Late-teen female, independent, good sense of humour, fit.

Young twenty-something male, witty and smart, fit but not traditionally good looking.

A late twentysomething male, fit, handsome and confident.

Seventy-something male, with strong opinions and tough demeanour. Also doesn’ t need to be particularly fit.

A second young female, also late teens, tough, smart and fit.

Forty something male, fit, military type.

Thirtysomething male, intellectual. Apparently doesn’t need to be fit.

Again, apply as much skepticism as you need. Even if this list is true, there’s always the possibility that the casting will change as the movie is still very much in the pre-production stages.

I have not spoken to J.J. He’s been busy with Star Trek, and I’m sure that he’ll let me know when he’s got some questions. So, you know, that’s all going well. Kathy tells me it’s working out great.

Understandable. Abrams is still doing his post-Trek release stuff and there’s no word on where Michael Arndt is with the screenplay yet. Don’t worry, Star Wars fans. More information will come. Eventually.

(via)

A year, 59 podcast episodes, an inconceivable amount of Twitter conversations and a whole lot of back and forth across the country later, that partnership has grown into something more, and on Friday, June 7th, Brian got down on one knee and asked Nanci to make it permanent.

Therefore, the staff of Tosche Station cordially invites you, our loyal readers, to celebrate as we announce the engagement of Brian and Nanci and invite you to wish them the very happiest of happy ever afters.

It took a little while, but George Lucas finally got himself an Emmy win.

With Carrie Fisher presenting, Lucas, Dave Filoni, and other Clone Wars staff took home the award for best animated series. The show won another Emmy for David Tennant, who played the Jedi mentor droid Huyang in the show’s final season.

It’s certainly a well deserved win for the Clone Wars staff. While the show may have ended earlier than many fans would have hoped, there’s no arguing it went out on the highest note possible.

Get ready for history to repeat itself. It looks as though [George] Kalogridis and his team have gotten the green light for a project to remake the Disney’s Hollywood Studiospark on a scale similar to what Disney just finished at California Adventure.

The projects will share one very large component — Cars Land, the highlight of the California Adventure makeover, will come to Florida as part of the Hollywood Studios revamp, according to multiple insider sources. But it won’t necessarily be the highlight of the changes coming to the park.

That’s because Disney’s Hollywood Studios is also getting…

Star Wars Land.

Star Wars land in Orlando? Yeah, sign me up for an annual pass.

“Yeah, [I’m excited]. J.J.’s a great director and we’re friends,” George told Access Hollywood at the 2013 Crystal + Lucy Awards, when asked if he’s looking forward to J.J.’s films. “I think he understands the whole thing and how it works.

“And if he doesn’t, [Lucasfilms president] Kathy [Kennedy] will keep it straight,” he added with a laugh.

He was also asked what his involvement with Star Wars will be moving forward. In his words,“If they need help or anything, they’ll give me a call… Otherwise, I’m off on my own.”

At the $5 level, you’ll get an ebook version of the anthology. At $20, you’ll get the limited Kickstarter edition.

We have about ten shows that we’re still working on, that are going to be part of this special material. And even hopefully there is going to be a soundtrack record as part of this special material. We’ll see they’re in negotiations about that so we’re not positive that’s going to happen.

Keep in mind things are still up in the air and there could be more or less content ultimately available.

Congratulations, gamers. Battlefront III is happening which means you can stop asking when it’s going to be made at convention panels completely unrelated to video gaming.

I will be attending @dragoncon this year as a guest. Will I see you there? dragoncon.org

— Daniel Logan (@Daniel_Logan) June 6, 2013

Daniel Logan’s going to be at Dragon*Con this year. A bunch of the staff are going to be at Dragon*Con this year. Are you going to Dragon*Con this year?

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On this episode of Tosche Station Radio, the hosts are joined by Star Wars author Jason Fry to talk his contributions to the universe, The Clone Wars, Rebels, and even a bit of baseball!

This week on Fixer’s Flash, Nanci went to her last round of Star Wars Weekends for the year. Both of the hosts watched more Stargate, and Brian read more of Kenobi.

Deak’s Dirt starts with news that Star Wars Books has announced the title of the new James S.A. Corey Han Solo novel – Star Wars: Empire and Rebellion: Honor Among Thieves. The novel will be published in Spring 2014. The blog Tenth Letter of the Alphabet has a great article about the evolution of the Star Wars logo. Star Wars Reads Day to return October 5. The Course of the Force lightsaber relay in support of Make-a-Wish is back this summer, kicking off July 9 from Skywalker Ranch and arriving in San Diego on July 16. For $150, registrants can carry the lightsaber during the relay. All proceeds to go charity. The Nerdist also kicked off a multi-part web series leading up to the event. In sad fandom news, Matt Smith is leaving Doctor Who after four years.

On Camie’s Concerns this week, the hosts are joined by guest Jason Fry to discuss his contributions to the Star Wars universe, The Clone Wars, and a bit of baseball. It’s an in-depth conversation covering a whole bunch of Star Wars, so get comfy!

Wrapping up the show, the hosts field a question from a listener in Ask Us Anything.

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.

If you enjoyed their last tutorial, be sure to give this one a look as well. While you’re there, be sure to check out some of their other great features such as geek inspired outfits and cosplay.

Title for @jamessacorey Han Solo novel is #STARWARS EMPIRE AND REBELLION: HONOR AMONG THIEVES. Novel will publish Spring ’14 #SWEU

— StarWarsBooks (@DelReyStarWars) June 5, 2013

This will join Martha Wells’ Razor’s Edge as part of the new Original Trilogy era book series.

As always, we’ll be livestreaming the recording so you’ll be able to listen in and join the livestream chat. In addition, if you have questions for Fry, you can tweet them to us, leave us a message on Facebook, or just leave a comment on this post. We’ll compile them and ask them during the course of the interview.

Just announced: #StarWars Reads Day to take place on Saturday, October 5. More news to come. #SWEU

— StarWarsBooks (@DelReyStarWars) June 1, 2013

The day devoted to Star Wars in written form will return for it’s second year on October 5th. Keep your eyes out for announcements on local events near you.

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On this episode of Tosche Station Radio, the hosts are joined by Emily from the blog to discuss Star Trek Into Darkness.

Kicking off the show, we have a bit of news! Next week we’re going to be interviewing Essential Guide to Warfare author Jason C. Fry, so send us your questions.

Nanci starts the proceedings by highlighting what’s New on the Blog. Nanci talked about a run-in with survey takers at Star War Weekends. Over on White Hot Room, Bria gave a tutorial on how to do Endor Leia braids. Bria also reviewed Legacy #3.

In Fixer’s Flash, Nanci’s been busy with more Star Wars Weekends. Both the hosts started reading Kenobi and Nanci’s also been reading Overdraft by John Jackson Miller while working on her own short story. The hosts were also busy watching Star Gate. Emily, on the other hand, has been dealing with all the television season finale feels.

Deak’s Dirt starts off on a musical note. John Williams wants to score Episode VII, to which we say duh. In Celebration Europe news, Attack of the Clones will be shown to attendees. Ashley Eckstein will be appearing and offering an exclusive Clone Wars shirt and Darth Vader dress. Want to buy art at Celebration Europe? Here are the prints! We’d like to say happy 30th birthday to Return of the Jedi! LEGO builds a full-size X-Wing. The entire Tosche Station staff drowns in a puddle of drool. Confirmed: KOTOR on iPad. io9 has a look inside Star Wars Storyboards: The Prequel Trilogy by J.W. Rinzler. The biggest difference? An older Anakin. Finally: Karen Gillan in Guardians of the Galaxy? Whaaaaaaaaat?

This week on Camie’s Concerns, the hosts are joined by Emily from the blog to have a (spoiler-filled) discussion of Star Trek Into Darkness. What did they like? What didn’t they like? What does this mean for Episode VII?

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.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic still holds up, and remains a must-play for younger players who didn’t catch it the first time around. Though the iPad version’s touch controls make movement clumsy, most of its changes are for the better. If you haven’t played it before, or want to experience it again, this is a great way to do it.

For those who haven’t had a chance to play this game, I can’t recommend it highly enough. For those who have, maybe it’s time to revisit it on a new platform. No release date has been announced yet, but once it’s available, I know I’ll be picking it up.

Edit: Hey look it went live a little after we posted this!

Celebration Europe will also have their very own Her Universe exclusives that are likely to sell fast.

…Eckstein is bringing 200 of her exclusive Return of the Jedi 30th anniversary necklaces to Germany. Each necklace comes with an autograph certificate by Eckstein. They will be first come, first serve. [...] Highlights include an exclusive design by Clone Wars Supervising Director Dave Filoni featuring Ahsoka Tano and Anakin Skywalker, limited to only 200, as well as a Celebration Europe exclusive Darth Vader dress using art Eckstein has loved from Japanese tea towels.

Check out pictures of some of the new Her Universe products that will be available at Celebration Europe beneath the cut!

You can read the entire press release and see some of the other items that Her Universe will have at Celebration Europe here.

Other altered characters include young Anakin. Instead of a little kid who runs around bleating “yippeeeee” the storyboard version was a bit more charismatic. Here he is sneaking a kiss from Padme. Iain McCaig explained that he modeled young Anakin after James Robinson, the little William Wallace in Braveheart. Alas, they couldn’t cast him as he was too tall by production, and who knows if George Lucas would even want him. Either way, it’s kind of nice to get a glimpse of an older Anakin.

There’s a whole bunch of interested images over at the link above, so be sure to check it out. If the storyboards strike you, also consider picking up a copy of the book.

(Via Jedi News)

With a new focus on the production of Star Wars: Episode VII, Lucasfilm had postponed a wide release of its 3D edition. Now, for an extremely limited engagement, July 26-28, Star Wars fans from around the world attending the Celebration event in Essen, Germany can see Attack of the Clones in 3D. Fans will experience iconic moments from the film like never before, including the thrilling chase scenes on the city-covered planet of Coruscant, the intense ground battles on the rocky terrain of Geonosis, and the first-ever lightsaber duel featuring Jedi Master Yoda.

Interesting, to be sure. There are no doubt a number of reasons Lucasfilm decided topostpone a widespread re-release of the film ranging from wanting to shift the franchise focus further down the timeline to potentially licensing and distribution issues with Fox.

“We’ve certainly talked about that, and I’m happy and willing to do it,” he confirms. “J.J. Abrams, who will be the director, seems excited about the idea. I have to say that J.J. is a much younger man than I, but I will try to keep up with him as much as I can!”

It seems like at least preliminary discussions have been had with one or both of Abrams and Kathleen Kennedy. Here’s hoping Williams can score at least one more Star Wars film.

(Via Club Jade)

Yesterday while waiting for the parade, a cast member approached me, asking if I’d mind answering a few questions about Star Wars and Disney. I don’t think this lady realized how big of a jackpot she’d hit with me, or maybe my Her Universe Rogue Squadron hoodie gave it away. I said, “OF COURSE I WOULD.”

Questions included:

1. Was I aware that it was currently Star Wars Weekends? Considering I was waiting for the parade and wearing a Star Wars shirt, the answer was obvious. Yes.

2. Did I attend Hollywood Studios specifically for Star Wars Weekends? Uh, duh, why else would I be there ? (Here’s a helpful hint: if you don’t want to attend Star Wars Weekends, don’t bother going to Hollywood Studios those days, because it’s mobbed and you will have a terrible time.)

3. On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being lowest and 10 being highest, rate your knowledge of the Star Wars universe, including films, TV shows, books, and video games. I said 10.

4. On a scale of 1 to 10, how big a Star Wars fan would you rate yourself? Again, I said 10.

5. A short (very easy) quiz to gauge my knowledge of Star Wars. I got 4 out of 4.

6. If I could visit any place in the Star Wars universe, where would I go? After thinking for a bit, I answered Corellia. Why? “Because it’s Han Solo’s home planet and it’s awesome.” The survey taker seemed satisfied with my answer.

After the survey, she said that nothing is in the works yet, but Disney will be putting together other research events in the future, and would I be interested? Heck yes! I gave her my name and e-mail address and am ready to tell them “I want more Star Wars at Disney!” Hell, I told her exactly that before she walked off.

I’ve been to Star Wars Weekends nearly every weekend during the past three years, and I don’t ever remember it being as busy as it’s been this year. Star Tours, which normally has 10 or 20 minute lines, had a 90 minute line at one point today. It seems that Disney is paying attention, and wants to please Star Wars fans when it comes to the inevitable expansion in Hollywood Studios. As a shameless theme park enthusiast and Star Wars fan, I can’t wait.

Did you know our staff writer Bria runs a geek fashion blog?

Did you know the above two abstract and seemingly random questions are actually related? Well they are.

To celebrate Return of the Jedi’s 30th anniversary, our own Bria put together a tutorial on how to make your own Endor!Leia braids. Provided you’ve got enough hair to pull it off. Head over to White Hot Room to see for yourself!

This review contains mild spoilers for the issue.

At the end of last issue, Ania, Sauk, and AG-37 stumbled into a blockade in the Carreras system.  Meanwhile, Imperial Knight Jao Assam has decided to go find out for himself what has happened to Master Val.  Unsurprisingly, the false Master Val is unwilling to let that happen and Jao is chased off.  With both groups on the run from the Sith imposter, it’s not long before they meet…

The book continues in much the same vein as the previous issues and it is here that the plot lines really start come together along with the characters.  The scene where Ania and company meet Jao Assam particularly stands out as excellently written.  It is a testament to Beckho and Hardman’s writing that everyone’s reaction to situation feels completely and utterly perfect for each character even though we’ve only known them for a mere three issues.  My personal favorite reaction was Sauk’s posturing with the blaster followed by “Oh good.  I have no idea how to shoot this thing.”  The plot certainly has me intrigued but it’s the characters who are going to keep me coming back and continuing to read which, in my mind, is how it should be.

Again, the artwork continues to be a huge check in the plus column for me.  Everything from the style to the coloring to the page layout is hitting it right on the mark.

My one random observation about this book is that I think is that I think it is going to end up reading really well in collected trade format so if you haven’t been picking up the single issues as they come out, definitely keep an eye out for the trade!

My only criticism is that it would be nice if character names were mentioned more often especially given that this is the first arc and many of these characters are new or at least new to readers who might not have picked up the previous Legacy series.  I had to refer to the previous issue to remember AG-37’s name.  However, that’s something relatively minor.

I continue to give Legacy #3 a 4/5 and look forward to where this series goes next.

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On this episode of Tosche Station Radio, the hosts are joined by staff writer Bria to discuss the new Star Wars animated series: Rebels!

Kicking things off, the hosts highlight What’s New On The Blog. The Waru Express started and finished Legacy of the Force, took a break from galactic apocalypses and then pulled into Fate of the Jedi, twice, and then finished. Emily reviewed Star Trek Into Darkness

In Fixer’s Flash, Nanci and Brian were both at the first round of this year’s Star Wars Weekends. Both the hosts also saw Star Trek Into Darkness. Nanci also got Brian to start watching Stargate SG-1. Earlier, Nanci and Brian made an appearance on our sister podcast, Wrong Opinions About Movies, to discuss Star Trek 2009. Meanwhile, Brian finished reading an advance copy of Crucible. Bria finished up the Waru Express but celebrated early by going to the Preakness Stakes.

This week’s Deak’s Dirt kicks off with some Expanded Universe news. Kenobi got a cover and Razor’s Edge moves up to October 1. In gaming, EA teased a new Battlefront game

On the convention side, Kathleen Kennedy is going to Celebration Europe. Will we get some Sequel Trilogy news this summer? Color me jealous. In Episode VII news and rumors, Michael Kaplan will be doing costumes for Episode VII. Episode VII producer Bryan Burk says there still might be plenty of secrecy, contrary to Kathleen Kennedy’s earlier statements. Outside of Star Wars and in macro fandom news, Amazon has launched a new product. Kindle Worlds: Amazon’s program to sell licensed fanfiction for certain properties.

In news that will delight most of our staff and listeners, ABC has picked up SHIELD and released an awesome promo video. Finally, there’s Star Wars Rebels, the new animated series from Dave Filoni, Simon Kinberg, and Greg Weisman.

Camie’s Concerns covers that last bit of news. The hosts are joined by Bria to discuss the news that Star Wars is returning to animated content with a brand new show called Rebels. Set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, the show will explore the Dark Times. Nanci, Brian, and Bria discuss what plots, characters, and ideas will make it into the new series.

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.

This podcast has been brought to you in part by Her Universe and Audible.com.

So what have I learned from this experience?  First, that if your editor ever challenges you to do a project like this?  Run very far away.  There is not enough alcohol in the galaxy.  Second, you commenters and readers seem to respond more when I snark closely followed by when I gush.  More importantly though, I learned and confirmed for myself that there are far more good books than there are horrifically bad ones.  My sanity was hanging on by a thread and my liver was desperate for a reprieve at some points but I sincerely enjoyed reading so many of these books, even some of the cracktastic ones like Courtship of Princess Leia.

I’ve also learned that no matter how much everyone tries to peer pressure you, livestreaming yourself reading The Crystal Star with a six-pack of hard cider at the ready only leads to bad things.  We will never again discuss my Han Solo voice.

I’ve reaffirmed for myself that Aaron Allston and Matthew Stover are my favorite Star Wars authors followed closely by Mike Stackpole and Timothy Zahn and I’ve gained an appreciation for James Luceno that I didn’t realize that I had before.  I will also be sitting here impatiently awaiting the day that we get more X-Wing novels from both Allston and Stackpole, the story about how Mara and Mirax got arrested, a political Padme novel from Luceno, a short story about Mace Windu and Nick Rostu set after Shatterpoint, the We, Jedi book about the Horn siblings, some sort of closure about the Skiarta clan, and a new Revan book.  Yeah, I know.  Those last two are never going to happen.  No but really, Del Rey: More X-Wing novels.  Pleeeeeeeease?

Honestly though, I just want to reiterate that there are a ton of good and enjoyable books out there.  The next time you’re wondering what to read, branch out and try a book out of your Star Wars comfort zone.  You might be pleasantly surprised by what you find.  I might’ve snarked a lot along the way but I love Star Wars and I can honestly say that there are probably only a dozen or so books that I have an active dislike for and that’s a pretty good ratio!

As promised, I’m going to answer some of the questions that you asked me on Twitter!

@ryorin asks: “Which stops on the Waru Express were more enjoyable than expected and which were less?”
I’m going to just use books that aren’t obvious answers because I’m sure everyone knows by now that I was gleefully waiting for Shatterpoint and Starfighters of Adumar and dreading The Crystal Star and Dark Nest.  The most pleasant surprises from the books that I’d never read were probably Annihilation and Darth Plageuis.  The biggest disappointments were Revan and Shadow Games.  For rereads, Cloak of Deception and Labyrinth of Evil were much more pleasant surprises than I remembered while Jedi Trial was very lacklustre despite having a Halcyon and Splinter of the Mind’s Eye was even more painful than I remembered.

@wakingthedead17 asks: Why is there no post for Black Fleet or New Rebellion.  The Express missed a stop!
No.  No, the Waru Express did not miss a stop.  As I stated at the start, the only books I would be reading for this project were all of the ones that I personally own and ones that I was interested in either rereading or reading for the first time.   And also Crystal Star.  I specifically named Black Fleet as being one of those that wouldn’t be making the cut.  I’m not Pablo Hidalgo and the Waru Express wasn’t the Essential Reader’s Companion.  I might one day decide to reread those books and the Callista trilogy but it is not this day nor for this project.

@blogfullofwords asks: “I want to ask “how did you do it,” but that may be one of those unanswerable questions like “where do you get your ideas.””
I don’t know.  No wait.  That’s not true.  I sort of do.  At the end of the day, I at least enjoy if not love the vast majority of the Expanded Universe.  If I’m entertained and I enjoy myself while I’m reading, I can be content.  I also think it helped that I enjoy stories from all eras of the Star Wars universe.  If I only liked post-RotJ, this would’ve gone very badly.  Aside from that, having a very fast reading speed worked in my favor here because if I wasn’t enjoying a book, I could be done with it in a few hours and make the pain go away.  I’ve never really timed myself officially but I think that I can average 100 pages in an hour or less.  I’m also very competitive.  I might’ve only been competing against myself and didn’t finish these books in my original goal of 6 months but I wasn’t going to let this be a project that I just failed at.  So that helped.

Also alcohol.  And the occasional giant mug of calming tea to sob into.

@clubjade asks: “Do you need an aspirin? Alcohol? Chocolate?”
Yes.  God yes.  YES PLEASE.  Can you also please throw in some brain bleach?

@AwYeahMrB asks: “Does Waru love us?”
No.  No no no no no.  THE CHURCH OF WARU IS A LIE.  HE ONLY WANTS TO EAT US ALL.  RUN AWAY.

Nanci asks: How much do you want to kill Brian right now?
So much.  SO MUCH.  He owes me drinks at Dragon*Con this year.

And that’s it.  That’s the show.  Or at least it is until a few years from now when Tosche Station launches its new feature “Five Years Later: The Waru Rides Again.”  No, stop that smiling.  It’s not going to happen.  I’ve learned my lesson.

At least there was Mercy Kill waiting for me at the end.  Observe my Wraith Squadron related tears of joy.

Warning: There are some NSFW words on some of these gifs

Vortex
My sentiment about having to read this book again can be summed up in one word: Ugh.

This book is bad.  It’s not Jedi bug sex bad because I didn’t cringe and resort to drinking but it is bad.  I literally just finished it and tossed it down and said “Stupid.  So stupid.”  Was half the galaxy replaced by Skrulls?  Honestly, I’m running out of reasons for why so many people acted the way they did.  Everyone makes bad decisions that in turn make me want to bash my head against a wall.  I can’t even rage like I usually do.  It’s just all so gosh darn frustrating.  We’ll go down the list.

First and foremost is everything involving Kenth Hamner.  I have yet to understand why “The Villainization of Kenth Hamner” had to occur and I think it’s ridiculous.  While I don’t think that he (or anyone in the order really) is looking at the situation from an entirely rational point of view, I also don’t think that anything that happened with his storyline was logical.  I especially disagree with how he dies.

That brings me to point two which is Saba.  I liked Saba when she was originally introduced.  I really did.  I feel like I’m not dealing with entirely the same character anymore.  It’s nice that she doesn’t take any pleasure in killing Kenth but it doesn’t change that she did and the last time I checked?  You don’t reward someone for that by making her the new Grand Master.  Seriously, Cilghal and Corran?  Seriously?  Kyp Durron or Kyle Katarn would’ve been better choices.  I’ll agree about wanting someone who’s more of a warrior in charge but I certainly don’t think that staging a kriffing COUP is going to help things.  There’s general distrust of the Jedi Order because they’re too powerful and act only as they see fit.  Clearly the best way to counter this is to remove the Chief of State from office.  EXCEPT NO.  NO IT IS NOT.

On the other side of the galaxy, we’ve got Skrull!Luke Skywalker.  Everything about this Luke feels wrong.  I don’t know what else to say except that this isn’t the Luke Skywalker we know from the films and previous books.  I’d also really like to know when his storyline went from ‘Retrace Jacen Solo’s Force Odyssey’ to ‘Retrace Luke Skywalker’s Love Life’.  Oh and hey!  We can throw in some Sith while we’re at it. 

Fourth, I still don’t get Abeloth.  If I could never read again about her tentacles and giant mouth that eats people or whatever, I’d be happy.  She is ridiculous.  Everything about this storyline is ridiculous and I want it to end.  I’m so done with all of this.

This next one doesn’t anger me as much as it annoys me.  I honestly don’t get the point of including this slave uprising storyline.  I know it gets used more later and does tie into the overarching story but it feels overall like wasted page space to me.  Sorry.

Finally, who thought this Barabel nest thing was a good idea especially when it comes to ending a book?  No, don’t answer that.  It was rhetorical.  On a scale from 1-10, this ranks an 8 on the Unnecessary Scale.

Conviction
The Horn siblings have yet to catch a break.  Everyone is just fine but noooooo, they have to still be barvy when they’re unfrozen from the carbonite.  On the other hand, at least they’re fixed by the end of the book.  I’ll take my small victories where I can get them.

As for the actual meat of the book, I first really have to question Del Rey’s decision to put “Chief of State Natasi Daal has been overthrown” on the back cover when that doesn’t happen until halfway through the book.  Again, I have to echo my previous sentiments about the stupidity of the Jedi staging a coup.  I honestly, don’t understand that logic.  Maybe that’s the secret: there is no logic!  Thank goodness I know that Wynn Dorvan’s going to end up in charge eventually.

I enjoyed the book as a whole partially because it actually kept me engaged as a reader and I wanted to keep turning the page.  The snark between Daala and Tahiri at the prison amused me greatly as did the banter between Jag and Jaina who are thankfully back together.  I also really like Seha Dorvald.  Can authors do more with her?  Please?  I’m 99% sure that Mr. Allston agrees with me on this.

This was definitely a return to the dynamic between Luke-Ben-Vestara that I previously appreciated way more than in some of the previous books.  Vestara breaks my heart just a little when she writes those letters to a fictional version of her father.  Honey, come to the light side of the Force and let us love you.  Rejecting your entire society is going to hurt a lot but you can be redeemed and then you and Ben can go have lots of wonderful adventures together.

The slave storyline finally seems to be having an effect here but I just don’t think it was worth all of the build up that it got.  On the other hand, it does mean that we get to briefly see Tenel Ka and Allana together which is always adorable.  Also, I’m growing rather fond of Javon.  He can stick around too.  The one thing that’s been driving me crazy in regards to Allana though is how inconsistent her hair color has been in this.  One book, they’re saying she has her natural red hair and the next she has it dyed dark for the disguise.

I’m also perfectly okay with admitting that Callista’s death didn’t affect me at all.

Ascension
Welcome to my conflicted feelings about this book.  There are a lot of them.  Overall, I enjoy the book.  I think it’s one of the stronger books in the series and I like Christie Golden as a writer for the most part.  I really do love the character of Vestara Khai now and would have loved to read the tale of her completely becoming a Jedi.  I also thought that the character dynamics between the Skywalkers, Jaina, and Vestara were fantastic.

Poor Wynn Dorvan.  He really cannot seem to catch a break.  Will someone give this man a medal already for being the best person in the galaxy?  I was also quite happy to see the return of Vitor Reige.  The galaxy needs a new Pellaeon so why not his bastard son?  Also, I enjoy getting to see Jag play the political game.

I just want to emphasize one last time that I liked the majority of this book.  While it did feel like it was two different books in one and I really question the wisdom of Luke’s “Let’s leave Coruscant!” tactic, it’s mostly an enjoyable read.

What I cannot stand and I hate with a burning passion is Chapter 19.  That would be the chapter where Vestara is crying in her room after being forced to kill her father and is writing a letter to an imaginary and kinder version of him.  Ben comes into her room uninvited and for some reason gets all suspicious and won’t accept “it’s personal” and uses the Force to slap Vestara.  Oh.  And then he ends up reading the letters despite her wishes, realizing how wrong he was, and then they cuddle.  Yeah.  I find everything about that situation to be incredibly problematic and just… no.  I remember seeing an interview with Golden where she hand waved it because he’s “a 16 year old boy.”  I’d like to counter and say that I don’t believe a 16 year old boy brought up in the Skywalker/Solo family would behave like that.  I kept waiting for Mara’s Force ghost to appear and smack him over the head.  Sadly, it didn’t happen.

The other part that I don’t like also has to deal with Vestara.  I’m not okay with these books giving the message that she can’t be redeemed.  It makes me incredibly uncomfortable and flies right in the face of everything that the Original Trilogy stood for.

This would also be a good time for me to mention that I think this entire series would’ve been better without Abeloth.  So.  Much.  Better.

Apocalypse
There’s a post been going around tumblr that sums up the post-RotJ Expanded Universe.  Not only is it hilarious but I have yet to see anything more accurate than the slide on Fate of the Jedi.

You have no idea how tempting it was to make that all this part of the post was.  Honestly, I don’t know what the hell happened in this series either and I’ve been reading it since Thursday.  What is Abeloth?  Why was she here?  WHAT HAPPENED?  Most importantly, THANK THE FORCE IS IT IS OVER.  Please take your weird plotline and your tentacles and never come back.

I have a similar problem with this book that I had with Invincible: It’s one big giant battle.  400 pages of video game fighting and for me?  That’s boring.  It doesn’t feel like a story.  I’m also having a similar problem to the very first chunk of books I read for this project: Sith Fatigue.  It’s a real illness people.  Raise awareness.  Only you can prevent it.

Hold on.  I forgot that the giant battle was interrupted with an Abeloth history information dump.  WHO DOESN’T LOVE A GOOD ONE OF THOSE?  And then we get it almost verbatim again several chapters later.

Oh joy.  And now we have a 9-year-old shooting people and killing them.  Yeesh.  I think that even the Solo twins were a bit older before they were out killing people.  If Allana makes it to adulthood without any major psychological issues, I’ll be shocked.

I think I already made my thoughts on ‘Vestara is a Sith and can never be redeemed!’ pretty clear but this book just amplifies them because… well…

Yeah, let’s just throw redemption out the window.  No big deal. 

AND TO TOP IT OFF.  Jaina and Jag’s wedding is the mostly hastily written after thought ever and it floors me that there’s not one mention of his family being there.  I just want to throw things now.

There really aren’t words for me to describe how done I am with this book and this series and not just in the literal sense.

There were a few things I liked in the book though.  I was happy to see the Horn siblings included and kick some serious butt during the Jedi Temple attack.  I was also bummed that Bazel Warv died because he’d been built up to be a really neat character over the course of the series.  All told, that wasn’t a bad death as far as deaths go because it actually meant something.  Wynn Dorvan is probably the best character to be introduced this series and I hope that nicer things start happening to him and Pocket soon.

The part I liked the most was the Imperial plotline.  I’m amused that apparently no one wants to be Head of State of the Empire.  I can but assume that Reige will toss it back to Jag like a hot potato at some point.  I’m disappointed that Jag didn’t stay Head of State though because the idea of Tahiri working as his Hand was strangely intriguing to me.  Too bad it wasn’t going to last.

Can you tell that I’m relieved to be done?  This book was overlong and the series was incredibly underwhelming as a whole.  And I am so sick of the word tentacle in my Star Wars books.  So have a gif of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert sarcastically cheering.

Mercy Kill

Do you see this?  This is the face of a woman thrilled beyond belief to be reading this book.  Bless you Mr. Allston and bless you Del Rey for finally letting him write another X-Wing novel.  The Wraiths mean so freaking much to me and having a chance to read another book about them thrills me beyond belief each time I pick it up.

Mercy Kill has the distinction of being one of the few books that makes me want to bounce back and forth between wanting to cry because it’s so good and cry because something gut wrenchingly sad just happened.  The first chapter put such a wide smile on my face because of how perfect it was.  This book just makes me so happy.  I can’t handle it.

Oh.  You wanted me to talk about the book itself and not just gush over it?  Okay, I guess I can do that.  There’s nothing that I don’t like about this book. I love that we FINALLY got a book that really deals with the fall out from the Vong War.  And Mr. Allston used a Vong character!  I can’t believe it took ten years for us to get a book like this.  The book is also wonderful because you don’t need to have read the previous two megaseries for it to make sense.  Allston gives us all of the context we need within the text.  This is the sort book that I love and that I think we need more of in the post-NJO timeline.  Every conflict and every mission doesn’t need to be galaxy shattering.  Dealing with Thraal was important but a contained story.  AND EVERYTHING ABOUT IT WORKS.

I adore all of the next generation Wraiths we get here.  Myri Antilles is clearly one of my favorites and I love that we really got to see her come into her own here.  Watch out, Piggy.  The title of Wraith Leader might return to an Antilles one day.  I loved the additions of Jesmin Tainer and Wran Narcassan.  I just want to see more of them both.  I love Wran’s hip cloak.  And as for Jesmin… The Tainer family breaks my heart.  She needs more nice things to happen to her and I want to see more of her and Myri being best friends.

Obviously, Chapter Seventeen gets me every time.  I recall being apprehensive when they first announced the book’s title and rightly so.  Runt.  Piggy.    Give me a minute, I need to sob into this stuff version of Runt that I made for the Gender Swapped Wraith Squadron group.

There’s so much in this book that I want to call out individually but we’d be here for at least a thousand words.  The Science Denying Aqualish cracks me up every single time.  I love Wedge’s brief cameo.  Lara Notsil’s two page appearance made me smile so much.  “You will not recruit my children!”  Piggy dancing for the crowds never fails to be excellent.  Face Loran: master strategist and actor is easily one of my favorite Wraiths and I love how he takes down Thraal and Maddeus so neatly.  The entire mission is brilliantly done in the typical out-of-the-box Wraith style.

I just really love this book and am ridiculously thankfully that I had this glorious bright star to look forward to at the end of this crazy journey.

In conclusion, this is the face of a woman finally freed from a 7 month long reading project and only has a thin grip on her sanity anymore.  A more formal conclusion post will come later but until then, I shall frolic joyously.  Or collapse into a puddle.  I’m not really the frolicking type.

If you’re in Manhattan right now, you can see it for yourself. The X-Wing is on tour as part of a promotion for the upcoming Yoda Chronicles on Cartoon Network. For more shots, head over to Jedi News who have gotten their hands on a bunch of detailed pictures!

Electronic Arts has teased that one of its multiple in-development Star Wars titles is an all-new Battlefront game. Speaking today during the Stifel 2013 Technology Conference, CFO Blake Jorgensen offered the hint.

“The opportunity to do a new Battlefront, for example, which is one of the very popular Star Wars games, or some of the other traditional games that were made, is very exciting.”

Star Wars: Battlefront III, despite never actually being announced, was reportedly 99 percent complete, though this claim was contested.

Me? I’m hoping it gets made just so people stop asking for it at completely unrelated Star Wars event panels at conventions.

The Skywalker line is very strong with the Force, so Ben says, “I think we should protect the kids, because they may be able to help us right the wrong that your husband has created in the universe.” And so Ben takes one and gives him to a couple out there on Tatooine and he gets his little hideout in the hills and he watches him grow. Ben can’t raise Luke himself, because he’s a wanted man. Leia and Luke’s mother go to Alderaan and are taken in by the king there, who is a friend of Ben’s. She dies shortly thereafter and Leia is brought up by her foster parents. She knows that her real mother died.

A remarkably different fate for Padme. Perhaps a preferable one to dying of a broken heart? There’s a lot more interesting details on Lucas’ early thoughts for these stories, so head to the above link to read the rest of the transcript.

On the surface, this looks great.  Star Trek has been doing this for a long time–anyone who has ever submitted a story to one of the Strange New Worlds anthologies has certainly been aware of what has been, in the past, a relatively willing openness to fan work, and many fan writers have broken into professional publishing through writing for these anthologies.  It also seems like a way for fans to get generally professionally curated (?) writing for their favorite universes at a reasonable price.

But there is, I fear, a dark side to all the bright, shiny, happy togetherness Amazon is toting.

Let’s start here.

1. Once you start getting paid for it, it stops being fanfiction.  And for many people, that’s going to be completely okay, because this license is going to be a place where they can jump off into their own writing.  To a certain point, this makes complete business sense–get someone started reading a Vampire Diaries story that you read, then perhaps see if they’ll go read the original novel that you published via Amazon as well.  Amazon is essentially offering the indefinable Holy Grail of publishing–legitimacy.

But in that case, let’s call it what it actually is–media tie-in fiction, not fanfiction.  Sure, the authors might be fans, but the line between pro fic and fan fic is the almighty dollar, and that is a very clear, very well-delineated line.

2. Royalties actually don’t look all that bad.  Amazon takes care of all the payments of royalties to the license holders and to the author. For works from 5000-10000 words, Amazon pays the author 20% of net revenue; works longer than that get the author 35% (the shorter works get less profit due to credit card fees, etc.).  It seems reasonable.

That is until you look closer. The net revenue is based off the customer sales price, not the wholesale price, which tends to be less.  That seems okay, doesn’t it?  It does until you read this: “Amazon Publishing will set the price for Kindle Worlds stories.”

Hm. So that means that your royalties and revenue could change in an instant, depending on how Amazon decides to price your story–and keep in mind, Amazon could decide to price it at zero, depending on how your contract is written.

3. You get to keep the copyright for anything original that you put into your story.  That’s great, right?  Well, except for the part that while you have that copyright, it means less than nothing, because “When you submit your story in a World, you are granting Amazon Publishing an exclusive license to the story and all the original elements you include in that story.”

The bold there is mine.  When you submit your story.  Not when it’s published.  When it’s submitted.  Whoa.  And oh, it gets worse.

“We will allow Kindle Worlds authors to build on each other’s ideas and elements. We will also give the World Licensor a license to use your new elements and incorporate them into other works without further compensation to you.”

Oh, no you didn’t.  What was that point of having a copyright again?

4. What if you screw something up?  Say there’s accidentally something that infringes on a copyright that has nothing to do with the license you’re writing for.  Well, according to the content guidelines, “It is the authors’ responsibility to ensure that their content doesn’t violate laws or copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity, or other rights.”

Not Amazon’s responsibility.  The author’s responsibility.  So you screw up, Amazon will hang your butt out to dry.

5. What if it’s not very good? Who decides?

Amazon refuses to publish books that provide a “poor customer experience.”  What does that mean?  Well, it does say that “We reserve the right to determine whether content provides a poor customer experience.”  This tells us nothing about the editorial process.  Not very helpful, guys.  Oh, and did we mention that you, the author, is on the hook for doing the formatting, cover art, and product description?  Yup.  All on you.

6. What does this mean for fanfic in these licenses?

No idea.  See, Amazon won’t take anything over PG, no crossovers, etc.  So what happens to all the Damon/Elena porn? (That is Vampire Diaries, right?)  Does that mean Alloy will start scouring the web to remove everything else?  Is AO3 going to start getting cease and desist orders for the Gossip Girl tags?  I don’t know, but this makes me think we might be at the top of a slope that’s just getting more and more slippery as the days go by.

A KOTOR port for iPad isn’t too much of a stretch considering Aspyr’s history. The company is responsible for the original Mac port and has been increasingly active on the App Store. Although there have been some other fringe Star Wars RPGs over the years, KOTOR seems like the obvious bet.

Additionally, this newsletter slip-up confirms previous KOTOR rumors we’ve been hearing. For now official confirmation from Aspyr, or any details regarding a launch date or price, have not been announced. We’ve reached out to Aspyr for comment.

While I’m not sure how they will work out the control scheme yet, the iPad seems like a fantastic destination for Knights of the Old Republic. It’s an older game that doesn’t need a boatload of system resources and being able to take this on the road would make for hours of mobile gaming fun. Count me in as someone hoping it happens.

I generally think Jay Leno is a hack and has been phoning it in for years. I generally think Jaywalking is the most vapid recurring segment in comedy. I’m willing to make an exception when Mark Hamill crashes a Star Trek parody.

I blame Abeloth.

Outcast
Well, they Allston-ed me again.  It’s nice to see that the previous galactic war had consequences and that they are carrying over here.  However, I still cannot figure out why the heck anyone would put Daala in charge.  It makes zero sense to me.

The good news is that this book has a lot of my favorite Allston moves.  We get a pilot reunion over on Kessel and thankfully, Wedge seems to still be retired.  We also get the Darkmeld group which I positively LOVE and not just because Winter finally get to reappear.  It’s a rather excellent mix of people.  I also loved that we get Jag referencing his relationship to Wedge because that’s brought into play far too infrequently.  The relationship between Jaina and Jag is also very well written and it’s nice to see them together and functional again.  Also, every time Jag corrects someone about it being the ‘Galactic Empire’ instead of ‘Imperial Remnant’, I crack up.

In typical Allston fashion, the Horn siblings (and family) finally get to take center stage only for their lives to end up seriously sucking.  Valin Horn, stop being crazy.

The other high point of this book has to be the father/son relationship between Ben and Luke.  I love getting to see Ben’s ridiculous sense of humor (Grand Master Whango Mittpool!) and how well they work together.  The whole plot line of retracing Jacen’s steps and trying to figure out what happened is actually rather intriguing although I think his problem was named Lumiya.  Regardless, it will be neat to see these other Force using orders.  But really, it’s just great watching these two play off one another especially with their different strengths and weaknesses.

Omen
I have to give Christie Golden applause for creating Wynn Dorvan.  He’s the Sassy Gay Friend this universe needed ten years ago.  Hmm?  What?  I didn’t say anything.  He’s just a really good character who actually seems to have his head screwed on straight despite working for Daala.

The book goes more or less how you’d expect.  Luke and Ben move on to another Force using order, Han and Leia get Allana a nexu cub, and more Jedi go crazy.  It really sucks to be a member of the Horn family especially now that Jysella’s gone crazy too.    Oh.  And Jaina and Jag got engaged at the end.  Because no one saw that coming.  I do have mixed feelings about their Darkmeld operation to go on a date.  On the one hand, it’s funny to see them pull a fast one on Tyrr but on the other, it sort of feels like it detracts from Darkmeld’s more legitimate purpose.

We’re also introduced to the Lost Tribe of the Sith and Vestara.  It’s an interesting society but there’s not much else I can say except that the Sith sphere still just makes me shrug and say whatever.

Golden’s writing is fine.  I don’t have any major complaints about it in this book.  She seems to have a decent enough handle on the characters.  The problem I have with this book is that it feels like filler.  It’s a fairly short book and not enough happens to make me feel like it should’ve stood on its own.  Mostly, it feels like it was written for the last few chapters and to set up the next book and that’s not how this should go.

Mostly, I’m just feeling like this about the series so far:

Abyss
Well that book happened.  It introduced two characters that I don’t particularly care for: Abeloth and Kenth Hamner.  “But wait, Bria!” you say.  “Kenth Hamner isn’t a new character!”  You’re right.  He isn’t.  This is just the book where I really noticed that he’s been twisted into something completely different.  This series could’ve been subtitled “The Villainization of Kenth Hamner” and I wouldn’t have batted an eyelash.  It ticks me off so much but more on that in a few books.

Abeloth makes me roll my eyes so hard that they might get stuck like that.  I don’t get her.  At all.  She is weird and just… ugh.  Also, this book uses the word ‘tentacle’ way too much.  I was tired of it by page 39 out of 372.  That wasn’t a good sign.  Has anyone ever counted how many times it was used?  They should.

As for the rest of the book, my response is mostly to shrug.  I like the Jedi plan to get the Horns in to see their children because not only does it work but it just feels right.  What I don’t like is the artificially crafted conflict between Jaina and Jag.  Also, I again really have to question the wisdom of getting Allana a pet nexu.  Seriously, Han and Leia?  Are you just trying to win the ‘Worst Parents’ award now?

Aside from that, I’m starting to figure out my problem with this series.  (Or at least one of them.)  Nothing happens in the first half.  Obviously, I don’t mean that literally but I had this exact same problem with the Force Heretic Trilogy.  Every stop the Skywalkers make doesn’t need to take up an entire book and it feels like they only do so because of the three author trilogy cycle.  If the series had been cut down to six books, it would’ve helped fix the pacing issues because too much just feels like filler.

Backlash
“What’s this big, weighs forty kilos, and eats people?”

Get in, losers!  We’re going back to Dathomir!  (That joke never gets old for me, sorry.)

This is probably my favorite book in the series so far.  It actually feels like the Star Wars that I know and love.  Again, Luke and Ben’s relationship is one of the highlights of the book and I particularly love that we got to see them with Han and Leia.  The storylines were starting to feel far too isolated.  This helped make things better.  I also loved the little cameo by Zekk and Taryn even if that paragraph about his not-death makes me wistful for Blood Oath all over again.  (We could’ve had it all. )

Allana is once again proving to be a true Solo spawn.  There’s a checklist you have to work your way down for that.  It includes being kidnapped, annoying Threepio, and sneaking away and inevitably getting yourself into massive trouble.  She’s a bright kid though so hopefully that will one day come in handy when she’s Queen Mother.  I’d enjoy getting to see her interact with Jaina more though.

The Treen and Lecersen Conspiracy is actually fairly interesting so far.  I don’t remember what happens with it except that it fails   Poor Kuat though.  They can’t seem to get a decent senator who’s not trying to overthrow the government.

