Quick Thoughts #8! - The Good, the Forgotten, and the Steep Descent into Mediocre

I don’t get a lot of time to watch things on my own these days. What I do watch is usually geared toward little kids. All I know is Pete the Cat is one groovy dude, Marshall from Paw Patrol needs to be fired for insubordination, and that I want to slap the person who created the Minions with one of those foam hands. At least the boys like cool stuff like Mario and Sonic. We just recently gotten them to watch some Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and that’s always fun. I am trying to understand how we’ve gotten so many animated TMNT versions over the years. To somewhat quote the Shredder, “Those Turtles just won’t die!”

What TV time I’ve had to myself has been used watching these three picks below. First off is the recent Disney+ show, Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord. The boys haven’t gotten to Star Wars yet, and I doubt Andy will like seeing a horned nutjob slice people. Next is Phantom 2040, a long-forgotten show I have been slowly watching on Amazon Prime. Finally, there’s Under the Dome, a TV adaptation of a Stephen King book. Me and Liz were binging this, but it took quite a while to do so with all the crying and sleepy kids.

Quick Thoughts #4 - Star Wars on TV Kinda Rocks Part 1

I didn’t realize that 2020 was the last time I really talked about anything Star Wars here. It’s not like I haven’t been watching what Disney+ has been putting on. I will say that with the overload of content (Star Wars or otherwise…) getting through it all has been kinda tough with a 2 year-old in tow. Besides, my binges into other shows (Grimm, Different Strokes, Picket Fences, and now Legacies) with Liz have been really fun. So, I’ll start off this little project with the shows and seasons I’ve actually finished. It honestly hasn’t been that many. Since these may get a little long, I’ll leave it to three shows today.

 

Star Wars: Rebels

Yeah, it’s not part of the current Disney+ roster, but it’s time to get this out. I ended up binging Rebels toward the end of 2019 during Christmas break, so this has been a long time coming. For those who don’t know, Star Wars: Rebels aired on Disney XD from 2013-2017. It was about… well, Rebels! Basically, the show’s about a group of the Rebel Alliance fighting against the Empire a few years before Episode 4: A New Hope. We got two Jedi (or 1 ½ Jedi),  a Mandalorian, a Twilek, a… thing that’s from Ralph MacQuarrie’s concepts (I don’t know what Zeb is!), and a cussing droid making the Empire look like idiots.

While it took a while for me to take to the show, this was pretty good. It does its best to introduce new characters and concepts while being pretty familiar. I thought that the crew of The Ghost were pretty good. Kanan Jarrus (Freddie Prinze Jr.) was an awesome character and is probably one of the best Jedi put to screen. I also like Sabine Wren (Vanessa Marshall), Hera Syndulla (Tiya Sircar), Zeb (Steve Blum!), and… I guess Ezra Bridger (Taylor Gray). There was a reason it took me a while to like this show after all.

Favorites - 15 Favorite Black Characters in Sci-Fi

The science fiction genre has given us a crapton of characters to follow and root for. When it comes Black folk, it gets a little tough. You may see one or even two of us running around or being a side piece somewhere. Even when you see one of us playing a character, they’re sometimes playing an alien. Just guess why you won’t see someone like Guinan, Worf, and Tuvok from Star Trek or Gamora from Guardians of the Galaxy. I could make a case for Teal’C from Stargate: SG-1 since he is technically human, but I’ll leave him off this one. It gives me a chance to look for other characters outside of these big sci-fi franchises.

So, here are my favorite black characters in the genre. One limitation I gave myself was that I wouldn’t include any superheroes on this list, so no Storm or John Stewart. I actually made a list similar to this years ago, and I wanted to look in other places where there are some cool characters. I might break that rule for a couple, but I’ll only go so far. As usual, it’s a bit of a random list, but I’ll put my favorites up top. You only can guess who’ll be first.

