The Order of Star Wars

 

May the Fourth be with you!

It is my May newsletter, and it is Star Wars Day!

I have little in the way of news this month—apart from that my first draft of the sequel to “Better the Millstone” now surpasses fifty thousand words!

And now, I ask that you indulge me as I write about one of my favorite topics: Star Wars—specifically, the order of Star Wars.

It seems that there are now numerous ways to watch Star Wars.

I recall seeing Star Wars in the movie theatre in 1977. It was truly a game changer, and the movie was probably the most visually stunning thing I had ever seen up to that point. Older science fiction, such as Star Trek, Doctor Who, Space: 1999, and 2001: A Space Odyssey, were bland and pale by comparison. Not in terms of color and splash, but in terms of being real. Star Wars looked real. The ships looked like they had seen real action, and the story a unique blend of science fiction, high fantasy, and space western that launched not only a new franchise but changed the face of science fiction.

But I digress.

Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi (we didn't call them by episode numbers back then). Those were it. At some point, the Holiday Special and Ewok programs came along for kids, and there were a handful of novels (Splinter of the Mind's Eye being the first). Other than that, we had Starlog and Omni magazines to read about science fiction related stuff, including Star Wars.

Until Betamax and VHS came along and home video took off, the only order you watched them in was "Star Wars (Nobody called it "A New Hope" back then)" in 1977, "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back" in 1980, and "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi" in 1983.

Until 1999, when "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" premiered, there was only one trilogy and one order.

Now, you have prequel and sequel trilogies, and debates surrounding the order of watching the films. Which one is right? I've read that you should start newcomers with "Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens," as it is the most recent of the trilogy starting points, and have them watch Episodes VIII and IX, after which you go back and watch the original trilogy and then the prequel trilogy. Then,you have people who advocate watching them in the order they were released (original trilogy, prequel trilogy, sequel trilogy) and others who advocate watching them in episode order. Then, there's some kind of machete order that mixes everything up and drops Episode I.

None of that includes the non-trilogy films, such as Solo and Rogue One, and the TV shows.

So, without further ado, here is the Daniel Sullivan Order.

1.     Solo: A Star Wars Story

2.     Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

3.     Star Wars: A New Hope

4.     Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

5.     Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

6.     Star Wars: The Mandalorian (all seasons).

Do as you wish with the prequel and sequel trilogies. I enjoyed both and they have their merits, but they also feel somewhat disconnected from the original trilogy. Same goes for the rest of the television shows.

A few words on the sequel trilogy. I enjoyed it overall, though a I said above, it felt disconnected from the original trilogy, this in spite of having the three main characters (Leia, Luke, and Han - played by their original actors no less!), three main supporting characters (R2D2, C3P0, and Chewbacca), and one of the primary antagonists (Emperor Palpatine, also played by the Return of the Jedi actor).

I found the films enjoyable, and I felt that the casts' diversity offered many more points of entry to the series than did the original trilogy (which consisted of nearly all white men and three white women, only one of whom had more than about three or four lines or five minutes’ worth of screen time).

At the same time, some of the choices were baffling—the complete jettisoning of the old “expanded universe”. Other baffling choices were the exclusion of Mara Jade, the all-off-screen collapse of Luke's Jedi Academy, and Luke's living as a hermit. Then there was the puzzling choice to name Han and Leia's son Ben. In the expanded universe, that had been the name of Luke and Mara' son—which made sense, given Luke's connection with Ben Kenobi. Finally, there was the wasting of the Captain Phasma and Rose Tico characters.

None of those things were deal-breakers, and I like the new characters and cast (all of them). But those things did make the sequel trilogy feel more like a reboot than a continuation. There is a lot to like in Episodes seven through nine, so I do encourage you to watch them if you have not already.

As far as the order of movies and film, I gave my opinion, but really, just watch Star Wars and enjoy what was for me, a transformative and impactiful sci-fi/space opera!

The Firing of Gina Carano

Like many of you, my wife and I have been watching “The Mandalorian” on Disney Plus. The character of Cara Dune was a favorite of ours, and it was unfortunate that due to the Actress’ exercise of her Twitter account, that character is unlikely to return.

Apart from reboots, recasting does not seem to happen any longer. I would like to see Cara Dune continue as a presence in the Star Wars universe, but outside of maybe comic books or novels, it seems unlikely.

