Star Wars Bits: 'Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker' Livestream Q&A, John Boyega Teases Finn/Poe Relationship, Billy Dee Williams Talks About Gender Fluidity, And More!
In this edition of Star Wars Bits:
Video: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Livestream Q&AThe cast of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker stopped by Disneyland's Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge for a Q&A session about the conclusion of the nine-part Skywalker Saga. Director J.J. Abrams was joined by Star Wars veteran Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Daisy Ridley (Rey), Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron), John Boyega (Finn), Kelly Marie Tran (Rose Tico), and newcomers Naomi Ackie (Jannah) and Keri Russell (Zorii Bliss). The Q&A included questions from Twitter users about both the upcoming film and Star Wars in general. You can watch the video, which begins at the 3:45 mark, below:
Video: John Boyega Teases Finn/Poe Relationship in The Rise of SkywalkerJohn Boyega recently posted a hilarious video to Instagram in which he encourages the shipping of Finn and Poe Dameron from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Finn, portrayed by Boyega, and Poe, played by Oscar Isaac, have been shipped by Star Wars fans since their first appearance together in 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Watch the video below:
Finn's Origin Will Be Part of The Rise of SkywalkerThe first chapter of Vanity Fair's Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker week features an interview with director J.J. Abrams, who tells Anthony Breznican (@Breznican) that fans will learn more about John Boyega's Finn, the heroic former First Order stormtrooper FN-2187."It is part of the story of this one," Abrams said. "And it was alluded to in Episode VII, but there's a bit more light shed on that in this one."Read the full interview here, and be sure to check in with Vanity Fair throughout the week for more great The Rise of Skywalker content.
Billy Dee Williams Talks About Gender FluidityBilly Dee Williams, perhaps best known for his role as Lando Calrissian in 1980's The Empire Strikes Back and 1983's Return of the Jedi, recently opened up about his gender fluidity and using both he/him and she/her pronouns in an interview with Esquire. "I say 'himself' and 'herself,' because I also see myself as feminine as well as masculine," the 82-year-old icon said. "I'm a very soft person. I'm not afraid to show that side of myself."Williams will reprise his iconic role in the upcoming Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. You can read the full interview, in which the actor reflects on how playing Lando opened doors for himself and other actors of color including Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Jamie Foxx, here.
Video: Shadows Of The Empire – A Star Wars RetrospectiveMr. Sunday Movies has a new video retrospective on Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire, the 1996 Star Wars multimedia Lucasfilm project which offered all the fanfare of a movie release without the movie. Consisting of a Nintendo 64 video game, a novel, comic series, toy line, role-playing game, soundtrack, and more, it paved the way for modern Star Wars projects and marketing.
Podcast: Blast Points Celebrates the Love!Hosted by Jason Gibner and Gabe Bott, Blast Points celebrates all things Star Wars while shining a light on some of the stranger, more obscure, and downright goofier aspects of the saga. Each episode is filled with fun, often hilarious conversation, insight, and news related to the ever-expanding Star Wars galaxy. For example, in Episode 196 – Star Wars Facial Hair 101, Tom Spina from Regal Robot joins Jason and Gabe for an in-depth breakdown of the glorious mustaches, beards, and sideburns of the Original Trilogy! For Patreon subscribers, Jason and Gabe are also providing weekly reviews of The Mandalorian as well as full-length audio commentaries of the Star Wars films.
Merchandise: Official Star Wars Art & Decor by Regal RobotLucasfilm and Regal Robot have teamed up to offer official Star Wars furniture, art, decor, and life-sized characters and busts. You can purchase a replica Mythosaur Skull from The Mandalorian, a mini-sculpture based on the awesome metal-look skull seen over the Armorer's doorway in the Disney+ series. Also available, a Jabba's Dais Gargoyle Towel Ring, inspired by the bronze-look gargoyles seen on Jabba the Hutt's dais in Return of the Jedi.
Into a Larger World: Star Wars Art & Zines"Into a Larger World" is a Star Wars fanzine made by Kara DJ (@sacredsomethingbykara), a collage artist from New Jersey. Each issue combines different mediums in a classic fanzine style, examining and celebrating a different part of the Star Wars universe and fandom. Fanzines have been an integral and often female-driven part of the fan community for over 40 years, and Kara is dedicated to continuing the tradition, often including art and writings from other members of the fandom as well as her own colorful layouts. Seven issues were released in 2019, and the first full year of issues will roll out in January 2020. For more info, visit Kara's Instagram or subscribe to her zine here. 
Podcast: Talking Bay 94 Interviews Star Wars LegendsSolely devoted to interviews with the cast, crew, and creators from that galaxy far, far away, the Talking Bay 94 podcast offers never-before-heard stories from background aliens to some of the biggest stars in the universe. This week, join host Brandon Wainerdi as he sits down with Academy Award winner Craig Barron, who not only worked on The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, but has been a visual effects pioneer for decades, beginning with his start at Industrial Light & Magic as an 18-year-old.Also, be sure to check out Brandon's chat with two-time Academy Award winner Phil Tippett, who co-developed the animation technique used to animate the AT-AT Imperial Walkers and the Tauntauns in The Empire Strikes Back before leading the famed Lucasfilm creature shop for Return of the Jedi.
Video: The Star Wars Show and Queen's PerilThis week on The Star Wars Show, hosts Andi Gutierrez and Anthony Carboni take a look at E.K. Johnston's upcoming Padmé Amidala-centric YA novel, Queen's Peril, check out the brand new series Star Wars Families and test the of the cast of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker on their knowledge of Star Wars merchandise.
Video: November 2019 Star Wars Canon UpdateCatch up on all the new canon Star Wars content that was released in the month of November with Star Wars Explained. The canon update video covers the series The Mandalorian and Star Wars Resistance, the video games Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Vader Immortal, the books Resistance Reborn and Force Collector and much more!
Video: The Evolution of the StormtrooperAt this year's D23 Expo, Lucasfilm hosted a display showcasing the evolution of the stormtrooper. The exhibit included several of the screen-used costumes seen throughout the iconic movie series, from the classic stormtrooper to new designs featured in the upcoming Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. The video from the D23 showcase, which dissects four decades of design and features commentary from Doug Chiang, Dave Filoni, and J.J. Abrams, is now available online: