Roundup 7.18.11: Star Wars
Scouring the Holonet so you don’t have to!
For the Discerning Collector (or Aspiring Starship Builder)
Maybe you need a new Star Wars coffee table book. Maybe you are just trying to keep up with the Joneses (or the Organas). Or perhaps you want accurate dimensions for the Astromech Droid you are building. Whatever your reason, you probably need Star Wars: The Blueprints, a new book being published by Epic Ink which contains hundreds of images of original Star Wars sketches and blueprints.
Planned for a 5,000 English copy run, each book is numbered so you can tell yours apart from your significant other’s. You have to get two, of course, because at $500 a piece they are practically a steal! Of course if you want one of the initial 125 copies that are signed by “the three surviving Academy-Award winners for Best Art Direction (Star Wars, 1978),” it will run you a cool 1,000 credits (American Dollars, Republic Credits are no good here).
The impressive collection releases September 15, 2011. Read more about the publication and get a sneak peek at Epic Ink’s website.
For the Con-Goer
Are you going to San Diego Comic-Con this year? I (and the rest of Geekdom that cannot make it) envy you! While you are there, be sure to check out all the Star Wars related panels there.
Over a dozen official licensees will be on hand to give you an exclusive look at what’s coming up in the Star Wars galaxy. There will also be several panels talking about the upcoming Kinect game, season four of Clone Wars, BioWare’s The Old Republic, the Star Wars novels and more.
Check out the extensive listing for yourself over at StarWars.com.
For the Book Lover
Speaking of SDCC panels, one such panel will include legendary Star Wars Expanded Universe writer Timothy Zahn. While he will be discussing this year’s 20th anniversary of Heir to the Empire, many are excited for his newest Star Wars book, releasing on July 19!
Choices of One takes place between Episodes IV and V, focusing on our classic heroes Luke, Leia, Han and Chewbacca. The story will also feature the Emperor’s Hand herself, Mara Jade!
“Eight months after the Battle of Yavin, the Rebellion is in desperate need of a new base. So when Governor Ferrouz of Candoras Sector proposes an alliance, offering the Rebels sanctuary in return for protection against the alien warlord Nuso Esva, Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewie are sent to evaluate the deal.
Mara Jade, the Emperor’s Hand, is also heading for Candoras, along with the five renegade stormtroopers known as the Hand of Judgment. Their mission: to punish Ferrouz’s treason and smash the Rebels for good.
But in this treacherous game of betrayals within betrayals, a wild card is waiting to be played.”
The book will be available July 19 in hardcover and e-reader editions
For the Propeller-Head
Up in Wisconsin there is this little place called Oshkosh. For many pilots it is their own personal Mecca, as the Experimental Aircraft Association holds an annual airshow. This year’s AirVenture is slated for July 25-31, and alongside all of the private and experimental aircraft there will also be several film screenings.
Harrison Ford will be present on Wednesday, July 27 to introduce a screening of Clear and Present Danger. Ford, of course, portrayed CIA analyst and reluctant action hero Jack Ryan.
Ford’s presence is just the warm-up, however, as George Lucas himself will be in attendance on Friday, July 29 to introduce Red Tails. Lucas’ most recent directorial effort recounts the story of the Tuskegee Airmen, known for their role as “the first African-American pilots to fly in a combat squadron during World War II.”
Red Tails is slated for a 2012 release, so the Oshkosh screening should be quite the treat!
No word on whether Lucas is planning a Special Edition cut of the film.
