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Star Wars Bits: David Prowse (Kinda) Talks 'Force Awakens', Mark Hamill's Facial Hair, Star Wars Bar

Tsuneo Sanda header
By Angie Han

I was raised to do one thing... and that's serve up Star Wars Bits. After the jump:

  • David Prowse has zero interest in Star Wars: The Force Awakens
  • What does "I will finish what you started" really mean?
  • The Force Awakens trailer gets meme-d, of course
  • Ooh and ahh over a stunning Star Wars Newsweek cover
  • Was the destruction of Alderaan justified?
  • A Star Wars-themed bar has opened up in Ottawa
  • Is this the working title of Star Wars Episode VIII?
  • Get way too invested in the state of Mark Hamill's facial hair
  • Peek at the Star Wars room on the Disney Dream cruise ship
  • Feast your eyes on a bunch of Vader Down variant covers

    • Dave Prowse FacebookDavid Prowse, whom you may know as Darth Vader, claims he "know[s] nothing" and hasn't "got much interest" in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. As a matter of fact, he told Yahoo, he hasn't even seen the trailer. "No. I've seen nothing about it whatsoever. No. No."

    The only thing that'd get him interested again, apparently, is if he were to get involved. "It depends if I'm playing the part of Darth Vader in it," he said. "Yes – then I'd be very interested. But if they're putting somebody else in Darth Vader's mask then I'm not the slightest bit interested."

    Which, fine — but then what the hell is the Facebook post above all about?

    Even if the real man behind the Darth Vader mask is totally over it, Darth Vader fanboy Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) clearly isn't, based on his words and actions in that Force Awakens trailer. But what, exactly, does he mean when he promises to "finish what you started"? CineXpress has a guess.

    Non-canon

    The internet, being the internet, is having quite a bit of fun with that "It's true, all of it" line from the Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer (via Geeks Are Sexy).

    Tsuneo Sanda

    Artist Tsuneo Sanda has unveiled a stunning cover he designed for a Star Wars special edition of Newsweek magazine. On Facebook, he wrote that the idea was to include references to all the movies — even those much reviled prequels — and that he considers Darth Vader to be the "absolute image" of the series. You can see the text version, and buy a copy for yourself, here (via Furious Fanboys).

    Alderaan essaySunny Bunch at the Washington Post takes up the provocative argument that blowing up Alderaan was "completely justified":

    The destruction of Alderaan, then, is more analogous to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki than it is to a "genocide." Yes, it was horrible, and yes, it would be nice if it didn't happen. But it was an attack on a legitimate military target and defensible under Just War Theory, an attack intended to save lives by deterring other major powers from beginning conflicts of their own.

    ***

    On the next page: A Star Wars bar in Ottawa, a bunch of Vader Down variant covers, and the continuing saga of Mark Hamill Beard Watch 2015.

    The Mos Eisley Cantina is too far (not to mention too fictional) for most of us to visit, but a trip to Ottawa's The Cantina seems a bit more doable. The new Star Wars bar — owned by the same folks as The Kessel Run, a game store right next door — is adorned with Star Wars posters and serves Star Wars-named drinks, like the opaque blue Bantha Milk. Click over to their Facebook page for more info.

    Ready for Vader Down #1? Marvel has unveiled a whole bunch of gorgeous variant covers (via ComicBook.com), as well as a peek inside artist Mike Deodato's sketchbook.

    In an interview at Marvel.com and StarWars.com, Deodato reveals what he hopes to accomplish with the new comic book series:

    I want to show the grandeur of the Star Wars universe without losing the human touch, which I learned through the years is what makes the film series so great: the characterization, the human side... not the machines that impressed so much as a kid.

    Vader Down #1 goes on sale November 18.Rian Johnson directing Looper

    It's probably going to be a while before we find out what Rian Johnson's Star Wars Episode VIII is actually called, but in the meantime Star Wars News Net may have figured out what its working title is. They've done some digging around and discovered that various crew members associated with the project have it listed as Space Bear Industries on their online profiles. Wait, does that mean the Ewoks are coming back?

    Meanwhile, we still don't know what the other rumored working title, Lunak Heavy Industries refers to. Episode IX? Rogue One?

    Shooting on Episode VIII is already underway, with principal photography set to begin in early 2016 — and that means it's time for Mark Hamill to prep his "contractual face foliage."

    The Disney Dream cruise ship has added a new play area dedicated to Star Wars, and it looks indeed like a Disney Dream. The room is part of Disney's Oceaneer Club, and it offers activities for kids including Jedi Training Academy and screenings of Star Wars: Rebels episodes. For more pics, as well as looks at the new Disney Infinity Room and the Vanellope's candy shop, head over to Inside the Magic.

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