Kathleen Kennedy just dropped two very clean, very quotable Star Wars updates in a Variety interview — one about Grogu, and one about Lucasfilm’s leadership shift. And both are the kind of details that quietly tell you what era of Star Wars we’re walking into next. Grogu is going big-screen… and still won’t say a word Asked what it was like the first time she “heard Grogu speak,” Kennedy flipped the premise and used Grogu as the perfect example of a character that has to emote without dialogue. Her answer is blunt: audiences are going to fall even deeper in love with him on the big screen, and he never speaks a word. She also explicitly confirms Grogu won’t suddenly gain speech in The Mandalorian & Grogu — despite Yoda’s famous broken-English cadence. In other words: no “Grogu talks now” twist. No “cute sidekick monologue.” The character is staying in…
Star Wars: Battlefront (2004) – The Game That Turned Star Wars Battles Into a Playground
Star Wars: Battlefront (2004) is the moment Star Wars games stopped asking you to be one hero and started asking: what if you were just another soldier in the war? Instead of a tight campaign focused on a single protagonist, Battlefront dropped players into large-scale, objective-driven combat across iconic eras and locations—and let the chaos write the story. A way to put its significance: Battlefront (2004) didn’t just let players visit Star Wars battles—it let them spawn into them. That “boots-on-the-ground in a living battlefield” approach became the series’ identity, influenced later Star Wars shooters, and helped define what console Star Wars multiplayer could feel like in the mid-2000s. Game Information Title: Star Wars: BattlefrontRelease year: 2004Developer: Pandemic StudiosPublisher: LucasArtsPlatforms: PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC (Windows)Genre: Third-person / first-person shooter (large-scale battlefield combat)Era of Star Wars game development: LucasArts Golden Age (1993–2004) Gameplay Overview Battlefront (2004) is built around large maps,…
Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic Adds a Studio Art Director — Pascal Blanché Joins Casey Hudson’s Team
If you’re tracking Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic like it’s a mystery box (because it kind of is), here’s a real, tangible development: Pascal Blanché has joined Arcanaut Studios as Studio Art Director, working alongside Casey Hudson on the upcoming Star Wars RPG. Blanché shared the news himself, saying he’s “joined forces (pun intended)” with Hudson and Arcanaut’s team to work on what he calls the next “epic” chapter for the project. Why this hire matters (even if you don’t care about job titles) “Studio Art Director” isn’t just a fancy credit. It usually means the project is locking in a visual identity: the look of the era, the tone of environments, character silhouettes, color language, UI direction, and the “what does this Star Wars corner feel like?” bible that everything else builds on. In other words: this is a sign the creative machine is turning, not just…
Andor Sweeps the Star Wars Corner of the Saturn Awards (Plus a Big Lucas Moment)
Star Wars didn’t just show up at the 53rd Saturn Awards — it walked out with the kind of wins that make genre fans feel vindicated. The ceremony took place March 8, 2026, and the Star Wars side of the scoreboard was led by one very specific takeaway: Andor isn’t “good for Star Wars.” It’s just award-winning sci-fi. The big wins ANDOR won Best Science Fiction Television Series.That’s a meaningful label at the Saturn Awards, because this is a genre-first show — sci-fi competing against sci-fi, not getting lost in a general TV pile. Stellan Skarsgård won Best Supporting Actor in a TV Series for Luthen Rael (Andor).It’s hard to think of a more “Saturn Awards” performance than Luthen: the kind of character who turns a Star Wars series into a political thriller with monologues people still quote months later. Ravi Cabot-Conyers won Best Young Performer in a Television Series…
Every Cancelled Star Wars Game We Still Wish Had Happened
Some Star Wars games became legends because they were brilliant. Others became legends because we never got to play them at all. That is the strange magic of cancelled Star Wars games. They live in the imagination forever, untouched by bad review scores, busted launch builds, or the very real possibility that they might have turned out merely decent. Once a game gets cancelled, it stops being software and starts becoming folklore. Suddenly it is not just a project that died in pre-production or collapsed halfway through development. It is the one that would have been amazing. Sometimes that is probably true. Sometimes it is absolutely coping. Usually, it is a little of both. And few franchises have built up a graveyard of gaming “what ifs” quite like Star Wars. For every KOTOR, Jedi Outcast, or Fallen Order, there is a shadow list of games that never got their shot…
Star Wars Galaxies Restoration Just Hit a New Player Record
For a project built on nostalgia, community, and the stubborn refusal to let a classic die quietly, this is a pretty big milestone. Star Wars Galaxies Restoration has announced that 2,516 unique accounts logged in yesterday, smashing the project’s previous record. In a short but heartfelt message, the team thanked everyone who has helped spread the word, calling the surge a major moment for the server and the community around it. That kind of number matters. Private server and restoration projects live and die on momentum, and this is the sort of update that says Restoration is not just hanging on — it is still growing. For longtime Star Wars Galaxies players, that is the dream. Not just preserving an old MMO, but actually seeing it pull in enough people to feel busy, social, and alive again. And honestly, that has always been the magic trick with Star Wars Galaxies….
