Star Wars

Today I’m talking to Troy Denning, author of so many classic Star Wars novels, including Star by Star, Tatooine Ghost, the Dark Nest Trilogy and a ton more.

From the New Jedi Order bible to the deaths of Anakin Solo and Darth Caedus, we take a trip back to the Expanded Universe for some behind-the-scenes stories.

For more information about his latest novels and upcoming appearances, follow him on Twitter at @TDenningAuthor. His upcoming HALO book, Oblivion, is coming out this fall and can be pre-ordered here: https://www.amazon.com/HALO-Oblivion-Master-Chief-Story/dp/1982114762

Today I’m talking to Bill Kimberlin, who started at Industrial Light & Magic as a Visual Effects Editor on Return of the Jedi, working alongside Ken Ralston, on the infamous SB-19 shot … dubbed the most complicated VFX shot in motion picture history

We go through the history of ILM, the stories behind the movies and we even get into the Back to the Future sequels, which shouldn’t be a surprise if you know me at all.

For more of his stories, and to see some of the incredible pictures, drawings and scans we were discussing during the episode, check out his book, Inside the Star Wars Empire: A Memoir: https://www.amazon.com/Inside-Star-Wars-Empire-Memoir/dp/1493032313

This is my conversation with Kevin J. Anderson, one of the most prolific Star Wars authors of all time. From the beginnings of the expanded universe to Darksaber and the Young Jedi Knights series, we really go through the history of those original Bantman books.

And we talk some Dune, of course.

His latest epic novel, Spine of the Dragon came out on June 4, 2019 and is available anywhere books are sold. https://www.amazon.com/Spine-Dragon-Wake-1/dp/1250302102

For upcoming appearance information, as well as his next releases, head to www.wordfire.com

Today we’re talking with Mike Quinn, puppeteer and creature performer. From Jabba the Hutt’s eyes to Sy Snootles to Nien Nunb returning and then surviving to the end of The Last Jedi, we talk about it all.

I’ve been wanting Mr. Quinn on the show since the very beginning so it is SO exciting to have him on today. Check out his website: http://www.quinnzonestudios.com/

And pre-order Mr. Quinn’s auto-biography now: http://secretsofpuppetry.com/talk-to-the-hand/

This is my special LIVE FROM JABBA’S PALACE conversation with previous guests Gerald Home (Tessek and a Mon Calamari officer) and Simon J. Wiliamson (Max Rebo and a Gamorrean Guard).

We got to talk to them again, this time in person, to tell some of our favorite stories, as well as quite a few new ones in this special anniversary episode.

I can’t really believe it but, yes, this is the one year anniversary of this podcast. I wanted to take some time at the beginning of the episode to thank each and every one of our listeners, guests, partners and sponsors for making this first year a dream come true.

To celebrate, I partnered with the good people at Order 66 Toys to make this happen.

Gerald’s website: http://geraldhome.com

Gerald’s Rebelscum forum: https://forum.rebelscum.com/showthread.php?t=1069050

Simon’s website: http://simonjwilliamson.co.uk/

Order 66’s website: https://order66toyshop.com

LIVE from Star Wars Celebration, this is my conversation with Matthew Reinhart, author and creator of A POP-UP GUIDE TO THE GALAXY, as well as the upcoming THE ULTIMATE POP-UP GALAXY, from Insight Editions.

You’ll be able to tell very quickly, but he was an absolute joy to talk to and I enjoyed it very, very much.

His upcoming book is coming out in the fall (October), published by Insight Editions, can be pre-ordered wherever books are sold: https://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Ultimate-Pop-Up-Galaxy/dp/1683834895

Visit his website, http://www.matthewreinhart.com/, and follow him on Instagram,https://www.instagram.com/matthewcreinhart.

A special thanks to Eric at Insight Editions for being so helpful and such a supporter of the show. Follow them on Twitter, @InsightEditions, and keep your eyes peeled for all the new, great Star Wars books they are producing!

This is my conversation with the legendary Paul Hirsch, Academy Award-winner for his editing work on the original Star Wars.

From working with Brian De Palma and John Hughes, to his time in the editing bay for both A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, side-by-side with Marcia Lucas, Richard Chew (and George), we go through as much as we can of his storied career.

Even more stories can be found in his upcoming memoir, A long time ago in a cutting room far, far away, which is coming out his November.

Pre-order it now on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Long-Time-Cutting-Room-Away/dp/1641602554/

“The shield will be down in moments, you may start your landing.”

Julian Glover is an incredible actor, who has appeared in numerous movies and franchises, including The Empire Strikes Back as everyone’s favorite AT-AT commander, General Maximilian Veers.

From being next door neighbors with producer Robert Watts to working with Irvin Kershner and Steven Spielberg, we cover a lot of ground in this short (LIVE) episode from Star Wars Celebration Chicago.

In addition to his work on Star Wars, we also touch on Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Walter Donovan), Harry Potter (Aragog) and Game of Thrones (Grand Maester Pycelle). He’s really been in everything.

As always, a huge thank you to one of the biggest supporters of this show, Mr. Derek Maki, and Coolwaters Productions, for helping arrange this interview during a very busy week.

Check out the Coolwaters website for the latest appearances of Mr. Glover, as well as celebrity autographs: https://coolwatersprods.com/

This is an actual dream come true: today we’re talking to Lorne Peterson, visual effects artist and modeler for Industrial Light & Magic.

Working on the first six Star Wars films, Lorne goes through his experience building escape pods out of paint cans, manning Guatemalan outpost towers made out of trash cans and sourcing Tauntaun fur (which you have to hear to believe). And I am legitimately giggling the entire time, which is very embarrassing.

We barely scratch the surface of the incredible work that Mr. Peterson has done over the past forty years, so definitely check out his book, Sculpting a Galaxy, which is available from Insight Editions: https://insighteditions.com/product/sculpting-a-galaxy/

(There is also a super limited edition version of the book, which has been tempting me for years now, so buy it and make me very jealous.)

I want to give a huge thank you to Eric Chang and the rest of the great Insight Editions team for arranging this interview. We have some cool stuff in the works with them, including one more interview which was very fun.

SVP, Executive Creative Director and Head of ILM, Rob Bredow was also the co-producer of SOLO: A Star Wars Story, working side-by-side with Ron Howard to bring the story (and its visual effects to life).

We go through it all: L3-37, working with Tippett Studios with the new Dejarik pieces and, of course, the breath-taking in-camera work for hyperspace and more. We discuss his previous work with ILMxLab, as well as his vision for the future of the legendary company.

Mr. Bredow is the author of the newest Abrams Books release, Industrial Light & Magic Presents: Making Solo – A Star Wars Story, which comes with my highest recommendation and can be purchased at the following link: https://www.amazon.com/Industrial-Light-Magic-Presents-Making/dp/1419737538

Be sure to follow him on Twitter, as well, to keep with his next projects and the cutting-edge stuff that ILM is working on: https://twitter.com/rbredow

A huge thanks to Maya Bradford and Abrams Books for arranging this interview and making it possible. It was a huge honor.