Review: Before the Awakening by Greg Rucka

Before the Awakening is a successor to the young reader Journey to the Force Awakens trilogy of books. Illustrated by Phil Noto (who also illustrated The Weapon of a Jedi, Moving Target, and Smuggler’s Run) and written by Greg Rucka (who also wrote Smuggler’s Run and Shattered Empire), the novel explains what Finn, Rey, and Poe were up to prior to the events of The Force Awakens. It’s divided into three sections, one for each character, and elaborates on their backstories and provides some insight into where each of them are at the start of the film.

(Slight spoilers for The Force Awakens ahead.)

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Tosche Station Radio #137: The Force Awakens Review Special

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Brian from EUCantina and Jay from Eleven-ThirtyEight join us this week to do only one thing: review The Force Awakens. We dispense with the usual format and dive straight in to discuss the characters, plot, music, and more.

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 your support on Patreon!

The Force Awakens Opening Night Event

Thursday night, after our first showing of The Force Awakens, we traveled to Disney’s Hollywood Studios for the big Opening Night after party. All showings at Disney Springs between 7-8 pm were included in the event, which meant DHS was as empty as I’ve ever seen it. We walked on to every ride, and it was so nice to be able to move throughout the park. Not every attraction was open, only the front part of the park, including Tower of Terror and Rock ‘n Rollercoaster, featuring Star Wars music!

Brian and I arrived at Disney Springs around 8 am for check in. After waiting a little less than an hour, we picked up our credentials and headed off to run errands and relax at home. We went back to Disney Springs in the afternoon, ate lunch and recorded a podcast at Jock Lindsay’s Hangar Bar, and then went back to line up. We waited another hour before finally getting inside the theatre around 4 pm and settling in for the next three hours.

Before the movie, they played a short video welcoming us to the event and explaining all the cool things we’d be able to do at DHS. I was really impressed with the event organization, and the credentials we were given. We also found out we’d get free photo downloads!

Once freaking out over TFA, we made a beeline to the park, arriving a little after 10 pm, and made another beeline to Star Tours. We took a detour once I saw that BB-8 had a photo op!

 

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We walked on to Star Tours and had the entire shuttle to ourselves. Then we immediately went back on again. After that we went over to Tower of Terror (another walk on), and did Rock ‘n Rollercoaster. I don’t usually go on that ride, but since it was re-themed just for the event, I had to give it a try. It made me sick, but it was totally worth it. I hope they re-theme the ride permanently!

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After that we got a late night snack (Darth Vader waffles and chicken) before getting in place for the premiere of the Galactic Spectacular fireworks. After a brief presentation with Phasma (YAY!), the fireworks started. They were similar to the fireworks from last year’s Star Wars Weekends, but with a few added TFA cues, and they were absolutely brilliant. I got emotional and may have teared up.

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We went over to Launch Bay, took a few more photo ops, and by then it was close to 2 am and we were ready to crash. Not to mention being kicked out of the park.

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It was such a great event, and I would gladly pay more money for another one after Episode VIII.

 

The Force Awakens – Our Reactions

star-wars-force-awakens-official-posterAfter more than three years, the wait is finally over. We have seen Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Many of us more than once. What did we think? Were our hopes met? Even better, were they surpassed? Who cried? Who laughed? Who fainted?

Our raw, emotional reactions to the movie we never thought would happen are under the cut.

(Spoilers, of course.)

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I want to fall in love again.

poeAll I want from The Force Awakens is to fall in love again.

The first time I saw A New Hope, I fell in love. Not with the film itself, or the Star Wars universe, or even the Battle of Yavin. I fell in love with the characters. I wanted to be like Princess Leia. I loved Han and Chewie’s friendship. I loved the bickering droids. I even loved how evil Vader and Tarkin were. Most of all, I loved Luke Skywalker.

I still love Luke, and the promise of Luke in TFA, even the most miniscule appearance, has me absolutely giddy. I have my theories about what he’s been up to in the galaxy, but I’m trying to go into the film with a clean slate. I’m not expecting him to have children, or to have trained Jedi, or to still be in contact with his friends and family. Basically, all of my worst fears about TFA. However, I have hope that J.J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan will give us a more interesting story for Luke than Obi-Wan 2.0.

