1.
Star Wars
–
Star Wars is an American epic space opera franchise, centered on a film series created by George Lucas. It depicts the adventures of characters a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. The franchise began in 1977 with the release of the film Star Wars and it was followed by the successful sequels The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, these three films constitute the original Star Wars trilogy. A prequel trilogy was released between 1999 and 2005, which received mixed-to-negative reactions, a sequel trilogy began in 2015 with the release of Star Wars, The Force Awakens. All seven films were nominated for Academy Awards and have been successes, with a combined box office revenue of over $7.5 billion. Spin-off films include Star Wars, The Clone Wars and Rogue One, Star Wars also holds a Guinness World Records title for the Most successful film merchandising franchise. In 2015, the value of the Star Wars franchise was estimated at USD $42 billion. In 2012, The Walt Disney Company acquired Lucasfilm for $4.06 billion and earned the rights to all subsequent Star Wars films. Walt Disney Studios owns digital distribution rights to all the Star Wars films, the events depicted in the Star Wars franchise take place in an unnamed fictional galaxy at an undetermined point in the distant past. Many species of creatures are depicted. Robotic droids are also commonplace and are built to serve their owners. Space travel is common, and many planets in the galaxy are members of a single galactic government. In the prequel trilogy, this is depicted in the form of the Galactic Republic, at the end of the trilogy and throughout the original trilogy. Preceding and during the trilogy, this government is the New Republic. One of the prominent elements of Star Wars is the Force and it is described in the first produced film as an energy field created by all living things surrounds us, penetrates us, binds the galaxy together. While the Force can be used for good, known as the side, it also has a dark side that, when pursued, imbues users with hatred, aggression. The sequel trilogy introduces the Knights of Ren, an order of practitioners of the side of the Force aligned with the First Order. The first film in the series, Star Wars, was released on May 25,1977 and this was followed by two sequels, The Empire Strikes Back, released on May 21,1980, and Return of the Jedi, released on May 25,1983
Star Wars
–
A street performer in costume as
Darth Vader in
Amsterdam. Vader is one of the most iconic characters of the Star Wars franchise.
Star Wars
–
The Star Wars logo as seen in all films
Star Wars
–
George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars
Star Wars
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John Williams, composer of the musical
scores for all six films of the original and prequel trilogies.
2.
Swamp
–
A swamp is a wetland that is forested. Many swamps occur along rivers where they are critically dependent upon natural water level fluctuations. Other swamps occur on the shores of large lakes, some swamps have hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodic inundation. The two main types of swamp are true or swamp forests and transitional or shrub swamps, in the boreal regions of Canada, the word swamp is colloquially used for what is more correctly termed a bog or muskeg. The water of a swamp may be water, brackish water or seawater. Some of the worlds largest swamps are found along rivers such as the Amazon, the Mississippi. Swamps are characterized by slow-moving to stagnant waters and they are usually associated with adjacent rivers or lakes. Swamps are features of areas with very low topographic relief, historically, humans have drained swamps to provide additional land for agriculture and to reduce the threat of diseases borne by swamp insects and similar animals. Many swamps have also undergone intensive logging, requiring the construction of drainage ditches and these ditches and canals contributed to drainage and, along the coast, allowed salt water to intrude, converting swamps to marsh or even to open water. Large areas of swamp were therefore lost or degraded, louisiana provides a classic example of wetland loss from these combined factors. Europe has probably lost nearly half its wetlands, New Zealand lost 90 percent of its wetlands over a period of 150 years. Ecologists recognise that swamps provide valuable ecological services including flood control, fish production, water purification, carbon storage, in many parts of the world authorities protect swamps. In parts of Europe and North America, swamp restoration projects are becoming widespread, often the simplest steps to restoring swamps involve plugging drainage ditches and removing levees. Swamps and other wetlands have traditionally held a very low property value compared to fields, prairies and they have a reputation for being unproductive land that cannot easily be utilized for human activities, other than perhaps hunting and trapping. Farmers, for example, typically drained swamps next to their fields so as to more land usable for planting crops. Many societies now realize that swamps are important to providing fresh water and oxygen to all life. Indeed, floodplain swamps are important in fish production. Government environmental agencies are taking steps to protect and preserve swamps, in Europe, major effort is being invested in the restoration of swamp forests along rivers
Swamp
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A freshwater swamp in
Florida
Swamp
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A
black alder swamp in
Germany
Swamp
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Swamp in southern Louisiana
Swamp
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A small swamp in the
Padstow, New South Wales.
3.
Forest
–
A forest is a large area dominated by trees. Hundreds of more precise definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as density, tree height, land use, legal standing. According to the widely used Food and Agriculture Organization definition, forests covered four billion hectares or approximately 30 percent of the land area in 2006. Forests are the dominant terrestrial ecosystem of Earth, and are distributed across the globe, Forests account for 75% of the gross primary productivity of the Earths biosphere, and contain 80% of the Earths plant biomass. Forests at different latitudes and elevations form distinctly different ecozones, boreal forests near the poles, tropical forests near the equator, higher elevation areas tend to support forests similar to those at higher latitudes, and amount of precipitation also affects forest composition. Human society and forests influence each other in both positive and negative ways, Forests provide ecosystem services to humans and serve as tourist attractions. Forests can also affect peoples health, human activities, including harvesting forest resources, can negatively affect forest ecosystems. Although forest is a term of common parlance, there is no universally recognised precise definition, there are three broad categories of forest definitions in use, administrative, land use, and land cover. Land use definitions are based upon the purpose that the land serves. For example, a forest may be defined as any land that is used primarily for production of timber, land cover definitions define forests based upon the type and density of vegetation growing on the land. Such definitions typically define a forest as an area growing trees above some threshold and these thresholds are typically the number of trees per area, the area of ground under the tree canopy or the section of land that is occupied by the cross-section of tree trunks. Under such land cover definitions, and area of land only be defined as forest if it is growing trees, areas that fail to meet the land cover definition may be still included under while immature trees are establishing if they are expected to meet the definition at maturity. Under land use definitions, there is variation on where the cutoff points are between a forest, woodland, and savanna. Under some definitions, forests require high levels of tree canopy cover, from 60% to 100%, excluding savannas. Other definitions consider savannas to be a type of forest, the term was not endemic to Romance languages, and cognates in Romance languages, such as Italian foresta, Spanish and Portuguese floresta, etc. are all ultimately borrowings of the French word. The exact origin of Medieval Latin foresta is obscure, uses of the word forest in English to denote any uninhabited area of non-enclosure are now considered archaic. The word was introduced by the Norman rulers of England as a term denoting an uncultivated area legally set aside for hunting by feudal nobility. These hunting forests were not necessarily wooded much, if at all, however, as hunting forests did often include considerable areas of woodland, the word forest eventually came to mean wooded land more generally
Forest
–
A
conifer forest in the
Swiss Alps (
National Park)
Forest
–
The
Adirondack Mountains of
Upstate New York form the southernmost part of the
Eastern forest-boreal transition ecoregion.
Forest
–
Mixed
deciduous forest in
Stara Planina,
Serbia
Forest
–
A gate in a snowy forest
4.
Petrified wood
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Petrified wood is the name given to a special type of fossilized remains of terrestrial vegetation. It is the result of a tree or tree-like plants having completely transitioned to stone by the process of permineralization, all the organic materials have been replaced with minerals, while retaining the original structure of the stem tissue. Unlike other types of fossils which are typically impressions or compressions, the petrifaction process occurs underground, when wood becomes buried under sediment or volcanic ash and is initially preserved due to a lack of oxygen which inhibits aerobic decomposition. Mineral-laden water flowing through the material deposits minerals in the plants cells, as the plants lignin and cellulose decay. The organic matter needs to become petrified before it decomposes completely, a forest where such material has petrified becomes known as a petrified forest. Elements such as manganese, iron, and copper in the water/mud during the petrification process give petrified wood a variety of color ranges, pure quartz crystals are colorless, but when contaminants are added to the process the crystals take on a yellow, red, or another tint. Structures such as rings and the various tissues are often observed features. Petrified wood is a fossil in which the remains have been replaced by minerals in the slow process of being replaced with stone. This petrification process generally results in a quartz chalcedony mineralization, special rare conditions must be met in order for the fallen stem to be transformed into fossil wood or petrified wood. In general, the plants get buried in an environment free of oxygen. The other conditions include an access to mineral rich water in contact with the tissues. The end result is petrified wood, a plant, with its basic structure in place. Exotic minerals allow the red and green hues that can be seen in rarer specimens, australia – has deposits of petrified and opalised wood. Chinchilla, Queensland is famous for its Chinchilla Red, belgium – Geosite Goudberg near Hoegaarden. Brazil, in the geopark of Paleorrota, there is a vast area with petrified trees, canada – in the badlands of southern Alberta, Petrified wood is the provincial stone of Alberta. Axel Heiberg Island in Nunavut has a petrified forest. In and around the North Saskatchewan river, around the Edmonton area, Czech Republic, Nová Paka – The most famous locality on Permian-Carboniferous rocks in the Czech Republic. Ecuador – Puyango Petrified Forest - One of the largest collections of petrified wood in the world, large, upright trunks complete with root systems can be found, as well as trunks up to 22 m in length
Petrified wood
–
The image shows the center of a polished slice of a petrified tree from the late
Triassic period (approximately 230 million years ago) found in Arizona. The remains of insects can be detected in an enlarged image.
