Star Wars

This new gameplay walkthrough video follows Kay Vess on a mission to Mos Eisley to track down an expert gunslinger. Kay takes on a mission to uncover a myste...

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/12883240

Three years in the making, Star Wars: Hunters has seen multiple delays that set it back from a 2021 release date to 2022 and finally 2024. Star Wars fans have had some hands-on experience with the title in the interim - playing in soft launch in select regions so that Zynga subsidiary NaturalMotion could collect data and improve the game.

But today, June 4th, 2024, marks the first time everyone on the planet is able to play, whether on Android, iOS, or Nintendo Switch and it’s a landmark moment for Zynga and for Star Wars.

Hunters was Zynga’s first game in development for Nintendo Switch, broadening the company’s horizons; meanwhile, for Star Wars, Hunters was the brand's second game revealed after EA’s exclusivity deal came to an end.

Hunters is also canon to the wider Star Wars universe and further broadens the series’ transmedia reach, with NaturalMotion having worked with Lucasfilm to ensure the game stays true to the films and other media. The game iteself is set after Episode Six taking place in a location where characters from across the galaxy pay a visit for entertainment and combat.

As for its gameplay, Star Wars: Hunters offers chaotic 4v4 multiplayer battles in iconic series locales, with plenty of characters to choose from and roles like Support, Tank, and Damage classes.

There are multiple game modes with different objectives like taking and maintaining control over certain areas, or capture-the-flag type challenges. Trophy Chase tasks squads with holding the TR0-F33 droid, while Squad Brawl challenges teams to make 20 eliminations.

Discuss and review here!

during a surprise appearance at Star Wars Celebration in 2017, he reiterated that the very first "Star Wars" installment, which would go on to be titled "A New Hope," was a "a film for 12-year-olds." Of course, that doesn't mean adults can't still find value in these sci-fi stories of heroism. But it also means that the franchise, from its inception, has always been molded to be appealing to children.

Therefore, it should come as no surprise that when Lucas got around to making "The Phantom Menace," kicking off an entire prequel trilogy about how Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader, the filmmaker entrusted the approval of one of the most pivotal parts of the movie to a five-year-old kid. When the iconic "Duel of the Fates" lightsaber battle between Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Darth Maul was being developed by stunt coordinator Nick Gillard, it needed the seal of approval from one very specific child. 

As Gillard recalled in a deep-dive into the making of "The Phantom Menace" lightsaber battle at Vulture, "George has never been in a fight in his life. So he didn't bother, really, writing it. It would say something like, 'A vicious lightsaber battle ensues — seven minutes,' and you could fill in the gap there. But that's much better for me."

Up until this point, the lightsaber fights in "Star Wars" hadn't exactly delivered fast-paced sword combat. Instead, much of the original lightsaber duels were inspired by elegant fencing techniques. Though Luke Skywalker's style in "Return of the Jedi" is a little more energetic and chaotic, fueled by his anger as he faces his father, Darth Vader, the rest of the battles are patient, calculated, and slow. That's why Gillard completely ignored those lightsaber battles when it come to creating the two-on-one fight in "Phantom Menace." As Lucas recalled in a behind-the-scenes documentary, "I thought I wanted a faster version of what the other movies were; a more energetic version; and that's basically what he gave me."

In fact, Lucas had instructed Gillard to "come up with a new kind of martial art," which the stunt coordinator described as "an amalgamation of all sword fighting." Kendo, rapier, samurai, and a little bit of tennis and even chopping down trees informed the rapid battle between the two Jedi and the Sith apprentice. All of this combined to give each of the warriors a level of mastery in wielding a lightsaber where everything had to be precise as well as fast. Gillard added, "They can only parry there, they can only attack there. The moves are so natural or so correct, that's the only place they can be."

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Gillard put together a five-minute demo reel showcasing the new lightsaber fighting style for George Lucas to see. Lucas, again believing that the "Star Wars" movies are for kids, played the test footage for his five-year old son Jett Lucas. As Gillard recalled to Entertainment Weekly, "Effectively, Jett Lucas decided the style of that fight."

StarStar Wars doesn’t really have a future right now. The franchise itself does — it will keep getting new entries forever if Disney has anything to say about — but the story can’t escape the Skywalkers or imagine a future beyond the franchise’s most-featured family. In fact, most of the recent TV spinoffs, like The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor, and Ahsoka, have just been filling in the gaps between the main movies. But with Disney Plus’ new show The Acolyte, Lucasfilm is finally venturing outside of the time period of the Skywalker Saga by letting us know that Star Wars’ true future is in the past: in a time known as the High Republic.