The worst part is that this was completely avoidable.

Gina Carano had an ‘I dare you to fire me’ attitude about the pressure mounting on Disney remove her from “The Mandalorian” cast, seeming to double down on her unfortunate Twitter content with each calling on the carpet. Each time pressure mounted, she parroted the same tired line that others who have lost shows or roles for similar social media behavior have used: “They’re censoring conservatives.”

Of course, her comparison of being critiqued on social media for sharing false and debunked theories to the treatment of Jews in Nazi Germany was the final straw, and so, a beloved character has exited the series.

The sad part is that she was so perfect for the role. Gina looked the part, and as a top-level professional fighter, has the physicality that the role demanded. And she can act!

While I strongly disagree with her political stances, I was not among those pulling for her ouster. Yes, I am sad to see her go.

Having said that, I feel no sympathy for her.

This is 2021. Countless public figures and indeed, ordinary folk, have seen their careers flushed down the toilet over their behavior on social media. She had to have somebody telling her to knock it off, and even if she didn’t, a celebrity has no excuse for not understanding how their social media conduct can backfire.

This is a clear case of the actress proverbially shooting herself in the foot with a proverbial shotgun. Yes, this is a self-inflicted wound, not some cancel culture about conservatives.

Perhaps she should

Somehow, John Schneider, a conservative actor best known for playing Bo Duke, driver of an orange 1969 Dodge Charger named "General Lee", with a giant Confederate battle flag on the roof, manages to not alienate people, and maintains an air of class.

I have no doubt that Supergirl fans would have welcomed him had he appeared on that very liberal and feminist show.

Clearly, Carano's conservative views are not the problem.

I have nothing against Carano, and I do wish her well. At the same time, I have no sympathy for celebrities who cry foul when their misuse of social media bites them in the proverbial behind.

Game Review: Mass Effect Andromeda

Don't let the negative user reviews fool you. This is a good game. I bought this game day one for the PS4. As a huge Mass Effect fan, I've been waiting for this game, and bought a PS4 just so I could play it. Since then, I've played every night for a couple hours at a time, sometimes more than that, and have thoroughly enjoyed it.

Yes, it has its problems. The facial animation is not what I would expect from a triple-A game on a next-gen console, but it's hardly as bad as people are making it out to be. Addison, one of the Nexus (Andromeda Citadel equivalent) fixture characters is probably the worst, but you don't spend much time talking to her, and honestly, it's just not that awful.

I've seen quite a few reviews commenting on the ugliness of the women in the game, particularly the female Ryder twin. Personally, I find the female Ryder to be attractive to look at. More to the point, she looks believable. She's a space explorer, not a supermodel. Looks all come down to personal tastes, though, and if you don't like her look, you can customize her. This really is a non issue.

Overall, this is a beautiful game, with an outstanding score and superb audio. The combat is much improved, something that seems to be fairly universally acknowledged. The Nomad replaces the Mako and the Hammerhead, and is likewise much improved, though it has no armament.

Another complaint people have made in reviews is the lack of new races. Statements like, "A new galaxy and only two races to populate it." This really is not fair. You're limited to one cluster of the Andromeda, and like the Milky Way of Mass Effect, a single cluster is not representative of the galaxy as a whole. Remember, there is no Mass Relay network in Andromeda, so races will be more isolated to their galactic points of origin.

Probably my biggest criticism is that unless you're already a Mass Effect fan, there's not enough context. Biotics having a hard time fitting in, for example, need more explanation for a new player, as do things like the Krogan animosity toward the Salarians and Turians. Also, if you run a biotic character, Cora Harper, your one biotic human crew member does not offer any unique dialogue options like Kaiden Alenko did in Mass Effect in your early conversations with him. Since this the first game in a new series (?), I would have like to have seen more context to connect new players with the existing Mass Effect universe. This game is written with the understanding that you already know the universe, and have already played through the first trilogy ...

... which brings me to my final criticism: it does not feel like a Mass Effect game initially. The class and skill interfaces are set up very differently, and the bumpers don't bring up the power and weapon wheels like the previous games did. Certainly not a deal breaker by any means, but as a longtime player of the series, it meant that I had to relearn the game, rather than just jump right in as I was able to with ME2 and ME3. Once you get into it, it does feel more like a Mass Effect game, but it takes time.

