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Welcome
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Nathaniel Reed's
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| :: A trilogy of fan-fic set after Episode VI Return of the Jedi, and inspired by George Lucas' historical draft concepts ::
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| February 2013 |
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The Galactic Alliance departs to attack Kessel !
27th February 2013 |
| The virtual edition of Episode VII : Plague of Doom, finds the Galactic Alliance military planning a pre-emptive strike against the nefarious operations of the Imperials on the old Hutt world of Kessel. If the factory producing the docilising aura gas can be destroyed before it is unleashed, then the peoples of the galaxy will finally secure their freedom from the Imperial Empire under Mas Amedda. |
| With the Millennium Falcon and many starfighter squadrons moving up to the vanguard point, several Mon Cal cruisers blast forth from the coral island base of Aquilae. |
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| Down below, a grim King Oxus of Ondos watches them leave. His niece, Princess Alana Seren, has just left with Master Jedi Luke Skywalker, their destination Coruscant, to personally debrief the Alliance leader, Mon Mothma, about the secret operations being undertaken on Kessel by the Imperials. |
| As Oxus regards the immediate future and the fates of his niece and newfound allies, old commander Willard arrives to remind the king that he needs attention in the medi-centre : the micro-chip implanted in his brain by the Imperial scientist, cued to the aura gas docilisation, could be activated at any moment, and needs to be removed urgently ! |
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| You can see the VE artwork in the 'Mon Cal' art gallery as well as in the online illustrated story, and you can discuss this in the forum here ! |
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| At the end of January and the beginning of February, rumours began spreading that there would be more than just the three movies of the recently proposed Offical Sequel Trilogy. TheForce.Net pointed to IO9, who suggested that two or three "stand-alone" films could be produced by Disney/LFL focusing on secondary 'hero' or 'villain' characters. IO9 proposed that the first movie could centre around Yoda, while other contenders could be Boba Fett or even a young Han Solo. |
| While this was intruiging and definately exciting news, one must recall that back in the late 70s and early 80s, George Lucas himself had suggested that running concurrent with his "Luke Skywalker" adventures could be a series of separate films, possibly self-connected, focusing on other characters (e.g, the droids, or someone secondary like Wedge), other species (e.g, Wookiees), or other time-frames (e.g, early history). Though oblique, it's amazing to see Lucas' original intentions coming through once more ! |
| And then, of course, the Official Star Wars site confirmed the rumours, stating that at least two additional stories were in pre-production. At the same time, many business sites picked up on the Disney co-announcement, such as Business Insider who reported that there would be "more than" the three official sequel trilogy films, going so far as to say that it was a franchise worth investing in and promoting - in other words, while it was profitable, they were open to many many stories being developed. |
| Also, it was announced that Star Wars veteran Lawrence Kasdan would be involved in the writing and producing of these stand-alone movies. Since he helped introduce Yoda and helped to provide the snappy dialogue between Han and Leia, naturally people are deducing that these first additional movies will centre around the popular characters of Yoda and Han Solo ! Even Jabba, Palpatine, and Darth Plagueis are in the running as possible candidates, with director Alfonso Cuaron and actor Simon Pegg rumoured to be associated as well !! |
| Not surprising, many of the existing actors have expressed an interest in returning to the Saga, from the original heroes - Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher - to the Prequel stars, such as Ewan McGregor, Frank Oz, Sam Jackson, and even Ian McDiarmid. The Sequels and the Stand-alones are certainly garnering a lot of interest ! |
| This really is great news, and, if this all plays out with at least FIVE new Star Wars movies for the next ten years, then it can only keep the flame burning brightly ! :o)) |
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| Surprisingly, and frustratingly, the official site unexpectedly announced at the end of January that the planned 3D releases of AOTC and ROTS, scheduled for late 2013, would be shelved, to allow LFL / Disney to concentrate on the Official Sequel Trilogy and the Stand-Alone movies. In some respects this makes sense, yet surely these more popular installments of the Prequel Trilogy would have only fuelled general interest in the Star Wars franchise ? I suppose there could be a real fear of saturation - akin to the pre-TPM days - and possibly also concern that AOTC had its detractors with might generate negative attention ; or simply, that the producers simply want everyone looking ahead to a future of new Star Wars material.... ? Still, I confess I find it puzzling and frustrating, and all the talk of a 3D experience over the many years might come to nought..... |
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| Sadly, though, a mere day after the stand-alone movies were announced, with Yoda being one of the favourite characters to be showcased, news broke of the death of Stuart Freeborn. This quiet and unassuming yet wholly pioneering british make-up and prosthetics artist contributed to the movie industry over a long-running career, and brought us the delights of Yoda, Chewbacca, and Jabba among others. |
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| Nathaniel Reed, 27th February 2013 |
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