Star Wars in 3D: Episode II and III Release Dates

It was revealed at Star Wars Celebration VI, that the next two installments of the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy will be getting converted to 3D and hitting theaters in 2013.  This announcement made by actor Ian McDiarmid and George Lucas.

Episode II: Attack of the Clones will hit theaters in 3D on September 20, 2013 and before you can say Dex's Diner, it will be followed up with Episode III: Revenge of the Sith on October 11, 2013.

So come fall 2013, be there or be square..err cubed?

SOURCE: IGN

Lightsaber Rattling's Star Wars: Celebration VI Coverage

As legions of Star Wars fans invade Orlando, Lightsaber Rattling will have a Special Correspondent among the horde of Star Wars media there to cover the event.

Our Special Correspondent, Aaron Goins also writes for the fantastic Star Wars fan-site, The Star Wars Report.  Aaron will be live tweeting from the convention both on his account and on our Twitter account.

On Sunday and Monday following the convention, I will be compiling Aaron's coverage as well as providing my thoughts on the news that we get out of Orlando.


Please follow both Aaron (@avgoins) and LightsaberRattling.com's account (@PeteMorrisonLR) for Star Wars Celebration VI coverage.  

Grocery Store Star Wars Episode I 3D Brisk Display

Headed to my local grocer, Ralph's (owned by Kroger) and ran into a life size R2-D2 with some special Brisk modifications.

Sadly the display will be sent back to Pepsi-Co so I couldn't finagle my way into acquiring R2, if only there were some Jawas around to negotiate with.

A beautiful day in paradise with the Phantom Menace approaching

50 in 50: The Phantom Menace 3D Character Countdown: Day 27

Eeth Koth represents the softer side of Darth Maul.  What does a Zabrak look like with hair, with amore neutral color scheme and with softer horns?  Yeah, you are right, just not as cool.

Jedi Master Koth not only graced the big screen in TPM, but also managed to make it in TCW as a captive of Count Dooku.  But Master Koth responds about a well to torture as Jack Bauer.

50 in 50: The Phantom Menace 3D Character Countdown: Day 31-28

Broken keyboard situation resolved, time once again to play catch up in our TPM 50 in 50 countdown.  This time four days, four Jedi Masters.

Day 31: Yarael Poof

Yarael Poof's alien physiology would seem to go against any logic in this galaxy or in the GFFA, but somehow the Quermian Jedi's head stays atop is spindly and elongated neck.  Poof's greatest contribution to the Star Wars franchise is probably as fodder for Seth Green's Robot Chicken Program. 

Day 30: Oppo Rancisis

The long lived Jedi Master Oppo Rancisis was just about the most bizarre looking Jedi ever.  The Thisspiasian looks more like something from Cobra-La then from the Jedi Temple.

Day 29: Depa Billaba

Depa took a staring role in the dark Clone Wars novel, Shatterpoint by Matthew Stover.  The former Padawan of High Council member Mace Windu, Billaba fell into Darkness amid the civil war on the planet Haruun Kal.  It was a pretty stark portrayal about how the war could effect some of the Jedi.  

Day 28: Yaddle

Really George?  Really?  I don't know what to say but, it is Yaddle, the girl Yoda.  

50 in 50: The Phantom Menace 3D Character Countdown: Day 32: The cool Gungan

As silly as Jar Jar can be in the Prequel trilogy and in The Clone Wars, one of his friends and I would even wager mentors is a Gungan of much more gravitas.  Roos Tarpals was a Captain in the Gungan Grand Army at the time of the Invasion of Naboo and led his troops against the Battle Droids of the Trade Federation.

Tarpals could often be heard saying, "I love the smell of boomas in the morning, it smells like victory."

Tarpals went on to a legendary career in the Gungan Army including his masterful plan and self-sacrifice to capture the Separatist General Grievous.

While Tarpals' death may not have changed the course of the war as it could have, it did illustrate that a native population could defeat the innumerable Droid army of the Separatists.

