Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Incredible Hulk

2008-11-13T23:26:06Z

Realslimshadowen: New page: '''The Incredible Hulk''', or more commonly just Hulk, is a fictional character in the Marvel universe. Though generally classified as a superhero, his story is more com...

'''The Incredible Hulk''', or more commonly just Hulk, is a fictional character in the [[Marvel Comics|Marvel universe]]. Though generally classified as a superhero, his story is more commonly seen as a man in conflict with himself, which incidentally happens to feature a big green guy smashing a lot of things. He was created in 1962 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, debuting in ''Hulk #1''. An enduring and longstanding character, he was named the 7th greatest comic book character of all time in 2008. <ref>Wizard Magazine, June 2008</ref>

The Hulk's real name is Bruce Banner, a brilliant physicist specializing in radiation, particularly gamma rays. After being exposed to large amounts of [[Electromagnetic radiation|gamma radiation]] (accidentally in some versions of the story, deliberately in others), he transforms into an enormous, green-skinned (gray in the early comics), musclebound behemoth whom he and others start calling the Hulk. Though he eventually reverts to a human form, Banner finds that whenever he gets angry enough, he transforms into the Hulk and goes on a rampage. The concept of the story has been described as a combination of "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde" and "[[Frankenstein]]".

Within the Marvel universe, the Hulk is regarded with no small amount of fear. In the years since the initial transformer, Banner has acquired a vast array of survival skills and other knowledge, enough to stymie even black operations units, and when that fails, the Hulk often emerges to deal with the crisis--which is when the real danger begins. Even at his most lucid, Hulk is nonetheless powered by rage--indeed, the more rage he feels, the stronger he gets, meaning his actual strength is theoretically unlimited. Hulk has held up mountains, damaged the armor of a being that could alter reality with a thought, swam across oceans, and battled gods to a standstill. Further, Banner spends most of his time as Hulk these days; Hulk seems to have become the dominant personality, and his contempt for his Banner side is palpable. His vast destructive power is tempered by the creature's desire to mostly be left alone, as the military, whom Banner was working for at the time of the accident, wants to either stop him or harness his strength for use as a weapon, depending on who is in charge of the expedition coming after him.

Dark Elf Trilogy

2008-11-13T22:56:15Z

Realslimshadowen: corrected silliness

The '''Dark Elf Trilogy''' are a series of novels, set in the 'Forgotten Realms' [[Dungeons and Dragons]] campaign setting, that are generally regarded as author R.A. Salvatore's most enduring work.<ref>http://home.austarnet.com.au/petersykes/fantasy100/lists_books.html</ref> The novels were a prequel trilogy, as Salvatore had already written a trilogy of novels featuring the lead character.

The books tell the origin of Drizzt Do'Urden, a dark or drow elf, who is repulsed by the matriarchal theocratic society he is raised in. Vicious, violent, deceptive, arrogant, the dark elves of Menzoberranzan really only have one rule: don't get caught. But Drizzt was born with a conscience, something no drow can afford. His upbringing and training as a warrior are depicted in the first book, ''Homeland'', after which he leaves the city of his birth to live in the wilds of the Underdark. His desperate survival there, and realizing he can't stay there forever, make up the bulk of the second book, ''Exile''. At the end of the novel, he reaches the surface world. In ''Sojourn'', he adapts to the surface world, his years underground serving him well as his survival instincts allow him to carry on in the face of great threats. Eventually, he comes under the tutelage of a retired adventurer and ranger, who gives him formal training in the ways of being a guardian of the wild. Finally, he moves north, to Icewind Dale, where he first meets the dwarf king and human girl who would become his dearest friends.

The trilogy is noted as being remarkable for giving real meat to the mysterious society of the dark elves, who until that point had remained a mystery except for being a generally villainous race. The matriarchy, the dichotomy of stratification and mobility, and the worship of an evil goddess allowed ''Dungeons and Dragons'' players to understand how an evil society might actually, for lack of a better term, "work".

==Concerns and Criticism==
The implications of the novels, based as they were on ''Dungeons and Dragons'' conventions, have given rise to debate in subsequent years (as have ''Dungeons and Dragons''' racial tropes themselves). The implication that all or most drow are wholly evil, and that Drizzt alone was truly good (with his father, uneasy at his race's predilections but unwilling to take steps against them, implied to occupy a neutral limbo), indicated that it was genetics that made him moral, not his upbringing, which was little different from any other male drow, save his that his father, who trained him during his teenage years, was more gentle than most. This is further emphasized with his sister Vierna; his other siblings are only half-related to him, sharing only their mother's blood, but Vierna, who treated him much more kindly than would be expected, was also his father's daughter, and though she didn't know this had a more temperate attitude as a result, though she was lost, having become just a loyal, if not as fanatical, a follower of the dark elves' goddess as her sisters and mother. In summation, the book seems to endorse the idea that goodness derives from blood, not upbringing. However, it is not revealed how Drizzt's father gained his distaste for dark elf society.

Other criticisms have been leveled at the book--''of course'' the race of evil fanatic elves has to be dark-skinned, even though they live underground. This is dealt with in-world by their being marked distinctively so no one would ever mistake them for anything other than what they are. The other large criticism, though, is leveled at making drow society both matriarchal and evil. However, others have defended this by noting that the book does not condemn matriarchy but inequality in general. Later books in the Drizzt series indicate that the parts of the surface world that the main character, portrayed as unfailingly moral and upright, favors are all much more egalitarian than is perhaps believable in a quasi-medieval world, and there are plenty of villains who hold similar views towards women that dark elf rulers are shown to have towards men.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Fantasy]]

Dark Elf Trilogy

2008-11-13T22:55:54Z

Realslimshadowen: corrected silliness

The '''Dark Elf Trilogy''' are a series of novels, set in the 'Forgotten Realms' [[Dungeons and Dragons]] campaign setting, that are generally regarded as author R.A. Salvatore's most enduring work.<ref>http://home.austarnet.com.au/petersykes/fantasy100/lists_books.html</ref> The novels were a prequel trilogy, as Salvatore had already written a trilogy of novels featuring the lead character.

The books tell the origin of Drizzt Do'Urden, a dark or drow elf, who is repulsed by the matriarchal theocratic society he is raised in. Vicious, violent, deceptive, arrogant, the dark elves of Menzoberranzan really only have one rule: don't get caught. But Drizzt was born with a conscience, something no drow can afford. His upbringing and training as a warrior are depicted in the first book, ''Homeland'', after which he leaves the city of his birth to live in the wilds of the Underdark. His desperate survival there, and realizing he can't stay there forever, make up the bulk of the second book, ''Exile''. At the end of the novel, he reaches the surface world. In ''Sojourn, he adapts to the surface world, his years underground serving him well as his survival instincts allow him to carry on in the face of great threats. Eventually, he comes under the tutelage of a retired adventurer and ranger, who gives him formal training in the ways of being a guardian of the wild. Finally, he moves north, to Icewind Dale, where he first meets the dwarf king and human girl who would become his dearest friends.

The trilogy is noted as being remarkable for giving real meat to the mysterious society of the dark elves, who until that point had remained a mystery except for being a generally villainous race. The matriarchy, the dichotomy of stratification and mobility, and the worship of an evil goddess allowed ''Dungeons and Dragons'' players to understand how an evil society might actually, for lack of a better term, "work".

==Concerns and Criticism==
The implications of the novels, based as they were on ''Dungeons and Dragons'' conventions, have given rise to debate in subsequent years (as have ''Dungeons and Dragons''' racial tropes themselves). The implication that all or most drow are wholly evil, and that Drizzt alone was truly good (with his father, uneasy at his race's predilections but unwilling to take steps against them, implied to occupy a neutral limbo), indicated that it was genetics that made him moral, not his upbringing, which was little different from any other male drow, save his that his father, who trained him during his teenage years, was more gentle than most. This is further emphasized with his sister Vierna; his other siblings are only half-related to him, sharing only their mother's blood, but Vierna, who treated him much more kindly than would be expected, was also his father's daughter, and though she didn't know this had a more temperate attitude as a result, though she was lost, having become just a loyal, if not as fanatical, a follower of the dark elves' goddess as her sisters and mother. In summation, the book seems to endorse the idea that goodness derives from blood, not upbringing. However, it is not revealed how Drizzt's father gained his distaste for dark elf society.

Other criticisms have been leveled at the book--''of course'' the race of evil fanatic elves has to be dark-skinned, even though they live underground. This is dealt with in-world by their being marked distinctively so no one would ever mistake them for anything other than what they are. The other large criticism, though, is leveled at making drow society both matriarchal and evil. However, others have defended this by noting that the book does not condemn matriarchy but inequality in general. Later books in the Drizzt series indicate that the parts of the surface world that the main character, portrayed as unfailingly moral and upright, favors are all much more egalitarian than is perhaps believable in a quasi-medieval world, and there are plenty of villains who hold similar views towards women that dark elf rulers are shown to have towards men.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Fantasy]]

Dark Elf Trilogy

2008-11-13T22:55:34Z

Realslimshadowen: expanded and clarified; added and debunked concerns

The '''Dark Elf Trilogy''' are a series of novels, set in the 'Forgotten Realms' [[Dungeons and Dragons]] campaign setting, that are generally regarded as author R.A. Salvatore's most enduring work.<ref>http://home.austarnet.com.au/petersykes/fantasy100/lists_books.html</ref> The novels were a prequel trilogy, as Salvatore had already written a trilogy of novels featuring the lead character.

The books tell the origin of Drizzt Do'Urden, a dark or drow elf, who is repulsed by the matriarchal theocratic society he is raised in. Vicious, violent, deceptive, arrogant, the dark elves of Menzoberranzan really only have one rule: don't get caught. But Drizzt was born with a conscience, something no drow can afford. His upbringing and training as a warrior are depicted in the first book, ''Homeland'', after which he leaves the city of his birth to live in the wilds of the Underdark. His desperate survival there, and realizing he can't stay there forever, make up the bulk of the second book, ''Exile''. At the end of the novel, he reaches the surface world. In ''Sojourn, he adapts to the surface world, his years underground serving him well as his survival instincts allow him to carry on in the face of great threats. Eventually, he comes under the tutelage of a retired adventurer and ranger, who gives him formal training in the ways of being a guardian of the wild. Finally, he moves north, to Icewind Dale, where he first meets the dwarf king and human girl who would become his dearest friends.

The trilogy is noted as being remarkable for giving real meat to the mysterious society of the dark elves, who until that point had remained a mystery except for being a generally villainous race. The matriarchy, the dichotomy of stratification and mobility, and the worship of an evil goddess allowed ''Dungeons and Dragons'' players to understand how an evil society might actually, for lack of a better term, "work".

==Concerns and Criticism
The implications of the novels, based as they were on ''Dungeons and Dragons'' conventions, have given rise to debate in subsequent years (as have ''Dungeons and Dragons''' racial tropes themselves). The implication that all or most drow are wholly evil, and that Drizzt alone was truly good (with his father, uneasy at his race's predilections but unwilling to take steps against them, implied to occupy a neutral limbo), indicated that it was genetics that made him moral, not his upbringing, which was little different from any other male drow, save his that his father, who trained him during his teenage years, was more gentle than most. This is further emphasized with his sister Vierna; his other siblings are only half-related to him, sharing only their mother's blood, but Vierna, who treated him much more kindly than would be expected, was also his father's daughter, and though she didn't know this had a more temperate attitude as a result, though she was lost, having become just a loyal, if not as fanatical, a follower of the dark elves' goddess as her sisters and mother. In summation, the book seems to endorse the idea that goodness derives from blood, not upbringing. However, it is not revealed how Drizzt's father gained his distaste for dark elf society.

Other criticisms have been leveled at the book--''of course'' the race of evil fanatic elves has to be dark-skinned, even though they live underground. This is dealt with in-world by their being marked distinctively so no one would ever mistake them for anything other than what they are. The other large criticism, though, is leveled at making drow society both matriarchal and evil. However, others have defended this by noting that the book does not condemn matriarchy but inequality in general. Later books in the Drizzt series indicate that the parts of the surface world that the main character, portrayed as unfailingly moral and upright, favors are all much more egalitarian than is perhaps believable in a quasi-medieval world, and there are plenty of villains who hold similar views towards women that dark elf rulers are shown to have towards men.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Fantasy]]

Paradox

2008-08-16T01:58:43Z

Realslimshadowen: added signs

A '''paradox''' is a situation or [[puzzle]] where choosing an alternative contradicts itself, or contradicts what is obviously true through what appears to be valid assumptions and logic.

The ancient [[Greek]] Zeno is known for his invention of many paradoxes, the [[Zeno's_paradox|best known]] of which "proves" that a moving object can never reach its destination.

A well known family of paradoxes involve [[self-reference]], such as the statement "this statement is untrue", or the old joke "How do you keep a fool busy? Hand him a card with this question and 'see other side' on both sides". Others involve creative signs (such as one that reads "Keep Left" with an arrow pointing right, or "Reading This Sign Is Forbidden").

[[Category:Philosophy]]
[[Category:Logic]]
[[Category:Dictionary]]

X-Men

2008-08-16T01:50:38Z

Realslimshadowen: corrected silliness

The X-Men are a team of [[comic book]] [[superhero|superheroes]] from the Marvel Universe. The team members are [[mutation|mutants]], each inborn with an ability that goes beyond what is humanly possible. In this way--being human but possessing abilities that go beyond the possible--mutants are unusual. Such mutants are subject to discrimination in the Marvel Universe, and as such must keep their status secret, but the founder of the team believes that peaceful coexistence is possible, and that mutants can use their powers to help all of humanity. Notably, their first mission was fighting Magneto, a mutant supremacist who believed that normal humanity's time had come and gone. The initial members were Charles Xavier (Professor X), a powerful telepath, who founded and funded the initial team under the guise of it being a "school for gifted youngsters"; Scott Summers (Cyclops), who can project bolts of force from his eyes; Henry McCoy (Beast), an immensely strong, agile, tough, and athletic man; Robert Drake (Iceman), able to generate cold from his body; Warren Worthington III (Angel), possessed of feathered wings and with different enough physiology to let him fly using them; and Jean Grey (Marvel Girl), who possesses telekinetic ability.

Since the comic's first issue in 1963, the roster of the team has changed. Characters have left, joined up, changed their code names, switched sides, died, been resurrected, and developed new powers or new ways to use them. The current roster actually consists of several teams, as many more mutants have been found all over the world and many have joined or created teams with deep ties to the X-Men.

