Another day of massive Star Wars Celebration has ended in London, and with it we have some great news for Star Wars Rebels fans, including a new trailer for the third series.
Without going into spoiler territory for previous seasons, it seems that the aftermath of season two,has left some pretty deep scars for the future of our heroes and the series itself.
Are we going to see a darker side to Ezra? Is it heading into Ezra becoming a Sith territory? I really hope not. We have seen this time and time again where a hero is created and we watch them turn sour. On the bright side, Ezra has an awesome new buzz cut and poor Kanan seems to have lost his sight for now.
The big reveal however, was from seeing the return of a fan favourite from the old Star Wars Canon (now known as Star Wars: Legends series with all the comics and books), Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Not only is he being voiced by Lars Mikkelsen (Brother of Rogue One’s Mads Mikkelsen) but also a ‘New Book’ from Timothy Zahn (Writer of the original Thrawn Trilogy) is being released aptly named Thrawn, releasing sometime in 2016. This will officially bring Thrawn back into the new Star Wars Canon.
If you look closely at the earlier picture of Thrawn from Rebels, you will notice two Lizard type creatures. These creatures are possibly Ysalamiri. If true, these lizards have the ability to block a Jedi’s Force ability, making everything much more interesting.
Star Wars Rebels has not disappointed this far, holding up strongly alongside the main series of films. If you have not started with Rebels yet, due to the bad taste left in your mouth from Clone Wars, do yourself a favour and jump on it. The true feel of the Star Wars Saga continues with this show.
The other news from day two came from J.J. Abrams announcing a new book Star Wars Art: Ralph McQuarrie.
Ralph McQuarrie is the most iconic artist in the history of Star Wars. He worked hand-in-hand with George Lucas to help establish the saga’s visual aesthetic, its inimitable look and feel. Beyond designing Darth Vader, C-3PO, and R2-D2, McQuarrie produced hundreds of pieces of Star Wars artwork, including conceptual paintings, costume designs, storyboards, and matte paintings, as well as posters, book covers, and album covers—even LucasFilm’s annual holiday cards—all rescanned and rephotographed for this book.
In Star Wars Art: Ralph McQuarrie, readers will find the most definitive collection of the artist’s Star Wars work ever assembled, including hundreds of never-before-seen illustrations. Rare unpublished interviews, as well as recollections from McQuarrie’s colleagues and friends, complement and contextualize the art. Star Wars Art: Ralph McQuarrie is a comprehensive tribute to cinema’s most beloved and influential concept artist.
The book seems like a seriously premium collectable for fans. Pricing in at roughly $250 USD and releasing September. Start saving your pennies people.
Last but not least, attendees were treated to a look and a play of the new HTC VIVE Star Wars virtual reality “experiment” Trials On Tatooine. This game releases for free on the Steam HTC Vive Store July 18th and shows the potential of the technology, being positioned more as a technical demo of what VR can achieve.
That brings to close day two. If rumours are to be true, the final day will have some amazing surprises in store for all of us. Stay tuned for a discussion regarding Star Wars: Episode VIII with Director Rian Johnson and the untitled Han Solo movie directors, Phil Lord and Chris Miller. Could we finally be getting some titles for the 2017 and 2018 productions? I for one am keeping my Lightsabers crossed.
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