Betty is a cybernetic intelligence born to be a fighter. With Jack, she pilots an F-12 Avenger starfighter as part of the Marine Fighter Attack Squadron/Wing 112, the Cowboys. Whenever she thinks she can get away with not being in uniform, she prefers to wear a yellow sundress and sandals. It is her way of reminding herself that even if she was born to fight, The War does not define her. She looks forward to an end to The War, and hopes one day to explore the galaxy.
Today I found out that Carrie Fisher died. 2016 has shown a lot of people dying. People who I will forever miss. Musicians and actors that I loved. So many. But today we lost one who has truly dominated my destiny in a way that none of those others have.
I only knew her from Star Wars. I knew she did other stuff, but Star Wars was where I met her. I wore out video tapes watching those movies over and over in my childhood. I memorized those movies, and I purchased every Star Wars book I could find. And then they began coming out with NEW Star Wars books. The timeline moved beyond the end of Jedi for the first time in my life and showed us what happened later. It showed us how Leia Organa Solo, her husband, and her brother continued to fight the Empire and protect the fledgling New Republic from utter destruction. I remember her raising her children as she fought for freedom in the galaxy. She was the ultimate bad ass mother, turning the galaxy on its ear through the force of her will. She kicked a returned Emperor’s ass when her brother failed. She out maneuvered enemies across the galaxy through cunning and subtlety. And she changed the destiny of a galaxy far far away by simply being there and refusing to ever surrender to the Empire or its minions.
All of this was written by people who watched Carrie Fisher play Princess Leia in those three Star Wars movies. They took the life she breathed into that role and built a galaxy-changing character with decades of experience fighting the Empire and finally driving it into the corners of the galaxy. She even served as President of the Republic, and introduced many of us to the idea that a woman could be President.
Carrie Fisher gave life to one of my generation’s greatest heroes.
A Princess. A Rebel. A Mother. A Jedi. A President.
She will be missed.
Santa Claus may have a tight schedule coming to town all over the place, but there are always others willing to don the outfit with some naughty or nice spirits.
Jack, Betty, and Jasmine are always happy to dress up for a party, and Jack always likes to arrive in style…
Wherever you are, I have a wish for you.
Whatever your life has been like this year, I have a wish for you.
Whatever you want to see when you wake up, I have a wish for you.
Today I celebrate the birth of Jesus.
Today I celebrate the grace of God.
Today I have a wish for you.
Glory to God.
Peace on Earth.
Good will towards Men.
I wish you all a Merry Christmas.
I wasn’t going to shoot a whole movie with a girl playing with guns, only to end it with the Good Guys marching off screen and fade to black. Yeah, I know a lot of artsy people like to do that. But even if I was experimenting with artsy techniques, I’m still a red blooded American male. I like pretty girls, shiny guns, and I love to watch a good pretend fight on the screen. So my film’s climax was a really big monster slipping loose and terrorizing the locals. I got a classmate to play the part of one and she did it real good. Then it was glorified American-style violence time. You know. Lots of bullets in the air. Screaming citizens. Roaring monsters. Some engaging Bebop Jazz to lighten the mood. And of course, nobody important dies. Everybody wants a happy ending for the Good Guys, you know.
Forge of War on Amazon
Angel Flight on Amazon
Angel Strike on Amazon
Angel War on Amazon
Wolfenheim Rising on Amazon
Wolfenheim Emergent on Amazon