SOCIAL SCANNER – JANUARY 30, 2015 As a member of the (very small) social media team here at Lucasfilm, I have the honor of reading, responding to, laughing at, loving, and sharing all of your Star Wars conversations every day. Our fans are creative, passionate, funny, and very active across the Internet; every Friday, I’ll share my favorite social media posts from the week in the Social Scanner, so show me what you’ve got! With the blizzard in the northeast, there were a lot of Hoth jokes. We hope everyone’s tauntauns made it to their markers safely. If the sheer awesomeness of Star Wars #1 is any indicator of what else Marvel has up their sleeves, consider me properly hyped for this mysterious upcoming miniseries. Speaking of reading, this might just be the coolest Little Free Library I’ve ever seen. If you’re not familiar with the movement, these are homemade boxes that neighbors use to lend and borrow books with each other on the honor system. It’s a great way t
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WE’VE SPOTTED IMPERIAL WALKERS: A HISTORY OF LEGGED WAR MACHINES DISCOVER THE MASSIVE WEAPONIZED TRANSPORTS OF THE STAR WARS SAGA! Legged vehicles, commonly known as walkers, had taken an important place in many armies, especially in the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars and in the Imperial Army of the Galactic Empire during the Galactic Civil War. Some walkers were used for reconnaissance, while others were lumbering giants, reminiscent of behemoths from legends. Driving a walker successfully was performed by specialist drivers who were trained in handling specific walkers. Built at the factories of Kuat Drive Yards (KDY) and its subsidiary Rothana Heavy Engineering (RHE), walkers certainly weren’t indestructible, but they could function on multiple terrains and often inspired fear to those who awaited their arrival. Walkers were instrumental in numerous battles, from the Battle of Bothawui in the Clone Wars to the infamous Battle of Hoth. Let’s check out
STUDYING SKYWALKERS: THANKSGIVING IN THE PREQUEL TRILOGY STARWARS.COM CONTINUES ITS LOOK AT THE SIGNIFICANCE OF MEALS IN A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY. In November, I looked at the original trilogy and the significance of meals; sharing in sustenance is important in literature and film, and encourages the audience to realize that something important is going on. This is also prescient in the prequel trilogy, with many examples that demonstrate the important character moments and themes present in Episodes I, II, and III. Breaking bread means community, and sharing that with others indicates a strong bond is being formed through the experience. Much can be gleaned from a simple meal, and may reveal significant foreshadowing to the fate of respective characters. The Phantom Menace reveals this recurring motif at the very start of the film. Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi wait at a table for the arrival of the Neimoidians to help negotiate an end to the blo
7 THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT THE MOS EISLEY CANTINA DISCOVER SOME LITTLE-KNOWN FACTS ABOUT TATOOINE'S SEEDIEST SALOON... The Mos Eisley cantina is a well known location in the Star Wars universe. It’s where we see Ben Kenobi use his lightsaber for the first time, it’s where Han Solo and Greedo have a standoff, and it’s where Ben and Luke Skywalker meet Han and Chewbacca. Beyond those key moments, think of the quotable lines that were spoken. “Sorry about the mess,” “You’ll be dead,” and “I’m not such a bad pilot myself,” were all uttered inside the cantina’s walls. I think the cantina also has appeal because it’s like dive bars in real life. You can tell there are regulars and the bartender probably knows their names, the drinks are likely cheap, and they have entertaining live music. Seedy atmospheres do have their perks… and also secrets. Here are seven things you might not know about the Mos Eisley ,antina: 1. The Mos Eisley cantina is eve
Did Disney Abandon George Lucas’s Ideas for The Force Awakens? Does It Matter? A quote from George Lucas on his ideas for Episode VII has kicked off some interesting discussion online lately. "The ones that I sold to Disney, they came up to the decision that they didn’t really want to do those. So they made up their own. So it’s not the ones that I originally wrote [on screen in Star Wars: The Force Awakens." Lucas said that in an interview with Nick Romano of Cinemablend, and the article published by Romano goes into some speculation as to what that means. He brings up some footage from 1983 that he says could have hinted as Lucas’s plans for seventh installment, but that seems like pretty shaky material. Slashfilm engaged in some further speculation about the sequence of events, discussing writer Michael Arndt’s departure over his disagreements with JJ Abrams. According to the rumor mill—via Slashfilm—both Lucas and Arndt wanted to focus on younger cha
STAR WARS PLANETS WE’D LIKE TO VISIT STARWARS.COM RUNS DOWN THE GALAXY'S BEST PLACES TO VISIT -- AND AVOID. Luke Skywalker would have you believe Tatooine is the farthest planet from the bright center of the universe, but the Star Wars galaxy is a packed place. Plenty of teenagers on other planets probably say the same thing. There are several Outer Rim locales tarnished with an unappealing sheen, Core planets filled with luxuries and promise, and everything in between. A handful of locations are featured as Star Tours attraction destinations at Disney parks, and though the virtual experience is better than nothing, we’re itching to get our feet on the ground in the galaxy far, far away and explore. These planets are at the top of our list: Coruscant It’s a city and a planet; how could you not want to visit Coruscant? From Dex’s Diner to the Jedi Temple, the planet offers endless sights and activities. It’s recognized as the center of power and culture in the galaxy and
SWTOR Stays at the 14 most played PC game in December 2014 It’s that time again to take a look at Raptr’s Top 20 Rankings and where our beloved SWTOR placed at the end of last year. According to the stats, Star Wars: The Old Republic close the year out as the 14th most played PC game. This isn’t the best ranking but it certainly beats out not being on the list at all. SWTOR released Shadow of Revan in December and the play time jumped by 33.35%. This is probably because of the release which gave Star Wars fans something new to be excited about! LoL closed off the year in the number one spot, no big surprise there! The play time for LoL jumped by 30.09% in December. Other notable games in the rankings are WoW which placed second, Dragon Age: Inquisition placed 6th and raised in the charts by 4 spots! Overall, SWTOR finished out the year of 2014 at a great spot and we are excited to see how it places in the New Year.
