The upcoming second season of the hit Disney+ Star Wars series, Andor, is set to premiere on April 22, giving fans a devastating final chapter with the fan-favorite character. Season two will cover a four year time frame (ranging from 4 BBY (Before Battle of Yavin) to 1 BBY) leading Cassian Andor directly to his final mission in the events of Rogue One. The five years preceding the Battle of Yavin were critical to the Rebellion, as the many separate rebel cells began to organize into one cohesive unit strong enough to make a strike against the Empire. 

Andor Season 1 takes place solely in 5 BBY and is an isolated story about Cassian’s adventures (or misadventures) that lead him to join Luthen Rael’s (Stellan Skarsgard) rebel cell. However, another notable series, Star Wars Rebels, also starts in 5 BBY and also focuses on a small cell of rebels relying on their scant resources to deal as much damage to the Empire as possible. Episode 6 of Andor goes even further in connecting these two series, and you may have completely missed it.

Kessel Plays a Major Role in Both Shows

In Andor Episode 6, “The Axe Forgets,” the Imperial Security Bureau (ISB) is grappling with increased rebel activity. Though other ISB agents believe any thefts or assaults at the hands of rebels are independent and uncoordinated, an assistant to ISB supervisor Dedra Meero puts forth another theory, suggesting that the recent uptick in activity is “too random to be random.” The assistant goes on to list out locations that the rebel cells have been active on recently, including Kessel. 

The planet Kessel — known for its spice mines — has appeared in the Star Wars universe multiple times, perhaps most famously with regards to the “Kessel Run” — the smuggling route that Han Solo boasted flying the Millennium Falcon through in 12 parsecs. However, in the exact same time period as Andor, the insurgents in Star Wars Rebels deal a massive blow to Kessel and the workforce in their mines. 

RELATED – Could Andor Season 2 Feature Fan-Favorite Rebels? The Timeline Adds Up

Star Wars Rebels and Andor Happen at the Same Time

In Season 1, Episode 2 of Star Wars Rebels — “Spark of Rebellion: Pt. 2” — the Ghost crew consisting of Hera Syndulla, Kanan Jarrus, Zeb Orrelios, Sabine Wren, Ezra Bridger, and and droid Chopper are tipped off about a group of Wookiee prisoners being transported on an Imperial ship to Kessel to be pressed into slavery in the spice mines. Upon receiving this information, the crew infiltrates the ship to enact a rescue mission. Another ISB agent — Alexsandr Kallus — is obsessed with catching the rebels and learns of the rescue mission, using the opportunity to spring a trap on his foes and capture them. Ultimately, Kallus is unsuccessful and the Ghost crew liberates the Wookiees, bringing them to safety and depriving the Empire of their workforce in the Kessel mines.

The Ghost crew’s blow against the Empire happens at the same time as the events in Andor, meaning that the reference to some sort of rebel strike affecting Kessel is the same rescue mission led by Kanan Jarrus in “Spark of Rebellion: Pt. 2.” This is not the first time a Rebels Easter egg was dropped in Cassian Andor’s world. In Rogue One, while on Yavin-4, General Hera Syndulla is paged over the speakers and her droid, Chopper, can be seen roaming around the base. Hera’s beloved ship, the Ghost, can also be seen on Yavin-4 and fighting in the Battle of Scarif. 

With Andor Season two taking place concurrently with the events in Star Wars: Rebels, it will be interesting to see any characters from Rebels make an appearance. 

Andor Season 2 premieres on Disney+ on April 22.

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There are certain quotes from Star Wars that are synonymous with the films. Whether it is Princess Leia’s, “Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope,” or Vader’s iconic, “No, I am your father” moment, certain quotes from the series have become significant in pop culture to the point where one cannot say, read, or hear the quote without knowing exactly when it came from. Another of these lines comes from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. Upon noticing that the rebels were duped by the Empire, Admiral Ackbar proclaims, “It’s a trap!” The short line has taken on a life of its own, becoming one of the most widely referenced Star Wars moments in the entire nine-movie series.

However, technically, Admiral Ackbar was not actually the first character in the larger Star Wars franchise to say this, chronologically speaking. In Episode 2 of the new Star Wars Rebels podcast, Pod of Rebellion, host Jon Lee Brody pointed out the real origin of the quote.

Ezra Bridger Was a Trendsetter Years Before Return of the Jedi

Pod of Rebellion is a new podcast hosted by Vanessa Marshall (voice of Hera Syndulla), Tiya Sircar (voice of Sabine Wren), Taylor Gray (voice of Ezra Bridger), and Jon Lee Brody. Each episode relates to a specific episode of Star Wars Rebels, with the voice cast sharing some behind-the-scenes stories from their experience making the show. 

[RELATED: Could Andor Season 2 Feature Fan-Favorite Rebels? The Timeline Adds Up]

In the latest episode of Pod of Rebellion, Brody refers to the Rebels episode of the same title and notes, “There’s a line that Ezra has in this when he warns the Ghost crew. He says ‘It’s a trap.’ Now, that line in particular is associated with Admiral Ackbar, of course, in Return of the Jedi, even though I believe Princess Leia also said it I think two or three times in [Star Wars:] The Empire Strikes Back. But canonically speaking, in the sequential order of things, technically Ezra Bridger said, ‘It’s a trap,’ first, before Leia or Admiral Ackbar.”

In “Spark of Rebellion: Pt. 2” — the second episode of the first season of Star Wars Rebels — the Ghost crew learns about an Imperial ship carrying Wookiee prisoners who were to be sold into slavery. Some of these captives even served in the Clone Wars, which is a soft spot for Kanan, as he too fought in the Clone Wars as a young padawan. Kanan devises a plan to infiltrate the Imperial ship with Sabine and Zeb and free the Wookiees. However, the plan goes awry when Imperial Security Bureau (ISB) agent Alexsandr Kallus and his patrol of stormtroopers appear and board the ship as well. As Kallus is on a mission to capture the rebels, his presence there is not a coincidence at all.

When Hera and Ezra — waiting aboard the Ghost to provide escape — see Kallus’ ship, they have to take quick action to warn their friends. Ezra takes it upon himself to board the Imperial ship, locate his crewmates, and tell them of Kallus’s well-laid plan.

“It’s a trap! We gotta get out of here. It’s a trap! […] It’s not an op, it’s a trap!” Ezra yells, just in time to stop Kanan and Zeb from running into a group of stormtroopers. 

As if Ezra Bridger wasn’t already one of the most important Jedi in the Star Wars universe, he now has the honor of originating a classic quote — three times, in fact — years before Admiral Ackbar.

Taylor Gray, the actor who portrayed Ezra in Rebels, discussed the moment on Pod of Rebellion and jokingly called on Ashley Eckstein — voice of Ahsoka Tano — to put the phrase “Ezra did it first” on a shirt. Eckstein is the founder of the fashion company Her Universe, which is known for its Star Wars collections. Her Universe already has a few Ezra-inspired pieces, but “Ezra did it first” would certainly be a fun addition to the catalog. 

You can listen to Pod of Rebellion anywhere you stream your podcasts. New episodes are released every Tuesday.

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Star Wars fans have gotten a very exciting update about Ahsoka Season 2, as it looks like production has started. Actor Eman Esfandi (who plays Ezra Bridger on the show) shared his friend Josh Hash’s social media post on his Instagram story. Hash’s post features an image of Esfandi about to pop a bottle of champagne, seemingly to celebrate the start of his podcast Keepers of the Fire and filming on Ahsoka Season 2 if the caption is anything to go by. Hash congratulated Esfandi on his accomplishments, wishing him well as he embarks on these projects.

“Congrats @emanesfandi on launching your podcast @keepersofthefire & kicking off [Ahsoka] season 2,” Hash wrote, capping his message off with a party emoji. Check out the post (shared on X by Star Wars Holocron) in the space below:

While Ahsoka Season 2 currently does not have a release date, the plan has been for the cameras to start rolling in the spring. Back in December 2024, word was production would begin this April. Lucasfilm is going to utilize “multiple different film techniques” this season, pushing Ahsoka beyond the sound stages where Season 1 filmed.

[RELATED – Star Wars’ Latest Retcon Makes Ahsoka’s Continuity Even More Complicated]

Official details about Ahsoka Season 2 are largely being kept under wraps, though we do know that Game of Thrones star Rory McCann has joined the show’s cast. He will play Baylan Skoll, replacing the late Ray Stevenson in the role. There are rumors circulating that Ahsoka Season 2 could feature Natalie Portman’s Padmé Amidala, but nothing has been confirmed on that front.

Few could have predicted we’d get an update on Ahsoka Season 2’s production status from a social media post by one of Esfandi’s friends, but it’s encouraging to know the show remains on track. Now that the secret is out, perhaps Lucasfilm will unveil a more formal, official announcement — one that gives fans a look behind the scenes. Obviously, the studio isn’t going to reveal too much at this juncture, but Lucasfilm knows how to offer intriguing teases to excite fans and generate hype. Ahsoka Season 2 should be an important project for the Star Wars franchise, as it will likely help set the stage for Dave Filoni’s in-development New Republic movie. Building some early buzz by highlighting the show’s return seems like a sound strategy.

There is an Ahsoka panel planned for next month’s Star Wars Celebration in Japan. The official description bills it as a retrospective on the show’s first season with Dave Filoni and “special guests,” but it wouldn’t be a shock if some Season 2 details were shared at the convention. Since production has only just started (or will start in the coming days), it’ll be much too soon for a proper teaser trailer, but there might be enough for a sizzle reel (similar to what happened with Season 1 during Celebration 2022). While the panel’s primary focus is looking back on Season 1, Filoni and Co. would be remiss if they didn’t at least tease what’s in store for the second season. Even if it’s just more casting announcements, that would be another exciting development.

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Hasbro’s latest Star Wars fanstream took place today, March 25th and it included several new reveals in The Black Series and The Vintage Collection lineups. TVC collectors will be especially happy with this wave as it includes gems like Carson Teva (which was introduced by Paul Sun-Hyung Lee himself – see below), a Landspeeder vehicle, Asajj Ventress, and more.

Note that all of these figures will be available to pre-order on March 26th at 10am PT / 1pm ET here at Entertainment Earth (free U.S. shipping on orders $79+). They should also be available on Amazon, and direct links for both retailers will be added to the list below after the launch, so stay tuned to this page for updates. You’ll also find information about each release along with images.

STAR WARS: THE VINTAGE COLLECTION CARSON TEVA / $16.99 / Summer 2025 / Pre-order on March 26 at 1 PM ET at Entertainment Earth / Amazon: 3.75-inch-scale Carson Teva figure from STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN with 2 accessories, Kenner branding, and the unique VC #363.

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES SM-33 / $33.99 / Fall 2025 / Pre-order on March 26 at 1 PM ET at Entertainment Earth / Amazon: 6-inch action figure of SM-33 from STAR WARS: SKELETON CREW with 2 shield accessories, alien rodent accessory, and stand.

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES NIGHT TROOPER / $24.99 / Summer 2025 / Pre-order on March 26 at 1 PM ET at Entertainment Earth / Amazon: 6-inch action figure of a Night Trooper from STAR WARS: AHSOKA with a blaster accessory.

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES EZRA BRIDGER (PERIDEA) / $24.99 / Summer 2025 / Pre-order on March 26 at 1 PM ET at Entertainment Earth / Amazon: 6-inch action figure of Ezra Bridger (Peridea) from STAR WARS: AHSOKA with his Lightsaber.

STAR WARS: THE VINTAGE COLLECTION LANDSPEEDER VEHICLE / $59.99 / Summer 2025 / Pre-order on March 26 at 1 PM ET at Entertainment Earth / Amazon: 3.75-inch-scale Landspeeder from STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE with Luke Skywalker (Tatooine) figure, 7 accessories, Kenner branding, and the unique VC #344A.

STAR WARS: THE VINTAGE COLLECTION ASAJJ VENTRESS / $16.99 / Summer 2025 / Pre-order on March 26 at 1 PM ET at Entertainment Earth / Amazon: 3.75-inch-scale Asajj Ventress figure from STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS with 4 accessories, Kenner branding, and the unique VC #364.

STAR WARS: THE VINTAGE COLLECTION ALEXSANDR KALLUS / $16.99 / Summer 2025 / Pre-order on March 26 at 1 PM ET at Entertainment Earth / Amazon: 3.75-inch-scale Alexsandr Kallus figure from STAR WARS REBELS with 4 accessories, Kenner branding, and the unique VC #365.

STAR WARS: THE VINTAGE COLLECTION DENGAR / $19.99 / Summer 2025 / Pre-order on March 26 at 1 PM ET at Entertainment Earth / Amazon: 3.75-inch-scale Dengar figure from STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK with 2 accessories, Kenner branding, and the unique VC #01A.

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Star Wars: Andor was a massive success among fans and critics alike, living up to the praise of its predecessor, Rogue One. With Season 2 just around the corner (on April 22nd), fans are excited to learn more about the characters who played major roles in the first season. One character in particular – Luthen Rael (Stella Skarsgård) – has been a mystery, as he operates under a fake identity on Coruscant and has no qualms about taking the lives of those in his employ. It was Rael who tracked down Cassian Andor in the first place, sending him on a path that would ultimately change his life – and the future of the galaxy – in the process. 

In a recent livestream on StarWars.com, Andor creator, producer, and showrunner, Tony Gilroy, gave insights into what Season 2 has in store for Luthen Rael. As there is essentially no information known about Rael, the possibilities are endless.

Andor Showrunner Gives Insight Into Luthen Rael’s History and Motivations

In the livestream from March 13, Gilroy started out by naming Rael an “accelerationist,” a term that Gilroy explained refers to “somebody who was at the center of something.” Gilroy went on to give deeper insight, stating that an accelerationist such as Luthen Rael is a “rebel leader or a leader who wants to make things worse to provoke change.” Considering the fact that Rael was the mastermind behind the Aldhani heist that was predicated on massive destruction, resulting in suspicion and heightened eyes on rebel activity at the Imperial Security Bureau (ISB), Rael certainly fits the bill of an accelerationist. 

RELATED: Could Andor Season 2 Feature Fan-Favorite Rebels? The Timeline Adds Up

Rael was well aware that the Aldhani heist would lead to a significant escalation in the burgeoning rebellion against the Galactic Empire, thus putting him and other rebels in even more danger than before. This operation wasn’t just a simple robbery; it was a carefully planned infiltration of an Imperial garrison, designed to steal a substantial amount of Imperial credits. What made it so impactful was not only the audacity of the act, but also the ripple effect it had throughout the galaxy. The heist’s success demonstrated that the Empire was vulnerable, inspiring others to resist, while simultaneously triggering a brutal crackdown from the IBS, which heightened the stakes and fueled the flames of rebellion. 

Gilroy also discussed what Season 2 of Andor has in store for exploring Rael’s motivations and who he actually is. “We’ll learn a lot about Luthen and who he was before,” Gilroy said in the livestream, “but we’ll also see a guy who built a start-up company in his garage, and [with] Aldhani, he goes public, and it’s going to be the stress of how do you take your little revolution and all the work you’ve done for 15 years, how do you go public with that and how do you go large? So, we’re going to watch him under a great deal of stress.”

Andor Explores the Darkness Spreading Throughout the Galaxy

Like Rogue One, Andor continues to tap into the grittier and darker underbelly of the Star Wars galaxy, where the Empire’s oppressive grasp is seen on a street-level, affecting innocent citizens like Cassian Andor, his mother, and everyone on his adopted home planet of Ferrix. Rael’s incendiary actions resulted in the unrest that pressed survivors of Ferrix – Andor included – into having little choice but to join the Rebellion. 

RELATED: Andor Creator Tony Gilroy Confirms Fans’ Worst Fear About His Star Wars Future

Andor Season 2 premieres on April 22 on Disney+. Until then, fans will have to wait and speculate what Rael’s intentions and backstory could be. 

Souce: StarWars YouTube channel

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Like any fandom, Star Wars has its fair share of fan theories and headcanons. From the idea that Boba Fett was the one who set fire to the Lars Homestead, earning him the famous “No disintegrations!” warning from Darth Vader, to the popular — but misguided — concept of Grey Jedi, Star Wars fans have always taken what was on screen and added their own twist to it. While some of these theories might seem a little far-fetched to the casual viewer, there’s one so out there that it has even hardcore Star Wars fans scratching their heads. We’re referring, of course, to the “Bigger Luke” theory.

There are fan theories, and then there is outright lunacy. Bigger Luke falls squarely in the second camp. The theory itself isn’t particularly complicated. Basically, the idea is that there are two Lukes appearing in the original Star Wars trilogy, with one being slightly taller than the other — slightly being the operative word here. We’re talking two or three centimeters at most.

Fans who subscribe to the Bigger Luke theory believe that throughout the original three Star Wars movies, any scene with Luke Skywalker either features the real Luke, “Luke Prime,” or the mysterious Bigger Luke. If that already sounds pretty wacky, just wait. We haven’t even scratched the surface of the Bigger Luke iceberg.

Bigger Luke came about when some fans noticed that throughout the original trilogy, Luke’s height fluctuates relative to Han Solo. These dedicated fans have combed through A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi scene by scene in order to find evidence of this height discrepancy. Star Wars: A New Hope is allegedly the film with the most “proof” of the Bigger Luke phenomenon, which makes sense given it’s the film where Luke and Han have the most scenes together. Oh, and in case you were wondering, the act of searching the movies for scenes featuring Bigger Luke is referred to as — and we promise we’re not making this up — “Luking.”

According to the Bigger Luke community, the inclusion of Han Solo in a given scene is usually crucial to figuring out which Luke is which, but not always. Sometimes, fans will use a different character to determine Luke’s relative height in a pinch. After Han, the second most popular character to measure Luke next to is Obi-Wan Kenobi, followed by Princess Leia. The Bigger Luke theory also considers Leia’s famous line, “Aren’t you a little short for a Stormtrooper?” confirmation of an inconsistently sized Luke, or at least one of the theories does…

The Bigger Luke Theory is Actually Two Theories

The Bigger Luke theory is actually two theories: the Canon Luke Hypothesis and the more meta, Hamill Hypothesis. The Canon Luke Hypothesis theorizes that within the actual Star Wars universe, there are two Luke Skywalkers, the aforementioned Luke Prime and his marginally taller doppelganger. If that sounds unbelievable, the Hamill Hypothesis ventures so far off the rails that it enters “Paul is Dead” territory.

The Hamill Hypothesis posits that Luke Skywalker actor Mark Hamill shared the screen with a taller, uncredited Mark Hamill look-alike for secret reasons never disclosed to the public. If you think about it for too long, the Hamill Hypothesis quickly goes from fun fan theory to the stuff of conspiracies. After all, for the Hamill Hypothesis to be correct, it would mean that Mark Hamill, George Lucas, and all the other actors and crew from the original Star Wars trilogy agreed to take this secret to the grave. Considering that Star Wars: A New Hope is almost 50 years old at this point, it’s inconceivable that out of the hundreds of people who worked on those films, none of them happened to let it slip that a second, slightly stretched, Mark Hamill is running around out in the world.

It’s much easier to believe in the Canon Luke Hypothesis. This is not only because it doesn’t require you to believe in some grand Hollywood conspiracy but also because there seems to be more evidence — even if it is flimsy — of Bigger Luke being an in-universe concept. One of the scenes fans point to in support of the Canon Luke Hypothesis is when Obi-Wan tells Luke in A New Hope, “You’ve taken your first step into a larger world.” Fans think this line is Kenobi’s acknowledgment that the galaxy contains a second, bigger Luke Skywalker. Some even go so far as to assume this Bigger Luke is a Force manifestation created by Obi-Wan to help protect Luke and intimidate any Imperial Stormtroopers he might encounter.

Other fans reject this idea in favor of a more tangible, physical clone. Of course, even this sub-sub-sub theory isn’t as simple as it sounds. Bigger Luke fans are further split on who actually created this clone of Luke, with some believing it was Owen Lars and others believing it was R2-D2’s handiwork. Oddly enough, the idea of a clone of Luke Skywalker has been brought up before, specifically in the Legends novel The Last Command. The book by popular Star Wars writer Timoty Zahn features the infamous Luuke — a clone of Skywalker made using the hand he lost in The Empire Strikes Back.

While the whole Bigger Luke concept is largely tongue-in-cheek, it’s a great example of the love Star Wars fans have for their fandom. Few franchises could inspire the level of devotion it takes for a fan to comb through a combined 6 hours and 24 minutes of footage frame by frame just to support an obscure fan theory.

What do you think of the Bigger Luke theory? Do you subscribe to the Canon Luke Hypothesis or the Hamill Hypothesis? Let us know in the comments, and as always, may the Force be with you!

The post This Hilarious Star Wars Theory Will Change How You Watch the Original Trilogy appeared first on ComicBook.com.

There was one thing that John Boyega requested from J.J. Abrams when the filmmaker returned to direct Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Boyega played Finn in the sequel trilogy, spanning 2015’s The Force Awakens, 2017’s The Last Jedi, and 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker. Depending on which fans you speak to, there are several things to nitpick about the Star Wars sequel trilogy, from storyline choices to character development. John Boyega has been vocal about his Star Wars feelings, though he did give some thoughts on how to grow his character of Finn in the third movie.

The request that John Boyega gave to director J.J. Abrams for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was to have Finn stop falling. “I was doing a lot of falling in Star Wars,” Boyega said during a spotlight panel at Emerald City Comic Con. “I was always falling. Come on guys, be honest with me. You know I was always falling. So, I was like to J.J., ‘Can I be on my feet a little bit longer?’”

Boyega also lobbied for Finn to continue growing as a character, while also experiencing moments of triumph. “There was a level of growth from The Last Jedi to The Rise of Skywalker that me and J.J. had spoke about adding,” he said. “I was like to J.J., ‘I’m sick and tired of eating dirt J.J., I know how to move. My lightsaber skills are undeniable. Get me out there on the field.’ I remember J.J. coming up to me and saying, ‘John, we’ve got you, we’ve got Poe, we’ve got Chewbacca running through the corridors, taking out these stormtroopers.’ And that’s when I said, ‘Yeah, that’s enough.’ That was a nice moment and something for me to revel in.”

[RELATED: Star Wars: Should The Skywalker Saga Be Revived?]

The actor has previously said that he’s “open to all opportunities” when it comes to a return to the Star Wars franchise. However, he prefaced it by saying it would depend on who the creatives were behind the scenes and what story they had to tell.

“That was a few years ago, so they were the subject of that particular project,” Boyega clarified to TechRadar in regards to vocalizing his prior frustrations with Lucasfilm. “But I’m open to all characters and scripts that are enjoyable, have a great cast attached, and a terrific director. So yeah, I’m open to all opportunities.”

Lucasfilm is bringing Daisy Ridley back to star in a new Star Wars solo movie featuring Rey Skywalker. Naturally, she’s been asked about reuniting with some of her former co-stars, like John Boyega, which she of course said she’d be glad to do.

“Absolutely, of course,” Ridley said when asked if she’d like Boyega to be a part of her upcoming Star Wars project on the red carpet of her newest movie, Young Woman and the Sea. “It feels like we should, yeah.”

When asked if it would be weird to make a Star Wars movie without the likes of Boyega, Adam Driver (Kylo Ren), or Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron), Ridley said, “No, because I don’t know what is what or who is who [in the new movie]. So much has happened for me [since the Skywalker saga]. I feel like a grown-up now. When I first started, I was, like, 20. I was the youngest on set. It took me the first two Star Wars films to feel worthy of being there. Now I’m in my 30s. The whole thing feels quite different. I’ve been able to work with other filmmakers, and hopefully, I’ve got better as a performer.” 

