Jump to content
Show all categories

Star Wars News & Features

News and information from a Galaxy Far Far Away, and sometimes a little closer to home.

    A Change in the Lineup

    By Ayingel, in General News,

    Oscar-winner Michael Arndt is out as the screenwriter for Episode VII--but who is coming in?

    Thursday, Lucasfilm announced a big change-up in the screenwriters for the next film in the Star Wars series. Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine) is being replaced by the team of director J.J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan (who has previously been serving as a consultant for the film) in a surprise twist. For those unfamiliar with Kasdan, you may recognize his body of works: The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and Raiders of the Lost Ark.

    "I am very excited about the story we have in place and thrilled to have Larry and J.J. working on the script," states Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy. "There are very few people who fundamentally understand the way a Star Wars story works like Larry, and it is nothing short of incredible to have him even more deeply involved in its return to the big screen. J.J. of course is an incredible storyteller in his own right. Michael Arndt has done a terrific job bringing us to this point and we have an amazing filmmaking and design team in place already prepping for production."

    Currently, the studio seems to be remaining mum on the topic of Arndt's departure. This does bring into question whether the original planned direction for the film will continue (Arndt had originally drafted a 40-50 page document), or if Abrams is going to push more towards something like his Star Trek reboots.

    A rare classic Star Wars action figure featuring a jawa in 'near mint' condition has sold at auction to a US buyer for $16489.

    The jawa action figure, believed to be one of only 6 left in existence was made by Palitoy in Leicestershire, UK, during the earliest days of the Star Wars franchise.

    The collectible was described as being in near mint condition and was still sealed in it's original packaging, and exceeded auctioneers expectations. Vectis, the auction house, specialises in toys and does not expect to see another one on the market.

    Time to check your action figure collections!

    Constructed for Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, the set used for the location of the home of Anakin Skywalker is due to be reclaimed by the Tunisian desert.

    Experts on the movements of sand dunes note that the nearby set for Mos Eisley has also been partially buried, and say that this illustrates why settlements are rarely built in desert environments.

    The sand dunes are moving at roughly 15 metres per year, and will eventually submerge the set and continue past it. Although the sets will re-emerge from the sand they will most likely incur significant damage.

    Tunisia (the country who plays host to the set) is sure to see an economic downfall from this loss as well, as the desert country was using the set to drive tourism.

    During an appearance on UK television's Graham Norton Show, Harrison Ford suggested that he hasn't quite decided whether he wants to return to the role of Han Solo after a 30 year break.

    Although Ford says he is keep to do more Indiana Jones, he seems less keen to reprise the role of smuggler, scoundrel, and hero of the Rebellion Han Solo.

    Ford's apparent dislike of the character has been evident since Return of the Jedi's release in 1983 when he stated that he thought Han Solo should have been killed off. In an interview in 2010 he repeated this view, saying that Solo was "not so interesting to me".


    It has still not been officially confirmed whether any of the big three; Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, or Harrison Ford will return for Star Wars Episode VII, and we wonder whether a 70-year old Solo would be as quick with a blaster as he was in the classic trilogy. But one thing is for certain, his absence from the sequel trilogy would be disappointing to Star Wars fans.

    Harrison Ford is currently promoting his latest movie, the big screen adaptation of Ender's Game, and has also recently taken on a role in the next installment of the Expendables.

    Tiny Death Star Announced

    By Ayingel, in Gaming,

    The Empire needs your help! In collaboration with LucasArts and Tiny Tower creators NimbleBit, Disney Mobile introduces Star Wars: Tiny Death Star, a new game for mobile devices.

    "The Empire needs your help! In collaboration with LucasArts and Tiny Tower creators NimbleBit, Disney Mobile introduces Star Wars: Tiny Death Star, a new game for mobile devices. Live life on the dark side and join Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader on a mission to attract Galactic bitizens, run intergalactic businesses, and build an all-new Death Star. Construct unique Star Wars themed locations to attract iconic characters and species to your space station in this 8-bit style game. Star Wars: Tiny Death Star will soon be available worldwide."
    -Disney Interactive

    After all the successes (and addictions to) with Tiny Tower by NimbleBit, Disney Interactive has announced the coming of Tiny Death Star. Tiny Death Star will be an 8-bit style game where the player controls what is added to the map. The game is being developed by Disney Mobile and NimbleBit, with LucasArts acting as partner to manage the licensing as they have with Angry Birds Star Wars. Rumors are that the game may turn into more shorts, along the lines of the Lego: Star Wars brand, since NimbleBit has created shorts with the original Tiny Tower.

