Star Wars Grand Florida Alliance

The Phantom Menace returns to Theaters- this time in 3D!

2012-02-10T23:38:00.028-05:00

Twenty-nine years after we saw Return of the Jedi, Dad and I returned to the theater, joined by SWGF-Ally SkyWalter and my wife.I bought tickets for the earliest show (1pm) at our local Cinemark but was surprised when I arrived, that they'd added two additional shows. I was fortunate to have gotten the earlybird price anyhow, so that was a nice bonus- especially since it's my 40th birthday. We got the best seats in the house. We expected a busy showing, like I'd seen at the opening last month at Red Tails, but unbelievably, there were only two other people in the theater. It made for an uninterrupted viewing, but was quite an oddity in my first day showings to be in a theater with only half a dozen fans.

I loved seeing The Phantom Menace on the bigscreen again. I recently watched a commentary for it on Blu-ray so my eyes were keen to see all the detail magnified. However, I was distressed to find that more than popping off the screen, many of the backgrounds were now just blurry. If I go again while its in theaters- I'd like to- I'd see it in 2D. At the moment, I really hope they expand the 2D screenings next year for Attack of the Clones. I think the format is not the point here- the point is seeing Star Wars in it's eye-popping, ear-candy bigscreen glory again. I truly don't want to tear the release down, but the absolute best use of the 3D form here was seeing the classic crawl float from just in front of me to the starfield beyond.

I've debated the future of 3D and this did not encourage me- especially for movies not made in the format. I'll likely see all the Star Wars movies in 3D as they're released, but I wouldn't be disappointed if they just have theatrical re-releases in 2D. I think it would be amazing to do this every decade or so so kids of all ages can enjoy them for the first time or one more time.

A 1999 Episode I hat, a -shirt of Han's blaster, and a free poster (lightsaber) made up my fanboy attire.

The Adventure Has Continued for 25 Years

2012-01-09T01:38:00.001-05:00

Twenty-five years ago today, Star Tours, a collaboration between George Lucas and the Disney Imagineers opened for business at Disneyland in Anaheim, California.

The ride vehicle, a Starspeeder 3000, was a cutting edge simulator meant to take "passengers" on a journey to Endor. Unfortunately, hijinks ensued as the bumbling rookie pilot- your captain, Rex, voiced by Paul Reubens- came out of hyperspace too late and took the ship through a comet and inadvertently participated in the destruction of the first Death Star. The motion on the screen matched the motion of the seats so jostled park attendees got the feeling they had physically entered the world of Star Wars.

Star Tours became one of the park's most popular attractions so the mission to spread it to other parks began. In July of 1989 a second Star Tours debuted at Tokyo Disneyland and later that year Star Tours was opened at the fledgling Disney MGM Studios (now Disney's Hollywood Studios) in Orlando. In 1992 a fourth came to Disneyland Park in Paris.


A Starspeeder 3000 at Disneyland Tokyo

Rumors of an update to the attraction began going public in the late 90s as the film seen in the Starspeeder that had been state of the art in 1987 looked increasingly dated. As Star Wars: Episode I came to theaters there was hope that a podrace might be the setting for a new version of the ride. Star Tours remained a top attraction at each park so Disney executives decided to leave well enough alone and didn't fully commit to any change for almost a decade.


The end of an era

This finally changed in 2010 and the event was commemorated in Florida during Star Wars Celebration V at The Last Tour of Endor. Between July and September Star Tours in California and Florida were closed to begin a complete renovation of each attraction.


The new Starspeeder 1000

The ante was upped this time around and when Star Tours: The Adventure Continues opened at both parks last May it featured different destinations and segments that could take each group of guests on one of 54 different combinations, all in 3D with upgraded motion simulation.

The original Star Tours is slated to be be updated in Tokyo later this year with Disneyland Paris following eventually.

Princess Leia and the Beatle

2012-01-08T18:00:00.000-05:00

At the tender age of 21, Carrie Fisher was still playing a teenager. From a certain point of view. During the period when she was dating Paul Simon she appeared in a television special for another musical luminary, Ringo Starr. In this rather creative 1978 short, Ringo dances around with Fisher covering the song made famous by Johnny Burnette in 1960.

Interestingly, the song was written by the Sherman Brothers, the Disney collaborators responsible for the songs from movies like Mary Poppins and The Jungle Book. The original version of the song was also featured in George Lucas's second movie, American Graffiti.

Palm Con is coming and the SWGFA is too!

2011-08-11T10:29:00.001-04:00

As Indiana Jones once said, "I'm like a bad penny. I always turn up."

And that's just what we'll be doing at the first Palm Con in Lake Worth on September 17th. For less than the price of an action figure, you can take the whole family to this Palm Beach County Comics and Collectibles Show. Come on out, meet members of the 501st, chat with the good folks of The SWGFA, and scope out this intimate show for and by the fans.

The SWGFA Summer Outing

2011-08-01T03:27:00.021-04:00

In a departure from our seasonal Events, a good sized contingent of the Alliance will be heading over to Fantasy of Flight on Saturday, August 13th for the first annual SWGFA Summer Outing. Most importantly, you're invited! Best of all, we're able to take advantage of their Florida Resident Summer Special- Buy One, Get One Free Admission. The complimentary admission is valid when accompanied by a guest purchasing a paid admission ticket of equal or greater value so it's available to adults and children alike.

We're meeting at 10:00am in the parking lot of Fantasy of Flight. To give everyone a chance to arrive, we'll wait until 10:30am and then enter the museum together as a group. If you're attending by yourself, fear not, we'll do our best to match you up with someone that morning so everyone can take advantage of the deal. If you've got a Star Wars t-shirt, please wear it! We'll be able to recognize each other as we roam around the museum and it will help represent our group.

As many Star Wars fans share a love for George Lucas' adventuring archaeologist we're particularly excited to see the actual Ford Tri-Motor that was used in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. It doesn't sport the Lao Che logo anymore, but the plane is unmistakable all the same.

Dr. Jones and company fly the hostile skies.

There's also an exhibit dedicated to the Tuskegee Airmen, the heroic African-American pilots that we'll see in the next Lucasfilm, Red Tails. Over 40 restored airplanes can be seen including walk-through exhibits, airshows, simulators, and demonstrations.

We'll leave Fantasy of Flight at 3:30pm and head to Applebee's Neighborhood Grill located at 230 Arteva Drive Lakeland, FL 33809 to meet up for dinner at 4:00pm. Brush up on your Star Wars trivia knowledge because we'll see the return of our trivia challenge. Razors Edge Collectibles is sponsoring it so there will be some cool Star Wars prizes available.