The story takes a bit longer to get moving, but it makes sense, as it's an exploration game, rather than a military campaign with an exploration element, like the first game was. Once it gets going, though, it's a decent story. And that seems to be the major factor: this game is about taking the time, exploring the various nooks and crannies, and letting the story unfold. Even the side quests and loyalty missions are more appropriate to the story, and in most cases, are better than in prior games, but you’re not beaten over the head with them; Cora won’t repeatedly call you to her cabin to discuss her loyalty mission. She sends you an e-mail, and that’s it. There’s no Kelly Chambers to keep reminding you every time you walk past, and she won’t refuse to talk about anything else the way characters in ME2 did until after you do her mission. Side quests and loyalty missions are things you must seek out to a certain extent.

All in all, this is a solid game, and if you liked the original Mass Effect, then you'll probably like Andromeda.

Who Am I?

Born in 1967, I still remember the Vietnam war, Richard Nixon, Watergate, and the Cold War. I grew up in a time when the pledge of allegiance was still a mandatory part of school, and attending parochial school from fifth grade until I graduated high school, I also experienced prayer in school. It was a different time.

We had telephones that were attached to the wall and phone booths scattered about the cities, towns, and countrysides for making calls when out of doors or in public places, such as malls. For mobile communication, it was CB radio or walkie talkies. We had no video games until various pong games and eventually Atari. Arcades were mostly pinball machines. Mostly, we played outside, read books, and played board games. There were no VCRs, DVDs, or streaming video. The internet did not exist. If I wanted to see a movie, I had to go to the cinema. Television was limited to three or four channels and cable television did not exist. If I wanted to see a program, I needed to catch it when it was on or wait for it in a rerun. Movies that I missed I might be lucky enough to see on television a couple of years later.

It was a time of Americans with no hyphens; African-American, Asian-American, Irish-American, such terms did not exist. We were all just Americans, though the lack of such terms did not make us any more united. Evangelicals were still calling themselves Fundamentalists, and "spiritual, but not religious" was a term yet to be popularized. Culture and religion were, at least on the surface, simpler things back then. It was also a time of uncertainty about the Soviets, nuclear proliferation, and the far off threat of Arab terrorists (we did not call them Muslim extremists back then). Our nation was somewhat schizophrenic, and I grew up with mixed messages of unbridled patriotism and deep seated cynicism. Religion was still more a part of public consciousness than it is today, though again, this was a cultural matter and does not imply an innate holiness or spirituality.

Growing up in a Roman Catholic household and attending parochial school, God, Jesus, and Mary and the Saints were always a part of my life and the concept of guilt was constantly reinforced. It also made for a schizophrenic morass of mixed messages and conflicting ideas. Both far left/borderline "communists" ideas were espoused in equal portions alongside hardline conservative ideas. Forgivness and faith alongside the tallying of every misdead (remember that guilt thing?) and constant worry. Endless criticism alongside unrealistic encouragement. The worship of money alongside messages on how unimportant money is. And the most maddening of all enforced conformity alongside messages of 'be yourself.'

All of these things influenced what I read, and how I read, how I wrote, and how I interpreted the things that I read and saw. It took many years, decades in fact, to finally start to strip away the parts of my person that were not really part of me at all, but which had been superimposed upon me by family, teachers, and society. To strip them away and to reveal who I was before I was told who I was supposed to be.

And so, here I am now. I am not a single defining thing, a nice neat category. I am a single father of two, I write, train and teach the martial arts, draw, paint, game, ride, and drive. I also work a day job as the inventory manager of the PC Technical department of a large data collections company. I am no one single thing. I subscribe to no political party. Yes, I have a religious affiliation, but it is my personal choice of how I connect with God, not the category that I fit into.

And my site is as multifaceted as I am. No, I'm not conceited. You are just as multifaceted as I am. None of us are neat categories. None of us are 'types.' None of us are defined by our ethnic or cultural origins. 

After a long absence ...

It has close to a year since my last post here, and a lot has happened. I suppose I should have made regular writing here a 2015 resolution.


So let's start with the motorcycle related news:


Remember that 2012 Switchback that I talked about riding in a prior post? Well, I bought it. I traded Comet in on Red Sonja, an ember sunglo red FLD, which had been equipped by her prior owner with an oil cooler and a Harley Signature Touring Seat with a rider backrest. It was a decision that I agonized over for months, but Lynda and I both agreed that it was a decision that made sense.


