Does this need to be said AGAIN?

Posted on April 30, 2014 by Emily

Hey, it’s my turn to tag in. *slaps Nanci’s hand* I can do this. If you look back in the archives, I’ve got a post called Why Star Wars Needs Women. Why don’t you go read that while I drag out the soapbox?

You know, this soapbox keeps getting heavier. It seems like it keeps getting more difficult to step on to, too. I know it’s my own perception, though. It has nothing to do with the actual weight of the soapbox or my own strength. It has everything to do with exhaustion. You see, I’m tired.

You know why? Because I have to keep repeating myself. Because I have to keep shouting myself hoarse and jumping up and down and saying “HEY YOU, HOW ABOUT THE GIRLS?”

People conveniently forget that women invented science fiction. (Haven’t read Frankenstein? You should.) They don’t know that the history of science has been rewritten to excise the contributions of hundreds of women. They don’t realize that there are systematic social roadblocks in the way of women and minorities entering into science and technology. Don’t believe me? Maybe you’ll believe Neil DeGrasse Tyson in his response to the man who used to be the president of Harvard University.

Tyson points out that to have women and minorities in science, “[Y]ou gotta come up with a system where there’s equal opportunity.” You know how some of that starts? With representation in media. Don’t believe me? Take a look at the original Star Trek and the influence that its intentional representation had. (And yeah, I’ve called JJ out on screwing that up in the Star Trek reboot too.) Star Wars can’t do that?

Star Wars can do better.

So why am I so tired? Because when we get a casting list like this, it seems like all the work I do, everything I work for, everything I try to teach my cousins and my students, everything–has been worth precisely a hill of beans.

But Tyson points something else out. To become an astrophysicist, he says “I looked to become something that was outside the paradigms of expectation of the people in power. Fortunately, my depth of interest was so deep, and so fuel-enriched, that every one of these curveballs I was thrown, and fences built in front of me, and hills that I had to climb, I just reached for more fuel and I kept going.”

So here we go. Yeah, it needs to be said. Again. And we’re going to keep saying it.

It’s okay to feel conflicted about Episode VII’s casting

Posted on April 29, 2014 by admin

It’s possible to have conflicting feelings about things.

I’m excited that we finally, FINALLY, have casting news to talk about. The Big Three being in Episode VII was perhaps the worst kept secret in cinematic history, but despite that I’m still thrilled that we’re going to see Luke, Han, and Leia on the big screen again. I’m ecstatic that a few minority actors have been cast for the films. I’m excited that shooting is underway and we’re a few big steps closer to seeing Star Wars return to theaters.

Simultaneously, I’m rather disappointed that only one woman was added to the ranks at this juncture, and I’m not the only one.

It’s perfectly okay to be happy and nothing but happy about today’s news. This is big, exciting news. What’s not okay is the overly aggressive sentiment making its way through social media and the blogosphere that the only appropriate reaction now is excitement and happiness. Shouting down and belittling those who express concern or disappointment over the low number of women and people of color in this cast is not an okay thing to do.

(Responding with a patronizing “what’s important is telling a good story” is also not okay, just for the record)

That concern and disappointment is valid. Like it or not, Star Wars is a franchise that’s got a pretty mixed record when it comes to minority and female characters. It did okay in the Expanded Universe realm, but, well. You remember last week’s news. Its record (and its director’s record) from the film front leaves a lot more to be desired. Because of this, fans are going to be rightly skeptical and disappointed when a disproportionately white, male cast is announced because Star Wars hasn’t quite earned the benefit of the doubt.

Even if Daisy Ridley and John Boyega have very prominent roles, right now it still appears that there is a big representation gap in this film and franchise. If we’re being honest, the minority representation right now is lacking. Even if another female main character is added, the representation of women is lacking. This casting announcement looks like a continuation of the lack of diversity this franchise has, unfortunately, been known for since 1977. That’s more than enough to justify the concern and disappointment that many are feeling.

Remember, you’re entitled to be happy and excited about this news. I don’t blame you! There’s a lot to be excited about and I share the overwhelming bulk of that excitement. Let me say that again, I’m very excited about this. However, you don’t get to belittle other fans that have valid concerns and feelings about this news. You don’t get to tell them how to feel. You don’t get to tell them what’s appropriate to feel. You don’t get to call their fandom into question for not responding to this news exactly how you did. You don’t get to invalidate their experiences just because they don’t match your own.

Your feelings are valid. And so are theirs.

It’s Official: We Have Our Episode VII Cast

Posted on April 29, 2014 by Nanci

The official site finally put to bed all rumors and announced the cast of Episode VII.

“Actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow will join the original stars of the saga, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker in the new film.”

HUZZAH. Fandom knows Andy Serkis from the Lord of the Rings films, playing Gollum, while Domhnall Gleeson played Bill Weasley in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Oscar Davis starred in the film Inside Llewyn Davis, while Adam Driver is best known for his role in the HBO series Girls.

