Yes, Kylo’s scar is different (on purpose) in The Last Jedi

Star Wars fandom being Star Wars fandom, it didn’t take long for fans to note that Kylo Ren’s scar in The Last Jedi trailer is different from the wound he received in The Force Awakens. Why the change? For the aesthetic! “It honestly looked goofy running straight up the bridge of his nose,” director Rian Johnson said on Twitter.

It’s good an explanation as any, given we’ll be seeing a lot more of it in The Last Jedi and (probably) Episode IX than we did in TFA.

Speaking of Rian Johnson, there’s a new/old interview with him in this week’s Star Wars Show.

New alien reveal; Third spinoff news to hopefully come in the summer

There was nothing about any of the upcoming spin-off films at Celebration, but we did get this “behind the scenes” look at the Han Solo film with Warwick Davis and directors Christopher Miller and Phil Lord, who revealed a new alien.


Meanwhile, Kathleen Kennedy clarified the faux-issue about Han’s name for MTV’s Josh Horowitz. “It’s obviously his name,” she said. “It will always be his name.” She also hopes to announce the third spinoff film “this summer.”

And finally, here’s a rumor that a prequel-era character may appear in the Han film. (I am side-eyeing this one a bit, but stranger things have happened.)

SWCO: The Last Jedi teaser debut, first details on Kelly Marie Tran’s character


It’s here, and boy are we going to be arguing about this one. Looks like we’re going deep into the Jedi issue, and Luke’s (understandably) reluctant to train Rey. Or has he discovered a new way? During the panel, Daisy Ridley implied that “meeting your heroes” often means you won’t find them to be as you might expect.

The metaphysical debate will have to wait – though it’s being acted out all over the OCCC right now – and let’s get down to some actual info.

She’s not in the trailer, but we learned during the panel that Kelly Marie Tran’s character is Rose. She’s a Resistance maintenance worker who gets drawn into the story. Meanwhile, the new planet with the red dust is (officially) Crait, per Rian Johnson.

This nifty teaser poster was handed out:

And here’s the panel:

SWCO: 40 years of Star Wars panel hits the high notes with Carrie Fisher tribute


While the 40 years of Star Wars panel was light on news, it was fairly heavy on the feels. The much-vaunted surprises turned out to be George Lucas (as predicted,) Harrison Ford (who I don’t think anyone expected) and Billie Lourd, who took part in a truly epic tribute to Carrie Fisher.

I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house after the tribute video (above,) and it was only enhanced by the reveal of John Williams and the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra playing Princess Leia’s theme. They followed up with the Main Theme and the Imperial March, just in time to allow us to regain our composure.

The video does contain a look at Fisher on-set in The Last Jedi, but in the scheme of things that feels secondary. And while the panel did mainly focus on the first 6 films, it’s really only appropriate that it ended the way it did. Tomorrow, we’ll look ahead.

New “micro-short” series Forces of Destiny to highlight the women of Star Wars

Announced overnight, just ahead of the official opening of Celebration Orlando, is Forces of Destiny, a new series of animated shorts highlighting Rey, Jyn Erso, Sabine Wren, Leia Organa, Ahsoka Tano and more.


The series will launch in July on the Disney Youtube, with additional shorts debuting on the Disney Channel in the fall. Daisy Ridley, Felicity Jones, Tiya Sircar, Ashley Eckstein and Lupita Nyong’o (Maz Kanata) are among those returning to voice their characters.

The series will also have book and action figure tie-ins. We’ll learn more later Friday at the “Heroines of Star Wars” panel here in Orlando.

Celebration Orlando is almost here!

Star Wars Celebration Orlando begins on Thursday, and we’ll be there! Well, some of us. Our own James and Dan are running the Bounty Hunt puzzle race again, and the rest of us will be around. As always, keep an eye on Twitter! James is @jamesjawa, Paula is @Rosiewook (Check out her public health tips) and I’m @clubjade. Find one of us and you can get a button!

If this is your first time at Celebration, we’ve done a convention tips series in past year that’s still (mostly) relevant. How to photograph fans in costume, packing, what to carry around the con, the quick guide to Q&As, avoiding con crud and basic human decency. I didn’t get a chance to update any of it this year, but hey, maybe for 2019.

If you can’t make it, StarWars.com will be livestreaming again this time, so you can catch at least a few panels. (They’ll begin Thursday – keep an eye on their Youtube.) It’s the next best thing to being there!

Head below the cut for a few hand-picked highlights from the schedule:

Continue reading “Celebration Orlando is almost here!”

Rumors: Snoke’s wardrobe and more on Laura Dern in The Last Jedi

Here’s the latest pair of The Last Jedi rumors from Making Star Wars. In the first, we learn all about what Snoke’s wearing and where he’s living, which seems like… Not what you’d expect. (Or is it?) In the second, more on Laura Dern’s character and the Resistance.

As always, remember: None of this is guaranteed, and could be spoilery! (The pic above isn’t a spoiler – it’s from The Art of The Force Awakens, and thus more than fair game at this point.)