Problem midichlorians? Uncomfortable flare-ups of the Dark Side? Ask your medical droid about Vaderex.
The Clone Wars: What’s coming in season 3?
Lots of good information has come out at Celebration V on what Season 3 has in store for Star Wars: The Clone Wars. We’ve already touched on a few things previously, but here’s a little more in-depth view, opening up some questions for speculation.
- Delta Squad. Who didn’t get chills when the Republic Commando helmets popped up in the Thursday sneak peek clip showcasing rain effects (and also for a split second in the extended trailer shown on Saturday)? Dave Filoni has confirmed that it’s the Delts, and that there shouldn’t be any major continuity issues with their appearance on the show (avoiding Mandalorian-level changes.)
- Ahsoka Tano’s character development: Anakin’s padawan is going to start getting visions (similar to Anakin’s visions in Episode III) and this is going to make her life a bit more complicated. Ashley Eckstein has hinted that Season 3 will really bring a lot more to Ahsoka’s character.
- Kamino: In the Season 3 panel, Dave Filoni talked up the new technology in animation that will allow them to use Kamino – water and reflections and such. And from the clips, we learn that Kamino is a big deal: the clones will be fighting for the closest thing to a home they have… and for all their younger brothers. Expect some giant robo-tentacular action as Asajj Ventress and the Separatists launch an underwater assault.
- Baron Papanoida and family: In the Main Event, George Lucas previewed a clip showcasing a cantina firefight between some thugs and Baron Papanoida (as played by George Lucas in Episode III) and his fellow Pantoran family members. George remarked that his son, Jett, was jealous that Jett’s character only gets one blaster to George’s two. This episode and a few others were penned by Katie Lucas, who also wrote the season 1 episode ‘Jedi Crash.’ Does George return to voice his character?
- Aurra Sing: Someone asked if Aurra’s established background as a Jedi washout with mad lightsaber skills would eventually be shown in the show, but Dave Filoni explained that Aurra in the show would simply just be a butt-kicking bounty hunter – besides there’s already a bald pasty lightsaber-wielding villainess. Which bring us to:
- Asajj Ventress: She’s going to be getting some major storyline action as she somehow finally loses Dooku’s (and Sidious’) favor and is forced on the run. In clips, we’ve seen her arrive wounded on Dathomir, where she is challenged by Nightsisters, until Mother Talzin vouches that Ventress is no stranger. Filoni also pointed out that one of the Nightsister weapons, a kind of energy bow, is an homage to Hank’s bow from the 80’s Dungeons & Dragons cartoon. Expect Asajj’s story to go from bad to worse to ???, while someone else might take her place…
- Savage Opress: According to George, he’s Darth Maul’s brother – but that might just be from a certain point of view. He’s certainly fear-inspiring. While Maul had the lethal look of a martial artist, Savage Opress (who’s clearly trying to have a name even sillier than Kit Fisto) has the hulking horror of an Oakland Raiders fan – except that he’s in Steelers’ colors, thanks to Filoni’s hometown love. The Nightsisters of Dathomir are making a play by bringing Dooku this Zabrak version of Brock Samson as a new apprentice. But then again, they also turn invisible and attack Dooku in his pajamas, and the Count is no slouch when fighting in his Sitharoos.
- C-3PO: He’s getting droid-napped… and tortured (a la EV-9D9’s chamber in Jabba’s palace.) After Artoo getting some dangerous adventures in Season 2, it’s time for Goldenrod to get some action. Will Padme or Jar Jar be the one to rescue him?
- The future of the show: They’re already scripting season five, and with the advances in animation technology, the show’s look now to what the future holds was compared to an Atari video game with XBox 360.
- And in short: Shaak Ti. Saesee Tiin. more Cad Bane. and some sense made out of “There are heroes on both sides.”
Can’t wait for Season 3? Clone Wars Adventures online experience is now in beta, filled with lots of fun mini-games for the whole family. (Although if you want to play as a female character, you can only be a human or Twi’lek Jedi, while male characters also include clonetroopers.)
Sansweet: 28,000 attendees at Celebration V
In a Facebook post this afternoon, Steve Sansweet pegs the attendee numbers of Celebration V at 28,000 – the lowest since Celebration I in 1999. Celebration IV in 2007, which also had no movie to boost awareness and attendance (but did have the advantage of being in movie-loving Los Angeles) weighed in at 35,000.
It’s no shock that the numbers are lower for this round – in addition to the economy, the late announcement and a less-than-inspiring locale, August is smack dab in the middle of convention season – most notably in that CV was bracketed by the biggest cons of all: San Diego Comic-Con in July and Atlanta’s Dragon*Con coming up on Labor Day weekend. Both are huge draws for much of the same audience, and we even had a Jader or two choose D*C over CV.
Really, between all that, 28,000 doesn’t look all that shabby!
Wherever Celebration VI may be (and I am not asking for suggestions) I hope they return to a late-spring date – if nothing else, because that would make almost any location fairly palatable. (And a note to our delicate warm-weather flowers: Orlando’s life-sapping humidity has more than paid back the midwest’s debt for CIII’s ridiculously light snow, okay? We’re even.)
