#ian mcdarmid

[twinsunstars]

Reflecting on Star Wars Celebration 2023

For 2023, Star Wars Celebration was held in London, England, part of Europe. Fans had a blast, whether they actually attended in person wearing cosplay or just regular clothes, or tuned into the live broadcasts on the Star Wars Youtube channel. Like last year in 2022, there were a lot of surprises and awesome guests, but 2023 had a lot of special moments and emotional responses. The hosts of each panel also need some appreciation, I loved the energy and relatable moods they brought to each day. In this post, I’ll recap some of the amazing highlights of each celebration day, and share my thoughts on the panels I attended while tuning into the lives at home. 

Starting off with Day 1, the excitement was at the top-level. Considering it was in London, the live started at 5 AM for me where I live. So I definitely did not get any sleep, but it was worth it. The Ahsoka series got the most recognition of the day with the teaser trailer dropping to all the fans. I woke up to the trailer being posted and immediately watched it, trying not to scream so loudly. Rebels fans were truly getting fed with the new live-action debuts of Hera, Sabine, Ezra, Thrawn, and Chopper. The Acolyte cast were given introductions, and I had no idea that a star from Squid Game (Lee Jung-jae) was going to be in it. I’m really excited to see more of this show. The Making of Andor was discussed with a few of the cast members and creators there, and Diego Luna really highlighted what Andor means to a personal level. Season 2 is in the making, and that will be something worth looking forward to. The next Star Wars films were also announced, and Dave Filoni’s directing one??? Let’s see what he has in store for us.

Day 2 included just as much fun as the first day had. There were more discussions on the Ahsoka characters, and Lars Mikkelsen IS PLAYING THRAWN?! Definitely a good live-action casting choice. Ming-Na Wen came to celebration to host the panel celebrating 40 years of Return of the Jedi, looking back at the characters and how that movie’s plot set up a lot of iconic memories. She also came to an interview to discuss her character, Fennec Shand, and how she is a “badass”. Andy Serkis came to the stage and certainly incited a powerful audience (”ONE WAY OUT!”). It’s unbelievable how it’s already been 15 years of The Clone Wars, with Matt Lanter, James Arnold Taylor, and Ashley Eckstein looking back at the legacy of all of it. Ian McDarmid served the iconic laughter of Palpatine, and Anthony Daniels arrived with his usual charm that makes C-3PO lovable, and got to meet one of his droid fans. Billy Dee William’s charm is irresistible, and we love to see Star Wars authors getting recognition.  

In Day 3, there was a lot more looking back to look forward to. Starting off with the panel celebrating a few of the villains of the Sequels-Phasma, Snoke, and Palpatine-it was interesting to hear their perspectives. Cameron Monaghan served his look on the stage while rocking a poncho, and we love to hear the discussions about ponchos. He even gave it to a cosplaying fan, which was so sweet. Discussing “Jedi Survivor”, the sequel to “Jedi: Fallen Order”, there’s a lot more action to look forward to in the next game. Vivien Lyra Blair is just too adorable, and we have to agree with Hayden Christhansen; “This is where the fun begins” is one of the best Anakin lines. Along with Ewan McGregor and a few other cast members and creators, the team looks back at the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, getting nostalgia between the relationship of Obi-Wan and Anakin. 

And finally, Day 4 was sad as it was to be the last day of celebration, but the energy was extra hyped this day. This day was filled with content of The Bad Batch, and we love to see everyone fangirling over Dee Bradley Baker performing the voices of a few clones. (Tech and Phee are canon now after they talked about it, you can’t change my mind.) Michelle Ang is so pure at heart, and we love to hear her takes on Omega and having her grow up a bit. The fact that Season 3 will be the last Bad Batch season is saddening, there’s still so much to discover. Ashley Eckstein is truly such a kind human being, and we love to see her giving the Ahsoka recognition that is truly deserved. A second season of Tales of the Jedi was announced, and we will be getting a Volume 2 of Star Wars: Visions, and I am in love with the animation. The fact that the studio who produced the film “Wolfwalkers” is getting to create a short in this makes me happy. Listen, Nubs, that little jedi from that upcoming Disney Junior show, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, is so CUTE! The closing ceremony was filled with a lot of emotions, but we can’t wait until the next celebration to see everyone again. Star Wars Celebration is truly home.

My first celebration was back in 2022, and I had attended that one through the lives at home as well. Whenever I sit down to attend the live streams, I really feel like I’m there at celebration, and I have tons of fun every time. Let’s look forward to enjoying ourselves again in 2025 in Japan!

