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DARTH DADDY's CUSTOMIZING CORNER: ASIS FILM MODELS

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by: Darth Daddy


Earlier this week, I read about a company by the name of ASIS Film Models that had contacted Jedi News to inform them of their line of 3 3/4" custom Star Wars model kits posted on their website for sale.

We bought a set here at home, and we recommend visiting the source link below to check out all of their available models.  The design work is just amazing and this will probably be the only way to complete your set of Phantom Menace podracers now that Hasbro has their plates full with future film releases.

These kits are a LIMITED SERIES of only 200 units each! (includes serial number and sculptor´s signature).

The sculpts are extremely well done, and the company even offers painted models for consumers who aren't confident using a paintbrush!
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New Variant Cover for 'Star Wars #1' Revealed

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By: Dominic Jones

If you were hoping that the return of the Star Wars comics license to Marvel meant the return of Jaxxon the giant green rabbit then you're in luck!  Sort of.  StarWars.com has revealed the launch party variant (available at Star Wars #1 launch parties) cover for 'Star Wars #1', which features Jaxxon trying to open a door, only to have Luke, Leia, Han, Chewbacca, R2-D2, and Darth Vader keeping him out by holding the door shut!  Check it out below,

Marvel SVP Sales & Marketing David Gabriel told StarWars.com
"We couldn’t be happier to have Star Wars comics back at Marvel. Star Wars has always been an important part of Marvel’s history and we knew we wanted to honor that legacy with a callback to the original Marvel Comics Star Wars series. We think old and new fans alike will be just as excited as we are to see Jaxxon, even if it’s only for this fun variant cover."

The art on the cover is by John Tyler Christopher.  'Star Wars #1' hits shelves in January of 2015 and features the behind the scenes team of writer Jason Aaron, artist John Cassaday, and colorist Laura Martin.  The ongoing series is set right after Episode IV and features the main cast of the original trilogy.


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New 'Lords of the Sith' Publisher's Summary

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 By: Dominic Jones

If you can tear yourself away from your copy of Star Wars: Tarkin for a moment, we have some news about an upcoming Star Wars (canon) novel.  Paul S. Kemp's Star Wars: Lords of the Sith, which hits shelves on April 28th, 2015 has a new publisher's summary on the Random House website.  The summary gives more details on the plot of the Vader/Palpatine "road trip novel" (but don't worry, it doesn't spoil it!)  Check it out below,

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. . . .

When the Emperor and his notorious apprentice, Darth Vader, find themselves stranded in the middle of insurgent action on an inhospitable planet, they must rely on each other, the Force, and their own ruthlessness to prevail.

“It appears things are as you suspected, Lord Vader. We are indeed hunted.”

Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight, is just a memory. Darth Vader, newly anointed Sith Lord, is ascendant. The Emperor’s chosen apprentice has swiftly proven his loyalty to the dark side. Still, the history of the Sith Order is one of duplicity, betrayal, and acolytes violently usurping their Masters—and the truest measure of Vader’s allegiance has yet to be taken. Until now.

On Ryloth, a planet crucial to the growing Empire as a source of slave labor and the narcotic known as “spice,” an aggressive resistance movement has arisen, led by Cham Syndulla, an idealistic freedom fighter, and Isval, a vengeful former slave. But Emperor Palpatine means to control the embattled world and its precious resources—by political power or firepower—and he will be neither intimidated nor denied. Accompanied by his merciless disciple, Darth Vader, he sets out on a rare personal mission to ensure his will is done.

For Syndulla and Isval, it’s the opportunity to strike at the very heart of the ruthless dictatorship sweeping the galaxy. And for the Emperor and Darth Vader, Ryloth becomes more than just a matter of putting down an insurrection: When an ambush sends them crashing to the planet’s surface, where inhospitable terrain and an army of resistance fighters await them, they will find their relationship tested as never before. With only their lightsabers, the dark side of the Force, and each other to depend on, the two Sith must decide if the brutal bond they share will make them victorious allies or lethal adversaries. 

 
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Team Unicorn and Nerdist Present: 'All About That Base: No Rebels'

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By: Dominic Jones

The folks at Nerdist Presents and Team Unicorn have come together to make a brand new Star Wars parody of Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass”, titled "All About that Base: No Rebels.'  The video stars Clare Grant, Rileah Vanderbilt, Milynn Sarley, and Alison Haislip, (who together form the group Team Unicorn) features a cameo by actressLeeAnna Vamp.

Check it out below,
Just try getting that out of your head for the rest of the day!

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Rumor: The State Of Luke Skywalker In Episode VII

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By: Benjamin Hart

Our friend Jason at Making Star Wars has returned with more possible details about Star Wars Episode VII. This time they give us a better idea of what Luke Skywalker's mental state is at the time of Episode VII and what might have led to his mindset in events prior.

