STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI: RED CARPET INTERVIEWS
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DEFYING THE LIGHT
KYLO REN Ben Solo’s journey into darkness! ANIMATED ADVENTURES DROIDS WRITER PAUL DINI TALKS
BOBA FETT AND EWOKS!
Celebrating Star Wars ’ unSUNG heroes!
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MARCH/APRIL 2018
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TITAN EDITORIAL Editor / Chris Cooper Senior Executive Editor / Divinia Fleary Editor at Large / Jonathan Wilkins Copy Editor / Simon Hugo Editorial Assistants / Tolly Maggs, Jake Devine Art Editor / Andrew Leung
“Chewie—we’re home.” It’s not often in life that you end up where you feel you belong. For Han Solo and his Wookiee co-pilot, that’s on board that battered “piece of junk” known as the Millennium Falcon. Me? I’d be more than happy to take a spin with those guys, but I’m even happier to be the new editor of Star Wars Insider. It feels like home. I’ve been a Star Wars fan since I was eight years old, which really was a long time ago, and feels more like a galaxy far, far away every day—as the photo on the left will attest! That’s me on my 11th birthday, proudly displaying the freshly unwrapped Boba Fett figure that remains a prized possession to this day. In case you’re wondering, no, I’m not a Hobbit—that’s the 12-inch Fett, not the regular 3.75-inch action figure! It felt great to be a Star Wars fan back then, but how amazing does it feel now? “Always in motion is the future,” said Yoda, and he wasn’t kidding. Could my 11-year-old self have predicted typing these words, or living through an even more exciting period in Star Wars history? The Last Jedi was everything we’d hoped for, Solo: A Star Wars Story is mere months away, and Star Wars: Episode IX is on the horizon. The Force is definitely with us.
LUCASFILM Senior Editor / Brett Rector Art Director / Troy Alders Creative Director / Michael Siglain Image Archives / Newell Todd, Erik Sanchez, Bryce Pinkos, Nicole LaCoursiere, Tim Mapp Story Group / Pablo Hidalgo, Leland Chee, Matt Martin CONTRIBUTORS Jonathan Wilkins, Tricia Barr, Kristin Baver, Megan Crouse, Daniel Wallace, Shana, O’Neil Tom Miller, Michael Kogge SPECIAL THANKS TO Lucy Goldsmith, Erich Schoeneweiss at Random House, Martin Eden, Holly McIntosh, Joseph Taraborrelli, Andrea Towers and Jim Nausedas at Marvel Comics, Lizzy Draeger, Tracy Cannobbio and Chris Argyropoulos at Lucasfilm TITAN MAGAZINES Production Controller / Peter James Senior Production Controller / Jackie Flook Production Supervisor / Maria Pearson Art Director / Oz Browne Senior Sales Manager / Santoosh Maharaj Circulation Assistant / Frances Hallam Direct Sales & Marketing Manager Ricky Claydon Subscriptions Executive / Tony Ho Brand Manager, Marketing / Lucy Ripper Commercial Manager / Michelle Fairlamb Advertising & Marketing Assistant / Bella Hoy 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
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Tricia is the co-author of DK’s Ultimate Star Wars. She also wrote the acclaimed award-winning novel Wynde.
Megan enjoys watching movies, and taking walks. She is currently waiting for the Tesla Model 3 electric car.
Dan has written many Star Wars books including several in the Essential Guide series and was a co-author of Ultimate Star Wars.
Kristin was a card-carrying Star Wars fan before she had reason to own a wallet. Now she’s a journalist who writes about all things sci-fi.
Shana O’Neil is currently writing for starwars.com, SYFYWIRE.com, and The Hollywood Reporter, and also does work for leading magazines.
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STAR WARS INSIDER MARCH/APRIL 2018 (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 © 2018 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved, Titan Authorized User. TMN 13719 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. © 2018 Lucasfilm Ltd. and ™ All Rights Reserved. Used Under Authorization.
CONTENTS I S S U E
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A Villain’s Journey We follow Kylo Ren’s journey into the heart of evil in The Last Jedi.
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NEWSSTAND EDITION
COMIC STORE EXCLUSIVE
SUBS EXCLUSIVE
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Launchpad
Tales from the Red Carpet
Added Muscle
News from the Galaxy’s Edge, the return of a musical legend, and Star Wars breaks box-of ce records yet again.
Insider caught up with the cast and crew of Star Wars: The Last Jedi at the movie’s glitzy London premiere.
Writer Paul Dini reveals how he got inside Boba Fett’s helmet.
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A Luminous Being
Books & Comics
Unsung Heroes
The Last Jedi novelization and Forces of Destiny comics headline this month’s new releases.
From Wedge Antilles to Maz Kanata, we celebrate the supporting characters who have fought against galactic tyranny.
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Rebel Romance
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Planet of the Force
Irvin Kershner
We look at the love story between heroes Kanan Jarrus and Hera Syndulla.
Exploring the nature of the Force on planet Mortis.
A classic archive interview from 1979 with the director of The Empire Strikes Back.
Tracing the off-screen life of Jedi Master Yoda, from concept to creation to collectible.
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INCOMING TRANSMISSIONS 32
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Giveaway!
Jedi Master’s Quiz
Worldwide
Image Archive
Win the Star Wars: Destiny card game and booster packs.
Test your droid knowledge in our astromech-friendly quiz.
Porgs, Twi’leks, and star-spotting with the fans inspired by Star Wars.
Daisy Ridley and BB-8 on set in the Jakku desert.
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Expelliarmus! Star Wars disarms Harry Potter at the box of ce critical hit, Rian Johnson’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi is on course to challenge The Force Awakens to become the highest-grossing Star Wars movie in history. What’s more, following the release of The Last Jedi in cinemas on December 15, 2017, in the space of just two weeks the movie helped officially catapult Star Wars ahead of the Harry Potter series, making the saga the second-biggest movie franchise of all time (behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s $13 billion box-office gross). As fireworks marked the beginning of 2018 (and Ewoks danced on the forest moon of Endor in celebration), The Last Jedi had already grossed more than $1 billion worldwide, having made $220,009,584 in U.S. cinemas alone
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over the course of its opening weekend. That also makes it the second most successful opening for any Star Wars movie ever, eclipsed only by J.J. Abrams’ The Force Awakens, which was released in 2015. So how many dollars does it take for Jedi Knights to beat a school of trainee witches and wizards? Taken together, the Skywalker saga’s eight movies plus stand-alone story Rogue One have taken $8,556,678,930 at the box office (as this issue went to print), while Potter’s eight wizarding adventures (plus those of Newt Scamander in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) have earned $8,539,253,704. That’s a difference of $17,425,226. That might not sound like much in the world of movie budgets, but Star Wars has got it where it counts.
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Solo Sounds Composers unite for Solo movie score egendary soundtrack composer John Williams has confirmed he is composing the main theme for Solo: A Star Wars Story, which is set for cinematic release on May 25, 2018. Williams joins John Powell, the Academy Award-winning composer who is currently completing the full score for Solo. Speaking to Variety magazine, the weekly bible of the entertainment industry, Williams said, “What I will do is offer this to John [Powell], and to Ron Howard, and if all parties are happy with it,
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then I will be happy.” The composer admitted to being anxious to hear Powell’s compositions, which will include various character themes and all other musical beats for the upcoming feature. The prolific Williams composed the music for eight of the nine Star Wars movies, winning an Oscar for Best Original Music Score in 1978 for George Lucas’ Star Wars: A New Hope. Powell previously scored movies including The Bourne Identity, United 93, and a variety of animated movies including Ferdinand, Rio, and Happy Feet.
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Making The Last Jedi Behind-the-scenes insight online s fans wait hungrily for the home video release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which is set to include an in-depth documentary on the movie’s production along with a collection of much-anticipated deleted scenes, starwars.com and Tourism Ireland
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have both released entertaining videos that highlight different aspects of the movie-making process. Kelly Marie Tran’s casting and on-set experiences as new hero Rose Tico are the focus in a short video available now on the official Star Wars website, featuring footage from her screen test
opposite John Boyega (Finn), along with interviews with director Rian Johnson, Boyega, and Tran herself. Meanwhile, Tourism Ireland have been busy promoting the country, and specifically Skellig Michael Island—the real-world location that doubled as Ahch-To in The Last Jedi—as the perfect holiday destination for Star Wars fans. A behind-the-scenes video of the shoot can be found on the Discover Ireland YouTube channel, plus an amusing Star Wars-themed guide to Ireland’s “Not so far, far away…” destinations.
Al e Curtis, 1930—2017 Remembering the actor behind the iconic Mos Eisley villain ritish actor Alfie Curtis, best known to Star Wars fans for his role as Doctor Evazan, the scarred outlaw who infamously threatened Luke Skywalker at the Mos Eisley Cantina in Star Wars: A New Hope, has passed away, aged 87. Across a prolific acting career, Curtis was a familiar face on U.K. television screens, appearing in several TV series including Q.E.D. (1982), and The Bill (1985). Born in Stepney in London’s East End, Curtis also had a small role in David Lynch’s critically acclaimed film The Elephant Man (1980).
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Evazan may not have been the most savory of characters, but his brief exchange with Luke Skywalker set the perfect tone for the wild and dangerous adventure that the young farm boy was destined to undertake. Curtis’ role was memorable not only for his vain attempt to bully a Jedi Master, but also for being the first person to fall victim to a lightsaber blade on screen. While Evazan may have been a wanted man (earning a death sentence on 12 systems), Alfie Curtis’ life will be forever celebrated for his iconic contribution to the Star Wars saga.
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Life-size reproductions being built for Galaxy’s Edge
Building a Galaxy Disney Parks progress on Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge ork continues on the construction of the immersive new Star Wars experience at Florida’s Walt Disney World and Disneyland, California, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. In December, key members of Disney resorts creative team including Scott Trowbridge, portfolio creative executive of Walt Disney Imagineering, and Imagineers Robin Reardon and Chris Beatty, revealed thrilling new details
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and images of what fans have to look forward to when the parks open in the summer of 2019. Trowbridge says of the project, “We talked a lot about authenticity—how we are building a real place in the Star Wars universe and how we are working hard to get the details right.” An example of the level of detail they are looking to attain includes the interior of the Millennium Falcon, one of Trowbridge’s favorite parts of
the project. “We’ve all seen her on screen,” he says in a post on the official Disney Parks blog, “but until you climb through that hatch, walk through her hallways, sit inside the cockpit, power her up and actually fly her yourself, it’s not quite the same.” Lucasfilm’s VP and executive creative director Doug Chiang was also on hand at the event, revealing that a fleet of full-size X-wing fighters with metal-plated hulls is also being built.
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Out of the Toybox
Available now, exclusively from Disney stores
A new breed of action gure marches onto Disney Store shelves he distinctive look of Star Wars Disney Infinity has been translated into a new line of articulated action figures available from the Disney Store and shopDisney.com. The first wave of the Toybox collection features Rey, Kylo Ren, and a First Order stormtrooper, each with 14 points of articulation and a unique accessory.
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THE LIGHT SIDE
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The stormtrooper figure features a blaster accessory, while Rey and Kylo Ren can hold their lightsabers in one hand and make Force gestures with the other. In the case of Kylo Ren, this means a menacing Forcechoke, making his sculpt stylized yet sinister. Each character can hold the others’ accessories to maximise play possibilities, and the range
is compatible with Disney’s other Toybox figures, allowing for crossover adventures in the Marvel and PIXAR universes, among others. Keep an eye on the Disney Store and shopDisney.com for new characters to be released throughout 2018 priced from $12.95, and recruit an army of new figures for your budding collection.
By Russ Brown and Jamie Cosley
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Timeline
In the cards
Important dates in Star Wars history.
Topps trades up with new The Last Jedi scenes opps Journey to The Last Jedi trading cards gave us glimpses of new characters, new ships, and adorable porgs months before the movie debuted. Now that we’ve seen the film, there are even more exciting cards to collect. Featuring behind-the-scenes shots, eye-catching concept art, portraits of our heroes and villains, and more, the range will include lenticular cards and other animation
1954 March 1: Ron Howard, director of Solo: A Star Wars Story is born.
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Find out more at Topps.com effects. Collect them, trade them, even frame them, and relive the magic of the film over, and over again.
1976 March 8: Freddie Prinze Jr. (Kanan Jarrus) is born. 1976 April 13: The Mos Eisley scenes from Star Wars: A New Hope begin filming at Elstree Studios in London. 1977 March 16: Recording of the musical score for Star Wars: A New Hope is completed. 1978 March 1: Splinter of the Mind’s Eye, by Alan Dean Foster is published by Del Rey. 1979 March 5: Filming commences on The Empire Strikes Back. 1983 March 1: Lupita Nyong’o (Maz Kanata) is born. 1992 Apr 10: Daisy Ridley (Rey) is born. 2000 April 4: Star Wars: The Essential Chronology, by Kevin J. Anderson and Daniel Wallace, is published by Del Rey.
Build BB-8! …and stage The Last Jedi in miniature with the latest LEGO sets e’s a BB unit. Orange and white. One of a kind! Or at least, he used to be… Brick by brick, the roly-poly body of Poe Dameron’s best astromech pal takes shape with the new LEGO set that let’s you build your own nine-inch-high copilot to fight the First Order. Featuring 1,106 pieces, LEGO BB-8 (set 75187) is aimed at builders aged 10 and upward,
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and come comes with a display stand and a minifigure-scale g BB-8 to boot! Other LEGO Star Wars: The Last Jedi sets available now include the Resistance Transport Pod (set 75167) with Finn and Rose minifigures, a First Order Heavy Assault Walker (set 75189) with Rey and Poe minifigures, a Resistance Bomber (set 75188) with an Admiral Holdo minifigure, and a First Order Star Destroyer (set 75190), which opens to reveal a Supreme Leader Snoke minifigure and BB-9E! LEGO BB-8, $99.99; Resistance Transport Pod, $29.99; First Order Heavy Assault Walker, $149.99; Resistance Bomber, $109.99; Star Destroyer, $159.99; all from LEGO.com/starwars.
2005 April 5: LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game was released.
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Time for the Jedi to end? Nixon synchronizes watches with The Last Jedi
f you’re one of those people who finds it difficult choosing between the light side and the dark side, then Nixon’s hot new range of The Last Jedi themed timepieces and accessories will at least help you keep track of night and day, while you pack your Star Wars booty
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into some exquisitely crafted bags and backpacks. The collection features watches and bags inspired by characters from the movie, including the First Order Executioner Trooper Charger watch with a laser for a second hand, and Rey’s functional crossbody bag. Prices
Search for Star Wars at nixon.com to discover more.
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range from just $125 to $275, and the collection is selling out fast. Other cool items still available include a Cassian Andor watch from Nixon’s Star Wars: Rogue One collection, and a parsectracking Han Solo timepiece. Search for Star Wars at nixon.com to discover more awesome watches.
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Let the Empire do the dirty work These robot vacuums make cleaning fun! imited edition Darth Vader and First Order stormtrooper POWERbots are now available from Samsung. The robot vacuums are expert pilots, using their own version of the Force to sense the presence of obstacles as they clean up your space. Standing at just 3.8 inches, the POWERbots are designed to look like iconic Star Wars helmets, and comes equipped with sound effects from the saga. The Darth Vader edition starts up with audio of the Dark Lord’s breathing, for example! WiFi connectivity means that you can control the vacuums with your smartphone, or with voice commands via Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Suction is 20 times more powerful than the previous generation of POWERbots, giving the pair a tractor-beam-like pull. And if you’re worried about how they’ll fare when they reach the Outer Rim, the Edge Clean Master bristle brush is on hand to see that no dust escapes its clutches! The POWERbot Limited Edition Stormtrooper is priced at $499, while the Limited Edition Darth Vader is priced at $699.
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Available now from Samsung.com
May the Force be micro Judge these cute collectibles by their size, would you? tar Wars Micro Force is a new range of charmingly sculpted blind-bag figures that takes larger-than-life characters and shrinks them down to about 1 inch tall. The new and cool collectibles span each and every era of Star Wars on screen,
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and come in packs of two, complete with a checklist card showing all the figures in that wave. On sale now, Wave 1 includes original trilogy characters such as Han Solo in Hoth gear, Boba Fett, Princess Leia, and Chewie, as well as Ahsoka Tano. Wave 2
spans the entire saga, with appearances from Darth Maul, Palpatine, Jyn Erso, Rey, Finn, and Captain Phasma. Each new wave comprises 12 figures in total. Star Wars Micro Force is now available from HasbroToyShop.com and major retailers, priced at $2.99 per bag.
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R2-XL! If action gures were life-sized... ith its metallic dome and sticker decals, Kenner’s original R2-D2 action figure was one of the most realistic entries in the 1970s–80s Star Wars toy range. In fact, the only thing about the figure that wasn’t lifelike was the fact that it was small enough to fit into your pocket. Now, Gentle Giant Ltd. is set to put that right with a replica of the Kenner figure that is big enough to play with you! Based on a digital scan of a mint-
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condition vintage action figure, the new R2-D2 Life-size Monument stands three-and-a-half feet tall, roughly the same size as the actual movie prop. It even re-creates all the charming details of the 3.75-inch toy, right down to the mold lines down the sides of the articulated legs, and the vac-metal dome clicks when you turn it, just like the original toy! The R2-D2 Life-size Monument, priced $2,800, is expected to ship in July 2018.