[fallout-fallen-knight]

Hey! If you get this, answer with 3 random facts about yourself and send it to the last 7 people in your notifications, anonymous or not! Let’s get to know the person behind the blog :)

1) I’m currently studying to be an elementary/middle school science teacher! If I don’t end up teaching in a classroom, I’d want to be a science communicator at a National Park, science museum, or aquarium.

2) in high school my family had a one-eyed cat named Una (nothing happened to her, I just moved away for college). This is from a few years ago:

3) I do cosplay! Rather infrequently, especially since in-person conventions have been cancelled for the foreseeable future, but it’s one of my favorite hobbies and I’ve been doing it since I was in middle school. I don’t have many fallout cosplays, but here’s me meeting Ian McDarmid while dressed as a tunnel snake in 2018:

[tariqk]

So I watched Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker last night

TL;DR: Glad I got that out of the way.

Spoilers under the cut.

J.J. Abrams can’t write or direct to save his life. It was evident that he had a lot of help this time from an editing and pacing perspective, because 1) Rey and Kylo were put in a lightsaber battle on a place with ocean spray and she was wearing a white outfit and there were no gratuitous nipple shots, and 2) there seemed to be less of the classic Abrams fakeout than usual. Which means that there were still an egregious amount, but it felt like the other adults in the room reined him in.

Even despite all of that? The end result was mostly… bland, apart from the few moments of outrage, annoyance, and occasionally (occasionally) squealing joy.

I’ll get to the parts I did like first:

Wedge Antilles (played by Denis Lawson) makes a very brief cameo. Like, a very brief cameo. I still squealed.

The OT3 moments between Rey, Finn and Poe were real. I knew I was being pandered to, but if there’s an AU where the three of them don’t settle in the old Skywalker ranch, where Finn plays the oblivious hot homesteading dad that everyone wants to bang, Poe’s the crusty old smuggler with a paramour in every spaceport, and Rey becomes the cranky old uncle with a gaggle of Force-sensitive children, apprentices, and droids I will scream.

Okay, it’s nice that Finn gets to bond with more ex-stormtroopers. I’d have liked to see more, but this was good. Maybe Finn can start group therapy sessions with former ex-child-soldiers and stuff.

It’s also nice that we get Finn as the secondary Force-Sensitive character in the movie! He’s not going to be the Jedi, but he’s definitely taking on the role of the Leia. And it’s also nice that everyone secretly wants to bang him treats him like a respected, even natural leader!

The reason why Zorri was so willing to help Poe and his gang was so obviously because she was gay for Rey. GAY FOR REY! GAY FOR REY! GAY FOR REY! (Honestly I don’t see the point, Rey’s such a skinny white girl and there were major vibes of that in that once-every-42-years festival scene)

The actors did great despite the limitations of the script. Yes, even Adam Driver. But to call out, specifically: John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Dominic Monaghan, Kelly Marie Tran, Oscar Isaac, Ian McDarmid, Billy Dee Williams, Domnhall Gleeson (Hux Spite 110% 5eva lmaooo), Anthony Daniels, Naomi Ackie, Keri Russell, Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fischer, god rest her soul. All of you were amazing and did a great job despite the crap materials you were saddled with.

That’s about it honestly. It’s honestly evident that JJ Abrams made this movie to be sliced up into a series of awesome movie clips from the movie, because the movie is jam-packed with all of them. But put together the way it was in the cinema, it all blended into this bland, empty experience. 

Like, honestly… my bladder was so full that I had to go to the can, got lost a bit, peed up a storm, and wash my hands, came back and I honestly can say that I didn’t miss a damn thing. You could see where things were going. Rey would keep wandering off by herself and experience Force visions. There’d be a terrible tragedy that would be a fakeout that would be undercut by subsequent scenes. Kylo Ren would look all wooby while gaslighting the shit out of Rey.

That being said… fuck the kiss, man. Fuck the kiss. I loathe Reylo so I’m biased as hell, but even if I was, can you honestly expect me to believe that someone as violent, abusive, and gaslighting like Kylo Ren just had to believe that his momma still loved him before he’d turn back to the light? The fucker, who massacres entire villages, was responsible for the genocide of billions, murders the shit out of everyone, subjects his subordinates to Force and lightsaber-based abuse, just needed to know that momma loved him? This man ran a lightsaber through his daddy’s gut, the same daddy who loved and trusted him so much that he literally risked his ass (and paid dearly for it) to try and tell him that he and his momma loved him very much despite all the shit he pulled? All he needed was the love of his Sainted Mother (RIP Carrie you will be missed) who had to die for him to get the message? And for that he gets smoochies with Rey and then gets to pass into the Force?

