Daily Archives: November 14, 2019

This article contains spoilers for Attack Of The Clones and the wider Star Wars series.

In hindsight, 2002s Attack Of The Clones had one of the hardest jobs of any chapter in the Skywalker Saga tasked with bridging the gap between young Anakins carefree podracer and the man who would become arguably the most feared baddie in movie history. On top of that, it was expected to spin a love story and a political thriller all at once. Simply put, the expectations were too great.

This second entry in the franchise once again written and directed by series creator George Lucas didnt break the same box-office records that The Phantom Menace did three years earlier. It wasnt even the top-grossing film of the year it was released, outperformed in the US by Peter Jacksons The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and Tobey Maguires first outing as Spider-Man. Worldwide, it was trounced by fantasy franchise upstart Harry Potter And The Chamber of Secrets (Clones took $640 million, compared with Potters $870 million). Was the thirst for more Star Wars starting to make like Tatooine and dry up?

The trouble is that many of The Phantom Menaces issues ring true with its sequel, too. Jar Jar Binks role is smaller, but hes no less irritating, while the amount of CGI employed serves not only to make the entire film feel more sterile than a Kamino laboratory, but also hasnt aged particularly well. What does hold up is the movies soundtrack, once again composed by series legend John Williams in particular Across the Stars, which serves as the one bright point of a tragically mismanaged love story subplot, as well as the first use of The Imperial March in the series chronology.

Set 10 years on from The Phantom Menaces conclusion, Padm (Natalie Portman) hasnt aged a day and maintains an active role in galactic politics despite stepping down as the Queen of Naboo. After surviving an assassination attempt, shes re-introduced to a much older Anakin, this time played by everyones favourite whipping boy, Hayden Christensen. From there, Episode 2 does its best to juggle three separate subplots across its almost two-and-a-half hour runtime.

The first, Anakins transition to the Dark Side of the force, arguably takes a major backseat to his relationship with Padm. Our hero is brash, headstrong, and more than a little creepy (I dont think she liked me watching her, he claims while discussing Padms security detail in Coruscant), but its after a vivid nightmare and subsequent attempt to free his mother that he takes his first steps towards the Dark Side slaughtering Tusken Raiders en masse, including their children.

Unfortunately, the love angle doesnt offer too much chemistry. Natalie Portman is an excellent actress, but outside of a throwaway line or two, her relationship with Christensens Anakin never feels real, and therefore the stakes never feel high and thats without the horrendous writing and delivery of the now meme-famous sand conversation (you know the one).

More interesting is the political storm brewing in the Galactic Senate, as Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) begins making moves to grant himself emergency powers. Unfortunately, most of this is told through clunky exposition, as George Lucas again opts to tell the audience rather than show them.

Where the film does deliver is in finally showing us the power of the Jedi and the numbers that they operated in at their peak. In the final battle on Geonosis, dozens of Jedi can be seen swinging their lightsabers, and even poor framing aside, it feels good to finally see these legendary warriors working as a team. Sith Lord Count Dooku (aka Darth Tyranus), a new addition to the franchise, steals the show thanks to a scenery-chewing performance from the late, great, Christopher Lee. Hes more than enough for a Jedi or two, but more on that later.

We also find ourselves introduced to fan-favourite Boba Fett, albeit as a surly pre-teen with a pretty cool Mandalorian dad, Jango who serves as the basis for the titular clones. These turn out to be early incarnations of everyones favourite Imperial footsoldiers, the Stormtroopers. These white-clad warriors somehow have much better aim than their successors though, making short work of the bugs and droids on Geonosis.

Seeing them battle alongside Yoda and the other Jedi is one of the movies greatest moments,but sadly comes almost two hours in. In fact, Tusken slaughter aside, the only other real action sequence of note is the early Coruscant chase, which offers a much deeper look at the capital of the Republic. Its sad, then, that the only space action here is Obi-Wan tailing Jango within an asteroid belt although Episode 3 thankfully offers a hefty battle early on which does mitigate things somewhat.

Thats arguably Attack Of The Clones' biggest issue it has toomuch of a gap to bridge. In attempting to put forward three cohesive plotlines, it ends up offering three barely functioning ones and thats without mentioning the wooden dialogue, ill-advised CGI, and Hayden Christensens stunted delivery. Despite a handful of redeeming qualities (Christopher Lee being a very big one), Clones remains something of a low point for the Star Wars franchise.

