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In the dock, Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace stands accused. Counsel for the prosecution is Neil Smith. Counsel for the defence is Jonathan Crocker. Court is in session!The Phantom Menace has the dubious honour of being perhaps the most despised film of the last 20 years. With expectations sky-high following everyone's favourite sci-fi trilogy, Part I, for many, failed to deliver the pure thrill the Star Wars universe promised in the 70s and 80s. George Lucas must have instantly regretted the inclusion of infamous alien rasta Jar Jar Binks. With The Phantom Menace coming to cinemas in...

Residents of the southern Tunisian towns of Tataouine and Matmata, small desert cities that furnished the setting for Star Wars movies, woke up to an unusual sight today: snow. The snow started to fall overnight from Sunday to Monday, leaving a thin layer that was enough to transform the landscape from an arid desert to a glistening-white tundra. The Sahara desert, particularly the region of Remada and the neighboring area of El Borma in the governorate of Tataouine, also saw snow falling near the oil fields of El Borma. Oil fields workers were thrilled at the sight of snow, a...

The force was not strong with a man in Portland, Ore., who was sentenced to 45 days in jail and a mental health evaluation after police said he attacked some toy store customers with light sabers in December. On Tuesday, 33-year-old David Allen Canterbury apologized to his victims before his sentencing on assault charges, the Oregonian reported. Portland police told the publication that during the incident, Canterbury had a Star Wars light saber in each hand and swung at three customers at a Toys R Us store. Officers said he walked out of the store with the toy swords and...

MOSCOW -- A deal with Washington to assuage Moscow's concerns about U.S. missile defense plans in Europe is still possible, but time is running out, Russia's foreign minister said Wednesday. Sergey Lavrov reaffirmed that Moscow will take retaliatory action if moves by Washington to deploy missile shield components around Europe pose a threat to Russia. ... Moscow agreed in 2010 to consider NATO's proposal to cooperate on the U.S.-led missile shield, but the talks have run into a deadlock over how the system should be operated. Russia has insisted that it should be run jointly, which NATO has rejected. ......

How much force needs to be with you to eat a black burger? The Belgian fast food chain Quick is celebrating the upcoming "Phantom Menace 3D" movie premiere by launching a line of "Star Wars"-themed burgers. The burgers will debut in Quick restaurants throughout France on January 31, just before the film's February release in the country. Despite being in French, the ads for the burgers have sent the entire Internet into a tailspin of equal parts repulsion and curiosity.

Man in 'Star Wars' mask attacked trooper: FHP.Darth Vader may be able to handle most lightsaber-wielding Jedis, but he's met his match when it comes to Florida Highway Patrol troopers with pepper spray. Authorities say a drunk man wearing the "Star Wars" villain mask was arrested Thursday in Orlando after he tried to punch and kick an FHP trooper near a construction site. The trooper responded to the area of Summerlin Avenue and Anderson Street around 2:45 a.m. when he was advised by construction workers of an intoxicated man walking in the roadway in the mask, according to the FHP....

Mumbo-Jumbo Mystic Impervious To Cops' Electric Blasters For those of you who've ever wondered, like you do, whether the Jedi lightsabre or the Taser is the more effective weapon, we're delighted to report that the electric dispenser of justice is no match for Obi-Wan Kenobi's mighty glowing tool. David A. Canterbury earlier this week went on the rampage at a Portland Toys R Us store, assaulting three customers with a plastic replica of the Jedi weapon. Cue swift intervention by law enforcement operatives, who found 33-year-old Canterbury wandering in the parking lot, "talking incoherently", and still swinging his Star Wars...

The UK’s “The Guardian” has an excellent article by Simon Tisdall entitled: “Putin prepares the Russian empire to strike back.” (HERE) Mr. Tisdall, right at the outset of his article, states what to Americans, on the right side of the political spectrum, is obvious. He says: “The reincarnation of the current PM as president poses a challenge to western powers for which they seem ill-prepared.” Mr. Tisdall is absolutely “spot-on.” The recreation of the Russian Empire is another reason the United States MUST relieve Mr. Obama of his seat in the Oval Office and replace him with a realist –...

