Director and new Star Wars helmsman J.J. Abrams appeared on the Travis Smiley show to talk Star Wars, Star Trek, and reassure fans that the Galaxy Far, Far Away isn’t going to be Disneyfied any time soon.
Kotaku profiles LucasArts’ collapse
The shuttering of LucasArts still stings for a lot of fans. Many hold Disney accountable for closing the venerable game studio, but did problems for the developer begin before the sale? According to a Kotaku profile by Jason Schreier, LucasArts was in trouble years before Disney came into the picture.
Over the last five months, I’ve talked to a dozen people connected to LucasArts, including ex-employees at the company’s highest levels, in an attempt to figure out just how the studio collapsed. Some spoke off the record; others spoke under condition of anonymity. They told me about the failed deals, the drastic shifts in direction, the cancelled projects with codenames likeSmuggler and Outpost. They told me the stories behind the fantastic-looking Star Wars 1313and the multi-tiered plans for a new Battlefront starting with the multiplayer game known asStar Wars: First Assault.
All of these people helped paint a single picture: Even before Disney purchased LucasFilm, the parent company of LucasArts, in November of 2012, the studio faced serious issues. LucasArts was a company paralyzed by dysfunction, apathy, and indecision from executives at the highest levels.
It may not have been just 1313 and First Assault that wound up meeting untimely demises either:
In news that will certainly crush anyone who enjoyed LucasArts-branded adventure games, the team at LucasArts Singapore was working on a remastered version of the classic point-and-click game Day of the Tentacle, according to three people familiar with that project. Like the special editions of the first two Monkey Island games, released in 2009 and 2010, the remastered Day of the Tentacle would be pseudo-3D, with remade background art and cut-scenes redone to run at 30 frames per second…
…The list of cancelled projects goes on and on. There was Smuggler, a game designed for cross-platform multiplayer that would let you play as a customizable character within the Star Warsuniverse, smuggling and trading between Facebook, tablets, and consoles.P
There was Outpost, the Star Wars take on Zynga’s FarmVille that would let players build empires, one click at a time.P
There was Death Star, the iOS game in which you’d get to control your very own version of the Empire’s iconic space station.P
There was the online service that would be LucasArts’ very own version of Origin, EA’s network for distributing games and servicing online multiplayer. Like Origin for EA, this LucasArts-branded network would help the company distribute Star Wars games and in-app purchases. According to one person familiar with plans for this network, it would have launched alongside Star Wars: First Assault, which would have had some sort of microtransaction store.
Shortly after LucasArts closed, I cautioned fans not to blame Disney. The anger was understandable, the studio closure came right on the heels of The Clone Wars getting cancelled. From my outside perspective, it looked as if LucasArts had been in trouble for years and issues had cropped up almost a decade earlier. This piece by Kotaku lends more to the idea that the company had merely been on life support from Lucasfilm for some time.
Be sure to read the entire Kotaku profile, there’s a whole lot more there that paints a much clearer picture that the problems that befell LucasArts come from within, not from Disney.
Tosche Station Radio #70: Pilot
On this episode of Tosche Station Radio, it’s a look Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and other television pilots!
Kicking off the show, the hosts discuss what’s New on the Blog. It was Razor’s Edge release week, so we’ve got our usual Go/No-Go spoiler-free take on whether you should buy the book or not, a review from Bria, and a look at how Martha Wells’ use of Leia differs from Brian Wood’s interpretation in the Star Wars comic. Bria also reviewed the latest issue of Star Wars Legacy.
In Fixer’s Flash, both the hosts got in on the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D viewing party. There was also a day at the Disney parks crammed in there somewhere.
Deak’s Dirt starts with the usual: Episode VII casting rumors. There was a Wookiee casting call, rumors of David Oyelowo being cast in both Episode VII and Rebels, and more rumors about the main Rebels voice cast. And even more we don’t have the time or gumption to mention. Dark Horse announced that a new comic series will continue the story of Firefly, picking up where Serenity left off. As we previously discussed, Razor’s Edge released this week. We’ll be doing a roundtable discussion within the next few weeks (once Nanci gets off her butt and reads the book). Up next is JW Rinzler’s The Making of Return of the Jedi out on October 1. Jennifer Heddle announced on Twitter that there will be a sequel to William Shakespeare’s Star Wars, titled The Empire Striketh Back.
This week on Camie’s Concerns, Wrong Opinions About Movies’ host Alli joins us to talk television pilots. The discussion starts with a look at Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and then dives into other pilots that may have been more or less effective.
Review: Star Wars: Legacy #7
Legacy continues today with the release of Issue #7. Rest time is over as Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman set our heroes off on their next adventure in pursuit of Darth Wredd. But honestly, after that cliffhanger at the end of the last issue, who wants to waste any more time with this introduction? On with the review!
This review contains mild spoilers for the issue.
