No two fans are alike in their personal preferences where the Star Wars Saga is concerned. Sometimes, this reality ignored in favor of assumptions like "Empire is the best" or "Epsisode III is better than Episode I". They are both valid opinions, but in the end, that's all they are . . . opinions.

So I thought I'd establish the parameters of my fandom, if you will. I thought I'd help readers get a feel for what kind of Star Wars fan I am, so we're all on the same page when it comes to my blog and the opinions I express here.

These are my favorites . . .

Character From The Saga: Obi-Wan Kenobi

Jedi: Qui-Gon Jinn

Sith: Darth Sidious

Vehicle: Republic Gunship

Ship: Millenium Falcon

Alien: Gungan (really beautiful design, execution and I love the environment in which they live)

Creature: Acklay

Beast of Burden: Boga

Weapon: Lightsaber

Planet: Geonosis

Environment: Cloud City

Actor: Ewan McGregor

Actress: Carrie Fisher (in ANH and ESB)

Director: Irvin Kershner

Screenplay: Episode I

Soundtrack: The Empire Strikes Back

Trailer: Episode I (it's my favorite trailer from ANY film)

Movie Poster: Drew Struzan's Episode II poster

DVD: Episode I

Animated Series: Clone Wars

Video Game: Lego Star Wars For XBox

Board Game: Star Wars Trivial Pursuit (although no one will play against me)

Action Figure: Han Solo In Hoth Gear

Toy: Droid Factory Playset

Toy Line: Clone Wars Animated Action Figures

EU Book: Spliner of the Mind's Eye by Alan Dean Foster

EU Comic: The Marvel Years, especially the later issues drawn by Cynthia Martin (whatever happened to her?)

EU Character: Lumiya

Character To Draw (hey, I'm an artist): Yoda

I also think it's fair to mention that I prefer the Special Edition versions of the films to (what I call) the "redundant versions". Why, you ask? Because they're GL's films to do with as he pleases, not mine. They're stories on film, not Choose Your Own Adventure books, and as a creator myself, I would never want anyone else telling me what I can or cannot do with my creations.

Does this mean I like every change made to the films? Nope. But it has no bearing on their validity. It's the way the storyteller wants it, and that's the bottom line for me.

And finally, the most important question for many fans . . . how do I rank the films, from favorite to least favorite?

1. TPM
2. ESB
3. AOTC
4. ANH
5. ROTJ
6. ROTS

I got a lot of flack for my review of Episode III at the time of its release (you can read a re-post of it here at my personal blog). Let me repeat for the 5000th time here on my SW.com blog . . . no, I'm NOT bashing. I still love Star Wars. I thought there were some amzing things in ROTS, but it is most definitely #6 on my list.

I am not a basher, not a prequel hater (can you really think I am, given that Episode I sits atop my list?), and I have given each film an honest chance to win me over as the best of the saga, no matter which trilogy they belong to.

Other than wanting to know why I didn't heap praise on Episode III, most people want to know why I call Episode I my favorite Star wars film.

So here are the reasons . . .

The feel of the film, the story, the visuals, Liam Neeson, Anakin's mom, the beauty of all the design elements, the sadness of Padme, Jar Jar and the Gungans and their city, the lightsaber Duels (especially Obi-Wan vs maul), the Queen's ship, R2 saving the day while other units bite it, the pod race, yada yada yada. I could go on and one, it's a hell of a film (in my ever-humble opinion).

Now, Episode I is just my personal favorite. If asked to choose which film is the best from a filmmaking standpoint, I'd go with Empire. And if I were asked which film belonged on the AFI list of greatest films, I'd choose A New Hope (or, to put it more accurately, the original "Star Wars"). And If I could only take one Star Wars DVD to a desert Island, I'd go with Empire. But the DVD I watch the most at home is Episode I.

Confused yet?

Me too.

Star wars fandom, it seems, is very complicated. But I've been a fan for nearly two decades now. It was bound to get complicated after so many years.

And it's not over yet.

Thanks for reading.

-Otis

otisframpton.com

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