When I first started the Mos Espa Collection, it was a simple hobby page for posting photos of my Star Wars figures as I got back into the collecting game. Whilst my interests have splintered over the years it was always my love of Star Wars that formed both the spine of this site and my collecting habits; at least up until the last year, anyway. Since then I've found myself moving away from Star Wars as a toy line. It was a good run, but - you gotta follow the river.
And so with the blog as with my collecting habits, I've determined to regroup, refocus, and pursue the robotic driftof my interests – and start reflecting a toy shelf that has been taking on an increasingly Cybertronian slant. I did consider starting a new site, but I'm proud of the history of this blog and I don't want to take a singular approach to collecting when my interests flex as much as they do. Let's just consider this the first major evolution for the site, and go from there...
I’m no expert on Transformers,
but that’s kind of the point - and I'm looking forward to discovering a lot more about the Robots in Disguise as I chart a course through the toys, cartoons, comics and games from the last 30 years, in the many varied iterations. It's fair to say that I've missed out on a lot.
Don't let the URL confuse you. Welcome to The MEC!
Time and again I’ll get that uncontrollable desire to put
down some money for some fine plastic crack, whatever line I’m into at the
time, and much like Decepticons dogging an Autobot shuttle (which sounds kinda
weird when typed out like that), the need doesn’t abate until I’m ripping
plastic from cardback and welcoming a new soldier to the collection. That’s how
so many of the figures I own have come into my possession, and quite tidily
explains how I always veer so wildly off of any kind of focus.
It’s all good fun, don’t get me wrong – new toys can be
exciting photography subjects, or companions on adventures around the
house, but after a while the thrill wears off and in most cases the figures end
up in a box waiting for the day they no longer fit the trim of my collection, gathering
dust whilst destined for eBay. What’s more, impulse purchases never feel as
good as ticking something off of ‘the list’ – finding Battle in Space Rodimus
second-hand for £6 has been one of my best finds since starting collecting
because a) he’s one of my favourite characters, and b) it scratched that G1
Movie itch. Beast Hunters Deluxe Smokescreen, currently on sale for £6.50 at
the supermarket down the road doesn’t have the same pros going for it, however
much I liked the character in the show. But still, despite these
rationalisations, the temptation is there to nip out and buy it anyway. It
could be in my hands in ten minutes.
Further propagating the insatiable urge has been the recent launch
of the AOE toys, which I scouted out just this morning at another supermarket
slightly further down the road. My willpower took an easy victory there though as
those toys (the one-step changers and battlers) look terrible, completely and
utterly devoid of the skill and invention that continues to make Transformers
an evergreen line. Hasbro’s continued cheapening out will come home to roost
(if it’s not already), but that’s a subject for another post…
So then, a thought suggests, maybe I should just go and buy
the substantially better (and cheaper) Beast Hunters figures whilst I still
can?
No. That way lies madness, and an inevitable financial loss when
the toy ends up at a car boot sale one year hence. Furthermore it could also mean
the difference between making all my bills this month or not, which means
buying the figure would be both a serious lapse of responsibility and indicate
a failure to contextualise my dilemma. They’re just toys man, just toys.
Still got that urge though. What to do?
Here’s a novel suggestion, amidst the wave of purchase
enabling which goes on online - how about appreciating the plastic I’ve already
got?
My CHUG collection (Classics/Henkei/Universe/Generations,
the standard Transformers lines of recent years) is small but pretty, and
contains several of my favourite characters – the aforementioned Rodimus (Hot
Rod in all but copyright-concerned name), Jazz, Galvatron, Cyclonus and
Bumblebee. All G1, all Movie, all fun… Well, with the unfortunate exception of the small,
fiddly and frustrating Galvatron, but I’m not here to focus on
the negatives. The glorious weather we’ve had so far this week was a big
motivating factor in taking them all out to photograph, and in doing so I
remembered why I collect these figures in the first place.
