Post-Midterm Elections Hot Take

Well, we didn't blow up the Death Star last night. At least, I wouldn't read it that way. But then, that was always a longshot - you know, like trying to hit a thermal exhaust port that's only two meters wide with proton torpedoes while engaged in a dog fight with Imperial Tie Fighters.

What we did do, I think, was more on the order of sabotaging the Imperial shipyards. And if we can halt production there, then that sets us up with more of an advantage for the next big battle.

This election was never going to fix everything. There is no quick fix for this. Where we are now? It's the culmination of years (and in some areas, centuries) of people gimmicking our political system. It's going to take years to try to fix, and if the best we can do right now is put the brakes on some of the worst abuses, well...

It's a start. And it's a start worth celebrating.

So we take what we got. And then we get back to work.

Sometimes the best you can do is rescue your friends and get the hell out of Cloud City. We did a lot better than that.

And... if you don't find me encouraging enough? Read this whole thread. Fewer Star Wars references, but a good look at where we are and why even the losses matter.

Martha Wells also has an excellent take (which I fully agree with) on why she's sick of people blaming Texas for remaining weighted-Republican. Texas actually did pretty well, under the circumstances.

The thing about victory...

...is that even if we get a victory, we're not done.

You don't get to just blow up the Death Star and go home. That's the kind of thinking that gets you frozen in carbonite. I mean, sure - stop and celebrate. If we pull it off, we'll have put a big damper on the Empire's ability to just go around blowing up planets. But they'll still fall back on fleets and stormtroopers and Imperial bureaucracy. We'll still need to keep working to minimize the damage that they're trying to do.

They're not going to stop. Even if we do blow up the Death Star -- and that's not even remotely guaranteed -- they're just going to try to build another one. So we have to stick with it. We have stay organized and keep up the opposition. (And we can't keep expecting the murder-bears of Endor to save us, either.)

So get out there and vote today, but be ready to keep at it tomorrow (or day after, or the day after that -- it's okay if you need a bit of a rest after all this).

(I mean, we all know perfectly well that Luke and Han and Chewbacca all went down to the cantina and got thoroughly drunk and then slept for like fourteen hours after they got back to the Rebel base, right? There was some serious recuperation time between Blowing Up The Death Star and the Victory Awards Celebration.)

Plot Summary for Rogue One (minor spoilers)

In order to stop the Empire, Derek Wildstar disguises himself as a storm trooper and infiltrates the Enterprise. With the help of a feather-haired alien named Hawk (the last of his race) they steal the holodisk with the secret plans from Emperor Ming.

The Daleks corner them on the mining ship Red Dwarf, but they escape with help from a young man named Ken Washio. Traveling in secret, they return to the Nostromo with the plans, thus allowing the Rebellion to build a Super Dimensional Fortress Macross of their own so that they can fight off the Cylons.

Did I forget anything?




The reference are, in order:
1. Star Wars (The Empire)
2. Starblazers/Space Battleship Yamato (Wildstar)
3. Star Wars (storm trooper)
4. Star Trek (Enterprise)
5. Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (Hawk)
5. Flash Gordon (Emperor Ming the Merciless)
6. Doctor Who (Daleks)
7. Red Dwarf (Red Dwarf)
8. Battle of the Planets/Science Ninja Team Gatchaman (Ken Washio)
9. Alien (the Nostromo)
10. Star Wars (the Rebellion)
11. Robotech (Super Dimensional Fortress Macross)
12. Battlestar Galactica (Cylons)

It's a basically a free-association map of the science fiction influences from my youth.

Someone draw this for me?

Midnight. A darkened alley. Three figures run down it, laundry bags slung over their shoulders. Behind them, an alarm wails.

Unseen overhead, a dark shape passes across the alley, black cloak spread like wings against the sky.

The figures in the alley slow, then stop. They are not far from the end of the alley, but a dumpster hides them from view. One of them sets his sack down. "Is it clear?"

The bag slumps oddly. It isn't full of laundry; it's full of boxes of stolen electronics.

"I'll look," another one volunteers. He turns, just as a figure in black drops to the ground beside him. "Oh, no."

"It's him," says another of the thieves.

"We're dead," says the third, but grabs for his gun anyway.

A line of red cleaves the darkness, and the two halves of the gun go spinning away. The light from the burning blade reveals the cloaked figure, the black armor, the terrifying mask. The sound of harsh, mechanical breathing fills the alley.

THE DARTH KNIGHT RETURNS
Coming Soon to a To a Theater near You

A bathtub conversation

Secondborn: (shouting from the bathtub) "I want something to play with!"

Me: (setting two toys on the edge of the tub and dropping a third into the water) "Here. I call this game, 'Luke Skywalker and Han Solo versus the Aldebaraan Sharks of Doom'."

Secondborn: (surveying the toys) "I call this game, 'Luke Skywalker rides a shark'."

Luke as a Toddler

You know... Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen raised Luke from the time he was a baby. That means there's actually a very good chance that at some point during his childhood, one of Luke Skywalker's adoptive parents actually said, "Use the fork, Luke."

Secondborn prepares for Halloween

"Take a picture of me, Daddy!"

...And Boba Loves You Too

Boba. With Boba. I am irrationally amused by this.

Attack of the Clowns

Some days...

The Truth about May The Fourth

Educate yourself before you participate...

Real Work Conversations: Ex-Jedi

Co-worker: "What is that?"

Me: "It's Darth Vader's head. In a plastic bag."

Co-Worker: "Okay, then."

Presumably the rest of him is still in that cave on Dagobah.

Death Star Casual Day

"It's Casual Day," Grand Moff Tarkin had told him. "You should really take part, you know. Good for morale."

Now, with a prison break in process and his former master loose on the Death Star, Darth Vader knew that he should have trusted his feelings. Business Casual just wasn't going to be intimidating enough...

Filler: Lightsaber duel

I'm out of town, so have a random lightsaber battle.

You are ready, young Padawan...

There comes a day in every Padawan's life (and his or her training, which is his or her life) when a new understanding is achieved and vital decisions are finally settled. It is the day when he or she finally decides on a style of lightsaber. Is it best to fight with a single blade? A pair of them? Or a single weapon using double blades?

This is not something to be undertaken lightly or impulsively, but rather calmly, surely, and after much deliberation. It is a decision of utmost importance, one that determines their future fighting style and even (some say) their approach to understanding The Force.

Today... that decision has been made.

Genuine, authentic Yeti pictures direct from my kitchen!

Yeah, this is why a four-year-old with legos and Star Wars: Angry Birds figurines is a serious danger to my mental health. I think they're coming to drag us all back to Hoth.

Jedi Ninja Lightsaber Duel

I'm not feeling entirely well, so... um... have a ninja Jedi battle! Sort of. Yeah.


Here's hoping that today is a lot quieter than yesterday...

Today, you become Darth Toddler. Let the Republic tremble...

This is why elementary lightsaber safety is so important, especially if you have children in the house.

Imperial Marches

We're doing some sort of training during lunch today, so here's the Imperial March:



Join us below the cut for more variations on the theme...

Forsooth, the Force will be with you

Star Wars, if it had been written by Shakespeare:

Star Wars... voiced by cartoon actors

A friend of mine sent this over. I don't know about the rest of you, but my life is now complete. And since we're heading into the weekend, this seems like a good time to share it.