Jeremiah & George Lucas: Part 2

According to The Making of Star Wars by J. W. Rinzler, in earlier scripts George Lucas had introduced an elderly man, a "wizard on the side of the road, whom the hero meets on his journey. In exchange for his teachings, the old man requests payment in the form of food, which recalls [asian filmmaker Akira] Kurosawa's seven samurai who are paid with rice by farmers to protect their village." That character would go on to become Obi-Wan Kenobi, or Old Ben, as Luke Skywalker initially knows him. Might Obi-Wan, the desert hermit, who claims to have once been a Jedi Knight, share important qualities with Jewish prophet Jeremiah? 

Filmmaker George Lucas stands with actor Mark Hamill,
who portrayed the character of Luke Skywalker in "Star Wars."

In "Star Wars," the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO escape capture by Imperial forces, and flee to the desert planet Tatooine. There they meet Luke Skywalker, a young moisture farmer who dreams of being a space pilot and doing something really important and exciting with his life. Unbeknownst to him, R2-D2 is carrying plans for the Death Star, a moon-sized space station, with enough firepower to destroy an entire planet. R2-D2 want to get these plans to the Rebellion, in the hopes that a flaw or weakness can be found, and the Rebellion can use that to destroy the Death Star. And he knows just who can help him: Obi-Wan Kenobi, a former Jedi Knight, who now resides on Tatooine. So after Luke's uncle Owen buys the droids, R2-D2 suggests that he is really the property of Obi-Wan Kenobi, and he's carrying a private message just for him.

The thing is, Luke doesn't know any Obi-Wan Kenobi. He does know someone he calls Old Ben, a strange hermit who lives out by the Dune Sea. Luke refers the matter to his uncle, who dismisses the matter: Ben Kenobi isn't important, he's just a crazy old man. In any case, the message R2-D2 is carrying can't be that important: what really matters is that Luke gets those droids ready to work on the farm, so the family can reap a good harvest this season.

R2-D2 takes matters into his own proverbial hands, and sneaks out of the farm in search of this disparaged old man, in the hopes that he is the retired Jedi Knight. Luke and C-3PO find R2-D2, but are attacked by a local tribe called Sand People, and who should rescue them but old Ben Kenobi. When Luke tells the hermit about the message, Ben admits that he is Obi-Wan, and that he was once a Jedi Knight, an elite group of warrior-priests who selflessly fought for others, and always strived to retain order in the galaxy. Yet when Obi-Wan tells Luke that his father was also a Jedi Knight, Luke disregards the old man's claim. When they listen to the message, and learn the necessity of getting the Death Star plans to the Rebellion, Luke, who dreams of doing something important and exciting, refuses to get involved. Only after he realizes that Imperial soldiers are after the droids, and then rushes home--too late--to find that his aunt and uncle have been killed, does Luke acknowledge the veracity of Obi-Wan's advice, and vow to accompany him on his journey. 

When Chancelor Palpatine destroyed the Jedi Knights, and transformed the Galactic Republic into an Empire, Obi-Wan fled to the remote planet Tatooine, where he was forced to live as a hermit and change his name. Now, when events warrant his return, and the Emperor's new space station threatens to destroy any planet whose citizens show the slightest disloyalty, he realizes the time has come for his return. But he needs help, a companion to help him get R2-D2's plans to the Rebellion. He also needs a disciple, whom he can teach to become the first of a new group of Jedi Knights. So Obi-Wan sheds the mantle of secrecy that has protected him for decades, takes Luke into his confidence, and asks Luke to accompany him on this journey. Perhaps Luke might also consider becoming his disciple, and help him restart the Jedi order. And how does Luke--this young man who dreams of adventure, and doing something important with his life--respond to the truths Obi-Wan reveals, and this great offer to perform the ultimate good for the citizens of the galaxy? 

Does Obi-Wan's situation remind you of Jeremiah, or for that matter, the plight of any of the Jewish prophets? Or do I need to remind you how Han Solo, the independent space trader whom Obi-Wan and Luke meet later in their journey, continually disparages Obi-Wan, and tries to get Luke to see how crazy and unrealistic the old man is?

