I've finally seen The Last Jedi

Well, it's finally happened. I have watched The Last Jedi.

I suspect I'll be one of the last Star Wars fans to see the movie, and though I'll try to be spoiler free, I can't make any promises, so if you haven't seen it, best leave now. I have also read the book, which always helps to build understanding.

Overall, I thought it was very well done. It was time for the first six movies to exit stage left, and that was achieved, I think, very well. After the disappointment of The Force Awakens, which was A New Hope all over again, I feared that this movie would end up being The Empire Strikes Back mark II. It's not. Not at all. But there are scenes in it that were reminiscent of both TESB and Return of the Jedi. To me, that was fitting because this movie is the end of an era, and the beginning of something new.

Luke Skywalker's arc worked for me. He'd run away from the Galaxy, so of course he'd be a grumpy old man at being found. I was also comfortable with the final scenes. I thought of it as the difference between a journeyman and a grand master. If a Jedi attains a certain level of enlightenment they can do things ordinary Jedi can't.

Naturally there were lots of shoot 'em ups and derring-do. That's what you expect from a Star Wars movie. But this time, the storm troopers and the TIE pilots actually managed to hit their targets quite often. I particularly liked the star destroyer captain who was obviously unimpressed with General Hux's tactical skills. That's made much clearer in the book. Young Hux is not a nice man. I need hardly add the special effects (or should I say the digital effects) were terrific.

This is a much more mature Star Wars movie. People make mistakes – big ones, with huge consequences. Not every episode of derring-do ends up with victory. Poe Dameron may have grown as a character, but I think he might have a few sleepless nights. Kylo Ren is still a mixed-up mess, and Rey has found out what the Force is really all about. Luke's lessons to Rey resonated for me. Yes, there were echoes of Dagobah, but that was okay.

Watching Star Wars, it's always necessary to suspend belief at least a little bit. Eighteen hours to pop off to another planet, pick somebody up, and get a job done is hardly realistic unless space travel is almost instantaneous. But that's Star Wars.

I did have one major complaint, though. The female vice admiral wears a bloody cocktail dress, FFS. Really??? Everybody else is in a military uniform, even Leia is dressed to fit the part of a leader in a battle, but this woman's wearing a sexy little number that flows around her body. Rolls Eyes.

All in all, a jolly good effort. I'll look forward to the next one. But first, it's only a couple of months until Solo hits the screens.

I'm over the moon

(C) Greta van der Rol

There are two reasons for that title. The first is because, after a depressing several days of believing I'd lost all the photos I took on my last European holiday, and my trip over to Perth to catch up with my friend, I located them. It's a messy business being old. I explain all that over at my personal blog. To say I was relieved to recover the pictures is an understatement. A tour of Europe is not exactly cheap - although if I could do it again with better weather and less illness it might be worth my while. Still, it's never the same the second time around, and despite the occasional travail, there were some magic moments.

Back up your data, people. It's very, very important.

The second reason is that it seems The Last Jedi doesn't suck. Opinion is certainly mixed, but I'd expect that. I'm heartened by the fact that several people whose opinions I respect are saying it's exceptionally good. That means I'm looking forward to seeing the DVD out in the stores so I can watch it for myself.

The third reason is that Timothy Zahn has written another Thrawn book - which is hardly surprising. Although I wouldn't say it was brilliant, I enjoyed the novel Thrawn enough to have read it twice, and will no doubt read it again because that's how I roll. The new book is called Thrawn: Alliances and it's out for pre-order as an ebook. The description is mouth watering.

"Grand Admiral Thrawn and Darth Vader ally against a threat to the Empire in this new novel from bestselling author Timothy Zahn.

The sequel to Sunday Times bestseller Thrawn, Thrawn: Alliances will continue to follow the rise of Grand Admiral Thrawn to the heights of Imperial power—and accompany him into the past, witnessing his first encounter with the man who will one day become Darth Vader."

I've also bought Neil de Grasse-Tyson's book, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry. Excellent holiday reading. And look at that - over two THOUSAND reviews for a work of non-fiction! I wonder if he's FB friends with any of those people? Maybe fellow authors?

And as soon as we all recover from The Last Jedi, next year in March we'll be seeing the young Han Solo movie, imaginatively titled Solo. More things to look forward to!

This is my last post for the year. I want to wish everyone a wonderful solstice, however you celebrate the turning of the season. 'Traditional' Christmas is such a very cold climate, Northern Hemisphere thing. Here in Australia it's the start of the Summer holidays, where we enjoy surfing, the beach, cold beer in the shade, maybe a few fresh prawns (shrimp) on the barbie. And really, it doesn't matter, does it? It's about caring and sharing. Enjoy.

