sábado, 31 de diciembre de 2011

The Blueprints coffee table book that we debuted here on IGN, Star Wars fanatics have something new to look forward to: The Book of Sith.

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Encased in a Sith Holocron, this massive book details the lost secrets of the Dark Side and even includes seven Sith artifacts that any fan will appreciate. Detailing the history of the nefarious evil-doers from their initial emergence through their near extinction and beyond, this book is essential for understanding the history of your favorite characters like Darth Vader, Darth Maul and even wrinkly old Emperor Palpatine.

Check out our sweet exclusive reveal trailer and the images below!










For more information, check out the official announcement.

viernes, 30 de diciembre de 2011

Star Wars Nutcrackers


It’s not even Thanksgiving yet and it’s already beginning to look a lot like Christmas…in a galaxy far far away. These nutcrackers may not be imbued with the holiday spirit, but they’re definitely wrought with something much more profound: The Force! Choose from either side of the force with Darth Vader and Yoda variants available.

jueves, 29 de diciembre de 2011

La Nasa esta llegando a realizar el campo de fuerza de la Estrella de la muerte de Star Wars



Exhibido como algo de importancia solamente en las películas de ciencia ficción, tales como “La Guerra de las Galaxias” y “Viaje a las Estrellas”, los rayos tractores de luz, son dispositivos con un campo de fuerza usados para capturar y mover objetos de gran tamaño a grandes distancias. Ahora, esta tecnología de ciencia ficción podría llegar a plasmarse en la realidad.
Un equipo de la NASA, según una reciente declaración, recibió fondos para desarrollar los rayos tractores, que son descritos como espadas o antenas de rayos de luz láser que pueden mover o atrapar objetos.
Sin embargo, a diferencia de las películas, estos rayos capturadores no tendrían la capacidad de funcionar en grandes aeronaves como el “Millenium Falcon”, sino que se enfocarían en objetos más pequeños como es el caso de células o partículas de polvo flotando a través de las moléculas del espacio.

Un uso práctico para estos rayos sería ponerlos en los exploradores o detectores de las naves espaciales, en su órbita, permitiéndoles una fácil recolección de pequeños objetos.
Los exploradores espaciales podrían tomar diferentes muestras de capas de la atmósfera de un planeta o de un pedazo de asteroide que viaja por el espacio.
Recientemente, un equipo de científicos ideó diferentes enfoques al usar los rayos de luz al transportar pequeñas partículas, incluidos los virus, moléculas unitarias, ácido ribonucleico y células completas.
“La idea original de usar los rayos tractores fue pensada para limpiar los desechos en la órbita terrestre”, declaró Paul Stysley, un investigador que trabaja en el proyecto de los rayos tractores en la NASA. “Pero para tomar algo tan grande es casi imposible, al menos por ahora”, pero una tecnología que pueda mover objetos más pequeños podría resultar de gran utilidad.
En el pasado, la NASA ha usado aerogel, una sustancia sólida de extrema baja densidad, para perforar y tomar muestras de los cometas y de la superficie de Marte.
No obstante en la actualidad, los investigadores no están a favor de esta técnica debido a sus altos costos y su limitado rango de operación. Los científicos ahora están mirando el método de atrapar que tiene el rayo tractor, el cual tendría un rango más largo y la capacidad de trabajar por períodos de tiempo más prolongados.
La NASA quiere evaluar un método llamado “pinzas ópticas”, que utiliza dos rayos de luz alternos balanceando la fuerza y la debilidad. Al cambiar la intensidad de los dos rayos, el aire alrededor de una partícula deseada es calentado, causando que se mueva. Pero esta técnica tiene una desventaja, sin aire o atmósfera no podría funcionar en el espacio.
Otro método, según Michael Schirber en un reciente artículo de prensa sobre física, se enfoca en utilizar varios rayos de manera que la luz se disperse “en donde normalmente estaría la sombra del objeto”.
El escribe que una estrategia para manipular pequeños objetos, “es la de estimular un pequeño objeto con luz de tal forma que repita la radiación de luz principalmente en la dirección delantera”.
“El objeto – para compensar el cambio en el impulso de luz – estará continuamente retrocediendo hacia la fuente de luz”, anota Schirber. El método envolvería un grupo de pequeñas esferas al azar y rayos con fases que difieren y que se polarizan.
El método experimental, el cual nunca se ha evaluado y únicamente existe en teoría, involucra el uso de rayos Bessel, los cuales difieren de un rayo láser normal porque tiene anillos de luz alrededor del rayo central.
Cuando es dirigido a una pared, los rayos parecen como las ondas que salen cuando se tira una piedra al agua.
“Según la teoría, el rayo láser podría inducir campos eléctricos y magnéticos en el sendero de un objeto”, declaró la NASA. “El rociar luz dispersa hacia adelante por estos campos, podría mover el objeto hacia atrás, en dirección contraria al rayo".

miércoles, 28 de diciembre de 2011

Star Wars has suffered a long, unfortunate, and chequered past involving a plethora of titles across a wide range of systems and platforms.



Star Wars has suffered a long, unfortunate, and chequered past involving a plethora of titles across a wide range of systems and platforms. While almost all of them have been relatively mediocre, a few, notably the ones developed for the PC and N64 such as Jedi Knight, Tie Fighter and Rogue Squadron have been the only ones to gain a reasonable reception. http://laguerradelasgalaxias-starwars.blogspot.com/

"what is immediately obvious is the sheer amount of polish and detail that has been provided to the story and quest elements"
In 2000, LucasArts and SOE announced an ambitious project to finally create the game that every fan had begged for. Star Wars: Galaxies promised players a truly authentic sandbox in which they could live out their Star Wars fantasies. What eventually released was a messy, fragmented and directionless title that while amassed somewhat of cult following due to its intense difficulty and complexity, was largely considered a failure in its final form.

It was then left to Bioware to carry the torch, and instead of allowing the players to tell the story, decided to create one of their own. An enormous one that would span the multiple-level hierarchy of a standard MMO levelling career, complete with encyclopaedias of voice-acted dialogue, alongside the standard questing, crafting and combat that MMO players flock in droves to sink their precious entertainment hours into.

