Author Archives: Nanci

New Clone Wars Story Reels Online Now!

Posted on by

tcw_s5logo_smHere’s your Clone Wars news, folks. The official site has posted a video for The Clone Wars Legacy, discussing continuing the story of the series through Marvel comics, Del Rey novels, and story reels on the Official Site. Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir is discussed, along with Dark Disciple, the new novel featuring Asajj Ventress and Quinlan Vos and written by Christie Golden.

And while it’s not new episodes per se, story reels for the Crystal Crisis on Utapau arc, featuring Matt Lanter and James Arnold Taylor and discussing Ahsoka’s departure from the Jedi Order (and a KYBER CRYSTAL), are now available! Dark Disciple will be available Summer 2015. And from what the video says, it seems like more stories are to come.

Tosche Station at Dragon Con

Posted on by

Dragon Con logoIt’s nearly the most wonderful time of the year–Dragon Con, that is! Once again members of the Tosche Station staff will be in attendance at the largest gathering of geeks in the Southeastern United States. For those not in the know (or who didn’t listen to our Dragon Con preview podcast last week), Dragon Con is held Labor Day weekend in Atlanta, Georgia, and features fan tracks from Alternate History to Young Adult Literature.

The Star Wars track, run by Brandy Roatsey and an intrepid team of volunteers, has its home base in room A706 in the Mariott. Stop by to marvel at their always entertaining room decorations and stay for panels featuring Star Wars authors. This year the track is hosting a new event–the Suits, Sinatra, and Star Wars cocktail mixer–on Friday night, which is sure to be a dapper fun time.

new dawnBrian, Nanci, and Bria will be on several panels. Stop by and say hello, and also for a chance to win one of 25 signed copies of the ARC of A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller!

Friday

  • 1 pm: A Farewell to Clone Wars, and Hello Rebels – Bria (Mariott  A706)
  • 4 pm: All the Single Ladies – Brian, Nanci, and Bria (Mariott A706)
  • 7 pm: An Introduction to Costuming – Bria (Mariott A706)

Saturday

  • 4 pm: Episode VII – Brian and Nanci (Mariott A601-602)
  • 7 pm: Advanced Costuming – Bria (Mariott A706)

Monday

  • 11:30 am: A New Hope: Who Was Luke Skywalker – Nanci (Mariott A706)

Don’t forget the Appreciating Aaron Allston and A.C. Crispin panel, which will be held Sunday at 5:30 pm in the Hyatt International North ballroom.

We hope to see you there!

 

Rebels to Premiere in the US on October 3

Posted on by

HeraHooray! The Official Site has finally announced the premiere date of Star Wars Rebels. The one-hour movie, Spark of Rebellion, will air on October 3 at 9:00 p.m. on the Disney Channel. The regular series episodes will air Monday at 9:00 p.m. on Disney XD, beginning October 13.

Fans will also be able to purchase Spark of Rebellion via iTunes, Amazon Prime, Google Play, and Disney XD VOD on October 4, with the DVD available on October 14.

So You Want To Go To Disney World

Posted on by

It’s no secret that Brian and I are fans of the Disney parks. We live ten minutes from Walt Disney World Resort (henceforth abbreviated as WDW) and are card-carrying premium annual passholders. We visit the parks at least twice a month, usually more than that, especially if there’s a special event or family is visiting.

We’re often asked if we get bored of Disney. The answer to that is an enthusiastic NO. WDW is huge. Our annual pass grants us unlimited admission to Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach, Disney Quest, and Disney’s miniature golf courses. Because we live so close, we can go for an hour or two after work on a Friday as a fun way to start off the weekend. We can go for a few hours on a Saturday when we’re bored. We can laze around a water park during the dog days of summer on a Sunday afternoon. I love being able to go to Disney for a few hours and not have to run myself ragged. I can’t imagine being a tourist and having to pack everything in WDW into only a few days.

(Plus, it keeps me from getting too annoyed with the tourists!)

Disney is ever-changing, and it’s not a place you can just pop into and expect to get the best experience. To that end, Brian and I are here to help! We’re starting a column called “So You Want To Go To Disney World,” highlighting WDW’s geeky attractions, history, and strategies to help you get the most out of your trip. We’ll also be discussing other theme parks, like Universal Orlando Resort, and Kennedy Space Center.

Why should you care about Disney World, you might ask? First of all, Disney World is home to Star Wars Weekends, a month-long celebration of Star Wars held every year in May and June. Most importantly, Disney is now our lord and master, owner of the Star Wars IP. My first thought upon hearing that Disney had bought Lucasfilm was “ahhhhh more Star Wars in the parks! Gimme my Star Wars Land!” It’s taken awhile, but it looks like our wishes will finally come true soon enough–Bob Iger recently stated on a conference call that more Star Wars will be coming to the parks, and to stay tuned for an announcement next year.

