Star Wars Day - Happy May The 4th

Happy Star Wars Day!

May the 4th be right around the corner and is a perfect day to geek out and enjoy the wonderous world of Star Wars. Star Wars always brings me back to my childhood and the great memories of saving the galaxy from the evil Empire. I would watch the movies with my brother all the time and we would dream about being brave Jedi’s or smooth bounty hunters. We were also really into the video games. Whether it was conquering the battlefield in Battlefront 2 with my brother or exploring the incredible story of Darth Revan in KOTOR, the world sent our imaginations to a galaxy far, far, away.

It’s the reason I love science fiction and fantasy.

I can’t wait for all the surprises Lucasfilm and Disney are going to present. The big one that I am aware of is the new television series, The Bad Batch.

I don’t know much about it, but the trailer (link above) gives a general idea. If you like animated Star Wars adventures like the Clone Wars or Rebels, then this looks like the droid you’re looking for. There is even a Star Wars Bingo (generously provided by the Star Wars Twitter account.) for the Bad Batch premiere. Pretty cool!

Anyways, play games, read a book, watch a movie or show, or even write a sweet fanfiction. Whatever you choose to do on Star Wars Day, do have fun! There is no try!

Until next time, read, write and May the 4th Be With You!

-J.J.

May the Fourth Be With You - Star Wars Day

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A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...May 4th would not be celebrated. Instead, a war would break out among the stars with an entire galaxy's fate resting in the hands of Anakin Skywalker...and then Luke Skywalker...and then Rey Skywalker. Okay, Rey isn't a Skywalker...for now.

I absolutely love Star Wars Day! It's a great day to remember an incredible franchise that shaped culture and was a force for change in movies, literature, and scientific advancements. As a kid, my imagination would soar like an X-Wing, dodging the blaster fire of reality, to escape in a world of adventure. 

There is a special feeling attached to Star Wars that has been incredibly difficult to explain, at least for me. Star Wars captivates you in ways you can't describe as a kid and that feeling just sticks with you as you age. If you're new to Star Wars, I can't guarantee the "feels" would be there for you considering the wide assortment of science fiction options on the market today. It's an experience you have at a young age that really influences you. You feel like you can be Jedi, a smuggler, a princess, a hero. 

Now I don't want to really go too much into what you SHOULD be doing today. It's pretty obvious. You can do anything to show of your love for Star Wars. However, I have a recommendation if you want to be a Star Wars hero in real life.

Each year, Star Wars: Force for Change helps raise money for charities around the world that help children with healthcare and/or education. This year, they are teaming up with UNICEF Kid Power and Starlight Children's Foundation.

If you want to donate, I will provide links below to the Force For Change along with the individual foundations mentioned.

If you can't donate, but still want to help, I have a challenge for you! Well, they do actually...

#ROARFORCHANGE

Roar For Change is a global challenge that supports UNICEF. All you have to do is share your own version of Chewbacca's roar on any social media platform with #RoarForChange. You can do this anytime between now and May 25th and for every post, like, or share, Star Wars: Force for Change will donate $1 to UNICEF. I would turn Star Wars Day into a weekend and bust out a cool post. 

To learn more about the initiatives, click on the buttons below:

Take the Pledge

Donate

Take the Challenge

I hope you all have a great Star Wars Day and make sure to celebrate! And now, to leave you with a song that has been stuck in my head for days. May the force be with you. -J.J.

Star Wars Celebration 2017 - Highlights

The Force is with a couple thousand people in Orlando as the Star Wars Celebration is under way. Starting yesterday and racing through the weekend, this celebration is about all things Star Wars and I for one couldn’t be happier. I won’t be able to talk about all of it, so I recommend either streaming it or searching on their website for way more information. If you’re looking for highlights, continue on.

On Thursday, they had meet & greets and autograph signings with legendary Star Wars actors ranging from rogue Jeremy Bulloch and suave Billy Dee Williams to the emotionally fragile Hayden Christensen. I give Hayden crap, but I actually like him in Star Wars and Jumper. Probably an unpopular opinion, but its mine and you can't have it...maybe.

