Star Wars Megathread

[Syt]

It seems Timothy Olyphant will be in Season 2, and apparently be wearing Boba Fett's armor. Which led to speculation that he'd be a character from one of the short stories inset into the Aftermath books, a sheriff who bought the damaged armor from Jawas who scavenged the wreckage of Jabba's barge from ROTJ. Temuera Morrison has been confirmed for a small appearance in Mando as Boba.

[celedhring]

What's Fett's status in the current state of the Star Wars universe? I lost track... 

Olyphant is a great addition. He fits the show perfectly imho.

[Syt]

What's Fett's status in the current state of the Star Wars universe? I lost track... 

Olyphant is a great addition. He fits the show perfectly imho.

Last seen falling into the Sarlacc.

On Olyphant's potential character, here:

https://www.slashfilm.com/timothy-olyphant-mandalorian-character/

Last week, it was revealed that Justified and Deadwood star Timothy Olyphant had been cast in The Mandalorian season 2 in an unknown role. Olyphant's casting is a story we have been chasing and trying to confirm for months now. And while we didn't get to break the news, we do have some juicy information to add regarding Olyphant's Mandalorian season 2 role. Which established Star Wars universe character is Timothy Olyphant playing in the upcoming season? And why is he wearing Boba Fett's iconic armor? Here are the details.

Who is Cobb Vanth?

Our sources have confirmed to us that Olyphant filmed scenes wearing Boba Fett's Mandalorian armor for the upcoming second season of The Mandalorian. That might sound confusing because earlier this month it was reported that Temuera Morrison, who originated the role of Jango Fett (Boba's clone father), had been cast as Boba Fett. So what's going on here?

If Morrison is playing the role of Boba Fett, then Timothy Olyphant is playing an enigmatic character named Cobb Vanth. Introduced in Chuck Wendig's Aftermath book series, Vanth is the self-appointed sheriff of the Tatooine-based settlement Freetown. He wears a mysterious set of Mandalorian armor that was acquired from Jawas who scavenged the wreckage of Jabba the Hutt's sail barge shortly after the events of Return of the Jedi. As you may recall, that was the site of a battle where Boba Fett was thrown into the Sarlacc Pit on Tatooine's Dune Sea. It's assumed that the Mandalorian armor purchased by Vanth is none other than the infamous green armor formerly worn by one of the galaxy's most notorious bounty hunters, Boba Fett.

Very little has been revealed about Vanth's backstory, only that he was once a slave, as evidenced by a star-shaped scar carved into his back, signifying ownership. With the fall of gangster Jabba the Hut, a power vacuum has consumed Tatooine, drawing all sorts of crime syndicates to take over the unruled landscape. Cobb has committed his life in the service of protecting Freetown and keeping criminal elements, like the Red Key Raiders, away from Tatooine. He even struck a deal with the Tusken Raiders to help protect the township.

It should be noted that all of the above character details were revealed during the Aftermath book series. We don't know what he part he plays in the upcoming season of The Mandalorian, but I think the books offer a rad set-up for the character. The Aftermath series gave the impression that while Boba Fett may be dead, the iconic armor would live on for another generation. But if Fett himself is still alive, and present in The Mandalorian season 2, this complicates things.

Who Was That Mysterious Gunslinger?

In the Mandalorian season one episode titled "The Gunslinger," a mysterious figure was teased, sporting the bounty hunter's trademark spurs. In that episode, the Mandalorian agrees to help a young bounty hunter named Toro Calican acquire a target on the desert planet of Tatooine. Their search for the assassin Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) takes them across the Dune Sea, home of the Sarlacc Pit that was thought to have killed Boba Fett. Calican takes out Shand and tries to double-cross the Mandalorian, leading to his own death. In the final moments of the episode, we see a mysterious character approaching the seemingly lifeless body of Fennec Shand. We can see and hear the bounty hunter's trademark spurs and a cape hangs down, reminiscent of the one Fett may have worn. Is that character Boba Fett, or is it Cobb Vanth?

Was Fett's Mandalorian armor reclaimed by the Jawas after the Sarlacc spit them out, or did Boba Fett pawn them for a ride off this dirty sand planet? Morrison's casting led many to assume this meant that Boba Fett survived the fall into the Great Pit of Carkoon, forever changing Star Wars canon. But that might not be the case at all. Maybe Fett's appearance could be limited to an establishing flashback. The hardworking team at The Hollywood Reporter even noted that it was only a "small role" in season two. But why would Vanth be all the way out in the Dune Sea? Perhaps this season may be leading to a confrontation between Vanth and Fett, with the bounty hunter coming back to reclaim his armor? And how will any of this involve The Mandalorian? We'll have to tune in to find out.

