First mention of Episode 6 (Usenet archive)

[Dutchy]

This was originally posted in June 1982 on Usenet:

http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=bnews.azure.913


Date: 1982-06-08 22:53:31 PST

"Revenge of the Jedi"... Episode 6 in the Star Wars saga, has
just finished filming, according to some friends I have down in
Arizona.

The release date for us humans that want to see it is
still the summer of 1983. I guess it takes that long to score
all the music, do all the film-editing, prepare all the promo
material, and all that junk.

I wish Lucas & Co. would get the thing going a little faster.
I can't really imagine waiting until 1997 to see all nine parts
of the Star Wars series.

Here's a trivia question for other fellow addicts of Star Wars:

Most everyone knows that the original "Star Wars" was
episode 4 in the series, and "The Empire Strikes Back"
was episode 5.

Who out there knows the new correct TITLE of Episode 4?

Don't get me wrong -- the thing is still called Star Wars
by millions of people, but there is a specific title that
tells what episode 4 is about. That's what I'm looking
for.

Send replies to:

...!decvax!teklabs!tekmdp!randals
-or-
...!ucbvax!teklabs!tekmdp!randals

I'll publish the correct title in about a week.

Randal L. Schwartz (Ran-dahl Calrizzian)
Tektronix Microcomputer Development Products
Beaverton, Oregon (ORR-i-gun, not AWWW-ree-GONE!!)

P.S. How many people have seen SW more than 22 times in the theatre,
or at triple speed on video tape (boy, that's fun)?

I especially like the line: "I can't really imagine waiting until 1997 to see all nine parts of the Star Wars series.". Boy, was he far off. :)

[darth_mcbain]

That's pretty funny. Hey, I know the answer to his question - its only about twenty years too late, should I bother replying? :lol

[JMK]

I don't know.....:x

[CMJ]

Thats really great Dutchy...thanks for posting that. :)

[JonathanLB]

I went to high school in Beaverton, Oregon. It's really part of Portland, I never do understand what the hell the point is of calling something Tigard, Beaverton, Hillsboro, what the hell?! They are all Portland to me. If it touches Portland, it IS Portland. Plus, nobody makes that distinction anyway. You don't say you live in Beaverton to someone from out of state, you tell them you live in Portland. Fortunately my zip code is actually in "Portland, Oregon" so I don't have to think about that :)

That guy thought he was super smart by knowing the title was A New Hope, wow, haha. What a joke. He also doesn't seem to realize that the Star Wars movies take THREE YEARS each and they don't progress slowly, they go at breakneck paces with people working overtime, weekends, right up until the release and they still barely finish in three years. So to say Lucas should hurry up and do them quicker is really idiotic. They would take five years each if Lucas did them at a more normal pace.

2,000 effects shots in TPM is the equivalent of four MAJOR motion pictures, or even seven significant blockbusters. You know when you have to create THREE teams for one movie each headed by a senior ILM employee that you have an incredible number of effects!

It is fortunate that Lucas has such an awesome empire, because no major studio will be able to create anything as impressive as the prequels probably for another decade at least. 2,000 effects for under $200 million? Yeah, right. Not going to happen. Making TPM would cost any rival studio probably $250 to $300 million, not $110 million as it cost Lucas. That's a pretty nice way to eliminate any possible real competition. Just don't profit from your own company's work on your own film (of course) and have them create the effects at cost without any profit on the effects work, just the film product. Hehe.

Titanic: $200 million, 500 effects (and not very good computer ones at all, just great physical ones; the CG sucked hard).
TPM: $110 million, 2,100 effects (many state-of-the-art and groundbreaking).

[Dutchy]

Relax man, you're responding to someone who wrote something when you weren't even BORN. :)

[Jedieb]

LOL Dutchy! Most moviegoers today woulndn't even call SW by A New Hope. Back in 82 the numbers would have been even smaller. That was a great question for 82. To quote one of my favorite lines from Stripes; "Lighten up Francis!" :lol

[JonathanLB]

Whatever, I think it is funny. I was just laughing at it, not honestly mad he would ask a question that idiotic.

Regardless of what most people WOULD call it, you still are no less ignorant if you call A New Hope "Star Wars." I wouldn't know what someone is talking about if they said that. If someone says, "I only saw Star Wars," would be like, "Umm... what one?" Or a better example, someone is like, "What do you think of Star Wars?" I would be like, "Well, you mean the saga right? I love the Star Wars movies..." If they were talking about just the first, I wouldn't know. I assume that if someone askes me a question with "Star Wars" in it they are referring to the entire saga, the entire phenomenon, everything. If that's not what they mean, they should be more specific, like "What did you think of Episode IV, A New Hope?" or simply, "What did you think of the first Star Wars movie ever made?" Of course if they simply said "...the first Star Wars movie?" I wouldn't know what they meant yet again because TPM is the first Star Wars movie, but perhaps they mean ANH? It would be impossible to know.

A New Hope is Star Wars: Episode IV -- A New Hope. That exact title, punctuation, etc. TPM is Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace. Etc.

[Darth Turbogeek]

Jonathan -

At this point in time when this guy was posting, the real title for Ep IV WAS truly not well known. MOST people saw the original Star Wars with the original scrawl....


WHICH DID NOT HAVE THE EP IV TITLE. It was only shown as the now correct title in re-releases.


He is NOT an idiot. His question was quite valid at the time. And even now, how many people really know what EpIV's true title is? As the casual movie goer and all you would get is a dumb look.

I wish to say Dutchy, that was the comment of the year :)

[Jedieb]

He is NOT an idiot. His question was quite valid at the time. And even now, how many people really know what EpIV's true title is? As the casual movie goer and all you would get is a dumb look.

You betcha DarthTurbogeek. Back in 82 SW information trickled out in the form of the occasional tid bit on Entertainment Tonight or Bantha Tracks. You can eliminate all the day to day coverage we have today. About the only people using UseNet were University folk. That question is a great question for 82 and even today. Most people on the street wouldn't have a clue about the title ANH and they could care less. Maybe someone's just a bit envious they don't have Usenet box office questions from 1982 floating around out there? ;)

[quute]I wish to say Dutchy, that was the comment of the year. [/quote]

Dutchy make me laugh too. Dutchy funny. Him should joke around even more. :lol