STAR WARS: GALAXY’S EDGE PREVIEW

THRAWN
™ A VILLAIN’S
T H E O F F I C I A L M A G A Z I N E PURPOSE

What Scares
Darth
+
WIN!
SOLO: A STAR WARS

Vader?
STORY BOOK
INSIDE!

The Power of Star Wars

Children’s Books
Uncovered

“BEGUN, THE
CLONE WAR HAS”
Celebrating the
10th anniversary
of Star Wars:
The Clone Wars!

DESTINY CALLING
Exclusive Star Wars:
Forces of Destiny
interviews with
Shelby Young,
Catherine Taber,
and Vanessa Marshall!

REINVENTING
GALAXIES
Doug Chiang’s
journey from the
Star Wars prequels
to the sequels and
beyond!

ADAM REX THE AUTHOR WHO HAS PUT THE FEAR INTO THE DARK LORD OF THE SITH
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AUGUST 2018

WELCOME... TITAN EDITORIAL

Editor / Chris Cooper
Senior Editor / Martin Eden
Copy Editor / Simon Hugo
Assistant Editors / Tolly Maggs,
Jake Devine
Art Editor / Andrew Leung
One of my very early Star Wars experiences was browsing
through the shelves of a local book store and discovering the LUCASFILM
movie’s novelization, in the center of which was a full-color, Senior Editor / Brett Rector
Art Director / Troy Alders
16-page section packed with evocative photographs—robots, Creative Director / Michael Siglain
space ships, alien worlds, explosions, a strange lizard creature Asset Management / Tim Mapp,
Erik Sanchez, Bryce Pinkos,
ridden by an armored man... I had seen nothing like it, and I Nicole LaCoursiere, Shahana Alam
wanted to know more… Story Group / Pablo Hidalgo, Leland Chee,
Long before I ever actually read it, that book had made Matt Martin
a huge impression on me, and for many fans our first real CONTRIBUTORS
engagement with Star Wars came through books based on Tricia Barr, Kristin Baver, Megan Crouse,
the saga. It’s funny that a movie series known for its visual Tara Bennett, Darren Scott, Mark Wright,
Michael Kogge, Dan Wallace
exuberance can resonate so strongly even when distilled into
words on a page. This issue, Insider takes a fond look back SPECIAL THANKS TO
Lucy Goldsmith, Erich Schoeneweiss
through the history of Star Wars books, at how they have at Random House, Holly McIntosh, Joseph
encouraged youngsters to get into reading, and influenced Taraborrelli, Andrea Towers and Jim Nausedas
the career aspirations of those who grew up to be writers and at Marvel Comics, Lizzy Draeger, Tracy
Cannobbio and Chris Argyropoulos
illustrators themselves—who, like me, have found themselves at Lucasfilm
working on exciting new projects about the movie series that
inspired them. TITAN MAGAZINES
Production Controller / Peter James
We also mark the 10th anniversary of Star Wars: The Production Supervisor / Maria Pearson
Clone Wars, speak to cast members from Star Wars: Forces Senior Production Controller / Jackie Flook
Art Director / Oz Browne
of Destiny, and hear from the creative geniuses at Lucasfilm Senior Sales Manager / Steve Tothill
about the fresh band of heroes they’ll be introducing in the Circulation Executive / Frankie Hallam
new animated television series Star Wars Resistance. We’ll Direct Sales & Marketing Manager /
Ricky Claydon
also find out what to expect from Disney Parks’ new themed Subscriptions Executive / Tony Ho
world, Galaxy’s Edge. Commercial Manager / Michelle Fairlamb
That’s more Star Wars than you can imagine, and you can Advertising & Marketing Assistant / Bella Hoy
U.S. Advertising Manager / Jeni Smith
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Publishing Director / Chris Teather
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STAR WARS INSIDER AUGUST 2018
(USPS 003-027) (ISSN 1041-5122)
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 CONTENTS I S S U E 1 8 2 / A U G U S T 2 0 1 8

32
Star Wars: Forces
of Destiny
Reflecting in the success of
the animated micro-series
with stars Shelby Young,
Catherine Taber, and
Vanessa Marshall.

4 / STAR WARS INSIDER

 NEWSSTAND COMIC STORE SUBS
EDITION EXCLUSIVE EXCLUSIVE

Subscribe
to Star Wars
Insider
Page 44

20
Stories for Younglings
Insider looks back at the Star Wars
books which have encouraged generations
of young fans to get reading.
38
Catherine Taber
The voice of Padmé Amidala in Forces of
Destiny and Star Wars: The Clone Wars
tells Insider how the movie series
kick-started her acting career.
54
A Villain’s Purpose
How did Grand Admiral Thrawn
become the catalyst that sped Star Wars
Rebels towards its shattering conclusion?

28
Are You Scared,
Darth Vader?
Author and illustrator Adam Rex opens
the covers on his spooky new picture
book, as he asks “what could possibly
scare the Dark Lord of the Sith?”
41
Vanessa Marshall
Star Wars Rebels and Forces of Destiny
star Vanessa Marshall explains how she’ll
never leave Hera behind.
62
Reinventing Galaxies
Pushing the boundaries of Star Wars
design. Insider ’s exclusive interview with
Lucasfilm’s vice president and executive
creative director Doug Chiang concludes.

34
Shelby Young
The Forces of Destiny actor on playing
one of the saga’s most iconic heroes.
46
Galaxy’s Edge
Imagineer Scott Trowbridge reveals
what fans can expect from the immersive
Disney Parks Star Wars-themed land.
72
“Begun, this Clone War has.”
Marking the 10th anniversary of
Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Insider
explores the landmark series.

INCOMING TRANSMISSIONS
06 60
Launchpad Jedi Master’s Quiz
A round-up of news from Test your knowledge of
across the Star Wars galaxy. the best Star Wars pilots.
68 80
Worldwide Image Archive
Crochet, cosplay, and sketches from Darth Vader stalks the set of
the fans inspired by Star Wars. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

STAR WARS INSIDER / 5

LAUNCHPAD
N E W S / B O O K S
Red (Cup) Carpets
Solo: A Star Wars Story receives a warm welcome in L.A. and Cannes
irst reactions to Solo: A
F Star Wars Story were
overwhelmingly positive
following its world
premiere at Hollywood’s Dolby
Theater on May 10, with movie
critics agreeing that the Ron
6 / STAR WARS INSIDER
/ C O M I C S / T O Y S
Howard-directed film is a “slick
adventure” that confidently lives
up to the Star Wars name.
A huge model of the Millennium
Falcon dominated the red carpet on
Hollywood Boulevard, where movie
glitterati—including Star Wars creator
/ G A M E S / FA S H I O N
George Lucas—and the film’s cast
gathered to watch the all-action space
western make its debut.
The publicity trail included
Facebook Live and Twitter interviews
with the stars, who were again out in
full force for Solo’s screening at the

Cannes Film Festival (pictured), on
May 13, accompanied by a squad of
stormtroopers and a familiar
Wookiee friend.
Journalists and bloggers got
their chance to see the movie at
press screenings on May 11, with
their reviews embargoed until May
15, at which point opinion-
formers had their chance to share
their opinions. Empire Online
01 Director Ron
Howard and the
cast at the gala
screening for
Solo: A Star Wars
Story at the 71st
Festival de Cannes
awarded the movie four stars, and
praised Alden Ehrenreich for his
“charismatic” performance as the
young Han Solo, while Richard
Roeper of the Chicago Sun Times
described the new Star Wars film
as “entertaining as hell.”
Solo: A Star Wars Story is still
in theaters all over the world, with
its home entertainment release
expected to come this fall.
LAUNCHPAD
From Cantina
to The Royal
Albert Hall
Concert hall plans week-long
festival of Star Wars
his fall will see the U.K.
T premiere of Star Wars: A
New Hope in Concert, which
opens at London’s historic
Royal Albert Hall on November 16,
2018 and runs up to the 18th, before
embarking on a national tour.
The must-see concert series features
a screening of the classic movie being
projected on a high-definition screen,
as John Williams’ celebrated score
is performed live by the legendary
London Symphony Orchestra—the
same orchestra that has recorded the
soundtrack for every Star Wars movie.
Of additional interest to fans of
Williams’ output is a special concert
on October 26, when the composer
himself will conduct the LSO as they
perform his iconic movie themes.
Star Wars: A New Hope in Concert
will be preceded by a week-long festival
of Star Wars-themed events, due to be
announced after this issue has gone
to press. Visit royalalberthall.com
for further news of what they have
planned and to book tickets for what
promises to be a special night of music.
STAR WARS INSIDER / 7

Star Wars in The Windu City
Chicago to host Celebration 2019
he biggest event in the
T galactic calendar for Star
Wars fans across the world
has set a date for its long-
awaited return: April 11-15, 2019—
8 / STAR WARS INSIDER
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some 20 years after the first Celebration
took place in Denver, Colorado!
The great city of Chicago, Illinois,
will be the next host for the gargantuan
convention, which will take over the
McCormick Place convention center
for a massive five days next spring.
As with previous Celebrations,
Chicago 2019 will feature panels with
Star Wars cast and crew, stage shows,
interactive events, special screenings,
exclusive merchandise, and—in what
will be a big year for the Skywalker
saga, with Episode IX landing in
December—a unique insight into what
lies ahead for the galaxy far, far away.
Tickets for the event, produced
by Lucasfilm in collaboration with
ReedPOP, went on sale June 5, with
multi-day, single day, and VIP passes
up for grabs. Demand was high for
this 20th anniversary extravaganza,
so Insider advises fans interested in
attending Celebration 2019 to check
for updates on ticket availability
and breaking guest news by visiting
the event’s dedicated website at
starwarscelebration.com.
 LAUNCHPAD
Irresistable Resistance
Lucasfilm announce new Star Wars anime adventures
he name Kazuda Xiono
T might not mean much
to you right now, but the
young pilot—the central
character in Star Wars Resistance, the
new cartoon series from Lucasfilm
Animation—is going to be your next
Star Wars hero.
The new series, created by Dave
Filoni (Star Wars: The Clone Wars,
Star Wars Rebels), will follow the
adventures of Xioni as he is recruited
by the Resistance and given a secret
mission to spy on the growing threat
of the First Order, prior to the events
of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
BB-8 will feature, with an array of
exciting new characters and some
very special guest stars.
“The idea for Star Wars Resistance
came out of my interest in World
War II aircraft and fighter pilots”
Filoni revealed, when production on
the series was announced in April.
Cast members Christoper Sean (Kazuda Xiono, left) and Donald Faison (right).
“My grandfather was a pilot, and my
uncle flew and restored planes, so
that’s been a big influence on me,”
he added. “There’s a long history of
high-speed racing in Star Wars, and
I think we’ve captured that sense
of excitement in an anime-inspired
style, which is something the entire
team has been wanting to do for a
long time.”
Christopher Sean (Days of our
Lives) will voice Xiono, and the
cast also includes Saturday Night
Live regular Bobby Moynihan, Suzie
McGrath from U.K. soap EastEnders,
Myrna Velasco (Elena of Avalor),
and Donald Faison (Scrubs), among
others. Oscar Isaac will guest star
as Poe Dameron, and Gwendoline
Christie reprises her role as villain
Captain Phasma.
The new series will debut on
Disney Channel in the U.S., and
Disney XD in the U.K. this fall.
STAR WARS INSIDER / 9
 LAUNCHPAD

Watch now
on the official

The Watchlist
Star Wars
YouTube
channel!

Deal yourself into a 360-degree Solo card game

hese days, “immersive” is a 360 video experiences offer just that Calrissian’s first encounter in Solo: A

T buzzword you’ll often hear

within the entertainment
industry. Instead of watching
a movie on a big screen, wouldn’t it be
better if you could be inside the movie?
What if you could be inside Star Wars?
possibility, without the need to buy an
expensive VR headset, and Lucasfilm
in association with ILMxLAB has given
fans an incredible vantage point on a
pivotal moment in Star Wars lore: right
in the middle of Han Solo and Lando
Star Wars Story, when they play cards
over the fate of the Millennium Falcon.
The full, two-minute Solo: A Star Wars
Story 360 experience is a must-see, and
can now be enjoyed on the official Star
Wars YouTube channel.

Live the Falcon

Experience
Freighter re-created in
shipping crates
ucky fans across several U.S.

L states got their chance to live

the Lando life in the run-up
to the release of Solo: A Star
Wars Movie, when the Millennium
Falcon Experience touched down in
Kentucky, Atlanta, Salt Lake City, and
Denver. Or at least its interior did.
The life-sized re-creation of the
Millennium Falcon’s familiar yet far screen-accurate detailing, materials, comfortable in the pilot’s seat. But
snazzier rooms and corridors were and props, its numerous specially don’t worry—if the ship didn’t pay
built inside three massive shipping made components were cast from the a visit to your local spaceport, you
containers, and while it may not have very same molds that were used to can always take a video tour of the
looked like much on the outside, it had create the set as seen in Solo. Visitors real thing, thanks to Donald Glover’s
it where it counts! Constructed with were able to tour the main hold, relax walkthrough of the real Falcon set on
painstaking accuracy and featuring at the holochess table, and even get the official Star Wars YouTube channel.

10 / STAR WARS INSIDER


Bids All In For
Rare Blaster
Han Solo’s Return of the Jedi DL-44 sold!
f you had around $500,000
I burning a hole in your
pocket on June 23, 2018,
then the Las Vegas Planet
Hollywood Resort and Casino was
the place to spend it. If not, then the
chance of owning Han Solo’s screen-
used BlasTech DL-44 blaster hero prop
(one of three non-firing props made
for Star Wars: Return of the Jedi) has
passed you by.
The headline item in Julien’s
Auctions’ Hollywood Legends sale
of costumes, film props, and other
LAUNCHPAD
Roaring
Success
Fans make like a
Wookiee for a change
ay 4th 2018 saw fans
M sharing their finest
Wookiee roars on social
media in support of Star
Wars: Force for Change, in the
#roarforchange challenge.
Posting, liking, and sharing
videos of furry outbursts helped
the campaign raise $1,000,000
for UNICEF U.S.A. in just over
24 hours, enabling the charity to
deliver Ready-to-Use-Therapeutic
Food packets to children currently
suffering from malnutrition.
Star Wars: Force for Change
continues its mission to promote
change through inspiration, stories
and meaningful partnerships to
bring out the hero in all of us,
and you can donate at any time at
forceforchange.starwars.com.
rare movie ephemera came courtesy
of The James L. Schoppe Star Wars:
Return of the Jedi Production Archive.
Schoppe, the art director on the classic
movie, built the prop and was gifted
the iconic weapon by Property Master
Peter Hancock following the end of
production. It has remained part of his
memorabilia archive ever since, along
with production photos, blueprints,
script pages, call sheets and other
unique items, also part of the auction.
Solo’s weapon of choice was expected
to fetch a six-figure sum.
STAR WARS INSIDER / 11

The Force Of The Fans
Summer-long spectacular of fan’s Star Wars stories
isney Digital Networks will
D reach out to the Star Wars
fanbase in summer 2018
with their Season of the Fan
initiative. The summer long campaign,
announced in April at a digital content
presentation in New York City, seeks
to headline impressive feats of fandom
THE LIGHT SIDE
12 / STAR WARS INSIDER
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in a new documentary series rolling
out across its channels, called Our Star
Wars Stories.
Alongside this new fan-orientated
show, Disney and Lucasfilm are also
bringing back the Star Wars Fan Film
Awards, with new categories being
introduced this year to include best
By Russ Brown and Jamie Cosley
Star Wars
Fan Film
Awards 2018
incoming!
video production, photography, art,
and costumes. Amateur filmmakers
will be be encouraged to enter their
cinematic masterpieces, and the
winners will be announced during a
special live edition of The Star Wars
Show. Look out for more details on
starwars.com soon.
 LAUNCHPAD
X-wings Standing By
Fantasy Flight Games get set for a new attack run
aunched in 2012, the Star
L Wars: X-wing Miniatures
Game has always stayed on
target, becoming a massive
hit with tactical tabletop gamers (and
thermal exhaust ports) everywhere.
Now Fantasy Flight Games have
introduced the X-wing Second Edition,
updating and enhancing the easy-
to-learn game of space combat with
refined gameplay that “focuses on
the physical act of flying starships,”
and introduces ships and events from
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) to
the mix. The Core Set gives new players
everything they need to jump into
a starship and blow things up, with
expansion packs to grow your forces
and conversion kits also available, the
latter enabling established players to
bring their entire collection of ships
into play in the second edition.
Get your X-wing Second Edition
flight orders at xwing.com
Timeline
Important dates
in Star Wars
history.
1934
Aug 24: R2-D2 actor Kenny
Baker is born.
1951
Sept 1: Novelist Timothy Zhan,
creator of Grand Admiral Thrawn,
is born.
1963
July 27: Donnie Yen (Chirrut
Îmwe in Rogue One: A Star Wars
Story) is born.
1973
Aug 2: Star Wars Rebels co-
creator, writer and executive
producer Simon Kinberg is born.
1974
Aug 23: Martial arts expert Ray
Park (Darth Maul) is born.
1983
Sept 25: Donald Glover (Lando
Calrissian in Solo: A Star Wars
Story) is born.
1985
Sept 7: Star Wars Droids and Star
Wars: Ewoks debut on the ABC
Television Network.
2004
Sept 20: LucasArts release the
original Star Wars: Battlefront
videogame on PC, Xbox and
PlayStation 2.
2007
Aug 29: Dark Horse Comics
publish a PhotoComic
adaptation of Star Wars:
The Phantom Menace.
2008
Aug 15: Star Wars: The Clone
Wars is released in cinemas.
STAR WARS INSIDER / 13

Scum You Do Need!
Kotobukiya Bounty Hunter kit collection
enowned Japanese model kit
R company Kotobukiya launch
their new line of ARTFX+
1/10 scale bounty hunter
statues with devious droids IG-88 and
4-LOM—and there’s a special bounty to
collect with each kit in the range.
The nefarious pair, first seen in Star
Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980),
were part of the group of vile bounty
hunters which included Dengar, Bossk,
and Zuckuss, assembled by Darth Vader
to track down the Millennium Falcon.
14 / STAR WARS INSIDER
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These three will join the ARTFX+
Bounty Hunter series later, but you’ll
have noticed one name is missing:
Boba Fett! Fear not, Fett fans—each
kit includes a bonus part that will
combine to complete a statue of the
Mandalorian-armored bounty hunter.
4-LOM and IG-88 are available for
pre-order now from kotous.com, and
are due to ship in October to December
2018. Pre-orders for the next wave of
mercenaries will begin in the summer
and fall of this year.
Corellian
Chic
Work the signature Solo
look from ANOVOS
ith a first wave release
W already sold out, and
a second limited run
close to doing the same,
this vest, shirt, and pants combo is
an exhaustively researched replica
of Han Solo’s outfit as worn by
Harrison Ford in Star Wars: A New
Hope. ANOVOS looked to never-
before-seen marketing shots from
the movie, provided by Lucasfilm,
to ensure that each garment is
as close a match to the originals
as possible, and are using the
highest quality materials during
production. The entire costume
was still available for pre-order
when this issue went to press
(though selling fast)—complete
or as individual garments—with
prices ranging from $549 (the
vest) to $1,449 (the ensemble of
all three cool Corellian items).
ANOVOS also offer a Han Solo
Belt Rig set to finish off the outfit,
priced at $550. Check availability
at anovos.com/starwars.

