Get Ready for ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’
Are you freaking out? Because we’re freaking out.
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Tag: JJ Abrams
Go Asians: A History of AAPI Representation in ‘Star Wars’
The month of May holds a special place in the hearts of Asian American and Pacific Islander Star Wars fans. For starters, May has been AAPI Heritage Month since 1990, though it originally began as “Asian Pacific Heritage Week” when it was proposed in Congress by Representatives Frank Horton and Norman Y. Mineta in 1977. That’s right, 1977. You know what else debuted in May 1977?
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Sitting in the Captain’s Chair for Star Trek Beyond Now on Blu-Ray
People tell me physical media is a dying format and that everyone gets their movies digitally now. Well, I’m old and set in my ways. One of those ways is buying my favorite movies on blu-ray. Last time there was a new Star Trek movie available on disc, Paramount spread the movie’s bonus features over several different retail outlets, and I was not happy about it. This time, while there are still retail exclusives for Star Trek Beyond
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What’s the Big Idea? A Review of HBO’s Westworld
Westworld, HBO’s new science fiction drama that will premiere Sunday, wants to be the big idea. Trade in your zombies and dragons for life-like robots. Tackling notions of morality, artificial intelligence, and entertainment in the premiere alone, Westworld wants to be a show that makes you think. Or perhaps it wants to make you despair.
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The Psychology of Star Wars: The Force Awakens — Could a Stormtrooper Become a Hero?
by Ali Mattu, Ph.D | Originally posted at Brain Knows Better
Note: No big spoilers here, at least nothing beyond what’s shown in the trailers for Star Wars: The Force Awakens and what occurs in the first 15 minutes of the film.
The essential psychology of the Star Wars saga is mindfulness. “Using the force” is all about embracing the present moment. That’s what Yoda taught Luke and it’s something Anakin never picked up from Obi-Wan.
Mindfulness continues to be a part of J.J. Abrams’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I can’t get into specifics because things would get spoilery, but it’s safe to say the climax of the film is a moment of mindfulness. We also see new characters develop meaning in their lives, just like Han Solo did in the original trilogy. The way The Force Awakens honors the past mythology (and psychology) of Star Wars while also refreshing it for a new generation is a big reason why I’m a fan of the film.
For the Love of FN-2187: Why John Boyega as Finn is One of the Best New Characters in Star Wars
by Jamal Igle
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a juggernaut. Critically acclaimed and the current holder of the title of “biggest film opening of all time.” It’s an engaging film that engrosses the viewer and harkens back to the early days of franchise. As it is with all things pop culture, particularly in the age of internet piety, the film also has its detractors. The complaints range across the spectrum but one of the most pointed complaints have been towards Finn, the character portrayed by British actor John Boyega. Two writers whom I’m good friends with — Hannibal Tabu and Joe Illidge — have both written pieces complaining about the character for similar reasons, calling him inept, and even neutered.
I love you guys, you know I do, but I couldn’t disagree with you more. Now this is going to be a rather spoiler filled piece, so if you haven’t seen the movie, now’s your time to hit the eject button and go look at Buzzfeed.
Racism Tries to Come For A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Originally posted on Ebony.com
Even a galaxy far, far away can feel the effects of racism and White paranoia. Over the weekend, a group of our less enlightened brethren got the hashtag #BoycottStarWarsVII to trend. Why would anyone want to boycott one of cinema’s most venerable franchises? Well, according to some, the new Star Wars film (to be released on December 18 and helmed by geek-favorite J.J. Abrams) promotes “White genocide.”
Yes, you read that correctly.
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Please, Please, Please #BoycottStarWarsVII
All weekend, Disney and Lucasfilm have been prepping audiences around the world for the forthcoming phenomenon that is Star Wars: The Force Awakens. In addition to running a series of trailers for a trailer to premiere during Monday Night Football on ESPN (of all places), but soon, we’ll all be able to reserve our tickets for that midnight showing (or seven-movie marathon) two months in advance. And the entire galaxy rejoices! Well, not everyone. There’s actually a segment of fandom that is boycotting The Force Awakens.
And you know what? If you’re one of those people who aren’t here for Episode VII, all we have to say is…
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Star Trek is a Television Program — Period
In the last few months, there has been plenty of talk about Star Trek. Whether it is the news that Simon Pegg (Star Trek reboot-verse Scotty) has been hired to make the franchise less “Star Trek-y” or Popular Mechanics’ wonderful “8 Things a New Star Trek TV Series Must Have,” or the legion of fan films, or Adam Savage’s construction of the Enterprise’s Captain’s chair, or the frequent talk about how Trek has influenced the real world — all this, but there is no Trek property. No show. No amusement park. No decent toys to speak of. Just speculation, scuttlebutt, and rumor. Yes, there is a new film coming sometime in the future, but do we really need it? Continue reading “Star Trek is a Television Program — Period”
Star Wars Celebration Anaheim Recap
There is something to be said for having a shared experience with over 6,000 people sitting in an arena in Anaheim, California. A single, solitary moment when a giant video screen fades to black and you hear a voice that you recognize but can’t quite process quick enough before the visual hammers it home, “Chewie, we’re home.” Everybody around me immediately jumps up, fists pumping up high, cheers deafening, not quite processing everything about the new Star Wars: The Force Awakens teaser trailer. Luckily, we are able to see it again and are able to focus more on what we just saw.
