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Tales of The Jedi will always be canon to me. It's just so batshit insane and gorgeously pulpy. 
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Sep 14, 2015 20:06
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I did find it neat how the kotor games acknowledged tales of the jedi and exar kun being a very recent event in galactic history, even if it was fifty years before the games were set.
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Sep 14, 2015 20:10
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It remains regrettable that KOTOR couldn't use all the weird "Medieval Star Wars" designs they had in TOTJ.
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Sep 14, 2015 20:21
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This is why Kylo Ren's cross guard saber never bothered me. ToTJ had light sabers with extension cords and lightstaffs and all kinds of wacky designs.
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Sep 14, 2015 20:28
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Wheat Loaf posted:Were those books out before, after or at the same time as the TOTJ comics that actually explained what Exar Kun's entire deal was? The same time. KJA started writing the trilogy the same time Veitch began writing TOTJ, and they had already talked over incorporating stuff from DE into JAT and they decided to synchronize more with the inclusion of Exar Kun into TOTJ. Originally KJA was going to guest-write an issue with Kun in it and that spiraled into the Dark Lords of the Sith storyline they co-wrote. I forget exactly what happened but Veitch wasn't happy with the partnership which is why all the subsequent TOTJ comics were by Veitch only, and the series ended differently than he originally intended (which was Ulic never being redeemed and dying as a Dark Jedi at the end of the Sith War).
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Sep 14, 2015 20:51
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Were the subsequent TOTJ comics not exclusively written by KJA? I'm pretty sure "Redemption" was KJA's. I'll tell you one thing that bugged me about TOTJ when I was younger - in "The Sith War", there's a bit where Exar Kun poisons a bunch of Jedi with shards of a Sith holocron and turns them to the dark side, then he sends them all out to kill their masters, and we have a double-page spread of them doing just that. But then the plot moves on and we never find out if they were ever caught! That's a problem with both TOTJ and Dark Empire, actually. All these massive, galaxy-changing events squashed into about four issues each. It's a bit of a weird disconnect reading about them in the Essential Chronology or whatever, where KJA had space to expand on the events and make them sound a lot more expansive than they actually were, then actually going and reading them. If Dark Horse had been printing those stories post-ROTS, they'd have been given 50-issue runs. Wheat Loaf fucked around with this message at 21:04 on Sep 14, 2015 |
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Sep 14, 2015 21:01
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Whoops yeah, I meant to say that KJA wrote the rest all out on his own. A few of the KOTOR comic issues went back to cover some of the stuff from the TOTJ comics, which I have to admit, were some of my favorite parts. I think Jolee from the original KOTOR game was supposed to be married to one of those Dark Jedi that Exar Kun corrupted and sent out, too.
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Sep 14, 2015 21:41
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Aye, I believe that's mentioned in the game. One thing I appreciated about KOTOR (both the game and the comics) is that they put a bit of work into making the Exar Kun War a bit larger in its scope. When you look at the events of the war in the TOTJ comics, you've got stuff like Exar Kun personally assassinating the Supreme Chancellor in front of the entire senate and the destruction of the planet that's been the Jedi headquarters for about a thousand years at that point. It's some pretty big stuff, and I liked that they tried to convey the scale of it.
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Sep 14, 2015 21:57
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In that same vein, I really like how kotor 2 and the comics show just how appalling the mandalorian wars were, even if they didn't penetrate that far into republic space. Its one of the few major wars in the star wars galaxy that wasn't a jedi vs sith conflict (though the sith had a hand in suggesting it to the mandos) and kreia makes drat sure you know how even a normal war without jedi can shatter people and create ripple effects with lasting consequences.
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Sep 14, 2015 22:15
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Wheat Loaf posted:It remains regrettable that KOTOR couldn't use all the weird "Medieval Star Wars" designs they had in TOTJ.
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Sep 14, 2015 22:16
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Arcsquad12 posted:In that same vein, I really like how kotor 2 and the comics show just how appalling the mandalorian wars were, even if they didn't penetrate that far into republic space. Its one of the few major wars in the star wars galaxy that wasn't a jedi vs sith conflict (though the sith had a hand in suggesting it to the mandos) and kreia makes drat sure you know how even a normal war without jedi can shatter people and create ripple effects with lasting consequences.
