SW Mag issue 173 july 2017 by comics2017

HERO’S JOURNEY: THE REBELLIOUS PATH OF JYN ERSO NEW ! K LOO

173 JUN/JUL

2017

MIGHTY MAUL! ™

SITH SECRETS FROM MARVEL’S EPIC COMIC BOOK SERIES

THE

DARK LORD RISES

Insider celebrates 20 years of the Star Wars Special Editions

Rogue Technology Stunning visual effects wizardry from Industrial Light & Magic

Pao Power Derek Arnold on playing the rebel commando

Turning Star Wars collectibles into an art form

Minifigure Mania

ISSUE #173 U.S. $7.99 CAN $9.99 JUN/JULY 2017 Display until July 4, 2017

Build your own LEGO Empire

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Sideshow Spectacular

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Your guide to the best new books, toys, and apparel!

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BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE MOVIE EVENT OF 2017

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE COLLECTORS

EDITION

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MAY 23 IN ALL GOOD STORES!

CAST & CREW INTERVIEWS INCLUDING M I C H A E L FA S S B E N D E R , R I D L E Y S C O T T & K AT H E R I N E W AT E R S T O N ! EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS & CONCEPT ART!

F O R M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N , V I S I T :

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24/04/2017 11:01

A MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR ™

JUNE/JULY 2017

WELCOME...

EDITORIAL Editor / Christopher Cooper Senior Executive Editor / Divinia Fleary Art Editor / Andrew Leung Copy Editor / Simon Hugo Editorial Assistant / Tolly Maggs

Not so long ago, in a galaxy pretty much where this one is, I was the editor of the U.K.’s Star Wars Comic. It was probably the best day-job I’ve ever had, and the stuff of childhood dreams, so it’s a thrill to be back in the pilot’s seat for this issue of Star Wars Insider, filling in for your regular captain, Jonathan Wilkins. If you think of Insider as Cloud City, and Jonathan as Lando Calrissian (he’s a scoundrel, and really does wear a cape), then think of me as Lando’s loyal, cybernetically-enhanced aide, Lobot. Or the Chief Ugnaught. Take your pick! In this rebel-rousing issue we’re celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Star Wars Special Editions, with a fascinating behind-the-scenes insight into the making of the enhanced original trilogy. We also follow the heroic journey of Rogue One’s Jyn Erso, and speak to Derek Arnold—the actor inside the animatronic head of rebel commando Pao. Plus, we discover how Gareth Edwards used Industrial Light & Magic’s cutting-edge virtual-reality technology to create one of Rogue One’s most iconic shots. Want to know the identity of the rarest LEGO Star Wars minifigure? You’ll find out as we delve into our toy box to make sure we’ve not swapped a Jar Jar Binks head for a gold-plated C-3PO one! All this and Darth Maul too! This will be a day long remembered...

LUCASFILM Senior Editor / Brett Rector Assistant Editor / Sammy Holland Image Archives / Newell Todd, Erik Sanchez, Bryce Pinkos, Nicole LaCoursiere, Tim Mapp Art Director / Troy Alders CONTRIBUTORS Jon D. Witmer, Simon Hugo, Tricia Barr, Amy Ratcliffe, Michael Kogge, Daniel Wallace SPECIAL THANKS TO Lucy Goldsmith, Erich Schoeneweiss at Random House, Chris D’Lando at Marvel Comics, Evan Johnson and Aaron Elliot at Amosdee, Tracy Cannobbio and Chris Argyropoulos at Lucasﬁlm TITAN MAGAZINES Senior Production Controller / Jackie Flook Production Supervisor / Maria Pearson Production Controller / Peter James Art Director / Oz Browne Senior Sales Manager / Steve Tothill Direct Sales & Marketing Manager Ricky Claydon Brand Manager, Marketing / Lucy Ripper Commercial Manager / Michelle Fairlamb Advertising Assistant / Tom Miller U.S. Advertising Manager / Jeni Smith Publishing Manager / Darryl Tothill Publishing Director / Chris Teather Operations Director / Leigh Baulch Executive Director / Vivian Cheung Publisher / Nick Landau DISTRIBUTION U.S. Newsstand / Total Publisher Services, Inc. John Dziewiatkowski, 630-851-7683 U.S. Distribution / Ingram Periodicals, Curtis Circulation Company U.K. Newsstand / Comag, 01895 444 055 U.S./U.K. Direct Sales Market / Diamond Comic Distributors

Christopher Cooper

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MEET THE CONTRIBUTORS...

adinfo@titanemail.com STAR WARS INSIDER JUNE/JULY 2017 (USPS 003-027) (ISSN 1041-5122) Star Wars Insider is published eight times per year (January/ February, March/April, May, June/July, August, September, October/November, December) by Titan Magazines, a division of Titan Publishing Group Limited, 144 Southwark Street, London SE1 0UP. Contents © 2017 Lucasﬁlm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved, Titan Authorized User. TMN 13623

Jon D. Witmer @DangerDigest Jon grew up just outside of Cleveland, Ohio where he wore through multiple VHS copies of the original Star Wars trilogy.

Simon Hugo @omnishugo Simon is the author of 365 Things To Do With LEGO Bricks, and the forthcoming LEGO: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know.

Tricia Barr @fangirlcantina Tricia is the co-author of DK’s Ultimate Star Wars. She also wrote the acclaimed award-winning novel Wynde.

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Michael Kogge @michaelkogge Michael is the author of the junior novelization of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and the Star Wars Rebels chapter book series.

Dan Wallace @danwall88 Dan has written many Star Wars books including several in the Essential Guide series and was a co-author of Ultimate Star Wars.

Find us WWW

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Amy Ratcliffe @amy_geek Amy is obsessed with Star Wars (especially The Clone Wars) and likes to visit Disney theme parks as often as she can.

Star Wars Insider is also available online. To download, visit: www.titanmagazines.com/ digitial

PUBLISHER’S U.S. AGENT 2819 Rosehall Lane, Aurora, IL 60503. Periodicals Postage Paid at Aurora IL and at additional mailing ofﬁces. POSTMASTER Send address changes to Star Wars Insider, PO Box 18479, Anaheim, CA 92817-8479 U.S. subscriptions $49.99 per year; Canada $64.99 and U.K. £31.99. U.S. edition printed by Quad. © 2017 Lucasﬁlm Ltd. and ™ All Rights Reserved. Used Under Authorization. CORRECTION: In issue 172 of Star Wars Insider, we erroneously stated that Keith Kellogg began his Star Wars: The Clone Wars career on Season Four premiere,“Water War.” His debut episode was in fact Season Three’s “Overlords.” We also misspelt Kilian Plunkett’s name in the same article, for which we apologize.

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CONTENTS I S S U E

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J U N E / J U LY

2 0 1 7

Hope Renewed Behind the scenes on the making of the Star Wars Special Editions.

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NEWSSTAND EDITION

COMIC STORE EXCLUSIVE

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Launchpad

Comics Roundup

From Puppets to Pao

All the news from the Star Wars galaxy, including updates on the Han Solo movie and the latest in collectibles.

Darth Vader strikes back in his own Marvel comic series, and rare U.K. comic strips get the reprint treatment.

Insider speaks to Derek Arnold, the performer behind the toothy grin of Rogue One rebel Pao.

Star Tours at 30

Book Club

The Making of Maul

There’s another anniversary in a galaxy far, far away this year, and it’s the trip of a lifetime.

We preview new novel Inferno Squad, and look at the latest book releases.

Darth Maul is back—again! Writer Cullen Bunn reveals the secrets behind the Marvel Comics miniseries.

No More Heroes

The Light Side The funny side of the Force from Russ Brown and Jamie Cosley.

Tricia Barr explores the journey of Rogue One’s Jyn Erso, and how the monomyth is evolving.

Retro Hasbro

Minifigure Mania

40th anniversary action figures go back to the 1970s and embrace the future with the latest Black Series collections.

Even the biggest collections start small. Here’s our guide to collecting LEGO Star Wars minifigures.

Up Close and Virtual Industrial Light & Magic digital artist Mike Jutan takes Insider behind the virtual reality scenes of Rogue One.

70 Inside Sideshow Discover how Sideshow Collectibles creates its sought-after statues and figures.

INCOMING TRANSMISSIONS 31

Competition

Jedi Master’s Quiz

Worldwide

Image Archive

Your chance to win an epic Star Wars prize!

Test your knowledge of Star Wars: A New Hope.

From a Star Wars themed home to “Disney Bounding” fans.

A deep dive into the Lucasfilm photo archives reveals a rare image.

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B O O K S

/ C O M I C S

T O Y S

G A M E S

/ FA S H I O N

Far From Solo The Han Solo movie cast expands s production continues on the as-yet-untitled Han Solo movie, currently shooting at Pinewood Studios in London, more impressive actors have been added to the cast. Michael K. Williams, best known for his roles as Omar Little in the acclaimed HBO drama series The Wire, and Albert White in Boardwalk Empire, has joined a cast that already boasts such talents as Donald Glover, Phoebe WallerBridge, Thandie Newton, Emelia

Clarke, and Woody Harrelson. Sing Street star Ian Kenny is also on-board, although no details have been released concerning the identities of the characters either actor will be portraying. The Phil Lord and Chris Miller directed movie, slated for release on May 25, 2018, stars Alden Ehrenreich as Han Solo, with Chewbacca’s bandolier being sported once again by Force Awakens actor Joonas Suotamo. While plot details remain as

closely guarded as the whereabouts of the rebel base, Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger revealed in March that the ﬁlm will follow Solo’s life from age 18 to 24, and reveal how he came to own the Millennium Falcon. Meanwhile, at April’s Star Wars Celebration in Orlando, director Rian Johnson unveiled the thrilling teaser trailer for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, along with the ﬁrst poster for the movie (see facing page). Watch out for our full Celebration report in issue 174 of Star Wars Insider.

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Make a date in your diary: September 1 2017

Force Friday Returns Get your Star Wars: The Last Jedi goodies starting September ark your calendars and start saving your cash—Friday September 1, 2017 will be Star Wars Force Friday II! Starting at one minute past midnight, a huge range of new products relating to Star Wars: The Last Jedi will go on sale,

marking the start of a weekend-long celebration of all things Star Wars. The ﬁrst Force Friday took place on September 4, 2015, in the run-up to the release of The Force Awakens. For that event, retailers from around the globe staged special midnight openings and

gave away free commemorative merchandise. This time around, the celebrations are expected to be even bigger. “The first Force Friday event was truly unique, uniting fans across five continents,” said Jimmy Pitaro, Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media chairman. “Plans for this year’s event are top-secret, but expect something befitting the excitement around the next episode of the Star Wars saga.” Details of how fans can participate will be revealed as September approaches, but the event promises to tap new technology and Star Wars mythology to create a unique, worldwide experience. Precise details of the new products will be kept under wraps until the day itself to preserve surprises about the film, but they are guaranteed to include toys, collectibles, books, clothes, and more. Though no spoiler information will be released in advance, Disney and Lucasfilm have given fans a sneak peek at packaging templates for The Last Jedi products. Prominently featuring Rey, Finn, and Poe poised for action, the artwork quickly set the internet abuzz, as it shows Rey wearing a new hairstyle and wielding a lightsaber. Follow the build up for yourself and join in on social media using the hashtag #ForceFridayII.

Artoo Vee Too There’s a new star un under the dome… immy Vee will pla play R2-D2 in Star Wars: The L Last Jedi, inheriting the iconic icon role from Kenny Baker, who passed away in 2016. Vee worked alongside Baker Bak during filming for The Force Awaken Awakens, but went uncredited on the finished nish movie. His agent, Oh So Small, announced anno Vee’s role officially on its website web and social media in February this year. “It’s been an absolute pleasure plea to have worked alongside the legendary le Kenny Baker,” Vee said, paying payin tribute to the late performer. “Kenny was

a fantastic actor and taught me all the ‘tricks’ on how he brought R2-D2 to life, which I will continue to portray in his honor. I’m so excited to be a part of the Star Wars universe and can’t wait for everyone to see what we’ve been working so hard on for the last year.” Born in Scotland in 1959, Vee is best known for his roles in Doctor Who since 2005, including the Moxx of Balhoon, the Graske, and Bannakaffalatta. Star Wars: The Last Jedi will be released in theaters on December 15, 2017.

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Star Tours at 30

Star Tours update arrives at Disneland Paris

A New Hope isn’t the only anniversary this year… ith Star Wars as a whole celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2017, its important not to overlook another adventure that launched a mere 30 years ago, and is still going strong to this day. Star Tours opened at Disneyland in California on January 9, 1987, and put guests inside the world of Star Wars like never before. The state-of-theart attraction combined an exciting storyline, movie-grade effects (by Industrial Light & Magic), and realistic ﬂight simulators to send visitors on an eventful outer-space journey. Billed as a straightforward pleasure cruise to the moon of Endor, the StarSpeeder 3000 tourist ship soon became part of the rebel attack on the Death Star, after droid pilot Rex took a slight wrong turn! The ride’s ﬁrst day rolled into its second and third, as Disneyland stayed

open for a full 60 hours, making sure a mission based on The Last Jedi is as many fans as possible got to enjoy currently in production. an inaugural ﬂight. Star Wars creator For this anniversary year, Star Tours: George Lucas and [then] Disney boss The Adventures Continue at last added Michael Eisner were on hand to cut the Europe to its departure board, when it ribbon, and many visitors launched at Disneyland Paris BB IN THE BAY dressed up in Star Wars gear this past March. The closure for the occasion. The immense success of Star Tours led to replications at Walt Disney World in Florida and Tokyo Disneyland in 1989, and at Disneyland Paris in 1992. In 2011, the California and Florida attractions were signiﬁcantly updated and renamed Star Tours: The Adventures Continue (also known as Star Tours 3D), with Tokyo following suit in 2013. In 2015, new missions introduced elements from The Force Awakens, and

BB-8 has a new job in human-cyborg relations: greeting guests to Star Wars Launch Bay at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Florida! The faithful astromech joins Kylo Ren and Chewbacca, who have been regular greeters since it opened in December 2015. The attraction features galleries of memorabilia and replicas of largescale artifacts from across the Star Wars universe, including recent additions from Rogue One.

of the original Paris ride last year saw the retirement of eternal ﬁrst-time pilot Rex (full name RX-24), whose seat is now taken by C-3PO. Rex may no longer be part of the Star Tours experience, but a similar model has a place in Star Wars canon after appearing in the ﬁrst season of Star Wars Rebels. With multiple missions ensuring each Star Tours visit offers one of seven different experiences, it seems likely fans will be enjoying the ride for at least another 30 years!

