Science Fiction

Samurai Jack – Episode XVIII: Jack and the Ultra-robots

  • Title: Samurai Jack – Episode XVIII: Jack and the Ultra-robots
  • wiki: link

Samurai Jack - Episode XVIII: Jack and the Ultra-robots television review

Throwback Tuesday takes us back to the adventures of the time-displaced samurai and his quest to make his way home. Following a trail of destruction, Jack (Phil LaMarr) discovers multiple villages and cities destroyed by a cadre of Ultra-robots designed by the scientist Extor (Jeff Bennett) and powered by the evil of Aku (Mako). The structure of the episode allows for a long lead-in with Jack putting together the pieces of what has occurred from survivors of the attacks and finally from the scientist himself who was tricked into believing that in helping Aku he would save his own village from destruction.

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Star Wars – Attack of the Clones

  • Title: Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones
  • IMDb: link

There is unrest in the Galactic Senate. Several thousand solar systems have declared their intentions to leave the Republic.

This separatist movement, under the leadership of the mysterious Count Dooku, has made it difficult for the limited number of Jedi Knights to maintain peace and order in the galaxy.

Senator Amidala, the former Queen of Naboo, is returning to the Galactic Senate to vote on the critical issue of creating an ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC to assist the overwhelmed Jedi….

Star Wars - Attack of the Clones movie reviewWhen ranking the nine movies of the “Skywalker Saga” there is never a question of which film comes in last. 2002’s follow up to Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace jumps forward a decade when a Separatist movement threatens the stability of the Republic. Standing against allowing the rising tensions to turn to war, now Senator Amidala (Natalie Portman) returns to Coruscant. An attack on the Senator’s life will bring her back into contact with Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and his padawan Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), and bring Anakin one step closer to his dark destiny.

Much of the film focuses on Anakin’s two primarily relationships. Though he loves and respects Obi-Wan, Anakin is bristling over not yet earning the rank of Jedi Knight. The seed of Anakin’s contempt for the Jedi Order buried in the first film continue to grow. His obsession for Padme is more simple, but there’s a darker side to it as well. Aside from such a relationship being forbidden by the Jedi, there’s also the manner Anakin peruses Padme, while assigned to protect her, through both guilt and seducing her into a relationship she knows is wrong.

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Star Wars – The Phantom Menace

  • Title: Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace
  • IMDb: link

Turmoil has engulfed the Galactic Republic. The taxation of trade routes to outlying star systems is in dispute.

Hoping to resolve the matter with a blockade of deadly battleships, the greedy Trade Federation has stopped all shipping to the small planet of Naboo.

While the Congress of the Republic endlessly debates this alarming chain of events, the Supreme Chancellor has secretly dispatched two Jedi Knights, the guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy, to settle the conflict…

Star Wars - The Phantom Menace movie reviewNow that the “Skywalker Saga” is complete, it seems like a reasonable time to go back and look through the various Star Wars films. Unlike some, I come not to condemn The Phantom Menace. Despite its flaws, the film has genuinely great moments, strong new characters, and vivid new worlds all while doing more world building than any Star Wars property other than the original Star Wars. Does it measure up to Lucas’ original? No, certainly not. But it’s far from the weakest Star Wars film.

Set at the end of the Old Republic, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace introduces us to the young boy who would grow into the most terrifying creature in the galaxy. Jake Lloyd is cast as the boyish slave Anakin Skywalker. Lloyd is your average kid actor and the failures of Anakin here have more to do with the choice to make him far younger than necessary than Lloyd’s performance. We’re also introduced to Queen Padme Amidala (Queen Amidala ) of Naboo, a young ruler struggling with the occupation of her planet by the Trade Federation, and Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) who arrives on Naboo with his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor).

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Star Wars Adventures #31

Star Wars Adventures #31 comic reviewStar Wars Adventures #31 gives us a Rey and Poe Dameron team-up as Rey lives out a long fantasy of spending time flying a working X-Wing and gets some piloting pointers from the Resistance’s best pilot in this all-ages adventure.

The banter between the pair, something not seen much in the sequel films, is the best part of the story. As many of these stories do, “Squad Goals” brings in characters from other corners of the Star Wars galaxy. Issue #31 brings back the buzz droids from Revenge of the Sith who attack Rey and Poe while training as Rey proves an able student for Poe (even if her mentor only destroyed one Death Star).

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