RIP General Tarpals

50 in 50: The Phantom Menace 3D Character Countdown: Day 33 Bipedal Space Cattle

What happens when a cow, a goat and a person fall into a vat of toxic chemicals?  I think you end up with a Gran.

The three-eyed mammals originated on the planet Kinyen but are famous for their protectorate over the planet of Malestare and that planets indigenous population of Dugs.

Of the Grans, a notable member of the species was Mawhonic.  One of the podracers to race in the Boonta Eve Classic, Mawhonic was a real looker.

50 in 50: The Phantom Menace 3D Character Countdown: Day 34 Jedi Chauffeur

We all know that Jedi tend to take a rather loose respect towards the concept of personally property, this is particularly true when it comes to transportation vehicles which the Jedi tend to pilfer fairly frequently.  So it follows that getting the job to fly around Jedi might not be the most reliable of jobs, I mean who knows if or when the Jedi are simply going to "borrow" another speeder or ship and leave you waiting at the docking bay.

Well for poor Maoi Madakor, the Jedi were a little too slow in feeling a disturbance in the Force and while Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon were able to save themselves from poison gas, they were unable to save the life of Maoi and her crew as the treacherous Neimodians of the Trade Federation turned their landing bays internal guns on the Radiant VII.

Upon watching TPM, I could never tell if Maoi was suppose to be an adolescent male pilot or a female.  Was I the only person who was confused?

TPM in 3D comes out February 10th, stay tuned as we continue our 50 character countdown leading up to the release.

50 in 50: The Phantom Menace 3D Character Countdown: Day 35: How does he reach the pedals?

In our long march to the 3D premier of Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace, today we visit another of the motley assortment of competitors in the Boonta Eve Classic.  Ratts Tyerell was a diminutive Aleena male.  Ratts' species recently got featured on an episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, entitled "Mercy Mission."  My favorite thing about Ratts is that he really knows how to go out with a bang.

TPM will be out in theaters February 10th.  

50 in 50: The Phantom Menace 3D Character Countdown: Day 36

Between Holidays, work and family obligations I have found my self 6 days behind on our character countdown.  You know what that means.  Time to make up for lost time with three Podracers and three Senators.

The Podracers:

Teemto Pagalies

Ark Roose

Gasgano

The Senators:

Aks Moe

Lott Dod

Orn Free Taa

Of the podracers Ark Roose is my favorite he looks like something that the demented minds of Seth Green and Matthew Senreich would cook up for Robot Chicken.  Of the Senators Orn Free Taa is my favorite the corpulent Twi'lek is about two nerf steaks away from being a Hutt and symbolizes the opulence and corruption of the Old Republic Senate.

50 in 50: The Phantom Menace 3D Character Countdown: Day 42: The one that got away

What a cruel mistress fate (or the Force) is.  What if little Anakin Skywalker had never been discovered by Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi?  What if Shmi had not been murdered?  What if Padme had not yielded to Anakin's forbidden advances?  Well the galaxy may have been better off, but it would have been a rather boring story.  

The what if game is fun, but one particular what if is interesting.  What would have happened to Anakin Skywalker if he remained on Tatooine as a slave instead of winning his freedom on the Podrace track.

Well if one little girl on Tatooine had her way, it sounds like Anakin would have been a moisture farmer or perhaps a freighter pilot and Amee Skywalker would have been the mother to some far less interesting children than Luke and Leia.  

Do you remember little Amee?  She was played by George Lucas' daughter, Katie Lucas (writer on TCW) under the name of "Jenna Green."  

Amee's Wookieepedia page may have one of my favorite paragraphs on the wiki;

Amee was surprised to learn that Anakin went on not only to win the Boonta race, but also to leave Tatooine shortly afterward. After Anakin's departure, Amee remained friends with Anakin's mother Shmi. She told the older woman that she planned to marry Anakin Skywalker and leave Tatooine with him. Shmi noted that as she grew older, Amee would swoon at the sight of every handsome young man she met.