Dragon Dave

Jeremiah & George Lucas: Part 1

Joseph Campbell had a great dream. He yearned to study all the great literature of the ancients, those stories that had been passed down throughout the centuries, both in oral and written forms, and not lost to history. He compared all these great stories that he read, and created the philosophy of the Monomyth, or The Hero's Journey. He not only preached this philosophy to others, but he wrote about it in books such as The Hero with a Thousand Faces.

Filmmaker George Lucas & actor Mark Hamill,
who played his character Luke Skywalker,
on the cover of J. W. Rinzler's authoritative book,
The Making of Star Wars.

In the 1970s, a young filmmaker named George Lucas was writing a screenplay. He wanted to make a science fantasy to honor the epic sagas he grew up with, like Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon comic strip, and Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter of Mars novels. Plot wasn't that important to Lucas; what mattered was that he got the characters right. In The Making of Star Wars, author J. W. Rinzler provides an insight into Lucas' approach to writing his screenplay. 

"I spent about a year reading lots of fairy tales--and that's when it starts to move away from [asian filmmaker Akira] Kurosawa and toward Joe Campbell," Lucas says. "About the time I was doing the third draft I read The Hero with a Thousand Faces, and I started to realize I was following those rules unconsciously. So I said, "I'll make [my story] fit more into that classic mold."

A photo of Lucas' character
Luke Skywalker adorns the bottom of
Joseph Campbell's book.

Lucas went on to do just that, refining his characters and story to best embody the archetypes and structure Campbell felt crucial to his Monomyth. Needless to say, his film became one of the most successful and influential films in history. "Star Wars" has seeped into our culture, and characters like Luke Skywalker are household words around the world. So, assuming you're familiar with the film, the question becomes, if Jeremiah represents some crucial aspect of The Hero's Journey, which character in "Star Wars" might best embody the prophet Jeremiah?

Who do you think might best fulfill that role?

Dragon Dave

Illness in The Empire Strikes Back

Last week, I started taking naps in the afternoon, and experienced difficulty writing.  I don't think I got much done on my novel.  My blog posts grew more expansive, and required more time to compose. I also had to abandon one post, as the topic resisted all efforts to wrestle it into shape.  

This weekend, I bottomed out.  I had no energy, and lacked the mental focus to write or even read much of anything. A plugged-up nose made it difficult to breathe, which led to tightness in the chest.  None of the medicines I took helped me unplug.  One--ironically, the one I thought might do the most good--only made breathing more difficult.  

Thankfully, yesterday I was able to focus on my novel, and met my normal writing target.  The effort left me mentally drained, and incapable of doing a blog entry.  I apologize for the latter, but hey, as much as I enjoy blogging, I need to keep my writing efforts in perspective, right?  

Since I was having trouble focusing on a sustained narrative (whether that meant writing one or reading one), I returned to The Making of 'The Empire Strikes Back' by J. W. Rinzler.  This coffee table-sized book is packed with information and photographs on all the behind-the-scenes minutia I would have killed for (figuratively speaking) while growing up.  I was able to sit down, concentrate on a section, and enjoy the pictures, without having to remember anything I had read before, or invest in a fictional character.

Of course, big productions such as "Empire" involve hundreds of people, none of whom stop getting injured or sick if you're suffering money woes.  And in July 1979, the production was significantly over-budget and behind schedule.  One day representatives of the financing bank showed up at the studios and announced that they were calling the loan, which meant they were demanding immediate repayment.  This forced George Lucas and his financial officers to scramble.  They had to find another bank willing to assume their current debt, and underwrite the remainder of an already expensive production.  And all that without letting anyone learn of their financial difficulties, which could cause cast and crew to walk away, or halt production entirely.  

That month, a key member of the cast, Peter Mayhew, the actor who played the Wookie Chewbacca, got sick.  One crew member noted, "Working in 90-degree heat wearing a 15 pound costume of yak wool and mohair would be fatiguing in itself.  If you also have to carry 35 pounds of metal on your back, it becomes a test of endurance.  But not having Peter here has meant running further behind schedule."  

There's a reason Chewbacca had to carry around 35 pounds of metal. The droid C-3PO has been shot by Imperial Stormtroopers.  Although the Wookie manages to get C-3PO functioning again, he's not yet had the time to fully repair him.  Therefore, he must carry him into the carbon freezing chamber, where he learns his friend Han is about to become a human-popsicle.

