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For the Single CVI Attendee: Light Speed Dating
Single? Going to be at Celebration VI? Boy howdy, is there an event for you!
It is a dark time for single people,
Although speed dating has become popular,
Couples-only events have driven the single people
Into hiding, and kept them from having fun across the galaxyEvading the dreaded couples-only events,
The group Sci-Fi Speed Dating, led by Ryan Glitch,
Has established a new group of speed dating sessions,
In the remote city of O’Lando.The dark lord, Darth Vader,
Obsessed with speed dating, has dispatched
Thousands of invites to Single Star Wars Fans across the galaxy
Inviting them to STAR WARS SPEED DATING
At Star Wars Celebration VI!
You’ll need to register in advance if you want to take part. Who knows, maybe you’ll find The One. Or at least, meet a nifty new fandom friend. You can’t have enough of those, right? There’s nothing wrong with platonic fandom friendship, after all.
Final Batch of ‘EG to Warfare’ Endnotes
The sixteenth and final set of endnotes from Jason Fry’s Essential Guide to Warfare dropped yesterday. In this set, we do a quick run-through the Legacy era.
The New Civil War: Paul Urquhart writes: “I found this one really tricky, because the complexity, frustration and tragic waste of the Second Civil War isn’t easily reduced to a simple campaign narrative. In the end, I tried to simply bring out all that angst and futility. This is a galaxy gone painfully wrong, in which a lot of people – ordinary citizens and powerful and capable leaders alike – are striving for some way to fix things and a cause to believe in. Which only makes matters worse. Concluding the piece with a comment from the younger Jacen Solo is designed to underscore the poignancy. I’m not quite sure that the whole piece works, but maybe it’s appropriate that it shouldn’t, quite.”
For more, head on over to Jason Fry’s Tumblr.
‘Crucible’ Tidbits from Random House: Into the Sunset for the Big Three?
An interesting find over Random House’s product page for Troy Denning’s 2013 novel Cruicible. From their key selling points of the book:
AN ADVENTURE FOR ALL STAR WARS FANS! Everybody’s favorite characters spotlighted in a rousing adventure just like they shared in the “old days” of the classic movies.
FATE OF THE JEDI FOLLOW-UP: Releasing a year after Apocalypse, this is the first book to follow the popular nine-book Fate of the Jedi series. As such it will be eagerly aniticipated by fans desperate to know what’s in store for their beloved Star Wars heroes.
A PERFECT ENTRY POINT FOR NEW READERS! Even if you’ve never read a Star Wars novel before, how could you not be curious to see how our beloved trio of heroes—with the wisdom of age and experience that belie their years—fare in a brand-new heart-pounding tale of action and adventure?
STANDALONE STORY! No need to read multiple books in a series—just jump right in and ride a single rollercoaster from cover to cover.
SETS UP NEW SERIES: With this book, Han, Luke, and Leia are passing the torch to the next generation of Star Wars heroes, and the stage will be set for the next major Star Wars series.
THE HEROES RETURN: This will be the first cover to feature Han, Luke, and Leia since the 1990s!
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING STAR WARSAUTHOR! Troy Denning, just having completed the New York Times bestselling Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi series, is a fan favorite.
Emphasis added.
So will the creative staff really let the Big Three retire and shift the narrative focus to a younger generation? Well, color me skeptical. That’s something that has been discussed for so long that I’ll believe it when it finally happens.
What about the other popular fan theory that one or all of them are going to be killed off in a blaze of glory in this book? This one I definitely doubt, there’s little chance that Lucasfilm will allow that to happen.
I hope Han, Luke, and Leia are looking for a nice retirement community somewhere.
‘The Old Republic’s’ Executive Producer Leaves Bioware
Reports are circling today that BioWare Austin, the studio responsible for The Old Republic, is laying off staff today. That’s bad enough, but things may have just gotten worse. Gamasutra is reporting that TOR executive producer Rich Vogel has left the company as well.
Amid reports that BioWare Austin is laying off staff today, Gamasutra can confirm that Star Wars: The Old Republic‘s executive producer Rich Vogel is no longer with the company.