Uploaded by WilliamShatner on Nov 28, 2011 William Shatner responds to Carrie Fisher's video. Is there finally peace in the galaxy or will the Rebel Allliance seek war with the Federation? Time will tell.

It is the debate that has been raging between generations of science fiction fans. But Star Trek star William Shatner believed he had delivered the coup de grace two months ago when he delivered a stinging critique he thought proved his franchise was superior. But there is a new hope for Star Wars fans, as original cast member Carrie Fisher has struck back with a rebuke that could return the Jedi-filled universe back to prominence. In a somewhat rambling YouTube video, the Princess Leia star let rip on the rival sci fi favourite. She said: 'They are not in the...

‘Star Wars’ actress: Date with Sen. Dodd brought wild questions from Sen. Kennedy Holy Obi-Wan Kenobi! “Star Wars” actress Carrie Fisher claims the late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) asked her some pretty frank questions while dining out with the star and former Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.). According to published excerpts from Fisher’s new book, “Shockaholic,” the entertainer, best known for her role as Princess Leia, was fresh out of her first stint in rehab and on a date with a then single Dodd back in 1985. Kennedy joined the pair at dinner in D.C.. Fisher writes, “Suddenly, Senator Kennedy, seated...

A STAR Wars fan was yesterday jailed for life after murdering his wife in an alleged revenge attack for smashing up his cherished toy collection. Advertisement >> Rickie La-Touche, 30, told a court that his Thai wife Pornpilai Srisroy, 28, had damaged his precious Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker memorabilia. He later suffocated her during a row and then ran sobbing to his mother who lived nearby. La-Touche later told police his wife had smashed up his Star Wars collection as part of a campaign to “make his life hell”. He also claimed he “flipped” when she threatened to leave...

Darth Vader will lose a little more of his dignity in Star Wars original trilogy Blu-rays. Listen for yourself! George Lucas is not satisfied with turning the puppet Yoda in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace into a CG creation. Or just fixing some of the wonky lightsabre effects in the original trilogy. He's going a bit further. Lucas had promised that fans would have a few new details here and there to notice in his newly remastered HD versions of his classic trilogy — and now the first details are leaking out. And fans are not happy. Some of the...

He could be the first among his kind to be a Star Wars look-a-like. But this dog is proving it's no wookie when it comes to copying the image of its favourite intergalactic beast. This pooch was caught bearing an uncanny resemblance to Star Wars favourite Chewbacca as it sat in the front seat of what could be a Ford Galaxy far, far away.

As the eldest daughter of Star Wars creator George Lucas, the force was bound to be with her. After years of Martial Arts training, Amanda Lucas, 30, has become a professional cage fighter. As incredible pictures have been released of her training, the adopted eldest daughter of George, who appeared in the Star Wars prequels, said she turned to fighting to battle her own demons caused by growing up as a 'fat and wimpy'' kid. She said her billionaire father is 'very supportive' of her new career as a pro cage fighter - but he can't stand to watch her...

When it comes to believing in mutual assured destruction, or MAD, as the basis for Russian security, Russia never left the Cold War. Today’s leaders are as determined as their predecessors from the Soviet era to base Russian security on holding the US and Europe at risk with nuclear missiles. They regard anything the US does with missile defense as a threat to that strategy.Putin, Medvedev, and their diplomats couch their objections as follows: American missile defense plans “threaten Russia’s strategic deterrent.” And the proper response – the honest, consistent response – is: “Of course. That’s what they’re supposed to...

CORUSCANT — Obi-Wan Kenobi, the mastermind of some of the most devastating attacks on the Galactic Empire and the most hunted man in the galaxy, was killed in a firefight with Imperial forces near Alderaan, Darth Vader announced on Sunday. In a late-night appearance in the East Room of the Imperial Palace, Lord Vader declared that “justice has been done” as he disclosed that agents of the Imperial Army and stormtroopers of the 501st Legion had finally cornered Kenobi, one of the leaders of the Jedi rebellion, who had eluded the Empire for nearly two decades. Imperial officials said Kenobi...

May the 4th be with you!!

