Juno Eclipse said:

There are two Return Of The Jedi panels tomorrow - and both are on at the exact same time:

The Science of Return of the Jedi Sat Apr 8, 2023 • 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

40 Years of Return of the Jedi Sat, Apr 8, 2023 • 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
 

What were they thinking? Now that is some poor planning.

That is awful planning. Shades of “Hey fans of Return Of The Jedi who are here on this super expensive weekend, we’ve arranged the ROTJ Panels to be at the same time so you are going to miss out on the little we are showing about this classic film on its 40th anniversary. Could we have easily put these on at two different times? Yes, we could. But we’re not.”

Day 2 - Saturday

Star Wars Celebration LIVE! 2023 - DAY 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qi-b2c0RY7I - at the official Star Wars YouTube channel.

Some bits of news announced so far on Day 2:

The Ahsoka panel - not live streamed. There is some text “updates” of what is happening on https://twitter.com/starwars
Just announced at #StarWarsCelebration Lars Mikkelsen joins the cast of @AhsokaOfficial as Grand Admiral Thrawn
Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi Season 2 Announced
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi Will Return to Theaters

On the price of autographs, signings and photos:

Star Wars Celebration: Ewan McGregor cashes in with £480 Obi-Wan Kenobi selfies at fan convention at I News

Ewan McGregor with Hayden Christensen (Obi Wan-Kenobi and Darth Vader) – £499 for in-person autograph at table, restricted to 150 prints. £479.99 to stand alongside in joint photo.
McGregor solo photo – £259.99 places sold out. Christiansen solo photo – £209.99.

Respect to Samantha Alleyne, the actress best known for being the first female Stormtrooper in Star Wars, who was offering free autographs.

The official Star Wars YouTube channel put up these 4 6 videos taken from Celebration 2023 for The Acolyte:

Amandla Stenberg and Lee Jung-Jae from The Acolyte | Star Wars Celebration LIVE! 2023

Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, and Charlie Barnett from The Acolyte | Star Wars Celebration LIVE! 2023

Joonas Suotamo and Dean-Charles Chapman from The Acolyte | Star Wars Celebration LIVE! 2023

Jodie Turner-Smith and Rebecca Henderson from The Acolyte | Star Wars Celebration Live! 2023

and also

Rayne Roberts from The Acolyte | Star Wars Celebration LIVE! 2023

The Acolyte’s Leslye Headland | Star Wars Celebration LIVE! 2023 - at 39:37 into the linked video

The Acolyte airs on Disney+ in 2024, according to: https://twitter.com/starwars/status/1644291128466784258

There was a trailer for this shown at Celebration, and it has leaked onto the usual places online.

“Three New Star Wars Movies Announced” - https://www.starwars.com/news/swce-2023-new-star-wars-films

 
"Today during Lucasfilm’s Studio Showcase at Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy announced that three new live-action Star Wars films are on the way. Helming the movies are James Mangold (Logan, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny), Dave Filoni (The Mandalorian, Ahsoka), and Academy Award- and Emmy Award-winning director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (Ms. Marvel, Saving Face).

James Mangold’s movie will go back to the dawn of the Jedi, while Dave Filoni’s will focus on the New Republic, and close out the interconnected stories told in The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and other Disney+ series. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s film will be set after the events of Rise of Skywalker, and feature Daisy Ridley back as Rey as she builds a new Jedi Order."

Kathleen Kennedy on the Future of Star Wars | Star Wars Celebration 2023 - an 11 minute video at the IGN YouTube channel.

Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni On What’s Next for Star Wars - an 18 minute video at the IGN YouTube channel.

