Tyrant

Yeah I guess maybe that's my problem with it. As presented there would have to tremendous numbers of them to win, and there rarely are. When they are shown in massive numbers, Yoda (or whichever supercharged Jedi it is this week) is also there and takes them out without breaking a sweat. A compotent CIS commander (so far, those droid commanders like the one that abandoned Tambor seem to be the only ones worth anything) should be able to use an army as diverse as the CIS army. Using the masses (which should be Super Battle Droids, if anything) to drive whoever they are after into a trap set with Destroyer Droids and Commando Droids should work. If nothing else, drive them towards an area and then blast it from orbit. In fact, have they been using the "just blast everything from orbit" plan at all? If the EU is to be believed, the turbolasers on those battleships should be able to destroy all kinds of things on the ground (basically anything that isn't shielded). Personally, I can live with a handful of victories just to show that they can win so the war is believeable. Going with the rest of the EU, there are some Jedi who turned evil. I know there is Sora Bulq (a Weequay I think), but I am not sure when he turned.

I have hopes for the finale. Not high hopes, but I think it will at least be decent. In general, the show disappoints me in a few ways. I am sure the battle droid issues have been brought up numerous times, but does anyone really see how they could be a serious threat to anyone with half a brain? Everytime we get a compotent CIS commander, they are gone in an episode or two. I think they should promote that droid that left Wat Tambor behind. ANother problem I have is the CGI/anime hybrid (which I am sure has also been mentioned before). Here it's not so much the series itself that I see as the problem, but TLG's attempts to replicate that look. I also have at least one episcode specific problem. The pacifists in Jedi Crash. The elder's speech about just talking to the CIS sounds great. Of course it should hit you real quick that that idea is impossible. One man controls both sides so totally that anything like that will never happen. It's a bogus message because it is impossible to impliment and if you watched the movies (which I assume the overwhelming majority of people watching the cartoon have watched the movies) then you know that. The Ryloth episodes were better because they showed the ramifications of war instead of trying to preach about it. In line with that thought, they shouldn't show the clones as nearly unstoppable compared to the droids and then just off handedly mention that X number of clones died. Show the droids actually doing something threatening and actually killing the clones (I know they have in the past) through something beyond mass of numbers. Also, some deaths of random Jedi would really help establish the CIS threat. Or possibly have a few randoms fall to the dark side (or use the few that did in the EU storylines) to show how dangerous it is to have the Jedi fighting like this.

That's supposed to be a joke right? While I probably should have broken that up, I am sure it is quite possible to read that with no major problems. What was your real point here?

The primary concern you outline is continuity. That still applies with subthemes. Anything you say about how let down Rock Raiders fans are can be applied to say, Islanders fans. Sure they could still get Pirate ships, but what if the Islanders were what they really liked. Or the Black Falcons. Etc, etc. So yes, they are the same thing in most of the ways that matter. If I were a die hard Black Falcon fan, I would have stopped buying by '90 or so. Not in any tremendously meaningful way. Using Castle as the example. How many of those are faction specific and how many are simply generic castles? Of those that are specific, how many use the current factions and how many are 80's factions? Of the ones I have seen, the older sub themes are about as rare as the "forgotten" themes you keep mentioning. Some of those groups, like Rock Raiders or Dino Attack, were limited by their very nature. How far can you really go with those ideas? I'm honestly suprised they are trying the rock mining theme again. I honestly don't know where Ninja went wrong? Possibly it too was too limited in it's possibilites. I liked it personally. I believe ultimately the Vikings may have had the same problem in the long run. Without other enemies, they have to keep making up monsters. I believe the reason why the Castle line stayed successful was because it kept changing and didn't keep the same factions. It hasn't been put to the long term test yet though. Already people are wanting more factions. That will result in other factions getting rotated out. A lot of people are already bored with the Crownies. So, what happens to the Crowny fans when the Crownies aren't being produced anymore? By your logic, shouldn't we be worried that they will simply disappear? The problem I have with your overall argument is that A) it does apply to subthemes on the grounds that people do become fans of just that subtheme as easily as they just become a fan of say Dino Attack, and B) this type of worrying would have killed the Pirate line at the start (it came along at a time when it could have easily been seen as just another short lived theme) along with Star Wars (presently the highest selling line). If all we worry about is what people fall in love with and may or may not quit buying LEGO if they stop making it, they would make the same set of sets forever. That's not really much of an answer. Your answer continues to assume it's all gloom and doom. I thought my question was specific enough to rule that out, but I guess not. So, assuming it isn't the fly by night operation you seem to insist it will be and assuming it won't kill Castle which you also seem to take as absolute fact, would you buy them?

