The Death Star Human Resources Department Newsletter: November 2, 2024
Well...better later than never
Hello there
What’s this, the latest edition of the Death Star Human Resources Department Newsletter on a Saturday? No, you’re not trapped in the World Between Worlds where time has no meaning. I know I’m a day late and a few Republic Credits short, but I have an excuse. Halloween. I’ll elaborate below, but Halloween in my neighborhood is nuts. No other way to put it. So this week we have the 2nd ever Saturday edition of Death Star HR. The first was the bonus edition for May the 4th.
There’s a lot to get into this week. I recap Halloween and wonder if the youths are into Star Wars, take a look at the latest trailer for Skeleton Crew, there’s some new info on the Rey New Jedi Order movie, and finally the NBA/Star Wars crossover nobody asked for but is kinda fun anyway. As always, thanks for reading. Now let’s get to it.
This Is Where The Fun Begins
This is a step up from my Generic Jedi costume.
Halloween
I mentioned last year that Halloween is a huge deal in my neighborhood. The first Halloween after we moved in, I asked my next-door neighbor how much candy I needed to buy. His response was “as much as you can afford.” Which is no joke. I don’t think we’ve ever made it past 8:30 before running out of candy. This year, the first shipment of candy that arrived was 23.5 pounds. Yes, the first shipment. We ended up with 38 pounds of candy. And I turned the porch light off at 8:22. Which might be a record.
Because we get so many kids, I use Halloween as an unofficial measuring stick of how Star Wars is doing in the zeitgeist. I have to say this year, not great. I saw the following:
1 X-Wing pilot, 1 Darth Vader, 1 Jedi, 2 Stormtroopers, and 2 Clone Troopers. 7 total. Which is actually one more Star Wars costume than last year.
That’s it. Lots of Mario and lots of Spidermen. There were a fair amount of Batmen as well. Some Wonderwomen. Do the Younglings not like Star Wars anymore?
From a certain point of view, I do understand. There hasn’t been a Star Wars movie in 6 years. Starting in 2015, it was a movie a year. Slow pace compared to the MCU, but still a lot of Star Wars and a way to keep the movies and the characters in the public eye. What was the biggest Star Wars story this year? The fanbase fighting over The Acolyte? Also not great.
I wonder if Disney not releasing shows until December effects Halloween as well. Like if Skeleton Crew was a May, or a summer show, would more kids be dressed as Max Rebo Jr.? By the time next Halloween rolls around, Max Rebo Jr. is probably going to be yesterday’s news. Who can say, kids are fickle and attention spans are short. Tune in next year for the costume report. Hopefully we’ll hit double digits.
The Skeleton Crew Media Blitz Starts Now
One advantage of not sending out my normal Friday morning newsletter is that Disney dropped a new trailer and a new poster for Skeleton Crew this morning, and I get to write about it now instead of next week.
The plot has more or less been out there since the show as first announced. Everyone has referred it as Goonies in the Star Wars universe and I’ve yet to see anything to contradict that. Four kids go off on some kind of adventure. Jude Law is maybe a Jedi. There’s pirates, at least one of whom was in season 3 of The Mandalorian. Will we get to see Grogu? The show takes place at the same The Mandalorian and we know that Mando and Grogu are helping the New Republic deal with pirates. Decent chance our favorite little green guy could show up.
The trailer doesn’t necessarily give us anything that wasn’t known or assumed. It’s still up in the air what Jude Law is. A Jedi? Well, he doesn’t have a lightsaber but it’s tough to do a show without Jedi. Andor pulled it off, but as I always say, Andor is a grim warning of creeping fascism that hits way too close to home, not a light-hearted coming of age space romp that Skeleton Crew is supposed to be.
As a side note, and I know I have mentioned this before but can’t find it because Substack’s search function isn’t great. But I have joked we never see the suburbs in Star Wars. It’s always mega-cities like Coruscant or backwater spaceports like Mos Eisley (which has grown over the years) or it’s just wilderness like Endor. But finally, just when you think you’ve seen it all in the Star Wars galaxy, we get the ‘burbs.