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Gareth Edwards won the Empire Best Director award

It’s a Hit! Awards success for Star Wars movies ogue One: A Star Wars Story picked up three gongs at the Three Empire Awards 2017, held in London on March 19th, with wins for Best Film, Best Actress, and Best Director. Felicity Jones was thrilled with her Best Actress award, telling an audience packed with fellow movie stars that, “It means a huge amount to get this.” Collecting his award for Best Director, Gareth Edwards joked, “This is not the ﬁrst time we’ve inﬁltrated the

THE LIGHT SIDE

Empire and caused an upset!” Later, after receiving the movie’s award for Best Film from screen legend Dame Joan Collins, Edwards admitted, “We genuinely didn’t expect to win!” Rogue One also won an award for Best Production Design in an International Studio Feature Film at the British Film Designers Guild (BFDG) annual Awards Gala. The event, held at Pinewood Studios near London on January 28, was the second year in a row that Star Wars has earned a BFDG gong,

after The Force Awakens won the award for Best Production Design for a Feature Film in 2015. Star Wars composer John Williams won his 23rd Grammy Award in February, in recognition of his The Force Awakens score. It is his sixth Grammy for his work on Star Wars and his 67th nomination overall. The composer, who also celebrated his 85th birthday in February, has reportedly already begun scoring The Last Jedi, which arrives in theaters this December.

By Russ Brown and Jamie Cosley

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Timeline

A Hunk of Junk Worth a Mint

Important dates in Star Wars history.

The Millennium Falcon launches a new coin collection he Millennium Falcon is the ﬁrst vessel to be featured in a new line of collectible coins from the New Zealand Mint. The Star Wars Ships collection promises to showcase a range of iconic craft in the coming months, with each coin minted in a limited-edition run of just 10,000 pieces worldwide. The initial release shows the Millennium

Falcon blueprint on a colored and engraved 1 ounce silver coin and comes in a high-quality case with a certiﬁcate of authenticity. It follows in the ion trail of other New Zealand Mint collectible coins, including Star Wars Classic, The Force Awakens, and Rogue One releases. The Star Wars Ships: Millennium Falcon coin is priced at $80 and is available at nzmint.com

Kay is for Kyber Feel the Force with a unique Rogue One necklace yber crystals may be very rare in the galaxy far, far away, but in this galaxy they can now be bought—for a price! The latest in Kay Jewelers’ line of Star Wars-themed jewelry and accessories, the Rogue One Quartz Necklace is inspired by the kyber crystal heirloom given to Jyn Erso by her mother, Lyra, at the start of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Made from natural quartz (okay, it’s not a real kyber crystal), the jewel is suspended from a 14K rose gold chain with two diamond accents. It doesn’t come cheap at $3,399, but each stone is hand-cut and boasts a unique, natural pattern of golden inclusions, meaning no two necklaces are the same. For fans who have a taste for bling on a more limited budget, Kay Jewelers’ range of more affordable Star Wars pieces includes droid charms, a Darth Vader bracelet, Rebel Alliance earrings, and a May the Force Be With You necklace, all for under $100 each. See them all at kay.com

1929 June 13: Concept artist Ralph McQuarrie was born. 1944 May 14: George Lucas was born. 1976 April 13: Filming began for A New Hope’s cantina scene interiors at Elstree Studios. 1983 June 12: Lando Calrissian and the Mindharp of Sharu first published. 1991 May 1: Novel Heir to the Empire first published. 1999 May 5: Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace released in North American cinemas. 2003 June 30: Filming began on Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith. 2007 July 13: Celebration Europe opens in London, the first Celebration event to take place outside the U.S. 2013 July 15: LEGO Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles is published. 2014 April 25: Lucasfilm Ltd. reclassified all Expanded Universe fiction under the heading Star Wars Legends.

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Hasbro Goes Retro! Anniversary action figures announced oymaker Hasbro has announced its plans for the 40th anniversary of Star Wars, including an homage to the original 12 action figures released by Kenner off the back of the first movie. The six-inch figures are part of the company’s coveted “Black Series.” Not only will they tower over the 1970s originals, they will feature far more realistic sculpts and more points of articulation. Several of the figures have

been released before in standard Black Series packaging, but the real draw here is the painstakingly re-created blister card backing, from which most of the figures will likely never be removed. Even the naming of the figures mirrors the Kenner line, with “SeeThreepio,” “Artoo-Detoo,” and “Death Squad Commander” (Death Star trooper) among the full lineup. There will also be a 40th Anniversary Legacy Pack based on the Early Bird Certificate Package rush-

released by Kenner at Christmas 1977, which included an empty display stand and entitled fans to claim four action figures upon their release in 1978, following the surprise success of the film. The new pack also features a stand for your figures; but instead of coming with a certificate, it includes a six-inch Darth Vader to get your display started. Other 40th anniversary offerings from Hasbro will include six 3.75-inch die-cast figurines, and an anniversary edition of the Star Wars Monopoly board game.

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Black Series Centerpiece Certain to become the centerpiece of your action figure collection, Hasbro’s new range of highly detailed, static figures feature dynamic poses and stunning, light-up bases. An Empire Strikes Back Luke Skywalker kicks off the series, which will retail at $50 per figure. Due Summer 2017, Hasbro

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Sock & Awe 40th Anniversary footwear to keep your toes warm remium underwear brand Stance celebrates Star Wars’ 40th Anniversary in style, with a new collection that pairs socks with familiar character duos from a galaxy far, far away. The range is inspired by classic Star Wars action figures from Kenner’s first release in 1977, with five pairs of sock designs, plus a special edition boxer short.

Designed by California-based artist Jeff McMillan, the mix-and-match sock pairings include Chewbacca and Han Solo, Darth Vader and a Stormtrooper, a Tusken Raider and Obi-Wan Kenobi, R2-D2 and C-3PO, and Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa—but you don’t have to pair them that way! Mix up your Star Wars socks to create your very own ankle adventures...

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Finn Gets Busted

Go behindthe-scenes at Sideshow on page 70

The First Order’s search for FN-2187 ends here inn is ready to take on the First Order in a new 1:6 scale Star Wars Mini Bust from Gentle Giant. Armed with a BlasTech EL-16 blaster riﬂe and sporting the jacket Finn inherits from Poe Dameron in The Force Awakens, the amazingly detailed bust has been digitally sculpted and handcast in polystone. Each bust is painstakingly hand-painted so that no detail is missed, and comes with a numbered certiﬁcate. The Finn mini bust will be available in the fall, priced at $119.99.

Rey and BB-8 Strike a Premium Pose Check out Sideshow’s latest stunning sculptures ideshow Collectibles series of Premium Format Figures continues with limited edition versions of Rey and BB-8. Standing 20-inches and 9-inches high respectively, both ﬁgures boast incredible levels of accuracy and come with compatible desert-themed bases so they can be displayed as one piece. Intricately sculpted from head to toe, the Rey ﬁgure is remarkably lifelike, with many different fabric textures,

folds, and seams depicted on her movie-accurate outfit. BB-8 is similarly authentic, including light-up features! Both figures are available for pre-order now in Sideshow-exclusive formats with extra details (a salvaged rebel helmet at her feet for Rey, a thumbs-up flamethrower panel for BB-8). Rey is priced at $479.99 and scheduled to ship in September– November, while BB-8 is $284.99 with delivery by January 2018.

Rogue Ball! Star Wars Pinball: Rogue One is fully armed and operational amers can revisit Rogue One in pinball form with the launch of Star Wars Pinball: Rogue One. Ten game modes include stealth missions, in which players must avoid detection by stormtroopers; combat missions; and a white-knuckle multiball mode.

The game is the latest in the Star Wars Pinball series by Zen Studios, which includes Star Wars Pinball: Star Wars Rebels and Star Wars Pinball: The Force Awakens. It is out now on Xbox 360, Xbox One, Windows 10, Steam, PSN, Mac, iOS, Google Play, and Amazon.

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Comics Roundup Marvel’s latest Star Wars comics offer up an iconic villain and some classic tales.

Vader is Back The Sith Lord gets an allnew series with Star Wars: Darth Vader

Authors and Artists Darth Vader writer Charles Soule is the perfect choice to handle this project, having honed his Star Wars skills on two limited series—Obi-Wan & Anakin and Lando—not to mention chronicling the ongoing adventures of a Resistance starfighter squadron and its brash leader in Poe Dameron. Artist Giuseppe Camuncoli (The Amazing Spider-Man) brings his own unique style to the project, of which Soule raves, “The attention to detail and life he gets into every panel is wonderful.”

Marvel’s acclaimed Darth Vader comics series wrapped up last October after 25 epic issues, but fans know that you can’t keep a good Sith Lord down. Coming this June is an all-new ongoing Darth Vader series set during the aftermath of Revenge of the Sith, which will show how the mechanically reconstructed Anakin Skywalker copes with the loss of his wife and his dark side servitude to Emperor Palpatine. The new series promises to chronicle some of the most important events in the evolution of Vader, including the construction of his red-bladed lightsaber, the beginnings of the Inquisitor program, and Vader’s pursuit of the rogue Jedi Knights who escaped the extermination of Order 66. “In my head, I call this book Vader: Year One,” Soule told StarWars.com. “He knows that the moment he allows himself to even consider a path that isn’t complete and utter darkness, he’ll fall—and he’s right, as we see in Return of the Jedi. So he doubles down on the dark side as almost a coping method.” In addition to showcasing a galaxy under the heel of an all-powerful and oppressive Imperial regime, Darth Vader will explore the unhealthy master/ apprentice relationship between Emperor Palpatine and his star pupil. “Vader and Palpatine are connected by true emotion, even if it’s twisted and dark,” says Soule. “Palpatine is the only father Anakin ever knew, and just because their relationship has evolved, it doesn’t mean the core is gone. It is a fascinating dynamic to write—and we get a bunch of it in the series.”

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Incoming Don’t Miss These Great Forthcoming Titles

Star Wars: Darth Vader Omnibus With a new Darth Vader series launching in June, there’s no better time to relive the bestselling comic that came before it. This epic hardcover omnibus weighs in at a mammoth 736 pages and includes the entire Darth Vader series from beginning to end, including the Vader Down storyline that crossed over with the Star Wars title. Set after the Battle of Yavin, the series follows Vader as he ﬁghts off Imperial rivals and tracks down the X-wing pilot who destroyed the Death Star. Fan favorites like renegade archaeologist Doctor Aphra (now starring in her own series) and murderous droids Triple-Zero and BeeTee-One make their debuts here, alongside underworld ﬁgures like Jabba the Hutt, Boba Fett, and the relentless Wookiee bounty hunter Black Krrsantan. The Star Wars: Darth Vader Omnibus is written by Kieron Gillen and Jason Aaron with art by Salvador

MAY Star Wars: Poe Dameron #14 & 15 Writer Charles Soule Artist Angel Unzueta Cover Artist Phil Noto Star Wars: Rogue One #2 (of 6) Writer Jody Houser Artist Emilio Laiso Cover Artist Phil Noto Star Wars: The Screaming Citadel #1 Writer Kieron Gillen Artist Marco Checchetto Cover Artist Marco Checchetto

Larroca, Mike Deodato Jr., and Leinil Francis Yu and features a cover by Kaare Andrews. Collecting Darth Vader #1-25, Annual #1, Star Wars: Vader Down, and Star Wars #13-14, the omnibus will be available from early September, 2017.

Star Wars: Darth Maul #4 (of 5) Writer Cullen Bunn Artist Luke Ross Cover Artist Rafael Albuquerque Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #7 Writer Kieron Gillen Artist Andrea Broccardo Cover Artist Marco Checchetto

Star Wars: The Marvel U.K. Omnibus Don’t miss some of the greatest—and rarest—Star Wars stories ever told in Star Wars: The Marvel U.K. Omnibus. This gigantic 808-page hardcover features a cover by Tony DeZuniga and collects rare tales by comic legends including Archie Goodwin, Chris Claremont, John Stokes, Alan Moore, Steve Moore, and Steve Parkhouse, with the artistic talents of Walt Simonson, Dave Cockrum, Carmine Infantino, Steve Moore, Adolfo Buylla, Alan Davis, John Stokes, and more. These hard-to-find stories first saw print in Britain during the 1970s and 1980s, and are packaged in a single volume for the first time, along with a wealth of U.K.-exclusive covers, pinups, posters, articles, interviews, star profiles, and activities. This packed volume collects comic strips from Star Wars Weekly #60, #94-99 and #104-115; The Empire Strikes Back Monthly #149, #151 and

Star Wars #31 Writer Jason Aaron Artist Salvador Larroca Cover Artist Marco Checchetto

JUNE Star Wars: Doctor Aphra Volume 1 trade paperback (collects Doctor Aphra #1-6) Writer Kieron Gillen Artist Kev Walker Cover Artist Kamome Shirahama Star Wars: Poe Dameron Volume 2: The Gathering Storm trade paperback (collects Poe Dameron #8-13) Writer Charles Soule Artist Phil Noto Cover Artist Phil Noto

JULY

#153-157; Star Wars Monthly #159; Ewoks Annual 1989; Star Wars: The Ofﬁcial Collectors’ Edition, and even material from Pizzazz #10-16. Available from September 2017.

Star Wars Volume 5: Yoda’s Secret War trade paperback (collects Star Wars #26-30 and Annual #2) Writers Jason Aaron, Chris Eliopoulos, Kelly Thompson Artists Salvador Larroca, Chris Eliopoulos, Emilio Laiso Cover Artist Stuart Immonen

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Book Club There’s something for every Star Wars reader with these upcoming publishing releases. 01

Star Wars: On the Front Lines by Daniel Wallace

The history of the galaxy far, far away has been defined by warfare—from the Battle of Naboo to the fight to destroy Starkiller Base. Star Wars: On the Front Lines, coming in July, is a hardcover reference book solely devoted to the armed clashes that have made the movies and animated adventures so memorable. The prequels, the original trilogy, and The Force Awakens are all represented, as are the most important battles depicted in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Each battle chronicles the key tactics, weapons, and armor deployed by both sides, and includes spotlight profiles of heroes who sacrificed their lives, and first-person “I was there” anecdotes from ground soldiers, starfighter pilots, and more. Full-color illustrations bring the action to life like never before.

LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures Handbook

August / Becker & Mayer

by Len Forgioni

This indispensable handbook to the animated world of LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures is packed with information—and who better to lead the tour than Freemaker Kordi and her droid R0-GR? Meet characters like Graballa the Hutt and Chewbacca, and visit places like Cloud City and Maz Kanata’s fortress, as the handbook reveals the secrets and celebrates the fun of Star Wars from the Freemaker’s perspective. Extras include a fold-out poster and bonus story, “The Return of the Kyber Saber.” June 27 / Scholastic

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The Force Awakens: Graphics

Imperial Assault AT-ST Construction & Activity Book

How big is the First Order’s new TIE fighter? How has the stormtrooper evolved since the days of the Galactic Empire? Those answers and more are provided in this cleverly illustrated infographic book from Egmont U.K. From the percentage of new characters that are droids to a world-by-world tour of the planets our heroes visit during their adventures, all the secrets of The Force Awakens are yours to unravel.

