Category Archives: Star Wars

Hondo Caravan: Ziro’s Last Hurrah

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Bounty Hunters, Ziro, and Bad Decisions!  (Oh my!)  As we reach the halfway mark, it’s a handful of episodes filled with both Ziro the Hutt and a fair amount of politics.  Make of that what you will.

Assassin
I sincerely appreciate how at the start of this episode, they animated Obi-Wan stroking his beard.  No insinuation, no joke there.  I just really appreciated the attention to an actor’s mannerisms.

Once again, we’re starting off the episode with Anakin and Ahsoka being separated from one another.  Honestly, when does he ever get to teach her anything?  On the other hand, at least we’re getting to see more of Padmé and Ahsoka together being friends.  They’re evolving towards such a wonderfully sister-like relationship and it makes me happy.

You know what else makes me happy?  Seeing Alderaan for the first time and hearing Leia’s theme as the musical cue in the background.  No wait, did I say happy?  I think I misspelled ‘emotionally destroyed.’

I’m not surprised that Aurra Sing is back though.  After all, this is the Greatest Hits of the Clone Wars.  What’s next?  Another Ziro episode?  For all my ribbing though, I did enjoy the episode.  It’s nice to see Ahsoka work her way through figuring out her visions and then figuring out how to act on them.  Padmé, on the other hand, must be 300% done with all the attempts on her life.

Okay, I need to clarify that I made that Ziro quip before Ahsoka had her vision at the end of the episode.  Honestly.

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Hondo Caravan: The Clone Wars’ Greatest Hits Album

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Aaaaaand we’re off with Season Three of the Clone Wars!

Clone Cadets
I’ll admit that when I saw the episode title that I was worried that I was going to start screaming about how won’t someone think of the children again but no, there was no need for that.  Instead we’ve got an episode about some clones nearing the end of their training and who aren’t quite measuring up.

I get what they were going for with this much older clone that washed out of training and is a janitor now.  However, it just doesn’t work out mathematically.  Clones age at double the normal rate and there’s no way he could be quite as old and decrepit as he’s depicted here.

Also, I swear that one of the Domino Squad clones sounds vaguely more Scottish than the others.  Not that the clones are supposed to sound Scottish to begin with.  One of them just sounded like he had a bit of an accent.  It’s so strange.

Even though it’s predictable, this was an enjoyable episode.  I’m a sucker for seeing the apparent underdog figure out how to succeed especially when the secret comes down to teamwork.  I also can’t recall if this is the first episode where we saw Shaak Ti but if not, it’s definitely been a while.  I like her as a character and I like that she seems to have a good handle on being the General in charge of training.  She should be around more often.

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Six Thoughts: Marvel gets Star Wars

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You wanted news? Well there you go. And now for a jumbled mess of assorted thoughts about said news…

  1. It is a bummer that Star Wars is leaving Dark Horse. As with any comic shop, there are high points and low points. Of late the Brian Wood comic was a definite miss for us, but the new Legacy series was a big favorite. Dark Horse has done a lot of good stuff with the license over the years and that shouldn’t be forgotten.
  2. It’s going to be a really big bummer if the latest Legacy series isn’t allowed to continue, but sadly I’m not holding my breath on that. (Edit: Big bummer confirmed, series to end at issue #18)
  3. I wrote a piece about Star Wars and following Marvel’s multiverse approach. Here’s the heavy-handed and very shameless plug to said piece.
  4. It should be pointed out that Marvel, from a creative standpoint, is absolutely flying high. It’s clear they understand their audience well and are keen to deliver both grand adventures and more character focused pieces (such as blog favorites Hawkeye and Captain Marvel).
  5. While writers like Kelly Sue DeConnick and Matt Fraction may be too busy with other projects to work on Star Wars, Marvel has shown the ability to attract great creative talent to work for them. If they can do this with Star Wars, we’ll all be better off.
  6. Marvel has done a solid job with LGBTQ and minority representation in their works. It might be a lot to ask them to do that with Star Wars, but here’s hoping.

In all, this is definitely a mixed bag of feelings. I completely get the disappointment and sadness that Star Wars is moving away from Dark Horse, who generally has treated the franchise very well. On the other hand, I’m very optimistic about Marvel taking over. In the last few years, Marvel has proven themselves to be a very capable and, sometimes, progressive shop that’s capable of attracting top-flight talent and putting out a wide variety of stories. I’d say I’m looking forward to seeing what they’ll do with the license.

Excelsior, I suppose.

Hondo Caravan: No One Saw That Coming?

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We’re wrapping up Season Two today with more Hondo and some super bad life decisions on the part of, well, most of the characters in the show.

Bounty Hunters
I’m already amused by the parallels between this episode and the MedStar duology and by parallels, I just mean that they are both stories that have to do medical stations in trouble near/on a planet with an incredibly valuable crop.  Okay, it’s a stretch clearly.

