20 Questions Meme: Star Wars Edition

While ignoring homework and surfing through Cultural Compulsive Disorder, I came across a cool meme from early December 2010. Not one to let a STAR WARS questionnaire go unturned, here are my answers. Obviously, I encourage any STAR WARS fans to do this as well. Considering that I'm more of a Prequel Trilogy guy myself, a statement I know will probably have me exiled as a friend to many (even my coworkers aren't too pleased), some of my answers may not be to many peoples liking.

01. Who is your favorite character from the original trilogy?

Luke Skywalker, particularly in Empire Strikes Back. In New Hope, he still had that whole naive boy thing going on, full of wonder and awe. Which is, y'know, understandable, it being the first time he ever traveled in space and, for that matter, got in a super cool spacefight. In Empire, I really dug the more layered, complex, and somewhat rash individual Luke became. Return made him a badass champion of good, and his conviction is admirable. I'm basing my answer off what character I immediately get engulfed in when the scene shifts, and Luke it is.

02. How would you rank the original trilogy, in order from favorite to least favorite?

A New Hope
Empire Strikes Back
Return of the Jedi

03. What are two of your favorite action scenes from the original trilogy?

- ROTJ: On Tatooine, Luke initiates his plan to save Han Solo and Leia Organa as he gives the signal to R2 who then blasts Luke's lightsaber into the air for him to catch, save himself from being Sarlac soup, and then getting down to business with the day saving.

- TESB: Luke and Darth Vader square off at Cloud City, eventually resulting in a severed hand for poor ol' Luke from the roboticy man who then reveals that he is, in fact, Luke's father. Tough day for the Jedi-in-training.

04. What do you consider the most emotional scene from the original trilogy?

- ROTJ: In the final moments of the Darth vs. Luke battle in the dark, Vader threatens that if Luke won't join the dark side, maybe "she [Leia] will." In a burst of defiance, Luke screams "NO!" and spares with his father for the last time, letting go of all reason and intent on one thing: not allowing Vader to win. It's a chilling scene with a great yell on Mark Hamill's part, and John Williams' stellar music doesn't hurt a bit.

05. Do you have any favorite toys or collectibles based off the original trilogy?

My favorite collectible is one of those $100 lightsabers from Master Replica, this specific item a replica of the ROTJ green Luke Skywalker lightsaber. Oh, so beautiful.

06. Which character had the most unsatisfying death in the original trilogy?

Common argument, but Boba Fett, especially after watching the Prequel Trilogy. Here's a character that received massive fan loving to the point Lucas back-tracked and incorporated the Fett clan in the saga's history, and still, several "special editions" later, gets a major let down of a death. Lame. However, I have heard that there's a comic book series that features Fett alive inside the Sarlac pit shooting his way out. That sounds brilliant.

07. What’s your favorite ship or vehicle from the original trilogy?

Duh! The Millennium Falcon! I absolutely love the design of the ship, and it's presentation in the films does full justice to its awesomeness. My only regret when it comes to Star Wars collectibles is that I don't have a Millennium Falcon hanging around anywhere, or even displayed on my desk or whatnot. Hell, I have a bloody U.S.S. Enterprise, why on earth don't I have a Millennium Falcon? Only reason I can think of is price range. Anywho, yep - Falcon: awesomeness.

08. Who is your favorite character from the prequel trilogy?

From a awesome standpoint, I'd say Qui-Gon Jinn, but if I were to pick a character I think most about and contemplate frequently, I'd go with Anakin Skywalker. With Qui-Gon, we got Liam Neeson, and how can anyone on this earth not love Liam Neeson? But favorite character is Anakin, all the way. When one tosses aside the horrendous acting on Hayden's part or the stilted dialogue he was forced to regurgitate, Anakin becomes one hell of a fascinating - and really freakin' cool - character. Here's a dude who is one hell of a master swordsman, and has an connection to the Force that no other Jedi master can boast. Spiffy outfit, awesome lightsaber skills, and a

09. How would you rank the prequel trilogy, in order from favorite to least favorite?

Revenge of the Sith
The Phantom Menace
Attack of the Clones

10. What are two of your favorite action scenes from the prequel trilogy?

(1) The Anakin vs. Obi-Wan duel on Mustafar. It was the one thing I was looking forward to more than any other character moment or plot element in the Prequel Trilogy. Pure awesomeness. If you, too, are a fan of this scene and want to read more, I direct you to my Scenes I Like A Lot entry about the Mustafar duel. More proof I need a life.

(2) Darth Maul vs. Obi-Wan Kenobi vs. Qui-Gon Jinn on Naboo. Epic, awesome, riveting.

11. What do you consider the most emotional scene from the prequel trilogy?

I'm a bit of a softy for the speech Obi-Wan gives Anakin after slicing off the Chosen One's remaining limbs. And when Anakin simply yells back, "I hate you!" Man, chills up my spine, it does. Secondly, I would say the execution of Order 66; that was some pretty heavy stuff, if I dare say so myself.

