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Thrawn Ascendancy Book I: Chaos Rising
Thrawn Ascendancy Book I: Chaos Rising
Timothy Zahn | 2020 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Grand Admiral Thrawn

Mitth'raw'nuruodo.

The blue-skinned, red-eyed Imperial antagonist of Timothy Zahn's 'Heir to the Empire' series of Star Wars novels from the early 90's, and one of - if not [i]the[/i] breakout characters from that book.

Yet to make his appearance in live action (as an aside, I imagine maybe someone like Benedict Cumberbatch in the role), although he is one of the few characters to survive the 'great purge' when Disney bought out Lucasfilm and re-branded the old Expanded Universe as 'Legends', appearing in the later seasons of the animation 'Star Wars: Rebels'.

This is the first in a new trio of novels, with the opening text reading something along the lines of: 'A long time ago beside a galaxy far far away ...' which, in itself, helps set the scene. Beside a galaxy. So we're not in the realms of the Empire/The Rebellion here, or even in the realm of the Clone Wars, although we are - as the novel later makes clear when Thrawn encounters a key character from that period of time - in that particular era.

So, a prequel then? Maybe, but - I have to say- to me, this particular version of Thrawn just somehow *feels* different than that from the old EU. There's a certain Je Ne Sais Qua about that - I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's like meeting the identical twin brother of your best friend: they may look alike, sound alike and even dress alike but there's a certain indefinable *something* that's not quite right ...

Is it this version of Thrawn's political naivety? His seemingly not-quite-so-ruthless tactical genius? I don't know, but I will probably read more to see if/how the character evolves into that I am more familiar with.
  
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)
2017 | Action, Sci-Fi
Action scenes (4 more)
Better comedy
Porgs
Daisy Ridley ?
Rey, finn and Poe
Still to much like the original films (0 more)
Really really enjoyable film
As much as a star wars fan i am, as much as i really enjoyed the film, its still missing something. As much as it is like Empire Strikes Back it still offers more. The new characters are starting to move the film away from the original cast and will eventually take over from them, but they all still have alot to learn.
Long story short, great to watch, still alot like Empire Strikes and the new films are going in the right direction ????
  
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Jessalyn Joy (118 KP) created a poll

Jul 16, 2017 (Updated Jul 16, 2017)  
Poll
Who is your favorite Star Wars character? (And if you don't see yours up let me know and I can add it!) @starwarsluvr @DaveySmithy @Brad L McKee

Jar Jar Binks

0 votes

Padme

0 votes

Chewbacca
Leia
Han Solo
Sabe

0 votes

Darth Vader
Ahsoka Tano

0 votes

Qui Gon Jinn

0 votes

Sebulba

0 votes

Yoda
Luke Skywalker
Lando Calrissian

0 votes

Kylo Ren

0 votes

Jabba the Hut

0 votes

Boba Fett
Jango Fett

0 votes

Palpatine
General Grievous

0 votes

Obi Wan Kenobi

0 votes

Darth Maul

0 votes

Mace Windu

0 votes

Wicket (Ewok)

0 votes

c-3PO

0 votes

Rey
Captain Phasma

0 votes

Jyn Erso

0 votes

Count Dooku

0 votes

Aayla Secura

0 votes

Asaji Ventress

0 votes

Captain Rex

0 votes

Plo Koon

0 votes

Watto

0 votes

Poe Dameron
Finn

0 votes

Supreme Leader Snoke

0 votes

Maz Kanata

0 votes

Admiral Ackbar
Greedo

0 votes

Wedges

0 votes

Vote
     
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)
2015 | Action, Sci-Fi
Doesn't hold up after multiple viewings. (0 more)
Initially, I really loved this film. I loved the nostalgia, and the fact that the original trio was brought back. I liked the new characters, and how everything came together. The opening scene was probably one of my favorites out of the film. The new trio had perfect casting, but I do think The Last Jedi ruined it a bit.
Then I realized I liked it so much because it mirrored A New Hope. Episode 4 is my favorite Star Wars film. Yes, it works, but Ep 4 does it better.
Anyway, I'm just glad this trilogy is being given back to Abrams to fix.
  
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
2018 | Action, Sci-Fi
Han & Chewie friendship (1 more)
Emilia Clarke
It's a blast
I saw this yesterday in 4dx! Just the type of film to make the most of the experience. I really liked this, definitely better than The Last Jedi. It's good to see the back story of an iconic character. It ties in really well with the Star wars films as a whole with lots of references to the original 3 films. Featuring a great cast of good actors even in the small roles. Plenty of action scenes and a few surprises. It doesn't have the deepest of plots but there is enough here to keep everyone happy!
  
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
2018 | Action, Sci-Fi
Pretty much everything! (0 more)
(Spoiler) Didn’t explain why Chewie didn’t go with his tribe after the spice mines (0 more)
Another side story winner!
Contains spoilers, click to show
Wow. Just wow. I was so worried for this being bad after so many reviews saying it was a let down but how wrong they were.

A lot of nods to other characters and story arcs as well as a string link to Star Wars Rebels (the animated series) of which I also loved.

It was good to see how the Millennium Falcon got its iconic shape and how it was won.

Oh and of course the origin of the 12 parsecs run!

Go watch it now!!
  
If, by and large, books can be compared to food - the classics being haute cuisine; the terrible books being dog-food - then the X-Wing series of Star Wars books (all written pre-Episode One, and based on the popular LucasArts games) could probably be best described as fast food: enjoyable enough in small doses but you wouldn't want to live on them and not always that memorable.

With regard to this book, which picks up from the end of Timothy Zahn's "The Last Command" (with the ending of that novel shown from a different perspective), it's also more than half way through before the jacket blurb begins to make sense.
  
The Matrix (1999)
The Matrix (1999)
1999 | Action, Sci-Fi
1999, the year that everybody expected Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace to be the best sci-fi movie.

It wasn't.

This was, instead.

Coming seemingly out of nowhere with an ingenious marketing campaign ("What is the Matrix?"), and with Keanu Reeve cementing his action man persona in lather and shades, this (I believe) was the first time that Western audiences was introduced to bullet time.

Very much Manga influenced ("I know Kung Fu"), and with a plot that owes more than a bit to Descartes philosophical "what is reality" question, this film soon launched a host of imitators and 2 not-as-good filmed back-to-back sequels.
  
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Pete Buttigieg recommended My Name is Red in Books (curated)

 
My Name is Red
My Name is Red
Orhan Pamuk, Erdag M. Goknar | 2010 | Fiction & Poetry
(0 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"Ah, the days when Hollywood harbored existentialistic realists, and the entirety of America—from its back roads and highway saloons to its hinterland betting subcultures, working-class desolation, gone-wild farm fields, and small-town cafeterias—was a metaphor for itself, and for all of our postwar lostness. Monte Hellman’s career peak is easily the greatest film I never even heard of as a film-hungry 1970s kid, vanished and hardly ever TV-broadcast, even as I thought the sobering, grown-up likes of Deliverance and Chinatown and Scarecrow were emblematic of an American cinema that had finally reached adulthood. Then came Star Wars."

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