Fuck that. I hope he never comes back, good riddance.

That being said, Adam Driver is an excellent actor, able to portray both Kylo Ren (who is a terrible person) and Ben Solo (who is an uncertain child in a grown man’s skin) amazingly well. It’s just that… when he’s in Ben Solo mode, I can’t help but notice his giant nose. Like you don’t notice it when he’s being a gaslighting, abusive dipshit, I guess? But when he’s the lost, uncertain boy who’s forced to grow up too fast through associating with abusive persons? That nose just like, grows three sizes or some shit. I don’t understand it, but there you have it.

And it’s also nice that Lando Calrissian, the token Black dude in the original series, remains literally the last surviving member of the gang. Well, other than Chewie. WHO NEEDS A PROPER MEDAL CEREMONY WTF.

Also, Rose Tico got done dirty in this episode. MORE ROSE TICO! Ian McDarmid also was amazing, despite the fact that for most of the movie he was tethered to a massive cybernetic machine as zombie Emperor Palpatine. I have no opinions about Rey being a Palpatine. It honestly doesn’t matter. When the reveal happened I kind of shrugged and moved on. Doesn’t matter, she’s her own person. The fact that she can do the whole Force Lightning shit? Who gives crap, man! Darksiders can all do that, it’s classic Dark Side Force User power, it’s hardly signature to Palpatine though Abrams tried to make it so (remember that Count Dooku could do it). Evil!Rey was pretty good, though. I loved that feral smile. Too bad it was a Force image and there wasn’t a real personality behind it.

[shadrachdelmonte]

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - Daisy Ridley. Carrie Fisher.  John Boyega. Adam Driver. Oscar Isaac. Ian McDarmid. J.J. Abrams.

[douxreviews]

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) Review

[This review includes spoilers. It was written right after I saw it in the theater.]

Padme: "So this is how liberty dies. With thunderous applause."

I just saw Revenge of the Sith, and I can't get it out of my head. For me, it's up there with Empire, which has always been my favorite. This one is darker than Empire. It had to be. George Lucas deserves some heavy-duty praise after all the well-deserved criticism he took for Episodes One and Two.

During Episodes One and Two, I had some distance; I enjoyed them, but I couldn't stop obsessing about what was wrong with them and they didn't stay with me. They never felt like real Star Wars to me. But not this time. I was hooked from the first moment, and stayed completely absorbed until the final credits. Lucas gave us every single moment that we needed to see, tied up every loose end, and made it riveting at the same time. No stupid pod races, no Jar Jar (well, one second of Jar Jar, which was about right). The effects were out of this world, but they were there to support the story, which was what they were supposed to do.

It wasn't a fun ride. I felt dread almost immediately, and just kept feeling it. It grew throughout, as we watched that beautiful young man lose his soul out of fear of losing his love. I was surprised that I desperately didn't want Anakin to turn into Darth Vader, all the while knowing that it was inevitable. And I cried, twice. So did Dan, which almost never happens.

Ewan McGregor and Natalie Portman are big talents that were pretty much wasted in Episodes One and Two, but their talent certainly wasn't wasted here. McGregor was terrific, clearly channeling Alec Guinness, and carrying so much of the drama. And Hayden Christensen -- it's really his movie more than anyone else's, and frankly, I thought he was awesome. My heart just bled for him. Ian McDarmid, as the Emperor, was also very good, as was pretty much everyone else. There were no bad performances, or at least I didn't notice any. The stilted Lucas dialogue was present, but it didn't bother me because this was Star Wars. It really was.

The most disturbing scene was so hard to watch that Dan actually looked away (this was his second time, my first). It was seeing Anakin dismembered and burned. Extremely graphic and very disturbing, pretty far out there for a Star Wars movie. But again, it had to be. We all knew that there wasn't much left that was human, after all. The parallel scenes of Padme's death and Anakin's rebirth as Darth Vader were exceptionally strong, too.

Anyway, I cried, and I really can't get it out of my head. Those are the two major signs of an outstanding movie, as far as I'm concerned. I even want to go see it again in the theater, and I honestly don't do that much any more. I can see the critics finding something wrong with it and they may even be right, but frankly, if people don't find this movie totally engrossing, then they probably never really liked Star Wars in the first place.

Bits and pieces:

-- How long was the break between Episodes 2 and 3? Anakin was clearly older; his face was scarred. Obi-Wan had grey at his temples.

