The Official Star Wars Site has announced that collectors and fans of the Cartoon Network Star Wars: Clone Wars animated micro-series are in for a treat from Topps. A new collectable card set, due out in mid-April 2004, focuses on the Star Wars: Clone Wars animated micro-series, as well as select Clone Wars-related material from Dark Horse and other sources.

"Genndy Tartakovsky's group is doing an amazing job of reinterpreting Star Wars in their unique voice and style, while at the same time keeping true to George Lucas' vision," Matt Saunders, Topps Editor-Entertainment Cards/Licensing says. "The animation is very dynamic, and the stories are exciting and well-paced. There's a lot of meat to the episodes, which is a compliment to Genndy's team when you consider they're only working with three-minute chapters!"

"Since the opportunity afforded itself, we felt it would be unique to do an animation set, especially one that covered something as significant as the Clone Wars," Saunders continues. "We wanted to be a part of the overall Clone Wars excitement and to add our unique take on it."

The collectable card set comes with three promo cards -- one Hobby, one Retail and one Exclusive card available to buy from a top-secret soon-to-be-revealed online vendor. Each card depicts a Clone Wars image on the front and a close-up shot of Anakin with his lightsaber on the back of the card.

The set also contains 90 regular cards: nine Character Cards, 63 Episode Cards (episode images on front, behind-the-scenes art/images on back), one Episode III Clone Trooper Preview Card (showing the new design for them in Episode III), 16 Dark Horse Cover Gallery Cards and one Title/Checklist Card. The nine character cards include Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Mace Windu, Yoda, Kit Fisto, clone troopers, Durge, Asajj Ventress, Count Dooku. Each character will have a unique background, as well as part of the character card design.

Also due to popular demand, Topps added 10 die-cut stickers to this set.

"When we talk with fans about what they'd like to see in future sets, one of the things they always ask for are stickers," Saunders reveals. "Stickers were a part of the sets for the original movies, and were very popular. We've been looking for the right time and set to include them in again, and this just seemed like the perfect fit. Hopefully fans will agree."

The stickers pay tribute to Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, clone troopers, Yoda, Mace Windu, Durge, Count Dooku, Asajj Ventress, C-3PO and R2-D2. Additionally, the backs form a puzzle which when pieced together form one large image. The tenth card is a "solution card," showing the whole image.

More inserts include 10 Battle Motion cards (moves between two images), which portray Anakin Skywalker, Mace Windu, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Asajj Ventress, a clone trooper, Yoda, Durge, Count Dooku, Padmé Amidala and a scuba trooper.

Artist Sketch Cards featuring Clone Wars art from yet-to-be-determined Dark Horse and Cartoon Network artists, and Autograph Card Case Toppers, available in Hobby only, round out the set. The two Widevision autograph cards, which missed the deadline for the previous Attack of the Clones Widevision set, are Jack Thompson (Cliegg Lars) and Anthony Phelan (Lama Su). One autograph card will be inserted for each Hobby Case ordered.

"Add in the great animation imagery and Dark Horse artwork for the base cards, as well as the Battle Motion cards and there's something for everyone," Saunders explains. "We've included a variety of imagery and special cards in the set, which we feel reflects, and does justice to, the excitement and breadth of the cartoon, and the Clone Wars overall."

The Official Star Wars Site has new comics for the Spring of 2004. Six months have passed since Luke Skywalker's famous proton torpedo volley transformed the greatest symbol of Imperial might into floating embers in space. Now, Rebels throughout the galaxy are hunted by agents of the Empire, and the Alliance is desperately searching for a new haven. An Alderaanian acquaintance of Princess Leia's has a hunting preserve on a remote moon that would suit the Rebel needs perfectly, but Leia has to convince her friend to allow it as well as survive the dangerous wildlife this planetoid has to offer.

Star Wars: Empire #20 is written by Ron Marz with art by Tomás Giorello, and features cover art by David Michael Beck. It is scheduled for release on April 7.

When whole worlds are sundered and entire sectors are set ablaze in conflict during the Clone Wars, it becomes hard to gauge the personal tragedies caused by the fighting, and whether or not there is a shadowy hand orchestrating such events. In the case of Jedi Rohnar Kim, who years ago struck up a friendship with a rising politician, he never dreamed that it would make him the target of one of the greatest evils the galaxy had ever seen.

Star Wars: Republic #64 is written by John Ostrander, with art by Greg Tocchini and cover art by Tomás Giorello. It is scheduled for release on April 28.

Pressed into frontline service, the Jedi Knights of the Clone Wars are constantly tested by the call of the dark side, as they chafe against Sith plotting and the aggression of armed conflict. The latest trade paperback collection of Clone Wars stories tells some of the most intriguing tales of this momentous time. Star Wars: Clone Wars -- Light and Dark collects Star Wars: Republic #54 and 63, Star Wars: Jedi – Aayla Secura and Star Wars: Jedi – Dooku.

It features work by John Ostrander, Jan Duursema and Dan Parsons, and features a cover by Tomás Giorello. It is scheduled for release on May 12.