Johnny Thunder was like Indiana Jones, and now we have Indiana Jones. Rock Raiders has been reincarnated as Power Miners. Alpha Team has come back as Agents. Pirates, during it's run, had at least one sub theme with the Islanders. Pirates began in 89, so at the time it too could have been viewed as a theme that could dilute the line. Space didn't even survive the 80's intact. It went to different themes and sub themes in the late 80's. It's various themes lasted until 99. The Castle line started subthemes very early on. It is fairly obvious that TLG understand diversity is necessary for them to succeed. But suppose it wasn't going to end up like that? Would you be interested in it then?

I think strictly from a marketing standpoint it's a bad idea. For most movies (not all) the younger demographic is a key factor. Most younger people wil be more familiar (and presumably they would prefer) the current run on the SciFi channel. Add to them the other fans of the current series. Now, I am sure there are some people that like both, however I believe they would be the minority as the 2 shows seem like night and day in their approach. Of course some hybrid of the two is probably an even worse idea. It would be like Superman Returns which couldn't decide if it was a sequel to Superman 1 and 2 (kind of has to be for some of the plot to make any sense) or if it's a reboot (it also kind of forgets parts of those 2 movies) and ended up being something that a lot people just didn't care for in the end. In the case of Superman, the real problem was trying to do a remake/sequel to a nearly 30 year old movie. They did that instead of making the movie more in line with current versions of the character that are far more relevant than a movie made almost 3 decades ago. That is a similar situation to this. There are two versions. One is older and generally accepted as being campy. The newer version is obviously more in line with current standards and in this case is an award winning show. I admit, sometimes camp sells. In the current movie environment, camp doesn't seem to be the way to go. A good example is the current Batman run. Those movies are light years beyond the original Batman series. The last Batman movie run went downhill when they did what again? They went campy. At least WB learned from that and let Batman get put back on track. This movie, if it's like the old series, will be a massive derailment and probably a financial failure. I admit it could work. People seem to have no problem watching terrible movies (disaster movie, epic movie, date movie, etc) and making them profitable, but that doesn't make them good movies.

I would like to see something in line with the Medieval Market Village. As in fairly detailed, tons orf parts, nice selection of the types of minifigures we aren't getting in normal sets (civilians in the case of the MMV). So, going from that, I would like to see a large sized castle. It would need to be set up like the castles of the 80s. The main necessary parts (as I see it) would be that it be modular, use small plates under the wall sections instead of one molded baseplate, and that it have hinged sections so that it can be opened (or, so that it can have additions plugged in without needing to alter the existing design because it can just be opened up farther to accomodate more additions). If Klaus's idea covered all that, then basically I would go with what he said. I would have two human factions involved. One that owns the castle and one invading. I believe this would be an excellent chance to either introduce a second human faction, or to reintroduce one or two old factions. My picks would be have the castle owned by the Black Falcons (I'm biased) and have someone like the Crusaders invading (or vice versa). It would be nice if they did this to take the opportunity to update their torsos with greater detail to better match the current torsos. As for the details of the castle, I would personally like to see what would amount to a super sized version of the Black Falcon Fortress. A drawbridge with larger gate house and guard tower. The rear structure with tudor style detail (either brick built or using a number of the wall sections like the one in the Black Falcon Fortress) would be larger and possibly overhang the courtyard a little. That part having 2 floors would be really nice. Then I would include corner towers. I would also have a blacksmith/armory already part of the set with appropriate support figures. I would also include some kiind of store room, even if it was just a hole in a wall filled with barrels and boxes. Overall, I would probably try to have as much of it brickbuilt (as opposed to single, large pieces) as possible for greater detail. I believe given the current state of the MMV that something like this is a possibility. The fact that the MMV has seemingly been on backorder for months (here in the US at least) tells me that one of two things happened, and either case is likely good for the future of sets of this nature. Possibility one is that demand was severely under anticipated. Possibility two is that the set has just been selling non stop. The first possibility means that they were willing to gamble making a set like this and expected it to not sell as well as it has. Which means that it is exceeding their expectations, which is usually a good thing if you want more of something. The second possibility means that there is a verifiable market for sets of this nature, and TLG I would assume is very willing to satisfy that market. So, either way, the set being on backorder this long is a good sign for the possibility of future sets. As a spin off of the MMV, I believe it is a possibility that we will see a few smaller sets (like an armory/blacksmith, a farm house with peasants and livestock, etc) and a larger castle. The Star Wars line (which likely outsells Castle by a very wide margin) has numerous exclusives at any given time. TLG seems to be experimenting with expanding that idea into lines like Castle with things like the huge chess set and the MMV. So, I have hope that since the huge chess set sold out without going to discount and the MMV seems to be selling quite well, that this means this will continue and possibly expand. Also, to comment on the side discussion, I really like the current Castle line. I was also alive during the 80s and enjoyed those sets as well. Perhaps a compromise of sorts can be reached that brings more of the classic Castle die hards into the mix but keeps the fantasy folks. Making the castles slightly more detailed and similar to the older ones (the KCS is a step in the rght direction) and creating another human faction would probably do a lot towards reaching this goal. Of course large, detailes classic Castleesque sets on S@H aren't a bad idea either.

