Between Books - Star Wars: The Living Force

The Star Wars literary world has recently moved us from one prequel, The High Republic, to another. It’s been 25 years since Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. This prequel was criticized by fans and general audiences, much like I feel about The High Republic. But now, decades later and after stories like Star Wars: The Clone Wars, this period is beloved by many fans.

Star Wars: The Living Force by John Jackson Miller is two storylines that merge together in an action-packed conclusion. In the first storyline, the Jedi find themselves closing outposts as trade and population centers move in the galaxy. With those movements, crime fills the vacuum. The Jedi Council decides to leave their temple before closing the beloved outpost on the planet Kween in The Slice region of the galaxy. Many Masters have a history with this location, and they realize that the criminal element has increased as Jedi outposts nearby close. The Jedi Council Master plan to hold a session in person on the planet and celebrate publicly the history and legacy of the outpost. Readers follow the members of the Jedi Council as they interact with the citizens of Kween and follow the Force’s urgings to aid groups and individuals. The second storyline follows Jedi Master Depa Billaba who has gone undercover into a criminal ring to help one young girl escape a life of crime. Master Mace Windu, her former Master, stops on his way to Kween to ensure she makes the meeting and if needed provides aid. Both stories meet on Kween as all 12 Masters influence the book’s conclusion.

John Jackson Miller knows science fiction and Star Wars. He has written several prose Star Wars books, though he had taken a decade's leave from this universe…with him writing some Star Trek books during that time. He has written even more Star Wars comic tales, especially for the Dark Horse era. So while we honestly won’t get many revelations, he weaves a tale that will keep the reader’s attention as someone who has completed the assignment before. While it’s not a full-on giant battle piece, I think he does a good job of showing the personal failure of the Jedi Council. They had removed themselves from the people. So to the people, they were merely rumors. And for the Jedi Council, the needs of the people were abstract. They have lost connection with the reality of the galaxy. For me, this shows how a Sith Lord could manipulate a galaxy Jedi leadership knew nothing about in a practical way.

Miller also allows us to use familiar mental images and a hook to bring in readers of other Star Wars media. First, most moviegoers have seen the majority of Masters on the screen. So we have general images for most of them. Miller is then able to use his space to give us a story that we never knew and lacks conflict with other stories as most of them are enigmas to us. Let us also not forget we have Yoda as a Master, who is very active in this book and invites us to get to know the others better, and their faults. Along with him we also get Mace Windu though his interactions with the other Masters are limited. Second, we have a halo effect for Master Billaba. She is the Master of a character not found here, Kanan Jarrus. I personally think that Jarrus may be one of the most effective Jedi found in Star Wars stories, and definitely, he is beloved. Billaba has been seen just a little bit in comics and television. This story allows us to see her in more fullness and we want to see her personality in view. While she challenges herself to help just one person, we can see a moral compass that she passed down to Jarrus. 

Star Wars: The Living Force by John Jackson Miller is refreshing. It is a standalone story, that has a clear beginning and end that really only needs the basic understanding of the prequel trilogies. One can get in, enjoy, and move on to their next read. I think the publishing program can use a little more of this, a stand-alone adventure that serves to just provide adventure while also reinforcing the action we saw on the screen.

 

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Between Books - Star Wars: Dark Disciple

Star Wars: Dark Disciple by Christie Golden adapts a story arc developed but never produced for  Star Wars: The Clone Wars.  The Jedi are strained and have come to an unthinkable decision, they must assassinate Count Dooku the head of the Separatists in order to save the lives of countless others.  But this is a mission they are not equipped for.  The Jedi Council tasks unorthodox Jedi Quinlan Vos to secretly recruit former Dooku disciple Asajj Ventress to the cause.  Vos pretends to be a fellow bounty hunter making his way through the universe.  And what he finds shocks him, a damaged woman who has lost everyone she has ever loved.  Ventress must teach Vos to balance Dark Side energies to kill Dooku.  And it all horribly goes wrong in a story of broken lives, betrayal and love.