On This Day in Battlefront: Survivors of Endor Went Live 10 Years Ago (And It Still Slaps)
Ten years ago today, Star Wars Battlefront added one of its most atmospheric battlegrounds: Survivors of Endor went live for Walker Assault and Supremacy — and suddenly Endor stopped being “cute Ewok forest” and became “welcome to the war after the party’s over.” If you remember the first time you spawned in, it probably wasn’t the trees you noticed. It was the mood. Quotable: Survivors of Endor is Endor with the credits rolled — and the battlefield still smoking. What made Survivors of Endor feel different A lot of Battlefront maps are “iconic location, big fight.” Survivors of Endor was more specific: it felt like the messy aftermath of Return of the Jedi — wreckage, haze, and that “we won, but it wasn’t clean” vibe. Even if you weren’t paying attention to the lore angle, the map design pushed you into it: Quotable: Some maps are built for highlight reels….
Kathleen Kennedy Is Picking Up Another Major Industry Honor — and Whatever You Think of Modern Star Wars, That Part Is Not Debatable
Kathleen Kennedy is adding another major industry honor to a résumé that was already ridiculous. At the 73rd Annual Golden Reel Awards on March 8, 2026, Kennedy is set to receive the MPSE Filmmaker Award, one of the honorary awards handed out by the Motion Picture Sound Editors. The event listing from MPSE names Kennedy as the Filmmaker Honoree, with sound editor Mark Mangini receiving the Career Achievement honor. That is the dry version. The more interesting version is this: whatever arguments people want to keep having about modern Star Wars, Kennedy’s status inside the film industry is still massive. Variety reported the honor back in December, noting that the MPSE Filmmaker Award goes to someone outside the sound community whose work has had a meaningful impact on the art of sound in film. That makes the award less about fandom discourse and more about the size of Kennedy’s overall…
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy (2003) – The Sandbox Peak of Classic Lightsaber Combat
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy (2003) didn’t try to out-“cinema” Jedi Outcast. Instead, it doubled down on something Star Wars games rarely nail at the same time: player freedom and mechanical depth. You start as a new student at Luke Skywalker’s academy, build your character, and spend the campaign making choices that shape your powers and path. If Jedi Outcast is the tighter, story-driven action ride, Jedi Academy is the one that says: cool, now go master this combat system however you want. A quotable way to frame its place in Star Wars gaming history: Jedi Academy is where the Jedi Knight formula stops being a campaign you finish and becomes a combat sandbox you grow into. Game Information Title: Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi AcademyRelease year: 2003Developer: Raven SoftwarePublisher: LucasArtsPlatforms: PC (Windows), Xbox, Mac (later ports/re-releases on modern platforms)Genre: Action (FPS/third-person shooter hybrid with lightsaber combat and Force…
LEGO Star Wars Castaways Quietly Brought Back a Rebels Event
Not every Star Wars game gets remembered like KOTOR or Jedi Outcast. Some of them live in much stranger corners of the galaxy, and LEGO Star Wars: Castaways is a pretty good example. The Apple Arcade title has quietly brought back its Star Wars Rebels event, giving players a chance to earn themed cosmetics and character pieces inspired by the show through March 31. Posts tied to the game say players can unlock Ghost Crew-style rewards during the event. That is obviously not a massive Star Wars headline. But it is the kind of small update that reminds people how weird and wide the Star Wars games catalog really is. Castaways launched back in 2021 as a LEGO social-adventure game on Apple Arcade, and it has kept itself alive with themed events tied to different corners of the franchise. That is also why it fits neatly into the bigger picture…
Star Wars Battlefront II (2017) Mod: Female Clones — Yes, It’s Their Turn to Go to War
