Review of Marvel's Princess Leia, #1 & #2

Spoilers ahead! This review contains a synopsis along with commentary.

The Princess Leia series is Marvel's third release in the rebirth of Star Wars in comics. The series is set right after ANH ends, with the first panels showing the medal presentation ceremony. We are greeted with the familiar faces of Han, Chewie and Luke. Princess Leia then goes on to speak of the great loss of Alederaan and the death of her mother, Queen Breha Organa and Viceroy Bail Organa.

General Dodonna announces it is time to move the Rebel base off of Yavin, since the Empire is now aware of their location. Scouts will be sent out to try to find a suitable planet as others, Admiral Ackbar for example, are tasked with preparing the base for transport. Leia requests to scout, since she seems to have no duties to attend to. General Dodonna is against the idea since they have intercepted a transmission and a substantial bounty has been placed on her.

As Leia leaves, we are introduced to a female Rebel pilot named Evaan. This is the first new character the series offers us. Evaan Verlaine has a fiery temper and a quick tongue. She was mentored personally by the Queen in the heritage of Alderaan. She respected the Queen because of the person, not the position and it is clear she does not respect Leia. Word is spreading through the base the Imperials are hunting down all surviving Alderaanians. Doesn't take a genius to figure out what is going to happen next.

R2 delivers a hologram message to General Dodonna of Leia explaining she is off to gather all the remaining "sons and daughters of Alderaan". As the General reaches for the droid, we find out R2 is also a hologram and actually on board a shuttle with Leia and...what for it....you guessed it, Evaan. A pair of X-Wings show up to escort the shuttle back to Yavin. I'll let you guess who was piloting them. If you guessed Luke and Wedge, give yourself a gold star and a cookie (make it two cookies).

Evaan proves to be a savvy pilot and strategist. She hits one of the X-Wings, knocking off a piece of the shuttle. Luke and Wedge overhear Evaan on the radio saying it was a piece of the hyperdrive. Seem like a set up? Just when you think Leia is going to utter the first "I've got a bad feeling about this" of the series, Evaan jams the controls and they make the jump to hyperspace.

Here ends the first issue. Total number of new characters, other than random pilot #2 in a few panels, 1. So it seems Evaan is the co-pilot of this series. I am not exactly "wowed" by the story and it is also only the first issue. I shall press on.

Issue 2 opens with the shuttle in hyperspace. Leia has a flashback to her childhood. She wants to practice combat exercises instead of her language lessons. She wants to be "in on the action." Bail says soldiers are a thing of the past and Leia must struggle to keep the culture focused on creativity, love and life. "Whatever happens, you must keep Alderaan alive." We all know how well that worked out; Tarkin 1 / Alderaan 0. We snap back to the present with Leia apologizing for her failure to an empty room.
   
First stop, Naboo. Leia learned as a Senator of a cloister (interesting choice of words - if you need to look it up, I'll wait. I need another cup of caf anyway. Back? Ok, we journey on.) little known and long standing. They, Leia and Evaan , will pose as Imperial Auditors. When asked her name at the space port, Leia gives the fake name First Minister Solo. Seriously? Isn't Han supposed to be a famous smuggler? We get it, she likes him. At this point, I am going to give you a breakdown of new characters we will meet:

Lord Junn - well dressed businessman, seems to be of Alderaanian decent and knows Leia.
Mul Sanaka - owner of Club Deeja and does business with Lord Junn
Madame Pareece - oversees the performances of the Melodic Order (made up of Alderaanians) at Club Deeja
Snes - Doorman at Club Deeja
Tace - member of the Melodic Order at the Club
Tula - Tace's sister 

Lord Junn calls out to Leia in the square, addressing her as Princess. Evaan seems annoyed since they are trying to stay incognito. Leia explains they know each other and not to worry. Which, if you have ever read any spy novels, is exactly when you start to worry. Lord Junn places a call to Mul Sanaka on Leia's behalf, supposedly using her fake name.

Evaan and Leia show up at the club and are greeted by Snes and not too kindly I might add. Leia uses her fake name and Snes addresses her as Princess. Anyone else smell a set up? Leia headbutts Snes who then calls out to Mul Sanaka for help. He shows up armed ready to take aim at Leia and is then shot in the back by Madame Pareece. Madame Pareece is overcome with guilt because she has not told the other Alderaanians of the planets destruction. She was afraid it would distract them from their music. Leia makes an announcement and vows to protect them all.

We return to Lord Junn's residence where Leia confronts the kriffing piece of poodoo. He has been in the business of human trafficking and set up the Princess, hoping she wouldn't make it out of the club. He provides a ship to help transport the Alderaanians off world. We then find out their next stop is the Sullust System in the Outer Rim.

