Star Wars Rebels

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a review of the book Star Wars: A New Dawn, the first officially canonical Star Wars book. This week, I’m featuring the new TV show Star Wars Rebels, for which A New Dawn served as a prequel. But Rebels picks up quite a while after A New Dawn left off, and now, instead of focusing on a couple of characters on one planet, Rebels is telling the story of the original core group that would eventually become the Rebel Alliance as the travel across the galaxy on their ship The Ghost. Needless to say, it’s pretty cool.

I’m going to go ahead and address this from the start. Yes, Star Wars Rebels is an animated show that is geared towards kids and airs on Disney XD. Some people may be turned off by this. But I don’t think you should be. First of all, the animation aspect means that the writers can do some really creative and cool stuff that wouldn’t be feasible in a live action format. And the fact that the show is meant for a young audience doesn’t mean it can’t be enjoyed by adults. The show is still fun and comical, and it’s accessible to Star Wars fans of all ages, which I think actually makes it stronger rather than weaker.

With that out of the way, let’s get into the review. Star Wars Rebels is only a few episodes in, but it’s off to a great start. It premiered on Disney Channel with a one-hour movie called “Spark of Rebellion” and then moved over to Disney XD for its full first season run. The movie did a great job of introducing the characters and setting up the tone of the series, and it left viewers wanting more. But the show didn’t lose any steam after the movie, and it’s still going strong a few episodes later.

As I said before, Rebels tells the story of the original group that would eventually become the Rebel Alliance. The story truly begins when the group comes face-to-face with a young burglar named Ezra who tries to rob them but eventually becomes a member of the team. Ezra is allowed onto the team by the group’s leader Kanan because Kanan discovers that Ezra is unknowingly Force-sensitive. Kanan, a former Jedi trying to hide his identity for his own safety, decides to take Ezra on as a sort of unofficial padawan and train him in the Force.

Other members of the crew include Hera, the group’s pilot and the owner of the ship The Ghost, which serves as the main setting for the show; Zeb, an intelligent but wild-looking creature who is the group’s strongest fighter; Sabine, a Mandalorian artist and explosives expert; and Chopper, a moody astrodroid with a personality of his own. Needless to say, these characters are all pretty nontraditional, even for the Star Wars universe, and that makes for a very cool premise.

This show has so much potential to explore things about the Star Wars universe that we’ve never had a chance to see before. Personally, I’m excited to see what the relationship between a Jedi and his padawan looks like in a galaxy dominated by the Empire and void of the Jedi Order. It will also be interesting to see how the Empire deals with the knowledge that a Jedi survived Order 66, which sets up the introduction of the Inquisitor, a lightsaber-wielding warrior who is sent out by Darth Vader to catch Kanan once his Jedi identity is revealed. This all sounds really cool, and I’m excited to see how it plays out.

But just because all the main characters in Rebels are new, that doesn’t mean we won’t see some familiar faces. We’ve already seen some major players from the Star Wars films (including Obi-Wan Kenobi in hologram form) on the show, and I’m sure there are many more appearances to come. Word on the street is that Darth Vader will make an appearance in the ABC re-airing of the Spark of Rebellion movie this weekend, and I predict that he’ll probably show up again before the show is over. This show is telling a story that hasn’t been told before, but it’s still very much a Star War story.

Now is the perfect time to get into Star Wars Rebels. Only a few episodes have aired so far, so you can catch up in no time and follow the show as it progresses. Rebels has already been picked up for a second season, so it’s going to be here for a while. The story has a very interesting premise, and it promises to fill in some gaps that the two film trilogies have left us with. The Star Wars universe is alive and well, and I can’t get enough. Check out Star Wars Rebels on Disney XD and let me know what you think! And of course, may the Force be with you all.

Star Wars: A New Dawn

I’m a relatively new Star Wars fan. I saw the movies for the first time three years ago, when I was 19. It’s sad, I know. But as soon as I saw the Star Wars movies, I was hooked, and I wanted to know more. I got online and researched all the questions I had about the characters, the worlds, and the story of the Star Wars. I wanted to know everything there was to know about the amazing universe George Lucas created. I wanted to read every book, to play every game, to subscribe to every comic. But there was just too much. The Expanded Universe was too big, and I knew I could never take it all in.

