Welcome to Naberrie Fields! Introductions & banter

We all know why you'll be watching that one

I'm more worried that the cringe level will be higher than average. 

I bet you someone has edited all of the Natalie bits together and posted it on Youtube. I should just watch that and be done with it

Or maybe she only looks good.

I'm arguing from logos, not ethos. I believe chemistry (made up of somewhat quantifiable variables) is essential to a worthwhile relationship. I know of too many who've fallen for looks and ended up quite miserable as a result.

I'm also assuming our motives are a touch more distinguished and dignified; being prequelists and all...

I think Prequelists are more like Qui-Gon Jinn. We know a good thing when we see it (The Chosen One), even though no body else appreciates it.

Thank you, Arch Duke (how apt that that should be your name in this moment). She was a legend and a whole institution unto herself. We will never see her like again.

I'm not a monarchist, but our beloved Queen served so long, with such dignity, stoicism, and grace, she won over millions with her understated personality and her many years of dedicated service. Her passing is very saddening, and as you said, the end of an era. It seems like she has always been around; in my lifetime, even in my parents' lifetime, they have never known any monarch but Queen Elizabeth II. Reigning since 1952, her seventy-year service as Queen not only precedes the inception of Star Wars, but the modern Information Age, the ending of apartheid in South Africa and the civil rights movement in the United States, the space race and much of the Cold War, and the creation of the teenager and the birth of rock 'n' roll. Her reign cuts across a vast swath of human history, and she felt like a constant reassuring presence in our lives; in most respects, she was the ultimate matriarch and surrogate mother/grandmother figure for so many.

I, too, thought about the passing of Padme in our prequels today; and, indeed, the quiet resolve of Padme throughout the PT. Much like losing Anakin seemed to destroy Padme and her will to live, the passing of Prince Philip seemed to hasten the Queen's demise. She was clearly no longer herself without her husband of seventy three years at her side, and in the last few months, she had become noticeably frail. Then there were a number of other blows inflicted on her in the past few years, like catching Covid, and dealing with the fallout of Prince Andrew and the damage done by Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. Not the most ideal set of stressors for a person who was approaching one hundred years of age.

In a way, the passing of the Queen is like losing a member of the family. Indeed, in looks and temperament, the Queen often reminded me of my mother's mother, who passed away in 2015 (just as my mom, oddly enough, bore a resemblance to Princess Diana in her younger years -- and I was staying over at my grandmother's when news of Diana's death poured in almost twenty five years ago to the day; which I can still remember). My sister's middle name is also Elizabeth, partly in honour of the Queen. Last year, we also lost our long-term house cat, whom we named Princess. She herself had something of the loftiness of royalty about her. So there's something quite final and extra poignant about this news for me. Life goes on, but the chill of death is ever present in all that we do; in all that we are or may ever aspire to be.

Anyway, to end on a slightly happier note, here is a picture I have long enjoyed -- one that obviously has deeper resonance this evening:



Source: www.gettyimages.no/detail/news-photo/queen-elizabeth-ii-meets-director-george-lucas-at-a-news-photo/165541170

"King" George and Queen Elizabeth.

RIP, Ma'am.