Guinness World Records' Largest Hexapod Inspired by Star Wars

A British engineer whose walking hexapod robot was certified as the world's largest by Guinness World Records said he was inspired by Star Wars.

Guinness World Records said the robot built by Matt Denton of Hampshire, England, is officially the world's largest rideable hexapod robot -- a walking robot with six legs. Denton's robot, which measures 9 feet, 2 inches by 16 feet, 6 inches, is named Mantis.

See a video after the jump.

Read more at UPI.

Few Details / Artwork Released for Marvels New Age of Star Wars Maxi-Series

Lucasfilm Publishing revealed the Age of Star Wars line during San Diego Comic Con 2018, where it was announced that there would be 30 issues in total for the project, with each focusing on one hero or villain from each specific era.

The maxi-series is split up into three sections - Star Wars: Age of Republic encorporates the prequel trilogy, Star Wars: Age of Rebellion the original trilogy and Star Wars: Age of Resistance the current sequel trilogy.

 Read more at IGN.

Meet the Aces of Star Wars Resistance in New Video

The skies belong to the Aces.

Star Wars Resistance is an exciting new animated adventure series about Kazuda Xiono, a young pilot recruited by the Resistance and tasked with a top-secret mission to spy on the growing threat of the First Order.

Featuring the high-flying adventure that audiences of all ages have come to expect from Star Wars, Star Wars Resistance — set in the time prior to Star Wars: The Force Awakens — will feature the beloved droid BB-8 alongside ace pilots, colorful new characters and appearances by fan favorites including Poe Dameron and Captain Phasma, voiced by actors Oscar Isaac and Gwendoline Christie, respectively.

Get to know the platform's most daring pilots when Star Wars Resistance premieres Sunday, October 7 at 10pm ET / PT on Disney Channel.

See the video and meet the Aces after the jump.

Battle the Dark Side in These Glow-in-the-Dark Underwear from MeUndies

Star Wars geekery has been taken to the next level.

Underwear brand MeUndies just unveiled a new pattern that bears the likenesses of several of the space opera's most iconic characters and glows like a lightsaber when it gets dark outside.

The original pattern was hand-drawn by the MeUndies team, and it features Chewbacca, Yoda, R2-D2, C-3PO, Darth Vader, and a Stormtrooper.

Read more at Mental Floss.

Star Wars Meets Dukes of Hazzard in LAWRENCE-BURG

If you're in the Atlanta, GA area, you might want to check out this little piece of weirdness being presented by Dad's Garage.

Star Wars meets Dukes of Hazzard in our new version of the classic intergalactic tale, Lawrence-Burg! From the mind of Travis Sharp -- creator of last year's hit musical Wicket -- comes a brand-new take on a beloved movie, now presented smothered and covered in Southern charm. Since we're changing things up, who says the Luke Skywalker character has to be play by a man?

Star Wars Meets Pixar in This Awesome Mashup

Besides being owned by Disney, Lucasfilm and Pixar have one major thing in common: a penchant for memorable and timeless characters. With this in mind, artist Mark Chilcott has come through with the holy grail of fan art—merging the two universes into one with an image that will surely have your imagination working overtime.

Read more at Fatherly.

Dallas, TX Folks! Experience Hyper Reality and Unlock the Secrets of the Empire Inside The Void

What is the VOID?
It’s hyper-reality. It’s technical achievement. But mainly, it’s fun! THE VOID is a whole-body, fully immersive VR experience, full of surprises at every turn; with you, your family and friends inside the action. One second you’re standing on solid ground, the next you’re stepping deep into darkness, looking at unimaginable beauty – or fending off danger from another realm. Did you see it? Did you feel it? What’s next? You’ll just have to experience it to understand.

Dave Prowse Announces His Retirement from Signing Autographs

Dave Prowse, the bodybuilder-turned actor who played Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy, is retiring from all autograph signings.

