Forums.StarWars.com Going Offline on June 3, Loss of Nearly 10 Years of Star Wars Fan Conversations

May 5, 2011

Topher Kohan of CNN wrote an open letter to George Lucas regarding the shuttering of the StarWars.com fan forums: Mr. Lucas, the 4th is not to be trifled with – CNN.com.

Apparently, Lucasfilm recently decided to remove the forums on June 3, 2011. They have already placed the forums in read-only mode as of May 3.

Pabawan, a site admin, offered this anti-explanation explanation: “At StarWars.com, we are always evaluating the various features of the website in order to provide the best experience to our users. As we review new community-based interactive features for the future, we have decided that the Official Message Boards at forums.starwars.com will no longer be part of the site” [read the full announcement here while it is available].

Instead of hosting fan conversations on StarWars.com, Lucasfilm has opted for Facebook and Twitter. Unfortunately, Facebook and Twitter are very good at doing what they do, but they do not offer the same experience or conversation that an online forum provides. Forums allow people to write longer conversational pieces that are searchable and archived within a theme delimited hierarchy. Facebook allows for conversations, but they are not easily searched and may not be archived indefinitely. Twitter facilitates conversation, but you may only write 160 characters at a time including hashtags (for thematic or subject linking), user references, and links.

Online conversations need a rich ecosphere of different Internet facilitated modes of conversation rather than relying on those that seem the most popular at this time. I believe that it for this reason that the Taiwanese embrace multiple modes of communication including BBS servers, Plurk, and others in addition to Facebook and Twitter.

I realize that Star Wars fans will likely shift their conversations to fan-operated forums. It is unlucky however that the many conversations on the now defunct forums.starwars.com will be lost forever on Friday, June 3. Perhaps someone will write a script to archive the forums before that date, but I do not know if Lucasfilm’s servers will permit such an archiving to take place.


May the Fourth Be With You, Star Wars on Blu Ray Details Announced

May 4, 2011

Today, Lucasfilm announced the details on the Star Wars Saga Blu Ray release scheduled for September 16 in North America and September 12 everywhere else. It appears that they are including a number of new features that were not included on previous releases, but the versions of the original trilogy are reportedly the Special Edition versions rather than the theatrical releases. It also appears that Lucas is trying to solidify his vision of the Saga through the new cover artwork that ties young Anakin (the child father) to his future son and redemptive hero (the adult child).

You may preorder it on Amazon here.

I have copied the disc contents below:

STAR WARS: THE COMPLETE SAGA ON BLU-RAY is presented in widescreen with 6.1 DTS Surround Sound. Special features include:

Disc One- Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace

Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Rick McCallum, Ben Burtt, Rob Coleman, John Knoll, Dennis Muren and Scott Squires

Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew

Disc Two – Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones

Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Rick McCallum, Ben Burtt, Rob Coleman, Pablo Helman, John Knoll and Ben Snow

Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew

Disc Three – Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith

Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Rick McCallum, Rob Coleman, John Knoll and Roger Guyett

Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew

Disc Four – Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope

Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Carrie Fisher, Ben Burtt and Dennis Muren

Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew

Disc Five – Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back

Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Irvin Kershner, Carrie Fisher, Ben Burtt and Dennis Muren

Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew

Disc Six – Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi

Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Carrie Fisher, Ben Burtt and Dennis Muren

Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew

Disc Seven – New! Star Wars Archives: Episodes I-III

Including: deleted, extended and alternate scenes; prop, maquette and costume turnarounds; concept art; supplementary interviews with cast and crew; a flythrough of the Lucasfilm Archives and more

Disc Eight – New! Star Wars Archives: Episode IV-VI

Including: deleted, extended and alternate scenes; prop, maquette and costume turnarounds; matte paintings and concept art; supplementary interviews with cast and crew; and more

Disc Nine – The Star Wars Documentaries

NEW! Star Warriors (2007, Color, Apx. 84 Minutes) – Some Star Wars fans want to collect action figures… these fans want to be action figures! A tribute to the 501st Legion, a global organization of Star Wars costume enthusiasts, this insightful documentary shows how the super-fan club promotes interest in the films through charity and volunteer work at fundraisers and high-profile special events around the world.

NEW! A Conversation with the Masters: The Empire Strikes Back 30 Years Later (2010, Color, Apx. 25 Minutes) – George Lucas, Irvin Kershner, Lawrence Kasdan and John Williams look back on the making of The Empire Strikes Back in this in-depth retrospective from Lucasfilm created to help commemorate the 30th anniversary of the movie. The masters discuss and reminisce about one of the most beloved films of all time.

