My Star Wars Entertainment Update for September 2025

Hello friends! Lots of Star Wars stuff to go over this month, so let’s get started.

I’ve recently decided to do a Legends reading challenge, and I’ve finished the first two books in the timeline and posted my reviews. Check out my thoughts on Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void, by Tim Lebbon here, as well as my thoughts on The Old Republic: Revan, by Drew Karpyshyn here.

Comics:

Han Solo: Hunt for the Falcon #1, by Rodney Barnes (Marvel). In “Celebrating 10 Years of The Force Awakens,” (wow) Marvel has our favorite smuggler on the search for the missing Millenium Falcon. In TFA, we see Rey, Finn, and BB-8 run into Han and Chewie in the Falcon after they escaped Jakku (stolen from Unkar Plutt), and we find out the ship had been missing for years. In this new series, Han, along with Lando Calrissian, is in the racing business while Chewbacca is home on Kashyyk with his family. It’s hard to pin down the timeline here, but clearly the Falcon is missing, and his relationship with Leia and Ben is on the rocks. He feels he’s failed as a husband and father and misses the good ol’ days when he was just Han Solo, Captain of the Millenium Falcon.

He decides to leave racing and find his ship. But he needs help, so he travels to Kashyyk and enlists the help of his old friend, Chewie. Chewie is living happily with his family-his wife, Malla, and his son Lumpawaroo (“Lumpy” in the Holiday Special, but he insists on being called “Waroo” here, lol). Han watches them wistfully, seeing how happy they are (compared to his own broken family), but still has no problem asking his friend to leave them to go on an adventure to find their old ship. And of course, Chewie agrees. As Han knew he would. Han comes off as a little selfish here, and I’m trying to decide if it’s out of character for him at this point. Sure, young Han was a selfish rogue with a heart, lol, but by this age, I feel like he knows better. Anyway, off they go to find the first of the Falcon’s thieves, Ducain.

Legacy of Vader #8, by Charles Soule (Marvel). This one starts off with the Knights of Ren with a new leader, Tava Ren. They tell her the story of how Kylo Ren came to be their leader and then abandoned them when Snoke came around for his new apprentice. Tava decides to go to Kylo and pledge her service, but I’m sure she has something else in mind. That’s about all that happens here, flashbacks to when Kylo led them, but I’m hoping the next issue will be more interesting as she inevitably faces off with him.

The Jedi Path, by Daniel Wallace. I’ve had my eye on this one since it came out and finally decided to get it. It’s presented as a Jedi manual for Padawans, with chapters written by Jedi Masters of the past. There are sections on what’s expected of a Padawan, proper dress, lightsaber forms, Force abilities, the Jedi Trials; and because it was written during the Legends era, the various branches of the Jedi, including Consulars, Sentinels, and where Jedi go if they don’t pass their trials (services like the Agricultural Corps, the Medical and Educational Corps, and the Exploration Corps).

What’s fun about this book is that there are handwritten notes in the margins of the pages by various Padawans through the years, including Dooku, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Ahsoka, as well as Yoda and even Darth Sidious, who apparently had the book in his possession at some point. Luke is the last to make notes in here and comments on his students in his new Jedi Academy. These notes (in different handwriting) are little snippets into these various characters and their personalities shine through, as well as show some foreshadowing. For example, on the page describing a lightsaber form against a foe with many limbs, Obi-Wan writes: “I shudder at the thought of facing that many sabers at once.” Of course, he later does in ROTS when he fights General Grievous and his many-limbed lightsaber attack. Anakin makes quite a few snarky comments, where little hints of his darkness come through. In response to a page talking about finding nonviolent solutions, Anakin states: “If you never use your saber, then why have one?” Ahsoka is preoccupied with the Clone Wars and what will best serve in that situation. Ahsoka has been a soldier since becoming a Padawan, so her experience has been very different from all the other Padawans. Really fun book.

Star Wars: The High Republic: The Edge of Balance #1, Manga by Justina Ireland and Shim Shinyo. Now that the High Republic is officially “over,” I thought I’d go back and check out some stories that I didn’t get around to outside of the books. There are a ton of comics, but what stood out to me was this manga series that looked cool. It centers on Jedi Knight Lily Tora-Asi, who is on the planet Banchii with her former Master, the Wookiee Arkoff. They are resettling people who have been displaced by the Nihil, but soon discover another threat: the Drengir. Along with her Padawan Keerin and two younglings, they fight off the Drengir. I love the art in this book, and also the fact that my daughter’s name is Lilly, lol. There are several books in this series, but I only have this one and Precedent right now. I’m working on getting the others.