The Force Awakens Trailer Debuts at Star Wars Celebration
“Chewie, we’re home.”
With those three words, the internet became the happiest place in the galaxy. For an hour on Thursday, millions of UPFs (ultra passionate fans, as coined by Mark Hamill, himself) around the world tuned in to YouTube to watch a live stream of the eagerly anticipated Force Awakens panel at Star Wars Celebration. And if you stuck around for the whole hour, it did not disappoint as director JJ Abrams and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy unveiled the second teaser for Episode VII. We should have been working live-tweeted the whole thing. Choice tweets (and the trailer, of course) are after the jump.
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Black Stormtroopers in Star Wars? “Allow It,” says John Boyega
There’s nothing like the sight of a Black man starring in a science fiction movie that brings out the racist nerds. While most of us were just happy to get a glimpse of what the next generation of Star Wars will look like, there was a vocal portion of the fandom that didn’t appreciate seeing John Boyega lead off the trailer.
Since The Force Awakens is the first Star Wars film to drop in the age of twitter, we should have been more prepared for the idiocy that would soon follow. Thankfully, Boyega is an awesome human being and had this perfect response to the racists:
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Be Thankful: The New Star Wars Trailer is Here
Those lines around the block you saw this morning? They weren’t Black Friday shoppers. They were folks lining up to get the first tickets to see Star Wars Episode VII next year!
We were taking the Thanksgiving holiday off, but then Disney and Lucasfilm had to go and release the Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer on iTunes, and holy crap, I’m a Star Wars fan all over again! You can peep the trailer in the embedded video below.
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The Disney Triple Crown: Why Ming-Na Needs to Be in Star Wars
UPDATE: November 4, 2019
Vanity Fair has an exclusive first look at Ming-Na in The Mandalorian! She has the Disney Triple Crown, y’all!!
Earlier this week, Lucasfilm announced the addition of two more actors to the cast of Star Wars Episode VII. We do not yet know who the two relatively unknown actors — Pip Anderson, who’s British, and Crystal Clarke, who’s African American — will play in the movie, but I’m guessing their roles must be substantial enough to warrant a press release about their casting. If their characters are indeed prominent, Clarke will join John Boyega and Lupita Nyong’o in making this “the blackest Star Wars ever.”
Still, every time breaking Star Wars casting news comes across my feed, there’s always one name that I hope to see in the headlines: Ming-Na Wen.
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Attack the Clones: John Boyega Officially Leading New Star Wars
Minutes ago, Lucasfilm rocked the internet and officially announced the cast for Star Wars: Episode VII, the upcoming continuation of George Lucas’ classic saga, this time from Star Trek director J.J. Abrams. In addition to confirming the long-rumored appearances by Original Trilogy stars Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher, the announcement also ends months of casting speculation by naming John Boyega (Attack the Block) and Adam Driver (Girls) in lead roles.
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Elsewhere Around the Internet
Last week, while we were a little preoccupied with the idea of casting an Asian American actor as Iron Fist, Hollywood — as if on cue — once again proved cross-racial casting is really a one-way street and announced Girl with the Dragon Tattoo star Rooney Mara will be playing Tiger Lily in Warner Brothers’ upcoming live action Peter Pan adaptation.
10 Things That Need to Change in Spec-Fic, a Pan-Medium Gripe
Note: I am using Spec-Fic to encompass everything from fantasy, to sci-fi, to spy-fi, horror, and other things related to the fantastic genres. None of this “Neal Stephenson said science fiction isn’t a genre” stuff, please.
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I’m a Trekkie and I Loved Into Darkness
I’m an unabashed Trekkie. I grew up on Star Trek: The Next Generation, watching it at my piano teacher’s house between lessons. I watched Deep Space Nine and Voyager religiously when I was home from college. I crushed on the usual suspects — Wesley Crusher, Tom Paris, Harry Kim, and Julian Bashir — and consumed my fair share of Star Trek paperback novels in the lull between new episodes.
I saw every TNG full-length movie at midnight openings in theatres. I own the Star Trek Encyclopedia and even made a point to visit the Las Vegas Star Trek Experience exhibit, when it was still touring.
And, I loved Star Trek Into Darkness (which is being released on DVD and Blu-ray this week).
This didn’t seem particularly unusual to me until I read last month that thousands of Trek fans at the official convention in Vegas had voted Into Darkness the single worst Star Trek film in canon history. They voted it worst behind Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. Behind Star Trek: Generations! Behind Star Trek: Insurrection! Behind Star Trek V: I Found God at the Edge of the Freakin’ Universe!!!