Among Star Wars fans, there seems to be a consensus regarding the best novelizations: Revenge of the Sith by Matthew Stover and Rogue One by Alexander Freed. I have read neither. *ducks from thrown tomatoes* To be honest, novelizations are usually not my thing. I don’t have as much time to read as I’d like, and when I do, I prefer to read brand new stories rather than adaptations of films or TV shows. However, when I learned that Jason Fry was writing The Last Jedi novelization, I almost jumped for joy. I love Fry’s work, both in Star Wars (Servants of the Empire, The Weapon of a Jedi), and in his own universe (The Jupiter Pirates). I’ve been waiting for him to write a Del Rey novel for ages. To have him write about Luke Skywalker made me so excited. After I saw The Last Jedi, my first thought was “I can’t wait to read the novelization,” because I knew Fry would be writing the death of Luke Skywalker, and I knew he’d do something spectacular with it. I was not disappointed.
Author Archives: Nanci
Holonet Blast #53
It’s a Han Solo kind of week in the weekly Holonet Blast!
But first, some ship news! Here at Tosche Station, we’re known as being very anti-Y-wing. They’re ugly, clunky, and slow. The only thing worse are TIE Defenders. (Don’t @ me.) BUT, we also like LEGO, so we have a conundrum here. On May 4, LEGO is releasing the UCS Y-wing. Red Leader, this is Gold Leader!
In book AND Solo: A Star Wars Story news, Starwars.com released a second excerpt for LAST SHOT by Daniel Jose Older. This excerpt features Han, Chewie, and Sana Starros on the run from bounty hunters at Maz Kanata’s castle. I’m all about comic characters getting love in the novels, especially badass capable ladies, so count me in. The novel will be released on April 17 and also feature Lando and L3-37.
Remember back when Star Wars movies were released in May and premiered at Cannes Film Festival? Well, SOLO is returning to that trend! The special screening will take place on May 15, 10 days before the official release date of May 25, so adjust your spoiler shields to your preferences.
In the really big news, the first full-length trailer for SOLO premiered yesterday during American Idol (and was promptly uploaded to YouTube). My verdict? It looks fun, Lando is perfect, and give me more L3-37!
And finally, RIGHT AFTER I hit publish on the article, the official site revealed the new products coming for Solo: A Star Wars Story, including the obligatory action figures, Funkos, and LEGO. Products will hit stores starting this Friday, April 13.
Holonet Blast #49
Last week saw the end of Star Wars Rebels and the promise of a new live-action show. One thing’s for sure–we’re not going to have a dearth of Star Wars material to cover anytime soon. Let’s recap on the weekly Holonet Blast!
Star Wars Rebels came to a close with a two-part, hour and a half episode on Monday. The cast and creators discussed the finale in Entertainment Weekly, as well as what’s to come in Star Wars animation. Basically: we don’t know yet! But we will eventually. io9 also had the scoop on fan favorite Legends character Gilad Pellaeon who briefly appeared (offscreen) in the finale. Good news: he’s not dead!
Star Wars TV won’t be the sole realm of animation for much longer. Prior to last week’s earnings call, the official site announced that Jon Favreau will executive produce and write a new live-action TV series. What’s it about? Where’s it set? Who’ll be in it? Who knows! Like the previously-announced film series by Rian Johnson and the Game of Thrones showrunners, we’ll find out more about the live action show eventually.
Did you enjoy Leia: Princess of Alderaan? Do you like manga? Well, you’re in luck! Claudia Gray’s novel is due for the manga treatment that was previously given to her novel Lost Stars. It will be released, fittingly, on May 4.
Finally, in Solo: A Star Wars Story news, we might be getting the greatest advertising tie-in known to man with Solo branded SOLO cups. Also, Denny’s meals.
Ron Howard tweeted from the first scoring session of the film, which is due for release on May 25. Composer John Powell also shared a photo on Facebook. It was previously announced that John Williams will compose an original theme for Han Solo.
That’s all for this week! Be sure to share your best Solo-themed Denny’s meal names in the comments.
Rebels Review: Wolves and a Door and A World Between Worlds
Let’s get this out of the way: I did not like last night’s episodes of Rebels. If you did, I am super happy for you, and you probably shouldn’t read this review.
I procrastinated on writing this review because I don’t enjoy disliking things about Star Wars. I have my preferences, and I admit I was biased against these two episodes of Rebels knowing there would be Mortis connections, but deep down I wanted to be wrong. I would much rather talk about things I enjoy rather than things I dislike.
There were things I liked about these episodes, and that’s probably why I’m so frustrated. The idea of the Empire wanting something with the Jedi Temple on Lothal is a solid plot. We know from Season 2 and Minister Tua that the Empire came to Lothal for a reason, and not just to build the TIE Defender. I can even accept a little bit of Force mysticism; perhaps the Lothal Temple was very strong in the Force, or amplified people’s powers, etc. etc. I enjoyed all the scenes with Sabine and the minister. I have been waiting for a scene like this since Thrawn joined the show — and to be honest, I’m a bit bummed we didn’t get that scene with Thrawn. I always love Palpatine, especially played by Ian McDiarmid. The animation was brilliant, especially the portal animation, which reminded me a lot of the Tale of the Three Brothers from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. Kevin Kiner’s music continues to be one of the best things about the series. The Ghost crew saving the day is always fun to watch. Continue reading
Vorkosicast Reading Schedule
From Barrayar to Jackson’s Whole, to Cordelia to Miles, it’s the Vorkosicast! Each month join Nanci and Robin as they read through the Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold.
