Star_Wars_Insider_Special_Edition_–_2022_Souvenir_Edition_downmagaz

to be, so I had targets that I needed “By the time the Trade Federation
each of them to hit. Then I just had showed up, Padmé trusted the girls
to convince them to do it. Delving with her life, and Panaka trusted
into what made each girl unique
and what made her special to the

queen’s service was a lot of fun.” them with her life, too.”
Besides Padmé’s initially difficult

working relationship with Captain

Panaka, there were new relationship

dynamics going on between the going through a tumultuous either of them,” says Johnston.

queen and her handmaidens, all period in life while taking on the “They have drastically different

of whom were new to their roles. responsibilities of becoming the approaches to problem solving,

They had to get along with each queen of an entire planet. “On the but in having them learn to work

other in close quarters and do their bright side, no one was going to tell together I had the opportunity to

jobs, but “every now and then, her she had to eat her vegetables,” show natural character growth.”

someone’s inner teen girl came out, jokes Johnston. “Young Adult Writing within this period of the

that’s for sure,” says Johnston. “It’s fiction is quite tongue-in-cheek Star Wars galaxy’s history was also

a study of contrasts, because on about getting the parents out of the a big draw for Johnston, as Episode

the one hand everyone is highly way and allowing the kids to ‘Get I holds a very special place in her

competent, but on the other it’s Up To Things’ unsupervised. Being heart. “The first time I saw The

a disaster waiting to happen. And able to do it without orphaning Phantom Menace, I was completely

sometimes actively happening. For anyone was great.” overwhelmed,” Johnston enthuses.

Sabé particularly, the decision to 05 The queen’s Talking of parental figures, “I thought we were never going to
be selfless was constant, difficult, handmaidens Padmé had to learn to rely on the get another Star Wars, and then
but something she’d do in a were involved judgment of her security chief, we got it, and it was beautiful.
heartbeat, every time.” in pivotal Captain Panaka—but she was also The sets, the costumes, the effects,
moments the elected queen, ready to lead her everything! I’ve never stopped
No Ordinary Teen in galactic planet’s government, and this led loving it. I think that’s part of what
affairs.

There are many Young 06 Queen Padmé to a minor power tussle between made writing this book so much
Adult novels with teenage Amidala the two. fun. The Phantom Menace was
protagonists, but Padmé’s considers her the first Star Wars movie that felt
situation was quite different options on “The hard part was pitting like it was mine. And I got to write
from that of an ordinary teen, the eve of Padmé and Panaka against one around it!”
invasion. another without shortchanging

STAR WARS INSIDER / 101

Spy hard,
race harder

Resistance
Revisited

Insider ’s episode-by-episode guide
to Star Wars Resistance Season One.

WO R D S : K RI S T I N BAV E R

n the Colossus, a forgotten refueling

O platform on Castilon—a watery
planet perched on the edge of the
Outer Rim—there are no Jedi Knights

or Galactic Senates, no Sith Lords

to challenge or Force-wielders to

maintain peace, just regular people like the simple shell-

folk keeping the engines running, and mechanics who

dare to dream of becoming racers.

Star Wars Resistance, the latest in a more than 10-

year run of Star Wars animated series, shines a light on a

different kind of hero, telling the story of Kazuda Xiono,

a former pilot in the New Republic Navy who gives

it all up to become a spy for the Resistance cause. Set

30 years after Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983), and

six months before the events of Star Wars: The Force

Awakens (2015), Season One reveals a glimpse of how

the First Order gets a foothold on Castilon and takes us

to the brink of the devastation reaped by Starkiller Base.

Whether you’re just discovering the series for the first

time or planning to rewatch it ahead of the premiere of

Season Two later this year, here’s everything you need to

know about the story of Star Wars Resistance so far!

RESISTANCE REVISITED

Episodes 1-2 Episode 3 Episode 4

The Recruit The Triple Dark Fuel for the Fire

Directed by Steward Lee and Saul Ruiz Directed by Sergio Paez Directed by Bosco Ng Written by Eugene Son
Story by Dave Filoni | Teleplay by Brandon Auman Written by Kevin Burke and Chris “Doc” Wyatt
Kaz makes a new friend in aspiring
When we first meet Kazuda As he settles into his new life, Kaz pilot Jace Rucklin, a troublesome
Xiono, he’s a cocky New Republic tries to prove himself as an asset to young man who idolizes Yeager
pilot on a mission to deliver Yeager’s team. But while his new from his days as a hot-shot Rebel
important intel to Poe Dameron. friend Neeku seems to accept him Alliance pilot.
But because this is Star Wars, as he is, Tam is quite vocal about
that mission quickly goes awry, her skepticism. After a friendly speeder bike race
and young Kaz ends up aboard a ends in disaster, Rucklin pressures
Resistance ship where he’s given When a Triple Dark storm brings Kaz into letting him into Yeager’s
the chance to spy for the cause the pirate Kragan Gorr and his gang garage to see his racer. But once
led by General Leia Organa. The to their door, Kaz and BB-8 work inside, Rucklin pockets some rare
information he’s delivered confirms together to save the platform. But and volatile hyperfuel from Yeager’s
the worst fears of the Resistance upon retreating, Kragan reports stash, with plans to use it to win the
leaders—the First Order is planning back to a familiar First Order next race. The results are more than
a devastating attack on the New leader—Captain Phasma. a little explosive.
Republic, and it’s up to Kaz to help
discover the truth.

Stationed on the Colossus
platform, a refueling station
protected by the wily racers known
as the Aces, Kaz is on his own for
the first time in his life, trying to
prove himself as both a pilot and a
spy, with some help from BB-8 and
his new friends: Jarek Yeager, the
grizzled owner of the garage where
Kaz is posing as a hapless mechanic;
Neeku Vozo, an excitable Nikto who
is trusting, kind-hearted, and takes
people a little too literally at their
word; and Tam Ryvora, a tough and
hardworking technician who has
dreams of becoming a pilot in her
own right.

Episode 5

The High Tower

Directed by Steward Lee Written by Stephany Folsom

The First Order threat becomes more pervasive, as does the class
disparity between the average inhabitants of the platform and the
elite living in Doza Tower. When the power cuts out, a freighter
carrying fuel brings the First Order’s Major Vonreg to Captain
Doza’s door.

Elsewhere, when the famed Rodian racer Hype Fazon
invites Tam and Kaz to visit the prestigious Aces’ Lounge, it
leads to Kaz’s first spy mission inside the secure area. He barely
escapes getting caught sneaking around Doza Tower, where the
Aces enjoy the best foods and other amenities while relaxing
between competitions and security details.

Kaz still hasn’t quite gotten the hang of spying, and it’s only
through the kindness of precocious racer Torra Doza, the daughter
of the platform’s captain, that he escapes First Order detection.

STAR WARS INSIDER / 103

RESISTANCE REVISITED

NEW RECRUITS Episode 7

Meet the heroes of Star Wars Signal from
Resistance, in the words of the Sector Six
actors who portray them:
Directed by Sergio Paez
Kazuda Xiono Written by Brandon Auman

Voiced by Christopher Sean Episode 6 A rendezvous
between Kaz and Poe
Former ace New Republic pilot The Children from Tehar Dameron is interrupted
turned Resistance spy, this son of a by a distress call
wealthy Hosnian Prime senator goes Directed by Saul Ruiz Written by Paul Giacoppo emanating from a
undercover on the Colossus, posing freighter recently
as a hapless mechanic. “Kaz is just We begin to understand the destruction caused by Kylo Ren decimated by a pirate
living out those simple mistakes that and his First Order forces when Kaz stumbles upon Kel and attack. When they
we make in life,” reveals Christopher Eila, two children with a sizable bounty on their heads. Captain investigate, the pair is
Sean, of his character’s attempts to Phasma claims she is trying to return the pair to their family, but set upon by a gaggle
fit into his new career. “He’s so much Kaz soon learns the chilling truth: They have no home to return of loose Kowakian
fun. He’s good at flying, but he’s not to because everyone and everything in their village on Tehar was monkey-lizards and
really good at spying.” destroyed by the First Order, leaving them as the only survivors. a terrifying, muscle-
Through a clever deception, and with the help of the slow- bound Kowakian ape,
Neeku Vozo moving but quite brilliant Chelidae shell-folk on the engineering but they manage to
level, the children escape the First Order’s grasp. escape and rescue
Voiced by Josh Brener a lone survivor, a
Mirialan named Synara
A brilliant mechanic, this kind- San, who they bring
hearted and trustworthy Nikto soon back to the Colossus.
becomes firm friends with Kaz.
“Neeku is this unbelievably positive, Synara, however,
happy, wonderful, sweet character,” isn’t what she seems.
says Josh Brener. “I love that he is Far from an innocent
infectiously positive. No matter what victim, she is merely
kind of day you’re having, Neeku is the luckiest of the
having a great day. No matter how pirate gang sent to
bad things are going, he is going ransack the freighter.
to cheer everybody up and make
you smile.” Episode 8

Jarek Yeager Synara’s Score

VoiceD by Scott Lawrence Directed by Bosco Ng Written by Gavin Hignight

The owner of the Fireball and a Still loyal to pirate and Warbird gang leader, Kragan Gorr, when Synara
grizzled former Rebel Alliance discovers that the Colossus’ air-defense weapons are inoperable, she leaks the
pilot, Yeager now lives a quiet life information to Gorr so he and his crew can launch a full-scale attack on the
as a mechanic on the Colossus platform. When Synara meets Tam, the two young women realize they’re not
platform—until Kaz shows up. so different from one another. Tam had hopes of being a racer like her father,
“Yeager’s a strong guy,” says Scott but instead she’s stuck trying to make the accident-prone Fireball flightworthy.
Lawrence, who voices the father
figure Tam and Kaz look up to. “He’s When the pirates attack, Tam rushes to Synara’s side while Kaz and Yeager
been through the wars, he’s been team up to finish repairs that will make the platform’s weapons system fully
through the fights. He’s been a pilot, operational once more. But the gap in their defenses has weakened Captain
and now he wants to rest. There’s a Doza’s arguments against agreeing to First Order protection of the Colossus,
lot Yeager wants to forget.” which results in Commander Pyre arriving to oversee negotiations.

Tam Ryvora

Voiced by Suzie McGrath

A brave and gifted mechanic and
wannabe pilot striving to make her
way in the world, Tam isn’t Kaz’s
biggest fan when he first arrives on
the platform. “She doesn’t see Kaz
as a threat, but more of a pain,”
Suzie McGrath says of the pair’s
sibling rivalry. “She’s a young woman
who wants to have a better life. She
has dreams, but it’s a tough road to
achieve those dreams.”

Torra Doza

Voiced by Myrna Velasco

Daring Ace pilot and daughter of
station operator Captain Doza, the
energetic and optimistic Torra is a
key personality on the Colossus.
“[Kaz and Torra] are both trying
to figure out the world, so they
relate to each other,” says Myrna
Velasco of her character. “She keeps
everyone positive. She’s the little
sister everyone loves.”

RESISTANCE REVISITED

Episode 9 Episode 10

The Platform Classic Secrets and Holograms

Directed by Steward Lee Written by Kevin Burke and Chris “Doc” Wyatt Directed by Saul Ruiz Written by Stephany Folsom

Despite Yeager’s best efforts to forget his former While Captain Doza meets with the First Order to begin negotiating
life, the Platform Classic race brings his past protection for the platform, he orders his daughter Torra to stay safely
screaming back with the arrival of his estranged in her room. Naturally, Torra sneaks out and, upon literally bumping
brother, Marcus Speedstar. The two siblings once into Kaz, confides in her friend about what a First Order proposal
raced for a living, until Marcus’ lust for glory led really means—a stormtrooper presence on the platform with no end
to him cheating with a hyperfuel boost, which in sight. After sneaking back into Doza Tower to play holo games, Kaz
damaged Yeager’s ship in the process. Soon, we uses the opportunity for another spy adventure, which ends with him
discover the wounds run much deeper. Yeager briefly trapped in Captain Doza’s closet next to what is apparently an
once had a family, and because of Marcus he lost old Imperial uniform.
them, too.
Fortunately for the hapless spy, Torra helps him to escape the
Through the competition, the garage owner tower after he promises to explain why he was snooping in her
learns to forgive past wrongs, help his brother father’s office, leading them on a wild misadventure through the
to settle a debt that’s endangered the life of his trash incinerator to freedom.
friend and mechanic Oplock, and begins to mend
old wounds.

