LightSaber Rattling

The Box's Bounty Hunters

2012-02-01T19:19:00.000-08:00

This is just a great image featuring the characters from this week's TCW Episode "The Box" written by Brent Friedman.

SOURCE: StarWars.com

Listen to me on Star Wars Beyond the Films Episode #5: Darth Plagueis Review Part 1

2012-02-01T17:20:00.000-08:00

I join hosts Nathan and Mark of the Star Wars Beyond the Films podcast to discuss James Luceno's recently released Darth Plagueis novel.

I had lots of fun chatting with Nathan and Mark and you can look forward to two more episodes featuring my dulcet tones.

LINK

Dave dishes on the future of Star Wars: The Clone Wars

2012-02-01T15:02:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Star Wars: The Clone Wars supervising director Dave Filoni took to the internet yesterday to answer some fan questions on his public Facebook page. Below are a summary of the questions with Dave's answers with my two cents thrown in.

1) Ventress and comic continuity

Hey Ian. Ventress’ story is one of the most interesting that we have developed with George. We’ve really gotten into what she is all about, and this season will be no different. There’s much more to her story than people realize, and some awesome new outfits as well. I don’t think we would link up with the comic book storyline though, at least not anytime soon. There is big character development coming for the “hairless harpy.”

My Thoughts: Sounds like episode 4.19 (Massacre) may just be the reintroduction of Nighsister Asajj which we will see more of in Season 5. To be perfectly honest watching the TCW movie with Ventress I was rather underwhelmed with the character, but as the series has gone on especially last season I think we saw a great transformation take place for the character played by Nika Futterman. Getting Ventress out from under the thumb of Dooku was one of the best decisions the creative team behind TCW has made. She is much more interesting as a wild card then simply as a Sith minion.

2) Ending the series

I always have an endgame in sight. George and I have discussed it, but we just keep writing more stories and finding new and exciting situations for the characters. New stories come along that change the end game, so it’s still evolving. We know we are on a collision course with “Revenge of the Sith,” but there are details surrounding the fate of certain characters that are still in discussion. This is an exciting time for the writing team, because big things are going to happen with significant characters.

My Thoughts: We already know they are well into work on S5 and have at least done some work on S6. I think it is a near certainty that we get at least seven seasons. I would say they wrap it up with an eight season that finishes the series during and immediately after Revenge of the Sith.

3)Special Edition treatment for early TCW episodes

It’s funny that you ask that Eric. Not that long ago George and I were joking about how much better we could tell the stories with the way we produce the animation now. Imagine the Malevolence now. It’s tempting, but at the same time, seeing those episodes reminds me of how much we have evolved as a creative team, and I’m very proud of my crew for that. But if George said “Dave, go make your special edition,” I would not say no.

My Thoughts: This is a funny question and comment but given the production expense and time involved it would be a total waste to do this.

4) Mandalorians

What you saw in Season 4 with the Death Watch was just a small taste of what is to come. I think the Madalorians are involved in one of the best story arcs next season. A great deal is at stake and big things happen. As far as Spar, the clones and the Mandalorians go, you have to understand that in the film saga, and the TV series, clones don’t really identify with Mandalorians. The vast majority of clones never met Jango Fett, and the series has focused more on the clones having their own culture, rather than adopting a culture that they never really came in contact with. Satine will be returning and I promise you she will have bigger problems than tainted Moogan Tea this time.

My Thoughts: Booo. It seems that Karen Traviss' Clone Mandoization movement is being expunged from continuity. As a KT fan this bother me, because I enjoyed that story line and I thought it made a lot of sense. I am not a total crazy Mando lover though, so I am glad at least we will be seeing the Mandalorians come back next season in a major way. I have been predicting for a while now that we will see Civil War return to Mandalore with the pacifists losing power. Will we see the introduction of the "True Mandalorians" in Season 5?

5) Order 66 on TCW

If we do, it would be from a different perspective than we saw it in the films.

My Thoughts: Yes, 1000 times yes.

6) Galactic Marines on TCW

I would love to find a place to use Galactic Marines, so we’ll see. Currently they have not shown up as of yet. There are some cool troopers coming though, ones that you have never seen before, but that is a ways off.

My Thoughts: More distinct and interesting Clone Troopers are great, but pretty please Dave I need some Null-ARCs, I'm begging here.

7) A Darth Sidious arc

Darth Sidious is a sensitive subject, and so far it has been a conscious decision to never show him other than as a hologram in the series. However, I would look for the dark lord to take a more active role in the future.

My Thoughts: Why is Sidious such a "sensitive subject?" I can understand from a storytelling/time point of view in 22 minutes, you don't want to do the establishing shot on both sides of a holocom call like you would in a film in most cases. But I wonder is it simply to surprise the youngest of viewers that don't realize Palpatine is Sidious? Is it simply because to this point Palpatine isn't doing much but sitting in his office and moving piece across the Dejarik board? I would love to see a Sidious/Dooku lightsaber sparring session at some point in the series. That loss of Ian Abercrombie weighs heavy as Dave plans an even larger role for his character going forward. I wonder if they will get a current member of the cast to try to voice match Ian instead of going outside for another actor.

8) Cody's absence from Obi-Wan's "Funeral"

In order to keep the nature of Obi Wan’s mission as secret as possible, the Jedi Council assigned Cody to a mission so he could not attend. A fact that did not sit well with the Commander.

My Thoughts: I think Dave just made up that answer on the spot, and for the record I am fine with that.

9) Will Obi-Wan and Satine be seeing each other, face-to-face once more?

That’s a very thoughtful question Madison, so I will answer you. YES

My Thoughts: Put on the Barry Whitesun holodisc, turn on the glow lamps and...I'll keep this PG and just leave it at that.

10) Ahsoka's Future

Sarah, thank you for your support, I really appreciate it. Ahsoka is going to face one of her biggest challenges ever next season. I cannot tell you the details, but it will raise her to her greatest heights, and take her to her darkest moment yet, so hang in there and cross your fingers.

My Thoughts: I just had a very random story idea. What if Ahsoka is kidnapped by Maul and Savage and they attempt to torture and turn her to the Dark Side? Ahsoka ends up being the one to finish off Maul.

11) Mother Talzin's motivations

I’m glad you ask about Mother Talzin, she’s actually more important than people guess. You are on the right track. What is she all about? Why is she so interested in Savage and Maul? Patience…in time you will know.

My Thoughts: Mother Talzin is certainly making the rounds lately, featured in the recent books Darth Plagueis, The Wrath of Darth Maul and the soon to be released Book of the Sith. She may give the creeps but I really like the character, of course it would be cool to see the Singing Mountain Clan at some point on TCW.

