GOODBYE, MARCIA LUCAS...

STAR WARS AFICIONADO was deeply saddened by the news that Marcia Lucas, one of America's finest Academy Award-winning film editors, and a vital contributor (in so many ways) to the success of the original Star Wars Trilogy, has passed away at the age of 80. She was the heart of the original Lucasfilm family and truly the 'First Lady' of the saga, whose real contributions to the films that made us all what we are have only properly come to light and been celebrated in the past ten years with her warm return to the Hollywood film community. Marcia's talent and personality will be greatly missed...

STAR WARS AFICIONADO WEBSITE: BEHIND THE SCENES: THE MARCIA LUCAS FACTOR!

Marcia's film-editing skills and storytelling instincts made her a vital asset to her husband (who called her the film's 'secret weapon') when creating/making the Star Wars saga... 

Deservedly winning an Oscar for her work on Star Wars in 1978, alongside her co-editors Richard Chew and Paul Hirsch, presented by Farrah-Fawcett Majors.

With the 50th Anniversary of the original Star Wars soon upon us, her passing is even more sad and poignant. Let us hope that her vital contributions to the film that launched a phenomenon will be officially explored and celebrated further for the future...

A sadly all-too-meagre official entry on her passing: Marcia Lucas: 1945-2026 | StarWars.com

Marcia Lucas Dead: 'Star Wars' Editor Was 80

Marcia Lucas dead: 'Star Wars' editor and former wife of George Lucas was 80

The memorable career of Marcia Lucas.

EPISODE VIII: THE LUKE SKYWALKER LEGACY!

Another great piece of art to enjoy from the ever-popular Joe Corroney, and this time an epic showcase of the eternal icon Luke Skywalker, as played by Mark Hamill, as seen across the entire movie cycle of the Original and Sequel Trilogies up to The Last Jedi.

CLASSIC ART: IN PURSUIT OF THE FALCON!

That cranky but reliable Millennium Falcon never seems to get a break from being pursued by swarms of deadly TIE fighters, as seen in this lovely merchandising art of a few years back promoting the iconic vehicles seen in the Original Trilogy, and especially those seen in The Empire Strikes Back.

If anyone knows the artist/s of this gorgeous art series, please get in touch.

THE 'STAR WARS' SAGA - BACK ON FRENCH 4K ULTRA HD...

French Star Wars (aka La Guerre des Etoiles) saga fans are in for a high-definition treat with a special exclusive territory release of the (Special Editions) Original, Prequel and Sequel trilogies in all-new release packaging (with accompanying, likely meagre amounts of bonus extras that we've already had before). The brand new cover characters art for each set looks pretty nice considering we now live in a land of cut and paste actor/publicist-approved photo imagery. 

No news on any new kind of combined release for Rogue One or Solo in France, but if anyone has more info on any of these upcoming titles, please get in touch... 

NEW YEAR, OLD FAVOURITES!

More enjoyed and discussed than ever, the original six-film George Lucas-created character era of the Star Wars galaxy (1977 - 2005) thrives in this great poster art from a few years back by popular US genre veteran, Matt Busch.

AFICIONADO REVIEW: 'THE HEART OF THE JEDI'

Art by Paul Shipper.

Luke Skywalker's past, present and future collide as he must face his ultimate destiny as both a Jedi and a vital member of the fledgling New Republic. But such a tumultuous and important series of events for the former Tatooine farm boy couldn't have come at a worse juncture, just as the Imperial Senate sues for peace with their former enemies and an evil Empire captain threatens to destroy the hard work that such a potential union could bring to the galaxy, of which the death of 'the last Jedi' is amongst his top priorities. 

Set after the events of Return of the Jedi and before the original Thrawn Trilogy of Timothy Zahn, I finally got around to online reading Kenneth C. Flint's 'lost' Star Wars novel, originally to have been published back in the then re-invigorated franchise's publishing reign of 1993 - The Heart of the Jedi, and found it a great read, coming to my attention at a highly refreshing time (in 2021) when today's fiction publishing schedule linked to the saga has become less enjoyable, less innocent and less adventuresome. Yes, Heart is very much an adventure of its time (before the prequels) and (near) place in the Del Rey publishing canon - it's a shame that bad luck saw this book, part of a planned trilogy, resigned to limbo - but the overall story flows well at a brisk, page-turning pace, our iconic heroes are well represented, and there's lots of solid action set pieces and continuity celebrations (plus some fun in-jokes to the Indiana Jones saga too!). 

All in all, it's worth your reading time. Discover it here:

http://www.starwarstimeline.net/The%20Heart%20of%20the%20Jedi.htm