Artists, designers, and other ILM/LFL members discuss the greatness that was Ralph McQuarrie.
The Birth of the Lightsaber
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YdBvWauNwA
George Lucas, Mark Hamill, and Ben Burtt discuss the lightsaber in this featurette.
Review: Serenity #3
I feel like I’m starting to become a broken record. Great writing, beautiful cover….really, really crappy art.
Let me go back a second. I think Georges Jeanty can produce nice art–and anyone who opens this comic and takes a look at the last page will see what I mean. But I’m remembering what Christina Strain (who colored Spiderman loves Mary Jane) told me once–in comic books, you have to be at least two out of three: you have to be nice, you have to be good, and you have to be fast. My guess is that Jeanty is a really nice person and he’s really fast–if you want him to be really good, he has to slow down. Like I said, the last page is very well done, but the rest? Not so much.
There are a couple of surprises in the writing here. It’s less so with the plot–it’s a bit predictable. Zoe’s been captured, and River’s been delving into her own brain for more Alliance secrets that might help them out. The predictability isn’t what River finds, but where Mal turns for help.
One point in this comic really surprised me, though. Readers of issue #2 know that Jubal Early had found his way back to the ship. But Kaylee’s method of dealing with Early took me aback a bit. We all know that Miranda changed everyone on the entire crew, but for some reason, I think, I always believed that Kaylee’s innocence remained essentially intact. To see Kaylee take a turn toward the cynical and bitter shows, better than anything else, just how serious matters are, and it’s enough to leave Firefly fans more than just a little apprehensive about where the story’s going to go next.
Review: Star Wars: Legacy #13
Last month’s issue of Legacy ended with a crash… literally. Ania Solo is still a wanted woman, separated from her only friends and allies in Legacy #13 by Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman which hits stores today. And—look, I just want to know who the heck Ania Solo is already!
Somehow, Ania manages to walk away from the crash landing mostly unharmed but that’s not much when there’s a bounty hunter still hot on her tail. Sauk, Jao, and AG-37 are doing every thing they can to track Ania down and get their friend back. Back on Coruscant, Ania Solo continues to be the topic of conversation. True to Solo form though, Ania’s not going to wait around for a rescue or to be captured but can she evade the mysterious bounty hunter?
Bake It So…Kinda
So, this is awesome. StarTrek.com just announced that Klingon Warnog – that is, Klingon BEER – is coming soon to the US and Canada. With hints of banana, clove, and caramel, this should be a warrior’s drink.
Coming from Tin Man Brewery in Evansville, Indiana, you can also check out federationofbeer.com to learn about Vulcan Ale, brewed at Harvest Moon brewery in the United States, but sadly, available only in Canada.
As for the Warnog, I have only one thing to say:
This Is Madness: Vote For the Original Rogue Leader
Listen up, folks. Wes Janson here. Our illustrious leader Wedge Antilles may have suffered defeat by a sassy astromech droid, but the competition isn’t over yet. Today Luke Skywalker, the co-founder of Rogue Squadron, and the first man to hold the title of Rogue Leader, is up against that lying old wizard hermit, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You know, the man who hid in a desert for 20 years while the galaxy went to pot, lied and kept important information to himself (like the Princess being Luke’s sister, which could have helped them avoid a lot of awkward situations), and then encouraged our pal Luke to commit patricide. All the while Luke, humble farmboy as he is, believed in the power of the Light Side and encouraged Darth Vader to throw off his shackles and destroy the Emperor on the Second Death Star.
Luke is the new hope that the galaxy both needed and wanted! What did Obi-Wan do? Completely botch Anakin Skywalker’s training.
So if you want a liar to win this tournament, go ahead and vote Kenobi. If you want an honest, hard-working pilot and Jedi, who always believes in the good in people, vote Skywalker!
A vote for Luke is a vote for hope.
Thank you, and May the Force Be With You.
