news

 
wednesday 30th november 2005 11 days until cynthia cummens interview, 5 days until clone wars volume 2 dvd...
>>>spencer at iconic impressions brings you news of his business, with particular interest to star wars and Lightsabre fans.  "the guys at www.iconic-impressions.com are offering a 10% discount and free uk p&p (discounts on international postage) to anyone who mentions this website. iconic impressions specialises in contemporary art based on pop culture including paintings of star wars (some even signed by the stars). they can work from any picture so if you have a favourite movie star/scene, a band you love or even your own photo why not arrange a commission. the company was set by the international-selling, award-winning artist spencer arnold who has studied both fine art and graphic design. spencer has a real love for his subject matter and has earned a great reputation since setting up his own studio."  so, get right over to www.iconic-impressions.com and get that piece you've always wanted made up, and save money on postage by mentioning Lightsabre.
tuesday 29th november 2005  
>>>setnin select reaches number 169 with a piece by louis turfrey.   this shows the peaceful world of moot and the placid lake morbia.  for more looks into the worlds of setnin, just click on the mini banner above and go through the setnin select archive.
monday 28th november 2005  
>>>friend of the site and future Lightsabre guest cynthia cummens brings us news of an exciting new project featuring the work of a number of prominent star wars artists and Lightsabre interview guests.  over to cynthia.   "topps has a new set of lord of the rings trading cards called evolution. it's the first ever all character series and features sketch cards from many official star wars artists including me, joe corroney, randy martinez and matt busch. i'm mentioning us four because you've interviewed all of us. sketch cards are one of a kind, original hand-drawn sketches inserted into packs of trading cards. topps will be updating their site by the end of the week with info about the set, but I've attached a full page ad that ran in the recent issue of previews. and here's the link to topps web site it currently only has info about the older set of lord of the rings cards, but like I said, they'll be updating their site this week with info about evolution. oh, and the sketch on the ad is mine:)"  thanks to cynthia, and you can read our interview with her in less than two weeks right here on Lightsabre.

lord of the rings evolution cards coming soon

sunday 27th november 2005  
>>>we are thrilled to bring you our interview with admiral motti himself richard leparmentier.  richard was a great guest and his answers can be found here or by going through the sidebar and hitting interviews.  then discuss it at our forum or at smugglers rants on starwars.com-blogs.

richard leparmentier

saturday 26th november 2005  
>>>it's official - you are about to click through to one of the coolest and funniest star wars sites on the entire internet, and we're not talking about the george lucas which flannel shirt shall i wear today site, which you can find by going through here docking bay 101 has a huge list of star wars music made by fans, bands, wierd al yankovic among others.  for a thoroughly good time get your right mouse buttons clicking and save some of these songs by going to our links section and hitting the guides section page or clicking your left mouse button here.
friday 25th november 2005  
>>>the office of glann cipple, set high on level nine of his amagad fortress, saw much activity during the years of his reign and was a vital location during the newbold-hicks productions years and the roleplay era.  to view click here or click on maps of the setnin sector and check out the full set of maps.

glann cipples office

thursday 24th november 2005  
>>>our look at selected characters of importance from the history of the setnin sector continues with geon tasar, an enemy of glann cipple and a vital cog in the machinery of the setnin underworld...

geon tasar

 

A medium sized operator in the Setnin Sector before his operation was annexed by the late Duze Jostenn, Tasar was later Operations Supervisor in the Dressel operation on Cawbate. Tasar eventually lost patience with Dressel’s methods and went solo again, building a good reputation as a shrewd operator not to be messed with.  A tall, powerfully built man and sometime ally of Glann Cipple, Tasar was eventually killed on Luronsa IV by the mercenary Ryath Centaur in hand-to-hand combat. Centaur later destroyed the remainder of Tasars operation on the planet Weaktreen.

wednesday 23rd november 2005  
>>>the official star wars site has some pages from the new novel dark lord - the rise of darth vader.  telling of the time just after revenge of the sith, this james luceno novel promises to be a thrilling read, filling in many important moments in the early days of anakin's transformation into darth vader.  for a sneak look at the novel, click here.

