The IPC Podcast LIVE #291 | Treasure Planet

On this episode Zac, Ben and Jake dive deeper into their collection of "Underrated Disney Classics" by watching and discussing 2002's Treasure Planet. They explore the film's magnificent visuals, its all-star cast, its classic source material, and the unfortunate circumstances that to led to it becoming one of Disney's most infamous flops. Ben shares his first impressions while Jake and Zac talk about their nostalgia for the film. They swap trivia, discuss their favorite and least favorite moments, and debate the film's large collection of parallels to Star Wars! And later for #BBQWatch, Ben gives a shoutout to a new BBQ "Hot Spot" he found. Listen for all that and more!

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The IPC Podcast #231 | Star Wars: Attack Of The Clones (Revisited)

On this episode Zac and Ben revisit another chapter of the Star Wars saga, this time focusing on Star Wars: Episode II - Attack Of The Clones. They are also joined by one of the biggest AOTC fans in the galaxy, their good friend Chris Seekell from The Star Wars Underworld. Together they share their favorite moments, characters, memories and more. The guys also take time to break down Anakin Skywalker's choices in this film and descent towards the Dark Side. They even test their knowledge with another Quote-A-Thon covering an intense scene between Jango and Obi-Wan. Furthermore, they give an update on Star Wars: Episode IX and discuss some new characters that were revealed. And in accordance with a new Twitter trend they share their #Top4StarWars moments. Listen for all that and much more!

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On This Day: June 26, 1997

 By Ciaran Duggan,

Filming for Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace commenced on this day back in 1997. Production of the first Prequel film started two years prior to the eventual May 19, 1999 release date. 

Episode I was George Lucas' first director effort after a 22-year hiatus following the release of Star Wars: A New Hope in 1977.

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The IPC Podcast LIVE #122 | Top 5 Movies You'd Never Say 'No' To

The Intergalactic Peace Coalition Podcast is a weekly live show hosted by the SWU's Ben Hart and good friend Zac Arnold with a commitment to encourage civility among all fandoms. They cover a wide range of topics, both old and new, including(but not limited to) Sci-Fi and fantasy. They strive to delve into a multitude of different franchises, including Star Wars, Doctor Who, Star Trek, Firefly, Indiana Jones, Marvel, DC and many others. We hope you enjoy!

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Alethea McGrath, Actress Behind Jocasta Nu, Has Died

By: Benjamin Hart

We are deeply saddened to pass on the news that we have lost another distinguished member of the Star Wars family. Alethea McGrath, who portrayed Jedi Librarian Jocasta Nu, has died at the age of 96. The Australian actress first appeared as Jocasta in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack Of The Clones(2002) and shared a scene with Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan Kenobi. McGrath would later return to the role briefly in the video game adaption of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith(2005).

Beyond a Galaxy far, far away, Alethea McGrath appeared in numerous films and television productions over the course of her long career. She has been most notable in roles in such films as Romulus, My Father(2007),  Knowing(2009), and and several recurring roles in the TV series Neighbours, among others.

On behalf of all of us at the SWU, I want to extend our most sincere condolences to the family and friends of Alethea McGrath.

Source: TheForce.net

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Marvel Unveils 'Obi-Wan & Anakin' Comic Mini-Series

By: Benjamin Hart

Earlier today Marvel dropped some big Star Wars comic book news at their "Cup O' Joe" panel at New York Comic Con. Since Marvel took over the production of Star Wars comics fans have been requesting more series set in the Prequel Trilogy era. Now it looks like they're getting their wish as Marvel has announced that a new five-issue mini series titled "Obi-Wan & Anakin" is coming in January and will be set within the ten year period between The Phantom Menace and Attack Of The Clones. Written by Charles Soule with artwork by Marco Checchetto the series will reportedly focus on the Jedi duo while they are on a post-apocalyptic planet and will also feature flashbacks to their time training at the Jedi Temple. It will show Anakin and Obi-Wan at a very early point in their relationship, not quite the friends we know them to be in later stories such as The Clone Wars, and both will be questioning their paths.

ComicBook.com revealed the cover art for Obi-Wan & Anakin, which you can see above. Also, writer Charles Soule spoke with USA Today and had this to say:

“I want people to set their preconceived notions about what an Obi-Wan and Anakin story is aside. We’ve seen a lot of them but this is something that's going to feel and look different.”

