May the 4th Be With You!
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Product, Use Cases, Developer
May 04, 2020
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This post was written by InfluxAce Nikki Cornell
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away the phrase “May the Force be with you” originated to wish those good luck before parting ways, oftentimes before a journey or battle. While the phrase has been popularized by Jedi Knights such as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker, it was actually Jan Dodonna, a general with the rebellion against the Galactic Empire, who is credited for saying it first (in order of movie release) in Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope. When uttering those now iconic words, believers wish that the Force will work in their favor.
Though the phrase has been used by both sides of the Force, including some Dark Jedi of the Sith, it is an uplifting rally cry for the good guys. In celebration of the power that brings the Star Wars universe together, the pun “May the Fourth be with you” became more prominent until May 4th officially or unofficially became recognized as Star Wars Day (which event do you think made it official?).
Happy Star Wars Day, and May the Fourth be With You!
Thanks to Sensu’s Stacie Hescock for creating our custom Lizy graphic
<figcaption>and to Ced Alcalde for creating the pose!</figcaption>
To celebrate, I crowdsourced some popular (and not so popular) opinions for the galaxy’s most controversial questions! With the help of some awesome folks at Sensu, InfluxData, and my fellow InfluxAces, you’ll find out our answers to the following questions:
- Who is your favorite villain?
- What is your favorite planet/location?
- Which Yoda is your favorite - Baby Yoda or original Yoda?
On a personal note, this is my first official “May the Fourth” day as a Star Wars fan. In my short life, I grew up without much interest in the franchise. And because I eventually became a software engineer, I always categorized myself as “a terrible nerd” due to the fact that I had never seen a single Star Wars movie. It wasn’t until the recent release of the Star Wars story, The Mandalorian, and the introduction of the Child (which the rest of the world refers to as Baby Yoda) that the Star Wars universe finally piqued my interest. Once the Baby Yoda memes flooded every avenue of social media, I knew that it was time to dive in. I wanted to learn everything there was to know about this mysterious yet adorable creature and his world!
"Truly wonderful the mind of a child is." Yoda, Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
So I binged… every ????single ???? Star Wars ???? movie… in about a week’s time! I also did my fair share of research, because it was clear that the proper viewing order of the storyline was a highly debated topic. I turned my 2019 Christmas vacation into a Star Wars viewing party, simultaneously keeping up with The Mandalorian as it was released, and watched the franchise in the following order:
- Rogue One
- Episode IV: A New Hope
- Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
- Episode I: The Phantom Menace
- Episode II: Attack of the Clones
- Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
- Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
- Episode VII: The Force Awakens
- Episode VIII: The Last Jedi
- Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker
I am thankful I watched the movies in that order, because if I’d watched them chronologically (in terms of the Star Wars timeline, not the release date), I don’t think I would have made it past Ep. 1 and 2, despite much warning that the prequel trilogy is “just terrible.” But I survived Jar Jar Binks (to find out if he’s the real villain, keep reading) and somewhat enjoyed Revenge of the Sith (Anakin and Obi-Wan’s epic faceoff even became a viral TikTok trend).
With the prequel out of the way, I was on a fun journey through the decades, building momentum to the in-theatre release of The Rise of Skywalker. Maybe I’m a terrible millennial, or maybe I’m just a huge Adam Driver fan, but the final trilogy had me crying sad and happy tears by the end. While the storyline has the tendency to repeat itself, the finality of the “Skywalker Saga” still moved me and I loved every second of it. ???? Also, YAS strong female lead and POC supporting roles! ????
While you may or may not agree with my new age opinion on the Star Wars world that shaped and molded many future computer nerds who grew up with it, it’s only fair to open the opinions up to more seasoned super fans! Well, thanks to the employees of Sensu and InfluxData, and the community all-stars we refer to as InfluxAces, the results are in! With the help of metric tags, I used InfluxDB, my favorite time series database, and InfluxQL to query the cross-company data.
Favorite villain
<figcaption> Figure 1: Favorite villain (Grafana dashboard)</figcaption>
> SELECT * FROM favorite_villain GROUP BY company
name: favorite_villain
tags: company=sensu
time villain votes
---- ------- ------
2020-05-04T20:01:30Z Darth Vader 5
2020-05-04T20:02:30Z Boba Fett 1
2020-05-04T20:03:30Z Ben Solo 1
2020-05-04T20:04:30Z Kylo Ren 1
name: favorite_villain
tags: company=influx_data
time villain votes
---- ------- ------
2020-05-04T20:01:30Z Jar Jar Binks 5
2020-05-04T20:02:30Z Darth Vader 3
2020-05-04T20:03:30Z Jabba the Hutt 2
2020-05-04T20:04:30Z Luke Skywalker 1
2020-05-04T20:05:30Z Darth Maul 1
2020-05-04T20:06:30Z Anakin Skywalker 1
2020-05-04T20:07:30Z Padme 1
2020-05-04T20:08:30Z Captain Phasma 1
2020-05-04T20:09:30Z Boba Fett 1
2020-05-04T20:10:30Z Grand Moff Tarkin 1
name: favorite_villain
tags: company=influx_aces
time villain votes
---- ------- ------
2020-05-04T20:01:30Z Darth Vader 3
2020-05-04T20:02:30Z Darth Maul 1
2020-05-04T20:03:30Z Jabba the Hutt 1
It comes as no surprise that Darth Vader wins by a landslide. He's the classic epitome of an evil overlord who demonstrates his sheer power by Force-choking insubordinate followers. With the help of his son Luke Skywalker, Vader is redeemed right before his death and becomes one with the Force as Anakin Skywalker, a heart-warming conclusion to overcome his bratty teenage years and mass destruction of the universe!
The real surprise in this data is Jar Jar Binks at second place, though I can’t say I disagree. While he seems to be written as a child-friendly addition and goofy sidekick to Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, he’s really just the worst. IMO his cringeworthy antics made the prequel trilogy almost unbearable, but some might argue he is actually the most conniving Sith Lord of all time.
We’ll let you be the judge of your favorite villain, but all I have left to say is #BenSoloDeservedBetter.
<figcaption> Say hi to InfluxData’s very own Captain Phasma!</figcaption>
Favorite planet or location
<figcaption> Figure 2: Favorite planet or location (Grafana dashboard)</figcaption>
> SELECT * FROM favorite_location GROUP BY company
name: favorite_location
tags: company=sensu
time location votes
---- ------- ------
2020-05-04T20:01:30Z Mos Eisley Cantina (Tatooine) 2
2020-05-04T20:02:30Z Endor 2
2020-05-04T20:03:30Z Dagobah 1
2020-05-04T20:04:30Z Crait 1
2020-05-04T20:05:30Z Cloud City 1
2020-05-04T20:05:30Z Hoth 1
name: favorite_location
tags: company=influx_data
time location votes
---- ------- ------
2020-05-04T20:01:30Z Millennium Falcon 3
2020-05-04T20:02:30Z Hoth 2
2020-05-04T20:03:30Z Naboo 1
2020-05-04T20:04:30Z Rebel Base on Yavin 4 1
2020-05-04T20:05:30Z Death Star 1
2020-05-04T20:06:30Z Coruscant 1
2020-05-04T20:07:30Z Belly of the Scarlacc Pit 1
2020-05-04T20:08:30Z Nar Shaddaa 1
name: favorite_location
tags: company=influx_aces
time location votes
---- ------- ------
2020-05-04T20:01:30Z Mos Eisley Cantina (Tatooine) 2
2020-05-04T20:02:30Z Dagobah 1
2020-05-04T20:03:30Z Endor 1
2020-05-04T20:04:30Z Kashyyyk 1
My personal favorite, Mos Eisley Cantina on the planet Tatooine, wins out across our nerd base, with the Millennium Falcon, Hoth, and Endor close behind. The Cantina gives me the feels because it’s just like a dive bar in our normal universe: cheap drinks, good tunes, and full of degenerates.
Whether you remember it for where Ben and Luke recruit Han and Chewy or when Han Solo and Greedo have a standoff, (Han shot first!) the Cantina was known as the seedy meetup for smugglers and bounty hunters alike! This is in stark contrast to the Cantina we see Mando visit in search of work on Tatooine in a post-Empire world. This Easter egg has a fun twist once you notice the bartender in The Mandalorian is actually a droid where previously the bar had a strict no-droid policy. Oh how times have changed!
OG Yoda vs. Baby Yoda
<figcaption> Figure 3: Favorite Yoda (Grafana dashboard)</figcaption>
> SELECT * FROM favorite_yoda GROUP BY company
name: favorite_yoda
tags: company=sensu
time yoda votes
---- ------- ------
2020-05-04T20:01:30Z Original Yoda 3
2020-05-04T20:02:30Z Baby Yoda 5
name: favorite_yoda
tags: company=influx_data
time yoda votes
---- ------- ------
2020-05-04T20:01:30Z Original Yoda 11
2020-05-04T20:02:30Z Baby Yoda 10
name: favorite_yoda
tags: company=influx_aces
time yoda votes
---- ------- ------
2020-05-04T20:01:30Z Original Yoda 4
2020-05-04T20:02:30Z Baby Yoda 1In a shocking turn of events, the original Yoda wins over Baby Yoda as fan favorite by a shy 2 votes. Apparently our InfluxAces have a much stronger opinion than the otherwise conflicted majority. Yoda is regarded as one of the most wise and powerful Jedi in the galaxy, and his Force-sensitive character has certainly stood the test of time. Puppet, cartoon, or CGI, you can count on Yoda to deliver powerful philosophical messages even in the afterlife as a Force ghost.
"I like the baby version the best, do you hear me?!" Ricky Bobby, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
My obvious obsession with Baby Yoda might make me biased, but I find it impossible that you could not choose a creature as cute as him. Although I shed many tears whenever I thought Baby Yoda was in danger, it is quite a relief to know he has a protector in Mando and that this bad-ass baby has some Force-wielding powers of his own.
There are many questions yet to be answered about the mysterious race which the two derive…Is Baby Yoda a reincarnation Yoda? A lovechild of Yoda and Yaddle? A shapeshifter? A clone from the Clone Wars? Whatever the answer is, May the Force be with Baby Yoda and May the Fourth be with you all!
And yes, having completed the “Skywalker Saga” and The Mandalorian, I do consider myself a better nerd.
Special thanks to the Golang community and QualitechOU/wonkeenGophers for their amazing gopher illustrations which are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
