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Archived News
October 2004
Week 2
Saturday
October 09, 2004 |
KOTOR
II: Korriban Planet Preview |
IGN
posted a great preview of the planet Korriban for the
yet-to-be-released Knights of the Old Republic II:
Korriban is a graveyard world that has died twice -- once when it
served as the burial grounds of the ancient lords of the Sith, and
again, when the end of the Jedi Civil War brought death to
Korriban. There are half-whispered rumors and speculations of what
took place on Korriban after Malak's defeat -- some claim that the
remaining Sith Lords fought amongst themselves for control, while
others claim that the Republic itself attacked Korriban and
destroyed the Sith Academy on its surface. Whatever the case,
there are few in the Republic willing to speak of it, and there
are no Sith remaining to ask what transpired there.
All that remain on Korriban's surface are beasts
and echoes, ghosts of the dead that still walk and whisper the
ancient teachings of the Sith. To touch down within its windswept
canyons and blood-red skies is to be filled with a sense of unease
- then a slow dread, as the evil of Korriban begins to take hold.
There are also tales of dark side beasts, the Hssiss, that now
stalk its surface, and even more sinister dangers lurking within
hidden tombs within the Valley of the Sith Lords.
Once the staging ground of two empires, now
Korriban belongs only to the dead -- and their secrets.
Sounds ridiculously awesome. Be sure to click the
link above to read the full article.
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Friday
October 08, 2004 |
C-3PO
Elected to Robot Hall of Fame |
Carnegie
Mellon University has put out a press
release detailing the following regarding their second annual
Robot Hall of Fame Induction:
Carnegie Mellon co-hosts second annual Robot Hall
of Fame induction
EVENT: Carnegie Mellon University and The Carnegie
Science Center kick off the 25th-anniversary celebration of the
university's Robotics Institute as they co-host the second annual
Robot Hall of Fame (RHOF) induction ceremony. Robots to be honored
include Honda's humanoid robot ASIMO; Shakey, the first mobile
robot to reason about its actions, developed by SRI International;
Astro Boy, a Japanese animation of a robot with a soul; Robby the
Robot, from MGM's 1956 science-fiction epic "Forbidden
Planet"; and C-3PO, from the Star Wars series. The robots or
their representatives will be present to receive their awards.
Celebrated attendees will include actor Anthony Daniels, who
played C-3PO in all six Star Wars films, as well as ASIMO and
Robby the Robot.
Speakers include: Carnegie Mellon Simon University
Professor Raj Reddy, founding director of the Robotics Institute;
James H. Morris, dean of Carnegie Mellon's West Coast Campus who
founded the Robot Hall of Fame; and Carnegie Mellon University
Professor Takeo Kanade, second director of the Robotics Institute.
WHEN: October 11, 2004 * 4:00 p.m. - ASIMO
demonstration: Honda's humanoid robot, ASIMO will demonstrate its
capabilities. * 5:00 p.m. - Press Conference: Panel speakers will
be available to speak with the media. * 7:30 p.m. - Awards
Ceremony
WHERE: Carnegie Science Center, One Allegheny
Avenue, Pittsburgh. In recognition of the increasing benefits
robots are bringing to society, Carnegie Mellon established the
Robot Hall of Fame in 2003 to honor noteworthy robots, both real
and fictional, along with their creators. The new inductees join
the Mars Pathfinder Sojourner robot; Unimate, the first industrial
robot; R2-D2, from the Star Wars trilogy; and HAL, the robotic
computer in the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey."
For more information on the Robot Hall of Fame
see: www.robothalloffame.org.
Fans in the Pittsburgh area might want to
check this one out! Thanks to JediNet
for this news.
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Thursday
October 07, 2004 |
Darth
Vader Mugs Pizza Man |
Darth
Vader walks among us, and he's not in a happy mood.
That's according to Kissimmee, Fla., authorities,
who reported over the weekend that a pizza deliveryman was nearly
robbed by an imposing figure dressed as the "Star Wars"
bad guy.
"This is a criminal mind trying to think of
things to do to victimize people," Osceola County Deputy
Sheriff Al Dearmas told WFTV-TV of Orlando.