Also: MAX VON FRICKIN SYDOW? Wow, okay. On a diversity note, we’ve got two POCs in the main cast…but only one girl. Oh well, at least it’s some progress!

Finally, a fangirl note from the author of this post: JEDI MASTER LUKE SKYWALKER RIDES AGAIN!

Now, let the speculation of who they’re all playing begin.

Tosche Station Radio #83: Extra Extra

Posted on April 19, 2014 by admin

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It’s catching up on the news and rumors on this week’s Tosche Station Radio!

Kicking off the show, the hosts highlight what’s New on the Blog. Bria reviewed Legacy 13 and The Star Wars #7. Emily reviewed Serenity #3. Emily also called out Wookieepedia for their victim blaming attitude over their April Fool’s Joke. Brian tore apart Wookieepedia’s half-baked apology. Bria wrote a Winter Soldier themed Marvel comics primer.

In Fixer’s Flash, the hosts went and saw Winter Soldier and saw some slightly less geeky films. They also went to Megacon and somehow squeezed in time to visit the Kennedy Space Center. The Saturn V is big, folks.

Deak’s Dirt starts with Celebration Anaheim hosts being announced. Wars Reads Day is returning for a third year. Kevin Hearne turned in his Luke Skywalker novel. Harrison Ford did a Reddit AMA. No, Bennedict Cumberbatch won’t be in Star Wars. ABC and Disney will be giving bloggers (not us) a look at Rebels. Karen Gillan’s hair might be appearing in Episode VII. Obi-Wan Kenobi wins This Is Madness. Alan Horn says Episode VII is mostly cast and it’s being shot now. In addition to The Big Bang Theory, The Goldbergs will be getting its own Star Wars episode. Starwars.com gets a facelift. Finally, Disney Publishing announces four new Star Wars YA books

In Biggs’ Bull#*$&, Jeremy Bullock was on a Star Wars panel at SLC Comic Con, and maybe let something slip? Is he in something? Only time will tell. Frequent rumor: Episode VII to return to Tatooine. Related: Is Episode VII filming in Abu Dhabi? Is this the first look at the Episode VII set? Rumor: Dominic Monaghan to play a Jedi? Oxford Educated actress Maisie Richardson-Sellers rumored to be up for role. Based on previous rumors and casting calls, people are saying she might be playing a descendent of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Report: Peter Mayhew is back to play Chewie, EU fans go supernova.

Biggs Bull#*$& goes off the rails to sort of become Camie’s Concerns this week as the hosts discuss why Hermit Luke is a bad idea and why a direct descendant of Obi-Wan doesn’t make sense either.

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.

Why the Sequel Trilogy Needs to Star a Skywalker

Posted on March 20, 2014 by Nanci

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.

Continue reading →

Episode VII will begin 30 years, post RotJ, star new and old faces

Posted on March 18, 2014 by Nanci

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.

Lucasfilm.com relaunches, teases Episode VII concept art?

Posted on February 14, 2014 by admin

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.

Tosche Station Radio #79: Teachable Moments

Posted on February 5, 2014 by admin

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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.

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.

Episode VII Roundup: J.J. Abrams says things and stuff

Posted on January 21, 2014 by admin

Let’s start out with the actual news-y things, because there hasn’t been enough of that pertaining to Episode VII of late. According to USA Today, J.J. Abrams has confirmed that the script is finished and that filming is slated to begin in May. But what’s the script about? Well…

“We can’t talk about story yet,” said the director, who plans to travel to England soon to begin work on the seventh film in the long-running saga. As far as casting, he had no details but said they will come “soon, and I look forward to that so that we can get past it and we can get on with it.”

No surprise they can’t talk about it yet. At least we’re starting to get some rumblings that casting will be coming soon. We’d like to get past it as well, J.J.

Meanwhile in a separate report from The Wrap, Abrams says that there have indeed been talks with Jesse Plemons, despite the latter denying there was anything there.

Over in the rumor mill side of things, the popular weekend rumbling was that Lucasfilm has approached Judi Dench to play Mon Mothma. Again, this one is a rumor. For my take, if you can get Judi Dench, go for it, but it would be cool to see her play something other than the obvious aged up Mon Mothma. How about a female Jedi Master with more than two lines of actual dialog?

And finally, Carrie Fisher told TV Guide that she, Mark Hamill, and Harrison Ford will be starting work on Episode VII in March or April.

Artoo to be in Episode VII, fan-built

Posted on November 19, 2013 by admin

It’s not the Big Three, but have some delicious Episode VII confirmation news for your afternoon. R2-D2 is in Episode VII, and this time the droid is a fan-made unit.

“It all started when Kathleen Kennedy toured the R2-D2 Builders area at Celebration Europe this past summer in Germany,” says Steeples, who finished his first R2-D2 in 2007, after 10 years of collecting parts and researching. “She posed for pictures with us, looked at all the droids we’d built and was very complimentary. I mentioned that the R2-D2 Builders in the UK were available if required, as a semi-joke. When I was contacted to work on the film by [executive producer] Jason McGatlin, it was on her recommendation.”

Now that’s just cool.