5 LIFE LESSONS FROM AHSOKA TANO LEARN REAL-LIFE INSIGHTS FROM STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS' FAN-FAVORITE PADAWAN. Ahsoka Tano entered the Star Wars universe in 2008 in the feature length Star Wars: The Clone Wars film. The Togruta Padawan was young, curious, and energetic. I'd go so far as to say that she was bratty. She could be too much to handle from time to time and often tried the patience of her Master, Anakin Skywalker (who probably didn't have all that much to start with), and the audience. But, funny thing about the young: They grow up. They gain experience and knowledge, and they end up teaching us lessons. We got to watch Ahsoka learn from the world and people around her over five seasons of The Clone Wars animated series. She fought against the Separatists, learned about guerrilla tactics, and saw an unkind side of the Jedi Order. By the time she left the Jedi Temple in the final moments of Season Five, she'd traversed a challenging path and won the
9 MARVEL STAR WARS COVERS YOU’VE NEVER SEEN DISCOVER SOME OF THE RAREST -- AND STRANGEST -- STAR WARS COMICS FROM AROUND THE WORLD! On the occasion of Marvel’s official re-entry into the Star Wars galaxy this week, I thought I’d share a handful of vintage Star Wars comic covers from around the world that may be new to many fans. While the content of these comics doesn’t veer too far from what was originally released in the US versions, they do contain the occasional editorial exclusive and pin-up sketched by a regional artist. Since the vast number of Marvel Star Wars comics reprinted throughout the world used variations of the US covers, these examples stand out for being totally original and, for the most part, exclusive to their region. Here are nine obscure covers I’m betting most Star Wars fans have never seen, and perhaps even a few experienced collectors — Titans #56, Sept 1983 This, ahem, unique cover for the 56th issue of France’s Titans comic showca
RUNDISNEY STAR WARS: A WOOKIEE WELCOME THE STAR WARS HALF MARATHON WEEKEND KICKS OFF WITH A PARTY FIT FOR A WOOKIEE! I let the Wookiee win! With months of training, costume making, and gearing up behind us, the day has finally come! As the Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend kicks off, I’ve got a full report on the runDisney Health & Fitness Expo and Wookiee Welcome live from the Disneyland Resort. Official merchandise at the Expo. The real highlight of the day was the Wookiee Welcome Party, a private event in the Disneyland Park. Runners had the chance to ride Tomorrowland attractions with fellow runDisney Star Wars fans and celebrate the start of the weekend. I had my fill of Wookiee Cookies and met fellow runners from all over the country. To top it all off, Star Wars and Disney characters were there for the occasion. I couldn’t pass up a photo with Chewbacca; After all, it was his party! Chip the Ewok dances on the party stage. I’m o
YOUR FIRST LOOK AT KANAN THE PADAWAN – EXCLUSIVE! SEE ART STRAIGHT FROM THE SKETCHBOOK OF PEPE LARRAZ, PENCILLER OF MARVEL'S UPCOMING KANAN: THE LAST PADAWAN! Star Wars Rebels has established Kanan as a heroic — yet flawed — Jedi. He doubts himself, he loses his patience, and he struggles in his new role as a teacher to Ezra. An Order 66 survivor, he also seems haunted by his past; finally, that past will be explored in Marvel’s Kanan: The Last Padawan series, comig this April. And StarWars.com has an exclusive first look at young Kanan — then known as Caleb Dume — right from the sketchbook of series artist Pepe Larraz! In these sketchbook pages, Larraz explores different outfits and facial expressions for the young Jedi — decidedly more innocent than the Kanan we know, but still with a bit of the cowboy Jedi’s trademark swagger — hinting at the man he will become. “Pepe leapt into this project so enthusiastically,” says Marvel’s Star Wars editor Jordan D. White,