The Star Wars Starbucks Reunion Thread

<< Too many Starbucks to keep track of! We'll soon need a Starbucks index thread or something... >>

<G>

I have a burning question for you wonderful people on how the first Starbucks thread got started. Who started this? And more importantly, why?

~ Hunter of the Winds ~

 

Hunter of Winds whispers, *It's too quiet in here.*

 

>> I have a burning question for you wonderful people on how the first Starbucks thread got started. Who started this? And more importantly, why?

We should go dig up that old fossil of a thread sometime and post it here or on EZBoard, eh?

SASHA of course started this wonderful little community; the memorable first words were:

"I no longer have the time, inclination, or wherewithal to go thread-gathering."

I think the intent was, if you couldn't find the most interesting threads, well gosh darnit you can find the most interesting people and put them all here. (I flatter myself )

If I recall correctly this was a Luke Skywalker drool club for a while -- Jedi Callie was one of the original members -- I think I showed up around page 3, and as I mentioned above, there was that one fateful day in mid-August when OBI HAVE and VADER both popped in. (VADER is still AWOL, though he popped his head into that "trap" thread I laid for him, "Why is the Empire evil?") OBI HAVE showing up was a major event, since we already had an OBI HAAV. (See page 4(?) of this thread for the latest update on HAAV).

EOWYN, when did you first show up?

THRAN also showed up towards the middle / end of August, right? And I forgot when WORMIE first popped in.

Come to think of it, who *were* the original cast and crew of STARBUCKS?

 

So let me get this straight. Obi Have and Obi Haav are different people who both came up with the same basic premise for a name? How bizarre is that?!

And then we have Padmewan, who can't seem to decide on a gender . . .

And, to top it all off, we have the chicken.

Man, and I thought we Rebels were a little odd with our turnip and livestock episodes...

 

Just wanted to quickly note that although Obi Haav and I came up with the same idea for a username, I came up with it *first*. That's why HAAV had to use a weird derivation of the word "Have" in his username...because Obi HAVE had already been taken. By me. So there!

 

EOWYN, what do you think of this from Gandalf:

"I am not coming to the Shire. You must settle its affairs yourselves; that is what you have been trained for. Do you not yet understand? My time is over; it is no longer my task to set things to rights, nor to hlp folk to do so. And as for you, my dear friends, you will need no help. You are grown up now."

(Return of the King, "Homeword Bound")

First of all, I haven't even thought about the parallel titles... "Return of the King," "Return of the Jedi."

But what a better summary of the end of magic than this from Gandalf... the Halflings are figuratively, if not literally, "grown up." They have no need for magic anymore.

Are the Jedi like the Istari; Anakin like a Gandalf or Saruman? Is their role to help the galaxy "grow up"?

Have they lived up to that role?

 

Starbucks began a month or two subsequent to the "Evil" thread, yes? August, '99?

 

Migosh, so much has happened here, so many new people and new "tangents" I feel lost! And there *are* getting to be a lot of Starbucks around, -- and the thing is, they all have their own flavour and character so merging doesn't seem to be much of an answer.

Hmmm... this Starbucks thing is somewhat a conundrum for me. At first I *did* start it as a way to have all the interesting people and topics in one place (and I had to lasso half of you), because I didn't have time to glean and it also seemed silly to me that all these people were talking but NOT talking, you know? Everyone seemed to be just brushing past one another, there was no sense of connection or belonging. And honestly, that's what I wanted most from the forum experience, -- a club or group of friends online.

But I discovered that interesting topics need an influx of all sorts of types to stay vibrant and alive, so though one *could* discuss ideas in passing here in Starbucks, if one wanted an in depth, all out, totally analyzed view of a subject it needed to be out on the floor, so to speak, and up for grabs. Sooooo.... that meant back to thread culling PLUS a stop at Starbucks everyday! (Because, even though we talk about absolutely nothing here, this is the thread that makes me feel linked and bonded)

However, now we've got all these offshoots and I like them all, but it defeats the whole purpose of my original "one stop shopping"! Ahhh! What to do? I really like EOWYN's new E-Z board, especially now that it's revving up (nice banner EOWYN, btw! Such an homage to everything Starbucks! ) yet I feel reluctant to "break in" (which is how I feel about all the other boards) and I'm too busy to go to so many places AND (and this is a silly thing) I don't want to lose my "presence" here. I like that Starbucks is a long running institution now (one of my only threads to ever make something of itself ). I like those little star things they give you by your name. I don't want to disappear and then pop up during Episode II and be treated like a newbie. Grrrrr.... ( False pride, -- it can get you in SO much trouble. )

So anyway, it seems that starting Starbucks has ultimately compounded the problem I set out to solve. (I should work for the government. Or be an Australian environmentalist....) Now, not only are there two Starbucks here to check into, plus various other amazing threads, -- there's also nightly.net, the ez board, the psa rebellion, and the basher board. For heaven's sake!! You guys, we have GOT to find a way to make this stuff pay.....