Skywalk in the Boots of A Jedi
Luke’s The Last Jedi footwear from Po-Zu
hoemaker Po-Zu takes
S another step into a world
where cosplay meets the
everyday with a new leather
Chelsea boot that’s the perfect fit
for a Jedi-in-hiding, based on Luke
Skywalker’s footwear from Star Wars:
The Last Jedi.
Available in sizes EU 39 to EU 46
(U.S. sizes 9 to 14), the boots feature a
gaiter which can be worn to replicate
LAUNCHPAD
Po-Zu boots
are built for
cosplay or
real life
Luke’s look in the movie, or removed
for daily wear as an ankle boot. On
pre-order since May, and priced at
£225 (approximately $300), the boots
join Po-Zu’s impressive line-up of
comfortable, movie-inspired footwear
and Star Wars-themed sneakers, which
includes the new Han Solo sneaker,
featuring the smuggler’s distinctive red
Corellian bloodstripe, also available
now priced £69 (Approx. $90).
Leader Of The Pack
Go “Dutch” in Gold Leader’s Helmet
nother hot new item
A available for pre-order from
ANOVOS is this stunning
replica of Jon “Dutch”
Vander’s Gold Leader headgear, as
seen in Star Wars: A New Hope and
again—via digital insertion—during
the Battle of Scarif in Rogue One: A Star
Get Soaked
As Ahsoka
Perfect swimwear for
sun-seeking Togrutas
attling Sith Lords,
B Separatists, and
stormtroopers doesn’t
leave much time for
rest and re-creation. But while
Ahsoka Tano continues to fight
the good fight, her fans can at
least pay tribute to her exploits as
they lounge by the pool or on the
beach in their Ahsoka Tano One-
Piece Swimsuit from musterbrand.
Available for $49.99 from
thinkgeek.com, the swimsuit’s
striking pattern is based on
Ahsoka’s famous blue and white
markings, and features high-cut
hips and the phoenix logo of the
Ghost crew on the left shoulder.
Wars Story. Delivered ready to wear
and with movie-accurate markings and
weathering, the replica helmet was
digitally scanned and measured from
the original prop. Due to ship this
summer, the Gold Leader Rebel Pilot
Helmet Accessory costs $350.
Pre-order now at anovos.com.
STAR WARS INSIDER / 15
 LAUNCHPAD

Book Club
From what scares Darth Vader to mixing Jabba’s slime
at home, it’s all here in these fantastic books!

Can You
Scare
a Sith
Lord?
Get Spooked by
Are You Scared,
Darth Vader?
Darth Vader is one of the
Insider
most famous movie villains
interviews
of all time, and has kept author
himself busy terrifying the Adam Rex on
galaxy for more than 40 page 28
years. So is there anything
that could possibly frighten
such a total bad guy?
Not much, it turns out,
and that’s the ingenious
hook for Adam Rex’s wildly
entertaining pitcure book
Are You Scared, Darth
Vader? It’s midnight under
a full moon when this tale
begins, but such an eerie
setting can’t raise Darth
Vader’s blood pressure
even one bit. As monsters,
witches, and ghosts are
dismissed by the Sith
Lord’s deadpan refusals,
one question grows ever author explains. “And of monster sketches towards Smekday, School’s
larger: what is Darth Vader course he’s unimpressed something non-threatening.” First Day of School,
scared of? with the classic monsters, Writer/artist Adam Rex and Frankenstein
“I hit on the idea when and I realized my readers is the author and illustrator Makes a Sandwich.
trying to think about what should be unimpressed, of numerous children’s Are You Scared, Darth
Vader is afraid of,” the New too—Vader’s the headliner! picture books, including Vader? is on sale now from
York Times-bestselling So I spent time nudging my The True Meaning of Disney Lucasfilm Press.

16 / STAR WARS INSIDER


01
01
Star Wars Maker Lab:
20 Craft and Science
Projects
Moving solid objects without
touching them? Bursting objects
apart with beams of energy? Those
might sound like the power of the
Force or futuristic sci-fi technology,
but these abilities and more can be
yours with DK’s Star Wars Maker
Lab. Coming July 3, this collection
of experiments encourages young
Padawans to explore the laws
of physics in pursuit of STREAM
(Science, Technology, Reading,
Engineering, Arts, and Math)
educational concepts. Writers Liz
Lee Heinecke and Cole Horton
reveal the real-world science behind
building a hovering landspeeder, an
Ewok catapult, and even a glowing
Gungan Globe of Peace.
LAUNCHPAD
02
Thrawn: Alliances
Grand Admiral Thrawn, the blue-
skinned alien and Sherlockian
tactical genius, has remained
consistently popular since his
introduction in 1991’s Star Wars:
Heir to the Empire. Now, the highly
anticipated Thrawn: Alliances, sees
author Timothy Zahn return to his
creation in a direct sequel to 2017’s
bestseller Star Wars: Thrawn. This
time, the Grand Admiral must team
up with an unpredictable ally in the
form of Darth Vader, during a secret
mission set during the events of the
animated series Star Wars Rebels.
Releasing on July 24 from Del Rey
Books, Thrawn fans will discover
how the cunning Chiss scales the
heights of Imperial power to become
one of Emperor Palpatine’s most
trusted and resourceful servants.
02
03
03
William Shakespeare’s
Jedi the Last
The Bard of Avon interprets the
latest Star Wars blockbuster in
Jedi the Last, a time-warping
triumph told through the language
of Elizabethan theatricality. This
oddball mashup feels warmly
authentic, thanks to writer Ian
Doescher’s keen ear and his Star
Wars bona fides (Doescher has
penned Shakespearean adaptations
of all seven previous films in the
Star Wars saga). Authentic stage
directions and woodcut-style
illustrations help Jedi the Last
immerse readers in an era centuries
removed from our own. Looking
for the biggest sci-fi epic of 1600?
Forget The Tempest, William
Shakespeare’s Jedi the Last is the
play you don’t want to miss!
STAR WARS INSIDER / 17
 LAUNCHPAD

Comics Roundup
The Sith Cast a Long Shadow in the Latest
Star Wars Comics

Last Stand
for a Jedi
Legacies End and Legends
Emerge in the Comics Adaptation
of Star Wars: The Last Jedi
The original Star Wars was inspired in part
by the comic-panel heroism of George
Lucas’ childhood favorites, and that Buck
Rogers tradition came full circle with
comic-book adaptations of Star Wars: A
New Hope and every subsequent episode
in the cinematic saga. That continues with
a six-issue comic adaptation of Star Wars:
The Last Jedi, from writer Gary Whitta
(Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) and artist
Michael Walsh (Star Wars Annual).
Fans can gain a new perspective on
events through the adaptation, including
moments never seen on the movie screen.
“I want to make sure that anything I do is
considered additive rather than
reinventing or undermining,” Whitta says
about the story elements that he has
introduced. “There’s the sweet spot
somewhere in the middle. Sometimes it
just might be one moment, it might be a
line, or it might be a different perspective.”
Among those fresh experiences? A
memorable moment with Admiral Ackbar,
and a scene that sheds more light on the
true nature of Maz Kanata’s “union
dispute.” The first four issues of Star Wars:
The Last Jedi are out now.

Star Wars: Darth Vader #18

As the movies and comics have shown us, there’s no love lost
between Darth Vader and Grand Moff Tarkin. The latest issue of the
Darth Vader series only deepens their enmity in a story that forces
Tarkin to repay a long-standing debt to the Dark Lord. The Grand
Moff must employ his every ounce of cunning in Star Wars: Darth
Vader #18, but the cost will be more than he can imagine.
Written by Charles Soule with art by Giuseppe Camuncoli, the
issue features a cover by Camuncoli & Elia Bonetti, and will be
available in comic stores on July 11.

18 / STAR WARS INSIDER

 LAUNCHPAD Incoming
Don’t Miss These Great
Forthcoming Titles

Star Wars #51

Hope dies for the Rebellion in the latest
installment of the ongoing Star Wars
series, in which the Empire strikes back
with a ferocity readers will have to see
to believe.
JULY
The Rebel Alliance is justifiably proud Star Wars #50 &51
Marvel Comics
of the armada it has assembled at the
Writer Kieron Gillen
waterworld of Mon Cala, but no secret Artist Salvador Larroca
can escape Darth Vader’s attention Cover Artist Mike Mayhew
for very long, and soon the Millennium
Falcon finds itself facing the Imperial Star Wars: Lando – Double or
fleet alone. Nothing #3 (of 5)
Fans of the Empire’s armored enforcer Marvel Comics
won’t want to miss this action epic, Writer Rodney Barnes
written by Kieron Gillen and illustrated Artist Paolo Villanelli
Cover Artist W. Scott Forbes
by Salvador Larroca. Out on July 18.
Darth Vader Annual #2
Marvel Comics
Writer Chuck Wendig
Star Wars Adventures #12 Artist Leonard Kirk
The all-ages action of Star Wars Cover Artist Mike Deodato Jr.
Adventures continues, with issue #12
featuring a brand-new tale set during Star Wars: Poe Dameron #29
Marvel Comics
the height of the Clone Wars.
Writer Charles Soule
Fan-favorite creator Elsa Charretier
Artist Angel Unzueta
(Star Wars Adventures: Forces of Cover Artist Phil Noto
Destiny) returns for a thrilling story
starring Padmé Amidala and Anakin Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #22
Skywalker, co-written with Pierrick Marvel Comics
Colinet. A cover that mixes rayguns Writer Si Spurrier
and romance showcases Charretier’s Artist Kev Walker
expressive art style, while artists Cover Artist Ashley Witter
Mauricet and Nicola Baldari contribute
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
alternate covers. Star Wars Adventures
Adaptation #4 (of 6)
#12, which also features a new “Tales Marvel Comics
from Wild Space” backup story, is Writer Gary Whitta
available on July 11. Artist Michael Walsh
Cover Artist Rahzzah

Star Wars: Thrawn #6

The first comic strip adventure for the
blue-skinned Imperial mastermind in
recent years reaches its climax in the
sixth and final issue of the limited
series Star Wars: Thrawn.
The comic-book adaptation of the
2017 novel by Thrawn creator Timothy
Zahn comes courtesy of writer Jody
Houser (Star Wars: Forces of Destiny)
and artist Luke Ross (Star Wars: Darth
Maul ). This engaging visual translation
of the Grand Admiral’s cunning rise
to power also helps tee-up Thrawn’s
memorable appearances in the animated
series Star Wars Rebels. Issue #6 of Star
Wars: Thrawn features a cover by Paul
Renaud and is available July 11.

STAR WARS INSIDER / 19

Stories For
Younglings
The history of Star Wars
children’s books
Cavan Scott, writer of the new
Choose Your Destiny series,
looks back at the books that
have helped generations of
Star Wars fans take their first
step into a larger world…
 STORIES FOR YOUNGLINGS

ow do you write an article

about Star Wars children’s

H publishing? In the last 40

years, literally hundreds of
activity books, non-fiction
01

titles, and junior novels

have been released. A full history would
be an encyclopedia in its own right, so—as
my experience is writing junior Star Wars
fiction—I’ve decided to focus on stories,
drafting in fellow children’s authors to
explore what it takes to write a book for
younglings of all ages.
We start with a big question: What is the
most influential Star Wars children’s book of
all time? Michael Siglain, Creative Director at
Lucasfilm Publishing, has no doubt:
“For kids of a certain age, the holy
grail was the Star Wars Storybook.
PROFILE We didn’t have VCRs and couldn’t
CAVAN SCOTT relive the film like kids can now,
Scott is the author of so we read and re-read it from
Star Wars Choose cover-to-cover.”
Your Destiny - A
Han and Chewie Cecil Castellucci, co-author of
Adventure and 2015’s Moving Target: A Princess
one of the writers
of IDW’s Star Wars
Leia Adventure, agrees. “The
Adventures comic. Storybook was the only way I could
He also wrote four of keep Star Wars 100 percent in my
the best-selling Star
Wars Adventures in mind. I read it constantly, scouring
Wild Space series the pages for additional details.”
and contributed Published on April 12, 1978, and
to the From A
Certain Point of written by Geraldine Richelson,
View anthology the Storybook condensed the plot
www.cavanscott.com
of the original movie into 60 pages
and was jam-packed with stills
“For kids of a certain age,
from the film. Long before DVD the Star Wars Storybook
and Blu-ray special features, it also
offered tantalizing glimpses of deleted scenes,
was the holy grail.”
most notably photos of Luke Skywalker talking
to a mustachioed Biggs Darklighter. “We were
all fascinated by Biggs,” Castellucci remembers, released by Buena Vista Records 01 The Star Wars
“Luke has friends? Suddenly the characters to accompany The Empire Strikes Storybook was
published in 1978,
seemed more complex.” Back and Return of the Jedi, and retelling the plot of
The Storybook was the first in a long line the tradition continues to this day, the original movie
alongside numerous
of adaptations aimed specifically at younger with the Solo: A Star Wars Story film stills.
readers. I still remember receiving the 24-page Read-Along book hitting shelves
Star Wars Read-Along booklet for Christmas this fall.
1979, accompanied by its crackling vinyl
record. Complete with sound effects and Reinterpreting
music, the story was performed by a cast the Classics
that almost sounded like the real thing, with In fact, every movie in the Star
cheerful beeps from R2-D2 urging you to turn Wars saga has been adapted
the pages. Further Read-Along packs were numerous times, from Little

STAR WARS INSIDER / 21


Golden Books’ simple retellings
for the youngest of readers, to
more complex adaptations for
older children.
“We’re constantly evolving as a
society,” says Alexandra Bracken,
author of 2015’s The Princess,
the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy,
“and that affects how we approach
storytelling. Different generations
have different priorities, and they
are bound to interpret certain
aspects of these stories in different
ways, or connect to different
themes and moments.”
Bracken’s book was the first
of three retellings of the original
trilogy released prior to The Force
Awakens. The series continued
with: So You Want to Be a Jedi? by
02
“Different
generations
have different
priorities, and
they’re bound to
interpret certain
aspects of
these stories in
different ways
or connect to
different themes
and moments.”
22 / STAR WARS INSIDER
STORIES FOR YOUNGLINGS
Adam Gidwitz, followed by Beware
the Power of the Dark Side! by
Tom Angleberger.
“The goal was to inspire a
young audience to engage with
these stories, maybe for the first
time,” Bracken recalls. “I decided
to draw out the desires that the
audience would connect to—
wanting to prove yourself and
make your parents proud, wanting
to help others, and wanting to
experience new places.” As well
as incorporating material from
the 1981 National Public Radio
dramatization of Star Wars,
Bracken also added original scenes,
such as Luke proving himself on a
flight-simulator before joining Red
Squadron to attack the Death Star.
“Let’s be honest,” he says, “the
Rebellion wasn’t about to hand
this fresh-off-the-moisture-farm
boy a valuable X-wing with no
proof he could actually fly!”
Planetary Pilots and
Wookiee Books
As well as adding new elements
to existing stories, Star Wars has
a long history of expanding the
adventure beyond the movies,
with early children’s publications
such as 1979’s The Maverick Moon
flying entertainingly in the face of
03
04
02 Alexandra Bracken
approaches the events
of A New Hope from a
new perspective.
03 Star Wars: The Empire
Strikes Back as retold
by Adam Gidwitz.
04 Tom Angleberger
brings the original
trilogy to a close with
his Star Wars: Return
of the Jedi adaptation.

05 Random House editor Eleanor Ehrhardt
penned the 1979 children’s books The
Mystery of the Rebellious Robot and The
Maverick Moon.
05
later continuity.
Written by Random House
editor Eleanor Ehrhardt, the 30-
page book sees Luke Skywalker
enroll at the Academy for Space
Pilots. He becomes so focused
on becoming a “Planetary Pilot”
that, before long, he has “almost
forgotten” about Ben Kenobi
and the Force! His memories are
only stirred when a rogue moon
threatens to destroy the Academy.
He jumps into his “fighter plane”
and saves the day, before being
rewarded with a medal from
Princess Leia, one of the youngest
members of the “Intergalactic
Government.”
Ehrhardt also penned The
Mystery of the Rebellious Robot,
a Han Solo and Chewbacca
adventure which featured almost
psychedelic illustrations by Mark
Corcoran. In this tale, Luke
seems to have dropped out of
the Academy altogether, and is
working at a vaporator project to
bring new life to the deserts of
Tatooine. When pesky Jawas use
tainted oil to sabotage the project’s
machinery, their fiendish plot is
foiled by a particularly wild-haired
Chewbacca. Fortunately, Princess
Leia is on hand to present Chewie
with—you guessed it—a medal of
bravery (at last!)
The Millennium Falcon’s
STORIES FOR YOUNGLINGS
co-pilot is also the focus of The
Wookiee Storybook, again written
by Ehrhardt and illustrated by
Patricia J. Wynne. Published in
1979 and drawing on elements of
the previous year’s now-infamous
Star Wars Holiday Special, it sees
Chewie’s wife, Malla, throwing
a surprise bicentennial birthday
bash for her errant husband.
Desperate to prove himself as a
brave Wookiee in his own right,
their son, Lumpy, ventures into
Kashyyyk’s dangerous “Nother
World” to seek out wasaka berries,
the missing ingredient for his
father’s favorite dessert.
“The Wookiee Storybook is
one of my top three Star Wars
books of all time,” admits Michael
Kogge, author of The Last Jedi
Junior Novelization. “The images
of Lumpy climbing through
the Nother World are indelibly
stamped on my memory. I can
see the pictures even now!”
The book also contains an
early origin story for Han and
FIRST
READERS
Since 2005, the Star Wars DK
Readers series, along with the
Disney Lucasfilm Press series that
began in 2014, have helped many
thousands of children learn to read.
The slim volumes, with their simple
vocabulary and short sentences,
are deceptively difficult to write.
“If you’re writing for a level one
reader for Disney Lucasfilm Press,
you shouldn’t include three-syllable
words,” says Michael Siglain, who
has written a number of the books
himself. “That means not saying
Skywalker, or Dagobah. It becomes
a lot more challenging than it first
appears.”
With a limit of 36 characters
per line, and six lines per page, the
Early Reader teams also ensure the
content is reflected in the art, so
anyone struggling with words can
look for visual clues.
“If we’ve done our job
properly, kids will get a real sense
of accomplishment when they
finish the book and will want
more,” Siglain says.
STAR WARS INSIDER / 23
 STORIES FOR YOUNGLINGS

Chewbacca’s partnership, revealing 06

how the smuggler saved Chewie
from slavery. It also includes the
surprising revelation that Wookiees
are telepathic, with Malla and 07

Chewie able to communicate

over vast distances by using their
“thought waves.”

Ewok Adventures
The next slew of original juvenile
adventures was inspired by
another race of furry, tree-dwelling
aliens. In 1984, The Adventures
of Teebo featured Return of the
Jedi’s Ewoks, and was written
and illustrated by Lucasfilm art
director, Joe Johnston. The 40-page
“tale of magic and suspense” saw
Ewok dreamer Teebo attempting
to save his sister from the evil 08
Duloks—villains who would go
on to menace the forest moon of
Endor in the Ewoks animated TV
series. Teebo’s adventures were a
hit, leading to another six Ewok
storybooks in 1984 alone.
The initial popularity of the
Ewoks on TV kept the books
coming, but when the show
came to an end in 1986, the
steady stream of original Star
Wars storybooks for younger
readers dried up, too. It wasn’t
until 1998 and Golden Books’
publication of Meltdown on
Hoth and Adventures in Beggar’s
Canyon that younglings were
once again treated to brand new
print adventures. Lucasfilm started
publishing jacketed, hardcover
picture books again in 2014 with
Pablo Hidalgo’s Star Wars Rebels:
A New Hero, followed by Tony
DiTerlitizzi’s The Adventures
of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight,
which tells Luke’s story from A
New Hope through Return of
the Jedi, utilizing classic Ralph
McQuarrie concept art. Today,
such picture books form a key
part of Lucasfilm’s publishing

“Star Wars is for

the 12-year-old 06 Tales featuring cuddlier creatures have always been popular, such as The Wookiee Storybook.
in all of us. 07 The Adventures of Teebo was written by none ther than Joe Johnston.
08 Chewie and the Porgs star in a cute new storybook by Kevin Shinick, illustrated by Fiona Hsieh.

24 / STAR WARS INSIDER

 STORIES FOR YOUNGLINGS

A WHOLE GALAXY
OF STORIES
09 Star Wars storytelling is
timeless, with a universe filled
with opportunities for authors to
craft thrilling fresh adventures
for audiences of all ages:

Star Wars:
Obi-123
(2017)
Authors:
Calliope
Glass,
Caitlin
Kennedy
Illustrator: Katie Cook
Publisher: Disney Lucasfilm Press
The fun follow-up to Star Wars:
ABC-3PO.

Star Wars
Rebels:
Servants of the
Empire (2014–2015)
Author: Jason Fry
Publisher: Disney
Lucasfilm Press
The four-book story
of Imperial cadet turned rebel spy,
Zare Leonis.