As I have said many time, Star Wars really needs a visual element to work really well.  That being said, Star Wars: Dark Disciple is a very strong book.  Yes, at times as some of the countless aliens of the galaxy is being described one does get a bit lost.  But it is the central character tale that really holds everything together.  Asajj Ventress is someone fans of Star Wars: The Clone Wars is familiar with.  But this 300 page plus book really gives Golden the time to flesh her out.  We have time to hate and love her.  We cringe at her cruelty and marvel at her tenderness.  Readers get a chance to really understand how she turned to the Dark Side and then walked away.  And in the end one cannot but feel compassion for her.  Can there be happiness in the galaxy for Asajj, or will her worst personality traits cost her happiness?  Basically, if one is familiar with Ventress the book becomes highly enjoyable and interesting.  Especially since it does build on the last few arcs that viewers saw of her on television.

Will Vos and Ventress succeed?  Okay that is really not the big question since Dooku's final fate has already been established.  No what Star Wars: Dark Disciple gives readers is tension around a Star Wars: The Clone Wars figure.  In the time of new canon, one knows that for Ventress and Vos this story has real stakes.  Can there be happiness?  Would another Jedi Master leave the order?  Could someone fall to the Dark Side?  These are the sorts of questions that Star Wars: Dark Disciple asks and answers! 

Mousey Movie (TV) Preview - Star Wars Rebels Full Trailer

The first full trailer of Star Wars Rebels is live!

This seems to me to be a little more kid friendly than Star Wars The Clone Wars, which I loved.

We do get to see Kanan the Jedi Cowboy in action, and I do think this is a hero we are going to want to see more of.  It appears he is continuing the struggle against the Sith in the shadows.

There is a Mandalorian helmet!  And it is on one of our rebels!  And it's a female!  Is she a bounty hunter?  How did she get this helmet?  I want to know more!

Overall, I think that Star Wars Rebels is going to be a success.  And like the Marvel cartoons on Disney XD, it will help prepare us for the movies.  Perhaps the key to moving forward to the newest movie is to see Stormtrooper armor yet again!

Mousey Movie (TV) Preview - Stars Wars The Clone Wars Season 6

It was last May that I received a letter from LucasFilm stating I should look forward to the future even though Star Wars: The Clone Wars was coming to an end.  We now know the promised future project under Dave Filoni is Star Wars: Rebels. 

But shockingly, that is not the end of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars story.  With Disney's growing relationship with Netflix, on March 7, 2014 (today), a final 13 episode final season will be shown on Netflix!

Here is the trailer:

What did you think?

These 13 episodes are more than a few pick-ups, this is really a half season of content.  And I love seeing arcs we were hinted about making an airing.  

Personally, I loved this series and I think it is great that it has a streaming home on Netflix.  It makes me feel less pressured to buy all the seasons (I only own one).

I am excited to see them dig deeper into the Force, and the Yoda arc looks fantastic to me.

And I love seeing them exploring Order 66 and the Clones in greater depth.

The biggest question is how many episodes can I get in this weekend?

Mousey Movie (TV) Preview - Star Wars Rebels

When Disney bough LucasFilm there was a lot of speculation that Star Wars: The Clone Wars would be moved to Disney XD.

Instead it was cancelled.

But hope for Star Wars fans is not lost.  Disney has announced that in 2014 a new animated Star Wars show will make it to Disney XD, Star Wars Rebels.

This new show will be set closer to the Original Trilogy, and closer to the characters that will be used in Episode VII.  And it will play on a period of Star Wars history that more older fans will be familiar with.  And you never know, maybe even Darth Vader could show up.

Dave Filoni, in this video from New York Comic Con, talks about what is happening behind the scenes (lots of Star Wars: The Clone Wars staff are still in Disney employ) and outlines the new villain. 

