"Star Wars": A New Phrasing Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Dark Side

The Dark Side of the Force is, of course, a reference to morality - not an actual lack of sunlight as my wordy term suggests.

The Force is an energy field that binds all things together, created by life. However, the Jedi and the Sith take drastically different views of its use. While the Jedi consider the Force an ally that guides them, to the Sith it is but a tool to be bent to their own will. Dark side Force users supplement its strength with their own dark and powerful emotions, such as fear and anger. Yoda's warnings of these traits to nine-year-old Anakin in Episode I turned out to be right on the mark; but one wonders if the Jedi could have aided young Skywalker by showing more kindness and compassion than distrust.

It is debatable whether or not there actually are two separate sides of the Force, or if it is all subjective to the way the Force is used and the emotions and motives involved.

Answer: The Phantom Menace

Episode I: "The Phantom Menace," the first of the prequel trilogy, was released in 1999, starring Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, and Ian McDiarmid as the aforementioned threatener: seemingly beneficent Senator/Chancellor Palpatine, who has an evil Sith Lord for an alter ego. This film is generally not considered one of the more popular of the series.

Palpatine, aka Darth Sidious, has no backstory in the saga; it is unknown where he comes from (although he supposedly hails from Naboo, the world he serves as a senator), or how he came to the Sith. He was apprenticed to Darth Plagueis, whom Sidious killed following Sith tradition.

Answer: The Clone Wars

The Replicated Beings I referenced, despite misinformation found in early Expanded Universe novels, are the "good guys," clone soldiers fighting for the crumbling and corrupt Republic under the command of the Jedi. They are clones of Mandalorian Jango Fett, who was killed in the first battle of The Clone Wars: the Battle of Geonosis. Timothy Zahn's "Heir to the Empire" novel trilogy would lead you to believe, however, that this war comprised of insane clones who attacked the Republic.

The Clone Wars, referenced in Episode IV but not seen until Episode II: "Attack of the Clones," covered a three-year time period leading up to the formation of the Galactic Empire. The elements behind this war, namely the Separatist movement and the hidden clone army on Kamino, were all orchestrated by Chancellor Palpatine (aka Darth Sidious) in his temporarily successful efforts to bring Sith rule to the galaxy once more.

The Clone Wars came to an abrupt end with the brutal execution of Order 66 upon the Jedi, which used Mace Windu's attempt to stop the Sith Lord Sidious as a ostensibly valid reason to lay the charge of treason upon the Jedi Order. Palpatine then sends out his new apprentice, former Jedi Anakin Skywalker, to "take care of" the Separatist leaders, formally ending the war.

Answer: General Grievous

General Grievous, a cyborg, was intended to be a foreshadowing of Darth Vader. His trademark cough was designed to show he was an imperfect prototype of the technology used to transform Anakin Skywalker into Vader. Prior to being "borged," Grievous was a member of the Kaleesh species, a warlord named Qymaen jai Sheelal.

Grievous was voiced in Episode III: "Revenge of the Sith" and "The Clone Wars" by Skywalker Sound employee Matthew Wood, who also portrayed Jabba the Hutt's majordomo Bib Fortuna in Episode I, and has had other minor voice roles in the saga.

Answer: Stormtroopers

Despite the fact that they can never strike their targets when aiming at the movies' heroes, Obi-Wan lays claim to the skills of the Galactic Empire's soldiers when looking at an attacked Jawa Sandcrawler, saying that "Only Imperial stormtroopers are so precise." Of course, one could excuse the contradictions, saying that these elite soldiers are under orders not to kill those who, incidentally, are the main characters; they can't see out of their helmets (a problem voiced by incognito Luke aboard the Death Star); or their weapons mysteriously suffer intermittent accuracy problems. However, this is a common flaw found in many action movies, and has been dubbed the Principle of Evil Marksmanship, or the Stormtrooper Effect.

The Imperial stormtroopers were named after German specialist military troops from World War I.

Answer: The Death Star

The immense Death Star, with its horrific array of turbolasers, was constructed clandestinely over a span of nearly twenty years. It is unknown why its construction was delayed for so long. The space station is visible during the conclusion of Episode III: "Revenge of the Sith" in a partially finished state, but it is not completed and ready for use until Episode IV: "A New Hope," approximately 19 years later.

The Death Star bears a striking resemblance to Saturn's moon, Mimas, which has a large crater, shockingly favoring the death-dealing turbolaser.

Answer: Skywalker

In his original drafts of the first film's screenplay, George Lucas had, as the main hero, a girl named Starkiller. This character eventually evolved into Luke, whose surname was changed to the familiar Skywalker; to my knowledge, Mr. Lucas never considered the name Atmospheric Pedestrian - it's probably just as well. Luke Skywalker was portrayed by Mark Hamill in the three original "Star Wars" films.

But though Luke Skywalker often steals the show in the Original Trilogy (Episodes IV-VI), the heart of the "Star Wars" story belongs to his father, Anakin Skywalker. Young Anakin is portrayed by Jake Lloyd on Episode I, and Hayden Christensen takes the character through his fall into darkness in the final two episodes of the Prequel Trilogy.

Answer: The Sand People

The Sand People are known more formally as Tusken Raiders. Although the word citizen is indeed one synonym for people, many who have had loved ones fall victim to the Tuskens' bloody rituals consider them to be more animal than person. Anakin Skywalker's mother was taken by the Sand People for a coming-of-age ritual, where a young Tusken must capture a creature or sentient being and torture it, extending its suffering for weeks before it dies. It is understandable that Anakin's rage and hate overtook him upon finding his poor mother, and he slaughtered the entire Tusken camp: the men, women, and children.

It's rather ironic, that, while the Sand People are accurate enough shooters to actually hit podracers, and the Stormtroopers are repeatedly bad shots, Obi-Wan says the attack on the Jawa Sandcrawler was "too accurate for Sand People. Only Imperial Stormtroopers are so precise." But Kenobi was indeed correct in his assessment of the culprits, however transposed his reasoning may seem.

Answer: Millennium Falcon

The YT-1300 model freighter known as the Millennium Falcon is Corellian, like its owner. Han won the ship in a game of Sabacc from his old buddy Lando Calrissian. While at first glance Han's claim of making the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs may seem like the term "parsec," a unit of distance, is being misused as a unit of time, the statement is actually plausible. The Kessel Run involves skillful and gutsy flying through the Maw, an area chock full of black holes. A brave pilot such as Solo tries to find the most direct, and thus shortest, route through; Han's distance of 12 parsecs was a record. One parsec is equal to a distance of approximately 3.26 light years.

The Millennium Falcon, despite being named after a bird of prey, or raptor, was designed after a hamburger, with the offset cockpit being an olive on the side. I wonder what Han Solo would think of that?

Answer: The Galaxy Far Far Away

All six "Star Wars" movies open with that familiar line: "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away ....", leading into the opening crawl which provides some context and backstory. The Galaxy Far Far Away, while a certainly shorter designation than mine, is often abbreviated by the fans as the GFFA.