I’m Terrified to Watch The Force Awakens

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star-wars-force-awakens-official-posterI love Star Wars. I really really really love Star Wars. And I love a lot of Star Wars. I may have some kneejerk bad reactions to some aspects of it but I’m really easy to please when it comes to reading a new book or experiencing something new. If it’s Star Wars, if it feels like Star Wars, and if I enjoy it, I’m happy. I also unabashedly love the Prequels. If you want to see me go from 0 to 100, just suggest in my presence that they should be skipped when showing someone the movies for the first time. Those movies, just like the Original Trilogy, were a huge part of my childhood and I can’t imagine loving Star Wars without them.

And that’s where the fear comes in. I am terrified to watch The Force Awakens because of the very slim chance that I won’t love it.

Yoda kinda nailed it with his whole “truly wonderful the mind of a child” comment in Attack of the Clones. Kids don’t overanalyze films like Star Wars and they probably don’t spend months and months before the release hearing little tidbits and piecing together parts in their minds. I was 9, 12, and 15 years old respectively when the Prequel films came out and I instantly fell in love with each of them. Part of that had to do with being so young and having zero expectations about what I’d see in each movie. (Well, I knew that Anakin was going to fall to the Dark Side and I was pretty sure that everyone was going to die in Revenge of the Sith. Went two-for-two on those revolutionary predictions.) As so many others before me have noted, none of us know what to expect from these films. For the first time since 1977, we’re all going in blind for a brand new Star Wars story that could take us anywhere.

But what if I don’t like it? What if I have to change my standard “I love all of the Star Wars movies!” to “I love most of the Star Wars movies!”? What if I fall to the dark side and become the thing in fandom I hate most: someone who focuses more energy on something they don’t like instead of what they love?

Okay so that last one’s never going to happen. I can at least take solace in the fact that the chances of me becoming one of those people are approximately 3720 to 1. I’ll probably at least somewhat like it. Probably. Hopefully. Is this what a preemptive crisis of faith feels like? I think this is what one feels like. I don’t like this feeling. Someone take it away. And take this fear I have of not loving The Force Awakens with it!

But I digress because, as our editors here are sure to soon tell me, that’s not the point of this series. We’re supposed to be talking about what our hopes are for The Force Awakens and not our somewhat irrational fears. The good news is that the movie is already delivering from the trailers alone. We’re getting kickass female leads, X-Wing battles, blazing lightsabers, and the return of Leia Organa. In fact, they’ve already gone one further and given me Jessika Pava who shall now be referred to as the Hapa Pilot Queen of My Heart. Add in a very impressive cast and crew and all the signs point towards this being another awesome peace of the Star Wars puzzle. So, at the end of the day, what’s my hope for Episode VII?

Please, sweet baby Yoda, just let me love this Star Wars movie as much as the rest.

Review: Star Wars #13

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Vader Down continues this week as Jason Aaron and Mike Deodato take over again and oh my word, this issue is fun!  Despite the lovely cover by Mark Brooks, there’s not much of Leia or Vader in this issue.  Instead, it focuses mostly on Dr. Aphra and the Murder Bots versus Han Solo and Chewbacca.  The stakes?  Luke Skywalker and Artoo.

The entire issue is just delightful.  At times, it’s actually incredibly funny despite the decidedly unfunny circumstances but it still works.  We get BeeTee versus Artoo! (And you thought Artoo and Chopper were different…)  We get Chewbacca versus Triple Zero… aka a protocol droid that he doesn’t feel obliged to not rip apart!  And finally, we get Han Solo versus Dr. Aphra which is everything I ever wanted but never knew to ask for despite us as readers being told that she’s a dark mirror version of Indiana Jones from the start.

Star Wars #13 is a bit of a change from the rest of the Vader Down event so far.  It’s a nice breather from being terrified of Vader (although the next issue promises to do that again.)  While some more uptight readers may be put off by some of the humor that verges a little more on slapstick, I found it refreshing and just plain fun.  When else are you going to get to see Chewie go after a droid and [REDACTED]?  Aaron even nails the essence of Han Solo when he makes an ever so slight miscalculation while being so smug and certain.