The deliveryman brought a pizza to a Kissimmee
address Sunday night, said Dearmas, only to find no one home. He
got back into his car to drive away, when Darth Vader, mask, black
outfit and all, suddenly materialized. In a presumably commanding
voice, the evil Sith Lord ordered the deliveryman to give up all
his cash. The pizza man hit the gas and sped off, but not before
getting a good zap from what may have been a laser blaster, a
light saber or perhaps just a stun gun.
"Thank God nothing happened to the
victim," Dearmas told the TV station. "We are very
fortunate for that. But things could have been much worse,"
he added, possibly considering the awesome power of the Dark Side.
The call ordering the pizza was made from a pay
phone at a drugstore around the corner. "We were able to
obtain some fingerprints from the pay phone, and we have sent
[them] out to ... see if we can have a match," said Dearmas.
Tipsters are urged to call the Osceola County
Sheriff's Office, and maybe Obi-Wan Kenobi as well.
Thanks to FoxNews
for this news.
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Thursday
October 07, 2004 |
Episode
III: 10th Hyperspace Video Doc |
The
Official Sites Hyperspace
has released the tenth video documentary on the making of Episode
III: Revenge Of The Sith. I've posted a few of the interesting
things seen in this video:
Spoilers -
Highlight to read:
1) You do see
Palpatine's stunt double packing a lightsaber, so I guess that
confirms the Yoda / Palpatine lightsaber duel theory.
2) We see on the monitor screen on the
stage a shot of Anakin sitting in a Jedi Council chair, so I guess
Palpatine's influence does end up getting Anakin a place on the
Council. Looks like a really serious and moody shot too.
3) Another quick glimpse of a monitor shows
a fully completed Mustafar shot with Anakin swinging in mid air
lightsaber in hand. You've got a dark forboding mountainous
backdrop with an orange glow near the horizon, lava everywhere,
and a dark green/grey noxious looking cloudy sky. This place looks
nasty.
4) You also get a glimpse of the Obi-Wan
& Anakin vs Dooku duel which looks very reminiscent of the
Qui-Gon & Obi-Wan vs Maul duel, it's looking real good. It
looks like he's kicking both their arses. There's a real nice shot
with Dooku kicking back at Anakin and Obi-Wan is being lifted up
on a wire as if to simulate Dooku holding him up in the air using
the Force. Looks like the end duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan
isn't the only duel that's going to rock our world come May 2005.
5) There's also a shot of Palpatine sat in
that familiar chair, in what looks to be his private war room, the
one that is added to his offices on Coruscant. He swivels the
chair around to greet Anakin who enters this darkened inner
sanctum. You first see the shot complete with background and then
it blends into a bluescreen shot of just Palpatine and his chair
and Anakin, so I presume it's showing you how they're adding stuff
to scenes they've already shot in Sydney. Oh, and Palpatine's
chair has already got those trademark orange lit buttons on the
armrest.
If you're a member of Hyperspace, click
here to watch the video. Really great stuff!
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Thursday
October 07, 2004 |
Van
Ling Chat Tomorrow |
The
Official Star Wars Site has announced another Hyperspace chat
for tomorrow! Now that you've explored the Star Wars
Trilogy DVD, and perhaps revisited your Episode I and II DVDs,
Hyperspace brings Star Wars fans the opportunity to chat
with an essential team-member that helped put together each of
these amazing releases. Producer Van Ling will be online this
Friday to field question from members of Hyperspace: The Official Star
Wars Fan Club.
When Lucasfilm first began producing Star Wars DVDs,
they sought out the best talents in the field. Van Ling served as
technical producer on Episode I, II and the newly released Star
Wars Trilogy DVD set. He produced the amazing full motion menu
designs that take viewers directly into the Star Wars
galaxy. To that end, he has digitally constructed incredibly
detailed and layered environments, choosing three distinct worlds
for each film DVD, as well as even more for the DVD bonus discs.
You can read about Ling's work in the latest issue of Star
Wars Insider.
Van Ling will be online this Friday, October 8 at 2:30 p.m.
