JediDefender.com presents to you all the first 100 Reviews...  It's kind of impressive when you look at them all together, haha.

Thanks  to Jeff for putting that together.  If there's one you're interested in checking out, just click the button and you'll open it up.  Take a look back at where we came from in the modern collection to where we are now.  Some impressive leaps in quality, and some steps backward too.  Hasbro really keeps you guessing at the end of the day though.

Enjoy!












   
   

I was pondering some things about the Alliance...  Namely just general ideas of how they fight, how they strategize against the Empire as a fighting body but also how they politically oppose the Empire...  Opposing ideals/viewpoints are often the groundwork of many major conflicts in our own past, and then other factors fuel the conflict along.

With the Empire...  The concept of it is a regime change...  Palpatine hails it as a new order for a "safe and secure society"...  Perhaps an open cry that the war with the CIS was the act of "dirty aliens" in some way (this ties well to the idea the Empire is largely xenophobic), and further that they're fighting the corruption of the old republic and it's guardians, the Jedi Knights...  The republic was a bastion of corruption, inept leadership, political maneuvering, and the CIS seemingly was headed up by groups that best represented this...  Corporate groups with full political clout like the Trade Federation, the Commerce Guild, the Banking Clan...  All headed by alien races, noteably.

What fuels the Alliance though really intrigued me, and how it could have been perceived perhaps by a majority (especially in the years leading up to the Battle of Yavin, which I think would've been the real critical moment of the galaxy being torn apart in a much more even manner than all the Imperial Rule years prior).  Most interesting is the concept of the "Force", and how at the time of Yavin the force is dismissed by many (this is an assumption, but has some basis) as nothing but a kooky old religion that isn't practiced or followed any longer.  Something of a crazy cult from a time long ago, and a cult that the Empire would've tarnished through political propoganda from the day 1 of Order 66 one could imagine.

I'd think Palpatine would've largely distanced himself from the force, hiding any ties to it he had in secret, and largely turning people against the force and those who use it...  Vader being an exception to some degree...  The Alliance of course embraces it as we see them use the phrase "may the force be with you" routinely as a parting saying and all...  It does seem somewhat religious in nature to them.  A real culture within the Alliance.

I find the whole concept of the "religious tones" the force has with the Alliance intriguing though...  Supposing the galaxy at large is soured on the force, and fear the people who used it (if they believe in it existing), or they simply didn't believe in it and feel the Jedi were just a cult that tried to take power at the end of the Clone Wars even, then the Alliance really would be looked upon by many then to be just a religious based military/organization attempting to impose their beliefs over the legitimate government.

The films show, at the end of Jedi, rampant happiness around the galaxy at Palpatine's demise...  I've always felt those events aren't anywhere near simultaneous and could be years or even decades apart...  They're just celebrations upon liberation which could span quite some time.  A good way to wrap up a movie, however it's a somewhat unrealistic way to look at the "end" of things.  I think many obviously would fear/loathe the Empire but the Alliance certainly would be an easy target for propoganda campaigns by the Empire, especially if the majority hold the beliefs that seem popular at the end of ROTS when Palpy forms the Empire.

Like with all wars, it all depends on what side of the fence you're viewing things...  To some of the wars in the mid-ease, one nation's freedom fighters are the other's terrorists and religious kooks.  That wouldn't be any different with Star Wars...

Would there be similar tactics used by the Alliance then, as we see?  Would they be the beloved organization the films portray them as if the Alliance performed gurerilla tactics in crowded cities that caused civilian casualties to usurp the Empire's hold on any given planet?

Something pertinent to this idea...  In the original X-Wing game for PC, the Alliance takes a Corellian Corvette and a skeleton crew flies it to an Imperial ship yard...  A row of Destroyers under construction is the target.  They fly the Corvette into the side of the command tower of one Destroyer, and out the other side...  it goes through several in the ship yard.  Now, being a ship yard it's quite likely the Empire's got a lot of non-combat personnel here working...  Civilian contractors working for the organization contracted to build these ships, etc... 

I guess this could all tie to the Clerks discussion on civilian contractors working on the Death Star II biting the big one upon it's destruction too, haha.

Still though...  It's interesting to me to see the galaxy as not nearly so black-and-white as Lucas liked to portray it...  It's easy, to me anyway, to see why the Empire holds it's ideals, and why so many would flock to it (especially early on), and why the Alliance could easily be viewed as nothing more than a terrorist organization stuck on religious beliefs that fueld a "cult" organization once that tried to take control of the galaxy themselves.

I couldn't find Sprry75's feedback thread anywhere.  Odd considering his time around here, haha.

Anyway I decided to start one that can get merged if it exists for him but I didn't see it in the directory.

Very positive feedback for a prompt payment from him...  Thanks man.   Awfully patient with me sending it out to him too since I had a tough time tracking packaging for it down.

With the news from Toy Fair trickling out slowly, I found it interesting the news on Gentle Giant's Bust-Up line and it moving to full figures and possibly scenes.  Scenes could equate "sets" or something nice to display figures in if the Bust-Up line stays at the current scale it is at...  right around 3.75" sized.