I also have to take a moment and take Deodato for not only rocking the hell out of this book so far but for also drawing Aphra wearing that rad jacket that Adi Granov used for the cover of Darth Vader #3. It’s finally in the book!

Just like Marvel promised us, Vader Down continues to be an awesome crossover event and definitely one that you should be picking up.

Review – Star Wars Rebels: Stealth Strike

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rebels logoHow do you please totally disparate segments of fandom all at the same time? You write Stealth Strike.

There’s a little something for everyone here. Rex reliving his military days and putting on his Big Damn Hero pants. One former clone trooper against an entire starship worth of stormtroopers? Sign me up. Kanan confronting the ghosts of his past by being forced to trust Rex? Check. A loving nod to the Death Star corridor chases? Yup. An Interdictor on trial runs that hearkens back to classic Expanded Universe material? Double check.

I’ve called Rebels a bridge series several times. It’s designed to be a link to the past, present, and future. This episode is full of nods to The Clone Wars, but its triumph is a brilliant homage to the Death Star escape in A New Hope. Corridor chases, sneaking around to disable critical infrastructure. You can show this to a young fan that’s new to Star Wars, ask them if they enjoyed it, and when they respond affirmatively you tell them you’ve got a great movie to show them.

That’s the brilliance of Stealth Strike and Rebels as a whole.

I could do a more detailed plot breakdown of this episode, but the plot really is secondary in this episode. We see some new Imperial tech, we get a fun rescue adventure, but what’s important is this episode is a 22-minute textbook example of Rebels succeeding at one of its most important goals.

Miscellaneous notes:

  • Ezra really is a whole lot more tolerable and entertaining when he isn’t acting like he’s deserving of Sabine’s attention and affection. When he’s doing his job, he’s great.
  • I need a gif of Rex shaking his boo-tay trying to fit into stormtrooper armor.
  • How cool was that shot of the Interdictor collapsing on itself? Extremely cool.
  • Chopper: sadistic droid or most sadistic droid?

Review: Shattered Empire

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shatteredempire1Shattered Empire by Greg Rucka and Marco Checchetto (with additional art by Angel Unzueta and Emilio Laiso) was a heck of a lot of things. The comic contribution to the Journey to The Force Awakens, Shattered Empire takes place in the weeks following the Battle of Endor and lets readers see what the galaxy is like through the eyes of A-Wing pilot Shara Bey.

At New York Comic Con this year, Greg Rucka revealed that his original pitch didn’t actually involve Han, Luke, and Leia and he asked to rewrite his outline once he saw the Phil Noto teaser image that went on to serve as the cover for the first issue. After hearing this, it wasn’t terribly surprising that Shara had a chance to work with each of our favorite heroes in turn. Given how much I liked her though, I would love to have seen whatever his original pitch was just for kicks.

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Review: Darth Vader #13

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Look, let’s be honest: Vader Down is essentially Jason Aaron and Kieron Gillen sitting across a table from each other while grinning diabolically and going “Oh, you had your artist draw Vader doing that cool thing? JUST WATCH WHAT I’M GOING TO HAVE MY ARTIST DRAW!” Alternatively, just imagine this as a Pokemon fight with Larroca and Dedato as the Pokemon and Aaron and Gillen as the trainers.  (I should probably admit that I never played Pokemon or watched it or… this metaphor has gotten away from me.)  (Ten thousand bonus points go to the first person to photoshop this.)

Point is, Vader Down continuing to be an awesome crossover event with the release of Darth Vader #13 by Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larroca.  As you may have guessed from the opener, this comic is filled with plenty of instances of Vader being badass.  Moments like these really emphasize why people are scared of the Dark Lord of the Sith.  Of course, it wouldn’t be a Vader issue if we didn’t get more of Dr. Aphra and the Murder Bots.  They have some particularly fun parts in this issue that I won’t spoil for you.

One of the best moments in the comic was when Gillen got to play with characters he previously hasn’t been able to: Han and Leia.  Their disagreement about whether to go after Vader or to send a rescue mission for Luke really just nails the essence of who they are especially in these early months after the Battle of Yavin.  Leia is focused on the Alliance’s mission and vengeance for her people while Han’s more concerned about this farmboy he’s taking a liking to.

Oh yeah.  And did I mention all those glorious pages of Vader just stomping all over everyone?  Because those were pretty great.

Review: Chewbacca #4

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It’s been two weeks which must mean it’s time for the release of Chewbacca #4 by Gerry Duggan and Phil Noto!  (On a personal note, I’d like to add that both gentlemen are incredibly nice and I’m thrilled to have had the chance to meet them at Third Eye Comics the other weekend.)

Like I said last time, this book is tricky to discuss on an issue by issue basis so we’re just going to dive straight into some assorted observations.

  • Joe Caramanga has got to be having fun lettering all of Chewie’s speech.
  • Yay for the inclusion of Scout Troopers and an AT-ST!
  • Again, the use of a character with a disability is deftly handled and feels very realistic for this galaxy.  Really smart addition by Duggan.
  • Chewbacca’s disguise is brilliant and everything I never knew I wanted until now.
  • Zarro and Chewie’s plans really have an incredibly way of going wrong.  I’m impressed.
  • The poor droid!
  • The inclusion of a shistavanen in this book has been neat!  It’s nice to see artists/writers go a little further out of the usual alien box.
  • Phil Noto’s art is another wow.

Going by the end of the issue and the preview for the final issue, Chewbacca and Zarro are certainly going to have a hell of a time getting out of this mess!

Review: The Perfect Weapon

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It seems like just last month that the Star Wars folks announced Delilah S. Dawson would be writing an e-short titled The Perfect Weapon. Oh wait, that was last month! Del Rey doesn’t make us wait very long with today’s release of The Perfect Weapon, one of five stories that feature the pictured beings from Maz Kanata’s castle. Bazine Netal is an efficient and lethal mercenary and spy who knows how to get a job done. When an anonymous client hires her to track down a former stormtrooper, she’s forced to trade teaching a newbie in exchange for use of a ship. And while Bazine is good, even she can still be taken by surprise on a dangerous mission…

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Of Dice and Droids #0: Roll For Introductions

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Welcome to Of Dice and Droids, an all-new Star Wars tabletop RPG podcast here at Tosche Station. Nanci and Brian are joined by players Sho, Jay, Rocky, Saf and Game Master Tom for an adventure-filled trip into the Galaxy Far, Far Away.

This is a special introductory Episode Zero where we’ll introduce ourselves and our characters, provide an overview on tabletop gaming, the mechanics used by the Fantasy Flight Star Wars RPG games, answer some reader questions, and provide the first glimpse at the campaign.

Come back January 8th as we kick off the campaign!

This podcast has been brought to you in part by Her Universe and your support on Patreon!

Introducing Of Dice and Droids

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diceWelcome to Of Dice and Droids, a brand new podcast project here at Tosche Station!

So what exactly is this? Well, it’s is a podcast that will be all about pen and paper Star Wars RPGs. We’ll be talking about the mechanics of tabletop gaming, how to put a campaign together, how to play, and answering questions from listeners. The centerpiece, though, is an actual campaign that we’ll be recording for a twice-monthly podcast.

A few months back, I had tossed the idea of doing a Star Wars tabletop podcast into the winds of Twitter after watching some old episodes of Penny Arcade’s endlessly entertaining Acquisitions Incorporated, the live D&D game they play at PAX Prime and PAX East. The concept of doing a show where a small group of friends create their own adventure for an audience was compelling to me, and as you’ll see below, was compelling to a few other people.

