn owner with a husband, a philosophy professor, a glaciologist, and many other things.

Rather predictably, most of these lives are most definitely NOT perfect, and she despairs of ever finding a life she’d like to live. But she learns many life lessons along the way. There’s nothing really revelatory here, at least not to me, but Nora’s story is riveting anyway. I love these kinds of stories, ones that deal with a multiverse (with phrases like quantum physics, string theory, and Schrodinger’s cat thrown around, the precise meaning of which is a little fuzzy to me but fascinating anyway). Cool book.

In Star Wars books, I’m still getting through Kenobi and Smuggler’s Run, but I’d put them aside while I raced through The Midnight Library. I’ll probably finish both by next week.

In Marvel, I watched Hawkeye Episode 4, and I’m continuing to enjoy this show. There were a few tender, teary moments when Clint opened up to Kate about Natasha, and being The Ronin. I have to admit I’m a little confused about what’s actually going on, lol, but I’m just rolling with it and going along for the ride. There seems to be a lot of disparate parts to the mystery that ostensibly will come together at the end, including the Track Suits and Echo, the Rolex from the Avenger’s compound, and Kate’s mother’s boyfriend Jack (her mother is giving off strong sus vibes, as well). And then at the end of the episode Yelena Romanov shows up, and sh*t gets real. Real confusing, but I don’t mind. Once it’s over I’ll probably rewatch it with hindsight and it’ll make more sense. I hope.

Last week I mentioned that I rewatched A New Hope, so of course I had to follow up with ESB and ROTJ. It further whetted my appetite for Star Wars, so I decided on a Clone Wars rewatch. I wasn’t up for watching every single episode, however, so I went with the Disney+ listing of “Essential Episodes,” which is more manageable right now. This is such great, quintessential Star Wars; I urge every fan who hasn’t watched yet to let go of any preconceived notions about animated series, because you’re missing wonderful content. I like how they’re quick, half hour episodes that I can fit in at the end of the night. I’m about four episodes in, and can’t wait to see what’s next on the list.

In coming attractions, I’ve heard that Shang Chi 2 is in the works, and I couldn’t be more happy about it; also, Eternals is coming to D+ on January 12th, and I’ll be tuning in since I didn’t get to the theater to see it. This is why I love D+; as a busy working mom, I can watch stuff on my schedule (which tends to be late at night when everyone else is in bed, lol). I don’t get to the movie theater much these days and I miss it, but D+ is the next best thing.

Oh, and despite the fact that I’m not a gamer, I have to say that the preview of the new Star Wars game Eclipse is awesome! It’s set in the High Republic era, which I’ve been loving in the novels so far, and I’m really hoping that down the line a book version of the story will come out (I’m still waiting for a Fallen Order book–Disney/Lucasfilm? Anything?) Gamers seem to be really excited about this game, and I can’t blame them.

Quantic Dreams Announces Star Wars Eclipse At The Game Awards

There’s one more Star Wars-related item I’d like to mention, and it’s that I very probably will be getting a Star Wars tattoo very soon. I was supposed to do this for my fiftieth birthday this past summer (my first tattoo ever), but I let it get away from me. I’d like to get one before the end of the year. I’ve been in touch with a local tattoo artist (from a shop recommended by a friend), but we don’t quite have an appointment yet. But very soon. What I want is simple: the Jedi Order symbol, somewhere on my right arm. Of course, once it has been inked I will share a pic of it here.

That’s it this week. What’s been entertaining you? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

My Entertainment Weekend Update

Hello friends and happy weekend!

This week I finished our book club novel Abigale Hall, and during most of the book I had no idea where it was going or how it was going to end. But I have to say I didn’t think it would end the way it did. It kind of devolved into a B movie horror flick ending involving rotting corpses in a mine and bloody murder and madness, lol. It was quite the ride. We haven’t chosen our new book yet, but we’re looking for something a bit more light-hearted, lol.

In Star Wars books, I’m still working my way through a reread of Kenobi, by John Jackson Miller, and have started the upper middle grade novel Smuggler’s Run by Greg Ruckus. It’s a Han and Chewie adventure story that takes place right after A New Hope. Princess Leia asks them to retrieve a stranded Rebel operative named Ematt. I like these middle grade books when I want something short and fun between longer reads. This one joins my Kindle with the Leia story Moving Target and the Luke story The Weapon of a Jedi.

On Disney+ I’ve been watching a few things. I started watching Get Back, the Peter Jackson documentary about the Beatles working out their songs and show for the Get Back album. I went through a fairly serious Beatles obsession when I was younger and thought I’d check this out. It was entertaining in its way, but watching several hours of the band rehearsing and jamming songs (and often arguing) is a bit much. I only got through the first half of the first installment, and that seemed enough for me.

It was interesting, though: they’re all brilliant, coming up with songs off the cuff (and feeling the pressure of a deadline looming); Paul can be a bit bossy but it’s clear he wants the whole thing to work and tries to get the others on board; John often looks zoned out; George tries to get his two cents worth in but nobody seems to want to listen; and Ringo sits quietly at the drums watching it all. Cigarettes are smoked endlessly by all, Yoko sits devotedly in her chair next to John reading her magazines or whatever, and George’s swami friends silently sit cross-legged in the corner. It was definitely weird, lol. But there’s no doubt that when these four “come together” (ha ha, get it?) magic happens. Who knows, I may watch the rest of it this coming week.

Anyway, in Marvel I watched Episode 3 of Hawkeye. I’m really liking this series. Echo (Maya) is a sympathetic villain in that she’s seeking revenge for her father’s death, as Hawkeye killed him during his Ronin period. I love that she’s a strong female character with disabilities–she has a prosthetic foot and is deaf. Hawkeye’s own hearing loss is, of course, rather symbolic: whenever someone tells him what an inspiration he is or that he’s a hero, he’s “not hearing” them. He’s defining himself by what he did as Ronin, and that’s clearly something he needs to work through in this show.

I also rewatched Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, because it’s just so wonderful and I love it, lol. I’m already on board for a sequel, not only because I want to see these characters again, but because now I want to know just what, exactly, the Ten Rings are and where they came from.

Also in rewatches, I watched A New Hope just because I wanted some Star Wars and figured I’d go back to basics. I try to find new things or insights whenever I rewatch stuff and realized something here. When Obi-Wan and Luke are in the cantina to meet Chewie and Han Solo, Obi-Wan doesn’t hesitate to bring out the ol’ lightsaber and chop that guy’s arm off. In my reading of the book Kenobi, Obi-Wan is trying to unlearn reacting to things as a Jedi in order to blend in and be invisible. But now, after twenty long years, he’s resurfacing as a Jedi and does it in a flashy way. Knowing Obi-Wan from all the other SW material out there, it seems a bit over the top for him, but I’m guessing he’s relishing coming out of hiding finally and can’t help himself. Old Ben’s gone and Obi-Wan’s back, bitches! At least that’s my in-universe head canon, lol.

That’s it for this week. What’s been entertaining you? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!