If you’ve ever looked at the endless ranks of clone troopers in Star Wars: Battlefront II (2017) and thought, “You know what this game needs? A gender swap that’s actually multiplayer-safe,” congratulations — Female Clones is here to deliver exactly that. This mod gender-swaps all clone troopers, swapping in female voices and altered models across the clone roster. And before anyone tries to start a 400-comment culture war in your brain: relax. It’s a mod. No one is rewriting history. It’s just the women’s turn to wear the bucket and run into blaster fire. What the mod does Translation: if you want the vibe without the usual “works in arcade, explodes in multiplayer” energy, this is aiming to be the cleaner option. Why this exists (according to the creator) The mod author says they made this because the other fem clone mod was giving them issues, so they built a…
Disneyland’s Star Wars Nite 2026 Is Basically a Buffet of Maul, Phasma, Oga’s, and Questionable Financial Decisions
Disneyland has once again looked at Star Wars fans and decided the correct response was: “yes, all of it.” Disneyland After Dark: Star Wars Nite 2026 is set for April 28, April 30, May 4, and May 6, with the actual event running from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. inside Disneyland Park and ticket holders allowed in as early as 6 p.m. without a separate park reservation. As of the official announcement, April 30 and May 4 are sold out, while April 28 and May 6 still have tickets available, starting at $174 per guest. So yes, this is very much one of those “special ticketed experiences” where Disney invites you to feel the Force and also feel your bank account leave your body. Darth Maul, Captain Phasma, and a Suspicious Amount of Fan-Service To be fair, Disney is not exactly being subtle about what it thinks will get people…
LEGO Star Wars SMART Play Is Here — And It Might Be the Smartest New Twist on Brick Battles Yet
LEGO Star Wars has found a new way to turn “just one more set” into a lifestyle. The newly launched LEGO Star Wars SMART Play line mixes classic brick building with interactive play features, using a SMART Brick and SMART Tags to trigger lights, sounds, characters, and story-driven responses across multiple sets. The first wave includes three all-in-one sets built around that system, with additional compatible sets expanding the experience. StarWars.com described the launch as the first wave of eight sets, including Luke’s Red Five X-Wing, Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter, Mos Eisley Cantina, and Throne Room Duel & A-Wing. And honestly, this is a pretty clever move. LEGO Is Not Just Selling Sets Here — It Is Selling a Play System That is the big difference. This is not just another batch of Star Wars builds with a fresh logo slapped on the box. LEGO’s own materials explain that SMART…
Mace Windu Is Getting a New Star Wars Graphic Novel — And It Goes Back to His Earliest Jedi Days
Mace Windu is heading back into the spotlight, and this time the story is going way back. Dark Horse’s next original graphic novel in the Hyperspace Stories line is Star Wars: Hyperspace Stories—Mace, a new paperback by Justina Ireland with art by Georges Duarte and PH Gomes. Publisher listings peg it at 88 pages, priced at $19.99, with a September 1, 2026 release date. That alone would be enough to get some attention. But the more interesting angle is where this story sits in the timeline. This One Takes Mace Back Before The Phantom Menace Early details on the book say the story takes place before The Phantom Menace and follows Mace Windu shortly after becoming a Jedi Knight. The setup sends him on what begins as a diplomatic mission, which, in classic Star Wars fashion, does not stay simple for very long. That is a smart lane for a…
Star Wars: Star Pilots Is Coming This October — And Wedge Antilles Is the Perfect Guide
There are flashier Star Wars names than Wedge Antilles. That is exactly why he works so well here. A new book titled Star Wars: Star Pilots is on the way this October from DK Books, written by Chris Kempshall, and it sounds like a very targeted love letter to one of the best parts of the galaxy: the pilots, the dogfights, and the legends built in a cockpit. Even better, Wedge Antilles is positioned as the guide through it all, which is about as close to a “this was made for longtime fans” signal as you can get without putting Rogue Squadron on the cover in giant letters. If you already know this is your kind of Star Wars book, you can pre-order Star Wars: Star Pilots on Amazon right here. Wedge Antilles Is Doing What Wedge Antilles Does Best If this book had gone with Luke Skywalker as its…
SWTOR 7.8.1 Is Almost Here — Here’s What to Expect From Master’s Enigma This Week