On with their heads! First Order executioner among new helmets from ANOVOS osplayers and collectors looking for The Last Jedi headgear will be seeing red (in a good way!) with the Elite Praetorian Guard helmet from ANOVOS. Things look much more black and white for fans that opt for the First Order Executioner helmet, however! With screen-accurate details and re-created from screen-used assets, both helmets come ready to wear, with adjustable padding for a secure fit. The Executioner helmet is molded from highgloss ABS plastic and is painted with a striking matte black stripe, perfectly matching the movie prop. The fiberglass Executioner helmet features a removable face plate. The Praetorian Guard helmet is priced at $600, with the Executioner at $275. See the full range at ANOVOS.com.
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Book Club e ee’ss so et g o eve y Sta Wa s eade w t these upcoming publishing releases.
The Last Jedi adaptations for all ages
Star Wars:The Last Jedi novelizations offer deeper insights on epic events Out in hardback on March 6, the adult novelization of Star Wars: The Last Jedi promises an even deeper look at all the characters, twists, and world-building that shapes the most recent episode of the Skywalker space saga. Tying in with the release date of The Last Jedi on Blu-ray and digital, the novel provides an ideal chance to contrast and compare the two different
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story formats. The author is Jason Fry, whose Star Wars credits include fleshing out lesserknown characters in the epic Servants of the Empire junior novels and also the meticulously researched interstellar interiors from The Last Jedi: Incredible Cross-Sections. Yet, despite his rock-solid resume, Fry still felt some trepidation when taking on the task
of adapting the movie. “The Last Jedi has three primary plot threads, with each locked off from the others until the climax,” Fry explains. “I needed to juggle all those disparate narratives, and still find the room to effectively explore the new characters such as Rose Tico and Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo.” Debuting alongside the the adult offering on March
6 is the junior novelization of The Last Jedi, penned by Michael Kogge. Like the other book, this version also contains extra content not seen in the theatrical release, adding more depth to an already fantastic story. Aside from being written in kid-friendly prose, young readers are sure to enjoy the eight pages of full-color photos from the film.
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The Last Jedi: Deluxe Movie Storybook
DK Readers: What is a Droid? and Lightsaber Battles
Star Wars IncrediBuilds: BB-8 Deluxe Book and 3D Wood Model
Star Wars IncrediBuilds: A-wing Deluxe Book and 3D Wood Model
The Star Wars IncrediBuilds series has a new contender for most adorable wood creation with its new BB-8 book and model set. Subtitled “An inside look at the intrepid little astromech droid,” it features punchout wooden pieces that enable any fan to build a 3D model suitable for display. Included is a 32-page hardcover book loaded with in-universe stats covering BB-8’s hardware and heroism, as well as behind-thescenes imagery and a special interview with BB-8’s talented designer.
Back in 1983, the A-wing fighter made its first on-screen appearance in Return of the Jedi, before speeding back into the epic film saga in The Last Jedi. With this IncrediBuilds kit, subtitled “Inside the Resistance’s High-Speed Interceptor,” you can build your own speedy starfighter from laser-cut wooden sections before painting and customizing it however you like. The 32-page hardback book brings the story of the A-wing alive, from the Rebel Alliance era to its Resistance revival.
IfThe Last Jedi: Junior Novelization is too much of a stretch for a young Jedi, then perhaps the Deluxe Movie Storybook could be the ideal read for them. The 128-page book by Elizabeth Schaefer boasts illuminating illustrations by artist Brian Rood. While the junior novel targets a slightly older audience aged eight to twelve, the Deluxe Movie Storybook is aimed squarely at readers aged six to eight, with a much more visual take on the movie. A shorter, Read-Along version of the storybook is also set for release.
Learning to read has never been more fun than with DK’s offering aimed at younger Star Wars fans. What is a Droid is a Level 1 Reader aimed at kids aged from three to five, using short, simple sentences to showcase famous droids, from Star Wars Rebels’ Chopper to Rogue One’s K-2SO, and, of course, R2-D2 and C-3PO. Lightsaber Battles (a level 2 reader for five to seven year-olds) explores epic clashes from ObiWan and Vader to Rey and Kylo Ren, to build vocabulary in a fun way.
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Comics Roundup From Aphra to Hera, galactic heroines take center stage in the latest Star Wars releases
Bravery in Every Era
Star Wars Adventures and Forces of Destiny Offer Engaging Comic-Book Tales for Readers of All Ages Star Wars Adventures rolls onwards and Star Wars: Forces of Destiny reprints its greatest tales in the latest comics releases from IDW. Issue #8 of Star Wars Adventures, written by Sholly Fisch with artwork by Sean Galloway, focuses on the ensemble cast of the popular animated series Star Wars: Rebels and wraps up a storyline begun in the previous issue. When the crew of the Ghost finds themselves trapped on an Imperial ship with no way out, notorious pirate Hondo Ohnaka may be their only hope, as long as he doesn’t sell them
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out to the highest bidder! As a bonus, the issue also contains an all-new “Tales from Wild Space” backup story. Star Wars: Forces of Destiny returns with a new collection, reprinting the complete five-part weekly series in a 128-page trade paperback. The new anthology spans eras from the Clone Wars to the clash between the Resistance and the First Order, and stars such powerful and diverse characters as Rey, Leia, Hera Syndulla, Ahsoka Tano and Padmé Amidala, as well as newcomers Rose and Paige Tico. The collection features the
writing talents of Elsa Charretier, Pierrick Colinet, Jody Houser, Delilah S. Dawson, Beth Revis, and Devin Grayson with artwork by Charretier, Arianna Florean, Eva Widermann, Valentina Pinto, and Nicoletta Baldari.
Authors and Artists
Many of the authors of the Forces of Destiny collection previously wrote bonafide works of galactic fiction, with Dawson, Houser, and Revis all having penned Star Wars novels and comics. Grayson is a Batman veteran, and Charretier—the collection’s cover artist—made her mark on the IDW series The Infinite Loop.
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Incoming Don’t Miss These Great Forthcoming Titles
Star Wars: Doctor Aphra As the Doctor Aphra series—the only current Star Wars comic based on an original comics character—enters its second year, it finds itself in the steady hands of co-writers Kieron Gillen and Simon Spurrier. Although Gillen has been on the series since the beginning (originally crafting the character in the pages of Darth Vader), Spurrier is an all-new addition, and the gifted writer has wasted no time in throwing the rogue archaeologist into her deadliest adventure ever. A veteran of Marvel’s X-Force, Spurrier worked closely with Gillen to plot an arc that pits Aphra against a medley of her former allies. Where once she had aligned herself with a pair of murderous droids—the malicious C-3PO and R2-D2 analogues Triple-Zero and BeeTee-One—she now finds herself on the receiving end of their malevolence in Doctor Aphra #17. As part of a mismatched squad of criminals dedicated to stealing from the Empire and the rebels alike, Aphra is attempting to infiltrate a secret rebel training center when she attracts the
MARCH Star Wars: Thrawn #2 (of 6) Writer Jody Houser Artist Luke Ross Cover artist Paul Renaud Star Wars #44 & #45 Writer Kieron Gillen Artist Salvador Larroca Cover artist David Marquez Darth Vader #13 Writer Charles Soule Artist Giuseppe Camuncoli Cover artist Giuseppe Camuncoli
attention of her old foe, Imperial officer Magna Tolvan. The issue, which was released in February, features interior art by Emilio Laiso (illustrator of the Star Wars: Rogue One comics adaptation) and a cover by Ashley Witter.
Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #18 Writers Kieron Gillen & Simon Spurrier Artist Emilio Laiso Cover artist Ashley Witter Star Wars Adventures #8 Writer Sholly Fisch Artist Sean Galloway
Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The Clone Wars Vol. 2 The latest Star Wars Legends Epic Collection, which reprints some great tales inspired by the prequel trilogy, offers a truly fine combination of storytelling and value within its 424 pages. As the Clone Wars rage on, General Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker brace for the soggy ordeal that is the Battle of Jabiim. Skywalker later finds himself behind enemy lines alongside a fellow Jedi who used to be a Tusken Raider as the Dark Jedi Asajj Ventress moves in for the kill. Meanwhile, Senator Bail Organa deals with pirates, Quinlan Vos goes undercover, Darth Maul threatens the galaxy, and Mace Windu confronts the Separatist threat firsthand. Collecting Star Wars: Republic #55-67, Star Wars: Darth Maul “Death Sentence” #1-4, and material from Star Wars Tales #22, the volume boasts writers that include Haden W.
Star Wars: Poe Dameron #25 Writer Charles Soule Artist Angel Unzueta Cover artist Phil Noto
Blackman, John Ostrander, Tom Taylor, and Ian Edginton, and artists Brian Ching, Jan Duursema, Tomas Giorello, Brandon Badeaux, Bruno Redondo, and Steve Pugh. On sale March 21.
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A HERO’S JOURNEY
Often the bad guys in movies are criticized for being one-note or at, but the story of Kylo Ren is proving that villains can have an arc that is similar to the heroic monomyth. Tricia Barr examines the Villain’s Journey of Kylo Ren. WORDS BY TRICIA BARR
magine Kylo Ren’s story as reddened footprints stretching out before us on the salty surface of Crait. They represent the journey of Kylo Ren as it unfolds in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. If we turn and look backwards we can start to see more footsteps, the ones taken by the character in The Force Awakens. Further in the distance are subtle moments in time revealed through remembrances in The Last Jedi and by events covered in the novel Star Wars: Bloodline, written by Claudia Gray. Some of these footprints are blurry—stretches of his life story that remain hazy to the fans—but taking them all together we have enough to see the arc of Kylo Ren’s Villain’s Journey. The beats are the same as a monomyth, but instead of a heroic rise there is a tragic descent into darkness. When we first meet Kylo Ren in The Force Awakens, his quest is revealed. He seeks the map to Luke Skywalker, that he might hunt down and eliminate the last Jedi. The conclusion of The Last Jedi brings the man once known as Ben Solo—Luke’s erstwhile
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Jedi apprentice—to the pinnacle of this quest. The First Order assault force closes in to crush the fragile remnants of the Resistance, including Ren’s mother General Leia Organa, inside an old rebel base. One man stands in his way— Luke Skywalker—who appears to have returned from self-imposed isolation. Kylo Ren marches out to defeat his former master, to destroy the Jedi, and their legend along with him. Everything that has occurred during Kylo Ren’s Villain’s Journey drives the emotional stakes to this climactic moment. However, before we can talk about where this journey takes him, we must go back to the beginning…
First Steps Into Darkness A Hero’s Journey can be marked by certain specific phases. So too can Kylo Ren’s Villain’s Journey. The Ordinary World for the Hero’s Journey often reveals the hero to be a mere commoner, or isolated and unaware of their true destiny as a “chosen one.” Rey’s Hero’s Journey fits the classical model in her introduction as a scavenger isolated on the desolate world of Jakku. Ben Solo is born into a life where his bloodline and mythic powers are his ordinary world.
Kylo Ren marches out to defeat his former master, to destroy the Jedi, and their legend along with him.
The Rebellion, the fight against tyranny, the Force—these are what he knows and understands. What allows the audience to understand and identify with Ben Solo is a long established familiarity with the epic Skywalker saga—with all the Star Wars stories that have come before The Force Awakens. The Call to Adventure occurs in the novel Bloodline. Ben Solo, who is off on a quest, training with his uncle Luke, learns that his grandfather was the evil Sith Lord Darth Vader. This shocking truth, exposed by Leia Organa’s political rivals, unveils a secret Ben’s family has hidden from him. While we can relate and empathize with the fact that there was never a good time to tell a child a truth that shames the family, most can understand the betrayal Ben Solo must have felt upon learning how deeply and how long his family had deceived him. The Meeting with the Mentor— his dark side tutor, Supreme Leader Snoke—is obscured from the audience, but conversations in The Force Awakens make apparent that the First Order’s Supreme Leader is the character who guided Ben’s fall to the dark side. On D’Qar, Leia tells Han Solo, “It was Snoke. He seduced our son to the dark side. But we can still save him. Me. You.” Later, when Han confronts him on Starkiller Base, Ren says, “Your son is gone. He was weak and foolish, like his father. So I destroyed him.” Han counters, “That’s what Snoke wants you to believe, but it’s not true. My son is alive.” Later Han asserts, “Snoke is using you for your power. When he gets what he wants, he’ll crush you—you know it’s true.” The script states that “[Kylo] does know it,” but perhaps the betrayals by his family in Ben’s past prevent him from accepting that truth. Kylo Ren fulfills Snoke’s wishes and kills his father. Despite the initiating event of his journey and the arrival of his villainous mentor, Ben Solo
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A HERO’S JOURNEY
resists the dark path for some time. He stays with Luke, and in remembrances from both Luke and Kylo Ren in The Last Jedi we learn that the darkness grew inside him as he continued to train at the Jedi academy. The Crossing of the Threshold occurs on the fateful night when Luke enters Ben‘s hut and looks into his young apprentice’s heart. For a moment, as Skywalker tells it, he considers killing his nephew as he lies sleeping, but he quickly decides against it. Ben wakes to see his uncle standing over him with a lightsaber lit, and instinctively defends himself. So, just as Rey’s Hero’s Journey starts in a fight for survival, fleeing Niima Outpost in the Millennium Falcon, Ben’s path to becoming a villain in the galaxy far, far away is also influenced by a survival instinct taking over. His dark impulses stoked, Ben blasts Luke with the Force and leaves him for dead. He then destroys the Jedi academy, like his grandfather Darth Vader had pillaged the Jedi Temple on Coruscant as a fledgling Sith.
Testing A Villain Many contemporary movies use the steps found in the Hero’s Journey from Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structures for Writers, which is a refined, modern take on the Hero’s Journey monomyth described by
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Joseph Campbell in 1949. Taken as a whole, The Force Awakens comprises the Test, Allies, and Enemies phase for Kylo Ren. This is the portion of the journey when the protagonist—in this case, Kylo Ren as the central figure of his own villainous arc, rather than as the antagonist in Rey’s heroic adventure—confronts physical and emotional challenges, meets individuals who slow 01 down his progress, and must decide who can be trusted. 02 Each of these tests moves him toward a true knowing of himself as an individual. As expected for a villain in Star Wars, his allies, such as General Hux, aren’t so much
Kylo Ren corners Rey on Takodana. As he attacks the Resistance fleet in his TIE silencer, Ren hesitates when given the opportunity to kill his mother.
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friends as individuals with mutual goals. At the beginning of The Last Jedi, Snoke makes apparent to Hux and Ren that they have both failed their tests as his underlings, as seen during the previous film. Kylo begins The Force Awakens tracking down the map to Luke, but fails, owing to the efforts of new adversaries: “a girl,” a droid and a defector. He pursues them to Takodana, where he unwisely leaves the planet without BB-8, based on his confidence he can retrieve the map from Rey’s mind. His failed attempt to interrogate the scavenger only further awakens her latent Force powers, which then enables her to escape captivity. He passes his next personal test— killing his own father to cement his commitment to the dark side—and bests Finn in lightsaber combat before finding Rey to be a more formidable adversary than he ever expected. In the Vogler model, The Approach to the Inmost Cave is the phase where the protagonist enters a special world and faces doubts. In The Last Jedi, director Rian Johnson creates a realm that is new even to longtime fans of Star Wars. The supernatural connection between Rey and Ren provides a means for the pair to converse with each other; to share some understanding and even sympathy. Ren confesses to Rey about the start of his villain’s journey, and she reveals to him
LEIA ORGANA
KYLO AND CAMPBELL A PRACTICAL GUIDE Christopher Vogler’s Hero’s Journey formula has been the go-to model of filmmakers since the 1980s, when his memo “A Practical Guide to The Hero With a Thousand Faces” condensed and modernized Joseph Campbell’s historically focused monomythic model. But elements of classical mythology continue to appear in fresh new stories, often with a twist that reflects current trends in the world they are written. Some of the Campbellian elements found in Kylo Ren’s Villain’s Journey include Meeting with the Goddess and Woman as Temptress.
MEETING WITH THE GODDESS
Campbell describes The Meeting with the Goddess as an event where the hero meets a powerful female figure that gives him the support or information needed for his quest. In A New Hope, Luke meets Leia; in The Force Awakens, Rey meets Maz Kanata. Often in stories studied by Campbell, the Goddess offers unconditional love. For a villain, heroic tropes are twisted; for Ren, this support takes the form of conditions he must meet in order to earn the “love” of a powerful male figure, Snoke.
