Friday, November 26, 2010

Darth Vader is a Wimp

It used to be that Darth Vader was a bad-ass. He defined the scary villian role. The American Film Institute lists him as the third greatest movie villian ever. His unmistakable breathing sounds and heavy footsteps were enough to cause shivers down people's spines.

But his character started to lose a lot of credibility after The Empire Strikes Back...

Bad-ass moments

From A New Hope
"If this is a consular ship, where is the ambassador?!"
In this early scene, Vader shows his superhuman strength by easily holding up Captain Antilles by the throat with one hand.

"I find your lack of faith disturbing."
In this memorable moment, he casually Force Chokes an Imperial soldier just for talking back to Vader by simply pinching his fingers together.

"I've been waiting for you, Obi-Wan. We meet again, at last. The circle is now complete. When I left you, I was but the learner. Now I am the master."
Here, Vader just stood there as if Obi-wan played right into his hands. You can almost hear Obi-wan mutter "oh crap!" under his breath.

"Your powers are weak, old man."
This quote was shortly before Vader delivered the death blow to Obi-wan.


From The Empire Strikes Back
"You have failed me for the last time, Admiral."
These were the last words an Imperial Admiral heard before being Force Choked to death because he inadvertently came out of lightspeed to close to the Hoth system.

"Apology accepted, Captain Needa."
This was Vader's response to Captain Needa's apology for losing the Millenium Falcon. Oh, and Vader also Force Choked him to death.

"We would be honored if you would join us."
Lando betrayed Han by bringing him before Vader. Han shot at Vader with his blaster. Vader simply held up his hand to deflect the shot and Force Pulled the blaster from Han. Pwned.

"Perhaps you think you're being treated unfairly?"
This was Vader's response after Lando suggested that they had never agreed to hand over Han to Boba Fett.

"I am altering the deal. Pray I don't alter it any further."
Vader had previously agreed to let Leia and Chewie stay in Bespin but he subsequently ordered Lando to hand them over to him. Lando is just being toyed with the whole time.

"The Force is with you, young Skywalker, but you are not a Jedi yet."
Here, Vader taunts Luke prior to their first duel, suggesting that Luke is simply just not good enough to beat him.


"You are beaten. It is useless to resist. Don't let yourself be destroyed as Obi-Wan did."
As Vader predicted, he severs Luke's hand and defeats him.

From The Return of the Jedi
"I hope so, Commander, for your sake. The Emperor is not as forgiving as I am."
Vader is angry at the slow construction progress of the 2nd Death Star. Upon learning that the Emperor will be paying a visit, the Commander suggested that they will double their efforts.

Wimpy moments


From The Empire Strikes Back
"What is thy bidding, my master?"
So all this time, Vader was just a pet under the control of Palpatine?!

From Return of the Jedi
"Obi-Wan once thought as you do. You don't know the power of the dark side! I must obey my master."
Again, this just confirms that he's a slave.

"It is... too late for me, son. The Emperor will show you the true nature of the Force. He is your master now."
This was kind of like Vader admitting impotence to his own son.

"You already have, Luke. You were right. You were right about me... Tell your sister... you were right..."
Talk about letting all the air out. This had to be the most disappointing moment in the Star Wars saga. We finally get to see the man behind the mask and he's just an fat, old, bald dude.


From The Phantom Menace
"I can't do it, Mom. I just can't do it."
9-year old Anakin was just a momma's boy...

"Are you an angel?"
Seriously?

Actually, every line uttered by Jake Lloyd as 9-year old Anakin Skywalker just tarnishes more of Vader's legacy.

From The Attack of the Clones
"So have you. Grown more beautiful, I mean. Well, for a Senator I mean."
Smooth talker, eh?

"Attachment is forbidden. Possession is forbidden. Compassion, which I would define as unconditional love, is essential to a Jedi's life. So you might say, that we are encouraged to love."
What?

"Excuse me, I'm in charge of security here, milady."
Anakin tries, unsuccessfully, to wrestle control of the situation from his future wife, Padme.

"I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere. Not like here. Here everything is soft and smooth."
The all powerful Lord Vader has a soft spot...

"From the moment I met you, all those years ago, not a day has gone by when I haven't thought of you. And now that I'm with you again... I'm in agony. The closer I get to you, the worse it gets. The thought of not being with you- I can't breath. I'm haunted by the kiss that you should never have given me. My heart is beating... hoping that kiss will not become a scar. You are in my very soul, tormenting me... what can I do?- I will do anything you ask."
I feel sorry for Padme. This has to be the most uncomfortably awkward moment ever...

