On this episode Zac returns to join Ben and Jake for an epic discussion of the 1980 masterpiece, Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back. They discuss their favorite moments, characters and memories from the film that made Star Wars a saga. They share trivia, offer comparisons to its predecessor, and finally declare if it is indeed the best Star Wars film ever. In addition, they continue their countdown to The Rise Of Skywalker be discussing some of the recent news, including some major speculation about whether or not Hayden Christensen will be returning as Anakin Skywalker. Listen for all that and much more!
As they have done many times before, the British Royal Mail are ringing in the newest Star Wars film withh a brand new collection of stunning Star Wars postage stamps!
The History Channel aired Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed on this day back in 2007.
The documentary was a two-hour special that explored the historical, political and mythological connections of the Star Wars saga, along with the impact of the original 1977 hit upon society and filmmaking.
One of the many highly anticipated events at each and every Star Wars Celebration is the Celebration art show, which brings together some of the communities' most talented artists to showcase and sell their artwork. Star Wars Celebration Orlando, which kicks off in less than a month, is no different.
Funko has just revealed two new Star Wars items that collectors everywhere will surely want to get their hands on. Today they officially announced a collection of Walmart exclusives that are expected to hit shelves later this month. Among them are two Star Wars Funko Pop! three-pack sets.
Next month Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will be revealed to the World, and with it comes a plethora of new characters, ships, creatures and more being introduced into the ever expanding universe. Among the new elements is the U-Wing fighter, which is a brand new starship that is part of the Rebel Alliance's fleet and will play a key role in the film.
For the past few weeks we've been receiving numerous rumors and leaks regarding what toys and merchandise will be released on "Rogue Friday"(formerly Force Friday), September 30th. One of the items that bore mentioning was a Hasbro voice changing Stormtrooper helmet from The Black Series. Jedi Temple Archives were the first to report on the helmet, and now they have followed up on that by releasing the first images of the helmet. You can see it unboxed above and the packaging below:
This looks like a really cool piece and I can't wait to add it to my collection when it hits retailers on September 30th!
Yesterday seemed to be a busy day for Star Wars news, as the new, official Star Wars Show was released. Lucasfilm also confirmed that Kathleen Kennedy, along with Gareth Edwards (Director of Rogue One) will be in attendance at Star Wars CelebrationLondon 2016. Last night seems to have been as eventful, as IGN managed to pick up on footage of an unannounced Star Wars RPG game on Vimeo.
The clip was disclosed by a user who claimed to be ex-EA audio director Elise Baldwin. The footage exhibits a military skirmish between Imperial and Rebel forces on the desert waste-land, Tatooine. Luke Skywalker, TIE fighters, AT-ATs, X-Wings and the Millennium Falcon are all present in the clip.
You can watch the clip down below:
IGN have also reported the user's original description of the clip:
"Did not make it to the marketplace. In development for over a year"
There remain a lot of unanswered questions about this undisclosed footage. Was the game an official Star Wars project? Why was the project cancelled? And, what platforms would you be able to play the game on?
The timing of this news may be disheartening to fans in light of Lucasfilm's announcement that the video game Disney Infinityhas also been cancelled. On the flip side however, there is the exciting prospect of a new BattlefrontSequel, which is scheduled for release next year.
We have some sad news to report. It has come to our attention that actor Jason Wingreen, who is know to Star Wars fans as the original voice of Boba Fett in The Empire Strikes Back, passed away on Christmas day 2015 at the age of 95.
Wingreen was an accomplished actor with countless Television and Film credits. He was well know for numerous roles, including Harry the bartender on the hit TV sitcom All In The Family, along with parts in The Fugitive, The Twilight Zone, Airplane!(1980) and the original Star Trek series. Wingreen provided the voice for Boba Fett in Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes for it's initial theatrical release in 1980. In the 2004 DVD release of the film his voice was replaced by that of Temuera Morrison's to match Boba's backstory established in the Prequel Trilogy.
In response to the news, Boba Fett Fan Club put together a video tribute to Jason Wingreen's performance as Boba Fett which you can check out below:
Jason Wingreen will always hold a special place in Star Wars history, and the hearts of Star Wars fans everywhere, as the original voice of the best bounty hunter in the Galaxy. On behalf of all of us at the Star Wars Underworld, I want to send our most sincere condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Wingreen. He will be greatly missed.
Last week we reported that the heavily rumored Star Wars theatrical movie marathon is indeed happening to coincide with the release of Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens. Since then Lucasfilm has backed it up with an official announcement about the marathon that revealed new details about the event.
StarWars.com confirmed that Episodes I through VI will be screened back to back in 2D and will be followed by The Force Awakens in 3D. Attendees will be given a lanyard with exclusive marathon art. They also unveiled a high quality version of the official poster for the marathon. The marathon will only be presented in select theaters across the United States and Canada on December 17th. A complete list of theaters was released, which you can check out below:
Alaska
Regal Cinemas Tikahtnu 16 - Anchorage, AK
Arkansas
Colonel Glenn 18 - Little Rock, AR
Arizona
AMC Westgate 20 - Glendale, AZ Harkins Superstition Springs 25 - Mesa, AZ Marketplace 16 - Tempe, AZ Cinemark Park Place 20 - Tucson, AZ
California
Maya Bakersfield 16 - Bakersfield, CA AMC Burbank 16 - Burbank, CA Regal Hacienda Crossings 20 - Dublin, CA Edwards Fresno 22 - Fresno, CA El Capitan - Hollywood, CA Century 20 - Huntington Beach, CA Edwards Spectrum 21 - Irvine, CA Cinemark 22 - Lancaster, CA Monterey 13 - Monterey, CA Edwards Stadium 26 - North Long Beach, CA AMC Orange 300 - Orange, CA AMC Ontario Mills 30 - Ontario, CA Century River Park 16 - Oxnard, CA Redwood Downtown 20 - Redwood City, CA AMC Metreon 16 - San Francisco, CA Century 20 Oakridge - San Jose, CA Arclight 16 - Sherman Oaks, CA Carmike Thousand Oaks 14 - Thousand Oaks, CA Century 16 Greenback Lane - Sacramento, CA AMC Mission Valley 20 - San Diego, CA Edwards Mira Mesa 18 - San Diego, CA
Colorado
Harkins Northfield 18 - Denver, CO AMC Westminster Promenade 24 - Westminster, CO
University 16 - Athens, GA Regal Atlantic Station 18 - Atlanta, GA
Hawaii
Ward 16 - Honolulu, HI
Idaho
Edwards Boise 21 - Boise, ID
Illinois
Addison Cinema - Addison, IL AMC River East 21 - Chicago, IL Regal City North 14 - Chicago, IL Century 12 Evanston/Cinearts 6 - Evanston, IL AMC Showplace Naperville 16 - Naperville, IL Rosemont 18 - Rosemont, IL
Indiana
AMC Showplace Scherville 16 - Schererville, IN Goodrich Hamilton 16 - Noblesville, IN
Iowa
Cedar Rapids Galaxy 16 Cine - Cedar Rapids, IA Cinemark 20 Jordan Creek - West Des Moines, IA
Kansas
AMC Studio 30 - Olathe, KS Cinetopia Overland Park 18 - Overland Park, KS 13th Ave. Warren - Wichita, KS
Kentucky
Cinemark Fayette Mall - Lexington, KY Cinemark Tinseltown USA - Louisville, KY AMC Newport 20 - Newport, KY
Louisiana
Regal Louisiana Boardwalk 14 - Bossier City, LA AMC Baton Rouge 16 - Baton Rouge, LA AMC Elmwood Palace 20 - Harahan, LA
AMC Loews Boston Comm 19 - Boston, MA Showcase Cinemas De Lux Revere - Revere, MA
Michigan
NCG Trillium Cinemas - Grand Blanc, MI Celebration! Cinema - Grand Rapids, MI NCG Eastwood Cinema - Lansing, MI AMC Forum 30 - Sterling Heights, MI MJR Southgate 20 - Southgate, MI
Minnesota
Marcus Oakdale - Oakdale, MN AMC Rosedale 14 - Roseville, MN Showplace Icon - St. Louis Park, MN
Regal Crossgates 18 - Albany, NY UA Sheephead Bay 14 - Brooklyn, NY College Point 12 - College Point, NY Island 16 Cinema De Lux - Holtsville, NY AMC Empire 25 - New York, NY Regal Union Square 14 - New York, NY AMC Loews Port Chester 14 - Port Chester, NY Cinemark Tinseltown USA - Rochester, NY AMC Loews Raceway 10 - Westbury, NY Regal Red Rock 16 - Las Vegas, NV
Ohio
AMC Lenox Town Center 24 - Columbus, OH Cinemark At Valley View - Valley View, OH
Oklahoma
Warren Theatres - Moore, OK AMC Quail Springs 24 - Oklahoma City, OK AMC Southroads 20 - Tulsa, OK
Oregon
Regal Bridgeport Village 18 - Tigard, OR
Pennsylvania
AMC Neshaminy 24 - Bensalem, PA UA King Of Prussia Stadium 16 - King of Prussia, PA AMC Loews Waterfront 22 - West Homestead, PA
Alama Drafthouse - South Lamar, Austin, TX AMC Northpark 15 - Dallas, TX Cinemark 17 - Dallas, TX Cinemark 20 - El Paso, TX AMC Gulf Pointe 30 - Houston, TX Edwards Houston Marq’e 23 - Houston, TX Cinemark Tinseltown 20 - Pflugerville, TX Cinemark West Plano 20 - Plano, TX Santikos Palladium 22 - Richmond, TX Santikos Palladium - San Antonio, TX Megaplex 20 At The District - South Jordan, UT Cinemark Tinseltown 17 - Spring, TX
Virginia
Paragon Village 12 - Fredericksburg, VA AMC Tyson Corner 16 - McLean, VA AMC Lynnhaven 18 - Virginia Beach, VA
Washington
AMC Loews Alderwood Mall 16 - Lynnwood, WA Lincoln Square - Bellevue, WA Century Federal Way - Federal Way, WA Seattle Cinerama - Seattle, WA AMC River Park Square 20 - Spokane, WA
Wisconsin
Marcus Palace Cinemas - Sun Prairie, WI Majestic Cinema Of Brookfield - Waukesha, WI
Canada
Scotiabank Theatre Toronto - Toronto, ON Scotiabank Theatre Vancouver - Vancouver, BC Cinema Banque Scotia Montreal - Montreal, QC Cineplex Odeon South Edmonton - Edmonton, AB Scotiabank Theatre Chinook - Calgary, AB Lanmark Cinemas 24 Kanata - Kanata, ON
It appears The Force Awakens won't be the Star Wars film in theaters this December. Earlier today it came to our attention that the popular movie ticket seller Fandango had updated their website and app with a listing for a "Star Wars Marathon", seemingly confirming an old rumor which stated that all seven films will be shown back to back at select theaters. That rumor specifically mentioned AMC Theaters, while the Fandango listing does not mention which theaters will feature the marathon. What is revealed is a poster for the event which confirms a launch date of December 17th, one day prior to the premiere of Episode VII. You can see the poster below, albeit in low quality:
The listing also teases "see it in digital 3D". While that line is most likely referring to The Force Awakens, which we know will be in 3D, it's also possible that The Phantom Menace and Attack Of The Clones, both of which were recently converted to 3D, may also be shown in 3D during the marathon. ComicBook.com also adds that screening episodes I through VII, with adequate breaks in between, would take approximately 15 & a 1/2 hours, which would require the marathon to begin at 3am to match with the expected premiere time of 7pm for The Force Awakens. All of that is simply speculation at the moment.
This news follows rumors that a brand new trailer for The Force Awakens will debut on Monday on ESPN, and that tickets will also go on sale as well that day. An announcement for those events and the marathon are undoubtedly immanent.
With Episode VII: The Force Awakens only mere months away from release, now is the perfect time to revisit the first six films of the Saga, or for some, view them for the very first time. Lucasfilm has just announced a new way to enjoy the Prequel and Original Trilogies with upcoming re-release that puts the films in some limited edition packaging. Beginning November 10th episodes I-VI will be available in a commemorative Blu-ray steelbooks.
Each film will be available separately in stunning new tin packaging featuring a character from each film prominently on the cover; Darth Maul for The Phantom Menace, Yoda for Attack Of The Clones, General Grievous for Revenge Of The Sith, Darth Vader for A New Hope, a Stormtrooper for The Empire Strikes Back and Emperor Palpatine for Return Of The Jedi All the films will be available in a "complete saga" set on October 13th, which features three extra discs that include 40 hours of previously released bonus features, encased in a Darth Vader tin. Each film will also include it's original audio commentary with George Lucas and others, along with commentary from archival interviews with the cast & crew. They will all be available for pre-order this Friday, August 7th. You can check out all the steelbook artwork below:
Even though it seems rather redundant to release the films on Blu-ray yet again, this is actually the first time each movie has been available individually on Blu-ray. Previously all six films together and each each trilogy were released on Blu-ray back in 2011. Now and soon-to-be fans will have the option to buy each episode on at a time if they choose.
Update: The official German 20th Century Fox Facebook page has shared some photos that give us a look at the inside of film's tin. You can check them out here:
Today has been a huge day for Star Wars gamers! The Electronic Entertainment Expo(E3) has been been blowing us away with the reveal of gameplay from Star Wars Battlefront, as well as expansions to current, such SWOTR: Knights Of The Fallen Empire, and brand new games, such as Galaxy Of Heroes. To top the day off, Sony and and Disney have revealed a brand new trailer for the upcoming Disney Infinity 3.0 play set "Rise Against The Empire." The trailer shows off tons of gameplay from play set, which features vehicles, locations and characters from the Original Trilogy, such as Luke, Leia, Han and even Darth Vader. Watch to the end of the video to see the reveal of the most feared Bounty Hunter in the Galaxy who will be included in the game as well!
Rise Against The Empire is the second of three playsets that will be coming to Disney Infinity, the first being Twilight Of The Republic, featuring characters from the Prequel Tilogy and The Clone Wars, which edition 3.0 will launch with. The third play set is a yet unrevealed one that will be based on The Force Awakens and will released Winter along with the film.
Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens marks the beginning of a new story, but also the continuation of one that started nearly 40 years ago. There are many who have not yet heard the gospel of the 'Wars and may not be familiar with the Saga as a whole. To counter this, Lucasfilm is looking for new ways to introduce Star Wars to a new and perhaps younger audience. One of those ways is a new set of books they have introduced that will get readers up to speed on at least part of the established story. Star Wars: A New Hope — The Princess, The Scoundrel, and The Farm Boy by Alexandra Bracken, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back — So You Want to Be a Jedi by Adam Gidwitz and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi — Beware the Power of the Dark Side! by Tom Angleberger, all with illustrations by Ian McCaig, will retell the original trilogy in a whole new way. For starters, these authors will be presenting their interpretations of the films, focusing closely on the characters and getting "inside their heads" as StarWars.com describes. Recently the site revealed the cover art, along with the aforementioned subtitles, along lengthy excerpts from all three novels. You can see the covers above and read the excerpts by clicking here! Also, check out this video interview with the authors that was released last year.
What's very interesting about these novels is that they take a very different approach to adapting the story. More than simply retelling the iconic scenes from the movies, the words go beyond what we see on screen and explain what happened between the scenes. For example, in the excerpt from The Princess, The Scoundrel, and The Farm Boy, the story focuses on Leia after she's been captured and follows her as she makes an attempt to escape from Imperial custody while onboard a Star Destroyer. Although it has not been explicitly stated, we can assume these adaptions are at least somewhat canon, which could allow us to gain some never before learned insight into the films themselves.
Be on the lookout for all three of these books when they hit stores on September 22nd!
By: Lillian Skye Kabam, the interactive entertainment company that produced Marvel Contest of Champioins, in collaboration with Disney and Lucasfilm Ltd., announced Thursday that they are developing the first mobile game to take place between the Star Wars Original Trilogy and The Force Awakens--Star Wars: Uprising. Star Wars: Uprising is a role playing game which will "immerse players in the Star Wars universe
during a unique time following the fall of Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine,” said the Senior Vie President of Kabam RPG Studio Aaron Loeb. “The Kabam RPG Studio has taken its collective experience and passion for role playing games to focus on creating a unique and immersive gameplay experience for Star Wars fans and RPG gamers around the world.”
The galaxy is no longer under the tyrannical rule of Vader and Palpatine, and the second Death Star has been destroyed, but the Empire remains a powerful force in the Star Wars Galaxy. In Uprising, players will have the chance to challenge that force. The game will fill in events that led up to the state of the galaxy in The Force Awakens, which will hit theaters in December.
In Star Wars: Uprising, players will have the opportunity to create their own characters, acquire and build gear, and create their own crew to join a "sector-wide battle that [will] dictate the future of the game universe." Players will be able to play in real-time with friends, and team up with them to take down the Empire.
Characters in the game feature Riley, a female orphan
with a cybernetic leg brace, Deathstick, the most "legendary assassin in
the sector," and Commander Bragh, a man who is faithful to the Empire
and the leader of the Purge Troopers. Players will have the chance to explore familiar locations like Cloud City and Hoth, while venturing unfamiliar territory on the mining planet of Burnin Konn.
Players have the ability to be a Smuggler, Bounty Hunter, Rebel Guerilla, Diplomat, Gambler or something "completely unique." The game has "deep customization," and engages the fanbase. Players can pre-register online to help "shape the future of the game," even before its launch by voting on characters they'd like to see appear in the game on the Star Wars: Uprising official website. By voting, players have the chance to win exclusive in-game rewards which will be gifted to all pre-registrants. Upcoming content to vote on includes choosing between an E-11 Blaster Rifle or a DL-44 Heavey Blaster Pistol.
Check out the trailer below:
Stay tuned for the latest updates from Star Wars: Uprising. Beta testing will be launched in the upcoming weeks.
It's always cool when science fiction influences real science! Jonathan Armbruster, who is the biological sciences professor and curator of fishes at the Auburn University Museum of Natural History in Alabama, made headlines earlier this week when he decided to name a new species of fish after an iconic character from a Galaxy far, far away. Armbruster has named over 40 different fish species in his career, including this one, and says that there over 800 unique species of suckermouth armored catfish alone. Reportedly, this particular fish was caught in 1998 in the Gurupi River in Brazil, but Armbruster just recently discovered significant differences between it and previously established species, thus warranting a new species to be named. Upon noticing the Fish's familiar facial characteristics, a colleague of Armbruster, arachnologist Chris Hamilton, suggested that it looked like a certain Rodian Bounty Hunter from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Armbruster explains, "After a little prodding, I realized he was talking about Greedo. We then knew what the name had to be, " Peckoltia greedoi was the name chosen for the Catfish.
Armbruster adds that he is indeed a Star Wars fan himself and considers Greedo to be his favorite character. "He barely had any lines. They were spoken in a foreign language with subtitles and he was killed right away. But he's always been sort of this enigmatic figure and very cool-looking."
You can check out a video below which features Jonathan Armbruster discussing the fish and how it came to garner this unique name in more detail:
As if our expectations for the next installment in the Star Wars Saga couldn't get any higher, one of the stars of Star Wars Episode VII, who's been a part of the franchise longer than most, has upped the ante. Anthony Daniels, who has portrayed C-3PO in almost every incarnation of the character, recently took to Twitter and had some bold words for those awaiting Episode VII.
"No movie sequel is better than The Empire Strikes Back." You might eat those words for Xmas dinner in 2015. Joy & Indigestion to the world!
— Anthony Daniels (@ADaniels3PO) November 3, 2014
That is certainly high praise coming from him. Most still consider Episode V to be the high water mark for the franchise, and many doubt that Episode VII will be able to live up to, or top, Empire. It's best not to get our expectations up to high, but it's hard not get excited by things like this.
Hopefully we'll all agree with Anthony when Episode VII hits theaters on December 18th, 2015!
Last week we learned that the Dark Lord of the Sith himself, Darth Vader, would be making an appearance on Star Wars Rebels much sooner than we expected, and voiced by James Earl Jones, no less. Anticipation is running high as fans wonder what Vader will look like in the animation style of Rebels. Well now it appears that we're getting our first sneak peak at the animated half man, half machine courtesy of our friends at The WolfPack Podcast. They are reporting that during a Toy Story short film, which aired on ABC, the Vader scene, or a portion of it, was shown. You can check out a screenshot of the of the scene below. And of course, SPOILERS if you want to hold out for when the scene premieres with the re-airing of Spark Of Rebellion on ABC on October 26th.
It appears this design of Vader in Rebels will very much be informed by the artwork of the late, legendary Original Trilogy concept artist Ralph McQuarrie. This falls in line with design of the rest of the series which is also McQuarrie inspired and, as the creators describe it; "A Ralph McQuarrie painting come to life." The resemblance is unmistakable when compared to the classic McQuarrie concept painting for Luke and Vader below:
So, what do you think? Is this look suitable for Vader? Or is it too much of a departure from his infamous design. Let us know in the comments below!
Over the decades Star Wars has attracted an innumerable amount of infamous fan films, parodies and remakes. One such remake is Star Wars Uncut, which is quite possibly the most collaborative fan production ever. The process is simple; the original film is cut into 15 second clips and fans from all over the world are given the chance to claim a scene and recreate it any way they can imagine. The scenes range from live action interpretations performed by the fans themselves to crude stop motion sequences, wacky animations, and even Legos and Puppets. When mashed together seamlessly the clips create a brand new, and hilarious way to watch Star Wars. Star Wars Uncut was originally conceived by developer Casey Pugh back in 2009 to remake Episode IV: A New Hope in this fashion. Then in 2012 the process was restarted in hopes of giving Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back the same treatment. After receiving nearly 2,000 submissions, yesterday "Empire Uncut" was released on the official Star Wars YouTube channel with a special introduction from Lucasfilm's Mary Franklin. Be sure to watch the entire film below:
So, Return Of The Jedi next? And the Prequel Trilogy? Let's hope so!
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