To understand why Lucasfilm is once again taking the franchise backward, it’s important to understand exactly what the High Republic is and where it started. The High Republic was first introduced to Star Wars canon in 2020 as a series of books. The books were designed to introduce fans to a new era in Star Wars history that had never been explored before, and to open the franchise up for more inventive stories in a time period that had a little more canonical freedom. Since then, there have been over 50 books, comics, and short stories written about the High Republic era, all tied together and telling different sides of one larger story about the time period. Despite all that, The Acolyte will be the first time the High Republic appears on screen.

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Lucasfilm’s apprehension toward the future, like so many other Star Wars problems, is tied up in the creative finiteness of Disney’s sequel trilogy. Rather than taking a grand step into the larger future of the Star Wars universe, they were instead tightly stitched to the legacy of the movies that preceded them, sewing longtime stalwarts like Luke and Han into the very fabric of their story. Lucasfilm used its biggest platform in a decade to build a box around on-screen Star Wars stories that was only as big as the Skywalker family — and its members both real and imagined — taking a grand story and making it feel disappointingly small.

On top of that, while financially successful, the cultural memory and fondness for those movies is spotty at absolute best (and downright disastrous at worst). The dubious reception of these movies made moving the story forward after the trilogy feel like a creative risk that wasn’t worth taking. The series, therefore, had to turn in on itself, exploring the little pockets of the Skywalker Saga that the nine-movie saga couldn’t reach during their run time. This creative effort has been led largely by Dave Filoni, who rose to Star Wars fame through his work on the Clone Wars animated series. While Filoni is fiercely loyal to George Lucas’ original works, Clone Wars was a show that was entirely designed around this filling-in-the-gaps style of storytelling, and it’s a mentality he has carried forward into his work on the Disney Plus live-action series as well. All of this leaves the impression of a universe that somehow shrinks with each successive entry. Rather than expanding the galaxy, it just gets more microscopic and interconnected with each episode.

It’s easy to see why this kind of creative conservatism is particularly appealing to Disney at this moment in Star Wars history. The franchise is one of the company’s biggest creative properties, and nearly every big swing or risky move it’s tried so far has been either divisive, like the sequel trilogy, or an outright disaster, like the Star Wars hotel. So rather than put the franchise in jeopardy, Disney has spent the last several years opting to put it in creative stasis instead. Only greenlighting on-screen projects that fit neatly into the universe, showing fans more of the characters they already care about, and changing very little — with the exception of the proposed Rey movie in the distant future.

In this way, The Acolyte, and Star Wars’ future in the High Republic in general, is particularly exciting. It’s, by definition, a breath of fresh air for the series, a step away from the recent run of series whose plots can be succinctly organized into a list of famous character cameos. It’s also hopefully a sign that Star Wars will soon escape the Skywalker legacy and the gravitational pull of Filoni’s method of burrowing deeper into the universe rather than expanding it.

Alternative image

Supposedly, this is the same person as here

Edit:

Thank you @ech@lemm.ee for the gif!

Also found a source on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DBK1kuaXds

On Friday, May 24, Lucas — who celebrated his 80th birthday on May 14 — appeared at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival ahead of his honorary Palme d'Or ceremony on May 25. During a conversation at the festival, the filmmaking icon spoke to how some critics of his massively successful space opera franchise have pointed out a perceived lack of diversity in the first six Star Wars films, which Lucas either directed or produced himself.

“They would say, ‘It’s all white men.' I'd say, it's not. Most of the people are aliens," he said. "And the idea is you’re supposed to accept people for what they are, whether they’re big and furry or whether they’re green and whatever — the idea is all people are equal.”

Lucas pointed out that in his Star Wars movies, the only characters ever shown on the wrong side of discrimination are robots and droids. “And that was a way of saying, people are always discriminating against something, and sooner or later, that’s what’s going to happen,” he added. “I mean, we’re already starting with AI, saying, ‘Well, we can’t trust those robots.' ”

The filmmaker said that he never shied from hiring actors of color for his Star Wars projects, between Billy Dee Williams' role as Lando Calrissian in the original trilogy and Samuel L. Jackson's Jedi character Mace Windu in the 2000s-era prequel movies.

He even pointed out that each trilogy features strong women leads for protagonists, between Carrie Fisher's Princess Leia and Natalie Portman's Padme Amidala. “Who do you think the heroes are in these stories? What do you think Princess Leia was? She’s the head of the rebellion," Lucas said. "She’s the one that’s taking this young kid who doesn’t know anything and this boisterous, I-know-everything guy who can’t do anything and trying to save the rebellion with these clowns."

The first reactions are in for The Acolyte, the newest Star Wars show on Disney Plus – and viewers are loving the series' dark, murder mystery vibes and "Force-fu" fight scenes.

"Star Wars: #TheAcolyte is a DREAM for fans of The High Republic era and a fresh experience for everyone else. 4 eps in and it’s taking its time layering in the dark mystery. RIVETING fight choreography and SUPERB performances from Amandla Stenberg and Lee Jung-jae. I’m diggin it," said one fan.

Others also praised the fight scenes, particularly the "Force-fu," which will see characters engage in hand-to-hand martial arts rather than reaching for their lightsabers. "Star Wars: #TheAcolyte is filled with mystery and darkness that delves deep into new and diverse depths of the galaxy. I’ve seen 4 eps and dig the sinister story it’s steadily setting up. BIG potential in this era. Carrie-Anne Moss with a lightsaber doing Force-Fu is PERFECTION," wrote one viewer.

"#TheAcolyte is a blend of murder mystery with Star Wars charm. 4 episodes in, and it’s clear that this new timeline will add to the lore of the galaxy in BIG ways. The Kung Fu force fighting is MAGICAL! JJ as Sol is the COOLEST Jedi since QUI GON! Can’t wait to see where it goes," agreed another.

Audiences have also made comparisons to other titles, from fellow Star Wars series Andor to some more unlikely parallels, which have done nothing but raise our expectations. "THE ACOLYTE Eps 1-4 are superb. A captivating murder mystery that evokes the detective tales of Twin Peaks & Matt Reeves’ The Batman. Mature like Andor while fully embracing & thematically connecting to the prequels. Seeing the High Republic in live-action does not disappoint," a viewer tweeted.

"#TheAcolyte is the force-sensitive version of Andor. The cast is stellar, the writing of each episode is jam packed. Practical sets and amazing costumes, as well as sfx work make every location feel lived in, while having an emotional throughline to keep it focused," wrote another.

Found in my old bookmarks. Some really cool stuff in here.

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace is historically significant for many reasons: it was the first Star Wars movie in nearly 16 years, the last Star Wars movie shot on film, and a polarizing, pulpy entry in the storied space fantasy franchise. It debuted on May 19, 1999, 25 years ago almost to the day, and earned over $1 billion at the box office, despite mostly mediocre reviews.

Its legacy is an interesting one: One of its characters, Jar-Jar Binks, was so detested that the actor who portrayed him, Ahmed Best, faced what he told The Hollywood Reporter was “the first textbook case of cyberbullying.” Several racially insensitive aliens featured in the film remain a mark on the series to this day. The dialogue is weak and often incredibly grating.

Yet its late-stage lightsaber battle is the stuff of legends, its production and costume design is intricate and beautiful, and the infamous podrace scene is exhilarating. It is a Star Wars movie full of contradictions, so when my partner asked if I wanted to go see The Phantom Menace at our local Alamo Drafthouse, I jumped at the chance.

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But despite all that is cringe and problematic in The Phantom Menace, watching it in theaters instilled in me a newfound sense of respect for the film.

In a recent Acolyte preview clip, we see assassin Mae (Amandla Stenberg) face off against Jedi Master Indara (Carrie-Ann Moss). While Indara resists taking out her saber until her life is threatened, Mae’s daggers and Force skills are a problem she can’t ignore. Just what makes Mae such an even match? The secret may actually lie in the daggers themselves.

In the now non-canon era of the Old Republic, millennia before the events of the Star Wars movies, Sith often fought with bladed weapons over sabers. These weren’t just any blades, but Sith swords imbued with Dark Side energy. They were developed by the ancient Sith (the species, not the Dark Side users) and were later adopted by the Jedi exiles who would become the Sith (the Dark Side users, not the species) and incorporate lightsaber combat elements in their use.

Sith blades occasionally popped up in the old canon, especially in the Old Republic era, but they soon fell out of favor over the more powerful (and more iconic) lightsabers. However, they’re quite powerful in their own right: because of the Force powers involved, Sith swords can fend off lightsabers and deflect blaster bolts, just like Beskar. And when attacked with Force lightning, these blades can store the electric energy and transfer it with a blow.

While Sith swords are usually larger, often ceremonial weapons, there is precedence for Sith daggers. Kowakian monkey-lizard Dark Jedi Picaroon C. Boodle from the video game Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II used a Sith dagger to fit his diminutive nature. Yes, that is a real character.

Could Mae’s dagger be imbued with Sith energy? There has been an effort to include more alternatives to lightsabers in modern-day canon; Ahsoka introduced the ominous green Blade of Talzin, given to Morgan Elsbeth by the Great Mothers of the Nightsisters. While not technically a Sith sword, as it’s imbued with a different kind of magic, there’s definitely room for more evil magic weaponry in the Star Wars universe.

