Luke Skywalker’s Lightsaber to be Auctioned

“Your father wanted you to have this when you were old enough, but your uncle wouldn’t allow it. He feared you might follow old Obi-Wan on some damn fool idealistic crusade like your father did.”

“What is it?”

“Your father’s lightsaber. This is the weapon of a Jedi Knight. Not as clumsy or random as a blaster. An elegant weapon, for a more civilized age.””

―Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker

The weapon we all knew and feared is now being auctioned. Mark Hamill wielded the famous weapon in the Star

Wars films “Star Wars A New  Hope,” “Return of the Jedi,” and “The Empire Strikes Back”. The lightsaber will be auctioned off on December 11^th, 2008 among other great things star wars related and not. This weapon was the one that Anakin created himself in the movie and wielded it till his defeat on Mustafar. Anakin Skywalker as we all know was a young boy who was found by Qui-Gon and Obi One Kenobi  on the desert planet of Tatooine.  Anakin had the highest reading of Mid-Chlorines the universe had ever seen.

The young boy was not aloud to train with Qui-Gon but was told to watch carefully. When Qui-Gon was defeated by Darth Maul who was slain by Qui-Gon’s apprentice Obi One, things changed. Now it was up to Obi One to complete the mission of training the promising young boy. Fate tempted Anakin and he was drawn to the Dark Side thinking he would be able to save his own wife. Sadly he was tricked, but to far in to quit.

He ended up slaying all Jedi leaving only few Jedi to escape.  Thus his pregnant wife was traumatized. Anakin was defeated by Obi One at the Battle of Mustafar and was left to burn in the scorching banks of lava. Burned so badly he was barely alive and almost irreparable.  Darth Sidious got to Anakin just in time to save the boy. Alas Anakin’s body was to badly ruined thus a new one was created. A life support system among many other things was built into a black suit and helmet to keep him alive and to allow him to live.

Thus Darth Vader as we know him was born! Vader was the one person that made the universe cringe. He carried out the Emperor’s dirty deeds throughout his whole life. Meanwhile through the surgery of Anakin, his wife was giving birth to two beautiful baby twins. Luke Skywalker and Leia Skywalker were born at last to begin their own legends one day. Sadly Padmé’s life was short lived and the young mother barely got to see her little babies at all.

Anakin had just tried to save her but fate had its own plans. He was to be Darth Vader and his beautiful wife was to die giving birth. Luke was born to fulfill his destiny and bring down his father. Now enough of the story we all know. The original owner of Luke’s lightsaber in real life is the producer of the star wars trilogy Gary Kurtz. The Lightsaber is estimated to catch over 120000 pounds in next months holly wood auction house.

Fun Fact:

Did you know that Luke’s lightsaber was made from and old photography flash gun?

Other things us star wars fans could bid for include a section of the original death star from the first 1977 movie,  and C-3P0’s helmet plus robotic hands worn by the British actor  Anthony Daniels in the awesome 1983 star wars movie “Return of the Jedi.” The fiberglass helmet from the protocol droid C-3P0 is estimated to sell for 53,000 pounds while the section of the death star and the robotic hands are estimated to go for 23,000 pounds.

These are priceless artifacts that any star wars fan would love to get their hands on. We should all take a moment as you read this to honor the great George Lucas and his fine work that shook the world and changed the very place we call home today. If not for him this forum would be nothing and would not even exist neither would the Vast Empire itself. If you haven’t watched the star wars films “Star War  A New Hope,” “Star Wars Return of the Jedi,” or  “Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back,” please go and watch those great films again. Also go and watch the new movies too! All six are great movies.

If you have never watched a Star Wars movie then you are missing out! Get your *** down to a store and buy the movies! You won’t regret it afterwards. Lets honor these movies and the billions of dollars they have brought to our country and the happiness they have brought into our lives. Remember that stuffed chewy doll you had as a kid? Remember that toy lightsaber you used to behead your siblings and parents with? Well we wouldn’t have them if it were not for the hard working film makers, producers, staff, etc.

If you love Star Wars tell someone! Spread the love around, especially to those who have never heard of it. To those who hate star  wars because they sit on their buts and watch star trek all day, well we all know why everyone in the U.S. is overweight now. Seriously though watch a star wars movie whether you’ve seen them or not.

Terrorist’s Strike Fear into Citizens Hearts!

We have new reports in various sectors throughout the empire. Galaxies have been stating that a new rising group of terrorists has been becoming more and more active. The UTAE (United Terrorists Against the Empire) have been slowly but surely been working their way up into our most wanted lists. Not only have they been causing citizens to fear, but also they are growing at a pretty good rate. With the already growing rate and mass gathering of space pirates, criminals and mercenaries, terrorists are all the empire needs right now.

One good thing is that they force nobody to join, but they have other ways of getting their members. Apparently citizens fear them enough that they feel that if they join the group they can keep their families safe. Sadly enough this has worked. To make sure that these newly recruited terrorists don’t just turn on them and run, they place tiny microcomputers into their brains. Yes these are not just microchips but microcomputers without the screen.

These microcomputers literally act as a second hidden brain. The host is literally unaware of their tiny little friends. The computers can be activated and deactivated at will, although not by the hosts will. That in my opinion is that this is just sick and wrong. Plus the computer makes sure that the host can’t know about it being in its brain. Even if you tell them it, the computer will just wipe the memory of it. If the host makes and action in which defies the terrorists then the computer sends an encrypted signal that will bounce around the massive galactic satellites until finally it hits home where it can report to the boss.

Once the boss has the signal he then sends one back out, which then tells the computers to “correct the hosts thinking/actions.” Now I don’t know about you but that’s as close as you get to mind control. These recruits literally have no choice but to do their masters bidding. Now why don’t we just remove these chips? Good question, and the answer is we have tried. Once we open up the poor guy’s (or girl’s/it’s) head and try to remove the damn thing, the little parasite self-destructs! These things are truly a second brain and a bomb all in one. What a good combo!

That’s not only the host’s life lost but also the life of anyone within a few feet around him. It’s also not a very pretty mess to clean up. Even droids have refused to do it. Droids don’t even have feelings or brains, as you can imagine it’s pretty sad when they are the ones refusing to clean up a mess. Now, back to the report. These terrorists claim that they will one day rid the universe of the empire. What makes them so different from the Rebellion? Well the rebellion for one didn’t go around killing people or planting microscopic computers in people’s heads.

Plus these guys don’t help people either. One of their highest goals is also that once they rid the universe of the empire, they want to implant these little computers in everyone’s heads. Sounds like fun doesn’t it? Another thing they don’t have is trained soldiers or Jedi Knights for that matter. So what can we do to stop these fiends? Well currently nothing at the moment. The Galactic Law Enforcement is still looking into it. So far they have found nothing that will help. It’s going to take deep knowledge on how these little parasites work.

We all know it can take a while before the Galactic Law Enforcement get something done, so the empire and their own specially trained secret service have stepped in. They plan to help get rid of the terrorist group before one of our own gets “bugged” as we have come to call it. Currently law enforcement has set up outposts to monitor various galaxies where activity is the highest. They hope to at least catch some of the terrorists without a bug in their head and interrogate them. The outposts have only caught more and more that have been bugged.

On another note a growing debate has been popping up and really heating up some pretty good debates too. The question is: Do we treat those who have been bugged as criminals? Well, although they have been bugged they still have some kind of self-control don’t they? Can they not just fight it somehow? Well it’s hard to tell when the only ones who have been bugged can’t be separated from the parasites and live to tell us if they can fight it or not. My guess is no they can’t. So wouldn’t it be the computer that makes them commit the crimes why not blame the leaders! Spectators rant and rave for hours on the subject and they still end up getting nowhere. The terrorists have bases throughout the empire. Right now the empire has no idea where any of them are but they plan to change that soon.

The terrorists have gone from smuggling drugs, weapons, aliens, people, etc to murder and chaos. They’d stop at nothing to murder an imperial officer or even one among our ranks. A couple weeks ago there was a suspicious crash and the death of an imperial pilot, and the empire has reason to believe it was a suicide bombing ordered by the UTAE. These guys are so committed to uprooting the empire that they will even sacrifice their own members or even murder them in front of other members just for laughs.

They are cruel and very dangerous. If you come into contact with them please contact and imperial officer. There are warrants for several criminals wanted for questioning. If you spot one please notify an imperial officer immediately. As for the warrants official copies of them have been dispatched to all imperial officers and local law enforcements. Here is a local copy for citizens. The official copy is classified and has information only for officials. Pictures will be included with the wanted posters, which have been posted throughout the Galaxy.

Note: These warrants are for planetary ID and for planetary law enforcements that did not obtain a copy that was dispatched. These are to hold law enforcement off until they get their official copy. Citizens do not go after a criminal! Let law enforcement take care of it!!

Imperial Warrant #1:

Name: Alcantor, Gallen
Age: Aprox. 33
Height: 5ft. 11
Weight: 200lbs.
Eye Color: Brown
Hair Color: Jet-black
Wanted: Alive
Details: Alcantor has a peculiar scar below his right eye, and has a tattoo on his left hand. He often visits pubs and bars. He’s skilled with weapons and torture. Was once a medical doctor.

Imperial Warrant #2

Name: Dragor, Dannus
Age: Aprox. 49
Height: 6ft.
Weight: 180lbs.
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: Dirty Blonde
Wanted: Alive
Details: Dragor has been known to sit in Strip Clubs for hours. He has pale white skin and no visible scars. He has been known to be charming, sly and intelligent.

Imperial Warrant #3

Name: Ukraius, Talinn
Age: 67
Height: 5ft. 7
Weight: 150lbs.
Eye Color: Pearl Grey
Wanted Alive
Details: Ukraius looks a little younger than his age. He is hard working but has been known to kill when something gets in his way. He has a bad temper that he does a pretty good job suppressing until something annoys him.

Imperial Warrant #4

Name: Valgon, Zen
Age: Aprox. 28
Height: 5ft. 9
Weight: 150lbs.
Eye Color: Hazel
Hair Color: Brown
Wanted: Alive
Details: Valgon knows his way around. He is a very good talker able to get people to listen and often agree with him. He has been known to rally hundreds for various causes. He has served as a spokes person for caused throughout several galaxies.
Note: Rewards will be given for capture whether it be rank or promotion or other.

