Star Wars Bits: Minor ‘Rogue One’ Characters, Simon Pegg’s ‘Star Wars’ Journey, The BB-8 Upgrade You’ve Been Looking For
That sound you hear isRogue One: A Star Wars Storyslowly stepping up to the plate as “theStar Warsmovie everyone watches intently and over-analyzes for the next 11 months.” In today’s edition of Star Wars Bits:
We still know precious little aboutRogue One: A Star Wars Story, but thanks toMaking Star Wars, we know know a tiny little bit more than we did earlier today. Thanks to some browsing in a movie extras database (where the film is listed by its fake title,Los Alamos), we now know thatJustin Calignawanwill play an alien of some kind,Jimi Finnwill play a marine,Nick SKCwill play a creature, andAnthony Bealwill play…well, he’s just credited as “cast extra,” but he’s a solider in the British Army, which backs up reports that the film was using real soldiers as extras. Well, we now know thatRogue Onewill feature aliens and creatures and soldiers. Your toddler whose only exposure toStar Warsis his Darth Vader pajamas could have told you that. But hey, you drink when you’re in a desert andRogue Onehas yet to guide us to a proper news-oasis.
Simon Peggearned his geek royalty through years of blood, sweat, and total obsession. HisStar Warsfanaticism has been documented on countless occasions, so it’s no surprise that he got to play the minor role of Unkar Plutt inStar Wars: The Force Awakens(it also helps that he’s buds withJ.J. Abrams). But just in case you doubt his credentials, Pegg has written a lovely article forEmpirewhere he explores his relationship with the series, from his childhood all the way up through his time on the set of the new movie. Here’s one lovely bit:
And here’s another:
I am on set as a consultant, acting as a sounding board for J.J., who is making tweaks to the already wonderful screenplay. My computer is open in Final Draft and, at the top of my screen, the scene heading reads, “INT. S-REDACTED-R — DAY”. I hear a familiar voice and turn to see Mark walking onto set, looking trim and cool, with a beard that he grumbles about but makes him look handsome and Jedi-like. When they shot Luke placing his robotic hand on R2’s head, a moment glimpsed in the trailer, I sat at the monitors with Mark’s family and marvelled at the huge significance of the moment.
IsStar Wars Rebelsmaking a surprise return onJanuary 20? Disney hasn’t announced an official air date for the next episode of their animated series, butMaking Star Warshas this image taken straight from a cable listing, revealing an air date for a new episode titled “A Princess on Lothal.” This could be a mistake, some kind of glitch on the part of the cable provider, or it could be a listing that went up a little too early. Feel free to speculate wildly!
Reddit user Nallo Mallo was shopping at Target when hestumbled across this horrifying sight. Will we ever feel safe in public again? What is going on in this world?
The officialStar Warswebsite has been publishing an ongoing series showcasing the art that beloved concept and storyboard artistRalph McQuarriecrafted for variousStar Warsbooksand today’s entry is a real treat. Above is the cover for for the novelization ofReturn of the Jedi. Below is the original painting.
Colliderhas written a very good article about whether or not Disney and Lucasfilm might consider permanently moving theStar Warsseries to December. Although Memorial Day has been the franchise’s standard home for decades, it’s hard to argue with those record breaking grosses and, as the article points out, it’s even harder to argue with the lack of competition:
Rogue Oneis currently scheduled for release this December,Star Wars: Episode VIIIfor the following May, and that Han Solo spin-off will arrive one year after that in 2018. There’s plenty of time to shift things around, should Disney decide that that holiday cash is greater than summer cash.Gizmodohas the scoop on the latest upgrade to Sphero’s massively popular BB-8 toy and it’s a doozy. A new wearable will allow you to control your adorable little droid through hand motions alone. The big question now is whether this is just cool motion-tracking technology or a device that directly connects you with the Force.
In news that should surprise absolutely no one, Marvel’sStar Warslinedominated comic book salesin 2015, beating out Frank Miller’s highly anticipated return to Batman and the giganticSecret Warsminiseries. As you can see below,Star Warsbooks accounted for four of the top ten bestselling issues of last year:
1. STAR WARS #1 MARVEL COMICS
2. SECRET WARS #1 MARVEL COMICS
3. BRAVEST WARRIORS: TALES FROM HOLO JOHN #1 BOOM! STUDIOS
4. ORPHAN BLACK #1 IDW PUBLISHING
5. DARK KNIGHT III: THE MASTER RACE #1 DC COMICS
6. STAR WARS VADER DOWN #1 MARVEL COMICS
7. DARTH VADER #1 MARVEL COMICS
8. SPIDER-GWEN #1 MARVEL COMICS
9. INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #1 MARVEL COMICS
10. PRINCESS LEIA #1 MARVEL COMICS
We’re still not entirely sure what’s up with Boba Fett in the newStar Warscanon. In the old expanded universe, he survived his encounter with the Sarlacc and went on to have all kinds of adventures. In the new novel,Star Wars: Aftermath, we see an unknown figure acquire the dead bounty hunter’s armor for vague purposes. In any case, the Star Wars Minute YouTube channel has put together a brief history of Slave II, the ship Boba Fett uses after the events ofReturn of the Jediin the old universe. Whether or not Slave II will ever actually exist again is unknown.