Being created in the '60s, the comic was deliberately written to be a metaphor for the social issues of the time, such as discrimination, specifically racism (despite the entire team being compose of caucasians). Since then, the themes of the various titles with the "X" brand have been expanded to be a metaphor for tolerance and acceptance in general--for other races, for other modes of belief, and even other sexual orientations.

While the books' premise does not require evolution to be factual--mutations are known to occur--the premise is explored in a way that assumes it is. A storyline in the early 2000s suggested that "regular" humanity, ''homo sapiens sapiens'', would be extinct within a century, replaced entirely with the mutant species ''homo sapiens superior''. Since then, a new event decimated the mutant population and prevented the mutant gene--the "x-factor"--from being passed on to new children, meaning it would be mutants going extinct within a generation, but this is unlikely to last, as some of the effects of the event are already "wearing off" or have otherwise been rectified.

[[category:superheroes]]
[[category:comic characters]]
[[category:entertainment]]

X-Men

2008-08-16T01:50:21Z

Realslimshadowen: New page: The X-Men are a team of comic book superheroes from the Marvel Universe. The team members are mutation mutants, each inborn with an ability that goes beyond what is ...

The X-Men are a team of [[comic book]] [[superhero|superheroes]] from the Marvel Universe. The team members are [[mutation mutants]], each inborn with an ability that goes beyond what is humanly possible. In this way--being human but possessing abilities that go beyond the possible--mutants are unusual. Such mutants are subject to discrimination in the Marvel Universe, and as such must keep their status secret, but the founder of the team believes that peaceful coexistence is possible, and that mutants can use their powers to help all of humanity. Notably, their first mission was fighting Magneto, a mutant supremacist who believed that normal humanity's time had come and gone. The initial members were Charles Xavier (Professor X), a powerful telepath, who founded and funded the initial team under the guise of it being a "school for gifted youngsters"; Scott Summers (Cyclops), who can project bolts of force from his eyes; Henry McCoy (Beast), an immensely strong, agile, tough, and athletic man; Robert Drake (Iceman), able to generate cold from his body; Warren Worthington III (Angel), possessed of feathered wings and with different enough physiology to let him fly using them; and Jean Grey (Marvel Girl), who possesses telekinetic ability.

Since the comic's first issue in 1963, the roster of the team has changed. Characters have left, joined up, changed their code names, switched sides, died, been resurrected, and developed new powers or new ways to use them. The current roster actually consists of several teams, as many more mutants have been found all over the world and many have joined or created teams with deep ties to the X-Men.

Being created in the '60s, the comic was deliberately written to be a metaphor for the social issues of the time, such as discrimination, specifically racism (despite the entire team being compose of caucasians). Since then, the themes of the various titles with the "X" brand have been expanded to be a metaphor for tolerance and acceptance in general--for other races, for other modes of belief, and even other sexual orientations.

While the books' premise does not require evolution to be factual--mutations are known to occur--the premise is explored in a way that assumes it is. A storyline in the early 2000s suggested that "regular" humanity, ''homo sapiens sapiens'', would be extinct within a century, replaced entirely with the mutant species ''homo sapiens superior''. Since then, a new event decimated the mutant population and prevented the mutant gene--the "x-factor"--from being passed on to new children, meaning it would be mutants going extinct within a generation, but this is unlikely to last, as some of the effects of the event are already "wearing off" or have otherwise been rectified.

[[category:superheroes]]
[[category:comic characters]]
[[category:entertainment]]

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

2008-08-13T22:18:06Z

Realslimshadowen: corrected silliness

{{stub}}

'''Star Wars, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith''' was the third installment in the [[Star wars]] prequel trilogy created by George Lucas.

== Plot==
Starting where the Star Wars: Clone Wars animated series ended, the story centers on a besieged Coruscant, where the Separatist droid army is attempting to flee with the captured Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, while engagind in an aerial combat against the Clone army. [[Jedi]] Knights [[Obi Wan Kenobi]] and [[Anakin Skywalker]] are sent on a rescue mission, set to board [[General Grievous]]' ship where the Chancellor is held.

After a tumultuous entry, Anakin and Obi Wan arrive to a chamber where Palpatine sits, handcuffed. In there, both Jedi Knights face off the Sith Lord Count Dooku, where Kenobi is left unconscious and Skywalker wins. After Palpatine orders him to kill Dooku, he obeys. After meeting the second in command of the Droid army and the Chancellor's abductor, General Grievous, the ship is heavily damaged. Greivous flees while Skywalker, an alert Kenobi, their droid companion, [[R2D2]] and Palpatine are forced to crash land on the planet. Palpatine sets to return as active Chancellor and the Jedi Knights part ways for the time. Anakin then meets with his secret wife, Padmé Amidala, and she reveals him that she is pregnant. Anakin receives this news with mixed emotions. Soon, he starts receiving Force visions of his wife's death in childbirth, and begins seeking any Force technique he can think of to save her.

After being reinstated in his chambers, Palaptine appoints Anakin as his personal assistant and to inform him of all of the Jedi Council's activities. This sets the Council's suspicions, and they later appoint Anakin to the Jedi Council, and assign him the task of monitoring the Chancellor. Anakin sees as high treason. Later, Palpatine orders the Jedi Council to persecute and terminate Grievous in the Outer Rim system of Utapau in order to end the Clone Wars for good. Obi-Wan Kenobi is sent, and despite the general's four arms and vicious aggression, utilizes defensive tactics to defeat Grievous in battle, while clone troopers decimate the Separatists' droids. Yoda at the same time goes to Kashyyyk, the Wookiee homeworld, as he has a "way" with them, to watch over and command the battles there. The Republic forces on Kashyyyk, too, are successful. Anakin's visions have meanwhile become more detailed--he begins seeing Obi-Wan present at the birth, but not himself.

Shortly after Palpatine receives word that the Separatists have been crushed and Grievous is dead, Anakin discovers that he is in fact Darth Sideous, the Sith Lord responsible for directing the Separatists against the Republic. Despite Sideous's attempts to convince Anakin that only he can save Padmé, he immediately informs the Jedi Council, who send a strike team lead by Mace Windu to arrest the Chancellor. Palpatine proves more formidable than expected, and kills four of the five Jedi sent, but Windu's skill and power stymies him.

Anakin, conflicted with his decision, returns to Palaptine's quarters to find him in battle with Windu. He pleads with Windu not to kill Sideous, but Windu, perhaps in the grips of the Dark Side himself, will not listen. In desperation, Anakin strikes at him, allowing Palpatine to deliver the killing blow.

Having killed a Jedi to save a Sith, Anakin is judged ready to become a Sith Lord--Darth Vader. His first task is to take an army to the Jedi Temple and slaughter all inside, as the Jedi have proven themselves to be traitors. Though still in shock at having killed a man he had respected, he obeys, and takes the 501st Legion of stormtroopers with him. With so many of the Jedi scattered across the galaxy, it is minimally defended, and Anakin is stronger than any foe he encounters. Senator Bail Organa, seeing that parts of the temple are on fire, arrives to help, but is turned away by clone troopers who gun down a Jedi youth in front of him and then tell the Senator that the situation is under control.

At the same time, Sideous executes Order 66, an apparently pre-programmed contingency or trigger within all clone troopers to kill the Jedi fighting alongside them. Every single one obeys, and almost every Jedi is killed. Two of the survivors are Obi-Wan Kenobi and Master Yoda, who with the help of his Wookiee friends escapes Kashyyyk.

Sideous makes an announcement to the Senate that, in light of the Jedi "betrayal"--the attack on him that transformed him used as physical evidence--he is using his powers to transform the Republic into an Empire. After returning to the Chancellor, Vader is given his next mission: kill the civilian leaders of the Separatist movement, headquarted on Malastare. He no longer needs the war to motivate the citizenry, as he has all the political power he'll ever need.

Obi-Wan and Yoda return to Coruscant and battle their way into the temple, attempting to find out what happened. Obi-Wan finds bodies of Younglings--the youngest Jedi--with lightsaber burns, and wonders who would have killed them. He goes to find Yoda in the security section. Yoda asks him not to review a particular holo-record of the battle, even though it shows what happens. Obi-Wan does anyway...and sees Anakin dueling with a Jedi.

Anakin tells Padme he'll be leaving for a short while, heading to Malastare, and promises to return. Padme notices he is behaving oddly, but he insists he's all right.

Yoda and Obi-Wan realize that Anakin Skywalker is lost to them. Obi-Wan goes to tell Padme, whom he knows is still quite close with Anakin. She is horrified, even beyond what he expected, when he tells her of his killing children...and realizes suddenly that her child must be Anakin's. He apologizes to her, and says he's doing what he must, and she tells him where Anakin went.

Malastare proves to be a volcanic world, where structures only survives because of heavy heat-shielding. Sideous is telling the Separatists that he is sending his apprentice, "Darth Vader", to repay them for their help. Vader enters, and slaughters them without mercy, not even speaking as they beg for their lives.

On Coruscant, Yoda challenges Sideous. Their fight soon leaves his office and heads to the Senate chamber.

Padme's ship arrives on Malastare, and the Senator goes to plead with her husband, asking him if it's true he massacred the young Jedi. When he admits it, she says he's gone too far, and she won't be able to be with him anymore. Obi-Wan chooses this moment to make his appearance, and Vader assumes the two are having an affair; he chokes his wife with the Force until Obi-Wan intervenes. Shocked at what he's done, Anakin lashes out at Obi-Wan.

In the Senate Chamber, Palpatine and Yoda duel with everything they have, including the scenery, throwing the Senates' pods at each other, clashing with lightsabers, striking out with telekinetic and lightning blasts. It comes to a draw that favors Palpatine, with a blast going awry and knocking Yoda off his platform to fall far below. He crawls through ducts, aided by his small size, to escape--and goes off with Bail Organa, deciding that since he can't beat Palpatine, he has to go into exile. Sideous tells his majordomo to ready his ship--he senses danger for Darth Vader.

Vader and Obi-Wan battle across the Malastare facility, dodging lava flows, climbing towers, and proving even more evenly matched than Yoda and Palpatine were. Obi-Wan fights mainly on the defensive, as he did against Grievous, using any gap in the fighting to ask Anakin why he did it, and admitting his own faults as a teacher. Vader is relentless, showing no mercy. Finally, Obi-Wan finds unassailable footing, and when Anakin tries to dislodge him, Obi-Wan cuts off his remaining organic arm and both his legs. Anakin falls perilously close to the river of lava, and the heat causes his clothing and hair to burst into flame. Even as he burns, Vader screams out his hate for Obi-Wan, who tearfully apologizes, taking Anakin's lightsaber, and leaving his onetime friend for dead.

Obi-Wan takes Padme back aboard her vessel, and the two leave. Palpatine arrives not moments later, and sets about aiding the horribly wounded Vader, returning to Coruscant.

Aboard Bail Organa's ship, Padme finally gives birth. Both children--she has fraternal twins, a boy and girl named Luke and Leia, respectively--are healthy, but Padme herself is dying for no reason they can discern. The best the medical droid can determine is that she is too depressed to carry on. Even as she dies, though, she insists to Obi-Wan that Anakin can be saved.

Obi-Wan, Yoda, and Bail discuss what to do next. The Jedi will be hunted down, and need to go into hiding, and there is the matter of Anakin and Padme's children. Bail says he'll take one of them, as he and his wife have never been able to conceive. Obi-Wan decides to take the boy to his only remaining family, Anakin's stepbrother and his wife, the Larses.

Medical droids on Coruscant operate on Vader, attaching cybernetic limbs and building a suit that acts as a breathing apparatus for his damaged lungs around his body. Vader is shown in the iconic form from the original trilogy, a black-armored giant...and, still barely conscious, asks Sideous what happened to Padme. Sideous tells him she has perished, and in a rage, Vader destroys everything around him.

On Naboo, Padme is laid to rest. Yoda arrives on Dagobah. Bail Organa returns aboard his ship to Alderaan, where he shows his wife their child, Leia. And on Tattooine, with a twin sunset in the background, Obi-Wan watches Owen and Beru Lars welcome Luke, and walks off into the desert night.

Set nineteen years before Episode IV, it was heavily criticized for its political overtones. Anakin Skywalker's declaration to Obi-Wan that, "If you're not with me than you are against me," was interpreted as a dig at [[President Bush]], and the fall of the Republic is seen as allegory for the rise of the so-called [[American Empire]]. For his part, Lucas has denied this is true except in the broadest terms, saying that whenever democracy becomes empire you will find similarities, but this seems to be a clever way of saying he ''does'' think America is becoming an empire.

==Links==
*[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0121766/ Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith] at the Internet Movie Database

[[Category:Sci-Fi]]

Batman

2008-08-12T20:18:45Z

Realslimshadowen: expansion, clarification, correction of silliness

[[Image:ARoss Batman.png|right|300px|thumb|''Batman'', by Alex Ross]]
'''Batman''' is a fictional [[superhero]] first appearing in ''Detective Comics'' in May, 1939. The creation of artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, Batman remains one of the most famous and recognizable of the superhero genre, resulting in the creation of several television series, motion pictures, and graphic novels. The original comics are highly-prized by collectors and routinely fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars on the auction block.

==Comics lore==
The man who was to become Batman is Bruce Wayne, a Gotham City billionaire who inherited his wealth from his father, a prominent doctor and philanthropist named Thomas Wayne. A trip to the movies with the family ended in tragedy: Thomas and his wife Martha are murdered by a common thug in front of Bruce, whose childhood effectively ends at the age of eight. Growing up in the care of his father's butler, Alfred Pennyworth, he inherits a vast fortune, his father's business and philanthropic empire, and a seething anger directed at the criminal world. Realizing that criminals are superstitious as well as cowardly, he goes after them one by one, costumed as a bat.

Batman is unusual for superheroes in that he has no superhuman powers, though he is certainly an unusually gifted human being: an athlete who would "win or place" in any Olympic event, master of a dizzying array of martial arts forms, genius detective and capable scientist, and a billionaire to top it off. Despite this, he uses his brains, training, and resources to not only keep up but excel in comparison with many heroes with great superpowers, a testament to man's will in the face of adversity.