james luceno's dark lord-the rise of darth vader

tuesday 22nd november 2005  
>>>setnin select reaches number 168 with a piece by the starving artist chris williams.   this shows weale galletti, undercover as glann cipple spy in jabba the hutts court, watching an altercation between two other dancing girls.  for more looks into the worlds of setnin, just click on the mini banner above and go through the setnin select archive.
monday 21st november 2005  
>>>harry potter and the goblet of fire opened huge this weekend around the world with an estimated 3-day take of $101,425,000 in america, plus another $80 million worldwide, giving it the 4th biggest opening weekend ever behind shrek 2's $108,037,878 and revenge of the sith's $108,435,841.  spiderman still leads the way with an amazing $114,844,116.  packed full of amazing ilm effects, this is a likely contender for the best special effects crown at the oscars in march alongside jarheads, war of the worlds, king kong and revenge of the sith.

harry potter and the goblet of fire

sunday 20th november 2005  
>>>we finally remove our revenge of the sith box office mojo counter as the final star wars film leaves cinemas and begins a record-breaking run on dvd.  sith leaves us with a $380,270,577 domestic tally, combined with $468,158,778 overseas for a grand total of $848,429,355 and 11th place on the all-time worldwide box office list.  not bad takings for the fifth sequel to a film universal passed on and that george lucas hoped would do "planet of the apes-type figures, $20-25 million dollars."
>>>to show we're not too sad to see star wars finally leave the big screen, here's master yoda showing us what he did next...

saturday 19th november 2005  
>>>this could very well turn out to be complete nonsense, but the beat have posted this item regarding the possible future of star wars television.  “i just wrapped principle shooting on a new star wars project called forced alliance - basically, it's a 30-minute short film that george lucas wants to use as a template for where the franchise is headed from here. in a nutshell, luke skywalker is now an old man and has trained a whole new generation of jedi knights - but these aren't the old-fashioned, pure and chaste jedi. these jedi have good hearts but sordid pasts - and their fighting style is a combination of the force and good old street smarts.” also mentioned was the climactic scene of the pilot is a Lightsabre duel between a former pirate/smuggler/gambler turned jedi villain darth teros, silhouetted against a giant window that looks out onto the starry universe.
friday 18th november 2005  
>>>george lucas gives a fascinating interview with the hollywood reporter on a number of subjects, including the future direction of the film industry.  for a detailed look at this insightful interview, click here.

yoda in the make-up room

>>>also at the hollywood reporter is an excellent look back at 30 years of industrial light and magic, from those first, tentative steps on a new hope right up to revenge of the sith and beyond.  and lucas gives some interesting information.  "one of the biggest misconceptions about us is that ilm is expensive. it's not -- it's actually one of the most competitive places when you consider that we deliver for the bid price. if it goes over, we pay."  click here for the whole story.
thursday 17th november 2005  
>>>our look at selected characters of importance from the history of the setnin sector continues with the saluras child, chatroots loyal and deadly bodyguard...

saluras child

 

Immense droid three meters in height powerfully built with a thick black strip running where the eyes should be and with cannons instead of hands that originally belonged to the legendary Chatroot and his Howlrunners.  The Saluras Child left the Mid-Rim and journeyed throughout the galaxy fulfilling its master’s wishes of protecting the weak and innocent until it was stumbled upon and subdued by Separatist forces during the Clone Wars.  Its programming subverted, the Saluras Child became a weapon of evil used by agents of the Confederacy of Independent Planets.  The droid was lost at around the time Chatroot and his men disappeared into the Soluman Delta Gulf, ultimately to be buried in their ship the Salura Star beneath the sands of Clayboss.

wednesday 16th november 2005  
>>>in advance of our forthcoming extensive guide to the world of amagad we introduce a detailed map of the planets major city.  drawn in the early 90's by jonathan hicks and updated by mark newbold, this shows amagad city, base of glann cipple and centre of the setnin underworld.  to view this impressive city click here or click on maps of the setnin sector and check out the full set of maps.

amagad city

tuesday 15th november 2005  
>>>setnin select reaches number 167 with a piece by jonathan hicks.  this shows ecaps city being destroyed by imperial forces during the events of the very first story written by mark newbold, 1982's quest for freedom.  for more looks into the worlds of setnin, just click on the mini banner above and go through the setnin select archive.
>>>sideshow collectibles have released images of the upcoming jedi luke skywalker - regular edition action figure. the 12-inch jedi luke figure include authentic likeness of mark hamill as luke skywalker from return of the jedi, fully articulated short male body with 30 points of articulation, authentic costume includes the grey tunic, black shirt & pants, and boots, accessories include hooded cloak, detailed belt with Lightsabre hook, Lightsabre hilt, Lightsabre hilt with ignited blade, femur bone from rancor battle, multiple interchangeable hands, including force wield left hand, gloved right hand, blaster damaged right hand, Lightsabre grip left hand, Lightsabre grip right hand. the figure stands 12 inches high and will retail for $49.99.

