18 ENTERTAINMENT
Where we left off
Teachers reminisce about Star Wars
BY AHMAD AYUB
Entertainment Editor A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, George Lucas created the incredible universe of Star Wars. Since then, the franchise has accumulated millions of fans worldwide. The series started with three episodes released in the late 70s and early 80s. Twenty years later, Lucas directed three prequels to help establish a larger background to the universe. The story was left off with the final battle between the good and the bad. Luke, Leia, Chewbacca, Lando, R2-D2 and C-3PO travel to Jabba's palace to save the carbonated Han Solo and are captured themselves. Han's body is thawed and the heroes escape. Luke travels to the Dagobah system to meet with a dying Yoda, while the rest rendezvous with the rest of the Alliance. The spirit of Obi-Wan reveals to Luke that Leia is his sister and that he has to fight his father, Darth Vader, to defeat the Empire. The group travels to Endor to attack a shield generator that is helping the Empire build a new Death Star and Vader unsuccessfully tries to convince Luke to join the dark side of the Force. While Luke and Vader go to meet with the Emperor, Darth Sidious, the rest of the strike team manages to successfully disable the shield. Luke witnesses the death of his father and Darth
BY JULIUS MILLER Staff Writer George Lucas released his ambitious project Star Wars in 1977 with little idea of how well it would be received. The movie was screened in a small amount of just 43 theatres but still managed to accumulate $1.5 million on its opening weekend. He named the film Star Wars and later changed it to A New Hope. The cast consisted of very interesting characters and drew in the audience to an interesting storyline. After the movie proved to be a success, Lucas released two more movies by the names of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Star Wars would go on to be viewed over and over for years to many different generations, but few could say they were the first generation to see it. Some of those lucky few attend AHS and have stories to tell. "I saw Star Wars for the first time when I was in high school and when the films were re-released for their 20th anniversary," Social Studies teacher Lindsay Zurawski said. "I really enjoyed seeing the films with my friends and I became a huge fan after that." Zurawski isn't the only one to have memories associated with these films. English teacher Bill Maglisceau also was one of the first to see the originals in theatres. "For The Empire Strikes Back, I got in line after swim practice for the premiere," Maglisceau said. "I was first in line and sat in the front row." Robert Thompson, a learning disabilities teacher at AHS, had a more unique experience than most. "I was lucky enough to have a connection to see a private screening the day before the release of Return of the Jedi," Thompson said. "I excused my kids from elementary school and took them with me." Thompson looks to take his granddaughter to see the new film. After Lucas released the original trilogy, he decided to release the prequel trilogy. The three movies released were The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and The Revenge of the
Dec. 8, 2015
New villain Kylo Ren preparing for a battle.
Sith. The prequels received heavy criticism. The use of computer-generated imagery in the movies, or CGI, was looked down upon by viewers of the original trilogy. "I think they did some things right and some things not so right. I thought the visuals were stunning and the lightsaber duels were much more impressive than in the original films," Zurawski said. "Things I'd remove from the prequels? Midi-chlorians and Jar Jar Binks." Regardless of the criticism, the prequels still managed to accumulate $1.1 billion in gross sales. In October 2014, it was announced that a seventh Star Wars film, The Force Awakens, would be released on Dec. 18. The hype has not stopped since then. Zurawski and many others bought their tickets for opening weekend months prior to its release. "I'm really excited to see the characters in a new storyline," Zurawski said. "That being said, I'm a little upset that Disney and J.J. Abrams threw out the entire expanded universe to make this film." Not only does Star Wars entertain people, it brings them together. This new movie gives everyone an opportunity to enjoy it together as one big community, just as it did with the six others. Hopefully, students can create experiences as great as the ones that teachers have made with the sequel trilogy. More importantly, may the force be with you.
Han Solo and Chewbacca are two of the returning heroes.
Sidious and the Alliance successfully destroys the new Death Star. In the end, the rebels celebrate on Endor and Vader's body is cremated. Although Luke's father dies, the heroes are left with a generally happy ending. The Force Awakens catches up with the story 30 years later, when the galaxy is once again threatened by the dark side. The Rebel Alliance has been replaced by the Resistance and the Empire has been replaced by the First Order. As shown by footage released in trailers for the film, there is a new army of Stormtroopers, and one of them is our new hero, Finn. Other new characters include Rey, a scavenger on the new planet of Jakku, Poe Dameron, a Resistance pilot, and Kylo Ren, a commander of the First Order. Returning characters include Luke, Leia, Han, and last but not least, C-3PO and R2-D2.
Q&A with English teacher Niki Holmes Q: What's your favorite Star Wars memory? A: My favorite memory is from 1977, when I was nine years old. My mother and father took me to see Star Wars. NEVER had I seen anything so amazing as the scrolling of the opening words: "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...." For the time, it was cutting edge technology and so exciting, especially for a girl who had not seen many movies in the theater. Plus, I was young enough that my mom actually covered my eyes during the Cantina scene so I would not be upset by the blood and violence. Q: What did you think of the prequels? A: They were terrible. Really terrible. Lucas needed an editor, but no one seemed to be able to stand up to him to suggest that the dialogue was ridiculous. Don't
even get me started on the use of racial stereotypes with the supporting characters... Q: Are you excited for The Force Awakens and why or why not? A: I am cautious. I hate to suffer another disappointment. I have hopes that it will be good. Q: Favorite quote? A: "Will someone get this big walking carpet out of my way?" This still cracks me up. Q: Did you have any special experiences with the first movies? A: It was mind boggling to have learned of Luke's parentage. I may still be recovering from that shock.
Who is your favorite Star Wars character?
"Yoda, because he looks funny and he was the master."
"Luke Skywalker, because the actor attended AHS." ALEX BELLEM freshman
MARIAMAWIT WOLDEAB
"My favorite character is Darth Vader, because of his suit and powers."
freshman
"Mace Windu, is my favorite because he has a purple lightsaber."
"Obi-Wan, because he helped bring Luke into the light side."
TOMMY PERRY
DAWSON PLUMMER
sophomore
junior
"R2-D2, because he is the coolest robot in the series."
JESSICA FERSON
MOHNISH VAID
junior
senior
"Mace Windu, because he's one of the few black people in the movie."
"Darth Vader, because he's a unique villain."
ALHAJI KARGBO senior
Star Wars: A Timeline "I like when R2-D2 and C-3PO land on Tatooine because they argue so much."
"It had the best CGI in the original trilogy and is second best in terms of story."
JASHON REAMS
PHILLIP DELCORE
senior
senior
1977
1983
1980
I loved the chemistry between Princess Leia and Han Solo."
"Not the best one out of the six but there's a lot of action. Battles between Count Dooku and Yoda are the best parts."
2002
GABE ALANA junior
1999
"I think this movie was a good intro to the trilogy."
2005
"This movie was great because Vader is the G.O.A.T villain."
TOBIAS DIESNTFREY
CAMERON TRAN
ALEX ALFARO
Math teacher
senior
senior
NAOL BAYISA senior