May the 4th Be With You: Connections Between the Star Wars Universe and the Chippewa Valley
NOTE: Yes, these “connections” are pretty tenuous, but come on! May 4 is a Star Wars holiday, people!
1. Phantom Theft
The 1999 theft of a print of The Phantom Menace from a Menomonie movie theater played out more like slapstick than sci-fi. Several drunk young men stole a film reel, hoping for a private screening. Instead, 40,000 feet of film unspooled, and the panicked thieves washed it in a bathtub to remove fingerprints and hid the mess in garbage bags. They ended up serving short jail terms, making national headlines, and becoming laughingstocks on par with Jar-Jar Binks.
2. And the Winner Is ...
The original Star Wars (a.k.a. Episode IV) may have been a blockbuster back in 1977, but at Oscar time it was no match for a free-spirited (though fictional) girl from Chippewa Falls. Annie Hall – the Woody Allen flick starring Diane Keaton as the title character, who hails from Chippewa Falls – beat Star Wars for Best Picture.
3. Titanic Decision
Speaking of fictional characters from Chippewa Falls, that (short) list is topped by Jack Dawson of Titanic, portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio. What does that have to do with Star Wars? Well, it seems Leonardo turned down the role of Anakin Skywalker (a.k.a. future Darth Vader) in Attack of the Clones. Considering how most fans view Clones and the other prequels, it was probably a good career move.
4. The Ultimate Weapon
In the ’80s, Star Wars wasn’t just a film; it was the nickname of the Strategic Defense Initiative, President Reagan’s proposal to blow Soviet nukes out of the sky with missiles and lasers. While that Star Wars never came to fruition, calculations needed to design space-based weapons were performed on Cray supercomputers created by Chippewa Falls native Seymour Cray.
5. Chad Vader
A decade ago, when “viral video” and “Web series” were still exotic concepts, a couple of guys from Madison created Chad Vader: Day Shift Manager. The series, which ran for four seasons, focused on grocery store manager Chad (Darth’s younger brother). The series was co-created by UW-Eau Claire graduate Aaron Yonda, who began his public access television endeavors right here in Eau Claire.