So it was with bated breath that I recently had the chance to spend a couple of days inside Bioware’s Republic, to find out whether the game truly did live up to the hype. I was not disappointed. Even within the first 8-10 hours of play, what is immediately obvious is the sheer amount of polish and detail that has been provided to the story and quest elements, transforming what is generally considered a throwaway element and bringing it front and centre.

That element, my friends, is the enormous branching storylines for the game, split into two main arcs: the storyline that affects your side (Republic or Sith), and the one that involves your classes’ part in it (Jedi/Smuggler/Soldier/etc). Players of Mass Effect or Dragon Age will feel right at home immediately, since every single quest features professional voice acting, regardless of how menial the task. This added weight to narrative brings an enormous sense of connection to what’s actually happening in the world, bringing your role and actions into focus.

Once you’ve found yourself suitably quested, you’ll notice the rest of the interface fits rather comfortably into old jeans. WoW has had an obvious influence over almost every single hotkey-based combat system, and while the pace of the action is much more fluid thanks to minimal cooldowns and an interesting “reloading” system, the game will be very simple for veterans to slide into - by design, naturally. The openings for the obvious influx of WoW players are there, and the sheer amount of slick presentation and interesting lore on offer provides possibly the most competitive threat yet. The addition of “companions” allows for solo players to offload some of the more tedious work to an NPC who will actually go on a crusade to sell your junk items, craft your items or even go on a scavenging mission to gather resources for you. No more rushing around looking for that herb.

Once you hit level 10, advanced classes become available, opening up the more traditional “talent trees” and other familiar aspects. But Bioware haven’t made it a secret that The Old Republic is simply an evolution than a revolution in terms of how you control your skills, it’s how the game actually plays that matters. The story-driven play is ridiculously addictive, and will force you (at least for the first play through) to listen to every single bit of dialogue, since it’s all unique and even some of the filler quests will present some interesting bits of information.

What I’ve seen in beta reminds me of what we saw in the beta stages of vanilla WoW. What has been refined are the elements that make questing stale, and while other MMOs have tried to remedy this with advanced PVP or Live PVE, both have failed since many players aren’t interested in being forced to play with others. The Old Republic’s gentle “social” (their words!) nudging mixed with their clever knack at creating compelling plot lines could be the solution to that problem.

It’s only been a few days of testing and we’re still about 3 weeks away from the US release but, sadly, Australians have been shafted with an awkward “we’re aware of you but we don’t care” stance in relation to a release date. This is a shame, since The Old Republic presents such a tight, professional package that threatens to make us fall in love with MMO’s again. Here’s hoping that a release date is announced soon.

martes, 27 de diciembre de 2011

Star Wars R2-Q5 AND R2-A3 llaveros

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Star Wars R2-Q5 & R2-A3 Ornament
Deck the halls with…Droid ornaments? You bet! Star Wars fans will want to decorate their tree with some good old fashioned droids this holiday season. You can start with these Star Wars R2-Q5 & R2-A3 Ornaments.
Chances are you probably already have R2-D2, Darth Vader and all the rest, so go ahead and cover your tree with Star Wars ornaments. Maybe you can even put together an Ewok village underneath the tree.
This awesome droid pair is just $69.99 from Amazon.

lunes, 26 de diciembre de 2011

Star Wars: The Old Republic

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Star Wars: The Old Republic (PC)
Star Wars: The Old Republic (PC)

Según ha confesado un ejecutivo del estudio al portal Gamasutra, el juego aparecerá en el año fiscal 2012, lo que se traduce en que muy probablemente se ponga a la venta entre abril de 2011 y las navidades de ese mismo año.

sábado, 24 de diciembre de 2011

Star Wars y Adidas UN ROMANCE QUE SEGUIRA EN EL 2012

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sw.jpg
Ya hace algún tiempo, nos hacíamos eco desde Mensencia de la noticia de que Star Wars sería la encargada de promocionar las campañas de Adidas de años posteriores. En el 2010 se confirmó la noticia y hoy, volvemos a comprobar que el affaire entre la Guerra de las Galaxias y la cada vez más excéntrica Adidas, se mantiene viento en popa.
En esta ocasión, podemos ver a un Darth Vader dirigiendo a unos niños por un paso de cebra. El resto de la campaña, nada parece que tenga que ver con la exitosa saga de películas, pero ya sólo por el empeño que le ponen, me parece una instantánea de lo más divertida. ¿A ti no?

viernes, 23 de diciembre de 2011

Star Wars. El musical Star Wars. The Musical.


Starwars_musical
Entre los cientos y cientos de gigas que dedica el ciberespacio al universo de Star Wars, pocos ha habido tan misteriosos como los que albergaban un curioso documento titulado Star Wars. The Musical.
A principios de siglo, este guión que recrea la historia de la primera película de la franquicia de Lucas en clave de ópera rock era una de las grandes incógnitas de la Red. Cada cierto tiempo aparecía en algún foro bajo preguntas como "¿Qué es esto?", "¿Quién lo ha hecho?", "¿Es oficial?".
Ahora, por primera vez, se puede ver la respuesta. http://laguerradelasgalaxias-starwars.blogspot.com/ 

Como en Internet los enigmas duran poco, al tiempo se fue sabiendo que el guión tenía poco que ver con George Lucas y menos con John Williams. Más bien era obra de cuatro estudiantes de un instituto de California que, en 1996, decidieron montar sobre el escenario su película favorita. Para ello, lo llenaron de canciones escritas, juntaron sus pagas, reservaron un teatro local, reunieron un elenco de hasta 40 actores y llegaron a representar la obra ante un lleno completo durante tres días.
"En el sitio cabían unas 300 personas como máximo. La primera noche aparecieron unas 1.200", recuerda Kelvin Yul, uno de esos chavales, para la web Salon.com. "La cola daba la vuelta a la manzana. Y eso que esto era antes de que Star Wars volviera a ponerse de moda". Hasta aparecieron en el New York Times entre las páginas de la sección de teatro.
George Lucas, claro, no tardó en amenazar con una demanda. La obra fue desmantelada y hubiera sido olvidada también si el guión no hubiera llegado a Internet. Muertos de curiosidad en una época en que la trilogía precuela había vuelto a poner en bogar la saga, los cibernautas fueron reuniendo pistas sobre el asunto. Y se dieron cuenta de que las canciones, lejos de ser originales, usaban la música de Los Miserables, Grease, Godspell o Tommy.
A medio camino entre la mofa, el culto y el misterio a qué sonaría ese pastiche, el mito fue perdurando año tras año, foro tras foro, canción tras canción.
Hasta hoy.
Tras diez años de incógnitas, los improvisados dramaturgos decidieron hace unas semanas publicar la única grabación en vídeo que queda de esas funciones. Entre los números imposiblemente atractivos que se han descubierto está la canción techno del musical Chess para la cantina de Mos Eisley; la épica One day more de Los Miserables reconvertida en Use the Force (ver vídeo arriba), o un impagable Han Solo cantando sobre el Halcón Milenario a lo John Travolta sobre su coche.