But this column isn’t about Luke Skywalker. This column is about falling in love with a new set of characters. I already have attachments Rey, Finn, and Poe Dameron, and I don’t even know them yet. I already want to give Kylo Ren a big noogie. Captain Phasma already scares the bejeesus out of me. I want to know more about Maz Kanata and Supreme Leader Snoke. And General Hux gives me very confusing feelings. All in all, I’m already way more invested in these characters than I was during the prequels–and I like the prequels.

I’m excited to meet all the new characters, yes, but one of them stands above the rest: Poe Dameron. Yes, I find Oscar Isaac painfully attractive. Yes, I have a thing for X-wing pilots. Yes, I loved seeing his parents in Shattered Empire. It was kind of inevitable that I’d fall in love with Poe before even seeing TFA.

Everything we learn about Poe makes me like him more and more. He’s got a cocky streak to him, which is typical for pilots in the Star Wars universe. Unlike Han he’s extremely dedicated to the Resistance, and he’s served the Republic his entire life. I find that sort of dedication extremely appealing in characters–probably one of the reasons I love Wedge Antilles so much. We know Poe is so dedicated to the Resistance that General Organa herself chose to send him on some important mission. From the trailers, we also know that things don’t go so well for him, but I’m hoping his resilience sees him through, just like with Leia.

I relate to entertainment most when there’s a character I really connect with. In the Original Trilogy, it’s Luke Skywalker. In The Hunger Games, it’s Peeta. In Mageworlds, it’s Beka and Jessan. In Legends, it’s Mara Jade. I’m hoping that, with the Sequel Trilogy, my love affair with Poe Dameron is solidified. Not only Poe, but I’m hoping to meet a whole bunch of new characters I fall in love with.

And if Luke Skywalker swoops in and saves the day, well, I’ll be the happiest girl in the world.

Tosche Station Radio #136: 1,143 Days

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This week on Tosche Station Radio, we take a look back at just how we got to The Force Awakens.

Kicking off the show, the hosts highlight What’s New on the Blog. Our Return of the Jedi live commentary track is up! We already have some cool guests line up for our eventual The Force Awakens live commentary. In Rebels: Brian reviewed Stealth Strike and Saf reviewed The Future of the ForceIn comics, Bria reviewed Chewbacca #4, Darth Vader #13, Shattered Empire, Star Wars #13, and the Star Wars annual. She also reviewed The Perfect Weapon by Delilah S. Dawson, one of the Journey to The Force Awakens short stories. Continuing her coverage from PAX Aus, Saf interviewed Jason Anarchy of the game Drinking Quest. Last week, we started our TFA hopes series as a lead up to the release of The Force Awakens. Each day, one of our staff writers has been describing what they hope to see most in The Force Awakens. Finally, we posted our first episode of Of Dice and Droids, our new tabletop podcast. The game will get started in January.

In Fixer’s Flash, Nanci finished Nanowrimo. She also finished reading Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig. Brian has been spending a lot of time Google Cardboard and playing Battlefront. Additionally, Brian and Nanci were guests on Rogue Podron! Give it a listen.

Deak’s Dirt starts with news that Rebels was renewed for a third season! Also, the cover was revealed for Aftermath: Life Debt.

There’s a whole bunch of TFA and film news in Biggs’ Bull$#&!. Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher appeared on various network shows. Omaze contest to win a trip to the premiere and the Mark Hamill video was delightful.  The TFA press junket is underway, and there was a big event in LA. (listen courtesy of Full of Sith). There’s a Nnew Behind the Scenes “Legacy” featurette. Additionally, #TwitterAwakens and there was a Chinese Trailer featuring a whole bunch of X-WINGS

This week on Camie’s Concerns, we wanted to give you something special to listen to while in line for The Force Awakens. Hosts Nanci and Brian look back at the major events in the Star Wars fandom since the sale of Lucasfilm to Disney three years ago. A whole lot has happened, and it’s been a pretty wild ride to get where we are today.

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 your support on Patreon!

Star Wars: Return of the Badass Normal

There’s a reason my original VHS copy of Return of the Jedi pretty much has a hole burned through the Battle of Endor. I watched that starfighter battle on repeat so many times our VHS player eventually ripped the cassette to shreds. The Falcon, X-wings, Y-wings, A-wings, and B-wings flying through capital ships in a massive fight to end the second Death Star and the Empire.

