Author Archives: Nanci

Holonet Blast #129

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We’ve got a grab bag of news in this week’s Holonet Blast, from movies to TV to literature to toys!

This biggest news of the week is undoubtedly the return of The Clone Wars. The final season has begun streaming on Disney+ with “The Bad Batch”, and will be dropping one episode per week.

Clone Wars not your thing? No worries! At New York Toy Fair there was a slew of new product reveals, including items from TCW and also The Mandalorian. Will there be Baby Yoda–I mean, The Child–merchandise? You betcha, including an ADORABLE animatronic plush that I might need to buy for my son. Yes, my son. DEFINITELY not me.

In other toy news, earlier in the week Entertainment Weekly revealed a new wave of action figures marking the 40th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back. Sadly, there was no Veers.

Finally, if you’re like me and impatiently waiting for the home release of The Rise of Skywalker, you’re in luck! The movie will be released on digital March 17 and on physical media March 31.

The digital release coincides with the release of the novelization by Rae Carson. Want to whet your appetite? The official site posted an excerpt featuring Kylo Ren on Mustafar.

Finally, Marvel is also getting in on the adaptation fun. The Rise of Skywalker comic will begin in June, and will be written by Jody Houser with art by Will Sliney. 

That’s it for the news this post! But the news for the week isn’t over. Stay tuned late this evening for the reveal of PROJECT LUMINOUS.

Holonet Blast #126

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Hello friends! It’s time for your weekly Holonet Blast. It’s been a slow week, besides some unsubstantiated rumors about the Kenobi show, but we’ve got some awesome (and official) record-breaking news to report.

First, The Rise of Skywalker broke the $1 billion mark at the worldwide box office on its 28th day of release. It’s now the fifth Star Wars film to reach this milestone. So much for Star Wars being dead, huh?

Second, Jen Heddle reported on Twitter that Star Wars #1 was the top-selling comic book of the decade! What an amazing accomplishment. In addition, Princess Leia #1 was the number 37 selling book. John Jackson Miller provided some additional context in the replies, noting that Star Wars #1 also sold more than any comic in the 2000s.

That’s it for this week! Hopefully we’ll get some Project Luminous and Clone Wars news soon? Yes?

Holonet Blast #130

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It’s that time of year–Star Wars movie promo season! J.J. Abrams and members of The Rise of Skywalker cast have been making the rounds on TV and in print. Of note: the runtime; John Boyega confessing it was his script that got swiped and put on Ebay; Daisy Ridley preferring Baby Yoda to porgs; and TRoS’s first word (at). There’s also a bunch of new TV spots over on YouTube, including Palpatine being menacing over Duel of the Fates, Leia holding the legacy lightsaber, and Poe back in an x-wing. There’s also a tear-jerking saga featurette reminiscent of the one that was shown during Celebration but including some new footage. And in sad yet heartwarming news, a fan in hospice was able to see TRoS early with his young son.

Baby Yoda–I mean, The Mandalorian–has become the top streaming show in the United States, knocking off Stranger Things. Four episodes of the show have been released on Disney+, and Baby Yoda has produced excellent memes in each of them. The latest? Baby Yoda drinking tea. Perfection.

Del Rey revealed the cover for Timothy Zahn’s newest book, Thrawn Ascendancy: Book One: Chaos Rising. Released on May 5, 2020, it’s set before Thrawn joining the Empire and takes place in the Unknown Regions, or what the Chiss call “The Chaos.” That’s not foreboding at all.

That’s not the only book coming out on May 5, however. The latest episode of the Star Wars Show announced that E.K. Johnston has written a prequel to Queen’s Shadow. Queen’s Peril will take place during the time of The Phantom Menace and feature the original handmaidens.

That’s it for this week. I leave you with John Boyega writing a Victorian inspired letter to Oscar Isaac.

Holonet Blast #126

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Hello, friends! We’re still a week out from Resistance Reborn by Rebecca Roanhorse, but last week Del Rey whetted our appetites with a new excerpt via io9. This one features our favorite pilot, Poe Dameron, as he tracks down Maz Kanata (my cat’s namesake) at, of all places, a spa. Because why the hell not? Poe’s hair can’t possibly stay that pretty on its own, right?

Last week we mentioned that Disney + tweeted out all the movies and shows you’ll be able to watch on the streaming platform. And for some Verizon customers, you can watch all that content for free! Verizon will be offering 12 months of Disney + to 4G LTE and 5G unlimited wireless customers, along with new Verizon FIOS and 5G home internet customers. As someone who has FIOS internet (not through Verizon, for transparency’s sake), I will say if you’ve been waiting on updating your internet service, you will never look back after upgrading to those blazing speeds. Plus, free Disney +!

