Book of Mormon: Dagobah Edition

Let's tackle one of the longest-lasting and persistent Mormon myth out there, shall we? Was Star Wars' Yoda based on President Spencer W. Kimball?

First consider these facts.

1. Yoda was introduced in 1980's The Empire Strikes Back. The year 1980 happens to correspond with President Kimball's presidency.
2. One of the quotes that President Kimball is famous for is "do it." One of the quotes that Yoda is famous for is "do or do not, there is no try."
3. President Kimball was a diminutive man with ears that protruded slightly farther from his head than most. Yoda was a diminutive Muppet with giant ears.
   

Given those facts it is understandable that Mormons would so quickly jump onto the theory that Yoda was inspired by President Kimball. Here's the thing, though, no one involved in Empire Strikes Back has ever claimed that to be the case. Instead they credit Albert Einstein (another wise old man) as the inspiration behind Yoda's look.

So while we Mormons can't claim Yoda as one of our own, we can at least take comfort in the fact that he'd most likely like 1 Nephi 3:7.

Ball of Curious Workmanship

Growing up I had two sci-fi loves: Star Wars and Star Trek. And while Star Wars is now larger than ever (a new movie every year with television, comics, and books a plenty), Star Trek is in a serious rut. And while this week's posts are celebrating Star Wars, I wanted to take a moment to bemoan the current state of my other sci-fi love.

Sure the new Star Trek movies have been a lot of fun, but as for the TV side of things there is only a show available on a paid streaming service that nobody subscribes to and (even more egregious) is rated MA (the TV equivalent of an R rating). On top of that, there is talk that Quentin Tarantino is developing an R rated Star Trek movie. Now Quentin Tarantino might have the coolest idea ever for a movie, but a hard R rated show featuring all the swears, excessive violence, and whatever else he's got planned isn't Star Trek.

Instead of introducing Star Trek to a new generation of fans (like Star Wars has been doing), the creative team behind Star Trek is looking to rebrand it as something more edgy and cool while limiting it's appeal to an older crowd. The problem is that if you replace the hopeful geekiness of Star Trek with edgy violence, it's no longer Star Trek.

Tomorrow I'll write about Star Wars, I promise.

Star Wars Week: Episode I

After three critically acclaimed Star War weeks, I'm back for more. In honor of the Last Jedi, I'm running three posts this week all centered around Star Wars. Look for the regularly scheduled Thursday post later this week as well as a special Friday post!

Now if I were doing this right, today's strip wouldn't feature Elder Van Dyke but an excerpt from his father's mission, just before he turned to the dark side and began drinking caffeinated drinks or something. Instead, I'm just publishing another Van Dyke rerun today. But look on the bright side: there also is zero chance of a Jar Jar Binks sighting this week.