Petrified wood
–
Petrified log in Paleorrota geopark,
Brazil
Petrified wood
–
Petrified log at the
Petrified Forest National Park
Petrified wood
–
Polished petrified wood
5.
Yoda
–
Yoda is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise created by George Lucas, first appearing in the 1980 film The Empire Strikes Back. In the original films, he trains Luke Skywalker to fight against the Galactic Empire, in the prequel films, he serves as the Grand Master of the Jedi Order and as a high-ranking general of Clone Troopers in the Clone Wars. Frank Oz provided Yodas voice in each film and used his skills as a puppeteer in the trilogy and Star Wars. For some walking scenes in Episodes V and I, dwarf actors Deep Roy, the make-up artist Stuart Freeborn based Yodas face partly on his own and partly on Albert Einsteins. In The Phantom Menace, he was redesigned to look younger and he was computer-generated for two distant shots, but remained mostly a puppet. The puppet was re-designed by Nick Dudman from Stuart Freeborns original design, in Revenge of the Sith, his face appears in several big close-ups, demanding highly detailed CGI work. His performance was designed to be consistent with the limitations of the puppet version. Rob Coleman was responsible for the new incarnation to the series. Yoda was recreated in CGI for the 2011 Blu-ray release of The Phantom Menace, a clip of the new CG Yoda from The Phantom Menace was first seen in the featurette The Chosen One, included in the 2005 DVD release of Revenge of the Sith. The 2012 theatrical 3D release of The Phantom Menace also features the CG version of Yoda, Grand Jedi Master Yoda is among the oldest and most powerful known Jedi Masters in the Star Wars universe. Series creator George Lucas opted to have details of the characters life history remain unknown. Yodas race and home world have not been named in any media, canonical or otherwise, Yodas speech syntax has been analyzed and discussed by academic syntacticians, who found it somewhat inconsistent, but could extrapolate that it has object–subject–verb word order. In the Star Wars prequel films, he instructs several younglings in the Jedi Temple before they are assigned to a master and this was displayed in a scene in Star Wars Episode II, Attack of the Clones. In The Empire Strikes Back he mentioned that he had been training Jedi for 800 years, Yoda makes his first film appearance in The Empire Strikes Back. Luke Skywalker arrives on Dagobah to seek his guidance, having been instructed to do so by the Force ghost of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Yoda does not initially identify himself to Luke and instead tests his patience by presenting himself as a comical and senile backwater individual, Luke is shocked when he finally realizes that this small, elderly creature is the powerful Jedi Master he was seeking. Finding that Luke has the same anger and recklessness which caused his fathers downfall, Yoda is reluctant to teach him in the ways of the Force, and agrees only at Obi-Wans behest. Before finishing his training, however, Luke chooses to leave Dagobah in order to confront Darth Vader, Yoda and Obi-Wan warn him that he is not ready to face Vader and is being lured into a trap, but Luke leaves anyway, promising to return
Yoda
–
The puppet Oz used in the The Empire Strikes Back and
Return of the Jedi
Yoda
–
Yoda in
The Empire Strikes Back
6.
George Lucas
–
George Walton Lucas Jr. is an American filmmaker and entrepreneur. He is best known as the creator of the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, as well as the founder of Lucasfilm and he was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lucasfilm, before selling it to The Walt Disney Company in 2012. Upon graduating from the University of Southern California in 1967, Lucas co-founded American Zoetrope with fellow filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, Lucas wrote and directed THX1138, based on his earlier student short Electronic Labyrinth, THX1138 4EB, which was a critical success but a financial failure. His next work as a writer-director was the film, American Graffiti, inspired by his teen years in early 1960s Modesto, California, the film was critically and commercially successful, and received five Academy Award nominations including Best Picture. Following the first Star Wars film, Lucas produced and co-wrote the following installments in the trilogy, The Empire Strikes Back, along with Steven Spielberg, Lucas co-created and wrote the Indiana Jones films Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom, and The Last Crusade. Lucas also produced and/or wrote a variety of films through Lucasfilm in the 1980s and 1990s, Lucas also returned to directing with the Star Wars prequel trilogy, consisting of The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith. He later collaborated on the story for the Indiana Jones sequel Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, five of Lucass seven features are among the 100 highest-grossing movies at the North American box office, adjusted for ticket-price inflation. Lucas is one of the American film industrys most financially successful filmmakers, Lucas is considered a significant figure in the New Hollywood era. Lucas was born and raised in Modesto, California, the son of Dorothy Ellinore Lucas and George Walton Lucas and he is of German, Swiss-German, English, Scottish, and distant Dutch and French descent. Growing up, Lucas had a passion for cars and motor racing, on June 12,1962, while driving his souped-up Autobianchi Bianchina, another driver broadsided him, flipping over his car, nearly killing him, causing him to lose interest in racing as a career. He attended Modesto Junior College, where he studied anthropology, sociology and he also began shooting with an 8 mm camera, including filming car races. At this time, Lucas and his friend John Plummer became interested in Canyon Cinema, screenings of underground, avant-garde 16 mm filmmakers like Jordan Belson, Stan Brakhage, and Bruce Conner. Lucas and Plummer also saw classic European films of the time, including Jean-Luc Godards Breathless, François Truffauts Jules et Jim, thats when George really started exploring, Plummer said. Through his interest in racing, Lucas met renowned cinematographer Haskell Wexler, another race enthusiast. Wexler, later to work with Lucas on several occasions, was impressed by Lucas talent, George had a very good eye, and he thought visually, he recalled. Lucas then transferred to the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, USC was one of the earliest universities to have a school devoted to motion picture film. During the years at USC, Lucas shared a room with Randal Kleiser. Along with classmates such as Walter Murch, Hal Barwood, and John Milius and he also became good friends with fellow acclaimed student filmmaker and future Indiana Jones collaborator, Steven Spielberg
George Lucas
–
Lucas in 2009
George Lucas
–
Director
Jim Henson (left) and Lucas (right) working on
Labyrinth in 1986.
George Lucas
–
Lucas at the Time 100 2006 gala
7.
Science fiction
–
Science fiction often explores the potential consequences of scientific and other innovations, and has been called a literature of ideas. Science fiction is difficult to define, as it includes a range of subgenres and themes. Author and editor Damon Knight summed up the difficulty, saying science fiction is what we point to when we say it, a definition echoed by author Mark C. Glassy, who argues that the definition of science fiction is like the definition of pornography, you do not know what it is, in 1970 or 1971William Atheling Jr. According to science fiction writer Robert A, rod Serlings definition is fantasy is the impossible made probable. Science fiction is the improbable made possible, Science fiction is largely based on writing rationally about alternative possible worlds or futures. Science fiction elements include, A time setting in the future, in alternative timelines, a spatial setting or scenes in outer space, on other worlds, or on subterranean earth. Characters that include aliens, mutants, androids, or humanoid robots, futuristic or plausible technology such as ray guns, teleportation machines, and humanoid computers. Scientific principles that are new or that contradict accepted physical laws, for time travel, wormholes. New and different political or social systems, e. g. utopian, dystopian, post-scarcity, paranormal abilities such as mind control, telepathy, telekinesis Other universes or dimensions and travel between them. A product of the budding Age of Reason and the development of science itself. Isaac Asimov and Carl Sagan considered Keplers work the first science fiction story and it depicts a journey to the Moon and how the Earths motion is seen from there. Later, Edgar Allan Poe wrote a story about a flight to the moon, more examples appeared throughout the 19th century. Wells The War of the Worlds describes an invasion of late Victorian England by Martians using tripod fighting machines equipped with advanced weaponry and it is a seminal depiction of an alien invasion of Earth. In the late 19th century, the scientific romance was used in Britain to describe much of this fiction. This produced additional offshoots, such as the 1884 novella Flatland, the term would continue to be used into the early 20th century for writers such as Olaf Stapledon. In the early 20th century, pulp magazines helped develop a new generation of mainly American SF writers, influenced by Hugo Gernsback, the founder of Amazing Stories magazine. In 1912 Edgar Rice Burroughs published A Princess of Mars, the first of his series of Barsoom novels, situated on Mars
Science fiction
–
A futuristic setting is a common but not a necessary hallmark of science fiction. A common thread in science fiction is exploring the potential consequences of scientific and other innovations on people's lives.
Science fiction
–
H. G. Wells
Science fiction
–
Jules Verne
Science fiction
–
Arthur C. Clarke
8.
