Han Solo

What Star Wars Character Are You?

September 30, 2013 by • Life at Warp 10, Marcy's Blog, Star Wars • Tags: , , , , , , , • 5 Comments

Star Wars The Empire Strikes BackBy Marcy Kennedy (@Marcy Kennedy)

Every few months I like to do a crazy personality quiz here. The first quiz (What Star Trek Race Are You?) started because of a disagreement my husband and I were having, and I had such fun with the quiz that since then I’ve also done What Lord of the Rings Character Are You? I have many more I’d like to do in the future, and this week that means What Star Wars Character Are You?

Here’s how it works. Read the descriptions below and write down the letter of the one that’s most like you. (Don’t look for it to be exact, since you might be a child of two of the characters.) At the end, I’ll tell you what character you picked

(A) You’re confident, sometimes to the point of arrogance, loyal to those who are loyal to you, and you believe the rules are often arbitrary or unnecessarily restrictive. Despite this, your motivation is always the greater good.

(B) You have a quiet strength and determination that people respect. When a tough situation arises, you deal with it with tact and diplomacy, and you believe the rules are there for a good reason. We should respect the people in authority and the rules they make.

(C) You struggle to make decisions, largely because you underestimate your own abilities. You see things in black and white and are uncomfortable with the grey areas. Seeing the world in black and white, as good and evil, also makes you willing to sacrifice yourself for what you believe is right.

(D) You’re a born creative who thinks outside the box. Rather than repeatedly beating against a barrier, you try to find a way around, under, or over it. Unfortunately, this can also make you impetuous and impulsive, and can sometimes get you into trouble.

(E) Your biggest flaw is that you worry too much, including about what other people think. This leaves you unable to stand up for yourself, but also comes with a benefit. You’re able to see the flaws in a plan and analyze the chances for success better than anyone else.

(F) You have a taste for the finer things in life. You’re a shrewd businessperson when it comes to forwarding your own interests. This means you sometimes hurt people, but you regret when you do and you strive to make it right.

ANSWER KEY:

Do not go farther until you’ve picked your letter!!

(A) You’re Han Solo. As a Corellian, Han has no use for the odds because he believes he can beat them. He’s also learned from experience that laws were made by people in ivory towers and don’t usually apply well to the rough world he lives in, so he lives by his own code. Under his roguish exterior hides a heart of gold.

(B) You’re Leia Organa. Not only was Leia a princess of Alderaan, but she was also a member of the Imperial Senate until Darth Vader realized she was actually working with the Rebel Alliance. Unlike Han, she believes in going through the proper, official channels whenever possible, but she also believes that, if evil people gain power, they should be unseated: The government is meant to rule for the best interest of all. She was an exemplary diplomat.

(C) You’re Luke Skywalker. Everyone knows Luke as the “hero” of the Star Wars movies, but Luke didn’t see himself as a hero. He didn’t want to be a Jedi at the beginning, and when he was training with Yoda he was constantly talking about what he couldn’t do. He had to get past that and learn to trust his abilities before he could succeed. His black-and-white view of the world was a strength, but also a weakness.

(D) You’re R2-D2. He might have been a droid, but he was arguably the most creative of the Star Wars characters. While the others stood around talking about what to do, he jumped in and started testing ideas. Sometimes that got him into close calls and put his friends in danger, but sometimes it also got them out of it.

(E) You’re C-3PO. C-3PO was always giving them the odds of success, to the point where Han admonished him, “Never tell me the odds!” What he might be most known for, though, is his groveling. He was always apologizing for someone else’s actions in the hope of avoiding repercussions, and he rarely stood up for himself.

(F) You’re Lando Calrissian. Lando betrayed Han, Leia, Chewie, and C-3PO into the hands of Darth Vader, even though Han was supposed to be his friend, in order to save his city, Bespin’s Cloud City (Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back). But, when it really counted later, Lando made amends by helping save Han and the Rebels, and he and Han stayed friends throughout their lives.

Which Star Wars character (or combo) did you end up as?

Do the Odds of Success Really Matter?