Star Wars: The High Republic: The Edge of Balance: Precedent, Manga by Daniel Jose Older. This one centers on Arkoff in the past, during Phase 2 of the High Republic. Specifically, during the “Night of Sorrows” on the planet Dalna, where the Path of the Open Hand (which later morphs into the Nihil) fight the Jedi with their Nameless. Arkoff loses his Master to the Nameless, but with the help of their droid and a young Azlin Rell (who is driven mad by the Nameless), he survives. There’s also a Harch bounty Hunter named Vol Garat (who looks like Admiral Trench from the Clone Wars, so I hear his voice whenever Vol speaks, lol) who is working with the Nihil for…some reason. I like the insight we get into Azlin Rell in this one, as he’s a very interesting character in the Phase 3 books.

Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy: Pieces of the Past. The Star Wars Lego specials are a fun treat, and this one was no exception. In this one, Sig Greebling must work with his dark side brother Dev to stop the villain Solitus from reducing the galaxy to a whole bunch of nothing. The thing about Rebuild the Galaxy is that all of the characters we know are flipped or changed in some way: there are the darksiders–Darth Rey, Darth Rose, and Darth Jar Jar, lol. There’s even a scene with dark side Obi-Wan and Darth Revan (who doesn’t speak, preserving the gamer’s option of gender, which is pretty cool). And the lightsiders: Palpatine, Maul, white Vader, etc. Leia is in love with Greedo, not Han Solo, and Luke is a surfer dude. In this one, we meet “new” characters: The Landolorian with Grogu, Giant Chewbacca, blocky Ahsoka, Pirate Queen Padme, the BB8-Wing (a ship based on BB-8 and which I adored, lol), and a deep-cut appearance by Jaxon the green rabbit from one of the first Star Wars comics (voiced by Ben Schwartz, whose voice I recognized instantly as the racer droid Tay-O from The Bad Batch episode Faster in Season 2). The point is, everything is all mixed up in this galaxy; Sig is a “builder” in the Force, and Dev is a “destroyer” in the Force, building and destroying all manner of things from Legos. Sig and Dev work with Jedi Bob, Yessi, and Sig’s droid Servo, along with all of these characters, to defeat Solitus. It’s a super-fun ride, and I’m definitely here for the jokes and laughs.

Oh, and we got a couple of teaser trailers: one for The Mandalorian and Grogu movie (May 22, 2026), and the other for Visions Vol. 3 (October 29, 2025). I’m not going to go into my thoughts on them yet, only that they look great and I can’t wait for both! Here are the trailers:

That’s it for this month. What’s been entertaining you? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

Star Wars Chat Pack: What fear have you faced?

Welcome to Day 27 of my NaBloPoMo Challenge, where I randomly choose a card from the Star Wars Chat Pack.

Today’s question is: Luke Skywalker says, “Confronting fear is the destiny of a Jedi.” Have you faced a fear? What happened?

Hmmm, we’re gonna get reeeaaal personal here, but here goes. Most of my fears have been tied up with being a parent. I’m telling you, you don’t know fear until you realize you have a tiny, helpless human being that depends on you for everything, lol. To stay alive, no less. I could never keep a plant alive, so I had serious doubts about my parental abilities. But the clock was ticking, as they say, and I decided to take a huge leap of faith. I didn’t want to wake up the age I am now and regret not experiencing parenthood.

Once I got over that, I was ecstatic when the good news came. But then, we received some bad news when I was four months pregnant: our baby girl had spina bifida. If you’re unfamiliar with it, it’s a birth defect that affects the spinal cord. It can cause all sorts of problems: mobility, for the most obvious example. She could end up in a wheelchair. Bladder and bowel problems. A shunt in the brain. Learning disabilities. And a host of other things I didn’t want to contemplate.

First, there was shock. Then grief. And then the most engulfing, all-encompassing fear I’d ever experienced. (Rage came later). How was I going to do this? I hadn’t been at all sure I was going to be a good mom to a typical kid. But a child with a disability? Medical needs? How would I work? Would my marriage fall apart with the stress? Why was this happening?

Once the tears were shed and I calmed down (somewhat, a long time later), decisions needed to be made. The doctors couldn’t answer our questions with any certainty (would she walk? would she have mental retardation? what will her life be like?), and I was angry they couldn’t. They’re doctors, not gods, but I wanted them to be; I wanted them to have a crystal ball and tell me exactly what I’d be getting into. But nothing was certain. I had to decide if I was going to make another leap of faith, and continue the pregnancy.

