Category Archives: Star Wars

‘Scoundrels’ Reviews from Around the Blogosphere

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Scoundrels-coverAround the web the reviews for Scoundrels are coming in. Some of the highlights:

The early reviews definitely have trended towards positive and indicate that Scoundrels is a novel well worth your time. Another bit of consensus seems to be that this is a great entry point for those unfamiliar with the Expanded Universe, so if you’ve got a friend that needs a place to start, this may be a great novel to consider.

The rest of the staff here will be chiming in with late reviews as we read through the book. In addition, we’re planning a roundtable discussion on the podcast, so stay tuned!

On True Fans, Gatekeepers, and What is Real Star Wars

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be-authenticNow that we’ve had some time for that to settle in, let’s do a rambling, winding follow-up*.

*But everything you write is a rambling, winding follow-up, you say! I’m not going to dispute that.

Just what is real Star Wars?  That is, what counts? What’s okay to invest time, money, and emotional attachment? If you want to stop reading at the end of this paragraph, the short answer is whatever resonates with you counts. It doesn’t matter if your preference lies in the films, television, books, comics, toys, games, Disney rides, or even fan works. There’s no singular right answer or a universally accepted truth as to what is worthy of your own personal fandom. In other words, if you enjoy it, it counts.

Still with me? Let’s have a chat about gatekeepers under the jump.

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EW Looks at 100 Episodes of The Clone Wars

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tcwEW’s Inside TV has a look at The Clone Wars 100th episode set to air this Saturday and discusses the success the show has achieved against long odds.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars reaches a milestone moment on Saturday with its 100th episode, which is titled “Missing In Action.” The big number is an impressive feat if you consider that even the most sacred of sci-fi shows fall short of the triple-digits. Consider the fact that the original Star Trek ran out of power at episode No. 79 and Battlestar Galactica (the 21st century edition) and The Six-Million Dollar Man were judged to be scrap metal after 73 and 99 weekly episodes, respectively (and no, we do not have to count either brand’s made-for-TV movies).

Sure, the achievement of keeping a show on the Cartoon Network for the past five years is a different challenge than holding on to a primetime slot during the network days of Capt. James T. Kirk and Col. Steve Austin. Still, Star Wars: The Clone Wars has been an impressive with its visual ambition, persistent storytelling interest in knotty ethical quandaries, and the amount of pivotal new canon it’s introduced (such as the existence of the Overlords).

In addition, they’ve got an exclusive trailer offering peaks at the second half of season five. Head over to Inside TV to read the rest of the piece and watch the trailer.

The Sequel Trilogy Isn’t Real Star Wars

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star-wars-episode-vii-logoSequel trilogy fans need to grow up.

All the excitement, all the speculation, all the angsting. All for something that really doesn’t matter. It’s absolutely baffling why so much thought and effort is being put into something so meaningless. It kills me to see people wasting their time on all of this because, come on, let’s be perfectly honest.

The sequel trilogy isn’t real Star Wars.

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Ashley Eckstein and James Arnold Taylor Back for Star Wars Weekends, Dates Announced

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Going to be in the greater Orlando area sometime from May 17 through June 9? You might want to head down to Disney’s Hollywood Studios for the 2013 installment of Star Wars Weekends. If you can make it, you’ll be treated to Clone Wars voice talent Ashley Eckstein and James Arnold Taylor returning as hosts for the event. From the official blog:

While details are still being planned, we’re excited to announce that James Arnold Taylor and Ashley Eckstein are returning as celebrity hosts for the annual special event.  James, the voice behind many of the most famous animated characters in film, television and commercials, is known to Star Wars fans as the voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi on the Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV series.  Ashley, who started her show business career as a parade dancer at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, is the voice of Anakin’s ambitious Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, on Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

James is the Official Celebrity Host of Star Wars Weekends 2013, and Ashley is Celebrity Host of “Behind the Force,” a live show that takes fans behind-the-scenes in the Star Wars universe.

Though we are far less interesting than Ashley Eckstein and James Arnold Taylor, you might also be able to catch Nanci or myself there. We’ll both be present for the first weekend and Nanci will be there for a few other days.

EU Retrospective: Lead Up to Yavin

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So I didn’t actually read all four books as planned but it was not my fault!  The library has taken over two weeks to get me the requested copy of Shadow Games and I’m not so desperate to read it that I felt like delaying the Waru Express any longer than I already have.  I have struck it from the list and it will be replaced by The New Rebellion.  More likely than not, I will read it anyways once it finally arrives but not in order.  Sorry if anyone was really looking forward to my thoughts on that book.  I might include it as a footnote in another post.

