Indholdsfortegnelse for Star Wars Insider 2022 Souvenir Edition i Star Wars Insider 2022 Souvenir Edition

A MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR WELCOME… Where were you when you had your first brush with Star Wars? I first saw it when A New Hope debuted on UK TV on a wet evening in October 1982. It was reduced into a square 4:3 format to fit the screen, had advertisement breaks that really spoiled the flow of the film, and the picture had a yellow hue thanks to problems with the signal. In short, it was less than the optimal high-quality presentation that George Lucas would have approved of! Nevertheless it started a 40 year love affair with the saga that shows no sign of slowing down. This souvenir edition pulls together some of the very best features from Star Wars Insider magazine, including features about the making of…

INTERVIEW: GARY KURTZ WORKING WITH WAMPAS Following the tragic death of second unit director John Barry in the first week of shooting The Empire Strikes Back, Kurtz was sequestered into directing some sequences until a replacement could be found, including the scene of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) escaping the wampa’s ice cave. “We were falling behind and we had to shoot with two units for several days, just to catch up,” Kurtz explained, noting that they wanted to strike terror into the hearts of the audience through suggestion, by showing as little of the wampa as possible—a technique pioneered in Edgar Ulmer’s The Black Cat (1936). “We wanted it to be a little scary, and as the wampa didn’t move so well, keeping him in the shadows made you imagine…

SITH UNSEEN: A RETROSPECTIVE STAR WARS: GENERAL GRIEVOUS RELEASE DATE: March to August 2005 PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics AUTHOR: Chuck Dixon PENCILS: Rick Leonardi INKS: Mark Pennington Set a year prior to the events of Revenge of the Sith, the four-issue General Grievous comic superbly emphasizes the Separatist leader’s status as a murderous war criminal, who poses an imminent threat to the Jedi. Combined with Count Dooku’s training, Grievous’ metallic physique and fiendish demeanor generate a ruthless Jedi killing machine, leading three Jedi to become so concerned that they leave the Order to track the General down and assassinate him. In the meantime, Grievous continues to ravage the Republic by slaughtering a Mon Calamari starship’s crew, ordering another Jedi’s execution, capturing several Padawans, and leading a genocidal invasion that wipes…

SITH UNSEEN: A RETROSPECTIVE REVENGE OF THE SITH – MOVIE NOVELIZATION RELEASE DATE: April 2, 2005 PUBLISHER: Del Rey AUTHOR: Matthew Stover The novelization of Revenge of the Sith primarily relays the film’s consequential scenes, but also opens a window into the thoughts and motivations that influenced notable actions. Anakin Skywalker’s visions pertaining to Padmé’s death during childbirth, his desire to protect her, and his anger over not being granted the rank of Jedi Master, are all well-documented onscreen, but the novelization lends further insight into the young man’s frustration relating to his status on the Council. He knows the Jedi Temple contains holocrons filled with knowledge from generations of Jedi, but protocol states that only Jedi Masters retain access to those resources. Anakin initially plans to research other Jedi…

MAKING THE MANDALORIAN MAKING THE MANDALORIAN JON FAVREAU & DAVE FILONI With a second season already in production, Star Wars Insider talks to Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni on working together to bring The Mandalorian to fans around the world. WORDS: BRYAN YOUNG “I’VE ALWAYS FELT THAT JON’S TONE WOULD BE REALLY, REALLY GOOD FOR STAR WARS.”DAVE FILONI Dave Filoni is a name that has been long familiar to Star Wars fans. He was selected by George Lucas to help build Lucasfilm’s animation department that gave us Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008-2014, 2020), Star Wars Rebels (2014-2018), and—most recently—Star Wars Resistance (2019-2020). While cloistered up at Skywalker Ranch in the early days of working on The Clone Wars, Filoni met Jon Favreau. Although their paths diverged, with Favreau going…

