Figmond Tripp.

Thank you!

Just wondering, did you watch the entire video? I know it's long.

I can believe Lucas did that, because it's happened to me. It's not a matter of "giving in," to audience pressure, it's a matter of getting sick and tired of audience complaints, and of knowing that people's opinions calcify over time.

Remember the reaction Jar Jar received. Not only did the character single-handedly ruin the film for millions of people, Lucas himself was accused of being *racist.* People loathed that character. The character replaced Stepin Fetchit as everyone's go-to analogy for horrible, useless, racist film characters.

Lucas, Lucasfilm, and everyone else involved in the production surely didn't expect that reaction. That reaction probably took all the joy out of the character for them. I could see why they would lose their enthusiasm for spending the next three years of their lives crafting an entire blockbuster film around a character that brought them nothing but headaches. It would've been so much easier to say "let's just replace him with this Count Dooku guy."

I know I've dropped one or two characters I *loved* and had big plans for, just because I got sick to death of people complaining about them. I thought "by the time I finish building them up and get to their ultimate payoff, no one's going to care. Their opinions will already be set in stone. Even if what I write is brilliant, they'll think it's crap because they expect it to be crap."

It happens. Even to George Lucas.

It would've taken a lot of resolve, stamina, even cockiness to devote himself that much to the gamble that the big reveal would overcome the sheer hatred people had already developed for the character. Maybe if Lucas had been 30 years younger, he'd have stuck to his vision no matter what. But by the time he was creating the prequels, he wasn't just a filmmaker with a vision, he was a businessman. He was overseeing a multi-billion dollar corporation, and Jar Jar Binks was putting it at risk. He risked single-handedly turning the brand into a joke.

This may be obscure, but I kept thinking "back... and to the left" every time he played a clip of Jar Jar whispering his mind trick. It's literally the only explanation (other than horrible writing, which is what I always thought the explanation was) for why many of the characters said the things they said.

That's a good question.

Thanks, I've fixed it. Wish I'd caught it sooner!

What are you talking about? Not only did I post both of your rebuttals, I replied to them.

I call that the zombie Voter ID argument, because no matter how many times people point out it's based on a set of false assumptions, it never, ever dies.

(1) You don't need any kind of ID to buy alcohol or tobacco products. All you needs is to hand money to someone else who's walking into the store, and ask "can you buy me a six pack?" That's how even fifteen year olds end up drinking and smoking. That happens every single day, all over America.

(2) Poor people and shut-ins don't fly on airplaines or ride on trains. Poor people take Greyhound. And you don't need an ID to buy a Greyhound ticket. You only need one if you bought it online or at a kiosk and you're picking it up at will-call. I know this first hand.

(3) You don't need a state ID to cash a check. You can endorse it to someone to cash for you, you can take it to a check cashing store that charges a huge fee for cashing it (they exist in most poor neighborhoods).

(4) You don't need a photo ID to enter most schools. And if your kid goes to one that requires one but you don't have an ID, you're just s.o.l. and you can wait outside.

(5) You don't need an ID to enter a Federal or State building. They ask you for one. They tell you you need one. But if you really don't have one, they take you aside, ask you several identifying questions, and let you sign in in order to enter. Even the TSA does this.

(6) Nobody in the country needs to attend the Democratic convention.

And lastly, every single issue you've raised is different from voting. All of those things are privileges. Voting is a right.

Thank you.

I do, now. If you click on the "share" button below the strip, there's an option to email it to anyone for free. You can also share it on Facebook and other social media services from that button.

Happy New Year!