For those that can't or simply do not wish to join us at the museum, you are welcome and encouraged to join us for dinner at Applebee's at 4:00pm. VERY IMPORTANT! We will need an exact number of attendees for dinner! If you will be joining us, please send an email to swgfa77@gmail.com with your name and how many people will be in your party so we can call ahead to reserve space for the group. If you do not let us know in advance, you may not get to sit with the group. We will take RSVP's from now until Friday, August 12th at 8:00pm.

Fantasy of Flight is located just off of I-4 at 1400 Broadway Blvd. S.E.Polk City, FL 33868. We'll see you there!

Sansweet is Forever

2011-04-01T04:11:00.016-04:00

Unfortunately, it's no April Fool's joke. Steve Sansweet is turning the page in his career: moving out of the Lucasfilm nest. In cooperation with TheForce.net and Rebelscum we'd like to salute the man that's linked the corporate to the fan on the street.

Steve Sansweet’s 1992 book “Star Wars: From Concept, To Screen, To Collectible” was a beacon of light at the end of the dark ages. His passion for the films resonated off of every page, and touched us deep in our cores. When he became Lucasfilm’s Director of Content Management and head of Fan Relations in 1996, he took that passion to the masses and the Star Wars Generation finally had a voice.

Today marks the last day in this chapter of Steve’s life, and while we will all miss the positive energy and genuine love for the franchise he brought with him on stage, we are very excited to see what he has planned from this point forward. One thing is for certain he will always remain the true voice of The Star Wars Generation

BlasTech DL-44

2011-03-01T01:38:00.000-05:00

Today's TeeFury.com shirt features a smuggler's pistol. The weapon of a man who shoots first: the BlasTech DL-44. This Blaster design was created by Texas artist Tod Kennedy.

Till I wrote this, I'd never known why the gun model was a DL-44. A simple search lead me to an alternate definition. The DL-44 is the application for a California Driver's License.

Imperial March Lightning

2011-01-31T13:31:00.000-05:00

Ever heard of musical Tesla Coils? Did you see them used by Jay Baruchel in The Sorceror's Apprentice? Check out these most impressive renditions of Darth Vader's Theme as played with some seriously arcing electricity.

The first is by Arc Attack who later went on to impress the judges at America's Got Talent.

Here's a bit about how it's all done.

And this one, by The Masters of Lightning plays the entire theme.

Many more renditions can be found on Youtube.

Star Wars Vinylmation- finally!

2011-01-13T05:27:00.000-05:00

We've seen the designs for over a year. We even got exclusive Celebration V pins in the image of them. Now, tonight at midnight, Disney's popular Vinylmation line of figures is being premiered at D-Street in Downtown Disney's West Side. Including a signing by Disney Design Group artist Mike Sullivan, the store will be open from midnight to 2am to release the 12 new designs.

They'll roll out a few days later at Disneyland. Check out all the details at the DisneyParks blog.

Thanks to Kyle for the heads up.

Star Tours Opened 24 Years Ago

2011-01-09T03:27:00.034-05:00

Just down the road from most of us is a boarded off ride area in Disney's Hollywood Studios. Early this Summer, most likely May 17th at Star Wars Weekends 2011, it will emerge as Star Tours II. Twenty four years ago today, the original Star Tours opened to the public in Anaheim.

The Disney collaboration began when George Lucas and Disney produced the 3-D space-fantasy featurette Captain EO starring Michael Jackson, and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Walt Disney Imagineering's concept designer Tony Baxter said in a 2004 interview with Lucasfilm's Bonnie Burton, "Star Tours evolved from the first presentation we gave to George of a possible ride that was a little more complicated than our average attraction -- you could go every which way and choose the direction," Baxter recalls. "George said, 'Well that's great, but what can we do to get something going right now?' So we looked around and found this fantastic device that was being used at the Air Force and the government to simulate excursions into space. We thought it was a natural fit. We combined the space of fantasy that George had created with real world technology, and we ended up with an attraction that would give the general public a brand new experience."

This led to the development of a state of the art simulator in Tomorrowland- the original Star Tours. After an opening that lasted 60 hours (10am January 9 to 10pm January 11, 1987) the ride became one of the biggest attractions at Disneyland, eventually being reproduced at Disney-MGM Studios in Florida, Disneyland Paris and Tokyo Disneyland.

photo by Dave Cobb

Happy Holiday Edition Action Figures

2010-12-25T03:27:00.001-05:00

It's December 25th, so for me this day brings a lot of great memories of Star Wars toys I received in Christmases as a kid. If you're a kid or family member that's exchanging Star Wars gifts this holiday I hope you're able to create some memories as vivid as I was able to make as a youngling. If this holiday isn't for you, Merry Christmas all the same. No matter what your background, I hope everyone has a wonderful day and finds good fortune in 2011.

There have been quite a few Christmas-related Star Wars products over the years, everything from ornaments and snowglobes to action figures and greeting cards. The latter of these has spun off in the last decade into four releases from Hasbro that feature Lucasfilm Star Wars Christmas artwork.

In 2002, the tradition began as Wal-mart had an exclusive R2-D2 and C-3PO dressed as a reindeer and Santa, respectively. Included in the package was a reproduction of the 1980 Ralph McQuarrie Lucasfilm holiday card that inspired the design.

The next year the Star Wars Fan Club offered an exclusive Santa Yoda based on a McQuarrie painted design. It was packaged similarly and again included a copy of a Lucasfilm card, this one from 1981.

By 2004 the series was in full swing and a Christmas pair of Jawas was released exclusive to Entertainment Earth. Interestingly, the light ports common to Hasbro's Jawas at the time were colored red and green so each Jawa sported festive glowing eyes. The card that was included was originally sent out by Lucasfilm in 1994.

2005 saw the most recent 3.75" scale figures released as holiday editions. In June of that year a Vader and Luke came packed with a card in the "I Am Your Father's Day" Wal-mart set and fully red-clad Lord Vader repainted for the Holidays exclusive to StarWarsShop.com. While a card was included, it wasn't a McQuarrie reproduction. I was actually more amused by the interesting artwork on the card behind the figure. Using the Original Trilogy Collection design, the figure is posed on the deck of a Star Destroyer lit with candles and red lights. The figure was vac-metallized and suffered from chipping so it's better left in the package.

The Holiday Editions have been dormant for a while, but they're great little collectibles and can still be had cheaply on the secondary market. If you don't have enough of the galaxy far, far away decking your halls, it's time to get out on the hunt.

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas Star Wars fans!

