Studying the Effects of The Star Wars Holiday Special

I think someone should do a study investigating the psychological impact of The Star Wars Holiday Special. Now, that may sound crazy, but I think we owe it to ourselves (not to mention subsequent generations of Star Wars fans) to look into the risks we’re dealing with here. I mean, think about it: It’s entirely possible that this 1978 atrocity has been corrupting the minds of our youth since its original airing, and we lack the conclusive evidence to ban it.

I propose that Lucasfilm fund a study to look into this matter. George has the money and certainly the desire to impose sanctions on anyone caught with a copy of The Holiday Special. He and his company could bring the might of scientific inquiry to bear and ascertain whether or not there is sufficient evidence to take action against the TV special. That being said, I’m not going to sit on the sidelines in all of this (when have I ever done that with Star Wars issues?). I have drafted a preliminary outline of how to proceed.

Read More

Merry Christmas

(And Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Joyous Festivus, etc. etc.)

It’s been weeks since Hanukkah ended, what’s so special about today? December 25th! Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a bunch of Star Wars Christmas goodies!

The Best (Only?) Star Wars Christmas Album Ever

In addition to featuring the recording debut of Jon Bon Jovi, “Christmas in the Stars” is an all-around good time, with voice work from Anthony Daniels (C-3PO himself) and authentic droid beeps. The songs are based in part on traditional Christmas tunes, and the Star Wars vibe really enhances the feeling of holiday cheer. Here’s a sample track from the album.

Download this MP3 - (Right Click)

 

A Very “Special” Holiday Special

In general, mockery and criticism of The Star Wars Holiday Special is much more enjoyable than viewing the special itself. However, you can watch it here if you really want to. Afterward, check out this far-superior Star Wars holiday video and ask yourself why you just wasted all that time watching the original one.

Lucasfilm Christmas Cards

Last year, I was fortunate enough to receive the Lucasfilm Ltd. company Christmas card (thanks Bonnie!). If you’re not already jealous, you will be after you take a look at the complete history of these fantastic cards. My 2009 card is one of my all-time favorite holiday cards.

In the Spirit of Holiday Cheer…An Action Figure Diorama

Enjoy a clever and well-produced Star Wars holiday diorama from artist Stephen Hayford. Click on the image to see it at full resolution.

---

And As For Me…

Life has been fairly quiet recently. I’m home for Winter Break, which is nice because I essentially get a month to goof off and relax. I have a 100-page book to read for the start of the Spring semester, but I can spread that out enough so that it’s relatively painless. Overall, I’m going to use this time to sleep late, eat on my own schedule and from my own menu, and take advantage of a less-congested Internet connection.

We’re going on a week-long vacation to Florida tomorrow. Despite the increased equatorial proximity, it’s still going to be a bit cold there, but on the plus side, Segway tour! I’m getting to be quite a pro at this Segway thing, what with the tour we did in Barcelona over the summer. Also, I’m not going to lie, I really want to buy one. It wouldn’t save me money, but it would save me time and energy – and you can’t put a price on stamina, right?

My first semester of college went well both academically and socially. Now that I’m into the routine, I have a much better understanding of how to navigate higher education. I’m also continually being made aware of why college is supposed to be one’s formative years – they just let you handle things on your own, and how you deal with that responsibility determines who you are when you graduate.

I’ve been receiving a lot of gifts from various corners this holiday season. In addition to gifts from my family, I received a lot of cool stuff – mostly Star Wars items and holiday cards – from various people I’ve come to know over the years, first online and then (in some cases) in person at conventions. I’ve been snapping pictures of these items as they arrive, and you can see them all here (along with some non-gift-related holiday photos). Even though Hanukkah is over, it really does feel like my holiday is continuing with these thoughtful presents from afar. Thanks everyone!

Looking back, 2010 was a banner year for me, and I hope that 2011 won’t disappoint either.

Read More

Too Many Books, So Little Time

Do you ever tell yourself, “I’ll read that book and be done with it in no time!” only to discover that “no time” actually takes a while? That’s me right now. I am almost done with one book, but I have three more in the queue. These aren’t just any books, though. These are the last few unread books in my Star Wars collection, which means that catching up (and staying caught up) is a priority if I want to keep following this universe. The book I’m reading now is good, so the reason that it languishes on my shelf is not a lack of interest.

No, my problem is more sinister. I find that I’m constantly getting sucked into stuff online despite my repeated self-assurances that I will sit down and read. I have a comfy recliner and everything; it’s just too tempting to browse the Internet.

There may in fact be a twelve-step program for this kind of thing. “Can’t step away from your computer long enough to read a chapter from that novel? Is your TweetDeck notification sound constantly tearing you away from the escapism of a good book?" We can help!” Sadly, I bet I would just resort to reading articles online about how to detach, and that’s just furthering the problem.

But I digress. The other problem here is that Star Wars books are coming out almost every month, which, while great for expanding the universe and offering choices for casual readers, is a problem for completists like myself. Between classes and the magical World Wide Web, I rarely sit down and read for extended periods of time.

Am I hurting my brain? Probably not. A goodly portion of my time online involves reading fascinating scientific or technological articles, so I doubt I’m turning into a zombie. Still, I hear good things about some of these Star Wars novels, and it would be great to get caught up again. Not to mention the fact that I also have an assigned novel to read for the beginning of the Spring semester. That will take priority over both my Star Wars reading and my computing once it gets down to the last week before classes resume.

By the way, my goal with this blog post was to present the dilemma so clearly to myself that I would be forced to stop writing mid-sentence and pick up my current book. It didn’t work.

Read More