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Sep 14, 2015 22:18
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Casimir Radon posted:I should probably replay KOTOR 2 at some point, I was pissed off about cobbled together it seemed, plus the gameplay being kind of weak, and hurried through it. Apparently I missed out on a lot of cool stuff in the story department. Side note but KOTOR2 was just released on steam or origins with a bunch of stuff fixed and compatible with the Restored Content mod which fixes more stuff.
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Sep 14, 2015 22:32
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Casimir Radon posted:I should probably replay KOTOR 2 at some point, I was pissed off about cobbled together it seemed, plus the gameplay being kind of weak, and hurried through it. Apparently I missed out on a lot of cool stuff in the story department. Valve just re-released it on Steam with updates to make it work better alongside the Restoration Project mod that's now also available on Steam, so it's a great time to replay KOTOR 2. I love both KOTOR games for pretty much the complete opposite reasons. KOTOR I is pretty much the epitome of "immerse yourself and indulge in every Star Wars trope" while KOTOR 2 is "let's deconstruct every Star Wars trope" and both pull their respective approaches off.
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Sep 14, 2015 22:33
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I just marathoned through Dark Disciple in a single sitting and drat that was amazing. I'm sad we didn't get the actual Clone Wars episodes, but I'm incredibly grateful the story made it to print.
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Sep 14, 2015 23:03
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Arcsquad12 posted:I find it odd that homophobia is only being brought up now, especially considering the Site's history with Karen Traviss. She had a gay Mandalorian couple in her books, but nobody batted an eye. They were too busy disliking them for her Jedi Fascism stance and her toxic relationship with the fanbase. Which is why I think this whole Chuck Wendig thing is getting overblown. Perhaps people just think your book is poo poo? Not because you have gay characters in it? There's certainly going to be a few homophobic reviews, but to label everyone hating on Aftermath a bigot is kinda ridiculous. having been to the poo poo bowls of the net, no one talked about cared about the gays, apperently alot of people dont like the book because its written like a bad screenplay. Wendic sounds like he is trying to do what George Lucas did when people shitted all over red tails, call them bigots and let the backlash sweep away the bad reviews. EDIT: anyway, i like how the new canon is shaping up.
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Sep 15, 2015 00:08
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So, re-reading the X-Wing series and the sudden 'death' of Asyr Sei'lar in Isard's Revenge still strikes me as really odd. It just kind of happens and then Gavin is sad, Asyr goes off to be a revolutionary, and absolutely nothing comes of it and part of me wonders if there wasn't some kind of mandate from above to drop the Gavin and Asyr plotline. It just feels like a really weak resolution with a 'war is hell' tone that doesn't fit with the rest of the series. As an aside, though, I am liking what I've heard about the new EU.
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Sep 15, 2015 11:50
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I finished Aftermath last night. I'll start by saying that if i had read this in print, I have no doubt I would have hated it. The present tense, janky sentence structure, and random interludes throughout would have driven me insane. But listening to the audio book it just...works. I mentioned it earlier, but to stress again, this is an audio drama. I kind of wish they had just released it as that, an audio drama and not a book, because I think the complaints would be fewer. Then you could have also gotten some other voices in to voice different characters (Marc Thompson does a great job, but the less said about his impressions of Han Solo and, god help him, Chewbacca, the better). But the sound effects, score, and even the writing style lend really create a pretty well realized experience. I highly suggest that if you want to read this book, go that route. Now, plot stuff, first off, I hated hated hated the double death fake out for Norra. It's emotionally manipulative to make you think a character is dead just to find out shortly after that they narrowly escaped, but I can allow it once. Having it happen twice, to the same character, while piloting a TIE both times felt really cheap. The interludes mostly worked (I really liked the one about the orphans from Stormtrooper camp), but some just served to set up likely sequels, like the Han one. I was pretty excited when one started with "Jakku", but that ended up just being a big pile of nothing. I get it, he wants to get away from the war, and I've seen the trailer, so I know where that's going. I absolutely loved everything involving Sinjir. He's such a fun, smarmy, drunk, while also being...capable. I hope he comes back. And people were trying to figure out who the Fleet Admiral was earlier. I honestly doubt it's Thrawn (red glowing eyes probably would have been mentioned when his "stare" was described. Unless he doesn't have red glowing eyes this time, I guess. Which would be fine, but whatever). Same for Supreme Overlord Snoke, or whatever his name is, as I've been getting the impression he'll be more creepy Sith like, and less military focused. I'm guessing this Fleet Admiral will be the focus of some books, but have no connection to the movies. Just guessing though. thrawn527 fucked around with this message at 14:41 on Sep 16, 2015 |
