A man who needs no introduction to Star Wars fans, famed The Empire Strikes Back director Irvin Kershner has died. He was 87. Mr. Kershner had been fighting a long illness.

He worked on many projects throughout his life, but most notable to nearly anyone living was The Empire Strikes Back. He directed what many have said is the best movie in the Saga. TESB is very different from the rest of the Saga, mainly because it focuses primarily on character development and it’s darker tone. In TESB, we are given the opportunity to go underneath the surface, even into the mind of the main character, Luke Skywalker. We feel his emotions, especially his pain. TESB had many pivotal moments in the Saga, including the astonishing revelation that Darth Vader is actually Luke’s father.

All of those moments are part of the movie anyway, but it was Kershner that brought the absolute best out of each and every one them. His contribution to Star Wars will never be forgotten and nor will he.

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Lucasfilm Internet Content Developer and author Pablo Hidalgo recently sat down with Datapad de Korpil to share info about himself and about working with Lucasfilm. One answer he provided is likely of particular interest to Expanded Universe fans. We’ve quoted the question and answer in-part below.

Question…

What do you think about Star Wars: The Clone Wars not following the continuity established previously in books and comics for the timeline between Episodes II and III? Could all those events that are being unfolded ever be folded into a coherent timeline?

Answer…

As far as continuity, I see The Clone Wars as being no different than the arrival of the prequels in 1999. We fans knew that those movies would be a representation of the true Star Wars universe as imagined by George Lucas, and in some cases, it would not perfectly match the stories told by Expanded Universe authors. So, we had to unlearn all we had learned about the Mon Calamari being discovered by the Empire, about Boba Fett being Jaster Mereel, and about the Republic having a standing military.

I think with each episode, we start to get a better understanding about what the real Star Wars universe is like, and it won’t be until whenever the series ends that we’ll be able to accurately decide how the older EU material fits into the big picture.

We report, you decide.

He also gave some info about the upcoming Star Wars: The Essential Reader’s Companion…

It’s still coming together. In a nutshell, it’s basically Star Wars: The Comics Companion but for prose fiction. A high-level summary of all the novels, short stories and young reader novels in a chronological reading order, with what I hope are interesting footnotes that track the evolution of the expanded universe. A big bonus is that there will be all new art to depict characters and events that have yet to be depicted.

Read the interview in full here.

The Ruins Of Dantooine
Author(s): Voronica Robinson/Haden Blackman
Release Date: January 2004

Um, yeah. I just picked this one up recently, as I kept my focus on the Clone Wars/Old Republic era novels. That, and there wasn’t much about this novel that motivated me to hurry up and buy it. Honestly, the only reason why I had a shred of interest before purchasing was the word “Dantooine”. I was hoping that perhaps this was some kind of tie-in to the KOTOR games.

Anyway, bought the novel and read it. And was disappointed. Everything about it is forgettable. Probably because it was so rushed. I dunno. This novel did nothing for me, and I don’t see how it contributes to the EU at all. The back cover is a great read, but it all goes downhill after that. Perhaps the thinking was… millions of people play the game, so that will translate to millions of people buying the book. Maybe it did sell well, I don’t know. What I do know is that much of those buyers would probably like a refund.

Not trying to be harsh, but this is easily the worst novel I’ve read. The only plus that I can see is that it was so short. 280+ pages, and not a whole lot of words on each page. Better luck next time for VWR, if there is a next time. Sorry.

The Ruins of Dantooine receives a 1 out of 5.

- Master Optician

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For those that don’t know (which is evidently becoming a very short list) a little girl named Katie was the focus of school bullies, simply because she brought some Star Wars items to school with her.

At summer’s end, Katie and I went to Target to pick out her backpack, lunchbox and water bottle for the new school year. After great deliberation, she chose a Star Wars water bottle to match her Star Wars backpack.

Katie loves Star Wars, and she was very excited about her new items. For the first few months of school, she proudly filled her water bottle herself and helped me pack her lunch each morning.

But a week ago, as we were packing her lunch, Katie said, “My Star Wars water bottle is too small. It doesn’t hold enough water. Can I take a different one?” She searched through the cupboard until she found a pink water bottle and said, “I’ll bring this.”

I was perplexed. “Katie, that water bottle is no bigger than your Star Wars one. I think it is actually smaller.”

“It’s fine, I’ll just take it,” she insisted.

I kept pushing the issue, because it didn’t make sense to me. Suddenly, Katie burst into tears.

