Author: Bill Ruhsam

I wonder how long it will take before the term “Order 66” becomes a pop-culture staple? Perhaps it will be relegated entirely to the more geekified sect of persons who are willing to sit out in front of a theater for hours waiting for a Star Wars film to debut.

I’ve been trying to come up with a way that it might slip into usage. Something along the lines of, “I tried to find her last night, but she was 404,” or something similar. I suppose that it could be applied to standard betrayal lexicon. “I was 66’d by the system,” or, “They told me they would be at the movies at 9:00, but they 66’d me.”

I bet it won’t take long to start hearing it, but I doubt that the people around me at work will be using it any time soon.

We saw it! The crowd who gathered at the theater in Kennesaw was much rowdier than the one we’d particpated with in Lubbock for Attack of the Clones. A lot of people were in costume. The majority dressed as Jedi. (I’ve got nothing against women role-players, but seeing a Darth Vader with boobs prominently on display is weird)

For now, to avoid persons accusing me of spoiling it ahead of time, I will only say this:

• Effects, mucho grande
• Acting, so so (I think Yoda did the best job)
• Story, not as tight as it could have been, but Lucas had to tie everything up
• Lightsaber Battles, awesome. Best part of the movie.

Don’t expect a lot of philosophising just yet on this topic. I need to see it again before I can make a good judgement.

Tonight, at 12:01 AM, we see Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, along with a gazillion other crazy persons. People at work have told me to stay home tomorrow, or call in sith (stolen from the Atlanta Journal Constitution). I’m sure I’ll be wired and fired upon arrival at 8:00 to tell people just how great/crazy/loud/spooky/predictable/dissapointing/overrated/underated it was. Hopefully I will not be locked in my office until the madness wears off.

Questions to be answered, in no particular order:
1) Who is the most deserving of blame where the generation of the Empire and the takeover by Palpatine is considered?
Options:
a) Amidala (for evicting the previous Chancellor and for some odd reason falling in love with a whiny Jedi Apprentice)
b) Palpatine (he does become THE EMPEROR after all, through connivance and assasination)
c) Annakin (for being a little whiny boy who can’t keep his feelings in check)
d) Qui Gon Gin (for picking up Annakin despite everyone else’s grave misgivings)
e) Jar Jar Binks (for being a general dweeb and calling for the creation of the Army of the Republic)
f) Bain Organa (for not seeing throug the machinations of Palpatine and earlier and attempting to put a stop to them)
g) Obi Wan (for not training Annakin well enough to be a good, nice, Jedi)

My vote is usually Amidala, but that’ s just to get a rise out of my wife. I think that ultimately it’s all Palpatine’s fault, but Qui Gon’s bears a large share.

2) Will technologically advanced cultures every learn the sort of tactics common in medeival armies, or will they line up their troops and charge as usual.

3) Are clonetroopers any more accurate than stormtroopers?

4) Do clonetroopers have better armor than stormtroopers, i.e. can withstand the blow of a rock thrown by an Ewok?

5) If any mechanically-declined Jedi can make a lightsaber, why aren’t there more of them knocking around the universe being used as convenient can openers, power-coupling cutters, industrial tools, etc., which they are eminently suitable for.

6) What happens to C-3po’s memory and the little rockets that R2-D2 has? (the assumption here is that R2-D2 may very well remember everything that happens in Episodes 1-3 during the Luke Epoch, but chooses not to disclose painful family history)

Man, I could go on and on. We’ll leave it at that. 5 Hours 28 minutes until the movie.