Conspicuously absent from Lucas's cosmology is anything connected to biblical Christianity. Though oblique references to faith abound in the film, the central religious motif is "the Force," explained by the Smithsonian guide as a combination of "the basic principles of several different major religions." Further, "it most embodies what all of them have in common: an unerring faith in a spiritual power." Lucas explained "the Force" as "a nothingness that can accomplish miracles." This is, the Smithsonian's Henderson asserts, "reminiscent of Zen Buddhism."

"The Force" is not analogous to Christian faith, but is a form of personal enlightenment and empowerment. Faith in "the Force" is simply faith in mystery and some higher power-mostly within. As Lucas instructs: "Ultimately the Force is the larger mystery of the universe. And to trust your feelings is your way into that." The last thing Americans need to be told is to trust their own feelings.

The mythology of Star Wars is perfectly adapted to the spiritual confusion of postmodern America. "Go with the Force" is about all many citizens can muster as spirituality. When Christianity ceases to be the dominant worldview of a culture, paganism is quick to fill the void.

In The Sith Lords, we had to recognize that we had a tight schedule, existing technology, and we had to take into account the Xbox's limitation when developing the game. Fortunately, we had the BioWare engine as a foundation, so the process of creating content was able to proceed almost immediately.

Battlefront turns the Star Wars universe into a huge game that scores heavily on graphics and sound. And that will delight the legions of fans of the saga.

But are excellent production values enough to vault the game beyond being merely good?

The jury is out, mainly because once stripped of its eye candy, Battlefront becomes a game that won't challenge experienced action-game players over much in single-player mode.

That is mitigated to a large extent by its multiplayer mode, where human opponents take over from the computer, and the graphics form a superb backdrop to stimulating and combative gameplay that at times seems straight out of the movies.

Spoilers - Highlight to read:

The room went dark and the scroll began, setting up the movie, describing how Palpatine had been kidnapped. The screen cuts to a planet we all recognize a Coruscant, very quietly a star ship begins to come into view. Ther is almost no sound except for the engines of the ship. We follow this in until it fills the entire screen and slowly we rotate "underneath", between the ship and the planet. Once we get here the noise starts in and we get our first view of the battle in progress. Note: it was about here that I crapped my pants the first time. The camera follows in Anakin and Obi-wan's Jedi fighters. However, you can plainly see that Anakin has modified his. The front part of his cockpit has been replaced with a view window that looks like a Tie-Fighter. He and Obi-wan then spend the next 5 minutes in a desperate attempt to get to the ship holding Palpatine.

Let me just say that if you took all of the space battles from all of the Star Wars movies they would not come close to what I saw in the first 7 minutes of this film. Epic is the ONLY word I can use to describe what I saw. In addition to the numerous small fighters and droids that are deployed against the Jedi, the background is filled with Star Destroyer level ships. This continues until Obi-wan's ship gets hit with "Buzz-Bots" and the droids begin tearing his ship apart, including destroying his astromech droid.

MARIN COUNTY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 16, 2004--Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century Fox announced today that Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith will premiere on May 12 in 10 cities across the United States. As has been a tradition for the previous Star Wars movies, Lucasfilm will use the premieres to raise critical funds and awareness for issues affecting children and families, by working with local charities.

"These charitable organizations are the leaders in direct services and advocacy for children and families," said George Lucas. "I'm delighted that the screenings can help these amazing organizations, which do such important work."

At each premiere, a portion of the theater seating will be made available to disadvantaged children. The film will be released in theatres on May 19, 2005.

The charities that have been selected are:

-- Alliance for Education, Seattle, WA: Since 1995, the Alliance has been developing initiatives, engaging the public and mobilizing community investment to help reinvent Seattle's public schools, so that every student has the opportunity for academic success in the classroom and the learning tools they need for a successful life. www.alliance4ed.org

-- Artists for a New South Africa, Los Angeles, CA: Established in 1989, ANSA works in the US and South Africa to combat HIV/AIDS, advance civil and voting rights, educate and empower youth. ANSA's It Takes a Village program addresses the needs of South African children orphaned by AIDS, especially those living on their own or in informal foster care, by providing comprehensive assistance including food, counseling, legal services, and adoption placement. www.ansafrica.org

-- Children's Defense Fund, Washington, D.C.: Since 1973, the Children's Defense Fund has been working to ensure a safe, healthy and fair start in life for all children in America by being an effective voice for those who cannot vote, lobby or speak for themselves, with particular attention to the needs of poor and minority children and those with disabilities. www.childrensdefense.org

-- Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL: Founded in 1882, Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL, is recognized as one of the top pediatric hospitals in the country and remains the only freestanding children's hospital in Illinois devoted exclusively to children and adolescents. Children's Memorial is a leader in medical and nursing care, research, education for health professionals and advocacy for the general well being of children. Children's Memorial serves more than 94,000 children annually. www.childrensmemorial.org

-- City Year, Boston, MA: Founded in 1988, City Year unites people ages 17-24 from diverse backgrounds for a year of full-time service to their communities and country. This year more than 1000 City Year corps members will complete over 1.7 million hours of service, with an emphasis on mentoring and tutoring school children in partnership with public schools, organizing after-school and school vacation programs and planning and leading community service projects. www.cityyear.org

-- Colorado Children's Campaign, Denver, CO: Established in 1985, the Colorado Children's Campaign's mission has been to create hope and opportunity for the 1.3 million children in Colorado. Their goal is to ensure that children and youth have access to health care, education and the development opportunities they need to reach their full potential. www.coloradokids.org

-- Hughes Spalding Children's Hospital, Atlanta, GA: Since 1992, Hughes Spalding Children's Hospital has been providing pediatric care to underserved patients regardless of their ability to pay. In 2003, the hospital served over 36,000 children through the emergency room, inpatient units and ambulatory care settings. Because of the unique needs of the children, a strong emphasis is placed on preventative medicine and outreach. www.gradyhealthsystem.org

-- Koret Family House, San Francisco, CA: Since 1981, Koret Family House has served as a critical home away from home for the families of seriously ill children being treated at UCSF Medical Center who otherwise have no means to pay for a hotel or temporary housing, especially during their child's treatment, which often lasts weeks or months. Families with sick children can stay as long as needed, completely free of charge. www.familyhouseinc.org

-- Miami Children's Hospital Foundation, Miami, FL: Miami Children's Hospital Foundation was established to raise funds and awareness for Miami Children's Hospital, the largest freestanding pediatric care hospital. As the only licensed specialty hospital exclusively for children in South Florida, Miami Children's Hospital provides state-of-the-art pediatric care in a supportive, family-centered environment. www.mchf.org

Hodges recalls in the article --

"It was pouring rain, yet there was a huge line to see A New Hope," Hodges recalls. "My dad stood in the rain for tickets while my mom watched us in the car. When he got them and they were letting us in, we went in, got our seats and waited. After it started, my father told me every time he looked at me, I looked as though I had forgotten how to blink or breathe. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I was blown away by the entire experience. When it was over, I was so upset I cried... so my dad sent my siblings home with my mom and took me to see it again. Star Wars is why I picked up the pencil in the first place."