Rant over. Ü

Ok, I watched TPM with all the kids (actually, I watched the kids watch the movie...) and it was interesting. Only the two nine year old boys, and the eleven year old girl stayed and watched the entire thing. If GL was trying to appeal to children, it didn't work. The littlest ones ( age 2-5) are the ones who liked Jar Jar the most, and he was really the only thing that kept their attention. I find that intriguing because I was with these kids for three days and during that time we watched The Sword in The Stone, Star Wars, and Snow White. Of those movies only TPM failed to keep them all riveted to the screen. I also asked the boys how old they thought Anakin was and at first they said their age, and then they started thinking and moving it down to about six. It confused them. They saw him build things and fly, so that made them think of him as older, but the way he acted reminded them of their six year old brother...

It has been a while since I, myself, have seen TPM, and on this viewing I was struck by something. When I and my friends first saw ANH, we knew it was corny, and that it had a sort of "stagy" feel to parts and certain action bits, yet what we would all say to each other over and over was, "wow, it seemed so real". For once sci-fi wasn't a joke. No paper rocks, no stiff robots, no wooden dialogue. (ANH may have been campy, but it was enthusiastic!) I remember loving the bit when Luke is with Ben in Mos Eisley and he's bemoaning ho

 

GOHAN, -- July 6, 1999! Wow, good memory! And have you done any of the polls floating around here? They're hoaky, but they're good intros. (welcome, btw)

McGREGOR, she fell asleep thru ESB?!? Hmmmmmm.......dump her. Juuuussstt kiiidding....

 

Oooops, -- make that July 9, 1999. (at 6:31pm )

 

Well, SASHA, making a splash of yourself in the TPM forum eh? Just like old times... Boy this place sure is on a weird cycle, huh? Bustling one day, ghost town the next...

I was *trying* to keep you straight in my mind and I guess I got confused, but not really -- because you are *both* Jewish and Mormon. Is one side stronger? Are you "really" Jewish (via your mother?) {thought this conversation was a bit too personal for "public" consumption}

Anyway.

"Of those movies only TPM failed to keep them all riveted to the screen."

I wonder if Lucas realized that Episode I was going to be complex and difficult and threw Jar-Jar etc in to leaven the dough, and instead of getting a happy medium failed on both ends? Most of the fans I know -- Obi Have excepted -- were left cold by TPM. I described my group's pilgrimage on Opening Night in another thread - "What would you say?" I think it was - and the point is I was actually the most enthusiastic of the bunch.

"there were all these little tiny things that made the Star Wars Universe seem real and three dimensional"

Lucas certainly didn't skimp on this in TPM, he only shifted his resources in different directions. I mean, he hired *BIOLOGISTS* to come up with an ecology for Naboo! All those little buggers you see running or flying around were intricately designed.

But he didn't seem to give the same care to the dialogue.

You know what seemed to make a difference? There was a fair amount of exposition in the beginning of ANH -- right after the sudden, violent, classic intro, things really slowed down. You got a real feeling for Luke's environment, his family, his own dreams. He opened up to Threepio in a way that Anakin never does to anyone (I'll have to go post that in your thread).

Pacing slows down in TPM, too, but much later in the film, also on Tatooine, and even then it's still busy with so many characters running around stepping on each others' toes or goofing off.

You do point something out, though - I can't think of a single "unnecessary" line of dialogue in TPM like there was in ANH that fleshes the world out. Reminds me of lazy fantasy writers who use words like "orc" and never describe them because Tolkien did it all for them.

***

"Hmmmmmm.......dump her."

Well, that would be taking my fandom a little TOO far, don't you think? She claims she's stricken with a genetic disposition inherited from her mother that puts her to sleep every day around 10-11 pm, earlier and earlier every year. Her dad used to go watch movies by himself.

 

Ok, this place needs some jiving up. (EOWYN, if you came here searching for your weekly "Survivor" fix, it's in the other Starbucks thread ü) Let's try a new poll, (though I'm really not very good at making these things up):

1. What was your first viewing of TPM like?

2. If you had to be marooned on a desert island with any character from any of the Star Wars movies, who would you choose and why?

