SMALL WONDERS! "THE CLONE WARS" SEASON FOUR PREVIEW...

Looks like the classic tale of GULLIVER'S TRAVELS will be getting a whole new STAR WARS spin involving Threepio and Artoo in this fun new image from the upcoming THE CLONE WARS Season Four, back on US TV HD screens in a few weeks time. Check out the gallery of new images from the series here: IGN: Star Wars: The Clone Wars Screenshots, Wallpapers and Pics

CLASSIC ART: McQUARRIE'S DAGOBAH

Here's some intriguing ideas from the master STAR WARS visualist for a far more unusual and alien environment for Yoda (originally known as Minch Yoda in late 1978) on his sanctuary world of Dagobah. The little Jedi's hut/home would basically stay the same for its eventual on-screen appearance (if a little smaller), though I think its time THE CLONE WARS adapted the rest of the environment for one of its alien planet fall episodes-it would look great.

For even more definitive behind the scenes info on the making of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, find out how to get hold of our two popular volumes on the film here: STAR WARS AFICIONADO "EMPIRE" BEHIND THE SCENES COMPANION and here: STAR WARS AFICIONADO DOUBLE ISSUE 11/12-THE MAKING OF "THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK"

OF SUBMERSIBLES, SLAVERS AND SITH LORDS! "THE CLONE WARS" SEASON FOUR

Towards his destiny...Anakin Skywalker in Season Four of THE CLONE WARS.

A new extended trailer for Season Four of THE CLONE WARS debuted today and it was fabulous -
The Clone Wars Season 4 "Battle Lines" Trailer - YouTube - full of incredible imagery and action/adventure. Plus more of the baddies we want to see (alongside lots more new ones), and not necessarily fighting against the Republic, more Obi-Wan, more Mon Calamari, more new worlds and creatures, and, most importantly, a lot to come on the Dark Side of the Force and its relationship to Anakin Skywalker, as we finally get to see his anger come out of its bottle regarding slavers-perhaps one more scheme pre-EPISODE III designed by Darth Sidious to get Anakin closer to the Sith.

We'll find out more from September 16th in the US, and probably October in the UK.

Here's some more great images from the trailer...

Sidious launches a new scheme of terror alongside Count Dooku.

New look Clone Troopers in action.

New laser whip wielding baddies for the Jedi to deal with... 

Ahsoka and Artoo-always ready to help!

More great space vistas.

Ventress and the Nightsisters fight back.

More explosive action for the Clone Troopers.

Ahsoka mans the speeder bike turret! Dig those glasses once more!

Always the best man to have on your side: Obi-Wan Kenobi

Jedi mission: liberate the Togrutan slaves.

Fight! Grievous versus Ventress!

Time for another Anakin/Ahsoka explosion!

Those Death Watch warriors rear their heads once again.

A world under siege from the Death Watch.

CLASSIC IMAGE: DEADLY APPRENTICESHIP!

Not my idea of perfect adoptive parents or role models, those very dangerous bounty hunters, the Trandoshan Bossk and lithe but deadly Aurra Sing pose for a "family photo" alongside their new recruit, the revenge fuelled teenage Boba Fett (once more voiced in the series by EPISODE II actor Daniel Logan) in this specially created image by LUCASFILM ANIMATION for the very enjoyable Fett story arc that made up the final three episodes of Season Two in early 2010. Those and three other earlier episodes make up that last batch of tales now available in compilation discs from the ambitious Season Two and it's mostly successful umbrella theme of RISE OF THE BOUNTY HUNTERS. This WARNER BROTHERS DVD only release, out next week (22nd), will surely be welcome by completist collectors, but is also aimed primarily at the younger family/audience mark. And a welcome release it is too, with enough imagination, diverse creatures, visual excitement and colour to keep everyone thoroughly entertained during the Summer holidays.

The second part of the Fett arc, R2 COME HOME, made our top five episodes of that season. Check out our mini- review here: STAR WARS AFICIONADO MAGAZINE: "THE CLONE WARS" SEASON TWO. SWA's TOP FIVE EPISODES. NO 3: "R2 COME HOME", as did the excellent GODZILLA-homage THE ZILLO BEAST STRIKES BACK, also included amongst this batch of impressive tales from the STAR WARS universe. Check out that review here: STAR WARS AFICIONADO MAGAZINE: "THE CLONE WARS" SEASON TWO. SWA's TOP FIVE EPISODES. NO 5: "THE ZILLO BEAST STRIKES BACK"

THE CLONE WARS Season Two, Volume Four- out August 22nd in the UK.

