Star Wars, Geek Culture, and Power Converters
Clear your calendars for 3PM EST on Wednesday. Star Wars Books will be having The Clone Wars voice actress Ashley Eckstein on for a Facebook chat.
We’re hosting a Facebook chat with Ashley Eckstein on Wednesday, 2/27, from 3:00-4:00pm EST. @heruniverse #StarWars facebook.com/starwarsbooks/…
— StarWarsBooks (@DelReyStarWars) February 22, 2013
Ahhhh the Thrawn books. Honestly, is there anything more classic than Zahn’s trilogy when it comes to the Expanded Universe? If you’re here for the snark, you’ll have to wait a little bit longer because between these three books and another X-Wing novel? I have nothing but praise this go-round. (Shocking, I know.)
Heir to the Empire
One of the first things that occurred to me while I was reading this book is how much the Star Wars universe owes to Timothy Zahn. There is so much about the universe that I just take for granted that I’m now realizing/remembering is all thanks to Zahn. Coruscant? Zahn. Personalities for character who really only cameoed in the films but are integral parts of the EU? Zahn. Bringing Wedge Antilles to the forefront? Zahn. Introducing the best character ever, aka Winter? Zahn. I mean, I’m not saying that Zahn is god but the amount of canon he contributed is amazing.
What I love about this book and the entire trilogy is that the story still clearly feels like Star Wars but still has its own tale to tell. It’s not a rehashing of the Emperor or Vader because the villains have their own motivations and characterizations. (I’ll save my ‘Why I love Pellaeon’ ramble for another post.) Thrawn is most certainly his own character who takes a very different approach to winning the war than any other Imperial we’ve seen before. It’s pretty cool that he can study art and figure out how someone will react. And then you have C’boath who is just bonkers. His original model wasn’t much of a charmer to begin with so this probably shouldn’t be surprising.
And then we have the introduction of the ever fabulous Mara Jade. If there are people in our universe who dislike her, I don’t want to know about them. I positively adore everything about her and what she brings to the story. I’m also a huge fan of Talon Karrde and his smuggling organization that doubles as the best intelligence agency not controlled by a government. I’d happily read a book all about Karrde and his organization. Pretty please, Del Ray? Also, I will admit to also not really getting the Wild Karrde joke either until a few years ago because I pronounced the ‘e’ in my mind. Nanci isn’t alone here.
Of course, all the familiar characters are always great to read about. Zahn clearly gets Luke, Han, Leia, and Lando and writes them all quite well. Plus, I think he did a great job of bringing each of them five years forward from Endor so we see the same characters but we also get to see a logical progression for each one.
The story is good too. It’s a set up novel for the rest of the trilogy but never feels like it’s only there as exposition because it has its own tale to tell before the final page is turned. Enjoyable all around.
On this episode of Tosche Station Radio, the hosts are joined by Matthew of Majestic Giraffe and the Wrong Opinions About Movies podcast to discuss Star Wars, movies, and creative endeavors!
In a bit of housekeeping, we’re proud to announce that we’re featuring Her Universe as an advertiser on both the blog and podcast! Her Universe: Flaunt your world.
Kicking the show off, Nanci highlights Bria’s trip to Katsucon on the blog.
In Fixer’s Flash, the hosts highlight what geeky pursuits they’ve been up to. Nanci’s been busy writing her new book concept and is already a few chapters in. Meanwhile, both Brian and Nanci waded into Once Upon a Time again and were very thankful the latest episode was significantly better than the one that preceded it.
In Deak’s Dirt, the word is out that John Williams wants to score the Sequels! Over on the television side of things, Joss Whedon talks SHIELD. Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy is no longer producing JP4 to focusing on Star Wars instead. In rumor roundups, Latino Review says that Harrison Ford is in for Episode VII, But Mark Hamill says nothing is confirmed and nothing has been signed.
This week on Camie’s Concerns, the hosts are joined by Matthew Bowers, founder of Majestic Giraffe and one of the hosts of the Wrong Opinion About Movies podcast to discuss a grab bag of geek culture including Star Wars, movies, and literature.
Wrapping up the show, the hosts field questions in our regular Ask Us Anything segment.
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.
This past weekend was Katsucon, an anime convention held just outside of Washington DC in National Harbor, MD. In addition to being a great anime convention in general, Katsucon also has the distinction of making its home in the Gaylord, one of the most beautiful hotels I’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing which makes for some wonderful photos. It’s also a nice sized convention that feels neither small nor overcrowded. (Yes, walking is totally possible here!) From the panels to the maid cafe to the artist alley and dealer room to simply people watching, there was something for everyone last weekend. If you live in the area or simply want to check out a fun convention at the most gorgeous hotel of all time, I absolutely recommend checking it out next February.