I added a detachable passenger backrest when I got it home. This one has the wide cushion, which Lynda loves. Being an FLD, she has a detachable windscreen, larger, locking detachable panniers, floorboards, and the big FL forks.


The bike rides much smoother than the old Super Glide ever did, but when the panniers and windscreen are removed, something magical happens: the bike's personality transforms from that of a 'Road Queen' to that of a Road Warrior. The stripped down FLD thinks it's a Fatbob, and urges you to ride with spirit and gusto. All that, while getting better mileage than the old Super Glide did.


The Twin Cam 103 engine is a true torque-monger, but it's not just for barhopping. Where my old 1340 ran out of breath around 75mph, the 1690cc FLD will easily take you into triple digit speeds. Having a six speed transmission instead of a five speed makes a big difference as well.


Since getting the bike on the last day of February, I have put over six thousand miles on it, and have added engine guards. I kept the Kurykyn iso-pegs with heel rests, and added those, and I kept the Python mufflers, though I will need to change the head pipes to use them.




On the personal front, I have published my science fiction novel at long last. The Silver Liner: Takes Flight! is available for purchase from Amazon, Barnes & Noble Online, iUniverse, and is available on both Kindle and Nook.

The littlest Harley, the V-Rod, and wny the Switchback made me want a new bike.

Hello fellow riders!

Sorry for missing you in July, but I was way too busy riding! In fact, I rode three Harley Davidson motorcycles that left very strong, and very different impressions on me. The first was the Street 500, literally the littlest Harley! The next was the V-Rod Muscle. It's a 1200cc, 130 horsepower beast of a bike, at least on paper. The third was the Dyna FLD Switchback, the Swiss Army knife of Harley's line. And without further adieu ...

The Street 500

I just rode on June 29th. It was certainly peppy enough, and I weigh about 220, but man is it SMALL! Tiny little thing, like an 8/10ths Sportster. And it isn't just the physical size; the rider's triangle is much smaller than that of a Superlow or an Iron 883, both of which have the same seat height and mid controls. Light as a feather too.

Overall, I was pleased with it, and the seat was surprisingly comfortable; a definite improvement over the stock Sportster seat. But if you're over 5'10", forget it. I'm 6'4" and I could barely fit on it.

Aside from being much more compact than I expected, the littlest Harley handled nicely and pulled strongly enough; more than strongly enough given it's intended mission. Revvy little thing, but it didn't lack pep and the ride was better than I expected.

And it looks a lot better in person than it does in the photos. The bike had a fairly solid feel, though the hand controls and switchgear feels more delicate than what I'm used to on my Superglide.

Overall, I think it's a homerun, though I'm definitely not the target customer for this bike.

The V-Rod Muscle

The V-Rod Muscle lives up to its name: muscle. It oozes muscularity and power. Long, low, with a thick back tire and an aggressive stance, this bike screams 'fast,' and with 130 horses on tap, it's no poser.

But that doesn't tell the whole story. In fact, it's speed is almost meaningless. The bike is too big to be sporty; way too long, and the riding position is terrible!

In fact, the riding position was the first thing I noticed, and it was so bad that I almost turned the bike around before I left the parking lot! The seat was comfortable enough, but the tiny little drag bars mean that you're leaning forward a lot, but unlike sport bikes, which have controls mounted under your hips, the V-Rod has forward controls. Mids are an option, and I've seen one with mids on the road, and for riders without my long legs, it would be a huge improvement.

But with forward controls, narrow (they felt like they were only about twenty inches, though I think they're actually about 24" across)drag bars, and a long, low frame, your riding position resembles that of a villain that Superman just punched in the gut. Being tall, my long arms meant that I was probably more comfortable than a shorter rider, and I was not comfortable in this position at all! And in spite of having forward controls, my legs were cramped up due to the angle of the controls; I had to lift my foot entirely off of the peg to upshift, and both braking and downshifting were uncomfortable.

I should note that these bars are unique to the V-Rod Muscle; the V-Rod Night Rod Special has a more traditional low rise bar. According to the dealership, the Muscle's bars cannot simply be swapped out; you'd probably have to replace the riser.

