Wallet Wars

So, you may or may not have heard, there's a new Star-Wars spin-off movie that will be in theaters on December 16; Rogue One.  Even though only the teaser trailer has been released, a lot was said about what this movie is going to be about.  The trailer would suggest that we've got a story about how the Rebels acquired the plans for the Death Star.  It suggests that Forest Whitaker will be added to the Star Wars canon of actors, presumably in a "good" role.  And, most importantly, it seems that we're going to have another female lead as Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything) is prominently portrayed as a futuristic bad-ass.

A couple of observations about myself:

I'm hoping, that, based on the success of TWO Star Wars movies with female leads, there will be a resurgence of female toys in the stores for us dads who want their kids playing with the "good-gals" at home, in-between movies.  DC figured it out with the recent release of these!  More please!

As a forty year old, I didn't really need a reason to spend money on the Star Wars Universe as I, already, have spent a college tuition's equivalent on movies (theater, DVD and Blu Rey; see what I did there?  Thanks Scott), toys, originally scored and remastered soundtracks, more toys, Legos, costumes for the boy, comics, fan fiction (Admiral Thrawn, I'm looking in your direction), and, of course, toys.  When the original trilogy was re-released into the theaters in 1997, a friend and I went to go charge ourselves new light & sound light sabers that we then brought to the theater...where we saw the movies that we had already seen 100+ times, again.  And, again. 

Despite this new movie not being a "sequel," I have hopes that it's going to be great.  I have hopes that it will include James Earl Jones in his reprised roll (and maybe even Ian McDiarmid), to bring continuity to the film. 

Even if it's "bad" I'll likely see it twice, once as a tester, and once with the boy.  That'll be two more times than I'll ever see Superman vs. Batman in the theater after abominable reviews. 

My poor wife.  Our Decembers are already insane with birthdays, holidays, professional football (she plays, I don't), and now my almost religious devotion to a galaxy far far away.  The only positive is that, with the kids, I don't look as freakish when I do go to Toys R Us to get new loot, that is, until the clerk overhears that the kids won't be allowed to play with it. 

May the force (and credit cards) be with you...always.