May the 4th Be With You!
This year for May 4th I want to acknowledge the 40th anniversary of "The Empire Strikes Back". Many fans hold this film up as the greatest Star Wars film ever made. So to honor the anniversary of my favorite movie ever, I present to you "40 Ways to Strike Back" which examines 40 times "Empire" has been adapted to various mediums.
Comics are a great way to digest any Star Wars story and there are many adaptions of the film "The Empire Strikes Back". Most adaptions stick pretty close to the film's storyline, but Star Wars "Infinites" imagines a world where Han is not able to save Luke from the cold and Luke freezes to death. Yet right before he dies Luke tells Han to go to Dagobah and find Yoda. In this version of the tale, it is Leia who trains to be a Jedi.
The Battle of Hoth is one of those fictitious historical events that has been played out over and over again. Little kids reenact it with their micro-machines. Older kids reenact it with card games and RPG tabletops. And who among us has not played through the Battle of Hoth in the form of video games? I spent my youth playing "The Empire Strikes Back" NES game over and over again as well as "Shadows of the Empire". I have experienced The Battle of Hoth countless times- After all, in a world without save states you always have to start at the very beginning of the story every single time.
When the Star Wars Customizable Card game released in the mid-90s I was a preteen and just the right age to become obsessed with collecting those cards. I'm not sure I ever figured out how to play the game, but I did become a collector. I even shelled out $20 for one particular card (Captain Han Solo) depicting the smuggler's face in the moments before being plunged into carbonite.
I have to admit that I have never consumed a Novelization adaption of any Star Wars film. Nor have I delved into the William Shakespeare adaptions of the Saga. However, I know that there are fans of these novels and someday I might even get around to it.
I was born during the Audio Cassette era, and some of my first cassettes were John Williams albums including the soundtrack to Star Wars. By my early teens I had graduated to CDs and Star Wars was still an important part of my collection. What would Star Wars even be without John William's epic score? That music might be the one ingredient that holds the whole thing together- an audio manifestation of the living Force.
"The Empire Strikes Back" Radio drama is also a nice listen. It features Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, and Billy Dee Williams reprising their roles from the film and (interestingly) John Lithgow voices Yoda.
Who doesn't like a good source book. Even in the age of Wookieepedia, there are some physical source books worth perusing. One of my favorite Christmas presents as a child was "A Guide to the Star Wars Universe" (2nd edition). Whether you are looking for encyclopedic entries, scripts, storyboards, or production notes, there are books out there. May the Source Be With You!
Children's books help bring the Galaxy to life for young fans: from pop-ups, to panoramas, to Little Golden Books. There's even a board book series called "Epic Yarns" that simplifies each Original Trilogy film to just 12 words and 12 pictures. Who knew Star Wars could be so concise?
Animation has always been a powerful tool to draw people in to the Star Wars universe. The very first Star Wars animation was a short cartoon shown in the middle of the 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special. That cartoon actually introduced Boba Fett to Star Wars fans for the first time. Today, of course, there is so much animated Star Wars that you can hardly keep track of it all.
"Forces of Destiny" is a very cool series of shorts because it jumps all over the Star Wars timeline. "Beasts of Echo Base" adapts a "deleted scene" from the original "Empire Strikes Back" script. "The Path Ahead" features Luke Skywalker training on Dagobah (and voiced by a much older Mark Hamill).
Meanwhile, the series "Galaxy of Adventures" adapts scenes from Star Wars films while retaining the original soundtrack and dialogue. The snippets are great for kids who might not be able to focus on a 2-hour film but want to digest the Saga's most important scenes anyway.
There are at least half-a-dozen official versions of the original Star Wars trilogy floating around out there. Even though "The Empire Strikes Back" is the OT film that is the least changed throughout these many versions there are some notable differences.
The 1997 Special Edition adds an extended version of the Wampa Ice Creature scene. The Wampa is more present and a bit more massive than in the original film. The 1997 edition also updates Cloud City with special effects shots and larger crowd sequences.
