A few new things I learned about Star Wars from the Life magazine entitled, George Lucas and the Making of Star Wars that I thought was awesome and worth sharing.

The origins of R2-D2's name

"Since America Graffiti's editor, Verna Fields was simultaneously editing Peter Bogdanovich's Paper Moon, she delegated much of the work to her assistance, Marcia Lucas -- a fact that gave George more control than he would otherwise have had. The process also gave him a future character name: Sound editor Walter Murch referred to one of the film's elements, "reel 2, dialogue 2," as "R2-D2." Lucas liked how R2-D2 sounded and made a note of it."

The origins of Mace Windu's name

"Lucas had begun writing in early 1973 by jotting down the names of possible characters - including Emporer Ford Xerex II, Biggs, Owen, Valorum, and (yes) Luke Skywalker. Titled The Journal of the Whills, the narrative began: 'This is the story of Mace Windy, a revered Jedi-Bendu of Opuchi, as related to us by CJ. Thorpe, padawan learner of the famed Jedi.'"

The reason for Luke Starkiller's family name change

"The name 'Skywalker,' incidentally, had overtaken Lucas's initial idea of 'Starkiller.' After the Charles Manson murders in Hollywood, Lucas didn't want any unseemly connotations."

Alex Guinness rolled around in the Tunisia desert sand for Star Wars

"Lucas envisioned what he called a 'used universe." ... Everything had to look like had been riveted together, assembled, rather than just a slick mono-shape. That meant greasy robots, weather-worn buildings, and battered spaceships like the cars Lucas had driven as a kid. ... Gamely, Guinness rolled in the sand to give his costume a weathered look."

De Palma rewrites the opening scrawl, and the Studio requests a voice over

"The film's problems began with the clunky, overly expository opening crawl, which Brian De Palma -- despite his dislike of the film -- offered to rewrite. Lucas agreed. Later, Fox would suggest having a narrator recite the words. Lucas refused. "They're going to have to learn to read sooner or later," he joked. "Maybe Star Wars will give them an incentive. Maybe we have a valuable tool here. maybe a whole generation will learn to read so that they can figure out what's going on in Star Wars."

The Microbiotic World of the Midicholoians (Lucas's idea for episodes 7-9)

"In 2012, Lucas sold the Star Wars franchise and Lucasfilm to Disney for $2.2 billion in cash and $1.855 billion in stock. The first Star Wars film made without Lucas's direct involvement, The Force Awakens, was released in 2015. Though Lucas had hoped to continue the story of the midi-chlorians, taking the films into what he called "a microbiotic world," [That sounds original] Disney ignored his story treatment in favor of J.J. Abrams, who co-wrote and directed the film."

Lucas was consulted on The Rise of Skywalker

"[Lucas] was nominally consulted on the makings of The Rise of Skywalker. Said Abrams, who once again co-wrote and directed, 'We had conversations amongst ourselves, we meet with George Lucas before we started writing the script.'"

Also, Disco Elysium is a fantastic RPG! Actually, it plays more like a Choose Your Adventure book, where your decisions have consequences, some life-ending. The game's not afraid to end the story there and then. It's quite refreshing. I've played other story-rich games like it, but this is the first that feels truly unique. The art style is also amazing. Everything has a painterly concept art look. Even the graphics where you walk around look like concept art.

"a microbiotic world"

Well, at least they managed to avoid some of George's terrible ideas...

I have the day off. I've been watching both Bill and Ted movies and knocking out some minor chores.

Feels good to have a down day.

Mr. Tact wrote on Jan 20, 2020, 11:30:
"a microbiotic world"

Well, at least they managed to avoid some of George's terrible ideas...

George even thought the idea was bad. A sentence later in the magazine it reads, "Naturally this didn't sit well with Lucas. Though he admitted that 'a lot of fans would have hated' his approach."

I would have preferred a Star Wars movie that goes into the origins of the Force, and the first people to discover and wield it, and the first schism that formed between those who wanted to use it for the good of the galaxy and those who wanted to use it for powerfully selfish reasons. I think that origin would have been better than "a microbiotic world."

Burrito of Peace wrote on Jan 20, 2020, 11:37:
Feels good to have a down day.

Yes it does -- even if all my days have been down days for the last 3.9 years.

Mr. Tact wrote on Jan 20, 2020, 12:00:

Burrito of Peace wrote on Jan 20, 2020, 11:37:
Feels good to have a down day.

Yes it does -- even if all my days have been down days for the last 3.9 years.

Oh. Come now. You're alive. You have video games. You even have BluesNews. Chin up!

Wrong kind of down...

Mr. Tact wrote on Jan 20, 2020, 12:06:
Wrong kind of down...

Well, chin up all the same.

Actually, despite being a pessimist, for the most part I am generally up beat most of the time. Don't get me wrong, I've had my bouts with depression here and there, but being apathetic is a powerful tool against depression. As is taught in "Risky Business":

Every now and then say, "what the fuck". "What the fuck", gives you freedom. Freedom brings opportunity. Opportunity makes your future.

“Extinction is the rule. Survival is the exception.” -- Carl Sagan

I found more information about this "microbiotic world" from Indie Wire

The two-time best director Oscar nominee confided his vision to none other than James Cameron, who interviewed Lucas for "Space," the second episode of his recent six-part AMC series "James Cameron's Story of Science Fiction." A transcript from their talk appears in the companion book of the same name, published by Insight Editions on May 18. In it, Lucas reveals that he would have turned his gaze from the cosmos to what can be viewed only under a microscope.