NEW! Star Wars Spoofs (2011, Color, Apx. 91 Minutes) – The farce is strong with this one! Enjoy a hilarious collection of Star Wars spoofs and parodies that have been created over the years, including outrageous clips from Family Guy, The Simpsons, How I Met Your Mother and more – and don’t miss “Weird Al” Yankovic’s one-of-a-kind music video tribute to The Phantom Menace!

The Making of Star Wars (1977, Color, Apx. 49 Minutes) – Learn the incredible behind-the-scenes story of how the original Star Wars movie was brought to the big screen in this fascinating documentary hosted by C-3PO and R2-D2. Includes interviews with George Lucas and appearances by Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher.

The Empire Strikes Back: SPFX (1980, Color, Apx. 48 Minutes) – Learn the secrets of making movies in a galaxy far, far away. Hosted by Mark Hamill, this revealing documentary offers behind-the-scenes glimpses into the amazing special effects that transformed George Lucas’ vision for Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back into reality!

Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi (1983, Color, Apx. 48 Minutes) – Go behind the scenes — and into the costumes — as production footage from Return of the Jedi is interspersed with vintage monster movie clips in this in-depth exploration of the painstaking techniques utilized by George Lucas to create the classic creatures and characters seen in the film. Hosted and narrated by Carrie Fisher and Billy Dee Williams.

Anatomy of a Dewback (1997, Color, Apx. 26 Minutes) – See how some of the special effects in Star Wars became even more special two decades later! George Lucas explains and demonstrates how his team transformed the original dewback creatures from immovable rubber puppets (in the original 1977 release) to seemingly living, breathing creatures for the Star Wars 1997 Special Edition update.

Star Wars Tech (2007, Color, Apx. 46 Minutes) – Exploring the technical aspects of Star Wars vehicles, weapons and gadgetry, Star Wars Tech consults leading scientists in the fields of physics, prosthetics, lasers, engineering and astronomy to examine the plausibility of Star Wars technology based on science as we know it today.


Star Wars: The Complete Saga || May The 4th Be With You

April 30, 2011

Lucasfilm has posted the above teaser on the official Star Wars website. Reportedly, they will announce the details of the complete Star Wars saga release on Blu-Ray Disc on May 4, 2011. If you like countdown timers, Lucasfilm is pleased to oblige here: Star Wars: The Complete Saga || May The 4th Be With You.

UPDATE: I wrote about the details of the new set here.


Watching Star Wars Tech on History Channel International

March 21, 2011

I am watching Star Wars Tech on History Channel International right now. It is a fun television program that questions the possibility and veracity of imaginative technologies in the six Star Wars films. It is informative and interesting, but it is disappointing to hear the scientists depicted as universal grammarians. Programs like this one place the emphasis of science fiction on the prophetic possibilities of technology and science in the narrative rather than the broader implications of the story and its relationship to the here-and-now. This isn’t to say that there shouldn’t be programs like this one–I quite enjoy watching it. However, I would like to see more programs that study the cultural significance of science fiction.


YouTube – Volkswagen Commercial: The Force

February 7, 2011

I don’t care about Volkswagen, but I do love this video. I was that tiny Darth Vader (a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away).

YouTube – Volkswagen Commercial: The Force.


LEGOLAND California gets Star Wars Miniland in March 2011 [News] | The Brothers Brick | LEGO Blog

January 15, 2011

Regular readers of dynamicsubspace.net know that I am a big fan of Star Wars, and that I also enjoy building with Lego bricks. There have been Star Wars themed Lego sets since 1999, and I have used Lego bricks to recreate Star Wars characters, places, and ships long before then. Now, it seems like the Force and Lego converge again, this time in California.

California Legoland theme park is developing a special Star Wars Miniland which opens in March 2011. I have not yet had a chance to visit a Legoland theme park, but I have now placed the California one at the top of my list. Read more about it at From Bricks to Bothans via The Brothers Brick linked below.

Star Wars Miniland Coming To LEGOLAND California

LEGOLAND California gets Star Wars Miniland in March 2011 [News] | The Brothers Brick | LEGO Blog.

P.S. I am posting this with WordPress’s new “Press This” bookmark bar link. I think this will significantly help with my meeting my postaday2011 goal!


Dreams of Taiwan

January 10, 2011

Last night, Y and I slept very soundly after such a long trip to get back to the States. I am surprised however that I dreamed of Taiwan. Normally, I don’t remember my dreams, and I don’t recall having a dream about a foreign country that I have visited before.

