At least Adam Driver knows that Kylo Ren is the most emo “Star Wars” character ever.

In the video below, you can see Driver channel all sorts of funny mockery in multiple SNL shorts.

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Uh, Carrie Fisher just gave the best… the very best… interview of the year.

In the video below, watch Fisher, a goofy dog, and this totally game ABC anchor talk about the new “Star Wars,” how it is to be an actress in Hollywood, and the magic of genetics.

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Everyone has it, you guys… No, I’m not talking about HPV, I’m talking about The Force.

Fans of the “Star Wars” franchise got an out of this world hard on, on April 16 when “Teaser #2” went viral last week. The new teaser was released at the annual Star Wars Celebration convention.

If you’ve yet to watch the teaser, take a look:

I don’t know about you, but I’m totally ready to get my intergalactic nerd on…

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” opens December 18.

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Image: “Star Wars” Teaser

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National parks are already vacation worthy, but now you have more reasons to go.

Spice up a vacation itinerary by visiting places you’ve already seen on the silver screen. The films on this list used national parks as backdrops to some unforgettable scenes. Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to create your own adventure once you get there.

1. “Star Wars: A New Hope” (1977) For some of us there are still only three “Star Wars” films. Part of the reason we cling so heartily to the original trilogy is that they didn’t use green screens/chroma keys for all of their locations. Parts of Death Valley National Park, where temperatures regularly soar to over 100 degrees, were used for some of the Tatooine sets.  Who wouldn’t want to brave that weather for a chance to experience a galaxy not so far away?

2. “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” (1989): The final installment in the original “Indiana Jones” series took us to reclaim artifacts from far off places, but who could forget the iconic flashback at the start of the film? Young Indie leads his fellow scouts into an adventure that projects his eventual career path. You too can relive those harrowing moments by taking a trip to Arches National Park in Moab, Utah, where the scenes were filmed. If you’re a movie buff this park will really appeal to you. It served as the backdrop for many other films.

3. “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” (1997): If hunting down graverobbers or Sith Lords isn’t your style then maybe you’ll enjoy running away from velociraptors, or at least pretending to. Parts of this sequel were filmed in Redwood National Forest, located in Northern California. Take a hike around Fern Canyon to feel immersed in the beauty of the outdoors and relive those nail-biting moments. (Tip: Stay away from the long grass.)

4. “The Hunger Games” (2012): While no one wants to be a citizen of Panem, some people might enjoy visiting a location used in the first film of the successful series. The Pisgah National Forest served as the backdrop for Katniss’ hunting expeditions beyond the fences of her home district. Other locations in North Carolina were also used in this production, so the trip could easily become a tour.

5. “National Treasure: Book of Secrets” (2007): Mount Rushmore is an icon all its own, but when you add Nicolas Cage to the mix things are bound to get a little adventurous. Book of Secrets was filmed at various national memorials (including the ones for Lincoln and Washington) which makes it a good movie to base a tour off of. Step into America’s history and maybe you too can stumble upon an unsolved mystery. – Bianca Hernandez

This article originally appeared on Sierra Magazine’s website.

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JJ Abrams’ “Star Wars” may not be hitting the big screen until December 2015, but that doesn’t make the newest Rodarte collection any less awesome. Er, rather, any less full of the force.

Debuting at Rodarte’s fall 2014 fashion show in New York City, the new collection has geeks and Jedis from galaxies near and far, far away drooling on their droids.

Rodarte’s visionary sisters, Kate and Laura Mulleavy, are clearly “Star Wars” fans, which inspired the couture dresses that feature the iconic characters Luke Skywalker, C-3PO, R2-D2, and of course, Yoda. (Because size matters not, the master dress in flowy couture style, he would.)

The high fashion label worked with Disney, which in case you forgot, now owns the massive Lucasfilm empire. The New York Post reports that George Lucas was spotted at the Rodarte autumn/winter 2012 show in New York alongside Queen Padmé Amidala herself (also known as actress Natalie Portman), which was likely where the idea was born (like twins of a Jedi master and a Queen…).