KURTZ’S CAREER Born in Los Angeles in 1940, prolific producer and director Gary Kurtz carved out a name for himself in the film industry as an assistant director and production manager during the 1960s, but was forced to put his career on hold when called up for military service in Vietnam as part of the U.S. Marine Corps. After his return to Hollywood, Kurtz concentrated on building a career in studio pictures, and in the early 1970s began a collaboration with filmmaker George Lucas that would ultimately change his life. After working together on the cult coming-of-age movie American Graffiti (1973), Kurtz went on to serve as producer on both Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) and The Empire Strikes Back (1980). After permanently relocating to the U.K., the producer…

SOLO: SOLDIERS OF THE EMPIRE Soldiers the Empire POLICING THE WORLDS OF SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY INTRODUCING THE NEW SPECIALIZED STORMTROOPER UNITS OF SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY, AND THE UNRULY NEW PLANETS THEY PATROL. Crime runs rife throughout the Galactic Empire, from the smugglers and pirates of the Outer Rim territories to pockets of insurgency on worlds which refuse to accept the rule of the Emperor. Maintaining order in such lawless times are the stormtroopers, policing the worlds of Solo: A Star Wars Story with ruthless efficiency and relentless versatility The Empire has the resources to adapt its frontline troops to meet any and all opposition, deploying troops with specialized armor, equipment, and vehicular support to cope with any type of environment. An overwhelming presence is often all…

NEW PLANETS, NEW PERILS THE LOST EGGS OF LIVORNO Roy Thomas’ alien rabbit Jaxxon bounces back in a new tale penned by writer Cavan Scott in IDW’s first Star Wars Adventures annual. Insider asked Scott what inspired him to bring back the space bunny with a motor-mouth: What is your personal history with Jaxxon? I read Marvel’s Star Wars comics long before I saw my first Star Wars film. My dad picked up a job-lot of Marvel U.K.’s Star Wars Weekly in a second-hand bookshop and I just devoured them, including the issues which reprinted Jaxxon’s first appearance. I must have read them over and over again, and as someone who’d missed the first film at the cinema, Han Solo’s Star-Hoppers were just as important for me as Luke and…

INTERVIEW: ANTHONY DANIELS THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN JACKET Anthony Daniels has been a part of Star Wars Celebration since the very first event in Denver, Colorado in 1999. SWI: You always wear a golden jacket when you host a Celebration stage. Is there a reason for that? AD: The gold jacket came out of the first Celebration, where I decided to make sure people understood that I had a sense of humor, particularly against myself. Not even self-deprecating. Take me seriously, but don’t take me too seriously. SWI: How much to you enjoy the pageantry of Star Wars Celebration? AD: I enjoy it hugely. When we did the original, we had nothing. We had some temporary stages, some lights, and me and two other people with microphones. Now it’s…

SITH UNSEEN: A RETROSPECTIVE STAR WARS: REPUBLIC COMMANDO RELEASE DATE: February 28, 2005 PUBLISHER: LucasArts In this first-person video game, players take on the role of RC-01/138, a clone commanding the elite unit Delta Squad. Nicknamed ‘Boss,’ you lead a team of three troopers into warzones strewn across the Star Wars galaxy. The game’s storyline follows Boss from the conflict’s opening salvo at the Battle of Geonosis, as seen in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones (2002), with the player guiding Delta Squad in missions that span the duration of the war. Levels include investigating the seemingly derelict Acclamator-class assault ship Prosecutor to a recognizable engagement on the planet Kashyyyk. Delta Squad’s excursion to the Wookiee homeworld includes numerous links to Revenge of the Sith. Boss and his comrades arrive…