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Sep 16, 2015 14:31
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I just finished the Aftermath Audiobook too. It was okay. Sinjir is the standout character and I kind of imagine him as being a Johnathan Harris-type character (a.k.a. Dr. Smith from Lost in Space.) He's a lovable, drunken, effeminate ex-Imperial who manages to be an unlikely hero and stumbles his way through crazy situations. Hopefully he shows up in more stuff. Sadly, he's the only one of our heroes that's all that likable. Temmin is an annoying, insufferable teenage character, like most tend to be. Jas is pretty meh. Norra is fine, albeit a bit boring. Setting up the post ROTJ-status quo, the interludes and scenes with the Imperials were generally more interesting. Chuck Wendig does come up with a couple neat Star Warsy action scenes towards the end of the book, though. Had I had read this as a book and not had Marc Thompson doing a bunch of voices, I probably wouldn't have enjoyed this nearly as much as I did. While it's understandable to be really sick of Han, Luke and Leia post-ROTJ, I would have liked to have seen what they were up to in the new continuity. And Wedge sadly didn't get to do much.
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Sep 17, 2015 19:17
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So, got my hands on the limited edition DVDs and I'm watching the "original theatrical version" (a.k.a. LaserDisc transfer) of ANH - the letterboxing doesn't both me, nor does the picture quality (I believe I have watched far too much 1970s Doctor Who to be perturbed by that sort of thing). Here's the thing, though - I definitely remember the VHS copy I grew watching having "EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE" at the start over the opening crawl, and it's not on this. So I haven't the foggiest what the gently caress version we had any more! 
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Sep 17, 2015 22:07
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Wheat Loaf posted:So, got my hands on the limited edition DVDs and I'm watching the "original theatrical version" (a.k.a. LaserDisc transfer) of ANH - the letterboxing doesn't both me, nor does the picture quality (I believe I have watched far too much 1970s Doctor Who to be perturbed by that sort of thing). Sounds like the THX remaster.
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Sep 17, 2015 22:09
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Wheat Loaf posted:So, got my hands on the limited edition DVDs and I'm watching the "original theatrical version" (a.k.a. LaserDisc transfer) of ANH - the letterboxing doesn't both me, nor does the picture quality (I believe I have watched far too much 1970s Doctor Who to be perturbed by that sort of thing). Episode IV: A New Hope was added to the first re-release in the theater back in...I think 1979? So most copies anyone has ever actually owned had it on there. If you had a VHS copy, I'm almost positive it had it on there, as I don't think a VHS version ever left it off. The THX remaster below is what we had (well, that and the version we taped off of cable broadcast, with commercials edited out, thank you very much). 
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Sep 17, 2015 22:20
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Aye, probably. Keep in mind I'm in the UK so I'm not sure whether we'd have had any different releases compared with the US. Anyway. You know what one good thing about these versions is? There's no CGI animals wandering about. That's what struck me when I watched the 2004 versions - they stick out enough as it is but then they draw attention to themselves but turning to the screen and bellowing every scene they're in. Edit: Ohhhhh, maaaaaan. That double sunset scene with the orchestral them is soooo gooood.  Edit 2: HOLY poo poo OBI-WAN IS VIRTUALLY IDENTICAL TO JEREMY CORBYN CANNOT UNSEE Wheat Loaf fucked around with this message at 22:41 on Sep 17, 2015 |
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Sep 17, 2015 22:24
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I will never ever ever forgive my lovely DVD/VHS combo player for chewing up my special edition New Hope tape. It was part of that gold 3-pack, with the commentaries at the beginning detailing the special edition changes.
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Sep 17, 2015 23:37
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jivjov posted:I will never ever ever forgive my lovely DVD/VHS combo player for chewing up my special edition New Hope tape. It was part of that gold 3-pack, with the commentaries at the beginning detailing the special edition changes.
