"Dun dun dun, dun da dun, dun da dun...."

Tonight Karli and I are off to see Star Wars IV: A New Hope at the Orpheum Theatre, with the music provided live by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

The first film in the Star Wars series is famous for its epic storyline and its innovative special effects, but it's equally renowned for its music. John Williams' brilliant Oscar-winning score defines the Star Wars universe: the opening fanfare, the majestic main theme, the threatening Imperial motif, Princess Leia's evocative melody, the tense, driving background music of the final battle - it's impossible to imagine the movie without its distinctive musical accompaniment.

As I've said before, A New Hope holds a special place in my heart, and I'm looking forward to experiencing it in a unique fashion this evening - even if it probably isn't going to be the original cut, I've never liked the additional special effects that Lucas retrofitted into the film. I'm also a bit curious about how they're going to handle the music performed by Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes* in the Mos Eisley cantina scenes, but then, I'm not sure how it was performed originally.

Normally I'm a quite conservative dresser for things like this, but for tonight I've decided that it's acceptable to wear a Star Wars t-shirt with jeans - and a blazer, of course, I haven't completely lost my mind.

The VSO has sent out a cautionary e-mail warning attendees that a large turnout is expected, and that people should arrive well in advance to be certain that they are seated in time for the opening credits. When Karli and I reach the venue, it's obvious that the warnings were somewhat premature - although it is busy, we're inside the theatre immediately, where it's equally obvious that this isn't the usual symphony crowd.

 

My decision to go with a Star Wars t-shirt puts me right in the median for dress code: most of the crowd is wearing similar gear, with three standouts wearing full Star Wars-themed suits and one or two guests in Jedi robes. (There's also one fellow in a tuxedo - clearly not everyone is willing to compromise their standards just because it's Luke Skywalker night.)

"Look, sir, droids!"

The Orpheum has also brought in some more extreme fans dressed in costumes from the movie: there are photo ops with Darth Vader; Imperial Stormtroopers, officers and fighter pilots; a lone Sandperson; and Boba Fett - who isn't in this movie, but let's not be picky.**

After a few pictures, we make our way to our seats. The lights dim, the conductor raises his baton, and the film begins.

It's surprisingly fun - the difference between recorded soundtrack and live performance is astonishing. There's a bit of a struggle between dialogue and music, they're obviously not able to balance the audio in the same fashion that a sound mixer could, but the conductor does an excellent job of modulating the orchestra to suit the action, and they've cleverly compensated by added subtitles to the film.

Sometimes the orchestra's performance blends seamless into the experience, and at other times I find myself thinking, "Wait, is there actually music for that scene?" Given that there are sections of the film where the entire orchestra falls quiet and simply watches the movie with the rest of us, presumably they're matching the original soundtrack. The complexity of the music is also more obvious: there are sections where I notice an overt bit of oboe or a hint of harp that I didn't realize was there.

In the fullness of time, the Death Star explodes, the Rebellion celebrates its heroes, and the movie ends. Unlike the situation for most movies, the entire audience remains for the credits, after which we give the orchestra a standing ovation.

Overall, I'm extremely pleased and satisfied by the experience, it was certainly an enjoyable way to re-experience the film. My only disappointment is that no one in the orchestra attempted to match the cantina band, that was one of the sections where they fell silent.

And I still think Chewbacca should get a medal at the end.

- Sid

* Hey, trivia fans:  the Cantina Band is made up of members of the Star Wars production team, most notably makeup artists Rick Baker and Rob Bottin, and special effects technican Phil Tippett.

** Actually, he is, for about two seconds - I had forgotten that as part of his changes to the film, Lucas had added in Han's confrontation with Jabba the Hutt, wherein Boba Fett makes a brief appearance. (See previous comments regarding my opinion of the reworked version of the film.)

Probably a lot of things, actually.

• Batteries: Yep, but we don't know what kind yet. 

Thinkgeek Plasma Rifle Replica product specifications

I won't say that I'm not tempted, but surely there must be something more important that I could spend 119.99 USD on.

- Sid

Or maybe Tim Horton's.

For this year's Canada Day, let's take a moment to acknowledge the best known and longest serving Canadian member of the space program. Sorry, it’s not Chris Hadfield, I refer of course to the Shuttle Remote Manipulator System: more popularly known as the Canadarm.

Commissioned from Spar Aerospace by the Canadian government as part of an agreement with NASA to support the shuttle program, the Canadarm was first deployed from the space shuttle Columbia on November 13, 1981. The 15.2 meter long robotic arm featured a unique cable-based "end effector" (hand, if you're not an engineer) that allowed the Canadarm to effectively and easily grip objects in zero gravity.

The Canadarm proved to be an incredibly useful and versatile addition to the shuttle, and NASA requested a matching system for each of their new space shuttles. The various models served with distinction for 30 years, finally retiring* in 2011 after 90 missions.

The Canadarm2 was already in place on the International Space Station at that point** - the improved version of the remote manipulator, designed and built by Brampton's MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates, had entered service in 2001 after being installed on the ISS with the help of Chris Hadfield and the station’s first generation Canadarm.

The new version of the arm was larger, longer and stronger, with the ability to handle larger payloads, and was constructed so that it could be maintained and updated in orbit - unlike its predecessors, the Canadarm2 would remain in space for its entire service life.

 

The next addition to Canada’s catalogue of robotic remotes was Dextre, the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator***. Also built by MDA, Dextre is 3.70 meters tall, is equipped with two 3.5 meter long arms, each with seven joints for extreme flexibility, and can be mounted on the end of the Canadarm2. Dextre first saw duty in February of 2011, allowing the crew of the ISS to perform a wide variety of maintenance tasks on the exterior of the station without the need to go into space.

The Canadarm, Canadarm2 and Dextre are the tools of the future: extensions of humanity that enhance and expand the ability of astronauts to interact with their environment, extensions that will undoubtedly become more and more autonomous over time.

I’d like to think that they're also the precursors to a long legacy of independent Canadian-created robotic space explorers. Imagine: centuries from now, on a distant planet, a mobile human-form AI stands surrounded by curious lifeforms. The scarlet light of an alien sun illuminates a chipped and scratched maple leaf etched into the android's carbon fibre shoulder.

One of the aliens raises a secondary pedipalp and gestures at the flag.

>>>INQUIRY: WHAT IS SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS ICON?<<<

A metallic face creases into a nostalgic smile.

“That is the symbol of Canada, my home and native land. Hmmm…how to explain Canada...okay, let’s start with hockey...”

- Sid

* Because there were multiple models, the retiring Canadarms found a variety of homes for their golden years: one at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa, another at the National Air and Space Museum in Virginia, one remained in orbit, and one is on display as part of the Atlantis shuttle display at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida - the traditional destination of retiring Canadians. (Florida, that is, not the Kennedy Space Centre.) The fifth Canadarm was lost in the 1986 Challenger accident.

** The process of transferring cargo from one Canadarm to the other became known as the "Canadian Handshake".

*** I have always thought that Dextre should have been named Waldo, after the character in the Robert A. Heinlein story of the same name, who lived on a space station and had developed a wide range of remote manipulators to compensate for his myasthenia gravis, but apparently someone has the name under copyright.