Star Wars, Geek Culture, and Power Converters
The much-hyped and long awaited Star Wars #1 by Brian Wood is out today! Much has been said about this new comic and what it means to the characters and to fans, but how does it stack up?
Spoilers loom below, so read the summary and my take under the jump!
Author Timothy Zahn stopped by the Official Blog to talk about his love for (and trouble solving) jigsaw puzzles and his latest Expanded Universe release, heist caper Scoundrels.
I’ve never been very good at jigsaw puzzles.
It’s a skill I’ve just been unable to master. I can’t see where a given piece fits into the picture on the box; sky and cloud pieces completely baffle me; and the red blob that has to be on the piece I’m looking for (because it extends from the red blob on this piece) is always smaller and more inconspicuous than I expect it to be. Generally, once any pieces with words had been connected (I’m pretty good with the word pieces), my job at family jigsaw parties was cheerleading for the others and making sure there were plenty of snacks.
But I do like jigsaw puzzles. So if I can’t put them together, maybe I could try creating one.
For more, head over to the Official Blog and have a read.
Well this is interesting.
Lucasfilm just approved the cover art for a soon-to-be announced STAR WARS novel. (FP)
— StarWarsBooks (@DelReyStarWars) January 8, 2013
There’s no telling as to whether or not this is an adult fiction novel or an official title for a book we already know is coming (hello, Paul S. Kemp duology that has been in the void for as long as I can remember). If I were to wager a guess, I’d go with an official title for something like the aforementioned duology or the Kevin Hearne book.
If I were wagering with my heart, it would be a new X-Wing novel by either Stackpole or Allston. Alas, it hurts to dream.
Edit: If you’re thinking about asking Kemp if it’s his book, please don’t.
@wakingthedead17 @masterandrew15 @lanewinree @nancipants I can’t speak to it at all unless DR gives me the go ahead.
— Paul S. Kemp (@Paulskemp) January 8, 2013
Edit 4:34PM: You can, however, ask Jen Heddle.
@wakingthedead17 It’s nothing we’ve mentioned before.
— Jennifer Heddle (@jenheddle) January 9, 2013
Now this is a little more meaty and suggests that this is something beyond the Hearne and Kemp books. We know that it’s a novel and that it’s something that hasn’t (presumably) been discussed at San Diego Comic Con, Celebration VI, or any other outlet. Maybe my hopes of a new X-Wing novel have a little more life? Probably not! I just don’t envision Del Rey and Lucasfilm Licensing authorizing a post-RotJ era novel at this point in time. Again, if I’m placing a wager, I’d guess an Old Republic novel with Drew Karpyshyn being the odds-on favorite to write it. We’ll find out soon, hopefully.
Thoughts on what it might be? Leave a comment!
Curious about the Scoundrels audiobook? Random House has released a preview for your listening pleasure.
Jabba the Hutt has placed a bounty on Han Solo’s head. Not a great situation for the gruff captain of the Millenium Falcon to be in, especially just after he was integral in the blowing up the Death Star, and he needs help. Sure, his heroics earned him some credits but those are long gone and now he needs help. Luckily, a mysterious stranger approaches Han with a less-than-legal way to pay off his debt. Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian and seven other rogues join together to attempt to infiltrate the ultra-fortified stronghold of a Black Sun crime syndicate underboss and crack the galaxy’s most notoriously impregnable safe. Written by Timothy Zahn, a fan-favorite writer of Star Wars novels, and read by Marc Thompson, this Ocean’s Eleven-type tale is sure to adventure worth taking.
To listen, click the media button below! Head to the Random House page if you’d like to purchase a copy.
The hosts are back and in this week’s all-new Tosche Station Radio they investigate the problems with True Fans, fandom gatekeepers, and the Fake Geek Girl meme.
Kicking off the show, the hosts highlight what’s new on the blogside. Bria has continued on with the Waru Express, and is now through A New Hope. She reviewed Winner Lose All and Scoundrels. Stay tuned for additional reviews when your slow-reading hosts finish, as well as a roundtable. In addition, Bria also pondered if Star Wars comic publishing rights would be transitioning from Dark Horse to Marvel. Since she’s one of our resident Tolkien freaks, Bria also found time to write a review (good grief she’s been busy). Shane gave a further examination into independent comics. Maggie examined fanworks done right, focusing on the Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Brian trolled the internet. More on that later. Finally, check out our 2012 Gratuitous Linkdump!
In Fixer’s Flash, the hosts appeared to have spent the holidays being incredibly geeky. Nanci finished the Mageworlds series and read Read Winner Lose All before starting Scoundrels. She also reworked her current novel and is getting into the writing swing again. In holiday movies, she went off and saw The Hobbit and Les Mis. Meanwhile, Brian finished the Mageworlds trilogy and took some time to read new issues of Captain Marvel, Hawkeye, and Avengers Assemble. Now he’s finally started Scoundrels. He also got into a new TV series, Once Upon a Time.