REVENGE OF THE SITH – THE VIDEO GAME RELEASE DATE: April 2, 2005 PUBLISHER: LucasArts Unleashed on the public prior to the film’s official premiere, the Revenge of the Sith video game sees players battle through levels as either Anakin Skywalker or Obi-Wan Kenobi. The release stuck to the movie’s plot and revolves around consequential moments, so supplementary themes do not truly materialize in this format. However, the game spearheaded an appealing new approach to marketing a movie, previewing exclusive locales prior to their official arrival in cinemas, including the Invisible Hand, Utapau, and Mustafar. It also contained more than 10 minutes of actual scenes from the yet-to-be-released theatrical version. Such an extensive use of previously unseen footage is rarely seen outside of approved trailers and inexorably binds the game…

A VOICE IN THE DARK Ashley Eckstein on her experience of reprising the role of Ahsoka Tano in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: “I found out I was doing it a couple days before I went into the studio,” explains Eckstein about her character’s surprise vocal appearance in the movie. “I walked into the theater at Bad Robot, and there was Matthew Wood [supervising sound editor] and J.J. Abrams, the director. J.J. shook my hand and introduced himself, and immediately thanked me for being in the movie. I couldn’t believe it.” Ahsoka’s ethereal voice is one of many Jedi lending support to Rey in her darkest hour, so how did Eckstein approach her character’s dialogue given it’s impossible to determine which time period Ahsoka was speaking from? “J.J. asked…

RESISTANCE REVISITED Resistance Revisited Insider’s episode-by-episode guide to Star Wars Resistance Season One. WORDS: KRISTIN BAVER On the Colossus, a forgotten refueling platform on Castilon—a watery planet perched on the edge of the Outer Rim—there are no Jedi Knights or Galactic Senates, no Sith Lords to challenge or Force-wielders to maintain peace, just regular people like the simple shellfolk keeping the engines running, and mechanics who dare to dream of becoming racers. Star Wars Resistance, the latest in a more than 10-year run of Star Wars animated series, shines a light on a different kind of hero, telling the story of Kazuda Xiono, a former pilot in the New Republic Navy who gives it all up to become a spy for the Resistance cause. Set 30 years after Star Wars:…

THE THRAWN SAGA CONTINUES Grand Admiral Thrawn’s background and rise through the Imperial ranks was further explored by the character’s creator, Timothy Zahn, in his 2017 novel Thrawn. The story takes readers back to the origins of the character, tracing Thrawn’s journey from exiled member of the Chiss Ascendency to becoming one of Emperor Palpatine’s most indispensable servants, facing both military and political battles along the way. The tale has been adapted by Marvel Comics as a six-issue mini-series, beginning back in February 2018, with the final installment in comic stores now. A trade paperback collecting the series will be published in September this year. Timothy Zahn’s follow-up novel, Thrawn: Alliances, finds Thrawn paired with Darth Vader on a mission to thwart a new threat against the Empire’s dominance, set…

CUT TO THE CHASE Cut To The Chase Insider’s favorite deleted scenes of the Skywalker saga, movie by movie. WORDS: MICHAEL KOGGE As George Lucas has often admitted, his talents as a filmmaker lie primarily in his skills as an editor. He sticks to his preferred running length for a picture, at around two hours, with a narrative that is constantly moving forwards. It was this editorial philosophy he adhered to when cutting the first two Star Wars trilogies, where he and his editors played no favorites, willing to remove any moment that didn’t significantly advance the story. J.J. Abrams and Rian Johnson continued that practice in their sequels, wishing to echo the rhythm and pace of Lucas’ previous Star Wars films. “The whole process of editing is about paring…

ONLY YOU CAN DECIDE “ONLY YOU CAN DECIDE… YOU, AND STAR WARS TOYS!” It was the toy range that set a new bar for playability, and continues to bring the Star Wars experience home for millions of fans worldwide. Collector and toy expert Gus Lopez takes Insider on a nostalgic look back in time, at Kenner’s original line of Star Wars action figures, vehicles, and playsets. WORDS: GUS LOPEZ PHOTOS COURTESY OF HASBRO, JAKE STEVENS, AND CHRISTOPHER COOPER Action Figures: A Star Wars Story The release of Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) was a defining moment for many kids growing up in the 1970s, who were blown away by the brilliant storytelling, the rich universe of characters and settings, and the groundbreaking special effects. But it was the toys…