12. Do you have any favorite toys or collectibles based off the prequel trilogy?

Oh, do I ever! It helps being alive and young when the movies are released, it means you're able to purchase more merchandise. In this case, I have a super awesome Anakin Skywalker lightsaber from Master Replicas - one of my most prized possessions. I have a vast assortment of action figures from Episode I and Episode II, in addition to behind-the-scenes books, magazines, trading cards, soundtracks, and even puzzles (more for my mom than myself). Although nothing giant or nearly as complete as true collectors, I'm quite proud of my Prequel Trilogy collection. Plus, it's just awesome to gawk at and think about the fun days walking through Toys 'R Us and seeing the giganto display they had up. Great memories come with those action figures and memorabilia.

13. Which character had the most unsatisfying death in the prequel trilogy?

Hmmm...Darth Maul, I rather think. Here's this character that had been hyped up like crazy before the film's summer 1999 release to the point one would think Maul would be all over the film. But nah, Darth Maul shows up here or there, very sporadically and with very little screentime, and then shows up for the obligatory lightsaber duel. Not saying the duel wasn't sweet - it oh so completely was - but how Darth Maul was eventually defeated with such ease after appearing seemingly impenetrable the last seven minutes of fight before it...well, just didn't really flow well with me. Plus, Maul had ample opportunity to slice himself some Obi-Wan when Obi flew up from the pit and Forced Qui-Gon's saber to his hand. Just sayin'.

14. What’s your favorite ship or vehicle from the prequel trilogy?

The Podracers from Episode I are definitely very, very cool. However, for some reason or another, Padme's ship from Episode I and Episode II is my favorite. Instead of a manly way of saying, 'Oh, it's so awesome cos it has a 10,056 megaton wat petrolitate trolium helium class 390B gaxtroid', I will outright say it's my favorite ship because it's a cool, simple design that just looks all shiny and appropriate for the SW universe. So...there.

15. If you could get a personalized Star Wars themed license plate for your car, what would it say?

Sith Rulz
Chosen 1

16. Do you have a favorite Star Wars based video game?

Truth be told, I don't play video games, so I can't very well comment on this.

17. Have you read any of the Star Wars books (expanded universe), and if so, what are your favorites?

Sorta. Mostly my experience is with the novelizations of the Prequel Trilogy, but a few eons ago I did read the Jude Watson Jedi Apprentice and The Last of the Jedi young adult series. I did try reading some Expanded Universe of the more adult fare, but frankly, I got more irritated trying to figure out how to pronounce some alien name than actually enjoying the book, so I gave up and didn't bother finishing them, or at least get engaged. Oh! I did read Labyrinth of Evil, the tie-in prequel to Revenge of the Sith, mostly because anything that had a dark Anakin edging closer to the Dark Side is very, very interesting...

18. Are you a fan of the “Clone Wars” cartoon series?

Actually, yes. At the time of this writing, I've only had the pleasure of watching season one, none of two or three...yet. I like the animation style, and I like some of the more epic stories that are being told. And from the sounds of it concerning season three, the writers are delving more into the dark side of Anakin, and that is quite appealing to me, so it seems like I'm going to quite like the show in the subsequent seasons. If there is one complaint I have about it - one I'm sure many other fans share - is this use of Asoka, who comes out of nowhere and doesn't really serve much point in the overall story than appeal to the youngsters watching the show. And I'm also a bit on the fence about the newsreel 'updates' in the opening minute. I get its use in the context of the show, but I'm just not a huge fan of it.

19. What (or who) do you hope to see in upcoming Star Wars TV series?

I don't really care about what characters we get, all I really want to see is a frank portrayal of the darkness permeating over the Galaxy with the newly formed Empire. I want to see the ramifications of Order 66, of the Jedi allegedly turning against the Galaxy and their need to be stopped. I want that crowd reaction, and I want to see a Jedi here or there (if not Obi-Wan, fine) that survived Order 66 and whatever methods they're utilizing to stay alive. In the end, I just want a honest and realistic portrayal of the post-Revenge world and not a hokey, sorry to say, Clone Wars-type atmosphere.

20. If you were stranded on a desert island with one Star Wars character, who would you want it to be and why?

Haha! Of course the concluding question would be something like this. Well, frankly, that's a tough one, but in the end, I'd go with Obi-Wan Kenobi, preferably the still alive and quite corporeal version. Obi-Wan would have the right sense to knock calmness and some thinking into my noggin', and together, we would formulate a clever way to either survive on the island or, at the very least, become one with the Force and meditate a whole bunch and be all super powerful and in-tuned with nature. Can't be more awesome than that, yes? Plus, I get to use a lightsaber to chop down some trees. Fun, yea? Yes! Okay, lame, I know. But at least with Obi-Wan, there's a very real chance of survival and intelligent thinking that may just save our collective arses.