Once again if you see or know anything contact an imperial officer immediately before the situation gets out of hand. Remember these men are highly dangerous. They are skilled in hand-to-hand combat and know how to handle weapons extremely well. Use caution when attempting to confront them. Under no circumstance should anyone besides law enforcement attempt to arrest or confront these men. Should anyone who is not in law enforcement of any official kind attempt it, the empire, its officers, or any other law enforcement assume responsibility.

Should any law enforcement officer or imperial officer arrest one of these men please contact Imperial Headquarters and secure for questioning. These men are not to be harmed unless in a life or death situation. Do not provoke! For any information known about these men please use your local law enforcement number and contact them immediately. Any legitimate information gathered must be reported to an imperial officer immediately; remember we want these men alive and unharmed. They are needed for questioning and again are highly dangerous. Please report it if you see or know anything about them or their whereabouts. Remember you could be the next one to be bugged!

HIMS Unrepentant Vanishes on Routine Escort Mission 

At 03:12 Galactic Standard Time, the Naval Public Relations office released an official statement stating that the Imperial-II Star Destroyer Unrepentant had failed to report in while the cruiser was escorting a convoy of transports to Tadeth, the second such incident in two weeks. After the as of yet unexplained disappearance of the Imperial-I Star Destroyer Krayth Dragon, some claim that a faction is deliberately targeting Imperial ships. Officials urge family members of the crew not to panic, stressing the possibility that the loss of contact is due to a communications network malfunction.

Under the command of Captain Dregson Ferdis, the Unrepentant normally serves as part of the Tadeth defensive fleet, but was reassigned to temporary escort duty three weeks ago due to heighened Republic activity near Imperial hyperspace lanes. Ferdis first joined the Vast Imperial Navy four years ago after defecting from the Republic and served with distinction in the Sixth Fleet before being reassigned.

Admiral Reglan Sarn replied to our holo-call with the following:

“Panic is counter-productive and uncalled for. Transmitter malfunctions are not unknown, and this sort of thing has happened before. I’m sure the Unrepentant will report in soon enough once they’ve fixed the defective equipment. Again, it’s probably nothing serious.”

A complete failure of primary and backup broadcasting equipment on a standard Imperial-II Star Destroyer has a 1 out of 323,000 chance of occurring on any given flight. The Unrepentant and its convoy are expected to arrive in the Tadeth system in approximately three standard hours. (HP)

OOC: Inspired by Deritosuwn’s “The Mericlo”. http://comnet.imperialnetwork.com/topic/11023/

 

The 501st Legion of Imperial Stormtroopers has been around before George Lucas was given the rights of the name. Starting out as a small group on Yahoo it would soon spread to all over not only the United Staes, but all over the world. A group that not only has fun going to conventions, but also charity events to help others and even hospital visits for the children. They are in opinion the best in the fandom. Giving back to their community despite others who haggle and think they are no more then children who live in their mother’s basement. Those are far from wrong. While some might, there are those that are in the military who are members. Doctors, nurses, police officers, lawyers and parents who belong to this group.

As the group grew, it had also outgrown the typical use of the yahoo group and formed a proper website; www.501st.com . Also formed were garrisons. Members of 25 or more who supported their area. They all had their own separate websites and named themselves to pull their group closer as a family. Now as time had it there was also outposts. Members not large enough for garrison size, but small enough to be ran on their own. Sometimes, as groups do they split. On one such occasion was the Southern Outpost. They consisted of Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee. Alabama wished to be on their own. Creating conflict for mainly Mississippi, who was in the middle and held only about five members at the time.

The Legion council members wanted Someone to take Mississippi. Being treated as the black sheep per say as the members felt. Tennessee finally took Mississippi to be part of Mid-South Garrison. Still, things wern’t great. Hardly any members in the state made it hard to do anything and most were in TN. So less was even done to make it possible for members to travel. gas of course didn’t help. It wasn’t until 2007 that things started to be pushed by Mississippi members. The split from the original garrison left a bad taste in mouths and they wanted to be independent. With only a hand full of members and being spread out , it was hard to manage a meeting and discuss what to do. There were talks then threw Email and phone and things began to form.

At first a squad was talked about. Having a small number they could become a squad and be attached to the garrison. This, while a nice idea wasn’t what the members truly wanted. To be independent, and show everyone that Mississippi could prevail and become strong was the idea. Not to be latched on to another group, even if it was for support. It also didn’t help that there were pulls in all directions. What they should be called? Designs? Should they be allowed their own board? In the end the groups voted CO managed to get through to the others. The Mississippi outpost was finally formed. It’s motto would be chosen once they were past the six month probation. As for the initial design we decided to be different then the rest. The colors Green and black with a hint of brown.. and use of the Tie Crawler. After the long months of what seemed like agony, the memberships grew and as of October 2008 the members stand at nineteen and will continue to grow and become one of the best they can be! The motto was only recently decided to be ”The Rancor Raiders,”

 

 

 

The sound of a plastic bag is heard as  a copy of  Star Wars The force Unleashed is taken out of  a bag and then opened. A shiny new game, one that was expected for many months as fans  all around waited for Gamestop to sell the game right as the clock hit midnight. For months people have seen the clips on the famus site Youtube. Watching as the game was taken to new heights sense the hits of Knights of the Old repbublic.