USA Today also provided a brief description of the story's basis:

"The miniseries is set three years into Anakin’s training under Obi-Wan — something he promised the dying Qui-Gon he would do — at a peacetime period where the Jedi are at the height of their power and many feel Anakin is destined to do an enormous amount of good for the universe.

He and Obi-Wan are in a spaceship heading back to a diplomatic fleet when they get a distress call from a remote deserted planet. When they land, the Jedi find a mountainous place with deep valleys containing huge roiling clouds of green mist that cover the surface. “It’s a place that’s designed to have many, many secrets,” Soule says, “and it does.”

While they go on their mission, it’s interspersed with flashbacks showing how the title's main stars reached a personal crisis point between them."

It's very exciting to be returning to the Prequel era and exploring such beloved characters like Anakin and Obi-Wan and the beginning of a friendship that would shape the fate of the Galaxy. The period of time between Episodes I and II has yet be explored in Star Wars canon, so it will very interesting to finally have some elaboration on that decade in Star Wars history.

Sources: ComicBook.com, USA Today

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Report: New Star Wars Little Golden Books Revealed

By: Benjamin Hart

With Episode VII: The Force Awakens hitting theaters this December, it's now time for us fans to make sure those around us have watched the existing Star Wars films, especially our younglins. For Children, some of whom may have been born since the last Star Wars film was in theaters, have an entire Saga to catch up on, and thanks to Random House, sitting down and watching the films may not be their only option for experiencing the original movies. Jedi-Bibliothek is reporting that a book retailer has revealed the covers, authors and artists for a new set of six "Little Golden Books" that will retell the first six Star Wars films in an illustrated form. You can check out the artwork info below:


Star Wars: The Phantom Menace

• Written by Courtney Carbone
• Art by Heather Martinez

Star Wars: Attack Of The Clones

• Art by Ethen Beavers

Star Wars: Revenge Of The Sith

• Written by Geof Smith
• Art by Patrick Spaziante

Star Wars: A New Hope

• Written by Geof Smith
• Art by Caleb Meurer

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

• Written by Geof Smith
• Art by Chris Kennett

Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi

• Written by Geof Smith
• Art by Ron Cohee

All of the books will reportedly feature 24 pages and will be available for $4.99 each. They are slated to be published on July 28th, 2015.

Source: Jedi-Bibliothek
Via: Star Wars Upcoming Books & Comics(Facebook)

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Battle of Geonosis: Jedi Knights Sets Revealed

In a surprise post-SDCC reveal, the YodasNews.com Facebook page has posted images of two new action figure sets coming from Hasbro in the new "lava Vader" line look.

The first Battle of Geonosis: Jedi Knights set includes: Sephjet Josall, completing the pair of Jedi who threw lightsabers to Obi-Wan and Anakin as the arena battle began; the long-awaited Sarissa "HAAAAH!" Jeng; Roan Shryne, an Order 66 survivor; and an earlier version of Clone Commander Ponds, who is best known for his appearances in the first two seasons of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

The second Battle of Geonosis: Jedi Knights set includes Khaat Qiyn, a human female who is pictured in the Attack of the Clones Visual Dictionary; a Jedi Knight known as Selig Kenjenn who seems to be an original Hasbro creation; the Weequay Jedi Que-Mars Redath (previously known as Que-Mars Redath-Gom); and a Phase I version of Clone Commander Deviss, a character cut from Revenge of the Sith who still appeared in the 2005 basic figure line.

The Battle of Geonosis: Jedi Knights sets will most likely be exclusives; if they are, the retailer is currently unknown. We will keep you updated as we learn more about these exciting new sets that knock most of the remaining Jedi from the fan-favorite arena battle scenes off of longtime Hasbro collectors' wish lists!

Click here to view full packaged and loose images of these figures over at the YodasNews.com Facebook page.

UPDATE: Lucasfilm official and "Keeper of the Holocron" Leland Chee has confirmed that Selig Kenjenn was created by Hasbro with his likeness.

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Attack of the Clones 3D Screenings at Celebration Europe II

By: Dominic Jones

Ok, now I'm excited.  If I wasn't excited for Celebration Europe II before, I certainly am now.  Lucasfilm announced today that Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones will receive limited 3D screenings during Star Wars Celebration Europe II this July 26th-28th at the Messe Essen in Essen Germany.   Currently there is one screening scheduled for each day and fans attending the screenings will receive an exclusive pair of souvenir 3D glasses.

The 3D re-release of Attack of the Clones had been previously scheduled (along with the 3D re-release of Revenge of the Sith) for fall 2013, but was then "postponed" when Lucasfilm decided to focus primarily on Episode VII.  Having seen how much of the film had already been converted during the sneak peek last summer at Star Wars Celebration VI, I was stunned and disappointed by the news.  It's really nice to hear that all that work won't be going entirely to waste and I can't wait to see the entire film in its 3D glory!  Now if we can just get a 3D Revenge of the Sith screening for the next Celebration....

Get tickets for CEII here.

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SWU Reviews - 501st Legion Attack Dropship with Clone Pilot & Battle Droid

By: David Delgado

In today’s review we’re taking a look at another set in the first wave of 2013’s Class I Fleet line. The 501^st Legion Attack Dropship with Clone Pilot and Battle Droid is both wonderful and frustrating at the same time. It’s a brilliant new take on a fantastic “Hasbro concept” vehicle that never saw proper distribution when it was released in 2012. However, the lackluster pack-in figures could prove to be a deal breaker for many. Read on to find out if this is a set you’ll want to deploy in your collection or if you should just let it fly by.  

501st Legion Attack Dropship with Clone Pilot & Battle Droid
Year Released: Late 2012/Early 2013
Assortment: Class I Fleet ["Yoda" line look]
Description: A 501st Legion attack dropship flown by a 501st Legion Clone Pilot deploys troopers into combat against Battle Droids. Bearing the iconic markings of the elite 501st Legion, the dropship has cannons and chin guns to drill deep into battle zones. The pilot briefly lands with the ship's cockpit rotated into deploy position to drop up to two troopers onto the field before flying back into the air to provide ground support.
Overall Rating: 3.0/5

The figures included in the 501st Legion AT-RT Class I Fleet set are kind of silly. The figures included with the 501st Legion Attack Dropship in this very bizarre Class I Fleet set are ABSURD and even slightly maddening. The dropship itself, however, is one of Hasbro's finest creations. Like many others, I still never managed to locate the original Republic Attack Dropship with Clone Pilot Class I Fleet set when it was released last year. For whatever reason Hasbro insists on inundating our toy lines with repacks and carry-forwards which leave little to no room for the newer stuff to make it to retail. The distribution of last year's dropship was completely disastrous, so it is very nice to see this repaint released in Wave 1 of the 2013 Class I Fleet because so far it has much better availability than its predecessor. Every collector should make sure they own at least one version of this vehicle, because it really is outstanding. 



The attack dropship is a concept Hasbro came up with; it has never appeared in any Star Wars media other than the toy line. And that's perfectly fine. This really gives it that classic vintage Kenner "mini-rig" feel, and the design is extremely well done. It incorporates a lot of scaled down features of both the Republic Gunship and the LAAT (Low Altitude Assault Transport) carrier gunship. As with its wavemate, the 501st Legion AT-RT, the deco looks amazing. The ship's markings are the perfect "501st" shade of blue and other little details such as the Republic logo and the "501" designation printed on the left wing in Aurebesh look terrific as well. This is one heavily armed little ship, featuring six laser cannons. Of these six, the two attached to the wings are the only functional missile-firing launchers. The two forward cannons are able to rotate independently of one another. There is also an additional cannon underneath the vehicle that cleverly doubles as landing gear for when the dropship is in troop deploy mode. The flight and deploy modes both look great, and the troop deployment is a very well-executed action feature that doesn’t interfere with the aesthetics of the ship at all.        

Obviously, the dropship is the reason to buy this set, because the figures included are mediocre efforts at best. As with most Clone Wars-based vehicle releases, the dropship itself fits in well with both “animated” and “realistic” figures. Its first release came with an “animated” pilot, and the Clone Pilot and Battle Droid in this set are “realistic” figures. The first issue I have with this set is that both of these figures are clearly based on the Battle of Geonosis from Attack of the Clones. That would have been fine if they had been packed with last year’s more generic version of the dropship. However, the clone forces we saw fighting on Geonosis in Attack of the Clones didn’t have specific armor designations for the various legions yet since they were being deployed from Kamino for the very first time (they were all “shinies”), so releasing a blue 501^st Legion dropship with these figures doesn’t make much sense. The “enemy” figure in this set is a maroon Battle Droid. Its paintjob seems to be a darker color than the way the Geonosis battle droids appeared in the film, but it is still decent and you can immediately identify where this character belongs in Star Wars canon from looking at it. It is a very nice sculpt, and for whatever reason it seems to have a better center of gravity than a lot of other Battle Droid figure releases. However, the lack of articulation is extremely disappointing. There is no reason why Hasbro couldn’t have repainted the vastly superior VC78 Battle Droid that was released last year and was planned to be released in the maroon paint scheme in the first wave of the (now canceled) Droid Factory basic figure line. The Battle Droid we got instead is a repaint of the droid that was included with the big MTT vehicle last year, so it only includes the following five points of articulation:  

-1 ball-socket neck
-2 ball-socket shoulders
-2 ball-socket hips

Believe it or not, I’m actually more frustrated with the Clone Pilot. The figure is based off of the Evolutions Clone Pilot mold, which has been recycled for almost eight years now. It isn’t a bad figure by any means, but there are better base sculpts available (more on that in a moment). There is a big flaw in the Clone Pilot’s paintjob this time around that is difficult to “un-notice.” The figure’s neck post should be painted skin color above where the collar ends but instead the entire area, including what appears to be bare neck, is painted black. But what’s my main problem with the Clone Pilot? It doesn’t fit in the cockpit of the Attack Dropship! I am not even kidding. The figure is too big for the canopy to close all the way. Needless to say it is unacceptable for a vehicle to be released with a figure that’s intended to pilot it and they end up being completely incompatible. And here’s another annoying thing; remember the vastly superior (better proportions, better articulation, etc.) VC45 Clone Trooper sculpt that was going to be released with a Clone Pilot helmet in the first wave of the canceled Droid Factory line? That figure would have fit perfectly. I’ve included comparison pictures featuring the VC45 Clone Trooper with the Clone Pilot helmet inside the dropship to show just how much more effective a release this set could have been had the proper pilot figure been included. In an alternate universe where the Droid Factory line we were all so excited for had seen release, the perfect Clone Pilot would have been hanging on the pegs just above this set; isn’t that ridiculous? Long story short, they got pretty lazy and included the wrong figure. That said, the figure itself is not without its more positive aspects. I have always liked the Evolutions Clone Pilot headsculpt; it seems to represent a clone trooper likeness somewhere in between the younger “Bodie Taylor” stage and the older “Temeura Morrison” stage. It also has pretty decent articulation, with poseability at the waist oddly omitted. The Clone Pilot figure includes the following thirteen points of articulation:   

-1 ball-socket neck
-2 ball-jointed shoulders
-2 ball-jointed elbows
-2 swivel wrists
-2 swivel hips
-2 ball-jointed knees
-2 ball-jointed ankles

The figures in the Class I sets are very lightly accessorized. The Clone Pilot comes with a removable helmet and a blaster, and the Battle Droid includes a blaster and its backpack can be unplugged.  

The reason to buy this set is for the Attack Dropship, because the figures stink bantha poop. I consider this set a missed opportunity to give us a couple more animated figures from the “Umbara” arc of The Clone Wars (in which case the 501^st Legion designation would actually make sense). In particular, this was the character of Clone Pilot Hawk’s best shot at finally being made. He would have been absolutely perfect for this set. Hasbro set a precedent for including specific clone pilot characters from the show with “mini-rig” concepts in the Class I line when they released Warthog with the Y-Wing Scout Bomber in 2011. It’s such a shame they missed this opportunity here. If they wanted to do something EXTRA cool, they could have included that General Krell figure - that we know they made but has since been postponed indefinitely - in either this set or its wavemate the 501^st Legion AT-RT as the “enemy” figure. Regardless of how bad the included figures are, the dropship is a must-have. If you’re lucky enough to already own the previous version of the Attack Dropship, then you’ll have to decide for yourself whether the 501^st Legion repaint is worth the $23.99 price tag. I think this version looks incredibly cool though, and I’m sure it would make a fantastic addition to your Republic army. In future waves of the Class I line, Hasbro will need to make better pack-in figure selections if these sets are going to attain widespread appeal and justify the $23.99 price point. With logical, quality figure choices alongside these awesome “mini-rigs,” the Class I sets can potentially be a super deal for kids, parents, and collectors.

Review by David Delgado.

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