Club Jade

The big news is The Force Unleashed demo shattering Xbox Live records with more than a million downloads. Count in the Playstation Network and it comes out to 2.3 million. Not too shabby…

• In the news: Star Wars lives on through games. Among other things… But certainly the games are where the interest is, at least online: The Secret Apprentice (under his spoilerific real name) has been among the most-visited pages on the Wookieepedia for a while now. (He’s currently #4, behind the main page, Anakin Skywalker, and lightsaber.) And those numbers don’t require a console.

• Interview: GalacticBinder talks to Haden Blackman.
• Wishful thinking: The game isn’t even out yet, and IGN is obsessing over a sequel. If that’s a bit far-fetched for you, they also have a look back at the history of Star Wars games.
• Concept art: The Death Star laser tube by Chin Ko, above.

• T-shirts: The latest Steampunk Artoo… Now you see it, now you don’t.

• Fan sites: Wookieepedia is one of Wired’s eight best non-Wikipedia pedias.
• Craft: Fold yourself a Cubetrooper, Indiana Jones, Fetility Idol or any number of others.
• Lists: Topless Robot’s eight biggest reasons Indiana Jones is better than Han Solo, ten greatest spaceship chases ever, ten most blatant Star Wars toy rip-offs of the ’70s and Cracked’s eight classic movie robots that suck at their jobs. Hogwash!

At 328,784 bytes, Corran Horn’s entry is the biggest on the wiki, outpacing Palpatine, Anakin, and Luke. (Mara is #5.) Corran’s quote page, at #13, is bigger than Han Solo’s entire entry. (Note: Reading any of these pages may lead to LOTF spoilers, including some for Invincible.)

The hell, Wookieepedia? Is Stackpole moonlighting over there or something?

So the site I like to think of as being full of crazy younger brother types, the Wookieepedia, is turning three years old today. I think in internet years that makes it what? Fifteen? A disturbing age, but we’ll get through it.

But no, we won’t buy you beer.

io9 discovers Supershadow, the internet’s most laughable Star Wars site. (Unless you happen to be certain type of Wookieepedian, in which case he is the fannish equivalent of Osama bin Laden. They get so adorably worked up over the little nutter.)

If the antics of Mickey and friends are a little too out there for you, io9 has also charted the prevalence of the Hero’s Journey in science fiction.

The votes are in, and the Wookieepedians have chosen… Jaina Solo is Miss Star Wars 2007, and Ben Skywalker is Mister Star Wars 2007. Runners up include Mara Jade Skywalker, Darth Vader, Jarael (From the KOTOR comics,) Darth Revan, Leia Organa Solo, Kyle Katarn, the Jedi Exile and Mace Windu.

Congrats to all the, umm, contestants.

Star Wars: Revelations could totally be canon, guys! I’m sure Lucasfilm is breathlessly awaiting your calls.

Whoops – two Friday Variety articles we seem to have missed, both focusing on Star Wars fandom – one on the 501st, and another on the Wookieepedia.

George gaves Admiral Motti a full name on Conan the other night – after Conan – and some people are shocked and awed that Wookieepedia already reflects the change. Obviously they’ve never looked at the site during the run-up to a book release! Wookieepedians are always lurking around looking for bits of new canon… Or ‘canon,’ as the case may be.

Breast. Way to break those stereotypes, fanboys.