Episode 11 Episode 12 Episode 13

Station Theta Black Bibo Dangerous Business

Directed by Sergio Paez Written by Brandon Auman Directed by Bosco Ng Written by Paul Giacoppo Directed by Saul Ruiz Written by Eugene Son

In the mid-season finale, Kaz Neeku takes center stage when he While Flix and Orka are away
tags along on Poe’s recon mission adopts a small and smelly stowaway visiting Flix’s mother, Kaz agrees
through the Unknown Regions on creature he calls Bibo, much to the to watch their shop (and their pet
course for an abandoned First Order chagrin of Yeager and pretty much gorg, Bitey) in exchange for some
outpost. Once there, they encounter everyone else on the Colossus. badly needed parts for the Fireball.
Captain Phasma, who has come to Then, when a massive, tentacled During the assignment, Teroj Kee,
Station Theta Black to personally beast rises from the surrounding a no-good swindler in league with
oversee a scheduled demolition and waters, Eila has a premonition that the First Order, locks Kaz in a
hide all evidence of the First Order’s the threatening creature has come shipping crate and tries to steal a
mining operation for dedlanite, a for Neeku’s new friend, but luckily valuable phase connector, a device
material used to make blasters. Lots for the Nikto, it turns out it’s just a used to crack open planetoids and
of them. mother looking for her young. asteroids for mining.

STAR WARS INSIDER / 105

RESISTANCE REVISITED

AREN’T YOU A LITTLE Episode 14 Episode 15
SHORT FOR AN Episode?
The Doza Dilemma The First Order
The Aces, Flix, Orka, the adorable Occupation
droids, and beloved pets inhabiting Directed by Sergio Paez Written by Gavin Hignight
the world of Star Wars Resistance had Directed by Bosco Ng
their chance to shine in a series of short In a last-ditch effort to force Written by Kevin Burke and Chris “Doc” Wyatt
animations—a dozen brief vignettes that Captain Doza to agree to First
recounted further adventures, showed Order protections, Commander As the First Order establishes a
more of the Aces’ competitive spirit, Flix Pyre enlists the pirate Kragan Gorr firmer hold on the Colossus and
and Orka’s partnership, and even inside and his gang to abduct Torra, launches an intensive search for a
the circuits of BB-8, Bucket, and G-LN. hoping to use her as a bargaining spy in their midst, times become
Plus, Buggles got to fly the Fireball! chip. After Synara helps the pirates increasingly dangerous for both
get into Doza Tower using Torra’s Kaz and Synara. Despite her
The Search G-LN own security code, she finds out allegiance to the pirates who
for Kaz her friend is the target and she have menaced the citizens of the
G-LN, the pit and Kaz rush to rescue the captain’s platform, Kaz decides to assist his
Fans get a different droid taken on by daughter, with assistance from the friend’s getaway by helping her
point of view on the Acquisitions, gets into rest of the Aces. reach an escape pod.
Colossus platform in some mischief while
a short focused on Flix, Orka, and Aunt Episode 16
BB-8’s hunt for Kaz. Z are immersed
in conversation. The New Trooper
Dart and Cover
Unmotivated Directed by Steward Lee Written by Paul Giacoppo
Kaz and Bucket play
a friendly game at Does Hype’s droid An altercation with a stormtrooper asking for Kel and Eila’s
Aunt Z’s Tavern, with have a bad motivator? identification leads to an opportunity for Kaz to go undercover
hilarious results. It’s certainly a feisty among the First Order ranks, disguised in the trooper’s armor.
little one when Flix Here, we begin to see the fissures forming among the citizens
Neeku’s Reward and Orka try to take on the platform. While Kaz and Yeager are incensed by the
a closer look. presence of more and more stormtroopers, Tam sees them as
Neeku’s hard work is security forces, there to maintain order and keep everyone safe.
rewarded with a juicy The Need A clever maneuver gets Kaz quickly—but awkwardly—out of
lunch from the gorg for Speed harm’s way, when his behavior raises suspicions that there’s
vendor. That is, until something amiss with the trooper he’s pretending to be.
his food slips away. The Aces race to
unseat Hype Fazon
Bucket’s Quest from the top spot
among them.
Bucket launches a
full-scale search for The Rematch
his missing helmet
before finding a small, Kaz and Torra stage
round friend has just a friendly competition
borrowed it. in order to test out the
latest upgrades to
When Thieves the Fireball.
Drop By
Sixty Seconds
Flix and Orka make a to Destruction
great team, whether
they’re dealing with The Aces work
customers looking for together on an
rare parts or thwarting important mission
a would-be robber. to stop a fuel tanker
from smashing into
Treasure Chest the Colossus.

Flix and Orka love a Buggles’
good surprise. When Day Out
Synara finds a mystery
crate on a salvage Kaz watches Torra’s
mission, they can’t wait beloved pet Buggles
to crack it open and while she’s away, with
discover its secrets. disastrous results.

106 / STAR WARS INSIDER

RESISTANCE REVISITED

Episode 17 Episode 19

The Core Problem Descent

Directed by Saul Ruiz Directed by Bosco Ng Written by Paul Giacoppo
Written by Kevin Burke and Chris “Doc” Wyatt
Commander Pyre and his troopers try to place Kaz and Yeager under arrest, but
As the story on Castilon inches with some help from Bucket they manage to get away with Neeku and Kaz’s new
closer to the events of The Force droid CB-23. However, Tam, confused by the accusations and torn by her duty to
Awakens, Poe arrives with CB-23 follow the rules, doesn’t run. As her friends try to evade capture whilst launching
to collect BB-8 for a special mission a scheme to sink the platform and deactivate a communications jammer, Tam is
to Jakku on the orders of General taken into custody by Agent Tierny, whose gentle manipulations begin to leave the
Leia Organa herself. But first, Poe mechanic questioning if she really knows Kaz at all.
and Kaz pay a visit to the Dassal
system in the Unknown Regions Episodes 20-21
and make a chilling discovery
about the might of the First Order. No Escape
There, they find entire planets
cored and a sun that’s been Directed by Steward Lee (21) Saul Ruiz (22)
extinguished, wiping out all Written by Brandon Auman (21 & 22)
signs of life in the process.
Watching a devastating
Episode 18 transmission showcasing
the power of Starkiller
The Disappeared Base, Kaz witnesses the last
day of the Republic when
Directed by Sergio Paez Written by Steven Melching his home planet, Hosnian
Prime (the New Republic
Outspoken critics of the First capital) is destroyed.
Order begin to go missing under Meanwhile, Agent Tierny
suspicious circumstances. After convinces Tam that she
stormtroopers try to pressure Aunt will only reach her full
Z into posting their propaganda, potential as a pilot by
she mysteriously disappears. joining the First Order. Kaz
Captain Doza is forced to ground and his friends reactivate
the racers, and amid his own the forgotten engines of
criticism of events, Hype also the Colossus, and the ship
vanishes while his beloved ship jumps to hyperspace.
remains locked down. After Torra,
Kaz, and CB-23 discover where the STAR WARS INSIDER / 107
outlaws are being hidden, they
help them escape before rushing
back to Yeager’s garage, only to find
stormtroopers waiting for them.



GRIEVOUS

THE t’s fall 2002.
GRIEVOUS
I George Lucas,
GROWL producer Rick
McCallum,
Matthew Wood reveals his incredible double life concept artists,
as supervising sound editor and sound designer at and other key
Skywalker Sound—and the Separatist droid army’s production members are meeting
each Friday to review the latest
fiendish cyborg leader with a hacking cough. designs for Star Wars: Revenge
of the Sith (2005). On November
WO R D S : A M Y RATC L I F F E 22, Lucas tells the assembly that
the Episode III villain could be a
Separatist droid general. “I won’t
limit it at this point to a droid. It
could be an alien of some kind.
I’m not sure if I want him to be
human. It’s the Darth Maul. It’s
the Jango Fett. Darth Vader...”
he’s recorded explaining in The
Making of Return of the Sith. He
tells the artists the villain is not
a Sith, that it has to be able to do
dialogue scenes, and that it has
to be iconic.
And so General Grievous,
the Supreme Commander of the
Separatist droid army, was born.
Two weeks after Lucas’ instruction
to design the foe, concept artist
Warren Fu presented illustrations
for the character that caught the
director’s eye. Fellow concept artist
Ian McCaig had advised them to
think of their worst nightmares, and
Fu imagined a scary masked enemy.
His designs became the foundation
for the fearsome cyborg who would
stalk across the big screen in the
final Star Wars prequel.

Bela Lugosi

A combination of robotic
technology with an organic base,
General Grievous’ voice is grating
and loud, part mechanical and part
biological. That voice is provided
by Matthew Wood, supervising
sound editor and sound designer at
Skywalker Sound, and it came to be
rather late in the process. “My

STAR WARS INSIDER / 109

GRIEVOUS

first look at what fully rendered visiting a friend in Prague, so 01 The fearsome 01
Grievous was going to look like it was fresh in my mind, and Grievous, as
was actually in Star Wars Insider,” that’s what I went with: yelling voiced by
Wood tells us. “It was on the cover, in a classic villain voice with Matthew
and I remember thinking, ‘Whoa, Wood.
that’s cool. Who’s gonna voice
that?’ Because the character has an Eastern European accent. 02 Wood again
no mouth, we could wait a certain As that hit the processor, I played the
amount of time before Industrial could hear there was this nice general in
Light & Magic (ILM) needed our gravelly quality. Then I got the Star Wars:
final voice-overs.” surprising call that George had The Clone
Wars (2008).
Busy working on audio effects
for Revenge of the Sith, Wood picked my audition.” 03 Grievous
knew that Lucas wanted the voice Wood’s performance of played a big
to sound as if it was synthesized part in The
through the circuitry of a voice General Grievous’ biting Clone Wars
box, with computerized, cybernetic metallic voice cuts through the animated
qualities, and he and co-sound Battle of Coruscant in Episode series.
editor Christopher Scarabosio
developed a distinctive resonance III’s opening scenes, as Anakin 04 General
for Grievous. “We ran it through Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) Grievous in
some processing, including and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan Revenge of
ring modulation, to give it that McGregor) confront the metal the Sith.
synthesized timbre. We put every
audition we got through that same general after his kidnapping 05 Matthew
process, as an egalitarian method of Chancellor Palpatine, but Wood in a
for every actor’s performance. I McGregor never knew who recording
would play those for George to get voiced Grievous until some booth at
his feedback on what things he did years after the movie’s release. Skywalker
or didn’t like. And I had the ability Sound.
to sit in on all those auditions and
also process them,” Wood explains. Grievous battled with Kenobi 06 Grievous
more than once in Revenge of versus
Having that perspective put the Sith, and during filming Obi-Wan.
Wood in a very unique position.
McCallum was getting nervous McGregor was most often
because they needed to cast the role
of Grievous and time was running sparring with stunt double Kyle 03
out, so Scarabosio encouraged Rowling, who stood in for the CG
Wood to audition. Wood, a trained
actor, had performed voices for Star cyborg, with Grievous’ lines being
Wars before, so he anonymously
submitted his file to Lucas with the read in from off-camera. “I worked
other auditions. He approached
Grievous with a gruff, harsh voice, with Ewan in my sound capacity
something to convey the character’s
militaristic sense. And he also added on all the prequels,” Wood says.
a little old-school villain style, in
the vein of 1930s horror movie “I’d record him all the time for the
actor Bela Lugosi. Wood recalls,
“I’d coincidentally come back from post-production dialogue recording

“I remember we had to do. It wasn’t until I
thinking, ‘Whoa,
that’s cool. worked with him years later, when
Who’s gonna
voice that?’” I brought him in to do a whispery

voice for The Force Awakens, that

I actually got to tell him, ‘Hey,

did you know what ended up

happening with that voice? It was

me.’ And he was like, ‘No way!’”

Catching Breath 05

After Dooku’s death, Grievous took
over his position and moved the
Separatist Council from Utapau to
Mustafar at Darth Sidious’ behest.
The over-confident cyborg engaged
with Kenobi for what would be
the final time, as the duel ended
with Grievous’ demise. To his last,
Grievous barked out orders and
taunts punctuated by a phlegmy
cough. Lucas wanted Grievous to
have breathing troubles because
he was essentially a testing ground
for the technology that would

110 / STAR WARS INSIDER

GRIEVOUS
02

“We captured a
lot of George’s
really bad coughs
from the day, and
ended up rolling
some of them
into Grievous’
performance.”

start coughing. We captured a lot of

George’s really bad coughs from the

day, and ended up rolling some of

them into Grievous’ performance.”

