Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Toy Packaging Revealed!

Star Wars on Instagram revealed the toy packaging for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story! It has a member of Death Squad and two AT-AT’s on it. Check it out:

Products for Rogue One hit on September 30th for the next Force Friday.

A mysterious Star Wars fan built a life-sized AT-ST walker

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There are Star Wars fans and then there are serious Star Wars fans. The Australian fan who built a life-sized replica of an AT-ST walker from Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi is clearly one of the latter.
Almost eight months ago, a number of images were posted online by someone who spotted something that looked suspiciously like the familiar transport vehicle (an “All Terrain Scout Transport” if you want to get technical) used by the Empire’s soldiers, parked in someone’s backyard. The photographer responsible for the pictures eventually mustered up the courage to go find out why an AT-ST would end up in someone’s backyard, and ended up posting a close-up video of the transport, which apparently does more than just stand there inspiring awe.
Related: New trailer gives a taste of deleted scenes from Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Both the photos and video were posted by someone going by the name of “Mr Kernish,” who reportedly spotted the AT-ST while working near the house where it’s located, and who was compelled — for obvious reasons — to take some photos. (After all, it’s not every day you see an AT-ST in the wild.) The response to the photos he posted on Imgur then prompted him to approach the owner of the house to get some more information about the impressive homage to the iconic vehicle, and he recorded a pair of brief videos showing the moving gun turrets, eye-ports, and sound effects the AT-ST’s creator incorporated into the movie-accurate replica, as well as the interior of the cockpit.

Solar panels on the top of the AT-ST power the turrets and the rest of the walker, and the cockpit of the AT-ST contains a hodgepodge of circuit boards and other electronics, as well as some red lights that turn on when the eye-ports are closed. There’s also a plaque identifying the AT-ST as “Tempest Scout 2,” the AT-ST that Chewbacca commandeers in Return of the Jedi during the Battle of Endor (the one with the Ewoks, for the less Star Wars-savvy readers), and a lightsaber affixed to one interior wall next to an emergency stop button.
One of the most fascinating aspects of the AT-ST, however, is that its creator chose to remain unidentified. Rather than post photos of his/her creation online or otherwise promote it, the AT-ST’s creator simply enjoys it and would have likely continued to do so without any attention whatsoever if “Mr Kernish” hadn’t discovered it. Basically, building a life-size AT-ST was no big deal for its owner.

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ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY Official Teaser Trailer

 Billy Dee Williams
Happy 79th birthday

Billy Dee Williams was born William December Williams on April 6, 1937 in New York City. Billy Dee has notched up an impressive array of film and television appearances over the past 50+ years. He is easily best known to international film audiences as the roguish Lando Calrissian in the last two episodes of the original Star Wars-trilogy: El imperio contraataca (1980) and El retorno del Jedi (1983). Williams can also be seen on screen in El ocaso de una estrella (1972), Halcones de la noche (1981), Batman (1989), En zona de peligro (1996) and El hermano secreto (2002). A regular performer also in many fine quality television movies and television series.

Frank Oz Is Headed to ‘Star Wars 8’ Set, Will Yoda Return?

A rumor suggests that the set for Luke's Jedi Temple has been built to accommodate a puppet in ‘Star Wars: Episode VIII’.

While Frank Oz did return to reprise Yoda in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, it was a voice only performance. We didn't get to actually see the Jedi Master. That may change in Star Wars: Episode VIII. Making Star Wars has confirmed the actor and puppeteer is heading to Pinewood Studios in the U.K. to visit the set of this sequel, which is now in production. But they're not sure why he'll be there, or if it means that Yoda will be making an appearance.

Adding just a little bit of validity to the idea that we might see Yoda again is the rumor that the Ahch-To sets have been recreated to accommodate a puppet (or Muppet, if you will). Ahch-To is the planet where Jedi Master Luke Skywalker now resides in his hidden Jedi Temple. The exteriors of the location where shot on Skellig Michael Island in Ireland, but the location has also been reconstructed in studio at Pinewood.
This latest report claims that Frank Oz is either already in the U.K. or flying there sometime this week. He will be in the country to work, but it has not been confirmed if he is working specifically on Star Wars: Episode VIII or just visiting the set while he's in the area. He is definitely not on a leisure or social trip.
Frank Oz voiced Yoda during the Rey flashback scene in Maz Kanata's Castle basement. The theory is that Force Ghost Yoda will be seen hanging out on Ahch-To with Rey and Luke, showing that Luke hasn't been entirely secluded this whole time he's been away from The Resistence and his friends. It's also possible that Frank Oz is coming to the set to serve as a consultant. Or perhaps he is playing an entirely new character.
The only known fact is that he'll be on the Star Wars: Episode VIII set sometime this week.The duration of his visit is not known at this time. Earlier this week, director Rian Johnson shared a photo from the set, showing Lupita Nyong'o in her motion-capture suit and Maz Kanata on the monitors. While that diminutive force sensitive creature is a CGI creation, this new trilogy is also incorporating plenty of puppets and other practical props during shooting.
That said, Yoda was a CGI creation in the prequel trilogy. So it will be interesting to see them go back to using the Yoda puppet. Yoda originally had a much bigger role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. It would have just been a cameo, and the Jedi Master would have appeared as a Force Ghost. Frank Oz actually came in for a day, and did some work on the movie that went past just his few lines of dialogue. But what he actually created for the sequel has never been disclosed. What do you think? Excited about the prospects of seeing Yoda return in Star Wars: Episode VIII?
Star Wars: Episode VIII comes to theaters December 15th, 2017. 

