We are officially a week from Star Wars Day! And what better way to celebrate that feat than with my favorite, and the favorite of many Star Wars fans, The Empire Strikes Back. Personally, this film is my favorite because it’s not a happy ending. The Rebellion is left searching for a base, one of our heroes is frozen in carbonite stasis and the other could really use a helping hand. But, it’s one of the more important films in the saga because it begins to define its characters, develop their relationships, and introduces us to Yoda. Let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a half-crazy whatever-he-is Jedi master who’s first name could have been Minch (Your Star Wars Fun Fact of the Day). Aside from developing characters and introducing new ones, Empire took us to new systems and planets like Hoth, Bespin, and Degobah. There are way too many reasons why I love this film, but to add another, we here at FTS Drinking Laboratories, have created a fantastical drinking game that will be enjoyed by many in galaxies far far away. So without further ado, I present the Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back FTS Drinking Game! May the force be with you… and NEVER tell me the odds.
– A “meteor” strikes Hoth
– C-3P0 begins a sentence with “Excuse Me Sir…”
– R2D2 or C-3P0 shares the odds of something
– “Laugh it up Fuzzball”
– “Never tell me the odds!”
– “You will be…”
– Every time you see a snake.
– Obi-Wan appears
– Someone says “Jedi”
– You see Boba Fett
– “I Love You…”
– Lightsabers are drawn
– Luke loses his hand
(Drink Using The Hand Luke Lost For The Duration Of The Film)
– Luke and Leia’s Kiss
– Lord Vader “firing” Admiral Ozzel.
– Vader’s helmet being put on (yuck)
– Luke’s “Nooo” upon hearing whom his father is.
SITH RULES:
Instead of Drinking, Take A Shot When:
– “Laugh it up Fuzzball”
– “Never tell me the odds!”
– Luke loses his hand
– “…I know”
– “I am your father”
When playing SITH RULES, we recommend Absolut Vodka, because only a sith deals in absolutes.
When I watched The Empire Strikes Back as a child, one of the most powerful scenes of the film, for me, was when Luke’s hand is cut off during his fight with Darth Vader. Even more crazy than that was the fact that he was able to have a new, cybernetic hand attached to his arm that he could move and feel. When I saw this scene, it was amazing to me that these people not only had the ability to travel through space, but also possessed this great medical technology as well. It created a very vivid picture in my mind and stuck with me longer after I watched the movie. In honor of this moment in The Empire Strikes Back, and the one real hand that Luke has left, I chose to pair the film with Left Hand Brewing Company’s Milk Stout. The milk stout style is a sweeter variation of the standard stout thanks to the addition of lactose to the brew. So pick up a six pack of Left Hand Milk Stout and toast Luke Skywalker and the technological advancements of an ancient civilization.