Solo and the Cookiee

2010-12-07T12:07:00.000-05:00

Threadless is having a $9 sale through 11am tomorrow. They've got quite a few Star Wars designs including this one by San Diego illustrator Philip Tseng. It's a better take on this older design by Twallis.

Here's a very clever (jed)Eye Chart design by David Schwen that is both reminiscent of the Star Wars opening crawl and the first famous ten words from each picture:

This one's by Vincent Bocognani and recycles an old StarWars.com video:

There are quite a few more so check out the link and find your favorite.

Irvin Kershner: Requiescat In Pace

2010-12-01T16:27:00.000-05:00

Irvin Kershner, director of The Empire Strike Back, has died, age 87. May the Force Be With Him.

Black Friday Deals

2010-11-26T06:38:00.000-05:00

Acme Archives is having 25% off their entire stock with the code HOLIDAY25, through November 29th.

Samurai Origins

2010-11-23T00:34:00.001-05:00

Another daily Star Wars shirt is up for sale. This time it's at TeeFury with art by AJ Paglia. It's available till midnight for $11 delivered.

This is a pass for me as I've seen the motif tackled in different ways that I prefer. You may remember an article just this fall with some very interesting takes on Star Wars characters as if from some Samurai scroll.

My personal favorite takes on this concept are by figure customizer Sillof:

Imperial Walkers have entered the base!

2010-11-22T03:27:00.000-05:00

You may wonder why I tend to feature t-shirts on the blog. Beyond just liking clever t-shirts, I like the creative renegade nature of them. I like to wear them so that I can ride some of the spirit that the artist put into the design.

Today's shirt is the design of the day at RIPt Apparel and sells for $10.

I really like all the details and that it's all contained in a comically plausible shadow. The art is by UK illustrator Ian Summers.

Boba Fett and Darth Maul debut

2010-11-17T01:11:00.001-05:00

Most Star Wars fans that know me know that I wouldn't miss the anniversary of The Star Wars Holiday Special. It's typically something I try to take in on this day and a couple of years ago I even had a party at my house for The 30th Anniversary of The Holiday Special.

And yes, I own a red Snuggie so I can be part of the Wookiee Life Day ceremony should I choose ("Red Dork standing by").

Most people familiar with the Special want to only recall the Nelvana animated feature that's part of the show and introduced the public to Boba Fett. I watch it remembering my six year-old self under a card table fort watching CBS and loving that I could see something Star Wars in my pre-VCR world.

However, this date not only marks that notorious moment in Original Trilogy history. Twenty years later the public got its first views of a brand new trilogy as the teaser trailer for Star Wars Episode I was released. On November 17th, 1998, select theaters were able to show copies of The Waterboy and Meet Joe Black with the new Star Wars preview attached.

At the theater in Oviedo, FL where I personally saw it (with The Waterboy), the trailer was shown again after the movie. The manager announced this after taking a poll before the movie, "How many of you are here just to see the Star Wars preview?" Every one of us in the theater raised our hands.

StarWarsShop $5 Specials

2010-11-08T11:38:00.002-05:00

For the first time in a long time Star Wars Shop is featuring quite a few items at a real, significant discount. Each of the ones featured below is $5 and originally sold for $16.99 to $59.99. The greatest discount, over 90% off, is on the Randy Martinez-designed Kashyyyk Rage Basketball Jersey.

Another impressive deal brings down the price of the once over-priced exclusive Warren Fu Concept General Grievous.

From Celebration Japan, this set of BearBrick Ewoks originally was sold for $24.99.

They've also got a couple of their exclusive ACME Character Keys including Maris Brood and Short Round.

There are quite a few individual action figures, the Tales of the Clone Wars webcomic collection, and some 12" Indy figures. For your t-shirt needs they've got the exclusive shirt that helped reveal Ahsoka Tano to the world as well as a few of Indiana Jones shirts.

I wasn't willing to shell out original prices for these products, but at $5 a pop, they just got a whole lot more interesting. Thanks StarWarsShop for letting us help clean out your storeroom!

Knowing is half the battle.

2010-11-02T07:59:00.000-04:00

Today's Stupid Hurts Us t-shirt is a mash-up by Brinkerhoff of Darth Vader and GI Joe's Cobra Commander. I never realized how close his helmet resembled the Dark Lord's.

The shirt's $13 and is available till 3am EST.

My joints are almost frozen.

2010-10-22T11:38:00.002-04:00

A swimsuit by Australian designer Black Milk was recently featured on Gizmodo. The one-piece bathing suit is made from the image of R2-D2's barrel-shaped body. While I doubt I'll be spending the more than $80 this item retails for, I certainly would love to see my wife sporting this around the pool next Summer.

Dengar Goes Through The Change

2010-10-22T03:27:00.009-04:00

One of my favorite features on JediDefender.com is their Collect All 92! series that compares original Kenner figures to the best action figure versions of the same character. This week's selection is Dengar, comparing the original Kenner figure to the "Vintage" one currently on shelves. I like Dengar. Maybe not as much as I was made out to during the CV ramp-up, but I like that his EU-back story connects him to Han Solo. I also like how his strange bandaged get-up includes cobbled together pieces of Stormtrooper and Snowtrooper armor. Despite buying a several Dengars since Hasbro got back into the figure game, this one's one that I really need to pick up. The face likeness is one of the most realistic sculpt and paints I've seen. More than any human face figure (rivaled only by Luke in the Resurgence of the Jedi Battle Pack) this looks like an actual human was shrunk to action figure size.

Check out this great comparison shot from Rebelscum showing all the versions of Dengar from 1980 to now. I always thought the middle sculpt (and in comic pack paint to the right) looked a lot like Cincinnati Reds legend Pete Rose.

And for Pete's sake:

Happy Birthday, Carrie Fisher!

2010-10-21T15:52:00.002-04:00

Carrie Fisher, known far and wide as Princess Leia from the original trilogy, was born on this day in 1956.

My Imperial Adidas

2010-10-20T03:27:00.001-04:00

Today's RiptApparel.com t-shirt design by Mezakoo:

Available today only at RIPt Apparel for $10 plus shipping.

Brinkerhoff goes where no one has gone before.

2010-10-19T03:27:00.002-04:00

Today's TeeFury offering is by artist Brinkerhoff (not to be confused with Star Wars artist Spencer Brinkerhoff) and features an interesting mash-up of Star Franchises. I have to wonder, does it fire proton torpedoes or photon torpedoes?

The Millennium Enterprise is available today only at Teefury. $11 delivered in the U.S. Cheap!

