The Death Star Human Resources Department Newsletter: October 4, 2024
Din Grogu is too big for TV
Hello there
Welcome to the first official Death Star Human Resources Department Newsletter of the fall. Of course, since there’s very little difference between Texas and Tatooine, fall around here is just a less punishing version of summer. It’s going to be a pretty short newsletter this week because by the time you read this, I will be in the Pacific Northwest, hopefully experiencing real fall.
As long time readers of Death Star HR and real Sickos know, the PNW actually existed in the Star Wars universe. As I covered in all the way back in the June 30th, 2023 Death Star HR,1 Earth was featured in a Star Wars comic book published by Dark Horse.
Earth was featured in Star Wars Tales 19, a 2004 comic book from Dark Horse also featured Star Wars meets Indiana Jones. I have not read the comic myself, but the summary says Han and Chewie crash the Millennium Falcon somewhere in the Pacific Northwest (of Earth, not Endor). Han ends up getting killed by Native Americans and 126 years later, his remains are found by Dr Henry Jones who is looking for the legendary Sasquatch, which is actually Chewbacca.
I doubt I’ll see Chewie hanging around at a Portland brewery, but you never know.
This Is Where The Fun Begins
Ladies love a LEGO man…
In case anyone is wondering, those are the mini-figs from the Dark Falcon. Yes, that’s Darth Jar Jar.
Mando Season 4: Sliding the Dial to “No”
It’s both college football season on Earth and cancellation season in the Star Wars universe. A few weeks ago I covered how The Acolyte was cancelled and the Star Wars universe is worse off because Star Wars is better when it takes chances. Then last week I wrote about how Rey’s New Jedi Order movie and Taika Waititi's still unnamed movie are, at best, in stuck in the World Between Worlds.
Now news has trickled out that there may not be a season 4 of The Mandalorian. Whether or not we’d get another streaming serious of Din Djarin and Din Grogu has been up for debate for a while. First there was going to be one, then it was going to be replaced by the movie, The Mandalorian and Grogu, then maybe there would still be another season. Who can say. The latest reporting suggests that season 3 is the last one we’re going to get with Mando and Baby Yoda on the small screen.
The accredited Star Wars series will reportedly conclude after The Mandalorian & Grogu movie, leaving no room for a fourth season.
The update was first reported by renowned industry insider Daniel Richtman, or DanielRPK. Talking about the possibility of Season 4, Richtman stated that The Mandalorian & Grogu would be the ultimate addition to the acclaimed series. “I have also confirmed the Mandalorian movie will be the final chapter of the show, no season 4,” Richtman said, as per The Direct. “He will be in other projects after that but ‘The Mandalorian’ will be over,” the scooper added.
I don’t think this should come as a huge surprise. Disappointing maybe, but not a huge surprise. Disney and Star Wars are in a state of flux. Things get announced and then cancelled or just forgotten about. To contradict what I said 2 lines above, I am a little surprised that it’s The Mandalorian though. As far as the streaming shows go, while Andor is easily the most critically acclaimed, The Mandalorian was the fan favorite. Shows about fascist regimes that hits way too close to home are somehow less popular a show with a Baby Yoda and cameos by Luke Skywalker and Ahsoka. Go figure. If there was any show that you’d think Disney would want to get back onto streaming to try to juice the numbers, it would be another season of The Mandalorian.
Even more surprising is supposedly, the season has been planned for a while.
This development could come as a surprise to many as The Mandalorian showrunner Jon Favreau himself provided positive updates regarding Season 4 in February 2023. “Season 4? Yea, I’ve written it already,” Favreau stated. “We have to know where we are going to tell a fully formed story,” he added.
There are other logistical challenges with season 4 of Mando. Pedro Pascal is a busy man, his IMDB page has 10 upcoming projects. Dave Filoni has his hands in seemingly every Star Wars project at Disney. Even past Mando directors like Taika Waititi are busy, even if Taika should be writing his Star Wars movie.
