The Starbird Files

It’s a little over a week and a half since the final episode of The Book Of Boba Fett and there has been a lot of varied opinions in that time, so I’ll try to keep my review fairly short. As I let the series sit with me, the more I have looked back on it as a really enjoyable experience.   I really appreciated that this was a smaller story (for the most part) that didn’t play into the greater state of the galaxy, and focused on Boba Fett and his motivations. I enjoyed the structure of the show with the bacta tank flashbacks being one of the strongest elements for me, especially Chapter 2: The Tribes of Tatooine where Boba learns the value of having a tribe and we got great insight into the culture of the Tuskens. There was of course a lot of critique of the Mods (and the chase), but after getting used to the idea of them they really grew on me.  What seems to have really got people talking were the two ‘non Boba’ episodes, personally I really enjoyed ‘The Return of the Mandalo...

The Fallen Star by Claudia Gray (Del Rey) The third adult novel of Project Luminous comes with considerable expectations given the success of the era so far and that it closes out the first phase of this huge publishing initiative. Then add in that it’s written by Claudia Gray, probably the most lauded Star Wars author of recent years, and that the promotional materials have been showing us that Starlight Beacon was going to be destroyed for months, leading many of us to wonder just what are they hiding if they’re showing us this! It would be difficult for any book to live up to all this, would The Fallen Star succeed? One of Claudia Gray’s great strengths are the relationships between her characters, like Ciena and Thane in Lost Stars or Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan in Master and Apprentice. Happily this trend continues, building some great bonds and fascinating friendships between Stellan and Elzar, Orla and Stellan, Bell and Burryaga. In The Rising Storm I hadn’t really found a connection wi...

  Hello there, and welcome to my review of the year, a not at all exhaustive look at the year in Star Wars from my perspective as well as your thoughts. Thank you to all who contributed. We’ll kick off with  SW on our Screens , which it has to be said has been a bit quiet this year, but we’ve had some real gems. The first season of  The Bad Batch  was really enjoyable with some great canon connections, I adored the first episode especially, and it will be very interesting to see where it goes. “I loved seeing Kamino and Tipoca City (RIP) once more in The Bad Batch, I hadn't thought we'd ever see it again so it really brought home the 2002 AOTC feels.”  Matt, @StarWarsSession (Twitter) The highlight of the year on screen for me was undoubtedly  Star Wars Visions , I loved seeing a brand new take on the galaxy far far away through the lens of japan, one of the very things that inspired George Lucas all those years ago, and it seems I was not alone; “The thing...

I have to admit I wasn’t the most excited for The Book of Boba Fett initially, despite considering myself a Fett fan, but as time went by and more and more teasers were released over the last month or so, my hype for this show had increased dramatically. So I was eager to get stuck in when it dropped at 8am in the UK, and I wasn’t disappointed. Starting with Boba in the bacta tank having dreams of his past was a great way to begin, seeing flashes of Kamino and Geonosis before diving into the big question of how he got out of the Sarlacc. It is unclear how much time has passed when he awakes in the stomach of the Return of the Jedi monster, from the lack of smoke from the wreckage of Jabba’s sail barge it must be a few days at least, but really could be much longer. Back in the present, Boba & Fennec receive tributes from the citizens and criminals of Mos Espa, and I loved hearing Matt Berry voicing the droid. They then begin to make their rounds of the city, visiting the Sanctuary,...

  Marvel Star Wars War of the Bounty Hunters Vol.1 Written by Charles Soule Art by S McNiven, L Ross, D Messina, L Martin, N Menon, Guru-eFX I have a mixed history with the Star Wars comics, there are some I love - the first two Vader runs of the new era, The High Republic comics, I enjoy some of the short mini series like Lando and Shattered Empire. But I struggle with the main Star Wars line, that for me takes some of the mystery away from the time between the OT movies and makes it too crowded, and that was in part why I’d shied away from War of the Bounty Hunters for a while. But having seen people’s reaction to the series and the reappearance of Qi’ra piqued my curiosity to pick up this first trade paperback from the crossover event. The basic story hinges on Boba Fett’s prized bounty of Han Solo frozen in carbonite being stolen from him enroute to Jabba. The thieves are Crimson Dawn agents, led by Qi’ra who is now in charge of the organization, and they plan to auction Han of...

The Edge of Balance Volume 1 by Shima Shinya & Justina Ireland (Viz Media) Art by Mizuki Sakakibara I was excited to finally get my hands on The Edge of Balance when it finally arrived in the UK after many delays, especially as it is my first Star Wars manga - heck my first manga. The story begins just before the Republic Fair, as Jedi knight Lily Tora-Asi and her former master Arkoff, a Wookiee, resettle refugees from the Great Disaster to Banchii -    a quiet farming world where their Jedi Temple has just been built. That serenity is of course broken when they discover several Drengir close to the village, after fighting them off they discover that some of the victims had, unusually, been turned to wood. The story concludes with Arkoff being called away to help deal with the Nihil following the attack on Valo, leaving Lily to investigate how the Drengir came to Banchii and why their victims have been turned to wood. The relationship between Lily Tora-Asi and Arkoff is an...

Do you have a Star Wars fan in your life and you’re not sure what to get them? Or do you want to make sure your relatives get you something good? Fear not because The Starbird Files is here with the 4 book suggestions that you can ask your local bookshop for, as it’s always good to support local especially at this time of year. 1. Star Wars: The Lightsaber Collection (Titan Books) This unique book is the ideal gift for any Star Wars fan, after all who doesn’t love a lightsaber? Featuring 58 illustrated lightsabers from all eras of the saga from fan favorites to more obscure characters. This will make a fine addition to anyone’s collection. Full Review  2. Ronin: A Visions Novel by Emma Mieko Candon (Del Rey) Star Wars Visions was a new DisneyPlus animated show released this year, inspired by Star Wars Japanese roots and created by anime creators and Ronin continues the story of one of these short films, The Duel. If you have (or are) a Star Wars and Anime fan in your life then this...