Entertainment Earth Buy 1, Get 1 50% off Statue Sale

2010-10-15T00:32:00.000-04:00

Entertainment Earth's running a buy 1, get half off of a 2nd statue sale right now through the first of November that applies to in stock or pre-orderable statues, including mini-busts and bookends. Since there are quite a few Gentle Giant offerings in the pipeline, if this is your sort of thing, it's worth checking out.

Some of the available pre-orders include the following mini-busts for $59.99:
Slave Leia
The Force Unleashed Darth Vader
Darth Revan
Lando Calrissian
Figran D'an

Cell Block 1138

2010-10-10T11:38:00.001-04:00

There are a lot of threads on the SWGFA Message Boards; some strange, some sublime. One of the longer running ones celebrates the fact that many of us happen to notice when a clock reads 11:38. If that's not you, then you may not know the significance of 1138 to the world of Lucasfilm. If you are one of the many people caught by the 11:38 bug, and you're online at the magic time, consider saying 'hi' in the "It's 11:38!" thread.

Happy Birthday Mark Hamill!

2010-09-25T00:34:00.001-04:00

Mark Hamill, known far and wide as Luke Skywalker from the original Star Wars movies, was born this date in 1951.

Actress Orli Shoshan confirmed for SWGFA's October Event!

2010-09-06T09:06:00.002-04:00

We've just confirmed that Attack of the Clones / Revenge of the Sith actress (and model and fashion designer!) Orli Shoshan will be attending our October Event. Ms. Shoshan played Jedi Master Shaak Ti whose character recently played a significant role in The Force Unleashed video game.

Details are being worked out, but attendees will have an opportunity to purchase an autograph from Orli, who will be staying for the entire gathering. Add this to a chance to meet Star Wars artist Robert Hendrickson and you've got two more reasons to come out and party with us at Emerald City Comics!

2010-09-06T05:20:00.005-04:00

New in bookstores this week is The Sounds of Star Wars by J.W. Rinzler. With a forward by Ben Burtt and including interviews with Matt Wood and Dave Acord, the book features a small device that plays about 250 different sounds.

I attended a preview of the book at Celebration V and was able to discuss the project with Wood and Acord at MegaCon. While I strongly would prefer the sounds be in .mp3 format or on a CD, this still is going to be a valuable resource for those of us that are interested in the making of the movies. Many of the stories behind the creation of the sounds are included, as are some clips in-context, so you'll be reminded of how they sounded in the films. For me, in addition to hearing the stories behind the sounds, I'm just as excited to hear clean versions of most of the sounds so I can hear them clearly.

Also previewed at Celebration V is a book that documents the events in the world surrounding the Star Wars property from the very beginning to today. Star Wars Year by Year: A Visual Chronicle by Dan Wallace, Pablo Hidalgo, Gus Lopez, and Ryder Wyndham does just what it indicates exploring the development and impact of Star Wars as well as its merchandising in the context of real world events.

the SWGFA's October Event is coming soon!

2010-09-04T03:27:00.000-04:00

We've been hinting about it for weeks, and now it can be told:

The Star Wars Grand Florida Alliance October Event

Location, Date & Time:
The SWGFA will be meeting at the Emerald City Comics, Games & Toys *Seminole location on Saturday, October 2nd from 5:00pm to 11:00pm. The physical address for the shop is 9249 Seminole Blvd., Seminole, FL 33772. If you have questions about directions, please call the store at 727-398-BOOK (2665).

Special Guest:
We are working on a very special Star Wars guest to come sign autographs, take photos and hang out with fans. More on this soon!

Star Wars Artist Robert Hendrickson:
Official Star Wars artist Robert Hendrickson, fresh from his appearance at Celebration V, will also be joining us to show off his latest work and talk with fans and collectors.

Door Prizes:
Want to win some cool prizes? Just show up and get your ticket when you sign in at the registration booth! We'll be posting winning ticket numbers throughout the evening.

501st Legion & Rebel Legion:
We are happy to announce that members from the 501st Legion Florida Garrison and the Rebel Legion Ra Kura Base will be in attendance! Be sure to bring your camera!

Food & Drinks:
Make sure you bring your appetite! We will have pizza, soft drinks and water available for purchase during the event. Two pieces of pizza and a drink for just $5.00!

Costume Contest:
Everyone is encouraged to come in costume! Those who do show up in costume will receive a special coupon to use in the store! We will be holding a costume contest with the winners announced at 8:00pm. If you have something you've been working on and you need help, bring it. You never know who might be around that could give you some pointers or even assist you with the construction of your costume.

Store Discount:
All SWGFA, Rebelscum.com, TheForce.net, 501st Legion, Rebel Legion & R2 Builders Club members will receive a special coupon good for all in store purchases.

What To Bring:
• Bring yourself, bring the family, bring a friend!
• A costume to enter the costume contest!

If you have any other questions ask them here or feel free to email us at swgfa77@gmail.com. We look forward to seeing you on Saturday, October 2nd at 5:00pm in Seminole! May the Force be with you...always.

* Note: Emerald City has two locations in the Tampa Bay area. Clearwater and Seminole. This event will be at the Seminole location and NOT at the Clearwater location.

View Larger Map

That's no moon!

2010-08-21T03:27:00.000-04:00

Today's RIPT Apparel t-shirt features a parody of E.T. and Eliot biking in front of the moon.

$10 buys it, but it goes away at midnight.

Mother Falcon Struck Back

2010-08-16T15:46:00.000-04:00

Andrew Spear

Back to the regular world following Celebration V, I wanted to see what I missed at Mother Falcon Strikes Back, Mother Falcon Clothing's unofficial Empire Strikes Back Celebration. It took place on the first day of Celebration and by the accounts I heard was a really fun time.

The highlight of the show was the t-shirts and original art that had been created with Empire themes by local artists. The shirts can be seen here and the art will be displayed in the store till September 15th. The SWGFA's own Danny Haas contributed this classic:

Danny Haas

Next year is the 30th anniversary of Indiana Jones, could Raiders of the Lost Art be far behind?

I Melt With You

2010-08-10T09:09:00.001-04:00

Today's t-shirt from RipT Apparel depicts a melting Stormtrooper ice cream pop by artist Yanmos. It seems appropriate as we approach this week's Celebration V during this hot week in Orlando.

If the concept seems familiar, it might be that you've seen something similar at Star Wars Weekends in the last couple of years on t-shirts and pins.

Or perhaps you recall David Schwen's melting Han-sicle from last year.

Today's shirt is available till midnight for $10. For additional designs by Yanmos, check out his site which includes a number of other Star Wars-inspired designs.

Won't You Join Us?

2010-08-09T04:44:00.002-04:00

Always two sides there are, when it comes to handbills. And last week I revealed the dark side of the GFA CV postcard. Now, just a scant three days before we commune in the Orange County Convention Center here's the more informative side.

