1. lol wut

Posted at 12:50PM on Aug 13th 2008 by Mike

2. Zero surprise here. Lucas is totally oblivious about how his portrayals are perceived. I don't think there is malice or intent (hence his sincere bewilderment at the charges), just cluelessness.

Posted at 1:11PM on Aug 13th 2008 by totoro

3. More evidence that George Lucas, for the sake of his own beloved franchises, needs to stop making movies.

Posted at 1:24PM on Aug 13th 2008 by Kurt

4. Yeah, this character was just too campy and over the top. I appreciate the fact that they tried to add a few more layers to the Hutt clan (apart from what we've seen so far), but they just kinda took a dump on the characters. I mean, Jabba's nickname for his son is "punky muffin." Really? Jabba was supposed to be somewhat badass to the bone -- I didn't want to see him using the term "punky muffin."

Posted at 1:32PM on Aug 13th 2008 by Erik Davis

5. Oh jesus...really?? Punky Muffin??

I just threw up in my mouth a little.

DAMN YOU LUCAS(film)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted at 2:07PM on Aug 13th 2008 by Matt

6. Another example how Lucas really is crazy and needs to get out of the movie making business and stop butchering some beloved series.

Posted at 1:46PM on Aug 13th 2008 by Rich

7. Wow. Just...*sigh*

I knew the Lucas-bashers were desperate, but this...man, you guys have completely left reality at this point. I'll grant that some of you may have been somewhere close to having a point with your fixation on the orange frog, but Jesus, put down the spice and GTFO my internets.

Posted at 1:53PM on Aug 13th 2008 by King Zilch

8. The only thing that is truly gay here is "Starwars: The Clone Wars"...

Posted at 1:56PM on Aug 13th 2008 by Mr. R

9. Ah yes, the monthly Lucus bashing post. Thought we weren't gonna get one this month. Sweet.

How is this any different then what Disney, Pixar, etc....do in their stories ? Yet where's the spotlight on that ?

"Is he simply unaware of how loaded and offensive it can be, or are we getting a glimpse of how he views race and sexual orientation on a galaxy that's not so far away?"

Way to try and create/propagate paranoia and negativity out of nothing. Watchin' a lot of Fox News are we ?

Posted at 2:10PM on Aug 13th 2008 by Petro1734

10. "How is this any different then what Disney, Pixar, etc....do in their stories ? Yet where's the spotlight on that ?"

It's a lot different -- when has Pixar *ever* created a character who was a lisping, gay stereotype? Or a stereotype of any kind? If the grasshoppers in "A Bug's Life" had spoke with Asian accents to clarify they were the bad guys, you might have a point.

And Disney has been called on their mishandling of race portrayals -- the flap over "The Princess and the Frog" has been quite vocal (and has been reported here), to say nothing of complaints they've received on films like "Aladdin."

I don't really understand how questioning the stereotypes in Lucas' work is engaging in paranoia or propaganda -- but then I'm not one for blindly following a cult of personality.

Posted at 3:56PM on Aug 13th 2008 by Elisabeth

11. FYI, I believe the character's name is: Ziro the Hutt, not Zero. That's how it's listed on IMDB anyway.

I find it ironic that given all Lucas' hatred for studio involvement in the creative process he has really become one of the few pro arguments for it in my mind.

Posted at 2:10PM on Aug 13th 2008 by Paul Arnette

12. Zilch...huh?

Left reality how, exactly?

Stereotype or not, a Hutt sounding like Truman Capote is like the seventh circle of dumb.

I'm still going to see this (I can't help it) but Lucas has made a lot of decisions over the past 10 years...and right now I'd say 80% of them have been BAD, so I think maybe you are the one who needs to get off of MY internets...

Posted at 2:12PM on Aug 13th 2008 by Matt

13. "Left reality how, exactly?"

Because at this point, you Lucas-bashers have become this mindless cult; you're a legion of Ignatius J. Reillys who are so addicted to your reflexive hatred of George Lucas and anything he's involved with that you obsessively pore over every frame of every release in search of fresh material, so you can go on the internets and proclaim your manufactured outrage from the (virtual) mountaintops, each attempting to outdo everyone else with how much Lucas sucks, how bad your childhood was raped, how he should be banned from making movies/sued/killed.

It wouldn't be so bad if you ever seemed to have a point of view, or a valid, specific objection. This is just a bunch of sad, whiny obsessives who bitch just to bitch, lest they be accused of *gasp* LIKING any aspect of something with Lucasfilm's name on it, which has become the ultimate albatross of internet-unhipness. All it does is contribute to the image of geeks as a bunch of whiny nerds out of touch with reality. For the sake of our people, man, STOP IT.