Tace calls her sister from the shuttle and wants to do whatever she has to do to reunite with her, since their home world has been destroyed. Tula explains her duty is now to the Princess and serving Alderaan in anyway. Instead of reuniting, Tula tells Tace to call every night and explain what they are doing and where they are heading. Does it seem like Tula is interested in more than just her sister's well being? I agree. The final panel reveals Tula is an Imperial Officer! Dun Dun Dunnnnnn....

I'm still not entirely on board with the story line. It seems like it has the potential to become redundant very quickly. For your sake, noble reader, I shall persevere.    

Boeing Patents 'Star Wars-esque' Deflector Shield

Hold on to your power converters folks. We won't be seeing military vehicles unharmed by missiles and bullets as they lay waste to enemies anytime soon, but according to Popular Science, Boeing has got some sound research on a defensive system that can be adapted to air, ground and sea units, as well as military and civilian structures.....and they've been awarded the patent to build this device.

Just to clarify, it won't shield units from direct fire and shrapnel, but it will provide an extra layer of protection against an indirect blast such as a nearby explosion from IED's, Air to Air, Air to Ground, and/or anti ship/submarine ordinance by deflecting and absorbing the shock waves created by the blast

Let me break it down for you.

Say you're in a Humvee on patrol in a hot spot and you miss an IED. The system mounted on the vehicle detects the blast via sensors and estimates distance and time from detonation. Then, using microwaves it super heats the air between the IED and your ride, creating a plasma shield that provides additional protection against the shock wave from the explosion. The system would work the same way in detecting incoming missile or mortar fire by calculating the point of impact, provided it's not a direct hit. That extra layer could mean the difference between the Humvee flipping on it's side from the force of the explosion, or just lurching up and down as if you just ran over a dead deer in the road.

Depending on the magnitude of the blast, the shield strength would fluctuate to provide maximum deflection.

Visual Diagram

Component Diagram

Here is a brief video explaining the technology as well.

Give us a shout on our Facebook page and let us know about what you think.

Return of the Masters?

By:  Mandalore the Wise, Contributor

As we count the days until the next installment of Star Wars, we scour the trailer for any additional information we missed the first 10 (or 20) times we watched it. There are “spoilers” all over the internet citing “reliable sources” or “sources close to the project”. Starting in September, we will be flooded with information under the “Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens” publishing program. It seems we will finally have some canonical information to bridge the gap between ROTJ and TFA.

As we wait for the powers that be to guide us, I would like to offer an idea for you to ponder while you are stuck in traffic. Will we see any of the old masters return in the new canon? Since we can only speculate (at this point) what has happened over the decades between installments, Luke had to learn from somewhere. Let’s be honest with each other, at the end of ROTJ he still had a lot to learn. Good thing all those Force ghosts came to hang out at the Ewok celebration, yub nubbing with all the living.

Let us think about that for a minute. Up until this point, speaking in order the movies were released, the only other being shown as a Force ghost was Ben. At the end, when we see Yoda and Anakin, I just believed anyone Force sensitive could become one. Yoda was believable – a 900 year old Jedi Master who was..well…Yoda! So we have Ben and Yoda, I can hang with that. Oh but wait, there’s more. Anakin. So Darth Vader has a last minute change of heart and pitches the Emperor over the railing, redemption and Force ghosthood bestowed – but I digress.

Think about all of the current canon. Qui-Gon spoke to Yoda in the novelization of Revenge of the Sith.

"Eternal life…
The ultimate goal of the Sith, yet they can never achieve it; it comes only through the release of self, not the exaltation of self. It comes through compassion, not greed. Love is the answer to the darkness."

There is this amazing moment, which clearly didn't make it into the movie, where Yoda becomes Qui-Gon’s apprentice to learn the ways of keeping his consciousness in the Force after death. In the overall timeline, this is first touched on in the final arc of The Clone Wars on Netflix, when Yoda starts hearing voices. This is huge, especially if you think back to TPM when Qui-Gon went against the Jedi Council to train Anakin. Ok, so Qui-Gon teaches Yoda. Next we fast forward to the end of ROTS (movie) when Yoda chats with Obi-Wan and gives him his task while in solitude on Tatoonie, “How to commune with him, I will teach you.” You want to blow people’s minds in the super special edition of ROTJ? Throw in Qui-Gon at the end.

So clearly, there are those Jedi who have been able to maintain their consciousness in the Force after death. They were taught – unless you are Anakin, then apparently you just know how to do it. There always is the possibility it is something the Emperor knew how to do and passed on the knowledge. This is not clarified in the canon.