Of course, SPOILERS follow.

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"I’m told that in the back story for the film, Luke Skywalker does something amazing with the Force. He’s really powerful, more of “wizard than lightsaber wielding warrior.” Basically, Luke Skywalker has a “Force Unleashed” moment and realizes he might be bad for the universe.The aftermath of that event is difficult for Luke.

Luke Skywalker has become the most powerful Jedi ever, but he doesn’t believe he’s the wisest. He doesn’t want to make the mistake his father made by thinking he knows what’s right for the universe. Skywalker becomes somewhat deranged in his seclusion. He is consumed by his fear that if he should return to “society” his power could be misused, he could be manipulated, and he may accidentally hurt the one’s he loves.

For these reasons, to protect the galaxy and himself, Luke retreats into self-imposed exile for many years. I’m told he can’t always control the power. While he sits in a meditative state, he levitates things unconsciously and he’s not always in complete control and he’s never sure if he’s doing the will of the Force or acting on his own passions. Luke is seeing the past, the present, the future, “old friends long gone” and other things that prey upon his sanity.

Luke Skywalker is described as “creepy and frightening in appearance” because you supposedly can see “the fire in his eyes” behind his grizzled appearance during some scenes.

For most of Luke’s appearance in Star Wars: Episode VII, it is questionable if his madness will result in evil. Not even those that have known him for most of his life know if he’s sane or not. However, the villain and the new hero both draw Skywalker out and he’s forced to intervene in the galactic conflict. The imbalance he feared bringing back to the galaxy is set into motion by the new evil. But it is not only evil that brings Luke Skywalker out of exile. The good in the universe does as well when one of the heroes convinces him the place he is in is not where he belongs.

By the last act of the film, it is clear where Luke falls on spectrum of good and evil."

This sounds very logical. Luke's place in the Galaxy as the only Jedi, as well as being basically the keeper of the balance of the Force in his Father's absence would be an enormous weight on his shoulders. It would make sense that that kind of responsibility would make someone react in this way. We've heard the rumors about Luke possibly being revealed as the villain at the end of Episode VII, and that still could end up being true. But as Jason speculates, I do hope Luke is, in a way, redeemed by the heroes so he can join them as an ally and a mentor by the end of the film.

I guess we'll find out the truth when Episode VII hits big screens everywhere on December 28th, 2015!

Source: Making Star Wars

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Rumor: One Minute Episode VII Teaser Trailer Is Coming Very Soon

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By: Dominic Jones


There's been a lot of buzz lately about a trailer for Star Wars Episode VII.  First word was that John Williams would be composing new music for the teaser and now it seems the trailer is cut together and just waiting for the finishing touches.  Jordan Maison from Cinelix is hearing that the trailer is cut and is about a minute long.  He tweeted the following earlier,


This is very exciting!  While my guess would be that the trailer would be coming with The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, however Jason Ward from MakingStarWars.net thinks that it's more likely that the trailer will be coming with The Hunger Games: Mocking Jay Part 1.
Regardless of what movie its attached to, I can't wait to see this trailer!


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BREAKING: Episode VII Has a Title

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By: Lillian Skye

It's official--Episode VII has a title.

Star Wars' social media accounts confirmed Thursday that that latest Star Wars film will be called Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

The Phantom Menace
Attack of the Clones
Revenge of the Sith
A New Hope
The Empire Strikes Back
Return of the Jedi

The Force Awakens. 

Update: You may have noticed that the words "Episode VII" are absent from the logo above. Our friend Jimmy Mac atRebelForce Radiohas something to say about that:






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Rumor: 'The Force Awakens' Storyboard Segment Description

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By: Dominic Jones

Now that we know the title, we can now get back to keeping up with the latest rumors about Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens.  Our friend Jason Ward over at MakingStarWars.net has seen some pretty awesome sounding storyboard segments for  The Force Awakens.  As usual, there is a chance this could be wrong but if you're trying to avoid all The Force Awakens rumors then stop reading now.  This is your official SPOILER ALERT!
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According to Jason, this sequence takes place on the location seen in this leaked set photo from earlier this summer.  According to Jason, the storyboards play out like this,
Frame one of three:
It is dark. The sky is starry. A ship lands that looks like mixture of an Imperial Shuttle and a Sandcrawler. Its brown in this painting (note: this shuttle has a lot of alternate designs). It honestly looks like an Art Deco mobile home if they made them. It has short wings with guns on the wings. It has two front windows that are just rectangles and below it a ramp touches the sand like the classic Imperial Shuttle.

The ship lands at the village in the set pic above. In the distance you can see some kind of structure that appears to have built out of a crashed ship or something. It is very bright and illuminated as if it is burning. I believe this is probably the TMZ set in Abu Dhabi while the village landing was filmed at Pinewood.

Ascending from the ramp is a figure all in black with two Stormtroopers. You can see the hut from the photo above on fire. I believe in the photo above you can see the hut in the rear has scorch marks from the filming of this sequence already. The black figure in this painting is a little closer to the Revan styled design SWU posted recently (indeed additional concept art shows the evolution as being the same character). The figure in black is really doing a Darth Vader entrance, if you ask me.

Frame two of three:
The background is now entirely in flames. One Stormtrooper lays on the ground. He’s bleeding. There’s blood on his hand and he holds it up to his Stormtrooper brother who attempts to save his life. The blood runs down his arm. His brother has three blood marks on his helmet where the trooper touched his face before he collapsed to the ground. In the background, Stormtroopers continue to advance with flamethrowers burning the village. Lasers whip past their helmets, depicting fierce resistance.

Frame three of three:
In the final frame, the villain is depicted as Darth Vader (he’s a placeholder). We see him from the back and several Stormtroopers stand at his side. In the distance you can see the entire village is now in flames as the Incendiary Troopers have done their work well.

Very interesting stuff, plus more evidence that this guy is actually the villain for the film!I can't wait to see it play out on screen on December 18th, 2015.


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The Star Wars Underworld Podcast LIVE | 07/11/14

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Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens.   On this episode Chris, Ben, and Dominic are joined by Ciaran from The Clone Wars Strikes Back to talk about the title reveal for Episode VII!  They also break down the latest Rebels episode 'Breaking Ranks'.  What did they think of the Imperial Academy?  How about the Kyber Crystal attack?  And are there any connections between Zare Leonis and the sequel trilogy?  Plus, the latest 'The Force Awakens' news and rumors, The Clone Wars soundtrack is finally being released, #Cumberwatch, and we let you know about some awesome contests we'll be running next week!  All this and much more!

Right click here and select save link as to Download MP3.   
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Voicemail: 1-410-989-1138
Listen live Thursdays at 9pm EST on Channel 1138

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Daniel Radcliffe Talks About Visiting the Set of 'The Force Awakens' on Conan

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By: Dominic Jones

we heard a few weeks ago that, Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe had been out to visit the set of Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens, and he joined Conan O'Brien on Conan last night to talk about what he saw.  Check it out below,


First off, how amazing is it that he got to have a conversation with Harrison Ford on the Millennium Falcon?  Also, it was really cool to hear Daniel totally geek out about Star Wars!  He is definitely one of us.

Source: Team Coco

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'Star Wars: Tarkin' Audio Excerpt Read by Stephen Stanton

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By: Dominic Jones

Nerdist has released a brand new audio excerpt from the recently released novel Star Wars: Tarkin read by Star Wars: The Clone Wars voice actor and friend of The SWU Stephen Stanton!  It was also produced by another friend of ours, Jimmy Mac from RebelForce Radio!  Stanton portrayed Tarkin in several episodes of The Clone Wars.  The novel is written by James Luceno and available now.  Check out the excerpt below,


It's great to hear Stephen reprizing his role from The Clone Wars.  I love that they're continuing this trend of having Star Wars voice talent read excerpts from the novel and hope they continue it as we move forward with the novels.  This has previously been done for the "Legends" novels: Kenobi(James Arnold Taylor),Razor's Edge(Cathering Taber), Maul: Lockdown (Sam Witwer), and Honor Among Thieves (David Collins), as well as the canon novel A New Dawn (Vanessa Marshall).


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'The Clone Wars: The Lost Missions' Box Set Preview

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By: Dominic Jones

The final release of completed episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars is upon us.  The box set for Season 6 aka The Lost Missions hits shelves this Tuesday!  The box set includes all 13 episodes released on Netflix earlier this year, the four story reels released on StarWars.com, and the 16 minute documentary about the making of the series.  We've got two preview clips for you to enjoy.  The first is from the episode Sacrifice and the second is called "The Vault" and is from the 16 Minute Documentary.  Check them out below,

Also check out this album of publicity stills from 'The Lost Missions'

Star Wars: The Clone Wars 'The Lost Missions' hits shelves on Tuesday November 11th.  Be sure to check back to StarWarsUnderworld.com this weekend for my review of the box set, and on Monday to find out how you can win a free copy, plus several other great prizes!


Follow The Star Wars Underworld on Twitter @TheSWU for more updates about this story and other breaking Star Wars news.

Christina Chong Talks Episode VII: The Force Awakens

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By: Benjamin Hart

Several months back actress Christina Chong was rumored to be a part of the cast of Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. Since then her management agency confirmed her involvement, but we haven't heard any more details, or gotten an official confirmation from Lucasfilm. But just a few days ago she opened up to the London Evening Standard about her role in the film. Here's a couple excerpts from their article:

"Few things can cause a hush to fall over a room like admitting you did not watch Star Wars as a child, but coming from Christina Chong it is quite a revelation. For the actress is about to star in the latest film, Episode VII. Don’t worry — she has caught up now. “My boyfriend is a huge Star Wars fan and kept saying I needed to watch it. I was busy doing my thing but got round to watching when I knew I was auditioning. I thought I was going to be watching this dated film but it’s brilliant and timeless. I absolutely loved it.”"

"Those in charge of the Star Wars publicity juggernaut have told Chong she has to be careful and not divulge too much about her role until the hotly awaited film is out next year but she will be working with just about everyone, from Harrison Ford to Carrie Fisher and fellow Londoner Daisy Ridley. “Unfortunately, all I can say is it was incredible to be involved. It is probably the biggest film in cinema history and to be part of that is amazing. People are very fond of it.” Her nieces and nephews are big fans of the originals and do the Chewbacca voice — although Chong won’t."

Christina is best know for her roles in such TV series as Doctor Who and 24: Live Another Day along with several films. In addition to acting, she is also very accomplished at Parkour, similarly to fellow Episode VII star Pip Anderson. How their abilities may come to be used in The Force Awakens is yet to be determined. At the very latest we'll find out  when Episode VII: The Force Awakens opens in theaters on December 18th, 2015!

Source: London Evening Standard

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Bob Iger Discusses The Origin Of 'The Force Awakens' Title

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By: Benjamin Hart

By far the biggest news to hit the web this week was the announcement of Star Wars Episode VII's title, "The Force Awakens". Many have wondered and speculated what these three words actually mean, and where the came from. Disney's CEO Bob Oger recently spoke with Bloomberg and briefly spoke about Star Wars. He was asked about how the titled was decided upon, to which he responded:

"It was a decision that was made by a few people who are involved in the process; [Kathleen Kennedy], who runs Lucasfilm for us, and J.J. Abrams, who's directing the Force Awakens... were involved in the decision, as were we. We feel great about the film and can't wait until it comes out."

 You can watch the interview below(the Star Wars discussion begins at 10:20 in the video):



So there you go. Not too surprising, but still interesting to know who's involved in making historic decisions like this.

Source: Bloomberg TV
Via: Star Wars 7 News

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In Case You Missed It: November 1st - 8th, 2014

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By: Benjamin Hart

We're back with another edition of In Case You Missed It! We're super excited to wrap an especially spectacular week of Star Wars news this time. The Force wakes up, Threepio sets our expectations high, Tarkin returns, more #CumberWatch, Harry Potter strikes back, Clone Wars soundtrack, all about that base and Harrison Ford doesn't do bouncy castles. Read on an get caught up...


Films

Episode VII Has a Title
Yes, the most anticipated movie of this century finally has a name! And it is... The Force Awakens!

Bob Iger Discusses The Origin Of 'The Force Awakens' Title
What's in a name? The Disney chief has some interesting details for us.

Episode VII's R2-D2 Revealed
It seems Artoo was one of the celebs that showed up at the Episode VII wrap party last week. Unfortunately he's still dirty from filming.

Anthony Daniels Believes Episode VII Will Top 'Empire'
Even though the odds of it being true may be 3,720 to 1, Threepio is confident that The Force Awakens will be better than The Empire Strikes Back.

Christina Chong Talks Episode VII: The Force Awakens
Lucasfilm has yet to confirm her role in Episode VII, but that didn't stop the actress from openly discussing her involvement.

Daniel Radcliffe Talks About Visiting the Set of 'The Force Awakens' on Conan
We recently heard that Harry Potter himself made it onto the set, but now we got even more details about his visit to Pinewood.


Television

New Star Wars Rebels 'Out of Darkness' Previews
Hera and Sabine go on their own, private adventure in the next episode of Rebels!

'The Clone Wars: The Lost Missions' Box Set Preview
We're getting that much closer to having that much sought after Season six box set!

'Star Wars: The Clone Wars' Seasons 1-6 Soundtrack Available for Pre-Order
We've been pleading and begging for it for years, and now it's finally happening! An album full of Kevin Kiner's fantastic Clone Wars scores is coming soon!


Literature

'Star Wars: Tarkin' Audio Excerpt Read by Stephen Stanton
Wilhuff Tarkin is brough to life in this fantastic excerpt from the upcoming novel.

New Variant Cover for 'Star Wars #1' Revealed
So... Does this mean Jaxxon is canon now?

New 'Lords of the Sith' Publisher's Summary
Get the scoop on Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine's "road trip novel".


Pop Culture

Team Unicorn and Nerdist Present: 'All About That Base: No Rebels'
The cosplay group teamed up with the Nerdist to create this awesome parody of Meghan Trainor's hit song.

Rumors

The State Of Luke Skywalker In Episode VII
Does Luke go into hiding? If so, why? We might just have an answer to that.

One Minute Episode VII Teaser Trailer Is Coming Very Soon
So, a teaser trailer for The Force Awakens could be coming very soon. How cool is that?

'The Force Awakens' Storyboard Segment Description
Read the description of a grim, bloody scene from Episode VII.

#Cumberwatch: Benedict Cumberbatch to Have a Cameo in Episode VII?
It looks the insanely talented and popular actor may have finally made it to a Galaxy far, far away.


Also check out...



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Review: 'Phineas and Ferb: Star Wars' on DVD

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By: Dominic Jones

The Star Wars franchise has a long history of crossing over with other universe with hilarious results, and Phineas and Ferb: Star Wars is no exception.  Following in the footsteps of The Muppets and Family Guy, the Phineas and Ferb team did their best to capture the feel of both Star Wars and Phineas and Ferb.  And, I must say, they did a great job!  The DVD hits shelves on November 11th.

Unlike the Family Guy specials which recast the Star Wars characters as Family Guy characters (Peter as Han, Lois as Leia, etc.), Phineas and Ferb: Star Wars chose simply to insert their characters into the Star Wars universe to have an adventure that occurred concurrently with the events of A New Hope.    The story follows Tatooine natives and friends of Luke Skywalker Phineas and his step brother Ferb as they race to return the Death Star plans to R2-D2, who dropped them while roaming the dune sea.  Along the way they get help from Isabella (who pilots a ship called Centennial Chihuahua) and Secret Rebel agent Perry the Platypus, as they battle against the evil Darthenshmirtz and the trio of stormtroopers made up of Candace, Buford and Baljeet (who are on a mission to buy a pair of socks for Darth Vader). 

Overall, this is definitely more geared towards the younglings.  The humor in this special is definitely targeted at a younger audience, who are more likely to watch Phineas and Ferb on a regular basis.  The episode features several songs that are catchy as can be (I guarantee you'll be humming "Rebel Let's Go" for at least a day after watching this).  In addition, getting to see the cast of Phineas and Ferb interact with legendary Star Wars characters like Han Solo and Luke Skywalker was good fun and a source of some good humor.  It was also nice to see that there were references to all six films, so there are jokes for everyone

That being said, there is also some good humor for older fans.  Nothing inappropriate, it's just most kids likely won't get why it's funny.  A stand out, older fan targeted joke occurs during the opening crawl when it's pointed out that none of this is canon so just relax.  I particularly enjoyed this jab at the culture that sometimes exist within fandom where we want everything to be the next major chapter in the story and we can't just relax and enjoy stuff for what it is.

When it comes to bonus features, this release features several additional episodes of Phineas and Ferb, which is great if you, like me, enjoyed the Star Wars episode enough to want to see more of Phineas and Ferb.  I would have, however, liked to have seen some behind the scenes bonus features as well, perhaps a short "making of" video or perhaps a commentary track from some of the people that worked on this.  However, this release is definitely aimed at kids and as result, bonus features aimed at kids were included.  Also included with the DVD is a special Perry the Platypus in Carbonite key chain, that's pretty cool!  I can definitely see this dangling from many backpacks on the school yard.

Overall, this is a fun special that both kids and adults can enjoy.  The team behind Phineas andFerb did a great job of poking fun at Star Wars, without being disrespectful to its legacy.  I would recommend this DVD to anyone who enjoys Star Wars comedy and, especially, to anyone with kids.

Score: 7.5/10

This article is an opinion piece and represents the views of the writer, and not the entire Star Wars Underworld organization.

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Review: 'The Clone Wars: The Lost Missions' Box Set

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By: Dominic Jones

On Tuesday November 11th, 2014 (tomorrow) Star Wars: The Clone Wars'The Lost Missions' will hit blu-ray and DVD, bringing to an end an incredible era of Star Wars story telling.  'The Lost Missions' is a reminder of why we loved this show so much and, while it wasn't the ending we hoped for, it certainly told some of the most important Star Wars stories to date.  From the sinister origins of Order 66 to the great mystery that is the Force, the 13 episode sixth season dealt with some of the biggest topics of the entire saga.  This box set is a must own for every Star Wars fan, even if you didn't follow the series (thankfully it's all on Netflix should you decide you want to catch up - which you should!)

The box set includes all thirteen episodes from this season, as well as the four "story reel" episodes that make up the "Crystal Crisis on Utapau" arc that were released on StarWars.com earlier this year.  In addition, the box set includes a sixteen minute documentary titled The Clone Wars: Declassified.  But more on those later, let's take a look at the look of the box set.

Overall, the look of the box set is solid.  Much like the season itself, the cover art for 'The Lost Missions' is different in design from the previous seasons.  The cover features both Master Yoda and a Kamino Clone Trooper (previous seasons had featured only one character) in a nod to the two arcs that had the biggest impact.  I think it was a nice touch that they included both.  It would have felt wrong to leave Master Yoda off the cover, considering the adventure we undertook with him this season, and the clone represents the way this season, in ways we had never seen before, explored the clone troopers and their creation.

The discs feature Anakin and Obi-Wan.  Both characters played significant roles in various arcs this season, including the unfinished Utapau arc.  They, along with Ahsoka (who is mostly absent from this season) and Rex, were the main characters for this series and using them on the discs almost seems to be more a reference to the fact that we have, for the most part, been following their adventures for the past six years.   

But enough about the look of the box set, let's talk about the episodes!  Season 6 was a solid run of episodes from beginning to end and you'd be hard pressed to find a "bad" episode.  Below are my mini, spoiler-free, reviews of all four arcs from this season. 

The "Order 66" arc:
This arc answered one of the biggest questions of the series and the prequel trilogy.  How did the clones go from being friends with Jedi, as we saw in the series, to trying to kill them, as we saw in Revenge of the Sith.  The arc focuses in on ARC Trooper Fives, who we had followed since season one and seen grown from a clone cadet to a ARC Trooper and whom we had experienced much joy and heartbreak with, along the way.  Fives finds himself in the midst of the ultimate conspiracy and finds out the truth about his existence.  Dee Bradley Baker turns in an Emmy-worthy performance as the clone in this arc, conveying various emotions and stages of insanity in several clones.  The arc is filled with great action, humor, intrigue, and heartbreak, and is truly one of the best and most important arcs of the series.

The "Clovis" arc:
Originally intended as part of Season 5, the Clovis arc is one we had seen previews of going as far back as Summer 2012.  When it was finally released as part of 'The Lost Missions' it demonstrated one of the areas in which the series had grown the most: political episodes.  The arc deals with the return of Padme's ex Rush Clovis as he enlists her help in exposing the war profiteering going on within the Banking Clan.  Of course Anakin gets jealous and lets his dark side take control, leading to one of the most tense moments of the season, as he physically beats Rush Clovis in front of Padme.  The arc also gave us one last taste of the late Ian Abercrombie as Palpatine and featured the final appearance of the bounty hunter Embo.  Filled with action, intrigue, and romance, this arc provides fascinating insights in the politics of the republic and the unhealthy relationship of Anakin and Padme.

The "Jar Jar Binks/Mace Windu" arc:
If you're not a fan of Jar Jar then this will probably be your least favourite arc, though I wouldn't recommend skipping it.  The arc puts Jar Jar Binks and Mace Windu on a mission together and, well, hilarity ensues (I still think there is potential for a spin off series here).  When Jar Jar is the only person who can save the people of Bardotta (due to his romantic past with their queen), we see him and Mace in a race against the clock to stop a cult from stealing the living Force from within the Bardottan people.  An appearance from Mother Talzin adds to the intrigue of this arc, as we get another glimpse into her plot.  While this arc isn't as ground breaking as others, it is still a fun ride even if Jar Jar isn't usually your cup of tea.

The "Yoda" Arc:
I would not be surprised if this arc doesn't turn out to be the most important story told in the entire run of The Clone Wars.  This arc features an exploration of the Force like we have never seen.  We are introduced to new concepts, likethe relationship between the living and cosmic Force, and, for the first time, really explore what it takes to exist after death.  The arc takes us all around the galaxy to explore these concepts, from the temple on Coruscant, to the swamps of Dagobah, to the temples of the Sith homeworld Morriband, to place in the universe where life itself begins.  It also tackles the questions of how Syfo-Dias died, midi-chlorians, and Yoda's desire to find out the identity of the Sith Lord.  The arc features stellar performances by Tom Kane as Yoda and Jamie King as the Force priestesses and features guest stars Liam Neeson, reprising his role as Qui-Gon Jinn, and Mark Hamill as Darth Bane.   The story is dense and holds up well on multiple viewings.  If nothing else, I strongly encourage everyone to watch this arc.

The arcs of season six were stellar, but you may have already known that!  Let's move on and talk about the bonus features. 

The Clone Wars: Declassified:
This documentary is truly a stand out on the box set.  Covering everything from the moment George Lucas announced the series back at Celebration III in 2005 to the shows abrupt end in 2013, this documentary takes you behind the scenes in ways no documentary had done prior.  If you are looking for discussion about specific story arcsor insight on how the show was made from a technical stand point, then this is not the documentary you are looking for.  However, what this documentary does so beautifully is take inside the culture that existed among those who made the show.  From the very early days of Lucasfilm Animation to funny holiday memories to the big Emmy win, the documentary shows the people that made this series so special.  It shows how much fun it was for the crew and how that translated into amazing episodes for us fans to enjoy.  A warning: this documentary will make you want to work at Lucasfilm with these incredible people.  And yes, it will make you cry (or, at least, it made me cry!)  It is a truly wonderful tribute to the incredible people that made this show happen.

The "Crystal Crisis on Utapau" Story Reels:
This was a cool inclusion on the box set.  While in a perfect world this would have been fully animated and released on Cartoon Network or Netflix, it is interesting to get a look at the process of how the series was made.  The story reels are episodes of the show that feature unfinished animation and would have been shown to people like George Lucas and Dave Filoni for approval before being fully animated.  The episodes do feature a complete voice cast, including great performances by James Arnold Taylor and Matt Lanter as Obi-Wan and Anakin respectively.  The story of this arc is also fascinating and deals with something crucial to the original trilogy: the Death Star!  In addition, we get to see Anakin struggling with the decision Ahsoka made and the end of Season 5.  There's also some great banter and cool action (although it would have looked even better animated!)

If I had one criticism to make about this box set it's that it did not include a Jedi Temple Archives.  For those unfamiliar, the previous five seasons had included a feature where you could "go into the archives" of each episode and see concept art, production models, deleted scenes and early animation of certain sequences (much like the story reels).  The lack of these features was disappointing as I would have loved to go behind the scenes of these episodes.  That being said, this is a fairly minor criticism.

And here we are.  At the end of the last release of finished episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.  It's amazing to think back on where we've come from and the adventures we have been on over six seasons and a movie.  The stories that were told captured the spirit of what we loved about Star Wars and were ground breaking achievements in the animation world.  The series was loved by so many and it was sad to see it end the way it did, but 'The Lost Missions' was more than up to challenge of providing a fitting ending, given the circumstances.  As I said at the beginning, 'The Lost Missions' embodies everything we loved about The Clone Wars.  From the way it dealt with issues the films didn't have time for, to its willingness to push the boundaries on what we perceive as Star Wars and go to places that were unexpected.  All in all, this box set is a must own for every fan of The Clone Wars and, dare I say it, every Star Wars fan out there.  Simply Amazing.

Score: 9.5/10

This article is an opinion piece and represents the views of the writer, and not the entire Star Wars Underworld organization.

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JJ Abrams and R2-D2 Make an Appearance on 'Last Week Tonight' From the Set of 'The Force Awakens'

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By: Dominic Jones

Star Wars: The Force Awakens director JJ Abrams made a surprise appearance, alongside R2-D2, on last night's episode of HBOs news/comedy program Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.  The two appeared when host John Oliver was testing out his new Salmon Canon (yes, that is really a thing) by firing it at various celebrities.  Of course, a pair of salmon made their way to Pinewood Studios (among many, many other locations) where they found their targets on the set of Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens.

Check out the hilarious video below,

That was very cool of Abrams and R2 to appear in the video.  Absolutely hilarious!


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Book Review: Tarkin (Spoiler Free)

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By: Trey Atwood

If you think about it, Wilhuff Tarkin was a minor from the very beginning: he was a secondary villain in only one Star Wars movie. He had a couple parts on The Clone Wars and had minor appearances in a few novels and some comics, but mostly was a forgettable character. It's ironic, considering that Peter Cushing was undoubtedly the most well-known actor on the set at the time the original film was in production, only to be overshadowed by all the other main actors in retrospect. James Luceno had quite a task for him when he set out to make Tarkin, as he put it, "Larger than life."

As the second book in the newly rebooted Star Wars canon, Tarkin is an ambitious title that sets out to be part memoir, part rebel hunt. Author James Luceno is no stranger to writing for the Star Wars franchise, having published Darth Plagueis two years earlier as his other most recent book for the series. Darth Plagueis managed to make an art out of summarizing events from dozens of pre-Episode 1 era books while simultaneously following a completely different narrative arc, and with more than its fair share of callbacks to the novel, readers who enjoyed Tarkin should definitely look into reading Darth Plagueis in order to fully understand the setting in which Tarkin takes place. If you’re a new to the non-movie parts of Star Wars then it’s best that you at least see the episodes of The Clone Wars in which Tarkin appears because the book touches back on those events often.

Most of the first act deals largely centers around Tarkin's origins, which is something that surprised me: for those who only know him from the films, Tarkin would hardly seem an experienced survivalist and outdoorsman: the straight-backed, haughty government official always seemed to me more of an officer who would lead from behind than someone who would jump into the thick of the action, but in the end it makes him a more interesting protagonist to follow. In essence, Tarkin has gone in my eyes from a traditional politician and military commander to a highly-ranked hunter with a literal thirst for blood.

Tarkin’s story before the Empire is without a doubt the most engaging part of the novel, even though it’s split apart in a series of flashbacks sprinkled throughout the rest of the book and meant to break up the action found in the main plot. I found myself smiling at the Machiavellian elements that made up Tarkin’s checkered history and wanting to discover more about a character I thought I knew before.