Clearly, another one of my favorite parts was when we got to see Tyria Sarkin-Tainer for a bit.  What I’ve always loved about her is how she still kicks ass despite not being the best pilot or the best Jedi in the galaxy.  She doesn’t let things like that get in the way of being awesome.  Tyria can hold her own.  Hey, maybe one day, we’ll actually get to see her interacting with one of her kids or her husband.  Come to think of it, we haven’t seen any of the Tainer family interact despite all of their cameos.  This makes me sad.  (Dear Mr. Allston: Please write a book and fix this.)

On a happier note, this is the book that made me actually like Vestara.  I didn’t dislike her before; I was just indifferent.  On Dathomir, it feels like she’s finally coming into her own.  She’s incredibly intelligent and thinks fast which is something you’d have to be in her position.  I’d say that it’ll be interesting to see where her character goes in the future but… well…

The actual best thing about this book?  No Abeloth.

Allies
Well, the good news it that I enjoyed this book for the most part.  The Skywalkers having to become temporary allies with the Sith was interesting because who doesn’t love a good ‘enemy of my enemy’ situation?  Unfortunately though, there’s something about Luke that just feels a bit off during parts of the book.  On the other hand, Ben’s smart-ass sense of humor never fails to entertain.  I also enjoyed reading about Tahiri’s trial even though I’m still mourning her character derailment.  Her lawyer is different and it’s nice that he genuinely wants to help her.  Too bad her trial’s not going well.

What I didn’t like was the unnecessary conflict and break up with Jaina and Jag.  She’s what?  In her early 30s now?  Can’t we give her a plot line that doesn’t at least half revolve around her love life?  [If unsure how to do this, please call Tim Lebbon.  He seems to understand how to write a female lead without making her story all about her love life.]  It’s unnecessary as is her running to Jag with every problem in hopes of a solution.  Jaina’s a smart cookie.  She doesn’t need the weight of the Empire to help with everything.  It’s gotten to be overkill and I’m just really cranky that this is still her major plot line with a side of Sword of the Jedi.

Where the book really lost me was in the last 50-60 pages when Abeloth makes her return to the page.  I don’t get the character.  I really don’t.  I also don’t appreciate the reappearance of Callista especially with all the possessive terms that go through Luke’s head when he sees her.  He was happily married to Mara and it’s been over 20 years.  I find it hard to believe that he’d still think in terms of ‘his Callie’.  Ugh.  Let me roll my eyes so more.

At least Luke killed Abeloth.  Oh wait, no he didn’t.  IT’S A TRICK.  Mostly given away by how this is only book 5 of 9.  Help.

The good news for me and the bad news for you is that this is one of the final posts.  Next up, I read the second half of Fate of the Jedi and then sob into Mercy Kill tears that are of relief and grief.  If you’d like to observe any of this inevitable meltdown in real time, you can follow me on Twitter @chaosbria or the hashtag #WaruExpress.

First, Episode VII has a costume designer and it is not Trisha Biggar who worked on the Prequel Trilogy.  (Farewell gorgeous and elaborate dresses!)  Michael Kaplan confirmed with Clothes On Film that he will be the costume designer for Episode VII.  Kaplan has previously worked with JJ Abrams, mostly recently for Star Trek: Into Darkness, and is considered to be a regular collaborator with the director.

Next, we turn to the land of rumors.  According to Latino Review, actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers (The Tudors) is supposedly in the running for a part in Episode VII.  The report does not specify what staring role Rhys Meyers could be up for and only that he is supposedly in talks.  Rhys Meyers is best known for playing Henry VIII on Showtime’s The Tudors and will be in the forthcoming Dracula show this fall.  As with all rumors, we’d like to remind you that this is not confirmed and should not be treated as fact.
(via Club Jade)

Finally, although Kathleen Kennedy has said that Episode VII won’t be surrounded with the same sort of secrecy that Star Trek: Into Darkness was, producer Bryan Burk’s comments in an interview with /Film indicate that there still might be a fair amount of secrecy:

I guess what I’m saying is it’s always that balance. It’s a hard thing. If I were to right now tell you all of the things that were going to happen in Star Wars in detail, the left side of your brain would say  ’Awesome,’ you guys would have this exclusive and know all of this stuff. But the right side is going to sit down one day and see the movie for the first time and you’d have all of that kind of spoiled, so it’s that balance of wanting to know everything and not wanting to know everything at the same time.

It’s like a magic trick and there’s nobody who wants to know how all of the magic tricks are done more than me. Then the second I learn how they are done, it’s like “Oh” and it kind of goes away.

So we might all be playing the ‘wait and see’ game in regards to spoilers or facts about Episode VII.  You can read the rest of Burk’s comments along with Damon Lindelof’s at the linked interview above.

Dave Filoni’s been teasing us for days now with his mentions of TIE Fighters and now it’s confirmed.  A new animated series, Star Wars Rebels, is coming to the Disney Channel in Fall 2014!

The action-filled series is set between the events of Episode III and IV — an era spanning almost two decades never-before explored on-screen. Star Wars Rebels takes place in a time where the Empire is securing its grip on the galaxy and hunting down the last of the Jedi Knights as a fledgling rebellion against the Empire is taking shape. Details about the show are a closely guarded secret at this point.

Many of those involved with producing The Clone Wars will also be involved with this new show.  Simon Kinberg, Dave Filoni, and Greg Weisman will all serve as Executive Producers for the new show.  Celebration Europe attendees will be the first to get a look at Rebels.

You can read the complete press release over at the official site: StarWars.com

Well, it got the animated treatment from YouTuber Isaac Moores.

(via MSN)

Tuesday, 5/21 3pm EST – Please join us for a chat with Star Wars comics veteran John Ostrander, who penned the prequel short-story to INTO THE VOID (featured in Star Wars Insider Magazine #141).

Wednesday, 5/22 4pm EST – Please join us for a chat with first time Star Wars author Tim Lebbon, author of the just released INTO THE VOID. Tim will be joining us from across the pond in the UK.

Be sure to check them out especially if you have any questions about the newly released Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void or the related comic penned by Ostrander.

But today is shiny and perfect because today, ladies and gentlemen, is Star Trek day, and if I have one thing to say to you all it is this:

Go see this movie. RIGHT NOW. I know, a lot of the reviews have been bad, but really, I don’t know if these people were watching the same film I watched this afternoon.

SPOILER ALERT – THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS, INCLUDING A SYNOPSIS OF THE FILM – YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Ready for a wild ride?

Full Synopsis

Like some other movies this summer, it’s wild to see that the narrative we’ve constructed in our heads from the trailer is completely *not* the narrative of the movie. It begins on a pre-warp planet as the Enterprise crew attempts to save a pre-warp civilization from imminent destruction. (More on that later.) Long story short, the Prime Directive goes completely out the window when Kirk refuses to let Spock die on the planet.

But unlike in TOS, this actually has some consequences, and Kirk is reprimanded and demoted to first officer of the Enterprise, as Admiral Pike is given back command. This lasts for about fifteen minutes, because meanwhile, in London, a Starfleet officer (played by Doctor Who alum Noel Clarke) blows up an archive in return for a cure for his dying daughter. But the explosion is just a ruse to gather part of Starfleet Command together and the conclave is attacked by the mastermind, John Harrison (Sherlock‘s Benedict Cumberbatch). In the firefight, Admiral Pike is killed, and in retaliation, Admiral Marcus (Peter Weller) sends Kirk and the Enterprise after Harrison–all the way into Klingon territory, damning the consequences, which could mean all out war.

The crew of the Enterprise has a lot of problems with their orders. Spock argues with Kirk–the Enterprise is effectively conducting a drone strike in hostile territory on a Federation citizen who has not had a trial. Scotty refuses to sign aboard some of Admiral Marcus’ new experimental proton torpedoes and leaves the ship instead, leaving Chekov in charge of engineering. Kirk eventually agrees to capture Harrison, if possible, and return him to Federation space to face trial.

An entertaining rendezvous on Kronos, a battle with Klingons, and the revelation we’ve all been waiting for comes about–Harrison is actually Khan–but the question of how this came to be is settled in a brief bit of exposition. Since Vulcan was destroyed, Federation ramped up its exploration, and Marcus stumbled across Khan, woke him up, and had been using his superior intellect to help create new weapons for Starfleet–all in preparations for war with the Klingons. Marcus had also arranged for the Enterprise to conveniently break down just inside Klingon space. Back home, Scotty finds Marcus’ giant battleship and sneaks aboard.

Meanwhile, McCoy and Carol Marcus, the admiral’s daughter, discover that each of the special new torpedoes has a cryogenic tube inside–with a person. This, of course, is the crew of the S.S. Botany Bay, Khan’s former ship, who Khan attempted to smuggle out in the torpedoes when he escaped Earth. Marcus, realizing that his plan is ruined now that Kirk is bringing Khan back to Earth to stand trial, brings his new battleship out to retrieve or kill Khan and destroy the Enterprise, hiding all evidence of what has transpired. Kirk is forced to ally with Khan to get aboard the battleship, where, aided by Scotty, they take the bridge, but they are betrayed by Khan, who holds Kirk, Scotty, and Carol Marcus ransom for his own crew, in the proton torpedoes onboard the Enterprise.

What Khan doesn’t know, is that Spock has contacted New Vulcan and asked his older self, once again played by the inimitable Leonard Nimoy, if the original Enterprise had ever encountered Khan before. While the old Spock is reluctant to give information, he does reveal how the original Enterprise beat the original Khan, and new Spock takes inspiration from that plan, beaming the proton torpedoes aboard (sans their crew), getting the Enterprise crew back, and letting the torpedoes explode on board the battleship.

Things should be over, but the Enterprise is losing altitude fast, and the only way to save her is to enter part of the warp core and put it back into realignment. Kirk takes on this job, while Spock mans the bridge, in a heart-rending reversal of the iconic ending of Star Trek II. But Kirk can’t be dead, just like old Spock can’t be dead. You see, Khan wasn’t destroyed when the battleship mostly exploded, and Spock, now genuinely feeling grief, goes after him. But Bones realizes that Khan’s blood can save Kirk, and with Uhura’s help, Spock brings Khan back in time for them to save the captain.

Analysis?

The Good

Benedict Cumberbatch – He’s frighteningly intense and brings every note of his baritone in to playing Khan. His Khan is, by far, the most compelling character in the movie, and there is a good part of the movie where you wonder if, just maybe, Khan might possibly be a good guy after all.

Peter Weller – He’s been a bad guy on Star Trek before as John Frederick Paxton on Enterprise, but Admiral Marcus takes the cake. Why? He’s not just Commandant of Starfleet, he’s also the chair of a secretive division in Starfleet, which leads me to–

Section 31 – This is something that comes straight from Deep Space 9, a hidden part of Starfleet, unsanctioned, that does whatever they see fit to protect the Federation. It was brilliant to see hints at continuity past just TOS.

Sulu – Sulu got to play captain, which was awesome. Seeing Sulu in the captain’s chair brings back hints of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country with Sulu as captain of the Excelsior – Bones: “My God, that’s a big ship.” Scotty: “Not so big as her captain, I think.”

Wrath of Khan flashbacks – This scene was particularly more poignant for hardcore Trekkies than the average moviegoer, I think, and this is probably where some of the rehashing complaints from critics came from, but I think those critics were missing the point. First, the torpedo stunt was the new crew learning a trick from the old crew directly, which was brilliant. Kirk fixing the ship and dying and saying goodbye to Spock, instead of the other way around, is advancing Spock’s emotional development. It cements the relationship of Kirk and Spock as brothers, which, to be honest, isn’t something that TOS did well until the movies themselves, so I think it’s incredibly important. Spock’s shout of “Khan!” is spine-tingling.

The Bad

Lens Flares – No, they aren’t as bad as 2009. They still aren’t great.

The Prime Directive – Okay, so this got me at the beginning of the movie. They are saving a planet from extinction by stopping a volcano, but they are trying not to be seen because exposing the aliens to other lifeforms is a violation of the Prime Directive.

But guys, we’ve seen time and time and time again that any interference in the development of a species is a violation of the Prime Directive, even saving one that is doomed to extinction. So one, why was the Enterprise there in the first place? Two, why was Spock not chewing Kirk out about stopping the volcano, rather than just letting the Enterprise be seen? Three, why was Pike just chewing out Kirk for breaking the Prime Directive when Spock was also the one who went down in the volcano to stop the eruption with a cold fusion device? Four, in what realm of physics does cold fusion stop a volcanic eruption?! This word cold:

Timeline and distances – The entirety of this movie takes place in perhaps two days. Warp drive isn’t that fast. And I don’t care how smart Khan is, no one–no one–can beam from Earth to Kronos.

Kronos – why is there an uninhabited province on Kronos? It had obviously been inhabited at some point. And what is with the helmets and piercings on the Klingons? This isn’t anything we’ve ever seen before, and it is definitely weird.

The Ugly

Carol Marcus – She’s a plot device and a T&A shot. Yes, she’s harkening back to Star Trek II, but they could have done a lot more with her. Actually, there’s quite a bit to complain about when it comes to women in this film–Uhura does get to show off somewhat, which is nice–she gets to show off her language skills, and she does get to come save Spock’s neck in the end, but other than that, there is a grieving mother who never speaks, and two alien women (with tails) who are in bed with Kirk. That’s it. Also, what did Kirk do to piss Christine Chapel off so much that she transferred off the Enterprise?

Khan – I love Benedict Cumberbatch. I really, really, really love Benedict Cumberbatch. Almost as much as I love my husband, so what I am about to say in no way whatsoever is meant to reflect on him.

Ricardo Montalban as Khan

But why–may I ask–did they choose a Caucasian, British actor to play Khan? Khan, in the Star Trek universe, is believed to be from India, of Sikh heritage (Khan is also an Asian title for ruler); Ricardo Montalban, who played the original Khan in both the episode “Space Seed” and The Wrath of Khan, was Hispanic. Part of the mission of the original Star Trek was to show diversity in all things, and this is something this movie doesn’t do well.

In some ways, I can understand not wanting the villain to be a person of color, particularly in our current political situation where a man of indeterminate racial or national origin, like Ricardo Montalban’s Khan, might be too easily and incorrectly identified with certain groups as a terrorist stereotype. Still, for a villain as iconic as Khan, whitewashing the role isn’t the best way to go about things. The cast of Star Trek Into Darkness is still primarily Caucasian, and we have more than ample evidence to know that doesn’t fit Gene Roddenberry’s vision of the future–so I expect more diversity out of future installments (and I hope Abrams does more to bring a more diverse cast to Episode VII).

Overall, though? Four and a half stars out of five.

At the very least, it went better than questions on Kimmel with Harrison Ford.

Crosscurrent
I had no idea what to expect from this book and yet I’m fairly sure that this wasn’t it.  I’m not saying that in a bad way.  I’m just saying it in a way where I tilt my head to the side and go “huh”.

For the most part, it’s an enjoyable book.  It took me a good 100 pages or so to really get into it though.  The start felt a bit slow but also jumbled with the introduction of a lot of new characters.  It took me a little while to keep everyone straight.  I’m also not sure how I feel about the time travel.  I liked the character of Jaden Korr though as well as Marr and Khedryn.  On the other hand, I’m really not sure what an Anzat looks like exactly but I don’t think I want to because they sound weird and a bit disgusting.

The clone thing was… different.  Although actually, I guess it doesn’t really surprise me that they would’ve tried to clone Jedi but I’m not entirely sure I buy mixing Jedi and Sith DNA.  It makes the choice between following the light or the dark like much less of a choice.  On the other hand, I absolutely buy that they’d be a bit crazy.  That part makes plenty of sense.

My biggest problem with the book is the lack of female characters.  Where were they?  I know it was a small cast but that doesn’t mean that every single one of them had to be male.

Mostly, I’m really just still head tilting at this book.  I’m wondering if a second read through might help but no time for that right now.  It is a good read though and it’s certainly a nice break from watching all of my favorite characters take stupid pills.

Riptide
Well apparently Paul Kemp anticipated my problem with this first book because he went right ahead and added two female characters to their list of dramatis personae.  So well done reading my mind from several years in the past, good sir.

There’s a lot of Jaden Korr in this book.  Get it?  It’s because there are three versions of him running around and… that’s okay.  I can laugh at my own lame joke.  I liked this book a lot better partially because it felt like a lot more happened.  It’s definitely a direct follow up to Crosscurrent though so you’d still want to read that first.  It’s a fast paced book that definitely kept me turning the page and I enjoyed reading it.

Riptide felt an awful lot like an Really Old Republic book though and that’s not a bad thing.  I could simply see Jaden as one of the Jedi from the time of Revan or Satele.  It’s probably the Rakatan aspect of the book that makes me feel this way but it’s still a neat story.  Although it’s another Jedi story, it’s a nice and a different addition to this time frame.

Everything with the clone body swap at the end blew my mind.  The short version is that Jaden dies and Marr puts his consciousness into the clone body that was grown by some Sith Lord.  It is exactly as crazy as it sounds.  Honestly, now I really want to see the ramifications of all this.  Jaden obviously picked up on the fact that something wasn’t right and it’d be interesting to see him confront Marr about it.  It would be a fascinating read to say the least.

Millennium Falcon
Wow.  This was a fun read and I enjoy nothing more than being able to say that I had fun reading a Star Wars book.  It’s a light-hearted adventure that touches upon galactic events without being bogged down in them.  Books like this are why I adore James Luceno.  I still think his strengths lie with the more politically minded Star Wars books but I have no major complaints with his writing here.  He seems to really get the characters and I am happy to wave off Agents of Chaos as an anomaly.

The family dynamics between Han, Leia, and Allana are wonderful.  It’s still something relatively new for them but the love is clearly there.  Allana is clearly a Solo child seeing how she wandered off AND got captured by some bad guys in the book.  Honestly, it’s probably genetic.  Her ability to communicate with the Yuuzhan Vong was a neat touch as is her affinity with animals.  And now I want to just bash my head over Jacen dying again because he really should’ve and could’ve continued to be a good dad.

Speaking of which, it was nice to see Leia and Han actually feeling some regret in regards to everyone just deciding that their son wasn’t worth saving.  There were a few pages where Leia was reflecting on this and it made me punch the air and shout “YES SOMEONE FINALLY GETS IT AND IS WRITING THIS PROPERLY’.  I may mock the Solos for being bad parents like it’s my job but I don’t buy for a minute that they just wrote Jacen off completely at the end.  Just everything about these pages felt right.

The story itself is also fun and engaging.  It’s not a groundbreaking plot by any means but this is a character (and ship) driven story and that makes all the difference in the world.  It’s also much preferable to a plot forcing characters to act not like themselves.

I did get a little bit tired of all the short stories about the Falcon’s previous owners but that’s a fairly minor complaint.  They are rather par for the course for a book titled Millennium Falcon though.  It was a fun and fast read and I definitely enjoyed the book.

I don’t want to continue on.  Except that I am now so close to finishing this project.  And they’ve Allston-ed me again.  Del Ray, why must you always do this to me?  As always, you can watch my inevitable meltdown in real time on Twitter @chaosbria or the hashtag #WaruExpress.

“When I joined Lucasfilm, I immediately saw the true passion shared by Star Wars fans around the world,” Kennedy says. “I’m thrilled to attend my first Star Wars Celebration and see in person that energy that makes the Star Wars experience so special.”

I think we’re all hoping this means there might be some sort of Episode VII related news at CEII this year. And, well, if it comes from her, it is confirmed.

And part 2 here:

The interview covers a whole lot of ground, including the obligatory Trek versus Wars discussion and how it’s still really, really, really early in Episode VII’s production. So don’t expect any details about the film yet.

Via Club Jade

Ironically enough, much of that fury isn’t directed at Fury.

Inferno
I’m trying really really really hard right now to take some deep breaths after finishing this book.  It’s possible that this book upsets me even more than Sacrifice did because I’m honestly scraping the bottom of the barrel here for any positives about this book.  I guess that I can’t really hate on the writing style?  It didn’t offend me or anything.  Oh!  I did like the brief scene with Han, Leia, and Tenel Ka towards the end.  It’s a nice moment and I love that the Solos see Tenel Ka like part of the family.

Yeah.  That’s all I’ve got.

Honestly, I don’t even know where to start.  How about at the beginning because that prologue?  Single-handedly reduced Tahiri’s characterization to just one thing and made it like she hadn’t matured since age 15.  I do not buy for a minute that Tahiri would ever be taken in by Jacen’s Sith bull$#!&.

Everyone is on stupid pills at this point though.  I know Tenel Ka loves him but I think she’s just a bit too easily taken in by Jacen’s lies at the beginning.  I also can’t get over how downright STUPID both Luke and Ben are in this book.  Ben’s “plan” involving Omas?  It’s so stupid that I can’t even wrap my head around it.  As for Luke, I would think that the Grand Master of the Jedi Order would know better than to go after Jacen by himself.

What else drove me up the wall about this book?  Saba giving the eulogy for Mara’s funeral is stupid and not right at all.  Karrde not being at the funeral is beyond not okay.  Jaina’s storyline continuing to be limited to some stupid love triangle while she gets to do almost nothing else except be angry at Jacen is a disgrace to her character.

And then we get to what I’m just going to refer to as torture porn.  I can handle a heck of a lot of violence and gore in fiction.  It’s not something that tends to squick me.  The gratuitous loss of limbs on Ossus?  Made me sick to my stomach.  It’s a disservice to both of the Solusars and it’s stupidly extreme violence just for extreme violence.  When you add in Jacen putting Ben in the Embrace of Pain, you get a book that’s filled with torture porn and that has no place in the Expanded Universe.

Also?  At one point, an Admiral refers to Jacen as a “master tactician” to which I say “Since when???”  Really though.  I’ve been asking that this entire series.  Since when is Jacen any good at this?  Spoiler Alert: Even a mediocre tactician knows better than to attack Kashyyyk and tick off the wookiees.  No really.  And speaking of tactics and people who are actually good at them, how did Gavin Darklighter manage to refrain from bashing Jacen’s head against a wall?  While we’re tangenting, I really want to know who said that it’s okay for little Gavin Darklighter to be a Rear Admiral.  He’s like 12!  Yes, I’ve been waiting to make that quip since Rogue Squadron.  Shut up.

Fury
I was Allston-ed again.  Honestly, if I hadn’t had an Allston book up next, I probably would’ve gone and cried to Brian and Nanci and begged them to let me out of this project.  Instead, I was actually smiling by page 32.  Compare this to me literally enjoying nothing in the first 60 pages of the previous book.

This is a book where everyone actually feels like themselves again except for Jacen who has by now been so far derailed that there’s no hope for him except for the Skrull retcon.  The team up with Han, Leia, Jaina, Jag, and Zekk to take down Alema is very well executed and everyone feels like they’re in character the entire time.  It seems like Jag is finally cured of all that awful crap he’s been put through since the Vong war ended.  I also liked how Zekk’s history with the dark side was worked in here without becoming ridiculous.  Allston also writes a good Kyp.  I think that’s a character who’s been very underused since the New Jedi Order ended.

Obviously the parts that made me wipe away metaphorical tears of joy were all the bits with Wedge, Tycho, and Syal. The scene where Wedge refuses to point his blaster at Tycho and instead uses a very sophisticated finger gun makes me grin.  Honestly, the Antilles-Celchu family (shut up, Syal calls him Uncle Tycho so it’s true) split because of the war kills me inside.  It’s less tragic than what happens with the Solo-Skywalker family because no one dies and they aren’t actually trying to kill each other but the fact that they are reluctantly fighting on different sides of the war makes me sad.  These are people who deserve to be happy.  Just let them be happy.  Please?

Speaking of splitting up families… Jacen, you are awful for kidnapping Allana.  I know she’s your daughter too but hiding her in a box and stealing her from Tenel Ka?  NOT COOL.  On the other hand, at least Leia and Han know that they are grandparents now.

Luke and Ben finally seem much more functional in this book, both as individual characters and with their relationship.  While obviously Mara’s death is difficult to recover from, it’s nice to see them helping each other move forward.  It’s also nice to see Ben’s sense of humor again because that’s been missing for a lot of books now.

Revelation
Before we dive into the meat of the actual book, I really want to talk about something that’s mostly just mentioned in passing but that I think it’s pretty kriffing important.  I love that Karen Traviss casually mentions that two of the Mandalorian men in this book are a gay couple AND NO ONE MAKES A BIG DEAL OUT OF IT.  It’s perfect and I love it and I couldn’t care less if anyone doesn’t like it because Star Wars could use some more diversity.  So there.

I don’t know if it’s because Fury helped calm me down or what but I didn’t feel the urge to break dozens of dishes after finishing this book.  There are certainly things that make me angry but I’m not in a rage.  What I didn’t like about this book is almost completely confined to the Pellaeon and Tahiri plotline.  I despise that Tahiri’s been turned into some blonde evil drone who just does Caedus’s bidding and I firmly believe that she is one of the characters who has suffered the most from characterization derailment in the post-NJO world.  It’s ridiculous and I am officially adding her to my list of characters who I firmly believe were replaced by Skrull imposters.  Pellaeon dying is another thing that ticks me off because he’s been one of the consistently best characters in the Expanded Universe since its start.  This wasn’t a fair end to him although I guess that’s sort of the point.  Unfortunately.

I continue to not really care about Boba Fett and all the stuff with Sintas Vel.  Congratulations on getting your ex-wife back, I guess?  On the other hand, I do care about (say it with me now) Venku and Bardan.  I can’t help being so invested in the Skirata clan!  I just want to hug them all and wish them happy lives.

I have mixed feelings about Jaina going to Mandalore for training.  On the one hand, I can understand the argument that some people have made about it being stupid for her to go to her father’s nemesis for help.  On the other hand, I can definitely see the logic in going to someone who can train you to fight differently and unexpectedly.  Plus, the Mandalorians do have a long history of fighting Jedi so they’re bound to know a few tricks.  Jacen has his giant bag of unorthodox Force tricks so it’s only fair at Jaina gets a giant back of actual fighting tricks. However, asking a bunch of Mandalorians, including one ex-Jedi turned Mando, if she should kill her brother is really just a poor choice.  Pro tip: Ask a broader range of people and then ignore them all and just capture him so he can eventually be redeemed.  Oh wait…

Something that consistently struck me throughout the book was how people continuously remarked on how sane Jacen seemed despite clearly turning evil.  In the back of my mind, I kept hearing that line from Shatterpoint where Depa Billaba tells Mace Windu how “Nothing is more dangerous than a Jedi who’s finally sane.”  It’s just an incredibly offsetting sentiment.

Ben’s police investigator approach to looking into Mara’s death is well done and it’s nice to see everyone finally realize that it wasn’t Alema.  Captain Shevu continues to be a great influence on Ben’s life even though I think he’s stupid for staying in the secret police.  I just want to yell at him to GET OUT once they solve Mara’s murder because this will only end badly.

Finally, I’ve noticed that Expanded Universe authors tend to just send Han and Leia off on a mission to find a new safe haven when they apparently don’t know what else to do with them.  It’s actually getting to be somewhat comical at this point.

Invincible
Oh look.  It’s another book that makes me mad and then breaks my heart.

Denning’s decision to start each chapter with one of Jacen’s corny jokes from the Young Jedi Knights books absolutely breaks my heart.  I want to cry a little every time I read one because it makes me look at the dorky teenager who loved animals and was all smiles and ask “WHAT HAPPENED?”  It makes his death at the end hurt even more.  It’s not okay and neither is Jacen’s death.  I still have yet to understand why they all just completely gave up on the idea of redeeming him.  This is Jacen Solo and once they realize that he’s Sith, they just give up?  That’s not the Star Wars and the Solo/Skywalker family that I know and love.

Mostly, this book is frustrating because it feels like one giant battle.  Well, to be fair, it’s basically two giant battles with a brief interlude for some REALLY uncomfortable scenes with Ben and Tahiri.  I haven’t cringed that hard at a scene since Dark Nest.  I’m cringing now just thinking about it.  I can’t even type out what happened because of cringing.  Have I mentioned lately how angry her character derailment makes me?

This book and series have just emotionally exhausted me so it’s difficult to properly rant about everything.  Aside from Jacen’s death, I think that all of the nanovirus stuff is beyond stupid.  I wouldn’t mind a retcon/magical fix it virus that gets rid of it so that Fett and Mirta can go back to Mandalore.  Tenel Ka giving Allana to Han and Leia is also a bad idea because I’m fairly sure the Solos have been proven to be the worst parents ever.  I also found Prince Isolder’s death to be pointless.  I’d also love to know what the heck Luke was up to this book.  His meditation offense just feels dumb.  SO MUCH ABOUT THIS BOOK IS DUMB AND/OR MAKES ME ANGRY.

Also, I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure that this is not how shatterpoints actually work.  I’m fairly sure that they’re supposed to be more metaphorical and apply to people or situations, not actual points that you can hit to make things shatter.  If it’s been rectonned since so that it’s both?  That is way less cool and I dislike it so have a disapproving Obi-Wan gif.

What I did like was the introduction of Taryn and Trista Zel.  Best part of the book by far.  For almost any other character, it would be ridiculous to have some hidden cousins but for Tenel Ka and her Hapan family?  It’s all so logical.  And now I’m bitter about the cancellation of Blood Oath all over again.  Maybe one day, we’ll get this book.  Maybe.  Probably not.  I can’t help that I love my sassy Hapans.

I’m still angry about everything to do with Jacen.  I’m just going to break some more dishes and drink away my feelings or something.

Next up are a trio of books that I’ve never read before!  I’m actually excited and rather looking forward to getting to experience some new-to-me Star Wars books at the end of this very long road.  As always, you can follow my progress in real time on Twitter @chaosbria or the hashtag #WaruExpress.

Is it fall yet? I need this to be on my television now.

DATE CHANGE: #STARWARS EMPIRE AND REBELLION: RAZOR’S EDGE by @marthawells1 will now go on sale October 1. #SWEU randomhouse.com/book/225871/ra…

— StarWarsBooks (@DelReyStarWars) May 10, 2013

Great news all around. I’m personally looking forward to this book. Pair this with Kenobi and the last half of 2013 is shaping up to be a great period for Expanded Universe releases.

And a synopsis!

Tatooine—a harsh desert world where farmers toil in the heat of two suns while trying to protect themselves and their loved ones from the marauding Tusken Raiders. A backwater planet on the edge of civilized space. And an unlikely place to find a Jedi Master in hiding, or an orphaned infant boy on whose tiny shoulders rests the future of a galaxy.

Known to locals only as “Ben,” the bearded and robed offworlder is an enigmatic stranger who keeps to himself, shares nothing of his past, and goes to great pains to remain an outsider. But as tensions escalate between the farmers and a tribe of Sand People led by a ruthless war chief, Ben finds himself drawn into the fight, endangering the very mission that brought him to Tatooine.

Ben—Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, hero of the Clone Wars, traitor to the Empire, and protector of the galaxy’s last hope—can no more turn his back on evil than he can reject his Jedi training. And when blood is unjustly spilled, innocent lives threatened, and a ruthless opponent unmasked, Ben has no choice but to call on the wisdom of the Jedi—and the formidable power of the Force—in his never-ending fight for justice.

Kenobi hits bookshelves on August 27th.

Via io9

Betrayal
Kids, in spring of 2006, I was ready to give up on the current timeline of Star Wars books.  The Dark Nest trilogy had left me mentally scarred and the Prequel Trilogy books just seemed so much nicer and safer even though I knew everyone was going to die.  And then Del Rey did something very smart: they Allston-ed me. What is ‘Allston-ed’, you ask?

Allston-ed (verb)  1 The act of bringing in Aaron Allston to write more books in the Star Wars Expanded Universe therefore enticing readers who might have otherwise quit to come back and continue reading.
2  Experiencing a heart-breaking character death that makes you want to sob uncontrollably and from which you shall never recover.

To top it off, we were told that the planet Adumar would be making an appearance and that Wedge would be in the book.  You have no idea how disappointed I was that the Adumarians hadn’t put up a statue of Wedge somewhere and written a charming song called ‘Hero of Adumar’ to go with it.  SO DISAPPOINTED.   (Wedge!  The Man They Call Wedge!)

Speaking of Wedge, why can no one just let him retire?  Or maybe you should just not kidnap him and hold him prisoner.  I’m told that’s a sure way to convince him to fight against you simply because he’s pissed.  On the other hand, I find it hilarious when Wedge takes advantage of his pilots’ reflexes and military instincts and yells things like “Rogue Two! Break to port!” at them and makes them look ridiculous.  So much about this book reminds me why he and Tycho Celchu are some of my favorite characters especially when you put the two of them together.

I really enjoyed reading this book.  There was many a time where I was downright grinning like an idiot as I read through it.  It was like I was reading this book for the first time again.  I will never be over the Donoslane and Kolot references or Shalla’s brief unnamed cameo.  To top it off, we get to see both Doran Tainer and Syal Antilles as characters in this book.  Characters who do things and get page time.  I have such a strong love for all of the Wraith and Rogue kids that this made me happy beyond belief.

Oh wait.  These books are supposed to be about the Skywalkers and Solos, aren’t they?  I think that Allston writes a really good Jaina and I love getting to see her as a pilot again.  Wedge and Tycho are right: she is indeed a traitor for not sticking with the piloting thing.  It’s such a shame since she’s so good at it.  As far as Han and Leia go, I just roll my eyes and shake my head at them.  I think they’re actually making the GFFA/Corellia situation worse by meddling.  Allston also writes a really great Ben.  That kid’s sense of humor cracks me up every time especially with his Lando impression.

I’m not a huge fan of Jacen Solo taking stupid pills at the end of the book though nor am I fan of Nelani dying.  She had potential to be a really great character but alas.  Damnit Jacen.  Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to listen to Shire Brie?  This will end in so many tears.  Many of them will be mine.

Bloodlines
It occurs to me that I must finally tell each and every one of you my position on the Boba Fett matter.  I’ve done my best to avoid doing more than just nodding when the subject of his character comes up but I can no longer avoid taking a stand on such a controversial issue.  Are you ready for this?

I don’t care.  No really.  I have absolutely no feelings on Boba Fett as a character.  I don’t like him, I don’t hate.  I have no emotions in me one way or the other.  He’s no good to me dead but neither is he any good to me alive.  I don’t care about him.

Why am I telling you this?  Because I want to make sure that all of you understand that any thoughts I have about his part in these books is not fueled either way by an intense hatred or love for him.  I don’t think that this long storyline had any place in these books.  I think it would’ve worked better as a separate companion book.  I found it to be somewhat interesting but not because of Fett himself.  What kept my interest were all the allusions to Skirata and the rest of the clones who escaped after Order 66 because wow am I invested in them.  While I don’t care about Fett, I do really care about that group of characters and I do like the Mandalorian culture.  I just don’t think this storyline should’ve taken up as large of a chunk of this series as it did.

Unfortunately, people take a lot of stupid pills in this book and really just in the series.  Jacen is an idiot for deliberately going down this dark path and I insist that it could’ve all been avoided if only he had a Sassy Gay Friend.  Ben Skywalker could’ve also used a Sassy Gay Friend for not deciding to stay with his parents after witnessing Jacen brutally tortures a woman to death.  Everyone in this book just deserves a giant wake up call for (in some cases) recognizing that Jacen is acting in a less than stand up fashion and should be stopped now.  I know that he’s been written as ridiculously powerful thanks to that five year journey power up but I don’t believe for a minute that the combined power of various Jedi Masters couldn’t have stopped him.  Hell, just let Jaina at him.

On the other hand, Karen Traviss introduces two characters that I really like in these books.  The first is Mirta Gev and the second is Captain Shevu.  Despite being a member of the secret police, Shevu is one of the few positive influences on Ben in these books and I just think he’s a great character all around.

Also, it’s about time Thracken Sal-Solo finally died.  Was that mean?  Oops.  Sorry not sorry.

Tempest
My first thought when I started this book was “Oh really?  Alema?  Again?  She should’ve stayed dead.”  Seriously though: how did she escape being eaten by the creature thing?  How?  Also, do you want to know how I’m still feeling about all of the Prequel Trilogy flashbacks and references?

Aurra Sing?  Boring.  Unnecessary.  Also, I don’t read the post-Return of the Jedi books to routinely have bits of the Prequel films replayed for me.  This doesn’t apply to just this but all of them.  It’s driving me up the wall.

Also?  I don’t care that Jacen Solo is 30 years old.  Someone should’ve smacked him across the head for referring to his parents as “terrorist scum” and then again when he put out an arrest warrant for them and refused to retract it.  I know the Solos win the Crappy Parenting Award but seriously?  I keep waiting for someone to knock him over the head.  Ben too.  And then we can lock Jacen in a room with a Sassy Gay Friend and he can look at his life and look at his choices and ask what what what is he doing!  Alternatively, as discussed on Twitter, we will accept a Sassy Gay Force Ghost Brother or a Force Ghost Mace Windu with the Fist of Doom.

I do love that we get to see Tenel Ka again in these books!  I still insist that a book about her as Queen Mother of Hapes would be an awesome addition to the Expanded Universe.  Who doesn’t love a good novel filled with court intrigue?  I also like that even though she clearly loves him, she doesn’t let that love completely blind her.  Speaking of female characters doing things right, I also love that Jaina seems to be one of the few with her head screwed on straight.  Sure, maybe she’s gone straight to furious but can you really blame her?  I’d be pissed as hell too if my twin brother was behaving like this.

It’s a very small moment but I also really liked Mara mentioning how Luke has to have a ton of spare parts handy to keep his mechanical hand functioning.  I’m not what about it exactly caught my attention but I just thought it was very fitting.

Exile
I can’t help but grin every time I pick up a Star Wars book and it has Allston’s name on the cover.  It’s partially because I love his writing style and partially because I know that Wedge will have a leading role in the book.  Of course, I then proceed to open the book and see that Myri Antilles is in it and get even happier.  I told you that I have my biases.  I can honestly say that I loved every bit with Myri and the rest of the gang are working the Errant Venture for information.  I remember thinking it when Allston first wrote about almost the same group in his New Jedi Order books: this is a dangerous group of people.  You don’t want to be working against them.

It floors me that one of the first people to really truly call Jacen on his heel-face-turn behavior and actually make a few bells ring is Wedge Antilles.  Don’t get me wrong, no one delivers a life lesson lecture like him but really?  Skywalker/Solo clan, you are slacking.  (Observe as I still wait for Winter to show up and smack him across the head for being an idiot.)  Also, although this doesn’t really apply to JUST this book, I don’t like that all of the sudden Jacen knows about battle tactics.  When did this happen?

I’m not a huge fan of Ben Skywalker’s little side mission.  Almost leaving a little girl to die?  Really Ben?  This really just reinforces for me that he was also taking stupid pills because I don’t get how he can be so obtuse.  Also the Sith Sphere ship annoys me.  I know.  I’m in for a lot more books of eye rolling.

I’m glad that we get to see Jag again and I think that Allston handles writing that less than ideal situation well.  I don’t remember if they end up being the ones to successfully take Alema out of the picture but I really hope they take that crazy bugslut down.  I’ll admit though that I’m much more of a fan of the Jag-Jaina-Kyp dynamic than the Jag-Jaina-Zekk one.  Sorry trash collector.  Speaking of Kyp Durron, his improvised taras chi tactic is hilarious.  Hush, Corran!  Don’t ruin it by telling everyone.

Sacrifice

Let’s start with the elephant in the room.  I hate that Mara dies in this book.  I hate it.  SO MUCH.  I don’t think that she’d be stupid enough to go after Jacen on her own like this.  I do have mixed feelings about the poison dart thing though.  On the one hand, it means that Jacen doesn’t defeat her in lightsaberscombat because he’d never be able to do that but on the other, it’s a really stupid way to die and I still don’t think it should’ve worked.  It’s also a massive cop-out if Jacen is supposed to “immortalize his love”.  MASSIVE.  Ugh.

On the other hand, I’d just like to note that Mara goes out while wearing dark grey fatigues and NOT the catsuit like she wears on the cover.  So even if you do happen to dislike Traviss, you can’t dislike her for catsuit reasons!

The biggest problem I have with this series is that it frequently feels like the plot is driving the characters instead of the other way around and that’s not a good thing.  For example, in this book, Jaina’s last conversation with Mara feels forced and I just simply can’t believe that so many people would remain unable to acknowledge that Jacen has completely gone off the rails.  It took overhearing that conversation for Ben to realize that Jacen is not what he seems?  Really?  Jacen sending you (a 14 year old boy) to assassinate a government leader wasn’t a big enough tip off?  SERIOUSLY?  You are all the worst spies ever.  EVER.  There are just so many signs for all of these characters that they are heading down the wrong path and they refuse to acknowledge them.  I’m convinced that this was the year when everyone took stupid pills.  Again.

Also, where the heck were Jaina, Han, and Leia for most of this book?

I’d like to have more to say about this book but I’m mostly just angry about Mara right now.  Thinking about the good Captain Shevu makes me slightly less angry though.  Even though I desperately wish that he’d stepped in and stopped Jacen from sending Ben on this mission, he’s one of the few good influences in that kid’s life right now.

While, again, I still don’t think that the Fett parts belong in this series, I’m finding myself enjoying some of them for ridiculously selfish reasons.  I can’t help but like Mirta Gev.   She’s a pretty kickass character and I like watching her mental adjustment period as she goes from viewing Fett from her mother’s eyes through her own.  Also, I mentally rolled around on the ground and squeed a lot when first Jaing and then Venku showed up in this book.  I just love the Skirata clan so freaking much, guys.  I AM DEEPLY INVESTED IN THEIR CONTINUING EXISTENCE.  Also, I’m probably the only person in the world who wants this but I couldn’t care less about another Imperial Commando book and would give almost anything to have Traviss come back and write some standalone book about them especially Venku.

Okay, so maybe that gif’s a lie because all of you know there are other books that I would also trade my soul for but I think I’ve made my point.

I’m trying to be somewhat positive here, guys, but I’m failing again.  I’M GOING TO CONTINUE TO BE PISSED ABOUT MARA AND YOU CAN’T STOP ME.

Next time, on the Waru Express, I will continue to be angry about a plotline shaping characterization as more of the characters I rather like continue to be used, abused, and derailed all the way to Bakura but pause to grin over Wedge and Tycho being awesome.  As always, you can follow my progress in something vaguely resembling real time on Twitter @chaosbria or the hashtag #WaruExpress.

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This week on Tosche Station Radio, the hosts celebrate the beginning of Star Wars Month by talking about some of their favorite things from the franchise!

Kicking off the show, the hosts highlight what’s New on the Blog. Bria finished up the NJO and suffered through the Dark Nest Trilogy. Somewhere in there she also found time to do an Awesome Con cosplay roundup and write up a review of Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void. She liked it! Meanwhile, Brian gave his thoughts about the Lucasfilm/EA game deal.

In Fixer’s Flash, Nanci’s was over at Disney’s May the 4th Be With You celebration at Hollywood Studios. Brian’s been reading through Crucible. Both the hosts watched the Abrams Star Trek 2009 to prepare for a guest appearance on WOAM’s Star Trek Into Madness series this weekend.

There’s a whole bunch of news on Deak’s Dirt this week, so get comfortable! Her Universe teased the Rogue Squadron dress and released new merchandise through Hot Topic. The Clone Wars bonus content will feature Plo Koon and the mystery of Sifo-Dyas. In EU news, The Making of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi and Empire and Rebellion: Razor’s Edge got covers. Meanwhile, there’s a new synopsis for Kenobi by John Jackson Miller.Pablo Hidalgo’s conducted a Facebook chat (link to Club Jade article). In Episode VII news, Kathleen Kennedy says they won’t be as secretive as JJ Abrams was during Into Darkness. JJ Abrams says he expects John Williams to score Episode VII. Bad Robot’s producer said that Episode VII is targeting an early 2014 filming start. Mark Hamill crashed RotJ screening on May 4, but still is not confirmed for Episode VII. In other Star Wars related news, a full guest list for Star Wars Weekends was released. On the gaming side of things, Lucasfilm selected EA for multi-year licensing deal. In other franchise news, the Ender’s Game trailer dropped! Finally, legendary special effects and creature artist Ray Harryhausen passed away.

