Tosche Station Radio #100: Century Mark

Posted on December 15, 2014 by admin

This week on Tosche Station Radio, we recap and review the first half of Rebels season one!

Kicking off the show, the hosts highlight what’s New on the Blog. Nanci posted a Go/No-go for The Jupiter Pirates: The Curse of the Iris. She also continued on her Thrawn Trilogy Retrospective and finished Heir to the Empire! Shoshana discussed why she doesn’t like the Dr. Strange casting news. Nanci discussed why unlearning what you’ve learned about the sequel trilogy era is impossible when we know nothing. Bria reviewed Gathering Forces. We discussed our reactions to The Force Awakens teaser trailer in blog and podcast form.

In Fixer’s Flash, Nanci’s been busy finishing her manuscript and reading a new novel by Timothy Zahn. Brian’s been playing a whole bunch of Dragon Age: Inquisition. Bria’s been costuming (surprise!) and reading a new novel. Sho watched Jurassic Park for the first time (WHAT!?) and watched a ton of Legend of Korra.

Deak’s Dirt starts with Rebels Season 2 premiering at Celebration Anaheim. Dark Disciple gets a cover and a release date – July 7, 2015. Finally, Yoda’s voice will be in Rebels.

In Biggs’ Bull#*$&, there was something about a teaser trailer. Also, names! Names! We have names!

This week on Camie’s Concerns, we recap the first half of Rebels Season One. The highs, the lows, and what we absolutely loved.

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.

Review: Star Wars Rebels: Gathering Forces

Posted on November 24, 2014 by Bria

There’s no time for the crew of the Ghost to think or even breath as they’re chased off of Lothal. With them should go any lingering doubts about Disney’s willingness to go dark in a kids show because wow has this two-part arc proven them wrong.

This review contains spoilers.

Continue reading →

Review: Star Wars Rebels: Empire Day

Posted on November 17, 2014 by admin

And with that, those who were worried that Rebels wouldn’t have the gravitas of The Clone Wars found themselves with one less thing to worry about.

“Empire Day” begins with Hera, Sabine, and Zeb making their way into an alley of a somewhat remote outpost on Lothal. As they disappear, Sabine stops and gazes out into the distance, where she sees Ezra and Kanan training.

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Why Bria Tharen Needs To Be In Rebels

Posted on November 12, 2014 by Bria

The Expanded Universe is an absolute gold mine when it comes to story ideas in Rebels. From characters to planets to mere concepts, there’s plenty for the taking and tweaking. The Clone Wars already proved how successful that tactic could be with their use of Dathomir. In our continuing series here at Tosche Station, we’re pitching you things we’d like to see make it into Rebels. This week? Bria Tharen.

Before you grab your pitchforks, hear me out. A.C. Crispin introduced Bria Tharen into the Star Wars galaxy with the Han Solo Trilogy during the Bantam era. When readers first met her, Bria was a wealthy young Corellian who’d fallen into a religious cult’s trap where they exploited their pilgrims as slaves in their spice mines. Enter Han Solo and a crazy plan that gets both of them (and friends) off Ylesia followed a sudden lack of purpose in her life. The short version of what follows is that Bria ends up leaving Han behind so he can go to the Imperial Academy and she can go off and break her addiction and find a new meaning for her life. She ends up joining Senator Garm Bel Iblis’ resistance group, eventually becomes the commander of Red Hand Squadron in the Alliance to Restore the Republic, and dies in service to the Alliance.

For a show called Rebels, she’s potentially an obvious choice to bring into the new canon. While her story is linked closely to that of Han Solo, it doesn’t need to be in order for her character to be well used in Rebels. The writers can retcon away any mention of the brash pilot and instead condense her backstory down to something easier: she’s a former slave who was freed, joined the Rebel Alliance, and has neither tolerance nor mercy for slavers. Doing so would not only actually help strengthen Bria as a character but also allow the show to tackle several tough topics. Seeing how Rebels is a show that’s already touched on genocide and execution? These probably won’t be too much of a stretch. Continue reading →

Review: Star Wars Rebels: Breaking Ranks

Posted on November 4, 2014 by Bria

Rebels gives its viewers a chance to catch their breath this week after a heck of a brutal ride the episode prior. Breathing doesn’t mean the creators slacked in any way shape or form though with this week’s episode: Breaking Ranks.

The Ghost is already taking advantage of Ezra’s young age as they send him undercover into the Lothal Imperial Academy as a stormtrooper cadet. Hera and Kanan remain aboard the Ghost while Zeb and Sabine are the backup boots on the ground as Ezra tries to steal an essential decoder. Lucky for him, he discovers an ally in a fellow cadet, Zare Leonis who definitely has his own agenda at the Academy.

