Editorials

1997-1998 - 1999 - 2000 - 2001 - 2002+

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Rumors Gone Wild

OK, so maybe half of the film wasn't blurry and out of focus.

Maybe it wasn't called Balance of the Force.

And chances are, Steven Spielberg is NOT going to direct any of the next movies.

OK, we'll admit it, we've been wrong a few times. But after a comment earlier this year from Rick McCallum stating not to trust "85% of what you read on the Internet," something has to be said. He's implying that nearly all of the news and rumors you read on the Internet are wrong. Even Lucas himself has stated that many of the rumors were bogus up until this time last year. We're not sure where they get their figures, but here's some of my thoughts on the whole deal.

Let's set the stage, way back in 1997. The film is steeped in production, but only minor tidbits are making their way to the web. The rumors that do make it are often clouded in misconception, because the folks that send them in don't know the full context and may have a hard time describing the situations. It's kinda like St. John trying to describe the end of the world in the book of Revelations. Kinda hard, when you live in 25 AD.

But aside from that (and we did get our initial knowledge of the Jedi Council and the Pod Race sequences way back then), there's been plenty on TFN that's actually took place in the movie. And there's plenty more that was left on the cutting room floor that we also knew about in advance.

Here's a few examples of both of the above:

We had someone describe Anakin's pod during the first stages of set construction. We even got a few pictures of it under construction, yet no one knew what it was for or how exactly it was going to work. What exactly was "Anakin's Pod" anyhow? Does that make that information false? No, it was accurate and reliable.

Here's another scene we first mentioned long ago that was entirely accurate, never made it to the final cut of the film. It's when OBI-WAN and QUI-GON have a problem with a wet lightsaber. There are stills of this sequence still floating around the Internet, although it never officially happened (since it was not in the final edit of the movie).

There was a ton more information posted long before the movie was released, including sketches of ships, scores of descriptions of vehicles, casting information, even drawings with a scale guide to compare ships side-by-side!

Remember when TFN posted the sound clips of Jar Jar months before the release? How about that Darth Maul clip?

In October of 1998, TFN and other sites published pictures of the sketches for the droideka, the Federation Droid Control Ship, and plenty more. In subsequent months, TFN and other sites published more correct information, even including actual script segments from the third draft of the script. There was talk of the midi-chlorians long before the movie premiered, and much of what was published was fact, not fiction.

All this being said on the eve of Episode II production, and the rumors are already flying in. Characters, casting and more are already making their way to our inboxes. We'll sift through them all and bring you the truth, or at least the best truth as we know it. So, when Rick McCallum says that 80% of the Internet is misinformation, maybe he's referring to the entire online world and not specifically TFN, because I'd like to think our percentage is much higher than that. We're quite selective about what we post, and as you can imagine, sifting through the tons of email that does come in, that's quite a job. Of course, as we get rolling on Episode II, expect some rumors to develop and expect to see them here on TFN.

There will be some things you may hear about that never come to be, casting ideas that are just ideas that never get beyond a meeting or two. You'll hear about the new sets or discover part of the plot that cut from the movie, but were true. TFN prides itself on being the reliable source for all of your "Daily Dose of Star Wars," including spy reports.

Well, except for that whole fuzzy footage rumor. Oops.

Joshua Griffin
Nov. 22nd, 1999