Joss' genius recognized in another web comic - Fandom&Fun

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March 28 2007

Joss' genius recognized in another web comic. Would Joss have written Star Wars better than Lucas? A Star Wars rant with minor commentary about people who don't quite understand geeks takes a decidely Whedonian turn in the end.

See the previous strip for the start of the rant.

gt0163c | Fandom&Fun | 05:58 CET | 30 comments total | tags: joss whedon, star wars

That was awesome.

Brian Lynch | March 28, 06:24 CET

Well that's some high praise. I thought it funny too. :)

IrrationaliTV | March 28, 06:28 CET

Very, very funny. I quite like Sheldon.

And apropos of nothing, really, I'm not sure if there's anything I can do to increase or strengthen my midichlorian count, but I'm gonna try three or four very dark beers when I get home tonight, and see if that does anything to my "Force" levels...

QuoterGal | March 28, 06:32 CET

Good luck QG.

Lioness | March 28, 06:33 CET

And I never knew Spielberg wrote Star Wars. I always thought it was Lucas. Silly me.

fanbuoyant | March 28, 06:40 CET

Come to think of it, I never see Yoda and ET in the same place at the same time...

LiLi | March 28, 06:53 CET

I believe that in an alternate reality, Spielberg did write it - it was the world with all the shrimp, and many more bunnies.

(Thanks, Lioness, tomorrow morning, I'll try again to lift an Incom T-65 X-wing starfighter using only the Force - as I do every morning.)

QuoterGal | March 28, 07:09 CET

And apropos of nothing, really, I'm not sure if there's anything I can do to increase or strengthen my midichlorian count

I've got a theory about this. I think that "midichlorian" is derived from "mitochondrion", which is a real cellular organelle that is a symbiont (remember how "smybiont" and "symbiote" were used in the first prequel?) with all our somatic cells. I suspect that the inspiration came from A Wind In the Door, the first sequel to A Wrinkle In Time, the children's book.

And yes, QG, you can boost your mitochondria simply by increasing cell division. But that's mostly diet and exercise, sorry.

dreamlogic | March 28, 07:22 CET

That was spew on my monitor funny-
Thank you gt0163c, I *really* needed that.

adapa | March 28, 07:28 CET

Well, Lucas and Spielberg do look a lot alike .... huh?

Tonya J | March 28, 07:37 CET

Damn it, everyone else got a chance to rain on the parade before I came here to rain on the parade by saying that Spielberg didn't write it. You guys...!

Anyway...

Yes, that was very, very funny. Though Joss would probably kill them all or something.

UnpluggedCrazy | March 28, 08:24 CET

Oh, please, pretty please, can he kill Jar-Jar FIRST!?!

Tonya J | March 28, 08:30 CET

Oh, I'd pay good money to see that. Thanks, Tonya J.

narnia | March 28, 09:42 CET

I've changed the Spielberg thing.

Simon | March 28, 10:30 CET

The link goes to today's comic, which while being even better than the Whedon one, doesn't actually reference Whedon.

Andrew Tom | March 28, 12:33 CET

Esunaga! Link changed.

Simon | March 28, 13:00 CET

Heh, funny strip. I'm not sure Joss can be trusted with Star Wars though. I really like Han-Solo for example and we all know what that means ;).

I think that "midichlorian" is derived from "mitochondrion", which is a real cellular organelle that is a symbiont (remember how "smybiont" and "symbiote" were used in the first prequel?) with all our somatic cells.

Except Luke (and Leia) were Jedi like their father before them. Mitochondria are passed down the mother's line (hence 'mitochondrial Eve' and 'Y chromosome Adam'). Lucas may well have nicked the name and tweaked it a bit though because, like midichlorians for a Jedi, they're our 'engines' producing ATP which is basically 'energy' as far as our cells are concerned. And because they're found in nearly all complex cells, in a way they "bind all living things" ;).

... but I'm gonna try three or four very dark beers when I get home tonight, and see if that does anything to my "Force" levels...

Y'know, it almost always makes me feel stronger in the Force. That damned remote control still tends to stay stubbornly where it is though.

I'll try again to lift an Incom T-65 X-wing starfighter using only the Force ...

Ah, *wags finger* QuoterGal, QuoterGal, QuoterGal, "Do or Do not. There is no try." ;-).

Saje | March 28, 14:47 CET

I think ANYBODY could have written Star Wars better than Lucas - the prequels anyway.

Cider | March 28, 15:53 CET

True, Saje. I was trying to be polite and not mention that they're in all the cells except sperm, but since you insist. Seriously, though, if you have any interest in my theory, read a synopsis of A Wind in the Door. I don't know if Lucas tweaked it so much as maybe adopted one of the little Lucases' cute mispronunciations of "mitochondrion". All those consonants in those big words are hard for a young reader. Also, Lucas is not a big science guy. Joss is actually better on that, even if it makes him want to cry.

And yes, Lucas shuld have hired him to write.