What did you enjoy the most about John Boyega’s performance as Finn in the Star Wars sequel trilogy? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

The post John Boyega Reveals His Surprising Rise of Skywalker Request to J.J. Abrams (and How It Was Met) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The full-length trailer for Andor Season 2 has finally arrived, and like the Rebel Alliance, it’s just in time. The 80-second preview dropped on Monday morning, almost exactly four weeks before the season premiere on Tuesday, April 22nd on Disney+. It has the scope and feel of a real cinematic trailer, which is fitting for Andor Season 2’s unique, movie-like release schedule. It also suits the rising stakes of the story, as we can see the Rebellion growing desperate as the Death Star takes shape. Fans have been dying for this trailer all year, and some were even beginning to fear it would never show up. Now that it’s here, it has set the bar high for this next batch of episodes.

The new Andor trailer gives us some sweeping views, with enough CGI to assure us that this series is getting the budget it needs. The snippets of dialogue here highlight the growing resolve of the Rebels, particularly Cassian and Bix, who sound almost frantic in their desire to win this war no matter the cost. On the other hand, about halfway through the trailer, we hear an equally confident Orson Krennic warn that “resistance is absurd,” just as we get our first look at K-2SO, who is casually battering an enemy out of his way.

Here, the Rebels also finally understand what they’re up against, and it’s easy to see how this desperation could bleed right into the start of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Andor is a prequel that started five years before the events of Rogue One, and it has fleshed out the people and mission of the Rebel Alliance quite a bit already, and they are clearly taking some big swings to finish that story here.

[RELATED: The Mandalorian & Grogu Reveals New Characters Set to Appear in the Film]

In the early days of Andor, series creator and writer Tony Gilroy had mentioned hopes of extending the show to five seasons, with one season for each year leading up to Rogue One. However, back in 2022, he spoke at the Star Wars Celebration, saying that the scale the story had taken on made it impossible to go on for that long. Instead, he devised a plan to wrap it all up in one more season.

In an age when many TV seasons are shrinking to eight or even six episodes each, Andor is coming back strong with a full 12 episodes. On top of that, they’re dropping in four bursts — three episodes on April 22nd, three more on April 29th, three more on May 6th, and the final three on May 13th. Assuming each episode is between 40 minutes and an hour long as before, that means we are essentially getting four back-to-back Star Wars movies next month, all straight to streaming.

From what we’ve seen so far, the show can certainly live up to that scope. Andor Season 2 premieres on Tuesday, April 22nd on Disney+. Season 1 is streaming there now.

The post Andor Season 2 Trailer Sees the Death Star Looming Large in Star Wars Series appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Kit Fisto is resurfacing in the Star Wars galaxy. The tentacle-tressed Nautolan Jedi Master became a fan-favorite after cracking a smile during the Battle of Geonosis in 2002’s Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones, and the amphibious alien was never cooler than when a mission to the aquatic planet Mon Cala revealed his lightsaber worked underwater (in a 2003 episode of the Star Wars: Clone Wars micro-series) or when Fisto fought the multi-limbed lightsaber wielder General Grievous (in a 2008 episode of The Clone Wars).

After mostly being relegated to action figures and unspeaking cameos in recent issues of Marvel’s Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda comics, Kit Fisto is set to star opposite Mace Windu and Shaak Ti in the new Dark Horse Comics miniseries Star Wars: Hyperspace Stories—Tides of Terror.

RELATED: 25 Years Later, the Fates of Two Star Wars Prequels Characters Have Been Revealed

The new four-issue miniseries — from writer George Mann (Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures – The Nameless Terror) and artist Luis Morocho (Marvel’s Voices: Community) — is a standalone story set on the never-before-seen planet Tordus, where Kit Fisto dives into an ocean “full of murky intrigue and ancient abyssal nightmares.”

Here’s the description for Tides of Terror: “Jedi Master Kit Fisto has been sent to the ocean planet Tordus, alongside Mace Windu and Shaak Ti, to investigate a controversial underwater research facility. The facility is in danger of flooding and being crushed into rubble, and if that’s not enough, there are giant monsters circling them. With disaster looming, his diplomatic excursion quickly becomes a rescue mission! Kit Fisto and his fellow Jedi must race against the clock to save innocent lives from the hungry leviathans that fill the depths. Can the Jedi fend off the danger lurking in the ocean’s briny waters?”

“Following the success of The Bad Batch: Ghost Agents, we’re thrilled to see Dark Horse continue with their next Hyperspace Stories mini-series,” said Lucasfilm creative director Michael Siglain. “Tides of Terror is part disaster story, part horror story, and all fun. It’s a race-against-time adventure in which the Jedi will face off against saboteurs and the sea creatures, and readers will learn to beware what lurks in the deep, dark ocean world of Tordus.”

Tides of Terror joins Dark Horse’s Hyperspace Stories comics line, which includes the original graphic novel Qui-Gon, the ongoing five-issue series Ghost Agents (starring the Bad Batch), and the upcoming five-issue series Codebreaker (starring Resistance heroes Poe Dameron and BB-8).

Star Wars: Hyperspace Stories—Tides of Terror #1 goes on sale July 16, with covers by Pius Bak (Dark Horse’s Stranger Things) and Edwin Galmon (Dynamite’s The Terminator).

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Many modern assessments of the history of Star Wars view all pre-Disney Lucasfilm material as sacrosanct, while the era of Kathleen Kennedy produced material in the galaxy far, far away as cynical cashgrabs. In reality, Star Wars has always been a kid-oriented franchise full of obvious ploys for generating profit. Today, Skeleton Crew tries to wring Amblin nostalgia out of modern viewers while various Jon Favreau/Dave Filoni TV show lean on familiarity with the Clone Wars/Rebels programs. Meanwhile, in pre-2012 Star Wars media, there was the equally cynical Hyperspace Hooplah show at the Disney theme parks, the Ewok TV movies in the 80s, or The Star Wars Holiday Special.

One pre-2012 attempt to blend Star Wars with “hip” comedy and more modern pop culture sensibilities, though, never got off the ground despite having lots of high-profile talent behind it. That would be the now infamous animated program Star Wars Detours, which tried to depict a skewered vision of this universe at the worst possible time.

What Was Star Wars Detours?

George Lucas was not above making fun of Star Wars. While the Prequel Trilogy avoided self-referential quips and dialogue, Lucas was very fond of and even encouraged parodies of the saga from animated shows like Family Guy and Robot Chicken. The latter program, hailing from creators Seth Green and Matthew Senreich, developed such a good professional rapport with Lucas that it produced a new Lucasfilm Animation program. Now that the Star Wars saga was “finished,” Lucas was ready to play with the characters and worlds he’d concocted. This was the impetus for Star Wars Detours, which would follow zany new visions of the Star Wars characters navigating more grounded scenarios like struggling to get money, relationship squabbles, hostage situations, and more.

The gist of the show seemed to be doing a more “official” and family-friendly version of the Robot Chicken Star Wars specials. This was reflected not only in Robot Chicken mastermind Green and Senreich spearheading the show (Green would also do voicework for various characters), but also in bringing back Seth MacFarlane to reprise his acclaimed Robot Chicken take on Emperor Palpatine. This program would’ve also expanded the Lucasfilm Animation empire beyond The Clone Wars, with the then-gestating animated film Strange Magic also planning on bolstering what audiences could expect from this label.

[RELATED: George Lucas’ Plan If Star Wars Had Failed Delivered a Very Different Sequel]

The first rumblings of Detours came about in 2010, with Green and Senreich cryptically talking to major outlets about the then-untitled program and their excitement over it. They also noted that, like The Clone Wars, Detours was being produced independently on Lucas’ own money and that a network would later be chosen to air the production. August 2012’s Star Wars Celebration VI would provide the world with the first glimpse of Star Wars Detours, with various clips of certain Detours sketches appearing online afterward. These didn’t get the best reception from internet geeks, with many shrugging it off as yet another odd piece of Star Wars media like Kinect Star Wars.

Why Detours Was Shelved

Two months after the first Detours footage was shown publicly, Disney bought Lucasfilm for billions of dollars. The Mouse House now owned all things Star Wars and the show’s biggest cheerleader (George Lucas) was gone. A few months after this purchase, The Clone Wars was canceled, a clear signal that Disney was looking to overhaul the small-screen ambitions of Star Wars. By March 2013, Disney officially confirmed Detours was “postponed”.

While 39 episodes of Star Wars Detours were finished, Lucasfilm brass wanted to rework the Star Wars franchise into a more serious direction and especially get a new generation of kids excited about getting invested in this universe. Silly jokes about Jar-Jar Binks and Admiral Ackbar puns weren’t going to initially fit into this plan. More than a decade after the show’s demise, Green noted that, with each passing year, it becomes less likely that Detours could get released since it would require tweaking to be relevant to modern Disney+ subscribers. Without tremendous fan interest in the property, Star Wars Detours lies on a hard drive somewhere, not unlike the Death Star plans.

Still, Green has publicly talked about having no ill feelings about the show going nowhere since he got to work with Lucas for years and years. Those positive memories of conjuring up silly Star Wars sketches with his hero entirely justified the Detours experience for Green. Plus, the animated show now occupies a rare mythical space in Star Wars lore (as an unreleased yet finished property) that so few projects can lay claim to. Certainly none of those Ewok TV movies secured such a notable accomplishment.

“I am consoled by the insane and unlikely experience that I got to have with one of my greatest influences,” Green told us earlier this year. “There’s so many things you create that never get made, there’s so many things that you make that never get seen, it is a painful reality of being in this business. I look at all the people that I know, the work I got to do, this insane experience I got to have … I’ve learned so much just from getting to do it, about everything. Getting to spend that time in tutelage by Kathleen Kennedy, it’s an honor.”

Star Wars: The Clone Wars is now streaming on Disney+.

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Season 2 of the hit Disney+ Star Wars series, Andor, will soon debut. Andor is a direct prequel to the 2016 film, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, focusing on the rebel agent Cassian Andor, played by Diego Luna. The first season of Andor was set five years before the events of Rogue One, showing how Cassian became involved with a rebel cell run by Luthen Rael, played by Bill Skarsgård. Season 2 will detail the remaining four years leading up to Cassian’s final critical mission to steal the Death Star plans, and the birth of the Rebel Alliance as it came to be known in the Original Trilogy.

The animated series, Star Wars: Rebels, takes place during the same time period as Andor and follows the same story – the birth of one cohesive Rebel Alliance from scattered separate cells. If the trailer is anything to go by, Andor Season 2 is setting the stage to show some familiar faces from Rebels.

Andor Season 2 is on a Collision Course With Star Wars: Rebels

While Season 1 of Andor was an isolated story that ended with Andor joining the Rebellion, Season 2 plans to focus on the growth of a slowly-organizing Rebel Alliance. The trailer for Season 2 gave a glimpse of the rebel base on Yavin-4, including the collection of ships gathering there. Yavin-4 is a significant location, as the first fight of the Galactic Civil War – The Battle of Yavin – occurred there, marking the first win for the Rebel Alliance against the Empire.

RELATED: 7 Star Wars Characters We Need to See in Andor Season 2

In Season 2 of Rebels, the Ghost crew – comprised of Hera Syndulla, Kanan Jarrus, Zeb Orrelios, Sabine Wren, Chopper, and Ezra Bridger – learn of other rebel cells who are involved in the fight against the Empire. Some of these cells were created in response to a message Ezra broadcasted that encouraged people to stand up and resist the Empire, as seen in season 1, episode 13 of Rebels, “Call to Action”. Ezra’s transmitted message – also known as “The Bridger Broadcast” – occurred 4 years before the Battle of Yavin (4BBY), which is also the same year where Season 2 of Andor will begin. As Ezra’s message was transmitted galaxy-wide and acted as a catalyst for the formation of an increased number of rebel cells, it would stand to reason that Luthen’s cell would also hear the significant message.

Hera Syndulla Was on Yavin-4 With Cassian Andor & Rouge One Confirms This

However, the Bridger Broadcast isn’t the only connection between Rebels and season 2 of Andor. In the final season of Rebels, which occurs around 1 BBY, Hera was primarily stationed in Yavin, acting as a General. In Rogue One, there are two Easter eggs that confirm Hera is on Yavin; the first is a page heard over the intercoms asking for Hera to report for duty, and the second is a cameo of Hera’s trusty droid, Chopper. These Easter eggs confirm that Hera was active at the rebel base on Yavin at the same time that Cassian Andor was on Yavin, making it extremely likely that the two would cross paths. Considering Hera’s high rank and influence on the Rebel Alliance, it would not only make sense for Hera to appear in season 2 of Andor, but would be extremely implausible if she did not. 

Mary Elizabeth Winstead has already been introduced as live-action Hera in the Disney+ Star Wars series, Ahsoka. Therefore, her appearance in Andor season 2 would not be a surprise reveal that Disney would need to save for another time. In fact, it would be a perfect opportunity to illustrate just how important Hera was to the rebellion for fans who have not watched Rebels. 

RELATED: 3 Star Wars Prequel Stories That Deserve TV Series After Andor

Including Hera in Andor would also not come off as a gratuitous unnecessary addition of a fan-favorite for fan service purposes. Her history is inherently tied to the rebellion and the entire group on Yavin-4, making her a necessary and integral part of Cassian Andor’s story as well. 

Fans will have to wait until April 22 to see if Hera or any other of her Rebels family cross paths with Cassian Andor, when Star Wars: Andor Season 2 premieres its first three episodes on Disney+.

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The Disney Store has a Curated Collectibles sale going on today, March 21st that offers 30% off sitewide on a collection that is mostly made up of Star Wars lightsaber hilt replicas. Note that these flash sales rarely include their high-end Star Wars lightsaber hilt replicas, but this is one of those occasions. Until the end of the day today you can score the discount right here at The Disney Store. Head below to check out some of our favorite picks from the sale. Keep in mind that many (but not all) of these replicas require you to purchase the blade separately (fortunately, they are also part of the sale).

Skywalker Legacy Lightsaber Collectible Set $219.99 $153.99 – See at The Disney Store: This set includes Skywalker Legacy Lightsaber Hilt, Lightsaber Blade, Display Stand, and Lightsaber Belt Clip.

Stellan Gios Legacy Lightsaber Hilt $179.99 $125.99 – See at The Disney Store: This new version of the Stellan Gios hilt won’t include the wooden box or the comic book from the super limited edition release, opting for a standard hilt case with a lined interior and a Rebel Alliance Starbird insignia. The hilt itself appears to be the same, complete with crossguard blades and the ability to fold up. It will also produce sound effects and illuminate blue when a lightsaber blade is added.

Star Wars Gungi Lightsaber Hilt $159.99 $111.99- See at The Disney Store: This is the weapon of the Wookiee Jedi and Order 66 survivor, Gungi. Appearing in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Gungi’s lightsaber hilt is carved from the brylark tree, which is recreated in this replica with the look of ancient wood grain paired with intricate silvertone etchings. It will come packaged in a case with the Elemental Nature insignia on the front.

Star Wars Darth Maul Lightsaber Hilt and Blade Set $249.99 $153.99 – See at The Disney Store: For Star Wars Day 2024, Disney launched a spectacular Darth Maul Legacy Lightsaber Set as part of their Star Wars: The Phantom Menace 25th Anniversary Collection. Limited to only 7000 units, it sold out quickly. It featured two hilts in a fancy wooden box that lights up red and plays Duel of the Fates when you slide open the lid. If you wanted blades, you had to purchase them separately. However, this set will come with a single hilt, a blade, a stand, a blade connector and a belt clip. Thanks to the deal you can get two hilts with two blades for a whole lot less than the original May the 4th set.

Obi-Wan Kenobi Legacy Lightsaber Collectible Set $219.99 $153.99 – See at The Disney Store: This set includes Obi-Wan Kenobi Legacy Lightsaber Hilt, Lightsaber Blade, Display Stand, and Lightsaber Belt Clip

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Tony Gilroy has worked on several high-profile projects and earned numerous accolades throughout his career, but he believes Andor is the most important thing he will do. While promoting the Star Wars show’s upcoming second season, Gilroy spoke with The Playlist and reflected on his time in the franchise. Recognizing how much of an achievement Andor is on multiple levels, the showrunner expressed admiration for all of the hard work that went into putting the series together and recalled how the show helped him grow creatively. The way he sees it, this experience will be a once-in-a-lifetime thing for him.

“I don’t think I’ll ever have a chance to work on anything as important as this,” Gilroy said. “This has been the most important thing I’ll ever get to do in terms of how much imagination went into it, how much work went into it, how much of a better writer I became doing it, how much I learned doing it, and how important the subject matter was and the scale of it. It’s hard to imagine that a situation like this would ever come around again.”

Andor Season 1 premiered back in 2022 and immediately became one of the most acclaimed Star Wars titles. Critics and fans alike were impressed by the show’s mature tone and subject matter. Andor received several accolades, including an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Drama Series.

[RELATED – Star Wars: Andor Featurette Finally Offers BTS Look at Fan-Favorite Character’s Return]

Andor‘s second and final season is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ in April. The unique release schedule sees three episodes released at a time over a period of four weeks. Gilroy has confirmed that he is stepping away from the Star Wars franchise after Andor is done so he can pursue other opportunities.

Gilroy has had a hand in writing multiple Jason Bourne films and helmed Best Picture nominee Michael Clayton, but those projects — while very successful in their own right — are nowhere near the magnitude of an addition to the Star Wars franchise. Star Wars has been one of the most popular Hollywood properties for nearly 50 years, and the passionate, global fan base is extremely interested in seeing how each movie and show takes shape. Just in terms of general outreach, Andor (along with Rogue One) is the biggest thing Gilroy has worked on. From a storytelling perspective, Andor has resonated with audiences due to its serious handling of timely themes. The show’s overall narrative is very different from what Star Wars fans are used to, transcending franchise tropes to become something powerful and unique. It’s impressive to see what Gilroy has been able to accomplish within the framework of the IP.

For those reasons, it’s sad that Gilroy’s time in the galaxy far, far away is ending once Andor has finished its run. He found a way to weave a compelling tale that isn’t overly reliant on nostalgic callbacks and fan service to make an impact. That approach is something Star Wars needs as it transitions to a new era, and it’ll be interesting to see how future projects take shape without Gilroy’s involvement. As for Gilroy, while he may not work on something with the scale of Star Wars again, he hopefully has several more interesting titles on the horizon, perhaps one that will earn him some awards consideration.

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Marvel Comics is gearing up for a new era of Star Wars storytelling this spring, and ComicBook got to speak to one of the creatives helping to steer the starship. It’s been 10 years since the Star Wars franchise returned to Marvel, and for the most part, the ongoing series and events that captivated readers have taken place during the Original Trilogy. However, all of that is about to change with May’s Star Wars #1. The new ongoing series by writer Alex Segura and artist Phil Noto will follow the unexplored period after Star Wars: Return of the Jedi and feature fan-favorite characters like Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, Han Solo, and more.

ComicBook spoke to Star Wars writer Alex Segura about his plans for this fertile playground in a galaxy far, far away. The best-selling writer teased his plans for Luke, Han, and Leia, the type of threats the New Republic will face after the demise of the Empire, the introduction of new characters, his collaboration with Phil Noto, and more. We can also exclusively reveal the first look at interior pages of Star Wars #1

[RELATED: Kathleen Kennedy Provides Updates on New Star Wars Movies (And We Don’t Know What to Make of It)]

ComicBook: Getting to tell new Star Wars stories in a fairly unexplored part of the franchise has to be an exciting assignment. What’s been your approach to fleshing out the histories of iconic characters like Luke, Han and Leia?

Alex Segura: It has been really exciting, and a nice contrast to Battle of Jakku – which I loved, but which was also weaving through a lot of established canon. Now we’re in a relatively wide open era, and to be able to explore what Luke, Leia, Han, and more folks were up to is a huge honor and thrill.

In terms of my approach, I think the goal is to make each story feel fresh and unpredictable, and to show how the universe is changing – how the threats of this era are different than the monolithic danger of the Empire, but no less dangerous. We want to keep the heroes on their toes, and that means making sure the threats they face feel fresh and surprising.

With the Empire defeated, what challenges and roadblocks are the New Republic running into as they attempt to forge a new path? Particularly with Luke restoring the Jedi Order?

I think you’ll see the core three – Luke, Leia, and Han – grappling with different responsibilities and goals. Like you said, Luke is eager to rebuild the Jedi Order – but how does he get there? What happens to spur him on? Leia is trying to govern during an unstable and volatile time, while Han is trying to find his place in it all. It’s a potent mix, and that’s where we find them as a new player appears on the universal stage. Instead of the New Republic getting a breather after finally defeating the Empire, we’ll see a new, unexpected threat rise up to challenge what the Republic stands for, calling their entire being into question. At the same time, we explore some of the underworld unrest left in Return of the Jedi‘s wake, with some fun cameos and a few interesting surprises. 

What new characters can fans look forward to meeting? With Dark Vader and the Emperor gone and years (decades) before the rise of Kylo Ren, who are the new threats terrorizing the galaxy?

I think one of the themes of these early issues is really – it never gets easier. The heroes have seen the Empire fall, Vader and the Emperor are dead – but now the work begins, right? You have to govern, you have to rebuild your identity, you have to decide what it’s like to be a diplomat vs a smuggler… And a lot of this soul-searching and introspection is happening while part of the New Republic itself decides, ‘hey, what is the benefit of being a part of this?’ It creates problems from the drop, but as the heroes explore the ‘why’ of it, they uncover something much darker. Each issue will very much be a standalone, and almost explore a genre unto itself – we’ve got a very “western”-style story, a murder mystery, a heist – but when read together, you’ll see the bigger mystery shape up and hopefully pay off after the first arc.

You’re working with Phil Noto, who has delivered some epic work already in Marvel’s Star Wars comics. What has Noto brought to the table during your collaboration?

Phil is just a master. I’ve known him forever and always admired his work and his work ethic. He’s a super pro, and it just feels like having him on this book immediately blesses the series, you know? It’s not just his likenesses – it’s the pacing and structure. He takes my words and certifies them as Star Wars. I’m so lucky to be working with him on this.

Star Wars is the flagship title, but are there any characters or storylines that will be ripe for crossover events or even spinoff books down the line?

The comics team is in pretty constant contact – but the crossover thing is more an editorial question. That said, I’m sure we’d play well together!

Star Wars #1 goes on sale May 7th. Let us know what you’re most excited about seeing in this post-Return of the Jedi era in the comments below!

The post Star Wars: Alex Segura Offers a Look at Marvel’s Post-Return of the Jedi Relaunch (Exclusive) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

BDX Droids, the innovative animatronic robots currently entertaining guests at the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge land of Disney parks, will make their big-screen debut in the upcoming The Mandalorian & Grogu film. The announcement came during Walt Disney’s  2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders Webcast, where Chairman of the Board James Gorman introduced the line of Star Wars-themed animatronics as part of the company’s expanding technological initiatives. These small, autonomous droids can express emotions and navigate independently while also reacting to people’s commands. Their transition to the big screen happens just as Lucasfilm builds anticipation for the first Star Wars theatrical release since 2019.

The BDX Droids have quickly become fan favorites at Disney parks since their introduction during the Season of the Force event in 202. Developed through a collaboration between Disney Research and Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development departments, these technological marvels represent cutting-edge achievements in robotics. The droids come in three color variants — blue, green, and white — and were initially tested at Disneyland’s Galaxy’s Edge location in October 2023, where they demonstrated impressive capabilities, including overcoming uneven terrain and executing dance movements without losing balance.

