zombie84

User Group: Members
Join date: 21-Nov-2005
Last activity: 12-Jan-2024
Posts: 3,557

Post History

Post: #282322
Topic: Anyone else totally disregard Leia being Luke's sister?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/282322/action/topic#282322
Time: 14-Apr-2007 4:46 AM

A glaring void of ignorance and revisionism. To put it simply. I mean none of this stuff has been tied together like this and somebody had to do it.

Really a lot of this stuff is fairly well known to any fan who was alive in 1977 but sadly those people account for a small, marginalised fraction of the fanbase, and one that shrinks by the year--soon they will be all gone and all we will be left with is these types of history books, so i guess it is good that one is written sooner rather than later for the sake of accuracy. But it seemed that i was spending a lot of time on the internet discussing the history of the series and presenting this information to people who seemed completely oblivious of it and why not just spend all that writing time and put it into a book. 2005 was a slow year for me, anyway

, which is where i researched and wrote most of this.

Post: #282274
Topic: .: The XØ Project - Laserdisc on Steroids :. (SEE FIRST POST FOR UPDATES) (* unfinished project *)
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/282274/action/topic#282274
Time: 13-Apr-2007 11:15 PM

Originally posted by: Alan Partridge
Is Boris the guy that's always trying to defend the GOUT? If so, I've no idea why you would deduce that we are the same person, since there is nothing in my posts that defends the GOUT (indeed, I think it's a terrible transfer). I'm not saying the transfer WASN'T inverse telecined, I'm just asking for evidence that it WAS. I can't see any evidence that it was myself (and can't think of any technical reason to do so, other than disc space saving), but then I'm not analysing the MPEG data on a computer, I'm merely going by what I see on my TV screen.

I don't think you are being unreasonable at all, and perhaps those who have researched it more thoroughly can fill us in. I don't know enough about DVD authoring to comment myself.

Post: #282213
Topic: Anyone else totally disregard Leia being Luke's sister?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/282213/action/topic#282213
Time: 13-Apr-2007 3:55 PM

Originally posted by: darkhelmet

Originally posted by: zombie84
Due to copyright issues that will not be possible. However, you are free to print and bind it yourself!

I'm gonna make a fan, preservation edit of your book. Wait; that wouldn't work would it? Darn. Guess I hafta resort to binding it myself. Cool project, though. Seems like a great resource.

Any chance you could shop the idea to Lucas? Maybe get access to the Lucas archives? Boy, who am I kidding?

Haha, yeah. Although, I am working on a second edition of the book which should be due out in early May--don't know if you want to hold off until then (though it will mostly be as it is now, barring a significant overhaul of the Journal of the Whills appendix).

Post: #282109
Topic: .: The XØ Project - Laserdisc on Steroids :. (SEE FIRST POST FOR UPDATES) (* unfinished project *)
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/282109/action/topic#282109
Time: 13-Apr-2007 1:45 AM

It was originally surmised that the GOUT crawl was re-created based on the trailer that came out before sept 2006--inevitable, it ended up being that the EOD crawl that it was being compared to was simply such a poor transfer that not all detail was visible, thus inconsistencies appeared which actually weren't inconsistencies at all. Someone speculated that theres fake gate weave but to me this is pure heresay--its the real deal as far as i am concerned. Where LFL got this from is the real question--a telecine was already done for EOD but this is clearly different than that one, and based on the much better sharpness and fidelity it appears to be a newer one as well.

Post: #281999
Topic: Anyone else totally disregard Leia being Luke's sister?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/281999/action/topic#281999
Time: 12-Apr-2007 1:32 PM

Originally posted by: darkhelmet
Hey Zombie! Thanks for the link to your e-book. I'm gonna check it out.

Ever thought of hooking up with an on-demand publisher so that those who were interested (like me) could get a bound edition?

Due to copyright issues that will not be possible. However, you are free to print and bind it yourself!

Post: #281901
Topic: Anyone else totally disregard Leia being Luke's sister?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/281901/action/topic#281901
Time: 12-Apr-2007 1:44 AM

Originally posted by: darkhelmet

Originally posted by: zombie84
As i uncovered in my book, the creation of a Leia Skywalker was done in order to hide a plot hole..."

You wrote a book? Is it available for purchase?

The Secret History of Star Wars

Post: #281880
Topic: SE re-released in 2000?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/281880/action/topic#281880
Time: 11-Apr-2007 11:12 PM

Originally posted by: ReverendBeastly
It was just a repackaging to capitalize on the recent release of Phantom Menace.

Yup. And there was a 10 minute episode II preview.

This release actually is quite notable--its the first time the words "special edition" were elminated and the first time the episode numbers were emphasized for the OT.

