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

Battle Meditation Review: Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Bound for Rescue (5.08)

Ain't no party like a Weequay party.

"When we rescue others, we rescue ourselves."With Ahsoka captured by Hondo's pirates, the younglings work together to infiltrate the pirates' den, using their wits and courage to deceive Hondo Ohnaka and launch a daring rescue.

In this week's episode our Younglings head to Florrum to land the Crucible and let it's engine system cool down before it overloads.  Meanwhile they request for aide from General Obi-Wan Kenobi and his forces to rescue Ahsoka from the clutches of evil pirate lord, Hondo Ohnaka at his base on Florrum.  Before Obi-Wan and Commander Cody can come to Ahsoka's rescue they are attacked by a Separatist battle group led by General Grievous.  Grievous' forces board Obi-Wan's flagship and the Jedi is forced to abandon ship but not before he sets the self destruct and narrowly misses killing Grievous.

When no aid comes from the Republic, the Younglings set off across Florrum on their own to rescue Ahsoka. Conveniently they come across a traveling circus and their Force enhanced acrobatics are enough to impress the circus' Ringmaster. Disguised in animal costumes the younglings take advantage of an inebriated Hondo, stealing Ahsoka's lightsabers and freeing the Jedi and fleeing the pirate base with Hondo's band in hot pursuit.

Bound for Rescue had a little bit of something for everyone. Bound for Rescue is a well balanced Clone Wars episode from start to finish.  The youngling's story continues as some of them are able to finish building their lightsabers.  There is a terrific space battle and a duel between Grievous and Obi-Wan that provided some much needed action in this arc.  It is good to see Cody return, he is one of the more under used clone characters in this series.

I love this shot, it looks straight out of a video game.

I love the map of the galaxy, reminds me of the old map in the EU novels. 

 

How many times will Obi-Wan duel Grievous before Revenge of the Sith?

When the younglings attempt their rescue they join up with a circus.  The artistry of Jedi acrobatics made me think back to Alan Dean Foster's Clone Wars novel, The Approaching Storm where Jedi Master Luminara Unduli performed a strange sand dance.

The idea of infiltrating the bad guys base in disguise is hardly a new idea, we have seen it in Return of the Jedi, but the idea of infiltrating as entertainers brought me back to the late great Brian Daley's Han Solo at Star's End.  Where Han, Bollux and a pair of Trianni bill themselves as "Madame Atuarre's Roving Performers" in order to infiltrate the Corporate Sector Authority's prison.

Besides these nostalgic notes, the younglings in disguise didn't do much for me and their acrobatics is where the episode dragged the most for me.  But it did give us the chance to see the most interesting pirate in the galaxy, Hondo enjoying lots of adult beverages and feeling pretty good about himself.

"I don't always drink ale, but when I do it's lomin ale."

Rating: Bound for Rescue gets a 8.0. There was enough here to keep all ages entertained and it had that perfect blend of action, drama, humor and fun that makes Star Wars so magical.

Direct Link to Watch Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Bound for Rescue (5.08)

Clone Wars Download: Webisode 5.08: Machinations and Motivations: Being General Grievous 


Coming up next on Star Wars: The Clone Wars Episode 5.09: A Necessary Bond

"Pirates and Jedi reluctantly join forces after Grievous attacks Hondo's settlement on Florrum."

SOURCE: Starwars.com

Starwars.com Video: Lucas and Kennedy Interview Part 3: An Offer You Can't Refuse

In part three of a five part interview recorded for Starwars.com, George Lucas and Kathleen Kennedy discuss how Lucas approached Kennedy to take over his company.




SOURCE: http://www.starwars.com/

Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Bound for Rescue Preview (5.08)

The Youngling arc continues this Saturday as we get the eighth episode of The Clone Wars Season Five, "Bound for Rescue."

"When we rescue others, we rescue ourselves."With Ahsoka captured by Hondo's pirates, the younglings work together to infiltrate the pirates' den, using their wits and courage to deceive Hondo Ohnaka and launch a daring rescue.

Fans tired of the more kid focused story may be happy to see Obi-Wan, Cody, and Grievous in this week's episode.

Preview Clip #1: Lightsabers



Preview Clip #2: Space Battle




SOURCES: Starwars.com and Youtube

Skywalker Vineyards Wine Sale: Many Grapes Died to Bring Us This Vintage

If you are a wine lover and a Star Wars fan you may have a new item to put on your shopping list this holiday season.

Skywalker Vineyards has made available via it's mailing list two wines for sale.  They are limited quantities and offered on a first come first serve basis to mailing list members.

2010 SKYWALKER PINOT NOIR: MARIN COUNTY ESTATE

$70/Bottle  $840/Case

Dense ruby with purple shadows, this wine’s color hints that good things will follow.  Powerful aromas of spicy clove and dark forest berries lead to a luxuriously textured and coating wine with incredible density and sweetness.  The finish is beyond generous with layers of ripe fruit and spice, very lasting and uncommon for its power and hedonistic charm. Only 202 cases made.

