MARK HAMILL IS GOING TO BE AT STAR WARS WEEKENDS

Posted on March 20, 2014 by Nanci

MARK HAMILL IS GOING TO BE AT STAR WARS WEEKENDS! OMGWTFBBQ!!!!!!!

THIS IS HIS FIRST APPEARANCE AT THE EVENT. HE WILL BE ATTENDING THE WEEKEND OF JUNE 6-8, 2014. HE WILL PARTICIPATE IN THE STAR WARS CELEBRITY MOTORCADE AND THE STARS OF THE SAGA TALK SHOW.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

(Note: Brian and I had this conversation prior to me writing this blog post:

Brian: Would you like to blog this? 😉

Me: I don’t know if you’d really want that?

Brian: Oh yes. Yes I would 😉

Me: Okay. You asked for it.

I’m really sorry, you guys.)

Why the Sequel Trilogy Needs to Star a Skywalker

Posted on March 20, 2014 by Nanci

I’m a fan of the Expanded Universe. It’s what sucked me in to the saga, made me a fan, and made me stay a fan. Once the credits rolled on my first viewing of Return of the Jedi, I had to know what happened to the characters next. Little did I know that a book called Heir to the Empire had just been released, and coincidentally enough, it starred Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, and Han Solo.

Over the past 20+ years I’ve followed the EU pretty closely. I’ve gotten angry at certain plot developments and given up on it entirely. I’ve come crawling back with the promise of good Father-Son interaction, and a new X-Wing book. I’ve gotten tired of the Big Three starring in every story, and threw up my hands at the Crucible announcement. Before the Disney sale, I was optimistic about the future of the EU, and looking forward to more X-Wing books and a trilogy about Jaina Solo, Han and Leia’s daughter. It was about time she got her time in the spotlight, completely separate from her parents.

Now, with Episode VII on the horizon, I wholeheartedly believe that the Sequel Trilogy must star one of the next generation of Skywalkers, and I will argue this point until I’m blue in the face.

Continue reading →

Episode VII will begin 30 years, post RotJ, star new and old faces

Posted on March 18, 2014 by Nanci

We actually got some Episode VII news out of the Disney shareholders earning call today! Not a lot, but right now I’m willing to grasp at any and all scraps of news I can get my tiny fingers on.

Bob Iger confirmed that Episode VII will begin approximately 30 years after Return of the Jedi (or 34 ABY for us Expanded Universe folk), and will star some familiar faces along with a trio of new leads. However, the only confirmed cast member is still R2-D2. Le sigh.

Still! Some news is better than no news! I think. Hopefully, with filming starting in May, we’ll get some more substantial news–like casting!–pretty soon.

Kevin Hearne’s Luke novel set for release in January 2015

Posted on March 17, 2014 by Nanci

Over on the catalog Edelweiss, Knights’ Archive spotted a listing for the audio version of Kevin Hearne’s upcoming debut Star Wars novel. It will star Luke Skywalker and round out the unofficial “Empire and Rebellion” trilogy.

In an attempt to distract the Empire from important Rebel Alliance activity, Luke Skywalker draws the attention of Imperial Security, leading him-along with Princess Leia Organa, Han Solo, and Chewbacca-into a deadly trap right in Darth Vader’s sights!

No mention of Rogue Squadron of X-Wings in there, but I’m still really excited for a book starring Luke Skywalker, the most underappreciated of all the Star Wars Original Trilogy characters.

The novel is scheduled for release on January 13, 2015, which is the day after my birthday. Thank you, Del Rey, for a lovely birthday present.

Report: Disney Prohibits EU Characters from Star Wars Weekend Motorcade

Posted on March 13, 2014 by Nanci

A fan dressed as Baron Fel marches in the 2013 Star Wars Weekends motorcade.

Update: It appears it’s the 501st acting on their own rather than Disney calling for this. Brian has written an open letter to the 501st in response.

One of the most popular events at Disney’s Star Wars Weekends is the Celebrity Motorcade that travels down Hollywood Boulevard to the stage hear the Sorcerer’s Hat. Fans line the streets to watch Disney characters, celebrity guests, and costumed fans from the 501st and the Rebel Legion. One of my favorite things about the motorcade is picking out all the Expanded Universe characters and yelling out their names to give them love. Popular EU appearances have been Mara Jade, Baron Fel, Starkiller (both versions), Revan, Darth Nihilus, Juno Eclipse…the list goes on.

According to a post on the Disboards, Disney is getting more strict this year when it comes to fan costumes, and is outright prohibiting certain Expanded Universe characters, including Mara Jade, from participating in the motorcade.

Darth Nihilus intimidates spectators.

This isn’t surprising, considering Disney has already retired the Hyperspace Hoopla, a popular dance-off type event with Star Wars characters, some speculate in order to “be more serious” about their characters in anticipation of new films being released. Why allow characters like Mara Jade to participate in the motorcade if they’re rendered non-canon by the Sequel Trilogy? It makes sense.