On Camie’s Concerns the hosts have some fun and pull out the grab bag to discuss their favorite things in Star Wars. From films to music to books, there’s a whole lot in this universe to enjoy.

Wrapping up the show, the host field questions from listeners in Ask Us Anything and give away a copy of Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void by Tim Lebbon.

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.

Yesterday, Universal announced that their incredibly popular Wizarding World of Harry Potter would be extending into both Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios with the launch of Diagon Alley in 2014. Does Disney have a response for their own parks? Bob Iger had a few things to say at an earnings meeting yesterday.

“In addition to the Star Wars feature films that we’ve already talked about, we’re also working on opportunities for television and  our parks.  It’s still very early in the process. We’ll announce details as these developments evolve.”

So, they’re looking into things but nothing is definitive yet. Come on Disney, give me Star Wars Land. Preferably in Florida.

After the obligatory Wars versus Trek discussion, Abrams says that the new Star Wars installments need to be able to stand up on their own rather than ride on pre-existing love for the franchise. In his words, it needs to “work on its own terms.”

While we’re streaming the podcast recording, all you need to do is head over to livestream.com/toschestationradio and comment in the chat. Near the end of the show we’ll throw the names into a hat* and draw one lucky winner. Be sure to stick around until that point!

*Randomizer application

No trailer is complete without Harrison Ford glaring at something, I say.

I don’t even have words. Nimoy drops the f-bomb, Star Trek references everywhere. Incredible.

Some assorted thoughts…

• Disney and Lucasfilm were never going to break things up and offer rights individually on a per-game basis. There’s more leverage in locking a company up in on an exclusive multi-year deal. Because of this, only two publishers were realistic options: Electronic Arts and Activision. Given that neither company is particularly well regarded in gaming circles, it’s pretty much a pick-your-poison. For me, Electronic Arts has the better game developers in its portfolio so going with them is far and away the preferable option.
• While Electronic Arts is hated by gamers (some would say irrationally hated), they’ve got fantastic game developers working under them. From the onset, they’ve announced that Bioware, DICE, and Visceral Games are going to be working on future Star Wars titles. This is good news. These are studios that have produced some fantastic products and are capable of doing great things with the Star Wars IP.
• Yes, even Bioware is a fantastic studio. Whether or not you liked the ending to Mass Effect 3, they are a developer that has consistently put out above-average games that have featured top-notch writing efforts to create deeply immersive games.  Knights of the Old Republic 3? Maybe that’s finally back on the table now that Lucasarts isn’t pulling the strings. Maybe it means a single-player RPG experience in a completely different era. Either way, it’s exciting and turning Bioware loose on a new Star Wars title is great news.
• For fans that have long wished for Battlefront III, this news is nothing short of a miracle. DICE is the company that produces the Battlefield titles, multiplayer online shooter titles with a remarkably similar feel to the Battlefront games. Critically lauded multiplayer online shooter titles, I might add. You might not get Battlefront III specifically, but I’d say odds are high you’re going to get a game remarkably similar to it.
• Visceral Games is responsible for the acclaimed Dead Space games, a franchise that’s textbook core market.  They’ve shown they can do atmospheric titles that can push the action angle. Good fit for Star Wars? I think so.
• Disney and Lucasfilm were never going to leave money from the core gaming market on the table. Claims that they would abandon more grown-up titles to only produce Facebook and iOS titles were simply overreaction to the news that LucasArts was closing down. Maybe it’s time we recognize that Disney isn’t out to make Star Wars fans miserable by cancelling everything we love and acknowledge they just might know what they’re doing?
• LucasArts was having an increasingly difficult time producing games, so Disney handing the IP off to a company with a stable of high-quality developers was not only a smart business decision, it was a good gesture to fans. At the very least, it’s hard to get much worse than where the IP has been. It’s been a long time since the last critically acclaimed Star Wars title. Giving Electronic Arts a go might be just what the franchise needs to produce something special again.

Boil it down and I just can’t find much to be upset about. There is way more good news than there is bad news involved in this announcement. As of right now, three top-notch studios are going to get to work on the Star Wars IP and I, for one, can’t wait to see what they do with it.

Set over 25,000 years before the Skywalkers were playing leading roles on the galactic stage, Tim Lebbon adds to this new era in the Star Wars universe with the tale of Lanoree Brock, a Je’daii Ranger.  She has been summoned by the Je’daii Council to embark on a mission to stop one man from trying to open a hypergate and incidentally destroy the entire Tythan star system.  It is a mission of utmost importance.  As if the mission wasn’t pressure enough, the Council reveals that she has been chosen for the job because the man is believed to be Dalien Brock, her brother thought to be dead for years.

This book doesn’t feel like the Star Wars of the films and nor should it.   Technology and societies advance at rapid rates and so it is logical that the Jedi of 25,000 years ago aren’t wielding lightsabers and going through the same training program as those of the Old Republic.  This world feels different and there’s a sense of discovery when visiting these planets and learning more about this system’s societies.  At the same time, the book does still have that Star Wars feel to it and this is clearly just a far older and more primitive version of the galaxy far far away that we all know and love.

The plot is enjoyable and engaging as are the characters.  Lebbon doesn’t use a large cast and the characters benefit from it.  Lanoree is well rounded with her own strengths and weaknesses.  She also has the distinction of being a female lead who isn’t around to be a love interest.  It’s refreshing and more Expanded Universe authors should take note.  Tre Sana is a Twi’lek who ends up aiding Lanoree on her mission.  He goes through plenty of character development throughout the book and will likely leave readers wanting to know more about his back story and more about him in general.  On the other side of the story is the antagonist, Dalien Brock, who is downright unsettling.  He’s not quite like any other villain we’ve met due in part to his militant rejection of the Force.  So much about him never feels quite right and it makes Dal stand out from the countless number of Sith who have filled that antagonist role.

As a whole, the book is a solidly enjoyable read.  It might not be the best Star Wars book in existence but it’s definitely a nice addition to the Expanded Universe.  Stylistically, Lebbon made a great choice by choosing to write the parallel storylines in different tenses.  The tale of Lanoree and Dalien on their Great Journey is written in the present tense while the current story is written in past tense.  It’s a simple and subtle yet effective way to differentiate between the two without resorting to something more obvious and clumsy like italics.  Even though we know how the Great Journey ends, Lebbon does an excellent job of weaving the two tales in and out of one-another and keeping the readers engaged in both without making the past feel like a drag.

At the end of the day, I give Into the Void a 7/10 and suggest you give it a try.

Thank you to Random House for providing us with an advanced copy of the book for review purposes.

Today it was announced that Lucasfilm Ltd. and Disney Interactive are entering into a multi-year, multi-title exclusive licensing agreement with Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) for the creation of new high quality Star Wars games spanning multiple genres for console, PC, mobile, and tablets.

Industry leaders and creators of best-in-class blockbuster games, the development and publishing teams at EA will collaborate with the creative teams at Lucasfilm to provide audiences with all-new gaming experiences set in the ever-expanding Star Wars galaxy. As part of the agreement, EA studio teams DICE (Battlefield series) and Visceral (Dead Space series) will join BioWare (Mass Effect series, Star Wars: The Old Republic) in the development of new Star Wars games.

“Our number one objective was to find a developer who could consistently deliver our fans great Star Wars games for years to come,” said Kathleen Kennedy, President of Lucasfilm. “When we looked at the talent of the teams that EA was committing to our games and the quality of their vision for Star Wars, the choice was clear.”

While EA studios will develop for the core Star Wars gaming audience, Disney Interactive will focus on delivering new Star Wars games for casual audiences on mobile, social, tablet, and online gaming platforms.

“This agreement demonstrates our commitment to creating quality game experiences that drive the popularity of the Star Wars franchise for years to come,” said John Pleasants, co-president of Disney Interactive. “Collaborating with one of the world’s premier game developers will allow us to bring an amazing portfolio of new Star Wars titles to fans around the world.”

“Every developer dreams of creating games for the Star Wars universe,” said EA Labels President Frank Gibeau. “Three of our top studios will fulfill that dream, crafting epic adventures for Star Wars fans. The new experiences we create may borrow from films, but the games will be entirely original with all new stories and gameplay.”

More information, including titles in development, will be announced in the coming months. Continue to check StarWars.com for updates on the future of Star Wars gaming.

Take a moment to look at the studios that are going to be involved. DICE, Visceral Studios, and Bioware. These are three big-name players that command a lot of respect in the gaming community and have produced some incredible game portfolios. Lucasarts may be gone, but the Star Wars gaming IP is perhaps in better shape than it has been in years.

Collider.com caught up with Bad Robot producer Bryan Burk to discuss some of the production details behind Episode VII. Among the questions: Just when does filming start? Burk says that while things are fluid, they have a window in mind.

“We’re progressing on a schedule to hopefully begin next year, or the beginning of next year, and the location is still kind of floating around in the air all depending on script and a whole bunch of other issues.  As I just said, everything is kind of a free-flowing thing, and when we feel like the story level on this script and everything is really coming together and schedules are all working and pieces line up, we prowl ahead, and Star Wars will be no different.”

That would make sense, especially if summer 2015 is the target to get the new installment into theaters. Whether or not this holds up remains to be seen and like many other aspects of the film, depends on just what the Michael Arndt-written screenplay looks like.

Amidst all of the Jacen Solo Day celebrations, Mark Hamill dropped by the CapeTown Film Festival’s screening of Return of the Jedi to discuss all things Star Wars. Among Hamil’s answers to questions was a response that gave his insight to CGI versus traditional effects:

“That’s what the challenge is, is to try and meet expectations of what you guys want. I think there’s nothing wrong with CGI, but I think you have to have a balance, because the camera perceives the width and the depth and the weight – even if it’s a miniature model, the camera just realizes that. So when you have too much CGI and the clouds are CGI and the trees are CGI and the buildings are CGI, you’re getting to a point where the figure in the shot is like a hybrid of an animated film and live-action. And I want it to have an organic look so that we don’t get into Roger Rabbit territory.” He then added, with a laugh, “But I don’t imagine that the priority is what I want!”

For a more in-depth recap of the interview and other fun from the event, be sure to head over to Club Jade and read over James’ writeup.

Via Club Jade. Video courtesy of Jason Ward.

MAY 17-19

Ray Park (Darth Maul)
Jeremy Bullock (Boba Fett)
Dee Bradley Baker (voice of Clones – Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

MAY 24-26
Ray Park (Darth Maul )
Warwick Davis (Wicket)
Jim Cummings (voice of Hondo Ohnaka – Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

MAY 31 – JUNE 2
Warwick Davis ( Wicket)
Tim Rose (Admiral Ackbar – Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi)
Sam Witwer (Voice of Darth Maul – Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

JUNE 7-9
Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian)
Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca)
Tom Kane (Voice of Yoda – Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

(Yes, it’s May the 4th. Yes, I’m grumbly about it. But hey, more Star Wars!)

If you can’t wait for Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void, coming out Tuesday, Suvudu released 50 pages of the book in their 50 Page Fridays feature.

Excited for Troy Denning’s Crucible? Suvudu has also released the first chapter.

Finally, the kind folks at Del Rey are offering deep discounts on four ebook titles: Heir to the Empire, Tatooine Ghost, Darth Bane: Path of Destruction, and Darth Plagueis. If you are building up your ebook collection, or have just been waiting for an excuse to get copies of these books, go buy them today! (Barnes and Noble) (Amazon)

Happy Jacen Solo Day, everyone! Don’t turn into a Sith Lord!

Maybe you’re not really a comic book person though.  Maybe you’re not sure that you really want to go check this out.  Well, to quote NPR:

Yes, Free Comic Book Day is about you, O person who hasn’t set foot in a comics shop in years, or ever. It’s the industry’s attempt to change that state of affairs: Walk into a participating shop this Saturday, and they will hand you a bunch of free comics. Or maybe just one free comic. Or maybe they’ll let you pick from a table heaped with piles of free comics.

The point is: Free comics! Woo!

For most comic stores, this is a day about more than just handing out the freebies provided.  It’s much more of a celebration of the comic book world.  Many stores will have local artists and writers on hand (or big names in the comic world if they were lucky enough to get them to agree to appear) and even more will have costumers.  Just in case you thought this was only a superhero related thing, don’t worry because Star Wars always has a presence!  Dark Horse’s contribution to the day this year involves a comic with Vader and Fett and it’s not unheard of for 501st and Rebel Legion members to appear at stores.  In other words, it’s a great and fun way to dip your toe in the comic book waters.  Who knows?  You might find some new books to love!

You can check out all of the titles that will be a part of the promotion and find a local comic book store near you over on the Free Comic Book Day site.  Now go get some free comics!

The first 500 online orders will receive a free cinch sack, so act quickly!

The Joiner King
“Bugs!” Han groaned and shook his head. “Why did it have to be bugs?”
That basically sums up my feelings about this entire trilogy.  I got all of 103 pages into the book and was already cringing and wanting to run away.

I made it another 119 pages before I had to pour myself a very tall and very stiff drink.  Thank goodness for good tequila otherwise this experience could’ve gone very poorly.

These books are bad, guys.  They are really really bad.  As usual, Han seems to be the only one who gets what’s going on and just wants to get the heck out of there.  I wouldn’t even mind much of the book if the characterization train hadn’t gone so far off the rails that it was in a ravine.  The idea of the Myrkr missions still affecting them this severely so they can’t make connections with others is just ridiculous.  Jaina thinking about how that mind meld is what made her drift away from Jag is ridiculous and a disservice to her character.  When she and Jag parted way at the end of The Unifying Force, it was because she wanted to live her life a bit more before settling down not because they couldn’t connect properly or whatever stupid reason the book claimed.

Speaking of Jag, he certainly got the short end of the stick in these books and it starts right here.  And what the heck happened with Ben?  He’s a cute and smart kid but this whole hiding from the Force thing makes me sideeye and feel frustrated.  Actually, I take back what I said before.  Mara is also one of the few sane people in this book.  I just… what drugs was everyone on during these books?  Aside from that Joiner nonsense.  Just… what.

What I’d managed to block from my memory was how all of the sudden Artoo started leaking holographic recordings of Padme.

It’s okay if Luke and Leia don’t know who their mother is.  They haven’t known for 35 years in canon.  While I not so secretly yearn for a story where the entire Skywalker family grew up happy and together, this wasn’t necessary and it makes me cringe.

This is also the book that introduces the whole Jedi Bug Sex idea.  Jaina and Zekk waking up after some super intense cuddling that involved the bugs too?  Ugh.  Just….

Need I say more?

I did have two pages earmarked in the book.  The first was the chapter with Jacen and Tenel Ka which should really be no surprise to anyone.  The second is the page that contains this awful and cringe-worthy while simultaneously hilarious exchange between Jaina and Zekk: “Our boyfriend means business.” “Don’t know that it’s him. And it’s old boyfriend.” “Right. We’re so over him.”  I swear that I am not making this up.

The Unseen Queen
I had to take a nap and pour myself yet another drink before I could convince myself to start this book.  If I could get out of this horror, I would.  Note to self: Never agree to read books that I know are awful and will kill me inside.

The Padme plot device continues to be the stupidest thing ever.  It’s a very clumsy way of trying to create some sort of conflict between Luke and Mara.  It’s a clumsy way of giving Alema something to do besides be a creepy bughugger.  It’s a ridiculously clumsy excuse to basically regurgitate scenes from the Prequel films.  I hate it.  To be clear, I don’t hate that Luke and Leia know who their mother is but I hate how it was done.

I find it ridiculous that a year passed between the first two books.  I don’t care how stubborn Jaina Solo is.  I refuse to believe that her family would leave her with the bugs for a YEAR.  It’s ridiculous.  Speaking of a year, why Tenel Ka chose to slow down her pregnancy to try and hide it and who the father is is silly.  I would’ve thought that speeding it up like Etain did would have made much more sense.

Speaking on that particular part of the book, I spent the entire time Jacen was using Force Lightning to torture Ta’a Chume and take her completely out of the Hapan game of thrones shouting “WHAT THE $&#* ARE YOU DOING?  WHAT ARE YOU DOING?  STOP IT RIGHT NOW JACEN SOLO.”  This is yet another occurrence that I managed to block from my memory and now it just makes me angry.  I’m now convinced that he was kidnapped by the Skrulls and replaced while on his five year journey because Jacen Solo would never act like this, regardless of his new Force thoughts because of Vergere’s teachings.  This is my new head canon and I am sticking to it.  The bonus of all this?  He could escape from his Skrull captors and return to the civilized galaxy.  (Hey, it could happen!  Star Wars and Marvel are owned by the same people!)

I have to say that this book dragged for me and not just because I didn’t want to be reading it.  Whereas with the first book, I was able to read through it quickly despite making noises of disgust every few minutes, this one was a real struggle to get through.  There are also a handful of instances throughout all three books were sentences just don’t make sense because it’s factually incorrect or it just doesn’t make sense in the context.  It’s unlikely that editing could’ve saved these books but it might’ve been able to help them.

I also can’t stop laughing at how bewildered Luke is when Mara explains to him what’s been happening since he and Han have been out of contact.  It’s okay, Luke.  It sounds ridiculous and insane to me too.

The Swarm War

This is my thrilled face about starting this book.  Don’t I look ever so happy to start the book that fellow Tosche Station blogger Emily threw in a trashcan?

Right off the bat, this book rubs me the wrong way and that’s because of Luke’s grand speech about how everyone needs to decide if they’re going to be a Jedi Knight and put the order first or get the kriff out.  That’s not how this new Jedi Order is supposed to be.  The old Order failed for multiple reasons and you would think that they would’ve learned from their mistakes.  Personally, I find Galactic Alliance Jedi who are only Jedi and are all about the Jedi Order to be boring.  For me, a part of what made a lot of these Jedi characters interesting is that they had another part of their lives.  I’m not saying that they shouldn’t have to be at least somewhat dedicated to the Order if they want to be considered Jedi Knights but the idea that they’re supposed to be Order members first and foremost just rubs me the wrong way.  Everything about this just seems like a really bad idea.  I don’t like it.  At all.

Unfortunately, some of the more cringe worthy parts of the trilogy continue to be a theme here.  We get MORE creepy “we” moments from Jaina and Zekk and we get more Prequel Trilogy regurgitation.  Great.  Just what the doctor ordered.  I’m fairly sure I made this face every time it came up.

Hey you know what would be a great plotline for Jag Fel?  Have him basically be betrayed by his ex-girlfriend, shot down by his ex-girlfriend’s parents, his family disgraced in accordance to Chiss culture, and marooned on a planet for five years.  SAID NO ONE EVER.

Reading this book and actually the entire trilogy was just painful.  I’ll readily admit to speed reading quite a bit of it to try and make it end.  I’ll also swear that the only good things to come out of these books was Allana.  Everything else can bugger off because I’m now realizing that almost all of the plot lines and character changes that I’ve strongly disliked about the recent Expanded Universe got their start here.  Yes, I am bitter.

And on that dour note, that would be the Dark Nest Trilogy.  I highly do not recommend reading these books.  Next up is the Legacy of the Force series!  As always, you can follow my progress in real time on Twitter @chaosbria or the hashtag #WaruExpress.  It probably won’t be quite as entertaining as the past few days have been but I can promise that I shall be much more positive from here on out.

Hollywood.com posted an excerpt and delved into the cover art process for Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void by Tim Lebbon. Into the Void comes out in hardcover May 7. Be sure to check out the blog next week for a review from Bria.

 
Finally, Random House has posted a new synopsis for Kenobi by John Jackson Miller.

The Republic has fallen.
Sith Lords rule the galaxy.
Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi has lost everything . . . 
Everything but hope.

Tatooine—a harsh desert world where farmers toil in the heat of two suns while trying to protect themselves and their loved ones from the marauding Tusken Raiders. A backwater planet on the edge of civilized space. And an unlikely place to find a Jedi Master in hiding, or an orphaned infant boy on whose tiny shoulders rests the future of a galaxy.

Known to locals only as “Ben,” the bearded and robed offworlder is an enigmatic stranger who keeps to himself, shares nothing of his past, and goes to great pains to remain an outsider. But as tensions escalate between the farmers and a tribe of Sand People led by a ruthless war chief, Ben finds himself drawn into the fight, endangering the very mission that brought him to Tatooine.

Ben—Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, hero of the Clone Wars, traitor to the Empire, and protector of the galaxy’s last hope—can no more turn his back on evil than he can reject his Jedi training. And when blood is unjustly spilled, innocent lives threatened, and a ruthless opponent unmasked, Ben has no choice but to call on the wisdom of the Jedi—and the formidable power of the Force—in his never-ending fight for justice.

I don’t know about anyone else, but I think this book sounds amazing.

Kenobi comes out in hardcover on August 27. Look for a cover release shortly.

IGN has an amusing propaganda video up documenting the Empire’s response to all of this May the 4th silliness. Long story short, only dirty Rebels celebrate May the 4th and if you do, you’re a traitor to the Empire.

I choose to believe that good ol’ Palpy just hates puns.

Via Club Jade

The relevant quote:  ”For Star Wars it’s very early days … but I believe that … John Williams will be doing that film, because apparently he was there long before I was.”

Remember, though. This isn’t official confirmation and it won’t be until you hear it from Disney or Lucasfilm.

Via TFN

Even though this was Awesome Con’s first year, the costumers definitely brought their a-game.  It was also wonderful to see how many children (and sometimes even their parents) decided to embrace their (for many) first convention experience and throw themselves into it headfirst and come in costume.  Everywhere I looked, I saw yet another person looking great in costume and definitely looking like they were having the time of their life.  I only wish that this Round Up post could highlight all of them.

As always, we’ll start off with the Star Wars costumes.  There’s nothing better nor more adorable than costuming children check out this tiny Ashoka and Captain Rex, this pair of Jawas, and a tiny Boba Fett with a more experienced Mandalorian warrior alongside.

Mandalorian Warriors were the most popular Star Wars costumes spotted that weekend followed closely by Jedi Knights.  There was, however, a Princess Leia too!  (Look out, Leia!  That’s Boba Fett behind you!)

As always, Doctor Who had a definite costuming presence at the convention!  My personal favorite was the Dalek dress.  I think she might’ve even won a prize in the children’s costume contest.

Of course, being a comic convention, there were plenty of comic book costumes in attendance!  The variety of Marvel characters represented was definitely fantastic as were the costumes themselves.

Steampunk Storm	@mcslanty as Shatterstar	Genderswapped X-men: White King and Colossus
ohgreatblackbunny as Kate Bishop	Scarlett Ambrose as Captain Marvel	Jay Justice as Monica Rambeau

The X-men were also in attendance.

And then Deadpool tried to take on SHIELD.

The comic book costumes were hardly limited to Marvel though.  These fantastic Saga cosplayers were roaming the convention floor too!

The great costumes weren’t limited to just those fandoms though.  Almost anything you could think of was there… and then others beside it!  This is really the beauty of conventions.  Everyone lets their geek flag fly and shows love for a variety of shows, books, and films no matter what the focus of the convention is supposed to be.

Jurassic Park
Booker and Elizabeth from Bioshock Infinite	Buffy the Vampire Slayer

We’ll wrap around this Cosplay Round Up post with my personal favorite costume of the convention: Olivia Dunham from Fringe!  Except it’s not our universe’s Olivia, it’s Fauxlivia!

One of the arcs stars Jedi Master Plo Koon (voiced by James Arnold Taylor), who finds a lost lightsaber while on a mission on a sandstorm-laden planet with a platoon of clone troopers. It’s the beginning of a mystery, and one that will make the Jedi question their role in the Clone Wars and the universe itself, according to Filoni.

“The Jedi have been fighting a war with an army that was commissioned by one of their own, Jedi Master Syfo-Dias,” he says. “But who was Syfo-Dias, and what happened to him? The dark lord of the Sith has woven an intricate web to ensnare the Jedi, but it is not full-proof and sometimes a small clue, and a bit of chance, can lead to the unraveling of the best-laid plans.”

No word yet on when or where the content will air. If I had to guess, it will be a direct-to-DVD arrangement.

On a note not related to the New Jedi Order specifically, I just wanted to mention that despite all of my snark and bemoaning about my loss of sanity, I really do love the Expanded Universe.  Some bits of it might drive me up the wall or make me want to bash my head against a table but as a whole, I adore it.  There are probably only a handful of things about it that I truly dislike and I wouldn’t be working my way through this challenge if I didn’t love it.

With that lengthy introduction out of the way, let’s cover the last five books of the series!

Force Heretic I: Remnant
I have a few problems with these books in general and I’m going to start with some of them here.  The biggest one is that this did not need to be a trilogy and that I would’ve enjoyed the books much more had their plots been condensed into two books instead.  The other problem I have is that this feels like a travel through the Bantam Era’s “greatest” hits.  Sean Williams and Shane Dix take us back to the Yevetha and the Fia in this book and then Bakura in the next.  By the end of this book, I’m really not sure what exactly Han and Leia’s mission is supposed to be.  I was also rolling my eyes at this secret Ryn spy network.

Also, I thought Jag’s second in command was Shawnkyr?  I’m confused as to why Williams and Dix introduce another character named Eprill to fill the same role.

On the other hand, any time we get to see Gilad Pellaeon being awesome is a good one.  The speeches where he yells “EMPTY” at the Vong commander and then says how the Empire will always strike back and also the one where he essentially bullies the entire Moff Council into doing what he wants are great Pellaeon moments.  It reminds me why I love his character so much.  It does feel off though when numerous characters refer to him by his first name especially when they’re subordinate officers but Pellaeon is awesome enough to make up for it.

The book itself is an okay read.  It’s just not one of the high points of the series.

Force Heretic II: Refugee
Even though the previous book basically announced that this was going to happen, I recall making high-pitched noises when I first read this book and saw the name ‘Soontir Fel’ on the list of main characters.  That man will always be a badass.  Also, his daughter Wyn is adorable and she should be in more books.  She and her cousin Myri would be good friends if only… you know the drill by now: SYAL AND WEDGE COULD BE REUNITED IN CANON.

Again, the books could’ve used some serious editing.  The ‘travel to a new planet for each book’ thing got old very quickly.  I don’t mind going back to Bakura and I like Malinza Thanas well enough but the book just doesn’t make me want to read about it for 400 pages.  It’s nice to see Jaina actually get to do something this book though.  I do also rather like Captain Yage of the Widowmaker.

This is probably a good time for my rant about Tahiri.  I like the plotline of her having this personality conflict with Riina and the two of them needing to find peace with each other BUT I don’t like where it was placed in the series.  This should’ve taken place ages ago.  Remember the Allston books?  Tahiri was a perfectly capable and functional person.  I don’t get why this didn’t happen months if not years ago in the chronology.  It just doesn’t feel like this is when it was supposed to happen.  (But then again, apparently some other authors never got the memo that Tahiri’s entire life and characterization isn’t defined by the events of the first three NJO books she appeared in…)

Force Heretic III: Reunion
Hey Skywalkers and company?  If you continue to explore the Unknown Regions, we’re going to have to call them something else.

Until now, I’ve neglected to discuss one of my favorite parts of these books: Nom Anor.  He’s by far one of the best Yuuzhan Vong characters and no one plots and schemes like him.  I love how he decides that he’s going to get his revenge and his power back so he ends up starting a heresy and rebellion amongst the Shamed Ones.  He’s now the Prophet and has thousands of Vong who believe in him and in the Jedi.  Only Nom Anor could end up doing something like this and it’s why you just have to love (or love to hate) him.

Despite my rant above, I do actually really appreciate how well written Tahiri/Riina’s story is in this book.  It’s solidly written and I love reading it every time.  It’s a nice resolution to that story arc that Greg Keyes began several books ago.

Aside from all this, I feel very underwhelmed by Zonama Sekot and it’s mostly because we spent the two books looking for it and then an entire book waiting for Sekot to decide if it likes them enough to help them.   While I know that the planet itself makes sense for the storyline with the Vong, the search for it just doesn’t enthrall me especially since it apparently took a year.

In short, I don’t mind reading these three books.  They’re not painful but I just really wish that they’d been edited down to two more compact books.  1200 pages was a bit much.

The Final Prophecy
Do you know what’s great about Greg Keyes?  He knows how to write a fun Star Wars book even when the galaxy is falling to pieces.  He’s also one of the few authors who really understand how to write Tahiri Veila.  I’d ask other Expanded Universe authors to take note but it might be too late for that.

Every time I read this series, I forget about this book and every time, it’s a very pleasant surprise.  I love that we get round two of Grumpy Old Corran and Tahiri’s Excellent Adventure.  I know that Tahiri was knighted but I think it’s a shame that we never really got to see more of these two together, traveling the galaxy and kicking butt.

Nen Yim’s death also made me get a little bit emotional especially since it comes almost immediately on the heels of Tahiri learning that her Riina memories were taken from Nen Yim.  It’s too bad that Nom Anor kills her because I would’ve liked to see the relationship between these two develop further.

Speaking of the Yuuzhan Vong, I’ve never had any feelings one way or the other about Harrar but he certainly gets some lines in this book that make me chuckle.  Actually, I appreciated all of the interactions amongst Harrar, Nen Yim, Nom Anor, Corran, and Tahiri.  It’s not something that we’ve really gotten to see before both in regards to the human-Vong interaction and with the interactions between the Vong themselves.

Of course, we can’t forget about good old General Antilles who has to be so sick of Bilbringi by now.  I like to imagine that every time he has to go fight yet another stupid war over the same handful of planets that he just sighs and bashes his head against the wall for a minute before going out and doing his job.  Keyes writes a great Wedge and he also writes a good Pash Cracken during his brief appearances.  I mentioned this on Twitter but I would certainly be happy to read an X-Wing book written by Keyes or really any Star Wars book for that matter because he has such a good grip on how to write them.  It’s refreshing.

Have we gotten the memo that I liked this book yet?  We have?  Okay, good.  Moving on to the final NJO book then!

The Unifying Force
This is how you end a series and I really can’t think of a more perfect author than James Luceno to have written this book.  Luceno certainly had a tall order before him when it came to wrapping things up because it really didn’t look like the war was going to end anytime soon.  That, however, isn’t his fault and I wish that the books had been better spaced to reflect this.  On the other hand, he definitely makes the most of these 530 pages.  Actually, it feels like more happened in this book than in the entirety of the Force Heretic trilogy.

Before we dive into the ending, I have to say how much I love that Pash Cracken and Juddar Page get to have leading roles in this book.  They are excellent characters who should be used more.  My only question is why Pash is a Major in this book when he was a General the last one.  And, of course, we do get a brief glimpse of the Wraiths.  Honestly, I wish we could get more about the Intelligence teams and the good work they did during the war.

I love that we get a final battle worthy of this epic series.  I would’ve been disappointed with anything less.  From the plotted space battle to the fight on Coruscant to the final duel between Luke and Shimrra, I love it all.

The reveal with Onimi throws me for a loop every single time.  I know it’s coming but I subconsciously just forget about it until I’m reading the book again and WHOA HE’S BEEN CONTROLLING SHIMRRA THE ENTIRE TIME.  I never saw it coming when I read the series for the first time and it remains a wicked cool plot twist ten years later.

Another thing that I really like about this book is that it actually takes the time to wind down and wrap things up.  I really think that any series longer than a trilogy needs to take more than 10 pages to end the story and after 19 books?  Readers would’ve felt cheated if we hadn’t gotten the chance to check in with all the major players.  My personal favorite was the meeting of the old folks generals and smugglers crew but you probably already knew that.

Honestly, I just really like this entire book.  It’s well written and it’s a great finale to the book.  I feel like it’s a book that’s hard to really describe but it really just works well in the context and is an enjoyable read all together.

In case anyone is morbid like I am and interested, I kept a body count while I was reading the books although it’s entirely possible that I missed some deaths.
Jedi: 20
Other Major Characters: 4
Noghri: 7

And that’s it!  I’ve now passed another major milestone in my Expanded Universe reread and boy does it feel good.  Or at least it does until Brian and Nanci remind me that the Dark Nest Trilogy awaits me.  Would anyone care to read it in solidarity with me?  Anyone?  Anyone? Bueller?  Please?  Oh well.  If you’d like to watch me inevitably resort to alcoholism via Twitter as I read them or if you’d simply like to keep an eye on my reading progress in something vaguely resembling real time, you can follow me on Twitter @chaosbria or the hashtag #WaruExpress.  Until next time!

Star Trek fans have been having to deal with J.J. Abrams being tight-lipped for ages in regards to Star Trek Into Darkness. He still hasn’t explicitly said who Benedict Cumberbatch is playing. Can you imagine trying to shroud Episode VII and the Sequel Trilogy in that kind of secrecy for the next two years? Thankfully, it appears Kathleen Kennedy can’t either.

No telling exactly how much information they’ll release or when, but at the very least it seems like they won’t be masking who’s playing what two weeks before the film releases.

Hi folks. Some great news to share! Author and resident Star Wars expert at Lucasfilm Pablo Hildalgo will be stopping by the page next Friday, 5/3 at 3pm EST for a little May the 4th primer chat.

Understand that, as Yoda said, “always in motion is the future,” so he will not be able to go into detail on future projects, including the new movies coming from Lucasfilm.

That being said he is a treasure trove of knowledge on the books and can’t wait to chat with all of you.

We hope you can join us!

Get your questions ready, but do remember that he doesn’t know when Karen Traviss is coming back. Or when Battlefront III is coming out.

That is fantastic cover art and a great portrayal of Leia in particular. Razor’s Edge is due out October 15th.

A-line #starwars dresses coming soon too ;o) instagram.com/p/YiiKOzh-lD/

— Her Universe (@HerUniverse) April 25, 2013

“@taharris121079: @deebradleybaker will you be at Star Wars weekends this year?” Yes! May 17-19th this year.

— Dee Bradley Baker (@deebradleybaker) April 25, 2013

Also in attendance? Myself and Nanci. If you’re going to be at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on May 17 or 18, be sure to flag us down!

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On this episode of Tosche Station Radio, the hosts are joined by Bria and Shane from the blog to take a look at the summer’s movie offerings!

Kicking off the show, the hosts highlight what’s New on the Blog this week. It’s pretty much been a Bria show as the Waru Express continued on its the journey through the NJO and reviewed Legacy #4. She was also at AwesomeCon in DC over the weekend and had a Convention Report.

In Fixer’s Flash, Nanci took advantage of her Orlando resident status and took a trip to the Magic Kingdom. On the film side, she saw 42. Meanwhile, she read trhough Dragonpocalypse #2 by Matthew Bowers. It’s got dragons! IN SPACE! What more could you possibly want? Brian’s still reading through “Season of Passage” by Christopher Pike and is having a hard time sleeping as a result. For convention season, he got a shiny new camera that should come in handy for costume shoots. Bria attended AwesomeCon in Washington DC and is still motoring through the Waru Express. Shane’s been keeping busy with League of Legends and also watched the Abrams Star Trek to gear up for Into Darkness.

Deak’s Dirt starts with Kathleen Kennedy discussing Episode VII and Star Wars spinoffs at CinemaCon. Variety mused that she might also be in the running to take over Disney. In EU news, Vader’s Little Princess was released on Tuesday. Go pick it up! Star Wars: Legacy #2 was released Wednesday. Head to the blog and check out Bria’s review. In that other Star franchise, a Star Trek Into Darkness teaser clip was released. Over on the Marvel film side, a Thor: The Dark World teaser dropped. Film rights for Daredevil have reverted back to Marvel from Fox

This week on Camie’s Concerns, Bria and Shane from the blog join the hosts to take a look at the new films due out this summer. What are the hosts and guests looking forward to? What can they do without?

Wrapping up the show, the hosts field questions from listeners in Ask us Anything.

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. 

Awesome Con was a comfortable size with a great location especially for those in the DC Metro region who took public transportation in.  There were some issues with weekend track work on the metro but none of that was the convention’s fault.  This was by far one of the most kid friendly conventions that I’ve ever attended.  The convention even had a small track just for the kids and a costume contest for them each day.  It was a great convention for both kids and convention newcomers alike.  The convention was also well attended (I’ve heard weekend attendance was around 8000) and the location leaves it with plenty of room to grow before possibly having to shop around for a new place.  Above all else though, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves which is always the most important thing.

Read on after the jump for a more in-depth look at in very first Awesome Con!

Saturday:
I can easily say that my Awesome Con had the best start out of any convention I’ve ever attended because of one simple reason: my friend and I ran into Nicholas Brendan (Xander from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) on the street as we made the short trek up from Chinatown.  We told him how much the show meant to us and he gave us hugs.  Talk about setting the bar high.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make it to any panels on Saturday because I severely underestimated how much being in my SHIELD uniform/Maria Hill costume was going to hamper my freedom of movement around the convention.  (Please forgive that brief moment of vanity.)  My fellow costumers were out in full force throughout the weekend especially when it came to the kids.  I’d guess that probably 80% of the kids who attended were in costume if not more while maybe 35% of attendees were in costume.  There was a lovely variety of great costumes too!  I spotted everything from Star Wars and Doctor Who to costumes from Bioshock Infinite and Saga.  I’ll have a cosplay recap post up in the next few days that will focus just on some of the great costumes I saw.

My own dealer room purchases

Most of what I got to observe that day was the dealer room/artist alley and the convention floor.  A good number of the vendors were comic stores.  No two stores brought the exact same merchandise and neither were they offering the exact same sales.  While one store was selling all their trades for half off cover price, another store was selling current issues for $1 and yet another had a plethora of Silver Age comics for sale.  It would’ve been difficult to go home empty handed.  If comics weren’t your thing, there were t-shirt and bag sellers, the usual patch/badge vendor, and several jewelry makers too.  The only vendors missing from the typical convention dealer room were the corset folks and the weapons shop (although I suspect that the latter had great deal to do with the location in our nation’s capitol.)

The artist alley portion of the room was also filled with plenty of gems.  Guests ranged from established comic book names to local artists to Tumblr sensations Noelle Stevenson aka gingerhaze and the creator of the comic Princeless, Jeremy Whitley.  If anything, it was difficult to refrain from buying artwork and comics from everyone in attendance.

The program listed about twenty panels for Saturday and fifteen for Sunday, including costume contests.    Media Guests such as Nicholas Brendan and Phil LaMarr had a Q&A panel.  While there weren’t dozens of panels like at larger, more established cons, there was certainly a broad variety of panels, showing that Awesome Con is looking to be more than just a comic book convention.  Saturday’s panels featured everything from an age old Star Wars vs Star Trek debate to a panel about Hip-Hop and Comics to Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse 101.  I made an attempt to attend the “Super Art Fight” panel but the room was overflowing by the time I got there.  From all reports though, the mix between live art and pro-wrestling was quite awesome.

Sunday:
Sunday was a much calmer day for both the convention itself and me personally.  There were certainly fewer people there than Saturday but everyone seemed to still be enjoying themselves.  Wearing a “street clothes” costume gave me far much more freedom to wander and to finally check out some panels.

First up was the “Writing Fantasy: Novels and Comics” panel featuring writers Justin Jordan, Allison Pang, Diana Peterfreund, Meagan Spooner, Tom King, and Alma Katsu.  In typical DC fashion, two of the writers were also former members of the CIA.  The room itself was fairly packed and deservedly so.  I started to take notes but was soon so engrossed in the conversation that my phone was completely forgotten.

The panelists discussed everything from how fantasy has become the “in thing” over the past few years to how fantasy has changed and how it might evolve in the future and what will always stay the same.  George R.R. Martin and A Song of Ice and Fire came up frequently in the conversation and given the response of the crowd, a panel about that books and TV series would probably be quite popular next year.  I found it interesting to learn how much control authors have over the covers of their books (none) and how much stores like Barnes & Noble have (lots).  The authors also discussed their own struggles with getting that first novel published and even touched upon their thoughts on self-publishing.  If you’re able to attend the convention next year and they have this panel again, definitely attend!

Awesome Con was also home to screenings of several films/web series over the weekend.  I was able to attend the screening of the pilot for Broken Continent.  The premise of the show is that a King long ago was arrogant enough to proclaim himself a god except the actual god was having none of that behavior so be smashed the kingdom into five pieces.  A few thousand years later, a new king is seeking to conqueror all five shards and unite them into one kingdom again but many who live there are unwilling to let that happen.  The show itself certainly looks to have promise even though it was nothing ground breaking.  The dialogue occasionally felt a bit stilted and the slow motion for some of the action sequences made them feel a bit too staged.  However, I’d say it’s worth watching especially if they are able to raise the funds to continue the series.

It was the Q&A with the cast and crew that proved to be especially intriguing.  That’s not to bash the show itself however as some of what the writer said, such as other aspects of the world and his inspirations for it, left me really hoping they’ll get the chance to show more of the world and tell more of the story.  The creators also spoke about their two Kickstarter campaigns to fund the production of the pilot.  They were able to raise $50,000 and pay everyone who worked on it, something they’re rightly quite proud of.  Apparently the key is to have no shame about asking for money and to also make sure you have something to offer your backers and potential backers throughout the process.  In other words, don’t wait until you’re funded to begin work on your film and make sure you keep interested parties routinely updated.

Overall, it’s safe to say that Awesome Con was a rousing success.  The program already announced that Awesome Con will be returning next year on April 19 and 20^th and that “Yes, it will be much BIGGER!!!”.  If you’re in the Mid-Atlantic area (or heck, even if you’re not), I highly recommend checking out this convention next year!  I can’t wait to see how it grows and expands over the next few years and look forward to attending again.

This review contains mild spoilers for the issue.

It’s probably safe to say at this point that Ania Solo is not having a good day.  All she did was find a lightsaber and try and sell it and now people are trying to kill her to get a hold of it.  More specifically, the Sith Lord posing as an Imperial Knight is trying to kill her.  All her friend Sauk wants is for all of this to end because ‘criminal’ was one line he didn’t want added to his resume.  On the other end of the galaxy, some of the Imperial Knights are beginning to worry because Master Val has yet to report in.

Bechko and Hardman certainly know how to keep their readers on the edge of their seats and end the issue on a cliffhanger.  Much of what made the first issue an enjoyable read also applies here which is a good sign for issues to come.  It’s a good story and the dialogue is well written.  They also know when to simply let the story being told through the artwork speak for itself.  The pages never feel overly cluttered with speech bubbles as some comics can be prone to do.  As with the previous issue, Gabriel Hardman’s art is a wonderful aspect of the book especially when paired with Rachelle Rosenberg’s coloring.  His style is perfect for the story being told.

The more I read about Ania Solo, the more I like her.  Even though Ania doesn’t seem like she wants to be an heir to the Skywalker/Solo legacy, you can certainly see that the Solo and Skywalker personality genes are strong with her.  No one gets into trouble like members of that family.

The villain of the story also has me intrigued.  He’s posing as Master Val to the rest of the galaxy but it was his conversation with the actual Val that interested me.  Val’s been locked in some painful mask and the Sith is only willing to release him if he falls to the Dark Side. I look forward to seeing more of this character as well as his back story.

I give Legacy #2 a 4/5 at this series continues to get off to a good start and recommend you check it out.

Last week we had Jedi News‘ Mark Newbold on the podcast. The result was perhaps the most fun episode of Tosche Station Radio we’ve ever recorded. Suffice to say, we’re fans of Mark (and you bet we’re looking for chances to get him back on the show).

After recording with us, Mark got to talk to a (hugely) bigger audience and sat down with BBC Breakfast to discuss the news that Lucasfilm will be producing a yearly Star Wars film starting in 2015 with Episode VII. Definitely give the above video a watch, Mark’s a tremendous personality and really knows his stuff.

After that, listen to him on the podcast linked above! /shamelessplug

A glimpse into the life of the most scrutinized screenwriter in cinematic history. Good luck, Michael Arndt. You’re gonna need it.

Many expect theme park and resorts chief Thomas Staggs to land the CEO role, although there are rumblings that Lucasfilm’s Kathleen Kennedy also may now be in the running.

Bob Iger is set to retire in about two years at what could be the peak of Disney in the 21st century. The studio is set to unveil a new Pirates of the Caribbean film, the Finding Nemo sequel, as well as two Marvel films in Ant Man and one of 2015′s most anticipated blockbusters The Avengers 2. Whoever steps in may be inheriting an extremely high bar to clear, and perhaps that’s the reason Variety is speculating that Kennedy is in the running.

Kathleen Kennedy is a highly by the film community and George Lucas in particular. That’s something that recently jaded and cynical Star Wars fans can take heart in. If Kennedy takes over at Disney, it means that Lucasfilm’s parent company would be overseen by someone the Maker sought out.

(Via Jedi News)

So we’ve got both this and Catching Fire hitting theaters in November. It’s going to be a good month for movies, I’m thinking.

For those of you that want to avoid anything to do with this movie until it releases for fear of spoilers, avoid this clip.

If you’re hoping for Kennedy to slip up and reveal some Earth-shattering new details about Episode VII, the spinoff films, and the Sequel Trilogy, don’t get your hopes up. She did, however, confirm that J.J. Abrams currently is only signed up to direct Episode VII.

Really though, Jimmy Kimmel deserves all the credit in the universe for making notorious bad interview Harrison Ford an entertaining late night guest.

Dark Journey
GET IN LOSER, WE’RE GOING BACK TO HAPES.

I really like this book. I honestly do and it’s not just because we get to go back to Hapes. For starters, this is clearly a Jaina Solo book and I love when we get to see her take a leading role.  Even though she goes to some less than ideal mental states in the book, she emerges that much stronger.

The title gives away that Jaina has a brush with the dark side and I honestly don’t blame her.  She thinks that both of her brothers are dead and the war’s taken its most drastic downward turn yet. I’d be pretty ready to dabble in the dark side too at this point.  I like how Elaine Cunningham uses Kyp Durron in the book first as someone who’s willing to help her use whatever means necessary to strike back at the Vong and then as someone who helps pull her back from that edge.

Although it is Jaina’s book, Tenel Ka gets to go through some neat character development too.  Taking up her mother’s crown is easily one of the two most significant events we’ve gotten to witness this far.  Even though she is the heir, it’s not exactly the role that I ever thought she’d fill.  I just wish that we’d gotten a chance to watch her learn how to deal with being the Queen Mother in those first few years.

I’m also a huge fan of Jag Fel finally returning to the picture (along with the Baron Fel cameo) but more on that in the next two books.

What I especially love is how Cunningham introduces the Trickster plan.  It’s clever idea from Jaina and there’s something rather delightful about her raising an eyebrow at the Vong and going “Yeah, I’m basically Yun-Harla.  What are you going to do about it?”

On top of that, this book is incredibly quotable.  From “Is every third human in this galaxy named Solo?” to “In his opinion, there were far too many dark haired, green eyed men in Jaina Solo’s orbit.”, I’m consistently amused.

The one problem I have with the book is the pacing.  It’s not that it’s terribly done but she doesn’t even arrive at Hapes until over a third of the way through. Of course, that can partially be blamed on how Star by Star ended because this book basically had to pick up immediately afterwards.  Actually, the other problem I have with the book is that poor Teneniel Djo gets used as a plot device and is a far cry from the strong willed woman we met back on Dathomir.

Aside from that though?  I love the book and I’ll just link this classic gif to illustrate my response to those who give me a hard time about it.

Enemy Lines I: Rebel Dream
Above all, Aaron Allston’s duology represents a definite turn in tone for the New Jedi Order series and Allston was the perfect author to choose for the job.

I’m predictable enough by this point that everyone already knows I loved the reappearance of Wedge and Tycho and the Wraiths.  Poor General Antilles.  He’s so good at his job that he can’t lose even when he tries.  He’s just that masterful.  His sass to the remnants of the Advisory Council is also masterful.  The brief scene where Luke Skywalker and Kell Tainer chat while fixing his X-Wing ranks amongst my favorites in the series because it’s humorous and because it gives us a quick little glimpse at Kell and Tyria.  WRAITHS ARE THE BEST.

Also?  This right here is absolutely how you do romance in a Star Wars book.  It happens as a natural part of the book, never feels forced, and is a lovely addition to the story.  It’s also a nice continuation of Jaina’s story.  Speaking of Jaina, her Trickster plan takes on a whole new level in this book and I LOVE IT.  Who doesn’t love a side of psychological warfare?

On the Vong front, we get to meet Czulkang Lah who’s like their Bel Ilbis.  He’s easily one of the top five most intriguing Yuuzhan Vong characters.  The wise old warmaster pulled out of retirement trope is an oldie but a goodie because it works.

What’s really important, aside from my biases, is that this is a fun book.  Allston excels at writing books that are distinctly Star Wars.  Yes the galaxy is still in a huge amount of trouble and yes things are still awful but they are slowly edging towards the better and the characters aren’t afraid to laugh on occasion.  It’s an enjoyable read and it’s FUN.

Enemy Lines II: Rebel Stand
Let’s be honest: the only thing that could possibly make me love these books more is if Winter was in them.

Again, I have to point to this book and its predecessor as a shining example of how to write Star Wars, how to write romance in Star Wars, and also how to write Luke Skywalker.  Han and Leia and Luke and Mara have the best interactions in this book.  They are both couples who work well together and are clearly in love.  Han and Leia working to set up resistance cells around the galaxy and then getting arrested is perfect and so clearly them.  One of my favorite scenes with Luke and Mara is the one where he goes swimming in the tank of red goo and it eats his clothes.  “I guess I forgot to tell the stuff, ‘My clothes aren’t food either.’”  (Bonus points for the smirking Face and the uncomfortable Tahiri and Danni.)  This brings me to my next point which is that I sincerely miss this Luke Skywalker.  He hasn’t had the happiest life in recent canon years but I really want back the Luke Skywalker who knows how to crack a joke, who believes that people can be redeemed, and who is just a generally a more likeable character all around.  Sorry, rant over.  For the time being.

Obviously, I also adore all the parts with Wedge, Tycho, and Janson and also with the Wraiths.  The part where Wes flirts with Jaina over the comm and then realizes that “Sithspit, I was flirting with a nine year old!” never fails to makes the laugh.

AND THEN WEDGE AND TYCHO HIT THE VONG WITH THE EMPIRE.  BECAUSE THEY’RE NOT GOING TO LIKE THE EMPIRE.  Over all, it’s actually a brilliant plan.  They use the Vong’s knowledge of the New Republic against them by leaking news of a fake superweapon and then they use the Lusankya as a giant spear to take down their worldship.  It’s awesome.  I’d also like to take the time to note that I was never concerned about Wedge surviving the book even though that was apparently a worry that people had.  I refused to believe (and still do) that Allston would ever kill Wedge.

Shockingly, I do have one criticism for the book although this is probably personal taste.  The whole Lord Nyax plotline makes me shrug.  I just don’t think he was necessary and just never really got why he was a part of it.  Everything else about the Skywalkers and Tahiri and the Wraiths is golden though.  “Aunt Tahiri, tell me a story!”  Face Loran and Kell Tainer are my two favorite Wraiths and getting to see them in a book again makes me so happy.  I love that the Wraiths never lost their tendency to make jokes and quips and to also solve a problem by thinking so far outside the box.  Honestly, how can people not love them?

I’ll wrap up my Allston adoration now by saying that the other scene that I adore in this book is the one where Kyp, Jaina, and Jag talk and Kyp and Jaina decide that they are partners.  I honestly don’t recall if we get to see more of the three of them being awesome and pulling more Goddess tricks against the Vong while flying with Twin Suns but I sincerely hope they do.

Traitor
Have I mentioned during this retrospective journey yet that Matthew Stover is flawless?  Because he is.  His brain and his writing hand should be insured for billions of dollars.  There is never any doubt that you’re reading a Stover book from the minute you pick on up.  No one uses verb tense changes for emphasis quite like him and neither does anyone else get into a character’s head like he does.

It feels like Stover is the first author who really knows what to do with Jacen Solo in this series.  He was turned into this questioning philosopher during the series and that finally comes to it fruition here.  Vergere helps put Jacen through hell but at the end of the day, it feels like Jacen Solo finally has and knows his purpose again.  Vergere’s metaphor about Jacen being dead is an apt one because of this.  I also like how Stover uses Jacen’s empathy with animals as a large part of the story.  One of the coolest parts of the book is when Jacen convinces the amphistaffs to form armor around as he fights the Vong and the world brains.  It’s just badass.  That would definitely be something cool to see on the screen.

While Jacen’s journey is wonderfully written, Ganner Rhysode steals the show.  His character development from his first appearance to this one is nothing short of fantastic.  He goes from the posturing hero to someone who actually is a hero whether or not he believes it.  I get actual chills everyone time Ganner makes his last stand to hold off the Vong to give Jacen the time he needs and says “None shall pass.”  The entire sequence is amazing.  There are no words to properly describe how excellent it is.  I love that he becomes this God-figure to the Vong because that is how much of a badass he is.  Ganner has, by far, the best death in the Star Wars universe.  I will never be over this.

Destiny’s Way

Let’s start off with the most important thing about this book: The patented Jacen Solo pelvic thrust on the cover.

The task of following up Stover is not an enviable one.  Everything feels like a bit of a let down after Traitor especially since the prior books were Allston ones.

While I do have my issues with this book, can I just say how thrilled I was that an author FINALLY remembered that Winter exists and showed the relationship she has with the Solo children?  Sure she doesn’t have a large role in the book but it’s just really nice to see her.

There’s a lot that happens in the book and Williams does a pretty good job with most of it.  It’s nice to finally see the twins interacting again and it’s just wonderful that the entire living Skywalker/Solo family reunited in one place again.  Both of the twins have had a rough time lately so it’s nice to see them finally together.  The Knighting ceremony is also a very nice touch and I always thought it was super cool when Luke declares Jaina to be the Sword of the Jedi.

Even though they don’t have a very large role, I’m clearly happy to see Karrde get a small part in the book.  Karrde and Lando being the scoundrel pirates who help secure the Chief of State election for Cal Omas is great.  I also love Kyp Durron’s rant during the first meeting of the new Jedi Council.  He’s so confused as to why he’s on the Council and then Luke just confuses the heck out of him with what he says that he’ll be supporting more offensive actions by the Jedi against the Vong.  Gosh Luke: he’s been a good little Jedi for months!  How dare you!

My biggest problem with the book is that Williams calls Tenel Ka “Tenel” 13 times.  Yes, I counted.  Why?  Because no where else in the Expanded Universe has she EVER been called “Tenel”.  How this got through to publication is beyond me.  My other issue with the book is also connected to Tenel Ka.  It’s very unfortunate that Williams doesn’t have some sort of scene where Jacen and Tenel Ka actually talk in this book.  I’d happily trade that lame scene of Jacen and Danni relaxing on the water for just a brief conversation between them.

Overall, I find the book to be an enjoyable read.  Obviously it’s a bit of a slid downwards after the previous books but it is a strong continuation of the series.  Williams does a great job with an entertaining read.  I have many a page marked simply because a quote makes me laugh such as Han’s quip about the Nostril of Palpatine or Kyp telling Jaina to use her godly powers to summon them some better food.

We’re almost there!  The end of is nigh!  Okay, maybe it’s just the end of the NJO but I’ll take my little victories where I can get them.  Next up, I’ll finish up the series.  As always, you can follow my progress in real time on Twitter @chaosbria or the hashtag #WaruExpress.  Until next time!

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On this episode of Tosche Station Radio, the hosts are joined by Mark Newbold of JediNewsUK to discuss all things Star Wars!

Kicking off the show, the hosts highlight what’s New on the Blog. The Waru Express continues on the journey through the New Jedi Order. We also did a bit of Mythbusting: Did George Lucas order Anakin Solo’s death?

In Fixer’s Flash this week, Nanci’s kept herself busy by writing another story and reading through Part 1 of Dragonpocalypse by Matthew Bowers. Brian’s been off watching baseball and soccer, but also has been reading through science fiction thriller Season of Passage by Christopher Pike.

Deak’s Dirt starts with some news out of The Hunger Games fandom: Catching Fire’s teaser trailer was released on MTV. Meanwhile, a new (and final?) Star Trek Into Darkness trailer also hit the web. In other Star franchise news, Michael Giacchino says John Williams should score Episode VII. Martha Wells’ Leia novel gets a title. On the rumor front, someone claiming to have worked at Lucasfilm said that the next Star Wars animated project would be Star Wars: Reclamation. Don’t hold your breath, it was a fake. Tor.com looked at the Star Wars fandom with a piece they called You Take Your Star Wars, I’ll Take Mine. In Episode VII rumors, Harrison Ford chats with Letterman, Anthony Daniels says he’s not sitting by phone waiting for call. In actual news, Disney announced alternating episodes and standalones would be the plan to have a Star Wars film in theaters every year. Finally in sad news, Richard LeParmentier has passed away.

This week’s installment of Camie’s Concerns features a general Star Wars chat with friend of the show and JediNewsUK blogger Mark Newbold.

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.

You get a Star Wars film! And you get a Star Wars film! And you…well, you get the point.

Today at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Disney and Lucasfilm announced that a new Star Wars film will be released each summer starting in 2015.

Episode VII will come first, followed by a standalone film in 2016. This alternating “episode-standalone” schedule will continue until, presumably, Episode IX is released (it felt really really really weird to type Episode IX as an actual thing that will happen, by the way). Bob Iger confirmed upcoming standalone films back in February, but this is the first we’ve heard of this aggressive release schedule. No note of how many standalone films will be produced, or if they will continue after the Sequel Trilogy ends.

We’re recording a new episode of Tosche Station tonight, so be sure to look out for a new episode with all of our thinky thoughts.

(via IGN and /film)

I would watch the living daylights out of this Episode VII proposal.

I’m very excited for this book, and I’m also really excited for potential implications of the new series name, Empire and Rebellion. Does this mean we might get stories from an Imperial point of view, say with fan favorite characters like Baron Fel and Tycho Celchu? Just imagine how awesome a Tycho defecting from the Empire novel would be.

Razor’s Edge is scheduled for release on October 15. Other upcoming novels in the Empire and Rebellion series include a Han-centric novel from James S.A. Corey and a Luke-centric novel from Kevin Hearne.

Del Rey also confirmed the titles on Twitter and Facebook:

Title for the upcoming Leia novel by @marthawells1 is STAR WARS: EMPIRE AND REBELLION: RAZOR’S EDGE. On sale in October. #SWEU #StarWars

— StarWarsBooks (@DelReyStarWars) April 17, 2013

Hatchet day at #Lucasfilm and #LucasLicensing. Bad news: I got laid off. Good news: I got laid off!Look out, world, here I come!

— Stacy Arnold-Strider (@batsnaps) April 16, 2013

These layoffs are reportedly impacting individuals within licensing, marketing, and publishing. The first two make a certain amount of sense since Disney has huge licensing and marketing arms, but publishing would be a bit more out of left field as they do not have much in the way of in-house options on that front. Possibly the layoffs within that arm are confined to children and reference materials, which Disney can probably replicate. Adult fiction would be tougher.

Via Club Jade

UPDATE: Publishing not impacted

Sounds like the initial report was wrong on the publishing front. LFL’s Jen Heddle got in contact with Club Jade to clear things up:

@clubjade No publishing layoffs.

— Jennifer Heddle (@jenheddle) April 17, 2013

This makes quite a bit more sense. If Disney can do anything internally, it’s licensing products and marketing everything under their umbrella. Publishing is still something that they in theory have the framework to do entirely internally, but isn’t what I would call a strong suit. For now (and I suspect for a long, long while), the setup remains the same for Star Wars literature.

May is going to be a pretty great months for movies, isn’t it?

Murdered by George Lucas!?

The investigation: To get to the answer, Nanci went to the Twittersphere and all-around-awesome Lucasfilm person Pablo Hidalgo dug into his notes to get to the bottom of the issue.

Has the Anakin Solo death coming on high from George ever been confirmed? What I’ve heard is that he said Anakin couldn’t be the hero. #SWEU

— Nanci Schwartz (@nancipants) April 16, 2013

@nancipants the note says “Change person who is responsible for ultimately saving the day to Jacen – not Anakin”

— Pablo Hidalgo (@infinata) April 16, 2013

@nancipants and that was listed under the header “Too redundant to movie storylines – books should be more original” (5/6/98) BB memo

— Pablo Hidalgo (@infinata) April 16, 2013

@nancipants circled specifically in the outline is a mention that Anakin Solo “that he is the prophesied one”

— Pablo Hidalgo (@infinata) April 16, 2013

The reality: It turns out that George Lucas and Lucasfilm itself didn’t order that Anakin Solo be killed. Rather, they stated that he couldn’t be a prophetic hero and that role should be changed up to someone else. Hello, Jacen.

It appears that the decision to kill Anakin was made somewhere lower on the chain, perhaps the editors and/or authors working with Del Rey at the time. Whoever made the call, what’s clear is that there wasn’t a directive from on high to off Anakin Solo. The decision to kill him rather than change his role or put him on a bus appears to have been made by the people actually producing the books. 

Uh oh.

Given these two virtual certainties, a number of fans are wondering exactly who is going to score the next episodic installment of the Star Wars saga. Will it by franchise legacy composer Williams, or will J.J. Abrams bring in Giacchino? There’s no telling for sure yet, but Giacchino himself seems to think it should be Williams back at the conductor’s stand.

“He has been a great inspiration to me over the years,” he continued. “He has been a great teacher to me and good friend and I would love nothing more than to hear more of his music from that universe.”

“If it were up to me I would say ‘John, you must do it.’”

For whatever it’s worth, I do agree with Giacchino. If Williams is able and willing, he should be the one that scores Episode VII. If nothing else, maintaining a constant presence on the film score side of things will go a long ways in linking these three distinct eras of Star Wars together.

Over at Big Shiny Robot, Bryan Young and Janine Spendlove shared their heartfelt thoughts on LeParmentier.

The first time I met Richard in person was at Celebration III in Indianapolis at a 501st dinner, where I offered to buy him a beer. I’ll never forget his response, “I’m too old to have that much carbonated liquid in my bladder. I’ll take a glass of wine, though.”

Richard was a very nice guy. I kept up with him on facebook. He mentored me for a time as a writer, as we were workshopping the script for Motti Now and breaking it down for production. Aside from being instrumental in my favorite scene in A New Hope, Richard left an indelible mark on my life and I’m very sorry to hear that he’s passed away. I was hoping to get him on Full of Sith these days, and join him drinking a bottle of wine again at some point.

For more, head to the above link.

Personally, I’m really enjoying getting more of Snow in the films. He’s got that creepy Palpatine vibe that I find so repulsive yet so compelling. And since the books are told in first person POV, it’s nice to see what else is going on outside of Katniss’s world. It makes the story bigger and more compelling.

Balance Point:
It’s a marvel I stuck with the New Jedi Order because Balance Point is the third book in a row that just doesn’t impress me. It’s not that it’s necessarily bad, it’s just meh and I find it to be boring.

Again, the bits with Mara and Anakin working together are definitely a highlight. Actually, everything with Mara in this book is a high point. And that’s about it.

The entire point of the book seems to be an excuse for the Solo family to continue to have its issues and to resolve most of them by the end. The other point seems to be for Jacen Solo to continue to have his philosophical issues with using the Force and I still don’t buy any of that reasoning. By this point, the war’s been going on for a year and the Vong are clearly an issue. I don’t believe for a minute that Jacen Solo would sit back and not give his all to defend the galaxy. It just doesn’t fit with this character. With Tsavong Lah declaring that he wants all the Jedi dead and singling out Jacen, this feels like it was almost tacked on editorial meddling when they realized that he wouldn’t be the Solo kid dying.

I’m sure there are other people out there who liked this book but not I.  I’m going to stick with my resounding ‘meh’ for my review.

Edge of Victory I: Conquest
For me, this is the book that starts a marked upswing in the quality of the New Jedi Order again.  From here through Traitor is smooth sailing for me as a reader even though I know that tears are incoming.

Conquest manages to do what the Agents of Chaos books could not and that is tell a story on a smaller scale where the majority of the plot rests on the shoulders of one character.  Anakin’s story is just a small part of the larger war but it’s an interesting one.  Plus, it definitely introduces some more plot points that are absolutely going to be important later.  I love that Greg Keyes gets us inside of Anakin’s head in a way that we haven’t really before.  It’s a huge part of why this book succeeds.  He grows as a person during the story and his understanding of and use of the Force grows with him.  Seriously, this is a great read just for the Anakin bits before you even take the rest of the story into account.

And then there’s poor Tahiri.  This was actually my first exposure to her as a character (I never read the Junior Jedi Knights books, so sue me.) and I thought she was adorable and that she and Anakin are the cutest best friends/future couple ever.  The poor girl absolutely gets put through the wringer in this book though.  She’s spent the past year feeling abandoned by her best friend and now she gets captured, tortured, and has her brain messed with so that at least part of her thinks she’s actually a Yuuzhan Vong named Riina Kwaad.  That’s just really rotten luck right there.  The only plus side for the readers is that it makes for a very interesting plotline down the road in the hands of the right authors.

Oh.  We can’t forget Nen Yim who is absolutely my kind of crazy.  (No, I don’t actually think she’s crazy.  Smart and resourceful are better adjectives.  I just like that expression.)  We also get to see Vuu Rapuung, a Shamed One by the actions of an angry lover.  Even though he doesn’t make it out of the book alive, both of these Yuuzhan Vong end up having an effect of the overall storyline for books to come.  Also, I feel the need to tell everyone that I started reading all of Rapuung’s lines in my head in the voice of Achmed the Dead Terrorist after the tenth time he shouted at Anakin something along the lines of “Silence infidel!”.

And of course, we get to see a lot of Karrde and Shada in this book.  You guys know that made me happy as did the reappearance of Booster Terrik and the Errant Venture.

Edge of Victory II: Rebirth
If you remember this book, you already know what my next sentence is going to be.  MORE Karrde and Shada in this book?  FOUR FOR YOU GREG KEYES.  YOU GO GREG KEYES.

Seriously though, I like how Keyes writes both of the characters and also how he writes them as part of a plotline without it seemed shoehorned in.  After the troubles that Han and Leia have been having, it’s nice to see them figuring out how to make things work again.  Working the privateer side of things alongside Karrde and his group is absolutely something that Han would do.  The only character who feels out of place and like he was just included in the plot just to have him there is Jacen Solo.  On the other hand, I feel like that actually fits with how Jacen’s feeling right now.  So it works for me.

The only thing missing is Corran Horn bursting in with an expression of horror.

It’ll also come as no surprise that I adore the bits with Corran, Anakin, and Tahiri.  I like to think that once they got back to the Errant Venture that Corran called Winter and lamented to her for a bit about the trials and tribulations of babysitting a Solo child.  They’re just really good at getting into trouble.  That said, I think the dynamic between Anakin and Corran is a good one, similar to how the one between Anakin and Mara was a good one  I like that we get to see Tahiri working her way through what happened to her on Yavin 4 and I also like how she doesn’t want her best friend to start treating her any differently than before.  And hey: what can I say?  I love the Anakin and Tahiri first kiss because they are ADORABLE.  Positively adorable.  This is part of what makes the next book so hard to read.

And then we get to the whole subplot where Kyp manipulates Jaina to score a tactical victory against the Vong.  I’ll admit that I can actually see both sides here.  On the one hand, I really hate that he manipulated her to get people like Wedge and Gavin to listen to him.  On the other hand, I can’t really disagree with blowing up a ship.  Maybe it’ll seem heartless but it is a pretty big strike against the Vong and seeing how their current rate of invasion was going, I’d say that’s a good thing.  (Hashtag why Bria would never make it as a Jedi.)

Oh yeah.  And Ben Skywalker was born.

Star by Star
Say what you will about Troy Denning’s more recent Expanded Universe novels but this first one was spot on even if it does destroy me emotionally.  Please forgive any lack of coherency because of that.

Let’s just dive right in with the kicker.  Anakin Solo is dead and it is heart breaking and everyone is crying forever.

Yes, I know that his death was because of Our Lord George’s orders but that certainly doesn’t take away from the emotional blow.  Anakin dies a hero and it’s like a bit of the New Republic dies with him.  It’s incredibly tragic that he’s only 16 and had the potential to be this shining beacon of hope and the next leader of the Jedi and his life is cut short right there.  Tahiri telling him he has to come back to get a kiss kicks me in the gut every time and Leia’s reaction to her son’s death just completely knocks the wind out of me and makes me want to cry.  I may make fun of the Solos for being the worst parents ever but Leia completely breaking down when she feels Anakin’s death in the Force gets me every time.  Basically, it’s not fair that he dies and I will always have those “what if he had lived?” questions in my head.

This is one of the books that plays out like a film in my head and that’s largely due to the fall of Coruscant.  It’s a “How can things possibly get any worse?” moment and in my head, I can just see the Yuuzhan Vong attacking the planet and destroy much of the city while refugees flee while Leia makes her impassioned speech to the people of the New Republic and it’s all set to a heart breaking John Williams score.  I do, however, think it’s profoundly unfair that Borsk Fey’lya, out of all the characters, gets one of the best deaths in the Expanded Universe.

Despite any feelings I might have about Troy Denning’s more recent contributions to the Expanded Universe, I find Star by Star to be a great read.  It feels like he really gets the characters and everything about the book just makes sense.  Actually, my one caveat there would be why Luke Skywalker agreed to let 17 young Jedi go on this mission.  Obviously, destroying the voxyn queen is important but that’s almost an entire generation of Jedi right there and there was a very strong possibility that none of them would make it back.  And all three of the Solo children too?  I understand that it had to happen but all of this just makes me rather sad.  Despite my questioning of Luke’s judgement here, I do still like the book.  I find it to be well written and where it succeeds, it seriously succeeds.

On a brighter note, I do appreciate the addition of the Barabel Jedi to the Expanded Universe in this book.  I found it entertaining that Tesar and the Hara sisters had this sense of humour that the humans just didn’t get and I also found it added some nice diversity to the cast.  Also, you have to appreciate that Troy Denning pokes fun at how many times the Solo children were kidnapped.  And also that Ben Skywalker is briefly kidnapped while in Leia and Han’s custody.

I’ll leave you now as I go find a tissue box and metaphorically cry forever.  Up next, you’ll get to hear everything from my potentially vaguely embarrassing thoughts about Dark Journey to my righteous anger and annoyance over how a character is referred to as just “Tenel” in Destiny’s Way.  As always, you can follow my progress in real time on Twitter @chaosbria or the hastag #WaruExpress.

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This week on Tosche Station Radio, the hosts look back fondly at of their favorite films, Jurassic Park!

Kicking off the show, the hosts highlight what’s New on the Blog. Bria and the Waru Express started the New Jedi Order and explained that Cosplay Is Not Consent. Meanwhile, Emily finally came up with a recipe for ryshcate! Bria then decided to be an overachiever (and we thank her profusely for it) and wrote up a new comics primer called “So You Want to Read Marvel Now.”

In Fixer’s Flash, Nanci’s kept herself busy by writing a few short stories. She also finished up Timothy Zahn’s Night Train To Rigel and started reading Overdraft: The Orion Offensive by John Jackson Miller. Brian has been reading through Season of Passage while not going to baseball games. Both of the hosts took the weekend to go see Jurassic Park. More on that later!

Deak’s Dirt starts out with news on the Star Wars animation front. Dave Filoni revealed he’s involved in the new animated series. In Expanded Universe linkage, EUCantina did an interview with The Last Jedi author Maya Kaathryn Bonhoff. Her Universe posted a sneak preview of the new Rogue Squadron tank. Outside of Star Wars, Christopher Eccleston will not be involved in 50th anniversary of Doctor Who. Comixology and Marvel team up to offer first issues for free. From Club Jade, the Legend of Korra is coming to BluRay in July! On the Star Wars rumor front, no one has spoken to Billy Dee Williams yet. In continuing entertainment industry woes, Walt Disney Studios was hit by layoffs. Finally, Yoda won This is Madness.

This week on Camie’s Concerns, the hosts look back at one of their favorite blockbuster films: Jurassic Park. How did the 3D re-release fare? Is it the perfect blockbuster? What lessons could future blockbusters learn from it?

Wrapping up the show, the hosts field questions in Ask Us Anything.

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.

While there’s not much that can be done for intrepid Firefly fans who want to sell their own versions of Jayne’s hat, ThinkGeek just announced that they have heard the outcry from fans and therefore will donate all proceeds from the sale of the official Jayne hat on sale at their website to Can’t Stop the Serenity, an organization that hosts charity screenings of Serenity in order to help support Equality Now, a worldwide charity that works to further the cause of human rights and end violence and discrimination against women around the world.

Four for you, ThinkGeek. You go, ThinkGeek.

Details about Hamill’s role are being kept under wraps, but could he be the BAU’s season-long unsub/stalker The Replicator? In the two-hour episode, the team’s pursuit of The Replicator will come to a head when one of them becomes a victim. Executive producer Erica Messer also previously told TVGuide.com that the BAU won’t come face-to-face with The Replicator until the season’s final two episodes.

The Criminal Minds two-part season finale airs May 22nd, 9e/8c.

Not even the Mouse House is immune, unfortunately. According to Variety, Disney has begun the process of laying off at least 150 workers at Walt Disney Studios. Some of the affected employees are part of the animation division, marking yet another company that has been forced to downsize their entertainment arms.

At this point, it appears to be an industry-wide thing. The powerhouse Tippett Studios underwent layoffs a few weeks ago. Last week noted game developer and publisher Square Enix announced that they were eliminating a number of jobs from their Los Angeles studio as part of a corporate re-organization. This is just a sample of the hard times the entertainment industry has found themselves in lately.

While it’s easy for many fans to get angry with Disney for they layoffs at both Lucasfilm Animation and LucasArts, we have to understand that there simply wasn’t any malice involved with those decisions. The entertainment industry is in a state of upheaval right now and that’s forcing these studios to make some uncomfortable choices that lead to re-orgs and layoffs. Given the state of the industry right now, some of this restructuring could have happened even if George Lucas still owned the company.

With the relaunch of Marvel and Comixology’s promotion that will offer 700+ #1 digital titles for free, now seems as good of a time as any to sample the comic book world.  If you haven’t yet, go sign up for the promotion now as sign ups end April 9th at 11:59 EDT.  Over 700 titles is a lot to choose from.  In the past, I’ve written about some good jumping on points for the Marvel universe.  Many of those books’ #1s will be a part of the promotion and I definitely recommend snagging them along with any one-shots, especially the character focused ones.  However, if the current Marvel universe is something that you’d rather dive head first into, the Marvel NOW! movement is definitely perfect for that.  Here are some of my personal recommendations about what books you should give a shot.

Avengers
Avengers and New Avengers  [CMX - CMX]
I’m writing about these two titles together because they are the opposite sides of the same coin.  To quote the writer himself, Avengers is about life and New Avengers is about death.  Jonathan Hickman pens both and has thus far been doing a masterful job of it.  Both are books that I’d recommend to someone who is already familiar with the universe especially New Avengers since it features the Illuminati group.  Regardless, they’ve been fantastic so far.  Hickman is the master of the long game writing style but it always pays off.  If you like the Avengers, give these books a try.  You’ll get to see some of your favorite characters along side some new ones.  It’s all about making the Avengers bigger (and hopefully better) then they’ve ever been before.

Uncanny Avengers  [CMX]
Spinning directly out of the Avengers versus X-men event of last summer, the two groups have joined together to create one team.  The first arc of the book was a “the team assembles” story, making it ideal for newer readers.  It’s also something that readers haven’t really seen before which makes it intriguing.  (Captain America taking orders from Havoc? That still has me blinking in surprise some issues.)  Some of the characters definitely have some history but it’s nothing that a quick Wikipedia search won’t solve for you.  Alternatively, you can think of this as the book to read if you can’t decide between the Avengers of the X-men as your favorite team.

Secret Avengers  [CMX]
This is definitely a title that’s a bit off the typical Avengers path but it’s one that could easily be accessible for newer readers especially those only familiar with the film.  It features well known badasses like Black Widow and Hawkeye and other SHIELD agents and a black Nick Fury and Phil Coulson.  616 fans might be scratching their heads at those last two but film fans will be just fine.  It’s all about SHIELD and its missions and looks like it’s going to be a fun book.

X-men
All New X-men  [CMX]
Marvel superstar Brian Bendis has shifted from King of the Avengers to King of the X-men.  It’s a start of a new era and that’s always a good time to jump on board!  The X-men have gone through a lot of changes with the death of Professor Xavier, the schism amongst the X-men, and the re-emergence of new mutants for the first time in years.  To top things off, the original X-men team has been pulled forward into the future.  In short, there are a lot of changes going on which will keep both new and old readers excited to read more.  If you’re going to pick on X-men title to read, it should probably be this one.
Uncanny X-men  [CMX]
This book is definitely deals with more of the fallout from Avengers vs X-men than most of the other Marvel NOW! books because it’s about the losers.  It stars Cyclops, Emma Frost, Magneto, and Magik who are trying to teach new mutants about their powers while staying on the run from the authorities.  If you’re a fan of the X-men and haven’t been reading this book then you definitely should be.  Bendis has been knocking it out of the park so far and art by Chris Bachalo is always a plus.

Uncanny X-Force  [CMX]
This book is crazy.  It is crazy in a way that only Sam Humphries can pull off and that’s part of what makes it so brilliant.  While it does spin directly out of the previous volume of Uncanny X-Force, Humphries gives new readers enough context clues so they can understand what’s going on.  It’s a team with a female majority lead by Psylocke and Storm and has thus far been a pretty exciting ride.  The art by Ron Garney has been gorgeous so far and with artist Adrian Alphona coming on board, that’s something that’ll stay consistent.  Just sit back and enjoy the crazy ride.

Our Heroes
Thor: God of Thunder  [CMX]
This is definitely not your parents’ Thor.  The scope of the book is massive as Jason Aaron tells a story about Thor in three different times.  It’s ambitious, it’s intriguing, and it’s been darn good so far.  There’s not much Marvel mythology that needs knowing; just the Marvel-Asgard.  If Thor is the sort of character that appeals to you then this book is definitely for you.  On a personal note, I especially recommend reading this through Comixology’s guided view which really adds an entirely new dimension to the art and the story.

Indestructible Hulk  [CMX]
If there was an award for the book that was the best surprise in the line up, it would absolutely go to this book.  Personally, I’ve never been a fan of the Hulk and only picked up the book because Maria Hill was going to have a decent sized role in it.  I was very pleasantly surprised.  Mark Waid and Leinil Yu have teamed up to present a phenomenal book.  Bruce Banner has decided to stop devoting so much of his brain-power to staying on the run and instead devote it to science again.  SHIELD sets him up with a lab and in return, SHIELD gets to point the Hulk like a cannon at their biggest problems.  This is another title that’s definitely accessible to new readers because you already know everything you need to about the Hulk: he gets angry and smashes things.  Really though: give it a try.  You won’t be disappointed.

Superior Spider-Man  [CMX]
If you’re a Spider-Man fan, this is the book to be reading right now.  The status quo has been changed and the creative team’s been doing a great job on the book.  At the end of Amazing Spider-Man, Doc Ock, one of his villains, swapped bodies with Peter Parker.  And then Doc Ock’s body died.  You can see the problem here.  Superior Spider-Man shows the concept of “With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility”… but what happens when that great power belongs to a former super-villain trying to atone for his past?  What happens when an arrogant, violent Otto Octavious has Peter Parker’s life?  I abhor spoilers so I shall say no more but trust me when I tell you that the book will have you hooked by the end of issue #1.

Other Teams
Fearless Defenders  [CMX]
This book is an all-female team filled with characters who usually don’t get the spot light plus and coolest lady archaeologist I’ve read about in years.  The premise is that Valkyrie was instructed to reform the Valkyrior from female heroes on Earth but she has yet to do so and that’s turning out to have some consequences.  We’re only a couple of issues in and we don’t know who the entire line up will be but it’s already been a great book.  In no other book will you get the chance to see so many great female characters shine and it’s shaping up to be a great ride.  For those familiar with the Marvel universe, my pitch for reading this book can be summed up in two words: Dani Moonstar.

Fantastic Four and FF   [CMX - CMX]
Matt Fraction takes over the reins of the book about Marvel’s First Family and so far, it’s been a great family field trip story.  Don’t you wish that your parents and uncles would take you on a trip through time and space?  Fraction does a good job writing the team and the kids.  Both books aren’t relaunches but rather new jumping on points for readers especially since the Future Foundation is still around.  FF is the book that follows that plot line and features Scott Lang, Medusa, She-Hulk, and Miss Thing as the team while the Richards are away.  It’s a nice sequel of Hickman’s previous run and both are fun books for those who love the Fantastic Four.

Guardians of the Galaxy  [CMX]
So maybe you’ve heard about how Marvel is making a Guardians of the Galaxy film as a part of Phase 2 but you have no idea what the heck it’s going to involve.  I could tell you that all you need to know about it is that it will be a badass team in space that includes a talking raccoon but instead I’m going to suggest you read this book.  There’s only been one issue so far so you won’t even be far behind!  Seriously though: I’m going to use Rocket Raccoon as my number one reason for you to start reading this book.  If that’s not enough, you can also get free digital comics that supplement the book.  (Free as in they are always free and aren’t just part of the promotion.)

Young Avengers  [CMX]
Been missing your teen superhero book?  Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie have you covered with the Young Avengers.  Actually, I’d recommend that you read this book for McKelvie’s artwork alone.  No one does panel layouts and two-page spreads like him.  My personal suggestion is that you snag the Young Avengers issues from the original run and then check this out.  However, about half the team is comprised of new members so new readers shouldn’t feel too terribly thrown in.  If nothing else, you will adore Miss America and Kate Bishop/Hawkeye.  Trust me.

Aside from these books, you might also want consider Iron Man or Nova or perhaps one of the other books if they strike your fancy.  I haven’t read every book of the Marvel NOW unfortunately and can’t speak about all of them.  I’d also recommend books such as Captain Marvel, Hawkeye, Avengers Assemble, Winter Soldier, and Wolverine and the X-men which did not relaunch but are current books that have started within the past year or so.  All have been good reads and could easily appeal to new readers.

Again, although this article has focused on just the Marvel NOW! books, I strongly encourage everyone to sign up for the Marvel/Comixology promotion and snag themselves some great comics in addition to the ones here!  Think of this as a starting point.  Happy reading!

Once you’ve signed up, what should you get? Well I’ve got a pair of suggestions.

• Hawkeye by Matt Fraction – This might be my favorite series out there right now. Follow the misadventures of Clint Barton while he’s not doing Avengers-y things. 
• Captain Marvel by Kelly Sue DeConnick – Looking for a well-developed, kickass female lead? Carol Danvers is right up your alley.

The site is getting slammed, so you might need to refresh your browser a couple of times to get it to resolve. Once you’ve signed up, ComiXology will send you a date when you can start downloading your comics. From that date you’ll have 48 hour window to get them.

I’ve tried various recipes. I’ve made pies. I’ve considered coffee cakes. I’ve worked my way through probably three pounds of pecans, and I’ve tried to figure out how to put genuine Kentucky bourbon into all of it (because what else could be closer to Whyren’s?). My friends have happily celebrated the bounty of my experiments. But it wasn’t until today that I finally found the happy medium–the pastry between a cake and a pie that would bring everything together. Ladies and gentlemen, Tosche Station’s Ryshcate recipe.

This recipe originated on Facebook, going around my friends, so I don’t know where it started. I have adapted it from the original recipe somewhat, because personally, I have no intention of going out and buying an entire quart of heavy cream for two tablespoons.

You will need:

Pretend there is a bottle of bourbon in this picture. I forgot it.

For crust:
2 sticks butter
2/3 c. packed brown sugar
2 2/3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt

For topping:
1 stick butter
1 c. packed brown sugar
1/3 c. honey
2 tbs. milk
1 tbs. bourbon (optional)
2 c. chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9×13 pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.

Begin by making the crust. Cream together butter and brown sugar, then add flour and salt until mixture is crumbly. Press into the bottom of the 9×13 pan. Prick the crust with a fork several times. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

When there are approximately five minutes left on the crust, begin making the topping. Combine butter, brown sugar, honey, milk, and bourbon in a saucepan. Allow butter to melt and ingredients to come together in a smooth mixture; let simmer for one minute, while continuing to stir. Remove from heat and add pecans, stirring to coat pecans in mixture, then immediately pour over crust.

Return pan to oven and bake for 20 more minutes.

Allow the ryshcate to cool completely before cutting.

Now, you know me. I didn’t do that. I dug in immediately, because it smelled amazing–but if you want the topping to settle and not be entirely liquid when you cut it, allow it to cool completely before cutting.

By the way, it was delicious.

Is this what you had in mind when you thought about ryshcate? Let us know in the comments or tweet us at @Tosche_Station.

Personally, I’m disappointed, but not surprised. Eccleston was ‘my’ Doctor. I picked up on Who in the last year of Tennant’s run, but started with Eccleston. At first I really preferred Tennant, but as I got further and further both through Tennant’s run and then into Smith’s, I’ve come to realize that Eccleston is likely my favorite actor to portray the most famous time traveler this side of Emmet Brown. After seeing how goofy, frankly, the tenth Doctor could get, the seriousness of the role and the drama that Eccleston brought to it really helped me to appreciate the series and its range. I could always believe Tennant’s elation and his sorrow but not quite ever his anger. Eccleston had real rage, and, to be honest, he was often not terribly pleasant. In a way, that’s something that I’ve missed since his departure.

No matter how you feel about Christopher Eccleston, I think most of us can agree that we’ll be a bit worse off for not having his foil against the much brighter personalities of Smith and Tennant. That leaves us with the possibilities of the other surviving Doctors that are of… how shall we say, appropriate age. I hate to say it, but Tom and Colin Baker are both a bit old, at 79 and 69 respectively. Peter Davison is distinctly possibile, and I might venture likely, considering he’s Tennant’s father in law. Sylvester McCoy is also possible, considering his recent high profile role in the Hobbit. Paul McGann is possible, but I really wouldn’t bet on him. He’s the only Doctor with less connection to the series than Eccleston and he’s had a very similar attitude.

If you have an opinion about this or any of the older companions you might like to see come back in the big anniversary this year, tell us in the comments, or tweet it to us at @Tosche_Station.

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly people on the Internet can take a positive project and stomp all over it.

Two days ago, Sushi Killer over at 16-Bit Sirens started a new photo project.  Inspired by the #INeedFeminismBecause project, it is titled “CONsent: The Importance of Treating Cosplayers with Respect.”  The premise is simple: costumers take pictures holding a sign that says ‘Cosplay=/= Consent’ and their own additional message if they are so inclined.  I, like many other people, thought it was a great campaign that spread a very positive message.

Guess how long it took some people to ruin it and make it all about them.  Let’s start with an example.  Think it was limited to just that shared Facebook thread?  Look at some of the comments on the article that cosplayer Ana Aesthetic wrote.

Disgusted yet?  Me too. According to these people, any woman who dresses up like her favorite superheroine or her favorite video game character or in any costume for a convention is asking for all of the disgusting comments and actions that she might receive.  Because, to quote one commenter, “Dress like a whore, get treated like a whore.”   Really dude?  I was under the impression that we were all dressing like fictional characters and I’m fairly sure that 99% of them are not whores.

Another commenter goes as far as to say…

“Y’know, you ladies out there may not like that reasoning, but you actually are bringing it on yourselves. If your boobs are hanging halfway out of your bustier, and you’re dressed like one of the characters in these sex-sells anime’s or shows you love so much, then do you actually have a reasonable expectation that some sexist, chauvenist piece of dirt is NOT going to do these things to you? [...] You DO NOT have a right to complain, or take up ANY case, nor a reasonable expectation as to your physical safety or personal rights to NOT have images of you, from ANY angle, taken if you dress up like this and then submit yourself to the horny male-dominated crowd at a convention. What is WRONG with your head that you could even think that you’re right to think this way?”

To put things mildly, fuck you.  We are not here for you entertainment.  None of us agreed to “submit” to someone trying to take a shot up our skirts when we’re not paying attention for their own private collection.  To top things off?  Take a better look around the next time you’re at a convention.  The gender split is edging close to even nowadays.  That excuse is stale and can go away.

When costumers dress up, they are not doing so for you and for you to make disgusting comments about what you’d like to do to them.  When a costumer wears a more revealing or a traditionally sexy costume, it’s likely that he or she is likely expecting to get more attention on the convention floor by means of comments and picture requests.  It’s important to differentiate between figuring that it is more likely you will receive attention and supposedly asking for harassment.  No one is asking for a complete stranger to walk up and tell them five ways that he’d like to fuck them or grope them.