[RELATED: Star Wars: The Mandalorian’s Grogu Gets Anime-Style Short Series Ahead of New Movie (And It’s the Cutest)]

“Sweet babies,” Lucasfilm Story Group member Matt Martin affectionately called the droids when they were first revealed to the public. During development, the three BDX units were playfully nicknamed after Disney’s famous triplets, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, though these were just internal designations rather than their official identities. After months of what Disney called “droid training,” they officially debuted for park guests with their canonical designation as BDX Droids, described in promotional materials as “playful, curious, and cute” companions exploring Black Spire Outpost on the planet Batuu, the setting of the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge land.

The Mandalorian & Grogu: What We Know About the First Star Wars Film Since 2019

The Mandalorian & Grogu, directed by series creator Jon Favreau, represents a significant milestone for Lucasfilm as the studio’s first theatrical Star Wars release in seven years. With production having wrapped in October 2024 and a release date set for May 2026, the film continues the adventures of Din Djarin and his Force-sensitive companion that captivated audiences through three seasons of the Disney+ streaming series. The transition from television to cinema demonstrates Lucasfilm’s confidence in the characters’ ability to carry a feature film, especially following the mixed reception to the sequel trilogy’s conclusion with The Rise of Skywalker. The film boasts a notably leaner production budget compared to its predecessors in the Star Wars franchise. According to the California Film Commission, The Mandalorian & Grogu has approximately $166.4 million in “qualified expenditures,” significantly less than the $245-317 million budgets of the sequel trilogy films.

While plot details remain closely guarded, the casting announcements have generated considerable excitement. Sigourney Weaver has confirmed her involvement as a character in a position of authority, while The Bear star Jeremy Allen White is reportedly voicing Rotta the Hutt, son of the infamous crime lord Jabba. Jonny Coyne has been cast as an Imperial Warlord, suggesting continued conflict with remnants of the fallen Empire. Finally, Katee Sackhoff has given cryptic responses regarding her potential return as Bo-Katan Kryze, stating only that she “has not been in the armor in 2025,” cleverly avoiding confirmation that she was on set for filming in 2024.

Fans speculate the film’s plot may involve a rescue mission for Rotta the Hutt, with rumors suggesting bounty hunter Embo — a character from The Clone Wars animated series — could serve as the primary antagonist. Some reports indicate Dave Filoni, who originally voiced Embo, might reprise his role for the character’s live-action debut. These story elements would expand on the criminal underworld themes that have been central to The Mandalorian‘s narrative since its inception.

The Mandalorian & Grogu comes to theaters on May 22, 2026.

Are you excited to see the BDX Droids make their cinematic debut in The Mandalorian and Grogu? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post The Mandalorian & Grogu Reveals New Characters Set to Appear in the Film appeared first on ComicBook.com.

This super-detailed Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith / The Clone Wars General Grievous figure from Sideshow Collectibles stands at 16-inches tall in sixth-scale, it’s fully articulated, and it comes with loads of detail and accessories like a blaster, an electro staff, four lightsabers with removable hilts, and a pair of switch-out split arms. It looks great and has a price tag to match, selling at $290 list. However, you can get it for free until 11:59 PM PT / 2:59 AM ET on March 21st / 22nd 2025. Here’s how.

Sideshow Collectibles is running the General Grievous offer as part of their 30th anniversary festivities. Until the end of the promotion on March 21st, you can score the free figure with any $300+ purchase of in-stock items located here at Sideshow. Inside that link you’ll find something for fans of Star Wars, Marvel, DC, anime, and much more. That said, you might want to check out this collection of in-stock items as many of them are on sale. Sideshow also has a Daily Deals page that’s filled with deep discounts. If you want to focus on Hot Toys releases, you can do that here. Additional details on the General Grevious figure can be found below, along with some of our favorite pics from the items that are on sale.

• Hot Toys Christian Bale Batman Figure – $208
• Hot Toys Anakin Skywalker – $225.25
• Hot Toys The Mandalorian and The Child – $240
• Hot Toys Batman XE Suit (Special Edition) – $304
• Hot Toys Death Watch Mandalorian – $180
• Hot Toys Boba Fett (Repaint Armor) – $200
• Spider-Man (Battling Version) – $280
• Iron Man Mark LXXXV (Battle Damaged Version) – $383.35

General Grievous Sixth Scale Figure features:

“Engineered with meticulous attention to detail, the General Grievous Sixth Scale Figure is fully articulated to achieve dynamic and intimidating postures, recreating all of your favorite villainous moments from the Star Wars saga. From head to toe, the Confederacy’s Supreme Commander measures 16” tall with a detailed cybernetic body with clawed feet and multi-jointed limbs. Grievous also includes a removable grey fabric cape with a red inner lining that features pockets for storing stolen lightsabers.”

• Two (2) sets of arms for multiple display options
  • L/R Single Arms
  • L/R Double Arms
• Fabric cape with interior saber pockets, and logo on back
• Four (4) lightsaber hilts
• Four (4) lit lightsabers
• Electro staff with removable energy effect
• Blaster
• Base

The post Here’s How To Get a $290 Star Wars General Grievous Figure For Free appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Upcoming Star Wars film The Mandalorian & Grogu seems to have a surprisingly small production budget, and that might confirm the fears some fans have about the project. The California Film Commission recently published a chart of movie and TV projects that are eligible for tax breaks in the state. The Mandalorian & Grogu is one of the titles featured, with roughly $166.4 million in “qualified expenditures” listed. Lucasfilm received a credit of around $21.7 million for shooting in California. Other interesting tidbits mentioned include The Mandalorian & Grogu filming for 92 days in the state, with 54 cast members and 500 crew members hired.

This means The Mandalorian & Grogu is the least-expensive Star Wars film produced in the franchise’s Disney era by far. The three installments in the sequel trilogy had gargantuan budgets; The Force Awakens cost $245 million, The Last Jedi cost $317 million, and The Rise of Skywalker cost $275 million. Both anthology films, which encountered their fair share of behind the scenes issues during production weren’t cheap either. Rogue One had a price tag of $200 million, while Solo cost $275 million.

Directed by Jon Favreau, The Mandalorian & Grogu is the cinematic continuation of the hit Disney+ TV series The Mandalorian. It is set to hit theaters in May 2026 and will be the first new Star Wars movie since 2019. Though the release date is still over a year away as of this writing, production reportedly wrapped in October 2024.

[RELATED – How Star Wars Can Fix The Franchise As It Enters A New Era]

The Mandalorian & Grogu is set to be the subject of one of the premier panels during Star Wars Celebration Japan in April, where Favreau and Dave Filoni will offer teases of what’s in store. Plot details for the film are being kept under wraps, though it’s known Sigourney Weaver and Jeremy Allen White are part of the cast. Recently, Bo-Katan actress Katee Sackhoff played coy about her possible role in the movie.

On one hand, a $166.4 million budget for The Mandalorian & Grogu is refreshing. A strong case can be made that production costs for studio tentpoles are unnecessarily bloated, which puts extra pressure on films to perform at the box office. If The Mandalorian & Grogu‘s price tag really is this low, Lucasfilm should have no trouble recouping its investment and turning a healthy profit. That said, this could be an indication that production primarily took place on The Volume soundstage pioneered for Disney+ shows like The Mandalorian. While The Volume is a highly impressive piece of technology that can be a very useful tool for filmmakers, it does have its limitations. Notably, actors are stuck to a confined space, which can put restrictions on camera movement. There’s a noticeable difference between something that was shot on location (like Andor) and made heavy use of The Volume.

It would be a shame if The Mandalorian & Grogu, positioned as Star Wars’ big return to theaters, didn’t have the scale and scope fans have come to expect from the franchise’s big-screen adventures. Though The Mandalorian features some standout action sequences, The Volume is arguably better suited for the TV medium as opposed to the larger canvas of a theater screen. Relying too heavily on the technology could affect the film’s overall impact. It’s to be expected that Favreau and Co. made use of The Volume on The Mandalorian & Grogu, but hopefully the final product feels like a full-blown Star Wars film instead of an extended episode of television.

The post The Mandalorian & Grogu’s Surprisingly Small Budget Could Confirm Fan’s Fears appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The Star Wars franchise is notorious for creating some of the coolest-looking background characters in science fiction and then giving them 30 seconds of screen time. And yet, some characters like Boba Fett—appearing in the original trilogy for just over six minutes — demand a fleshed-out backstory. That’s where the novels, comics, and video games come in. Whether through Legends or the current Disney-approved canon, you can rest assured that every obscure alien mercenary and put-upon droid has its place in the greater Star Wars narrative. However, not all side characters are created equal. While the likes Elan Sleazebaggano may have his own Wookiepedia entry, at the end of the day, he’s still just a glorified extra.

The following characters have, in one continuity or another, done something important to place them above and beyond their fellow supporting characters. It may not be evident just from watching the movies, but these characters have a lot going on behind the scenes. In fact, one or two of them are so integral to the Skywalker Saga that it wouldn’t have played out the same way without them. Without further ado, here are seven minor Star Wars characters that are more important than you realize.

Ephant Mon

Jabba the Hutt filled his palace in Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi with all sorts of shady characters but out of all the degenerates hanging around his wretched hive of scum and villainy, only one called him a friend. Ephant Mon was an arms dealer and perhaps the only person in Jabba’s palace who wanted to be there. The two criminals came up through the underworld together, and when Jabba took his place as one of the galaxy’s biggest crime lords, it only made sense for Ephant Mon to tag along as his head of security. Unfortunately, the two BFFs had a falling out when Ephant Mon tried to convince Jabba to let Luke Skywalker and his friends go free. Jabba ignored his old friend, and as a result, Ephant Mon went on to have many post-Jabba adventures while the Hutt met a painful demise at the hands of Luke’s sister, Leia Organa.

Benthic  “Two Tubes“

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story may have sold itself as a more grounded affair than the other Star Wars films, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t still have its share of exotic aliens. One such alien—Benthic—turned out to have a rich history offscreen. Introduced as part of Saw Gerrera’s group of resistance fighters, the Partisans, Benthic actually got his first taste of rebellion several years earlier when the Empire took over his home planet of Yar Togna. Left without a home, Benthic — also known as “Two Tubes” after the breathing apparatus he was forced to wear on oxygen-rich planets — and his eggmate (brother) Edrio joined up with pirate leader Enfys Nest. As a Cloud-Rider and later a Partisan, Benthic was instrumental in helping a pre-Alliance rebellion stand up to the Empire while inspiring countless others to take up the cause in the process.

[RELATED: 7 Star Wars Franchise Secrets That Only Real Fans Know]

Toryn Farr

The Battle of Hoth is one of the high points of the Skywalker Saga despite being a low point for the actual Skywalkers. In fact, The Empire Strikes Back — downer than it is — would have been even more depressing — not to mention shorter, if not for the actions of communications officer Toryn Farr. Along with being one of the only women in the original trilogy other than Princess Leia, Farr was instrumental in allowing the Rebels to escape their base on Hoth relatively unscathed. She was in charge of coordinating Echo Base’s ion cannon during the Rebel’s emergency evacuation. It was Farr who gave the command to fire on the Imperial Star Destroyer Tyrant, disabling the ship long enough for the Rebel transport Quantum Storm to shoot through Darth Vader’s blockade and make the jump to lightspeed. If it weren’t for Toryn Farr’s quick thinking, the Rebellion would have ended on Hoth, and the Skywalker Saga would have ended after just two movies.

IG-88

Like all the bounty hunters introduced in The Empire Strikes Back, IG-88 was designed to stand there and look cool, and that’s pretty much it. Luckily for him, several Legends creators had other ideas for the assassin droid. Technically, IG-88 is four droids — IG-88A, IG-88B, IG-88C, and IG-88D — all of whom shared the identity of the galaxy’s second most feared bounty hunter. Which IG unit is which gets pretty complicated, but at least one IG-88 managed to upload itself into the Deathstar II, essentially making it one giant droid. Had the Rebels failed in their plan to destroy the battle station, IG-88 intended to take over every droid in the galaxy in hopes of leading a grand droid revolution. Unfortunately, thanks to those pesky freedom fighters, IG-88 was never able to complete his master plan, though he did get to mess with Emperor Palpatine by locking the Sith in his throneroom for a little while, so his Deathstar takeover wasn’t all in vain.

Malikili (The Rancor Keeper)

Jabba the Hutt’s Rancor may have been a monster, but even monsters deserve love. Enter Malikili, Jabba’s personal Rancor handler and the closest thing the beast ever had to a mother. Malikili had a special relationship with the Rancor, and the beast allowed him to treat its wounds and even hang out during meals without attacking. The bond between the two was so strong that the Rancor once threw away a chance to escape Jabba’s palace forever in order to rescue Malikili from a gang of Tusken Raiders. Sadly, Malikili would have his heart broken soon after when Jabba the Hutt threw Luke Skywalker into the Rancor pit, resulting in the creature’s death.

Dr. Evazan and Ponda Baba

This inseparable pair of Star Wars villains started out with a violent cameo in Star Wars: A New Hope, and their story only got more horrific from there. Cornelius Evazan was a respected plastic surgeon until he decided it would be more fun to create grotesque body horror abominations that would make David Cronenberg blush. At some point, Evazan picked up reluctant sidekick Ponda Baba, and the two carved their way through the galaxy, racking up death sentences on more than 12 systems. Throughout both Legends and Canon, this deadly duo menaced their fair share of innocents while occasionally butting heads with various heroes and antiheroes. If you’ve ever wondered what Star Wars might look like through the eyes of Rob Zombie, look no further than Dr. Evazan and Ponda Baba.

R5-D4

Even the most hardcore Star Wars fans may not know just how important R5-D4 is to the Skywalker Saga and the greater Star Wars narrative as a whole. To put it bluntly, without R5-D4, the original trilogy would have been about twenty minutes long. You may recgonize R5 as the first astromech droid Luke and his Uncle Owen bought from the Jawas in A New Hope. What you probably don’t know is that the plucky little droid purposely blew his motivator so that Luke would have to buy R2-D2 instead. Thanks to a long talk with R2 aboard the Jawa Sandcrawler, R5 realized just how important it was that the Rebellion get the information the other droid was carrying. Knowing that the fate of the galaxy was in his hands-er-retractable metal claw, R5-D4 bravely sacrificed himself so that R2-D2 could carry out his mission. Now, that’s a hero!

The post 7 Star Wars Characters More Important Than You Realized appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Disney+ is preparing for an exciting month in April. We’re just over halfway through March, but the Mouse House’s streamer has already released its newsletter for April, revealing the complete list of movie and TV titles set to join the roster in the weeks ahead. Between two of the biggest Disney+ original shows, there’s a constant influx of new additions on the way.

The first season of Daredevil: Born Again will continue into April, with the finale set to be released on April 15th. One week later, on April 22nd, the second and final season of Andor will premiere with its first three episodes.

You can check out the full lineup of Disney+ April additions below!

April 1st

Lost Treasures of Rome (S2, 6 episodes)
National Parks: USA (S1, 5 episodes)
RoboGobo (S1, 24 episodes)

Marvel Television’s Daredevil: Born Again – Episode 7 at 6pm PT
In Marvel Television’s Daredevil: Born Again, Matt Murdock, a blind lawyer with heightened abilities is fighting for justice through his bustling law firm, while former mob boss Wilson Fisk pursues his own political endeavors in New York. When their past identities begin to emerge, both men find themselves on an inevitable collision course.

April 3rd

Oklahoma City Bombing: One Day in America (S1, 3 episodes)

April 4th

Kindergarten: The Musical (S1, 5 episodes)

April 7th

David Blaine Do Not Attempt – Two New Episodes
David Blaine Do Not Attempt is a six-part documentary series exploring the world through the lens of magic. Seeking out incredible people who perform real feats that look like magic, Blaine takes us on a jaw-dropping journey through some of the world’s most extraordinary cultures as he seeks out kindred spirits, finds inspiration, and learns some truly exceptional skills along the way.

Not Just a Goof – Premiere
Not Just A Goof is a documentary exploring the untold story of A Goofy Movie. It follows a young creative team tackling their first Disney feature, its initial disappointment, and its surprising resurgence decades later. Featuring key interviews and rare footage, it reveals the film’s impact and why it remains a beloved classic for a generation.

[RELATED: Everything Coming to Tubi in April 2025]

April 8th

Marvel Television’s Daredevil: Born Again – Penultimate Episode at 6pm PT
In Marvel Television’s Daredevil: Born Again, Matt Murdock, a blind lawyer with heightened abilities is fighting for justice through his bustling law firm, while former mob boss Wilson Fisk pursues his own political endeavors in New York. When their past identities begin to emerge, both men find themselves on an inevitable collision course.

April 9th

Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends (S3, 4 episodes)

April 11th

The Abyss 4K

Pets – Premiere
Pets is a documentary that explores the extraordinary relationships that exist between animals and their people, all around the world. Highlighting dogs, cats, pigs, goats, and even birds of prey, “Pets” takes us on a hilarious and poignant journey that celebrates love, loss, and licks along the way.

April 12th

Titanic: The Digital Resurrection
To Catch a Smuggler (S8, 8 episodes)

Doctor Who (Season 2) – Premiere
The Doctor meets Belinda Chandra and begins an epic quest to get her back to Earth. But a mysterious force is stopping their return and the time-travelling TARDIS team must face greater dangers, bigger enemies and wilder terrors than ever before.=

April 15th

Marvel Television’s Daredevil: Born Again – Season Finale at 6pm PT
In Marvel Television’s Daredevil: Born Again, Matt Murdock, a blind lawyer with heightened abilities is fighting for justice through his bustling law firm, while former mob boss Wilson Fisk pursues his own political endeavors in New York. When their past identities begin to emerge, both men find themselves on an inevitable collision course.

April 16th

Big City Greens (S4, 7 episodes)
SuperKitties (S2, 3 episodes)

April 18th

Light & Magic (Season 2) – Premiere
Light & Magic Season 2 is a three-part series that follows Lucasfilm’s visual effects company, Industrial Light & Magic, as it enters its most challenging and revolutionary period: the dawn of digital. From creating the first fully realized CG character to solving the challenge of digital water, it is an era that finds ILM scaling new heights of innovation despite dramatic setbacks.

April 19th

Doctor Who (Season 2) – Episode 2
The Doctor meets Belinda Chandra and begins an epic quest to get her back to Earth. But a mysterious force is stopping their return and the time-travelling TARDIS team must face greater dangers, bigger enemies and wilder terrors than ever before.

April 21st

Secret of the Penguins (S1, 3 episodes)

April 22nd

ABC News Live Special: Last Lands (S1, 4 episodes)

Andor (Season 2) – Three-Episode Premiere at 6pm PT
Lucasfilm’s Emmy-nominated thriller Andor, returns for its long-awaited conclusion on April 22. The second season takes place as the horizon of war draws near and Cassian becomes a key player in the Rebel Alliance. Everyone will be tested and, as the stakes rise, the betrayals, sacrifices and conflicting agendas will become profound. Rife with political intrigue and danger, the series is a prequel to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which portrayed a heroic band of rebels who steal the plans to the Empire’s weapon of mass destruction—The Death Star—setting the stage for the events of the original 1977 film. “Andor” sets the clock back five years from the events of “Rogue One” to tell the story of the film’s hero, Cassian Andor, and his transformation from disinterested, cynical nobody into a rebel hero on his way to an epic destiny.

Sea Lions of the Galapagos – Premiere
Narrated by Brendan Fraser, Disneynature’s Sea Lions of the Galapagos dives underwater with Leo, a handsome sea lion pup whose lifelong quest to find his place in the world is fraught with challenges and filled with new encounters with an array of creatures, from marine iguanas and racer snakes to yellow fin tuna and huge Galapagos sharks.

Guardians of the Galapagos – Premiere
Blair Underwood narrates this behind-the-scenes look at Sea Lions of the Galapagos as the Disneynature crew captures intimate sea lion behaviors, while showcasing the challenges that threaten the archipelago and the community of champions—the Guardians of the Galapagos—who work to protect this magical place.

April 25th

Megastructures: Real Madrid Super Stadium

April 26th

Doctor Who (Season 2) – Episode 3
The Doctor meets Belinda Chandra and begins an epic quest to get her back to Earth. But a mysterious force is stopping their return and the time-travelling TARDIS team must face greater dangers, bigger enemies and wilder terrors than ever before.

April 29th

Andor (Season 2) – Three New Episodes at 6pm PT
Lucasfilm’s Emmy-nominated thriller Andor, returns for its long-awaited conclusion on April 22. The second season takes place as the horizon of war draws near and Cassian becomes a key player in the Rebel Alliance. Everyone will be tested and, as the stakes rise, the betrayals, sacrifices and conflicting agendas will become profound. Rife with political intrigue and danger, the series is a prequel to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which portrayed a heroic band of rebels who steal the plans to the Empire’s weapon of mass destruction—The Death Star—setting the stage for the events of the original 1977 film. “Andor” sets the clock back five years from the events of “Rogue One” to tell the story of the film’s hero, Cassian Andor, and his transformation from disinterested, cynical nobody into a rebel hero on his way to an epic destiny.

April 30th

Chibi Tiny Tales: Shorts (S5, 7 episodes)
Mickey Mouse Funhouse (S3, 5 episodes)

The post Disney+: Every Movie and TV Show Arriving in April 2025 appeared first on ComicBook.com.

“Less is more.” The saying has been around for a long time, most often attributed to Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, a key figure in the modernist architectural movement. However, these days the phrase can be applied to countless topics – including the Star Wars Universe. Since 1977, Star Wars has become the most iconic sci-fi franchise of all time; in that time, George Lucas’ brainchild has constantly increased its scope and expanded its sprawling and colorful universe. Since the Original Trilogy’s conclusion, we’ve seen dozens of animated and live-action entries added to the Star Wars franchise, with an overwhelming majority of them positively contributing to the franchise lore. As the first live-action series in the franchise, The Mandalorian was groundbreaking in many ways – but it should have ended after Season 1. There are plenty of Star Wars characters who deserve their own series, and we should be exploring more unique corners of the universe, instead of following the same characters.

When The Mandalorian premiered on Disney+ in November 2019, the show offered up a unique look into the Star Wars universe that we hadn’t seen until that point. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story had teased us with the seedy and unpleasant side of various worlds, but The Mandalorian was our first taste of a Star Wars live-action series that explored that unpleasantness more thoroughly. The idea of a more adult-oriented Star Wars story began years ago, with Lucasfilm producer Rick McCallum confirming the development of a “Deadwood in space” TV series called Star Wars: Underworld back in 2012. While that iteration of a new side of Star Wars ultimately stalled out, we eventually got our Western-inspired series in The Mandalorian.

This Town Ain’t Big Enough For the Both of Us

When we’re first introduced to The Mandalorian/Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), he is smack dab in the middle of collecting a bounty. From the jump it’s clear that he is a no-nonsense kind of person that is not only resourceful but cool, calm, and collected as well. So it wasn’t surprising when he’s offered an assignment that becomes something bigger than it ever was meant to: collecting a target bounty and bringing it back alive. But when the target turned out to be Grogu (or “Baby Yoda”), The Mandalorian suddenly became a game-changing part of the Star Wars franchise.