sideshow collectibles luke skywalker

monday 14th november 2005  
>>>we bring you promotional pictures from the art of star wars in singapore from our great friend david guivant.  take a look, and if you're in the area, get down there for what's looking to be an amazing exhibition.
sunday 13th november 2005  
>>>we are over the moon to bring you our interview with chewbacca himself peter mayhew.  we interviewed peter the day after becoming a us citizen and his answers can be found here or by going through the sidebar and hitting interviews.  then discuss it at our forum or at smugglers rants on starwars.com-blogs.

peter mayhew

saturday 12th november 2005  
>>>in just one week of release, revenge of the sith on dvd and battlefront 2 brought in sales of $210 million in america, canada, the uk, germany, italy, spain, australia and latin america, capping a record-breaking year for the franchise.  jim ward, senior vice president of lucasfilm and president of lucasarts, said, "the phenomenal sales underscore the enduring strength of the series. in many territories, dvd and game sales were nearly double what we initially expected. consumers are clearly eager to experience the movie again in pristine dvd quality and to immerse themselves in the star wars universe by playing star wars battlefront 2."  enjoy the official trailer of battlefront 2 right here.

battlefront 2 revenge of the sith
friday 11th november 2005  
>>>with the release of the revenge of the sith dvd, the flannelled one has laid to rest an old question.  "now that we can watch them together and in order you will see that the story is about anakin skywalker and the choices he unwittingly made to become darth vader. How can someone so good, turn so evil? you will see the rise and fall of anakin skywalker and then you see the rise and fall of darth vader, which ultimately leads to his redemption by his son. so darth vader destroys the sith, by killing himself and sidious; therefore, the prophecy is true...darth vader does bring balance to the force. the events through the saga and the fall of anakin skywalker was unfortunately....inevitable."
thursday 10th november 2005  
>>>our look at selected characters of importance from the history of the setnin sector continues with captain mendip khan, a hero of the fall of chancai who fell into the machinations of daemon garr and his twisted plans...

captain mendip khan

 

One of the youngest Imperial Captains. Entrusted with the modified VSDII Deliverance, later renamed the Sword of Justice, he was a loyal Imperialist until the Battle of Kren’Du where his forces met an invasion from outside the galaxy. Abandoned by his fellow captains and their star ships, he fought bravely, barely managing to save his crew and ship. Escaping to wild space he fought an internal battle with his loyalties and eventually came to the realisation that the Empire was not what he thought it might be. Avoiding a mutiny by loyalist Imperial crewmembers, he officially left the service of the Empire, taking those members of his crew that were loyal with him. Wandering wild space and the Outer Rim Territories he eventually created a top-notch mercenary unit, unique in their loyalty for their captain. They only take commissions from deserving causes, fighting to protect the underdog from the less scrupulous members of the galaxy. They forged a healthy allegiance with an organisation known as the Raven Corporation. All Khan knew was that the Lady Raven paid his prices, and as long as she did, he’d work for her.  Khan sacrificed both himself and his ship the S.S.C Intrepid when helping people escape Chancai after the Ki-Ki invasion, but miraculously survived.  Khan and his crew were captured by the Ki-Ki and Lord Raven swore he would free him.  Ultimately, Khan was liberated by Tar Ranth, Jan Lomona and Ryath Centaur.

wednesday 9th november 2005  
>>>with star wars being dropped as a profitable rpg, events are starting to take place across the country in reaction to this.  jason brown brings us the latest news here.
tuesday 8th november 2005  
>>>setnin select reaches number 166 with a piece by louis turfrey.  this shows the rolling hills and mountain ranges of the planet matsule.  for more looks into the worlds of setnin, just click on the mini banner above and go through the setnin select archive.
monday 7th november 2005  
>>>a-desando, one of the setnin sectors oldest worlds, and once a model of peace and unity.  but what turned her into an imperial loyal planet?  to find out click here or go to the guide section and brush up on your history.

a-desando and one of her moons...

sunday 6th november 2005  
>>>we add two maps from Lightsabre's distant past.  firstly the original setnin sector map, currently being updated for the latest stories.  by jonathan hicks, this is based on 1982's quest for freedom, the nhp audio stories of 1985-1987 and the beginning of the roleplay era.  despite the roughness of the copy this is a detailed look at the original layout  of the sector.  click on maps of the setnin sector and check out the full set of maps.