So, as we prepare for the future to be revealed, who would you like to see make an appearance as a Force ghost or even in a holocron? Or perhaps there will be another Jedi Master who went into hiding after Order 66 and comes back to help Luke rebuild the Jedi Order. Let us know what you think. As we have seen before in the Star Wars Universe, anything is possible.

Tie Fighter Animation Short From OtaKing77077. Epic!

From OtaKing77077 on YouTube:

What if there was an Empire-focussed short Star Wars animation, drawn with the crazy detail and shading of classic 80s anime that's all but vanished from Japan nowadays?
Well, I tried my best. Apologies in advance for not living up to Venus Wars standards.
Drawn and animated by yours truly over 4 years' worth of weekends, with music by the living guitar solo Zak Rahman and sound design by up and coming audio technician Joseph Leyva. Fans of Lucasarts' seminal 1994 TIE Fighter game may notice a few familiar sights and sounds. That “incoming missile” noise gives me horrible flashbacks to this day...

Official poster art: http://mightyotaking.deviantart.com/a...
“Interdictor,” the music track: https://soundcloud.com/zakrahman/tie-...
Story/character info pdf file: http://www.mediafire.com/view/cpnc1oj...
Special thanks to the good folk at Lucasfilm for encouraging people to get creative and make these kind of projects. It's thanks to their extremely fan-friendly nature that we can enjoy IMPS: The Relentless, TROOPS, etc.

Don't support me on Patreon, because I don't have one! And don't donate to my Kickstarter, because I don't have one of those either. Instead, if you enjoyed this, give someone at your workplace, uni, school or whatever a random bar of chocolate or can or Coke or something. Seriously, it'll probably make their day.
That would totally make my day.

Pretty awesome, don't ya think?  Support him if you can!

Sound off on our group about the video.

Star Wars: Coming Soon to a Television Near You!

.....Maybe.

The rumor mills over at Cinelinx have been working overtime. The word going around (and has been for some time) is that Disney is in the early planning stages of a Star Wars live action TV series.

However, this time around there are a few more details that give us a glimmer of hope that this might actually be happening.

IF this is really happening, it seems the show runners are holding off on starting until the movie releases have been worked out. The most reasonable explanation for this is that since the series will film at Pinewood Studios, they want to do this in between movie shoots to utilize sets, props and costumes that already exist, thereby saving them some serious budget expenses. That in and of itself, is no small feat. It involves scheduling the show shoots within limited timetables between each feature film, as well as making sure to keep the show linear to the continuity of the films, books, animated shows and comics. Like I said, this is no small feat.

Also, from the sound of things it appears that the show won't feature many of the prominent movie characters as regulars, instead using some lesser known ones, or possibly characters from the new EU.

So, what do you think? Is this just some more hot air or does it hold some water?
Give us your two cents on our Facebook page

Budget Lightsaber Build

Times are tough for a lot of people, and everyone has a budget. Some tighter than others.

If you or your child have always wanted a lightsaber, but lacked the funds for a custom build, then this may be your chance! You don't need to buy a Master Replica or Hasbro Force FX saber, I'm about to show you how you can build a lightsaber that looks very cool for around $50 give or take, plus shipping costs for material. Even with shipping, it'll cost you under $75. Oh, and you can duel with it too.

I didn't just come up with this on my own. I was browsing Youtube on saber tutorials and I came across a video that showed how easy it was to make a saber. So easy in fact,  that a 5 year old shows us how to build one (with minor help from his dad) As long as you don't mind that it has no sound, it looks very cool. Perfect for Halloween or cosplay. I've posted the video at the bottom.

Along with a list of material, and build instructions, I'm also going to show you where you can find the parts, all of which is mentioned at the end of the video as well.

You'll need thick walled Polycarbonate tubing, 1" in diameter. Translucent tubing works best as it spreads the light better.

                              

 40" Red, Blue or Green tubes $12.99 

OR

  40" Translucent white tubes (best for colors other than RBG) $12.49

If you go with the white tube, you will need the following:

Assorted 3/4" color disks $5.44

1" Clear Blade tip: $3.50. If you can't find clear ones, you can purchase the white tips and just remove the reflective material from the inside to allow the light to show.

The tubing and tips can be found at The Custom Saber Shop, HERE.
The 3/4" color disks can be purchased on Amazon.

You'll also need a LED mini Flashlight.

The best option for this build is the Ultrafire Cree 7W 300LM Mini LED because:

1. It is 1" in diameter, so it will match the blade diameter.
2. The switch is on the bottom, so the flashlight can be encased in a holder and still be powered on.
3. It has an adjustable light zoom, so you can adjust the setting to best illuminate the blade.
4. It is super bright.
5. It's cheap. $6.38 on Amazon

For the handle/grip, you can get yourself a 1" diameter motorcycle/bike grip, but IT MUST HAVE a rubber or open ended/unscrewable tip. This will be the priciest part of the build. I would look to find something within the $20 or less range. You can find a wide selection of options on eBay.

