Steampunk Star Wars
March 1, 2007 1:24 PM Subscribe
Steampunk Star Wars. An ongoing series of drawings by Eric Poulton of Star Wars characters redone in the style of Jules Verne era sci-fi. Sadly only three have been done, so far, but hopefully more to come. Via
These are awesome. I hope he does more.
posted by Faint of Butt at 1:28 PM on March 1, 2007
posted by Faint of Butt at 1:28 PM on March 1, 2007
the little "Han shot first" nudge was cute.
What do you mean? Maybe I'm missing the obvious but Im not see a reference to that.
posted by damn dirty ape at 1:34 PM on March 1, 2007
What do you mean? Maybe I'm missing the obvious but Im not see a reference to that.
posted by damn dirty ape at 1:34 PM on March 1, 2007
Solo is also known for his quick draw with a pistol. He boasts that of all the men he's shot, not a single one was able to shoot first.
It's in the blog entry along with the pic.
posted by splice at 1:37 PM on March 1, 2007
It's in the blog entry along with the pic.
posted by splice at 1:37 PM on March 1, 2007
Han Solo & Mr. Chewbacca
Han Solo is a notorious gambler, con artist and smuggler. Mr. Chewbacca is his Wookiee partner in crime. The duo is wanted by both the Empire and a number of underworld crime lords, but they manage to stay one step ahead of their pursuers thanks to their ship, the Millennium Falcon, said to be the fastest ship in the galaxy. Solo is also known for his quick draw with a pistol. He boasts that of all the men he's shot, not a single one was able to shoot first.
Emphasis mine.
Yeah, that's some fine illustratin'.
posted by lekvar at 1:37 PM on March 1, 2007
Han Solo is a notorious gambler, con artist and smuggler. Mr. Chewbacca is his Wookiee partner in crime. The duo is wanted by both the Empire and a number of underworld crime lords, but they manage to stay one step ahead of their pursuers thanks to their ship, the Millennium Falcon, said to be the fastest ship in the galaxy. Solo is also known for his quick draw with a pistol. He boasts that of all the men he's shot, not a single one was able to shoot first.
Emphasis mine.
Yeah, that's some fine illustratin'.
posted by lekvar at 1:37 PM on March 1, 2007
Lord Vader... is a master with the traditional weapon of Force champions, the Phlogisticated Aether Torch, more commonly referred to as the phlogisabre.
Man, that's great.
posted by lekvar at 1:55 PM on March 1, 2007
Man, that's great.
posted by lekvar at 1:55 PM on March 1, 2007
The Vader picture is amazing. I wish post larger pictures to fully appreciate some of the detail -- the compass over the eye, the exposed breathing tube, the heart box, the gauge above the elbow. Fantastic!
posted by pardonyou? at 2:05 PM on March 1, 2007
posted by pardonyou? at 2:05 PM on March 1, 2007
"Steampunk?" What kind of lame, asshattish, wannabemo, 2.0 kind of genre label for "Victorian" is that? Next thing you know they'll be calling Passion of the Christ and Life of Brian "Jewpunk" or something.
Oh, and yes, very cool drawings.
posted by brownpau at 2:10 PM on March 1, 2007 [1 favorite]
Oh, and yes, very cool drawings.
posted by brownpau at 2:10 PM on March 1, 2007 [1 favorite]
Steampunk is hardly new. As a matter of fact, Firefox 2.0 doesn't even flag the word as a spelling error.
posted by GuyZero at 2:14 PM on March 1, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by GuyZero at 2:14 PM on March 1, 2007 [1 favorite]
Steampunk was coined in the science fiction print world in the 1980s. It stems from cyberpunk. It predates "web 2.0" by at least a decade, if not two.
posted by JeremyT at 2:17 PM on March 1, 2007
posted by JeremyT at 2:17 PM on March 1, 2007
While brownpau seems to be a bit out of the sci-fi loop, I think he has a point. If you take "steampunk" to mean anything set in Victorian-Edwardian times and features fantastic "modern yet antique" technology, then this fits. But I always that as a genre steampunk was more about the attitude of the stories, ala cyberpunk. Cyberpunk isn't unique because it features implants and corporations and such, it's the infusion of "punk" outlook on society into traditional sci-fi. Steampunk, I think, is more about transporting the cyberpunk attitude (mostly bleak, anti-authority, dystopian) to the Victorian-Edwardian era. So not everything in such a setting would be steampunk, and certainly not Star Wars if you're judging by the feel of the story.
posted by Sangermaine at 2:40 PM on March 1, 2007
posted by Sangermaine at 2:40 PM on March 1, 2007
Not was I was expecting.