Clone Wars Voice Actors Officiate "Party Wedding" at Comic Con

From left to right, voice actor Anna Graves, Jessica Schmidt, Chris Payne and voice actor James Arnold Taylor take part in the Star Wars-themed wedding ceremony at FanX Salt Lake Comic Convention at the Salt Palace Convention Center Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018.

Utahn Chris Payne and Californian Jessica Schmidt first met while watching Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and their bond grew from there. As avid members of two Star Wars costuming clubs — the Rebel Legion and the Mandalorian Mercs — Payne and Schmidt had met voice actors James Arnold Taylor and Anna Graves at Salt Lake's FanX convention in the past couple of years. Taylor is the voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi in the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, while Graves voices the Duchess Satine of Mandalore.

Star Wars Ends Alcohol Prohibition at Disney

No self-respecting remote outpost on the edge of the galaxy would call itself a smuggler’s planet without a cantina, and Black Spire Outpost is no exception. Today, I’m pleased to share more details for Oga’s Cantina, which will be serving pilots, bounty hunters, smugglers, locals and galactic travelers alike, when it opens in 2019.

Lucasfilm Releases Publicity Stills From THAT 'Solo' Cameo (SPOILER)

Lucasfilm has given Star Wars fans an early treat, ahead of the digital release of Solo: A Star Wars Story this Friday.

Promotional stills of a particular character who had a cameo in the film have been released - of course, spoilers apply, so check them out after the jump, if you dare to!

Kathleen Kennedy to Become First Woman to Receive Academy's Thalberg Award

Prolific producer Kathleen Kennedy will be the first woman to receive the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The Academy’s board of governors voted Tuesday night to present the honor to Kennedy and her producing partner, Frank Marshall (who is also her husband), at the 10th annual Governors Awards on Sunday, Nov. 18.

The honorary Oscars are given “to honor extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or for outstanding service to the Academy.” The Thalberg Award, a bust of the motion picture executive, is presented to creative producers “whose body of work reflects a consistently high quality of motion picture production.”

Read more at Entertainment Weekly.

Rian Johnson Found 'Last Jedi' Inspiration in 'The Clone Wars'

Rian Johnson has revealed that he was inspired by the TV show "The Clone Wars" when he was writing The Last Jedi.

Just How Many People REALLY Hate Star Wars' New Diversity? Survey Says!

Who hates Star Wars for its newfound diversity? Here are the numbers.

I [Bethany Lacina] collected thousands of tweets from Star Wars fans and used computer algorithms to characterize fan conversations. With tools developed at Cornell University, I examined tweets for positive or negative attitudes, “offensive language’’ (profanity and belligerence), and “hate speech,’’ which includes ethnic, misogynistic, and homophobic slurs, as well as threats of violence. Cornell’s algorithm also classifies extreme slurs against political and ideological groups as hate speech.

I [Bethany Lacina] found that in a keyword search for “Star Wars” or “The Last Jedi” (including variants and abbreviations), about 6 percent of tweets used offensive language. I removed false positives in which the algorithm misunderstood the context. On the other hand, the algorithm cannot detect politely worded attacks, so it’s possible that it underestimates abuse. Nor could I count tweets deleted by their author or for violation of community standards, which disappear from Twitter’s archives. (Twitter’s data suggest about 5 percent of tweets are deleted.)

Read more at The Washington Post.

Billy Dee Williams Training to Reclaim His Title as Lando Calrissian [VIDEO]

Star Wars fans are excited that Billy Dee Williams is coming back to the franchise, and he's getting ready for that return the way he does everything - in style. The 81-year-old actor recently released a short video of himself getting into the physical shape he needs to be in to play Lando Calrissian again. Billy Dee is so cool, he even punches bags in shades. Check out the training clip below. The only thing missing is the Rocky Theme playing over it.

Read more at Cinema Blend.