12) Bo-Katan Pronunciation guide

It’s pronounced “Bow”, as in Rainbow, “cat” as in cat, “Anne” as in the girls name. The character is named after my wife’s nickname for her cat – “the Boogie,” and my wife’s name is “Anne.” So, it’s “Boogie-Cat-Anne”, Boogie got shortened to “Bo,” so thus Bo-Katan. It also sounds like Boca Ratan, FL, but the name has nothing to do with that. Lol.

My Thoughts: A tuckerism by Dave Filoni. But who can blame him, I would do the same thing. Of course I appreciate the pronunciation guide as I am sure I pronounce half the EU characters and places wrong.

13) Anakin and Obi-Wan's different lightsaber hilt design

No, we have never really gotten into that, however you will learn much more about lightsabers in the future.

My Thoughts: As much as a love lightsabers, I am ashamed to admit I had no idea what this question was about. Geek card revoked.

14) Tons of Questions: Will we see Tuskan Raiders in the Clone Wars? and Is there going to be any in depth look at the ancient Sith or go to any of the Sith worlds? and Will we see Hondo Ohnaka (a family favorite character!) again? Thank you!

Hondo – YES
Tuskan Raiders – YES (but in the future, not soon)
Sith - …hmmm…hmmm… patience. Sith have patience, that’s how they survived. So have patience. You will see. Just have patience.

My Thoughts: Hondo returning is hardly a surprise, he is one of those recurring supporting characters at this point. Sith or Sith planets? We know we almost had Bane and Revan last season, so this seems more like a matter of if not when. But Tusken Raiders means we are again returning to Tatooine. I thought it was a remote planet but it seems to have a particularly strong pull in the Force, because we keep going back there. My humble request, I want to see General A'Sharad Hett!

15) Will Grievous character model hand design change from TCW four to RotS six finger design?

Bryce, that’s a great idea. We have never updated Grievous since we did the original model but that’s overdue. Let me talk to Kilian and see what he says, but I think that’s a really good idea. The show has evolved, and maybe that should too.

My Thoughts: Apparently some people are much more sticklers for detail then I am.

SOURCE: Dave Filoni's Facebook Fan Page

Review: Maze Run by David J. Williams and Mark S. Williams

2012-01-30T19:55:00.000-08:00

Star Wars Insider: Issue 131 features an all new piece of short fiction entitled, Maze Run by authors David J. Williams and Mark S. Williams.

Maze Run is a story featuring Han Solo, Chewbacca, and the Millennium Falcon set before the events of Episode IV: A New Hope. It is set in the area of space known as the Rishi Maze, which was first mentioned by Dexter Jettster in his conversation with Obi-Wan Kenobi as a point of reference when looking for the planet Kamino in Episode II: Attack of the Clones.

Fans will be interesting to note that while she doesn't appear in the story, a deleted scene character is mentioned. Han's would be love interest at the beginning of Star Wars, Jenny makes a brief appearance in Han Solo's internal monologue in the story.

The one that got away...

The story is written as a tie-in of sorts with the Haynes Star Wars: Millennium Falcon Owner's Workshop Manual being released Tuesday January 31st by Del Rey. It is a little different in that the recent short stories have been tie-ins to novels, whereas this one is a tie-in to what is in essence an Essential Guide to the Millennium Falcon. As such the two Williams had more a free hand in crafting their little tale in a narrative sense.

The story does go into some of the Falcon's technical aspects like the auxiliary flight controls in the engineering section, the 3D Navcom display and the ships shielding. The story is interesting in the how it may effect Han's view of the Rebellion and just why it may be a bad idea to associate with that cause. On the whole however it is a fairly underwhelming tale that doesn't do a lot to impact continuity or allow us to learn more about Han and Chewie.

Of course I am a sucker for Han and Chewie adventures so I still enjoyed it, though it feels like a bit of a missed opportunity.

SOURCE: Star Wars Insider # 131 Page 45-51.

Description for Star Wars: The Clone Wars Episode 4.19 "Massacre"

2012-01-30T17:19:00.000-08:00

The current issue (#131) of Star Wars Insider magazine's Launchpad section gives us some details on the next three episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

The Box: Febuary 3rd

"Obi-Wan Kenobi takes part in a deadly contest to establish warriors fierce enough to participate in a plot to kidnap Palpatine."

Crisis on Naboo: February 10th

"Count Dooku and his squad of bounty hunters launch their plan to kidnap Palpatine. Can Obi-Wan and Anakin stop them?"

Massacre: February 24th

"The first episode of a four-part season finale. Count Dooku seeks revenge for his betrayal at the hands of Asajj Ventress and the Nightsisters."

"Look out for: The sinister army of the undead!"

We learn that Massacre which is the first episode of the four-part arc that will see the introduction to TCW of Darth Maul and the return of Savage Opress will also feature in it's first episode the return of Asajj Ventress and the Nightsisters of Dathomir.

The episode will be directed by Steward Lee and Katie Lucas. Lee has directed 13 previous TCW and Katie Lucas has written 6 previous TCW episodes. Most notably Ms. Lucas was the scribe behind last season "Nightsisters Trilogy" which featured the introduction of Savage Opress and the teaser reveal of Darth Maul still being alive.

Sounds like from the description we may be getting some Nighsister magicks that are similar to Sith Sorcery in raising an army of undead. It is interesting that Lee also directed two of the previous zombie episodes "Legacy of Terror" and "Brain Invaders."

I wonder if the betrayal by Ventress has something to do with foiling the plot to kidnap Palpatine that Dooku will be launching in the final episode of the current arc, or will we be getting some News Reel betrayal at the beginning of episode 4.19? Perhaps it is just Ventress and the Nighsisters ambushing Dooku with an army of undead in an attempt to assassinate him like last season's failed assault on his mansion on Serenno.

I am really looking forward to the final arc of the season.

SOURCE: Star Wars Insider #131

Our TCW Reviews will now be linked to on Roqoo Depot

2012-01-30T15:55:00.000-08:00

The kind folks over at Roqoo Depot have started to link to our Star Wars: The Clone Wars reviews.

If you haven't visited this blog before, thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoy TCW reviews as much as I enjoy writing them. Sometimes they are serious, sometimes they are humorous, but most of the time they are some odd combination of both.

If you like our TCW reviews, check out some of our other content as well. There is a search tab on the right side of the site that allows you to search for articles on various topics.

Thanks again to Roqoo Depot, though I don't think I am pretty enough to be in Hapan space.