With art by Celebration Art Show artist Kevin Graham and another great layout by The Jawas, we've got two great designs to tell the world about the SWGFA.

Many older fans will recognize that the image of Vader is an oft-seen promotional shot from Return of the Jedi. Kevin's mashed up his own rendition of the Dark Lord with J.M. Flagg's classic World War I recruitment poster depicting Uncle Sam.

Interestingly, the Flagg poster was based on an even earlier poster featuring British Secretary of War, Lord Kitchener.

Known commonly as the "Lord Kitchener Wants You" poster, it's unlikely that anyone could have predicted that 94 years later the concept would be morphed into Lord Vader beckoning Florida fans to join the Grand Florida Alliance.

Many thanks to everyone who helped make the flyer possible. We've got plenty of copies on hand and we'll be passing them out at our booth, #1520, each day of Star Wars Celebration V.

Heroes Landing & Star Wars Action News Unite To Beat Leukemia

2010-08-03T03:52:00.003-04:00

SWGFA ally Heroes Landing has a special event in Clermont the night before Celebration V begins:

from Yakface.com

Heroes Landing, along with Star Wars Action News have joined forces to host a Star Wars Trivia Night to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Central Florida. The event will be held on August 11, 2010 at 7:00 pm. This event will be emceed by Marjorie Carvalho and Arnie Carvalho, hosts of Star Wars Action News, a popular Star Wars podcast.
The event will be held at Heroes Landing, located at 12348 Roper Boulevard, Clermont, FL. All questions will be Star Wars themed with topics ranging from the six Star Wars movies to the hit Cartoon Network show Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Trivia will be team-based with the winning team receiving 50% of the entry fees with the rest, as well as any other money raised, donated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Central Florida. In addition to the team cash prize, there will also be chances for individuals to win door prizes donated by Star Wars Action News, Sideshow Collectibles, Dark Horse comics, and a gift certificate to Heroes Landing.

This event will take place the evening before the official Star Wars Celebration begins in Orlando. “We are very excited that Heroes Landing asked us to help out with the trivia night,” said Arnie Carvalho of Star Wars Action News. “This is a perfect kick off to the biggest Star Wars party in the galaxy - Star Wars Celebration and it’s a great benefit for great charity.”

Heroes Landing’s Todd Merrick added "Heroes Landing has always supported local charities and knew that teaming up with Star Wars Action News would reach a broader audience than just our local community. We look forward to hosting this event with great success."

Join Heroes Landing and Star Wars Action News as bring Star Wars fans and trivia buffs together to raise money for an important cause. The event begins at 7:00 PM, teams or individuals can register starting at 6:30 PM.

Five Clubs, Five Patches for Celebration V

2010-07-31T03:27:00.001-04:00

If you happened to check the main page of StarWars.com a few days ago you may have seen an article about our patch project with The Washington DC Area Star Wars Collecting Club (DCSWCC), The Kentucky Star Wars Collectors Club (KSWCC), The Ohio Star Wars Collectors Club (OSWCC), and The Pennsylvania Star Wars Collecting Society (PSWCS). Even now, their Collecting page features it prominently.

Crack reporter, and SWGFA co-founder, Chris posted it on Rebelscum and it soon made it's way to the Official Star Wars Blog, and collecting sites like Galactic Hunter, Jedi Defender, and Yodas News.

It was a long process to get these patches made and we're really proud that the group is moving ahead. Looking forward we hope to develop further exclusives which may include charity patches, pins, and coins. This past year we've been recognized by Lucasfilm who approved not only this project but all of the logos that you see sporting trademarks.

To the veterans and to those of you just coming on board, the Star Wars Grand Florida Alliance is on the move fulfilling our mission to bring together Florida fans in all quarters.

Today's TeeFury: MASTER TODA

2010-07-31T01:11:00.002-04:00

The shirt of the day at TeeFury.com available till midnight (EST) tonight is a visual pun: Master Toda by artist Joao Lauro Fonte.

For $9 and a couple of bucks shipping it can be yours.

A Rather Angular Circular

2010-07-30T02:15:00.000-04:00

If we're going to have a booth, we need to have an exclusive, right? Ramping up to Celebration V we've been developing a sharp-looking handbill to give out at our booth. With ideas contributed by the Alliance Council and realized by ForceCastTV producer Mark Minckiewicz this flyer will be our first professionally printed giveaway. We wanted it to convey who we are, but we also wanted to make it desirable as a collectible, one of those things you pull out of your convention swag bag to keep.

One side has most of the information about who we are, how to be part of the group, and some exclusive artwork by Celebration V Art Show artist Kevin Graham. I'm going to show that art very soon, but today you get to see The Dark Side.

We're all familiar with the classic Kenner action figure packaging of the Original Trilogy whether you know it or not. Maybe you saw these hanging on the pegs like I did in the 70s and 80s or bought variations on them in the last decade, Star Wars fans generally like the vintage metallic "racetrack" border, the black background, and classic logos. It's with this in mind that The SWGFA now brings you:

Look for the 4x6" flyer to be handed out from booth #1520 at Celebration V all four days.

Celebration V: SWGFA Booth #1520

2010-07-29T03:27:00.003-04:00

The Alliance Council and Justin (whendroidsfly) are working on some pretty neat ideas for our booth which include some very nice flyers (to distribute), t-shirts (to wear, not to distribute), our banner, a slideshow of past activities, the AT-AT, and our Patch wedge.

However, we can always use more input. Do you have any ideas that you think might make this a particularly interesting booth? Can you think of a game or method of giving out our patches creatively? Got a large display or collectible you'd like to show off? Let us know! This is everyone's club. We'd love help volunteering, but even if you aren't able to do that, you can help with the creation of this booth. We've got only 13 more days till we set this thing up and it's getting pretty exciting!

TeeFury.com's Shirt of the Day

2010-07-06T00:34:00.001-04:00

For the past year or two I've been acquiring t-shirts from a handful of websites that often feature a single design. Due to parody rights they are able to use what we'd normally think of as intellectual property and use it without licensing fees. This makes the shirts very inexpensive. Perhaps not to overstay their welcome, many of these sites only sell most of their designs for a single day.

The one that most frequently posts Star Wars designs is called TeeFury.com. Their t-shirts are $9 each plus $2 shipping to Florida.

Today's design exemplifies their bizarre mash-ups and mixtures of Star Wars culture. Some are hits, some swing and miss. Choose for yourself. I give you, Love Child, by artist Jon Plante. It's available till midnight.

To check on several other shirt-a-day sites in one stop, check out Teemagnet.com.