Readers who are familiar with the Expanded Universe may notice that Tarkin’s newly fleshed-out personality has some parallels to Admiral Thrawn: a character from Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn Trilogy who became an instant success. Thrawn was a genius tactician who could predict his enemy’s movements by looking at the art of the culture they grew up with, while Tarkin uses his background as a hunter to analyze his foe’s personality quirks to do the same. Like Thrawn, Tarkin is one of few Imperial villains who are written to be smart, resourceful, and even a little successful at times, rather than using the classic bad guy tactics of the Emperor and Vader. Just like Thrawn, Tarkin will make demands of his underlings that don’t make sense at first, only to have the pieces of the puzzle come together at the last moment to complete a bigger a picture and amaze them with his tactical thinking. And just like Thrawn, Tarkin has a Sherlock-caliber ability to turn minor observations into revelations that border on having more basis in apophenia than reality, and become hard to excuse at certain points.

The novel does an excellent job of subtly portraying an Imperial atmosphere and explaining the nuances of the politics of the new Empire, setting the mood well for the scenes on Coruscant and making for good contrast whenever we get the antagonist’s point of view. Luceno also writes very accurate dialog for Vader; not Anakin Skywalker. There's a difference between the two that I hadn't noticed was so drastic until I read the book.

As an example, here’s a line of Anakin’s from Episode II:
Master, if we keep this chase going any longer that creep is gonna end up deep fried.”
And a line from Tarkin
“The liberties you enjoyed and abused during the days of the Republic and the Clone Wars are a thing of the past. Then, there was some purpose to turning a blind eye to illegality and to fostering dishonesty of a particular sort.”
Words like ‘lest’ and ‘perhaps’ appear in Darth Vader’s dialog, showing how much the years have changed him and his vocabulary. The Emperor, too, is portrayed well, and even has more than a few of his puppet master traits shown off to wrap up the ending neatly.

The most prominent part of the novel is the journey where Darth Vader and Tarkin are grudgingly sent out together to hunt a band of dissidents, but each one develops a greater respect for the other as time goes on, if not friendship. It was a good way to pave over the events of The Clone Wars to establish the professional relationship they have Episode 4. But even though the adventure itself spans the galaxy, it feels admittedly small in scale: the dissidents are shown from the start to only have the ability to cause minimal damage to the Empire, creating for a lack of tension and an anticlimactic ending. I found myself hoping that the people they were chasing would lead to a bigger organization that could one day grow to be a threat on par with the Rebel Alliance, because sending Vader and Tarkin after them felt like overkill. The book admits that their involvement is so that the threat doesn’t go public and is snuffed out quickly, meaning that no matter what, it’ll be snuffed out: Vader and Tarkin are just along for the ride because the Emperor can’t have his image compromised, which doesn’t make for as exciting a story.

The novel branches out into multiple genres spanning from a biography that brings us up to speed on Tarkin’s origins, to a cat-and-mouse chase that makes up the majority of the book, to a mystery, to a political drama peppered with espionage elements. This leads to Tarkin stretching itself thin, suffering from the same style of arc fatigue which critics of the Phantom Menace had problems with. Fans of the past Expanded Universe novels should definitely pick up this book, if for nothing else than to catalog how much of the old Legends canon has been carried over on the back of Luceno’s references, which fill the book from cover to cover.Tarkin is an interesting read, and definitely a fun one if you’re a fan of Imperials, but it’s held back slightly by a lack of focus.
7/10

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'The Lost Missions' Giveaway!

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By: Dominic Jones

We're thrilled to announce our latest giveaway here at The SWU!  This one is to celebrate to the release of Star Wars: The Clone Wars 'The Lost Missions'on Blu-ray!  We have some great Star Wars merchandise to give away, so without further ado, here are the prizes:

Grand Prize: Talking Yoda Flashlight, a Yoda Lightsaber, a Star Wars Stormtrooper Bop Game, and a Star Wars: The Clone Wars: The Lost Missions Blu-ray!
Runner Up: A Star Wars: The Clone Wars: The Lost Missions Blu-ray!

Instructions:Send your answers to the following trivia question to swunderworld@gmail.com to be entered into the draw.  The winner will be announced on the next episode of the SWU Podcast, recorded live on Thursday November 13th at 9pm EST and then contacted via email.  DO NOT: Post the answer on our Facebook Page, you will be disqualified if you do!

Question: What ancient Sith Lord did Mark Hamill play in Star Wars: The Clone Wars 'The Lost Missions'?

But wait!  That's not all.  You can also win a Star Wars: The Clone Wars 'The Lost Missions' Blu-ray by tuning in LIVE to the SWU Podcast on Thursday at 9pm EST!  We will be giving a copy away, exclusively for our live listeners.  So if you want to increase your chances of winning, you better tune in!  We'll be going live here, don't miss it!



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