A Certain Point of View: Writing, Film and Stuff

Hasbro's #102 Star Wars: The Black Series 6-inch-scale action figure features Wedge Antilles, veteran of the Battles of Yavin, Hoth, and Endor during the Galactic Civil War.  Photo Credit: Hasbro, Inc.© 2019 Hasbro and Lucasfilm Ltd. (LFL)  In 2019, in anticipation of the release of Star Wars - Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, Hasbro (originally known as Hassenfeld Brothers) of Pawtucket, Rhode Island released several "waves" of Star Wars themed collectibles and toys. Some, like the Star Wars Vintage Collection's Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Poe Dameron's X-Wing Fighter, were aimed at adult collectors (such as me!) with their retro late-970s/early 1980s-styled packaging and use of the old "Kenner" brand's logo. I received this beauty as part of my birthday gift during a two-day visit to Disney Hollywood Studios' Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge attraction. Photo Credit: Hasbro, Inc. © 2019 Hasbro and Lucasfilm Ltd. (LFL) Hasbr...

Do you think the Empire in  Star Wars  was based off of the Nazis? The Galactic Empire’s resemblance to Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich is neither superficial nor coincidental. It is intentional. When George Lucas made the original  Star Wars  film in the late 1970s, he and his design team (which included illustrator Ralph McQuarrie, costume designer John Mollo, and storyboard artist/model designer Joe Johnston) looked at 20th Century history and modern totalitarian states for design ideas that would fit the ethos of a ruthless and evil dictatorship in a galaxy far, far away. Nazi Germany was the most obvious font of inspiration for the designers; the Second World War, after all, had occurred only one generation earlier and Nazi uniforms, German army gear and weaponry, and other regalia still evoked the evil tyranny that was the Third Reich. It’s no accident that this Imperial soldier is called a “stormtrooper.” That’s what the brown-shirted rowdies of the Na...

(C) 2015 Dorling Kindersley Limited and Lucasfilm Ltd. (LFL) On April 28, 2015, Dorling Kindersley Limited's DK Books published Ultimate Star Wars, a large "coffee table" format visual encyclopedia which covers "characters, creatures, locations, technology, and vehicles" that have been depicted in the Star Wars saga in film and on television. Written by Ryder Windham, Adam Bray, Tricia Barr, and Daniel Wallace, this 320-page volume delves into the history of a certain galaxy far, far away across various time periods, including the decline of the Old Republic, the Clone Wars and the birth of the Galactic Empire, and the Galactic Civil War.  Ultimate Star Wars is a comprehensive, wonderfully detailed encyclopedia of the entire Star Wars galaxy that explores characters, creatures, locations, vehicles, technology, and more.  Reflecting the saga's epic scope, Ultimate Star Wars is structured chronologically from Episode I: The Phantom Menace ...