-- Chancellor Palpatine was such a minor player in the first two episodes. His seduction of Anakin and slow transformation into the Emperor was very effective. This was not an easy part to play. Samuel L. Jackson, who looked amazingly distinguished totally bald, did a fine job portraying the ambiguity that Anakin saw in the leader of the Jedi Council.

-- They did some obvious echoes of Leia in Padme. The first time we see her, she's wearing The Hair: the cinnamon buns over the ears Princess Leia do. Then she did Leia's beige and brown look with the braid, too.

-- Again, Lucas inserted bits that set up the earlier trilogy: Chewbacca, and the Wookiee army we should have gotten in Episode 6; a brief glance of the surface of Alderan; a quick glimpse of Grand Moff Tarkin.

-- Perhaps George Lucas should have spread out some of the goodness in this film into the first two.

-- The mass slaughter of the Jedis really got to me. Darth Vader slaughtering the younglings may have been the darkest moment in all six movies.

-- Dismemberment again. Here, there were so many instances that I'm probably missing them: Count Dooku, Mace Windu, General Grevious, and of course, Darth Vader, who lost his remaining three limbs.

-- There was a lot of stuff that could be interpreted as criticism of the Bush administration, and I never get tired of that. Palpatine literally tore up the Senate during that final duel with Yoda, symbolically tearing apart democracy.

-- General Grievous was a reflection of the future Darth: gooey organics and mostly mechanical.

-- I thought the PG-13 rating was appropriate. I wouldn't take a small child to see this movie.

-- Obi-Wan got to say it again. "Oh, I have a bad feeling about this."

Four out of four stars,

Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.

[apocryphist]

@vault11overseer​ asked me to rank all of Palpatine’s looks, which was probably at least 40% a joke. Joke’s on them, I’m doing it anyways, starting with the absolutely most wretched of them: 

The classic throne room look

Yeah, I know -- this is The Palpatine Look, the one that defined our mental image of withered old bastards forever in Return of the Jedi. It’s a classic. But looking at it with the nostalgia goggles off, first doesn’t always mean best. There’s nothing regal about this look, nothing that screams Emperor, just a decrepit old man in his comfy clothes. 

Sure, it’s real menacing when the fabric kind of blends into the shadows, but when he’s just walking around?  It looks like he’s wearing evil cotton bathrobe. Even Dooku knew that if you were going to take a nap, you’d better be doing it in black silk pajamas. Next to Palpatine’s other looks, this one’s clear that he’s not trying too hard. 

Which, of course, is the point -- Luke Skywalker sure didn’t expect the bathrobe man reclining in his Death Star Lay-z-boy to summon fucking lightning from his fingertips. That, and Palps just doesn’t have anyone to impress at this point. Who the fuck does he need to dress himself up for? Nobody, that’s who. 

That said, this outfit has an unsung hero -- the cut of that hood. The way it’s draped like that, basically putting his head inside of a triangle, is way more evil than some round hood would be. Seriously, that hood is the reason we remember this look so well. 

Final Verdict: 6/10, a respectable showing in many ways, but his other outfits often take what’s good about this one and do it better. 

Next up...

Pantene-patine

Yeah, that’s not a great pun, but this guy clearly loves having hair a little too much for his own good. It’s like he saw male pattern baldness coming for his colleagues in the Senate, and thought “oh man, they’re all gonna be so jealous when they realize I can still style my hair like Nicholas Cage.” 

But it also gives him kind of the air of a doddering politician. Between the taditional Naboo clothing, unflattering haircut, and the particular brand of politeness he employs, this Sheev Palpatine can blend into the background until it’s time to let his actual personality shine through and steal the space presidency out of nowhere.  

Still not going to save it from a mediocre score, though. 2/10.

Space President, President of Space

Ol’ Palpy’s moving up in the world, so he can trim the weird wings off the sides of his haircut and stop wearing medium blues and purples to look nonthreatening. He doesn’t want to come on too strong, so there’s no hood or whatever, but he takes advantage of the opportunity to wear black and runs with it, only offsetting it with a brown top and sash. Palpatine can afford to look a little evil now; he’s space president. If he wasn’t at least a little evil, what would he be doing in politics?

But the ruffled brown-gold...sweater...? That’s not doing him any favors. 5/10.

Revenge of the Sleeves 

This one’s pushing it, Pal. This outfit might not quite scream evil, but it's at the very least stage-whispering it. All-red color scheme? Shoulder pads like an evil wizard? Sleeves wide enough to hold entire folders in the upper arm?? Also, now that he’s in animation, it’s a little hard to hide the fact that he looks like an evil puppet, but what the hell. The Senate voted him enough war powers that shit shouldn’t matter. 