And watch out! Those cruel and ruthless baddies will return for more conflict during the upcoming CLONE WARS Season Four, with it's umbrella title of BATTLE LINES!

A TIME TO STAND! "THE CLONE WARS" SEASON FOUR...

Flanked by Mon Calamari, Padme, in underwater costume, takes deadly aim in Season Four of THE CLONE WARS. All images: LUCASFILM ANIMATION. 

Here's a few more shots from the eagerly awaited opening episodes of the epic-looking Season Four of THE CLONE WARS, airing on CARTOON NETWORK presumably around late September /early October in the US (and hopefully on SKY MOVIES PREMIERE HD in the UK not long afterwards).

Artoo and Threepio get their own stories amongst the Clone Troops.

A Republic vessel makes its way planet-side...

More aliens large and small for fans of all ages.

Its lightsaber combat time for Adi Gallia against General Grievous.

More fishy Jedi action with Kit Fisto and his soldiers.

Will Artoo save the day once again?

Mon Calamari charge!

Our favourite droids encounter new life forms whilst on a special assignment.

Here's the most recent trailer for completism: StarWars.com | The Clone Wars: Season 4 Extended Preview

Check out our sister blog's feature on the series, here: KOOL TV: CLOSE COMBAT! SEASON FOUR OF "STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS"

CLASSIC IMAGE: HOMESTEAD ARRIVAL

Their gleaming Naboo craft parked in the not too distant Tatooine landscape (filmed once more on location in Tunisia), Anakin Skywalker, accompanied by Padme Amidala and the trusty Artoo Detoo, arrives at the wilderness boundaries of the Lars Homestead, desperate to find out news of his mother, Shmi.

A picturesque moment, leading to fateful tragedy, from EPISODE II: ATTACK OF THE CLONES.

CLASSIC IMAGE: A JAWA TROPHY

With several additional/re-shoot scenes filmed in Death Valley, USA in early 1977, as well as a small amount of original footage the year before in Tunisia (the above shot filmed there in STAR WARS CANYON (the large rock, behind the Jawas, was, I'm sure, in the finale of RAIDERS, too!)), here's the classic scene audiences loved upon the films original release, where Artoo is sneakily captured by those little scavengers of the Tatooine desert: the Jawas!

CLASSIC IMAGE: DROID IN COMMAND

The ever faithful Artoo Detoo stays by Master Anakin Skywalker's side quite literally in his Jedi Starfighter as they pierce the defences of General Grievous's Invisible Hand cruiser and skid across its landing bay in the opening scenes of EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE SITH.

SCENES WE WANT ON BLU-RAY 3: THE SANDSTORM

This has to be the most famous and most desired deleted sequence shot for RETURN OF THE JEDI that fans worldwide want to see-in fact, this scene was the first sequence captured on film for the movie in January 1982 and one of the most difficult to realise at ELSTREE studio, as the STAR WARS actors, braving unfriendly conditions, were re-united for the first time in three years for their final Classic Trilogy movie.

For my thoughts on the famous sequence, head over to the main site: REQUIEM FOR A SANDSTORM

And don't forget, the exhaustive AFICIONADO back issue devoted to the making of the film is still available on PDF here: BACK ISSUE PDF CATALOG

CLASSIC IMAGE: A WORLD OF ARTOO'S!

Highly regarded UK Special Effects boss Brian Johnson has a little sit down with the wide variety of Artoo Detoo's constructed for studio floor filming use in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. Also pictured inside one of the shells is that cheeky droid operator himself, Kenny Baker.

Check out a great interview by Brandon Alinger with Johnson on the making of the film, and other career greats including ALIEN, here: Interview With Brian Johnson, Special Effects Artist (Special to the OPB) : The Original Prop Blog – Jason DeBord's TV and Movie Prop Memorabilia Resource

CLASSIC IMAGE: READY FOR RACING!