In news that surprises no one, but is still nice to have confirmation nonetheless, the Disney Parks blog announced that yes, Star Tours will be updated with new modules for The Rise of Skywalker. This is great news as most of the Star Wars focus at the parks has been on Batuu, and Star Tours is still such a great ride, I’m glad it’s not being neglected. The Starspeeder 1000 will take guests to the ocean moon of Kef Bir (where the Death Star ruins are located – presumably another moon of Endor or at least in the same system?), as well as a location yet to be determined. Color me interested! The new modules will debut on December 20, the release day of The Rise of Skywalker.

Oh, and speaking of The Rise of Skywalker…I guess we got the final trailer and tickets went on sale? Not sure if that interests anyone here. But I thought I’d mention it.

Kidding! Of course that’s the biggest news of the past week. We already broke down the trailer on Tosche Station Radio, which you can download on all your favorite podcatching apps. In case you have not yet bought tickets, Star Wars dot com has the scoop on special events and giveaways associated with different theatre chains. And, because why not, here’s another look at the trailer itself. See y’all next week!

Holonet Blast #121

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It’s a comics heavy Holonet Blast this week! First, the official site released a preview of Age of Resistance: Kylo Ren, which releases on September 25. (Mark Hamill’s birthday!) The issue shows Kylo following in his grandfather’s footsteps on the planet Benathy. In Kylo-adjacent news, Charles Soule talked about his upcoming The Rise of Kylo Ren, the first issue of which will be released on December 4. The rest of the comic drops AFTER The Rise of Skywalker on December 20. Soule confirmed the comic will touch on Kylo’s training with Luke Skywalker, leading up to the night he destroyed the Jedi temple.

The official site also announced a new comic event, Empire Ascendant, which will close out Marvel’s flagship Star Wars series, as well as the ongoing Doctor Aphra, with the Rebels building Echo Base on Hoth. The 56-page comic will be written by Charles Soule, Greg Pak, Simon Spurrier, and Ethan Sacks, with art by Luke Ross, Roland Boschi, and more. The announcement promises to reveal the fate of Aphra, which has several Tosche Station staff members very nervous.

Finally, in non-comics news, Slashfilm revealed the complete list of movies and TV shows coming to Disney + on launch day, thanks to a preview event in the Netherlands. All the Star Wars films except for Solo will available (due to Solo still being on Netflix), as well as The Clone Wars, Rebels, and Resistance.

That’s it for this week’s news. May the Force be with you!

Review: Black Spire

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Black Spire by Delilah Dawson is an interesting and unique entry into Star Wars canon: it’s a tie in to a theme park expansion. Specifically Galaxy’s Edge, which opened at Disneyland in May and will open August 29 at Walt Disney World. Black Spire is named for the main settlement on the planet Batuu, which the locals refer to as Black Spire Outpos (BSO). When I started this novel, I had not yet visited Galaxy’s Edge, but I finished it in between my two visits, which made exploring the land a little more interesting. (I say “a little more” because the land in and of itself is amazing without any outside knowledge.) But the parts of the novel that described BSO, while making me excited to visit Galaxy’s Edge myself, also took me out of the larger story. Does that mean the novel is bad? No, just different. It’s not every day you read a Star Wars book set in a place you can actually visit.   Continue reading →

Holonet Blast #116

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Hey everyone! It’s time for a Galaxy’s Edge-heavy edition of the Holonet Blast, which is appropriate considering I visited Galaxy’s Edge in Disney World for the very first time yesterday! It was absolutely amazing and everything I’ve ever wanted. I got to BE a Star War! But for now, on to the news!

First off, Luke Skywalker is your guide in a new book called The Secrets of the Jedi, by Marc Sumerak. It will be released on November 19 from Insight Editions, and will feature commentary from Luke on the Jedi Order throughout the past and into the present.

Star Wars Roll Out, a new series of animated shorts for the Star Wars Kids YouTube channel, debuted on August 9. Created by Hideo Itoyanagi, the shorts depict the Star Wars characters in the style of beloved droid BB-8. It looks adorable.

If you’re lucky enough to have been to Galaxy’s Edge, you know it has some of the best quick service meals on property, in addition to other treats and drinks. Thanks to a new cookbook, you can recreate these items at home. Released in November, just in time for the holiday season, the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Cookbook is also written by Sumerak and released by Insight Editions.