Of course, we were already firmly in love with her. I’d felt her moving inside me; we’d named her. She was our child. I wasn’t going to abandon her just because I was afraid. I had to face the fear. Not conquer it; I never would, in all honesty. I had to feel it, and go forth anyway. So we did.

It was the best decision I’d ever made. I can’t imagine my life without my daughter. And though it’s been challenging, it hasn’t been nearly as terrifying or awful as I thought it might be. She walks, although with braces on her legs, and her balance is a little precarious. She never needed a shunt in her brain. She has bowel and bladder problems, and though it’s challenging, we manage them. She has no sign of any learning disabilities. She’s a beautiful, smart, sassy, sweet, almost-fifteen year old, and though I still live with fears concerning her every single day, I am absolutely blessed to have her in my life.

Thanks for coming to my TED talk, lol. Seriously, though, I feel that if I can get through that kind of fear, I can do anything. And like I said, the fears never go away; they just change shape. You learn to live with them and deal with them.

So even though I don’t wield a lightsaber (and would probably hurt myself if I did), this is how I practice my Jedi powers on a daily basis, lol. Face the fear, feel it, let it pass, and keep going.

What about you? Have you faced any fears? It doesn’t have to be this personal. Maybe you jumped out of an airplane. Maybe you got up in front of an audience to make a speech; maybe you took a trip around the world by yourself. It doesn’t matter what the fear is. The point is in facing it.

Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

Star Wars Chat Pack: Which two characters should meet each other?

Welcome to Day 20 of my NaBloPoMo Challenge, where I randomly draw a card from the Star Wars Chat Pack.

Today’s question is: Choose two Star Wars characters who have never met. How would their first meeting go? Why would you want them to meet?

I want Luke and Ezra to meet. They’re the same age (both born on Empire Day), are both Jedi trained after Order 66, and both knew Obi-Wan (and Ezra met Yoda’s Force ghost). I’d love to see them meet and swap stories about their masters, what it was like to grow up under the Empire, being trained in the wild without the Order (Baylan’s “bokken” Jedi), their philosophies about the Force, etc. Maybe Ezra could help Luke with his school, or help him find Force-sensitives to train.

I think they’d like each other, though they have very different personalities. Ezra’s definitely goofier, while Luke has grown more calm and serious. I want Luke to have a Jedi friend, lol. Ezra at least had Ahsoka for a time, and had Kanan longer than Luke had either Obi-Wan or Yoda.

They could talk about their brushes with the dark side–not just in another person, but within themselves. I wonder if Luke would confide that Darth Vader–who Ezra had the misfortune of meeting and fighting–was his father. It seems a deeply personal thing that he wouldn’t mention to just anybody, obviously, but maybe as a story about the possibility of redemption. I don’t know, I just want them to be friends and to know each other’s stories.

Maybe they’d clash a little bit at first–Luke chides Ezra to be more serious; Ezra complains that Luke should lighten up.

Of course we don’t know where Ezra’s story arc in Ahsoka/the Mandoverse will be going, and I doubt this meeting will take place. I could be wrong, though; Luke has made his appearances in the Mandoverse, and perhaps their paths will cross. I would like to see Ezra train Jacen. Neither Ezra nor Jacen is at the school at the time of its destruction, but that doesn’t mean they don’t spend time there at any point.

If they meet at all, I’m guessing it will be brief, perhaps in a time of crisis with no time to get to get to know each other at all. But in my perfect Star Wars world, they’re good friends. Ooh, I sense a fan-fic coming on! Well, maybe not; but if anyone else wants to write it, I’d definitely read it!

What do you think? Do you think these two would like each other?

What two Star Wars characters do you want to see meet, and why? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

Star Wars Chat Pack: What is your favorite Luke Skywalker moment?

Welcome to Day 10 of my NaBloPoMo Challenge, where I randomly pick a card from the Star Wars Chat Pack.

Today’s card asks: What is your favorite Luke Skywalker moment?

Oh man, there are so many! Here’s just a few that I love:

The Mandalorian entrance. As soon as I saw that X-Wing, I got excited. Is it really him? The black glove! It is him! When Grogu called out to a Jedi on Tython, I figured somebody would answer. I didn’t really think it would actually be Luke Skywalker. But really, who else was there at the time? Ahsoka had already said No thanks, Ezra was on Peridea, and who knows where Cal Kestis was. It was truly awesome to see Luke in his prime again, kicking some Imperial droid butt (even if it was a deep-fake; it still made me happy) and saving Din, Grogu and friends. Loved, loved, loved it.