Join the Empire and command a fearsome AT-ST scout walker when this construction and activity book arrives in June from Egmont U.K. Use the press-out pieces to create your very own miniature AT-ST and re-create the Battle of Endor on your desktop. The accompanying 36-page illustrated book explains everything you need to know about the mighty war machines and fearsome troops under the command of Emperor Palpatine. June 29 / Egmont

May 4 / Egmont

World of Reading: Star Wars Boxed Set (Level 2) Young Star Wars fans can get a head start on reading proficiency with this box set from Disney Lucasfilm Press. Luke, Leia, Rey, Finn, and all the rest of your child’s favorite Star Wars characters provide an easy entry into grade-appropriate literacy with this collection of six titles: Trapped in the Death Star, Death Star Battle, Use the Force!, Cloud City, Rescue from Jabba’s Palace, and The Fight in the Forest. July / Disney Lucasfilm Press

Star Wars Junior Novels by Ryder Windham and Michael Kogge

Released under the Egmont U.K. imprint for the first time, this quartet of junior novels, complete with eye-catching new covers, revisits Star Wars: A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and The Force Awakens (not shown). Veteran Star Wars writer Ryder Windham pens the classic trilogy adaptations, while Michael Kogge brings the saga forward to chronicle the conflict between the Resistance and the First Order. May 4 / Egmont

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The Empire’s Elites The Rebellion meets its match in Star Wars: Inferno Squad by Christie Golden

Though the Rebellion’s fighters are outnumbered by Imperial forces, their underdog status usually gives them an edge. From the ambush tactics of Rogue One to the starfighter bombing raid in A New Hope, the rebels always know when and where to strike the Empire for maximum impact. But the Empire noticed. In Inferno Squad, the new Star Wars novel from Christie Golden, the Imperial military launches its counterattack by forming an elite Imperial squad of specialized troopers. Its mission is to counter the enemy tactics that led to the capture of the Death Star plans, and they’re not going to let anything get in their way. Inferno Squad, a prequel to the upcoming video game Battlefront II, showcases an Empire ready to change the game, making it a far more dangerous opponent for the rebels, and it will explore the backstory of the unit and its commander, Iden Versio. The squad’s first mission, however, isn’t to go after the Rebel Alliance of Mon Mothma and Princess Leia Organa. Instead, they plan to prove their worth by infiltrating and eliminating the remnants of Saw Gerrera’s Partisans. Saw’s group have carried on the fight following the death of their leader. If anything, the Jedha atrocity has hardened their extremism, making them even more determined to thwart the Empire no matter the cost. If Inferno Squad is to prove its worth to the Empire’s top brass, its members must take down the Partisans from within. But how far will they go to ensure the future of the Empire? July 25 / Del Rey

Second Year at the Academy Starspeeder is back in Jedi Academy: The Force Oversleeps by Jarret J. Krosoczka

Jedi student Victor Starspeeder has enrolled at the academy for another year, but so far nothing is going like he planned in this ﬁfth installment in the bestselling Jedi Academy series of illustrated middle grade novels. Writer and illustrator Jarrett J. Krosoczka returns to chronicle Victor’s adventures (Jeffrey Brown wrote the ﬁrst three books from the perspective of a different student, Roan Novachez), and this time the young Jedi’s problems have been kicked up a notch or three. For starters, there’s his chronic oversleeping, which keeps making Victor late for his classes. And then the

lead role in the Drama Club musical goes to a new kid. And as Victor’s older sister Christina gets ready to graduate from the Jedi Academy, a rumor starts going around the halls that Victor’s big sister is a Sith! Even though he feels more alone than ever, Victor will have to trust the ways of the Force and the supportt of his friends if he’s going to survive year two! All budding Padawans will enjoy this fun adventure, combining fantastic c Force powers with very relatable school headaches. July 25 / Scholastic

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A HEROINE’S JOURNEY

N O

H E R O I N E ’ S

M O R E

J O U R N E Y

H E R O E S ?

In her latest exploration of the Hero’s Journey, Tricia Barr looks at Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and how Jyn Erso’s arc reflects the evolution of the monomyth.

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he Hero’s Journey is changing. Throughout this series of articles, we have seen how Star Wars’ protagonists fit into a long-established “monomythic” structure that has served storytellers since classical times. But what makes the established Hero’s Journey so timeless is not so much its fixed formula as its flexibility to accommodate and embrace change. Today, we are witnessing the transformation of monomythic storytelling from epic tales of the supernatural to stories built around characters who cannot draw on unearthly powers. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, roles once reserved for superheroes are now just as likely to fall to 01

Katniss are not the first protagonists “ordinary” humans, such as Nick without superpowers to undergo a Fury or Natasha Romanoff. Hero’s Journey as originally outlined The Hunger Games series takes place in a world entirely removed by Joseph Campbell in 1949 (see from the supernatural, yet still SWI #168). Many characters have conforms to the monomyth. In this taken exceptional quests despite world, Games Makers exert their being outwardly unexceptional technologically advanced influence themselves. Interestingly, these over the Hero’s Journey, just as gods heroes who are not “chosen ones” and goddesses do in classical myth. are often female—witness 1939’s This trend is also evident in The Wizard of Oz, numerous Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Disney films, and the likes of its treatment of technological today’s Hidden Figures (2016) and terror, the Death Star. In A La La Land (2016). Jyn Erso fits this New Hope, the battle station is tradition, but also develops it, along the classic monster, which the less obviously gendered lines. supernaturally gifted hero must battle to achieve his destiny. In Building Blocks Rogue One, the Death Star To understand Jyn’s is simply a fact, and the significance, we must first 01 Jyn Erso (Felicity heroes battling against it understand what she takes Jones) must choose her path have no special powers to from her forebears in the – rebel or rogue? call upon. It is a pointed Star Wars universe—both reminder that our most to see what sets her apart, 02 New allies Chirrut and Baze singular heroes stand and to acknowledge that follow Jyn on her tall on the shoulders of she is an evolution of heroic quest. ordinary people, each the archetype, not an 03 A mission to of whom has their own, aberration. Though it is Jedha, in search more grounded version of not obvious at first, Jyn of an old friend. the Hero’s Journey. shares common ground 04 Jyn surveys the Of course, Jyn Erso with both Princess Leia rebel base on and The Hunger Games’ and Padmé Amidala, Yavin 4. despite having an upbringing that was anything but royal. Both Jyn and Leia are raised by adoptive father figures, who school them in the ways of rebellion against the Empire. Both are eventually reunited with their long-lost fathers, in unhappy circumstances relating to the Death Star. Though Leia does not know she has been reunited with her father, the resulting destruction of her homeworld can be seen as the moment she is transformed from rebel ambassador to potential gun-toting commando, willing to do whatever it takes to destroy the Empire. Jyn and Galen’s reunion serves the same function, with

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Galen’s death turning a pressganged rebel into a willing hero. By the time of The Force Awakens, of course, Leia is just as aware as Jyn of her Imperial father’s death and redemption, and carries his legacy with her. The similarities to Padmé are less apparent, mostly because the prequels did not identify her as a central character to the same degree as Leia or Jyn. Nevertheless, the Queen of Naboo does go through her own Hero’s Journey over the course of The Phantom Menace. She leaves her ordinary world, endures tests and trials, and earns allies and an enemy—Darth

“To understand Jyn’s significance, we must first understand what she takes from her forebears in the Star Wars universe”

Maul—on her quest to liberate her planet. She confronts her greatest fear—that she cannot rely on the Republic—and crosses a threshold by deciding that she must return to Naboo and fight. She does all this despite not being a Jedi (unlike most of the prequels’ protagonists), setting the precedent for a nonForce-sensitive female with a mythic through-line in a Star Wars film. Though it is obscured by her high office, Padmé is also from a similarly modest background as Jyn. Her role as queen has been earned through public service from a very young age; she is not anointed as a “chosen one.”

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Compressed Storytelling So, Leia, Padmé, and Jyn all progress from their “ordinary” lives to become warrior leaders, and all have similar motivations: to right a wrong and to fight oppression. But Leia and Padmé’s arcs have multiple films in which to evolve and expand. In time, both characters add romantic love to their motivations, for example. Jyn, however, was conceived as a character who would reach a definite end point within a standalone movie. Her arc must take us to a point we already know— from A New Hope—and no further. This limitation does not make Jyn’s journey less involved, however. It simply requires some compression in the telling. For this reason, Rogue One is the first Star Wars movie to jump forward in time after establishing its protagonist. It establishes a background for Jyn that allows her to hit the ground running as a justifiably selfish character, who then quickly gains a personal

motivation to help the rebels (in the form of her father’s message), on the way to committing selﬂessly to the rebel cause. This is a similar journey to the one it takes Han Solo four movies to complete (from self-interest, through personal commitment to his friends and Leia, to seasoned believer in the light and dark sides), or the one

it takes Anakin three movies to reverse (from selfless Ani; through romantically involved Anakin; to possessive, selfish Vader). Knowing also that Jyn’s story must also have a definitive end— and that it precedes a greater period of strife in the wider story—further truncates her Hero’s Journey. She is denied the final stage—the

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triumphant return that takes the form of a medal ceremony or Ewok party—and instead completes her Hero’s Journey in the only way possible. She achieves her quest, but pays the ultimate price to do so: with the object of her journey, once acquired, borne home to the rebels without her. The Death Star plans themselves enact the completion of the monomyth when they are placed in the hands of Princess Leia. This again connects Jyn to Padmé, who dies immediately after bearing twins, bringing hope at the cost of her own life.

Heroic Inspirations Beyond the Star Wars universe, two warrior leaders with similarly unhappy ends have been cited as inspirations for Jyn. Lucasfilm president and Rogue One producer Kathleen Kennedy has compared her to Joan of Arc, while producer Allison Shearmur has both echoed this and mentioned Ripley from the Alien franchise. Director Gareth Edwards has also called out Ripley as an influence, saying: “No part of my brain thinks of her gender. She wouldn’t look feminine, and she wouldn’t look masculine—she’d be neutral. Jyn is a person who just happens to be a girl.” Both Joan of Arc and Ripley are female, however, so is it important that Jyn is a woman? It is not unknown for Star Wars storytelling to use the feminine and masculine as symbols within its light and dark narrative. In Star Wars: The Clone Wars, mysterious Forcewielders known as the Son and the Daughter embody selfishness and selflessness respectively. Where the Son walks, things die. In the Daughter’s wake, life blooms. These figures are archetypes, however, and Anakin and Ahsoka, who encounter them, each have elements of the Son and Daughter

05 Father figure Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker) has a message for Jyn. 06 The fledging Rebel Alliance threatens to fall apart.

CATALYST The chemical reaction of storytelling The Catalyst Hero is one of many heroic archetypes and is often referred to as the Magician or Visionary. The term “catalyst” has scientific origins: it describes a substance that causes a chemical reaction without itself being effected. Jyn Erso, a key figure in Rogue One—a story steeped in the lore of the scientific development of the Death Star’s superweapon—is just that: a catalyst in the interaction of the Empire and Rebel Alliance. Even the novel Catalyst: A Rogue One Story, a prequel about the events involving the Erso family written by James Luceno, gives a direct nod to the archetype.

It is important to note that Catalysts can be a Hero or an antagonistic Shadow. Often a character will be a Catalyst in one story but shift to a different archetype in another story. Notable Catalysts include Dumbledore from Harry Potter, Professor X and Magneto in X-Men; Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Willow from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series. In Star Wars, iconic Catalysts include Qui-Gon Jinn in The Phantom Menace and Obi-Wan Kenobi in A New Hope; Darth Maul and Darth Vader work as opposing catalytic villains.

“Jyn is the embodiment of both her mother and her father, and as a result feels empowered to confront the man who tore them apart.” within them. This is also true of Rogue One’s ensemble cast, who are all compromised in one way or another, and are just trying to do the best they can. They do not have a Jedi’s luxury of meditating at length on the nature of good and evil, nor the time to notice or care about someone’s gender.

Perhaps it is because Rogue One was initially pitched as a team heist that the dynamics between the characters take precedence over the identity of any one character. Jyn’s ascent to become the audience’s main point of identiﬁcation came later in the creative process, along with the elevation of Galen Erso

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as a pivotal figure. The inclusion of two important father figures in Galen and Saw Gerrera ties the story more closely to established Star Wars themes, and also sets up a duality within Jyn that sets her heroic journey in motion. Her connection to Galen sets up her personal journey, while her links to Saw prepare her to become a leader. Both men die in quick succession, and for Jyn—who has seen neither of them in years—their deaths encapsulate their lives, giving her a fresh impetus to draw from them and follow in their footsteps. In some ways, Jyn’s emotional journey is complete here, giving full rein to her heroic quest. From this point, she becomes a Catalyst Hero: a focal point for those around her, who drives a heroic change in them. As Jyn inspires the Rogue One team to action, each one finds a new selflessness within themselves—even distrustful droid, K-2SO.

A Heroine’s Journey The notion of the Catalyst Hero comes from Christopher Vogler’s 1992 book, The Writer’s Journey, which updates Campbell’s Hero’s Journey for screenwriters. Jyn’s story embodies most of the steps outlined in Vogler’s model, starting with a “Call to Adventure” in the form of her imposed prison break, and a “Refusal of the Call” most succinctly expressed in her shovel attack on her rescuers. Stages of mentoring, crossing the threshold, tests, and ordeals follow, before the final “Return with the Elixir” plays out in the tragic way described above, with the elixir (the Death Star plans) returned from afar. One of the reasons Vogler’s model remains influential among screenwriters is that he continues to re-evaluate it, and remains open to alternative viewpoints, having published updates in 1998 and 2007. The latest edition cites The Heroine’s Journey: Woman’s Quest for Wholeness in its bibliography— one of the first explicit alternatives to the Hero’s Journey, written by psychotherapist Maureen Murdock.

“As Jyn inspires the Rogue One team to action, each one finds a new selflessness within themselves” Murdock’s book cites 10 steps specific to female heroes, and in many instances these, too, align with Jyn’s heroic arc. In the opening scene of the movie, Jyn suffers “Separation from the Feminine” when she loses her mother. This is swiftly followed by “Identification with the Masculine” when she is rescued and raised by Saw Gerrera. After escaping Imperials and forging ties with new allies, she has an “Awakening to Feelings of Spiritual Aridity” by realizing that her life is on the wrong path and that she has the wrong priorities. This is the point in the Heroine’s Journey where the protagonist must abandon what Murdock calls “masculine strategies.” For Jyn, this means being a guarded and untrusting warrior. Rejecting this identity to unite a team of rebels sees her “Reconnect with the Feminine,” while finally acknowledging her mother’s words to trust in the Force represents her “Healing the Mother/Daughter Split” as she fulfills her father’s dying wish. The journey concludes with the “Integration of the Masculine and Feminine,” as the protagonist makes peace with the two previously conflicting viewpoints to create a new understanding of life and its challenges. This is most obviously embodied by Jyn defiantly giving both her parents’ names atop the Citadel Tower, when Krennic asks her, “Who are You?” Jyn is the embodiment of both her mother and her father, and feels empowered to confront the man who tore them apart. This brings us back to the question of whether it matters that Jyn is female? Following her path along the Heroine’s Journey might lead you to say “yes.” But consider this: there is one Star Wars protagonist more than any

WHO’S JOURNEY? Stepping beyond Joseph Campbell’s Hero Since it’s first publication in 1949, Campbell’s hugely influential book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, has engaged many writers and thinkers to build upon his work, or question it. Of these, Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey is the go-to screenwriters textbook of choice, while Maureen Murdock’s Heroine’s Journey reveals a model based specifically upon the female experience. The diagrams below illustrate the journey paths outlined in both models.

The ordinary world

RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR

The Resurrection

The Road Back

Reward

Call to Adventure

CHRISTOPHER VOGLER’S HERO’S JOURNEY From Vogler’s 1992 screenwriting textbook, The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers.

