Monthly Archives: February 2017

What If Grievous Killed Obi-Wan?

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Many people complain about Boba Fett or Jango Fett dying too easily, but General Grievous died when Obi-Wan shot him with a standard blaster. It makes sense that after Obi-Wan cut his hands off, depriving him of his lightsabers, a blaster finished him off, but he was carrying a MagnaGuard staff when he got shot. Was he really taken off guard that much, and how could he be killed by a blaster if he’s a cyborg and can modify himself to be indestructible? Instead of explaining that, which a bit of research could probably do, I will just point out that Obi-Wan’s lightsaber wasn’t that far from becoming just another trophy in the clash of the generals. Which brings up the question:

What would have happened if General Grievous had killed Obi-Wan Kenobi in their duel in Revenge of the Sith?

Obi-Wan couldn’t have gone to Mustafar, and Anakin would have strangled Padme on the spot. Luke wouldn’t have been born, so Vader would have ruled unchallenged for a while (below the Emperor). Leia wasn’t born, so 3P0 and R2 wouldn’t have escaped with the Death Star Plans, and all those people in Rogue One would have died for nothing. Grand Moff Tarkin wouldn’t have died, and would blow up many more rebel planets with his Death Star that didn’t get destroyed.

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Han and Chewie would remain smugglers and never become rebel heroes. Jabba would hire Boba to catch them and Han would become a decoration–permanently. Boba wouldn’t die in the Sarlacc pit.

Darth Vader would have no need for prosthetics as no one cut all his limbs off and burned him alive and would have become an even more powerful Sith. Since Luke wouldn’t thwart him and Obi-Wan is already dead, Yoda would have to come out of hiding and challenge him openly.

Yoda would kill Vader, because even with natural limbs Vader isn’t powerful or experienced enough to win, and from this point on there are a few ways the timeline could go:

Yoda might challenge the Emperor and lose, in which case the Emperor would find a new apprentice and the Sith would rule supreme over the Galaxy. Or, Yoda wins and helps the Alliance defeat the remaining bad guys and create a New Republic and New Jedi Order. The third possibility is that he doesn’t challenge the Emperor in the first place, but instead tries to raise more youngling Jedi and take on the Emperor with a team (maybe Ezra and Kanan, if they survive, or Ahsoka–we didn’t see her die, so she might be back).

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If the timeline goes the third (and most likely) way, the New Jedi Order would probably not win if they attacked right away–we all saw the Emperor slaughter experienced Jedi Masters like Kit Fisto and Saesee Tinn. Yoda would need highly skilled Jedi, and that would take time. In the meanwhile, the Emperor would destroy the Alliance with the Death Star and hunt Yoda down, bringing the fight to him. In addition, he would probably train more Sith, bring Grievous along (he never died!), and recruit Maul (assuming he survives Star Wars: Rebels). That would give him a huge boost and make the fight fair.

So the final fight is Yoda, Ezra, Kanan and the New Jedi Order vs. the Emperor, Maul, Grievous and the New Sith Order. Who would win? Decide for yourself.

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Marvel vs DC

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Since the twenty-first century began, movies started getting more fuss than comics. Marvel adapted to the change quicker than DC, and thus got more attention and popularity. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is far more popular than either the DC Extended Universe or the Arrowverse. This is mostly due to Marvel taking the risk of making The Avengers in 2012. It was a big risk–there were a lot of kinda-popular movies to watch first–but it payed off. DC was left in the dust, and it still hasn’t made Justice League, which is the DC equivalent of The Avengers. While it’s true that it was necessary to kill Superman and introduce Wonder Woman, doing the same only a few years earlier would have been more effective. Nonetheless, DC is still immensely popular among fans, and the fight is on:

Which is better–Marvel or DC?