09 Picture books continue to play a key role in Lucasfilm’s ongoing publishing program. Adventures
in Wild Space
(2016–2017)

“Back in the 1990s, middle-grade Authors: Cavan Scott

and Tom Huddleston

Star Wars fans enjoyed more reading choice Publisher: Disney

Lucasfilm Press

than their younger peers, with many books This seven-book

series sees Emil and

featuring protagonists their own age.”
program, with the most recent
titles including BB-8 on the Run
by Drew Daywalt and Matt Myers,
and Chewie and the Porgs by
Kevin Shinick and Fiona Hsieh.
Young Heroes
Back in the 1990s, middle-grade
Star Wars fans enjoyed more
reading choice than their younger
peers, with many books featuring
protagonists their own age, such
as Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca
Moesta’s Young Jedi Knights.
“I was obsessed with those
books,” Alex Bracken says,
admitting that her love for the
Solo twins stemmed from a degree
of wish fulfillment. “I would have
loved to train at the Jedi Academy
and to have had my own galaxy-
spanning adventures!”
“Showing children a version
of themselves within Star Wars
is incredibly important,” says
Michael Siglain. “That’s why we
have children and teens as the
heroes in Adventures in Wild
Space and Join the Resistance. It
creates corners of the galaxy that
kids can claim as their own.”
It’s a subject that is particularly
close to my heart, as Adventures
in Wild Space provided me with
my first opportunity to write in
the Star Wars universe. The series
was the brainchild of editor Emil
Fortune, who—influenced by
previous books such as Galaxy of
Fear—knew that he wanted the
main protagonists in the series to
be children themselves.
“I don’t want to say it’s not
possible for children to identify
with older heroes,” Fortune
explains, “because I grew up
Lina Graf searching for their parents,
who have been kidnapped by Imperial
Navy captain Visler Korda. On their
quest, they travel to Lothal, teaming
up with Ephraim and Mira Bridger, and
cross swords with Governor Tarkin.
Join the
Resistance
(2018–)
Authors: Ben Acker
and Ben Blacker
Publisher: Disney
Lucasfilm Press
Described as The
Goonies meets The Force Awakens,
Join the Resistance follows a ragtag
group of young pilots coming together
to join General Leia Organa’s fight
against the New Order. Book three is
published in July this year.
Choose Your
Destiny: A Han
and Chewie
Adventure
(2018)
Author: Cavan Scott
Publisher: Disney
Lucasfilm Press
Released to accompany Solo: A Star
Wars Story, this is the first in a series of
gamebooks that features new canon
stories for iconic Star Wars characters.

STAR WARS INSIDER / 25


with Luke and Leia who were
obviously a lot older than me. But
with characters such as Lina and
Milo there’s a closer connection
with the reader’s everyday life.
The emotions they experience—
worrying about their parents,
feeling alone, not knowing who to
trust—are all things that kids can
relate to, and the kinds of things
they would worry about if they
were lost and alone in the Star
Wars universe.”
Perils and Pitfalls
Writing young characters within
Star Wars presents its own set of
challenges, as Tom Huddleston,
author of three Adventures in Wild
Space novels agrees: “The stories
had to feel perilous without being
too threatening or scary. The kids
also had to be as confident and
smart—repairing spaceships and
evading Imperials—without being
superhuman. Our readers had to
relate to them.”
There are other considerations
too when writing for a younger
audience, as Ben Acker, co-author
26 / STAR WARS INSIDER
STORIES FOR YOUNGLINGS
“Showing children a version of
themselves within Star Wars is
incredibly important.”
of Join the Resistance explains: “I
want the books to read well out
loud. When I was young, being
read to was the best thing in the
world, and I vividly remember
learning new words that way.
Part of the deal in writing for kids
is peppering the language with
vocabulary they might encounter
for the first time.”
“Star Wars includes a lot of
technical terms,” agrees Michael
Kogge. “I debated using ‘fuselage’
in The Force Awakens Junior
Novelization and decided to keep
it in, because Star Wars is a great
way of helping young readers
grasp vocabulary through context.
If a seventh-grader can read Oliver
Twist, there’s no reason why they
can’t understand challenging
language when it’s couched in a
story they already love”
10
The Importance of Fun
Other books focus directly on
teaching kids to read and write,
while also appealing to new
and expectant parents. In 2016,
ABC-3P0 by Calliope Glass and
Caitlin Kennedy explored the Star
Wars alphabet, with each letter
accompanied by a humorous
poem. While aimed firmly at
infants, there are plenty of nods
for older fans. For example, “A
is for Ackbar” sees the admiral
desperately trying not to fall into
the trap of saying his famous
catchphrase. “It’s a hard balance
to strike but it’s really satisfying,”
says Glass. “It’s fun to work in
some Easter eggs; little references
that are like a secret handshake to
the grown-up reading the book.”
My own favorite poem from the
original Star Wars alphabet book,
10 Enabling younglings to learn their ABC is as
important today as it was in 1984.
11 (Opposite page) The mighty Chewbacca and
Rey headline two recent Star Wars books.
 STORIES FOR YOUNGLINGS

1984’s Star Wars Adventures in

ABC, is “B is for Bantha,” which
turns out to be a new one on
Glass. “I had no idea this existed,”
she exclaims gleefully. “‘If I had
a bantha, I’d name it Samantha’
That’s genius!”
The existence of Samantha
the Bantha highlights the other
important aspect of Star Wars kid’s
fiction. “You need to make it fun,”
Ben Acker explains. “With Join the
Resistance, that’s a no-brainer. I
mean, it’s Star Wars. If it’s not fun,
what am I even doing?”
According to Tom Angleberger,
author of the recently published
The Mighty Chewbacca in the
Forest of Fear!, the formula for
children’s fiction is simple. “Kids
just want a great story,” he says.
“They want to know what happens
next and, when it happens, they
expect it to be awesome. Honestly,
I can’t see why adults don’t
demand exactly the same.”
So, are adults missing out if
they dismiss junior books as kid’s
stuff? “Yes,” says Cecil Castellucci.
“I always try to remind adults that
each of these books is one bath.
That’s it. Take one bath and you’ve
got yourself an extra bit of Star
Wars flavor.”
Michael Siglain agrees. “Star
Wars is for the 12-year-old in
all of us. Don’t shy away from 11
something just because it’s for
a younger audience. The format
may be for kids, but a good story like to read until they started my
is a good story.” books,” says Tom Huddleston.
What of the kids themselves? “I’d love to take credit for that,
I know from my own personal but ... it’s Star Wars! A kid sees a
experience that one of the most book with their favorite Star Wars
fulfilling aspects of writing these character on the front and they
books is meeting young Star Wars have a reason to pick it up.”
fans at author events and during And, just as we pored over
school workshops. the Star Wars Storybook, some
“Reading I Am A Hero to of these young readers will go
young children has been just as on to be the Star Wars writers of
enjoyable as working on the book tomorrow. “The thought of that
itself,” says Eren Unten, illustrator feels incredible,” says Castellucci.
of Christopher Nicholas’ Little “Whenever a kid says to me, ‘I
Golden Book, published in 2017. want to be a writer,’ I always shake
“The first time I read it to a group their hand and say, ‘I can’t wait to
of children, they clapped every read your book.’ It’s great for kids
time I turned the page.” to know that they can play in the
“I hear about kids that didn’t world that has inspired them.”

STAR WARS INSIDER / 27

 INTERVIEW:
SPECIAL EDITIONS
ADAM REX

aR Yu
sCrE,
dAtH
vAeR
Th bOk
ThT OuD
FrGhEn A
SiH Or!
Arizona-based illustrator
and author Adam Rex
reveals the lighter side of
creating his spooky new Star
Wars picture book, Are You
Scared, Darth Vader?
W O R D S : C AVA N S C O T T

28 / STAR WARS INSIDER


tar Wars Insider:
Where did your  sales clerk, pizza chef, busboy,
S Star Wars journey
begin, and was it
a big influence
on your chosen
career as a writer and illustrator?
Adam Rex: It began at the
beginning—I was four years old in
1977, and the first Star Wars film was
the first film I remember seeing in a
theater. So it’s hard to overestimate
its influence on me—Star Wars was
my first mythology. Specifically,
I thought a lot about the original
trilogy when I was writing a novel
trilogy of my own (The Cold Cereal
Saga). I feel like Star Wars: The
Empire Strikes Back has become
everyone’s touchstone for how to do
a middle installment right.
The Dirty Cowboy, by Amy
Timberlake, was your first picture
book, but what were you up to
prior to that big break?
Trying to write picture books,
sending my portfolio out to
publishers, getting rejected a lot,
and paying all of my bills through
illustrating Dungeons & Dragons
books and Magic: The Gathering
cards. Before becoming a paid
illustrator I was (in no particular
02
INTERVIEW: ADAM REX
order) a dishwasher, grocery bagger,
handyman, movie-theater usher,
bookseller, cartoonist, and waiter at
an Italian restaurant who regularly
served Joseph “Joe Bananas”
Bonanno, former head of the
Bonanno crime family.
What were the origins of Are You
Scared, Darth Vader?
Michael Siglain, Creative Director at
Lucasfilm publishing is a fan of a
couple of picture books I published
years ago about monsters and their
everyday monster problems. The
first was called Frankenstein Makes a
Sandwich. So, he got in touch to see
if I might have any ideas for a
Halloween-themed Star Wars book.
Over time we moved away from it
being explicitly a holiday book—the
original draft was pretty different.
What is the process of putting
together a picture book like
this, especially in relation
to Star Wars, where you’re
working within an existing
fictional universe?
It’s such a pleasure to be able
to jump head first into this
book without really having
to establish who Vader is as
01
a character. For that same reason
I made all the monsters in the
book pretty standard Halloween
characters, because I thought it
would be useful for the reader to
know more about them than
Vader does.
Of course, you don’t own this
character, and there are people
whose job it is to tell you what you
01 Adam Rex, can and can’t do to him. There was
author and
illustrator some slapstick and sight gags in
of Are You early drafts that I had to remove
Scared, Darth
because they were too undignified.
Vader?
Lucasfilm was letting me play with
02 Rex’s take on their action figure but they wanted
vampires,
witches, and it back in more or less the same
wolfmen. condition it was in when I got it.
Did you have any favorite Star
Wars children’s books growing
up? What was it about them that
make them stick in your mind?
Let’s see: I had a picture book
called The Mystery of the Rebellious
Robot. That one’s great for the weird
late-70s illustration and the fact
that Chewbacca’s the only one to
get a medal at the end of it. But the
one that really sticks in my mind
was a pop-up book that the internet
tells me was published in 1978.
So, I would have been five. I’ve
been looking at online images of
the book’s spreads and I could just
about pass out from nostalgia—in
particular, I remember the spread
wherein you could swing Luke and
Leia across one of those inexplicable
Death Star chasms.
In that same year, an Alan Dean
Foster novel called Splinter of
the Mind’s Eye was published,
STAR WARS INSIDER / 29

featuring a painting of Vader, Luke,
and Leia on the cover. I was too
young to read it, but I saw it at the
library and bragged to everyone
who’d listen that I knew the title
of the next Star Wars movie. What
still sticks in my mind about that
one, almost 40 years later, was
my humiliated confusion when
details about The Empire Strikes
Back started coming out and I had
to eat crow.
Did any of them influence you
when you came to create Are You
Scared, Darth Vader?
I didn’t think so, but looking at
the cover of Splinter of the Mind’s
Eye just now makes me wonder.
What makes Star Wars unique in
inspiring kids to pick up books
and read?
I wish I knew. It’s easy to look back
and say, “Of course it bowled me
over when I was a boy. What else
did an adventurous kid in 1977
have to choose from?” Kids today
have so many choices, and yet I
recently introduced the original
trilogy to my five-year-old son and
now he’s obsessed. Not only is
03 Darth Vader
he designing his own four-brick
LEGO TIE fighters, he’s drawing
touching Darth Vader death
scenes.
04 Rex’s picture
I guess that Star Wars in some
way provides an introduction
to a more complex morality
than young kids are used to. The
03
30 / STAR WARS INSIDER
INTERVIEW: ADAM REX
Other Rex Reads
Adam Rex lists five favorites
from the many books that
he’s created:
The Dirty Cowboy
Farrar Straus Giroux, written by Amy Timberlake (2003)
My first book, about a cowboy who only takes
one bath a year, and the dog who won’t let
him have his clothes back without a fight.
School’s First Day of School
Illustrated by Christian Robinson (2016)  All those breakfast cereal mascots—the
Roaring Brook Press,
It’s the first day of school at Frederick
Douglass Elementary and everyone’s just a
little bit nervous, especially the school itself.
story beats of the hero’s journey
are familiar enough to adults, but
kids have to learn somewhere that
heroes can be made of whiny farm
boys and self-interested scoundrels;
that people can be tempted into
villainy but be redeemed. The Star
Wars films do something that’s very
hard to pull off—they present a
proto-adult universe that’s totally
accessible to kids, the appeal of
which doesn’t seem to fade much
as we age. In 1977 I could watch
is a figure of
fun to some Sesame Street, or I could try to
younglings! follow what was going on in
primetime on M*A*S*H or whatever,
book tries to but Star Wars provided something
figure out that was very appealingly in-
what the
Dark Lord between.
most fears.
What can kids’ books bring to the
greater world of Star Wars?
Well, I think what my book does
for a kid is let them manage fear a
little. There are aspects to my picture
book that some kids might find a
little scary, but they understand
right away that all those frights are
directed at Vader—the book is trying
to scare him, not them. They’re safe
to spectate. And later in the book
the child is given the opportunity to
manage Vader himself.
Is there anything you can do in a
Star Wars kids book that you can’t
in adult Star Wars literature?
Apparently, you can put a vampire
in there. Or a wolfman.
How This Book Was Made
Disney Press, written by Mac Barnett (2017)
A rollicking and occasionally true account of
how picture books are made.
Chu’s Day
Harper Festival, written by Neil Gaiman (2014)
The first of the Chu books, about a little
panda who’s always sneezing… and the big
things that happen when he sneezes.
The Cold Cereal Saga
Balzer+Bray/Harperteen (2013)
leprechauns and rabbit-people and such—
are real; and the Goodco cereal company has
been stealing their magic in a plot to seize
control of the world.
04
Do you have a piece of advice you
could offer to artistic youngsters
thinking “Maybe I could draw for
a living when I grow up?”
Try to draw from real life as much
as possible. That might sound like
strange advice from a guy who’s
publishing a book about made
up monsters and nonsense, but
drawing from imagination is not
the way to get better. If you want
to draw dragons, first draw some
trees. Draw your mom while she’s
watching TV. Look at pictures of
lions and bats and lizards and
draw those. Then take what you
learned from all of that and go
draw a dragon that has the depth
and solidity of a tree or a person,
and the poise and anatomy of
a real animal. And give yourself
permission to fail. No one ever
finds out what they’re capable of
without first failing at something
they’re not.
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 FORCES OF DESTINY

FORCES DESTINY OF

After two hit runs on YouTube and the Disney Channel, Star Wars: Forces of Destiny
joins stablemates Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels in the annals of
animated history. Insider reflects on the success of the micro-series, and speaks to
three of its stars: Shelby Young, Catherine Taber, and Vanessa Marshall.

apturing “the perspective of female characters. Star Wars to be just “a boys’ thing.”
small moments Among others, Leia Organa (Shelby The series also served to highlight

C and everyday
decisions” that
shape the lives
of the Star Wars
characters we know and love,
Forces of Destiny was described
by Lucasfilm president Kathleen
Kennedy as “a fun new way for
people to experience Star Wars.”
In fact, the 31 bite-sized mini-
adventures turned out to be far
more than simple animated slices
of fun, and the series reveled in
essaying the personalities and
attributes of its heroes in this
condensed, three-minute format.
Each episode came with its own
powerful message inspired by the
bravery, heroism, and resolve of
some of Star Wars’ most iconic
characters, and more specifically
(especially during the first season)
on telling those stories from the
Young), Padmé Amidala (Catherine
Taber), and Hera Syndulla (Vanessa
Marshall) each took a spot in the
limelight, often filling intriguing
narrative gaps or teaming up in
previously unseen combinations
during exciting new adventures.
Actors from across the movie
and television incarnations of
Star Wars reprised their original
roles, with Lupita Nyong’o (as Maz
Kanata) providing the first season’s
opening monologue, and Daisy
Ridley and Felicity Jones returning
as Rey and Jyn Erso, respectively.
Ashley Eckstein also came back
as fan-favorite Ahsoka Tano, with
Tiya Sircar’s Sabine Wren starring in
several episodes.
The intention was to widen the
appeal of the universe to a younger
audience, and also be of interest
to girls who may have considerd
the positive female role models the
series has produced since Carrie
Fisher’s irrepressible princess stole
her every scene in Star Wars: A
New Hope—even in the form of a
holographic mayday.
Star Wars has always broken
ground in this regard, particularly
in the television series created by
Lucasfilm Animation, so it’s fitting
that Forces of Destiny is the vehicle
that presses this point home. There
are also inspirational role models
behind the scenes, with lead writers
Nicole Dubuc and Jennifer Muro
crafting the scripts and Carrie Beck
as co-executive producer.
The proof of the series’ success
will not only come through the
new fans it brings to Star Wars,
but by those young viewers it
encourages to become storytellers
and film makers themselves.

32 / STAR WARS INSIDER

FORCES OF DESTINY

STAR WARS INSIDER / 33


PRINCESS LEIA
S H E L
Shelby Young has been acting for as long as she can remember. Now the
self-confessed “Disney nerd” is living the dream as the voice actor behind Princess
Leia on Disney Channel’s Star Wars: Forces of Destiny animated series.
WORDS: DARREN SCOTT
Star Wars Insider: How did you
first get into acting?
Shelby Young: My mom put
me into pageants when I was very
young. Some of the judges were
modeling and commercial agents,
and even though my mom didn’t
think I was old enough to pursue
acting, she let me start doing
commercials after a year of me
begging! Even then I would always
complain that I didn’t have enough
dialogue. I was a little ham!
What was your first voice-over?
After moving to New York as a kid, I
started doing a lot of voice work for
the General Mills brand, including
animated Trix yogurt and Lucky
Charms cereal commercials. In
my adolescent mind, I incorrectly
viewed V/O as a side job, rather
than a regular acting job, and once
I moved out to California I took a
long break from voice-over, which
was the dumbest thing I could have
done. When I ended up working
on the video game Dead Rising 3,
which involved motion-capture as
well, I thought: What have I been
doing these past years? I love this!
What is your first memory
of Star Wars?
My stepbrother is a huge Star
Wars fan, and he got my whole
34 / STAR WARS INSIDER
FORCES OF DESTINY
B Y Y O U N G
family into it. He’s a member of
the 501st and dresses up in his
own sandtrooper outfit for charity
events. My earliest memories of
Star Wars come through him, but I
didn’t actually sit down and watch
all the movies until I was doing
Dead Rising 3. It’s funny, because
someone on set there used to call
me Princess Leia. He found out
I hadn’t actually watched all the
FOREVER YOUNG movies, and I said: “OK, if I watch
Having made her TV at least one film, would you please
debut in an episode of just call me Shelby again?” So, I sat
Going to California in
2001, Florida-born Shelby down to watch Star Wars: A New
Young is now best known Hope and then binge-watched all
for her recurring roles in of the movies.
Everybody Hates Chris
(2005-2008), Days of
Our Lives (2009-2011), The prequels too?
and American Horror Oh yeah! Padmé is one of my
Story (2011). TV work
favorite characters, so I’m a big
has also included guest
appearances in Ghost prequels fan because of her. I’ve
Whisperer (2006) and seen pretty much everything Star
Criminal Minds (2012). Wars-related, now. Once I saw
Young has voiced
characters in multiple A New Hope, I was hooked!
video games including
Dead Rising 3, Battlefield What’s your favorite element
1, and Wolfenstein II: The
New Colossus, and has
of Star Wars?
provided additional voices The fact that there’s this big galaxy
for animated movies filled with so many exciting and
such as Smurfs: The Lost
sometimes terrible things! And
Village (2017), and The
Boss Baby (2017) She has it’s told in such a realistic way—
also appeared in films The weirdly, for a film full of aliens and
Social Network (2010), The whatnot—that when you watch it,
Midnight Game (2013),
and Nightlight (2015).
it makes you feel like you’re a part
of that universe.

