A Rogue One-derful Star Wars Story

Like many Star Wars fans (well, let's be honest, most), I thoroughly enjoyed Rogue One from the moment "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...." emblazoned the screen until the end credits were rolling. It was a gritty war movie, as advertised, but it had a ton of heart (more than I'd anticipated), well-placed comedy, intense action, and an incredible adventure that seemed to take us to all ends of the galaxy. It was literally everything I wanted it to be and more. I've still only seen it once (but that number will go up quickly over the next couple weeks), and I wanted to let the experience sink in before I wrote anything, but, now that the Star Wars Story dough has properly risen, I'm going to point out a few of my favorite moments from what's sure to be the first of many, many standalone Star Wars films...

Star Wars Battlefront: A Year(ish) Later

To commemorate the release of the Scarif expansion for Star Wars Battlefront, I thought I’d write up a little review of sorts concerning where the game is now versus where it was when it came out just over a year ago. Cards on the table, I hadn’t played the game for a very long time before I started logging more hours over the last week or so when I decided this would be a cool idea for a post. When the game came out, I enjoyed it, it was Star Wars and it was beautiful, how could I not? Unfortunately, after the initial excitement wore off, the game turned out to be lacking in content and overall underwhelming. So, what do I think now, a year later? I guess you’ll just have to click below to find out…(+1 clickbait)

Are We Being Kept in the Dark About Episode VIII? Or: What we don't know won't hurt us.

By this point in the Episode VII timeline, knew the title was The Force Awakens and were very close to getting a teaser trailer...so far for Episode VIII we know...nothing. Or, at best, very little. Sure, I understand that Episode VII was like the reintroduction of Star Wars to the world, and now we have Rogue One to keep us occupied, so it's not really out of the question to be less-informed about the next chapter in the saga than we were previously...but that also doesn't stop me from frothing at the mouth more and more with each passing day without any real, juicy Episode VIII information...so, are we being kept in the dark on purpose to keep the focus on Rogue One, or have they just not made Episode VIII a priority like they did with Episode VII because, frankly, they know they don't have to? Well, either way, here are a few things I'm dying to get when it comes to the main saga from a galaxy far, far away...
Read more on The Channel Star Wars Hour site »

The Real Star of Rogue One for Star Wars ComLINKS

With my recent busy-ness (not to be confused with business), I got out of the habit of writing something up for Mrs. @acrossthestars ComLINKS topic on her site, Anakin and His Angel, and that, my friends, is a shame. But! Lo and behold, here I am doing that very thing! This month’s topic is “Rogue One Newcomer,” meaning, “which NEW character are you the most excited to see on the big screen and why?” For me, this was an easy choice that took roughly 3.182 seconds to decide on:  K-2SO. But why, you ask? Why not the rough-around-the-edges Jyn Erso, the calm-cool-and-collected Cassian Andor, or the triumphantly-returning-Guerrilla-fighter Saw Gerrera? Well, how ’bout you read on and find out?

Bendu, Neutrality & the Broader Force

Going back to an idea I touched on a few weeks ago, when I was kid watching the original trilogy, and even when I was older and watched the prequels, I was under the impression that the Force was a two-sided coin:  it was either used for light, or dark; good, or evil; Jedi, or Sith. There wasn’t really any middle-ground. But now, with the Sith destroyed, the dark side of the Force should be gone too, leaving the light as the only remaining side of the Force coin, right? Well, I think the Bendu, Supreme Leader Snoke, and the Knights of Ren would all disagree…so let’s put the Force stew back on the burner, add elements of neutrality along with different forms of good and evil, and then see how it tastes, huh? (Yay, cooking reference!)
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“Hope” & “He lives!” Or: Maul’s Return to Star Wars Rebels Season 3

