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“The Soft War” was by far a much faster paced episode. We see the rebellion really pick up speed in Onderon, and we spend a little more time with the new characters like Steela. But, what really has drawn my attention to this story arch is Ashoka. In the last blog, I discussed the key elements all fans should note in this arch. Today, I am only discussing one major element Ashoka.

One major change is the tone in her voice. It’s subtle, quiet, and she speaks as if each word is important. This reminds me of Luke when he “grew up” his voice changed to being calm and each word was well thought out. 
Go back and watch The Clone Wars movie. You can tell the differences in the tone of voice with Ashoka.  

Another major change with Ashoka is her mannerisms. She exudes peacefulness; she walks with her head upright.  She truly has become a Jedi Knight, and no longer is a mere Padawan. This was also the way Luke handled himself in Return of the Jedi. When he entered Jabba’s Palace, he walked with confidence; nothing shook him. He brought a sense of peace into the chaotic atmosphere.  in the middle of this rebellion, Ashoka
also brings a sense of strength and peace.

What I also notice in Ashoka’s is her commitment to the Jedi Order.  How can you tell this? Well, she stays in constant contact with Obi Wan Kenobi and Anakin. We also notice that she has stayed out of the rebellion fight, even when things looked bad. Sure, she was about ready to step in when some of the rebellion leaders were about to be executed, but held back when the guards came to rescue the prisoners. I doubt Anakin would have been able to hold himself together like
that, especially if it was Padmae in Lux’s place.

All of these changes in Ashoka have made me wonder if she might end up just simply leaving the Jedi Order in the end. I’m not convinced that Lux will be the reason, but perhaps something that Anakin does that goes against the Jedi Order will make her leave.  In just these three episodes, you can tell how committed she is.  Will she soon run into a major decision that will force her to see she is not a true Jedi? Perhaps she will have to leave in order to protect the Jedi. 

This was a great episode, and this story arch has showcased Ashoka well. We see a woman; now a Jedi Knight (who if I may say so myself is a much better Knight then her Master Anakin). The way this show ended, I believe there should be another part to this story.

Written By: Kristy Trowbridge


 
 

Written By: Kristy Trowbridge

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A War On Two Fronts
Written By: Chris Collins
Directed By: Dave filoni
Fortune Cookie: "Fear is a Malleable Weapon."

 Front Runners
 Written By: Chris Collins
                                                             Directed By: Steward Lee
                                                             Fortune Cookie: "To Seek something is to
                                                             Believe in its Possibility."

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The last two episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars  A War On Two Fronts and Front Runners were both rather lukewarm shows. I didn’t hate them they just weren’t my favorite either. Despite the mind numbing slow pace there are a few key elements that all fans of the Clone Wars should take notice.


A War on Two Fronts starts us off with the meeting of our favorite main characters
Anakin, Ashoka, and Obi Wan Kenobi. The three are waiting on the Jedi
Council who are discussing how they should go about answering the call for help from the insurgents on Onderon. This is the first of the key elements. Here we see the Jedi Council trying to figure out if our team should fight with the rebels, protect them, or even if they should go at all. You can see that the Jedi Council has become a bureaucracy there too slow in making decisions; yet at the same time they are completely going against their code. Jedis were meant to protect not lead men into battle. Yet at this particular moment when people do need their help they keep insisting they can only protect the rebels. This is another step into their ultimate down fall.

Another element has to do with Ashoka who once landing on Onderon
comes face to face with Lux Bonteri . We see her struggle with her feelings
towards him, not so much in words but in her movements and looks. 
In both episodes it is ironic that Anakin has to remind her to stay
focused even though he himself is married secretly to Padme. The element here is
when Anakin relates to Ashoka by saying he knows how hard it is to stay focused.
This I take it means he knows how hard it is to stay focused when you love
somebody. Ashoka apparently still does not know that he is married to Padme.

One last element is rather subtle and shows up in both episodes Anakin’s anger which is kicked up a notch when the Jedi Council refuses to do what he suggests. He even becomes anger when he believes Obi Wan Kenobi doesn’t trust him.  Before the season begins we were told to expect to see Anakin’s anger become worse. Maybe this episode is just the beginning of that and we should see it rise even higher in upcoming episodes.

Though I didn’t enjoy these two episodes as much the elements in them are essential to the rest of this season. From what I can see the next episode is part 3 of this story arch. I hope that this 3rd episode is a little more fast paced.  May The Force Be With You!

The Good & The Bad

The Good:

Ashoka centered episode! 