So much of collecting is about the next big thing, the
upcoming releases, the new third-party or Masterpiece pre-orders, with the
result being that the current releases tend to get forgotten, celebrated wildly
upon receipt but then left to stand on a shelf; at least, that’s something I’ve
been guilty of anyway. What I think I’d be better off remembering is that I’ve
got a great little collection of toy robots already, and in future I should
perhaps try to associate my urge with appreciating what I have, rather than
with spending what I don’t.
All that said though… One Kapow! sale, and I’m anybody’s…
Staying on target then, does anyone reading have any particular
method for avoiding the temptation of sales and keeping focused with their collecting? Or is it
just an intrinsic part of the collector mentality to move from one purchase to
the next? I’d love to hear your thoughts…
Yesterday (April 29th) marked the anniversary of
the 1997 release of X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter, the single greatest Star Wars
video game experience available. Some other Star Wars news overshadowed this
monumental date for some reason or another, but to ensure XvT gets the love it
deserves this week I’m celebrating with a Vintage Wednesday look at Luke
Skywalker’s best buddy, Biggs Darklighter!
First of all then, the packaging. Biggs comes on the iconic green blade
POTF2 card with the distinctive Vader cut edge, and also comes packed with my favourite of
the 90’s era promotions – the freeze frame. I loved these things for a few reasons back in the day; firstly, they were a neat memento to the character’s appearance in the films in a way that harks directly back to the medium of film itself,
and secondly they marked the start of a significant upturn in quality for the
POTF2 line. This is a US cardback and so doesn't have the trilingual descriptions that I normally saw on my figures - a nice added bonus of being able to pick these guys up for peanuts on eBay nowadays...
Released in Wave 14, Biggs benefits massively from a slimmed
down sculpt and realistic proportions in comparison to previous human characters, a change for the better that the line
started to take in 1998. Whilst still dynamically posed, the figure has a good
centre of gravity and stands easily.
In addition to the more realistic sculpt Biggs also has much
better detailing than the earlier releases, such as the pipes that run along
his flight suit and a strong facial likeness. The paints are a nice
combination of colours, with the dull, screen accurate orange much better than
the day glow Black Series version that’s currently available, and the
recreation of Biggs’ helmet design is superbly done. There is some unfortunate
sloppiness with the paint apps on my figure, such as some spill from the black glove onto his arm, and a little grey splodge on the back of the white tabard which
does count against him. Other sections such as the helmet and the
chest panel are as sharp and clean as possible, however.
He comes with two weapons, the standard Correllian Blaster
that came with nearly every Rebel POTF2 figure, and a larger blaster cannon.
Both are fun (and he looks mean carrying one in each hand), but the larger gun
works best in his left hand, due to the sculpt of his right elbow. The helmet
isn’t removable, but given how the Wedge Antilles from the Rebel Pilots Cinema Scene set turned out, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Anyway, there’s one area in particular where the POTF2 Biggs Darklighter
excels, and that is in the cockpit of an X-Wing fighter. The first actual X-Wing pilot
figure released in the modern era (Luke and Wedge were both previously released in their
Snowspeeder gear), Biggs needs a slight push on his arms but once he’s in the cockpit it’s like he was made for it. I’ve had a
POTF2 X-Wing for a while now without a pilot, and Biggs here does the job
perfectly. I just need to make sure I keep him away from any Death Stars…
The 1998 Biggs Darklighter is a fantastic figure, and was a sign
of the great things to come with the Hasbro Star Wars line. If you have an old
style X-Wing kicking about in desperate need of a pilot, you could do far
worse.
That right there is the condensed Mos Espa Collection, Star Wars division - all packed up and ready for the move. It's nice to see quite how little space it takes up in total, given how sprawling I've seen some collections get (not that that's in any way a bad thing; I just don't have the room for that). As the Emcat and I have moved to a smaller house (albeit in a much nicer town) I needed to get my collection as small as it could physically go. Truth be told it was easier than I thought...
I'd held onto various cardbacks, inserts and some complete, carefully opened blister cards, but on looking through them for the first time since packing them away I had absolutely no idea why. My POTF2 Skyhopper box was torn and bent beyond repair and definitely unfit for the purpose of protecting the vehicle, and as nice as the Original Trilogy Collection cardbacks looked, I had literally no use for them anymore. Rebelscum provides a great photo archive if I ever wanted to look at the cardbacks again (so far I haven't felt the urge), and I've freed up some box space - that's a win in my book.