Fighting Kylo Ren in The Last Jedi. This was truly a remarkable moment: Luke distracting Kylo Ren and the First Order so the Resistance could get away, and he wasn’t even really there. Force-projecting himself across the galaxy (I didn’t even know that was a thing! but of course it is, why not?) is a tremendously powerful thing to do, proving that Luke is at the height of his powers here. I mean, of course it took his life, but what a sacrifice! The most Jedi thing a Jedi can do: fight back without really fighting. The look on Kylo’s face when he disappeared is priceless.

Saving Han Solo and his friends from Jabba the Hutt. When we see Luke enter Jabba’s palace and negotiate for Han Solo, this is really the first time we see him so confident, so sure of himself, and it’s awesome. In A New Hope, he’s a green kid, in The Empire Strikes Back, he’s full of questions and doubts, but here there’s a new maturity and confidence in his powers, and it’s great to see. Wow, he really is a Jedi! Once he entered Jabba’s palace, the whole place was doomed, lol.

I love Return of the Jedi Luke, but my absolute favorite moment, from that movie and everything else, is this one right here (and I don’t think I’m alone):

When Luke throws his lightsaber away, refusing to kill his father and saying these words, he’s stepped into next-level Jedi. He nearly kills Vader, and “wins” the fight, but he realizes he’d pay for that victory with darkness. Just as his father did. Which is no victory at all. His true victory is resisting the dark side and standing up to the Emperor, basically telling him to do his worst (which he does, of course, nearly killing him, giving Vader the chance to save him). This act in itself brings Anakin back from the clutches of Vader; Luke saves his father with compassion. And that, my friend, is Luke’s greatest moment, in my opinion.

What’s your favorite Luke Skywalker moment? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

My Entertainment Weekend Update

Hello my friends, and happy weekend!

I’ve finished Shadow of the Sith, and it’s a great book for the most part, and gives quite a bit of insight into the Sequel trilogy. For instance, many people (sequel haters, to be precise) criticize Rey for knowing so much about starship mechanics when she’s never flown one before. Okay, I get that, but in this book we learn why. Miramir, Rey’s mother, has a natural ability when it comes to mechanics, computers, slicing, etc. She’s brilliant at it, actually. And so Rey apparently inherits this trait from her mother. It’s an inborn knack. So the book seems to be going back and explaining how Rey was so good at it from the get-go. Does it bother me that the book is trying to fill in some holes in the films? Not really. I figured because Rey had the Force, maybe a lot of things came naturally to her. That it came from her mother only makes it more special.

There’s also a situation that I never really thought about until I read this book. When Rey is left behind on Jakku by her parents, they take off in Ochi of Bestoon’s ship. That’s how she recognizes it later on Pasaana. But…why were they on the ship that belonged to the guy who was chasing them? Well, this book explains that, too. So it’s answering questions I never knew I had!

We get a lot more insight into Lando Calrissian and his grief over his missing daughter, Kadara. I feel like this is mostly Lando’s story, and that I know him much better now than before. I can’t say the same for Luke, though. He seems strangely flat to me. I think the author is trying to show him as the calm, collected Jedi Master, but it only makes him seem, I don’t know, empty–like he doesn’t have a personality anymore. It’s disappointing. There’s no character arc for him, except to find this Sith villain, face it and defeat it; but there’s no personal challenges or changes. He’s exactly the same throughout the entire book, while Lando struggles with his grief, his purpose, his impatience, his not knowing. In other words, Lando is portrayed as a flesh and blood human being with flaws, while Luke is…kind of boring. I feel like the author was maybe afraid to do anything with Luke for fear of being criticized like Rian Johnson was for what he did with him in The Last Jedi. And that’s unfortunate, because I was really hoping for a great Luke story, and I didn’t get one.

Otherwise, the rest of the story was quite good and I did enjoy it.

So Padawan by Kiersten White will release on Tuesday the 26th, and I’m looking forward to this one. It’s a YA novel about Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi, and anything Obi-Wan is exciting to me! Can’t wait to dig into that one.

I noticed on Disney+ that the Assembled episode for Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness was released, and I gladly watched it even though MOM wasn’t my favorite Dr. Strange story. I always feel a huge appreciation for all the incredible amount of work and the armies of people that are involved in making these stories come to life, just so we can enjoy ourselves for a couple of hours, lol. Bravo.