Wood thinks of Grievous’

voice as comprising of two-parts:
04

the dramatic element and the

processing layer. “I pitch him down

about a semi-tone to give him that

eventually create Darth Vader. By lower pitch register, and in a way
06 luck, both Wood and Lucas were that his voice has an artifacting

in a state to provide the required quality to it where it doesn’t sound

rattles and hacks. perfect,” he explains. “I’m going for

“For a lot of those lines, you imperfection, so when he’s yelling,

really have to use the diaphragm I want to make it almost like he’s

big time and yell this guttural so angry that his vocal processor is

performance,” Wood recalls. “I unable to translate his emotion into

would run out of breath and cough, voice perfectly.”

and George himself had a really Wood had to perform with a

bad cough that day. I remember hyper-enunciated yell in order to

telling Chris Scarabosio to keep the get Grievous’ words and emotion

tape rolling, because George would across through the gravelly, scratchy

come up to direct me and he would qualities in his voice. The delay

STAR WARS INSIDER / 111

GRIEVOUS

and ring-modulation Wood applied into battle with an intimidating
is not unlike the standard procedure
he uses for droid processing, but lumber, while attempting to
Grievous got a little something
extra. “It’s a mix and match of pair his excellent planning with
a few different things, because
George wanted to communicate commanding an army of inept
that Grievous had a biological
component to illustrate that he had battle droids.
a weakness,” says Wood. “The cough
was to illustrate that, too. It’s such “My main performance goals
an odd and creepy character. It’s a
part I’ve really loved and respected were frustration,” Wood says. “I
all these years.”
think the guy was always frustrated.
The Grievous Gig
He was trying to be something
Wood had the opportunity to
reprise the role in Star Wars: more than he was, and making
The Clone Wars. Set in the years
between Star Wars: Attack of a name for himself by going up
the Clones (2002) and Revenge
of the Sith, the animated series against the Jedi is the ultimate
takes an on-the-ground look at
the galactic conflict between the thing he could do. Feeling like
Republic and the Separatists, with
Grievous and his droid army he technically knew the ways of
at the center of numerous key
struggles. The Art of Star Wars: the Force and knew how to wield
The Clone Wars explains how
they adjusted General Grievous’ the lightsaber was just enough for
grim countenance to match the
style of the show. Designer Atsushi him to try and take on the Jedi. Of
Takeuchi used simpler shapes
for Grievous’ complex head and course, it wasn’t. Ultimately, the
limbs to maintain the look of the
character, while exaggerating the combination of his cowardice and
chest and shoulders to make him
more menacing. Grievous strode going up against the Force is never

going to work. And then his battle

droids really are quite dumb, and

their processors are not very high-

end because the factory stamps out

thousands of these things.”

So this clever, nearly

indestructible, and bold-yet-

craven leader was stuck with

commanding an endless

supply of incompetent soldiers. 07 Grievous’ sharp 08
Grievous found a way to work golden eyes
with the battle droids, even if are some of his
it meant using them as fodder few remaining
while seeking a Jedi to fight, organic parts.

or taking a risky move, such 08 Woods reprised
as abducting Senator Amidala his Grievous role
in the episode, “Destroy for the video
Malevolence.” Dooku found game Star Wars:
Battlefront II.

07 GENERAL
GRIEVOUS

A sharp military strategist and
dangerous fighter trained by
Count Dooku in the ways of
Jedi combat, Grievous is all the
more formidable because of
his cybernetic enhancements.
He’s not Force-sensitive, but
with his multiple claw-like limbs
and graceful articulation, he’s
more than agile enough to wield
lightsabers with precision. A
Kaleesh warrior who was critically
wounded, Grievous voluntarily
gave himself over to mechanical
modifications; his brain, heart,
lungs, spinal cord, and haunting
golden eyes are the only organic
remnants of his body.

112 / STAR WARS INSIDER

“I try to look for the Wars galaxy. Notably, he appeared that keeps Wood coming back
empathy in the character in Dark Horse Comics’ Darth Maul: to the role? “I like his struggle,”
Son of Dathomir (in which he killed he answers. “It’s nice to have a
that way, and perform Mother Talzin), and two Marvel character as a juxtaposition to
him as a lesson as to what Comics series, Jedi of the Republic: the heroes. Grievous is somebody
Mace Windu and Kanan. Most in whom you can see all his bad
you don’t want to be.” recently, Wood voiced the villain points. He’s cowardly, and he
again in downloadable content doesn’t really have many friends—
Grievous to be a successful leader for the video game Star Wars: in The Clone Wars we went to his
because the cyborg looked at the big Battlefront II. He had to break his lair, and there’s a droid that’s his
picture; the general executed high- recording sessions up over multiple bickering friend, but it’s pretty stark.
handed plans like using hidden days so that he didn’t destroy his He lives alone, he’s always boastful
listening posts to ambush Republic voice. “You can’t really be subtle. about all the things he’s going to
fleets and attempting to invade Grievous having a fireside chat with do to you or how he’s going to rule
Kamino to stop clone production. somebody is not something we’ve you, and it’s obvious his ego gets
As Wood said, he was always trying seen before or are likely to,” Wood the best of him. So, I try to look for
to make a name for himself and his jokes. “Most of his lines have to be the empathy in the character that
every appearance during The Clone super-projected. In order to hit the way, and perform him as a lesson as
Wars certainly emphasizes that. plug-in processor that I use, the way to what you don’t want to be. That’s
that I want it to, the voice definitely how it is for me, showcasing that
The Allure of Grievous has to be pushed.” you can’t have light without dark;
my performance in this dark world
General Grievous has also gone In performing a character exists to give the light something
on to appear elsewhere in the Star that presents such physical and to shine on.”
technical obstacles, what is it

STAR WARS INSIDER / 113

JOHN DYKSTRA

Developing the

Dykstraflex

The motion-control camera system designed and built for A New Hope made
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evolution and speaks to its Oscar-winning developer, John Dykstra.

WORDS BY JON D. WITMER

TIE fighter elements would all line up, but Inspired by existing
made the finished effect look systems at other facilities, but
A shoots its static, and obviously a piece combining functions in ways
lasers as it of carefully staged camera never done before, the camera
chases an trickery. Lucas’ innovation was that would become known
to demand effects imbued with as the “Dykstraflex” helped
X-wing. energy and motion. He wanted to usher in a bold new era of
A New Hope’s battle scenes visual effects.
Both ships to look like they had actually
been filmed from inside the TEAM BUILDING
bank as they skim over the fighting, by a combat camera
operator following the action In April 1975, Lucas and Kurtz
surface of the Death Star, wherever it took him. found Dykstra working at
Future General, an effects
space stretching to infinity To realize this vision, Lucas company headed by Douglas
and producer Gary Kurtz opted Trumbull—a man celebrated for
in the background. to start from scratch, setting his visual effects work on 2001:
up an effects facility all their A Space Odyssey (1968). With a
A shot like this from own. They found a willing and background in industrial design,
enthusiastic collaborator in Dykstra had joined Trumbull’s
A New Hope might be on the 27-year-old John Dykstra, previous company, Trumbull
who pulled together the team Film Effects.
screen for only a second, that Lucas would soon name
Industrial Light & Magic (ILM). “I was a designer, so I did
but its execution would have Among the team’s first tasks design work for Silent Running,”
was the development of a explains Dykstra, referring to
spanned days or even weeks. motion-control camera system the 1972 sci-fi thriller directed
for the model photography: by Trumbull. “I was also a
Separate pieces of film needed a machine that could be photographer, and I did some
programmed to carry out miniature photography for The
to be created for each of the precise movements in seven Andromeda Strain (1971).
axes—track, traverse, boom, I had gone to Long Beach State
elements—the TIE, the X-wing, swing, pan, tilt, and roll—and [University], which didn’t have
to repeat those moves exactly, a film program, but I took some
the Death Star, the background again and again. still-photography classes.

starfield, the lasers—which “In those classes, we did

would then need to be

successfully combined using a

device called an optical printer.

As well as those elements,

there was something else that

writer-director George Lucas

was determined to see in his

film’s effects: movement. When

A New Hope was made, the

standard method of producing

special effects scenes involved

using a “locked-off” camera

that couldn’t change position.

This ensured that overlaid

114 / STAR WARS INSIDER

JOHN DYKSTRA

01

a lot of different things: placed to oversee development 01 X-wings (Dick), Alvah J. Miller, and
posterization; solarization; of a cutting-edge new camera. attack the William Shourt, would focus
extracting elements from Dykstra soon found and rented Death Star in specifically on the development
complete images and bringing a disused warehouse in Van A New Hope. of the motion-control camera
those elements back together Nuys, Los Angeles (just north system. When Richard Edlund
in new configurations; of Hollywood), that would joined the fledgling facility
using high-contrast house all of ILM’s departments. soon after as the production’s
film; overdevelopment; “For better or worse,” he says, effects director of photography,
underdevelopment; controlling “the facility was patterned his input was solicited, too.
contrast; controlling color by after Doug’s, which meant
creating masks… It was kind of that it wasn’t particularly “Don Trumbull had a
the essence of optical printing. corporate.” With an eye toward background in mechanical
So I was well suited for doing streamlined communications effects,” says Dykstra. “He’d
optical elements when I went and workflow, Dykstra brought been building things for Doug
to work for Doug. I also did together collaborators who for years. He was a genius in
some model building. We all “knew one another and had mechanics and he understood
did a lot of everything—and it worked together before. We optics. He was a really brilliant
was great.” had a shorthand that allowed guy. Dick Alexander is a
us to present fairly complex precision machinist, and he
Within a few weeks of hypotheses and prove or and Don collaborated on the
meeting Lucas and Kurtz, disprove them without having best way to design and build
Dykstra had officially signed to go through a whole lot of the camera. Bill Shourt was
on to A New Hope. He was research and development.” involved in the mechanics of
well qualified to be the film’s the boom that we constructed.
special photographic effects As Dykstra assembled his And then Al Miller was the
supervisor, but there was a team, he enlisted the services electronics guy. Making a
whole other business side to of Trumbull’s father, Don, who, camera run was small potatoes
the job: building an all-new along with Richard Alexander for Al, but he had to figure
effects facility from the ground
up, and sourcing the tools and “THE PURPOSE BEHIND IT WAS TO
staff for all of its departments. SIMULATE THE REALITY OF [LIVE-
Was he confident that he was ACTION] CINEMATOGRAPHY AS OPPOSED
up to the task? He laughs. “Of TO STOP-MOTION ANIMATION...”
course I was! What was I, 27?
I knew everything!”

Youthful enthusiasm aside,
Dykstra was certainly well

STAR WARS INSIDER / 115

JOHN DYKSTRA

“THE AMOUNT
OF POWER THAT
THE SYSTEM
DREW WAS
ENORMOUS
COMPARED TO
TODAY’S DIGITAL
TECHNOLOGY.”

out how to make the camera 02
interface with the motion-
control system, and he had specifically, he adds, “The idea certainly more than the sum of
to coordinate with Don and was, if you didn’t have to use its myriad inspirations. “There
Dick with regards to motor an existing camera, this is the was a huge amount of stuff
placements, heat issues, all of camera you would make.” that we had to borrow from
that stuff.” other environments,” explains
Dykstra’s inspirations for the Dykstra. “Medical, military… It
EARLY INSPIRATIONS Dykstraflex were several. One was eclectic. We didn’t have
of its forebears had existed a lot of time, and we harvested
Lucas’ decision to form a at Trumbull’s facility, while from a variety of fields and
new effects company did another had been developed combined it all for our
not necessarily mean that by Alvah Miller and Jerry unique applications.
everything about the company Jeffress at the University of
had to be new. Much of the California at Berkeley. Dykstra “The concept of seven axes
impetus to establish custom had met the pair while working of motion that are continuously
tools and workflows came on a 16mm film project for the variable but still synchronizable
from Dykstra himself. “If there National Science Foundation. at a variety of speeds didn’t
was anything that my youth exist, as far as I knew. If you
afforded me,” he reflects, “it “They had created what want to talk about it in terms
was the naïveté to go to the essentially amounted to a of patentability, it would be a
producers and say, ‘We’re motion-control camera,” he design patent, not necessarily
going to build it all from recalls. “The Dykstraflex was an origination patent.”
scratch.’” With the Dykstraflex really an extension of the
system that Al and Jerry had As for the name,
WINNING BID been designing.” “Dykstraflex” was in keeping
with the nomenclature of
Lucasfilm’s Pete Vilmur explains how Many of the ideas that motion-picture film cameras.
he came to own Don Trumbull’s original went into the camera were Prior to ILM’s system, there was
mechanical drawings for the Dykstraflex, as completely new, however, a camera at Trumbull’s facility
seen in this article. and the finished article was

“Back in 2008, I picked these drawings
up from a poorly publicized auction on eBay.
The seller, who has a long career in visual
effects, but never at ILM, said the drawings
were originally transferred to [John Dykstra’s
company] Apogee in 1977 or ’78. When
Apogee was acquired by Sony around 1992,
they transferred again. Sony shut their visual
effects department around 2000, at which
time the seller bought some equipment from
their fire sale. Don Trumbull’s drawings were
in one of the boxes, and eight years later, he
decided to give them a new home via eBay.”