Even if there isn’t a season 4 of The Mandalorian, we’re still going to see our favorite Mandalorian and his little green buddy. There is no way2 Disney is going to cancel The Mandalorian and Grogu movie. Given that Ahsoka and The Mandalorian take place in the same time period, it seems extremely likely we’ll get some cameos in season 2 of Ahsoka. We’ll see, I hope we get another streaming season of The Mandalorian, and if Disney needs to juice the numbers, never count out the power of Baby Yoda.
Things My Wife Has Said About Star Wars
From the old FB memories…
It’s a scientific fact that coffee made in a R2-D2 French press just tastes better.
This Day in Star Wars History
Two births, two deaths, and one event that seems to have died. All this happened on October 4th in the galaxy far, far away.
Maria Lucas was born in 1945. Maria was a film editor and was married to George Lucas from 1969 - 1983. She won an academy award for editing for A New Hope, was credited as an editor on Return of the Jedi, and worked on Empire Strikes Back but didn’t get a credit as well.
Rachael Leigh Cook was born in 1979. Although probably best known for her work as Abigail Lytar on Psych, Cook provided voices for two of the Robot Chicken movies and voiced Jedi Padawan Jaesa Willsaam in The Old Republic videogame.
The last Force Friday was held in 2019. I truly enjoy that Wookieepedia just calls it “a merchandising event.” Disney did one of these for each of the movies except Solo. The 2019 Force Friday featured merch from Rise of Skywalker, The Mandalorian, and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
Also on this day in 2019, Diahann Carroll passed away. She had a long career in film, TV, music, and theater. Unfortunately for Carroll, her sole credit in the Star Wars universe is playing Mermeia in The Star Wars Holiday Special. Mermia “was the subject of Attichitcuk's sexual fantasies” which is a very normal thing to write.
And Shawna Trpcic passed away in 2023. Trpcic had a long career as a costume designer and was credited for her work one 3 episodes of Book of Boba Fett, 1 episode of The Mandalorian, and 2 episodes of Ahsoka. She won an Emmy for costume design for the season finale of Ahsoka.
From the Depths of Wookieepedia
Side bit but I’ve always sort of wished there was more about media and propaganda in the Star Wars universe, especially during the Empire. In some of the Legends books, Matthew Stover explores this idea but I think it would be an interesting topic. Anyway, today’s FTDOW is Nal Hutta Kal'tamok aka HNN3 aka the Hutt News Network.
Nal Hutta Kal’tamok exists in both Canon and Legends. I think the Legends version is a bit more interesting so that’s what I linked.
The Nal Hutta Kal'tamok was a Hutt run newsnet service which covered the politics and economy of buying, selling and transporting goods. It was widely used by smugglers.
I like the idea of waking up and turning on the Nal Hutta Kal’tamok smuggling report like normal people watch the weather.
News From the HoloNet
That Time Kris Kristofferson Played a Singing Han Solo in a Campy ‘Star Wars’ Spoof
RIP to a real one.
Quiz: Which Chopper Are You Today?
I didn’t get “War Criminal Chopper” so I guess I’m a good person.
New Lego Leia Minifig Shows Less Skin And Yes, People Are Being Weird About It
My fellow Star Wars fans, I’m begging you, please be normal for a change.
Yes, Spaceballs 2 Is Really Happening
This was reported in Death Star HR months ago. Pick it up, Esquire.
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.
The third ever Death Star HR I published. It’s fun to go back and look to see what’s improved and what hasn’t. For example, I learned how to add captions to pictures.
The way things are going these days, it certainly could get cancelled.
It’s not actually referred to as HNN. But it should be.
FIFY: Rachael Leigh Cook is best known for "She's All That." :D
I didn't know the Dark Falcon was a thing and now I very much want.
I'm not one to complain about the leadership at Lucasfilm but they don't seem to lead very well.
chopper 🤣