 

As the game starts there is the classic three paragraph synopsis that has forevr been etched into memory for those who love the  Star Wars saga. Right off, the start of the game starts off with a bang. Playing as Darth Vader you take control and head to the wookie homeworld where you confront one of the last few remaining Jedi. It’s there were the story turns and the futrue starts. The start of the beggining of the end.

 

 

 

Now I won’t blow the whole game. That would be unfair for those who have yet to start playing it. It’s not a  very long game with a play time of about nine hours. Yet the player has the option to go lightside or darkside, giving the player two seperat endings. Going lightside is the actual ending that leads up to the orginal movies made in the sevinties and eighties. In actuality, you have a total of 18 hours of play. Yet who can tire themselves flinging stormtroopers off catwalks or slamming them into the floor and bulkheads?

 The game itself has a very good storyline overall.  There are secrets to match and puzzle sections. It has a god of war feeling  when the player kills the enemy as the  lifeforce comes back to the player and keeps them from dying.  One of the few things that are difficult as I found out is jumping across  broken bridges and other falls that lead to death.

 

All in all the game is worth buying. The graphics are beyond what I had expected. If you play it with the xbox 360 I recomend that. The Wii version  is a bit difrent as you have the whole experience difrent with using the other controllers.  Force Unleashed is really what the title is. I highly recommend this game to everyone. If only to try it once.  Those that don’t have this game and have thre Xbox 360 and have Live; You can download the free demo and check it out. The power of the Force is truly Unleashed with this game…..

   (Creators of TFU)

 

 

 

*Pictures taken from  Google Images*

Star Wars: The Clone Wars is the latest of the Saga, fitting in between Episode II and Episode III. And truth be told, it had a huge name to live up to. Did it? Well, I can’t speak for everyone, but it didn’t quite live up to my expectations (although that didn’t stop me from seeing it four times on day one… and I’m not a virgin… I swear). I’ll sway from spoilers incase anyone hasn’t had the chance to see the movie and wants to figure out if it’s even worth watching…

The Darkside…

• Story plot… although it’s not really bad at all, it just doesn’t have the appeal that came from the six Episodes… It lacked the… epicness of the Death Stars, and somehow managed to lose the massiveness of the clone force that we saw in Episode II and III.
• The musical score… Perhaps its just me, but the music played a huge role in the success of Star Wars. Without the Imperial March, the Empire loses our fascination. Without Duel of the Fates, the lightsaber duel of Anakin and Obi-Wan is just a clash of sabers… And in Clone Wars… I haven’t heard a single new piece that wow’ed me. The music fits, but that’s about it. Electric guitars and the like… just isn’t Star Wars
• The comedy… seemed cheap. Overusage of the droid humor from Episode I was far too common. I don’t mind a cheap laugh once in a while, but if it’s all the humor that’s there, it just doesn’t appeal… and some of it is too predicable… where’s the ‘who’s scruffy looking?’ type humor? Droids can only fall from heights so many times before it becomes a groaner. And at one point, a droid can’t even get the numbers right that another droid tells him… And I thought they were connected to the same ‘core-system’ … I dunno why they even speak to eachother >.
• Dialogue… I was expecting… more.. even if the movie was aimed at kids…
• The opening crawl… (take a deep breath) … nonexistent… Instead we have a voice getting us up to speed with the events of the Galaxy… ruining a defining opening moment…

• It’s Star Wars…. Let’s face it, it brings out the kid in you. The saga continues, it hasn’t died out at all, and that brings joy to all of us here.
• Action… You’ll find more than plenty of this, and the animated format gives you some things that you might not dream of seeing in a live-action movie of Star Wars.
• Characters…
• You’ll come to love Ahsoka, or your heart has turned hard. She might make you skeptical at first, but she’ll win you over just as she wins Anakin over. She’s still annoying to a point I’ll admit, but I think how she was introduced was below par, and the voice acting left much to be desired. Hopefully in the future they’ll work with her much better than they did here.
• As for Ani, he seems much more mature than in any of the prequels,a breath of fresh air there. And although the character development doesn’t come up to par with the rest of the movies, I couldn’t really find fault with it at all…
• Jaw droppers… There’s only one that truly stands out, and to be honest, nothing can compare to “Luke, I am your Father” so I’m going to be fair and not judge it on an impossible scale… so expect a surprise when you see an AT-TE transport after they get off the first planet and onto another… anything else would ruin the surprise… Of course it could have been done better, but that doesn’t make it less of a jaw-dropper.
• No Jar-Jar or any Gungans for that matter… ’nuff said.
• It’s Star Wars… It bears repeating.

“If I could sum it up in a word, I’d say ‘magic.’ John is able to put a magical and ethereal essence into his paintings.” ―Julian Montoya, director of international marketing for Fox Home entertainment.

