'THE FORCE AWAKENS' AT 10: BETRAYING A BIRTHRIGHT!

A birthright to evil, as personified by Kylo Ren, General Hux and Captain Plasma, striking new villains for the sequel universe's first adventure.

Manipulated during a time of emotional weakness and instability during his early Jedi training by Supreme Leader Snoke, ruler of the eventual scourge that is the First Order, young and impressionable Ben Solo, saddled with prior feelings of abandonment by his parents Leia Organa and Han Solo, has now become the bitter and twisted, all-power in the Force craving figure of the masked murderer Kylo Ren, determined to wipe out the Jedi, and his former master Luke Skywalker, at all costs, as played with ferocity, anger and twisted villainy within The Force Awakens by the well-cast Adam Driver, an acclaimed actor who has now pretty much worked with all the great Hollywood and international directors out there, and accumulating a fine and diverse body of work beyond his great contribution to the sequel Star Wars franchise, playing a character indelibly linked to the slaying of his onscreen father, Han Solo.. 

Promotional merchandise art poster by Joe Corroney showcasing Kylo Ren and the First Order for Episode VII.

Ren is determined to follow in the dark and powerful footsteps of his late grandfather, Darth Vader, within the Force. Art by Brian Rood,

With the discovery of the Force-latent powers of the mysterious Rey, Ren is determined to use her in finding Luke Skywalker. But her power in the Force is growing...

Behind the scenes on the memorable moment.

EPISODE IX: RISE OF THE VILLAINS!

Assembled villainy has never been nastier in the sequel trilogy than with the combined forces of the First Order, under the brutal command of Supreme Leader Kylo Ren (with assistance from his onscreen underused Knights and the shady General Hux) and the original First Galactic Empire, under the command of Allegiant General Pryde in the name of the resurgent Emperor Palpatine. The galaxy will quake under their terrifying future plans...

EPISODE VIII: THE PRICE OF FAILURE!

No place, no matter how far away in time and space, is safe if you fail in your orders for Supreme Leader Snoke, as General Hux soon finds out to physical cost during an eerie and powerful character moment from The Last Jedi that effectively establishing the power and danger of the First Order's villainous leader.

The lack of information on Snoke's origins, and how he became linked to both the Solo family and the New Republic, was a big disappointment for many fans of the new movie. Here's hoping one day that someone like James Luceno will do an official book to fill-in the historical gaps.

Explaining Snoke in The Last Jedi:
https://www.cinemablend.com/news/1829709/rian-johnson-further-explains-his-decision-not-to-reveal-more-about-snoke

EPISODE VIII: TO LET THE PAST DIE...

He killed his father with requisite hatred, yet the Dark Side of the Force is still not strong enough within Kylo Ren to win the full favour of his master in Supreme Leader Snoke. Equally, Ren's fascination with the mysterious girl Rey clouds his mind yet also fuels his anger. All of these elements of emotion and anger satisfyingly combine in numerous memorable scenes during The Last Jedi, part of a layered film story that truly plays to Adam Driver's intense acting skills- still one of the very best characters/actors of this new and evolving saga.

EPISODE VIII: STORMTROOPERS - THE EVOLUTION CONTINUES...

The First Order Executioner stormtrooper with laser axe debuts in EPISODE VIII.

Visually and slickly upgraded in a way that their enthusiastic costume designer Michael Kaplan felt was appropriate for today's 'APPLE generation', the ground-pounder Stormtroopers of the chaos-causing First Order look set to bring further danger and menace to our Resistance heroes during the all-new struggles of The Last Jedi, out next month in cinemas.

The iconic Stormtoopers in all their superb variations across screen and media, both Imperial and First Order, as well as the Clone Troopers that Prequel-originated them, are the showcase of a lavish and informative new book, out now in the UK from HARPER DESIGN: Stormtroopers: Beyond the Armor. Written by Ryder Windham and Adam Bray (with a fun foreword from new era STAR WARS star John Boyega), it makes for a superb Christmas present and another worthy entry into the Lucasfilm Journey to Star Wars: The Last Jedi overall book release banner during the saga's Fortieth Anniversary.

Here's the book blurb:

Just in time for the next blockbuster, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, this unique and beautifully designed compendium with removable features traces one of the franchise’s most iconic characters—the stormtrooper—from initial development through all nine Star Wars movies to their many iterations in TV, comics, videogames, novels, and pop-culture.