The most notable change in the 2004 DVD & 2011 Blu-ray release is that both Palpatine and Boba Fett are played by different actors. The scene where Vader talks to Palpatine looks completely different and includes new dialogue. Boba Fett delivers the same dialogue, but with a New Zealand accent.
You know that something has become a pop-culture success when the parodies start coming out. The first "Star Wars" parody was "Hardware Wars" in 1978 and the parodies have never stopped coming.
Weird Al has done a couple of songs about the galaxy far, far away but "Yoda" is the most iconic. I am willing to bet that the song is now far more recognizable than the original Kinks hit "Lola".
The "Family Guy" Star Wars specials are a real treat, and I sometimes watch them instead of the Original Trilogy because it is a much shorter way to consume the trilogy.
Robot Chicken Star Wars is also a blast. For "Empire Strikes Back" related sketches check out the one armed Wampa bit or "The Empire On Ice!"
2020 - 40 Ways to Strike Back
https://roadto7.blogspot.com/2020/05/40-ways-to-strike-back.html
2019 - 151 Star Wars Aliens
https://roadto7.blogspot.com/2019/05/151-aliens-how-many-do-you-know.html
2018 - Star Wars Polls
Movie Polls -https://roadto7.blogspot.com/2018/05/star-wars-polls.html
Character Polls - https://roadto7.blogspot.com/2018/05/more-polls-characters.html
Expanded Universe Polls- https://roadto7.blogspot.com/2018/05/the-polls-that-define-us.html
2017 - 40 Years of Fandom https://roadto7.blogspot.com/2017/05/40-years-of-fandom.html
2015 -Genre-Bending the Original Trilogy
Samurai New Hope- http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2015/05/a-new-hope-as-samurai-film.html
Western Empire Strikes Back - http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-empire-strikes-west.html
Pirate Return of the Jedi - http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2015/05/return-of-jedi-as-pirate-film.html
2014 - Recasting Star Wars
Prequel Trilogy 70s Casting - http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2014/05/recasting-trilogy.html
Original Trilogy 90s Casting - http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2014/05/recasting-star-wars-original-trilogy.html
Sequel Trilogy Casting- http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2014/05/recasting-trilogy.html
2013 - The Prequels Rewritten: A Fanfic
Episode I - The Saga Begins - http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2013/05/may-fourth-trilogy-re-written.html
Episode II - The Clone War - http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2013/05/may-mayo-be-with-you-episode-ii.html
Episode III - Rise of the Sith - http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2013/05/episode-iii-remake-rise-of-sith.html
This year for May 4th I want to acknowledge the 40th anniversary of "The Empire Strikes Back". Many fans hold this film up as the greatest Star Wars film ever made. So to honor the anniversary of my favorite movie ever, I present to you "40 Ways to Strike Back" which examines 40 times "Empire" has been adapted to various mediums.
Comics are a great way to digest any Star Wars story and there are many adaptions of the film "The Empire Strikes Back". Most adaptions stick pretty close to the film's storyline, but Star Wars "Infinites" imagines a world where Han is not able to save Luke from the cold and Luke freezes to death. Yet right before he dies Luke tells Han to go to Dagobah and find Yoda. In this version of the tale, it is Leia who trains to be a Jedi.
When the Star Wars Customizable Card game released in the mid-90s I was a preteen and just the right age to become obsessed with collecting those cards. I'm not sure I ever figured out how to play the game, but I did become a collector. I even shelled out $20 for one particular card (Captain Han Solo) depicting the smuggler's face in the moments before being plunged into carbonite.
"The Empire Strikes Back" Radio drama is also a nice listen. It features Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, and Billy Dee Williams reprising their roles from the film and (interestingly) John Lithgow voices Yoda.
Who doesn't like a good source book. Even in the age of Wookieepedia, there are some physical source books worth perusing. One of my favorite Christmas presents as a child was "A Guide to the Star Wars Universe" (2nd edition). Whether you are looking for encyclopedic entries, scripts, storyboards, or production notes, there are books out there. May the Source Be With You!