Battle Meditation Review: Star Wars: The Clone Wars Episode 4.16 Friends and Enemies

2012-01-29T10:08:00.000-08:00

Author's Note: I would be remiss if I didn't take a brief moment to mourn the passing of actor Ian Abercrombie who passed away on Thursday at the age of 77. The actor perhaps most famous recently for his recurring role on Seinfeld, did a magnificent job on Star Wars: The Clone Wars as the voice of Chancellor Palpatine and Darth Sidious. Mr. Abercrombie's perfromances will be missed from the series by this viewer a great deal.

Part two of the Undercover Brother arc kicks the action into high gear as Obi-Wan tries to stay one step ahead of his criminal pals, the Hutts, and his former Padawan.

"Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer."
Fleeing across the galaxy with criminal fugitives, a disguised Obi-Wan, Cad Bane and Moralo Eval are tenaciously pursued by Anakin and Ahsoka, who have no idea they're chasing their friend.

Before I get into my thoughts on this weeks episode let me do a brief cataloging of what Obi-Wan went through in this episode. He survived two crash landings, poison gas to the face, the business end of the staff to the face knocking him out, he was suspended upside down, electrocuted, punched in the guy by the business end of the staff again, choked by Cad Bane, and kneed in the groin during a hand to hand brawl with Anakin. Is it any wonder Obi-Wan doesn't like flying?

This episode was amazing, and only after watching it a second time did I appreciate how layered the storytelling was. It made 22 minutes feel like an hour. There were some really impressive visuals particularly in the final ship to ship duel towards the end of the episode, but there was so much to mention in this episode that I am sure I will leave some things back. Let's just cover a few things quickly before I get into the meat of the review, I think we can all agree that Cad Bane is pretty awesome and that the sparring between Bane and Obi-Wan in the guise of Rako Hardeen was particularly satisfying. It also is revealed though hardly surprising the relationship between Eval and Dooku. Now on to some aspects of the show I found particularly interesting.

Finally we get to see what to me is one of the most interesting and least explored parts of the series, the little private chats that Palpatine and Anakin have as Palpatine on the surface is mentoring his friend but under the surface is grooming Anakin to take his place at Palpatine's feet as his next apprentice.

This mentor/surrogate father relationship that Palpatine foster's is certainly a lot different then how he treated young Darth Maul, and is interesting and fitting with his character as the ultimate political chameleon that he tailor's his approach differently to different audiences. Palpatine's raising of Maul was more like the forging of a weapon, whereas his approach with Anakin was much more of a seduction to the Dark Side. You have these two profound influences on Anakin's life in Obi-Wan and Palpatine, and while we see a ton of the relationship between Obi-Wan and Anakin, it feels like the Anakin and Palpatine relationship has not been fleshed out in a way that shows these little seeds that Palpatine plants in Anakin's mind and slowly watered over the years, making his rather abrupt break from the Jedi and fall in Episode III make more sense.

Complete this little scene with the fact that Mace is having a "private" holocom call with the Chancellor and unbeknownst to Mace, Anakin is sitting in the Palpatine's office, a little play acting that Palpatine uses to flame the fire's of Anakin's anger and resentment against the Jedi for their inaction. Palpatine sending Anakin on a mission without consulting the Jedi Council, positions our characters in a way that seems much closer to their Episode III relationships then we have seen so far in the series. On a lighter not, did anyone else catch the nifty Revenge of the Sith statuary in Palpatine's office?

Sistros or Braata statue

We got to see the Glorious Jewel of Nal Hutta, which looked really cool. We got a wide variety of aliens, mostly low-lifes, a very brief but very inebriated Sy Snootles, more angry including a very Vader-ish Force choke, followed up by Anakin calling Ahsoka Snips.

I really enjoyed the way they portrayed Rako Hardeen, he comes off much more then just Obi-Wan pretending to be someone else, you can almost forget that this isn't Rako Hardeen except for the brief bits of morality that slips from behind the mask.

Hooray for hat jokes, this episode was replete with Cad Bane taking shots about his fashion calling card. I particularly enjoyed the Indiana Jones hat as well as a hat that looked a lot like the one worn by the smuggler in the SWTOR cinematic "Return" trailer.

How about haggling with a Bith starship salesman, that would be rough. Of course this episode of the series made the Bith seem a bit like the Ferengi in their duplicitous business practices.

Captain Rex had a brief but memorable exchange with basically the second ranking Jedi in the galaxy. When pressed for information on his General Anakin Skywalker's whereabouts, Rex ignored Mace Windu's direct question about Anakin's location. In the military command structure Rex should have complied with Mace as he outranked Anakin, however it appears that we are seeing some added depth here where we see the personal bond between Rex and Anakin being more important to Rex then following a superior's orders.

Rating: Friends and Enemies (Frenemies) gets an 8.5. Tons of action, tons of scum and villainy, and some really interesting intrigue. Thus ends my ramblings for this week.

Direct Link to Watch Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Friends and Enemies (4.16)

Next time on Star Wars: The Clone Wars: The Box (4.17)

Are you ready to rumble? Reason the Sith are awesome reason # 193, who else would hold a battle royal between the galaxies best bounty hunters inside a floating cube? Once you enter, resistance is futile.

"The strong survive, the noble overcome."
The disguised Obi-Wan accompanies Cad Bane and Moralo Eval to Serenno, where they enlist in a brutal competition with other bounty hunters from around the galaxy to determine who will participate in a plot to kidnap the Chancellor.

Link to Watch The Box Trailer on StarWars.com

STAR WARS: SCOURGE gets a Mini-excerpt by Star Wars Books on Facebook

2012-01-26T14:26:00.000-08:00

Today we saw the release of a new mini-excerpt for Jeff Grubb's forthcoming Star Wars novel, Scourge that will have a heavy dose of Hutts in it.

STAR WARS: SCOURGE mini-excerpt #1 (ES):
Paperback/eBook on sale April 24, 2012
“A Jedi goes where he is needed,” said Mander. “Your brother, regardless of his fate, knew this. I taught him that, as I myself was taught. I will finish Toro’s task, and if I can, bring those responsible for his death to justice. I would appreciate your help.” He looked at the Bothan. “Both of you.”

We also got information on where the book will fit into on the novel timeline.

It's set after The Hand of Thrawn Duology and before Survivor's Quest on the Timeline. (ES)

Look for more information as this book as it comes out and a review shortly before the novel's release.