"[The next three 'Star Wars' films] were going to get into a microbiotic world," he told Cameron. "There's this world of creatures that operate differently than we do. I call them the Whills. And the Whills are the ones who actually control the universe. They feed off the Force."

Elsewhere in the conversation, Lucas admitted, "Everybody hated it in 'Phantom Menace' [when] we started talking about midi-chlorians." In terms of his storytelling, Lucas regarded individuals as "vehicles for the Whills to travel around in…And the conduit is the midi-chlorians. The midi-chlorians are the ones that communicate with the Whills. The Whills, in a general sense, they are the Force."

Lucas is confident that had he kept his company, the Whills-focused films "would have been done. Of course, a lot of the fans would have hated it, just like they did 'Phantom Menace' and everything, but at least the whole story from beginning to end would be told."

Here are more details from James Cameron's Story of Science Fiction with George Lucas:

----

George Lucas: I keep telling people, look, we're not going to save the planet. Are you kidding? We don't have any power to save anything. But the planet's going to be OK. It'll look like Mars, but it's going to be fine. Who knows? Mars may have been like Earth and lost its atmosphere. . . . I still think they're going to find life on Mars. I'm absolutely convinced of it. There's going to be life all over the solar system.

Everybody hated it in Phantom Menance [when] we started to talk about midi-chlorians. There's a whole aspect of that movie that is about symbiotic relationships. To make you look and see that we aren't the boss. That there's an ecosystem here.

James Cameron: There's an ecosystem inside us called the microbiome that they're just learning about now.

George Lucas: [The next three Star Wars films] we're going to get into a microbiotic world. But there's this world of creatures that operate differently than we do. I call them the Whills, and the Whills are the ones who actually control the universe and feed off the Force.

James Cameron: You were creating a religion, George.

George Lucas: Back in the day, I used to say ultimately what this means is we were just cars, vehicles, for the Whills to travel around in . . . . We're vessels for them. And the conduit is the midi-chlorians. The midi-chlorians are the ones that communicate with the Whills. The Whills, in a general sense, they are the Force.

James Cameron: But you're putting detail and a facade of science around an idea that's pretty timeless, which is the spirit, the soul, heaven, causation . . . But in your world-building, you're going back to archetype, which is spirit, the godhead, all that sort of thing.

George Lucas: All the way back to -- with the Force and the Jedi and everything -- the whole concept how things happen was laid out entirely from [the beginning] to the end. But I never got to finish. I never got to tell people about it.

----

This is where The Journal of the Whills came from way back during the draft period of Star Wars. So George wasn't kidding about knowing the entire story. I don't know, but the more I read of Lucas's idea the more it sounds intriguing. It is something original. I don't think I ever hear of a sci-fi fantasy film delving into such a thing. Perhaps Star Trek did so in a couple of episodes. But it would have been quite different for a Star Wars film. I assume the Skywalkers, specifically Anakin being conceived by the Force as implied, and by extension, his offspring would have had something to do with the Whills.

NPR
His Dad Died In A Venezuelan Hospital. What He Saw In The Morgue Still Haunts Him Not for the squeamish.

"In 2012, Lucas sold the Star Wars franchise and Lucasfilm to Disney for $2.2 billion in cash and $1.855 billion in stock. The first Star Wars film made without Lucas's direct involvement, The Force Awakens, was released in 2015. Though Lucas had hoped to continue the story of the midi-chlorians, taking the films into what he called "a microbiotic world," [That sounds original] Disney ignored his story treatment in favor of J.J. Abrams, who co-wrote and directed the film."

That sounds like an absolute pittance doesn't it? Notch got 2.5 billion for one video game. That asshole from Wework got 1.7 billion for a company that didn't actually do anything, make any money, and tanked. So you think about how much the films raked in and then the merchandise? Oi vey, I think George sold way too low.

2.5 million miles away isn't headed for earth. For some perspective, Earth to the Moon is 239,000 miles away. Oh noes! The moon is headed for earth!

Goddamn the 49ers beat the Packers like a red headed stepchild. Enh, it was pretty much what I expected. Story would have been the same with the Seahawks. Welp, the Superbowl should actually be a pretty good one this year. I imagine it'll be a mostly passing, high scoring affair. I still think the 49ers will take it but I'll be rooting for the Chiefs.

Anyone else catch the premiere of Avenue 5 last night? It was pretty funny.

I knew of the MLK holiday but I did not know that there was a day of service for it. Huh, learn something everyday. Anyone here go out and do any volunteering for it?

Cutter wrote on Jan 20, 2020, 13:52:
2.5 million miles away isn't headed for earth. For some perspective, Earth to the Moon is 239,000 miles away. Oh noes! The moon is headed for earth!

Yeah, the media does this seemingly every other week or so. Gotta' get those clicks!

Burrito of Peace wrote on Jan 20, 2020, 11:37:
I have the day off. I've been watching both Bill and Ted movies and knocking out some minor chores.

Feels good to have a down day.

Excellent! Party on, dude!

I've been waiting for a good asteroid event. C'mon big ole space rock. I'm ready

Mr. Tact wrote on Jan 20, 2020, 12:06:
Wrong kind of down...

What kind of "down" are you talking about? "Going down?"

jdreyer wrote on Jan 20, 2020, 14:33:
What kind of "down" are you talking about? "Going down?"

Hmm, how about this?

Giant Meteor 2020!

Prez wrote on Jan 20, 2020, 14:30:
I've been waiting for a good asteroid event. C'mon big ole space rock. I'm ready

My favorite political bumper sticker of the year so far:

Giant Meteor
2020

(apparently I'm not the only one to have seen it.)

This comment was edited on Jan 20, 2020, 16:56.