Best lightsaber bit: The clash between Jedi Knights and Battle Droids in the arena on Geonosis is fun, but the clear standout is Obi-Wan and Anakin taking on Count Dooku. The elder Sith Lord is more than a match for both Jedi, and ends up lopping off Anakins hand and incapacitating Obi-Wan before Yoda turns up to save their hides and show off some nifty, yo-yo like combat moves. Not bad for a Jedi Master in his 800s.

Best non-lightsaber bit: The vertiginous flying car chase sequence through the 'streets' of Coruscant, seemingly miles above the ground, offers the movies first action scene and its a doozy as Obi-Wan and Anakin hunt down shapeshifting would-be assassin Zam Wesell.

Jedi wisdom: As much as we want to go with the fact that sand is coarse (thanks for that, Anakin), well go with a salient piece of wisdom from Obi-Wan: Trust your feelings then, you will be invincible If only Instagram existed in the galaxy far, far away, the Jedi would be cleaning up in the inspirational life-advice stakes.

Rules of the Force: Aside from the usual abilities to run, somersault and use the Force Push, we get the impression that Jedi are immune to hurting themselves from long falls. In the initial Coruscant chase, Anakin and Obi-Wan both fall huge distances before landing on different speeders. Either the vehicles are made of foam, or the Jedi have protective powers that prevent them from meeting a splattery end like a fly on a windshield. We also learn a little bit more about the corruptive pull of the Dark Side of the Force as Yoda explains of former Jedi (and his old Padawan) Dooku, lies, deceit, creating mistrust are his ways now" and get our first look at the Sith's ablility to project Force lightning.

Who has a bad feeling about this? Anakins the one with the dodgy premonition this time, and hes quite right to be wary its when he and his comrades are being prepared for execution by a trio of big beasties in the arena on Geonosis.

Galactic stop-offs: Theres plenty of sightseeing to be done, although in terms of new destinations the key ones are Kaminos cloning labs suspended above stormy seas, Geonosis network of caves and bug-tunnels (and huge gladiatorial arena, of course), and an asteroid belt somewhere between the two. Returning from The Phantom Menace are Coruscant (although we get to see a lot more of it here), Tatooine and Naboo.

Who wins?It's a draw. This feels like the most 50/50 ending of the saga, with arguments to be made for both sides (Yoda, for one, doesnt accept victory). Anakin is wounded, and has been corrupted into taking his first steps towards the Dark Side, but hes also married to Padm albeit in secret, away from the Jedi Council. Meanwhile, Dooku is shown to have the plans for a certain planet-destroying space station, and Palpatine has more power than any Supreme Chancellor before him. Its OK though, because the Clone Troopers will keep us safe, right?

You can read all of our Star Wars recaps here.

What did you think of Attack of the Clones? Are there any other aspects of it that you love, any that you didn't, or anything that weve missed? Let us know in the comments below!

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The Star Wars movies debrief: Attack Of The Clones recap, legacy and best bits - Den of Geek UK

Dr Pascoal Carvalho addressed the 21st convention of Indias Catholic nurses in Mumbai. He spoke about the ethical aspects of genetic engineering, citing the doctrine of the Church towards human cloning and stem cells. Respect for human dignity must prevail from conception to natural death.

Mumbai (AsiaNews) Medical innovation, which increasingly uses modern technologies to improve life, should not attempt to artificially replicate creation, said Dr Pascoal Carvalho, a doctor from Mumbai and a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life, speaking at the 21st convention of Catholic nurses (8-10 November).

In his address on 9 November, he referred to therapeutic cloning, stem cells and modified human DNA before an audience of more than 200 Catholic health workers.

"[W]e can rest assured in the wisdom of the Church," he said, because for her, The dignity of a person must be recognized in every human being from conception to natural death.

Some areas of medical research that raise serious moral and ethical questions touch stem cells, embryos and DNA.

In his view, today There is a growing threat of overestimating genetic modification techniques and underestimating the repercussions of cloning and human gene therapy.

On the one hand, we have the positive results of therapeutic cloning aimed at organ and tissues reconstructed in laboratory for transplanting into patients to reduce the risk of rejection; on the other, reproductive cloning, like in the case of Dolly the sheep, seeks to reproduce living beings.

He warns against research that leads to alterations in an organisms DNA, like the famous case of the Chinese scientist who in 2018 said that he had created two twins in the laboratory immune to the HIV virus. This kind of experiment can reduce life expectancy and increase susceptibility to other, and perhaps more common, diseases.

The doctor cites the Dignitas Personae, which defines any attempt at human cloning as unacceptable, because it represents a serious offense to the dignity of the person and fundamental equality between men.

As for therapeutic cloning, To create embryos with the intention of destroying them, even with the intention of helping the sick, is completely incompatible with human dignity, because it makes the existence of a human being at the embryonic stage nothing more than a means to be used and destroyed. It is gravely immoral to sacrifice a human life for therapeutic ends.

