EPISODE I AT FIFTEEN: OBSERVERS IN WARFARE!

Their duel interrupted by an energy barrier, Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn and the hateful Darth Maul prepare for new conflicts within the Theed power rooms.

ILM CLASSIC IMAGE: "'THAT'S NO MOON..."

Our heroes in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon are soon powerless to escape the massive Death Star space station's tractor beam, in this great Joe Johnston 1976 storyboard for the original STAR WARS.

Watch out for the upcoming new STAR WARS STORYBOARDS: THE ORIGINAL TRILOGY book, published this Summer from ABRAMS: Star Wars Storyboards: The Original Trilogy: Amazon.co.uk: J.W. Rinzler: Books

EPISODE VII: FILMING IS UNDERWAY...

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

A vast sea of stars serves as the backdrop for the main title. War drums echo through the heavens as a rollup slowly crawls into infinity...

As AFICIONADO previously predicted, advance second unit filming of some kind on EPISODE VII has begun, with confirmed casting almost there.

Disney Chief Reveals 'Star Wars: VII' Casting Almost Complete, Says Film Is Already Shooting (Video) - The Hollywood Reporter

May the Force be with Kathleen Kennedy and her band of film-makers on the epic odyssey that lies ahead...

Other news:

Star Wars: Episode VII Set to Roll Cameras May 2014 | StarWars.com

EXCL: Production Designer Rick Carter on Star Wars: Episode VII's Blend of Old and New - ComingSoon.net

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BILLY DEE WILLIAMS!

"Hello, what have we here...?"

Yep, its another yearly celebration for our favourite actor playing everyone's favourite Cloud City Administrator turned traitor, thankfully turning Rebel Alliance hero: Lando Calrissian.

Here's hoping he does indeed return for further Empire-bashing duties in EPISODE VII.

Happy Birthday, Billy Dee Williams!

CLASSIC ART: MAN AGAINST MACHINE!

Some nicely put together art showing Luke Skywalker facing the technological power of Darth Vader and his Imperial forces, with the Millennium Falcon thrown in for good measure, for a RETURN OF THE JEDI merchandise cover released after the film's original 1983 theatrical run.

OUT THIS MONTH: THE RETURN OF ALAN DEAN FOSTER's 'ALIEN'

The terror grows, and space gets colder. ALIEN returns.

There aren't many Seventies Classic Trilogy fans who've never read Alan Dean Foster's ghostwritten adaptation of the original STAR WARS. Fondly remembered and soon the gold standard for future novels in the universe of Luke Skywalker, its a terrific adaptation in its own right from a master translator- Alan Dean Foster, providing a unique time capsule even more interesting due to its containing material cut from the film prior to release, whilst also providing intriguing backstory and dialogue, conceived with George Lucas, for our classic heroes and villains. Going from one sci-fi franchise to another with ease, Foster's next work in adapting the 1979 Ridley Scott celluloid nightmare icon that is ALIEN is just as compelling and equally well-regarded, unsettlingly sending us into the heart of the slaughterhouse, making the most of the terrific original script and story by the sadly passed Dan O' Bannon and weaving a genuinely suspenseful and eerie translation that's almost an equal to the film- its seven core characters, possessing varied viewpoints and often fractious relationships, well rendered alongside the page-turning passages linked to the creature and its quick and violent actions towards its human reproductive prey.

If you've never read it before, this first-rate novel, which further includes unused ideas and concepts (the discovery by our heroes of an alien "urn", before the production team's eventual decision to create the now infamous Space Jockey, alongside a different explanation of the distinctive crash-landed 'derelict' craft) and several unique deleted scenes (which, though filmed, had only been partially completed), has now been re-released this 14th April 2014 by the UK's TITAN books as part of the sci-fi/horror franchise's 35th Anniversary, along with upcoming reprints of the two other Foster ALIEN film adaptations (all equally worth a look for their storytelling variety), plus all-new original fiction in and around the phenomenon, linking it all together.

Get the starship Nostromo's memorable descent into terror, here: Alien: The Official Movie Novelization Alien Movie: Amazon.co.uk: Alan Dean Foster: Books

CLASSIC IMAGE: REVELATIONS IN DARKNESS

Secretly returned to Coruscant, the fugitive Obi-Wan Kenobi contacts Padme Amidala at her luxurious apartment to find out the current location of the Sith turned Anakin Skywalker, as the truth about their enemy, and Padme's secret pregnancy, are finally revealed to the Jedi Master. An important scene from EPISODE III.

With thanks to Chris Baker for the image.

CLASSIC IMAGE: FISHY FINE DETAILS...

Inside the bulky Mon Calamari costume, actor/puppeteer Tim Rose delivers important dialogue as Rebel leader Admiral Ackbar, during Elstree filming of February 1982, for RETURN OF THE JEDI.

He went to make an appearance in THE CLONE WARS, and here's hoping old Acky returns for more hand gesticulating, plan-making Republic-dom for EPISODE VII.

CLASSIC IMAGE: A JEDI IN THE WORKS!

In the droid foundry of Geonosis, flanked and attacked by Battle Droids and flying pest Geonosians whilst caught within lethal operating machinery at every turn, Anakin Skywalker fearlessly presses on in his attempts to find Padme, during this action-packed scene from EPISODE II.

CLASSIC IMAGE: SPLASH-DOWN!

Any landing you can walk away from is a good one, as Luke Skywalker and his socketed pal Artoo Detoo discover when they unexpectedly crash into then swampy waters of Dagobah, in this wonderfully framed image from THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.