Forget the space adventure. I just want 8 episodes about Wim’s dad, a middle-manager at Dex’s Diner Inc. He handles franchise agreements for the Outer Rim, but he’s so close to that promotion and getting the Mid-Rim under his umbrella as well. And he really needs Wim to straighten up and fly right. He can’t keep taking time off of work to come to school every time Wim gets called to the principal’s office.
The first two episodes drop on December 3rd. Seems likely we’re going to get the slow roll of teasers and maybe some Jude Law bits for the next month. And as always, I’ll be here to comment on every one.
Rey Palpatine Skywalker Isn’t Getting Her Closeup Yet
Oh look, another delay in a Disney Star Wars movie. It must be a day that ends in “y.” In a galaxy where it seemed like every day Lucasfilm cancels or delays or modifies a project, I really thought the Rey New Jedi Order movie was safe. Not because I was super excited for this movie (I mean I’m always excited for a new Star Wars movie but this wouldn’t be my first choice) but because Disney seems so determined to make fetch happen and make the Sequel Trilogy a thing.
While the Rey movie did not officially have a date, or even a title yet, it was widely believed to be one of the three movies that we have dates for. The Mandalorian and Grogu is scheduled for May 2026. Disney has a December 2026 and December 2027 Star Wars movie penciled on their calendar, one those was likely going to be New Jedi Order. Now, as screenwriter Steven Knight is no longer with the movie, who knows. Per Variety:
There is another disturbance in the Force. Screenwriter Steven Knight has departed the “Star Wars” movie set to follow Daisy Ridley’s Rey after the events of 2019’s “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.”
In March 2023, Variety exclusively reported that Knight had signed onto the project, replacing original screenwriters Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson. Lucasfilm is actively talking with potential writers to take on the story, which has been said to chronicle Rey’s efforts to start a new Jedi Academy, but the delay likely means production won’t start until well into 2025 at least.
For those of you keeping track at home, whoever gets the gig (Kathleen, call me, I’ve got IDEAS) will be taking the third crack at the project. Not sure if Writer #3 is going to be starting from scratch or just cleaning up some combination of whatever Lindelof/Britt-Gibson and Knight have come up with.
While looking for any additional stories about the New Jedi Order movie, it appears there might be good news, Straight from the Skywalker’s mouth.
The last week has been a confusing one, with news screenwriter Steven Knight has left Rey's New Jedi Order movie. Ironically, though, the news broke in the same week that Ridley began to open up about the film, expressing excitement and hinting at "imminent" news. She even hinted she's finally seen a script; it's unclear whether this was Knight's, or whether Lucasfilm has already found his replacement. What is for sure, though, is that something is changing with this movie - and in an exciting direction.
…
Speaking in another interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Ridley hinted at a new Star Wars movie series. "I feel like the new one/new ones will be so interesting," she noted. While it's possible she was referring to some of the other projects Lucasfilm has in the works, it's hard to see why she would be kept in the loop about those. The most likely explanation for her comment is that Obaid-Chinoy's New Jedi Order movie has been repositioned as the beginning of a new series.
So we’ve got a new writer…but Daisy Ridley has seen the script. Or a script. Or maybe an outline. Who knows. It’s irresponsible to speculate, since it seems like Disney changes their minds weekly, but we’re going to anyway. Like what the article says, this is the start of Episodes X, XI, and XII. Or if you prefer English1, Episodes 10, 11, 12.
It stands to reason. Disney is just going to go back to the well and keep the Skywalker Saga going. Sure, Luke, Leia, and Han are all dead. But there’s no reason you can’t have Luke show up as a Force ghost to get the audience to point. Chewbacca and Lando are still alive. I know Billy Dee Williams is pushing 90 but a sizeable check can make sure CGI Lando lives on. It just feels inevitable. Sure, Ridley is saying nice things about the upcoming movie and maybe she’s right, but I’ll freely admit if Disney handed me $12.5 million, I’d tell them Rise of Skywalker makes Citizen Kane look like garbage. Note to any Disney execs reading this, I can be bought off.
Let’s be honest, I’m a mark. Even if it is Episode X of the Skywalker Saga, I’m still going to be there opening night and I’m still going to go into the movie hoping it will the best Star Wars movie ever. It might be, it might not be. Honestly Disney’s track record is not as bad as some sections of the fanbase claim it is. But it just feels like another three Skywalker Saga movies is taking the lazy way out.