The Ordeal Approach to the Innermost Cave

Integration of Masculine and Feminine

Urgent Yearning to Reconnect with the Feminine

Crossing the Threshold to the Special World

Separation from the Feminine

MAUREEN MURDOCK’S HEROINE’S JOURNEY From Murdoch’s 1990 book, The Heroine’s Journey, a response to Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey.

Initiation and Descent to the Goddess

Meeting with the Mentor

Tests, Allies, and Enemies

Healing the Wounded Masculine

Healing the Mother/ Daughter Split

Refusal of the Call

IDENTIFICATION WITH THE MASCULINE AND GATHERING OF ALLIES

Road of Trials: Meeting Ogres and Dragons

Finding the Boon of Success

Awakening to Feelings of Spiritual Aridity; Death

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08 07 The rebels prepare to steal the plans to the Death Star. 08 Jyn Erso and Cassian Andor (Diego Luna). 09 A tough journey lies ahead for Jyn Erso.

other whose journey leads to the integration of the masculine and feminine, and it is not Jyn, Leia, or Padmé. It is Luke. At the end of Return of the Jedi, Luke triumphs by “Healing The Wounded Masculine,” laying down his weapon, rather than fulﬁlling his part as a warrior. He integrates the “Son” and the “Daughter” of the Force by harnessing a Jedi’s great power for destruction, and then not using it. So perhaps we are asking the wrong question. Instead of focusing on a character’s gender, it is more productive—more powerful— to reject binary labels and see our heroes in terms of balance, synthesis, and integration.

Follow Tricia Barr on Twitter @fangirlcantina

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This in-depth special edition presents an all-encompassing guide to the hugely successful movie, covering the heroes, villains, and technology of Rogue One, and features exclusive interviews with the cast and crew, as well as amazing Star Wars trivia. With unprecedented behind-thescene accounts on the making of the movie, this is your chance to relive the latest entry into the world’s most successful sci-ﬁ franchise over and over again—and we have 10 copies of this stunning special to give away.

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MINIFIGURE MANIA

MINIFIGURE MANIA! Their stormtroopers may be a little short, but you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t judge LEGO Star Wars minifigures by their size! For almost 20 years, these plastic playthings have massed an army to rival any Empire, with collectors offering five-figure sums for a miniature articulated reward!

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MINIFIGURE MANIA

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MINIFIGURE MANIA

n 1999, the LEGO Group was a company in crisis. Moving away from its classic brick building sets into now forgotten products such as Scala and Znap had led the company to post its ﬁrst ever loss the previous year, and future prospects looked equally bleak. But, as is so often the case in stories involving Star Wars, there was a ray of hope. In May 1999,

the LEGO Group launched eight building sets based on the new movie, The Phantom Menace, and five inspired by the original trilogy. Officially licensed and emblazoned with the Star Wars logo, the sets were a departure for the LEGO Group, which had never made movie-themed sets before, and had always shied away from play themes invoking “wars” of any kind. The sets were made using the classic LEGO method: standardized building bricks and a few specialized parts that could be put together as per the instructions, and then rebuilt in countless combinations. They were also peopled by classic LEGO minifigures: the smiling yellow fellows first introduced in the 1970s. For kids, being able to reenact and rebuild key movie moments such as the Mos Espa Podrace proved an instant hit. And for young adults who had grown up playing with LEGO sets and Star Wars action figures but never got to combine the two, the chance to own a LEGO Luke or a minifigure Maul was just too good to resist. In short (most LEGO minifigures are 1.5 inches

01 Santa C-3PO from the 2015 LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar. 02 The 2009 variant of the LEGO George Lucas minifigure.

high), LEGO Star Wars—and especially LEGO Star Wars minifigures—transformed the fortunes of the LEGO Group, turning it into the world’s biggest toy company by the end of 2015. Those first 13 sets featured 18 different minifigures, plus a handful of brick-built droids and aliens. Today, there are more than 700 LEGO Star Wars minifigures—and more than 850 if you include all the droids, Hutts, Dugs, and other nonstandard figures.

Character Building With so many miniﬁgures now produced, it is hardly surprising that many Star Wars fans have made it their mission to collect them all—or, at least, as many as

MISSING-IN-ACTION-FIGURES! It’s testament to the breadth of the Star Wars universe that after hundreds of miniﬁgures, there are still some signiﬁcant characters that have yet to get the LEGO treatment! Here are six we’d like to see…

BOSS NASS

QT-KT

Jar Jar Binks was the first minifigure to have a specially molded head, but the broader features of Gungan leader Boss Nass have never sat atop a minifigure.

Seen in several episodes of The Clone Wars, this pink astromech droid could join the legions of LEGO droids made using the same parts in different colors.

BARON PAPANOIDA

SEVENTH SISTER

Given that he was played by George Lucas in Revenge of the Sith, the blue baron seems a perfect candidate for a limited edition May the Fourth miniﬁgure.

Fifth Brother and the Grand Inquisitor both come in miniﬁgure form, so it seems possible their fellow Inquisitor could appear in a future Star Wars Rebels set.

NIEN NUNB

BAIL ORGANA

There are two different Ten Numb miniﬁgures with standard LEGO heads, but Nien Nunb presents an opportunity to mold some fresh Sullustan features!

Maybe the most signiﬁcant character not to have a miniﬁgure, Leia’s adoptive dad could appear in sets based on the prequels, The Clone Wars, Rebels, or Rogue One!

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MINIFIGURE MANIA

“With so many minifigures now produced, it is hardly surprising that many Star Wars fans have made it their mission to collect them all.” their wallets will allow. Most have an official lifespan of about two years before they are obtainable only on the secondhand market. Others are very limited editions, made available exclusively at fan events or through competitions. Starting a collection is easy, and can be very rewarding if you accept that some mega-rare minifigures will always be out of reach. It’s a hobby that demands far less space than collecting entire LEGO Star Wars sets, and if you do buy whole sets in order to obtain a certain character, you can recoup much of your expenditure by taking advantage of the separate secondhand market in which many collectors are happy to buy ships and scenes without their minifigures. So which minifigures are worth collecting, both in terms of coolness and investment potential? Let’s start with those unobtainable characters that we’ll have to be happy just knowing about…

Minifigures, Big Money! Of all the plastic people in the LEGO Star Wars universe, the 03

03 The Darth Malgus minifigure came with the Sith Fury-class Interceptor.

most valuable of all aren’t even made of plastic. Heck, one of them isn’t even a person. Made to celebrate the 30th anniversaries of A New Hope in 2007 and The Empire Strikes Back in 2010, they are, respectively, versions of C-3PO and Boba Fett cast in precious metals. In 2007, just five C-3POs were made out of solid 14-karat gold, and they were all given away in a LEGO Club competition. One-off versions in solid silver[1] and bronze were also cast for competitions at Star Wars Celebration and San Diego Comic-Con. Estimates vary as to the value of these minifigures today, as none has ever come up for auction. But 10,000 far less valuable chrome gold-plated C-3POs were also inserted into random sets in 2007, and these now change hands for around $500 each. On that basis, $10,000 seems conservative for a solid gold one. Three years later, the Boba Fetts were spread even more thinly, with just two lucky competition winners (again at Celebration and San Diego Comic-Con) each taking away a pair of silver and gold bounty hunters, and two other fans winning a bronze Boba each. These six are the only metal Fetts ever made, and would probably raise about the same as a metal C-3PO at auction. One of 10,000 white, plastic Bobas given away as part of the same promotion is a far more realistic proposition for most serious collectors, as these can be found on eBay and other sites for under $100[2]. Another goldmine for their lucky owners are minifigure prototypes, often molded in a single color for preproduction

FETT NOTES [1] If you think you own a silver C-3PO, it’s probably another protocol droid, TC14, made from plastic with a chrome ﬁnish and worth around $30. The real thing has an engraved torso, rather than a printed pattern (a feature that also distinguishes the solid gold ones from the chrome gold ones). Weight is also a giveaway. [2] In 2015, publisher DK packaged a different white Boba Fett with their LEGO Star Wars Character Encyclopedia. The valuable 2010 version has an all-in-one helmet and jetpack. The newer version has a separate helmet with an adjustable rangeﬁnder. It is only worth around $10, but is very desirable nonetheless! [3] As with the white Boba described above, the one in the Cloud City set has a combined helmet-and-jetpack piece. More recent Boba Fetts with printed arms are worth around $30. Thanks to updated print designs, putting an old helmet on a newer Boba isn’t going to fool anybody, either!

purposes, and rarely seen outside LEGO Group factories and offices. In 2015, an all-red Darth Vader prototype sold for $600 on eBay, while an orange C-3PO went for $5,000! A much more finished prototype for a George Lucas minifigure (with correct coloring and printed details) has also escaped into the wild in unknown numbers. Given that the Lucas minifigure has never had an official release, it’s no surprise that the prototype, complete with printed clapperboard, also changes hands for several thousand dollars.

The Fett Set Accepting that most of us will never set eyes on these nearmythical miniﬁgures, let alone lay hands on them, what are the rarest, most unusual

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“Whichever path you choose for your minifigure collection, don’t forget they are also meant to be played with.” minifigures we can hope to own? Well, there are several different Yoda variants, but by far the most sought-after is the limited edition “NY I Heart” version, made for New York Toy Fair and a Toys ‘R’ Us giveaway in 2013. Based on Yoda’s appearance in The Clone Wars television series, but wearing a jersey bearing a Yoda-speak version of the “I Heart NY” logo, these have changed hands from anywhere between $35 and $350. Moving onto minifigures that were generally available in regular sets, the most desirable by some distance is the Boba Fett (him again!) included in 2003’s Cloud City set. Distinguished from other Fetts of the same era by the printed details on his arms[3], this minifigure may set you back around $200, though there are bargains to be had. The Holy Grail is to track down a whole Cloud City set, as this also includes other exclusive minifigures, including a Luke

04 Boba Fett (Cloud City, set 10123-1) 05 Queen Amidala (Gungan Sub, set 9949-1) 06 Darth Revan (2014) 07 Han Solo, Hoth (2013) 08 Shadow ARFTrooper (2011) 09 Snow Chewbacca (2016 Advent Calendar set) 10 Jek-14/ LEGO Yoda Chronicles (2013) 11 Boba Fett, Bronze (2010) 12 Jango Fett (2013)

MINIFACTS! From 1999 to 2002, all LEGO Star Wars humans had yellow faces. Lando was the first to have a realistic skin tone in 2003, and this became standard by 2005. Characters made without standard minifigure parts, such as astromech droids and Jabba the Hutt, are not classed as minifigures by the LEGO Group. There are more minifigure variants of Luke than of any other character, with 35 to date—including a near-naked bacta tank version! Actors represented by more than one LEGO Star Wars minifigure include Kenny Baker (R2-D2 and Paploo) and Warwick Davis (Wicket and Wald). Force-sensitive clone Jek-14 from The Yoda Chronicles TV series was the first original LEGO character to be turned into a LEGO Star Wars minifigure.

worth more than $100. Another standard set that may include a valuable minifigure is 2009’s rebel blockade runner, Tantive IV. The LEGO Group’s quality control is very high, so substandard minifigures are almost unheard of, but a small number of Tantive IV sets came with a Princess Leia whose iconic hair buns were not molded quite to the company’s satisfaction. Though the piece fits perfectly on the minifigure’s head, it was deemed to be lacking in detail, and was quickly replaced for most of the production run. The difference is subtle enough that you’ll need two to compare, but if you own a smooth-haired Leia, it’s a real rarity worth in the region of $100.

Do You Take Plastic? Below the $100 barrier, many standard minifigures command premium prices not because of any fault, but simply because they are cool, and no longer widely available. Given what we’ve learned so far, it’s no surprise that the Jango Fett figure from 2002 sells for around $70, or that Cloud City Lando commands about $50. However, less iconic characters can also be valuable, not least because no one expected them to become collectible. A 2001 Watto in plain blue can make more than $60, while Agen Kolar and Aayla Secura both bottom out around $30 apiece. You should expect to pay between $40 and $50 for a Darth Malgus, a Dagobah Luke with backpack, a Queen Amidala with one-of-a-kind dress piece, or an Anakin Skywalker with light-up lightsaber. Recent figures that are likely to go up in value include the Star Wars Rebels version of

Ahsoka Tano, Endor versions of Leia, and lesser-known Jedi such as Pong Krell. But collections are about far more than monetary value, and aside from investment potential, LEGO Star Wars minifigures should only be bought if their ingenious designs and detailed decorations bring you pleasure. There are lots of ways to collect LEGO Star Wars without breaking the bank, from tracking down all the astromechs (currently, there are 33), to trying to make an army of all the stormtrooper and clone trooper variants (currently about 90!). Every year since 2011, the LEGO Group has released a special “May the Fourth” minifigure, so you could make it your mission to collect one of these every May. So far, these special releases have included Darth Revan, Han Solo on Hoth, and a Shadow ARF Trooper. And while they are not always easy to find, they are not impossibly elusive, either. Another annual fix for the casual collector would be the LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar minifigures, which have so far included festive versions of Darth Vader, a Santa C-3PO, and a snow-white Chewbacca! Whichever path you choose for your minifigure collection, don’t forget they are also meant to be played with. Okay, so you’re never going to let some kid suck the printing off the arms of your Cloud City Boba Fett, but that doesn’t mean your minifigures have to gather dust on a shelf! Take them down when no one’s looking and stage the occasional battle. When you do, it won’t matter if they’re worth the big bucks or not. It’s the playing that makes each of them priceless!

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DESTINY CALLING! FANTASY FLIGHT’S EPIC NEW GAME REVEALED

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All–new fiction featuring the pilots of Blade Squadron

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THE SPECIAL EDITIONS

THE MAKING OF THE STAR WARS TRILOGY SPECIAL EDITIONS

In 1997, the Special Editions celebrated 20 years since the first Star Wars movie, paving the way for the prequels and raising the bar for digital effects. With the Special Editions now celebrating their own 20th anniversary, Insider caught up with key members of the crew to look back on the groundbreaking project and its enduring legacy. WORDS: JON D. WITMER

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“In truth, each of the films in their own way fell short of my ideal creative vision.” George Lucas, Director

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n January 21, 1997—nearly 20 years after its original theatrical release—Star Wars was finally afforded a gala premiere. George Lucas, Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher were joined by R2-D2, C-3PO, Chewbacca, and Darth Vader at the Fox Theater in Los Angeles’ Westwood Village for the public unveiling of the Special Edition of Episode IV: A New Hope. The premiere was the culmination of a steady publicity build-up that began with the Special Edition’s official announcement in 1995. The project had been conceived in 1994, initially as a straightforward rerelease to commemorate Star Wars’ 20th anniversary, but soon grew into a full-scale restoration project. It expanded to incorporate all-new visual effects for the entire original trilogy, and ultimately served as a springboard for the production of the long-awaited prequel trilogy. “In truth, each of the films in

“The images we got were clean and stunning. They exactly matched the original because we went through the same optical process.” Phil Feiner, Optical Supervisor

“It was apparent that a pretty significant restoration job was going to be required just to make the original release look good.” John Knoll, Special Effects Supervisor

their own way fell short of my ideal creative vision,” George Lucas wrote in The Official Star Wars 20th Anniversary Magazine (Topps, 1997). “We ran out of time and money, which is inevitable in making movies, and I had to compromise to meet schedules and budgets. I was also frustrated because the technology of the time did not allow the full realization of all the special-effects sequences that I had in mind. Today, with the digital-imaging technology that Industrial Light & Magic has pioneered, I have had the rare opportunity to go back and complete the first trilogy the way that I originally intended.” In the years since their release, the Special Editions have come to represent many things for many people, and sparked endless debates ranging from “Who shot first?” to the definition of authorship and the privileges of ownership. But as Star Wars turns 40 and the Special Editions mark their own 20th anniversary, it’s worth remembering the revised trilogy for what it was at the time: a revitalization of the Star Wars franchise that, behind the scenes and true to form, required groundbreaking efforts from the artists and craftspeople involved.

