Thoughts, Concerns and Praise for Star Wars: Skeleton Crew.

After giving Star Wars: Skeleton Crew a full watch, I have new hope for what may be offered going forward. Not every series has to be unique. It just has to honour what fans love about this franchise back when George Lucas was in charge.

Star Wars Skeleton Crew PosterThe latest entry to Disney’s Star Wars, curiously titled Skeleton Crew is boldly offering a concept that has been done before. It’s too similar to Star Trek Prodigy. In the world of literature, some fans have compared it to Treasure Island and I agree. Although the circumstances are different, Wym (Ravi Cabot-Conyers) is a kid who likes to dream big and wants to explore the galaxy. After discovering a spaceship buried underground, the group he brought together to investigate goes in, and it blasts off into outer space! Pretty soon, this lad, Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), KB (Kyriana Kratter) and Neel (Robert Timothy Smith) are lost in space.

Afterwards, they encounter space pirates. Although they figure out they’re at least not jettsoned to the opposite side of the galaxy, all is not well. They want to go home, but nobody knows where the planet of At Attin is located. All viewers know is that it’s hidden in a sector known as the Unknown Regions. Everyone from this world seems to be involved in some grande experiment, and I have to wonder if the scientists are working on deconstructing the atom? It’d be a terrible pun should that be the case, but there’s a meme to be made with the name of this planet.

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Breaking Down the Bricks That Made Star Wars Rebuild the Galaxy Great

Although the animation style is a step backward, Star Wars Rebuild the Galaxy forward thinking attitude suggests all’s not Back to the Future.

Lego Star Wars Rebuild the Galaxy PosterSpoiler Alert

The LEGO Star Wars universe is one of my guilty pleasures because of how The Force is used to build things to help the heroes (and sometimes villains) win the day. The latest release, subtitled Rebuild the Galaxy has concepts to like, and that’s because those concepts regarding the Force Builders get a story expansion I’m sure even George Lucas would approve of without getting too woke. In what I truly appreciate is that this entry builds upon what’s said before regarding this group. The last time they were referred to was in The Freemaker Adventures.

Although the visual style is straight out of LEGO Batman movies with a lower frame rate and simplified tales, I can get behind the ideas being offered. That’s because the cliffhanger style reveal at season one’s end got me cackling. I always wondered when Lando’s conversion would happen. He’s neither good nor bad, and I won’t ruin what faction he’s involved with. And I’m glad this world is catching up with the live action series material!

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Thoughts on Star Wars: The Acolyte and Ideas on How to Save It (From Total Disaster)

Although production of season one is finished and all worse for wear, there’s a change to salvage The Acolyte should season two get someone new in charge and takes note of the ideas presented here on what can be done to fix it.

The Acolyte Official PosterNow on Disney Plus

The latest instalment of Disney’s Star Wars takes fans to the High Republic years and offers a familiar tale. The Acolyte does not differ from Ninjago’s early seasons regarding siblings at odds. I feel this series set the bar regarding how Sensei Wu and Lord Garmadon represent two extremes but still remain family, and I have yet to see another tale that can do better. There’s Dragonlance with Cameron and Rastilin, but I digress.

But here, they are twins created under mysterious circumstances, and I doubt their nature was modified by genetics. Instead, it was through the bending of midichlorians to create the next generation of witches belonging to the Brendoks Sisterhood. By nature, one is kind and the other heartless. While I don’t care how the tale is from a matriarchal perspective, I want something that focuses more on the mystique that made Episode IV and V spectacular.

With this series, we’re dealing with a very weak murder mystery, which is the grander arc (and revenge fantasy if Mae was the focus; there’s potential to make the series good if she was in charge, but it’s not). The priority is really on Osha (Amandla Stenberg plays both characters), despite the fact the first episode begins with the other challenging a Jedi to the death. Most tales commonly start with introducing the protagonist, and it’s rare to deviate from that. In this case, we see Mae is out to kill four specific individuals from the Jedi Order because her Master ordered it.

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Star Wars: Rebels is set for TV Fall 2014

With luck, Star Wars: Rebels may well bridge the gap between Episode III and IV without Darth Vader taking center stage.

Star Wars: Rebels (TV Series 2014–2018) - IMDbComing in Fall 2014 will be a new animated television series set in the universe as first conceived by George Lucas and wonderfully illustrated by Ralph McQuarrie. This series is said to be inspired by this illustrator’s works and that can be particularly exciting for Generation One fans.

With luck, Star Wars: Rebels may well bridge the gap between Episode III and IV without Darth Vader taking center stage. Well, one can only hope. The premise is set in an era where the Empire is firming its grip upon the galaxy, and the Jedi Knights are nearly extinct.

If the news from StarWars.com is any indication of the potential this series has to win new fans, screenwriter/producer Simon Kinberg (X-Men: First Class), Dave Filoni (Star Wars: The Clone Wars) and Greg Weisman (Young Justice) are serving as executive producers.

For Weisman, it will moreorless be a return to working with Disney. He quickly rose to become a fan favorite for having produced Gargoyles back in the 90’s. With luck, and if Star Wars: Rebels takes off, he may be able to return to bringing these creatures of stone back to life for a new generation of fans. Or Disney can finally consider releasing the last volume of the Gargoyles series to DVD. Many fans have been patient.

When Star Wars has Young Jedi Adventures, The Feeling is “Luke”warm

Not everyone will take to this preschool series featuring Young Jedi Adventures from the Star Wars universe when we all know the fate of all the younglings….

Star Wars Young Jedi Adventures PosterStreaming on Disney Plus

Some franchises don’t need to expand to new markets when everything established with those first films says it all. But for Star Wars, changing it up with going back in time from IV (back when it was introduced) to I might be jarring, Gungans included. Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures is really no different from other preschool animated series out there. After watching enough spinoffs like Transformers: BotBots and How to Train Your Dragon: Rescue Riders, these series won’t be for everyone.

Some studios just want to milk these IPs for all it’s worth so that it can appeal to all age demographics. Most long time fans don’t need it to introduce their kids to what they love, but it’s done anyways. I was curious because Dee Bradley Baker is in many animated Star Wars projects and I respect all the work he’s done in the world of animation. He voices Nubs, a blue bear training to be a Jedi alongside Kai Brightstar (the lead, voiced by Jamaal Avery Jr.) and Lys (Juliet Donenfeld). They form the trio to which this series spends more time with than the others.

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After #Maythe4th, There’s a Dead Reckoning on Why There’s A Disturbance in the Force

A pot of gold can’t always been found at the end of the rainbow, as far as A Disturbance in the Force is concerned.

A Disturbance in the Force Movie PosterPlaying May 6, 2023 at the Chicago Critics Film Festival (tickets)

Any fan of the original Star Wars trilogy will sense A Disturbance in the Force at the mere mention of that Holiday Special. Had the timing been better, I’m sure not everyone would want to watch it on May the 4th had it been offered. Most people tend to lament over where it fits in the canon and as for who are the advocates, this excellent documentary by Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak dares to tell all!

I was amazed at all the arguments unearthed, past and present. It’s perfect at getting into the details of why this show was created and details how every segment came to fruition. Here, what’s delved into brings many generations of fans to speculate and discuss everything you want to know but were afraid to ask.

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