Star Wars: Force for Change - Mark Hamill and Kathleen Kennedy Announce ...

Erik Bauersfeld, Admiral Ackbar Voice Actor in 'Star Wars' Films, Dies at 93

Admiral Ackbar in 'Return of the Jedi'; Erik Bauersfeld

Courtesy of Photofest; Screengrab/Peter Hartlaub

He also voiced Bib Fortuna in 1983's 'Return of the Jedi.'

Erik Bauersfeld, who memorably voiced the Rebellion's Admiral Ackbar in Return of the Jedi and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, has died. He was 93.
The voice actor and radio drama producer passed away on Sunday morning at his home in Berkeley, Calif., his manager, Derek Maki, confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.
In the 1983 space opera, Bauersfeld voiced Ackbar— delivering the iconic line, "It's a trap!" — when the fate of the alliance looks grim during the Death Star fleet attack.
He also voiced Jabba the Hutt's staffer Bib Fortuna in the same film. He returned to voice Ackbar in last year's J.J. Abrams-directed blockbuster Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Bauersfeld's other roles include voice work in last year's Guillermo Del Toro film Crimson Peak and Steven Spielberg's 2001 film A.I. Artificial Intelligence.

"The voice work I did in movies was accidental," wrote Bauersfeld on the website for his non-profit, Bay Area Radio Drama. "I was working with Randy Thom on radio dramas at his technical quarters at Lucasfilm. One day Ben Burtt, sound designer for Star Wars, came by and asked if I would audition for a voice in the movie."

He is also credited with voiceover work for the Ackbar character in Star Wars: X-Wing, a 1993 flight simulator video game. 

           The Ultimate Star Wars Trailer Mashes Up All Seven Films Into One

Relive the Skywalker family's saga through this action-packed vid

by Madeline Roth 4/1/2016

One of the beautiful things about Star Wars: The Force Awakens — the latest installment of the beloved franchise — is how true it stayed to the spirit of the original trilogy. It had all the hallmarks of any Star Wars film: Heroes, villains, lightsabers, droids, battles, explosions, death, family drama… you name it. That’s never clearer than when you see footage from all seven films mashed up together — something you probably ever only dreamed of, until now.

Timed to coincide with The Force Awakens’ debut on Digital HD today — ahead of its DVD and Blu-ray release on April 5 — Fandango has unleashed a vid that it bills as the “Ultimate Star Wars Saga Franchise Trailer.” Yes, that’s a mouthful, but here’s the gist: in just under three minutes, the action-packed vid is a supercut of the most essential scenes spanning the franchise — and it’s a must-see for any Star Wars fan.
The clever and all-encompassing mashup begins with Obi-Wan delivering a speech about how the Force “binds the galaxy together,” and goes on to trace the Skywalker family’s saga throughout the years. From Anakin being seduced by the dark side in the prequel trilogy, to Luke’s Jedi training throughout the original trilogy, to the introduction of Rey and Co. in The Force Awakens, it’s all there. And the best part? There’s no Jar Jar Binks in sight.

Constantino Romero, personaje de Star Wars en 'Darth Vader'

CONSTANTINO ROMERO EN DARTH VADER

El dibujante valenciano de Marvel Comics Salvador Larroca convierte a Constantino Romero en personaje de Star Wars en 'Darth Vader'

Desde que se anunciaron las nuevas películas de Star Wars, los aficionados a la Guerra de las Galaxias vivimos una segunda era dorada entre las incontables promesas de las nueva trilogía, los spin-offs de Star Wars que nos aguardan en el horizonte, y las incontables extensiones del universo expandido que no dejan de surgir entre cómics, novelas y un interminable etcétera. Sin embargo, hay una espina clavada para todos los que adoramos la mitología de Star Wars en España, y es saber que tarde o temprano volveremos a ver a Darth Vader en Star Wars -'Rogue One' con toda seguridad-, y si bien en la versión original será posible volverlo a escuchar con la voz del mítico James Earl Jones, en la española no tenemos ya entre nosotros a Constantino Romero para poder disfrutar del villano de la Guerra de las Galaxias en todo su esplendor.