This isn't a loose versus carded collector post at all, it's just my reflections on how I engage with my hobby. It's not a complete scorched earth policy with regards to collateral materials, either - one thing I have held on to is my extremely small collection of product catalogues, from POTF2 onwards. I spent hours looking through these as a kid, and that's something that still brings me joy today - and whatever you collect, that's what we're all doing this for, right?
*
Since there's a crossover period with the houses we've started to get settled into our new place already, and once again I'm spending most of my time here in the spare room. Whilst everything's still a little bit chaotic at the moment (as well as the move I'm trying to complete my dissertation), when things settle down I'm looking to take advantage of my condensed collection, new space and greater income to make this room into an office/man cave worthy of the name. As such I've been checking out various examples of Star Wars themed rooms from around the internet, and thought I'd take the Goldilocks approach to sharing some of the examples I've been looking at:
Above is the uber-Star Wars room. Doug Chiang, the design director for Episode One designed this home cinema room, and frankly... That's not a level of dedication I'd be able to match. Also, I'm talking about a room in a rented property here - if I were to go this far out, I don't think we'd get our deposit back...
Now this is classy. High end prop reproductions mounted in over lit glass cabinets and beautifully framed maxi-posters
in a clutter-free and minimalist environment... In my dreams, this is
how my collection would look. Two major issues with this for me though -
firstly, my office/man cave needs to be a working environment, which this doesn't seem to be, and
secondly... that is a big room. I guess I could ask the Emcat if I could
take over the ground floor of the house, but I have a feeling I know
what she'd say. Although that would give me an excuse to get one of
those Han in Carbonite fridges made...
This setup is much more what I have in mind. Pictures hanging up in nice frames and a glass display cabinet are must-haves (especially if I end up going the high end collectible route), and the loose shelves at the end would provide an ideal display space for the more toy-like of my toys, making them easily attainable for photographs. I love the ships hanging from the ceiling, although I would definitely think twice about putting the Legacy Millennium Falcon above both my computer and my head. I think a cracked skull, broken PC and destroyed BMF all at once would be too much to bear!
My main requirement with the room is that it's functional, first and foremost. I need somewhere to keep my filming equipment, subject books and editing tools in such a way that I have 24-7 access to them, and displaying my collection, however nice it would be to do, is a secondary concern. That said though, now my collection's that little bit smaller, and increasingly more focused, finding that space shouldn't be so hard... right?
How about you - have you got any tips on space saving, or preferred display methods? My room's a blank canvas at this point, it'd be great to hear your thoughts!
Perhaps it's due to my generally left-leaning politics, or maybe it's just because I selfishly want to see a good range of products from licenses I like get made, but either way I'm a big fan of third party manufacturers and the products they bring to the table. Case in point is this new offering from Twelth Parsec, 'Star Wars Inspired Space Trees' (click through to the Indiegogo campaign page).
Scale Wars
These Space Trees are decent looking modular display sets that offer collectors the chance to build anything from a sole Ewok outpost to a fully connected Bright Tree Village, and they offer a significant chunk of play value as well (usable huts, rope ladders, AT-ST ending log swings); in short, they're offering pretty much exactly what fans, myself included, have been pestering Hasbro about for years. The campaign has already hit its target but has set stretch goals for the next five days, so be sure to at least check it out if you haven't already and see if you could maybe find a place for one of these in your collection...
I know there's some collector unease about third party products, at least with some well-informed Transformers fans I've spoken to about the subject, but I think that Hasbro only have themselves to blame for the recent proliferation of non-official Star Wars 'inspired' playsets and displays. Whilst the big H has continually claimed that playsets don't work and won't sell, they're basing that on the performance of the lazy, uninspired designs they put out to cash in on the Prequels. Junk like the Theed Generator Complex (above) didn't sell because it's poorly made, cheap and barely resembles the film set it's based on. I can think of two playsets that Hasbro did get right, the Endor Attack Bunker and the Detention Block Rescue - and both of these look somewhat how they're supposed to, and still command a fair to high secondary market price. The demand is there.