The next featured ship in the "TIE Week" series is the TIE Heavy Bomber Advanced and it has been added the to the ships section. You can get a listing of ships using their picture by type at the Ships Section. Or, if you would like to see an alphabetical listing of all of our ships, you can check out the Ship Index. We are half way through "TIE Week" and as the week progresses, look for the number of entries to increase as we come to a climactic close. I hope you are enjoying the information and I will provide you with more great TIE's tomorrow. See you then!

Galactic Voyage has selected the next "Site of the Month" winner! The winner for January, 2004 is Gamephasma.com! Congratulations! I want to say thank you to all who applied. Don't worry if you were not chosen this month. Once you have applied, you will always be in the running!

Do you love Star Wars Galaxies? Then this is a cool place for you! Gamephasma.com has all the resources you need to keep you up to date. This new site features a unique GUI (Graphic User Interface) coupled with forums, player information, a creature datapad, a inventory datapad, a coordinate map plotter, a market, and more for Star Wars Galaxies fans and players. I believe this site really has a truly unique presentation that people will love to see. I would recommend a visit to Gamephasma.com today!

If you would like to submit your site to be in the running for February, then apply here to be "Site of the Month!"

KB Toys Inc. on Wednesday said it filed for bankruptcy protection on the heels of a soft holiday shopping season wrought by harsh competition from big discount retailers, like Wal-Mart Stores.

The bankruptcy filing is the second by a major toy chain in recent weeks. FAO Inc., parent of the iconic FAO Schwarz, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in December for the second time in a year.

Last week, Toys R Us, the No. 2 retailer of toys behind Wal-Mart, posted weak same-store sales for the holiday season and lowered its earnings forecast for the year.

KB Toys Inc. asked the court to allow it to honor its return policies and gift cards. At least you can still get your Star Wars stuff on those cards you got for Christmas!

To read the entire article go here.

The third ship in the "TIE Week" series features the TIE Hammer which has been added the to the ships section. You can get a listing of ships using their picture by type at the Ships Section. Or, if you would like to see an alphabetical listing of all of our ships, you can check out the Ship Index. How could they possibly have more TIE class ships? It is the Empire after all with the will to destroy anyone who opposes them. See you tomorrow!

LucasArts has officially announced today the exciting details regarding Star Wars Battlefront, an intense open-ended multiplayer action game set in the Star Wars universe due out this fall for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, Xbox video game system from Microsoft and the PC. Star Wars Battlefront will put fans and gamers in the heat of the action as they re-live all of the epic battles from the classic and prequel eras of the Star Wars universe.

Both console and PC players will be able to participate in the most memorable Star Wars battles set in over 15 environments across 10 diverse planets including Hoth, Geonosis, Yavin, Tatooine and Naboo. Players will be able to select one of over 20 different soldier types from four factions: Rebel Alliance, Imperial Army, Clone Army and Droid Army. Each soldier will have specialized abilities and the freedom to use ground-based turrets found on the battlefront as well as over 15 diverse ground and air vehicles including the AT-ST, X-wing and speeder bike.

Star Wars Battlefront will be optimized for PS2 online, Xbox Live and PC online. Console gamers will be able to battle against 16 players over the Internet or 32 players connected via LAN. PC gamers will be able to battle against 32 players over the Internet or 64 via a LAN. The game will also support voice chat through compatible headsets for the PS2 and Xbox console systems as well as PC.

In addition to the single-player and various multiplayer modes offered in Star Wars Battlefront, a unique "Conquest" mode adds an innovative and strategic gameplay element to the action. After each battle is completed and the planet is conquered, the winning team will be rewarded with a special "bonus" ability that can be deployed in future battles in an attempt to take over the Star Wars galaxy planet-by-planet.

Star Wars Battlefront is published by LucasArts and developed by Pandemic Studios. For more information, please visit the official product website at www.starwarsbattlefront.com. The site is not online yet, but should be shortly.

The next featured ship in the "TIE Week" series features the TIE Electronic Warfare Fighter which has been added the to the ships section. You can get a listing of ships using their picture by type at the Ships Section. Or, if you would like to see an alphabetical listing of all of our ships, you can check out the Ship Index. What's next? See you tomorrow for the answer!

Yahoo! News reports...

Lego's owner and president, Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen -- the 56-year-old grandson of company founder Ole Kirk Christiansen, had fired the company's number two and the head of product development, in regards to the recent loss of 242 million dollars for LEGO in 2003.

He said the company would now go back to its roots, focusing on building blocks and abandoning its forays into multimedia and film products.

"We are returning to Lego's former concept. We're going to focus on building bricks as our main product, concentrating on little kids' eagerness to assemble," he said.

"That's why we're pursuing much more aggressive marketing for
building bricks, leaving products linked to films such as Star Wars on the back burner," he said.

One key factor for the weak result this year was the poor sales of games based on the Star Wars and Harry Potter films in 2002.

Click here to read the entire article.

Today marks the beginning of "TIE Week" at Galactic Voyge and to start things off I have added the TIE Boarding Craft to the ships section. You can get a listing of ships using their picture by type at the Ships Section. Or, if you would like to see an alphabetical listing of all of our ships, you can check out the Ship Index. What will be the next TIE that will be featured? Stop by tomorrow to find out!