But enough of that!  On with the show and three very very very different books.

Death Troopers
I really have no idea what I was expecting from this book but it probably should’ve been exactly what the book gave me.  It is definitely a horror story set in the Star Wars universe.  Surprisingly, I actually rather enjoyed it and I’m not necessarily a big horror fan.  This goes back to a comment I think I made a few posts ago about how there really is something for everyone in the Expanded Universe.  Schrieber introduces mostly new characters and I even found myself caring about some of them particularly the doctor, Zahara Cody.

I was not, however, expecting Han and Chewbacca to show up.  Wow do those two get around and attract a lot of danger in the process.  Maybe they should considering retiring to a nice quiet planet without any moons.  Joe Schreiber actually writes a pretty good Han and Chewbacca.  I especially liked how he wrote scenes from Chewbacca’s point of view instead of taking the easy way out and writing them from Han’s.  The only “criticism” I have isn’t actually a criticism but just a comment that there wasn’t much tension in regards to their fates since the book is set before A New Hope.

All in all, it’s a short (and I really do mean short at only 234 pages) read but definitely worth it especially if you’d like a change from the Expanded Universe status quo.  At the very least, it’s worth a try.  Zombies on a Star Destroyer, folks, zombies on a Star Destroyer.  What’s not to love?

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Tosche Station’s Gratuitous 2012 in Review Linkdump

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In January, Nanci and I started a podcast. In April, we spun that podcast off into a blog. All sorts of crazy things have happened since. Welcome to our gratuitous 2012 in Review Linkdump. As a note, thanks for bearing with us over the holidays as we took time to visit our friends and family. We’ll be back Wednesday with regular coverage and posts. Be sure to also check out Club Jade’s 2012 retrospective.

For our year-in-review, to the jump!

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EU Retrospective: The Han Solo Trilogy

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I don’t care what anyone else says but I love the Han Solo Trilogy and always have since I first read these when I was 9 or so.  I’ve said before that they’re my guilty pleasure books and that’s just fine with me.  It has, however, been reeeeeally long time since I’ve read these books and wow was it weird to keep reading about a ‘Bria’.  I don’t know you folks with more commonly used names do it when you read books.  But let’s set my personal issues with that aside for now and get on with the reviews!

The Paradise Snare
Oh street rat Han.  You try, kiddo, you try.  Okay sure his background may be a little cliché but did we really expect Han to come from anything else?  Plus, it’s a nice set up for everyone to realize that Thracken Sal-Solo is indeed a-word-that-I-cannot-use-in-this-review.

The book serves as a nice set up for both the trilogy and Han as a character.  For starters, both his relationship with Dewlanna and his experience with Ylesia make it a no brainer for him to save Chewie later on.  You get to see where he came from and how he made the natural progression to the person he is when he first meets Luke and Obi-Wan on Tatooine.  It’s also fun to see how Han seems to attract sidekicks no matter what although the idea of Han teaching Muuurgh proper Basic grammar is somewhat entertaining.  As far as Ylesia goes though?  Wow does Han have some bad luck when it comes to ending up on crappy mining planets.

Obviously, I really do love the character of Bria Tharen.  Sure she’s in a pretty crappy place (mentally and physically) when we first meet her but her evolution as a character through the series is great.  I think her interest in archaeology is a neat touch.  While yes, she has fallen victim to this fake religion, I really like that Crispin makes it clear that this happens to both the weak and the strong-minded.  Similarly, while she does need Han’s help to initially break away from it, I absolutely do not think that makes her a weak character but more on that later probably.

I do love all the subtle little cameos such as the one by Bornan and Aryn Thul on Alderaan.  It’s a cute little tie-in to the YJK books.  I also appreciate the flyby mention of Hal Horn in connection to the ‘Jenos Idanian’ identity.  Say what you will about the Bantam era books but I really love how the authors really did try to make things tie together and fit to the best of their abilities.

The only thing that had me really rolling my eyes with this book was Han’s abuse of endearments.  Come on, Han.  I know you were a street rat but really?  On the other hand, I can wave it off because this is a book about a very young Han Solo and he hasn’t figured out how to be suave and charming yet scruffy yet.

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