Latest news with #EmpireStrikesBack
Hypebeast
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hypebeast
Darth Vader's Lightsaber from Original 'Star Wars' Trilogy Could Be Yours
Summary A screen-usedDarth Vaderlightsaber prop, wielded in pivotal lightsaber duels fromThe Empire Strikes Back(1980) andReturn of the Jedi(1983), is going up forauctionfor the first time, expected to fetch as much as $3,000,000 USD. Crafted from a vintage British press camera flash handle and modified with plastic grips, wires and a circuit board with calculator-style magnifying bubbles, the saber was used in scenes where Darth Vader clashes with Luke Skywalker. The prop matches production stills fromEmpireand shows screen-matched damage consistent withReturn of the Jedi, confirming its use in both films. Considered one of the most significantStar Warsartifacts ever offered to the public, this is believed to be the only verified 'hero' dueling lightsaber from the original trilogy to reach auction. Long held in a private collection and rarely seen outside the films, its debut marks a unique opportunity for collectors and fans of the franchise.
Irish Examiner
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Colin Sheridan: Kevin McStay departure brings as many questions as answers
The treachery of Fredo Corleone in Godfather II. Lando Carissian's betrayal of Han Solo in the Empire Strikes Back. Hans, the Charming Prince, double-crossing Anna in Frozen. The older I get the wiser I am to the fact it's not Homer and Shakespeare movie-makers have been imitating off all this time, it's Mayo football politics. Even when the obvious happens - such as the departure of Kevin McStay from his managerial position - it somehow evokes whispers of 'Et tu, Brute?'. Such has been the back-catalogue of mishandled appointments, dismissals, and financial philanderings, everything - from the magical to the mundane - becomes bigger news than it ever needs to be. Let's begin at the end. On Wednesday night, the County Executive released a statement advising that a decision had been made to 'relieve Kevin McStay and his management team from their roles with the Mayo Senior Football Team with immediate effect.' The press release went on - with, some might argue, notable brevity - to thank Team McStay for their service. If a non-native English speaker reading this statement was immediately questioned as to whether it achieved its objective, I'm guessing they would say that it did. Somebody had a job. It didn't go great. They were let-go from said job. That information was communicated to all concerned. Alas, this is Mayo and this is the GAA, and still waters run friggin deep. The critical word in the executives farewell was the 'relieve' part. Nobody wants to be relieved of their command, so when you are, it's almost always under protest. In the GAA, where legacy bloodlines run like streams down Nephin, you are usually first offered the opportunity to honourably discharge yourself when your services are no longer required. This negates the possibility of any ugly power struggle. It should prevent, too, the airing of dirty laundry. We tried. It didn't work. We're all sorry it didn't work. Time to move on etc. This course of action pushes the postmortems to the high-stool over winter. At worst, an ill-advised biography rushed out in time for Christmas. At best, the circulation of unprovable scenarios on whatsapp groups. Bottom line, when something isn't working, and the Kevin McStay/Mayo combination was just not working, the end is sadly inevitable. What is telling at this early juncture is that McStay did not step down himself. Three years, three rather tepid championship exits, it would be difficult for him to make a case the fourth year he signed up for, especially as his own involvement this summer ended in him stepping back due to health concerns. It goes without saying that no pursuit of glory, especially one as emotionally charged as Mayo's - is worth risking one's health. Loss to Donegal in the All-Ireland was the final nail in the coffin for McStay, it would seem. File picture: Seb Daly/Sportsfile Everything, then, pointed to him ending his involvement under its current conditions. That he didn't do so himself poses three questions: was he afforded the opportunity to do so first? If not, why not? And, if he was, and he eschewed the chance to step away of his own volition, what alternative did the Mayo County Executive have other than to issue a statement announcing they were parting ways if they believed the partnership untenable? Yes, they could've been more effusive in their thanks, more hyperbolic in their praise, but if they had already broached the subject and still, no resignation was forthcoming, one could forgive them for ripping the bandaid off, especially since they are already behind in their hunt for a new manager. We all leave jobs. I left the army after 26 years during which I was nearly killed a couple of times and far from being clapped out the door, the only communication I received was an angry text from a disgruntled quartermaster looking for my kit back. I would imagine my experience is true for most of us. McStay has not sought any praise for his role, nor has he criticised the nature of his exit (yet), so - and I understand the hypocritical ice I tread on here - there is a chance this uncoupling is a polite and courteous one. It'd be an outlier if it was, but stranger things have happened, especially in Mayo. The facts are that he was a desirable and popular candidate with an excellent CV who was appointed to win an All-Ireland. Mayo won a National League in his first season, before a forgettable loss to Dublin later in the summer. Derry defeated them at home in a preliminary quarter final last year. The chaotic nature of their loss to Donegal two weeks ago served as an allegory of the inconsistency of his tenure. Undoubtedly, he was unlucky; trying to win an All Ireland with a squad so clearly in transition was an incredibly difficult thing to do, but those were the terms of his employment. Cillian O' Connor's curious sabbatical, and a stacked backroom team that included another recent Mayo manager in Stephen Rochford, added layers of intrigue to a story that never needed them. So much has happened it's easy to forget the departure of Liam MacHale from his staff after just one season, an exit made all the more unexpected by the closeness of their relationship. The County Executive's reputation for ineptitude may be well earned, but it is hard to see any other way this scenario played out, especially if Kevin McStay was offered the chance to leave on his terms, but chose not to. Whatever happened, he is gone, and his departure brings as many questions as answers. And so, Mayo start again, again. Experience, Julius Caesar said, is the teacher of all things. Let us see if the battered bastards of Gaelic Football have finally learned something.