The Empire Strikes Back
–
The Empire Strikes Back is a 1980 American epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner. Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan wrote the screenplay, with George Lucas writing the films story, the film is set three years after Star Wars. The Galactic Empire, under the leadership of the villainous Darth Vader and the Emperor, is in pursuit of Luke Skywalker, while Vader chases a small band of Lukes friends—Han Solo, Princess Leia Organa, and others—across the galaxy, Luke studies the Force under Jedi Master Yoda. When Vader captures Lukes friends, Luke must decide whether to complete his training and become a full Jedi Knight or to confront Vader, following a difficult production, The Empire Strikes Back was released on May 21,1980. The film ranks #3 on Empires 2008 list of the 500 greatest movies of all time and it became the highest-grossing film of 1980 and, to date, has earned more than $538 million worldwide from its original run and several re-releases. When adjusted for inflation, it is the sequel of all time. The film was followed by a sequel, titled Return of the Jedi, in 2010, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant. Three years after the destruction of the Death Star, the Rebel Alliance has been driven from their base on Yavin IV by the Galactic Empire. The Rebels, led by Princess Leia, have set up their new base on the ice planet Hoth, the Imperial fleet, led by Darth Vader, continues to hunt for the Rebels’ new base by dispatching probe droids across the galaxy. While investigating a meteor strike, Luke Skywalker is injured and captured by a wampa. He manages to escape from its cave with his lightsaber, the ghost of his late mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, instructs him to go to the Dagobah system to train under Jedi Master Yoda. He is found by Han Solo, who kills his tauntaun, Han and Luke make it through the night and are rescued by a search party. On patrol, Han and Chewbacca discover the meteor Luke had planned to investigate is actually a probe droid, the Empire launches a large-scale attack, using AT-AT Walkers to capture the base. Despite heavy resistance, the Walkers destroy the shield generator. Han and Leia escape on the Millennium Falcon with C-3PO and Chewbacca and they hide in an asteroid field, where Han and Leia grow closer, and eventually, kiss. Vader summons bounty hunters, including the notorious Boba Fett, to assist in finding the Falcon, Luke, meanwhile, escapes with R2-D2 in his X-wing fighter and crash-lands on the swamp planet Dagobah. He meets a creature who is revealed to be Yoda, after conferring with Obi-Wans spirit. Yoda trains Luke as a Jedi and raises his sunken ship from the swamp with the power of the Force, after evading the Empire, Han sets a course for Cloud City, a floating colony in the skies of the gas giant planet Bespin
The Empire Strikes Back
–
Theatrical release poster
The Empire Strikes Back
–
George Lucas, writer/director of the first film, decided to only executive produce this film
The Empire Strikes Back
–
The 1997 theatrical release poster of the new Special Edition version of the film (art by
Drew Struzan)
9.
Return of the Jedi
–
Return of the Jedi is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand. The screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas was from a story by Lucas and it was the third and final installment in the original Star Wars trilogy and the first film to use THX technology. The film is set one year after The Empire Strikes Back and was produced by Howard Kazanjian for Lucasfilm Ltd, the film stars Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, David Prowse, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew and Frank Oz. The Galactic Empire, under the direction of the ruthless Emperor, is constructing a second Death Star in order to crush the Rebel Alliance once, meanwhile, Luke Skywalker, a Jedi apprentice, struggles to bring his father Darth Vader back to the Light Side of the Force. David Lynch and David Cronenberg were considered to direct the project before Marquand signed on as director, the production team relied on Lucas storyboards during pre-production. While writing the script, Lucas, Kasdan, Marquand. Kazanjians schedule pushed shooting to begin a few weeks early to allow Industrial Light & Magic more time to work on the effects in post-production. Filming took place in England, California, and Arizona from January to May 1982, strict secrecy surrounded the production and the film used the working title Blue Harvest to prevent price gouging. The film was released in theaters on May 25,1983, six years to the day after the release of the first film, the film grossed between $475 million and $572 million worldwide. Alongside its success, the film received four Academy Award nominations, several home video and theatrical releases and revisions to the film followed over the next 20 years. Star Wars continued with Episode I, The Phantom Menace as part of the film prequel trilogy. A sequel, Star Wars, The Force Awakens, was released on December 18,2015, Luke Skywalker initiates a plan to rescue Han Solo from the crime lord Jabba the Hutt with the help of Princess Leia, Lando Calrissian, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2. Leia infiltrates Jabbas palace on Tatooine disguised as a bounty hunter with Chewbacca as her prisoner, Lando is already there disguised as a guard. Leia releases Han from his prison, but she is captured and enslaved. Luke arrives soon afterward but after a standoff, he is captured. After Luke survives his battle with Jabbas Rancor, Jabba sentences him, Luke frees himself and battles Jabbas guards. During the chaos, Boba Fett, who has remained at Jabbas palace since delivering Han, attempts to attack Luke, meanwhile, Leia strangles Jabba to death, and Luke destroys Jabbas sail barge as the group escapes. While the others rendezvous with the Rebel Alliance, Luke returns to Dagobah where he finds that Yoda is dying, before he dies, Yoda confirms that Darth Vader, once known as Anakin Skywalker, is Lukes father, and there is another Skywalker
Return of the Jedi
–
Theatrical release poster (art by Kazuhiko Sano)
Return of the Jedi
–
Sebastian Shaw as the unmasked Darth Vader.
Return of the Jedi
–
The heavy forest of
Redwood National Park was used to film the forests of
Endor in Return of the Jedi.
Return of the Jedi
–
The teaser poster titled Revenge of the Jedi by
Drew Struzan
10.
Lightsaber
–
A lightsaber is a fictional energy sword featured in the Star Wars universe. A typical lightsaber usually consists of a metal hilt that projects a brightly lit energy blade, the lightsaber is the signature weapon of the Jedi Order and their Sith counterparts, both of whom can use them for close combat, or to deflect blaster bolts. Its distinct appearance was created using rotoscoping for the original films, the lightsaber first appeared in the original 1977 film A New Hope and has since appeared in every Star Wars movie. In 2008, a survey of approximately 2,000 film fans found it to be the most popular weapon in film history, in its most prominent showing, the lightsabers energy blade can cut, burn, and melt through most substances with little resistance. It leaves cauterized wounds in flesh, but can be deflected by another lightsaber blade, the blade has even been used as a tool to weld metal substances. Other times, the lightsaber has been shown to cause bleeding wounds in the flesh, some exotic saber-proof materials have been introduced in the Expanded Universe. An active lightsaber gives off a distinctive hum, which rises in pitch, bringing the blade into contact with another lightsabers blade produces a loud crackle. There are several precedents in science fiction for a sword of pure energy that can cut through anything, notably, Edmond Hamiltons story Kaldar. It was reprinted in one of Donald A, isaac Asimovs Lucky Starr series, The force-blade is a short shaft of stainless steel which can project a force field that can cut through anything, making it the most vicious weapon in the galaxy. Asimovs force-blade expands on his invention of a penknife with a force-field blade. Gordon R. Larry Nivens Ringworld, Louis Wu uses his flashlight laser as a sword of indefinite length, M. John Harrisons The Pastel City, the energy baan are used by the Methven, an order of knights sworn to protect their empire. For the original Star Wars film, the film prop hilts were constructed by John Stears from old press camera flash battery packs, the full sized sword props were designed to appear ignited onscreen, by later creating an in-camera glowing effect in post-production. The blade is a rod which was coated with a Scotchlite retroreflector array. A lamp was positioned to the side of the taking camera, set Decorator Roger Christian found the handles for the Graflex Flash Gun in a photography shop in Great Marlborough Street, in Londons West End. He then added cabinet T-track to the handles, securely attaching them with cyanoacrylate glue, adding a few greebles, Christian managed to hand-make the first prototype of a lightsaber prop for Luke before production began. George Lucas decided he wanted to add a clip to the handle, due to lack of preparation time, Christians prototype and a second spare were used for the shooting in Tunisia, where Star Wars filming began. It was discovered, however, that the effect was greatly dependent on the rods orientation to the camera. Because of this, the glow would be added in post-production through rotoscoping, korean animator Nelson Shin, who was working for an American company at the time, was asked by his manager if he could animate the lightsaber in the live action scenes of a film
Lightsaber
–
Lightsaber
11.