Random Thoughts On... Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 7

Next up for the month is something that I didn’t think would ever come: the 7th season of The Clone Wars. I wasn’t watching the show when it first ended, but when I caught up with it on Netflix, I fell in love with it. While it was a good show on its own, it helped make the prequel trilogy a little better in my eyes. When Season 7 was announced, I was psyched. What happened to some of our favorites like Ahsoka, Rex, and the others at the end of the war? Even though Rebels was out there filling in holes, this was one hole that definitely needed filled. Most of our answers were revealed through 12 weekly episodes that started to air on Disney + on February 12th, 2020. We got three arcs:

• The “Bad Batch” arc - The first four episodes follow Captain Rex and Anakin as they team up with a group of special clones called “The Bad Batch.” Imagine the Suicide Squad but as clones. They have their own set of special abilities. Rex uses the team to find an old captured squadmate of his and help get a victory on a Separatist stronghold.
• Ahsoka’s post-Jedi Order adventures - This takes place sometime after Ahsoka has left the Jedi Order. She’s still on Coruscant when she meets two kinda annoying sisters: Trace and Raffi. Trace takes on to Ahsoka immediately, but Raffi’s is wary of her. Ahsoka gets pulled into a smuggler deal Raffi is running and shenanigans happen. They end up dealing with the Pyke Syndicate. It all ultimately leads to Ahsoka ending up on Mandalore for the final arc.
• Siege of Mandalore/Order 66 - This final arc pretty much takes place during the events of Revenge of the Sith. We get to see our main characters have one final goodbye before all the major stuff goes down. For the arc itself, we get to see the return of Maul as he tries to lead Mandalore. After what may be one of the best lightsaber fights on the show happens... we get Order 66 involving the show’s favorites. Tears may be shed.

Five Pros/Five Cons - The Star Wars Sequel Trilogy

Well, we’ve come to the end of the year and the decade… whew. While the year (and decade) had it’s share of ups and downs, I can say that “I Maaaaade It!” I’ll do a year-end post later, but I thought I’d touch on the latest topic of these Decembers: Star Wars. Yes, I bet y’all are pretty tired from hearing about the franchise. I honestly thought I’d post more after the Rise of Skywalker, but I kinda didn’t. While there are other things on my mind, I just didn’t know what else to write about. So, I thought about starting a new thing here: 5 likes and 5 dislikes.  Yeah, I know other sites do this, but I wanted to do something new especially when a now-complete trilogy is on my mind:  the Star Wars’ Sequel Trilogy.

I bet we now all have an opinion on the Sequel Trilogy. I’ve touched on the last two movie a bit here, but I haven’t gone into detail about them yet. I think this post should do it! So, the plan is to talk about the six things I liked and the six things I didn’t like about the Sequel Trilogy. If you’re new to Star Wars or this new trilogy, Wikipedia should help you out. You could also watch the Original trilogy since these movies are more or less revamps of those movies… guess what might show up on the Dislike list. Let me get the good stuff out of the way, though.

Favorites - 14 Favorite Force-Wielders from Star Wars

Well, we got a couple of weeks to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. It seems like I’ve been in a Star Wars frenzy lately. The Mandalorian is on Disney+, and yes, I am enjoying yet another streaming service. I played the retro game Star Wars: Jedi Knight 2 – Jedi Outcast and finally beat the dang thing. Seriously, what was up with those Nar Shaadaa levels? That Street level wanted to make me break the TV! Anyway, another game I just finished was the recent Star Wars: Jedi – Fallen Order. Thankfully, Respawn has finally given EA a pretty cool Star Wars game.

 I think I got a couple more posts about the franchise in me. While there may be more movies left to go, it looks like Episode 9 will be the last for the Skywalkers. One of the coolest things about the franchise was the Force and the Jedi/Sith conflict. You had a lot of cool characters on both sides of the conflict. This list will be about my favorite Force-wielders in the franchise. I didn’t want to split up the whole Jedi/Sith thing since I’m kinda lazy tonight. Besides, some of these Force-wielders have towed that light/dark side line. It’s also not in order, but I will put the favorites up top.