Having seen all the movies, did
you have to do much research for
the role of Princess Leia in Forces
of Destiny?
I re-watched all of the movies at least
three times. I was trying to really
focus on and capture every single
facet of Carrie Fisher’s performance,
specifically in A New Hope. I feel
like I’m still learning whenever I
re-watch them, and there’s so much
Star Wars lore and history that I’m
always absorbing new things.
How did your role in Forces of
Destiny come about?
It was a dream. I got an interview
through my agent, and you could
tell it was Star Wars just from the
style of writing in the script pages,
and, of course, that they were
asking for a young-sounding Carrie
Fisher! I did the best that I possibly
could, but I didn’t want to get my
hopes up too high. I just wanted to
focus on capturing Princess Leia’s
strengths. I didn’t hear anything
for two weeks, so I put it out of
my head. When you’re an actor,
you can’t sit and pine over one
audition, because you won’t be
able to focus on the next one. But
when they finally offered me the
role, I cried! I was so excited. Of
course, I wasn’t allowed to tell
anyone, but I did call my mom.
She was excited for me, but she
didn’t fully get it until she saw
Forces of Destiny when it came
out. She said: “Oh wow, this is
really big,” and I’m like: “Yeah
mom, why do you think I was
freaking out so much?”
Did you audition with a new
script or an iconic Leia scene?
It was similar to the episode
“Bounty of Trouble” [Season
One, Episode Eight], where Leia
and Sabine are talking about the
importance of a data tape, but it
wasn’t exactly the same. I think
it was written specifically for the
audition process.
Did you get any advice from
Star Wars veterans?
I met [Padmé Amidala voice actor]
Catherine Taber at an event, and
FORCES OF DESTINY
she gave me some good advice, 01
mainly about recognizing what
a big opportunity this is and
not to read YouTube comments!
Dave [Filoni, the executive
producer of Forces of Destiny]
gave me some great advice on
my first recording day, too. He
told me to watch other films with
strong female leads, find lines that I
liked that show their strength, and
then recite those lines as though
Leia was saying them. As a way
to get into that mindset, that was
really, really helpful.
How do you approach a role
that’s so closely associated with
another actor?
Carrie Fisher is Leia. She always
will be Leia. So, not only is this
one of the coolest jobs I’ve ever
had, but I also feel so honored to
be stepping in her footsteps. It’s a
lot of pressure, and I don’t want
to let any of the fans down, but
it’s also very interesting, because
“Carrie Fisher is Leia. She
always will be Leia. So, not
only is this one of the coolest
jobs I’ve ever had, but I
also feel so honored to be
stepping in her footsteps.”
01
Luke, Leia, it takes a lot of research, and a lot
and their
of watching and listening. I really
Ewok allies
face a huge want to stay true to Leia’s voice,
new foe in and on my way to sessions I listen
“Traps and
Tribulations.” to recordings of Carrie Fisher as
Leia that I play and then repeat
back. I’m just talking to myself
in my car, so I probably look like
a crazy person. Actually, that’s
probably pretty normal in L.A.
Had Carrie already passed away
when you accepted the role?
No, she hadn’t, and it was so hard
for everyone when we heard the
news. It’s crazy, because I still feel
like she’s with us sometimes. I’ll
hear funny stories being passed
around, and it just seems like she
was the coolest woman. Even
though I never met her, I’ve gotten
close to her because I was doing so
much research. Not only watching
the films, but watching interviews
and really trying to get a sense of
who she was. And of course, I grew
up knowing who she was. It hit
really, really hard. It was very sad.
What’s it like in the studio,
recording Forces of Destiny?
It depends on who I’m acting
alongside. On my most recent
episode with Maz Kanata, Lupita
Nyong’o wasn’t in California, so
I didn’t get to meet her and that
was me recording by myself in
STAR WARS INSIDER / 35
 COMICS: DOCTOR APHRA 02

“I think it’s really exciting

that we now have this series
that says: “Star Wars is for
everyone, and here are
some super-cool women
doing some amazing,
strong things.”

36 / STAR WARS INSIDER


03
the studio. However, I was
able to record with Tiya [Sircar]
who plays Sabine, and with A.J.
LoCascio who voices the Young
Han. I love recording either way,
but when you have another
person in there acting with you,
there’s this great back and forth
that happens that can really
add to a recording session. It’s
always really relaxed and the
whole team is nicer than I ever
imagined they could be.
How have you found the fans?
Have you met many?
I haven’t been to a convention yet,
but I correspond a lot with fans on
social media. The fan response so
far has been really great, especially
with regard to how we’re tying all
these events together. I think it’s
really cool that we get to show these
bits and pieces that have never been
seen on screen before, like how Leia
got her bounty hunter armor, and
the dress she wears in Return of the
Jedi. One woman made me a Forces
of Destiny dress, which is amazing.
She made it from a Forces of Destiny
bedsheet, and it’s super comfortable.
If I do ever go to a convention, I will
definitely be wearing it!
Forces of Destiny definitely seems
to have the spirit of the moment.
Yeah, it’s so awesome. Growing up,
one of the reasons I never really
gave Star Wars much of a shot
FORCES OF DESTINY
02 Leia (Shelby was because I thought it was just
Young) for boys. Even though there was
meets Maz
Kanata Princess Leia and Padmé, it was
(Lupita just something that all the guys at
Nyong’o) in
my school liked. The girls didn’t
Season Two
episode know that it was something that
“Bounty they’d enjoy, too! I think it’s really
Hunted.”
exciting that we now have this
03 Star Wars series that says: “Star Wars is for
Rebels’ everyone, and here are some super-
Sabine Wren
(Tiya Sircar) cool women doing some amazing,
teams up strong things.” That doesn’t just
with Leia in
“Bounty of
have to mean strong physically, but
Trouble.” strong emotionally, too. I think it’s
a really special show. It’s not overly
‘girly.’ It just reads as Star Wars.
That’s why it’s awesome for adult
fans and young boys, just as much.
And, obviously, the dolls are
great, too...
I love them! I have my Leia dolls
on my bookshelf. As a young girl,
I would have loved to have had
them with my Barbies, and now,
as an adult, I think they’re such
cool dolls—not just because I’m
biased! I’m honestly so jealous
of kids now. I wish I’d grown up
with these dolls, and I wish I’d
had Forces of Destiny and Rebels
growing up too. It’s a really cool
time to be a Star Wars fan. There’s
so much new content coming
out. I can’t wait for Galaxy’s Edge
to open at Disneyland. I’m so
pumped for that. I’m the biggest
Disney nerd and I have an annual
pass. I try to go at least once a
Destiny
Calling
Shelby Young’s
appearances as
Princess Leia:
SEASON ONE
“Ewok Escape”
Princess Leia and her friend
Wicket help the Ewoks evade
a group of stormtroopers.
“Beasts of Echo Base”
Chewbacca is in the clutches
of a wampa, so Leia and
R2-D2 hurry to his rescue.
“Bounty of Trouble”
Leia and Sabine Wren team
up to evade an attack by
droid bounty hunter IG-88.
“An Imperial Feast”
The princess sends Han Solo
on a mission to barter for
supplies with Hera Syndulla.
SEASON TWO:
“Bounty Hunted”
How Leia came into
possession of bounty
hunter Boushh’s armor.
“Traps and Tribulations”
Leia and Luke discover why
the Ewoks set so many traps!
month if my schedule allows it.
I know all the hidden tricks and
secret Mickeys that there are at
Disneyland.
It must be a dream come true for
you to be acting in Star Wars and
it being on the Disney Channel?
Nothing could be better! I have a
dream journal where it says: “One
day I want to be a Disney princess
on the Disney Channel,” and from
a certain point of view, Leia is now
a Disney princess. So Forces of
Destiny is absolutely the dream job
for me.
STAR WARS INSIDER / 37

PADMÉ AMIDALA C A T H E
Known to Star Wars fans as the voice Padmé Amidala in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, a
role which she reprises in Star Wars: Forces of Destiny, Catherine Taber tells Insider
how Star Wars was her big break into the acting profession.
WORDS: DARREN SCOTT
Star Wars Insider: You’re back
playing Padmé again in the
animated micro-series Forces
of Destiny. How did you find
the experience?
Catherine Taber: It’s always
lovely as an actor when you don’t
even audition and they just call and
say: “We would like to have you be
a part of this.” It was really exciting
and fun, getting to go in and see old
friends in the cast and crew. Just a
lovely experience all round.
What’s funny about Forces of
Destiny is that I auditioned for Leia!
I had no idea what it was for, but I
read for the part a couple of weeks
before I got the call asking me to
come back as Padmé. I worked my
hardest to do my best Leia, but had
I known what the project was and
that Padmé was going to be in it, I
might not have worked quite so hard
on the audition! And I am thrilled
Shelby got the role, she is awesome!
You’re best known as the voice
of Padmé Amidala in The Clone
Wars, and you played Leia in The
Force Unleashed video games and
other projects. Is it very different
taking on a role that has been
established by another actor?
It is to some extent. Particularly
with someone like Carrie Fisher.
She’s so iconic and unique that you
38 / STAR WARS INSIDER
FORCES OF DESTINY
R I N E T A B E R
really want to do justice to what
Carrie did. There’s just something
about Princess Leia and Carrie
Fisher that goes together, and you
cannot separate the two.
With Leia, there is definitely a
lot more trying to make sure you’re
staying true to that character as
Carrie portrayed her. When I played
Leia in The Force Unleashed games,
I’m playing her at a different age. I’m
TABER TALES playing her much younger, which
One of Taber’s earliest I felt really comfortable with. You
television appearances
was in a 1998 episode of
know you’re never going to be quite
Beverly Hills 90210, and as good as Carrie Fisher as Princess
her voice can currently be Leia, so why even act like you are
heard as recurring villain
going to? But she’s so iconic that you
Medusa in the Avengers
and Guardians of the have a real blueprint. You say: “OK,
Galaxy animated series. here is what she did. Let me try to
Taber has also provided do somewhat of a copy of that and
voices for a wide range
of video games, including hopefully do it justice.” Basically, I
Minecraft, Teenage just try not to screw it up too much!
Mutant Ninja Turtles, In many cases, acting is all about
Final Fantasy, Resident
that. If you’re playing Ophelia in
Evil, Metal Gear Solid,
Disney Infinity and Marvel Hamlet, then many, many actresses
Superheroes. She made have portrayed Ophelia before you,
her feature film debut and you don’t try to do what some
alongside Star Trek’s Wil
Wheaton in The Girls’ other actress did before. So you try
Room in 2000, and can to honor both the playwright and
be heard as the voice of a the character.
weapons technician in Star
Wars: The Force Awakens
I felt like I did that a little bit
(2015). Catherine runs a more with Padmé, and by the time
charity called Games for we’d finished The Clone Wars,
Soldiers, which collects
we’d all said more words as those
and distributes video
games to U.S. soldiers characters that anyone in the films
posted overseas. had done. I really felt like I knew

04
and understood Padmé. Dave
Filoni [supervising director
on The Clone Wars] was great
about saying: “This is your
Padmé; you’re playing the role
now.” So, I really felt like I got
to make it my own.
With its strong female-focus,
Forces of Destiny feels like it
could’ve existed 20 years ago.
The idea that girls can play
with Star Wars toys too isn’t
anything new…
True, but I feel like Star Wars has
always been ahead of the curve
when it comes to that. Princess Leia
was always in there with the boys,
and there wasn’t this gender power
struggle that you see in so many
other franchises. She was able to be
a princess, but also be a formidable
fighting character. I loved that from
the beginning. I feel that Star Wars
FORCES OF DESTINY
04 Padmé and has always made an effort towards
Anakin have that, and it continues to be that way.
“Unexpected
Company” in Forces of Destiny highlighting
the form of the female characters specifically
Ahsoka Tano
(Ashley
is really, really cool, but those
Eckstein.) characters did already exist in
the Star Wars universe. Star Wars
05 Catherine
Taber again is filled with amazing, strong
voices Padmé female characters, and always has
Amidala in been. And that’s another one of
Forces of
Destiny. my favorite things about it. I’ve
been really happy, too, that guys
have enjoyed Forces of Destiny as
well. Then how could they not,
with something like the episode
“Unexpected Company,” [Season
2, Episode 2—see sidebar] that has
Anakin, Padmé, and Ahsoka in it?
I was just blown away by that. I
couldn’t believe how emotional
I was after two minutes and 32
seconds! That’s testament to some
good storytelling. It’s interesting
how the writers, the animators, and
the creators have managed to take
these very small snippets of life and
make them so impactful. That’s
most impressive!
How did you get into acting?
I always wanted to be an actress, so
I moved from Georgia—the state,
not the country—to Los Angeles.
I did the proverbial “drive across
the country” thing, where I knew
nothing and no one. I just came
here like a bunch of other dreamers
and started working a bunch of
crazy jobs. Then, one day, I fell
05
into some voice-over opportunities.
“I was a huge science-
fiction and Star Wars
fan, and I always
attribute that to why I
got the role. Because
when you’re working
in sci-fi and fantasy,
you can’t condescend
to the material.”
Someone recommended me to an
agent and then my second audition
was for a video game called Star
Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.
So that started my Star Wars career!
Wasn’t Mission Vao in Knights
of the Old Republic your first
voice-over job?
It was! I remember going in for
the audition and not realizing that
it was actually a rather large role.
My agent at the time said, “Maybe
don’t tell them that it’s your
first job!” The audition was with
Darragh O’Farrell (senior manager
of audio at LucasArts), who was
with the company for a very long
time, and whom a lot of people
know and adore. But I had no idea
what I was getting into.
So very much a baptism of fire…?
Yes! But I was a huge science-fiction
and Star Wars fan, and I always
attribute that to why I got the role.
Because when you’re working in sci-
fi and fantasy, you can’t condescend
to the material. And if you love that
stuff, it’s really easy not to do that,
and to understand what the worlds
are like. I felt like I knew that galaxy
far, far away pretty well.
Do you find it tough having to
learn alien phrases and references?
No, I love it. When we were doing
Knights of the Old Republic, we
invented things as we were going
along. At one point, the script had
a reference to pretzels, and we said:
“You can’t say pretzels. There are no
pretzels in Star Wars!” So, we had
this unique opportunity to make
STAR WARS INSIDER / 39

something up on the spot. I think
we came up with Tarisian Ale Nuts.
That’s kind of cool because, in a
small way, you’re creating history.
I don’t know if anyone’s packaged
and commercialized Tarisian Ale
Nuts yet. It’s not a bad idea.
What’s your first memory of
Star Wars?
Well, I wish I had some great story
like Dee Bradley Baker (Captain
Rex in The Clone Wars and Rebels).
He has a story where he worked at
a local movie theater and dressed
up as a Jawa—I think it was a Jawa,
not an Ewok—but because I don’t
have an amazing story, I always tell
his! For me, it was always there. I
honestly can’t remember a time
when there wasn’t Star Wars. I
was always such a fan of Princess
Leia. One of the funny things that
I remember—I’m not sure exactly
when it happened—was when I
went from having a crush on Luke
to having a crush on Han! Is that
some rite of passage? I’m not sure.
Well it worked out all right
for Leia…
Yes, that’s very true!
And if you had to dress up
as a Jawa or an Ewok, which
would you choose?
Probably a Jawa. Less furry.
Slightly better physique.
40 / STAR WARS INSIDER
FORCES OF DESTINY
Have you ever done cosplay?
Not specifically for its own purpose,
but I did dress up as Padmé for a
short film called Hughes The Force
[a 2011 pastiche of Star Wars and
the films of John Hughes]. That is a
really great little film. James Arnold
Taylor played Obi-Wan in that. I’ve
dressed Padmé-esque for costume
parties, and I’ve dressed as Leia
before, but for Star Wars events, as
opposed to being a convention-
goer and dressing as a character.
What was your very first
convention experience?
The first convention I did was San
Diego Comic-Con! I wasn’t there
specifically for Star Wars, but I
had just done Knights of the Old
Republic. These big tough guys
were coming up to me, practically
with tears in their eyes, apologizing
because they chose the darkest
path they could in the game, which
was to have my Wookiee partner
Zaalbar actually kill me! It still
happens sometimes. People will
say: “That’s the worst thing I ever
did, is have Zaalbar kill mission.”
They really feel bad, it’s fascinating.
I always tell them it’s OK, and next
time to choose the light side!
06 Padmé was What do you enjoy most about
also voiced such conventions?
by Catherine
Taber in The I especially enjoy it when we get
Clone Wars. to do some kind of performance as
06
Destiny
Calling
Catherine Taber’s
appearances as
Padmé Amidala:
SEASON ONE:
“The Imposter Inside”
Padmé must defend herself
against an assassin, with the
assistance of Ahsoka Tano.
“The Starfighter Stunt”
Ahsoka is training Padmé how
to pilot a fighter when a droid
starfighter attacks them.
SEASON TWO:
“Unexpected Company”
Aksoka joins Anakin and
Padmé on a mission through
a Separatist blockade.
“Monster
Misunderstanding”
Padmé’s quick-thinking
saves a young creature
from poachers.
a cast. I was blessed to be a part of
Kyle Newman’s Smugglers series [of
fan-made Star Wars audio dramas],
where I got to play Leia in a live
stage show. That will forever be one
of my favorite things to have done.
To play that character, with all the
people I was working with, for that
fanbase. It was just magical.
Can you define what it is about
Star Wars that speaks to such a
wide audience?
Honestly, I think it’s the underlying
theme of good versus evil. It’s one
of the things I love about sci-fi in
general. It’s particularly what I love
about Padmé. She’s full of integrity
and inherently tries to do the right
thing for the right reasons. All of us
have that innate desire to be part
of something bigger than ourselves,
and I like being part of that.