I can’t think of a better to start my day. Feeling fit, healthy and better than ever. Taking care of body and mind go hand-in-hand.😎@Gunnar pic.twitter.com/4YGkzwknqu

— Billy Dee Williams (@realbdw) September 3, 2018

Star Wars Vehicle and Cosplayers Race to Raise Money for Teenage Cancer Trust

Star Wars characters from a Bosham company are all set to drive a 20-year-old car converted into an X-Wing Fighter from Margate to Corfu to raise money for charity.

This is the second year industrial equipment supplier Heat Load has taken part in the Dumball Rally to raise money for Teenage Cancer Trust.

The Dumball Rally is a non-profit event that takes place once a year. They raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust by attempting to drive old bangers (vehicles) as far as is humanly possible in just a week.

Cars and their drivers must be in fancy dress and Heat Load has chosen Star Wars as their theme.
Heat Load's target for their car is £10,000 but they 'hope to exceed this'.

Read more at Chichester Observer.

Rumor Mill: John Williams and Michael Giacchino Might Provide Music for Disney's Star Wars Park

There's a pretty interesting rumor being floated by Making Star Wars. They claim John Williams and Michael Giacchino are collaborating on scoring music to be played at Disney's new Star Wars theme park land, Galaxy's Edge.

Mark Hamill Has a New Padawan and Hero in Bullied Child

Luke Skywalker has a new Padawan.

10-year-old Aiden Vazquez of Desert Hot Springs, California, was punched in the face and ended up getting stitches above his right eye when his backpack was taken by bullying boys at his elementary school. When 5th grader Vazquez's mother asked him why he didn't fight back, he told her, "I got it from Star Wars, it's not the Jedi way."

Mark Hamill repplied to Vazquez's strong moral beliefs via his Twitter:

SHOUT OUT to Aiden Vazquez for his courage & wisdom in the face of adversity. I'm so proud of you for showing that you can be a Jedi in real life. Congratulations, Aiden- The Force will be with YOU... Always!!!
Your fan, mh https://t.co/jkWqrhMaC0

— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) August 29, 2018

Watch the New 'Star Wars: Resistance' Featurette 'Meet Team Fireball'

In case you haven't heard, we have a new animated Star Wars series coming this October, and Lucasfilm just released a featurette introducing you to all the new characters.

Get Groovy for #MichaelJacksonDay

Check Out Fan Film Bucketheads Trailer [VIDEO]

Every side has a story worth telling.

Bucketheads is an independent Star Wars short film about a squad of storm troopers caught behind enemy lines.

Discover the story of Nova Squad on December 8th on the Transmute Pictures YouTube channel.

The full film stars Mark Meer — perhaps known to many as the voice of the male version of Mass Effect protagonist Commander Shepard — and even has input from the iconic 501st Legion of Star Wars cosplayers, lending it a nice level of Star Wars authenticity.

Out now at select festivals.

I have to say that this looks pretty entertaining and well-crafted for a low-budget production.

Watch the trailer for Bucketheads after the jump.

Take a Look at the Star Wars Resistance Poster

A new poster for upcomig animated series Star Wars Resistance has popped up online courtesy of Disney. The anime-styled artwork has BB-8 rolling out front-and-center followed by series lead Kazuno Xiono and his team of other pilots.

You can read more at Comic Book Resources.

See the trialer for Star Wars Resistance after the jump.

Matt Smith is Joining the Cast of Episode IX

Doctor Who star Matt Smith will appear in Star Wars: Episode IX, reports say.

Get Ready for a Star Wars Christmas with This 8-Foot, Inflatable AT-M6 Gorilla Walker

The neighbors will have a hard time competing with your Christmas display this year if you have an 8-foot, inflatable Star Wars AT-M6 Gorilla Walker in a Santa hat looming over your lawn.

Read more at ComicBook.com.

See video after the jump.

Did Qi'ra Know Who She Was Talking Too at the End of Solo?

Solo: A Star Wars Story has much more intriguing connections to Star Wars’ recent past beyond just telling the tale of a younger Han Solo. But the upcoming novelization of the movie, just like other recent Star Wars adaptations, is adding more—including an intriguing wrinkle left unstated by the film.