And then the Lucas Story Group made the announcement that they were resetting the canon. Now, the canon includes only the six movies, the Clone Wars TV series, and all future books, movies, shows, etc. I was ecstatic because now I have an opportunity to experience the whole story with no ambiguity or conflicting plot lines. And I fully intend to experience all of it. The first book to officially fit into the Star Wars canon came out last month. It’s called A New Dawn, and it’s the subject of my Stuff Devon Likes post today.

A New Dawn actually serves a prequel to the brand new animated Star Wars TV series, Star Wars Rebels. The book acts as an introduction to two of the main characters in the show: Kanan, a wandering loner who has forsaken his Jedi past, and Hera, a young pilot seeking to start a resistance movement against the Empire. A New Dawn tells the story of how these two characters meet and sets up the show. Seeing as the show (which takes place between the two movie trilogies) is considered the origin story of the Rebel Alliance, A New Dawn could be considered the very beginning (or dawn, rather) of the rebellion.

A New Dawn takes place on a planet called Gorse and its moon Cynda. Kanan, who is working as a miner on Cynda while living on Gorse, meets Hera, and they discover a plot by the evil Empire mogul Count Vidian to destroy the moon (and subsequently Gorse) for his own gain and that of the Empire. Along with their friends Skelly and Zaluna, Kanan and Hera attempt to stop Vidian’s evil plan and save the people of Gorse.

One thing I like about A New Dawn is that it really establishes the feel of the galaxy under the Empire. By the time this book takes place, the Empire has been running for a while. It seems to permeate the lives of its citizens, and resistance isn’t even an option for most of them. That’s what makes characters like Kanan and Hera so special. In their own small ways, they work to combat the oppressive system of the Empire and ultimately, we know that this will turn into a full-fledged rebellion in the form of the Rebel Alliance. But for now, this is just a story of a couple of brave souls who are willing to stand up in their daily lives against the evil Empire while also trying to avoid going too far and getting into trouble.

There are also some references to other aspects of the Star Wars universe that really establish the fact that this story is a part of the great arc of the Star Wars. While Darth Vader himself doesn’t appear, he is mentioned. Stormtroopers are all over this book. And the technology and terminology used in the book are borrowed from other Star Wars sources.

While Star Wars Rebels is geared towards kids, A New Dawn is definitely for adults. This isn’t a children’s chapter book. It’s intense, honest, and subtle at points. The themes of resistance, rebellion, oppression, and loss are clear throughout the story. And they make for a very interesting and compelling story.

If you’re into Star Wars and want to know more about the story between Episodes III and IV, I would highly suggest checking out A New Dawn. It’s very cool to be able to experience the Star Wars universe in written form as well as in movie form. Star Wars is a huge undertaking, and it has a lot of stories to tell. A New Dawn is one of those stories, and it’s worth a read. Thanks for checking out my blog post, friends! Have a great Saturday, and I’ll see you next week.

Believe Me

When someone says the term “Christian film,” you probably have an idea in your head of what they mean by that. They probably mean some kind of cheesy movie about a broken person who, through some strange series of events, realizes that Jesus is the solution to his or her problems. Most Christian films end in some kind of altar call where a character, along with the members of the audience, is invited to become a Christian. While I think there is a place for movies like this, they can also be seen as gimmicky. They rarely live up to the same standards of quality, acting, and storytelling of secular films, and therefore, their appeal is usually limited mostly to people who are already Christians.

And then there’s Believe Me. If Believe Me can be considered a Christian film (and I’m sure that is something that will be debated), it is certainly on the fringe, pushing the limit of what a Christian film can be. Believe Me isn’t about convincing people to come to know Christ. There is no altar call at the end. It’s a film, created by Christians, that seeks to positively criticize the Church by pointing out of some of the biggest issues within the Church today. And I love it.

Believe Me tells the story of Sam, a guy whose plans to graduate college and go to law school are crushed when he finds out he owes his school thousands of dollars. In order to pay off his debt, Sam enlists three of his friends to pretend to be Christians and create a fake charity in order to raise money. The ruse spins out of control when the four guys find themselves on a national Christian tour raising thousands upon thousands of dollars for a charity that doesn’t exist. Throughout the film, Sam has to come to terms with the implications of his actions and ultimate decide what he believes.

