FINALLY Real News! Episode VII Cast Officially Announced!

Well over a year ago we received news that there was going to be another Star Wars movie.  Then there were months and months and months of dodged questions, vague answers, weird rumors and "announcements" that were more often than not just announcing something that they had already told us before.  I was beginning to give up hope that we'd ever learn anything, or even that the movie was truly going to happen at all. 

Today, we finally have some answers.  We still have some questions, too, but we certainly have some concrete answers, some good news, and still some speculating to do.  For those of you who don't know already, the cast has been announced.  The big three are returning.  While honestly, after everything that had been said I didn't really think that they wouldn't be back - why bother with all of the non-denial only to months later tell us, oh, sorry, we're not actually going to be in this one? - it is still a huge relief to me to see that it is finally official.  I'm a sucker for nostalgia and I don't care how old they are.

Then we have a list of actors that can be found elsewhere, most of whom I've never heard of.  I don't think that's a bad thing.  After all, the big three were virtual unknowns at the time.  I also think it's better to have people we don't (yet) recognize very well so that we can fully be absorbed into the movie, rather than looking at some 25-year old and thinking, gee, remember when I used to see him on that Disney tween show?  That would be annoying.  The only thing we really need to know at this point is what roles exactly these people are going to have.  I'm sure at least a couple are Skywalker/Solo offspring, but it remains to be seen which ones.

But, seriously, this is really happening.  We get to see Han and Leia and Luke on screen again.  We get to see Han and Leia (presumably - we have no reason to believe otherwise) married.  Can you imagine if back in 1983 someone had told you that in 2015 you were finally going to get another Star Wars movie to follow Return of the Jedi?  First of all, that would've felt like so far infinitely in the future that we might catch up to them in technology.  But really, would you have believed it?  Forget the prequels, of course.

Anyway, still plenty more speculating to do, but we finally have some actual news, and we finally are seeing Harrison, Carrie and Mark in the same place at the same time.  How crazy is that?  My geek side is on overdrive right now.  And I cannot wait for this movie.

Star Wars EU No Longer Officially Canon to Go Along With Films

Apparently it is official now that the EU we have all been following for so many years is basically being wiped clean.  There was an official announcement the other day, although like most "big announcements" they keep making lately, I read it and find myself thinking, wait, didn't they already announce this?  Well, apparently it wasn't officially official or something, because suddenly it's breaking news and we're supposed to think we didn't already know this was going to happen.  I fully expect on May 4th to hear that they are making Episode VII, like it's something we haven't already known for like a year and a half or however long it's been now.  

So, how do we feel about this?  It's hard to decide how I feel until I find out what they kept and what they didn't.  They have reserved the right to pick and choose elements that they may keep the same, but I'll be really curious to see if they go to great lengths to make it as different as possible or just use things here and there and not worry about it.  In a lot of ways it's nice that they have this freedom to do whatever without having to conform to anything prior, and we all know how annoying it was at times for them to try and fit things into existing canon given the fact that there are ridiculous amounts of comics and books and such.  

The good news is apparently now COPL never really happened!  Although of course depending on what they wind up doing we all may find ourselves wishing it did.  To be honest though, I'm not that worried about a few key elements being ruined for me.  I'd be really, really surprised  - and, let's face it, completely heartbroken - if they decided that Han and Leia never got married.  I genuinely don't believe they'll do that, though.  I just want to see old, married Han and Leia kicking ass into their retirement years, watching their kids grow up and kick some ass of their own.  I do admit though I've grown attached to many elements of the EU, and it's all lodged in my memory, so it'll be weird to suddenly be like, wait, who are their kids?  And, frankly, it seems a little odd that going into the future there are dozens of books about this entire alternate universe that we are supposed to ignore now.  Do you think that new readers are going to get into an EU now that previously existed but now has nothing to do with the movies we're going to be seeing or new books going forward?  I really doubt it.  

And, selfishly, I feel like it sort of wrecks some of my stories.  I know that's dumb, but it is something that crossed my mind.  I do need to keep reminding myself that now Chewie lives, we should probably assume that if they had them, none of Han and Leia's kids have died.  Maybe poor Luke will also get a wife who doesn't die fairly young, either.  These bits of consolation haven't stopped me from being fairly nervous about the new awful things they could do to replace this, though. 

May the Fourth is fast approaching.  Months ago if someone had told me that we'd still barely know a thing by then I'd have laughed, thinking there was no possible way it could go that far before we heard some real news.  Well, apparently they can hold out on us longer than I thought.  If any of you are on facebook and follow Star Wars, they seem to be talking about May 4th an awful lot and making me wish if I could remember years past and whether or not they brought it up this often.  I'll admit though, they are doing the best job I've ever seen at keeping this stuff under wraps, but seriously, just tell us something already!  

Anyway, bye-bye original EU that is now AU.  I really hope that what replaces it is better.

Chewbacca Lives!

I'm not sure if any of you have been following the tiny trickle of "news" items on Episode VII, and if you're anything like me, at this point you're barely listening because for the past eighteen months we've been given barely any shreds of details as far as what is going on aside from, "Hey, we're making a new one!"  And of course a bunch of rumors we aren't sure if we should believe, plus big press releases telling us things like, hey, R2-D2 is going to be in this one!  Even though they already told us that months ago. 

So, when I heard this latest bit of news, I wasn't entirely sure if it was actual news, or if it was "news" like Carrie confirming she was going to be in it months ago, before she backtracked and now acts like she's not sure.  But it appears to be confirmed now: Chewie, AKA Peter Mayhew, will be back for Episode VII.  I know we've talked at least a little bit about what they are or aren't keeping from the EU, and this news seems to imply that we are erasing Chewie's death (although Push did say yesterday that maybe he would come back as a Force ghost) and of all of the things to get rid of, I'm very happy with that.  I think your casual fan who never knew he died would be appalled to learn that he had been killed off. 

I'm extra happy to know that this means that this also probably means that the Yuzhan Vong never happpened, Anakin never died and Jacen never went dark.  Although of course we're not even sure if those kids exist yet, but I'll settle for now for being happy with the Chewie thing.  Although now I'm left wondering if he really has stuck by Han (and, hopefully, Leia and their kids) all this time or if he is coming back or something.  It will be interesting to see. 

Push laughs at me for getting wrapped up in this, but really, I just want to know if Han and Leia have been together all this time and who their kids are.  In a stupid way, I admit I don't want totally different kids to ruin my stories!  But I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens.  I do feel like the final casting announcement has to be imminent at this point, especially with added reports that they have actually started shooting.  December 18th, 2015 sure still feels like a long way off.

What Your Bloggers Do When They Get Together

So we haven't posted anything new.  But that is because I'm down visiting with Push, and aside from the general busy-ness of her life, when we do settle down and get to talk, usually things go something like this:

Push:  We need to do another blog post.

Zyra:  Yeah, we do.

Push:  What should it be about?

Zyra:  I don't know, I don't have any ideas. 

Push:  Didn't we get some suggestions on the last post?

Zyra:  Yeah, but I don't remember what they were.

Push:  It's been a week since we did a post.

Zyra:  I know. 

And then we go back to playing our Tiny Death Stars on our phones.  I mean, we do other stuff, too, but that's kind of how things have been going.  Hopefully at some point we can get our acts together and start an interesting conversation.  In the mean time, feel free to discuss whatever here :)