Obi Wan Kenobi ;)

Anakin gets a little anger.

Steela Gerrera is an awesome character and sharp shooter my kind
of gal! 

We get to see a little Jedi Council.

The great graphics when the generator blew up.


 The Bad:

Dukat again. SIGH.

Onderon looked so boring. I was expecting to be wowed.

Slow paced in both episodes.

Rex without his sexy amour. 

 
 
Well next weekend is the big StarFest Convention http://starland.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=113 in Denver which this Geek Girl will be attending. In case you haven't heard Girls Of Geek will be LIVE blogging the event. :) With that being said, lets dive into some awesome Star Wars mayhem!

Star Wars In The News
:
Jacob French has finished his trek across Australia in a Stormtrooper costume.  He walked over 10 hours a day and lost 26 pounds to raise money for Starlight Children's Foundation. Click the link below to watch the video.http://www.nwcn.com/news/147319595.html 
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So are you ready for Christmas?:
Hallmark just released their 2012 Star Wars Christmas ornaments. 
Club Jade's Blog:  http://clubjade.net/?p=38595 
I really like the Han Solo one with him on a Tauntaun it will look nice on my Star Wars Christmas tree.


Star Wars On YouTube:
I am always searching YouTube for cool Star Wars stuff. This awesome video by Improv Everywhere  http://improveverywhere.com/2010/07/14/star-wars-subway-car/ is fun to watch. I would love to have seen this in person. Please click the link for more information on how they pulled this off.
 
 
I know all of you Star Wars fans out there have a million questions your dying for George Lucas to answer I know I do. However, the likely hood of George answering those questions is slim. For today’s blog I thought it would be cool to gather all those burning questions people have. Who knows maybe another fan has the answer or these questions can jump start some awesome debates. If you have a question that is not listed below feel free to leave a comment or shoot us an email.

Questions:

1.        How does anyone understand r2d2?

2.       Who thought it was a good idea to make Jar Jar a senate representive?

3.       Why don’t we see more dead Jedi appearing through the use of the Force?

4.       Why does Yoda talk backwards?

5.       Do the different lightsaber colors mean anything?

6.       Did Palpatine throw the fight against Windu?

7.       What is Palpatine’s first name?

8.       What’s taking the T.V show (live action) show so damn long!?!

9.       In the Star Wars: The Clone Wars why is there more than one Sith?

10.   How did the Force come into existence?

Thanks for all the great questions you sent in.  Many of these could spark some awesome debates! Thanks George Lucas for one awesome universe that allows us to really sink our teeth into it. Don't forget Girls Of Geek has a Twitter account @girlsofgeek12 and a new Facebook Page  http://www.facebook.com/girlsofgeek12 

May The Force Be With You!


Star Wars News:
Ralph McQuarrie - On a sad note a great Star Wars artist who work on the design for all three of the original Star Wars movies passed away. To view his artwork and to learn more about him click this link below.http://www.starwars.com/news/ralph_mcquarrie_remembered.html 

Star Wars: The Clone Wars - New Episode tonight "Brothers". Now this has got to be the one where we see Darth Maul! lol ;)http://www.starwars.com/explore/the-clone-wars/ 

Cute Star Wars Stuff - One of my Facebook friends came across this adorable YouTube video. 
 
 
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Happy Star Wars Friday everyone! Hope your week went well. This is an extra special day for me. Not only is it Star Wars Friday, but it is also my birthday (I’m not telling you how old I am)! I’m not sure what I will be getting for my birthday. I do, however, know a Yoda cake is involved. 

Over the past week I have been able to chat with a friend of mine and we have had deep discussions about all things Star Wars. Being the only Star Wars Geek out here, it is nice to be able to discuss my favorite topic with other people. One topic that came up: would Qui-Gon Jinn have been a better mentor for Anakin? My thoughts: Obi-Wan Kenobi is not a good teacher for Anakin. Qui-Gon Jinn would have been better. Now, before you send me hate mail here are my reasonings.

First, Qui-Gon Jinn was not your average Jedi. If you have seen The Phantom Menace you get the feeling that Qui-Gon Jinn did not always see eye to eye with the Jedi Council. In fact, Qui-Gon Jinn was not on the Jedi council. He wasn’t afraid to go against their wishes. On the other hand, he had enough wisdom to know when to obey the council. Obi-Wan is a pure Jedi; he goes by the book.  That’s not a bad thing, it is just a different style. Anakin needed someone who could think outside the box like him. Anakin is not your average Jedi and he needed someone who could understand that.