This isn’t a problem that’s limited to conventions.  Obviously the costumes apply to conventions but the mindset is much broader than that.  This is rape culture.  This is victim blaming.  This is a clear unwillingness by people to take responsibility for their own actions.  I say again: This. Is. Rape. Culture.  These are the same people who say that because a rape victim was wearing a short skirt that she deserved what she got.  These are the same people who say that because a rape victim was wearing a shirt that showed off her cleavage that she was asking for it.  Victim blaming is not okay and it will never be okay.

Please don’t get me wrong: I am not saying that we should police people’s thoughts or that people can’t go up to a costumer and tell them that they like their costume or that they look pretty.  There is a definite line of appropriateness and far too many people cross it.  Personally, if a guy were to come up and tell me that I looked sexy in my Psylocke costume?  That’s fine and I would personally take it as a compliment although I cannot speak for every costumer.  If that same guy were to come up and grab my ass and then tell me how much he’d like to fuck me?  Now we have a problem.  It is not that difficult to keep your mouth shut and your hands to yourself and to top it off, both of those things fall under DECENT HUMAN BEHAVIOR.  If you think you are incapable of either of those, perhaps you should rethink attending conventions.

Conventions are supposed to be a safe space for geeks.  Many of us were bullied for our love of fandoms and conventions are where we can express that love without having to worry.  This past year has felt like some factions within the community are trying to take away that security.  (Remember the Fake Geek Girl crap from the fall?)  It needs to stop.  All of it. Because it’s not a safe space anymore when I beg a male friend to walk around the convention with me when I’m in certain costumes because I’m worried about con-goers sexually harassing me.  It’s not a safe space anymore where each major convention ends with yet another story of inappropriate behavior and sexual harassment emerging.  It’s not a safe space anymore when friends have to protect each other by physically putting themselves in the way when creepers try to sneak an ass short or an up-skirt shot.

I am visibly shaking from anger right now which is a good sign that I need to wrap this up so I’ll just say this once more: Cosplay is NOT Consent.  You do not have the right to make lewd remarks or proposition or touch any costumer simply because they are wearing a costume.  It does not matter how skimpy it is or is not.  You do not have the right and the costume does not automatically gave you permission.  Do not blame the costumers for your inability to keep your crass comments and your hands to yourself.  If you take part in this, then you are the one in the wrong.  If you condone this sort of behavior, then you are wrong and also a part of the problem.

That said, I encourage everyone to take part in the Cosplay=/=CONsent project and maybe one day, we can wipe out this horrid behaviour and make conventions a safe space for all of us again.

Yeah. That’s really cool. I’m going to have to buy one of these for everyone on the staff not named Shane, aren’t I?

With that out of the way, let’s dive into the first lengthy review post as I discuss the books from Vector Prime to Jedi Eclipse.

Vector Prime
Ah yes.  The infamous “Chewbacca is Dead!” book.  I feel nothing but pity for R.A. Salvatore having to be the one to pull the trigger on this given how the fandom can be at times.  Let’s get the giant wookiee in the corner out of the way.  Yeah, Chewbacca dying sucks.  Reading through the book knowing what was coming made all the scenes with Chewie that much more painful.  He’s a big part of our group of heroes and it is sad that he dies.  HOWEVER.  His death certainly does signify to the readers that this oncoming threat isn’t going to be easily defeated and that no one will escape unscathed.  Also?  If you’re going to go out, this is certainly one of the more badass ways to do it.  Chewbacca rejects your notion of death by blasterfire and goes down shaking his fist at a freaking moon.

I’d really like to know what the heck happened to Jacen Solo between the end of Crisis of Crystal Reef and the start of this book.  It feels like I’m reading about two completely different characters and I’m not even counting the lack of bad jokes because that’s something a person could reasonably grow out of.

Overall, I actually think the book functions quite well in its role.  It sets up the Vong invasion, lets us get to see our favorite characters again, and tells us that this isn’t going to be an easy ride.  I also find it to be an enjoyable book on its own.  It’s nice getting to see the Solo kids have some fun before the galaxy goes to hell even if it’s only for the first half of the book.

The final line of the book sums it up the best: “But to Han Solo, the galaxy suddenly seemed a more dangerous place by far.”

Dark Tide I: Onslaught
Can we discuss how strange it is that little Gavin Darklighter is leading Rogue Squadron?  HE’S 16 THAT’S NOT ALLOWED.  (I will send cranky gifs the way to the first person who reminds me of his current rank as of 44 ABY.)

In other news, please raise your hand if you are surprised that Stackpole’s NJO books feature Corran Horn.  I’m poking fun with love.  Honestly!  Actually, I think that Stackpole does a very good job of introducing Corran to readers who might not be familiar with him already.  Stackpole also introduces us to Ganner Rhysode who, in my opinion, has the best character arc in this series by far but more on that later.  The short version is that he gets to go through some great character growth in these two books and emerges from them a far less arrogant and an all around better person.

I really do enjoy reading this book.  Things are starting to edge towards dire but it still has that great Star Wars feel to it.  Also, no one writes space battles like Stackpole does and there are certainly some in here because we get to see Rogue Squadron again!  Actually, there are a ton of things to love about this book and hopefully I can remember to touch on all of them.

Mara and Anakin’s trip to Dantooine is great.  I hate that Mara is ill but it allows for all of this to happen.  Personally, I’m always a fan of getting to see the dynamic between two characters that we might not have seen before and we definitely got that here.  Mara’s lecture to Anakin about not using the Force for everything is awesome and incredibly logical.  Too bad she can’t dish out that logic to everyone.  On the flip side, she’s great about being supportive of Anakin who’s still getting anger from his father.  Honestly, the entire bits with them are wonderful and I’d happily read more.

On the other side of the Solo Spawn spectrum, we have Jaina Solo who joins Rogue Squadron!  I also love that Stackpole lets us get some insight into an older Gavin Darklighter.  Clearly Wedge and Tycho made the right choice with him.  He cares about his pilots and he’s willing to stand up to those higher up the New Republic food chain if need be.

…which brings us to Admiral Kre’fey who is not having any of Fey’lya’s crap.  BRO YOU BALLSY.  He’s easily one of my favorite Bothans because he does not have time for this political crap.  I cheer every time when he tells the Advisory Council that he’s going to resign and take the entire New Republic military and carve out his own government if they don’t agree to treat the Vong as a legitimate threat and stop playing political games.  My absolute favorite line of the exchange comes when Fey’lya continues to be his usual self and Kre’fey turns to Gavin and goes “In my new empire, would you like a world for each of your children, or will they need whole systems to rule?”.  BEST. LINE. EVER.

Really, this was just a great read all around and even better than I recall it being.

Dark Tide II: Ruin
It’s all Stackpole’s fault, guys.  He brought Wedge and Tycho out of retirement to help save the galaxy.  (To clarify, I’m joking.  Don’t anyone start spreading rumors that I hate Uncle Stackpole.)  They had a great little cameo in the previous book as “some old guys” and it’s awesome seeing them again here.

Speaking of Wedge, it’s time for my ‘Luke Skywalker is kind of a jerk’ rant.  I get why Luke and Mara decided to just not mention the Chiss/the Empire of the Hand to anyone else.  What I don’t get is why he failed to mention to his good friend Wedge Antilles that he finally found Soontir Fel and consequently, Wedge’s sister Syal.  Wedge searching for Syal Antilles Fel has been a plot point for what?  Almost the past twenty years of canon?  Seriously?  Way to not be a good friend, Luke.  At least Wedge finally finds out that Syal’s at least still alive in this book thanks to the arrival of his nephew Jagged Fel.  Jag is most definitely a welcome addition to the Expanded Universe even if he is a bit of an arrogant jerk here.  Really though, I’d kill to see some sort of resolution to this storyline.  Dear Del Ray: please let Stackpole write a short story where the Antilles and Fel families have their reunion.  Please?

I didn’t enjoy Ruin quite as much as Onslaught for two reasons.  The first is that I get angry because of the aforementioned Antilles-Fel thing and because Elegos basically walks into his death.  The second is that this book is definitely that plunge into darkness and as a reader, my brain wasn’t quite prepared for that yet.   The destruction of Ithor is not easy to swallow and the GFFA media is stupid for placing the blame on Corran’s shoulders.  That’s not to say, however, that I didn’t enjoy the book.  I just liked the previous installment better.

One of things that makes the book good is all the interaction we get between Kre’fey and Admiral Pellaeon.  Good ol’ Gilad Pellaeon is basically the best.  I love how both military leaders aren’t interested in playing politics and just want to beat the enemy.  All of their scenes together are great especially the one where they deliberately shut down Fey’lya’s plan to put Kre’fey back in charge of the combined forces.

Oh!  And I can’t talk about this book without mentioning the Mara and Mirax stuff.  That’s another thing I’d love to see Stackpole write because who wouldn’t want to know what those two ladies did to get themselves arrested and then exonerated?

Agents of Chaos I: Hero’s Trial
Ugh.  This entire book is just… ugh.  Let me show you through a gif how I felt when I realized I had to read this book again:

Here’s the deal.  I love James Luceno’s writing.  No one writes a political novel in space like him.  I just hate this book.

Hey Han!  Let’s ask Chewie if he would approve of your drunken moping and Anakin blaming!

I’m not trying to make fun of the grieving process or depression.  I’m really not.  I just can’t take it for 352 pages.  While other characters certainly make their appearances in the book, it is a Han Solo book and it just does not work for me.  My overuse of gifs here has clearly given that away.

On the other hand, the book does introduce us to some things that will be important in the future.  The Peace Brigade makes its debut here as does that silly chicken Vergere.  I know she’s not actually a chicken, I just like poking fun at her.  We also got to see Belindi Kalenda again which is always fun.  Also, the whole saga of Mara’s illness ends as Vergere’s tears cure here.  Everyone breathes a sigh of relief here because now Mara can go back to kicking butt like she should be.

That’s all I have for this book.  Just dislike and annoyance.  Sorry.

Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse
The good news for me is that this book is better.  I still don’t like the Han bits.  I’m sorry, James Luceno.  I love all the rest of your Star Wars books.  These are just not my favorites.

Aside from the Han Solo stuff and the random Ryn sideplots, there actually is stuff to like about these books.  We get to go back to Hapes!  Political intrigue mixed in with beautiful people!  It does always make me sad though to learn that Isolder and Teneniel’s marriage is on rocky ground and I wish we’d actually gotten to see more of Teneniel than her just doing Queen Mother stuff.  On the other hand, any time Ta’a Chume is on page manipulating everyone, I am happy.  The poor Hapan fleet though.

AND WE GET KARRDE AND SHADA.  I love them both so much and I think that more authors should write about everyone’s favorite information brokers.

Have you figured out my Star Wars biases yet from this post alone?  Have you?

Of course, I have to mention Centerpoint and ask why they continue to let Thracken Sal-Solo out of jail?  This never ends well.  Ever.  Luceno is very good at working in past events into the story but also giving readers enough context clues and history within the text so that those who hadn’t read the referenced books aren’t at a complete loss.

Wurth Skidder bites the dust in this book, the first of Kyp Durron’s Mean Girls to do so.  Even though he continues to be a bit of a jerk, I like that he didn’t go through the same character arc as Ganner.  Instead, Skidder goes out in a heroic blaze of glory and helps further the divide between Kyp’s faction and the rest of the Jedi.

To top it all off, this is the book that really introduces Senator Viqi Shesh as a villain that you love to hate.  Mostly I just hate her.

And that’s it for the first bunch of NJO books!  Tune in next time as I roll my eyes at Balance Point and cry at Star by Star.  As always, you can follow my progress in something vaguely resembling real time on Twitter @chaosbria or the hashtag #WaruExpress.  Until next time!

“At this point, I am involved in some early production discussions and exploration of what we’ll be doing with Star Wars animation in the future, which is really exciting for me and I have some friendly faces around me, of course, that are helping me on the project. So it’s a transition time, as I’ve said before, and I think it will lead to an exciting time and hopefully I’ll see things grow again.”

What is this new cartoon? New idea yet, but I kind of figured this would happen. Lucasfilm Animation was somewhat of a redundant department after the Disney acquisition, because if Disney has anything, it’s a world-class animation shop. That said, even if Lucasfilm Animation were to shut down or downsize, Disney is smart enough to pick off that talent and retain them for future projects. Don’t be surprised if not only Dave Filoni but the bulk of his creative crew find their way to this new project.

It’s also worth noting that Lucasfilm isn’t the only company experiencing downsizing in their visual effects and animation departments. Over in the comments at Club Jade, Pablo Hidalgo pointed out that Tippett Studios and numerous other VFX shops were experiencing layoffs. The downsizing at Lucasfilm Animation might have less to do with Disney and more to do with a changing entertainment landscape.

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On this episode of Tosche Station Radio, the hosts are joined by staff writer Bria and Aaron Goins for a continuity throwdown!

Kicking off the show, Nanci highlights what’s New on the Blog. Shane discussed Bruce Timm leaving DC. For that wonderful holiday known as April Fools, we asked our friend and Star Wars newbie Lisa what she’d like to see in the Sequel Trilogy. Brian called bullshit on the idea that multiple universes can’t exist simultaneously in Star Wars. He also wrote about the Lucasarts closing shop.

In Fixer’s Flash, Nanci made an impromptu trip to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. She’s also kept herself busy reading Night Train to Rigel by Timothy Zahn as well as the Orion Offensive by John Jackson Miller. Somehow in all that, she found the time to finish the first draft of her newest novel, Seer. Brian’s been working through his comic backlog but also started reading Season of Passage by Christopher Pike. Bria continued on her journey aboard the Waru Express by starting the New Jedi Order. She’s also been keeping busy at her other blog, the White Hot Room.

Deak’s Dirt starts with sad the sad news: LucasArts is shutting down. Also ILM employees were also laid off in the process. In convention news from Wondercon, Dark Horse is adapting The Star Wars based on Lucas’s original draft for A New Hope. Features older General Luke Skywalker, Anakin Starkiller, and Darth Vader (not a Sith, not in the suit). Meanwhile, there’s an excerpt for Into the Void by Tim Lebbon over on the Random House website, as well as the finished jacket. The This Is Madness bracket continued on, but are the hosts still paying attention to it? Harry Markov, Science Fiction Frequency Launches ‘Women in Genre’ Month, an effort to raise awareness and celebrate the women working in genre fiction. Doctor Who returned from hiatus and announced John Hurt would be guesting. In addition, BBC confirmed two guest stars for the 50th anniversary episode Game of Thrones also returned to the airwaves. Finally, there was more sad news as legendary film critic Roger Ebert passed away Thursday afternoon.

This week on Camie’s Concerns, the hosts rounded up Bria from our blog and White Hot Room as well as Aaron Goins of the Star Wars Bookworms podcast and the Star Wars Report blog to discuss the Sequel Trilogy, the Expanded Universe, and how they both can (or can’t) get along. Gear up for a bit of a friendly throwdown as the group discuss EU characters, the concept of the Multiverse, and whether or not Marvel is a good model for Star Wars moving forward.

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.

While a glance through their catalog reveals a studio that has had more success than the vast majority of their competitors, a deeper look reveals that LucasArts set themselves on a risky path nearly a decade ago.

Shifting Focuses and the Managerial Carousel

While some fans would argue that the shuttering of LucasArts came out of the blue, others within the gaming industry believed that problems began nearly a decade earlier. Wired posited that the LucasArts many fans grew up with and came to love ceased to exist when it laid off the crew responsible for a new Sam and Max game in March, 2004 to focus strictly on the Star Wars IP. No longer would LucasArts be the company responsible for critically acclaimed adventure games like Sam and Max Hit the Road, The Dig, and Full Throttle. It can be argued that on that day, LucasArts began down the path that led them to closing shop.

The decision to restructure so dramatically was made by Jim Ward, the VP of marketing, online and global distribution at Lucasfilm. In April 2004, he was named President of LucasArts and the revolving door at the top of the company began. Under Ward’s instruction, the company shifted priority to developing Star Wars titles significantly more in-house and not with external developers like Bioware and Obsidian. Simultaneously, Ward laid off numerous developers, reducing in-house staff from nearly 450 to 190 employees*. It was a curious move to order more in-house development while dramatically reducing the in-house staff.

*Per Rob Smith’s Rogue Leaders: The Story of LucasArts

Fortunately for LucasArts, during Ward’s tenure the company continued to produce some fairly well received games. In the four years he was at the helm, the company produced Battlefront and Republic Commando, two games that were fairly well liked by both critics and fans. In 2007, Ward recanted slightly on the Star Wars-centric stance as well as the in-house stance to team with Pandemic Studios to create Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction. It would prove to be both a financial and critical hit.

Despite the success of Mercenaries, the scale back continued both internally and externally. After only four years, Ward left LucasArts and was replaced on an interim basis by Howard Roffman and then Darrell Rodriguez.  With Rodriguez came another round of fundamental changes in business strategy and this time, an external developer was caught up in the process. Famously, the shift in strategy was illustrated with the ill-fated Battlefront III which was being developed by Free Radical. The external developer claimed in an interview with Eurogamer that LucasArts morphed from being a strong business relationship to a nightmare.

The appointment of Darrell Rodriguez as president of LucasArts was announced on April 2nd 2008. He wasn’t the only new face. LucasArts was making sweeping changes as part of a new strategy, the first step of which was cutting their outgoings in half. Huge numbers of staff were fired, an entire layer of management was removed, and countless projects were canned. “For a long time we talked of LucasArts as the best relationship we’d ever had with a publisher,” says Ellis. “Then in 2008 that disappeared, they were all either fired or left. Then there was a new guy called Darrell Rodriguez, who had been brought in to do a job and it was more to do with cost control than making any games. And the games that we were making for them were costly.”

Concept art from BFIII

The culture and business shift started by Ward went to greater extremes under Rodriguez. It seemed by 2008, the company was completely uninterested in titles like Battlefront III. At least, they were completely uninterested in titles produced out-of-house. Free Radical claimed that LucasArts were stalling, going as far as withholding payments for six months. Ultimately, the lack of interest in the game would be the downfall of Free Radical studios, which was forced to go into administration in December of 2008.

Rodriguez presided over the company for two years and left in May 2010. Jerry Bowerman filled in for a little while but was replaced by Paul Meegan in June of 2010 and oversaw the in-house layoffs that year. Meegan would leave after two years himself and be replaced by Kevin Parker and Gio Corsi.

LucasArts had become a shell of what it once was. Gone were legendary developer names like Tim Schafer, Ron Gilbert, and Dave Grossman. The focus was primarily on Star Wars, but even that seemed to have little direction anymore. The company as many had come to know it was gone, but shockingly, things had not reached rock-bottom yet.

Layoffs in 2010, Declining Quantity and Quality

The Guardian profiled the closing of the company today and made a point that might be difficult to digest. Though fans may want to direct their anger at Disney, the truth of the matter is LucasArts entered a tailspin two years prior to the Mouse House buying Lucasfilm.

Of course, Disney is certain to attract much ire from Star Wars fans. Millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror last October when the entertainment giant bought George Lucas’s empire, and it has since canned animated series The Clone Wars and placed considerable doubt over Seth Green’s proposed comedy series Star Wars Detours. Plans to release annual movies and spin-off flicks have also been controversial – despite the fact that Disney’s Marvel films have mostly been well-received.

But in truth the problems go back much further. In 2010, incoming LucasArts president Paul Meegan began a series of cuts that led to 60 development staff layoffs and reportedly resulted in Force Unleashed III being canned. Key staff members such as writer Haden Blackman and experienced creative director Clint Hocking started leaving; it seemed there was little creative vision at the studio; there was no overriding business plan of how to respectfully mine the Star Wars universe.”

The layoffs three years ago have long since been forgotten by fans, but even then it was a sign that things weren’t quite right at the studio. Kotaku reported that round of layoffs resulted in sixty staffers being let go from internal game development, twenty-five from external production, and the entire quality assurance department. In the gaming industry, it’s never a good sign when internal QA is let go of wholesale.

Those cut positions appear to have had a direct impact on the quality and quantity of games produced by LucasArts. In 2009, nine games were released under the LucasArts banner. In the four years after the layoffs, a total of four games were released and arguably only two of them (Lego Star Wars III and Angry Birds Star Wars) were met with any sort of critical acclaim. The other two titles were less fortunate. The Old Republic was done in by the overcrowded MMO market and a lack of end-game content, leading to hemorrhaging users that resulted in the game ultimately going to the free-to-play format. Kinect Star Wars was released to poor critic review scores due to poorly developed gameplay and buggy controls that seemed to stem from a lack of playtesting, which might have something to do with LucasArts’ internal QA being let go in 2010.

The problems became even more pronounced when looking at the troubled Force Unleashed games. Designed to be marquee releases that would continue LucasArts’ long tradition of quality Star Wars titles, TFU necessitated a lot of financial and creative resources. It needed to be a hit and moneymaker, but it stumbled out of the gate with aggregate review scores ranging from 69%-74% on GameRankings and Metacritic. Perhaps the most critical review came from Electronic Gaming Monthly, who described it as an “ambitious–yet ultimately dissatisfying–effort.”

Perhaps the catalyst for LucasArts’ ultimate demise rests at the feet of The Force Unleashed II. The critical response wasn’t tepid this time, it was harsh. The aggregate scores ranged from 56%-62% on current generation platforms, leading to well-below-expected sales figures. In its release of October 2010, it was merely the fifth-highest selling game that month despite being ported to five different platforms. In comparison, it was behind Fable III, which only released on the Xbox 360.

There’s no way to know for certain, but it stands to reason that LucasArts’ and, by extension, Lucasfilm lost money on The Force Unleashed II. The company needed to dig itself out of that financial and critical hole and to do that, they licensed the Star Wars IP to Bioware and Electronic Arts with the hope of reclaiming the critical acclaim they had lost.

The concept was ambitious: The Old Republic. LucasArts hoped to capitalize on the popular Knights of the Old Republic games, comics, and books and set that era within a massively multiplayer online game. To make this work, they turned to Bioware, makers of the critically acclaimed Mass Effect and Dragon Age games, and turned them loose on an MMO that could put a dent in the market share claimed by the behemoth World of Warcraft. Initially, things looked extremely positive for everyone involved. TOR sat at an 83% aggregate score on GameRankings and 85/100 on Metacritic. Critically speaking, it was a return to form.

Financially speaking, it was another story. The game began leaking users en masse. By May of 2012, it had lost nearly a quarter of its initial user base. Publisher Electronic Arts claimed that the decrease was due to casual and trial players cycling out of the game, but that didn’t help matters. TOR never had enough users to absorb that kind of loss. By November, the losses had become so drastic that EA and LucasArts were forced to switch to the free-to-play format to try and make money on microtransactions and level caps.

If The Force Unleashed II was the catalyst, The Old Republic was perhaps the final blow. Three straight marquee, AAA titles had failed to live up to expectations over the course of five years. For most studios, this would be a disaster that would be impossible to recover from. Thankfully for LucasArts, Bioware took the brunt of this disaster, but the damage was done for everyone involved. The Old Republic hadn’t turned into the MMO money stream everyone was hoping for.

LucasArts was in clear trouble. The kind of trouble that kills most studios.

Too Little, Too Late

At E3 2012, LucasArts emerged back on the scene with a cinematic trailer for something that looked stunning: Star Wars 1313. This, perhaps more than anything else that LucasArts had shown off in nearly half a decade, seemed to ooze with promise and potential. The audience it was screened for was blown away and it was the talk of the entire convention. The Star Wars blogosphere was abuzz as well, and almost instantly it became one of the most anticipated releases in the entire fandom.

Unfortunately, LucasArts didn’t say much more about the game after it was showed off at E3. When asked, they would respond with weak assurances that things were still in the works, but a few months later it became concerning that they hadn’t divulged any additional details. In February of this year, Kotaku’s Stephen Totilo profiled the game and noted that even before the Disney sale, LucasArts was being so quiet about the game it was alarming.

It’s unclear as to whether this silence was because the Disney sale was imminent or because, more alarmingly, they were struggling internally with the game. Totillo noted that work had begun back in 2009 and in 2010, they were forced to scale back due to budgetary reasons. It’s possible that this game, independent of Disney, was another casualty of the shifting focuses at LucasArts. Supposedly development was going well into 2011 or 2012, but the new overlords at Disney wanted to shift focus away from that era and 1313 got caught in the crossfire.

A little under two months after that post at Kotaku, LucasArts was closed down.

Misplaced Blame

Many fans were incensed at the news, but that was perhaps understandable. Only a few weeks earlier it was announced that Lucasfilm was downsizing another division, Lucasfilm Animation. As a result, the popular The Clone Wars television series was put into a wind-down state earlier than fans anticipated. The news of LucasArts, it seemed, was just Disney throwing its weight around and cancelling things it didn’t need. While the tale of Lucasfilm Animation and Disney could use its own deep investigation, it’s much easier to understand what happened at LucasArts.

In 2004, the company shifted directions dramatically and set itself on a dangerous path. By 2008, LucasArts was running with an internal-focus without enough internal talent to pull it off. By 2012, three straight marquee title failures had put them in a nosedive and left them essentially on life support from Lucasfilm.

Many other game developers couldn’t have withstood the onslaught of failure that LucasArts had. An argument could be made that the Star Wars intellectual property wasn’t best served with that studio anymore simply because it had been too long since there was a solid hit and the quantity of games they were pushing out the door had fallen under acceptable levels. In a strange way, this news was potentially a positive development for fans of Star Wars games. For Disney and Lucasfilm, there was sadly only one smart thing to do. LucasArts needed to close down and the IP needed to be handed to developers who could handle it.

At the time of the Lucasfilm sale in 2012, LucasArts was lucky to still be alive. On April 3 2013, that luck finally ran out.

Given the lingering hard feelings over Lucasfilm Animation and the cancellation of The Clone Wars, it’s easy to get upset at Disney. I would caution against it, however. Lucasarts was a development studio that was in trouble years before Disney even came into the picture. The number of titles they released plummeted around 2006-2007 and the marquee titles they did release were not well received critically. The Force Unleashed and its sequel were regarded as middling titles and The Old Republic was a huge expenditure that failed to put a dent in the MMO market.

There’s also this to consider:

LucasArts just announced It is moving to a licensing model for games, moving away from development.

— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) April 3, 2013

Lucasarts has been a development studio in trouble for years. This studio getting shut down doesn’t mean the end of Star Wars games. If anything, I view it as a hopeful thing. For whatever reason, they have been unable to produce quality products internally for a number of years and they probably could have and should have been closed down sooner to redistribute that valuable IP.

If Disney is licensing the Star Wars IP now to other studios, that could be great news for fans.

Edit: Official statement from Lucasfilm

GameInformer received a statement from Lucasfilm discussing the closure of the studio.

“After evaluating our position in the games market, we’ve decided to shift LucasArts from an internal development to a licensing model, minimizing the company’s risk while achieving a broader portfolio of quality Star Wars games. As a result of this change, we’ve had layoffs across the organization. We are incredibly appreciative and proud of the talented teams who have been developing our new titles.”

In addition, Kotaku is now reporting that Star Wars 1313 and First Assault have been canceled

Staff were informed of the shutdown this morning, according to a reliable Kotaku source. Some 150 people were laid off, and both of the studio’s current projects—Star Wars: First Assault and Star Wars 1313—were cancelled. Disney will still use the LucasArts name to license games, but the studio is no more.

Yes that is a Rogue Squadron hockey jersey and good heavens I want it so much. It even features the Rogue Squadron insignia on the shoulders! If you head over to the product page and you have $95 on hand, you can order yourself up a custom jersey that lets you supply your own name and number. Maybe instead of a Skywalker 77 you want an Antilles 77?

Lest you think that this is an April Fool’s joke that didn’t catch on until today, fear not. Deadline.com reported that Pixar had started work on a Finding Nemo sequel back in July 2012.

As for what’s going to happen, MTV.com has offered a quote from returning director Andrew Stanton on what Finding Dory will entail:

One thing we couldn’t stop thinking about was why she was all alone in the ocean on the day she met Marlin. In ‘Finding Dory,’ she will be reunited with her loved ones, learning a few things about the meaning of family along the way.

Finding Dory is expected in theatres 25 November 2015.

And they’re going to do something about it.

Gender politics is a messy thing and I don’t like to speak for the whole community, but if we’re still in the active pursuit of the answer to where women in genre are, then we have a problem. One heck of a problem. It’s healthy to talk about it, but it’s also healthy to do something about it, too.

Here’s what I will do in April. I’ll dedicate each day to tell a story about how a woman in genre has changed my life for the better through her hard work and dedication. That’s 30 days and 30 kick-ass women – critically acclaimed and small press names, new talent and established names, in the limelight and involved behind the scenes.

This is what the Women in Genre month is about and I’d like to see you talk online about all the wonderful women you encounter and admire. Let’s praise and celebrate and change the tone of the current conversation about gender in genre. I believe that if we push female creators to the forefront, we’ll send the correct message and maybe cure our gender blindness at least a little bit. And men talking about women will make all the difference.

If you want to join the conversation, SFF has ways for you to contribute to Women in Genre month.

At WonderCon, Dark Horse announces new eight issue Star Wars series for September - The Star Wars. Based on George Lucas‘ original concept that eventually became the Star Wars films.

Featuring Darth Vader not as a Sith/Jedi but just a General. Anakin Starkiller. An old General Luke Skywalker.  Jonathan Rinzler will write and Mike Mayhew will do the art.

Dark Horse also shared some concept artwork for the new series which you can see at the link above. For continuity purists, don’t even try to mesh this into canon and just enjoy it for what it is. A fun Infinities-style what-if.

I asked my good friend Lisa what she’d like to see in the Sequel Trilogy. She was kind enough to write the following editorial for us. There’s no denying her insights are mind-boggling. We can only hope that J.J. Abrams and Michael Arndt take some of her ideas to heart. – Nanci 

* * *

No one is denying how epic the movies in the Star Wars universe can be. I just think we can all agree that a new set of movies is the perfect time to shift the scope to smaller, more personal stories. Working on a smaller scale will also help them move toward featuring fan-favorite characters who haven’t had enough screentime in the past.

Not to mention that while the star wars themselves are a serious topic, there is plenty of room in the ‘verse for humor. Every movie doesn’t have to be Fate and Choice and War and Noooooooooooooooooooooooo! As a veritable Star Wars expert, I think it’s finally my turn to throw my hat in the ring with a few ideas for movies that should absolutely become part of the next trilogy.

Imagine Eddie Murphy’s head under there and Fett gets even more amazing.

Bounty Hunters: We Do Need Their Scum

Everyone’s favorite bounty hunters take the lead: I know Boba Fett gets all of the attention (probably due to his admittedly impressive accordion skills and theme song), but there’s a lot more to these bounty hunters than meets the eye. If we gather them all together for a family reunion, there’s bound to be enough drama (and let’s be honest- explosions) for a dozen movies. Depending on when in the timeline it’s set, the story could tie in with events from the earlier movies or be something completely new. Humor, adventure, bickering with the clone you raised as your own child…it’s basically everything movie audiences are looking for. Bonus point: they can cast Eddie Murphy as all of the Fetts!

Han and Leia: The Disney Version

Disney’s newest princess will definitely kick ass and take names: Star Wars is a timeless tale that will be passed down to our children and our children’s children, much in the same way that classic fairy tales were passed down to us- through catchy songs and an unstoppable marketing team.. Now that Disney has their hand in the pot, it’s only natural for their newest princess to get her own animated feature, complete with musical numbers. Leia is perfect for the new, snarkier direction Disney’s been taking their animated features in, and Han Solo is absolutely the love interest our daughters deserve. Besides, let’s be honest here- fairy tales don’t really count until Disney tells us they do. Bonus point: hook those fake nerd girls while they’re young!

Stormtroopers in Love

Now imagine they’re kissing!

The stormtrooper rom-com we’ve all been waiting for: They are, by far, the most ubiquitous characters in the Star Wars universe, but how much do we actually know about the stormtroopers? I’m not talking about things like their collective inability to hit a target or the fact that they’re all named Harry. That’s the simple stuff. We need to go deeper, if they’re going to get their own feature. We need to learn the important things, like their hopes, their dreams, and their workout regimen. At the end of the day, I think they want what we all want- to find love and gluten-free desserts in an uncivilized world. Isn’t it time they got it? Bonus point: finally, a Star Wars movie you can see with your girlfriend!

Crossover Appeal

Once the Star Wars cinematic universe is established as an undeniable part of our movie culture, even to the people who for some crazy reason have never seen a Star Wars movie, it’ll be time for the franchise crossovers to begin. My personal votes are for the Fast and the Furious (2 Fast Tatooine Furious?) or Step Up (a wookiee vs. stormtrooper dance fight will literally end all war on this planet) franchises, but there are so many possibilities out there!

The crossover that’s been waiting to happen.

If you’re even close to my age, when you think about DC comics, you can’t help but think about some of the incredible animated programs that have been created over the course of the last twenty-one years.  To most of us, we know that his work more or less started with Batman: The Animated Series, which eventually became The Adventures of Batman and Robin.  In truth, a quick look at Timm’s IMDB page will show you he actually started working with DC animated characters as far back as 1981 on The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam!

With that in mind, Batman: TAS began a setting that has been lovingly known as the DC Timmverse, owing to his role as character designer on that program and many, many more roles within that setting throughout time.  That show started the pattern of his later work with the characteristic stylized physiques and clean lines of super-heroes.  Timm’s work never had to accentuate musculature with dozens of dark lines like you might have seen a contemporary Marvel work, X-Men, instead depending on silhouettes that cut a heroic figure.

The Timmverse expanded to include a Superman series, Batman Beyond, and two Justice League series along with a handful of movies, one of which even received a full theatrical release, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.  If you haven’t seen this film, I strongly recommend you go out and buy a copy, don’t rent it, buy it.  You won’t be sorry.  It’s a wholly original story with some fairly adult themes and you can never go wrong with our good friend Mark Hamill as the Joker.

Timm went on to work as executive producer on Teen Titans, Green Lantern: The Animated Series, and, if you’ve seen a DC animated feature since 2007, chances are that he was executive producer on those, too.

Some of the most recognized characters in comics today had their start in the Timmverse or their modern conceptions were fundamentally formed by his work.  For instance, Harley Quinn, the Joker’s on-again-off-again love interest/lackey did not exist until she appeared in Batman.  The interpretation of the Question as a Mulder-esque conspiracy theorist (in a hilarious way) appeared in Justice League Unlimited initially.  Perhaps the most important fact remains that the voices that we associate with many of these characters have their origins in the Timmverse, Kevin Conroy is the voice I hear in my head when I read Batman, Mark Hamill is the Joker (and voiced Solomon Grundy and the Trickster), George Newbern is Superman, when Adam Baldwin isn’t, anyway.

In essence, here’s what I’m getting at.  The Timmverse created an easily accessible way for kids, teens and adults to get into comics without needing eighty-years of background knowledge.  In many cases, especially in Batman, those stories were adult, complex and hold up even now and I suspect they will for a while.

I know that we can’t give Bruce Timm all the credit for laying that foundation, there were whole teams of men and women working to make it come together and I’m sure he’d be the first to point that out.  But there’s a reason that the animated setting wasn’t simply known as DC Animated, it was the Timmverse.  At the end of the day, when we see the last of Mr Timm at the helm, it will be a sad one.  The man with the unenviable position of taking his place will have a hard road to travel and a ludicrously long shadow to fill, but I suspect he’ll do okay.  He just won’t be Bruce Timm.

And that’s bullshit.

**SPECIAL BONUS** Bruce Timm appears on Conan to help him develop a superhero based on himself.  Skip to the 4:50 mark to see it.

To say things have blown up since the sale of Lucasfilm to Disney and the announcement of the Sequel Trilogy would be an understatement. There seems to be a belief among the most ardent of Star Wars fans that the Expanded Universe and the Sequel Trilogy cannot exist simultaneously. One has to vanish in order for the other to thrive.

To borrow a phrase from Nanci earlier this week, I say bullshit.

Adjusting Expectations

Before delving too deep into things, it’s time for a bit of recalibration.

To Expanded Universe Completists:

The Expanded Universe is going to change even if you don’t want it to. You need to embrace that now.

The Expanded Universe as you know it is going to go through an evolution, but that isn’t a bad thing. Right now there’s no telling exactly what that change will be, but change will happen. One change you may soon have to embrace? The EU as you know it will probably be less tied to the film universe than it used to be. This is inevitable because Star Wars is a film-first intellectual property. It always has been.

Not everything in the EU is sacred

It’s okay that things are going to change and it’s okay that the films are going to disregard large swaths of the EU. There’s a lot of content in the books and comics that are of questionable quality and, frankly, should be ignored by the films. Can you imagine the films having to acknowledge that The Crystal Star exists? That’s absurd! You don’t want that, so it’s okay if some books and comics are deemed to be slightly less real than other things in the Star Wars universe. Not everything from the Expanded Universe is going to carry into new films and other animated Lucasfilm projects and that’s for the best.

To Film Purists:

The Expanded Universe isn’t going away even if you want it to. You need to embrace that now.

Origin: Expanded Universe

Plenty of content creators have figured out how to deal with different elements of their intellectual properties that don’t perfectly align with each other. Lucasfilm Licensing is not going to stop publishing existing Star Wars Expanded Universe material just because new films contradicted them. Heir to the Empire is going to continue to be a popular seller and a popular book as will other EU material.

What’s more, there’s a good chance that EU elements are going to make their way to the new films. Many of the arguments as to why Disney and Lucasfilm would never let this happen are silly. Don’t forget, there’s already established precedence for EU material making its way into primary canon and that’s for the best because there exists some great material to adapt from books and comics. It’s not going to vanish because there are new films.

Conformity, Walking Away, and Hard Reboots: Varying Degrees of Viability

The first thing we as fans need to understand is that the Expanded Universe and the films already exist as parallel canons. Perhaps this has been danced around and was never fully confirmed, but last fall it became crystal clear and formally official in the Essential Reader’s Companion:

“The most definitive canon of the Star Wars universe is encompassed by the feature films and television productions in which George Lucas is directly involved. The movies and The Clone Wars television series are what he and his handpicked writers reference when adding cinematic adventures to the Star Wars oeuvre.

But Lucas allows for an Expanded Universe that exists parallel to the one he directly oversees. In many cases, the stewards of the Expanded Universe-editors within the licensing division-of Lucasfilm Limited who work with authors and publishers-will ask for his input or blessings on projects. Though these stories may get his stamp of approval, they don’t enter his canon unless they are depicted cinematically in one of his projects.” – Pablo Hidalgo

So what does all this mean with regards to the upcoming sequel trilogy? For the last thirty years, the post-Return of the Jedi Expanded Universe has been able to go its own direction with only minor cleanups needed here and there because of the prequel films and The Clone Wars. When it comes to minor details, it’s easy retcon issues back into place and even easier to hand-wave things away because more often than not, it’s just a minor quibble. When things went a little out of line, editors and authors didn’t have to work too hard to get these parallel canons to mirror each other again.

The sequel trilogy, however, is quite likely going to complicate things. The Episode VII creative talent certainly could run everything by Leland Chee to ensure the script isn’t treading on the Expanded Universe, but we all have to be honest and admit that’s a complete non-starter.

There’s an awful lot of minutiae involved with forty in-universe years of books and comics. It’s hard to sit an audience down and tell them “By the way? You missed a galaxy-shattering conflict with the Vong and another Galactic Civil War caused by Han and Leia’s son Jacen who was killed by their daughter Jaina and their other son Anakin is already dead. Oh, and Chewie’s dead too. A moon fell on him.”

If conforming to the Expanded Universe isn’t an option, a second option bandied about by many fans is to stop publishing new EU material and merely walk away from it all. While I could write an entire column by itself on why this is a poor approach, I’ll settle for going out on a limb and say that simply putting an end to EU publishing isn’t going to happen, as much as some vocal fans wish it would. There’s a sizable enough fanbase and, more importantly, it makes money. This option is nearly as unlikely and as much of a non-starter as the films conforming to the EU.

A third option fans advocate for is a hard reboot of the Expanded Universe to fit the new films. Of the three common fan-proposed options, this one probably has the most validity. Essentially, either large swaths or the entirety of the EU as it exists right now are deemed to be Infinities status and rendered entirely non-canon before the eyes of Lucasfilm. On the surface, this makes sense. To continue to mirror the film universe and be a closer parallel canon, Lucasfilm would have to chuck much of what has been written in the Post-Return of the Jedi timeframe and start over. While this option is the most feasible of the three, it still leaves a bit to be desired for a lot of fans.

There’s a fourth option to consider and one that seems to fly under the radar of most Star Wars fans. It’s even been used by another big-name Disney property: Marvel Comics.

Marvel’s Multiverse: A Blueprint for Star Wars

To set this up simplistically, Marvel has three primary universes these days*. There’s the Marvel Earth-616 universe, or sort of the “prime” canon. There’s also the Ultimate Marvel universe that’s rooted in the foundation of Earth-616 but splits off to re-imagine certain elements, characters, and set off on its own timeline. Finally, there’s the Marvel Film Universe that can draw inspiration from a number of different places.

*There are countless other offshoot and parallel universes that receive less attention, but right now there are three that are the main focus for the Marvel creative staff.

In Marvel, you’ve got a big-name intellectual property that’s supporting three universes that, while rooted in the same basic lore, are unique entities. Even though they are unique, all three universes are healthy and popular and, somehow, manage to simultaneously exist without alienating fans or tripping over each other. Let’s draw some quick comparisons…

• Star Wars films::Marvel Earth-616
• Current EU::Ultimate Marvel

The first connection is obvious. The Star Wars films and Earth-616 are considered to be the primary canon. The Expanded Universe as it exists now is more along the lines of the Ultimate Marvel universe. That isn’t perfectly analogous since the Expanded Universe as we currently know it wasn’t launched as an acknowledged re-imagining of characters and the universe. Ultimately*, the end result will likely be similar once the sequel films are introduced.

*I’m so sorry.

It’s going to be hard if not impossible to keep the current EU “parallel” with the films. It would be more … Tangential? Perpendicular? Whatever you want to call it, the sequel films will make it less of a mirror image and something else. The EU will still mirror Star Wars as we knew it in 2012, but it will likely diverge from the sequel trilogy.

There’s also another possibility that could open the door for some very fun storytelling opportunities. Consider a second Expanded Universe canon that splits off a point in the timeline of the existing EU to follow the lore the Sequel Trilogy will provide. This becomes the new parallel canon that closely matches the films. Simultaneously, it can draw from and adapt material from the pre-existing Expanded Universe. If I could make another comparison…

• Hypothetical “New Parallel” EU::Marvel Film Universe

In a three-universe setup like Marvel has, the third universe is in a place to do some pretty neat things because, theoretically, it has the freedom to draw from multiple sources in the macro universe. If a future Marvel film wanted to borrow elements from both Earth-616 and Ultimate, it could and it would make sense. Likewise, this hypothetical new parallel EU canon could draw from the current EU while still falling in line with the new films.

How Star Wars and the Multiverse can get Along

By now there are no doubt Expanded Universe Completists and Film Purists that want nothing more than to throttle me. I hope they bear with me for a little longer, because I do believe emulating Marvel’s three-canon approach has tremendous merit and is perhaps the ideal plan for the Star Wars storytelling moving forward.

In this setup, the films will continue to be the prime canon and be the most official thing in an utterly fictional macro universe. The films would explain exactly what pre-existing characters are up to forty or so years after Return of the Jedi, introduce new faces, and detail key history. While making boatloads of money and introducing an entirely new generation to the Star Wars mythos, it also sets the tone for what a new parallel canon Expanded Universe would attempt to mirror for years to come.

The hypothetical new parallel Expanded Universe canon would continue the long tradition of Star Wars literature closely emulating the film canon. This new EU branch would root itself firmly in the new films and explore and expand on the characters and topics introduced on the silver screen, much like our current EU explored and expanded the characters and topics introduced in the previous six installments.