Galaxy’s Edge at Disney World opens on August 29, and to celebrate WDW will be hosting several merchandise events. Ashley Eckstein from Her Universe will be signing at Launch Bay Cargo in Hollywood Studios on August 17. Also at Launch Bay Cargo, on August 18, artists Craig Fraser, Kevin-John, William Silvers, and Charles Wissig will be meeting guests and signing art created just for Galaxy’s Edge. Finally, on August 28, authors Delilah Dawson and Zoraida Córdova will be available to sign copies of their novels Black Spire and A Crash of Fate, while comic creators Ethan Sacks and Will Sliney will be on hand to sign copies of the comic Galaxy’s Edge.

Won’t be able to get to Galaxy’s Edge on either coast for awhile? Don’t worry, Disney has got you covered. The Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge special will air on Freeform network on September 29, and will showcase all parts of the land, including a preview of the Rise of the Resistance attraction, scheduled to open in December in Walt Disney World and January in Disneyland.

That’s the news for the week! Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to pass out and dream of Batuu all night long.

Holonet Blast #111

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It’s time for a triple 1 Holonet Blast! There’s not a lot of news to report this week, being a holiday weekend and all, but don’t worry. We’re not empty handed!

First off, Daisy Ridley has been making the rounds for Ophelia and dropped some tidbits about The Rise of Skywalker. Read the articles in USA Today, in which she talks fan theories, and in Vulture, in which she talks about her hug with Carrie Fisher from the teaser trailer. Ridley also was interviewed on Good Morning America and stated she thinks fans will be satisfied and called Episode IX a brilliant end to the story. Yeah, I’m excited!

Sadly, in much less cool news, Riz Ahmed recently revealed that he had to cancel his Celebration Chicago appearance due to being detained at the airport. Ahmed spoke at a leadership summit about the issues faced by Muslims. Not only is it disappointing Ahmed wasn’t able to greet fans, but it’s also an ugly reminder of the racial profiling and discrimination that occurs in our society.

Today was the Women’s World Cup Final (Go USA!) and Walt Disney Studios dropped a teaser for the live action Mulan film, releasing next March. I’m usually not super excited about Disney’s live action versions of their cartoon films, but this one looks to be not an adaptation but rather an original take on the Mulan story. The teaser was excellent and I’m really excited to see how the film turns out.

That’s all for this week’s Holonet Blast. See y’all next week!

Holonet Blast #106

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Not a lot of news dropped this week, but that doesn’t matter – it was Vanity Fair week! Just like for The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, Annie Leibovitz photographed the cast of The Rise of Skywalker. The pictures, as always, are gorgeous. There’s also a rather long article by author Lev Grossman, heavy on speculation but also with some new tidbits. The Knights of Ren are officially back; Keri Russell was “revealed” to play the masked scoundrel Zorri Bliss; Richard Grant is Allegiant General Pryde; there’s a year between TLJ and TRoS; J.J. Abrams commented on using archival footage of Carrie Fisher for new scenes with Leia.

Check out the photos and article here. My favorite photo, of the two coolest cats in the galaxy, is below.

Holonet Blast #102

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This news post was definitely not written at the last minute, no sirree bob. It definitely wasn’t overlooked due to Avengers Endgame hangover and feeling sick all weekend. (I don’t even watch Game of Thrones so I have no excuse there.) ANYWAY. On with the show!

Speaking of Endgame, yes this is a Star Wars centric blog but it would be remiss not to mention Endgame‘s humongous box office take this weekend. $1.2 billion worldwide, to be specific. Aka the biggest worldwide opening weekend ever. The previous record? Infinity War, with $640 million. That’s a HUGE difference. Domestically, Endgame also broke records, taking in $350 million to Infinity War‘s $258 million. Something tells me that Disney is going to have a very good year at the box office.

Back to Star Wars, we have an excerpt for Dooku: Jedi Lost, by Cavan Scott. The audio original releases tomorrow, April 30, from Del Rey.

In news very relevant to my interests, reservations for Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland open on May 2. Yes, you will need a reservation to enter Galaxy’s Edge when the land first opens. Reservations will be handed out in four-hour chunks on a first-come, first-serve basis. Guests with Disneyland hotel reservations can already book their guaranteed time slots. Learn more about the reservation system at this link. (I am very glad this system will not be in place at Disney World. That we know of, at least.)

Finally, a big congrats to the Star Wars team for their five 2019 Webby awards! The Star Wars Show won both the Webby Award and the People’s Voice Award in Social: Television & Film as well as the Webby Award for Video: Variety. The Live From the Red Carpet of Solo: A Star Wars Story! coverage was voted the People’s Voice Winner in Video: Events & Live streams. Starwars.com won the award for People’s Voice Award for Website in the Movie & Film category (for the third year in a row) and was selected as an honoree in the category of Websites: Best User Experience.