2010-07-05T03:37:00.001-04:00

Cartoon Network is offering one heck of a prize for their Ultimate Fan Getaway:

In addition to $10,000 cash, the grand prize winner gets 4 VIP tix to Celebration V, a 2-story Presidential Suite at the Peabody, and $15,000 worth of Star Wars merchandise.

Signin' mesa up! But hurry- the contest ends on Friday night (9 July) at midnight PST. The winner will be announced on or about 12 July.

ESB Telephone promos

2010-07-05T02:12:00.001-04:00

In the months leading up the to the May 21st release of The Empire Strikes Back a telephone number was set up for eager fans to get a preview of the movie from the main actors themselves. These were performed in character by Harrison Ford, James Earl Jones, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, and Carrie Fisher.

StarWars.com revisits those halcyon days with a really cool feature where you can read about the promotion, listen to the clips, and even download the audio files.

An enterprising fan has gone one step further and created a telephone line that reproduces the original experience, save for the rotary phone dial. Call (714) 643-2997 and get ready to (re-)experience a new chapter in the Star Wars Saga.

ESB@30: 30 Collectibles, day 25

2010-05-16T15:27:00.057-04:00

On 16 May 1990, 20 years ago today, the world lost Jim Henson to cancer. One of his greatest legacies is The Muppet Show, and The Muppet Show featured the cast of The Empire Strikes Back way back in it's fourth season. That season has not been released on DVD, but the episode was released on the discontinued Best of The Muppet Show. Pictured is the 25th Anniversary DVD which also includes bonus material such as "screen tests" where Muppets vie for the role of Yoda.

The Empire episode features Mark Hamill as both Luke Skywalker and himself, Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca, Anthony Daniels as C-3PO, and R2-D2. Amid the regular Muppets madness they join the Pigs in Space on The Swinetrek and perform in a finale medley featuring "When You Wish Upon a Star."

ESB@30: 30 Collectibles, day 24

2010-05-15T15:27:00.000-04:00

SW in C

ESB@30: 30 Collectibles, day 23

2010-05-14T23:38:00.000-04:00

ESB@30: 30 Collectibles, day 22

2010-05-13T23:38:00.002-04:00

ESB@30: 30 Collectibles, day 21

2010-05-12T03:27:00.000-04:00

ESB@30: 30 Collectibles, Day 20

2010-05-11T23:38:00.000-04:00

ESB@30: 30 Collectibles, day 19

2010-05-10T15:27:00.001-04:00

ESB@30: 30 Collectibles, day 18

2010-05-09T05:55:00.000-04:00

Happy Mother's Day! Star Wars isn't known for happy mothers. Think Anakin leaving his Mom: "Will I ever see you again? Shmi basically says, "Well, what do you think?"

So I'm skipping ahead to an Empire Strikes Back-related Father's Day collectible. In 2007, Hasbro released this, "I Am Your Father's Day" 2-pack that included Darth Vader and a fairly ugly Bespin Luke Skywalker. Included inside is a card that proclaims "You're the greatest Dad in the galaxy!" While I didn't open his, I did make sure my old man had one of these.

ESB@30: 30 Collectibles, day 17

2010-05-08T11:38:00.001-04:00

Leia, Luke, and Vader and 3po spinning figures.

ESB@30: 30 Collectibles, day 16

2010-05-06T15:27:00.000-04:00

Sixth-scale Hantaun.

ESB@30: 30 Collectibles, day 15

2010-05-06T11:38:00.003-04:00

30 Topps ESB Photo Cards

ESB@30: 30 Collectibles, Day 14

2010-05-05T23:38:00.001-04:00

ESB NES video game

ESB@30: 30 Collectibles, day 13

2010-05-04T15:27:00.001-04:00

In the Empire Strikes Back, the phrase, "May the Force Be With You" is said only once, at the end of the movie by Luke to a departing Lando and Chewbacca. We waited 30 years, but we finally got an action figure of the suave Calrissian the one and only time that he borrowed Han Solo's wardrobe.

May the Fourth Be With You!

2010-05-04T13:59:00.000-04:00

Over the last few years fans have made May the 4th the unofficial Star Wars Day. This being May, may I say to you, too, May the Fourth Be with You!

ESB@30: 30 Collectibles, day 12

2010-05-03T15:27:00.014-04:00

Vinyl albums have largely been forgotten in the last couple of decades, but in 1980 they were very much a part of the collection of many Star Wars fans. The Empire Strikes Back soundtrack, like the Star Wars soundtrack before it, was a double-album.

ESB@30: 30 Collectibles, day 11

2010-05-02T03:27:00.031-04:00

Star Wars Weekends merchandise has included over a dozen Star Wars "Big Figs," resin statues that stand over a foot tall, since 1996. This Donald Duck in Carbonite was released in 2009 and is one of only two directly referencing The Empire Strikes Back. The other features Mickey in Dagobah fatigues with Yoda in his backpack. Except for the initial Jedi Mickey which is now an open edition, each are limited to 600 pieces and retailed for about $150.

At this year's Star Wars Weekends, there will be an action figure of "Don in Carbonite."

ESB@30: 30 Collectibles, day 10

2010-05-01T03:27:00.004-04:00

Hoth. The ice planet where the first pivotal events in The Empire Strikes Back unfold has been the source of countless collectibles. A good number of the characters and machines that appear on Hoth have been represented in the plastic miniatures line from Wizards of the Coast. Starting in 2004, and ended in April 2010, Wizards has well over 800 miniatures spanning every era of Star Wars, and that doesn't even include the offshoot "Starship Battles" miniatures spaceships.

Later series included "huge" miniatures allowing some small war machines such as the Rebel Troop Cart and the Anti-Infantry Battery to be produced.

The largest of all these was the Colossal Imperial Walker pack. The AT-AT stands 13 inches tall, retailed for $49.99, and has much of the detail of pieces twenty times more expensive.

ESB@30: 30 Collectibles, day 9

2010-04-30T03:27:00.008-04:00

Bounty Hunters were introduced into the Star Wars galaxy in the Mos Eisley Cantina, but The Empire Strikes Back brought them to an entirely new level of prominence. On the deck of The Super Star Destroyer, Executor, Darth Vader called upon half a dozen of the best to snare The Millennium Falcon. Gentle Giant has nearly completed their line of mini-busts portraying these characters, but just as impressive in design, if not stature, are these "bust-ups," roughly two inches high and made of plastic.