SOURCE: Star Wars Books on Facebook

Haynes Star Wars: Millennium Falcon Owner's Workshop Manual Review

2012-01-26T14:17:00.000-08:00

In what may seem like deja vu the creative team of writer author Ryder Windham and artists Chris Trevas and Chris Reiff are back in the cockpit for another book exploring the inner workings of the most famous starship ever, the Millennium Falcon.

In September of 2010 this trio brought us the Star Wars: Millennium Falcon: A 3-D Owner's Guide, which was a really fun book put together by Becker & Mayer Books. The 3-D Owner's Guide was an over-sized heavy cardboard book that featured a layered cut-away of the Millennium Falcon, each page contained a "slice" of the ship showing certain systems and surrounding the cut away was text and images associated with the systems discussed. That book was designed for ages 8 and up, so as cool as it was it was designed for a younger audience and at 22 pages there was only so much information that could be included.

Random House Publishing's Del Rey imprint has taken a similar idea and put a new spin on it that gives a book that is both visually appealing for younger audiences and is detail rich for the more discerning nerd. Partnering with renowned automotive repair manual publisher Haynes, the Haynes Star Wars: Millennium Falcon: Owner's Workshop Manual is 125 pages of geek fun.

The book is crammed full of images from the films, production photos, and illustrations. While this full color book doesn't look like most Haynes manuals I have seen on the inside, the concept itself works to make the marketing gimmick make sense. If you have used a Haynes manual in the past, this book is of a better quality. It comes with a glossy hardcover and the internal pages are printed on a nice sturdy paper stock.

Artwork for cutaway

The only production issue that I have with this book, is the binding which causes you to loose some of the content into the hinge of the book. This problem is greatest on pages 36-39. Pages 36-37 feature a cutaway of the ship spread across two pages and pages 38-39 feature a two page floor plan of the ship, the problem is that both images are bisected by the binding. This would have been potentially solved by either having a fold out insert page at this point in the book, or tweaking how the image was laid out on the pages.

Finished cutaway in the book.

The book contains a ton of information, already released in the United Kingdom, here is the table of contents which is broken down into nine sections. (1) The History of Corellian Engineering & The YT-Series, (2) The Millennium Falcon, (3) Piloting a YT-1300, (4) YT-1300 Propulsion, (5) Weapons & Defensive Systems, (6) YT-1300 Engineering Systems, (7) YT-1300 Sensors, (8) Crew Facilities, (9) Size Comparison Chart.

This book gives you a ton of back story on Corellian Engineering, the YT series in general and the special modifications that Han Solo had made to the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy. While it may not be a must buy for all Star Wars fans, if you are interested in spacecraft, design, art, or simply learning more about the Millennium Falcon, this is a book you will not want to miss.

If this book doesn't make you want to build your own Millennium Falcon, then I am not sure what will.

The Haynes Star Wars: Millennium Falcon: Owner's Workshop Manual will be released on January 31st, 2012 and has a MSRP of $28.00.

For more on the Haynes Star Wars: Millennium Falcon: Owner's Workshop Manual visit, Random House's Website.

James Arnold Taylor's "Talking to Myself" Trailer is Intense

2012-01-26T12:48:00.000-08:00

Voice actor James Arnold Taylor (Obi-Wan Kenobi on Star Wars: The Clone Wars) has released via Youtube a trailer for his 80 minute stage show entitled, "Talking to Myself."

Taylor's zest for life and humor shine through in this performance.

I can't wait to see the rest of the performance.

SOURCE: James Arnold Taylor' Facebook

James Luceno to do Facebook Chat Wednesday 1/25

2012-01-23T15:54:00.000-08:00

Star Wars Books on Facebook, Del Rey's official Facebook page for the Star Wars publishing line will be holding a chat with author James Luceno on Wednesday January 25, 2012 at 3 P.M. EST/12 P.M. PST.

Chat with STAR WARS: DARTH PLAGUEIS author James Luceno this Wednesday, 1/25, at 3:00 pm Eastern time. James Luceno will visit us right here on Del Rey's Star Wars Books Facebook page to chat with you about Darth Plagueis as well as his other Star Wars novels. Should be a great chat about an amazing book. He's already commenting on the page about eating hearts and the chat hasn't even begun yet! (ES)

SOURCE: Star Wars Books

Battle Meditation Review: Star Wars: The Clone Wars Episode 4.15 Deception

2012-01-22T14:05:00.000-08:00

Having the mentor to the emotionally unstable "Chosen One" fake his death in front of said Chosen One with the fate of the galaxy hanging in the balance of the Clone Wars doesn't seem like Yoda's best idea ever, just saying.

"All warfare is based on deception."
When the Jedi learn of a Separatist plot to kidnap Chancellor Palpatine, one of them must go deep undercover as a hardened criminal to extract information from the conspirators.

In an episode directed by Kyle Dunlevy and written by Brent Friedman, James Arnold Taylor does double duty as both Obi-Wan Kenobi and Rako Hardeen, and Stephen Stanton returns to the series in the role of a new villain of the week as Moralo Eval.

This was a fun episode. I loved the scene between Mace and Yoda discussing killing a Jedi, taken out of context that sounded very dark. It was an interesting set up that they have a plan hatched between the three Masters (Yoda, Mace, Obi-Wan) to hire a bounty-hunter/sniper in Rako Hardeen to assassinate Kenobi. Of course the Jedi plan is for Obi-Wan to fake his death, but in order for Hardeen to buy it and to establish the necessary cover for Obi-Wan, it means that Anakin and Ahsoka also have to believe Obi-Wan is dead and cannot be in on the plot. Not only do Anakin and Ahsoka have to deal with this but Padme and Duchess Satine also have to deal with their sense of loss at the death of Master Kenobi.

This seems like a very curious decison for the Jedi. Is Obi-Wan the only one capable of going undercover? Clearly Obi-Wan and presumably the rest of the Masters know how close Anakin is to his former Master and tag team partner. They also know Anakin's flaw of attachment is his shatterpoint (couldn't resist), this charade strikes directly at that flaw and risks shattering Anakin.

We see just how emotional and how perilous Anakin's control of his emotions are in this episode, and from the previews it certainly looks like this theme will be explored in the rest of the arc with Anakin potentially hunting down and battling his former Master in disguise.

The transformation scenes were a bit nasty, whether it is nanotechnology or some other means that Obi-Wan was transformed into Rako Hardeen, and the spider like vocal droid that crawled down his gullet, it is clear that Obi-Wan's season of pain is continuing. I really liked Obi-Wan taking Hardeen's clothes like Arnold did in the Terminator films.

