Today, the Univted State Post Office unvieled what pretty much everyone knew was coming;  a Star Wars themed stamp set to be put into circulation some time around May, near the time of Star Wars Celebration IV in Los Angeles. Coincidence, I think not.

Probably the most surprising news to me was that there will be a stamp honoring the brave troopers of the Empire.  I say I’m surprised because, let’s face it, we all thought it would be R2-D2, Darth Vader, and the other “face” characters from the War being honored.  It’s about time the Troopers got their due, but having the stamp is only a small part of it.

At the USPS Star Wars site, you can vote on which stamp you think is the best, and I think you all know how I voted, and I think you all want/need to go there now and vote likewise.  Let this year be the year of the Trooper!

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Brother Omi of “Star Wars for Colored Folks” sent in this interesting information.  Links to the list of Cities that the Rebel Droids have been spotted in, as well as a frapper account that pinpoints quite a few of them.
Official list of cities with droid infestations
Frapper Map that pinpoints a bunch of them

Now is the time for you all to do the right thing, and support your Empire!  I want each of you to go out to your respective cities and track down these droids!  Then, get a photo of yourself with the droid, holding THIS SIGN:

(Click for full size graphic to print out)

DO NOT, glue or stick these to the droids!  Lord Vader wants them to be identified and their locations mapped out, and they are not to be harmed.  (Plus, there’s the whole “Federal Offense for defacing a USPS collections box” thing none of us wants to have to deal with, right?)

NO disintigrations!  Yes, I’m looking at you, Boba Fett. 

Once you have the photos, send them me at: td0013 AT dragonpage DOT com, and I’ll post them here for all the world to see. 

You have your orders, now get to it!

Thanks again to Brother Omi!  Be sure to check out his site, and read his ongoing fanfic there! Great stuff!

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Not a damned thing, but being a benevolent trooper, I had to share this with you.  QT and I have been giggling like fools for the past hour and a half because of this.  It is -pure- gold.

Japanese Spiderman - 1978

Synopsis: “To fight against the evil Iron Cross Army, led by the space emperor Professor Monster, a daredevil motorcyclist transforms into the famous Marvel Superhero, with a racecar and giant transforming robot at his disposal. ”

Yup, everything I remember from reading Stan “the Man” Lee’s yarns about this guy when I was a kid.

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Maybe the lessons aren’t being learned after all.  Why in the Hell are you poeple paying tribute to this stubby little grease pot???   Again, this is like awarding your toaster (as in GE toaster, not Caprica Six) for making your bread golden brown and crunchy.

Where is the love for the brave troopers, huh??

feh.

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Every so often I see something that makes me second guess my assessment that this rock really needs to be vapoo-rized, and we move along to the next.  Today, I had such a moment when I heard about THIS GUY.  Anyone who teaches children to play the Imperial March in school can’t be all that bad, and if those students of his embrace it, and then teach it to others, then maybe, just maybe, there’s hope for this planet yet.

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I know some of you might be wondering what the holdup is on my getting a regular podcast going.  I guess I owe you all an explanation about what’s taking me so long.

As all of the regular podcast hosts out there can probably tell you, producing a regularly aired podcast is a tough nut to crack.  There’s show prep, arrangement of guests/content, recording, editing, and then slapping the proverbial baby in the ass and holding it out there for all to see…er…hear.

In my case, this is even tougher, as I’m doing it by myself and on a very focused, and therefore limited subject matter.  There’s also the added post-production that’s required. (adding in the “Tshk!”s and such) I’ve always said that I think I’ve covered all the bases and pretty much shown the galaxy just how wrong they’ve all been in regards to the whole “Rebel good/Empire bad thing.  With the exception of one or two ideas in my skull for new segments, there’s not really much new I could bang the drum about.  I’ve already proven the Rebels and Jedi are thugs, and that the Empire was really the best thing the Galaxy ever had, given the situation.  At this stage all I’d be doing is repeating myself and in the long run, not offering up much new to everyone.  I’d rather not do that, but I’m sure as Hell not quitting either.