The negative strikes back “The first thing they did was pull out the negative and strike a new print,” recalls John Knoll, who became one of the Special Edition’s visual effects supervisors, alongside Dennis Muren, Alex Seiden, Dave Carson, Stephen Williams, Joseph Letteri, and Bruce Nicholson. “When we saw it, everybody was a bit alarmed. It was apparent that a pretty significant restoration job was going to be required just to make the original release look good.” Rick McCallum produced the Special Editions and went on to produce the prequels. Speaking to Star Wars Insider in 1997, he described that restoration work as “the most difficult and collaborative part of the whole process.” He went on: “There is a group of about 30 people who have worked for three years, not only cleaning the negative with a sponge frame by frame, but meticulously getting all the elements of the film back into the condition it was when George originally made it.” Editor Tom Christopher supervised the restoration work from George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch, liaising with 20th Century Fox (which financed and distributed the Special Editions

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01 George Lucas directs new members of Max Reboâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s band for their extended Return of the Jedi performance. 02 Rick McCallum, producer of the Star Wars Special Editions.

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as part of its bid to distribute the prequels), effects company Pacific Title, and film restoration specialists YCM Laboratories. He also worked with sound designer Ben Burtt, re-recording mixer Gary Summers, sound editor Terry Eckton, and others to create an enhanced digital sound mix. With such a complex machine set in motion simply to reissue the movies, George Lucas saw an opportunity to go further. At first, that meant addressing a small number of shots that had always troubled him in A New Hope. Visual effects supervisor Alex Seiden remembers the first inkling he had that such a project was underway. “I watched A New Hope with some friends on VHS, and I remember seeing the landspeeder going into Mos Eisley,” he says. “I thought: That really doesn’t hold up. The perspectives were all wrong and it really took me out of the movie. So I mentioned it to Dennis Muren, and he cryptically said, ‘Hmm, something might happen with that.’” Muren had been with ILM since the production of the first Star Wars movie, and was part of a confab with Lucas to discuss what might be possible with the Special Edition. Also present were then ILM President Jim Morris and visual effects producer Tom Kennedy. “There were storyboards for no more than 20 shots,” Kennedy recalls. “And they were all Mos Eisley fixes. That was going to be the scope of the work at first.”

Attack Of The Composites As Lucas and company drew up their plans at Skywalker Ranch, restoration work continued apace. Phil Feiner, who this year celebrates his own 40th

anniversary at effects house Paciﬁc Title, recalls: “I got a phone call from Ted Gagliano, the head of postproduction at Fox, saying, ‘I need your advice on this Star Wars restoration.’ “I said, ‘If you really want to open the hood on this thing, I recommend you give it to a boutique house like YCM Laboratories,’ I knew one of the owners, Pete Comandini, and talked him into taking it on. The key was that Bob Raring, who did the original color timing [color correction] for Star Wars, was

“It’s like washing part of a car. You wipe off the dirtiest part, and now this other part looks dirty by comparison.” John Knoll, Special Effects Supervisor

working at YCM, and he knew the color so well.” To navigate the cleanup on the original negative of A New Hope, Feiner also helped recruit Leon Briggs, who would serve as lead consultant on the restoration. “Leon suggested we take the camera negative and rewash some of the scenes with developer,” says Feiner. “Most heads of postproduction wouldn’t touch a negative like that, but Ted gave authorization, and it came out beautifully clean. YCM made interpositives off the negative [essentially, a negative of the negative], and that’s what Paciﬁc used to remake the optical effects.” The effects Paciﬁc Title tackled include laser blasts and the famous “wipe” transitions. The company also produced the duplicate negatives from which the Special Edition’s thousands of release prints were struck. Perhaps most

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RATING THE CHANGES In 1998, trading card company Topps conducted a fan vote to ﬁnd the most popular new scene in the Special Editions. The result, published in its one-off Best of Star Wars magazine, was an overwhelming win for Return of the Jedi’s ﬁnale celebration. The sequence featured new music by John Williams—at the expense of the original “Ewok Celebration,” aka “Yub Nub”—and new shots of revelry on Tatooine, Bespin, and Coruscant. Runners-up included Jabba the Hutt in A New Hope, and the expanded scene in the wampa’s ice cave in The Empire Strikes Back.

significantly, Pacific reassembled all the composite elements for Luke’s duel with the training remote aboard the Millennium Falcon. For those shots, Feiner and optical effects supervisor Chris Buschman pioneered a methodology they dubbed “dopticals”, which combined modern digital tools with more traditional opticalprinting techniques. “We recomposited the bluescreen shots of the remote digitally, but then we had to add the lightsaber to it,” Feiner explains. “We couldn’t get the original glow and the whiteness in the lightsaber digitally, so we recorded our digital composite onto film. Then we used an optical printer to combine that with the matte paintings used in the original optical composites, and the images we got were clean and stunning. They exactly matched

the original because we went through the same optical process. It worked really well.” With restoration yielding such impressive results, Lucas’ plans for entirely new effects grew more ambitious. “It’s like washing part of a car,” says Knoll. “You wipe off the dirtiest part, and now this other part looks dirty by comparison, so you think, ‘I have to do that, too.’ There’s no logical place to end, so the project kept growing as George looked at the ﬁlm and saw other things he wanted to improve.” In fact, not only was Lucas inspired to add more shots to the list of revisions, he also decided, in early 1996, to expand the Special Edition banner to both The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. “Eventually, Rick McCallum whipped it into a full project with a schedule,” Kennedy says. “But we

03 A team including visual effects artist Lorne Peterson shot new sandcrawler footage. 04 Mos Eisley was enhanced with a combination of model shots, live action, and digital elements. 05 Filming additional stormtroopers searching for R2-D2 and C-3PO. 06 The three stages of Jabba the Hutt, replacing actor Declan Mulholland.

didn’t approach it as a whole initially. I remember being called every few weeks to look at a new idea, and often they weren’t storyboarded at all. It was simply: ‘Here’s the shot— what can we do with it?’”

A New Hutt To create the new effects, ILM was building on its recent string of

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07 Artist Drew Struzan created the tryptic Special Edition posters in three weeks.

08 When hung together, the three images form a complete artwork. 09 The trio of posters hang side-by-side in a screening room at Skywalker Ranch. 10 John Knoll re-created ILM’s original X-wing shots on his home computer.

digital breakthroughs on projects including Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) and, most signiﬁcantly, Jurassic Park (1993), where computer-generated imagery had been made to ﬁt seamlessly with live-action photography. For the Special Edition of A New Hope, ILM used these tools to build-out the Mos Eisley spaceport with new architecture, characters, and creatures. Digital artists scaleddown and repainted Jurassic Park’s raptors to serve as small “scurriers” and tweaked its brachiosaurus to create the domesticated ronto—its name derived from “brontosaurus.” Digital tools also allowed Joseph Letteri and Stephen Williams to bring Jabba the Hutt to life for an encounter with Han Solo, working with unused footage that had been shot in 1976 and replacing the

original, decidedly human Jabba (Declan Mulholland) with a new CGI slug. The ﬁnale of A New Hope also received a digital facelift, this time courtesy of John Knoll’s pioneering use of off-the-shelf graphics software. Using Form-Z, Electric Image, Photoshop, and After Effects, Knoll created digital models of X-wings, Y-wings, and TIE ﬁghters on his home computer. “The idea was simple tools for simple jobs,” Knoll recalls. “I did what was initially going to be just a half a dozen shots, and it gradually expanded as George saw the results. In total I think I did around 30 shots over the course of the next year or so, all made with these desktop tools. “I knew I could hit the visual bar that I wanted to hit,” Knoll

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stresses. “The bigger challenge was convincing the producer, Tom Kennedy, to let me try this unconventional production approach. The original plan was to run the shots through the main computer graphics department, so to have somebody walk in and say, ‘Hey, I think I can do this on a Mac, using these inexpensive tools and in a quarter of the time,’ well, I don’t think he believed me! It took me doing a shot to prove that it was possible.”

Kennedy remembers it slightly differently. “I had to feign the skepticism for political reasons,” he says. “Knowing John, I felt anything he said he could do, he could do.” To populate his digital ships, Knoll also had to construct a CG pilot model, on which he placed a scan of his own head. “The reason for that was mostly pragmatic,” he explains. “I had been on a project a few years before where we had to scan a couple of actors, and we had

“When Han Solo rounds the corner and sees all the stormtroopers, I’m, like, every sixth stormtrooper there.” Don Bies, Model and Creature Maker

used me as a test scan. So when I was building the X-wing and the Y-wing and I needed a pilot, I had the scan of my own head left over from that project. “Years later, when we came to do Rogue One, I found out toward the end that Russell Paul, who was my model supervisor, had used the scan of my head in all the X-wings! So we’re carrying on the tradition.”

Revenge Of The Bies Knoll wasn’t the only one to get a cameo, either. The work for all three Special Editions involved new photography that allowed a number of crew members to take a turn in front of the camera. Alex Seiden recalls one such opportunity: “When Luke and Han get their medals, there was a foreground matte painting of all

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the rebels that was pretty loose, so we redid that. Computer graphics supervisor John Berton, myself, and a couple of other folks put on some uniforms and re-shot the scene, duplicating ourselves into the matte painting.” The point person for those uniforms and many other vintage costumes was Don Bies, who worked in the Lucasfilm Archives when the Special Editions went into production. This put him in the ideal position to make more than one masked appearance in the new and updated scenes. “In A New Hope, when Han Solo rounds the corner in the Death Star and sees all the stormtroopers, I’m, like, every sixth stormtrooper there,” Bies reveals. “And I’m accompanying Vader in a new shot in The Empire Strikes Back.” In Return of the Jedi, Bies plays two returning characters: Bith musician Barquin D’an (first seen in the cantina in A New Hope) and Boba Fett—albeit briefly. “Tom Kennedy said they wanted to do a new musical number,” says Bies, recalling the Max Rebo Band’s “Jedi Rocks,” which replaced “Lapti Nek” for the Special Edition. “He asked me to find one of the original cantina band-member masks, and I said, ‘I know we don’t have them in the archives, but I know where they are. I’ll get one if I get to wear it!’” The “Jedi Rocks” sequence was filmed in one day at ILM’s facility in San Rafael, California, with cinematographer Patrick Turner shooting with the same film stock used for Jedi’s principal photography 15 years before. Bies recalls how the tight schedule also saw him become Boba Fett for a day. “In between setups, Rick [McCallum] said to me, ‘George has a funny idea for a shot with Boba Fett. Do you know if there’s a costume at the archives?’ We had

11 Manufacturing new stormtrooper helmets for the Special Editions. 12 ILM and Lucasfilm staffers make up the ranks as Han Solo takes a wrong turn.

“It’s George’s film, and in his own words this is the film he wanted to make.” Tom Kennedy, Visual Effects Producer

just sent a full costume out for an exhibition, but there were parts in boxes—a helmet here, a jumpsuit there. I told him I could probably pull something together in time. He said, ‘Who can wear it?’ And I said, ‘Well, I can!’”

The Phantom Matte Line As production progressed, a massive amount of work continued to go into finding, scanning, and digitally recompositing film elements to re-create original effects shots. As with the work carried out on Luke’s lightsaber training, this allowed for better color correction and the elimination of matte lines that couldn’t be completely hidden with the technology available in the 1970s and 1980s. Visual effects editor David Tanaka was charged with tracking down the original negative for every element that would need to be recomposited, as well as every shot that would be touched up with a CG addition. He remembers: “When my boss said, ‘Do you want to take this on?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I want to take this on! Star Wars is why I got into this crazy business!’ I didn’t have any problem going through thousands of elements frame by frame. “I took it to the extreme as far as I could,” he adds. “I didn’t want to be even one frame off. I remember finding a box saying, ‘Opening sequence—star-field elements,’ only for it to contain several different ones. So I traced the pattern from the original composite and spent hours overlaying that as an animation, watching dots going by until they lined up to my tracing. I was determined not to mess it up!” Tanaka also strove to place himself firmly in the mindset of original Star Wars editors Paul

BEEN THERE, SEEN IT, GOT THE T-SHIRT Roughly one month before the Star Wars Special Edition hit cinema screens, The New Yorker published an article by journalist John Seabrook, entitled “Why Is the Force Still With Us?” Seabrook’s piece recalled Lucas’ famous private screening of an early edit of the original Star Wars to a select group of his filmmaking friends, including Steven Spielberg. “It’s possible that, just this once, before the tsunami of marketing and megatude closed over Star Wars forever, these people were seeing the movie for what it really was,” Seabrook suggested. “A film with comic-book characters, an unbelievable story, no political or social commentary, lousy acting, preposterous dialogue, and a ridiculously simplistic morality. In other words, a bad movie.” As three years’ work at long last wrapped on the trilogy of Special Editions, Rick McCallum and George Lucas arrived at ILM HQ bearing gifts. “They had these stacks of black T-shirts,” Tom Kennedy laughs, “and printed on the front was that Seabrook quote, word for word. On the back they said ‘Making Marketing Miracles.’ That was the unofficial crew T-shirt for the Special Edition.”

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Hirsch, Marcia Lucas, and Richard Chew. “I ended up creating the same ﬁling system, with the same numbering, trying to re-create how they would have set it up at the time,” he says. “If you looked to your left, there was the mid-1990s setup, and if you looked to your right, it was the mid-1970s. That’s the state of mind you had to be in.”

Return Of The Saga By the time work was complete, excitement was at fever pitch throughout Lucasfilm and ILM. “Everybody was thrilled to be getting back into Star Wars,” remembers Steve Sansweet, who joined Lucasfilm in 1996 as director of specialty marketing. “The news was already out there that George was working on the prequels, and so this was a good test bed to see how much interest there was. And let’s just say it far surpassed anybody’s expectations! When the films were released in the theaters, they had to push back the opening of Jedi because Star Wars and Empire were still playing so strongly.” The Special Edition of Star Wars opened on January 31, with The Empire Strikes Back following on February 21. Return of the Jedi’s originally advertised March 7 release was pushed back one week, to March 14. Despite the trilogy’s ubiquity on home video, audiences came out in droves to see the films on the big screen, propelling A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi to first place at the box office for each of their opening weekends. “It showed again that the hunger was there for Star Wars,” says Sansweet. However, not all of the changes were well received by audiences, and some remain controversial.