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Why Alderaan Needs To Be In Rebels

Posted on October 30, 2014 by Bria

Or to title this piece more accurately: Why Alderaan, Queen Breha, Leia Organa, and Winter Need To Be In Rebels Too And Bail Organa Needs To Be In It More

Bail Organa in Star Wars Rebels

As the fandom well knows by now, the second episode of Star Wars Rebels ended with a cameo from the one and only Bail Organa, Senator and Prince Consort of Alderaan. This was definitely a great sign for both fans who want to see existing film characters make it into the new show and for fans who want to see other parts of the fledgling rebellion. But hey! Why stop there? We need tons more of Alderaan and the characters who hail from that beautiful planet. Why? I’m so glad you asked.

It gives viewers and fans a sense of familiarity
While we’ve only actually had the chance to visit Alderaan on the screen very briefly, it’s been one of the Star Wars planets that we’ve known the longest. Likewise, Princess Leia was one of the first characters that we met back in 1977 and she’s one of those characters that fans still love passionately to this day. Visiting Alderaan and seeing a young teenage Princess Leia would be an easy way for Rebels to make the show feel even more familiar to fans. After all, what sort of character could be more Star Wars than a Skywalker?

It’s a chance to recanonize some aspects of the Expanded Universe
As of the now, the Queen of Alderaan doesn’t actually have a canon name.* She wasn’t named in either the film or novelization of Revenge of the Sith and didn’t appear in the Clone Wars. If she were to appear in Rebels and be officially named Queen Breha, that would be fantastic. After all, it’s hard to run a planet and probably secretly fund a rebellion when you don’t have a name.

*This was discussed amongst the blogosphere on Twitter several months ago. If we missed something, please let me know.

More than just names could be recanonized though. Having a young white-haired girl standing by Leia’s side in Rebels would go a long way towards making Expanded Universe fans hopeful about seeing some of their favorite characters again. Winter’s backstory was already retconned to fit with the prequels and most of her story comes from beyond the Original Trilogy which means writers wouldn’t have much trouble making it work. Quite frankly, she’s a pretty useful person to have around. Most people wouldn’t give a 14 year old girl a second look much less suspect her of silently remembering everything that she says and hears. Basically she’s the perfect person to have involved in a rebellion. Also she’s one of my favorite characters so pleeeeeeease bring her back.

Finally, there are opportunities outside of the Royal family for recanonizing aspects of the Expanded Universe. I suspect that no one would loudly object if there were a sly mention of Novacom… And if the showrunners want to make Sabé going to Alderaan and tutoring Leia more than just a Legend, I certainly won’t object. Continue reading →

Tosche Station Radio #96: Ratings and Timeslots

Posted on October 23, 2014 by admin

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It’s the news, ratings, and Rebels on this episode of Tosche Station Radio.

Kicking off the show, the hosts highlight what’s New on the Blog. Shoshana gave us her recap of Geek Girl Con 2014. Bria reviewed Tarkin by James Luceno. This week’s installment of Nanci’s Heir to the Empire retrospective visited Bpfassh and Dagobah. Brian reviewed Fighter Flight, the latest episode of Rebels. Shoshana live tweeted the Pink Five saga. Nanci reviewed Servants of the Empire: Edge of the Galaxy by Jason Fry

Fixer’s Flash sees Nanci reading Servants of the Empire: Edge of the Galaxy, a new series by Jason Fry. Brian wrote a Rebels fanfic.

This week’s Deak’s Dirt starts with some new Tarkin excerpts on the Star Wars Books Facebook page, and Issue 153 of the Star Wars Insider will contain another excerpt, as well as some artwork. Marvel solicits Star Wars #1 with a fantastic variant cover, which is an homage to the original Marvel Star Wars #1. There’s a sneak peek of Vader’s appearance in ABC’s airing of Spark of Rebellion. And finally in the most anticlimactic rumor ever, Matthew Stover is not writing a new Star Wars book.

Biggs’ Bull$#@* hears rumors that Episode VII is wrapping up filming shortly.

Rebels is the theme for Camie’s Concerns this week. The hosts discuss the ratings issue and wonder if the timeslot and channel may have something to do with it. Later they review the episodes that have aired thus far.

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.

Review: Star Wars Rebels: Droids in Distress

Posted on October 13, 2014 by Bria

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.

Continue reading →

JJM Answers Fan Questions on Suvudu

Posted on October 13, 2014 by Bria

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.

NYCC 2014: Marvel Announces Star Wars: Kanan – The Last Padawan

Posted on October 11, 2014 by Bria

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.