Last but not least, you'll need some masking tape.


TIME TO BUILD!!!!

Color Blade Build:

1. Line up the flashlight and tube. Secure together with masking tape. Cut the bottom end of the motorcycle/bike handle/grip and slide the flashlight & blade through it. It will be a tight fit, so you may need to moisten the handle with a bit of soap and water or lotion. 
2. Install blade tip. 

Translucent White Blade Build:

1. Unscrew top of flashlight, place color disk of your choice inside & screw top back on. You do not need to remove the clear flashlight lense.
2. Line up the flashlight and tube. Secure together with masking tape. Cut the bottom end of the motorcycle/bike handle/grip and slide the flashlight & blade through it. It will be a tight fit, so you may need to moisten the handle with a bit of soap and water or lotion. 
3. Install blade tip. 

Here is a video of what it will look like. Note: They use thin walled tubing for the video, which is great for looks, but not so much for dueling. Thick walled takes more of a beating.

Looks cool, right?

Hit us up on our Facebook page with comments or your own build ideas!

Greedo Came To Earth To Father A Race Of Fish?

We all know Greedo the Rhodian:  The bounty hunter with questionable morals who works for an even more questionable boss. Well, it turns out he has a long lost cousin... On Earth!

Greedo? Meet your cousin......um....Greedo. 

Actually, his full name is Peckoltia Greedoi. It's a species of catfish that has scaly armor, dark eyes, and facial bristles, that was discovered along a river in Brazil back in 1998. However it wasn't named until recently when Jonathan Armbruster, the curator of fishes at the Auburn University Museum of Natural History was examining a specimen collected back in 2005.

How did this happen you say?

Well, while Jonathan was examining the little critter, Chris Hamilton, one of his colleagues from the department of biological sciences took one look a the specimen and said "That looks like that guy from 'Star Wars'". That was all it took to make the name stick.

Greedo now joins the "elite" club of species named after famous characters and celebrities, including an acorn worm named after Yoda for having lips on the side of it's head that reminded the researchers of Yoda's ears, a horsefly named after Beyonce for it's gold colored rear end, and a 505 million year old extinct arthropod named after Johnny Depp because it's pincers reminded them of Edward Scissorhands.

Read the entire article on Mother Nature Network.

Do they look alike to you? Sound off on our FB page!

The Grey Jedi In You - ForceStrong Original Article

The Grey Jedi In You
By ~Joshua Gregory King


When you weigh your choices in life; are you driven like a character out of Mass Effect? "Hmm; do I slap this girl in the face for not allowing me to take her out to dinner? Or do I cry like a little girl in the corner." Probably not, you decide based on a large quantity of variances... the good and the bad often intermingle with each other to the point where if you were to choose your gut instinct, it would often both negatively impact and positively affect all aspects.

So why is it that we so often are given only two choices among the ranks of Jedi? In games such as Dark Knight, Jedi Academy, and even non Star Wars based games (Hellloooo Bioshock) we are often given two choices in any given situation. But we are all thinking the same thing;  there is another way, why wouldn't I take the weapon and shoot the baddie? Why would I seriously lock myself into the choice of A) Slaughter every innocent in sight, or B) Rise up on a pedestal and dedicate your life to the church of the force. Well Skywalker; I for one am in love with the expression from a much beloved taco commercial; "Porque no dos?" For those of you whose Spanish is a bit on the weaker side... this means 'why not both?'; and it's such a valid question that most of us actually leave these encounters feeling deprived no matter which choice we happen to make.

If we go for light side, we deprive ourselves the pleasures of destroying our enemies. They are enemies for a reason you know; and most of the time you don't walk into a situation and aim for the nearest living thing... every single GTA game aside. And I find the lack of faith DISTURBING, in the way that the game creators will cripple you for being the GOOD guy in a situation. I mean; which is easier? Masterfully wielding a blade and dodging pedestrians while you ONLY strike 'troopers and dark jedi' in a crowd of innocents with nothing but a bit of speed and the ability to jump a bit higher than usual... or throwing a cloud of freaking lightning above the bad guys heads that bolts only target enemies? To me this always seemed asinine. A true Jedi would know and use both sides of the force, they would ebb and flow; or as Bruce Lee would say 'become water' and adapt to the situation as the needed.

Meaning if I want to force choke the living hell out of a guy I just saw shoot an unarmed pedestrian, why are you going to reward me with dark side points? "Sorry, he was a murderer... but you really should have been gentler in the way you took him out." WHAT?! You can't be serious... I uhh... screw it I'm going totally Revan on these bantha suckers. No..no no...spent the whole entire game up to this point going WAY out of my way to just barely scrape by situations without hurting anything that shouldn't be touched.