Secondly, Qui-Gon Jinn wasn’t afraid to tell Obi-Wan when he was wrong. It seems to me that at times Obi-Wan ignores Anakin when he gets rebellious and simply expects Anakin to follow orders.  There really is no discipline with Anakin. I believe that Qui-Gon Jinn would not have tolerated Anakin’s behavior.  He understood where Anakin was coming from, but would not have tolerated his attitude.

Third and final reason, Qui-Gon Jinn was not afraid of Anakin. The Jedi Council, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and sometimes even Ahsoka seem to be afraid of Anakin. Qui-Gon Jinn would not have been. Just like he showed absolute courage when telling the Jedi Council about the possible Sith threat, and in front of Darth Maul, Qui-Gon Jinn faced danger head on.

Please don’t misunderstand me. Obi-Wan Kenobi is a great and powerful Jedi and my favorite Star Wars character. I just don’t think he is the best teacher for Anakin. Had Qui-Gon Jinn lived things would have been different.

"I'm not testing you, Obi-Wan. Life tests you! Every day, it brings you new chances for triumph or defeat. And if you pass the test, it doesn't make you a Jedi. It makes you human."

―Qui-Gon Jinn, to Obi-Wan Kenobi

Star Wars News:
The Art of Terese Nielsen: An amazing site with art work inspiried by Star Wars and Fantasy Art. My Favorite piece is the Captain Rex one.  http://www.tnielsen.com/Star_Wars.php

Star Wars The Clone Wars: New episode tonight, "Massacre" in which we return to the Nightsisters an Ventress. It was announced that Darth Maul will be returning in one of these 4 part episodes. Check out the links below for more details.
The Official Star Wars: The Clone Wars Site:  http://www.starwars.com/explore/the-clone-wars/ep419/#!/media
USA Today:  http://www.usatoday.com/life/comics/story/2012-02-23/Darth-Maul-debuts-in-Star-Wars-Clone-Wars/53221760/1  (This is a story on Darth Maul returning)

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  In order for me to watch Star Wars: The Phantom Menace 3D , I had to travel 3 hours in order to find an Imax theater. So believe me when I tell you it was worth the trip. All of you by now know that I love everything Star Wars; I love The Clone WarsThe Prequels, andThe Originals. I had no problem with George Lucas re-releasing the movies to the big screen. I mean come on, who doesn’t want to watch Star Wars in 3D??? When you think about it, the movie was originally released in 1999 so it has been at least 13 years since we last saw it on the big screen.

Here are a few reasons why it was worth the trip:
  • The Picture was Crystal Clear.
It all just seemed so fresh and cleaned up. I saw things in the background that I wasn’t aware of before.

  •  Certain Scenes were totally AWESOME in 3D.
The Podrace and Darth Maul kicking butt scene.

  •  Great Sound Quality.
I noticed it during the podrace. It felt like a pod was hovering right next to you.

  •  Up-close Scenes
There were moments that I felt like I was standing next to Obi-Wan or Queen Amidalia.

There were parts of the movie that I didn’t see the 3D effect ( I had assumed there would be more), but over all I thought it was well done. The best part was that by re-releasing the movies, it draws in a younger generation of fans which will help keep Star Wars alive.

I have to be honest that I didn’t notice the changes George Lucas made to the film. I was so caught up in the movie that they did not stand out to me –  which is a good thing. Even if you have seen this movie a hundred times, give it a go again! It is well worth it!

Thanks Cinemark Theater in Colorado Springs, CO:

3305 Cinema Point, Colorado Springs, CO 80922

http://www.cinemark.com/theatre-detail.aspx?node_id=1569

Thanks For:

A clean theater.

Cool 3D glasses I could wear over my real glasses.

Ticket’s priced well.

Courtesy Staff.

An awesome experience!

* I’ll be back for the next one!

Star Wars News:

Kinect Star Wars Bundle: For those of you who love the Xbox ( I love me some Halo) Releasing June 1 is a Custom Star Wars Xbox console. http://games.gearlive.com/playfeed/article/kinect-star-wars-bundle-details-q112/

Wal-Mart: Just noticed a cool set of Star Wars plastic birthday cups. Hmmmm my birthday is almost here………..

Star Wars Toys: Speaking of toys here is a list I found on the web of all the latest Star Wars collectibles. (Michelle they are coming out with the At-At backpacks in June). http://gadgetbox.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/16/10427275-the-latest-and-craziest-star-wars-toys-and-gadgets

May The Force Be With You!