3. What is your favourite season?

McGREGOR and LAGNIAPPE, -- thank you so much for sharing the "view" out your window. (and you did, quite literally, PMG! ) That was exactly the sort of thing I like to know, and LAGNIAPPE, your description was near poetry, -- you're homesick! You paint it all with a beautiful loving brush, like Grisham. I've had an unanalyzed prejudice against all things southern, until recently. Lately I've been around people who speak of the area with great fondness and devotion and I'm seeing it thru new eyes. Maybe I can help you see snow that way, because I'm a big fan.

McGREGOR, you like Massachusetes more than California/SF? Why? I'm not quarreling, I'm just wondering about your reasons. And do you mind me asking what your dad mastered in? (my bet is a science...)

About my view.... Washington is split north to south by the Cascades, and that drastically changes the countryside. All the moisture filled clouds get "caught" on the mountain peaks, so the west half of Wa is very rainy and green, whereas the east side is deserty and much like parts of the midwest or the dry areas of Montana. For a while I lived in a little town just barely over the tip of the mountains, near a ski resort. It was the best of both worlds, I thought, because you had the breathtaking mountain ranges, the tall pines, four distinct seasons (which the west side lacks), yet only a little rain and Seattle and the ocean were just an hour's drive away.

Right now, I live on the west side. There really is no way to describe the beauty of the mountains, the only I've ever seen that comes close to comparing is Mt. Fuji in Japan. The mountains here are always snowcapped and such a presence, and it's so dramatic having them so close to the sea. On clear days I still gasp. Outside my window there are towering pines and maples with thick ivy climbing up their trunks, - it's like living in a park. The room is also west facing, so I watch the sunset over the islands and the Sound. It *almost* makes up for the commute.

*****
Oh! McGREGOR, you must've been posting as I was typing! -- I'll get back to you, gotta dash. Glad I wasn't alone here....I see dead people.

 

Alright, if no one << no one, no one, no one....>> posts here <<posts, posts, posts....>> in this empty cavern << empty, empty, empty...>> within the next three days << days, days, days...>>, then I'm closing shop...

<<closing,

closing,

closing..........>>

 

Hey, not my fault you posted when I posted... Didn't see ya...

Anyway, it seems like everyone else has left...

Hello?

*starts mopping the floor

 

Sasha, I'll take your poll...

(1) What was your first viewing of TPM like?

To my amazement, I viewed the film 3 DAYS subsequent to its release. Even then, the theatre was full to the capacity, and numerous little children howling because parents neglected them candy, popcorn, drinks. Several friends and I plopped ourselves in the first seat towards the screen. When the 20th Century Fox Fanfare began to play, it was if I was at a Kiss concert. Oh, the decibels were excruciating high in some passages of the film, but I enjoyed it immensely. That was the first time.

(2) If you had to be marooned on a desert island with any character from any of the Star Wars movies, who would you choose and why?

Jar Jar can come with me. He can catch me fish.

(3) What is your favourite season?

Oh, definitely Autumn. In the Northeast (Connecticut, particularly), Autumn arrives, the forest converts into an assortment of orange, red, and yellow. Delightfully beautiful, except for the leaves raking chores .

 

Hey folks,

Who turned out the lights?


Poll. I haven't taken any of the previous polls, but I guess I could manage this one:

1. What was your first viewing of TPM like?

I waited until school was out to go see the film. Was far toooo stressed to have been able to enjoy it those last few weeks of classes. The theater was not very full, and rather subdued. I went with two dear friends (both fellow SW fans). We sat through the movie, walked out into the parking lot and spent a hour standing by our cars talking and trying to figure out why we felt disappointed.


2. If you had to be marooned on a desert island with any character from any of the Star Wars movies, who would you choose and why?

Qui-gon. Cause he's darn handsome! No, seriously, cause he strikes me as a person with many layers which might take years to explore. And he would have wisdom to impart, and a lifetime of experiences to share... and he's darn handsome. Did I say that already?

3. What is your favourite season?

Autumn. Though I am fairly new to it. Air is cool and crisp, trees are in full spendour, not too cold yet, but I can bundle up in my sweats and sip hot cocoa... And I love the smell of buring leaves.

 

FRIDAY NIGHT BABY!!!

Hey Gohan, thanks for dropping by again. Getting pretty heavy in that race thread huh?

SASHA, HAVE, that *was* just like old times... the more things change, the more they stay the same. *sigh*

Poll time!

1. What was your first viewing of TPM like?

Throughout college my roommates and I all vowed that if a new Star Wars movie ever came out, we would all see it together, no matter where we were. Well, first of all the SE came out our senior year, so we had a little prelude, as it were.

When Episode I was confirmed we went gonzo.