Luke Skywalker had a weird wife named Mara Jade who was a femme fatal ex-Sith assassin with a purple lightsaber. Chewbacca died at the age of 225 years old when Star Wars' Aldi brand Borg dropped a moon on him. The Death Star plans were not stolen by a ragtag bunch of rebel soldiers that included beloved martial arts leading man Donnie Yen, but rather a dadish guy in a Henley who looks like he's heading to the last farmer's market of the season on a brisk Sunday in the fall.

Yes, the old Starr Wars Expanded Universe was a bit of an odd duck, and you can maybe see why Disney shunted it to the side in favor of a new continuity. All the same, that astounding (non) canon of books, comics, and especially games still has a stranglehold on my psyche, and it's always heartening to see its more funky outgrowths still get some love. Enter Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith Remastered by a modding team led by General Tantor on ModDB, which recently got a big 3.0 update

For many Star Wars faithful, bringing up the canned Boba Fett 1313 title instantly evokes some painful memories. The game, which was set to start the beloved bounty hunter from the original movie trilogy, was revealed over a decade ago but was canceled quite soon after its reveal, leaving fans of the franchise to wallow and think what if. Now, a new Starfield mod allows players to carry out their dreams of exploring space as the famed bounty hunter, along with his infamous pistol.

However, the best part about Starfield continues to be its hyper-dedicated modding community. Crozzbow uploaded a mod for Starfield, adding arguably the most beloved Star Wars character, Boba Fett, with his armor based on a canceled LucasArts and Disney collaboration.

There’s no doubt that Starfield has experienced one of the more rocky launches for Bethesda Game Studios. However fans have felt about the space game, debating its heavily debated story and RPG elements, Starfield’s public perception has been on the rise recently. The RPG got its biggest patch yet, improving performance and adding a few gameplay updates like planetary maps.

Boba Fett 1313 was initially revealed at E3 2013 when in-person gaming events were all the rage. A trailer for the game dropped, making die-hards of the franchise absolutely lose their minds that Boba Fett was finally getting his (at the time) first stand-alone project. Sadly, the game never saw the light of day and was canceled by the involved parties soon after. However, that hasn’t stopped Crozzbow from fulfilling their dream of roaming space as Boba.

Their mod, available here, adds Boba Fett’s 1313 armor, helmet, jetpack, side cape, long cape, and custom hat, and, of course, his famous blaster weapon can be obtained through the Crimson Fleet questline. The high-quality details of each piece of armor are genuinely incredible and clearly took a long time to polish up.

To this day, nothing makes old-school Star Wars fans angrier than midi-chlorians, which George Lucas added to The Phantom Menace to retroactively (and very disappointingly) explain how The Force works. They made for a terrible addition to our favorite fictional galaxy far, far away, but what most fans don’t realize is that the midi-chlorians (sort of) exist in real life. Back in 2006, scientist and Star Wars nerd Nate Lo discovered a new species of bacteria living inside mitochondria, and he named this new discovery Midichloria mitochondrii in honor of George Lucas and his prequel films.

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Mixing existing scientific knowledge with his own theories, the Star Wars creator once said that “Midi-chlorians are a loose depiction of mitochondria. They probably had something, which will come out someday, to do with the beginnings of life and how one cell decided to become two cells with a little help from this other little creature who came in, without whom life couldn’t exist.”

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With that science lesson out of the way (thank the Maker!), we can get back to the strange way that midi-chlorians kind of became real. In 2006, the researcher Nate Lo discovered that there was a heretofore unknown bacteria living inside mitochondria.

Given the existing connection between mitochondria and The Force, the researcher who discovered this new bacteria decided to name it Midichloria mitochondrii in honor of what George Lucas had created.

If you were curious, this wasn’t something that he unilaterally decided to do. Instead, Lo reached out to Lucas and asked for special permission to name this new discovery after the midi-chlorians. The Star Wars creator granted permission and effectively made his fictional creation that much closer to a reality.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/15552048

The linked video (cinemastix) runs through the ideas (which others had come up with) and how they're actually applicable to Star Wars because Lucas said they were actually more like silent films, based more on their music and visuals than dialogue.

Now no one needs to be told the dialogue in Star Wars isn't the main attraction ... but I'd never thought about them as silent films let alone actually watching them that way. I'd kinda be into trying that out, at least maybe for ESB.

And then there's the idea of a Black and White samurai version of the prequels! Which is a thing (with Japanese dub) ... and well that actually looks legit!