Post: #281853
Topic: .: The XØ Project - Laserdisc on Steroids :. (SEE FIRST POST FOR UPDATES) (* unfinished project *)
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/281853/action/topic#281853
Time: 11-Apr-2007 7:48 PM

Originally posted by: andy_k_250
I'm no expert, but...

At the very least, I think the Star Wars filmstock was fading into the pink range. This would (I would think) knock some of the colors out of whack. This (or an attempt to match it?) may be why the special edition scenes have a pink cast to them in the 1997 versions, but not in the 2004.

Or maybe I'm entirely wrong.

The 97 SE was restored to the colours of a pristine dye-transfer technicolor print from 1977 that Lucas himself provided. So although it may be a bit off in some shots it is, i would think, faithful to the original look. The pinkness of the video is i think simply a telecine issue--if you look at the TPM dvd it has a bit of a pinkish hue to some of it too, especially in flesh tones.

Post: #281810
Topic: What 30th Anniversary?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/281810/action/topic#281810
Time: 11-Apr-2007 2:41 PM

My feeling has always been that IF there is a new set it would be announced near or DURING Celebration IV. So although it is looking a bit unlikely at this point i say wait until CIV until we declare it dead.

It is true though that if new interviews with cast and crew and new docs were being done that we for sure would have heard about it by now. When the 2004 DVD set was being made we heard rumblings as far back as January of that year. So whatever we get it will port most of the extras over from before. Being that it is the 30th anniversary and the whole vintage thing is being milked to high heaven I am guessing that new extras will be OT deleted scenes and a vintage doc or two--and just maybe a better transfer of the OOT. All the films should be getting new transfers anyway--TPM's old transfer looks awful, AOTC could be improved, and even the OT-SE had all those huge colouring problems and audio errors. So we'll see.

Post: #281718
Topic: The Force Among Us
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/281718/action/topic#281718
Time: 11-Apr-2007 1:19 AM

Hey nice to have you here. I had heard about this film for a while now. Personally i never cared at all for conventions and dressing up and all that fandom crap but i have to admit that i have often fantasized about pilgrimages to Tunisia--cool that guys got that experience. Looks like an interesting place.

Post: #281546
Topic: Possible original Star Wars screening?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/281546/action/topic#281546
Time: 9-Apr-2007 11:08 PM

Someone break into the projection room at Celebration IV and swap out the SE print for the GOUT.

Post: #281511
Topic: Possible original Star Wars screening?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/281511/action/topic#281511
Time: 9-Apr-2007 7:10 PM

Oh good, john dykstra will be there to discuss the two or three shots of his that are still in the film.

Post: #281388
Topic: Info: SW Trilogy Original VHS Trailer
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/281388/action/topic#281388
Time: 9-Apr-2007 12:08 AM

I had never seen this trailer before--and yeah, those clips of Lucas in "Star Wars to Jedi" are pretty good. His famous "a special effect without a story is a pretty boring thing" quote.

Post: #281211
Topic: Smokey and the Bandit *aspect ratio*
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/281211/action/topic#281211
Time: 7-Apr-2007 2:36 PM

Its all about OAR. Shooting open-matte does not mean its supposed to be full frame, it just means that the theaters were responsible for cropping it. The 1:85 release is almost assuredly the correct aspect ratio--especially since widescreen TV's are actually 1:78 and not 1:85.

Post: #281076
Topic: Anyone else totally disregard Leia being Luke's sister?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/281076/action/topic#281076
Time: 6-Apr-2007 4:23 PM

Originally posted by: CO
That is where I give credit to Lucas for atleast staying consistent throughout the OT in the overall characters and their arc. With the exception of Yoda, most characters appear for a reason, and stay true to the story til its end. In the PT, you have this supposed backstory of Boba Fett in AOTC, and it shows him see his father die right in front of his face and then you don't see him til ESB, what was the point? MERCHANDISING!!!!! Chewbacca & Kashykk is another example of a character and terrain used for 10 minutes for eye candy and appeasment to the OT fans, and then poof, its gone!

Say what you want about the Ewoks in ROTJ, but atleast you get an hour of development of their terrain. You see their tribe, you see how they live, that is called character development! The Ewoks are key to the victory for the rebels, so they serve a purpose in the movie, the only problem with them is that they are too kiddy!

I don't think its merchandising. Once again, its the story changing. Boba was always a key figure in the clone wars, revealed way back in 1979, and Fett was confirmed by Lucas as appearing in ROTS--so his AOTC-heavy role would have paid off. He almost assuredly would have played a role in the Jedi purge. But Lucas changed his plot outline in august of 2002, as i mentioned, and Fett was written out because Lucas didn't have room to include him.