So after finishing up Stranger Things Season 4, I was poking around Netflix to maybe find something else to watch, and there are a few movies I’d like to watch in the near future, even though I’ve seen quite few of them. But I came across the TV show Merlin, which came out in 2008 and ran until 2012. I watched every episode when it came out and loved it, and decided to revisit it.

It’s a more family-friendly version of the Arthurian legend, so it’s been defanged quite a bit, but it makes up for it in charm. I’ve rewatched the first episode so far, and it’s going to be great fun revisiting this show. Anybody ever watched it?

That’s it this week. What’s been entertaining you? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

My Entertainment Weekend Update: Shadow of the Sith Edition

Hello friends, and happy weekend!

I received my copy of Shadow of the Sith by Adam Christopher, and eagerly began reading it. It’s a big book (almost 500 pages!) and I’m about 150 pages in and really enjoying it. Basically, it’s the story of Luke and Lando searching for Ochi of Bestoon, which was mentioned by Lando in The Rise of Skywalker. It takes place about 20 years after Return of the Jedi, and about 13 years before The Force Awakens.

There’s some SPOILERY stuff ahead for Shadows of the Sith, so if you haven’t read it yet and think you might want to, proceed cautiously. I haven’t read the whole thing, but I’d like to mention what I’ve read so far.

So this book brings a lot of threads from various Star Wars periods and media together. Ochi of Bestoon, as mentioned in TROS, was seeking Rey and her parents by order of the Sith and Sidious. We see Rey’s parents–Dathan and Miramir–fleeing with Rey across the galaxy, trying to get away from the Sith, and Ochi pursuing them. I think we’re going to get Dathan and Miramir’s story in flashbacks here, which is something I’ve wanted since seeing the sequel trilogy.

We see Luke on the planet Ossus with his new Jedi Order he’s been training, including Ben Solo. But he’s been having visions of a dark, evil place, which turns out to be Exegol. He’s visited by Lor San Tekka (seen at the beginning of The Force Awakens), who is a member of The Church of the Force. Luke and San Tekka have traveled the galaxy together in search of Jedi artifacts and lore, in Luke’s attempt to rebuild the Order. Luke tells him about his visions, and though San Tekka can’t help him, he brings him to the planet Yortuba, on which an archeological dig is taking place.

The dig is being helmed by Beaumont Kin (Dominic Monahan’s character from TROS), and while there, they discover an old Sith holocron and some shards of red kyber crystal. Luke takes both artifacts to the old Jedi temple on Tython and sits on the seeing stone. While meditating on the crystals, he once again finds himself at Exegol, only this time, he’s really there. He’s attacked by nine strange beings, who seem to be Sith acolytes with lightsabers. He’s saved by the intervention of a force ghost–his father, Anakin Skywalker (awesome!). Anakin warns him that a dark threat is looming, and is rather cryptic about it before disappearing. Luke finds himself back on Tython, and that’s when Lando shows up.

So in the meantime, Lando had been gambling on a space station called Sennifer’s Balance and Beam, and overheard Ochi of Bestoon talking with some cohorts about kidnapping a girl, and being “reactivated” by the Sith (he’d been on Exegol with Vader at one point in the Darth Vader comic series, which I haven’t read–but you don’t have to to understand the story).

What caught Lando’s attention is Ochi’s mention of kidnapping a girl–and here we learn that Lando’s own daughter, Kadara Calrissian, had been kidnapped six years ago when she was two. He’d spent the time since scouring the galaxy looking for her, for any clue that might lead to her, and hadn’t really found anything. He decided to get involved, if only to do some kind of good and take his mind off his own daughter, and had gone to Luke because of the mention of the Sith.

In the meantime, we see a Pantoran woman with an ancient Sith mask, a mask that has mostly taken over her mind and she does its will. This woman is Kiza, a character we see in some of the interludes in the Aftermath books. I’m not sure yet what role she’ll play in the story, except that she’s involved in the dark evil that is looming in Luke’s mind.

So yeah, a lot going on here, with lots of different threads that will ultimately come together. I feel like it’s a pretty important book as far as canon goes. You don’t necessarily have to be familiar with all the source material that it borrows from, but it’s neat to make the connections.

In the meantime, I’ve set Black Spire aside (it’s awfully slow sometimes) until I finish this book, but I’m still reading Bloodline on the Kindle.

