Sci-Fi Storm

Do you need a little extra help on your path as a Jedi – at least in how to handle a lightsaber? We’ll, you can just take a class.

In San Francisco some Star Wars fans got together and started offering a course in fighting with a lightsaber as the Golden Knights, led by Alain Bloch as the “Jedi Master”, who is actually has a background in martial arts and stage combat (and looks a bit like later-prequel Obi-Wan Kenobi…)

Although it sounds a bit silly, and some treat it as such at the start, many in the class come over to the Light Side. “At first they giggle because they think it’s a little silly. Then they’re like, actually that’s kind of cool,” said Julio Reyes, a student. “Then they start asking more questions.”

Although apparently there are a few Sith out there as well.

This isn’t the first class offered in fighting with a lightsaber – young Padawans have been taught the ways of the elegant weapon and fend of Darth Vader daily at Walt Disney World since 2007.

There are just for episodes left in Season 5 of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and all four of them make up the season finale!

Catch the trailer here and get a glimpse of what is to come…could we be getting hints of Ahsoka’s ultimate fate? Is Anakin beginning to slip to the Dark Side? Who is going to disappoint who?

The finale starts today at 9:30 ET on Cartoon Network.
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Another sad passing to announce today: Stuart Freeborn, the makeup and creature wizard responsible for many of the creatures seen in the original Star Wars trilogy including Chewbacca, Yoda, Jabba and several of the Cantina creatures, passed away today in England at the age of 98.

Freeborn also worked on 2001: A Space Odyssey, the Superman franchise, The Omen and many other movies.

I didn’t realize it was only speculation so far, but Disney’s CEO Bob Iger confirmed in a live interview with CNBC that Disney/Lucasfilm is working on several standalone Star Wars films, in addition to the continuing saga with Episode VII slated for 2015.

He couldn’t give any details as to characters or plot or anything like that, but did say that Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg are currently working on them, as reported back in November.

LucasFilm announced today that it will postpone the 3D re-releases of Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, now that development is proceeding full speed on Episode VII. According to the announcement, “Given the recent development that we are moving forward with a new Star Wars trilogy, we will now focus 100 percent of our efforts on Star Wars: Episode VII in order to ensure the best possible experience for our fans. We will post further information about our 3D release plans at a later date.”

Disney obviously wants to push forward with new material quickly – this despite the fact that it has been re-release its own inventory of films in 3D on a fairly rapid schedule, with Monsters Inc. the most recent.

Update 1/26: Disney confirmed the news late last night.

“To be a part of the next chapter of the Star Wars saga, to collaborate with Kathy Kennedy and this remarkable group of people, is an absolute honor,” J.J. Abrams said. “I may be even more grateful to George Lucas now than I was as a kid.”

“I’ve consistently been impressed with J.J. as a filmmaker and storyteller,” Goerge Lucas said. “He’s an ideal choice to direct the new Star Wars film and the legacy couldn’t be in better hands.”

Previously: An official press release has not come out yet, but pretty much every news outlet is reporting that it is pretty much a “done deal” that J.J. Abrams, currently in charge of Paramount’s rebooted Star Trek movie franchise, will direct at least one episode of the Disney-revived Star Wars franchise. J.J. has reportedly signed (or is about to) to direct Episode VII, the first movie up and currently being written by Michael Arndt.

I’m surprised that either side would have wanted one person delving into both of the top science fiction saga franchises there are, but still I like the idea. Not as much as a “Joss Whedon is my master now” Episode VII, mind you…but Disney is planning plenty more.

Update: Roberto Orci appears to confirm the story on Twitter:

“@naddycat: @boborci Any chance you can confirm/deny about Mr Abrams directing Star Wars? So far just a lot of “sources say”…” True!

— roberto orci (@boborci) January 25, 2013

There are some questions as to what this means for the Star Trek franchise, especially since Paramount has historically not liked to share their talent. It remains to be seen, but Star Trek: Into Darkness might be the last one that involves Abrams.

Update: According to his publicist, the rumors are false.

Although Man Of Steel‘s Zack Snyder has previously said he wasn’t interested in working on Episode VII, word is spreading that he IS working on a Star Wars movie – but one that is not part of the main story (how should we refer to them? My first thought was “main sequence” vs. “out of sequence”…is that good?)

Reportedly Snyder wants to adapt Akira Kurosawa’s seminal Shichinin no Samurai (a.k.a. Seven Samurai) story into a story about the Jedi. And although there is no specific time period set, it is expected for it to fall sometime after the classic trilogy, when the Jedi are working to restore their order. In Kurosawa’s story, a village hires some masterless samurai to help them defend their harvest against bandits, but both sides have to learn the trust of the other.

I don’t know if I can see the Jedi as mercenaries for hire, though…

Trivia: The character of Obi-Wan Kenobi was loosely based on a character in another Kurosawa film, The Hidden Fortress. That character was played by Toshiro Mifune, who was also in Shichinin no Samurai (Kurosawa and Mifune worked together in 16 films) – and was once considered for the role of Obi-Wan by George Lucas.

It seems the Internet has made it so easy to start a petition that the White House must respond to…regardless of the insanity of the petition itself, it seems you can find enough crazy people on the Internet to elicit an official response now.

Recently, one of the more interesting petitions received the necessary 35,000 signatures to require a response – “Secure resources and funding, and begin construction of a Death Star by 2016.” And let’s just say, the official response was perfect.

I like it when otherwise serious folk are allowed to show off some humor on such things.

I’m just wondering…a Death Star would only cost $850 quadrillion? Can we mint enough Platinum Coins for that?

This Saturday, Star Wars: The Clone Wars airs its 100th episode as it returns from holiday break, with “Missing in Action” – check the preview below, when a man learns he isn’t exactly unique…then check out the interview with George Lucas, where he says goodbye to Star Wars as he transitions control of Lucasfilm to Kathleen Kennedy…
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Here are some of the big and our favorite stories we covered in 2012…

In January, rapidly rising British actor Benedict Cumberbatch joined Star Trek: Into Darkness, while CW’s Arrow dropped “Green” from the name and named Stephen Amell the lead actor.

We lost actor Ian Abercrombie and the voice of the Robot from Lost In Space Dick Tufeld.
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