It’s been a while since we’ve made light of David’s lack of pop cultural literacy, and I feel like that’s something I should fix. There are many new readers and members with no knowledge of the many arguments we used to get into over references to film, music, and television shows.
I am legit straining to remember a recent time when one of us had to explain something like this to our beloved EIC. Married life has been good to David in many many ways, including broadening the scope of his cultural awareness, so maybe that’s why? Or, perhaps, David has just learned to keep his head down when these discussions appear.
Aston Martin and Disney have just announced a partnership built around the 50th anniversary of the original Star Wars film, and I’ll get into it in a minute. Beau sent it over, and was pretty convinced that neither David, nor mysterious co-founder Jeff, had ever seen the movie. I just had to ask David if he’s ever seen the film, and the answer he gave was kind of perfect. If you’re not a member, here’s a bonus Slack Tales for you:
Me: have you seen the OG Star Wars?
David: Who’s in that? Harrison Ford, right?
Me: Yes, and Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher.
David: Hmm. I think I must have.
David: when I was a baby, basically
David: don’t ask me what the plot was
David: other than, people in white outfits are bad
David: people in black outfits are bad
David: and frankly, the only people who aren’t bad are the ones wearing actual clothes
Me: that is an amazing summation
Me: please never watch the movie
I kind of thought that was it, but David doubled down.
David: Why? is it Bad?
Me: no, it’s great
David: Or is it all a lie? Are there clothed bad-guys too?
David: That would be a disappointment
Ok, wait, so does he think the people who are good are naked? Or the people who are bad are naked? Also … is anyone naked in Star Wars? He does seem to think that people in white are bad, and also people in black are bad, which makes me think there’s some kernel of “dark side” and “light side” stuck somewhere in the deep recesses of his brain.
Maybe he’s thinking about Chewbacca? I think you could argue that Chewy was naked for nearly the entire film and, for sure, Chewbacca is the best.
So what’s Aston doing? Here’s the press release:
Aston Martin today joins a landmark global year-long celebration with Disney and Lucasfilm marking 50 years of Star Wars, one of the most enduring cultural phenomena in cinematic history.
First released in 1977, Star Wars – later retitled Star Wars: A New Hope – redefined modern storytelling and inspired generations of audiences around the world.
Bringing together two iconic brands renowned for creating worlds of escapism, this unique collaboration will celebrate the artistry of British ultra-luxury craftsmanship and cinematic storytelling through a series of activations and collaborations across the anniversary year.
Finbar McFall, Global Director of Marketing & SVO at Aston Martin says: “For 50 years, Star Wars has demonstrated the extraordinary power of design and storytelling to inspire generations around the world. At Aston Martin, we share the same commitment to creating products and experiences with distinctive character and lasting emotional resonance, making this a natural and exciting collaboration.”
I don’t know what any of that means, though it’ll probably give us an excuse to reunite David with the film and he can be disappointed by how many clothed people there are.
Porsche did a starship with Lucasfilm, which was pretty cool. Maybe they’ll do one of those. If you were a producer on the film and had points back in 1977 you could definitely swing that cash into an Aston Martin Lagonda, which is an extremely Star Wars-coded car.
Or maybe a Bulldog? That also feels of the time.
Either way, Jeff and David are being roped into a showing of the film.
Top photo: Aston Martin
As an 8 year member of the 501st Legion (charity group with screen accurate costumes, I have nine) and lifetime Star Wars nerd since 1977, you have my attention.
But the Aston Martin thing has me clueless. For reference, Leia is almost naked in Return of the Jedi. Made quite the impression on this 16yr old at its debut.
What, Ludovico Technique style?
I watched the original Star Wars with my kids a few years ago. It was the first time they’d seen it, and this first I’d watched it in ~20 years. It cemented my preference for the Star Trek series. Lucas was brilliant at world building, but the dialogue and plotlines were unimpressive, to be kind. And that’s the beloved original!
The prequel trilogy was even worse. I remember watching that climactic scene where Anakin is half on fire with his legs sabered off, screaming how much he hates Ewen MacGregor. It was supposed to be tragic and emotional. I hated the Anakin actor so much that I was almost cheering, hoping Ewen would just shove him into the lava and be done with it.
Anyway, where are we? That Lagonda Estate? Beautiful. Can someone find one and review it?
Sometimes, it’s worth watching a movie with a rabid fanbase just so you see where the references come from. Episode IV’s “Use the Force, ____” is one. I never would’ve thought of Aston Martin for a Star Wars co-llab, though.
I had no previous reason to question David’s engineering credentials, but now I’m not so sure. Can you really be an engineer and not be a big SW fan?! Pretty sure there are laws against that.
I think I kind of follow his logic… Maybe he’s saying the storm troopers wear white armor, and therefore technically not… “actually clothed?”
It kind of makes sense
Only if you can find the original non-digitally altered versions to show him