    Star Wars Reads Day 2013

    By Ayingel, in Books & Comics,

    “Reading and Star Wars have gone hand-in-hand since 1976, when the novelization of the original Star Wars movie was released. Over the years, many fans have discovered the joy in reading through Star Wars books, and we hope to continue encouraging more people to read.”

    “Reading and Star Wars have gone hand-in-hand since 1976, when the novelization of the original Star Wars movie was released. Over the years, many fans have discovered the joy in reading through Star Wars books, and we hope to continue encouraging more people to read.”
    - Lucasfilm director of publishing Carol Roeder

    Today was the second annual Star Wars Reads Day across the US and book stores and libraries across the world were celebrating. Costumed volunteers and members of the 501st Legion were out in force at different book stores and libraries adding to the experiences of visitors of all ages. Along with bookstores like Barnes and Noble and Books-A-Million, publishing partners like Abrams, Chronicle Books, Dark Horse, Del Rey, DK, Quirk Books, Random House Audio, Scholastic, Titan Magazines, and Workman also participated by providing materials.

    Activities at many locations included artists, costume contests, trivia, giveaways, and book sales. As a rule, Star Wars Reads Day must be a free and public event, since Lucasfilm has had a strong connection with books from the time of the first Star Wars novelization in 1976. Along with the donated time, many of the locations hosting Star Wars Reads Day donate to different charities.

    In its second year, the event has grown more than 67%, and doesn't look like it's going to be slowing down anytime soon.

    Star Wars Rebels

    By Ayingel, in Television,

    Disney and Lucasfilms have announced that a teaser trailer will be coming for Star Wars Rebels the show announced to take the place of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

    Disney and Lucasfilms have announced that a teaser trailer will be coming for Star Wars Rebels the show announced to take the place of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. There isn't a lot of information regarding exactly how this series will fit into the timeline, however, representatives are stating that the show will take place during the time between the original trilogies, "in a time where the Empire is securing its grip on the galaxy and hunting down the last of the Jedi Knights as a fledgling rebellion against the Empire is taking shape," which seems to mean that the show will likely start shortly after Episode III.

    The announcement of this show has been much anticipated since the cords were cut on The Clone Wars to prepare for this show. The series is not set to premier until 2014, but the teaser trailer is set to premier on Disney XD around 8:30 PM ET/PT, and is anticipated to be online shortly thereafter. Keep in mind, we won't have a huge glimpse of the series at this time, but the 1 -second trailer should really boost curiosity for viewers of all types.

    Producers for the show will be none other than Dave Filoni (Supervising Director for Star Wars: The Clone Wars), Greg Weisman (of Gargoyles fame), and Simon Kinberg (screenwriter and producer of X-Men: First Class, and Sherlock Holmes) who will also be writing the first episode.

    Lightsabers invented!

    By Andy, in General News,

    Scientists at Harvard and MIT say they have accidentally discovered the science behind the technology that would allow a device similar to the famous Star Wars lightsaber.

    Although they have yet to develop the technology, the scientists say they have found a way to bind photons together to form new molecules similar to those that would make up the blade of a Jedi's lightsaber.

    Mikhail Lukin, physics professor at Harvard university says that "most of the properties of light we know about originate from the fact that photons are massless and do not interact. What we have done is create a special type of medium in which photons interact with each other so strongly that they act as though they have mass, and bind together to form molecules.

    "It's not an in-apt analogy to compare this to lightsabers. When these photons interact with each other, they're pushing against and deflect each other. The physics of what's happening in these molecules is similar to what we see in the movies."

    However, given the deadly nature of lightsabers, it's unlikely that we will see them in toy stores any time soon!

    Now recruiting: News Reporter

    By Andy, in General News,

    As part of our revival of Galactic Basic we are currently looking for a News Reporter to post Star Wars related news on our homepage.

    Ideally you will already be keeping a close eye on Star Wars Episode VII casting and production news, and have the free time available to post one or more articles each week.

    Previous experience of writing for a website is not essential but this and the ability to write search engine optimised content would be a big bonus. Additionally a good knowledge of writing in English is obviously essential.

    To apply, please send a me private message to let me know you are interested. As with all roles at Galactic Basic, this is a voluntary role.

  • We would be honored if you would join us...

    Join in

×

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

  I accept