“Everybody was thrilled to be getting back into Star Wars.” Stephen J. Sansweet, Director of Speciality Marketing

Tom Kennedy maintains, “It’s George’s film and, in his own words, this is the film he wanted to make.” He goes on: “I know there’s a debate that once a film is released it’s owned by the audience and the fans in a way, but I don’t think that’s ever been George’s attitude.” Indeed, well before the Special Editions, Lucas had shown a penchant for finessing his films after their release. Most famously, Star Wars was not originally titled Episode IV: A New Hope, and the 70mm version of The Empire Strikes Back was already playing in theaters when Lucas tasked ILM with creating three new shots for the end of the film, which would be inserted for the 35mm release. Lucas, it seems, has never been

inclined to feel a ﬁlm is ﬁnished. “And why should he feel that way?” asks Kennedy. “He had the ability to make [the changes] happen, and he didn’t leave a loose end that was going to bother him. They say a project is never completed, only abandoned. Maybe that’s true of George, too, but he’s got a different timeline.” Regardless of the response to individual alterations, the overall effect of the Special Editions was to return Star Wars to the forefront of public attention, ahead of Episode I: The Phantom Menace in 1999. As Tanaka notes, the Special Editions “kept Star Wars alive in the 1990s.” Steve Sansweet agrees. “It was a great precursor for the interest in the prequels,” Sansweet

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15 13 Rebel numbers were bolstered in A New Hope’s final shots. 14 Stunning views replaced Cloud City walls in The Empire Strikes Back. 15 A new, scarier Wampa threatened Luke in the opening scenes of Empire.

says. “It started out as, ‘Oh, let’s rerelease Star Wars for the 20th anniversary,’ and it just sort of grew. George Lucas and the promotional people at Lucasﬁlm decided to make it as big an event as they could. That’s why they did the special celebrity opening that Star Wars had never had. And whether people liked the inserts or not, it deﬁnitely got them all talking.

Twenty Years After Lucas’ contribution to the 20th Anniversary Commemorative Magazine ended with this entreaty: “At the 20-year mark in Star Wars history, it is a time to look forward, not back, and celebrate the experience that I hope will live for generations to come.” Today, as that history reaches the 40-year mark, there is even more to look forward to. An all-new Star Wars movie is slated to hit cinema screens each year for the foreseeable future, Skywalker saga episodes alternating with standalone installments. The ﬁrst two movies of this new era, The Force Awakens and Rogue One, both had gala premieres that shut down a signiﬁcant swath of Hollywood Boulevard. Star Wars

also continues to thrive on TV, with Star Wars Rebels recently having been renewed for a fourth, and ﬁnal, season. With that in mind, it would be hard to argue that the Special Editions did anything but good for the Star Wars franchise, regardless of which version you might prefer. As we look back and celebrate them, we can appreciate that they were created in a spirit of looking forward. The Star Wars universe is a living thing, constantly evolving and expanding, and its future is bright. So, although the Ewoks no longer sing “Celebrate the Love” at the ﬁnale of Return of the Jedi, the sentiment still stands. The Special Editions celebrate our shared love of the Star Wars saga.

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FROM PUPPETS TO PAO THE INSIDE STORY OF A REBEL COMMANDO

From the London stage to The Force Awakens’ luggabeast, actor, and puppeteer Derek Arnold has quite literally had a hand in bringing numerous aliens to life. But it was as rebel commando Pao in Rogue One that Arnold realized a childhood dream: to be the model for a Star Wars action figure! W O R D S : A M Y R AT C L I F F E

erek Arnold’s ﬁrst step into a larger world began with The Force Awakens, but his career up to that point had already seen him make his mark in some major live productions. “I was a puppeteer in the stage version War Horse in London’s West End,” says the English performer. “Then I did the opening ceremony for the London 2012 Olympic Games. I operated a 90-foot Voldemort puppet [from Harry Potter]! “One of the puppeteers I met during the Olympics was Brian Herring. We stayed friends, and he called me up about a year later. He said, ‘I’m working on a project and I think you might be good for it.’” Arnold made his way to Pinewood Studios near London, England, unaware of what he would soon be working on. “I went, signed a non-disclosure

agreement, and then walked up through the offices,” Arnold smiles. “Even though it was a different title on the paperwork [The Force Awakens went by the codename “AVCO” during production], I realized that it must be Star Wars, because everything in the offices was Star 01 Wars! I walked past a bunch of young women sewing together a Chewie costume! So I became part of the creature and droid team quite early on, about eight months before principal photography started. The first time I ever stepped onto a set was in Abu Dhabi, and it was mind blowing.” The first creature that Arnold worked on was the lumbering luggabeast, the operation of which drew on his previous experience. “It’s a practical puppet, and

they loosely 01 Paodok’Draba’Takat, the Drabatan rebel based it commando played on the by Derek Arnold. War Horse design,” Arnold explains. “It needed two guys inside it: one controlling the front legs and one controlling the back legs. For seven months I went in on a weekly basis as they were building it. We brought in a puppeteer named Tom Wilton, who I’d worked with on War Horse.

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“I REALIZED IT MUST BE STAR WARS, BECAUSE EVERYTHING IN THE OFFICES WAS STAR WARS! I WALKED PAST A GROUP OF YOUNG WOMEN SEWING TOGETHER A CHEWIE COSTUME!”

He ended up moving the front legs of the luggabeast, and I ended up moving the back.” Over the course of developing the luggabeast, Arnold got to know Neal Scanlan and the staff in the creature department well, which in turn led to further opportunities. “They said, ‘You guys are physical performers and we have a lot of other creatures in this movie, so if you want to stick around...’ They kept bringing us back and

asking us to do a little bit more, and a little bit more. I guess it helped that they already had our body molds!”

Joining the Rebellion After production wrapped on The Force Awakens, Arnold was invited back to lend his talents to the next Star Wars movie. Only this wasn’t The Last Jedi, but the standalone Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, about the Rebellion’s attempt to

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steal the Death Star plans. He didn’t have to think for very long before saying yes. “You just want to keep working for Neal Scanlan, the guy who created the special creature effects,” Arnold enthuses about the man who won an Oscar for his work on Babe (1995). “He’s a legend. He’s done anything and everything, and his teams are the best in the business, hands down. They’re the loveliest people and incredibly loyal. Everybody goes above and beyond because they care about each other as well as the project. I really like that. Neal employs the best and the kindest people to do the job.” An especially exciting prospect for Arnold on Rogue One was the opportunity to focus on a single

character: the lizard-like rebel commando Pao. “It was exciting because when you do the luggabeast or, say, the puppets in Maz’s castle, you film for a week, maybe two, then you move on to the next character. With Pao, he was all I did from the very first fitting to my last day on set. That and a two-week stint doing [Saw Gerrera’s mind-reading monster] Bor Gullet, which took 15 puppeteers to operate. “It was just amazing to spend a couple of months on Pao. There were a lot of different challenges. With the animatronic head on, I couldn’t see or hear anything. If you’re on the outside, the animatronic motors sound like a little buzzing, but inside it’s like being in a cave, and it is really loud!”

“THAT’S THE HARDEST THING TO DO, CONNECTING THE EYE LINE. THE LAST THING YOU WANT TO DO IS MAKE PAO SEEM LIKE HE’S LOOKING PAST SOMEONE.” The claustrophobic headgear made life as Pao far from easy, especially when running around during battle scenes. So Arnold was very appreciative of the support he got from his fellow Pao performers. “I had an earpiece that went to our movement director Paul Kasey,

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02 Arnold operated the rear legs of the luggabeast, in The Force Awakens. 03 Pao (Derek Arnold) comes under heavy fire during the Battle of Scarif.

and to our external puppeteer, Phill Woodﬁne, who controlled Pao’s facial features remotely,” Arnold explains. “He’s done everything, so it was nice to know I was in safe hands. Phill was a really calming, soothing voice in my ear when I had the head on!”

Eyeline of Duty Arnold and Pao’s support team planned each day’s performance meticulously, which meant an early start on set. “We would get there before everybody else,” says Arnold. “Because we knew what scenes we were ﬁlming ahead of time, we would get the lay of the land and physically map out where I needed to go. “For instance, on one particular shot, I knew I would have to walk 10 steps, and that there would be an actor over my left shoulder and I would be looking that way. I also knew that other rebels would be over my right shoulder, just in front

of me. Paul, Phill, and I spent a lot of time mapping out everything so that when we filmed my actions would look as natural as possible.” Once the cameras rolled, the challenges continued, as Arnold interacted with the other performers in real time. He is keen to stress it was a real group effort. “It definitely takes a team,” he says. “It’d be incredibly selfish if I said, ‘Oh, I was Pao,’ because I couldn’t have done it without Phill. He didn’t just create the facial expressions, he guided me as well. He let me know what was happening; where Felicity [Jones] was, where Diego [Luna] was. That way I knew what angle I needed to have my head at to make sure Pao’s eyeline was there. “That’s the hardest thing to do, connecting the eyeline. The last thing you want to do is make Pao seem like he’s looking past someone instead of at them. Phill or Paul would be telling me in my ear: ‘Left, left, left. Straight, straight, straight. Right, right, right. STOP!’” Another vital part of Team Pao was lead fabricator Morna MacPherson, for whom Arnold has nothing but praise. “Morna was the one who took care of Pao,” he says. “She would be there an hour before everyone else, prepping him, and she would be there at the end of the day to fix him if there was anything wrong. Between every take she would run in with an umbrella, or with water, or air. She made sure I got what I needed. There was always a group of people constantly around each alien and creature.”

Living the Dream For a lifelong Star Wars fan (he regularly tweets

PLASTIC PAO While numerous toys have been made of the Star Wars creatures Derek Arnold has portrayed, it’s his Pao action figure that takes pride of place. So what was his reaction to becoming an action figure? “It was, ‘Tick that one off the bucket list,’” laughs Arnold. “The figures are all based on digital scans, so that’s an actual, accurate representation of me, scaled down to 3.75 inches! “It’s incredibly surreal, but you can’t help but smile. The important part is to remind yourself, constantly, what a privileged position you’re in. Because, if you don’t, you can lose your perspective really fast.”

about his games of Star Wars: Imperial Assault), Arnold sees his adventures in a galaxy far, far away as a dream come true. For that reason, he ﬁnds it hard to pin down a favorite moment or experience during ﬁlming. “It’s really hard,” he says, “because you’re surrounded by what you grew up with. To indulge your eight-year-old self by getting caught up in all this action… It’s like playing in the schoolyard. But then to be able to touch a real X-wing... It’s what we all dreamed of as kids. It sounds amazing when I hear myself telling my friends about it, but I can’t quite process it when I’m actually doing it. To be doing that for Disney, for Star Wars, is really cool!”

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THE MAKING OF

Marvel Comics’ Darth Maul is a five-part miniseries that sheds light on the sinister Force-wielder’s early days. Here, writer Cullen Bunn tells us about scripting the Zabrak’s backstory–and falling for his double-bladed charms! WORDS: MICHAEL KOGGE

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f you thought Darth Maul’s death at the hands of Obi-Wan Kenobi (again... this time in Star Wars: Rebels) was the last we’d be seeing of the sinister Force-wielder, you were mistaken. Set prior to Maul’s ﬁrst appearance in The Phantom Menace, Marvel’s new mini-series proves there are many more Maul stories to tell, as writer Cullen Bunn tells Star Wars Insider.

in the first issue, for example—but it’s not enough. When he finds out there’s a Jedi Padawan being held prisoner by a nefarious crime lord, he decides to sneak away and kill the Padawan before his master knows he’s gone. It’s a risky play, because he has to keep his Sith identity a secret PROFILE from the Jedi–and if CULLEN BUNN Sidious finds out what

Star Wars Insider: How did you get the job writing Darth Maul? Cullen Bunn: I was at the Marvel offices in 2015, a few months after the current Star Wars comic launched, and I cornered [editor] Jordan D. White, saying I’d love to try a Star Wars title! At the time, there were several books already in the works, so I had to be patient. But a little over a year ago, Jordan called and asked if I’d be interested in doing a Darth Maul book. I was thrilled. Star Wars has been a huge influence for me. I vividly remember getting my first few action figures, and I can still recall sitting down in the theater to watch the first movie. I had Star Wars wallpaper and bed sheets. I hoarded the action figures. I sent away for Kenner’s mail-in Boba Fett figure. My parents took me out of school to see Return of the Jedi! I was a fanatic. It’s an amazing feeling to be contributing to that universe after all these years.

Are the Padawan and the crime lord new characters? What can you tell us about them? The Padawan is Eldra Kaitis. I’ve only been writing her for a short time, but she’s already one of my favorite characters. She’s a skilled Padawan, and Maul sees that she must be on the fast track to being a Jedi Knight. She’s eager and

he’s up to, the punishment will be severe!

Cullen made his name with horror series The Damned for Oni Press in 2008. He went on to create The Sixth Gun and The Tooth for Oni, and to write for the likes of Deadpool and Uncanny X-Men at Marvel, and Aquaman and Green Lantern at DC. His prose work includes the children’s novel Crooked Hills and short story collection Creeping Stones and Other Stories. Raised in rural North Carolina, he now lives in Missouri, with his wife and son.

plucky, and she takes no guff–not even from the likes of Darth Maul! When she first lays eyes on him, she doesn’t react with fear. Her reaction is to ask, “Who are you supposed to be?” If Maul wants to kill her—and he does—he’s going to have a fight on his hands! The crime lord is Xev Xrexus. She is unlike most of the underworld bosses we’ve seen in Star Wars. She’s charming and pleasant, and throws lavish events where she’s a friendly host. Sure, she’s willing to assassinate anyone who gets in her way, but her parties are awesome! She’s right out in the open, and that’s unusual for Maul, who has worked in the shadows for so long. How did The Phantom Menace influence your approach to the story? There’s a famous moment in The Phantom Menace where Maul is battling Qui-Gon and they get separated by a force-field wall.

What is Darth Maul all about? It starts with Maul chaﬁng under the edicts of Darth Sidious, in the days before The Phantom Menace. Sidious has trained him to hate the Jedi, but now he won’t let him strike. To vent his frustration, he is pitting himself against some of the nastiest prey in the galaxy—rathtars

01 Maul on the hunt, in “Darth Maul” Issue 1. Art by Luke Ross. 02 A pack of rathtars are no match for a Sith Lord. Art by Luke Ross.