Vogel was instrumental in the development of SWTOR, overseeing all aspects of the MMO before and after its launch in December. The online game, though, has lost around 400,000 paid subscribers in recent months, and BioWare Austin recently said it’s considering free-to-play options for the title.
Reports also emerged on Tuesday morning that the Austin office is laying off workers, but it’s unclear if this headcount reduction is part of the restructuring plan BioWare announced in May. Though its parent company Electronic Arts didn’t specify then how many employees would be affected, the publisher said those layoffs were necessary in order for the team to maintain and grow SWTOR.
Bioware and Electronic Arts have not commented on who will be overseeing The Old Republic’s continued development in place of Vogel.
Final Set of Celebration VI Exclusive Prints
The sixth and final set of art prints exclusive to Celebration VI have been unveiled. This batch features the works of Katie Cook (above), David Rabbitte, Cat Staggs, and Spencer Binkerhoff.
For more, head to the Official Site.
Star Wars Hops on the ‘Call Me Maybe’ Parody Train
Further proof that there is, indeed, a Star Wars parody of everything.
Cosplay Monday: The Zhobot Costumers
Welcome back to Cosplay Monday! Apologies for missing last week, in the chaos leading up to San Diego Comic Con I completely forgot to get a post set up. Let’s get right back into the flow. This week, we’re highlighting Nate and Heather’s numerous costumes!
Nate and Heather are the duo behind Zhobot. Head on over to their site and check out more of their costumes from Star Wars and numerous other fandoms.
Replace the Catsuit: Art Entry from Beth
We’ve got another submission for the Replace Mara’s Catsuit contest. This art entry comes courtesy of Beth W.
(Click to enlarge)
I’ll let Beth describe this one for you:
Hello,
My name is Beth, and this is my entry for the “Replace Mara Jade’s Catsuit” competition! Mara Jade and Luke have been my favorite Star Wars characters since my father passed his old and worn Timothy Zahn paperbacks down to me. She was confident, courageous and relentless, all good characteristics for the role model of a 6th grade girl to have. I am now a college student, and looking back I am confused and quite disturbed by “The Catsuit”. It does not serve Mara Jade at all and I could never see my heroine putting that on everyday. It’s too much. Mara’s wardrobe should be comfortable, useful, flattering (but not flashy), and simple. Here is what I always pictured Mara Jade in when I read my beloved books:
Her top is a bit loose, with buttons just under her elbows reigning in the thin fabric so it doesn’t get caught by anything. It is a muted shade of purple, the color of the lightsaber strapped to her waist. Over the top, she wears a khaki vest with black lapels, each featuring a single stripe of Rebel Alliance Orange around the borders. Her pants are just your average beat up khaki flight suit pants, tucked into her Jedi issue boots. At her waist is her weaponry belt, with a silver buckle very reminiscent of the one her husband wears. At her right hip is her blaster and lightsaber, and at her left hip is a carrying pouch and the stabilizing strap for the knife sheath that straps around her left thigh. She also wears a pouch on a cord around her neck. She has two small pockets in her vest and a large pocket on her right pants leg, and each zips closed to prevent loss of equipment. She also wears a pair of black fingerless gloves and ties a black headband low on her forehead to keep sweat and hair out of her eyes. Her hair is loosely braided and tucked under her left ear.
I wish I could send you a better picture, but I don’t have access to a scanner right now. I just took a picture of my pencil sketch with my camera. Thank you so much for this opportunity! It’s so nice to get to see Mara Jade being set free from the catsuit by some of her loyal fans!
Beth
***
Thanks Beth! Remember, you’ve got until August 15th to submit your entries.
Amy Ratcliffe Covers ‘The Clone Wars’ Panel at SDCC
Today’s big Star Wars event at San Diego Comic Con was a Clone Wars panel with Dave Filoni. While we couldn’t be there, we’re all fortunate that all-around awesome person Amy Ratcliffe was on hand to live-tweet the big stuff. She’s been kind enough to let us compile her coverage for the blog, so go say thank you by giving her a follow on Twitter!
Spoilery TCW goodness below the jump!