The Clone Wars - The Lost Missions DVD

For some reason, the home video release of The Clone Wars - The Lost Missions is yet to hit stores here in New Zealand. In light of this, it seemed that my recent trip to the US was a great chance to pick up the DVD set of the final episodes in this fantastic series. After a little bit of hunting I managed to pick-up a copy at a Target store in Houston for $29.99US ($40.86NZ).


These episodes really do show how far The Clone Wars has come in the last six years. While it began as a series aimed primarily at children, it soon gained a loyal fanbase of many ages. At its peak, the show demonstrated a story-telling ability that had no place being confined to a Saturday-morning television slot. This, combined with it's gorgeous animation, made The Clone Wars some of the best television hitting our screens.

For the most part, The Lost Missions maintained this incredibly high standard. It was great to get answers to some of our lingering questions concerning the prequels, particularly those surrounding Force spirits, Order 66, and Sifo-Dyas's role in the events leading up to the war itself. The Order 66 arc episodes were among my favourite - not only of The Lost Missions, but of the series so far. I'd always wanted to know how aware the clones were of the part they would play in the extermination of the Jedi. As The Clone Wars progressed I'd come to hope that they were completely oblivious to their programming. It was nice to have this confirmed.

The Yoda arc provided us with even more exploration of the deeper mythos of the Star Wars universe. As a big fan of the Darth Bane novels, it was great to see his character (and his role in the formation of the Rule of Two) given official canon treatment. The visit to Dagobah - and the Dark Side Cave that plays an important role in the events of The Empire Strikes Back - was also a nice addition. The mention of "Moriband" as the homeworld of the Sith came as something of a curve-ball. We're yet to see whether this is a flat-out ret-con of earlier Expanded Universe material, or if there is a way of making this fit with the current history of the Sith. As a stickler for continuity, my hope is for the latter. A number of planets have already served as some kind of homeworld for the Sith (Korriban, Ziost, Dromund Kaas) so this is still a possibility.

The Clovis and Bardotta arcs were, admittedly, among the weaker episodes of this run. Spending two of the final thirteen episodes focussing on Jar-Jar's love story may have irked some fans, especially when the fates of other major characters like Ahsoka and Maul were left unresolved. However, this is most likely due to the abrupt fashion in which production of the show was brought to an end. These episodes were never intended to be a finale for the series. Given this, the final episode of season 5 remains the most poignant and fitting farewell to the series. The Lost Missions are best seen as a bonus - a brief taste of what the crew had planned for a future that would never be.

This release contains three discs, and is packaged in an embossed cardboard slipcase that matches perfectly with the previous seasons' boxsets. As well as featuring all thirteen episodes from the season, the DVD set also contains a sixteen-minute behind-the-scenes featurette entitled "The Clone Wars - Declassified". It's a surprisingly earnest documentary that does a fantastic job of showcasing the strong bonds that formed between the crew of the show. You'll be hard-pressed to watch the final few minutes without feeling a slight tug on your heart-strings.

The Hunt Is On - Disney Return of the Jedi Figurine Playset Found

While I was in the US, I managed to pick up an item I'd been after for some time - a Disney Return of the Jedi figurine playset. I picked up the first two sets in this line in London last year, but the third had proved strangely elusive. Fortunately, the Houston Galleria Disney Store came through for me, and now my collection is complete!


This set features another six iconic Star Wars characters - this time from the final film in the saga. Included are Luke Skywalker, Jabba the Hutt, Princess Leia, C-3PO, Bib Fortuna, and a Gamorrean guard.

The figures are slightly smaller in scale than those in the traditional 3 3/4" line and feature no articulation, but are sculpted in dynamic poses and mounted on black bases that make them ideally suited for display. At only $12.95US ($17.78) these sets continue to be fantastic value for money. This is particularly true of the Return of the Jedi set, with the Jabba figure being a sizable piece of plastic.