Much like the classic cowboy shows that inspired it, The Mandalorian took viewers on a whirlwind adventure with weekly journeys that were wrapped up with the end of each episode. Mando is a take on the iconic lone gunslinger who has begrudgingly accepted an innocent and seemingly helpless sidekick while making his way through dangerous situations and meeting unique characters such as Kuiil (Nick Nolte), Migs Mayfeld (Bill Burr), and IG-11 (Taika Waititi). All of this happens while building up to an eventual confrontation with Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito), the show’s primary antagonist. By itself, Season 1 of The Mandalorian was as close as we’ve gotten to a perfectly self-contained story in the Star Wars universe. We saw an impressive amount of world-building in a short amount of time, and everything happened without too much reliance on pre-established Star Wars characters or lore.

[RELATED: Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu Adds Villain to Cast (and They’re Connected to Thrawn)]

With an impressive 93% critic and audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, it was obvious that The Mandalorian was not only the flagship series for Disney+ but a universal success based on nearly every metric. Baby Yoda quickly became a pop culture icon, and you couldn’t escape the adorable memes and hilarious .gifs centered around Grogu. On top of that, the show cemented Pedro Pascal as an A-list actor who has the star power to carry a series; six years later, and it’s getting increasingly difficult to find a major movie or show that isn’t starring Pascal. That’s all to say: Season 1 of The Mandalorian certainly earned the chance to continue its story and lock itself in as a Star Wars staple.

You Can’t Stop There, Right?

Season 2 of The Mandalorian proved that the show’s first season wasn’t a fluke and it even maintained the same level of critical acclaim and adoration from fans. However, the charm and mystique surrounding Mando and Grogu started to slightly wear off the longer that we followed their stories.

In Season 1, we were along for an unpredictable ride as we learned bits and pieces from each character and delighted in their ‘lone wolf and his cub’ dynamic – but we were still in the dark about the specifics. After Season 3, there isn’t a lot that we haven’t learned about either character and while that’s not necessarily a bad thing, there is some truth in having too much of a good thing. Season 1 of The Mandalorian told us enough of a complete story that we could reasonably fill in the blanks about where their journey would take them in the future. However, after that, the curtain was pulled back to the point that the magical experience wasn’t ruined, just diminished. Now we’re hoping the larger scope of a movie event can reconjure it.

You can stream The Mandalorian on Disney+.

The post Star Wars: The Mandalorian Should Have Ended After Season One appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Newly released viewership data suggests that The Acolyte was more successful than previous reports claimed, calling its cancellation into question. After the Star Wars prequel series was dropped by Disney+, Luminate Data published metrics indicating that the show’s viewers had dropped off consistently after its premiere, which would explain its cancellation despite the widespread praise for The Acolyte on social media. However, new third party data from Parrot Analytics took a more comprehensive look at the show’s reception over time, with very different results. Since it was published this weekend, fans are wondering if there might still be hope for the show to be revived.

The Acolyte is the first Star Wars series to be canceled in the Disney+ era. It broke fans’ hearts at the time, and many questioned whether it was an objective decision, or if it might have been influenced by a review-bombing campaign and racist commentary on social media. Parrot’s new data — publicized this weekend by The Hollywood Reporter — brought these kinds of questions back to the forefront.

The new report accounts for viewership on Disney+ itself, as well as activity on other platforms online including search engines, social media, wikis, and forums. All of this contributed to an overall metric labeled “demand,” and found that The Acolyte was the second-most trending series on Disney+ in the first week of this month. That’s a remarkable amount of staying power considering that the show premiered in June of 2024, and was canceled in August.

[RELATED: Star Wars: The Acolyte Star Details Emotional Response to Show’s Cancellation]

“This level of demand places The Acolyte in an elite category, illustrating the show’s potential not just for viewership but also for valuable insights that can inform content decisions, acquisitions, and distribution strategies,” the report reads. It also mentions that the overall “demand” for and interest in The Acolyte has begun to drop, but it’s still higher than expected all these months after its debut.

Parrot’s insights add credence to the argument that The Acolyte‘s cancellation was unduly influenced by the response of a vocal minority. Despite what a few critics with large platforms may have said, the show generated a lot of interest among general audiences. The online review-bombing issue played a part as well, and it’s still hard to tell how the show was really received on the usual aggregators.

Fans may take some hope from this report, but there’s still nothing concrete behind it. The Acolyte is officially canceled, and Disney has given no hints that it will be revived. You can stream the first and only season now on Disney+.

The post Data Reveals Disney Shouldn’t Have Cancelled The Acolyte Season 2 (Could It Return?) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Katee Sackhoff has a cryptic response regarding Bo-Katan’s possible return in the upcoming movie The Mandalorian & Grogu. While attending a panel at Indiana Comic Con (hat tip Total Film), the actress was asked about potentially reprising her Star Wars role on the big screen. Her comments will prove to be very interesting for anyone with knowledge of The Mandalorian & Grogu‘s production timeline, as she seems to indicate moviegoers will see Bo-Katan again when Star Wars returns to theaters next year. Sackhoff revealed that she hasn’t donned any Mandalorian armor in 2025.

“I have not been in the armor in 2025,” Sackhoff said in her brief response.

After voicing Bo-Katan on animated series The Clone Wars and Rebels, Sackhoff made the jump to live-action on The Mandalorian. Across the second and third seasons, she appeared on 10 episodes (including all eight episodes of Season 3), becoming a trusted ally of Din Djarin. Sackhoff has remained secretive about appearing in The Mandalorian & Grogu, telling ComicBook last year, “If I did tell you, they’d probably kill me,” alluding to Lucasfilm’s penchant for keeping things under wraps.

[RELATED – Giancarlo Esposito Teases Star Wars Return (Is He in The Mandalorian & Grogu?)]

The Mandalorian & Grogu hits theaters in May 2026, making it the first new Star Wars film since 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker. Plot details are unknown, but some casting information has been revealed recently. Sigourney Weaver confirmed she’s playing someone in a position of authority, while The Bear star Jeremy Allen White is reportedly voicing Jabba the Hutt’s son Rotta.

Sackhoff’s phrasing is key here. Though The Mandalorian & Grogu won’t premiere until next summer, principal photography is already completed. Director Jon Favreau wrapped production in October 2024. With that in mind, there seemingly isn’t any reason why Sackhoff would have worn Bo-Katan’s armor at any point this year so far. It’s possible she is in the film and shot all of her scenes last year. Sackhoff’s comment is a clever way for her to neither confirm nor deny her Mandalorian & Grogu role, teasing fans with the possibility of a return without definitively stating anything. Given Din’s history with Bo-Katan, it wouldn’t be shocking if Sackhoff appeared in the film. If the two titular characters are embarking on another dangerous mission, they’d probably try to recruit an old friend for much-needed assistance.

Fans might not have to wait much longer before receiving some sort of confirmation concerning Sackhoff in The Mandalorian & Grogu. The film will be the subject of one of the top panels at April’s Star Wars Celebration Japan, where information about story details and casting could be revealed. It’s still a little early for Lucasfilm to launch a full-blown marketing campaign, but the studio will probably want to use the panel as an outlet to build some hype and shine a spotlight on what fans could expect. Just revealing Sackhoff is in the film would be enough to generate excitement, giving audiences a year to speculate how the character will fit into the narrative. It’ll be interesting to see what Lucasfilm opts to share during the convention.

The post Bo-Katan Star’s Cryptic Answer May Give Away Their the Mandalorian & Grogu Role appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Star Wars fans who enjoyed John Boyega’s performance as Finn in the sequel trilogy have Tom Cruise to thank. During a panel at this year’s Emerald City Comic Con (via Popverse), Boyega recalled how he landed his Star Wars gig, giving credit to Cruise. While Cruise was working with J.J. Abrams on post-production of a Mission: Impossible film (most likely 2011’s Ghost Protocol), he raved about Boyega’s work in the sci-fi movie Attack the Block. Cruise’s recommendation led to Abrams watching the film for himself, and he was impressed enough that Boyega was on his radar when it came time to cast Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

“I’m thankful to Tom Cruise, who loved Attack the Block,” Boyega said. “He was editing Mission: Impossible at the time with J.J. Abrams. Tom told J.J., ‘You’ve got to watch this kid in Attack the Block.’ J.J. watched it, and one thing led to another, and four or five years later, I was in the movie.”

In Attack the Block, Boyega portrays Moses, a young gang leader who spearheads the fight back against an alien invasion in his neighborhood. Directed by Joe Cornish, the film received widespread critical praise. Though it only grossed $6.2 million at the worldwide box office, Attack the Block has earned a passionate following in the years since its release, and a sequel has been in development.

[RELATED – Star Wars Has a Rough Road Ahead]

Boyega played Finn in all three installments of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, which proved to be his breakout role. Outside of the galaxy far, far away, the actor’s notable credits include Kathryn Bigelow’s Detroit, the Netflix sci-fi hit They Cloned Tyrone, and the acclaimed drama The Woman King. Boyega is also set to headline a Book of Eli TV series, playing a younger version of Denzel Washington’s character from the film.

Even with Cruise’s recommendation, Boyega wasn’t just handed the role of Finn. He had to go through a rigorous audition process, as several names in Hollywood were vying for a spot in The Force Awakens. Tom Holland was just one of the many actors in the running for the part at one point in time. Still, Abrams’ fondness for Attack the Block likely gave Boyega an edge over the competition. It’s easy to see why Boyega is thankful for Cruise. Star Wars put Boyega on the map, opening doors for him to pursue opportunities to work with great filmmakers on interesting projects. Things could have turned out very differently if he didn’t land the Star Wars gig, but fortunately fans were treated to his strong performances. Though Boyega voiced some frustrations over the direction of the sequel trilogy, he always delivered memorable turns in the films, conveying Finn’s journey from stormtrooper to Resistance hero. His chemistry with Oscar Isaac and Daisy Ridley was a highlight.

With Ridley set to reprise Rey in a new Star Wars movie about the beginnings of a new Jedi Order, it’ll be interesting to see if Boyega returns to the franchise. Comments from Ridley indicate she’ll be working alongside a different supporting cast this time around, but it would be nice to see her reunited with her old friends again. The Rise of Skywalker confirmed Finn is Force sensitive, so perhaps he has a spot at Rey’s temple, where he can hone his abilities and help his companion usher in a new era for the Jedi.

The post Fans Can Thank Tom Cruise for This Perfect Star Wars Casting appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Ne Zha 2 has been taking over the world ever since it dropped earlier this year, and the latest update at the worldwide box office has seen it even beat out Star Wars as one of the highest grossing feature films of all time. Ne Zha 2 has been the biggest surprise of the year as following its opening in China, it had been doing so well in the region that it quickly became the most successful animated feature film in history. Not only that, but the film was on track to become one of the highest grossing films of all time.

Ne Zha 2 has been a monumental success not only in terms of other animated feature film releases, but it actual film releases too. It was taking over the world and even started to stack up a worldwide box office on the same level as major franchise entries such as Avengers: Infinity War, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and even Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Now a new update from the past weekend at the box office has put Ne Zha 2 even above all of those films as well.

Ne Zha 2 Becomes Fifth Highest Grossing Film of All Time

With the latest update at the box office in China, Ne Zha 2 has reached over $2.05 billion in just that region alone. When accounting for other box office updates in international territories, this weekend has now brought the film to $2.085 billion USD in the global total. The film was already one of the seven highest grossing films of all time, and one of the few to even cross the two billion dollar USD mark. But with this newest update, the film has risen to fifth place just over Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($2.068 billion) and Avengers: Infinity War ($2.048 billion).

Ne Zha 2‘s impressive box office run is one of the biggest successes in history. Much of its box office success comes from just China alone, and with that support is only bringing it behind the likes of Avatar ($2.923 billion), Avengers: Endgame ($2.797 billion), Avatar: The Way of Water ($2.320 billion) and Titanic ($2.257 billion). The film still has quite a lot to go before it can close the gap between it and fourth place, but the fact that it’s gotten this far needs to be celebrated for sure. It’s a huge victory for animation.

RELATED: Surprise Adult Swim Classic Could Be Returning With New Movie

What Is Ne Zha 2?

Written and directed by Yu Yang for Beijin Enlight Pictures, Ne Zha 2 is a direct sequel to sequel to 2019’s Ne Zha, and continues to adapt The Investiture of the Gods, a series of classic stories written during China’s Ming dynasty. It’s become a very successful franchise in China, but the animated films have yet to make a real mark in North America. Domestic box office totals only accounted for a small fraction of this worldwide gross, but still made a mark nonetheless.

As this film gets bigger, there’s likely going to be more interest in Ne Zha 2 and its future sequels going forward for sure. As for what it’s all about, the film’s story teases Ne Zha 2 as such, “After the heavenly lightning, although Ne Zha and Ao Bing survived by becoming Spirits, they would soon dissipate completely. Taiyi plans to rebuild Ne Zha and Ao Bing’s mortal bodies with the Seven-colored Precious Lotus. However, during the process of reconstruction, numerous obstacles arise. What will become of the fate of Ne Zha and Ao Bing?”

The post Ne Zha 2 Overtakes Star Wars With Massive Box Office Milestone appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The moment the original Star Wars movie hit theaters in 1977, folks were lining up around the block to see it. Immediately, this weird vision of sci-fi storytelling that George Lucas couldn’t get any studio to approve of was the hottest thing in Hollywood. Lucas would use follow-ups like The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi to firmly establish Lucasfilm as an independent entity separate from Hollywood. The endless extensions of Star Wars were the perfect money-printing device for Lucas and his cinematic exploits. But just as “there’s always a bigger fish” or “crystal critters” are elusive, so too is it eternally wise to have a back-up plan for major film projects.

If Star Wars had flopped, then lingering plot threads and character arcs would’ve been dangling in the wind. To that end, Lucas had a plan. He commissioned a 1978 novel entitled Splinter of the Mind’s Eye that could serve as the basis for a low-budget sequel if Star Wars had gone awry at the 1977 box office.

What is Splinter of the Mind’s Eye?

When author Alan Dean Foster was hired to ghostwrite the novel adaptation of the first Star Wars movie, he also got an assignment to write a second book. That would be Splinter of the Mind’s Eye, which was supposed to be the basis for a cheaply-produced Star Wars sequel should the film flop. That cumbersome title already makes this project sound like it would’ve been ill-suited to be a genuine Star Wars movie, yet Lucas wanted some “pre-existing” material to draw on for a Star Wars 2 should the original feature fail.

The restrictions of a low-budget movie informed many details in Foster’s writing, including the murky planet that didn’t have elaborate backdrops. Retrospective pieces on the book also allege that Lucas insisted that an extensive space dogfight get jettisoned from an early Mind’s Eye draft since that sequence wouldn’t have been possible on a B-movie budget. This meant Foster was working within a lot of pre-existing and larger parameters for drumming up his book, not the least of which was the personalities of Luke, Han, Leia, and friends that Lucas established in the first Star Wars.

Very quickly, it became clear Splinter of the Mind’s Eye’s status as inspiring a B-movie Star Wars sequel would be redundant. Ten months before the novel’s debut, Star Wars became a pop culture phenomenon. Once this title hit bookstores in March 1978, Mind’s Eye was consumed voraciously by audiences of all ages craving more Star Wars mayhem. However, those readers would never see this story emerge on the big screen. Instead, an even costlier Star Wars sequel would arrive in 1980 through The Empire Strikes Back. Star Wars didn’t need to retreat to B-movie cinema after all.

[RELATED – How Star Wars Can Fix The Franchise As It Enters A New Era]

Splinter of the Mind’s Eye’s Larger Legacy

Though it didn’t inspire a theatrical movie adaptation, Splinter of the Mind’s Eye did have a significant legacy on Star Wars media. For starters, it helped initiate the franchise’s Expanded Universe. Splinter of the Mind’s Eye established that Star Wars was not just confined to the big screen. Stories could happen in any medium. The era of Mara Jade and countless other characters, stories, and planets was only possible thanks to this novel’s publication back in 1978.

Though Mind’s Eye is now non-canon in Star Wars mythology, ripple effects of its existence still reverberate into modern properties in the franchise. Most notably, Mimban, the planet that Splinter of the Mind’s Eye takes place on, was reimagined as an early central location in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Meanwhile, Cassian Andor would mention that he spent time on the planet in an Andor Season 1 episode. Decades later, Splinter of the Mind’s Eye’s mythology keeps on bubbling to the surface of Star Wars media.

Most crucially, Alan Dean Foster’s work writing the Star Wars novel adaptation and Splinter of the Mind’s Eye solidified him as an icon in the world of genre movie novelization adaptations. Foster would go on to write countless other books in this domain, as well as his own standalone texts. He even returned to the galaxy far, far away to pen the novelization adaptation of The Force Awakens. Though it never resulted in a B-movie Star Wars sequel, Splinter of the Mind’s Eye still proved a very impactful work in this franchise’s history.

Star Wars: A New Hope is now streaming on Disney+.

The post George Lucas’ Plan If Star Wars Had Failed Delivered a Very Different Sequel appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Good news, collectors! The Star Wars The Black Series The Armorer Premium Electronic Helmet, which originally debuted during Hasbro Pulse 2024 and finally arrived this month, is now in-stock at Entertainment Earth. That means it’s also 10% off if you order it here through our exclusive link, bringing the total down to $89.99 with free U.S. shipping (discount added at checkout). The prop replica helmet is detailed like The Armorer’s helmet from the live-action Disney+ series Star Wars: The Mandalorian, and includes light and sound effects. Note that the helmet is also listed on Amazon for the full price of $99.99, though it is in pre-order until April 12th. Additional details can be found below along with info on some recently released Black Series exclusives.

Star Wars The Black Series The Armorer Premium Electronic Helmet – Order here at Entertainment Earth and get 10% off / $99.00  $89.10: “Reimagine iconic scenes from in the Star Wars saga — and create your own — with Star Wars helmet and Lightsaber adult roleplay items! This helmet is detailed to look like The Armorer’s helmet from the Star Wars: The Mandalorian live-action series on Disney+, and is an impressive addition to any Star Wars fan’s collection. (Additional products each sold separately. Subject to availability.)  Requires 1x “AAA” battery, not included. Ages 14 and up.”

In related news, Hasbro dropped several new Star Wars Black Series exclusives at Walmart Collector Con last week, including Count Dooku, Kit Fisto, R2-D2 and a Tactical Ops Trooper from Revenge of the Sith. Pre-orders for these figures were still available via the links below at the time of writing.

• STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES COUNT DOOKU / $24.99 / Order exclusively at Walmart Collector Con; available in store May the 4th weekend / This STAR WARS action figure is detailed to look like Count Dooku from STAR WARS: REVENGE OF THE SITH. Comes with his signature Lightsaber and swinging FX.
• STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES KIT FISTO / $24.99 / Order exclusively at Walmart Collector Con; available in store May the 4th weekend / This STAR WARS action figure is detailed to look like Kit Fisto from STAR WARS: REVENGE OF THE SITH. Comes with a Lightsaber accessory.
• STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES R2-D2 / $24.99 / Order exclusively at Walmart Collector Con; available in store May the 4th weekend / This STAR WARS action figure is detailed to look like R2-D2 from STAR WARS: REVENGE OF THE SITH. Comes with his signature tools and jet thruster with flame FX.
• STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES TACTICAL OPS TROOPER / $24.99 / Order exclusively at Walmart Collector Con: This Tactical Ops Trooper figure is inspired by Episode III in the classic prequel trilogy. Includes blaster and helmet accessories.
  

The post Star Wars The Armorer Black Series Helmet Is In Stock With a Deal appeared first on ComicBook.com.

An analysis of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes has kicked of an interesting debate comparing the villain origin stories of Coriolanus Snow and Anakin Skywalker — a.k.a. Darth Vader. The conversation started on the YouTube channel Cinema Therapy, where licensed therapist Jonathan Decker and filmmaker Alan Seawright talk about blockbuster movies from a psychological perspective. Breaking down the forces at work to sculpt Coriolanus into the President Snow of the main series, Decker compared him to one of the most iconic movie villains of the last half-century, and in the process, found that Coriolanus Snow’s arc was actually written even better.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes related to modern talk therapy quite easily for Decker, as he compared Coriolanus’ conversations with Tigris Snow to the kinds of conversations a therapist and a patient might have. He pointed to the scene where Coriolanus confides to Tigris that he felt powerful after taking the life of a Tribute. Decker summed up Tigris’ advice to Coriolanus, saying, “In your father’s eyes, there was hate. Don’t become your father. People can be good. You can be good.”

“I would echo some of that, but the question I would ask Coriolanus in this moment is, ‘Okay, so you recognize and acknowledge this dyad of feeling, that you feel horrified about what you did and what happened, but you also feel powerful. The real question is what do you do with that?'” Decker said. “The greatest truth I can share with anybody is, you are who you choose to be.”

[RELATED: 10 Saddest Hunger Games Character Deaths]

This sentiment naturally calls to mind the arc of Anakin Skywalker, from the prequel trilogy through to his triumphant ending in The Return of the Jedi. The parallels don’t stop there, as Decker observed. “Coriolanus has several voices, you know, several people that he listens to,” he said. “He’s got Lucy Gray, who, even though she’s a victor, even though she’s been in the freaking Hunger Games, she still remains as much innocence and decency as she can. Not because she’s naive, but because she clings to it. And then he’s got Tigris, his cousin, who believes in the innate goodness of people. And then, there’s a third woman, the Gamemaker, and for whatever reason, he connects more with her.”

The difference here is that Coriolanus has every incentive to continue giving in to his more evil impulses after this, and on into the main series where we know him as the president of Panem. The social and political momentum swept Coriolanus away, which is more believable than the complacence of Darth Vader. Anakin had time to change his ways after the death of his wife, but he didn’t do so until he was forced to face his own actions by his son.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is streaming now on Starz. Every Star Wars movie is streaming now on Disney+.

The post Psychologist Explains Why Darth Vader’s Origin Story Isn’t As Good As You Think appeared first on ComicBook.com.

It’s been nearly 4 years since a remake of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic was first announced. There has not been a single screenshot or trailer released since, and there has been constant speculation that the game was quietly cancelled. Fortunately, it seems development is still underway, even if there isn’t anything new to share. In a newly published interview with Game File, Saber Interactive CEO Matt Karch affirmed that development continues, but had nothing else to share. Saber CCO Tim Willits also seemed to indirectly address the game in a post on X/Twitter, stating that “everything that we have talked about is still in development.”

The remake of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic was originally in development at Aspyr. After reports of trouble with the game, development switched hands to Saber Interactive, another team owned by Embracer Group. Saber was then one of several teams sold off by Embracer in 2024. That’s a lot of upheaval, and fans can hardly be blamed for assuming the game had been cancelled. However, this is not the first time Saber has confirmed KOTOR‘s status; just last year, Karch also told IGN that “the game is alive and well.” Fans looking forward to the remake should be happy to have more recent confirmation, though.

Knights of the Old Republic is often considered one of the greatest Star Wars games, and one of the overall best video games ever made. KOTOR still has a lot of fans, including Superman director James Gunn. Given that, there’s going to be a lot of pressure on the remake to deliver an experience that lives up to the name. There’s no way of knowing the next time we’ll actually get to see anything from it, but we’ll have to keep waiting until Saber Interactive and Disney have something new to show.

For the time being, Star Wars fans will have to settle for the original KOTOR games. Both games are playable on Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PC, and mobile. For one reason or another, neither game has ever been made available on PlayStation. The remake of Knights of the Old Republic would have marked the first time the game was ever playable on a Sony platform, and it would have been a timed PS5 exclusive, as well. At this time, it’s unclear if that’s still part of the plan, but reports last year suggested that will no longer be the case.

