Making it up

Yesterday I bought Star Wars Insider, for the first time in a while. I used to be a regular and avid reader of the original Star Wars Magazine, which in its formative years was far superior to this reprint of the American mag. Come to think of it, even Insider used to be better than it is now! One section, which I usually read is the Q&A's mainly to see how the answers are going to try and untangle another intractable 'cock-up' in the continuity. I was not disappointed with one of the answers in the current issue.

A question was raised about whether Luke had ever been to Dagobah before, referring to his comment in The Empire Strikes Back that it seemed 'like something out of a dream.' The answer is no apparently but then it went on to say, that although the scene was deleted from Revenge of the Sith, Yoda's arrival on Dagobah was also the first time he had visited the planet. This then throws up a contradiction, which I had forgotten about with Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire, which said that Yoda had fought a Bpfasshi dark Jedi on Dagobah. The 'answer' then rather dismissively says that this part of Heir to the Empire is therefore 'no longer considered part of continuity.'

Hmph! So, when we were told at the time of the release of the Timothy Zahn-penned trilogy that they were the 'authorised' continuation from Return of the Jedi, that wasn't quite true then? Or at least it was the authorised continuation until Lucas had a better idea. But why did Yoda choose Dagobah if he had never been therefore before? Was it purely chance that he happened upon the planet or was it always his back-up plan when he saw how things were going back on Coruscant?

What the contradiction with Heir to the Empire illustrates though is that despite the protestations to the contrary, there was and apparently still isn't a grand story for the whole saga. There isn't a unifying story arc from start to finish, where events follow logically.

I've said this before and I think it is worth repeating again, Star Wars was in my view never meant to be part of a larger saga. The original film, if you consider it without all the continuations and back story that have been provided since, is a perfectly self-contained film. It has a defined start, a middle and an end. There is no need for anything further or additional to what is contained within its two hours to understand, appreciate and enjoy the story and the characters. The fact that it was so successful of course led to the five sequels/prequels and the story continuations provided since.

Lucas has often mentioned this 'back story' he had. I see nothing remarkable in that. Presumably it would be necessary to sketch some sort of back story to the characters and events to be able to understand them in the context of where Star Wars begins. But clearly this was far from a detailed account with a clear plot line marked out. There is much evidence that this cannot have been the case if the number of changes made in the prequels is to be considered.

There are many examples of plot and story inconsistencies between the prequels and the original trilogy of films, not least the introduction of midi-chlorians in Episode's 1 & 2, which are never again mentioned and the confusion as to who actually trained Obi-wan. The original trilogy suggests it was Yoda, the prequels leave us with no doubt that it was Qui-Gon who was instrumental in Obi-wan's tutelage.

My question then is this. If Lucas had this back story mapped out from the start, why do these elements contradict with the original trilogy? If it was clearly written down who the characters were, their origins and destiny and the story followed a defined arc, why has it constantly been re-written over the last thirty years?

The issue about what is 'continuity' and what isn't, is not helped if established parts of the canon can be dropped or changed at a whim. Can any of Heir to the Empire and its sequels now be considered an official continuation? Or are we only to turn a blind eye to those parts, which don't fit conveniently with a rewritten story?

Truly, madly, awful

That was my verdict sadly after seeing the last forty-five minutes or thereabouts of Attack of the Clones on Sunday afternoon. Not that the film is terrible in its totality but it does have some truly, quite awful moments. The main failing of the whole film, and this was something which I wouldn't accept at first, is the fact that the romance between Anakin and Amidala doesn't work. It is limp; worse than that it has about as much spark as a spent match. It is therefore a complete mystery to me (and I am sure I am not alone in this) why Amidala has that sudden gushing speech before they enter the Geonosian arena, telling Anakin that she truly, madly loves him or something like that. The dialogue is risible and it might as well have been delivered by a pair of cardboard cut-outs for all the emotion and meaning there is in the words.

The problem is not really with the actors. Both Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman when I have seen them in other films have been competent actors and capable of delivering memorable performances. Indeed, I feel that Christensen did his best with the role of Anakin and there are moments when he rises above the daft script and imbues his character with the pathos and emotion that the part demands. Portman does less well on the whole although of all the moments with these two my favourite has to be that scene in Revenge of the Sith, when we see them both individually gazing across the cityscape of Coruscant and Anakin sheds that lonely tear. You see, emotion and love doesn't need to be represented by large gestures or gushing speeches; it can be portrayed eloquently and powerfully in a well chosen moment, when sometimes more is less.

