Jedi Minute 127: Force Ghosts

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Date

June 30th, 2015

Summary

The original group of adventurers watch from the sidelines. Only Luke seems distracted, alone in their midsts, his thoughts elsewhere.

Guests

David Hahn

Notes

Film

• Starts with Luke relieving himself looking relieved out into the woods, and ends a minute later with the credits for our three stars.
• Last minute of actual content.
• Two new Force ghosts.
• The last image of the trilogy is Lando clapping.

Podcast

The Force Ghosts

• Despite being a ghost, Yoda must sit on a pole so he's visible in the shot.
• Major differences from a really early draft (shout-out to Leigh Brackett).
  • Alex's celebrated Obi-Wan voice.
  • Referenced: Dancing the Hambone, the ending to Michael Jackson's "Thriller".
• This is the most controversial minute in ROTJ. This is the "Han shot first" moment.
  • Force ghosts appear as you were when you died. Mentioned: From a certain point of view.
    • Anakin Skywalker's deathbed conversion.
• What if these weren't Force ghosts but simply garden variety ghosts?
• Force ghost facts.
  • Force Ghost™.
  • Over a hundred Force ghosts, including some Sith.

Description and Abilities

• Can only be seen by Force sensitive. Why doesn't Leia see them? Mentioned: Pete's pet theories.
• Can make themselves solid.
• Can still use some of their Force powers.
• Can instantly teleport anywhere they've been before. Note: this contradicts SWM-Canon.
• Eventually they need to "move on" (i.e. they don't last forever).

Other Force ghost notes

• How Anakin learned the Force ghost trick by continuing his training in the afterlife.
• The other Jedi wouldn't be happy to see the guy that killed everybody. It must have been a very awkward reunion. Referenced: Airplane!

Other Notes

David saw Star Wars as a re-release prior to ROTJ. There was a trailer for Jedi, but it was before they put in the Force ghost special effects on Alec Guinness, so David was convinced and excited that Ben Kenobi had come back to life.

• Force ghost action figures.
• Luke just turns away from the ghosts, including the father he was just getting to know. Maybe Anakin wanted to talk to Luke?
• Elaborating on Pete's theory that the Force doesn't exist. It's like stage magic. Referenced: Tyler Durden from Fight Club, "Scooby Doo".
  • This conflicts with Pete's earlier theory that Luke didn't blow up the Death Star.
  • Maybe R2 is in on the con.
• Lando fake clapping

Pete subbed as a drummer for a high school lip sync contest. It's hard to pretend to play the drums without actually playing the drums.

The Credits

• Staying for the credits after movies.
• Unsung Heroes: Howard Kazanjian and Gary Kurtz and the dissolution of the Kurtz-Lucas partnership.
• Mentioned: American Graffiti, More American Graffiti.
• Lawrence Kasdan as the voice of reason. Mentioned: Leigh Brackett. Mentioned: The Making of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi by J.W. Rinzler.

Meta Minute

• 40:48 podcast episode length.
• This is the first (but not the last) time we see Yoda as a Force Ghost.
• The name "Ewok" was based on the word "Wookiee" (as was previously discussed), but George Lucas was also inspired by the name of the Miwok people who are native to Northern California, near to were the scenes on Endor where shot.
• Alex writes a page of notes for each minute they cover, but this is the first minute since they've been doing the show where his notes spilled over onto a second page.
• At the time this episode was recorded, it was still unclear whether or not the boys would be coming back to do the Prequels, or even if they would do The Phantom Menace.
• The Auralnauts have an amazing video where they've edited out all of the music from the Ewok celebration.

Quotes

• Pete: They're e-wiggidy-wiggidy-wack.
• Alex: We've been doing this show for how many years now, 25 years?
• Alex: OFG: Original Force Gangsters.
• Alex: (as old man Yoda being unmasked by the Scooby Gang) Gotten away with it, I would have!
• Pete: They're non-diegetic Ewoks. The heavenly Ewok chorus.

Link

http://www.starwarsminute.com/2015/06/30/jedi-minute-127-force-ghosts/

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