I would love for that to be a real sign of a Greek/Roman theme on the horizon. I would like it if it were historically based (reasonably accurate, presumably having some other powers like the Persians) or if it were mythilogically based. The former could get us accurate armaments and buildings. The latter would get us things like Minotaurs and the Medusa, which would be great and could fit in with the current Castle theme. Speaking of which, I too agree that I would not want to see this replace the current Castle theme.

I didn't say the squid couldn't be used. I am saying the people complaining about it wanted the impossible. I shouldn't lump them all together, so, sorry about that. However, I haven't yet come across a single reasonable reason why this ending sucks and the squid would have just been so much better. I wanted the squid too. I want to make that clear. I also understand how to look at things realistically. Some things were going to be changed. It makes sense that one of the more random, absurd parts of the plot would be changed. If they would have done something like killing Ozymandias, then I would agree as that changes the ending in a meaningful way because one of the things Watchmen is well known for is that he wins. If he gets killed, the moral question mostly disappears as "evil" has been punished. That would be a serious change. Nite Owl's goggles not being the right shape, Dan instead of Rorshach going to talk to Veidt, Nite-Owl and Rorshach not having their hover vehicles, etc are nitpicking. Says who? Part of the problem was that he wasn't all powerful. The Soviets knew he could be overwhelmed. If he were invincible don't you think they would have just pointed him at Moscow and said smash a while ago? He's more powerful than any one person, sure I'll give you that. More powerful than the Soviet arsenal? I doubt it. He said it himself (more than once I believe), he is not a god. If Ozymandias (though he does have the edge of being the smartest guy on Earth) could figure out a way to circumvent his ability to see the future, then his other powers could likely be overcome. A big part of the plot was there were problems that were simply beyond the heroes abilities. That's what the squid did. He never displays any abilities near that level of power. If he couldn't stop 100% of the Soviet missiles before they launched (which would have been the thing to do and avoid the whole mess, which he clearly didn't since the story is there) snapping his fingers and destroying the world is probably out of his league. He has to resort to killing Rorshach. If he were the god you think he is, there would have been another way. He united them in the fear of the rest of the squid race invading. Where is this difference you are talking about? It was always keeping the world in line using the bigger stick. They just changed the stick to a known varialbe and not something that comes completely out of left field (that also makes necessary another 30 minutes of movie at the least). One of these squids killed half of New York simply by dying. I think most people will be absolutely terrified at the prospect of fighting them. I'll say it again, Dr. Manhattan was not a god. Preparing for his possible return is no different than preparing for the invasion of a race that can kill half a city with only one of it's members dying thoughts. Both are so far off the scale in terms of power that most people will feel absolutely hopeless at the propsect of fighting them while they are still trying to fight each other. The common fear is what united them. They were never doing it of their own accord. They were working together out of fear, at the start, in both scenarios. The whole key was to get them to work together at all and hope that they kept working together once they put aside their differences. The threat is almost irrelivent so long as it is absolute and gets used at least once to prove it's power. The real problem isn't the ending then. The problem is that every single side character in the book, who mostly existed to provide scope for the ending carnage, isn't important in the movie. Which is back to the line by line crowd. Characters were going to be sidelined, that was unavoidable. The super edition DVD will presumably have more of them. The point of putting them there was to kill them at the end to help paint Ozymandias' actions as evil. Since they weren't there, there was no real need to have mass carnage. Don't get me wrong, I am not opposed to using the squid and having mass death. It's just that I understand why they didn't and it had no meaningful impact on the end so I have no problem with it. People still unite in fear of a powerful non human force at the cost of millions of lives instead of everyone dying in a nuclear holocaust. What really changed in any meaningful way?