==Film and television==
The first dramatic appearance of Batman appeared as a reoccurring guest star on the "Superman" radio series. Interestingly, during the initial story line, Batman and Robin didn't interact Superman, but Clark Kent. Batman's young side-kick, "Robin", was created specifically as an exposition device, desperately needed in radio. Although a pilot episode was recorded, Batman never received his own radio series.

The first film dealing with the Caped Crusader was a 1943 12-chapter serial from Columbia Pictures starring Lewis Wilson and Douglas Croft as Batman and Robin. The plot of the film centered on a nefarious, stereotypical Asian scientist, Dr. Daka (J. Carrol Naish), who has a plan to steal valuable resources from the United States in order to support the Axis during the World War II. Although low-budget, ''Batman'' introduced the concept of the Batcave (called the "Bat's Cave" in the film) and the hidden entry to it, as well as altering the appearance of Alfred from a portly servant to a leaner, robust individual. ''Batman and Robin'' would follow it in 1949, also as a serial, starring Robert Lowery and Johnny Duncan (Muir, 9; 72)

In January 1966, ABC released a "Batman" television series starring Adam West. During the series pre-production, there was a heated debate over which direction the Caped Crusader should be taken. Eventually, Producer William Dozier's vision won out - "Batman" would be a high budgeted, camp series which ridiculed the character. This portrayal of the character, while it was in line with the comics of the time, came in later years to be reviled by fans, particularly during the '80s and '90s. During the summer of 1966, Dozier unleased a "Batman" feature film, also starring Adam West.

Although the series caught on quickly, it fell just as suddenly. During the series' third season, Yvonne Craig was hired to protray "Batgirl" - a young woman who wore a tight purple leather outfit. This did nothing to slow the ratings plunge. The last few episode of "Batman" were literally among the lowest rated television series of the 60s.

For decades after, the "Batman" television series defined the filmed comic book template, an which attitude destroyed several promising projects, such as the feature film version of "Doc Savage" and the television productions of "The Justice League" and "The Spirit". (A show which thankfully broke the template was 1978's "The Incredible Hulk" starring Bill Bixby.)

''Batman'' film took a darker turn in 1989, when the Tim Burton-directed film, starring Michael Keaton, portrayed Bruce Wayne as a reclusive, quirky billionaire who probably was not entirely sane. While at first wary of an actor known primarily for comedies playing Batman, some fans ended up going to other movies before its release just to see the trailer for the Batman film, and then walked out, not even watching the movie they paid for. The film was a success, and was widely-lauded for Jack Nicholson's portrayal of Batman's nemesis, the Joker. It was followed up with 1992's ''Batman Returns'', which, while not as well-reviewed or successful, was still accepted by the fans, and brought the iconic figures of Catwoman and the Penguin into the movie universe.

The tone of the new movies influenced the critically-acclaimed ''Batman: The Animated Series'', a cartoon shown at first in prime time. Some of its takes on certain villains, such as Mr. Freeze, became iconic, and it introduced several characters that eventually "immigrated" to the comics, such as Detective Renee Montoya, and the Joker's hench-girlfriend, Harley Quinn.

Tim Burton was replaced with Joel Schumacher for the third Batman movie in the new movie canon, ''Batman Forever'' (1995), which introduced Robin (Batman's iconic sidekick), and the villians the Riddler and Two-Face. Whereas Burton had tried for a more dark and Gothic look, Schumacher went with bright neon colors and brought back some of the camp of the '60s TV series. The movie did well at the box office, but received mixed reviews. The fourth and final film of this "universe" was ''Batman and Robin'', released in 1997. Widely regarded as the worst of the series by fan and critic alike, ''Batman and Robin'' returned fully to the campy tone of the TV series, featuring "candy-coated" sets, poor special effects, weirder science than normal from Bat-Media, character derailment, and Arnold Schwarzennegger, as the lead villain Mr. Freeze, with barely 100 lines of dialogue, over half of which centered around cold-themed puns. This film was reviled for years as having "killed" the franchise, and performed relatively poorly in ticket sales.

The film series was rebooted again in 2005, with ''Batman Begins'', a grittier, more "realistic" take on Batman. In this film, director Christopher Nolan took Bruce Wayne, played by Christian Bale, halfway around the world in search of the answer to the riddle of criminality. He learns to fight multiple opponents, conceal himself, and gains the will to act in defense of others. Returning to Gotham after being declared legally dead, he deftly maneuvers himself back into the control of his murdered father's company and resolves to terrify the criminal element by making himself seem inhuman...and chooses the mantle of a bat, because bats scare ''him''.

The most recent entry in the series, ''The Dark Knight'', has thus far exceeded all expectations. Almost universally lauded by critics and shattering numerous box-office records, the film featured the final performance of [[Heath Ledger]], who died from a drug overdose after filming, as a monstrous version of the Joker, a psychotic who thinks the only sane way to live is without rules and wants to prove it to the world. Though the tone at the start of the film is hopeful--Batman has inspired citizens to stand up for themselves again and has organized crime in the city reeling--it quickly spirals downward, embodying the theme that Nolan chose for the movie: things have to get worse before they get better.

==References==
*Kane, Bob (with Tom Andrae). ''Batman & Me'', Eclipse Books, Forestville, California (1989).
*Goulart, Ron. ''Comic Book Encyclopedia'', Harper Entertainment, New York (2004).
*Muir, John Kenneth. ''The Encyclopedia of Superheroes on Film and Television'', McFarland & Company, Jefferson, North Carolina (2004)

[[Category:Entertainment]]
[[Category:Superheroes]]
[[Category:Comic characters]]

Battlestar Galactica

2008-08-12T20:08:17Z

Realslimshadowen: removed Roslin from "common characters"

[[Image:Bsg.jpg|right|thumb|200px]]
'''Battlestar Galactica''' is a television show on the [[SciFi Channel]]. It is a revival of a 1970's era [[cult classic]] of the same name. However, unlike the 1970's version, Battlestar Galactica is critically acclaimed, and won one of Time magazine's "Best of 2005: Television" awards.<ref>http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1141640,00.html</ref>

==The 2004 Revival==
===Background===
The show follows the conflict between the human race, as represented by the residents of the Twelve Colonies of [[Kobol]], and the [[Cylon]] race, a robotic race created by the humans fifty years prior to the events of the television show. Shortly after their creation, these [[Cylons]], appearing as metallic robots, rebelled and fought a long war against the humans. After great losses by humanity, an armistice was signed.

===Main Arc===
In the main plot of the show, the [[Cylons]] return to destroy the human race. However, the [[Cylons]] have evolved - or developed themselves - to appear human. Using various sleeper agents, they permeate the Twelve Colonies and bring about a massive surprise attack. Twelve billion people are killed, and the 50,000 or so remaining humans retreat, the small ragtag civilian fleet protected by only a single warship, the eponymous ''Battlestar''-class ''Galactica''.

The first season describes humanity's escape from the Twelve Colonies after the [[Cylon]] attack. The second follows humanity's attempt to forge a political system within the fleet, ending in a presidential election and the settlement of a new planet, well-hidden from Cylon detection. The third season covers humanity's recuperation from the fall-out from both of these events, and the search for the elusive "Thirteenth Colony," [[Earth]], a world shrouded in mythology, which the humans believe will be their safe haven from the [[Cylons]]. The third season also significantly develops the prophetic plotline, and reveals a great secret of the show - the identity of four of the Final Five [[Cylon|Cylons]]. The fourth and final season, now on its midseason break, has focused on finding [[Earth]], Starbuck's destiny, and the identity of the final Cylon. <ref>http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407362/</ref>

===Artistic Notes===
Common themes involve the topics of prophetic religions in society, the tension between liberty and safety in a world riddled with terrorism, interfamily conflicts, and the meaning of "survival" after a catastrophic event.

The show can be noted for its use of reduced (but not entirely muted) sounds in space combat - an artistic flourish that, while more accurate, has been absent from mainstream [[science fiction]] like [[Star Wars]] or the [[Star Trek]] series. It is thought that the producers of the show drew heavily from [[Joss Whedon]]'s short running television show, [[Firefly]], which muted all noises in space scenes. The style of the space scenes also shares some similarity, probably since Zoic Studios did the visuals for both series.

== Other titles ==
'''The Original Series''': Similar in premise to the 2004 revival, it related how humanity struggles to survive against the Cylon threat.

'''Battlestar Galactica 1980''': It was a continuation of the Original Series. The Galacica and the fleet discover Earth; only it is in a primitive stage in the year 1980. The crew of the Galactica decides to try and advance Earth civilization subtly to the point where they can help battle the Cylons.

== Common Characters ==

'''Adama''': Adama is the commander of the ship called ''Galactica''. This also means he is the commander of the entire colonial military in all of the Battlestar Galactica series.
In the Original Series and the 1980 version he was also a member the Quroum of Twelve that was the colonial government. In the 2004 series his name was changed from Adama to William Adama.

'''Starbuck''': Starbuck was a male fighter pilot in the Original Series and a female fighter pilot in the 2004 version. In the 2004 series she also became a field officer. Her real name is Kara Thrace; "Starbuck" being a callsign.

'''Boomer''': Boomer was a male fighter pilot in the Original Series and a female raptor pilot in the 2004 series. In the 1980 version he took on the role as the executive officer (second in command) of the Galactica.

In the 2004 series she was once again a fighter pilot and mechanic. Her real name was Sharon Valerii; and used the callsign Boomer. She was later found to be a humanoid Cylon sleeper agent, although being a sleeper she did not realize this herself until, fulfilling a trigger, she shot Adama. Another copy of Sharon was found by Helo, a pilot trapped on Caprica after the attack. She helped him escape, falling in love with him in the process. Being a Cylon she was imprisoned when the pair rejoined the fleet. She helped the fleet avoid Cylon attacks, and rescue other refugees from Caprica. She became pregnant through an premarital relationship with Helo and gave birth to a Cylon-human crossbreed. After some time, this Sharon was accepted back into the fleet, with the callsign "Athena".

The Cylon number of the Sharon models is 8.

'''Apollo''': Apollo is Adama's son (in all series). He was a fighter pilot, although in the 2004 series he advanced to command his own ship, the ''Pegasus''. In the 2004 series he is named Lee Adama, with "Apollo" being his callsign. Apollo has a bad relationship with his father, and while they love each other, they are often at odds over philosophical differences.

'''Tigh''': Tigh is the executive officer for the Galactica in the Original and the 2004 versions. In the 2004 series he is named Saul Tigh. In the third season finale, he discovers that he is a Cylon humanoid, like Boomer.

'''Baltar''': Baltar is a traitor to the colonials. In the original series he was a member of the Quroum of Twelve, who helped the Cylons attack the colonies. This was used for his personal ambition to rule over Cylons and humans. However he had to escape the fleet and join the Cylons as the commander of a Cylon basestar.

In the 2004 version he was a scientist named Gaius Baltar, famous on Caprica for his brilliance and charisma. He created a defense grid around the twelve colonies that the Cylons were able to hack; this was not a flaw he introduced, but instead the result of his seduction by a humanoid Cylon (number 6). He did what he could to keep this secret, and in fact rose to vice presidency, and finally the presidency. During his brief presidency the fleet built a city on New Caprica. This was assaulted by the Cylons and Baltar was forced to sign the surrender of the colonies. When the people from New Caprica were rescued, Baltar was taken with the Cylons, only to be recaptured later and forced to stand trial, as the truth of his involvement in the destruction of the colonies was revealed.

'''Six''': The Six-model Cylons appear as tall, slender, and very beautiful women, often sexually aggressive. Most commonly blonde, their hair can be any color. A Six seduced Gaius Baltar, allowing herself to insinuate code into the Colonies' defense systems that allowed the Cylons to shut them down remotely.

A Six that only Gaius can see, hear, and feel has been his constant companion almost since the destruction of the colonies. Her exact origin isn't known, but she calls herself an "angel sent by God" to protect and instruct him.

==References==
<references/>
[http://www.Battlestarwiki.org Battlestarwiki]
[[Category:Television Shows]]
[[category:Science fiction]]

Elves

2008-08-08T03:34:30Z

Realslimshadowen:

'''Elves''' are fictional creatures often found in fantasy books, such as ''[[Eragon]]'', or ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''. They are also a popular in roleplaying games such as [[Dungeons and Dragons]] and play a role in [[Christmas]].

==''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' and ''[[Eragon]]''==

===Description===
Elves are portrayed as being slender, and far more agile than any human. They have pointed ears and both male and female tend to be extremely attractive. Elves often have access to great magic, and are immortal, or at least ageless. Elves usually prefer forest homes, and wear nature tones and colors.

===Powers===
In comparison to humans, elves have stronger spirits and are physically superior. They have an exceptional constitution and endurance, and can shrug off disease and cold. When they grow older they seldom get weaker; instead, they become wiser, and even more fair. Elven senses, especially hearing and sight, are much keener and more intense than those of Men. Elves, like humans, may also die when they are wounded severely, but in general elves heal very fast when they are tended to quickly.

==Dungeons & Dragons==

Elves in the Dungeons and Dragons mythos are similarly slimmer and more nimble than humans, with pointed ears and fair features, but while they live for many centuries, they are not immortal, and they are more delicate physically than humans. They are especially skilled with bows and swords, and have resistance to certain spells that affect that mind.

==Christmas==

Elves make toys for Santa to give to all the children at Christmas time. They are much smaller than humans, and also have pointy ears.

[[Category: Fantasy]]

Iron Man

2008-08-08T03:25:22Z

Realslimshadowen: added information on the suit

'''Iron Man''' is a superhero found in the [[Marvel Comics|Marvel Universe]]. His real name is Anthony "Tony" Stark.

Tony Stark is an [[industrialist]], [[inventor]], and [[scientist]]. His mind ranks with other genius superheroes such as Hank "Yellowjacket" Pym and Reed "Mr. Fantastic" Richards. When Tony was younger, he supplied foreign nations with arms. However, his weapons fell into the wrong hands. Amidst a battle, he was wounded. His body was found by a local doctor known as Ho Yinsen. Yinsen repaired him the best he could. However [[shrapnel]] drew ever nearer to his heart and threatened his life, so Ho constructed a vest which would use an electromagnet to halt the shrapnel's progression. Tony would be confined to it for the rest of his life.

Ho Yinsen and Tony worked together and, by combining their genius, found a way to make the vest more portable. An Iron Man armor was constructed. It was gray, dull, and clunky, but had massive offensive capabilities. However, before the suit was completed Ho Yinsen found himself between Stark and the rebels who had incapacitated him. Yinsen bravely gave his life so Iron Man could live.

