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6 Greatest Star Wars Spaceships from All Movies

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It’s clear that when Star Wars was created as a concept, one of the main focuses of the team taking care of the visuals was to put out some of the coolest-looking things that time has ever seen. Many of the spaceships, speeders, and fleets featured throughout the franchise (including the unfortunate prequels) often chose to trade practicality in favor of an appearance that left a big impact on the audiences. We have Star Wars spaceships that have absolutely no aerodynamic function to them, some that are impossibly huge, and equally impossible to maneuver.

Star Wars Spaceships

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But, you know what? That doesn’t matter. After the experience with the midi-chlorians, we’ve learned that it’s much better to leave some things without an explanation. The important thing is that these Star Wars spaceships are really awesome.

#1 Millennium Falcon

Above the fact that it’s become a trademark among all of the other Star Wars spaceships, the Millennium Falcon is such a good match for Han Solo that we can’t help but think that it was made specifically for him. Even though it might be a bit frustrating when it refuses to properly work when it’s needed most, the fact that it stubbornly survived all of the adventures our favorite gang put it through is proof enough that it’s a lasting spaceship.

#2 Death Stars

Speaking of iconic Star Wars spaceships, there’s just a particular kind of creativity in a spaceship that’s the size of a moon and is properly capable of blowing up entire planets. Even though it moves pretty slowly and it was only featured once throughout the movies, it certainly left a lasting impact on the movie goers. Honestly, wouldn’t you flee in terror if you saw one of these dangerously loom over your planet?

#3 X-Wings

There are some entries on this list that might be a bit questionable as far as proper practicality goes, but the X-Wings aren’t about that life. They are likely the result of George Lucas’ personal fascination with old-school jet designs and aerial battles. As a result, they are incredibly deadly when getting upclose and personal with them (curtsy of their lasers) and sufficiently helpful when you’re in need of a means of transportation across the galaxy.

#4 Slave 1

Just like one of its most frequent pilots, Boba Fett, Slave 1 didn’t require a lot of screen time and explosive (pun intended) appearances in order to become a memorable. It captured our attention with the quirky and unique exterior design and even more so with its impressive weaponry at its disposal. Also, it’s safe to say it was one of the few saving graces of the prequels.

#5 Super Star Destroyers

We’re setting aside the fact that this name sounds like it was given by a middle-schooler who just wanted to pick out a really edgy MySpace name back in 2006. But, we need to admit, the superlative isn’t lying. These huge Star Wars spaceships are the perfect reflection of the Empire’s attempts to intimidate the others into submission by simply inducing first-glance dread.

#6 TIE Fighter

Whenever we saw one of these little friendly spaceships, we knew that something dreadful was about to follow. The design undoubtedly stuck to our retinas, something that was aided by the fact that swarms continue to flock to the big screen throughout the whole trilogy. Plus, let’s be honest, do these things look like anything a good guy would pilot?

BONUS: Jedi Starfighter

Since we brought up saving graces for the prequels, we can’t go on without adding the Jedi Starfighters featured in Revenge of the Sith’s thrilling opening sequence. Speedy, awesomely designed, and dangerous, we’re pretty sure that they stuck with us because they’re really cool vehicles. But also because they gave us some thrills at the end of a trilogy that doomed itself from the beginning.

Top 10 Star Wars Easter Eggs in Other Movies

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Everyone loves movie Easter eggs. Why is that? Maybe we get a feeling of accomplishment whenever we manage to pick up on something that’s been sneakily slipped in. Maybe this sates the desire that many of us have to see certain universes collide through a crossover. A combination of both of those is why Star Wars Easter eggs that have been hidden in other movies and productions are so exciting to find and discover. Of course, it could also be the fact that we feel a sense of pride whenever we see just how big the franchise is.

Star Wars Easter Eggs

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But it’s difficult enough to uncover Star Wars Easter eggs within the movies themselves, let alone in other motion pictures. With this in mind, there are chances you never even noticed the secrets that we are going lay out.

#1 Star Trek

Star Trek and Star Wars are like the cats and dogs of the movie industry. However, it seems like the differences and competitive nature have been set to the side when J.J. Abrams took over Star Trek for the 2009 reboot. To showcase his deep love towards George Lucas’ legendary franchise, he planted an R2-D2 between the shots of spaceship debris floating in space.