116 / STAR WARS INSIDER

JOHN DYKSTRA

03 which you ran the camera. We 02 (Left) The the effects shots, however,
chose to move the camera Dykstraflex ILM opted for the all-but-
that had been nicknamed relative to the model—rather system is set forgotten VistaVision format,
the “Trumbullflex,” and than move the model relative to up to film a which runs standard 35mm
that camera’s predecessors the camera—because otherwise TIE fighter film horizontally through the
included Panavision’s Panaflex the lighting would have had to model camera’s gate to create a
and, before that, ARRI’s travel with the model, which against a widescreen frame that is eight
Arriflex. The Arriflex got its would have been a nightmare. bluescreen. perforations across.
name from the fact that it was
the first motion-picture camera “Al Miller had to build all 03 Don Trumbull “VistaVision was something
to incorporate a reflex-viewing the microprocessors that ran was essential that Doug had lodged in my
system, allowing its operators the motion-control system. to the mind,” Dykstra recalls. “Optical
to see through the lens while This was all custom-designed, camera’s printing gives you an inherent
the camera was rolling. purpose-built, and custom- development. degradation: an increase in
programmed. Pins were contrast and reduction in
DESIGN DETAILS inserted through blank circuit resolution. But by using the
boards according to Al’s larger negative and reducing
The Dykstraflex system design, and then wire-wrapped it in optical printing to the
comprised three main elements: for connections. It was TTL four-perf negative that would
the camera; a mechanical drive [transistor-transistor logic], be cut into the movie, you
system that could track, boom, which required a huge current ended up with an image that
pan, tilt, and roll the camera; draw. The amount of power was comparable to original
and the electronic control that the system drew was photography.”
device for programming the enormous compared to today’s
drive system’s sequence digital technology.” VistaVision’s sideways
of movements. orientation also meant that
Principal photography on the film magazine would sit
“The purpose behind it A New Hope was done in the flat at the back of the camera.
was to simulate the reality of anamorphic 35mm format, This was an important
[live-action] cinematography which squeezes a widescreen consideration when filming
as opposed to stop-motion image into an almost-square dynamic space scenes, as it
animation,” Dykstra explains. film frame measuring four gave the camera a lower profile,
“The system could operate perforations on a film reel. For and allowed it to get very close
with mechanical accuracy to the starship miniatures.
independent of the speed at
“Another critical component
in making the miniatures
look big,” says Dykstra, “was
swinging and tilting the lens
to tailor the depth of field. If
you put a spherically ground
lens too close to an object, the
foreground’s going to be out
of focus and the background’s
going to be sharp. But with
swings and tilts, you can tip the
lens to offset the focus plane
and end up with the entire
thing in complete focus.” With
the Dykstraflex, this complex
process was built-in, with a
follow-focus system offering
programmable control of the
focus ring on the lens and the
position of the tilting lens board.

The VistaVision format
was also compatible with a
wide array of 35mm-format
still-photography lenses. “I’d
been using still-camera lenses
with Doug,” says Dykstra. “But
with A New Hope we were

STAR WARS INSIDER / 117

JOHN DYKSTRA

04

photographing the miniatures could control a single-axis 05 separate camera motion from
at deep f-stops [focal lengths] move. The joystick helped give object motion. But they did it!”
for depth of field, so we needed shots a sense of having been 04 John Dykstra
sharp optics that had a deep operated by a human hand— inspects Not every element of a shot
stop.” Dykstra opted to use off- rather than mathematically X-wing props. called for the Dykstraflex’s full
the-shelf Nikon optics, some of programmed—bolstering the array of capabilities, of course.
which Edlund customized with sense that these shots were 05 Dykstra’s Background starfields were
even deeper f-stops. actually filmed by a combat most recent meant to exist at a distance
pilot, at the controls in the credit was as that wouldn’t register whether
The Dykstraflex camera ran midst of the action. visual effects the camera tracked in or out,
on a modular track that could Supervisor so these were shot on another
be rearranged for different The movements for each on Ghost In stage to save time. For these
shots. At its longest, the track axis were recorded on cassette, The Shell shots, a less complex sister
could carry the camera 40 creating a “map” of distances, (2017). camera to the Dykstraflex
feet—as required for some of speeds, accelerations, and the was used, working from the
the Death Star trench shots. corresponding frame on which 06 (Left to cassette maps to match most
Motors controlled the camera’s each would occur. After a right) John of the axes on another custom-
tracking and booming for shot’s completion, the cassette Dykstra, built system.
frame-accurate positioning in would be filed in case any of Richard
relation to the subject. “The the elements might need to be Edlund, Rose 40-YEAR LEGACY
motors gave us precision and re-created for any reason down Duignan,
repeatability,” Dykstra says. “All the line. George Lucas, The Dykstraflex cannot be
of the motion-control stuff was and Joe claimed as the progenitor of
based on numeric control that Dykstra estimates that the Johnston motion-control photography
was being done at the time for Dykstraflex system could have discuss the or even complex, multiple-
the nascent robotics industry.” gotten up to 12 frames a second, storyboard element and multiple-axis
but in order to maximize the layout for visual effects. What it should
ROLL CAMERA depth of field it was most often an effects be celebrated for, however, is
set for much longer exposures, sequence. making such shots significantly
The team completed the design in the region of one frame every easier to execute and repeat
for the Dykstraflex in July 1975. three seconds.
Over the next six months, they
assembled the system on-site For the Dykstraflex’s
at ILM, and in December it was operators, including
ready to roll.. Edlund, Dennis Muren, and
Douglas Smith, the trick was
As a shot was programmed, remembering that each camera
the operator could view the move was making the miniature
scene through the lens via the spacecraft appear to fly. “It was
camera’s viewfinder. A joystick almost Cartesian coordinates,”
offered control over multiple Dykstra says. “There was a lot of
axes, while a potentiometer mental calculation required to

118 / STAR WARS INSIDER

JOHN DYKSTRA

within a tight production audiences and was met with an 06
schedule and budget. Without Oscar for Best Special Effects,
the Dykstraflex, it’s safe to say shared between Dykstra, Ghost in the Shell (2017).
that A New Hope’s 365 visual Edlund, mechanical-effects Within that vast body of work,
effects shots (comprising some supervisor John Stears, chief though, one job stands apart.
3,838 different elements) would model maker Grant McCune, “A New Hope was by far my
have been vastly different. and optical-photography best experience, and the most
supervisor Robert Blalack. satisfying,” Dykstra reflects. “It
“I’d like to believe,” says The Dykstraflex itself earned was brilliant and it was fun. I
Dykstra, “that if we hadn’t built Dykstra, Miller, and Jeffress an was working with my friends;
the stuff from scratch, and Academy Award for Technical with like-minded people who
had allowed ourselves to be Achievement. were geniuses in their own
limited to what was currently rights. We were inventing. We
available, we would not have In 1978, the year those were taking on a challenge
achieved the same dynamics in Oscars were awarded, Lucas and creating something that
the final product.” moved ILM from Van Nuys to hadn’t been seen before. How
the California Bay Area city of much better can it get?
The Dykstraflex, he adds, San Rafael. Dykstra remained
“was quite a capable machine, in Los Angeles and formed Special thanks to John
probably with a broader range the effects company Apogee, Dykstra for participating
of capabilities than it needed but the motion-control system in this article. Thanks also
to do the movie. We were that bore his name went north to Lucasfilm’s Pete Vilmur
trying to make a device that with ILM. There, it was further for providing the technical
would do everything rather modified, remaining a vibrant drawings and the photo of
than just the specific thing we part of the company’s workflow Don Trumbull, and to Lucas
needed it to do. It’s that kind for years. ILM artists continued Seastrom for additional
of desire and drive that causes to find uses for the camera, research support. The
you to find and break through even as it inspired subsequent author is further indebted
boundaries. You overcome motion-control systems with to J.W. Rinzler’s The Making
physical or technological still more sophisticated controls. of Star Wars, as well as
limitations in order to meet the July 1977 and June
some new challenge, and then In the 40 years since A 1980 issues of American
it has other applications.” New Hope, Dykstra has lent Cinematographer magazine.
his visual effects skills to an
ILM’s effects work on A array of features, most recently STAR WARS INSIDER / 119
New Hope universally wowed

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THRAWN: A VILLAIN’S PURPOSE

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WORDS: TRICIA BARR

B  y the time Celebration Europe rolled the Grand Admiral paint a “If Vader
around in 2016, the Star Wars Rebels clear picture of who he is: “To
Season Two finale “Twilight of the
Apprentice” had taken the Ghost defeat an enemy you must first controlled
crew to Malachor, site of an ancient know them, not simply their by fear,
Sith Temple, for an epic showdown involving battle tactics, but their history,
Star Wars notables Darth Vader, Darth Maul,
and Ahsoka Tano. Worthy of the weight of philosophy, art.” The trailer what about
these established characters, the events that concludes with an ominous
unfolded were spectacular.
a villain whoprediction from Thrawn: “I will
Fans eagerly anticipated the Star Wars Rebels
Celebration panel to see where the show would tear the rebels apart piece by
go next. As the Season Three trailer premiered in
a darkened room, a growing excitement rippled leads throughpiece. They’ll be the architects
across the arena at the sight of some familiar
iconography: the shape of an alien lizard known of their own destruction.”
as the ysalamiri, a white uniform, a blue-skinned
alien with red eyes who talked about art and Origin Story loyalty? And
history. By the time Grand Admiral Thrawn’s Every hero, or band of heroes, who respects
name was spoken by Hera Syndulla, the crowd requires a villain who will opponents?”
had been whipped into a frenzy. A fan-favorite create obstacles that seem
from the novels was making his debut in the
animated series. insurmountable. Star Wars Timothy Zahn
Rebels introduces the key
For fans of Rebels not familiar with the
character, the trailer made sure to lay out the themes and conceits of Star
dynamics that made Thrawn a unique Star Wars
villain and the impact he could potentially have Wars to a new generation of fans. For Luke
on the fate of the Ghost crew. Grand Moff Tarkin
asks Governor Pryce how she intends to deal Skywalker in the original trilogy and Anakin
with the rebels who have proven “particularly
stubborn.” When Pryce replies that she needs Skywalker in the prequel trilogy, the principal
“someone who sees the bigger picture,” Thrawn
stands in the background, in a room more like peril was their potential for self-destruction. After
a museum than an office. The first words from
Vader’s revelation in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes

Back, the question on everyone’s mind was “Will

Luke Skywalker follow his father and turn to the

dark side?” Anakin’s failure to resist the darkness

was a known quantity, but fans still pondered on

how the fateful temptation would occur.

For the 16 years between the first two trilogies,

Star Wars experienced a period referred to by

some fans as the dark times. Eight years after

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, and with no more

movies on the horizon, Lucasfilm turned to

STAR WARS INSIDER / 121

THRAWN: A VILLAIN’S PURPOSE

publishing to reinvigorate the franchise in 1991, 01

and hired author Timothy Zahn to write a series

of novels in which he would introduce a new

kind of villain to the Star Wars pantheon of evil.

In an interview with the Chicago Tribune in

2017, Zahn broke down the impetus for his bad

guy, explaining that: “I wanted to make another

kind of villain. If Vader controlled by fear, what

about a villain who leads through loyalty? And

who respects opponents?”

Fans hungry for new Star Wars adventures

after the end of the original trilogy sent Zahn’s

first Thrawn book, Star Wars: Heir to the Empire,

to #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. The

book’s success helped promote other endeavors

including role-playing games, comics, new toy

lines, and other merchandise.

Almost 30 years after Heir to the Empire’s

release, it continues to be revered, along with the

sequels that followed: Dark Force Rising (1992),

and The Last Command (1993). The books not

only kept mythic heroes Luke Skywalker, Leia

Organa, and Han Solo (collectively known as

the Big Three) in the public consciousness,

but also created new fan favorites Mara Jade,

Talon Karrde, Grand Admiral Thrawn, and Zahn’s trilogy and Star Wars Rebels. Even in 03
04
Imperial Captain Gilad Pellaeon (who received Rebels’ final confrontation between Ezra and

a namedrop in the series finale of Star Wars Thrawn, the young Jedi struggles to understand

Rebels, making him another old character to why Thrawn does the things he does.

be introduced to new fans). Though the books

primarily tell the ongoing adventures of the Big Different Perspectives

Three, they are often referred to as the Thrawn In science-fiction and fantasy, aliens often serve

Trilogy, such was the impact of their main as a lens for reflecting differences in human

antagonist. Considering the impact of Darth cultures. The Bendu in Star Wars Rebels is a

Vader in mythic storytelling, the Sith Lord massive ancient Force-sensitive creature living

himself might offer the compliment: “Impressive. on the remote planet Atollon. Between Bendu

Most impressive.” and Thrawn, two powerful characters with

As well as envisioning Thrawn, Zahn also unique perspectives help challenge the show’s

imagined a force similar to the First Order in heroes. Much of the Bendu’s arc involves the

the new films. Prior to 2015, the Battle of Endor ancient entity crossing paths with struggling Jedi

didn’t mark the complete defeat of the Empire, Kanan Jarrus and Ezra, his apprentice, in order to

and some of its commanders retreated when the confront their perspectives on the Force. At the

second Death Star was destroyed, regrouping same time, Thrawn puts pressure on the rebel

and rearming before striking back. While this heroes through his relentless pursuit of Phoenix

resurgent military is integral to Thrawn’s Imperial Squadron, forcing them to reassess their priorities

ambitions, his reasons for wanting to unify the and question their various approaches. In effect,

galaxy under the might of the Empire are very both act as catalysts in the heroic journeys of the

different from those of the series’ main protagonists.