June 17, 2013 by • Life at Warp 10, Marcy's Blog, Star Wars, Writing • Tags: , , , , • 15 Comments

Star Wars The Empire Strikes BackBy Marcy Kennedy (@MarcyKennedy)

I have a creative’s heart and a scientist’s mind. I like facts and formulas. I like logic. I like percentages and statistics.

I don’t like when the odds aren’t in my favor on something I really want. Because I have a strong rational side, odds that aren’t in my favor make me want to move on to something with a better chance of success.

I’ve been feeling that way lately listening to the talk about the publishing world. Traditionally, odds of success as a writer were terrible. According to the BEA’s industry analysis, as late as 2004 writers had a 93% failure rate. Most books published sold less than 1,000 copies, and authors were always told not to quit their day jobs because they wouldn’t be able to make a full-time living from their work.

Then the self-publishing boom hit, and for a little while, it seemed like things were changing. We fed our dreams on stories of people like Amanda Hocking and, more recently, Hugh Howey. We started to hear about writers who couldn’t have made a living in traditional publishing now bringing in full-time income as self-published authors.  

But how many? Behind the scenes, there were also a lot of writers who were frustrated and discouraged because they weren’t making a full-time living, especially now that the early gold rush season is past. In fact, a survey in 2011 of self-published authors found that the average amount earned was $10,000. Half of the authors surveyed made less than $500/year. That’s okay as a bonus but certainly not enough to live on.

So we have to ask ourselves if we’re going to listen to the odds, or if we’re going to be like a Corellian and flip the odds the bird.

In Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Corellian Han Solo, Princess Leia, and the droid C-3PO are being chased by Empire ships intent on destroying them. Han decides to head into an asteroid field because the Empire ships won’t be able to follow them (at least not as easily).

“Sir,” C-3PO says, “the possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3,720 to one.”

Han doesn’t even ease up on his speed. “Never tell me the odds!”

C-3PO telling Han the odds and Han ignoring them becomes a running joke in the movie, but it’s based in the idea that in the Star Wars universe, people from Han’s home world of Corellia don’t care about the odds.  

My husband, one of the biggest Star Wars fans I know, couldn’t tell me why Corellians ignore the odds, so I went digging to learn more about Corellians and see if I could solve the puzzle.

What I discovered was Corellians don’t just ignore the odds because they’re crazy or stupid. It’s not that the numbers don’t matter. (Because let’s face it, we’d be fool-hardy to completely ignore the numbers.)

So what makes Corellians feel like they can beat the odds? And what makes them succeed at beating the odds?

Corellians like a challenge.

If you’re the type of person who when someone says “you can’t,” replies with “watch me,” then you understand the love of a challenge. When Corellians look at a situation where they have a 10% chance of success, they hear that it’s not hopeless. As long as it’s not hopeless, they believe they’re the ones who’ll beat the odds, so they take a chance and try.  

Corellians trust their skills and abilities.

When Han Solo flew into the asteroid field, when he later made a direct attack on a Star Destroyer, he did it because he was an amazing pilot. He had years of practice. Corellians ignore and beat the odds because they know where their abilities lie, they’re prepared, and they know how to use their skills to the best of their advantage.

Corellians are extremely adaptable.

Corellians’ innovative natures are a large contributor to their disregard for the odds because they can adapt when it looks like the odds aren’t going to go in their favor and find a way to get around whatever the obstacle is.

When Han Solo made the direct attack on the Star Destroyer, he hid on top of the command tower so the Star Destroyer couldn’t detect them. The problem was they couldn’t move because as soon as they left their position, they’d be spotted. But Destroyers vent their waste before going to hyperspace. And that gave Han the opportunity to have their ship drift off with the waste.

What do you think? Should we let the odds discourage us? Or should we take a lesson from Corellians and find a way to beat them?

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Do You Like A Little Contradiction In Your Characters?

January 25, 2013 by • Life at Warp 10, Marcy's Blog, Star Wars • Tags: , , , , , , , • 7 Comments

Jen Kirchner Urban Fantasy AuthorToday I’m pleased to welcome Jen Kirchner to my blog. I first “met” Jen through her Vote Your Own Adventure series on her blog. When I heard she had a book coming out, I knew I had to try to bring her here to meet all of you. And she agreed!