"I'm still going to see this (I can't help it)"

You know what? Don't bother. As you people are so fond of pointing out, Lucas has enough money, and I would like to see and enjoy the movie without having to deal with a bunch of posers who think saying "nuke the fridge" makes them clever.

"so I think maybe you are the one who needs to get off of MY internets..."

Really? You're finishing with a "NO U?" What is this, 4chan?

Posted at 7:14PM on Aug 13th 2008 by King Zilch

14. Jar-Jar was just annoying, and it sound like Zero will be too. While every artist and writer should be aware of how their work will be perceived, it is also unfair that they should pander to the extremely sensitive. True racism and bigotry should be rejected forcefully, but mild and unintentional offensiveness should be tolerated and forgiven. Those quick to judge merely draw negative criticism to themselves as being intolerant.

Lucas does not always make the best story and character decisions, but he has earned to right to make them and tell the stories he wants to.

Posted at 2:14PM on Aug 13th 2008 by Mike B

15. I don't believe in pandering to the overly sensitive either -- and usually, if there's a protest by a special interest group, it incites me to SEE the movie rather than boycott it. But I think Lucas' tendency towards this kind of "Hee hee, it's funny that he talks gay!" character is worthy of discussion, since it's something he keeps returning to.

I'm not going to scream that I'm offended or anything -- I'm a straight white woman and that would just be lame. But I'm disappointed with what Lucas' idea of "deep characterization" is which seems to consist of creating a really stereotypical voice. I *know* he's better than that -- the original Star Wars trilogy, despite the Nazi imagery, didn't stoop to that kind of silliness. There HAS to be a way to make a Hutt uncle interesting without making him sound like Truman Capote. I don't even have a problem with making him sexually ambiguous. Maybe instead of having chained slave girls, he has slave guys, or lives with another male Hutt. Why not?


Just because Lucas has "earned" the right doesn't mean he *should*...

Posted at 4:08PM on Aug 13th 2008 by Elisabeth

16. "Lucas does not always make the best story and character decisions, but he has earned to right to make them and tell the stories he wants to."

How has George Lucas earned that right? He has made two good movies (American Grafitti and Empire Strikes Back) and a lot of crap. The only other good movies that he has made is when he collaborates with talented people (Indiana Jones Series in particular). Its ridiculous that this chinless zero gets this kind of devotion when he has only made a handful of movies. The only reason that Lucas gets to make anything at all is because the first two Star Wars movies proved the studios wrong and he has been riding that success for thirty years.

Posted at 7:30PM on Aug 15th 2008 by Ramone

17. ah yes, Petro's weekly comment defending Lucas.

None of you (unless you are a member of the 501st or something) is a bigger fan of SW than I am. I mean that.

That's why it BOTHERS me so much when Lucas and co., butcher these stories.

I could care less about the stereotype stuff, really. It just sounds like parody...and i was hoping for a serious, cool, animated Star Wars story. Not Jar Jar part deux.

Posted at 2:15PM on Aug 13th 2008 by Matt

18. Monthly, Matt, monthly. I'd never get anything done if it were weekly : )

My intent is really not so much to defend him, but just to represent the other side of it.
I love Star Wars, but I don't love EVERYTHING Lucus has done with it. I'm not one of those "he-can-do-no-wrong" kinda people....cuz yo, Han shot first, no doubt......but damn man, most of the criticism nowadays comes off as just some baseless pile-on bashing.

Posted at 2:55PM on Aug 13th 2008 by Petro1734

19. I'm not allowed to review it till the end of the week, but I will defend the film in that the battle scenes are pretty cool. There are some nice POV shots and OTS shots of Clones running into battle that, honestly, were pretty intense. One thing Filoni and crew got right was less political talk and more fighting. Definitely LOTS of fighting.

The rest ....

Posted at 2:31PM on Aug 13th 2008 by Erik Davis

20. that's what I think about the new video games, they have cool stuff. I would have sat over a two hour CGI full story of The Force Unleashed way over yet another Clone Wars story with those ridiculous cardboard characters. George Lucas comes across to his audience as someone who is funny for a while, then makes a joke that bombs and continues to want them to laugh with an on going, get it? Get it? Clone Wars, get it? It's annoying.

Posted at 2:55PM on Aug 13th 2008 by Mr. R