"You're going to pay for all the Jedi that you've killed today, Dooku."
Unfortunately, Anakin just doesn't have the skills to back up his words and loses his arm in the process.


From The Revenge of the Sith
"You are so... beautiful."
Another smooth line by our powerful Dark Lord of the Sith...

"What? How can you do this? This is outrageous, it's unfair."
What a brat...

"I will do whatever you ask. Just help me save Padme's life. I can't live without her."
Ok. There are two wars going on. One is between the Republic and the Seperatists and the second is between the Jedi and the Sith. Anakin is a Jedi Knight serving the Republic. He decides to prioritize his dream of his wife dying ahead of these 2 wars? That's a bit iffy isn't it?

"You underestimate my power!"
Apparently, Obi-wan knew exactly how capable Anakin was. Immediately after this line, he completely sliced up Anakin's limbs.

"Where is Padmé? Is she safe? Is she alright?"
It's just very odd hearing Vader say this with his mechanical voice...

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"
Of course, how can I leave out the most memorable line of the movie. Like father, like son.

From The Force Unleashed
"I've trained you well, but you still have much to learn."
Vader was wrong as he gets completely owned by Galen Marek. His helmet gets sliced off and suit is all busted up.

From The Force Unleashed 2
"As long as she lives, I will always control you."
Let's recap. A couple of years ago, Vader lost to Galen Marek in all aspects of battle. It was obvious that Galen was superior in both lightsaber combat and in Force abilities. Now, Vader loses to Galen again (albeit a clone). Galen is holding Vader as captive. Considering the circumstances, Vader's words just don't really hold up.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Twin Pregnancy Blog - Nov 7, 2010 - Week 24 - "3D scan"

Our first baby portrait!

This is a 3D scan of one of the twins! The doctor couldn't get a good shot of the other one, unfortunately. He was a bit camera shy at the time!

Week 23

Star Wars III Revenge of the Sith: An odd observation


I was re-watching Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and noticed something in the duel between Count Dooku versus Anakin Skywalker and Obi-wan Kenobi that I've not heard mentioned before.
Did Palpatine assist Dooku by augmenting his Force attacks?
I noticed that everytime that Dooku used a Force attack, the camera cuts to Palpatine who seems to be reacting ambiguously.

The 2 Jedi Knights attacked Dooku together at first. Dooku was able to fend off the attacks but it was obvious that Anakin and Obi-wan had the advantage.

So Dooku Force-pushed Obi-wan away so that he can focus on Anakin. Notice the camera had cut to Palpatine immediately prior to the Force-push.

Obi-wan quickly tried to re-engage Dooku. Dooku held off Anakin by kicking him against a wall and then simultaneously used Force-grip to choke and levitate Obi-wan. Again, the camera had cut to Palpatine immediately prior to this. This time, Palpatine's reaction is very odd. He gave a yelp.

Then Dooku viciously hurled Obi-wan against a wall and proceeded to use the Force to collapse the balcony on top of Obi-wan. This time, the camera cuts to Palpatine after Dooku's usage of the Force. Palpatine's expression appears to be a little strained.

Why would Palpatine assist Dooku in the duel?
Palpatine is unconcerned with Obi-wan. He wants Anakin to kill Dooku and replace him as his apprentice. Perhaps Palpatine wants Anakin to prove himself by defeating Dooku one-on-one. So, he helped Dooku to easily take Obi-wan out of the picture.

Why it makes sense that Dooku needed asssitance?
Dooku was a powerful Force-practitioner. But Obi-wan Kenobi was no chopped liver either. He was one of the more powerful Jedi Masters. I find it quite strange that Kenobi would allow himself to be Force-pushed aside or Force-gripped like he was a padawan. It seems to make more sense if Dooku had his Force attacks augmented by Palpatine's own powers.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Some observations 7 days after the start of the 2010-11 NBA season

Bulls look legitimately dangerous.
Derrick Rose (33.5 ppg, 5 rpg, 6.5 apg, 1 spg, 1.5 bpg)
Joakim Noah (16.5 ppg, 18 rpg, 1.5 spg, 2.5 bpg)

Jason Kidd refuses to be washed up yet (Age 37, 11.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 11.7 apg, 2.33 spg).

