What's in a name? Well, a title, really. The rumors are circulating...I don't know if any of you have read the latest Episode 3 title rumors. I read on Aint It Cool that Lucas has changed the title from "Rise of the Empire" to "The Creeping Fear". Uh...no on both counts. Lucas has been criticized, among other things, for coming up with terrible titles. I beg to differ, especially when it comes to Star Wars. If you look at the five titles we have so far, they actually tell the whole Star Wars story.

In episode 1 the Republic is still in power, the Jedi are still strong, yet there is an underlying threat. The Trade Federation blockade is a front for something else, but what? Darth Maul kills Qui Gon Jinn. He is trained in Jedi Arts, but how? and who is his master? In essence, there is an enemy present, but they don't know who or what it is. Thus, "The Phantom Menace."

"Attack of the Clones" represents the start of the conflict and in a way, refers back to the Phantom Menace title. Where we knew there was a threat, now the battle is joined.

Since we know the essential story of Episode 3, we can see that the title "A New Hope" in episode 4, again refers back to what just happened. The Jedi have lost, the Republic has fallen. But now, Luke Skywalker has come of age and helped achieve the most decisive victory against the Empire to this point which was close to wiping out the Rebellion.

"The Empire Strikes Back," of course needs little explanation...but let me emphasize again how the title refers again to what has happened previously.

"Return of the Jedi" as a closing chapter encompasses the whole of the story calling to mind that the Jedi were once in power, lost their stature and now have returned.

So, back to Episode 3. What we are looking for is a title that fits right into that story slot that is still open. It needs to refer back to Episode 2, while still being able to be referenced by the title of Episode 4. "Rise of the Empire" is too vague, and does not convey the decisiveness of the victory for which A New Hope will be needed. "The Creeping Fear" means nothing...it would have fit better as an alternate title to "The Phantom Menace." "Fall of the Republic," another fan fave, might work except that a dark movie in which the bad guy wins would refer specifically to the Dark Side, like "Empire Strikes Back." So, here then, is my prediction for the title of episode 3, time stamped here on my City of Kik Blog for all eternity. The title of the next Star Wars film will be:

Star Wars Episode 3: Triumph of the Sith.

It has a certain grandiose feel to it. It speaks of the definitive victory of the Sith, referring backwards to the war began with "Attack of the Clones" and works as a back reference for "A New Hope."

Whatever the title, I don't think Lucas "chooses" among many. I think it is more likely that the titles have always existed or that he chooses from among a very few. I don't think he pays much attention to the internet rumors, nor do I think he has changed any titles because of a guess (ie "The Balance of the Force"). I believe each title has a very specific purpose that only he knows. Most 'guesses' (except mine, of course!!!) are probably as close to the real thing as "Jedi Squad" was for Episode 1.

I rented Sci Fi Channel's "Children of Dune" from Netflix and watched the first part last night. My review will be posted on the City of Kik main site as soon as I've finished watching. It is a faithful adaptation, like Sci Fi Channel's "Dune" adaptation of a few years ago. It made me think of why, all of a sudden, fantasy and science fiction is being done right. Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" film trilogy is, of course, the shining example. But, Sci Fi's adaptations of Dune, the new Battlestar Galactica, the X-Men movies all show that there is a growing understanding that the genre is more than wild costumes and crazy makeup. While I don't know the specific backgrounds of those behind these projects, I do suspect that we are seeing the work of the first generation that grew up with reading fantasy. I was born in 1968 (wow, that looks really long ago in print). And while Tolkien was popular it was all that was out there. It wasn't until Terry Brooks' Shannara series, and Donaldson's "Chronicles of Thomas Covenant" were published that the current genre of fantasy took off. So those frustrated by what we saw as children and teenagers -- the animated "Lord of the Rings" and David Lynch's "Dune" -- finally have gotten their shot at doing it right. Of course, the strides in special effects and the advent of different outlets: cable and dvd, have made it easier to put such epic works on the big and small screen.

Now that the City of Kik website is complete, I can focus again on my writing. The site was a pretty massive undertaking, and I'm no web programmer, so to put the entire site together - artwork and all (thanks to Nick for lots of content) was pretty time consuming. But, I'm proud of how it looks and am now ready to take on some of the projects that have fallen by the wayside...including Rootlands. But today I'm going to work on a project that has had many false starts over the years...a multi-volume saga that I will refer to as "Through Chaos." I'm attempting to write more freestyle. My mind tends to work in a linear fashion, but a writer friend has turned me onto jumping around more, not having to write everything chronologically. I'm really just starting with this, but already I'm feeling the lifting of the roadblocks I inevitably hit. I'll let you all know how I'm doing in a few days. Wish me luck!