Muerto en mayo de 2013, el popular actor y presentador español no podrá participar en ninguna de las nuevas películas de Star Wars, por lo que el artista de Marvel Comics -y también español- Salvador Larroca ha decidido honrarle convirtiendo a Constantino Romero en personaje de Star Wars en 'Darth Vader'.

El suceso en cuestión ha tenido lugar en la actual saga del personaje en el cómic de Darth Vader que Marvel Comics publica actualmente, y que narra acontecimientos situados entre 'Una Nueva Esperanza' y 'El Imperio Contraataca'. En el se ve al Lord Sith devolviendo la estabilidad al Imperio haciendo frente a las insurgencias provocadas por la destrucción de la Estrella de la Muerte, colaborando con un gobierno afín al trono del Emperador.

Canciller al servicio de la Reina Trios, Jooli aparece dibujado por el autor con el rostro del llorado actor de doblaje que puso voz a Darth Vader Constantino Romero, como un guiño para el hombre que hizo grande al personaje en nuestro país.

Visto en el número 18 de la serie del personaje incluido en el volumen de la Guerra Shu-Thorun, Constantino Romero nuevo personaje de Star Wars en 'Darth Vader' gracias a Salvador Larroca.

Star Wars: Rogue Squadron 3D Released on Steam

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A long time ago... this game came out.

By Matt Porter Classic PC and N64 dog-fighting game Star Wars: Rogue Squadron 3D has been released on Steam, 18 years after its original release in 1998.
It has also been available on GOG since January last year. The system requirements are a measly 1.8GHz processor, 1GB RAM, and 168MB of storage space, but the GOG version did run into some performance and controller compatibility issues.

A quick glance at the Steam forums suggests that there are some issues for the new release too. Reports of the Steam Controller not working, the game constantly minimizing, camera bugs, and stuttering gameplay are all things that will hopefully be addressed.
If you can get it working though, it should be worth the £7 / $10 asking price - Star Wars: Rogue Squadron is one of IGN's 9 greatest Star Wars video games of all time.

In the game you'll be taking on AT-ATs, AT-STs, TIE Fighters, and more as you pilot X-Wings, Y-Wings, A-Wings, V-Wings and snowspeeders.

VOTD: 23 Things in ‘Star Wars’ That Aren’t Named in the Original Trilogy

Even though a big chunk of the Star Wars universe was turned into nothing more than glorified fan fiction when Disney bought Lucasfilm and turned the entire Expanded Universe into non-canon Legends, there is still quite a detailed mythology behind the sci-fi saga. What’s interesting is that some of the most iconic details of the Star Wars universe are never actually named in the films.
A new video runs through 23 things in Star Wars that were only seen but never expressly mentioned in the original trilogy. From any mention of Sith to the names of various starships, you just might be surprised to find out how many things you learned about Star Wars outside of the movies.

Here’s 23 Things You Didn’t Know Weren’t in Star Wars from Dorkly:

I don’t know why Jar Jar Binks appears in the teaser image for the video since he’s not mentioned or shown a single time. But let’s focus more on the terms from the Star Wars universe that are never mentioned in the movies.
The most abundant things seen but never named in the original Star Wars are the names of the ships that we all know so well today. X-Wings, TIE Fighters and Star Destroyers are never mentioned out loud, and we would only learn the names of those ships once they hit toy shelves. These are the kind of things you could swear you’ve heard out loud in the original movie before, but that’s only because they’ve been burned into our brains.
One of the other Star Wars terms that ended up referenced incessantly in the prequels but never in the original trilogy is the existence of the Sith. In the original trilogy, the Force-using villains only talk about the “dark side” of the Force (and the “light side” is never mentioned by name either).
The lack of Sith was something that was continued in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The only mention of the Sith is when Maz Kanata mentions them as one of the many forms of evil that have appeared in the galaxy. Plus, before the movie hit theaters, J.J. Abrams had already confirmed that the new villain, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) was not a Sith.
Funnily enough, the tradition of having things in the movie to which we don’t know the name continues. As has become custom with Star Wars, there are plenty of extraneous characters who we see but don’t learn about until books, comic books, toys and more hit shelves.

