War isn’t glamorous. War isn’t fun. War isn’t something that everyone survives. Several years after the destruction of the first Death Star, the galaxy definitely remains at war. Out today, Battlefront: Twilight Company follows the eponymous Rebel Alliance company as they fight the Empire on fronts that Alliance leaders have likely only heard of in briefings. Star Wars veteran Alexander Freed doesn’t pull any punches in his first novel as he takes readers to the front lines of the galactic war.
Category Archives: Star Wars
Go/No-Go: Battlefront: Twilight Company
Welcome back to Go/No-Go, Tosche Station’s regular feature where we offer our spoiler-free opinion as to whether or not you should spend your hard-earned money on a book, film, or other entertainment. Today on the launch pad: Battlefront: Twilight Company by Alexander Freed. Not only is it a tie-in to the game that can stand on its own but it’s the new canon’s first real foray into serious military science fiction. But how did it go over with us? To mission control for the verdict!
Rebels Review: Always Two There Are
It’s another episode of Star Wars Rebels as Season Two kicks into another gear with the introduction of not one but two Inquisitors. One of Rex’s potential bases checks out as possibility and so Hera sends Sabine, Chopper, and Zeb on a mission to go check out the abandoned medical stations and retrieve any medical supplies that might’ve been left behind. Ezra tags along setting up what at first seems to be another humorous (if spooky) episode like Fighter Flight until the arrival of the two new Inquisitors.
There will be some spoilers for the episode in this review. Continue reading
Review: Kanan #7
Ahhh yes. Another month, another issue of Kanan by Greg Weisman and… Wait. Is that Pepe Larraz on art again?
IT’S TIME FOR ANOTHER GIF REVIEW
In Issue #7, we remain in the present briefly before going even further into the past back to when Caleb Dume wasn’t even a Padawan yet. Continue reading
Review: Chewbacca #2
It’s release day for Chewbacca #2 by Gerry Duggan and Phil Noto. What adventures does everyone’s favorite wookiee get up to this week?
Zarro escaped from the mines but had to leave her father and the rest of her people behind as slaves to a gangster named Jaum. Luckily, she ran into Chewbacca who’s not terribly fond of slavers himself. She convinces him to help her but unfortunately, as most plans do, things don’t go quite as planned…
Phil Noto is absolutely the star of this book. His artwork is already fantastic to start with along with being universally loved by the Star Wars fandom. So much of the storytelling in this book is done through the art, especially through the facial expressions on Chewbacca and Zarro. Often times, they make speech bubbles unnecessary. I’d also like to add that it’s nice to see a relatively young teenage girl be portrayed as such in a comic and not be overly sexualized.
One of the coolest things about this issue is how we get a little tease into Chewie’s history. It’s not much and we probably could have guessed it but it’s always neat to see. It feels like, in Star Wars past, we’ve always thought about Chewbacca’s past in terms of when he was freed by Han (if that’s even the case anymore) so it’s nice to see someone think further before that.
As I said before, Chewbacca is entertaining and I definitely enjoy the artwork but this still isn’t my favorite of the Star Wars books. Given how quickly things have progressed, I’m intrigued to see how this story is going to go for another three issues. That said, this does seem like it’s going to be a story that reads very well in trade form so if you’re still questioning whether to pick it up, perhaps wait for the trade in a couple of months.
Shattering a Fridged Empire
Warning: this post contains spoilers for Shattered Empire, Lost Stars, Lando, and Moving Target.
Rebels Review: Relics of the Old Republic
I wasn’t a huge fan of the previous episode of Rebels, “The Lost Commanders.” I’m not a huge fan of the clones or The Clone Wars series, although I like them well enough. It’s just I like Rebels so much more. However, I was very excited for Rebels to be back on the air (even if Hera got the short end of the stick in the episode).
In the last episode, the crew of the Ghost (minus Hera and Chopper) went on a mission to meet old colleagues of Ahsoka Tano. Kanan, to no surprise, wasn’t very keen on hanging out with old clones. Understandably, he’s got a lot of PTSD from surviving the Jedi Purge. The rest of the episode seemed a bit like filler to me, although it did allow the Spectres to bond a bit with Rex, Gregor, and Wollfe.
The second episode begins with Agent Kallus attacking the clones and the Spectres (see what I did there?). The plan is to take the clones’ crazy prototype AT-AT into a dust storm, therefore the much larger and more effective Imperial Walkers can’t sense them. Only problem is, the Rebels can’t use their sensors, either. It’s up to Kanan and Ezra to use the Force to save the day.
