Star Wars, Geek Culture, and Power Converters
Lucasfilm.com relaunched yesterday with some new photos from the studios. Among them is the photo you see above featuring members of the Lucasfilm crew in front of what look to be some concept art.
Whether or not these are for Episode VII, we don’t know. What we can see is that the print on the left features the Millennium Falcon rather prominently. Take what you will from that.
Or, it could be just another masterful troll job by the good folks at Lucasfilm.
This week on the podcast, we’re joined by Paula and Eliz from Club Jade to discuss the BAMFness that is Luke Skywalker.
New on the blog this week is another Hondo Caravan installment that hit the Krell arc and Bria was not impressed with him. Meanwhile, Fixer’s Flash is a video game and Disney-fueled affair.
Deak’s Dirt this week actually has news! We met a new character from Rebels, named Kanan, a cowboy Jedi voiced by Freddie Prinze, Jr. Hopefully we’ll be introduced to more characters soon. IGN spoke to Greg Weisman, and he gave more tidbits about Rebels. The Clone Wars is coming to Netflix streaming on March 7, including 13 bonus episodes from what would be Season 6. If you’re lucky enough to attend Star Wars Weekends, this year will feature the awesome Symphony in the Stars fireworks display.
Camie’s Concerns is inspired by a Tor.com article that explores the awesomeness that is Luke Skywalker. We’ve enlisted Paula and Eliz for a discussion of what makes Luke such a compelling character. We toss in some love for Wedge Antilles while we’re at it too.
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.
After a long wait, Clone Wars fans will finally be getting the bonus content promised when the show’s rundown was announced last year. Beginning March 7th, the five full seasons of the show and thirteen episodes from the “sixth and final season” will be available for your (binge) watching pleasure.
In these eagerly anticipated episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, some of the deepest mysteries of the conflict between the light and the dark sides of the Force are revealed. An intrepid clone trooper discovers a shocking secret, Anakin Skywalker’s closest relationship is tested to its limits, and what Master Yoda discovers while investigating the disappearance of a Jedi could forever change the balance of power in the galaxy. Fans will not only be able to watch the thrilling finale, they’ll be able to see more of Star Wars: The Clone Wars than ever before as Netflix will also stream the director’s cut of seasons one to five.
And to mark the occasion, Netflix has released video featuring Yoda and Qui-Gon. Enjoy!
Hey look, news!
USA Today has the exclusive scoop on who Freddie Prinze Jr. is lined up to play in Rebels. Meet Kanan, a Jedi survivor of Order 66. What’s he like? Well, Filoni describes him as a ‘cowboy Jedi.’
Admittedly, whenever a Jedi originating from the PT era shows up in the Dark Times onwards, I get a tad skeptical, but we’ll see how this works with the narrative and time placement. Getting some actual news for a change is welcome.
Did the antagonistic title get your attention? Did it? Sensationalist journalism, folks! Actually, I jest. The title does tie in though because wow do we have a sorry excuse for a Jedi in these episodes but I’ll stop there. Wouldn’t want to give away the arc too much now would I?
Darkness on Umbara
This is possibly one of the more battle heavy episodes I’ve seen. I think the first 10 minutes or so were almost all action? Episodes with this much fighting stand out to me for some reason. It’s fun getting to see them fighting the war and to see more of how Anakin’s battalion in particular works.
Okay, this replacement Jedi general? Pong Krell? He’s a real ass. Something bad had best happen to him by the end of the arc. Alternatively, he will not be one I will be sorry to see Order 66-ed. Honestly, you’d think that a Jedi could at least manage to use a trooper’s name. Every time he used Rex’s number instead of his name, I wanted to punch him in the face. I’m surprised Rex didn’t punch him, honestly.
Krell was put in charge Anakin’s battalion because Palpatine had recalled him back to Coruscant. This has a very fishy smell to it. Why would the Chancellor just pull one of his Generals back before a big battle? Sometimes, it surprises me that no one realized that Palpatine was evil before he went all crazy lightsaber Sith.
Seriously. Someone remove Krell from command. His plans are bad. You know nothing, Pong Krell.