Endor's End: How the 'Star Wars' Death Star Wiped Out the Ewoks After All

The "Star Wars" Death Star exploding over the surface of Endor would have rained down fiery fragments that would have meant certain death for anything still on the moon.

Credit: Disney/Lucasfilm

If you're a fan of the adorable Ewoks from the "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi" movie, you may want to sit down.
The "Star Wars" rebels may have destroyed the Death Star, but the sinister satellite still managed to destroy the rebel base — and the moon of Endor — in the end. The Ewoks wouldn't have survived the explosion, says one planetary scientist.
"The Ewoks are dead. All of them," said Dave Minton, a researcher at Purdue University. Minton, who studies impacts and planetary formation, is well versed in the mechanics of collisions in space and the damage they can do, and he set forth this bold claim in a white paper submitted to and published by Tech Insider. [10 Real Alien Worlds That Resemble 'Star Wars' Planets]
In the "Star Wars" film "Return of the Jedi," a Death Star under construction around the moon Endor is detonated over the surface. The result would have rained large chunks of material down on the moon.
"There's little doubt in my mind that a significant amount of the structure ended up on the surface of Endor, probably in a spectacular fashion," exoplanet hunter Stephen Kane told Space.com by email. Kane, who was not involved in the research, is an assistant professor of astronomy at San Francisco State University.

The end of the Ewoks
The Endor holocaust first exploded on the "Star Wars" fan site TheForce.net in 1997, when astrophysicist Curtis Saxton argued that both Endor and the Ewoks were doomed. But like most science fiction movies, details about the moon vary from scene to scene, making details difficult to nail down.
Responding to a call by Tech Insider, Minton used the hologram shown in the briefing scene of the movie to estimate the relative sizes of the moon and the Death Star. Using the diameter of Endor found on Wookieepedia (3,000 miles, or 4,900 kilometers), Minton calculated how large the destructive satellite was and how far it orbited from the moon. With rebels and storm troopers moving at relatively normal speeds, he assumed gravity pulled down on them about the same as it did on Earth and used this to determine the moon is only slightly more massive than Mars, though it boasts a smaller diameter. This means that the core of the moon is denser than iron, though less than uranium.
With the size of the Death Star firmly in hand, Minton sought to determine how quickly it spun. To keep one side permanently facing Endor, as the briefing scene shows, would require the moon to spin a little more than once every hour, making it what Minton called "an exceedingly fast rotator."
Kane explained that, from a physics perspective, such a rotation would never have allowed the moon to form. Physics, of course, has never really stopped movie makers.
"Since [director George] Lucas doesn't care that 'parsec' is a unit of distance, I suspect he doesn't give a damn about Newton's version of Kepler's third law," Kane said, taking a stab at Han Solo's boast that his ship — the Millennium Falcon — made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs.
Nor would that rotation match the onscreen cinematics.
"The rebels wouldn't have finished tying their shoelaces before they had lost their chance to attack the imperial bunker during the day," Kane said.
With such an impossible rotation, Minton concluded that the Death Star was instead held aloft by anti-gravity technology, which, he said, is widely available in the "Star Wars" universe.
Minton also concluded that the relatively gentle explosion of the second Death Star when compared to the first would lead to limited vaporization of its material, and that the fragments would not get much of a boost in velocity from the explosion.
"More or less what happens after the destruction is that the entire mass of the Death Star simply falls onto the location of the shield generator," Minton said.
Using his own crater-simulation program, Minton determined that a ball of fragments from the Death Star would leave behind a crater almost 4 times larger than the Chixculub crater in Mexico associated with the extinction of the dinosaurs. Such an impact would obliterate the surface of Endor, with every body of water on the moon flash-heating into steam and every forest igniting in a global firestorm.

Using the simulation of the Death Star made during the rebels' briefing, a planetary scientist calculated exactly what the destruction of the satellite would have meant for life on Endor — and it isn't good.

Kane agreed with this assessment, noting that it would be far more humane for the Ewoks to suffer a quick death.
"Would any of the Ewoks have survived the holocaust resulting from the destruction of the Death Star? God, I hope not!" he said.
Surviving Ewoks would suffer from a slow death by starvation.
"Given that 'Return of the Jedi' portrays the Ewoks as cannibals — yes, cannibals — they may possibly survive a small period of time by eating a few captured imperials and then starting on each other until they're down to the last Ewok, surrounded by the bones of its comrades and the charred remains of its home world," Kane said.

Star Wars Top Gun

             The force is strong with Calgary man building Star Wars themed fire pits to help ailing sister

http://bcove.me/15o51erh

Melody Eschete had no idea a fire-breathing Darth Vader was coming to her rescue until she read it on Etsy.
Her brother Ron Spragg hadn’t told her yet.
Spragg is a Calgary family man and volunteer baseball coach, and in his spare time he makes fire pits inspired by Star Wars characters to raise money to help offset Eschete’s Lyme disease medical bills in Louisiana.