Darth Sidious
–
Sheev Palpatine is a fictional character of the Star Wars franchise, mainly portrayed by Ian McDiarmid. In the original trilogy, he is depicted as the aged, pale-faced and cloaked Emperor of the Galactic Empire, as Sidious, he instigates the Clone Wars, nearly destroys the Jedi, and transforms the Republic into the Empire. He also manipulates Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker into turning to the dark side, Palpatines reign is brought to an end when Vader kills him to save his son, Luke Skywalker. The Emperor is briefly mentioned in the original Star Wars, the first film in the original trilogy, grand Moff Tarkin explains to his fellow Imperials that the Emperor has dissolved the Senate. The Emperor first appeared in The Empire Strikes Back and he appears in hologram form to address Darth Vader, his Sith apprentice. He tells Vader that Luke Skywalker is becoming a threat to the Empire. Vader convinces him that Luke would be an asset if turned to the dark side. In 1983s Return of the Jedi, the Emperor appears in person to oversee the last stages of the second Death Stars construction and he assures Darth Vader that they will together turn Luke, now revealed to be Vaders son, to the dark side. Unknown to Vader, the Emperor plans to replace his apprentice with Luke, when Vader brings Luke before his master, the Emperor tempts Luke to join the dark side by appealing to the young Jedis fear for his friends, whom he has lured into a trap. This leads to a duel in which Luke defeats and nearly kills Vader. The Emperor tells Luke to kill Vader and take his place, enraged, the Emperor attacks Luke with Force lightning. Moved by his sons cries for help, Vader throws the Emperor into the Death Stars reactor shaft, as Sidious, he influences the corrupt Trade Federation to blockade and invade Naboo. Queen Padmé Amidala of Naboo flees to the planet Coruscant to receive counsel from Palpatine, after a plea for help from the senate results in bureaucratic delays, Palpatine persuades the queen to make a motion to have Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum removed from office. When Padmé attempts to liberate Naboo, Sidious sends his Sith apprentice Darth Maul there to capture her, the invasion is eventually thwarted and Maul is defeated in a lightsaber duel with Obi-Wan Kenobi. Palpatine uses the crisis to be elected the new Chancellor of the Republic and he then returns to Naboo, where he befriends the young Anakin Skywalker, telling him that, We will watch your career with great interest. In the 2002 sequel Star Wars, Episode II – Attack of the Clones, since the Separatists are secretly building a battle droid army, Palpatine uses the situation to have himself granted emergency powers. Palpatine feigns reluctance to accept this authority, promising to return it to the Senate once the crisis has ended and his first act is to allow the creation of a clone army to counter the Separatist threat, this results in the opening salvo of the Clone Wars. With the galaxy now at war as Sidious planned, Dooku brings him the plans for a new superweapon
Darth Sidious
–
Ian McDiarmid as Senator Palpatine in
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
Darth Sidious
–
Ian McDiarmid as Emperor Palpatine in
Return of the Jedi.
Darth Sidious
–
Palpatine's clone in the
Dark Empire series by
Tom Veitch and
Cam Kennedy
Darth Sidious
–
Chancellor Palpatine in
Star Wars: Clone Wars
12.
Swamps
–
A swamp is a wetland that is forested. Many swamps occur along rivers where they are critically dependent upon natural water level fluctuations. Other swamps occur on the shores of large lakes, some swamps have hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodic inundation. The two main types of swamp are true or swamp forests and transitional or shrub swamps, in the boreal regions of Canada, the word swamp is colloquially used for what is more correctly termed a bog or muskeg. The water of a swamp may be water, brackish water or seawater. Some of the worlds largest swamps are found along rivers such as the Amazon, the Mississippi. Swamps are characterized by slow-moving to stagnant waters and they are usually associated with adjacent rivers or lakes. Swamps are features of areas with very low topographic relief, historically, humans have drained swamps to provide additional land for agriculture and to reduce the threat of diseases borne by swamp insects and similar animals. Many swamps have also undergone intensive logging, requiring the construction of drainage ditches and these ditches and canals contributed to drainage and, along the coast, allowed salt water to intrude, converting swamps to marsh or even to open water. Large areas of swamp were therefore lost or degraded, louisiana provides a classic example of wetland loss from these combined factors. Europe has probably lost nearly half its wetlands, New Zealand lost 90 percent of its wetlands over a period of 150 years. Ecologists recognise that swamps provide valuable ecological services including flood control, fish production, water purification, carbon storage, in many parts of the world authorities protect swamps. In parts of Europe and North America, swamp restoration projects are becoming widespread, often the simplest steps to restoring swamps involve plugging drainage ditches and removing levees. Swamps and other wetlands have traditionally held a very low property value compared to fields, prairies and they have a reputation for being unproductive land that cannot easily be utilized for human activities, other than perhaps hunting and trapping. Farmers, for example, typically drained swamps next to their fields so as to more land usable for planting crops. Many societies now realize that swamps are important to providing fresh water and oxygen to all life. Indeed, floodplain swamps are important in fish production. Government environmental agencies are taking steps to protect and preserve swamps, in Europe, major effort is being invested in the restoration of swamp forests along rivers
Swamps
–
A freshwater swamp in
Florida
Swamps
–
A
black alder swamp in
Germany
Swamps
–
Swamp in southern Louisiana
Swamps
–
A small swamp in the
Padstow, New South Wales.
13.
Carboniferous
–
The Carboniferous is a geologic period and system that spans 60 million years from the end of the Devonian Period 358.9 million years ago, to the beginning of the Permian Period,298.9 Mya. The name Carboniferous means coal-bearing and derives from the Latin words carbō and ferō, and was coined by geologists William Conybeare and William Phillips in 1822. Based on a study of the British rock succession, it was the first of the system names to be employed. The Carboniferous is often treated in North America as two periods, the earlier Mississippian and the later Pennsylvanian. Terrestrial life was established by the Carboniferous period. Amphibians were the dominant land vertebrates, of one branch would eventually evolve into amniotes. Arthropods were also common, and many were much larger than those of today. Vast swaths of forest covered the land, which would eventually be laid down, the atmospheric content of oxygen also reached their highest levels in geological history during the period, 35% compared with 21% today, allowing terrestrial invertebrates to evolve to great size. A major marine and terrestrial extinction event, the Carboniferous rainforest collapse, occurred in the middle of the period, the later half of the period experienced glaciations, low sea level, and mountain building as the continents collided to form Pangaea. In the United States the Carboniferous is usually broken into Mississippian and Pennsylvanian subperiods, the Silesian is roughly contemporaneous with the late Mississippian Serpukhovian plus the Pennsylvanian. In Britain the Dinantian is traditionally known as the Carboniferous Limestone, the Namurian as the Millstone Grit, and the Westphalian as the Coal Measures and Pennant Sandstone. There was also a drop in south polar temperatures, southern Gondwanaland was glaciated throughout the period and these conditions apparently had little effect in the deep tropics, where lush swamps, later to become coal, flourished to within 30 degrees of the northernmost glaciers. Mid-Carboniferous, a drop in sea level precipitated a major extinction, one that hit crinoids. This sea level drop and the unconformity in North America separate the Mississippian subperiod from the Pennsylvanian subperiod. This happened about 323 million years ago, at the onset of the Permo-Carboniferous Glaciation, the Carboniferous was a time of active mountain-building, as the supercontinent Pangaea came together. The southern continents remained tied together in the supercontinent Gondwana, which collided with North America–Europe along the present line of eastern North America, in the same time frame, much of present eastern Eurasian plate welded itself to Europe along the line of the Ural mountains. Most of the Mesozoic supercontinent of Pangea was now assembled, although North China, the Late Carboniferous Pangaea was shaped like an O. There were two major oceans in the Carboniferous—Panthalassa and Paleo-Tethys, which was inside the O in the Carboniferous Pangaea, other minor oceans were shrinking and eventually closed - Rheic Ocean, the small, shallow Ural Ocean and Proto-Tethys Ocean
Carboniferous
–
Generalized geographic map of the
United States in Middle
Pennsylvanian time.
Carboniferous
–
Lower Carboniferous marble in Big Cottonwood Canyon,
Wasatch Mountains,
Utah.
Carboniferous
–
Etching depicting some of the most significant plants of the Carboniferous.
Carboniferous
–
Ancient in situ
lycopsid, probably
Sigillaria, with attached
stigmarian roots.
14.
Palpatine
–
Sheev Palpatine is a fictional character of the Star Wars franchise, mainly portrayed by Ian McDiarmid. In the original trilogy, he is depicted as the aged, pale-faced and cloaked Emperor of the Galactic Empire, as Sidious, he instigates the Clone Wars, nearly destroys the Jedi, and transforms the Republic into the Empire. He also manipulates Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker into turning to the dark side, Palpatines reign is brought to an end when Vader kills him to save his son, Luke Skywalker. The Emperor is briefly mentioned in the original Star Wars, the first film in the original trilogy, grand Moff Tarkin explains to his fellow Imperials that the Emperor has dissolved the Senate. The Emperor first appeared in The Empire Strikes Back and he appears in hologram form to address Darth Vader, his Sith apprentice. He tells Vader that Luke Skywalker is becoming a threat to the Empire. Vader convinces him that Luke would be an asset if turned to the dark side. In 1983s Return of the Jedi, the Emperor appears in person to oversee the last stages of the second Death Stars construction and he assures Darth Vader that they will together turn Luke, now revealed to be Vaders son, to the dark side. Unknown to Vader, the Emperor plans to replace his apprentice with Luke, when Vader brings Luke before his master, the Emperor tempts Luke to join the dark side by appealing to the young Jedis fear for his friends, whom he has lured into a trap. This leads to a duel in which Luke defeats and nearly kills Vader. The Emperor tells Luke to kill Vader and take his place, enraged, the Emperor attacks Luke with Force lightning. Moved by his sons cries for help, Vader throws the Emperor into the Death Stars reactor shaft, as Sidious, he influences the corrupt Trade Federation to blockade and invade Naboo. Queen Padmé Amidala of Naboo flees to the planet Coruscant to receive counsel from Palpatine, after a plea for help from the senate results in bureaucratic delays, Palpatine persuades the queen to make a motion to have Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum removed from office. When Padmé attempts to liberate Naboo, Sidious sends his Sith apprentice Darth Maul there to capture her, the invasion is eventually thwarted and Maul is defeated in a lightsaber duel with Obi-Wan Kenobi. Palpatine uses the crisis to be elected the new Chancellor of the Republic and he then returns to Naboo, where he befriends the young Anakin Skywalker, telling him that, We will watch your career with great interest. In the 2002 sequel Star Wars, Episode II – Attack of the Clones, since the Separatists are secretly building a battle droid army, Palpatine uses the situation to have himself granted emergency powers. Palpatine feigns reluctance to accept this authority, promising to return it to the Senate once the crisis has ended and his first act is to allow the creation of a clone army to counter the Separatist threat, this results in the opening salvo of the Clone Wars. With the galaxy now at war as Sidious planned, Dooku brings him the plans for a new superweapon
Palpatine
–
Ian McDiarmid as Senator Palpatine in
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
Palpatine
–
Ian McDiarmid as Emperor Palpatine in
Return of the Jedi.