Tosche Station Radio #82: Ended, The Clone Wars Have
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Kicking off the show, the hosts highlight what’s New on the Blog. In Memory of Aaron Allston: Nanci’s post, Brian’s post, and a podcast. Honor Among Thieves released: Go/No-go and Bria’s more in-depth review. Bria finished out the Hondo Caravan. Yes, she watched all of Season 5 in one week, and then forged ahead with the Bonus Content. Of note, she thought what happened to Barriss was crap. The Doctor is in! Congratulations to Emily on successfully defending her dissertation! Bria reviewed The Star Wars #6. Nanci discussed why The Sequel Trilogy needs a Skywalker. And finally, TeamWedge has come and gone. It was a valiant effort on the part of Wes Janson, but Wedge fell to that pesky astromech, R2-D2. Let’s throw our support to the original Rogue Leader, Luke Skywalker. He faces tough competition, but horrible pilot, Obi-Wan Kenobi in the first round.
In Fixer’s Flash, the hosts have found some time to geeky pursuits while putting together Ikea furniture. The Clone Wars was watched and consumed, but more on that later. Nanci’s been working on a new novel. Both the hosts are getting set for MegaCon.
Deak’s Dirt starts with news that Kevin Hearne’s Luke novel is set for release on January 13. Check out Leland Chee’s Twitter for information about The Clone Wars chronological order. There’s ACTUAL Episode VII news! Confirmed! It will take place 30 years post-RotJ; will feature some familiar faces and a trio of new leads. Artoo is still the only confirmed character. What is going on with EU characters marching in the Star Wars Weekend motorcade? Nanci’s post, Brian’s post. Finally, Mark Hamill is going to be at Star Wars Weekends!
This week in Bigg’s Bull#*$&, Lupita N’yongo is rumored to be close to signing on for Episode VII. Other actors are in consideration as well (surprise surprise).
It’s The Clone Wars bonus content on Camie’s Concerns this week. The hosts recap the final episodes and bid a final farewell to the show.
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 Audible.com.
MARK HAMILL IS GOING TO BE AT STAR WARS WEEKENDS
MARK HAMILL IS GOING TO BE AT STAR WARS WEEKENDS! OMGWTFBBQ!!!!!!!
THIS IS HIS FIRST APPEARANCE AT THE EVENT. HE WILL BE ATTENDING THE WEEKEND OF JUNE 6-8, 2014. HE WILL PARTICIPATE IN THE STAR WARS CELEBRITY MOTORCADE AND THE STARS OF THE SAGA TALK SHOW.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
(Note: Brian and I had this conversation prior to me writing this blog post:
Brian: Would you like to blog this?
Me: I don’t know if you’d really want that?
Brian: Oh yes. Yes I would
Me: Okay. You asked for it.
I’m really sorry, you guys.)
Why the Sequel Trilogy Needs to Star a Skywalker
I’m a fan of the Expanded Universe. It’s what sucked me in to the saga, made me a fan, and made me stay a fan. Once the credits rolled on my first viewing of Return of the Jedi, I had to know what happened to the characters next. Little did I know that a book called Heir to the Empire had just been released, and coincidentally enough, it starred Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, and Han Solo.
Over the past 20+ years I’ve followed the EU pretty closely. I’ve gotten angry at certain plot developments and given up on it entirely. I’ve come crawling back with the promise of good Father-Son interaction, and a new X-Wing book. I’ve gotten tired of the Big Three starring in every story, and threw up my hands at the Crucible announcement. Before the Disney sale, I was optimistic about the future of the EU, and looking forward to more X-Wing books and a trilogy about Jaina Solo, Han and Leia’s daughter. It was about time she got her time in the spotlight, completely separate from her parents.
Now, with Episode VII on the horizon, I wholeheartedly believe that the Sequel Trilogy must star one of the next generation of Skywalkers, and I will argue this point until I’m blue in the face.
Episode VII will begin 30 years, post RotJ, star new and old faces
We actually got some Episode VII news out of the Disney shareholders earning call today! Not a lot, but right now I’m willing to grasp at any and all scraps of news I can get my tiny fingers on.
Bob Iger confirmed that Episode VII will begin approximately 30 years after Return of the Jedi (or 34 ABY for us Expanded Universe folk), and will star some familiar faces along with a trio of new leads. However, the only confirmed cast member is still R2-D2. Le sigh.
Still! Some news is better than no news! I think. Hopefully, with filming starting in May, we’ll get some more substantial news–like casting!–pretty soon.