That’s really it this week, which is why I decided to get a bit detailed about Shadow of the Sith.

And, oh yeah, Thor: Love and Thunder opened yesterday, and I’m hoping to go see it while I’m on vacation this coming week. It looks super-fun, and I can’t wait to see it!

What’s been entertaining you? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

My Entertainment Weekend Update

Hello friends, and happy weekend!

What’s been on my mind mostly this past week is the Obi-Wan Kenobi finale, but I think I have a to say about that, so I’m going to do a separate post for that. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, I’ve been reading Black Spire by Delilah Dawson, and it’s enjoyable. It takes place after the Battle of Crait, but before The Rise of Skywalker. I like this time period because it shows how the Resistance slowly regained allies after their devastating defeat during The Last Jedi. The story takes its time with the world-building of Batuu, which is understandable since it showcases the main venue of Galaxy’s Edge theme park. It’s fun, though.

A live action Vi Moradi from Black Spire, presumably at Galaxy’s Edge.

I also finished Stories of Jedi and Sith, the middle-grade book of short stories that came out a couple of weeks ago. These were some great stories that starred a multitude of familiar characters, including Qui Gon Jinn, Asajj Ventress, Maul, Luke Skywalker and several others. The one I want to talk about is the Luke one, called Luke On the Brightside, by Sam Maggs.

This story takes place on Hoth, when the Rebels are just beginning to set up their base. Luke and another male character, Sergeant Reye Hollis, are about to work on digging some tunnels, when a cave in nearly buries them. Hollis barely tolerates the sunny Skywalker, but now they have to work together to get out of their mess. The interesting part is that the author implies the two, while bickering, are secretly attracted to each other.

The two are always noticing each other’s bright smiles and nice eyes, and the smell of their hair. Not normally something two men would bother to notice about each other unless they’re attracted to each other. It’s subtle but it’s there.

And let me be clear, I have no problem with this at all. I’m just surprised no one else in a particular part of the fan base has noticed and freaked out about it. Or really anyone in the fandom at least raising their eyebrows. Because this is canon, and let’s be honest, this isn’t some new or minor character. This is Luke freaking Skywalker, lol. To suggest that he’s gay or bisexual is a BIG DEAL. It’s huge. I’m waiting for the outrage, but I haven’t seen it. Maybe because it’s a middle grade book and not many “older” fans–the ones who might take offense–have seen it. Maybe it’s going to take a bit of time, but I have no doubt it will make its way into the land of Star Wars controversy. Me? I kind of like the idea. Bravo for the LF Storygroup going there.

Anyway, if you’re a Legends fan, their are some more new editions to some classics:

I actually have an older cover edition of Revan because I thought I might like to read some Old Republic stuff (I couldn’t get into it), and also an older copy of The Bacta War I found in a used bookstore (haven’t read it yet). These covers are beautiful, though. Yes, it’s a new way to get our money, but I don’t think many serious SW book collectors will complain too much.

That’s it, besides the Obi-Wan finale. I did see that Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness is already on Disney+. It just came out a month or so ago, so I’m wondering why I bothered to go to the movie theater, lol. I can’t believe the turnaround time. I may not even bother going to the theater for the next Thor movie. But maybe I will, lol, we’ll see.

What’s been entertaining you? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

My Entertainment Weekend Update

Hello my friends, and happy weekend!

So I’m almost done with Heir to the Empire. I’m so close, lol, but not quite done at the time of this writing. I’ve made it to the big battle of the Sluis Van Shipyards, and am in the middle of that fight right now, which is right at the end. I’ve been reading this book in fits and starts, so it’s taking me a little bit of time to get through it. But it’s been entertaining and fun; and I love how canon has been borrowing stuff from Legends. For example, in this book Thrawn has some aliens called the Noghri working for him to find Leia, and one in particular, Ruk, serves him; in Rebels, Thrawn has a single Noghri working for him–also Ruk–to find the Ghost crew. Neat.

I’ve been continuing my rewatch of Rebels and am almost done with Season Two. On my first viewing Ezra kind of annoyed me, but now I just love that kid, lol. I love them all, but Kanan remains my favorite (big surprise). It’s wonderful to see his arc of reluctant teacher who doesn’t want to get involved to devoted Master and selfless Rebel. My rewatch has been why I haven’t done as much reading lately. 🙂 I’m working on a post about the symbols in Rebels that I hope to publish on Sunday, so stay tuned.