The EU as we know it now can continue to live on as an offshoot-canon rather than a parallel canon. The SkySolo offspring EU readers have grown fond of over the last twenty years will have more adventures. Eventually the books can tie up with the Legacy comics and, who knows, things may even progress further down that timeline. In this approach, all of the Expanded Universe material you’ve come to enjoy and cherish over the years still counts, is still relevant, and is still part of an overarching and growing timeline. Even if the other two Star Wars canons move in different directions.

This setup even allows for the possibility of some of the most iconic Expanded Universe material staying within the parallel canon. If the new films take place forty years after Return of the Jedi, it’s going to be tricky to explicitly state everything Luke, Han, and Leia have been up to in that timeframe*. Because of that, it’s within the realm of possibility that a split in the timeline between the new EU/films wouldn’t take place right after Return of the Jedi. Instead, it could take place after something like The Last Command. Maybe even Vision of the Future.

*Unless, of course, you make Episode VII two-and-a-half hours of text crawl.

These three universes would also be able to play off one another and adapt material from each other. The new films could easily bring in characters, settings, and concepts from books and comics already in the Star Wars lexicon. Need a Jedi with solid detective skills? Corran Horn fits the bill. Children for Han and Leia? There’s Anakin, Jacen, and Jaina, take your pick. Wife and foil for Luke? Well you know where I stand on that.

The multiverse approach accomplishes a lot for fans. It lets the Expanded Universe they’ve come to know and love live on and continue to grow without having to constantly realign itself with the prime canon. It potentially can introduce a new parallel canon that can expand on new material the films will provide. It frees up the films to focus on the story above all else, but keeps the door open to adapt ideas and characters from material that already exists. Most importantly, it opens the door wide open for storytelling opportunities that, prior to October 2012, didn’t exist.

More content and more varied Star Wars content? Sign me up.

The Obligatory Heavy Handed Conclusion

The Star Wars universe is changing rapidly and in ways we really can’t predict. Is the multiverse concept something Lucasfilm is going to run with? It’s possible. I think it’s significantly more likely than the new films conforming to the Expanded Universe or Lucasfilm Licensing washing their hands of the EU and walking away. I even think it’s a more likely and, at the very least, more sensible plan than a hard reboot of the EU. Parallel canons and the multiverse are concepts that fans on both sides of the Expanded Universe divide have to get used to because the new films are going to happen and the EU isn’t going away.

For EU Completists, no matter what happens, nothing can change the enjoyment you’ve gotten from your favorite books and comics. They’ll always be on your shelves and they’ll always be an example of just how big a sandbox the Star Wars universe is. The EU has shown us that there are endless stories to tell and characters to meet. Chances are, it will continue to grow no matter what happens in the films. Maybe it will be a hard reboot. Perhaps it becomes an offshoot canon. For all we know now, a second EU timeline could appear next to what we have now. Whatever path it takes, there’s going to be new content, and I choose to be excited for it.

For Film Purists, you must acknowledge that the EU doesn’t threaten the new films. It can continue on even in its current state and it won’t negatively impact the Sequel Trilogy. The quality of the new films will not be determined by what material is brought in from the Expanded Universe or even its mere existence. It will be determined by the quality of the people writing, directing, acting in, and producing them.

All Star Wars fans must acknowledge that both the Expanded Universe and the film universe can exist simultaneously. While they may be less of a mirror to each other and more unique entities moving forward, there is zero reason for one to vanish or be altered drastically for the other. It’s time for all of us to recognize that Star Wars is a multi-faceted fandom with enormous unrealized potential. Limiting any facet to try and adhere to a single tenuous continuity would be nothing short of tragic for a universe of this size and scope.

What does the multiverse mean to Star Wars? Simply put, it means more Star Wars.

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The hosts are joined by costumers Bria and Heather to talk costuming and cosplay on this episode of Tosche Station Radio!

Kicking off the show, Nanci highlights what’s New on the Blog. Bria reviewed Legacy #1 and visited more of the YJK books on the Waru Express. Meanwhile, Nanci explained how the Sequel Trilogy and the EU aren’t mutually exclusive.

In Fixer’s Flash, Nanci’s kept herself busy by visiting the Orlando Science Center to see the Star Wars: When Science Meets Imagination Exhibit. While there she attended a Q&A and Meet and Greet with Ashley Eckstein. She also started reading Wool by Hugh Howey and Night Train to Rigel by Timothy Zahn. Brian, meanwhile, kept himself busy with sports. Lots of sports. Bria’s been reading Johnathan Strange and Mr. Norrell and has blogged at her other gig at the White Hot Room. Heather was over at PAX East and Brian is very jealous.

Deak’s Dirt kicks off with Harrison Ford talking Episode VII. In that other Star franchise, there’s a new Star Trek Into Darkness international trailer. Her Universe has a new Dalek dress available now and other stuff coming in May. Finally, it’s reported that the Clone Wars bonus content will be two arcs and layoffs at Lucasfilm animation have already taken place.

This week’s Camie’s Concerns is all about costuming and the hosts are joined by staff writer and White Hot Room blogger Bria as well as Zhobot’s Heather. Did you know they’re both also members of The Lady Rogues and the Outlander Club? The guests and hosts discuss the allure of cosplay and costuming, the cosplay they’ve done, and offer up advice for costuming rookies.

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.

This podcast has been brought to you in part by Her Universe and Audible.com.

Lately I’ve been seeing people argue that Episode VII can’t and shouldn’t use elements from the Expanded Universe, else the story idea will be limited. I certainly understand that argument. Also, we already know that Episode VII will follow an original storyline, meaning Episodes VII, VIII, and IX won’t be The Thrawn Trilogy or some other EU book. People point to that statement as evidence that the Sequel Trilogy won’t use anything from the EU, because it would be too difficult to explain who these new characters are.

To that, I say bullshit.

That’s not to say I expect Mara Jade to show up in Episode VII. After all, Lucas has said in the past that he doesn’t envision Luke being married. But for argument’s sake, let’s assume Luke is married in the sequels (because Lucas has been known to change his mind, and he isn’t writing this story). If they take place forty or so years after the Battle of Yavin, when the characters are about the same age as the actors who portrayed them, Luke would already be married with children. What would be the point of having him married to someone other than Mara Jade? They’d have to introduce a “new” character to the movie audience anyway, so why not just use the character EU audiences know?

Now that doesn’t mean they’d have to stick to her entire backstory. All we really need to know about her is that she’s a Jedi and maybe that she used to serve Palpatine. She could have a throwaway line at some point about how the villain seems familiar. She and Luke could have some witty dialogue about a previous situation: “You and I remember Myrkr very differently!” And there you go. Backstory established, we can get on with the plot.

Of course, Mara’s dead in the EU, so they could just stick to that and have Luke’s kids have red hair or something. Have him say some sad line about their mother being so proud. The end.

You’re probably rolling your eyes and saying “yes Nanci, we know you love Mara Jade.” Well yes, I do, and I’d love for her to be involved or at least mentioned in the sequels. But other characters can be involved, too! Let’s take the Solo kids. We’ve all heard the rumors that the sequels will involve either Solo or Skywalker children. The EU gave us three Solo kids, so why not just use them? That’s not to say they have to stick to the story the EU gave us. Jacen and/or Anakin could still be alive and kicking butt alongside Jaina. That would be pretty awesome, right?

I fully understand not wanting the sequels to be restricted to the story the EU has given us. After all, the point is to have something new, right? But I don’t understand why that automatically means nothing from the EU will be included. Even if it’s just character names and traits—Jaina can fly, and Mara’s sarcastic—why not use them if they’re already there? It’s like Coruscant. Everyone who read The Thrawn Trilogy prior to the prequels knew that the galactic capital was named Coruscant. When The Phantom Menace came out, I was overjoyed that they kept the name. Lucas could have changed it, and it would certainly have been his right to do so, but why bother?

I just don’t get the argument that it would be too difficult to explain EU characters and elements. Movies do this all the time. Look at A New Hope: we get establishing information in the crawl about the Empire, Rebel Alliance, Death Star, and Princess Leia. Within ten minutes we’re introduced to C-3PO and R2-D2 and get a gist of their relationship. Darth Vader appears and we know he’s the bad guy just from his posture. Luke shows up and it’s obvious within less than two minutes that he’s a whiny farm kid (but I still love him). Obi-Wan appears, and he’s very mysterious and has a history with Vader and Luke’s father. We don’t know what that history is yet, but it’s something big.

Of course they hadn’t been written yet, but A New Hope made no attempt to explain the entire backstory of the prequels, and we still knew exactly what we needed to know to enjoy the story! It’s called exposition, dialogue, and acting. If you need another example, look to The Avengers. That movie took characters from several different movies and combined them into one cohesive story, and you didn’t have to see any of the other movies to get what was going on.

TL; DR: If Episode VII comes out and includes Mara Jade or any other major characters from the EU, I will be very pleasantly surprised. But if Episode VII comes out and includes absolutely nothing from the EU—no references, no character names, no planets, etc.—I will be even more surprised. There’s no reason why Michael Arndt and J.J. Abrams can’t use elements from the EU and still not be beholden to it.

This is another Hot Topic exclusive item that fans can pick up for $26.50-30.50. Keep in mind that Ashley did say this one runs small but not as small as the previous TARDIS dress.

I can safely say this is my favorite use of thirty remote control quadrocopters ever. Of course, you have to think that the local authorities were flooded with panicked people calling in UFO sightings.

Via The Bearded Trio

A source in the know tells me that Lucasfilm is only finishing two story arcs from the material that they had planned for The Clone Wars Season Six. Among the story arcs that will not emerge in this post-cancellation era is one that dealt with Boba Fett and the other bounty hunters who have menaced the heroes for several seasons. This story arc, which my source tells me was almost done, would have shown us the fates of Cad Bane and Aurra Sing.

Based on this report and the mere fact this material is being called “bonus content,” I doubt that there’s going to be much in the way of meaningful conclusions for lingering questions in this era. At least in an animated format, anyway. This could be an area where the Expanded Universe comes in to fill the void, either in comic or written form.

Additionally, it appears that layoffs occurred at Lucasfilm Animation last Friday. While it’s not unusual for an animation studio to experience layoffs after the conclusion of a project, it’s still a disappointment to fans and the employees involved. With any luck, they’ll be able to land work quickly. I wouldn’t be surprised if Disney proper comes calling for their services when it’s time to escalate work on the next Star Wars animated series.

Good news, everyone! The @heruniverse Rogue Squadron tank and dress are in and will be available in May (and at Star Wars Weekends). Eee!

— Nanci Schwartz (@nancipants) March 23, 2013

She also debuted a new Padme tee featuring artwork by Tsuneo Sanda.

Also of note from Nanci, the Rogue Squadron tank/dress and the new Padme tee will be available at Star Wars Weekends. The new Clone Wars shirt that had been shown off earlier won’t be ready quite yet.

Return to Ord Mantell
I’d forgotten that I dislike Anja Gallandro.  It’s not that I hate her or have some vendetta against her.  I just don’t like her and I’m okay with her not having appeared in the Expanded Universe otherwise.  On the other hand, I suppose these books can serve as another chapter in the ‘Don’t do spice, kids,’ grand story.

It’s always fun getting to see the twins get some serious page time with Han.  This book gets double fun points before it’s diving into Han’s smuggler past.  Watching Jaina fly the Falcon with her father never fails to make me smile.

Zekk’s journey towards becoming a proper Jedi Knight gets its start here.  The more I think about it, the more I appreciate that this plotline wasn’t rushed.  I also appreciate that he decided to combine his piloting skills with his Force abilities to win the Derby.

Oh.  And we get cameos from Kyp Durron and Streen which is always lovely.  I can’t help how much I love that jerk of a Jedi.

Trouble on Cloud City
Ugh, Anja.  According to Wookieepedia, you are 11 years older than Jacen and 9 years older than Zekk.  Please stop flirting with them.  They are teenagers and it is creepy.

Lando’s taking the kids on a working vacation to his new entertainment/amusement center on Cloud City so they can be his test subjects.  As we all know by now, this ends badly.  Are there any bigger trouble magnets in the galaxy than Lando and the Solo twins?

This book actually turned out to be a fun action packed read.  While it’s one storyline, the kids end up getting split into two different teams to investigate different leads.  Jacen almost dies in the process but thankfully doesn’t.  Seriously though: who thought that Cloud City was a good idea?  That just screams ‘safety hazard’ to me.

Crisis at Crystal Reef
Aha!  I was right!  Zekk does build his very own lightsaber and it has an orange blade.

Half the book takes place on Calamari and the other half on Kessel.  In a book with a spice addict, Kessel was only a matter of time.  It’s nice that Nien Nunb is still running the place although I hardly think it counts as a vacation spot.  It’s inevitable that things go bad ant that Czethros and Black Sun make a move to take over the mines.  Again, it was only a matter of time. Good thing Jaina and Lowbacca are there to save the day.

Jacen, Tenel Ka, and Zekk definitely get the much nice assignment.  Tracking down Anja at the Crystal Reef resort and almost getting eaten by a giant sea creature is definitely nicer.  Sure they almost died too but it could’ve been worse!

Unfortunately, that’s the end of the Young Jedi Knights books and also the end of the happy fun times.  Things are going to be tragic soon.  EVERYONE IS GOING TO DIE AND NO ONE WILL BE HAPPY EVER AGAIN.  If you’d like to follow my tragic journey into the Yuuzhan Vong war in real time, you can follow me on Twitter @chaosbria or the hashtag #WaruExpress.

Shards of Alderaan
Just like with the first arc, KJA and Rebecca Moesta take the first book to set the stage for the new story.  Raynar Thul, the annoying brat from the previous books, gets the chance to move towards the forefront.  Unfortunately, it’s because his father has disappeared and Boba Fett is hunting him but nothing’s perfect, right?

It always amuses me that it feels like everyone gets a spaceship in this book.  Granted, by everyone, I just mean Zekk and Tenel Ka but still.  Poor Jaina still doesn’t have her own ship but she gets to be the Rock Dragon’s pilot so I guess it evens out.  And then Zekk gets the Lightning Rod.  I actually think it’s pretty cool that Zekk decides to become a bounty hunter and doesn’t immediately try to become a Jedi.  The poor boy deserves some time to try and figure out who he is.

On top of that, it’s actually incredibly sweet that the twins decide to give their mother a piece of Alderaan for her birthday.  Obviously things inevitably go wrong but it really is a nice gesture.  Oh the Solo children. <3

Diversity Alliance
I’m finally recalling that I probably left my Raynar mocking and teasing a bit too late because he actually gets character development in these books.  I can’t help but like him and the rest of his family during that Alderaanian Water Ceremony.  Tyko Thul might have to be the exception though because that man just comes off as mostly being infuriating.

The plot certainly gets a swift kick forward in this book.  Zekk stumbles into an incredibly dead planet and that foreshadowing from Darkest Knight comes into play.  Lowie’s friend Raaba, who had disappeared and was presumed dead, turns up as a member of the Diversity Alliance.  While it’s great that she’s alive, she has unfortunate taste in affiliations although I can see how at least the idea of the Diversity Alliance is appealing to aliens as a safe haven.  Too bad Nolaa Tarkona didn’t listen to that wise man who once said “Killing people doesn’t make them like you.  It just makes them dead.”

I’m also starting to question Luke’s qualifications as a teacher.  He’s letting a bunch of 14 year olds fly around the galaxy on their own?  Come on, Luke.  You watched your niece and nephew grow up.  This will inevitably end badly.  Han and Leia might be the worst parents in the galaxy but Luke is probably the worst teacher.  Way To Go, Skywalkers.

Delusions of Grandeur
First things first since I’ve apparently failed to mention it before now: Jacen’s massive crush on Tenel Ka is ridiculously adorable.  He’s always so worried about making a good impression and trying to make her laugh with his corny jokes.  It is really cute and now I’m bitter that it will all go up in flames one day.  Likewise, Jaina’s slightly less obvious crush on Zekk is also adorable.  That one will also eventually go up in flames but those shall be the flames of the great shipwars to come.

But I digress from the actual book.  It turns out that Tyko wasn’t actually kidnapped… he just faked it.  I’m not sure if this is a great or a horrible plan to try and find his brother.  Actually, given that it almost got Bornan captured, I’m going to go with a horrible plan.  This was probably my favorite of the book in this arc so far because it was action packed.  I’m not even a big fan of bounty hunters and I liked how the authors brought back and used a lot of the bounty hunters from Empire Strikes Back.  I always thought IG-88 was kinda cool.

Poor Lowbacca though.  JUST SAY NO TO THE EVIL DIVERSITY ALLIANCE.  I don’t remember what happens to Raaba but I sincerely hope that this doesn’t all end in tears for Lowie and Sirra.

Jedi Bounty
Huzzah Lusa is back!  Well, she actually made her return in the previous book but she gets to be awesome in this book and seems to be the only person with good sense at times.  Running off to Ryloth without telling anyone really isn’t that great of an idea which is probably why they got captured. Seriously though: do the Solo kids not understand how a school works?  You’re not supposed to just leave whenever you want especially without telling anyone because then you get captured and sent to the mines of Ryloth which are only a step or two about the mines of Kessel.

Our young heroes certainly get put through the wringer during this book.  First they have to deal with the mines and then half of them end up in the freezing cold and the other half end up in a horrid desert.  Trouble finds them like no other.  The good news is that they end up being rescued.  The bad news is that the human killing plague is still out there somewhere.  I bet this will be important in the next book.

The Emperor’s Plague
Remember that embarrassing confession from last post?  Here we go with part two.  Darkest Knight was the first Expanded Universe book that I read and this one was the second.  Sure there was a list of the books in the front but apparently that didn’t seem to matter to me and I just read the second book that my grandmother handed me.  Yes, I recall being very confused about what the heck was going on.

On a random side note before we really dive into the book, I love that the Thuls use music as a form of coded communications.  That’s just cool.  I also love that we got a political glimpse in this book.  It was nice getting to see Cilghal in her role as Ambassador again.

The arc comes to an explosive end and the good guys triumph once more.  I always find the ending to be very bittersweet though.  Sure, they eradicate the Emperor’s biological weapons and the Diversity Alliance is disassembled and peace reigns in the galaxy again but it comes at a cost.  Poor Raynar is reunited with his father only for Bornan to die shortly after.  Raaba also ends up being exposed to the plague and although her immune system wins, she decides to quarantine herself for an indefinite amount of time.  Somehow, I think that she and Lowbacca never end up being reunited and that’s rather sad.

And with that, another bad guy group has been defeated!  Next up are the final three books of the Young Jedi Knights series.  Literally all I remember about them is that Zekk makes an orange lightsaber and that the plot revolves around a Spice Head.  This’ll certainly be an interesting ride.  As always, you can follow my progress in real time on Twitter by following me @chaosbria or the hashtag #WaruExpress.

And here’s the international trailer for Star Trek Into Darkness, featuring some new footage. Of coure, right now we’d all like J.J. Abrams to just come out and say what we all already know. Khan. Cumberbatch is playing Khan. Just say it already. SAY IT.

Isn’t the Internet great?

Via The Mary Sue

This review contains mild spoilers for the issue.

Like most first issues, Legacy #1 sets the stage for the story to come.  The galaxy is still recovering from the last war and is lead by a grand new triumvirate.  Imperial Knight Yalta Val has been sent to Carreras to help connect the Outer Rim systems to the rest of the galaxy when the Sith attack.  Meanwhile, Ania Solo, a junkyard dealer on Carreras, stumbles upon a lightsaber and finds plenty of trouble to go with it.

One of the nice things about this book is that it is accessible to both those who did and did not read the original Legacy comics.  While this is certainly a sequel to the events of the previous comic, Bechko and Hardman give new readers enough context clues so they won’t feel completely lost.  Although the galaxy is certainly quite different from the one 100 years ago, this issue absolutely has a very Star Wars feel to it.  The plot is decent enough although it’s difficult to really pass judgement since this first issue really is mostly exposition.  That said, the writers certainly left me intrigued and wanting to know what’s going to happen next with both of the plot threads started here.

Hardman’s art is also a nice touch for the book that works especially well for the battle sequences.  I also have to applaud him for the costume design for Ania and predict we’ll see at least a few Ania costumes at conventions this summer.

The most important thing about Legacy #1, of course, is that it introduces readers to Ania Solo, a descendent of Han and Leia.   The Solo Attitude is definitely strong with this one.  Ania certainly has the potential to become a wonderful character but it’s difficult to form a definitive opinion about her from one issue alone.  She’s smart, she has dreams and ambitions, and she definitely has the Solo charm.  Bechko and Hardman seem to be setting up Ania and Sauk, her Mon Calamari friend, to have a friendship like Han and Chewbacca.

Legacy #1 is an enjoyable enough issue that left me intrigued and wanting to know more.  I give it a 4/5 and suggest that you give it a try.

Chicago’s WGN TV met up with Harrison Ford yesterday and, as every media outlet seems  to be doing, asked him if he’s going to be involved with Episode VII and the Sequel Trilogy. Long story short? He said nothing is finalized but he’s pretty confident it’s going to happen.

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Hands up if you saw the show getting to fifty episodes. Liars. We sure didn’t.

On this episode of Tosche Station Radio, the hosts are running without show notes to discuss MegaCon, other conventions, and a look back at fifty episodes of the podcast that probably shouldn’t have lasted five. The notes are brief, because the hosts were flying on the seat of their pants. What better way to commemorate the milestone than with an episode that’s as disjointed and unprofessional as the first?

Both Brian and Nanci sincerely thank all of you for listening to the show and sticking with us for over a year. The first fifty episodes have been a blast and we hope the next fifty are even more enjoyable.

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.

Heirs of the Force
First things first: Tenel Ka gets the best character entrance ever.  “Oh don’t mind me.  I’m just going to CLIMB UP THE BACK OF THIS TEMPLE AND POP INTO THE MORNING LESSON.  LIKE A BAMF.”  I love her so much.

Oh!  And I also love that the authors turn a trope on its head at the start of the book because Han brings flowers for Jacen (or rather his pet) and a hyperdrive for Jaina.  The Solos are going to be who they want to be.  Even if it does mean that Jacen has pet snakes.

This book is mostly about introducing us to our four new heroes.  Obviously, we already know Jaina and Jacen Solo who continue with their grand tradition of getting kidnapped.  Good job kids.  At least they’ve learned from experience and don’t actually let Qorl fly off in a TIE fighter with weapons.  We also get to know Tenel Ka and Lowbacca, both young relations to characters we’ve met in the past.  I do think it’s a bit strange that the Solo twins don’t understand Shyriiwook since Chewbacca helped raise them but I can overlook that.  Like I said, this is a set up book and I appreciate it for what it is.

Shadow Academy
I adore this book.  No really.  It’s just… fun.  I mean, it’s not fun for the Solo kids but everyone gets to be awesome which is always cool.  You guys know what I mean by now.  I had fun reading it.

Unfortunately, I had a feeling that these books are just going make me sad about a lot of things from the Legacy of the Force and the Fate of the Jedi books and by things, I mean Jacen going to the Dark Side and Luke turning into a ‘redeem him? lol nope’ sort of guy.  Both of them couldn’t be further from doing that than in this book especially after Luke’s little speech here about not killing unless absolutely necessary.  Ayyyy.

So far, the Solo twins are 2/2 for being kidnapped in these books.  Good job, kids.  Actually, this would be a good time to bring up how deliciously Star Wars these books feel.  It’s a group of friends fighting against the bad guys and Lando Calrissian has yet some other brand new crazy scheme to make money.  I have to say that I really don’t approve of Brakiss and Tamith Kai’s training methods.  Throwing rocks and knives at your students never ends well.

And then, of course, we have Luke and Tenel Ka’s Excellent Adventure.  There really are no words for how much I love this.  Tenel Ka wants to help her friends and Luke accepts that and has her accompany him as a partner on this rescue mission.  He makes sure that she’s absolutely comfortable with going on the mission into a very seedy cantina and then they work together as equals to save the twins and Lowie.  I actually wish that we’d gotten to see more of Luke and Tenel Ka working together in the Expanded Universe.

But hey!  Everyone ended up okay in the end AND the Jedi Academy got a shiny new ship out of the deal.  All’s well that ends well, right?

The Lost Ones
If I thought I could get away with it, I’d spend this entire section making jokes about Zekk eating the garnish because he though it was a salad.  I know it’s mean but I can’t help but laugh hysterically every time I think about it.  It only gets better when you picture him leaving the dinner and finding a rooftop to sing the reprise of One Jump Ahead.

At least Tenel Ka saved the day with her excellent diplomatic knowledge.  Well done, Princess.

I’m sorry.  One last joke about Zekk and his garnish.  We can’t take him anywhere without worrying about him trying to eat the flowers.  I’m done now.  I promise.

Credit where credit’s due: even though Brakiss is stupid for failing to realize that the hologram is clearly NOT Palpatine, his plan to recruit from the underworld of Coruscant is actually rather smart.  If you say nice things to the downtrodden and make like you care about them then yeah, they probably will agree to join your cause.  It’s hard to get angry at the Solo twins for not realizing that Zekk had Force potential though because clearly it’s possible to go through some of your life without others figuring it out.

Really, there’s not much else to say here.  It’s another book that sets the stage for the rest of the series.  At least we finally got to see Leia and Anakin!

Lightsabers
I can safely say that this book absolutely makes my top 10 list of Expanded Universe novels and I promise you that it’s not completely nostalgia based or a hipster attempt.  It’s not only a good story but it’s a fabulous character arc for Tenel Ka.  And then we FINALLY get to see Hapes.  I freaking LOVE that planet because it’s such a crazy culture.  Plus, any time we get Ta’a Chume on page is always an entertaining one.

Obviously, this book is a huge turning point for Tenel Ka.  She loses her arm in a friendly sparring match with a friend, her friends finally find out that she is a bonafide princess, and she finally makes the first steps towards reconciling both her Dathomiri and Hapan heritage.

Above all, I really respect that KJA and Moesta introduce a character with a disability into the Star Wars universe.  Science Fiction/Fantasy/Comics are genres that do not have a ton of main characters with disabilities and even fewer who fall into the hero category.  The book lets us get right into Tenel Ka’s head as she loses a significant portion of her left arm and then has to come to terms with what that means for her future.  While she does have the option of getting a mechanical replacement, she chooses not to because that is simply not who she is.  Instead, she spends the book realizing that the loss does not make her lesser and that she can still be a Jedi.  Throughout the rest of the series, she shows herself to be a very capable young woman and I think she’s an even more wonderful character for it.  I think that some other authors could learn from the character that these two have created.

Really it’s just a solidly good book all around and I always enjoy it.  The schemes of Ambassador Yfra make for good reading and who doesn’t love a good royal assassination attempt plot line?

Darkest Knight
This was actually the very first Expanded Universe book I read.  KJA teases me about this every time I mention it to him.  My only defense is that my grandmother gave it to me and 8 year old Bria wasn’t terribly concerned about not having a clue who most of the characters were because it was more Star Wars.  We’ll get to the part of the story that makes this whole thing worse in the next post.

It was probably about time that Lowbacca got a book.  I can, however, safely say that I would never want to go to Kashyyyk.  It’s a very cool place to look at on screen and in pictures but I prefer to travel to places where I’m not taking my life into my own hands.  Plants that can eat you?  No thanks!  They can eat the Nightsisters instead.  Then again, this is the planet of the wookiees and they aren’t a species I’d like to mess with to start with.

Even though Zekk’s clearly dedicated himself to the Imperial cause, I like that he clearly still cares about the Solo twins.  It makes this all much less of a super dramatic Face Heel Turn.

Can we also take a moment to reflect on how adorable little Anakin Solo is?  I always ‘awww!’ at the part where he sends Tenel Ka a message showing her a method to braid her hair with only one hand because it was a puzzle and he wanted to help.

Jedi Under Siege
“Hey, let’s just kill all these Dark Siders because they can never be redeemed!”  …said Luke Skywalker NEVER in this book.  Sorry, apparently I’m still bitter about some recent developments in the Expanded Universe.  I just didn’t realize how bitter until I reread these books.

The book goes exactly how you’d expect it to go and that’s okay.  The Second Imperium and the Shadow Academy attack the Jedi Academy on Yavin 4 and are soundly defeated and the Emperor is dead because he was never alive again in the first place.  Huzzah!

Recruiting street rats to the Empire was probably the only smart thing that Brakiss did.  His battle plan was less than stellar and asking for single combat with Luke Skywalker is never a good idea.  And we can’t forget that he was hoodwinked by four red guards into thinking Palpatine was still alive.  Gold star, Brakiss, you tried.

On the bright side, Jaina and Zekk have a brief duel but no one dies and everyone is happy.  Okay, sort of happy.  Mostly, we’re just happy that Zekk is going to be redeemed from the Dark Side and not die.

And that’s it for the Second Imperium arc!  Next up… Bounty Hunters!  The Diversity Alliance!  Boba Fett!  (If you didn’t say that last one like Han in Return of the Jedi, you said it wrong.)  Plus, I think it’s finally Raynar Thul’s turn to be the object of my mocking.  As always, you can keep track of my reading progress in real time on Twitter by following me @chaosbria or the hashtag #WaruExpress.  Until next time!

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On this episode of Tosche Station Radio, the hosts are joined friend of the show Grace to discuss The Clone Wars and fandom!

Kicking things off, Nanci highlights what’s New on the Blog. The Waru Express visits the Hand of Thrawn, Scourge, and Survivor’s Quest. Next stop, Young Jedi Knights! The staff posted their list of the 15 Best Things in the Expanded Universe. Meanwhile, Brian offered his thoughts on the (at the time) possible end of The Clone Wars.

In Fixer’s Flash, Nanci’s kept herself busy by writing and submitting a short story. Brian attempted (but failed) to take advantage of getting a bunch of Marvel #1 issues from ComiXology. When the promotion does come back, he thinks readers should take advantage of it to pick up Hawkeye and Captain Marvel. He’s also getting set to fly across the country to Orlando. Why? Both Brian and Nanci are going to be at MegaCon on Saturday! If you’re going to be there, flag down the hosts for some nifty Tosche Station swag.

Deak’s Dirt kicks off with the Lucasfilm sale being profiled in Bloomberg Businessweek. The takeaway? George Lucas blabbed and said Lucasfilm and Hamill, Fisher, and Ford were in final talks to reprise their roles in the Sequel Trilogy. Unfortunately, Disney’s Bob Iger says nothing is confirmed but talks have taken place. Joss Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing trailer and both of the hosts are very excited for a new take on Shakespeare. In further Episode VII news, Billy Dee Williams is rumored to have been approached to reprise his role as Lando. Finally in less-than-happy news, it was announced that there would be a new direction for Lucasfilm Animation. This means that The Clone Wars would be winding down and Detours has been indefinitely postponed. On the significantly more positive side, Lucasfilm did confirm that there will be a new animated series in a new era.

This week on Camie’s Concerns, Brian and Nanci are joined by friend of the show Grace for a discussion covering Star Wars, fandom, and most importantly this week, The Clone Wars. The crew take a look back at Season Five and the series as a whole.

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.

This podcast has been brought to you in part by Her Universe and Audible.com.

I meant to blog this on Monday but, well, things happened.

Digital Spy sat down with Joss Whedon over the weekend to chat about, among other things, what he’d like to see in a standalone Star Wars film if he were hypothetically given the opportunity to direct one.* Long story short? He wouldn’t bring back the original characters for them and would move in a new and fresh direction.

*Could you imagine the fandom’s reaction to that? 

But fans won’t know whether the old cast will make an appearance in the new movies. “George Lucas was quoted as saying they would, but we haven’t made an official announcement yet,” Iger said.

The takeaway from Iger in the video in the CNBC link is that there have been discussions with the actors, but everything is going to hinge on Michael Arndt’s script. Until that script is finished, no one will know for sure what the extent of the OT actors involvement with the new films will be.

According to Film Buff, Billy Dee Williams has been asked to return to the Star Wars universe. As of Emerald City Comic Con a few weeks ago, Williams had not been asked to make an appearance in the new films. That may have changed right after that convention, however. Film Buff’s report indicates that Williams has been approached, but h has not a made a decision yet.

Well, friend of the site Henry R. had a chance to talk to Williams briefly at the Monster Mania convention in New Jersey this past weekend and asked him just that. He reports…

…Billy Dee said, he has been asked, but hasn’t decided if he is going to do it or not yet.

It wouldn’t surprise me if he had recently been approached by Lucasfilm, especially given that George Lucas seemed to confirm that they were in talks with Hamill, Fisher, and Ford. But, as always, it’s not official until Lucasfilm or Disney says it’s official.

Via Club Jade

Scourge
I must admit that I wasn’t expecting much from Scourge mostly because I hadn’t heard much buzz about it.  All I knew is that it involved Hutts.  I was, however, very pleasantly surprised and that is always a good thing.

Overall, this was a solid book.  Personally, I always enjoy getting to see other aspects of the galaxy besides the galaxy shaking problem of the week and the Solo/Skywalker clan regardless of how much I love them.  It’s nice to see a new member of Luke’s Jedi Order especially one who doesn’t fall into the stereotypical Jedi mold.  Mander Zuma is an archivist who is only a warrior when he absolutely has to be.  He can also be a very surprising person who doesn’t fit neatly into the a box.  Plus, he gets to go through a nice arc of character growth as the story progresses.  Reen Irana and Eddey Be’ray are the other two people helping investigate the death of Toro Irana, a Jedi Knight, and they both prove to be interesting characters in their own rights as is Angela Krin.  Heck, even the Hutts are all very distinctive characters who don’t all fall into the Jabba category.  In all honesty, I would mind reading more about these characters.  I don’t love them yet but they are certainly intriguing.

The plot itself was fairly expected for this sort of novel but that’s not a bad thing because if you’re expecting a book about a drug smuggling ring then you’d probably like to get one.  The story felt timeless though and that’s another good thing.  Although there were clearly references to the New Jedi Order and Yavin 4 and such that tied it to the post-RotJ era, the book could have easily been tweaked and set in the Old Republic era and I rather appreciated that.  Like I said above, not every plot line or story needs to be galaxy shattering to be enjoyed.

Oh!  And I actually love the series of twists at the end.  In retrospect, I probably should’ve figured it out a lot sooner than I did but the storyline certainly kept me guessing which in turn definitely kept me reading.

Bottom line is that I recommend it.  It should probably be distributed to certain characters in certain books to reinforce the message of Don’t Do Spice.

Survivor’s Quest
I’m on a roll with the admissions this post so I will also admit that reading this book was a bit bittersweet for me because it meant that I have no more Zahn books to look forward to on this wild ride.

I belatedly realized after I published the previous post that I’d barely talked about the Luke/Mara aspects of the Hand of Thrawn books but a lot of what I love about that can be touched upon here.  Obviously, Survivor’s Quest is clearly a Luke/Mara book.  Actually, the book perfectly illustrates why I really like Luke and Mara as a couple: they are a team.  Obviously they are in love and all that jazz but they also work really well together.  No wonder the Vong are going to give her some weird illness to try and halt the dream team in its tracks.  I don’t know how anyone could not like these two together.  The secondary plot line where Mara seriously considers taking Parck up on his offer and joining the Empire of the Hand is written quite well and I love that Luke was willing to go with her if that’s what she decided was best.  I think it also highlights that the Empire didn’t necessarily have to be bad because law and order aren’t evil.  It was the leadership that made it an evil government that had to be stopped.  All of this, of course, leads into the next point.

We also get a better look at the Chiss and the Empire of the Hand.  Actually, can we get more books about the Empire of the Hand?  How about a story about Baron Fel and how he ended up joining them?  Or anything else about them really.  I’m not picky.  Heck, I’ll happily read another story about Commander Chak Fel.  I liked him and his stormtroopers.  Actually, this seems to be a trend: I like reading stories about small teams of stormtroopers.  Given my strong Rebel Alliance loyalties, this is slightly disturbing.

The only thing I’m pondering now (since this was clearly a good book) is whether I would recommend reading this or Outbound Flight first.

Now I get to dive into the Young Jedi Knights books!  I am completely serious when I say that I have been looking forward to these for the past few months.  I’d wax poetic about how much I love those books and those kids but then you wouldn’t come back for the next post.  On a side note, I’ve been getting questions lately as to what books I’m reading/why I skipped certain books so I’m going to direct everyone towards the introduction post with the reading list again.   As always, you can follow my progress in real time on Twitter @chaosbria or the hashtag #WaruExpress.

What does this all mean? In simple terms:

• We’re getting a new animated show set in a previously unexplored (in TV or film) era.
• The Clone Wars is no longer producing new episodes for Cartoon Network.
• The Clone Wars will continue with new story arcs that will wind down the story and give a concrete end to the series. (No news yet on how that content will be released, but I’m guessing online or Blu-Ray/DVD releases.)
• Detours is postponed indefinitely (Personally, this is what I’m upset about. It looked hilarious.)

Who wants to bet their first-born child that the animated series takes place in the post-RotJ era?

Read the entire announcement and after the jump. You can also see a video from Dave Filoni over at the official site.

 

As we enter into an exciting new era focused on the next Star Wars trilogy, Lucasfilm has decided to pursue a new direction in animated programming. We are exploring a whole new Star Wars series set in a time period previously untouched in Star Wars films or television programming. You can expect more details in the months to come.

As part of this shift, we have also made some key decisions affecting Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Detours.

After five highly successful and critically acclaimed seasons of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, we feel the time has come to wind down the series. While the studio is no longer producing new episodes for Cartoon Network, we’re continuing production on new Clone Wars story arcs that promise to be some of the most thrilling adventures ever seen. Stay tuned for more information on where fans can soon find this bonus content. In the video below, Supervising Director Dave Filoni offers a peek of what is to come in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

At Star Wars Celebration VI last year, George Lucas gave fans a
glimpse at the animated comedy series Star Wars Detours from Seth Green, Matthew Senreich, and Todd Grimes. Detours was conceived and produced before we decided to move forward with the new Star Wars trilogy, and in the wake of that decision, Lucasfilm has reconsidered whether launching an animated comedy prior to the launch of Episode VII makes sense. As a result, we’ve decided to postpone the release of Detours until a later date.

We are incredibly proud of the teams at Lucasfilm Animation for
creating some of the most amazing animation ever produced for TV. Keep checking StarWars.com for new developments on these and future projects.

There’s really no way to try and completely diminish that if this is true*, it’s lousy news and incredibly disappointing for many TCW fans. There was little reason or the show to simply end in this manner, particularly if the reports that season six were almost finished are true. For Disney and Lucasfilm, it makes sense to have Star Wars on the air in some capacity until at least 2015 when the first of the sequel films hits the silver screen. For Cartoon Network, it makes sense to be able to make at least some money off of the finished season six episodes. Failing to air these episodes (if they are actually done) is an unfortunate and seemingly irrational outcome, but it wouldn’t be the first time Hollywood has behaved in a less than rational fashion.

*As my own note, I’m still not entirely convinced that this is the case. Even if The Clone Wars officially ends, I think there’s a distinct possibility it appears on another network as a re-branded show. At the very least, I just don’t see them permanently tabling all the work they’ve put into season six.

Still, as much as this may hurt if all of this proves to be true, there are some silver linings for TCW fans. To the jump.

It’s better to go out on a high note

If you’ve never seen the X-Files, all you need to know was that it was a paranormal thriller that was a huge ratings machine and cash cow for Fox. It was a show that was smart, clever, well written, and for six seasons or so and a movie, was weekly must-watch entertainment. Then came seasons seven-through nine in which sharks were jumped and quality plummeted.

As far as genre entertainment goes, The X-Files became perhaps the best example of a show that had overstayed its welcome. The writers couldn’t keep extended an increasingly stretched-out primary plot to keep the show going, leaving viewers increasingly frustrated with the lack of resolution to plot points that had started years earlier. This was a show that should have ended at least three seasons earlier than it did.

There’s no guarantee that The Clone Wars would do the same if it airs for another few seasons, but it’s not unprecedented for a show to deteriorate in quality and deteriorate at a stunningly rapid pace. There’s plenty of examples in television of shows that fell off the proverbial cliff.

But regardless as to whether or not a hypothetical situation plays out in which the show rapidly deteriorates in quality, if this is really it for TCW, take some solace in knowing that at the very least the show went out on what was regarded to be a high point. I’d argue that there is a very real and even more unfortunate outcome than the show ending right at this moment. What if season six airs and the last episode of that season isn’t nearly as effective a closer as the last episode we all saw? From a narrative and emotional perspective, it can be argued that this would be a much better ending than a season finale meant to bridge into a seventh season we may never see.

If this show were to end on the 20^th episode of its fifth season, it could do a whole lot worse. Yes, there’s still unanswered questions and things we’d love to see, but if this is the it, at least it was an ending that was emotionally compelling for many and could serve as a powerful and functional final chapter for one of its most important characters.

Is this ideal? No, but as far as endings go, you can do a whole lot worse.

It might be necessary to take the universe to bigger and better places

We as fans need to acknowledge that we don’t know why The Clone Wars seems to be ending so abruptly. Going through my Twitter feed last night, the common refrain seemed to involve blaming Disney for it. I caution against this, because chances are things are a whole lot more complicated than the Mouse House deciding to pull the plug on a whim. Remember that there’s three major players in the game: Disney, Lucasfilm, and Cartoon Network. Perhaps Disney just didn’t want to invest in TCW anymore (I find that unlikely). Perhaps Cartoon Network didn’t want to play ball and indirectly help a competitor now that Disney owns Lucasfilm (I find this much more likely). Perhaps Lucasfilm needed to reallocate resources to bring Star Wars back to the silver screen in 2015 (possible, but unlikely).

For all we know, it could be any combination of the above or other factors which we aren’t privy to.

Right now, though, let’s go with the elephant in the room and assume that the problem was trying to figure out how to make everything work with Disney and Cartoon Network. It’s possible that there was no feasible way for The Clone Wars to continue on after Disney acquired Lucasfilm. It’s within the realm of reason that the instant Disney bought Lucasfilm, TCW was doomed simply because of the complications of having one powerhouse intellectual property living with two very powerful and competing networks.

If that’s the case (and given the realities of Hollywood, it very well could be), it might be a necessary but painful loss. If TCW had to end because Disney now owns Lucasfilm, it may be best to view it as a bitter but unavoidable step that needed to be taken to grow Star Wars in new and exciting ways. With Disney, we’re getting a sequel trilogy, perhaps standalone films, and who knows what else.

A sequel trilogy!

For years that’s always been the thing that would never ever ever ever EVER happen. Without Disney, we probably wouldn’t be getting these new films and we very well may not be seeing both Lucasfilm and the Star Wars franchise push itself in new and exciting directions. Disney buying Lucasfilm was likely a necessary event to make these new feature films happening. It’s entirely possible that Disney buying Lucasfilm simultaneously was the final nail in The Clone Wars’ coffin.

While it’s a bitter pill to swallow, losing TCW may have been the unavoidable result of an extremely valuable brand moving from one competitor to another. Just remember that while this is decidedly unfortunate, it may have been necessary in order to allow Disney to buy Lucasfilm and grow the Star Wars brand.

I fully admit that I wasn’t as invested into TCW as other fans were. It was a show I enjoyed greatly, but this was something that definitely meant a whole lot more to other fans than it did to me. That said, I do feel terrible for fans of the show right now. At this moment, they are going through similar uncertainty and fear that Expanded Universe fans are dealing with (which is something I can definitely identify with). Star Wars is changing, and changing rapidly, and in ways we can’t fully see yet. While I’m confident that this franchise is moving in a great direction, there’s no getting around the fact that these changes have the potential to be painful. This time around, it’s TCW fans that are feeling the hurt.

The Clone Wars potentially ending so suddenly is nothing short of a gut punch for fans. At least, though, it would be ending on a high note and there’s still an awful lot of Star Wars to be excited for just over the horizon.

Although not yet officially confirmed, we’re hearing from several sources tonight that The Clone Wars as a TV show\series has ended.  It’s not yet clear what will happen to the unaired finished episodes, those partway through production or if they will try and tie the show up with a direct to DVD\Blu-ray movie (something that Disney are known to have done with some of their other properties).

As is my usual disclaimer, nothing is official until you hear it from Lucasfilm. For what it’s worth, a couple people with connections to Lucasfilm have talked to me today and indicated that this is indeed the end for the five-year-old animated series. Combine this with the already confirmed indefinite postponement of the 3D treatments for the prequel films and there’s perhaps a good chance that these reports have legs.