Compare and Contrast: Leia in 2013
2013 was a big year for Leia in the Expanded Universe. First up, we got the Brian Wood written Star Wars comic, which Bria and myself were less than impressed by. Today we got Razor’s Edge by Martha Wells, which we were significantly happier with. Why the difference in reactions? Simply put, it boiled down to how Leia was used and characterized. To see what we mean, head below the cut.
Review: Razor’s Edge
It’s been hard in recent years to find a characterization of Leia Organa that just feels right. It’s also been hard to find a story about our Original Trilogy heroes where the stakes are high (but not ludicrously so) and where the galaxy doesn’t have to be put completely back together again at the story’s end or, in other words, a fun adventure story. Martha Wells delivers on both of these counts in Empire and Rebellion: Razor’s Edge. It’s a book where the story is important enough to warrant several hundred pages but it’s also a book that will make you laugh one page, smile another, and then perhaps duck your head and hide a tear for Alderaan. (Or maybe that last one is just me.)
Go/No-Go: Razor’s Edge by Martha Wells
Welcome back to Go/No-Go, Tosche Station’s regular feature where we offer our spoiler-free opinion as to whether or not you should spend your hard-earned money on a book, film, or other entertainment. Today on the launch pad: Razor’s Edge by Martha Wells. Does the first of the new Empire and Rebellion series stack up? Time to go around the horn at mission control.
Grant Us The Serenity!
And where Joss Whedon and Firefly is concerned, forget your ideas of what fandom can and cannot change and rejoice because they can’t stop the signal.
Dark Horse Comics just announced that their new comic series will pick up where the 2005 movie Serenity left off, with River Tam sitting in the co-pilot’s seat, and Zoe Washburn struggling to adjust to the death of her husband and the realization that she’ll be raising their soon-to-be-born child alone.
Buffy Season 8 artist George Jeanty has been announced as the artist, while the writer and the launch date are still up in the air.
I think this is just shiny.
Tosche Station Radio #69: Dragon Con 2013 Recap
On this episode of Tosche Station Radio, the hosts are back and recapping Dragon Con!
Kicking off the show, there’s a bit of housekeeping. We’ve been away for a while, but hope you enjoyed our interview with John Jackson Miller and our episodes recorded live at Dragon Con. We conned Bria and Emily into stepping in for us one week, and now they have their own show! Be sure to check out their monthly show, Women of Odd Enthusiasms.
The hosts proceed to highlight what’s New on the Blog. Bria reported on her time at Baltimore Comic Con 2013.She also reviewed Legacy #6 and The Star Wars #1. Nanci discussed a certain plot twist in Kenobi and how it made her evaluate her own assumptions. Speaking of Kenobi, we have reviews by Brian and Bria. Spoilers: we all loved it. Bria reviewed another SWEU item: Jedi Academy by Jeffrey Brown. Emily gushed about the podcast Welcome To Night Vale. As we previously mentioned, we have a ton of content from Dragon Con! Be sure to check out our live recordings of the Introduction to the Expanded Universe panel, the Star Wars Authors panel, the Blogging, Podcasting, Vidding, and Fanfiction panel, the Women and Minorities in Star Wars panel, and the Conspiring for Fun and Profit panel.
In Fixer’s Flash, Nanci’s been busy reading The Darwin Elevator and writing a short space western story. Brian’s been reading through Razor’s Edge while both hosts recover from con season.
Deak’s Dirt starts with some news outside of the Star Wars fandom. J.K. Rowling is writing a Harry Potter spinoff film based on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. In a Reddit AMA, Seth Green addressed the status of Detours. According to him, it’s just on hold. J.J. Abrams is setting up a post-production facility for Episode VII in Los Angeles. Episode VII rumors! They exist! Don’t fall for them. Del Rey released the blurb for Honor Among Thieves by James S.A. Corey. Finally in some sad news, Expanded Universe author and publisher watchdog A.C. Crispin passed away.
In this week’s Camie’s Concerns, the hosts finally sit down to recap their Dragon Con experience. From panels to workshops and costume photoshoots, it was certainly one convention to remember!
Wrapping up the show, the hosts field questions in Ask Us Anything.
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.
Rumor: Saoirse Ronan read for Episode VII part
According to a rumor from Bleeding Cool, Saoirse Ronan has read for a female role in Episode VII. If you want to believe them, it’s a leading role.
I can reconfirm that Saoirse Ronan has had a meeting and read for one of the lead roles – to the best of my knowledge, the lead role – in Star Wars Episode VII.
This was first reported by Latino Review but, for what it’s worth, I’ve also had a rather telling, silent nod from one of my own sources near the casting of this project.
She’s likely to be some way from being cast, as yet, and there are many other actresses who could very easily take the part, including more names that you’d know just as well, but Ronan’s very talented, has a real fanbase and seems to fit the bill perfectly.
The article also says the whole Bennedict Cumberbatch thing still has legs despite claims to the contrary from the actor. It’s the rumor that just won’t die!
As for Ronan, the only thing I’ve seen her in was Hanna, and she was good in that. But of course, this is a rumor. It’s not confirmed. It may not even be reality. So take it all with a gigantic grain of NaCL.