Star Wars: A New Hope, the very first instalment in the beloved science-fiction series, introduced the Imperial stormtroopers—the army of the fearsome and tyrannical Galactic Empire. Charged with establishing Imperial authority and suppressing resistance, these terrifying, faceless, well-disciplined soldiers in white have become a universal symbol of oppression.

Star Wars Stormtroopers explores these striking warriors and their evolution in depth for the first time. Ryder Windham and Adam Bray trace the roots of their creation and design, and explore how these elite troops from a galaxy far, far away have been depicted in movies, cartoons, comics, novels, and merchandizing.

Get it here: https://forbiddenplanet.com/230633-star-wars-stormtroopers-beyond-the-armor-hardcover/?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Shopping&utm_term=4581596233579128&utm_content=Ad%20group%20%231

EPISODE VIII: BEWARE THE 'DJ'!

SPOILERS! Ever since first seeing him onscreen as the distinctive, bloodthirsty villain Dario in the gritty 1989 James Bond actioner Licence to Kill, I have continued watched Benecio Del Toro's career with, as Palpatine would say, "great interest". So it's been fun to see this often Indie film star delve into the realms of big-league science fiction and fantasy in recent years, what with his turn as the bizarre The Collector for the MARVEL franchise, and now as the quirky, mysterious and surely highly dangerous 'DJ', apparently a top information thief and broker working for whomever will pay him the most money, and the man needed by the Resistance for whatever secrets he currently possesses.

It will be great to see what delicious edgy spirit and bleak humour this fine and highly regarded actor will bring to the STAR WARS universe.

Friend...or foe?

Coming to the comic universe: https://screenrant.com/benicio-del-toros-star-wars-8-dj-comic/

Brief clip of 'DJ': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2jKQ-nwz5o

EPISODE VIII: COMPLETING HIS TRAINING...?

EPISODE VIII art of Kylo Ren by Brian Rood,

POSSIBLE SPOILERS!

He's arrogant, aggressive, and highly dangerous in a way that hasn't been seen since the worst examples of Anakin Skywalker during the Clone Wars, but Kylo Ren has proved far, far nastier and less forgiving in his youthful guise in many respects, especially in Patricide. Prior manipulated into the monster he has become, Ren's presence in the new sequel era has won much plaudits from fans and critics, deservedly so thanks to a strong and memorable performance from Adam Driver, giving us a character who looks set to build on his ability to wreak havoc and chaos once more as he continues his journey towards the Dark Side of the Force, and his deep and unsettling desire to be as powerful as his grandfather. (And watch out for rumoured trips to Vader's old haunts, like Mustafar, in this new adventure).

A revised costume and new cape for Kylo Ren in EPISODE VIII.

Previous abilities seen so eerie and effective in THE FORCE AWAKENS look set to reappear, too, as will a sequence involving him with his band of killers that are the Knights of Ren. The Resistance has never met such a greater challenge with his developing aura of evil, alongside the power of the First Order, threatening to swallow up the galaxy.

COMING SOON: 'PHASMA'

A striking visual creation and an inspired behind the scenes idea making the character a female enemy- a first for the filmic universe of STAR WARS, the mysterious, enigmatic, ruthless and truly murderous First Order villainess that is the unique Captain Phasma, the ultimate cold visage badass Stormtrooper leader, will soon have at least some of her mysterious origins revealed- and have her path to evil and cruelty cemented - via the upcoming new novel Phasma, by Delilah S. Dawson, part of the new Journey to The Last Jedi book cycle being unleashed in the final quarter of the UK publishing year from CENTURY. This title will surely be much awaited by fans who love this character and cite her as the modern Boba Fett, whilst also enjoying the tremendous story and event linkages she brings with her chromed frame from both the earlier EPISODE VII and with the 2017 Xmas present that will be VIII.

The equally unique and one-of-a-kind portrayer of the character, I bet striking actress Gwendoline Christie's face must have radiated a tremendous smile when she found out this particular book was on its way...

Out from September 7th, 2017 in hardback, advance order it here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Star-Wars-Phasma-Journey-Last/dp/1780898215/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1494417795&sr=8-5&keywords=star+wars+novel+a+new+hope

EPISODE VII: THE FIRST ORDER STRIKES BACK!

Prior warned by a frustrated General Leia Organa of the First Order's building military might for evil, the new Republic, itself built from the destruction of an evil Empire thirty years earlier, now faces horrific annihilation from the enemy's immensely powerful, sun-utilising systems slayer, Starkiller Base, in this dramatic scene from THE FORCE AWAKENS.