The episode itself is well paced and brings back some classic characters, Boba Fett, Bossk, and Cad Bane all return as residents of the Republic's Panopticon prison. I really enjoyed the prison scenes, we get to learn that the Republic apparently doesn't have a Juvenile detention facility as Bob'ika is in with the big boys. We also learn that even in the galaxy far, far away convicts enjoy a good bench press. The hulked out Rodian made me laugh.

We learn that things are really coming full circle for Stephen Stanton, who last season voiced Captain Tarkin who killed a Phindian in Osi Sobeck, is now playing a Phindian in Moralo Eval. Eval isn't alone in his prison cell however as his cell mate is none other then Cade Bane. Bane of course has a plan to break them out of prison and allow Eval to enact his own plan to kidnap Chancellor Palpatine at an event on Naboo.

Once Obi-Wan is undercover he has to try to win the trust of Eval, which he does by aiding in the trio's escape from the prison. Of course Obi-Wan and Cad Bane instantly are at odds and it sets up an interesting dynamic as Obi-Wan departs the planet Coruscant with Eval and Bane in a stolen freighter, setting up next weeks episode.

Rating: Deception gets a 7.5. A solid story with some really cool scenes and visuals. This episode will work much better watched in conjunction with the rest of the arc, because it's really just the story of Obi-Wan going undercover and introducing us to Eval. It's nice to see Boba, Bossk and Bane back and I look forward to exploring angry Anakin.

Direct Link to view Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Deception (4.15)

Next time on Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Friends and Enemies (4.16)

In part two of a four-part Obi-Wan arc, while undercover Obi-Wan and Cad Bane become Frenemies as Obi-Wan tries to unravel Moralo Eval's plot to kidnap Chancellor Palpatine.

"Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer."
Fleeing across the galaxy with criminal fugitives, a disguised Obi-Wan, Cad Bane and Moralo Eval are tenaciously pursued by Anakin and Ahsoka, who have no idea they're chasing their friend.

Review: Red Tails

2012-01-22T09:27:00.000-08:00

From Executive Producer George Lucas and Director Anthony Hemingway, Red Tails is a labor of love, years in the making. With a budget of approximately $58 million and Mr. Lucas ponying up approximately another $35 million do distribute the film, you know this is a story that Lucas desperately wanted to tell.

What we get on the screen is a tale that has two focuses, the individual battles that the fighter pilots of Red Squadron fight versus their German ("Jerry") opponents in the sky, and the battles they wage within themselves, against each other, and against the colossus of racism that made the Army Air Corps a very difficult place for these men to live and fight.

I cannot say enough about the aerial combat depicted in this film, ILM nailed it out of the park. Even without a story I would pay money to simply see these scenes on the big screen.

While I enjoyed the film a great deal, there are some issues with story and dialogue that I feel missed the mark. Red Tails focused more on the personal story of the pilots then the war itself, but it felt to me like we could have used more of a build up for the main German antagonist, the Ace pilot known to the Red Tails simply as "Pretty Boy." Pretty Boy's ultimate fate was as satisfying as it should have been with more build up for his character as the villain of the story.

The sub-plot involving Ray "Junior" Gannon being captured and imprisoned in a German POW camp and the story of his escape seemed superfluous to the story and that character's loss and return could have been told in a more efficient way for the overall story.

The sub-plot involving Marty 'Easy' Julian, who dealing with a domineering father with high expectations as well as the stress of being the flight leader fights his own personal battle with alcoholism, gave the character additional depth. The problem with this sub-plot is that it didn't seem to go anywhere, there is some hint that the alcohol is impairing his judgement, but the issue isn't really brought to the front and feels like they brought it up without a real storytelling payoff for it.

The biggest criticism of the film will likely be for the dialogue. There are some rather bad lines in the film that made this viewer cringe at times. The other issue with the dialogue is that there is a good deal of profanity which will be a factor to consider when deciding if you should take your kids to see it.

On the whole Red Tails is a very entertaining film, I particularly enjoyed the performance of Terrance Howard as Colonel A.J. Bullard and David Oyelowo as Joe 'Lightning' Little. To me this film had the feel of the old WWII propaganda films, if you view the movie in this genre some of the story and dialogue concerns are consistent with this style of film. It is a movie that will play well taping into the patriotic zeal across this country regardless of race. It is a film that is the embodiment of that memorable line by Martin Luther King Jr., "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." One thing is for sure, the members of Red Squadron certainly had character in abundance.

See it and enjoy it, and don't forget to watch out for the Jerrys.

For more information and a behind the scenes look at the film, visit the official Red Tails website.

Star Wars: Essential Readers Companion Cover and my musings

2012-01-18T16:10:00.000-08:00

Bonnie Burton does yoewomans' work over at the StarWars.com Official Star Wars Blog and today she gave us an update on one the new wave of Essential Guides coming out this year. On August 21, 2012 Random House will release Star Wars: The Essential Reader's Companion by author Pablo Hidalgo (@infinata) and artists Chris Trevas (@christrevas) and Jeff Carlisle (@JeffCarlisle)

StarWars.com posted the cover art:

For EU readers this is a must have book. It will cover the entire line of Star Wars fiction writing, from the young reader books to the novels. I can easily say that this is my most highly anticipated Essential Guide. Readers of this site will know that I am a huge dork for the Star Wars novels. I can't wait to dig into this book.

Star Wars.com poses the question if you can spot the Star Wars covers within the Reader Companion's cover that was brilliantly designed by Scott Biel and painted by Paul Youll.

Starting from Left to Right: I see Darth Plagueis by James Luceno, Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker by George Lucas (Ghost written by Alan Dean Foster), Young Jedi Knights: Heirs to the Force by Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta, a New Jedi Order novel, I think it's The Unifying Force but I can't tell, a yellow cover that I think is K.W. Jeter's The Bounty Hunter Wars #1: The Mandalorian Armor, and below Jeff's name X-Wing: Rogue Squadron by Mike Stackpole.

Am I right? Did I miss any?

SOURCE: Star Wars Blog

A beautiful day in paradise with the Phantom Menace approaching

2012-01-18T15:38:00.001-08:00

Battle Meditation Review: Star Wars: The Clone Wars Episode 4.14 "A Friend in Need"

2012-01-15T12:17:00.000-08:00

Ori'buyce, kih'kovid

What happens when you combine TCW head writer Christian Taylor and Supervising Director Dave Filoni ? You get an episode packed with 22 minutes of Ahsoka kicking butt.

"Friendship shows us who we really are."
A peace conference between Separatists and Republic delegates is interrupted by Lux Bonteri, the son of a late Separatist Senator, who involves Ahsoka in his dangerous search to find justice for his mother's death.