All of that evil looks good, but those sleeves really do lose this outfit a lot of style points. Still, I guess he just had to do it to em. 4/10 

The murder machine

We all have days where we want to cut lose and just be ourselves, right? Well, this is what Palpatine wears on rare occasions when he can put aside the busy schedule of leading both factions in a galaxy-spanning war, and just be what he is in his heart: a goddamn Sith Lord. 

This doesn’t just scream evil, it screams evil and loving it! He spends his time in this outfit doing two things: cackling, and styling on absolutely everyone he encounters. It’s got that same classic comfy cut as his original Return of the Jedi look, but with a little more class. The texturing is great, the balance of black and red is on point, and it’s got a nifty sith clasp thing. Also, accessorizing with two lightsabers is a risky choice, but it really works out here. 

Honestly, this look is hard to beat, a great combination of old and new.   9/10.

Leather car upholstery from the 90s 

You know, this has a lot going for it. The cut of it is great, with angles seamlessly transitioning into round forms in a way that kind of suggests a business suit. This really says Space President in a way most of his looks don’t. That said -- this texture is just too much. Space leather is nice, but this is just distracting.

Also, I just noticed this, but -- are those loafers? Fucking evil loafers? Sheev, come on. 

 It looks good in darker lighting, though, so I’m gonna give it 7/10.

The Coronation Gown

Motherfucker shows up like “okay, the Jedi tried to kill me, gave me some weird scars, but i’m good. Don’t even pay attention to those scars, I’ve got this sick red robe aND A NEW EMPIRE, SEE YA DEMOCRACY WE’RE GREAT.” 

Also? This is a fucking sith robe. Dude’s just wearing it in public because he knows he’s eliminated the only people who would know what he’s doing. What a fucking power move. 

Is this a little too regal? Maybe for day to day wear, but come on, let Sheevy have his day to wear crushed velvet and unholy symbols of the dark side. 8/10

Classic 2: The Sequel: Redux: Fresh New Emperor Edition

What’s old is new again. right? Mostly. While this is a good look, it’s not as striking as the look he sported in the Clone Wars, and it’s not as creepy as his original look, either. Also: he gets flipped over a chair by Yoda. 

Surprisingly underwhelming, 6/10. 

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain 

Is it cheating to count two looks as one? Probably. But the juxtaposition of his original Space Satan look with Kindly Old Grandpappy Palpatine was fucking incredible. 

You never forget that he’s a bad guy, but you understand the Empire a little better just looking at Hologram Palpatine -- this is the face he presents to the public, a charming and diplomatic wartime leader turned the greatest champion of peace in the galaxy. It’s a hell of a trick. 

Plus, the animated version of the costume is a little more put together than the 1983 version, while still maintaining everything that made the original great. 10/10.

Space Ghost Coast to Coast

Is this our old pal Sheev? No, technically not, it’s a recording of him being projected by a droid after his death. 

Still, I like to think he picked this look out for the Sentinel Droids. Red leather, poofy sleeves, classic Sheev Palpatine material. Also, the faces on top of droids? Very spooky, very necessary, and very Palpatine. A post-mortem message isn’t quite the same with your dead boss staring you in the face. 

However, I’m sorry to say, these sentinel droids look cooler without Palpatine’s face being projected in them. 

They have a really neat look all of their own, and a dead dictator in a fishbowl doesn’t really add much. 7/10

So classic you don’t even know it’s classic

This is how Palpatine appeared in the original release of The Empire Strikes Back, before Ian McDarmid was even cast in the role. And, if I may say so, this is clearly Sheev’s best appearance. Big spooky hologram, lighting so dark you can’t tell where the shadows end and the black clothing begins, eyes that are probably sunglasses with putty on them -- need I go on?

No. No I don’t. Sheev was facetiming Vader from the fucking Coruscant runway where he was showing of his Sheevy Collection. Everyone else in the galaxy, eat your heart out, you’re never gonna look this good. 1,980/10.

...That applies to everyone except Lando. I can’t even joke about that, the man wears capes as fashion statements, and can turn the most painfully 1970s look into something acceptable. Sorry, I don’t make the rules; that’s just how it is.

[englishmansdcc]

We are happy to announce @paul.shipper will be a guest artist at @fortheloveofscifi Manchester 2-3 Dec with an incredible line up of guests incl: @williamshatner @davidhasselhoff, Ian McDarmid, @realbdw @isdarthvader and Daniel Logan. We hope to see you there! fortheloveofsci-fi.com/guests