Geek Tyrant
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
THE EMPIRE STRICKES BACK Reimagined with Darth Vader as the Hero — GeekTyrant
What if Darth Vader wasn't the tyrant we've all feared, but the misunderstood hero trying to save the galaxy from chaos? A new parody video amusingly reframes Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back by painting Vader as the peace-seeking savior, while Luke, Yoda, and Han are just reckless troublemakers throwing wrenches into his plans. With the tagline 'Darth Vader tries to save the galaxy, but Luke Skywalker, Yoda and Han Solo get in his way,' this clever re-edit takes one of the most iconic films in the Star Wars saga and turns it into a dramatic tale of misjudged intentions and galactic betrayal. It's a fun reminder that perspective is everything and that maybe Vader just needed better PR.
South China Morning Post
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
How 1980's The Empire Strikes Back set Star Wars on the way to becoming phenom it is today
This is the latest instalment in our From the Vault feature series, in which we reflect on culturally significant movies celebrating notable anniversaries. Advertisement It is hard to imagine a world in which Star Wars is not the galaxy-conquering behemoth we know today. As of 2025, George Lucas's sci-fi franchise includes nine films and three movie spin-offs, with more streaming and animated series being added all the time. Of course, none of this would have happened without the 1977 original, a pitch-perfect popcorn odyssey buoyed by John Williams' triumphant music and Industrial Light & Magic (ILM)'s dazzling special effects. But it was the 1980 sequel, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, which is 45 this month, that turned this stand-alone success into an enduring pop-culture phenomenon. And it almost ended in disaster.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Stablecoins Will Expand Beyond Crypto Trading, Become Part of Mainstream Economy, Citi Predicts
The stablecoin market could soon eclipse the entire crypto trading ecosystem that gave birth to it as regulatory tailwinds allow for the integration of the fixed-value tokens into the mainstream economy, according to predictions from global bank Citi. Above and beyond their role as tokenized cash for the crypto trading community, stablecoins — digital tokens whose value is pegged primarily to the U.S. dollar — are already expanding into payments and remittances. The next five years will likely see them replacing some overseas and domestic U.S. currency holdings as well as forming part of the short-term liquidity held at banks, according to a recent report from Citi Institute's Future Finance think-tank. If yield-bearing stablecoins can be issued, those may find a role in term deposits and retail money market funds. 'We're looking at the integration of stablecoins into what you call the mainstream economy,' Ronit Ghose, the global head of Future of Finance, Citi Institute, said in an interview. 'For example, stablecoins could be the cash leg for tokenized financial assets, or for payments by SMEs and large corporates. The dollar, and to a lesser extent the euro, has this kind of international currency status. Stablecoins allow people all over the world to hold dollars or euros in an easy, low cost way.' The stablecoin market size is currently around $240 billion, led by Tether's $145 billion USDT and Circle's $60 billion USDC. In Citi's base-case prediction, stablecoins will grow to $1.6 trillion by 2030, provided regulatory support and institutional integration take hold. In the bank's more bullish scenario, the market could balloon to $3.7 trillion. (The global cryptocurrency market cap today stands around $3.45 trillion.) Large crypto firms like Fireblocks, a platform for managing and moving crypto assets, said it's also noted a swing in stablecoin use away from a settlement and on/off ramp trading tool toward payments. 'Payment companies are leveraging stablecoins for a variety of pure-play payment flows, including cross-border transfer, remittance, merchant settlements and others,' CEO Michael Shaulov said in an email. 'Payment companies represent 11% of all of our clients, but 16% of the overall stablecoin transactions with over 30% growth of Q/Q in volumes. It is likely that this growth will continue, and they will represent 50% of the stablecoin volume within 12 months.' Over the past 90 days, the combined USDT and USDC volume on Fireblocks was $517 billion, some 44% of the total volume, a figure that has doubled over the past several years. Of that, payment companies generated $82 billion, up 38.2% quarter over quarter, Fireblocks said. The Empire Strikes Back In the past, Citi's Future Finance team has weighed the potential of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), often seen as the antithesis of freewheeling libertarian innovation by the crypto community, a view also held by President Donald Trump. For Citi's Ghose, the growth of stablecoins raises many questions: If the U.S. supports stablecoins, will Europe too? Or will Europe prefer CBDCs? Will CBDCs grow in the rest of the world? How will deposit tokens and tokenized deposits play out? Whatever the landscape looks like, banks will likely avail themselves of all of the above, Ghose said. All banks, by definition, conduct inter-bank payments, which make sense with a wholesale CBDC, as well as retail CBDCs, he said. 'Depending on the country, there may be a stablecoin option or there may be a CBDC option,' Ghose said. 'From a crypto perspective, it's like Starwars, where the CBDCs are the evil Empire, as opposed to the crypto guys, who see themselves as Luke Skywalker.'Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