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Sep 17, 2015 23:42
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Wheat Loaf posted:Aye, probably. Keep in mind I'm in the UK so I'm not sure whether we'd have had any different releases compared with the US. If you haven't seen the re-do of THX 1138 I highly recommend it. None of the terrible heavy-handed bullshit George stuck in the Star Wars redos, just a sort of polishing, like a shot here and there to beef up the fact that it takes place in an underground city, not just a small collection of corridors. Watching THX 1138 makes me wonder how George lost his ability to create dynamic scenes. The car chase alone has more life than pretty much anything he ever did afterward.
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Sep 17, 2015 23:44
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Flagrant Abuse posted:I'm not 100% sure but I think I might still have that same set stuffed in some box somewhere or something. If I can find it it's yours, no charge. I'll at least cover your shipping. And I'd be incredibly grateful.
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Sep 17, 2015 23:50
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Dick Trauma posted:If you haven't seen the re-do of THX 1138 I highly recommend it. None of the terrible heavy-handed bullshit George stuck in the Star Wars redos, just a sort of polishing, like a shot here and there to beef up the fact that it takes place in an underground city, not just a small collection of corridors. At this point I feel safe saying that all of the genius was Marcia Lucas, not George. All of his early films would have been trash without her editing skill, including Star Wars.
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Sep 18, 2015 00:02
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Jazerus posted:At this point I feel safe saying that all of the genius was Marcia Lucas, not George. All of his early films would have been trash without her editing skill, including Star Wars. That's kind of where my thoughts are going these days, too. His output since Jedi is just so, so awful. Jedi has a few of the problems that crop up later, too, but at least he wasn't the director. I think the divorce colored how the prequels turned out, too. The whole "love and feelings are evil" Jedi that are so different from the Jedi of the OT really feel like the rambled writings of a bitter old manchild.
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Sep 18, 2015 00:06
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thrawn527 posted:Episode IV: A New Hope was added to the first re-release in the theater back in...I think 1979? So most copies anyone has ever actually owned had it on there. If you had a VHS copy, I'm almost positive it had it on there, as I don't think a VHS version ever left it off. As a kid in the late 90s I had Return of the Jedi and Empire on those VHS tapes, but I had the 1997 version of ANH. So I'm a special snowflake that grew up with the originals and not orginals. So the lack of Yub Nub pisses me off now but I don't really care about Jabba in ANH because to me he's always been there.
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Sep 18, 2015 00:33
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I just want a version where Han shoots first and the lightsaber coloring is consistent, is that too much to ask? I honestly don't care that much about the other edits - the only one I have a strong opinion about is Anakin's force ghost looking too young, it should have been changed to Hayden Christensen aged up using makeup if it was being changed. (and I can see an argument it should have been - if you know what Anakin looks like, and then this guy who doesn't look like him shows up, that's kinda weird.)
Keiya fucked around with this message at 00:58 on Sep 18, 2015 |
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Sep 18, 2015 00:50
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Jazerus posted:At this point I feel safe saying that all of the genius was Marcia Lucas, not George. All of his early films would have been trash without her editing skill, including Star Wars. THX 1138, American Graffiti, and Star Wars are all lovely movies, with distracting editing confusing people into thinking they're good. OK. FishFood posted:That's kind of where my thoughts are going these days, too. His output since Jedi is just so, so awful. Jedi has a few of the problems that crop up later, too, but at least he wasn't the director. I think the divorce colored how the prequels turned out, too. The whole "love and feelings are evil" Jedi that are so different from the Jedi of the OT really feel like the rambled writings of a bitter old manchild. I remember all the times that Yoda urged Luke to act on emotional reasoning and to value his friends above all else. I remember the part where Obi-Wan told Luke he needed to show more filial piety towards his uncle and aunt. All those... moments... will be lost, in time, like tears... in... rain.
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Sep 18, 2015 01:19
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What universe did you come from? I want to visit.