"It's a Video Game!" - Star Wars: Bounty Hunter

Well, it’s time for the obligatory Star Wars post. Originally, I wanted to revisit and finish Star Wars: the Force Unleashed on the PS3. Then, I suddenly remember this old gem from my teen years. I saw it on Playstation Network and had to play it again. I don’t know what any of us expected when we saw a familiar figure dressed in Mandalorian armor in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. I thought it looked kinda cool, and hey, Jango Fett lived up to that coolness even though he gets beheaded at the end of the movie. Thankfully, that wasn’t the last time we’d seen Boba Fett’s daddy.

Star Wars: Bounty Hunter was a third-person action shooter that was released in 2002, sometime after AOTC was released on video and DVD. It was developed and published by Lucasarts during what was pretty much their zenith. They were churning out all sorts of Star Wars games throughout the 90’s and early 2000’s. While you would get something horrid like the Masters of Teras-Kasi (ugh), you’d also get good games like KOTOR and Jedi Academy. They even got Temuera Morrison (Jango Fett) and Leeanna Walsman (Zam Wessell) to reprise their roles here. We even get Clancy Brown voicing another bounty hunter and Corey Burton doing a pretty good Christopher Lee impression.

Bounty Hunter takes place a decade before the events of AOTC. I don’t know how canon this is, and until someone shows me something else, I’m counting it! Count Dooku puts outs a bounty for Komari Vosa, a Dark Jedi who’s the head of the Bando Gora. Jango Fett and another Mandalorian bounty hunter, Montross (Clancy Brown), answer the call. You pretty much end up going all over the galaxy looking for clues, shooting folk, and taking other bounties along the way. On your journey, you have your friend, Rozzatta, feeding you info. You also run into another bounty hunter named Zam Wessell, “and I definitely see her and Jango’s partnership lasting for a long time…”

Oh yeah... that happened.

Favorites? - 10 Things I'm Not a Fan of in Star Wars

Well, it’s the end of the year and I got a couple of more posts in me. Since I haven’t really talked about Star Wars much and since it’s raining cats and dogs outside, I wanted to touch on something Star Wars-related. I’ve really only had one post dedicated to the franchise this year. Unfortunately (for you probably), it’s not for the stuff I like. Today’s list is going to about the stuff I’m not too keen on in Star Wars. I’m only limiting this to the movies since I’d be here all day. Also, there is one thing about the franchise that I would put on the main list, but it doesn’t fit the criteria. Besides, fans of anything can be annoying at times. So, let’s start with the incest!

Random Thoughts On... Star Wars: The Dark Empire Trilogy

So, Solo: A Star Wars Story was released this weekend. Some of my favorite movie reviewers (Jeremy Jahns, Chris Stuckmann) didn’t have great things to say about the movie. Since I'm off work for the weekend, I thought I'd take a bite and go see it for myself. It was okay for the most part and surprising in a couple of places. Today’s post isn’t about the nerf-herding pilot with a nice smile, though. It’s time to, once again, jump back into the original Expanded Universe, aka “Legends.” Today, it’s Tom Veitch’s Dark Empire Trilogy.

Star Wars: Dark Empire, a six-issue miniseries, was released by Dark Horse in 1991. It was originally supposed to be released by Marvel, but things didn’t work out. Also, the writer, Tom Veitch, had to work things out with other writers like Timothy Zahn and Kevin J. Anderson because they were also doing things in the Expanded Universe. Its sequel, Dark Empire II, was released in 1994. The final story, Empire’s End, was released a year later. Tom Veitch wrote all three books. The artwork for the first two was provided by Cam Kennedy while Empire’s End had artwork done by Jim Balkie.

For some reason, this image of Luke in the Vader mask has stuck with me for years.