Emperor, who is driven by his In some ways, Thrawn is introduced in
dark side impulses. Where the Rebels as part of a command-

original trilogy is very much Thrawn’s “long level conversation that
a fable about humanity, its game” approach includes Grand Moff Tarkin,
villains reflecting the darker Governor Pryce, Admiral
desires of the human psyche, is similar to Konstantine, and Agent
Thrawn’s motivations are Kallus. Their united focus is

rooted in his otherness. As an Palpatine’s in the the potential danger of the
alien (specifically, a Chiss), rebel band, but only Thrawn

his aspirations and ideology prequel trilogy. is able to deduce that the
remain mysterious throughout rescue of Hondo Ohnaka was

122 / STAR WARS INSIDER

01 The master tactician
plots his next move in
the battle against the
rebels.

02 Grand Admiral Thrawn,
voiced in Star Wars
Rebels by Lars
Mikkelsen.

03 On Atollon, Thrawn
hesitates before
shooting the Bendu.

04 Art-appreciator
Thrawn recognizes
the importance of
Hera’s Kalikori, in
“Hera’s Heroes.”

02

THE THRAWN tied to Phoenix Squadron’s attack on the Mining
SAGA Guild. When Thrawn realizes Hondo’s cellmate
CONTINUES has a connection to Reklam Station, Pryce,
Konstantine, and Kallus take a Star Destroyer
Grand Admiral Thrawn’s to defend the facility, where Y-wings are being
background and rise through recycled by the Empire, against a probable
the Imperial ranks was further incursion. When Pryce informs Thrawn that
explored by the character’s events have unfolded as he had expected, and
creator, Timothy Zahn, in that three rebel cruisers had come to the rescue
his 2017 novel Thrawn. The of Phoenix Squadron, the Chiss admiral surprises
story takes readers back to his fellow Imperials by ordering they be allowed
the origins of the character, to escape. In his mind, the loss of a few obsolete
tracing Thrawn’s journey from Y-wings isn’t a defeat, but rather an opportunity
exiled member of the Chiss to gain knowledge about his opponent, to be
Ascendency to becoming one exploited later. His goal isn’t to capture one rebel
of Emperor Palpatine’s most cell that day, but rather to defeat a larger menace
indispensable servants, facing at a later date.
both military and political
battles along the way. The methodical way in which Thrawn
analyzes his enemies mirrors his iteration in
The tale has been adapted Zahn’s 1990s novels. Everything he does—his
by Marvel Comics as a six-issue values, methods, and biases—are well considered
mini-series, beginning back in and coolly alien, providing twists that the
February 2018, with the final audience isn’t expecting, such as Thrawn
installment in comic stores now. allowing a small loss in the hopes of a larger and
A trade paperback collecting more decisive win in the future. In some ways,
the series will be published in Thrawn’s “long game” approach is similar to
September this year. Palpatine’s in the prequel trilogy, which makes
it believable that he could rise above his peers in
Timothy Zahn’s follow-up the chain of command.
novel, Thrawn: Alliances, finds
Thrawn paired with Darth Vader The Art of Observation
on a mission to thwart a new Though Darth Vader made a big impression
threat against the Empire’s during the second season of Rebels, the show’s
dominance, set during the creative team did not consider making him
period of Star Wars Rebels. The
hardback novel from Del Rey is
released on July 24, 2018.

STAR WARS INSIDER / 123

THRAWN: A VILLAIN’S PURPOSE

a recurring villain in the series at large. The mount an attack to destroy the TIE fighter factory

crew of the Ghost needed to have some wins on Lothal. Thrawn predicts this move, heading

on their heroic path, but if each of these to the planet to report his suspicions to Tarkin,

was a loss for Vader, then a vital part of his Pryce, and Konstantine. His meeting with the

potency would be undermined. Introducing Imperial leaders flushes out a traitor in their

Thrawn kept the show’s stakes high, while also midst, and when Agent Kallus tries to report this

providing the heroes with a foil they could news to the Rebel Alliance, Thrawn confronts

sometimes reasonably escape and defeat. Even him. Thrawn defeats Kallus in a fight, having

more importantly, though, Thrawn’s extreme studied the combat training of the Empire in

observational, analytical style allowed for order to understand its weaknesses. Not only

additional character detail to be revealed about does Thrawn evaluate his enemies, but also

the rebels themselves. the strengths and frailties of his peers. Kallus’ 05
07
In Season Three’s “Hera’s Heroes,” the desperate transmission gives Thrawn the one 08

resistance cell led by Hera’s father, Cham piece of the puzzle he lacked: the location of the

Syndulla, calls for the Ghost’s assistance when rebel base. Thrawn’s plan to crush more than

Thrawn makes his base on Ryloth, the Syndullas’ simply the Ghost crew, but the entire Phoenix

home planet. Thrawn has chosen Hera’s family Squadron, almost succeeds. Only a bold move by

home as his headquarters Phoenix Squadron commander

and carefully studies a family Thrawn’s Sato saves the day, when he
heirloom known as the pilots his ship out of formation

Kalikori in order to better perception of the and catches the attention
understand his foe. The of Interdictor commander

Kalikori is a piece of evolving Ghost crew as a Konstantine, who ignores
Twi’lek art, where important hierarchy, rather Thrawn’s orders to hold
family events are memorialized than as a team position. Sato pilots his ship
with a unique carving into the interdictor, allowing
and passed down through Ezra to escape the system to

generations. But Thrawn is not send for help.
Unfortunately for those
that places trustonly there to study artifacts.

He is well aware that his in individuals to rebels still at the base on
presence and possession of the Atollon, Mon Mothma

make independentKalikori creates a situation that isn’t yet ready to engage

will keenly test the emotional the Empire in open warfare

limits of one of Phoenix decisions, is an and refuses to send military
Squadron’s leaders. aid. Ezra convinces Sabine’s

Hera sneaks into her old uncharacteristic Mandalorian clan to dispatch

home to liberate the Kalikori, error of reinforcements, while
but is caught and tries to Kanan pleads with Bendu

pass herself off as a servant judgment to reconsider his neutral
who stole the object to sell it. position. The ancient being

While this lie seems reasonable refuses, but before Kanan

enough to Captain Slavin, leaves he calls Bendu a

Thrawn knows better. He understands what coward. While Thrawn is focused on Hera’s

the Kalikori is and what it means to a Twi’lek, actions as a commander, both Jedi have made

and that rebel leader Hera Syndulla would have unexpected moves. Thrawn’s perception of

come in person to retrieve it. As portrayed by the Ghost crew as a hierarchy, rather than as a

voice actor Lars Mikkelsen, Thrawn is in most team that places trust in individuals to make

instances restrained, but Slavin’s offer to destroy independent decisions, is an uncharacteristic

the Kalikori brings out a rare show of rage. The error of judgment on his part, upon which there

Kalikori remains in Thrawn’s possession, and are consequences.

Hera, in a heartbreaking move, destroys her By the time Thrawn’s troops reach the surface

family home in her escape. Although an Imperial of Atollon, Bendu has whipped up a raging

cruiser is in position to fire on the escaping Force storm. The creature doesn’t necessarily

rebels, Thrawn lets them go free once again. take sides, shooting down rebels and Imperials

It’s an alien methodology to his colleagues, but alike. Thrawn dismisses the attack as Jedi trickery

Thrawn perceives his interaction with Hera as and orders his troops to shoot at the eye of the

just a small part of a much larger plan. storm. The rebels escape as Bendu falls from the

Later on in Season Three, Phoenix Squadron sky, and Thrawn finds the enormous creature

convinces the newly formed Rebel Alliance to wounded yet still defiant. Bendu claims that the

124 / STAR WARS INSIDER

ability to destroy him is beyond Thrawn’s power, 05 In the Star Wars 06
and—more ominously—predicts Thrawn’s defeat Rebels series finale,
with “many arms surrounding you in a cold purrgil tentacles can give the Empire starfighter superiority. But
embrace.” Thrawn attempts to shoot Bendu, but surround Thrawn in the Rebellion’s assault on the planet does not go
the enigmatic being simply disappears. “a cold embrace.” as planned. Thrawn’s blockade is ready for their
attack, and the entire force is shot down, with
The ramifications of the defeat at Atollon 06 Fans whole-heartedly Hera captured and interrogated by Thrawn. The
have a significant impact on the Ghost crew. The welcomed Timothy Ghost crew mounts a rescue—and Kanan even
Rebel Alliance under Mon Mothma’s leadership Zahn’s creation to manages to recover her Kalikori—before the Jedi
balks at saving Lothal, knowing that Thrawn had Star Wars Rebels. perishes saving his friends.
deduced their intentions. Ezra, after struggling
with his own convictions about how to fight the 07 Thrawn matches his Although Thrawn had been dismissive of
Empire, believes he is needed on Lothal, and the intellectual might with Jedi powers on Atollon, Kanan has now become
crew follows his lead. Sabine and Ezra manage to ruthless skill in battle. part of the Emperor’s plan to recover the Jedi
steal a TIE defender from under Thrawn’s nose temple on Lothal—perhaps a lesson learned from
and, this time, Loth-wolves assist them in their 08 Have we seen the last Thrawn’s failure to kill Bendu. Thrawn outwits
aims. Much like the Force storm of the Bendu, of Thrawn? Bendu the rebels when they try to infiltrate the Imperial
this is another mystical intervention far too forsaw his defeat, not Complex and, like he did back on Ryloth, offers a
unlikely to have factored in Thrawn’s analytical his death... trade: the lives of the civilians of Lothal’s Capital
evaluation of the planet. The seized TIE defender City in exchange for Ezra. Of all the Ghost crew,
convinces Mon Mothma to act before greater Ezra is the least known to Thrawn. He doesn’t
numbers of the ships, which are built on Lothal, have a history of command to study like Hera,
or a body of art like Sabine. Thrawn’s interest
in him now comes from a desire to curry favor
with the Emperor, who wants to manipulate the
young Jedi.

It is the mysteries of the Force combined
with the determination of a child stepping into
adolescence—perhaps the most unpredictable
moment in a person’s life—that are the undoing
of Thrawn. His villainous fate in the series finale
is just as Bendu had predicted. Ezra summons
the spacefaring creatures called purrgil, whose
numerous tentacles crush into Thrawn’s Star
Destroyer, Chimaera, and wrap around him
before they jump into hyperspace.

Thrawn may have vanished along with Ezra
Bridger, but it should be noted that Bendu did
not predict this death, only his defeat—and we
have seen that the Chiss mastermind has a way
of turning initial losses into future victories.

STAR WARS INSIDER / 125

Parallel
Lives

Insider examines the not-so-
different lives of a mother and
daughter torn apart by tragedy, but
forever bound by their shared and
unwavering quest for peace and
justice throughout the galaxy.

WO R D S : JAY S TO B I E

PARALLEL LIVES

admé Amidala Star Wars: The Phantom Menace

P and Leia Organa (1999). Realizing that outside aid
both established
themselves as would not swiftly materialize, the

queen boldly ventured back to

ardent defenders her besieged planet and valiantly

of peace and organized a resistance that freed

justice throughout the Star Wars those under her protection from 01
the Trade Federation’s occupation.
saga, frequently employing their

ingenuity and courage to save She was held in such high esteem

their friends and protect the by her people that even after her

galaxy’s citizens from oppressive term as queen had come to an

regimes. The two characters end, the request was made that she

shared much more than a familial continue to represent the planet in

relationship though, as both the Galactic Senate. It was a position

mother and daughter traveled which Amidala gladly accepted.

parallel paths centered upon Adopted by the Royal Family

public service, outspoken wisdom, of Alderaan, Princess Leia Organa’s

self-reliance, dedication to duty, lineage did not spare her from

and insightful reflection. Dealing growing up in the Galactic Empire’s 02

with everything from personal shadow. Leia grew up to become

sacrifices to interplanetary Alderaan’s representative in the

conflicts, Padmé and Leia Imperial Senate, but her loyalty 01 Padmé held in her hands the Death Star
remained bound to democratic Amidale schematics that had been acquired
prevailed as heroic figures whose ideals and led her to sympathize (Natalie at such cost by Jyn Erso’s team.
Portman). Steadfast in her beliefs, the princess’
larger-than-life exploits stemmed allegiance to Alderaan’s population
and her friends in the Rebellion
from their reliance on noble traits with the fledgling Rebel Alliance. 02 Princess continued even as the Death Star
She refused to simply stand Leia Organa targeted her home. Unwilling to
that we can all aspire to attain. by and enable the Empire to (Carrie risk Alderaan’s destruction or betray
crush those battling against its Fisher). the rebels’ location on Yavin 4,
For the People Leia unsuccessfully attempted to
tyrannical rule. Just as Padmé 03 Queen divert the superweapon’s ire by
As the elected Queen of Naboo, had done a generation before, Amidala of claiming the clandestine base was
Padmé Amidala’s service to her Leia chose to risk her own safety Naboo. on Dantooine.
people began at a young age, and
she provided steadfast leadership and jumped to Scarif aboard the Whether facing a blockade by
during an invasion that left her the Trade Federation or an Imperial
homeworld in the Trade Federation’s Tantive IV in Rogue One: A Star war machine, both Padmé and Leia
clutches. In cahoots with her decoy refused to abandon the citizens in
Sabé, a troubled Padmé made the Wars Story (2016), only evacuating their care. Only the strongest leaders
difficult decision to leave Naboo and know when the time to ask for
travel to Coruscant to seek assistance the warzone once she safely help arrives, and the two women
from the Galactic Republic in showed off this fearless quality as
Padmé and Leia prevailed as their individual situations worsened.
03 heroic figures whose larger-than- Padmé revealed her true identity to
life exploits stemmed from their Boss Nass and sought the Gungans’
participation in their planet’s
reliance on noble traits that we defense, while Leia dispatched R2-
can all aspire to attain. D2 with a message that requested
Obi-Wan Kenobi finish the mission
that she could no longer carry out.
The ability to set aside their pride to
benefit the masses substantiated the
esteem that so many people held for
these two remarkable women.

Speaking Truth to Power

Maintaining a headstrong attitude
can be difficult, especially when

STAR WARS INSIDER / 127

PARALLEL LIVES

a deadly Trade Federation fleet 04
surrounds your world, or the
most hated person in the galaxy Padmé and Leia’s
towers menacingly above you. righteous efforts
However, Padmé and Leia proceeded consistently sent
unphased during their respective them into perilous
encounters with Viceroy Nute environments, but
Gunray in The Phantom Menace neither character
and Darth Vader in Star Wars: A needed to wait for
New Hope (1977). The queen’s
confidence proved well–founded, a rescue.
and she defied all odds to eventually
apprehend Gunray. Nor did she 05
shy away from reprimanding her
allies when necessary, including her 04 Queen Amidala
evaluation of Qui-Gon Jinn’s plan to defending
enter a young Anakin into a podrace Naboo.
as “reckless,” and disagreeing
with Mace Windu’s assessment 05 Leia aboard
that Count Dooku’s Jedi origins the Millennium
prevented him from assassinating Falcon
anyone. Likewise, Leia’s verbal
jabs extended beyond Vader and 06 Leia remains
included stinging remarks about a force for
Grand Moff Tarkin’s body odor, good in
and even the stature of an armor- Star Wars: The
clad Luke Skywalker. Last Jedi.

The mother and daughter also 07 Padmé on the
flouted danger by retaining their front line at the
humor in trying moments. After Battle of
two failed attempts on her life, Geonosis.
Padmé preserved her capacity
to laugh and joke when she and
Anakin went into hiding on Naboo
in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones
(2002), and in the battle arena on
Geonosis, the senator took a brief
moment to tease Anakin about her
decision to engage in “aggressive
negotiations.” As the First Order
bore down on the Resistance, Leia
issued a jovial statement about
Han Solo’s jacket in Star Wars: The
Force Awakens (2015), and relieved
tension by making Luke laugh with
a quip about her hair in Star Wars:
The Last Jedi (2017). Eliciting smirks
from a future Sith Lord, a skeptical
smuggler, and a Jedi recluse? Now
that’s impressive!

Despite their prominent roles
in galactic conflicts, the two
women often called upon their
pacifist backgrounds to seek
non-violent resolutions to events.
Naboo’s tranquil hills and small
security force instilled a distaste for
bloodshed in Padmé, who worked to
defeat the Senate’s Military Creation

06

128 / STAR WARS INSIDER

PARALLEL LIVES

Act in the belief that it would push regularly solved their own problems. BAIL’S
the Separatists into a corner and By the time Anakin and Obi-Wan BOLDNESS
instigate a full-scale civil war. Leia’s Kenobi began discussing their
upbringing on Alderaan’s serene options for escape in the Geonosian Senators Bail Organa and
(and defenseless) surface produced battle arena, Amidala had already Padmé Amidala formed a
a corresponding effect, from her formulated her own method to loyal friendship based upon
eagerness to halt the Death Star’s sever the chains that imprisoned their mutual ideals, making
cataclysmic ways to her desire to her. And although Luke, Han, and the Alderaanian a natural
defeat the First Order before it could Chewbacca kicked off the assault on choice to pass on those
challenge the New Republic. the Death Star’s detention center, values as he and his wife
it was the princess who asserted raised Padmé’s daughter.
Resourceful Allies control over their predicament,
blasted a hole in some grating, and Bail shared numerous
Padmé and Leia’s righteous efforts shouted the immortal line, “Into the attributes with Padmé and
consistently sent them into perilous garbage chute, flyboy!” Leia, such as his inclination to
environments, but neither character endanger his own well-being
needed to wait for a rescue. The two Correspondingly, both Padmé for the greater good. It was
protagonists possessed the virtue of and Leia preferred to lead from the daring senator who
self-reliance and, while they could the frontlines whenever a battle smuggled Yoda and Obi-Wan
count on their friends for support, broke out, as exhibited by the Kenobi to Coruscant in the
queen’s endeavor to recapture 07 dying days of the Republic,
A dedication to duty clearly ran the Theed Royal Palace in The who risked his safety to
in the family, as Padmé and Leia Phantom Menace, and the princess’ harbor Leia, and organized
tempered their powerful positions last-minute stewardship of the the Rebellion without concern
with kindness and compassion for Rebellion’s evacuation from Hoth in for the perils lurking in every
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back shadow. And, in a way, Bail’s
the people they served. (1980). But no matter how perilous similarities to Padmé allowed
situations became, the mother the former queen to help
and daughter pair never permitted nurture her daughter from
beyond the grave.

their circumstances to hamper
their spirits. During the struggle
on Geonosis, when a turbulent
flight sent Padmé falling from her
transport into the sand below, the
moment she was back on her feet
the senator ordered a clone trooper
to find another gunship, regroup
with more soldiers, and continued
with her pursuit of Count Dooku.
Wounded by a stormtrooper on
the forest moon of Endor, Leia kept
her composure and took out the
additional troopers lurking behind
Han in Star Wars: Return of the
Jedi (2003). And as if that wasn’t
enough, years later she stood at the
forefront of the battle and was

STAR WARS INSIDER / 129

PARALLEL LIVES

ready to open fire alongside Poe 08 Count Dooku and retreat to check
Dameron when a seemingly hostile on Padmé after she was knocked
First Order shuttle crashed into the AMIDALA’S from their transport, Obi-Wan
Crait base—until Finn, Rose Tico, UPRISING? convinced his Padawan to focus
and BB-8 emerged, of course! on their mission by asking him
Padmé Amidala’s devotion to democracy what the senator would do if their
When necessary, these heroic and distaste for Sheev Palpatine’s new roles were reversed. “She would do
women willingly placed themselves Galactic Empire could lead one to her duty,” acknowledged Anakin.
in harm’s way to protect others. wonder whether she might have helped More than two decades later, Leia
Padmé used herself as bait for her Mon Mothma and Bail Organa build encouraged Luke to run away rather
own assassin on Coruscant and the Rebel Alliance, had she survived the than confront Darth Vader, and
charged to Geonosis after receiving events of Revenge of the Sith. Given claimed she wished she could leave
a distress call sent by Obi-Wan. the way she questioned the Republic’s with him. But Luke knew his sister
Leia demonstrated the same selfless actions in the final days of the Clone War, would never abandon the rebels and
behavior when infiltrating Jabba it seems likely that involvement in the gave voice to her resolve. “You’ve
the Hutt’s palace to save Han Solo, Rebellion would have been her future always been strong,” he noted.
then by volunteering to join his path. As it transpired, her daughter Leia
command crew destined for Endor. would devote her life to following it. A Vision for the Future
Their gallant actions inspired their
comrades and fostered hope when Padmé and Leia treasured their
victory seemed elusive. The queen’s personal relationships, but they
capability to forge an alliance also displayed uncanny foresight
between the Naboo and the and a talent for seeing the bigger
Gungans against the mighty Trade picture. As the Clone Wars wore
Federation paralleled General on and Supreme Chancellor
Organa’s faith that the Resistance Palpatine continued to accumulate
could be rebuilt in the Battle more political might, the Naboo
of Crait’s aftermath. Grasping senator prophetically questioned
Rey’s hand, Leia calmly assured whether or not the Republic had
the young woman, “We have
everything we need.”

Relentless Resolve

A dedication to duty clearly ran
in the family, as Padmé and Leia
tempered their powerful positions
with kindness and compassion
for the people they served and the
strangers they encountered along
the way. Both were also committed
to equality for all sentient beings, as
was showcased in their treatment
of such races as the Gungans and
the Ewoks. This devotion surfaced
in the relationships of both women
with their loved ones, as well. In a
twist of fate, it was during life-and-
death situations that both declared
their love for the men in their lives,
as Padmé divulged her affection for
Anakin in the moments before their
scheduled execution on Geonosis,
while Leia proclaimed her feelings
for Han as the Corellian prepared to
be frozen in carbonite.

And yet, unlike some of those
around them, love would dissuade
neither of these headstrong women
from performing their duty. When
Anakin aimed to cease the hunt for

130 / STAR WARS INSIDER

PARALLEL LIVES

09

Common principles and parallel
experiences wove an unbreakable
thread between Padmé Amidala
and her daughter Leia Organa.

10

11

transformed into the very 08 Leia tells rising tide. The general sought to equality and freedom granted
evil it vowed to defeat. When Luke all she to impart her wisdom upon Poe them honorable accolades, but
Palpatine announced the birth remembers Dameron when she admonished both lost so much in their
of the Galactic Empire, Padmé about her him for proceeding without struggle against the dark side.
mother. considering his deeds’ broader The Emperor’s influence stole
impacts. Poe’s relentless attack Anakin from Padmé, while Snoke
ranked among the few senators 09 A princess on the Dreadnought Fulminatrix manipulated Leia’s son, Ben Solo,
who realized that the Emperor’s turned severely depleted their forces, with his grandfather’s legacy. For
corruption threatened peace general was while his insurrection against Vice all of their accomplishments,
and democracy. “So this is how an inspiration Admiral Amilyn Holdo aboard they unfairly blamed themselves
liberty dies—with thunderous to the galaxy. the Raddus almost ruined the for the creation of Darth Vader
applause,” she observed. Resistance’s chance to escape. and Kylo Ren. Interestingly,
10 General Referring to her protégé, Holdo, Leia summarized numerous
Leia’s own foresight Organa Leia spelled out the lesson for similarities between her mother
manifested through her rebukes Dameron in no uncertain terms: and herself when she related
involvement in the Rebel hot-head “She was more interested in the few memories she retained
Alliance and the Resistance. pilot Poe protecting the light than she was of Padmé to Luke: “She was
General Organa’s familiarity Dameron. seeming like a hero.” very beautiful. Kind, but... sad.”
with the Empire’s tactics during Nevertheless, Padmé Amidala
11 Padmé on her Common principles and parallel and Leia Organa’s perseverance
wedding day. experiences wove an unbreakable through personal suffering
thread between Padmé Amidala brought inspiration and hope
the Galactic Civil War helped and her daughter Leia Organa. to the galaxy.
Their immeasurable contributions
guide her actions as Supreme

Leader Snoke bolstered his military

aspirations, and she cast off the

New Republic’s comforts to form

the Resistance as a preemptive

defense against the First Order’s

STAR WARS INSIDER / 131

Cut To
The Chase

Insider’s favorite deleted scenes of
the Skywalker saga, movie by movie.

WORDS: MICHAEL KOGGE

s George Lucas has often admitted, his

A talents as a filmmaker lie primarily in
his skills as an editor. He sticks to his
preferred running length for a picture,

at around two hours, with a narrative

that is constantly moving forwards.

It was this editorial philosophy he adhered to when

cutting the first two Star Wars trilogies, where he and

his editors played no favorites, willing to remove any

moment that didn’t significantly advance the story. J.J.

Abrams and Rian Johnson continued that practice in

their sequels, wishing to echo the rhythm and pace of

Lucas’ previous Star Wars films.

“The whole process of editing is about paring the

film down and keeping all that is relevant, and getting

rid of the material that doesn’t work, for one reason or

another,” Lucas said in a documentary on deleted scenes

that featured on the DVD home entertainment release

of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (1999). It is a process

that made for tighter films, but inadvertently created Star

Wars myths from cut sequences and subplots that, in

truth, were superfluous to the story. But myths they have

become, even though they found their destiny on the

cutting room floor.

Unlike Lucas, however, Star Wars Insider has played

favorites, screening all of the available deleted scenes from

the eight Skywalker saga films and selecting one from each

that stands out. As in all matters of art and opinion, no

doubt this will spark discussion—so let the debate begin!

