D23Expo: Star Wars Animation Expands with ‘Tales of the Jedi’

September 10, 2022September 11, 2022 Michael Lee

Dave Filoni brought his love for all things Star Wars to the Clone Wars animated series. While he has made the jump to live-action, directing a handful of episodes of The Mandolorian, he found his way back to animation with shows like The Bad Batch — a series that focuses on a team of specialized clones who go on black-ops missions that no other Clone dare go on. But just in time for the D23 Expo celebration, Filoni announced a brand new series of shorts called Tales of the Jedi. And he revealed a first look at the upcoming six-episode series.

Animation, Star Wars, Streaming1 Comment

The Cast and Crew of ‘The Bad Batch’ Reflect on Season 1 and Tease Season 2

May 30, 2022May 30, 2022 Lauren Lola

It’s not Star Wars without its animated shows, and The Bad Batch is the latest entry to expanding the galaxy far, far away through that medium. Set immediately after Order 66, Clone Force 99 — a squad of clone troopers with genetic mutations — along with young clone, Omega, navigate the galaxy, where the need for clones in the era of the Empire is slowly but surely becoming obsolete.

Conventions, Star Wars

Disney+ and Lucasfilm Tease First-Look at ‘Ahsoka’

May 29, 2022May 31, 2022 Mike Manalo

“Ezra’s out there somewhere. And it’s time to bring him home…” four years ago, those final words ended one journey, and began a new one, as the beloved Star Wars: Rebels brought its four-season run to a close. For years, Rebels mastermind, and overall walking Star Wars encyclopedia, Dave Filoni, has been asked when we’d get to see that new journey unfold. And this weekend at Star Wars Celebration, Filoni finally answered that question.

Star Wars, Streaming1 Comment

Why Boba Fett’s Character Development Matters

February 15, 2022February 15, 2022 Lauren Lola

WARNING: The following contains spoilers from the first season of The Book of Boba Fett.

All the episodes of the first season of the second Star Wars live-action series, The Book of Boba Fett, are now streaming on Disney+. The underworld of Tatooine is turned on its head when Boba Fett and Fennec Shand roll into town, looking to rule over the territory that once belonged to Jabba the Hutt. It’s easier said than done, as the two are quick to realize.

Hard N.O.C. Life, Streaming

Hard NOC Life 252: Lone Jedi and Cub

February 7, 2022 Hard NOC Media

Keith, Dominic, and Britney must choose between the penultimate episode of Peacemaker and the return of CG Luke and Baby Yoda on The Book of Boba Fett. This is the way.

Star Wars, Streaming

Why Tiya Sircar Should Be Sabine Wren in ‘Ahsoka’

August 14, 2021November 4, 2021 Keith Chow

This week, news broke that Lucasfilm was ramping up production on Ahsoka and looking for an actress to play a live action version of the popular Rebels character, Sabine Wren. Naturally, I was taken aback by the phrase “looking for” because an actress already plays Sabine and her name is Tiya Sircar.

Animation, Interview, Star Wars1 Comment

Ming-Na Wen on Exploring Fennec Shand in ‘Star Wars: The Bad Batch’

June 25, 2021June 25, 2021 Lauren Lola

The latest Star Wars animated series, The Bad Batch, finds the galaxy at a turning point. The Clone Wars just ended and the Empire is quickly rising to power. Clone Force 99, a squad of elite clone troopers with genetic mutations, along with a young female clone named Omega, must navigate this rapidly changing galaxy. Along the way, they are quick to learn that to play it low might be the most difficult task, when they have the likes of Fennec Shand after Omega.

Animation, Reviews, Star Wars, Streaming

NOC Review: With ‘Star Wars: The Bad Batch,’ Filoni Triumphs Again

May 4, 2021June 11, 2021 Mike Manalo

May the Fourth be with you!

Today, we commemorate a franchise that is loved unconditionally. From the biggest disasters (Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, Rise of Skywalker) to the biggest wins (Empire Strikes Back, Rogue One, The Mandalorian), Star Wars has been the one franchise whose highest highs make it simply impossible for us to quit. The Original Trilogy is, and always will be, regarded as one of the greatest film sagas of all time. The prequel trilogy and the sequel trilogy, however…?

Animation, Star Wars, Streaming, Television

Getting to Know ‘Star Wars: The Bad Batch’

May 3, 2021June 11, 2021 Mike Manalo

Get hyped (Or Hype-erdrive-ed?… nope, that’s nothing. Sorry.) because tomorrow is May the Fourth, nerds! And that means, Star Wars! Nothing but Star Wars! Coming your way! To celebrate, The Nerds of Color had the opportunity to attend a press event for the brand new installment in the beloved “Filoniverse,” Star Wars: The Bad Batch. Present at the event were Star Wars voice legend, Dee Bradley Baker (who voices the entire Bad Batch: Hunter, Crosshair, Wrecker, Echo, and Tech), producer and Head Writer of the series, Jennifer Corbett, and producer Brad Rau.