ONLY YOU CAN DECIDE HARD TO FIND Kenner has experimented with other Star Wars toy ranges besides small action figures, including a set of large 12-inch figures (see above) and die-cast metal vehicles released for A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. Not all of them were hits, but that, conversely, has made them hot tickets for collectors today. The Micro Collection line of toys based on The Empire Strikes Back consisted of small, interlocking plastic playsets with non-posable metal figures (see below). The toys were not popular during their time, and disappeared from shelves before Return of the Jedi was released in 1983. Today, they are extremely popular with collectors. Following Return of the Jedi, Kenner issued a line of preschool toys based on the Ewoks animated series,…

ONLY YOU CAN DECIDE KENNER’S TV COMMERCIALS “Action figures sold seperatley!” Kenner created numerous television commercials for its Star Wars toys, making sure to inform keen fans that “Action figures sold separately!” A more fondly remembered tagline promised that, “Only you can decide. You, and Star Wars toys!” Many of the early commercials featured a musical soundtrack that was entirely of its own, and—unlike the effects-dominated toy commercials of today—actually showed kids playing with the toys while demonstrating their awesome play features. Of the more memorable TV spots, a commercial promoting the large Wampa figure had a child repeating, “Wampa-wampa-wampa!” over and over again as he menaces our heroes with the Hoth monster. Advertising the Lando Calrissian Skiff Guard disguise figure from Return of the Jedi, another child ecstatically hollers…

INTERVIEW: PEDRO PASCAL THE MANDALORIAN Pedro Pascal The Mysterious Gunslinger Who is the Mandalorian? If you’ve not yet caught the new live-action Star Wars television series, then all we can tell you is that the actor who plays the mysterious bounty hunter is Pedro Pascal. Insider caught up with Pascal shortly before the series premiered on Disney+, where a sense of mystery was all part of the fun. WORDS: BRYAN YOUNG Pedro Pascal is no stranger to big franchises like Star Wars. Over the course of his career, the Chilean-born actor has appeared in TV shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Game of Thrones, and feature films such as Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017). Most recently, he even landed the villainous role of Maxwell Lord in the upcoming…

INTERVIEW: GARY KURTZ Had it not been for Gary Kurtz’s service as a photographer in the Marines in Vietnam, his most famous movie collaboration might never have happened. Director Francis Ford Coppola was looking for someone with military experience to produce Apocalypse Now (eventually released in 1979), and it was Kurtz who he turned to. “I’d worked with Francis on his first film, Dementia 13 (1963),” Kurtz, told Star Wars Insider. “He rang me up one day and said: ‘I’ve got this project about Vietnam that John Milius wrote, but there’s nobody around me on my team with any knowledge of the military whatsoever.’ So I went up to San Francisco to talk with him about Apocalypse Now, and that’s how I met George Lucas. He was editing THX 1138…

SITH UNSEEN: A RETROSPECTIVE LABYRINTH OF EVIL RELEASE DATE: January 25, 2005 PUBLISHER: Del Rey AUTHOR: James Luceno While Star Wars: Republic Commando deals with matters from a previously unknown clone trooper’s perspective, Labyrinth of Evil follows the pre-Revenge of the Sith actions undertaken by major players Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, General Grievous, Count Dooku, Yoda, Mace Windu, and Darth Sidious. The novel contains a plethora of tethers to the final episode in the prequel trilogy, yet takes time to create some interesting adventures of its own. Commander Cody, who would later fight alongside and eventually betray Obi-Wan on Utapau, appears during Skywalker and Kenobi’s attempt to capture Nute Gunray on Cato Neimoidia. We learn that Asajj Ventress gave Skywalker the scar on his face, and are introduced to the…