Stark was forever grateful and decided, in repentance of his thoughtless actions and in memory of Yinsen's sacrifice, he would be vigilant in continuing his fight against tyranny and evil.

Tony Stark is not, however, without his own flaws. He did spend some time as an [[alcoholic]]. But with the help of his friends, like [[Captain America]], Thor and Giant Man, he got through it. Because of this, he was indebted to them for the rest of his life.

Similar to [[Batman]], Iron Man has no innate superpowers (though his engineering genius might count as one). All of his powers are based on his armor, which is bulletproof, endows him with superhuman strength and the ability to fly, and bristles with weaponry. He has designed several variant suits for different tasks--for example, an enormous suit he calls "Hulkbuster" is used to corral the Hulk during his rampages. Tony carefully guards the technology he uses in his suit to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands.

[[category:Comic Books]]

Battlestar Galactica

2008-08-08T02:46:08Z

Realslimshadowen: more character information

[[Image:Bsg.jpg|right|thumb|200px]]
'''Battlestar Galactica''' is a television show on the [[SciFi Channel]]. It is a revival of a 1970's era [[cult classic]] of the same name. However, unlike the 1970's version, Battlestar Galactica is critically acclaimed, and won one of Time magazine's "Best of 2005: Television" awards.<ref>http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1141640,00.html</ref>

==The 2004 Revival==
===Background===
The show follows the conflict between the human race, as represented by the residents of the Twelve Colonies of [[Kobol]], and the [[Cylon]] race, a robotic race created by the humans fifty years prior to the events of the television show. Shortly after their creation, these [[Cylons]], appearing as metallic robots, rebelled and fought a long war against the humans. After great losses by humanity, an armistice was signed.

===Main Arc===
In the main plot of the show, the [[Cylons]] return to destroy the human race. However, the [[Cylons]] have evolved - or developed themselves - to appear human. Using various sleeper agents, they permeate the Twelve Colonies and bring about a massive surprise attack. Twelve billion people are killed, and the 50,000 or so remaining humans retreat, the small ragtag civilian fleet protected by only a single warship, the eponymous ''Battlestar''-class ''Galactica''.

The first season describes humanity's escape from the Twelve Colonies after the [[Cylon]] attack. The second follows humanity's attempt to forge a political system within the fleet, ending in a presidential election and the settlement of a new planet, well-hidden from Cylon detection. The third season covers humanity's recuperation from the fall-out from both of these events, and the search for the elusive "Thirteenth Colony," [[Earth]], a world shrouded in mythology, which the humans believe will be their safe haven from the [[Cylons]]. The third season also significantly develops the prophetic plotline, and reveals a great secret of the show - the identity of four of the Final Five [[Cylon|Cylons]]. The fourth and final season, now on its midseason break, has focused on finding [[Earth]], Starbuck's destiny, and the identity of the final Cylon. <ref>http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407362/</ref>

===Artistic Notes===
Common themes involve the topics of prophetic religions in society, the tension between liberty and safety in a world riddled with terrorism, interfamily conflicts, and the meaning of "survival" after a catastrophic event.

The show can be noted for its use of reduced (but not entirely muted) sounds in space combat - an artistic flourish that, while more accurate, has been absent from mainstream [[science fiction]] like [[Star Wars]] or the [[Star Trek]] series. It is thought that the producers of the show drew heavily from [[Joss Whedon]]'s short running television show, [[Firefly]], which muted all noises in space scenes. The style of the space scenes also shares some similarity, probably since Zoic Studios did the visuals for both series.

== Other titles ==
'''The Original Series''': Similar in premise to the 2004 revival, it related how humanity struggles to survive against the Cylon threat.

'''Battlestar Galactica 1980''': It was a continuation of the Original Series. The Galacica and the fleet discover Earth; only it is in a primitive stage in the year 1980. The crew of the Galactica decides to try and advance Earth civilization subtly to the point where they can help battle the Cylons.

== Common Characters ==

'''Adama''': Adama is the commander of the ship called ''Galactica''. This also means he is the commander of the entire colonial military in all of the Battlestar Galactica series.
In the Original Series and the 1980 version he was also a member the Quroum of Twelve that was the colonial government. In the 2004 series his name was changed from Adama to William Adama.

'''Starbuck''': Starbuck was a male fighter pilot in the Original Series and a female fighter pilot in the 2004 version. In the 2004 series she also became a field officer. Her real name is Kara Thrace; "Starbuck" being a callsign.

'''Boomer''': Boomer was a male fighter pilot in the Original Series and a female raptor pilot in the 2004 series. In the 1980 version he took on the role as the executive officer (second in command) of the Galactica.

In the 2004 series she was once again a fighter pilot and mechanic. Her real name was Sharon Valerii; and used the callsign Boomer. She was later found to be a humanoid Cylon sleeper agent, although being a sleeper she did not realize this herself until, fulfilling a trigger, she shot Adama. Another copy of Sharon was found by Helo, a pilot trapped on Caprica after the attack. She helped him escape, falling in love with him in the process. Being a Cylon she was imprisoned when the pair rejoined the fleet. She helped the fleet avoid Cylon attacks, and rescue other refugees from Caprica. She became pregnant through an premarital relationship with Helo and gave birth to a Cylon-human crossbreed. After some time, this Sharon was accepted back into the fleet, with the callsign "Athena".

The Cylon number of the Sharon models is 8.

'''Apollo''': Apollo is Adama's son (in all series). He was a fighter pilot, although in the 2004 series he advanced to command his own ship, the ''Pegasus''. In the 2004 series he is named Lee Adama, with "Apollo" being his callsign. Apollo has a bad relationship with his father, and while they love each other, they are often at odds over philosophical differences.

'''Tigh''': Tigh is the executive officer for the Galactica in the Original and the 2004 versions. In the 2004 series he is named Saul Tigh. In the third season finale, he discovers that he is a Cylon humanoid, like Boomer.

'''Baltar''': Baltar is a traitor to the colonials. In the original series he was a member of the Quroum of Twelve, who helped the Cylons attack the colonies. This was used for his personal ambition to rule over Cylons and humans. However he had to escape the fleet and join the Cylons as the commander of a Cylon basestar.

In the 2004 version he was a scientist named Gaius Baltar, famous on Caprica for his brilliance and charisma. He created a defense grid around the twelve colonies that the Cylons were able to hack; this was not a flaw he introduced, but instead the result of his seduction by a humanoid Cylon (number 6). He did what he could to keep this secret, and in fact rose to vice presidency, and finally the presidency. During his brief presidency the fleet built a city on New Caprica. This was assaulted by the Cylons and Baltar was forced to sign the surrender of the colonies. When the people from New Caprica were rescued, Baltar was taken with the Cylons, only to be recaptured later and forced to stand trial, as the truth of his involvement in the destruction of the colonies was revealed.

'''Six''': The Six-model Cylons appear as tall, slender, and very beautiful women, often sexually aggressive. Most commonly blonde, their hair can be any color. A Six seduced Gaius Baltar, allowing herself to insinuate code into the Colonies' defense systems that allowed the Cylons to shut them down remotely.

A Six that only Gaius can see, hear, and feel has been his constant companion almost since the destruction of the colonies. Her exact origin isn't known, but she calls herself an "angel sent by God" to protect and instruct him.

'''President Laura Roslin''': Before the attacks, Laura Roslin was the Secretary of Education for the Twelve Colonies. She'd recently been diagnosed with breast cancer. After the attacks, so many officials had been killed that she held the highest position in the chain of succession, and was sworn in as president. She hid her illness from most people in the fleet, but it got progressively worse, and it had spread too far to be treated even before the attack--until a blood transfusion from a Cylon-human hybrid apparently cured her. She had a relapse, but survived this as well.

==References==
<references/>
[http://www.Battlestarwiki.org Battlestarwiki]
[[Category:Television Shows]]
[[category:Science fiction]]

Batman

2008-08-08T01:38:02Z

Realslimshadowen: greatly expanded information

[[Image:ARoss Batman.png|right|300px|thumb|''Batman'', by Alex Ross]]
'''Batman''' is a fictional [[superhero]] first appearing in ''Detective Comics'' in May, 1939. The creation of artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, Batman remains one of the most famous and recognizable of the superhero genre, resulting in the creation of several television series, motion pictures, and graphic novels. The original comics are highly-prized by collectors and routinely fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars on the auction block.

==Comics lore==
The man who was to become Batman is Bruce Wayne, a Gotham City billionaire who inherited his wealth from his father, a prominent doctor and philanthropist named Thomas Wayne. A trip to the movies with the family ended in tragedy: Thomas and his wife Martha are murdered by a common thug in front of Bruce, whose childhood effectively ends at the age of eight. Growing up in the care of his father's butler, Alfred Pennyworth, he inherits a vast fortune, his father's business and philanthropic empire, and a seething anger directed at the criminal world. Realizing that criminals are superstitious as well as cowardly, he goes after them one by one, costumed as a bat.

Batman is unusual for superheroes in that he has no superhuman powers, though he is certainly an unusually gifted human being: an athlete who would "win or place" in any Olympic event, master of a dizzying array of martial arts forms, genius detective and capable scientist, and a billionaire to top it off. Despite this, he uses his brains, training, and resources to not only keep up but excel in comparison with many heroes with great superpowers, a testament to man's will in the face of adversity.

==Film and television==
The first film dealing with the Caped Crusader was a 1943 12-chapter serial from Columbia Pictures starring Lewis Wilson and Douglas Croft as Batman and Robin. The plot of the film centered on a nefarious, stereotypical Asian scientist, Dr. Daka (J. Carrol Naish), who has a plan to steal valuable resources from the United States in order to support the Axis during the World War II. Although low-budget, ''Batman'' introduced the concept of the Batcave (called the "Bat's Cave" in the film) and the hidden entry to it, as well as altering the appearence of Alfred from a portly servant to a leaner, robust individual. ''Batman and Robin'' would follow it in 1949, also as a serial, starring Robert Lowery and Johnny Duncan (Muir, 9; 72)

A ''Batman'' movie in 1966 paved the way for the television series starring Adam West, which celebrated the character through low-budget, camp, and musical numbers. This portrayal of the character, while it was in line with the comics of the time, came in later years to be reviled by fans, particularly during the '80s and '90s.

''Batman'' film took a darker turn in 1989, when the Tim Burton-directed film, starring Michael Keaton, portrayed Bruce Wayne as a reclusive, quirky billionaire who probably was not entirely sane. While at first wary of an actor known primarily for his comedies playing Batman, some fans ended up going to other movies before its release just to see the trailer for the film, and then walked out, not even watching the movie they paid for. The film was a success, and was widely-lauded for Jack Nicholson's portrayal of Batman's nemesis, the Joker It was followed up with 1992's ''Batman Returns'', which, while not as well-reviewed or successful, was still accepted by the fans, and brought in the iconic figures of Catwoman and the Penguin.

The tone of the new movies influenced the critically-acclaimed ''Batman: The Animated Series'', a cartoon shown at first in prime time.

Tim Burton was replaced with Joel Schumacher for the third Batman movie in the new movie canon, ''Batman Forever'' (1995), which introduced Robin, the Riddler, and Two-Face. Whereas Burton had tried for a more dark and Gothic look, Schumacher went with bright neon colors and brought back some of the camp of the '60s TV series. The movie did well at the box office, but received mixed reviews. The fourth and final film of this "universe" was ''Batman and Robin'', released in 1997. Widely regarded as the worst of the series by fan and critic alike, ''Batman and Robin'' returned fully to the campy tone of the TV series, featuring "candy-coated" sets, poor special effects, weirder science than normal from Bat-Media, character derailment, and Arnold Schwarzennegger, as the lead villain Mr. Freeze, with barely 100 lines of dialogue, over half of which centered around cold-themed puns. This film was reviled for years as having "killed" the franchise, and performed relatively poorly in ticket sales.

The film series was rebooted again in 2005, with ''Batman Begins'', a grittier, more "realistic" take on Batman. In this film, director Christopher Nolan took Bruce Wayne, played by Christian Bale, halfway around the world in search of the answer to the riddle of criminality. He learns to fight multiple opponents, conceal himself, and gains the will to act in defense of others. Returning to Gotham after being declared legally dead, he deftly maneuvers himself back into the control of his murdered father's company and resolves to terrify the criminal element by making himself seem inhuman...and chooses the mantle of a bat, because bats scare ''him''.

The most recent entry in the series, ''The Dark Knight'', has thus far exceeded all expectations. Almost universally liked by critics and shattering numerous box-office records, the film featured the last performance of [[Heath Ledger]], who died from a drug overdose after filming, as a monstrous version of the Joker, a psychotic who thinks the only sane way to live is without rules and wants to prove it to the world. Though the tone at the start of the film is hopeful--Batman has inspired citizens to stand up for themselves again and has organized crime reeling--it quickly spirals downward, embodying the theme that Nolan chose for the movie: things have to get worse before they get better.

==References==
*Kane, Bob (with Tom Andrae). ''Batman & Me'', Eclipse Books, Forestville, California (1989).
*Goulart, Ron. ''Comic Book Encyclopedia'', Harper Entertainment, New York (2004).
*Muir, John Kenneth. ''The Encyclopedia of Superheroes on Film and Television'', McFarland & Company, Jefferson, North Carolina (2004)

[[Category:Entertainment]]
[[Category:Superheroes]]
[[Category:Comic characters]]

Spider-Man

2008-08-08T01:12:56Z

Realslimshadowen: Added Ditko, origin, power details, religion

'''Spider-Man''' is a [[Marvel Comics]] [[superhero]] created by [[Stan Lee]] and Steve Ditko in 1962. The Spider-Man comics were considered groundbreaking from their inception in that the hero's alter-ego, Peter Parker, often faced personal struggles more closely associated with everyday life than usual superhero fare. Notably, Parker has held a wide variety of jobs, depending on his status at the time, ranging from photographer to dishwasher to high-school science teacher. He is also notably not humorless, unlike many superheroes such as [[Batman]]--some fans have called his ability to enrage enemies through endless taunting his "extra superpower".