RELATED: Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles Reveals Gorgeous Collector’s Edition

Development on a AAA video game takes a lot of time. While it can be frustrating to see a game announced and not hear any kind of update for several years, that’s just a reality of the video game industry right now. Hopefully things are progressing nicely on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and when we do finally get to see it again, it will prove worth the wait.

Are you looking forward to the remake of KOTOR? Have you ever played the original version of the game? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

[H/T: Video Games Chronicle]

The post Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic Developer Reveals Small Update on the Remake appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The iconic stature achieved by Luke Skywalker has transcended a single movie in the Star Wars franchise. The famous Jedi Knight, portrayed by Mark Hamill, headlined the original trilogy of the 1970s and 1980s and returned as a supporting character in the sequel films released in the 2010s. Outside of the Star Wars movie saga, Luke’s presence permeates George Lucas’s franchise, appearing in TV series, comic books, and more. Luke’s unparalleled bravery, integrity, and prowess with a lightsaber forged his place at the heart of Star Wars. The character’s multitude of scenes across his six appearances in main saga films put his esteemed qualities on full display, and there remains one that defines him the best.

Luke’s best scene in the beloved franchise occurs in 1983’s Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. Near the end of the film, Luke faces his father Darth Vader for the final time, encountering the Sith Lord along with Emperor Palpatine on the Death Star. During this sequence, Luke’s powerful words and actions manage to turn Vader against Palpatine. Culminating with Vader’s redemption and death after killing Palpatine, the scene in Return of the Jedi defines what makes Luke a legendary Star Wars character.

[RELATED – 3 Major Star Wars Questions That Still Need to Be Answered]

What Makes Luke Skywalker’s Pivotal Return of the Jedi Scene So Perfect

The moment Darth Vader sacrifices himself to kill Emperor Palpatine and save Luke is undoubtedly a fantastic Vader scene, but the buildup comprises an even better Luke scene. After exchanging words and dueling with Vader — almost to the point of killing his father — Luke faces Palpatine, who asks him to take Vader’s place at his side. Luke’s defining moment arrives when he responds, “You failed, your highness. I am a Jedi, like my father before me.” Palpatine then unleashes an onslaught of Force lightning at Luke, while a badly injured Vader watches. Luke begs Vader to help him as he inches closer to death. Luke’s suffering at the hands of Palpatine combined with the Jedi’s relentless refusal to give in to the evil of the Dark Side prompts Vader to make his fateful choice.

Luke’s epic scenes with Vader and Palpatine are so good because it shows what makes him a great character. Luke breaks through Vader’s heartless shell in a way no one else has before. By refusing to give into his hatred, Luke proves that the strength of his mind equals that of his skill in combat. Following their tense encounter in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back during which Vader revealed that he is Luke’s father, this final interaction between the two produced an amazing payoff. Moreover, the sequence is expertly performed by Hamill, Emperor Palpatine actor Ian McDiarmid, and Darth Vader voice actor James Earl Jones. With dim lighting, an imposing musical score, and exceptionally high tension, Return of the Jedi‘s climactic scene is a true marvel of filmmaking.

How Luke Skywalker’s Best Scene Shaped the Next Generation of Star Wars

The climactic sequence involving Luke, Darth Vader, and Emperor Palpatine in Return of the Jedi greatly impacted subsequent Star Wars’ properties. Return of the Jedi completed the original Star Wars trilogy, and the saga would not return until 1999’s Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, beginning the prequel trilogy. Despite the next batch of movies taking place earlier in the timeline, Luke’s conclusive face-off with Vader and Palpatine laid the proper groundwork for the prequel films’ story. Chronicling Anakin Skywalker’s rise and fall to the Dark Side, The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, and Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith directly led to the specific moment when Vader would achieve redemption out of love for his son.

The context provided by the prequel movies makes Luke’s Return of the Jedi scene so much better. Having seen the first three movies in the Star Wars timeline, Luke’s plea to turn his father away from the Dark Side feels earned to a higher degree, as the series of events effectively serves as the culmination of the entire prequel trilogy. Additionally, observing how Anakin/Vader’s arc concludes in Return of the Jedi, and Luke’s essential role in it, renders the hero-turned-villain’s prequel arc more fascinating to watch unfold. A truly iconic scene that has been remembered for over 40 years, Luke’s final showdown with Vader will be revered for many more decades to come.

All Star Wars titles, including Return of the Jedi, are available to stream on Disney+.

What is your favorite Luke Skywalker scene? Let us know in the comments below!

The post 40 Years Later, This Is Still the Best Luke Skywalker Scene in Star Wars appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Disney+ is a treasure trove of entertainment with content for every type of fan from any fandom. Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and Pixar are some of the categories viewers can choose from, as well as Hulu series. Nestled in among the Star Wars movies and shows is the single best series Disney+ has to offer: Star Wars Rebels. While every Star Wars fan has their own opinion on what is the best piece of media in the franchise, Star Wars Rebels should rank among the top of the list for the rich history it adds into the Star Wars universe.

As the era of The New Republic expands after the events of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, this series will help introduce audiences to a number of characters and themes that we’ll be seeing in both movies and TV.

Star Wars Rebels is a Must-Watch for Fans of the Franchise

Star Wars Rebels is an animated series that ran from 2014 to 2018 that follows a small group of rebels who mainly operate in the Outer Rim. The group is more than singular actors who take their own actions against the Empire, but rather a found family who live on the ship, the Ghost. The team consists of Ghost pilot, Hera Syndulla, and her trusty (and oftentimes untrustworthy) droid, Chopper; a young Mandalorian artist, Sabine Wren; a warrior from a race of peoples known as the Lasat, Zeb Orrelios; former Jedi padawan and Order 66 survivor, Kanan Jarrus, and his own padawan he stumbled across in the series premiere, Ezra Bridger. 

Rebels takes place in the few years before Star Wars: A New Hope and weaves an overarching story of how the Rebel Alliance went from being small, independent cells to an organized and cohesive unit that was capable of taking on the Empire by the Battle of Yavin. If not for the actions that took place on Rebels by the Ghost crew, the Rebel Alliance would never have existed. Moreover, the events in many of the live action Star Wars series, such as The Mandalorian and Star Wars: Ahsoka, hinge on the characters and events from Rebels, showing just how much of an integral part of Star Wars canon the series is.

Star Wars Rebels Is an Essential Prerequisite for Ahsoka

The Disney+ series Ahsoka introduced Hera, Chopper, Ezra, and Sabine into the live-action universe, as well as the Ghost crew’s main antagonist, Grand Admiral Thrawn. The series sets Thrawn up as the next huge threat to the New Republic in its fledgling days; a threat that Ahsoka is trying to keep at bay by preventing Thrawn’s return to their galaxy from exile. In Season 2 of The Mandalorian, Ahsoka’s first appearance shows that she is searching for information about Thrawn. However, the significance of her quest is underscored without knowing what happened in the series finale of Rebels. 

Grand Admiral Thrawn was one of the most intelligent and strategic adversaries the Ghost crew and fledgling Rebel Alliance went up against. He was essentially unbeatable, except for Ezra Bridger. Ezra, who was a fully trained Jedi by this time, concocts a plan that traps Thrawn and transports him into another galaxy in wild space, freeing the Rebels of their biggest threat besides the Empire. However, Ezra’s plan hinges on sending himself along with Thrawn, leaving his friends behind with a message saying he knows they will bring him home.

Ahsoka’s search for Thrawn is just as important to Sabine Wren, who initially set off to find Ezra with Ahsoka. However, in Ahsoka, years have passed and Sabine and Ahsoka have a strained relationship. While Ahsoka fights to keep Thrawn in exile, Sabine fights with equal passion to get Ezra home; a goal Sabine shares with Hera.

Ahsoka also introduces the World Between Worlds to live-action canon in Episode 5, when Ahsoka is reunited with her master, Anakin Skywalker — in the mystical plane of existence. While Ahsoka does not explain this place, the World Between Worlds is a major plot point in Rebels and explained with detail. In fact, Rebels establishes that Ahsoka would not even be alive if Ezra did not change the past and save her during his time in the World Between Worlds.

An Important Legacy of Two Rebels May Change the Future of Star Wars

The live-action introduction and prominence of Hera and Kanan’s son, Jacen Syndulla, is another part of Ahsoka that is made richer due to Rebels knowledge. While Jacen is shown to have “abilities” that wind up locating Ahsoka and saving her during her experience in the World Between Worlds, the true significance of his heritage is unscored. It is briefly mentioned in Ahsoka that Jacen’s father, Kanan Jarrus, was a Jedi. Kanan was perhaps the most important player in Rebels, if not one of the most important Jedi the galaxy had ever seen. Seeing Kanan’s journey in Rebels has massive implications for his and Hera’s Force-sensitive son in the future of the live action Star Wars universe.

The entire plot of Ahsoka is essentially another chapter of Rebels, picking up with the biggest problem left at the end of the animated show.

The Mandalorian Could Not Exist Without Star Wars Rebels

Season 2 of The Mandalorian also introduces the former regent of Mandalore, Bo-Katan Kryze, on a dire mission to retrieve the Darksaber from Moff Gideon. The Darksaber and its impact on Mandalore as a planet and Bo-Katan’s character was a pivotal arc in Rebels. 

The Darksaber has a complicated history and has changed hands many times. In season 3 of Rebels, Sabine finds the weapon stashed among Darth Maul’s belongings and takes it, as it is a weapon that belongs to the people. What she does not realize is that whoever wields the Darksaber rules all of Mandalore, uniting the people behind a single leader. Sabine relinquishes the Darksaber to Bo-Katan, whom she believes is truly fit to rule Mandalore.

Bo-Katan’s intentions and the direness of her search for the Darksaber in The Mandalorian have lower stakes without the backstory fleshed out in Rebels.

The post This Is the Best Disney+ Show and No One Even Talks About It appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Star Wars Unlimited’s hotly anticipated next set is finally here, as fans everywhere are now able to Jump to Lightspeed. The newest addition to the hit game brings a major new mechanic to space battles with the addition of pilots, though it’s also adding two new product types to the line with Spotlight Decks and Carbonite Edition booster packs. The new set is available now, and you can order it from Asmodee’s store, on Amazon, or pick it up at your local game store.

While players will get all sorts of new options for both ground and space combat, space is a particular focus of Jump to Lightspeed, and a big part of that focus stems from the new Piloting keyword. This allows certain Leaders to either be used as a traditional Ground Unit or be combined with a vehicle to create a potent one-two punch, bringing a brand new element of tactics and strategy to battle.

Also new for the fourth set is Spotlight Decks, which are pre-built 50-card decks that allow you to just pick up and play and get the most out of the new systems. Most of the cards are new, though there are also cards in these decks from previous sets to maximize the deck’s potential.

Players will also have a brand-new way to get new cards. While you can still buy pre-release kits (at least as of now) and Booster Packs (or Booster Boxes), there is also a new type of Booster Pack. These are the premium Carbonite Editon Booster Pcks, which will contain the same number of cards as a standard Booster Pack, though there are some big differences.

[RELATED: Star Wars: Unlimited – Everything You Need to Know]

The first difference is that every single card in the Carbonite Edition Booster Pack will have some form of special treatment, whether that be a foil, Hyperspace, Hyperspace foil, or Showcase. The second key difference is that these packs will also offer a chance to snag a new Carbonite Edition Exclusive Prestige Variant, but there is a catch. These packs are going to be very limited, as there are only going to be a certain number of Carbonite Booster Packs printed for each set, and they won’t be reprinted.

“The team at Fantasy Flight Games is thrilled to introduce our fourth Star Wars: Unlimited card game set to the world,” said Danny Schaefer, lead game designer at Fantasy Flight Games. “In Jump to Lightspeed, we’ve explored a uniquely thrilling context with beautiful artwork as classic characters like Boba Fett and Han Solo battle it out in space.”

“The Jump to Lightspeed card game is an exciting chapter in the continued development of Star Wars: Unlimited,” said Danny Schaefer, Lead Designer of Star Wars: Unlimited. “With this fourth set, we’re kicking off our second year with an exhilarating gameplay experience that allows players to travel through the galaxy’s most iconic eras with the characters and content they know and love.”

What do you think of Jump to Lightspeed? Let us know in the comments, and you can talk all things Star Wars Unlimited with me on Bluesky @knightofoa!

The post Star Wars Unlimited’s Jump to Lightspeed Set Has Finally Arrived appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Star Wars is one of the largest franchises of all time, even before being acquired by Disney. Aside from the iconic films, there have been numerous other types of media under the franchise, including various video games. One of the more recent Star Wars games is Star Wars Hunters, a hero shooter game utilizing the IP. It was released on Nintendo Switch and on mobile devices offering free-to-play hero shooter fun. It had a decent release with many being surprised by the quality of the game while still disliking the microtransactions. Despite this warm reception, it seems bad news has come out for Star Wars Hunters players.

Developer Zynga shared a sad announcement with fans by revealing that Star Wars Hunters would be shutting down. This would be a multi-step process, and the developer outlined what fans can expect, sharing details on the final content updates and when Star Wars Hunters would officially go offline.

RELATED: Star Wars: Hunters Is Coming to Steam, Playtest Details Revealed

Star Wars Hunters will officially shut down servers on October 1st, meaning players will no longer be able to play the game. No word was given if the game would be available during this time, meaning new players may be able to download and play the game.

Zynga is extending Season 5 through March 25th, giving players more time to reach the Kyber 1 rank in the Ranked mode. Star Wars Hunters will also re-run events and shop bundles from the season. The Ranked mode will also continue after Season 5 ends when the next update comes.

On April 15th, Star Wars Hunters will see its final content update. This will be released for free and in-game purchases will be disabled. Additionally, the new hunter, Tuya, will be added to the game at this time and be available to all players for free. Tuya will be a support hero and comes with additional in-game content.

Finally, as stated above, October 1st marks the end of Star Wars Hunters. At this time, the servers will be taken offline and there will be no way to play the game. It is unclear if the game will be removed from the Nintendo eShop, iOS Store, and Google Play Store, but it is likely Zynga will take the download off these storefronts.

Star Wars Hunters launched on May 14th, 2024, meaning the game will be shut down in a little over one year. While live service games often see the shutters, this is a quick turnaround. Still, it can happen to any developer in the gaming industry, including Sony who saw its Concord shut down only after a month.

Those who have enjoyed Star Wars Hunters can continue to play, but only for a limited time. With the game’s free-to-play status, anyone can pick up the game and jump in now with no cost. For those who would rather spend their time on other games, both Marvel Rivals and Overwatch 2 offer similar gameplay and equally appealing characters to play as in a multiplayer hero shooter.

The post Star Wars Game Shutting Down After Just 1 Year appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Star Wars: Underworld has become the hottest “show that never was” to be rediscovered by social media platforms and franchise pundits. Thanks to new insights from one of Star Wars‘ most influential creators (producer Rick McCallum, speaking to Young Indy Chronicles), fans are having their minds blown by the idea of Star Wars‘ first TV show being a post-Prequel Trilogy series, whose price tag would’ve seen each episode costing as a much as a modestly-budgeted movie.

Here’s everything we know about Star Wars: Underworld, including why it never made it to the screen, after first being announced back at Star Wars Celebration 2005.

Everything We Know About Star Wars: Underworld

The Setting & Story

Star Wars: Underworld has been draped in a veil of secrecy thicker than the planet At Attn. That said, the title of the series says a lot; Star Wars fans have long wanted a series or movie set in the underworld of a galaxy far, far, away, involving bounty hunters, gangsters, assassins, crime syndicates, and all those from the Empire to the Republic to the Sith and the Jedi who cross through that shadowy world.

The premise of Underworld would’ve reportedly placed the show’s events in the nearly two-decade period between the Prequel Trilogy and the Original Trilogy, covering about “100 hours” of screentime. Its primary setting would’ve been the Imperial homeworld of Coruscant – specifically the seedy underbelly (or “underworld”) of the metropolitan planet.

Most interesting is McCallum’s claim that George Lucas was prepared to abandon the more kid-friendly elements he had adopted, and take Star Wars: Underworld into much more adult territory. “These were dark [scripts]. They were sexy. They were violent. They were absolutely wonderful, complicated, challenging scripts.”

He went so far as to tease the notion that Star Wars: Underworld would’ve changed everything about the franchise, saying the show “would’ve blown up the whole ‘Star Wars’ universe and Disney would’ve definitely never offered George to buy the franchise [laughs].”

So there you have it: Unlike The Book of Boba Fett, it sounds like Underworld would’ve been the marriage of crime-drama and Star Wars lore fans wanted – with some referring to it as “Deadwood in space,” in reference to HBO’s prestigious 2000s western.

As McCallum indicates, Lucas already had 60 episodes of the series already plotted out, which gives us an estimate of about three seasons’ worth of content (if working within the classic 23-episode seasonal structure), if not more (if the seasons were shorter).

The Characters

In a previous interview (from 2008), McCallum did reveal at least a vague summary of the Star Wars characters that would’ve appeared in Underworld. The show would’ve primarily followed “brand new characters, a group of people that we haven’t seen yet, except Boba Fett, who [would] be an instrumental part of it.” He added that “the series [would] also showcase other bounty hunters.” Other Star Wars fans have dug up other concepts for the series, such as a two-episode arc that would’ve seen Darth Vader trying to quell an uprising on Coruscant.

It sounds as though Star Wars: Underworld would’ve been a mix of new characters and storylines and legacy characters making high-profile appearances – which would’ve been an earlier precursor to the strategy that Disney+ has employed with its various Star Wars TV series. It also sounds like the show would’ve leaned further into the dark times of the Empire’s reign and how the rest of the galaxy responded as a result than shows like Andor or The Book of Boba Fett did.

Other anecdotes have revealed that Underworld would’ve had a loose anthology format to it, where iconic characters showed up for story arcs. In addition to Vader’s anti-uprising storyline, there were other scripts detailing milestone events like how Han Solo and Chewbacca met and started working together; how the plans for the Death Star were obtained by the Rebellion; How Lando lost the Millennium Falcon, and even one revealing the tragic bad love backstory of Emperor Palpatine.

The Budget

McCallum is blowing minds with the statement that Star Wars: Underworld would’ve had a per-episode budget of around $40 million. That’s the budgetary threshold of a modestly-budgeted theatrical film, and judging by even the most rudimentary calculations, Lucas would’ve had to invest over $2 billion into making Star Wars: Underworld.

That would’ve been one of the most substantial investments in a television series, ever (comparitively, The Mandalorian costs about $12-$15 million per episode) – but arguably, it also would’ve been a savvy one. Lucas would’ve been making franchise IP prestige TV nearly a decade before Disney, Marvel, and Lucasfilm pushed their chips all-in on expanding their movie franchises into the TV/streaming landscape. Hearing that Lucas was scaling Star Wars: Underworld to be one-of-a-kind blockbuster event TV only boggles the mind even more when considering how big of a cultural phenomenon the show might’ve been.

[RELATED: Why Star Wars Is About to Enter Its Best Era Yet]

The Creative Team & Cast

Star Wars Underworld would’ve been made under the purview of George Lucas, the creator of the Star Wars franchise. Obviously, Lucas’ longtime collaborator on the Star Wars Prequels and Indiana Jones films, producer Rick McCallum, would’ve also been involved.

According to what McCallum could reveal, the series had been developed to a considerable degree, “I think we had over 60 scripts… like third draft scripts,” McCallum said to YIC. He claimed the overarching story and episode scripts for the episodes were worked on by the “most wonderful writers in the world,” indicating that it was aiming to very much be a prestige series on the level of HBO.

Other anecdotal stories have revealed that Battlestar Galactica showrunner Ronald D. Moore was heavily-involved with the writers room of Star Wars: Underworld. Alongside Moore were other now-famous names in TV and/or film, like Matthew Graham (Life on Mars), Chris Chibnall (Broadchurch, Doctor Who), Setphen Scaia (Jericho, Blood & Treasure), Terry Cafolla (Britannia), Fiona Seres (Tangle, Kin), Louise Fox (Glitch) and Tony McNamara (Cruella, The Favourite, The Great).

Obviously, Star Wars: Underworld never made it to the casting stage, but one can assume Lucas would’ve still held enough sway to pull some select Prequel Trilogy actors (Hayden Christensen, Ewan McGregor) back into the franchise long Disney did. It’s also easy to surmise that characters that were later made famous by Dave Filoni’s Clone Wars animated seires (which he created under Lucas’ tutelage) might’ve instead made their debut – or risen to fame – in the live-action series. That list could include western-themed bounty hunter Cad Bane, or Anakin’s would-be apprentice Ahsoka Tano, who was originally concieved as being a young black market middle-woman who worked with the Jedi, while still trying to prevent criminals from exploiting things. Now that we know these characters so well, it’s hard to envision what a significant change Star Wars: Underworld would’ve made in their development.

Why Star Wars: Underworld Never Got Made

It’s not a complex answer: timing. George Lucas envisioned making Star Wars: Underworld at a time when film technology was still woefully behind the scope of his imagination.

In a previous interview Moore explained that Lucasfilm execs told them to “‘Think big. Don’t have any worries. We’ll make it. Budget is no object.’ So we wrote these gigantic pieces.” The writers did as instructed, but unfortunately, their big imaginations were too big to wrangle down the budget to point where the series could be greenlit.

“The problem was that each episode was bigger than the films, so the lowest I could get it down to with the tech that existed then was $40 million an episode,” McCallum explained.

If that $40 million per episode price tage seems wild now, just consider how it must’ve been viewed in the 2000s. That was a time when there were no comparative case studies yet for just how vaulable (as in: billions) big franchise IP universes could be – let alone the potential value in making them multi-platform franchises that extend across both TV and movies. George Lucas was once again taking a big swing at unexplored terrain, much like he did when making the Original Trilogy. And it might have just paid off, had he found a way to pull it off. Instead, Disney approached Lucasfilm for acquisition and Lucas decided he didn’t have the creative vigor to shepherd the franchise into the next era, and sold it off.

Legacy & Impact

Star Wars: Underworld will never be resurrected – at least not in the form that George Lucas and the original creative team envisioned it. While the price-point is something that could now be wrangeled down (or at least spread across seasons), the content created for Underworld hasn’t seen sitting around dormant. If you can’t tell from the section above, we know for sure from various writers, directors, and other creatives that certain scripts from the show were later mined to create the Star Wars content we now know and love.

Some of the most notable projects that were in part directly spawned from Star Wars: Underworld ideas were the “standalone” films Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and Solo: A Star Wars Story. More indirect influences can be seen on things like the Sequel Trilogy (Palpatine personal life) or TV series we did get like Star Wars Rebels and The Mandalorian. Other ideas were exported to other Star Wars franchise content like video games (which also never made it to release).

As you can clearly see, Star Wars: Underworld is still a major fixation for franchise fanfase. But instead of that pioneering series, we now have a massive collection of other Star Wars TV shows now streaming on Disney+.

Additonal reporting by Variety & Nerdist

The post Everything We Know About Star Wars: Underworld, George Lucas’ Scrapped TV Show appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The bounty hunters of Star Wars are some of the fiercest fighters in the galaxy, and fans love to see them pursue their targets on screen. From Mandalore to Tattooine, these elite mercenaries originate from a variety of places. Almost every era of Star Wars features its own roster of intimidating bounty hunters, including the three trilogies of The Skywalker Saga in addition to the live-action and animated Star Wars TV shows. Characters outside of beloved Star Wars legends like Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, and Obi-Wan Kenobi certainly deserve their flowers too, but bounty hunters often figure among the franchise’s most revered figures.

These 10 Star Wars bounty hunters are the coolest mercenaries the franchise has brought to the screen.

Boba Fett

To this day, Boba Fett remains the most iconic and prolific bounty hunter in Star Wars history. The character first appeared in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, working under the command of Darth Vader to track down Han Solo and Luke Skywalker. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi appeared to kill off Boba when the mercenary fell into the sarlacc pit while fighting Solo, but he was later revealed to have survived the incident in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett.

Boba’s undeniable swagger is forged by his deadly skill with a blaster and lethal array of weapons including a flamethrower and rocket launcher. Complete with a powerful jetpack, his roughened attire is defined by his intimidating green cape and Mandalorian helmet. Fett’s grandeur doesn’t just derive from his aesthetically-pleasing look. In addition to his prowess with a weapon, the mercenary can easily win a battle in hand-to-hand combat. Boba’s early Star Wars appearances established him as a top-notch threat in the galaxy, and his more recent involvements in Disney+ shows prove that his endurance and bounty-hunting abilities have stood the test of time.

Jango Fett

Jango Fett, the father of Boba Fett, was introduced in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. Like his son, Jango reigned as the Galaxy’s best bounty hunter, and outside of completing contracts, he became the default appearance for the clones manufactured on Kamino. Working for Count Dooku and the Separatists during the final years of the Galactic Republic, Jango was killed by Mace Windu during the Battle of Geonisis. Even though his screen time in Star Wars was limited, Jango was well established as an excellent asset with a commanding aura. Numerous scenes in Attack of the Clones establish Jango as an excellent shot with his blaster, and his jetpack often helped him get an edge over his enemies. Boasting beskar-plated armor and the classic Mandalorian helmet, Jango seamlessly ranks highly among Star Wars’ coolest bounty hunters.

Cad Bane

Cad Bane may be the slickest bounty hunter to originate from the animation side of Star Wars. The Duros mercenary made his debut in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and was later brought to live action in The Book of Boba Fett. Bane exclusively serves as an antagonist in his many appearances, and his lethality with dual blaster pistols was incredibly effective. Bane also has rocket boots to make him fly and a flamethrower to scorch his opponents. Furthermore, the elite killer’s cowboy hat gives him an American Western vibe, and his piercing red eyes and breathing tubes are menacing. By way of his unique features and insidious presence, Bane owns an impressive stature in the league of Star Wars bounty hunters.

Asajj Ventress

Another of Star Wars: The Clone Wars‘ coolest warriors, Asajj Ventress is effortlessly formidable. Instead of a blaster, dual red lightsabers are Ventress’s weapons of choice. Dangerous in a duel, the Dathomirian Nightsister was a disciple of Count Dooku before turning away from the Dark Side and taking on a bounty-hunting career. Ventress proved a worthy opponent for the likes of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and Ahsoka Tano during The Clone Wars thanks to her skill in combat and heightened Force abilities. Even when allied with the Sith, Ventress exudes an irresistible aura. Anyone who can fight with two lightsabers tends to garner the appreciation of Star Wars fans, and Ventress enters every battle with viciousness and poise. It’s hard not to admire Ventress’s aplomb and intimidating appearance. The character’s live-action Star Wars debut has not materialized yet, but hopefully the franchise will include Ventress in a future project.

Aurra Sing

Aurra Sing exists as an underrated bounty hunter from Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and more viewers should recognize her coolness. First appearing briefly in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Sing followed a much more detailed story arc during her animated tenure. The Palliduvan mercenary’s escapades include working for Cad Bane and mentoring a young Boba Fett. Cold-blooded and deadly with a sniper, Sing killed anyone and everyone who stood in her way. Making her even more fascinating, Sing was also a force-sensitive individual. Still, the assassin preferred to eliminate her targets from long range or in close quarters using a blaster pistol or her bare hands. Sing’s unwavering confidence and prowess in the field earns her a lofty place among Star Wars’ coolest bounty hunters.

[RELATED – The 10 Most Powerful Star Wars Characters Ranked]

Greedo

Greedo’s screen time in Star Wars: A New Hope was extremely short, however, the character remains an unforgettable bounty hunter in the franchise. Fans will immediately recognize the Rodian mercenary’s big black eyes and blue alien-like features. Greedo famously confronted Han Solo at the Mos Eisley cantina, where he eventually lost a duel with the Millennium Falcon pilot. Working for Jabba the Hut, Greedo was sent to kill Solo, but he was outmatched in the end. It’s a shame Greedo didn’t last longer because he was truly a cool character. Outside of his eye-catching physical features, Greedo could handle a blaster pistol well. The bounty hunter was exceptionally bold, perhaps to a fault, but his swagger still makes him a worthy Star Wars character.

Bossk

Bossk worked as one of the several assassins hired by Darth Vader to hunt Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and their allies in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. The Trandoshan bounty hunter’s striking reptilian appearance and menacing red eyes established him as a fearsome foe. A hunter by nature, Bossk led a killing career during the Clone Wars, too. Working alongside Aurra Sing to train Boba Fett, Bossk carried out numerous contracts. The character boasts a relentless drive to take out his enemies using a grenade launcher or blaster rifle. Often marked by his bright yellow spacesuit, Bossk takes on an unforgettable look throughout his appearances. There isn’t a bounty hunter quite like Bossk in all of Star Wars, and his amazing qualities are often esteemed by fans.

IG-88

One of multiple IG-series assassin droids to feature in Star Wars, IG-88 was the first to appear. The bounty hunter was enlisted by Darth Vader alongside Bossk and Boba Fett in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. Although humans and other sentient creatures might come across as cool more naturally, the droid still carries itself with an air of danger toward its opponents. Given that IG-88 doesn’t possess feelings, it easily became a stone-cold killer through and through. Laser-focused on taking out one target after another, IG-88 used sensors, rotating blasters, pulse cannons, and poison darts to eliminate enemies. The assassin droid’s plain chrome appearance is far from stylish, but its versatile array of weapons and ruthless motivation makes IG-88 a force to be reckoned with.

Fennec Shand

Fennec Shand made her Star Wars debut in The Mandalorian and later appeared in The Book of Boba Fett. A master assassin and member of the galaxy’s criminal underworld, Shand served as an intriguing supporting character in the pair of Disney+ shows, working with Din Djarin and Boba Fett during their adventures. While initially appearing to be a villain, The Mandalorian proved that Shand is much more complex than her tough exterior suggests. The mercenary’s skill in combat revolves around sniper rifles and hand-to-hand fighting. Although more sympathetic than frightening, Shand radiates confidence and expertise when it comes to eliminating a target. True to her word and quick to adapt, Shand works as a great ally to other bounty hunters and remains a compelling individual character.

Din Djarin

Din Djarin, the protagonist of The Mandalorian, embodies coolness in every way. Mighty and efficient in combat, Din was an absolute force when pursuing bounties prior to meeting Grogu. When fighting alongside Boba Fett, Fennec Shand, Bo-Katan Kryze, and many more of his allies, Din stands out as a formidable presence in combat. His extensive arsenal of weapons includes a blaster pistol, sniper rifle, and at one point, the famed Darksaber. Din’s shiny beskar armor, long cape, and Mandalorian helmet liken him to the beloved Fett bounty hunters, and that undoubtedly factors into his popularity among Star Wars fans. Well composed under pressure and always approaching situations with a fierce, no-nonsense attitude, Din has a mesmerizing aura residing in a league above most Star Wars characters.

All Star Wars projects are available to stream on Disney+. Andor Season 2 premieres on April 22nd.

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March is the month that Walmart kicks off their Collector Con events for the year, and 2025 will be no different. This year, the event takes place on March 13th and 14th, with exclusives collectibles launching at 7am PT / 10 am ET on both days. The lineup will include new figures in Hasbro’s Marvel Legends, Star Wars Black Series, G.I. Joe Classified, and Transformers lineups, as well as Spawn and BRZRKR figures from McFarlane Toys, MOTU figures from Mattel, and much more.

Below you’ll find a breakdown of exclusives that are confirmed for the event along with the dates and links where they will go live. There might be some unannounced additions on the launch days, so they will be added to the list if / when they become available. Again, the Collector Con exclusive releases listed below will be available to pre-order starting at 7am PT / 10am EST on March 13th and 14th right here at the Walmart Collector Shop. 

Star Wars Black Series Exclusives (March 13th)

• STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES COUNT DOOKU / $24.99 / Order on March 13 at 10AM ET exclusively at Walmart Collector Con; available in store May the 4th weekend / This STAR WARS action figure is detailed to look like Count Dooku from STAR WARS: REVENGE OF THE SITH. Comes with his signature Lightsaber and swinging FX.
• STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES KIT FISTO / $24.99 / Order on March 13 at 10 AM ET exclusively at Walmart Collector Con; available in store May the 4th weekend / This STAR WARS action figure is detailed to look like Kit Fisto from STAR WARS: REVENGE OF THE SITH. Comes with a Lightsaber accessory.
• STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES R2-D2 / $24.99 / Order on March 13 at 10 AM ET exclusively at Walmart Collector Con; available in store May the 4th weekend / This STAR WARS action figure is detailed to look like R2-D2 from STAR WARS: REVENGE OF THE SITH. Comes with his signature tools and jet thruster with flame FX.
• STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES TACTICAL OPS TROOPER / $24.99 / Order on March 13 at 10 AM ET exclusively at Walmart Collector Con: This Tactical Ops Trooper figure is inspired by Episode III in the classic prequel trilogy. Includes blaster and helmet accessories.

Marvel Legends Exclusives (March 13th):

• MARVEL LEGENDS SERIES GAMERVERSE SPIRIT SPIDER  / $24.99 | Order on March 13 at 10AM ET exclusively at Walmart: This collectible 6-inch scale Marvel figure is detailed to look like the character’s appearance in the Marvel’s Spider-Man video game. The Spirit Spider figure features over 20 points of articulation with premium design and poseable head, arms, and legs. This Marvel action figure set comes with 4 accessories, including a set of alternate web-slinging hands.
• MARVEL LEGENDS SERIES SPIDER-MAN ’77 MOVIE FIGURE / $24.99 | Order on March 13 at 10AM ET exclusively at Walmart: This collectible 6-inch scale Marvel figure is detailed to look like the character’s appearance in Marvel’s 1977 Spider-Man movie. Spider-Man figure is fully articulated with premium design and poseable head, arms, and legs. Marvel action figure set comes with 5 accessories, including a set of alternate hands and web accessories for exciting display poses.

McFarlane Toys Exclusives (March 13th):

• Robot Wars Spawn figure signed by Todd McFarlane – See at Walmart / Details on the common release can be found here.
• Boom Studios BRZRKR Keanu Reeves Figure / Limited quantities at Collector Con with more coming exclusively to Walmart stores this Spring. See at Walmart
• Jokerized Batman (Dark Nights: Death Metal) Figure – See at Walmart
• DC Multiverse Batman (Dark Knights of Steel) Patina Edition Gold Label 7″ Action Figure – See at Walmart
• DC Multiverse Azrael (Batman: Knightfall) Knightmare Edition Gold Label 7″ Action Figure – See at Walmart
• See all McFarlane Toys Collector Con Exclusives

Masters of the Universe Exclusives (March 13th)

• Masters of the Universe Masterverse Vintage Collection Faker Action Figure / $21.74 – Order on March 13 at 10AM ET exclusively at Walmart: This Masters of the Universe Vintage Collection action figure of Faker is designed at Masterverse 7-inch scale with 30 points of articulation. This collectable design of the MOTU replica He-Man created by Skeletor is inspired by the original MOTU toy design. This blue-tinted Evil Robotic figure comes with swappable hands and a removable chest harness and is armed with an axe, a shield and a power sword, beautifully packaged in a window box suitable for display.
• Masters of the Universe Masterverse She-Ra Action Figure / $21.97 – Order on March 13 at 10AM ET exclusively on Walmart: This MOTU Masterverse New Etheria action figure of She-Ra has the high level of detail collectors expect and celebrates the 40th anniversary of She-Ra and the Princess of Power. Designed at 7-inch scale with generous articulation, this figure is based on the vintage toy look and she comes with an extra swappable set of hands, a soft goods cape, a shield and a sword. For 6 years and older. Packed in a window box.

G.I. Joe Classified Exclusives (March 13th)

G.I. Joe Classified Series #159, Richard “Crystal Ball” King / $24.82 – Order on March 13 at 10AM ET exclusively at Walmart: New to the G.I. Joe Classified Series line, Richard “Crystal Ball” King comes ready for adventure, with multiple points of articulation for high poseability. This Richard “Crystal Ball” King figure contains 8 character-inspired accessory pieces including an alternate hand, D.I.R.E. (Dread-Inducing Responsive Energy) Tech-projected monster mask, lenticular hypno-shield with attachable fear manifestation, spectrally-charged sword, crystal ball with ghostly tendrils, and a weapon accessory. NOTE: This figure has an interesting backstory that you can check out right here.

Transformers Exclusives (March 13th)

• Transformers Age of the Primes Deluxe Class Transformers: Cybertron Sideways / $24.97 – Order on March 13 at 10AM ET exclusively at Walmart: Celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Transformers: Cybertron animated series with the Transformers Age of the Primes Deluxe Class Sideways action figure! This 5.5-inch Sideways action figure converts between robot and jet modes in 21 steps and includes attachable accessories.
• Transformers Age of the Primes Deluxe Class Transformers: Cybertron Excellion / $24.97 – Order on March 13 at 10AM ET exclusively at Walmart: Celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Transformers: Cybertron animated series with the Transformers Age of the Primes Deluxe Class Excellion action figure! This 5.5-inch Excellion action figure converts between robot and sports car modes in 17 steps. Includes attachable accessories.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Exclusives (March 13th)

• Playmates Toys Tales of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Military Turtles Figure 4-Pack Bundle / $45.97 – Order on March 13 at 10AM ET exclusively at Walmart
• NECA Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Mirage Comics) – Chote 7″ Scale Action Figure / $49.96 -Order on March 13 at 10AM ET exclusively at Walmart
• NECA Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Archie Comics) – Stump Wrestling Ace Duck 7” Scale Action Figure / $49.96 – Order on March 13 at 10AM ET exclusively at Walmart

Hot Wheels Exclusives (March 14th)

Hot Wheels Boulevard 25-Car Factory Set / $160.97 – Order on March 14 at 10AM ET exclusively at Walmart: The Hot Wheels Boulevard 25-Car Factory Set includes collector-favorite vehicles with premium execution. Each die-cast car in the set is 1:64 scale and features Metal/Metal body and chassis with authentic RealRiders tires. Vehicles were culled from the current Hot Wheels fleet, PR-worthy cars and timeless Hot Wheels castings to represent the entire Boulevard assortment for the year.

WWE Exclusives (March 14th)

• All of the following exclusives will be available on March 14th at 10am ET here at Walmart
• WWE Ultimate Edition Monday Night War ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin Action Figure / $32.97
• WWE Elite John Cena Action Figure, Greatest Hits 2025 / $22.97
• WWE Elite Collection Awesome Truth 3-Pack / $70
• WWE Monday Night War Elite Collection The Great Muta Action Figure & Accessories 6-inch Set / $22.97
• WWE Money In The Bank Cash-in Ring Playset with Accessories / $39.97
• WWE Monday Night War Elite Collection Jerry “The King” Lawler Action Figure / $22.97
• WWE Monday Night War Elite Collection Hollywood Hogan Action Figure / $22.97
• WWE Monday Night War Elite Collection Albert Action Figure / $22.97

The post Here Are The Exclusives Coming To Walmart Collector Con March 13th-14th 2025 appeared first on ComicBook.com.

“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering,” Jedi Master Yoda told young Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. There would be much suffering for the future Jedi Knight turned Sith Lord Darth Vader, whose story began as a slave boy on the remote planet Tatooine. The boy and his mother, Shmi, were sold to the gangster Gardulla the Hutt, who lost the slave Skywalkers in a Podrace wager with the Toydarian junk dealer Watto.

But that was the past. And as Kylo Ren once told Rey, “Let the past die. Kill it, if you have to. That’s the only way to become what you are meant to be.”

RELATED: Star Wars Finally Answers a Major Kylo Ren Question

It’s advice that Ren, now Supreme Leader of the reigning First Order, has taken literally in Star Wars: Legacy of Vader. The ongoing comic from writer Charles Soule (Marvel’s Darth Vader) and artist Luke Ross (Star Wars: Jango Fett) follows Ren on his quest across the galaxy to kill the past. The series is set between the events of The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, where Ren struggled with his own past and legacy as Anakin Skywalker’s grandson and to fulfill his vow from The Force Awakens: “I will finish what he started.”

After traveling to Fortress Vader on the planet Mustafar and slicing his way through the Alazmec of Winsit, Ren encountered Lord Vader’s servant Vaneé, a relic of the past who Ren sought to destroy to free himself from the Skywalker legacy. But Vaneé convinced Ren to spare him as he told the fallen Ben Solo that “Vader’s power was his past.”

“Darth Vader never allowed himself to forget his past, filled with horrors though it was. His loss, his pain, his rage at the things that happened to him became his fuel,” Vaneé said of the Sith Lord. “He never looked back, but he never let go either. This is why the dark side ran so strongly through him.”

Vaneé then offered to tell Ren how Darth Vader turned his past into his power by taking him to where it all began for Anakin Skywalker: Tatooine. Star Wars: Legacy of Vader #2 sees Vaneé and Ren — shedding his Vader-esque Sith robes for an all black, Han Solo-style outfit — return to the remote planet where Anakin and Luke Skywalker’s journeys began and where the Skywalker Saga ended in Rise of Skywalker.

Vaneé reminds Ren that the once Hutt-controlled planet is where a young “Ani” first met the woman who would become his wife, Padmé. It’s where Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi recruited Anakin into the Jedi Order. It’s where Anakin lost his mother.

And it’s where he turned the pain of that loss into power when the vengeful Anakin, feeling the dark side of the Force for the first time, slaughtered a tribe of Tusken Raiders when he returned to Tatooine a decade later (in Attack of the Clones). “Darth Vader was not forged solely in the fires of Mustafar. Your grandfather was an inferno. His past was the fuel. Do not dismiss this place, Kylo Ren. Without this backwater… you would not exist.”

Vaneé learned of Vader’s past from Emperor Palpatine, who manipulated the events that led to Anakin Skywalker’s downfall. Following the Emperor and Vader’s deaths during the Battle of Endor, Vaneé accessed Palpatine’s meticulous records documenting Anakin’s life. Vaneé is passing that knowledge onto Ren so that the “prince” may find his way and follow his grandfather’s path.

Ren and Vaneé first visit the Grand Arena of Mos Espa, where the nine-year-old Anakin was the first human to win the Boonta Eve Classic presided over by Jabba the Hutt. And it’s there that Ren is surprised to learn Anakin Skywalker was a slave, but less surprised to learn that the Jedi left Anakin’s mother in bondage on Tatooine.

Vaneé expects that Ren, like Vader, walked a path of pain, although the man once known as Ben Solo can only recall happy memories: Time spent with his mother and father, Han Solo and Leia Organa, as a child. Adventures with Chewbacca and play time with droids R2-D2 and C-3PO, both part of Anakin’s storied history. Uncle Luke teaching a young Ben the ways of the Force, and Han imparting to him how to fly the Millennium Falcon. Joyful family dinners with Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie, Lando, Artoo and Threepio.

Ren then cuts down two would-be bandits and leaves the third alive to spread the word: “Don’t talk about Luke Skywalker,” he warns of the legendary Jedi who took out an entire First Order fleet by himself on the planet Crait. “Talking about Luke Skywalker can get you killed.” He then demands Vaneé take him to the slave master who owned his grandfather.

When Ren and Vaneé find Watto’s shop in ruins, Ren envisions Darth Vader returning to Tatooine to take his revenge and choke Watto to death with his unforgiving Force grip. He learns that Vader, in fact, did not kill Watto, and that the Toydarian who was resistant to the Jedi’s Force mind tricks was not Anakin’s only owner. Upon hearing that Gardulla the Hutt still lives and resides in a fortress in the Tatooine wastelands, Ren decides to erase Anakin Skywalker’s story.

Ren kills the Rancor-riding Weequay guards defending Gardulla’s fortress and confronts the Hutt. She says that slavery was not a crime in Hutt space, and then orders Ren’s death. “The past dies. That’s all that matters,” Ren says, igniting his unstable red lightsaber blade. “I will tell my own story. You will not be part of it.”

But as Ren attempts to slay Gardulla, a small but deceptively powerful creature uses the Force to disarm Ren. After a Jedi infiltrated Jabba’s palace years earlier, Gardulla decided to take precautions against Force users.

“You came here because you didn’t like your grandfather’s story. Thought you could kill the past,” Gardulla tells Ren in Huttese. “It’s not that easy, my young friend. The truth is… your grandfather’s story, it’s now your story, too.” And because like poetry — it rhymes — issue #2 ends with Kylo Ren a prisoner of Gardulla like his grandfather before him.

Marvel’s Star Wars: Legacy of Vader #2 is on sale now; issue #3 hits stands on April 16.

The post Star Wars Reveals the Fate of Two Phantom Menace Characters 25 Years Later appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The 2024-2025 award season was all about costs. Specifically, indie filmmakers like The Brutalist‘s Brady Corbet and Anora‘s Sean Baker raised vital questions about why major Hollywood movies cost so much. Even when adjusting for inflation, modern blockbusters leave classic costly blockbusters like Cleopatra and the first Christopher Reeve Superman in the dust. In today’s world of major studio cinema, even Joker: Folie a Deux can cost over $200 million. No wonder folks like Corbet and Baker are sounding the alarm on this phenomenon. Given these exorbitant budgets, it’s worth asking which motion pictures have really tipped the scales of Hollywood.

Which films now hold the honor of being the most expensive movies in history? The seven current record-holders of being the costliest features in motion picture history were all released after 2010 and reflect an increasingly bloated, extravagant cinema scene. If you want to really feel how excessive costs have gotten for modern movies, just look at the reported budgets of these seven movies.

Avengers: Endgame — $356 million

The big conclusion to the Infinity Saga was such a taxing creative endeavor that Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame were shot back-to-back across 2017. This expansive process resulted in Endgame securing an alleged $356 million budget. That cost was inevitable thanks to the massive cast and avalanche of visual effects wizardry needed to pull this movie off. Shockingly, though, Endgame, even with its immense costs and pop culture significance, isn’t either the costliest MCU movie or Avengers installment. 

Avengers: Age of Ultron — $365 million

Phase One of the MCU resorted to mostly modest budgets save for the $200+ million costs of Iron Man 2 and The Avengers. Once Avengers: Age of Ultron, the sequel to one of the biggest movies in history, rolled around, though, Marvel Studios took the budgetary gloves off. This movie racked up a massive $365-million budget, a pricetag likely made possible thanks to factors like the extensive overseas filming done for the project, the development of new visual effects technology, and a challenging post-production period. Thankfully for all involved at Marvel, Age of Ultron nearly quadrupled its massive $365 million cost with a $1.4 billion worldwide gross. 

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides — $379 million

Pirates of the Caribbean movies don’t come cheap. Shooting these titles on practical, water-heavy locations inevitably inspires costly problems evoking the expensive overruns incurred on Jaws in the ’70s. For Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, extra complications emerged from the insistence on shooting the feature with digital 3D cameras out in practical locations as well as the costs of getting Johnny Depp to return as Jack Sparrow. In the end, On Stranger Tides reportedly cost $379 million to make. That towering total not only made On Stranger Tides the first movie in history to cost $350+ million, but also briefly made this tentpole the most expensive movie in history.  