Great Moments in Star Wars Merchandising
I’ve wanted to get more into the NBA the last few years, but like with a lot of things I have an interest in, there’s only so much time. So I generally reserve my NBA fandom for the playoffs. My teams are the Detroit Pistons, which might never make the playoffs again, and the Dallas Mavericks which had a really fun playoffs last season. All that to say, I am not a San Antonio Spurs fan, but Victor Wembanyama (who could have been a Piston) seems like he’s a good dude. He’s also a well known Star Wars fan. Who has some new Star Wars inspired kicks.
The shoes probably aren’t practical for a game, but if the whole basketball thing doesn’t work out for Wemby, he could probably get a job playing Chewbacca at Disneyworld. Dude is TALL
The internet has Ewan McGregor at 5’9”, Hayden Christensen at 6’, and Rosario Dawson at 5’7”. I didn’t look up Wemby’s height, but I’m guessing he’s about 8 feet tall.
This Day in Star Wars History
November 1st had a couple births and a book we’re going to mention this week.
Dennis Muren was born in 1946. Muren is a special effects artist who worked on the first 5 Star Wars movies, the original Star Tours ride. He’s won 8 Oscars and currently works for ILM as a consulting creative director. At ILM, Muren directed the team that did the Stained Glass Knight scene from Young Sherlock Holmes. I’ve never actually seen the movie but I know the scene is considered pretty revolution for special effects.
Natalia Tena was born in 1984. Tena is probably best known for playing Tonks in the Harry Potter movies. She also had a recurring role in Game of Thrones, but as I’ve never seen GoT, I have no idea who she was. In the galaxy far, far away she was in the 6th episode of The Mandalorian and played Xi'an, a Twi'lek who both flirts with Mando and wants to kill him. Which is pretty much how my wife, Emperor Palpatine’s #1 Fan, acts toward me.
The Truce at Bakura, by Kathy Tyers, was published on this day in 1993 (hardcover) and 1994 (paperback). I have the paperback in my bookcase but it’s been years since I’ve read it. Truce at Bakura was one of the earlier books
Expanded UniverseLegends books published, I actually think it was the first one published after the Thrawn Trilogy finished up. I’ve mentioned the main antagonists, the Ssi-ruu in way back in the 2nd ever Death Star HR. The were a race of racist religious fanatic lizards. Thinking about it now, they kinda were the prototype for the Yuuzhan Vong.
From the Depths of Wookieepedia
Anyone remember the TV show Battle Bots? If Battle Bots existed in the Star Wars universe, WG-22 would be a star.
Come on, who doesn’t love a Gonk Droid. WG-22 aka Gonk Gladiator was a fighting droid in Solo. He’s in the middle of a battle against FD3-MN when L3-37 breaks up the fight on her droids rights crusade. Honestly, I could skip the next Skywalker Saga movie in favor of a Rocky-style movie about WG-22.
News From the HoloNet
‘Fandom has toxified the world’: Watchmen author Alan Moore on superheroes, Comicsgate and Trump
Not Star Wars specific. But certainly Star Wars adjacent. I’m not saying he’s right. But I’m not saying he’s wrong either.
George Lucas Originally Envisioned a Jedi Twist to End The Phantom Menace
Similar to Darth Icky and Darth Insanious, I think sometimes Lucas would just throw out ideas to see if anyone would say no to him.
NYCC 2024: All the Star Wars News and Reveals from New York Comic-Con
If you’re into the comics, lots of good news.
The Mandalorian & Grogu Reportedly Wraps Filming, On Track For May 2026 Release
Stay on target…stay on target…
That’s it for this week. If you like what I’m doing, please subscribe. I’ll catch you next week, and may the Force be with you.
Yes yes, I know we use Arabic numerals.
What have you got against Darth Icky and Darth Insanious? Next thing you know, you’ll be complaining about Knights of Ren stalwarts Kylo Beavis, Kylo GIR, Kylo Jay Sherman, and the deadliest of them all, Kylo Boomhauer.