Needless to say, Chewbacca doesn't take the news well.  
 

Lando manages to free the Wookie later, but by then it's too late for Chewbacca to rescue his frozen friend from the galaxy's most feared bounty hunter, Boba Fett.  Worse, Chewbacca has to put up with C-3PO's whining. (Note: being partially assembled can make your droid crotchety).

Given that I was having trouble breathing, and lacked the ability to focus on much of anything, this section of the book spoke to me.  While I'm not at my best, I don't have to wear a heavy, uncomfortable suit, or carry 35 pounds of metal on my back.  I'm neither drowning in debt, nor faced with making payroll for hundreds of people this Friday.  I don't even have to put up with C-3PO's whining, or devote several hours each day to an extensive grooming regimen.  

Of course, I always carry a burden around: my desire to finish my stories, and to establish myself as a published writer.  But for a few days, I can afford to set that down, relax my mind, and let my body recuperate.  Then I can pick up the burden again, and renew my storytelling and publication efforts.  

Oh, and C-3PO, you can power down for awhile.  

Dragon Dave

Nineteen Days As Boba Fett

More than just a 19 day wonder.

In The Making of The Empire Strikes Back, J. W. Rinzler records that Robert Watts, who served as a production supervisor on Star Wars, returned to serve as associate producer on the sequel.  The production was hit by all manner of setbacks and delays, including a fire at Elstree Studios in England that delayed Stanley Kubrick from finishing The Shining.  Faced with unavailable Studio facilities, and with location-work in Finse hit by the worst weather in a century, director Irvin Kershner, and the entire production staff of Lucasfilm, found themselves struggling to make up for lost time from the first day of principle photography.

One of the ways Robert helped the production save time was by calling on his half brother, Jeremy Bulloch.  “There was talk of this new character—not a big character, but a new one,” Bulloch said.  He arrived at the studio, not knowing what to expect, and was fitted into a costume.  Then he was pushed onto the set, where George Lucas walked up and told him, “You look fantastic.”  After speaking with the helmet-wearing Bulloch for a few minutes, Lucas told him, “As far as I’m concerned, you’re fine.”

Who is this masked man?

Bulloch had started working as an actor at age ten.  By the time he strapped on Boba Fett’s armor he was thirty-five, and had appeared on the stage, on TV, and in a few movies.  After working for nineteen days for Lucasfilm, Bulloch hung up his helmet, returned home, and resumed the actor’s life, waiting for someone to call with another potential role.  As he had worn a mask, and played such a small part, he had no reason to believe anything more would ever come from his work on The Empire Strikes Back.

But the movie proved enormously successful, and the masked bounty hunter intrigued fans.  They wondered how Boba Fett had acquired his unique armor.  They yearned to see him at his best, using all the weapons and gadgets that he didn’t get to use in Empire.  They imagined all the battles and adventures he had participated in.  He was certainly a smart character, capable of making his own way through a dangerous universe.  After all, Han Solo may have outsmarted the entire Imperial fleet, but Boba Fett guessed at Han’s ruse, and tracked the Millennium Falcon all the way to Cloud City.  (Han Solo didn’t even notice he was being followed!)  And so Jeremy Bulloch was asked to don the mask and armor for the following film, The Return of the Jedi.

"Let's find out."

Even though his face was covered, and even if another actor voiced his lines, Boba Fett remains the most recognized character that Bulloch ever portrayed.  Over thirty years after he first strapped on his armor, Jeremy Bulloch travels the world, appearing at all manner of Star Wars and Science Fiction conventions.  His website sports photographs of all the places he has visited, from his home country of England, to America and Canada, and other European countries such as Switzerland.  In return, he’s given back to fandom, even going so far as joining the 501^st Legion, a network of fans that don Star Wars costumes to benefit charities. 

Jeremy Bulloch’s example reminds me that even your efforts go unrecognzied ninety-nine times out of a hundred, there’s still that one time you can make a real impact on others’ lives.  But of course, you won't know which one is the important one.  You have to do all one hundred, never knowing which of them will prove most important to others.  Life may never reward you with riches or fame.  But who knows all that you may accomplish, if you work hard, and do so with the intention of benefitting others?

Dragon Dave

Related Internet Links

Jeremy Bulloch’s website