Ralph McQuarrie (Star Wars Concept Artist) Dies at 82

Ralph McQuarrie the conceptual artist behind Star Wars has died at the age of 82. McQuarrie was the first person George Lucas brought on board to help him paint his Star Wars vision. And paint he did, as he painted the conceptual art for some of the most iconic characters ever to grace the silver screen.

Darth Vader, R2D2, C3PO and Chewbacca started in Lucas' mind, but were shaped by the brush of Ralph McQuarrie. He won an Oscar in 1985 for his concept work on Cocoon. He also did artwork for "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," "Back to the Future," "Total Recall,"  "Raiders of the Lost Ark,"and "Battle Star Galactica" (the original).

Ralph McQuarrie may have passed from this life, but his work lives on in the minds and imaginations of generations of Sci-Fi and adventure fans.

Life is short and time is fleeting. What are you doing that will outlive you?

7 Problems with the Star Wars Prequels

Three teens approached me on the way out of the theater today. They wanted to take have their picture taken with me. Why? Is it because they read this blog? No. Do they follow me on Twitter ? No. It is because I was dressed like a Jedi. Thats right, I took my family to see Episode 1 in 3D in full costume.

I could spend a whole post reviewing a movie we have all seen, or telling you about the 3D upgrade. I am not going to do either. I want instead to talk about the response of the 2nd generation of Star Wars fans.

I asked these guys how old they were when The Phantom Menace was released and they were all 4 and 5 years old.

Then I dug in with these questions:

1. Which is your favorite movie of the six films?
Each of them liked a different movie, but Episode 1, 2, & 3 were the only three named.

2. What do you think of Jar Jar Binks?
They actually liked him and thought he was funny. *GASP*

3. What about the acting and romantic scenes of the prequels?
They told me it was realistic for who they were. One trained in the Jedi order to avoid attachment and the other a sheltered ruler on a peaceful world. Neither knew how to engage romantically. (I'll admit it was much better acting than Twilight)

4. Isn't the original trilogy better?
The answer to this was no. They believe that the prequel trilogy has a deeper plot and more intricate story. (I agree with the second part, but still like the O.T. better)

5.Why midichlorians?
The force ran strong in Luke's family how else do you explain it other than a genetic link?

6.What did you think of the improvement to Yoda by making him digital?
They liked the puppet better. To this I was shocked. When I asked why they responded, "Would you like it if the Yoda in Empire was changed out for a digital one." I offered a resounding, "NO!"

7. Isn't it ludicrous that Darth Maul was only on screen for a few scenes of Episode 1?
They compared him to Boba Fett as more mysterious and cooler because of the lack of screen time. They thought Lucas was genius for recognizing what makes a character like Fett awesome and using the same tactics for Maul.

It hit me that what we grow up with we are attached to. I knew my six year old loves Jar Jar, but I assumed it was because he was young. I knew one day he would leave his Jar Jar loving ways behind, but I was wrong. It is the reason why I love the Ewoks, but people older than me often do not. I was a kid when I saw the Ewoks so I love them. If you saw Jar Jar as a kid you love him and that doesn't go away.

We do the same thing with churches. We love what we know and change is bad. We think what we grew up with is somehow sacred and that new ways are not as good. The current generation may love doing something new and look at old ways as boring or irrelevant. In 30 years the new ways will be old and there will be a new generation of people unwilling to change.

Lets learn from young Star Wars fans and realize that change can be good and look at what we are doing with fresh eyes.


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Truths from a Galaxy Far Far Away

Truths From a Galaxy Far Far Away

As I watched The Empire Strikes Back with my children (Luke and Leia) tonight, I was reminded of some classic truths that are core to my faith.

1. There is a darkness inside all of us that wants to take over. The Bible calls this darkness sin and Romans 3:23 tells us that we all have it.

2. Fear is a path to the Dark Side (or sin). Fear and worry are not from God. Jesus told us not to worry about the future and Yoda said that this was a major problem in Luke's life as well. God has not given us a spirit of fear. It is definetly from our sin nature (Dark Side).