Born sometime in 1948, John became a very successful Artist for Star Wars fans around the world. He was an illustrator who worked on multiple Star Wars book covers, posters video covers, and apparently over 120 separate movie campaigns. He died Wednesday, February 6th 2008, from a Heart Attack, His family and friends were grief stricken. He had many friends who like his family simply adored him and his artworks. John did many artworks for Star Wars books, posters movies, etc.

He was 59 when he past away so unexpectedly. He was considered the pre-eminent movie campaign artist of the past 35 years, Alvin’s career began in 1974 with his creation of the iconic movie poster for Mel Brook’s “Blazing Saddles”.

He most recently contributed many design ideas for the campaign for Walt Disney Studio’s “Enchanted.” In a career that encompassed multiple projects for directors like Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Blake Edwards, Mel Brooks and Ridley Scott. He was considered by many studios as the go-to artist for movie poster and campaign art. John Alvin said that his work “created the promise of a great experience” and in that he never failed.

I think he really lived up to that statement to till the day he died. He was a great man as well. John Alvin was married, his wife’s name was Andrea, had recently relocated to New York’s Hudson Valley from Los Angeles in order to be closer to their daughter. He only had one child named Farah, a Broadway actress. John Alvin said that as a child he eagerly anticipated the arrival of the Sunday paper so that he could peruse the ads for the new movies playing at the local theaters.

He was enamored with the magic of film at an early age and would create art inspired largely by his love of film. Those passions led him to the Art Center College of Design where he actually met his wife, Andrea (also a student at Art Center) from which he graduated in the early 1970s. Even Walt Disney had many great things to say about him,

His work inspires us,” say the Disney marketing execs. “Alvin brings emotion into his artwork that can only be captured in an illustration. We call it ‘Alvinizing’.”

Alvin acquired a full array of artist’s skills and techniques as a student of the distinguished Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles. Soon thereafter, in 1974, he got his chance to put his love of entertainment art and his artist training to work by creating the campaign art for Mel Brook’s Blazing Saddles.

He has developed and maintained a very loyal following among collectors of cinema art, making his original art and signed reproductions much wanted and revered pieces of movie memorabilia. Truly, John Alvin belongs to a very special and very short list of cinema art masters whose works have become icons in Hollywood’s rich and colorful history.

John was featured in the Star Wars insider 27, in an article titled “The Art of John Alvin Promises the Magic that Lucasfilm Movies Deliver.” He also appeared at the Celebration IV Art show in May 2007. He did many works for many books, some including the Jedi Academy Trilogy, Queen in Disguise, plus more. A quote from a Star Wars expanded Universe article states this:
“Theater audiences were lining up around the block night after night and Darth Vader appeared on the cover of Time magazine,” Alvin recalls. “The impact on my life is reflected in the impact on my art and Star Wars has been a key part of my career since then. It still is and will be for a long time.”

Alvin’s first poster was a picture of some of the most famous droids, you could probably guess who they are but I am still going to tell you. The poster depicts the two droids R2-D2, and his companion C-3PO as musicians. A quote from the man John himself, “The Star Wars Concert poster has become very rare and quite collectible.”

Another known collectible poster that Alvin created that is also rare and very favored among his fans is a “wide banner-like poster celebrating the 10th Anniversary of Star Wars made in 1987.

A poster From the Star Wars Celebration IV John created is this:

(Site Source, http://www.starwars.com/community/event/celebration/news20070323.html)

A Star Wars Expanded Universe article also has a statement from Alivan about his 10th Anniversary poster as well:

“Using the tagline ‘The first ten years’ on my Tenth Anniversary Star Wars poster was my idea. It seemed more uplifting and promising to commemorate the first ten as though there would be no future limit and, so far there hasn’t been. In the poster, I also wanted to reflect the broad expanse of the widescreen cinematic vision we all saw in a theater,” Alvin adds. “As most posters are vertical, I thought the anniversary piece should remind us of the movie experience and hence, the horizontal format. I wanted fans to be carried along again as Luke is compelled by great forces to recognize and embrace his destiny. We see what he sees as though he is saluting the very saga we see displayed within the larger-than-life title.”

He also made a series of paintings he called “The Force Influence.”

As Destiny Unfolds:

Johns words on this poster are these:

“Obi-Wan is the means by which Luke is drawn toward his own destiny and as the Jedi Knight’s tale comes to a physical end, he must point ‘the new hope’ in the right direction if there is ever to be peace in the galaxy,” Alvin explains. “He profoundly influences Luke by what he says to him and when he says it. I wanted to show respect for the great character of Obi-Wan and at the same time, pay homage to Sir Alec Guinnesswho so brilliantly portrayed him.

“Kenobi’s presence is grand, full of wisdom and larger than life,” Alvin continues. “He dominates the scene and yet he enfolds and cradles the innocent farm boy Luke — for all intents and purposes, a lost youth with no direction or goal. Yoda’s magnificent and enduring influence on Obi-Wan is gently suggested by the ghosted image of the Jedi Master in the sky. I wanted to set a mood of somber purpose and yet one of great affection and regard. Of all my work, this is one of my favorites.”

Another poster titled “Like Father Like Son,” was also created in the Force Influence Series.