But it’s still incredibly disappointing, both to fans who made the costumes and fans like me who really enjoy seeing EU characters represented and get some love. In previous parades, I’ve heard the hosts call out Mara Jade and explain that she was the Emperor’s Hand and later Luke Skywalker’s wife. I’ve also heard them do this with characters like Revan and Starkiller. (One of my favorite moments was seeing a young boy freak out and yell, “There’s no way that was Darth Revan!”)

I’ve always been realistic when it comes to the future of the EU and the characters I love, but I didn’t expect Disney to kick ’em out of the parade. I guess I’ll have to get my fill of EU characters at conventions.

Edit: I’ve learned from 501st members that while certain EU characters like Revan and Starkiller are still allowed to march in the parade, the majority have been prohibited, including post-RotJ characters. And standards for Jawas (must be under 5 feet) and Jedi robes (must be standard colors) have been clamped down.

Even Admiral Daala was represented in the motorcade.

Yub Yub, Aaron Allston

Posted on February 28, 2014 by Nanci

This is not a post any of us ever wanted to have to write. Aaron Allston, prolific Star Wars author and all-around awesome human being, passed away last night after apparent massive heart failure.

It’s safe to say that without Aaron, many of us wouldn’t be SWEU fans. It’s also safe to say that several of us wouldn’t have stayed SWEU fans without Aaron. No matter what he was writing, he had the ability to make you laugh and cry, sometimes on the same page, and then make you laugh through those tears. He created some of our most favorite characters, some of the SWEU’s best moments, and kept it fun through dark times. Several of us name Starfighters of Adumar as our favorite SWEU book of all time.

Aaron was a presence at many conventions, including Celebration and Dragon Con, where he ran writing workshops with Mike Stackpole. I participated in several of his seminars; not only was the man a great writer, but he was a great teacher, too. He always treated everyone like a friend, whether you’d known him for ages or had just approached him to ask him to sign one of your books. Aaron also contributed to several of my favorite panels at Dragon Con, where he had the audience in stitches. As Timothy Zahn said last night on Facebook, “The Aaron, Mike, and Tim show, as we called it, has come to a sad close.”

Brian and I had the honor of interviewing Aaron on the podcast, only our second interview (after Stackpole, fittingly), and were quite nervous to do so. He put us at ease and, needless to say, the interview ended up being informative and full of laughter. Probably my favorite interview we’ve ever done.

Star Wars will not be the same without Aaron Allston. Yub Yub, Commander. The Wraiths are flying in formation in your honor today.

edit: Brian posted his own thoughts here.

Diversity for Diversity’s Sake Is Not a Bad Thing

Posted on January 22, 2014 by Nanci

We at Tosche Station haven’t been shy with asking for more racial and gender diversity in entertainment. One of the arguments we often hear is that the gender and race of characters shouldn’t matter. The most important thing should be the story. The rest should be inconsequential. The best actor for the part should be cast in that role.

That would be all fine and dandy, if most entertainment already portrayed a diverse cast of characters. But it doesn’t. Continue reading →

Go/No-Go: The Jupiter Pirates: Hunt for the Hydra

Posted on December 23, 2013 by Nanci

It’s hard to write a review of Jason C. Fry’s The Jupiter Pirates that isn’t just me saying “It’s really fun! Go read it!” But that’s the truth. It’s really fun. You should go read it.

In case you’re not willing to blindly follow my recommendations (and why not?), allow me to describe the book a bit more.

Continue reading →

Mark Your Calendars: December 18, 2015

Posted on November 7, 2013 by Nanci

It’s official!

The official site has announced that Episode VII will open on December 18, 2015.

Alan Horn, chairman of the Walt Disney Studios, made the announcement today. “We’re very excited to share the official 2015 release date for Star Wars: Episode VII where it will not only anchor the popular holiday filmgoing season but also ensure our extraordinary filmmaking team has the time needed to deliver a sensational picture,” he said.

Looks like the rumors about Lucasfilm wanting a 2016 release while Disney wanted a 2015 release may have held some water, but this seems to be a good compromise. Extra time to make a better movie is always a good thing.

(Although, personally, seeing a Star Wars movie in December, without the 20th Century Fox Fanfare, is going to be really really really weird.)

Episode VII will begin filming in Spring 2014 at Pinewood Studios.

Four Live-Action Marvel Shows Coming to Netflix!

Posted on November 7, 2013 by Nanci

In news guaranteed to fill certain Tosche Station staff members with glee, Marvel has announced that Netflix will air four–that’s right, four–new live-action television shows based on Marvel superheroes Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, and Daredevil. Not only that, there will be a miniseries event based on the Defenders. These shows will be set in the Marvel cinematic universe, which also includes the ABC show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Each series will contain 13 episodes and will begin airing in 2015.

Even a comic illiterate person like myself can understand that this is a huge deal. And, as a person hugely invested in Star Wars (which is owned by the same parent company as Marvel), it makes me wonder what is planned for future projects set in the GFFA.

(via Deadline)