The Secret History of Star Wars

lennier writes "How exactly did George Lucas develop the script for the first Star Wars? Why were the prequels so uneven when the originals were so good? Did he really have a masterplan for six, nine, or even twelve episodes, and why did the official Lucasfilm position keep changing? And just how big an influence were the films of Akira Kurosawa on the whole saga? Michael Kaminski's The Secret History of Star Wars, Third Edition is a free, thoroughly unauthorized, e-book that brings together a huge amount of literary detective work to sort fact from legend and reveal how the story really evolved. Download it or have your nerd credentials revoked."

Comments

nerd credentials?

[OrangeTide]

"Download it or have your nerd credentials revoked."

I like programming in my spare time, when I'm not programming at work. But I hate Star Wars. I guess I'm just not nerdy enough.

I will have to hand write some PostScript to print my own nerd credentials and post them on my cubical wall.

Re:nerd credentials?

[kylehase]

In addition to your credential revocation, your impressive /. ID will be reset to the current new user value.

Re:nerd credentials?

[Elrond, Duke of URL]

124937? It's just sad what passes for impressive these days. Have you all become so jaded?!?

Re:nerd credentials?

[CrazedWalrus]

Picking up women.

(... who need their computers fixed.)

Re:nerd credentials?

[JetJaguar]

Yeah, I couldn't agree more.

Re:nerd credentials?

[Raul654]

I'm sorry, we're revoking your math license.

Re:nerd credentials?

[Anonymous Coward]

Do you oldfags. I mean, long time members just lurk and wait for posts like this?

Re:nerd credentials?

[kfort]

tag you're it

Re:nerd credentials?

[OrangeTide]

"I'm all for learning more about things."

Well for lunch I had some beef ball soup at TK Noodle over in Cupertino. It was pretty good, cheap and the service was slow. But otherwise satisfying. And yesterday I had to change my password at work. Damn 60-day password rotations and crazy ActiveDirectory crap. I want my 10+ character random letter and number passwords to be something I can pass down to my grandchildren. Oh and some more information, I am considering going to Muir woods, but can't decide if the memorial day weekend traffic would be bad. (I didn't even realize Memorial Day was even coming up soon). I wonder if I should hang out a flag. I'd have to buy one first (made in china).

There, you learn something every day. And just like after seeing Episode I, I want that wasted portion of my life back.

Re:nerd credentials?

[JetJaguar]

Listen up, you whipper snapper! What you are witnessing is a very sophisticated and nuanced art of gamesmanship that is only understood by people with uid's less than 10,000.

So go back to sleep and let the real men get on with their business.

Re:nerd credentials?

[PCM2]

Jesus Christ, will you guys keep it down?? Some of us are trying to sleep, here. Whoever invited these guys with IDs greater than four digits needs to explain to his friends that this is not that kind of party, they need to bring their own beer, and YES, the girls will be perfectly fine until they get back from the liquor store.

Re:nerd credentials?

[Gandalf]

*Four* digits? Wow, this site sure has grown during my trip to New Zealand.

Re:nerd credentials?

[maelstrom]

Quiet you.

Re:nerd credentials?

[Seindal]

You people sure know how to make a man feel like a loser :-(

Re:nerd credentials?

[Omestes]

We really need an ISO standard for this.

But the way things are going it would end up with only Window's users being the cool kids. With the OS X users being the leper colony, and all the rest being the modern equivalent of untouchables, though we might get a badly supported plug-in someday.

Re:nerd credentials?

[LynXmaN]

I remember the good old times, when in order to post to Slashdot I had to walk 50 miles uphill, both ways!

Now get off my lawn!!!

Re:nerd credentials?

[drinkypoo]

the girls will be perfectly fine until they get back from the liquor store

...mostly because they're unlikely to be impressed by an in-depth discussion of the origins of Star Wars, or the reasons why vi is superior to emacs or vice versa.

Re:nerd credentials?

[MistrBlank]

You feel like a loser? I've been reading /. for something like 7 or 8 years now and look at my id.... Yeah I'm an idiot for not signing up sooner.

Re:nerd credentials?

[Timinithis]

I am quite proud of my number.

This is my number.
There are many like it, but this one is MINE.
  My number is my best friend. It is my life.
  I must master it as I must master my life.
My number without me is useless. Without my number, I am useless.
  I must fire my number true.
  I must shoot straighter than my enemy who is trying to Karma-Whore me.
  I must flame him before he flames me. I will...
  My number and myself know that what counts in flame wars is not the replies we fire,
  the noise of our bursts, nor the smoke we make.
We know it is the hits that count. We will hit...
My number is human, even as I, because it is my life.
  Thus, I will learn it as a brother.
  I will learn its weaknesses, its strengths, its parts, its accessories,
  its sights, and its karma.
I will ever guard it against the ravages of weather and damage.
  I will keep my number clean and ready, even as I am clean and ready.
  We will become part of each other. We will...
  Before God I swear this creed.
  My number and myself are the defenders of my geekdom.
  We are the masters of our enemy.
  We are the saviors of my life.
So be it, until there is no enemy, but .
        -- With Respects to : Maj Gen WH Rupertus

Re:nerd credentials?

[Atriqus]

Really? Because I felt like a loser for signing up. :)

Re:nerd credentials?

[Ihmhi]

Will you guys keep it quiet?! I have preschool in the morning!

I don't know if its the writing style or what...

[Adambomb]

But was anyone able to get past the introduction without the whole thing starting to narrate in ones head with the Simpson's Comic Book guy voice?

Re:Does anybody really care?

[somersault]

Yeah I had thought he was a carpenter before Star Wars as well. Just like Jesus!