Wonderful stuff.
Nice post.
posted by squidfartz at 2:41 PM on March 1, 2007
Wonderful stuff.
Nice post.
posted by squidfartz at 2:41 PM on March 1, 2007
I was kidding. I've heard of steampunk. I just hate the word. So much. MUST. SMASH.
posted by brownpau at 2:44 PM on March 1, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by brownpau at 2:44 PM on March 1, 2007 [1 favorite]
I can see your point Sangermaine, but I think you're facing an uphill battle if you want people to start labeling their non-punk Victorian stuff "Victorian". Its appropriate, but like getting people to stop using the word "hacker" as a synonym for "computer criminal" [1] I just don't see it happening.
As for this in particular, for some reason it just doesn't get me going. Most Steam Age stuff utterly thrills me, but for some reason this one left me a bit flat. Vader, especially, bugged me. He's supposed to be a dark lord of the Sith, he should be able to stand upright damnit.
[1] One of my own pet peeves.
posted by sotonohito at 2:52 PM on March 1, 2007
As for this in particular, for some reason it just doesn't get me going. Most Steam Age stuff utterly thrills me, but for some reason this one left me a bit flat. Vader, especially, bugged me. He's supposed to be a dark lord of the Sith, he should be able to stand upright damnit.
[1] One of my own pet peeves.
posted by sotonohito at 2:52 PM on March 1, 2007
Also, where did Han Solo's space captain pants go? You know, the pants with the vertial stripe of darker and shiney fabric running down each leg? I'm convinced that Malcom Reynolds wears that style of pants as an homage; Reynolds is a better roguish captain than Solo ever was, but still props to the original.
Much as the art doesn't do much for me, I do like his descriptions. The one for Jabba the Hut was especially nice. "Sarlaac Silk", heh.
posted by sotonohito at 2:57 PM on March 1, 2007
Much as the art doesn't do much for me, I do like his descriptions. The one for Jabba the Hut was especially nice. "Sarlaac Silk", heh.
posted by sotonohito at 2:57 PM on March 1, 2007
sotonohito: You mean his Corellian blood stripe?
And yes, this is great. more, please!
posted by niles at 3:11 PM on March 1, 2007
And yes, this is great. more, please!
posted by niles at 3:11 PM on March 1, 2007
Unrelated to anything, the author links to this Wired blurb about the "steampunk lightsaber" as his inspiration for these drawings. That Wired blurb uses the unusual word "metempsychosis", and I was shocked- SHOCKED!- to find the Wiki entry on memetpsychosis does not list Infinite Jest as one of its cultural references. WTF, Wiki?!?
posted by hincandenza at 3:18 PM on March 1, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by hincandenza at 3:18 PM on March 1, 2007 [1 favorite]
Its appropriate, but like getting people to stop using the word "hacker" as a synonym for "computer criminal" [1] I just don't see it happening.
Calling hackers hackers is a completely reasonable thing to do. Also steam punk doesn't mean "Victorian" I mean, Victorian refers to an actual historical time period, whereas steampunk refers to a hyper-attenuated vision of Victorian mores, styles, with technological capabilities at least as advanced as modern electronics.
I mean you wouldn't call Sense and sensibility or Pride and prejudice Steampunk novels.
compare and contrast.
posted by delmoi at 3:25 PM on March 1, 2007 [1 favorite]
Calling hackers hackers is a completely reasonable thing to do. Also steam punk doesn't mean "Victorian" I mean, Victorian refers to an actual historical time period, whereas steampunk refers to a hyper-attenuated vision of Victorian mores, styles, with technological capabilities at least as advanced as modern electronics.
I mean you wouldn't call Sense and sensibility or Pride and prejudice Steampunk novels.
compare and contrast.
posted by delmoi at 3:25 PM on March 1, 2007 [1 favorite]
I'm with sangermaine. It's not just the tech that makes steampunk steampunk. I don't know what common usage entails, but IMO Jules Verne, for instance, doesn't count.
posted by juv3nal at 3:35 PM on March 1, 2007
posted by juv3nal at 3:35 PM on March 1, 2007
Sense and Sensibility was totally steampunk! "Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds. Or bends with the remover to remove. Oh no! It is an ever fixed mark that looks on tempests and is never shaken. Willoughby. Willoughby. Willoughby... Bring me my absinthe, bitch!"