In the last act of the movie, Qi’ra, Han’s former paramour and current operative for Crimson Dawn, makes the decision not to flee with Han after the death of her boss, Dryden Vos. Instead, she contacts the Dawn’s leader and works her way up the criminal underworld’s career ladder, leading to a frosty holo-call with none other than [Darth] Maul himself. He snarls a bit, twirls his double-bladed lightsaber (just so you really know it’s Maul), and tells her to meet him on the planet Dathomir, promising that they’ll be working very closely going forward.

Maul’s name isn’t mentioned in the scene, and while he makes it clear that he knows Qi’ra well enough, the encounter is shrouded in enough mystery that you might assume Qi’ra herself already knew who Maul was, and was just making a shrewd move in contacting him, like the many other decisions she’d made throughout the film. But according to a StarWars.com interview with Mur Lafferty, the writer of the Solo novelization, the book will make it clear that Qi’ra had no idea who was on the end of that call when she made it.

Read more at io9. 

Happy National Bowtie Day!

Pilot Gets Fired After Using Jabba the Hutt as A Job Reference

Credit: Mike Chua.

46-year-old pilot Nigel Francis McGann lost his job when his bosses found out he named famed Star Wars villain Jabba the Hutt as a reference on his application.

McGann was accused of putting lives at risk with his bogus attempt at being captain with cargo firm West Atlantic UK.

Read more at Deccan Chronicle.

Intern Tells the Story of Star Wars... But Has Never Seen It! [VIDEO]

Your relationship to Star Wars is something that can define you when it comes to pop culture... for better or worse. There are fans who are  obsessed with it, people who detest it, and those few who have never seen it. Perla Shaheen, a former editorial intern for CNET, falls into the last category.

"That big hairy creature? I don't know his name, The short, wrinkly green guy with enormous ears? I thought he was in Lord of the Rings," stated Shaheen.

Read more at CNET.

See a video interview with Shaheen after the jump.

#MusicMonday Should Be Celebrated Star Wars-Style!

Episode IX just added a Hobbit to Its Cast!

J.J. Abrams has a habit of casting people he has worked with in the past. He is doing so again for Episode IX.

Enjoy National Waffle Day with This Maul-iffic Treat!

Amidala's Attack of the Clones Dress Being Displayed at V & A Dundee Museum

A gown from Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, made by Scottish costume designer Trisha Biggar, is set to be displayed at the V & A Museum Dundee.

The intricately embroidered dress, which was inspired by vintage Paisley pattern material and features an ornate copper plates headdress and burgundy silk clique coat, was worn by Natalie Portman's Padmé Amidala in the second movie in the prequel trilogy.

The dress will be displayed in the section of their Scottish Design Galleries that represents the power of design in storytelling.

Read more at Insider.co.uk. 

Darth Vader's Castle Explored in New Issue of Marvel Comic

Credit: Lucasfilm

Everyone's favorite Sith Lord's castle on the volcanic world of Mustafar is receiving an origin story in the aptly titled “Fortress Vader” arc in the pages of Marvel’s current Darth Vader series.

The obsidian castle was first introduced in 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and was constructed upon the site of an ancient Sith cave. A bacta tank that allows Vader to meditate outside of his life-supporting armor is located inside its walls.

In a 2016 interview with StarWars.com, Lucasfilm VP and executive creative director Doug Chiang said, “Perhaps [Mustafar] had special meaning for [Vader], and that this is where he comes to meditate and to heal himself,” Lucasfilm VP and executive creative director Doug Chiang stated in a 2016 interview with StarWars.com.

Read more at Comic Book Resources.

Russia Has an AT-AT-Like Combat Walker

Combat walkers, or just 'mechs,' have been a part of science fiction for decades. The most famous examples are the AT-ST scout walker from Star Wars, the Amplified Mobility Platform from Avatar, and the L5 Riesig from the game Battlefield 2142. Non-combat versions include the the Caterpillar P-5000 Powered Work Loader from Aliens.