Again Alvin’s words on this particular poster are these:

“I thought that there are few more profound relationships than that of father and son in life and this is especially true of the Star War saga,” Alvin explains. “Like any long time fan, I was captivated by Boba Fett and I thought it interesting to pose him at rest and full of potential violence. I like to think that the fire behind him depicts the gruesome end of yet another bounty. Look at the tip of his flame thrower. It’s very hot as though he was making good use of it and he has now turned to us and we should be fearful.

“Promoting our fear is the lethal legacy Boba Fett brings with his considerable skills, and this heritage is shown in the proactive and very dangerous posture of his father, the legendary Jango Fett,” Alvin continues. “It’s as though Boba wants us to know that he is the logical extension of his father and everything we fear about him, we do so with good reason. I wanted to portray the Fett lineage to reflect of the powerful hold these characters have had on all of us from the instant George Lucas put them on screen.”

(Picture from http://www.starwars.com/eu/explore/profile/f20041014/indexp3.html)

Alvin wanted to portray many characters like Queen Amidala, Princess Leia Organa, Chewy, Jabba the Hutt, Han Solo, Anakin Skywalker, although I am sure he already has in one way or another.

John didn’t just do Star Wars Artwork, he did artwork for many other things too. These are just some stated on his site but it goes to show that he was a man of many talents,

Captain Jack Sparrow,

Not Quite sure what this one is, but its a good one though,

(Source, http://johnalvin.com/)

He did works for Walt Disney too, John Alvin is said to have been chosen by Disney for works on The Lion King. He even did some works for Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone, and Lord of the Rings too. He was a world wide known Artist that millions revere. None of his works will ever be matched.

On his fan-site (http://www.johnalvinart.com/) was a list of list of movie campaigns and posters worked on by John Alvin:

• Anchor Bay Ent – Tai-Pan
• Arthur II
• Artisan Ent – The Fabulous Baker Boys
• Buena Vista Home Ent – Earnest Scared Stupid
• Buena Vista Home Ent – Mr. Destiny
• Columbia Tristar – Bite The Bullit
• Columbia Tristar – By The Sword
• Columbia Tristar – Hanover Street
• Columbia Tristar – Hook
• Columbia Tristar – Lawrence Of Arabia
• Columbia Tristar – Old Gringo
• Columbia Tristar – Flatliners
• Disney – Aladdin
• Disney – Aladdin (European)
• Disney – Aladdin (Japanese)
• Disney – Arachnophobia
• Disney – Beauty And The Beast
• Disney – Big Wednesday
• Disney – Hercules (Japanese)
• Disney – Mulan ( Japanese)
• Disney – Newsies
• Disney – Pinocchio
• Disney – Rescuers Down Under
• Disney – Shipwrecked
• Disney – Snow White
• Disney – Tall Tale
• Disney – The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (European)
• Disney – The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (Japanese)
• Disney – The Lion King
• Disney – The Little Mermaid
• Disney – The Three Muskateers
• Fox Home Ent – Mother, Jugs, And Speed
• Fox Home Ent – Raw Deal
• Fox Home Ent – The Verdict
• Fox Home Ent – Thumbelina
• Fox Home Entertainment -Dying Young
• Image Ent – Short Circuit
• Image Ent – The Twilight Zone
• Lisa
• Metro Goldwyn Mayer – Rainman
• Metro Goldwyn Mayer -Texasville
• Mgm – Betrayed
• Mgm – City Slickers
• Mgm – Fritz The Cat
• Mgm – Leviathan
• Mgm – Losin’ It
• Mgm – Rancho Deluxe
• Mgm – Red Dawn
• Mgm – Running Scared
• Mgm – Solarbabies
• Mgm – Spaceballs
• Mgm – The Princess Bride
• Mgm – Young Frankenstein
• Nickel Ride
• North
• Paramount Home Video – Star Trek Vi: The Undiscovered Country
• Paramount Studios – The Golden Child
• Royal Flash
• Serial
• Sherlock Holmes Smarter Brother
• Smile
• Twentieth Century Fox – Phantom Of The Paradise
• Twentieth Century Fox – Star Wars: The Concerts
• Twentieth Century Fox – The Turning Point
• Twentieth Century Fox – Star Wars 10th Anniversary
• Twentieth Century Fox -Project X
• Twentieth Century Fox -Rhinestone
• Twentieth Century Fox Silent Movie
• Twentieth Century Fox -Willow
• Twentieth Century Fox – Alien (15th Anniversary)
• Twentieth Century Fox – High Anxiety
• Twentieth Century Fox -History Of The World Part 1
• Twentieth Century Fox -Cocoon
• Twentieth Century Fox -Cocoon The Return
• Twentieth Century Fox -Conrack
• Umvd – Legend
• Umvd – Melvin And Howard
• Universal Studios – Always
• Universal Studios – Cape Fear
• Universal Studios – Darkman
• Universal Studios – E.T.
• Universal Studios – E.T. (Advance)
• Universal Studios – E.T. (Re-Release)
• Universal Studios – The Milagro Beanfield War
• Vestron Video – Ironweed
• Warner Home Video – Cats Don’t Dance
• Warner Home Video – Empire Of The Sun
• Warner Home Video – My Favorite Year
• Warner Home Video – S.O.B.
• Warner Home Video – Christopher Columbus: The Discovery
• Warner Home Video – Joe Vs. The Volcano
• Warner Home Video – Gremlins
• Warner Home Video – Innerspace
• Warner Home Video – Victor/Victoria
• Warner Studio – Mosquito Coast
• Warner Studio – That’s Dancing!
• Warner Studio – The Color Purple
• Warner Studios – 10
• Warner Studios – Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls
• Warner Studios – Batman Returns
• Warner Studios – Blade Runner
• Warner Studios – Blazing Saddles
• Warner Studios – Cobra
• Warner Studios – Deal Of The Century
• Warner Studios – Innocent Blood
• Warner Studios – New Jack City
• Warner Studios – Pee Wee’s Big Adventure
• Warner Studios – Quest For Camelot
• Warner Studios – Spies Like Us
• Warner Studios – The Frisco Kid
• Warner Studios – The Goonies
• Warner Studios – The Lost Boys
• Warner Studios – The Nutcracker Prince
• Warner Studios – Under Siege (European)