U.S. Pacific time (5:30 p.m. U.S. Eastern time). Please note that
last minute schedule changes may happen, and that although
hundreds of questions are often submitted, not all can be
answered. These online chats are held in the Online Chats and
Schedule Forum, available only to members of Hyperspace: The
Official Star Wars Fan Club.
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Wednesday
October 06, 2004 |
Episode
III: The First Seven Minutes |
The
first 7 minutes of Episode III (in it's completed form!!) has been
shown to TV execs, as Variety
reports:
As the 20th Mipcom TV mart kicked off Monday,
international TV execs declared business had definitely taken a
turn for the better. Extra fizz at the decidedly glitzier market
-- determined revelers could have attended 15 hours of cocktail
parties Monday -- was provided Sunday by a seven-minute teaser of
George Lucas' upcoming "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of
the Sith," followed by a swank party....
Hit the link above to read the full article.
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Tuesday
October 05, 2004 |
Upcoming
Film: 5-25-77 |
The
Chicago News Sun has posted an article about the film 5-25-77,
an upcoming independent film written and directed by Patrick Read
Johnson about a young man's efforts to see Star Wars on opening
day:
Set in the Lake County of 1977 on the day Star
Wars opened to the public and influenced a generation, the film
found itself at Six Flags Great America on Friday, filming scenes
of teen workers flirting across the midway at the County Fair
Games Gallery.
The daylong shoot utilized more than 100 extras,
including students from Waukegan High School and a middle school
in Rockford. Off-duty firefighters and a pumper from the Newport
Township Fire Protection District were also on hand to provide
artificial rain on Friday's increasingly cloudy, but dry morning.
Click on the link above to read the full article.
Quite fascinating!
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Tuesday
October 05, 2004 |
Replica
Stormtrooper Helmets Available |
Andrew
Ainsworth is a name that many prop collectors will be familiar
with, but to those who don't know he is the man, whom in 1976,
single-handedly created the helmets of many of the Empire's forces
that we saw in Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back. Today he has
dusted off the original moulds and is re-fabricating the Hero and
Stunt Trooper helmets. These helmets are made from the exact same
mould as those seen on screen and are finished to the precise
standards of George Lucas. You can check out his work at Shepperton
Design Studios and even own an affordable "new"
original helmet, nearly thirty years on from when they first
appeared in cinemas around the world. Source: RebelScum |
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Tuesday
October 05, 2004 |
Episode
III: ROTS Trading Cards |
IDontFear
posted an interesting picture of a selection of cards from the
Topps Revenge Of The Sith Trading card
set. Now the images themselves aren't really much any of us
spoiler junkies haven't seen before, however the backs of these
cards feature a cusory plot outline of the story. Below is the
title of each card, along with the summary (what's on the back) of
it as well.
Card One:
Title:Spoiler -
Highlight to read:Galactic Conquest
Summary:Spoiler -
Highlight to read:As a gravely
concerned Yoda surmised, the Clone War has begun. Beings from
across the galaxy are drawn into this devastation conflict, forced
to choose sides as the emergency escalates. It isn't long before
the Seperatist space fleet engages Republic forces in a
spectacular battle high above Coruscant.
Card Two:
Title:Spoiler -
Highlight to read:Ace Starpilot
Skywalker
Summary:Spoiler -
Highlight to read:A remarkable child
first brought to the attention of the Jedi Council by Qui-Gon
Jinn, young Anakin Skywalker continues to amaze everyone.
Skywalker has become one of the Republic's greatest defenders,
often displaying legendary piloting skills in battles against the
Seperatist Forces.
Card Three:
Title:Spoiler -
Highlight to read:A Dark Awakening
Summary:Spoiler -
Highlight to read:Ever since their
first meeting on Tatooine, Padme Amidala's destiny has been tied
to Anakin Skywalker. Now secretly married, Anakin's moody and
volatile ways frighten the young Senator. In her Coruscant
apartment, she awakens one night to find that a troubled,
sleepless Anakin has left their bed.
