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New Thrawn trilogy covers now contain approximately 275% more Grand Admiral Thrawn

Jedi Bibliothek has our first look at the new covers for Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn trilogy. This time, they’re a triptych!

They are, without a doubt, a vast improvement over the very dated originals. And that’s certainly a lot of the eponymous Grand Admiral Thrawn, which makes sense as his forthcoming Rebels appearance is the catalyst for the long-overdue refresh.

The new artwork is by Rick Kelly, we learned from Del Rey’s Tom Hoeler. The official Star Wars Books page has also shared the new covers.

I am sad to see that our namesake Mara Jade didn’t make the cut this time. Sure, Thrawn is becoming canon and she isn’t, but she is a major character in these books – and one of the most popular Legends characters ever. Did they just not want to get our hopes up?

In any case, here’s hoping that the new look gets more people reading. Legends or not, Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising and The Last Command are some of the best Star Wars novels on the shelves.

The new covers are expected to begin appearing in stores late next month, as the existing paperbacks are restocked.

Thrawn makes his Rebels debut on September 24 , with a new canon Timothy Zahn novel coming in April.

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EUbits: Tom Veitch on Dark Empire, LFL’s Rayne Roberts

de-trilogyAn interview with Dark Empire writer Tom Veitch sheds some new light on the early ’90s Star Wars literature revival, including just how much input George Lucas had and how DE and Heir to the Empire somehow ended up in the same continuity.

→ The Lucasfilm Story Group’s Rayne Roberts recently appeared on the Black Nerd Girls podcast, where she talks about The Force Awakens, Star Wars lit, and even dodges a Rogue One question.

→ At StarWars.com, our own James interviews Jason Fry about Aliens of the Galaxy, a new guidebook for younger readers.

→ Timothy Zahn was named Grandmaster at the tenth annual Scribe awards for media tie-ins.

→ Jay Shah unpacks the Thrawn ‘mystique’ for Eleven-ThirtyEight.

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Wear Star Wars Every Day: Week 34

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Only a few more days left in the month to be eligible to win cool prizes in our August giveaway for Wear Star Wars Every Day – there’s the uncorrected advance proof of Ahsoka by E. K. Johnston (book doesn’t come out until October), the just-released Aliens of the Galaxy by Jason Fry, a Celebration Europe crew t-shirt, and a SWCE Rusty Droid bottle opener. Plus here’s the recap video for Week 34 of #WearStarWarsEveryDay, full of news on donations, what I wore, and now the latest on what’s going on with Collateral Repair Project.


Maxi big thanks to our anonymous GoFundMe donor this week, whoever you are! Also, thanks to everyone who has lent me apparel seen this week: Donna, Tony, Chris, and James! Remember, every day I wear a new and different Star Wars apparel item, my daily pledgemakers will chip in $4.65! This week, we’ve got some Rebel Legion wear, a pair of Boba Fett socks, a rarity from the 2006 US tour to promote the DVD release, and a really cool shirt from the #Cantina party at Celebration Europe. This review for Week 34 covers August 19 to August 25 of my wearathon, and an update on fundraising for Collateral Repair Project, a non-profit organization that provides emergency assistance, education, and community support to urban refugees.

Thanks to everyone who has supported Wear Star Wars Every Day so far, both our one-time donors and our per-day pledge makers. While each day I continue my project, another $4.65 is donated by our pledge makers, but I’d love to get that total up to $5.00 even (or higher!) for the second half of 2016. If you’d like to chip in at a dime a day or a quarter per day (or more), make your pledge at the per-day pledge form and you can choose whether to support the project for the entire year, or just start at the beginning of September. Or you can just make a one-time or a recurring monthly donation at GoFundMe.com/WearStarWars2016. Remember, if you donate in August, you might be eligible to win the prize drawings for an ARC of the upcoming Ahsoka novel, a Celebration Europe Crew shirt, and more!

Get more info on what Wear Star Wars Every Day is all about, or make a donation or a per-day pledge!

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Donald Glover plays coy (of course) on Lando Calrissian rumors

Donald Glover in The Martian

“Yep. There are rumors,” Donald Glover says of the reports that he’s a front-runner for the role of Lando Calrissian in the young Han Solo movie. But hey, he does love the franchise:

I mean, I grew up on it. My dad was a big fan. I had all the toys when I was little. I had a Darth Vader with the lightsaber he has. It was cool. It’s a dynasty. It’s like the bible. I love that franchise.

Regardless of whether he’s up for the role or not, Glover has a new show, Atlanta, debuting in September.

The Han movie, starring Alden Ehrenreich and directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, is due out in 2018.

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Hidalgo’s Star Wars Propaganda book gets a cover

propagandaPablo Hidalgo’s in-universe history Star Wars Propaganda: A History of Persuasive Art in the Galaxy now has a cover (at right,) and a blurb:

A Star Wars authority deepens and extends our appreciation of the Star Wars galaxy with this imaginative “history” featuring striking full-color artwork—created exclusively for this entertaining volume—that examines the persuasive messages used to intimidate and inspire the citizenry of the galaxy far, far away….

A Star Destroyer hovering over a planet, symbolizing Imperial domination.

An X-wing delivering a message of resistance and hope on behalf of the Rebellion.

A line of armed, faceless First Order stormtroopers promoting unity.