No es que el género musical le sea algo ajeno a la saga de Lucas. En ese maltrecho especial de Navidad que en 1978 protagonizaron Harrison Ford, Mark Hammil y Carrie Fisher para televisión, ya se veía a la princesa Leia desearle unas felices fiestas a toda la galaxia entera con unos gorgoritos muy a tono con su peinado.

Tres años después, en plena fiebre de La amenaza fantasma, un hombre llamado Timothy Edward Smith escribió y representó otro musical, con música y letra original, que también ha conseguido unos cuantos seguidores y que ha inspirado unos interesantes homenajes en YouTube. Pero éste siempre ha tenido un algo especial.
Para los puristas, es un recordatorio de cómo se veía Star Wars antes de las ediciones especiales, las precuelas y los DVDs. Para los nuevos fans, es sencillamente la cosa más surrealista del mundo.

martes, 20 de diciembre de 2011

STAR WARS EPISODIO VII:THE REVIEW OF THE SAGA




star-wars-logo-slice-01
As the high-definition format of Blu-ray looks forward to the franchise of Star Wars: The Complete Saga (Episodes I-VI) hitting its catalogue, it’s time for fans to look back at the historical saga of Star Wars. With the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, the dawn of the 21st century and now the teens of it, Star Wars has existed in five decades and counting, but how pure was that first one. How glorious was that second, how rejuvenating was that third, how sweet that fourth and the fifth has just started. Before Star Wars is in high-definition, this is Star Wars in retrospect. You’ll need a home theater seat by September 16, but you don’t need a theater seat to experience this now. No, this is your seat on the Millennium Falcon and hyperspeed is after the jump.


It is a period six years after Revenge Of The Sith. Animated spaceships on television, striking along with a plethora of merchandising and video games, have dominated out of George Lucas’ vast production empire.

During these years marked by Clone Wars, Convention V spies managed to spread the announcement of the Empire’s ultimate weapon, the BLU-RAY, a high-definition format with enough power to destroy an entire Star Wars club.

