It was never any secret that George Lucas was a fan of Akira Kurosawa’s. In the first installment of this column, we looked at the inspiration of The Hidden Fortress on Episode IV, but that’s not where the influence between Lucas and Kurosawa ended. By the late seventies, Kurosawa was a legend, but couldn’t get the money to finish his epic film, Kagemusha.
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Tags: cinema behind star wars, George Lucas, kagemusha, kurosawa
Behind The Scenes | 
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Hello and welcome to my first edition of Fully Operational Fandom! I’m excited about my new column because it’s going to be all about the fans. Star Wars enthusiasts make up the most passionate fan community I’ve ever experienced, and I’m continually impressed with how people channel their love for the galaxy far, far away. A common appreciation for Star Wars has been known to bring people together and for some, it’s meant romance.
Though some believe opposites attract (and that can definitely work), it can be fun to share your love about a given topic with your significant other. Especially when the topic is a major part of your life. It makes for fun debates over dinner, it leads to possible couple-themed cosplay, and it means you always have someone to call when Episode VII news is announced. Even if you have a Hoth-like heart, you’ll appreciate these stories about couples who bonded over their excitement for Star Wars. Some even incorporated the saga into their wedding.
10 Comments » | Tags: fully operational fandom, love, romance, Valentine's Day, Weddings
Fans and Community | Permalink
Wondering what’s been happening at StarWars.com? Here’s a quick roundup of what you might have missed this week!
1 Comment » | Tags: stuart freeborn, The Clone Wars, weekly roundup
News | Permalink
Welcome to the first installment of Happy Rancor, my new column here on the Star Wars Blog. My goal with Happy Rancor is to explore some hidden gems in and around the orbit of Star Wars — from innovative levels of old video games to underrated novels — that have maybe been forgotten, but deserve a little more consideration. Today, I’m going to take a look at the manga adaptation of Return of the Jedi, a beautiful interpretation of the classic film, and one of my favorite Star Wars comics.
8 Comments » | Tags: happy rancor, star wars: return of the jedi - manga
Books and Comics | Permalink
It’s funny how much impact a child’s surroundings and interests can have later on in life and really reconnect them with what makes them happy. I still remember sitting on the floor of my parents living room listening to the Return Of The Jedi 7″ record, the one filled with narration of the movie and came with the read-along/photo book. Now, 20 years later, my label I Am Shark is releasing the Episode I, II, and III soundtracks on vinyl for the first time? I’m back to being my giddy, little, kid-self again.
5 Comments » | Tags: soundtrack, star wars on vinyl, star wars soundtracks, vinyl
Collecting | Permalink
Longtime readers of StarWars.com will already know this story. Parts of it were recounted in the official Homing Beacon email newsletter back in September 2004, and then a few months later on the ol’ user blogs that used to be hosted on this site. But since neither of those archives are readily available, and since I’m overdue for a blog post, I figured I’d retell the story of how I found the enigmatic briefing room Wedge Antilles from Episode IV. Also, this is an excuse to launch a semi-regular series of blog posts that have to do with little mysteries I’ve helped solve in my time here at Lucasfilm.
Who are you... and what have you done with Wedge?
9 Comments » | Tags: Episode IV: A New Hope, wedge
Behind The Scenes | Permalink
I am not a part of the tribe.
I have worked on every Star Wars Celebration since Celebration II, but no matter, I am not a member of the elite echelon of fans who traveled to Star Wars Celebration I in Colorado back in 1999. Not able to claim I had anything to do with the show at all, I do not possess even a nostalgic attendance badge.
9 Comments » | Tags: Celebration I, Denver, star wars
Fans and Community | Permalink
(Click image to download high-resolution PDF.)
1 Comment » | Tags: Episode IV: A New Hope, ILM
Behind The Scenes | Permalink
My diorama images grew out of a combination of my childhood love of Star Wars toys and my career as a photojournalist. So, it makes sense that my toy art is grounded in mirroring human behavior. That’s why the holiday-themed Star Wars images I’ve done for more than a decade are fun exercises in translating celebratory traditions to the framework of a galaxy far, far away.
No Comments » | Tags: Action Figures, Dioramas, nfl, Stephen Hayford, super bowl
Creativity | Permalink
About a year ago, Scholastic approached me with one of those offers you can’t refuse.
By then we knew Season Four of The Clone Wars would conclude with the return of Darth Maul, last seen tumbling — in halves, no less — into a pit on Naboo. But we didn’t know the tale would continue with Maul’s rescue by Savage Opress and his rematch with Obi-Wan Kenobi. Nor did we know Season Five would give us a four-episode arc in which Maul rallied the galactic underworld, recruiting Black Sun, Death Watch, the Hutts, and other criminals to his banner.
Scholastic’s question: Did I want to write a young-adult novelization of those episodes?
1 Comment » | Tags: Authors, Books, Darth Maul, shadow conspiracy
Books and Comics, The Clone Wars | Permalink