One of my roommates who was still in Boston and I went on opening day and sat in front of the theater for 8 hours. With 5 other people. Feeling very stupid. The first person on line was like 10, and I swear he told us that his teacher let him wait on line if he'd buy her a ticket. (You teachers are crazy, Lag).

Mind you this was in the midst of my finals (thus I will always have a "B" in criminal law) but the sacrifices I make...

We bought 20 tix between the two of us, the maximum allowed, which covered my college roommates (they came in from New Haven, NYC, and Ohio) and some friends from law school. Most of us went out to dinner together and we drove in one big caravan to the theater. Where all of us law students studied while we were on line.

To be honest, I *loved* the film. I was definitely the gusher in the crowd. Still am, actually. Most of them were left cold; my roommate at the time *did* like it though - mostly because she thought Ray Park was hot.

Unfortunately, one of the cars in the entourage got into a serious accident on the way back... so I spent the rest of the night in the hospital. Nothing serious on our side of the equation, though the other driver had to have his thumb re-attached.

*wince

2. If you had to be marooned on a desert island with any character from any of the Star Wars movies, who would you choose and why?

Oh c'mon SASHA, that's too easy.

(My girlfriend once spotted her running down by the River and she told me, "You know, I was trying to think of a way to meet her so I could introduce her to you but I just didn't know how." To which I replied, "Isn't that not in your best interests?" And she said sweetly, "But it would make you happy.")

3. What is your favourite season?

Chalk up another vote for autumn. I like the crisp air, everything is nice, clean, (dead). No pollen and stuff messing up your pulminary system. Yup, give me autumn any day of the year!

 

The Poll:

1. What was your first viewing of TPM like?

I got out of work early and went to a local movie theatre to buy tickets. The earliest showing with tickets available was pretty late at night. I bought tickets for me and my Jedi Knight. Since I had nothing better to do with myself, I inquired as to whether there were any tickets left for the matinee. There was at least one ticket left, so I purchased it. I wandered into the darkened theatre about an hour before the matinee and picked out a center seat in the front row next to a group of college students reading library books in the dark. They had backpacks and lots of munchies. The theater management was kind enough to ignore them. So we sat, and waited, and we waited. The theater filled up to capacity and became very quiet. There was one loud cheer when the letters scrawled up the screen followed by dead silence. It was totally quiet throughout and when it ended, the mood amongst the audience was somber. IMHO, the death of one of my favorite characters made me feel sick to my stomach. I wish Mr. Lucas could make a picture where a key character doesn't have to die. Between the violence and the humor that missed its mark, the audience was not in the best of moods. I went back later that evening with my Jedi Knight and saw the audience react the same way. I was probably the only one in the theater (besides the projectionist) who had seen TPM before. I still love the pod race, the wonderful music, and the duel, but the violence was alarming. I thought that Mr. Lucas was making a movie for children.

2. If you had to be marooned on a desert island with any character from any of the Star Wars movies, who would you choose and why?

Luke, because he's cute.

3. What is your favourite season?

That's an easy question! I love the Summer. It's my favorite season. *Sings -- Oh, take me out to the ballgame...*

:shakes head: I can't believe I wrote such a long post.

~ Hunter ~

 

McGregor, no kidding! Never appreciated how many were perturbed by TPM.

---

One revision to my poll response.

I want Padmé and all her handmaidens to be marooned with me.

 

A new poll: What were your favorite childhood shows?

My childhood favorites included: Captain Kangaroo, Mister Rodgers' Neighborhood, Land of the Giants, The Wizard of Oz (it's the one movie that begs to be included), Lost in Space, Wile E. Coyote and Roadrunner cartoon, Time Tunnel, Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits (original), Man From Uncle, Mission Impossible (the original series), Get Smart, Buck Rodgers In The 25th Century, I Dream of Jeannie, classic Star Trek reruns, Star Wars trilogy, Battlestar Galactica, Space 1999, Six Million Dollar Man, Bionic Woman, Space Precinct, Babylon 5, and the original Flash Gordon serial on DVD. Do you see a pattern emerging here?

~ Hunter of the Winds ~

 

I don't mean this disrepectfully but you guys are like cockroaches! Ü I'll think no one is out there, the lights start to go out, and WHAMMO.....there's hoardes of ya, like "X-Files" or something! Ü (ooohh, do you remember that episode where they made it look like a real cockroach was crawling across your tv? ü)

Ok, I have people breathing down my neck,( literally, it tickles) and telling me it's time to leave my virtual world and come outside and play in the real one soooooo..... "I'll be baaack".

Btw, HUNTER, -- you really felt TPM was violent? Or did I misread/misunderstand that.....?

Ok, shoot, gotta go...

