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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 ::
FAQs
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| July 2018 |
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Episode IX cast is announced !
31st July 2018 |
At the end of the month, the Official Site published a press release announcing the Episode IX cast !
Confirming the returning cast, we have :
Daisy Ridley
Adam Driver
John Boyega
Oscar Isaac
Lupita Nyong’o
Domhnall Gleeson
Kelly Marie Tran
Joonas Suotamo
Billie Lourd
Mark Hamill
Anthony Daniels
Billy Dee Williams
Currently listed as NEW cast joining the ensemble are :
Naomi Ackie
Keri Russell
Richard E. Grant
AND.... in the announcement, director JJ Abrams & Lucasfilm confirm that the late Carrie Fisher will reprise her role as Leia using previously unreleased footage shot for Star Wars : The Force Awakens.
My current take on using Carrie's material is that they will surely involve some CGI to allow for lip-sync and potential re-costuming, considering both LFL and more recently Abrams have been so vociferous and adamant that they will not re-cast or computer-generate Leia ; a subsequent interview with Carrie's brother, Todd, implies that the plotting is "magically" allowing for Leia to be involved in the story in a "crucial and integral" capacity, but at this stage, if only with the limitations brought about by Carrie's untimely demise, we must take this boast with a pinch of salt : it may be that Leia's new role for Episode IX might be significant but brief.
As regards the other casting news, I'm quietly happy to see that Gwendoline Christie as the invulnerable Captain Phasma might not be returning ; I'm a little puzzled - but hopeful - that Lupita Nyong’o's Maz Kanata will return ; relieved that Mark Hamill will reprise Luke Skywalker (presumably as a Ghost) ; a little wary that we will see an older Lando Calrissian only in so far as it feels, with Carrie's death and Luke's demise at the end of TLJ , that his character has been 'shoe-horned' back in to the Saga as the last sole token representative of the Hero (human) characters from the Original Trilogy.
Of the new cast, the only name I recognise is the british actor Richard E. Grant, who is a charismatic and animated character actor, who could easily play a 'way-side character' whom the heroes meet on their adventure, or who could equally play a major role, and who in fact has a the perfect face and demeanour for a villain.... though one assumes at this 'late' stage we have our primary villain with Kylo Ren and to a lesser extent General Hux, and to add another might dilute (and confuse) the dynamic.
One last point to note is the labelling in the press release that this will be the "final installment of the Skywalker Saga", which to my mind is - currently - short-sighted and sad to hear. I still firmly believe that, akin to a TV soap opera model, the attraction of Star Wars is as a saga of an influential family facing many trials and tribulations, and in this vein should continue on, alongside the stand-alone movies and the new original-content trilogies.
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At the beginning of the month, Airship fan and Star Wars fan Trevor Monk reported that Cardington Airship Sheds in Bedfordshire UK would once again be utilised for a Star Wars production, this time for Episode IX. This follows their use on Episode IV and Rogue One.
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And later in the month actor Greg Grunberg was hinting that his friend JJ Abrams had hired him for a return to the Galaxy with his character, Temmin 'Snap' Wexley, the Resistance pilot, who, along with Black Squadron, was noticeably absent from The Last Jedi ; interestingly, the SWNN article that reported on this also referenced a story arc in a recent comic series that expounded on Black Squadron's absence explaining that they were seeking support for the dwindling Resistance during the events of Episode VIII.
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Since the stand-alone movie SOLO came out I've been (once again) mulling over the elusively labrynthine vessel that is the Millennium Falcon !! Her floorplan is infamous for not synchronising with the exterior view and scale, but, what with the recent SOLO movie and the accompanying on-set video tours of the ship, and my own mental blueprint for the purposes of writing the virtual edition sequel trilogy, I was keen to definitively pin down a map.
Ever since The Empire Strikes Back in 1980 I have been intrigued and frustrated in equal measure by the slippery nature of the vessel, and what appears to be the inconsistency and lack of attention to detail by LFL Production ; for example, the 'top hatch' that Lando uses has a very specific environment and height ; likewise, the single medi-bed chamber where Leia tends to Luke seems to be more than just an extra bunk in the forward hold ; furthermore, Han's dialogue implies modifications to enable extra speed, as well as the fact that his career requires 'public' and 'secret' cargo holds, so presumably there's more freight space than we've currently seen. Likewise, in The Last Jedi we see Rey access the escape pod bay, but sadly we don't clearly see it's locale in relation to the rest of the ship, other than the pod's ejection from the ventral rear starboard ; and in SOLO we see the captain / crew quarters for the first time.
Inspired primarily by the original and cleverly layered book, the 'Millennium Falcon 3D Owners Guide' by Ryder Windham & Chris Trevas & Chris Reiff, I've scanned and re-formatted many elements to 'bend' the floorplan to my vision.
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You can see the finished floorplan here with movie stills to help illustrate the various 'rooms' within the ship, and you can find it to the top left on the side bar menu beside the VE Galaxy Map. My intention is to change the example pictures to pop-ups.
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| Nathaniel Reed, 31st July 2018 |
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