I was excited to see an excerpt and cover reveal of the upcoming canon novel Shadow of the Sith from Starwars.com. If you haven’t read the excerpt, do yourself a favor and go here to read it. There’s a surprise in there that will blow your mind! The book releases June 28th of this year.

Here’s the cover:

Luke Skywalker, Lando Calrissian, and Ochi of Bestoon. Great cover.

That’s it this week. What’s been entertaining you? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

The Book of Boba Fett Episode 6 Review

Please be warned there are major spoilers for Episode 6 below.

“From the Desert Comes a Stranger.”

#$^*(&%$$^&(*(*^%#@@$%&*()_(&*()_)(*&!!!!!!!!!

That’s pretty much how I feel about the latest episode of BoBF, lol. Whew, what an episode!

I really didn’t think we’d get to see Mando visit Grogu at all in this series; I thought we’d get back to Boba and maybe we’d see the little guy in The Mandalorian S3. It’s a strange decision, but I’m not complaining! Nevermind Cobb Vanth, Luke, Ahsoka Tano, and Cad Bane. Cameo riches!

Everything to Expect In 'The Book of Boba Fett' Season Finale - Inside the Magic — OMG, these two…!

So backing up, Din makes good on his decision to go see Grogu (I’m not sure how he knows where they are or Luke’s name at all; Luke gave no information on that when he scooped up Grogu, but maybe they’ve been in contact? I don’t see why they would be, though. Any ideas?). He takes the Naboo Starfighter to a forested planet and runs into R2, who leads him to Luke’s new temple that’s in the process of being built. But no sign of Grogu or Luke. The ant-like droids that are building the temple make a bench for him to wait, so he waits.

Meanwhile, we see Luke training Grogu in another part of the forest. They’re meditating, and Grogu gets distracted by a frog (naturally) and nearly eats it. Luke notices, and uses the Force to lift a multitude of frogs from the pond, showing Grogu what he can possibly accomplish–if he focuses and commits himself. (CGI Luke looks great, by the way. I almost thought he was an actor who just looks remarkably like Mark Hamill, lol).

The Book of Boba Fett Episode 6: Star Wars Characters Cameos — ESB vibes, but cuter.

He talks about Yoda, and helps Grogu remember where he came from. We get a flashback of baby Grogu in the Jedi Temple during Order 66. Three Jedi are defending him against clone troopers who are attacking them. We don’t see how Grogu escapes, however. When he comes to, Luke tells him the galaxy can be a dangerous place, but he will teach him how to protect himself. He introduces Grogu to the training remote, and before long he’s hopping and flipping along, evading the thing. We even get a scene of Luke running through the forest with Grogu on his back, hearkening back to ESB with Yoda. Priceless!

THE BOOK OF BOBA FETT Episode 6 Review - The Last Movie Outpost — Friend of the family.

Din wakes up from a nap to see Ahsoka standing there. He’s surprised, and she says she’s a “friend of the family.” So obviously Luke and Ahsoka have met, and have talked about Anakin. I would have liked to see this meeting, but maybe we will in the Ahsoka show (please?). They walk to where they can see Luke and Grogu training. Ahsoka implies that Din is there for his own sake, rather than Grogu’s, and that if Grogu sees him it will make it harder. He gives her the gift the Armorer made, and with a heavy heart, he leaves.

Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett Episode 6 Review — He looks a bit vulnerable without the armor, no?

Back on Tatooine, Din shows up at Boba’s palace, and we actually get to see Boba with his team. He has no speaking lines, however. Fennec says they need some ground forces or something, and Din says he might be able to help with that. So he goes to see Cobb Vanth and tries to convince him and the people of Freetown to help. I forgot to mention that the episode opened with a scene of Vanth running off some Pykes from his territory. So he knows that trouble is coming, but hates to get his people involved. He tells Din he’ll see what he can do, and once Din leaves, he notices someone walking into town from the desert (oh, he’s the guy from the title). And guess who it is?

Who Is Cad Bane? Explaining the Blue Meanie From 'The Book of Boba Fett' — Blue meanie.

Cad Bane, notorious bounty hunter from the Clone Wars (and recently The Bad Batch, facing off with Fennec over Omega). There’s a superb Western vibe as Bane faces off with Vanth, warning him not to get involved in the coming conflict. Vanth stands his ground, but unfortunately his gung-ho deputy gets involved and mouths off. Bane shoots the deputy down, and injures Vanth, then walks away. Pretty sure they’re gonna get involved now, lol.

