Vader's Little Princess 2015 Wall Calendar

For some reason, this year's official Star Wars calendar proved strangely elusive. Fortunately, a few weeks into the New Year my partner's mum surprised me with a great alternative - Jeffrey Brown's Vader's Little Princess calendar.

Brown is the incredibly talented artist behind Darth Vader Son and Vader's Little Princess - books which depict what might have happened if Darth Vader had played a more "conventional" role in his children's upbringing. Brown's artwork is utterly charming, and he couples it with a great sense of humour. I particularly like his depiction of the bounty hunters - so May and August (featuring Boba Fett and IG-88 respectively) are definitely my two favourite months.

Jeffrey Brown now has a total of five Star Wars-themed out in stores. If you haven't already, I highly recommend checking out some of his work!

More Rogue One Details Announced

Along with a new teaser for The Force Awakens and a trailer for season 2 of Star Wars Rebels, last weekend's Celebration also gave us our first concrete details about Rogue One. Directed by Gareth Edwards and starring Felicity Jones, it's now been confirmed that the film will focus on the brave group of Rebels who obtained the Death Star plans prior to the events of Episode IV: A New Hope. The movie is being touted as a "war film", and judging by the evocative piece of concept art shown at Celebration, it looks as though Rogue One is going to give us an entirely new and exciting perspective on the Star Wars universe.

The Rogue One concept artwork shown at Star Wars Celebration

While filming hasn't yet begun, attendees were also treated to a teaser trailer that hasn't yet seen an official release outside of the convention. Fortunately, Russ Fischer over at Slashfilm.com gives us a detailed rundown:

"A card with “December 2016″ fades in and out, with a sound that is somewhere between a slow Inception horn and a lightsaber. Then a familiar voice: Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi, saying “For more than a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the old Republic. Before the dark times. Before the Empire.”

As he speaks, the teaser fades in on a tracking shot, high up through a forested canyon. We hear a TIE Fighter pass overhead, and see the ship move forward into frame as the camera continues to push forward. We see, dominating the sky, the outline of what could be a moon. But that’s no moon, it’s a… well, you know what it is. The Death Star. Music swells and the screen goes black. The Rogue One logo comes up, and we hear radio voices, like troops communicating during combat. The chatter gets more frantic and loud as light strobes on the logo, which finally breaks up as the sound cuts out."

Rogue One is the first of what are now being referred to as the Star Wars "Anthology" films - movies that, while set in the Star Wars universe, don't directly fit into the episodic saga. Slated for a December 2016 release, the movie is looking like a great way to satisfy our Star Wars cravings in between Episodes VII and VIII!

What are your thoughts on these new details about Rogue One? Be sure to email them to relicsoftheforce@gmail.com or send me a tweet at @Archon_Revuge!

Star Wars Rebels Season 2 Trailer Released

Attendees at last weekend's Celebration were lucky enough to get an early screening of the first episode of Season 2 of Star Wars Rebels. Unfortunately, the rest of us will have to wait a few more months to see it. In the meantime, however, there's a brand new trailer for Season 2 to satisfy our cravings... And what a trailer it is.

A short while ago I wrote a post about how Rebels is single-handedly binding the Star Wars galaxy together. The first season perfectly blended the old with the new, melding the original and prequel trilogies and giving us bold hints at what to expect from The Force Awakens and beyond. It looks as though Season 2 is set to continue this trend - and then some. As if the introduction of Ahsoka Tano and Darth Vader wasn't enough, we'll also be seeing the return of The Clone Wars fan favourites Captain Rex and Hondo Ohnaka. Throw in  some A-Wing and B-Wing fighters and a brief cameo from the Emperor himself, and you've got everything you need for another season of incredible episodes.

What are your thoughts on the Star Wars Rebels Season 2 trailer? Be sure to email them to relicsoftheforce@gmail.com, or send me a tweet at @Archon_Revuge!

The Force Awakens Second Teaser Trailer Released

In case you missed the live stream, J.J. Abrams and Kathleen Kennedy's The Force Awakens panel at Star Wars Celebration wrapped up just over an hour ago - capped off with a brand new teaser trailer for the film.

There's a lot I could say about this trailer, but words really can't do it justice. Put simply: it's everything I'd hoped for. From the gorgeous opening shot, to the nostalgia-laden voice-over, to that thrilling swell of music at the 1 minute 8 second mark. I honestly didn't think I could be any more excited for this film. Turns out I was wrong.

What are your thoughts on the second teaser trailer for The Force Awakens? Be sure to email them to relicsoftheforce@gmail.com, or send me a tweet at @Archon_Revuge!

Park Avenue Star Wars Easter Goodies

Last week was Easter, and for the first time in memory New Zealand retailers stocked up on a range of great Star Wars-themed chocolate treats. I was lucky enough to get a Star Wars mug and egg from my parents and a couple of Stormtrooper chocolate bunnies from my partner and her mum.

It's great to already see the Star Wars presence growing in stores. These chocolate trooper bunnies are particularly cute, and the mug will be filled with a lot of of hot drinks as we enter the cold winter months!

Did you receive any Star Wars goodies for Easter? If so, be sure to share them by emailing relicsoftheforce.blogspot.com, or sending me a tweet at @Archon_Revuge!

The Force Awakens Teaser Poster and New Trailer at Celebration Anaheim 2015

While we haven't had an official announcement as of yet, rumours are mounting that we might not have too much longer to wait until we see both the teaser poster and a new trailer for The Force Awakens.

Word has it that both of these will be debuted during J.J. Abrams and Kathleen Kennedy's panel at next weekend's Star Wars Celebration Anaheim. Collider.com originally ran the story, which has since been picked up by Making Star Wars, IMDB, and TheForce.net. While this should be taken with a grain of salt until confirmed by either Disney or Lucasfilm, it certainly doesn't come as a surprise. Celebration is the biggest Star Wars event of the year, and with only eight months until the release of The Force Awakens it seems like the perfect time to release the first full-length trailer.

What are you hoping to see in the next The Force Awakens trailer? How about the teaser poster? Be sure to email your thoughts to relicsoftheforce.blogspot.com, or send me a tweet at @Archon_Revuge!

The Black Series 3 3/4" #02 Luke Skywalker

With a few more months until new characters hit shelves with the release of The Force Awakens, my recent collecting focus has been on filling gaps in my 3 3/4" modern figure display. One notable omission has always been an accurate Hoth Luke. Fortunately the Black Series has included this figure in its first wave for the year, and I was lucky enough to find one for $9.99US ($13.15NZ) during my recent trip to the US.

The last few years have seen some amazing improvements in the detail and accuracy of Hasbro's 3 3/4" Star Wars figures. The Legacy Collection, Vintage Collection, and Black Series have given us some of the best action figures we've ever seen from this franchise - and this version of Luke is no different. The likeness is perfect and the paint application is nearly flawless. His fifteen points of articulation also allow him to be maneuvered into almost any pose imaginable. Luke comes with three accessories - his ignited lightsaber, an unignited lightsaber hilt that can clip onto his belt, and a BlasTech DL-44 blaster pistol which fits snugly into the holster at his hip.