The Week in Star Wars returns with a bumper issue that is stocked with The Last Jedi updates. We’ve got trailers, posters, IMAX displays and thoughts from director Rian Johnson. As well as Star Wars Rebels, Battlefront 2 thoughts, comics, toys and more…
Let’s kick this edition of The Week in Star Wars off with the latest trailer for Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The trailer was announced to air during Monday Night Football with a sneak peak, and you can watch it in full here. As expected there was a lot to talk about from it, and you can read the thoughts of the Flickering Myth writing staff here, and the reaction of Kylo Ren here. And if that’s not enough, here’s the first TV spot…
…But before you do click those links, you may want to listen to the advice of director Rian Johnson, who said on Twitter that if you want to stay clean of spoilers/plot points then avoid it. But he is a big fan of the trailer…
…It wasn’t just trailers released though, as we’ve also got a fantastic new poster, an IMAX poster and an IMAX display that teases a turn to the dark side…
…Certainly a point of contention among Star Wars fans have been the inclusion of Porgs, with many claiming they’re just an excuse for Disney to sell more cuddly toys (forgetting that Star Wars exists to sell toys). In an interview with Yahoo! News, Rian Johnson spoke about the inspiration for the cute little buggers. “I knew I wanted to find any source of comic relief I could on the island,” he said. “And so they were very useful in terms of that. It wasn’t until we got the actual puppets on set and the whole crew reacted with ‘oh my god, they’re adorable!,’ and also then a few people in the crew were of giving them that suspicious side-eye of ‘these are cute, but are they too cute?’ But the overwhelming reaction on set was everybody loved the porgs. And I love ’em, so you know what? I get it if people are a little wary of cuteness in the Star Wars universe, but I personally love them, and I think they have their place in the movie…”
…And lastly on Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Johnson also revealed to Yahoo! News that there is a process in place to make sure the trailers released don’t contain too many spoilers. “A year ago, maybe even more than that, my producer Ram [Bergman] and I sat down with the folks at Lucasfilm and said, ‘OK, this is what we’re going to reveal here and there, and this stuff we’re never going to reveal until the movie comes out.'” Johnson revealed. “We came up with a ‘no-fly list’ of, under no circumstances is this shown or that shown…”
…Moving over to the Han Solo spin-off movie, and director Ron Howard has revealed that fan favourite Dark Horse Comics characters Tag and Bink are set to join the official Star Wars canon. Check out the photo of them on set here…
…Speaking of Han Solo, and Disney CEO Bob Iger has revealed that there was a big debate about the character’s fate in 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens. “We had a big debate about Han Solo,” Iger told Vanity Fair. “Should he die or not? It was a decision made by Kennedy and Abrams, but I got involved…”
…Quick stop off with Star Wars Rebels now, and you can catch up with all the plot points of the first 3 seasons here, and check out promo images for the season 4 premiere here…
…Flickering Myth’s Andy Naylor got his hands on the beta for Star Wars Battlefront II, and you can read his thoughts here. Although, he wasn’t a big fan. “While there are a few positives to come out of the Beta experience, on the whole it has left a more negative impression on me than I was expecting,” Naylor writes. “I was genuinely excited to play it, but that soon disappeared quicker than a Gamorrean Guard over the Rancor pit. Over the next few weeks I will have to give serious thought to whether I want Star Wars Battlefront 2 on release day or just wait until the price drops, sometime after Christmas most likely…”
…Disney released a trailer showcasing its upcoming ‘hyper-reality experience’ Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire from Lucasfilm, ILMxLAB, and THE VOID. Check it out here…
…Sideshow and Hot Toys revealed the upcoming sixth scale Television Masterpiece Series Boba Fett (Animation Version) figure which is based on the likeness of the bounty hunter from his debut appearance in the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special, and their upcoming Rey (Jedi Training) Movie Masterpiece Series figure which is based on the likeness of Daisy Ridley in Star Wars: The Last Jedi…
…And finally, here’s your comic book previews for the week. First up is Star Wars Adventures #3 (which is out now): When Finn finds an adorable baby creature hiding in an Imperial ship, it’s up to him to find a home for the mischief maker before Captain Phasma kicks them both into space! Next up is Star Wars: Poe Dameron #20 (out Wednesday 18th October): General Leia Organa gave Poe Dameron an important task…locate the mysterious Lor San Tekka! And our hero may be closer than he thinks! And finally, here’s a preview of Journey to Star Wars: The Last Jedi – Captain Phasma #4 (also out on Wednesday 18th October): Phasma and Pilot are in disguise! After tracking down a First Order officer to a mysterious planet, Captain Phasma finds herself leading a new army against a new threat. Find out how the biggest and baddest officer of the Galactic First Order makes her way across the galaxy before she reunites with her team in THE LAST JEDI.
That’s all for this week – may the Force be with you.
Luke Owen is the Deputy Editor of Flickering Myth, the co-host of The Flickering Myth Podcast and the author of Lights, Camera, GAME OVER!: How Video Game Movies Get Made. You can follow him on Twitter @ThisisLukeOwen.