Older railgun projectiles tumbled through the air; this one flies with what can only be called grace. This amazing video, created by Defense Tech, shows the latest test of General Atomics' high-speed railgun. Where earlier attempts have fired ungainly missiles that tumbled end-over-end through the air like "hypersonic bricks," this one uses a sabot round, which flies straight and smoothly for a distance of seven kilometers, AFTER punching through a solid steel plate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5mK7dzyUkM

Has Anyone besides me noticed the eerie similarity between George Soros and Emperor Palpatine, Dark Lord of the Sith, or as he is known to the rest of the practitioners of the dark side of the force, Darth Sidious. Darth Sidious During the Star Wars Clone Wars three film prequel; we witness the rise of Palpatine from a Senator who manipulates public opinion and is made Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic. The Dark Side then uses a manufactured crisis, in this case, the clone wars, created with the aid of earlier apprentices Darth Maul and Darth Tyranus, in conjuction...

Last month I did a piece called The "Progressive" Fight To Save "The Force" In Wisconsin, and a follower on Twitter read it and made a comment that sort of inspired this. Liberals shouldn't get TOO upset about this one.

Funnyman Seth Rogen was left stunned by a recent encounter with his moviemaking hero George Lucas - because the Star Wars director spent 20 minutes telling him the world would end in 2012. Rogen was left speechless when Lucas and Steven Spielberg joined a movie meeting he was a part of - but the encounter has left him worried his life will be over next year. He recalls, “George Lucas sits down and seriously proceeds to talk for around 25 minutes about how he thinks the world is gonna end in the year 2012, like, for real. He thinks it.

CARLSBAD — Coming off its best attendance year ever, Legoland California announced today coming attractions for the 128-acre park, including a Miniland area devoted exclusively to scenes from the Star Wars movies. Park officials are hoping the sci-fi saga will do for Legoland what last year’s new water park accomplished in less than a year: record attendance. Replicating six of the most famous scenes in the six Star Wars films with 1.5 million Lego pieces, the new attraction is scheduled to come to life March 31 in time for spring break. Although the Star Wars figures and scenes are being...

Strategy: The heirs of Ronald Reagan abandon his legacy and dream of defending America from nuclear attack. Our security will rest on ambiguous language and vague assurances, not on the genius of U.S. technology. Peace in our time, or should we say appeasement in our time, as a sufficient number of GOP senators signed on the New START treaty to give the Democrats and President Obama the 67 votes needed for ratification. The Hill reported that Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., became the 10th Republican to support the treaty on Monday. Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., was No. 9, saying on Monday...

"Star Wars" conventions are usually held in major cities, but from now on, devoted fans may want to gather smack dab in the middle of a forest -- at Redwood National Park, to be precise. Several weeks ago, the national park, located just north of Eureka, Calif., opened its first new hiking trail in 10 years, and it appears the Force is strong with the brand-new path. Redwood enthusiast Richard Stenger, of the Humboldt County Convention and Visitors Bureau, told AOL News that a major surprise awaits imaginative visitors on the trail: a giant redwood tree that resembles Darth Vader's...

Just found this going through some of the kids' old toys. It's unopened. Any idea of a value?

A 41-year-old Ferndale man accused of wearing his son’s plastic Darth Vader mask while wielding a butcher knife and robbing a convenience store will stand trial for armed robbery. Jamie Hernandez waived his right for a preliminary examination Friday and will stand trial in Oakland County Circuit Court. He remains free on $50,000 bond. Court officials did not immediately know if Hernandez had a lawyer. Ferndale police say Hernandez was in range of a store surveillance camera when he donned the mask Sept. 13 and robbed a store in the suburb immediately north-northwest of Detroit. Lt. William Wilson tells The...

- NASA Announces Televised Chandra News Conference - NASA will hold a news conference at 12:30 p.m. EST on Monday, Nov. 15, to discuss the Chandra X-ray Observatory's discovery of an exceptional object in our cosmic neighborhood.

President Obama, with a coarse voice, warned a crowd in Ohio: "They're fighting back. The empire is striking back. To win this election, they are plowing tens of millions of dollars into front groups. They are running misleading negative ads all across the country." http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2010/10/17/obama_on_gop_the_empire_is_striking_back.html The Case for the Empire Everything you think you know about Star Wars is wrong. May 16, 2002 12:00 AM STAR WARS RETURNS today with its fifth installment, "Attack of the Clones." There will be talk of the Force and the Dark Side and the epic morality of George Lucas's series. But the truth is...