 It was around 2004 or 2005 when I first heard about Dark Empire. I actually found Dark Empire II at MTSU’s library. I was searching for something Star Wars-related and I found it in the young section. A few years later, I again ran into the Dark Empire Trilogy (which collected Dark Empire, Dark Empire II, and Empire’s End) at Pulaski’s public library. I didn’t finish reading it, though. Over the years, I’ve added the first two entries to my collection. Since Marvel has Star Wars now, all of their Expanded Universe series is on Marvel Unlimited. I was able to finally finish off the trilogy there. Since Empire’s End was only two issues, that was easy to do… a little too easy.

Random Thoughts #47 - "2017... Need I Say More?"

Wow, it looks like both franchises have another thing in common: ticking off longtime fans.

Well, it's the last post of the year. I could say "good riddance" to 2017, but that would be a lie. Yeah, it wasn't perfect, but there was good in this year. Right now, I'm on break from work. I've been catching on some things I haven't done yet, resting, contemplating life, and freezing. Yeah, the South is definitely getting hit with winter! So, join me in another edition of Random Thoughts.

Trade Tales! - Star Wars: Legacy Vol. 1 - Broken

I didn’t realize that I haven’t talked about Star Wars in a while. Since I’ve touched on the movies and most of the TV shows, I haven’t felt the need to. So, Star Wars: The Last Jedi is coming out this week. I’m “whelmed” for the most part since I know it could be good. I may be overwhelmed with joy when I see it. I’m not talking about that today, though. Tonight, I thought it was finally time to talk about another continuation of the Star Wars saga: Star Wars – Legacy.

Star Wars: Legacy was a new series published by Dark Horse and it started in 2006. It was a part of the now-defunct Expanded Universe, aka “Legends.” The idea was to basically pull a Next Generation move on the universe. The series takes place over 120 years after the end of Return of the Jedi. It also included all of the stuff that happened with the New Jedi Order and the Yuzhon Vong… whoever those guys are. Yeah, I’m not a big expert on many things from the former Expanded Universe, so check out Wookiepedia for more info.

The first volume was Broken and it contained the first six issues of the series. I picked this up a few years ago and did consider talking about it here. The story was done by John Ostrander and Jan Duursema. Ostrander was the main reason I even checked this out since I really liked his run on Suicide Squad. Duursema also handled the pencils for the issue. Dan Parsons did the inks while Brad Anderson did the colors. So, how is the Star Wars universe 100 years after Galactic Empire fell? It’s the same stuff, yo!

Star Wars: Legacy Volume 1 – Legacy

Story: John Ostrander and Jan Duursema

Pencils: Jan Durrsema

Inks: Dan Parsons

Colors: Brad Anderson

Letters: David Michael Thomas

Favorites - 11 Villainous Characters Gone Good

“Everyone loves a good redemption story.”

I don’t know who said the quote, but it's a true one. While we sometimes like seeing folk be bad, we also like seeing them go good. You can look everywhere for this common trope as well. This list was actually what started the whole thing. I didn’t have to think hard about which heroic figures have gone evil, though. I did have to put a little more thought into this one. While some names popped into my head easily, others took a minute. These aren't necessarily my favorite characters and it’s not in any order, so let’s start off with someone really random.

1. Sami Brady (Days of Our Lives)

I know you’re looking at me weird, so let me explain. When I was younger, my grandmother was an avid watcher of Days of Our Lives. Guess what we more or less had to watch at about 2pm? We didn’t have another TV, so I had to do something with that time! If you’re wondering, no, I’m not a DOOL fan. I haven’t watched the show in years. I do glance at it at the YMCA if it's showing, though. Even though I’m not a fan, I can say I got fond memories of it. Sami wasn’t necessarily one of them.

To put it nicely, she was one… witch. She was usually scheming to get some dude. I think one of them was named Austin. Even when she got the dude, she’d screw it up somehow. She was pretty much the jealous sister of the show. After some time, I do remember her becoming less of a witch and turning into a somewhat nice person. I guess the writers or actress got tired of that constant role of villainess. I don’t know if she stayed that way since soap operas are a lot like comic books. I can say that Alison Sweeney did a good job with that role. The fact that I remember her says something. 