These are all examples of propaganda used by the Empire to advocate strength and maintain fear, and by the Rebel Alliance to inspire hope and win support for the fight. Star Wars Propaganda takes fans into the beloved epic story as never before, bringing the battle between these two sides to life in a fresh and brilliant way.

Star Wars Propaganda includes fifty dazzling pieces of art representing all seven episodes—including material related to Star Wars: The Force Awakens—specially produced for this companion volume. Each page combines an original image and a short description detailing its “history:” the in-world “artist” who created it (either willingly or through coercion), where in the Star Wars galaxy it appeared, and why that particular location was targeted

Packaged in a beautifully designed case and written by a franchise expert and insider, Star Wars Propaganda also includes ten removable art prints, and is sure to become a keepsake for every fan and graphic artist as well.

We got a bit about the First Order in preview pages in March. The hardcover goes on sale October 25, 2016.

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Daisy Ridley: Episode VIII title probably not coming for “a while”

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Daisy Ridley appeared on the comedy podcast My Dad Wrote a Porno and dropped a few vague comments about Episode VIII.

First of all, don’t expect the title for some time:

I heard a title, but I don’t know if it’s going to be that. I really don’t know much about anything. I heard it, but I heard it a long time ago, before we started filming. So I feel some things have tweaked slightly during production. It’s going to be a while before it’s released, I imagine.

Pablo Hidalgo told us back in July that the film doesn’t have a title yet, so it seems likely they have options to consider or some firm ideas, but nothing quite set in stone yet. The Force Awakens, as the first live-action film in a decade, was an outlier in a lot of things. VIII announcements aren’t – and don’t need to be – on the same schedule, particularly with Rogue One coming up.

(And remember, TFA had the title Shadow of the Empire at one point.)

Daisy also said that Rey “maybe” gets a new outfit. Romance also got a “maybe,” but she went as far as to say:

The thing is, I read this article the other day. It was talking about being in love with your friends and how like, that is the ultimate thing. So I think romance covers a lot of bases.”

The Star Wars stuff comes on at the end of the podcast, beginning at about the 25:00 mark. (If the site audio doesn’t work for you, it is on iTunes.)

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Today in Rogue One: New still, interviews with Alan Tudyk and Felicity Jones

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ro-empire-cov3Empire debuted their third Rogue One cover – the one for subscribers only, featuring Alan Tudyk’s K-2SO – and a new still. (The first two covers – which you’ll find on newstands – debuted last week.)

→ Meanwhile, Tudyk himself is interviewed at StarWars.com, while Felicity Jones chats with Vulture.

→ We also learned that Lucasfilm has advertising deals for the film with Duracell, General Mills, Gillette, Nissan and Verizon.

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Star Wars Story Talk: Rogue One trailer reaction video, SWCE, SDCC, & Aftermath: Life Debt

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We’ve got a jumbo episode of Star Wars Story Talk (AKA the show formerly known as Unboxing Star Wars) as Yowie the Skunk, Baby Jawa, and I cover a whole sandcrawler-load of the latest in Star Wars stories. Baby Jawa does her first reaction video, watching the Rogue One trailer, and Yowie and I talk a bit about Star Wars Celebration Europe, San Diego Comic-Con and review Aftermath: Life Debt, the new novel by Chuck Wendig! Plus a little update on Wear Star Wars Every Day, a visit from a Loth-cat, and of course some Baby Jawa fun time!


Quick reviews
→ Trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – I am really excited for this movie and this trailer just pushes it up another notch. But how will Baby Jawa react to her first movie trailer viewing?
→ Star Wars Celebration Europe – Big thumbs up! A whole ton of fun and a lot of work. Plus seeing old friends and making new ones while in London!
→ Star Wars at San Diego Comic-Con – Even though there wasn’t a big movie panel, Star Wars still brought a lot to San Diego, including the Rogue One costume display and the publishing panel.
→ Star Wars: Aftermath – Life Debt – Chuck Wendig increases the scale and brings in some favorite film characters into the post-ROTJ era as the heroes help track down Han Solo as he’s disappeared while trying to liberate Kashyyyk. Solid read!
→ Loth-Cat Plush from Star Wars Celebration Europe – A big hit! Mrowwwl! Help me come up with a name for this grinning feline!

Mentioned on Star Wars Story Talk
On StarWars.com: Recent interviews with Chuck Wendig on Aftermath: Life Debt from Del Rey and Jarrett J. Krosoczka on Jedi Academy: A New Class from Scholastic.

Podcasts: Thanks to Coffee with Kenobi for having me on the podcast as a featured guest to talk Bloodline, Life Debt, and Wear Star Wars Every Day, and thanks to Skywalking through Neverland for bringing me on the show to discuss Wear Star Wars Every Day.

Salt Lake Comic Con: Check out my schedule at Salt Lake Comic Con (Sept 1 to Sept 3) or just view the general Star Wars-related programming, featuring Mark Hamill, Jeremy Bulloch, Lucasfilm Story Group members: Pablo Hidalgo, Leland Chee, and Matt Martin; also including Star Wars authors, artists, and voice actors, and the Full of Sith podcast crew: Bryan Young, Amy Ratcliffe, and Mike Pilot.

Get more info on Wear Star Wars Every Day or make a donation at GoFundMe or sign up to make a per-day pledge.

Note: Del Rey provided a copy of Life Debt: Aftermath (Star Wars) for review.