Forward: On the Impetus of Love

Let me tell you a little bit about my brother John. He loved to make people laugh. Of all his humor, my personal favorite were his impressions. Sure he could do the Christian Bale Batman, but you haven't really laughed until you heard him do a rendition of the classic story A Christmas Carol starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as Ebenezer Scrooge and Jason Statham as Bob Cratchit.

Well John and I, both true geeks at heart, loved to stay up late summer nights and discuss what made great stories, like Star Wars or Lord of the Rings, so inspiring and epic. Inevitably, we would end up discussing the latest Star Wars movies - episodes one, two, and three - and articulate every little thing that made them terrible. This prequel bashing is something I am sure many nerds can identify with, but let me be fair. As a preteen boy, I did enjoy them when they first came out. Then I got older and began to understand the importance of plot, dialogue, and character development. Needless to say the movies were ruined for me. No offense George Lucas (who I am sure is not reading this), but I have no idea what you were thinking, nor why someone did not stop you at some point, take you aside and say: "George, this is awful and also blatantly disregards plot points made in the original trilogy that you created." (That being said, if you are reading this George, thank you for making Star Wars, I totally forgive you for the prequels... sort of). In any case, those movies happened and they, along with their cartoon counterparts, now consist of the more than fifty percent of what is canon in the Star Wars universe (as of this writing). That is just something we all have to accept. 

WRONG! My brother John and I got tired of accepting these stories as part of the universe born of the original trilogy. They just did not do the legacy of Star Wars justice. Thus, we began concocting our own story. One that would better fit in with the classic movies we all know and love, while at the same time, attempting to encompass all the aspects of epic stories we previously discussed. We spent many a late night conversing over possible plot lines and building a strong story ark. Finally, we began to outline it. 

Now I have a confession to make. I dragged my feet a little. John was always asking me if I wanted to work on our outline and often I would put if off until the next day, or the next time I visited home (I was away at college the majority of this time). The truth was, while I loved working on it, it was very difficult. I grew up with these stories and developing something that could fix all the plot holes of the prequels, be true to the characters, and also be a compelling, epic science fiction fantasy, well it was not an easy task. I felt the weight of it and if not for John's encouragement, I probably would have never pursued it at all. But, little brother's are nothing but persistent - even to the point of being annoying - so with John's incitement we creating an outline for the first one and a half episodes. Of course, by this point we had roughly figured out everything until the end, but we had yet to work out the details. Then something happened, something that directly led to me writing this here today.   

Not so long ago, in a galaxy all too close... my younger brother, John Michael Kozak, was diagnosed with a type of acute leukemia. He was only seventeen years old. About a month later, on a Tuesday night, he passed away with my hand in his. The brief battle he had with cancer was more epic and courageous than anything I could ever write. John was a true hero, who fought to the every end against impossible odds. I would be remiss here, to not mention the other heroes in this tale. My older sisters Wendy and Genny, who stayed with John many times overnight at the hospital. My loving parents, George and Mary Ann, who did everything they could to help John, get him the best treatment and make him as comfortable as possible. My little brother Jeremiah who watched our littlest brother Isaiah, while the rest of my family was at the hospital. And my youngest brother Isaiah, who was so strong through John's passing despite how close they were. But wherever there are battles, strive or war, there is loss. This reality my family experienced firsthand the day John passed away.

When John got sick I knew that we had to finish the story we had started. When he died, I knew  it was up to me to carry on his legacy. In that light, the weight on my shoulders is greater, for not only is this story about Star Wars, but it is also about immortalizing the humor, kindness, and love of a truly great man. Yet John too, has given me the strength I need to lift this burden. He has empowered me with the will to carry on. With him I share the load. Let it be known that none of what I write, henceforth, is mine. The story is equally John's. Further it belongs to you dear reader, as well as any who take from it humor, wisdom, joy, or even grief. Let these be the impetus for you to write your own stories in a galaxy far, far away.