My only (very minor) criticism of this set is the character selection. The Bib Fortuna and Gamorrean Guard figures are great sculpts, but it's interesting that they were chosen for inclusion over more notable characters such as Lando Calrissian and Emperor Palpatine - neither of whom appear in any of the three Disney sets. It makes me wonder if Disney is planning on releasing more of these sets in the future, and are holding back on some figures for exactly this reason.

Have you managed to pick up one of these Disney sets? If so, what are your thoughts? Be sure to email them to me at relicsoftheforce@gmail.com or send me a tweet at @Archon_Revuge!

Relics of the Force Featured on StarWars.com

This week, I was lucky enough to have my collection of Star Wars memorabilia featured on StarWars.com! The article is part of an ongoing series by Amy Ratcliffe entitled "Fully Operational Fandom".


A huge thank you goes to both Amy and the team at StarWars.com for giving me the chance to share my collection with fellow fans. You can check out the full feature here!

First Star Wars Anthology Film Title Announced as "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story"

Thanks to an official announcement on StarWars,com, we now have a title for the first Star Wars anthology film. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will hit theatres on December 16 2016, just under a year after the release of  Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The film will be directed by Gareth Edwards (Monsters, Godzilla) and written by Chris Weitz (Cinderella, About a Boy). Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything, Like Crazy) is the first actor to be announced for the film.

Will Star Wars: Rogue One follow the exploits of the legendary Rogue Squadron?

The title doesn't give much away, but no Star Wars fan is likely to read this announcement without thinking of Rogue Squadron. Personally, I hope like hell that we're going to see a film centred around this legendary group of Rebel pilots. The announcement also confirmed that Rian Johnson (Looper, Brick) will be writing and directing the as-yet unnamed Star Wars: Episode VIII. You can expect to see this film in theatres on May 26 2017.

What are your thoughts on this morning's announcement? Be sure to email them to me at relicsfotheforce@gmail.com or send me a tweet at @Archon_Revuge!

The Force Awakens Tie-In Publications Announced

Yesterday, Disney Publishing Worldwide and Lucasfilm announced the upcoming release of a series of publications that will fall under the banner "Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens". All up, there will be around twenty titles going to print, with the first of these being released in the US fall of 2015.

(Image courtesy of StarWars.com)
Among the titles announced so far are Star Wars: AftermathLost StarsSmuggler’s Run: A Han Solo AdventureThe Weapon of a Jedi: A Luke Skywalker Adventure, and Moving Target: A Princess Leia Adventure. According to Andrew Sugerman, executive vice president of Disney Publishing Worldwide, all titles published under Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be canonical within the Star Wars universe and in-continuity with the Star Wars films, animated series, new books, and Marvel comics.

What are your thoughts on this announcement? Be sure to email them to me at relicsfotheforce@gmail.com or send me a tweet at @Archon_Revuge!

Houston Toy Store Tour - February 2015

Regular visitors might have noticed that things have been a little slow on this blog over the last two weeks. There's a good reason for this - namely, that I spent that time taking a brief trip back to the USA. Most of my time was spent in St. Louis and Houston, with brief stopovers in Los Angeles, Dallas, and San Francisco. The main point of the trip was business - a conference presentation and a chance to meet with my thesis supervisor - but there was still ample chance to do a little Star Wars hunting along the way. At the top of my to-do list was a visit to the Houston Galleria Disney store to try and hunt down an item I'd been after for some time.


Fortunately, that mission was a success (stay tuned for a separate blog post about this item in the near future). Along the way I also managed to check out the Galleria Lego store's great new range of Star Wars sets for 2015.

Of course, it wouldn't have been a proper Star Wars hunt without visits to both Target and Toys'r'Us as well. I was on the lookout for a couple of figures for a friend of mine back here in New Zealand, and was hoping to have some luck at the big-chain stores. Sadly, that didn't turn out to be the case. The Star Wars aisle at Target (pictured left below) was in a sorry state, and while the aisle at Toys'r'Us (pictured right) looked a little more healthy, it was mostly stocked with peg-warmers.


Nevertheless, it was a successful visit - and I managed to pick up the handful of items I was hoping to track down while in the US. I'll be doing posts on each of these items over the coming weeks, so be sure to stay tuned!