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.
Tosche Station Radio #132: Just Let It In
This week we’re talking about–you guessed it–the final Force Awakens trailer!
Kicking off the show the hosts highlight What’s New on the Blog. Brian live-tweeted The Lost Commanders. Bria reviewed Chewbacca #1. Bria also wrote about 10 things she learned while working the Del Rey booth at NYCC. And of course we posted our off-the-cuff reactions to the trailer. Be sure to catch out Nanci’s appearance in the “Trailer Council” organized by Bobby Roberts from the Full of Sith podcast.
Fixer’s Flash covers the latest geek things Nanci and Brian have been up to, including catching up on movie watching from the past year and devouring the Shattered Empire comic. Yes, Nanci’s actually reading a comic!
From there we discuss the latest news in Deak’s Dirt, which is basically news that Season 2 of Rebels is back! In Biggs’ Bull$@!* Nanci and Brian discuss The Force Awakens poster reveal and the special Opening Night event at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
This week on Camie’s Concerns, we dive into the trailer and analyze it shot by shot, highlighting our own theories and desires for the film.
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!
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!
10 Things I Learned Working the Del Rey Booth at NYCC
As many of you probably know, I was lucky enough to not only attend New York Comic Con last weekend but to also spend a fair amount of time behind the table of the Del Rey Star Wars booth. Erich, Tom, and everyone were awesome for letting me help out so much. Working the booth a great way to see and chat with a bunch of different Star Wars folks (Apologies to Pablo for asking about Barriss again and a weird as heck Legacy question). It also definitely gave me a different view of Star Wars fans as a whole. Therefore, it only seems appropriate to share a few things I learned during my time behind the table.
1. Nothing gets people’s attention faster than yelling “Free Star Wars! Come and get it!”
Over the course of four days, we handed out about five thousand copies of the sampler and twenty-five hundred of Tarkin. That’s a lot of Star Wars! There are very few people in this world who are going to say no to a free Star Wars book when you hand them one unless they already happen to own it. And when you start handing people copies directly? They will start flocking like crazy. On a related note, people will also try really hard to get you to just give them one of the freebies that are purchase or preorder incentives. (Pro Tip: Asking to have one when you aren’t buying something probably won’t work. You’re more likely to get one when you don’t expect it.)
2. It takes all of an hour before you just start nodding when people ask if you’re Del Rey.
And then it takes you at least a week to break yourself of the habit of saying “we” as seen in Exhibit A above. Mostly, it was just easier to say when you were behind the table for hours each day and it just wasn’t worth the effort to explain that no, I’m actually a Star Wars blogger fan who just happens to be handling your purchase today. The Square reader makes you look super official and people don’t notice that your badge says ‘press’ and not ‘exhibitor’.
3. You develop your selling pitches for each of the books really really quickly.
I now have a great one for Rise of the Empire that can be tailored to include Lords of the Sith and Aftermath depending on what else the person has read. Heck, I’ve even got one for Heir to the Jedi (despite not super digging the book) that’s entirely true, sounds nice, and never once has me say that I love the book. You also learn to adapt them for whoever you’re talking to. I did, however, find it amusing when someone asked whether they should get Aftermath or Heir to the Jedi when Chuck was standing next to me and they clearly had no clue who he was. (Spoilers: They ended up buying both.)
And on a related note…
4. I really enjoy saying “ADMIRAL Rae Sloane” in a way that’s both enthusiastic and, upon further consideration, probably more than a little weird.
So maybe I’m just really excited about the Levers of Power story that Jason Fry wrote and maybe I just really want everyone to read about Admiral Rae Sloane at the Battle of Endor. Okay yes, she was part of my sales pitch but she’s also the coolest and every Star Wars fan needs to know about her. My baby’s all grown up and kicking butt at Endor and I’M JUST REALLY REALLY PROUD OF HER, OKAY?
5. Some people really believe that the fake The Force Awakens promo covers were around an actual copy of novelization.
They were not. In fact, if my memory serves me correctly, those were actually around a copy of Aftermath and a Danielle Steel book. So, you know, close. The Aftermath II and III and the Bloodline covers were also fake. I’m pretty sure those books don’t even exist yet but that certainly didn’t stop people from trying to get their hands on them which actually became quite humorous after a while.
6. Most of the people who come to the booth are genuinely excited about Star Wars and at least mildly interested in all the new canon books you have there.
