A Trip to the Ranch...

Today I had the wonderful privilege of visiting Skywalker Ranch in Marin County, California, thanks to my directed study advisor, Roger Ridley.  Roger works as an assistant technical director for Lucasfilm on a feature animation.  The company is split between two locations: Big Rock Ranch where the animation previzualization department is, and Skywalker Ranch where Skywalker Sound and a few other offices are located.  He took me on a tour of the beautiful campus and I was constantly wondering if I was at a visual effects company or at a really fancy reception center.  Here are a few things I learned on my trip that may or may not be true:

• All of the security guards carry lightsabers.
• The Ranch has it's own fire brigade.
• Saying "This is not the Toyota Camry you are looking for," while waving your hand won't get you a laugh from the security guard at the gate.
• The main campus plaza has glass bottom ponds that look over the expansive underground parking garage.
• The Ranch grows all of its own food that it serves in the employee cafeterias.
• The Ranch has its own vineyards that doesn't serve its wine in its employee cafeterias.
• You can order fresh taun taun from the cafeteria when it is in season.
• The library is one of the most beautiful private libraries I have ever seen.
• A colony of ewoks live in the trees just over the hills.
• The cafeteria serves blue milk in tupperware containers, just like they used to to at Mos Eisley!
• They have canoes and boats to use for summer parties on the lakes at the ranch.
• George's office at the main house is off limits to minor employees.
• George has his own private elevator so he doesn't have to see his employees.
• George's private elevator goes down to his own screening theater, which has a killer sound system.
• George is rumored to have a certain Gungan encased in carbonite in this theater.  He uses it as a coffee table.
• George has the largest collection of original Norman Rockwell paintings on display at the Ranch.  He uses the rest for placemats at his dinner table.
• The Stag Theater, named after a diner in George's home town, at Skywalker Sound has the best sound system in the entire world, probably because of the abundance of THX technicians that roam free-range on the ranch.
• Each seat in the Stag Theater has its own subwoofer.
• There is a rancor pit located in the atrium off of the main house... either that or a wine cellar.  I couldn't really tell.
• The main house of the ranch contains and displays ancient relics that were supposedly discovered by Indiana Jones: the Holy Grail, the fake Holy Grail, the Shankara Stones, and the Crystal Skull.
• The Ark of the Covenant was, unfortunately, still locked up at Area 51.
• All of the main characters' lightsabers were on display as well, along with a model of an AT-AT.
• A vast majority of the staff is contractually obliged to have facial hair, including the women.
• Fanboys are tazed if they get overstimulated by all of the nostalgia.  Don't ask how I found this out.

All in all, it was a fun visit and fulfills a lifelong dream of mine.  Next up is the lifelong dream of actually visiting the ranch each day and getting paid to do so.