The film comes from Riot Studios, who some of you may know as the creators of the documentary Beware of Christians. Now they’re venturing into the narrative film genre led by writer and director Will Bakke, a Baylor alum. The fact that the film comes from Riot Studios is an indication of its Christian tendencies, and it’s also what got me initially interested in the film. I had seen the guys’ work before, and I was excited to see how they would do in transitioning from documentaries to fictional stories.

But what really intrigued me about Believe Me was the combination of the Christian production company with the cast. The cast features some surprising additions considering the fact that it’s created by a Christian film company. I didn’t know much about Alex Russell, Sinqua Walls, or Miles Fisher when they were announced as cast members, but I knew that Johanna Braddy was a professing Christian, so that wasn’t too surprising to me (although I am glad she’s in it because I’m a big fan of hers). The fact that Lecrae agreed to appear in the film was really cool, but again, not unexpected for a Christian film. The two cast members that really surprised me were Max Adler and Nick Offerman. I had seen Max Adler on Glee, and his performance on there made me wonder how well he would fit into a Christian film. And then they announced the inclusion of Nick Offerman (of Parks and Recreation acclaim), who I know is not a Christian and also very critical of the Church. So it made me wonder, “What kind of Christian film would feature this kind of cast?”

All of this took place before I really knew anything about the plot of Believe Me. And then the first trailer came out, and it became very clear that this was not your typical Christian film. The story is something unheard of in the Christian film genre, featuring non-Christians pretending to be Christians for personal gain. The marketing of the movie was unlike any Christian film before it. T-shirts featuring slogans like “F Satan” and “I’ve been to Africa. Twice.” showed up on the Believe Me store, and I started to wonder if this was really a Christian film at all. And the fact that I couldn’t tell if Believe Me was a Christian movie or not actually got me really excited to see it.

After seeing Believe Me twice, I’m still convinced that it’s a Christian film. It’s got some inappropriate language and lots of drinking, it doesn’t offer an altar call, and it is highly critical of the Church, but I think the film is still trying to do and say something positive for the sake of the Christian message. It has a broader appeal than any Christian film before it, and it overtly challenges people (including Christians) to really think about what they believe and who it is they are putting their faith in. And to me, that sounds like a Christian film.

Despite the language, I think this is a film Christians, especially ministers, should see. It tackles so many issues that I see within the Church today that we need to be talking about, including Christians who are just mean people, Christian leaders who put their own ministries and programs before the cause of Christ, and “Christians” whose faith is really in their spiritual leaders and not in Christ. The movie is funny, it’s well-made, and it makes you think. I really enjoyed Believe Me, and I suggest you check it out.

What I'm Watching - Fall 2014

Hey, friends! So Fall TV is officially back, and I couldn’t be more excited. There are some great shows coming on this season, some new and some returning. Now, there is a lot of garbage on TV these days, and sometimes it’s hard to separate the good from the bad. But if you take the time to do so, you can actually find some interesting, enjoyable programming.

On that note, I’ve decided to write up a list of some of the shows I’m most excited about watching this Fall. You may have heard me talk about some of these shows before, and you may see a Stuff Devon Likes post about one or two of them in the future, but I just wanted to right a quick blurb on some of the shows I’m watching in case any of you find them appealing. So here we go. This is my Fall 2014 “What I’m Watching” list.

Once Upon a Time

For those of you who didn’t read my Stuff Devon Likes article about Once Upon a Time, it’s pretty much Lost, but with fairy tale characters. Snow White, Prince Charming, the Evil Queen, and the like get trapped in our world and can’t find their way back to the Enchanted Forest. Throughout the show, they explore magical lands and face increasingly formidable foes. The show makes excellent use of flashbacks to give us information about the characters and even to move the plot forward. Although a show featuring fairy tale characters may sound a little odd, it actually works really well. This season, they’re including characters from Frozen, so if you enjoyed that movie, you might want to give Once a try. Once Upon a Time airs on ABC Sunday nights at 7:00 Central Time, and the season four premiere is this Sunday.

