Star Wars Bits: 'The Mandalorian', 'War Of The Bounty Hunters', 'Darth Vader', 'The High Republic', And More!
In this edition of Star Wars Bits:
The Mandalorian Receives 24 Emmy Award Nominations
The Mandalorian's second season received 24 nominations in the 73rd Emmy Awards. The Disney+ Original Series created by Jon Favreau is up for Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (Giancarlo Esposito as Moff Gideon), Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series (Jon Favreau, "Chapter 9: The Marshal"), and more. "Chapter 13: The Jedi" received eight separate nominations including Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series (Dave Filoni). For a full list of nominations, check out StarWars.com.
A Special Episode of Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian
Speaking of The Mandalorian, the story of the cutting-edge technology used to bring Luke Skywalker back is the focus of a special episode of Disney Gallery: Star Wars: The Mandalorian, debuting August 25 on Disney+.
"Making of the Season 2 Finale" is a behind-the-scenes look at the making of this celebrated "chapter" of The Mandalorian, with a focus on the technology used for recreating Luke Skywalker. It delves into the collaborative process, including working with Mark Hamill, to create an authentic and fitting recreation, and explores the immense pressure and responsibility the filmmakers had in bringing back one of the most important characters in film history.
Vanessa Marshall on the Return of Hera Syndulla
Over at Nerdist, Amy Ratcliffe interviewed Vanessa Marshall about returning to the role of Hera Syndulla for Star Wars: The Bad Batch.
"When I got the script and I saw these moments that illustrated that she wasn't quite as confident then, that was yet to come and was hard-earned. To me, it was important to illustrate that fragility, at the same time, the capacity for her moxie and nurturing and badassery. I mean, she really grows into quite a strong woman. I wanted to have elements that made that journey seem even more profound in that it was such a long way to go, but also we had to believe that it was possible. So there had to be a little bit about fire."
Check out the full interview at Nerdist. New episodes of Star Wars: The Bad Batch drop every Friday on Disney+.
War of the Bounty Hunters and Darth Vader Exclusive Previews
In Marvel's special one-shot, Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters: Jabba the Hutt #1, the crime boss has grown impatient waiting for the delivery of his prize, Han Solo. He calls upon ancient bounty hunter Deva Lompop to finish the job.
From writer Justina Ireland and artists Ibraim Roberson and Luca Pizzari, with a cover by Mahmud Asrar and Matthew Wilson, War of the Bounty Hunters: Jabba the Hutt #1, arrives July 21. Check out an exclusive preview of the upcoming comic at StarWars.com.
Meanwhile, in Darth Vader #14 — continuing the War of the Bounty Hunters crossover — Sly Moore has returned to the Empire. An Umbaran Force Adept first seen in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, Moore was the Senior Administrative Aide and Chief of Staff of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine during the final years of the Galactic Republic. Moore made her return in Darth Vader #13 as the person behind a failed assassination attempt on Vader. Now, she must face the Emperor's judgment.
From writer Greg Pak and artist Raffaele Ienco, with a cover by Aaron Kuder, Darth Vader #14 arrives July 21. Check out an exclusive preview of the upcoming comic at StarWars.com.
Star Wars The High Republic: Out of the Shadows Excerpt
On the topic of publishing, the next book from Star Wars: The High Republic: Out of the Shadows by Justina Ireland, arrives on July 27. In the young adult novel, Jedi Knights Reath Silas and Vernestra Rwoh are worried about the ever-changing galaxy and living up to expectations while honing their skills as Force users. Read an excerpt at StarWars.com.
365 Days of Star Wars Women
365 Star Wars includes articles about the women of Star Wars, analysis articles, reference posts about Star Wars characters, droids, planets, and creatures. Created by Amy Richau, the site highlights the incredible efforts of women in the franchise.
Head on over to her site for an interview with S.T. Bende, author of several Star Wars books including The Tiny Book of Jedi, The Tiny Book of Sith, and stories from 5-Minute Star Wars Villain Stories, and Star Wars: The Prequel Trilogy Stories.
Other recent interviews include a conversation with Marissa Martinez-Hoadley, Lead Quality Assurance Manager at ILMxLAB, and Krystina Arielle, host of The High Republic Show.
Boba Fett Figure With Throne Set From Hot Toys
Hot Toys is bringing yet another jaw-dropping addition to The Mandalorian collectible series with the 1/6th scale Boba Fett (Repaint Armor) figure. The standard figure ($245) features a detailed Mandalorian helmet and armor, jetpack, a flamethrower effect, a fibercord whip, a blaster, a rifle, and a display base. The Boba Fett and Throne collectible set ($390) includes a highly detailed throne, along with a head sculpt of Temuera Morrison as the infamous bounty hunter.
A Special Edition of the set, available only in selected markets, will specially include hologram figures of Razor Crest and Boba Fett's Star Ship as bonus accessories. For high-resolution images of the upcoming figures, which are currently available for pre-order, visit Sideshow Collectibles.
New LEGO Playsets and Black Series Action Figures
The iconic clone-piloted Republic Gunship won a recent fan poll on the LEGO Ideas site — winning 58% of the vote and pulling in over 30,000 votes — and will be made into a new Ultimate Collector Series set for the first time ever.
"The LEGO Star Wars Republic Gunship clocks in at a massive 3,292 pieces, measures 13 inches high, 29 inches wide, and 27 inches long, and comes complete with features and details faithful to its onscreen inspiration. There are the classic bubble cockpits and gunner stations, swing-out spherical gun turrets, and plenty of space for troops and Jedi. The free-swinging doors can open and close, and utilize some of the largest moving parts ever created for a LEGO Star Wars build; it also includes Mace Windu and Clone Trooper Commander minifigures, ready to take down some clankers."
The Republic Gunship arrives on August 1. Check out StarWars.com for an interview with Jens Kronvold Frederiksen, creative lead of LEGO Star Wars at the LEGO Group, and Hans Burkhard Schlömer, designer of the LEGO Star Wars Republic Gunship, as well as more images of the upcoming set.
In Star Wars: The Black Series news, Trapper Wolf (the New Republic X-Wing pilot portrayed by Dave Filoni in The Mandalorian) is a Hasbro Pulse Con 2021 exclusive and will be available this fall for collectors. Other Pulse Con exclusives include a Black Series Cantina set with Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ponda Baba, and Dr. Evazan, along with the Emperor's Throne Room from the Vintage Collection. This set features a new Emperor Palpatine figure with a throne and backdrop from Return of the Jedi.
The History of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
Toy Galaxy has a great video detailing the history of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire, the 1996 multimedia project that created a story set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, which explored all the commercial possibilities of a motion picture release without actually making a film.
This Week! in Star Wars
This week in Star Wars, host Kristin Baver gives us the lowdown on all the latest news from that galaxy far, far away!
George Lucas, Keepin' It Casual
And finally, Star Wars creator and fashion icon George Lucas recently visited the immersive Van Gogh exhibit in Chicago where he proceeded to stop traffic with this Hot George Summer™ look. Thank the maker!
Renowned film director George Lucas took time out of his Tuesday to experience the Immersive Van Gogh exhibit in Chicago! #VanGoghChicago #VanGogh #Chicago #ImmersiveVanGogh #LighthouseImmersive #GeorgeLucas pic.twitter.com/5SofvdXkSE
— Vangoghchicago (@vangoghchicago) July 14, 2021
And that's it for this edition of Star Wars Bits! If you have something cool from the Star Wars universe that should be included in this column, reach out on Twitter!