As you can see John completed many, many works throughout his life, some you may have heard of, others maybe not. If you didn’t know about some of those on that list, well know you do. I know millions appreciated Johns works whether they be Family, Friends, Employers, Fans, etc.
John lived a long, and no doubt a very worthy and fun life. John is a hero to many, a friend, and idol, and many other things no doubt. John Alvin will never be forgotten by anybody so long as Star Wars survives. Let us never forget everything he did for the world no matter who we are.

John Alvin was a man of many talents, Art probably being only just one of them. John said many things, here is just another one. John Alvin the Legendary Star Wars Artist may be dead, even confirmed by Lucas Arts, but he will be missed. Our respects and wishes go with him tonight. May he rest in peace, and his family be at peace.

• StarWars.com profile of John with lots of quotes
  “When working on any image relative to the Star Wars saga, all I have to remember is how I felt when I first saw the Rebel Blockade Runner overtaken by the Imperial Star Destroyer in the opening of Episode IV,” Alvin explains. “From that moment on, I was forever a part of the Star Wars universe. “

Article Links:

• www.johnalvin.com
• www.johnalvinart.com
• starwars.wikia.com/wiki/John_Alvin
• www.starwars.com-John Alvin
• Celebration IV Poster
• There may be more links, but these were the main ones, besides google

Reports from Corellia have shown an increasing amount of activity in an ‘up-and-coming’ human supremacy movement. More and more disgruntled members of society are actively speaking out against many of the non-humans that live within Corellian space. Those of us who were more self-aware of the ‘glorious’ empire in which we used to inhabit would remember the Humano-centrism and ‘Human High Culture’ which permeated much of Imperial society.

Here at the VE, it’s hard to imagine an upper class elitist system, where non-humans were segregated and even discriminated against. Iconified as the “Non-HuMan” or nHm classification, this purist attitude started to die out after the death of Emperor Palpatine in 4 ABY. However, a group of individuals calling themselves the “Human League” are apparently trying to re-live this ideology.

With Corellia still reeling from the Battle of Tralus, and with the entire sector suffering from a post-empire slump, disgruntled individuals serve as excellent recruits for this charismatic and extreme movement. Who better to blame than the aliens?

This new move is bizarre as it is unwelcome. ‘nHm’ classifications also included females and droids, but the “Human league” seems to be more lenient with the former. The League also holds a deep hatred for the growing “New Republic”, and the self-appointed ‘Jedi’ Luke Skywalker. People who have come into contact with the League have speculated that this group is trying to iconify everything they thought the Empire stood for, as they seem to hero-worship Palpatine and Vader.

This is not to say that this group is Imperial friendly. Ignoring the fact that the VE does not condone racism or xenophobia of any kind, since the Human League at the moment is comprised mainly of Corellians, the fanatic isolationism that most Corellians secretly harbour is a key point to the League’s manifesto.

We here at VE Today have decided to issue a general warning to all citizens that frequent Corellian space. The resident Imperial government is friendly with the VE, and have said they will try and protect any visitors, but please, if for no-ones sake but ours, please be careful.

We will keep and eye on this troubling movement, and keep you up-to-date with the latest happenings.

Connector hoses, Jedi Communicators, Helmets. Most if these you can make in your own home with your everyday basic items. Prop building has always been part of making the magic on screen. Some props one would be amazed on what items are used to make what we see from the movies or what is used in them.

Take the Scout Trooper Helmet. One can easily buy a Rubies off the internet or in a costume store. However to make it look just like it came off from the set is another thing entirely. Take the below picture for example. This is what a rubies, normally looks like when one orders it from an on-line store.

        

Now the one above actually looked slightly worse when it came out of the box. It looked as if someone had sat on it during a hot day. Therefore it had to go into much needed work. One of the first things needed was to re-shape the helmet with a leather belt strapped around it and then re-heated to form it back to the shape wanted. Once that was done the next step was the “Snout”. The small black knob on the end had to be cut out and a Sink Aerator was placed in there and the outside painted black. The remaining painted areas had to be painted to the correct color or Grey and the black outline to go across the top area above the breather.