Fast X — $379 million

Remember when the Fast & Furious movies were about street racing? Those days of modestly budgeted Point Break pastiches were firmly left in the dust by the time Fast X zoomed into theaters in May 2023. This sequel experienced endless problems coming to the big screen, including original director Justin Lin leaving the production early into principal photography. The extensive costs of getting the film back on track, not to mention paying each member of Fast X’s extensive star-studded ensemble cast, eventually produced a gargantuan $379-million budget. For comparison’s sake, Fast Five cost $125 million to make just 12 years earlier.

[RELATED: The 9 Most Expensive Streaming Movies of All-Time]

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker — $416 million

Nobody at Disney was expecting any of the sequel trilogy Star Wars movies to be thrifty productions. After all, Star Wars titles are all about grand spectacle and boundary-pushing visual effects. However, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker had to be much more expensive than anyone at the Mouse House expected. Scrambling to get the project assembled to meet a December 2019 deadline once Colin Trevorrow left the project already was costly. Meanwhile, multiple rounds of reshoots couldn’t have come cheaply for this star-studded feature. In the end, The Rise of Skywalker reportedly cost $416 million to make yet became the second-lowest grossing Disney Star Wars movie worldwide.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom — $432 million

Starting in 2014, Universal Pictures committed itself to realizing its movies on the cheap (save for the Fast & Furious movies). This was the studio known for cost-efficient Blumhouse and Illumination titles, after all. Even 2023’s Oppenheimer only cost $100 million to produce. A staggering exception to this was the $432-million budget of 2018’s Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. It’s unclear what specific factors drove the budget so high, but it is clear that the Jurassic Park saga had come a long way from the $63-million budget of the original Jurassic Park. It was also clear Universal’s cost-conscious filmmaking style couldn’t contain Fallen Kingdom.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens — $447 million

The first live-action Star Wars film to grace movie theater screens in a decade, Star Wars: The Force Awakens pulled out all the stops to provide people with the practical effects wizardry and grandeur audiences once associated with the Star Wars saga. That was always going to be a pricey endeavor, but The Force Awakens had extra problems impacting its budget, including an unexpected filming interruption when Harrison Ford suffered an on-set injury. In the end, The Force Awakens reportedly cost $447 million to make, though it turned out to be well worth the costs once it cleared $2 billion worldwide.

Are you surprised these films were so expensive? Let us know in the comments below!

The post The 7 Most Expensive Movies in History Aren’t What You Expected appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Despite Moff Gideon seemingly dying in The Mandalorian Season 3, Giancarlo Esposito has teased his possible return to the Star Wars franchise. In an interview with Empire, the actor reflected on his time playing one of the galaxy far, far away’s most dangerous antagonists and expressed his desire to reprise the role at some point in the future. While he couldn’t say for sure when exactly Moff Gideon could possibly come back, Esposito believes “there’s more road” to explore with the character in a future Star Wars project.

“There is a big movie coming out that’s focusing on Mando and The Child. I can’t say it’ll be that,” Esposito said, referencing director Jon Favreau’s upcoming film The Mandalorian & Grogu. “But I hope to be able to join that franchise again, because I think there’s more road for Moff Gideon.”

Esposito appeared in all three seasons of The Mandalorian on Disney+. Moff Gideon was the show’s primary antagonist, ruthlessly pursuing Grogu so he could use the youngster’s Force abilities to enhance an army of clones he had created. Gideon appeared to have perished in the Mandalorian Season 3 finale following a confrontation with Din Djarin, Bo-Katan Kryze, and Grogu. He was caught in an explosion when Mandalorian Axe Woves crashed a cruiser into Gideon’s base.

[RELATED – How Star Wars Can Fix The Franchise As It Enters A New Era]

The Mandalorian & Grogu, the first new Star Wars movie since 2019, is scheduled to premiere in May 2026. Several details about the film are being kept under wraps for the time being, including its full cast. The likes of Jeremy Allen White and Sigourney Weaver are set to appear in the film, with the former reportedly voicing Jabba the Hutt’s son Rotta.

Like other blockbuster franchises, Star Wars is no stranger to fake-out deaths, so it wouldn’t necessarily be a shock if audiences saw Moff Gideon again. Esposito is a widely acclaimed performer, and if Lucasfilm can organically find a spot for his return, it would arguably be a wasted opportunity if the studio didn’t take advantage of that. Gideon could be an even more intimidating threat on a quest for revenge after Din thwarted his clone plan. Whether this transpires in The Mandalorian & Grogu remains to be seen; Lucasfilm is keeping many aspects close to the chest, and a veteran actor like Esposito knows what he can and cannot say in interviews. If Esposito is in the movie, Lucasfilm is waiting for the right time to announce his role. Perhaps the upcoming panel at Star Wars Celebration in April will have further details.

As of this writing, The Mandalorian Season 4 has not been officially announced (though it is reportedly in development). It’ll be interesting to see what happens to this corner of the Star Wars universe moving forward. Dave Filoni is also working on a New Republic era movie that will serve as a culmination for storylines depicted on series like The Mandalorian and Ahsoka. It’s possible Gideon could appear there depending on how that story develops. Even if a Gideon return isn’t imminent, Esposito’s interest means Lucasfilm should at the very least hold discussions to see if there’s a way it could work. It would be great if the Emmy nominee got an opportunity to add to Gideon’s legacy.

The post Giancarlo Esposito Teases Star Wars Return (Is He in The Mandalorian & Grogu?) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Hasbro’s second Star Wars fanstream of 2025 included several The Black Series and The Vintage Collection releases for fans of The Mandalorian, Andor, Star Wars: A New Hope, Revenge of the Sith, and more. The first wave went live on March 5th, but a second wave of exclusive figures are set to drop on March 13th as part of the next Walmart Collector Con event. A full breakdown of both waves can be found below along with a sneak peek at some pipeline reveals.

March 5th Launches (Available Now):

• STAR WARS: THE VINTAGE COLLECTION IMPERIAL ARMORED COMMANDO / $24.99 / Pre-order on March 5 at 1 PM ET at Entertainment Earth; available Summer 2025. / The latest generation of Imperial super commandos are highly trained warriors protected by beskar alloy cast in the form of elite trooper armor. Based on an Imperial armored commando from the STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN live-action series on Disney+, this 3.75-inch-scale figure features detailed series-inspired deco, multiple points of articulation, and 5 accessories.
• STAR WARS: THE VINTAGE COLLECTION MOMAW NADON / $24.99 / Pre-order on March 5 at 1 PM ET at FAN CHANNEL retailer Entertainment Earth; available Summer 2025. / Based on Momaw Nadon from STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE, this 3.75-inch-scale figure features premium detail and design across product and packaging, as well as collector-grade deco.
• STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES MOFF GIDEON (DARK TROOPER ARMOR) / $24.99 / Pre-order on March 5 at 1 PM ET at Entertainment Earth and Amazon; available Summer 2025. / This 6-inch action figure is detailed to look like Moff Gideon (Dark Trooper Armor) from STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN. Comes with a helmet, 2 staffs, a blaster, and electric FX accessories.
• STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES IMPERIAL PRAETORIAN GUARD / $24.99 / Pre-order on March 5 at 1 PM ET at Entertainment Earth and Amazon; available Summer 2025. / This Star Wars action figure is detailed to look like an Imperial Praetorian Guard from STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN.
• STAR WARS: THE VINTAGE COLLECTION PONDA BABA / $16.99 / Pre-order on March 5 at 1 PM ET at FAN CHANNEL retailer Entertainment Earth; available Summer 2025. / Based on the classic original trilogy film STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE, this 3.75-inch-scale Ponda Baba figure features detailed series-inspired deco, multiple points of articulation, and 6 accessories.
• STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES CASSIAN ANDOR (SIENAR TEST PILOT) / $24.99 / Pre-order on March 5 at 1 PM ET at Entertainment Earth and Amazon; available Summer 2025. / This 6-inch action figure is detailed to look like Cassian Andor (Sienar Test Pilot) from STAR WARS: ANDOR. Comes with helmet and blaster accessories.
• STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES DIRECTOR ORSON KRENNIC / $24.99 / Pre-order on March 5 at 1 PM ET at Entertainment Earth and Amazon; available Summer 2025. / This 6-inch action figure is detailed to look like Director Orson Krennic from STAR WARS: ANDOR. Comes with a blaster accessory.

March 13th Collector Con Launches:

• STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES COUNT DOOKU / $24.99 / Order on March 13 at 10AM ET exclusively at Walmart Collector Con; available in store May the 4th weekend / This STAR WARS action figure is detailed to look like Count Dooku from STAR WARS: REVENGE OF THE SITH. Comes with his signature Lightsaber and swinging FX.
• STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES KIT FISTO / $24.99 / Order on March 13 at 10 AM ET exclusively at Walmart Collector Con; available in store May the 4th weekend / This STAR WARS action figure is detailed to look like Kit Fisto from STAR WARS: REVENGE OF THE SITH. Comes with a Lightsaber accessory.
• STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES R2-D2 / $24.99 / Order on March 13 at 10 AM ET exclusively at Walmart Collector Con; available in store May the 4th weekend / This STAR WARS action figure is detailed to look like R2-D2 from STAR WARS: REVENGE OF THE SITH. Comes with his signature tools and jet thruster with flame FX.
• STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES TACTICAL OPS TROOPER / $24.99 / Order on March 13 at 10 AM ET exclusively at Walmart Collector Con: This Tactical Ops Trooper figure is inspired by Episode III in the classic prequel trilogy. Includes blaster and helmet accessories.

Coming Soon:

• STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES CLONE TROOPER (501ST LEGION) ELECTRONIC HELMET / $99.99 / Available this Spring at select GameStop Locations. / This helmet is detailed to look like a clone trooper helmet from the STAR WARS: AHSOKA live-action series on Disney+. Press the button on the side of the helmet to distort the wearer’s voice to sound like a clone trooper.
• STAR WARS: THE VINTAGE COLLECTION LANDSPEEDER / Details coming at a later date.

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Andor creator Tony Gilroy has helped deliver some of the most acclaimed Star Wars projects of all time, but it sounds like his time with the franchise is nearing its end. In an interview with Collider, the creative was asked about a possible future in the galaxy far, far away, and he hinted at a desire to pursue other opportunities now that Andor is concluding with its second season. After spending a decade involved in the Star Wars universe, Gilroy is ready to move on and will not be “feeling guilty” about stepping away from the franchise.

“I’ve been peripherally involved for 10 years and intensely involved for six years, so that’s a pretty big chunk of my life,” Gilroy said. “There are other things to do. I think when it’s done, I will have left a pretty big piece of Star Wars real estate behind. I’m not feeling guilty about not chipping in.”

Gilroy’s first contribution to Star Wars came when he helped oversee the reshoots for 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, a gig that earned him a cool $5 million. Rogue One received strong reviews and grossed over $1 billion at the worldwide box office. Years later, Gilroy returned to Lucasfilm to be the showrunner for Andor, which earned universal praise when Season 1 premiered in 2022. Gilroy was nominated for an Emmy in the Outstanding Drama Series for his work on Andor.

[RELATED – 3 Star Wars Prequel Stories That Deserve TV Series After Andor]

Outside of Star Wars, Gilroy’s notable credits include the Bourne franchise and the 2007 legal thriller Michael Clayton. For the latter, Gilroy earned a pair of Oscar nominations (Best Director and Best Original Screenplay) among several other accolades. His work on the Bourne films saw him write the original trilogy and write and direct spinoff The Bourne Legacy.

Gilroy’s comments regarding his Star Wars future aren’t surprising, but they’re nonetheless disappointing. He has shown a knack for being able to craft compelling drama without relying too heavily on the franchise’s past. While some Star Wars projects are guilty of leaning on nostalgia and fan service, Andor was a refreshing change of pace that took the property to new heights. It would have been exciting to see what else Gilroy could have done within the Star Wars universe, as there’s no shortage of stories across the franchise timeline that could have benefitted from his touch. But he found a niche for himself in the Rogue One corner of the universe, and now that that’s reached its natural conclusion, he feels it’s time to close this chapter of his career.

Hopefully, Andor Season 2 ends Gilroy’s time with Star Wars on a high note. Based on what we’ve seen of it so far, it promises to feature more of the intriguing drama and hard-hitting action that made Season 1 such a rousing success. With the likes of K-2SO and Director Krennic being featured in Season 2, Andor is in position to enhance fans’ knowledge and appreciation for Rogue One, which would be an excellent way for the series to bow out. And it will be very interesting to see what Gilroy decides to tackle next.

The post Andor Creator Tony Gilroy Confirms Fans’ Worst Fear About His Star Wars Future appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The second and final season of Star Wars: Andor is set to make its debut next month, bringing the saga of Cassian Andor to where we first met him at the start of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Before the new episodes arrive, Disney and Lucasfilm are making the first season of the acclaimed series even more accessible, expanding its streaming footprint and even making some episodes completely free.

Disney announced on Monday that the first season of Andor has been added to Hulu in its entirety, allowing the series to reach those who still had a standalone Hulu subscription. Additionally, the first three episodes of Andor were uploaded to YouTube, where they’re available to watch for no cost. After those three episodes, of course, you’ll need to sign up for Hulu or Disney+ to finish the season.

On March 13th, Disney will be hosting a live rewatch event with Andor creator Tony Gilroy. The event will feature other guests from the series and discuss the first season in detail. Fans will also have the opportunity to ask questions about the series.

Season 2 of Andor will have a rather unique release strategy, as the entire season has been broken into three-episode “chapters,” each of which tell their own part of the story. The premiere on April 22nd will see the first three episodes released on Disney+, with three more episodes being released each week for the following three weeks. The whole season will be released over the span of four weeks.

[RELATED: 7 Characters We Need to See in Andor Season 2]

The second season of Andor is going to fill in a crucial part of the overall Star Wars story, especially as it pertains to the start of the rebellion. The series follows Cassian Andor’s journey to actually become a Rebel leader, and ultimately sacrifice his own life on a mission to steal the plans for the Death Star (which took place in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story).

“One of the great thrills of making Andor is the scale of the story and the number of characters we’re able to meet — ordinary people, Imperial overlords, passionate revolutionaries,” creator and executive producer Tony Gilroy said in a statement. “They are real people making epic decisions, all of them staring down questions with terrifying consequences. Cassian’s journey is the soul and spine of our story, but it’s the choir that makes the show. I’m so excited for audiences to see where we go in Season 2.”

The post Star Wars: Andor Expanding to New Streaming Platform and Fans Can Watch Free appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Toy Story, the movie that started Pixar’s legendary run and changed animated film production forever, was never shy about its major movie influences. There are direct references to adult films like Alien and The Shining littered throughout the movie, and some very obvious nods to Star Wars and Star Trek, especially when it came to the sci-fi inspired Buzz Lightyear. The entire character of Buzz is built around the toy craze the accompanied Star Wars in the first place.

What I never noticed before is that Buzz’s original programming and “mission” in the very first Toy Story is taken straight from Star Wars. The reference is a pretty obvious one that most people probably picked up on, but I’ve seen Toy Story so many times over the last 30 years that it just never registered with me until recently.

The mission that Buzz Lightyear thinks he’s on, before realizing he’s a toy, is the same as Princess Leia’s at the very start of Star Wars.

When Woody and Buzz are arguing under the truck at the gas station in Toy Story, during the famous “YOU ARE A TOY” exchange, Buzz explains to his new rival that he’s on an important mission and the fate of the entire galaxy hangs in the balance.

“Right now, poised at the edge of the galaxy, Emperor Zurg has been secretly building a weapon with the destructive capacity to annihilate an entire planet,” Buzz says. “I alone have information that reveals this weapon’s only weakness. And you, my friend, are responsible for delaying my rendezvous with Star Command!”

If you think that sounds familiar, it’s because it is essentially Prince Leia’s plot in A New Hope. Darth Vader was set up in the far reaches of the galaxy secretly building the Death Star, a weapon capable of killing entire planets with a single shot. Leia, a key member of the Rebellion, was given plans to the Death Star that contained information about the enormous ship’s sole exterior weakness, which would give the Rebels a chance of defeating the Empire. While trying to take those plans to the Rebellion, Leia was apprehended, delaying her meeting with the other Rebel leaders. The story of how she got those plans ended up becoming the plot of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Toy Story takes the bit a step further, as Buzz steps out from under the truck and looks directly into the sky while talking about Emperor Zurg’s weapon. He sticks his hand out and gestures directly at the moon for part of the monologue. One of the most iconic lines from Star Wars comes from the scene when the Death Star is first spotted, and its sheer size prompts someone to explain, “That’s no moon.”

Buzz Lightyear’s origin has changed and evolved over the years, but that initial explanation in 1995 was always a direct nod to the influence Star Wars had on the making of Toy Story.

It’s one of those things that would’ve been obvious to me if I’d watched Toy Story for the first time as an adult, having already seen and experienced Star Wars. But I was a kid who saw Toy Story for the first time when it was released 30 years ago, and I already knew most of the film’s dialogue by heart before I ever watched a Star Wars movie. At that point, the lines in Toy Story were so ingrained in my head that I just didn’t think too much about them anymore, so it never clicked with me just how clear a reference to Star Wars Buzz’s mission has always been.

[RELATED: How Toy Story 2 Was Saved From a Total Deletion]

There’s another Star Wars reference later in Toy Story that always felt more obvious. Sid, the devious neighbor of Andy that tortures and destroys toys, is playing out one of Darth Vader’s interrogation scenes with Woody. At one point, in a clear attempt at a Vader impression, he deepens his voice and yells, “Where are your Rebel friends now?!”

Whether you’ve always known about the Star Wars references in Toy Story, or you’re just learning about them for the first time, it’s always going to be fascinating to see how one industry-altering phenomenon helped directly influence another.

The post I Just Realized Buzz Lightyear’s Backstory Is Just the Plot of Star Wars appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Star Wars fans on Reddit have overwhelmingly identified the “Jedi Rocks” musical number added to Return of the Jedi as the most despised change made to the Original Trilogy in George Lucas’s Special Editions. In a thread asking fans to name their favorite and least favorite CGI additions, the extended musical sequence in Jabba’s Palace emerged as the clear loser, with fans expressing how the scene disrupted the film’s pacing and tone. Released in 1997 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the original movie, the original trilogy’s Special Editions featured numerous digital enhancements, added scenes, and altered effects that significantly changed the theatrical versions that fans had known for decades. The fan discussion, which gained significant traction on the r/StarWars subreddit, also highlighted several other controversial alterations.

The “Jedi Rocks” musical number, which replaced the original “Lapti Nek” song performed by the Max Rebo Band, stands out as particularly reviled among fans. Reddit user u/Abbithedog stated the musical number was so off-putting that it prompted them to purchase the original version, writing, “The weird ass music video in Jedi caused me to buy the original version on dvd.” User u/DerivitivFilms described it as “embarrassing to watch,” while u/praise_mudkipz declared it “the worst scene in Star Wars and NOBODY can convince me otherwise.” User u/Whompa02 called it “an obnoxious tech demo at best” that “should never have left the studio.” The extended sequence features computer-generated singers and dancers performing a lengthy, tonally jarring musical number that many fans feel entirely interrupts the flow of the film’s Jabba’s Palace sequence.

[RELATED: Star Wars: The Mandalorian’s Grogu Gets Anime-Style Short Series Ahead of New Movie (And It’s the Cutest)]

Another widely criticized addition was the Jabba the Hutt scene in A New Hope, with numerous commenters pointing out how it undermines Jabba’s menacing introduction in Return of the Jedi. User u/NerdHistorian called it their “least favorite change overall, since it largely just repeats information, often verbatim, from the Greedo scene and so accomplishes nothing but slowing down the film.” User u/Lee_Troyer added that “it also completely undermines Jabba’s ‘legend’ to have Han disrespect him and walk on his tail with no consequences.” Fans noted that the scene portrays an unconvincing CGI Jabba that looks different from his puppet counterpart in the later film, with u/EuterpeZonker pointing out that “Jabba is also like noticeably smaller than he is in RotJ or Phantom Menace.” The awkward moment where Han walks behind Jabba and steps on his tail was singled out as particularly problematic, with u/mitchbrenner describing it as “deeply cringey” and noting that “no version of that has looked remotely good.”

How the Special Editions Continue to Divide the Star Wars Fandom

Despite Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm and the production of new Star Wars content, the ongoing debate over George Lucas’ Special Edition changes highlights the tension between a creator’s right to revise their work and fans’ attachment to their original viewing experiences. Some additions have been largely accepted or even praised, such as the enhanced Battle of Yavin in A New Hope and the addition of windows to Cloud City in The Empire Strikes Back, which better showcase Ralph McQuarrie’s iconic designs. Yet, the Reddit thread reveals some choices continue to frustrate fans nearly three decades after their introduction.

Among the more subtly disruptive changes, fans pointed to altered dialogue and extended scenes that impact the emotional weight of key moments. One frequently mentioned example was the replacement of Darth Vader’s terse “Bring my shuttle” line in The Empire Strikes Back with the more verbose “Alert my star destroyer to prepare for my arrival.” Reddit user u/RightHandWolf criticized this change for removing the intimidating urgency of the original line, writing: “Vader’s rhythm and pacing of his words sounds like he’s asking the barista for a little extra milk in his frappucino while deciding between the blueberry scones or the cranberry corn muffins.” User u/Isnotanumber added that “Vader sounded PISSED when he said ‘Bring my shuttle.’ And no wonder. He no doubt played out telling Luke he was his dad for a while, and when he finally does, Luke chooses near-suicide rather than join him.”

Similarly, the addition of Vader shouting “No!” before throwing Emperor Palpatine down the shaft in Return of the Jedi was criticized for undermining what many considered a powerful silent moment of decision. As user u/East-Cat1532 explained: “My favourite part was always Vader’s total silence as he looks back and forth, from Luke to Palpatine, and silently makes his choice. Somehow, you could almost see the conflicting emotions behind his mask! The ‘nooooo!’ cheapens it.” User u/Brendanlendan added, “I was able to understand the conflict when I was 8. I didn’t need the ‘Noooooo.'” 

The theatrical version of Star Wars’s original trilogy is surprisingly hard to watch legally, with only A New Hope currently streaming (and we don’t know for how long). The Special Editions are available on Disney+.

In your opinion, what’s the worst change the Special Editions made to the original Star Wars trilogy? Let us know in the comments!

The post Star Wars Fans Are Debating the Worst Change to the Original Trilogy (There’s a Clear Winner) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

To paraphrase Jedi Master Mace Windu: “The budget will decide your fate.” In 2005, Star Wars creator George Lucas made his first convention appearance since 1987 to celebrate Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith, at the time the saga’s sixth and final film. It was there that Lucas announced two Star Wars TV shows: the half-hour CG-animated series The Clone Wars (which debuted on Cartoon Network in 2008) and a live-action drama to be set between Episode III and Episode IV, bridging the events of the prequel trilogy and the original trilogy.

The latter would be as dark as its eventual title implied: Star Wars: Underworld.

“I think we had over 60 scripts [written], third draft scripts,” Rick McCallum, Lucas’ producer on the Young Indiana Jones TV series and the Star Wars prequel trilogy, said during a recent appearance on the Young Indy Chronicles podcast. “These were dark. These were sexy, they were violent, they were just absolutely wonderful, complicated, challenging. I mean, it would have blown up the whole Star Wars universe, and Disney definitely would have never offered George to buy the company [laughs].”