They look like great friends!

In addition, panels looked at the 40 years of Star Wars, discussed behind the scenes, collectibles, and incredible stories. Fandom was also on display with a large amount of groups holding their meetups such as costume & cosplay experts like the 501st Legion and Mandalorian Mercs. The day also included a touching tribute to the late, great Carrie Fisher.

On Friday, it was much bigger. We received a first look at the new The Last Jedi poster and more importantly, THE LAST JEDI TEASER TRAILER! I had to avoid all social media until I was able to enjoy the trailer on a screen bigger than my cell phone.

To me, it will be tough to top this. Even with an author round-table of the Star Wars books and Del Rey. The Last Jedi was probably the most anticipated teaser trailer of the year (at least in my mind) and it brings a lot of different thoughts and feelings to this amazing universe. Mostly positive and a lot of questions. Here's looking at you Mr. Hamil!

On Saturday, a sneak peak of Star Wars Rebels: Season 4 will be shown, but there is something cooler than that coming out that day. Star Wars Battlefront 2 will also be premiered! I already saw the teaser, but it will be exciting to hear more about the game and how they improved it. Hoping we can play as clone troopers and droidekas!

Video ends at 30 seconds. Probably leaked...just saying.

On Sunday, the big end to the event will be the closing ceremony, which I hope includes a special surprise that nobody expects. I don’t see that enough in big events like these. Part of me is wondering if it could be some early footage of the Han Solo movie (obviously nowhere near done).

If a five-day event filled with passionate fans and amazing panels/speakers isn’t enough to convince you that this Star Wars Celebration was awesome, nothing will. That’s okay though, I appreciate the honesty.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments about what you would like to see, saw, and/or enjoyed about the Star Wars Celebration coverage. Remember, you can watch it live on their YouTube channel.

-J.J.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi - What Does It Mean?

As many of you may know, the Star Wars movie had its title released this week, "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," but many people are trying to figure out what it means. Conspiracy theories are everywhere, some realizing that the title (when combined with the seventh movie) spells out a sentence.

I don't personally like going too deep down the rabbit hole when it comes to speculation of new movies, but it did get me thinking: "Who is the Last Jedi?"

Who could it be?

The first answer that probably comes to mind is Luke. Its pretty obvious that he could possibly be the last remaining Jedi, but I think there is more to it. If we recall back to the last movie, it was said in passing that Luke trained others to become Jedi (Kylo Ren being one of them). This implies the idea that there are, in fact, other Jedi roaming the galaxy. Obviously it was short-lived due to his self-committed exile, but it still leaves a few. The movie is most likely going to focus on Rey's training to become a Jedi with the help of Luke and ultimately Luke's demise. It would make sense based on the title. Still, I think there may be other Jedi still waiting in the wind, afraid to stand against the enemy at large.

We may not know how many Jedi, if any, are left, but here is a few that I would like to see in the movie. Keep in mind, the ones on this list are have nothing to do with the Jedi's Luke may have trained.

Strikes fear in the eyes of his enemies...especially Boba.

Pulling a Bindo isn't what you think it is...Mace wouldn't have done that is all I am saying.