Need an excuse for time wasting that even your boss will accept? This link is from a fan of "Star Wars" and contains behind-the-scenes photos from ILM. http://250577.tumblr.com/ Also follow this link to a discussion on the creation of Chewbacca: http://binarybonsai.com/2010/09/18/george-lucas-stole-chewbacca-but-its-okay/#more-4534

Somewhere, the Gipper is smiling. Last Monday, the Navy announced that in May it had shot down four unmanned aerial vehicles in an experiment using solid-state laser technology developed in collaboration with the Raytheon Company. What was once dismissed as "Stars Wars," Ronald Reagan's dream of a robust anti-missile laser shield for America, is now a major step closer to reality. The program has become vital not just to American security, but to America's coming role as a world power in the 21st century -- yet the White House is getting ready to pull the plug. On March 23, 1983,...

Things aren't going well for the original Dark Lord of the Sith. Dave Prowse, who wore the Darth Vader costume in the first three 'Star Wars' films, has been banned from the forthcoming Lucas Film Star Wars Celebration party in Orlando, Florida. Not only that, he's been told his presence won't be welcome at any Lucas Film/Star Wars-related events. There could be a reason, though, seeing as Uncle George is probably fuming at the comments Prowse recently made to SlashFilm about not receiving any residual payment for 'Return of the Jedi' -- because it didn't make a profit(!):

We have all heard about the idea of flying cars for years. The popular cartoon "The Jetsons" made a whole generation of kids grow up thinking about robots as maids and flying cars in the future. Well, a few Japanese companies have been working hard on getting robots that can entertain men and and there has been more then a few inventors that have toyed with creating a car fly. Now we have the Terrafugia company that has invented the Transition ® Roadable Aircraft, or "Flying Car". They have even received approval from the FAA to fly their Transition....

National Security: The administration is ready to sign a treaty stripping us of our ability to defend ourselves against enemy nuclear missiles, including Iran's and North Korea's. In space, no one can hear you surrender. On Monday, the ground-based Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, part of the U.S. missile defense shield, successfully shot down a ballistic missile launched from a ship's deck off Kauai, Hawaii. The test simulated an Iranian SCUD launched from the deck of a ship off the U.S. coast, which, if armed with a nuke, could devastate the American heartland. The simulated Scud was launched from...

Sometimes the word "why?" is just an exclamation. We don't really expect an answer. We just wish something hadn't happened. Yet, perhaps you might be able to answer the "why" part of this question: Why has a laser manufacturer produced a Star Wars-ish laser that it proudly describes as being "the most dangerous ever created"? I am indebted to Canada's National Post, which came across a product that really makes one wonder. It is called the Spyder III Pro Arctic. Its manufacturer, Wicked Lasers of Shanghai, is rather excited about its potential. May I quote its Web site? "Don't let...

Well, she's a former alcoholic, drug addict, washed up actor, shock therapy patient (no, really) and one-time princess to the universe, but now Carrie "Princess Leia" Fisher can add one more calumny to her long list of off-kilter, personality deficits: she's a "teabagger" hater. So, she's got that going for her, which is nice. Hawking another one of those prosaic celebrity tell-alls, Fisher spoke to the folks at the entertainment site PopEater.com and when the subject of Obama and the Tea Party movement came up, the one-time heartthrob of nerds everywhere didn't hold back. They are all "racists" she said....

It's been a while since we heard anything about Ghyslain Raza, better known to the Internet at large as "Star Wars Kid", star of what is heralded as "the most popular viral video of all-time." After three friends uploaded the infamous clip, which features Raza flailing about with a metal pole doing his most awkward Darth Maul impersonation, the Canadian teen became depressed, dropped out of school and wound up in a children's psychiatric hospital. The video isn't quite as hilarious when you know that.

30 years. Three decades. Man, do I feel old. Many of you weren't even born in 1980. That is a scary thought. Me, I was 6 years old and a Star Wars fanatic from the first moment I saw the opening scene of the original movie. My generation didn't play cowboys-and-indians, or soldiers on a battlefield...we were Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and the rest of the characters from "A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away"...