Star Wars, Streaming, Television

What the Season 2 Finale Means for the Future of ‘The Mandalorian’

December 18, 2020April 8, 2024 Keith Chow

A year ago, when Giancarlo Esposito’s Moff Gideon emerged from a wrecked Tie Fighter wielding the Darksaber in the end-credits stinger to season one of The Mandalorian, it was a signal to the audience that season two would tie more directly to established Star Wars canon than initially expected. Fast forward to the end of season two and it’s safe to say no one was prepared for just how extensive those ties would be.

Interview, Martial Arts, Star Wars1 Comment

Lauren Mary Kim on Developing and Performing Stunts for Two ‘Star Wars’ Productions

July 27, 2020April 8, 2024 Lauren Lola

This past year has been a busy one for the Star Wars universe. Aside from the release of the final film of the Skywalker saga, The Rise of Skywalker, there has also been the beginning of the first live-action series, The Mandalorian, released last fall on Disney+, as well as the conclusion of the beloved animated series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, this past spring. For Lauren Mary Kim, a stunt actor who has been working in Hollywood for the past 16 years, she has been involved in the making of both of these Star Wars productions. Continue reading “Lauren Mary Kim on Developing and Performing Stunts for Two ‘Star Wars’ Productions”

Hard N.O.C. Life, Star Wars, Streaming1 Comment

Hard NOC Life: The Lin-Mando Takeover of Disney+

May 18, 2020May 15, 2021 Hard NOC Media

On Hard NOC Life, Dominic and Keith welcome Lauren Lola — who took a moment out of her busy CAAMFest schedule — to talk about Hamilton and Mandalorian season 2 coming to Disney+.

Continue reading “Hard NOC Life: The Lin-Mando Takeover of Disney+”

Hard N.O.C. Life, Star Wars

Hard NOC Life: Concluded, ‘The Clone Wars’ Have

May 11, 2020May 11, 2020 Hard NOC Media

On Hard NOC Life, Dominic and Keith discuss the end of Star Wars: The Clone Wars on Disney+ and how it re-contextualizes the prequel trilogy for the better.

Continue reading “Hard NOC Life: Concluded, ‘The Clone Wars’ Have”

Animation, Star Wars, Television

Action, Depth, and Poetry Mark the End of ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’

May 5, 2020May 8, 2020 Lauren Lola

Warning: The following contains spoilers from the recent and final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Twelve years following its premiere to initially hesitant audiences, the now beloved Star Wars animated series, The Clone Wars, has at last received the proper ending it deserved. Set after Attack of the Clones and concluding sometime after Revenge of the Sith, the brainchild of Star Wars creator George Lucas and supervising director Dave Filoni explored stories of a wide variety of characters — both familiar and new faces — during the war that was previously more of a backdrop to the fall of Anakin Skywalker.

Continue reading “Action, Depth, and Poetry Mark the End of ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’”

Hard N.O.C. Life, Star Wars, Streaming

Hard NOC Life: Is ‘The Mandalorian’ Maclunky?

November 18, 2019May 15, 2021 Hard NOC Media

Dominic and Keith weigh the pros and cons of Disney+ and review The Mandalorian on this week’s Hard NOC Life.

Continue reading “Hard NOC Life: Is ‘The Mandalorian’ Maclunky?”

Star Wars, Streaming, Television1 Comment

‘The Mandalorian’ is an A+ ‘Star Wars’ Story

November 12, 2019May 15, 2021 Keith Chow

For fans of Star Wars, today will be a day long remembered.

The arrival of Disney+, the Mouse House’s foray into the Streaming Wars, is finally here! And with it comes the first live action Star Wars television show to hold people over for the month between now and Rise of Skywalker in December. Luckily, that show is The Mandalorian, and it’s one of the best incarnations of Star Wars mythology to ever be put to film.

Continue reading “‘The Mandalorian’ is an A+ ‘Star Wars’ Story”

Star Wars, Streaming, Television

‘The Mandalorian’ Serves Up a Bunch of Easter Eggs

November 7, 2019May 15, 2021 Laura Sirikul

Star Wars fans are already excited over the anticipated release of Disney+ on November 12 because it will premiere the first episode of The Mandalorian, a whole new story about a lone Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) five years after the fall of the Empire.

With an entire new story and new characters, Star Wars fans may be looking for any reminiscence of the Star Wars canonical history.

“I didn’t realize there were a lot of [Easter eggs]. I guess there is,” Executive producer and writer Jon Favreau mused during The Mandalorian press conference last month.

Continue reading “‘The Mandalorian’ Serves Up a Bunch of Easter Eggs”

Star Wars, Television3 Comments

Everything We Know About ‘The Mandalorian’

October 5, 2018October 11, 2018 Keith Chow

Back when it was first announed that Jon Favreau was getting his own Star Wars franchise, I went and created a whole line of Pod Save America inspired t-shirts at our merch store. Turns out Lucasfilm had turned over its first live action Star Wars series to the director of Iron Man and not President Obama’s former speechwriter-turned-podcaster. For the last several months, no one knew what Favreau’s mysterious show was going to be about. Until now.

Continue reading “Everything We Know About ‘The Mandalorian’”