Peter Parker was a physically unimposing youth deeply interested in science who was bitten by a radioactive spider. This being the 1960s, radiation worked differently than it does today, and the bite imbued him with "spider-powers"--the proportional strength, agility, and endurance of a spider; the ability to stick to walls, ceilings, and other surfaces; and a "spider-sense", what seemed like limited ESP, allowing him to sense incoming danger a moment before it would become unavoidable. He also designed devices called "web-shooters" that shot a chemical concotion of his own devising, which acted as webs, allowing him to net criminals with a flick of his wrist.

Spider-Man is, along with [[Batman]] and [[Superman]], one of the most famous and widely-recognized characters of the superhero genre. 2002 saw the release of a major [[Hollywood]] film based on the character, directed by [[Sam Raimi]] and starring [[Tobey Maguire]]. The film was a financial success, and two sequels followed.

Unlike many superheroes, Spider-Man is fully religious, a [[Christian]] [[Protestant]], known to pray during moments of great emotion--whether in desperation during a pitched battle or in quiet gratitude while lying in bed watching his wife sleep.

[[Category:Superheroes]]

Wonder Woman

2008-08-08T01:02:02Z

Realslimshadowen: correcting silliness

[[Image:ARoss Wonder Woman.jpg|right|300px|thumb|''Wonder Woman'', by Alex Ross]]
'''Wonder Woman''' is a [[superhero]]ine, the character owned by DC Comics. Real name Diana, she is a princess from [[myth]]ical Themyscira, called also Paradise Island, a [[pagan]] land with a society made up entirely of [[immortality|immortal]] Greek women called Amazons. She was suspected of being a [[lesbian]], as demonstrated by her expression "Suffering [[Sappho]]!" and several not-very-subtle innuendoes in the earlier comics. She was created by William Moulton Marston, who invented the lie detector, which he represented in the comics as Wonder Woman's golden lasso. Marston created the character because he wanted to make sure there was a female alternative to male superheroes, who he didn't think served as the proper role models for girl readers. Marston also had unusual thoughts about sexuality, including an interest in bondage, which may have informed Wonder Woman's characteristics. Despite this, and her place as a modern [[feminist]] icon, Diana is an odd figure among modern superheroines, in that she is canonically a virgin.

Wonder Woman possesses great strength, speed and agility, and endurance, though unlikey [[Superman]] she is not bulletproof. She can fly and has very keen senses. Wonder Woman also has a pair of [[magic]] bracelets that allow her to deflect bullets, and a golden lasso that is effectively indestructible and forces anyone bound in it to tell her the truth. Originally, each component of Wonder Woman's costume was the true source of her power--i.e., her boots granted her the speed of Hermes, the mythical Greek messenger god; this has since been rewritten so that the only powers not innate to her are her ability to deflect bullets and her lasso.

[[Category:Women]]
[[Category:Entertainment]]
[[Category:Superheroes]]
[[Category:Comic characters]]

Wonder Woman

2008-08-08T01:01:39Z

Realslimshadowen: expanded information

[[Image:ARoss Wonder Woman.jpg|right|300px|thumb|''Wonder Woman'', by Alex Ross]]
'''Wonder Woman''' is a [[superhero]]ine, the character owned by DC Comics. Real name Diana, she is a princess from [[myth]]ical Themyscira, called also Paradise Island, a [[pagan]] land with a society made up entirely of [[immortality|immortal]] Greek women called Amazons. She was suspected of being a [[lesbian]], as demonstrated by her expression "Suffering [[Sappho]]!" and several not-very-subtle innuendoes in the earlier comics. She was created by William Moulton Marston, who invented the lie detector, which he represented in the comics as Wonder Woman's golden lasso. Marston created the character because he wanted to make sure there was a female alternative to male superheroes, who he didn't think served as the proper role models for girl readers. Marston also had unusual thoughts about sexuality, including an interest in bondage, which may have informed Wonder Woman's characteristics. Despite this, and her place as a modern {{feminist}} icon, Diana is an odd figure among modern superheroines, in that she is canonically a virgin.

Wonder Woman possesses great strength, speed and agility, and endurance, though unlikey [[Superman]] she is not bulletproof. She can fly and has very keen senses. Wonder Woman also has a pair of [[magic]] bracelets that allow her to deflect bullets, and a golden lasso that is effectively indestructible and forces anyone bound in it to tell her the truth. Originally, each component of Wonder Woman's costume was the true source of her power--i.e., her boots granted her the speed of Hermes, the mythical Greek messenger god; this has since been rewritten so that the only powers not innate to her are her ability to deflect bullets and her lasso.

[[Category:Women]]
[[Category:Entertainment]]
[[Category:Superheroes]]
[[Category:Comic characters]]

Superman

2008-08-08T00:52:18Z

Realslimshadowen: corrections and clarifications

[[Image:ARoss Superman.jpg|right|300px|thumb|''Superman'', by Alex Ross]]
'''Superman''' is the fictional protagonist of several [[movie]]s, [[comics]] and [[television]] shows. He is a [[superhero]]. Superman is the last son of Krypton, a distant planet much larger than Earth with a red sun. Raised by two [[Methodism|Methodist]] [[Kansas]] farmers, Superman was blessed by his alien heritage with great powers. In his initial appearances, his power set consisted of being "faster than a speeding bullet", "more powerful than a locomotive", and "able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Since then, his powers have been expanded to include incredible strength, super speed, flight, invulnerability, super breath, and various forms of superhuman senses (super-hearing; x-ray, heat, telescopic, and microscopic vision). He is severely weakened by green [[kryptonite]], can be reduced to normal human levels of power by light from a red sun, and is vulnerable to [[magic]]. Superman was created by [[Jew]]ish cartoonists [[Jerry Siegel]] and [[Joe Shuster]] (a Canadian) in the 1930s, and is one of the first comic-book superheroes.

Superman is seen as a symbol of America, reflected in his red and blue costume and marketing material describing his mission as the protector of "truth, justice, and the American way". He lives a secret double life, posing as the "mild-mannered reporter" Clark Kent. He specifically works in the news [[media]] so he can more easily hear about and attend the scenes of crimes. In most continuities, Superman is romantically involved with Lois Lane, a fellow reporter. His best friend is teenage cub reporter, later photographer, Jimmy Olsen.

[[Category:Entertainment]]
[[Category:Superheroes]]
[[Category:Comic characters]]

The Lord of the Rings

2008-08-07T02:53:05Z

Realslimshadowen: /* Christianity */

[[Image:Mhjfjfr7.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Cover for the three volumes of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.]]

'''''The Lord of the Rings''''' is the best-selling work of fantasy literature of the twentieth century. It written by British professor [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]. Conceived by the author as a seven-book work (including compendious appendices and an index), it was released by the publisher in three volumes:

#''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]''<br>
#''[[The Two Towers]]''<br>
#''[[The Return of the King]]''<br>

''The Lord of the Rings'' was published in hardbound in 1954 and 1955, but was known only to a small audience of aficionados until 1965. At that time, J. R. R. Tolkien himself was known primarily to scholars for his work on [[Beowulf]]. This changed when an American paperback publisher released a "pirated" paperback edition, paying Tolkien nothing, in the belief that Tolkien's copyright in the U. S. was defective because of a technicality. Tolkien reached a legal settlement with this publisher, and another publisher released an authorized edition for which Tolkien was paid royalties. The book was an instant success, particularly among college students.

== Story ==
''The Lord of the Rings'' is set in [[Middle-earth]], a vastly expanded version of the fictional world presented in ''[[The Hobbit]]'' and ''[[The Silmarillion]]''. It continues the story that ''The Hobbit'' began, but while ''The Hobbit'' was intended for children, ''The Lord of the Rings'' was written for all ages.

The story takes place at a time when the [[Elves]], immortal, good, and fairest of all beings in the world, are leaving the war-weary world to sail to the blessed realm of [[Valinor]]. With the departure of the Elves, the Age of [[Men (Middle-earth)|Men]] has come, but they are opposed by the Dark Lord, [[Sauron]]. Although Sauron is a formidable foe, most of his powers are bound to a magic [[Ring (Middle Earth)|Ring]] which was cut from his finger in a battle thousands of year ago. This Ring fell by chance into the hands of a [[hobbit]], [[Bilbo Baggins]] who in turn left it in the keeping of his nephew and heir, [[Frodo Baggins]]. If this Ring is destroyed, it will strip Sauron of his power and free Middle-earth from his threat. The only way the Ring can be destroyed, however is by casting it into the fires of [[Mount Doom]], a volcano in the heart of Sauron's realm. The Lord of the Rings follows Frodo's adventures as he journeys to destroy Sauron's Ring.

Frodo's journey is interwoven with other themes as he joins a [[Fellowship of the Ring]], pledged to take it to Mount Doom where it can be destroyed. The ranger [[Aragorn|Strider]] and the wizard [[Gandalf]] are foremost among his companions. He is also assisted by ther Ents, a peaceful tree-folk, and the elves.

== Languages ==
Though Tolkien was an excellent writer, his primary interest was [[The Languages of Tolkien|languages]]. Tolkien originally came up with Middle Earth as a world in which his languages could be spoken. {{Fact}} In an interview with the BBC in 1972, shortly before his death, Tolkien said that he came up with the concept of a hobbit in part because he had been embarrassed about his own below-average height in his early childhood, and liked to imagine a world where he could be "normal" or even possibly "a hero". {{Fact}} Tolkien based his fictional languages largely on the sounds and style of [[Finnish]] (his Quenya or High Elvish language) and [[Welsh]] (Sindarin, or the tongue of the Grey Elves). His stories were influenced by [[Norse mythology]] which features dragons, elves and dwarves. He also knew and liked the [[Gothic]] language, and [[Old English]]. His Riders of Rohan are like [[Goth]]s in the way they fight, but speak Old English (e.g. Theoden, their king's name, is OE for "prince").

== Christianity ==
J. R. R. Tolkien was a [[Roman Catholic]], and many readers see [[Christian]] undertones in ''The Lord of the Rings.'' <ref>"Much as it is possible to identify allegories of the Second World war into ''The Lord of the Rings'', it is possible to identify any number of Christian allegories as well" in Smith, J. and Matthews, J.C. ''The Lord of the Rings:the Films, the books, the radio series'' (Virgin Books 2004), p.116.</ref> Tolkien himself discounts the belief that he wrote the book as a direct Christian allegory--or any other sort of allegory, which he went on record as "cordially disliking", and preferring "applicability"--in contrast with the overt and acknowledged allegories in the works of Tolkien's friend, [[C.S. Lewis]].<ref>Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, # 129</ref>

== See also ==

*[[Mythology]]
*[[Samwise Gamgee]]

==Film Version==
New Line Cinema has produced three films, all of which have names which are derived from the three books in ''The Lord of the Rings''. They were released from 2001 to 2003. Special Extended Editions have also been released for each film. Each set includes four discs, two of bonus material. All were directed by [[Peter Jackson]]. <ref> ''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', Directed by Peter Jackson, Produced by Barrie M. Osborne, Peter Jackson 2001. </ref>

== References ==
<references/>

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lord of the Rings, The}}
[[Category:Books]]
[[Category:Middle-earth]]
[[Category:Lord of the Rings]]

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

2008-08-07T02:51:51Z

Realslimshadowen:

{{stub}}

'''Star Wars, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith''' was the third installment in the [[Star wars]] prequel trilogy created by George Lucas.

== Plot==
Starting where the Star Wars: Clone Wars animated series ended, the story centers on a besieged Coruscant, where the Separatist droid army is attempting to flee with the captured Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, while engagind in an aerial combat against the Clone army. [[Jedi]] Knights [[Obi Wan Kenobi]] and [[Anakin Skywalker]] are sent on a rescue mission, set to board [[General Grievous]]' ship where the Chancellor is held.

After a tumultuous entry, Anakin and Obi Wan arrive to a chamber where Palpatine sits, handcuffed. In there, both Jedi Knights face off the Sith Lord Count Dooku, where Kenobi is left unconscious and Skywalker wins. After Palpatine orders him to kill Dooku, he obeys. After meeting the second in command of the Droid army and the Chancellor's abductor, General Grievous, the ship is heavily damaged. Greivous flees while Skywalker, an alert Kenobi, their droid companion, [[R2D2]] and Palpatine are forced to crash land on the planet. Palpatine sets to return as active Chancellor and the Jedi Knights part ways for the time. Anakin then meets with his secret wife, Padmé Amidala, and she reveals him that she is pregnant. Anakin receives this news with mixed emotions. Soon, he starts receiving Force visions of his wife's death in childbirth, and begins seeking any Force technique he can think of to save her.

After being reinstated in his chambers, Palaptine appoints Anakin as his personal assistant and to inform him of all of the Jedi Council's activities. This sets the Council's suspicions, and they later appoint Anakin to the Jedi Council, and assign him the task of monitoring the Chancellor. Anakin sees as high treason. Later, Palpatine orders the Jedi Council to persecute and terminate Grievous in the Outer Rim system of Utapau in order to end the Clone Wars for good. Obi-Wan Kenobi is sent, and defeats Grievous in battle while clone troopers decimate the Separatists' droids. Anakin's visions have meanwhile become more detailed--he begins seeing Obi-Wan present at the birth, but not himself. Yoda is meanwhile sent to Kashyyyk, the Wookiee homeworld, as he has a "way" with them, to watch over the battles there. The Republic forces on Kashyyyk, too, are successful.

Shortly after Palpatine receives word that the Separatists have been crushed and Grievous is dead, Anakin discovers that he is in fact Darth Sideous, the Sith Lord responsible for directing the Separatists against the Republic. Despite Sideous's attempts to convince Anakin that only he can save Padmé, he immediately informs the Jedi Council, who send a strike team lead by Mace Windu to arrest the Chancellor. Palpatine proves more formidable than expected, and kills four of the five Jedi sent, but Windu stymies him.

Anakin, conflicted with his decision, returns to Palaptine's quarters to find him in battle with Windu. He pleads with Windu not to kill Sideous, but Windu, perhaps in the grips of the Dark Side himself, will not listen. In desperation, Anakin strikes at him, allowing Palpatine to deliver the killing blow.

Having killed a Jedi to save a Sith, Anakin is judged ready to become a Sith Lord--Darth Vader. His first task is to take an army to the Jedi Temple and slaughter all inside, as the Jedi have proven themselves to be traitors. Though still in shock at having killed a man he respected, he obeys, and takes the 501st Legion of stormtroopers with him. With so many of the Jedi scattered across the galaxy, it is minimally defended, and Anakin is stronger than any foe he encounters. Senator Bail Organa, seeing that parts of the temple are on fire, arrives to help, but is turned away by clone troopers who gun down a Jedi youth in front of him.