2009 VIANDANTE DEL CIELO PINOT NOIR: MARIN COUNTY ESTATE

$35/Bottle  $420/Case

Beautiful, lifted sweet spice and plum aroma, oak scents, and clove telltale of classic cool climate Pinot Noir.  Balanced and elegant with beautiful texture carrying through to the finish.

Click here to join the Skywalker Vineyards Mailing List.

Screenwriting Lessons of Michael Arndt from Go Into the Story

For those interested in screenwriting, the blog "Go Into the Story" by Scott Myers is a valuable resource and his Twitter Feed (@GoIntoTheStory) is a great one to follow.

Scott has begun a series of posts looking at writer Michael Arndt's approach to screenwriting.

Fans craving an early idea of how Star Wars: Episode VII will be structured or what kind of story Arndt might tell should give these posts a read.

Part 1: Follow your bliss, Theme is critical, and Writing is writing and re-writing.

Theme is critical. Stories are always about something. Little Miss Sunshine is about winning and losing, success and failure. The Hoover family is – on the surface – a bunch of losers. And yet on their Hero’s Journey, they discover commonality, even filial love in their shared state.

Part 2: The lens of character and hard work.

On approaching Toy Story 3 from Woody's perspective:

Arndt explains Woody’s personal development by comparing his emotional progress in the films with that of a child. “In Toy Story, Woody is learning to share the spotlight with Buzz,” he explains. “He’s like a child who gets a new sibling and has to realize he doesn’t always have to be the favorite. That tracks emotionally with someone who is 5 or 6 years old. 

“In Toy Story 2,” Arndt continues, “Woody has to deal with and accept his mortality. That tracks with a child who is 8 to 10 years old.” With the plot devised for Toy Story 3, Woody needed to progress to a more mature sentiment — that of a teenager — in order for the film to have the correct impact. “Woody learns about the impermanence of things and the necessity for letting go and moving on,” Arndt says. “So there’s an arc to his development across the trilogy. Even though there are common elements in all three films, I do think we’re telling a different story in each of them, as well as one big over-arching story that spans the trilogy.”

On Pixar's philosophy towards constructing a screenplay:

Arndt’s observations on his time at Pixar only confirm what many film pundits and fans have long suspected: Pixar’s films are such rousing successes because of the attention each individual at the studio dedicates to the screenplays. “Andrew Stanton’s rule of thumb is that it takes 10 man-years of labor to make a good screenplay,” Arndt explains. “Either two writers working five years or 10 guys working one year. For Toy Story 3, it was even more than that — probably the equivalent of 10 people working two or three years.”

Part 3: Ending the story

This scene you’re about to see is the climax of the movie. And it’s really the thing I’m most proud of because as a writer, I’m a big believer in endings. I think that the ending of your story is when the meaning of your story is revealed. But I also think in setting up the story… a good story for me is for a character, right before the climax, taking a decisive action, making an important decision. And usually you’ve got to make that decision as difficult as possible.

Video of Michael Ardnt speaking in 2007 at a book store in San Francisco from Post #3


Little Miss Sunshine: The Shooting Script from Cody's Books on FORA.tv

SOURCE: GoIntoTheStory

Spike TV Ink Master: Star Wars Episode Tonight 10 P.M. EST/PST

Tattoo, Tatooine. It is only fitting that Spike TV's reality show Ink Master would feature a Star Wars episode.

Tune in tonight Tuesday, November 13 at 10 PM and see what these tattoo artists do with Star Wars inspired art.

From Spike TV:

Today  Tuesday, November 13 at 10 PM, ET/PT, nine remaining artists on Spike TV’s hit tattoo competition-reality series “Ink Master” will have to use their Jedi powers and feel the Force flowing thru them in a special “Star Wars” Forever episode.  In this “Star Wars”-themed episode, the artists will be tested on their ability to use contrast in their designs, specifically the way they enhance dark and light areas and use opposing colors, forms and lines to make their tattoos bold.    

 As always, “Ink Master” starts off with a fundamentals skill test called the Flash Challenge.  In this week’s Flash Challenge, the artists must create a unique design using contrast on a Clone Trooper Helmet.  All the finished helmets were displayed and auctioned off at “Star Wars” Celebration Six with all proceeds going to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and as an added bonus, the winning Clone Trooper helmet was signed by “Star Wars” creator and visionary, George Lucas.  

 All the human canvases for the Elimination Tattoo for this episode are all super-fans of “Star Wars” and all request various designs featuring the iconic characters and symbols from this epic saga. The artists again have to demonstrate their ability to use contrast in their “Star Wars” tattoos.  Which of the artists will continue on their destiny to become the next “Ink Master” and who will be the next to be told to pack up their tattoo gun and go home?

SPIKE
Flash Challenge: Contrast
www.spike.com
Spike Full Episodes Spike Video Clips Spike on Facebook

SOURCE: Spike.com

Battle Meditation Review: Star Wars: The Clone Wars: A Test of Strenth (5.07)

In this week's episode of TCW we meet the Star Wars universe's Ollivander, in this case an ancient droid named Huyang voiced by Dr. Who actor David Tennant. As Ahoska and Huyang instruct the younglings aboard the Jedi transport the Crucible, Hondo and his pirates board the ship in an attempt to steal the lightsaber crystals.