The last booth he ever used...
I'm in no position at the moment to afford any Space Trees, but I wish Twelth Parsec the best of luck with their endeavour. For what it's worth I already have a custom 'Hero Booth' Mos Eisley Cantina display from the hugely talented Boutros77, and would definitely buy something of that standard again in the future - be it from Hasbro or otherwise.
So, are third party companies good or bad? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
It's been a while since I last posted anything, hasn't it?
I'm pleased to report that everything is going well here at the Collection HQ, but I've been insanely busy finishing off my uni course over the last few weeks and haven't had much time to do anything beyond filming, editing and writing essays. And yes, that includes eating and sleeping! With all of my big deadlines finally out of the way however I thought I'd unwind today with a bike ride and a spot of action figure photography...
Somewhere along the line, Teebo from POTJ has become one of my favourite figures to photograph, and today was no exception - I wasn't even planning to go anywhere that wooded, but still bought him along just in case and was rewarded when I found a very cool spot along an abandoned railway track.
I tried something a bit different today and left my Canon 600D at home and instead took out my old PowerShot A530, a point and shoot I was using way back when I first got into this hobby. I found I was focusing a lot more on composition of the shots than anything else, and whilst the auto focus led to a lot of blurry takes I was able to get a reasonable amount of usable pics. It was a lot of fun and a lot easier than carrying around my bigger camera, so I might be using it a little bit more in the future...
*
This old chestnut...
On another note, the Emcat and I are moving house! We're downsizing to start saving for the future, which means we're doing a lot of sorting and clearing out. Toys will be sold amongst the shedding, but at the end of it I'm going to have the kind of streamlined, focused collection I've been after for a while now - as well as also having the space and funds to add to that collection further down the line. Whilst all this is going on there'll probably be another absence of posts, but hopefully for nowhere near as long as this last hiatus - more than anything, I'm looking forward to finding a whole host of new locations to explore and share...
Man, it's good to be back. To those of you still out there, many thanks for reading!
The 2014 New York Toy Fair was a real moment of triumph for the Star Wars Black Series line as a plethora of new figures were displayed, including the incredible ROTJ brace of Jedi Luke and Darth Vader. The all-but-confirmed Speeder Bike with Scout Trooper was also on show, along with an amazingly hideous Jabba the Hutt, and any fears I had about the line pricing me out have disipitated next to the thought of getting these guys. A quick scout of eBay confirms I can get two thirds of wave two for a reasonable price, whilst wave five (or 2014 wave three, confusingly) may just be the first time I buy by the box, and cost be damned. If the Black Series needed fresh momentum, it certainly found it this weekend...
With the future of the line looking more than just a little bit secure, it seems like now would be a good time to follow up my original article, and take a look at the next few figures that I'd love to see Gentle Giant and Hasbro tackle!
5. C-3PO
This one's such a no-brainer that I questioned whether to include him on the list, but everyone's favourite protocol droid (by default of being pretty much the only one we see) is starting to look like a gap in the Black Series line up - there's only so long you can keep him and R2 seperated, after all! I'd love to see a vac-metalised, ANH specific figure with a dusty paint job, removable left arm and additional restraining bolt and communicator accesories. If a definitive OT version is looking out of the question, then Hasbro needs to pull out all the stops on making the characters episode specific, and this would be a great place to start.
4. Qui-Gon Jinn
On the subject of episode specific... I may have sold my wave one Darth Maul, but I'd still be interested in seeing how the smartest Jedi in the prequels would look in 6" form. Liam Neeson put in a performance head and shoulders above the other actors in The Phantom Menace, which gave Jedi Master Qui-Gon due gravitas amidst all the noise and CG fireworks. Of the few characters I would like from Episodes I-III, he's near the top of the list. Throw in a commlink, poncho and breathing apparatus with the standard lightsaber and cloak and we have a winner!