I assume you all watched that episode of Rebels last night, yeah? (Or Saturday night, depending on your time zone and when I actually get this published…) Pretty bad ass, right? Right, okay, we agree, awesome, I knew we would…and, yeah, I get that a lot of people are jazzed about the idea of the “twin suns” being the secret to destroying the Sith, but I’m more interested in Maul’s vision, his search for “hope”…what does “hope” even mean for someone like Maul? What does someone who’s been through everything he’s been through hope for? Vengeance? Power? Immortality? All of the above? I’m going to postulate a few possible hopes for Maul based on his “he lives!” line following what was probably a partial vision of his would-be true “hope”…and, just as fair warning, these are all definitely old hopes, not a new hope, like the one Ezra saw…
Read more on The Channel Star Wars Hour site »

Star Wars: Uprising is SHUTTING DOWN

“Dear Player,

Despite the best efforts of our team here at Kabam, unfortunately, Star Wars: Uprising will soon be decommissioned. On November 17th, 2016, all Star Wars: Uprising servers will be shutting down permanently. As part of this shutdown, we will be shutting down payments on November 17th, 2016 to prevent additional payments from occurring. For information about the shutdown, please visit the FAQ HERE or your in-game message. We hope that you enjoyed Star Wars: Uprising, and would like to invite you to come check out one of Kabam’s other great mobile games, listed below. Finally,We would just like to again thank you for your commitment to Star Wars: Uprising. We hope to see you again soon!

Sincerely,

The Kabam Team”

So, just over a year after its full launch, Star Wars:  Uprising is going the way of Disney Infinity and getting shut down…it’s a little sad, even in this Star Wars-rich era, to see anything Star Wars-related get canned, especially after such a short run, but, at the same time, I’m a fairly huge Star Wars fan that tries to be involved with anything and everything Star Wars and I didn’t even play this game through…and if hardcore fans fall off the wagon, there has to be some kind of stellar hook to keep casual fans and/or gamers interested…unfortunately, Uprising just didn’t have that…for more on the quelling of the Uprising, we go to special gaming correspondent me, me:
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3 Things I’d Like to See in Rebels Season 3

Alright, I’m back in the driver’s seat, bringing you the Star Wars content you so desperately desire! Okay, I know, “bringing you the Star Wars content you didn’t know existed” is more accurate, but let me pretend, dammit…anyway, with the premiere of season 3 of Star Wars Rebels just a week from tomorrow, I decided to make a quick wishlist of three things I’d like to see happen over the course of the season (three things in season 3, get it?). If the ysalamiri wasn’t already out of the bag, I’d probably list seeing Thrawn (or, more likely, Director Krennic since I thought he was the de facto Thrawn for the new canon), but I think I have an equally interesting candidate for a surprise legends character addition (if you read any of my stuff, you probably know what it is)…so, pull up a chair, sit back and relax and let’s see if you want to see what I want to see…
Read more on The Channel Star Wars Hour site »

The Force & Balance

Way back when there wasn’t an “original trilogy” and there was just “the Star Wars movies,” I thought the Force was something good and pure that the Jedi used correctly, and the Sith misused for their own evil agendas. It was a simpler time when the Force was merely a tool to be wielded and not the more complex entity it is today; and what was the first thing that really started to broaden the Force’s horizons? The idea of “bringing balance to the Force.” A vague prophecy that even Yoda thought the Jedi may have misinterpreted, but one that I, nevertheless, am going to attempt to solve in this post (okay, not really “solve” so much as babble on about). So if you like the Force, and you like babble, this is the blog you’re looking for…
Read more on The Channel Star Wars Hour site »

Han Solo and the (Rumored) Three-Film Deal

In case you haven't heard, it was officially announced at #SWCE that Alden Ehrenreich (pronounced "Aaron-rike," if you're unsure like I was) has been cast to play Han Solo, wait, hold on, I mean, the Han Solo in an upcoming anthology film revolving around said notorious smuggler (hereafter referred to simply as the "Han Solo movie"). Well, in addition to that, it's recently been rumored that he actually singed on to appear as Han Solo in at least three movies. Now, first of all, that's still a rumor, so don't get your panties in too much of a bunch; second of all, it doesn't mean there's going to be a Han Solo "trilogy," it means he's agreed to play the character in three movies, not necessarily three movies all about Han Solo...so, assuming the rumor is true (and it probably isn't...or is...?), what three movies would I be most interested in seeing Han Solo in? Well, thanks for asking, I just happen to have three ideas right here:

To Go Rogue, or Rebel, that is the question...from #SWCE

Pretty vague title, right? Allow me to explain:  instead of doing a standard review for the Rogue One reel and the season three trailer for Rebels, I've decided to pit them against each other in a virtual, to-the-death, cage match! Okay, not really, but I'm going to do a sort of point, counter point, back-and-forth between the two and then decide which one "won" this year's Star Wars Celebration Europe...sounds like a good time, right? Right, I thought so too, so, now that we're all on the same page, LET THE BLOODSHED BEGIN!

A Card Reading for Ahsoka Tano

Alright, I'm going to try my hand at divination using Dave Filoni's Artist Series cards as my tarot. Would I rather have Ahsoka's blood and spittle in a cup that I could mix with tea leaves? Well, yeah, but that's just being absurd...anyway, come with me as I follow Ahsoka into oblivion and back out the wolf-ringed other side...what will we find on our journey? That remains to be seen, but, whether you're on team #AhsokaLives or #ShesDeadGetOverIt (I don't even think that's a thing), this should prove to be an adventure not to be missed...

The Devil's Haircut, Or: Star Wars Rebels Season 3 Preview

Yeah, I know, I'm late to the party. Everyone and their brother, mother, sister, aunt, niece, third cousin twice removed, etc. has already talked about the preview of season three of Rebels that was released on Wednesday's episode of "The Star Wars Show" (lots of "of"s going on here)...but, guess what? I don't care, I'm doing it anyway! Because, hey, it's me...anyway, if you haven't seen the season three preview yet, oh my god, what's wrong with you, why are you reading a Star Wars blog, go watch it right now! Er, I mean, yeah, you should check it out...I'll wait...okay, so, now that we've all seen it, allow me to explicate:

Troopers Across the Stars (and Eras) for Star Wars ComLINKS

Alright, it's a new month (okay, not super new at this point, but sort of), and that means a new topic from Mrs. @acrossthestars over at Anakin and His Angel's monthly Star Wars ComLINKS link up (my title is suddenly more clever than you thought, eh?). For July, the topic is:  favorite trooper (for any of you out there that immediately thought Super Troopers, knock it off! Star Wars is srs biznez...or something...lots of parentheticals today...what's up with that?), but, after thinking about it for a spell, I've decided to tweak the rules and write about my favorite trooper from each era of Star Wars; and by "era" I don't mean "in-universe" era,  but the "real life" time-frames involving the original trilogy, the prequel content, and the new stuff since Disney took over. So, now that all that's settled, how 'bout I quit blabbing and get on with it...
(Main image from Pachyrhinosaurus on DeviantArt.)

How Should Rogue One & Other Star Wars Stories Begin?

Thanks to Entertainment Weekly, we know we have a lot to look forward to in Rogue One (as if we didn't already):  Deathtroopers take time out of their busy lives to play with Stormtrooper dolls, Darth Vader will be making his triumphant return to the silver screen, and Saw Gerrera has stayed the rebellious course and is now a grizzled veteran member of the daring team that steals the Death Star plans, just to name a few...so, yeah, its shaping up to be an amazing Star Wars experience...but how's it going to begin? Will we get the classic Star Wars opening crawl, or will it start with a cold open like most other films? Or will it be something else altogether? I have a few ideas that I think would work well, so read on and see what you think...

