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...