1. Mace Windu - I know what you're thinking, "He died when 'unlimited power' threw him half across the city of Coruscant." Probably, but I would like to believe that it didn't kill him. Instead, he survived. His force mastery - along with a little luck - helped Mace survive the fall and he put himself into exile like most Jedi. In his hiding and with the pain of being betrayed by Anakin, I think Mace would essentially become a Gray Jedi. For those who are unfamiliar with a Gray Jedi, a gray Jedi is a Jedi who has walked the line between the light and dark side of the force, but didn't fall to the dark side or follow the Jedi Code. To get a better understanding of it, I recommend playing the game, "Knights of the Old Republic KOTOR." In the game, you meet a gray Jedi by the name of Jolee Bindo, who is basically a crazy old man in the woods and he prefers to stay that way. He didn't believe the Order was doing the right thing and followed his own path, similar to Robin Hood. I feel like Mace would take a similar role with the betrayal of Anakin against the Order and the lack of Jedi remaining. A pessimism and anger would probably overwhelm him in his solitude, but he would stay steady when approached by simple people. It would be cool to see Mace show up while Rey, Finn, and Poe are on some sort of adventure. Once again, I know this is unlikely, but I think it would be pretty cool to see him as the last Jedi.
2. Ben Solo - So, this is where it gets complicated. Kylo Ren isn't considered a Jedi. A follower of Snoke, he is simply a Knight of Ren, which is a Sith alternative in this new universe. Now this is my brother's theory, but I think its pretty cool: Rey is trained by Luke, Kylo is trained by Snoke, both are dealing with opposite internal issues. Rey is dealing with anger and abandonment while Kylo is dealing with the guilt of killing his father and the inevitable pull of the light side on his mind and heart. Both are trained and again confront each other, but this time their respective masters each try to convince the other of their wrong doings. Snoke pulls at Rey's sense of anger and abandonment and Luke's pulls at Kylo's guilt. At this point, they switch. Rey betrays Luke, killing him, and joins Snoke. Kylo, on the other hand, goes to Luke's side and turns his back on the New Order and becomes Ben Solo. And Finn is heartbroken that his girl straight up left for the less attractive bad boy. Gosh, I feel really bad for Finn if that's true.

1. Rey - In the case that Luke trains Rey - with some resistance along the way - she will become the last Jedi and Luke is more than likely killed by either Snoke, Kylo, or a combination of them both. Or heart attack, but I think that would be a touchy subject (RIP Carrie Fisher). Regardless, she would be, in theory, the last Jedi. Hurrah!

*I know Rey defaulted to one again, I can't figure out how to fix it like a normal person. Maybe she is the last Jedi after all? #Squarespaceknows!

So, these are my ideas on what the last jedi title could have in store for us. Most of these scenarios seem unlikely as I feel Rian Johnson is going to blow us away with something nobody thought of and that makes me excited!

Anyways, those are my thoughts, but I would like to hear what you guys think. Who do you think is the last Jedi? Is Mace Windu alive? Does Ben Solo leave the New Order? Find out this December on DragonBallz!

I barely remember this show and feel bad about it...

In all seriousness, leave a comment on what you think. I would love to hear it!

Star Wars and Super Heroes

I know the holiday season isn't over, but the end of 2016 is coming and I realized I never really introduced myself. I mean sure, you read my bio, but lets be honest when we say it isn't the most interesting thing in the world. Silence has more interesting things to say.

Now, I don't want to go into my whole life story (maybe for a different day), but I wanted to get back to the roots of this blog that strictly focused on geek/nerd culture. As everyone surely knows, the new Star Wars film, ROGUE ONE: A Star Wars Story, is going to be out Friday and I wanted to share my own experience with Star Wars.

I'm drooling...its so pretty...

I have been a fan of Star Wars since I was a kid, watching the episodes four through six. Then I watched episode one at least 10 times, mostly to watch the Darth Maul fight scene. Regardless, in all of the films there was this sense of adventure and wonder that no other movie franchise has been able to capture. The spinoff games and TV shows only fueled my passions for Star Wars further, staying up late to play Jedi Outcast on the Gamecube until the game either frozen and lagged to the point unplayable.

Star Wars also got me into comic books, which opened up a fascinating new world of exploration filled with super heroes, mutants, and monsters. if you think about it, Star Wars was is kind of like a gateway drug of nerd culture, except without the dangerous side effects.

In short, I am super excited for another Star Wars movie and I look forward to many more!

Now to the second part of the title, Super Heroes. I recently re-discovered the ultimate recreations of impossible super hero battles through a group called, Bat in the Sun.

Super Power Beat Down is the name of the show that goes through a mismatch of super hero battles and recreates the potential outcomes based on people's votes (much like the battle above). I wanted to share that since I just got done re-watching a few of them.

Also, one last reminder that the Lootcrate giveaway ends Friday, December 16th. Make sure to signup for my newsletter for a chance to be the lucky winner.

NOTE: We have had some issues signing up. I believe I fixed all the issues, but If you have any, please tweet at me or send me an email through the contact page.