The official Ahsoka teaser trailer: https://twitter.com/starwars/status/1644303514385137664

and on the official Star Wars YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnzNZ0Mdx4I
 

The Ahsoka series airs on Disney+ in August 2023
 

new Ahsoka poster: https://twitter.com/starwars/status/1644301880133033984

adywan said:

It looks like again this year its just going to be filled with promotions for stuff they sell rather than the panels. Looking at what is set to stream its really screwing over the fans that not only can’t get to the event but also those that have paid to go but can’t get in to the panels. Not a single one of the Return of the Jedi panels is going to be streamed, including the hour long 40th anniversary panel. Yet they are going to stream the 15th anniversary Clone wars panel. Screw that. 15 years isn’t even a bloody special anniversary.

Yep, 100%. These “live streamed YouTube videos” only start after the main panel on the day finishes.

A pathetic and mean spirited way to treat the fans: the “Star Wars family”, for those that are there at Celebration but couldn’t get tickets for the Panels, and also those at home around the world who can’t be there.

A 15th anniversary of The Clone Wars? But no 20th anniversary of Genndy’s Clone Wars? No 40th panels live streamed for ROTJ? That sucks.

Day 1 - Friday

Star Wars Celebration LIVE! 2023 - DAY 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyIHhK2VKvQ - at the official Star Wars YouTube channel.
 
 

Some bits of news announced so far on Day 1:

Ahsoka series airs in August 2023: https://twitter.com/starwars/status/1644301880133033984
Ahsoka teaser trailer: https://twitter.com/starwars/status/1644303514385137664

Skeleton Crew airs in 2023: https://twitter.com/starwars/status/1644299339441790977
Skeleton Crew teaser trailer: https://twitter.com/SW_Infos/status/1644301610548330496

Acolyte airs in 2024: https://twitter.com/starwars/status/1644291128466784258
Acolyte trailer: https://reddit.com/r/StarWarsLeaks/comments/12ehku0/acolyte_trailer

Andor info (hoping for an August 2024 release): https://twitter.com/StarWarsExplain/status/1644285585098457088
Andor S2 trailer info: https://collider.com/andor-season-2-trailer
 

“Three New Star Wars Movies Announced” - https://www.starwars.com/news/swce-2023-new-star-wars-films

“Daisy Ridley returns to the stage and surprises fans at #StarWarsCelebration along with director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy with exciting news about their upcoming Star Wars film.” - https://twitter.com/starwars/status/1644307039835811840

“Just revealed at #StarWarsCelebration, Kathleen Kennedy welcomes James Mangold, Dave Filoni & Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy on stage as future directors of 3 new upcoming Star Wars films.” - https://twitter.com/starwars/status/1644305946674339841

James Mangold is telling the tale of the first Jedi.
Dave Filoni is doing the Imperial Remnant versus the New Republic.
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is doing the New Jedi Order film, set 15 years after TROS, with Rey.
 

Kathleen Kennedy on the Future of Star Wars | Star Wars Celebration 2023 - an 11 minute video at the IGN YouTube channel.

Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni On What’s Next for Star Wars - an 18 minute video at the IGN YouTube channel.

Star Wars: Oscar-winning production designer Norman Reynolds dies

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-65200513
 

 
'Norman Reynolds, the British production designer and art director who won two Oscars for his work on Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark, has died.

Reynolds, 89, worked as art director on Star Wars: A New Hope in 1977 and took over from John Barry as production designer for the sequels.

Steven Spielberg previously said Reynolds was the “creative core” of the Star Wars and Indiana Jones films.

“He possessed that rare combination of humility and utter genius,” he said.

Reynolds’ notable design work included Yoda’s planet of Dagobah, the carbon freezing chamber in which Han Solo was encased in carbonite and The Emperor’s throne room.

The latter was reimagined as part of a destroyed Death Star in The Rise of Skywalker in 2019.

His influence on the Star Wars universe is still seen today with many of his designs incorporated in the look of the Disney+ series, The Mandalorian.’
 

more information is in the linked article above
 

^ Norman Reynolds with his two Oscars, which were won for best art direction on Star Wars, and Raiders of the Lost Ark

Emre1601 said:

The trailer looks good, as they all do. But the gamplay video left me a little cold. It seem very repetitive and similar to the 1st game, which is great if you enjoyed it, but looks to me as an expansion pack more than a new game that expands the story and adventure further.