"The young are often underestimated."As the younglings return from Ilum with Ahsoka, their ship comes under attack by Hondo's gang of pirates. The children must use ingenious and improvised traps to thwart the brigands.

A Test of Strength presents a pretty straight forward story, our two mentors Ahsoka and Huyang are helping the younglings decide on components and begin constructing their lightsabers when the pirtates attack and board the Crucible.  We have a violent game of hide and go seek as the younglings attemp to keep their lightsaber crystals out of Hondo's hands.  In the end both the mentors are incapacitated, Ahoska is captured and taken aboard Hondo's ship, while Huyang suffers a couple "flesh wounds"  losing his arms and his head. This sets up the younglings at the end of the episode to have to mature and in next weeks episode come ot he aid of both Huyang, by repariring him, and Ahsoka, by rescuing her.

This episode was littered to little Original Trilogy references. Hiding below the deck echoes A New Hope as the Falcon is brought aboard the Death Star. Petro's remote practice also brings us back to Luke's early training aboard the Falcon.

The younglings addressing Huyang as "Professor" made me think of Han's sarcastic nickname for C-3PO in Empire Strikes Back, when Solo said, "Chewie! Take the Professor in back and plug him into the hyperdrive!"

It was also interesting to think of storytelling possibilties based on one of Huyang's throw away lines. Much like Obi-Wan in A New Hope when he mentioned "the Clone Wars," Huyang drops a couple references to important events in galactic history that are new.  The Battles of Rashfond and the Peacekeeping of Parliock are implied to be ancient events, will they provide story fodder down the road?

Of course the OT wasn't the only thing to get references, The Old Republic computer game got a shout out by the inclusion of the TOR era Jedi symbol on the hatches inside the Crucible.

Of course my favorite part of this entire story arc is the lightsaber lore and we get even more in this episode. We have a description of by Huyang of some of the component materials and shapes for lightsabers. You would be hard pressed not to notice the influence of the Harry Potter franchise and it's wandlore and the enigmatic wand builder Ollivander. I really liked this touch.

When the Wookiee youngling Gungi chooses a material for his hilt he picks wood. Apparently there is one wood that is strong enough like metal to act as a lightsaber hilt, the wood of the brylark tree.  Additionaly we get the following line form Huyang, "a simple grip, a curved approach, one inlaid with the bone of the Cartusion whale, pastillion ore or black onk." 

We also get the added tidbit that lightsaber crystals must have the Force awakened within the crystal before the lightsaber can be used. We also learn that Huyang keeps a record of the design of every lightsaber created by a Jedi.

It is interesting that the awakening of the crystal and the use of the Force in assembling the lightsabers is similar yet slightly different than the portrayal of lightsaber construction that we get in the EU.  The EU novel I, Jedi has some of the most in-depth description of lightsaber construction and the use of the Force to unify the various components of the lightsaber at something beyond the mechanical level.

The use of Huyang, the Gathering and the Crucible makes me wonder what George is saying about lightsaber construction and whether or not this implies that all Jedi lightsabers before the Empire where created on expeditions aboard the Crucible under Huyang's supervision. If this is the standard practice then it stands to invalidate tons of EU stories about how and when Jedi construct their lightsabers.

The importance of lightsaber construction and Petro's reckless disregard reminded me of an important moment in the Expanded Universe. Adult EU fans may have missed this because it occurred in a young adult novel, but Tenel Ka's accident at the Jedi Academy would have long lasting implications to the EU.

In Kevin J. Anderon and Rebecca Moesta's Star Wars: Young Jedi Knights: Lightsabers, Tenel Ka constructs her lightsaber out of a rancor tooth and uses a flawed crystal inside the lightsaber. During a sparing session with Jacen Solo, her blade fails and Jacen's lightsaber chops of Tenel Ka's arm. 

In this week's episode we see Petro use his miss assembled lightsaber as a makeshift explosive to allow the younglings to flee to safety. 

Rating: Like all the episodes of the "younglins" arc, I will be grading this episode on a curve. By targeting the episodes at a younger demographic, it is a different flavor than the majority of TCW episodes at this point in the series' development. That being said, A Test of Strength gets a 8.5. Lots of little references, a very cool set of lightsaber lore, a great new droid, and pirates makes this episode a fun one.

Direct Link to Watch Star Wars: The Clone Wars: A Test of Strength (5.07)

Clone Wars Download: Webisode 5.07: A Pirate's Life


Coming up on Star Wars: The Clone Wars: 

11/17/12: Episode 5.08: Bound for Rescue 

"The younglings attempt to rescue Ahsoka from Hondo's pirates."

11/24/12: Episode 5.09: A Necessary Bond

"Pirates and Jedi reluctantly join forces after Grievous attacks Hondo's settlement on Florrum."

SOURCE: Starwars.com