Author Archives: Bria

Review: Last Shot

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What do you get when you take Daniel José Older, toss him into the Star Wars universe, and let him play with two of the most famous scoundrels in the galaxy? A goddamn delight. You get a goddamn delight. Okay, fine: it’s actually called Last Shot but that doesn’t mean it’s not also a delight. Set two years after the Battle of Jakku, Last Shot follows Han and Lando on a mission with an eclectic team as choices they made over a decade before rear their ugly heads to bite them in the rear. What could possibly go wrong?

While the idea of a novel told over three different time periods may leave some readers a little wary, Older quickly sets us as ease. Right from the start, Last Shot is engaging and difficult to put down. Han and Lando’s in-the-past story lines weave in and out of the current day tale, all building together until you can’t imagine reading about the main adventure without knowing about the journeys that Han and Sana and Lando and L3 went on before. Continue reading →

Holonet Blast #54

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Welcome to a very video game and book centric edition of the Holonet Blast! I’d write some more stuff here but… EWOK HUNT MODE

That’s right, folks! There are updates coming to Battlefront II this week and while the appearances, ability tweaks, and all that are neat… YOU’LL GET TO PLAY AS AN EWOK. From the Community Transmission:

The ambush begins as the Ewok attacks the unsuspecting stormtroopers, using spears, Wisties, and whatever abilities they can muster to take down the intruders. Each defeated stormtrooper spawns as another Ewok, multiplying until the Empire’s forces have been completely eliminated, and the Ewok celebration can begin. Imperial forces will need all their training to survive until their evacuation arrives. Do so, and they’ll make it off of Endor and claim the win.

Our bodies are ready.

In further video game news, backwards compatibility is coming to Xbox One games on Tuesday including a bunch of old school Star Wars games such as Knights of the Old Republic and Republic Commando. If anyone needs me, I’ll finally be setting up the Xbox I got and buying KOTOR for a third time to play a game that’s well over a decade old.

Solo: A Star Wars Story products were revealed and (mostly) were made available for purchase on Friday so now you can go buy yourself a Black Series Lando and then take him to Denny’s with you for a Solo themed dinner.

Speaking of Solo, Last Shot will be released on Tuesday. If you can’t stand the wait, you can check out an excerpt or go look at the awesome character cards made by friend-of-the-blog Heath! (We’ll also have a review of Last Shot tomorrow but trust me… you’re going to want to buy it.)

Review: Doctor Aphra #18

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Hey Aphra? I hope you understand how lucky you are to be alive right now because holy crap, you should’ve died at least six times in this issue alone. Okay, maybe not six but a lot. At least twice.

One of the coolest things about this particular arc (and with so much going on, there’ve been a lot) is the combination of Aphra and Hera; two women who could not be more different. Even if they were on the same side of things, I highly doubt you would ever see them getting a drink together but wow are they fun to throw together. I particular enjoyed Aphra having a scientific interest in the abominations created by the Tarkin Initiative while Hera is horrified on moral grounds. My second favorite was Hera’s remark that “It’s lonely being you, isn’t it?” because WOW did she figure Aphra out fast.

This issue is making me think a lot about Aphra and what kind of person she is. The easy answer is that she’s not a good one but it’s always more complicated than that. Simultaneously, Aphra does what’s in her best interest and almost gets herself killed a lot. She’ll do the terrible thing but try and find a way around it. And she’ll flirt with an Imperial officer even though she knows it can’t end well. Aphra, you are a delightful and complicated mess and I love you more with every issue.

As Aphra’s allies dwindle, in part because of her own actions, her chances of surviving this arc are decreasingly rapidly… as are the chances for her allies. Seriously, I need that next issue now. Please?

Doctor Aphra #18: Kieron Gillen and Si Spurrier/Writers, Emilio Laiso/Artist, Rachelle Rosenberg/Colors, Joe Caramagna/Letterer, Heather Antos/Assistant Editor, Jordan D. White/Editor

Review: Poe Dameron #25

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When reading Poe Dameron #25, it feels like this could have very easily been the end of the series. Instead, it’s an end of an era within the comic as we reach the last issue set prior to the Sequel Trilogy. From here on out, everything’s clearly going to be different and you know what? They’ve earned it.

One of the best things about this arc has been the insight it’s given us into Lor San Tekka. If anything, he’s a character we should see more of in his earlier days because he’s clearly had quite a life and seen some things. His thoughts on the Force are of particular interest given that he’s studied the Force but cannot touch it. Perhaps it’s his conversation with Poe at the end though that has the most impact. After all, he’s right: the fate of the galaxy doesn’t just revolve around Force users and nor will Luke be quite the catalyst that his sister hopes. Characters who respect the contributions of non-Force users as much as the Jedi are the best.

I do have to say that even after all this time, I don’t necessarily buy Snap and Karé as a couple. It’s very nice that they’ve found each other and clearly care but… I don’t? (Sorry.)

It does, however, say something that Soule can make us care about a mere droid so much. Poor Jess Pava has had the worst luck when it comes to astromechs and brave Ivee volunteered to fly with her and then… well, I’m sure you can guess. One of the sweetest scenes in this entire series thus far takes place between Jess and BB-8 as they remember their friend together.

Poe Dameron #25 is a fitting end to this part of Black Squadron’s story. I’m not sure where the comic intends to be (aside from to Jakku) but I’m most certainly eager to keep reading and hope we get to see the adventures of all of Black Squadron for many months to come.