3. Bib Fortuna
Since we're getting the gloriously grotesque Jabba the Hutt as part of the deluxe line his Twi'lek majordomo shouldn't be too far behind, and just think what a figure this would make in the 6" scale. I'd prefer sculpted outer robes similar to those employed on the Darth Maul figure (as long as the articulation isn't too hindered), but either way I think Gentle Giant have the skills to knock this one out of the park in terms of the sculpt. Throw in Salacious Crumb* and we're golden.
*With Crumb teased as an SDCC exclusive (exclusively for scalpers) along with Jabba and his dais, I know this last point is wishful thinking but I'm gonna throw it out there anyway...
2. Princess Leia Organa
The 3.75" line hasn't seen an update to the original Princess Leia in a decade now, which makes me hope against hope that Hasbro will impress us soon with her hignessness in the new scale. I'd go for sculpted robes that are again made from soft plastic like Maul's outer cloak, so the Princess can still be as articulated as possible underneath. Pack her with an interchangeable head for hooded Tantive IV action, along with both a sporting rifle and Stormtrooper blaster and I'd consider this figure nailed.
1. Ben Kenobi
Definitely 'Ben' Kenobi. Now we've seen Darth Vader and both the Bespin and Jedi Lukes, it's time to see the original lightsaber wielder. Make him with a soft plastic outer cloak (I'm noticing a trend here...), interchangeable heads for displaying with either the hood up or down, two sets of hands for both two-handed duelling and Jedi mind trick posing, and I'd call him done - capable of both fighting with cyborg Sith Lords or confusing multiple repainted Sandtroopers. Instant win!
Deluxe Set: Ewok and Glider
I know we're unlikely to get AT-STs for the Ewok to bomb, but how much fun would this be? For sure it'll be a cold day on Mustafar before we see it, but a guy can dream can't he? Dream about flying teddy bear toys, I mean?
Yes. Yes he can. If anything this weekend proved that the Black Series is here to stay, and secondary market prices are also making most of the figures worthwhile (with the obvious exception of Boba Fett). Despite my still legitimate complaints, I think I might be in for a few more figures from this line yet...
5POA. If you’re a fan of Star Wars action figures at present,
or most current licensed toy lines for that matter, that term is likely to evoke some
strong emotions one way or another. With the reveal of the 5POA Kanan figure
from the upcoming Star Wars Rebels line (above), I think I’ve finally hit a
moment of clarity with regards to my own stance on the articulation debate.
As a rule I try not to let the excessive negativity of
online forums get to me, and sometimes find myself taking a contrarian position
just to counter that aggressiveness – I can’t help it, I have a natural
aversion to sharing a viewpoint with some of the more… dedicated forumers out there. It was this attitude, along with
genuine curiosity and an appreciation for the fact that Hasbro were making
action figures affordable again that I picked up my first Saga Legends figure,
the Super Battle Droid. Despite some initial reservations this purchase was
swiftly followed with Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Shock Trooper
from Saga Legends, and the Darth Vader/Seeker Droid and 212th Clone
Trooper/Battle Droid sets from the Mission Series. I’ve now essentially got a
small selection of vintage style Revenge of the Sith action figures, but as
cool as they all look together… I’m not really sure what to do with them.
A small selection of Saga Legends
I enjoy taking photos
of my toys when I can find the time, but I’ve struggled to get much mileage
from the Saga Legends in that regard. Don’t get me wrong, I love Rather Childish
(RIP?) as much as the next toy collecting Star Wars nerd, but there are two
factors stopping me from ripping him off as much as I’d like: firstly, my
photography skills are nowhere near as developed as his, and secondly the
vintage figures have a certain charm that the Saga Legends toys emulate, but
don’t quite match… And that’s probably as close as we’re going to get to an empirical
value for nostalgia. As pilot figures I think they look great, and I would love
to pick up a Class II (accurately scaled) Jedi Starfighter with which to
display either Anakin or Kenobi when I have the funds. Beyond that though, I’ve
really run out of interest, and that’s only confirmed that this isn’t the
action figure line for me.