I’ve got a post slated for tomorrow morning with some more detailed thoughts. All I’ll say now is that this news, if true, is definitely less-than-ideal and a big bummer for a lot of people. That said, I think there may be some silver linings for fans. Look for that Monday morning.

Without further ado, our list (in no particular order) of the fifteen best things the Expanded Universe has to offer. To the jump!

1. Kick-ass Ladies

Mara Jade, Jaina Solo, Mirax Terrik, Iella Wessiri, Tyria Sarkin, Tenel Ka Djo, Winter…the list goes on and on. The EU gave us a lot more capable ladies than just Leia, although the EU did great things with her, too. It’s arguable that this is an area where the Expanded Universe has excelled and the films have perhaps faltered a bit. The books helped to diversify the character pool and showed that female characters can and will work in this universe. Perhaps a lesson for future films to learn?

Pretty sure that asses are about to be kicked.

2. Fleshing out Background Characters

Anti-Red Shirt ahoy!

Wedge Antilles got an entire series. Prequel Jedi got comics and books. The Star Wars universe is an awfully big sandbox and the attention these seemingly minor characters have gotten over the years has done a wonderful job showing fans that there are an endless amount of compelling stories to tell.

Without the EU, we’d hardly know anything about these diverse, awesome characters.

3. The Thrawn Trilogy and Hand of Thrawn

Timothy Zahn started and ended the Bantam era, and gave us a fabulous expanded universe. Other authors were brought in to play in the era, creating Rogue and Wraith Squadrons, a Jedi Academy, and countless other galactic crises. Basically, these books created the post-RoTJ universe and made sure it continued in an awesome manner.

We can’t mention these books without mentioning the characters. Zahn created Mara Jade, Talon Karrde, Thrawn, Garm Bel Iblis, Winter, Shada D’ukal, Gilad Pellaeon, Jorus C’baoth, Joruus C’baoth, Jorj Car’das, Ghent…I know I’m forgetting people, but that’s just how many awesome characters Zahn brought into the universe. We can’t thank him enough for populating Star Wars with such great personalities (that other authors decided was a smart idea to kill off or forget completely).

And, it goes without saying: these books rock. Go read them if you haven’t. Right now.

4. The X-Wing Series

They’re ten of the best books in the Expanded Universe and they will always top our list of favorite EU books. If you need specifics about why this series is one of the crowning achievements in the EU, just check out the retrospective we ran last year. The characters are great, the plots are compelling, and they capture the flavor of Star Wars that we love so very much. Action, adventure, drama, and even romance are all contained within the pages of these novels. Sounds like the perfect fit for the Star Wars mythos, doesn’t it?

5.Thoroughly Diverse Imperials

Thrawn, Isard, Daala, Pellaeon, Baron Fel, Jagged Fel, Phennir, Rogriss – they’re not just evil Sith. Some of them are actually upstanding human beings we want to root for. In the Expanded Universe, many of the “bad guys” are fully realized characters with personality, motivation, and goals. Even if they’re on the other side of the war and fighting against the heroes, they’re relatable and extremely compelling. Imagine that!

6 Visiting New Planets

We may love to poke fun at the Bollywood musical of the Star Wars, but it did gives us both Dathomir and Hapes: two planets unlike anything we’d seen in the films. Introducing new planets is one of the best things about the Star Wars movies, and it’s always great when an author can take us to a new setting and make us feel like we’re really there. (Is this the part where we point out that we’ve only seen Corellia in the EU, and what a crying shame that is? Not to mention Alderaan. Why hasn’t there been a book set on Alderaan?)

To boldly go…

7. Exploring New Eras

The EU started out with just the time period after Return of the Jedi. Then we got the Tales of the Jedi comics. Then we got prequel books. Then we moved further out in the timeline. We also got Knights of the Old Republic, Legacy, Dawn of the Jedi, The Old Republic, Knight Errant, Darth Bane…you get the point.  Without the EU, we really wouldn’t know much at all about the history of the Galaxy Far, Far Away.

8. Bettering the Star Wars Prequels

No matter what your opinion on the movies, you can’t deny that Darth Plagueis makes them ten times better. Everything makes so much more sense once you read James Luceno’s take.  On top of that, you have Matthew Stover’s novelization of Revenge of the Sith which takes that story to a whole new level.  We dare you to try and read through that book without shedding a few tears.*

*Many tears. Rivers of tears.

9. Mara Jade

Duh. Of course she’s on our list. And if she’s not on yours, you’re wrong. (Just kidding. Maybe.) Mara is the epitome of what the EU is capable of: creating great characters that exist wonderfully on their own, and also interact so well with the movie characters that you swear they were in the movies. (Mara was just offscreen in RotJ! Stop looking!) She’s strong, has flaws, evolves as a character, puts Luke in his place countless times and listens to him when he tells her to cut the crap. Is there any wonder they’re the best couple in the EU? She’s a great character on her own. She wasn’t some love interest waiting around for something to do.

The EU is not the same without her.

10. Pet Mookas

If you don’t understand, go read the Jedi Prince series. Actually, no, don’t. Save yourselves! (But Nanci still wants a pet mooka.)

awwww

11. Heartwrenching Deaths 

“None shall pass.” Ton Phanan’s organic eye staring at the sky. Piggy shooting Runt as a mercy kill. When the EU does death well, oh boy howdy does it do it well. Some of these losses stick out in our minds just as much as deaths in the films. Even though they occurred on page instead of on the silver screen, they pack the same emotional punch to give these moments just as much staying power.

12. Showing That There’s More to the Universe than Jedi and Sith

We love Jedi and we love Sith. But we also love pilots and smugglers and politicians. You know, exactly what Luke, Han, and Leia were in the Original Trilogy. When everyone is Force sensitive, the world can be very, very boring.

But when you start writing stories that feature pilots, commandos, smugglers, politicians, and even news journalists? The universe takes on a new life and becomes somehow more grand and exciting place. There is something to be said for how the Expanded Universe has demonstrated that you don’t have to have a connection to the Force to be a hero. Anyone can make a huge difference when they summon enough bravery and decide they need to get a tough and dangerous job done.

13. Reference Books Galore

The Essential Atlas is one of Nanci’s favorite pieces of Star Wars merchandise. There’s also the Essential Guide to Warfare, the Essential Guide to Characters (several versions), the Jedi Path, the Book of Sith, the Haynes Millennium Falcon manual. And we can’t forget the Essential Readers Companion by Pablo Hidalgo, which every EU fan should own and read cover to cover. Basically, there’s a reference book for everyone out there. And they contain very pretty pictures.

14. Waru Loves You!

Yes, he does. He especially loves Bria. All glory to Waru.

(Why did we include this? Because the EU gives us some pretty weird shit and if we can’t make fun of it, we’ll go crazy.)

15. Keeping Star Wars Alive

It’s easy to forget, but there was a period after Return of the Jedi hit theaters that Star Wars was, for all intents and purposes, dead. You could sometimes get VHS releases, toys, and the occasional Marvel comic or tie-in novel of questionable quality, but that was it. The franchise was stagnant and interest had heavily waned because there wasn’t much in the way of meaningful new content being delivered to a dwindling fanbase.

Then Heir to the Empire was released and the modern Expanded Universe was born. The book revitalized the fanbase and kicked off a new era of original Star Wars content that expanded the franchise through the prequels and beyond.

Specter of the Past
Zahn gets the team back together again.  Okay, maybe it takes til the end of the book for that to really happen but from the start, we get to see all of our (or at least my) old favorites.  Obviously, we get to see our heroes from the films but then Zahn gives us Karrde and Mara and Wedge and the Rogues!  It thrills me so much to see Tycho get some page time outside of the X-Wing books.

On top of that, we really get to meet Shada D’ukal for the first time.  While this isn’t her first appearance in the books, it’s the first time we really get a chance to get to know her as a character and see her take the spotlight.  She is honestly one of my favorites of the more minor characters and her decision to leave the Mistryl in this book is definitely a part of that.  It’s a struggle between honesty and loyalty and those are always interesting to read.

One thing that occurred to me while I was reading this book is that I think a lot of the authors just… forgot about the Noghri.  Of course, I skipped over a large chunk of the books set between the two Zahn series but I don’t seem to really remember them having a presence.  Maybe that could’ve helped prevent some of their twelve thousand kidnappings…

As far as the book itself goes, I adore the set up.  I love the juxtaposition of Pellaeon and his realization that the Empire can no longer continue to fight and with Disra and his plan to try and make the Empire a force to be reckoned with by use of a Thrawn impostor.  On the other side, there is the New Republic struggling to adjust to being a “peacetime” government that deals with peacetime issues.

Vision of the Future
Let’s start with the good news: The Solo children weren’t kidnapped in these books!  I mean, I know they’re about to make up for it in their own series but it’s something!

Also, apparently the publishers used the same thin-as-heck paper trick that they used for I, Jedi because this is the skinniest 700-page book I’ve ever seen.  But that is neither here nor there in regards to the actual content of the book, whoops.

This book is a fantastic end to the Bantam/Empire era and I’ll always be thrilled that they agreed to let Zahn “end” things.  Everything about it just works really really really well.  Zahn even manages to make “The Hand of Thrawn” work by making it information instead of a secret agent or a super weapon.  All of the plotlines from the past fifteen years in-universe get tied up nicely without it feeling entirely like Zahn just wanted to put a bow on things.  Heck, we even find out what happened to Baron Fel!  I also really like the Imperial triumvirate with Disra-Tierce-Flim as a plotline because not only was it a good way to show contrast within the Empire but it was also a neat way to “see Thrawn” again without making it an actual miraculous return from the dead.  Really, there’s nothing about this book that doesn’t work.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about good ol’ Admiral Gilad Pellaeon for a few minutes.  He is by far my favorite Imperial because not only is he an interesting character but he is a good man to his core.  Not every person in the Imperial Navy was a xenophobic despot.  A lot of them were just good people who believed in law and order.  Pellaeon cares about the people under his command and isn’t someone to throw away their lives uselessly.  Honestly, they should’ve just let him run the galaxy.

Again, I loved that Zahn let us see a lot of different viewpoints of the big conflict and didn’t just limit us to the Big Three and a villain.  The story is made so much richer by getting to also follow Bel Iblis (and Wedge and Booster) and their part of the conflict, Karrde and Shada’s side adventure, and even both Imperial camps.  I’m an unashamed sucker for minor characters but I still think it was done wonderfully regardless.

Oh.  And now the Errant Venture is red.  Basically?  That is the coolest thing EVER.  I first read these books when I was maybe 11 or 12 and this stuck with me as being so awesome that I immediately decided to name my first car after Booster Terrik’s  Star Destroyer.  (Yes, it is a red SUV.  No, I do not run card games out of the back.)

Have I mentioned that these two books are just wonderful yet? That’s really what all of this boils down to: a lovely ending to a saga.  I’ll stop gushing now.

And that’s the end of this era!  Next up are Scourge and Survivor’s Quest.  As always, you can follow my progress in real time on Twitter @chaosbria or the hashtag #WaruExpress.

A little while back Anita Sarkeesian of Feminist Frequency put together a Kickstarter to launch a series of videos she called Tropes vs Women in Video Games. The aim was to look at some commonly used tropes and examine them from a feminist perspective. A few delays, Internet riots, and abhorrent comments and actions from male gamers later, the series finally launched. Above is the first episode, investigating the oft-used Damsel in Distress trope.

Given that we’re Whedon and theater fans here, we’re very excited for his take on Much Ado About Nothing. Here’s the theatrical trailer!

The deal fit perfectly into Iger’s plan for Disney. He wants to secure the company’s creative and competitive future at a time when consumers are inundated with choices, thanks to a proliferation of cable television networks and the ubiquity of the Internet. “It’s a less forgiving world than it’s ever been,” he says. “Things have to be really great to do well.” Part of Iger’s strategy is to acquire companies that could be described as mini-Disneys such as Pixar and Marvel—reservoirs of franchise-worthy characters that can drive all of Disney’s businesses, from movies and television shows to theme parks, toys, and beyond. Lucas’s needs were more emotional. At 68, he was ready to retire and escape from the imaginary world he created—but he didn’t want anybody to desecrate it…

Lucas had paid close attention to how Disney had handled Pixar, which he still refers to as “my company.” He founded it as the Lucasfilm Computer Division in 1979, and sold it to Jobs six years later. He calls Disney’s decision not to meddle with Pixar “brilliant.” If he sold Lucasfilm to Disney, he figured there might still be a way to retain some influence over his fictitious universe. Much would depend on who ran Lucasfilm after he retired.

An interesting note later in the profile is Iger’s philosophy on what creates enduring stories and properties: strong and memorable characters.

Iger, however, proved to have a very clear vision. He understood that Disney’s success rested on developing enduring characters. This was a strategy Walt Disney pioneered with Mickey Mouse and Grimm’s Fairy Tales heroines Snow White and Cinderella. More recently, Disney translated The Lion King, a hit animated movie, into a long-running Broadway show.

Then there’s a note on the power structure post-sale:

Iger understood Lucas’s concerns. “George said to me once that when he dies, it’s going to say ‘Star Wars creator George Lucas,’ ” he says. Still, Iger wanted to make sure that Lucas, who was used to controlling every aspect of Star Wars, from set design to lunchboxes, understood that Disney, not Lucasfilm, would have final say over any future movies. “We needed to have an understanding that if we acquire the company, despite tons of collegial conversations and collaboration, at the end of the day, we have to be the ones who sign off on whatever the plans are,” says Alan Horn, chairman of Walt Disney Studios.

Emphasis added. Now for the big reveal of the piece. Lucas says that Hamill, Ford, and Fisher are already in for the sequel trilogy:

Asked whether members of the original Star Wars cast will appear in Episode VII and if he called them before the deal closed to keep them informed, Lucas says, “We had already signed Mark and Carrie and Harrison—or we were pretty much in final stages of negotiation. So I called them to say, ‘Look, this is what’s going on.’ ” He pauses. “Maybe I’m not supposed to say that. I think they want to announce that with some big whoop-de-do, but we were negotiating with them.” Then he adds: “I won’t say whether the negotiations were successful or not.”

This isn’t confirmation. It won’t be confirmation until Lucasfilm and Disney announces it officially, but this is probably as close as we’re going to get for a while.

There’s a whole bunch of great information in this profile, so be sure to head to Bloomberg Businessweek to read the rest of the article.

Via Club Jade

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On this episode of Tosche Station Rado, the hosts are joined by Aaron and Teresa of the Star Wars Bookworms podcast to chat Star Wars, the Sequel Trilogy, and the Expanded Universe!

Kicking things off, Nanci highlights what’s New on the Blog. Bria, as usual, has been very busy. The Waru Express went to the Jedi Academy, finally visited its namesake, wore horrible Adumari clothes, and stopped at the Corellian Trilogy. Hello Tendra, good-bye Gaeriel. Meanwhile, the blog staff riffed off io9′s piece and discussed our own list of the 12 Worst Things in the Expanded Universe.

In Fixer’s Flash this week, Nanci has kept herself busy writing and both hosts got caught up with The Clone Wars just in time for the season (series?) finale. What did they think? Tune in to find out. Brian’s been idly watching Adventure Time and is pretty sure that’s as close as he will ever get to an acid trip. He also read the latest issue of Matt Fraction’s brilliant Hawkeye comics.

Deak’s Dirt starts with news of what Uncle George has been up to since retiring from Lucasfilm. Get your Indiana Jones jokes ready, because he’s thinking of founding an art museum. In great news for Expanded Universe and Her Universe fans, HU has secured EU merchandising rights from Lucasfim. Sounds like there’s Rogue Squadron gear coming and Mara and Jaina merchandise in the future! In television news, Tim Curry joins the cast of Clone Wars as Palpatine. Over on the video game side of things, Star Wars 1313 is in limbo. As far as Expanded Universe news goes, Crucible gets a new blurb. Finally as always, we’ve got the latest in Episode VII rumors. The latest rumblings (which require a shipload of salt) indicate that Episode VII will focus on Solo spawn and Disney wants three Zahn books. Finally, Carrie Fisher says she’s back to play Leia. But it’s not confirmed until Lucasfilm says it is!

This week on Camie’s Concerns, the hosts are joined by Aaron and Teresa of the Star Wars Bookworms podcast for a grab-bag Star Wars chat. On the agenda is a general Expanded Universe discussion, thoughts on The Clone Wars, and hopes for the Sequel Trilogy films. You can find their podcast here on the web, Twitter and on iTunes.

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.

What do you think Princess Leia is like today?

Elderly. She’s in an intergalactic old folks’ home [laughs].

I just think she would be just like she was before, only slower and less inclined to be up for the big battle.

And still wearing the bagel buns?

The bagel buns and the bikini, because probably she has sundowners syndrome. At sundown, she thinks that she’s 20-something. And she puts it on and gets institutionalized.

It’s smart to remember that this is not official confirmation. Given that this is Carrie Fisher and you can never quite be sure when she’s being serious or pulling a fast one on the interviewer, take this with a smaller grain of salt than usual. In this case, there’s probably more legs to this rumor than usual, but until Lucasfilm or Disney says something, it’s not fully confirmed.

Ambush at Corellia
If nothing else, you have to appreciate how self-aware and very Star Wars this book is in the very first chapter.  Han and Chewie are working on the Falcon and its plethora of mechanical issues and oh did anyone mention that the Solo children are a bunch of little troublemakers and have a reputation for it throughout the galaxy?

Also, because I am an Alderaan diehard, I will point out my objection to Leia saying that she was only the Organa’s foster daughter because I am 99% sure that she was adopted and raised completely as Bail and Breha’s own.  If anyone is going to be referred to as the Organa’s foster daughter, it’s probably Winter.

That one quibble aside, Roger MacBride Allen seems to understand the Skywalker twins better than a heck of a lot of the Star Wars authors.  One of the complaints that’s been brought up on the podcast lately is that there is no reason why Leia cannot be both a politician and a Jedi.  The first six chapters of this book show her striving to do exactly that.  On the flip side, they also show Mon Mothma urging Luke to embrace the political talents that he might have to better help the Jedi Order.  Although this trilogy was written well before the Prequel Trilogy was released, I do think that there is a good chance Mon Mothma knew or at least strongly suspected who Luke and Leia’s mother was and therefore thought that maybe some of Padme’s political talents had gone to both twins.  In short, the book’s start is a lovely reminder that people do not need to be defined by one job or one skill set alone and that there is no reason why Leia cannot be both politician and Jedi.

I actually found the book to be a decent enough read.  On its own, it doesn’t really stand up as its own story since much of what happens is clearly just all the set up for the next two books.  The Solo Family arrives on Corellia, Lando drags Luke off on his great ‘find a wife’ tour, and trouble really kicks off in the Corellian system.  The story pay off is going to have to happen in books 2 and 3.

Assault at Selonia
The good news is that Lando’s great wife hunt only lasted through the first book.  Thankfully, he met Tendra Risant and they seem to have hit it off which is good because Tendra is both fabulous and gorgeous.

This book is all about everyone trying to get back together again after being separated in the finale of the previous book.  All that useful foreshadowing in the first book about how the Corellian system is so unique and might have been created by someone turns out to be handy because whoops the planets have giant repulsor units in them.

For the most part, I actually rather like how the Solo kids are written in these books.  The twins seems like mostly normal nine year olds and don’t have the crazy Force abilities that they did during the Waru incident.  Anakin, on the other hand, does continue to have some super crazy abilities but I think that’s more just his character in general.  At the very least, he’s an amusing little kid although he sometimes borders on disturbing with his talents.  What a Jedi and a character he could’ve been if not for executive meddling.

And then we have the return of Gaeriel Captison.  I’ve always liked her character but even that couldn’t help me from snarkily tweeting “Lemme cue up ‘Another One Bites The Dust’” when she first appeared in this book.  It is nice to see her again and I’m always happy to learn that she took full advantage and made something of her life in the past fourteen years.  Prime Minister?  High fives all around!

While we’re working the girl power theme, I also rather liked getting to see Leia and Mara have to work together.  There are definitely some trust issues but wow are they a super effective force when they put their minds together for a common goal.  I wouldn’t suggest getting in their way.

Again, this book doesn’t have the great single book plotline like one of the Thrawn books.  Honestly, it’s probably best to just think of this trilogy as one very long novel instead of three.

Showdown at Centerpoint
Aaaaaand the trilogy pays off in the end!  The good guys save the day and the Solo children continue to be slightly terrifying with their abilities.  If the idea of seven-year-old Anakin Solo in control of Centerpoint Station doesn’t scare you a little then I don’t know what to say to you.

To be honest, I actually don’t have much to say about this book in particular because, as I already mentioned, the trilogy is just one big story so I’ve already touched on most of what I would say.  Overall, the trilogy is a solid read.  It’s enjoyable and only borders on ridiculous occasionally but then again, almost every Star Wars book inevitably edges towards ridiculous sometimes.

I’m always sad when Gaeriel dies.  She was a good person who should’ve had the chance to watch her daughter grow up but at least her death counted for something.  Although, Tendra never got to do much in this trilogy, I am rather thankfully that she was introduced because her character certainly pays off in the long run and I can’t picture anyone else married to Lando.  Also, if they’d just locked Thracken Sal-Solo in a very dark cell on Kessel and lost the key right after this?  The galaxy would’ve been much better off.

The end of the Bantam Era is near!  The Hand of Thrawn duology is next up!  As always, you can follow my progress in real time on Twitter @chaosbria or the hashtag #WaruExpress.

Waru loves you.

Yesterday, io9 posted a list that covered the 12 Worst Things about the Expanded Universe. We really couldn’t disagree with any of it, but we did notice that it seemed to only run through the 90s. In the spirit of being all-inclusive, we decided to take a stab at the worst the Expanded Universe has to offer through the present day.

Emily rounded up myself, Bria, and Nanci to shamelessly rip off io9’s post and put together our own list of terrible things the Expanded Universe has featured over the years. While we do love the EU, we do recognize that it’s definitely not sacred and there’s a lot of silly stuff that’s made it to print and other tie-in media over the years.

To the jump for 12 things about the Expanded Universe we’ve been trying for years to repress!

12. Mara’s Death as Jacen’s “Sacrifice.”

The concept was simple and, on the surface, made sense. Author Aaron Allston pitched the idea that for Sith, there may be a system of sacrifice in place. While he had his back turned and before he could stop it, the other creative members of the Legacy of the Force team took that idea and took it to an absurd extreme that he didn’t see coming: Jacen kills Mara Jade.

This has never made sense to us.  Mara is an aunt by marriage; Jacen was ten when Mara married Luke.  She spent very little time at the Jedi academy, and she was Jaina’s master, not Jacen’s.  So why would Mara be considered Jacen’s sacrifice?

Putting aside the fact that we hated killing Mara off, it just doesn’t seem right that this would be the sacrifice that pushes Jacen over into full Darth-dom.  Wouldn’t it have made more sense for him to have attacked Jaina or Luke or one of his parents?

From an out of universe perspective, using Mara as Jacen’s sacrifice seems particularly unwise when she’s one of only a few well developed female characters regularly receiving pagetime. It was perhaps a poorly thought out idea on multiple fronts that has made storytelling beyond Sacrifice quite a bit more difficult.

11. Continuity > Story

There’s been such a drive to connect the different Star Wars eras and to pull elements of the prequels into the EU that it’s actually starting to get in the way of story-telling.  It’s time to stop worrying about making these cross-connections and get back to telling good stories.

Take a look at something like Fate of the Jedi: Apocalypse. The book was loaded with fat that could have been trimmed in order to preserve pacing and part of the underlying problem was the insistence of tying the book into the Mortis episodes of The Clone Wars. A seemingly random side quest was introduced that featured several characters heading to see the Killiks (another continuity tie from the Dark Nest Trilogy novels that were written years earlier) in order to explain in excruciating detail how the Big Bad was related to a vague story arc from the television show.

And then they repeated the exact same information almost verbatim later in the book.

Continuity is great, but when the priorities seem to be continuity first, story second, the quality of a book suffers greatly.

10. The Ewok Adventures

Despite the fact that they were so sickeningly cute that they’re probably they reason they gave co-star Wilford Brimley diabetes, aren’t the two Ewok movies better off forgotten?

9. Jax Pavan as Far as the Eye Can See

Let’s just put this out there for consideration. In the last ten years we’ve gotten four Jax Pavan books. And exactly one X-Wing novel.  Give us back our well rounded and intriguing casts of characters with the snarkiest and smartest plots this side of Tatooine and take back this Jedi who is stupid enough to stay on Coruscant when Vader is hunting for him. Sometimes you have to wonder if the Jedi had it coming if Jax Pavan is one of the last who hadn’t been hunted down.

8. Han and Leia: The Galaxy’s Worst Proposal

Do we really need to get into the mess that is The Courtship of Princess Leia?  Really, Han’s proposal/kidnapping in the Jedi Prince series was a better idea. How did someone ‘acquire’ Dathomir in the first place anyway? I suppose if you’re a fan of Bollywood Musicals, this book and Han’s proposal could work for you. But short of that? This book is just a series of rapidly escalating absurdities.

7. Han and Leia: The Galaxy’s Worst Parents

There has to be a counter out there somewhere for the number of times the Solo brats got kidnapped.  And then Tenel Ka decides to have them take care of Allana for her safety.  The Solos promptly turn around and give her a nexu cub.  Because that’s always nice and safe. Really if it wasn’t for Winter being the responsible human being throughout those poor children’s lives, all three of the Solo Spawn would have been dead before New Jedi Order even started.

“They lost the kids again. Sigh. Another one, barkeep.”

6. Squicky Relationships and Tentacle Porn

Oh where do you start. It’s not necessarily that interspecies relationships or significant age differences are bad. Take a look at the well executed Gavin/Asyr romance or the ongoing Han/Leia pairing. There’s just some relationships that simply should not exist. Take, for example, the infamous Wackbar implied relationship. Not that we’re xenophobes, but… Yeah. Fish. Can you picture yourself making out with a fish? I didn’t think so.

But there’s some human/human relationships that peg the squick meter in this universe. Kevin J. Anderson gave us the young Imperial upstart Natasi Daala being romantically involved with Noted Old Geezer and Destroyer of Worlds Wilhuff Tarkin and then we actually got to see it in Death Star. If that isn’t enough for you, how about the implied relationship between Mynockpoodoo Crazy Ysanne Isard and Emperor Palpatine. Just try not to take that mental image deeper than that.

Squick fuel.

Of course, the squick doesn’t end there. Move forward to Fate of the Jedi and you’ve got Abeloth and her collection of creepy tentacles. At one point, a member of the Lost Tribe of Sith actively suckles on one of her appendages. If that’s not creepy enough for you, there’s also the whole thing where she had her way with Callista and used her body as a bizarre and deeply unsettling trap for Luke. Wherever you draw the line, tentacle porn and Star Wars go together about as well as peanut butter and enriched uranium.

5. Jacen Turning to the Dark Side

Why did it have to be a Solo brat?  What makes matters worse is that this could have been maybe saved as a plotline… if they hadn’t killed him in the end.

The biggest problem with Jacen going to the Dark Side was that it was essentially a retelling of the Prequel Trilogy. Not that there’s anything wrong with the Prequel Trilogy, but this story has already been told. We don’t need to rehash it, but that’s sort of been the MO the last six or seven years in the Post-RotJ Expanded Universe. Jacen going all Sith on the Galaxy and his family was sort of a Dialobus ex Machina device. A SkySolo ruined the Galaxy once and it will all happen again because fate or destiny or a throne or something.

4. Boba Fett Trains Jaina.

Brian just wanted to say Boba Fett period*, but Emily stopped him because really, Boba Fett doesn’t get entirely ridiculous until he pops up to train Jaina to help her take on Jacen. Because hiring a Mandalorian to help attack a Jedi who happens to also be her own brother makes sense. Then there’s the weird reverence Jaina has for a Bounty Hunter that has been causing her family headaches for decades. The whole thing was out of left field, hamfisted, and just plain strange.

*Bubba Feets.

3. Jedi Prince.

Allow Nanci to recount why this belongs on this list with her journey through the Jedi Prince novels. On the plus side, it did give us the amazingly awful word “mofference.”

“Ya’ll need to submit your kriffing TPS reports.”

2. Waru

If you missed Bria’s livestream of reading The Crystal Star, you missed some of the most entertaining drunken cursing and flailing any of us have seen since…well, the previous discussion any of us had about The Crystal Star.  In fact, the entire book is just painfully awful.  Leia’s lost her children (AGAIN), Luke is on spice and falls under Waru’s spell, and poor Han just really wants to get drunk and never ever go swimming inside Waru again.  If you think this sounds bad, we promise you that actually reading the book is worse.

1. Jedi Bug Sex

Three words that never, ever, should exist in relation to one another.  Jedi and sex, we could handle.  Bug sex?  We’d rather not, but if it has to be a clinical thing, we suppose we can deal with it.  A threesome between Jaina, Zekk and the Killik hive mind (which makes it way more than just three)? We could have put this up with the Squicky Relationships thing, but it deserved its own mention. Having an orgy with an on-again-off-again love interest and the entire Killik Hive mind just shouldn’t happen in the Expanded Universe.

That’s our list! Tune in next time as we balance things out by discussing our picks for the 12 Best Things About the Expanded Universe.

Is it May yet?

Go ahead and get all of your “It belongs in a museum” jokes out now. George Lucas sat down with CBS this morning and talked about his idea to start up an art museum in San Francisco.

Han Solo, Leia Organa Solo, and Luke Skywalker return in an all-new Star Wars adventure, which will challenge them in ways they never expected—and forever alter their understanding of life and the Force.

When Han and Leia Solo arrive at Lando Calrissian’s Outer Rim mining operation to help him thwart a hostile takeover, their aim is just to even up the odds and lay down the law. Then monstrous aliens arrive with a message, and mere threats escalate into violent sabotage with mass fatalities. When the dust settles, what began as corporate warfare becomes a battle with much higher stakes—and far deadlier consequences.

Now Han, Leia, and Luke team up once again in a quest to defeat a dangerous adversary bent on galaxy-wide domination. Only this time, the Empire is not the enemy. It is a  pair of ruthless geniuses with a lethal ally and a lifelong vendetta against Han Solo. They will stop at nothing to control the lucrative Outer Rim mining trade—and ultimately the entire galactic economy. And when the murderous duo gets the drop on Han, he finds himself outgunned in the fight of his life. To save him, and the galaxy, Luke and Leia must brave a gauntlet of treachery, terrorism, and the untold power of an enigmatic artifact capable of bending space, time, and even the Force itself into an apocalyptic nightmare.

Crucible is due out on bookshelves on July 9.

Via Club Jade

A grain of sodium chloride as seen through a microscope

And it’s time for the rumor mill to sputter to life one more time.

An insider with Nerdvana claims that the Sequel Trilogy will be focusing on a Solo child and grandchild, adding to other rumors and reports that the new films would place a premium on a younger generation of heroes rather than putting Han, Luke, and Leia back in the saddle.

The insider supposedly also had information covering the extent of J.J. Abrams involvement with Lucasfilm and Disney:

JJ’s contract has a clause for all three movies and an additional three of Lucas/Disney choosing if everyone melds well on the first one. This is typical of these types of contracts; gives everyone an out if needed.

So perhaps he’ll be around for more than just Episode VII. Stay tuned? On a final note, there was also a note about Timothy Zahn. If this insider is to be believed, Disney and Lucasfilm are keen on getting Zahn to pen three additional novels. Would these be film novelizations? I wouldn’t think so, but you never know.

Via Club Jade

There’s no telling how much development had gone into the product beyond the pre-rendered video they had shown. Fans began to get concerned as the months after E3 passed without any additional word. One theory was that LucasArts was being quiet because the title was going to be a launch game on a Next Generation platform, but when Sony’s Playstation 4 press conference came and went without any additional word on the game’s status, Kotaku began to investigate. According to their sources, things are not looking good for 1313.

For weeks we’ve heard from multiple sources that the Disney purchase of LucasFilm (which includes LucasArts) has reoriented the company’s gaming division. The focus is on the new trilogy, not on material that is unrelated to the planned JJ Abrams-directed Star Wars: Episode VII. 1313‘s developers may still be fervently plugging away, for all we know. As LucasArts says, the game “continues production.” But it sounds from our sources like it’s not currently moving forward in any official capacity.

The game’s future is very much in doubt at this point. For more, read the entire article over at Kotaku.

The Crystal Star

This book has the distinction of being so awful that I had managed to block everything about it from my memory (except the existence of Waru) until the other night.  For those of you who joined me on my livestream, you got to witness my descent into madness.  (I believe Brian noted that the Waru Express finally broke me around 9:16 EST.)  There was drinking, there was cursing, there was defeated sobbing.  There was also the world’s worst Han Solo impression and some singing and some off-color jokes.  And then more cursing and more drinking and more pleas to be released from my agreement to read the book.  But most importantly, there was Waru.  He loves you.

Let’s start with the positives.  Uhm.  Uhhhhh.  Well.  We’re introduced to Lusa who goes on to be a fun character in the Young Jedi Knights books.  Jaina is shown to be a very precocious five year old.  It was also a nice lesson on the dangers of poorly used dialogue tags.  And uhhh…  That’s all I’ve got here.  Although, I suppose that this book could be considered a gift from a higher power if you’re in the liquor business and that each of you who turned into the livestream thought it entertaining.

There really aren’t any words that can describe how bad this book is.  Like the Matrix, you have to experience it for yourself.  Luke Skywalker is, without a doubt, on spice throughout this entire book.  Leia’s characterization leaves plenty to be desired.  And then there’s Han.  Poor Han Solo who seems to be the only self-aware character who gets exactly how ****ed up this book is.  Perhaps he was some part of Vonda McIntyre’s subconscious manifesting on the page.   I honestly do not understand the thought process behind who ever approved this book.  What was that pitch like?

 “So I think what the Star Wars universe really needs is a book where the Solo kids get kidnapped again by someone who’s trying make the Empire happen again by giving Force Sensitive kids to this giant gold blob thing as tribute.  And the blob’s going to be called Waru and it can heal people but sometimes it kills them for sustenance.  And Luke and Han and Leia are going to go INSIDE Waru.  But it’s okay, they’ll win.”

I just don’t understand.  The book is so awful from the plot to the characterization to the writing.  Everything just went so wrong.  I’d say that it’s like a train wreck where you can’t look away but I promise you all that I could’ve easily looked away except everyone on the live stream told me that I had to keep reading.  It was just so painful.

Okay.  Let’s be honest.  There’s not much I else I can say about this book.  I think I cried and cursed enough about it on Wednesday night.  Waru is horrifying and he loves you.

Starfighters of Adumar
Nothing makes me happier than this book.  It has been sticky-noted to death and signed by Aaron Allston and I reread it at least once every few months.  The more I think about it, I think this might actually be my favorite book.  Spoiler Alert: This portion is just going to be lots of gushing because this book is flawless but you should’ve guessed that by now.

Poor Wedge Antilles.  All the man wanted to do was take some time off and reevaluate his life.  Instead, he gets rope into some crazy diplomatic mission by General Cracken and gets to go to a world where pilots are revered (woo!) but everyone has a very strange view about how honor works and seems to think that killing each other for honor is a valid life choice.  Then he finds out that the Empire also wants to bring Adumar under their control.  And everyone seems to want to tell him exactly how he’s going to behave and complete this mission.  Any guesses about how that goes for the other person?

Starfighters of Adumar basically has it all.  If you’re looking for epic Jedi vs Sith battles, you’ll be disappointed but everything else is right here.  It’s a witty character driven novel that’s still a battle between the New Republic and the Empire.  There’s romance, there’s action, there’s introspection.  The plot moves forward, the characters move forward.  It’s perfection in a novel.

I will note that this trip on the Waru Express has made me realize that I owe much of my witty remarks to Mr. Allston (in addition to Joss Whedon).  I don’t know how many times I’ve told someone that I’ve been composing a symphony and drafting a plan for world piece when they ask what I’ve been up to.  That ties into another reason why I love this book: it is exactly my type of humor.  Puns?  Banter?  I am so there.

This might be an odd thing to point out but I kind of love that the one conversation in this book that starts with “I feel fat”/”You’re not fat” is between two men (Hobbie and Janson) and not two women.  Seriously though, New Republic: why would you include spandex as part of your dress uniform?

I think that aside from THE Wedge/Iella scene (my copy is heavily creased and naturally falls open to that scene) and the subsequent “Sithspit! What’s that?”, my favorite scenes happen when Janson and Hobbie both just get fed up and mad.  For Janson, that scene comes when he gets into a blastsword duel to save Cheriss.  He astutely explains to Wedge precisely why it makes more sense for him to take this fight, mocks his opponent by drawing with his blastsword, and then proceeds with the “Your orders are simple: I punch, you suffer.” part of the evening.  And then, of course, there’s Hobbie and his “Because I’m sick of it.  I’m sick to death of ‘Hello, I’m so-and-so and I’ve killed this many enemies, and I challenge you, and we bow and go by the rules and say cute things to one another, and isn’t it nice that we’re all dead now?’” speech.  If you’ve run down the patience of someone who is best friends with Wes Janson then you must’ve done something very wrong.  Both bits just help reinforce that there’s more to these characters then people usually assume.

I already mentioned that this is a very character driven novel and subsequently, I either love all of the characters or, in the case of Tomer Darpen, I love to hate them.  This is the first book where we really get to see the Fab Four all together for an extended amount of time and what I wouldn’t give to have a dozen more books that focus on them.  I even find myself quite fond of Admiral Rogriss who makes his return.  Allston has a talent for making me enjoy reading about Imperials with well-honed wits.

What it comes down to is this: I think that this book is perfection is novel form and I could either continue to ramble about every last bit that I adore (spoiler alert: that’s every word) or you could go read or reread this book for yourself.  I promise you, it’ll only bring happiness and joy into your life.

I think I’m still in recovery from The Crystal Star (along with my liver) even after the joys of Adumar but at least it’s only up from here, right?  Woo,Woo!  Everyone jump back aboard the Waru Express as we speed away from his ridiculousness and on to the Corellian Trilogy.  As always, you can follow my reading progress in real time on Twitter @chaosbria or the hashtag #WaruExpress.

I have been given the go ahead by Lucasfilm to reveal here exclusively that Tim Curry has joined the cast of Star Wars: The Clone Wars in the role of Chancellor Palpatine/Darth Sidious. Tim Curry might be best known for his roles in The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Clue, but he has been doing more than his fair share of excellent work over the last few decades and can now add “Future Emperor” to his resume.

While most people will be hoping for Rocky Horror references now that Curry is on board, I’m hoping for an episode that pays homage to another great film of his: Clue.

YES! We are designing Several NEW Star Wars designs this year. Everything will be debuting in May. We are making shirts, dresses, jewelry…We have Rogue Squadron designs AND I am SO excited to announce that Lucasfilm has given us the rights to design shirts for the women in the EU, so expect more Mara Jade and Jaina Solo designs!

Rogue Squadron material launching in May, licencing rights to the Expanded Universe. If you’re a Her Universe fan, you’re appear to be in for some real treats.

Jedi Search
In retrospect, it’s possible that this trilogy is what started my “Han and Leia are the worst parents ever” way of thinking.  I do, however, make this comment with love for the Solo family to my friends.  But seriously: why would you ever let these two raise your daughter?  (I’m looking at you, Tenel Ka.)  Somewhere out there about ohhhh 30 years farther into the time line, Winter is shaking her head and saying “It’s not my fault” for what happened with the Solo children.

Okay, I shall stop ragging on the Solo’s questionable parenting skills.  For now.

The subtitle of this book should probably be “Han Solo Has A Series Of Really Bad Days”.  Honestly, it takes some serious talent to go from getting tossed into the spice mines of Kessel to stumbling into a secret Imperial research facility and being subjected to interrogation.  On the other hand, he does manage to escape intact and with a new sidekick.  Shut up, I love Kyp Durron.  He gets the long con character development over the course of the EU and I love it so freaking much.

As for Luke, it’s about darn time he decided to try and rebuild the Jedi Order!  I get that he’s worried about having a new Vader on his hands but I would’ve thought that Luke would’ve gotten over his worries there earlier.  But then again, I’m always surprised when Leia isn’t more trained in the Jedi arts than she is.

The blob races, on the other hand, make me laugh because of how ridiculous they are.  Really?  Blobs?  You didn’t even try on that one, KJA.  Aside from that though, I find the book to still be an enjoyable read.

Dark Apprentice
I really love that KJA made the decision early on to not name all of the members of the Jedi Academy’s Inaugural Class.  For starters, it allows for books like I, Jedi and also it’s great that he left room for new characters in the future to have that as a part of their background.

Poor Wedge Antilles though.  I can’t really defend the menial tasks he gets assigned with these books and I’m not even touching the Qwi thing.  I’ve mentally decided that he’d been injured in some sort of combat mission prior to this book which is why he’d been given ground control things to do.  Or else he was on spice.  You know what?  That’s how I’m going to excuse any and all out of character actions in the Expanded Universe from now on.  HOLD ON WEDGE.  WINTER WILL BE THERE SOON TO TELL YOU ABOUT THE DANGERS OF SPICE.

Speaking of Winter, we’re going to talk about the giant fish in the room, aren’t we?  I’m sorry, that was a terrible joke but I’m keeping it in anyways.  One of the wonderful things about reading these books when I was 9 is that the whole Ackbar/Winter subtext completely flew over my head and all I saw there was a beautiful friendship.  Now that I’m 23?  I do the mature thing and stick my fingers in my ears and sing “LA LA LA LA LA I CAN’T HEAR YOU” every time it comes up.  If I don’t recognize it then it can’t exist.  Done.  Issue settled.

And then there’s Kyp.  Oh Kyp.  You’re going down a path I cannot follow.  Stupid Sith Lords always messing things up.  Kyp started out as a good kid.  He really did.  I’d say that at least he hasn’t blown up a planet yet but a nebula wasn’t really a good start…

Oh.  And every time Lando tries to hit on Mara, I laugh hysterically.  Gold star, buddy, you tried.

Champions of the Force
Ohhhhh Kyp.  Kyp, baby, you try so hard.  But then you just mess things up.  Like a planet.  BUT YOU TRIED.  You can join Prince Zuko on a quest to regain your honor.

Although Cilghal was introduced in the previous book, I decided to talk about her here because one of the aspects that I really love about her character is the Jedi healing ability.  It’s nice to see a character who embraces the “not warriors” part of the Jedi job description sometimes.

Even though I know that the scene where Jacen uses Luke’s lightsaber to defend his body is somewhat ridiculous, it didn’t feel overly so when I was reading this time.  A little bit, sure, but Luke was clearly working through Jacen.  It could just be me but I think that it actually managed to work better in practice than it does in theory.  (Strange, I know.)

Actually, the thing that bothers me the most about these books is that KJA keeps referring to Winter as “Leia’s personal servant”.  I believe that aide, assistant, or close friend would all be much better descriptors there.  Regardless, she kicks a lot of butt when the Imperials attack Anoth and she defends Anakin.

I do get a chuckle every time from the Maw scientists with their inability to do anything that’s not in their in case of emergency guide.  You almost have to feel bad for the stormtroopers who were left behind and who get to deal with their floundering.  They have to follow procedure.  It’s just very amusing to read.

Overall, the book feels a little weaker than the others in the trilogy, mostly because this one is spent tying up a lot of different plotlines: Exar Kun, Mon Mothma’s sickness, Anoth, Admiral Daala, and possibly another that I’m forgetting.  It does partially make up for it with the Maw/Kessel/Death Star/Daala battle at the very end but it doesn’t have that same sort of tense climax as The Last Command.

I, Jedi
A part of me is surprised every time I start reading this book and it’s in first person.  The best part, of course, is that it works really well.  Obligatory Tosche Station request to let Stackpole write We, Jedi about Valin and Jysella.  This just goes to show that the diversity in the Expanded Universe when it comes to genres and writing techniques is definitely a positive.   Also, I think that this is the thinnest almost 600 page book I’ve ever seen.  Has anyone else noticed that the paper is super thin?