the original setnin sector map

>>>secondly we add the local sectors.  by paul squire, this shows the neighbouring sectors to setnin.  laid out in 2-d, this shows the sectors surrounding setnin in 360º.  click on maps of the setnin sector and check out the full set of maps.

the original local sectors map

saturday 5th november 2005  
>>>jason brown brings us news of the star wars dj.  check out www.djkeltech.com and be blown away by a seriously gifted dj. if you know your stuff  you'll appreciate how skilled some of the tricks he is doing.  or you can check out the clip below.

>>>empire magazine have an exclusive interview with star wars producer rick mccallum in this months issue.  rick talks about the future of star wars on the small screen, as well as lucasfilms aspirations for lowering production costs on both the small and big screen.  "what we want to do is take everything we’ve learned from feature films and this new digital pipeline and put it back into television and set a standard for how in four or five years time we can start making feature films for five or ten million dollars instead of the $80, $90, $100 million it takes now"
>>>we update our roleplay sections with a new look for the main page, roleplay articles and scenarios as well as news regarding wizards of the coasts future with the d20 system.
>>>here's an early look at the cover of the first book in the forthcoming legacy of the force series, betrayal by aaron allston. The cover is still undergoing slight revisions, but here is the latest iteration by jason felix. and don't forget to visit jasons website by clicking here.

betrayal by aaron allston

friday 4th november 2005  
>>>john hollis, lando calrissian's aide lobot from the empire strikes back, passed away on october 18 in london of natural causes.  hollis had an extensive career in film with major science fiction roles including professor sondergaard in the jon pertwee serial the mutants, the tomorrow people,  blake's 7, adam adamant lives, the avengers, a for andromeda and in the films flash gordon, the superman series and the day of the triffids.

the late john hollis

thursday 3rd november 2005  
>>>after the release of the gif versions of a new hope and the empire strikes back we present the final chapter of the original trilogy, return of the jedi.  again by the guys from foldsfive over at barbelith, this is the entire story of jedi in 60 seconds.  relive the sarlacc pit, the speeder bike chase, the death star battle and vader defeating palpatine.  so for the finale, strap yourselves in kids and watch all three below...

with thanks to richard heywood

with thanks to louis turfrey

with thanks to richard heywood

>>>our look at selected characters of importance from the history of the setnin sector continues with paige centaur, daughter of jan lomona who played such an important role in the resurgence of the setnin sector against the ki-ki...

paige centaur

 

Formerly Paige Retgarr-Lomona and daughter of Jan Lomona and the bar owner Saah Retgarr and wife of Ryath Centaur.  Paige left her home aboard the Livill Station after her mother died of Evitarr Syndrome and struck out to find her natural father.  After two years searching Paige finally found Jan on Amagad, and joined him on his mission to Abrogard.  Occasionally joining her father on missions, Paige finally left A-desando just prior to Frans Latka splitting up with her father.  Accepting his offer, Paige became Romanoe’s chief engineer on Chancai and later assisted Arr Sharn in his work aboard the Euphoria Station.  Year’s later Paige fell unexpectedly in love with her father’s friend Ryath Centaur and the two of them married.  Devastated at the apparent loss of her father in a hyperspace accident, Paige was overcome with joy when Jan returned ten years after from his time across the other side of the galaxy.  In his absence, Paige inherited the Euphoria Station from Luschia Arkensaw and co-ran the Trac-Tran Transit Company, making it a profitable, legitimate concern.  A successful businesswoman, Paige was the link between the TTTC and her husband’s mercenary group the Iron Claws.  Tall like all A-desandian women, Paige had a sharp sense of humour and a swift mind. 

wednesday 2nd november 2005  
>>>it's wednesday and it's time for setnin radio episode 4.  hosted by mark newbold and louis turfrey, setnin radio brings you thoughts, musings, news and information from the world of star wars, Lightsabre and sci-fi in general.  setnin radio is available in two ways - click on your choice of media and listen to a live stream in windows media player or mp3, or alternatively right click, choose save target as and save to your hard drive.
>>>a quick reminder for our uk fans that attack of the clones premieres on terrestrial tv tonight on itv1 at 9.00pm.  following on from the release of both battlefront 2 and revenge of the sith on monday, this is a busy week for all star wars fanatics.

fett chases kenobi in a scene from attack of the clones

>>>carrie fisher appeared in an episode of smallville on the wb october 27th.  the episode, thirst, featured fishers character pauline kahn, editor-in-chief of the daily planet. kahn meets with chloe sullivan, played by allison mack, as chloe applies for an internship at the planet.