A to Z

This is a new one. I actually discovered A to Z because NBC was letting people stream the pilot for free for a while. I’m a big fan of Christin Milioti, so I decided to give it a shot. The show is actually really cute. It tells the story of Andrew and Zelda (thus the title), two star-crossed lovers. I really like the cast and the humor, but the most interesting thing to me about this show is that they tell you from the very start how long the relationship between the two main characters will last: around eight months. Is the show stating from the start that it’s only going to last a season? Do the two end up getting married after eight months? Do they break up? Or is this some kind of trick the writers are playing on us? I don’t know, but those questions alone are enough to keep me interested at least for one season. A to Z premieres on NBC October 2 at 8:30 Central Time.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Andy Samberg’s hilarious new show on FOX is back for another season. It’s a cop show with a lot of heart and even more laughs. I dedicated an entire Stuff Devon Likes article to this show simply because I think it’s that funny. The cast is perfect, and Andy Samberg leads with humor and very little tact. The show saw a lot of success in season one, so I’m excited to see what they have for us in season two. FOX moved Brooklyn Nine-Nine to Sunday nights this season, and it premieres September 28 (this Sunday) at 7:30 Central Time.

Gotham

This show has already premiered, and if you haven’t seen it, you should. It follows Detective Gordon (who we all know will later become Commissioner Gordon) as he starts off on the Gotham Police Force and learns just how corrupt the city is. The show isn’t about Batman, but it does feature a young Bruce Wayne interacting with Gordon during the investigation of his parents’ murder. Other familiar faces include the Penguin, Ivy, Catwoman, and mob boss Falcone. The show features the origins of many of the people who will go on to be Batman’s greatest enemies, and it explains how Gotham got to the point where it needed someone like Batman to set things right. Gotham airs Monday nights on FOX at 7:00 Central Time.

Arrow

When I first heard that The CW was doing a DC Comics show, I was skeptical. But The CW isn’t just about gossip girls and vampires anymore. Arrow is their most successful show right now, and for good reason. It tells the story of Oliver Queen, a rich heir to his father’s billion-dollar company, who returns home from being shipwrecked on an island for five years and dawns a green hood to fight crime and right his father’s wrongs. The premise of the show actually sounds like a more twisted version of Batman’s origin, and there are some similarities at first, but as the show goes on it, it finds its own voice. The show has an interesting format in that most episodes feature flashbacks to Oliver’s time on the island that have some relevance to what’s going on in the present day. Arrow is definitely worth watching, and its season three premiere is Wednesday October 8 at 7:00 Central Time on The CW.

The Flash

After the success of Arrow, The CW decided to create another DC Comics superhero show, this one based around the superhero Flash. If you’ve seen season two of Arrow, then you’ve already met Barry Allen, the police consultant who gains superhuman speed after an accident involving a particle accelerator. The Flash picks up Barry’s story where Arrow left off, with Barry waking up from his lenghty coma induced by the accident and finding out about his new abilities. The Flash and Arrow will cross over early in the season this year, and there is potential for characters to cross back and forth between the two shows, which could lead to some interesting plot points. If you enjoy Arrow, The Flash is the logical next step in your TV-viewing experience. The Flash debuts Tuesday October 7 at 7:00 Central Time on The CW.

Agents of SHIELD

Agents of SHIELD had a rough start last year, but it really found its voice in the second half of the season. I won’t spoil anything, but something happens in the Marvel Cinematic Universe partway through the season that changes everything, and SHIELD handles it perfectly. This season is guaranteed to feature more of the fallout from last season, along with some fresh new faces from the Marvel world. If you like the Marvel movies and want to know more about what goes on in between them, Agents of SHIELD is for you. Plus, who doesn’t love to see more of Agent Coulson, right? Agents of SHIELD airs on ABC Tuesday nights at 8:00 Central Time.

Girl Meets World

These last two shows on the list are a little different from the rest, but I’m equally excited about them. The first is Girl Meets World, the highly-anticipated sequel series to the 90’s sitcom Boy Meets World. The original show capture the hearts of a generation, and now Girl Meets World hopes to do it again. The show is equally geared towards the Disney Channel target audience and fans of Boy Meets World who are now grown up but still want to know what’s going on in the lives of their favorite Boy Meets World characters. Girls Meets World has already aired nine episodes of their first season, and they’ve been picked up for a second. I know the fact that the show is on Disney Channel may cause some concern, but the show really is enjoyable, and it’s worth a watch. Girl Meets World airs on Disney Channel Friday nights at 7:30 Central Time.

