Star Wars-Empire at War - Epic Space and Ground Battles
By Scott J Meyer
If you are a fan of Real-Time Strategy games, and a Star Wars buff,
then Star Wars: Empire at War is the game for you. Created by
LucasArts and Petroglyph, Star Wars: Empire at War (further
abbreviated as SW:EAW) allows players to fight on the ground and in
the space above over forty planets in the Star Wars universe. While
the main focus is on tactical control, players also get a grand
overview of the galaxy from which you can control and purchase new
units and buildings. Overall, SW:EAW is the best RTS of its type.
Star Wars
(1977)
By Chad Stroh
What kind of genre is Star Wars?
Action, Sci-Fi, Adventure
What's the premise of Star Wars?
A farm boy named Luke Skywalker lives with his
aunt and Uncle on the planet of Tatooine. He is disappointed that
his uncle needs him for the upcoming farm harvest. Meanwhile, an
evil emperor threatens the galaxy with a weapon known as the Death
Star. Princess Leia, a member of a large resistance movement sends
valuable information about the Death Star to friend Obi Wan Kenobi
in a droid named R2D2. Luke Skywalker finds R2D2 on his farm, who
eventually leads him to Obi Wan Kenobi. Becoming more involved than
he thought he would, Luke must find a way to stop the Death Star and
Darth Vadar.
Who is the director of Star Wars?
Directed by George Lucas
Who are some of the actors and
actresses in Star Wars?
Mark Hamill plays Luke Skywalker
Harrison Ford plays Han Solo
Carrie Fisher plays Princess Leia Organa
Alec Guinness plays Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi
What locations are in Star Wars?
Galaxies far, far away. Planets, Spaceship....
When does Star Wars take
place?
In a time far far away.
What are major themes and issue in
Star Wars?
Some major themes and issues in the movie
include love, friendship, heroism, feminism, honor, courage
What do you recommend if I liked
Star Wars?
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes
Back, Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode
I - The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the
Clones, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
What do you rate Star Wars?
I give it a rating of 8 out of 10 stars.
The following article gives some
background on what led up to George Lucas creating the most popular
sci-fi movie series of all time.
Who Lives In The Star Wars
Galaxy?
By Stephen Schochet
It's hard to say where old Hollywood ended and new Hollywood began.
People in the industry don't think of themselves as making history,
they are just going to work. But the day in 1967 that Jack Warner
cleaned out his desk at Warner Bros. studio, George Lucas and
Frances Ford Coppola arrived on the lot.
The two young filmmakers were very different
in demeanor. Coppola a legend at UCLA film school was 27, a loud
boisterous mixture of mogul and marxist, who prided himself in
dressing like Fidel Castro. He impressed film executives at first
with his bravado, but later would upset them with his reckless
overspending. Five years younger, Lucas, who went to USC, was quiet
and introspective. The only guys at Warners who were below 30 and
wore beards, they hit it off instantly with Coppola taking the
mentor role. Lucas had made a thirteen minute science fiction film
project called THX 1138, a dark look at a computer controlled
future. Coppola convinced his protégé to extend it into a
full-length film and talked Warner Bros. into financing it.
Over the next few months the wily Coppola
played both sides. "I'm telling you this kid Lucas is making a great
film." Coppola told the Warner brass. "Don't put pressure on
yourself, they don't expect anything," He reassured Lucas. When they
saw the completed THX 1138 the Suits were furious. "Francis what is
this?" "I don't know, I've never seen it." replied the bewildered
producer. To Lucas's dismay the studio cut out parts from THX 1138
before they released it. "They're cutting the fingers off my baby."
THX failed at the box office and Coppola was
held financially liable for $300,000, but the two filmmakers were
given another chance to make a low budget movie at Universal.
Impressed by the success of Easy Rider (1969) the old guard at the
studio was reaching out to new talent, once again Coppola would
produce and Lucas would direct. Lucas was encouraged by his wife
Marsha to make the second project more positive. At USC he had
studied anthropology learning that the American male has a unique
mating ritual, he drives around in cars trying to pick up girls.
Lucas combined this observation, with his own love of classic cars,
his small town upbringing in Modesto, CA and his appreciation for
top 40 songs played on the radio by disc jockeys like Wolfman Jack.
The result: American Graffiti (1973).
The now beloved film got off to a rocky start.
It was previewed in San Francisco to young crowd who adored it.
After the show Lucas and Coppola waited for the Universal executives
to come and congratulate them. Instead they were shocked by angry
accusations that they had planted their friends in the crowd and
American Graffiti was not releasable. True to their personas Coppola
argued and Lucas stood quiet. Once again George saw his film taken
away and cut up by what was in his view an interfering, know nothing
studio. But there was one difference between THX-1138 and Graffiti;
Graffiti was a hit, a highly profitable film that made Lucas a
millionaire.
Now Lucas decided to return to science
fiction, this time wanting to do a more positive story than THX.
After failing to acquire the rights to Flash Gordon, he sat down to
write his own screenplay. Influenced by the writings of Carlos
Castaneda and the mythology of King Arthur, he based the characters
on familiar figures. Luke Skywalker's personality came from George
Lucas himself, young, adventurous, and quiet from a small town, with
a love of racing cars, or in this case space pods. Han Solo was
based on Francis Ford Coppola. He was loud, cocky, reckless, always
in debt, going through a love-hate relationship with the younger
Skywalker. And the empire was actually the Hollywood studios. George
Lucas striving for his creative freedom as a filmmaker would
parallel Luke Skywalker's journey to win liberty from the empire,
and both would achieve it thanks to Star Wars.
