Star Wars Bits: The British Force Behind Star Wars, Vader Immortal Comes To Playstation, Thrawn Ascendancy, The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special, And More!
In this edition of Star Wars Bits:
Toy Empire: The British Force Behind Star Wars Toys on BBC
Star Wars superfan David Whiteley celebrates the unlikely toy heroes of the 1970s with Toy Empire: The British Force Behind Star Wars Toys and is now streaming on BBC iPlayer.
Toy manufacturer Palitoy based in Coalville, Leicestershire, was chosen to make toys for the new Star Wars movie in the UK. The company was already successful with Action Man and Tiny Tears. But Star Wars toys were about to become the must-have toys of a generation. It was an unexpected success. At that time toys from films didn't sell well. A rich archive brings the nostalgia of the 1970s back to our screens, as David Whiteley meets the men and women who made it happen against all the odds and the enthusiasts whose pocket money toys now fetch eye-watering sums.
If you have access to BBC Four, you can also check out Whiteley's previous documentary, The Galaxy Britain Built: The British Force Behind Star Wars, highlighting the unsung British heroes behind the making of the film. Or, you can check out his book, The Galaxy Britain Built – The British Talent Behind Star Wars, which includes even more untold stories of the British talent behind the biggest movie of all time.
I recently had an opportunity to view both of Whiteley's documentaries and they're absolutely fantastic and a must-watch for Star Wars fans, making excellent companion pieces to Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy and the Plastic Galaxy: The Story of Star Wars Toys.
Vader Immortal: A Star Wars Vr Series Is Coming to Playstation VRVader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series, ILMxLAB's immersive exploration of Darth Vader's life set between the events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: A New Hope, will be available for PlayStation VR starting August 25, 2020. The three episodes will be sold as a single purchase at $29.99, bringing the complete VR trilogy together for players and fans.
Created in close collaboration with the Lucasfilm Story Group, Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series is written by David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight, Blade) and directed by Ben Snow (Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire). It features Maya Rudolph (Bridesmaids, Big Mouth) as your witty droid sidekick, ZO-E3, and fan-favorite Scott Lawrence (Star Wars Resistance) as Darth Vader.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Stories of Light and Dark Audiobook Excerpt
Recently, StarWars.com revealed the cast for the Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Stories of Light and Dark anthology audiobook, featuring several names that are sure to please fans of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Corey Burton (Cad Bane and Count Dooku), Nika Futterman (Asajj Ventress), Matt Lanter (Anakin Skywalker), Catherine Taber (Padmé Amidala), James Arnold Taylor (Obi-Wan Kenobi), and Sam Witwer (Maul) reprise their roles from the beloved animated series, among others!
The anthology will collect 11 stories by 11 authors — Lou Anders, Preeti Chhibber, Zoraida Córdova, Jason Fry, Rebecca Roanhorse, Greg Van Eekhout, Tom Angleberger, E. Anne Convery, Sarah Beth Durst, Yoon Ha Lee, and Anne Ursu — including 10 retellings of memorable episodes and arcs and one original Nightsisters-based story.
StarWars.com also has an exclusive excerpt from "Dark Vengeance" by Rebecca Roanhorse, which features an older Maul recounting his tale of survival and quest for revenge against Obi-Wan Kenobi. Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Stories of Light and Dark arrives August 25 and is available for pre-order now in hardcover and audiobook formats.
First Editions of Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising Pay Homage to the Grand Admiral
On September 1, fans will learn more about Grand Admiral Thrawn's origins in the first book in a new trilogy by Timothy Zahn, Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising. To celebrate the return of Zahn's fan-favorite character, the first edition of the book has been printed with blue pages, as well as color and accents throughout the interior!
The special edition will be available only for the first printing of Chaos Rising, which covers the first tens of thousands of books that are printed. The blue-paged version is only available while supplies last, so be sure to pre-order your copy now in regular hardcover or Barnes & Noble exclusive edition, which features a double-sided cover with Thrawn as an Ascendancy cadet, featuring flags of the nine Ruling Families of Csilla and the circular Chiss Ascendancy emblem on the other.
The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special to Premiere on Disney+
This November, The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special will reunite Rey, Finn, Poe, Chewie, Rose, and all your favorite droids, from R2-D2 to BB-8, for a joyous celebration on Life Day, the holiday first introduced in 1978's Star Wars Holiday Special. The special premieres on Life Day, November 17, 2020, on Disney+ and here's the official synopsis:
Set after the events of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Rey leaves her friends to prepare for Life Day as she embarks on a new adventure with BB-8 to gain a deeper knowledge of the Force. At a mysterious Jedi temple, Rey finds herself hurled into a cross-timeline adventure through beloved moments in Star Wars cinematic history, coming into contact with Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi and other iconic heroes and villains from all nine Skywalker saga films. But will she make it back in time for the Life Day feast and learn the true meaning of holiday spirit? You'll have to watch to find out!
Funko Reveals New the Child Pop! Bobblehead
Funko recently revealed a new Pop! bobblehead inspired by The Child, featuring the mysterious alien affectionately known as Baby Yoda holding a detached control knob from the Razor Crest's cockpit. Only at GameStop in the US, the Funko Pop! bobblehead depicting The Child with Control Knob arrives mid-September and is available for pre-order now.
Regal Robot Announces Jabba the Hutt Concept Maquette Replica
Based on Phil Tippett's original concept sculpture used to bring the infamous character to life in Return of the Jedi, Regal Robot's limited, numbered edition Jabba the Hutt Maquette Replica was painstakingly digitally recreated after examining the original maquette. Cast in heavy, solid polyurethane resin and hand-painted, this Jabba the Hutt replica is an outstanding tribute to the artistry of Star Wars.
This edition will be available to order on August 24, starting at noon ET. Full details and photos will be posted on Regal Robot that day, so keep an eye out and join their email newsletter to be alerted when the replica goes live for pre-order.
Star Wars Podcast Round-UpBlast Points Podcast has an episode all about your favorite cone-headed Jedi, Ki-Adi-Mundi.
Ki-Adi-Mundi. We all know he was a superstar, a Jedi Leader, a comic book hero, and a Cone Head Guy, but was he also a jerk? Join us as we explore all things Mundi and strip away the myths and look at the deeds of this memorable and confusing Jedi Master. How many wives did he have? Does he ride an ostrich? How was he created? Why does everyone know Mundi? When did he go too far being rude? Find out the answers to all these questions and more in this action-packed, fun-filled MundiCentric episode. So, put on your KISS makeup and get on your stolen swoop bike and celebrate the love with BLAST POINTS! Listen here.
Talking Bay 94 has an interview with The Last Jedi's Noah Segan.
From Stomeroni Starck in The Last Jedi to his roles in Brick, The Brothers Bloom, Looper, and as Trooper Wagner in Knives Out, Noah Segan (and his frequent collaborations with director Rian Johnson) has been simply incredible. You'll be able to tell ... very quickly how much I enjoyed this conversation, from discussing his first meeting with Rian, to some, well, exclusive news about the Stomeroni Starck and Trooper Wagner spin-off shows. Listen here.
Skytalkers has an interview with Sarah Kuhn, author of Doctor Aphra: An Audiobook Original.
Sarah Kuhn, the author of "Doctor Aphra: An Audiobook Original," joins Caitlin and Charlotte in a spoiler-filled conversation about the recently-released audio drama. We talk process, inspirations, and more — including Sarah's Star Wars Dinner picks. Listen here.
Kessel Run Radio has the latest on Disney+ Star Wars live-action and animated series developments.
In this episode, Noah and Corey are joined by Iraj from The Sith List and they discuss The Mando spinoff shows in development, The Mandalorian Season 2 trailer release date, Diego Luna talking about the Cassian series, and more! Listen here.
Star Wars YouTube Round-Up
Hosted by Noah Outlaw and Corey Van Dyke, the aforementioned Kessel Run Radio has new episodes every Wednesday. In this episode, Noah and Corey discuss the future of Ben Solo in Star Wars, The LEGO Star Wars Christmas Special, Kenobi filming next month, and more!
Star Wars Explained details the life and times of Gar Saxon, whose story spans two animated series and a comic within the Star Wars universe.
YouTube user Shamook has an eerie DeepFake video of Harrison Ford in Solo: A Star Wars Story.
This week on The Star Wars Show Book Club, Kristin Baver dives into Star Wars: Leia, Princess of Alderaan by Claudia Gray with panelists Kai Charles, Nina Penalosa, and the voice of Padmé Amidala on Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Cat Taber. Plus, Kristin asks author Claudia Gray your questions about the book!
In this episode of Adam Savage's Tested, Adam and Norm try their hand at making a Star Wars-inspired book nook diorama, scaled for standard 3.75" Hasbro figures!
Star Wars Kids counts all the different destroyers, transports, and starfighters in the Sequel Trilogy in the latest installment of Star Wars By the Numbers!
And finally, in this episode of Let's Draw Star Wars, learn how to draw Wicket the Ewok, your own furry companion to help you fight the Empire!
And that's it for this edition of Star Wars Bits! If you have something cool from the Star Wars Universe that should be included in this column, just reach out on Twitter!