Sometimes my job allows me to see some pretty cool stuff. This is a prime example:
Visual Dictionaries exist for a lot of different topics. Other than the obvious use of learning another language, there are a lot of sci fi series that put out these "dictionaries" to give fans a chance to display their total nerdness by putting all of the aspects of that universe into alphabetical order and creating a pretty reference book to be proudly displayed (or hoarded away. your preference). My personal favorite: The Doctor Who Visual Dictionary.
Fraking Dalecks...
Anyway. This newest addition to the Star Wars Visual Dictionary family is sure to please. I think it even comes with a little star wars lego dude. Here's a sample page of the coolness you'll find inside: Check it out if you get the chance. I feel like this honestly just makes learning about Star Wars fun for those of us who are just entering the universe. Or those of us who are 7 year old boys. Yeah, I think it works for both.
While playing Lego Star Wars this evening, I noticed the way the stormtroopers seem to skip-hop when they move. Actually, the reason I took note was because it was exactly in time to a Ting Tings song that was playing in the background. Then I remembered a comment MJ made when I couldn't control my stormtrooper on a certain level: "well what do you expect? you're a stormtrooper." This made me wonder...were these agents of the empire actually meant for comedic relief?
I couldn't find a straight answer, and I don't have time to watch one of the movies this evening to just give my own opinion, so instead you get a brief history of what the stormtroopers were:
Apparently just typing "stormtrooper" into Wikipedia brings up the real-life counterpart: specialist German military troops formed late in WWI. They used new infiltration techniques for trench warfare. Hmmm...
Ok, for our purposes, the first stormtroopers were actually clone troopers that survived the Clone Wars. They were modeled after Jango Fett. 3 other kinds of troopers joined these originals, but all of them retained some resemblance to Jango. In the earlier movies we see the troopers as fighters protecting Queen Amidalla, later the Jedi lose their influence and we see them fighting alongside Darth Vader.
So how does one sign up for service as a stormtrooper?
If a man wanted to sign up, he would be between the ages of 18-30. If he scored within the top fifth percentile, he would be contacted for possible cloning. Others who didn't score so high were wanted as recruits too, but no matter the test score they normally did need to fit a certain height and weight requirement. This kind of makes sense. Think back to your marching band days- remember sitting in the stands, watching other bands and playing rousing games of "spot the mini-marcher"? Yeah, we'd be doing that throughout every movie.
Here's an example of how agile the stormtrooper suit really is. (The guy on the subway is totally checking him out)
C-3P0 is officially a protocol droid. These were created specifically for interacting with organic beings.
C's specific job was to assist in etiquette, customs, and translation in order to make sure that meetings between different cultures went without any hitches. He was actually fluent in over 6 million languages, and served 40 different masters in his long lifetime.
Even though we know him as a space traveler in the movies, C hated that part of his existence. Adventure was not his cup of tea, and he would much rather have just stayed at home. Who can blame him? Every time there was a fight he usually lost a limb, and it seems like they were usually re-attached in the wrong manner. Poor droid.
On the bright side, C-3p0 has made quite an impression on the world of high fashion. Check out these leggings:
Darth is the title assumed by a Sith Lord or Master (one who is very powerful on the "dark side"). Wikipedia tells me that "it was once believed to be a condensed version of 'Dark Lord of the Sith,'" but Wookiepedia goes into more detail, which you can peruse at your leisure:
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Darth
I'm pretty sure though if you stick with Darth = Evil, you'll be ok.
And there actually are female "Darths," even though we don't necessarily see them in the movies. Check out this one:
Darth Talon. If you can't tell from looking, she's pretty badass. And those things coming off of her head are not "tentacles" as I've always referred to them. They are called lekku, and all Twi'leks have them. More on that later.
There is a man who is legendary when it comes to sound effects. His name is Ben Burtt, and these are some of the most recognizable examples of his work:
The Lightsaber: The hum came from a broken television set tuned between two VHF channels, while the click was produced by an idling film projector.
Chewbacca's voice: No, it's not an ape. It's actually a combo of barks and grunts from dogs mixed with the growls of lions and bears.
and my personal favorite...
R2-D2's voice: this amazingly cute (yes, I said it) droid's conversations are actually the sounds of Burtt whistling and making fart noises into an old tape recorder.
Let this be a lesson: don't ever let your parents tell you making fart noises will get you nowhere.
Hutts (as in Jabba the) can change gender. Also, Jabba has an uncle named Ziro who likes to dress in a rather feminine fashion (check out those earrings and feathers on his...scalp?). He appears in the animated series The Clone Wars.