Pursued by the Empire’s sinister marketing, fans eagerly wait to race to store shelves, and become custodians of the space opera that can relieve their anticipations and restore freedom to the HD galaxy….
star-wars-a-new-hope-posterWhen originally released in 1977, the first Star Wars film was simply titled: Star Wars. It was forbidden for Lucas to use a subtitle to avoid confusion as there had been no prior films in the franchise and there was no certainty that there’d be anymore. But indeed, there was another by 1980, one of many to come, that allowed George Lucas to further his command over Star Wars and further the success of his business interests. Lucas’ role became bigger than the writing hat or director’s chair he occupied with the first film. To allow Lucas to devote himself to his company, he offered the role of director to Irvin Kershner, one of his former professors. When The Empire Strikes Back was released in 1980, the subtitle “Episode V” appeared above the title card. To match its sequel’s crawl, the subtitle “Episode IV: A New Hope” was added for the 1981 re-release of the first film where it continued to appear throughout the film’s releases and re-releases. The original version, without the subtitle, was not made available again until the 2006 limited edition DVD. The original was also without the various enhancements that were added back in the 1990’s after being revamped with a makeover worth millions in production additions for its theatrical re-release, modernizing it for a new generation.
So how did Star Wars come to be? George Lucas got his start going to school, so maybe it’s not a bad idea to stay in it. He is an educated man in the discipline of film. His student film in the 1960’s, Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB, was the seed for the development of 1971’s THX 1138 starring Robert Duvall. The film was made under the umbrella of a new production company known as American Zoetrope, which had been established in 1969 by Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas. While his student film originally inspired Warner Bros. to award him a student scholarship to observe and work on the making of a film with Francis Ford Coppola, THX 1138 failed to inspire major audiences in 1971.
george-lucas-francis-ford-coppola-star-wars-imageThat changed with American Graffiti when George Lucas brought his love of cars and his California background to the screen. American Graffiti introduced George Lucas to major movie profitability and debuted Lucasfilm to the world. In 1973, George Lucas took full advantage of the success he had with American Graffiti, knowing it might be hard to get a second chance at a little space opera that could. It wasn’t easy, though. Knowing what a concept will end up as is a tricky game. After all, hindsight is always 20/20 and foresight is legally blind. Studios did pass on Star Wars. It may have been the scale and it may have all been just too much like Star Trek for executives. 20th Century Fox thought slightly differently. They were willing to take a chance, especially when they agreed to cut George Lucas’ fee for writing and directing Star Wars in exchange for giving the director control over merchandising rights. For 20th Century Fox, the rights were useless. At least, they were at the time.
So after drafts upon drafts, production went underway on Star Wars, the positive and wholesome adventure for all in the family. Aside from Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi, the main cast was made of relative unknowns lacking any distinguished careers. Because of a recommendation from Steven Spielberg, George Lucas got John Williams to create what would become one of the most recognizable soundtracks in history, but more was needed than a theme song. The film under the guidance of George Lucas needed unprecedented visual effects. If you can’t find it, make it yourself. Lucas brought in a youthful team to found Industrial Light & Magic. If production was a harsh nightmare in the studios and then out of them in locations like Tunisia, post-production was hell. Editing of both visual shots and audio clips pushed the limits of filmmaking. R2-D2 needed a new language. Lightsabers needed their own unique swoosh and clash. Darth Vader needed a vocal breathing of villainy. Editing of both visual and audio elements was vital to Star Wars’ success on the screen, possibly like for no other film before. The entire movie had to be manufactured. There was hardly anything that looked or sounded like the real world. Editing gives you many options, but limitless options are chaotic to grapple.
george-lucas-mark-hamill-star-wars-imageBy 1976, Lucasfilm needed seats to be filled in a year, so personnel visited Comic-Con in San Diego in hopes of arousing support for their future movie release. Confidence may not have been at a high, but pressure was at the boiling point. Then on May 25, 1977, it may as well have been Judgment Day. This was the day that was to decide everything that would follow for a project that had ended millions of dollars over its initial budget. Was all to be nirvana or was all to be Armageddon? The great risk ended with great rewards. The movie earned back its $11 million cost and then much, much more with hundreds of millions of dollars in box-office receipts. It sparked a string of recognitions that the franchise would accumulate over the years, including Academy Awards and Hugo Awards. 20th Century Fox ended up with an international extravaganza to add to its bottom-line, but George Lucas ended up with a phenomenon in the form of rights. The licensing business was a disappointing surprise to 20th Century Fox. The studio had given the licensing rights and therefore heavenly profits to George Lucas, but it wasn’t immediate. Sadly, the full extent of merchandising potential wasn’t capitalized on early, but Star Wars merchandising wasn’t going to be dominated by little puzzles and a top-selling soundtrack for too long. Toys were needed, but to make toys, a company was needed from the Midwest that had gotten permission to manufacture them long ago and was just as far away by May 1977. Kenner didn’t have anything worthwhile available for the movie’s release, so they pondered and they thought. They had to think fast. Time was of the essence and they knew exactly how much of it was left. Christmas morning was seven months away.
star-wars-a-new-hope-image-2For George Lucas’ immediate pocketbook, Star Wars gave him the independent power to champion his causes of investing in the development of technology for Hollywood. Industrial Light & Magic is Hollywood’s mega player in digital wizardry for movies across the spectrum today. Skywalker Sound provides the audio equivalent of what Industrial Light & Magic does visually. Ever wondered about that THX image and elongated deep note that come up in front of many movies? It’s a trade name of a high-fidelity audio reproduction standard for things like movie theaters, screening rooms, home theaters and audio systems. For the most part, it’s mainly a quality assurance system. THX-certified theaters provide a high-quality, predictable playback environment to ensure that any film soundtrack mixed in THX will sound just as the original engineers intended. It debuted in 1983 with Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi. Even Pixar Animation Studios can trace its roots to Lucasfilm. John Lasseter left Disney in the 1980’s to work with George Lucas’ computer graphics division at Lucasfilm. It was bought in 1986 for $10 million by Steve Jobs. That former division, and now a company, would be named Pixar and eventually debut the short film Luxo Jr., which would thus lead to classics years later like Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Wall-E and inspire the desk lamp that serves on the Pixar logo in front of its movies even today.