I’ll wait to see some of the reviews and walkthrough videos a couple of months after release to see if this does surprise me and brings something new to the gameplay and series.
 

And I’m still hoping for that “open world” Star Wars game to happen! Has there been any solid news on that lately?

A few Star Wars “influencers” and gamers got to play the game early, in return for reviews? Just 5 of the Jedi: Survivor videos I quickly found:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5cCEmPmK_A - EckhartsLadder
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DpgVQa_otk - JorRaptor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAgL6XAsq7U - Game Informer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJjgjmRNM9A - Bombastic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_27f1D_-Q8 - Star Wars Explained
 

I’m more interested in the FPS game, and the open world game too, than this. But it looks okay and probably will be enjoyable and a hit for those that liked the first game,

RIP Angie Mayhew, wife of the late Peter Mayhew:

“It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our beloved Angie Mayhew. After complications from a double heart valve replacement surgery, she has joined her beloved, Peter Mayhew, in the stars. Her kindness, love and generosity will always be remembered.” - https://twitter.com/TheWookieeRoars/status/1642530929632583682
 

A lot of people posting some really nice things about Angie Mayhew on the https://twitter.com/TheWookieeRoars

Michael Reaves, TV, Prose and Comics Writer, Dead at 72:

http://www.multiversitycomics.com/news/michael-reeves-obit
 

A touching article with a lot of his Star Wars work - ‘In Memoriam: Remembering Author Michael Reaves’:

https://youtini.com/post/in-memoriam-remembering-author-michael-reaves
 

The Star Wars Celebration website now has a range of merchandise for the “Return of the Jedi 40th Anniversary Collection”:

https://www.starwarscelebration.com/en-us/merchandise.html#rotj

The Star Wars Celebration website now has a range of merchandise for the “Return of the Jedi 40th Anniversary Collection”:

https://www.starwarscelebration.com/en-us/merchandise.html#rotj

Oh no! Celebration 2023 in London. April 7-10

😃

That is some cool artwork for the Panels!

Can the mods merge the two threads?

Wow! The A Disturbance in the Force: Star Wars Holiday Special Documentary is actually the very documentary being talked about in this thread on here, from back in 2017!:

Star Wars Holiday Special Documentary

Omni said:

Emre, are you trolling? G&G’s point seems crystal clear, are you purposefully misunderstanding?

No, I don’t think he is. Though he may be confused by G&G-Fan’s claim? I was.

If you read G&G-Fan’s original post on this…

G&G-Fan said:

Regarding the thing about Vader always being Luke’s father, I found some info about why Lucas might have said this.

George Lucas said:

“Well, to be very honest with you, when I wrote the very very first script it was about Annikin Starkiller and his two kids. And, uh, he was a rogue Jedi, and there were remnants of that [draft] that found its way into the final Star Wars.”
-MovieFone Unscripted, 2005

So from a certain point of view, Vader was always gonna be Luke’s father. It was just discarded but then we ended up getting something that more resembled the original idea.

Well, if you look at George’s quote in the interview (and the linked video) it certainly does not add up to what we now know from the early script drafts. As we are in a thread where citations and evidence are key, and used to back up claims, it does seem a strange choice of information for G&G-Fan to use to then claim “Vader was always gonna be Luke’s father”, or for any other claim.

Emre asks for a link to this “very very first script” to further understand what G&G-Fan means, but isn’t given one. So Emre explains his understanding and thoughts, and lets G&G-Fan know the early draft scripts, “The Star Wars” 2014 comic, and The Secret History of Star Wars book are all good sources of further information.

Emre may be confused? He did say he was. I know I was! I’m sure Emre will speak for himself, but that isn’t trolling.
 