Poe Dameron #25: Charles Soule/Writer, Angel Unzueta/Artist, Arif Prianto/Colorist, Joe Caramagna/Letterer, Jordan White/Editor, Heather Antos/Assistant Editor

Go/No-Go: The Last Jedi Novelization

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nasa-mission-control-3Welcome back to Go/No-Go, Tosche Station’s regular feature where we offer our spoiler-free opinion as to whether or not you should spend your hard-earned money on a book, film, or other entertainment. Today on the launch pad: Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the novelization that is! Some of us *coughNancicough* have been very eagerly awaiting this book especially since it’s Star Wars veteran Jason Fry’s first adult novel. What did we think once we actually read it? To mission control for the verdict! Continue reading →

Let your darlings die. Kill them if you have to.

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This column has spoilers for The Last Jedi, Battlefront II, and all of Star Wars Rebels.

Character deaths are never easy especially if a creator has done their job right and made you care. No one ever wakes up one day and goes “I really want to experience a story in which my favorite character dies today!” However, as a Jedi Master once said, “death is a natural part of life” and sometimes, a character’s story is best served with their death, no matter how much it may hurt those who love them. Ultimately, this is where Star Wars Rebels has failed some of its characters and where both The Last Jedi and Battlefront II have succeeded. Continue reading →

Rebels Review: A Fool’s Hope and Family Reunion – and Farewell

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The end of an era. We here at Tosche Station have been watching and reviewing Star Wars Rebels since the very beginning which makes this series finale rather bittersweet. And so, one last time, we all sat down to take a look at these final two episodes: “A Fool’s Hope” and “Family Reunion – and Farewell”.

This is your first and only spoiler warning. Continue reading →

Holonet Blast #48

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Welcome back to another edition of the Holonet Blast! It’s was another quieter week so let’s get right to it.

The Official Site released the first excerpt from Last Shot and it features is ADORABLE and AMAZING and oh my god, I think most of the fandom already died from feels. Daniel José Older also talked to StarWars.com about working on the novel.

Entertainment Weekly gave us a first look at the deleted scenes that will be on The Last Jedi DVD and there are a lot of them. Can we have the DVD yet? Pleeeeeease?

In not confirmed but probable news, John Williams insinuated that Episode IX could be his last Star Wars film which would be sad but if the Rogue One soundtrack is anything to judge by, the future films will be okay.

We’re taking a detour away from Star Wars news for a moment but it’s still pretty relevant. The US release date for Infinity War has been bumped up a week so it’ll premiere in April instead.

And finally, in Oscars news, The Last Jedi won precisely no awards but the cast represented and looked good doing it. Oscar Isaac scratched BB-8’s belly on live television, Mark Hamill introduced himself to Gal Gadot, and Kelly Marie Tran look gorgeous and amazing and I’m pretty sure this video saved my life.

That’s all for this week! If you need me, I’ll be yelling at my phone about how we don’t deserve KMT.

Review: Star Wars #41-43

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The interesting thing about accidentally putting off your comic reviews for a few issues is what you notice about how an arc reads. I’m a big fan of Kieron Gillen’s work (just go look at my reviews of his fantastic Darth Vader) but something about his Star Wars series just wasn’t entirely clicking for me in the same way. That click finally happened when I sat down and read the latest three issues together. If you’ve struggled with “The Ashes of Jedha”, try reading it all together in one sitting for a better experience. (Which given that we’re talking about Gillen’s writing here, probably shouldn’t have surprised me. But here we are.) Let’s talk about each of the big three. Continue reading →

Review: Darth Vader (2017) #11+12

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After the crazy, brain breaking kyber crystal arc and then the Jocasta Nu Chronicles, Darth Vader #11 and #12 are nice, self-contained story that serve almost as a palette cleanser before Soule and Camuncoli send the dark lord off on his next adventure. For now though, his Jedi hunt continues as Vader and Ninth Sister head out to Cabarria after hearing rumors of a Jedi there… only for the hunt to turn against him and the originator to be very highly placed within the Empire…

These two issues make sure that we don’t forget several things about the relatively young Darth Vader. First, that he is far from an established presence within the Empire and its power structure. Second, that Palpatine is incredibly twisted and has no problem beating Vader down verbally. Third, there is still a little bit of Anakin Skywalker left within Darth Vader. In a way, all three of these things have been key to the entire book so far and will likely remain so in future issues.

This isn’t the first time the Camuncoli has depicted how Vader sees himself in the Force while meditating but it’s still jaw-dropping nonetheless. Those panels need very little to no dialogue to convey so much and I hope that they continue to be a thing throughout this book. I also strongly appreciated that Camuncoli made it a point to depict both men and women within the Imperial ranks. Hopefully this continues to be a trend in the Star Wars comics.

If you’re looking to start reading the Darth Vader comics, issues #11-12 aren’t a bad way to jump on to the book or to test the waters a little and see if it’s your thing. There’s plenty here to enjoy for both new and established readers alike.

Darth Vader #11+12: Charles Soule/Writer, Giuseppe Camuncoli/Pencils, Daniele Orlandini/Inks, David Curiel/Colorist, Joe Caramagna/Letterer, Heather Antos/Assistant Editor, Jordan D. White/Editor