Star Wars Rebels

And finally, I’ll be watching every episode of Star Wars Rebels this season. I had the opportunity to watch the premiere earlier this week thanks to Disney releasing it early on their Disney XD app, and this show is just good. It captures the feel of the original trilogy in an animated series that can be appreciated by Star Wars fans of all ages. Star Wars Rebels tells the story of the motley crew aboard the Ghost, the ship where the Rebel Alliance was started. These are the unknowing founders of what will later become the group that opposes the Empire under such leadership as Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Leia Organa. But Rebels isn’t about them. It’s about the original rebels, including a runaway Jedi named Kanan and his newly-discovered apprentice Ezra. I’m very interested to see how the Rebel Alliance goes from one crew to the giant, inter-system group that it becomes in the movies. I’m also excited to see how a Jedi and his apprentice interact and train in a world without the Jedi Order. Plus, it will be cool to learn more about how the Empire operates, and how it deals with the discovery of a rogue Jedi on the loose. Star Wars Rebels premieres on Disney Channel on Friday October 3 at 8:00 Central Time with a one-hour movie, and then it will air on Disney XD Monday nights at 8:00 starting October 13.

So that’s what I’m watching this season! I hope my suggestions are useful to you. I tried to suggest a variety of shows so that maybe at least one of them will interest you. I’d also like to add that all of these shows get my stamp of approval for appropriateness, but some of them may not be suitable for children. I’d love to hear what you guys are planning to watch this year, so contact me via social media and let me know! Thanks for reading, friends. I hope you have a great rest of the weekend.

iOS 8

As many of you know, I’m an Apple fanboy. I love my MacBook and my iDevices. They help me do a lot of cool stuff. And I’m sure a lot of you are at least vaguely interested in Apple as well. Maybe you have an iPhone or an iPad, or you just like to know what’s going on with the most talked-about tech company in the world. If you fall into any of those categories, this Stuff Devon Likes post is for you. It’s all about iOS 8.

iOS 8, the newest software for iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches, released to the public this past Wednesday after a few months of beta testing. Although not as eagerly anticipated as last year’s radically redesign iOS 7, iOS 8 still made a splash with its new features. In this post, I’ll be highlighting just a few of them.

My favorite new feature in iOS 8 is responsive notifications. I hate having to open the Messages app every single time someone texts me and I want to respond. Now, I don’t have to. If I’m in the middle of something else on my phone or if I want to respond from the lock screen, all I have to do is swipe the notification, and a quick response text area opens up. It’s quick and handy. And this feature isn’t limited to Messages. It applies to emails, calendar alerts, tweets, Facebook notifications, and more. All of these notification types come with their own custom ways of interacting with them. I love it.

Another cool feature is Notification Center widgets. Android users have been boasting about widgets for a long time, but now they’re finally on iOS! When you download an app from the App Store, many will now come with an accompanying widget that you can place in your Notification Center. That way if you want to check the score of your favorite team without opening the app, you can do so right in Notification Center. You can also manage your bid on an Ebay item, create a new note in Evernote, and more, all from Notification Center.

iOS 8 also gives users a smoother flow when switching between devices. If you start an email on your iPad but have to leave before you finish it, you can pull it up on your iPhone instantly and complete it on the go. If you open a web page on your phone but want to see it on your iPad’s bigger screen, you can do so instantly from the iPad’s lock screen. You can make and answer phone calls on your iPad as long as your phone is on the same WiFi network. And you can receive and send SMS messages on your iPad, too. That way all of your messages are on all of your iOS devices. This smooth flow between devices is called Continuity, and it’s automatic. It will also work with your Mac when OS X Yosemite drops, possibly next month.

These iOS 8 features are just a few of my favorites. There are so many more I could list. Extensibility. Better Siri. Simple audio and video messaging. New photo editing features. Family Sharing. The all-new Health app. Third-party keyboards. The list goes on and on. The moral of the story is that if you’ve got an iOS device that’s capable of running iOS 8, you should install it. It looks a lot like iOS 7, so you won’t have to re-learn anything. You’ll just have a lot of cool new tools at your disposal. Thanks for reading my quick review of iOS 8, friends. See you next week!