Too shiny? How else is a glowing blue man supposed to look? Must just be bad lighting because looking at stills from the movie released before the movie, his outfit is purple and gold. The design has been radically altered and the colors aren't as vibrant, but they are purple and gold. In what way? Horrible? Random? What? The only song I saw as out of place (and even then, only out of place for the scene, it's appropraite for the movie given what the song is actually about) was 99 red balloons (german edition). The song over the opening montage was perfect. Ride of the Valkyries was well used if for no other reason than the images of Apocalypse Now that it invokes. All Along the Watchtower is quoted in that chapter of the book. Everybody Wants to Rule the World was apparently in the background during a scene with Ozymandius. It fits the time period and the central person in the scene. I question the use of Unforgettable, but I thought it worked as a contrast to the events occuring at the time similar to when they use slow songs in video game commercials during scenes of intense carnage. I'm sure I am overlooking a few. But I have to ask, what were you expecting for a movie that mostly takes place in 1985? A change in musical tone like that typically notes an extreme swing in the emotional events occuring. I take it that since you don't understand why that was there, you missed the bit where the Comedian basically spelled it all out to Nite Owl. The song during the riot was Jungle Boogie (a popular song during that timeframe). The slow, sad bit was to show that Dan finally got it. He finally realised somewhere it all went wrong. Jungle Boogie doesn't convey having your world view changed forever all that well, so the music changed. Anyone who complains about the changed ending would only settle for an absolute shot by shot line by line movie. This one was about as close as it could get and not cross the line. I missed the squid too, but I missed it for how utterly absurd it is. THe new ending works fine. As for Ozymandias being evil, who says he's evil? That's kind of the moral dilemma at the end. Was he right or wrong? Of course I think Moore fumbled the ball on this one, to be honest. As it is presented, how can you say he is evil? Yes he killed millions, but he saved billions (and they were going to die, they were at DEFCON 1, that means the nukes are going to start flying). I say he fumbled it for one important reason. There is never a single counterargument to Ozymandias' plan. There is no alternative. They are litteraly staring down WWIII and his answer is the only one presented, and it works. How is the reader (or viewer) really supposed to argue against that without resorting to childish morality? Even then, millions is a small price for billions. He says what he did was necessary, and there is never anything in the story that provides a viable alternative. Given that, how can anyone think he is evil? He saved the world and united 2 mortal enemies. On top of that, he didn't put himself in charge. He did what no one else was willing to do (see the problem and fix it). You can argue that his methods were evil, but is he for doing what had to be done?

I personally think this idea is well beyond silly. The only reason this had a snowball's chance in hell of being made was because of the success of the current series. So, the big idea is to make it like the silly version? Wow. It's a good thing I realised studio types are capable of extremely bad ideas a long time ago or this would all be quite shocking. The current one is an award winning show. The old one is a joke. This would be like if there were no Star Trek movies made before the Next Generation and after it proved successful they released Star Trek the Motion Picture (you know, the first one that most people like to forget and everyone else wonders how that ever lead to the Wrath of Khan). Is the original Starbuck available still? From what I have read he absolutely hates the new version (and apparently the woman playing Starbuck and possibly any successful woman as well if I took his comments correctly).