Catch you all in 2018.

(C) Greta van der Rol

I (still) have a bad feeling about this

It’s that time of year again. Christmas? Holidays? Yeah, I guess so. But just before the winter solstice (in the Northern Hemisphere), has become the time for the latest Star Wars episode, and fans can’t wait for the latest offering, pre-ordering tickets, and queuing for hours for the first screening. I’m sure you all know I’m a die-hard Star Wars fan. Have been for many years, since I watched a movie that back then was just Star Wars. Later it became episode 4: A New Hope, after the little SF offering became a mega-hit and evolved into a franchise.

I was meh about the prequels, saw some hope in the cartoon Star Wars Rebels, (because Grand Admiral Thrawn), and waited in star-struck anticipation (tempered by the cynicism that comes with age) for the new dawn in The Force Awakens. 

It’s no secret that I was underwhelmed with the The Force Awakens. It was episode 4, rewarmed and with a few vegies added. Maybe a sprinkle of cheese. I won’t go into details, maybe there are still some people out there who haven’t seen Star Wars 7, and I expect that would be a good idea before they watch Star Wars 8: The Last Jedi. Way back in May 2017 I said I had a bad feeling about this and my opinion hasn't changed.

The size and importance of the Star Wars juggernaut was illustrated last weekend, when the cover of the Weekend Australian (a respected national newspaper) magazine was devoted to a head shot of Mark Hamill in Luke Skywalker costume for the new movie. Several pages were devoted to an interview with the film’s producer. I read it. Of course. And after reading that interview I (still) have a bad feeling about this.

The pattern was set by The Force Awakens. The heroine, a young girl (Rey), of unknown parentage, discovers by accident that she has Force skills. We are introduced to the senior villain (Snoke) and his apprentice (Kylo Ren), and learn of the First Order (in lieu of an empire) which is bent on oppressing the Galaxy. Oh, and there’s a band of brave rebels, led by General Leia Organa, bent on stopping the First Order. The film ends with Rey handing her/his light sabre back to the Wise Old Man (Luke Skywalker). This is all standard fantasy stuff and the parallels with A New Hope are obvious.There's even a precocious droid to rehash R2D2.

The stage is set and there’s no turning back. The director of  The Last Jedi had to build on that beginning.

Let’s take a look at my very favourite Star Wars movie, The Empire Strikes Back (TESB). (Yes, it’s still better than Rogue One – which I thought was great). It's rare for a sequel to hit the heights of the first movie, but most people agree that TESB was better than its predecessor.

Luke has discovered that the Force is with him. Now it’s time to learn. His past mentor, Obi Wan Kenobi, has voluntarily left the building, although he’s still around on the astral plain, to the extent that he can tell Luke to find the Jedi Master who instructed him. Now, I’m assuming after all these years, and if you’re still reading, a few spoilers won’t be amiss. Really, if you don’t know some of this stuff I’d have to ask which planet you just arrived from. After coming across young Skywalker in the destruction of the Death Star, Darth Vader has become obsessed with finding the young Jedi, which leads to the battle of Dagobah, which the Empire wins. However, Luke slips away to find the Jedi Master. One of THE greatest object lessons in TESB is the little green frog-like being who turns out to be Yoda. Luke’s looking for a great warrior, to which Yoda retorts, “Huh. Wars not make one great”. The whole episode on Dagobah is essentially spiritual as Luke learns the relationship between life and the Force, and the balance between good and evil, light and darkness. Then there’s the denouement. Luke fears for his friends, goes to rescue them, and faces his arch-enemy, Darth Vader, bent on revenge. The choice to fall down that exhaust vent after Vader informs Luke of his parentage is kind of symbolic. He’s reached his lowest point, mentally and physically. When he’s rescued by Leia and Chewie, there’s only one way to go.

Segue to The Last Jedi.

I’ve watched all the trailers. I’ve read a few analyses. Even now, I can see some inevitable similarities. A bit of new hardware appears in this movie, equivalent to my favourite spaceship, Executor from TESB. Snoke has a floating arsenal called Supremacy, and I’m guessing he's obsessed with finding the young Jedi who defeated his protégé, Kylo Ren. Rey has gone for training. We know who the Jedi Master is, but maybe there is another – the Bendu, who appeared in Star Wars Rebels, an entity of both the light and the dark. I’m saying that because of the reference to the ancient Book of Whills. So Rey will get trained. And one way or another, she’ll find out who her parents are/were. (Snoke? Surely not) Then there’s her friends, Po and Finn, who get mixed up in battles with the First Order. Is she going to have to gallop in and attempt to save them? Going by the trailers, the denouement scene involves Rey being tortured in a manner reminiscent of Luke being hit by the Emperor’s Force lightning in Return of the Jedi.