50 in 50: The Phantom Menace 3D Character Countdown: Day 44 & 43: Little Annie's Pals

The dynamic duo of Kitster Banai and W. Wald check in as characters #44 and #43 in our TPM countdown.

Kitster was one of young Anakin Skywalker's best friends and later in life would play a pivotal role in allowing Princess Leia to connect with her father's life on Tatooine (see Tatooine Ghost), long before he would become the towering villain, Darth Vader.  We will ignore Kitster's checkered love life and his interesting work history and just focus on the fact that he had a pretty nifty holocube capturing images of Anakin's victory of the Boonta Eve Classic.

Wald was played by one of Lucas' most used actors, Warwick Davis and continues the naming convention of giving the characters he played a "W" name.  I know it is a completely different character, but every time I watch TPM, and Anakin is working on his podracer, I get excited by seeing the juvenile Greedo.  In universe, Wald would take over Anakin's old "job" at Watto's Junk shop, eventually taking over the business when Watto retired.

Of course Kitster and Wald have their own Wookieepedia pages, you should check them out, Kitster sounds like he may be a good candidate for Jerry Springer.

The Phantom Menace in 3D will be released on February 10, 2012.

50 in 50: The Phantom Menace 3D Character Countdown: Day 45: Vos Populi

Yesterday's character, posted today because Imperial Slicer Droids attacked my holo-transceiver, focuses on a character that appears in the background of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.

Comic book bad boy and TCW surfer dude Quinlan Vos, the Kiffar with a flair for the Dark Side makes a fleeting appearance in Mos Espa.

While the portrayal of Vos in The Clone Wars animated series seemed a little weird, fans of the Dark Horse comics are pretty strong in their affinity for the character.  It is interesting to see how the comic creators Ostrander and Duursema to the appearance of a random background character and used it for the character they were developing.

For more on the creation of Vos and his characters interesting past, visit Wookieepedia.

Today's character countdown will appear later tonight.  Stay tuned as we visit the rest of the top 50 characters leading to the film's release.

50 in 50: The Phantom Menace 3D Character Countdown: Day 47 & 46: A Pair of Pods

Due to the Christmas Holiday we took a day off, so we are double dipping today with a pair of fun looking creatures.  While the original Star Wars film, A New Hope had it's massive menagerie of aliens in the Cantina scenes, the Prequels saw their diverse alien cast spread more liberally throughout the films.  But for The Phantom Menace, there was one scene that really showed off the diverse alien species in the galaxy far, far away, the Boonta Eve Classic.

Today we take a quick look at a pair of podracers.

Clegg Holdfast and Dud Bolt.

Clegg Holdfast was a Nosaurian male podracer from New Plympto.  What I liked about Clegg was his distinctive horns, his interesting badges and ribbons, and his ability to walk away from a crash.

Dud Bold was a Vulptereen male podracer, who looks like a pre-historic sabertooth crocodile.

If you want to read more about the glorious racing careers of Clegg and Dud visit their Wookieepedia pages.

50 in 50: The Phantom Menace 3D Character Countdown: Day 48: Ric Olie

Today's Christmas Eve edition of the Star Wars: TPM 50 in 50 features another supporting character from Naboo.

Either the character of Ric Olie must have been a pretty good pilot or the film's budget must have been a little tight; because not only was Ric the pilot of Queen Amidala's Nubian Royal Starship (J-Type 327), but he was also the Leader of Bravo Squadron, the Naboo Starfighter flight that took it too the Trade Federation's Droid control ship.

The most important role in the saga that Olie played was probably in his brief tutorial to Anakin Skywalker on Starship piloting.

Learn more about the storied career of Ric Olie at Wookieepedia.

50 in 50: The Phantom Menace 3D Character Countdown: Day 49: Ellberger (Bravo 5)

Today's Star Wars: TPM 3D 50 in 50 we take a look at a unique pilot.

In Star Wars: A New Hope we had old pilots, young pilots, thin pilots and fat pilots.  But the pilots had a couple things in common, they were all human and they were all male.

