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Those of us of a certain age will remember a time, some 40 years ago now, when President Ronald Reagan advocated the Strategic Defense Initiative, Project High Frontier, and various other related programs, all built around the basic concept that we should have defenses against incoming missile attacks. Throughout all of human history, military preparedness has involved both offensive and defensive elements. An army might have swords and longbows for offense, while being equipped with shields for defense. Cannons and cannonballs made up the offense, fortresses and moats provided a defense. Thus it has been for thousands of years, but...

British actor Michael Culver, famed for his cameo role in iconic science fiction epic The Empire Strikes Back, has passed away aged 85. Culver's passing was announced by his agent on Wednesday and comes after the actor suffered a long battle with poor health. His cause of death has not been disclosed. Confirming the actor's passing in a statement, they said: 'We are very sad to confirm the passing of our friend and client Michael Culver. 'A career spanning over 50 years with notable roles in Sherlock Holmes, A Passage to India, Secret Army and of course one of the...

Star Wars fans explain why Anakin Skywalker's decades of evil as Darth Vader outweigh his last-minute redemption act in Return of the Jedi.Some Star Wars fans believe Anakin Skywalker can never be fully redeemed for his evil actions as Darth Vader, even though he sacrificed himself in an attempt to make amends in Return of the Jedi. Star Wars character Anakin Skywalker, once a heroic Jedi, fell to the dark side of the Force and became the ruthless Sith Lord Darth Vader, serving the evil Emperor Palpatine for over two decades. Though initially conflicted about his turn to evil, he...

Billy Dee Williams — who rose to fame as Lando Calrissian in the original “Star Wars” trilogy — never cared that people thought he was gay in the 70s. While speaking to Page Six about the rumors that could have jeopardized his career at the time, he said, “I’ve been called a ‘Closet Queen.’ “But, I don’t pay much attention to any of that.” Earlier this month, the actor released his rollicking memoir “What Have We Here?” which covers not only his 70-decade career but also stories of the many famous people he met along the way, such as Marlon...

"You betrayed Han Solo!"Billy Dee Williams has recalled having to defend Lando Calrissian after catching heat from Star Wars fans for betraying Han Solo in The Empire Strikes Back. Appearing on EW's Dagobah Dispatch podcast, the actor, who played Lando Calrissian in the Star Wars saga, spoke of the backlash he received following the release of The Empire Strikes Back in 1980, after his character made a deal with Darth Vader that led to Solo being captured and frozen in carbonite. Fans were upset about Lando selling Solo out, and made their feelings known to the actor whenever he was...

A small Chilean car wash named "Star Wash" is being sued by the Walt Disney production company Lucasfilm over its resemblances to the iconic "Star Wars" media franchise, Reuters reports. The law firm representing the small business claims that Lucasfilm wants to block the use of the name Star Wash. The media enterprise argues that the car wash could mistakenly be confused as being affiliated with the “Star Wars” franchise, Reuters reports. Star Wash is located near the Chilean capital Santiago. The business has its employees dress up as various characters from the popular “Star Wars” film franchise. Star Wash...

"I like to make men uncomfortable. I enjoy making men uncomfortable," Obaid-Chinoy says to laughter and applause before she refers to Stewart directly.

Disney executives announced an upcoming installment in the popular Star Wars franchise that will feature a female Jedi who mysteriously turns to the Dark Side at the same time every month. "We think female audiences will relate to a character who becomes moody and homicidal once a month," the film's director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy told reporters in a press conference this week. "I mean, our target demographic is definitely women, right? So featuring an empowered, self-assured female Jedi who just sort of goes on a Dark Side-y type rampage once a month for…reasons…will click with the millions of women who flock...

A sure way to make a movie flop is to hire a director who alienates a big chunk of the audience before the film is even released. Will Disney ever learn? Not until it goes broke, it would seem. The company has hired activist and documentary filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy to direct the next “Star Wars” movie, slated to be released in 2026. Obaid-Chinoy is on record saying, “We’re in 2024 now, and I think it’s about time that we had a woman come forward to shape the story in a galaxy far, far away.” In case Obaid-Chinoy isn’t aware, Lucasfilm...

New Star Wars director says it's finally time for a woman to shape the movie franchise Award-winning director and journalist Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy said during a CNN interview that it was about time for a woman to shape the story of the Star Wars universe.