Deak’s Dirt is a bit quiet this time around, understandable with the holidays having past by. Star Wars Weekends dates were announced. Brian and Nanci will be in attendance for some of them. EW had a look at 100 episodes of The Clone Wars. The new Legacy writers discussed Ania Solo. In books, Timothy Zahn’s Scoundrels finally released. According to Kathleen Kennedy, there will be an Episode VII announcement coming in January. Brian Wood discussed Pilot!Leia and the new Star Wars comic.
This week’s Camie’s Concerns dives into a pair of articles Brian wrote this week (here and here) and investigates the destructive nature of True Fans and fandom gatekeepers. Just what are true fans and gatekeepers and why is that behavior counter-productive and damaging to fandom? How does the gatekeeper tie into the fallacious Fake Geek Girl meme? Most importantly, what counts as “real” Star Wars?
Wrapping up the show, the hosts field a question in their Ask Us Anything segment.
Tosche Station Radio is the official podcast of Tosche-Station.net and a part of the Solo Sound network. If you like what you hear, please leave a review on the iTunes Music Store or the Xbox Music Store. We can also be found on Facebook, Google+, 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.
Around the web the reviews for Scoundrels are coming in. Some of the highlights:
The early reviews definitely have trended towards positive and indicate that Scoundrels is a novel well worth your time. Another bit of consensus seems to be that this is a great entry point for those unfamiliar with the Expanded Universe, so if you’ve got a friend that needs a place to start, this may be a great novel to consider.
The rest of the staff here will be chiming in with late reviews as we read through the book. In addition, we’re planning a roundtable discussion on the podcast, so stay tuned!
Now that we’ve had some time for that to settle in, let’s do a rambling, winding follow-up*.
*But everything you write is a rambling, winding follow-up, you say! I’m not going to dispute that.
Just what is real Star Wars? That is, what counts? What’s okay to invest time, money, and emotional attachment? If you want to stop reading at the end of this paragraph, the short answer is whatever resonates with you counts. It doesn’t matter if your preference lies in the films, television, books, comics, toys, games, Disney rides, or even fan works. There’s no singular right answer or a universally accepted truth as to what is worthy of your own personal fandom. In other words, if you enjoy it, it counts.
Still with me? Let’s have a chat about gatekeepers under the jump.
EW’s Inside TV has a look at The Clone Wars 100th episode set to air this Saturday and discusses the success the show has achieved against long odds.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars reaches a milestone moment on Saturday with its 100th episode, which is titled “Missing In Action.” The big number is an impressive feat if you consider that even the most sacred of sci-fi shows fall short of the triple-digits. Consider the fact that the original Star Trek ran out of power at episode No. 79 and Battlestar Galactica (the 21st century edition) and The Six-Million Dollar Man were judged to be scrap metal after 73 and 99 weekly episodes, respectively (and no, we do not have to count either brand’s made-for-TV movies).
Sure, the achievement of keeping a show on the Cartoon Network for the past five years is a different challenge than holding on to a primetime slot during the network days of Capt. James T. Kirk and Col. Steve Austin. Still, Star Wars: The Clone Wars has been an impressive with its visual ambition, persistent storytelling interest in knotty ethical quandaries, and the amount of pivotal new canon it’s introduced (such as the existence of the Overlords).
In addition, they’ve got an exclusive trailer offering peaks at the second half of season five. Head over to Inside TV to read the rest of the piece and watch the trailer.
Sequel trilogy fans need to grow up.
All the excitement, all the speculation, all the angsting. All for something that really doesn’t matter. It’s absolutely baffling why so much thought and effort is being put into something so meaningless. It kills me to see people wasting their time on all of this because, come on, let’s be perfectly honest.
The sequel trilogy isn’t real Star Wars.
Going to be in the greater Orlando area sometime from May 17 through June 9? You might want to head down to Disney’s Hollywood Studios for the 2013 installment of Star Wars Weekends. If you can make it, you’ll be treated to Clone Wars voice talent Ashley Eckstein and James Arnold Taylor returning as hosts for the event. From the official blog:
While details are still being planned, we’re excited to announce that James Arnold Taylor and Ashley Eckstein are returning as celebrity hosts for the annual special event. James, the voice behind many of the most famous animated characters in film, television and commercials, is known to Star Wars fans as the voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi on the Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV series. Ashley, who started her show business career as a parade dancer at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, is the voice of Anakin’s ambitious Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, on Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
James is the Official Celebrity Host of Star Wars Weekends 2013, and Ashley is Celebrity Host of “Behind the Force,” a live show that takes fans behind-the-scenes in the Star Wars universe.
Though we are far less interesting than Ashley Eckstein and James Arnold Taylor, you might also be able to catch Nanci or myself there. We’ll both be present for the first weekend and Nanci will be there for a few other days.