If you caught the latest episode of Star Wars Rebels, “Droids in Distress,” then you know already about the pretty awesome cameo in the last few seconds. Spoilers under the cut:
Review: Star Wars Rebels: Droids in Distress
Star Wars Rebels began airing in its usual time slot last night at 9pm on Disney XD with its very first regular sized episode: Droids in Distress. How does the next episode hold up after such a fantastic pilot? Read on for a spoiler filled review and find out!
The Ghost is running low on funds so they agree to take a job that involves intercepting a shipment of highly dangerous weapons to the Empire. The job seems simple enough until Zeb discovers what the weapons are… and two familiar droids wander into the path of the Ghost’s crew.
JJM Answers Fan Questions on Suvudu
Del Rey hosted another author Q&A over the past week with John Jackson Miller, author of A New Dawn. Thankfully, they changed up the format from a free-for-all in the comment section to a ‘submit your questions and we’ll have JJM answer them all at once’ deal. One of the responses in particular caught my attention:
Is Hera Force-sensitive or just really good at what she does?
John Jackson Miller: That’s really more of a question for the TV producers. From my point of view, I think Hera certainly is very good at what she does, and while there’s a tendency to ascribe all exceptional talent to the Force, I’m not sure links are always necessary. As readers of my earlier works may know, I enjoy like writing non-Jedi characters that excel on their own.
And we all love reading those characters, John, we all love reading them.
You can read all of the questions and answers here on Suvudu.
Thrawn Trilogy Retrospective: Heir to the Empire Chapters 6-8
Welcome back to the Thrawn Trilogy retrospective, in which I reread the trilogy and overload you with my feels, as the kids say. In the previous post, we met two of our antagonists. In today’s installment, the crap hits the fan–for the first time of many.
The Millennium Falcon arrives on Bimmisaari
The New Republic envoy–Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie, and the droids–arrive on Bimmisaari. (How Timothy Zahn was able to keep track of how to spell all these crazy planet names is beyond me. Don’t fault me if I misspell them.) We learn that Leia never fully realized how to understand Shyriwook. I guess she’s not as adept at Wookiee as Ahsoka. They’re greeted by the Bimms, who ask Han to leave his blaster on the Falcon. They overlook Luke’s lightsaber, however, which turns out very good for him later on. After a half-hearted attempt to split up the group, Han and Leia go to explore the marketplace while Luke heads off to explore a nearby exhibit. Chewie stays on the Falcon, because he’s the only smart one of the group.
NYCC 2014: Marvel Announces Star Wars: Kanan – The Last Padawan
We knew that Marvel was unlikely to limit themselves to just three Star Wars titles in 2015 and today that suspicion was confirmed at New York Comic Con during the Cup O’ Joe panel. Marvel announced a new series titled ‘Kanan: The Last Padawan’ written by Greg Weisman with art by Pepe Larraz. The book will begin in April 2015 and solves the mystery of what Weisman is doing with Star Wars despite not being involved with Season 2 of Rebels.
The comic will help fill in the gaps in regards to Kanan’s background as a Jedi Padawan and go into his relationship with Master Depa Billaba.
You can read Weisman’s interview with Marvel about the book here.
The Clone Wars Lost Missions Coming to Blu Ray and DVD
Are you waiting to add The Clone Wars Lost Missions to your video library? You’re in luck! The 13 additional episodes, comprising an informal Season 6 of the series, will be available on Blu Ray and DVD on November 11.
Full blurb for Kevin Hearne’s Heir to the Jedi
February 17, 2015 will be a banner day here at Tosche Station, as Kevin Hearne’s Heir to the Jedi is released into the wild.
The novel was first announced at Celebration VI under the “Rebels” banner, and is the third book in the now defunct “Empire and Rebellion” trilogy that takes place after A New Hope. Del Rey has saved the best for last here, as this novel features Luke Skywalker in first-person POV.
To say I’m excited about this novel would be an understatement. But in case you’re not like me and squeal at anything involving Luke, here’s a more detailed blurb from Random House:
Luke Skywalker’s game-changing destruction of the Death Star has made him not only a hero of the Rebel Alliance but a valuable asset in the ongoing battle against the Empire. Though he’s a long way from mastering the power of the Force, there’s no denying his phenomenal skills as a pilot—and in the eyes of Rebel leaders Princess Leia Organa and Admiral Ackbar, there’s no one better qualified to carry out a daring rescue mission crucial to the Alliance cause.
A brilliant alien cryptographer renowned for her ability to breach even the most advanced communications systems is being detained by Imperial agents determined to exploit her exceptional talents for the Empire’s purposes. But the prospective spy’s sympathies lie with the Rebels, and she’s willing to join their effort in exchange for being reunited with her family. It’s an opportunity to gain a critical edge against the Empire that’s too precious to pass up. It’s also a job that demands the element of surprise. So Luke and the ever-resourceful droid R2-D2 swap their trusty X-wing fighter for a sleek space yacht piloted by brash recruit Nakari Kelen, daughter of a biotech mogul, who’s got a score of her own to settle with the Empire.
Challenged by ruthless Imperial bodyguards, death-dealing enemy battleships, merciless bounty hunters, and monstrous brain-eating parasites, Luke plunges head-on into a high-stakes espionage operation that will push his abilities as a Rebel fighter and would-be Jedi to the limit. If ever he needed the wisdom of Obi-Wan Kenobi to shepherd him through danger, it’s now. But Luke will have to rely on himself, his friends, and his own burgeoning relationship with the Force to survive.
A Luke Skywalker novel where he’s paired with a female lead? Count me in!
ABC to air Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion
If you missed the original airing of Spark of Rebellion, don’t you fret. ABC will be re-airing it on Sunday, October 26th at 7PM. If you did see it already, well, you may still want to tune in. From the Official Site
The critically-acclaimed epic adventure Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion will air on ABC on Sunday, October 26 (7:00 p.m. ET/PT). Executive producer Dave Filoni states, “We wanted to do something special for the ABC broadcast. We’ve added a scene which gives audiences insight into the Inquisitor and includes a cameo by Darth Vader voiced by the distinguished actor James Earl Jones.”
Emphasis added.
So who else is going to be watching the intro movie for the fourth time?
Star Wars: Battle Pod Arcade Game Unveiled
The first Star Wars-related announcement has come in from the New York Comic Con festivities and it’s certainly not something we expected. Bandai Namco has unveiled Star Wars: Battle Pod, an arcade game in which the player sits in a simulated cockpit and pilots various kinds of vehicles on missions. From the official site:
The game includes five stages that recreate the fiercest battle scenes from the original Star Wars trilogy. Loaded with features and unique gameplay elements, players can experience the impact of the explosions and destruction that will leave them with a sense of actually piloting and taking part in action-packed scenes from the films. Enabling the player to be surrounded by gameplay images and experiences on the dome screen, players will truly take command of the vehicles that appear in the films such as X-wings, snowspeeders, speederbikes, the Millennium Falcon and TIE Advanced.
The game will be available to play at participating arcades in the United States starting January 2015, but fans in New York City have an opportunity to play it early:
Players experienced their first hands-on gameplay of Star Wars: Battle Pod this week in New York City at an announcement event at Marquee NY. The game will continue to be on display at Dave and Buster’s in the Times Square location through the New York Comic-Con.
Bandai Namco does not seem to have information about the game up on its site as of yet but will hopefully have some soon.
@BlueJaigEyes, of The Wookiee Gunner, took video of the game trailer shown at the unveiling, which includes footage of what we hope is the Death Star Trench Run:
She also livetweeted the event, including pictures of the interior of the machines. See some of her tweets after the jump. Continue reading