WOMAN AS TEMPTRESS
In The Force Awakens, Ren is distracted by the woman who flies the Millennium Falcon. Rey is the Temptress that lures Ren away from his quest to find and kill Luke Skywalker. If he hadn’t abducted her and awakened her Force powers, things might have gone differently. In The Last Jedi, Rey stands before Kylo Ren in Snoke’s Throne Room, asking him to join her to save the remnants of the Resistance fleet that is being destroyed by the First Order. She represents trust and unconditional hope that he can return to the light. Those hoping for a redemption for the son of Han and Leia share her optimistic request for him to join her. However, Ren rejects her entreaty and cements his path to the dark side.
A HERO’S JOURNEY
her quest into the dark sea cave to find out who she really is. What is remarkable is that the sequel trilogy’s hero and villain, by way of their unique connection in the Force, create a strong impression of the duality that exists between the characters. Rey’s the light, the hero, and Kylo’s the dark, the hero’s shadow. Rey represents hope, and Kylo its absence. Generally during the Hero’s Journey, the hero is confronting these elements within themselves. In The Last Jedi, the Force itself becomes a character, with those two opposing sides facing the other. When Rey sits on the rocky outcrop with Luke asking her to look into the Force, she sees the light, the dark, the new life, and the destruction that exists within it. Perhaps it’s the fact that Ren learns before Rey can admit to herself what she has always known—that she is the child of no notable bloodline (from his point of view)—that causes him to begin to doubt his own place in the galaxy. His lineage doesn’t necessarily guarantee his position of greatness. He gains an understanding that his position must be earned. This brings us to the Supreme Ordeal, which happens in Snoke’s Throne Room after Rey has given herself up to the First Order in the hope of swaying Ren. The Ordeal requires the protagonist to pass a physical test or experience an emotional inner crisis while facing a deadly foe, drawing upon their lessons learned and skills acquired during the Tests. When Ren turns Rey’s lightsaber toward Supreme Leader Snoke, then powers it up to cleave through him, he outwits his master—accomplishing something Darth Vader had not been able to in the two decades between Revenge of the Sith and Return of the Jedi. The Last Jedi relies heavily on the beats and visual cues of Return of the Jedi to drive home the closure Ren achieves as a villain. He finishes what his grandfather started—as he promises to do when addressing Vader’s burnt helmet in The Force Awakens—and slays his master to seize control of the First
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Order. This would be the Reward in the Vogler monomyth model. For a Hero, this Reward is the means by which the character would help save their Ordinary World following the Road Back. While Rey struggles to find a way to save the last members of the Resistance, Kylo Ren marches the resources of the First Order toward their base on Crait, his intention to crush the Resistance and the mother he feels betrayed him. Earlier in the film, he fails a similar test to kill his mother when his finger hesitates on the trigger while flying his TIE silencer in the assault on the Raddus. By the end, he has resolved to address that error and intends to complete the task this time. (Though as a storytelling
point his earlier failure may have lulled some in the audience to believing Ren was drawing closer to deciding he was on the wrong path, rather than leading him to recommit to it.) The Climax of Ren’s Villain’s Journey is the showdown with his former master. Rey, Ren’s opposite, has convinced Luke there is hope. By leaving to confront Ren, she has also reminded Luke that being a Jedi requires selflessness. It is an incredibly selfless act to let go of the hate and anger Rey must feel, knowing what Ren did to Han Solo—a man who respected her enough to give her a chance at a better life and a man she knew to be a hero of the Rebellion. After a little more prodding from Yoda,
Luke is ready to let go of his 03 guilt and fear of failure and try again. In the aftermath of Ren’s battle with the Forceprojection of Luke, one can imagine Luke sitting on Ahch04 To reciting Yoda’s mantra: Do or do not, there is no try. From a distant rock, light years away, Luke fools Ren, who is intense and eager to finish the man responsible for Vader’s ‘failure’ and who thought about killing him as an apprentice. As the First Order lets the might of its firepower rain down on the last Jedi, the deception might not have been apparent. But up close, in the personal confrontation, had Kylo Ren paid attention to his surroundings—the blue lightsaber
Ren and Rey share a deep connection through the Force, in The Last Jedi. (Left) “You’re no Vader. You’re just a child in a mask,” Snoke’s chilling words to Kylo. (Left)
or the lack of footprints on the salt plain—he might have seen that Luke was using the same tactic as Poe in the opening scene, or Holdo during the second act, and using a diversion to buy the good guys more time, to find a way to survive. Ren’s journey, for now at least, concludes with his villainous goal thwarted, obscured by his blinkered, selfish bloodlust. On the flipside of that moment, however, the remaining Resistance warriors are discovering that the light of the Jedi has returned to the galaxy, and that light’s name is Rey.
Tricia Barr is co-author of Ultimate Star Wars and the Star Wars Visual Encyclopedia. Follow her on Twitter @fangirlcantina.
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c ct as n e t p e hiip een r Kanan Jarrus and Hera Syndulla. As the series reaches its climax, we ask: will their love survive, and how did it blossom in the rst place? WORDS: SHANA O’NEILL
REBEL ROMANCE
omantic relationships in the Star Wars universe can be a bit rocky to say the least. Look at some of the most well-known couplings: Han and Leia, ObiWan and Satine Kryze, Anakin and Padmé, Thane Kyrell and Ciena Ree… It is clear that the path of true love does tend to be filled with some crater-sized obstacles, no matter how much we want our favorite couples to make it work. There’s one couple in the Star Wars universe, however, that’s been going strong for years now: renegades Kanan Jarrus and Hera Syndulla of Star Wars Rebels. Kanan and Hera, known by the nickname of “Kanera” to a lot of fans, are a favorite for many reasons, not least the equality in their relationship and their implicit trust in each other. Kanan is a Jedi Knight and he’s been trained against having attachments. Hera is committed to fighting the Empire first and foremost. But they’ve learned how to fight for each other (and the rest of the Ghost crew) without forgetting the needs of the overall mission—even if that puts one of them in danger in the short term. That’s not to say things bewteen them have always been easy. The couple have seen their fair share of obstacles. But if there’s one thing we’ve come to know about them, it’s that, no matter what happens, Hera and Kanan will always find their way back to each other.
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A New Dawn Kanan Jarrus fell in love with Hera Syndulla before he ever saw her face. One second she was a cloaked figure asking for directions in a seedy part of town on Gorse, and the next he was willing to follow that voice anywhere. Not that Hera made it easy on him. She had gone to Gorse to find intel for her own rebellious efforts, not to pick up some drifter, but the young Kanan Jarrus and 18-year-old Hera Syndulla teamed up to help save Gorse from total destruction and to bring down Count Viridian, while dealing a blow to the Empire at the same time. Talk about the start of a beautiful friendship. While Kanan set upon joining Hera on her “damn fool idealistic crusade” largely based on his attraction to her, Hera made it clear that any romance between the two of them would need to go unexplored when weighed against the larger fight against the Empire. We sensed the attraction was mutual, but Hera Syndulla isn’t one to let herself get distracted. They soon found a perfect
rhythm together as partners and friends as Kanan became Hera’s co-pilot onboard the Ghost. As their efforts to disrupt the Empire grew, so did their crew. The Spectres—their codename for the ship’s crew—became a party of five. Kanan, as Spectre 1, oversaw the planning and execution of operations. As Spectre 2, Hera pilots the Ghost as captain and Kanan’s equal partner. Hera’s droid, Chopper became Spectre 3. Zeb Orrelios, a Lasat, joined as Spectre 4, and the Mandalorian Sabine Wren came on board as Spectre 5.
A Love Story By the time we meet the Ghost crew at the start of Star Wars Rebels, Hera and Kanan have settled into a companionable friendship, a partnership underscored by a loving bond. In fact, as far as a great many fans were concerned, Kanan and Hera were “Space Married.” In essence, the two are a couple in pretty much everything but name. Hera habitually calls Kanan “Love” or “Dear;” and they even refer to Ezra, Zeb, and Sabine as “the kids;” they spar verbally; to offer reassurance they touch; and they fight side by side as one. While there is no explicit recognition of what is going on between them in Season One, there is no denying that Hera’s clearly upset when Kanan elects to be left on Lothal and allows himself to be captured in order to save the rest of the Ghost crew in “Call to Action.” Two episodes later, in the first season finale, “Fire Across the Galaxy,”
“Kanan Jarrus fell in love with Hera Syndulla before he ever saw her face.”
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REBEL ROMANCE
01 When alone, Kanan and Hera share moments of intimacy. (Right) 02 Kanan and Hera: ”Space Married”. (Right) 03 Kanan, blinded by Darth Maul on Malachor, is comforted by Hera. (Right)
there is a smile on Kanan’s face that shows he’s particularly happy to see Hera when the Spectres come back to rescue him—especially during the hug they share. It’s a moment Kanera “shippers” (fan proponents of the relationship) point to as proof that there’s more going on here than just a simple friendship. Moving into the second season of Rebels, we watched as Kanan and Hera’s relationship became a foundation for deeper emotional moments. When Hera is wounded while trying to orchestrate an alliance with Fenn Rau in “The Protector of Concord Dawn,” Kanan’s concern runs deeper than friendship. We also see Kanan lose his proverbial cool when meeting Hera’s father, Cham Syndulla. Cham may be a hero of the Rebellion, but Kanan’s nerves aren’t those of a soldier meeting a soldier, but of a boyfriend meeting his beloved’s father for the first time. Tongue-tied Kanan is a favorite among Kanera fans. The two most notable moments in Season Two for the couple come in the two-part finale, “Twilight of the Apprentice.” Sabine gently hits Kanan upside the head when he seems to be unaware of Hera’s apparent concern about his mission to Malachor. While neither voices their feelings for one another, Kanan promises Hera they’ll see each other again and the two share a long, comforting hug. It’s a goodbye neither wants to say, but they know it needs to happen. Kanan does, indeed, return from Malachor, but is blind when he does so. He can no longer see Hera, but her love still shines in her face as she cradles his face in her hands. Whatever they fight, they fight it together.
“Hera can empathize with Kanan while also challenging him.”
Back to Business After these emotional moments at the end of the second season, many fans were keen for things to heat up between Kanan and Hera in Season Three. But the appearance of Grand Admiral Thrawn put any romance on the backburner. After all, would you take time out for canoodling if there was a military genius on your tail? That said, the moments we do get in the third season are treasures. As they talk about Sabine in
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“Trials of the Darksaber,” we can see that the pair are close. Hera can empathize with Kanan while also challenging him. She can see his frustration as he tries to train Sabine, but also tells him to get his head out of his afterburners and stop trying to protect the young woman, reminding him of her own battles with her father. It’s a rare individual who can tell Kanan that, “This is not about you,” and have him actually take it to heart. Not every Kanera interaction in Season Three is so serious, either. Kanan’s crack that he “gets the feeling Thrawn’s really trying” to kill them ellicits a chuckled threat from Hera before she urges him to, “Come home, love.” Both of them are all too aware of the stakes, yet they always try to lighten the mood. On more than one occasion, it is clear that Hera’s amused rage at Kanan’s often cavalier attitude is mutually reassuring. Kanan blows off steam in times of crisis by making wisecracks and Hera understands this. It allows them to remain focused while knowing they do have each other’s backs. In other words, they just get each other, in a wonderful way. Yet while Season Three kept Kanan and Hera’s feelings under wraps, Season Four has put it all on the table. Less than halfway through the opening episode, “Heroes of Mandalore, Part 1,” the pair have a conversation via hologram which reveals that Kanan’s priorities are in a very different place when it comes to his relationship with Hera. She is still all business, focusing on the needs of the Rebellion, but he tries to turn the conversation around to how she feels about them being apart. It’s very reminiscent of Han and Leia’s “We need? What about you need?” conversation in the Rebel base on Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back.
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n and Hera ra as a couple le becomes es an actual a plot point in the seriess.”” 04 Hera and Kanan finally acknowledge their feelings. 05 Do the Ghost crew ever realize these guys are a couple? 06 Kanan was nervous when first meeting Hera’s father, Cham.
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This is the first time in the entire series that either one of them has even remotely addressed their relationship. Kanan believes that there is a conversation they need to have, and Hera knows exactly what he’s talking about. It’s hard to work out what has caused his newfound urgency, but it’s likely that almost dying on Atollon at the end of Season Three put things in perspective for him. But in this moment, Kanan and Hera as a couple becomes an actual plot point in the series. Wonderfully, it doesn’t stop there, either. Two episodes later, “In the Name of the Rebellion” we see Hera flying like an ace through a cloud-filled canyon, her maneuvers guided solely by Kanan’s Jedi senses. When she nervously quips, “I must really trust you,” he replies, “I know you do.” It’s another perfect example of what these two can accomplish together.
Kanera: Past and Future While undercover on Lothal in Season Four’s fifth episode, “The Occupation,” Kanan and Hera end up face to face in an alley and realize how long it’s been since they’ve been alone together. It’s a story beat filled with promise and back-story, and a confirmation that these two have, indeed, shared this sort of intimacy in the past. That past is also evident in the “almost” kiss that follows. There’s no awkwardness. These are two people who have clearly kissed one another before and, while the kiss is interrupted by Zeb (dang it, Zeb!), there’s little doubt these two will kiss again. That promised kiss happens in episode seven, “Kindred.” With Hera about to undertake a new mission that will put her face to face with Grand Admiral Thrawn and the might of the Imperial fleet, Kanan finds himself unwilling to let her go without finally addressing what we could call the “Kanan Loves Hera” bantha in the room. It’s funny that two people who can so easily communicate on other topics have such a blind spot when it comes to talking about their feelings for each other. But great romantic moments are built on these sorts of misunderstandings, and Rebels’ executive producer, Dave Filoni, does an excellent job of setting up what is arguably the best kiss in Star Wars. For, as much as Kanan has been her partner through their time together, it seems they’ve never talked about whether they are or aren’t a couple. The man who fell in love with a voice on Gorse is head over heels for the woman attached to that voice, and he wants to know if she feels the same way. In Hera’s mind, Kanan already knows. Once the fighting is over, and once the Empire is gone, only then can they indulge their feelings for each other. But it takes Kanan openly addressing the issue to make her realize she just assumed that
Putting the Romance into Rebellion: HERA SYNDULLA
KANAN JARRUS
Born seven years before the start of the Clone Wars, Hera Syndulla was raised to fight: for her home, for her people, for her freedom. Trained by her father, the Ryloth freedom-fighter Cham Syndulla, Hera felt the cost of fighting the Empire personally. The loss of her mother and disagreements with her father saw her looking to the skies as a way to fight the Empire in the best way she knew how—as a pilot. With C1-10P, a droid recovered from a fallen Y-wing on Ryloth, Hera set off in her ship, the Ghost, to lend her skills as both a pilot and a fighter to the larger struggle. Her search for new allies led her to the planet Gorse, where she met Kanan Jarrus and recruited him to join the fight. Hera Syndulla, captain of the Ghost and rebel leader, is the glue that holds her team together and the heart and soul of Star Wars Rebels.
Before he was known as Kanan Jarrus, Caleb Dume was a youngling who was brought to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant and left there. With no knowledge of his parents or homeworld, Caleb made the temple his home and was apprenticed to Jedi Master Depa Billaba. When Order 66 was initiated by the Emperor, Billaba sacrificed herself to give Caleb a chance to save himself. On the run and still reeling from her death, he met a smuggler, Janus Kasmir, who taught him the skills he would later use to survive. Caleb put aside the teachings of the Jedi and became Kanan Jarrus: scoundrel, pilot, and bounty hunter. A chance meeting with Hera Syndulla set Kanan on a new path which would eventually lead him, grudgingly, into the fight against the Empire. Once unwilling to commit to anything, Kanan Jarrus now dedicates himself to leading the Spectres, and mentoring Ezra Bridger.
he knew all of this and was 100 percent okay with it, when clearly he wasn’t. Kanan quickly realizes he may have pushed too far and tries to apologize, but he’s promptly silenced by Hera reaching up and pulling his head down to meet hers in a kiss. It’s a promise, a reassurance, and an answer to his question. Not only does she initiate this kiss, but once it ends, she cups his face in her hand and stares directly into his eyes, as if to say, “Got it?” It’s empowering, it’s loving, and is everything that Kanan ever wanted—if the look on his face is any indication. Last we saw, Hera had been captured by the foul Governor Pryce, which likely means that a face-to-face confrontation with Grand Admiral Thrawn comes next. We know that she survives thanks to Rogue One, but, beyond that, who knows? What will happen in the second half of Rebels’ final season is anyone’s guess. Will Hera and Kanan be reunited? Will they get a chance to explore their relationship further? Could things potentially get more intimate? Will they live happily ever after? The specter of doubt is raised as we already know that the Jedi are supposed to be “all but extinct” by the time we reach the events of A New Hope. But a lot can happen between now and then—and we all know that things can be true, if only from a certain point of view. Ultimately, wouldn’t we all like to see Kanan and Hera end up together for a long, long time in that galaxy far, far away?