One of the wonderful things about conventions is the variety of costumes that convention goers (and the innocent people who wander into the hotel) get to see. Despite being an anime convention, Katsucon boasts a wide variety of costumes from every anime and manga imaginable to western television shows and comics. Obviously, anime and manga costumes ruled here but there are some fandoms that will always have a presence such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Doctor Who, Disney, Homestuck, and both Marvel and DC comics. This year, I also noticed a solidly large gathering of costumes from last fall’s Rise of the Guardians film and Adventure Time along with a ton of Kid Loki and Korra cosplayers. And, of course, Sailor Moon continued to have a solid presence, something that is likely to only increase with the anime’s return this year.
(Just as a note, please let me know if you recognize yourself or others in any of these pictures. Unfortunately, my plan of trying to get cosplayer names mostly backfired due to being in costume myself for much of the convention and touchscreen phones do not work with gloves. Please feel free to comment though and I’ll be more than happy to edit credit into this post!)
Because we are primarily a Star Wars blog, I’m going to start with some of the great Star Wars costumes I spotted this weekend. (I did my best to sprint down the corridor after most of the ones I saw but undoubtedly missed a few.) Check out these Star Wars costumers (and many more!) after the jump! Continue reading
With the release of Sushi Girl, Entertainment Tonight caught up with Mark Hamill recently to discuss his latest film. Of course, it isn’t an interview with him unless Star Wars and, specifically, Episode VII is brought up. Is Hamill involved?
“They’re talking to us,” he reveals. “George [Lucas] wanted to know whether we’d be interested. He did say that if we didn’t want to do it, they wouldn’t cast another actor in our parts – they would write us out. … I can tell you right away that we haven’t signed any contracts. We’re in the stage where they want us to go in and meet with Michael Arndt, who is the writer, and Kathleen Kennedy, who is going to run Lucasfilm. Both have had meetings set that were postponed — on their end, not mine. They’re more busy than I am.”
And does Hamill have any inside information about the story to share with the masses?
“I probably learn more from Entertainment Tonight than I do directly from Lucasfilm – like for instance, when George told us he wanted to do the next trilogy, he didn’t tell us it was going to be done for Disney. He saved that little nugget, and I read it online like anybody else.”
Nope!
Do be sure to read the whole interview with Mark Hamill. There’s some great insight as to what he thinks the new films should be about, tonally and thematically. In a nutshell, he’d like to see things return to where they were in the Original Trilogy. More lighthearted, adventurous and hopeful.
When it comes to familiar faces and talent returning to the Star Wars universe, I could take or leave Harrison Ford. There’s really only one person I think is a requirement to return, and that’s composer John Williams. I can’t imagine the universe without his distinctive scoring touches. Thankfully, there may be some hope based on comments Williams made at a recent concert:
We’re about to play Star Wars [audience interrupts with cheers] and each time we play it, I’m reminded of the first time we played it decades ago. Neither I, nor George, nor anyone else involved thought this would go far or in a few years there would be a sequel and I’d have to revisit the themes…and years later another trilogy. Now we’re hearing of a new set of movies coming in 2015, 2016…so I need to make sure I’m still ready to go in a few years for what I hope would be continued work with George…
If he’s willing and able, it would be absolutely foolish for Abrams and Kennedy to select someone else to score the films. Here’s hoping Williams returns for one more go at the Star Wars universe.
Usual warning: there’s no grain of salt big enough for Episode VII rumors.
That out of the way, the Latino Review is reporting that Harrison Ford supposedly in agreement to don the Bloodstripes again and reprise his role as Han Solo. Perhaps a change of pace from the distancing Ford has put between himself on the character, but then again, we thought there would be no way he’d ever wear a fedora and answer to the name Indiana Jones again. It isn’t wildly out of the realm of possibility.
For what it’s worth, there were rumblings a little while back that Ford was at least interested in the idea of playing Han again.
On this episode of Tosche Station Radio, the hosts are joined by Dunc from Club Jade to discuss Marvel’s new chick-lit initiative (this initiative featuring significantly less Nick Fury) and genre fiction in the Star Wars Expanded Universe!
Before diving into anything else, the hosts discuss a big change to the podcast. Tosche Station Radio is leaving the Solo Sound Network to join Majestic Giraffe productions. Don’t worry, very little will be changing! We’d like to thank Austin and the Solo Sound crew for being such a gracious home for the first year of the podcast and putting us in a position to succeed.
To kick off the festivities, Nanci highlights what’s new on the blog. Bria encountered Wraith Squadron and the Han and Leia love boat. Guess which one produced more feels, as the kids say. Brian reviewed Star Wars #2 by Brian Woods. Did he think it was an improvement?