The Wookiee Gunner spotted and captured a commercial teasing TCW bonus content on German channel Super RTL. Still no word on a US air date (or channel).
On this episode of Tosche Station Radio, it’s learning moments from the Expanded Universe.
Kicking off the show, the hosts highlight what’s New on the Blog. Bria reviewed Darth Maul: Lockdown the first EU book on the 2014 calendar. In comics, Emily reviewed the new Serenity comic, Leaves on the Wind #1, while Bria reviewed Legacy #11 and The Star Wars #5. Brian reminds everyone to go watch Gargoyles. The Hondo Caravan visited Dathomir and Mortis, broke out of the Citadel and dove underwater with Captain Ackbar. Finally, we talked about Diversity a lot in the past three weeks. Nanci explained why Diversity for Diversity’s Sake is not a Bad Thing. Brian deconstructed Four Stupid Arguments Against Diversity. Bria discussed Diversity Among the Stars (And the Royals of Alderaan).
On Fixer’s Flash, the hosts weren’t up to much geeky stuff thanks to both Bowls of the Super and Puppy variety. They are planning to go see a sing-along version of Frozen.
Deak’s Dirt starts with Christie Golden reminding us that Sword of the Jedi is on hold. Episode VII stuff: According to USA Today, JJ Abrams says the script is done and filming is slated to begin May. Carrie Fisher told TV Guide that she, Mark, and Harrison will begin work in March or April. Rumor – Judi Dench playing Mon Mothma? The Rebels movie rumored to air this summer. We also met the latest character from Rebels, Chopper the droid.
In Camie’s Concerns, the hosts take a look at what Rebels and the Sequel Trilogy can learn from the Expanded Universe. Both good and bad.
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.
After a month off, Rinzler and Mayhew are back with the next issue of the adaptation of George Lucas’s original screenplay. The Star Wars #5 hits shelves in a local comic store near you today as our heroes find out whether or not Kane Starkiller’s sacrifice was worth it.
There are some spoilers for this issue in the review.
Let’s start off with some propaganda artwork, shall we? Lucasfilm’s Amy Beth Christenson created six posters that were released at six different websites: Empire Online, IGN, Mashable, TheForce.net, Entertainment Tonight, and Omelete.
On a release window front, Jedi News hears rumblings that Disney is set to air the Rebels introduction movie this summer. We’ve heard the TV series is set to debut in the fall, so perhaps this will be the lead-up for that.
Still, it would be nice to get some concrete information on anything Star Wars related. There’s value in keeping things under wraps, but it’s frustrating to fans to discover that important details of Rebels are being disseminated via new LEGO products.
Season Four! Can you believe we’re already here? I certainly can’t. The good news is that it’s off to a crazy good start with a trio of episodes set on Mon Calamari and some excellent animation and design. But what will the rest of the season bring?
Water War
I can’t even begin to describe how much I love that they’re showing the Mon Calamari Senate in an underwater forum. It seems such an obvious choice but oh man am I glad that they followed through. I also love that they used the Mon Calamari/Quarren quarrel for this episode. It’s great when they pull things from the Expanded Universe. Honestly, all of the animation and design for this planet is fantastically done. It’s so cool looking and different that you can’t help but pay more attention to the episode. It’s a great opening for Season Four.
The episode does make me wonder how the Mon Calamari and Quarren’s biology works. More specifically, I’m wondering their respiratory systems are set up since they seem to have no trouble going from water to oxygen.
Also? The Mon Calamari prince is so cute and tiny and cute.
Obviously negotiations are short (did you see what I did there?) and it turns into an all out underwater battle which is really just an excuse for some more cool thing… well, everything. Of course, this got followed up by the Separatists have some crazy new weapon that’s clearly tailor made for this world.
Something that’s always intrigued me has been the use of a lightsaber under water. I’m no engineer or mechanic or any vaguely sciency person but I’m wondering if they really should be able to function. Apparently this episode is making me wonder about a lot of science related things today.
Also, shirtless Kit Fitso. That’s a thing that happened in this episode. Thought I should mention it.