Part of the issue will be how fiathful to existing EU material they intend to be. I'm not personally too clear on any specifics on Fett during this time period (though I assume there are stories). I think the issue may be other characters. Though if they stick with mostly unknowns that might not be a problem. I do wonder how much back ground name dropping with potentially no payoff there will be. As for the Sith, that will depend on if they stick to the EU also. The rule of two came about with Darth Bane, about 1000 years before ANH. Before that, there were legions of Sith at some points. Heck, after Palpatine (and Lumiya) the Sith go back to the whole army approach under Darth Krayt. The only thing relating to that I heard at one point was discussion of a movie (or trilogy, I suppose) covering the initial schism within the Jedi Order when the drak siders were driven out and conquered the Sith (thus becoming, lords of the Sith, or Sith Lords). But that was a while ago and I honestly don't remember the source (though at the time I thought it was legit). As for how many stories about a bounty hunter can there be, lots. It's a fairly formulaic plot set up. It's a great reason to have a single central character (or possibly a very small number of secondary characters) who travels from place to place fighting people on a weekly basis. The galaxy's a big place, so there are lots of places he could go and lots of people who need to be captured (or killed, as the case may be). All we need is some reason to care about the main character (Fett, in this case) and the possibilities are endless (though the plot structure won't change much over time, in all likelyhood). To spice it up from time to time he can clash with Imperials, pirates, and the beginings of the Rebellion as the plot warrants.

There is a halfbaked explanation for this. At least as it relates to what we see in the present. Remember the whole reason they had to use the T800 was because of it's living exterior. That was the reason why they couldn't send back weapons. Apparently the later liquid metal models were able to bypass this flaw. As for why we didn't see those things in the future war scenes, you've got me. I do see your point though. Things that happen earlier look more advanced than the parts that happen later.

Well, it's down to 2 episodes. I like the show, but I honestly think parts of the last 2 or 3 could have been trimmed down. The revolt seemed to be moving things in the right by permanently wrapping up some storylines and eliminating characters. Now, the ship's been falling apart for 2 or 3 episodes now. Cavel's plan is moving at the speed of a glacier. Starbuck is still trying to find out what exactly happened to her, however it was nice seeing her turn to Baltar to see what he could come up with. I am guessing by the previews that they are intending to use the Galactica on a suicide mission (that will likely have a huge body count, perhaps it will be total) against Cavel. I'm personally hoping for a massive whirlwind of death that kills about everybody on both sides (and I honestly expect that at this point). Eliminates the possibilities for a sequel of likely questionable quality somewhere down the road. It helps show that war really sucks, even more than they have shown so far. And most of all it will likely mean the characters I don't care for will buy the farm and the others can die some heroic death while the Cylons get to taste the bitterness of mortality. Or, the main characters go on the suicide mission and ram the Galactica (with nukes primed to detonate, no doubt) into whatever Cavel has.

I am fairly interested in this movie. I saw a newer preview in front of Watchmen. My theater is terrible when it comes to previews, so it's probably been out for a while. I'm interested to see where they take the cyborg idea. And I have wanted a total future war movie since I saw the first movie back in the 80s (and Terminator 2's opening scene only made me want to see it that much more). Having said that, McG gives me reason to not get my hopes up. At all. I've got every confidence in Bale. So, here's hoping a compotent lead and what I assume will be top notch special effects can overcome questionable directing. Or at the very least hope it makes enough to make a 5th movie viable and we can all hope Cameron decides to take a more active role, unless he's busy trying to rebuild the Alien franchise. I saw the first movie by the time I was 7, I watched the second movie in theaters along with the third. I like the movie franchise, so I will watch this one. Having said that, I've never watched a single episode of the show. My friend broke down the first few episodes and that was enough to convince me I would probably not like it. I'm convinced that they can make an entire movie about the battle for the time machine with alternating possesion so both sides can send back their apparent legions of time tavelers (who ultimately manage to change nothing, apparently). As much as I love Terminator 2, it really did put the franchise in the Highlander conundrum. How do you make a sequel to a movie when everything is fixed? In the case of Highlander, all the other immortals were supposedly dead. That's why I liked the approach in Terminator 1, there is never any mention of the humans trying to change the future. They are only trying to stop Skynet from changing it and end up creating a reasonably stable time loop. Terminator 2 throws it all out the window. Terminator 3, despite it's faults, at least got the plot back on track. I guess we'll see how McG manages to muck things up.

