Weekend Update: Star Wars, Hong Hong, and a Rude Pastor

Its the (Superbowl) weekend…which means its time to check out some other interesting things in the news.

Geek Update

Star Wars VII to be directed by JJ Abrams

The last 3 Star Wars movies were so bad I have almost forgot what a big fan of the series I used to be.  When the first Star Wars movie came out in the summer of 1977 I conned, conjoled, and pleaded with my parents and friends to see it again …and again.  In fact I saw it 10 times that summer.

With the franchise in need of A LOT of help, a “face saving” George Lucas sold his ownership to Disney for more than 4 billion dollars.  I have been saying for years about Lucas what I said for years back in the 1990s about Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry.  Let’s applaud him…give him accolades…acknowledge the debt we all owe for giving us such beloved characters…but DON’T let him anywhere near having directing, casting, or creative control.  Expertise best left to the professionals.

And in this case, ironically, that professional comes in the same person who single handedly rescued the Star Trek franchise from it’s creative purgatory; J.J. Abrams.  Abrams is set to reboot the series with the first movie scheduled for a 2015 release.

Of course, the real test isn’t in nostalgia or big-budget spectacle—it’s in storytelling. Star Wars was never just about flashy space battles and cool aliens. It was the mythology, the hero’s journey, the sense that destiny could be shaped by choice and sacrifice. That’s where the newer films faltered. They had the tools, the tech, the talent, but they forgot the soul. The original trilogy thrived on heart, not just lightsaber duels. And if Abrams, or anyone else, wants to bring Star Wars back to its former glory, they’ll need to remember that it’s the characters, their struggles, and their triumphs that make us care—not just the spectacle of the galaxy far, far away.

That’s why something like Theory Sabers is so intriguing—it taps into that original magic, that deeper connection between weapon and warrior, between philosophy and combat. Lightsabers were never just fancy glow sticks; they were symbols of discipline, identity, and belief. The best Star Wars stories understood that a Jedi’s saber was an extension of their very essence, much like a knight’s sword or a samurai’s katana. If the franchise wants to find its footing again, it needs to reclaim that sense of meaning, that weight behind every duel, every clash of light and dark. Otherwise, it’s just another franchise lost in the corporate void, flickering like a burned-out holocron.

I haven’t been this excited about Star Wars since…oh…1983!

Life in Hong Kong update

This Is Great Britain campaign nixed in Hong Kong

A promotional campaign by the British Council for a global education exhibition was viewed to be too sensitive to be used in Hong Kong. With the use of former British colonial flags at protest demonstrations against the government, posters declaring “This is Great Britain” which were displayed at downtown MTR stations were deemed to be “open to misinterpretation”.  The British Council decided it would be appropriate to remove the advertisements.

Sitting around with a few friends here in Hong Kong we universally were of the opinion that the British Council knew it would cause a bit of a stir but thought they’d run it for a few days to get some controversial press coverage.  Or as one friend said, “Someone in the Council was bored and was just having some fun.”

Christian “Culture” Update:

Pastor Who Left Rude “10 % receipt” Apologizes

Alois Bell, a pastor in St. Louis, caused a storm when a receipt she left at a local Applebees questioned the automatic 18 % gratuity by saying she only had to give God 10%.   The waitress, Chelsea Welch, was subsequently fired by the restaurant chain when she admitted to posting the receipt, which went viral online.  She stated she did it just because she thought others would find it entertaining…which it was!

Bell has apologized noting she had left $6 in cash as a tip and that the comment was a momentary lapse in judgement.   We ALL make really stupid decisions from time to time.  Thankfully most remain confined to a small audience.  Our digital society however makes some of those stupid mistakes very public…very fast!

Well, that’s the weekend.  And now Monday morning is upon me!