I liked this episode a lot more than the previous week’s, and it leads me to wonder if this two-part arc could have been condensed into one episode. I really enjoyed the chase in the dust storm; it was so slow and methodical and the Battle of Hoth music really made the sequence shine. And what can you say about the clones putting all their trust in Kanan, and Kanan grudgingly learning to trust Rex and his buddies? Honestly, their blind trust in Kanan was really sort of sad, for a variety of reasons — knowing the history of Order 66, and considering the idea of whether or not the clones are people or property. It’s all just a very sad, ambiguous, and disturbing situation. Especially when you consider that the clones will live much shorter lives than normal humans.
The episode ends with the Spectres saving the clones and bringing them back to the frigate. There, we have our money shot of the show, when Ahsoka reunites with Rex. It was a sweet moment, even though I’m not a huge Clone Wars fan, I have to admit. (Although it makes me wonder what Ahsoka would have done if Rex had refused to return with the Ghost.) What is next in store for the old clones? Only time will tell.
We also get a tease for next week’s episode, and the first appearance of the Fifth Brother. The new Inquisitor is very creepy, and I can’t wait to meet his partner, the Seventh Sister. I can’t wait for the Spectres to meet them, either.
Luke Skywalker and the Secret Ninja Jedi Order
This post contains spoilers for the “Journey to the Force Awakens” books and comics.
Regular readers and listeners of Tosche Station already know my feelings about Luke Skywalker. He’s by far my favorite character in the Star Wars universe, and the reason I got invested in the Expanded Universe and read tons of books set after Return of the Jedi, even when I soured on certain events. I needed to know what happened to Luke after he became a Jedi. I wanted to know if he trained other Jedi, got married, and had children. We got answers in the form of books and comics: Luke started a Jedi Academy on Yavin 4, married Mara Jade, and had a son named Ben. He rose to the rank of General, resigned his commission after the Battle of Mindor, and dedicated his life to rebuilding the Jedi Order. His life wasn’t all roses, however. He had a brief dabble with the dark side about six years after the Battle of Endor, and many years later his own nephew/apprentice became a Sith and killed his wife.
But the Expanded Universe is now Legends, and we have a new canon. New films, depicting the events 30 years after Jedi. We never thought this day would come. Now everything we once knew about the Galaxy Far, Far Away has been altered, and we’re left to wonder about the events that happened between Jedi and The Force Awakens. We’re just now getting some answers in the form of Aftermath, Shattered Empire, and other books in the “Journey to The Force Awakens” line. But they’re just drops in the bucket, and only succeed in creating more questions. Then you add in the marketing for TFA, which has been very light on story but high on visuals and Force themes. We’ve seen Han, we’ve seen a tiny bit of Leia, but no Luke whatsoever (at least from the front).
Which leads to the most common question echoed about the internet: “Where is Luke Skywalker?” Or, better yet: “What the hell has Luke been doing in the galaxy?”
I don’t know what Luke’s been doing for the past 30 years, but I’m pretty certain he’s up to something hugely important during the events of TFA. And my favorite theory, the one I’ll cling to until December 17 (and probably even after that, even if I’m proven wrong) is that Luke is off the grid, training a group of secret ninja-like Jedi Knights.
Review: Darth Vader #11
Right so let me explain to you a thing: Kieron Gillen is clearly in league with Chuck Wendig to give me multiple heart attacks in the space of mere minutes while reading their work. Darth Vader #11 by Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larroca is out today and is definitely a high stakes and stressful ride.
With each passing issue, Darth Vader shows itself to be more and more of a character study; taking it up a notch from a book that could’ve just been Vader killing things for 22 pages every month. Gillen highlights Vader’s strengths and his weaknesses without hitting readers over the head with it. This current arc has been reinforcing that while Vader is smart, he’s not the smartest person in the room and it’s only a matter of time before that has consequences… consequences that he may or may not have to personally pay the price for.
On the other side of things, Dr. Aphra continues to be a fantastic addition to the Star Wars universe and Triple Zero and BeeTee are delightful despite being homicidal. There’s just something about them being in a book as a contrast to Vader that works incredibly well. It would be interesting to have seen more of Aphra from before she started working with Vader and see if this is how she’s always worked and been. I suspect the answer is yes but still. She’s smart and she can adapt to a situation fast. It’s a good combination but I can’t shake the feeling that it will also contribute to her eventual downfall
There’s nothing new to say on the artist front because clearly Larroca is still rocking it. He did, however, draw the BEST Dr. Aphra facial expression ever a little less than halfway through the issue. If that face doesn’t show up as at least one person’s Twitter icon within a week, I’ll be shocked.
Darth Vader #11 gets another Hell Yeah! on my new sliding scale of enthusiasm.