And the thing is, it’s really not. I called it when the Saga Legends were first announced, and after giving them a fair go I’m happy enough
to say that these figures aren’t for me. They’re for my nephew, his friends,
and any other kids discovering Star Wars for the first time, and I am not gonna
fault Hasbro for that – after all, it was an affordable kids toy line that got
us all hooked in the first place, whether it was vintage or POTF2. That’s why
I’m OK with the new Rebels figures being 5POA, because it means staying affordable, and
might even lead to a new group of collectors eventually joining the party - something that’s definitely required if the line is ever to reclaim the heights it once
scaled.
Star Wars Rebels: Ezra Bridger & The Ghost
The Saga Legends toy line isn’t for us, and the Rebels cartoon
(a Disney channel exclusive, no less) isn’t for us either. If we enjoy it, that’s a different matter; but
it’s not for us, and amidst all the
pitchfork wielding about how the new Rebels characters have been designed purely
for kid appeal, or that the latest figures aren't the greatest quality,
that’s something entirely worth remembering.
I'll get off my soapbox now...
Thoughts prompted and images snatched from the always awesome FLYGUY.
There's been an exciting development in the Star Wars toy world this week, with the low key announcement that MediCom Toy Inc. will be producing 6" Star Wars figures under their Mafex banner, through which they've already released Amazing Spider-Man and Dark Knight Rises Batman figures. I've seen images of their existing releases (and the upcoming ASM2 Spidey) and have to say they look very impressive, particularly the bulkier, armoured Batman. If they can bring this level of quality to the Star Wars line (imagine Boba Fett, the various types of Troopers or Vader himself with quality builds, accessories and interchangeable parts) then I think we're going to be looking at some very exciting additions to the Black Series lineup.
The reaction on message boards has been unusually positive, although there has been some understandable consternation over the price, with amounts from $40-70 being mooted. However the lower down that scale you get, the closer you come to the Wave 3 price for the Black Series figures out here in Europe anyway (which at £25 equals $41.61, as of today's rates). That's an amount I'd be willing to pay for a better quality mid-range collectable - which, just to be clear, the Black Series is not.
I think another reason for the not-negative reaction (which for a Star Wars board is as good as a standing ovation) is because this is finally another company being given the means to compete with the license. Hasbro were good for so long, but it's undeniable how badly they've cocked up in recent years. Now the Mafex figures will be import only, so it's not going to harm the big H's bottom line at all, really - but it could be a very sharp reminder that they need to take care with this license, if the import figures embarrass their Black Series counterparts too much.
On top of it all though, I'm looking forward to a company making a 6" Boba Fett figure that they actually want to sell, rather than utilising not one, but two separate release strategies that allow scalpers take full advantage. Imagine being able to buy a Boba Fett at retail at a reasonable price, huh? Madness, I know...
I’ve had very little time to focus on action figure reviews
or photography over the last few weeks as my university course has grown
increasingly hectic (it’s the final year rush!), but one thing that’s kept me
going in that time has been Spotify, and in particular the fantastic work of
John Williams. Whilst I’ve been happily listening to his scores for Harry
Potter, Jurassic Park, and The Book Thief, it’s really the Star Wars soundtracks
that made me fall in love with his music, over and above, say, the incredible
themes for E.T. or Indiana Jones.
The thing is that when you begin to consider
the music as a separate entity to the films a very different order of
preference emerges, and the prequels don’t seem quite as bad anymore… With that
in mind, I proudly present:
The Star Wars Soundtrack Countdown
6. Return of the Jedi
Coming at the tail-end of the OT, the Return of the Jedi soundtrack has
its moments, such as the soaring, operatic majesty of Luke and Leia or the
haunting Emperor’s Throne Room. However the music rarely takes off, and never
feels quite as vibrant as the earlier scores, due in large part to the production which is almost muted
and flat by comparison to the earlier records. The Special Editions were the hardest on this film as
well, as we were ‘treated’ to the appalling Jedi Rocks and inferior Victory
Celebration tunes – celebrate the love indeed. Like the actual film, the Jedi
soundtrack has some depth, but a lot of filler. Still worth a listen though!