Citing the doctrine of the Church, Dr Carvalho stresses the importance of the method with which stem cells are taken. In his view, Methods which do not cause serious harm to the subject from whom the stem cells are taken are to be considered licit.

This is generally the case when tissues are taken from: a) an adult organism; b) the blood of the umbilical cord at the time of birth; c) foetuses who have died of natural causes.

Overall, the doctor believes that modern gene technologies raise new moral questions, whilst attempts to create a new type of human being contains an ideological element in which man tries to take the place of his Creator.

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INDIA Indian doctor: Medical innovation should not try to replace the Creator - AsiaNews

Posted on Wednesday, November 13th, 2019 by Ben Pearson

The first episode of the Disney+ series The Mandalorian features a surprising reveal, one that ties back to the prequel trilogy and may have significant implications for the rest of the Star Wars franchise moving forward. There will be spoilers ahead as we dig into that last minute discovery.

A majority of the first episode of The Mandalorian is spent following the title character on a hunt for a target that is 50 years old. At the end of the episode, he discovers that his target is a creature of the same species as Yoda. Since the actual Yoda died after living for more than 900 years, the different aging process of this creature makes sense. (George Lucas has always been incredibly protective of all information about Yodas origins and his species, so its interesting that Lucasfilm is finally able to start playing in that corner of the sandbox all these years after the sale to Disney.) But how does this impact what might come next?

The insignia on the sleeves of the characters in the image above is seen in Attack of the Clones as an emblem worn by all of the clones on the planet Kamino. And wouldnt you know it? Someone on Twitter noticed the same emblem on the sleeve of Doctor Pershing, the guy who nearly got blasted by The Mandolorian in Werner Herzogs sketchy meeting room in the pilot episode.

Pershing made it very clear that he wanted The Asset (aka Baby Yoda) brought in alive, and his uniform seems to imply that hes associated with the remnants of the Empire in some way. Could it be that Baby Yoda is a clone of the little green guy we know and love? That emblem certainly points to cloning as being something this series is almost certainly going to tackle down the line, and there are a few reasons why a Yoda clone might be a gamechanger for the Star Wars universe. Well get to those in just a second.

As the Still Watching podcast reminded me, Freddie Prinze Jr.s rant on the beliefs of Dave Filoni and George Lucas made it clear that Star Wars is all about the concept of balance. Anakin Skywalker was born in 41 BBY (which stands for Before the Battle of Yavin, the climactic confrontation at the end of A New Hope), and since this show is set nine years after the fall of the Empire (read: the Battle of Yavin) and Baby Yoda is actually 50 years old, that means Baby Yoda was born in the same year as Anakin.

Anakin was said to be The Chosen One, apparently born from the Force itself, but he was corrupted and went to the Dark Side, ultimately becoming one of the most fearsome people in the galaxy. Was his journey predetermined by the Force? Does the franchises overarching idea of balance indicate that this Yoda baby was born as a positive counter to Anakins eventual evil? Or was Anakin intended to be good all along and this creature was intended to be his negative counterbalance? Food for thought.

How exactly Baby Yodas appearance will affect the rest of The Mandalorian remains to be seen, although I personally hope it results in at least one scene that serves as the Star Wars version of John Woos Hard Boiled finale, in which Chow Yun-Fats character blasts his way through baddies at a hospital with a baby in his arms.

But assuming Baby Yoda survives the events of this series, whats the endgame here? Is there a chance an older version of that character shows up in The Rise of Skywalker? Ive seen some speculation that Emperor Palpatine may be behind the bounty, potentially so Palpatine could somehow leave his old body and take over this new possibly Force-sensitive new one. (It seems that a species with a long lifespan might interest the Emperor, whos obsessed with the concept of immortality.) And since Yoda was one of the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy, the Emperor could think that inhabiting a clone of him might be just what the doctor ordered.

Personally, I doubt that will happen.J.J. Abrams has talked about that movie serving as a conclusion to the entire Skywalker saga, and it would be strange to introduce this character so late in the game.Then again, Kevin Feige has said that audiences will need to watch the Disney+ Marvel shows in order to fully understand whats happening in the Marvel movies going forward, so Disney clearly isnt above implementing that cross-platform tactic. I cant fathom how that characters appearance in The Rise of Skywalker would be satisfying, but I also think including the Emperor in the new movie at all sounds like a terrible idea. Maybe Abrams and the Lucasfilm Story Group have cooked up a scenario in which all of these puzzle pieces fit perfectly, but I think they probably have enough on their plate without adding yet another character into the mix.