Baron Davis is washed up (Age 31, 10.3 ppg, 3 rpg, 5.7 apg, 3 TO, 32.4 FG%, 11.1 3FG%).

Year by year, Rajon Rondo is earning respect. (10.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 16.7 apg, 2 spg)

Spurs core players are still running strong.
Tim Duncan (15 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 2 bpg)
Manu Ginobili (22.5 ppg, 5 apg, 2 spg)
Tony Parker (16.5 ppg, 6.5 apg, 1.5 spg)
Richard Jefferson (17 ppg)

Why is Daniel Gibson playing 30min a game?

Where's Michael Redd?

Is Tracy McGrady's career already done? (Age 31, 0.7 ppg, 1.7 apg, 2.7 rpg, 16.7 FG%)

LeBron James is averaging 6.3 turnovers per game! Does anyone care?

The Magic's 3-point accuracy is just 25%. That's not going to get things done.

Wow, John Wall is quick.

Ronny Turiaf is averaging 2.67 blocks per game in just 23.3 minutes per game for the Knicks.

Darko Milicic is still in the league and is even the starting center for the Timberwolves. I don't know why that's funny but it is.

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are fast becoming the most interesting duo to watch.

The Lakers appear to be head and shoulders above the rest of the league (including the Heat). Too much talent, too well coached, too much size and length, and Kobe's championship drive is unmatched by anybody alive.

Blake Griffin is the real deal (16.7 ppg, 11 rpg).

Greg Oden is a bust. Unless he gets back on the court and starts producing right away, he'll forever be linked with names like Kwame Brown and Darko Milicic. If I were him, I'd rather be associated with guys like Michael Olowokandi. At least the Kandi-Man had one memorable play (ie, being dunked on by Amare Stoudemire). When I think of Oden, I just picture him on the bench.

Chris Paul is back to reclaim his throne as the best point guard in the league. Deron Williams and Rajon Rondo are great, but CP3 is on a whole other level.

Luis Scola? I knew he had skills but I can't believe how he's schooling his defenders for 27.3 ppg and 14 rpg. His offensive skills resemble that of an undersized Tim Duncan.

Maybe Yao Ming should just continue to rehab rather than playing 24min a game and skipping back-to-backs. It's a little sad watching him play this way.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Lebron James: Triple-double season? Not even close.

So, I've read that this year is suppose to be the year Lebron James may average a triple-double for the season.
These articles all look at past stats and current trends in their analysis. But looking at these can only tell so much. Now that the season has begun, we have a better picture of what to expect.

To be on pace for a trible-double average, James needs to accumulate at least a total of 10 pts, 10 reb, and 10 ast per game.

Over 4 games, James is at 62 pts, 16 reb and 17 ast.
Quick math shows that he's behind by 24 reb and 23 ast. That's off by a huge margin. Label me a pessimist but there's no way Lebron averages a triple-double in a season.

Also, when I think of a triple-double, Lebron isn't even the first player to come to mind. Rajon Rondo and Chris Paul are the guys that I think of who are likely to get a triple-double on a nightly basis. A look at their stats shows that they're actually closer to a triple-double average than Lebron James.

Lebron James
Over 4 games, he's at 20.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg, and 5.7 apg
Rajon Rondo
Over 3 games, he's at 10.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg, and 16.7 apg
Chris Paul
Over 3 games he's at 17.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, and 11.5 apg

So if Lebron James, can't duplicate Oscar Robertson's triple-double average, then perhaps he can challenge the Big'O's other record, the top spot in total triple-doubles?

Nope. He won't even crack the top 3.

Lebron currently has 34 triple-doubles over 7 seasons. That's about 4.86 per season.

Giving him the benefit of the doubt, I'll assume he plays 20 full seasons while keeping up his current pace of collecting triple-doubles (this is highly unlikely which just strengthens my point). This will give him about 97 triple-doubles over 20 seasons, moving him past Wilt Chamberlain for 4th place.

3rd place is occupied by Jason Kidd with 105 over 16 seasons. To match him, James will need to increase his current triple-double production by about 12%.

2nd place is occupied by Magic Johnson with 138 over 13 seasons. To match him, James will need to increase his current triple-double production by about 65%.

1st place is occupied by none other than Oscar Robertson with 181 over 14 seasons. To match him, James will need to increase his current triple-double production by about 133%.