We reached out to Lucasfilm for comment but received no response back, as was typical with our previous Mandalorian scoops. The Mandalorian season 2 is still scheduled to be released in October 2020 on Disney+.

[celedhring]

So they did away with him escaping the Sarlacc pit off-camera in Legends? Well, that's nice. Always hated that. Hope Temuera is there in flashbacks, rather than bringing Boba back.

[viper37]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faQO57Iwlo0

[viper37]

Also, a new video game, Star Wars Squadrons, by EA.
Just when I was thinking Tie Fighter would need a reboot/remaster

[Barrister]

Also, a new video game, Star Wars Squadrons, by EA.
Just when I was thinking Tie Fighter would need a reboot/remaster

Being discussed in the games sub-board.

[Syt]

https://www.starwars.com/news/star-wars-the-bad-batch-series-announce

STAR WARS: THE BAD BATCH, AN ALL-NEW ANIMATED SERIES, TO DEBUT ON DISNEY+ IN 2021

CLONE FORCE 99, FROM STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS, RETURNS!

Today, Disney+ ordered its next animated series from Lucasfilm, Star Wars: The Bad Batch. Fresh off of the critically-acclaimed series finale of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the Disney+ original series will premiere on the streaming service in 2021.

The series follows the elite and experimental clones of the Bad Batch (first introduced in The Clone Wars) as they find their way in a rapidly changing galaxy in the immediate aftermath of the Clone War. Members of Bad Batch — a unique squad of clones who vary genetically from their brothers in the Clone Army — each possess a singular exceptional skill, which makes them extraordinarily effective soldiers and a formidable crew. In the post-Clone War era, they will take on daring mercenary missions as they struggle to stay afloat and find new purpose.

"Giving new and existing fans the final chapter of Star Wars: The Clone Wars has been our honor at Disney+, and we are overjoyed by the global response to this landmark series," said Agnes Chu, senior vice president, Content, Disney+.  "While The Clone Wars may have come to its conclusion, our partnership with the groundbreaking storytellers and artists at Lucasfilm Animation is only beginning.  We are thrilled to bring Dave Filoni's vision to life through the next adventures of the Bad Batch."

Star Wars: The Bad Batch is executive produced by Dave Filoni (The Mandalorian, Star Wars: The Clone Wars), Athena Portillo (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels), Brad Rau (Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars Resistance) and Jennifer Corbett (Star Wars Resistance, NCIS) with Carrie Beck (The Mandalorian, Star Wars Rebels) as co-executive producer and Josh Rimes as producer (Star Wars Resistance). Rau is also serving as supervising director with Corbett as head writer.

[Grey Fox]

Now, I can get behind that.

[celedhring]

And the trailer to Mandalorian S2 has dropped. Can't wait.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcKMwPHMe1k&ab_channel=IGN

[The Larch]

 

[Syt]

So, Mandalorian Season 2. Do we need spoilers here? Anyways, I'll use them till people say it's fine.

Very good start I thought. [spoiler]It was kind of an open secret that Timothy Olyphant would very likely be Cobb Vanth, a character in one of the many "mini stories" sprinkled throughout the Aftermath trilogy of books. His flashback is basically that story bit. There's some changes (the town was called Freetown; the Rancor keeper Malakili and a baby Hutt make an appearance, and it was the Red Key Raiders, not a mining group who enslaved the town, and the armor acquisition was slightly different, but overall the story beats are the same).

I like, though, that they go to other sources for characters, locations etc. than just the movies or animated shows. I did not recognize John Leguizamo at the start.

The story was pretty standard and a mix of wild west (the beleaguered frontier settlement, uneasy alliances) and fantasy (slay the dragon) with the usual tropes and not too many surprises, but I thought it was quite well told.

And of course the first in canon look (at least on screen, I guess) of what a Krayt dragon is and looks like. Didn't expect them to go full Dune on it, though.

When I saw the cave I thought, "Oh, looks like in KotOR!" And then the plan to kill it is basically the same. Including Bantha bait (except buried explosives instead of mines, but potayto - potahto). And they even get a friggin' Krayt Dragon Pearl in the end.

Tbf, I half expected that Mando would let Cobb keep the armor ("You're worthy of it" or something).

And then of course the reveal at the end where we meet Boba Fett again. We'll see how that shakes out. I look forward to fan protests when the story does anything with him the Boba fanboys don't approve of. At the same time, I don't want him to take away too much focus from our main cast. We'll see, I guess.[/spoiler]

One thing I noticed with myself was that I keep looking at the background in most shots - I generally love the Star Wars universe and its design, so I'm usually scanning if I see anything cool, like a background character or item or whatever. Just a tick of mine.

[The Larch]

Wow, it's already out? 

[Syt]

Yes, a pleasant surprise this grey morning.

[The Larch]

I'll have to look for it after lunch...