2. Vegeta (Dragonball Z)

I think it’s time to swerve away from the odd and look at “The Prince of all Saiyans!” When Vegeta came onto the scene, he was a straight-up bad guy. No one can doubt that. I don’t think anyone can forget what happened to poor Nappa, aka “Mr. Clean with a ‘Stache.” Even after his time on Namek where he allied with the heroes, he wasn’t a good dude. Vegeta was obsessed with being better than Goku and he even did some really stupid things because of his Sayian pride. When you let the evil android get stronger instead of taking him out earlier, you’re not exactly good, are you?

Even when Goku returned for the World Tournament years later, he was still a douche. He let himself be taken over by Babadi (some green thing?) and went on a rampage. It wasn’t until his own son was in danger that he actually began to look heroic. He sacrificed himself to take out Majin Buu and even though that Pepto Bismal-looking thing didn’t die, it was a noble sacrifice. Like all characters in the DBZ universe, he did come back but he came back different. He even put an end to his rivalry with Goku.

Favorites - 10 Heroic Characters Gone Bad

“All it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest man alive to lunacy. That's how far the world is from where I am. Just one bad day.”

This quote from Batman: The Killing Joke says a lot about heroes or good people who go down a dark path. Sometimes, an event will happen in their lives that will irrevocably change them. Mostly, they can find the way to keep their wits and continue to fight the good fight. Heck, how has someone like Spider-Man not gone totally dark after what’s happened to him? Other times, they fall so far off the wagon, you wonder if they were even on the wagon to begin with. You’ll see this trope everywhere in movies, TV, books, and video games. So, here are some good characters that turned dark. They’re not necessarily in order either.

1. Anakin Skywalker (Star Wars)

That’s right, folks. One of the best villains in movie history was once one of the good guys. It always has to start like that, don’t it? Even though the prequels weren’t perfect, they and Star Wars: Clone Wars showed how a “mostly good” Jedi would go evil. Because of Palpatine’s influence and Anakin’s own fears, he became Darth Vader and helped tighten the Empire’s grip for years. I’ll touch on his ultimate end next time, though.

Trade Tales! - The Star Wars

Next up for the month is a weird return to the Star Wars universe. Actually, I don’t even know if you can call it that. I guess it’s the “Earth-2” of the Star Wars multiverse or something.

For those who don’t know, George Lucas had an original draft to Star Wars called “The Star Wars.” It was similar to what he put into the original trilogy but a lot of crap was different. Some names and characters are similar but there are a lot of things different about it. For example, Luke Skywalker is older and is in Obi-Wan’s role. Annikin Starkiller is more or less of the main protagonist and basically has Luke’s role from the movie. There’s a Darth Vader who’s only a scarred general, R2-D2 (spelled differently) actually talks, and Han Solo looks like Swamp Thing. Those are just some changes.

I actually found the trade at a comic convention last year. I got it along with the adaptation to Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. The 8-part miniseries came out through Dark Horse. I think this mini was one of the last ones done before Marvel got the rights for the comics. J.W. Rinzler is the writer of the adaptation. He’s done a few things for the Star Wars universe. He even had to get permission from George Lucas to adapt the script. The artwork is done by Mike Mayhew and I’ve seen some of his stuff with DC. So, how does this original draft hold up?

The Star Wars

Writer: J.W. Rinzler

Art: Mike Mayhew

Colors: Rain Beredo

Letters: Michael Heisler

Cover Art: Nick Runge

"It''s a Video Game!" - Jade Empire

Next up for the month is another video game from my Xbox adventure last year. Back in 2005, Jade Empire, an action RPG, was released on the Xbox. It eventually made its way to the PC. It’s even on mobile platforms too. I had heard about the game back then but couldn’t play it for the obvious reason of I didn’t own an Xbox. I know it’s on PC as well but I’m not much of a PC gamer. I’m more of a politically incorrect gamer anyway… yes, that was a joke. I’ll show my way out now.