Ok well maybe if I just, use speed force, combine it with force jump and throw my saber at exactly a thirty-two degree angle I can swipe those three, dodge the child eating a candy bar in the middle of a MAGICAL BADASS FIGHT and still manage to survive without hurting anyone innocent.

This doesn't make sense, and it never will. This is because in reality, the truth is that you are going to need to use some force to accomplish any goals you have. Whether that be wiping all of humanity out in a single blast while a princess watches or reloading the game six or more times to try to take out an entire group of baddies because you ingeniously saved with two health points.

(Hey we've all done it.) This is why I am personally in LOVE with the style of The Knights of the Old Republic. Which honestly they can't make too many of and needs more sequels than the Twilight series got and didn't deserve from the start. *Force choke Edward. *FORCE CHOKE EDWARD; DAMMIT. *Force... avoid? At least? (saving throw fail)

I always find myself locked in a moral quandary in these games but the beauty of that is you CAN tread the middle path; you can save group A because they deserve it and destroy group B because they deserve it. That's right, I have always found myself following in the path of ole Jolee Bindoo because the man's sage-like wisdom is apparent in his actions. He knows that you need to be able to heal a friend and kill an enemy. Something that is practiced every day in real life but seems to be left in the dust in most choice-based games in these days. A mistake; I might add, all too often present. A mistake, that often leads to the downfall of many close-to-greats.

So I ask you; if an unarmed man walked up to you and whispered in your ear "I've killed... so many children", would you end him? I would. But maybe I've been hanging out with an old man in Kashyyyk just a litttttle too long.

- Email Me Here if you are interested in writing for the ForceStrong Network 

Mash Em' Up! Volume I

Some Mash-Ups from Master Critter.  Usually just things that we find on Google then put a #ForceStrong spin on them ;)

Pulp Fiction VS Reservoir Dogs 

Comment your favorite movie or sound off on our FB Group.

Another Dude Robs A Credit Union As Vader...

If you live in Pineville, North Carolina then you should be careful not to fall to the Darkside... Yesterday this guy robbed a credit union disguised as Darth Vader.

Police say, "Not only was the robber wearing a mask, he was also sporting a chest plate and gloves similar to those worn by the “Star Wars” character."...  SMH, giving us a bad name...

Sound off on our group!

John Williams WILL NOT Score Every New Star Wars Film

Fear not my friends! For as you know, fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, and hate to... well, you get the idea.

Let's look at this logically. John Williams is synonymous with Star Wars, but he's also pushing 83. While he will be scoring Episode VII (and maaaaaaybe VIII & IX, but only time will tell), He's already made steps to have a replacement ready. What better way to test the "new guy" than to let him score the first stand alone Star Wars movie.

This is where Oscar winning composer Alexander Desplat comes in. Desplat will be the one responsible for the musical score of "Star Wars: Rogue One", as he revealed during an interview on the French program "Radio Classique's Culture Club".

Hypable and Film Music Reporter have confirmed this to be true.

His most recent works can be heard in "Godzilla" and "The Grand Budapest Hotel". He's very good at creating music to help set the tone of a film. As it's been recently reported that "Rogue One" is going to be a grittier and somewhat darker addition to the franchise (Excluding ROTS), could this mean we are in store for a lot of dark, ominous music this time around?

We'll all have to wait and see, but LucasFilm & Disney seem to be quite sure of their decision to bring him on to this franchise.

How do you feel about this move? Chime in on our FB page.

Will We See Battlefront In Action Next Month At Celebration?

Electronic Arts will attend next month's Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, California, but right now, WE DON'T KNOW WHY ;) The publisher is listed as an exhibitor for the show, to be held April 16-19, but no other details were provided.

After EA released the trailer for the upcoming "Star Wars Battlefront 3" at the 2015 Game Developers Conference, fans are now speculating that EA will also release gameplay for the game very soon. It will release for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, sometime around December 2015. Coincidentally, the game will release around the same time as "Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens" movie. A teaser is expected at the next E3 event.

Star Wars: Battlefront's design director previously teased that DICE would reveal more about the game sometime this spring, which would align nicely with the Star Wars Celebration. Read the full article here.

What are you hoping to see from EA as it relates to Star Wars?  Stay tuned to the ForceStrong Network for all your Battlefront news and updates!

Too Much Is Never Enough, Or Is It?

Buried With Exclusives

By Guest Writer Mandalore The Wise

For years we have asked for more. Artists and authors answered. Fan made movies popped up all over the web. Die-hard fans created their own storylines when they weren't satisfied with what the authors were writing. The Mickey Mouse Marketing Ears of Disney heard the call, the collective cry of “give us more” and they have answered – AND IT WILL BE CANON.

