Over on the Her Universe Facebook page, Ashley Eckstein posted a photo showing off the upcoming Rogue Squadron tank hoodie.
Yeah. That’s really cool. I’m going to have to buy one of these for everyone on the staff not named Shane, aren’t I?
Category Archives: Star Wars
EU Retrospective: The New Jedi Order Part 1
Welcome back to the Waru Express, dear readers, after a bit of a break. We’re diving right into the New Jedi Order which requires an entire shelf all on its own. 19 books? Let’s go! Before we dive into the book reviews, I figured I’d let you all in on a secret: I don’t hate the NJO. In fact, I like a fair bit of it. There are certainly some books and occurrences that I strongly dislike and I think it could’ve been shorter but I enjoy the vast majority of it. Spoiler Alert: I love the Stackpole, Allston, and Stover books but does that surprise any of you? My point is that I’m not a hater when it comes to these books but neither do I blindly love them so while my thoughts are on these books are likely to be a fair bit more positive than most of the blogosphere, you’re still going to get a decent dose of snark. Starting with this post.
With that out of the way, let’s dive into the first lengthy review post as I discuss the books from Vector Prime to Jedi Eclipse.
Vector Prime
Ah yes. The infamous “Chewbacca is Dead!” book. I feel nothing but pity for R.A. Salvatore having to be the one to pull the trigger on this given how the fandom can be at times. Let’s get the giant wookiee in the corner out of the way. Yeah, Chewbacca dying sucks. Reading through the book knowing what was coming made all the scenes with Chewie that much more painful. He’s a big part of our group of heroes and it is sad that he dies. HOWEVER. His death certainly does signify to the readers that this oncoming threat isn’t going to be easily defeated and that no one will escape unscathed. Also? If you’re going to go out, this is certainly one of the more badass ways to do it. Chewbacca rejects your notion of death by blasterfire and goes down shaking his fist at a freaking moon.
I’d really like to know what the heck happened to Jacen Solo between the end of Crisis of Crystal Reef and the start of this book. It feels like I’m reading about two completely different characters and I’m not even counting the lack of bad jokes because that’s something a person could reasonably grow out of.
Overall, I actually think the book functions quite well in its role. It sets up the Vong invasion, lets us get to see our favorite characters again, and tells us that this isn’t going to be an easy ride. I also find it to be an enjoyable book on its own. It’s nice getting to see the Solo kids have some fun before the galaxy goes to hell even if it’s only for the first half of the book.
The final line of the book sums it up the best: “But to Han Solo, the galaxy suddenly seemed a more dangerous place by far.”
Dave Filoni Involved With New Star Wars Cartoon
IGN has a recap from Dave Filoni’s sit down with Rebel Forces Radio yesterday. Among the highlights? He’s apparently involved in the early processes of a new Star Wars cartoon.
“At this point, I am involved in some early production discussions and exploration of what we’ll be doing with Star Wars animation in the future, which is really exciting for me and I have some friendly faces around me, of course, that are helping me on the project. So it’s a transition time, as I’ve said before, and I think it will lead to an exciting time and hopefully I’ll see things grow again.”
What is this new cartoon? New idea yet, but I kind of figured this would happen. Lucasfilm Animation was somewhat of a redundant department after the Disney acquisition, because if Disney has anything, it’s a world-class animation shop. That said, even if Lucasfilm Animation were to shut down or downsize, Disney is smart enough to pick off that talent and retain them for future projects. Don’t be surprised if not only Dave Filoni but the bulk of his creative crew find their way to this new project.
It’s also worth noting that Lucasfilm isn’t the only company experiencing downsizing in their visual effects and animation departments. Over in the comments at Club Jade, Pablo Hidalgo pointed out that Tippett Studios and numerous other VFX shops were experiencing layoffs. The downsizing at Lucasfilm Animation might have less to do with Disney and more to do with a changing entertainment landscape.
The Fate of LucasArts was a Decade in the Making
To say fan reaction to the closure of long-time game developer and publisher LucasArts was strong would be an understatement. Emotions ranged from sadness to outright anger at new parent company Disney for shuttering the studio responsible for critically acclaimed titles like TIE Fighter, The Dig, and Escape from Monkey Island. Through the years, this division of the Lucasfilm brand had been responsible for numerous well received games that became benchmarks for the industry as a whole. It’s understandable, then, that fans of the company are bewildered as to why Disney would close down such a prolific studio and monument to gaming history.