Anyway, Bioware developed the game. I guess this was one of the reasons they didn’t develop KOTOR 2 back then. Since I’m pretty much a seeker of anything Bioware-related and kung fu-related, I sought the game out and bought it.  I’m replaying it now to re-familiarize myself with it. From what I’ve read, the game was viewed positively back in the day. Unfortunately, those positives vibes didn’t get a sequel made. Considering what Bioware ultimately went through with franchises like Mass Effect, Star Wars: The Old Republic, and Dragon Age, it’s possible they just didn’t have the time. The game also might not had sold well.

Obviously, these guys don't look like me.

Inspired by Chinese culture, Jade Empire takes place in a fictional land in Ancient China. In the game, you play as an orphan (in my playthroughs, “Chan the Endless” and “Stone Cold Larry”) who was adopted and taught by a man named Sun Li. Master Li runs a school in a small village. One day, the village comes under attack by the land’s empire and Master Li is taken. You and another student end up going on a journey to save him. On your journey, you gain more followers to the cause. The land isn’t doing well these days with spirits at unrest and the empire’s Lotus Assassins being shiftier than ever. You also learn skills, take up new weapons, and get stronger. You also have to choose between following two ways: The Way of the Open Palm or the Way of the Closed Fist.

Yes, I had fun doing this sort of thing.

Random Thoughts #43 - Here We Go Again

Well, a new year has dawned once again. I stayed at home this year and caught up on some recent X-Men movies. Plus, there was yesterday's post to deal with. Before that, I decided to re-visit a certain RPG called Mass Effect. In saying all of that, it's time for some Random Thoughts.

2016
2016 was... alright. I know folk say that 2016 was pretty horrid and I can't blame them. Stuff happened this year and not all of it was good. In my opinion, it was another year. The good and bad comes along with it. Still, it's been a blessed year even though it hasn't been perfect. I met new folk, ran a 5K, and lost little weight. I actually gain a few pounds since I know I passed the point I didn't want to pass (260, by the way). That's the last time I take an extended break from the YMCA! Luckily, I'm getting  back on that.

2017
So, what's the plan for 2017? One phrase "Go! Get to the choppa!" All sarcasm aside, my resolutions/plans are pretty much the same from last year:

• Get closer to God and be a better man 
• Actually lose weight  
• Find a good woman. I like my free time but it's time.
• Actually get to do that remodeling (Didn't get it done this year)
• Get rid of debt 
• Run another 5K
• Get a new computer
• Live life to its fullest and actually do something different.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

I recently got to see the newest Star Wars movie with a friend. I thought it was pretty good. It definitely felt a little darker than most Star Wars movies. It showed the other side of that universe which was far from light and friendly to begin with. Even though we knew what happened, it felt like something worth seeing. I liked the characters like Jyn Erso, Chirrut, the droid, and... Apollo? Look, I don't remember Diego Luna's character's name and he looked like he should have been paling around with Dirk Benedict at times. 

 

The last act of the movie was also amazing especially when a certain Dark Lord shows up. I was also surprised by a few things in the movie. Let's just say some old faces  that aren't with us anymore show up. While I liked it, it could have been a little better at times. I did think that most of our heroes were underdeveloped at times. I also wish it was a little longer. It felt a little short at times. Overall, this is one prequel that kicked some major butt.

Well, that's all I got for now. I may post less this year like last year, but I'll make them all count. Since it's January, you can only guess what's coming next. Until then, Peace, God Bless, and be careful out there. 

COMING SOON: COMICS, MARTIAL ARTS, ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN, SUPERMAN, WONDER WOMAN, THE JUSTICE LEAGUE, KANYE WEST, MUSIC, MOVIES, VIDEO GAMES, MORE THOUGHTS ABOUT WOMEN, X-MEN, THE 1994 NEW YORK KNICKS, STAR TREK, STAR WARS, YO MOMMA,  BEA ARTHUR, JOHN HURT, THE KRAKEN, MASS HYSTERIA, AND OTHER RANDOM GOODNESS!

