[jxw]

For those of you who don't immediately know who Gonk is, he/she/it is the power droid who appears in the Jawa transport, just as the Jawas are moving the droids out for sale. He's a big box with legs. He says, "Gonk! Gonk!" as he is being moved. He also appears later in Los Isely.

I saw Gonk in one of the photos in Chefelf's nitpicks of Star Wars - The Bastardised Version, and it took me back to reading a Usenet flame war about ten years ago on the true meaning of Gonk. Many people believed that Gonk was the main reason for the production of the trilogy, with Luke, Leia et al just detracting from the real point of the film. Wide ranging speculations took place over Gonk's mission, his view of the universe and the ultimate purpose that was indicated by his presence. Further discussions took place over possible extra sightings of Gonk in the droid workshop in ROTJ, to confirm Gonk as a central and important character in the trilogy (he wasn't there though).

This may all be dismissed as trivia of the most inane kind, but it was actually a perfect parody (intentional or otherwise) of the Boba Fett mania. Boba Fett has slightly more screen time than Gonk, and a few words extra dialogue, but the difference is hardly significant.

Do we get a full back story to Gonk in the prequels?

No.

Is Gonk transplanted into the "Special" Editions for no good reason?

No.

Is Boba Fett more important to Star Wars than Gonk?

No.

George Lucas has just one film to correct this injustice. If we don't get a full and contrived background story to explain Gonk's appearance in Star Wars, I will lose faith in him entirely as a film maker. At least half an hour is necessary, to regain parity with Boba Fett. Furthermore, I demand some moronic statement from pRick McCallum where he asks us to "understand the relentlessness of Gonk and what motivates him."

Nothing less will do.

[J m HofMarN]

JXW- That was an incredibly well done topic. I made a similiar demand of Lucas by asking that he include the death star admiral as a little kid watching his father get killed and vowing to become a sniveling henchman, but you did much better and much more obscure with this. "The relentlessness of Gonk" Hahaha

[Hannibal]

Screw Gonk, I want to know the backstory of the "Death Star" MSE-6 mouse droid.

[J m HofMarN]

The poor thing looks so sad and forlorn. Perhaps it feels guilt because MSE-6 knows that, in a dramatic plot twist, it is solely responsible for Anakin's fall to the dark side.

[HK 47]

Furthermore, I demand some moronic statement from pRick McCallum where he asks us to "understand the relentlessness of Gonk and what motivates him."

That is just brilliant! Excellent post.

[Chefelf]

Furthermore, I demand some moronic statement from pRick McCallum where he asks us to "understand the relentlessness of Gonk and what motivates him."

That is just brilliant! Excellent post.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I agree, but since when do you have to demand that from Rick McCallum? He will just spout that sort of nonsense regardless of demand. For example, his crap about understanding why Boba Fett has a grudge against the Skywalkers (which he doesn't, at all).

[Just your average movie goer]

Welcome to the forum, jxw. That was a BRILLIANT post.

Yes, I agree. Gonk is essential to the whole series. And I think we really need to see how he suffered when the Emperor stole him from Yoda, his loving master who created him. We need to find out just why this "Gonk" character seems so desperate to vanquish the Empire.

And we really need to see how Chewbacca rescued him from the Emperor's clutches so we can understand why Gonk feels this close bond to Chewbacca in the original movies.

I mean, it was clearly visible but it was never fully explained... so Episode III is where all this should come out.

I heartily agree.

[Despondent]

Great points. I suggest the Power Droid was Shmee's assistant and He "gonked" her up. Luke's grandfather reaches out to Luke, (just out of frame,) time and again. If he only KNEW the Power Droid of the father's side.

[jxw]

I agree, but since when do you have to demand that from Rick McCallum?  He will just spout that sort of nonsense regardless of demand.  For example, his crap about understanding why Boba Fett has a grudge against the Skywalkers (which he doesn't, at all).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Very true. One of the best things about the Attack of the Clones DVD (apart from the documentaries, featurettes and everything else except the film) is the commentary track. At one point, Rick McCallum explains quite clearly why the old films were brilliant, and why the new ones are crap.

"Now this is a scene which we just couldn't have done in the original films," he begins. "This room is all CGI." Now could that be any plainer?

I have a question regarding the "Special" Edition voiceover track though. Did Lucas really say that a scene "introduced Boba Fett"? This leaves me lost for words.

Does Lucas think that because Boba Fett is now in the film that he must have been there all the time? I know that the Soviets removed Trotsky from various photographs and insisted that they were always like that, and Lucas appears to be suffering from a similar delusion.

Let's be charitable though, and agree that Lucas doesn't really think that by changing the film he can change reality. But what happened to the "all planned from the beginning, yes all 9, sorry 6, films, right before I made the first" claims? Has he forgotten that we were introduced to Boba Fett in AOTC? We're always being told that the films should be watched in the order I to VI.

The quote doesn't make any sense on any level.

[J m HofMarN]

Personally I think this thread went in the wrong direction. It started as a fan thread for an obscure character trying to get the poor underdog into ep3 and now it's turned into McCallum bashing. It's not about the hate people, it's about the love.


I LOVE YOU GONK! I WANT MORE GONK IN THE PREQUELS! GEORGE LUCAS HEAR MY CALL FOR GONK IS THE COOLEST CHARACTER EVER!

[Hannibal]

Death to McCallum, gonk and George Lucas!

[J m HofMarN]

See its that kind of negativity that exemplifies you prequel haters. If you'd just give Gonk a chance you'd understand why he's so important to the plot and how he suffers. He's a very deep character and I think it would be awesome if Lucas gave him an hour or two of screen time in ROTS. I'd especially like to see him have a fight scene with the Jedi with the long neck.

Gonk: Gonk! Gonk!

Jedi: Your evil shall not prevail, Darth Gonk.

Gonk: Gonk?

Jedi: -Makes horrible karate noise and slices off gonk's third leg and head, leaving him as the familiar box we see in the OT-

[Despondent]

[Just your average movie goer]

Good news everyone. I have just found an exclusive video clip from Episode III. Although we do not see our beloved Gonk, the little droid from the Death Star features in it and we can clearly see how integral his role was to the overall story of the Star Wars saga. Here, have a look ->

[Helena]

This is the funniest topic I've seen in a long time. And I absolutely agree, of course. WE WANT GONK!