And not a single Jedi among them.

The pilots and soldiers of the Rebellion have always held a special place in my heart. For me, they were the most relatable. They were the heroes I pretended to be when I was running around on the playground or was playing with Action Fleet toys. I didn’t want to be the magical and mystical Jedi. I wanted to be the unassuming hero behind the flightstick and navigating through a starfield. My favorite video games growing up were the ones that put me behind the controls of a starfighter: X-Wing, TIE Fighter, Rogue Squadron, X-Wing Alliance. My favorite books were the X-Wing novels by Mike Stackpole and (the late, wonderful, superb) Aaron Allston.

All of these things- the games, the books, the scenes in the movie- had one thing in common. They all featured the Badass Normal.

The Badass Normal is a character or characters who stand out despite no special powers or destiny. They show up, they kick ass, they get the job done, all in the shadow of the Big Damn Heroes. No one exemplifies this more than the illustrious Wedge Antilles. Shows up in the original three films, is always calm and collected, and understands that his mission is to just get the job done. I want to see that in Star Wars again. I want to see the normal character who goes to work that I can relate to.

Maybe in this film, that Badass Normal is Poe Dameron. If not him, perhaps it’s Jessika Pava. How great would a gender-swapped Wedge-type character be? If nothing else, I want to see a return of the kind of character that was missed in the Prequel Trilogy. Not a Jedi, or a Queen, or a genetically engineered super soldier clone. I want to see someone like me, that feels so passionately for a cause they volunteer and put their lives on the line with nothing more than a blaster or an X-wing to keep them safe.

These Badass Normal characters are what keep Star Wars grounded for me. The first time I see a squadron of pilots in X-wings in this film, I know I’m going to get emotional.

Star Wars: Unafraid and Lady Lovin’

Here’s the thing: I am not a movie buff, I am not a film student (anymore), and I almost never have strong feelings about anything. I go into everything with no expectations except cool women and pretty cinematography. You can imagine that a lot of recent films have disappointed me.

The Force Awakens has already given me everything I want, just in the trailers and teasers and TV spots. A female lead, gorgeous shots that are a blend of old and new, and Leia. My God, do I love Leia. I am perfectly content with just the teasers and trailer, and the thought that there is an actual whole movie coming out next week is so overwhelming I can’t even directly acknowledge the thought lest I explode. Or cry. I can’t look directly at the idea, I must tip-toe by the realization that this is actually happening.

But I have no fear (and really, do I ever?) I’m not known for my good taste in films, I unabashedly love terrible or unpopular movies. Can I count the number of times I’ve watched the Prequels? No, but it’s probably a higher number than the OT. The only thing that could legitimately make me dislike The Force Awakens would be awful treatment of the lady characters, but I have such utter faith in the team at Lucasfilm I hardly believe that will happen.

I do have hopes, though. Hopes that Rey and Finn will shine, and will inspire other films to cast women and people of colour in starring roles. Hopes that I will want to watch this movie as often as I crave watching The Hunger Games. I want to fall in love with Rey and Finn and the other characters the same way I have so fallen for their actors, so funny and charming and kind. I want this film to give me feelings so strong I realize I can never love any person as much as I love TFA. Finally, I desperately want to see Han and Leia have sweet moments. I will ship them till my dying breath.

Star Wars has always been an innovator, a leader, an inspirer. As long as I can remember, Star Wars has been in my life—from babysitting me when my parents didn’t want to deal with a bored toddler, to me wanting to be Obi-Wan’s sister with a pink lightsaber when we were pretending to be in Lord of the Rings back in primary. Those orcs didn’t stand a chance.

The OT showed me that I could be a princess and still be in space with cool ships and guns. The PT inspired me in part to take up politics so I could be like Padme, inspiring change in a country I felt so strongly for (a failed venture, that in part lead me back to falling in love with Star Wars.) The Clone Wars gave me Ahsoka, who I love so dearly I am actually astounded by the depths of my feelings. Abrams is wrong, Star Wars has always been for everyone.

