My Journey Into Fandom, And Some Favorite Shots of the Saga

As a recommendation from a few of our writers, and following the excellent post from Nick yesterday evening, we are going to roll out some introductions for each of the staff members here at SWR, hopefully to lend some perspective into where we come from, and provide some entertainment as well.

My journey began in the summer of 1999, the summer following my 8th grade year, when I went to go see The Phantom Menace with a friend in theaters.   To be completely honest, I don’t remember much of the film sticking out to me for the first hour and a half – but then, this happened:

Yeah, I know it’s predictable.  I wasn’t much for television as a child, so I had not seen any previews, etc. for the film.  I had a vague concept of what Star Wars was, even though I had never seen the original trilogy – I knew what a lightsaber was, and who Darth Vader and Yoda were, but that’s about it.  As this furious battle between two Jedi and this demonic, acrobatic bad guy erupted across the screen, with the epic “Duel of the Fates” score to back it, I did not know at the time, but I’d never be the same.  It took a little while, though.  A few years later, I picked up Attack of the Clones on VHS, and loved it (I still do, to this day).  Then I picked up the OT, and finally became immersed.

I am a very odd Star Wars fan, in that I am a shameless defender of the prequels, and unabashedly prefer them to the Original Trilogy. I went to see Revenge of the Sith at midnight, my first experience out amongst the community, and if I were to point to one experience that really sent me “over the edge,” it would be that.  I had been participating on TFN’s Episode III board, but that began to transform into more interactive experiences, including fan audio.  In 2006, after listening to Nathan P. Butler’s Chronoradio, I ventured out on my own, and launched “Star Wars: In The Beginning,” a podcast aimed towards the PT and its EU, and debating its characters and themes.  The show lasted for about 15 episodes, after which a graduation and the sharp drop into the real world put it on hold.

But I always intended to come back.

And so we have, with Star Wars: Rise. Throughout my time in the world of fandom, I can say that the group that we have put together on this team are some of the most knowledgeable and skilled writers I’ve come into contact with, and their passion for the SW Universe matches my own- and that’s quite a bit of passion.  It is a privilege to write alongside them, and interact with them across the net. Our collective aim is that this blog, and our upcoming podcast, will reach fans in the leadup to Episode 7 and perhaps impacts them in the way I was impacted in the leadup to Revenge of the Sith, and brings them into this magnificent world, which has played a huge part in my life.  I thank you for reading, and hope that you are able to find the joy that I have in reading, viewing, and analyzing this great Saga.

And now, as the second half of this post, I would like to take a look at my five favorite visual “shots” of the saga.  The only qualifier here is that the scene was portrayed on a screen, at one time- any and all TV series, any and all films.  Let us begin.

5) The Battle of Mandalore, Star Wars Clone Wars (S05-E16) (G.Lucas)

While this episode may be remembered for the epic duel that breaks out between Sidious, Maul, and Savage, it is the alliance struck between Bo Katan and Obi-Wan in an effort to get him off planet that provided my favorite storyline.

4) Obi-Wan Taps the Dark Side, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (G. Lucas)

While his duel with Anakin in ROTS would match this one-on-one in terms of speed and ferocity, the emotion shown by young Kenobi dueling the mysterious Sith just feet from his mortally wounded master is my favorite duel of the Saga.

3) The Return of Anakin Skywalker,  Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (R. Marquand/director, G. Lucas)

A very divisive image, this is. I’m on the side of progress, I guess you could call it. As devastating as the end of ROTS, it’s nice to know that Anakin will re-appear- that he’s not gone forever.

2) The Goodbye, Clone Wars Microseries (S01-E01) (G. Tartakovsky)

I remember seeing this episode for the first time, and in among the over-the-top style was this scene. With a particularly different version of “Across The Stars” playing, we see something that we really never see again on screen- the strain of war in this young marriage.

1) The Ruminations Scene.  Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith (G. Lucas)

Nothing I can write can do this scene justice. It is the most powerful scene I’ve ever seen on screen, I recall the packed capacity theater (full of children, teens, and college students) falling completely silent, while the loud whaling track accompanied this brutally difficult scene, because even the “spoiler-free” knew what was coming. George Lucas’ finest cinematographical accomplishment in the six films, as far as I am concerned.