156: The Dark Side

[Spanner]

The Dark Side

"Of course, Star Wars was popular when it was first released. But it wasn't the sudden, galaxy shattering event we like to remember. It was a good kids' movie that everyone could enjoy; the revolution came much later. In fact, I'd argue Star Wars didn't really happen until The Empire Strikes Back.

"And for me personally, it wasn't even the sequel that cemented the Jedi mythology in my consciousness. It was the licensing; the merchandising phenomenon that actually paid for the next two movies and recouped the costs of the original. That's what really spread the Skywalker name across cinematic history and drew me toward the Dark side of Star Wars obsession at such a vulnerable age."

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[Finnish(ed)]

I actually, literally, laughed out loud while reading this article. It was only for a few seconds, but for me, that's a lot. At one point, I almost felt sorry for you, Mr. Spanner, but then I realized that your parents were the real victims of this particular money-grabbing, opportunistic, merchandising phenomenon. The way these things target children, who have not yet developed enough common sense, is truly insidious.

Well written. Thanks.

 

[Smokescreen]

This was well done, but I'm not sure that it's relevant to the site or gaming as a theme. The merchandizing that was done in the name of making Star Wars THE thing to have surely has impacted the way games are sold to us, no?

 

[Echolocating]

I'm reminded of the prequel trilogy in which some characters were given oddly short scenes only to never be seen again. At first, I thought it was bad editing. Like, "Oops. You forgot the cut that one out guys. Why waste screen time with something that doesn't really impact the movie later on?" And then I realized that the effort involved in shooting and placing that scene in the movie would pay dividends... not in the quality of the film, but in the merchandising.

Commander Cody... need I say more?

 

[murphy7801]

obsession is scary and yet strangely beautiful thing

 

[TsunamiWombat]

I'm reminded of the prequel trilogy in which some characters were given oddly short scenes only to never be seen again. At first, I thought it was bad editing. Like, "Oops. You forgot the cut that one out guys. Why waste screen time with something that doesn't really impact the movie later on?" And then I realized that the effort involved in shooting and placing that scene in the movie would pay dividends... not in the quality of the film, but in the merchandising.

Commander Cody... need I say more?

This is...true

...also this

 

[ryai458]

I was kinda looking forward to seeing your collection, but I guess not. Good article though.