I want the new films to give me, and all young girls coming into this fandom, women (note the plural) to look up to and give us hope for our futures, or inspiration for our present. This is really all I am hoping for: a positive force for women and girls of all ages. I don’t care if Rey is a Skywalker or a Solo, I only care that she is everything Star Wars has been needing for over thirty years, and that she’ll be someone for little girls to look up to and love.

I also really want Finn and Rey to hold hands. Romantically. Oh God, please don’t be related.

Fun Times in Space Land

I have a lot of hopes for The Force Awakens, as I imagine all of us do. I hope that the characters are done justice by the script, I hope that listening to the soundtrack will bring me to tears, I hope that BB-8 (oh, BB-8, rolly droid of my heart) is on screen for a significant portion of the film. But my biggest hope for TFA is quite simple.

I hope that The Force Awakens is fun.

Really, really fun.

As it is, I’m so hyped up for TFA that even if our worst nightmares come to pass and it is terrible (God forbid), I probably won’t notice for at least two months. I want The Force Awakens to be a movie I associate with the word “fun” long after the initial glow of “hooray a new Star Wars movie” fades.

Now, fun certainly isn’t necessary for a movie to be good or even enjoyable. The Hunger Games movies are good but not what I’d call a fun time. Grave of the Fireflies is brilliant but in many ways it is the opposite of a fun movie. I don’t want The Force Awakens to be a good, serious movie.

I want it to be a ridiculously fun space opera that makes me smile, even if some plot points are eye-rollingly silly, or if some lines are very easy to mock, or if it mixes up units of distance with units of time. I want to have a blast watching this movie again and again and again, for decades to come.

Star Wars has always been fun and I don’t want that to stop being the case.

The Force Awakens: A New Hope

Star Wars was my life growing up.  I could quote all of the movies, and then one Christmas an aunt bought me Shards of Alderaan as a gift, and I realized there was an entire expanded universe out there for me to read.  And holy cow, did I read them.

I’ve talked about what it was like to grow up as a geeky teenage girl before, and therefore why it’s so important that Star Wars feature women.  At that point, Lucasfilm hadn’t yet been sold, and the prospect of Episode VII was still something that would never ever happen.

And yet, here we are.  We stand ten days away from Episode VII, which, to all appearances, features a lead female character.  It features an African-American actor as one of the leads, and a Hispanic actor, and Jessika Pava, the Hapa Pilot Queen of Bria’s Heart.  The commercials for tie-in products have featured girls challenging antiquated gender roles–one using that exact phrasing, mind you. The Campbell’s soup commercial for the Star Wars chicken noodle soup features a little boy and his two dads.  A Disneyworld commercial shows an adult African-American woman playing with a lightsaber.  This Halloween, I saw X-wing pilot uniforms for little girls.

Matthew made a compelling argument in his TFA hopes column that Star Wars has been a signpost for the way the movie industry moves.  If he’s right (and I see no reason to think he’s wrong), it’s a good time to be a Star Wars fan.

As most of you know, Shane and I had a Little Jedi (though my Imperial sympathizing husband might give her a different name) at the end of August.  She is a beautiful little girl who had a Wonder Woman onesie for Halloween, complete with shoes (with capes on the back).  My best friend cross-stitched the Avengers logo on a onesie for her.  Brian and Nanci bought her a BB-8 plushie.  Shane and I bought her a DC friends Golden Book.  One friend works at the Marshall Space Center and sent NASA merch.  Another friend sent Superman and Batman bibs.  The very first thing I got for her–and the way we announced that we were expecting a little one–was a Green Lantern onesie.  Oh, and we’ve already shown Little Jedi her first episode of Star Trek.

This child is already close to peak geekiness, and she hasn’t even learned to crawl.

But as she gets bigger, she’s going to have options.  She doesn’t have to go hunting in the boys’ section for t-shirts with Green Lantern symbols.  There is an entire line of Star Wars clothing for girls, thanks to Her Universe. She will see girls playing with Star Wars toys on television.

So if there’s one thing that I hope for out of TFA (other than a really awesome Star Wars movie), it’s that I hope that the incredible combined media power of Disney, Lucasfilm, and the Star Wars franchise continues to have an impact on the way our society sees girls, women, and their interests.

My little Jedi deserves that.