What is a BLT without the bacon, lettuce, and tomato?

When is Star Wars not Star Wars?

When it's yet another Lucas scheme to create new toys to siphon dollars from fans.

"The Skywalkers aren't in it, and it's about minor characters," Lucas said in an interview. "It has nothing to do with Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader or any of those people. It's completely different. But it's a good idea, and it's going to be a lot of fun to do."

I was one of those kids who wanted EVERY Star Wars action figure, even if the early R2-D2's had the retarded eye that 1. was inconsistent with the movie and 2. was a sticker [* - see update below] that would not stay on if you actually played with the action figure at all, and just when I'd get close to getting them all, Lucas would come out with new ones of minor characters such as IG-88 (who was in The Empire Strikes Back for, like, eight seconds) or backgrounders in the cantina scene, and even some that I'm not sure ever WERE in the movies. And when he was done with THAT, he began issuing Anniversary Editions! And don't even get me STARTED on the trading cards!

Great money siphon; great way to keep up interest in the films in the decades between Episodes 6 and 1. But kind of manipulative of your fans, isn't it, Mr. Lucas? You KNOW action figures are like crack to them, and you keep coming out with different varieties of crack.

Sounds to me like this series is tailor-made to roll out a new generation of toys with characters that make your existing toys obsolete.

Your journey to the dark side is complete, George.

[H/T 2 Drudge.]

* 10/18 Update: I remembered this morning that it was the body details that were a sticker, not the eye. I was correct in the statement that the eye was inconsistent with the movie. On the toy, it was the wrong shape, color, and apparent consistency. R2-D2's eye was a dull dark blue square with a round glass lens in the middle. On the toy, the eye was a shiny, bright blue circle.