Timothy Zahn's Star Wars: Winner Lose All Cover Art and Release Info

Del Rey's Star Wars Books Facebook page announced yesterday the release date and pricing of Timothy Zahn's new original novella, Winner Lose All.  They also released the cover of the eBook which is shown above.

The short story is set to tie into Zahn's forthcoming novel, Star Wars: Scoundrels.

"Star Wars: Winner Lose All-A Lando Calrissian Tale" by Timothy Zahn is a special eBook original novella. The tale is a prequel of sorts to Zahn's upcoming novel STAR WARS: SCOUNDRELS (available in hardcover, eBook, and Audio on Jan 1) and will be available for all eBook devices on December 10 for only $1.99. Pre-order now for this fun adventure and don't forget to begin 2013 with some scoundrels! (Erich)

SOURCE: Star Wars Books on Facebook

Actor Jason Flemyng Adds Fuel to the Matthew Vaughn Star Wars Episode VII Directing Rumors

The Matthew Vaughn Episode VII rumors just won't go away and it appears his friends aren't helping matters. 

At the UK Premiere of Seven Psychopaths, actor Jason Flemyng gave a brief interview on the green carpet.

Fans may best know Flemyng for his portrayal of Azazel in X-Men: First Class which was written and directed by Matthew Vaughn.  

Vaughn also directed Kick-Ass, Stardust and Layer Cake and wrote Kick-Ass and Stardust.  Flemyng appeared in all of those films, so he appears to be a Vaughn favorite. 

Does Flemyng have any inside info or is he just speculating when he talks about his desire for a role in Star Wars Episode VII with Vaughn at the helm?  I will let you be the judge. 

SOURCE: TheFilmStage.com

Battle Meditation Review: Star Wars: The Clone Wars: A Necessary Bond (5.09)

  

 It is kind of ironic that a ship named Slave I leads to freedom for pirates and Jedi alike, isn't it?

"Choose your enemies wisely, as they may be your last hope." 

When General Grievous launches a full-scale attack on the pirate base on Florrum, Ahsoka and the younglings fight side-by-side with Hondo and his pirates to turn back the Separatist forces.

I am just going to get my one major criticism of the episode out of the way first. The ability of Katooni to construct her lightsaber in a couple seconds after a gentle prodding from Hondo seemed a little silly.

On to the good stuff.  I could go on and on, but I am going to make this short and sweet. We had two chase scenes, a droid invasion, Grievous vs. Hondo, a ground battle, Grievous vs. Ahsoka, Grievous vs. Slave I, and the return of Slave I.

Chase Scenes: 

We had two different chase scenes, the first was the Jedi attempting to board the Crucible and flee the pirates. This featured the Jedi dangling from the Crucible's boarding ramp. With presumably the heaveist of them, Gungi hanging at the bottom of the Jedi chain. Not the best planning if you want to get on the ship, alas the ship was damaged and the Jedi, Huyang and R2 ended up crashing and being re-captured by the pirates.

The second chase scene was much better and tons of fun.  Barreling through the canyons on Florrum felt like a combination of the Podrace scenes, the trench run and the reactor run from the films.  It was a great action piece. The fact that it ended with the pirates and the Jedi in the Hondo Cave was very cool.

Also how awesome was Grievous's speeder, seriously. Wowzer.

Droid Invasion:

The droid invasion makes the space battle in the previous episode make sense and also provides an explanation for Hondo's base being destroyed like it was in the season premier. This also provided us a chance for a little humor as Hondo gets tossed around by Grievous.

Ground Battle:

The pirate and Jedi fight through Separatist forces towards freedom was great, shades of the Battle of Geonosis. It also provided us to see SUPER AHSOKA. Faster than a speeding blaster bolt, able to Force leap tall buildings in a single bound.  I love this visual so much.  

Grievous vs. Ahsoka:

Ahsoka covered the retreat of the younglings as she dueled Grievous.  Ahsoka got the worst of the duel this time including getting her head grabbed by one of Grievous' clawed feet and being flung head first into the ground. There was a very meaningful look on Ahsoka's face just before she leap aboard Slave I.  To me it looked clearly like Ahsoka knew she was beat and overmatched by Grievous.  Perhaps this is a turning point for Grievous' character in this series as his dangerousness and competence will increase leading up to Episode III.

The Return of Slave I or Why a Blaster Cannon Beats a Lightsaber:

We have already previously heard from Dave Filoni that after the events of Season Two when Slave I crashed on Florrum that Hondo had found and repaired the wreckage, but now we finally get to see the ship in action again and with a more familiar paint scheme.

Clearly Hondo hasn't gotten around to repairing Slave I's weapons systems as he had Grievous at point blank range and missed him with the ship's blaster cannons before the Droid Tanks forced him to make a retreat.

As a huge Boba Fett fan, I am very excited to see Slave I back in action, because I think it foreshadows a Season Six story arc.  We are going to see a showdown between Hondo and Boba Fett over the ownership of the Slave I. Will Boba kill Hondo?  It would be an interesting way to handle Hondo's fate. After all the life of a pirate is dangerous and a cold blooded murder would provide some excellent character development to a maturing Boba Fett on the series.  In any event I think we see the fate of Slave I resolved in Season Six and I don't think it is decided over a game of sabacc.

Rating: A Necessary Bond was a terrifically fun episode and probably my favorite so far of Season Five, it gets a 9.0. An episode the provided the perfect conclusion and brought together the previous three episodes in the arc.  Lots of action, fun and a little humor mixed in. I thoroughly enjoyed this one.  