Could it be Gentle Giant are delving into an area they know Hasbro will not?  Since no photography of these unfinalized items was allowed, it's tough to say, but even if say the Death Star set with Tarkin (I must have this) and a Gunner is just a section of hallway it'll be something pretty bitching to display Death Star figures with I think.

The Endor one could be cool too... 

I'm at the least intrigued at how these will mesh with the basic Hasbro line...  I know I use bust-ups in customs, and sometimes the weapons are fantastic to mix into the Hasbro figures (Bossk's gun kicks much ass, as do lightsabers you get).  I was already looking forward to pilferring some of those Clone Wars Clone weapons like the mini-gun and Sae Sae's armor pieces.

I might be doing some ordering on GG stuff for once if this turns out to be some compatible items.

There's some Robin Hood thing coming up I guess on either TV or a new film...  I've heard tell of toys for the line.  I'd also heard tell of 3.75" articulated figures for this.  Anyone know anything?  Am I imagining all this?

EDIT:

OK so it's a show on BBC...  I figured that much out.  Is it really getting a toy line too?  I'm intrigued if it is...  especially if it's Star Wars scale.

I've been watching TPM when it's on Skinemax/HBO here of late and has anyone else noticed that it has all the deleted scenes ADDED back into the final cut?  The taxi scene with the bothan-ish looking driver is there, the podrace is extended...  Am I the only one who caught this, or was this just old news and TPM has had the cut footage in it for a while now?

This is a thing that always...  bugs me.

The context of Star Wars always has put the Alliance as being a "ragtag" group...  Patchwork of multiple fighting forces, no real cohesion really, guerilla warfare only, running and hiding from the Empire all the time because they're just so big you can't compete with them...  Now, that said, at the same time the EU gives a duel impression of the Alliance where in one vein you see them as ragtag with confiscated weapons, ****** vehicles gear, and no real  structured military look to them, yet other EU gives the opposite impression completely...

Now, personally I view the Alliance in a way where they are only small and ragtag by comparison...  By the only comparison one has to make, and that is against the Empire itself.  Of course they're "small" and they're "ragtag".  Plus, ragtag can mean a lot of things...  The continental army was part of the U.S. forces and a key for keeping the fight goign against the British in the American Revolution, yet the Continental Army was the "core" while around it were militia units from all colonies and various communities, independant groups like the Green Mountain Boys, Guerilla Militia groups such as down South in the Carolinas, etc., etc...  One army, many looks to it, one core look to identify it though, and that gave it a structured, uniformed, legitimate military...

For me, that's more the way the Alliance looks though.  They've got militia units involved, perhaps unwilling to throw themselves 100% into the cause (and under the umbrella of leadership) the Alliance "core" represents.  The Dresellian's perhaps represent a good example of this, or the Tibrian Militia, or even Wookiee resistance on Kashyyyk where the planet's under martial law by the Empire, etc...  All parts of the Alliance, all maybe have members of their species as enlisted beings in the CORE of the Alliance (wearing the uniform of the core, which to me is the Fleet Trooper gear).  But the Alliance still has these militias and support maybe from groups on planets they don't have open warfare with the Empire... 

Another earthy analogy would be what the VC were to the NVA in Vietnam.

What I guess I'm getting at is I'm the kind of guy that looks at Yavin IV and the battle of Yavin as not a blip on the radar, a definite big battle, but one where the base isn't THE only Rebel Base...  It's maybe the forward most rebel base.  It's maybe a rebel base the Alliance set up that does substantial damage to the Empire and all, but it's not "The Rebel Base" but instead one of many...  one the Empire's interested in destroying asap.  Perhaps Yavin IV was the first base that was that far "inside" the Empire that was doing outward strikes against the Empire?

The Alliance at the same time is operating large fleets...  Small compared to the Empire, but fleets with sizeable numbers of personnel and armament...  Multiple of these fleets as well.  And these fleets can, but try to not, engage the Empire...  They only do so when they are sure of victory and not being tracked afterwards.

To take it further though, I envision the Alliance as EU implies that they have entire planets, some within the known galaxy, some outside it, to supplement the Alliance efforts...  Producing food, armor, weapons/munitions, clothes, POW colonies, etc., etc., etc...  Some of these are well outside the known galaxy perhaps, maybe taking advantage of the lack of expansion even...  For instance in E1 Tatooine is NOT a Republic system but is under Hut control...  By the time of ANH Tatooine is getting enveloped, but that shows a lack of galactic exploration and expansion that maybe the Alliance was able to jump on and set up a "front line" that they were safe from the Empire with these "safe worlds".

At the same time the Alliance may have bases on many imperial held worlds as well, or explored worlds may be fortified against even the grand Empire...  I've always pondered how Mon Calamari "held up" for instance, as it's a known planet/system that supposedly supplies lots of people and ships, and has ship yards building more...  The idea of sieges coming up in Clone Wars makes me think the Empire can't just waltz in and squash ANY world they want.  EU really helps flesh that notion out too a bit.

Anyway, the concept of the Alliance is one that intrigues me...  I know movie purists view it as a very small group, a fly on a horse's back, while EU gives a different look to it completely...  I guess I lean more towards the EU views, with my own ideas/theories mixed in there of course.