Palpatine
–
Palpatine's clone in the
Dark Empire series by
Tom Veitch and
Cam Kennedy
Palpatine
–
Chancellor Palpatine in
Star Wars: Clone Wars
15.
Jedi
–
The Jedi /ˈdʒɛˌdaɪ/ are the main protagonists in the Star Wars universe. They are depicted as an ancient monastic and academic meritocratic organization whose origin dates back to c.25,000 BBY. The Jedi Order mostly consists of polymaths, teachers, philosophers, scientists, engineers, physicians, diplomats and warriors, by serving others, the Jedi give of themselves through acts of charity, citizenship, and volunteerism. A Jedis ideology and strict way of life as a challenge to live up to is a recurring theme in the Star Wars universe. Their traditional weapon is the lightsaber, a device which generates a blade-like plasma controlled by a crystal, the fictional organization has inspired a real-world new religious movement, Jediism. As depicted in the canon, the Jedi study and utilize the Force, in order to help, like their counterparts, the Sith, their main weapon is the lightsaber. By training the mind and the body the Jedi seek to improve themselves by gaining unfettered access to the Force while also seeking to improve those individuals, the film Rogue One suggests that it relates to the planet Jedha, source of the kyber crystals used in lightsabers. George Lucas acknowledged Jedi concepts have been inspired by many sources, the work of the mythologist Joseph Campbell, especially his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces, directly influenced Lucas, and was what drove him to create the modern myth of Star Wars. The Lost Twenty was the given to a group of Jedi Masters—numbering twenty in total—who left the Jedi Order throughout its history. The first twelve of these ‘Lost Twenty’ left the Jedi Order before the Third Great Schism, these twelve Masters later became Dark Jedi who eventually founded the first Sith Empire. In the years preceding the Clone Wars, Jedi Master Dooku left the Jedi Order as a result of differences with his fellow Jedi, to commemorate these former Jedi, memorial statue busts were displayed at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. The prequel films depict the Jedi in their prime, dealing with the presence of the dark side of the Force and determined to fight their mortal enemies. Once corrupted, Vader helps Palpatine hunt down and destroy all of the Jedi, leaving very few left, such as Jedi Masters Yoda. The first person to be issued this order was Clone Commander Cody, Darth Vader led Operation, Knightfall against the Jedi Temple with the 501st Legion while the rest of the clone army around the galaxy carried out Order 66. Palpatine convinced the people of the Republic that Jedi were corrupted warmongers responsible for prolonging the Clone Wars, Darth Vader continued to hunt and execute surviving Jedi by the thousands during the first 10 years of the Empires history. The Jedi are first introduced in the 1977 motion picture Star Wars as an order of monks who serve as the guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy. Obi-Wan Kenobi explains that the Galactic Empire had all but exterminated the Jedi some twenty years before the events of the film, Darth Vader is also established as the Jedis main enemy. By the end of the film, Luke is on the path to becoming a Jedi, the third film in the original trilogy, Return of the Jedi, ends with Luke redeeming Vader and helping to destroy the Empire, thus fulfilling his destiny as a Jedi
Jedi
–
The Jedi were considered scholars of erudite lore, keepers of the peace, and the guardians of justice in the galaxy, with Jedi Masters often working together on missions with their respective Padawan apprentices in order to pass their knowledge and employ their abilities on the field.
16.
Exile
–
To be in exile means to be away from ones home, while either being explicitly refused permission to return or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return. It can be a form of punishment and solitude and it is common to distinguish between internal exile, i. e. forced resettlement within the country of residence, and external exile, which is deportation outside the country of residence. Although most commonly used to describe a situation, the term is also used for groups. Exile can also be a departure from ones homeland. Article 9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile. In some cases the head of state is allowed to go into exile following a coup or other change of government. A wealthy citizen who departs from an abode for a lower tax jurisdiction in order to reduce his/her tax burden is termed a tax exile. Creative people such as authors and musicians who achieve sudden wealth sometimes find themselves among this group, in 2012, Eduardo Saverin, one of the founders of Facebook, made headlines by renouncing his U. S. citizenship before his companys IPO. In some cases a person lives in exile to avoid legal issues. For example, nuns were exiled following the Communist coup détat of 1948 in Czechoslovakia, many Jewish prayers include a yearning to return to Jerusalem and the Jewish homeland. The entire population of Crimean Tatars that remained in their homeland Crimea was exiled on 18 May 1944 to Central Asia as a form of ethnic cleansing and collective punishment on false accusations. At Diego Garcia, between 1967 and 1973 the British Government forcibly removed some 2,000 Chagossian resident islanders to make way for a military base today jointly operated by the US, since the Cuban Revolution over one million Cubans have left Cuba. Most of these self-identify as exiles as their motivation for leaving the island is political in nature, most of the exiles children also consider themselves to be Cuban exiles. It is to be noted that under Cuban law, children of Cubans born abroad are considered Cuban citizens, during a foreign occupation or after a coup détat, a government in exile of a such afflicted country may be established abroad. Exile is a motif in ancient Greek tragedy. In the ancient Greek world, this was seen as a worse than death. The motif reaches its peak on the play Medea, written by Euripides in the fifth century BC, euripides’ Medea has remained the most frequently performed Greek tragedy through the 20th century. After Medea was abandoned by Jason and had become a murderer out of revenge, she fled to Athens and married king Aigeus there, due to a conflict with him, she must leave the Polis and go away into exile
Exile
–
The First Night in Exile-This painting comes from a celebrated series illustrating one of Hinduism’s great epics, the
Ramayana. It tells the story of prince Rama, who is wrongly exiled from his father’s kingdom, accompanied only by his wife and brother.
Exile
–
Dante in Exile.
Exile
–
The journey of a modern hero, to the island of Elba (1814), showing
Napoleon I, sword broken, being exiled to
Elba at the close of the
War of the Sixth Coalition
Exile
–
Jason and
Medea, by
John William Waterhouse, 1907
17.
Force (Star Wars)
–
The Force is a metaphysical and ubiquitous power in the Star Wars fictional universe. It is wielded by characters in the films and in many of its spin-off books, games. In the story, the Jedi utilize the light side of the Force, the Force has been compared to aspects of several world religions, and the iconic phrase May the Force be with you has become part of the popular culture vernacular. George Lucas created the concept of the Force to address character and he also wanted to awaken a certain kind of spirituality in young audiences, suggesting a belief in God without endorsing any specific religion. He developed the Force as a religious concept, distill the essence of all religions, premised on the existence of God and distinct ideas of good. Lucas said there is a choice between good and bad, and the world works better if youre on the good side, the power of the Force of Others is kept secret by the Jedi Bendu of the Ashla, an aristocratic cult in the second draft. The second draft offers an explanation of the Force of Others and introduces its Ashla light side. The Ashla and Bogan are mentioned 10 and 31 times, respectively, in the second draft, Luke Starkillers mission is to retrieve the Kiber Crystal, which can intensify either the Ashla or Bogan powers. The films shorter third draft has no references to the Ashla, Lucas finished the fourth and near-final draft on January 1,1976. Producer Gary Kurtz, who studied comparative religion in college, had discussions with Lucas about religion. Kurtz told Lucas he was unhappy with drafts in which the Force was connected with the Kiber Crystal, Lucas and screenwriter Leigh Brackett decided that the Force and the Emperor would be the main concerns in The Empire Strikes Back. The focus on the Emperor was later shifted to the film, Return of the Jedi. Lucas based the concept on symbiogenesis, calling midi-chlorians a loose depiction of mitochondria, and its really a way of saying we have hundreds of little creatures who live on us, and without them, we all would die. They are necessary for us, we are necessary for them, using them in the metaphor, saying society is the same way, says we all must get along with each other. After selling Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012, Lucas said his biggest concern about the future was the Force being muddled into a bunch of gobbledegook. When writing The Force Awakens with Lawrence Kasdan, J. J. Abrams respected that Lucas had established midi-chlorians effect on some characters ability to use the Force. Abrams retained the idea of the Force having a light and a dark side, Star Wars Rebels producer Dave Filoni cites several influences on how the Force is used in the show. Filoni credits the films for better developing the concept of the Force
Force (Star Wars)
–
Jedi Master
Yoda telekinetically stops a senatorial platform in
Revenge of the Sith.
