Taps on the microphone

Ahem *feedback*...

Hello there

Emperess Fangir... er, Featured Blog of the Day, huh? Either title is an honor, and in a small bout of excitement at news of the latter last night (early this morning actually), I somehow managed to give myself a fat lip with the corner of my lap top. All the teeth are in tact at least. I'm not sure if it was the FBOTD news, or some of the major BSG season 3 spoilers and speculation I was reading around the web at the time, that led to the injury. My fandom can be dangerous.

* Restrains from talking about BSG *

So, now that I have the podium, and since I've been meaning to follow up on the mystery around the blog title Seven Pieces, and before I start to load a major software bundle on my computer tonight (and possibly bung things up so bad, the ripples are felt across the entire Holonet)... I figured heck, no time like the present to talk to my fellow fans.

I have to say, it's pretty darn nice to see The Fangirl Strikes Back up there on the main billboard. That was actually another title idea for here, but ended up becoming the name for a different blog. Another alternate title was Attack of the 50 Foot Fangirl (maybe someday, or another site). As some of you know, I've been through a lot of other titles and generally like to change things up a lot, depending on my mood, current topic of interest, or whatever. Some may wonder why I would want to change, that it makes it harder for people to remember me. Bah. Change is inevitable, so why not have fun with it? Think of it as kind of a virtual outlaw party. Always on the move.


So why and what is Seven Pieces? There was a little discussion about it in the previous entry, but it still wasn't so crystal clear, so here it is... my pointer scene blog entry.

As many of you may know, back when the original trilogy films were first released in theaters, they were each coupled with a mass merchandising campaign which lent in great part to the popularity of the films. Even the original Star Wars would probably not have taken off as such if it weren't for the wave of toys, other products, and books and comics that accompanied it's release.

The comic adaptations were scheduled to release at the same time as or soon after the films, and as a result some bits from the earlier drafts made it in, while they were weeded out in post production of the films. One such bit is a scene from The Empire Strikes Back, while Luke is engaged in his Jedi training under the tutelage of Master Yoda. I'll just let an excerpt from the fourth draft of TESB do the talking:

306X. EXT BOG CLEARING - SWAMP - DUSK - DAGOBAH (formerly part 310)
Luke runs through the dense jungle on the last leg of what must have been quite a marathon. Yoda rides in a pouch on Luke's back. The young apprentice is sweaty and exhausted. He stumbles into the clearing where Artoo has been patiently waiting. As Luke is about to collapse, Yoda throws a small metal bar in front of him. Luke ignites his laser sword and swings at it. He missed and the bar falls to the ground. Luke does too.

LUKE (breathless) - I can't... Too tired.

YODA - It would be in seven pieces, were you a Jedi.

LUKE (gasping) - I thought I was in good shape.

YODA - Yes, but by what standard, ask I? Forget your old measures. Unlearn, heh, unlearn.

If any of you have read the Marvel adaptation of TESB (you might have picked up a re-issue of these with the OOT DVDs from a certain discount store chain), you may remember this scene.

* Shakes finger at Rogueish for not having caught that long ago *

This scene was even produced (at least partially), as evidenced in this Photoreceptor photo (Hyperspace only).

Empire has long been my favorite film of the saga, and one of the elements that strike me most throughout the Star Wars story is the way of Jedi training. Luke training under Yoda has been one of those special little pieces of Star Wars that stuck with me since childhood, and has been meaningful to me on many different levels, through to my adult life. I've always wondered at and considered all the Yoda-isms in different ways throughout the years. "Unlearn all that you have learned", which has evolved from what is seen in the earlier draft, has always struck me as such simple words of wisdom that can be applied across many different contexts.

How many times have any of you ran around playing as a child, or even as a "grown up" going for a hike or whatever, and imagined yourself as Luke getting in shape and learning the ways of the Force? C'mon! It's okay to admit! I do it all the time, still!

Anyway, I thought it would have been pretty cool to have seen this in the movie, but it probably wasn't very practical. At least we have it immortalized in the comic.

If you've read this far, you've just passed with flying colors and graduated from the workshop in Star Wars Obscura for Beginners, at the jkthunder Skool for Gifted and Special Fangirls and Boys (JSOGASFAB? Title subject to change, especially if a better acronym comes up). Congrads. You're a geek!

You have taken your first step into a larger world.

For those of you who were navigating here from the FBOTD, if you haven't checked out my other entries, or if you're confused at who I might be because of all the changes, I invite you to browse through my blog archive. One of these days I will get that blog index done, I swear. For a long time, I never understood why people do that. Now I can see why. But for now, please flip through at your leisure, and maybe it will become more apparent as to why a humble li'l fangirl such as myself made it to FBOTD fame. Then again, maybe not.

Thanks for stopping by.



Future link to fabled blog index