For those of us who mainly exist in the online world of Star Wars fandom, we sometimes forget plenty of fans aren’t a part of those discussions. For every person who loved the Expanded Universe, there are three others who never really got into it or who perhaps had never heard of it but who are now intrigued by these books that are a part of the canon. Those are the people who are really fun to talk to because you can bond over Star Wars things that you both enjoy and then just maybe you can get them excited about new Star Wars books or characters that they haven’t heard of yet. Introducing people to this broader world is a genuine joy.
7. …but there are still people who will come up and express their disappointment about the Legends thing. Some of them will come back multiple times to do so.
This was probably a no brainer but yep, I got to interact with some Legends folks! Very few people will be rude to your face though… they’ll just mutter comments as they walk away or say them loudly as they walk by because either they’re being passive aggressive or because they think you can’t hear them? Honestly, I can’t say anyone was particularly bad. This wasn’t the Facebook comments in real life. Some folks just aren’t going to move on and that’s just that.
But uhhh… folks? I know you miss Legends. I miss Legends. But uhh… don’t try and Kickstart the EU. I can’t even begin to explain all of the reasons why that won’t work.
8. Alexander Freed is the master of working a signing line.
While I’ve never been on the signing end of things, I imagine that it’s not an easy task to repeatedly say hi and have a brief conversation with someone while also signing your name on a poster or book for the dozenth time. Freed not only moved the line along quickly but also took the time to actually talk to everyone. It’s doubly impressive that he even did so on Sunday afternoon when everyone was tired. Honestly, the mastery is difficult to describe unless you got to observe it. It’s an art form. (By the way, you should all get excited for Twilight Company!)
9. Luke Skywalker is going to die at least 20 times in Aftermath: Life Debt and they will all be Nanci’s fault. Or N4N-C1’s fault.
It’s confirmed news. Sorry, Nanci. Right out of the Wendig’s mouth during his Saturday signing. Just wait until we get to Aftermath: Empire’s Electric Boogaloo! HE’S GONNA DIE A HUNDRED TIMES. AT LEAST.
10. Working on the other side of the book table is a hell of a lot of fun and the Del Rey folks have the best jobs in the world.
Need I say more?
Hold on to yer butts, we’re getting a trailer.
Yesterday afternoon starwars.com graced us with the official poster for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, along with confirmation that, yes, we’ll be getting a new trailer (the first full-length trailer, and the last one, apparently), tonight during Monday Night Football. The trailer will air during halftime, which should be around 10 pm eastern time.
Around the same time yesterday afternoon, three short teasers started airing on TV and were released on the internet. You can see them combined into one video below.
Tickets will go on sale immediately after the trailer airs. If you’re lucky enough to live near Disney World, there will be a special opening night event at Hollywood Studios. Brian and I will be there with bells on!
Last but not least, after the trailer drops I’ll be taking part in a special “Trailer Council” organized by Bobby Roberts from the Full of Sith podcast, and featuring voices from other Star Wars podcasts. You’ll be able to catch the recording on our feed within the next few days. And of course, we’ll have our own trailer analysis on this week’s episode of Tosche Station Radio and a reaction post tomorrow on the blog.
Rebels Review: The Lost Commanders
Review: Chewbacca #1
Right on the heels of the Lando finale, Marvel launches its next limited series in the Star Wars book. Chewbacca #1 by Gerry Duggan and Phil Noto launches today, giving readers one of their first looks at a Chewie adventure without his sidekick Han Solo.
First, it definitely should be said that Duggan choosing to leave Chewbacca’s dialogue untranslated to readers was a bold choice. Selling readers on a book where you can’t actually understand what the main character is saying is tough. To help counter this, Duggan introduces a young girl named Zarro who can fend for herself but needs Chewie’s help to save her father from the mines. It’ll be interesting to see how the pair end up working together in future issues.
The lettering work of Joe Caramagna (who has lettered most of the other Star Wars books) definitely should be called out here for what a lovely job he’s done. You can definitely tell that he had fun with finding ways to communicate Chewbacca’s wookiee roars.
Because of how the story’s told, Phil Noto’s art definitely has to do a lot of the heavy lifting. If for no other reason, the book’s worth picking up for his art which is, as always, gorgeous. He’s able to do a heck of a lot with Chewie’s body language and facial expressions.
All of that said, Chewbacca #1 is far from being my favorite Star Wars comic. It just didn’t grab me like so many of the others have thus far. But then again, not every comic is going to be everyone’s preferred cup of tea and I strongly suspect that plenty of other people (especially the big Chewie fans) will get a real kick out of this book. Was it enjoyable? Yep. Life changing? Nah. Should you pick it up? Sure, why not? Marvel’s done a darn good job with their Star Wars stories so far including pulling more than a few surprises out of the bag. It’s certainly worth reading this one to see where they go.