Or watch it on the TOR official site. And there’s more good news for those of you who want to gorge on all the info you can get on this new MMO – the Holonet.
The fandom minute: Bathrooms, mummies, roller derby, games, and cake (always cake)
I have a feeling no one actually uses this. Tour the Star Wars bathroom. And if they do, I feel very sorry for whoever has to clean it.
Fanmade. Mummy Boy-customs by Leecifer.
Event. The Indiana 501st and Rebel Legion are heading out to cheer on battling roller derby teams at Cyclone Wars this weekend. (via)
Lists. Jennifer Volpe’s Top Ten Best ‘Star Wars’ Games. I’m taking a strange ornery pride in the fact that I haven’t played a single one. (Please don’t tell me to start. Some people don’t read: I don’t game.)
And finally, cake. You know it’s love when she makes you a Star Destroyer.
There are no gay people in Star Wars, except for the part where there totally are
UPDATE: Bioware has lifted the topic ban and Dahlberg has apologized. And Penny Arcade weighs in.
So, the latest kerfuffle in the saga of gays in Star Wars comes out of Bioware’s forums, where community manager Sean Dahlberg shut down a discussion of possible gay and lesbian relationships in The Old Republic with the phrase:
As I have stated before, these are terms that do not exist in Star Wars.
Thread closed.
Well, as any crazy obsessed EU fan will tell you… He’s half right. In recent years, Star Wars has played host to a single gay couple – Goran Beviin and Medrit Vasur in Legacy of the Force: Sacrifice – but they’re fairly easy to overlook if your eyes glaze over at the very mention of Mandalorians. And the terminology ‘gay’ or ‘homosexual’ is never used: One point for Dahlberg. They’re just there, without comment, just like any other couple. (Which is as it should be, IMO.) Though as subtle as it was, the inclusion still proved controversial in the fandom.
Of course, the real issue here: Will this message board mishap continue to get play in the blogs? Will that prompt Lucasfilm to finally up and address the issue of homosexuality in the GFFA? It’s not going to be a fun time for the message board moderators either way.
EUbits: Charity windfall, FOTJ, Bohnhoff, TOR
Good news, everyone! Several of the initial auctions in the Australian bushfire charity effort wrapped up this week, with the character name rights both netting impressive takes – $1,725 for Karen Miller and $1,028.75 for Sean Williams.
- The blogside: People Are Talking is the seventh entry in Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff’s Padawan’s Journal.
- Fate of the Jedi: The release date for book 3, Denning’s Abyss, has been moved up a week to August 18th, according to Sue Rostoni. Our book release schedule has been updated accordingly.
- The Old Republic: Part 5 of the Threat of Peace webcomic is up, while the game’s developer blog takes a look at Ord Mantell.
Morning news sarcasm: High culture, low culture
High culture, with bunnies. A friend of mine actually went to see this production of Richard Wagner’s Die Walküre involving lightsabers, but us uncultured barbarians are probably better off with Chuck Jones and DVDs.
High culture, geek edition. Does the world really need another Tolkien book? Apparently, yes.
It’s on TV! Variety’s Season Pass blog has a great interview with Lost‘s Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof. Sorry, no snark here: If you watch the show, this is a must-read.
Video games. Bad reviews make creators sad? Come on guys, you work for LucasArts. Embrace the pain.
Lady gamers looking for new recruits
I’ve never heard of the Frag Dolls before Heartless Doll wrote about them today, but if you think you have what it takes to be a professional gamer, they’re hiring.
(Professional gaming? Who knew?)
Video: Vin Diesel and Dungeons and Dragons
Seriously! Check out this quote:
I mean, I was literally playing Dungeons and Dragons with Judi Dench and Karl Urban at nights after shooting. I will tell you that I was showing her Dungeons and Dragons books and showing her the different properties of Elementals. Call me crazy.
He taught Dame Judi Dench to play D&D. Just goes to show… You never know.
New clips from Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings for Wii
The long awaited Indiana Jones video game, Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings has a little more unearthed this week, with this video featurette on starwars.com with the developers showing how using your Wiimote will do all the things Indy does – punching, flying, shooting, swatting creepy crawlies and cracking that whip. So how will that translate for the non-Wii versions (PS2, PSP, DS)?
Video: New The Old Republic webdoc, comic
Bioware and LucasArts have released a new web documentary detailing the upcoming MMO. Also up is the second installment of the Threat of Peace webcomic.
The Clone Wars S2 coming in fall, maybe
Looks like we might be getting a nice long break from The Clone Wars: A schedule snapped at Toy Fair shows that the second season of the show (and a box set of the S1 DVDs) are on track for the fourth quarter of 2009. That means we likely won’t see them until October at the earliest.
We can also expect another video game (??) in September.