"It's a Video Game!" - Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2 - The Sith Lords

So, I’ve finally finished this game. It was a long ride. I had originally found KOTOR 2 at this game store in Columbia. I played it for a while until I found its predecessor at McKay’s. I put KOTOR 2 on the backburner and went on to play and finish the first game. After I was done with it, I started over with KOTOR 2 and eventually finished it. Was it worth it all? I’ll get to that below. By the way, I’m talking about the original Xbox version of KOTOR 2. I know there’s a more modern version floating out there, so I just want to stop the confusion here.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2 – The Sith Lords was released for the Xbox during December 2004 by Lucasarts. It’s an action-RPG game that takes place five years after the events from the last game. Obsidian Software handled the development of the game instead of Bioware this time. Bioware wanted to center on its own original ideas, so they handed it over to Obsidian to develop. It also got good praise and reviews at that time. Like its predecessor, you get to build your own character from the ground up with his/her own set of skills and powers. You still can’t mess with the looks all that much though. At least that level cap is gone!

Still no similarity. Just call him “Random Black Jedi/Sith #2!”

In the game, you play as an exiled Jedi General from the Mandalorian Wars. The Exile (in my case, Kirok Vulcanos) had been in hiding for about 10 years and missed the events of the first game. The Jedi have also been wiped out by the re-emerging Sith during this time as well. You wake up a med ward at a fuel depot on Peragus. After a long while, you and your new companions head to Telos IV, a planet that’s being rebuilt. You find out about another Jedi being on the planet and after that horrible interaction (seriously, Atris is one… witch), you’re off on a mission to find the remaining Jedi and face the Sith. You and your companions face all sorts of calamity and twists will await you. This is Star Wars after all.

Well, it's either "I wear my sunglasses at night" or Geordi LaForge needs to step aside.

"It's a Video Game!!" - Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

Well, it’s time to get back to the world of Star Wars. Yeah, one could say it’s not really science fiction. Still, it does have clones and artificial intelligence, so it’s at least light sci-fi. Instead of the usual stuff involving familiar characters, I thought it was time to branch out a little bit. In 2003, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic was released and got much praise. Since I didn’t own an Xbox and I’m not a big PC player, I didn’t get to play this. That changed some time back when I found KOTOR at McKay’s. I was already playing the sequel, The Sith Lords, when I found it. I was also going to talk about the sequel today, but I’m still playing it.

The game was done by Bioware. As you can probably tell by some previous posts, I like Bioware. That was one of the reasons I sought out this game. I know it’s also playable on mobile stuff, but I wanted to try it out on old-school consoles. It’s an action RPG that takes place 4,000 years before the movies take place. Like with Bioware’s more recent games, you get to build your character from the ground up with his or her own skill sets and powers. Unfortunately, you can’t change much with the size and shape of the character.

Yeah, there is no similarity. My guy does kind of look like either Shelyn Ward from Power Rangers in Space or Vince Carter.

You start out the game as a random Republic soldier (in my case, Krell Vulcanos) fighting in a war against the Sith Empire. They’ve hit it big in the universe and the Jedi aren’t doing well. After you land on Taris, you have to look for the Jedi Knight known as Bastilla. After you save her, you and some gathered companions head to Dantooine. Since you’re apparently endowed with the Force, you’re trained as a Jedi. Since your character is having visions that involve Malak, the Sith’s leader, and Revan, Malak’s dead teacher, the Jedi Council sends you on a mission to stop Malak. Twists and turns await you… unless you were already spoiled on said twists and turns. Thanks, Internet!

Random Thoughts #40 - This Weather's Weird, Man!

Yes, it really felt like this on Christmas.

What it is, yo? Yeah, I'm sticking with that! The time has come for that one last post of the year. Technically, it's not my last post of the year since I have one book I'm trying to get through today. I'm taking it easy tonight this time around. I might as well do this post now, so here are some lasting random thoughts.

Warm Weather During Christmas?