My Highlights from Bloodline

In a somewhat ironic twist, I'm not going to be going over my personal highlights as far as the story goes, rather the actual highlights I made on certain passages and what takeaways I get from them now. I figure, since I took my sweet time getting through Bloodline (not because it was bad, mind you, I enjoyed it immensely, I'm just a slow reader, so if I don't really buckle down it's a long process), there are roughly 1.5 billion reviews on the plot and so forth already available, so why not do something else...makes sense, right? Right, okay, so, think of this as a Bloodline review from a different point of view, and, as we Star Wars faithful know, certain points of view can allow you to see things in ways you may never have otherwise...oh, and if you haven't already finished Bloodline (you should be embarrassed because I beat you...only kidding), caution, spoilers ahead...

Star Wars Gaming’s Future’s So Bright It’s Gotta Wear Shades

And by "shades," I mean, of course, VR goggles (get it?)...anyway, I don't think anyone can deny Star Wars gaming is headed in an extremely promising direction, with at least three years' worth of interesting titles on the way, but exactly what kinds of games should we be expecting? Well, I'm guessing Battlefront 2 (or whatever they call it) will just be the game that Battlefront should have been, i.e. it'll be a sharp-looking first person shooter with a compelling Star Wars campaign as well as VR and multiplayer options; the other two action/adventure games, however, are, in my opinion, the gooey center around which the excitement for the future of Star Wars gaming revolves. We know so precious little about these to-be-determined titles that, at this point anyway, the sky's the limit as far as expectations go. So, since speculation is kinda my bag (baby!), I'm going to go over three upcoming Star Wars games and discuss what I'd love to see come to life...read on to see if you smell what I'm steppin' in...

Bringing a gun to a sword fight, Or: Check out my new weapon, weapon of choice...

Jenmarie is at it again, and picked a pretty interesting topic that I hadn't ever really thought about before:  what is your Star Wars weapon of choice? At first blush, this seems like a no-brainer, right? Just pick lightsaber and talk about how cool it would be to deflect blaster bolts and slice off body parts and badda bing badda boom you've got yourself a nice post...well, turns out, if I'm being honest with myself, it's not that simple, and, as I'm sure you've noticed, the main image for this post is indeed not a lightsaber, but a classic DH-17 blaster, but is that my weapon of choice? I guess you'll have to read on to find out...

Unraveling the Truth in Legends

"There's always a bit of truth in legends." - Ahsoka Tano

By now, I'm sure everyone's aware of the aforementioned loaded quote from the season finale of Star Wars Rebels, and you've probably come up with your own ideas about what it means. Personally, I took it as an homage to the old expanded universe, a way of saying "just because the story's going in a different direction, it doesn't mean everything's been forgotten;" I didn't think there was necessarily anything in particular about Legends content that Filoni & Co. were referring to...that is until I saw the following on Twitter:

To Infinity! But not beyond 2016...

I know it's been weeks since the announcement was first made that Disney's toys-to-life video game series, Infinity, was to be unceremonious and seemingly abruptly canceled, and I know in internet time that's like five years or something (depending on how you round), nevertheless, I'm going to talk about it anyway. That's just how I do. So, yeah, I was pretty disappointed to hear Disney Interactive had decided to pull the plug on what I'd assumed was a money-making juggernaut, and then was basically heartbroken when I heard that Rogue One was to be included in upcoming releases, (yeah, that's right, I'm a grown-ass man that plays Infinity, what of it?) meaning that yet another Rogue One-related entity was being ripped from my grasp before my grubby fingers could take hold. But, after reading about what was going on behind the scenes, it appears that the downfall of Infinity was immanent rather than surprising. Now, allow me to use my amazing powers of hindsight to nitpick about what could have been done differently to save the franchise, as well as look ahead to what doors the death of Infinity opens...