Hera Syndulla
V a n e s s
Star Wars Rebels may be over, but Hera Syndulla lives on in Forces of Destiny !
Voice actor Vanessa Marshall tells Insider what the Star Wars universe means to her,
both as a performer and as a fan.
WORDS: MEGAN CROUSE
Star Wars Insider: What has the
overall Star Wars experience been
like for you, as a participant and
as a fan?
It’s been amazing. I have made so
many friends that I’ll know forever
and ever. I feel like I have a whole
new family. I have loved each of
the Celebrations I’ve gone to, and
the various conventions. I’ve gotten
to meet really amazing people in
the fan community. It was insane
to hear Hera’s name mentioned in
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and I
was grateful that I also got to voice
one of the fighter pilots in Rogue
One, too. I never thought I’d have
anything to do with the films, so
that just made my head explode.
I’ll never forget that. I’m looking
forward to the next Celebration,
and I really am so grateful that this
is something that will continue
even though Rebels has ended. It’s
so lovely to know that I’ll never
be alone again. We all have each
other forever and ever. When every
film comes out we’ll all freak out
together, and wait in line, and
that’s really special.
What do you think you’ll miss
most about working on Rebels?
I’m definitely going to miss
recording sessions together. We
always had so much fun. It was
FORCES OF DESTINY
a M a r
FOREVER YOUNG
Vanessa Marshall was no
stranger to the Star Wars
universe when she was
cast as Hera Syndulla in
Star Wars Rebels. She
had already portrayed
Alderaanian intelligence
operative Jan Ors in the
classic Star Wars: Jedi
Knight II: Jedi Outcast
video game, and provided
many additional voices for
Star Wars: Knights of the
Old Republic II: The Sith
Lords—both of which are
just a tiny representation
of her extensive résumé
of voice work across
animated series, movies,
and gaming titles. Marshall
reprised her role as Hera
once again for the second
series of Forces of Destiny,
which recently completed
airing on YouTube and the
Disney Channel.
Marshall has also been
a contributor to Star Wars
Insider, writing about her
passion for the films.
s h a l l
great to meet up every Thursday
and go on these adventures in
space! It was an honor to get to go
to Skywalker Ranch and see the
facility, too. We all went up there
as a group. We really have bonded
as a family, and I’m really grateful
for that. That will last beyond the
finale, I’m sure.
How did the recording sessions for
Forces of Destiny differ from those
for Star Wars Rebels?
With Forces of Destiny, we’re all
by ourselves when we’re recording,
therefore I don’t get to interact with
whomever is playing opposite Hera
and I have to imagine the situation
we’re in, which is similar to how we
work on a video game. Whereas in
Rebels we were always together and
acting off of one another, we had
that intimacy, and that immediate
sense of comedy and drama. Forces
of Destiny recordings are also a
bit faster, because the episodes
are much shorter.
You give Hera’s voice a sense of
both steel and warmth. How do
you go about achieving that?
I don’t really think about a sound
when I create a character. I think
more about their intentions and
the stakes at hand, so the sound
that is born out of those very
STAR WARS INSIDER / 41

real circumstances may sound
warm or powerful. Hopefully it
has complexity. Whenever I go for
a specific voice rather than going
through a character’s mind, heart,
and soul, it ends up sounding
like affectation. So, for Hera, I
make sure I’m very clear on what
she wants and why she wants it,
and through that the voice was
developed.
Do you have a favorite Hera
moment, from either Rebels or
Forces of Destiny?
My favorite moment in terms of
getting to know her was in “Wings
of the Master,” (Season Two,
Episode Seven) where she gets to fly
the B-wing, and we learn why flight
is so important to her. My father
is also a pilot, so flying happens
to mean a lot to me, too, and I
understand how much flight means
to him. So I can really key in to a
person’s need to be up in the clouds
for a little bit and get perspective.
Throughout the series, there
were a number of other significant
moments too. The things that
happened with her father, and her
experience with Thrawn, which
helped Hera to realize who her
true family is, and that she doesn’t
need a Kalikori [a Twi’lek family
heirloom passed down through the
generations]. Also, watching Sabine
really claim her space and take her
power. When Hera was devastated
after Kanan’s death, I think it
meant a lot to her to see Sabine
grow in that way. And that was
satisfying for me to see, too.
07
42 / STAR WARS INSIDER
FORCES OF DESTINY
How did you feel when Hera and
Kanan finally confessed their love
“For Hera, I make sure I’m very
for one another? clear on what she wants and
I was intrigued, because up until
then I think the relationship was
why she wants it, and through
somewhat ambiguous. Hera has an that the voice was developed.”
affection for Kanan, and she always
has, but there wasn’t a lot of
time to profess that love, if you 07 Vanessa because they were building and
Marshall as
will, given what was going on getting stronger and getting results.
Hera Syndulla
around them. So, it was nice in Star Wars There wasn’t that distraction of
that they finally got a moment Rebels. romance, which, given the stakes,
to share that. I think it was a 08 Tiya Sircar would have been somewhat self-
sort of relief for the character. (Sabine indulgent for Hera. It’s not that the
I know that at the very end Wren) joined stakes got any less when she did
Marshall in
she regretted waiting so long, several confess her love, it’s that they got
but I think there were other Forces of so heated that it was maybe the
priorities. Prior to that, she Destiny only time she could see it.
episodes.
always had to handle what was I don’t know that it was a
in front of her, but I think she 09 Hera gets secret to Kanan necessarily. I think
help from
was happy to be able to say it “Chopper both of them knew they had this
when she could. and Friends.” affection, but they just didn’t have
the time to explore it, given what
It was a big change from how was going on.
closely she played things to her
chest in the first season. Were you eager to see how fans
I don’t think she was secretive, would react?
necessarily, but she was Yeah, and as far as I can tell people
perhaps more focused d p
seem pretty thrilled. It was the
on building the Rebell culmi
culmination of so many people
Alliance. She’s trying rootin for them in that way. I
rooting
to do her job and think it was really satisfying.
put aside any
personal desires w woozy from being
Hera was
that she may have tort
tortured by Governor Pryce’s
had in order to interrogation droid at that
complete something point. How did you feel
that was way more about playing those scenes?
important. That I thought it would be fun! I
may have come off ass being thou
thought it was a great way to get
tching—
secretive to those watching— to the heart of that scene, because
ink it was
or to Kanan! But I think it is a pretty intense, almost violent
a strategy, and it was working, scene. But it builds with comedy
which is so Star Wars. I found it
refreshing.
refresh I’ve read some online
comments
comm that said it shouldn’t
have taken
t a drug to make Hera
tell the
th truth, but she happened
to be caught
c by the Empire and
so that
tha happened. I think Hera’s
completely
compl capable of doing
anything
anyth she did with or without
the interrogation
in drug, and I didn’t
think it necessarily took away from
that powerful
p conversation with
Kanan.
Kanan I thought it brought a kind
of depth
dep to that scene. If it had
been one
o note and very serious, it
wouldn’t
would have been as interesting.

08
09
I really liked how it was written,
and I was excited to do it.
And then she loses him. How does
Hera feels after Kanan’s death?
Devastated. For the first time, she
has no idea what to do. For the first
time that great strategizing mind
was completely empty. It’s not until
Ezra gives her hope again that she
can even see a way forward. Given
that she now has a son, perhaps
that’s a piece of Kanan to take with
her, and maybe she feels a little bit
better that she’s not all by herself.
“We always had so much fun.
It was great to meet up every
Thursday and go on these
adventures in space!”
FORCES OF DESTINY
That was a big surprise, to find out
that Kanan and Hera had a child.
I was shocked! I couldn’t believe
it for a million reasons. I had no
idea. It took me a minute to get
my mind around it, but I think
it’s awesome.
You mentioned Celebration and
other convention appearances
before. Is interaction with fans
important to you?
A couple of years ago I was at
a DragonCon in Atlanta and a
father thanked me after I’d signed
something for his son. He said:
“My son is autistic, and he only
interacts with people and speaks
when Hera is on television. There
is something about Hera as a
character that soothes him. So,
I want you to know that you
didn’t just give someone an
Destiny
Calling
Vanessa Marshall’s
appearances as
Hera Syndulla:
SEASON ONE:
“Newest Recruit”
Hera airlifts Sabine and new
rebel ally Ketsu Onyo out of
a sticky situation.
“An Imperial Feast”
Hera Syndulla encounters
Han Solo on Endor, and they
make a bargain over rations
for the Ewoks.
“Crash Course”
Sabine learns a valuable
lesson in forgiveness from
Hera on a covert mission on
the planet Garel.
SEASON TWO:
“Hasty Departure”
Hera and Sabine mistakenly
steal the wrong Imperial
shuttle, which is already fully-
loaded with passengers—
Imperial stormtroopers!
“Chopper and Friends”
Chopper has recruited a
couple of Ewoks, and Hera
learns how resourceful the
diminutive furry creatures
can be.
autograph. What you have
done and what you did today
means the world to him and to
me as a father, and I can’t thank
you enough.”
It was a powerful moment,
and we both started crying. The
fact that Star Wars connects us all,
across all barriers was really evident
that day.
Rebels isn’t just a cartoon, and
Star Wars is not just some movie
series. It really is a way of life.
STAR WARS INSIDER / 43
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 A D V E N T U R E S A T

GALAXY’S EDGE
Scott Trowbridge is a man on the edge—the edge of the
galaxy, that is! Insider quizzed the senior Disney Imagineer
about the forthcoming themed worlds at Disney resorts that are
set to revolutionize the Star Wars experience.

WORDS: MARK WRIGHT

 rom 2019, a whole new era of
the Star Wars experience will
F open, as fans get the chance
to set foot on a planet in that
galaxy far, far away. Unlike
virtual reality experiences
or simulations such as ILMxLabs’ Star Wars:
Secrets of the Empire or Star Tours, Star Wars:
Galaxy’s Edge will be populated by living,
breathing characters, and will take place in a
fully realized environment where visitors can
touch, smell, and even taste food that could
have come from an alien world.
And fans won’t need a starship to visit this
Outer Rim world. In fact, they’ll have a choice
of two Earth destinations in which to discover
Galaxy’s Edge. Both Disneyland Park in Anaheim,
California and Disney’s Hollywood Studios at
Walt Disney World in Florida will play host to
permanent versions of the immersive attraction,
which will span 14 acres at each site.
But while most of us will have to wait until
next year to visit either park (or both!), Galaxy’s
Edge is already a reality for the team working
to bring these themed lands to life, and one
with far more than two real-world locations.
Insider recently caught up with Walt Disney
Imagineering’s portfolio creative executive Scott
Trowbridge, who oversees all aspects of Star
Wars at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, and he
began by explaining how Galaxy’s Edge is a
truly international endeavor.
“We have a really large team, not just in
California and Florida, but literally all over the
world,” he reveals. “Today, we have about 1,500
people working to bring the project to life. And
if you include the construction teams, that
number is more like 5,000.
 GALAXY’S EDGE

“There’s a lot happening globally, from 01

developing the technology and the special effects
to the scenic work and the media development.
I have just returned from a trip to Europe where
we are busy developing some of the tech for the
experiences. It’s literally a 24/7, 365 days of the
year global undertaking. It takes a world, I guess,
to make a galaxy!”
For Trowbridge, one of the most exciting
things about Galaxy’s Edge is the collaboration
of talent that has come together to develop and
execute the project. “It’s the creative powers
of Walt Disney Imagineering combined with
the creative powers of Lucasfilm allied with
technology providers and construction and
fabrication expertise. It is a truly collaborative
effort between Imagineering and Lucasfilm. We
share a story team, we share a design team, and
we share a production team for some aspects of
the production.”
Among those contributing to Galaxy’s Edge
are Lucasfilm’s Story Group and Industrial Light
& Magic, both of which bring a wealth of Star
Wars story and design experience to the project.
“We really do have the participation of the most
amazing team,” Trowbridge adds. “I won’t say
that makes me completely stress free, but when
you have that level of talent and expertise, it
makes you feel like there is no better group to “What we want to do in Galaxy’s
go into this kind of project with.” Edge is offer an invitation for you
Welcome to Batuu to have your story. Not a story that
Construction work at the two sites began in April we’re going to hand to you.”
2016 and, as incredible teaser footage released in
March 2018 showed, the project is on schedule to
meet its 2019 launch date. “Site construction is 01 A Resistance X-wing spotlight—the smugglers, bounty hunters, and
well under way, both in California and Florida,” starfighter arrives at rogue adventurers looking to crew up for some
Batuu (concept
Trowbridge confirms. “I was going to say it’s like painting). adventure. Basically, all the interesting people!
building a small city, but actually, it’s not like ; it For those folks who are looking to avoid the
02 A chance to pilot the
is building a small city. It’s the largest single land Millennium Falcon will
ever-expanding watch of the First Order, Batuu
expansion we’ve ever done at a Disney resort, be a big highlight of is a great place to be, and for guests it becomes
and we have done some big projects, so that’s the new themed land. the stepping-off point for a new Star Wars story.”
saying something! We have a lot of work to do 03 Even the restaurants Precisely what shape that story will take
between now and 2019, but we’re on track and will be immersively is determined by each individual visitor. As
we will get it done. We’re also happy and excited themed—expect Trowbridge explains, Galaxy’s Edge is not simply
blue milk!
to show the world our progress along the way.” a linear narrative that moves guests from Point A
The name of the planet being created on two 04 The streets and to Point B. It is much more personal than that.
alleyways of Batuu will
opposite sides of the U.S. is Batuu, a trading port “What we want to do in Galaxy’s Edge is
allow visitors to lose
on the Outer Rim, known to some travelers as themselves in the Star offer an invitation for you to have your story,”
“Galaxy’s Edge.” Trowbridge describes it as “a Wars universe. he says. “Not a story that we’re going to hand
one-time stop over on the old trading routes 05 Scott Trowbridge to you, but an invitation to engage and to live
from the sublight-speed days,” and teases that, (right) observes the out a story at whatever level you might want to.
“while many of us are discovering it for the first construction of Galaxy’s Not everybody may want to lean forward and do
Edge with Lucasfilm’s
time, it’s well known to some of our favorite Star Doug Chiang (opposite this, and that’s totally fine. You can still have a
Wars characters.” page). lot of fun exploring Batuu as an observer. But, for
He continues: “Its prominence as a trading those who do want to engage, we’ll give you the
port has faded with the advent of faster-than- tools and options to go deeper into a story, to go
light travel, and that’s made it a really interesting deeper with the characters, and to have a more
location for those who don’t want to be in the robust experience in the Star Wars world.”

48 / STAR WARS INSIDER

GALAXY’S EDGE

05

02

SCOTT TROWBRIDGE’S
ROAD TO BATUU
As leader of Walt Disney Imagineering’s global
Star Wars portfolio, Scott Trowbridge’s job is all
about developing new ways to allow guests to
live their own Star Wars stories through innovative
technology and immersive experiences. However,
like many Disney-loving adults, his first experience
of the theme parks dubbed “The Happiest Place
on Earth” goes right back to his formative years.
“I grew up in the Midwest,” Trowbridge recalls.
“We had amusement parks, but we didn’t really
03 have the full theme-park experience. When I was
eight or nine, we took a family trip to Disneyland
for the first time, and it was such an eye-opening
experience. It was like my imagination had been
made real and I couldn’t believe that there was
a place that allowed your imagination to exist
outside of your head. From then on, I was pretty
much focused on the idea of sharing imaginative
experiences with other people.”
That ambition led Trowbridge first to gain a
degree in cinema from the University of Southern
California, and he later worked as Vice President
for the creative division of NBC/Universal’s Theme
Parks and Resorts prior to joining Walt Disney
Imagineering.
Though Galaxy’s Edge has been his working
life for some time now, Trowbridge has never lost
sight of just how unique and awesome the reality
of his nine-to-five truly is.
“There are moments when you hit a problem,
04 or get caught up in some everyday challenge,” he
says. “But then, all of a sudden, you go, ‘Yeah, this
is tough, but, wait a minute! Look at what we’re
doing!’ Even though I get to see amazing things
every day, there are still great moments where
you’re reminded: that’s the Millennium Falcon;
or we’re going to put people face to face with
this character or this experience. It never stops
seeming cool to me, and hopefully the fans will
feel the same way.
“One of the things that I love doing the most
is spending time listening to our audience, and
I will be in and among those crowds at Galaxy’s
Edge with my antennas open for what people are
saying, what they’re thinking, how much they are
smiling. Ultimately, that’s why we do this. We do it
on behalf of an audience, and we’ll know if we’re
successful by the reaction of that audience. So
that’s where you’ll find me in 2019!”

STAR WARS INSIDER / 49


Fly the Falcon
“Our opening day offering will include two big
anchor experiences,” Trowbridge details. “One
will put you in the middle of a battle between the
First Order and the Resistance, while the other is
the lifelong dream of any Star Wars fan: to pilot
the Millennium Falcon!
“When we first started talking about bringing
the Star Wars experience to life, one of the things
that we heard the most from fans was that they
wanted to go on the Millennium Falcon. But,
instead of just giving people a ride, we wanted
to put people in the cockpit and really give them
the controls of one of the fastest ships in the
galaxy. You and your friends or family get to
sit in that cockpit, take the controls, and go off
on a fun mission where you are controlling the
outcome. All we ask is that you bring her back in
one piece, because the last thing anyone wants is
to make the Wookiee angry!”
This level of interaction with characters and
story will not be limited to the land’s tentpole
attractions, either, with the promise of multi-day
immersive experiences, and an in-universe hotel
in Florida, where guests become galactic citizens
onboard a starship. “What we’re doing,” says
Trowbridge, “is evolving the opportunities to go
deeper into story and have a more meaningful
interaction in this universe than has ever been
possible before.”
Indeed, even if visitors don’t want to fly the
Falcon (presuming such people exist), they can
have a rich and fulfilling experience simply by
watching life go by on Batuu. “This is a vibrant
trading port that welcomes aliens and droids
from all over the galaxy, so it’s a great place to
engage in your own adventure or sit back and
watch the galaxy roll by, no questions asked.
You can throw yourself into the action, or you
can relax with a glass of blue milk. We’re going
to invite you to explore Star Wars with all your
senses, which is something we pay very close
attention to at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. It’s
not just about the iconic sights and sounds, but
also: what does it feel like; what does it smell like;
what does it taste like? And I can assure you that
blue milk tastes delicious!”
With all this talk of icons and visitors from
across the galaxy, is it possible that we might see
some familiar Star Wars faces on Batuu?
“As a trading port at a really pivotal time in
the galaxy, you never know who you might run
into,” Trowbridge teases. “Batuu is well known
to some of your favorite characters, and it’s a
place where some of them have a history. We’ll
learn more about some of that before we open in
2019, but these are people that audiences identify
with, fall in love with, want to be friends with, or
want to be angry with. Bringing such individuals
50 / STAR WARS INSIDER
GALAXY’S EDGE
“If someone comes to 05
Batuu when they are
seven, we want them
still to be coming
back when they are
sixty-seven! We’re
designing something
that we hope has
that same enduring
quality and design 07
that the movies have.”
to life in fantastic stories is something that the
Walt Disney Company has always done, and
something that George Lucas and others working
on the Star Wars galaxy have also done. It’s no
surprise that fans want these characters as parts
of their lives. An important part of our guests’
experience will be hanging out with some of
their favorites.”
Distinctly Star Wars
More tantalizing details about Galaxy’s Edge will
08
be revealed in the coming months, as the teams
in California, Florida, and around the world work
to complete this unique part of the Star Wars
galaxy. For now, Trowbridge is keen to assure fans
that whatever new adventures lay in wait, they
will all be “iconic and distinctly Star Wars.” Many
months of story development, concept art, and
design sketches preceded the vast construction
project that is now underway, and the various
teams bringing them to life have never lost sight
of that intricately mapped-out vision.
“A unique aspect of Star Wars design, I think,
is the idea that it is both brand-new and fresh,
yet also feels like it has many layers of history,”
says Trowbridge. “The brilliant movie designs
of Doug Chiang and [original Star Wars concept
artist] Ralph McQuarrie and Joe Johnston are still
exciting, yet also feel like they’ve been around for
thousands of years in some cases.
“The thing that I stay focused on is that Star
Wars has been a part of people’s lives for 40-plus
years. For many people, myself included, they
have been dreaming about what it would be like
to be a part of that world, to be able to step into
it. Now that we’re giving people the invitation
to do just that, I am very mindful about what 40
years of dreaming about this means. We pay very
close attentions to the fans—we are fans, and
we’re doing this for the fans. We want to make
GALAXY’S EDGE

06

05 Batuu is a remote
trading outpost that
provides opportunities
for exploration and
adventure.

06 The First Order has

a presence on Batuu,
and visitors will find
themselves caught up
in the galactic conflict.

07 This vast and detailed

conceptual model of
the Batuu outpost was
unveiled at Disney’s
D23 Expo in 2017.

08 Galaxy’s Edge realizes

the world of Star Wars
on an unprecedented
scale.

09 The Millennium
Falcon doubles as
the entrance to a
spectacular ride.

10 If you side with the

Resistance, you’ll find
a safe base hidden
away on the outskirts
of Batuu.
09

sure that as we bring this to fruition, there is

a level of detail, attention, and love that we’re
putting into it, and that we are meeting those
expectations of what 40 years of dreaming can
lead up to. Batuu is a new destination waiting
for discovery and exploration, but it is being
built on the solid foundation of Star Wars
history and amazing stories.”
Yet today’s fans are far from being exclusively
children of the 1970s or 80s. Does Galaxy’s Edge
have something to offer all ages? Trowbridge is
in no doubt that it does. “We are not designing
Galaxy’s Edge for one age group,” he says. “It’s
10
not just for the children of today, or for the
older generations. If someone comes to Batuu
when they are seven, we want them to still be
coming back when they are sixty-seven! We’re
designing something that we hope has that
same enduring quality and design that the
movies have, which allows them to remain
feeling fresh and relevant no matter their
age—or the audience’s age. We hope to grow
with our audience, but also grow with Star Wars
storytelling as it progresses with all the great
stories and characters we have yet to meet.
Above all, we hope that what we’re doing will
resonate with audiences for years to come.”

STAR WARS INSIDER / 51

 WIN!