At the same time, Sideous executes Order 66, an apparently pre-programmed contingency or trigger within all clone troopers to kill the Jedi fighting alongside them. Every single one obeys, and almost every Jedi is killed. Two of the survivors are Obi-Wan Kenobi and Master Yoda, who with the help of his Wookiee friends escapes Kashyyyk.

Sideous makes an announcement to the Senate that, in light of the Jedi "betrayal"--the attack on him that transformed him used as physical evidence--he is using his powers to transform the Republic into an Empire. After returning to the Chancellor, Vader is given his next mission: kill the civilian leaders of the Separatist movement, headquarted on Malastare. He no longer needs the war to motivate the citizenry, as he has all the political power he'll ever need.

Obi-Wan and Yoda return to Coruscant and battle their way into the temple, attempting to find out what happened. Obi-Wan finds bodies of Younglings--the youngest Jedi--with lightsaber burns, and wonders who would have killed them. He goes to find Yoda in the security section. Yoda asks him not to review a particular holo-record of the battle, even though it shows what happens. Obi-Wan does anyway...and sees Anakin dueling with a Jedi.

Anakin tells Padme he'll be leaving for a short while, heading to Malastare, and promises to return. Padme notices he is behaving oddly, but he insists he's all right.

Yoda and Obi-Wan realize that Anakin Skywalker is lost to them. Obi-Wan goes to tell Padme, whom he knows is still quite close with Anakin. She is horrified, even beyond what he expected, when he tells her of his killing children...and realizes suddenly that her child must be Anakin's. He apologizes to her, and says he's doing what he must, and she tells him where Anakin went.

Malastare proves to be a volcanic world, where structures only survives because of heavy heat-shielding. Sideous is telling the Separatists that he is sending his apprentice, "Darth Vader", to repay them for their help. Vader enters, and slaughters them without mercy, not even speaking as they beg for their lives.

On Coruscant, Yoda challenges Sideous. Their fight soon leaves his office and heads to the Senate chamber.

Padme's ship arrives on Malastare, and the Senator goes to plead with her husband, asking him if it's true he massacred the young Jedi. When he admits it, she says he's gone too far, and she won't be able to be with him anymore. Obi-Wan chooses this moment to make his appearance, and Vader assumes the two are having an affair; he chokes his wife with the Force until Obi-Wan intervenes. Shocked at what he's done, Anakin lashes out at Obi-Wan.

In the Senate Chamber, Palpatine and Yoda duel with everything they have, including the scenery, throwing the Senates' pods at each other, clashing with lightsabers, striking out with telekinetic and lightning blasts. It comes to a draw that favors Palpatine, with a blast going awry and knocking Yoda off his platform to fall far below. He crawls through ducts, aided by his small size, to escape--and goes off with Bail Organa, deciding that since he can't beat Palpatine, he has to go into exile. Sideous tells his majordomo to ready his ship--he senses danger for Darth Vader.

Vader and Obi-Wan battle across the Malastare facility, dodging lava flows, climbing towers, and proving even more evenly matched than Yoda and Palpatine were. Obi-Wan fights mainly on the defensive, as he did against Sideous, using any gap in the fighting to ask Anakin why he did it, and admitting his own faults as a teacher. Vader is relentless, showing no mercy. Finally, Obi-Wan finds unassailable footing, and when Anakin tries to dislodge him, Obi-Wan cuts off his organic arm and both his legs. Anakin falls perilously close to the river of lava, and the heat causes his clothing and hair to burst into flame. Even as he burns, Vader screams out his hate for Obi-Wan, who tearfully apologizes, taking Anakin's lightsaber, and leaving his onetime friend for dead.

Obi-Wan takes Padme back aboard her vessel, and the two leave. Palpatine arrives not moments later, and sets about aiding the horribly wounded Vader, returning to Coruscant.

Aboard Bail Organa's ship, Padme finally gives birth. Both children--she has fraternal twins, a boy and girl named Luke and Leia, respectively--are healthy, but Padme herself is dying for no reason they can discern. The best the medical droid can determine is that she is too depressed to carry on. Even as she dies, though, she insists to Obi-Wan that Anakin can be saved.

Obi-Wan, Yoda, and Bail discuss what to do next. The Jedi will be hunted down, and need to go into hiding, and there is the matter of Anakin and Padme's children. Bail says he'll take one of them, as he and his wife have never been able to conceive. Obi-Wan decides to take the boy to his only remaining family, Anakin's stepbrother and his wife, the Larses.

Medical droids on Coruscant operate on Vader, attaching cybernetic limbs and building a suit that acts as a breathing apparatus for his damaged lungs around his body. Vader is shown in the iconic form from the original trilogy, a black-armored giant...and, still barely conscious, asks Sideous what happened to Padme. Sideous tells her she has perished, and in a rage, Vader destroys everything around him.

On Naboo, Padme is laid to rest. Yoda arrives on Dagobah. Bail Organa returns aboard his ship to Alderaan, where he shows his wife their child, Leia. And on Tattooine, in a twin sunset, Obi-Wan watches Owen and Beru Lars coddle Luke, and walks off into the desert.

Set nineteen years before Episode IV, it was heavily criticized for its political overtones. Anakin Skywalker's declaration to Obi-Wan that, "If you're not with me than you are against me," was interpreted as a dig at [[President Bush]], and the fall of the Republic is seen as allegory for the rise of the so-called [[American Empire]]. For his part, Lucas has denied this is true except in the broadest terms, saying that whenever democracy becomes empire you will find similarities, but this seems to be a clever way of saying he ''does'' think America is becoming an empire.

==Links==
*[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0121766/ Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith] at the Internet Movie Database

[[Category:Sci-Fi]]

Star Wars

2008-08-07T02:06:01Z

Realslimshadowen:

[[Image:462px-Star wars dvd cover.jpg|right|thumb|Cover of the 2004 [[DVD]] widescreen release of Star Wars Trilogy.]]
:''Note: This article deals with the science fiction saga, not the American [[Strategic Defense Initiative]] (SDI).''

'''Star Wars''' is a science fiction film saga and fictional universe created by American director [[George Lucas]]. The original Star Wars movie (Episode IV) came out on May 25th, 1977. The earlier set of Star Wars movies ''(Episodes IV, V, and VI)'' are renowned as classics of cinema, and were some of the first "summer blockbusters" ever made. Episodes I, II and III were released in 1999, 2002 and 2005 respectively. All six movies are amongst the top 25 highest grossing films of all time.<ref>http://imdb.com/boxoffice/alltimegross</ref>
In 1984 and 1985, two spinoff movies to the original trilogy (Episode IV, V, and VI) were made featuring the Ewok characters seen in Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.

==Development of the Monomyth==

[[George Lucas]] built on the idea of the [[monomyth]] - a dominant mythic structure that resounds strongly with the human psyche - in structuring his narrative. He consulted closely with [[Joseph Campbell]], author of the book, "Hero of a Thousand Faces," in his utilizing of the [[monomyth]] structure for the movie. In ''Star Wars'' (now known as Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope), the reluctant hero is [[Luke Skywalker]], the teacher [[Obi-Wan Kenobi]], and the inner world the galaxy at large.

==Fan Films==
There have been many short films created by Star Wars Fans. One major website is www.fanfilms.com; which contains many fanfilms including TROOPS, The Essense of The Force, The Jedi Hunter, the Pink Five trilogy, Revelations, and Ryan Vs. Dorkman 1 and 2. One major high-quality fan based movie is I.M.P.S: The Relentless; which can be found at www.impstherelentless.com, and is the first chapter of a future full-length, chapter-based movie based on the Emperial Starship Relentless and her crew.

==Expanded Universe==
Since the success of the film [[franchise]], Lucasfilm has licensed a number of novels, comic books, and video games that take place in the Star Wars universe. Hundreds of novels and comics and dozens of video games have been produced thus far. These often take place before, after or in between the films, and feature characters not shown or only very briefly shown in the films. All officially licensed works are considered canon, except in places where they contradict the films. There was also three TV movies, two about the Ewoks and the Star Wars Holiday Special, which represented a secularized version of [[Christmas]]. The last has been disowned by Lucas--not for any particular religious reason; he just realized it's horrible.

==Miscellaneous==

Star Wars became forever linked to politics when a [[Strategic Defense Initiative|missile-defense plan]], devised under the Reagan administration, was nicknamed Star Wars. Attempts to bring back such a system are still referred to by this name.

== See also ==
* [[Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith]]

[[Category:Sci-Fi]]

Dungeons and Dragons

2008-08-07T01:53:11Z

Realslimshadowen:

[[Image:Dungeons_and_Dragons.jpg|right|thumb|300px|A ''Dungeons & Dragons'' game in progress.]]
'''Dungeons & Dragons''' (D&D or DnD) is a [[role-playing]] game with a medieval theme featuring [[myth]]ical creatures such as [[elf|elves]], [[dwarf (mythology)|dwarves]], [[orc]]s, and [[dragon]]s. Players take the role of characters who solve a series of heroic adventures or quests. Largely considered harmless fantasy, the game has attracted some criticism.

Players do not compete with one another; rather, the players cooperate to achieve goals and objectives while a referee, in this case called the ''dungeon master'' (DM) or ''game master'' (GM), interprets rules and adjudicates the success or failure of the players' efforts.

The game was first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules (TSR). Most of those rules and many of the subsequent rules were authored by [[Gary Gygax]]. There are some who claim that [[Dave Arneson]] was the actual "inventor" of D&D, but this claim is disputed, not least by the fact that many references were authored by Gygax. The game was eventually sold to [[Wizards of the Coast]], a division of Hasbro.<ref>Wizards of the Coast's [http://www.wizards.com/dnd D&D site]</ref>

In the late seventies the game's popularity exploded and it can rightly be said that the game is now a part of American culture. ''Dungeons & Dragons'' spawned countless variations and permutations, but during the earliest days of the game's growth, there were accusations that the game contributed to Satanic worship, teen suicide and general moral depravity. These criticisms have largely been addressed and the game remains controversial to only a tiny minority of Americans.

The 4th Edition of the game is the most recent, released in 2008.

==D&D Terminology==
Because D&D was a revolutionary game, it developed its own unique set of terminology to describe certain concepts in the game. Here's a quick list of important game terms which may be important to understand the game and its impact on American society.

::* ''Dungeon Master'' --- The Dungeon Master (DM) is not the player's opponent or ally, but is the game's referee. As the referee, it is the DM's responsibility to adjudicate the results player's actions. Additionally, the DM must play the role of monsters and the player's opponents. The DM has a duty to make the game fair, fun and playable. Many derivative games refer to this player as the Game Master or GM.
::* ''Player'' --- Any participant in the game that is not the DM.
::* ''Player Character'' --- The player character (or character) is the player's in-game persona. The character is most usually a heroic archetype such as a warrior, priest, wizard or rogue of some kind. The game allows for each archetype (called a "class") to possess unique skills and powers. If the player character survives the game session, the character can advance in experience and acquire higher levels and powers.
::* ''Monster'' --- A monster is any creature or in game character who may provide a challenge to the player characters. Many ''monsters'' like dragons or giants are monstrous, but others are fantastic such as pixies or unicorns. The DM chooses the actions of monsters.
::* ''Campaign'' --- In traditional games, the game ends and the game session ends. In D&D, the game continues through multiple sessions with the game always picking up where the last session ended. A series of game sessions that have some internal logic or structure is called a ''campaign''.
::* ''Spells'' --- In D&D, the term ''spells'' describe imaginary powers bestowed to certain player characters. This would be analogous to [[Gandalf]]'s fireworks or [[Merlin]]'s enchantments. In the game, spells are designed to mimic the powers and abilities found in fantasy literature and have no further relation to [[witchcraft]] or anything occult.
::* ''Experience Points'' --- Experience Points or XP are a metric representing the number of the heroic actions of a player character has achieved in a given campaign. The more XP a character acquires, the more powers and abilities the character has in the game. [[Image:dnddice.jpg|thumb|right|Some of the unusual dice required to play Dungeons & Dragons.]]
::* ''d20'' --- Actions and combat in D&D are most often resolved by rolling polyhedral [[dice]]. While standard dice are six-sided cubes, polyhedral dice have can have 20, 12, 10, 8, 6, or 4 sides. To distinguish between dice the standard nomenclature is ''d#'' where the # indicates the number of sides on the die. The d20 is the most commonly rolled die in D&D.

==Game play==
''Dungeons & Dragons'' is a free-form game in which a referee (the Dungeon Master) describes a situational problem to the players and then the players reply with any imaginable response. The exploits of players can occur in any fantasy setting but at some point the adventure often occurs in a ''dungeon'' or subterranean locale not unlike ''[[Moria]]'' in [[Tolkien]]'s [[Lord of the Rings]]. For example a DM might say to the players, "You have arrived the edge of a deep pit. The pit is so deep as to prevent you from seeing the bottom and so wide as to look impossible to jump. Far below you hear hissing and rustling as if a thousand poisonous snakes await you in the darkness."

Depending upon how motivated the players are to continue in this direction, the players might ask the DM various interrogatories such as "Is it possible to walk along the edge of the pit and continue down the passage?" or "Is there anything on the opposite side of the pit to which we might be able to tie a rope?"

Next the players will decide what course of actions their characters will take. Each player tries to take advantage of his character's unique talents. For example, the player of the rogue will know that his character is skilled at climbing walls. By jamming his fingers and toes into the cracks in the mortar, the rogue can negotiate along the wall to the opposite side. If the character's actions are reasonable and relatively easy to accomplish the DM allows for them to happen without further comment. If the action is more outrageous, or risky, the DM consults rules and conventions to determine which dice will govern the success of the action.

At the end of each gaming sessions, the DM grants all players a number of Experience Points (XP's) to represent the player accomplishments. When the character has acquired enough Experience Points, the character can gain more powers and abilities.

===Alignment System===
Because D&D players can basically do "anything" there are moral implications to the choices players make. To provide a frame of reference and to help the game make sense Gygax devised an alignment system. All characters are required to choose an ''alignment'' and the character must adhere to the beliefs of that alignment. Similarly, all monsters have alignments and thus their actions can be predictable and make sense.