As for Kashyyk, that could indeed come down to fan appeasement, although the notion of a wookie battle was something that existed in the first draft of Star Wars in 1974, so Lucas had genuinely been wanted to show it for three decades.

Post: #281071
Topic: Anyone else totally disregard Leia being Luke's sister?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/281071/action/topic#281071
Time: 6-Apr-2007 4:11 PM

Originally posted by: COThe PT you have these characters pop in out of nowhere. Where was General Grevious in TPM & AOTC? Where was Count Dooku in TPM? It is bad storytelling to have a new sith in AOTC who was once a jedi not even be on the council or even mentioned in the previous movie!

You know, i had completely forgotten about that. I remember hearing about some fans saying that it would have been a great scene to have Qui Gon talking to Dooku at the Jedi temple in TPM as they await Anakin to return from testing with the jedi temple--and Dooku could quietly relate that his faith in the jedi order is wavering or some such, hinting at the turn he will take some years later. I think Dooku is a fascinating character and its a shame that scenes such as this did not exist. But the reason why such a cohesive scene was not filmed is very simple: Dooku was not created until AOTC. At the time, as far as my research shows, the character of the seperatists leader and the new sith apprentice were two seperate characters--then halfway through the pre-production Lucas got the idea of combining them and having him be played by Christopher Lee; thus he created the idea that Dooku was a former Jedi who left the order after becoming disillusioned, joined the sith and embarked on a ill-begotten quest to "clean up" the Republic. Then after the movie was shot Lucas wrote in that he was Qui Gon's former master, in a pick-up scene.

So the entire character regarding Dooku was made in an evolution. Then in ROTS Dooku was supposed to survive until the end, but Lucas had to totally re-write his plot outline in august of 2002, so he killed off Dooku at the start and had him replaced with a character who took over the role he was originally going to have--General Greivous.

Its fascinating on one hand but its also surprising at how much of the supposedly planned prequels Lucas simply made up as he went, and how these smaller things actually created more inconsistencies than the big things in the OT did.

Post: #281004
Topic: should I get the GOUT?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/281004/action/topic#281004
Time: 5-Apr-2007 10:23 PM

At this point you might just want to hold off until Celebration IV, in the unlikely event that some other OOT-related release is announced.

Post: #280995
Topic: Info: Rare and unseen ANH footage
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/280995/action/topic#280995
Time: 5-Apr-2007 9:09 PM

Once again, excellent--I don't believe any of this footage has been seen outside of wherever it originally appeared in. The miscellaneous ANH clips are especially unique; i know most of the ANH footage was shot MOS but a few instances they did indeed use sync-sound--i take it that silent soundtrack is intentional? I only ask because i really would like to hear what Lucas is discussing with the pilot he is directing (Lucas directing an actor? My god!).

Post: #280992
Topic: Info: The Making of The Empire Strikes Back (Michel Parbot)
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/280992/action/topic#280992
Time: 5-Apr-2007 8:54 PM

Rok--that ESB footage is amazing!! I can't believe this hasnt come out before! Shame that it appears to be an nth generation VHS source, so a lot of the detail is gone, the colours are all off and the whites are blown out--the second-generation copy Darth Neo has is so much nicer looking.

I was wondering, ROK--you really need to make this its own preservation effort. The clips are good but they are low quality, with pixelation and colour noise everywhere. A high quality, full resolution DVD capture is a must. So: what do we have to do to make this happen?

Post: #280945
Topic: Info: The Making of The Empire Strikes Back (Michel Parbot)
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/280945/action/topic#280945
Time: 5-Apr-2007 4:02 PM

Originally posted by: Rok
Where is everybody? Something good is coming up tonight!

Parbot's footage WAS indeed aired! I am uploading 15 minutes of it to rapidshare at this very moment Plus more footage and specials to follow soon.

Come back in a few hours and bring your friends. Spread word and get everybody back in here. That will certainly bring some life back into this thread!

Darth Neo, I hope that what you soon will see, will suffice to make you reconsider. BTW, do you already know a date when your website will open? Any links yet? I cant wait to see it!

BTW, where should I post footage from ANH? Hardly any of you has seen that BTS stuff yet!

Rok

very nice!

Post: #280813
Topic: the original episode I
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/280813/action/topic#280813
Time: 4-Apr-2007 8:13 PM

Thanks for the plug, None

The short answer is that no, the prequels were never supposed to be made into films, and Lucas has actually been very upfront about this. In fact, the first drafts of ESB were titled as "Episode II"! The prequel trilogy came into existance in 1978 (possibly even 1979) once Lucas merged the characters of Darth Vader and Father Skywalker aka Anakin Skywalker (they were originally seperate people up until April of 1978).