How a Line From Blink-182's New Single Refers to Star Wars

 

Is that title clickbait or what? I mean, it doesn't really count since you can read this intro before you actually click, but still...anyway, let me start by saying please refrain from letting your personal musical tastes scare you away; your opinion of Blink-182 and/or their music is irrelevant as I'm merely discussing one line from their new single "Bored to Death," and not the pros and cons of pop punk or anything like that (though I do really like the song, so feel free to make fun of me if you'd like). As a matter of fact, you don't even have to listen to the song for this post to make sense, so your ears won't have to cheat on Blake Shelton. All is well. Now, follow me to the mosh pit and let's get started...

A Plea for a New Alien Sidekick

Okay, before people start coming after me with pitchforks and torches, I love Chewbacca; he (and Wookiees in general, really) is one of my favorite Star Wars characters. I'm not suggesting he gets replaced, whatsoever, but I think we can all agree that The Force Awakens is an obvious homage to A New Hope with a "passing of the torch" feel when it comes to the old and new characters...so where's the new alien sidekick? I know, I know, nobody wants the sequel trilogy to be a carbon copy of the original trilogy, but I, for one, definitely think the saga would benefit from the inclusion of a more fleshed-out alien character for the next generation of Star Wars. The prequels had Jar Jar (granted, he was much, much less-involved after The Phantom Menace), the original trilogy had Chewbacca, so who will take up the mantle for the sequel trilogy?

Star Wars Day Play-by-Play

Does anyone really care what I did for Star Wars Day? No! Of course not! But, is that going to stop me from writing an entire post dedicated to what I did for Star Wars Day? No! Of course not! Alright, now that we got that out of the way, let's begin:

Every Day is Star Wars Day

"I know it's a film, but actually it means much more than that..." - Gwendoline Christie

That is my favorite quote from The Force Awakens bonus features because it basically sums up exactly how I feel about Star Wars in a simple statement. Yes, everyone, I know it's not real; even if I believe really hard, the Force is never going to exist. But what does exist is an amazing story that gripped me as a child and held fast, leaving an impression that has shaped who I am as much as my parents, where I grew up, and the obstacles I've overcome. I think that certainly qualifies as meaning "much more than that."

Tusken Raiders: Misunderstood Natives or Savage Beasts

I know what you're thinking, "but Bryan, there weren't any Tuskens in The Force Awakens, that was Jakku, not Tatooine, who cares?" Well, I do. And, therefore, you should too (yeah, I'm egotistical like that sometimes). But, seriously, I happened to see a Twitter reply from the man himself, Pablo Hidalgo, concerning the impetus behind the Tusken Raiders' capture of Shmi Skywalker, and it lead me to some deep contemplation about just who the Tusken Raiders really are (or were...we don't know how busy Vader was on Tatooine in the comics when he's laying waste to them for the second time...maybe he wiped them out?).

Star Wars vs. Star Wars Or: Why Fandom Infighting is Ridiculous

Does anyone remember when different fandoms fought with each other over which fictional universe they'd dedicated their devotion to was better instead of fighting amongst themselves over what segment or opinion about a segment of the same fictional universe was better? (Fanboys is a terrific movie, by the way, if you haven't seen it, please, by all means, stop reading this and go watch it right now...you'll thank me.) I mean, I'm old school. I still hate Star Trek. I refuse to watch the J. J. Abrams reboot on principle even though everyone tells me it's "Star Trek for Star Wars fans" (to which I reply, "well, it's still *bleeping* Star Trek! - I have a potty mouth in real life...don't tell my mom). Anyway, fans of the same IP (intellectual property, not internet protocol, you nerds) used to stick together. There used to be camaraderie...now it seems like everyone's hunkered down in their own little sandboxes and only want to play with other kids that have the exact same sandbox...it's ridiculous. Imagine you're a hockey fan like me (which you should be, just saying), and your favorite team is the Penguins. Say your favorite player is Evgeni Malkin, but my favorite player is Sidney Crosby. Now, because of that, I decide not only that you're stupid, but that I'm going to tell you you're stupid for the simple reason that if you don't think exactly the way I do, even though we're both fans of the same team, you're obviously an idiot who has no business being a fan in the first place...do you smell what I'm stepping in? For more on this subject, we now go live to our in-the-Force correspondent Obi-wan Kenobi, Obi:

Midnight in the Garden of Light & Dark

There’s one line in The Force Awakens that gives me pause every time I hear it:  “There’s still light in him, I know it.” Even after thinking about it for quite some time while pondering this post, typing it still felt weird. The phrase just seems wrong. My brain had to strong-arm my fingers to keep them from typing “good in him” instead of “light.” I mean, that’s what we’ve always heard before, right? Padme says there’s still “good” in Anakin on her deathbed; Luke repeatedly talks about the “good” in his father…so why is there no “good” in Kylo Ren? Does Darth Vader have the market cornered on goodness in a villainous character? I don’t think that’s it, but I do have some ideas, so, if you’re interested, follow along at home as I pontificate…

Star Wars ComLINKS Creature Feature Or: My 5 Favorites from Far, Far Away

Alright ladies and germs, I came across this really cool idea via retweet (if I remember correctly) a while ago, and decided to do a little write-up because a) as I said, super cool idea, mad props to Jenmarie over at Anakin and His Angel for doing it, and b) it gives me a reason to talk about creatures in the Star Wars universe, which just so happens to be one of my favorite things (I say that a lot, I know...if you keep track, I'll probably refer to every aspect of Star Wars as one of my favorite things eventually). I appreciate the fact that, though they do incorporate "real" animals into the mix as well (the snakes on Dagobah for example), most of the creatures in Star Wars are creatures that were created for the universe, and often play a crucial role in the telling of the stories...I mean, imagine the trap door in Jabba's palace going to an empty dungeon where the victims are simply trapped and not about to be a snack...pretty lame, right? Even if you've never thought about it, and don't really pay much attention to the creatures outside of their use to further the plot or as background, I bet you can probably rattle off five or six (or more) names of creatures without really putting much effort in it at all. That's how seamlessly they fit in the story; they're as much a part of Star Wars as Skywalkers and the Force, and I love them all...but I don't have time to go over each one, so I picked my top five:

Snoke: a Villain of Biblical Proportions

I’m sure everyone’s heard the phrase “a snake in the grass”…oh, wait, you haven’t? Well then, it means, essentially, “a treacherous person.” (Feel free to use that for people on Facebook or what not.)  And I feel like it’s a pretty safe logical leap to assume that we can all agree on Supreme Leader Snoke being a snake in the grass. I mean, his name is practically “snake.” In fact, I go in depth about what his name could mean (twice, actually…I have a problem) here, so I’m not going to get into it here, but, short answer, “snake” comes up in quite a few different ways. So right now you’re saying to yourself, “alright, this guy’s just stating the obvious…so?” And that’s a good point, Snoke’s a dark side Force user, they tend to run on the treacherous side, big deal…well, let’s examine some implications of his snake-like behavior and see if we can’t come up with some potential big deals…and away we go!

Rogue One: Not Just a Star Wars Story

Alright, you twisted my arm, I'll admit it:  I probably wasn't as excited about Rogue One as I was about what's going on in Rebels, or certainly not as much as wondering what we'll learn about the saga in Episode VIII...and, of course, I say "was" because that all changed first thing this morning when I watched that tantalizing trailer for Rogue One (over and over). I don't think I've ever had a trailer, teaser, or whatever you want to call it change my entire perspective on a movie before, but this most certainly did...I went from "I'm excited because it's Star Wars, and it'll be neat to see how the rebels managed such a huge feat like stealing the Death Star plans" to "OMG CAN IT BE DECEMBER TOMORROW BECAUSE THIS MOVIE LOOKS AMAZING!" Yeah, I'd say that about sums it up...anyway, let's cut to the chase and dig right in...I've got some doozies rolling around in the ol' noggin, so let's get pen to paper (figuratively, I don't actually write these down before I type them) and get the wild speculation train rolling!