I’d love to produce a regular Podcast that centered on the Star Wars Universe from my unique (and ultimately correct) point of view.  There are so many out there that talk about Star Wars.  Star Wars Galaxies with Yivvits and Mr. Bubble, and the ForceCast are the only two I myself listen to religiously.  The first is just two very funny and charming guys who play the online MMORPG Star Wars Galaxies who do their silly little show all on their own, and the latter is produced by the massive team of people at theforce.net, and they have all the latest news from the Star Wars phenomenon and plenty of interviews with so many people who have in form or another, worked on the saga we’ve all loved for so long.  Actors, Authors, Artists, etc.

I’d love to do a podcast that showcases what’s new in Star Wars, and give it all my personal spin and opinion, since you’ll never hear the Imperial side on any show out there, but honestly, I don’t have the time or resources to hunt down every scrap of news out there on this very focused subject.  Even as I write this I’m starting to think that maybe I need to give QT-pi yet another assignment doing some research, but the poor droid works her tin fingers to the bone as it is.  Do I need a news team like Mike and Evo have?  I’m not sure, but I know that QT and I can’t do all of that alone.

Another avenue I’m considering is having an audio novelization or serialized fan fiction segment on the podcast.  Yes, I write a bit here and there, and I’ve been writing down my memoirs from my own experiences of the Galactic Civil War for a year or so now.  It’s all disjointed and jumbled, and in bad need of my going over it all again, but I might be ready to let you all hear it in the near future.  Funny thing is, this project probably can’t ever be on PodioBooks.com simply because it’s a fanfic of a trademarked franchise (Damn your Earth laws).  I think I can get away with posting it here on this site, since I’m not receiving dime one for anything I do, which is fine with me.  Personally, if money was ever going to change hands, I’d prefer it all just go to a charity anyhow.

I have been spending a lot of time getting the shop ready in Second Life, as you’ve all seen, and that’s not likely to fade off anytime soon, as QT and I are working almost constantly on new product to sell there, and the last thing you want in a store is stagnation.  I bring this up because it shows another area I’m busily working on that’s related to the whole ADPoV thing.  The ironic part is that the whole reason I ever got involved in Second Life was to spread the word about ADPoV the Podcast.  Well, the word is slowly being spread, and now I really need to get the damned show going, don’t I. 

More on this as I keep milling ideas in my skull, and if you’re really interested, go to the ADPoV forums to see what you can do to help.

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Okay, apparently there’s been some hoopla flying about the holonet about the destruction of the Death Star being an “inside job”.  It was first brought to my attention by Marv over at ChuckChat.com, and I posted my rebuttal there.  Then someone brought it up on the ADPoV forums, and I directed those folks to ChuckChat as well.  Now I’m getting emails about it, so I guess I’d better address this load of Bantha Crap here as well so everyone not only knows that I’m on the case, but that it’s open and shut. 

First off, if you haven’t read this farce, go HERE and do so real quick.  It’s alright.  We’ll wait.

Back?  Okay, here we go.  And since this is my own home turf, you will get the extended version of my answers.  Think of it as a “Special Edition” if you will.  The questions asked are in Italics, while my answers are BOLD, because the truth often is.

1) Why were a handful of rebel fighters able to penetrate the defenses of a battle station that had the capability of destroying an entire planet and the defenses to ward off several fleets of battle ships?

This (and most other answers) was covered in detail.  The Station was designed to fight off captial sized vessels, NOT snub fighters.  Stupid design flaw, yes, we know that now.

2) Why did Grand Moff Tarkin refuse to deploy the station’s large fleet of TIE Fighters until it was too late? Was he acting on orders from somebody to not shoot down the rebel attack force? If so, who, and why?

Since when did Tarken refuse to launch the fighters?  The only thing he refused to do was “leave in (his) moment of triumph”, which cost him his life.

3) Why was the rebel pilot who supposedly destroyed the Death Star reported to be on the Death Star days, maybe hours, prior to its destruction? Why was he allowed to escape, and why were several individuals dressed in Stormtrooper uniforms seen helping him?