Well, it's finally cold during this time of year! Last week, we had not only a heatwave but some really tough rain. Christmas Day was good if pretty dull with all of the wetness and rain. I actually went back to bed after I opened my presents. On Saturday, me and my dad had to fix the fence in the front of our lot. The stream had knocked down most of it down and buried it in mud, wood, and other stuff. At least we didn't find anything weirder in there or this post would be much weirder. Now, the cold has finally settled in... Yay?

2015

So, it's finally come. 2015 is drawing to a close and I feel good. The year wasn't great of course. Life's like that and things won't always go your way. Still, I can say that I had a blessed year. God got me through it all. So, what are my plans for 2016? The list may look familiar, but that's how it is:

• Get closer to God and be a better man 
• Actually lose weight (I only lost a couple this year)
• Find a good woman (being single is nice at times, but come on)
• Actually get to do that remodeling
• Get rid of debt
• Live life to its fullest

WOMEN

Hmm... what can I say without coming off like a jackass? Eh, I'll pass this time. At least I'm finally looking. I've even talked to some interesting ones, but nothing's come yet. Though there is next year, so maybe Mrs. Williams is around the corner...

Star Wars: The Nostalgia Awakens

I went to go see the new movie a couple of weeks ago. I may have more to say later, so these will be just the broad strokes. I liked it overall. It was fun throughout the whole way. I liked the new characters like Rey, Finn, Poe, Maz Katana, and General Hux. Kylo Ren was really cool here and his story was really interesting. There's one scene that... well, may make you like him less though. The old cast was also well used for the most part. Seeing Han, Chewie, Leia, and Luke was good.

I do have a couple of negatives about it. I do feel like it rehashed A New Hope a bit too much in places. There were some things that were left unexplained. I get they wanted to be like the original trilogy, but I do think they should have explained a little more about what happened after Return of the Jedi especially with how the galaxy now operates. I should be able to see that in the film, not a book. Other than those things and the use of one old-school character, I liked it. It does make me want to see what happens next.

Guys, that's actually me with the lightsaber. 

..........................................................................

Well, it's been good. I'll be back next year. It might be a little less, but that's how it all goes. Here's an idea about next year:

COMING SOON: COMICS, MARTIAL ARTS, ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN (SERIOUSLY THIS TIME) BATMAN, SUPERMAN, KANYE WEST, MUSIC, MOVIES, VIDEO GAMES, MAYBE EVEN MORE THOUGHTS ABOUT WOMEN, X-MEN, THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS, STAR TREK, STAR WARS, JAVA, THE KRAKEN, MASS HYSTERIA, AND OTHER RANDOM GOODNESS!

Well, I'm out. Peace, God Bless, and be safe in the new year.

Favorites - Ten Favorite Prequels

Prequels tend to get a bad rep, don’t they? I guess I can’t blame folk for not liking prequels. There are some that are pretty bad. They tend to be of low quality and not capture what the original was all about. I guess I can say the same thing about reboots, but that’s a list for another time. Today, I’ll be talking about my ten favorite prequels. Why ten? Well, there aren't that many good ones out there.  I won’t be including reboots like Batman Begins and Casino Royale on here simply because they aren’t prequels. I’ve see some lists include them and that’s pretty annoying. Now, there are some I’ll include that are sort of reboots, but they are meant to be prequels.

10. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom 

ToD is probably my least favorite of the Indiana Jones Foursome. It’s down there with Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. While it’s not my favorite, it has its moments. Of course, Harrison Ford rules any role he’s in. Short Pack was cool. It also had some nice quotes (“You betrayed Shiva!”)

9. Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith 

Yes, I know. It’s a general fact that the Star Wars prequels suck. Luckily, I’m not a general person. There were good things and bad things in those movies. ROTS was the best of the three prequels. It helped set up things in the original trilogy and isn’t a bad movie in of itself. It’s far from perfect but I do like it more than the other two prequels. I will say that the Clone War TV series (I’ll get to it later) did more to expand the universe than the prequels did.