Bu hey, we got some more information on the “evolution of Vader” in this thread, being formed from with at least 4 separate characters throughout the various draft scripts, a reminder of the significance on that 2nd draft of Empire Strikes Back, and thanks to G&G-Fan we also have another source with George being on record claiming things that “does not hold up well to scrutiny at all”. Which fits right in with this thread, along with all the other sources highlighting George being an unreliable narrator and revisionist. In this case, literally.

I love this thread!

I like that summary, of_Kaiburr_and_Whills, I think JD Dillard and Matt Owens were also making a SW film at one point, Kevin Feige too?

I wish Lucasfilm wouldn’t announce the films until they are greenlit, the script is done, been given the okay, and they are ready for production. It is the hope and anticipation that kills you! 😃

We are told by the more reliable and experienced movie people that these things happen all the time in the industry. There were lots of cancellations for live action TV projects when George was back in charge in the mid to late 2000’s. Covid and timing likely factored into Kenobi going from a film to series?

I still don’t understand why Rangers Of The Republic series couldn’t be retooled and reworked without the Cara Dune character, it was just too an appealing a series to me. Or is the Lando series still a possibility to make it to air?
 

If Lucasfilm do announce the rumored 3 new Star Wars films at Celebration, would anyone be that excited until they entered the production phase? Given the chances of them being cancelled in the future, like other projects have?

More nods to Tom Veitch’s early EU work in this week’s Bad Batch. I won’t say what they are because of spoilers for it. But it was pleasing to see, and it looks like there could be more nods to come in the series too.

I enjoyed the episode overall, but also found some of it lacking in places.

Bringing back Ahmed Best as Kelleran Beq was a nice touch, especially to be one of the people who helped save Grogu, for the shit he got because people couldn’t tell the difference between JarJar and the actor playing him. But his fight scenes were flat, along with the choreography and direction too. Some cutaways of him swirling sabers, and then cut to a wide shot, then back to cutaways of him swirling sabers. The background to the Speeder chase thing looked weird and cheap too.

Did the big flying creature thing keep Vizsla’s son in his mouth overnight somewhere else? Instead of just feeding him to the 3 baby flying in the nest? Why would a carnivorous creature attack its prey and then wait an entire day before attempting to eat it or feed it to its young? Vizlas’s son got spat out very dry too, no spittle, goo or fluid on him at all. Is the budget a little tight? Or was it meant to be funny?

As others have said already, no lookouts or early warning system for these big flying creatures or swimming megacrocs that often come and try and attack the Mandalorians, then carry the kids off, or just eat them? Yet the Mandalorians continue to simply train out in the open and make lots of noise. These attacks have been occurring often and for a long time going on Vizsla lines of dialogues: “Follow it to its lair”, “It always gets away”, and “It will kill the foundling if attacked. It has happened before when it has taken others.”

Foundlings are meant to be important to this warrior sect, right?

Weirdly, this was still one of the better episodes so far. Though I think any hopes for this season to have tighter writing, better use of the Volume or cinematography, and less fan service, are long gone based on what he have seen so far. I’ve found the Bad Batch more enjoyable and higher quality across the board this year, despite a few “filler” type episodes early on.

They are really doing some great work this season. Another top tier episode today leaving me wanting more. I’m enjoying this more than I am The Mandalorian, and I never thought I’d say that about an animated series outperforming a live action series.

jedi_bendu said:

I expect the Bad Batch will try to sneak into Mount Tantiss and shut down the zillo beast cloning project. My big question is whether the Empire will have finished whatever experiment they’re doing on Crosshair by the time they get there. Maybe he’s being genetically modified to be a Death Trooper or something.

It appears you are going to be right on this, not just the Zillo, but also the cloning projects too. Or they’ll try to shut them down, at least.