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Sep 18, 2015 01:34
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The Special Edition of ROTJ really hosed that movie up bad. With the ANH SE the CGI is distracting and out of place but doesn't ruin the overall experience. The CGI creatures look out of place, Jabba looks bad and the Han\Greedo shot looks really crap, but I can live with all of that. ESB has only minor changes and Iam McDiarmid as the Emperor is actually an improvement. ROTJ's SE pretty much ruins the whole movie, what with a CGI dance number, Hayden at the end, Vader saying "noooo!" and the removal of Yub Nub. I will defend ROTJ to death because it's a cool movie and the Ewoks aren't that bad, but there's no defending its SE changes. They're just awful. I'm never going to buy the Star Wars trilogy on Blu Ray until Disney releases the original unfucked versions. I have the 2006 DVDs with the laserdisc versions of the originals and that's what I'm gonna stick with.
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Sep 18, 2015 01:46
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Gammatron 64 posted:the Ewoks aren't that bad Agreed. To my mind they're basically little monsters, more creepy than cute. Don't forget they were going to eat our heroes before C-3PO told them not to, and they only agreed because they thought 3PO was their god. I think this is how we should view them: 
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Sep 18, 2015 01:58
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One thing that they did so right with the Ewoks is that they actually feel like a complete species. Every single one of them looks distinctive. They have different heights, statures, fur colorings, patterns, ears, noses. There are still some problems with the ground battle but they're at least a credible alien race. And the concept behind them is good, too--you need some levity to counterbalance the space battle and the throne room confrontation. The biggest problem is that they just don't seem like they'd be able to hold their own against the Empire. Maybe it would work better if there was more stealth/trickery after the very beginning.
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Sep 18, 2015 02:09
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I got the THX Remaster boxset for Christmas the year it came out. My mom figured it was something I'd like, and it was my introduction to Star Wars. I still have those tapes, they're a little chewed up in a few places. Speaking of chewed up my dog at the time decided to eat the outer box for some reason or another. Getting The Lucasarts Archives Volume II was another awesome Christmas present. I kind of like that Star Wars releases are getting moved to December because that's what I've always associated them with anyway.
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Sep 18, 2015 02:11
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Casimir Radon posted:I got the THX Remaster boxset for Christmas the year it came out. My mom figured it was something I'd like, and it was my introduction to Star Wars. I still have those tapes, they're a little chewed up in a few places. Speaking of chewed up my dog at the time decided to eat the outer box for some reason or another. Stop stealing my childhood. Swear to god, that is the exact same way I got the THX tapes, even down to the chewed up boxes. The Lucasarts Archives Volume 2 is another one that happened to me. Full edition of Tie Fighter with updated visuals and all campaigns, only downside was no midi soundtrack in battles.
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Sep 18, 2015 03:37
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Pththya-lyi posted:Agreed. To my mind they're basically little monsters, more creepy than cute. Don't forget they were going to eat our heroes before C-3PO told them not to, and they only agreed because they thought 3PO was their god. I think this is how we should view them: Seriously. That's how I think of them, too. I wanted to play that Fantasy Flight Star Wars RPG with my friends on the stipulation that I don't have to be the DM and I get to be either a psychotic murderous ewok or a 3PO protocol droid who is practically useless except for comic relief. (Nobody wanted to DM.)
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Sep 18, 2015 04:00
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Arcsquad12 posted:Stop stealing my childhood. Swear to god, that is the exact same way I got the THX tapes, even down to the chewed up boxes. The Lucasarts Archives Volume 2 is another one that happened to me. Full edition of Tie Fighter with updated visuals and all campaigns, only downside was no midi soundtrack in battles.
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Sep 18, 2015 04:01
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Effectronica posted:THX 1138, American Graffiti, and Star Wars are all lovely movies, with distracting editing confusing people into thinking they're good. OK. Firstly, editing can make or break a movie. It's kind of important. Secondly, at the end of Jedi, Luke's love for his father is what redeems them both. I don't know how much clearer it can get. In the original trilogy, love and friendship save the galaxy. In the prequels they destroy the Republic. Also, why are Yoda and Obi Wan so lame in the prequels? Such fuddy duddys. I still believe the best scene in all three of those dumpster fires is the small moment when Obi Wan mind tricks a drug dealer to "rethink his life". It's funny and basically the only thing from the prequels I can see Old Ben doing.
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Sep 18, 2015 06:41
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