Jen is a writer, gamer, and coffee junkie who lives in Seattle. You can find her at her website, JenKirchner.com, on Twitter, and on Facebook. She recently released her first novel, an urban fantasy called The Fourth Channel.

Take it away, Jen…

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As a kid, I didn’t enjoy the story of Cinderella. That’s weird, right? What little girl doesn’t dream of being rescued from her chores and siblings and turned into a perfect princess in a gigantic fluffy dress, then swept off her feet by a rich prince?

Apparently this little girl.

Don’t get me wrong—I, like every other little girl, had fantasies of being a regal princess dressed in white. But I also liked lightsabers. Okay, the two concepts don’t really go together, but it gave me a little character. And, unfortunately, since Cinderella and Prince Charming had going for them other than dancing around and losing a shoe (not even close to being as cool as lightsabers) I declared them to be completely boring.

Seriously, now. Do you really mean to tell me that the prince, while waltzing around the dance floor in his tight pants, never once got a wedgie? Or that our lovely Cinderella, who had been overworked and in dire need of a vacation, wasn’t found hiding under the buffet table, guzzling champagne and stuffing her face with salmon asparagus canapés? Then, later, after she’s sufficiently drunk, chatting up an empty suit of armor on display down the hall?

What’s cookin’, good lookin’?

No? Too bad, because that would have been interesting.

Hey, what about that cute and pudgy fairy godmother who can fly and has the magic wand? Yeah. Sign me up for that instead. Those other two send me to Snoozeville.

If only the prince and Cinderella had been interesting. If only they each had a personality trait or two that was unexpected—something that contradicted their perfect natures.

The main character in my novel, The Fourth Channel, struggles with her own personal dichotomy. She’s as near to being a pacifist as she can be. She doesn’t like violence and will avoid a physical confrontation at all costs. As nice as that sounds, it’s incredibly boring. The only way to make her interesting was to give her a trait that was in direct opposition to her pacifist nature.

So I made her a necromancer, a magic user who sacrifices people in exchange for power.

Hey, don’t judge me–it works for a story. Interesting people are ones who have contradictory traits or desires. Unless you’re dull, you have them, too. So do your friends. There’s nothing wrong with it. In fact, it’s often what makes us like people a lot more.

Take Bilbo Baggins, for example. He’s a reputable hobbit of Bag End and wants nothing more than to stay that way through sensible living and three breakfasts a day. But deep in his heart is a yearning for adventure. He can’t have both at the same time, so what will he do? Thanks to a little trickery from Gandalf, adventure wins out.

Thank goodness, because unless you’re into food porn, The Hobbit would have been the most boring story of all time. Not to mention fattening.

 

“I don’t know, whaddya think? You think a princess and a guy like me…”

And what about Princess Leia? She’s a diplomat and a princess who wears white—as all princesses should. But she’s not your typical princess with flowery speech and a gentle nature. Princess Leia is sarcastic, shoots guns, and is solely responsible for getting her rescue party trapped in a garbage compactor. She’s a princess in title, and that’s about it. She can’t even fall in love properly! Instead of going with a reputable man of stature and poise, she falls for a criminal and a scoundrel and, regardless of what anyone tells you, he shoots first.

But let’s be honest. If you had to choose one friend, and your only options were Princess Leia and Cinderella, you’d go with Princess Leia every time. I know I would. At least Leia’s spontaneous and an interesting conversationalist. Plus, you never know what might happen when you meet up for coffee.

All Cinderella has going for her is freakishly small feet.

And there are many other examples of quirky, contradictory people we’d love to befriend—or even people we’d love to be. So why do we spend so much time hiding or apologizing for the traits that might be unexpected? It’s who we are, and like Bilbo Baggins and Princess Leia, it’s those opposing traits that draw people to us.

Real people are full of contradictions. I am. Your friends are. And you are, too. Embrace it.

Now who’s ready for a little adventure?

The Fourth Channel by Jen KirchnerAbout The Fourth Channel…

For years, Kari Hunter’s fooled the world into thinking she’s just an everyday girl. Sure, she’s the lead singer of world-renowned band Vis Viva, but outside of that, she recycles religiously, is an avid supporter of the environment, and she’s a certifiable coffee addict. But Kari has a secret she keeps from her family, friends, and fans.