Force (Star Wars)
–
Updated scene of
Anakin Skywalker,
Yoda and
Obi-Wan Kenobi appearing as Force Ghosts in
Return of the Jedi
18.
Luke Skywalker
–
Luke Skywalker is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the original film trilogy of the Star Wars franchise created by George Lucas. The character, portrayed by Mark Hamill, is an important figure in the Rebel Alliances struggle against the Galactic Empire. The now non-canon Star Wars expanded universe depicts him as a powerful Jedi Master, husband of Mara Jade, in 2015, the character was selected by Empire magazine as the 50th greatest movie character of all time. On their list of the 100 Greatest Fictional Characters, Fandomania. com ranked the character at number 14, Luke Skywalker was initially called Anakin Starkiller, and went through multiple design changes. The character was at one point designed as a 60-year-old grizzled war hero, later as a Jedi Master, the last name Starkiller remained for the first few months of production, Hamill on-camera using the name Luke Starkiller the sole time he referred to himself during filming. Starkiller was dropped due to what Lucas called unpleasant connotations, after Hamill was involved in a car accident, the Wampa attack at the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back was written in to explain his facial injuries. An alternative ending pitched by George Lucas for Return of the Jedi was Luke assuming his fathers role as Darth Vader after the latters death, though Lawrence Kasdan favored the idea, Lucas ultimately declined, since the films were made for children. Another conclusion to the featured the character disappearing into the wilderness akin to Clint Eastwood in the spaghetti westerns. During the filming of the original Star Wars trilogy, George Lucas informed Hamill that he would be needed to reprise the role when he was middle aged, Lucas further explained that his role as Luke would be handing Excalibur to the next generation. Hamill had no reaction at the time, as he thought of making Star Wars films decades in the future as an abstract concept, Hamill learned of the sequel trilogy over the summer of 2012 at a Star Wars celebration during lunch where Lucas told him one was in development. Hamill recalled shaving his beard to portray The Trickster in The Flash, Hamill attended meetings for script readings, and helped conceal Lukes role in the film, instead of dialogue, he read stage directions. Abrams said it allowed him to remain involved and that his reading helped make an experience for everyone. In the prequel film, Star Wars, Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Luke is born to Senator Padmé Amidala along with his twin sister, Luke Skywalker lives on a moisture farm on Tatooine with his Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru. Luke takes his first steps toward his destiny when he buys the droids C-3PO, when R2-D2 goes missing, Luke goes out to find him and encounters Obi-Wan Kenobi, an old hermit. Luke discovers that R2-D2 contains a message for Obi-Wan from Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan beseeching him to help her defeat the Galactic Empire, Obi-Wan says that he and Lukes father were once Jedi Knights, and that his father was murdered by a traitorous Jedi named Darth Vader. Obi-Wan presents Luke with his fathers lightsaber and offers to him to Alderaan and train him in the ways of the Force. Luke changes his mind when he returns home to find that Imperial stormtroopers have killed his aunt, Obi-Wan deactivates the tractor beam and he later sacrifices his life in a duel with Vader so that Luke and his friends can board the Falcon and escape. During the films battle scene, Luke joins the Rebel Alliance in attacking the Death Star
Luke Skywalker
–
Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in
Return of the Jedi
19.
Obi-Wan Kenobi
–
Obi-Wan Ben Kenobi is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise, portrayed by Alec Guinness and Ewan McGregor in the films. In the original trilogy, he is a mentor to Luke Skywalker, in the prequel trilogy, he is a master and friend to Anakin Skywalker. He is frequently featured as a character in various other Star Wars media. Obi-Wan Kenobi is introduced in the original Star Wars living as the hermit Ben Kenobi on the planet Tatooine, when Luke Skywalker and the droid C-3PO wander off in search of the lost droid R2-D2, Ben rescues them from a band of native Tusken Raiders. At his home, R2-D2 plays Ben a recording of Princess Leia which explains that R2-D2 contains the plans for the Death Star, Leia asks him to deliver the droid and the plans safely to the planet Alderaan in order to help the Rebel Alliance. He gives Luke his fathers lightsaber and asks Luke to accompany him to Alderaan, Luke declines, but promises to take Obi-Wan as far as Anchorhead Station. After Luke finds his uncle and aunt killed by Imperial troops, he agrees to go with Obi-Wan to Alderaan, in the spaceport city Mos Eisley, Obi-Wan uses the Force to trick Imperial troops into letting them through a military checkpoint. They enter a cantina and make a deal with two smugglers, Han Solo and Chewbacca, to fly them to Alderaan in their ship. During the journey, Obi-Wan begins instructing Luke in lightsaber training and he suddenly becomes weak and tells Luke of a great disturbance in the Force. Emerging from hyperspace, the party finds that Alderaan has been destroyed, the trio chase the TIE fighter to the Death Star, and subsequently get caught in the Death Stars tractor beam. On board the Death Star, Obi-Wan shuts down the tractor beam, Obi-Wan uses the duel to distract Vader as Luke, Leia, Han and Chewbacca escape to the Falcon. Although Vader strikes Obi-Wan down, his body mysteriously vanishes the moment he dies, at the climax of the film during the Rebel attack on the Death Star, Obi-Wan speaks to Luke through the Force to help him destroy the Imperial station. In The Empire Strikes Back, Obi-Wan Kenobi appears several times as a spirit through the Force, on the planet Hoth, he appears to instruct Luke to go to the planet Dagobah to find the exiled Jedi Master Yoda. Despite Yodas skepticism, Obi-Wan convinces his old master to continue Lukes training and he appears later to beseech Luke not to leave Dagobah to try to rescue his friends on Cloud City, although Luke ignores this advice. In Return of the Jedi, Obi-Wan again appears to Luke after Yodas death on Dagobah, Obi-Wan acknowledges that Darth Vader is indeed Lukes father, revealed by Vader in the previous film and confirmed by Yoda on his deathbed, and also reveals that Leia is Lukes twin sister. After the second Death Star is destroyed and the Empire defeated, Obi-Wan appears at the celebration in the Ewok village, alongside the spirits of Yoda, in Star Wars, Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Obi-Wan Kenobi appears as the Jedi Padawan of Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn. He accompanies his master in negotiations with the Trade Federation, which is blockading the planet Naboo with a fleet of spaceships and their ship is damaged in the escape, however, and they are forced to land on Tatooine, where they discover a young Anakin Skywalker. Qui-Gon senses Anakins extraordinarily strong link to the Force and brings the boy to Coruscant to begin Jedi training, when Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan return to Naboo to defeat the Trade Federation, they are met by Sith Lord Darth Maul
Obi-Wan Kenobi
–
Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi in
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones.
Obi-Wan Kenobi
–
Alec Guinness as Ben Kenobi in
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
20.
Han Solo
–
Han Solo is a character in the Star Wars franchise. In the original trilogy, Han and his co-pilot, Chewbacca. During the course of the Star Wars story, he becomes a figure in the Alliance. Star Wars creator George Lucas described the character as a loner who realizes the importance of being part of a group and helping for the common good. Han owes crime lord Jabba the Hutt a great deal of money and has a price on his head, Han and his passengers are attacked by Imperial stormtroopers, but escape by accelerating to light speed. When they arrive at Alderaan, however, they discover that the planet has been destroyed, the Falcon is then captured and held within the Death Star, a moon-sized battle station constructed by the Empire. Han and company hide from detection inside the Falcons smuggling bays and they discover that Princess Leia Organa is a prisoner on board, and Luke convinces Han to help rescue her by promising him a huge reward. They rescue Leia and escape, though Obi-Wan is killed by Sith Lord Darth Vader, after delivering Luke, Leia, C-3PO, and R2-D2 to the Rebel Alliance, Han and Chewbacca receive a payment for their services and prepare to leave. Luke asks Han to stay and help the Rebels attack the Death Star, Han has a change of heart and returns to save Lukes life during the films climactic battle scene, ultimately enabling Luke to destroy the Death Star. For his heroics, Han is presented with a medal of honor, Han helps Chewbacca join his family on the Wookiee homeworld Kashyyyk. He faces Imperial forces on Kashyyyk, and later joins Luke, Leia, R2-D2, C-3PO, Chewbacca, Han returns with the Rebel Alliance to Echo Base on the frozen planet of Hoth. While out on patrol with Luke, they witness a meteor strike the surface, Han returns to base while Luke decides to investigate. Han informs Leia and the General of Echo Base that he must leave in order to clear his debt with Jabba, before he can depart, it is discovered that Luke has not returned from his reconnaissance. Han rides out alone into the frozen Hoth wastelands, soon finding Luke badly injured, using his friends lightsaber, Han cuts open his tauntaun, providing Luke warmth while he builds a shelter until they can be rescued the next morning. Later, Han and Chewbacca are sent out to investigate another meteor strike and they discover that the meteor is actually an Imperial Probe Droid. The two succeed in destroying the probe, but not before the Empire is alerted to the location of Echo Base, when the Empire attacks Echo Base, Han, Chewie, Leia, and C-3PO narrowly escape on board the Millennium Falcon. Han evades a squad of Imperial TIE fighters by flying through an asteroid field, Han and Leia fall in love during the long journey. They manage to hide from the Imperial fleet long enough to escape, bounty hunter Boba Fett secretly follows the Falcon during this getaway
Han Solo
–
Harrison Ford as Han Solo in
Star Wars
21.