SITH UNSEEN: A RETROSPECTIVE DARK LORD: THE RISE OF DARTH VADER RELEASE DATE: November 22, 2005 PUBLISHER: Del Rey AUTHOR: James Luceno The final entry in The Dark Lord Trilogy, The Rise of Darth Vader landed in stores several months after crowds first saw Revenge of the Sith in theaters, and James Luceno’s novel catalogues the war’s closing chapter, the Republic’s transition into the Galactic Empire, and Darth Vader’s early exploits as a Sith Lord. Vader undertakes a mission to punish clone troopers who hesitated to carry out Order 66 on Murkhana, thus leading several Jedi to be spared the fate suffered by their peers. The Jedi struggle to deal with the confusion, presenting an eyewitness account from combatants far removed from the Jedi Council’s inner circle during the war’s…

RESISTANCE REVISITED NEW RECRUITS Meet the heroes of Star Wars Resistance, in the words of the actors who portray them: Kazuda Xiono VOICED BY CHRISTOPHER SEAN Former ace New Republic pilot turned Resistance spy, this son of a wealthy Hosnian Prime senator goes undercover on the Colossus, posing as a hapless mechanic. “Kaz is just living out those simple mistakes that we make in life,” reveals Christopher Sean, of his character’s attempts to fit into his new career. “He’s so much fun. He’s good at flying, but he’s not really good at spying.” Neeku Vozo VOICED BY JOSH BRENER A brilliant mechanic, this kindhearted and trust-worthy Nikto soon becomes firm friends with Kaz. “Neeku is this unbelievably positive, happy, wonderful, sweet character,” says Josh Brener. “I love that he is…

THRAWN: A VILLAIN’S PURPOSE THRAWN A VILLAIN’S PURPOSE Grand Admiral Thrawn was the primary thorn in the side of the fledgling rebellion during Seasons Three and Four of Star Wars Rebels, with the Chiss mastermind playing an integral part in Ezra Bridger’s Hero’s Journey. Insider explores how the character became the catalyst that propelled the series to its dramatic conclusion. WORDS: TRICIA BARR By the time Celebration Europe rolled around in 2016, the Star Wars Rebels Season Two finale “Twilight of the Apprentice” had taken the Ghost crew to Malachor, site of an ancient Sith Temple, for an epic showdown involving Star Wars notables Darth Vader, Darth Maul, and Ahsoka Tano. Worthy of the weight of these established characters, the events that unfolded were spectacular. Fans eagerly anticipated the Star…

PARALLEL LIVES Parallel Lives Insider examines the not-so-different lives of a mother and daughter torn apart by tragedy, but forever bound by their shared and unwavering quest for peace and justice throughout the galaxy. WORDS: JAY STOBIE Padmé Amidala and Leia Organa both established themselves as ardent defenders of peace and justice throughout the Star Wars saga, frequently employing their ingenuity and courage to save their friends and protect the galaxy’s citizens from oppressive regimes. The two characters shared much more than a familial relationship though, as both mother and daughter traveled parallel paths centered upon public service, outspoken wisdom, self-reliance, dedication to duty, and insightful reflection. Dealing with everything from personal sacrifices to interplanetary conflicts, Padmé and Leia prevailed as heroic figures whose larger-than-life exploits stemmed from their reliance…

CUT TO THE CHASE CUT…! BUT NOT FORGOTTEN Deleted scenes have long been part of Star Wars lore. Ever since the original film premiered in May 1977, fans have argued about scenes they saw—or thought they saw—during the initial theatrical run or one of the re-releases. These scenes might revolve around Biggs Darklighter and Luke Skywalker talking about their dreams, or Han encountering Jabba the Hutt, or Chief Bast updating Darth Vader on the search for the missing droids. None of these scenes appeared in any theatrical release of the film, though some fans swore they saw them, long, long ago. Truth be told, the fans weren’t fibbing, if only from a certain point of view. Before the advent of supplemental content on laser discs and DVDs, cut material from…