#2 Raiders of the Lost Ark

If George Lucas doesn’t stroke his own ego, then who will? Luckily for us, he goes about it with a bit more subtlety than, say, M. Night Shyamalan. Since he produced both Star Wars and Indiana Jones, Lucas afforded to sneak in a drawing of R2-D2 among the hieroglyphs visible during one of the scenes in the Raiders of the Lost Ark.

#3 Independence Day

Whether it was intentional or not, that’s debatable. What is clear, however, is that during the scene when Earth first detects its alien invaders, the monitors show the image of a ship strongly resembling the Death Star. The possibility of a coincidence seems to have faded given the fact that on the walls of one of the hangars of Area 51, you can see an R and a 2 written on the walls.

#4 E.T.

What better movie to tie in with some Star Wars Easter eggs than one that’s centered on an alien to begin with? It’s a hardly a secret that many of Steven Spielberg’s works, especially from the 80’s, features a lot of nods to Star Wars. This is super blatant when a Yoda Halloween costume makes a cameo in E.T.

#5 Twister

You can say “Luke, I’m your father” and the reference will be picked up on by someone who’s never even seen the movies. However, Twister decided to be more subtle with its Star Wars Easter eggs, as it had one of the characters exclaim “That’s no moon, it’s a space station!” in reference to the line spoken in A New Hope.

#6 Apocalypse Now

Apocalypse Now is a movie featuring the deeply harrowing psychological darkness of the Vietnam War. Supposed to be initially directed by Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas, the latter drew out last minute. Coppola honored him by naming Harrison Ford’s character “Colonel Lucas,” also nicknamed “Luke.”

#7 Men in Black

The movie had the opportunity to make this super obvious, but it didn’t. Instead, Men in Black paid its obligatory homage to Star Wars by including a shot of George Lucas during a line-up of secret aliens.

#8 Star Trek: Into Darkness

Abrams didn’t stop with his Star Wars Easter eggs there. He continued with Into Darkness and returned R2-D2 to the movie for even shorter screen time. He can barely be spotted as he’s hurled out of the Enterprise during an explosive collision.

#9 Marvel Phase 2

Marvel’s Phase 2 is generally considered to be a big step-up from its predecessor, similarly to Empire Strikes Back. This is why this array of movies features many call backs and Star Wars Easter eggs that remind of the iconic scene when Luke loses his hand.

#10 The Goonies

We end this list with what is possibly the most difficult to detect of Star Wars Easter eggs. When we are shown the deck of the pirate ship we glimpse at in The Goonies, a closer look will help you see the hidden R2-D2 tucked between the other props.

5 Real Life Lightsaber Designs

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Star Wars has become a formidable empire, a franchise that has built a cult following for itself, full of loyal and enthusiastic fans. One of the things the saga is most well-known for is the sheer size of its expanded material that contains everything from bonus readings, books, comics, toys, and cartoons. But if there is one thing that we can say for certain has become a trademark for everything that Star Wars has to offer, that’s the lightsaber. And, all this time, one of the fans’ biggest desires has been the ability to create a real life lightsaber.

Real Life Lightsaber

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So, why haven’t we? We seem to be on our merry way to bring the hoverboard into real life, what’s keeping the lightsaber from becoming a proper reality? For starters, the fact that it’s incredibly dangerous might have something to do with it. A real life lightsaber would essentially mean a long beam of light with laser properties that is sturdy enough to be able to clash against other lightsabers.

Practically speaking, this isn’t something easy to achieve. The biggest issue that those who have attempted to build a real life lightsaber had encountered was the lack of control to the length of the beam, as well as the solidifying of the light particle. Some people, however, found a groundbreaking formula and they’ve managed to give us some prototypes that are the closest thing to a real life lightsaber we will ever get to.

#1 SufficientlyAdvanced

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-xHso660tA]

If you go to his YouTube channel description, you will notice that his premise is “I make pretend things into real things.” A man by the name Allen managed to make the incredible discovery that a real life lightsaber might not be, after all, such a far-fetched dream.

Using nichrome ignition to bring out the light beam, he ignited a methanol and acetone mixture in order to give us a thin, seemingly well-kept under control blue string of light. It’s definitely not thick enough to be called a proper sword and it can’t really hold its ground in a battle, but it can cause some proper damage, as demonstrated by the slashed balloons and burned Jar Jar Binks photo in the video.

