Figures That Make Me Happy:  Sarrissa Jeng

I know you weren't expecting a Figures that Make Me Happy entry today in the midst of the HasLab Cantina campaign. Actually, I was planning to have a review of the new Episode IV Darth Vader published today. I figured new and exciting figures are a good way to generate enthusiasm for the Cantina (plus I've been putting a "Back the Bar" ad in each review lately). But, alas, the photography has taken me way longer than expected, so I had to pivot to some easier content for today. These FTMMH articles tend to flow very easily from my penny pencil.

I did not like Attack of the Clones at all when I first saw it at the midnight premiere in 2002. In fact, I called it the worst big budget movie in the history of western cinema. The movie just overwhelmed me with things that made me cringe. The stilted romance. The bad CGI effects. The unnecessary CGI effects (they couldn't even build a couch for Palpatine's office?). The wooden acting. THAT DANK FARRICK CGI PEAR! There was just so much that pulled me out of the movie, that I truly hated it. If you're angry at me over this, wait until the end. Despite my feelings about the film as a whole, when Star Wars is Star Warsing, it will always bring a smile my face. That's literally what happened when Sarrissa Jeng made her brief appearance as she lets loose a kiai while chopping down a Geonisian. It's just cool, and makes me grin:


I wanted a figure immediately. In fact, as part of the weird dichotomy this hobby generates within me, Episode II figures have long been some of my favorites despite my feelings about the corresponding media. This is due in no small part to the volume of Jedi figures it delivered. It would take 11 years, but Hasbro finally delivered a Sarrissa Jeng figure via a Toys R Us exclusive mult-pack. It's a reminder of how thrilling this line used to be. Even when the main line failed to deliver your most wanted figures, a Toys R Us exclusive would come out of left field and deliver pure collecting gold. Pilots, Ewoks, Jedi, and The Force Unleashed figures were all brought to market courtesy of Geoffrey's little brick and mortar establishment. What a time to be collecting.

I just want to circle back to Episode II in closing. In time, I grew to appreciate it more and more. Instead of focusing on the lowlights, I began to appreciate that it contains some of the best Star Wars ever. The Zam chase, the Outlander Club, the Kamino fight, the space battle over Geonosis, the Petranaki arena scenes, and the Battle of Geonosis are all top notch. Also, John Miko and I were just talking about how it looks like some of the digital effects have been sneakily cleaned up in the online versions of Attack of the Clones. The good parts are some of my favorite Star Wars moments, and Episode II is now in my Star Wars rotation. I never would have imagined saying that twenty years ago.

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