star-wars-a-new-hope-image-1The truth is that no one saw the full extent of Star Wars coming, but that didn’t stop it from coming. In 1977, it was the new mainstream addiction so powerful that some parents were pressured by their children to buy a promise. While generations before had yearned for a jack-in-the-box, a promise-in-the-box was now socially acceptable. Yes, a promise was now monetarily valuable in 1977. Allow me to elaborate. After Star Wars came out, the team at Kenner, which had acquired the license for Star Wars toys a year earlier, officially came face to face with what was now a lucrative property and an inability on their part to quench the public thirst for anything Star Wars. Though there were lines at theaters for Star Wars, there was no toy line to match the intensity. Kenner got creative and marketing genius was born. I’m assuming the genius was bolstered with the threat of the Kenner team being put on the Naughty List, as Santa Claus does have an organization to run efficiently. Commonly dubbed the Empty Box campaign, Kenner, rather than let opportunity slip away, decided to ship empty packages with vouchers inside, redeemable for four Star Wars toys at a later date.
star-wars-jawa-toy-imageIn time for Christmas 1977, Kenner produced the Star Wars Early Bird Certificate Package, which basically consisted of IOUs for the first four action figures to be shipped in early 1978: Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Chewbacca and R2-D2. Many children in 1977 woke up on Christmas morning to find a cardboard envelope in which was packed a display stand for figures that didn’t yet exist in their possession, a Star Wars Club Card and a few stickers. The idea was simple: kids could fill out their certificates with their names and addresses, put them in the mail and wait. Months later, their set would arrive along with the pegs to attach them to those display stands Santa had brought. Kenner had now officially popularized the 3.75” action figure to an industry standard. In 1977, a sequel to Star Wars was no longer a question. It was a responsibility to get it done and this time around, adding “Episode V” was fine by all.
“Merchandising, merchandising! Where the real money from the movie is made.”
- Yogurt
star-wars-toys-imageLook around you. Go ahead, look. I’ll wait. Welcome back. Now, from the sheets you awaken under to the underwear you wear or refuse to wear underneath it all, chances are a version of every object in your home and everywhere you go has existed with the label of Star Wars on it at some point in the past few decades. Some may have even spoofed it. Yes, studios can make money beyond the ticket stub. Star Wars hit gold in the 1970’s and mastered the art of movie merchandising beyond just a random fad. Star Wars didn’t invent movie merchandising, but Star Wars lucked out into showing Hollywood a volume and variety like it had never seen before with things like costumes and soundtracks. Star Wars matured movie merchandising into the model it is today. I say Lucasfilm lucked out because of its mass appeal and variety of elements within that came together to hit the right cord with so many. It was gender-neutral, age-neutral and even nation-neutral. Just think of other successful movies, though as popular as they were on the big screen, which could never reach the same scope in merchandising. Everyone was surprised, including the filmmakers. That’s a good thing for George Lucas because if 20th Century Fox had known that in the 1970’s it was relinquishing any of the merchandising rights to an empire worth billions, they may have thought twice before signing the contract they did with George Lucas. Business people tend to do that.
star-wars-toys-image-3Kenner has produced a massive range of Star Wars figures and play sets since Episode IV: A New Hope, and has kept them updated ever since. Not only has Star Wars existed in the toy arena, it has reached the outskirts of avid collectors’ shelves. Every marketing team in the world will suggest putting “Collect Them All” on a line of products, but how many actually get people to do it? Just think of how many merchandising products come and go only to never be around for the next generation. There are a handful (Disney’s Mickey Mouse, G.I. Joe and Barbie, to name a few) that have stayed around to the same capacity as the radio has against television and the internet. Into the 1980’s, Star Wars too just didn’t seem to go away, even six years after the first movie had been released. People still wanted their share of Revenge Of The Jedi, which eventually was finalized as Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi.
But sometime after 1983, there was a long hiccup. The hiccup was that a trilogy was over. Not long after Return Of The Jedi, this one directed by Richard Marquand, was released, the marketing machine’s momentum slowed down significantly and for many years the Star Wars toys seemed to disappear out of existence. People seemed to be complete. Darth Vader was Luke Skywalker’s father, the Galactic Empire had been defeated and the Force was balanced. The merchandising industry based on Star Wars movies no longer had movies to spur its continuance. Interest waned, but this changed dramatically by the latter half of the 1990′s when the original trilogy was re-released into cinemas with additional scenes and updated special effects in 1997. With this campaign came a new range of toys, which reignited the passion for Star Wars, but was it all for nostalgia or was something bigger on the horizon? Remarkably, the resurgence in the popularity of Star Wars had yet to reach its peak. What could match the magnitude of the original trilogy and complete the Star Wars chronicle? A new trilogy: the prequel trilogy.
star-wars-episode-i-posterSixteen years after the 1983 premiere of the previous film in the saga, Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi, Episode I: The Phantom Menace was set to revive Star Wars on May 19, 1999. The wait had culminated to a point in time when visual effects were beyond anything anyone could have imagined in 1977. This time, George Lucas was returning to the director’s chair to bring the film franchise to the finish line. Things were different now than when he started Star Wars in the 1970’s. People knew Star Wars now. He was no longer a member of the Directors Guild Of America and could do whatever he wanted with the title sequence that forced him to quit the guild originally. As an independent filmmaker, he was in his own league. Beyond the filmmaking, merchandisers were ready for an onslaught. Episode I is one of the rare films that may have actually done well even if it didn’t have a budget for marketing. Other companies were basically doing it for Lucasfilm and paying them for the permission to do it.
Merchandising was maxed out for Episode I. There must have been a surplus, since Episode II: Attack Of The Clones was visibly scaled back by comparison in hype. The overabundance of Star Wars simmered down by the time 2002 came along. Episode I’s campaign was a blitz of a force for the senses. It seemed like everything had Star Wars written across it like collectible Pepsi cans with character graphics, posters and stickers from major restaurants chains, coloring books and new aisles in big-box stores dedicated only to Star Wars for everyone devoted to Star Wars. No matter what type of product you were interested in owning, you could find a Star Wars-themed version of it in 1999. This time around, Star Wars had a primitive version of the internet to boost fanfare even more. The franchise along with lines of anticipation filled newspapers and segments on the evening news. The media and the public were overloaded on midi-chlorians. Even if you didn’t care, you still knew.
star-wars-episode-i-imageI myself was born in 1988, after the great hype of the original trilogy. For me, 1999 was my 1977. My dad had just come home from out-of-town and he took us both to the theater near us to experience Episode I: The Phantom Menace, part of a franchise new for me and him. On his part, I blame communism. We were one of the many that helped The Phantom Menace break box-office records and reestablish Star Wars in pop culture. We were both one of those that were thrilled about the podracing. We loved Jar Jar Binks. I know, I bring shame to many fan clubs of the Old Republic and I’m sure I’ve just been banned from each one of them for admitting my enjoyment of the bumbling character. My possessions associated with the movies started with the storybook of Episode I. That summer, my parents and I moved across country. In the truck, I remember the box of Pepsi cans at my feet. I collected them. I wanted all the characters and I wanted all those cans empty for my shelf. My first Star Wars action figure was Watto (how fitting: a Toydarian) with the Commtech Chip. The Christmas of 1999 was the season of things like a 3.75” Darth Maul and a 22” Jar Jar Binks that giggled and shook, and does to this day beside the pit droid time piece. Am I sentimental about it? You bet. Is it commercialization and materialistic? Go to hell. It’s damn fun.