She was browsing her brother’s Etsy shop (etsy.com/shop/CalgaryCreativeWork) recently and stumbled upon an area where he explains wanting to help her.
“I just started crying uncontrollably,” said Eschete, a registered nurse who moved to Louisiana from Calgary in 1993 during Alberta’s health care reform.
“I just fell to my knees, and I was just overwhelmed from the love.”
Spragg said he owes her.
“I’ve never really shown her how much she meant to me,” said Spragg, watching small fires in his R2D2, Darth Vader and storm trooper renditions. “She’s done everything for me since I was a little kid. My mom and dad separated early, and my mom was always sick, and she was just always there.”
Eschete was the hospice and inmate volunteer director at Angola, the Louisiana State Penitentiary, but health problems ultimately cost her that career.
She was diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2014 after a $300,000 year of testing and seeing numerous specialists.

“The Lyme’s gotten into my heart, my brain, my kidneys and my joints,” she said.
Her specialist theorizes she was infected by a tick while jogging through fields in Calgary’s Queensland area before she moved.
The last few years have been the most intense, with medical treatments costing almost almost $6,500 per month.
Her husband’s insurance helps, but it can’t cover everything.
It’s anyone’s guess how much of a dent Spragg’s fire pits will actually put in her extra bills, but Eschete is mostly excited about the awareness he’s bringing to the disease.
Spragg has plans for a bunch of character-themed fire pits, always with his sister in mind.
“She was my rock, really, and raised me, as far as she used to beat up boys for me before I grew,” he said.
“So I really owe her. It’s my turn to give back to her.”
laspinall@postmedia.com

‘Star Wars’: Why Has Harrison Ford Always Wanted Han Solo to Die?

Many believed Harrison Ford was tired of Han Solo, but the actor has a much more noble reason for wanting to see the iconic character die.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens will finally be available on VOD next weekend. And to celebrate, Harrison Ford has been making the press rounds. Most have seen the movie by now, but in case you are waiting for the home release, beware! There is a MAJOR SPOILER in the next sentence. As you probably know, even if you haven't watched this blockbuster sequel yet, the movie ends with the death of iconic character Han Solo. It's no secret that Harrison Ford has always wanted the space pirate to die. And now, he finally got his wish. But he didn't want the on-screen act to happen for the reason most people think.

EW held a Q&A with Harrison Ford, where fans were allowed to ask him pretty much anything under the sun. And of course, the topic of Han Solo's death at the hand of his own son Ben Solo, was a hot topic of discussion. Most believed that Harrison Ford wanted the character killed off because he was sick of playing him. The actor first petitioned the idea to George Lucas when he was shooting Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back. He then again lobbied for Han's death in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi. But it wasn't until this past December, in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, that the man finally saw it happen. But the cause was much nobler than you might think. Says Harrison Ford about wanting Han Solo dead.

"I think it's a fitting use of the character. I've been arguing for Han Solo to die for about 30 years, not because I was tired of him or because he's boring, but his sacrifice for the other characters would lend gravitas and emotional weight."

That makes perfect sense. And I think we can all agree that we're glad the death came when it did. Because Star Wars: The Force Awakens would have been kind of a let down without the presence of Han Solo. We don't have to be too sad about his passing either, as Harrison Ford is also reprising two more iconic characters in the upcoming years with both Blade Runner 2 and Indiana Jones 5 on his plate. Will he kill off those characters as well? Only time will tell.
Director J.J. Abrams and Harrison Ford worked closely together to make Han Solo's death as emotional and effective as possible. The sacrifice was set up to help define the new characters and their struggles as the franchise continues. There have been some rumors that Han Solo might actually show back up in Star Wars: Episode VIII for a flashback cameo, but that's the type of surprise that won't be confirmed until the movie hits theaters in December 2017. And it's extremely unlikely that the character, who is not a Jedi, would ever come back as a Force Ghost.
During the Q&A, Harrison Ford admits that he wouldn't mind doing voice work, and that he's looking for the 'right fit'. Some have speculated that the actor could return to voice Han Solo in an animated project. But that seems very unlikely at this point. And while there were rumors that he might bookend the Star Wars Anthology: Han Solo movie, that also sounds unlikely. Even if Harrison Ford isn't coming back, the character isn't going anywhere. He'll not only be the main focus of the second spinoff, he's also getting his own Marvel comic book miniseries. And there are rumors that he'll show up in some of the other standalone movies.