She wailed, “The first grade boys are teasing me at lunch because I have a Star Wars water bottle. They say it’s only for boys. Every day they make fun of me for drinking out of it. I want them to stop, so I’ll just bring a pink water bottle.”

I hugged her hard and felt my heart sink. Such a tender young age, and already she is embarrassed about the water bottle that brought her so much excitement and joy a few months ago.

Original Blog Post

Now, I’m not going to sit here and ridicule the boys, because these are all 1st graders, but come on kids. There is nothing wrong with a girl showing her love for Star Wars. Star Wars is for boys and girls, men and women, and even pets of all ages.

This incident has literally swept across the net in just a few days. I think these boys and any others who bully girl fans will get the point. Your teasing is unsupported by the entire Star Wars fan base.

Katie, a personal message to you from Knights Archive: no matter what personal difficulties that you are going through, in addition to the bullying, which hopefully will cease, you are amongst a family consisting of literally millions. Pay no mind to the bullies. Embrace your individuality and your love for Star Wars. Keep your chin up.

And always remember… the ability to crush a spirit is insignificant next to the power of the Force.

Starting with the episode Heroes On Both Sides, we’ll see a new, more familiar look for the main characters of the Clone Wars series. The changes reflect the passing of time, and will bring a familiarity to the characters as events creep ever nearer to the events of Revenge of the Sith. We’ll see changes, not only for the characters pictured, but also for Chancellor Palpatine, Count Dooku, and Asajj Ventress.

Head on over to StarWars.com for the full scoop, which includes comments from Dave Filoni.

A new article has been posted to the ever growing online Essential Atlas appendix… The Knight Errant Gazetteer!

According to StarWars.com…

This exclusive article serves as a companion to the Star Wars: Knight Errant comic series, now available from Dark Horse Comics. It serves to introduce the setting and history for comics readers and readers of the forthcoming novel, due out in January from Del Rey Books.

The Star Wars Essential Atlas has been an awesome reference to the Expanded Universe, and this new article doesn’t disappoint. Head on over to StarWars.com to check it out.

StarWars.com has released a new lineup of future comics to be released starting in February.

Star Wars: Knight Errant — Aflame #5 (of 5) (On sale February 16. 40 pages)

Who can be saved? What must be sacrificed? Kerra Holt will decide once and for all what it means to be a Jedi in the concluding issue of Aflame!

Sith Lord Odion and his army arrive at Chelloa prepared to take over the mining planet, but upon arriving, Odion finds a terrible surprise from his brother, Lord Daiman. World-devastating war is inescapable, but Kerra knows that when all hope is lost, that is when the Jedi are needed the most!

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Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Lost Command #2 (of 5) (On sale February 23. 40 pages)

Vader in command! Vader in turmoil! Darth Vader steps up his attacks when his invasion of the Ghost Nebula meets with stiff resistance. But when a courageous beauty offers her help in conquering the system, visions of what his life might have been if he had not betrayed the Jedi and if Padme was still alive affect the Dark Lord’s decisions.

It’s Darth Vader, the darkest Lord of the Sith, at his best — and worst!

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Star Wars: Legacy — War #3 (of 6) (On sale February 23. 40 pages)

While Emperor Krayt’s forces strike at hundreds of targets across the galaxy without thought for their own losses, one place has remained safe: the hidden Jedi temple on Taivas.

But that happens to be the one place Krayt most wants to annihilate — if he can locate it and learn the secrets of its defenses.

So, it’s only a matter of time . . . and torture . . .

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Star Wars Omnibus: At War with the Empire Volume 1 (On sale April 6. 408-page trade paperback)

Collected here are stories of the early days of the Rebel Alliance and the beginnings of its war with the Empire — tales of the Star Wars galaxy set before, during, and after the events in Star Wars: A New Hope!

In this volume: Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine are targeted for assassination by rogue Imperial officers; Princess Leia gets her first taste of war and the sacrifices the coming rebellion will require; Vader, after surviving the destruction of the Death Star, must fight to become the leader of a pack of savage beasts; and many other stories!

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Star Wars: Invasion Volume 2 — Rescues (On sale April 27th. 144-page trade paperback)

Twenty-five years after A New Hope, the Yuuzhan Vong invasion has the forces of the New Republic spread thin. Even Luke Skywalker’s New Jedi Order is nearly helpless against the invaders from beyond the galaxy. These are times when even the rescuers may need rescuing …

Prince Finn Galfridian, despite Master Skywalker’s disapproval, flies into danger with Jacen and Jaina Solo! Princess Kaye and Queen Nina turn a captured Yuuzhan Vong ship against their enemies! And King Caled conducts an underground war on the family’s homeworld of Artorias, not realizing the enemy is closer than he thinks!

