A brief look at some appetizing recent news first, then we'll get to our main entree…
Disney Buys a Fox
As a Star Wars fan, only one thing interested me about this business-merger-purchase thing between Disney and 20th Century Fox: Can Disney now have unhindered distribution of the original trilogy? The very first movie, Star Wars (as it was called back in the day) was distributed by 20th Century Fox, and from what I understand, the deal between Lucasfilm and Fox meant that Fox had exclusive distribution of Star Wars… forever. I don’t think the same kind of deal applied to Empire Strikes Back or Return of the Jedi or to the prequel trilogy, but that first movie was a sticking point. That original deal must have soured any plans Disney may have had of releasing a new box set of Star Wars Blu-Ray discs as well as including A New Hope in their upcoming streaming service. To complicate matters, it seems TBS has broadcast distribution rights to episodes I through VI and Disney is trying to change that (and getting rejected by TBS so far).
I don't pretend to understand all these business doings except that a lot of money is involved. In the end, I think Disney will be able to stream all the movies on its service and also get that nine-movie “Skywalker Saga” box set out. Somehow, it will happen.
After all that, however, I still wonder about another idea: how about finally releasing the unaltered cuts of the original trilogy in high quality? Who knows if Disney or Lucasfilm is even considering it, but all these purchases and distribution negotiations do break down some of the barriers that have been preventing such an undertaking. In other words, it gives us hope.
I’m with the Resistance this Fall
BB-8, Poe, Finn—who else? An animated series based on characters and events from the sequel trilogy? Yes, please! Just like the other trilogies, there are plenty of story gaps to fill, and Dave Filoni is the person to do it.
Perhaps we will get more background on Finn from his initiation as Stormtrooper FN-2187. I would also like something more about Lor San Tekka and how he knows about Leia and the Force, and his relationship to Kylo Ren. Whatever the content, it begins this fall.
The series is supposed to take place a few years before The Force Awakens so I think it’s not wrong of me to conjecture that we’ll get some back stories. I’d like to see many familiar faces in the Resistance, including Admiral Holdo, Admiral Akbar, and perhaps more about sisters Paige and Rose Tico. How did they join and how did they end up with separate roles in the organization? There are a great many possibilities that are quite exciting to consider ,and since we’ve had two great animated series already, the bar is set pretty high. Speaking of those past series…
Clone Wars Saved
J. J. Abrams has already begun filming Episode IX, which gives the director a unique chance to return to the franchise and finish ideas he may not have completed with The Force Awakens. It will be interesting to see if any story threads The Last Jedi left open will be revisited in the last film of the sequel trilogy.
Like J. J. Abrams, Dave Filoni is geting a second chance to finish off his storylines with the return of the celebrated Clone Wars animated series. Through five seasons, we watched the friendship between Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi develop, and saw the depth of Ahsoka Tano’s character grow. Even after the “Lost Missions” episodes finally came out in 2014, not all of the stories we’d been following were wrapped up.
This supposed final season of the show includes 12 episodes that will be released on Disney’s upcoming streaming service sometime in 2019. Fans of the award-winning show have hoped against hope for a conclusion to the series for a long time, and Lucasfilm, along with Disney, are making those dreams come true. With Dave Filoni at the helm, it is more than just a good-will gesture to fans, it is an active response to fans that Lucasfilm and Disney see the series as a priority. It shows they’ve been listening.
“Star Wars: The Clone Wars Official Trailer” © Star Wars/Lucasfilm.
Star Wars Food and Drink… Festival?
Besides blue milk, what do you think of when you think, “Star Wars food?” Maybe you thought of the snack sticks that Yoda tasted from Luke’s lunchbox on Dagobah. Perhaps you considered roasted Porg that Chewbacca almost ate on Ahch-To. I had considered before what kinds of foods and drinks could be served in Galaxy’s Edge that would fit the Star Wars theme and add to the immersive experience. To add to that speculation now, a recent post about Star Wars foods on the official site had me thinking about Batuu cuisine.
From Solo: A Star War Story, we are introduced to Colo Claw Fish, which looks like space fish eggs. So, okay, I’m sure there will be some upscale dining in Galaxy’s Edge, but would that include sushi and caviar? Churros are expensive, enough.
From The Force Awakens we have Rey’s “portion bread.” This quick-cooking green muffin is much better-looking as a special effect than a consumable treat. However, I think it could have potential for vacationers’ palates if you can actually see it grow like in the movie and, of course, if it is actually edible. Presentation is everything with that one.
The new Thrawn: Alliances book by Timothy Zahn reveals some interesting drinks served at Batuu’s cantina at the time Darth Vader and Thrawn visit the outpost. Although this story takes place shortly before the Battle of Yavin (Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope), the place still stands and so the traditions and recipes of Black Spire Outpost could live on to the time of Galaxy's Edge's opening in 2019. In the novel, drinks from the cantina were Black Spire Brew, Batuu Brew, Blurrgfire, Toniray White, Andoan White, and Moogan Tea. The first two must be beers, of course. The “White” drinks are probably wines or that tasty white cherry Gatorade. The last is obviously tea but not much is known about the species from planet Mooga, from which it gets its name, so I'll take a guess there that it's standard tea—we will need some normal drinks on vacation, too. Blurrgfire, I suppose, is either something en flambe or simply a very hard drink like Jim Beam. In either case, its name doesn't do it any favors and simply sounds weird. That could be weird in a good way, though, and perhaps turn out to be something akin to a Bloody Mary or a spicy V8?
Another named drink comes from the 2016 Bloodline novel by Claudia Gray called, “Port in a Storm” that is said to be so strong as to be horrible and only for the fiercest of life forms able to even taste. In the book, the only one to even taste it is Chewbacca; Han uses it as a solvent. As long as Disney Parks don’t take the extremity of these fictional drinks literally, I think it would be a great thing to tie in the names of these drinks into the real experience of the park. If they're going for that complete immersive adventure then we may very well see some of these drinks and dishes defictionalized into real items we can use on our galactic Disney dining plans… just so long as they still serve Coke and Dole Whips.