star-wars-attack-of-the-clones-imageAnd so, Episode II: Attack Of The Clones came and went a few years later, this time with a digitized Yoda rather than a puppet. Just as Harrison Ford had had trouble pronouncing his lines during the filming of A New Hope, critics were less than impressed by the flat dialogue of Attack Of The Clones. Many also criticized the new Anakin Skywalker, played by Hayden Christensen. Many felt it lacked the freshness of previous installments. It did make more than enough money to be considered financially successful, but adjusted for inflation, Episode II is the lowest-performing live-action Star Wars film at the North American box-office. It was also not the top-grossing film of 2002 in the U.S., the first and only time that a live-action Star Wars film did not have this distinction for its year of release. Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith in 2005 officially concluded the events that came to construct the person known as Darth Vader. The movie was itself another event. Revenge Of The Sith became the first Star Wars film in which Anakin Skywalker and the suited Darth Vader were played by the same actor in the same film. While Attack Of The Clones didn’t have the same monumental grab or position as the first or last in the prequel trilogy, Episode III had the advantage of being the last and final Star Wars movie overall. I can only imagine many saw it that had skipped Episode II, if only to at least avoid being the one amongst friends that had skipped Episode III. Some things really do only come but once in time.
“Son, my place is here, my future is here. It is time for you to let go.”
- Shmi Skywalker
star-wars-celebration-convention-imageThat was then, this is now and what does the future have in store? Now, unlike in the 80’s, the popularity of Star Wars has seemed to stick. The Force is as strong as ever with George Lucas. Lucasfilm’s franchise had its highest toy revenue ever in 2010 for a year without a movie released in it. According to market research firm NPD Group, with sales totaling more than $510 million last year, Star Wars was able to position itself as the best-selling boys toy license in the U.S. for the third consecutive year. The animated series has helped keep the saga in action, but it’s not just the toy industry that has welcomed the glowing numbers. It’s not hard to find clothing marked with Star Wars and LucasArts certainly hasn’t abandoned creating videos games for all ages with one thing on their minds: Star Wars. The literary industry has also had a steady stream of publications via galactic trade routes from Coruscant, smugglers via Tatooine and everywhere in between. The Lego Star Wars Visual Dictionary from DK Publishing spent 18 weeks upon its release in the #1 position on the New York Times Children’s Picture Book Bestseller List.
star-tours-imageAs for the future, well, that starts this year and many aren’t ready to let go anytime soon. Star Tours is set to re-launch its ride at Walt Disney theme parks that debuted back in 1987, Hasbro and Lego aren’t ditching the bandwagon quite yet, and it’s pretty safe to say video games aren’t a fad. So as long as those elements keep pumping along with a variety of other categories and television productions, Star Wars so far seems safe from a great depression. Even theaters haven’t said goodbye to the franchise entirely. The countdown is on for Episode I: The Phantom Menace to kick-start the 3D releases of the space opera in theaters next year. Just as no one knew what would happen in 1977 after the premiere of Star Wars, no one knows what will happen with Star Wars’ popularity in years long off without a supply of new movies. Perhaps that’s more of a question for the Jedi High Council to ponder. But there’s one thing you don’t need their help for and that this: the sci-fi genre on home video will undoubtedly be seeing the heavenly green glow of greenbacks once Star Wars: The Complete Saga is unveiled in high-definition.
“Clouded, this boy’s future is.”
-Yoda
star-wars-the-complete-saga-blu-ray-coverClouded? Let’s clear the skies, shall we? Get ready for light-speed internationally beginning September 12. For North America, mark your calendars: September 16, 2011. That’s the day people’s problems may just go away. There have been plenty of DVD releases in the past decade, but now Lucasfilm and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment will be blessing the world with a Blu-ray release of mammoth proportions and biblical significance for diehards. Expectations are high, but will the Blu-ray collection disappoint many and be the antichrist? I argue no. I argue that it will bring balance to the Force. The format has been around for a while now, so I can only expect George Lucas’ team has put in quite a bit of effort into this release without just winging it early on when HD-DVD was still around. Plenty of releases have now proved some things that work and some things that don’t. But if you want a more poetic argument for this release not being the antichrist, here it is: Anakin Skywalker (a.k.a. Darth Vader) and Jesus Christ share quite a few similarities. Anakin was conceived of the Force without a father. Anakin spent many years of his life doing good for others and was betrayed by one of his best friends, although his name wasn’t Judas. When he came back, he did so as Darth Vader, which could also be similar to the antichrist returning. Therefore, if you fear the antichrist, he already came a while ago.
star-wars-cgi-yodaIf you’re thinking this new home video release will just be an entire repeat, think again, at least partially. Get ready to add another version of the saga to what has up to now consisted of original theatrical versions, versions updated with modern CGI and those edited further for home video. Some visual mistakes left in the movies before have been removed for the Blu-ray, like a puppeteer’s arms at the edge of a shot and the inconsistency of a lightsaber’s color across frames. Some entirely new additions, including a Yoda of CGI, are also on the way. The digitized Yoda will be inserted into Episode I: The Phantom Menace to match the rest of the prequel trilogy. Star Wars will be released in three distinct sets of 6.1 DTS Surround Sound with three unique cover arts to meet the needs of every fan. Episodes I-III and IV-VI will be available as separate collections with three discs in each. But if you want the prequel trilogy and the original trilogy in one box, it’s an unheard of thing on home video. At least, it has been until now. Star Wars: The Complete Saga, a 9-disc set with all six movies in one package for the first time, will serve as the bible for those of the Jedi Order around the world.
“I see you have constructed a new lightsaber. Your skills are complete. Indeed, you are powerful, as the Emperor has foreseen.”
-Darth Vader
star-wars-logoRumor is that there are those that have not seen the trilogies, but I doubt those exist that aren’t aware of them. Star Wars has been a massive engagement, a timeless and collective discussion amongst masses. It isn’t bogged down by current events, but that may not be why people flock to it. No, it may just be because it itself is a current event. It brings characters from everywhere and anywhere, location or generation, together on-screen and in front of it.  We all love it when we find the same joy for something we have in ourselves in someone else. It’s rare for a lot of things, but Star Wars has been a common euphoric moment at some point for most that are older than fifteen. You don’t have to be a sci-fi geek to love Star Wars. Hotties can romanticize the heroes and mythology of it. It’s possible! A foreigner to toy-lovers may appreciate Star Wars by just being enamored by the fairy tale of it all. Ruling at reaching a video game’s highest score isn’t a requirement to master the concept of Star Wars. The Force doesn’t discriminate. From date night to boys’ night, the Star Wars universe is kind of just cool. Maybe that’s why: it’s constantly expanding and yet it’s the simple, grandiose memory we all have. It’s the good ol’ days we don’t have to outgrow because it never seems to get old no matter how old it gets. The Star Wars universe didn’t actually happen in a galaxy far, far away. The phenomenon happened right around us. And that’s no fiction. May the Force be with you.