Let’s clear up some misinformation first, because there’s a lot of it going around:

  • Disney is not building a Star Wars theme park.
  • At most, Disney will create a Star Wars Land inside of one of its existing theme parks, most likely Hollywood Studios (home to Star Tours).
  • There is no Harry Potter theme park. There are two Harry Potter “lands,” located inside the Universal Studios (Diagon Alley) and Islands of Adventure (Hogsmeade) theme parks.
  • The Avatar expansion is already under construction inside Animal Kingdom.

Got it? Good.

We look forward to sharing our love of Disney an other Orlando theme parks with you. Stay tuned for our first column, covering Brian’s favorite ride–a classic Disney attraction in Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland. Can you guess what it is?

The Clone Wars Soundtrack is Coming, Says Kevin Kiner

Posted on by

tcw_s5logo_smThe Clone Wars composer Kevin Kiner recently told the Everything Geek Podcast that he is hard at work “compiling a CD of Clone Wars Seasons 1-6.” This is great news for fans of the series as well as fans of Star Wars music in general. Kiner also spoke about the differences between music in The Clone Wars and Rebels. (via)

I’m still waiting on the complete soundtracks for Episodes II and III, by the way. *taps foot*

An Observation About Women Who Speak in Star Wars

Posted on by

Last night, while getting ready for bed, Brian and I were talking about Star Wars. Big surprise, the conversation centered around the casting announcement. We speculated who the actors were playing, I squeed over Luke Skywalker, we joked about Carrie Fisher mentoring young Daisy Ridley about how Star Wars is about to ruin her life. It was grand.

We also discussed why there are only two females in the (presumably) main cast. We’ve been hearing that there may be a female role that’s yet to be cast, but that remains to be seen. Either way, the representation of women around that table is very poor. And it got me thinking about the women we see in Star Wars. More importantly, about the women we hear in Star Wars.

So I began to list all the women with speaking roles in the live action films, not counting feminine droids. And it was kind of infuriating.

Here’s what I came up with:

A NEW HOPE:

  • Leia
  • Aunt Beru

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

  • Leia
  • Tonyn Farr (the ion cannon control woman – I had to look up her name, I’m a bad fan)

RETURN OF THE JEDI

  • Leia
  • Mon Mothma
  • Oola
  • Sy Snootles (she sings, so I guess that counts)

THE PHANTOM MENACE

  • Transport captain (I am a bad fan and do not know her name and Google didn’t help)
  • Padme/Amidala
  • Sabe (aka Kiera Knightly)
  • Jira (Anakin’s old lady friend)
  • Anakin’s two girl friends (I’m a bad fan and do not know their names but one of them is Katie Lucas do I get my fan points back)
  • Shmi
  • Rabe (the handmaiden who speaks to Anakin on Coruscant)
  • Dinee Ellberger (the lady pilot in Bravo Squadron!)

ATTACK OF THE CLONES

  • Padme
  • Corde (the handmaiden who dies)
  • Dorme (the handmaiden who sees Padme off on Coruscant)
  • Jocasta Nu
  • Queen Jamillia
  • Taun We
  • Shmi
  • Beru (I guess saying “hello” counts)

REVENGE OF THE SITH

  • Padme
  • …And that’s it.

The only woman with a speaking role in Revenge of the Sith is Padme. ONE. ONE WOMAN WITH A SPEAKING ROLE IN A MOVIE THAT’S OVER TWO AND A HALF HOURS LONG. And she dies of a broken heart. (Perhaps the deleted scenes might have helped here? Alas…) How had I never realized this before? Was I that blinded by Padme losing the will to live that I didn’t see that there are NO other women who speak in this movie? It’s absolutely ridiculous. There’s no reason for it. Any random male secondary character could have easily been a female with absolutely no change to the plot.

The other movies don’t do that great when it comes to women, either, with only a handful of of them actually having lines. Things seemed to get better in the first two prequels, but crapped out at the end. While there may be a lot of diversity in the background, there’s no denying women are shockingly absent from the main storyline.

And this is why people get angry. Women are seen in these movies, but not heard. It’s kind of disgusting metaphor that sticks right in the heart.

And it’s important we all acknowledge and think about it.

 

(Note: If I’ve missed someone, please let me know. I think one of the Neimoidians on the Invisible Hand might have been female, but it’s hard to tell with their bulky robes and goggles. I genuinely racked my brain trying to think of all the random female background characters who might speak. Perhaps that’s the most telling part?)

It’s Official: We Have Our Episode VII Cast

Posted on by

episode vii cast The official site finally put to bed all rumors and announced the cast of Episode VII.

“Actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow will join the original stars of the saga, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker in the new film.”