So if not the actors, then what is the problem. Frankly I think it is with Lucas himself. The man is clearly a control-freak when it comes to Star Wars and over the years he appears to have surrounded himself with 'yes-men' who deliver on his every whim. No one seems to have the courage to point out what would be a bad idea.

Take the original three films and the favourite of the three amongst fans has consistently been The Empire Strikes Back (TESB), which was directed by Irvin Kershner with relatively minimal involvement of Lucas. In a lesser director's hands this film would not have worked. It is a difficult task to pull off to make the middle part of a three-act saga and deliver a film that both continues the story and sets up for the finale, while simultaneously making it self-contained and satisfying as a piece in itself. Kershner did that and while Lucas may have decried the fact that it was 'too dark' (whatever that would mean) it is the development of the characters that really makes TESB work so well and such a memorable film.

The problem with Attack of the Clones (AOTC) as I mentioned above is that the central arc, the love affair between Anakin and Amidala is stilted and forced. By the end of the film, there is no emotional resonance to their matrimony. We should at this point feel both elated and shocked, wondering at what consequences will necessarily follow. Instead, although AOTC tries to copy the end of TESB in that final scene on Naboo, it totally fails to match the earlier film in terms of drama, tension and excitement. Thus it is an empty ending and we neither care nor wish to know what will happen to Anakin and Amidala and this is why the film as a whole fails. The only moment that raises the spirit of something dark and spectacular to come is the scenes of the Clone Army embarking the Star Destroyers on Coruscant and those telling moments when the camera rests on the reactions of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine and Bail Organa.

Dark Jedi - the evolution of a fanzine

I guess it all started around late 1995/early 1996, I can't remember the exact date but some when around then I 'rediscovered' Star Wars. I say rediscover but truthfully it had never gone away. I was a huge Star Wars fan in the early 80s during my formative years and I still remember vividly seeing Return of the Jedi at our local Odeon in Portsmouth, which has sadly recently closed. I'd seen Star Wars first and then some years later on the TV, The Empire Strikes Back, so my introduction to the saga was somewhat backwards. I remember after the release of Jedi maybe 1984/85 getting some of the toys and one of my proudest purchases was an AT-ST from Tesco's (yes they had a small toy department then) second only to my Darth Vader figure. I remember being with my brother and being allowed to choose just one figure each, for me it was an easy choice, it was never going to be anyone other than Vader!

I suppose it was from first seeing Star Wars that I liked the character of Darth Vader. Whilst most kids would probably either have identified with Luke or Han or Leia (for girls) I went with the arch villain! I am not sure why; I have always found villains more interesting, even though they should rightly never win the day. I guess it was because Vader was hidden behind that fearsome mask and had those swirling capes - an air of sinister mystery - that interested me. Not to mention that the Empire had the best uniforms and the stormtroopers were cool even though they could never shoot anything!

When I 'came back' to Star Wars in the 1990s it was again the villains and Darth Vader in particular that drew me in once more. So perhaps it was inevitable that when it came to writing my first piece of fan-fiction - The Hidden Jedi - it would feature Vader as its central focus. That was published in Jedi Issue #3, September 1996. Jedi was the newsletter of The British Star Wars Fan Club edited by two people that I came to know well over the years - Simon Clarke and Gary Tester. The basic plot of The Hidden Jedi was that Obi-wan had a daughter, who had been kept secret from both Vader and the Emperor. Reading it now, the plot doesn't make much sense - this daughter of Kenobi lures Vader back to the scene of his fateful duel with her father - which in my imagination was Mount Tinmar on a planet called Tarisha 5. She seems to be on some foolish mission to convert Vader from his dark deeds and in a moment that is reminiscent of both Darth Maul's demise in The Phantom Menace and Anakin's own fate at Obi-wan's hands in Revenge of the Sith, the daughter of Kenobi is ruthlessly dispatched.

It was around the end of 1996 I think that I first started to become aware of the larger Star Wars fan community that existed and the fact that some people were producing fanzines. This was a time before the Internet had reached its mass appeal and it was something that would ultimately come to kill off the concept of the Star Wars fanzine.

In 1997 I read my first Star Wars fanzine produced by Suzanne Godsalve, Child of Darkness; Child of Light 2. I believe, if memory serves correctly, that I saw this advertised in the classifieds section of Starburst #205.

It seems remarkably precocious looking back now but I decided that I would do my own Star Wars fanzine and so was sown the seed of what would become Dark Jedi. The first issue was published in November 1997, comb-bound with a front cover by James Simmonds and stories by Jason Grant, Gary Tester, Suzanne Godsalve, Stephen Mohammed and of course not to be outdone, four entries by me! Although it has to be said that only one of these were a story, the other three were profiles of the Empire. My fiction contribution was a piece entitled Dark Servants, which imagined an alternative ending to Return of the Jedi. I should also mention that Sandra Scholes (who became a regular contributor to successor fanzines Tales of the Empire & Delta Source) provided the illustrations.

