stormtroopers

Timing is everything, especially in the "Star Wars" saga. For example, had Han Solo missed that critical shot on the TIE fighter in the trenches of the Rebel assault on the first Death Star, Luke Skywalker would have been toast -- and so would the rebellion against the Empire.

On October 12, Japanese watchmaker Seiko commemorates "Star Wars" in a new collection of themed watches with a collective run of only 5,000 pieces. Six popular characters from the movies each get their own model: Darth Vader, Darth Maul, C-3PO, R2-D2, Yoda, and the lemming-like Stormtrooper. … Read more

Running your own business is tough. Sure, it's nice to be able to choose who you freeze in carbonite, but there's a heck of a lot of scrambling involved: lining up new clients, satisfying the perverse whims of existing slimy, disgusting ones. You can't help but daydream about a nice, steady, cushy gig on an Imperial Star Destroyer somewhere.… Read more

Do you groan every time you see those mundane stickers on the back of a car's window representing a family, often using cute stick figures?

Geek things up a bit with the Star Wars family member car stickers by Star Wars Spoofs. Revel in the dark or light side as fans of the franchise honk away as you pass by. The collection features some larger characters for mom and dad, and little pint-size heroes and villains for the young ones. Pricing ranges from $2.75 for pets to $3.75 for kids and $4.75 for parental units. … Read more

A long time ago (not really), in a galaxy far, far away (Boston), attendees to the Arisia sci-fi convention got revenge on the Evil Empire by tearing into a life-size Stormtrooper cake.

Though geek-inspired cakes aren't new, we imagine creating a 6-foot, 300-pound sugary replica of a Stormtrooper wasn't an easy task, so we had to find out more.

Crave caught up with Amanda Oakleaf, founder and co-owner of Amanda Oakleaf Cakes, to ask about the highs and lows of building the Stormtrooper dessert. (Seriously, where does one even start?) … Read more

While the consumer technology industry nursed its post-CES hangovers this weekend, 600 Star Wars fans in Boston were nursing something else: Stormtrooper cake!

Attendees at this year's Arisia sci-fi convention were treated to a "life-size" 6-foot Stormtrooper cake. Of course, if the second trilogy is to be believed and they're all clones of "Once Were Warriors" actor Temuera Morrison, they'd all be 5 foot 7 inches...but anyhoo.

This Stormtrooper, in a classic Mos Eisley "Stop!" pose, was created by Oakleaf Cakes and consists of 300 pounds of frosting, cake, and … Read more

There are two worlds. One is full of leather, growling engines, and the call of the open road. The other is full of TIE fighters, adorable Ewoks, and the call of open space. At last, they have come together.

The Stormtrooper motorcycle suit from UD Replicas melds the power of the Dark Side with the power of leather. It's available in Shadow Trooper Black or Imperial White.

The suit looks suitably intimidating, especially if you opt for the ominous black one. It's made from leather with built-in body armor. This is way tougher than that plastic costume you bought a decade ago.… Read more

George Lucas lost a battle over copyright infringement in an English court this week.

In this case, of course, Lucas didn't turn out to be the father of his adversary, Andrew Ainsworth, but he is the creator of one of Ainsworth's signature works. Ainsworth is the guy who manufactured the original Stormtrooper helmets for the Star Wars movies.

Ainsworth lives in London and has been selling replicas of his magnum opus for several years now. A long court battle between the prop designer and Lucas appears to finally be over now that the director's legal Deathstar has … Read more

Links from Tuesday's episode of Loaded:

Microsoft is expected to show off new tablet computers at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show

Dell is acquiring Compellent Technologies to focus more on cloud storage

Google launches TeachParents.org to help you give the n00bs in your life simple computer tutorials

A new study shows that Americans spend as much time online as they do watching TV

Another study shows that sales of physical disc media will fall by $4.6 billion by the year 2014

The R2-D2 headphones are the perfect gift for the Star Wars geek in your life

ORLANDO, Fla.--If you were a member of the Rebel Alliance and were in the room I was in this afternoon, you might well have been a little nervous.

After all, standing guard throughout the room and in the hallway outside, were uniformed Imperial Stormtroopers brandishing serious-looking weapons. They were definitely there to keep order, and if you weren't loyal to Darth Vader or Emperor Palpatine, you were definitely on their bad side.

Reading this, you might think I'm a little crazy, but what I really am is attending Celebration V, the huge "Star Wars" fan … Read more