The animated Clone Wars was pushed off to Netflix, so it wouldn't compete with the new Rebels series. Marvel announced they would be releasing 3 new series. All the current novels were tagged as “Legends” and new novels are hitting the shelves. Exclusive action figures are popping up all over, and I’m not even talking about the ones from the various conventions. Target, Wal-Mart and Walgreens are getting figures you can’t find anywhere else. I spent countless hours on the phone and driving around just to get my hands on a Prototype Armor Boba Fett, just to find them all over the shelves about a month later when they got their next shipment. Oh well, it was an adventure and learning experience.

At first, I was in awe. I was excited for the cartoon and the comics. I created an event on my calendar so I wouldn't miss out on Star Wars #1. It had been years since I had set foot inside a real comic shop. This was going to be like reliving my childhood. The day finally came. I stepped through the doors and breathed in the geekdom! The smell of graphic novels and comics – Oh how I have missed thee. I walked up to the counter and there is was… Comic of the week… Star Wars #1. I reached for it. Then I looked past it. On the wall, there were rows of different covers. Wait. Shenanigans I say! I asked my fellow geek working behind the counter if there was any difference in the story itself. “Nope, just the cover.”

Ok, deep breathe. How many covers can there be? How many do I need? Logically, I knew the answer but the geek in me wanted them all. So I picked up a few different covers, paid and headed home. When I got home, I surfed the web and found over 50 covers. My head swam with variants and exclusives and incentives….

I started looking through my comic collection from the mid 90’s and found a few comics that had a couple different covers. A couple, nothing remotely close to 50. Then Darth Vader #1 and Princess Leia #1 hit the stands also coming in a multitude of different cover options. Star Wars #2 also has multiple covers. When will the lunacy stop! Then I made a realization. It won’t.

Disney answered our collective cry and we are paying for it, literally. Don’t get me wrong, I am enjoying all the new content. I am looking forward to reading the new novels. I will continue to buy the comics, only 1 cover. I will fight the urge to be lured into hunting for the exclusives, knowing I will lose some of the battles and will continue to expand my overall collection.

Gone are the days of having to brave the lines at a Wizard World for an exclusive. Now you just have to head to Walgreens...  Let us know what you think on our FB group. 

Marvel Announces Ep. VII Prequel Comic

As reported on IGN.com, Marvel has announced an upcoming comic series set to release in September that serves as a prequel to Episode VII. "The Road to Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Shattered Empire #1" (If that title isn't a mouthful, I don't know what is...) will be out September 15th.

No specifics have been released as to the content of this series, though from the look of the teaser image below by artist Phil Noto, it seems to hint that this series will pick up immediately after the final events of Return of The Jedi. 

It's presumed that the story will follow our heroes as the Rebel Alliance continues it's push against the remnants of the Empire, it's once undisputed might now shattered due to the Emperor's death. This will undoubtedly be a delicate project, as it will have to take into account the events of the 20 books that are also set to be released throughout 2015 in order to ensure proper continuity within the new Star Wars canon EU.  > Get all the latest books here <

Let us know what you think on our FB page!

New Star Wars Spin-off Named & Episode VIII Date Revealed!

Rouge One Standing By...

Star Wars has a new, official standalone spin-off film coming — Rogue One, starring Felicity Jones and written by Rian Johnson. The movie will be the first in a series of spin-offs that focus on Star Wars universe peripheral characters and side-stories, according to Disney, and will premiere on December 16, 2016, a year after the next main continuity Star Wars film.

Disney didn’t reveal anything about the movie’s plot today, but the name speaks volumes. “Rogue One” is the callsign of the leader of Rogue Squadron. If you’re someone who’s only experienced Star Wars via the movies, you may only vaguely know what Rogue Squadron is. If you’re a Force-Strong :)  fan, then you know Rogue Squadron is the team of fighter pilots who fly Snowspeeders and X-Wings and basically anything with an engine. If you happened to reach your peak Star Wars fandom in the mid-’90s—the period when there were no Star Wars movies but a seemingly infinite array of Star Wars tie-in books, comics, and videogames—then it’s possible that you think Rogue Squadron is the very best of Star Wars. It’s all the excitement with none of the self-importance; all the thrilling battles, none of the Skywalker-bloodline spiritualist philosophy.  Can't wait to see Wedge again!

Disney also announced that Star Wars: Episode VIII will premiere on May 26, 2017, so the studio is switching to a summer release window for the next main franchise installment. All indications are that Disney hopes to turn Star Wars into an elaborate, interconnected cinematic universe the way that it has with Marvel, and that’s just extra cool – provided they can actually make good movies from the base material now that George Lucas is out of the picture.