Even now I remember the buzz and excitement of getting this 'zine finished. In the grand scheme of things it was a modest and rather unimportant project but it felt important to me personally. It was something that I was very proud of and I hope that the people who contributed, similarly felt proud of the end product. Moreover, it was during the production of Dark Jedi that I got to know Jason Grant and joined his Star Wars fan club, The Moons of Yavin. That was as they say, my first step into a larger world.

A second Dark Jedi appeared a little under two years later in September 1999, when Star Wars again seemed to be on a high with the release of The Phantom Menace a few months before. This second issue featured a quite spectacular A3 foldout cover in full colour by John Conway of the Emperor and the Empire's servants and it remains one of my favourite pieces of Star Wars fan art.

The contributors to this second issue were a mix of some from the first and new names. Selinthia Avenchesca provided some thoughtful poems on various themes connected with the Empire, Jason Grant provided two irreverent pieces - Grey Walker Down and Wraith Uncovered, while Joe Sales, Gary Tester, Richard J Thompson and Valerie Vancolie all contributed stories. A rather bizarre cross-over with Batman came courtesy of Graham Walters. I have always been doubtful of cross-overs and perhaps on reflection this one would have been better left out. Again, Sandra Scholes did a sterling job with the illustrations. Something I specifically asked all the contributors to do this time round was to provide a short piece describing the work they contributed or about themselves. This is fascinating to look back on and I note from Jason's piece such as using the names of the astronauts in Apollo 13 for the characters in Grey Walker Down which also drew inspiration from the title of another film - Grey Lady Down.

Sadly there was never a Dark Jedi #3 although something of a resurrection of the concept came when Tim Goddard started the Delta Source Fiction Specials.

There will never be another Dark Jedi either, the Internet has pretty much put an end to that idea and that I suppose was partly what killed off the Delta Source 'zine as well. What I miss from those days is the collaborative effort that went into making each issue. Okay, it was only an amateur publication and not one that was ever going to get much notice or recognition but that didn't matter. It was the satisfaction of working together with people that became my friends on something that collectively at least, we could be proud of.

Remembering the build up to Revenge of the Sith

Can it really be just over two years since the release of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (ROTS)? Alas it is and whilst looking through some of my old files on the film, mainly from the defunct Delta Source web site, I found the following piece setting out my expectations of the film. It is interesting to look back on it now with the hindsight of having had two years to have considered and digested the film and its context within the overall Star Wars saga. I also found another piece I wrote for the web site, which was I guess my first attempt at a blog - a Countdown Diary for the last five weeks up until ROTS release, in which I invariably gushed and barely contained by school boy excitement... Anyhows, let's take a look back at what I expected of ROTS and consider whether it did deliver.

"I am trying not to become too carried away with the hype and speculation on Episode III: Revenge of the Sith although that isn’t easy despite the ultimate disappointments of the first two parts in the prequel trilogy. That is not to say that Episode’s I & II were wholly bad films; indeed I enjoyed and enthused about both when they were released. However, neither ultimately lived up to my lofty expectations. For that reason, I am trying to keep in check my hopes for Revenge of the Sith, although who cannot fail to be excited by the prospect of one of the most fearsome lightsabre duels of the saga between Obi-wan and Anakin? I am sure that most fans have either imagined or had their own ideas on how the duel would be and finally, we’ll get to see whether it meets any of our expectations or predictions. (Interestingly my first reactions immediately after seeing ROTS were somewhat muted. Like the previous two films it had promised a great deal in the build up but the final result was somewhat less than satisfying. The much anticipated lightsabre duel between Anakin and Obi-wan was one of the film's disappointments for me, although its few moments of pathos particularly as Obi-wan leaves his old friend for dead on the volcanic wastes of Mustafar, did raise it above being just another lightsabre fight).

Personally, I am looking forward more to the corruption of Anakin and its results. Seeing him arise as Darth Vader in the trailer was a spine-tingling moment. It was a scene that makes you want to cheer and is a delicious temptation of how dark this film could be (yes but it wasn't nearly dark enough). After all by the end of Revenge of the Sith almost all the major characters from the previous two prequels will be dead and the galaxy under the heel of Palpatine’s Empire.