The dream was simple yet satisfying. It was Y and I walking through small shops in Taiwan. The one that I remember the strongest from the dream was a store that sold Star Wars props from the first three films–something that I definitely did not see in Taiwan.

I think it is significant as well considering Taiwan’s convenience store culture that I woke up at 7:11 AM on the dot.


Amazing Vintage Star Wars Toys Found at The Toys Time Forgot

November 25, 2010

Y and I took the evening off to drive South toward Canton to check out a toy store that I found through google called The Toys Time Forgot. Located at 137 E Cherry St in Canal Fulton, Ohio, it is housed in an unformidable building in Canal Fulton’s historic downtown area, but I realized after walking in the front door that The Toys Time Forgot is a Tardis-like vintage toy store that is overflowing with amazing finds. Ignoring the dozens and dozens of MOC original Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and Power of the Force, they have armies of loose figures complete with weapons.

I was particularly interested in the Action Display Stand behind the counter with a full set of the original 12 Star Wars action figures including a Luke Skywalker with telescoping lightsaber. There are also many boxed vintage vehicles, minirigs, and playsets including an Ewok Village and Darth Vader’s Star Destroyer Action Playset.

Y was interested in the very large Jabba Throne cast statue in the front case near the back of the store, because she thinks Jabba is cute. Needless to say, she hasn’t seen Return of the Jedi yet. I do plan to correct this oversight in her Star Wars viewing as soon as possible. However, it may be best that she never seen ROTJ so that she always thinks of Jabba as cute rather than gross.

There are many other vintage toy lines from the 1950s to the present. I cannot name the earlier lines, but I did see many science fiction and fantasy themed series including: The Six Million Dollar Man, Star Trek TOS to the most recent movie, Transformers, GI Joe, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, MacFarlane Toys, Atari, board games, The Real Ghostbusters, and much, much more. You can only appreciate the breadth of toy lines and the depth of holdings in each line by going into the store yourself. The owner Daniel Hare and his staff were very friendly and happy to show items to me. Unfortunately, I am a poor graduate student and I could not buy anything (at least for now–I will have to save my lunch money).

Before dragging myself out of the store this evening, Mr. Hare told me that they are having a special sale on Black Friday on many of the toys in the store. I found their prices on Star Wars action figures to be reasonable and comparable to ebay, so I believe the after-Thanksgiving sale on Friday will be a very good deal for collectors. I have never recommended a toy store before on the basis of a perfect trifecta: friendliness, selection, and price, but I am doing so now for The Toys Time Forgot. You should check them out, and I hope to make it back there very soon.


Luke’s Lightsaber Cut from the Beginning of ROTJ

August 14, 2010

My buddy Mark just sent me a link [posted to Youtube by Theforcenet] to this deleted scene from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi shown at Celebration V. Above, you can see Luke tinkering with his new lightsaber after Vader makes one more attempt to telepathically lure him to the Dark Side. Then, Luke tests it before giving it to R2-D2 for his special mission to see Jabba the Hut:

Yeah, I think its a good idea that it was cut from the final film–it would have given too much away at the beginning. Nevertheless, it makes for a nice addition to the ROTJ totality.


R2-D2 Special Edition Droid Phone by Motorola (But R2 has been with me for years)

August 13, 2010

Apparently, Motorola, Google, and Verizon have teamed up to produce the Star Wars Empire Strikes Back Special Edition Phone. You can learn about it at the official site here (if you follow @droidlanding on Twitter), or see a picture of the phone here (it looks like a flat, rectangular R2-D2).

That’s cute and all, but I’ve been R2′s buddy since the first generation iPhone:

In all honesty, I’ve been thinking a lot about Star Wars merchandising lately. I’m troubled by it, by my participation in it (yes, I just mailed off my five UPCs for the vintage, rocket firing Boba Fett), and its lasting effect on life to the present (collecting, playing, maintaining interest in movie tie-in toys). I am going to write more on this in the future, but I want to scan some old Christmas and Birthday photos first, so that I can use them in my essay.

For the time being, consider Star Wars and ESB Producer Gary Kurtz’s interview here, in which he says: “The emphasis on the toys, it’s like the cart driving the horse. . . . If it wasn’t for that the films would be done for their own merits. The creative team wouldn’t be looking over their shoulder all the time.” Now, I’m off to Wal-Mart to see if they have any of the new vintage Star Wars action figures in stock.


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