Star Wars

Marc Thorpe was an ILM Model Maker for movies like The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi and the Indiana Jones Trilogy.

We go through a quick deep dive of his career, including his work on LucasToys and the creation of Robot Wars. He was a true delight to talk to and such a gracious teller of stories and experiences.

I really enjoyed my conversation with him, especially learning what exactly an “Ewok Wrangler” is.

Check out his website to see even more examples of his craftmanship, art and ideas: http://www.marcthorpe.com/

Christian Alzmann‘s unique art style and incredible design work has influenced the looks of The Force Awakens, Rogue One and even Star Wars: Rebels. From BB-8 to Maz Kanata, we explore the path to the big screen, including the stories behind the haunting “evil” Luke imagery and “The Jedi Killer”.

Bust open your copy of The Art of The Force Awakens by Phil Szostak, because we went through nearly every page of concept art, from Han Solo’s beard to Vader’s castle. It is a conversation I have wanted to have for such a long time and Mr. Alzmann was a real delight.

Follow him on Instagram to see even more examples of his art and ideas: https://www.instagram.com/calzmann

“These aren’t the droids we’re looking for … move along.”

Anthony Forrest played two different key roles in the original Star Wars. As a Sandtrooper on Mos Eisley, he was the first on-screen recipient of a Jedi mind trick. And, in the legendary Anchorhead deleted scenes, he stood out next to Biggs and Luke, as Fixer, to look to a potential space battle.

We talk about a lot, including his passion formusic, as well as relationship with the fandom and conventions. He will be appearing in April at Celebration Chicago, which you can now purchase autograph / photo-op tickets for from Topps: https://store.epicphotoops.com/star-wars-celebration-chicago/2019/anthony-forrest 

To check out Mr. Forrest’s incredible music, please visit: https://anthonyforrest.bandcamp.com/

And a very special thank you to dear friends of the show Mr. Gerald Home (Tessek, from Episode 3) and Derek Maki from Coolwaters Productions for working so hard to coordinate this interview.

Check out the Coolwaters website for the latest appearances and celebrity autographs, including who else they will be bringing to Celebration: https://coolwatersprods.com/

Die wanna wanga? 

Michael Carter portrayed the Major Domo of Jabba the Hutt … the creepy, great and wonderful Twi’lek: Bib Fortuna. Live from Madness Comics in Plano, TX, we got to talk to him all about working with Richard Marquand on the set of Return of the Jedi.

In addition to his work on Star Wars, I couldn’t help but ask him about his iconic scene in John Landis’ American Werewolf in London (which you can watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ss0nT5DGHw).

Seriously, for how short this episode is, we pack in some great, great stuff.

Thank you to Zachery McGinnis from Galactic Productions for coordinating this interview. Check out his website for the latest appearances and celebrity autographs, including a stacked lineup at Pensacon (this weekend) and Star Wars Celebration: http://www.galacticproductionsevents.com/

Craig Miller was the Director of Fan Relations for Lucasfilm from 1977-1980. As you might be able to guess, there was a lot going on in the early Star Wars fandom during that time, from churning rumors in Starlog to creating the Fan Club and Bantha Tracks to crashing Illinois 800 numbers.

Mr. Miller has some great stories about what it was like to market this brand new sci fi movie called … Star Wars.

Some great panels that Mr. Miller has moderated at previous conventions can be found on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hie7EIO9S44

Howie Weed was a model maker and effects artist on both the Star Wars Special Editions and the Prequels, as well as designing and performing as the Wampa and various Cantina aliens.

But, this is our first episode of SEASON 2 … so of course we don’t just talk about Star Wars … we hear his incredible stories from working on Captain EO, Ghostbusters 2, The Ewok Adventure.

And with stories about being on set with Steven Spielberg and getting directed by George Lucas, himself, you really don’t want to miss this season premiere.

Setting the record straight, we’re speaking with Laurie Goode, who played numerous roles in the original Star Wars. From falling asleep on the Cantina set as Saurin, to bumping his head on the Death Star as the infamous Stormtrooper, Mr. Goode is full of great stories and great insight into the filming at Elstree Studios.

To listen to Mr. Goode’s great song about, well, bumping his head, definitely check it out on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/who-was-the-stormtrooper-who-banged-his-head-remix/1435822385?i=1435822631

Today is a very rare, very wonderful interview with Miki Herman, initially assistant to George Lucas, then serving as production coordinator on The Empire Strikes Back andReturn of the Jedi, going on to become the executive producer for the Ewoks and Droids animated series.

We go through her entire time working for the early days of Lucasfilm, including being on set for the Holiday Special (celebrating its 40th anniversary) and scouting the West Coast for the forest moon of Endor.

It was a huge honor to talk to her and I am very grateful.

We talked to Kevin Rubio, the father of the Star Wars Fan Film and director of TROOPS, creator of Tag and Bink, as well as writer for The Clone Wars. He’s really done it all.

Diving into his long career, we discuss the inspiration behind TROOPS, just how involved George Lucas was in The Clone Wars and, of course, his reaction to Tag and Bink becoming canon in Solo.

Definitely follow Kevin on Twitter, @TheKevinRubio, and join me at tweeting at Marvel to publish the Tag and Bink sequels.

Today we’re LIVE and talking to Tim Rose, an incredibly talented puppeteer who brought some of my favorite Star Wars characters to life, including Admiral Ackbar, Salacious B. Crumb and Sy Snootles.

If you want to hear stories about Salacious’ personality, Harrison Ford’s … temper on set, or his thoughts on Ackbar’s return in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, this is the podcast for you!

We refer to it a few times throughout the episode, but definitely check out the incredible documentary, Classic Creatures, which premiered at the same time as Jedi: youtube.com/watch?v=Aqcz7ZAIh7w

For more information about Mr. Rose’s upcoming appearances and even more stories from his long career, go to his website: AdmiralAckbar.co.uk/

A very special thanks to Galactic Productions for setting this up. For more information about their clients’ upcoming appearances, head to their site: GalacticProductionsEvents.com/