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 3:36 PM on March 1, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 3:36 PM on March 1, 2007 [1 favorite]
delmoi : Victorian refers to an actual historical time period, whereas steampunk refers to a hyper-attenuated vision of Victorian mores, styles, with technological capabilities at least as advanced as modern electronics.
Very well said.
I didn't actually see the steampunk in the first picture of Jabba, but as soon as I saw Chewbacca's weapon, I knew it was an accurate description.
posted by quin at 3:49 PM on March 1, 2007
Very well said.
I didn't actually see the steampunk in the first picture of Jabba, but as soon as I saw Chewbacca's weapon, I knew it was an accurate description.
posted by quin at 3:49 PM on March 1, 2007
I hate to say it but: phlogiston is a 17th century idea best described perhaps as a 'theory of heat' but encompasses ideas the modern reader wouldn't consider too scientific and long dsicredited by the 19th century, the high-point of the luminiferous aether. So the Phlogisticated Aether Torch is a bit of a malapropism both from the perspective of the history of science, and science since it was never a "heat-light saber"...
there I said it.
posted by geos at 3:50 PM on March 1, 2007
there I said it.
posted by geos at 3:50 PM on March 1, 2007
I love Mr. Chewbacca. He looks like a Dog Playing Poker.
posted by Sticherbeast at 4:17 PM on March 1, 2007
posted by Sticherbeast at 4:17 PM on March 1, 2007
Also from this blogger: Help! I'm stuck in a giant hot dog!
And wouldn't the original "Wild Wild West" TV show (Robert Conrad & Ross Martin) be considered early-Steampunk or proto-Steampunk ?
posted by wendell at 4:19 PM on March 1, 2007
And wouldn't the original "Wild Wild West" TV show (Robert Conrad & Ross Martin) be considered early-Steampunk or proto-Steampunk ?
posted by wendell at 4:19 PM on March 1, 2007
I like. But he needs to draw a robot or a space ship, since those are just as much "characters" in the Star Wars universe.
What would a 19th century Millenium Falcon look like?
posted by bardic at 4:22 PM on March 1, 2007
What would a 19th century Millenium Falcon look like?
posted by bardic at 4:22 PM on March 1, 2007
My lad/lady R3b3cca and I twould enjoy coal fired steamed punk late afternoons ‘pon the m00rs, what?
Darth’s still the sire then?
posted by Smedleyman at 4:39 PM on March 1, 2007
Darth’s still the sire then?
posted by Smedleyman at 4:39 PM on March 1, 2007
(Billy Dee Williams’ be a tough translation to steampunk. He’s just too damned smooth)
posted by Smedleyman at 4:40 PM on March 1, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by Smedleyman at 4:40 PM on March 1, 2007 [1 favorite]
You think Billy Dee would be tough?
Give Edward VII some brass and wood and leather gear. There you go.
posted by winna at 4:46 PM on March 1, 2007
Give Edward VII some brass and wood and leather gear. There you go.
posted by winna at 4:46 PM on March 1, 2007
Splendid! Vader's WWI era spiked helmet is perfect. I can't wait to see how this develops.
posted by aladfar at 5:01 PM on March 1, 2007
posted by aladfar at 5:01 PM on March 1, 2007
Vader kind of looks like the mechanical bad-guy from Hell Boy. Forget his name.
posted by bardic at 5:18 PM on March 1, 2007
posted by bardic at 5:18 PM on March 1, 2007
Damn, that's great stuff.
posted by tickingclock at 5:32 PM on March 1, 2007
posted by tickingclock at 5:32 PM on March 1, 2007
delmoi As far as "Victorian" goes, I supposed I should have said "Victorian styled", though as I also said I'm sure that there's no point in fighting the trend. Steampunk is the generally accepted term for modern Victorian styled stuff.
As far as "Calling hackers hackers is a completely reasonable thing to do" goes, I suspect that you're being snarky, but I'll bite. I mentioned that I have largely given up, but the origin of the word had squat to do with crime, and it remains used in a non-criminal sense among many computer geeks.
The term, in its modern usage, originated at the tech model railroad club at MIT back in the late 1950's and had absolutely no meaning of "criminal". It remains in use in its original sense among many computer geeks today, and it is only among non-geeks that the word has mutated to mean "computer criminal". A hacker can be a computer criminal, but not all hackers are; neither are all computer criminals are hackers.