Star Wars: The Old Republic is about to get a pretty busy week. Broadsword has confirmed that servers will go down on March 10 to deploy Game Update 7.8.1 “Master’s Enigma,” and the official recap from the recent livestream already laid out what players can expect once the patch lands. That includes new story content, new Date Night missions for Kira Carsen and Torian Cadera, a returning seasonal event, Twitch Drops, and new Cartel Market decorations. So if you have been half-paying attention and just waiting for the actual patch to show up, this is the moment to get your bearings. Darth Jadus Is Back in the Conversation The biggest hook in 7.8.1 is the new Master’s Enigma storyline. According to the official livestream recap, Republic and Imperial leaders head to Odessen to deal with the fallout from the Mandalorian conflict, Darth Nul’s holocron, and Malgus’ escape. In the middle…
Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast (2002) – The Game That Made Lightsaber Combat Feel “Right” in 3D
Released in 2002, Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast is the moment the Jedi Knight series fully nailed the fantasy that so many Star Wars games chase: a blaster shooter that evolves into a lightsaber-and-Force power power trip—without losing mechanical depth. Built on id Tech 3 (the Quake III Arena engine), it arrived during a peak LucasArts stretch where Star Wars games were allowed to be bold, systems-heavy, and unapologetically “gamey.” A quotable way to frame its significance: Jedi Outcast didn’t just hand players a lightsaber—it gave Star Wars melee combat a ruleset people wanted to master, not merely watch. That mastery—timing, spacing, Force management, and readable animations—is why the game still gets referenced whenever Star Wars lightsaber combat comes up. Game Information Title: Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi OutcastRelease year: 2002Developer: Raven SoftwarePublisher: LucasArts (with publishing variations by platform/region)Platforms: Windows, Mac OS / Mac OS X, GameCube,…
Star Wars: KOTOR Remake Is Still Alive — Which Is Somehow Both News and a Running Joke
There are few Star Wars game stories more cursed than the Knights of the Old Republic remake. Announced back in 2021 with the kind of trailer that instantly sent half the fandom into nostalgia overdrive, the project then spent years drifting into that awkward “technically still exists, probably, maybe, please do not ask follow-up questions” zone. So naturally, the latest update is exactly the sort of update this game would get: Saber Interactive’s Tim Willits has now confirmed that the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake is still in development. And that is, apparently, all he can say. The quote is brutally short. According to multiple reports covering Willits’ remarks to IGN, the update was simply: “Yes, it is still in development. That’s all I can say.” So no trailer. No release window. No gameplay. No platform refresh. No “here is how it is shaping up.” Just a…
Jon Favreau Says Rotta the Hutt Is Basically the Adonis Creed of The Mandalorian and Grogu
There are a lot of ways to describe Jabba the Hutt’s kid. Slimy heir. Underworld legacy act. The galaxy’s weirdest case of nepotism. But Jon Favreau just reached for a much more unexpected comparison. In a new Empire spotlight on The Mandalorian and Grogu, Favreau compared Rotta the Hutt to Adonis “Donnie” Creed, the Creed franchise boxer who has to build his own identity while carrying the weight of a famous family name. Favreau’s quote gets right to the point: what does it do to a character when he is trying to establish himself while being known first and foremost as Jabba the Hutt’s son? That is actually a pretty smart angle. Rotta Is Not Just Back — He Is Apparently in “Top Form” Favreau’s comments suggest Rotta is not returning as some throwaway easter egg for people who remember The Clone Wars. According to the new details pulled from…
Star Wars Outlaws: Low Red Moon Gets a Behind-the-Scenes Spotlight From Mike Chen and the Game’s Own Voice Cast