"Good" characters strive to do acts of goodness and while avoiding actions which are hurtful to others. "Evil" characters think only of their own needs. Animals and certain other creatures don't care much about good or evil. At the same time "Lawful" characters believe that it is important to adhere to the rule of law, while "Chaotic" characters are more concerned with personal freedoms than with laws. Some characters do not care whether an action is lawful or chaotic, but only whether it is good or evil. By combining these two frameworks, we arrive at the nine alignments: lawful good, neutral good, chaotic good, lawful neutral, true neutral ("neutral neutral"), chaotic neutral, lawful evil, neutral evil, or chaotic evil.

These alignments help a player separate what the player or referee would do in a given situation from how the character or monster might react in the same situation. Some DMs forbid evil characters as they are often disruptive to the game, though the rules do not expressly require that players choose good characters.

In the original versions of the game, only the "ethical" (Law/Chaos) axis of morality was present. The "moral" (good/evil) axis was added in later editions. 4th Edition removes the axis concept, resulting in the alignments lawful good, good, unaligned, evil, and chaotic evil.

===Components of a Character===
A character is described in detail on a "character sheet" where the player records important facts about the character. This includes the character's "race", vocation, unique skills, and numerical ratings of the character's attributes.

In this case, "race" refers to a race from fantasy such as an elf, dwarf, gnome or halfling--effectively used as an archaic term for "species". The races which are allowed in the game vary from DM to DM according to the tastes of players and the setting that the DM has devised. The vocation or "class" of the character refers to the fantasy archetype the player wishes to play, i.e. wizard, barbarian, rogue, cleric, etc. The selection of race and class will impact skills and attributes which are available to the character as well as the strengths and weaknesses the character.

===The Magic System ===
The magic system used in Dungeons & Dragons was originally adopted very roughly from the writing of fantasy and science fiction author [[Jack Vance]]. In the Vancian system, magic-users such as wizards must prepare all of their spells in advance for that day by memorizing them and a spell leaves the wizard's memory upon being cast. To cast the spell again, the magic-user must once again memorize the spell. The Vancian system was chosen for a variety of reasons such as its originality compared to pre-existing magical systems, its avoidance any connection with systems of magic described in any religion or occult theory, and it being the creation one of Gygax's favorite authors.<ref>Forum discussion: [http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/printthread.php?t=182603 "Is D&D magic purely Vancian?"]</ref><ref>RPGnet: [http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/10/10222.phtml Review of "The Primer of Practical Magic"]</ref> Novices and those who have never played the game should note that in this case, the player doesn't actually memorize anything. The character "memorization" is really just a mechanic to help limit the number of spells a player can use per gaming episode. The 4th Edition makes significant changes to the system, basing most abilities on "per encounter" uses (as in, how many times per battle or event an ability can be used).

===The Combat System ===
To determine the outcome of combat, players roll dice to determine if an attack "hits" and then if the attack hits how much damage the attack does. Damage reduces the defender's "hit points". When a combatant's hit points are depleted that combatant is "dead" or incapacitated. This combat system was developed from a ship-to-ship naval combat game that Gygax adapted to describe medieval man-to-man combat.

==History and Development==
To many Americans ''Dungeons & Dragons'' seemed to appear from nothingness as a wholly born concoction of occult elements and hypnotic game play. The truth is that the game evolved from mundane roots in a quite corner of Wisconsin outside Milwaukee. The origins of D&D are found in a prior generation of [[miniatures games]] such as [[H.G. Wells]]' [[Little Wars]]. ''Little Wars'' is a set of rules which describe how to play a game with toy soldiers.

Wells' rules were themselves were based upon a earlier games which were primarily played by nobility and royals to teach warfare strategy. <ref>http://www.gutenberg.org/catalog/world/readfile?fk_files=6040&pageno=2 Foreword to Little Wars by ''H.G. Wells''</ref>. With the publication of ''Little Wars'', H.G. Wells hoped to bring a game previously known only to kings to the common man. Because tin soldiers do not bleed and do not leave widows, it was Wells hope that men could settle differences by little wars rather than real wars.

Miniature gaming such as ''Little Wars'' was nearly unknown in America, although there were pockets of hobbyists such as "International Federation of Gamers", a tiny group near Milwaukee Wisconsin.<ref>http://www.wizards.com/dnd/DnDArchives_History.asp</ref> [[Gary Gygax]] and [[Dave Arneson]] were members of that gaming group. It can rightly be said that Gygax and Arneson are the fathers of modern role-playing games, but the contributions of other local gamers are muddied into this mix as well.

===Gygax & Arneson===
In the earliest days, the International Federation of Gamers was possessed of a grand name, but little more. Of course few records were kept at that time. Thus, there is some dispute about who exactly invented what aspects of the game. In 1969, Gary Gygax adapted rules meant to govern wooden ship combat into a medieval combat game which was published by Guidon Games under the name ''Chainmail''. The game was very popular locally and grew organically over the next few years. At the same time, [[Lord of the Rings]] was gaining mass appeal in the United States. This inspired players to incorporate elements of fantasy into their wargames.

By 1970, Dave Arneson adapted these and other club rules into something generally referred to as ''the fantasy game'' <ref>http://jovianclouds.com/blackmoor/</ref>. ''The fantasy game'' had several key innovations --- many of which were of Arneson's devising. In previous wargames, players generally led an army of toy soldiers. But in ''the fantasy game'', each player had only one soldier, described as a ''character'' or ''player character''.

Further the game evolved to include the concept that at the next game session would pick up where the last game session ended. Another evolutionary concept was the idea of a referee or game master. The referee, often played by Arneson or Gygax, had the job of making final judgments and augmenting the rules as necessary to keep the game going. <ref>http://jovianclouds.com/blackmoor/rpg2.html</ref>

There is some question as to who exactly designed what in ''the fantasy game'' with at times Gygax and Arneson jointly and severably claiming to have "invented the game". There is no doubt that both many, and many gamers, where involved in the evolution of the game. Arneson's chief claims rest on his evolution of certain key concepts that would constitute all role-playing games to follow. Gygax's claim rests upon the fact that most of the early reference works were authored by Gygax.

===OD&D===
In 1972, Gary Gygax and others formed a partnership called Tactical Studies Rules and in 1974 Tactical Studies Rules published Gary Gygax' version of "the Fantasy Game", later named ''Dungeons & Dragons''. <ref>http://www.wizards.com/dnd/DnDArchives_History.asp#</ref> This version of the game --- often called ''Original Dungeons & Dragons'', ''Old Dungeons & Dragons'' or ''OD&D'' --- was printed in staple-bound paperback form from folded sheets of 8.5 x 11 paper and sold as a boxed set.

By many accounts, ''OD&D'' was a clunky game, sparse on rules, but in this game one would find all the elements of a modern role-playing game: player characters, a game master, serial adventures, and the opportunity for character growth. Several print runs of this version sold out quickly and went on to exceed the expectations of everyone involved.

After the tremendous success of the D&D paperbacks, Tactical Studies Rules reorganized with partners Gary Gygax, Don Kaye and Brian Blume under the name TSR Hobbies Inc. In 1975, TSR Hobbies published OD&D supplements, Gygax's ''[[Greyhawk]]'' and Arneson's ''[[Blackmoor]]''. <ref>http://www.dadsdnd.com/greyhawk.html</ref> <ref>http://www.dadsdnd.com/blackmoor.html</ref>

''Dungeons & Dragons'' began to be noticed by American culture at about the same time the company released ''Eldritch Wizardry'' and ''God, Demigods & Heroes''. The cover of ''Eldritch Wizardry'' featured an nude dress female strewn over an altar. <ref>http://www.deigames.com/eldwiz2.JPG</ref> ''Gods, Demigods & Heroes'' was a mythological reference with gods and heroes from the legends and lore of Greeks, Egyptians, Indians, Norse and more. Many of these mythological gods are considered creatures of human invention, but some are now considered demons by the Christian Church.

Although the game was gaining popularity, the works served as a lightning rod for criticism. Although some of the art in these and later editions would violate the [[Comics Code]], the publishers at TSR failed to appreciate the danger of ignoring these rules. Some of TSR's management believed that D&D was marketed toward adult males, not teens and preteens, and thus the Comics Code did not apply. It soon became evident that D&D's popularity reached beyond college-age males.

===First Edition===
In 1977, TSR Hobbies published the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set, a boxed set containing revised and abbreviated rules for easier introduction to the game. This was followed in 1978 by the publication of the "core rule books" of D&D: the ''Players Handbook'', the ''Dungeon Masters Guide'' and the ''Monster Manual''. (Later editions of this game would follow this pattern.) Taken as a whole with several other reference books this version of the game is alternatively referred to as Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, AD&D, 1E, 1ED&D. This version of the game revised and organized the notes from OD&D into a single playable whole in hardback books.

Although the art found in the books is hardly obscene and does not approach what is found regularly in American culture today, there were a handful of depictions that did not meet the Comics Code. For example, a harpy, a creature from Greek mythology, that is half-woman half-vulture was depicted with nipples revealed. <ref>''Monster Manual'' by Gary Gygax published by TSR Hobbies 1978</ref> And a mermaid was depicted topless with her hair covering parts of the chest. <ref>''Dungeon Masters Guide'' by Gary Gygax published by TSR Hobbies 1979</ref>

Additionally the game had references to many demons and devils (intended as adversaries). Also the game had a polytheist mythos with some players playing the part of clerics, or priests, of these imaginary or mythical gods. (See backlash below.)

===Second Edition===
In 1983, TSR Hobbies changed its name to TSR, Inc. For the next several years, TSR, Inc. released supplements and adventures for AD&D, along with reprints of the AD&D core books. Typical adventure supplements sold 10,000 to 100,000 units, while each print run of the AD&D core rules sold 40,000 copies. <ref>http://www.acaeum.com/library/printrun.html</ref> While the company continue to sell respectable amounts of product, internal disorganization, in-fighting and corporate inefficiencies limited profitability. After a bitter fight with partners, Gygax was forced from the board of directors and eventually left the company. With Arneson gone since First Edition, the game was now in the hands of a second generation.

In 1989, TSR Inc. released Second Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. This version of the game was largely a rewrite of the previous edition that was nearly fully compatible with First Edition AD&D. The game was largely sanitized and edited, but not so much reborne. For example, the art of Second Edition achieved a more professional standard. The art did not violate the Comics Code. Second Edition removed all references to "real" gods, devils and demons and inserted divas and angelic creatures.

Under the umbrella of Second Edition D&D, TSR, Inc. released some of its most enduring and popular titles. Ravenloft, Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance were all second edition products.

===Third Edition===
In 1997, TSR, Inc. was purchased by [[Wizards of the Coast]]. (Wizards is often called WotC, and this acronym is pronounced ''what-see''.) Wizards (eventually acquired by Hasbro) continued to improve the art and graphics of D&D and in 2000 released ''Third Edition Dungeons & Dragons'' to supplant second edition. While preserving the concepts of RPGing and many of the archetypes of AD&D, Third Edition (3E) would do what Second Edition had not.

Third Edition rewrote many of the basic constructs of the game in an effort to "modernize" the game and streamline some of D&D's clumsiest and clunkiest mechanics. Third Edition rules and supplements broke from the tradition of improving an existing system. Rather third edition replaced the previous system with "new and better" mechanics.

By the time of the release of Third Edition, most of the controversy associated with D&D had dissipated as secular culture had digressed far beyond anything found in previous D&D. With little controversy or fanfare, D&D reintroduced demons and many of the darker concepts of ''Dungeons & Dragons''.

Now based in Seattle Washington, rather than Lake Geneva Wisconsin, the editors at WotC seem to exhibit the cultural norms found in Seattle rather than the heartlands. For example, rather than using the pronoun ''he'' in non-gender specific rules, Third Edition D&D bypasses the clumsy but [[political_correctness | politically correct]] construct ''he/she'', and describes rules based on hypothetical characters. For example, the 3rd Edition "iconic" paladin was a woman named Alhandra, so the rules text describing the paladin's abilities used "she"; 3rd Edition's "iconic" cleric was a man named Jozan, so the rules text describing the cleric's abilities used "he".

The D&D ethos traditionally favored ''good'' characters, but Third Edition seems to subscribe to a "balanced" view as the idea. For example, many of the more evil creatures in Dungeons and Dragons prey on each other as much as on good people (the iconic example being lawful evil devils and chaotic evil demons); some of the text in the game indicates that they should be left to do this, rather than someone trying to destroy one or the other and uniting them, however briefly, in a struggle against the interloper. This is a troubling symptom of our cultural drift from conservative values but not the cause of that drift.

===Fourth Edition===
With much fanfare, the Fourth Edition of the game was recently announced. Coveting the tremendous revenue of miniatures games like [[Games Workshop]]'s ''[[Warhammer]]'', Fourth Edition is compatible with the new D&D Miniatures game. Fourth Edition also uses many of the conventions wildly accepted in online computer games following widely successful games like Blizzard's [[World_of_Warcraft | World of Warcraft]] and [[Diablo]]. The game makes several other adjustments; see above for some such changes.

====D&D Online====
There is now a Dungeons & Dragons Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game (MMORPG) known as ''Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach'' which takes place in the ''Eberron'' campaign setting. Online and computer games are similar to D&D in many respects, but the play of these games is entirely different. D&D is characterized by a human referee and complete freedom of action. Without these key components, the game is a mere shadow of D&D.

===Summary===

''Dungeons & Dragons'' is nothing more or less than a formalized game of pretend, similar to imaginary adventures that children everywhere play. But, the simplicity of this concept was not immediately evident to players of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' or the public at large. Although D&D has a fantasy theme and many rules for resolving actions, ''Dungeons & Dragons'' is at its core a game of pretend like "cops and robbers" or "cowboys and Indians".

==Concerns and Criticisms==
In the late seventies and early eighties, the sudden popularity of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' resulted in a cultural and religious backlash against perceived dangers from the game. ''Dungeons & Dragons'' was linked to the occult, witchcraft & demonology. Additionally there was some criticism about the art depicted in the earliest versions of the game. Much of this criticism came from the natural tendency of people to fear the unknown and to fear new ideas, but some of this criticism was valid and affected later versions of what was published under the name ''Dungeons & Dragons''.

===Demons and Devils===
In D&D, player characters (the player's in game persona) are constantly gaining strength and power. Therefore, they are forever seeking more powerful adversaries and more difficult challenges. For example, at the start of a campaign player characters may be doing battle with creatures short of stature with few may limitations (low intelligence, fear of sunlight) such as [[goblin]]s or [[kobold]]s. But as the player character's power increases, so to increases the deadliness of their opponents. In the search for ever more powerful opponents game designers eventually developed attributes for demons and devils.

