Alex R. Howe
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My blog of science, science fiction, and more.
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Tag Archives: Star Wars
Could a Planet-Sized City Work?
In Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series, the planet Trantor is a single, huge city spanning its entire surface (also known as an ecumenopolis), an idea that was famously replicated with Coruscant in Star Wars. As a companion to tomorrow’s podcast on … Continue reading
Posted in Science, Science Fiction
Tagged Coruscant, Ecumenopolis, Isaac Asimov, Star Wars, Trantor
1 Comment
Movie Review: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Well, here it is: the end* of the Star Wars saga. Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker is the completion of the nine-film series George Lucas originally promised us in 1978. It took 41 years, selling the series to Disney, … Continue reading
Posted in Movie Reviews, Uncategorized
Tagged Star Wars, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, The Rise of Skywalker
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What Should Happen in Star Wars Episode IX?
Well, the first teaser trailer has dropped for Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker. I can react a little to the trailer itself, but we don’t really know much yet. (That’s kind of the point of a teaser.) … Continue reading
Posted in Science Fiction, Story Analysis
Tagged fan theories, Heir to the Empire, Star Wars, The Rise of Skywalker
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Movie Review: Solo: A Star Wars Story
Okay, I really need to put out my review of Solo. I don’t review every movie I see, either because I haven’t had time (see Deadpool 2) or because I’m not really sure what to make of it (see Annihilation … Continue reading
Posted in Movie Reviews, Science Fiction
Tagged Han Solo, Kessel Run, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars
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How The Last Jedi Fixes Star Wars; Yes, I Said It.
I wrote before that I believe Star Wars: The Last Jedi redeemed the franchise in several important ways. This is a complicated topic, but I want to try to give you an outline of my thoughts. To talk about The … Continue reading
Posted in Movie Reviews, Philosophy, Science Fiction
Tagged David Brin, Star Wars, Star Wars on Trial, Star Wars: The Last Jedi
1 Comment
Movie Review: Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Well, Star Wars Episode VIII is here, and it’s proving to be not only the biggest movie of the year, but also one of the most controversial. Not in the news headlines, that is, but quietly, in the actual audience … Continue reading
Posted in Movie Reviews
Tagged Star Wars, Star Wars: The Last Jedi
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Movie Review: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, the Rebel Alliance stole the plans to the Death Star and discovered its One Weakness. Rogue One is the story of how that happened and why the Death Star’s engineers … Continue reading
Posted in Movie Reviews
Tagged Rogue One, Star Wars
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Retro Movie Review: The Star Wars Holiday Special
On November 17, 1978, back when Star Wars was only a single film, CBS aired a made-for-TV “movie” entitled the Star Wars Holiday Special. This movie was never rebroadcast and has never been officially released on video (except for a … Continue reading
Posted in Movie Reviews, TV Reviews
Tagged retro movie review, so bad it's horrible, Star Wars, star wars holiday special
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Movie Review: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
That. Was. EPIC! Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens is probably the most anticipated movie of the entire decade. Jurassic World was big, but the hype around that was nothing compared with the revival of Star Wars. Not only … Continue reading
Posted in Movie Reviews, Science Fiction
Tagged j. j. abrams, Star Wars, star wars review, star wars: the force awakens
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Book review: Scoundrels by Timothy Zahn
I usually shy away from the Star Wars Expanded Universe. I’ve read about what kinds of things have got into the shared timeline from places like Wookieepedia, and I feel like large swaths of it are ridiculously over the top. … Continue reading
Posted in Book reviews
Tagged scoundrels, Star Wars, timothy zahn
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Science Meets Fiction 