 

I think it is The Inquisitor that will catch most fans attention, a new Star Wars villain is a pretty big deal (especially for toys)!

I will say he does seem close to the Darth Maul model, with his double bladed lightsaber.  And it does some interesting that someone who is not a Sith or a Jedi (we think) will be wandering around with this weapon.

I am sure that there will be plenty more news in the next year.  Until then you may want to keep an eye out at http://www.sienarfleetsystems.com/.  The Empire does need quality Tie Fighters!

Oswald Opines - Long Live the Clone Wars

A little over a month ago I suggested that Disney fans join RebelForce Radio in writing Bob Iger to save Star Wars: The Clone Wars.  And then a day later the news of the show's cancellation hit the press.  And I thought the story was over!

And then this week, I received this letter.  And I have to admit I was shocked and a little overexcited to get a letter addressed from LucasFilm.

Here are my brief thoughts on this letter:

• The Padawan: I think many Disney fans, including me, worried  what cancelling the show would mean for the career of Dave Filoni at LucasFilm.  In my opinion, Filoni is a master storyteller, a brilliant director, a skilled organizer, and George Lucas' padawan.  I think the second part is important.  From interviews it is clear that Filoni has spent hours with Lucas discussing Star Wars back story, meaning and intent.  Filoni is probably one of a few in the world that have such a high understanding of Lucas' intent.  And as a Disney fan I do not want to see him go elsewhere.  In many ways Filoni should be seen as a John Lasseter for Star Wars animation.  This letter makes it clear that Filoni was not one of those laid off and is in fact working on the next Star Wars animated saga.  And that is a little victory.  

• The Admiral:  I sent my letter to Disney and Iger.  The response I received was from Kathleen Kennedy.  I think this shows that Disney corporate is going to treat Kennedy as Lasseter and Ed Catmull.  She will be the voice and creative director of a Disney subdivision.  And even if some of the changes (layoffs, 3D cancellations  seem to match Disney trends, LucasFilm will have a voice separate from the Disney CEO.

• The King is Dead, Long Live the King: Star Wars: The Clone Wars is gone.  It will not be coming back.  No matter how well received the bonus content is, the show will not be coming back.  LucasFilm has moved on, Filoni has moved on, and they would like fans to move on....to Episode VII.  Clearly, as many have reported, their efforts will be directed towards preparing us for the next trilogy.   

I am still shocked.  I never expected Disney or LucasFilm to respond.  There was nothing that said that Disney had to spend the 46 cents for a stamp and send me a letter.  I have received less consideration from publishers I have contacted and a apparel store that messed up a recent hat order.  Honestly, part of me did not think my favorite animated show could be saved.  And it was not.  But I am starting to move on.  As the letter notes, they did give me an ending.  And the show lasted than most animated television series.  I am moving on, straight into the next chapter when I can take the Between Kids to new Star Wars in the theater.      

Dreaming Disney - Luke's Change: an Inside Job

You know, the story that a small one man fighter destroyed the Death Star in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope sounds very suspicious when you start to think about it! 

A new short film, Luke's Change: an Inside Job, blows this conspircacy wide open!

Prepare to have your mind blown!

Clearly something suspicous occurred that day near Yavin!  That's one magic X-Wing!  And who can deny all of these connections to one family, who also represents the survivors of this incident. 

Seriously, I love this.  I love that a fan put together a super smart Star Wars satire.  I love the fact that it feels real world.  My only real complete is I know Wedge Antilles, and that sir is not Wedge Antilles!

Will the real Wedge Stand Up?

Part of the recent Star Wars announcement that included the cancellation of Star Wars: The Clone Wars was that Star Wars: Detours was on hold since Disney/Lucasfilm questioned if now was the best time to put out a humorous Star Wars project.  I think Luke's Change proves if it is smart and actually funny, it's always a good time to laugh!

Dreaming Disney - Save the Clone Wars

Who Will Fall?