#2 Yoda

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7ImIzJJGEA]

No, it’s not the real Yoda, but it’s all a little bit poetic when you think about it. This is the nickname assumed by Michael Murphy, a Star Wars enthusiast who has made it his life’s biggest goal to build the perfect real life lightsaber replica.

To create his version, Murphy didn’t just work on the functionality of the saber alone, detailing the exterior to the smallest of aspects. The most impressive thing is that he managed to pick up on one fundamental part of Star Wars lore – the fact that the lightsabers are powered by tiny crystals inside of them. Murphy’s gorgeous real life lightsaber is up on eBay for a price ranging somewhere in a few ten thousands of dollars.

#3 styropyro

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c__TcJAge6Y]

The styropyro YouTube channel is all about lasers and powerful beams. Given how he’s already incorporated them in some other kinds of weapons, guns included, it was almost expected for him to tackle down the possibility of making a real life lightsaber.

Inspired by the aforementioned Allen (SufficientlyAdvanced), our inventor added his own twist to the lightsaber by focusing more on the use of laser as opposed to setting substances on fire. There are several downsides, however, such as the fact that you can’t look at the beam directly and that the length can’t be controlled (yet).

#4 BeatTheBush

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DE1Rwmg6EEM]

It’s strange that a DIY channel that mostly focuses on travel and cooking would come forth with an idea for a real life lightsaber, but it seems like it truly happened. This is one of the best uses of the word “prototype” we could come up with. It does look really cool, but it has a way to go before it can shape up into a final project.

Resembling a lightdagger rather than a lightsaber, the potential of this beam sword is, however, undeniable. It has a practical and easy to use handle, it looks like it has the possibility to flesh out the most believable ray of light, and all that it needs is a little bit more extra length to it.

#5 sethioz

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQuJrvL3hlo]

At the bottom of the list we have the lightsaber that has the most way to go until we can call it a success. Unlike the other entries on this list, the laser beam isn’t even visible to the naked eye, though it is able to burn through a paper.

Needless to say, it’s something that we haven’t managed to turn into a reality for the past several decades. It’s certainly not a project can materialize over the night, so it’s important that we look at the small steps and appreciate all of the achievements so far. We wish sethioz good luck and to continue development!

4 Easter Eggs In The Force Awakens That You Probably Missed

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Ah, yes, nothing says “box office success” quite like a movie that’s backed up by plenty of hype and expectations and doesn’t betray them. When there are these circumstances involved, the outcome can only be one of two: a complete flop or a smashing record setting picture. I can count some examples for both scenarios just off the back of my head, but luckily there are some that meet both criteria. But before we get to the Easter eggs in The Force Awakens, let’s take Jurassic Park for example: after the success of Spielberg’s original movie, everyone was eager to see what The Lost World and Jurassic Park 3 could bring. But that was before we actually saw the movies and found ourselves on the verge of nearly flinging our TV’s through the window or getting up in the theater and leaving without even finishing our popcorn. Because of this, almost ten years later, the revival of the franchise came with a lot of expectations, which Jurassic World finally managed to meet, thus making it one of highest grossing movies of all time.

What does this comparison have to do with the article’s title? Easy: Star Wars followed the same formula. The franchise was brought to an insane popularity thanks to the original trilogy, people had their bars set high when the prequels rolled in, were ultimately disappointed, and almost a decade later, they were filled with a lot of expectations towards The Force Awakens. And just like in the other example, the series managed to rise from its own ashes and once more rain honor, popularity and money on the Star Wars name. But after waiting for so long for another proper Star Wars movie, some fans were left feeling as if that wasn’t enough, so they started dissecting every tiny aspect of the film in hopes of finding Easter eggs and clues for the future of the new installments. And just in case you couldn’t be bothered to pay extensive attention to every small detail, we did the work for you and compiled a list of 4 Easter Eggs In The Force Awakens.