The series has a confusing publication order, so we’ll be reading in chronological order, with a few caveats. The titles in italics are novels, while the titles in quotes are short stories and novellas.
- January: Shards of Honor + “Aftermaths” (1986)
- February: Barrayar (1991)
- March: The Warrior’s Apprentice (1986) + “The Mountains of Morning” (1989)
- April: The Vor Game (1990)
- May: Cetaganda (1995) + “Labyrinth” (1989)
- June: “The Borders of Infinity” + Brothers in Arms (1989)
- July: Mirror Dance (1994)
- August: Memory (1996)
- September: Komarr (1998)
- October: A Civil Campaign (1999)
- November: “Winterfair Gifts” (2004) + Diplomatic Immunity (2002)
- December: Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance (2012)
- January 2018: Cryoburn (2010)
- February 2019: Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen (2016)
We will not be reading Falling Free or Ethan of Athos, as those books are unrelated to Vorkosigan clan.
If you have any questions or comments you’d like us to mention on the show, you can contact us on Twitter with the handles @nancipants, @R_A_Smith, @tosche_station. You can also email us at nanci@toschestation.net.
We hope you read along with us!
Holonet Blast #43
Star Wars, we got your Star Wars news here! Extra extra, read all about it!
The Academy Award nominations were announced on Tuesday, and The Last Jedi received four well-deserved nominations. Most notably, John Williams received his 51st nomination, more than any other living person on the planet Earth. (Walt Disney still has him beat, with 59 nominations.) The ceremony will be held on March 4.
Congratulations to #TheLastJedi on its four Academy Award nominations. pic.twitter.com/el1JmwwvMS
— Star Wars (@starwars) January 23, 2018
Did you like The Last Jedi? Do you like books? Well, you’re in luck! The Last Jedi novelization by Jason Fry will be released on March 6, but if you’re attending Emerald City Comic Con, you’ll have the chance to enter a lottery to purchase an exclusive version of the novelization a few days early.
What about The Last Jedi and games? We’ve got you covered, too! Amilyn Holdo and Rose Tico have joined the playable characters in Galaxy of Heroes. Also, more updates are coming to Battlefront II and Season 2 of The Freemaker Adventures will be available on DVD on March 13th.
Finally, in a bit of bittersweet news, Carrie Fisher received a posthumous Grammy for Best Spoken Word album, The Princess Diarist. We miss you, Space Mom.
What They Grow Beyond: Luke Skywalker, the Force, and True Mastery
The Last Jedi cast gets silly
In the lead up to The Last Jedi, much of the world is interested in what the actors have to say about the movie and the characters they play. I, on the other hand, would rather watch these videos all day long. (No spoilers in any of them, FYI. And yes, I might be posting them all here so I have them in one place and can watch them over and over again.) While you go crazy waiting for VIII, please enjoy the cast being silly.
Nanci’s Top 10 Luke Skywalker Appearances
I am known around these parts as the Luke Skywalker fan. He was my favorite Star Wars character when I first started liking Star Wars, and that distinction has never changed. In anticipation of The Last Jedi, I thought it would be fun to rank the ten greatest Luke Skywalker appearances, from both Canon and Legends. My criteria are threefold: characterization and agency, appropriate use of the Force for the time period, and impact on other characters. Note that I am not including live action appearances, because it’s almost impossible to rank Luke in the Original Trilogy and his cameo in The Force Awakens, while wonderful, isn’t enough to judge his character in the Sequel Trilogy. Without further adieu…
Holonet Blast #36
So, uh, there was some news last week. That tends to happen when Anthony Breznican and Entertainment Weekly grace us with pretty covers and articles.
We’re less than three weeks out from The Last Jedi and the TV spots have been airing in earnest. If you want to avoid them, be wary while watching any Disney-owned TV channel. If you, like me, are gleefully sucking up every bit of official news and footage, head over to the official YouTube channel to check out some of the spots in glorious high definition. (Be warned, one of them includes some Wookiee on porg violence.)
Entertainment Weekly continued its preview of TLJ, with an abundance of articles ranging from newcomers Kelly Marie Tran and Laura Dern, to Snoke’s evolution over the trilogy, to the relationship (or lack thereof) between Rey and Kylo, and teasing whether Luke and Leia will eventually reunite. There’s also an article about Luke’s return to the Millennium Falcon, complete with a new photo. If you want more pictures, check out the photo gallery here. EW also revealed the name of the so-called crystal fox: it’s called a vulptex.
We also got some book news, including a new excerpt from Canto Bight and the final cover for Thrawn Alliances. The cover is beautiful, the Vader-Thrawn dynamic is going to be awesome, and I can’t wait to hear more about this book.
Finally, are you excited for the new AR experience coming up at Disney Springs in Florida and Downtown Disney in California? Diego Luna teased the fun on Twitter.
That’s it for this week! Only two more blasts until The Last Jedi! Ahhhhh!