Card Four:
Title:Spoiler -
Highlight to read:Palpatine's Protege
Summary:Spoiler -
Highlight to read:Ever since he was a
child. Jedi hero Anakin Skywalker has been watched very closely by
his trusted mentor, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. Now, as the
Clone War ends, Palpatine helps Anakin secure a place on the Jedi
Council.
Card Five:
Title:Spoiler -
Highlight to read:Anakin and the Jedi
Council
Summary:Spoiler -
Highlight to read:Anakin Skywalker
finds his loyalties divided between the Jedi Council and his
trusted mentor, Palpatine. Even as a distraught Padme tries to
help Anakin deal with his conflicting emotions, the young Jedi is
in a quandary, pulled more and more into the beguiling embrace of
the dark side.
Card Six:
Title:Spoiler -
Highlight to read:Mace Windu's Concerns
Summary:Spoiler -
Highlight to read:Samuel L. Jackson,
who as Mace Windu, discusses his growing concerns about Palpatine
with the other members of the Jedi Council, appeared opposite John
Travolta in which classic film?
Card Seven:
Title:Spoiler -
Highlight to read:Yoda's Discovery
Summary:Spoiler -
Highlight to read:In the Jedi Archives,
Yoda learns the painful truth behind recent events, including
who's responsible for the Jedi Order's most devastating loss.
Young Luke Skywalker first encountered the Young Jedi Master on
what planet?
Card Eight:
Title:Spoiler -
Highlight to read:Fear for the Future
Summary:Spoiler -
Highlight to read:Obi-Wan Kenobi and
Bail Organa look on with convern as medical droids fight to save
the life of a comrade. Bail Organa is portrayed by what former NYPD
Blue star?
Hit the link above to view the image.
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Monday
October 04, 2004 |
GameSpot's
KOTOR II Review |
Gamespot
has posted an article written by Knights of the Old Republic 2:
The Sith Lords' lead game designer, Chris Avellone, in which he
discusses the challenges and rewards that the design team went
through in creating the game. Avellone writes:
Crafting a story for a game like Star Wars
Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords generally involves
a lot of caffeine and stress--and details. But in the end, it's
not much different from how we went about constructing stories at
Black Isle Studios or how we currently construct them here at
Obsidian. Doing a sequel to the amazing story BioWare developed
for the original Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is a
challenging task, and it certainly creates its share of pressures.
But in the end, the process for creating the story remains the
same. What's listed below isn't everything, but it's a general
outline of the process we use when doing stories at Obsidian
Entertainment.
The article also serves as a preview for the game,
which is set to debut on the PC and Xbox gaming platforms in
February 2005.
To read the entire article, click
here.
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Sunday
October 03, 2004 |
Custom
Star Wars Controllers |
Something
new to add to your holiday shopping list: Star Wars video game
accessories! As revealed on a press
release at Yahoo!
and reported on by IGN,
Intec has just made a deal with LucasFilm Licensing that will keep
the Star Wars empire on top of the video game world for good.
September 30, 2004 - Game accessory
manufacturer Intec announced today that it has entered into
agreement with Lucasfilm to create a range of Star Wars-branded
video game controllers. The first controllers will be available
for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox this holiday season, with
additional controllers planned for future LucasArts titles,
including the Episode III game expected in May
Intec also promises to introduce "new
videogame technologies" next year, set to be embedded in
future Star Wars controllers and designed with specific Star Wars
games in mind. Just what will these new technologies comprise?
We'll have to wait and see
The "new technologies" references the
press release, which leaves room for some interesting
possibilities:
Intec, who will be developing a whole suite of
specialized Star Wars-branded controllers, including wireless
controllers, will introduce new video game technologies in 2005,
which will be embedded in Intec's new Star Wars controllers slated
for early next year. These new technologies will heighten gamers'
experiences while they play best-selling Star Wars games.
So, will this be a wireless BlasTech blaster
linked to the game? Will it be a wireless Thermal Detonator that
you can hurl at your screen? Or ... could it be a wireless
lightsaber, the civilized and elegant weapon of every Jedi Knight?
Stay tuned as we watch these developments closely. Thanks to JediNet
for this news.
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