Dengar, Bossk, 4-LOM, and Zuckuss were part of 2005's Bust-Ups Series 3 along with a different Boba Fett sculpt and a Jango Fett. In 2006 a box set with all six seen in the photo added IG-88 and a more classic Boba Fett pose (along with a new Vader). The bust-ups line is currently retired by Gentle Giant but there was also a Battle of Hoth wave released as part of their ESB offerings.

ESB@30: Happy Birthday, Irvin Kershner!

2010-04-29T04:56:00.001-04:00

Irvin Kershner, director of The Empire Strikes Back, turns 87 today!

Happy Birthday, Kersh!

ESB@30: 30 Collectibles, day 8

2010-04-29T03:27:00.002-04:00

The Empire Strikes Back, along with the rest of the Classic Trilogy has been released three times on DVD.

For the first two releases, in 2004 and 2006, Hasbro created action figure 3-packs exclusively sold at Wal-mart for about $10.

The small sticker by Chewie's head warns buyers that there are no DVDs included. The Han and Chewbacca figures were dulicated for the second release (bottom) and Princess Leia lost her spot to a Stormtrooper.

ESB@30: 30 Collectibles, day 7

2010-04-28T05:00:00.002-04:00

Gentle Giant Ltd. gained prominence as the hype for Episode II ramped up and they've made scores of statues, maquettes, and other sculptures as one of the most successful modern licensees of the Star Wars brand. The most popular of their lines is the mini-bust and the Empire Strikes Back has been well-represented. The bust below is a variant of a 2006 Chewbacca released two years later as a PX Previews exclusive.

The head sculpt has been changed and he now sports a breathing apparatus as seen when Han, Leia, and Chewbacca venture out of the Millennium Falcon while in the belly of the Space Slug. In the photo you'll also see the magnetic-mouthed mynock that was exclusive to Sideshow Toys' Bespin Han Solo sixth-scale figure. A matching Mynock Hunt Leia is due later this year.

ESB@30: 30 Collectibles, day 6

2010-04-27T03:27:00.002-04:00

Some of my best memories of Star Wars as a kid come from listening to the Star Wars and Empire Radio Dramas on NPR. The latter debuted on February 14th, 1983, and told an extended story of The Empire Strikes Back in 10 weekly episodes and built excitement for the upcoming Return of the Jedi theatrical release. Mark Hamill, Billy Dee Williams, and Anthony Daniels reprised their film roles and were joined by the talents of John Lithgow as Yoda, Brock Peters as Darth Vader, and Perry King as Han Solo among others. The music of John Williams and the sound design of Ben Burtt are heard throughout the serial which runs over four hours.

In 1993 Highbridge Audio released the first CD and cassette versions of the ESB Radio Drama, then in 1995 the Radio Play by Brian Daley was released by Del Ray. The Star Wars Radio Dramas are now also available for download from Audible.com.

For my personal Star Wars canon the radio dramas are only trumped by the actual movies.

ESB@30: 30 Collectibles, day 5

2010-04-26T13:38:00.004-04:00

For 79¢ each of the four glasses on the left were sold in Burger King restaurants filled with a cross-marketed medium Coca-Cola. My family usually preferred other brands of fast food, but we made special trips to Burger King for 4 weeks in the Summer of 1980. Burger King did similar promotions with four glasses each in 1977 and 1983.

Amazingly, the motif was revisited in 2004 and 2005, when Hasbro released several waves of "Collectible Figures and Cups" for $10-$12 per set. Three of these represented The Empire Strikes Back. The included figures were outdated designs such as the 1995 pilot Luke, but the cups emulate the original glasses with updated artwork. I've put paper in each cup so that the images can be seen clearly.

ESB@30: 30 Collectibles, day 4

2010-04-25T23:38:00.003-04:00

Today's selections are the Empire Strikes Back pins from Star Wars Weekends 2004 at Disney-MGM Studios (now called Disney's Hollywood Studios). Each retailed for $10.50 and were limited to 1000, available at the second of five Weekends devoted to Star Wars. Interestingly, this weekend began on May 21st, the anniversary The Empire Strikes Back's first release in 1980.

For the Dagobah pin, Yoda is a separate pin-on-pin and there is subtle mist cleverly colored into the background. For the Bespin pin the entire Vader is a pin-on-pin.

In addition to being sold individually they were also included in a Framed Set of 11 pins that included the 9 regular pins, the main logo pin for SWW 2004, and a bonus logo pin exclusive to the set. Star Wars Weekends have been around most years since 1997 and specific Weekends pins have been sold for them in 2000, 2001, and each year from 2003 to present. In celebration of the 30th Anniversary of Star Wars, all of 2010's upcoming SWW pins will have an ESB theme.

ESB@30: 30 Collectibles, day 3

2010-04-24T05:00:00.065-04:00

Of the many new characters introduced in The Empire Strikes Back, Yoda has arguably had the most impact. There are many collectibles of our little green friend. Most fall in to two categories- the pensive elf from Dagobah or the warrior seen in the Prequels.

The two that I've chosen show the gentler side of Yoda. First is a Tomy diorama from Japan. These were blind-boxed and sold in 2002 along with a packet of about ten sugary pellet candies. This is a common way of selling toys in the candy aisle, which I suppose isn't the worst idea for the candy aisle. It's very expressive considering the figure is about an inch tall. He sits on a detailed log with a fully painted swamp base. For this photo I've put a Knobby White Spider from the Wizards of the Coast Star Wars Miniatures line (2007) in the background.

The second was an unadvertised promo from Taco Bell that came out during the massive releases of the Star Wars Trilogy Special Editions in early 1997. There were seven regular toys offered and this Yoda if you asked for the ages three and under toy.

ESB@30: 30 Collectibles, day 2

2010-04-23T03:27:00.002-04:00

The Twin Pod Cloud Car, protector of the Cloud City skies over Bespin, has always been one of my favorites.

When the larger of these vehicles was released in 1980 by Kenner I liked that it held two figures and could be "flown" by my 8 year-old hands all over the yard. Its action features are limited to the cockpit canopies and the duel landing gear. I never even had the vintage pilot that was released a couple of years later, but Luke in his Bespin fatigues seemed to go on a lot of missions with Lando back in those days.

The renaissance of Star Wars toys brought about the smaller Cloud Car pictured. Galoob, who, like Kenner, was later bought by Hasbro, came out with their take in 1996. It has decidedly more detail and adds a sliding engine cover that reveals inner mechanical detail.

ESB@30: 30 Collectibles, day 1

2010-04-22T20:24:00.000-04:00

The Empire Strikes Back was first released in the the US on 21 May 1980. To commemorate the 30th Anniversary of what many consider to be the best movie in the Star Wars saga I'm going to spotlight 30 ESB-related items from my collection.