Post: #280796
Topic: Star Wars Trilogy - Original Theatrical Versions: 2006 DVD Flaw List
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/280796/action/topic#280796
Time: 4-Apr-2007 7:04 PM

The grain issue is not an inherant part of the Star Wars neg per se. It may be that the print used in the DC indeed is pretty grainey, and that this was softened and muddied in the LD but then sharpened and made explicit for the GOUT. Whatever the case, however, one can see that many other releases with a much sharper image than the DC (ie no DVNR) do not exhibit nearly as much grain, nor was such a high level ever seen in any theaters--its purely a print thing. I can't fathom that Lucasfilm would actually add grain to the image, if only because that would require effort on their part, which goes against the entire philosophy of the GOUT.

As for the gate weave being digitally added to the "original crawl" i must strongly disagree with this, for the same reasons that the "fake grain" issue seems dumb. If the original crawl is actually the original crawl then it would suffer from all the age artifacts that produced gate weave in the telecine of the rest of the film (ie enlarged sprockets, swelling, shrinking, dirt and knicks). The original crawl would actually be much older, since the GOUT print for the rest of the movie is some kind of nth-generation print (which would explain the high grain) and not a first or second generation print as the original crawl would probably be from.

Post: #280428
Topic: Alec Guinness's Birthday today
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/280428/action/topic#280428
Time: 2-Apr-2007 8:09 PM

He liked the film and was constantly in defence of Lucas during its production. When it was released he said that he loved it and was very supportive of it, even agreeing to appear in the two sequels. However, it soon began to be blown out of preportion and rabid star wars fans get pestering him and being unable to see that he wasn't really a jedi master, just an actor playing one. Thus, he began to state how much fans annoyed him and what a burden the whole silly space movie was. Its a shame really because deep down he really did love the series but he became bitter from all the celebrity status placed on it.

Post: #280411
Topic: Anyone else totally disregard Leia being Luke's sister?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/280411/action/topic#280411
Time: 2-Apr-2007 6:06 PM

Originally posted by: Anchorhead

Originally posted by: MJR80
... it does seem like Lucas was making things up as he went along... He may have felt a burden to conjure another "plot twist" or "surprise"

He was. It's been confirmed several times over. He didn't have a story beyond Star Wars. Vader-as-father, Leia-as-sister - none of that was there in his "original vision" and the weakness of story, by inventing them later, is obvious. As I've said before, he took an outer space adventure that was on a grand scale - and reduced it to The Wizard Of Oz. Their being related feels out of place and added on - because it was.

He didn't even know what to do with it after he added it. It's not only cheap - it serves absolutely no purpose in the story. It's a useless, weak story arc that goes nowhere. It's embarrasing enough that he made up stuff up on the fly - turns out he's not even good at it.

In answer to the question - Star Wars for me consists of a single film. An outer space adventure in a galaxy far away - and none of the characters are related to each other. They weren't when I was a kid - they aren't now. It's not even a consideration when I watch Star Wars. I can't pretend or imagine they are because I know they aren't. I know they weren't when the story was first written and I know it was thought up later.

Revisionist history only works on people who weren't there during the actual history.

Don't ever leave this place Anchorhead!

And yeah, the whole sibling thing makes no sense, and serves absoluetly no story purpose. As i uncovered in my book, the creation of a Leia Skywalker was done in order to hide a plot hole created by Lucas' decision to abandon his Sequel Trilogy--Yoda's reference to "Another" was meant to set up the character for the third trilogy, but now that the third trilogy was no more this became a lingering plot point. Rather than introduce a new character in the already-cluttered story, Lucas chose to turn one of the pre-existing characters into the "Other" and picked Leia. The reason she was turned not only into the "Other" but Luke's sister was to justify her importance--why would Yoda consider her a "last hope" for the galaxy? She's not that much more important than Han or Mon Mothma. So her importance was justified by biologically relating her to the Skywalker family.

It was a stupid thing to do and Lucas would never have purposefully done so but he ended up writing himself into a corner. He even admits on the ROTJ dvd commentary that "it gets hard to swallow."

Post: #280181
Topic: The Star Wars Vault
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/280181/action/topic#280181
Time: 1-Apr-2007 3:19 AM

Originally posted by: Gaffer Tape
Wow, that certainly looks worth some money. Although, after having been reading zombie's book, I have to wonder how accurate some of those script excerpts will be, and how much of it will be "updated" by Lucas to mesh with his saga view.

I have a feeling they will be the real deal. A lot of them have been viewed already--for instance Marcu Hearn's The Cinema of George Lucas has photos of Lucas' ESB treatment and a lot of his handwritten notes. In terms of meshing with the saga, the problem is that almost none of Lucas personal notes are dated so if he shows us one saying "note to self: Vader is really Luke's father" there is no way of disproving that such a thing is not from 1978 when he actually implemented that concept.