3. Unbelief leads to failure. Luke tells Yoda that what he wants is impossible and that he does not believe he can lift his X-Wing from the swamp. Yoda tells him that is why he fails. In Philippians Paul tells us that we can do ALL things the Christ who strengthens us.

I am sure there are many other truths such as Tauntauns make great Hot Pockets, if a cave shakes when shot it may not be an actual cave, and if you are looking for someone you have never met he may in fact be the little green puppet rumaging through your things.

What truths have you noticed in Empire or the other Star Wars films?

Star Wars in 3D, its Finally Official!

Lucasfilm announced yesterday that they would be re-releasing all six Star Wars films in 3D. The proposed date will be in 2012 and all signs point to February. This has long been rumored and discussed among fans, but now it is finally going to happen. I have never been a fan of 3D movies. Avatar's affects were good, but then there was the Clash of the Titan's and Alice in Wonderland debacles.

I would be excited if Star Wars reentered the Theater in 2D or even with no picture as a digitally converted version of the radio dramas. Industrial Light and Magic is overseeing the project and has said they will take their time to do the job right.

It turns out that 2012 will not be the end of the world, but rather a dawning of an era where there are 3D films that actually have a great original story (sorry Dances with Wolves, ahem, I mean Avatar). I can't wait to see: the Death Star trench run, pod-races, lightsaber duels, asteroid fields, light-speed, the Rancor, and the Millennium Falcon in 3D.

If you have never seen any of the films, this would be a great time to give them a chance. Star Wars never had the chance to be released with the modern ticket prices and inflated 3D prices that propelled Avatar, The Dark Knight, and The Titanic past the greatest film of all time. I say it is time to reclaim the top spot. I myself will see it at least three times.

Now we can start crossing our fingers for 3D releases of Braveheart, The Matrix, and Fifth Element. I would much rather see great movies come back to the theater (3D or not), than new movies that are weak in story and rely on 3D alone for special effects.

The Movie that Spawned a Sub-Culture

This Friday is the 30th Anniversary of the greatest Star Wars movie of all time.  The Empire Strikes Back has been a fan favorite since it first opened in theaters in 1980.  I was only 7 months old at the time.  Its really crazy when I think about it.  How can someone become a fan of a movie that came out when they were that age and remain so into their thirties?

In 1984 my brother and I recieved Star Wars figures for Christmas.  He had a Gomorrean Guard and I had Lando Calrissian.  I was five at the time.  When I was seven we had The Empire Strikes Back curtains in our room.  I can still see them.  The images invoked adventure, and I loved to look at the different characters.  I became obsessed with Star Wars in the 1990s, when Lucas released the trilogy box set as well as new figures.  I soon had a room that was full of unopened figures.

I spent the night outside the theater for episode 1 and was so disappointed that I  sold almost all of my Star Wars items.  I did manage keep all of the vintage figures.  Episode 2 and 3 were great and somewhere between them and the Clone Wars cartoons, I actually began to like Episode 1.  A great deal of that is probably because of my children (Luke and Leia).

It all really began and hinged on The Empire Strikes Back.  If it had not been for Empire succeeding as a sequel, Star Wars would have only been a great special effects advancement.  It would not have the following or pop culture mainstay that it currently enjoys.  Empire gave us three new worlds, the realization of Vader as Luke's father, and no clear resolution with the freezing of Han Solo.  It also gave us the characters of Yoda, Boba Fett, and Lando Calrissian.  It was as near to perfect as a movie can get.  Empire had it all, action, drama, romance, and comedy.

My family will be going to Celebration V this summer for the 30th anniversary convention.  I cannot wait.  Star Wars fans form a close knit tribe.  I can meet a fan for the first time and we instantly have a common bond.  Sometimes I wish Christians were more like Star Wars fans.  I should be able to go into any church or meet any believer and feel totally welcome and linked in a spiritual way.  This is not always the case.  It is truly sad because what unites followers of Christ is real and powerful.  We could learn a lot from the fictional world of George Lucas and the community it has created.