Now that was a fun episode of TCW. I am a huge fan of serialized story-telling, but when done write episodic writing has lots of merits. This episode should serve as an example of what a stand alone episode can do to advance the story, provide character development and pack an exciting story into 22 minutes.

This may have also been my favorite Ahsoka centered episode of the series. Which wouldn't have been possible without to creative choices that TCW team made. The first was to jump forward in the timeline starting last season. This time jump allows us to see an older and more mature Ahsoka, which in turn lets them explore more mature emotions and actions including her attraction to Lux Bonteri which features heavily in this episode. The other was to develop a second (shoto) lightsaber for Ahsoka and give her a more distinct fighting style. The use of two lightsabers, one of which (the shoto) is held in a reverse grip provides for much more dynamic fight scenes and moves and leads to less generic Jedi in battle scenes.

Ahsoka vs. Death Watch, like the entire Death Watch...I think they'll need more Mandos

We got to see some interesting things in this episode. Let's start with an older and world weiry Lux Bonteri, publicly accusing Count Dooku of murder showed that Lux has developed some Death Star sized cojones. But just when you are thinking, hey I like this Lux kid, he goes and tasers his would be girlfriend.

Clearly Lux still is a little naive to the way the galaxy work, because he gets the brilliant idea to partner with Death Watch to attempt to exact their mutual revenge against Count Dooku. We learn that Lux' accusation of Dooku was simply a means to an end to get Dooku to make a holonet call so that Lux could trace the connection and find out Dooku's location. This information would then be used by Death Watch to attempt to kill the Count.

Apparently George Lucas wanted Death Watch to be more like a biker gang, and I think he got his wish. In the new version of Death Watch we get less uniformity, we get new sub-groups (complete with emblems and patches), new skill sets, and nifty new armor. We also get some rather nasty behavior towards droids and local women-folk. Typical bully behavior.

The scenes with the droids were particularly well done, showed the senseless violence of Death Watch and the droids' drive to avoid deactivation/destruction. Poor R2 had a lot of work to do to put those droids back together.

Which brings us to Katee Sackoff's new character Bo-Katan. Katan is Pre Vizsla's second in command and the first female Mandolorian warrior we have seen in the show, though hardly the first female Mando in the EU. While Katan held her own in battle there wasn't a ton for the character to do in this episode and according to Dave Filoni, it seems like this was an introduction to a character we will be seeing much more of.

Hello!!!

I hope you all enjoy the episode tonight. I think the Death Watch has gotten significantly cooler, and we are going to build on that next season. One of my favorite things about this episode was the introduction of female Death Watch troopers led by Bo-Katan named The Night Owls. We were incredibly fortunate to get Katee Sackhoff to join the cast and portray the deadly Bo-Katan. Her character didn’t originally exist in the script; she was simply a character called “Death Watch Lieutenant” and was a man. I changed that when I went to direct the episode. This was done late in production, and while we were able to create her armor we didn’t have time to do her head, which requires much more complex rigging and time to develop the facial shapes. I decided to leave her helmet on and do a more developed, expressive face in season five. So, for a little sneak peak at what’s to come, I did this quick illustration for all of you. It gives you a glimpse of her face, and who knows, if you can make it to Celebration 6 in Orlando you might get to see more Death Watch action than ever before.

The Force will be with you… always!

Dave (From Dave Filoni's Public Facebook Page)

But lets get back to Lux for a moment, it is clear that while he is disillusioned with the Separatists because of Dooku, he doesn't trust the Republic even if he does trust Ahsoka. He acts rashly but bravely to shut up Ahsoka and potentially save her life as Vizsla and his cronies enter the tent they are staying in at the Death Watch camp. This scene gives us what one can only assume is Ahsoka's first kiss. We know both Obi-Wan and Anakin have had their romantic relationships and now it seems like Ahsoka may be exploring a similar path, does she take the route of her Master or of her Master's Master?

In typical Death Watch fashion, the gang is being very uncool to the local villagers. After the local chief asks them to leave and return the captured villagers, Viszla agrees but only to go back on his word, kill the chief's granddaughter and starts to set the village ablaze before Ahsoka intervenes. Ahsoka manages to impale (and presumably kill) one Death Watch warrior, incapacitate two others before battling Viszla and being subdued by multiple cables.

Ahsoka is taken back to the Death Watch camp where she is being restrained by four guards while Vizsla taunts her and an imprisoned Lux, he is about to kill Ahsoka when R2 comes to the rescue and creates a diversion and returns Ahsoka's lightsabers to her. This is when Ahsoka goes all Anakin and in one move decapitates four Death Watch commandos, before once again doing battle with Vizsla. The battle continues with the help of the droids that R2 repaired and while Bo-Katan gives chase and another duel occurs atop a speeder, the trio of Ahsoka, Lux and R2 are able to escape.

This leads to the final scene between Ahsoka and Lux which to this scifi fan made me immediately think back to Star Trek II in which Spock dies and we get that memorable scene. I could almost hear Lux saying, "I have been and always shall be your friend."

I mentioned Star Trek, I feel dirty.

I had two minor quibbles with this episode. The first was that when Lux pulled a blaster pistol on Ahsoka aboard the shuttle it was referred to as a "gun" this doesn't really seemed to fit with standard in universe terminology. Not a huge deal but if Han Solo calls it a blaster, it's a blaster.

The other thing that struck me as odd is that when Bo-Katan is bested by Ahsoka and falls under the Speeder, Katan shoots and damages the bottom of the Speeder. It was odd to see them to take the time to animate the damage to the speeder but for it to not have any impact to the speeder, it drove fine and they abandoned it at the shuttle when they got to it. I was just waiting for the speeder to blow up or crash.

Rating: I give A Friend in Need an 8.5, it was a self contained story that showed us a more emotionally complicated Ahsoka and showed us her Force abilities and fighting ability have been honed to the point that she is an exteremly formidable warrior. Oh, and we got to see more of the Darksaber.

Direct Link to view Star Wars: The Clone Wars: A Friend in Need (4.14)

Next time on Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Deception (4.15)

Next week kicks of what looks to be a mind bending Jedi undercover arc starring Obi-Wan Kenobi. Obi-Wan faking his own death and Anakin and Ahsoka not being in on the plan? What exactly is the Jedi Council up to and what repurcussions will it have for our heroic trio? Why exactly is Duchess Satine invited to the Jedi Temple for a funeral?

"All warfare is based on deception."When the Jedi learn of a Separatist plot to kidnap Chancellor Palpatine, one of them must go deep undercover as a hardened criminal to extract information from the conspirators.