The Ears on the side of the bucket had to then be cut out and a wire mesh put in it’s place to have the effect real. Also it makes it allot easier to hear out of. It’s hard to see in the pictures but the eye plate had to be cut out and replaced. The inside had plastic and eye site was extremely poor. Also you could see the outlined plastic viewing into it. The Faceplate was next and you had to revers the bolts that held it together and then glue on small button covers on the outside (painted grey) to cover the ending of the screw. For an added realism effect the inside of the visor (from the outside view) was caulked to make it look as one piece.

Sounds pretty simple but it’s allot of work. Rewarding in the end and that is only one prop piece. Allot of the weapons can be made from the original Kenner toys from the original movies. Mainly re-painted to look real. Some use molds and cast Resign weapons. A few Jedi Props such as the Jedi Communicator that Qui-gon had I have seen made from a Ladies Razer (Venus) with a few washers and nails added as well as paint. Many things are made and used for the props. I just touched on a few basic ones that don’t need to go into too much detail. However one of the best props that has been seen in the movie would be the ice cream maker… Yea.. that doesn’t need much explaining

Wars have always been commonplace in Galactic Society. From small tribal wars on undeveloped planets, too full scale engagements between empires, war is, and will probably always be, one of the few constants in the universe.

But how do we find out about them? How does a society find out about these things? Obviously there are Government announcements: friendly, reassuring statements saying everything is fine and that you’re not all going to die. Whilst these statements are about as useful as an angry wookie, they at least can guarantee that the populace are mildly aware as to whether or not they’re at war.

But what of the rest? What of the details? And how do people who don’t even care get told about these events that they are so busy not caring about? Enter the Journalist: a creature of such a rare breed, that their one single craving is information, details, events… The Journalist will strive to find out what happened, and tell you about it, whether you want to hear about it or not. Why? Probably because he or she has nothing better to do.

When it came to wars, Journalist would in days gone by simply sit on the sidelines, gleaning what information they could, and constructing a report over what they heard, or were told. Unfortunately, this still meant that the authorities were the main source of information. Whilst this would rate as slightly more useful than an angry wookie, it was still pretty poor, especially when an average Journalist could have found out more about the person they were interviewing, as opposed to the subject matter of the interview – If the public cared little for conflicts between foreign leaders, they would care even less for the detailed breakdown of sexual affairs conducted by said leaders.

Classic examples of how this style of reporting simply didn’t work can be seen from reports of the Clone Wars. Reports on the war were sporadic at best, especially when the military took over the Holonet News service in 22 BBY. Independent news networks on a galactic scale were still rare during these days, and so an overall view of the war was lacking. Some sector wide news agencies managed to get coverage, but only because it was their sector that the war was taking place in, and the coverage was mainly one sided. During a shoot of the popular talk show Coruscant Today, a guest on the show famously commented:

“Despite scouring the Holonet every day, listening to government updates, surfing the web and Vid shows, I have absolutely no clue how the war is going”

As time went one, there was a shift in attitudes towards war reporting, especially after the formation of the Galactic Empire. As atrocities such as the Great Jedi Purge and the Ghorman Massacre tried to go unnoticed, reporters were suddenly struck by a bad case of conscience. Did events really happen as Imperial Centre told us? What is the REAL story? Reporters from around the galaxy started hunting down the truth, and when the Declaration of Rebellion was realised in 1 BBY, reporters suddenly realised that there was a different side to the story. News corporations such as the newly formed Galactic Press were becoming fed up with the propaganda machine, and started to find ways to get independent reports, especially when it came to wars. And so led to the rise of the ‘Frontline’ reporter.

Frontline reporting went through serious growing pains in the early years. Skirmishes with the Rebellion were kept on the quiet-side as much as possible, so that not too much attention was drawn to their cause. Reporters who did manage to work up more objective works had their work stamped out, or simply refused distribution. A lot of reporters died during the fights, especially in later years as the Empire got more and more forceful. However, Journalists were given a break with the defeat of the empire at the battle of Endor. As the Imperium disintegrated, and the Rebels became more prominent, Journalists were given more of a free reign. The biggest break through in war reporting was with Zahn Sim, and his report of the ‘New Republics’ liberation of Courascant in 7 ABY. From start to finish, Zahn was there, giving a blow by blow account of the liberation. Once NR forces touched down on the surface, Zahn went all over the place, reporting as he went. His reports are generally considered one of the best pieces of Journalism in history.

A couple of years on, and Journalism is generally considered to be on a high. Reporters are going from place to place, tagging along with one army or another, and constructing comprehensive reports. News company owners predict a shift in how reporters are employed, moving from a more company ethic to more freelancing. HoloNet and Galactic Press bosses have especially commented that they tend to ‘hire’ people who are on or near the conflict, rather then send someone out.

What does the future hold? Who knows. Here at VE Today, the ethic is that all of our information is first hand. Many of our reporters were there during the Third Outer Rim War, telling a tale that needed to be told, and I hope that they will continue serving the people in such a selfless and courageous way.