HUZZAH. Fandom knows Andy Serkis from the Lord of the Rings films, playing Gollum, while Domhnall Gleeson played Bill Weasley in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Oscar Davis starred in the film Inside Llewyn Davis, while Adam Driver is best known for his role in the HBO series Girls.

Also: MAX VON FRICKIN SYDOW? Wow, okay. On a diversity note, we’ve got two POCs in the main cast…but only one girl. Oh well, at least it’s some progress!

Finally, a fangirl note from the author of this post: JEDI MASTER LUKE SKYWALKER RIDES AGAIN!

Now, let the speculation of who they’re all playing begin.

Del Rey Announces Three Additional Star Wars Titles

Posted on by

I kind of feel like Del Rey/Lucasbooks are sitting together in a room somewhere, steepling their fingers, and saying, “You wanted news? Okay, we’ll give you news.”

So after today’s official announcement about the status of the Expanded Universe, Disney Publishing Worldwide and Random House have announced a relaunch of the Star Wars adult fiction line. From the press release:

Following today’s announcement of Lucasfilm’s new unified storytelling approach, Disney Publishing Worldwide is proud to announce their first step into that larger world, beginning with Del Rey Books. The publishing program will feature new adult fiction novels set in the beloved galaxy far, far away, and will be closely connected to the cinematic entertainment currently in development at Lucasfilm.

Star Wars novels consistently rank on the New York Times Bestseller lists — from the very first tie-in novel, an adaptation ofStar Wars: A New Hope released by Del Rey in 1976, to the recently published Star Wars:Kenobi ­– and dozens of titles in between. With over 75 million copies sold worldwide, these books have captured the imaginations and creativity of authors who have enriched the Star Wars experience for fans around the globe.

Going forward, Lucasfilm has begun mapping out the narrative future of Star Wars storytelling that will appear on film and television and in other media so that all projects will benefit from real-time collaboration and alignment. The future Star Warsnovels from Disney Publishing Worldwide and Del Rey Books will now be part of the official Star Wars canon as reflected on upcoming TV and movie screens.

“With the establishment of the Lucasfilm Story Group and our even greater focus on unified storytelling, we expect our entire publishing program to be stronger and more meaningful than ever before,” said Jeanne Mosure, senior vice president and group publisher, Disney Publishing Worldwide. “We’re extremely excited to kick off this new strategy with Del Rey Books.”

The first novel to benefit from this deeper collaboration is Star Wars: A New Dawn, by bestselling author John Jackson Miller. Set prior to the events of the forthcoming animated series Star Wars Rebels, this novel tells the story of how two of the lead characters of the series, Kanan Jarrus and Hera Syndulla, came to cross paths. To tell this important backstory, Miller benefited from contact with series executive producers Dave Filoni, Simon Kinberg and Greg Weisman, who together ensured this tale will be part of the Star Wars canon of storytelling going forward. It is scheduled for hardcover and eBook release onSeptember 2, 2014.

“We’re extremely proud of the hundreds of amazing Star Wars books we’ve published at Del Rey,” said Scott Shannon, SVP, Publisher, Del Rey and Digital Content, “And now we’re excited to finally be able to call our upcoming novels true canon—a single, cohesive Star Wars storyline—all while keeping the amazing backlist of Star Wars Legends content in print.”

Following Star Wars: A New Dawn, the all-new Star Wars fiction line will continue with the following 2014/2015 titles:

STAR WARS: TARKIN
James Luceno
11/4/14
tarkin
 
STAR WARS: HEIR TO THE JEDI
Kevin Hearne
January 2015
Heir to the Jedi
 
STAR WARS: LORDS OF THE SITH
Paul Kemp
March 2015
Lords of the Sith

In years past, the storylines that would appear in print and on screen were developed separately, resulting in an “Expanded Universe” that differed in ways large and small from the filmmaker’s “canon.” These rich stories provide a treasure trove of characters to fall in love with — and deep worlds to explore and will live on in both physical and digital editions, newly-branded as Star Wars Legends.

For more information and for looks at the covers of all four new titles announced above, please visit the Del Rey Star WarsBooks Facebook page at Facebook.com/StarWarsBooks.

For more information on the Star Wars Legends rebranding and Expanded Universe, go to StarWars.com.

Several points of note:

  • Del Rey’s contract has been renewed.
  • A Tarkin novel? By Luceno??? Holy crap! It’s not the Dooku or Padme novel I’ve been wanting, but I’ll take it.
  • The Luke novel by Kevin Hearne is still on the schedule and not part of the “Legends” line. This makes me happy. As does the title. Edit: And it’s in first person!
  • A Kemp novel? Is this related to the long-discussed Kemp duology?

Keep an eye on the Star Wars Books Facebook page for more cover reveals as the day goes on.