50 in 50: The Phantom Menace 3D Character Countdown: Day 27

2012-01-13T20:09:00.000-08:00

Eeth Koth represents the softer side of Darth Maul. What does a Zabrak look like with hair, with amore neutral color scheme and with softer horns? Yeah, you are right, just not as cool.

Jedi Master Koth not only graced the big screen in TPM, but also managed to make it in TCW as a captive of Count Dooku. But Master Koth responds about a well to torture as Jack Bauer.

50 in 50: The Phantom Menace 3D Character Countdown: Day 31-28

2012-01-12T12:01:00.000-08:00

Broken keyboard situation resolved, time once again to play catch up in our TPM 50 in 50 countdown. This time four days, four Jedi Masters.

Day 31: Yarael Poof

Yarael Poof's alien physiology would seem to go against any logic in this galaxy or in the GFFA, but somehow the Quermian Jedi's head stays atop is spindly and elongated neck. Poof's greatest contribution to the Star Wars franchise is probably as fodder for Seth Green's Robot Chicken Program.

Day 30: Oppo Rancisis

The long lived Jedi Master Oppo Rancisis was just about the most bizarre looking Jedi ever. The Thisspiasian looks more like something from Cobra-La then from the Jedi Temple.

Day 29: Depa Billaba

Depa took a staring role in the dark Clone Wars novel, Shatterpoint by Matthew Stover. The former Padawan of High Council member Mace Windu, Billaba fell into Darkness amid the civil war on the planet Haruun Kal. It was a pretty stark portrayal about how the war could effect some of the Jedi.

Day 28: Yaddle

Really George? Really? I don't know what to say but, it is Yaddle, the girl Yoda.

Lost Tribe of the Sith: Secrets and Collection Cover Art

2012-01-12T11:28:00.000-08:00

The StarWars.com Blog has published the cover art for the final of the Lost Tribe of the Sith ebook novellas as well as the new print edition which will collect all of the LTotS stories in one volume, Star Wars: The Lost Tribe of the Sith: The Collected Stories. All the LTotS stories are by author John Jackson Miller.

We also got a synopsis for the short story Secrets which will be released March 5, 2012;

In Sith teachings, nothing is more important than the individual: the glorious center of the universe, around which all other lives pale in importance. But the planetary home of the Lost Tribe of the Sith is not the center of the universe, but a backwater — and the tribe’s legendary founders were little more than slaves themselves!
When the Lost Tribe suddenly rediscovers its forgotten origins, frustration and anger threaten to finish the society once and for all. But the past holds more secrets still — knowledge that, in the right hands, could place the evil rulers of Kesh on a path toward a greater destiny in the stars…

SOURCE: StarWars.com Blog

Covers for the rest of the Lost Tribe of the Sith Series:

Jedi Kittens Strike Back!

2012-01-11T18:06:00.000-08:00

This is just so much awesome that I had to share.

Darth Plagueis Day!

2012-01-09T21:39:00.001-08:00

Darth Plagueis, the tale of Darth Plagueis The Wise is on sale Tuesday(today). Go buy this book.

It is possibly my favorite EU thing ever. It will forever alter how you view The Phantom Menace and the rest of the Prequel Trilogy and TCW animated series.

Star Wars: Underworld Live Action Series Update from IGN

2012-01-09T19:41:00.000-08:00

More Star Wars: Live Action TV Series Videos

Get ready for a health dose of scum and villiany if the Star Wars Live Action Series ever gets made. IGN had a sit down interview with Lucasfilm Producer Rick McCallum in promotion for Red Tails and gets Rick to discuss the Live Action Series including a working title "Star Wars: Underworld" and a projected budget of $5 million per episode.

Source: IGN

50 in 50: The Phantom Menace 3D Character Countdown: Day 32: The cool Gungan

2012-01-08T16:18:00.000-08:00

As silly as Jar Jar can be in the Prequel trilogy and in The Clone Wars, one of his friends and I would even wager mentors is a Gungan of much more gravitas. Roos Tarpals was a Captain in the Gungan Grand Army at the time of the Invasion of Naboo and led his troops against the Battle Droids of the Trade Federation.

Tarpals could often be heard saying, "I love the smell of boomas in the morning, it smells like victory."

Tarpals went on to a legendary career in the Gungan Army including his masterful plan and self-sacrifice to capture the Separatist General Grievous.

While Tarpals' death may not have changed the course of the war as it could have, it did illustrate that a native population could defeat the innumerable Droid army of the Separatists.

RIP General Tarpals

Battle Meditation Review: Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Escape from Kadavo (4.13)

2012-01-08T14:41:00.000-08:00

Possibly my favorite image from the entire series, simply beautifully animated and lit.

As time winds down for the Jedi and the people of Kiros, will our heroes be able to throw of the yoke of slavery and rescue the Togrutan colonists? Or will the evil cabal of Count Dooku and Zygerrian Queen Scintel emerge successful in their schemes?

"Great hope can come from small sacrifices."Anakin tries to convince the Zygerrian Queen that she too is a slave and pawn in an evil Separatist plot. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan toils in the slave camps of Kadavo, a grim situation that grows increasingly bleak.

Written by Henry Gilroy with the assistance of Steven Melching and directed by Danny Keller, this week's episode was a very diverse and jam packed installment of Star Wars storytelling, we saw some great diaglogue centered on Dooku's scenes, a nice Obi-Wan in chains montage with Queen Scintel discussing her plans laid over it, and some ramped up action scenes including a return to dog-fighting.

Escape from Kadavo had a few odd moments, the one that stuck out to me most was Anakin's rather abrupt turn from avenging angel who throws the Zygerrian guard off the roof of the building, to the friendly guy who treats R2 like he is is best friend or most loyal of pets. This swing from homicidal to affectionate is rather startling but I think reveals how mercurial Anakin is and just how fragile his "Jedi Calm" is. There was also a look on Anakin's face when he jumped in the Kadavo gun tower that I can only interpret as blood lust.

I found the Ahsoka parts of this episode just ok, there was the curious moment where she called the Togruta "her people" which struck me as the kind of attachment a Padawan would be frowned on for having.

Poor Obi-Wan. It seem that it is his lot in life to suffer. All these injuries, all this stress, it is why he went grey prematurely and had all those wrinkles. It begs the question, just how far would Obi-Wan have to be pushed to fall to the Dark Side? There was also a really interesting look exchanged between Obi-Wan and Rex before Rex took out in rather dramatic fashion Keeper Argos. Obi-Wan may not be willing to commit murder but it is pretty clear he at least tacitly approved if not ordered Rex to do so.