The first up is a chase item from 2009's Takara Tomy miniature polystone statue collection.

At just 10 cm high it comes in two pieces and perfectly conveys the test pilot for Darth Vader's Carbon-Freezing program. It was released only in Japan but can still be found regularly from importers and on eBay. Other statues in the collection are Vader, Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewbacca. Han in Carbonite is the only one that is specifically an Empire Strikes Back design. Each are randomly packed in sealed plastic "eggs."

Empire@30: Happy Birthday, Clive Revill!

2010-04-18T14:10:00.000-04:00

Clive Revill, the original voice of The Emperor in The Empire Strikes Back, turns 80 today.

Check out his performance, here.

Happy Birthday, VaderSculptor, Brian Muir

2010-04-15T01:32:00.002-04:00

Brian Muir, guest of honor at Saturday's SWGFA April Social, has a birthday today! Come by Heroes Landing in Clermont and wish him a belated birthday this weekend. Check out his new book, In The Shadow of Vader, that will be on sale there as well!

A week from today... The SWGFA April Event!

2010-04-10T00:27:00.000-04:00

We are just one week away from what promises to be our largest gathering to date.

Location, Date & Time:

The SWGFA will be meeting at Heroes Landing on Saturday, April 17th from 5:00pm to 9:00pm. Big thanks to the owners, Todd Merrick and Stu Cohen for opening up their store to us! The physical address for the shop is 12348 Roper Blvd. Clermont, FL 34711. If you have questions about directions, please call the store at 352-242-XMEN (9636).

Sculptor Brian Muir Signing:

We are very pleased to announce that the original Darth Vader helmet & suit, CZ-3, Death Star Droid helmet and Stormtrooper armor sculptor, Brian Muir, will be attending this event for his first US signing ever. Brian will be on hand to sign copies of his new book "In the Shadow of Vader" which will be available for purchase at his table. He will also be signing autographs on officially licensed photos, posters, figures, helmets, etc. for $20.00 each. Brian has worked on such films as A New Hope, Indiana Jones, James Bond, The Dark Crystal, Sleepy Hollow, Planet of the Apes, Alien, The Princess Bride, Tomb Raider, Happy Potter and many more!

Star Wars Artist Tim Proctor:

Official Topps Star Wars artist Tim Proctor will also be joining us to show off his latest work and talk with fans and collectors. Some of his most recent work can be seen in the hugely popular Topps trading card set, Star Wars Galaxy Series 5.

Raffle:

We will be holding a raffle with some very cool prizes including orignal artwork, posters, autographed items, books and much more. Ticket prices are as follows - 1 for $1.00 or 6 for $5.00. 100% of all proceeds from the ticket sales will go to the SPCA Of Central Florida.

501st Legion:

We are happy to announce that members from the 501st Legion Florida Garrison will be in attendance! Be sure to bring your camera!

Food & Drinks:

G's N.Y. Pizza, which is located one door down from the comic shop, will be offering attendees a 10% discount for our event. Drinks will also be available for purchase at the comic shop. These include Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Dr Pepper, Aquafina Water, Orange and Grape Crush, and similar drinks. They also sell lots of novelty energy drinks like Ghostbusters, Futurama Slurm and more.

Costume Contest:

Everyone is encouraged to come in costume! We will be holding our very first costume contest. If you have something you've been working on and you need help, bring it. You never know who might be around that could give you some pointers or even assist you with the construction of your costume. With Celebration V just around the corner, this is a great opportunity to practice wearing it in public.

Store Discount:

All SWGFA, Rebelscum.com, TheForce.net and 501st Legion members will receive 10% off all in store purchases. Just be sure to mention that you saw this story!

What To Bring:

• Bring yourself, bring the family, bring a friend!

• A costume to enter the costume contest!

• Something for Brian Muir to sign!

Alec Guiness born this date in 1914

2010-04-02T00:45:00.000-04:00

Alec Guiness, the original (and to some, the only) Obi-Wan Kenobi was born on this date 96 years ago.

The Episode of the Month: A New Hope

2010-04-01T23:38:00.000-04:00

A tradition that I started a few years back that some of us have adopted is to watch one of the Star Wars theatrical features per month twice a year. We do it in order so that Episode I is featured in the first month, January, and again in July. Episode II follows in February, and August, and so on. By the end of the year, we've made it through the Saga twice.

It's a fun way to have a number of us be able to focus on one movie in the same month, which means that to a certain degree we can watch them with fresh eyes and a desire to share new and old opinions. Any thoughts you'd like to share would be welcomed in The Movies forum.

If you'd like to join us, the April Episode of the Month is IV: A NEW HOPE. While I've been keeping up with the first three movies this year, I must admit I am particularly interested in watching the original Star Wars and getting back to my fandom roots. Next month, appropriately the month that will include the 30th Anniversary of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, Episode V will be featured.

Sit back, watch the opening crawl, and look forward to seeing an old favorite again- you know you'll see something new this time. I always do.

Every Saga Has a Beginning

2010-04-01T02:38:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the first post of the first blog for the Star Wars Grand Florida Alliance, a rag tag group of Star Wars fans from all over the state. If there's a bright center to the Star Wars universe this year, you're in the state where it's at. The Binary Sunshine State.

In addition to the current Out of this World exhibit featuring Star Wars and Indiana Jones costumes and props, Orlando's MegaCon 2010 featured a handful of presentations by Lucasfilm Director of Content Management Steve Sansweet. Direct from Europe when Star Wars in Concert returns to the US this May, it makes three stops in Florida. Disney Hollywood Studios continues its long-running annual tradition of Star Wars Weekends through May and June. Then, the biggest Star Wars party of the year comes to Orlando in the form of Star Wars Celebration V.

The fans couldn't ask for anything more. And this blog is going to cover all these events and represent the Star Wars Grand Florida Alliance.

The Grand Florida Alliance began in the fall of 2008 when Chris Wyman, who would soon be a staffer on Rebelscum.com and your humble narrator, Campbell Evans, leader of Central Florida's The Orlando System started talking about organizing fans in the state into a cohesive group. A few months later we adopted our moniker and had our first official meeting joining the Tampa Star Wars Club to the Orlando System and inviting everyone in between. The connection has led to some wonderful friendships, a lot of fun, and more and more regional fans being able to share their appreciation of the Galaxy Far, Far Away.

Since then, we've gained another club, The Treasure Coast Star Wars Club, led tirelessly by Rich Sledziewski. More clubs are in the making, and we appreciate and welcome everyone else that has a connection to Florida and a love of some part of Star Wars.

We would be honored if you would join us this year, and what a year it's turning out to be....