Newest Star Wars Geek

My son has officially joined the ranks of Star Wars geeks out there. No doubt his daddy is to blame. :) The other day he started singing the first few lines of the Imperial March, also known as Vader's theme music. This kid has not put two notes together his whole life, and comes out singing the Imperial March. Daddy was proud.

He can identify Star Wars merchandise on sight now. All my books and toys fascinate him. "Star, Star..." is a constant sentence in this house. Sometimes he goes all the way and says "Star Wars". Other times he says, "Darth". He LOVES Darth Vader. Maybe it has something to do with Daddy telling him, "I am your Father. Search your feelings. You know it to be true" while he was in the womb.

Either way, a Star Wars nerd he is becoming. Daddy is pretty stoked. How bad would it be if one of my kids didn't like Star Wars. That would be a shame. lol. Of course in reality it wouldn't affect my love for him if he didn't like it, but I am happy for the bond we are forming.

Tonight as my wife was putting him to bed he began singing the Imperial March again. Music to Daddy's ears. Now if only I can get him to sit through an entire movie. Two year old kids aren't exactly known for their attention span. The time is coming though. He has been making it further and further into Return of the Jedi.

When R2-D2 launches Luke's lightsaber into the air while Luke does a flip off of the plank he is walking, there is always a cheer of joy. He loves that scene. Any scene with Vader, Chewbacca, or R2-D2 is bound to catch his attention. He is picking out his favorites.

I am looking forward to my future lightsaber battles with him. Only then will he be truly initiated. For now, Darth Tater (Mr. Potato Head) and the Spud Trooper are his pals. Chewbacca and various other Vader toys are rapidly climbing his favorite toy list too. Daddy couldn't be more proud. :)

Nikko R2-D2 DVD Projector

I was reading through some blogs today, and I came across one called The Tech Inside. I discovered something there that I am pretty excited about. It is an R2-D2 DVD Projector. View his post at http://thetechinside.com. This went straight to the top of my wish list on Amazon.com. Follow this link to see more details: Nikko R2-D2 DVD Projector.

This thing is pretty sweet. Not only does it come with a remote-controlled R2-D2, it has a pretty cool replica of the Millennium Falcon for the remote. From the video it looks like the Falcon can play at least Han's voice. Here are some of the specs:

• Project to ceiling and walls up to a 260"
• Picture Resolution: 1024 X 768 XGA
• Contrast Ratio: 1800:1
• Lumens: 2000
• Bulit-In Cd/DVD Player. Also plays MP3/MP4 video
• iPod Docking station Memory card and UBS Slots FM Wireless audio out (channels 1 through 7)
• Full-Fuction: Forward, Reverse turn 360 degree and recline
• Millennium Falcon Remote control with removable stand
• Head turns using remote control
• Plays the most popular R2-D2 sound effects

This is definitely on my Father's Day wish list, though I know we can't afford it right now. This is the ultimate home entertainment system. It has a port for an i-Pod, Wii, Playstation 3, and Xbox 360. It has a built in DVD player. There are USB ports that enable you to play audio/video. I can't think of anything this thing doesn't have, short of a bottle opener. This is my gadget of the year. Hopefully I am not the only nerd excited about this.

Curious Kid

"Uncle, what was cut from the movie?", my nephew asks. I had told him 5 minutes before that we were going to watch the original theatrical release of Return of the Jedi. When he asked what I meant his mom told him it means things have been cut from it. He seemed to be satisfied and we went about watching the movie.

"Who is that guy with the things on his head?", he asks next. I answer, "Bib Fortuna. He's a Twileck. Those things are Leku." I think this is the end of the questions, but I am wrong. "Where is he from?" "Ryloth." "What language does he speak?" "I forget. I think there are two languages on Ryloth though. I will have to check." "Where does he sleep?" "In his bedroom in Jabba's palace." "Where is his bedroom?" "They don't show it in the movie, so I don't know." All the while I am struggling to remember the book "Tales From Jabba's Palace", which I read years ago. The questions didn't stop there.

"Why is that guy pushing Leia towards Jabba the Hut?" "She got caught trying to rescue Han. Now she is in trouble." "Why is she in trouble?" "Because Jabba is a bad guy." "'Cause he didn't listen to his mommy and daddy." "That's right." "Who is Jabba's daddy?" "Zorba the Hut." "Who is Jabba's mommy?" "I don't know." "Who are his brothers and sisters?" "I don't know. I will have to check." By this time I had the attention of everybody in the vicinity. This included my wife, parents, and sister.

"Who is that guy with the green face?" "A Gammorean." "What does he speak?" "I think it is called Gammorean. I don't remember if it is something else." "Why is he in the pit with Luke?" "He fell in when Jabba pushed the button." The questions continued to get more entertaining the longer we talked, but I think I covered the gist pretty well. His mom tried to get the video camera out, but I don't think she caught much of the conversation.

Later we were outside playing on the playground at my parents' house. We talked about a few things, and then Star Wars came up again. "I like Anakin because he wins all his fights." "He doesn't win all his fights. He lost to Obi-Wan." "But he killed him in 'A New Hope'." "He didn't win that one. Obi-Wan knew he would become more powerful if he let Vader kill him." "Oh." A few minutes go by when he brings it up again. "I liked it when Vader killed Obi-Wan. I like it when Anakin wins." I don't know about you, but this 4 year old is pretty entertaining to me.

I look forward to answering this set of questions from my son when he is old enough. My son will know that Obi-Wan is the best Jedi though. :)

Robot Chicken Star Wars

Seth Green is part of a show on the Adult Swim segment of the Cartoon Network called Robot Chicken. You can find their page at www.adultswim.com/shows/robotchicken. They do a claymation parody of a variety of shows and movies that we all know and love.

This clip features Emperor Palpatine receiving news from Darth Vader that Luke Skywalker destroyed the Death Star. Watch, and enjoy. This would probably be considered at least a PG-13 clip, fyi.