While a glance through their catalog reveals a studio that has had more success than the vast majority of their competitors, a deeper look reveals that LucasArts set themselves on a risky path nearly a decade ago.
Lucasarts Shuttered, Employees Laid Off
Kotaku is reporting that Disney has officially shut down Lucasarts and laid off all employees.
Given the lingering hard feelings over Lucasfilm Animation and the cancellation of The Clone Wars, it’s easy to get upset at Disney. I would caution against it, however. Lucasarts was a development studio that was in trouble years before Disney even came into the picture. The number of titles they released plummeted around 2006-2007 and the marquee titles they did release were not well received critically. The Force Unleashed and its sequel were regarded as middling titles and The Old Republic was a huge expenditure that failed to put a dent in the MMO market.
There’s also this to consider:
LucasArts just announced It is moving to a licensing model for games, moving away from development.
— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) April 3, 2013
Lucasarts has been a development studio in trouble for years. This studio getting shut down doesn’t mean the end of Star Wars games. If anything, I view it as a hopeful thing. For whatever reason, they have been unable to produce quality products internally for a number of years and they probably could have and should have been closed down sooner to redistribute that valuable IP.
If Disney is licensing the Star Wars IP now to other studios, that could be great news for fans.
Edit: Official statement from Lucasfilm
GameInformer received a statement from Lucasfilm discussing the closure of the studio.
“After evaluating our position in the games market, we’ve decided to shift LucasArts from an internal development to a licensing model, minimizing the company’s risk while achieving a broader portfolio of quality Star Wars games. As a result of this change, we’ve had layoffs across the organization. We are incredibly appreciative and proud of the talented teams who have been developing our new titles.”
In addition, Kotaku is now reporting that Star Wars 1313 and First Assault have been canceled
Staff were informed of the shutdown this morning, according to a reliable Kotaku source. Some 150 people were laid off, and both of the studio’s current projects—Star Wars: First Assault and Star Wars 1313—were cancelled. Disney will still use the LucasArts name to license games, but the studio is no more.
Geeky Clothing Item of the Day: Rogue Squadron Hockey Jersey
We’ve all got geeky t-shirts. Maybe even geeky jackets. But do you have a geeky hockey jersey? I didn’t think so. Over on Twitter Nanci and I were alerted to this item that I need in my closet yesterday.
Yes that is a Rogue Squadron hockey jersey and good heavens I want it so much. It even features the Rogue Squadron insignia on the shoulders! If you head over to the product page and you have $95 on hand, you can order yourself up a custom jersey that lets you supply your own name and number. Maybe instead of a Skywalker 77 you want an Antilles 77?
Dark Horse Adapting Original Star Wars Concept
At Wodnercon yesterday, Dark Horse revealed just what that Jonathan Rinzler-written project would be. According to BleedingCool.com, it’s going to be an adaptation of George Lucas’ original Star Wars concept.
At WonderCon, Dark Horse announces new eight issue Star Wars series for September – The Star Wars. Based on George Lucas‘ original concept that eventually became the Star Wars films.
Featuring Darth Vader not as a Sith/Jedi but just a General. Anakin Starkiller. An old General Luke Skywalker. Jonathan Rinzler will write and Mike Mayhew will do the art.
Dark Horse also shared some concept artwork for the new series which you can see at the link above. For continuity purists, don’t even try to mesh this into canon and just enjoy it for what it is. A fun Infinities-style what-if.
What We’d Really Like to See in the Sequel Trilogy
Lately we’ve been talking a lot about continuity and canon and multiverses on the blog. But with Disney buying Star Wars, I think it’s time to face the fact that our fandom isn’t going to cater to hardcore fans any longer–the ones like us, who blog and podcast just for the fun of it, the ones who have seen the movies ad nauseum, the ones who go to conventions. No, it’s time for Disney to focus on a new frontier of fan–those who haven’t seen any Star Wars films. Only then can Disney truly begin its era from a blank slate, not only without any Expanded Universe knowledge bogging down new projects, but also the pesky film backstory as well.
I asked my good friend Lisa what she’d like to see in the Sequel Trilogy. She was kind enough to write the following editorial for us. There’s no denying her insights are mind-boggling. We can only hope that J.J. Abrams and Michael Arndt take some of her ideas to heart. – Nanci
* * *
No one is denying how epic the movies in the Star Wars universe can be. I just think we can all agree that a new set of movies is the perfect time to shift the scope to smaller, more personal stories. Working on a smaller scale will also help them move toward featuring fan-favorite characters who haven’t had enough screentime in the past.