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The Movies:

The MCU kicked off with ten blockbuster movies and will continue. Outside of the MCU Marvel made eight X-men films, five Spider-Man films, and Hulk 2003. All of them were successes, though a few do have some issues. Meanwhile, DC made only Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad, all of which got pretty bad reviews. DC also made the immensely popular Dark Night trilogy and a countless older Superman and Batman movies outside of the DCEU. Marvel has a huge lead in terms of having a common universe for various heroes, but that doesn’t mean that DC can’t be better than Marvel. However in this case it just isn’t. DC’s movie ratings are just plain bad, especially B v S and Suicide Squad. RIP Superman.

Note: Justice League might change this.

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The TV Shows:

DC’s Arrowverse with Arrow, Flash, Supergirl, and Legends of Tomorrow is great, but it’s not in the DCEU. Marvel’s Agents of Shield, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and so much more are good but really? Arrow and his pals are better. This is just my personal opinion, but then, this whole post is just my opinion.

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The Heroes:

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s…Superman!!! You’ve probably heard that a lot. And it’s because DC’s heroes are so iconic–more so then Marvel. Marvel’s heroes in the MCU wear colorful costumes (except the X-Men in their boring black jumpsuits…) and are somewhat idealistic. That’s not to say that Marvel characters don’t have a darker side to them, but take any of them and compare it to Batman, and you’ll see what I mean. Marvel tends to keep dark characters like Daredevil and Punisher in the background, never bringing them into the shared universe, thus keeping the MCU suitable for kids–most of the time (I’m looking at you, Deadpool). Meanwhile DC is not afraid to keep the darkness up front, letting it define movies like The Dark Night, and thus making the movies interesting for older viewers, while keeping them PG-13 (I’m not saying that Marvel is for toddlers; only that it is more so than DC). Nonetheless, Marvel has so many good heroes (Bucky, Black Panther, Spidey…) and they are much more popular than DC’s that I’ll make this one a tie.

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The Universe:

Marvel assembled it’s heroes in a shared universe in 2012, and has introduced so many new heroes to the Avengers, X-Men, and Guardians of the Galaxy. DC has just started putting together the DCEU, and has two completely different universes that overlap. Marvel is easily better in this category.

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The Legacy:

DC’s movies are scraps of what they could have been. On the other hand, Marvel has tons of long-lost teams of superheroes in the comics that they are yet to bring into the MCU. Marvel will always have an edge with the movies, and DC is yet to shine on the silver screen, but the two are head to head with fans.

So who’s better? The billionare playboy, the idealistic super-soldier, the god of thunder and the big green rage monster, or the last son of Krypton, the Caped Crusader, the Amazonian demigod, the Scarlet Speedster and the King of the Seven Seas? That’s for you to decide.

The Disneyfication of Star Wars

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Disney owns Marvel. Marvel has made over thirty films, with fourteen in the shared universe, and it won’t stop. It works out. Disney gets an insane amount of income, and the fans get a diverse, unpredictable, never-ending universe.

Now Disney owns Star Wars. Until now, Star Wars was a finite series beginning with the return of the Sith and ending with the return of balance. But their never really is balance without darkness. Disney brought about it’s own darkness, and not only in the plot. Predictably, it’s started Marvelifying/Disnifying Star Wars by turning it into an ongoing universe with an untold number of sequels, prequels and anthology films.

Is that a bad thing? Probably not. In the following years, Disney will make a Han Solo solo movie, a Boba Fett spin-off and a Yoda anthology film–and those are only the ones we know about. The crew of The Force Awakens knew it would happen for thirty years prior to its release, so we can only speculate what else there is in stock. People may doubt Disney, but when there’s a new Star Wars movie, they watch it, and Disney will not stop making more.

Both The Force Awakens and Rogue One were hits, but they can’t keep it up for every movie they make. There will be bad movies. But as a whole, Disney can’t harm Star Wars. They know what fans want, and they give it to them (although we’re still waiting for a Mandalorian movie…). Fans have more power over Star Wars than Disney does. Disney is on a short leash, expected to be perfect, and it’s only getting shorter. In the meantime, Star Wars is expanding. So in a way, Star Wars owns Disney.

