Looking forward.

[Pierce Tondry]

Some of you might remember that I used to write a column for the Portal page. It was sporadic at best, in part because of my Internet access. These days, I have the access, but what I lack is anything new about Star Wars that inspires me to something worthy of a column. In this little calm before Episode III even begins production, big Star Wars activity has reached a deep low.

But if a columnist can't find something to write about among the slow times, he very quickly winds up out of a job.

Right now, I want to take a look forward at a few upcoming Star Wars related-items to see where the future of Star Wars is headed, in books, in comics, in games, and in fellowship. Maybe the Force will guide me to further column topics, but in the meantime, I'll just fly by the seat of my X-Wing. :)

Click on the "Read More" link and check out upcoming events. I hope you enjoy this little vision of the future of Star Wars.

~Brian Sears

[Pierce Tondry]

Books:

Force Heretic III: Reunion - this is the next step in the New Jedi Order series and it is only a stone's throw from the end. How long ago did the series start? Four years or something similar? That's a lot of books the diehard fans have had to plow through. Now as everything winds down (or up), and as those fans plow through the third of the Force Heretic trilogy, we will see a glimpse of how the New Jedi Order and the Yuuzhan Vong conflict will come to a close, and what role the planet Zonoma Sekot will play in its ending. I can't find an official release date for the book, but it'll definitely be out this summer. Anyone with release date info, please post it.

Shatterpoint - the next Clone Wars novel and first original hardcover one. This book truly has me excited. Matthew Stover (I felt) did an excellent job with the NJO novel Traitor, and the small preview they placed in "Force Heretic: Refugee" piqued my interest. Mace Windu is apparently the star of this book, on a journey to save his former apprentice Depa Billaba from the Dark Side. This is an interesting idea for a plot in and of itself. Then I read the article in "Star Wars: Insider", saw the line "When I look at you through the Force, I can see where you break" and I was sold. The release date is June 3. Keep an eye out!

Comics:

There are several issues of interest coming out soon. June is the kickoff point for Star Wars: Clone Wars, Volume I: The Defense of Kamino, which looks at the more military concerns of the Clone Wars and what happens as the Separatists and the Republic engage each other in a struggle for supremacy. Issues of Star Wars: Republic will continue the saga of the fractioning Jedi during the struggle. Inside magazine promises a likeable picture of Anakin coming from the Republic issues, so if you want to catch a glimpse of him being the best he could be, check it out.

Games:

SW TCG - Wizards of the Coast debuted this card game last year at Celebration II. I liked the game very much and vowed to keep up with the expanding cardlists. Although financially unable to continue collecting cards, I have nonetheless kept an eye on released products and I can truthfully say that the game seems to be gaining in playability. The next set, Jedi Guardians, seems to be focused on making Jedi characters still more playable. Potentially, it is a very good set for newcomers to the game to get in on. www.wizards.com has further information on expansion products.

SW RPG - Another Wizards of the Coast product, the RPG Hero's Guide, will add more Star Wars lore to a growing pile. For tabletop RPGers, this book is designed to maximize the potential of heroes in the game, offering new abilities and classes for characters to specialize into. It will be out in June as well- seems like June is the big month for Star Wars this year, eh?

Video Games - I'm not going to cover video games because there's an entire forum on the boards dedicated to just that. For info on Jedi Knight 3, the again-delayed Star Wars Galaxies, or anything else digital, click on the link below.

http://www.swforums.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=204

Fellowship:

I told you there was a dearth of Star Wars related activity right now, didn't I? :) There's really nothing major or official planned until 2005, when Celebration III is set to take place. However, if you become aware of anything, be sure to let us know!

Thanks for reading, and I hope to write you again soon.