"what?  he was your brother?!"

pauline peruses chloe's work  - "it ain't the journal of the whills, but it'll do."

tuesday 1st november 2005  
>>>we enter november and as usual Lightsabre is planning to bring you the best in star wars fandom.  with revenge of the sith now finally on dvd the saga is complete and the countdown truly begins for both the animated and live action series.  but in our first piece of news for the month, check out the trio of images below - digital yoda as he will now appear in all future dvd releases of the phantom menace.

"a strange sensation it was..."

"from rubber to pixels i changed..."

"miss franks hand i do..."

digital yoda from future phantom menace releases - courtesy of aint-it-cool.com

>>>michael piller, best known to television viewers around the world as the executive producer/co-creator of more than 500 hours of star trek, lost his long battle with an aggressive form of head & neck cancer on tuesday, november 1, 2005 at 4:51 a.m. at his home in los angeles. he was 57. he is survived by his wife sandra, daughter brent and son shawn.  for more information on this tragic news, click here.

the late great michael piller

>>>setnin select reaches number 165 with a piece by chris the starving artist williams.  this shows weale galletti in disguise as glann cipples alpha source in jabba's palace.  for more looks into the worlds of setnin, just click on the mini banner above and go through the setnin select archive.
october 2005  
>>>it's the last day of october and so we say happy halloween from Lightsabre.  while today may usually be all about trick or treat, for us star wars fans it's simply a treat as revenge of the sith hits the shelves.  completing the saga's journey onto the small screen, now we can sit back and watch the entire saga in it's correct order, just as lucas intended.

revenge of the sith - out today

>>>we are thrilled to bring you our interview with artist joe corroney.  joe was a top guest and great fun to work with. his answers can be found here or by going through the sidebar and hitting interviews.  then discuss it at our forum or at smugglers rants on starwars.com-blogs.

joe corroney

>>>american stage and screen actor william hootkins, best known to star wars fans as rebel pilot jek porkins, has passed away after a battle with pancreatic cancer. he died 23 october 2005 at st johns hospital in santa monica. he was 58. born in dallas, texas on 5 july 1948, hootkins made his stage debut in a local school production that co-starred fellow student and future oscar winner tommy lee jones. he studied astrophysics and chinese linguistics at princeton university, but soon became involved with princeton’s intime theatre group. on the recommendation of friend, john lithgow (yoda in the radio dramas), he moved to britain after graduation to study at lamda (london academy of music and dramatic arts) and subsequently made his home here. in 1977, he played rebel pilot jek porkins in a new hope. the part was small but had a big impact. in an interview two years ago he joked "in a sense, my career's been downhill ever since. fans still come to greet me at the stage door with action figures of my character and embarrassing photographs for me to sign.”

the late william hootkins as jek porkins

>>>recorded on 3rd december 1987 and completed on 13th january 1988, newbold-hicks productions recorded their 20th and final entry into the nhp star wars universe, ferrerean warriors.  a tough tale of a rebel mission to hunt down a quartet of vicious alien warriors, this story went through a number of drafts, with changes occurring to the finale.  this map, drawn by jonathan hicks, shows the path our heroes took and the trials that awaited them.  you can also find this map in our maps of the setnin sector guide.

ferrerean warriors map-by jonathan hicks

>>>we are proud to bring you the second instalment of our interview with general veers actor julian glover.  julian was kind enough to put aside half an hour to talk to us and the results of that chat can be found here or by going through the sidebar and hitting interviews.  then discuss it at our forum or at smugglers rants on starwars.com-blogs.

julian glover

>>>we finally update our chronology section with the 13th chronology section.  invasion of amagad was the era of increased gang activity in setnin, and contains such important stories as mission of mercenaries, standing in shadow and nine men down.  click through the links above for a close look at this important slice of setnin history.
>>>we finally add our latest interview to the site, and we are excited to welcome artist, director and jack-of-all-trades matt busch.  to catch up on the latest news from matt's world click here or go through the sidebar and hit interviews.  and then discuss it at our forum or at smugglers rants on starwars.com-blogs.

matt busch


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