1. Rey’s Visions And Luke’s Exile

4 Easter Eggs In The Force Awakens - Rey's Visions

One of the biggest mysteries that the new installments has yet to clear up involves Rey’s origins, and the question that’s on everyone’s lips is: who are Rey’s parents? It didn’t take long before speculations started spilling, with some people saying that it might be Luke himself who is her father, while others think she might not be involved with the Skywalker bloodline at all. Regardless of her relation to Luke, The Force Awakens tried to subtly let us know that some sort of connection exists. In the scene where (spoilers) Kylo Ren gets inside Rey’s head, he sees fragments of a recurring dream involving an “endless ocean” and “the island.” People have different opinions as far as interpreting this scene goes: some tie it to the possibility of Rey being indeed Luke’s daughter, while others prefer to think this is a key information for the future of the series.

2. The Opening Refers The Prequels

We Get 4 Easter Eggs In The Force Awakens From The First Scene

Speaking of disappointing follow ups of otherwise successful movies, here is something that most Star Wars fans hoped they’d never have to hear of again. Many consider the first line of Episode VII – “This will begin to make things right.” – an attempt to acknowledge the prequels and let us know that the sequels are going to try their best to make up for the mess they left behind. However, it’s not the time to start celebrating the inclusion of this alleged “meta dragging,” since many people seem to have omitted what follows after that line: “Without the Jedi there can be no balance in the Force.” I’m not saying this means they’ll be bringing the midi-chlorians back, but no matter how you look at it, it’s a definite nod and reference to a pivotal point of the prequels, that the movies to come are very likely to keep in and, even more, explore further.

3. R2-D2’s Awakening

R2-D2 Is Behind One Of The 4 Easter Eggs In The Force Awakens

One of the few things that left audiences with a giant question mark hanging above their heads, is the scene where R2-D2 wakes up from his slumber induced by Luke’s departure. Some things are clear: he has a part of the map leading to Luke and, therefore, he played an important part to the story in that regard. What’s not so clear, is the reason why he booted up again all of sudden, after all this time. Many people resort to simply labeling this scene as a typical “ex machina” moment, whose only purpose was to conveniently move the plot along. It could be that, yes, but it likely has to do more with the fact that R2-D2 didn’t exactly wake up for no reason: he did it when in Rey’s presence. This could have happened for many reasons: maybe it was because Rey is a powerful user of the Force or (to consolidate even further the Luke and Rey father-daughter theories) because there could be some Skywalker blood running through her veins. Either way, I’m sure the reasons behind this scene go beyond the “convenient plot advancing point” stereotype and it makes one of the nicest Easter eggs in The Force Awakens.

4. Kylo Ren’s Original Movie Reference

Original Movies Reference - 4 Easter Eggs In The Force Awakens

It seems that one of the best ways to catch on to important Easter eggs in The Force Awakens is to pay attention to the dialogue. As Kylo Ren comes to face Rey during their climatic battle, he says one interesting line: “That lightsaber belongs to me.” He obviously references the the weapon he so desperately wants to add to his Darth Vader shrine, though it also holds a bigger importance, since it seems to reference the initial script of the movie. Before its release, it was rumored that we would get to have a guest appearance from Anakin/Luke’s old lightsaber. This is more than just a rumor, as it’s strongly supported by evidence even from the final form of the movie: many aspects that have to do with the lightsaber are oddly vague and clumsily written, which, to me, reeks of last minute plan changes.

I think it’s safe to say that J.J. Abrams definitely has many things in store for Star Wars fans, which is what makes the prospect of the future Episodes even all the more exciting. There were plenty of nods and clues in The Force Awakens, some of which were paving the way for the future development of the plot. Did you catch of these 4 Easter Eggs In The Force Awakens? I’m sure there are many, many more, so until Episode VIII comes out, we have all the time in the world to rewatch the movie for the 65th time and go hunting for more.

Image sources: 1, 2, 3, 4.

Top 9 Returning Actors in 2015

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Let’s talk about some returning actors and their stories of success, of course. Everyone has ups and downs in their lives. For instance, Michael Keaton, Jean Dujardin and Mel Gibson, stars of Birdman, The Artist and Brave Heart, have lost much of their popularity over the past years. Some others pursued roles in celebrity (reality) shows or TV series. And yet, Michael Keaton recently revived in the Spotlight movie which is an Oscar-favorite. Take a look at the top 9 returning actors in 2015.

1. Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford

The top 9 returning actors in 2015 includes members of the Star Wars cast.

Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill in Star Wars.