Kari Hunter is a necromancer.

The rarest and most powerful of all magic-born, necromancers are notorious for leaving a trail of sacrifices in their wake. But Kari isn’t interested in hurting anyone. She works hard at being as un-necromancer-like as possible: everyone she stabs gets a bandage and a lollipop, and whenever her sacrificial knives get too excited by the prospect of violence, she puts them in time-out… in her lingerie drawer.

But when an agent of voodoo master Ruairí O’Bryne catches Kari using her powers, her secret’s out. And if Ruairí finds out who Kari is, he’ll stop at nothing to make her his next sacrifice.

Suit of Armor photo courtesy of Quinet (http://www.flickr.com/photos/quinet/)

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Four Ways We Should All be More like Star Wars’ Mandalorians

June 18, 2012 by • Marcy's Blog, Star Wars • Tags: , , , , , , , , • 35 Comments

Tie Fighter - Star Wars MandaloriansYou might remember that I’m married to one of the world’s largest Star Wars’ fans. In the past, he’s written guest posts for me on Five Reasons I Wish I Was a Jedi and Ace Combat: Wedge Antilles vs. Kara Thrace. Since we were out of town most of last week, he agreed to visit my blog today with another Star Wars post. Please give him a warm welcome and some comment love.

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Mandalorians aren’t all bad guys—even Boba Fett.

In Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, the Mandalorian bounty hunter Boba Fett helps the Sith Lord Darth Vader freeze Han Solo in carbonite. He then loads the now-frozen Han into his ship, Slave I, for the flight to Tatooine, where he turns Han over to the crime lord Jabba the Hutt. The situation is made all the more poignant because it comes on the heels of Han and Leia finally coming to terms with their feelings for each other.

Thus begins a years-long feud of sorts between Boba Fett, considered a typical honorless Mandalorian, and Han and Leia, who become heroes to most of the civilized galaxy. Throughout the Expanded Universe books (and somewhat in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi), Mandalorians are portrayed as violent, money-loving, honorless, uncultured brawlers who care more about their bounty commissions than about anything else.

But that perception of Mandalorians, long held by even major Star Wars nerds like myself, is wrong. It’s often said that one shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Mandalorians are a perfect example.

In fact, I’ve become quite a fan of Mandalorians because their culture, while seemingly at odds with the rest of the galaxy, embraces some of the attributes that I personally value and strive to incorporate into my life. I think there are four ways in which we should all be like Mandalorians.

A Mandalorian’s Word Is His Bond

It used to be true that, when a man gave his word, you could count on it. If a man told you he’d do something, he did it. Everybody was more or less able to trust everyone else. Mandalorians are the same way—their word (or contract) is always kept, exactly, no matter what. You can always trust a Mandalorian to keep his word to you.

Mandalorians Spend Time With Their Families

Mandalorians take their children into battle with them starting at age 8, and Mandalorian children are considered adults at 13. Both mothers and fathers teach their children how to fly, fight, cook, and perform the family trade. Mandalorians take an active role in raising their children, and they also take an active role in the greater good of Mandalore (their planet).

In fact…

Mandalorians Take Care of Their Own

Mandalorians have a very Marine Corps-like mentality when it comes to taking care of their own. Even though, in the heat of battle, they put their mission’s success above all else, when the fighting is done, they regroup, take stock, and take care of any of their casualties. Mandalorians don’t leave anyone behind on the battlefield. They also don’t shirk their responsibility to the dependents of those who die. It’s very common for a Mandalorian to adopt the children of a comrade who died in battle. In fact, Mandalorians are habitual adopters, and think nothing of enlarging their clans through adopting those in need.

And this leads me to my next point…

Mandalorians Don’t Discriminate

It doesn’t matter to a Mandalorian who you are, where you come from, what you did in the past, or even what species you are. Anybody who throws their lot in with the Mandalorians becomes Mandalorian, with no exceptions, no questions asked. All that matters to Mandalorians is what you do starting now. If you do right by your fellow Mandalorians, they’ll do right by you. Remember: a Mandalorian’s word is his bond.

Which Mandalorian quality do you think we need more of?

Photo Credit: Aksoy on www.sxc.hu

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