I like most of the Castle themes released. There are even parts of the KKII line that I like, like Vladek's fortress and his soldiers. I still have my Black Falcon figures from the 80's and my Orc (troll, if you prefer) and skeleton armies are both now in the triple digits so my interests are diverse. I do like the slightly more realistic look of the older sets, but I love the greater level of detail in the figures presently being released. I liked the fact that there were multiple human factions. But I also like that there are now orcs and undead (and I would love elves). I think that they can combine elements of both and surpass what they have already done. A good start would be releasing more than 3 sets in a year. I would love to see more sets like the Medievil Market set*. Perhaps a large, detailed castle is possible given TLG's willingness to make very large sets these days (look at Star Wars). I think the current line has room for a second human faction. It may take time to bring them anywhere close to Crownie levels, but that's fine. A rebirth of the Black Falcons would be nice. If not them then the Forestmen seem to be quite popular as well (and they would make good allies for the Elves if they make them). A return to the figure sets would be nice. I know they have something like them in the packs you can order online, but I am thinking more like the diversified ones they used to have. A set with an orc, a skeleton (they're cheap), a peasant, a crownie, and a dwarf. Move things around as the factions change, or split them up into humans (and allies) and non humans. Unlike Star Wars, they aren't restricted in makng sets of just figures with no vehicles. If they need vehicles, a set of a cart with a peasant, a human soldier defending it, and one or two orcs attacking would be good. Replace orcs as necessary. Similarly, a small peasant house under attack would make a decent set. If they want to go all out, have bricks for an alternate model of the house in ruins (or at least partially ruined). Maybe eventually we can get Orc peasants. *I believe we will see more of these types of sets. In the US they have seemingly been on back order longer than they haven't been. This tells me that they seriously underestimated how many would sell. That tells me that either the set has been selling like hot cakes, or that they were willing to gamble that the set wouldn't sell as well as they would have hoped. Either of those is good news. If it's been selling so much they have to keep pumping out more, then they should be very interested in making more sets like this in the future which gets us that much closer to the super detailed castle a lot of us seem to want. If they were willing to gamble and didn't make many, then the sales should have massively exceeded expectations by this point, which hopefully also leads to more sets of the same type.

There is more male than female nudity. After a certain point in the movie (not too far in as I recall) every time you see Dr. Manhattan he is nude. You see most (or all I suppose) of Dan at one or two points. And Dan and Laurie have two scenes together (though one doesn't pan out). It all fits the plot and I don't think any of it was excessive, but I also didn't watch it with my parents. I'm also 27 and I don't know if I would or not for the same reason you are stating. I probably would because it is a good adaptation, but I have felt uncomfortable watching movies with that type of thing before. tldr: Yes, there is nudity, male and female, and there are very revealing sex scenes.

But the point of better scifi shows and books is to examine the human condition and propose the question, "what if?" That naturally leads to drama. When it's clearly written for adults (as BSG is), that will mean that sopa opera like things will happen. That's just how it works when you examine interpersonal relationships because people really do those things. People really do care about who is sleeping with who and they really do try to sabotage other people's relationships for numerous reasons. So, along a long enough time line, any adult scifi will take on certain soap like qualities. Like the Battletech books, for instance. They are mainly about giant human piloted robots fighting for control of the galaxy, but half the time it's about who is shacking up with who because that's what people do in stressful situations. Edit to add: Of course I can understand if you don't like those qualities, but don't knock the show for being something it was always going to turn out to be. It is still a scifi show. They are still having to figure out how they are going to deal with the Cylons. Can they put aside past differences and live at peace with the machines they created that tried to exterminate them? That is a scifi plot. It's the Terminator in space only a whole faction of the evil machines are wanting to switch sides. How can you not call that a scifi plot? It's more in line with scifi than 3/4 of what's in Star Wars (not a knock, I love Star Wars).

As bad as this sounds, since I commented on it and all, I didn't actually read the link. The only comment of any substance seemed to be that they were casting, so I assumed it was a statement that said they were casting. Yes it is. I don't know how they will do it and maintain the Star Wars feel, but it should be interesting.

I haven't watched much of Heroes beyond the first season (which is odd because I like comic books), but to say Battlestar Galactica has nothing good in it is odd. I won't say wrong because it's an opinion, but wrong is the word I would prefer to use. It is easily the best scifi show on at the moment (which isn't saying a lot because there isn't much competition) and I would personally place it amongst the best I have seen period. Having said all that, I hope the Star Wars live action isn't a whole lot like it. BG is about people in an incredibly stressful situation with the fate of humanity (and now the Cylons) on the line so it is more about social commentary and seeing how much it takes to crack people. Star Wars really isn't about that. It is more in line with high adventure. I would like to see more of the things in BG, but Star Wars isn't that dark. This is one of the times in Star Wars (rise of the Empire) that things probably look pretty bleak in some parts so some of those elements could be present, though I believe they will be on the fringe at best because the movies really are more aimed towards kids and I expect this show to be aimed that way as well. I hope I am wrong, but I doubt it.