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Qui-Gon takes a meditative stance, but Maul paces back and forth impatiently, seething. That small moment inﬂuenced me more than anything else in the movie, and I wanted to make sure we channeled that rage and impatience. Maul’s most recent appearances have been in Star Wars Rebels. Will fans of that version recognize this character? Oh, yeah. The two incarnations are more similar than you might think. We only see Maul for a few minutes in The Phantom Menace. Comparatively, The Clone Wars and Rebels really dig into the

“My parents took me out of school to see Return of the Jedi! I was a fanatic. ”

character. On television, he obviously gets a little more time to shine, and we see him as cunning and cruel, not just a rage-ﬁlled weapon. In the comic, I wanted to explore how he’s always had those characteristics, but has also always struggled with his hunger for vengeance. With Maul as the main character, is there a risk of making him too sympathetic? I’ve written a lot of villainous characters over the years, and striking the right balance is extremely important. It helps that for a good portion of the series, he is dealing with enemies who are just as bad as he is. But I’m deﬁnitely not trying to make Maul into the good guy. I just want readers to understand why he feels the way he does, even if it is impossible to agree with him. I’ve tried to give an insight to the

ideology that’s been pounded into Maul’s head: the Jedi are evil; they murdered the Sith because the Sith wanted freedom from their order; the Jedi must be punished. In a lot of ways, Maul is a tragic character, but he’s not a hero. Will we learn more about the master-apprentice relationship between Sidious and Maul? Do they respect each other? Maybe even fear each other? The relationship between master and apprentice is very important in this book. And you’re right about fear, which is a big part of the dark side. I think Sidious is wary of Maul’s violent, rage-ﬁlled nature, even though he helped develop it. He isn’t afraid Maul might cut loose on him, though: he fears what Maul’s rage could do to his plans. Sidious is a master planner and manipulator. He needs everything set up in just the right way.

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That’s why he keeps Maul on such a short leash. Has writing for Maul changed how you think about him? Yes, in that I never expected him to be so charming! I knew I would have the chance to explore some of his more sympathetic qualities, but I didn’t expect him to be a charismatic person. I think that’s one of the most surprising things that come across in this book. What’s your process for writing an issue? First I do a rough outline to ﬁgure out the major “beats” of each issue, and those are usually just handwritten in a notebook. Then, I do a detailed beat-by-beat outline, listing all the panels on each page. That can be used to create the entire comic, except for dialogue. I send the outline to my editors, who send it to the good folks at Lucasﬁlm for approval. Once the outline is approved, I write a full script. That’s not just dialogue: it’s also description to give the artist a good sense of what’s going on with each page, and the mood of the story as a whole. What’s it like working with artist Luke Ross? Luke is a wonderful collaborator. He usually sends pages in batches, so I have to wait a bit, and then 10 pages show up in my inbox and I’m blown away. He’s a master at getting the likenesses and expressions of these characters onto the page. He brings a grittiness that I think we need for this story. And his action sequences, with Maul leaping and spinning and kicking, are awesome.

03 “Darth Maul” Issue 1 variant cover art by Mark Brooks. 04 A rathtar takes a lunch break. Art by Luke Ross.

What are your favorite moments from the Maul series? Tough question! There’s a ﬂashback to Maul’s days in training where Sidious takes Maul to Malachor. That’s a really creepy scene that helps set up some of what’s to come for Maul. I love that we’ve been able to connect the dots like that and touch on wider Star Wars lore. I also really enjoy the interactions Maul has with Cad Bane and Aurra Sing, who are two of my favorite bounty hunters. They have a huge role in the series and bring an “outside looking in” perspective on what Maul is up to. Any scene with both Maul and Eldra is a lot of fun to write, too. They’re always having one conversation on the surface and another on a much deeper level. They aren’t friends by any stretch of the imagination, but there is a kind of kinship between them that I like.

“The relationship between master and apprentice is very important in this book.” How do you explain the enduring appeal of Darth Maul, who was only on the big screen for such a short time? I think he’s so popular because he only had a short time on the big screen. For me, he was the coolest thing in The Phantom Menace. He was dark and menacing and scary. When he ﬁres up that doublelightsaber and “Duel of the Fates” begins to play, I get chills. But we didn’t get enough. He was the Boba Fett of the prequel trilogy. He’s an incredibly cool addition to the mythos and we know he has more of a story, so we want to see it!

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GO BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE MOVIE EVENT OF 2016 WHEREVER YOU ARE! DON’T MISS THE ESSENTIAL DEBRIEF OF THE LATEST EPIC CHAPTER IN THE STAR WARS SAGA! GET IT DELIVERED TO YOUR FAVORITE DIGITAL DEVICE AND DELVE DEEPER INTO ROGUE ONE!

ALSO AVAILABLE!

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AVAILABLE DIGITALLY TODAY! Search ‘Star Wars Insider’ on the app store.

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With 2017 marking the 20th anniversary of the Star Wars Special Editions, our trivia challenge targets your knowledge of A New Hope... Compiled by Tolly Maggs

TATOOINE TRIVIA

VISUAL SCANNING

1. The Krayt Dragon roar emulated by Ben Kenobi to scare the Tusken Raiders, was changed for the Special Edition. Which other creature’s roar doubled for the Krayt effect in the original theatrical release? A / Bantha B / Womp rat C / Droid D / Dewback

2. Including the scene as shot, how many versions of Jabba the Hutt did Han Solo meet in Mos Eisley’s docking bay 94? A/2 B/3 C/4 D/5 3. In the cantina scene, which canine alien lost his place in movie history to a puppet named Melas? (Don’t worry—the original character made it into the Star Wars Holiday Special...) A / Hem Dazon B / Arleil Schous C / Kardue’sai’Malloc D / Kabe 4. Who shot ﬁrst: Han or Greedo? That does depend on which cut of the movie you’re watching, so how many versions of that scene have been released? A/2 B/3 C/4 D/5

Iden ntify y 5 famo ous Star War ars vehicle es from th hese picturre clue es...

PLOT THE PARSECS 1. How much did A New Hope gross during its opening weekend in 1977? A / $0.01 - $10,000,000 B / $10,000,001 - $25,000,000 C / $25,000,001 - $50,000,000 D / $50,000,001 - $75,000,000

2. What length do a wamp rat and the Death Star’s thermal exhaust port have in common? A / Two inches B / Two feet C / Two meters D / Two yards 3. How many rebel ships took part in the assault on the ﬁrst Death Star? A / 33 B / 30 C / 31 D / 32

5. HOW DID YOU FARE? If you scored 12 points, you’ve just made your first step into a larger world. If you scored more than 6 points, then you’re Wedge Antilles. Get clear—you can’t do any more good back there. If you scored 5 points or less, you are Ponda Baba.

Answers - TATOOINE TRIVIA 1 D, 2 B, 3 B, 4 C VISUAL SCANNING 1 X-wing, 2 Jawa Sandcrawler, 3 Millennium Falcon, 4 Tantive IV, 5 Luke’s Landspeeder PLOT THE PARSECS 1 A, 2 C, 3 B 63 / STAR WARS INSIDER

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LIGHT AND MAGIC

UP CLOSE AND VIRTUAL For Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Industrial Light & Magic gave director Gareth Edwards new tools that let him step inside a digital world. ILM digital artist Mike Jutan went with him on that journey, and spoke to Insider about their virtual adventures. W O R D S : A M Y R AT C L I F F E

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ounded by George Lucas in 1975, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) set a new standard for visual effects with Star Wars: A New Hope, and has continued to innovate ever since. At heart a technology company, ILM exists to turn ﬁlmmakers’ wildest dreams into visual reality, no matter what it takes. That can mean pushing existing tech to its limits—kit-bashing disparate tools together—and even inventing brand new ways of doing things. For Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, ILM made extensive use of one of its own creations—the ILMvCAM—and added new capabilities to its repertoire. Mike Jutan of ILM’s Research and Development team worked closely with Rogue One director Gareth Edwards on the ILMvCAM scenes, and offered to shed a little industrial light on the magic for the beneﬁt of Insider readers.

What is the ILMvCAM? Mike Jutan: The ILMvCAM is a handheld device used for interacting with a virtual world, driven by the Virtual Set capabilities of our proprietary 3D software package, Zeno. Rogue One was the ﬁrst movie to extensively use the brand-new iPad/Gamevice Virtual Camera (also known as the ILMvCAM), but ILM has been doing virtual production with a variety of different types of virtual cameras for 10+ years.

01 X-wings close in on the Imperial shield barrier above Scarif. 02 A Star Destroyer emerges from the shadows.

Rango was a film that extensively used virtual camera in Zeno, since the entire movie is all computer-generated (CG). Incidentally, Rango was ILM’s first animated film, and we built the whole thing as a virtual environment in Zeno. The Zeno VSet, combined with a previous iteration of the virtual camera hardware, allowed director Gore Verbinski to “walk around” the set and get a feel for it at the storyboarding stage.

It became a storyboarding tool that gave Verbinski far more freedom than a 2D storyboard, because he could actually move things around and problem solve. And because of the success using the tool, we decided we wanted to dedicate attention to it and make the device lighter, to make interacting with a digital environment feel more effortless. Some directors prefer the heavier cameras, and some prefer the lighter ones. A big piece is that it is now Wireless as well. So the device is similar to a handheld movie camera? The interface is an iPad Mini with a Gamevice game controller stuck on either side of it, and a motion-tracking system attached, that represents a camera in the virtual world. The user can move it around and look at anything they want, and the device captures the exact camera move. It’s essentially a motion-capturing tool for the director’s camera moves.

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ZENO The Zeno virtual production system is ILM’s proprietary 3D software package, used (among other things) for modelling environments, objects, and simulation effects. The system’s Virtual Set component had already been in use for some years, but Rogue One gave Mike Jutan and his team the opportunity to push the system forward. “We’ve built up a lot of tools over 20 years of ILM’s development,” explains Jutan, “but the virtual production component of Zeno is something that has existed for 10-plus years, in some form or another. “About a year-and-a-half ago, Cary Phillips, the head of Research & Development, decided that virtual production was something that R&D as a unit wanted to push much harder,” Jutan continues. “We had a group of about ten of us focus completely on this. That’s about a third of the department. We’re usually pretty light and lean, so to have a lot of people on one thing is a very big deal.”

“THIS IS A WAY TO PHYSICALIZE THE VIRTUAL WORLD, AND HAVE INSTANT ACCESS TO IT, FOR ULTIMATE CREATIVITY.” What beneﬁts does the director get from this? A big goal for us is to have that feeling of iteration, so you can do take after take after take in real-time, without stopping. It allows you to explore and ﬁnd happy accidents in a way that might happen on set, but which hasn’t previously happened in imaginary worlds—because they don’t really exist. This is a way to physicalize the virtual world, and have instant access to it, for ultimate creativity. How did that come into play on Rogue One? It came in very handy for the shieldgate sequence. We tried a few different angles, following different ships as they

passed through the shield gate, making twists on the way through. Gareth Edwards was totally in control of that, and was able to get a very realistic idea of what it would look like in the movie. Of course, there are lighting effects and explosions and stuff that get added later, but the bones are there, rendered in real time. And because we’re using Zeno at every stage, these feed right into our artist pipeline, so ILM artists iterate on the exact same shots that Gareth made to perfect the motion for the ﬁnal shots in the movie. So a director can “walk around” an environment even when it’s in space? You really can go anywhere. The virtual set/digital environment has already

been built and there are no fixed camera views. If a director wants to move into an unexpected section where we don’t have textures, we can up the resolution of that in seconds. We have all the models ready, automatically optimized for real-time use. We don’t have to dig them out: we’re dealing with the real data. What specific challenges did Rogue One pose? In the past, we’d always scaled the virtual world on a 1:1 scale with the real world. But when the decision came to include the Death Star in the first trailer, in early March 2016, no shots of it existed at that point, just some basic pre-visualizations.

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So Gareth said, “Make the Death Star like a basketball and let me walk around it.” That was a new feature for Rogue One, playing with scale like that. It allowed us to help Gareth ﬁnd the shot much more quickly, within 10 minutes or so of looking at the Death Star through the ILMvCAM, as if it was a model on a table. He could move over the top, around the sides, and look at any possible angle. We shot about 40 takes in a row like that, and somewhere around take 20, he found this great angle which we started ﬁddling with. He said, “Oh, this looks pretty good. You can see the shadow creeping.” And because it’s a live package where everything’s adaptable, we just took the sun and moved it around. This real-time lighting functionality helped us place a shadow moving across the surface of the Death Star. Gareth directed us as we moved the light source until we had something he liked. The shadow was being cast by the Death Star dish docking into the Death Star, and gave a really ominous effect as it crept across the shot, revealing both the Death Star itself and the group of Star Destroyers.

“GARETH SAID, ‘MAKE THE DEATH STAR LIKE A BASKETBALL AND LET ME WALK AROUND IT.’” 03

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT Key to the development of Industrial Light & Magic’s ground-breaking effects technology, ILM’s R&D team currently consists of around 30 people, of which Mike Jutan has been a member for almost a decade. “It’s a pretty amazing and diverse group, consisting of people from around the world of all ages, genders, backgrounds. It’s a real pleasure to be a part of,” says Jutan. “I’ve been part of the animation and creature development pipeline group, which sounds like a catchall. It’s like an ‘all of the above.’ My work here has generally been focused on rigging, which is the art of creating a bone structure inside a character, essentially making a CG character animatable, and turning it from digital clay into something that animators can work with.”

It was the first time Gareth had really used the technology, and as he found that shot, myself and the other motioncapture operator were (quietly) sharing the joy of watching Star Wars being made in front of our very eyes. As soon as Gareth finished the shoot, his camera moves were sent to the ILM artist teams to further refine the shot. Six days later, the teaser trailer was released with the Death Star reveal. So Gareth embraced that flexibility? It’s much more like how he would work on set. He doesn’t just follow the

guidelines for the shoot day: he gets a lot of really great, creative stuff by going outside the rails a little bit and trying things that aren’t originally part of the plan. He’ll follow the sequence plan, but then he’ll say, “You know what, I want to see what it looks like over here.” He would do that a few times, and find something much better than they had planned in advance. Our ultimate goal is to give directors that level of freedom, and then capture what they do with absolute fidelity. Gareth’s moves are the raw source of the camera work you see in the finished movie. They’re not an interpretation: they are Gareth’s shots captured as animation curves in the software. It’s as if ILMvCAM is a paintbrush, and instead of telling us what he wanted a painting of, he was able to paint it himself. He told us after the first session that being able to do that saved two or three weeks of backand-forth discussion. Obviously, we then take his “painting” and we work over the top of it to create the final effects, but it’s still the original camera 03 The ILMvCAM work underneath. helped plot the twists Ensuring we match and turns his artistic vision is of the the goal for us. Scarif battle.

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SIDESHOW

Behind the scenes at Sideshow Sideshow Collectibles invited Star Wars Insider to take a tour of its design studios to see how its sought-after statues and figures are crafted, colored, and clothed. W O R D S : A M Y R AT C L I F F E

ucked away in the hills north of Los Angeles, California, you’ll find a place where dreams are made—in the form of high-quality Star Wars figures and statues. Sideshow Collectibles operates from an unassuming building, but once you walk through the front doors and into the lobby, it is anything but. Display cases and shelves show off the company’s figures and busts from a variety of pop-culture franchises, while original sculptures highlight the talents of in-house sculptors and artists. If you need another sign that this isn’t your typical office, a life-size Boba Fett looks over the lobby from a high-up vantage point. As the primary location for the company, Sideshow’s L.A. base is home to around 135 employees. It started life in 1994 and obtained its first license—Universal Classic Monsters—in 1999, diversifying into one-sixth scale sculptures. Pushing the fast-forward button to almost 20 years later, Sideshow now works with several brands, including Star Wars. The company handles every aspect of production except manufacturing in L.A., meaning the master versions of their collectibles are designed, sculpted, painted, and clothed under one roof. Once perfected, the masters are then sent out to Sideshow’s manufacturing

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01 Every miniature costume detail is screen-accurate, from fabric to accessories.