lunes, 19 de diciembre de 2011

The Empire Strikes Back: The shock of different people of I'm your father


Cinema, much like the real world, is filled with estranged families that eventually come together. Sometimes the reunions are happy ones. Sometimes, not so much. In the case of "The Empire Strikes Back," the revelation that Luke Skywalker's true father (uh, spoiler alert?) is actually his nemesis, the Sith lord Darth Vader, lands in the latter category with an unequivocal "nooooooo!"
Matched only by his very own infamous "noooo," Vader's confession -- "I am your father" -- remains one of the most profound and memorable sentences ever uttered in movie history... and the sting is still being felt more than 30 years later.
A four-year-old boy's reaction to Vader's revelation for the very first time has been taking the Internet by storm this week, and the reason isn't surprising: for generations of geeks, young and old, the Dark Lord's about-face remains one of the most chilling and unsettling moments of our childhood... assuming you skipped over that other "Star Wars" trilogy for the classic one, of course.
After the jump, members of the MTV News team recall their memories of witnessing the iconic scene for the very first time.

Josh Horowitz: "I'm not quite old enough to remember my reaction when I first saw the iconic 'Empire' moment, but I certainly remember the three (?) years we waited before 'Jedi' came out and the endless debates with my big brother about whether Darth was lying and, more importantly, who the hell the 'other' was?!? Any tension between us was only exacerbated when I read the 'Jedi' comic before it came out and screamed to my brother 'Darth Vader turns good!' Pretty sure that's when things got physical between us. Oh no, I didn't ruin it for you, did I?"
Kevin Sullivan: "I distinctly remember being confused by Luke's reaction to the revelation. 'What? I thought he already knew.' The inaccurate quote, 'Luke, I am your father,' was such a common saying by the time I saw the movie that I knew it before I actually saw 'Empire Strikes Back.'"
Laurel Woods: "I was eleven when I saw 'The Empire Strikes Back.' I waited in line at the local mall for almost 13 hours, listening to the 'Star Wars' soundtrack on my walkman. The AC unit in the theater was broken and couldn’t be turned off. I watched 'ESB' with my dad, freezing, sitting on the edge of my seat the whole time. When Vader told Luke he was his father, I turned to my dad and asked 'How can Vader have a human son if he’s a machine? I don’t get it.' My dad just shook his head and laughed."
Brian Phares: "For me, the moment was totally ruined because I, being the stupid seven year old kid I was fishing through my parents VHS collection, watched 'Return of the Jedi' first. Primarily because it had the coolest name, also because I was home alone and had nobody to scold me, and lastly because I didn’t realize back then that usually the first movie in a franchise sports the name of said franchise. Whoops!"
Tami Katzoff: "'The Empire Strikes Back' was actually the very first 'Star Wars' movie that I ever saw. I vaguely remember going to the movie theater with my parents (I was very, very young). And I do remember Vader’s revelation. But what struck me most about that pivotal scene was - and these were probably the exact thoughts running through my head at the time - 'Luke’s hand just got cut off! By his dad’s lightsaber! Cooool!!'"

Navidad YStar Wars


¿Que qué me trajo Santa esta Navidad? Solo un sable de luz (y no el casco de Bobba Fett que quería, me porté mal, lo acepto)... pero en el saco de santa, no falta cada año una figurilla de la saga, ya sea de Clone Wars, de la saga original o algo vintage... en el video de arriba sabrán a que me refiero, felices fiestas para todos... cuidado que 2011 viene excelente para los cinéfilos... http://laguerradelasgalaxias-starwars.blogspot.com/

sábado, 17 de diciembre de 2011

Proyector de películas |que se parece a Darth Vader


La gente encontró similitudes entre distinas cosas y el villano de La Guerra de las Galaxias, y por supuesto, las compartió en Internet. Darth Vader es probablemente uno de los villanos más populares de todos los tiempos, y mientras que la Fuerza siga acompañando a La Guerra de las Galaxias, probablemente esto siga así por mucho más tiempo.
La web Walyou hizo una recopilación de fotos enviadas por seguidores de la saga, de cosas cotidianas que guardan parecido con el papá de Luke Skywalker.
Aquí las compartimos. http://laguerradelasgalaxias-starwars.blogspot.com/

Proyector de películas | Ampliar imagen

viernes, 16 de diciembre de 2011

Star Wars strikes back in a football american stadium

Giants Bounty Hunters
A steady stream of Darth Vaders, Princess Leias, Boba Fetts and, of course, Stormtroopers descended on AT&T Park here Sunday as the world-champion San Francisco Giants played host to the Empire for Star Wars Day.
In a city known for its geek fascinations, seeing Jedi mix with hard-core baseball fans is not an uncommon occurrence, but the Giants' game against the Arizona Diamondbacks was the first-ever Star Wars Day for the franchise.
And the team went all-out. Fans got a pre-game costume contest, a post-game screening of Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back in the stadium, Stormtroopers guarding the field during the "Star-Spangled Banner," giveaway statues of Giants closing pitcher Brian Wilson — frozen in carbonite, Han Solo-style — and the opportunity to generally geek out throughout the game.
"We don't even know what the score is," said 33-year-old Ryan Flores, above right, who came in a Giants bounty hunter uniform. Flores told Wired.com that he and his Boba-Fett-meets-Giants-costumed friend, Robin Lopez, 31 (above left), were distracted from the game's play-by-play due to fans wanting pictures with the pair.
Not that Flores minded. He noted that he and Lopez had been happy to take pictures, making them each a Star for the day.
"I'm a geek and if I can make a little kid smile, that makes my day," Flores said.
During the game, Giants players were shown in Jedi garb in their photos on the stadium's giant screen. Between innings, the park showed Star Wars clips, including one featuring the team's mascot, Lou Seal, inserted into key scenes from the film franchise — changes that went over better with fans than last week's addition of Darth Vader screaming "No!" in the upcoming Blu-ray version of Return of the Jedi.
In the end, though, the Force was stronger with Star Wars fans than with the Giants, who lost to the Diamondbacks 4-1 after an 8th-inning rally by the Arizona team.
Click through the gallery above to get a taste of San Francisco baseball's geekiest day, and, as one fan's sign said, "May the SForce be with you."

Lou Seal Jedi

Giants' mascot Lou Seal — in Jedi garb — helped judge a Star Wars costume competition prior to Sunday's game.

Fear the Beard

Marc Aure, of San Francisco, rocks a "Fear the Beard" T-shirt featuring Obi-wan Kenobi and a piece of Millennium Falcon bling. "The Beard" is the nickname of Giants pitcher Brian Wilson. Asked where he got the shirt, Aure said it was made by a friend of a friend. "They're selling them out of a backpack.... You might find that backpack in section 317."

Little Darth Vader

Cameron "Little Vader" Chin, 4, won the costume contest before Sunday's baseball game. "We told him it was Star Wars Day and he wanted to wear his Vader costume," the boy's mother, Carlen Chin, said.

Chewbacca

Robert Syms struts through the costume contest in his Chewbacca outfit. The PG&E engineering tech from San Ramon, California, said Star Wars Day was a family affair. "We all dress up," he said. "My wife is Darth Maul."
"We're a Star Wars family," Betsy Syms, his wife, added.

Darth Weezy and Princess Leia

Marty Gonzalez (left) and Maple Peng cruise around in homemade Giants-themed Darth Vader and Princess Leia costumes before the game.

Brian Wilson in Carbonite

Fans gathered around a large-scale model of Wilson in carbonite during the pre-game costume party.

Stormtroopers

Stormtroopers guard the field at AT&T Park during the "Star-Spangled Banner" and player line-up announcements.

Lou Seal on Field

Giants mascot Lou Seal in Jedi garb hypes up the crowd for the Giants game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Stormtrooper Fans

Jennifer Fong and Michele McAdams eagerly await the start of the Giants game.

Stormtroopers on Field

Stormtroopers guard the game's umpires as they take the field.

Darth Wilson

Devin Calvert calls his costume "Darth Wilson" — a mix between Darth Vader and the Giants pitcher. "I'm a huge Giants fan — I have season tickets," Calvert said. "This is a special occasion."