For the last few weeks, JimmyMac of RebelForce Radio has been warning us it could be Star Wars: The Clone Wars that could fall.

I was a big Star Wars fan before Disney bought LucasFilm.  Star Wars probably shaped my childhood just as much as Disney.

And I was super excited when the purchase was announced as it seemed a no brainer to put Star Wars: The Clone Wars alongside Ultimate Spider-Man and The Avengers: The Earth's Mightiest Heroes is a super action animated programming block.  And Star Wars: Detours would have been a fantastic fit next to Gravity Falls on the Disney Channel.  Honestly, with a voice cast that includes Dee Bradley Baker, Corey Burton, and Jim Cummings has Disney written all over it!  It just all seemed to be peanut butter and jelly, a prefect fit!  

But alas it does not seem to be.  New stories are starting to break that Star Wars: The Clone Wars has been canceled.  There could be official news soon!  And honestly while there are season 6 stories in the pipeline and even season 5 episodes that have not seen the light, season 5 did end at a point that some may seen as natural.

So here are our options.  One we can sit around and know we did nothing as this Mousey program was put to rest before it could even reach a Disney network.  Or we can politely let decision makers know that we value this Disney franchise and look forward to more.

Let's join JimmyMac in writing a polite letter to:

Disney Studios
500 S Buena Vista St
Burbank, CA 91521
Attn: Bob Iger

You can also write a letter to Kathleen Kennedy…
Lucasfilm
P.O. Box 29901
San Francisco, CA 94129-0901
Attn: Kathleen Kennedy

You can also call 708-320-1RFR and provide your words of support which will be compiled on a CD RebelForce Radio is sending to Disney leadership.

We have seen a lot of changed in the last six months, but let's save Star Wars: The Clone Wars!

Mousey Movies - Star Wars The Clone Wars Series

My enthusiasm for the Disney purchase of LucasFilm is still high! Part of my excitement is so much of the Star Wars universe is already part of the Disney experience. R2-D2 and CP30 are already part of the parks with Star Tours The Adventure Continues and its predecessor putting Star Wars environments into the reach of parks’ guests. And of course the merchandise is easily available, I take pride in my Darth Vader Star Tours 2011 re-opening tumbler. I like to take it to meetings to show my allegiance to the Dark Side. But in many ways the most visible presence today for the Star Wars universe, the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars television program has distinguished voice cast with voices that most Disney fans will likely be familiar with:

• Agent Rex: Voice actor Dee Bradley Baker is brilliant. In Star Wars: The Clone Wars he literally plays an army, voicing every clone. Baker is able to not only voice them but in his performance provide clones with different personalities through his portrayals. Along with the clones, he also provides a number of other voices and at times sound effects. Often at the end of a cartoon, and not only this one, you will find Baker listed as additional voices, as he provides sounds that help the crew create the soundscape they are looking for. He is a vocal genius! For Disney, Baker’s most prominent role is Perry/Agent P on Phineas and Ferb, yes I said voice for a platypus that doesn’t do much. His other credits are literally too long to list but include Turner the Screwdriver on Handy Manny, Boba Fett in Star Tours The Adventure Continues, Boo Boo Chicken on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and so many many more.  Dee Bradley Baker is one of the few celebrities I have had an encounter with. Baker was part of a Phineas and Ferb signing that the Between Family participated in at the 2011 D23 Expo. As I slid my journal in front of Baker to sign I said, “Thank you Captain Rex!” Baker smiled, looked at me and in his clone voice said, “You are welcome sir.” That one small sentence pretty much sealed my fandom for Agent P and the Clones.