Princess Leia
–
Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan, later known as General Leia Organa, is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise, portrayed in films by Carrie Fisher. Introduced in the original Star Wars film in 1977, Leia is princess of the planet Alderaan, a member of the Imperial Senate and she thwarts the sinister Sith Lord Darth Vader and helps bring about the destruction of the Empires cataclysmic superweapon, the Death Star. In The Empire Strikes Back, Leia commands a Rebel base and evades Vader as she falls in love with the smuggler, Han Solo. In Return of the Jedi, Leia leads the operation to rescue Han from the crime lord Jabba the Hutt, and is revealed to be Vaders daughter and the twin sister of Luke Skywalker. The prequel film Revenge of the Sith establishes that the mother is Senator Padmé Amidala of Naboo. Leia is adopted by Senator Bail and Queen Breha Organa of Alderaan, in The Force Awakens, Leia is the founder and General of the Resistance against the First Order and has a son with Han named Ben, who goes by the name Kylo Ren. She becomes the Chief of State of the New Republic and a Jedi Master, One of the more popular Star Wars characters, Leia has been called a 1980s icon, a feminist hero and model for other adventure heroines. She has appeared in many works and merchandising, and has been referenced or parodied in several TV shows. Her cinnamon buns hairstyle from Star Wars and metal bikini from Return of the Jedi have become cultural icons, Leia was created by Star Wars creator George Lucas. In 1999, Lucas explained his early development of Leia, Luke and Obi-Wan Kenobi, The first talked about a princess, the second version involved a father, his son, and his daughter, the daughter was the heroine of the film. Now the daughter has become Luke, Mark Hamills character, There was also the story of two brothers where I transformed one of them into a sister. The older brother was imprisoned, and the sister had to rescue him. In the fourth draft it was established that Leia Organa came instead from Alderaan, Fisher was 19 when she was cast as Princess Leia, with actresses including Amy Irving, Cindy Williams and Jodie Foster also up for the role. Asked about Streep in 2015, Fisher said, Bullshit, but Jodie Foster was up for it. That one I knew the most, the second draft of the Return of the Jedi screenplay contained dialogue in which Obi-Wan tells Luke he has a twin sister. She and their mother were sent to the protection of friends in a distant system, the mother died shortly thereafter, and Lukes sister was adopted by Bens friends, the governor of Alderaan and his wife. Fisher explained in 1983, Leias real father left her mother when she was pregnant, I was adopted and grew up set apart from other people because I was a princess. Composer John Williams created a musical leitmotif for Leia which recurs throughout the Star Wars saga, Princess Leias Theme was recorded as a concert suite for the score of the 1977 film
Princess Leia
–
Promotional photo of Fisher wearing Princess Leia's characteristic hairstyle in Star Wars (1977)
Princess Leia
–
Lady of Elche
Princess Leia
–
Hopi girl, 1922
Princess Leia
–
Princess Leia (played by Carrie Fisher) in her iconic "metal bikini" slave outfit from Return of the Jedi (1983)
22.
Chewbacca
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Chewbacca, nicknamed Chewie, is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. He is a Wookiee, a tall, hirsute biped and intelligent species from the planet Kashyyyk, Chewbacca is the loyal friend and associate of Han Solo, and serves as co-pilot on Solos spaceship, the Millennium Falcon. The character has appeared on television, in books, comics. To repay this debt, Chewbacca protected Han for the rest of his life, standing at 8 feet tall, Chewbacca is covered with long hair, and wears only a bandolier. His weapon of choice is the Wookiee bowcaster, Chewbacca was named one of the greatest sidekicks in film history by Entertainment Weekly. In Italy the name of Chewbacca was changed to Chewbecca and his nickname is Chewbe, Chewbaccas creation as a gentle, hairy, non-English-speaking co-pilot was inspired by George Lucas seeing his own dog sitting up on the passenger seat of his car. It is said that Chewbaccas name is derived from собака, the Russian word for dog, in all five screen appearances, Chewbacca was played by Peter Mayhew, who was chosen for his height of 73. Five identical costumes were made for Mayhew, in the three films and a holiday special, the suits were made of yak hair and mohair. In Revenge of the Sith, the suit was made of more comfortable materials, only Mayhews blue eyes could be seen in his costume, but fans easily recognize him by his gestures, and his co-workers claimed the ability to tell when a stand-in was taking his place. Chewbaccas voice was created by the films sound designer, Ben Burtt, from recordings of walruses, lions, camels, bears, rabbits, tigers. The individual recordings were mixed at different ratios for Chewbaccas different utterances, one of the most prominent elements in the voice was a black bear named Tarik, from Happy Hollow Zoo in San Jose, California. The original costume was created by Stuart Freeborn and his wife Kay Freeborn, First appearing in Star Wars, Chewbacca and Han Solo accept a charter to take Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and droids C-3PO and R2-D2 to the planet Alderaan. When they find the destroyed by the Death Star, the two smugglers are drawn into the Rebel Alliance. As part of a plan to rescue Leia, Luke tries to put handcuffs on Chewbacca to make it look like hes a prisoner. Chewbacca almost attacks Luke believing him to be selling him and Solo out, after rescuing Leia and taking her to the rebel base on Yavin IV, the two smugglers are given reward money in the value of a payload lost by him to which he owes Jabba The Hutt. Somehow, Chewbacca is able to convince Han to put his debt to Jabba aside for the time being and they manage to save Luke from being killed, also allowing him to be the one to destroy the space station. In The Empire Strikes Back, Chewbacca finds a dismantled C-3PO in a pile in Cloud City. He later tries to him, but does a terrible job at it
Chewbacca
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Chewbacca in
Star Wars
23.
Bespin
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Bespin is a fictional planet, a gas giant in Star Wars films and books. The planet was first seen in the 1980 feature film The Empire Strikes Back, since its introduction, Bespin has gained more specific characteristics in the Star Wars expanded universe. In The Empire Strikes Back, Bespins floating city Cloud City hovers suspended by an anti-gravity pod and it is home to several million individuals, including humans and Ugnaughts. The planet is a gas giant that is about 73,000 miles in diameter, like most gas giants, it has a solid core that consists of metal followed by layers of metallic gases. Many of the layers of gas are poisonous, and the pressure and temperature are far above what a human could tolerate, but from approximately 93 to 112 mi down from outer space, there is a habitable layer known as the Bespin Life Zone. This layer has an atmosphere with the temperature and pressure that makes it ideal for human life. It is in this layer that Cloud City is located, according to fictional smuggler Han Solo, his starship the Millennium Falcon barely made it there when travelling from another star system, he had to use the ships hyperdrive to complete the journey. Lando Calrissian, the owner of the Millennium Falcon, administered Cloud City. During the Galactic Civil War, Darth Vader captured Cloud City after blackmailing Calrissian into turning over Han Solo, but after the Battle of Endor the planet and cloud city was liberated from the empire by the New Republic. List of Star Wars planets and moons Bespin in the StarWars. com Databank Cloud City in the StarWars. com Databank Bespin on Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki
Bespin
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Bespin
24.
Bail Organa
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This list of characters from the Star Wars franchise contains only those which are considered part of the official Star Wars canon. C-3PO and R2-D2 are the characters to appear in all films to date
Bail Organa
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Jedi Master Kit Fisto
25.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 TV series)
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The series debuted on the US version of Cartoon Network on October 3,2008. Each episode has a time of 22 minutes to fill a half-hour time slot. In 2007, Star Wars creator George Lucas stated there will be at least 100 episodes produced, dave Filoni is the supervising director of the series. There is also a comic, depicting story-snippets between the single episodes. The first trailer for the series was released on the official Star Wars website on May 8,2007, the series was launched with an animated feature film, which was released in theaters on August 15,2008. Season 2 ended on April 30,2010, Season 3 premiered on September 17,2010, with the complete second season releasing on Blu-ray Disc and DVD October 26,2010. Season 4 premiered on September 16,2011 with the Complete Season 3 on Blu-ray Disc, the fourth season was released for Blu-ray Disc and DVD release on October 23,2012. Season 5 premiered on September 29,2012 with a new slot of 9,30 A. M. Season 5 and the series in the Collectors Edition Box set were both released in October 15,2013. On March 11,2013, Lucasfilm announced that Star Wars, super RTL, a German TV network, began airing the episodes on February 15,2014. The sixth-season episodes were available in the U. S. for streaming on Netflix, along with the entirety of the series. A project known as The Clone Wars Legacy adapted unproduced story arcs into other formats beginning in August 2014. After viewing some of the footage of the early episodes on a big screen. Christopher Lee, Anthony Daniels, and Samuel L. Jackson reprised their roles as Count Dooku, C-3PO, Season 1 shows a wide variety of battles and adventures with Grievous and Dooku as the lead antagonists. Many of the episodes are stand-alone, but a common thread throughout the season is that the Republic, in Season 2, the Sith resort to hiring bounty hunters and mercenaries to steal objects and intel or to assassinate targets for them. Meanwhile, the Jedi lead the Republic forces in an assault on the battle droid manufacturing facility. The first half of both Season 3 and Season 4 are diplomatic in nature, Season 3, in particular, has many stories that take away from the battlefield. How different races and planets are affected by the war are shown
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 TV series)
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Star Wars: The Clone Wars
26.