Read all about it here before the movie!

How Disney/Lucasfilm Plans to Connect Ep. VI to Ep. VII

30 years have gone by since the destruction of the 2nd Death Star and the deaths of the Emperor and Darth Vader....This is where Episode 7 begins.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far awa-Hey! W......Wait a minute! Hold on a second! What the hell has been going on between all that time? You don't expect us to just dive right in.....Do you?

Okay, we all know that the opening crawl always serves as a narrative to events leading up to the beginning of the movie, which is fine for the majority of Star Wars fans...but what about the other fans that are into more than just the movies? Fear not my friends! For those of us who seek further enlightenment about what has transpired in the 30 years between movie timelines, there is hope.

According to Cinemablend.com, Disney, Lucasfilm, and Worldwide Publishing have teamed up and are working on releasing AT LEAST 20 books on the market by this fall that will do just that! What's that you say? 20 books within a year is insane? You'll never be able to read them all before December?

Well, if you're like me. You can polish off a typical 300 or so page Star Wars book in a matter of days. Besides, you don't have to finish them all by December. You can always read at your own pace and have plenty of "Oh so THAT'S what happened" moments.

As a matter of fact, the new books have already begun to bridge the gap between episodes. If you're currently reading "Star Wars: Heir to the Jedi" and have not reached a certain chapter, you might consider skipping the next section and just head to the end.

Get this and other BRAND NEW books here!!

You want to go on? Are you sure? Okay then....

In "Heir to the Jedi", there is a small excerpt where Luke finds an old lightsaber and upon practicing his skill to disassemble and reassemble a saber by using the force, discovers that it is unique in that it has 3 crystals within, and finding out that even slight misalignment or damage to the crystals would cause unstable streams to emerge. Reminiscent of a certain sputtering saber we see in the Ep. 7 teaser, hmmmm?

With that tiny revelation, it's safe to say the rest of the books will further explain and expand upon events, technology, and characters we will meet in The Force Awakens.


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New Star Wars Canon Reflects Fan Base Diversity & An Old Favorite Will Return Soon!

"Lords of the Sith", is an upcoming novel by NY Times bestselling author Paul S. Kemp. The novel introduces readers to Moff Mors. According to Big Shiny Robot, Moff Mors is described as "an Imperial who has made some very serious mistakes but she is an incredibly capable leader and spends much of the book working hard to prevent absolute failure." Oh yeah, she's also a lesbian. The book does not skirt around the issue with any ambiguity either. It's pretty much straight forward.

True, she is not the first same sex relationship oriented character in Star Wars. Bioware's SWTOR has same gender relationships in game, and in what is now "Legends", the "Legacy of the Force" books had 2 male Mandalorians who where in a committed relationship. However, Moff Mors is the first lesbian character to be part of the official Star Wars canon.

Shelly Shapiro, editor of  "Star Wars" novels at Del Rey Books describes the introduction of Mors not as a type of statement, but rather as a reflection of the diversity of the fan base.

Oh.........and she also provided us with a tiny but powerful spoiler.

The next book to come out after "Lords of the Sith" is one that features none other than Asajj Ventress!

Check out the whole article here, and give us your feedback here!

TIE Remote Control Drone!! This Will Probably Be The Best Thing You've Seen Today!

Olivier C converted a quadcopter into a mini remote-controlled Millennium Falcon, I'm sure you saw it on the group. But now, this Force-Strong fan has brought his considerable drone-making talents to the dark side. Check out this video of his custom TIE Interceptor drone.

Sound off on our group. Read the full article here.

Darth Sidious Has Returned..........to Celebration 2015!

Fans of the Sith, and evil forces in general now have a little something extra to look forward to at Celebration 2015. Ian McDiarmid is the latest addition to the all-star line up of celebrities set to appear at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim.

Although it's obvious Sidious will not be a factor of the new trilogy, you can bet your moisture farm that tons of fans will re-hash the old rumors about the Emperor's survival of the DS2's destruction and his return in the new movies.

I'm just glad we get to see some bad guys other than the 501st (Okay...so they're technically an awesome bunch who do great things for their communities while in costume as bad guys, but still) make an appearance.

Music Video Tribute To Lightsabers! I Love This!

From Eclectic Method -- led by Jonny Wilson -- known for their danceable audio-visual remixes that gained acclaim in the 2009 documentary "Copyright Criminals," which celebrated the creativity of music sampling.

Read full article on Cnet.com.  Make sure you share it on your wall!

Harrison Ford Crashes In Small Plane. Son Tweets, "Battered, But OK".

Harrison Ford was injured but is OK after crash-landing a small plane on a golf course in California on Thursday, his son tweeted.  Are thoughts are with him and his family.