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In the thrilling new movie Solo: Ron Howard along with fascinating, In which location does Han
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 THRAWN: A VILLAIN’S PURPOSE

Th  A w u 

Po  E
AIl  A i ’s P

54 / STAR WARS INSIDER

 THRAWN: A VILLAIN’S PURPOSE

Grand Admiral Thrawn was the pri

mary thorn in the side
of the fledgling rebellion during Se
asons Three and Four of
Star Wars Rebels, with the Chiss ma
stermind playing an
integral part in Ezra Bridger’s Hero’
s Journey. Insider explores
how the character became the cat
alyst that propelled the series
to its dramatic conclusion.
WORDS: TRICIA BARR

B
y the time Celebration Europe rolled
around in 2016, the Star Wars Rebels
Season Two finale “Twilight of the
Apprentice” had taken the Ghost
crew to Malachor, site of an ancient
Sith Temple, for an epic showdown involving
Star Wars notables Darth Vader, Darth Maul,
and Ahsoka Tano. Worthy of the weight of
these established characters, the events that
unfolded were spectacular.
Fans eagerly anticipated the Star Wars Rebels
Celebration panel to see where the show would
go next. As the Season Three trailer premiered in
a darkened room, a growing excitement rippled
across the arena at the sight of some familiar
iconography: the shape of an alien lizard known
as the ysalamiri, a white uniform, a blue-skinned
alien with red eyes who talked about art and
history. By the time Grand Admiral Thrawn’s
name was spoken by Hera Syndulla, the crowd
had been whipped into a frenzy. A fan-favorite
from the novels was making his debut in the
animated series.
For fans of Rebels not familiar with the
character, the trailer made sure to lay out the
dynamics that made Thrawn a unique Star Wars
villain and the impact he could potentially have
on the fate of the Ghost crew. Grand Moff Tarkin
asks Governor Pryce how she intends to deal
with the rebels who have proven “particularly
stubborn.” When Pryce replies that she needs
“someone who sees the bigger picture,” Thrawn
stands in the background, in a room more like
a museum than an office. The first words from
the Grand Admiral paint a
clear picture of who he is: “To “If Vader
defeat an enemy you must first
know them, not simply their controlled
battle tactics, but their history,
philosophy, art.” The trailer
by fear,
concludes with an ominous
prediction from Thrawn: “I will
what about
tear the rebels apart piece by
piece. They’ll be the architects
a villain who
of their own destruction.” leads through
Origin Story loyalty? And
Every hero, or band of heroes,
requires a villain who will
who respects
create obstacles that seem
insurmountable. Star Wars
opponents?”
Rebels introduces the key Timothy Zahn
themes and conceits of Star
Wars to a new generation of fans. For Luke
Skywalker in the original trilogy and Anakin
Skywalker in the prequel trilogy, the principal
peril was their potential for self-destruction. After
Vader’s revelation in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes
Back, the question on everyone’s mind was “Will
Luke Skywalker follow his father and turn to the
dark side?” Anakin’s failure to resist the darkness
was a known quantity, but fans still pondered on
how the fateful temptation would occur.
For the 16 years between the first two trilogies,
Star Wars experienced a period referred to by
some fans as the dark times. Eight years after
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, and with no more
movies on the horizon, Lucasfilm turned to

STAR WARS INSIDER / 55

 THRAWN: A VILLAIN’S PURPOSE

publishing to reinvigorate the franchise in 1991, 01

and hired author Timothy Zahn to write a series
of novels in which he would introduce a new
kind of villain to the Star Wars pantheon of evil.
In an interview with the Chicago Tribune in
2017, Zahn broke down the impetus for his bad
guy, explaining that: “I wanted to make another
kind of villain. If Vader controlled by fear, what
about a villain who leads through loyalty? And
who respects opponents?”
Fans hungry for new Star Wars adventures
after the end of the original trilogy sent Zahn’s
first Thrawn book, Star Wars: Heir to the Empire,
to #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. The
book’s success helped promote other endeavors
including role-playing games, comics, new toy
lines, and other merchandise.
Almost 30 years after Heir to the Empire’s
release, it continues to be revered, along with the
sequels that followed: Dark Force Rising (1992),
and The Last Command (1993). The books not
only kept mythic heroes Luke Skywalker, Leia
Organa, and Han Solo (collectively known as
the Big Three) in the public consciousness,
but also created new fan favorites Mara Jade,
Talon Karrde, Grand Admiral Thrawn, and Zahn’s trilogy and Star Wars Rebels. Even in 03
Imperial Captain Gilad Pellaeon (who received Rebels’ final confrontation between Ezra and
a namedrop in the series finale of Star Wars Thrawn, the young Jedi struggles to understand
Rebels, making him another old character to why Thrawn does the things he does.
be introduced to new fans). Though the books
primarily tell the ongoing adventures of the Big Different Perspectives
Three, they are often referred to as the Thrawn In science-fiction and fantasy, aliens often serve
Trilogy, such was the impact of their main as a lens for reflecting differences in human
antagonist. Considering the impact of Darth cultures. The Bendu in Star Wars Rebels is a
Vader in mythic storytelling, the Sith Lord massive ancient Force-sensitive creature living
himself might offer the compliment: “Impressive. on the remote planet Atollon. Between Bendu
Most impressive.” and Thrawn, two powerful characters with
As well as envisioning Thrawn, Zahn also unique perspectives help challenge the show’s
imagined a force similar to the First Order in heroes. Much of the Bendu’s arc involves the
the new films. Prior to 2015, the Battle of Endor ancient entity crossing paths with struggling Jedi
didn’t mark the complete defeat of the Empire, Kanan Jarrus and Ezra, his apprentice, in order to
and some of its commanders retreated when the confront their perspectives on the Force. At the
second Death Star was destroyed, regrouping same time, Thrawn puts pressure on the rebel 04
and rearming before striking back. While this heroes through his relentless pursuit of Phoenix
resurgent military is integral to Thrawn’s Imperial Squadron, forcing them to reassess their priorities
ambitions, his reasons for wanting to unify the and question their various approaches. In effect,
galaxy under the might of the Empire are very both act as catalysts in the heroic journeys of the
different from those of the series’ main protagonists.
Emperor, who is driven by his Thrawn is introduced in
dark side impulses. Where the In some ways, Rebels as part of a command-
original trilogy is very much
a fable about humanity, its Thrawn’s “long level conversation that
includes Grand Moff Tarkin,
villains reflecting the darker
desires of the human psyche,
game” approach Governor Pryce, Admiral
Konstantine, and Agent
Thrawn’s motivations are
rooted in his otherness. As an
is similar to Kallus. Their united focus is
the potential danger of the
alien (specifically, a Chiss),
his aspirations and ideology
Palpatine’s in the rebel band, but only Thrawn
is able to deduce that the
remain mysterious throughout prequel trilogy. rescue of Hondo Ohnaka was

56 / STAR WARS INSIDER


02
THE THRAWN
SAGA
CONTINUES
Grand Admiral Thrawn’s
background and rise through
the Imperial ranks was further
explored by the character’s
creator, Timothy Zahn, in
his 2017 novel Thrawn. The
story takes readers back to
the origins of the character,
tracing Thrawn’s journey from
exiled member of the Chiss
Ascendency to becoming one
of Emperor Palpatine’s most
indispensable servants, facing
both military and political
battles along the way.
The tale has been adapted
by Marvel Comics as a six-issue
mini-series, beginning back in
February 2018, with the final
installment in comic stores now.
A trade paperback collecting
the series will be published in
September this year.
Timothy Zahn’s follow-up
novel, Thrawn: Alliances, finds
Thrawn paired with Darth Vader
on a mission to thwart a new
threat against the Empire’s
dominance, set during the
period of Star Wars Rebels. The
hardback novel from Del Rey is
released on July 24, 2018.
01 The master tactician
plots his next move in
the battle against the
rebels.
02 Grand Admiral Thrawn,
voiced in Star Wars
Rebels by Lars
Mikkelsen.
03 On Atollon, Thrawn
hesitates before
shooting the Bendu.
04 Art-appreciator
Thrawn recognizes
the importance of
Hera’s Kalikori, in
“Hera’s Heroes.”
tied to Phoenix Squadron’s attack on the Mining
Guild. When Thrawn realizes Hondo’s cellmate
has a connection to Reklam Station, Pryce,
Konstantine, and Kallus take a Star Destroyer
to defend the facility, where Y-wings are being
recycled by the Empire, against a probable
incursion. When Pryce informs Thrawn that
events have unfolded as he had expected, and
that three rebel cruisers had come to the rescue
of Phoenix Squadron, the Chiss admiral surprises
his fellow Imperials by ordering they be allowed
to escape. In his mind, the loss of a few obsolete
Y-wings isn’t a defeat, but rather an opportunity
to gain knowledge about his opponent, to be
exploited later. His goal isn’t to capture one rebel
cell that day, but rather to defeat a larger menace
at a later date.
The methodical way in which Thrawn
analyzes his enemies mirrors his iteration in
Zahn’s 1990s novels. Everything he does—his
values, methods, and biases—are well considered
and coolly alien, providing twists that the
audience isn’t expecting, such as Thrawn
allowing a small loss in the hopes of a larger and
more decisive win in the future. In some ways,
Thrawn’s “long game” approach is similar to
Palpatine’s in the prequel trilogy, which makes
it believable that he could rise above his peers in
the chain of command.
The Art of Observation
Though Darth Vader made a big impression
during the second season of Rebels, the show’s
creative team did not consider making him
STAR WARS INSIDER / 57
 THRAWN: A VILLAIN’S PURPOSE
a recurring villain in the series at large. The
crew of the Ghost needed to have some wins
on their heroic path, but if each of these
was a loss for Vader, then a vital part of his
potency would be undermined. Introducing
Thrawn kept the show’s stakes high, while also
providing the heroes with a foil they could
sometimes reasonably escape and defeat. Even
more importantly, though, Thrawn’s extreme
observational, analytical style allowed for
additional character detail to be revealed about
the rebels themselves.
In Season Three’s “Hera’s Heroes,” the
resistance cell led by Hera’s father, Cham
Syndulla, calls for the Ghost’s assistance when
Thrawn makes his base on Ryloth, the Syndullas’
home planet. Thrawn has chosen Hera’s family
home as his headquarters
and carefully studies a family
heirloom known as the
Kalikori in order to better
Thrawn’s
understand his foe. The perception of the
Kalikori is a piece of evolving
Twi’lek art, where important Ghost crew as a
family events are memorialized
with a unique carving
hierarchy, rather
and passed down through
generations. But Thrawn is not
than as a team
only there to study artifacts.
He is well aware that his
that places trust
presence and possession of the
Kalikori creates a situation that
in individuals to
will keenly test the emotional make independent
limits of one of Phoenix
Squadron’s leaders. decisions, is an
Hera sneaks into her old
home to liberate the Kalikori,
uncharacteristic
but is caught and tries to
pass herself off as a servant
error of
who stole the object to sell it.
While this lie seems reasonable
judgment
enough to Captain Slavin,
Thrawn knows better. He understands what
the Kalikori is and what it means to a Twi’lek,
and that rebel leader Hera Syndulla would have
come in person to retrieve it. As portrayed by
voice actor Lars Mikkelsen, Thrawn is in most
instances restrained, but Slavin’s offer to destroy
the Kalikori brings out a rare show of rage. The
Kalikori remains in Thrawn’s possession, and
Hera, in a heartbreaking move, destroys her
family home in her escape. Although an Imperial
cruiser is in position to fire on the escaping
rebels, Thrawn lets them go free once again.
It’s an alien methodology to his colleagues, but
Thrawn perceives his interaction with Hera as
just a small part of a much larger plan.
Later on in Season Three, Phoenix Squadron
convinces the newly formed Rebel Alliance to
58 / STAR WARS INSIDER
mount an attack to destroy the TIE fighter factory
on Lothal. Thrawn predicts this move, heading
to the planet to report his suspicions to Tarkin,
Pryce, and Konstantine. His meeting with the
Imperial leaders flushes out a traitor in their
midst, and when Agent Kallus tries to report this
news to the Rebel Alliance, Thrawn confronts
him. Thrawn defeats Kallus in a fight, having
studied the combat training of the Empire in
order to understand its weaknesses. Not only
does Thrawn evaluate his enemies, but also
the strengths and frailties of his peers. Kallus’ 05
desperate transmission gives Thrawn the one
piece of the puzzle he lacked: the location of the
rebel base. Thrawn’s plan to crush more than
simply the Ghost crew, but the entire Phoenix
Squadron, almost succeeds. Only a bold move by
Phoenix Squadron commander
Sato saves the day, when he
pilots his ship out of formation
and catches the attention
of Interdictor commander
Konstantine, who ignores
Thrawn’s orders to hold
position. Sato pilots his ship
into the interdictor, allowing
Ezra to escape the system to
send for help.
Unfortunately for those
rebels still at the base on
Atollon, Mon Mothma
isn’t yet ready to engage
the Empire in open warfare
and refuses to send military
aid. Ezra convinces Sabine’s
Mandalorian clan to dispatch
reinforcements, while
07
Kanan pleads with Bendu
to reconsider his neutral
position. The ancient being
refuses, but before Kanan
leaves he calls Bendu a
coward. While Thrawn is focused on Hera’s
actions as a commander, both Jedi have made
unexpected moves. Thrawn’s perception of
the Ghost crew as a hierarchy, rather than as a
team that places trust in individuals to make
independent decisions, is an uncharacteristic
error of judgment on his part, upon which there
are consequences.
By the time Thrawn’s troops reach the surface
of Atollon, Bendu has whipped up a raging
Force storm. The creature doesn’t necessarily
take sides, shooting down rebels and Imperials
alike. Thrawn dismisses the attack as Jedi trickery
and orders his troops to shoot at the eye of the
storm. The rebels escape as Bendu falls from the
sky, and Thrawn finds the enormous creature
wounded yet still defiant. Bendu claims that the 08

ability to destroy him is beyond Thrawn’s power,
and—more ominously—predicts Thrawn’s defeat
with “many arms surrounding you in a cold
embrace.” Thrawn attempts to shoot Bendu, but
the enigmatic being simply disappears.
The ramifications of the defeat at Atollon
have a significant impact on the Ghost crew. The
Rebel Alliance under Mon Mothma’s leadership
balks at saving Lothal, knowing that Thrawn had
deduced their intentions. Ezra, after struggling
with his own convictions about how to fight the
Empire, believes he is needed on Lothal, and the
crew follows his lead. Sabine and Ezra manage to
steal a TIE defender from under Thrawn’s nose
and, this time, Loth-wolves assist them in their
aims. Much like the Force storm of the Bendu,
this is another mystical intervention far too
unlikely to have factored in Thrawn’s analytical
evaluation of the planet. The seized TIE defender
convinces Mon Mothma to act before greater
numbers of the ships, which are built on Lothal,
06
can give the Empire starfighter superiority. But
the Rebellion’s assault on the planet does not go
as planned. Thrawn’s blockade is ready for their
attack, and the entire force is shot down, with
Hera captured and interrogated by Thrawn. The
Ghost crew mounts a rescue—and Kanan even
manages to recover her Kalikori—before the Jedi
perishes saving his friends.
Although Thrawn had been dismissive of
Jedi powers on Atollon, Kanan has now become
part of the Emperor’s plan to recover the Jedi
temple on Lothal—perhaps a lesson learned from
Thrawn’s failure to kill Bendu. Thrawn outwits
the rebels when they try to infiltrate the Imperial
Complex and, like he did back on Ryloth, offers a
trade: the lives of the civilians of Lothal’s Capital
City in exchange for Ezra. Of all the Ghost crew,
05 In the Star Wars Ezra is the least known to Thrawn. He doesn’t
Rebels series finale, have a history of command to study like Hera,
purrgil tentacles
surround Thrawn in or a body of art like Sabine. Thrawn’s interest
“a cold embrace.” in him now comes from a desire to curry favor
with the Emperor, who wants to manipulate the
06 Fans whole-heartedly
welcomed Timothy young Jedi.
Zahn’s creation to It is the mysteries of the Force combined
Star Wars Rebels.
with the determination of a child stepping into
07 Thrawn matches his adolescence—perhaps the most unpredictable
intellectual might with moment in a person’s life—that are the undoing
ruthless skill in battle.
of Thrawn. His villainous fate in the series finale
08 Have we seen the last is just as Bendu had predicted. Ezra summons
of Thrawn? Bendu
the spacefaring creatures called purrgil, whose
forsaw his defeat, not
his death... numerous tentacles crush into Thrawn’s Star
Destroyer, Chimaera, and wrap around him
before they jump into hyperspace.
Thrawn may have vanished along with Ezra
Bridger, but it should be noted that Bendu did
not predict this death, only his defeat—and we
have seen that the Chiss mastermind has a way
of turning initial losses into future victories.
STAR WARS INSIDER / 59
 They fly into
battle, risk life and
limb in podraces, or zoom
through space for the sheer
thrill of it. So how much do you
know about the flying aces of
Star Wars?
Compiled by
Jake Devine
& Tolly Maggs

“I’M NOT SUCH A BAD PILOT MYSELF!”

Testt yo
our know
wledg
ge of th
he flyboyss, racers, and hot sh
hots of the galax
xy!

NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL PODRACING! LOOK AT THE SIZE THE RESISTANCE ACE!
OF THAT THING!
11: What was Poe’s call sign
when flying his Y-70 X-Wing?
A: Black Leader
B: Gold Leader
C: Rogue One
D: Black One
6: Who was Gold Leader during
the battles of Scarif and Yavin? 12: Where is
A: Dack Ralter Poe’s homeworld?
B: Antoc Merrick A: Jakku
C: Garvin Dreis B: Tatooine
1: Where on Tatooine does the D: Jon Vander C: Yavin 4
Boonta Eve Classic podrace D: Corellia
take place? 7: Who piloted the VCX-100
A: Mos Eisley freighter Ghost at the Battle
B: Anchorhead of Scarif?
C: Mos Espa A: Chopper
D: Bestine B: Braylen Stramm
C: Jyn Erso
2: How many racers fail to start D: Hera Syndulla
the race immediately?
A: Two 8: How many Y-wing bombers
B: Five took part in the assault on the 13: At what battle did Dameron
C: One 4: What was the name of the first Death Star? reappear after being thought
D: Three announcer during this race? A: Seven dead by Finn?
A: Argyl Dosso B: Eight A: Yavin
B: Duplessa Monotray C: Twelve B: Endor
C: Arrisa Tuo D: Six C: Takodana
D: Fodesinbeed Annodue D: Coruscant
9: Which pilot had
the callsign Red Five
ve 14: What was Poe Dameron’s
during the battle rank before being demoted in
of Scarif? The Last Jedi?
A: Nera Kase A: Pilot Commander
B: Pedrin Gaul B: Captain
C: Luke Skywalkerr C: General
D: Grizz Frix D: Wing Commander

10: Which squadron was lead by 15: During the Battle of Crait,
3: Which pilot sabotages Anakin’s 5: Who attacks the contestants Wing Commander Adon Fox at Poe led the Resistance fighters
pod before the race begins? during the race? the Battle of Endor? in what vehicles?
A: Marhonic A: Darth Maul A: Knife Squadron A: V-4X-D ski speeders
B: Jar Jar Binks B: A womp rat B: Slicer Squadron B: T-47 airspeeder
C: Sebulba C: Tusken raiders C: Blade Squadron C: X-34 landspeeder
D: Watto D: A krayt dragon D: Dagger Squadron D: 74-Z speeder bike

60 / STAR WARS INSIDER

“CUT THE CHATTER, RED TWO”
Iden
ntify
y wh
ho sa
aid th
he follow
wing whille pilotin
ng a starsh
hip:

1.

“I have you now ”

2. 3.

“Might
“Stay “OH,
4.

want to
buckle
up,
on THIS IS
baby.” target” GOING
5.

“Are you ever going

TO BE
to fire back?” EASY!”
“PICK UP YOUR VISUAL SCANNING!”
Nam
me th
he rebell pilotss from their helme
et decalss.

1. 2. 3. 4.

HOW DID YOU DO, HOT SHOT?

0-9 Best stick to shooting at (and missing) womp rats in your T-16.
10-19 Stay on target—we’ll make a pilot out of you yet!
20-24 Great shot, kid. That was one in a million!