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In December 2017, the cast and crew of The Last Jedi arrived in London, England, for a prestigious Royal premiere. Star Wars Insider braved the winter chill to speak with the big names‌ I N T E R V I E W S : J O N AT H A N W I L K I N S
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ian Johnson, the writer and director of The Last Jedi gave off an amazing aura of calm despite the excitement and frenzy of expectation that surrounded the film’s London premiere. “It feels great that people have been enjoying the movie,” he told Star Wars Insider. “I was just excited for fans and crowds to see it for the first time.” When asked about working with the late Carrie Fisher, Johnson was enthused yet thoughtful in his response. “First and foremost, she was a writer, and that’s how we first really connected. We had a lot of really nice moments on set, but the times I remember her best were when we were hanging at her house before the shoot. She was digging out books for me that she wanted to talk about. She was writing The Princess Diarist [Fisher’s personal recollections from the set of the first Star Wars movie] when we were filming, and she showed me all the diaries from 1976. I feel really lucky to have had a little bit of time to know her.” Fisher left an incredible legacy as an icon of empowerment, and the saga is reflecting the societal change that she championed, with The Last Jedi boasting the most diverse cast of all of the films to date. Was there a conscious decision to reflect the real world in the movie? “It felt right, it felt good as I was writing it,” Johnson explained. “Star Wars should reflect the world as it is today and the world as it actually looks around us. Movies are doing that more and more now. It’s nothing but a good thing.” Still looming large for filmmakers playing in the Star Wars sandbox is its visionary creator, George Lucas. What did he make of Johnson’s film? “He was very gracious,” Johnson revealed. “I grew up not just loving Star Wars; I attended the same film school that George Lucas had studied at because I’d read about it in a book and discovered that he went there. To be able to chat with him and hear his kind words about the movie we made was pretty good.”
R2-D2 and C-3PO walk the red carpet
Daisy Ridley (Rey) arrives at the premiere.
Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) with wife Marilou.
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n sharp contrast to his ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ appearance in The Force Awakens, Mark Hamill has lots to do in The Last Jedi. Were there any surprises for him? “We planned it all out pretty meticulously,” he said. “What I didn’t expect was, when we were shooting, I kept having ice-cold water dropped onto me. I was trying to work out how I was going to deliver the dialogue and then… Brrr! It was all I could do to not fall over!”
Given his status as a Star Wars veteran, Hamill was protective over the new cast, though he also admitted to feeling a tinge of jealousy at their adventures. “The cast is so spectacular, everyone is talented in their own way. I felt a strong sense of nostalgia! I used to be the orphan discovery with hidden powers, now we’ve got Rey. I used to be the hotshot, impulsive X-wing fighter pilot, and now we’ve got Poe Dameron. I used to be the one sneaking around
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enemy territory in disguise, now we’ve got Rose Tico and Finn. So I had to fight the irrational urge that it’s a bunch of strangers rummaging through my old toy box playing with my old toys! But basically now at this age, I’m happy to let the kids do more heavy lifting.” Given that Luke Skywalker is now the elder statesman of Star Wars, would Hamill compare his role to that of Sir Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi? “At first, when I read the script [for The Last Jedi], I thought, ‘this is really taking me out of my comfort zone.’ We’ve seen benign, wise Jedi before, and nobody can do it better than Alec. But I think being pushed in that way was a good thing.
“I was so lucky to work with someone I admired for so long,” Hamill added. “He was so gracious with his time. He stayed in contact, writing to me with beautiful calligraphy in old-fashioned ink. I would see him in London, and we’d go out to dinner. He was one of the greatest actors ever.” In a much-documented visit, the British Royal Princes, William and Harry, toured the set during the shoot. Hamill seized the chance to solve a mystery that had given him sleepless nights since the making of Return of the Jedi. “I used the opportunity when the princes came for a tour to solve something that had been bothering me since 1982. When George told us that Carrie and I were brother
and sister, I said, ‘Wait a minute, if Luke’s Princess Leia’s brother, doesn’t that make me royalty?’ She said ‘No!’ “When I met the princes, I said, ‘My mother was Queen Amidala, my father was Lord Vader, my sister is Princess Leia. Doesn’t that make me royalty?’ Unfortunately, it was a split decision. William said yes, Harry said he needed more information!” With Luke Skywalker being one of the characters most widely reproduced on material as diverse as cereal boxes, T-shirts, masks, and of course action figures Hamill is able to see the funny side of his fame, as well. “I just enjoy it for the pure joy of being a Pez dispenser,” he joked. “I don’t care about the money, I just love being on the underoos!” s a recent addition to Star Wars movies, Kelly Marie Tran freely admitted that, at times, she had been taken aback by her experience making The Last Jedi. “This was my first substantial role in a very large movie. I’ll remember the moments we had on set for the rest of my life,” she reckoned. “You know, I was this completely new person, and it says so much about my fellow cast and crewmembers that I felt at home on that set, because everyone was so welcoming and open. I really felt like part of the family. “I just loved that Rian had this sort of child-like wonder about everything,” she continued. “Everything felt fun, and then you’d be doing a scene and hear his little laugh, and I’d think, ‘We’re doing it, we’re doing it!’ It just felt like we were hanging out in someone’s backyard making a movie for ourselves. And I think that’s really special.”
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Kelly Marie Tran (Rose Tico) enjoys the moment. Stormtroopers escort John Boyega (Finn).
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espite being badly injured during the climax of The Force Awakens, Finn has a lot of action in the new movie, and John Boyega was more than up for taking on Finn’s nemesis, Captain Phasma. “The fight with Phamsa was a challenge, because the weapon was different for me this time,” he told Insider. “There was a lot of stunt training, mostly with Gwendoline [Christie], and she has a really long reach. I needed to dodge and pirouette around her at all times.”
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When I met the princes, I said, ‘My mother was Queen Amidala, my father was Lord Vader, my sister is Princess Leia. Doesn’t that make me royalty?’ Unfortunately, it was a split decision. William said yes, Harry said he needed more information!
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iven the intense, non-stop nature of The Last Jedi, the script would surely give most producers’ nightmares, but Ram Bergman was laid back in the face of intense space battles, alien casinos, and islands of porgs. “It’s funny—when I read the script for the first time, all I cared about was the story and the characters. Rian and I had worked on a fair few drafts before we submitted a version we were happy with to Kathleen Kennedy. Rian thought it was a small movie, and I didn’t necessarily think it was that big a movie. Kathleen called me to say how much she loved the script and that this is a giant movie! She said, ‘How are you going to do this?’ “When we started diving into it, we realized the scope was really big. Fortunately, Rian was able to deliver the script a year in advance, so we had a lot of time to figure out what we needed to make the film. It wasn’t that hard. If you have someone like Rian who has a clear vision that he can articulate, it makes the process easier. When the project is driven by a person who can write, direct, and knows every element and aesthetic that he wants, with the best people in the world working for you, the rest falls into place.” As the promotional tour for The Last Jedi drew to a close, Johnson and Bergman were already looking forward to an exciting future project—an all-new Star Wars saga that will hit theaters at some point after Episode IX releases. In London, Bergman was clearly thrilled to be staying in the galaxy far, far away. “First of all I’m excited to be making more movies with Rian Johnson,” he said, “and now on top of it we can make a new trilogy of Star Wars movies. Life is good! I’ll do it for the next 10 years. If you’re working with the nicest people and best people, on behalf of the fans, what’s not to love?”
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omhnall Gleeson’s performance as Hux in The Last Jedi sees the general as angry as he is desperate in his attempt to please Supreme Leader Snoke and destroy the Resistance. Given the characters evil actions, could Gleeson find a way to identify with him? “Playing something different is more fun than playing the same thing all the time,” he reasoned.
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The magic of lm is that you live forever. For people who knew Carrie, she’ll live forever to them anyway. She was so kind, and as irreverent as anybody I’ve ever met in my life. Nobody knew what was going to happen with Carrie. I love that Rian wrote her such a beautiful role.
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“I’ve played a few good guys, and now it’s nice to play someone people would describe as being on the dark side. Of course, as an actor, I’m on his side when I’m playing him. He wants order in the galaxy, he thinks things are out of control, he’s scared of the Force— I think he probably has a point! There’s lot’s about him that I understand, but he also has a few character traits that are probably not the best! “Rian and I talked about the idea of Hux being like a kicked dog, because he’s kind of undermined in the film, but we don’t lose the idea of him being able to cause some damage. We talked about how eventually he is going to bite back.” Of his castmates, Gleeson was especially glad to share many scenes with veteran English comedy actor Adrian Edmondson. “He’s amazing. I watched his shows all the time when I was a kid,” he said. “I’m a huge fan of his, and he’s also a really nice man. He’s very funny in the film, but in a very understated, classy way. He’s the real deal, so it was an honor to work with him.” Gleeson also has fond memories of Carrie Fisher. While not sharing any scenes with her, he still recalled her generosity on set. “Carrie was really cool about coming up to people, and not making it a thing to have to approach her and say ‘Hi, I’m in the film, can I say hello?’ “The magic of film is that you live forever. For people who knew Carrie, she’ll live forever to them anyway. She was so kind, and as irreverent as anybody I’ve ever met in my life. Nobody knew what was going to happen with Carrie. I love that Rian wrote her such a beautiful role.”
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fter sharing the role with Peter Mayhew in The Force Awakens, Joonas Suotamo has now graduated to playing Chewbacca full-time. The affable Finnish actor was excited about returning to play the character in all his scenes, and enthused “It’s the best thing I could possibly hope to do for a living.” But while Chewbacca is back in action, he is without his long-time best friend. “I do miss working with Harrison Ford,” said Suotamo. “He was so much fun on set, and he kept me in my place!
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He was very serious about playing the role of Han Solo.” Paying tribute to Peter Mayhew, who is credited as a special advisor on the new film, Suotamo revealed that the retiring actor told him to bulk up a bit. “Peter and I had a long discussion before The Last Jedi. He told me how Chewbacca moves, and how he thinks. In the movies, you don’t get subtitles of Chewbacca’s thoughts, but now I know what he’s thinking.”
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ith her cool demeanor and instantly iconic hair, Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo is one of the breakout characters in the new movie. Award-winning actress Laura Dern couldn’t be more delighted with her character’s image. “It’s deeply important that she is so feminine and so in control,” explained Dern. “We all felt that a leader should be able to be feminine and not have to be one of the boys to lead. I thought that was a great choice in terms of the design, the hair, and the costume.” Despite being a big movie in terms of scope, Dern was pleased to find that the day-to-day reality was actually much more akin to a small production. “It felt protective, safe, and collaborative,” she revealed. “It was like an independent movie in way. Periodically I’d look up and see Chewbacca or R2-D2 walking past, which reminded me of what I was doing! It was the greatest party I’ve been invited to.”
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apturing the imagination of audiences across the world, Rey is very much a hero for our times. Daisy Ridley is now firmly established as an acclaimed star, with a variety of diverse roles showcasing her singular talent. Yet few of her roles have required as much physical preparation as The Last Jedi. As befits a Force-user who veers to the light side, Ridley was very much up for the challenge. “It was so rigorous, but I enjoyed pushing myself,” she said. “It’s amazing what you can do. “The big fight with Kylo Ren and Snoke’s guards involved a lot of stamina. It took two weeks to shoot. It was hard work just to keep up with everything. I think that if I just learned the basic choreography, that wasn’t really doing it justice. I had to fight and act. I hadn’t
Laura Dern (Amilyn Holdo) speaks to the press.
Daisy Ridley (Rey).
been working out in the year between making The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi—I’d been strength training. When we got back into filming we didn’t have the time to train that we had the first time around, but I felt stronger. I have to say, I felt pretty badass!” With unexpected plot twists placing the characters and actors outside of their comfort zone, Ridley relied on her director and co-star to provide continuity. “Mark [Hamill] and I have both talked about our unexpected reactions to reading The Last Jedi. We were very lucky that we had a couple weeks rehearsal with Rian where we could just talk through everything. Working with a new director and a new co-star is pretty big stuff. I felt like we were working through an
actual relationship. I seem to remember it working chronologically—or at least it seemed to in my mind. As our relationship was growing, I think the characters’ relationship was growing, as you see it on-screen.” Rey is at the forefront of a shift in modern cinema that is increasingly presenting female characters as strong, positive role-models. However, despite playing the best-loved hero on the big-screen right now, Ridley admitted that films aren’t always her thing. “I was always a book person, rather than a film person,” she shared. “All the heroes I knew were in books. Books have never discriminated quite in the way films did. I have two sisters and grew up in a very loving household, so for me I had everything I needed
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right there at home. If I had been more of a film person, it would’ve meant a great deal [to realize sooner how ground-breaking Rey is]. I really didn’t see the disparity so much, because I haven’t had access to so many Star Wars films. The way people have responded has been so wonderful, and I think it is only a good thing.” Ridley was also on hand when Princes William and Harry took their tour of the Star Wars set. “I’m not great at small talk, so I found it a bit awkward, really.” Ridley laughed. “The wonderful thing is that there are so many people involved in the making of the film who have worked far longer and far harder than the actors. To be able to take the princes to the creature workshop, and the props and costumes departments— where people aren’t always publicly recognized for the work they do—felt pretty cool.”
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iven that Poe Dameron was not initially scripted to make it into the second act of Star Wars: The Force Awakens—let alone the second movie of the new trilogy—the Resistance pilot has done pretty well for himself. “I just begged for my life until they agreed that I could make it off of Jakku!” laughed Oscar Isaac, who plays the swaggering fighter ace. “It’s definitely a good feeling to be alive.” The actor was quick to define the appeal of his character, who has become a fan favorite. “I like his laid back attitude. I’d describe him as a West Coast jazz musician. He just hangs back. He’s fast but so mellow, and with all that craziness going on too!” he said. “I remember when we were reading the script in Rian’s office with Carrie. We were just improvising and trying all sorts of crazy stuff to figure out how to play those scenes. There was a real looseness to it within all of the wildness.” Isaac relished that experience, and how Johnson developed his character. “I was really excited to see what kind of role Rian created for Poe in the story. The conflict he has to deal with is brutal. He took away the one thing that Poe knows how to do so well—jumping into an X-wing and blowing things up—so Poe had to deal with being grounded.” Isaac echoed Laura Dern’s feeling that the set felt a lot more intimate than
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I like [Poe’s] laid back attitude. I’d describe him as a West Coast jazz musician. He just hangs back. He’s fast but so mellow, and with all that craziness going on too!
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the average movie blockbuster. “I was fortunate to have so many scenes with Laura. We were on set in our jeans and T-shirts, rehearsing, and talking about our different motivations. Just to take that kind of time in such a huge movie is pretty special. I was really happy with that, and also, of course, very happy to be working with Carrie again.”
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ne of the busiest actors in Hollywood today, Andy Serkis returns to the Star Wars saga in The Last Jedi as the mysterious, much theorized-about, Supreme Leader Snoke. Though the character is irredeemably malevolent, Serkis needed to find good in him to play the role. “You have to identity with him in some way,” he set out. “I don’t believe in the concept of pure evil, but I think that we’re all very capable of incredible darkness, as well as incredible creativity and love. So you have to look honestly at yourself and think: What part is there I can possibly connect to? That’s your job as an actor. You have to use your imagination to find that part of you. We all have to admit what we’re capable of. It’s very important to try and humanize ‘evil characters’ in some way. There’s a vulnerability we tried to approach that is born out of fear—fear that the First Order is in a shoddy state, and not being handled terribly well by Hux and Kylo Ren. The thing about Snoke is that there’s this public hologram appearance he uses to scare people, and then there’s the wizard behind
The Last Jedi alumni gather at the Royal Albert Hall.
Andy Serkis (Snoke) meets the fans.
the curtain. He is so frail and fearful because he dreads this powerful feminine energy that he knows is coming to take him down.” Having worked with many acclaimed and award-winning directors, including Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg, Serkis was clear about what makes Rian Johnson stand out as one of the greats. “The greatest directors are visionary,” he said, “but at the same time, they are collaborative with actors. There are some who are great visionaries and world-builders, but when it comes to performance, they don’t have a clue. There’s no point in making something look spectacular if you don’t care about the characters.”
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he Chairman of Walt Disney Studios, Alan Horn, said he was all too aware of the seemingly impossible task of maintaining a high standard as the Star Wars saga continues. “There’s an accumulated affection and expectation with the fans as we go forward,” he said. “George Lucas started it, and J.J. Abrams did a wonderful job of carrying it on. I’m thrilled with the work of Rian Johnson. His vision will last forever.” What made Rian Johnson the perfect choice to create the new film? Horn was adamant in his response. “First of all, he is a cinephile. He really knows film and he has a great eye. He carries a camera with him everywhere, and takes pictures of everything. The film was mostly cast before he took the picture. But he’s so relatable and comfortable that I think the cast really responded to him.” Such was Johnson’s success on set, he was snapped up to create the recently announced all-new trilogy. Horn said he is excited about where the director will take the franchise in the future. “We haven’t collectively decided what that new trilogy will be, but it’s going to be very exciting. The Star Wars universe is broad and wide, and there’s lots of opportunities to develop characters that haven’t been seen before. The good thing about Rian is, not only did he direct the picture, he wrote it. He’s a true auteur. Once his screenplay is ready, we know that he will run with the ball and score!”