Hondo is back!  Although I don’t exactly know where he’s coming from calling bounty hunters scum since he’s, you know, a pirate…

“Let’s get down to business/to defeat the pirates!”  Honestly, I’m just waiting for Anakin to break out in song as he trains these farmers into soldiers.  It’s been a few years.  Please tell me that someone in the fandom has made this music video already.

Wait and now the metal suit pirate is actually just a small little ranat sized alien?  That is straight out of Men in Black.  I swear, is this entire episode just riffing off as many other films as they possibly can?

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Hondo Caravan: Welcome To Mandalore?

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We’ve got a post a day early for you thanks to the holiday this week and… uhhh… Look, we finally arrived at the first of the Mandalorian episodes.  If you’ve seen the show before, need I say more?  Or actually the same applies if you paid even a little bit of attention to the fandom when these aired.  If neither of these applies to you somehow then…. well, just keep reading.

Lightsaber Lost
If you didn’t immediately start doing your best Obi-Wan “This lightsaber is your life!” Kenobi impression when someone stole Ahsoka’s, I’m pretty sure you were doing it wrong.

Ahsoka is really not good at subtle nor at undercover work.  In all fairness, I do sometimes forget how young she is but on the other hand, she does continue to worry me every time we see her act far too rashly and in anger.  I blame Anakin and knowing what he becomes for all my worry in regards to her.

The storyline of the patient old Master who moves much slower than everyone else and who able to teach the impatient young one something new is a clichéd one but it works for Ahsoka.  It’s a filler episode to be sure but that doesn’t make it bad.  I love that the old master’s cane is his lightsaber.  I’m surprised that Yoda didn’t do that too.  Maybe that’ll be the next retcon.

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Simon Kinberg discusses Rebels

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Producer Simon Kinberg sat down with StarWars.com in a video interview to discuss Rebels and Star Wars. In his words, Rebels is going to be a “wholly original tapestry” that’s going to feature different stories and different characters than the films. The goal is to be an entry point for a generation of new fans and a “point of return” for existing fans.

Kinberg also discusses the Inquisitor, noting that a challenge was figuring out how to create a character that can live up to the likes of Darth Vader. Additionally, Kinberg’s favorite film? Empire Strikes Back. Take that however you want.

Review: Star Wars: Legacy #10

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Another month, another brand new issue of Star Wars: Legacy!  Issue #10 by Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman hits comic store shelves today, drawing the second arc of the series to a close.

When last we left our heroes, the cavalry, led by Admiral Stalzi and Knight Val, had just arrived to at Dac to answer Jao’s distress call.  Even with Admiral Stalzi’s excellent plan to take advantage of the Mon Cal’s and the Quarren’s ability to breath underwater by flooding parts of the station, it’s hardly an easy battle.  The pirates aren’t about to go down without a fight and Jao is locked in a duel with Darth Luft.  Reinforcements are hardly going to make the fight to retake the station an easy one though.

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Star Wars: Attack Squadrons announced

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Yesterday, Star Wars.com announced Star Wars: Attack Squadrons, a multiplayer online game being developed by Disney Interactive and Area 52. All we’ve really got right now is this pre-rendered cinematic and a few screenshots of what might be in-game action. I can’t even find anything on developer Area 52, which appears to be a new studio that’s working with Disney to create the game.

Attack Squadrons is being designed as a free-to-play game boasting three PVP modes and customizable starfighters. I would guess that this means there will be some sort of microtransaction system that players can buy into, but we’ll probably hear about that later. For now, you can sign up for the beta testing program.

Perhaps this is the long awaited spiritual successor to X-wing vs. TIE Fighter. I certainly wouldn’t say no to a game like that which takes advantage of far more available broadband access as compared to the late 90s.

Hondo Caravan: And Now Barriss!

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Season Two continues along with episodes filled with not only a bunch of awesomely badass female Jedi (oh and the male Jedi too I guess) but also the return of General Grievous! Okay, let’s be honest: I was mostly just excited about the appearance of one Jedi in particular.  I bet the title gave it away.

Landing at Point Rain
I will never get enough of Master Luminara being 300% above everyone else’s bickering and silliness.

This episode features the return to Geonosis which really makes me wonder about everyone’s mental state.  I don’t say that to be flip because I am genuinely curious.  Many of the clones fighting in this episode were likely part of the first Battle of Geonosis and all of the Jedi except for Ahsoka were also a part of the fight.  A lot of people died that day.  I can’t help but wonder if any of them are experiencing some form of PTSD or if they’re struggling with the memories.

I know, I know.  Shut up, Bria.  This is a kids’ show.

On the other hand, I feel like I get Obi-Wan here as he sighs at Anakin and Ahsoka’s game to see who can destroy the most droids.  I understand that it’s a way to deal with the horrors of war but I also definitely see where Obi-Wan’s sighs are coming from.

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