• Rumbly Tummy: Just like Baker, actor Jim Cummings’ credits are impossible to list in their entirety here. Cummings’ most prominent role in Star Wars: The Clone Wars is the pirate Hondo. Hondo dreams of profit, and has shown the ability to betray allies and even threaten children to get his delicious profit. Cummings’ most popular Disney role is serving as the current voice of Winnie the Pooh on television and movies such as 2011’s Winnie the Pooh. I think that Pooh is really a much safer character in his craving for honey! Other roles of Cummings include voicing Tigger, Pete on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, the hyena Ed in The Lion King, and pretty much a voice in any direct to video Disney animated movie or Disney television production you can think of since 1985. Good guy, cuddly bear, bad guy, really bad buy, Cummings is everywhere!

• Hook: Cartoons are really popular in the Between House. There are three shows that are in heavy play from the Disney Channel in our house. They are Phineas and Ferb, Gravity Falls, and Jake and the Neverland Pirates. Captain Hook is voiced by another master voice actor Corey Burton. Burton provides numerous voices in Star Wars: The Clone Wars including the head of the Separatists Count Dooku, bounty hunter Cad Bane and gangster Ziro the Hut amongst many others. In a running theme of Star Wars voice actors crossing over to Mickey’s world, Burton also voices Ludwig Von Drake on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Amongst Burtons other credits you will find the video game Epic Mickey, Mole in Atlantis: The Lost Empire, and numerous voices in Hercules. Along with movies and television, Burton has been able to match the voice of Disney legend Paul Frees. Burton provides narration matching Frees as the Ghost Host for Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion Holiday and some of the Pirates that Frees originally voiced in Pirates of the Caribbean. Burton is both a prolific Disney and Star Wars performer.

• River Guide: The moments that have lead to the most excitement in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars for fans have often been the introduction of original trilogy characters. The Clone Wars debut of the future Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, the future commander of the original Death Star, as Captain Tarkin was a key moment and has led to many questions such as does Tarkin know that Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader? I lean towards yes! Fans have loved the portrayal of Tarkin, voiced by Stephen Stanton, an actor who honestly has been very good to fans. He has appeared several times on The ForceCast reading children’s stories as another one of his characters the criminal Moralo Eval (quick side note: only let the kids listen if you want them to have nightmares). Stanton like Burton is a voice who is already in Disney parks. He voices the Riverboat Captain onboard the Mark Twain at Disneyland and Stinky Pete in Toy Story Mania at Disney California Adventure and Disney Hollywood Studios. For those who attended the 2011 D23 Expo, Stanton narrated the opening film for the Carousel of Projects.

• Happy: If any moment was more anticipated than the introduction of Chewbacca or Tarkin, it was the introduction of Boba Fett’s people the Mandalorians. Many fans were shocked to be told that the Mandalorians were pacifists! But a splinter terrorist organization called Death Watch hopes to bring the Mandalorians back to their warrior past in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Death Watch is lead by Pre Vizsala voiced by Jon Favreau. Favreau is best known to Disney fans for his directing talents in the Marvel offerings Iron Man, Iron Man 2 and a producing credit on The Avengers. He also portrays Tony Stark’s chauffeur Happy Hogan in the first two Iron Man films and the forthcoming Iron Man 3, which he will not direct. Why won’t he direct? Because he is busy working on the first major movie to use a Disney Park as both a background and plot device, Magic Kingdom.

• Winter is Coming: Since the first time that I saw Star Wars: Episode One A New Hope, I was left with an open question. Obi-Wan Kenobi informed Luke Skywalker that his father fought in the Clone Wars. What were the Clone Wars and what was Anakin Skywalker’s role during that conflict. For decades this was an unanswered question until the release of the prequel trilogy. Star Wars: The Clone Wars builds on these prequel answers and Anakin is often at the center of this story. Actor Matt Lanter voices Anakin Skywalker, and being a young man he does not have the credits, yet, of a Baker or Burton. But he has been added steadily to his voice credits and Disney related productions have been one avenue for the building of his resume. In Ultimate Spider-Man he voices young men full of angst, Flash Thompson and Harry Osborn, and villains Venom and Klaw. But the role that caught my attention, and I’m not sure how Star Wars fans will fell about it, is Sled in the Tinker Bell movie Secret of the Wings. Yes the same actor that portrays one of the greatest Jedi generals of all time, a future Lord of the Sith, also voices a tiny winged fairy who aids Tinker Bell! I guess it is probably not really a stretch since both are mystical characters.

Star Wars had a huge impact on my childhood and Star Wars: The Clone Wars is becoming a part of the Between Kids’ memories. Before Disney announced the addition of LucasFilm, this animated cartoon was already a Mousey Movie, I mean television show. The cast is very familiar with Disney projects both in films and in the parks. And I continue to believe Star Wars is a great addition to the Disney catalog, because honestly Disney is very familiar with the franchise already!

 

This post contains affiliate links, which means that Between Disney receives a percentage of sales purchased through links on this site.  

 

Dreaming Disney - Smuggler's Gambit

When I was a teenager I volunteered at a library during the summer. This gave me unrestricted access to pretty much all the contents of the library. Did I mention that it was a library for the blind? So the Braille books were inaccessible to me since I did not read Braille. Of course, that also meant that a teenager could shelve Braille copies of Playboy with no fear, sorry kids there were not tactile representations of the pictures! And the books on record were honestly not very portable when working an 8 hour shift moving all day! But the books on tape were a joy. I could grab a book and throw it into the specialized tape player which we had plenty of laying around. And headphones were everywhere, which I really did not need since I often worked alone on deserted stacks. One day I realized that everything on tape was not a book, they also had radio plays!

What’s a radio play kids? Well before television you had to imagine the action in your mind! Radio dramas were the most popular from the 1930s to 1960s before television became a standard in most homes. The actors, played out the story dramatically with the assistance of in studio sound effects to help the listener imagine the action. When I made my discovery in the library stacks, I threw myself into the world of The Shadow and The Green Hornet. After a few summers I really came to appreciate how fun a radio show can be, especially when you need to pass some time.

Let me speed you up to 2012. In 2012 at Star Wars Celebration V, director Kyle Newman gathered together a group of Star Wars: The Clone Wars actors and Jimmy Mac from RebelForce Radio and put together a live Star Wars radio drama for the fans in attendance. StarWars.com has this radio drama, Smuggler’s Gambit: A Han Solo Adventure, available for free download.

There is also a Facebook page to keep you updated on future Radio productions from this group.   

You really should check it out if you are a Star Wars fan, or becoming one as you become familiar with this new Disney property. The voice acting is top notch and the production value is not what you would expect for a free presentation. It is fun adventure focusing around Han Solo, that almost everyone could enjoy on a slow day in Betweenland even if you are not an over the top fan.  And it will take you back to a time when there was not a promise of a future full of Star Wars and you had to rely on your imagination to create new images of Star Wars.  

Dreaming Disney - The ForceCast

Lucasfilm and the Star Wars franchise have joined the House of Mouse, and I for one am so excited to see you!

Fellow Disney fans are you behind on what Star Wars is?  You are probably at least familiar with the live action releases, but there is a much bigger universe than just six films.  Do you need to find a way to catch up on the latest news about this new Disney franchise?  Are you interested in dipping your toe into this universe?  Can I recommend to you The ForceCast podcast?  I think you will find it both educational and enjoyable!

Personally, I have been listening to The ForceCast for about five years.  My own reason was to catch myself up with the Star Wars universe as my kids helped me get back into this beloved franchise.  Yes I watched the movies whenever I stumbled on the marathons and I owned the DVDs, but Star Wars: The Clone Wars and sharing it with the Between Kids made Star Wars relevant in my household on a weekly basis.  And as I watched the episode I sought out a podcast to provide me news and information about the television show.   I could never imagine another live action release.  I sampled a few different podcasts but this is the one that stuck, and has stuck for years in my podcast diet. 