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UNSUNG HEROES
UNSUNG HEROES It takes a galaxy of heroes to make a saga like Star Wars, but not all of them achieve the legendary status of the Skywalkers. Insider salutes some of the less celebrated but no less heroic stars in that rmament. he Last Jedi closes with a group of children reenacting the adventures of a mythical legend known as Luke Skywalker. Like Rey before them, they idolize the tales of this almost mythical figure, little realizing that without the help of people just like them, Skywalker’s struggle to defeat the evil Empire could never have been won. People like plucky pilot Wedge Antilles, or duplicitous space pirate Hondo Ohnaka, or even Imperial agents-turned-rebels like Alexsandr Kallus. The truth is that true heroism can come in many shapes and forms, from the simple act of making the right decision at the right moment, to standing up to bullies, or in simply supporting your friends in their time of need. The Star Wars saga is littered with such characters —the unsung heroes of the galaxy—whose actions are driven by various motivations, yet whose assistance and often sacrifices have played a crucial role in the successes of the heroes of whom tales are told…
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THE ARMS DEALER
Nien Nunb • First appearance / Return of the Jedi • p o r t r ay e d b y / M i k e Q u i n n ( V I – V I I I ) aND Richard Bonehill (VI)
THE PILOT
Wedge Antilles • First appearance / a new hope • p o r t r ay e d b y / D e n i s L a w s o n Wedge Antilles was destined for a life in the skies. Born on the planet Corellia, and learned the ins and outs of complex flight mechanics at a young age, working in fuel depots and farm outposts. His piloting abilities developed fast, and before long he was flying cargo ships. But like many of his generation, he joined the Imperial Academy in search of better opportunities and more advancement than a hauling freight could ever offer. His uncanny flying ability was soon identified, and he was sent to the planet Montross to train as a TIE fighter pilot at Skystrike Academy. It was during his time here that Antilles witnessed the true face of the mighty Imperial war machine as it steamrollered anything that lay waiting in its path. With a desire to defect to the Rebellion, Wedge Antilles was noticed by the mysterious rebel agent known only as Fulcrum, and his future path was set.
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Antilles answered the call to join Red Squadron, taking the call-sign Red Two. Flying in numerous engagements, most notably the Battle of Hoth, his ingenuity and skill in piloting a tiny T-47 airspeeder toppled a mighty AT-AT walker. His leadership qualities were second-to-none, and as the rebel fleet massed near to the planet Sullust to prepare for the attack on the second giant Death Star, Wedge was the commander of Rogue Squadron. Upon entering the superstructure, Antilles and General Lando Calrissian blew up the reactors, which created a chain reaction that destroyed the deadly weapon. This blow meant the Empire was all but finished, but Wedge still had important work to do on missions to Akiva and during the Battle of Jakku. Wedge could at last retire when the signing of the Galactic Concordance declared that the Empire’s rule was finally over.
Though the Rebel Alliance had sought allies in every corner of the galaxy, few could have imagined that an arms dealer and smuggler would help turn the tide of the Galactic Civil War. Starting out as a freighter pilot for the SoroSuub Corporation (which supported the Empire), Nien Nunb at first proved his opposition covertly, by stealing from his employers and giving the proceeds to the Rebellion. Before long, he branched out as an independent arms dealer, and committed himself fully to the growing Rebel Alliance shortly after the Battle of Yavin, helping to smuggle Alderaanian refugees from his home planet, Sullust, after the Empire destroyed their world. Reunited with his old friend General Lando Calrissian, Nunb served as Lando’s co-pilot during the Battle of Endor. Diving fiercely into waves of Imperial TIE fighters on board the Millennium Falcon, Calrissian and Nunb entered the station alongside Wedge Antilles, firing the shot that took out the main reactor. Years later, Nunb piloted Resistance starfighters against Snoke’s First Order during the Battle of Starkiller Base. As a long-serving ally of General Organa, he stood with the Resistance leadership on the bridge of the Raddus as their base on D’Qar was evacuated, and was one of the few survivors of the Battle of Crait, once more carrying hope with him aboard the Millennium Falcon.
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THE SOLDIER
C a p ta i n R e x • First appearance / THe Clone Wars • VOICED by / Dee Bradley Baker
FACT FILE Rex’s preferred weapons are a pair of DC-17 blasters.
Loyalty and dependability are key attributes in the battle against the forces of evil, and CT-7567—known to his fellow comrades as Captain Rex —has both of those in abundance. As a member of the Republic’s mighty clone army in the war against the Separatists, Rex’s leadership qualities quickly came to the fore, and he soon rose to the rank of captain in Torrent Company, a leg detachment of the 501st Legion. This led the Captain to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with hero of the Republic General Anakin Skywalker as his second in command. Respectful but always willing and able to offer his wise viewpoint on important matters, Rex became an invaluable presence on the battlefields during conflict. The closest bond Rex formed was not with Skywalker, however, but with the Jedi Knight’s Padawan, Ahsoka Tano. Together they fought against the Separatists on Naboo, Ryloth, Malastare, Geonosis, and elsewhere. Brave, imaginative, and unusually independent for a clone trooper, tales of his exploits and leadership became an inspiration for fellow clones across the cosmos. Towards the end of the Clone Wars, Rex was inspired to remove the inhibitor chip in his brain to become fully independent of his superiors. This made him one of the very few clone troopers not to obey Order 66 when Chancellor Palpatine issued the command. Instead, he removed himself from the theater of war for a decade and a half, finding sanctuary alongside some similarly liberated comrades—former Republic commandoes Gregor and Wolffe—on the desolate world of Seelos. When he was thrust into battle once again by the arrival on the planet of a small band of rebels, he helped Kanan and his company fight the now firmly established Empire. His innate sense of justice and decency was a key asset as the seeds of rebellion continued to grow and thrive.
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FACT FILE Anakin Skywalker owned a statue of Maz.
THE PIRATE QUEEN
M a z K a n ata • F i r s t a p p e a r a n c e / T h e F o r c e A w a k e n s • P o r t r ay e d b y / L u p i ta N y o n g ’ o Known across the stars as the pirate queen, the reputation of Maz Kanata precedes her. Force sensitive, intuitive to the point of premonition, and unwilling to take any nonsense from those who refuse to follow her rules, Kanata gave those she welcomed into her castle respite from the trials of galactic life. Her age plays no small part in her wisdom. More than one thousand years old, Maz has traveled the galaxy and seen most of it. Collecting antiques and oddities, she made her home on Takodana, far out in
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the Western Reaches of the Mid Rim. Her lakeside castle became a safe haven for underworld types heading into the interior or out to the rim. Offering a bed for the night, information, food, and her singular knowledge, Kanata was highly regarded in such circles, and because of this the castle was a constant hive of activity. Kanata hold the belief that physical objects could hold memories, and that was shown to be true when Han Solo brought Rey, scavenger from Jakku to the castle.
Wandering catacombs full of antiquities, Rey touched Anakin Skywalker’s long-lost lightsaber and images flooded through her mind. Kanata insisted Rey follow her destiny and take the blade, but she refused. The weapon was entrusted to Finn. With her castle destroyed in a First Order assault as Kylo Ren hunted down Rey, Kanata hit the space lanes once again. Staying active and always on the move, Kanata was still able to assist Poe Dameron with information that would help save the Resistance.
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THE EWOK
W i c k e t W. WA R R I C K • First appearance / Return of the Jedi • p o r t r ay e d b y / W A r w i c k D av i s
THE BUSINESSMAN
Hondo Ohnaka • First appearance / The Clone Wars • Voiced by / Jim Cummings In a galaxy littered with nerf herders, scoundrels, and moof milkers, there are few who match the cheek and roguish charm of Weequay pirate Hondo Ohnaka. Leading his eponymous Ohnaka Gang with his trusted Kowakian monkey-lizard, Pilf MukMuk, on his shoulder, Ohnaka operated on the world of Florrum on the Outer Rim from his sunken pirate base. When the Empire came to power, it destroyed the base and the Ohnaka Gang soon dissolved. Ohnaka himself went it alone as an independent pirate and smuggler, making an okay living for himself, but falling below his own lofty aspirations. Hailing from the world of Sriluur, Ohnaka has more of a heart than he’d ever care to admit. Sparring with General Obi-Wan Kenobi, he silently aided the Republic and later the Rebellion, giving them critical information and assistance, often turning a blind eye to their exploits while also turning a profit. First and foremost a businessman, Ohnaka also has an eye on the bigger picture. With friends in all quarters of the cosmos, Ohnaka counted the bounty hunter Jango Fett as a trusted friend, and once entered into a romantic relationship with another bounty hunter—Aurra Sing—proving beyond doubt that he was more than happy to dice with danger.
If proof were ever needed that size matters not, then the entry into the Galactic Civil War of the diminutive Ewoks is that proof. When rebel forces arrived on the forest moon of Endor to knock out the Imperial shield generator protecting the second Death Star, Princess Leia was the first to meet its furry inhabitants, coming nose to snout with the young Ewok warrior, Wicket W. Warwick. Wicket brought the prone Leia back to consciousness and helped her evade capture, taking her back to the tree-top home of his tribe. Meanwhile, the rest of the rebel party was captured and brought to the same village. It required the Force powers of Luke Skywalker and the unknowing assistance of C-3PO to convince the Ewoks that their guests shouldn’t be roasted and served up as a late lunch. With Wicket vouching for his newfound friend, and C-3PO using his capabilities as a storyteller and communicator to explain their predicament to the tribe, the Ewoks joined the fight against the Empire— and Wicket was at the forefront of the battle. He and Paploo helped the rebels gain entrance to the shield bunker by drawing Imperial forces away, and Wicket raised the alarm when the rebel team was captured. The ground element of the Battle of Endor erupted as the Ewok army began its attack. The inquisitive nature of Wicket often got him into trouble as a youngster, running counterpoint to the usual Ewok traits of nervousness and caution. Wicket was wise enough to sense that Leia was a friend, and that leap of faith saw the Rebel Alliance gain a knowledgeable ground army—the final piece in a jigsaw puzzle that ended in defeat for the Empire and the Sith.
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UNSUNG HEROES
THE WARRIOR
Admiral Raddus • F i r s t a p p e a r a n c e / R o g u e O n e : A S ta r W a r s S t o r y • p o r t r ay e d b y / P a u l K a s e y The journey from obscurity to glory can take many forms. In the case of Admiral Raddus, the path led to the heights of rebel command. Born six decades before the Battle of Yavin, Raddus served his homeworld of Mon Cala as part of its planetary defence force, and as the mayor of Nystullum city. When the Empire came to occupy Mon Cala, Raddus took his city-ship—the MC75 cruiser Profundity—and aligned it with the Rebel Alliance. It and other Mon Calamari city-ships were refitted to become Alliance capital ships, and Raddus was installed as one of the very first Mon Calamari officers in the fleet. Raddus also served on the Alliance High Command—his hard-earned wisdom shining through his brash and crusty exterior. When the group was faced with news of the Death Star’s existence, Raddus favored a plot to steal the plans over surrender in the face of its unmatched might, but was overruled by Command leader Mon Mothma. When the admiral subsequently heard that a small taskforce had gone after the Death Star plans anyway, he raced the Profundity to its aid, giving the rest of the Alliance little choice but to join him in a full-on assault on the Imperial planet of Scarif. In the resulting battle, Raddus orchestrated the rebel attack, buying the “Rogue One” taskforce the time it needed to transmit the Death Star schematics to the Profundity. The ship survived long enough to dispatch those plans to safety on board the Tantive IV, which was docked within it, but was too badly damaged to escape Scarif with the rest of the rebel fleet. Raddus died at the hands of Darth Vader’s forces, knowing that he had dealt the Empire a major blow. His name and reputation lived on in galactic history, and 30 years later the Resistance flagship commanded by General Leia was named the Raddus in his honor.
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THE SQUADRON LEADER
General Merrick • F i r s t a p p e a r a n c e / R o g u e O n e : A S ta r Wa r s S t o ry • p o r t r ay e d b y / B e n D a n i e l s Born on the planet Virujansi, Antoc Merrick was a true hero of the Rebellion. As the commander of Blue Squadron, he gave his life during the Battle of Scarif, while aiding the Rogue One taskforce in its mission to steal the Death Star plans. Before joining the Rebellion, Merrick had proved his worth in combat as leader of the Rarified Air Cavalry on his homeworld. When the Empire took control of Virujansi, Merrick refused an offer to join the Imperial Navy in favor of early retirement. However, instead he left the planet to seek out and join the Rebellion, alongside fellow Virujansi native Garven Dreis, who would also become a squadron leader in the Rebel Alliance. Merrick’s command abilities were recognized by the rebels with a commission as general in command of all starfighters at Base One on Yavin 4. He remained an active pilot, leading Blue Squadron in a T-65 X-wing starfighter, and also held a position on the Alliance High Command. When the rebel fleet came to the assistance of the Rogue One taskforce, Merrick led Blue Squadron’s X-wings and U-wings through the planet’s shield gate, taking out a number of AT-ACTs, buying valuable time for the team on the ground. Soon after, he was shot down and killed by a TIE striker, his sacrifice an example of the millions who gave their lives in pursuit of freedom.
UNSUNG HEROES
FACT FILE Kallus’ operating number was ISB-021
THE SECRET AGENT
ALEXSANDR Kallus • F i r s t a p p e a r a n c e / S ta r Wa r s R e b e l s • V O I C E D by / D av i d Oy e l o w o The stories of the Star Wars saga often appear to be clear-cut battles of good versus evil. But, as we know, it’s rarely that simple. Take Alexsandr Kallus, the Imperial Security Bureau agent who began his career unwavering in his loyalty to the Empire. Trained at the Royal Imperial Academy on Coruscant under Wilhuff Tarkin, he ultimately defected to the Alliance to Restore the Republic, determined to bring freedom and justice back to the galaxy.
His Imperial activity took him from Onderon and Lothal to Lasan, where he was an active participant in the genocide of the Lasat people. His operations also saw him assist Lord Vader, Grand Moff Tarkin, and the Grand Inquisitor in their concerted efforts to snuff out the flames of rebellion. But when he was trapped on the Geonosian ice moon of Bahryn with the Lasan warrior Zeb Orrelios, Kallus learned more about this small band
of rebels and their cause than he ever expected. This led to a change of heart that launched him on a path to become the latest rebel agent to use the codename Fulcrum. He fed much vital information to the Rebellion before his deception was discovered by Grand Admiral Thrawn. Facing execution at the hands of his former comrades, he made use of his years of Imperial training to escape and openly joined the rebel cause on Yavin 4.
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Droids have always been a part of the Star Wars universe, serving the galaxy for millennia, from the Old Republic to the Clone Wars, and beyond. But can you tell a buzz droid from an R2 unit? Compiled by Jake Devine
“LOOK SIR. DROIDS” Testt yo our know wledg ge of th he galaxy’s mecha anicall companio ons! 1: How many classes of droid are there? A: 10 B: 5 C: 3 D: 8
7: Where is R2D2 originally stationed in The Phantom Menace? A: Theed Royal Palace B: Naboo Royal Starship C: Mos Espa D: Radiant VII 8: What kind of droid does Kallus reprogram to attack Grand Admiral Thrawn? A: Destroyers B: R2 units C: Medical droids D: Imperial sentry droids
2: What is the standard weapon of the B1 battle droid? A: M1 assault blaster B: Propulsion gun C: EXP hand canon D: E-5 blaster ri e
9: What is the name of the surgical droid that treats Luke Skywalker’s injuries on Hoth? A: 8-1B B: 2-1C C: 1-2F D: 2-1B
3: In how many forms of communication does C-3PO claim to be fluent? A: 20,000 B: 42 C: 7 million D: 833
4: W What was the name of Jabba the Hutt’s interrogator droid? A: EV-9D9 E B: L LO-2B2 C: GNX-Twenty D: R4-P17
5: What is the Pistoeka sabotage droid more commonly know as? A: Saboteur B: Buzz droid C: Battle droid D: Destroyer 6: On what planet was the Trade Federation’s battle droid army built? A: Geonosis B: Kamino C: Coruscant D: Mandalore
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10. Which droids have broadband photoreceptors with antiglare coating? A: 3PO series B: RA-7 protocol droid C: Vulture droids D: Plunk droid
11. What is the name of the communication module used by 3PO units? A: TranLang III B: CommUnit-X C: Translator Core D: Language Modulator 3000
12. With what weapon are IG-100 MagnaGuard droids equipped? A: Electrosaber B: GFX blaster ri e C: Thermal detonators D: Electrostaff
PICTURE ROUND! Can n yo ou id dentiffy the movie in each picture, ba ased on wh hat image of C-3P PO is shown n? 1.
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13. What is the name of the Clone Wars military unit comprising four astromech droids and a pit droid? A: 501st Legion B: D-Squad C: Q Commandos D: Republic Squad
14. By what name are mouse droids more officially known? A: MSE-6 series B: Communication units C: Super battle droids D: BDR-9 class 15. What class of droid is skilled in engineering and technical sciences? A: First B: Third C: Fifth D: Second
HOW DID YOU FARE? 1-8 You’ve clearly got a way to go before you’re ready to face your destiny. 9-16 Good work, but you need to finish your training before you can confront the dark side. 17-24 You truly are a Jedi Master!
