A Preview of Tonight’s Debate
Anchors Away
Missing the Boat
It is not so much that the boat passed and you failed to notice it.
It is more like the boat stopping directly outside your bedroom window,
the captain blowing the signal-horn, the band playing a rousing march.
The boat shouted, waving bright flags, its silver hull blinding in the sunlight.
But you had this idea you were going by train.
You kept checking the time-table, digging for tracks.
And the boat got tired of you, so tired it pulled up the anchor and raised the ramp.
The boat bobbed into the distance, shrinking like a toy-
at which point you probably realized you had always loved the sea.
Naomi Shihab-Nye
James Earl Jones: A Voice That Changed Galaxies
That voice. Deep as the cosmos, rumbling like distant thunder.
Now silent.
When George Lucas sought the perfect voice for his galactic villain, he struck gold. No, platinum.
Star Wars without Jones? A paper tiger in a plastic mask. He didn’t just speak lines. He breathed life into the Dark Side.
“Luke, I am your father.” Five words that changed cinema forever. Only Jones could deliver them with such gravitas.
James Earl Jones, born on January 17, 1931, in Arkabutla, Mississippi, overcame a severe childhood stutter to become one of the most distinctive and respected voices in American entertainment.
Raised by his grandparents on a Michigan farm, Jones found his voice through poetry and acting. He studied theater at the University of Michigan before serving in the U.S. Army. His career spanned over seven decades, encompassing stage, screen, and voice work.
On Broadway, he won Tony Awards for “The Great White Hope” and “Fences.” In film, he’s known for roles in “Dr. Strangelove,” “Field of Dreams,” and as the voice of Mufasa in “The Lion King.” Jones was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Oscar, multiple Emmys, and a Kennedy Center Honor, reflecting his profound impact on American arts and culture.
From stage to screen, Jones commanded respect. But as Vader, he ruled galaxies.
He proved that sometimes, the most powerful presence is the one you never see. Just hear.
In the annals of cinema, few voices resonate like his. Fewer still shape a franchise so profoundly.
Star Wars soared on special effects and mythic storytelling. But it was Jones who gave it gravitas.
A legacy in black. A presence in the dark. James Earl Jones: the voice that launched a thousand star destroyers.
The Force was with him, always. And through his enduring work, it always will be.