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Here's a The Mandalorian Clone Theory and What It Could Mean - /FILM

WARNING: The following contains spoilers for the first episode of The Mandalorian, now streaming on Disney+.

The Mandalorian's premiere on Disney + was chock-full of Easter eggs, small homages and surprises for Star Wars fans of every era. The series presents a fascinating look at the decade after the Battle of Endor, as it takes place 8 years after the Rebels destroyed the second Death Star.

One of the sneakiest ones was the blink-and-you-miss-it emblem on Doctor Pershing's sleeve. This sign, which can be better seen in the official pictures, is, according to The Attack of the Clones visual dictionary, a Kaminoan emblem worn by all clones, as noticed by Twitter user MarvelSW.

RELATED: Star Wars: The Mandalorian Release Schedule, First Three Synopses Revealed

In The Mandalorian, Dr. Pershing (Omid Abtahi) works with the Client (Werner Herzog), an older man who dresses, acts and sounds like a remnant of the fallen Empire. The Client hires Dyn Jarren, the titular Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) to find "a 50-years old asset," and offers to pay him with Beskar, a legendary alloy that can deflect almost any hit from any weapon, and seems to be an essential part of the Mandalorian culture.

However, the Client also makes it clear that, if the mission gets complicated, he would still pay the Dyn Jarren half of the agreed Beskar for proof of termination of the asset. This is where the Client and Doctor Pershing differ: Pershing seems disgusted at the idea of terminating the asset, and his behavior wanes dramatically from his enthusiastic entrance.

Viewers who have watched the first episode know that "the asset," despite being 50 years old, is a baby from the same unknown species as the Jedi Masters Yoda and Yaddle. After he finds the relatively young alien, Jarren seems taken with it, for lack of a better word, going so far as to shoot IG-11 (Taika Waititi), a fellow member of the Bounty Hunter's Guild who had received the unequivocal order to terminate the alien. The last shot of the first episode shows Jarren reaching out his hand to the baby while their crib floats mid-air, possibly indicating a levitating connection with the Force.

RELATED: Star Wars: Rogues, Scoundrels, and Bounty Hunters Is a Must-Have

That short sequence of events is packed with meaning that sets up an arc that could extend through the first season and even the entire series. Although Dr. Pershing doesn't look like Boba Fett, the "doctor" shares his complexion and origin, as well as sinister-looking spectacles, so there's a chance that he might be the nerdier iteration of the same genetic stock or a descendant of one of the Fett clones who remained in Kamino. In any case, the fact that a scientist linked to a cloning facility is interested in acquiring a potentially Force-wielding infant points to the idea that some remnants of the Empire would still like to experiment on Force-sensitives.

As a curiosity, in The Force Unleashed tie-in comic books, Boba Fett found out long after the Clone Wars that the Empire had been doing terrible experiments with his "brothers," so there is a chance that The Mandalorian's showrunners might be scavenging some threads from that plotline.

RELATED: The Mandalorian: Favreau Interested in Tapping Into Star Wars Legends

However, whether the Client or Dr. Pershing or the seed of the First Order wants to clone enough Yodas to spam the entire halaxy with strange grammar is not as important as how the end of the first episode sets up the Mandalorian's internal conflict.

On the one hand, Jarren feels strongly about protecting Mandalorian children, particularly foundlingsg. The first thing that he does after getting paid is to visit the Armorer, a Mandalorian priestess-smith who forges a Beskar pauldron for his armor and rejoices in the idea that the leftover riches will "sponsor many foundlings."

"Good. I was once a foundling," Jarren answers, as he flashes back to the hovel where he was locked up in the middle of a battlefield, hands reaching up for his parents. However, the payment in Beskar for delivering baby Yoda would be enough not just to forge an entire armor, but an entire ship and to set up his Tribe for life.

RELATED: Star Wars: What Are Imperial Death Troopers Doing in The Mandalorian?

After the Client hints that Beskar is a powerful incentive, the Armorer expresses a similar sentiment; she is surprised that an Imperial sympathizer would be returning Beskar stolen during the Great Purge. This payment would mean a lot for the Mandalorians in exile, particularly because money is hard to come by and the Mandalorians have been unrooted for such a long time. To forgo the prize could be considered tantamount to failing his Tribe and all those Mandalorian foundlings.

There's a chance that Jarren could have shot IG-11 because he wanted the whole payment and not a quarter of it, but from what we have seen in the first episode, that doesn't seem to be in character. So this means that if the Mandalorian chooses to protect the baby, he will be risking his professional reputation as well.