Fast forward to The Phantom Menace and we had some ladies at the yoke.  I always thought it was neat to see older pilots in the Naboo fighters then you would imagine in the cockpit.  As Wedge explains in the Expanded Universe, fighter piloting is really a job for the young.

Ellberger went by the call sign of "Bravo 5" and was part of the Naboo N-1 Starfighter assault on the Droid Control Ship.  It is interesting to note that the actress that portrayed Ellberger (Celia Imrie) also auditioned to play Shmi Skywalker.

Of course all this was before we had the Star Wars Blu-ray collection and the incredibly entertaining special features.

On Bonus Disc Two there is a collection of deleted scenes entitled, "Battle of Endor: The Lost Rebels."  The highlight of the entire package is an elderly female A-Wing pilot, lovingly referred to as Granny A-Wing by fans.

I love Granny A-Wing and I like to think that Granny is actually an elderly Ellberger still kicking butt. If it is, then at least we know she aged better then Obi-Wan and Anakin.

For more info on Ellberger and her career exploits visit her Wookieepedia page.

50 in 50: The Phantom Menace 3D Character Countdown: Day 50: TC-14

Welcome to our celebration of Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace in 3D's theatrical release on February 12th, 2012.  In anticipation of Star Wars return to the theaters, we will be taking a look at a different character each day leading up to the Thursday before the release.  50 characters in 50 days.  If your favorite character is omitted, tough cookies, this list is my own and opinions are my own.  Some characters are included merely to suit my whims.

DAY 50: TC-14

This silver C-3PO doppelganger is actually a lady droid.  Not just any lady droid, but one that will serve you tea while you are being assassinated with poison gas and your ride is getting blown to bits.  This is one cold-hearted droid.  I would go so far to say that she is a Femme-bot Fatale; but at least she is polite.

Starwars.com Databank entry on TC-14:

This silver TC-series protocol droid served Nute Gunray and the Neimoidians during their blockade of Naboo. Frequent memory wipes kept the droid strongly loyal to the Trade Federation. It was TC-14, with her feminine personality, which greeted Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi when they attempted to negotiate a settlement with Gunray. TC-14 was sent to detain the Jedi Knights until the Neimoidians could eliminate them.

The Wookieepedia Entry on TC-14 reveals that while TC was spared in Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan's droid slagging party, but the unlucky droid was later aboard the Droid Control Ship that Anakin decided to make go boom.  It is also interesting to learn that the droid was played by John Fensom on set but voiced by actress Lindsay Duncan in the finished film. 

Star Wars in 3D Update: Some Updates on Prime Focus

We all know that the Star Wars saga is being converted to 3D and re-released theatrically starting with Episode I: The Phantom Menace.  But a recent Business Standard article gives us a little information on the company handling the 3D conversion.

With a 3,500 staff and offices in LA, NYC, Vancouver, London and India, Prime Focus' CEO Namit Malhotra sheds some light on the Company's 3D conversion work in general and on Star Wars in particular.  Apparently Prime Focus could be in line to earn $15-20 million on its Star Wars work. 

“Star Wars films are the very fabric of film-making. Lucas film-tested our creative sensibilities and our pipeline before choosing us,” said Namit Malhotra, founder and global CEO, Prime Focus.

"It takes at least four-six months for one Hollywood project,” Malhotra said.

SOURCE: Business Standard

George Lucas on 3D and The Future of Movies from CinemaCon

The Maker, George Lucas recently was part of a panel at the CinemaCon, movie theater industry convention, discussing the future of the film industry.  His prediction....three dimensions.

"So now when you're watching a movie and it's not in 3-D, it's like watching in black and white," Lucas told a crowd of theater owners at their CinemaCon convention. "It's a better way of looking at a film. ... I totally believe now that 3-D will completely take over just like color did."

"We have our third generation now of kids who are under 12 years old who have never seen 'Star Wars' on the big screen," Lucas said. "And I am betting a lot of people will go see a movie that they have seen on television a million times and they have the video at home, and they will go and see it because they want to see it in the theater in a social experience."

SOURCE: SFGATE: San Francisco Chronicle