Did I say that this bike is long? With a 67" wheelbase, this bike is longer than a Road King! And once I had the bike moving, it was the first thing that I noticed. The length of this bike makes itself known constantly. When riding down the straights, this bike is stable; rock solid! It has that smooth, controlled ride that you get from a long wheelbase and thick tires. When you're turning, it feels ponderous, recalcitrant.

Part of this is the length, but I feel that those tiny handlebars really cut down on the ability to maneuver this long machine, which needs wider bars for anything other than going in a straight line.

Power was never a problem. In fact, for as much power as this bike has, it was surprisingly well controlled, and not at all twitchy. Throttle progression was smooth and even, and it only delivered what I was asking for. And when I asked for power, it really delivered! Though it doesn't get its power as low in the powerband as an EVO or a Twin Cam 103, it's rev range is nearly twice that of either engine!

In summary, this bike has a lot of very good qualities, but not necessarily the right mixture of them. I will have to ride a Night Rod to see what it's like; the seat looks a bit nicer and the bars are definitely wider and taller.

The Dyna FLD Switchback

I spent two weeks after I rode this bike trying to figure out how to buy it. I loved it that much! This bike felt almost made for me. The bars are almost as big and as wide as the bars I added to my Super Glide in my efforts to size it to my long build, the floorboards are nicely placed, and the seat was incredibly comfortable. And power; it had power in abundance, and its exhaust note was so sweet that I had to ask the salesman if it still had a stock muffler!

The FLD has a smooth, controlled ride, handles crisply, and has ample bags in comparison with the throw-overs that I'm currently using. It comes with a quick detach windshield and those hard, lockable bags also detach in less than thirty seconds.

This bike is well suited to a wide range of sizes too; at 6'4", I felt like this bike was made with me in mind. So did a guy who was 5'7".

About the downside. Well, there isn't one, other than that I have a car payment that's preventing me from buying it. It's heavier than my 620 pound 1996 Super Glide by about a hundred pounds, but you'd be hard pressed to notice it. It's rated for 42mpg combined, which is about what I get on my machine. And with that 6th gear, this bike probably does better than mine on the highway despite its engine having a 300cc size advantage.

So, if I traded in my current bike and sold my car to CarMax, I could do it. But when I rode home on my own machine, I did not feel like I was riding an inferior machine. The truth of the matter is that I am very happy with my 1996 Dyna. Yes, the Switchback is definitely an upgrade, but not one that I can afford, or can justify.

Thankfully, I can make the parts department at the dealership and J&P Cycles very happy by adding the parts that made the Switchback so appealing to my existing ride, and doing a few upgrades to improve the engine performance. All for much less than the cost of a new bike.

One Year of Riding

First of all, many apologies for not writing sooner!

It's been a busy 2014; I completed writing two novels, both projects that began more than two years ago, completed a novel length fan fiction, and have put together curriculum for my spring and summer sessions of martial arts classes. All that in addition to working my 40 hour a week day job and spending time with my family and fiancée!

It's been a little over a year, and I have just about doubled the original 8250 miles that were on the bike when I purchased it last April. I've been riding it more regularly this April/May than I did last April/May when I first purchased it. There are a number of reasons for this, the largest being that I have a lot more confidence riding than I did, and I am using it for taking my fiancée out on the town (as weather permits; rainy motorcycle dates are not fun for her).

It seemed that the winter would not let go this year, and I rode through most all of it. Coming out of winter and a rainy spring (all of which I also rode through), I enter my summer riding season with supreme confidence. I also enter the summer riding season with forward controls; I installed these in May, and it made a world of difference! Wider handlebars, mini-floor boards, and a more comfy seat are on my list as well.

Riding from winter into spring was a magical time for me, as I was much more aware of the slow return of spring. The greenery slowly filled the gaps between the trees, changing the delicate lattice-work of branches into a tapestry of color and beauty.

Now, the corn is growing in one of the fields that I pass and some of the roads that I ride daily, after a month or two of grooved pavement, are now resurfaced just in time for summer.

In my year of owning a near two decade old Harley Davidson, the replacement of the voltage regulator aside, the bike has been bulletproof and easy to service. It has also proven very capable as a do-it-all bike. From daily commuting to weekend pleasure rides to light touring, this bike quite literally does it all.

After a winter riding season, however, I am considering buying a second bike to ride in winter weather, most likely a dual sport.

Anyway, I'm back. Thanks for reading!