Answers - QUIZ 1 B, 2 D, 3 C, 4 A, 5 B, 6 A, 7 B, 8 D, 9 D, 10 B, 11 A, 12 D, 13 B, 14 A, 15 D PICTURE ROUND 1 Return of the Jedi 2 The Last Jedi 3 The Phantom Menance 4 The Empire Strikes Back 5 The Force Awakens 6 Attack of the Clones 7 Return of the Jedi 8 Revenge of the Sith 9 A New Hope STAR WARS INSIDER / 51
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MORTIS Planet of the Force
Journey to an ethereal realm beyond the stars, where the balance of the Force rests in the hands of three powerful beings—and the guilt-ridden Anakin Skywalker. WORDS: MEGAN CROUSE
PLANET OF THE FORCE
The Mortis Trilogy Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ three-episode trip to Mortis forms a key part of the show’s third season, first broadcast in January 2011. Over the course of “Overlords,” “Altar of Mortis,” and “Ghosts of Mortis,” viewers have the satisfaction of seeing familiar Star Wars themes played out in microcosm, while also gaining new perspective on the meaning of those themes. More recently, a tantalizing glimpse of the arc’s enigmatic trio of Force-wielders can be seen in the Star Wars Rebels Season Four trailer. So who are they, and what is their story?
3.15 OVERLORDS
3.16 ALTAR OF MORTIS
3.17 GHOSTS OF MORTIS
The journey to Mortis begins with a 2,000-year-old Jedi distress signal. Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Ahsoka Tano each follow it to the mysterious planet, where all of them experience visions. Obi-Wan sees his former master, Qui-Gon Jinn, who reminds him of Anakin’s destiny as the Chosen One. Ahsoka sees a vision of her future self, warning her to leave her master, Anakin. Skywalker sees his mother and expresses his guilt for murdering the tribe of Tusken Raiders that was holding her captive. He soon realizes that the vision was sent by the Son, one of the three strange Forcewielders that live on Mortis. He then confronts another of these beings, the Father, only to learn that he intended to test whether Anakin truly is the Chosen One. In the test, Skywalker calls upon the power of Mortis and subdues the Daughter and the Son, who represent the light side and the dark side of the Force respectively. The Father, taking this as a valediction of the prophecy, invites Anakin to replace him as the ruler of Mortis. Anakin refuses, still haunted by the guilt he feels over losing his mother.
The Son captures Ahsoka and infects her with dark side influence. When Anakin tries to save her, she attacks him, claiming that she doesn’t need a teacher any longer. Meanwhile, ObiWan meets with the Father and the Daughter. The Daughter then leads him to an altar, where he retrieves the Dagger of Mortis, which can control the Son. The long-running conflict between the Daughter and the Son erupts into outright battle. The Son’s violence leads further than he expected, and he attempts to stab the Father, but strikes the Daughter instead. The dark side appears to be victorious, but the Daughter still has a little more light to give. As her last act, she restores the life-force the Son has taken from Ahsoka Tano, removing his dark side influence as well. But the Son remains a threat, and now wants to leave the planet.
With the Daughter gone, Mortis is out of balance. The Son leads Anakin to the Well of the Dark Side—a deep chasm where the Force is strong— and shows him visions of his own dark future. Anakin is convinced to help the Son kill the Father in exchange for the power to avert the destiny he has seen. The Father confronts Anakin and wipes his knowledge of the future, freeing him from the Son’s dark side influence. Anakin attacks the Son, but even with help from Ahsoka and ObiWan, the powerful embodiment of the dark side proves to be too strong. Seeing that the Son is about to be victorious, the Father takes his own life with the Dagger of Mortis. His last words to the Son are an assertion of victory: “Your strength runs through me. This way, I take your power.” The Son, who is overcome with remorse, makes his peace with the Father as he lays dying. Anakin takes this opportunity to kill the Son, and, with his dying breath, the Father then proclaims that Anakin has brought balance to Mortis and is the Chosen One. The planet fades away. Anakin, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan find themselves back on board their ship as if nothing has happened.
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PLANET OF THE FORCE
it really mean to “bring balance” to the Force?
Planet Of The Force
he history of the Jedi takes in its fair share of mysterious worlds, but few are as strange as the legendary planet of Mortis. During the Clone Wars, Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Ahsoka Tano are drawn into a battle there that seems to reflect the conflict going on throughout the galaxy. As the dark side grows stronger on Mortis, so it grows more likely that the Clone Wars will sweep across the entire galaxy and that Anakin will fall, resulting in his grim fate as the mutilated Darth Vader. Star Wars: The Clone Wars tells this tale in a three-episode arc, and provokes questions about the nature of the Force along the way—most pertinently, what does
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“The history of the Jedi takes in its fair share of mysterious worlds, but few are as strange as the legendary planet of Mortis.”
56 / STAR WARS INSIDER
The Mortis arc introduces a planet and a group of adept Force-wielders that are unlike any seen in Star Wars before or since. The Father, the Daughter, and the Son are Force users who became so powerful that they’ve removed themselves entirely from the galaxy at large. They are the very embodiment of balance, light, and dark, and are metaphors for all we have understood about the Force since Anakin was revealed as the Chosen One, destined to bring balance to the galaxy. Yet the planet where they reside is not in balance, being a confusing realm of mythic sites and very powerful artifacts where light and dark seem to be in physical turmoil, and our every expectation is upended. Following the duo’s arrival on the planet Mortis, Obi-Wan calls it an “intersection” of the Force, a place infused with Force energy. A little later, Obi-Wan also notes that the planet itself “is the Force,” allowing Anakin to tap into it. The planet contains several locations specifically tied to the dark side: the Well of the Dark Side and the Altar of Mortis, which holds the Dagger of Mortis that can kill the immortal Force wielders. The well channels the darkness of the Force. The Father’s power is yet another valuable property of the planet: on his death, the floating rocks and beautiful crystal above his monastery come crashing down to the ground. Devoid of animals, the planet instead overflows with plants in a strange, chaotic life cycle where the seasons change with the time of day. Daytime is beautiful, but
every night brings violent storms and withers the leaves. While the planet seems to have two moons and a clear blue sky during the day, suggesting that it exists in normal space, the Jedi do not arrive nor leave by means of conventional space travel. Instead, their passage is always obscured, with the Jedi waking from unconsciousness to find themselves unexpectedly on Mortis and, later, back on their ship in space.
Meet The Family The first of the three strange Force-wielders the Jedi meet on Mortis is the Daughter, a cryptic woman who speaks as if the Jedi should already know who she is. Like the Bendu in Star Wars Rebels, the Daughter speaks of her manifestation of the Force as eternal: “We are the middle, beginning, and the end.” Both the Daughter and Son can shape shift into different animal forms. The Daughter’s is a graceful, feathered gryphon. She’s also very formidable in her human form, capable of using Force telekinesis. She succinctly describes her own nature as well as the Son’s: “My nature is to do what is selfless, but my brother’s is to do what is selfish.” When we meet the eerie Son, who represents the Force’s dark side, he immediately takes an interest in Anakin. He is both treacherous and uncontrolled, appearing disguised as Shmi Skywalker and mimicking Anakin himself. Later, when his trickery doesn’t achieve what he wants, he becomes violent and tries to kill the Father, for whom he harbors a deep hatred. As an embodiment of the dark side, the Son can make his appeals sound convincing and reasonable.
PLANET OF THE FORCE
“The Son’s Force abilities include powerful lightning, a monstrous gargoyle form, and the ability to draw power from con ict.” He tempts Anakin skywalker with the dream of bringing peace to the galaxy just as Darth Sidious will do later. The Son also speaks in length of the Force as a matter of balance “Light and dark, as if there is one without the other,” says the Son, continuing to assert: “I have done what is right, or what is wrong– depending on your point of view.” The Son’s Force abilities include powerful lightning, a monstrous gargoyle form, and the ability to draw power from conflict. As both the Daughter and the Son appear in guises that represent the light side and the dark side of the Force, so the Father’s presence represents balance. He isn’t certain if Anakin is the Chosen One, but has the means to test the theory— balance being a vital part of any equable trial. The Father wants to keep his children from fighting, and we discover that it is he who has brought Anakin to the planet, in the hope that peace can be restored. In fine Jedi tradition, the Father does not believe that the Son is lost to evil forever, despite having embraced the dark side. However, their conflict results in ending
the Father’s life and breaking the Force-wielders’ hold on Mortis.
Questions And Answers Together, the three Force-wielders play out their philosophy of the Force like actors on a stage, as they embody aspects of the light and the dark while also existing as true individuals with their own traits and flaws. The Father tends to be too passive, the Son too furious. The Daughter’s sacrifice is perhaps too selfless—giving up her own life force to save Ahsoka—denying her further agency in this epic struggle between light and dark. All three help Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin, and Ahsoka see new facets of their own journeys, and push them to decide whether or not they are following the correct path. By the end of the story, both the characters and the audience have been made to face three important questions about the Force: Is Skywalker the Chosen One? What does it actually mean to bring balance to the Force? And does the Force as a whole tend to lean toward good, evil, or balance? As the main representative of balance—with all things tending toward harmony but subject to imbalance and discord—the Father tells Anakin that Mortis is “strong with the Force; darkness has no hold here.” But he also recognizes that the conflict between his two children will cause aftershocks throughout the galaxy. The Father seems to feel somewhat trapped by the cycle itself. When he visits the tomb
of the Daughter, he implores her to “sleep free,” as if all three are ensnared by their own power. Like Qui-Gon Jinn, it is the Father’s belief that the Chosen One can end the destructive conflict and create newfound balance, freeing them all from the cycle of discord. However, in order to do this well, Anakin now must initiate violence and emotion all of his own. Only after Anakin’s friends are in grave danger does he call upon the Force inherent in Mortis with enough power to save them. Anakin’s feelings and actions on Mortis draw on many of the themes that will later contribute to his fall: his guilt surrounding his inability to protect his loved ones; a need for complete control in his life after much of his childhood was lost to slavery; and his desire to truly know the future through his prophetic visions. “Always in motion is the future,” Yoda will tell Luke Skywalker many years later. The Mortis arc shows Anakin’s struggles to rectify his faith in this shifting future with
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PLANET OF THE FORCE
the visions that seem to show him a certain, immutable truth that he desperately wants to avoid. Ironically, it is Anakin’s vision of his future as Darth Vader that leads him to join the Son on his dark path, just as his later attempts to save Padmé Amidala’s life will lead to his subservience to Darth Sidious. Events on Mortis convince the Father that Anakin Skywalker is indeed the Chosen One, while also opening wounds that make his eventual path more certain than it ever was before. Across the three episodes, it is Obi-Wan who proves most flexible
“Ironically, of course, it is Anakin’s vision of his future as Darth Vader that leads him to join the Son on his dark path.” in his interpretation of the Force. At first, he believes that the trio shouldn’t get involved, but by the end of the arc he says: “The way I see it, if we were not supposed to interfere, Ahsoka and I would not be here in the first place!” When the stakes are raised, he goes to help. Anakin Skywalker’s ultimate fate on Mortis is to witness the death of all three of its Forcewielding inhabitants. Does this mean that balance is only possible when none of them are left? That doesn’t seem to be the case, since the planet falls apart without them. It is the death of
the Daughter which causes the Son to become power-hungry and reveal his bitter rage against his Father. Without the light side, then there truly can be no balance, and without balance, there can, of course, be no Father. Taking away any one element causes the edifice to crumble. In truth, even though the Father did not see it, the never ending conflict—with neither light nor dark ever having the upper hand for long—was in itself a kind of dynamic balance. It is only the belief in a Chosen One who can impose a static equilibrium that initiates death and decay. But that is just one interpretation. After leaving Mortis, our heroes themselves struggle to explain what has happened to them, showing how the Force remains mysterious even to its most dedicated students. What is certain is that the Mortis arc introduced layers of complexity and nuance to what had been portrayed previously as a “hokey old religion”—a binary symbol of good versus evil that drove the Skywalker saga to its conclusion (as was) in Return of the Jedi. Through indelibly fascinating, if at times inscrutable, exploration, we learn that the Force is so much more than we had possibly imagined. It is exciting and perhaps surprising that its potential to inform many more unexpected stories remains so far tantalizingly untapped.
Star Wars: Heroes of the Force ISBN 9781785851926
Star Wars: A New Hope The Official Celebration Special ISBN 9781785864605
THE BEST OF STAR WARS INSIDER
The Best of Star Wars Insider Volume One ISBN 9781785851162
The Best of Star Wars Insider Volume Two ISBN 9781785851179
The Best of Star Wars Insider Volume Three ISBN 9781785851896
The Best of Star Wars Insider Volume Four ISBN 9781785851902
Star Wars: Lords of the Sith ISBN 9781785851919
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story The Official Mission Debrief ISBN 9781785861581
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A D D E D M U S C L E S t a r W a r s F r o m P a u l D i n i ’ s P o i n t o f V i e w Author Paul Dini gets inside the helmet of Boba Fett for the short-story anthology From a Certain Point of View. It’s the latest in a series of contributions to the Star Wars universe that dates back to the 1980s. WORDS: JOSEPH MCCABE
INTERVIEW: PAUL DINI
ust in case anyone still needed proof that A New Hope is the gift that keeps on giving, 2017 saw the release of the shortstory collection From a Certain Point of View. A 40th-anniversary anthology, it comprises 40 tales by 40 authors, each of whom has taken a scene from the movie and presented it anew as from the perspective of a background character. Some of the writers are new to Star Wars, while others are much-loved veterans. Few, however, have a track record— within Star Wars and without—as impressive as Paul Dini’s. Today, Dini is probably best known as the man who created Harley Quinn and Mark Hamill’s unique incarnation of the Joker for Batman: The Animated Series (1992-95). But he is also the Emmy Award-winning story editor behind Tiny Toon Adventures (1992-95), and the Eisner Award-winning writer of comic books such as Superman: Peace on Earth (1998), and the Batman: Arkham series of videogames. Most notably for Star Wars fans, however, Dini was story editor for the animated TV series Droids and Ewoks in the 1980s, and returned to the galaxy far, far away to write for Star Wars: The Clone Wars in 2007. For his contribution to From a Certain Point of View, Dini has taken a slightly different path from his fellow authors, drawing story inspiration not from the original 1977 version of Star Wars, but the Special Edition of A New Hope released in 1997. His story, “Added Muscle,” is based on the new scene in which Jabba the Hutt confronts Han Solo—with the one and only Boba Fett in tow.
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PROFILE PAUL DINI New York City native Paul Dini began working as an animator at Filmation while he was still at college. He made his name writing for cartoon series like He-Man, and G.I.Joe, and the renowned Batman: The Animated Series.Well known for his work in comics and animation, Dini has been awarded 5 Emmys and created the popular DC Comics character Harley Quinn.
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INTERVIEW: PAUL DINI
Dini recalls, “When I was asked to contribute, I thought: Everyone’s sort of forgotten that Boba Fett has been retconned into the film. He’s a colorful character and he’s part of the universe, so why not write about him? “All he really does in the movie is stand there and back-up Jabba. My story is kind of loopy because it’s about what he’s thinking while he’s holding a gun on Han and Chewie. It’s mostly: Am I getting paid for this? When do we drink? What a hassle! I even borrowed a little smidge from Kevin Smith’s Clerks (1984), where I have him say, ‘I’m not even supposed to be here today!’ The title, ‘Added Muscle,’ is a wink to the fact that Boba Fett was added in later and now he’s part of the official story.”
A Long Time Ago… In College It’s clear that Dini’s irreverence is born out of love for the saga, and a great familiarity with its quirks. Like so many others, his passion for Star Wars began in 1977, when Dini himself was a college student. “I grew up in the [San Francisco] Bay Area,” Dini explains, “and I heard they were making a space movie over in Marin County. At that point—we’re talking 1976 or something—all space movies were really lame and science fiction was in the doldrums. I thought that the best they could hope for would be something like the movie Silent Running (1972). “When I eventually saw the first trailer for Star Wars, I wasn’t very
“I lobbied to use Boba Fett in the Droids series as I thought he would be a good recurring villain.” 62 / STAR WARS INSIDER
01
01 Paul Dini finds out what is on Fett’s mind in short story “Added Muscle” 02 Fett’s guest appearance in A New Hope: The Special Edition. 03 Vile bounty hunter Boba Fett. (Right) 02
impressed at all. It was described as ‘the story of a boy, a girl, and a galaxy.’ I mean, it was really cornball stuff. “Soon after, I heard that Marvel Comics was doing a comic-book adaptation, and I saw a couple of pieces of artwork that looked kind of good,” Dini recalls. “And then I heard they were having a sneak preview in Boston, where I was going to school at the time. So I walked down to the movie theater, where a good-sized crowd stood waiting in line. So I thought: ‘I’m gonna see it. I’m not doing anything tonight.’ I went in, and it was a knockout experience. It was the last thing I expected, and I was sucked into it completely. I was an instant fan. “It was fun, because I saw the movie about two weeks before it actually opened,” Dini remembers. “For a while I got to have this fun little secret, going around telling
all my friends, ‘Yeah, I saw this movie. You’re gonna really like it…’ Of course, before long there were legions and legions of fans. It was great to see it all evolve.”