It occurs to me that although that basic sequence of events forms the core of the film, there is going to need to be extensive exposition to cover everything that needs to be in Episode III. It seems likely that we will see Anakin’s children before the closing credits and I hope we will see the fate of Padme, which will tie in with Return of the Jedi and Leia’s vague memories of her mother. I wonder if Lucas would end the film with the Tantive IV stealing the Death Star plans, so setting up the story to continue with the start of A New Hope. (I think one of the weaknesses of ROTS was that there was too much exposition and too little that was tied together effectively enough to bridge the gap to A New Hope. I was right that we would see Anakin's children before the closing credits, although why Leia should remember her mother and Luke doesn't is a complete mystery. Similarly lacking of believability was Padme's demise. It would have been far better if it had been stated that she had died as a result of the injuries inflicted upon her by Anakin when he was using the Force to choke her. Perhaps this was considered too dark by Lucas and ultimately how could a man who had killed his own wife be redeemed? I think it would have given the scene ultimately more credibility and made Anakin's anguish and pain, which we see expressed as he first arises as Darth Vader all the more potent).

I am a little disappointed that yet another villain is being introduced. No matter how great General Grevious is, will another character at this late stage not be a distraction? I thought the same of Dooku in Attack of the Clones and I was largely proved wrong there! Besides, I doubt that Grevious will remain in the film much beyond the film’s opening battles. (He did make it a little past the opening battles but he was a token villian much like Dooku, who is dispensed with far too cheaply at the start. There was no need for Grevious and whilst his simultaneous skills with four lightsabres was good, it was far too short a duel to be impressive)

It will be interesting to see whether Lucas decides to deal with the issue of midichlorians or the true identity of Sifo Dyas – my guess still is that it is either Yoda or Mace Windu. And will we see C-3PO and R2-D2 having their memories wiped? (The mystery of who is Sifo Dyas remains just that. We didn't see them actually having their memories wiped but C-3PO does befall that fate!)

The music is one aspect of Revenge of the Sith, that I approach with no apprehensions, only excited anticipation. John Williams’ music has been a constant throughout the saga and his themes are as memorable as the images they accompany. I expect that the Episode III score will contain many dark undercurrents, certainly Vader’s theme – the Imperial March – and bold restatements of the Emperor’s Theme. I am also expecting big things of the music for the Anakin/Obi-wan duel, which promises to be as frenetic and powerful as the on-screen action. (The music was as I expected the one thing, which really did impress. Williams' did more than just use existing themes, he composed some stunning new pieces as well, my favourites being the elegiac Anakin's Betrayal and the darkly menacing Palpatine's Teachings).

Ultimately, whether Revenge of the Sith is good or bad, surpasses all expectations or disappoints, it will be the final Star Wars film and for that reason alone, it will have a special resonance. For a long time after the final fanfare fades and the screen returns to black, its memory will be with us. (This remains true and will always be because whatever the merits or otherwise of the prequels, they are still a part of that great saga, Star Wars. Revenge of the Sith like the previous two prequels was a mixed bag and ultimately it could have been a far more nourishing and enjoyable experience. Rarely do the characters or the dialogue rise above the impressiveness of the special effects and this is the problem with all the prequels. It is very nice to look at but so desperately shallow, not that the original films were of Shakespearean quality but at least they had characters of depth and story that engaged and carried the film forward).

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

Hello and welcome to my new Star Wars blog! You've taken your first steps into a larger world... So why the title Delta Source? Well, for any fan of the Timothy Zahn Thrawn Trilogy will know that Delta Source was a spy network in the Senate using ch'hala trees established by Emperor Palpatine and a source of invaluable intelligence on the New Republic during Grand Admiral Thrawn's campaign. I also choose this name as the title for the blog as it is the name of a fanzine and web site that I ran, to some success and moderate acclaim - we won the SFX Fanzine of the Month no less!

The aim of this blog is to be a forum for me and all like-minded Star Wars fans to comment and discuss the greatest space-fantasy saga of them all. For me, I hope it will be both an opportunity to express my passion for Star Wars and explore some of my favourite aspects of the franchise. There will be a mix of things on here. Sometimes, it will be straightforward posts about some aspect of the Star Wars universe, other times I hope to post fan fiction - short stories and some unfinished works in progress for comment and review - and also take a look through some of my Star Wars collection and revisiting the fanzines that I produced in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Everyone is welcome to comment and contribute to this blog. You can add your comments by selecting the link at the bottom of each post. The comments are moderated although no one's opinions will be censored unless they contain bad or offensive language, so please feel free to rant and rave and get involved!

Finally a thank you to Derek or providing me with the inspiration and idea of setting up this blog.