Not to mention that while the star wars themselves are a serious topic, there is plenty of room in the ‘verse for humor. Every movie doesn’t have to be Fate and Choice and War and Noooooooooooooooooooooooo! As a veritable Star Wars expert, I think it’s finally my turn to throw my hat in the ring with a few ideas for movies that should absolutely become part of the next trilogy.
Imagine Eddie Murphy’s head under there and Fett gets even more amazing.
Bounty Hunters: We Do Need Their Scum
Everyone’s favorite bounty hunters take the lead: I know Boba Fett gets all of the attention (probably due to his admittedly impressive accordion skills and theme song), but there’s a lot more to these bounty hunters than meets the eye. If we gather them all together for a family reunion, there’s bound to be enough drama (and let’s be honest- explosions) for a dozen movies. Depending on when in the timeline it’s set, the story could tie in with events from the earlier movies or be something completely new. Humor, adventure, bickering with the clone you raised as your own child…it’s basically everything movie audiences are looking for. Bonus point: they can cast Eddie Murphy as all of the Fetts!
Han and Leia: The Disney Version
Disney’s newest princess will definitely kick ass and take names: Star Wars is a timeless tale that will be passed down to our children and our children’s children, much in the same way that classic fairy tales were passed down to us- through catchy songs and an unstoppable marketing team.. Now that Disney has their hand in the pot, it’s only natural for their newest princess to get her own animated feature, complete with musical numbers. Leia is perfect for the new, snarkier direction Disney’s been taking their animated features in, and Han Solo is absolutely the love interest our daughters deserve. Besides, let’s be honest here- fairy tales don’t really count until Disney tells us they do. Bonus point: hook those fake nerd girls while they’re young!
Stormtroopers in Love
Now imagine they’re kissing!
The stormtrooper rom-com we’ve all been waiting for: They are, by far, the most ubiquitous characters in the Star Wars universe, but how much do we actually know about the stormtroopers? I’m not talking about things like their collective inability to hit a target or the fact that they’re all named Harry. That’s the simple stuff. We need to go deeper, if they’re going to get their own feature. We need to learn the important things, like their hopes, their dreams, and their workout regimen. At the end of the day, I think they want what we all want- to find love and gluten-free desserts in an uncivilized world. Isn’t it time they got it? Bonus point: finally, a Star Wars movie you can see with your girlfriend!
Crossover Appeal
Once the Star Wars cinematic universe is established as an undeniable part of our movie culture, even to the people who for some crazy reason have never seen a Star Wars movie, it’ll be time for the franchise crossovers to begin. My personal votes are for the Fast and the Furious (2 Fast Tatooine Furious?) or Step Up (a wookiee vs. stormtrooper dance fight will literally end all war on this planet) franchises, but there are so many possibilities out there!
The crossover that’s been waiting to happen.
Star Wars, Marvel, and the Multiverse
In the Star Wars fandom, there’s always some war of words brewing between fans. We’ve seen the Ship Wars, the Prequel Trilogy consternation, the Clone Wars skirmishes. One that has been on slow simmer for years is cold war between Expanded Universe Completists and Film Purists. Countless words have been written defending the merits of one and tearing down another.
To say things have blown up since the sale of Lucasfilm to Disney and the announcement of the Sequel Trilogy would be an understatement. There seems to be a belief among the most ardent of Star Wars fans that the Expanded Universe and the Sequel Trilogy cannot exist simultaneously. One has to vanish in order for the other to thrive.
To borrow a phrase from Nanci earlier this week, I say bullshit.
The Sequel Trilogy and the Expanded Universe
Note: I will not be surprised if Episode VII bulldozes the entire post-Return of the Jedi era Expanded Universe. But that’s not the point of this post.
Lately I’ve been seeing people argue that Episode VII can’t and shouldn’t use elements from the Expanded Universe, else the story idea will be limited. I certainly understand that argument. Also, we already know that Episode VII will follow an original storyline, meaning Episodes VII, VIII, and IX won’t be The Thrawn Trilogy or some other EU book. People point to that statement as evidence that the Sequel Trilogy won’t use anything from the EU, because it would be too difficult to explain who these new characters are.
To that, I say bullshit.