UPDATE: Steve in the comments of his FB post:
For those of you questioning the attendance number at Celebration V, there are several things to remember. Lucasfilm and Reed are thrilled with the final total; I had been predicting a max of 25,000. We are still in the worst economic times… since the Great Depression of the 1930s. We had less than 8 months to promote the show, and many European fans—who have to make August vacation plans a year in advance—could not change those plans. And we had 8,000 more attendees than the last event, Celebration Japan. The Orange County Convention Center was a perfect location: its layout, total cooperation from all the great people who work there, and because Orlando is the ideal family vacation spot.
Celebration V video: James Arnold Taylor and Tom Kane
Amazing impressions from The Clone Wars ‘Behind the Microphone’ panel.
Celebration V: Everything Clone Wars
The Clone Wars was everywhere at the con, and with good reason: As we heard just before Celebration started, Season 3 will start September 17. So naturally we got a lot of bombshells at the con.
The most buzzworthy was the announcement of a new character, Savage Opress. Is he really Darth Maul’s brother? George Lucas said it outright (4:45 here) when talking about the cartoon at the Main Event, but Filoni hedged around it, so we’ll see what the series actually brings.
But! “There will be some connections to the original trilogy in Season 3,” Filoni said (on video!) Looks like I’m going to be increasing my TCW count.
Also making waves was the appearance of Kamino, Dathomir and even some Republic Commandos. But fan or not, I have to admit that just sitting around and watching Pablo and Dave talk was worth the price of admittance.
Videos: Preview new Clone Wars, Star Tours
A few Celebration videos to tide you over through our travel/recovery period. First up, The Clone Wars S3 trailer, above. Below, a commercial played in the ‘Star Tours’ queue for the revamped ride. (I hope someone bought those Ewoks some beers.)
Celebration 5: Over and out
Suitcases are packed, pictures are shredded, and somewhere I’m sure reports are being filed. But not here, and not tonight: Socialization and sleep won out, and tomorrow’s first priority is getting back to a (slightly) less humid state. We’ll return in a day or so with more reports and links. They might even be coherent! Stay tuned.
Celebration V: Last Tour to Endor
Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios created a fantastic evening with their Last Tour to Endor party, commemorating the last day of the Star Tours attraction. Fans were treated to their final rides on the Starspeeder 3000 before it closed for a revamp as well as some unique other experiences.
The Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular hosted a one-night-only special mashup show called “Raiders of the Lost Jedi Temple of Doom” where two fan film makers combine Indiana Jones and Star Wars in making the ultimate fan film. Special cameo performances were made in the three shows by such stars as Seth Green, Mark Hamill, Warwick Davis, Anthony Daniels, Jaime King, and Jeremy Bulloch. George Lucas attended the second show, where Seth Green announced that Anthony Daniels would be voice acting in the third Robot Chicken Star Wars special.
Also brought out was some shows from Star Wars weekends: the Jedi Academy training and the Star Wars dance contest. The evening was capped off by a supremely awesome fireworks show set to Star Wars music. “Duel of the Fates” and the assault on the Death Star were my favorites.
“It helps to be nuts:” George Lucas in Orlando
Gotta love the official site: They have a play by play of Saturday’s Main Event with George Lucas, Jon Stewart and a couple of special guest stars!
The big news? The Blu-Rays are scheduled for Fall 2011. I guess this means I need to buy a Blu-Ray player.
UPDATE: Watch the whole thing on Youtube before the copyright police attack, or check out StarWars.com’s highlights.
Celebration V: EU news – Fate of the Jedi #9 has a name, Knight Errant and season 3 of The Clone Wars…
While Dunc is off at fashion shows or handing out orange Death Star fans, I got a chance to attend a couple panels today, and here’s the top information:
- Apocalypse was announced as the title of the ninth book in the Fate of the Jedi series.
- Pablo Hidalgo is going to be writing an Essential Reader’s Companion, helping not only to sum up all the existing novels, but also provide some behind-the-scenes, and showcasing connections between stories. It will be illustrated, and Cal Omas will be pictured at last (and not hiding behind a potted plant)
- After Fate of the Jedi, Del Rey will be staying away from long series for a while, with just one-offs and duo/trilogies.
- Wedge Antilles is apparently the only SW character allowed to retire. He’s working on his memoirs, but Aaron Allston says not to count him out yet.
- Knight Errant: comics will be released in October, novel in January, and while you don’t need one to understand the other, hopefully the new storyline will pull you in with a young female Jedi, Kerra Holt, on her own in Sith warlord space a generation before Darth Bane. This is the first time that Dark Horse and Del Rey are working together on a SW project, with a single writer: John Jackson Miller.
- The Clone Wars – Season 3: going to rock! Dooku gets mad at Asajj, and gets a new Sith villain, raised by the Dathomir nightsisters: A Steelers-colored Maul kinsman. Invisible nightsisters attack Dooku in his pajamas! Shaak Ti is coming! Kamino is under attack (with cool water, smoke and explosion effects). Asajj’s background is revealed! Jawajames explodes from awesomeness of the trailer! Dave Filoni has trouble giving evasive answers to little kids!