The weekly content is timely and interesting, and all about Star Wars.  A typical 2 hour show brings a variety of topics that may include news, an interview with someone associated with Lucasfilm, the Billy Dee Quote of the Week (always awesome), The Jimmy Mac Investigative Report which dives into the tough Star Wars questions, Star Wars in Pop Culture, and The Outrageous Unthinkable Story of the Week which typically is someone in the United Kingdom committing a crime with a Darth Vader mask on!  The shows are typically fun natured and enjoyable in an atmosphere set by the hosts.  What is really impressive to me is the amount of respect and cooperation that Lucasfilm has given The ForceCast.  Yes, former actors and contributors may appear for an interview in the Cantina, but a number of Lucasfilm employees and partners are frequent guests on this podcast.  Can you imagine if Disney creative forces appeared on fan podcasts on a more regular basis or any basis! 

It is not unusual for voice actors from Star Wars: The Clone Wars to make an appearance such as Ashley Eckstein, a big Disney fan, or James Arnold Taylor to discuss their current projects.  Many of these interviews will be highly interesting for Disney fans since these two actors have been very busy with Disney Hollywood Studio’s Star Wars Weekends the last few years.  And despite that fact that this is not a Disney podcast per say the coverage of this event has been fantastic and has included interviews with many participants.  Using their philosophy of no fan left behind, they have also shared audio from events at Star Wars Weekends that I have not heard on Disney focused podcasts.  If you are a Disney fan and a Star Wars fan, The ForceCast is your best chance to keep up with Star Wars Weekends from Betweenland. 

Another reason for Disney fans to sample The ForceCast is news from Star Wars: The Clone Wars.  With a future season in production and rumors that Cartoon Network’s contract ends after the current season there is a decent chance that this program could be added to Disney XD or the Disney Channel in the future.  Along with discussing news of the production of the show and interviews with actors, the program even has regular access to the Supervising Director Dave Filoni.  He regularly checks in during the season to share his thoughts, including creative choices they have made.  He even answers fan questions, though he does dodge some that refer to future plot points.  Additionally, they offer a separate podcast series, The Clone Wars Round Table, which breaks down each episode with a panel of guests in detail.  For me this is must listen content and I honestly prioritize these hour long episodes before the main show during the run of each season.  If one wishes to understand the newest Disney animated television production, The ForceCast is your go to source.   

The hosts Jason Swank and Jimmy Mac are professional, Jimmy is a radio professional, and both are knowledgeable on their topic being lifelong Star Wars fans.  What is sometimes hard to imagine is that they were not friends before they partnered as their chemistry is great, with them understanding each other’s perspective and roles on the show.  It is also enjoyable to see how they hosts have impacted the Star Wars universe, with characters they have advocated for like the unlikely Ben Quadinaros, who their pressure has lead to appearing on a poster within Star Wars: The Clone Wars.  With their power and influence surely Kitser’s appearance is soon to follow! 

The Clone Wars Round Table is just one of their other show offerings.  Bibliophiles Jay Shepard and Chris Wyman host the Jedi Journals which discusses Star Wars themed books, magazines and comics.  The show provides fans both news of current and future releases, discussions on the state of Star Wars publishing, and interviews with authors and those within the publishing industry.  Even this world is impacted by the Disney acquisition, as one of the early questions is related to comics and the future of the Lucasfilm/Dark Horse relationship.  Additionally especially long interviews are released as their own show as episodes of In the Cantina instead of including in episodes of The ForceCast. 

Disney enthusiasts we have a lot of information to take in right now!  And we can expect changes for Disney fandom.  The ForceCast is a great place for you to visit to get your Star Wars news and conversations.  And I expect as we try to determine how Disney will be changed by Lucasfilm, Star Wars fans will be having a similar conversation about how Lucasfilm will be changed by Disney.  

P.S. Principal Skidmore is a lady guys.  I guess you might say you are part of a whole new world now!