A mere seven weeks away from the premiere of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, I have begun to institute – at least for myself – a spoiler shutout. I have begun consciously avoiding articles about the upcoming movie on such sites as Ain’t It Cool News and JediNet, and have even taken to only lightly skimming the official Star Wars web site. Really the only Episode I things that I’m going out of my way to find out about are the action figures and other toys, which constitute visual spoilers more than they do story spoilers (and I’ve very carefully avoided looking at package back scans on Sir Steve’s Guide, in an effort to shy away from the complimentary character bios that accompany all of the Star Wars toys).
In the cases of The Phantom Menace and the final episode of Deep Space Nine, I have kept away from story spoilers, because I like surprises. Sometimes there are good surprises (like the latest season of Red Dwarf, which has shocked me pleasantly by getting back to the first four seasons’ examinations of high-concept SF concepts through a comedic filter), and sometimes there are lousy surprises (such as last week’s inane Voyager episode in which Chakotay becomes a boxer – what the…?!?). But I intend to buy my ticket, sit in the theater, and be surprised there like most everyone else.
Some fans – in my own humble opinion – are cheating themselves by taking the tack that since we already know what will become of such characters as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, (future Emperor) Palpatine, R2-D2 and Yoda, there’s really no story to be spoiled. That’s a big load of bantha excrement. I want to know what happens that turns Anakin to the dark side of the Force. I want to be there when Palpatine makes his bid for power. I want to see the events surrounding the end of the Jedi and how Obi-Wan and Yoda go into hiding. I want to sit in a dark theater, watch this movie, be surprised, and basically be five years old again. To me, that’s what this movie is all about. And just because we know where the characters will eventually end up doesn’t mean we can’t be surprised by their first meeting, or their earlier adventures (doesn’t anyone remember learning these lessons from Babylon 5?).
So, in case anyone’s interested, I don’t have any spoilers. You won’t find any Episode I spoilers on this site. I’m even wondering – and I’m open to any suggestions and feedback from you on this – how soon after the opening of the movie I should post the plot synopsis. Because I’m sure there are plenty of you out there who would also like to be five years old again, basking in the wonder of a brand new Star Wars movie.
Earl Green
theLogBook.com editor/webmaster
The Babylon 5 spinoff series, Crusade, premieres June 9th on TNT immediately after a repeat of A Call To Arms, the movie which sets up the events behind the series. Crusade will occupy Babylon 5′s old 10pm ET time slot.
The first wave of new Hasbro 3 3/4″ action figures and Sony Classical’s single-disc, 17-track CD from Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace will be available the first week of May, according to numerous reliable reports. Many fans are – quite understandably, considering how many times we had to invest and re-invest in the various re-releases of the music from the original trilogy – rather disappointed with the news of an abridged soundtrack release. 
The official word on the title of Deep Space Nine‘s final episode is in from Paramount. The two-hour finale will be called What You Leave Behind, not (as previously reported here) The Rest Is Silence. As of this writing, there is no evidence that the latter was actually seriously considered. Rumors are also surfacing from reliable sources that this episode will be the most expensive Paramount TV project since Voyager’s pilot epiosde, and that Patrick Stewart may bookend the series with a rare appearance as Captain Picard (which is part of the reason for the production’s expenses).
As if anyone will be watching anything other than Star Wars Episode I in late May, the VHS and DVD versions of Star Trek: Insurrection will be released on Tuesday, May 25th. For the first time, it appears as though a Star Trek feature film will debut at purchase price ($29.99, according to Paramount) rather than an incredibly inflated “rental” price which ensures that only video rental outlets (or insanely obsessed fans) would bother with it until it goes to retail. Insurrection will hit the shelves at retail, bypassing the rental stage.
The five remaining members of Monty Python – John Cleese, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, Eric Idle and Terry Gilliam – will be reuniting for a full-on, four-hour Monty Python reunion to air this October on BBC2. (No word as yet on American distribution for this show or series of shows.) And before then, the Arts & Entertainment Network has struck a deal to make every episode of Monty Python’s Flying Circus available on DVD, most likely in boxed sets which will each chronicle a specific season of the show.
GNP Crescendo Records has announced that a CD is in preparation, with Scott Gilman’s main theme and incidental music from UPN’s new SF series Seven Days. The CD will be available in mid-April, and will be available through theLogBook.com. But as for the show itself, the unofficial word has reached us that Seven Days has been renewed for a second season on UPN, but the show may undergo major structural changes (as yet unspecified).