This podcast is going to have something for everyone. If you want to learn how to play the Fantasy Flight Star Wars RPGs, we’ll go over the how-tos. If you just want an original (totally non-canon) Star Wars story being put together by six creative players and one awesome GM, we’ve got you covered. So even if you have no desire to ever play yourself, we hope you’ll stick around just to enjoy what promises to be a supremely entertaining adventure.

Without further ado, the players:

  • Brian Larsen: Editor here at Tosche Station
  • Nanci Schwartz: Editor here at Tosche Station
  • Sho: Contributor here at Tosche Station
  • Jay: Contributor at 1138
  • Rocky: Contributor at 1138
  • Saf: Contributor here at Tosche Station and at every fansite in the multiverse

We are extremely fortunate to have Darth Internous himself, Tom from Del Rey, serving as our Game Master. He has crafted an original campaign for us that will kick off during Return of the Jedi. Tom is a long-time tabletop player and GM. Now, what is this original campaign you might ask? Well, it will be utilizing the Age of Rebellion Rulebook, but what you’re going to find interesting is the name of the campaign: The End of All Things. Episode I will be Darkness on the Edge of Town.

The players have been split into two parties. The first party consisting of myself, Nanci, and Rocky are with the Rebel Alliance. The second party consisting of Jay, Sho, and Saf are hired mercenaries. Each month we’ll be recording two episodes (schedule permitting). One episode will center around the Rebels, and the other episode will center around the mercs. Tom will be GMing both groups.

Later today, we’ll post our special Episode Zero show, which is very much an introduction and workshopping episode that’ll give you an idea of what goes into creating the campaign and characters. You’ll get to meet the players and GM and learn a little about the story we’ll be telling.

Tentatively, the first actual episode is set to be recorded on January 8th.

We don’t want to give away everything, but Tom did write up an opening crawl as a teaser…

THE END OF ALL THINGS

EPISODE I: DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN

The Galactic Civil War endures. As Imperial and Rebel forces engage each other in conflicts great and small across the galaxy, pockets of peace are scarce.

Conflict brings opportunity. Crime cartels and gangs – operating at the Edge of the Empire struggle for control, playing both sides of the war and filling power vacuums where they can.

Far into the Outer Rim, the lone desert planet of Tatooine sits on the brink of chaos after the death of Jabba the Hutt. Eager to display strength, the Hutts offer intel on valuable technology that could sway the balance of power in the war….

Tosche Station Radio #135: You Sunk My Battlefront

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This week on Tosche Station Radio, Tom from Del Rey joins us to discuss Battlefront!

Kicking off the show the hosts highlight What’s New on the Blog.  Rounding up the last few episodes of Rebels, Brian reviewed Brothers of the Broken Horn, Nanci reviewed Wings of the Master, and Bria reviewed Blood Sisters. Bria also told us why Katooni should be in Rebels. We’ve got a bunch of comic reviews, as per usual. Bria reviewed Chewbacca #3, Darth Vader #12, Star Wars #12, Kanan #8, and the first issue of Vader Down #1. Saf was at PAX Australia, and she interviewed Hollow Night’s William Pellen.  Matthew previewed the 2016 LEGO Star Wars sets.

Fixer’s Flash covers the latest geek things we’ve been up to. Nanci is still neck-deep in NaNoWriMo. Brian’s been playing Fallout 4 and Battlefront. Tom? Battlefront and Halo.

From there we discuss the latest news in Deak’s Dirt, we say goodbye to  Star Wars Weekends. . In Biggs’ Bull#&@*, we talk the four new TFA TV spots and the EW cover story.

This week on Camie’s Concerns, Tom and Brian give their impressions of DICE’s Star Wars: Battlefront.

Tosche Station Radio is the official podcast of Tosche-Station.net and a part of Majestic Giraffe Productions. If you like what you hear, please leave a review on the iTunes Music Store. We can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

Nanci and Brian are the co-founders and writers of Tosche-Station.net. You can find Nanci on Twitter with the handle @Nancipants and you can find Brian with @LaneWinree.

This podcast has been brought to you in part by Her Universe and your support on Patreon!