Twilight of the Apprentice Or: Inquisitors, Maul, & Vader, oh my!

Well, well, well...let me start by saying I'll readily admit that I'm one of "those people" who have regarded several of the episodes in Star Wars Rebels this season as "filler." Not that I thought they were bad, mind you, just not necessarily in keeping with the overall arch of the story, and sometimes seemingly out of place in the timeline (i.e. the inquisitors are hot on their tail, yet disappear for multiple episodes at a time)...but, anyway, the bookends to season two way more than makeup for any misgivings I might have about other episodes, and I think "Twilight of the Apprentice" has actually usurped "Siege of Lothal's" position as my favorite Rebels episode so far (though that might just be because it's so new and sooooo much happens, time will tell)...so, enough preamble, let's jump head first into this amazing episode, and, uh, obviously, spoilers ahead...

What Saga Secrets Will We Find in Rogue One?

Okay, I apologize ahead of time, but I'm going to be "that guy" and start off by ranting about a pet peeve I've developed lately:  fans (or anyone for that matter, really) referring to Rogue One by the ridiculous full title, Rogue One:  A Star Wars Story. The "A Star Wars Story" tag line is just there to let the general public know that this is a movie that takes place in the Star Wars universe, it's not meant to be said every. time. you reference. the film. Bah! Anyway, it'd be like saying "Captain America:  Civil War, A Marvel's Avengers Story"...see how dumb that sounds? If you're someone who does this, please, I beseech you, stop. Just call it Rogue One. Just Rogue One. That's all...alright, deep breath, and now that I got that out of the way, let's jump right into the thick of things and discuss what, if any, secrets or tidbits about the episodic Star Wars saga might be revealed in Rogue One...

Who are you? Or: Rey Skywalker, a Jedi like her father before her?

Alright, with filming for Episode VIII in full swing, I thought it was time to go over some of the multiple options for Rey's possible Jedi pedigree. In case you didn't already put it together from the title, yes, I think Rey is going to be of Skywalker descent, specifically the daughter of the one and only Luke Skywalker, but I'm not against delving into other origin theories for our Force-strong heroin. So, if you're anything like me (and, let's be honest, all Star Wars fans), and have been pondering Rey's backstory for over two months now (or years), then sit back and relax and see if anything I come up with blows your mind or just, well, blows...but hey, even if you think I'm off my gourd, a little thought-provoking Star Wars discussion is never a bad thing, right? Oh, and, in case you haven't read the novelization of The Force Awakens yet, spoilers incoming...

5 of the Worst Star Wars Experiences of 2015

Alright, turnabout is fair play, plus, even though I'm a self-proclaimed fanboy, there are (rarely) things I don't necessarily enjoy about Star Wars (very rarely, mind you). Now, to be frank, a few of these are sort of cop-outs because I have this lists of five thing going on the blog here and I couldn't come up with five concrete things I didn't enjoy (I know, fanboy, I already admitted it!), but they are all bad experiences...that doesn't mean I didn't like them, per se, just that they were bad when they happened (I bet some of you have already guessed one of them based on this long-winded explaination)...so, anyway, these are the five worst experiences I had in Star Wars last year, let me know if I'm totally off base and one (or more) of these was actually on your best experiences list...I'll think less of you if that's the case, but we can still be friends (maybe)...

5 of the Best Star Wars Experiences of 2015

I think it's easy for Star Wars fans to agree that 2015 was an incredible year for the galaxy far, far away - further, I think fans would probably all agree that the release of The Force Awakens was the quintessential Star Wars event of the year; however, ask five fans what their top five experiences of 2015 were, and I wouldn't be surprised to find out you got five different answers...so, keeping in mind that this is solely my opinion and not a hard and fast, written in stone list, here are my five best Star Wars experiences of the past year...if you have a different list (or just want to tell me I'm right, as usual), please let me know in the comments: