Star Wars Articles

The music of Star Wars is pretty much engraved in the souls of the fans that love the series and that’s all due to one man, John Williams. He created a memorable score for all the films, filling each scene with happiness, triumph, danger, fear, and a ton of other emotions. Without it, the action would have been lifeless. Well, now as a tribute to the works of the man himself, the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles will be hosting Star Wars: The Concert this summer for two special engagements, a show that is returning to the US for the first time in a long time. The narrator will be the character who oddly enough admitted he was bad at telling stories, C3PO’s alter ego, Anthony Daniels, who tours with the show and recites the tale of all...

Not sure if you knew this or not, but today is actually an unofficial holiday for Star Wars. The date chosen by a rather clever pun on the series’ most popular phrase, “May the Fourth Be With You.” While there are no specific plans for LucasFilms to celebrate the day, Lucas did release a statement that said that they are thrilled that people still enjoy the movies and have picked a day to express that enjoyment. After all, there aren’t many films that have a specific day named after them, even if you won’t find it in most calendars. But besides the pun, why the fourth of May? Well it was actually a mistake by German TV when they translated an interview with George Lucas. They were quoting “May the Force Be With You” and actually...

We’ve been reporting off and on about Star Tours II: The Adventures Continue coming to Disneyland and Walt Disney World this summer. The old ride used to feature a trip to Endor that went awry when the robotic pilot had a little problem with his navigational programming, never really making it to the destination promised. In the new version, the destination is truly unknown as there are now 54 different experiences that travelers will get when on board. The film that accompanied the motion based simulator (similar to those used in flight training) was in 2D, but the new one will be in 3D where guests will no doubt feel like they are actually there. The attraction opens at Disney Hollywood Studios in Florida on May 20th, the same...

There have been hundreds of books that have been published by various authors that take place in the Star Wars Universe, mostly printed by Random House under license. In the 30 years since the initial volume hit the shelves, these books never seem to fade in the mind of readers, like many do, and have managed to stay in print all this time. It’s the legacy of Lucas and his ability to keep Star Wars in the mindset of generation after generation that these books remain this popular after that many years. Everybody wants to know what happened to our favorite characters besides what could be shown in the 20 hours or so of the six film episodes. So Random House is now releasing the volumes of Star Wars fiction as electronic books...

In a comment that is sure to start a war between traditionalists and CGI enthusiasts, Harrison Ford said that CGI is relied on too heavily in the modern action and fantasy films, to the point where the humanity of the film is lost to what amounts to a video game, which he called a soulless enterprise. The filmmakers alienate the viewers by adding too much visual stimulus that doesn’t need to be there. His example was the difference between six men and thousands of men. The six men represent an army that can be taken down by the hero, but thousands just seems impossible and even if they do make it, it seemed improbable. Scale is important in a film that the humanity has to be shown above the effects around the people. Ironically he...

If you have seen recent pictures of Carrie Fisher, who played the strong willed princess of legend in the original Star Wars saga, you have seen where she gained a lot of weight to the point where people on the internet started talking about her as if she was closer to Jabba than Leia. That criticism may have been unfair, but in the end it was helpful, because it pushed Fisher to realize that her weight gain was getting out of control and she needed to set her mind to taking it back off. In just 18 weeks on the Jenny Craig diet and with exercise, she was able to lose 30 pounds, which really has come off well, returning her to being quite recognizable as the woman that we all fell in love with back in the movies. And although she has...

George Lucas, who was present when Star Tours first opened back in 1987, will be returning to Walt Disney World’s Disney Hollywood Studios for the ceremony to open Star Tours II: The Adventures Continue. The opening of the new version of the attraction is scheduled for May 20, 2011, which is the first of the Star Wars Weekends at the park. At 10am, there will be an opening ceremony which will include many different characters, dignitaries, actors such as Anthony Daniels who reprises his role as C3PO in the ride, and now Lucas. The ride is being created for Disneyland and Walt Disney World at the same time, and while Lucas has not had a preview of the Florida version, he did get to ride the clone in California in February of this...

We haven’t talked much lately about the Star Wars MMO set to premier late this year, but Bioware has caught our attention once again with the description of the Sith Inquisitor Class in the Old Republic. It seems like the introduction of this particular faction of the game has brought new light into what was shaping up to be a Star Wars version of World of Warcraft, something that the company is trying desperately to avoid. The Sith Inquisitors are masters of the dark side of the force and yield what they consider to be the ultimate power, but what makes them particular dangerous is that they are treacherous. They don’t worry about what is right and wrong, which can be fun to play. But what makes this class interesting is the choice...

Just thought we would do an update on the Star Wars Weekends at Disney Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World in Florida since tomorrow (May 20th) is the start. There are a lot of cool events going on. Star Tours II: The Adventures Continue will be making it’s official debut with a galactic sized opening ceremony including as we’ve said Anthony Daniels (C3PO) and if rumor is true, George Lucas. There will no doubt also be dignitaries and executives from both Disney and LucasArts on hand, as well as costumed characters that will bring out the pageantry. The spectacle will be broadcast live over Disney Park’s YouTube Channel and the official Facebook page at 10am ET on May 20th. Other events that will be each day of the weekends...

Wow is the only word that comes to mind after flying down to Orlando over the weekend to see the new attraction and I have to say I was impressed. Having rode the original Star Tours many times, this just gives so much new life to the attraction, while keeping the spirit of the old. The show starts out in the redesigned queue line where what used to look more like a Star Speeder garage is now a very busy spaceport with a large screen that tells of the many different destinations available throughout the galaxy with R2D2 and C3PO in charge, with their usual banter. As you progress through the line, you come to another room that has various droids doing different tasks in order to get the flights ready like customs and such. We also...

