HAGGARD: 19 Years of Hard Living

With every breath that is expelled, we draw closer to the release date of this decade's most anticipated motion picture, STAR WARS: The Force Awakens.  The masses are overwhelmed with excitement and panic.  What if it doesn't live up to the six predecessors?  What if it sucks?  I can say with good faith, that with director J.J. Abrams at the helm, the seventh chapter of the Star Wars saga, will be legen... wait for it...... dary!!

I'm sure that many are doing exactly what I've been doing over the past week, which is watching the first Star Wars movies in succession.  I have the first three securely under my belt.  This time around, I'm not making the mistake that I've done in the past, which was to watch all six back-to-back-to-back.  Dedicating an entire day to watching all movies.  For someone who's as critical as I am, this is a huge mistake.  There are so many holes in the first three movies, which creator George Lucas filmed decades after the fourth, fifth and sixth "episodes", that enjoying them purely for entertainment is impossible.  Timelines don't match up, nor do some B-story lines, not to mention the poor execution of casting.  The last, which I just noticed on this most recent pass on Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.

The close of Episode III shows Anakin Skywalkers bride, Padme, giving birth to twins, Luke and Leia.  For increased safety from the Sith, the children are separated, to be raised apart.  Obi Wan Kenobi (played by Ewan McGregor), is instructed by Yoda to place Skywalker's son, Luke with his Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen, on Tattoine.  There, Kenobi volunteers to live in solitude, while keeping a watchful eye over young Luke, as he matures.

A dry climate, two suns looming overhead and sand getting into everything, life on Tattoine must be rough.  The added stress must expedite the aging process.  In Episode IV: A New Hope, the estimated age of Luke is about nineteen years old.  Actor Mark Hamill exuded all the traits of a frustrated and rebellious young Luke Skywalker, but the years weren't so kind to Obi Wan or Skywalker's aunt and uncle.

Nineteen years on Tattoine will add about fifty years to your complexion.  By the time the rebellion is roaring in it's infinite glory, Obi Wan is a decrepit old man, barely able to walk, though he's still pretty handy with a light saber and still young enough to engage in one more adventure across the galaxy.  As for Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, the years had left them weak and feeble, and no match for the Imperial Stormtroopers when they came a callin' in search of those two troublesome droids.

Of course, STAR WARS: A New Hope was released in 1977, when Ewan McGregor was just six years old.  Getting an acclaimed actor like Sir Alec Guiness to star in a little know film called, "Star Wars", was a huge catch for George Lucas, who like the studio helping to produce the movie, never knew what a Goliath the franchise would eventually become.  I'm sure that Lucas had no comprehension of a sequel, at that time, let alone two trilogies telling this confusing story.

Reports and speculation on the new flick are coming out in droves as the release date draws closer.  December 18th, next Friday, all theories and speculations will be answered, and hopefully, with fingers crossed.  Like I stated before, I have complete faith in J.J. Abrams and I'm sure this installment of Star Wars will being larger than life.  My only real concern is Alvin & the Chipmunks: The Road Chip.  It is set to open on the same day, offering up some real competition to Han Solo, Chewbacca and the rest of the gang.  I'm curious as to who will take the Box Office record, this weekend...?