Not every Star Wars tie-in gets to feel this connected to the thing it is spinning out from. Star Wars Outlaws: Low Red Moon was already an interesting release because it digs into the past of Jaylen Vrax and ND-5, two characters who left a real impression in Star Wars Outlaws. Now the book is getting a fresh round of attention thanks to a new feature spotlighting author Mike Chen along with Jay Rincon and Eric Johnson, the voices behind ND-5 and Jaylen in the game itself. That alone makes this more than just another “expanded universe” side story. It makes it feel like a proper extension of the Outlaws world. Why Low Red Moon Feels Different There is no shortage of Star Wars books, comics, and side stories floating around the galaxy, but Low Red Moon has something a little more specific going for it. Instead of circling the…
Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike (2003) – When Rogue Squadron Went Full Action Movie
By 2003, the Rogue Squadron series had already carved out a very specific reputation: this was the console home of Star Wars starfighter combat. The first game delivered arcade clarity and replayable mission design. The second made the GameCube look like it was running a Star Wars film reel. Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike is the moment Factor 5 tried to turn that formula into something broader—more vehicles, more mission variety, more modes, and a bigger “do everything” Star Wars action package. The result is fascinating, because Rebel Strike is both the most ambitious Rogue Squadron entry and the most divisive. It’s the game that finally says: you don’t just fly the mission… you live it. Sometimes that works brilliantly. Sometimes you can feel the series stretching beyond what it does best. A simple, quotable way to sum it up: Game Information Title: Star Wars Rogue Squadron III:…
George Lucas Is Being Honored With a Major Saturn Awards Lifetime Tribute
George Lucas is adding another big honor to his trophy shelf: he’s set to receive the Dr. Donald A. Reed Founder’s Award at the 53rd Annual Saturn Awards. The Saturn Awards (run by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films) are basically the annual “genre celebration” for sci-fi, fantasy, and horror — which makes Lucas an extremely on-brand recipient. What is the Dr. Donald A. Reed Founder’s Award? It’s one of the Saturn Awards’ special honors, named after the Academy’s founder, and typically reserved for people who’ve had an outsized impact on genre entertainment. This year, that honor goes to Lucas. When are the 53rd Saturn Awards? The 53rd Saturn Awards ceremony is scheduled for March 8, 2026, at Hilton Universal City in Los Angeles, with Joel McHale hosting, and it will livestream on the Saturn Awards’ site. Lucas isn’t the only special honoree Fantha Tracks notes Lucas…
Werner Herzog Says Jon Favreau Personally Invited Him to Play The Client in The Mandalorian
Werner Herzog showing up in The Mandalorian as “The Client” is still one of those wonderfully weird Star Wars casting choices that somehow works perfectly. Now, Herzog has explained how it happened—and it turns out he didn’t audition, compete, or chase the role at all. He was simply invited. “I Never Competed for That Part” In a recent chat (via CinemaBlend), Herzog said Jon Favreau personally asked him to join the series—because Favreau is a genuine fan of Herzog’s films and wanted more people to recognize him on sight: “Well, I never competed for that part. I was invited by Jon Favreau… because he loves my films, and he said people have to see what this man looks like.” That’s such a Favreau move: “I love your work, please come be an Imperial bureaucrat with terrifying vibes.” Herzog Was Also Blown Away by the Tech Herzog also praised how The…
Star Wars: Starfighter Actor Daniel Ings Teases a “Punk” Vibe — and a “Tremendous” Ending
If you’re worried Star Wars: Starfighter is going to be another overly polished, committee-built space opera, actor Daniel Ings just dropped a description that suggests the opposite. In an interview highlighted by ScreenRant, Ings says the upcoming 2027 Star Wars movie has a “punk feel” and that the ending is “tremendous.” That’s… a pretty spicy choice of words for a franchise that usually lives somewhere between mythic fairytale and military sci-fi. What does “punk Star Wars” even mean? “Ings calling it punk” can be read a few ways (and yes, fans are already doing the “define punk” discourse speedrun): And honestly? That vibe would make sense for Starfighter if the movie is truly trying to stand on its own without leaning on legacy characters as a crutch. The “tremendous” ending tease lands in… interesting timing The reason Ings’ comment is turning heads isn’t just the hype — it’s the context….