The last scene is with Luke and Grogu. He shows Grogu the gift from Din, which turns out to be an adorable little chainmail shirt. But before he gives it to him, he also shows him Yoda’s old lightsaber, small enough for Grogu to wield eventually. Basically, he’s giving Grogu a choice: stay with him and train to be a Jedi, or go back to Din and be a Mandalorian. It ends there, with Grogu’s big sweet baby eyes unsure what to do.

I’m pretty sure Grogu will choose to go back to Din. Luke himself observed to Ahsoka that he wasn’t sure if Grogu’s heart was in the training. And of course there’s that Grogu-sized bubble just waiting for the little guy to fill it on the Naboo starfighter. And that’s why Grogu is not at the temple when Ben Solo destroys it. He’s not, dammit.

Oh, and Garsa Fwips’s cantina is blown up by the Pykes in a terrorist act. Luckily it looked like it was Max Rebo’s night off, so I’m guessing he survived–he’s a lucky little blue elephant guy. But Garsa’s character seems a little wasted here.

The Book of Boba Fett episode 6 recap: Mando diversion brings an epic stranger to town - CNET — RIP. It was her prettiest gown, too.

Anyway, all the chess pieces are being placed on the board, and they’ll all come together next week in the finale. I think. I’m guessing The Book of Boba Fett is a one-shot deal and that there will not be a Season Two. I think, lol.

This show has definitely challenged our expectations of what it was ultimately going to be, and be about. Its structure is odd, to say the least, but it’s also given us some wonderful things, and that alone makes it worth watching. I can’t wait to see what happens next week! (Boba better charge out into the battlefield on that rancor, or I’ll be gravely disappointed, lol).

What did you think of Episode 6? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

A Whole Lotta Star Wars Books Next Year

As a booklover and a Star Wars fan, there’s a lot to be excited about for 2022. There’s a ton of Star Wars books coming out, and I’ve pre-ordered nearly all of them. Looks like I’ll be a very busy reading bee next year! Here’s a run-down of what’s coming up:

The High Republic:

The Fallen Star, by Claudia Gray. January 4th. Adult. The second wave of the High Republic stories is kicked off by this adult novel which continues the Jedi’s struggles against the Nihil. I love Claudia Gray’s novels, so I have very high expectations for this one.

Midnight Horizon, by Daniel Jose Older. Feb. 1st. YA. The young adult entries in the High Republic have been hit or miss with me, but this one concerns Reath Silas, a Jedi Padawan that I’m particularly fond of. So I have high hopes.

There’s also:

Queen’s Hope, by E.K. Johnston. April 5th. YA. I’ve enjoyed the previous two entries of the Padme series (a character who’s often gotten short shrift, in my opinion), and this third in the trilogy promises to be the best of the bunch. It concerns Padme’s marriage to Anakin during the Clone Wars, and I’m eager to see her side of the story.

And then there’s also a new batch of canon Star Wars:

Brotherhood, by Mike Chen. May 10th. (Adult? I think so.) This book centers on Obi-Wan and Anakin on a mission to Cato Neimoidia during the Clone Wars, and maybe we’ll get an answer to Obi-Wan’s cryptic reference to “that business” of Anakin saving him that “doesn’t count.” At any rate, it’s an Obi-Wan and Anakin adventure, and I’m so here for it. Maybe it will coincide with the Obi-Wan series on Disney+?

Stories of Jedi and Sith. June 7th. Middle-grade short stories. This one isn’t as high on my list, but I’m sure I’ll check it out at some point. I recognize a few of the authors and they’re quite good, so I’m betting these stories have a lot to offer.

Shadow of the Sith, by Adam Christopher. June 28th. Adult. No cover yet. This is the one people are frothing at the mouth for–it’s a post ROTJ Luke story (finally!) And it refers to events that will take place in the sequel trilogy: Luke and Lando are pursuing Ochi of Bestoon, a Sith assassin tasked with kidnapping a young girl–Rey. This one comes out on my birthday, and it will make a splendid birthday present to myself, lol.

Padawan, by Kiersten White. July 26th. YA. No cover yet. This one is about Obi-Wan when he is newly apprenticed to Qui Gon Jinn, on a mission to a planet with Force-wielding kids and teens. This one sounds fun, and really, there can never be too much Obi-Wan Kenobi, right?

I’m looking forward to ALL of these books, and I’ll be in Star Wars book heaven for at least half the year.

Are you looking forward to any of these books? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!