Artoo, Threepio (note here the exterior use of the puppet version) and Padme assist young Anakin Skywalker with the final checks and adjustments to his newly painted Pod Racer, just in time for the next day's all-important Boonta Eve Classic tournament...

"STAR WARS" AT THE 1978 OSCARS

Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels and the remote controlled Artoo at the 1978 Academy Awards. Image: ABC TV/A.M.P.A.S.

With the world enjoying the aftermath of the 83rd Academy Awards last night-and congratulations to Natalie Portman on her Best Actress win for BLACK SWAN (though she'll probably be more determined than ever now to distance herself from any connection to STAR WARS!)-here's a very good quality nostalgia clip from the CINEMATRIX website showing the 50th ACADEMY AWARDS from 1978, where STAR WARS won seven Oscars but failed to win Best Picture (I'm still in shock from that result, even thirty plus years on!). Watch Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels and Artoo Detoo having fun with comedy legend Bob Hope, and presenting Ben Burtt's well deserved OSCAR, at: http://index.hu/kultur/cinematrix/ccikkek/2011/02/26/star_wars_oscar/

CLASSIC IMAGE: FRIENDS LOST AND FOUND!

Searching the dark and smelly recesses of the Jawa Sandcrawler, littered with droids old and new in various working and non-working states, C-3PO is finally re-united with his loyal Astro Droid chum Artoo Detoo in a great moment from STAR WARS.

CLASSIC IMAGE: "COMING IN HOT!"

From EPISODE III, a tense time for our Republic Heroes as they try to regain flight control of the surviving section of General Grievous's warship The Invivible Hand for a safe (ish) landing on Coruscant.

CLASSIC IMAGE: HIGH ABOVE MOS EISLEY!

March/April 1976: On a Tunisian mountain within whats now known as STAR WARS Canyon, Mark Hamill, Sir Alec Guinness, and Anthony Daniels get ready to film a scene where our heroes look down towards the wretched hive of "scum and villainy" that is Mos Eisley space port. The camera angle looking forwards from Luke's Landspeeder never made the final cut, instead replaced with a matte composite plate shot put over a wide image of California's Death Valley, filmed by Lucas and a small Second Unit later in STAR WARS 1977 Post-Production.

"THE CLONE WARS" SEASON TWO. SWA's TOP FIVE EPISODES. NO 3: "R2 COME HOME"



Pursued by Slave One, a desperate to escape Artoo Detoo begins evasive action.

We're getting closer to the top of the league now, as AFICIONADO brings you its five favourite episodes, and the top five reasons why we chose them, from THE CLONE WARS Season Two (released in the UK on DVD and Blu-ray from 15th November from WARNER BROTHERS DVD).

At number three, it's R2 COME HOME.

1. Artoo-Detoo. I have always enjoyed the Artoo related episodes of THE CLONE WARS, but this was his finest half hour yet, full of resourcefulness, ability and humour. I loved the almost HOME ALONE-like scenes where he was trying to stop the ascending Bounty Hunters from reaching the trapped Mace and Anakin, and the scene where he brilliantly took on a Gundark and trapped it on a Jedi starfighter smashing into a boulder! With the final scene of this totally satisfying episode, where he rushes into the Jedi Temple with his rescue message, I was just as out of breath from his adventure as he was. Special mention must also be made to the other charming little Astro Droid, R8-B7, that was with Mace Windu-he was a cute little fella and it was sad when he got destroyed.

2. Bounty Hunters! Just about living up to the Season's overall title of RISE OF THE BOUNTY HUNTERS, we finally got a large gathering of baddies, including the excellent, totally heartless Aurra Sing, the incompetent and greedy Castas, and a little bit more screen time for the Trandoshan reptile, Bossk (seen in the shadows in the previous episode), nicely voiced by Drew Bradley Baker. And then there was young Boba Fett in a story arc that was, despite a slightly weak finale in LETHAL TRACKDOWN, overall pretty good and Daniel Logan did a creditable job in making Fett both a little brat and someone we feel slight pity for as he travels down a similar path to evil as Anakin Skywalker. The series producers aren't going to rush the ultimate genesis of Boba Fett, though, and its going to be intriguing to see just how far they travel in his development during the rest of the animated series duration. And will we see him wear the eventual classic trilogy costume by its end?

