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"When I did Empire it was twenty or twenty-five years ago, and the world was not digital then," Oz says. "Now it is; and the expectations from the audience are different. And to a degree, if you don't do things digitally, the character will stand out too much compared to everyone else in George [Lucas]'s movie -- which is extraordinary."

"The main thing about Yoda as a digital character is that I really didn't have to do the work," Oz laughs. "When I did the others, it was a lot of sweat. But now, I do just half a day and these ILM guys work for over a year -- it's bizarre, because I get the credit! For me, it's a delight because I see the progression of Yoda as they're doing it in those movies. It's also great because he could not do the things that he's doing on the screen now, in the last two episodes, if he were a puppet. It's wonderful to see that growth."

Oz credits Animation Director Rob Coleman and his team for not only preserving Yoda's true character, but expanding and improving on it.

"There is no way I could have done anything near to that terrific fight," Oz admits. "One thing that you may not be aware of is that when the animators made Yoda into CGI for the first time, their job was to not live up to their capabilities. The job was not to live up to their potential. If they did all the things that they could have done, the transition would have been too jarring. What they did very artfully, was to mimic me to such a degree that it helped to bound their talent. In the next one, they had to bump it up a little higher. There was a real transition there. They had to really be aware to match it and yet give it a little bit more life."

Even with CGI taking center stage in not only Revenge of the Sith but also in future science fiction and fantasy films, Oz is certain that the art of puppetry is far from extinct.

"I don't think there's any kind of a competition," Oz explains. "But my feeling is that just like the old saw about 'will digital take over humans?' Each has its own place. And the same thing with puppetry and the stuff in movies like Monsters, Inc. Each has its own place. Each can do something that the other cannot. And there's value in each one."

Star Wars Galaxies-Path to the Force-Episode 39

Be sure to join us next Wednesday for the fortieth episode of Star Wars Galaxies-Path to the Force. Then join us every week as we continue to follow the adventures of the Wookiee E'nac from the Star Wars Galaxies videogame in the form of Gamics!

• Baron Papanoida (George Lucas) -- A mysterious trader baron with connections across the galaxy. No one really knew which side he was on.
• Chi Eekway (Katie Lucas) -- An influential Senator during the Clone Wars, Chi Eekway was rumored to have close contact with the mysterious Baron Papanoida.
• Terr Taneel (Amanda Lucas) -- Taneel was a loyalist, and one of the receiving Senators who waited on the Senate landing platform following Palpatine's rescue from General Grievous' clutches.
• Zett Jukassa (Jett Lucas) -- Bail Organa witnessed the death of this 10-year old Jedi student who valiantly defended the Jedi Temple before being cut down by an overwhelming barrage of clone trooper fire.

But that's only the beginning. This January, an even bigger download will be made available for Battlefront II fans via Xbox Live. For only $4.99, players gain two new playable hero characters (a buff Kit Fisto and a new weapon-wielding Asajj Ventress) as well as four of their favorite maps from the original Star Wars Battlefront. Each of the new maps, including Yavin 4: Arena, Bespin: Cloud City, Rhen Var: Harbor and Rhen Var: Citadel, boasts Conquest, Capture-the-Flag and Hero Free-for-All (which adds the new characters, as well). New gameplay modes for maps already in the game are also planned, but have yet to be finalized.

Kit Fisto made his mark in Attack of the Clones as one of the hundreds of Jedi led by Mace Windu to free the captive Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padmé Amidala on Geonosis. In Revenge of the Sith, he joined Mace and two other Jedi to arrest Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, only to fall to the Sith blade of Darth Sidious.

Best known for her thrilling duel with Anakin Skywalker on Yavin 4 during Cartoon Network's Star Wars: Clone Wars animated series, Asajj Ventress serves as a Separatist commander in service to Count Dooku. Battlefront II equips her with devastating fibercord-linked lightsabers.
To access the new content, select "Multiplayer" from the main menu of the Xbox version of Battlefront II. Log-on to Xbox Live, select "Downloadable Content" and look for new Battlefront II selections. Enjoy!

Now my question is this... When will we see an expansion for those of us who have the PC version? I guess we will have to wait and see.

The fourth wave, available in spring 2006 at retailers everywhere, consists mainly of characters present during Luke and Obi-Wan's search for a pilot at Mos Eisley. Each figure comes with a base and a randomly-selected bonus hologram figure. Who is on the list? Click here to find out!

Star Wars Galaxies-Path to the Force-Episode 38

Be sure to check back later this week for the thirty-ninth episode (Holiday Edition) of Star Wars Galaxies-Path to the Force. Then join us every week as we continue to follow the adventures of the Wookiee E'nac from the Star Wars Galaxies videogame in the form of Gamics!