It’s finally happened: One of the world’s major military powers finally rolled out a giant fighting mech. Russian defense contractor Kalashnikov introduced a 13 foot tall bipedal fighting vehicle it says is suitable for engineering duties or “combat solutions.” But while combat walkers are a staple of science fiction, are they really all that practical?

Read more at Popular Mechanics.

Solo: A Star Wars Story Coming Home on Digital Sept. 14th, Blu-ray Sept. 25th

EXPERIENCE THE FUN-FILLED GALACTIC HEIST SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY SEPT. 14 ON DIGITAL, AND ON BLU-RAY SEPT. 25

Extensive extras invite fans aboard the Millennium Falcon with Han, Chewie and Lando, and behind the scenes with the stellar cast and crew

Lucasfilm’s Solo: A Star Wars Story, directed by Academy Award–winning filmmaker Ron Howard—the creator of unforgettable films, such as A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13, Parenthood and Splash—took moviegoers on this summer’s wildest ride with the most beloved scoundrel in the galaxy, Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich). The action-packed journey explores Han’s first encounters with future friend and copilot Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo) and notorious gambler Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover), as well as his adventure-filled past alongside fellow street thief Qi’ra (Emilia Clarke) and career criminal Beckett (Woody Harrelson). Watch instantly on Sept. 14th as the Millennium Falcon sets course digitally in HD and 4K Ultra HD™ and on Movies Anywhere, and bring the adventure home on Blu-ray 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray™, DVD and On-Demand on Sept. 25.

Stormtroopers Need Pets, too!

Remember That Resistance Fighter Licking the Sand on Crait? That's Normal

Remember that scene near the end of Star Wars: The Last Jedi when an entrenched Resistance fighter dips his hand onto the surface of Crait, licks his finger, spits, and says, "Salt"?

A geophysicist by the name of Mika McKinnon has dug deeper into the significance of the action, explaining the practice of licking rocks, which is apparently a common practice among those who study the composition of the Earth for a living.

"I’m feeling weirdly hurt by the viral tweet mocking geoscientists for licking rocks. I get that we’re a bit weird even for scientists and get a bit more blunt with our toolset, but licking rocks is a real strategy. Taste & texture are diagnostic," McKinnon commented via her Twitter.

Read more at SyFy Wire.

Check out her Tweets after the jump.

Houma, LA's Mike Levron Building A Working Landspeeder Replica

Houma, LA native and resident Mike Levron is building a working replica of a Star Wars Landspeeder for his son, Jacob.

Using a stock 1999 Mazda Miata with a 4-cylinder engine as its base, Levron began customizing pieces to transform it into a Landspeeder about six months ago.

“I went to Lowe’s, bought a bunch of materials and just started building it in my backyard, and it progressed from just a little project to a real-life automobile” Levron said.

Read more at Daily Comet.

Winnie the Pooh Has the Advantage Over Obi-Wan

The Makers of the Lightsaber Started Out Making Fishing Rods?

Kilwell is a Rotorua, New Zealand family's carbon fibre business - and business is good thanks to the company's ability to diversify.

It has been in the fishing and hunting game for 85 years and during that time has developed a number of carbon fibre products including fishing rods, luxury cars and... the lightsabers in the Star Wars films?!?!


"There are certainly times where we are asked to make a certain thing that we don't specifically know what it is used for - either they're not telling us because they don't want to, or they can't. We have a recipe to build a piece of tubing and that's what we do," Kilwell Director of Sales Geoff Wells commented.

Read more at 1 News Now.

Leia Organa Will Be in Star Wars Resistance - Who's Voicing Her?

Voice actor Rachel Butera revealed via her Twitter that she will be taking on the iconic role of Leia Organa for the upcoming Star Wars Resistance animated television series coming to Disney Channel later this year.

Butera is known for her work on Rocky and Bullwinkle, Harvey Beaks, and Family Guy.