I mentioned earlier that one of the really great things about the Jedi Academy Trilogy is how KJA deliberately left some of the members of the inaugural class unmentioned to allow for other stories to be told and I, Jedi takes that opening and runs with it.  Occasionally, it does feel like a bit of a stretch when Stackpole comes up with reasons why Corran wasn’t present or why he doesn’t say anything at a meeting but overall, it works awesomely.

One of the definite strengths of the first half of the books is that we get to actually see more of Luke teaching at the Academy and we also get to see more of the students who didn’t hop on the dark side express.  Kam Solusar is one of those characters who definitely benefited from more page time.  And then, of course, we get lots more Mara Jade.  I like to think that if Kyp is the head Mean Girl of the Jedi Academy that Mara and Corran are definitely the Janis and Damien.  “That’s Corran Horn Keiran Halcyon.  He’s almost too Corellian to function!”.  Jokes aside, I really do love the friendship between Mara and Corran.  Getting to see more of her brief stint at the Academy is nice as is a more detailed look into why she ended up leaving.  But then again, I’m not really one to turn down more Mara Jade.

Other small things I love about this book include the entire time that Corran returns to Corellia and visits Rostek Horn and also when Corran flies against the Rogues and he gets to “see” how his squadron mates think.  If Tycho’s thought process doesn’t make you respect him then I don’t know what will.  Also, I’d like to point to almost that entire section of the book as proof that cockpit skills are about way more than Force ability and that they are unique to each individual and that people should not underestimate non-Force users nor overestimate Force users when it comes to the flying.  Rant over.

The one negative comment I’ll make is that after Tavira in this book and Daala and then all the ‘Isard totally slept with Palpatine’ hints in the past groups of books?  I’m sick of female Imperial villains who apparently used to sex to at least help them get to positions of power.  I’m not trying to slut-shame at all.  I just… dislike that this became a thing especially since we didn’t see it occur with any of the male villains during the era.  On the other hand, Tavira is a pretty effective villain for this particular story especially given how much we’re in Corran’s head for the entire story.

Also, once you know that Stackpole was writing this book and coordinating things with Zahn while he wrote the Hand of Thrawn books, so many things snap into place and make sense.  SO MANY THINGS.

And that brings us to the end of the Jedi Academy books but do not weep or despair because we’ve got something very special in store for you.  Tonight and tomorrow, I’ll be live streaming as I read my way through The Crystal Star.  Fair warning: my commentary as I read will not be family-friendly vocabulary so watch/listen at your own risk.  I’ll announce the livestream on my twitter, @chaosbria.  Until next time!

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On this episode of Tosche Station Radio, the hosts are joined by Bria from the blog to discuss the lessons the new Star Wars films can learn from the Expanded Universe.

In a bit of housekeeping, we’ve got another sponsor for the blog and podcast! Listeners of this podcast can get a free audio book from Audible.com when they sign up for a free trial subscription.

Kicking off the show, Nanci highlights what’s New on the Blog. The Waru Express stopped at The Thrawn Trilogy and Bria got to enjoy some of the EU’s better novels. Cosplay Monday featured an Adorable Airbender family. Finally, Bria reviewed The Last Jedi by Michael Reaves and Maya Kaathryn Bonhoff. In other words, Bria’s been manning the blog over the last week.

In Fixer’s Flash, Nanci’s been busy writing and visiting the new Fantasyland at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. Both the hosts caught up on The Clone Wars, so stay tuned for our Season 5 retrospective! Brian’s been gearing up for the start of a couple sport seasons, so he neglected to pay attention to his nerdier pursuits. Bria, on the other hand, revisited an old favorite novel and marathoned Season 2 of Game of Thrones.

Deak’s Dirt this week starts with an Oscars recap. Did any genre fiction fare well? Eh. Kinda. Star Trek Into Darkness is bringing back some old enemies. The Leia novel and Kenobi get new release dates – October 29 and August 27, respectively. The Last Jedi is released, should you go pick up a copy? In the Episode VII rumor department: Simon Pegg and Alfonso Cuarón may be involved? Are the writings looking to draw from the Original Trilogy’s tone and themes?

This week in Fixer’s Flash, the hosts and Bria take a look at the Expanded Universe and wonder what kind of lessons the new Star Wars films can take away from the novels. Are there things worth saving? Ignoring? Fixing? While some might want the EU to be ignored completely or preserved entirely, there are elements worth saving and chucking.

Wrapping up the show, the hosts field questions in the 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.

MarketSaw’s insider sources claim that Alfonso Cuaron (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Children of Men) and Simon Pegg are being courted for roles for the sequel trilogy. MarketSaw has had a decent track record reporting details of both Avatar and The Hobbit, so allow that to influence what you think of this rumor if you like.

Cuaron could make some sense as a director for one of the films, but Pegg’s role would be more uncertain. Perhaps he’s being considered for a role of some sort in the Abrams-directed Episode VII, but given that the screenplay isn’t even finished yet, it’ll be some time before we know whether or not he’s actually involved. That said, Pegg is a uniquely talented actor that would offer a lot to any film.

Edit: Pegg responds

No idea where this silly rumour about me attached to the new Star Wars film came from but I can confirm that it’s absolute Bantha poodoo.

— Simon Pegg (@simonpegg) February 26, 2013

So much for that. Also of note from the MarketSaw post:

The focus is on the original trilogy in regards of reverence and tone. Remember I told you before that the tone was important, well I believe they are really taking that seriously. From everything I know, they’re focusing on that directly. Remember everything has the ability to change drastically, as Star Wars right now apart from the twin trilogies is a huge blank canvas. However, the trilogies ongoing narrative will continue to focus on that particular branch, whereas the stand alone movies, will fill and expand the voids in between in multiple timelines, and have potential to then be franchised themselves in regards to the worlds they open up.

That certainly would be in line with what Mark Hamill is hoping for. A return to the more hopeful tones of the Original Trilogy and a step away from the fatalism of the Prequel Trilogy.

And again, grain of salt, exercise caution.

For the rest of the review, to the jump!

First off, although this book is being marketed as a standalone, it’s definitely book four of Coruscant Nights but without the subtitle and with less time spent on planet.  Readers who haven’t read those other three books will definitely be confused so do not start here.  If readers enjoyed those books, then they will probably like this one as well but for those who disliked them, I’d suggest not reading The Last Jedi.

We’ll start with the good things.  One of the neat things that the book does is that it tries to meld the two different canons regarding Dathomir.  Reaves and Bohnhoff introduce us to both the Singing Mountain Clan and also the Zabrak-human Dathomiri hybrids from The Clone Wars cartoon.  I appreciated that they made use of the Antarian Rangers and also some of the changes that I-Five undergoes through.  Reaves and Bohnhoff do introduce some fun new characters such as Sacha Swiftbird but they are regulated to smaller side roles.  Unfortunately, that’s where the good aspects end.

The plot is nothing terribly new or exciting.  In fact, it felt like it dragged during many parts.  While the overarching theme of rescuing Thi Xon Yimmon, the Whiplash Leader, is certainly clear, it almost feels too small for a 400+ page book.  That’s not to say that every book needs to have a grand sweeping galactic quest but the plotline of “rescue the guy and stay away from Vader” just doesn’t feel like it’s worth an entire book.  Additionally, some of the plot points and aspects give the novel a very video-game feel which is not a good thing.  Towards the end, Jax goes through an experience that’s only missing a “You have leveled up!” for the finishing touch.

Characterization and characters are an area where this book is definitely lacking.  One of the characters I preferred from the Coruscant Nights books was Pol Haus, a police prefect who turned out to be an ally for Jax and the rest  The book is split into different storylines and subsequently suffers as we aren’t often given the opportunity to see characters like Jax and Haus interact.  As for the characters we do get to see, Den feels like he’s just along for the ride and Jax continues to be… Jax.  Out of the core group, only I-Five’s storyline is entertaining and those changes aren’t the main focus.  Without spoiling anything, I felt that the death of a certain character minimized their contribution to the story and their own worth as an individual character and instead made their character all about Jax.  It’s a disservice to that character and does nothing to help Jax’s characterization.

Aside from the above, one of the things that really bothered me about this book was the lack of main female characters.  Of the 14 characters listed under Dramatis Personae, 9 are male, 1 is a male droid, and 4 are female.  Of those four female characters, two appear in only about a quarter of the book and the other two could be maybe considered supporting characters.  In other words, this book features a decidedly male cast and I’m disappointed in Reaves and Bohnhoff for doing so especially since Reaves can write excellent female characters, (see Barriss Offee in his MedStar duology).  Sacha Swiftbird had the potential to be a much greater character had she been better utilized.  I sincerely enjoyed reading about her when she was on page but it wasn’t nearly often enough.  It’s honestly just very disappointing and I expected otherwise from both authors.

I give The Last Jedi a 2/5 and suggest that you pick it up only if you’re really interested in the further adventures of Jax Pavan.

Thank you to Random House for providing us with an advanced copy of the book for review purposes.

I’ve been hesitant to run with advertising on the blog/podcast for all sorts of philosophical reasons, but the reality is I could use a bit of help financially to cover the costs of webhosting and keeping the lights on here. Thankfully we can be picky with the ads we run, so we decided to chose these two programs because the products offered are pretty cool. Chances are you already know about Her Universe‘s line of geek-inspired wardrobe and jewelry aimed at female fans. Audible is an Amazon.com affiliate that sells digital audiobooks.

In the interest of full disclosure, here’s the breakdown of what we’re getting with these ads:

• Her Universe: 10% of each sale (before tax/shipping) that originates from an ad on this site.
• Audible.com: $10 for each free trial subscription, $25 for each paid subscription, 10% per single download.

As for what we’d be using this advertising money for, primarily it’s going to go to paying for our webhosting and domain registration costs. Occasionally we might use some of it to get some material (books, comics, movies) for the staff to review. Honest, we won’t be squandering this on the quarter slot machines in Vegas.

For reference, every 18 free Audible trial subscriptions that originate from the blog/podcast will pay for one year of webhosting for the blog. /ShamelessPlug

If you’ve got any questions or feedback (even if it’s that you don’t want to see us run advertising), feel free to leave a comment here in the post.

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

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.

Dark Force Rising
While I always remember what a great trilogy this is, I think that I sometimes forget how much I love Dark Force Rising as an individual book.  The pacing is great, it moves the overall story forward, and the ending is so deliciously middle film Star Wars with its “well crap” cliffhanger.

One of the highlights of the book is the introduction of Senator Garm Bel Iblis.  If I could’ve had one character from the Expanded Universe included in the Prequel films, it would’ve been him.  Think of how amazing that would’ve been especially since there were already political subplots in all three films!  I just love everything about him.  He’s an Old Republic Senator who obviously was good at his job and cared about Corellia AND he’s a pretty good General.  I AM IMPRESSED, GOOD SIR.  I also like getting a better idea of the early days of the Rebellion.  The idea that the Rebellion was patched together from multiple groups and that all of those groups didn’t agree is just awesome and very realistic in its own way.

Oh.  In case it was previous unclear, my opinion of C’boath doesn’t change with his clone.

Except now it’s more like two bags of cats because u crazy man.  (One bag of cats for each u.  Get it?  GET IT?)

Another thing I like about these books is that Zahn doesn’t neglect any aspects of the story.  We get to follow the storylines of the Big Three, of the villain, of Karrde and Mara.  He also pays attention to both military and political aspects of the war without being heavy handed.  Really, it’s just a nicely done job all around.

The Last Command
YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER.  Can I just say that Mara killing Luuke was a really clever way of solving that?  I swear, it gets me every time for some reason.  Actually, the entirety of the last 100 or so pages is fantastic.  It has a wonderfully cinematic feel to it between the space battle and then the final climatic battle between C’boath and our heroes.  I think I can actually hear a John Williams score playing in my head while I read it.  And then Thrawn’s death.  “But it was so artistically done.”  I’d give it the title of “Best Death/Best Dying Words” but I think a certain Jedi has claim to that so we’ll give him the runner up crown.  Honestly, everything about the end is just perfect.

On a slightly more micro level, I’m rather fond of that moment during the attack on Coruscant when Mon Mothma and Bel Iblis both swallow their pride and decide to be allies again.  It’s a small but yet important moment and I love that Zahn chose to let us see it through Leia’s eyes.  Everything about it just works.  The discovery of Delta Source is another nice little plotline.  I love how casually Ghent hands over the encryption and then the whole elaborate scheme that he, Leia, Bel Iblis, and Winter pull off to finally discover where it is.  Using a tree was pretty darn clever of the Emperor.

Another character that Zahn does a great job with is Mara Jade (shocker I know.)  Obviously, he writes the best Mara but I think that what he does with her storyline is great.  She is a well rounded character who can stand on her own and even though we all know that she and Luke are clearly meant to be, she’s not regulated to the usual love interest role.  Their eventual relationship gets to evolve more naturally.  Actually, can we get more books about Mara and Karrde and the rest of the organization?  It’s been awhile since I’ve read the books between the Thrawn trilogy and duology but I seem to recall them being mostly ignored.  Can this be fixed?

I love all three of these books.  I really do.  Everyone  should read them more often because they are a joy to read.  If anyone uses the continuity errors in them created by the Prequel Trilogy as a reason to dislike them, I will throw a trout at their head.  I’d gush more about them but I’m still recovering from the amount of gushing I did over the Wraith books.

Isard’s Revenge
I feel like this book often ends up getting overlooked in favor of some of its other X-Wing counterparts.  It’s certainly a much better book than Rogue Squadron and Stackpole is also the master of weaving in plotlines and occurrences in other books into his own novels and making them work brilliantly.

The book is one half starfighter battles and one half some good old sneaky intelligence work.  In case you haven’t noticed, that’s basically my favorite thing in a book.  Any time Wedge has to go undercover is a good time to read.  Also, I think we should in fact all be terrified that Booster Terrik can think so much like Isard.  No wonder Cracken didn’t want to let Booster get his hands on a Star Destroyer.  Terrifying.  TERRIFYING.  Although this means that there is some alternative universe where Myri Antilles is being groomed to take over Booster’s new Empire.

One thing I’ve always been curious about is whether or not Allston and Stackpole coordinated this whole Isard thing.  There’s a part in Iron Fist where Face Loran hypothesizes that Isard didn’t die above Thyferra and then in this book, it turns out that he was right and that she has a clone.  The clone thing could’ve come off terribly but it works for Isard.

The end of this book never fails to make me roll my eyes at Wedge and Iella and yell “Just get married already!”.  Good thing I know what happens in Starfighers of Adumar.  I also make sad faces every time Asyr makes the decision to “stay dead” because poor little Gavin’s had his heart broken.  Curse you Fey’lya!

And that’s it for this round of books!  Next up are the Jedi Academy books where all of you are likely to have your opinion of me dip a little.  Sorry not sorry.  As always, you can follow my progress in real time on twitter @chaosbria or the hashtag #WaruExpress.

New dates: the as yet untitled Leia REBELS novel by @marthawells1 is moving to 10/29 and #STARWARS KENOBI by @jjmfaraway to 8/27 #SWEU

— StarWarsBooks (@DelReyStarWars) February 22, 2013

And in case you can’t see the above tweet, it’s October 29, 2013 for the Leia novel and August 27, 2013 for Kenobi.

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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. 

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!

Endor Leia	Deliah Blue	Padmé
Jedi	Luke Skywalker	Mandalorian

Also, if you’ll forgive me a picture that includes myself, there was also a small gathering of Expanded Universe characters and costumes!  From left to right: the Zhobot duo as Darth Caedus/Jacen Solo and Queen Mother Tenel Ka, vestara as Leia Organa Solo, and yours truly as Winter.

The Outlander Club

As always, we at Tosche Station continue to be huge fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra so of course some of those cosplayers would catch our attention.  In particular, Korra cosplayers were out in full force at Katsucon.

Iroh II and Asami

Fire Nation Katara

Suki and Sokka

It may have been an anime convention but western comics were certainly not neglected!  Many of the more well known Marvel Avengers and X-men characters were present along with some DC characters too.  I was personally incredibly excited to see my first Moon Knight cosplayer and some spectacularly done genderswapped Thor and Loki costumes.

Kid Loki	Genderswapped Thor and Loki	Storm
Wonder Girl	Moon Knight by Spectra Cosplay	Nick Fury

As with almost every other convention, there were plenty of Disney cosplayers!  These pictures only represent a small fraction of the Disney cosplayers present at Katsu but wow did everyone look amazing!

Giselle	Charlotte La Bouff	Ursula
Pitch by Samletbird	Jack Frost	Esmeralda
Historically Accurate Disney Princesses	Mary Poppins	Sgt. Calhoun

And there’s inevitably a costume group that’s put a super cool twist on the typical Disney costumes like this group below.

Steampunk Peter Pan

These next two costume pictures are a part of what I’ll refer to as “The Costumers Bria Ran After Because Nanci Would Appreciate Them” club.

Genderswapped Enjolras

Emma Swan and Captain Hook

And then there are some costumes that are so awesome that they don’t need a category or explanation.

	Assassin’s Creed III
Kakyuu-Hime by luckygrim	He Man

This is, of course, only a very small selection of the hundreds of fantastic costumes that were at Katsucon last weekend and I’ll be posting some more costumes that I haven’t included in this post in forthcoming Cosplay Mondays.  To close out, I’ll leave you with the one costume that I like to think sums up Katsucon rather neatly: Sailor Deadpool.

Yahoo! is at it again, and it turns out that the new Star Trek film is going to be featuring some familiar faces–and no, we’re not talking about who Benedict Cumberbatch is playing, either.

Spoilers after the jump!

Maltz

J.J. Abrams isn’t completely close-mouthed when it comes to spilling the secrets of the upcoming Star Trek sequel, as Yahoo! just reported today that Abrams has let us know that we will be seeing our old Klingon friends in the new movie. Though scenes with Klingons were originally cut from the 2009 Star Trek reboot (scenes that reportedly had Nero spending part of the twenty-five years between his arrival in the alternate timeline and Spock’s arrival as a Klingon prisoner), they seem to be to stay in the new film, possibly as an integral part of the movie.

I’m fairly excited, though there are some questions that I’m curious about. What are these Klingons going to look like? Are we going to get TOS Klingons with smooth foreheads or are we going to ignore Enterprise’s rather clumsy retconning and stick with Worf’s statement that “We do not speak of it?” What are new versions of Klingon vessels going to look like? How much is Shane going to complain when he sees revamped Klingon ship design?

And as for other questions, if Yahoo! was going to use a quote in Klingon for their headline, why “Maltz, jol yIchu!”? (Maltz, beam us up!) More specifically, why a line from Star Trek III: The Search for Spock? If you’re going to be geeky enough to use a line in Klingon as part of your article, have enough self-respect to use one from Star Trek VI and quote Shakespeare in the original Klingon.

“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.

Via Club Jade

@jackdelamare No, Ms. Kennedy has moved onto Star Wars and will not be producing JP4. She’s traded raptors for TIE fighters.

— Frank Marshall (@LeDoctor) February 17, 2013

Via The Mary Sue

I’m excited about the show because it’s a very hopeful show. It’s not about murder, and it’s not about crime, and it’s not people looking into their own belly buttons. It’s about people who are trying to help each other, and that’s one of the things I loved about comic books. They had costumes and the villains were cool [but] they stood for something, and I like doing a show that does that

As for film characters showing up the series? Well, Clark Gregg will be there, but don’t expect too much Maria Hill because her schedule will “permit very little.”

For more, head over to TV line and read their interview with Whedon.

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.

Via The Bearded Trio

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.

Via Club Jade

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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.

Somewhere out there is a Yoda/Yaddle shipper.

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.

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.

As Harry Potter hits its fifteenth birthday, Entertainment Weekly reports that Scholastic plans to celebrate by re-releasing the series in trade paperback form. A bit of a welcome surprise, however, is all new cover artwork for the novels.

The new artwork will be illustrated by Kabu Kibuishi, the artist behind the Amulet graphic novels.

I do have a fondness for the original covers, but I must say this updated look is quite nice in my eye.

Star Wars #1 

The review and spoilers loom under the cut!

Summary

As just about every Star Wars story does lately, issue #2 of Brian Wood’s new comic series starts off with Boba Fett. Han and Chewie are done in by a malfunctioning sensor system and they don’t quite notice that the Galaxy’s most notorious bounty hunter is firmly locked onto their six. After a series of daring maneuvers and a surprise visit by an Imperial Star Destroyer, Han manages to escape to hyperspace.

Meanwhile back at the fleet, Leia’s finally getting some time to mourn over the loss of Alderaan while working out the details for her new super secret spy squadron. Luke and Wedge are busying themselves in a simulator but despite the fact that Luke racked up more kills, Wedge needs to point out that such a gung-ho flying style Luke deploys is liable to get someone killed.

Over at Casa de Star Destroyer, Colonel Bircher has taken command of the command Vader recently vacated and totally isn’t letting it get to his head.

Back at the fleet, Leia has assembled her group of pilots to smoke out the rat among the Alliance’s ranks. Introductions are held and Wedge is introduced as the unit’s second in command with her in charge of the whole group. Everyone is shown their shiny new X-Wings straight from Incom and Luke and Leia have a personal moment.

The issue wraps up with Han and Chewie dropping out of hyperspace and flying into Imperial Center to find Mon Mothma’s contact there.

Quick Thoughts

From an art perspective, things are still solid. The character artwork is decent and the Alex Ross cover is fantastic. While not the best interior stuff I’ve seen, it’s a good fit for Star Wars and is pretty visually pleasing.

Issue #2 fares a little better than issue #1, but there’s still a big case of the dulls going on. There’s been a whole bunch of info-dumping and exposition to this point, but not much in the way of advancing plot. Once again I fully have to own up to being spoiled by Marvel’s stuff of late and while I’m loathe to make comparisons, I kind of have to. Contrast this series with, say, Kelly Sue DeConnick’s Captain Marvel. DeConnick managed to explain everything the reader needed to know within one issue (while still being thoroughly entertaining) and started pushing the plot straight-away in the second. Wood is still struggling to get the story out of first gear.

Leia reads a bit better in this chapter, but still seems to suffer from Swiss Army Knife Syndrome. I’m still having a hard time reconciling her being both a brilliant politician and  brilliant military tactician as well as a pilot capable of being the commanding officer of a starfighter outfit. This issue didn’t do much to address the concerns I had last week about making her a too conveniently gifted character. I’m still willing to give this arc its run to see how Wood can deal with this, but right now I’m still iffy on the characterization.

The Imperial subplot really hasn’t done anything for me yet, neither has the Han and Chewie subplot. I’m hoping the next issue adds a good deal more to those areas because right now both feel extraneous.

In all, issue #2 reads a touch better than the first issue, but still is plagued by some characterization questions, slow pacing, and info-dump tendencies. I’d score it a 3/5

Last week, George Lucas registered for the ability to cash out his Disney stock in order to build Scrooge McDuck’s Moneybin. Or use it for philanthropic efforts, one of the two. The Bearded Trio tracked down a Lucas representative to see if he was planning to cash out.

George Lucas has no intention of letting go of his Disney stock he acquired as part of the deal selling Lucasfilm to Disney. Now this is a clever move as the stock can only go up with another Avengers, Pirates Of The Caribbean and more Star Wars movies in the works. Disney’s shares are likely to rise quite dramatically. Good move!

Who needs stock in Lucasfilm when you can have stock in Disney and their various money-printing licenses? Probably a wise call by Lucas. Disney as a company seems to be heading nowhere but Up* these days so hanging onto that stock for a while seems like a sound move.

*Up! Get it? I’m sorry. 

There’s not a whole lot here to get excited about, mostly I just wanted to link to this story because of a fabulous photo of George Lucas The Bearded Trio dug up.

Is that not incredibly unsettling?

The Bearded Trio via Club Jade

I mentioned on Twitter last night that there are some big changes for the podcast coming in the next few days. I also said I’d be detailing the specifics this morning. Well, here we are, so let’s get to it.

Tosche Station Radio will be leaving the Solo Sound Network to join Majestic Giraffe Productions.

Nanci and I were recently given a new hosting opportunity that was extraordinarily generous and could allow the show to grow in new directions. Still, weighing this opportunity against the time we’ve spent with Solo Sound was extremely tough. We’ve been incredibly fortunate to be able to work with Austin and the rest of the Solo Sound staff. Without their framework and expertise, we couldn’t have made it four episodes let alone forty-four. Parting from Solo Sound to this new venture is exciting, bittersweet, and one of the hardest decisions we’ve had to make since we started the podcast over a year ago. We can’t thank Solo Sound enough for putting us in a position to succeed and thrive.

What does this mean for the podcast, though? More after the jump.

We’re going to be teaming up with Majestic Giraffe Productions, a hub for fandom and creativity that’s run by fellow podcaster, writer, and friend Matthew Bowers. I’ll let him describe the site for you:

Majestic Giraffe productions is a collective of writers, photographers, filmmakers, podcasters, game designers — creative people of all interests — coming together to share their passions with each other and the world at large. We believe that making a career out of something you’re passionate about is to be applauded and encouraged, not something to be ashamed of or feel guilty about. We’re here to support each other, get our creations out into the world, and maybe even build a career for ourselves in the process.

Nanci, myself, and the rest of the Tosche Station staff are looking forward to working with Matthew and Majestic Giraffe and helping to grow both their presence and our own. Currently they are home to a podcast that both Nanci and I are incredibly fond of, Wrong Opinions About Movies*. Do be sure to give them a listen!

*As a shameless plug, both Nanci and myself will be appearing on an upcoming episode WOAM to discuss Star Trek 2009.

Now for the five of you not on the staff that actually listen to the podcast, you may be wondering what all of this means for your listening experience.  The short answer is not a whole lot. We’re still a Star Wars focused podcast that will also dive into a grab bag of geek culture spanning a boatload of fandoms. The snark will definitely remain despite our better judgment.

What will be changing is the range of subjects and conversations we’ll be tackling. While we still will remain a G to PG rated podcast for the vast majority of our episodes, working with Majestic Giraffe gives us the opportunity to attack subjects in entertainment and fandom that may be more suitable for an older audience. Things like sexuality in fandom and deeper looks into sub-issues in feminism, for example. Subjects that would be ill-suited to an all-ages oriented podcast.

In other words, every now and then we might do a podcast episode that would earn a PG-13 or maybe even an R rating in order to tackle a subject we find important. We will of course put warnings up whenever we are addressing a topic that might be ill-suited for younger listeners. To reiterate, though, this partnership with Majestic Giraffe will not be drastically altering the content or delivery of Tosche Station Radio. It’s simply going to give us a chance to occasionally broaden the content we discuss and the audiences we speak to.

As a final piece of disclosure, we will be adding a few carefully chosen advertisements to the blog and podcast to help subsidize webhosting costs and occasionally procure some reading/viewing material for the staff to review. The first of those advertisements (the Her Universe boxes on the sidebar) is already live.

Once again, we’d like to offer our deepest thanks to Austin and Solo Sound for being such a gracious host for the first year of our podcast’s life. Without them, the podcast and this blog wouldn’t exist.  Please keep listening to their two fine podcasts, We Talk Clones and the rebooted EUCast. If you haven’t listened to them before, go listen to them now!

We now return to your regularly scheduled fandom inanity.

The Courtship of Princess Leia
Why yes.  This book is the Star Wars equivalent of a Bollywood musical.  You’ve probably heard us at Tosche Station repeat Dunc’s declaration a time or two.  Honestly though.  This book comes complete with a musical break where Threepio serenades the group with “Han Solo! What a man, Solo!” complete with orchestration and a tap dance routine.  You only think I’m making this up.  Of course, we can’t forget the opening number where the Hapans enter the grand audience chamber and make an elaborate presentation of gifts with women singing “Hapes Hapes Hapes” over and over again in the background.  If they were to film this, I would expect it to end much like Mirror, Mirror with a giant wedding Bollywood number.  Bonus points if they managed to get Sean Bean to play some role and just look miserable in the back ground.  But anyways.  Let’s be clear: this book is indeed ridiculous but it’s still entertaining and somewhat endearing in its own strange way.

Not that any of this excuses the characterization of Han or Leia.  It’s all just… off.  Very off.  Han is crazed and obsessed and Leia is just… yeah.  It’s just all so very very very wrong.  Also, I’m pretty sure that at this point in the timeline?  Han still finds Threepio irritating and even if he didn’t, I’m fairly sure that he is the LAST person or droid you should go to for love life advice.

Aside from the ridiculous characterization and strange plot, there are some good things about this book.  First and foremost, we get the planets of Dathomir and Hapes which I shall always insist are wonderful additions to the Expanded Universe.  Are they somewhat strange societies?  Sure but they make for fascinating reads.  Not only that but this book lays the foundation for one excellent character in the Expanded Universe: Tenel Ka who shall forever be my favorite warrior princess/queen but more on that in a few weeks.  Honestly, I wish that we’d gotten a chance to see more of both worlds in canon.

Also, this book gives us the infamous “Kiss My Wookiee!” line.  Come on, how can you not find that in the least bit amusing?

I am honestly convinced that Winter must have been off on some sort of mission for Intelligence while this was happening.  When she got back and Han and Leia told her the whole story, she listened calmly without comment and then smacked them both over the head, confiscated all of their spice, and gave them a stern lecture about the dangers of drugs.

Tatooine Ghost
“is part of what I like to refer to as the ‘Whoooooa look at all the new information we got from the Prequels!  Let’s work it into EVERYTHING from now on!’ wave.

This book is one part ‘explore Anakin Skywalker’s past’, one part Han/Leia, and one part Leia working through her Vader issues.  The good news is that while the themes feel a bit heavy handed at times, it works for the most part.  It’s an entertaining enough book that doesn’t feel like a chore to read.  Han and Leia are spending their honeymoon retrieving a piece of artwork titled the Killik Twilight because not only is it a nice reminder of Alderaan but because it contains the code key to a Rebel spy ring.  Obviously, it would be very bad if the Empire were to get their hands on it although I question why someone didn’t think to remove the key before they lent it to a museum on Coruscant.

I really don’t have much to say about this book.  (I know.  Brevity from me.  Shocking.)  Like I said, it’s a good enough read as long as the continuous Skywalker-Family-Storytime doesn’t bother you too much.  The book does make me a little sad that Shmi never got to meet her grandchildren.  She would’ve been the best grandmother ever.

I do appreciate Denning’s little comments towards continuity.  The despicable Threken Horm appears in this book again and continues to be awful.  We also get some foreshadowing for Thrawn and company in the next trilogy.  Oh.  And we get a mention of the Wraiths.  You know how much I love even hearing about my favorites.

Okay.  Getting off this love cruise now.  Thankfully.  Fine, I’m being dramatic again but if you got to read the Thrawn Trilogy next, wouldn’t you be excited too?  As always, you can follow my progress in real time on Twitter @chaosbria or the hashtag #WaruExpress.

Only books I adore get sticky-noted like this

I love Wraith Squadron.  There are not enough words in any of the languages I know to properly express how much I love the Wraiths and these three books.  Reading these has never been anything less than a joy and I have strong emotional attachments to these characters.  Heads up, there’s going to be a lot of gushing in this post.  There are also going to be a lot of rambling emotions in this post.  If you want proper reviews of the X-Wing books, go read the retrospectives the rest of the staff wrote last year.  Yes, there will be more flailing and emotions than in the Shatterpoint and Revenge of the Sith reviews.  Brace yourselves.

Wraith Squadron
Rogue Squadron has officially rejoined the New Republic and Wedge Antilles, not content with the stack of medals and accolades he already has, is going to create a brand new squadron that will totally kick some Imperial behind but in their own distinctive way.

It’s actually Wedge himself who iterates why I love the Wraiths so much, even more than the Rogues.  Wedge assembles the Wraiths from the pilots in Starfighter Command who appear to be chronic screw-ups and are dangerously close to washing out.  He finds the men and women who are good to decent enough pilots and have skills to offer the New Republic but who’ve just had trouble making it.  In contrast, the Rogues were mostly from backgrounds that were quite the opposite.  Wedge specifically cites Corran’s CorSec and Bror’s Bacta Prince roots.  Not everyone can relate to something like that.  On the other hand, the Wraiths and their backgrounds make it a lot easier for the everyday person, including myself, to relate to them.  Allston lets us watch throughout these three books as these characters not only overcome their personal issues but also as they becomes heroes.

I enjoy both the plot and the characters development in Wraith Squadron equally.  It never feels like one is dragging the other along but rather that they go hand in hand which is absolutely how a novel should be.  It’s easy to become invested in how quickly this unit goes from not even being operational to capturing spaceships and doing some serious damage to Warlord Zsinj.  Plus, as Wedge and Wes both note, the Wraiths have a tendency to look at a problem and jump outside of the box that the main box is inside of and come at it from a completely different angle.  It’s what makes them dangerous and it’s why I love them.

Obviously, this is Kell Tainer’s book and wow does he have a lot of character development to go through.  In a lot of ways, he’s Corran Horn’s opposite.  Both of them are naturally gifted pilots with dead fathers but that’s where the comparisons stop.  Kell knows that he’s a good pilot, gifted with demolitions, and a more competent mechanic but he is plagued with the biggest case of self-doubt and fear of screwing up and letting others down.  It’s rather neat getting to watch him slowly get over both his fear of Janson and his fear of being a failure.  It doesn’t happen over night and it doesn’t happen without some encouragement from his friends but it happens.

The other thing that I really like about the Wraith books is that I feel that the readers actually get to know the entire squadron instead of just the leads and a few others.  Kell and Face may battle it out all the time for who’s my favorite Wraith but it just wouldn’t be the same if I didn’t finish the book feeling like I knew who each of the Wraiths was.  As a comparison, I can name every single member of Wraith Squadron in these three books but I don’t think I can say the same about all the Rogues in the X-Wing books.  (Peshk who?)

Okay, I think that’s enough emotions about the first book for now.  I have to save some for what’s coming next.  You know what’s about to happen.  And if you don’t, please go read these three books before reading the rest of this review.

Iron Fist
This book is simultaneously brilliant and heartbreaking.  While there may be some deaths, like a certain one in Traitor, that get the title of “Best Death” from me, there are very few single deaths more heartbreaking than the one Aaron Allston wrote here and the closest contender I can think of was another Allston death.  But let’s start with the good things before I have another one of those patented ‘Bria’s Star Wars Related Emotional Breakdowns’.

Just like the first book was Kell’s book, Iron Fist is definitely Face Loran’s book and the series as a whole benefits from the changing character focus.  (Garik Loran?  The Face?  I think I’m going to swoon!)  While Kell still has plenty of story left to tell, he’s overcome his huge roadblock.  As Face (and Ton) make pretty clear, Face has been carrying around a lot of emotional guilt over the actions of his childhood self.  That’s a ton of guilt for something that a small child did especially since he likely didn’t realize exactly what his acting was doing for the Empire at the time.  I think that Face will always carry around some of that emotional baggage but in this book he, with the help of some friends, manages to work through it to a point where he can stand tall again or rather have a certain scar removed.

Okay.  Time for the bantha in the room.  I can’t avoid it anymore.  Ton Phanan’s death is easily one of the most heartbreaking ones in the Expanded Universe and I get emotional every time I read it.  The worst part is that Ton reaches his lowest point before his final mission and it feels like he’s just given up.  Even though he’s dying, he manages to write one final letter to Face.  Ton realizes that even though he’s given up and he has almost no chance of surviving, he wants to do what he can to help his best friend move on so that Face doesn’t in turn become bitter towards the galaxy.  It’s selfless and—oh nope.  Here’s come the emotions.

I’m sorry, I’ll just be over here mourning the loss of the best bromance in the Expanded Universe.  I take comfort knowing that Mr. Allston also cried while writing this.

But we do get some pretty wonderful characters to replace those valiant Wraiths we lost in the first book.  Well, Castin doesn’t make it very far but I mostly like him because we used to make fun of him all the time in the Starfighter Draft.  On the other hand, we do get Shalla, Dia, and Lara, all members of the Very Competent Ladies Club.  I’ll wax poetic about Lara in the next book review but wow is she a fantastic addition to the Wraiths.  I’m also a huge fan of Shalla because I love her attitude towards life and towards her job.   And then there’s Dia.  She doesn’t rank quite as high on my list of favorite Wraiths but I love her anyways because I love all my broken and damaged Wraiths who find a way to carry on.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about the triumphant return of Lieutenant Kettch.  Did you know it’s a felony to impersonate an ewok on some worlds?  It’s a running gag that could have ended up being ridiculous especially once you factor in Wedge disguising himself as an ewok pilot but Allston manages to make it work.  Yub yub, good sir!

I would be even more remiss if I didn’t take a minute to talk about how Allston really gets the character of Wedge Antilles.  Clearly he writes a great Wedge in general but there’s one bit in this book that really stands out to me.  Wedge sees Kell and Tyria kiss and realizes that a part of him is jealous, not because he harbors feelings for Tyria but rather because he feels alone.  Sure he has some really good friends but he doesn’t have a family anymore.  It’s really just a lovely couple of pages that show Wedge on a level we don’t often see which makes the scene all the better.  (Just go kiss Iella already, Wedge.  Honestly.)

And wow.  I haven’t even started to talk about the plot yet!  I think that this book actually has my favorite plotline out of the three Wraith books.  The Wraiths are good at being pirates.  I mean, really good.  The Wraiths are tasked with splitting into teams to try and predict what Zsinj’s next move might be and it turns out that the best way for them to try and counter his plans is to become the Hawkbats: pirates and fighters extraordinaire who steal starfighters, board ships and steal their cargo, and rob banks just for kicks.  That’s a pretty impressive display of trust from New Republic command for a brand new squadron even one commanded by Wedge Antilles.  Despite the deaths and emotional trauma, the storyline is exciting and I loved following all the twists and turns as the Wraiths move closer to taking down Zsinj.

Solo Command
I may love every one of the X-Wing books but my love knows no bounds for this particular book.  I’ll go as far as to say that this easily makes my Top Five Expanded Universe books.

Let’s stick with the theme and talk about how this is Lara’s book and also, to some extent, the final chapter in Myn Donos’s book.  Both of them have gone through a lot of the course of these three books.  Poor Myn had his entire squadron destroyed (thanks to Lara) and regaining his mental health has been a very slow progress over the books.  He’s finally reached a good place, good enough to start a relationship with Lara, and then it all goes to hell.  On the other hand, you have Lara who has undergone a complete mental change over the past couple months so now she no longer thinks of herself as an Imperial but instead as one of the Wraiths.  She just wants to be Lara Notsil and then Face gets a little too curious and discovers her secret.  The poor woman just needs a hug but I guess helping put a huge dent in Zsinj’s operation will also work even though she can never return to the New Republic.  I’m just glad that all the important people know she never betrayed them.  And also that Allston gives Myn and Lara, excuse me, Kirney a happy ending.

You know by now that I love all the Wraiths.  In particular, I wanted to mention that I love the Janson we see in this book.  Not only do we get to see the prankster and easy going Janson but we also get to see what I’ll call the cockpit Janson who is a serious and efficient fighter.  I also love how Tyria Sarkin has had her own character progression in the background.  By Solo Command, she’s more sure of herself and even uses the Force to the Wraiths’ advantage multiple times during missions.  Honestly, there’s no one in the Wraiths that I don’t love to pieces because even when they screw up, they learn from their mistakes and become such a kick-butt team that General Cracken poaches them from Starfighter Command to Intelligence.  That’s how you know you’re good.

I’m actually a bit ashamed that it’s taken me until now to write about Warlord Zsinj and General Melvar.  Both of these men are little more then cardboard cut-out stereotype villains in Courtship of Princess Leia but Allston manages to make them into utterly delightful characters who you love to hate.  The exchange where Zsinj shudders over the name ‘New Oldtown’ in Iron Fist never fails to make me grin.  Allston doesn’t so much destroy the “characterization” for Zsinj and Melvar from the other book as much as he expands upon it and twists it so that both of them are bad guys to be reckoned with and certainly worth of all the time and effort put into stopping them.

And we have to talk about the end to the saga of Lieutenant Kettch.  Yub yub, Janson.  The moral of the story?  Don’t prank Wedge Antilles too much because he will eventually get revenge and let the entire fleet know that you do indeed have a very nice rear end.  The flip side of this is Kolot who, like Lara, was a lie that eventually became the truth.  It’s really just the icing on the cake.

Honestly, I just adore everything about this book.  We’ll be here all year and another thousand words if I try to talk about everything.  Instead, I’ll just mention what’s one of my favorite moments in any Star Wars book: the Saffalore mission.  Everything’s just gone wrong, most of the Wraiths are injured due to almost being incinerated by Zsinj’s forces, and they barely made it out.  Face just looks at the squad and tells them “Wraiths, no rules.  No mercy.  Take out anything that gets between us and home.”  It gives me chills every time I read it.

Oh man.  Well, that’s it for the Wraith books… for now.  These books have never been anything but a pleasure to read and I adore them even when they give me ridiculous emotions about the characters.  We’re switching gears with the next set of books as the Hunt for Zsinj continues but… uhh… yeah, it’s basically the Han and Leia Love Boat next.  As always, if you’d like to follow this mad project in real time, you can follow me on Twitter @chaosbria or the hashtag #WaruExpress.  Until next time.

Kasdan: I was pleased that there would be new ones, that there was a chance to capture some of the spirit of the original trilogy that I’d worked on. I thought there’s an audience out there — my grandchildren, lots of original Star Wars people — and there always will be. It’s only good that we try to do some more great ones.

On what the new trilogy will be like:

GN: What can you tell fans about this new version that you’re working on? There are so many rumors going around.

Kasdan: They’re going to be fun. J.J. (Abrams)’s a great director for the first sequel. Perfect. We’re very happy to have him. The writers I’ve been working with – Michael Arndt, who’s going to write the sequel, and Simon Kinberg, who has, like me, been sort of consulting — they’re great. I’ve never really collaborated a lot, and I’ve never been a room with a bunch of writers thinking, “Well, what should this thing be?” It’s fun. It’s really fun. And J.J.’s a writer. Yeah, lovely guy. I’d met him but didn’t know him. But now I’m totally enamored by him. He’s really funny and so enthusiastic.

Simon Kinberg was also asked about whether the standalone movies would work with established characters or try something different:

IGN: Is there anything you can say in terms of working with established Star Wars characters, or are you coming from a whole new plot and characters for your standalone movie?

Kinberg: This is what I would say: as a fan, I wouldn’t want to know too much. I know that’s impossible because it’s not the ’70s or ’80s anymore, but part of what was so exciting about A New Hope for me was I was entering into a universe I didn’t know. Even in Empire, I was surprised by a twist I never would have seen coming. But it’s different nowadays. I understand the excitement, and I’m happy that people are interested, obviously. But I’d rather people have something left to discover when they go in.

For more, head to IGN to read the full interview.

The figure will be released as part of the second wave of Hasbro’s Black Series, a lineup that’s geared towards collectors. That, of course, means that this figure will be even harder to find than it would have been before. So if you’re hoping to get your hands on one, prepare to hit eBay and don’t hold your breath.

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On this episode of Tosche Station Radio, the hosts talk spinoffs and Star Wars!

Kicking off the show, Nanci highlights what’s new on the blog. Brian noted that one of his favorite baseball writers realized sports and geek fandom are the same thing. Meanwhile, the Waru Express visited Rogue Squadron and laid the smack down on Corran Horn.

In Fixer’s Flash, Nanci kept herself busy by reading Old Man’s War by John Scalzi. She also has been working on her current novel and planning out future writing projects. Of course, there was also the Puppy Bowl, the most important event of the last week. Brian, on the other hand, watched a whole lot of QI and is eagerly anticipating the return of Community to the airwaves.

Deak’s Dirt starts off with Ashley Eckstein revealing upcoming plans for Her Universe products. The Super Bowl happened and there were trailers for geeky films such as Iron Man, Star Trek Into Darkness, Oz the Great and Powerful, World War Z (via clubjade). Billy Dee Williams is attending Dragon*Con.Make-up artist Stuart Freeborn passed away at 98. In the big news, Bob Iger confirms standalone Star Wars films are in the works. Ain’t It Cool News reported a Yoda film while Entertainment Weekly reported Han Solo and Boba Fett films. Meanwhile author Timothy Zahn talked standalone films, along with writing Han Solo, with Hollywood.com.