There were a couple interesting partial call backs to the OT in this episode. The Queen's dying words evoked Anakin's dying words on the second Death Star. The Republic cruiser flying underneat the slave facility on Kadavo reminded me of the Falcon's trip underneath Cloud City to rescue the hanging Luke Skywalker.

Finally we get some more Sith acting well, like Sith. Count Dooku finally lets his mask slip and reveals the true Lord Tyrannus, when he tells the Queen his plan is not to enslave the Jedi but to exterminate the Jedi Order, and then he chokes her to death. My evil scale just hit eleven on Count Dooku in this episode.

By far my favorite part is the dog fights. We get to see the Z-95s in action, we get Plo Koon acting like a hot dog, we get a cool new clone in Warthog, we got the classic Top Gun/Afterburner braking maneuver, we got the fighters versus tower turrets that is reminiscent of the Battle of Yavin. I just love dog fights and the HH-87 Starhopper was a very cool ship. I loved the space combat in ANH, and I cannot wait for Lucasfilm's next movie, Red Tails because the battle scenes in that movie look like a roller coaster ride.

All this brings me to my bright idea of the day. Why don't we have a X-Wing animated spin-off series? We have already seen X-Wing video games, comics, and an entire series of novels (the next of which Mercy Kill, will be released this summer) so we know there is a market. We could follow the exploits of Rogue Squadron, Wraith Squadron, or other New Republic fighter jocks in a series set after the events of Return of the Jedi. Who's with me?

Rating: Escape from Kadavo is a solid 7. The pacing was a bit off at times and I didn't really connect with the Ahsoka scenes, but the action and the visuals were top notch.

Direct Link to watch Episode 4.13 Escape from Kadavo

Next time on Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Episode 4.14 A Friend in Need.

"Friendship shows us who we really are."A peace conference between Separatists and Republic delegates is interrupted by Lux Bonteri, the son of a late Separatist Senator, who involves Ahsoka in his dangerous search to find justice for his mother's death.

DeathWatch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Diary of a first time PC builder #4: Trial and Error

2012-01-08T09:37:00.000-08:00

One of the things that I have discovered as I began attempting to assemble my PC, is that while things are suppose to be compatible that doesn't always mean they will fit.

In addition to this trial of error in assembly there was that moment of anxiety as I installed the CPU into the socket hoping that I didn't and worrying that I did accidentally bend any of the pins. The zero force instillation model is really cool, but for the first time builder the anxiety over this crucial stage in the building process was extremely high.

One of the first issues I ran into in my build had to do with the motherboard and the case. My case was a Thermaltake V3 Black Edition, both side panels of this mid-tower case are removable. The side panel below the motherboard when removed exposes and open window in the cases construction that allows for the insertion of a CPU fan bracket. The bracket is necessary to hold CPU coolers in place. The problem that ran into was that the cut out in the case and the CPU Cooler bracket holes on the motherboard did not line up properly, they were about half an inch off and the bracket would not fit to the bottom of the motherboard within the case. Unfortunately this meant that I had to return the sweet CPU cooler I ordered and I ended up simply using Intel's CPU fan (which is reportedly rather poor in performance) that came with my I3 processor.

Another issue that I ran into was in terms of attempting to install the PC case fans that I received as Christmas presents. On the case there are a number of places that you can install optional intake and exhaust fans. The case comes with one pre-installed rear exhaust fan. I received a few Thermaltake Thunderblade 120x120x25 mm LED fans to install in the case as Christmas gifts. Well a funny thing happened on the way to installing these fans. On the top of the PC case there are spots for two exhaust fans. Well the Thunderblade fans will not fit in these spots because the Digi Power design takes up too much space above the motherboard. The other spot will not fit the fan because the clips that hold the memory in place block the fan from being able to slide into place just enough to prevent it from being screwed in without worrying about damaging the memory channels and clips.

Well I struck out on that side of the case. No problem right? I still can install one of the fans in the front of the case and one on the bottom to act as intake fans right? Well sort of. After fiddling around with the front cover of the case off, I did manage to find the attachment spots for the front intake fan and got that hooked up and it is working nicely and looks good. The bottom intake fan is another story. My power supply takes up too much room and covers up some of the screw holes where the bottom intake fan would attach. So I am left with one extra case fan I haven't been able to install. The bright side is I guess I have a spare if one of the currently installed ones breaks down.

But I still wanted to try to find a fan to fit in the top of the case. Logic being that it would help prevent dust getting in the top of the PC and would help cool down the computer seeing as how I am using the under performing Intel CPU cooler. So after some Internet researching I found the Scythe Slip Stream 120 mm Slim Case Fan which is only 12 mm think as opposed to the standard 25mm thickness. I was able to install this fan in the front most of the top case fans slots and it is working like a charm.

One of the more disappointing things that I discovered was that the new TP-Link 300 Mbps High Gain Wireless N USB Adapter was giving very sub-par performance. Paired with my Belkin 300N router, I was only getting between 46-54 Mbps transfer rate between the two. So I pulled the old Airlink AWLH6090 wireless adapter out of our old PC. At first I was able to get a solid 130 Mbps but then the next day I was back down to the 54Mbps speed. After talking to TWC to make sure my Internet was performing normally and calling Belkin's massively unhelpful overseas tech support (who wanted to charge me $100 to let someone remotely update software and drivers on my PC, like I'm going to do that), I discovered that the problem was in the wireless card driver software. The as soon as I roll back the driver I get to the 130 Mbps rate, but guess what because Windows 7 automatically updates drivers, I had to keep rolling back the driver until I figured out how to go in and turn of the automatic updates. Now I just need to make sure that when I update the software I uncheck the recommended driver update for the wireless card. The bad news is that Airlink has discontinued this model so I am not likely to get any new functional drivers for it.

The take away from this experience is that you cannot be sure if your components will actually work together until you get your hands on them. My advice to any other PC builders would be to make sure that whatever the source of your components select a supplier that has a good return policy in case of incompatible or defective components.

It was a ton of fun working on this project and I still have some tweeking that I plan on doing down the road. I would like to add a Blu-ray disc burner/reader in addition to the DVD writer that I have installed, I plan on upgrading the video card in a few months, I would like to add a PCI card with more USB3 ports down the road, and of course I will keep my eye on the SSD market once the cost/size ratio gets to a spot I like I will probably grab one of those.

I have already posted the CPU-Z data, but what did I end up under the Window's Experience score?

Overall I am very happy with the PC's performance so far. That is it for now back to your regularly scheduled Star Wars programming.