One of the most fascinating characters in the whole Star Wars saga is, undoubtedly, Sheev Palpatine, also known as Darth Sidious, as played by Ian McDiarmid. In the Original trilogy he was the undoubted villain, the character who had no remorse … Continue reading The Emperor, Palpatine and Darth Sidious: Developing Character over Time
Some time ago I wrote a post about Zam Wessel, one of my favourite female characters to come out of the Star Wars Prequels who is often forgotten about in discussions about Star Wars. Another one of these women who, despite most … Continue reading Star Wars’ Forgotten Women #2: Shmi Skywalker
San Diego Comic-Con 2015 has come and gone and it has been amazing… for the most part. Clone Corridor was started in April of this year not long after the end of SWC: Anaheim and, partly, as a consequence of the … Continue reading SDCC 2015: Why with all the Prequel-Bashing?
It was high time for another My Star Wars Moment, no? Fans sharing their experiences and memories is not only fun but could also remind others just how fun and encouraging the Star Wars fandom still is. Today I’ve got a MSWM from … Continue reading My Star Wars Moment #6: Adi and the Summer of 1999
A discussion that rages through the fan community since the early days after the premiere of The Phantom Menace is that about the use of practical vs. cgi effects. Often these are discussions about whether one has been used too much in the prequels or the other too little before they descent into counting ‘numbers of practical vs cgi effects. Or they are arguments about why practical effects are ‘real’ and cgi is ‘fake’. In all practicality of course this distinction is not as straightforward as it seems and as a result the discussion are often riddled with inconsistent argumentation and barely disguised ‘taste’ being represented as ‘fact’. So I want to look at a slightly different question! Practical vs CGI: what does that even mean? Continue reading “Practical and CGI … what does that even mean?”
Today I am very happy to present to you a guest post by Bradley Weatherholt, the director of theupcoming The Prequels Strike Back, a documentary about the Star Wars prequels which will feature fan interviews and radical new theories. It has just … Continue reading Guestpost: Will the Prequels Strike Back? by Bradley Weatherholt
Sir Christopher Lee was born on May 2th, 1922 and is best known for his roles as Dracula, Francisco Scaramanga and Saruman. Today is Sir Christopher Lee’s birthday and in honour of this amazing man, we have a post about Count … Continue reading Christopher Lee’s Dooku: The Importance of the Count
When George Lucas made the choice to start the Prequel Trilogy with Anakin Skywalker as a kid and to include Jar Jar Binks as a character he must have had an inkling of what was coming. But he must have made this choice deliberately because of its story-telling value. In this post I want to have a look at how intimately the stories of these two great characters are entangled and how they mirror each other. Unwittingly, in their joint rejection of these two, the prequel-bashing community not only misses out on a vital element of the story Lucas tried to convey. But above all they confirm the message that is in Jar Jar and Anakin’s story for those who did make the effort to recognize it.
The Atlantic yesterday reported on what George Lucas treatment was for The Force Awakens. Although we can’t find the section of the Vanity Fair article Spencer Kornhaber is apparently reporting on, he quotes VF and Abrams as follows: ‘[Abrams] said Lucas’s treatment had centered on very … Continue reading Corridor Chat: George Lucas’ EpVII Treatment Was to Focus on Young People
The brilliant Vanity Fair article this week has given us a lot of scoops. Not only do we have names for two more characters, we also got some great interviews and behind-the-scenes photos. VF also sat down with J.J. Abrams, director of upcoming The Force Awakens, for an interview and unfortunately he once again catered to the so-called ‘prequel haters’ by discussing Jar Jar Binks. Talking to VF editor Bruce Handy, Abrams said:
“I have a thought about putting Jar Jar Binks’s bones in the desert [of Jakku]. I’m serious! Only three people will notice, but they’ll love it.”
Now, I’m all for jokes. I love jokes. However, Jar Jar Binks is a very controversial figure within the Star Wars-fandom. Many fans of the Original Trilogy use him as their favourite stick to bash the Prequel Trilogy with, arguing he is a ridiculous figure, disgraceful and not worthy of being in a Star Wars-film. It has come to the point where saying that you like Jar Jar, like I do, means you have to face a barrage of disagreement, if not abuse. The fact that the same things were originally held against the Ewoks in the OT is conveniently forgotten. Everyone is allowed their own opinion and you don’t have to like everything about Star Wars. Whether you like both the OT and PT or just one of them, you have a right to liking or disliking things. However, as I have previously argued, the disproportionate hate against the PT has led to many of its good points and layers of depth to go completely unnoticed. There is more to the figure of Jar Jar than most people acknowledge and I will be going into it below.
Clone Corridor 