Lightsaber Colors and Meanings

Red, blue and green lightsabers are popping up in the hands of all sorts of characters from a galaxy far, far away with the occasional purple. But what can these colors tell you about the wielder? And how many colors are there? That’s what I’m going to answer.

Note: by the time of the New Republic Force-sensitive individuals chose crystal colors by personal preference rather than moral value.

SidiousVaderPromoRed: Red lightsabers are used by individuals deep in the Dark Side, such as Sith and Dark Jedi, though not all Dark-Side users have them. Red lightsaber crystals are synthetic; so they are more compatible with Dark Side energy. Occasionally, they may even shatter the opponents blade, overloading the matrix, but that is rare. Famous users: Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, Darth Maul, Count Dooku…

Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi.Blue: Blue is the color of a Jedi Guardian, Jedi Warriors who use force on a very physical level. The first branch of Jedi (Consular and Sentinel are the other two), they are possibly the most skilled swordsmen in the Jedi Order, and the Galaxy. Blue lightsaber crystals, like most other naturally occurring ones are found on the planet Ilum. Famous users: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, Plo Koon, Ki-Adi Mundi, General Grievous…

yoda-star-wars-vii (1)Green: Green is used by Consulars, the second branch of Jedi, who prefer to study the mysteries of the Force, fight evil in their minds, and concentrate on Force abilities rather than combat skills. Consulars try to not use their weapons, however will not hesitate to do so if necessary. Famous users: Yoda, Qui-Gon Jinn, Luke Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, Luminara Unduli…

Jaden_KorrYellow: This is the color of Jedi Sentinels. Sentinels, the third and least known branch of Jedi, seek to keep balance between the other two branches, and to destroy all traces of the Dark Side, going undercover for months at a time.They also concentrate on tech, distraction and surveillance. Here’s an analogy: When faced with a sealed door, a Guardian will slice it open, a Consular will knock, and a Sentinel will pick the lock. Famous users: Plo Koon, Yeareal Poof, Bastilla Shan.

HD-1080p-Mace-Windu-vs-Darth-Sidious-n-Anakin-Skywalkerwww.savevid.com.mp4Purple: These lightsabers are used by individuals who combine both sides of the Force into an aggressive fighting style, sometimes having mixed loyalties. Gray Jedi also use these sabers. They are Force-users who openly use both sides of the Force, and strive to keep balance between the Jedi and Sith. Famous users: Mace Windu, Revan, Mara Jade.

Orange_lightsaber_by_nerfavari-d51snn6Orange: Orange tends to be used by Jedi who focus on negotiation as well as combat. Wielders of this color often operate in the Sentinel class. Famous users: Yaddle, Plo Koon (again!)

Rahn_fightingGold: Gold lightsabers are generally associated with strong Light Side abilities. Famous users: Qu Rahn.

e1e3783fec872f9e19fbe9a2e9fdd454Bronze: Bronze sabers were used mostly by Jedi who used physical strength as well as Force abilities. They are possibly the rarest color there is. Famous users: Lowbacca.

Master_Tera_Sinube_by_raikoh14Silver: Used by Jedi who are very calm and focused on the living Force as a whole. Silver wielders sometimes operate in the Consular class. Famous users: Tera Sinube.

ImperialknightsWhite: Wielded openly and arrogantly by the Imperial Knights, and not many others, white lightsabers are used by those with extremely narrow-minded philosophy. Note: Imperial Knights have nothing to do with the Galactic Empire or Sith Empire. They have their own Empire Famous users: All Imperial Knights.

databank_darksaber_01_169_0bab10aaDarksaber: Black, like white, is used by Sith with a very narrow view on the Force. However, instead of serving a master, wielders of the one known darksaber (“stolen from the heart of the Jedi Temple”) are the master. Famous users: Darth Maul, Pre Visla, Sabine Wren.

What kind of lightsaber would you have? Write about it in the comments. Here’s mine: Two sabers, a red and a blue, which can be joined together into a double-blade. When joined, the crystals’ colors mix, giving both blades a uniform purple hue. The core would be black instead of white.