3. Slave One vs Artoo's Jedi Starfighter. A superb chase and battle sequence, exhilarating and both evocatively animated and sound depicted, first against the backdrop of the impressive vista of the crashed and in flames Republic Cruiser and then out into deep space as Artoo make the crucial decision of which Ring Engine to lock onto and escape with. Its a tense scene- a battle of wits, of machine versus human- that's brilliantly done, and just as good as anything in the actual films.

4. Boba Fett's helmet. A super moment of realisation and destruction that's a worthy continuation from ATTACK OF THE CLONES, when it finally dawns on Mace whom the culprit is responsible for trying to kill him in the previous TV episode. The way that the helmet is highlighted, with that little twang of spaghetti-western like music by series composer Kevin Kiner, in the animated cinematography is very effective, and then there's that clever little trap that's sprung the moment Anakin picks it up for examination. Another great STAR WARS scene that makes the upcoming development of the Boba Fett-to-be more intriguing and noteworthy.

5. Harder Edge. Despite the great comedy and fast paced, exciting visual moments, this episode stands out as being of a darker edge than it has been for some time, and an element that series animation director Dave Filoni was keen to bring in for this three part tale linked to both Boba's return and to THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. R2 COME HOME is a fine continuation of the boys need for revenge started in the previous episode. Further, the treatment of Commander Killian and his captured party is pretty tough, and there's also the death of Clone Commander Ponds following on in the next episode which proved a sad moments for fans of the Republic soldiers.

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS Season Two: available on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK from 15th November.

AFICIONADO STAR WARS MYSTERY: KENNY BAKER IN CHICAGO!

Sometime between 1977 and 1978, Kenny Baker, in his US public appearances for the lovable droid Artoo Detoo, took part in what would apparently become a controversial STAR WARS related OLYMPIA beer promotion in Chicago, without the prior knowledge of LUCASFILM, which had the slogan: "The best thing to come out of a can since R2-D2."

Does anyone out there have this advertising image, or more information about the advert in general? Apart from the ONCE UPON A GALAXY BOOK written by Alan Arnold from 1979, and J.W. Rinzler's recent MAKING OF EMPIRE book I'd never previously seen or heard about this.

If anyone can help, please get in touch.

CLASSIC IMAGE: DIRTY DAGOBAH!

At ELSTREE Studios during August/September 1979, the UK production technicians and dressers constantly alter/re-dress the misty and atmospheric bog world set of Dagobah to make it look like a new area of swamp land, as well as dirtying up Luke's X-wing further for the scene where Yoda, watched by his incredulous new Padawan, has used the Force to rescue it from the water. Note the empty Artoo Detoo shell far right which will house Kenny Baker in the scene/s to be filmed. Once the ship has safely touched down, a scene was filmed, but ultimately cut, in which the little droid hoses it down with water and begins cleaning it up.

CLASSIC IMAGE: DROID TESTING

Here's some fun late 1975 (?) screen grabs of behind the scenes footage, presumably shot at ELSTREE, of UK practical special effects co-ordinator John Stears (the Oscar winning technician behind the early James Bond movies, I might add!) and George Lucas testing the droids that will eventually be used for upcoming filming for the STAR WARS Jawa droid sale in Tunisia in March 1976 and then through various scenes at ELSTREE afterwards.

The footage also shows an early test for a silver Artoo Detoo (there's someone in it who looks like hes wearing some kind of protective nappy?!) - we're not sure if its Kenny Baker in Artoo or not during this screen test filming (credited to Gilbert Taylor, about to finish his director of photography work on Richard Donner's horror film THE OMEN). Not all of the droids that Stears and his team constructed for filming, many of which would be re-painted and re-dressed over five months, actually made it into the finished movie-it would be intriguing to see the stills or deleted footage of those lost droids...

A selection of John Stears droid creations on the Death Star hangar set during early Summer 1976 (note the left middle Treadwell used for the deleted Tunisia scene with Mark Hamill).

CLASSIC IMAGE: DROID PREPARATIONS

An unknown technician manipulates the Threepio puppet, whilst the ever reliable Artoo prop stands ready for filming the next scene, in this image taken within Anakin's room on the soundstages of LEAVESDEN STUDIOS in 1997, for the then titled EPISODE ONE: THE BEGINNING.