She's also known for her comedic impressions and other appearances on the Howard Stern Show.

Butera shared, "I can finally announce that I have the incomprehensible honor of voicing the role of Leia Organa in the new Star Wars Resistance out this October. Thank you ⁦@CESDTalent⁩ ⁦@DisneyLucasfilm⁩ @sternshow + Carrie Fisher."

Star Wars Resistance premieres October 7th on the Disney Channel.

You can see the actual Tweet after the jump.

New Marvel Comics This Week Feature Poe Dameron and Tobias Beckett

This week, two new Marvel Star Wars comics were released - Beckett #1 and Poe Dameron #30.

See the Trailer for Star Wars Resistance Right Here! Premiere Date Announced! [VIDEO]

The trailer for Star Wars Resistance is finally here! Although it definitely has hints of anime and the stylings of Avatar: The last Airbender, it still has a unique quality to it that I'll have to adjust to. However, at least it is 2D animation or appears to be. Check out the trailer after the jump and more info on the premiere date and time for the show.

Dave Filoni Won't Be Running Star Wars Resistance

Dave Filoni told IGN that he will not be as involved with Star Wars Resistance as most of us would hope he is. With the relaunch of The Clone Wars, it makes perfect sense that his involvement in the day-to-day inner workings for Resistance would be handed over to someone else. In the interview, he expanded on what his role with the new series:

“Resistance is a bit different, in that I’m not on that day-to-day. I created and set it in motion, but I’ve given that to other people to raise up, people that I’ve worked with a long time, who I think deserve the opportunity to tell stories and I think it’s exciting, and I give them my thoughts and notes – I was just doing that this morning, like George [Lucas] would give me. So that’s fun.”

Read more at /Film.

Star Wars Replica Toy Causes Apartment Evacuation by Police

A homemade toy briefly prompted the evacuation of a block in the Middleton, Wisconsin neighborhood Tuesday morning, according to a news release.

At 6:33 a.m., Middleton police received a report of a suspicious item outside an apartment building in the 7100 block of Belle Fontaine Boulevard.

A photograph of the suspicious item was circulated to officers at the scene so that all evacuated residents could be interviewed about the item, police said.

It was during one of these interviews that a 12-year-old resident of the adjacent apartment complex identified the package as a Star Wars replica toy that he had made on the previous day.

The boy said he had been playing with the item outside and had forgotten it next to the police car the night before.

Read more at Channel 3000.

Phantom Menace Actor Teaching Lightsaber Classes

Photo credit: Camden New Journal

Andrew Lawden was Liam Neeson’s stand-in double in 1999 Star Wars film.

Mr Lawden has been travelling around the country (London) teaching children the art of the fictional power sword, and throughout August his Jedi Fight Academy will be running classes in Theatro Technis, Somers Town.

Ewan Mcgregor Knows Nothing About an Obi-Wan Kenobi Spinoff

Appearing on The View, Ewan McGregor claims there are no plans to do an Obi-Wan movie that he's aware of. Of course, this could be a case of the actor just trying to keep himself clean of spreading too much hope or gossip to fans who have been campaigning for such a film for many years. He seemed to be trying to clear the air on The View:

A Clone Army of Rose Ticos? Sounds Like a Great Idea!

Credit: Rebel Scum News

Here's something that should get all the uptight Rose haters blood boiling. Writer Jason Fry posted the image above with the following caption on his Twitter:

"BRB, proposing a story in which a Rose Tico clone army raids an old Imperial depot and then takes Otomok back from the First Order. Thanks for the idea, @rebelscumnews!"

Sign us up! We'd definitely read that!

Wrestler Zack Ryder Loves His Star Wars Black Series Figures

Pro Wrestler Zack Ryder opened up a delivery of the Star Wars Black Series figures and reviewed them for viewers. He was very excited in the video posted on the WWE's Twitter. You can check out the video after the jump.

It's Even #LeftHandersDay in a Galaxy Far, Far Away!