I hope that The Last Jedi isn’t going to be a thinly-veiled rehash of The Empire Strikes Back or maybe TESB plus a few bits from Return of the Jedi. There’s potential for it not to be. It seems Kylo Ren loses his mask, which was a bit of cosplay to emulate his late grandfather. What that means is another matter. Kylo (sans mask and with a scar over his eye just like Grandpa’s) is pictured piloting a TIE fighter. (Which is interesting, because all the other human pilots wear breathing apparatus.) Are we going to see a union of the dark and the light through Kylo and Rey? And that gets a bit sticky for me. Kylo apparently murdered all of his uncle’s Jedi students, and certainly his own father. Forgiving and forgetting… yeah, no.

The movie opens in Australia on 14^th December, tomorrow for the UK and US. No, I haven’t pre-ordered tickets. No, I won’t be in the queues for the midnight showing. I don’t think I’ll even see the film at a movie theatre. But I’ll be hangin’ out for the reviews to see if I was dead wrong. Hoping I am, before I watch the DVD to form my own opinion.

Oh - and if you're looking for a last minute, something different present for a die-hard Star Wars fan, s/he might like one of my books - Dryden Universe, Ptorix Empire, and Morgan Selwood are all space opera. You'll be doing a struggling writer a favour too. Merry Christmas - or Holidays if you prefer.

Feel The Conflict: Anticipation Nerves for #TheLastJedi

Have you felt it? In two days time I'm off to see The Last Jedi and I can't help feeling conflicted about it. It was the same for The Force Awakens. I was so excited to see Star Wars return and not only with the original trio but a female lead, yet trepidation over how Disney would handle it. Ultimately I loved it, even if they did play heavily to nostalgia. No, for TLJ I have a whole bunch of new concerns.

1. Will it be as good? For my own personal definition of 'good' that is. Early reactions from the premier seem mostly positive, even super-excited. You can check them out HERE - caution, I didn't see any spoilers but only skim read a few to be sure. I really want to go in with an open mind.

2. Will it progress? While I loved the nostalgia of TFA, Disney can't rely on that forever. They need to move forward, take the franchise in their own direction, and have the characters and universe continue to grow. From what I've read of the first reactions, it appears they've done that.

3. Will it be a repeat of Anakin's story? I never really understood his fall into the Dark Side in the prequels, and they also took what little sympathy I had for Vader and be annoyed over his redemption in RotJ afterwards. I definitely want to see more thought out motivation and reasoning for any relationships, betrayals and redemptions in this new trilogy.

4. Will they rely on special effects over plot? My biggest issue with Valerian, shown this summer, was while it was visually spectacular, the plot was poor (actually, calling it 'poor' is being kind). I felt like they'd spent all their time, money and energy on making it look glorious and threw in the storyline at the last minute. The trailers for TLJ definitely show snippets of some spectacular space battles (where would SW be without those?!) but I hope there's more to them than that.

And lastly, does Luke Skywalker survive?! I'm not going to lie - I'm a Luke girl through and through, ever since I first saw A New Hope at the age of eight and had my very first crush on a certain Tatooine farmboy (sigh). I love angsty heroes. If they kill Luke off...well, I might never be able to watch another Star Wars film ever again. >.<

Next week will be my last post at Spacefreighters as I go offline for the Christmas holidays, but I will post a short, spoiler free (promise!) review to let you know what I thought and if I survived!

Status Update
While I only hit 11K in my final tally for NaNoWriMo, it was all new stuff for a book that will sit between books two and three of my Keir series. It's nowhere near complete but the bare bones are down so I can now build on those. I also finished edits for Reunion, which will be going to my editor at the end of this week. With luck it might finally be ready for release early next year. Right now I'm using a rare snowfall here in the more temperate end of the UK as inspiration to work on my winter solstice SF mystery, another project more than two years in the making (and still not done). Sigh. Maybe next winter...

Chook Update
My girls are NOT enjoying the snow. Yesterday my two older chooks - Kyru and Scoop - refused to come out first thing, although they did venture out later. As I result I've now put food and water inside their nest box, as the last thing they can afford to do in these temperature is to lose weight. After reading up on some advice, I offered them warm porridge this morning and put down some spare barley straw we had to give their feet some protection from the now frozen bark chipping we use in their run. The ungrateful whatsits turned their nose up at the food and refused to go onto the straw even when I threw in some of their favourite treats. However, they did eventually venture out, even if they mostly ended up on their perches. Tomorrow it's supposed to warm back up so hopefully they'll feel a bit better.

See ya!