My Favorite Things About Star Wars

Ryan Dosier - As I'm sure all of you know, today is the most holiest of the high holy holidays: Star Wars Day. The day once a year that we get to sit down and give thanks for the bounties of a galaxy far, far away. Today I thought I would sit down and finally put into words why I love the Star Wars universe--because I really do. One of my earliest movie memories is of watching Return of the Jedi on VHS when I was 5 or 6, so Star Wars has been with me for the long haul.

1. Yoda
Yoda is by far my favorite character from the Star Wars world. He shows that size truly matters not when he displays his immense power and abilities. Plus, he's performed by Frank Oz, which is awesome. I obviously prefer puppet Yoda from the original trilogy, because Frank Oz's performance is so nuanced and marvelous. However, CGI Yoda is also very well done. Getting to see him wield a lightsaber and duel Count Dooku or Palpatine is one of the few good parts of the prequels.

2. John Williams' Score
What would Star Wars be without John Williams' enigmatic score? His music defines the series as much as any other element. Can you imagine the Dark Side without the "Imperial March"? I can't even picture the opening credit scroll without the main theme attached to it. Leave it to John Williams to pen what is perhaps the greatest film score of all time.

3. The Jedi Order
One of the great parts about the prequel trilogy is getting to see more Jedi and learn more about the mysterious order. It was such a thrill to see so many Jedi fighting and showing their power. In the absolutely fantastic Clone Wars animated series we get to know even more Jedi knights and masters, which is something the movies never showed enough of.

4. R2-D2 and C-3PO
These are the Droids I'm looking for. I love the fact that these two are the characters with a real through-line in all six films. How fantastic is Anthony Daniels as C-3PO? He has come back to play C-3PO in every iteration of the character. In cartoon series, countless video games, and everything in between. Also, R2-D2 saved all of the main characters from kicking the bucket at least once every movie. He's arguably the most important character in the series.

5. The Sith
While the Jedi are great, the Sith are awesome. Despite how some of them were treated in the prequels, The Clone Wars animated series really lets them shine. Darth Maul returns and becomes amazingly cool, Count Dooku actually gets to fight with the speed Christopher Lee can't. The mythology behind these evil beings is really intriguing and one of the other great aspects of the prequels. A hero is only as good as the villain, and the Sith make a truly dynamic and incredible group of formidable foes for the Jedi.