Direct Link to Watch "A Necessary Bond"

Clone Wars Download: Webisode 5.09: From McQuarrie to Tennant: Creating Huyang

Next Time on Star Wars: The Clone Wars:

Episode 5.10: Secret Weapons: (Air Date 12/1/12)

"R2-D2 and other Republic droids receive a mission to retrieve an encryption module from the Separatists."

Next week's episode will kick off the Droid/Republic Commando arc written by Brent Friedman.  The other episodes in the arc are 5.11 "A Sunny Day in the Void," 5.12 "Missing in Action," and 5.13 "Point of No Return."

We won't likely see Republic Commando Gregor until the 3rd episode in the arc, but I am excited to see R2 give the Separatists all kinds of headaches.

SOURCES: Starwars.com and TVGuide.com

Star Wars Sequel Trilogy Rumor: Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg to Write and Produce Episode VIII and Episode IX

Kasdan, Lucas, and Hamill

The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg have signed on to produce and write the second two films of the Sequel Trilogy.

From THR's Heat Vision Blog:

"Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg have closed deals to write installments of the new Star Wars trilogy, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter. The pair will write either Episode VIII or Episode IX — their exact division of responsibilities is yet to be determined — and they will also come aboard to produce the films."

It is hard to find anything bad to say about this news, particularly Kasdan's return to the franchise.  I am very excited.

Kasdan's IMDB Writer Credits:

2012 Darling Companion (written by)
2003 Dreamcatcher (screenplay)
1999 Mumford (written by)
1996 Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (Video Game) (story)
1994 Wyatt Earp (written by)
1992 The Bodyguard (written by)
1991 Grand Canyon (written by)
1989 Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation (video)
1988 The Accidental Tourist (screenplay)
1985 Silverado (written by)
1983 The Big Chill (written by)
1983 Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (screenplay)
1981 Continental Divide (written by)
1981 Body Heat (written by)
1981 Raiders of the Lost Ark (screenplay)
1980 Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (screenplay)

Kasdan's IMDB Producer Credits:


 2012 Darling Companion (executive producer)
 2007 In the Land of Women (executive producer)
 2006 The TV Set (executive producer)
 2003 Dreamcatcher (producer)
 1999 Mumford (producer)
 1998 Home Fries (producer)
 1994 Wyatt Earp (producer)
 1992 The Bodyguard (producer)
 1992 Jumpin' at the Boneyard (executive producer)
 1991 Grand Canyon (producer)
 1989 Immediate Family (executive producer)
 1988 The Accidental Tourist (producer)
 1987 Cross My Heart (producer)
 1985 Silverado (producer)
 1983 The Big Chill (executive producer)

Kinberg's IMDB Writer Credits:


2014 X-Men: Days of Future Past (screenplay) (pre-production)
2012 This Means War (screenplay)
2009 Sherlock Holmes (screenplay)
2008 Jumper (screenplay)
2007 Mr. and Mrs. Smith (TV series) – Pilot (2007) (writer)
 2006 X-Men: The Last Stand (written by)
 2005 Mr. & Mrs. Smith (written by)
 2005 xXx: State of the Union (written by)
 2002 The Legacy (TV movie)


Kinberg's IMDB Producer Credits:


2013 Elysium (producer) (post-production)
2012 Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (executive producer)
2012 This Means War (producer)
2011 X-Men: First Class (producer)
2008 Jumper (producer)
2007 Got Next (short) (producer)
2007 Mr. and Mrs. Smith (TV series) (executive producer - 1 episode) – Pilot (2007) (executive producer)




SOURCES: THR and IMDB

 

Wooden Lightsaber: Gungi's Rare Blade

Gungi

This website is named after one of the most iconic weapons ever imagined in fiction, the lightsaber.  A weapon with the hilt of a sword and a blade made of laser. So from time to time I like to highlight unique and cool lightsabers that appear in Star Wars.

In season five of The Clone Wars we are introduced to a group of younglings who are constructing their first lightsabers.  Among these Younglings is Gungi, a rarity among the Jedi because he is a Wookiee.

Gungi's blade fits into the Expanded Universe's tradition of the Wookiees blending organic and inorganic technology. They are a species not only are very skilled with technology but also in integrating wood into their technology.

At the heart of Gungi's lightsaber is a kyber crystal, collected from the Jedi's sacred cave on Ilum.

We now know more about the lightsaber crystal, courtesy of the Star Wars Encyclopedia:

"At the heart of every Jedi lighstaber is a kyber crystal harvested from the icebound caves of Ilum. This crystal is attuned to the Force, and connected to a Jedi Knight on a deeply personal level. In this way, a lightsaber is an extension of a Jedi's Force awareness. Because Jedi let the Force guide their selection of the crystal, the vibration that the crystal creates in the lightsaber blade helps Jedi center themselves and find balance in the Force. In this way, a Jedi can center his or her attention beyond the distractions of combat. A lightsaber crystal is colorless until first attuned and connected to a Jedi -- at which times it glows either blue or green, or in some rare instances, another shade. From that point on, it retains that hue."

Lightsaber components in detail.

There is a number of materials and variations in constructing the rest of the saber. The exterior of Gungi's lighsaber hilt is carved from the wood of a brylark tree. In constructing his lightsaber Gungi uses the Force to combine organic and inorganic components into a unified weapon, his lightsaber.

Gungi meditating and using the Force to move his lightsaber's components.

Gungi uses the Force to begin the lightsaber assembly.

Close up of pieces coming into alignment.

Gungi seats his lightsaber crystal inside his lightsaber.

Assembly of interior portion of lightsaber complete, attaching activation switch. 

Inserting the lightsaber's internal components into the brylark wood casing of the hilt.

Gungi admires his work.

Successful ignition of a green lightsaber blade. 

SOURCE: STARWARS.COM