That screening of Return Of The Jedi at Star Wars Celebration, the one that will probably be the Maclunkey version, is not free of charge. I just assumed this was free for Celebration ticket holders. Instead it is an extra $40/50 per ticket, plus $5-7 processing fees!:

“Join D23: The Official Disney Fan Club at Star Wars Celebration with an exclusive screening of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi! Enjoy complimentary popcorn, water, and a commemorative gift. Tickets on sale March 16 at 11 AM ET / 8 AM PT! https://d23.com/d23-event/return-of-the-jedi-40th-anniversary-screening-in-london”

https://twitter.com/DisneyD23/status/1635693023123374080
 

Someone on the StarWarsEU reddit put together a couple of interviews from Tom Veitch talking about Lightsider. Plus some comments from Bob Cooper, editor at Dark Horse at the time. All from 1995/96:
 

https://www.reddit.com/r/StarWarsEU/comments/yk1y70/the_lightsider_interviews

and some fans’ thoughts on Lightsider:

https://www.reddit.com/r/StarWarsEU/comments/yizuo1/my_thoughts_on_the_novella_lightsider_by_tom

Emre1601 said:

Marooned Biker Scout said:

There was also a character named Veitch in the recent episode of Bad Batch, probably a nice nod to Tom?

In 2x12 “The Outpost” episode? Yes, they called one of the clone troopers “Veetch” and then blew him a minute later! I’m not sure if that was a nice nod, or a swipe at Tom Veitch?

It was one of the very best episodes of The Bad Batch, and one of the better pieces of Star Wars overall, so maybe I should give them the benefit of the doubt.

One and the same, yeah. I found it a little disappointing it was almost a blink-and-miss-it thing in tribute to Tom Vetich. But like you said, it was one of the best and more memorable episodes of Bad Batch. I’ll think of it as a positive tribute to Tom.

A strong story, character development, immersive and emotive. What It meant to be a clone under the Empire at this time, and how the Empire views them, really came through. Full of tension, and some cool art and sound in the episode. I got heavy “The Thing” vibes too.

From https://sffgazette.com/sci_fi/star-wars/star-wars-a-classic-movie-is-receiving-an-unexpected-theatrical-a4810

"2023 marks the 40th anniversary of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, and we’ve already seen new merchandise start finding its way into stores.

However, a listing on the official Dolby website confirms the 1983 classic is heading back to theaters - in Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision - on April 28, 2023. This hasn’t been confirmed or announced by Disney and Lucasfilm, but makes sense even if it is somewhat surprising."

Looking like there could be a limited run in some cinemas for ROTJ. And in Dolby Vision too! 😃

Lucasfilm could finally release the 1997 Special Editions in HD/4K on physical media too. Then later add it to Disney+ as an option. Simply make it clear the latest 2019 Maclunkey versions are still the official version, so George’s ego is pleased and satisfied, and that the 1997 Special Edition version is just The Final Cut an earlier version of the films.

Like a bonus option or something.

An exclusive interview with the two directors of A Disturbance in the Force:

https://www.slashfilm.com/1223532/a-disturbance-in-the-force-directors-uncover-the-secrets-of-the-star-wars-holiday-special-exclusive-interview
 

Some reviews of A Disturbance in the Force, from the SXSW screening:

https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/a-disturbance-in-the-force-review-1235550643
https://www.indiewire.com/2023/03/a-disturbance-in-the-force-review-star-wars-holiday-special-doc-1234817622
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/a-disturbance-in-the-force-review-star-wars-1235348343
https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/star-wars-holiday-special-truth-disturbance-in-the-force
https://www.slashfilm.com/1225169/a-disturbance-in-the-force-review-a-star-wars-holiday-special-doc-sxsw
https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/new-sxsw-doc-reveals-secrets-behind-star-wars-awful-holiday-special
https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-reviews/star-wars-holiday-special-a-disturbance-in-the-force-sxsw-doc-george-lucas-harrison-ford-variety-show-1234692639