Corrected August 20, 2011, 9:08 MDT. Corrects earlier version in which Voris was identified as President and CEO of RealCatholicTV. Changes are in paragraphs one and six. RealCatholicTV's Senior Executive Producer and host Michael Voris says he was completely unaware of recently discovered troubles within his organization, involving a staff apologist's sexually explicit writings, and his nonprofit corporation's loss of legal status two years ago. “I don't know what the issue is on any of this stuff,” said Voris, who is currently in Spain promoting his unofficial “No Bull in Madrid” meetings during World Youth Day. Voris told CNA on...

Israel has begun using laser beams, otherwise known as “directed energy” weapons, to shoot down rockets fired from Gaza. The news comes after reports that Lockheed Martin and Israel’s Rafael have been developing Iron Beam, a laser defense system that can be mounted on ships and planes. This week, Israel began using the directed energy weapons, Iron Sting, which is part of the larger Iron Beam laser defense system. Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system is well known, with a 90% rate effectiveness rate. However, each Iron Dome battery can cost $100 million, and each interceptor costs between $40,000 and...

Yes, tonight marks the forty-fifth anniversary of The Star Wars Holiday Special! A two-hour program so wildly WRONG and bewildering that it has never been broadcast again. George Lucas has publicly said that if he could, he would gather every copy of the special and set a torch to it.Here it is in almost pristine shape on YouTube. Do YOU have the stomach to watch two hours of Wookiee jabbering, Bea Arthur, weird acrobats, post-motorcycle accident Mark Hamil, Harvey Korman, Jefferson Starship, interstellar porn... well do ya??

Official Website: https://to.pbs.org/3L5EoQm | #NativeAmericaPBS May the Fourth is a special night at the West Winds Drive-In in Glendale Arizona where Manny Wheeler is screening Star Wars, dubbed into Navajo. It's one of many innovative ways of preserving Native languages. Stream Native America Season 2 on pbs.org and the PBS App: https://to.pbs.org/3L5EoQm

South Park has NEVER played by the Hollywood rules. Trey Parker and Matt Stone pretty much make fun of EVERYONE and they pull no punches. Their latest special, 'South Park: Joining The Panderverse' can be found on 'Paramount+' and it is taking their hilarious brand of irreverence to another level and it is GLORIOUS!!! WARNING: NSFW Language in the clip. South Park just obliterated Hollywood over their anti-white wokeness pic.twitter.com/kJNBjTRc23 — End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) October 27, 2023 We are going to give you a little bit of NERD culture in case you have no idea who Kathlene Kennedy is. She...

Dreams of a world powered by antigravity got quashed by a particle physics today. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It turns out that Einstein was right yet again. A recent experiment just proved that antigravity doesn’t exist and we probably won’t ever get to use antimatter to levitate or build a perpetual motion machine or power warp drives (sorry, Star Trek). Antimatter itself is very real. Made of particles that mostly behave like regular matter, but their electrical charges are reversed, an anti-proton looks just like a proton but has a negative charge, while an anti-electron (or positron) looks and moves just like an...

Scrapping the infamous Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser hotel cost Disney $250 million, the company announced in its quarterly earnings call last week. With only 100 guest rooms, that breaks down to $2.5 million per room for the failed venture. The Galactic Starcruiser in Disney World was billed as a one-of-a-kind “Star Wars” experience. Each two-night booking was meant to feel like boarding a cruise ship in outer space, and guests were given a “mission” involving characters from the most recent “Star Wars” trilogy. It was a gamble on a relatively niche — and expensive — concept. But at about $4,800...

Darth killed his brother by that scene.

Disney has cast a transgender actor, a biological male who identifies as a woman, for the role of Ensign Eurus in the new “Star Wars” series on the Disney+ streaming site due out next year. The 30-year-old British actor is part of the Lucasfilm franchise after being chosen for “The Acolyte.” The series is set to take place near the end of the High Republic Era and sets the stage for the collapse of the Jedi, according to Screenrant. United Agents, a literary and talent agency, described Abigail Thorn as a British YouTuber and playwright who is best known for...

Disney World is shutting down the Galactic Starcruiser, the immersive Star Wars-themed hotel that costs around $5,000 for a two-night stay. In an update on Disney’s website, the company says the Starcruiser will host its final guests from September 28th to the 30th. “We are so proud of all of the Cast Members and Imagineers who brought Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser to life and look forward to delivering an excellent experience for Guests during the remaining voyages over the coming months,” Disney’s update says. “Thank you to our Guests and fans for making this experience so special.” Disney’s Galatic Starcruiser...