RELATED: Star Wars: Aliens, Creatures and Droids Is Charming But Hardly Essential

Even if The Mandalorian is sold on the action-filled promise of its bounty-hunting star, the first episode's most powerful image involves its heavily armored lead simply reaching out to the crib that's filled with the hope that (relatively) new life always presents.

Created by Jon Favreau, The Mandalorian stars Pedro Pascal, Gina Carano, Carl Weathers, Giancarlo Esposito, Emily Swallow, Omid Abtahi, Werner Herzog and Nick Nolte. New episodes arrive each Friday on Disney+.

NEXT: Everything You Need to Know About Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

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Tags:star wars,Star Wars: The Mandalorian

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The Mandalorian Hints at the Return of Kamino Cloning | CBR - CBR - Comic Book Resources

Global Voice Cloning Market: Snapshot

The demand within the global market for voice cloning is expected to experience a sturdy rise in the years to come. Voice cloning has multiple applications across a wide array of industries which has played a key role in the growth of the global market for voice cloning. Several industries and sectors including banking, electronics, healthcare, and entertainment use voice cloning technologies. Voice cloning is used in electronic devices to run automated audios for giving out instructions. The rise in the demand for electronic device with audio assistance has played a major role in market growth.

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The entertainment industry frequently uses voice replication to generate video clips, audios, podcasts, and movies. This factor shall also emerge as a key driver of demand within the global market for voice cloning in the years to come. Voice cloning is also used in the healthcare industry to create automated voice assistance for high-end healthcare products. Use of voiceovers for creating explainer videos and digital collaterals has also played a major role in the growth of the global market for voice cloning. There is a stellar need for improved voice cloning to create better audio impact in animated movies and films.

The market for voice cloning in North America has been expanding at a stellar rate. This is attributed to the presence of a starry entertainment industry in the US and Canada. Moreover, the market for voice cloning in Asia Pacific is also growing due to the same reason. Other regional segments in the global voice cloning market are Europe and Latin America.

GlobalVoice Cloning Market: Overview

The demand within the global market for voice cloning has been rising on account of the need to replicate voices for various applications in industrial processes and entertainment activities. Voice cloning has enabled successful execution of text-to-speech applications in mobile phones, desktops, and laptops which has played a key role in the growth of the global market for voice cloning. The advent of several software applications that involve the use of voice cloning have given an impetus to the growth of the global market. Furthermore, voice cloning was considered to be a complex process a few decades ago due to technological limitations. However, with advancements in software and hardware capabilities, it has become extremely easy to effectuate voice cloning in hardware devices and software applications. Furthermore, the advantages and agility served by voice cloning is expected to be a key parameter for growth within the global market for voice cloning. It is also true that the global market for voice cloning would expand as new entertainment avenues take shape across the world.

The global market for voice cloning may be segmented on the basis of the following parameters: component, application, deployment mode, vertical, and region. It is vital to get a thorough understanding of these market segments in order decipher the market dynamics.

A report on the global voice cloning market sheds value on some of the key standpoints for market growth. The report is a representation of the trends, opportunities, regional dynamics, and restraints that have housed in the global market for voice cloning in recent times. The regional segmentation has been distinctly highlighted in the report to give a wide purview of the market.

GlobalVoice Cloning Market: Trends and Opportunities

The demand within the global market for voice cloning has been rising on account of the tremendous technological advancements that have offset in the electronics and communication industries. New software tools that are equipped with voice feedback and other features relating to artificial voice have given an impetus to the growth of the global market for voice cloning. Moreover, the presence of multiple providers of voice cloning services has also led to the generation of voluminous revenues in this market. Wireless assistants such as Alexa, Siri, and other modes were possible only due to the presence of voice cloning. Furthermore, chatbots are other amongst others software applications that have played a pivotal role in enhancing the growth prospects of the global market for voice cloning. Besides this, the popularity of digital games, accessibility options, and interactive learning has also created tremendous demand within the global market for voice cloning in recent times.

GlobalVoice Cloning Market: Regional Outlook

The technological revolutions that has birthed across the US has resulted in the development of several specialised hardware and software capabilities in the country. For this reason, the growth of the global market for voice cloning in North America is expected to trace an ascending path in the years to come. The market for voice cloning in Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America is also expected to grow at a robust rate in the years to come.

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GlobalVoice Cloning Market: Competitive Landscape

Microsoft, AWS, IBM, AT&T, Nuance Communications, Baidu, and iSpeech are some of the key vendors operational in the global market for voice cloning.

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Voice Cloning Market Industry Insights, Top Trends, Drivers, Growth and Forecast to 2028 - Downey Magazine