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partners for reproduction. Finally, product photography and packaging design are handled back at Sideshow. It’s a painstaking process that deserves a closer look.

Collectible Design Sideshow’s artists occupy a dim but comfortable set of rooms on the bottom floors of the building. The tone is nerd chic, with items including a print of Vigo the Carpathian from Ghostbusters II setting the mood. The team works up its initial designs using a combination of digital software and good oldfashioned clay and wax. Though some artists claim dibs on projects they are particularly passionate about, for the most part they all work on a little of everything, and jump between products in various stages of development as necessary. As they work, each artist must follow different guidelines, depending on the type of product they are creating. One-sixthscale figures have many moving parts, while statues and life-size reproductions need less (if any) articulation. Stability is a constant consideration, and unusually shaped figures such as the topheavy K-2SO pose challenges that the artists relish.

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“Small plastic totes line a large shelf, inscribed with labels like ‘Chewbacca’s fur.’” Sideshow’s Star Wars Highlights

02 Luke’s X-wing pilot helmet awaits painting. 03 The many parts of a death trooper. 04 An eclectic Sideshow workstation. 05 Close-up of the BB-8 prototype figure. 06 A miniature Rey gets a realistic paint job. 07 Prototypes for the Rey and BB-8 Premium Format figures.

For non-articulated statues, striking an iconic pose is key. Each one should capture a place and time that customers can identify with a single glance. That doesn’t simply mean mirroring the source material, however. “A lot of it is trying to capture a scene that might have happened just outside the ﬁlm,” says Sideshow project manager Kevin Ellis. “A pose may not have been shown in the movie, but you can imagine it happening in a scene you didn’t see.”

Casting and Painting Once the concept phase is complete, the artists use hand-

Describing its mission as “Connecting people with the characters they love,” Sideshow Collectibles partnered with Lucasfilm in 2004 to produce officially licensed Star Wars merchandise, and the company began its journey to a galaxy far, far away with one-quarterscale Premium Format figures. With Sideshow’s artists eager to explore the saga, it wasn’t long before they began adding to their line of Star Wars products, and in the past 13 years, they’ve gone on to release Premium Format figures, one-sixth-scale figures, statues, life-size busts, and life-size figures. There are now dozens of Sideshow Star Wars collectibles, most released in limited editions, from iconic characters like Han Solo to lesser known fan-favorites such as Captain Antilles. Sideshow’s artists have always challenged themselves to come up with new ways to interpret well-known characters, leading to off-the-wall concepts such as the Star Wars Mythos collection, which have included statues of Ben Kenobi and Darth Vader as they might have appeared between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, and imaginative new takes on Darth Maul and Boba Fett. The company relies on feedback from fans, and engages with collectors to find out what figures they would like to see and how they display them. They even sent some one-sixthscale snowtrooper figures to a collector in the U.S. Navy, who was bound for the Arctic and wanted to create the ultimate Hothinspired photoshoot.

sculpted maquettes or 3D printing to create a representative prototype sculpt. A mold is made and duplicates cast, ready to be painted by another set of artists. In the painting department, color is added to everything from giant Hulk busts to intricate molded replicas of Jyn Erso’s hair. The work is meticulous, with artists ﬁguring out the proper shade to use for every highlight and shadow, in order to make the character as lifelike as possible. For accuracy, the team draws on a wide array of reference photos, to make sure the skin tones and eyes of characters such as Jyn and Rey perfectly match the features of Felicity Jones and Daisy Ridley. Each sculpt results in two identically painted duplicates, so that Sideshow has two master versions. One of the masters is sent to the manufacturer, with explicit instructions as to the various paints used and where to apply them. It’s very much like a paint-by-numbers project, only in three dimensions, and far more complex.

Cut & Sew Another room in the lower levels of Sideshow is reserved for Cut & Sew—the costume fabrication department. Here, talented seamsters work to make screenaccurate replica costumes on a smaller-than-life scale. This means itty-bitty embroidered red stripes on Han Solo’s pants, and tiny Luke Skywalker shirts. Small plastic totes line a large shelf, inscribed with labels like “Chewbacca’s fur.” Members of Cut & Sew draft patterns, cut pieces, assemble them, and paint or weather the fabrics as required. For the Jyn Erso Premium Format ﬁgure, the team apply dark, glossy washes to Jyn’s pants to make them look wet

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from Eadu’s storms. Among the treasures around the worktables and sewing machines are sample textiles from a range of famous franchises. Sideshow’s licensing partners pull reference material from their archives so that each collectible is as true to the texture, and shade of the original fabric as possible. Warner Bros. has provided a swatch of Superman’s suit from Man of Steel, for example, while Lucasﬁlm has lent them a piece of Han Solo’s leather holster.

Graphic Artist Design The most colorful area inside the Sideshow building is the Graphic Artist Design department. Finished designs, works in progress, and posters decorate the walls, while toys (including a little Rotta the Hutt) cover the shelves and cubicles. The most obvious example of their work is the packaging they create for all of Sideshow’s releases. Some collectors might focus only on what’s inside the box, but many others, and Sideshow itself, understand that well-designed packaging can be a collectible item in its own right. As such, the packaging is treated as part of the wider design process, and the graphic artists work closely with the other teams, as well as with licensors like Lucasfilm. Each license presents its own constraints in terms of branding and style guides, but it’s a collaborative process in which Sideshow is keen to make its own mark. Everyone is on board when it comes to creating the best, most eye-catching art to represent both the product and the wider brand. But making box art isn’t this department’s only responsibility. Its artists are also responsible for the art and text that appears on the base of each statue. Sometimes that can be as simple as adding the brand and character name, but it can also involve creating an original image to complement the figure. The team also designs the intricate decals that decorate the figures and statues, where details are too small and complex to be

Go Life-Size!

Ever dreamed of sharing your home with Star Wars characters? Sideshow has made that dream a reality, with five life-size statues... Yoda

Boba Fett

Stormtrooper

At 32 inches tall, Yoda is small enough to stay out of the way. He comes with a Dagobahthemed base that includes a little critter from the boggy planet. Sadly, pearls of wisdom dispense he does not.

This six-and-ahalf-foot bounty hunter is fully clothed in a fabric costume and has an articulated head. He’ll watch over your home intimidating pets, house guests and delivery people. But no disintegrations!

The classic stormtrooper wears highquality plastic and ﬁberglass armor, based on elements from across the original trilogy. Just don’t expect him to ﬁnd the droid’s you’re looking for.

Han Solo in Carbonite Sideshow knows Han Solo is no good to you dead, so they’ve captured the smuggler in a ﬁnely detailed block of carbonite (OK, it’s ﬁberglass...) to hang on your palace wall.

R2-D2 The 48-inch R2-D2 comes with screenaccurate lights and sounds, activated with a remote control. His dome can be swiveled from side to side, and he stands on a Millennium Falcon-themed display base.

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08 Life-sized figures of Boba Fett and Han Solo in carbonite.

09 Obi-Wan between the trilogies, as envisaged by Sideshow’s artists. 10 Sideshow’s Darth Maul figure stands ready to slay the nearest Jedi. 11 Sideshow Collectibles’ imposing death trooper figure.

part of the painting process. This might include tattoos, eyes, or logos on a Rebel pilot’s helmet. The graphic artist team also works closely with Cut & Sew when a costume calls for a fabric with an intricate pattern. For a piece such as Spider-Man’s suit, a graphic artist will design the webbing as a textile print before the costume team patterns, cuts, and sews the fabric into shape.

Production When every facet of a statue or figure has passed review by Sideshow and the relevant licensing partner, it can go into production. At this point, each collectible will have spent about a year in development, and will have gone through a number of safety tests. Production isn’t just a matter of sending a master to the factory with a set of instructions. A lot of back and forth takes place with the manufacturer, and project managers from Sideshow often spend time at the factory to oversee some of the process. As one of those project managers, Kevin Ellis is well placed to explain the intricacies of production. “With something like the K-2SO sixth-scale figure, the head alone has about eight small pieces,” he says. “And each one has to be printed and assembled just right.” Production takes another eight months to a year to finish.

Photo Lab When a prototype of a ﬁgure or statue has passed its initial approval stages, it’s time for some glamor shots. The photos you see on

“With Star Wars films now being released every year, Sideshow will have no problem keeping its development calendar full.” Sideshow’s website are all taken by their in-house photographers, outdoors or in the on-site studio. The one-sixth-scale poseable ﬁgures are shot almost as if they are stars of a stop-motion video. The photography team creates appropriately scaled sets in which to pose the ﬁgures, re-creating anything from an alleyway to another planet. They artfully arrange the lighting to convey a sense of drama while also giving a clear view of the subject, sometimes using Atmosphere Aerosol to add a dramatic haze.

Recent and Upcoming Releases With a new Star Wars ﬁlm being released every year, Sideshow will have no problem keeping its development calendar full. Rogue One ﬁgures are the focus right now, with Premium Format Jyn Erso and

K-2SO figures recently announced. The team is not yet done with The Force Awakens, however, with Rey and BB-8 Premium Format figures available for pre-order. And, of course, they are already working on ideas for The Last Jedi. “We’re looking at some options for the upcoming movie,” Ellis says. “Lucasfilm will say, ‘We want to see these characters represented.’ But outside of the main cast, it’s a guessing game as to how popular anyone will be. How will fans react to these different characters? Who will be the breakout star? That part is always a bit of a gamble.” The design team is constantly considering which legacy characters to explore next—whether for the first time, or in new formats. Right now, they have created more than half a dozen R2-D2 figures, including a life-size droid with working lights and sounds, and the recently released, newly sculpted Boba Fett Premium Format figure. And there’s more on the way. With each new movie, a host of captivating new characters join the ranks of old favorites, as the Star Wars galaxy continues to expand. It’s certain that the talented folks at Sideshow will be busy for years to come.

Keep up with Sideshow Collectibles at www.sideshowtoy.com/starwars

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WORLDWIDE C E L E B R AT I N G

T H E

S A G A

HOME IS WHERE THE DEATH STAR IS! Louis Scichilone on making some special modifications to his house...

y mom took me to see A New Hope in 1977 when I was a child, and it allowed me to believe in the unbelievable. Now our children have come to love Star Wars almost as much as I do. Over the past 11 years I have been building life-size Star Wars ﬁgures, converted our loft into a Death Star Hangar Bay theater room, and turned my son’s bedroom into the Sail Barge scene

on Tatooine, complete with a Sarlacc rug! I custom built his skiff bed from scratch, from some plans I drew myself. All the life-size ﬁgures were built by me. Some pieces were built from scratch, some purchased, some modiﬁed, and it has taken me several years to get to this point. I wanted to share some photos of our family’s love of Star Wars, and maybe they will inspire others.

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YOUR EMPIRE NEEDS YOU! We want to hear from you! Tell us about your Star Wars experience. What made you want to become a fan? What have you done in the name of Star Wars? Tell us your Star Wars story by sending your photos, art, and letters here:

starwarsworldwide@titanemail.com Or via regular post: UNITED STATES Star Wars Worldwide, Star Wars Insider, Titan Magazines, 2819 Rosehall Lane, Aurora, IL, 60503, U.S.A.

UNITED KINGDOM Star Wars Worldwide, Star Wars Insider, 144 Southwark Street London, SE1 0UP, U.K.

ARTISTS’ ALLEY Talented Star Wars fans share their amazing drawings inspired by the galaxy far, far away...

01. ROGUE ONE COLLAGE I’m always creating some kind of artwork or other, but this one was especially challenging for me because it involved a lot of characters from the movie. Even though I tried to include most of them, I just couldn’t ﬁt them all in. I like to not only have the main characters, but other supporting ones as well. I think that overall it makes it more interesting. Jose Sanchez, email

02. CARVED WARS I completed each of these pieces in 2014-2015, when I started getting into woodworking! Keth Pride, email

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BOUNTY HUNTERS Scouring the galaxy for the stars of Star Wars...

ike many others, I am a lifelong Star Wars fan. I can remember spending hours playing with my newly minted Star Wars toys, re-creating the movie, and making up adventures with my friends. My love for Star Wars has never wavered. I’ve been a proud member of the 501st Imperial Legion (TI-5265, German Garrison) since 2007, and continue to collect vintage Kenner Star Wars toys. I really enjoy going to conventions, and meeting the actors who made my youth so special. I have included a few pictures of myself and some of the celebrities I’ve been lucky enough to meet, dating from my ﬁrst convention in 1997 up to the present day. It is a golden age for Star Wars, and I could not be happier. May the Force be with you… always! Travis Hoffman, email

REBEL LEGION HONG KONG BASE Bringing the Force to Chinese New Year

o welcome the Year of the Rooster, the Rebel Legion Hong Kong Base teamed up with some Rebel friends, and members of the 501st, to take part in the annual Cathay Paciﬁc International Chinese New Year Night Parade. Joining the local Rebel Legion base this year were members of the Rebel Legion Japan Base, 501st Legions including the Japanese and Singapore Garrisons, and the Macau Outpost, each showcasing characters from the ﬁlms. There was a performance by a dozen members of Phoenix Temple—the Jedi detachment of the Rebel Legion

Hong Kong Base—showcasing a kata of Shii-cho, the ﬁrst form of lightsaber combat. A special appearance by notorious villain and Sith assassin, Darth Maul, dazzled the audience with endless spins of his double-bladed lightsaber. As in previous years, the rebel and Imperial costumers contributed all proceeds to a good cause. Sponsored by the Hong Kong Tourism Board, over HK$10,000 was raised for the Make-a-Wish Hong Kong charity, bringing joy to many children—and meaning our cosplay walk was for a worthy “cause-play”! Moses D.C. Kong, Rebel Legion Hong Kong Base

01 Travis Hoffman with Mark Hamill at Star Wars Celebration 2015. 02 Ray Park (Darth Maul) and Travis, dressed as a TIE Fighter pilot. 03 Travis meets Star Wars Rebels’ Vanessa Marshall (Hera).

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Photos: John Garcia Photography

WORLDWIDE

DISNEY BOUND A vintage spin on Star Wars cosplay

e’re a community that enjoys using clothing and handmade items to create Disney-inspired looks, and wear them to the park. We enjoy a unique type of “Disney Bounding” that I often refer to as

Dapper Bounding, meaning we choose to represent characters in a vintage style, typically 1920s-1950s. This time our theme was the Star Wars Universe on an elegant night out in Old Hollywood! Our group numbered

around 30 people, and I was dressed as Captain Phasma. I’ve posted quite a few photos from the day on my Disney Instagram, and will be planning more Star Wars-themed days in the park soon. Cailey Lampone

STAR WARS CLUB PORTUGAL Anniversary Adventures

o celebrate our 10th anniversary, the Star Wars fan club in Portugal organized a costume contest for children at our hometown in Barreiro, Portugal. We had spare lightsabers, masks, and props so visitors could take pictures with our members, who were dressed as characters from the saga, and had demonstrations of lightsaber duels and other activities for children. Paulo Oliveira, SWCP, Star Wars Club Portugal

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The Star Wars Archive Lights! Camera! Action! Rare images from the Star Wars photo archives.

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Industrial Light & Magicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s visual effects supervisor, Dennis Muren, inspects a model of a Y-wing starfighter.

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