 

<< you really felt TPM was violent? >>

Sasha: Do you really want to know what I think? I thought that Darth Maul being sliced in two, went over the top, for young children. Whatever happened to Jedi fading away when they die? Then there was the massacre of the Gungan army. Do you think that Star Wars is suitable for very young children? I still remember how shocking it was when Vader sliced off Luke's arm in ESB. I still jump up when it happens. I think that the original Star Wars trilogy were movies made for teenagers. George Lucas disappointed me by proclaiming that he was making a movie suitable for young children. I don't think so. I'm not going to get into the larger issue of violence in films. My point is that TPM is a rough movie for youngsters to watch. On second thought, maybe the young ones have built up an immunity to violence by watching real wars on CNN.

I'd just as soon not start a debate over this.

Thanks!

~ Hunter ~

 

<< To be honest, I *loved* the film. I was definitely the gusher in the crowd. >>

McGregor, I agree with you! I loved watching TPM.

~ Hunter ~

 

I've tried to post here today and after writing a lengthy, time consuming message I pushed send and it told me that this place "couldn't be found in the database". ARGHHHHHH! Of course when I push "back", I get the Reply to Topic window, but my lettre disappeared into that mystical Dead Jedi Land. Grrrr.... soooooo, before I type anything else, let's see what happens with this.....

 

Ok, it's working, that's MUCH better! Ü

HUNTER: I didn't really want to discuss/debate/war over the issue, either. For one, I'm simply awful at that sort of thing, and for two, I think we probably would be arguing the same side! My surprise at you considering TPM violent was because I thought you meant it was violent in comparison to the other Star Wars films, not just in general. I personally think it is probably the least violent of the saga, though Maul's death is so shockingly visual and graphic for little children (for me, too), it might put it over the top. It's hard to say, -- difficult to measure one scene against the weight and balance of several "lesser" scenes.

I did not, however, realize that GL had made a statement promising that this film would be for younger viewers. If I had gone into the theatre with those expectations then I, too, would have been dismayed at the content of that particular scene. But then again, I'm one who disagrees with society about what's appropriate for very young children . I personally believe that even the deaths in Disney films are too much for small, six and under, viewers, -- ( and I won't go into my other quarrels with Disney, but they're plenty). I'm very pro gentle programming, -- Mister Roger's Neighbourhood, Winnie the Pooh, Charlie Brown, Thomas the Tank Engine. When I lived in Oregon two young boys lived next door to me and because they knew what I studied and did for a living they'd come talk to me all the time about movies. They grew up watching all these violent westerns made in Mexico and they pretty much had no parameters on what they were allowed to watch, -- I'll never forget when little five year old Osvbaldo told me in rich detail all about the "Chucky" horror/slasher videos he'd seen! Jeez, I'm still afraid of my bathtub since seeing "What Lies Beneath", I can't believe what they exposed that little kid to. [Oops, -- that's ending with a preposition, isn't it? I still haven't gotten the hang of how not to do that...]

1. What was your first viewing of TPM like?

My first experience with TPM was a charity showing in Toronto a week before it was "officially" released, but I guess I'm a purist because I don't really count that since I was there for a lot of other reasons and in several capacities, not just as a fan. I considered it more part of the festivities before my "real" show, which was a week later at a raucous midnite showing in a tiny, sticky floored theatre up in the Adirondacks of New York. It was loud, sweaty, giddy, total chaotic fun. It reminded me of watching classic movies at BYU, -- they have these one dollar movie nights on the weekend and the line for something silly like "Arsenic and Old Lace" stretches for miles.There's lots of young families at BYU , so there'll be lots of little cute kids running around in their pjs, and everyone mingles and talks and shares their treats because you're all poor anyway, and in general you all act like you're related or something, and once you're in the movie there's so much laughter and talking and audience participation it's like an interactive event, like the G rated Ned Flanders version of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show". Ü It's great, I love it, and that's what that night was like, but it was the first time I'd ever felt that way with nonmormons in a theatre, -- I guess being Star Wars fans makes you all family, too.

Anyway, it was a lot of fun and a special memory. There were glow in the dark lightsabre duels happening across all the aisles, trivia wars being shouted and bandied about, and when the lights dimmed and the familiar Star Wars scroll began a HUGE roar of noise and applause filled the room, -- it made you almost want to cry. And best of all, at the end EVERONE stayed to hear Darth Vader's breathing. Ü

Two of our group stood in line forever to get all our tickets and we got the first twenty. Of our bunch I was the middle-of-the-road fan, and we had one total fanatic (who we gave the ticket bearing the coveted "number one" to), and one who wasn't a fan