Saturday, January 3, 2009

Dagobah Action Playset (ESB)




“Well he lived in a swamp down in Dagobah, where it bubbles all the time like a carbonated soda. S-O-D-A , soda. “ (sing to the tune of Lola).

Relive the exciting, muck-filled location where not a single shot was ever fired! Yes, Dagobah! Despite the apparent lack of action on that planet, the playset still has some interesting play abilities, including:

- Spongy “swamp,” that can swallow a figure (R2-D2) up

- Use a lever disguised as a rock and “levitate” some cargo containers (on top of some thin reeds)

- A lever through the tree house can “levitate” R2

- Use the moving pedestals to have a fight between Luke and dark side mirage Vader.

Later releases of this playset also included a backpack that Luke could wear and Yoda could sit in. This set only came in an ESB box. Owners of this set have now come to realize that touching the spongy material this late in its life causes it to disintegrate into a sticky substance that clings to anything. For pete’s sake, don’t touch it!

Why should you own this set? Five reasons:

1. Really, the only time you can demonstrate the Force in the original line.

2. It’s Yoda’s home. Have a home don’t you?

3. Recreate that first interesting month Yoda settles down on the planet after Revenge of the Sith – “What the f--- is there to do around here?”

4. Probably the most play you’ll get out of your R2 figure.

5. Keep it around until about 25 years later when they finally make a darkside-Darth/Luke-apparition figure.

History:

There were several instances of people happening upon, or surveying Dagobah, but most met with tragedy and failure due to various circumstances. Hundreds of years before the Clone Wars, a Sith was defeated by a Jedi, and his dark energies dispersed into the planet. This may have given the tree from ESB its dark side aura.

Yoda chose it as his exile planet after being defeated by Palpatine because it was missing (along with Kamino) from the Jedi Archives. It was also teeming with native life, and had a dark side spot, all which helped mask his presence from Palpatine and the Empire.

After the downfall of the Empire, Dagobah was used a few times by various students training to be Jedi to meditate, or stay in seclusion.

Full story? The Wookieepedia article

36th in alphabetical order

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