5 Rey PICK UP YOUR VISUAL SCANNING 1 Biggs Darklighter, 2 Wedge Antilles, 3 Luke Skywalker, 4 Jet Prokins
Answers - QUIZ 1 C, 2 A, 3 C, 4 D, 5 C 6 D, 7 D, 8 B, 9 B, 10 C, 11 D, 12 C, 13 C, 14 D, 15 A CUT THE CHATTER, RED TWO 1 Darth Vader, 2 Lando Calrissian, 3 Gold Five, 4 Obi-Wan Kenobi,

STAR WARS INSIDER / 61

 INTERVIEW: DOUG CHIANG

Doug
Chiang
Reinventing
Galaxies
In the second part of Insider ’s exclusive hen Doug Chiang was made head of
Lucasfilm’s art department in 1995,
interview with Lucasfilm’s vice president and
executive creative director, Doug Chiang talks W he realized that he had landed the
job of a lifetime. As a Star Wars fan
about working with George Lucas and pushing since 1977, Chiang had long hoped

the boundaries of Star Wars design. to work for the studio that had
made cinema’s most famous trilogy, but had never
dreamed that he might be doing so just as work was
W O R D S : TA R A B E N N E T T
beginning on a whole new series of Star Wars films.
Hand-picked by George Lucas on the strength of his
portfolio, he found himself working closely with the

62 / STAR WARS INSIDER


great man himself—and admits it
was more than a little daunting.
“Here was my idol, the person
who had influenced my whole
career,” he explains. “George
had seen my portfolio, liked
it, and had the confidence in
me that I could live up to the
legacy of Ralph McQuarrie
and Joe Johnston. I had always
dreamt of that, but to have it
INTERVIEW: DOUG CHIANG
become a reality… I really had
to prove myself! And that was
the most frightening part. As an
artist there’s a part of me that is
insecure, and I kept thinking
‘Can I really do this? Did they
make a mistake?’”
Chiang’s first day working on
the prequel trilogy was January
19, 1995, at Skywalker Ranch in
Marin County, California. Chiang
and illustrator/creature designer Terryl Whitlatch were
the only two in-house artists at that point. “I don’t
know about Terryl, but I felt this tremendous weight
on my shoulders,” he recalls. “It was a really terrifying
time! During our first meeting, George had basically
said: ‘Forget everything you know of what Star Wars
is, because we’re going to start over.’ That really
frightened me, because prior to that my vision of Star
Wars was what George had already done. But what he
wanted to do was step back a little bit and figure out
what the design philosophy for Star Wars really was.
STAR WARS INSIDER / 63

He was wonderful to work with.
He is very supportive, and he
loves working with artists.”
In hindsight, Chiang says
that this approach was exactly
what he needed to follow in
order to understand what Lucas
wanted from the prequel trilogy.
“I knew that the look was going
to be slightly different, but the
process of how to design for
Star Wars, and what makes a
Star Wars design, still had to be
exactly right,” he explains. “And
I really learned that by hearing
it directly from George. During
that first year, we established
the entire design history of the
Star Wars universe, which now
anchors everything we do, from
the prequels to the new movies.
I was really fortunate to have
the opportunity to help George
discover and establish that
design foundation.
Un-Designed
“One of the biggest lessons I
learned from George,” Chiang
continues, “was that he never
really considered Star Wars to
be a science-fiction genre movie.
He thought of it as a historical,
documentary drama. It was an
interesting way to look at it,
because he wanted to create
designs that disappeared into
the background, and he didn’t
want to create things that drew
attention to themselves; he
wanted sets that the audience
wouldn’t remember afterwards.
They should remember that the
64 / STAR WARS INSIDER
INTERVIEW: DOUG CHIANG
01
01 A Doug
Chiang
concept
“George had basically said: ‘Forget
sketch for
Star Wars:
everything you know of what Star Wars
The Phantom
Menace.
is, because we’re going to start over.’”
02 Doug Chiang
at Skywalker sets were authentic, and they
Ranch.
looked real, and that they helped
03 Battle droids tell the story, but not the specific,
ride STAPs, in otherworldly details.”
this concept
painting (top With that in mind, a big part
right). of Chiang’s job became making
sure that his designs didn’t look
04 “Olm Hunter”
painting from ‘designed’ at all. “George’s big
Robota by critique of science-fiction at
Doug Chiang
(opposite the time was that it was always
page). very carefully art directed. He
said: ‘If you show me a set from
any of those films, it looks like
02
somebody designed it. It doesn’t
look like real life.’ He wanted to
go the opposite way, so I tried to
make everything very eclectic.
Real life is a collection of things
that you gather over many years.
Furniture doesn’t match, paint
doesn’t match, lighting doesn’t
match. But it all informs who the
characters are. When you look at
the interior of the Millennium
Falcon, for example, you can see
Han’s personality in it, not the
vision of an art director.”
That believably haphazard
eclecticism has been part of Star
Wars since the beginning, but has
often been attributed to budgets
and schedules as much as a
deliberate aesthetic, but Chiang
maintains that it was always a
bold tactic on the part of Lucas.
“George always loved to take
risks,” he says, “and I found that
really wonderful. If you look at
Jabba’s sail barge in Return of
the Jedi, it has a totally different
aesthetic from anything that’s
been seen before, but it works.
It’s still totally Star Wars, you
know? But, if someone was
looking at A New Hope on its
own, they would never think to
design Jabba’s barge like that for
Return of the Jedi. The pirate-
like sail barge visually reinforces
Jabba’s criminal character and
gives him more depth. George
was bold enough to do that, and
that is where I really appreciate
the genius of what he has done.

05
He has created this thing that’s
really broad and different, but
where everything makes sense
and all fits together. There’s a
lot of homework that goes into
that, which people sometimes
overlook. To take the ordinary
and turn it into something so
extraordinary. That’s a talent
INTERVIEW: DOUG CHIANG
03
HEROES
“I always looked up to Ralph
McQuarrie and Joe Johnston,”
says Chiang. “They were always
at the pinnacle of who I aspired
to be in terms of an artistic
film designer. During my first
year at ILM, Joe Johnston was
working with Spielberg on
Always (1989) and he was often
in his office doing storyboards.
I was afraid to bug him, but I
04 would sneak in when he wasn’t
there and look at all of his
storyboards, which he would
always pin up on the wall. It was
just great to see him work. I
was too afraid to really engage
in any serious conversation with
him, but it was great!
“When I started working
on Star Wars in 1995, I finally
got to meet Ralph McQuarrie,
and that was really amazing.
I actually got to know him
pretty well, and spent quite
a bit of time with him, really
picking his brain. He was such a
nurturing, mentoring artist, and
so generous with his time. It
was so great to hear his stories
about how he started out,
how he started working with
George, and how he designed
certain things. Through that,
my admiration for him grew
even further. For me, he is
the Star Wars aesthetic. And
to really get to know him—to
understand how he thought
and how he approached
design—was really incredible.
“Ralph’s thumbnail sketches
were most impressive for me,
because there is an economy
of design that is so efficient. He
could convey so much with so
little. That’s something that I
think is lost on a lot of younger
artists now. At first glance you
can say, ‘Oh, that’s easy.’ But,
finding that clarity is so hard.
He just makes it look simple. It’s
something that I keep chasing,
even today. So much of what
he did, including non-Star Wars
projects, is just so strong.”
06
05 Supervising that I really admire, and I still Spielberg’s War of the Worlds
the detailing try to emulate it today.” (2005). Then, in 2007, he joined
of a life-sized
battle droid In 2002, Chiang left Lucasfilm Zemeckis’ new joint venture
prop. to launch his own venture, the with Disney, ImageMovers
06 Chiang on the
boutique design firm IceBlink Digital, and worked on the
miniature Studios, which contributed pioneering motion-capture
podracer to blockbuster movies such movies Mars Needs Moms (2011)
hangar set.
as Robert Zemeckis’ The Polar and A Christmas Carol (2009).
Express (2004) and Steven At the same time, he was also
STAR WARS INSIDER / 65
 INTERVIEW: DOUG CHIANG

08
working on his own passion 07
projects, including the illustrated
novel Robota, and Mechanika,
a how-to book for budding
sci-fi artists.
“I like to do my own projects,”
Chiang explains. “Robota actually
came about when I was working
with George. I needed another
outlet, I wanted to improve my
skills and challenge myself even
further. Not that my day job
wasn’t challenging enough,” he
clarifies. “But Robota allowed
me to go in a different direction.
The idea was something that
I was always kind of thinking
about, ever since I was a kid. In
some ways, it was a project that
instigated my whole portfolio
and got me the job on Star
Wars, combining old and new
technology with Western art.”

Return to the fold

Today, Star Wars is back at the
forefront of Chiang’s attention.
After spending 11 years away
from Lucasfilm, he returned
to the fold in 2013, when he
accepted the position of vice
president and executive
creative director.
“My role now is to help
oversee all the Star Wars designs
for all of our franchise projects,
including the theme parks,” he
says. “It’s a fantastic job and I
wouldn’t trade it for anything,
but it can be hard work, too.
There are usually three to five
projects on the go at any time,
and different filmmakers have
their own very specific points
of view about how they want
things to be. My job is to help
guide those visions, whether
that means art directing other
designers, or contributing art
myself, working on several
projects at once.”
“It really empowers me to know that
I’m 56 and I can still learn new things,
Those projects have included
the latest big-screen installments
of the Skywalker Saga, and the
standalone Star Wars Story films.
Right now, Chiang’s day-to-day
is largely concerned with the
as-yet-untitled Episode IX. “We
are currently in a heavy design
period for Episode IX,” he says.
“So I’m busy overseeing other
artists and helping to guide
the team, and managing all
the other projects, while still
finding time to contribute some
actual artwork. It’s a really rich
environment to be in, and every
07 Art from day is different because things
Chiang’s Robota
change very quickly in terms
(Digital).
of story or the demands of the
08 “Jodphur direction. It’s a unique role.”
Warriors” from
Robota by Doug And with Lucas no longer
Chiang (acrylic). driving the look of the Star
Wars world, Chiang is a unique
09 Chiang at
Pinewood resource for his fellow designers,
Studios during too, able to offer authentic
Rogue One: A advice about how ‘George might
Star Wars Story.
have done it.’ “I do my best to
10 “Desert fulfill that role,” Chiang demurs,
Derelict” from
Robota by Doug “but there’s only one George
Chiang (acrylic) Lucas! Now, instead of George
we have a collection of people,
myself included, and the Story
Group, who use our knowledge
of the Star Wars universe to see
just how much we can break the
rules and push the envelope.
“The new filmmakers are very

still work with the coolest people, and much like myself, in that we all
grew up with the original trilogy
hopefully next year do it all again.” and we are all huge Star Wars

66 / STAR WARS INSIDER

 INTERVIEW: DOUG CHIANG
10
fans. I help them to push the boundaries without
contradicting what has gone before in the Star Wars
universe. What we come up with may not be exactly
what they asked for or were expecting, but we come
up with ways to fit the story they want to tell. We
all want to try to make our best version of Star Wars
with respect to George, while also taking that legacy
to the next level.”
Reflecting on his return to Lucasfilm after more
than a decade away, Chiang admits that it was quite
“frightening” at first. “I was coming back into an
environment where I was adamant that I wanted to
be just an artist. I wanted to draw and design things
myself,” he explains. “But I was so rusty!
“After working more than 10 years as a
production designer where I was mostly supervising
other artists, I remember coming back as an artist
and realizing that I had to relearn skills, and actually
learn new techniques. I always want to be a better
artist than I was last year, and I really pushed myself
09
to learn 3D software. It was
really hard, but I knew I had to
do it. For the first three months,
I would design during the day,
doing my best to keep up with
the other artists. At night I would
learn 3D software on my own.
I’m really glad I did, because it’s
a very effective tool. Improving
my skills is one of the things
that drives me, and is why I do
a lot of homework on my own.
I am still adamant now about
being an artist. Even though I’m
overseeing multiple projects, I
always try to carve out time to
actually do designs, because I
think it’s so important. It’s a part
of me that I don’t want to lose,
and now that I’ve learned some
new tools and techniques, it’s
such a fun thing to do. I wish I
had more time, but everybody
says that, don’t they?”
Now 30 years into his career,
Chiang looks back on all the
opportunities, successes, and
occasional stumbles that have
led him back to Lucasfilm with
nothing but utter gratitude.
All of those experiences have
made him the creator that he is
today, working in a world that
first sparked his imagination
as a teenager in the suburbs of
Detroit, Michigan.
“I love what I do,” he grins
with unabashed enthusiasm. “I
love working with the people
that I’m working with, and I
love the projects. Even with all
the pressures of production, it’s
totally worth it. But the funny
thing is—and I think this is true
of a lot of artists—what drives
me is the fear factor. Every time
a new project comes along, I ask
myself: Can you still do this?
“In this industry, we’re all
judged by our last work. So even
though someone on the outside
might say, ‘Hey Doug, you’ve
accomplished quite a bit,’ I will
always worry that next week, if I
can’t do it, I’m out. That’s what
motivates me to stay on top of it.
When you can’t do that anymore,
it’s time to move aside—and I do
not want to do that yet! I want
to keep this going for as long
as I can, always getting better
as an artist and as a designer. It
really empowers me to know that
I’m 56 and I can still learn new
things, still work with the coolest
people, and hopefully next year
do it all again. It’s just such a
great feeling.”
STAR WARS INSIDER / 67
 WORLDWIDE C E L E B R AT I N G
CROCHET REN
“Get the yarn dyed. Knit it, if you have to.”
F
rustrated, unpredictable,
more than a little angry…
Kylo Ren is a man prone to
emotional outbursts, so what
would he make of being knitted
into such an undeniably cute toy?
Viktoria Yevl was aware of Star
Wars before she met her husband,
but hadn’t seen any of the movies
until they sat down one day and
watched them all. “That’s how it
68 / STAR WARS INSIDER
T H E S A G A
starts,” the 23-year old mother of
two from Ukraine says, “And now I
don’t know how anyone cannot
like the Star Wars universe!”
Yevl learned how to crochet at
school, but had forgotten all that
she had learned when inspiration
took her to create her very first
crocheted Star Wars character.
“Master Yoda was my first one,”
she says. “He was big and a little
awkward, but my daughter is still
playing with him. When Star Wars:
The Force Awakens came out, I
had noticed online that no one
had attempted an amigurumi Kylo
Ren, so I decided to fix that.”
Amigurumi is the Japanese art
of knitting or crocheting small,
stuffed yarn creatures, and Yevl
has used the technique to create a
collection of Star Wars characters,
including Rey, Luke Skywalker, and
Darth Vader, in addition to her
Yoda and Kylo Ren amigurumi.
“I can crochet a figure in two
evenings,” Yevl reveals. “The
details can sometimes take a lot
 INSIDER NEEDS YOU!
We want to hear from you! Tell us about your
Star Wars experience. What made you into a
fan? What have you done in the name of Star
Wars? Tell us your Star Wars story by sending
your photos, art, and letters here:

starwarsworldwide@titanemail.com
Or via regular post:
ARTISTS’ ALLEY
Talented Star Wars fans share their amazing
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of time, especially the hair. I think

about how to crochet a toy and
try to imagine how it should look.
If the knit is very complicated I’ll
sketch it first. I was thinking about
how to express Kylo’s character,
his face, nose, and mouth, but in
the end the best way was just to
sew eyebrows!”
How does Yevl choose which
characters to crochet? “That
01. SOLO SKETCH-A-DAY
comes from my husband,” she
says. “He asks me all the time why
“I love the weird and wacky designs of Star Wars,” says West Michigan-based
haven’t I crocheted this person or educator and fan artist Kendall Schroeder, who marked his anticipation for Solo:
that person yet? I hope that one A Star Wars Story with a different Solo sketch every day leading up to the movie’s
day I’ll have a huge collection of release. “From L3-37 to Therm Scissorpunch, Star Wars keeps things wild!” he
Star Wars amigurumi.” adds. “And Chewbacca wearing goggles? Can’t get better than that!”

STAR WARS INSIDER / 69

 WORLDWIDE

BOUNTY HUNTERS
Scouring the galaxy for the
stars of Star Wars...

Meet the stars, show the evidence, win

the bounty! Bounty Hunters is sponsored
by Kotobukiya. Each issue's winner will
receive a fantastic Kotobukiya Star
Wars statue kit! To see more,
visit www.facebook.com/kotobukiya

H
e played the stern rebel leader who
read off the long list of Jyn Erso’s
alleged criminal offenses in Rogue
One, but the man who brought General
Draven to life is actually quite nice, reports
fan Thomas Storai. In January 2017, actor
Alistair Petrie stopped by Pulp’s Comics in
Paris for a signing, and Storai grabbed an
autograph and snapped this photo.
“It was amazing meeting him,” Storai
BEN’S
says. “He was very kind to fans, and as it
was a very small event he took the time to
IMPERIAL
01
talk with everyone and take pictures.”
MARCH
Charity trooping along the River Seine.

02
01 Thomas Storai with Alistair Petrie—Rogue One: A
Star Wars Story’s gruff General Draven.
02 Storai’s prized momento of the occasion is a
photograph signed by Petrie.
B
en Allen is a massive Star Wars
fan, and he loves nothing more
than dressing in his
stormtrooper armor and going for a
stroll. With friends Simon Cherry and
Matthew Mew in tow, in 2016 he
walked in full trooper gear from the
Isle of White (an island off the south
coast of England) to London, raising
thousands of pounds for charity. On
April 28th, 2018, Allen set off on a
more ambitious charity trek, from his
island home to Paris, France.
“The benefit of doing this in a
Star Wars costume is that it
immediately makes a connection
to the type of charities we raise
money for; for children,” says Allen.
“Kids love the franchise, the
characters, and the sense of
adventure. Walking to France is
our adventure and it sparks hope
in those who have little, knowing
that this crazy guy in white plastic
armor is risking his sanity to help
someone who needs it.
“The trooper gear instantly gets
attention, no matter where you are.
It’s a conversation starter that then
turns into a possible donation to
the charity.” The charity benefitting
from Ben’s Imperial March 2018 is
Layla’s Trust, a local organization
which helps to support bereaved
families and aids those who care
for children with life-limiting
conditions and terminal illness.
Planning the logistics for the
walk was complicated, but Allen
and his friends had help from a
telecommunications company, and
from his local garrison of the 501st
Legion. “The support from my local
garrison was amazing, but that was
nothing compared to the French
501st in Paris. Not only did they
host an amazing welcome under
the Eiffel Tower, but they donated
501 Euros and brought us French
delicacies and gifts.”
Marching in full stormtrooper
armor has its downsides, however.
“It is a massive temperature
conductor,” explains Allen. “Once
you’re cold, it stays that way for
ages. When it gets hot—in Paris
it was 29 degrees Celsius—it
basically cooks you. And it’s never
a good idea to leave going to the
restroom until the last minute, as
it’s not fun removing everything in
a hurry!”
Follow the complete story on
Allen’s twitter feed @BensImperial.

70 / STAR WARS INSIDER


WILD ATLANTIC REY
Cosplay on the coast of Ireland
T
here are cosplayers, and there
are cosplayers willing to go
that extra mile—or many
hundreds of miles in the case of Sara
Parker—to grab the perfect photo
opportunity. But which came first—
Parker’s Rey costume, or the idea of
visiting the stunning Irish coastline
of the Wild Atlantic Way, where
scenes for Star Wars: The Last Jedi
were filmed?
“When the first promo photos
for Star Wars: The Force Awakens
came out, everybody was doing
the ‘light’ version of Rey,” Parker
explains, “but I toyed with the
thought of a Dark Rey and turned
it into a cosplay. I love the interplay
WORLDWIDE
between the light and the dark
sides of the Force, and express it in
my costumes.”
The trip to Ireland was initially
planned for another cosplay shoot
entirely, as Parker is also a fan of
epic TV series Vikings. “We were
planning a photoshoot at the
location where Vikings was shot in
Ireland, for my Lagertha cosplay
[Lagertha is a Viking queen in the
series, played by actor Katheryn
Winnick],” says Parker, who admits
she has been running around in
costumes since she was three
years old. “At the same time the
trailer for The Last Jedi rolled out,
and I saw an opportunity to shoot
my Dark Rey on the Wild Atlantic
Way. Our trip turned into a full-on
cos-vacation and we did multiple
cosplay shoots.
“I’m from a small town in
Germany originally,” adds Parker.
“Growing up there, you are
exposed to stories of knights and
swords becasue of our annual
medieval festival. As a kid I was a
sucker for heroic tales, so it’s not
surprising that I fell in love with the
world of Jedi Knights, rebels with
barely a hope, kickass princesses,
in a beautifully set-up universe.”
You can discover more of
Parker’s cosplay adventures via
instagram @nerdishcosplay.
STAR WARS INSIDER / 71
 “BEGUN,
THe CLONE
WAR HAS!”
Three years after Star Wars: Revenge of
the Sith saw the Jedi rendered all-but extinct
and a new Empire ruling the galaxy, Lucasfilm
Animation wound the clock back to tell the
spellbinding story of the conflict
which led up to it.
Insider marks ten years since the debut
of Star Wars: The Clone Wars !