But don’t break open your Ewok piggy bank just yet, the Rodarte “Star Wars” dresses aren’t likely to be available any time soon. They’re reportedly only available for photo shoots and exhibits happening later this year. The rest of us will just have to stick with our “Star Wars” curtains and bed sheets. And, no, guys, Rodarte doesn’t appear to have any plans to recreate Leia’s gold bikini. So, put your light sabers away for now.

Keep in touch with Jill on Twitter @jillettinger

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I love Star Wars. It was the first movie I ever saw as a kid, and I watched it from the back of my parent’s station wagon at the drive-in theatre while draped over a seat. I was around five years old and so young that I didn’t understand how they shrunk Princess Leia down to her hologram size. What I wasn’t confused about was how totally, completely, and amazingly awesome I thought the light sabers were. This made me a girl who liked a boy thing.

But my love for Star Wars just kept growing. By the time The Empire Strikes Back rolled around, I was in love with Yoda’s ability to lift an X-Wing Fighter from a swamp. When Return of the Jedi came calling, I was smitten with Han Solo. (I was also crazy into the Ewoks – in my defense, I was an 11-year-old girl, apparently Lucas’ target audience for the third film.) But did anyone know this? Outside of the Princess Leia doll sitting in my Barbie Dream House – not really. I have a younger brother rich in Star Wars toys, so I just played with his and didn’t talk action figures at school.

So with a male imprint of “Han Solo Equals All Things Dreamy” firmly implanted in my brain, my love of a galaxy far, far away carried into my teen years. It was lurking just beneath the surface, flickering like a light saber every time I heard a John Williams-style trumpet or saw a roguish dark-haired dude with a crooked smile. I’d still declare my love of Star Wars to anyone who would listen. But it was always defiantly, with a “Mock me and I’ll call you a stuck up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf herder.” Why? Because girls weren’t supposed to like Star Wars.

Now I won’t stop talking all things Lucas to anyone who lends an unlucky ear, but I’m closer in age to Mon Motha than Princess Leia. So when I heard about seven-year old Katie Goldman, who was recently mocked for bringing a Star Wars water bottle for school, my inner Ewok rose up in outrage. CNN picked up the story of young Goldman, who was teased by her friends at school for carrying something meant for boys. Katie begged her mother, Carrie Goldman, to change her Star Wars water bottle for a pink one. The senior Goldman took to her blog to decry the gender stereotyping inflicted on her daughter.

And as CNN reports, the Internet struck back. Goldman’s blog exploded with stories of people sharing their own bullying stories. Around 1,200 people left message of support. Others sent in Star Wars gifts, many of which Katie plans to redistribute to needy children. Katie’s school hosted “Proud To Be Me” day in honor of Katie on December 10th, where children were encouraged to come to school dressed as their favorite thing. Katie’s story had a happy ending and a lesson learned. May the force be with you, Katie!

But if Katie had been a boy wanting to do a “girl thing,” would the reception have been so positive? A friend who taught elementary school shared this story: “I once had an Opposite Day party and some of the boys had a blast dressing up as girls, and the girls all loved being boys. But one family was adamant that their son not dress like a girl – but they happily sent their daughter dressed as a boy.” Why is it so scary for some people that a boy would want to do a girl thing?

This past Halloween, the Internet went berserk over blog written by another concerned mother, this one entitled “My Son Is Gay.” It featured a smiling five-year-old boy called “Boo” dressed in his Daphne from Scooby Doo Halloween costume. In this blog, Concerned Mother pointed out how other mothers seemed to pile on with false concern that her child would be mocked for dressing like a girl, and that a Daphne costume would “make” her son gay. To which Concerned Mother replied, “[My job] is not to dictate what is ‘normal’ and what is not, but to help him become a good person.”

What do the stories of Katie and Boo tell us? That gender stereotypes haven’t changed so much since mini-Princess Leia first flashed across a drive-in movie screen. But it seems that awareness around these stereotypes has. And as long as there is a forum to post discussions over stereotypes, perhaps we can continue to chip away at them. Sure, some boys will always want to play with trucks and some girls will always want to be pretty princesses. Luckily, there’s always a light saber or a red-haired wig waiting for everyone else in between.

My cake toppers at my recent wedding.

Main image: Amidala Photo

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