Adventure Time Not long after the film’s release, Dini started his career as a writer on animated shows such as Filmation’s Tarzan (1976-79), Flash Gordon (1979-82), and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (1983-85). By the time Lucasfilm decided to make its own cartoon adventures, he was already a well-known and respected name in the industry. “It would have been 1984, and Lucasfilm was looking to do The Ewoks and Droids Adventure Hour,” says D. “They put out feelers in Los Angeles for writers and producers to do the show. They were being kind of selective in who they were talking to, but I thought it would be a really good
“Early on, we were thinking that sometimes the master would be killed, or the droids would have to abandon their masters because that was the only way to save them,” says Dini. “When we discussed the series with George, he really wanted to have a heart-tugging element to it: The droids really had no home until they met Luke and Leia, as they were always on the run and always looking for a place to fit in,” he adds “I thought that was a really good idea, because that way you have a lot of humanity in these basically inhuman characters. Threepio is sympathetic and comical up to a point, and Artoo is basically a puppy,” he explains. “So it would get to be like Lassie, with Lassie having a different home and then having to leave and always stay on the road. I lobbied to use Boba Fett in the Droids series, as I thought he would be a good recurring villain. We only got him in once, though.”
Pushing the Boundaries 03
“The title, ‘Added Muscle,’ is a wink to the fact that Boba Fett was added in later and now he’s part of the official story.” opportunity, so I sent a couple of scripts and an episode of Dungeons & Dragons that I had written, and they loved it. They could tell that I knew about Star Wars and had a real affection for it, and that’s what got me hired.” As a story editor on both halves of the Nelvana-produced Ewoks and Droids show, Dini worked with George Lucas and his team on the first ever weekly Star Wars animated series. “I really enjoyed being in the Lucasfilm environment,” he says. “We had great creative resources in luminaries like Joe Johnston, Ewoks movie writer Bob Carrau, sound designer Ben Burtt, and of course,
George himself. Debuting on the ABC network in September 1985, The Ewoks and Droids Adventure Hour comprised two half-hour shows: Ewoks and Star Wars: Droids: The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO, known more simply as Droids. “I was story-editing both shows, but writing more for Ewoks,” Dini explains. “Droids had a few writers at that point, and I think it was the more difficult to work on: it was the show that really wanted to be Star Wars. Each week, R2-D2 and C-3PO would go from action scenario to action scenario, meeting a different master and then having to say goodbye to them.
Among the many scripts Dini wrote for Ewoks were the few in which the Empire encroached upon the Forest Moon. “At first we didn’t want to have any Imperial elements on Ewoks,” he says. “We just wanted adventures on the self-contained, little world of Endor. But as we got into the second season, we thought: Let’s bring in the Empire and go for as many interesting and diverse elements as we can. If we’d done a third season, we might have done more of that Dini reveals. “I remember one of the very first stories I pitched was a story I really wanted to do. It was about a TIE fighter pilot who crashes on the Ewoks’ home planet, and they take care of him and nurse him back to health. At first he treats them like vermin: ‘Nasty little creatures. Get away from me!’ But they make a sacrifice to help him get off of the planet. And then when they’re in trouble he goes back to help them. “Nelvana generated some new conceptual artwork for that story that I thought was really nice,” he
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continues, “showing the contrast between this pilot, who’s basically a drone of the Empire, and how his involvement with the Ewoks opens him up as a person and he’s able to care for them. I wanted to do more stories like that, because that was the tone of what they were doing in the live-action Ewok movies that George Lucas was producing for television.” Unfortunately, however, the network was not so keen on such a considered storytelling approach on either Droids or Ewoks. “Both series were produced for a very restrictive time on Saturday morning TV,” says Dini. “The execs at the network and the Broadcast Standards people controlled all of the content. We wanted to make our series with all the emotion and action that propelled the movies, but they really wanted Care Bears.
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“I was very happy to be given the chance to write for The Clone Wars .” 06 The Clone Wars reunited Dini with two familiar droids.
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“So we constantly had to rein in our ideas, based on the network’s fear that the show might scare or confuse kids,” he continues. “I still think the work we did was pretty good for the time, even if we didn’t get to push the boundaries as much as we wanted to.” In order to make the best shows possible within the network’s strict guidelines, Dini turned to humor to capture the Star Wars spirit. “We tried to play up the more humorous elements,” he recalls, “with the Ewoks’ interpersonal relationships, and the Duloks [another species indigenous to Endor] as their recurring foils. We looked to add fun wherever we could, as another way to include some real emotion and heart. “That’s what we wanted to go for, and I think that we achieved
those goals on a few occasions. There were a couple of funny episodes that I thought were genuinely good, and the episode about finding Princess Kneesaa’s sister had an emotional core to it. “It helped that Nelvana totally knocked it out of the park with the artwork,” Dini adds, “especially in the first season. They really threw a lot into the animation and the design.”
Back at the Ranch Dini returned to Star Wars writing 20 years later, with two second season episodes of The Clone Wars: “Holocron Heist” and “Voyage of Temptation.” At long last, this gave him the opportunity to pen Star Wars stories with a harder edge than he was ever allowed to on the Droids or Ewoks cartoons.
INTERVIEW: PAUL DINI
07 04 Wicket with Princess Kneesaa in Ewoks. (Left) 05 The Duloks of Endor were no friends of the Ewoks. (Left) 07 Bounty hunter Cad Bane gets his hands on a holocron, in “Holocron Heist.” 08 Trouble for Anakin in Paul Dini’s The Clone Wars episode “Voyage of Temptation”.
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“I was very happy to be given the chance to write for The Clone Wars, as I finally got to do some intense Star Wars action,” he says. “I had very fond memories of my time working at Skywalker Ranch in the 1980s, so when my friend Henry Gilroy went up there as head writer on The Clone Wars, he and I got to talking about it. That led to general Star Wars talk, and my love for it was obvious. Before long he said, ‘Do you want to write a few?’ “It was a lot of fun to work in a ‘grown-up’ Star Wars universe
and craft stories that were more complex,”reflects Dini. “It provided an opportunity for actual humor, rather than just slapstick goofiness, as well as some real life-or-death situations.” Today, Dini is busy with a raft of exciting new projects, including the animated DC Comics series Justice League Action, and a new monthly Joker Loves Harley comic book. He’s also launched a Kickstarter campaign for BOO & HISS—a new graphic novel concept about a ghost mouse haunting the cat that
killed him. He hasn’t ruled out a return to Star Wars, either, since he still has lots of story ideas… “Oh yeah,” Dini laughs with glee. “I’ve got tons! Like Batman and Gotham City, the Star Wars universe and the characters within it are very easy for me to visualize and to step into now. Mostly I’m working on my own stuff, but as with From a Certain Point of View, if something comes my way, I’ll always jump at the chance to do it. It’s always fun to play with those characters again.”
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YODA: A LUMINOUS BEING
Yoda A Luminous Being Is He One crowd-pleasing highlight of The Last Jedi was Yoda’s surprise appearance on Ahch-To. Insider traces the off-screen life of the Jedi Master, from concept to screen to collectible. WORDS: MICHAEL KOGGE
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t’s not easy being green,” sang Kermit the Frog. The same could be said for Yoda, the small green Jedi Master whom George Lucas proudly introduced to audiences in The Empire Strikes Back. Before he made his screen debut, Yoda went through many design iterations and character changes, and he has continued to evolve since then—from his computer-generated incarnation in the Star Wars prequels to his animated forms in The Clone Wars and Rebels, not to mention the various items of merchandise that feature takes on his wizened form. What unites them all is that they stem from Lucas’ desire to create an amphibian, iminutive, yet wise character with more than a touch of the Kermits about him.
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A Pinch of Minch When George Lucas began outlining the sequel to Star Wars in mid-1977, he had a big storytelling problem to solve. He wanted his young hero, Luke Skywalker, to continue to learn about the Force and the Jedi—but Luke’s instructor, Obi-Wan “Ben” Kenobi, had died in the first film. That movie had also established that the Jedi themselves were all but extinct, and their raging fire had “gone out of the universe,” according to Grand Moff Tarkin. So Lucas made an exception— perhaps not all the Jedi were dead, after all. Inspired by traditional folk stories where appearances are often deceptive, he created a character known as “the Critter” that might be mistaken for a frog in a fairytale, but who was really a wise Jedi Master. Lucas had
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imagined the critter as short and frog-like, with large eyes, a wide mouth, rubbery skin, floppy feet, and two tiny nostrils in place of a nose. He was also to have the impish, cheeky charm of one of Jim Henson’s Muppets, while at the same time being highly realistic, as if he actually existed in the Star Wars world and wasn’t simply a puppet. In story conferences with screenwriter Leigh Brackett during November and December 1978, Lucas established that the Critter lived on a bog planet, light years from galactic civilization, and he gave him the name “Minch Yoda” —shortened to “Minch” in the first draft of The Empire Strikes Back. Minch acted like a crazy fool in his initial encounters with Luke, until the spirit of Ben Kenobi revealed that Minch was his own former teacher and one of the best of the Jedi. Later drafts of the script by Lawrence Kasdan
changed the creature’s name to “Yoda” and described his coloring as blue. Lucas also decided that all of Yoda’s lessons to Luke should be in the form of commandments and proverbs, and that his speech patterns should be inverted to lend an archaic, medieval quality to it, testifying to his advanced age of 900 years. Concept artist Joe Johnston produced numerous sketches of what the Jedi Master could look like. In some drawings, he had fur, in others feathers like Big Bird, and in one he looked like a mischievous Rumpelstiltskin, holding a staff topped with a glowing orb. His skin tone went from Smurfish blue, and then to green. Empire director Irvin Kershner suggested that Yoda should have three fingers on each hand, because all the anthropomorphic characters he saw in cartoons had three digits instead of five. 01
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A Wizard Called Oz To build a realistic Yoda puppet for production, Lucas went to Jim Henson, the most famous puppeteer in the business. Henson accepted Lucas’ challenge, since he wanted to harness the special -effects techniques Lucas had been pioneering for use on his own upcoming fantasy film, The Dark Crystal (1982). However, he was forced to turn down the offer to also perform the new character, owing to his busy schedule. Instead he recommended Frank Oz, the man behind Miss Piggy, to take on the role of Yoda. Henson’s associates worked with Empire’s talented makeup and creature design team, led by Stuart Freeborn, who was known for creating the furry Chewbacca costume in Star Wars and the apes in 2001: A Space Odyssey. The 64-year-old Freeborn based Yoda’s face on his own, and added wrinkles inspired by a picture of Albert Einstein. Three distinct versions of Yoda were eventually produced: a full model for long shots, a costume for a short person to wear while walking around on his knees, and a hefty puppet wired with cables that required three people to operate it under the soundstage. Frank Oz performed most of puppet Yoda’s actions and expressions, while Wendy Midener handled the controls for Yoda’s eyes, and Kathy Millen manipulated Yoda’s right hand, smile, and wiggling ears. Lucas planned to audition other actors to voice Yoda, yet when he saw the filmed footage combined with Oz’s dialogue, he stayed with Oz. The realism of Oz’s performance so impressed Lucas that he campaigned for Oz to be nominated for an Oscar. As Oz told Henson biographer Brian Jay Jones, “It was acting, not performing.” Though Oz sadly did not receive an Academy nomination, his magical performance as Yoda astounded moviegoers, most of whom forgot or never registered
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01 (Left) Graham, Stuart, and Kathleen Freeborn, the force behind the Jedi Master. 02 Stuart Freeborn examines an unpainted Yoda head. 03 Yoda’s hut was a raised set in order to accommodate the puppet’s performers.
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that they were watching a puppet. Oz came back to lead Yoda’s puppeteering in 1983’s Return of the Jedi and 1999’s The Phantom Menace. For 2017’s The Last Jedi, creature shop head Neal Scanlan used Freeborn’s original Yoda molds to re-create the Empire version of the puppet, for which Oz gave advice and once again supplied the voice.
An Evergreen Character For the second and third Star Wars prequels—Attack of the Clones (2002) and Revenge of the Sith (2005)—Industrial Light & Magic had made many advances in special effects that allowed them to create a completely digital Yoda. This gave Lucas more freedom in writing the scripts and devising new ways to show off Yoda’s abilities—such as jumping and spinning in his epic
lightsaber duel with Count Dooku. Rob Coleman’s computer animation team tried to match not only the appearance of the old Yoda puppet, but also how it moved, with all its wiggles and jiggles. They created a table of Yoda’s facial expressions, from happy to stern, that would help animate the proper emotional responses for digital Yoda in a scene. Most of all, they relied on Frank Oz to bring the nowpixelated character to life with his unique voice. In between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith,
04 Yoda (pictured with Stuart Freeborn)has been the creation of many talented artists across four decades.
For 2017’s The Last Jedi, creature shop head Neal Scanlan used Freeborn’s original Yoda molds.
Yoda made his first outing in a television show. The animated micro-series Star Wars: Clone Wars premiered on the Cartoon Network in November 2003, and its pilot opened with a cloaked and hooded Yoda riding into battle on a kybuck. The series’ creator Genndy Tartakovsky— who had made a splash with his previous animated show Samurai Jack—and co-art director Paul Rudish mixed traditional animation with computer effects to achieve their influential style. Main characters were hand-drawn on cels (transparent acetate sheets), while computers helped expand and animate the crowded fight scenes. When realizing Yoda, the pair gave the diminutive Jedi Master a sharper brow, a slight scowl instead of a smile, and more severe facial lines to express a battle-hardened weariness. This was a Yoda who must go to war, but war did not make him happy. Clone Wars appeared on TV over the span of two years, from 2003 to 2005, and concluded in time to dovetail with the release of Revenge of the Sith. The next time audiences met Yoda was in 2008—first on the big-screen and then again on television—in the midst of the Clone Wars. This time, however, in a fully digitized animated world. For the half-hour continuing TV series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, supervising director Dave Filoni and lead character designer Kilian Plunkett drew inspiration from the similarly titled micro-series’ depiction of Yoda, along with Joe Johnston’s sketches and Ralph McQuarrie’s production paintings for the original trilogy, and the concept art made of Yoda for the prequels. This interpretation of Yoda had bigger eyes, linear creases across his brows, and a thinner mouth able to express a broad range of emotions. By
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the time the final episodes of the series were released in 2014, the hair behind Yoda’s ears had grown whiter and bushier, his green skin had turned more pigmented, and his eyelids became more lined to show his age and better match his appearance in The Empire Strikes Back. For this incarnation, Yoda was voiced by Tom Kane, who had also played the character in the earlier microseries, and in 2013’s LEGO Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles animated series. With the launch of the next Star Wars TV series, Star Wars Rebels, the action moved to the time just before the original trilogy, leaving little opportunity to involve Yoda, who by this point is living in exile on Dagobah. However, the power of the Force enabled
05 “Senate Duel,” a polystone diorama by Sideshow Collectibles. 06 Yoda as a Hasbro Mighty Mugg, from the new collection for 2018.
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him to make fan-pleasing cameos on two occasions—once as a disembodied voice and once as a vision. On both occasions, his involvement was made all the more special by featuring a guest appearance by the original voice of Yoda, Frank Oz. With its different animation style from The Clone Wars, the Rebels’ Yoda was much less stylized and more in keeping with his movie look, with smaller eyes and less angular ears. The character also took cues from Ralph McQuarrie’s original concept paintings, albeit with blue-green skin and a less oval face. Overall, this new -look Yoda seemed to be both older and sprightlier, more of a gnome than a goblin, and exuded kindness
and warmth. He was closer to the Yoda audiences were introduced to in The Empire Strikes Back, this wildly impish figure has had time to come to terms with the tragic failings of the past.
Yoda, Yoda Everywhere! Of course, on screen isn’t the only place to see Master Yoda, and the release of The Empire Strikes Back in 1980 began a wave of Yodathemed merchandise, as he soon became as iconic and instantly recognizable as Darth Vader and R2-D2. But Yoda’s first action figure did not come out with the initial line of Empire toys, as Lucasfilm wanted to keep the mysterious new character a surprise for as long as possible. When manufacturer Kenner did get the green light on the green Jedi, he was launched in his own set of special shipments
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to retailers. He came with a plastic orange snake that wrapped around his neck, a tan cloth robe with a belt, and a replica “gimer” walking stick. And just as Yoda’s look has changed on screen, his action figure went through numerous variations during Kenner’s repackaging of it for Return of the Jedi. The snake was re-colored from a bright orange to a more realistic brown, and his skin and his gimer stick were darkened. The name on the card backing was changed to read “Yoda (the Jedi Master)” instead of the rather gnomic “Yoda.”
07 LEGO’s Yoda minifigure was the first to use a new, shorter leg piece. 08 Sideshow Collectible’s “Holiday Yoda” was based on Lucasfilm’s 1981 greeting card. 09 Kenner’s Dagobah Action Playset was released in 1981.