“It’s one of the great disappointments of our life,” McCallum said of the series that never materialized. “But the problem was, each episode was bigger than the films. So the lowest I could get it down to, with the technology that existed then, was about $40 million dollars an episode.”

RELATED: What’s Next for Star Wars After Skeleton Crew and Andor

$40 million per episode times 60 episodes comes with a price tag of $2.4 billion, or nearly half the $4.5 billion that The Walt Disney Company paid to acquire Lucasfilm in 2012. (In 2008, Lucas revealed he planned to do “100 episodes no matter what.”)

For comparison, HBO spent between $10 million-$15 million per episode producing the later seasons of Game of Thrones and $20 million per episode on spinoff House of the Dragon (or $200 million for the 10-episode first season), which means even just a 10-episode season of Underworld — a tenth of what Lucas envisioned — would have carried a price tag of $400 million, a number that dwarfs most of the expensive movies ever made. A 100-episode run at $40 million per episode would almost make Amazon’s costly Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power series look quaint.

“We are trying to figure out a different way of making movies. We are looking for a different technology that we can use, that will make it economically feasible to shoot the show,” Lucas said in 2011. “Right now, it looks like the Star Wars features. But we have to figure out how to make it at about a tenth of the cost of the features, because it’s television. We are working toward that, and we continue to work towards that. We will get there at some point. It’s just a very difficult process.”

Lucas added that the technological advancements of Star Wars: Underworld would “dramatically affect features, because feature films are costing between $250 to $350 million. When we figure this out, they will be able to make a feature film for $50 million.”

Lucas first described the then-untitled live-action television series as a spin-off “with some characters who have appeared before,” he said at Star Wars Celebration III. “Like on The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, we want to write all the stories for the entire first season all at once. I’m going to get it started, and hire the showrunners and all of that, then I’ll probably step away.”

By 2008, Lucas told Total Film Magazine that Lucasfilm had spent a year designing sets, environments, vehicles, and aliens for the still-untitled live-action Star Wars show, which he called “a little bit more experimental.” (Reported test footage that leaked online in 2020 showed Underworld‘s completely computer-generated environments and the seedier side of the Star Wars galaxy.)

“It’s a lot more talky,” Lucas added. “It’s more of what I would call a soap opera with a bunch of personal dramas in it.” Where the original Star Wars saga was inspired by the Flash Gordon serials of the ’30s, the spinoff series “would be more based on film noir movies from the ’40s.”

“It takes place over the 20 years when Luke’s growing up, but it’s not about the Skywalkers or any of that stuff,” Lucas explained. “Like in Episode IV — you hear about the Emperor, but you don’t actually see him. People live in the Empire, but you don’t see Stormtroopers. It’s a completely different idea, which is risky. But that’s the only reason I’m doing it. Some people will inevitably say, ‘It’s not what I think of as Star Wars.’ So who knows, it may work or it may not.”

It did not work. In a 2010 update, McCallum revealed that the live-action show was “on hold because we have scripts, but we don’t know how to do them,” he told the fan site Rebel Scum. “They literally are Star Wars, only we’re going to have to try to do them [at] a tenth of the cost [of the movies]. It’s a huge challenge — [a] lot bigger than what we thought it was gonna be.”

McCallum later described the series as “much darker” and “much more adult” than the films, comparing it to The Empire Strikes Back “on steroids.” The Underworld series was to be set on Coruscant, the once glistening capital city of the galaxy that was home to the Grand Jedi Temple and the Galactic Senate before Imperial rule.

Star Wars: Underworld would eventually be shelved, and Lucas would sell his company to Disney in 2012. Under Disney, the Kathleen Kennedy-led Lucasfilm would go on to launch the first-ever live-action Star Wars series, The Mandalorian, in 2019. The streaming series, which also developed new technology, cost a reported $100 million for its eight-episode first season, or about $12.5 million per episode.

Like Star Wars: Underworld, Disney+’s spinoff and feature film-spawning Mandalorian series follows a bounty hunter and is set in the often gritty underworld of the galaxy far, far away.

The post George Lucas’ Cancelled Star Wars Show Would Have Cost Over a Billion Dollars appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The Star Wars franchise has traversed plenty of ups and downs over the years, but a new, brighter age may be on the horizon. Rumors of Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy’s impending retirement recently began swirling. Being hand-picked by Star Wars creator George Lucas in 2012, Kennedy has overseen the franchise’s Disney era, as well as its sequel movie trilogy and expansion to live-action TV series. Kennedy later clarified that she does not plan to retire in the immediate future, rather she is merely looking at potential successors for when she does decide to step down. Although the timing of Lucasfilm’s new leadership is uncertain at the moment, the beloved sci-fi fantasy franchise can capitalize on its past triumphs and mistakes.

Kennedy’s time at the helm of Star Wars has been largely defined by experimentation. After the IP made its long-awaited comeback on the big screen with 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, numerous spin-off films and TV series were produced in addition to the latter two sequel trilogy films. Having observed how new projects and strategies have turned out, the next head of Lucasfilm can learn a lot and build a more successful next era as a result.

[RELATED – How Star Wars Can Fix the Franchise as It Enters a New Era]

Why the Future of Star Wars Is Bright

The next generation of Star Wars appears promising because previous trials and errors will likely pay off. First of all, the mixed reception of the sequel trilogy can pave the way for a more carefully constructed new chapter of the main saga, which also doesn’t need to be rushed this time thanks to Star Wars’ extensive library of TV shows and spinoffs. 2019 marked the beginning of the franchise’s live-action TV sector on Disney+ with The Mandalorian. Since then, Star Wars: Andor, Star Wars: Ahsoka, and Star Wars: Skeleton Crew represent Star Wars’ best TV series, with Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett, Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Star Wars: The Acolyte failing to earn the widespread approval of critics and fans. It’s clear that Star Wars is still figuring out its TV formula in terms of pacing, number of episodes, number of seasons, and characters and stories to focus on. Thus, the numerous examples from the last six years should help Lucasfilm’s next leader achieve a greater sense of stability in that area.

Spin-off films such as 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story saw varying degrees of success, and the upcoming spinoff The Mandalorian and Grogu will provide another specimen for this category, as well as reveal if transitioning a TV series into a theatrically released movie is an avenue worth pursuing again. Whoever takes over for Kennedy as Lucasfilm’s president will have all sorts of data available to them, meaning they can assess what did and didn’t work relating to recent Star Wars properties and plan accordingly for the days to come.

In Its Next Era, Star Wars Can Prove Its Ability to Adapt

If the next era of Star Wars succeeds, it will prove its ability to learn from shortcomings and adapt to the present and future. This adaptation will principally involve Star Wars’ handling of nostalgia. If the Disney age has indicated anything, it’s that Star Wars has perpetually relied too much on the old guard of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Darth Vader, and other icons from the original trilogy. There’s a need to evolve beyond the prosperity of decades past and offer something for newer fans and younger generations to be excited about. Centering projects on sequel-era characters and/or introducing brand-new faces will be pivotal in determining whether Star Wars can prevail in the long run.

Star Wars currently seems headed in the right direction, as bold new filmmakers like Taika Waititi, James Mangold, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, and Simon Kinberg all have titles in the works. Introducing fresh minds to the franchise always carries a significant upside, previously evidenced by Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni’s work in the last few years. Ultimately, when it comes to the future of Star Wars, the key will be finding a balance between all of the franchise’s different time periods, storylines, and mediums. From TV to the big screen, Star Wars can accomplish in its forthcoming era.

All Star Wars titles are available to stream on Disney+.

What do you think Star Wars should do in the future? Let us know in the comments below!

The post Star Wars Is About to Enter Its Best Era And Here’s Why appeared first on ComicBook.com.

There have been a plethora of Star Wars video games released over the years, spanning every era of the franchise. Back in January, Aspyr brought a prequel era game to modern platforms with some new features, and the game has already gotten a nice discount. The game in question is Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles. It normally costs $19.99, but Steam users can purchase it right now at 35% off. That knocks the price down to just $12.99, and that savings could convince some gamers that have been on the fence up to this point.

The discount on Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles will last through Monday, March 10th, so those interested in taking advantage have just over 24 hours left to claim this deal. Aspyr is currently hosting a flash sale on Steam, and Jedi Power Battles is one of 5 games that have received a temporary price drop as a result. Star Wars: Bounty Hunter is also included in this sale, with the Jango Fett game priced at just $9.99, down from its normal $19.99.

Aspyr’s Star Wars games are largely faithful to the original versions. In the case of Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles, fans can expect an experience that isn’t much different from the one that debuted on the original PlayStation and Dreamcast back in 2000. There are some differences, however. Notably, the game now features several characters that weren’t playable in the original, including various takes on Tusken Raiders and Battle Droids. There’s also an option to make Mace Windu’s lightsaber accurate to the films, since the original game assigned him a blue one, before he started using purple in Attack of the Clones.

Reception to Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles has been mixed on Steam since the game’s release. A lot of the complaints about the game have centered around the fact that the gameplay feels a bit dated. However, it seems fans of hack and slash games have had fun with it, and many of the user reviews advised waiting for a sale. If you’re a big Star Wars fan that’s willing to overlook some of the game’s flaws, this is probably the perfect opportunity.

RELATED: Star Wars Game Announced Three Years Ago Is Still MIA

Diehard Star Wars fans that don’t mind spending extra can also check out a special collector’s edition of Jedi Power Battles, which was announced last month by Limited Run Games. The collector’s edition is being offered for both consoles and PC, and features a bunch of extras based on the game itself, as well as Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Pre-orders for the collector’s edition are set to close on March 23rd, so those interested still have a few weeks left to take advantage.

Do you plan on snagging this Star Wars game on sale? Did you play Jedi Power Battles on the original PlayStation or Dreamcast? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

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It has been quite a long time since the Star Wars prequels sparked a frenzy at the movie theater, giving some fans a villain to hate for years and others a fresh start for their favorite franchise. The Phantom Menace is likely the harder pill to swallow for many fans, though time has been kinder to it in the wake of Disney’s recent Star Wars output in theaters. That’s probably one fan took an extra step back into the cooling waters of Naboo to dig up an Easter egg featuring George Lucas after close to 30 years.

Former ILM matte painter Caroleen “Jett” Green recently spoke to Clayton Sandell with SFFGazette, revealing she placed a small, hidden cameo for George Lucas in his first entry in the prequel trilogy.

“I decided to get a picture of George, and I put it on this plaque,” Green said in the chat. “I thought, ‘Well, that’ll be cool. By the time you shrink that down, his face is just a blur.'”

She indicated that Lucas still had to approve the small cameo, but seemed pleased with his response.

“George is really quiet. He looks at it, and he goes, ‘Oh, naughty, naughty,'” she continued. “I said, ‘Yeah, but it’s you! It’s your face.’ And then there’s silence again. And I’m just sitting there with everybody. And for some reason, I can’t describe the feeling, but–I knew that I wasn’t going to get in trouble. And then George says, ‘Okay. Leave it in.'”

It technically would be his earliest cameo in the Star Wars films, though Lucas did make a physical cameo in Revenge of the Sith in 2005. Featuring blue skin, Lucas appeared as Baron Notluwiski Papanoida standing with his family outside of the opera. Is it noteworthy that Lucas makes his cameo shortly before the true evil of the galaxy reveals itself? We may never know.

[RELATED – Star Wars Day: 5 Ways to Celebrate The Phantom Menace’s 25th Anniversary ]

Lucas also has a small audio cameo in the newer Disney-released films, like Rogue One and The Rise of Skywalker. It takes a scream he recorded during production on American Grafitti in 1973 to replace the iconic Wilhelm scream. It’s unlikely he will be returning for any future films or cameos in the future, so fans might need to venture back to get their fix.

The Phantom Menace Easter egg is hard to see, even in 4k, according to the outlet, but you can see it. It isn’t just some random goof or prank Photoshop. It’s a legit photo of the director that was popular around the time of the film’s release, even getting plenty of play during a Washington, D.C. museum exhibit to honor the franchise’s 20th anniversary. It also got the Drew Struzan treatment for a masterful tribute painting.

Can you spot the Easter egg yourself? Is The Phantom Menace in need of redemption? Sound off in the comments!

The post The Phantom Menace’s Secret George Lucas Easter Egg Revealed 26 Years Later appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The Star Wars saga has a few standard elements, be they in a theatrical film or a Disney+ series. There’s usually a title crawl at the very beginning, especially when it’s a movie that is kicking off. There are references to and displays of the Force. There’s typically an at-first mysterious individual behind a black mask who ruins many members of many species’ days. And, of course, there’s an overhanging war, typically shown via either exciting space battles or, well, less exciting scenes of political discourse in high-ceilinged chambers. But what the IP is known for more than anything else is its lightsaber duels. After all, why have such an iconic weapon if the movie or streaming series isn’t going to show it off? What follows are the best of the best when it comes to whirring lightsabers bashing up against one another.

None of the Disney+ shows made the cut, but the fifth episode of Star Wars: The Acolyte and Obi-Wan’s confrontation with Darth Vader in Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi came close. The same goes for Obi-Wan and Vader’s duel in Star Wars: A New Hope and Rey and Finn’s confrontation with Kylo Ren in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Luke vs. Vader in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

Even with impressive third acts in the prequel trilogy’s first and third films, Luke’s fight with Darth Vader in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back is without a doubt the most iconic lightsaber duel in the history of the franchise, and rightly so. Not only did it greatly improve upon the honestly boring choreography of the Obi-Wan vs. Vader fight in Star Wars: A New Hope, it gave cinema history one of its definitive and oft misquoted lines of dialogue.

Everything about The Empire Strikes Back feels like all bets are off. It’s a continuous subversion of what people expect sequels to be. The protagonists often feel as though they’re genuinely in danger, and the lightsaber clash is no exception. Luke loses a hand, has a devastating revelation dropped on him, and nearly falls off a city in the clouds. Naturally, the lightsaber clashes would only get more convoluted and — when CGI didn’t get in the way — physically impressive as the franchise went on, but there’s something that to this day is perfect about the balance struck here. Luke leaps a little bit, but for the most part it plays as two men just several feet from one another with devices that can cut through their opponent like butter. Toss in one of those opponents harboring a secret and it’s one of cinema’s great scenes.

Luke vs. Vader in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

Even with a son nearly striking down his father, the saddest scene in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi involves an Ewok getting gunned down by an AT-ST walker and then having another Ewok kneel by its side and cry. But it says a lot about this lightsaber battle that it’s kind of close. As far as choreography and setting go, The Empire Strikes Back nets the win for Luke vs. Vader duels, but Return of the Jedi gives it a serious run for its money.

One aspect that really works for this fight is having Emperor Palpatine in the background, waiting for a vision he had to come true. But Luke is stronger than what Palpatine wants him to be, so the wrinkly sadist is left disappointed. With the exception of Obi-Wan vs. Anakin in the prequel trilogy’s capper, this is the most thematically rich and moving duel of the franchise. Yes, Vader reveals he’s Luke’s father in Empire, but here Luke saves his father’s soul, and that’s just as exciting as the flashes and clashes of red and green.

Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon vs. Darth Maul in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace

For all its faults, most of which have been discussed to death throughout the 26 years since its release, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace has the saga’s absolute best lightsaber duel. Everything about it works, starting with the moment those big doors slide open, and the seldom-seen Darth Maul looks up at his opponents. Oh, and John Williams’ incredible “Duel of the Fates” starts blaring.

Thanks to Ray Park’s physical abilities, Darth Maul is the most ferocious opponent a lightsaber dueler can face, and the well-shot scenes (intercut with a space conflict, a blaster battle in the Theed Capitol, and a Gungan vs. droid ground fight) only help accentuate his physicality. Even those who had checked out fairly early on in the film perked up when this duel got going, and while The Phantom Menace doesn’t always sell its more emotional, character-driven moments, there’s little doubt everyone in the audience’s heart broke when that red beam blade went through Liam Neeson’s Qui-Gon Jinn.

Yoda vs. Count Dooku in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones

There are two ways of looking at Yoda’s lightsaber duel with Count Dooku a.k.a. Darth Tyranus in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. One is the way that some in the audience felt: that it “jumped the shark” by having Yoda whirling and twirling through the air. The other way is that it was nice to finally see Yoda do something other than sit and talk or lay back and become one with the Force in perpetuity.

This was also a chance to see the late, legendary Christopher Lee swing a lightsaber, which is a cinematic gift that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Sure, he did it again in the following film, but his duel with Obi-Wan and Anakin there, while more thematically rich, was also brief. Here, it’s really just a fun fight to watch, even if the CGI can be a tad on the spotty side here and there.

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Yoda vs. Darth Sidious in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith

It’s clear that George Lucas knew he had to deliver the most intense lightsaber battles to date with Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, because it ends with a pair of doozies, made all the better by the fact that they cut between one another. The audience knew Anakin’s fight with Obi-Wan was coming, as it had been mentioned in the original trilogy (not to mention its constant splashing across the marketing materials), but comparatively, Yoda vs. Darth Sidious was a surprise. A party favor of sorts.

And, while this fight isn’t as phenomenal as the saga’s most important duel, it’s nearly as fun and certainly as acrobatic. Those who didn’t like seeing Yoda twirl around in Attack of the Clones still probably can’t fully get on board, but even with that, the special effects are more convincing here when it comes to pulling his movements off. The icing on the cake here, though, is just how much fun Ian McDiarmid was clearly having shooting it.

Anakin vs. Obi-Wan in Revenge of the Sith

Even after 20 years, the lava-caked landscape of Mustafar looks pretty impressive in Revenge of the Sith. But, visual appeal aside, it’s the presence of the lava that helps make this lightsaber battle feel the most dangerous of them all. If the viewer didn’t know for a stone-cold fact that Obi-Wan and, to an extent, Anakin, live through this, they’d be forgiven for thinking they were going to die at any moment.

This battle is also buoyed by just how personal it is for both opponents. All lightsaber battles are a fight for survival, sure, but here Anakin truly wants to kill Obi-Wan and Obi-Wan truly just wants to save Anakin. But Obi-Wan knows it’s too late, as does the audience, which makes this lengthy duel carry a certain dramatic weight that was only felt as sharply in Luke’s fights with Vader.

Rey vs. Kylo Ren in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

As a whole, the sequel trilogy is lacking when it comes to lightsaber duels. But, while the film itself is fully average at best, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker does have a good one. In this case, the winning factor is the setting and how the planet’s elements affect the fight.

Rey and Kylo duke it out on the wreckage of the Death Star II, previously seen in Return of the Jedi. Whereas part of the appeal of Obi-Wan and Anakin’s fight on Mustafar felt extra dangerous because of the lava, here it feels as though Rey or Kylo could be swept away by a ferocious wave at any moment. Admittedly, their fighting through a snow-covered forest in Star Wars: The Force Awakens is nearly as good, but the addition of the decimated Death Star gives this duel the edge. Not to mention, having Rey win then go out of her way to save Ren’s life was a nice touch.

What’s your favorite duel in the Star Wars franchise? Let us know in the comments below!

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With Daisy Ridley set to return to the Star Wars franchise in director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s movie New Jedi Order, fans have been wondering if any of Ridley’s sequel trilogy co-stars will be joining her on her next adventure in the galaxy far, far away. Based on the actress’ latest comments, it sounds like there might not be any reunions with Finn or Poe Dameron. In an interview with Backstage, Ridley openly discussed her biggest fears about returning to Star Wars after so many years away. In her response, she mentioned that this time around, she’ll be working with “different actors,” which presents a new set of challenges for her to figure out.

“The first three films, we did fairly close together in the grand scheme of things. So one of the things is: Do I remember how to be Rey?” Ridley said. “It’s been a while, and time has passed in [the Star Wars] world. So there are a lot of questions about what has happened in that time, both for me and for the character; that in and of itself feels like a challenge. And then there’s the fact that I’ll be working with different actors and different filmmakers, which brings up different things. And that is always progressive, I suppose, because it’s someone else’s interpretation.”

Since being announced at Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023, New Jedi Order has lingered in development, going through multiple writers as Lucasfilm tries to crack the story. Currently, The Bourne Ultimatum writer George Nolfi is penning the script. In February, Ridley shared a New Jedi Order update with ComicBook, revealing that while she hasn’t read the latest screenplay, she’s excited about the story’s potential.

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So far, Ridley is the only cast member who’s been confirmed for New Jedi Order. Naomi Ackie, who portrayed Jannah in 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, has expressed interest in returning to the franchise. However, she hasn’t been contacted by the studio.

It’s important to note that Ridley doesn’t definitively shut the door on John Boyega and Oscar Isaac coming back. Even if Finn and Poe are featured in some capacity, New Jedi Order would still feature several franchise newcomers, as the story chronicles Rey’s attempt to lead a new generation of Jedi. That said, it sounds like there’s a strong chance Rey will be spending most of her time with fresh faces, which could be disappointing for some fans. While the sequel trilogy earned mixed reactions for its storytelling, most enjoyed seeing the cast in their roles and Ridley had great chemistry with Boyega and Isaac. It would be fun to see those three together again, but having Ridley play against a different supporting cast in an exciting prospect. It’s an opportunity for the filmmakers to establish new character dynamics with Rey in the role of mentor. It’ll be interesting to see which of her students she’s close with and how she draws upon her past while teaching them.

New Jedi Order takes place 15 years after The Rise of Skywalker, so it makes sense if the Resistance heroes have gone their separate ways after defeating the First Order. That doesn’t mean Rey, Finn, and Poe are no longer friends, they’ve just had to follow their own paths. Even though Finn is Force-sensitive, that’s not a guarantee he’d be a student at Rey’s academy. Assuming Finn and Poe don’t have cameos in New Jedi Order, hopefully the film provides viewers with an update on their whereabouts, potentially teasing their return in a future Star Wars project.

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The Star Wars lightsaber hilt replicas that Disney / Lucasfilm produce for the Parks and The Disney Store are extremely popular with collectors, and we expect that the one that’s debuting here at Comicbook will be among the most coveted. The hilt is based on the weapon welded by the beloved Legends character Mara Jade Skywalker, and only 3500 will be produced globally. If you want to be one of those lucky collectors, read on.

The Emperor’s Hand Limited Edition Legacy Lightsaber set is designed to showcase Mara Jade’s transition from an agent of the Empire / Palpatine to an extremely powerful Jedi and wife of Luke Skywalker. The set will include a highly detailed Legacy Lightsaber Hilt, a limited comic book with a variant cover from the classic comic Star Wars Mara Jade by The Emperor’s Hand (issue #1), an individually numbered insert, and fancy wooden box packaging with sliding doors and a design that’s half Empire symbol/half New Jedi Order symbol. The lightsaber hilt will illuminate purple when a Legacy Lightsaber Blade is attached.

This Mara Jade lightsaber set will be available starting at 8am PT / 11am ET on Saturday, March 8th right here at The Disney Store priced at $325 (the link will be inactive until that time). You can purchase a lightsaber blade separately here. Note that the hilt will also be available at Walt Disney World Resort at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and at Disneyland Park, and that the 3.500 units will be spread between these locations. Naturally, that means online availability will be extremely limited and quick sell out is likely. You’ll want to arrive early (a queue is expected) and have everything in your account ready to go ahead of time just in case.

Mara Jade Skywaker made her debut in the 1991 novel Heir to the Empire, which is the first book in Timothy Zahn’s iconic Thrawn Trilogy. She has appeared in numerous novels and comic books since. However, as a Legends character, she is not currently part of Star Wars canon. Given the popularity of the character, it seems likely that she’ll become official at some point – maybe even in live-action.

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