Now that we are all basking in the afterglow of D23 and the official release of THE RISE OF SKYWALKER’s sizzle reel, it seems that news about everyone’s favorite franchise has slowed down like a Tauntaun’s heartbeat on Hoth. We have a few nuggets of goodness to go over that you might have missed. So get cozy here at YODASNEWS.COM, grab yourself a glass of blue milk and a handful of ronto jerky – This is your week in review.

• LEGO unveiled their newest Star Wars creation. For a mere $699, you can be the proud owner of the Ultimate Collectors Series Imperial Star Destroyer (#75252). This beast of a build comes with 2 minifigs, 4,784 pieces, and a crazy amount of detail for the Empire’s defining war machine. Clocking in at over 17 inches high, 43 inches long and 26 inches wide, Lego has created another monster of a release that will have collectors scrambling for shelf space. I tell ya, my acquisition of the Haslab Sail Barge, coupled with my Lego UCS sets, has made real estate in my office a rare commodity. I might have to give the UCS Star Destroyer my side of the bed and I will sleep out in the garage. At least it won’t snore and wake up my wife like I have been accused of doing….from time to time.

• It was announced this week that Star Wars Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast and Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy would be available on both the Playstation 4 and the Nintendo Switch. I love it when the older games become available on the newer consoles. A few weeks ago I downloaded Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Just to take a break from riding around the world of RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2 on my trusty steed, Oscar. Nothing breaks up the monotony of picking herbs and shooting turkeys like gunning down mafia types in a game that is two generations removed from my PS4.  However, a good game is a good game – regardless of how many years it has under its belt. The classic Star Wars games, going from the old Star Wars vector graphics arcade game, to the original Battlefront that came out 15 years ago, still have tons to offer and, for the most part, offer fantastic gameplay. With any luck, more and more classic games, both Star Wars related and otherwise, will find a rebirth with the gaming public. If you are a gamer, you have to know your roots.

• Since it is a slow news week, I have a quick question for all of you Star Wars collectors out there – What is the one item you have in your collection that still gives you goosebumps when you look at it? The one thing that still creates awe whenever you are in its presence. Figures? Autographs? Screen used props that nobody knows how much you paid for and you will take that information with you to the grave? If you are a collector and have such an item, shoot an email to me at Traviscrafts@gmail.com . Send a picture if you want, but a description of this magical thing will do just fine. I am really curious as what we treasure as a collecting community.

Like I said, it was a slow news week. Keep your eyes and ears open though. As we get closer to the release of THE RISE OF SKYWALKER there is sure to be more bits of goodness and geekery that make their way to the public. Until then, remember – Holding your breath until you pass out is not a good method of acquiring blue skin like Grand Admiral Thrawn.

Wow. Did you hear that?

The internet gave a collective *GASP* after viewing the sizzle reel of THE RISE OF SKYWALKER from D23. Dark side Rey? Is this classic J.J. Abrams misdirection? A key plot point? We will have to wait a few more months before we find out…but there are other Star Wars news tidbits worth discussing.

You can go to Tosche Station to pick up your power converters, but you had best go to YODASNEWS.COM for all of your up to date, Star Wars information. Here is your week in review.

• The Transportation Security Administration has reversed an earlier decision to ban soft drink containers that resemble thermal detonators from all flights. The containers are exclusive to Disney’s Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge park. Fearing that they might be mistaken for actual explosives, the TSA at first claimed that “these items could reasonably be seen by some as replica hand grenades”. Well, the TSA has changed their tune. The bottles that could change a Hutt’s mind about a paycheck are now allowed on flights. Being called an “oversized liquid”, these bottles can be put in checked baggage or emptied out to be brought on as a carry on item. Nothing like holding up your flight home because of your Star Wars Sprite.

• Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is now open at Walt Disney World. It seems that the turnout has been fantastic with enthusiastic crowds who don’t mind waiting the 3 hours to ride the Millennium Falcon. Here is hoping that Darth Dorian doesn’t make landfall at the Black Spire Outpost and unleash the dark side of mother nature.

• FUNKO is wrapping up their SMUGGLER’S BOUNTY subscription box program. As of this writing there are two more subscription boxes left before the whole program goes the way of Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru.

• I’m not going to sugar coat this – there is a TON of spite and venom in the current state of Star Wars fandom. Being one of the folks who has been on this crazy ride since 1977, I can honestly say some of the attitudes displayed by folks who claim to love the movies is distressing. So, when I saw the video of the little girl who was dressed as Rey, watching the parade of Star Wars characters at Disneyland, waiting for her inspiration to march towards her – I have to say, it renewed my hopes for this shared passion that we all have. She brushed off Kylo Ren and she didn’t acknowledge Phasma.  She told Boba Fett, Darth Maul and several Stormtroopers to pound sand. When Rey and Chewie made their way towards her, the child wrapped arms around both of them. It may not be “News” but it is something we all need to hear. These are movies. Have fun. Take a deep breath and relax. Most importantly, when you see a chance to do something that puts a giant smile on your face – do it. This little girl has a better grasp on the concept of fandom than most.