WORDS: JAMES FLOYD

 STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS

en years ago, in

T
2008, a new animated
Star Wars TV series
launched and Star Wars:
The Clone Wars became
the entry point for a whole
new generation of Star Wars
fans, while making existing
fans question everything they
thought they knew about Anakin
Skywalker’s journey to the dark
side, the fall of the Republic, the
Force, and the huge potential for
Star Wars storytelling on TV.
The show ran for six seasons
until 2014, capturing hearts and
minds with some of the most
grown-up content ever to bear
the name Star Wars—despite

being conceived for and aimed at

a younger audience. It redefined
“As the series what an animated TV series can
progressed, not only be, and changed how we view the

did the sophistication prequel trilogy by adding more

depth and backstory than three
of the animation entire movies could ever hope to.

continue to advance, As the series progressed, not

only did the sophistication of the
but also the stories it animation continue to advance,

told became bigger but also the stories it told became

bigger and bolder, encompassing
and bolder.” genres as diverse as war, horror,
romance, political thriller, and
comedy. While the main stories
followed the exploits of Anakin
Skywalker, his Padawan Ahsoka
Tano, and their fellow Jedi, plenty
of other episodes showed us the
galaxy from the perspective of
clone troopers, bounty hunters,
senators, pirates, droids, and even
dark side Force users. Instead of
merely bridging the story between
Star Wars: Attack of the Clones
and Revenge of the Sith, creator
George Lucas and supervising

STAR WARS INSIDER / 73

 STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS

“The Clone Wars weighed

in on quite a few serious
subjects without pulling
any punches.”

(Anakin), Catherine Taber (Padmé), surrounding that already iconic

director Dave Filoni used The
Clone Wars to delve more deeply
into the underlying mythos of Star
Wars—exploring the very nature
of the Force and Jedi prophecy,
what it means to live as a highly
conditioned clone, and the realities
of life in a galaxy at war.
At first, viewers tuned in for the
adventures of familiar characters
such as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Padmé
Amidala, Yoda, and Chancellor
Palpatine, but soon they fell in
love with characters developed
especially for the show, from
Ahsoka Tano and Captain Rex to
the likes of Hondo Ohnaka, Cad
Bane, Fives, and Satine Kryze.
Serious fans also came to know
and love the voice-over artists
behind these new favorites: James
Arnold Taylor (Obi-Wan), Ashley
Eckstein (Ahsoka), Matt Lanter
and many more.
Watching the Wars
First broadcast on Cartoon
Network in the United States, The
Clone Wars started off by telling
discrete stories, either as single
installments or as multi-episode
arcs. These stories were set during
the war between the Separatists
and the Republic, with little to link
them in a wider, developing saga.
But by the end of the third season,
the show had progressed toward a
more serialized style that drove the
larger story toward the inevitable
outcome of Revenge of the Sith.
Along the way it filled in gaps
and provided answers to questions
raised by the prequel films (the
third and final of which had been
released in 2005), with perhaps the
most important being: How could
the loyal soldiers seen in Attack of
the Clones turn into the executors
of Order 66 just a few years later?
The show ratcheted up the drama
moment by making many of the
clones—from Captain Rex to
Echo, Waxer, Hardcase, and 99, all
voiced by Dee Bradley Baker—into
sympathetic, highly watchable,
and fully rounded characters.
At the same time, the show
also set up its own mysteries and
questions, such as what would
happen to Ahsoka Tano—a major
character who had left the stage by
Revenge of the Sith. Even during
the development of the show, Dave
Filoni admitted that the young
Padawan’s fate hadn’t been set in
stone, and that he’d gone back and
forth as to what would happen to
her. Indeed, for a television show
in a 30-minute kids’ slot, The
Clone Wars weighed in on quite
a few serious subjects without
pulling any punches. While many

“Rather than making the show

wholly about the vicarious
thrill of war, the writers found
ways to combine exciting
space battles and lightsaber
duels with tales about its
consequences—the lives lost and
those irrevocably damaged.”

74 / STAR WARS INSIDER


of the characters established in
the prequel movies were known
to survive to Revenge of the Sith
or beyond, the safety of others
was not guaranteed. This created
a level of tension that was backed
up by the showrunners’ courage
in killing off the likes of Adi Gallia
and General Tarpals when the story
demanded it.
Rather than making the show
wholly about the vicarious thrill
of war, the writers found ways to
combine exciting space battles and
lightsaber duels with tales about its
consequences—the lives lost and
those irrevocably damaged. The
Umbara story arc in Season Four
is a prime example of this, as Rex
wrestles with the moral dilemma
of orders that will expose his men
to unreasonable risk. In the end,
his own men disobey the orders
of their own volition and end up
facing the death penalty for their
insubordination. It’s heavy stuff,
but it goes to the heart of what Star
Wars is about. The conflict between
good and evil isn’t always fought
on a galactic scale between Jedi and
Sith. It’s something that
New Faces
The Clone Wars introduced a host of
new characters who quickly became
fan favorites, and would go on to
appear in other Star Wars shows,
novels, comics, and even the movies:
Ahsoka Tano
Voiced by Ashley Eckstein
As a Togruta child, Ahsoka
Tano was brought to the Jedi
Order by Plo Koon. During the Clone Wars,
she was assigned as a Padawan to Jedi
Knight Anakin Skywalker, who affectionately
nicknamed her “Snips.” She fought using a
reverse grip with her green lightsaber, and
later adopted a shorter yellow-green blade,
becoming a formidable warrior.
Cad Bane
Voiced by Corey Burton
A blue-skinned Duros, Cad
Bane was one of the galaxy’s
top bounty hunters. With his menacing
voice, distinctive wide-brimmed hat, and
breathing tubes, he struck fear into his
opponents—and sometimes even his allies.
He dared to double his price when working
for Darth Sidious, and was worth every
credit—proving a match for the likes of
Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Captain Rex
Voiced by Dee Bradley Baker
Clone trooper CT-7567,
known as Rex, served as
second-in-command of General Anakin
Skywalker’s 501st Legion. An exemplary
soldier who believed in the importance of
experience, and a leader who valued every
one of the men under his command, Rex
was a friend to Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano,
and Obi-Wan Kenobi, and to his fellow
clone, Commander Cody.
Hondo Ohnaka
Voiced by Jim Cummings
Hondo Ohnaka was the witty
and jovial Weequay captain
of a band of interstellar pirates. The fickle
Hondo was willing to work for or against
anyone, so long as it kept him alive and
there was lots of profit in it. Rarely at a loss
for words, Hondo was cunning, dashing,
and occasionally even kindly—though the
same could not always be said of his crew.
Saw Gerrera
Voiced by Andrew Kishino
Before raising Jyn Erso
and becoming a thorn in
the side of both the Empire and the Rebel
Alliance as a live-action character in Rogue
One, Saw Gerrera was a charismatic but
hot-tempered rebel on his home planet,
Onderon. He clashed for the role of leader
of the insurgency against the Separatists
with his sister, Steela, who was a cool-
under-fire sniper.
STAR WARS INSIDER / 75
 STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS

Marching Orders
If you originally watched Star Wars: The
Clone Wars in the order in which it first
aired, then there is an alternative option if
you’re planning to revisit the series: Instead
of starting with the 2008 theatrical release,
you could try viewing the episodes in the
chronological order of events as experienced
by the characters.
That sequence looks like this:

Season 2, Episode 16 “Cat and Mouse”

Season 1, Episode 16 “The Hidden Enemy”
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)
Season 3, Episode 1 “Clone Cadets”
Season 3, Episode 3 “Supply Lines”

Season 1, Episode 1 “Ambush”

and consecutive episodes up to...
Season 1, Episode 15, “Trespass”

Season 1, Episode 17 “Blue Shadow Virus”

and consecutive episodes up to...
Season 1, Episode 21, “Liberty on Ryloth”

Season 2, Episode 1 “Holocron Heist”

and consecutive episodes up to...
Season 2, Episode 3, “Children of the Force”
Season 2, Episode 17 “Bounty Hunters”
and consecutive episodes up to...
Season 2, Episode 19, “The Zillo Beast
Strikes Back”
Season 2, Episode 4 “Senate Spy”
and consecutive episodes up to...
Season 2, Episode 14 “Duchess of Mandalore”
Season 2, Episode 20 “Death Trap”
and consecutive episodes up to...
Season 2, Episode 22, “Lethal Takedown”
Season 3, Episode 5 “Corruption”
and consecutive episodes up to...
Season 3, Episode 7, “Assassin”
Season 3, Episode 2 “ARC Troopers”
Season 3, Episode 4 “Sphere of Influence”
Season 3, Episode 8 “Evil Plans”
Season 1, Episode 22 “Hostage Crisis”
Season 3, Episode 9 “Hunt for Ziro”
and consecutive episodes up to...
Season 3, Episode 11, “Pursuit of Peace”
Season 2, Episode 15 “Senate Murders”
Season 3, Episode 12 “Nightsisters”
and consecutive episodes up to...
Season 3, Episode 22, “Wookiee Hunt”
Season 4, Episode 1 “Water War”
and consecutive episodes up to...
Season 4, Episode 22 “Revenge”
everyone must reckon with, and
the consequences are still immense.
The Big Questions
The Clone Wars was also unafraid
to touch on the big philosophical
questions, such as what it means
to be human, and to have free will.
In Star Wars: Attack of the Clones,
the clone troopers are established
as essentially the equivalent
of battle droids, albeit organic
and more intelligent. They are
interchangeable and expendable,
with no loved ones to miss or go
back to should the war be won.
The moral implications of this are
implicit in the film, but become a
central theme as The Clone Wars
progressed on TV. The clones,
who had been encouraged to take
names and form bonds, recognize
that while they had been bred as
obedient soldiers, they have the
potential to be so much more.
Rex saw this through his
interaction with Cut Lawquane,
a clone deserter who realized the
futility of war and instead pursued
a peaceful family life. Waxer and
Boil built up a relationship with
Numa, a Twi’lek child they found
on Ryloth, eventually drawing
her image on their helmets and
considering themselves to be her
adoptive big brothers. After the
carnage on Umbara, Rex and Fives
begin to think about what they
will do after the war, if they get
the chance. Being human is more
than simply having a human body,
they realize. It means being free
to make choices and being able to
determine one’s own destiny.
On the flip side, even the
battle droids in The Clone Wars
provided an exploration of the
human condition. Mined for their
comedic value on the big-screen,

Season 5, Episode 2 “A War on Two Fronts”

and consecutive episodes up to...
Season 5, Episode 13 “Point of No Return”

Season 5, Episode 1 “Revival”

Season 5, Episode 14 “Eminence”

and consecutive episodes up to...
Season 5, Episode 20 “The Wrong Jedi”

Season 6
 STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS

“The clones, who have

been encouraged to take
names and form bonds,
recognize that while
they had been bred as
obedient soldiers, they
have the potential to be
so much more.”

on TV their dialogue pointed

to something more than just
machine in them. Tragically, they
recognized that they had been
designed with limited capabilities
and could never hope to exceed
them. When R2-D2 takes charge
of a squad of reprogrammed battle
droids in Season Three’s “The
Citadel,” they tell their astromech
leader that it has been an honor
to serve. Could a battle droid have
a true sense of honor, or simply
an awareness that such a concept
exists? Is there a difference? It’s a
subtle, throwaway line, but these
are the sort of grown-up questions
inspired by the show.

The Jedi and the Force

One of the most significant events
in The Clone Wars tackled all of
these themes and more—from
questions of free will to questions
about who would survive the
series—while also expanding our
conception of the Force within the
galaxy. Presented as a three-episode
arc during Season Three, the Mortis
trilogy introduced the Father, the
Son, and the Daughter—beings
who existed somwhere outside of
reality and who embodied aspects
of the Force itself. Their internecine
struggle cast a new light on the
prophesy of the Chosen One,
first mentioned in Star Wars: The
Phantom Menace, and played
with accepted ideas about Anakin’s
destiny. Perhaps it posed more
questions than it answered, but
it fed into Yoda asking himself
similar questions in Season Six. “Could a battle
droid have a true
Drawn to Dagobah by the Force
spirit of Qui-Gon Jinn in the
episode “Voices,” Yoda ultimately sense of honor,
realizes that serving the light side
means more than just maintaining or simply an
the Jedi Order—an epiphany he awareness that
eventually gets to share with Luke
in one of the most affecting scenes
such a concept
in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. exists?”

STAR WARS INSIDER / 77

 STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS
The idea that the Jedi Order
doesn’t have all the answers gets
its fullest exploration in another
of the show’s most important
arcs: the four episodes that see
Ahsoka leave the Order at the end
of Season Five. With titles that
reference Alfred Hitchcock films
(“Sabotage”, “The Jedi Who Knew
Too Much”, “To Catch A Jedi”, and
“The Wrong Jedi”), the episodes
78 / STAR WARS INSIDER
are as suspenseful and as cinematic
as the very best big-screen dramas,
and serve as a satisfying conclusion
to Ahsoka’s far larger arc, which
began five years before.
Since Season One, audiences
had seen the character grow from
a young Padawan in awe of Anakin
Skywalker and the Jedi ideals
into a battle-hardened young
adult capable of making her own
decisions about who and what to
believe in. Faced with the fact that
the Jedi Council had not trusted
her when she was falsely accused of
murder—and cannot admit to its
shortsightedness—she concludes
that she can no longer stand
alongside them.
Just as the prequel and original
movie trilogies are coming-of-
age stories that end with Anakin
and Luke Skywalker adopting
their adult roles as Sith and Jedi
respectively, The Clone Wars is
Ahsoka’s story, culminating in her
choosing a third, perhaps more
difficult path. Now, of course,
we know more of Ahsoka’s story
through Star Wars Rebels, but it
does not detract from the impact
of her striking out alone after
five years of Jedi adventures. For
viewers, it was a stark reminder
that the Jedi’s allegiance to the
light side of the Force did not make
them infallible, and that their
inflexibility had its own part to
play in the growing darkness that
would envelope the galaxy.
A Lasting Legacy
After five seasons on Cartoon
Network and a sixth, shorter
season (subtitled “The Lost
Episodes”) on Netflix, The Clone
Wars on TV came to an end in
2014. But with the show having
won a loyal audience (and a
number of Emmys and other
awards), there was still an appetite
for new adventures. To meet this
demand, eight unfinished episodes,
with only rudimentary story-reel
animation, were made available on
starwars.com in 2014 and 2015.
Further story arcs that had
been planned but not put into
production were loosely developed
as a multimedia initiative referred
to as the Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Legacy. This included the novel
Dark Disciple by Christie Golden,
based on eight episodes written by
Katie Lucas, and the comic Darth
Maul: Son of Dathomir, written by
Jeremy Barlow and based on four
unproduced episodes.
Away from The Clone Wars’
own storylines, the show’s
characters have also continued to
have an impact in other corners
of the Star Wars galaxy. As well as
“The idea that
the Jedi Order
doesn’t have
all the answers
gets its fullest
exploration in
another of the
show’s most
important arcs.”
 STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS
“Away from The Clone
Wars’ own storylines, the
show’s characters have also
continued to have an impact
in other corners of the
Star Wars galaxy.”
affording Ahsoka a pivotal role,
Star Wars Rebels has also seen
appearances by clones Rex, Gregor,
and Wolffe, pirate Hondo Ohnaka,
and Darth Maul—who was
resurrected and vastly developed
in The Clone Wars. Ahsoka also
starred in an eponymous novel
by E.K. Johnston in 2016, and
now features in the animated
microseries Star Wars: Forces of
Destiny, while Ohnaka is set to
appear in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
at Disney theme parks from 2019.
Ten years after it all began, fans
are still in love with The Clone
Wars and its rich exploration of
the Star Wars galaxy in the time
before the Empire. Many fans cite
it as their favorite part of the entire
franchise, and all acknowledge it
as an important part of the Star
Wars canon, worthy of its place
alongside the movies. For some,
The Clone Wars was their first step
into the larger Star Wars world,
while for others, it breathed new
life into their fandom and gave
them a new perspective on their
favorite movie saga. Thanks to
Rebels, Forces of Destiny, and the
latest movie trilogy, new fans are
going back and discovering the
series all the time, ensuring that we
will be celebrating The Clone Wars
and its enduring legacy for many
more decades to come.
Encapsulating
The Clone Wars
All the key events in one column!
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)
and Season One
Anakin Skywalker is assigned a Padawan,
the inexperienced but quick-thinking Ahsoka
Tano. Together they foil General Grievous’
plans several times, destroying his warship
and rescuing R2-D2. Jar Jar Binks thwarts a
plan to catch Padmé then helps rescue Anakin
and Obi-Wan from the pirate Hondo Ohnaka.
Anakin protects pacifists from a Separatist
bioweapon on Maridun and finds a cure for a
killer virus released on Naboo. Ahsoka loses
her squadron over Ryloth, while Obi-Wan and
Mace Windu triumph on the ground.
Season Two
Bounty hunter Cad Bane kidnaps Force-
sensitive children for Darth Sidious, but
Ahsoka and Anakin stop him. The Jedi recruit
Padmé to spy on her ex, Senator Clovis, who
saves her from poisoning. Ahsoka stops an
invasion of brain worms. Rex encounters a
clone deserter, now a family man. Obi-Wan
and his lost love, the Duchess Satine of
Mandalore, battle the Death Watch who are
trying to overthrow her. Young Boba Fett fails
to exact vengeance on Mace Windu.
Season Three
Padmé negotiates for peace and solves
a senator’s murder. After Dooku betrays
Ventress, the Nightsisters create Savage
Opress to use against him. Anakin destroys
the balance of the Force on Mortis when he
refuses to succeed the Force-powerful Father,
who believes Anakin is the Chosen One.
Anakin befriends Tarkin, sharing a pragmatic
view about winning the war. Captured and
hunted by Trandoshans, Ahsoka works with
Chewbacca to escape.
Season Four
The Jedi, with Gungan assistance, win the
Battle of Mon Cala. Anakin loses trust in the
Jedi Council when he believes Obi-Wan is
dead, meanwhile an undercover Obi-Wan
infiltrates Cad Bane’s plot to assassinate
Palpatine. Grievous eradicates the Nightsisters
and their undead army. Savage Opress finds
his long-lost brother Maul; together they catch
Obi-Wan, but Ventress helps him escape.
Season Five
The heroes train Saw Gerrera to lead an
insurgency on Onderon, but his sister Steela
dies in the battle. Ahsoka guides younglings
in finding their lightsaber crystals. Maul and
Savage Opress overthrow Mandalore and kill
Satine in front of Obi-Wan, but are stopped by
Darth Sidious. While investigating a bombing
at the Jedi Temple, Ahsoka is framed for
murder and becomes a fugitive. Exonerated
but feeling betrayed by the Jedi Council’s lack
of trust, she leaves the order.
Season Six
Fives discovers the Order 66 chip in all
clones, but is killed before he can reveal the
conspiracy. Anakin gets jealous when Padmé
helps Clovis. After hearing Qui-Gon Jinn,
Yoda undertakes a quest to fully understand
the Force and learns the secret of becoming
a Jedi spirit.
STAR WARS INSIDER / 79
The
Star Wars
Archive
Lights! Camera! Action!
Rare images from the
Star Wars photo archives.

80 / STAR WARS INSIDER

 A familiar dark
figure looms behind a
doomed rebel trooper
during the filming of
Rogue One: A Star
Wars Story’s thrilling
final scenes.

Photo: Giles Keyte

STAR WARS INSIDER / 81

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