The most successful movie franchise of all time is the "Harry Potter" series, which recently edged out another famous Brit: James Bond. According to Box Office Mojo, the first six adaptations of J.K. Rowling's beloved books have earned a staggering $5.4 billion worldwide, not adjusted for inflation. The 22 films considered part of the official Bond canon (the 1967 spoof "Casino Royale" and the 1983 out-of-continuity "Never Say Never Again" don't count) have earned an estimated $5 billion globally. But even if the earnings of those two films were included, it still wouldn't be enough to put 007 on top....

The Polyus military testbed was put together on a crash basis as an answer to America's Star Wars program. It was built around a surplus TKS manned spacecraft and was meant to test prototype ASAT and Star Wars defense systems. It failed to reach orbit, but it had succeeded, it would have been the core module of a new Mir-2 space station. Its mere presence could have decisively changed the shape of the Cold War in its final months. In 1985, it became clear that the Energia launch vehicle would be ready for launch before the Buran space shuttle that...

National Security: An unclassified Defense Department report says an Iranian missile could strike the U.S. by 2015. If only we were working as hard to defend ourselves as they are to destroy us. In any discussion of the Iranian nuclear threat, the assumption is always that Tehran's target is Israel. Iran's quite mad president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has pledged to wipe Israel off the map as part of his grand scheme to usher in the age of the 12th Imam. Tehran may have a bigger fish that it wants to fry, namely us. "With sufficient foreign assistance, Iran could probably develop...

Arms Deal: President Obama signs away U.S. nuclear security and gives the Russians a veto over whether we can defend ourselves. Our nuclear umbrella is in tatters as another piece of paper proclaims peace in our time. Completing a process of disarmament and appeasement that manifested itself in the dismantling and defunding of U.S. military power that began with his inauguration, President Obama signed a new strategic arms limitation treaty with a grinning and very happy Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Thursday in the Czech capital. How fitting this document was signed in Prague, which isn't far from Munich where...

Keith's note: This video shows Neil deGrasse Tyson speaking at the University at Buffalo making an impassioned plea for NASA and the value it has to all Americans. In my experience, no one has ever managed to capture this in such a cogent response. Tyson is the sort of people who should be speaking at the OSTP space summit. But no. Politics preside. Instead, its OSTP Vs NSC and OSTP/NSC Vs NASA and a food fight over who gets to say what NASA needs to do at the Summit. What a colossal missed opportunity.

How many reincarnations of Star Wars can we expect from George Lucas? Besides the six live action films he has under his belt, the director and his LucasFilms Animation will team up with the folks behind Cartoon Network’s “Robot Chicken” for a new TV series. We’re not talking about “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” this will be an animated comedy that will put a new twist on the intergalactic franchise. According to THR, LucasFilms Animation made an official announcement earlier today regarding their latest Star Wars-based venture. The series will focus on the “comedic aspects of the galaxy far, far...

Admiral Ackbar is causing a serious disturbance in the force at Ole Miss -- where several Rebel fans are threatening to abandon the school if the alien leader becomes the new mascot. The masterminds behind the Admiral Ackbar mascot campaign tell TMZ they've been contacted by angry students, threatening to transfer if the legendary rebel shot caller is voted to become the new face of Ole Miss. The group has even received complaints from the parents of current students and prospective students -- with some even threatening to "never send their kids to Ole Miss" if the Admiral wins out....

Official reports in Britain show that sightings may be as much 'X-Files' as reality. It is one of the most memorable opening sequences on film: A small craft is being pursued through outer space by a massive triangular vessel, which passes over viewers' heads with a roar that made audiences at screenings of "Star Wars," in 1977, feel something like dolphins submerged under a passing aircraft carrier. So powerful was the image that it may have haunted some viewers' dreams -- or waking visions. We were reminded of this scene on Thursday when the British government released its fifth and...

Point Mugu Naval Air Warfare Center-Weapons Division Sea Range Watch VideoWatch RT News Report Also see news posted via Free Republic.

Watch as this bad boy—the Humvee-mounted Laser Avenger that destroyed a drone in January 2009—obliterates bomb after bomb during a test at the Army's Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. It just takes a few seconds, and boom. Not exactly Star Wars material, but this will save a lot of lives in the future—and destroy others too, I'm sure. Click here to watch video.