That is it for this week. Questions? Comments? Hate mail? Traviscrafts@gmail.com. Until next week – be sure to hug your heroes like this little girl did.

UTINNI! How about THE MANDALORIAN trailer, huh?

Oops. I’m getting ahead of myself.

Greetings and welcome to the home of the good stuff – YODASNEWS! This week we do indeed have a bunch of good stuff to go over. With D23 dropping all sorts of surprises over the weekend, this column might miss a few as it goes to publish. For now, let’s us go over what we know. Here is your Star Wars week in review.

• Disney finally dropped a trailer for the Jon Favreau created THE MANDALORIAN which comes in at 1:30 in length. As of this writing, the trailer is the number 1 trending video on YOUTUBE and has racked up over 5 million views since its debut on August 23rd.  Starring Pedro Pascal, Nick Nolte, Gina Carano, Carl Weathers and Werner Herzog, THE MANDALORIAN is set to debut its 8 episode first season on Disney+, November 12th. This looks amazing – part spaghetti western, part space opera….all I need now is John Williams conducted version of THE ECSTASY OF GOLD. 

• Now it is official – Ewan McGregor is back as Obi-Wan Kenobi. Set to take place eight years after REVENGE OF THE SITH, the Kenobi project will begin production sometime in 2020. It would be a missed opportunity if the makers of this series failed to show how Old Ben learned how to mimic the howl (or very awkward sounding scream/grunt …depending on which version of A NEW HOPE you are watching) of the Kryat Dragon.

• THE CLONE WARS seventh season will also debut on DISNEY+ in February 2020. 12 brand new episodes to quench your clone thirst.

• With some non D23 news, on the Podcast CREATIVE PROCESSING with JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT, Rian Johnson, director of THE LAST JEDI explained his creative process and may have shed some light on why certain characters did what they did in the movie. Referencing those who made the original trilogy, he stated “I think the instant you start thinking in terms of how do you not step outside of the bounds of what the original movies did, you’re not thinking the way the people who made the original movies did”, and how by stepping outside of those bounds they brought the characters to “new, emotionally honest, but surprising places”. So, the chances he took with the characters in his film were done in the spirit of those who came before him with the first three movies.

We won’t get into it now, but there could be volumes written concerning Johnson, TLJ and disgruntled fans. In fact, the “boycott” of SOLO (if one believes it existed) by said fans could be the very reason that these shows (or at least the Kenobi project)  exist on Disney’s soon to be live streaming service. If this is the case, and you are one of those who boycotted SOLO – Thanks! November 12th is going to be a day long remembered…

Greetings everyone! Depending on your point of view and how you view the Disney handling of our beloved franchise, there has been some good and bad news on the Star Wars front. You might have seen this news before here on YODASNEWS.COM…maybe it’s the first you have heard of it. Here is the weekly recap

● STAR WARS RESISTANCE will be ending with its upcoming second season. The viewership per episode for the first season was consistently 500,000 or less. Although IMDB currently gives it a 4.8 rating, Rotten Tomatoes has it at a 92%. It seems that, much like everything else Disney is producing under the Lucasfilm label, the fanbase is divided on this news. I didn’t really care for it, but it is a kid’s show on a children’s network. I don’t think that I, or other aging fans, are their target audience.

● Mattel has given Barbie the Star Wars treatment. According to UPI, Mattel will release three different Barbie dolls based on Darth Vader, Princess Leia and R2-D2. Each one will have the traditional Barbie face and grace, but also clothing and accessories inspired by Star Wars. This is wonderful news for every child who wanted to order the destruction of Skipper’s beach house from the Death Star after Barbie caught her and Ken splitting a milkshake at the malt shop. These will set you back 100 bucks.

● The big news this week is the Ewen McGregor is back as Obi-Wan Kenobi. VARIETY states that McGregor is in talks to reprise the role that he played for three movies and was made famous by Sir Alec Guinness in the original trilogy. This would be the third live action series for upcoming Disney Plus streaming service, with THE MANDALORIAN and the yet to be named series based on ROGUE ONE’s Cassian Andor. There were rumors that a KENOBI movie was next in the pipeline for Disney and that after the disappointing performance of SOLO it was shelved. Disney Plus seems to be the perfect vehicle for Obi-Wan stories. This coupled with Disney’s already extensive library of cartoons, family branded entertainment, and Marvel content, all but guarantees that on November 11th, I will be binging on Disney content quite extensively.

Keep an eye open on D23 next week, Brandon will be on site reporting live from the show. With any luck there might be a few nuggets of information or maybe even…gasp…a new trailer! C’mon Disney…it has been 4 months since THE RISE OF SKYWALKER trailer. Give us something!