132 / STAR WARS INSIDER

CUT TO THE CHASE

Anakin’s
Fight

Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
First seen: DVD home entertainment release, 2001

After Anakin wins the podrace behave violently like this at any
in Episode I, Lucas’ shooting script other point in the film, so the scene
describes young Anakin “rolling sticks out from the rest. Moreover,
around on the floor, fighting,” with the prequel trilogy is about a good
a tyke-sized Rodian. A group of boy turning into an evil man,
slave children stand around them, and the inclusion of this scene
cheering them on. Anakin seems to may have weakened the impact of
have the upper hand, pounding a Anakin’s subsequent choices. By
fist into his opponent’s pea-green pledging himself to the Emperor
head, until Qui-Gon Jinn arrives. in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
The sweaty boy explains that the (2005), Anakin makes a conscious
Rodian says Anakin cheated in the decision to follow a dark path. It
podrace, but Qui-Gon tells the boy is his decision that dominates his
that he knows the truth and that destiny, not some predetermined
fighting won’t change the Rodian’s violent tendency from his youth.
opinion. Anakin listens to the Jedi Same for poor Greedo.
Master and follows him away, while
the brawling Rodian is lectured by
Wald, a wiser member of his species
who reveals the antagonist’s name
in his dialogue: “You better watch
it, Greedo, or you’re going to come
to a bad end.” It is advice Greedo
obviously doesn’t heed, as he later
takes up a life of crime and ends up
on the business end of Han Solo’s
smoking blaster in Star Wars:
A New Hope (1977).

Lucas conceived the scene as “an
essay on the judicial use of power,”
but deemed that it didn’t establish
Anakin’s character one way or the
other. While this disappointed
producer Rick McCallum, who
thought that the scene revealed “a
little bit of the dark side in Anakin,”
Lucas’ decision was correct from the
viewpoint of character. A tussle like
this would probably be an ordinary
occurrence in the hardscrabble
life of a Tatooine slave boy, and
therefore an unreliable indicator to
Anakin’s future. Anakin also doesn’t

STAR WARS INSIDER / 133

Padmé’s CUT TO THE CHASE
Family
Restoring
Star Wars: Attack of the Clones Democracy
First seen: DVD home
entertainment release, 2002 Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
First seen: DVD home entertainment release, 2005
In Attack of the Clones (2002), Padmé’s
return to her home on Naboo is a welcome While Obi-Wan searches for General Grievous on Utapau,
relief after two foiled assassination attempts Padmé and a delegation of senators petition Chancellor Palpatine
on Coruscant. She introduces her escort, to halt any further amendment to the Republic’s Constitution.
Anakin Skywalker, to her family at their Palpatine assures them that democracy will be restored when the
house, where they share a meal. Anakin war is over. Padmé asks if a diplomatic solution is being pursued
and Padmé’s father go for a walk afterward, to end the war, to which the chancellor, seemingly miffed, says
while Padmé cleans up with her older sister, that she must trust him to do the right thing. Padmé departs
Sola, and her mother. Sola comments that with her delegation, casting an irked glance at the chancellor’s
Anakin has obvious feelings for Padmé, but bodyguard, her secret husband Anakin Skywalker.
the senator defends their relationship as
purely professional. Later, Padmé shows Palpatine acknowledges the delegation’s sincerity, but plants
Anakin her bedroom, which is decorated seeds of doubt in Anakin’s mind about Padmé’s loyalty, saying
with holographic pictures of her time as a she is hiding something. Anakin confesses he can’t sense betrayal
young legislator. He is clearly impressed— in her, which Palpatine swiftly inverts, saying that the young
and smitten. man does indeed sense it, but doesn’t “seem to want to admit it.”
As Anakin considers Palpatine’s words, he falls more and more
Lucas himself was smitten with this under the master manipulator’s spell.
scene. “It went a long way to establish what
Padmé’s problems were,” Lucas has stated. As illuminating as this encounter is, Lucas maintained that
Padmé’s dogged devotion to a life in public everything that wasn’t central to the plot of Anakin’s fall had to
service hindered her from developing be cut. This scene, and others showing the gestation of the Rebel
intimate personal relationships, and Alliance, tended to stall the story in political talk. Padmé had
admitting that she liked Anakin. “When shown herself strong-minded and independent time and again,
again I got very hard-nosed about the so the scene’s elimination didn’t detract from her character.
length of the film,” Lucas said, “I realized
that those ideas were already conveyed
in a lot of the other scenes.” Thus, Lucas
followed the age-old advice to “kill your
darlings,” and pulled the family reunion.

134 / STAR WARS INSIDER

CUT TO THE CHASE

Tosche walk, during which Biggs confesses CUT...!
Station he’s joining the Rebellion. Biggs’ BUT NOT
revelation jolts Luke, who knows FORGOTTEN
Star Wars: A New Hope he’ll be stuck on Tatooine for yet
First seen: Blu-ray home another season to help his uncle on Deleted scenes have long been
entertainment release, 2011 the farm. Their parting is a part of Star Wars lore. Ever since
bittersweet moment, with Luke the original film premiered in
The most sought-after and telling Biggs to, “take care of May 1977, fans have argued
talked-about cuts in Star Wars yourself, you’ll always be the best about scenes they saw—or
cinematic history are a sequence friend I’ve got.” thought they saw—during the
of scenes involving Luke and his initial theatrical run or one of
friends on Tatooine. While In the edit, George Lucas the re-releases. These scenes
working with a Treadwell droid agonized over whether to include might revolve around Biggs
on his uncle’s moisture farm, these scenes. While developing the Darklighter and Luke Skywalker
Luke glimpses a space battle in screenplay, his movie buddies had talking about their dreams, or
the skies above. He speeds off to insisted he introduce the hero, Luke Han encountering Jabba the
Tosche Station in Anchorhead to Skywalker, at the beginning of the Hutt, or Chief Bast updating
tell his friends, although everyone film. “So I did it. I wrote it, and I Darth Vader on the search for the
dismisses his claims—except for shot it, and I looked at it. It worked missing droids. None of these
Biggs Darklighter, who’s recently but it wasn’t great,” he revealed scenes appeared in any theatrical
returned from the Imperial in Star Wars: The Annotated release of the film, though some
Academy. Luke and Biggs take a Screenplays. “I could not get out of fans swore they saw them, long,
my mind that, poetically speaking, long ago.
I really wanted to have this clean
line of the robots taking you to Truth be told, the fans
Luke, Luke taking you to Ben, Ben weren’t fibbing, if only from a
taking you to Han, Han taking you certain point of view. Before the
to Princess Leia… I just decided to advent of supplemental content
trust my heart, and I structured on laser discs and DVDs, cut
the story that way because of the material from Star Wars popped
way I felt about it, not because it up in other places. The much-
was logical.” maligned Star Wars Holiday
Special (1978) re-purposed
Audiences were gripped by the some of the footage from the
movie’s action-packed opening, 1977 film, while Luke’s backstory
quashing any concerns over the with Biggs was explored in the
timing of Luke’s introduction, and novelization, the children’s books,
the scenes found a more natural the comics, and the radio drama.
home in which to add backstory in In fact, the Star Wars Storybook
the novelization and radio drama. even featured a still photograph
from the Luke and Biggs scene,
which undoubtedly made such
an impression that many fans
were convinced they had actually
seen it in the theater.

CUT TO THE CHASE

Wampas in grabbed by the wampa on the other
the Rebel Base side as he unwittingly opened it.

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back In his book, Once Upon a
First seen: Blu-ray home entertainment release, 2011 Galaxy: A Journal of the Making
of The Empire Strikes Back, unit
The wampas were originally set publicist Alan Arnold shed light on
to play a much larger role in the why these scenes ultimately didn’t
narrative of The Empire Strikes Back make it into the movie. “The fact
(1980) than the lone ice creature of the matter is that the concept
that took a swipe at Luke Skywalker. didn’t work. Wampas smashing
Director Irvin Kershner and his through ice walls are not everyday
crew shot additional scenes of events. Filmmakers contrive things
wampas attacking the rebel base that haven’t happened before and
on Hoth, one of which showed a are unlikely to happen again. It
wampa scraping its claw through was a brave failure,” he wrote. The
an ice wall, while another scene wampa scenes didn’t hold up to the
pitted rebel soldiers and R2-D2 other special effects in the film, and
against another wampa rampaging deflected attention away from the
through the base. A humorous Imperial peril facing the rebels.
third scene had C-3PO removing a
caution sticker from a blast door, Also, as the set progress report
creating a trap for an unlucky noted for the wall-clawing scene,
pursuing snowtrooper who was “the man inside the monster suit
has been there three hours and is
suffering from stomach cramps.”
It transpires that not even special
effects could overcome some basic
human frailties.

Luke’s New
Lightsaber

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
First seen: Blu-ray home entertainment release, 2011

George Lucas, screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan, and director
Richard Marquand had originally envisioned a slightly
different opening to Return of the Jedi (1983) than made the
final cut. After Darth Vader scolds Moff Jerjerrod for his lack of
progress on the second Death Star, Vader moves into his
meditation chamber, where he communes with Luke,
imploring his son to “join him on the dark side of the Force.”
The scene cuts to a dark robed Luke inside a cave, adjusting a
lightsaber. He presses the activator on the hilt and the blade
ignites green. An interesting tidbit is that the lightsaber Luke
holds appears to be the same prop used by actor Alec Guinness
in A New Hope, albeit with a few alterations.

Inclusion of this scene would have diminished both the
mystery of Empire’s “I am your Father” cliffhanger, and
additionally ruined the surprise and drama of Luke’s entrance
into Jabba the Hutt’s palace. A modified version of this scene,
written by John Whitman, opens the Jedi radio play, with Luke
building his lightsaber in Obi-Wan Kenobi’s hut.

136 / STAR WARS INSIDER

CUT TO THE CHASE

Jakku Message Defending
the Caretakers
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
First seen: Blu-ray home entertainment release, 2016 Star Wars: The Last Jedi
First seen: 4K/Blu-ray home entertainment release, 2018
Initially, General Leia Organa was slated to
appear much earlier in The Force Awakens Emerging from the mountain cave on Ahch-To, Rey sees
(2015)—soon after Kylo Ren captures Poe ships landing in the Caretaker village, which Luke identifies as
Dameron, in fact. In a scene set at the hidden the inhabitants of a neighboring island on their monthly raid.
Resistance base, Major Brance relays a message to He counsels Rey not to rush to save them, but that’s exactly
the general that there’s no sign of the map to what she does, running into the village with her lightsaber
Luke Skywalker, and that the Jakku village has raised. She quickly realizes that this isn’t a violent raid, but a
been wiped out. He also tells Leia that Poe’s party. On a pier, she encounters Luke again, who chuckles at
X-wing was found destroyed, with blaster marks her recklessness. She berates him for not agreeing to help his
indicating it was the work of the First Order, and friends in the Resistance when they need him most, then
that Poe’s droid is missing. Leia isn’t convinced storms off. The scene shows how much Luke has changed since
that BB-8 has been lost and orders that the his training with Yoda, as he’s actually admonishing Rey for an
spherical droid be found immediately. action that he himself would have taken as a younger man.

J.J. Abrams heeded the advice of screenwriter Writer-director Rian Johnson adored this scene, yet as the
Michael Arndt to excise this scene from the initial cut of The Last Jedi (2017) ran well over three hours,
film. In effect, this delayed Leia’s appearance scenes needed to be chopped and—since Luke’s conflict with
until her reunion with Han Solo after the raid Rey had already been well established—this one fell by the
on Takodana. As Abrams noted in the 3D Blu- wayside. “This always happens in the edit. It’s like suddenly you
ray commentary track, Arndt told him, “It’s a can see through the matrix and you’re like, ‘Oh my god, that
far more powerful thing to meet her through big sequence that I love so much and I can’t imagine the movie
Han Solo’s eyes, and also at this point in the without, if we lift it out and put these two things together, it
movie, when you need a breath of fresh air, you plays in a slightly different way, but it plays better,’” Johnson
need some uplift.” The decision to delay her told an audience after a screening of the film. “You don’t think
introduction followed Lucas’ formula in A New about all the stuff we built on set to get the shots, you don’t
Hope that one character led the story to the next, think about all the work the actors and the crew did, you just
and gave Leia—like Han and Chewbacca before hit one button and it’s gone and the movie’s better.” The scene
her—a spotlight moment so the audience could remains in both the adult and junior novel adaptations.
applaud the return of a beloved character from
the original trilogy. STAR WARS INSIDER / 137

Action Figures: A Star Wars Story

It was the toy range that set a new bar for playability, and
continues to bring the Star Wars experience home for millions

of fans worldwide. Collector and toy expert Gus Lopez takes
Insider on a nostalgic look back in time, at Kenner’s original

line of Star Wars action figures, vehicles, and playsets.

