Matt Wood

Who is this? Matt Wood, a Hollywood sound editor and sometime voice actor

What is this? A photo of General Grievous, the half-alien, half-robot commander of the Trade Federation droid army in Star Wars: Clone Wars and Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith

Where'd I get it? I got the photo from OfficialPix, and I mailed it to Wood at an address that can be found online.

How much did it cost? Between postage and the cost of the photo, around $8 or $9.

Why is this so special? I grew up with Star Wars -- The Empire Strikes Back is the first movie I remember seeing in the theater. While the new movies don't hold the same place in my heart, it was fun to re-capture a little piece of my childhood again.

I loved all of the aliens and the droids when I was a kid, and I still do. Of the three new villains created for the prequel trilogy, Grievous was the coolest. Sure, Darth Maul had the cool tatoos and the double-bladed lightsaber, but Grievous could handle four lightsabers at one time!

I met Wood at a comic convention in New York a few years ago, and he seemed like a pleasant guy. He took the time to talk to everybody who lined up for his autograph, and he even did the General Grievous voice for some kids who asked.

Wood's signature isn't the most legible in the world, but he certainly made up for it by personalizing the photo and including a quote and his character name.