Star Wars '78

(Yikes! I wrote this back in August, but held it back as I had plans for some follow-up posts. Those plans have changed for... reasons that I'll go into in a few weeks.)

In the sort of weird coincidence that makes humans believe in something that surrounds us, penetrates us, and binds the galaxy together, Star Wars gaming popped into my head from two different directions over the past couple of weeks. First, Stuart started running a short Star Wars D6 game; I haven't played it since around 1995 and it's been great fun getting back into it. A couple of days later, Jez Gordon asked, on the medias social:

"If you were gonna play in a Star Wars D6 campaign what would be your favorite era and why?"

To which I replied:

"Rebellion(ish), after SW but before ESB, in that fertile space where there was no more Star Wars, and anything goes.

(Basically, Marvel Star Wars.)"

This coincidence has got me thinking about an idea I've had for a while, which is the sort of Star Wars game I would run, and that game is Star Wars '78.

The three basic principles are this:

• Only Star Wars itself -- the first film, and maybe its adaptations -- is canon.
• Anything that came after can be used for inspiration, but isn't to be considered a "fact".
• Anything I invent/borrow/steal cannot contradict Star Wars, but I can happily negate anything else.

It's more or less the Star Wars universe as of 1978, with the first film -- not even "Episode IV" at this point -- the only thing out there. This is the environment in which the original Marvel comics were released, and in which Splinter of the Mind's Eye was written. Wild, vague, and in flux.

Let's see what happens...

Live long and prosper!

His Head Doesn't Glimmer

I started watching Andor yesterday.

Gosh that first episode is terrible at setting up the premise, isn't it? If you were coming to this without having seen Rogue One it must be baffling; coming to it as a casual Star Wars fan, or as someone following the hype, it must be incomprehensible. But I will stick with it, as I am told by everyone that it is very good indeed.

In truth, it will be a bit of a struggle, not least because I can't take the villain Syril Karn seriously. He's basically Arnold Rimmer.

With the protagonist -- opening scene aside -- being portrayed as a cheeky chancer, the whole thing has a UK sitcom feel, which isn't helped by 90% of the cast having appeared in UK sitcoms. We'll see how far I can get.

#MayThe4thBeWithYou

Happy Star Wars Day everyone!

#MayThe4thBeWithYou

#MayThe4thBeWithYou

Happy Star Wars Day everyone!

#MayThe4thBeWithYou

What If?

Harrison Ford, even after Star Wars, was not the first choice for Indiana Jones. Instead, Tom Selleck was picked, and you can see his screen test on the fourth DVD in the Indiana Jones boxed set. I mean the special features disc, not that pap Lucas and Spielberg attempted to foist upon us last year. Anyway, Selleck dropped out in order to appear in Magnum, P.I., Ford was Indy, and all was right in the world.

Except:




On a somewhat related note, an episode of Quantum Leap was planned in which Sam would leap into Magnum. That didn't happen either.

Scooby Doo In Space

Obviously, I've not seen the film yet, but the novelisation of Revenge Of The Sith makes quite clear something I'd suspected since I saw The Phantom Menace.

Darth Sidious is Chancellor/Emperor Palpatine.

No, that's not the funny bit. The funny bit is that this is supposed to be a big old M Night Shyamalan surprise.

Oh, George... and the trailer had me convinced that you weren't going to cock this one up...