In Fixer’s Flash, Nanci finished up John Scalzi’s Old Man’s War and started working on a pair of her own short stories. She’s also been busy outlining her next novel! Brian, on the other hand, read through a pair of comics, Star Wars #2 by Brian Woods and Avengers Assemble #12 by Kelly Sue DeConnick. He enjoyed one significantly more than the other.
This week’s Deak’s Dirt starts with news that Hasbro’s Mara Jade action figure is shifting to the black series. She’s also still wearing the catsuit. Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg discussed Episode VII and the standalone films. In literature, Harry Potter will be getting new paperback covers for the 15th anniversary. Finally, Hollywood.com gathered up a collection of Expanded Universe authors talk about the Sequel Trilogy.
For Camie’s Concerns this week, the hosts are joined by Dunc from Club Jade to discuss Marvel’s new and somewhat odd chick-lit initiative. Wise marketing, or condescending towards their female demographic? Riffing off that, the roundtable discusses genre fiction in the Expanded Universe. Would a romance book work in this universe? What about other genres?
Wrapping up the show, the hosts field questions in our Ask Us Anything segment.
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.
We’re going to be recording a brand-new episode of Tosche Station Radio today at 5PM Pacific time! Dunc from Club Jade will be joining us this week to discuss Marvel’s bizarre new chick lit initiative as well as genre fiction in the Star Wars Expanded Universe. You can listen live and join the chat at our Livestream channel. Do be sure to tune in, because Dunc is missing a new episode of Community and will have my head if we’re talking into the void while it’s on.
Since there is a fair chance we’ve picked up some new listeners with yesterday’s move to Majestic Giraffe Productions, you may be interested in knowing that we run a segment called Ask Us Anything where you can fire off questions at Nanci and myself and we’ll answer them. Really, anything.
So if you have questions about Marvel’s chick-lit thing, Expanded Universe genre fiction, or any geeky or fandom related topic, send them our way in the comments of this post, on our Facebook page, or hit us on Twitter.
Hollywood.com recently rounded up a collection of current Expanded Universe authors to ask them what they hope to see in the Sequel Trilogy, what EU characters they’d look to see make an appearance, and what the ultimate fate of the Big Three should be. Reading through, I was struck by Aaron Allston’s answers in particular:
What I Hope to See from Episodes VII-IX: Could I see “Screenplay by Aaron Allston”? No?
Well, barring that, I’d like to see the story move away from the Skywalkers, Solos, even the Jedi a bit, reminding us that there are other people doing important things in the galaxy. I’d like to see a greater proportion of female characters. I want to see more spectacle — Tatooine junkyards and bongo interiors aren’t exactly challenges for ILM’s skills. And I hope to see a return to the lightheartedness and humor of A New Hope, putting the fatalism of the prequels behind us.
What secondary or Expanded Universe character I’d Like to See Get the Spotlight: This kind of depends on exactly when in the timeline Episodes VII through IX take place. Timothy Zahn’s Mara Jade would always be a good choice. The next-generation Solos and Skywalkers, such as Jaina Solo and Ben Skywalker, would be welcome. If any sort of espionage is in the offing, some sort of nod to my ownWraith Squadron characters would be a thrill for me.
But what I really hope to see most is any sort of appearance by recognizable EU characters, which would be an acknowledgement that the EU is a significant part of what constitutes Star Wars.
How I Want to See Luke, Han, or Leia Die: You know, I actually don’t want to see them die in the movies, and it’s not just because of affection for the characters…
…Me, I’m all for having Luke, Leia, and Han be in a scene showing them knocking back shots of Corellian brandy while playing cards. Then the screen can go through a 1940s-style wipe and the camera can zoom in on their descendants saving the galaxy for a new generation.
Allston pretty much summed up exactly what I’d love to see in these new films as well as what I think should happen with Luke, Han, and Leia. So many people seem eager to see those characters killed off in epic fashion, but I’m a fan of the quiet retirement approach. They’ve earned their victory lap and fade to black.
His overall sentiments on the Expanded Universe I think are also important to consider. Many forget, but for a long time, that was it for Star Wars. The only new story material being produced. It attracted a passionate following and helped to rejuvenate the fandom from the doldrums of the 80s and early 90s and keep it alive during the long stretches when it seemed like Lucasfilm was done producing material. Including any EU characters is a gesture to fans, authors, and editors who helped to keep things alive.
For more from Allston as well as Christie Golden, Michael Reaves, Troy Denning, James Luceno, John Jackson Miller, Drew Karpyshyn, and Paul S. Kemp, head to the Hollywood.com interview.