I saw Watchmen over the weekend (a couple of times actually). I ended up watching it with a friend who has also read the Graphic Novel (as in, we have both read it) at the midnight show on an IMAX screen. I've only watched 3 other movies that (Transformers, The Dark Knight, and Beowulf 3-D). This one doesn't have any IMAX specific scenes and I didn't think it would going into it. I just wanted to see it on the huge screen because I really liked the GN (which I actually read about 2 years before I heard the movie was actually going to become a reality). As with any adaptation, it couldn't have everything. This one in particular would be very difficult to live up to the hype as it has been considered one of the best comics out there for at least a decade (probably since shortly after it came out, realistically). It did better than I ever had any hope it would. Even after seeing production shots and seeing previews filled with scenes straight out of the GN, I never let my hopes get raised because I have seen too many adaptations turn out terrible. This one had more than I ever thought it would have. The DVD will have another hour or so on top of that. The end was changed and I thought I would hate it, but I really think it works. My only real complaints are that some bits involving Ozymandias weren't there and I think it hurt his character. Beyond that, great job. Warning to those considering taking minors: It's rated R for numerous reasons and it will remind of that every few minutes. The violence, though not all over the place, is graphic. There is nudity (female and male, lots on the latter for anyone bothered by that) and a few sex scenes (they are all part of the plot and serve a purpose beyond bringing in male fans, or female fans as the case may be). It is all handled straight and isn't played for laughs. Also, a primer on the state of global affairs in 1985 (particularly events related to the Cold War) is probably in order if you don't know your history.

The only possible reason I could see the license ending would be if Lucas wanted a bigger chunk (which is a possibility that shouldn't be overlooked, even though it is hopefully unlikely). If HASBRO develops a serious competitor to LEGO between now and then, be worried. They let their license for the CCG end (I can't think of the name of the company) right as they were stating to get into making sets for the prequel films. The main reason was that HASBRO had aquired Wizards of the Coast and they could consolidate more of the license under one roof. Also, I could have sworn at some point I had read that Lucas owned a noticeable chunk of HASBRO, but I can't remember where or when so I can't back that up. As for not having enough to keep it fresh, I think they have plenty. I believe there is room to recycle sets if they space them out. Things like TIE fighters and XWings will always be in. It may be necessary to reissue them in larger sets (like a set with both of them). The idea would be to do it several years apart. And they can always reuse sets that they only used once years and years ago. Along with that, if they tap the EU more, there is a wealth of figures and vehicles. I know I am not the only person who would like to see a TIE Defender, a TIE Phantom, or a Z-95 Headhunter. Even within just the Clone Wars we seem to see new vehicles with reasonable frequency. We still haven't seen a set of Asajj Ventress' ship or the Republic artillery and the most recent episode featured CIS anti aircraft cannons that I think would make a great set (because it would probably be cheap, among other reasons). I think there could be a few more sets made from The Force Unleashed. Edit to add: Just remembered, the CCG company was Decipher.

Personally, I would rather see the cannons released seperately. The droid cannon looks like it could be a set on the smaller side. That would hopefully mean cheaper. That of course means being able to buy more of them. If they come together, I would still buy them, just probably not as many. Also, somehow we need a figure of that droid commander. They have been in a few episodes now and I would like figures for them. If for no other reason than to have a figure of a compotent droid character for the CIS. I just don't know if it would beter as some non standard figure, or a standard torso with a non standard head. They have a generally humanoid shape and size, but they are boxey so I could see it either way.

The only thng I would like to see changed from that line up would be to replace one (or both) of the stormtroopers with Death Star Troopers (or Naval troopers if you prefer that term). I don't think it's too out there to think that's possible. Unless I missed a set, the Rebel Troopers are still only available in a battle pack. So, I find it within reason to expect the death star troopers to eventually be in a cheaper set so they can be amassed. It may as well be here.

A couple of those are cheaper on Amazon (and you get free shipping if you are willing to wait a few days to get it) V 19 Torrent: $41.24 MagnaGuard Starfighter: $34.49 It's not a huge difference, but coupled with the free shipping (which StarWarsShop.com didn't have the last time I checked) there is a noticeable difference in price. Also, the Troll Warship is $66.12 if anyone is interested.