Reports have always shown that Luke Skywalker, the pilot in question, was believed to be part of the crew of a ship that “blasted it’s way out of Mos Eisley”, and was wanted by the Empire for questioning concerning the location of stolen Imperial property.  As for the Uniforms, security holos have shown that he and Captain Han Solo: traitor, drug smuggler and complete bastard, were the ones in said stolen armor.

4) Why has there not been an investigation into allegations that Darth Vader, the second-ranking member of the Imperial Government, is in fact the father of the pilot who allegedly destroyed the Death Star?

Nobody, including Darth Vader, knew that Luke Skywalker was Vader’s son. He was still under the impression the time of the Battle of Yavin that his wife Padme had died, and the unborn with her. It was not until much later, around three years or so, that he began to make the realization that his son was indeed still alive.

5) Why did Lord Vader decide to break all protocols and personally pilot a lightly armored TIE Fighter? Conveniently, this placed Lord Vader outside of the Death Star when it was destroyed, where he was also conveniently able to escape from a large-sized rebel fleet that had just routed the Imperial forces. Why would Lord Vader, one of the highest ranking members of the Imperial Government, suddenly decide to fly away from the Death Star in the middle of a battle? Did he know something that the rest of the Imperial Navy didn’t?

Before he was anthing else, Lord Vader was a pilot, kids.  He knew the way to thwart this attack, so he acted upon it, and being a true leader, he did just that.  He led, and he was lucky that Han Solo was apparently jazzed up on spice to have missed such an easy shot at his much larger TIE Advanced X-1 model fighter.  That’s for another discussion though.

6) How could any pilot shoot a missile into a 2 meter-wide exhaust port, let alone a pilot with no formal training, whose only claim to fame was his ability to “bullseye womprats” on Tatooine? This shot, according to one pilot, would be “impossible, even for a computer.” Yet, according to additional evidence, the pilot who allegedly fired the missile turned off his targeting computer when he was supposedly firing the shot that destroyed the Death Star. Why have these discrepancies never been investigated, let alone explained?

First off, there’s this little thing in the galaxy called the FORCE.  Maybe you’ve heard of it.  Me? I’ve seen the boss use it first hand, and when you see a Rebel bent backwards in half without being physically touched… You believe, trust me.
Secondly, how do you know we didn’t investigate?  And who the Hell are you that WE, the bloody EMPIRE, need to explain ourselves to you??

7) Why has their been no investigation into evidence that the droids who provided the rebels with the Death Star plans were once owned by none other than Lord Vader himself, and were found, conveniently, by the pilot who destroyed the Death Star, and who is also believed to be Lord Vader’s son? Evidence also shows that the droids were brought to one Ben Kenobi, who, records indicate, was Darth Vader’s teacher many years earlier! Are all these personal connections between the conspirators and a key figure in the Imperial government supposed to be coincidences?

This can be likened to my being able to recognize a fekkin’ toaster I might have owned 20 years ago. I can’t believe I need to say this again, but I will, since obviously not everyone is smart enough to listen to all of my collected wisdom yet.  Droids are NOT people. They are NOT unique snowflakes in any way, shape or form. They are chunks of metal and circutry that are cranked out on an assembly line by the thousands. And yes… I know that Anakin Skywalker built 3po…Out of SPARE PARTS his mother got him from Watto’s shop. (and I do NOT want to know how she paid for them… ewwww) 

8.) How could a single missile destroy a battle station the size of a moon? No records, anywhere, show that any battle station or capital ship has ever been destroyed by a single missile. Furthermore, analysis of the tape of the last moments of the Death Star show numerous small explosions along its surface, prior to it exploding completely! Why does all evidence indicate that strategically placed explosives, not a single missile, is what destroyed the Death Star?

First off, it was a torpedo, not a missle.  Also, the Death Star wasn’t destroyed by the torpedo anyhow.  It was the chain reaction of smaller explosions that eventually caused the station’s Main Reactor to go nova, vaporizing the entire installation.  And what evidence are you refering to that points to placed explosives?  I seriously doubt such evidence exists.

And there you have it.  As usual, I have proven the Empire free from any wrong doing once again.  You have uncomfortable questions?  Well I’ve got the answers.

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