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Head on over to StarWars.com for full details.

Source ~ StarWars.com

SW.com had an exciting news day today, and one of the articles is a new Daniel Wallace interview about The Jedi Path, his latest work. If you’re a fan of Wallace or The Jedi Path, you’ll no doubt want to read his thoughts about the novel and what may lay ahead. Wallace was asked if he had any plans for similar works like a manual for clone recruits or even “The Sith Path”. His response…

I’d love to do “The Sith Path,” or a smuggler’s logbook, or a trooper’s field manual.

I’d buy them. You can read the interview in full here.

~ Update ~

The winner of the 50 follower giveaway is @BothanReport. Congrats! Thanks to all who participated! Keep following us, not only to receive Star Wars news updates, but also because there will be more giveaways! The next will be at 100 followers. Prize will be announced around that time.

~ Original Article ~

That’s right, Knights Archive is growing steadily, and one of those ways is our audience on Twitter. We are about to hit 50 followers, and in celebration, once 50 is achieved, Knights Archive will be giving away a free Hardcover copy of the James Luceno novel Labyrinth of Evil!

Yes, it is an older novel, but with each designated Twitter follower count will come a cooler prize. This one is a good start, as far as we’re concerned. And best of all, it’s free, including shipping!

In order to win the prize, you must be a follower of Knights Archive. (Our Twitter page) And you must retweet the designated tweet that commences the giveaway. The designated tweet wont be posted until we hit 50 followers, which is right around the corner! The contest will stay active for 3 days. The winner will be randomly selected from the list of followers who retweeted the post at the end of the third day. Then we will announce the winner.

After the contest, keep following us! More contests will follow. But the steady stream of news and chat of all things Star Wars will keep you satisfied until the next contest. You’ve got nothing to lose.

Not much was given, but here are some new details from the upcoming novel Star Wars: Shadow Games via Bohnhoff’s Blog.

In writing HOLOSTAR, I’m characterizing an alien using his speech mannerisms and his physical attributes as part of his alienness. My goal is for you, the Reader, to be able to recognize his dialogue simply by the way he delivers his lines and the subtle physical gestures that go with them on occasion.

Er, no, I’m not going to tell you what sort of alien he is. That would create a security leak and I’d have to scramble the storm-troopers. But I will tell you that I’m making use of nature and nurture to make him a fully-realized alien … and that this guy’s got a lot to work with. He has a couple of interesting physical attributes that I want to work into characterization, and his species also has evolved some traits that, for a writer, can be extremely useful … and extremely tricky to use. His education and training also plays into what he says and how he says it, and I need to consider that, as well, as I write his dialogue.

From an earlier blog…

I will divulge that a Toydarian makes a brief appearance in a scene in Star Wars: Shadow Games (aka, Holostar). I chose a Toydarian because I needed to telegraph to the reader that this is a mercenary sort of fellow and I needed to do it without spending valuable page space building up a character that was only going to walk on, utter a few lines and walk off (okay, flap off—as we all know from Chef Jeff Vader’s YouTube video “Midichlorian Rhapsody” Toydarians are reminiscent of bumblebees).

Also of note from the above blog…

For other roles, I choose aliens because I want to write about them, explore them as people and, well, because I think they’re cool. Take Twi’leks, for example. I love Twi’leks because they’re so graceful and elegant and because of the way their brain power is augmented by their lekku. I think it’s also fun to explore how the lekku are used in communication. Humans shrug their shoulders, Twi’leks (and other species with head-tails) can express indecision, or mirth, or anger and a range of other emotions in much more subtle ways. This might mean that subliminal conversations can take place between Twi’leks while other species remain blissfully unaware.

Speculation: Perhaps a Twi’lek is the mystery alien alluded to in the first quote above?

Star Wars: Shadow Games is being written by Michael Reaves and Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff and is due to be released next fall.

We’ve anticipated the Clone Wars appearance of Quinlan Vos for a little while now. Well, today we’ve been given a glimpse of his debut.

Vos makes his The Clone Wars debut during the November 12 “Hunt for Ziro” episode on Cartoon Network.

Source ~ Big Shiny Robot