The one and only Billy Dee Williams will be attending. The TJW Podcast is hoping to get even a brief word with the man who made Star Wars cooler then drool with his portrayal of Lando Calrissian. Plus, an exclusive Empire Strikes Back bounty hunters get together! Cathy Monroe (Zuckuss), Chris Parsons (4-LOM) and Alan Harris (Bossk). And who can forget the guy that was too slow at the trigger against Han Solo... Paul Blake AKA Greedo! And if that isn't enough for a Star Wars fan, we also get a opportunity to meet Bonnie Piese who played Beru in Episode 2, Barrie Holland who was the Imperial Officer in Episode 6 that said the famous quote to Han and his crew on Endor "You rebel scum!" and Tim Rose who played Admiral Ackbar!
And we are also looking forward to meeting up again with comic book artist Mark Mckenna who has done work on Star Wars comics for Dark Horse and has made some gorgeous prints for Star Wars Celebrations in the past. Mark was also our guest during our coverage of Super Mega Fest this past November. Be sure to check out his art and website!
For the past few months I was a little sad about the Star Wars news coming out in the press and the internet. Lucasarts shutting down, layoffs all over Lucasfilm, the Clone Wars series being cancelled...it's been a little disappointing to say the least. And even within the Star Wars Expanded Universe, I have to say that I am also a little disappointed so far with Brian Wood's Star Wars comic. I plan to chat about this on the next podcast episode so stay tuned.
But this week was a breath of fresh air with the announcement of Star Wars Rebels! The new animated Star Wars series set to launch in the fall of 2014. We finally are getting some stories during a time period between Episode 3 and Episode 4! This era is just full of possibilities! It will be during the height of the Imperial grip on the universe with the Emperor in charge with his right hand man Darth Vader at his side. Jedi who survived Order 66 are on the run. Traitors, or I should say rebels, are working to man their forces and find a way of defeating the Empire and restoring the Republic. All of this news is especially important considering what we already know about this time period from previous books, comics and video games. Here are a couple items that I think should be expanded upon in this series:
The Force Unleashed - I have said it before and I will say it always...The Force Unleashed is a great story that needs to be expanded upon or at least shown a conclusion from where the story left off in TFU 2. This series introduced strong characters, exciting stories and brought together so many story-lines between Episodes 3 and 4. I would love to see what happened to Darth Vader on his way to the rebel base on Dantooine. I want to know if this Starkiller we met in TFU 2 is a clone or the actual Starkiller himself. We need to know what happens with Starkiller and Juno Eclipse. Actor Sam Witwar has already played Darth Maul in The Clone Wars so it is not out of the realm of possibility that he would be asked to reprise his role from the video game in this new series as Starkiller.
The Other Sons of Tatooine - This Star Wars comic Omnibus is a great collection of stories that highlight the tales of characters that did not get too much mention in the movies. The most prominent one is Biggs Darklighter. His story of growing up as a farm boy, becoming one of the hottest gully jumpers on Tatooine, making his way to the Imperial Academy and finding his way to the Rebellion is fascinating, exciting and adds so much to the saga. I would love to see more about Biggs and perhaps even expand upon his story on how he found his way to the Rebellion in this new TV series. We could also get some more background story on Wedge Antilles, Dak, Zev and Porkins.
Mara Jade - Everyone is very well aware of my affection for the character of Mara Jade. Her story in the expanded universe starts in Timothy Zahn's Allegiance but we have nothing about her upbringing and how she became to be under the guidance of the Emperor. I would really be interested in learning more about her background. Was she ever identified by the council prior to Order 66? Where does she come from? Mara Jade is such a deep character and this new TV series seems just the place to delve more into her story as well.
Luke, Leia, Han and the rest of our good guys - Wouldn't it be interesting to see any of these characters growing up on their respective worlds? Seeing a younger Luke and his relationship with Owen and Beru. Or perhaps even seeing encounters of Luke with Obi Wan Kenobi? This is especially interesting as we also await John Jackson Miller's Kenobi novel this summer. I would really enjoy seeing more back-story on our classic trilogy characters and I think this TV series can do that.
What are your thoughts on Star Wars Rebels? Send us an email at: jundlandwastespodcast@gmail.com.
Stay tuned for our next exciting episode of the TJW Podcast!
All the best,
Mark
Co-host of the TJW Podcast
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