5. Attack of the Clones
On a similar note (hah!), the Attack of the Clones
soundtrack has some beautiful moments, such as Across the Stars and Yoda and
the Younglings; but it still falls a bit flat in places – Zam the Assassin and
the Chase Through Coruscant is as bitty and noisy as the horrible, horrible
scene it scores, for example. However, tracks like Confrontation with Count
Dooku and Finale really emphasises the intended mystery of the Sith, and on the
whole it’s a collection of beautiful music with a building, tragic undertone
that sells the story far better than the actual film. It’s an undeservedly
elegant score.
4. Revenge of the Sith
Revenge of the Sith comes the closest out of the prequels to
matching the quality and tone of the OT, and as such it’s far more in harmony
with its score than the previous two episodes. I’m still confused as to why
Battle of the Heroes was composed and used when Duel of the Fates would have
been equally (if not more) appropriate, but it’s a fine tune in and of itself.
We’re also introduced to the brilliant, alert General Grievous, which is a sharp continuation of themes from The Phantom Menace album. The soundtrack is punctuated with
stabs of the Imperial March, and the closing A New Hope and End Credits is the
perfect way to tie the two trilogies together. It might not have a beautiful
high point like the ROTJ or AOTC albums, but as a whole this soundtrack is
greater than the sum of its parts.
3. The Phantom Menace
The soundtrack that started the debate. In my factual and
scientifically endorsed opinion this is only the fifth best Star Wars film, but
the soundtrack runs the top two extremely close. This album was pretty much all
I listened to over the summer of 1999, and it’s a score of unexpected majesty,
beauty, and fun – waking up the neighbours by blaring out Augie’s Great
Municipal Band and End Credits every morning certainly fulfilled my bizarre,
Calvin-esque rebellious streak; Anakin’s Theme is one of my favourite
tracks from the whole saga, and even Jar Jar Binks gets a bone with a playful,
enigmatic introductory tune. That’s even before we consider the commercial impact of the
frenetic Duel of the Fates, as exciting as the fight scenes it accompanies… Regardless of your take on the success of Lucas’
decision to show a more regal and refined galaxy, John Williams delivered the
goods in spades.
2. The Empire Strikes Back
I struggle with the Empire soundtrack, because it’s simply
amazing – from an objective viewpoint, it can be genuinely considered for the
title of the greatest film soundtrack ever. However, and I’m being subjective
here, I listen to it fairly frequently and find myself skipping the ends of
tracks, before the Imperial March comes crashing in and destroys the mood the
previous music created. I get it, how the never-too-distant fear of the Empire
is perfect for the film, but from a selfish point of view I’d really enjoy
being able to listen to the soul edifying grandeur of Yoda and the Force
without having to worry about turning the volume down almost immediately
afterwards.
But maybe I’m being too critical; after all, this album gave
us The Asteroid Field, City in the Clouds, Han Solo and the Princess, Yoda’s
Theme… And of course, the Imperial March. It’s a classic.
1. Star Wars
Now, I’m not the kind to think that Star Wars is the
greatest achievement of the saga (however great an achievement it is), and I
love the fact that we have two complete stories, those of both Luke and Anakin
Skywalker. However the score is a huge part of why Star Wars exists as it does
today, and Williams nailed it at the first time of asking. The Main Title is a
cultural touchstone, enough said. Beyond that there are moments of beauty and
adolescent melancholy galore with The Hologram/Binary Sunset, and Tales of a
Jedi Knight/Learn About the Force, weighted against the drama and tension of Burning
Homestead. The beauty reaches a high point with Princess Leia’s Theme. There’s
the playfulness that sets this film apart from the others in The Dune Sea of
Tatooine/Jawa Sandcrawler and Cantina Band, and the glorious, rousing The
Throne Room/End Title caps both the listening and the viewing experience off perfectly.
The Star Wars soundtrack established the themes and pattern
for the others to follow, and however great Williams’ achievements on the
other five films, or any of his countless other classics, no other soundtrack surpasses his work on this.
John Williams is The Man.
The music of Star Wars is one of the elements of the
franchise that I enjoy the most, and do so on an almost daily basis. Whatever
order you may put these soundtracks in, we should all be grateful that such
masterful music exists for our listening pleasure. All the same if you think
I've got it the wrong way around, let me know in the comments!