The Force Awakens Trailer: Our Reactions
The first (and last) full-length Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer was released last night. WE’RE STILL REALLY SUPER PUMPED AND ARE HAVING A HARD TIME FORMING COHERENT SENTENCES BUT WE WILL TRY NOW.
Brian: But. How. Who? Why?
Okay, off the bat it’s pretty clear this is Rey’s film and she’s the lead. That makes me happy for so many reasons. I really need to know, though, how out of order the scenes in this trailer are. I’ve got my theories on why Leia’s so upset at the end, but it’s going to be dependent on what happens in Shattered Empire #4 and what order these scenes are ultimately in when the film finally comes out.
This was a masterclass in constructing a trailer. We get some things answered, but ultimately are left with even more questions than we had before. I’m in. I’m all in. Just put me in a coma and wake up up on December 17th.
Nanci: “There are stories about what happened.” “It’s true. All of it. The dark side. The Jedi. They’re real.” I JUST. I CANNOT EVEN. HAN SOLO, GALACTIC CYNIC, IS TEACHING THE NEXT GENERATION ABOUT THE FORCE. *hyperventilates*
I love that we still have so many questions. It gave us lots of cool shots (X-WINGS! TIE FIGHTERS! OMG), but we still have no idea what’s going on, when things will happen in the movie, etc. etc. Why is Kylo Ren torturing Poe Dameron? Why do Rey and Finn know nothing about the Jedi and the Force? Why are Rey and Leia crying? HAN AND LEIA ARE HUGGING. I DON’T EVEN SHIP IT BUT I SHIP IT.
And of course, the big question is still, “Where’s Luke?” Cue my secret ninja Jedi theory….
Bria: I didn’t cry or scream. I just sorta… squeaked and curled up into a little ball. This trailer made me so happy. I don’t care that we don’t know anything about the plot or anything super definitive about the characters. I care about this movie. Right now, Rey is the one that I want to know everything about. You know… she who climbs around in crashed Star Destroyers. Between “I’m nobody” and the Han/Leia theme playing while Rey’s standing on a ship talking to Han, I’m more intrigued by her than I have been in ages. And Finn not having anything left to fight for! And poor Poe being tortured by Kylo! And that Han/Leia moment! And how the Jedi seem to be a legend! And the space battles and x-wings! AND OH GOD NO WHY IS REY CRYING AND WHY IS LEIA CRYING?!?
Star Wars? You have me. After this trailer, I’m good. I don’t need to see or know anything else until December 17th. Do I have burning questions left? Absolutely. Do I want them answered? Not until we see the movie. Which should be right now. I don’t want to analyze every last frame of the trailer. I just want to experience this galaxy.
Shoshana: Okay, let’s see if I can make this more coherent/less capslock-y than my first draft: REY. I want to know everything about Rey. I am so psyched about the start of the trailer being all Rey. It is so, so good. What’s that that she’s exploring at the start? Could it be…the Star Destroyer husk? Maybe? And Finn. Gosh, it seems like he really was a full-fledged New Order stormtrooper there, huh? I want to know how he got to where he is. And everything about him, also. And WHY DOES KYLO HAVE A COOL VOICE?? It’s not fair. Ugh, I might have to get his action figure after all. Jerk. And POE, NO, WHAT IS THAT MEANIE DOING TO YOU?? NANCI AND BRIAN WILL BE SO SAD. And the music. The music is making me tear up. Excuse me as I sob for a moment or three.
So, it really seems like the Force/Jedi aren’t super well known at this point. I wonder what common knowledge about Luke is? And what the state of the Jedi Order is? And what absolutely everything to do with this movie is? And I just really want to watch this movie now, okay? I love Star Wars SO MUCH.
Matthew: There’s a new Star Wars movie coming out?
Emily: EPIC SQUEALS IN WHICH I TRY DESPERATELY NOT TO WAKE THE BABY. Reactions follow in no particular order: I want all the Rey stuff right now. Who is she? Why is she so important? What is she up to? How did she get BB-8? Does she like blue milk? I want to know EVERYTHING. And Poe, my poor baby, I will beat up Kylo Ren for you, but I think Finn might do it for me. And good God, is Oscar Isaac good looking.
Leia getting the hug – fantastic. Han telling Rey that it’s all real? I’m now running in circles wondering how the Empire spun the destruction of the second Death Star. Kylo Ren looking at Vader’s helmet? Is there a connection? I see R2-D2, where is C-3PO? The scenery looks beautiful, and I’ve loved the cinematography since the first teaser where you follow the Falcon through a loop.
At this very moment, December cannot come soon enough.
If you want more trailer reaction and analysis, check out the Full of Sith Trailer Council, featuring Nanci and a bunch of other Star Wars podcasters/bloggers. Thanks to Bobby Roberts for organizing it!