The publishers of the game had imagined that they would sell a few hundred copies to college-aged males and never imagined that the game would experience explosive popularity, especially among teens as young as thirteen. Therefore, no thought or planning was invested into the potential impact of defining the powers and abilities of demons and devils. To the game's designers and players, killing a demon (in game) was no more controversial than killing a bishop in a game of chess.

But to bystanders the very inclusion of demons and devils was enough to cast suspicion upon the entire game--particularly since the game's much-touted freedom might allow a character to side with them. Additionally, the inclusions of demons and devils in the game begged other questions, such as why are there no angels in the game? There were no angels in the earliest editions of the game, because there was no reason to have an angel in the role of a ''monster''. (See terminology above.) By late First Edition and early Second Edition, the game included and defined [[angels]], [[devas]] and other highly powerful creatures of good; sometimes these were presented as allies for good characters, sometimes enemies for evil ones. This led to the criticism that religious icons were being disrespected by inclusion in the reference works.

In the Second Edition, the publishers tried to sanitize D&D by removing demons and devils, but many players (who enjoyed the challenge of destroying demons) resisted this effort. Later editions removed many references to "real" demons. Additionally, the terms "devil" and "demon" were replaced with the terms "baatezu" and "tanar'ri", respectively, and "the Nine Hells" (the outer planar home of devils/baatezu) was renamed "Baator".

However, in Third Edition, the game's original terms were readopted and blended--colloquially, for example, creatures from the Nine Hells (also called Baator) were called devils, but the most dominant species of the devils called themselves baatezu. An entire "mature" supplement (though there is no legal restriction on who may buy it, a large sticker is on the cover of most copies, stating it is for mature gamers only), known as the Book of Vile Darkness<ref>[http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=products/dndacc/881610000 "Book of Vile Darkness"]</ref> was produced to introduce more overtly evil concepts into the game, ostensibly in ways for the DM to make the most horrific enemies possible for their players. A follow-up, the Book of Exalted Deeds<ref>[http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=products/dndacc/880260000 "Book of Exalted Deeds"]</ref>, was created as a way for players to explore the philosophy and morality of good, and to make a good alignment more than a line on their character sheet. (The titles of both books are based on magic items in the game, both of which are extremely useful to a person of the proper alignment.)

===D&D and the Occult===
The game includes fictional depictions of supernatural abilities called magic, evil monsters called demons and devils, and fictional deities along with their followers. Christians are divided on how this interacts with their faith. A minority of Christians believe that fictional depictions of fantasy elements such as those found in ''[[Chronicles of Narnia]]'', ''[[Lord of the Rings]]'', ''[[Harry Potter]]'', or ''Dungeons & Dragons'' are blasphemous, but most Christians see no problem with such fictional works.

Starting in the late 1970s the game and others like it came under attack mainly from some fundamentalist Christians as promoting occult and criminal activity. The game's dangers were alleged in the ''Dark Dungeons'' tract by [[Jack Chick]]<ref>Jack Chick: [http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0046/0046_01.asp "Dark Dungeons"]</ref>, which portrays D&D players committing suicide when their characters are killed or joining secret witches' covens and learning to cast real magic spells when their characters reach a high enough level.

The fact is that ''Dungeons & Dragons'' designers and players had nothing to do with occult or criminal activity and thirty years later it may be hard to understand how people could confuse D&D with occult activities. In the earliest days of D&D it was easy for an uninformed bystander to draw faulty conclusions based upon a limited knowledge of the game. In its earliest days, OD&D often sold out due to low print runs, leaving bystanders with little access to the rules and little direct knowledge of the game.

For example, bystanders knew the game was developing a devoted cult-following. There is an important distinction between a cult-following and a cult itself, but this was lost on some bystanders. As a cult-following, D&D developed an insular fraternity of fans who were plugged into something exciting and new. Each day the world of D&D expanded and every player everywhere had a hand in the growth of the game. The players were developing their own lexicon and making new and ever expanding rules. This close bond and strange lexicon was easily misunderstood by those with limited exposure to the game.

In the late seventies the game's popularity was preceded by rumors that players were involved in some strange occult activities. Bystanders knew that D&D players were talking about fantastic creatures, magical spells and even demons because the game often includes descriptions of [[occult]] elements like [[magic]], [[ghost]]s, [[spirit]]s, [[demon]]s and [[devil]]s. To an uninformed bystander this may be pretty scary stuff. But, the truth was significantly less mysterious and sensational.

These misperceptions have largely evaporated, both because of the game's popularity and better information about the product. Critics became aware that players were not involved in anything occult but were gaming in a fantasy setting. Most everyone in America knows someone who has played ''Dungeons & Dragons'', so these days it's all but impossible to blur the line between occult activity and role-playing games.

===God and gods===
One item of concern for conservative Christians is that players' characters do not usually worship [[God]], but instead choose a [[patron]] deity from a fictional [[polytheistic]] pantheon. The game settings manufactured by [[Wizards of the Coast]] (''Greyhawk'', ''Faerun'', ''Eberron'', etc.) expressly adopt a polytheistic [[pantheon]] of fictional deities and reject real-world [[religion]]s as a part of the game. (The Deities and Demigods<ref>[http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=products/dndacc/881650000 "Deities and Demigods"]</ref> supplement offers several different takes on religion, including rules for a monotheistic game world, but deliberately sidesteps the question of any modern religion--Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, etc.--even as it brings up pantheons of old myths, such as the Greek or Norse gods. It's likely they used only "dead" religions in order to avoid controversy.) The question of what extent and form of religion should be depicted in the game has been a question since the earliest days of the game. In an in depth look at monotheism in fantasy games, Joseph R.Ravitts raised some of the problems and benefits for a born-again Christian's point of view.<ref>"Monotheism in Gaming" by Joseph R. Ravitts, Pegasus Magazine Issue #4 published in 1981 by Judges' Guild</ref>

Ravitts already understood the power of role-playing, which is now well known. Namely, role-playing is a powerful behavior modification tool. If you pretend that you believe something, eventually you will believe that something. For this reason, he posited that it was important to avoid role-playing in a polytheistic world. Referencing the classic argument from ''[[Mere Christianity]]'' by [[C.S._Lewis | C.S. Lewis]], Ravitts explained how polytheism is really just [[atheism]] or [[monotheism]] in disguise. He believed that if players and DM's actively played in an atheistic world, they would eventually become atheists.

He then pointed out the difficulties of importing Christianity or other religions into D&D. Ravitts pointed out it is a simple matter to import mythological gods like [[Zeus]] or [[Thor]] into a fantasy setting. One simply imagines these gods are in the fantasy world and begins playing. But this is much more difficult with religious figures like [[Jesus]], [[Muhammad]] or [[Buddha]]. Each of these three men were real historic personages. For example, Jesus lived, died and rose again in the Middle East at a specific time and place.

Ravitts proposed two simple work-arounds, for those who care about their spiritual well-being. Firstly, one could assume that all humans are teleported from Earth or descended from folks who were teleported from Earth. These humans have preserved their religious identities and thus Christianity is an option for players without tampering with the historical nature of Jesus.

Secondly Ravitts proposed altering the game's mythos to allow for an all-powerful detached God reigning over the "gods, demigods and devils". In this way the "gods" are not gods at all, but just ultra-powerful beings who distract souls from worshiping the one true God.

Of course there are alternatives such as ''[http://www.greenronin.com/catalog/grr1019 Testament]'' a D&D type game set in the Biblical Era. Further, many of the game worlds portray certain gods and religions as being metaphors for modern ones. (Even the incredibly polytheistic Forgotten Realms, where more than a hundred deities exist, features a triad of gods that could be based on the Holy Trinity.) But ultimately, D&D is a game of fantasy and players are encouraged to alter the game world to better suit their tastes. Many Christian players alter the game world so that it better fits their personal beliefs. The parent of a role-playing gamer or any gamer who is concerned for his spiritual health is well-advised to consider the power of role-playing as a behavior modification tool. If you pretend to be heroic long enough, eventually you can become heroic. The danger of pretending to be an atheist or pretending to be an evil character should be obvious and should be avoided.

===The art of D&D===
Another criticism is that illustrations in the rule books for ''Dungeons & Dragons'' often contain images of immodestly dressed women. For example, in the First Edition ''Monster Manual'' a number of drawings depicted topless creatures of fantasy such as the harpy (half-vulture half-woman) or the succubus (a demoness). The OD&D reference ''Eldritch Wizardry'' featured the profile of a nude woman. Most of these images are fairly crudely rendered and are not particularly racy by today's standards, but they did exceed the limitations of the [[Comics Code]] of the time<ref>http://www.geocities.com/Athens/8580/cca3.html</ref>.

By the publication of Second Edition, the art and layout of the D&D game was managed by professionals. As a result the quality of the art increased significantly and anything racy was eliminated from the art work. There was some minor controversy with the revised Third Edition ''Monster Manual'''s artwork of the succubus and nymph (a water spirit in the form of a beautiful woman), but aside from these there is nothing particularly shocking in the art for a child or adult of any age.

===Unchristian Activities===
Although Dungeons & Dragons does not present itself as either pro-Christian or anti-Christian, the game features many elements which can be considered to agree with or go against the teachings of Christ. The game has drawn criticism for allowing players to undertake un-Christian activities: the rules allow a player to have their character perform evil acts, including the summoning or worshiping of demons and devils. Certain fundamentalists disagree with the very format of the game in that player characters can pretend to cast imaginary spells while playing the game.

Some feel that the primary action of the game involves the fictional slaying of monsters and the fictional accumulation of wealth, some Christians feel that this goes against the teachings of Christ regarding [[pacifism]] ([[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] 5:38-42) and the accumulation of [[wealth]] (Matthew 19:24). Others see these actions as heroic endeavors and wealth is a byproduct of doing good things. Either way, the game and it's choices are a matter of free will.

Former [[United Methodist Church]] minister James Wyatt wrote an essay comparing the freedom of a Dungeons & Dragons player to choose his own actions, to the Christian concept of Free Will. As in real life, a player may, when presented with a moral choice, decide for himself whether to do good or evil. If the player was not able to do evil, he would be forced to do good, removing his freedom. Similarly, God allows human beings to choose between good and evil in real life, and people must accept the consequences of their choice. The supplements that deal specifically with demons and devils make it quite clear that the afterlife for characters who are condemned to the Abyss or the Nine Heels is in no way pleasant, and may even be short.

Tracy Hickman, one of the main authors of the Dungeons & Dragons Dragonlance book series, and a Christian with conservative politics and theology, has written a number of articles defending and discussing D&D from a Christian perspective. <ref name="Waldron">The Journal of Religion and Popular Culture: [http://www.usask.ca/relst/jrpc/art9-roleplaying.html "Role-Playing Games and the Christian Right"]</ref> Others within the Dungeons & Dragons community responded by writing other defenses from rationalist perspectives or other perspectives or by writing parodies such as "Chess: The Subtle Sin: Should Christians play chess?". Some argue that in response to the perceived Christian persecution of the Dungeons & Dragons, darker themed, deliberately counter-cultural games appeared in reaction such as [[Call of Cthulhu]] which is based on the horror writing of [[H.P. Lovecraft]] and set in the [[Cthulhu|Cthulhu Mythos]]<ref name="Waldron"/>, or [[Vampire: the Masquerade]], where players act the roles of undead vampires.

====Possible Areas of Concern for Christians====
D&D is a "game of pretend" whereby players pretend to take certain actions and the DM adjudicates the results of those actions. By its very nature, this leaves players open to experiment with various moral quandaries and social dilemmas. This is a valuable tool for players to learn the implications and results of playing both good and evil characters. However, the possibility exists that such an experience may not be beneficial or appropriate for everyone--in particular, persons who already have difficulty separating fantasy with reality might be able to be helped by the game, but it could also make things worse. Due to the nature of roleplaying games, a great deal depends upon the individual group in question; a given game of Dungeons and Dragons might be benign from a Christian standpoint, or it might involve activities and ideas that a Christian would find profoundly distasteful.<ref>http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=246.0</ref>

==References==
<references/>

==External Links==
* [http://aquela.com/roleplaying/r&r/index.html Religion and Roleplaying]
* [http://www.fansforchrist.org/new/articles/article03a.htm Christians Playing Dungeons and Dragons] - An informed Christian's perspective on Dungeons & Dragons.
* [http://www.trhickman.com/Intel/Essays/Ethic2.html Ethics in Fantasy: Morality and D&D] - Tracey Hickman's essay concerning Christian perspectives and common misunderstandings about Role-Playing Games
* [http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/3691 Full text of H.G. Wells ''Little Wars; a game for boys from twelve years of age to one hundred and fifty']

[[Category:Games]]

Penny Arcade

2008-08-07T01:13:37Z

Realslimshadowen: Corrected my earlier silliness

'''Penny Arcade''' is one of the world's most popular webcomics, created by Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins. Penny Arcade is a gaming comic, explores [[video]] games, the [[video]] game industry, and [[video]] game culture. The two work full-time on the comic, and have started a charity and convention. A licensed game based on characters from the comic, ''On The Rain-Slick Precipice Of Darkness'', was released, available for purchase only online.

==External Links==

*[http://www.penny-arcade.com/ ''Penny Arcade'']
*[http://www.childsplaycharity.org/ Child's Play]
*[http://www.pennyarcadeexpo.com/ PAX]
*[http://www.playgreenhouse.com/ Greenhouse]

[[category:websites]]

Penny Arcade

2008-08-07T01:13:09Z

Realslimshadowen: Added links and some detail

'''Penny Arcade''' is one of the world's most popular webcomics, created by Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins. Penny Arcade is a gaming comic, explores [[video]] games, the [[video]] game industry, and [[video]] game culture. The two work full-time on the comic, and have started a charity and convention. A licensed game based on characters from the comic, ''On The Rain-Slick Precipice Of Darkness'', was released, available for purchase only online.

==External Links==

[http://www.penny-arcade.com/ ''Penny Arcade'']
[http://www.childsplaycharity.org/ Child's Play]
[http://www.pennyarcadeexpo.com/ PAX]
[http://www.playgreenhouse.com/ Greenhouse]

[[category:websites]]