And as far as I know, beer is good for everything.

dreamlogic | March 28, 16:18 CET

Pfft, don't worry about it, sperm are rubbish and the Y chromosome is a stunted wee thing that basically codes 'Be a man' and hellish little else. As soon as women figure out a reliable way to get casserole dishes down from high shelves men are screwed ;).

Interesting. Reading a couple of synopses, mitochondria certainly feature heavily in 'A Wind in the Door', who knows, maybe that's where he got the idea ? Some of his kids seem relatively young so maybe he read it to them and it came from there, even from their mispronunciation (I suspect - but can't support - that 'midichlorians' are a late addition and not part of his original intentions for the series because it seems almost an about turn from the meritocratic 'binds the galaxy together' Force in 'A New Hope' to the 'genetic elite, basically a royal bloodline' Force we see in the prequels).

Saje | March 28, 17:12 CET

Esunaga! Link changed.

Now if only you could set that as a gambit, eh Simon? ;)

Grounded | March 28, 17:46 CET

Saje: "Ah, *wags finger* QuoterGal, QuoterGal, QuoterGal, "Do or Do not. There is no try." ;-).

Oh, crap, Saje, have I learned nothing from these films?

Saje: "As soon as women figure out a reliable way to get casserole dishes down from high shelves men are screwed ;)."

Though it would be fair to say I rarely require a casserole dish, being 5'8" tall, I can reach every shelf in the house. However, I do still need my partner for other stuff, most of it of the non-smirk inducing variety, thank you very much.

dreamlogic: "And yes, QG, you can boost your mitochondria simply by increasing cell division. But that's mostly diet and exercise, sorry."

Ah, well, sucks to that, say I. But they were tasty, and they do help almost everything else...

QuoterGal | March 28, 21:48 CET

Much better thread. OK, I'm smiling again!

Madhatter | March 28, 23:37 CET

QuoterGal, love your thoughts. What about "300"?

Madhatter | March 28, 23:55 CET

Saje: "As soon as women figure out a reliable way to get casserole dishes down from high shelves men are screwed ;)."

That should suit them fine then. I keep hearing that that is all they really want anyway. ;-)

newcj | March 29, 00:21 CET

Heh, feel like I should borrow your *groan* from the other thread newcj ;-).

(though those other pillars of civilization beer, curry and football on the telly seem to be missing ;)

Saje | March 29, 00:48 CET

Turn about is fair play, saje. ;-)

"(though those other pillars of civilization beer, curry and football on the telly seem to be missing ;)"

Curry, huh? Are those all at the same time? Here it would be be beer and whatever sport is in season on television, but what should be the food? Hot dogs at the ball park. Steaks or burgers in the backyard. Potato chips, pretzels and pizza in front of the TV, I guess. But considering that they sell each one of those with sex and rarely need anything else to sell sex, I think sex still wins. ;-)

newcj | March 29, 01:35 CET

I suspect - but can't support - that 'midichlorians' are a late addition and not part of his original intentions for the series because it seems almost an about turn from the meritocratic 'binds the galaxy together' Force in 'A New Hope' to the 'genetic elite, basically a royal bloodline' Force we see in the prequels

Yeah, that's why I don't post on their websites. Besides not being interested. Because I would post stuff like that and it would just upset them.

BTW, is metanarritive a word, and if so, does it mean what I think it means?

dreamlogic | March 29, 04:13 CET

Curry, huh? Are those all at the same time?

Hmm, kinky ;). Nah, sounds like a logistical nightmare apart from anything else, where would I put the remote ? I was gonna say pizza but I just prefer curry (plus it's the popular choice - last year, for the first time ever, it narrowly edged out 'fish and chips' as Britain's favourite takeaway food). And yep, sex will emerge victorious, every time ;).

dreamlogic, have you read David Brin's essays on Star Wars generally (and also 'Attack of the Clones' specifically) ? Sometimes a bit, err, strident for my taste but interesting reads nonetheless.

And if in doubt with any word just stick a hyphen in there, works for me fantastic-ably ;).

(are you thinking it means a narrative about or commenting on another ? Cos then, yeah ;)

Saje | March 29, 12:44 CET

"I suspect - but can't support - that 'midichlorians' are a late addition and not part of his original intentions for the series because it seems almost an about turn from the meritocratic 'binds the galaxy together' Force in 'A New Hope' to the 'genetic elite, basically a royal bloodline' Force we see in the prequels"

I have suspected, but not been able to support, that almost everything after the original Star Wars was a late edition and not part of his original intention. ;-) I have a soft spot for Star Wars but am not a huge fan simply because I never believed the family relationships were there from the beginning. Interestingly enough, my first reaction to the comic was, "I agree with the kid about everything he is saying." My second reaction was, "Com'on the dad is probably my age. He probably saw the original trilogy when it first came out. He would know what the kid is talking about...even if he did not particularly care."

newcj | March 29, 15:33 CET

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