Like I said, I've mostly given up trying to fight it though, common usage almost always wins over correct usage.
On topic, I'll agree with the people saying that they'd like to see how he sees the ships and robots. Mostly the ships since I didn't like how he drew Vadar.
posted by sotonohito at 6:21 PM on March 1, 2007
As far as "Calling hackers hackers is a completely reasonable thing to do" goes, I suspect that you're being snarky, but I'll bite. I mentioned that I have largely given up, but the origin of the word had squat to do with crime, and it remains used in a non-criminal sense among many computer geeks.
The term, in its modern usage, originated at the tech model railroad club at MIT back in the late 1950's and had absolutely no meaning of "criminal". It remains in use in its original sense among many computer geeks today, and it is only among non-geeks that the word has mutated to mean "computer criminal". A hacker can be a computer criminal, but not all hackers are; neither are all computer criminals are hackers.
Like I said, I've mostly given up trying to fight it though, common usage almost always wins over correct usage.
On topic, I'll agree with the people saying that they'd like to see how he sees the ships and robots. Mostly the ships since I didn't like how he drew Vadar.
posted by sotonohito at 6:21 PM on March 1, 2007
Gaah. Forgot to cut a sentence, so I got repetative there, sorry.
posted by sotonohito at 6:25 PM on March 1, 2007
posted by sotonohito at 6:25 PM on March 1, 2007
derail, sorry.
Like I said, I've mostly given up trying to fight it though, common usage almost always wins over correct usage.
I am absolutely with you on the history of the word and its current bifurcated meanings, but when "common usage" is so massively predominant as it is for "hacker" now, doesn't it de facto become a correct usage?
posted by psmith at 7:23 PM on March 1, 2007
Like I said, I've mostly given up trying to fight it though, common usage almost always wins over correct usage.
I am absolutely with you on the history of the word and its current bifurcated meanings, but when "common usage" is so massively predominant as it is for "hacker" now, doesn't it de facto become a correct usage?
posted by psmith at 7:23 PM on March 1, 2007
Billy Dee....hmmm....
Nah. Lobot maybe. Although I'd like to see a steampunk explaination of National Bohemian malt liquours in the preferred 1.3 litres.
posted by Smedleyman at 9:43 PM on March 1, 2007
Nah. Lobot maybe. Although I'd like to see a steampunk explaination of National Bohemian malt liquours in the preferred 1.3 litres.
posted by Smedleyman at 9:43 PM on March 1, 2007
psmith I'd argue that it becomes an acceptable alternate usage, but it still bugs me. I mean, why not just say "criminal"? But yeah, much as I dislike it the term as a synonym for criminal is used often enough to be acceptable in that sense. Which is why I gave up fighting it.
posted by sotonohito at 3:41 AM on March 2, 2007
posted by sotonohito at 3:41 AM on March 2, 2007
The key to Steampunk is anachronism, IMO. If you tell a science fiction story in the victorian era, using only victorian era technology and ideas, then you are doing victorian science fiction.
It becomes steampunk when you retrofit modern ideas into the victorian time period, using victorian (or victorian-esque) technology.
For example, if you tell a story about travelling to the moon on a shell fired from an artillery cannon, that's not steampunk. If you tell a story about a space-elevator, or satellites, or biological warfare, and especially anything involving computers, then it becomes steampunk.
posted by empath at 5:37 AM on March 2, 2007
It becomes steampunk when you retrofit modern ideas into the victorian time period, using victorian (or victorian-esque) technology.
For example, if you tell a story about travelling to the moon on a shell fired from an artillery cannon, that's not steampunk. If you tell a story about a space-elevator, or satellites, or biological warfare, and especially anything involving computers, then it becomes steampunk.
posted by empath at 5:37 AM on March 2, 2007
What would a 19th century Millenium Falcon look like?
I'd imagine something like what's flying around in this short.
Another fine jonson steampunk [NOT VICTORIAN, GO BUY 'THE DIFFERENCE ENGINE' FOR GOD'S SAKE] post.
posted by quite unimportant at 5:35 PM on March 2, 2007
I'd imagine something like what's flying around in this short.
Another fine jonson steampunk [NOT VICTORIAN, GO BUY 'THE DIFFERENCE ENGINE' FOR GOD'S SAKE] post.
posted by quite unimportant at 5:35 PM on March 2, 2007
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