7th Inning Stretch

jueves, 15 de diciembre de 2011

STAR WARS™: The Old Republic™ - Character Progression -- Imperial Agent

Relatos de los Jedi donde los Sith empiezan a alzarse en los tiempos de la emperatriz Teta


Surgimiento. Uno de los libros de ‘Relatos de los Jedi’, donde los Sith empiezan a alzarse en los tiempos de la emperatriz Teta. Publicada en 1996.


  ‘Star Wars’ en el mundo de las historietas desde que en 1977 George Lucas estrenara en el cine la película ‘Una nueva esperanza’, que a la postre se convirtió en ‘Episodio IV’ de una de las sagas de la cultura pop más populares y grandiosas de todos los tiempos.


También dejamos muy en claro que después del éxito que se ha tenido con la saga (de la que se desprenden seis películas), las aventuras se han trasladado a otros medios, como la TV, los videojuegos y el cómic. Y en las viñetas es donde se han desarrollado historias previas a lo que vimos en el cine.

Las casas editoras que se han encargado de instruirnos con estas aventuras intergalácticas han sido Marvel (de 1977 a 1986) y Dark Horse (sobre todo desde 1991 hasta la actualidad).

Las historias  alrededor de Star Wars están definidas en tres tiempos: ‘La Era de la Antigua República’ (nueve libros, dos ‘comic-books y un videojuego), ‘La Era del Alzamiento del Imperio’ (67 libros), ‘La Era Imperial’ (59) y ‘La Era de la Nueva República’ (20).

Año cero

Para ubicarnos mejor con la trama, debemos distinguir una línea de tiempo y esta se ubica, precisamente, en la famosa Batalla de Yavin, ese enfrentamiento final entre tropas rebeldes e imperiales que se ve en la película ‘Una nueva esperanza’ (1977), donde Luke Skywalker es el héroe.

Esta Batalla de Yavin marca el año cero y, por lo tanto, los acontecimientos se ubican antes (ABY) o después de esta Batalla (DBY).

Hace 5000 años ABY

Partiremos con ‘La Era de la Antigua República’, hace 5000 años ABY, también conocida como la ‘Era de los Sith’ y tiene dos acontecimientos clave: La Fundación de la Antigua República (la que se describe hace 25 mil años ABY) y la Séptima Batalla de Ruusan en el 1000 ABY.

Pero en estos 5000 años, los Jedis y los Sith han mantenido una guerra intensa y en la última batalla, que se supone en Ruusan, los primeros se impusieron y casi extinguen a los segundos, quienes estaban en el lado oscuro de la Fuerza.

De esta ‘Era’ se desprenden algunos libros, ‘cómic-books’ y videojuegos que han venido apareciendo desde 1996 hasta la actualidad.

Uno de los más largos ha sido ‘Los relatos de los Jedi’ (‘Tales of Jedi’) que a la postre es una de las subseries que han narrado las batallas entre estos dos bandos de poderosos guerreros.

Un inicio claro nos lleva hasta un Jedi que descubre el surgimiento de los Sith y de ahí vienen las Guerras de Unificación del Sector de la emperatriz Teta. Aquí se narra la muerte del anterior Lord Oscuro: Marka Ragnos. Después los Sith se empiezan a juntar y tratan de obtener el poder político y gobernante, que radica en la República (en este caso la antigua).

Pero los protectores de la República son los Jedis, quienes en este tiempo son vistos como guerreros místicos y religiosos, al contrario de sus enemigos, quienes están en el lado oscuro de esa Fuerza que hace poderosos a estos seres.

Los enfrentamientos entre estos dos bandos tienen sus altos y bajos. En algunas batallas (casi todas) ganan los Jedis y en otras resultan derrotados en épicos duelos con espadas de láser.

Decenas de personajes importantes desfilan en este tiempo, tanto en los Jedis y en los Sith, así como políticos, gobernantes, delincuentes, cazarrecompensas… Todos estos pertenecientes a una infinidad de planetas. Por eso, Star Wars es tan rico en seres de distintos mundos, donde las razas, tamaños y colores se cuentan por cientos.

Como paréntesis, hay que decir también que hubo guerras civiles entre los mismos Jedis (o sea unos contra otros) y entre Siths.

Algunos personajes

Entre los protagonistas más destacados de toda esta maraña de historias con entramado político, con secretos y oscuros intereses, están, entre otros, Nomi Sunrider, Ulic Qel-Dromay, Dantooine, Freedon Nadd, Marka Ragnos. Todos ellos en ‘Los relatos de los Jedi’.

Otra subserie de esta ‘Era’ es ‘Los Caballeros de la Vieja República’ (donde destacan las famosas Guerras Mandalorianas), que narra igualmente los enfrentamientos entre Jedis y Siths. Los personajes importantes de este tiempo son: ‘Padawan’ (aprendiz) Zayne, Bastila Shan, Revan, Revan, Malak…

Pero uno de los más destacados en este tiempo, a nuestro modo de ver, es Darth Bane, quien tiene una subserie homónima, en la que se cuenta su historia desde que era muchacho (maltratado por su padre) hasta unirse al bando de los Sith y convertirse en su líder. Aquí también aparecen otros personajes como: Qordis, Kas'im, Orilltha, Shenayag, Hezzoran.

En esta última parte se relata las batallas en Ruusan.



EL DATO
Ruusan es un mundo aislado donde los Sith se refugian hasta que los Jedis les encuentran y se armaron, en total, siete batallas en este planeta.


‘La Era de la Antigua República’
Libros

1. Relatos de los Jedi.
1.1. La Edad Dorada de los Sith (5.000 años ABY).
1.2. La Caída del Imperio de los Sith (5.000 años ABY).
1.3. Ulic Qel Droma-Las guerras de Onderon-La Saga de Nomi Sunrider (3.998 años ABY).
1.4. El Alzamiento de Freedon Nadd (3.998 años ABY).
1.5. Los Señores Oscuros del Sith (3.997 años ABY).
1.6. La Guerra Sith (3.996 años ABY).
1.7. Redención (3.986 años ABY).
2. Caballeros de la Vieja República. (3.964 años ABY).
3. Jedi contra los Sith (1.000 años ABY).



Batallas. Este ‘comic-book’ es parte de la subserie ‘Caballeros de la Vieja República’.

Líder. El poderoso Darte Bane, guerrero Sith.