Children's books help bring the Galaxy to life for young fans: from pop-ups, to panoramas, to Little Golden Books. There's even a board book series called "Epic Yarns" that simplifies each Original Trilogy film to just 12 words and 12 pictures. Who knew Star Wars could be so concise?
Animation has always been a powerful tool to draw people in to the Star Wars universe. The very first Star Wars animation was a short cartoon shown in the middle of the 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special. That cartoon actually introduced Boba Fett to Star Wars fans for the first time. Today, of course, there is so much animated Star Wars that you can hardly keep track of it all.
"Forces of Destiny" is a very cool series of shorts because it jumps all over the Star Wars timeline. "Beasts of Echo Base" adapts a "deleted scene" from the original "Empire Strikes Back" script. "The Path Ahead" features Luke Skywalker training on Dagobah (and voiced by a much older Mark Hamill).
Meanwhile, the series "Galaxy of Adventures" adapts scenes from Star Wars films while retaining the original soundtrack and dialogue. The snippets are great for kids who might not be able to focus on a 2-hour film but want to digest the Saga's most important scenes anyway.
There are at least half-a-dozen official versions of the original Star Wars trilogy floating around out there. Even though "The Empire Strikes Back" is the OT film that is the least changed throughout these many versions there are some notable differences.
The 1997 Special Edition adds an extended version of the Wampa Ice Creature scene. The Wampa is more present and a bit more massive than in the original film. The 1997 edition also updates Cloud City with special effects shots and larger crowd sequences.
The most notable change in the 2004 DVD & 2011 Blu-ray release is that both Palpatine and Boba Fett are played by different actors. The scene where Vader talks to Palpatine looks completely different and includes new dialogue. Boba Fett delivers the same dialogue, but with a New Zealand accent.
You know that something has become a pop-culture success when the parodies start coming out. The first "Star Wars" parody was "Hardware Wars" in 1978 and the parodies have never stopped coming.
Weird Al has done a couple of songs about the galaxy far, far away but "Yoda" is the most iconic. I am willing to bet that the song is now far more recognizable than the original Kinks hit "Lola".
The "Family Guy" Star Wars specials are a real treat, and I sometimes watch them instead of the Original Trilogy because it is a much shorter way to consume the trilogy.
Robot Chicken Star Wars is also a blast. For "Empire Strikes Back" related sketches check out the one armed Wampa bit or "The Empire On Ice!"
May the 4th Specials
2020 - 40 Ways to Strike Back
https://roadto7.blogspot.com/2020/05/40-ways-to-strike-back.html
2019 - 151 Star Wars Aliens
https://roadto7.blogspot.com/2019/05/151-aliens-how-many-do-you-know.html
2018 - Star Wars Polls
Movie Polls -https://roadto7.blogspot.com/2018/05/star-wars-polls.html
Character Polls - https://roadto7.blogspot.com/2018/05/more-polls-characters.html
Expanded Universe Polls- https://roadto7.blogspot.com/2018/05/the-polls-that-define-us.html
2017 - 40 Years of Fandom https://roadto7.blogspot.com/2017/05/40-years-of-fandom.html
2015 -Genre-Bending the Original Trilogy
Samurai New Hope- http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2015/05/a-new-hope-as-samurai-film.html
Western Empire Strikes Back - http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-empire-strikes-west.html
Pirate Return of the Jedi - http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2015/05/return-of-jedi-as-pirate-film.html
2014 - Recasting Star Wars
Prequel Trilogy 70s Casting - http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2014/05/recasting-trilogy.html
Original Trilogy 90s Casting - http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2014/05/recasting-star-wars-original-trilogy.html
Sequel Trilogy Casting- http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2014/05/recasting-trilogy.html
2013 - The Prequels Rewritten: A Fanfic
Episode I - The Saga Begins - http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2013/05/may-fourth-trilogy-re-written.html
Episode II - The Clone War - http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2013/05/may-mayo-be-with-you-episode-ii.html
Episode III - Rise of the Sith - http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2013/05/episode-iii-remake-rise-of-sith.html