Yoda’s rst action gure did not come out with the initial line of Empire toys.
In 1981, Kenner produced a Dagobah Action Playset, where— according to the toy company’s catalog—kids could “relive all of Luke Skywalker’s and Yoda’s adventures.” The playset had a foam bog, a central tree trunk that offered access to the Jedi Master’s hut, and the cave where Luke seemingly encountered Darth Vader. Two included storage containers could be “levitated” by means of a lever, while the action figures shown on the box were, of course, sold separately. Yoda merchandise would not be limited to poseable figurines, either. The costuming company Ben Cooper added Yoda to their Star Wars costumes line in 1980, selling a plastic mask and a vinyl one-piece smock that no doubt terrified some trick-or-treaters. Yoda’s gentle persona also made him an ideal teddy bear. For years plush Yoda dolls have been sold in all shapes and cuddly sizes, some even “talk” and offer snippets of Jedi wisdom. And younger children alive around the release of Revenge of the Sith might have been fed their food wearing a bib that showed Yoda with a quote from Empire: “Good food, hmm?” Yoda’s popularity reaches well beyond the children’s
market, too. He took center stage in his own 2004 novel, Yoda: Dark Rendevous, by author Sean Stewart, and has been a staple character in comics, most notably in Yoda’s Secret War (issues #26-30 of Marvel’s Star Wars), which recounts an untold tale of a young Yoda. Avid book-lenders in the 1980s might remember Yoda promoting reading for the American Library Association in the now classic poster showing the wise Jedi Master clutching a book, with the caption: “READ—and the Force is with you.” For those who wanted a replica Yoda in their homes, Sideshow Collectibles created a life-size Yoda statue that stands 32 inches tall, accompanied by a lizard-like morp critter. Gentle Giant also offered many of its own life-size re-creations, most notably in 2006, with a Yoda statue wielding his lightsaber. After almost 40 years of fame, today Yoda ranks as one of the most recognizable characters in the Star Wars pantheon, and his surprise cameo role in The Last Jedi generated cheers of joy in theaters around the world. It goes to show that it might not be easy being green, but being different brings its own esteem.
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WORLD OF PORGCRAFT Crafty fans can’t resist the call of these feathered favorites!
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ong before The Last Jedi hit the big screen, fans were falling in love with the porgs! The adorable space puffins from Ahch-To have so far inspired home -crafted sculptures, papercraft, costumes (including one made by Rose Tico actor, Kelly Marie Tran), and more! Here are just a few of our favorites.
FOLD-YOUR-OWN Alex Gwynne, 24, from Sheffield, England, is a master of fold-together paper toys. She’s been making her own design templates since she was a teenager, and last fall she made a porg template (see top right) after spending a day of busy prototyping. “I originally started designing toys from paper for my school art exam, because I couldn’t afford
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the materials needed to make toys out of plastic or resin,” she explains. “I don’t use any 3D software when I’m designing my models. They’re all created from scratch using simple mathematics and old-fashioned architectural techniques. The porg’s body, for example, is made primarily using an elongated dodecahedron. “There’s something extremely satisfying about designing a flat template that anyone, anywhere in the world can print out and assemble,” she says. To download some of Alex’s creations, go to FoldUpToys.com.
SQUISHABLY SOFT It was porg-love at first sight for sculptor Toby Markham from Chicago. “I grew up with a bunch
of birds, so I have quite the affinity for our avian friends,” he says. “As soon as I saw the behind-thescenes reel, my hands wanted to sculpt those little faces.” And sculpt them he did (see above). In a matter of days, the 42-year-old had begun casting and painting his own parliament of rubber porgs. He had originally planned to make them out of resin, but swapped for a softer medium, “so they could be squished.”
LUKE WHO’S PORGING When Kristin Iwancio (right), from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, got her first glimpse of a porg, she had a lightbulb moment. Having been making Star Wars-inspired costumes for 18 years, she decided to make costumes for her two sons, Tai (seven) and Luke (two). “Luke needed to be a waddling porg,” she laughs. “He sure sounds like one!” So Kristen dissected a readymade chicken costume, sprayed the
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ARTISTS’ ALLEY Talented Star Wars fans share their amazing drawings inspired by the galaxy far, far away.... 01. GODSPEED, REBELS! Shoko Shinya, known among fan artists as Shima, came away from The Last Jedi with a distinct feeling that it was a thematic continuation of Rogue One. “To keep the flame that’s passed on from those who are gone, the rebels must survive and see tomorrow,” she says. “I thought that’s a beautiful idea, and wanted to capture that strong feeling of hopefulness.” The 29-year-old from Japan created a digital triptych celebrating The Last Jedi, the original trilogy, and Rogue One.
fur black and brown, and sacrificed an ornament to make the enormous eyes. With a few stitches for nostrils, Luke was ready to go hang with the exiled Jedi Master who shares his name. Well, almost… “Honestly the most difficult part was the photo shoot,” Kristen recalls. “I had to bribe Luke with sweet treats. But it sure got the grumpy and whiny porg cry across!”
02. PROFILES IN COURAGE “Padmé is my very favorite subject to illustrate,” says Dawn Murphy, 46. Here, Anakin’s love can be seen as the young Queen Amidala of Naboo, created with ink markers and acrylic paints on paper. Dawn has also drawn other heroines from the series, including Rey rendered in an art nouveau-inspired style.
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WORLDWIDE
BOUNTY HUNTERS Scouring the galaxy for the stars of Star Wars...
Meet the stars, show the evidence, win the bounty! Bounty Hunters is sponsored by Kotobukiya. Each issue's winner will receive a fantastic Kotobukiya Star Wars statue kit! To see more, visit www.facebook.com/kotobukiya
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hen artist and fan Angelica “Moya” Kojima decides to cosplay for a convention, she goes beyond the typical for a truly unique homage to Star Wars and an epically uncommon photo opportunity. At Star Wars Celebration Europe 2016, she met Mark Hamill for the first time, dressed as his lightsaber. “It was truly my dream come true,” she says, admitting that she was crying inside the costume as this photo was snapped. In 2017, she was back for Star Wars Celebration Orlando with a whole new lightsaber get-up, and a very successful mission to meet both Hamill and Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker). She also scored a candid selfie out of costume with The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson.
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FEAR OF FLYING? Fans combine scares and spacecraft for Halloween!
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01 Angelica “Moya” Kojima ignites as Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber with Mark Hamill 02 Another lightsaber, another Skywalker, as Kojima meets Hayden Christensen 03 Kojima catches up with The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson
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tar Wars fans from the Rebel Legion, 501st Legion, Mandalorian Mercs, and R2-D2 Builders Club came together to celebrate spookiness and science last Halloween. As part of The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s annual “Air & Scare” family day at the Steven Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia, the costumed volunteers (and human droid handlers) treated visitors to photo opportunities in front of specially designed backdrops. “We started with 12 volunteers back in 2006,” says Lori Frye, event coordinator for Garrison Tyranus, the 501st unit in Virginia. “Over the course of 11 years, we have grown to 120 costumers, plus 50 non-
costumed volunteers. “Dan Heisey is our C-3PO, and his portrayal is just perfect. It’s always a pleasure to see the kids interact with him.” For their own annual photo op to commemorate the event on October 21, the cosplayers gathered in front of the space shuttle Discovery, the centerpiece of the Chantilly attraction. “It’s an amazing sight to see characters from all eras of the Star Wars saga standing in front of the space shuttle together,” says Frye. “Star Wars was the language of my dreams from the first time I saw it. The combination of characters, story, music, and images captured my imagination and sent new stories running through my head.”
Photos: Left - Alexandra Brumley / Right - Daniel Alfonzo Thomas
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TRANSFIXED BY TWI’LEKS Meet London’s greatest lekku lover!
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lexina Duncan from London, England, has always been fascinated by Twi’leks—first with Jabba’s sad-eyed dancer Oola, and later with Jedi Aayla Secura. The 28-year-old still remembers the thrill of seeing Master Secura in action in Attack of the Clones. “Even if for only in a few glimpses,” she enthuses. “A Jedi!”
So when Alexina started crafting her own cosplay, she began with a pair of lekku head-tails to bring Hera Syndulla from Star Wars: Rebels into the real world. The challenge was translating an animated character onto a flesh-and-blood frame. “It’s all about finding that line between capturing the spirit of the character while still working with
your own body,” she explains. “Finding the line between emulating Hera but not—ironically—looking cartoonish.” After completing her Hera ensemble in March last year, Alexina immediately set about making a second Twi’lek costume — Ryloth rebel Numa (from The Clone Wars and Rebels). “There is a lot of in-universe history with these characters,” she says, “and I find it incredibly exciting having these two Twi’lek women at the forefront of hope,”
STAR-SPOTTING ON STAR TOURS A few lucky fans got the ride of their lives at Disneyland! a very special guest joining us today!’ Having Mark Hamill then stroll in was a dream come true. One of my favorite actors of all time, and he’s standing four feet from me!” Hamill paused for a group selfie, “Then he fastened his seatbelt, put on his glasses, and said, ‘May the Force be with you’ before the ride began!” Alissa says. “For the next five days I kept saying, ‘I can’t believe that happened! I rode Star Tours. In Disneyland. With Mark. Hamill.’ It was amazing!”
Photo: Alissa Molder/NerdByKnight
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lissa Molder from Petaluma, California, has enjoyed the Disneyland Star Tours ride dozens of times—but one trip in November 2017 proved especially memorable! “The moment we walked up to the loading deck I could tell something was up,” says 21-year-old Alissa. “I could see a ‘We’re Filming’ sign, and there were GoPro cameras scattered around the cabin. “We took our seats, and then our guide pointed out there was still an empty one. ‘Let me check my clipboard,’ he said. ‘Oh yes, we have
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IRVIN KERSHNER Before the Empire Struck Back In the summer of 1979, the Of cial Star Wars Fan Club magazine, Bantha Tracks, spoke to director Irvin Kershner about the then-upcoming Star Wars sequel, The Empire Strikes Back… Interview by Ken Rowand
ARCHIVE INTERVIEW
You have over 25 years’ experience in the director’s chair, but you’ve had quite a varied career beyond making feature films. I was a musician first, a classical musician. I studied violin, viola, and composition. I played professionally, but decided that I didn’t want to be a musician, so I went into painting and sculpture. But I decided I wasn’t going to be a painter either, so I turned to photography. I became quite successful; I was published and exhibited all over the world. By chance I met Dean Croen, Dean of Communication at University of Southern California. He wanted me to teach there. It was at USC that I became interested in movies for the first time and began taking some courses. When was this? This was in 1949. I got into documentaries after that. I directed and photographed hundreds of them. Finally I came back from two years in the Middle East making films and got into television. I did a documentary series, Paul Coates’ Confidential File. It was the first real documentary show that was syndicated all over the country. Then in 1953-55 I made my first feature, Stake Out On Dope Street, and that was it. I just started working and doing my thing. What brought you into making feature films? Well, they wouldn’t let me in to the cameraman’s union, the editing union, or the art director’s union, so I said there’s only one thing to do—direct. I then co-wrote, funded, and directed Stake Out On Dope Street (1958). I used to travel with the vice squad for Confidential File, so I knew a lot about dope and drug addiction. I thought, why not do a film that used my knowledge? It cost $30,000 to complete. It was a successful venture. After that, I continued making films and trying to do my own type of film, which was outside of the establishment most of the time.
“We have a wonderful active ending also, which I can’t tell you about but it will be different.” With such a varied background, do you feel you have a definitive style of filmmaking? Up until about four years ago, my type of film was the small, intimate film—a film that dealt with social issues, human drives, human needs. Every director at one point, coming out of the background I came from—university and documentaries—hopes for a film where they can portray a degree of honesty, and a degree of truth. This was the kick I was on. It’s much of the style making a realistic, human film as it is making a Star Wars picture. One appears to be real and one to be hyper-real, but they are both simply a style. But with the intimate film, you find there is a small audience and—because of the large cost of advertising and distribution—the studios feel that for the same amount, you can sell something that is more commercial. So you decided that economics forced you away from the small intimate film and into the more commercial? In a crazy way, it took longer to make the small, intimate films than it did the big commercial films. The Flim-Flam Man (1967) took me one year from script through editing and distribution. The Luck of Ginger Coffey (1964) took me almost three years. I’m beginning to enjoy making bigger films and making them for a wider audience. One of the reasons I did Raid on Entebbe (1977) with Peter Finch and Charles Bronson is because I wanted to work faster and reach a bigger audience. It was a three-hour film and shot in only 32 days. Then I did The Return of a Man Called Horse (1976). I felt it was a chance to show the spiritual development of the Native American, which had never been done before. And then there is
Eyes of Laura Mars (1978), where the script was developed before I came into it. I did a quick rewrite, then shot the whole picture and edited it. How did you get involved with The Empire Strikes Back? George [Lucas] and Gary [Kurtz, producer] asked me if I was willing to undertake it. I thought about it overnight, and finally said: “Yes, I’d love it.” I’m glad I’m doing it. How does it feel working from a pre-established base, that a lot of people are already strongly attached to? Well, I’m respecting that base, I’m not walking away from it. The story is really ongoing. The bad guys are certainly better defined. The base is stable and we’re just building another story. Following on from such a success must be a challenge. How are you making sure The Empire Strikes Back stands out? It has some new characters. It has a great deal of action. We have a wonderful active ending also which I can’t tell you about but it will be different.
Star Wars was a feature full of spectacular visuals. Do you feel The Empire Strikes Back is a superficial picture? Absolutely not. It’s a very profound picture. It’s a very deep picture, but it’s beautifully simple and a delight. On the surface, it appears simple and easy to read, but below that, it is supported by wonderful ideas and feelings. Some of the effects have never been tried before. The people are very well defined and interesting, including the robots. Your background doesn’t reflect much science fiction, or much in the way of action/adventure. Was directing these parts of the movie a challenge? If you look at my films, you’ll actually see some terrific action and adventure sequences. I love to do action/adventure, and I certainly know how to do it. I have just
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ARCHIVE INTERVIEW
Irvin Kershner talks through a scene with Carrie Fisher.
preferred not to do them, that is all. I like to get into people. Exploring these people and what defines them is clearly one of your hallmarks as a director. Would you say The Empire Strikes Back being a sequel has helped you in this? In the first Star Wars, you had to figure out who everybody was, but now you’ll have instant recognition. Now I can play with the complexities of the characters and enhance them. I can make things funny or dangerous more easily because you already know these people and love them. So, I am going to take advantage of this familiarity and use it. You are going to like the story. It’s very exciting, I guarantee it. I love it. The characters are one of the most definitive and beloved elements of Star Wars. How was it working with them? They are all highly individualistic. Harrison [Ford] is terrific. I think Mark [Hamill] has excellent qualities, his ingeniousness and eagerness especially. Carrie [Fisher] is sweet and has an interesting strength, without being petulant.
“KERSH” Irvin Kershner (1923-2010) began his life as a professional musician and artist, but later turned to photography and documentaries, eventually moving into films. During a career spanning more than 54 years, his early work was characterised by low-budget, independent projects before he transitioned to directing for Hollywood, most notably the unofficial James Bond film Never Say Never Again (1983) and The Empire Strikes Back (1980). Winner of numerous accolades, which included the Saturn Awards’ Life Career Award, Kershner was one of the most influential directors of his time and played a major part in shaping the beloved, character-driven epic that is Star Wars today.
We do a lot more with C-3PO, R2-D2, and Chewbacca this time. Them and the new characters are terrific. As for George Lucas, he’s very funny and we’ve had a ball. We’ve had some great sessions. He can get very excited.
The Empire Strikes Back is your first sci-fi film. How do you feel about the genre, and where Star Wars belongs inside it? I happen to love science fiction. I’ve been reading science fiction since I was a kid, and I love the genre. But, I feel that, in the past, science fiction pictures have not been done too well, except for 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). Stanley [Kubrick] did something no one else had attempted—to do it right. Usually, science fiction pictures have been cheapies, sort of little soap operas. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) was good current science fiction—at the time it was a very good idea. There are often interesting stories, but those that depend on the hardware are the uninteresting stories. The ones that depend on ideas are exciting, and science fiction offers a way of probing contemporary problems and sensibilities, and doing them
in such a way that it won’t frighten you because it is not the real world. You can say and do and explore any area. Do you feel Star Wars succeeds at this? Of course, but I feel Star Wars is as much a fairytale as it is science fiction, maybe even a little more. And that fairytale is a very exciting aspect because fairytales deal with universal morality, universal concerns, fears and emotions, and that is why Star Wars is so beautiful because it deals with those almost lyrical fairytale aspects of experience. That’s why, in any country, you can read and understand it. Now that Kershner has been working on the movie for several months, we asked him to provide us with a final comment—one that might help us understand what it was like to direct a Star Wars story. This was his reply. To do a good story on film is a challenge, to make a world on film is a miracle. The other day I found myself talking to my garbage pail. I couldn’t understand why its top didn’t close when I asked it to.
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