It’s always interesting to watch actors reprising their roles after many years and this is exactly what we will be witnessing this December in the new Star Wars movie. After their popular roles in the Star Wars trilogy, Mark Hamill pursued a very successful voice acting career, Carrie Fisher became a script doctor and Harrison Ford continued acting in both action packed movies and more serious ones. Fans are all waiting to watch them reprise their roles in the beloved franchise.

2. Colin Farrell

Colin Farrell also returned this year.

Colin Farrell in True Detective.

Colin Farrell was supposed to have an amazing comeback this year, just as Matthew McConaughey had in 2014. Unfortunately, things didn’t go quite as planned as he was outshined in both True Detective and The Lobster. His best recent performance remains the one in the In Bruges movie. In spite of this, 2016 looks promising for Farrell as he will be part of the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them movie.

3. Vincent D’Onofrio

The top top 9 returning actors in 2015 includes Vincent D'Onofrio.

Vincent D’Onofrio in Jurassic World.

Vincent D’Onofrio used to be known only from his roles in Men in Black and Full Metal Jacket. The actor was brought again to our attention this year through two movies. The role he played in Jurassic World was as appreciated as the movie itself. However, it was his performance as Wilson Fisk that raised his popularity again in the new Daredevil series.

4. Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp surprised us all in Black Mass.

Johnny Depp in Black Mass.

Johnny Depp is one of the most prolific actors of our time. His popularity rose in the 1990s and reached its peak in 2005, when he played the famous pirate Jack Sparrow, whom we all know and love. However, since then he has turned into something call “box-office poison”, as his newest movies did not record a high level of viewers. This year this title might change with the Black Mass movie, where Depp threw his most recent and interesting performance as Whitey Bulger. However, his popularity is sure to rise again with the sequels for Pirates of the Caribbean and Alice in Wonderland coming out next year.

5. Jonathan Pryce

Among the top 9 returning actors in 2015 we can find Jonathan Pryce.

Jonathan Pryce in Game of Thrones.

Jonathan Pryce hasn’t had a truly prominent role until 2015. The year started with the BBC drama Wolf Hall, where he had a supporting role and continued with highly praised Game of Thrones series. Pryce does a wonderful job with one of the most ambiguous characters in the story, as it is almost impossible to find out his true motives. However, that could be said of the most characters in the series. He will reprise his role as the High Sparrow in 2016.

6. Ryan Reynolds

Ryan Reynolds returned to the big screen with three movies in 2015.

Ryan Reynolds in The Voices.

The actor will make his comeback in Deadpool (an anti-hero with accelerated healing powers who hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life after an experiment), but in 2015 he already proved what he can do with being a nice guy. Mississippi Grind, Woman in Gold and The Voices have the prints of a remarkable performance, which surpass Green Lantern, R.I.P.D. and Safe House of the last years.

7. Sienna Miller

Sienna Miller is part of the top 9 returning actors in 2015.

Sienna Miller in American Sniper.

Well, Sienna was pretty busy with mid-films. Originally in Black Mass which would have given her a very welcome comeback, her part was unfortunately cut. Although she has a great standing (A-list), she’s not really prominent in her roles. The 2015 output includes five important movies with the most probably best personal performance in Mississippi Grind. In 2016 she’ll push the brakes a little bit, but we’ll still meet her in Ben Wheatley’s High-Rise, that after several film festivals promises to be amazing.

8. Jeff Daniels

Jeff Daniels starred this year in The Martian.

Jeff Daniels in The Martian.

When needed, TV was there to save actors, when the movies became either super-budgeted or small. One of the best example is Jeff Daniels. After the Dumb & Dumber comedy of the nineties he lost sparkle, but luckily there came The Newsroom drama and his remarkable comeback. This appears to lead him to Apple CEO John Sculley in Steve Jobs, but also to NASA head Teddy Sanders in The Martian (both with sharp dialogue, emotional levels and strong positions). Catchy roles. We are waiting to see him next year in Divergent.

9. Kurt Russell

The top 9 returning actors in 2015 would be incomplete without Kurt Russell.

Kurt Russell in The Hateful Eight.

His movies Escape from New York, The Thing and Big Trouble in Little China should be enough to be always remembered but it’s still time for new big hits! So, Kurt Russell comes with The Hateful Eight in which he plays a moustached hunter of a criminal. This movie reunites him with Quentin Tarantino, which can be a good passport for the Oscar. Not to forget that this year he also starred in Furious 7.

Image Source: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

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