Well, seeing as this might be my last blog entry, as my Hyperspace subscription expires tomorrow, I figured I might as well write about my experience watching the Star Wars marathon last weekend. All episodes, back to back. It was the first time I watched the marathon in one sitting, and with someone other than my family, which helped provide some interesting new insights into our beloved saga.

My friend dropped by my apartment at around eight thirty in the morning. She's done the marathon thing before, and suggested that this would be a good time to start it. Considering that it was a Saturday, and I work late at night, I wasn't too thrilled to get up that early. But, it's Star Wars, so I was more than willing to sacrifice a little sleep for some lightsaber action. Besides, she brought bagels.

I don't really recall any earth shattering revelations for us until Attack of the Clones. It was at that point that my friend, whom I will refer to as Luvinna, finally realized something, something that was right in front of us, but that we never really took notice before: While everyone likes to blame Jar Jar for Palpatine getting into power, it was actually Padme who made it all possible. How so? She's the one who got Chancellor Valorum ousted from Office by making a vote of "No confidence", thus opening the door for Palpatine to enter. Yes, Jar Jar is the one who submitted the amendment to give Palpatine Supreme powers, but had Padme not have listened to Palpatine in the first place, he never would have gotten into Office. At least, he wouldn't have through her.

But there's more.

This also adds more depth and answer to the question of what actually killed Padme. Some say it was the Force, some think it was Palpatine. But what if she died because of guilt? Obi-Wan told her that the Chancellor was a Sith, and that everyone, including Anakin, were deceived by a lie. So, from Padme's point of view, this is what happened as a result of her voting "No Confidence" to get Valorum out of Office:

- Palpatine becomes Supreme Chancellor
- The Clone Wars
- The Jedi are killed by Order 66
- The Republic is turned into the first Galactic Empire
- Anakin turned to the dark side, and joined the Sith

I think the point at which Anakin turned on Padme was when reality hit home, and she then realized that everything Obi-Wan told her was actually true. But more than that, I think she was overwhelmed with shock, and basically, to quote an old phrase, "couldn't handle the truth."

In any event, I think there were some more things that we noticed, but I can't remember them at the moment. But this was the one insight that really stuck out in my mind.

The marathon finally ended, if memory serves, at around eleven o' clock; I can't remember exactly. All I know is that, at some point, we had a slight interruption, or malfunction, if you will, when my DVD player started to overheat, by the time we got to The Empire Strikes Back.

But all in all, it was a fun day, and I would do it again. It does make for a long day, but it doesn't really seem that long. It's certainly not a day that drags on. Both of us were pretty tired though, by the time I popped in Return of the Jedi, and I think I was starting to doze off a little bit.

Anyway, if you haven't tried it yet, I highly recommend it. It's an excellent way to spend a day if you have the time, at least, if you're into Star Wars, which I think it's safe to assume that you all are.

As Always,

- The Star Wars Uncle