Star Wars expanded universe
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The Star Wars expanded universe is a collective term for all Star Wars fictional material produced by Lucasfilm or officially licensed by it. This restructuring left the Star Wars theatrical films, the Clone Wars animated film, a number of works have subsequently been produced, including the Rebels animated TV series, the 2015 film The Force Awakens, and multiple novels and comic book series. Fosters 1978 novel Splinter of the Minds Eye was commissioned by Lucas as the basis for a potential sequel to Star Wars should the film prove unsuccessful. A Star Wars comic book series from Marvel Comics ran from April 1977 to May 1986, former Marvel Editor-In-Chief Jim Shooter credited the titles strong sales for saving Marvel financially in 1977 and 1978. Marvels Star Wars series was one of the top selling titles in 1979 and 1980. The material was used as a resource by some novelists that followed, StarWars. com wrote in 2014 that the novel jumpstarted a publishing program that endures to this day and formalized the Expanded Universe. It introduced, among others, the popular characters Grand Admiral Thrawn and Mara Jade and this so-called Thrawn trilogy is widely credited with revitalizing the Star Wars franchise. In The Secret History of Star Wars, Michael Kaminski suggests that this renewed interest was a factor in Lucass decision to create the prequel trilogy. Around this same time, Dark Horse Comics acquired the Star Wars license and launched a number of series set after the film trilogy. In 1999, Star Wars book publishing moved from Bantam Spectra to Del Rey Books, New Jedi Order, set 25 to 30 years after the original films, introduced a new threat, the Yuuzhan Vong, a powerful alien race attempting to invade and conquer the entire galaxy. The bulk of Expanded Universe storytelling explores the time period after Return of the Jedi, subsequent novels and comics were set before, concurrent with, and after the events of these works. In 2004, USA Today reported that over 1,100 Star Wars titles had been published, including novels, comics, non-fiction, then-president of Lucas Licensing, Howard Roffman, estimated that there were more than 65 million Star Wars books in print. He said, The books are a way of extending the fantasy of Star Wars, the movies have had a really profound effect on a couple of generations. Star Wars has become a cultural touchpoint, and our fans are avidly interested in exploring more stories, the animated television series Star Wars, The Clone Wars ran from 2008 to 2014 and was set between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. Lucas discussed ideas for a sequel trilogy several times after the conclusion of the original trilogy, in October 2012, The Walt Disney Company acquired Lucasfilm for $4.06 billion. In April 2014, Lucasfilm rebranded the Expanded Universe material as Star Wars Legends, the companys focus would be shifted towards a restructured Star Wars canon based on new material. The announcement called these works the immovable objects of Star Wars history and it was also made clear that a planned Star Wars sequel trilogy, and subsequent works developed within the restructured canon, would not be based on Legends material but could possibly draw from it. Lucas had previously used the character Aayla Secura, introduced in 2000 in the Star Wars, Republic comic book series, in Attack of the Clones
Star Wars expanded universe
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An overall map of the Star Wars galaxy
Star Wars expanded universe
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The Star Wars logo, as seen in all films
Star Wars expanded universe
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A divided and more detailed map of the Star Wars galaxy
Star Wars expanded universe
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Rebel forces approach the
Death Star I during the
Battle of Yavin, an event regarded by George Lucas a decisive moment within the fictional history of the Star Wars "Legends" branded Expanded Universe, and is marked as year 0 BBY on Galactic Standard Calendar.
27.
Dark Jedi
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The Jedi /ˈdʒɛˌdaɪ/ are the main protagonists in the Star Wars universe. They are depicted as an ancient monastic and academic meritocratic organization whose origin dates back to c.25,000 BBY. The Jedi Order mostly consists of polymaths, teachers, philosophers, scientists, engineers, physicians, diplomats and warriors, by serving others, the Jedi give of themselves through acts of charity, citizenship, and volunteerism. A Jedis ideology and strict way of life as a challenge to live up to is a recurring theme in the Star Wars universe. Their traditional weapon is the lightsaber, a device which generates a blade-like plasma controlled by a crystal, the fictional organization has inspired a real-world new religious movement, Jediism. As depicted in the canon, the Jedi study and utilize the Force, in order to help, like their counterparts, the Sith, their main weapon is the lightsaber. By training the mind and the body the Jedi seek to improve themselves by gaining unfettered access to the Force while also seeking to improve those individuals, the film Rogue One suggests that it relates to the planet Jedha, source of the kyber crystals used in lightsabers. George Lucas acknowledged Jedi concepts have been inspired by many sources, the work of the mythologist Joseph Campbell, especially his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces, directly influenced Lucas, and was what drove him to create the modern myth of Star Wars. The Lost Twenty was the given to a group of Jedi Masters—numbering twenty in total—who left the Jedi Order throughout its history. The first twelve of these ‘Lost Twenty’ left the Jedi Order before the Third Great Schism, these twelve Masters later became Dark Jedi who eventually founded the first Sith Empire. In the years preceding the Clone Wars, Jedi Master Dooku left the Jedi Order as a result of differences with his fellow Jedi, to commemorate these former Jedi, memorial statue busts were displayed at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. The prequel films depict the Jedi in their prime, dealing with the presence of the dark side of the Force and determined to fight their mortal enemies. Once corrupted, Vader helps Palpatine hunt down and destroy all of the Jedi, leaving very few left, such as Jedi Masters Yoda. The first person to be issued this order was Clone Commander Cody, Darth Vader led Operation, Knightfall against the Jedi Temple with the 501st Legion while the rest of the clone army around the galaxy carried out Order 66. Palpatine convinced the people of the Republic that Jedi were corrupted warmongers responsible for prolonging the Clone Wars, Darth Vader continued to hunt and execute surviving Jedi by the thousands during the first 10 years of the Empires history. The Jedi are first introduced in the 1977 motion picture Star Wars as an order of monks who serve as the guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy. Obi-Wan Kenobi explains that the Galactic Empire had all but exterminated the Jedi some twenty years before the events of the film, Darth Vader is also established as the Jedis main enemy. By the end of the film, Luke is on the path to becoming a Jedi, the third film in the original trilogy, Return of the Jedi, ends with Luke redeeming Vader and helping to destroy the Empire, thus fulfilling his destiny as a Jedi
Dark Jedi
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The Jedi were considered scholars of erudite lore, keepers of the peace, and the guardians of justice in the galaxy, with Jedi Masters often working together on missions with their respective Padawan apprentices in order to pass their knowledge and employ their abilities on the field.
28.
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
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Star Wars Jedi Knight, Jedi Academy is a 2003 first- and third-person shooter action video game set in the Star Wars universe. It was developed by Raven Software and published by LucasArts in North America, by Activision in Europe, the game was released for Microsoft Windows and OS X in September 2003 and for Xbox in November 2003, and received positive reviews. In September 2009, the game was re-released with the other Star Wars, Jedi Knight games through Steam, Jedi Academy is powered by the id Tech 3 game engine, the same engine used by Jedi Academys predecessor, Jedi Outcast. In a new feature to the series, the player can modify the gender and appearance. In single-player mode, the player control of the character Jaden Korr. The player must complete missions assigned to them by Katarn. There is also a mode that allows players to play against other people over the internet or via a LAN. The player can choose perspective for every weapon, the shooter aspects of the game are standard, including a variety of projectile and energy weapons and explosives. Players have a meter and a shield meter, which are replenished separately. In both single-player and multiplayer, the character is a Force-user, who has access to a variety of Force powers in addition to their lightsaber. Powers include Push, Pull, Jump, Heal, Lightning, Force powers are categorized into core, Light and Dark, and each Force power has three ranks, with the power increasing in effectiveness with each rank. In both single-player and multiplayer, players choose how to rank up their powers, adding a layer of customization, during gameplay, the player has a Force meter which is depleted when powers are used, and recharges when no powers are in use. Jedi Academy places an emphasis on lightsaber combat. The player can create a custom lightsaber by selecting a hilt, the different sabers each have unique styles and special moves. The player initially chooses the characters species and gender, and begins the game with a single lightsaber, midway through the game, the player can choose to use dual sabers or a saber staff if desired. The campaign alternates between linear plot driven missions and user-selected missions, for user-selected missions, the player is given a list of five missions, and chooses the order in which to complete them. The player is required to complete four of the missions before advancing. Between missions the player can choose one of their skills to upgrade
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
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Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
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A multiplayer game where a flag carrier redirects a rocket using
the Force.
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
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At the start of the game the player chooses the gender, race and clothing of his or her character (left).