While all of the attention was on Star Tours II, it seems that it is not the only attraction being considered at Disney, although it unclear what park the ride patent is for or if it was just a blue sky endeavor, but given the recent date, this could be something coming to one of the foreign parks, which will hopefully trickle back here in the US. While not much is known about this new park if there is such a thing, one thing that was very specific in the patent was some drawings that were posted at a Disney site that are thought to be real patent requests for a roller coaster based on the Death Star battle. In this case, X-Wings would be against Tie Fighters on opposite tracks, going toward each other at various points. Now the...

Let’s start by wishing Star Wars: A New Hope a happy birthday. It was this day back in 1977 that the movie premiered to audiences everywhere. A space western at its core, few had dreamed that it would be the success it has been to this date, and would bring George Lucas to incredible fame, along with his band of characters. I remember being 12 when I first saw the movie. It was one of my first actually going to a theater by myself and I loved every minute of the adventure. Seeing the ships disappear in light speed on a full screen really was memorable for me. And after that, I had bought or gotten for Christmas, a whole lot of Star Wars games that I wanted. And even to this day, with all the other movies and TV shows out, I’m...

George Lucas, who appeared on G4 as part of the promotion of the Star Tours II ride, talked about the live action Star Wars TV Show and it’s not good news for the fans. The Star Wars creator says that they have 50 hours of script written for the show, but the pages play out just like a regular feature film. And this means that in order to create the effects and stage the production of such a show, it would require a huge budget, and it’s not something television networks can afford at this point. The only way, Lucas reckons, is to figure out a way to make movies cheaper and thus bring the cost level down to something practical. He says that once that process is figured out, that it will change how movies are made and then it will be...

When you are in high school and you are graduating, you may be looking for something exciting to end the year on a high note. Of course, the ceremony is supposed to do that, but that’s more for the parents than the students. And if you are these two guys from Westfield High School, their idea was a tribute to their favorite film, Star Wars. And to do so, they made up a whole battle routine with light sabers to be performed in the school cafeteria in an unannounced impromptu show for their fellow students. The setup was simple. They would walk in, challenge the other, ignite their sabers and go at it for a bit. Sounds innocent enough, right? Especially with toy sabers that even if someone got hit, would only sting a little, not...

A couple of updates for news we posted about previously... It seems that those kids at Westfield High School who simulated a Star Wars light saber duel in the cafeteria that ended in a standing ovation and everyone’s arms still attached to their bodies, will not be banned from their graduation after all. Principal Raymond K. Broderick not only agreed to let them walk down the aisle, but let them out of their suspensions as well. He also let two other boys that had put Vaseline on office doors off the hook too, saying that they are good kids and deserve a chance to graduate and have a future, despite a moment of bad judgment. Even though he took the wrath of the online community, the principal did have support from his higher ups...

Star Wars: Celebration V was a big fan convention that was held last year in Orlando, FL and featured everything you’d expect from such an event, including celebrity guests and panels, costumes, screenings and more. The four day gathering was attended by tens of thousands of fans, so popular that organizers are planning on holding the event again at the same location, the Orange County Convention Center. Tickets are now available for Celebration VI, even though the event is not until August 23-26 of next year (2012). Daily passes will run from $55 (Thursday, Friday, and Sunday) and $65 (Saturday) for adults or $27 for children for each and all days, but the best value is the $135 for a four day adult pass, or $54 for child. You can...

Hornby PLC, which is a leading provider of model kits for builders, just scored a major contract as big as the empire itself. When the movies are rereleased in 3D, they will have the exclusive rights to make the models that will go along with the film. We assume this means things like the Death Star, Millennium Falcon, X-Wing and Tie Fighters, etc. In the past Hornby has had major problems with their suppliers in China and severe weather at their London manufacturing plant had caused a demand issue, which frightened their stockholders. But upon hearing the news of the acquisition of the worldwide rights to the Scaletrix Star Wars models, their stock has climbed back up. They also received the rights to Cars 2 and the London...

At the largest game industry convention, E3, where all the entertainment companies are showing off their latest, Microsoft used part of their press conference this morning, to show off Kinect Star Wars. It was presented with a wide range of other games for Kinect and not for Kinect, but all for the Xbox 360. I know that it would have interrupted the proceedings, but part of the fan in me, really wanted to see at least one Star Wars character hit the stage during this portion. Oh well. What did we find out? Not much that we didn’t know already. What they did show is one actual working scene which has a Jedi Knight fighting his way through the Cloud City from Empire Strikes Back. One thing that Star Wars fans will really like is...

Bioware is putting the finishing touches on the most anticipated game of the holiday season, but calling it a game is probably not doing it justice. Star Wars: The Old Republic, which we’ve talked about here, was on display at the E3 convention, which is the gaming industry’s biggest week. The show, which is where all the companies show off their latest games, is being held in Los Angeles and EA was one of the big players eager to show off their expansive world, which is set in the Lucas universe thousands of years before the film. Story, one would argue, is the most important part of the Lucas film, even though some would criticize that the new ones excelled in this regard, but that sense of story above all else is what Bioware was...

Razer, who is known for its PC gaming mice, keyboards, and peripherals, announced at E3 that in conjunction with Star Wars: The Old Republic, they will be introducing a new package which will contain everything you need to play the game in style. First off is the keyboard, which is light grey and has either a red or blue backlight which you can choose based on your alignment (Sith versus Galactic Republic) or whichever you think looks really cool, and the symbols can be changed as well. The chiclet type keyboard, which is not wireless, is generally a standard keyboard, but without the numeric keypad. In its place are ten programmable keys (set up in two rows) and a touch screen. There is also five extra keys on the left. The...