WORDS: GUS LOPEZ

PHOTOS COURTESY OF HASBRO, JAKE STEVENS,
AND CHRISTOPHER COOPER

ONLY YOU CAN DECIDE
01 02

03

he release of Star Back then, toys based on movies 01 All 12 original Star Wars action figures
were rarely seen as a good bet for released by Kenner in 1978.
T Wars: A New Hope manufacturers, and predicting which
(1977) was a defining movies would become hits was 02 Kenner licensed the U.K. and European
moment for many both difficult and risky. While other distribution rights to British company
companies passed on Star Wars, Kenner Palitoy, whose logo replaced Kenner’s
kids growing up was so impressed by the early concept on all toy packaging.
art and bold vision of George Lucas’
in the 1970s, who space-fantasy epic that they gambled 03 The impressive AT-AT vehicle.
on acquiring exclusive rights to
were blown away by the brilliant produce the film’s toys. It was a gamble again and again, but there were very
that paid off, although no one—not few Star Wars toys available. Kenner
storytelling, the rich universe of even the most enthusiastic fans within scrambled to bring out products while
Kenner—had expected the global Star the film was still playing in theaters,
characters and settings, and the Wars phenomenon that followed. including jigsaw puzzles, Dip Dots art
sets, and the Star Wars: Escape from
groundbreaking special effects. But In the Beginning Death Star board game, all of which
were entertaining enough but lacking
it was the toys made by Kenner, For many kids experiencing Star Wars in true play value.
in the summer of 1977, there was an
with their infinite playability and irresistible craving for toys based on The following fall, rumors began
the movie. Everyone wanted to bring to circulate that Kenner was creating a
compulsive collectability, that had a the adventure home and experience it Star Wars action-figure line. Excitement
was further amped when a television
profound impact on their day-to-day commercial for the first four Kenner
figures aired. The toy line was not
childhood experience. ready for release for the holiday season,
but kids could obtain an Early Bird
Before Star Wars, Kenner Products Certificate that allowed them to receive
the first four figures (Luke Skywalker,
was a comparatively small company Princess Leia, Chewbacca, and R2-D2)
in the spring of 1978. It came with
with a number of moderately successful

toy lines, including Play-Doh, Easy-

Bake Oven, Spirograph, SSP Cars and

Vans, and the Six Million Dollar Man

and Bionic Woman lines.

Kenner was so impressed by the early
concept art and bold vision of George Lucas’
[KQ Å Mpic that they gambled on acquiring
exclusive rights to pZWL]KM \PM ÅTU¼[ \Wys.

STAR WARS INSIDER / 139

ONLY YOU CAN DECIDE
04

a cardboard playset to display the first 05 introduced four new action figures to
12 action figures, a small catalog of the line: Greedo, Hammerhead, Walrus
Kenner’s Star Wars products, stickers, and not just the figures, but also the Man, and Snaggletooth, which were
a membership card, and a couple of various ships featured in the movie that initially only available with the Sears
cut-out cardboard photos. the action figures could interact with. exclusive playset. Eventually, Kenner
Known as ‘12 Backs’ to collectors today, would release the four cantina figures
Kids received the four Early Bird the first wave of figures pictured all 12 on cards along with four additional
figures at around the time the first action figures in the range on the back characters, but Snaggletooth was
wave of action figures appeared in of their card packaging, along with the somewhat reworked from the original
stores, which included Darth Vader, Landspeeder, X-wing, and TIE Fighter Sears version, with shorter legs and
Stormtrooper, Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi, vehicles, and instructions on how to a red outfit.
Han Solo, and C-3PO. Several weeks order an action-figure display stand,
later, the final three figures—Death all scaled to the action figures. Kenner’s most amazing toy
Squad Commander, Sand People, and vehicle—and the most coveted—was
Jawa—arrived at retail, and the circle The Joy of Sets the Millennium Falcon Spaceship.
was complete. This massive toy, scaled to fit multiple
Some of the more elaborate Star figures in its cockpit, gunner station,
This first release of highly coveted Wars toys were released by Kenner a and main hold, featured a retractable
figures was unlike anything kids had year into the line, and were initially ramp, holographic gaming table, and
ever seen before. The figures did not exclusive to retailer Sears. The Death even an area for lightsaber practice. It
have as many points of articulation Star Space Station playset featured a was the toy that every kid wanted, and
as G.I. Joe or Mego action figures, section of the weapon that contained was so popular that Hasbro rereleased
and they were also smaller and less the trash compactor, a control room, it in the mid 1990s using the same
posable. However, this was Kenner’s the chasm that Luke and Leia swing molds, until a larger, updated version
masterstroke: they had the foresight to across, and a laser cannon. The Cantina was released in 2008.
encourage kids to “Collect them all,” Adventure Set—a yellow plastic base
with a cardboard cantina backdrop— Ships in Ship-shape Shape

For many kids experiencing Star Wars in the Despite the runaway success of A
summer of 1977, there was an irresistible New Hope, Kenner was surprisingly
craving for toys based on the movie. uncertain whether the toys would
perform as well for the 1980 sequel,

140 / STAR WARS INSIDER

ONLY YOU CAN DECIDE
06

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Kenner’s HARD TO FIND
and their initial wave of new figures most amazing
included only 10 new characters. In toy vehicle— Kenner has experimented with other
fact, Kenner released so many toys for and the most Star Wars toy ranges besides small
its action figures that there were more coveted— action figures, including a set of
vehicles and playsets introduced for was the large 12-inch figures (see above) and
The Empire Strikes Back than actual Millennium die-cast metal vehicles released for
figures. These included such delights as Falcon A New Hope and The Empire Strikes
Darth Vader’s Star Destroyer, the Hoth- Spaceship. Back. Not all of them were hits, but
based ‘Imperial Attack Base’ and ‘Turret that, conversely, has made them hot
and Probot’ playsets, a Snowspeeder, 04 The preliminary model tickets for collectors today.
two versions of the Tauntaun—one for the Millennium
with a belly-opening feature for those Falcon toy, designed The Micro Collection line of toys
chilly Hoth nights, a Rebel Transport by Mark Bourdreaux. based on The Empire Strikes Back
that doubled as a carrycase for your consisted of small, interlocking
action-figure collection, and various 05 The final retail Millennium plastic playsets with non-posable
small vehicles called mini-rigs—to Falcon Spaceship, desired metal figures (see below). The toys
name some of many! by thousands of fans. were not popular during their time,
and disappeared from shelves
The masterpiece this time was 06 Featuring “Laser before Return of the Jedi was
the AT-AT. Enabling kids to recreate Battle Sounds,” the released in 1983. Today, they are
the Battle of Hoth in the warmth of Imperial Shuttle was the extremely popular with collectors.
their own homes, this gigantic toy centerpiece of Kenner’s
featured motorized, light-up cannons, Return of the Jedi range. Following Return of the Jedi,
an opening canopy for the pilot, and Kenner issued a line of preschool
a door in the main bay revealing a toys based on the Ewoks animated
large hold from which an army of series, including a Fire Cart, Family
snowtroopers could be deployed. Hut, Woodland Wagon, Music
Box Radio, Talking Telephone, and
By the time Star Wars: Return of Teaching Clock. While the preschool
the Jedi (1983) rolled around, Kenner Ewoks toys did not perform well at
was ready. The first wave included retail, collecting interest sometimes
works inversely to a toy’s popularity
at the time, and there’s now a
growing number of niche collectors
attempting to assemble the
complete set.

ONLY YOU CAN DECIDE

07

“Action
ÅO]ZM[ [WTL
seperatley!”

KENNER’S TV 07 “Battle Damaged” 17 new action figures, followed by 12
stickers added a new spin more in the second wave. By this point,
COMMERCIALS to existing toys for The Kenner had limited the number of new
Empire Strikes Back. playsets to just two—Jabba the Hutt,
Kenner created numerous television and The Ewok Village Action Playsets—
commercials for its Star Wars toys, 08 Numerous new action but they made up for it with a barrage
making sure to inform keen fans that figures have been released of great vehicles, namely the B-wing,
“Action figures sold separately!” as part of The Vintage TIE Interceptor, Speeder Bike, Y-wing,
A more fondly remembered tagline Collection, on cardbacks and Battle Damaged TIE Fighter. The
promised that, “Only you can inspired by the original highlight was the Imperial Shuttle, a
decide. You, and Star Wars toys!” Kenner toy line. fantastic replica of the screen original
that was so accurate it made for an
Many of the early commercials Kenner excellent display piece, not forgetting
featured a musical soundtrack released so the hours of play value offered by
that was entirely of its own, and— many toys its retractable wings and many other
unlike the effects-dominated toy for its action unique features.
commercials of today—actually Ågures
showed kids playing with the toys that there The Dark Times
while demonstrating their awesome were more
play features. vehicles and With no new movies on the horizon
playsets after Return of the Jedi, interest
Of the more memorable TV introduced in Star Wars toys began to fade as
spots, a commercial promoting for The kids’ attention moved on to other
the large Wampa figure had a Empire franchises. Regardless, Kenner tried
child repeating, “Wampa-wampa- Strikes Back one last push for the movie line in
wampa!” over and over again as he than actual 1985, with the creation of the Power
menaces our heroes with the Hoth Ågures. of the Force series. This included some
monster. Advertising the Lando newly sculpted figures from across
Calrissian Skiff Guard disguise the trilogy, along with reissues of the
figure from Return of the Jedi, most popular characters on all-new
another child ecstatically hollers cardbacks. As an additional lure, each
the memorable phrase, “Surprise! figure was packaged with a bonus
Surprise! It’s Lando in disguise!” coin that was part of a 62-coin set,
but sadly the line languished on toy

ONLY YOU CAN DECIDE
08

store shelves and the series was short- catch on and both series only survived With no new movies
lived. Ironically, the scarcity of this for that initial wave. There would be on the horizon after
final set of vintage figures has made no new Star Wars figures for another Return of the Jedi,
the Power of the Force line extremely decade, but something interesting interest in Star Wars
popular among today’s collectors, happened during those dark times. toys began to fade.
thanks in no small part to the strong As the kids who had grown up with
likenesses to the characters, the coins, Star Wars reached adulthood, they Star Wars collecting. The Timothy Zahn
and the elegantly designed cards. became nostalgic about the toys of novels and Dark Horse Comics’ Star
Some characters from the line, such as their childhood years, and many went Wars: Dark Empire renewed interest in
Gamorrean Guard, AT-AT Driver, Nikto, back to rebuild or complete their sets. original Star Wars stories, and with the
and Yak Face, were only available release of the Special Editions and then
beyond U.S. shores, as the dramatic Renaissance of the Jedi the prequels, Star Wars was firmly back
drop in interest in Star Wars led to the in the public eye.
inventory being sold overseas. By the mid-90s, Star Wars was
experiencing a renaissance. Adult Star Wars action figures made a
Kenner created action figures for fans were networking with each other comeback too, now branded under
the Droids and Ewoks animated series online over their love for their toys—
the following year but, as with the the first generation to ever build a
Power of the Force figures, they didn’t worldwide community devoted to

STAR WARS INSIDER / 143

ONLY YOU CAN DECIDE
09

the Hasbro name, with numerous again referencing the original Kenner 10
lines featuring old and new characters line’s packaging design—was the 3
arriving in stores with each fresh 3/4-action-figure-scale Jabba’s Sail 09 Hasbro’s rerelease of the Escape from the
cinematic episode. But there was Barge, which at four-foot long became Death Star board game includes an exclusive
something about Kenner’s original the largest Star Wars toy ever made. Grand Moff Tarkin action figure (above right).
run that left an insatiable desire in the A whole new range of action figures
hearts of collectors for silver borders based on characters from more recent 10 The Vintage Collection’s Jabba’s Sail Barge
and black cardbacks, and in 2004 movies joined the line too, but things toy, made possible through Hasbro’s HasLabs
Hasbro embraced that fan nostalgia got seriously retro in 2019. crowdfunding intiative.
with the Original Trilogy Collection,
employing packaging reminiscent At February’s New York Toy Fair, and one character who strangely never
of the much-loved cardbacks from Hasbro revealed The Star Wars Retro made the original run—Grand Moff
the early Kenner years. The Vintage Collection—six 3.75-inch action Tarkin. It seems Star Wars action figures
Collection of super-articulated figures, figures inspired by the original 1970s have truly come full circle, leaving
launched in 2010, had a similarly retro sculpts, on cardbacks that could have collectors to decide whether to keep
Kenner packaging vibe, and proved believably been locked away and these new/old figures “mint in box,”
so popular that by the time Hasbro forgotten in a toy store warehouse for or tear open those blister packs and
ended that line in 2013, the series had four decades. The line includes Luke invent all new space adventures, just
actually outsold the entire eight-year Skywalker, Darth Vader, Princess Leia, as they did back in the day. So what
run of the original 70s and 80s figures. Chewbacca, Han Solo, a Stormtrooper, will you do with yours?

Hasbro announced it was reviving Only you can decide. You, and
The Vintage Collection in 2018 with Star Wars toys!
the launch of a crowd-funded initiative
named HasLab, allowing them to create
special products otherwise unrealistic
for the company to produce for the
general market. The first project—

At February’s New
York Toy Fare,
Hasbro revealed
The Star Wars
Retro Collection.

144 / STAR WARS INSIDER



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