"At the hospital. Dad is ok. Battered, but ok! He is every bit the man you would think he is. He is an incredibly strong man," tweeted Ben Ford.

Los Angeles Fire Department Assistant Chief Patrick Butler, who wouldn't identify Ford as the patient, said the pilot suffered moderate trauma and was "alert and conscious" when he was taken to the hospital.

He said the pilot, the only person on board, was in fair to moderate condition.

Join the discussion on our group.  

Sarah Michelle Gellar: Rebel or Villain?

Looks like husband and wife will get to spend time together at work as well as at home. Mrs. Freddy Prinze Jr. has joined the cast of Rebels as.....well....we don't know as who just yet.

My theory? She's the Inquisitor's replacement as the antagonist. Yes we saw Darth Vader exit the shuttle at the end, and yes we heard Tarkin tell Agent Kallus about the Emperor providing an "alternate solution". I think that alternate solution is her, not Vader.

Bear with me a sec and consider the following (I'll put it all together at the end):

1. I highly doubt that Emperor Palpatine has just one inquisitor to handle force related affairs. There are likely other Inquisitors spread across the Empire.

2. In the episode before the finale, our heroes found out that Kanan was being held aboard Tarkin's Star Destroyer, which was heading to Mustafar. Hera mentions Kanan telling her "This is where Jedi go to die".

3. Just before plummeting to his death, the Inquisitor tells Kanan "There are some things far more frightening than death".

4. As mentioned in an earlier post here on our blog, how lame would it be if it was the Rebels foiling the evil Darth Vader every week in cookie cutter cartoon fashion? It would be an insult not only to the fans, but to credibility of the the production staff, the actors, and the franchise itself.

Here goes:

While Darth Vader was on Mustafar, it was not him they were meeting. I think the Emperor has a secret detention center on Mustafar reserved for Jedi and other force sensitive beings. Call it the Galactic equivalent of a super secret black-site prison. This is where I believe they were taking Kanan.

Who is running that prison? Darth Vader might be the head honcho, but he's got to have a 2nd in command. It's obvious that the Inquisitor was not that person.

I believe it was (whoever Sarah Michelle Gellar will voice) waiting for them on Mustafar, with Vader there to observe & report back to the Emperor. Why am I intent on believing she is a villain? Well that's simple.....balance.

We've now been introduced to the reality that the Rebels are all part of a much larger organization divided up into cells, and that former Jedi Ahsoka Tano is one of the leaders of this organization.

The good guys are now a bit heavy with the character list, so we need to bolster up the Imperial side. Vader? Check! Tarkin? Check! Now it's time to introduce the 3rd member to complete the trifecta. She'll be the new baddie they square off against, and judging by the Inquisitor's statement, she's gonna make the Rebels wish they were dead.

....at least that's my theory anyway.

Chime in here and let us know what you think!

ForceDeal!!  On Sale Now For $52!!

What Did The Inquisitor Mean? 'Rebels' Season Finale Questions.

Possible Spoilers*

What did the Inquisitor mean before he fell?  That was kinda too cryptic for his final goodbye... Which leads me to believe he will be back.

What's the biggest question or concern in your mind about Season 2?  I really don't want to see Vader foiled each week in a sophomoric way and take away from his epicness.  But, that's just me.

Are you stoked to have Ahsoka back?  How about Vader?  Make sure you sound off on our group and join the discussion.  Can't wait for Season 2!!

Sony Official Blog: Battlefront '3' Set For A December Release On PS4

The third installment in the “Star Wars: Battlefront” series, named identically to the first one but dubbed “Battlefront 3” by the community, has been confirmed for a release in winter 2015, at least for the PlayStation 4. The revelation came after Sony published a list of all games coming to the console in 2015 on their official blog, and the list also included the new “Battlefront 3”.

The game is expected to revive an old classic franchise, and a lot of us are following its development with active interest, even though there’s admittedly not that much to follow for the time being, as EA/DICE have been rather secretive about their progress. We do know that the game will feature an extensively developed single player campaign though, and it’s also expected to revolutionize the multiplayer aspect of the franchise – but how much exactly is the fight going to change?

It’s pretty much guaranteed that DICE will take some elements from their other popular shooter franchise, “Battlefield”, and implement them in the new “Star Wars: Battlefront”. Battlelog, the system powering the lobbies of “Battlefield”, may also be used in “Star Wars: Battlefront”, and there have been rumors that EA also wants to set up a system similar to the Community Test Environment available for “Battlefield” premium subscribers, which has greatly helped with fine-tuning the balance and performance of “Battlefield”.

Stop by our FB Page for all Battlefront gamers.

Stay tuned here and on our group for future updates.