In Geeky Trends, Star Wars More Popular Trek; Iron Man Leads Them All

Even with a movie coming out, Star Wars is more popular than Star Trek according to Google Trends. On the eve of Iron Man 3's domestic release, the latest Marvel Studios blockbuster has outpaced them both, if only temporarily. 

R2 Building at the Puyallup Library, May 4th 2013

Join me at the library to celebrate Star Wars Day!

I used to say that nothing is better than a good public library - until I found a good public library giving away free comic books and celebrating Star Wars Day! That's exactly what you will find at the Puyallup, Washington Public Library on Saturday, May 4th. The library will be giving out free comic books form 10-3 (while supplies last) and I will be sharing a special presentation about R2 Building at 11am. Meet R2-M5, take photos, and get your free comics while they last.

Find out more at http://www.cityofpuyallup.org/library/events/library-events/comic-book-day-star-wars/

May the 4th Be With You!

Business 101: Why We'll Get a Yearly Star Wars Movie

At Cinemacon yesterday, Disney Studios exec Alan Horn confirmed that they would release a new Star Wars film every year. They'll start with J.J. Abrams-directed Star Wars: Episode VII and release the next chapter in the trilogy in 2017. In between the trilogy stories, additional stand-alone films will be released; the first being written by Star Wars-alum Lawrence Kasdan. Some have seemed surprised by this pacing - but from a business standpoint, a Star Wars film every year is really the only choice. Allow me my soapbox while we discuss the basics of corporate strategy. 

As a publicly traded company, Disney commits to its shareholders growth each year. The price of its stock and its ability to invest in the future depends on delivery that growth quarter after quarter. The safest and most common strategy to deliver growth is to redeliver your base building blocks and then find news ways to either make it bigger or add another building block.

Alan Horn and his team are responsible to deliver their building blocks, just as Disney's other units (like theme parks and consumer goods)  are on the hook to deliver theirs. Knowing that "you win some and you lose some," all big companies spread out their bets, knowing that strong results on one building block can make up for weaker results on others. 

We can only assume that Star Wars in 2015 will be a huge success. If it is, Disney Studios will have added a huge building block to Disney's total sales. It's that building block that they must now re-deliver in 2016. The best way to duplicate that building block is not to try to find some other film or franchise--after all, the only thing that could reliably be as big as Star Wars is more Star Wars. 

A steady drumbeat of films is also crucial for merchandise sales. The number one driver of consumer goods sales (like those action figures we all love) is distribution. Having a film in the theater helps guarantee Star Wars merchandise will be in more stores, with more items, on more pegs. After a monster merchandise year in 2015, sales can only remain strong if distribution holds true in 2016. 

Simply put, Disney can't consistently grow unless it does the same thing it did the year before. Not having a Star Wars film each year would leave a massive gap to fill. To keep Wall St. happy and growth steady, a yearly Star Wars movie is the only way forward. Stock holders are happy, fans are happy, and I'll happily take a yearly dose of Star Wars!

One Month Left for Indiana Jones and the Adventure of Archaeology in Santa Ana

You have just one month left to see Indiana Jones: The Exhibition at the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana, California.  The exhibit, previously seen in Valencia, Spain and Montreal, Canada, will be open for visits until April 21, 2013.

Tickets are already for sale via the Discover Science Center website.  Don't miss this if you in or around Southern California!

Why I Don't Build R2-D2

Stick with me here - the following train of logic best sums up the underlying reasons why I like to build some of the most obscure astromech droids from Star Wars.

Batman is cool.

Robin, by himself, not so cool.

Batman and Robin is many times cooler than just Batman alone. 

Two Batmans isn't cool. You can't have two Batmans.

There it is: a random analogy from a different universe that explains exactly why I've built two red droids and will probably build more non-blue astromechs in the future.

You see, everyone wants to build R2-D2. He's iconic, he's the fan favorite, he's (mostly) recognizable by the general public. And for those reasons, that's what most builders want. And for those reasons, that's exactly why I don't want blue. Every town in America already has a local guy doing blue. Bringing one more blue droid just ruins it.

Photo via Darkace

Bringing more non-blue droids makes any event more real. You can't have two Darth Vaders show up, or two Boba Fetts, or two Princess Leia's.  But one of each puts you right in a galaxy far, far away.

Emerald City Comicon For the Star Wars Fan

Billy Dee Williams will be appearing at
Emerald City Comicon, Seattle

One of the fastest growing major conventions in the United States is Seattle's Emerald City Comicon. On March 1-3 2013, thousands of geeks will converge on downtown Seattle for this show, headlined by Patrick Stewart and Adam West among others.  The show has put together a strong lineup for the Star Wars fan too.

Billy Dee Williams
The much quotable, irreplaceable actor behind Lando Calrissian, Billy Dee Williams will be one of the headliners at Emerald City Comicon. His convention appearances aren't exactly common, so Star Wars fans should be anticipating his visit to Seattle.

Carrie Fisher
A recent addition to Emerald City and the actress behind Princess Leia, Fisher is a huge headliner for this or any convention. As a new Star Wars movie is on the horizon, you never know what she might say.

The 501st and Rebel Legion
Rumor has it that the 501st and Rebel Legion will return once again to ECCC, this time with a larger presence than ever.  Look for more characters featuring more prominently this year.

The R2 Builders Club
There are a growing number of R2 units in the Pacific Northwest, so keep an eye out for the droids as you roam the halls at Emerald City Comic Con.

Phil LaMarr
Probably best known for providing the voice for Futurama's Hermes Conrad, Phil LaMarr has appeared in numerous Star Wars: The Clone Wars episodes as Jedi Master Kit Fisto. He has the honor of voicing the most shirtless character in the series.

Jim Cummings
Fans of Star Wars: The Clone Wars will recognize Cummings for his work as Hondo Ohnaka and Disney fans will be interested to know that he has been the voice of Winnie the Pooh for over 25 years, and is the official voice for Tigger as well. Other recognizable voices include Darkwing Duck and Shredder (original TMNT).

Jennifer Hale
Star Wars fans will recognize Jennifer Hale's work on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and as Aayla Secura on Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Kevin Michael Richardson
Best known for voicing Cleveland Brown, Jr. on The Cleveland Show, Kevin has voiced multiple characters for Star Wars: The Clone Wars including Jabba the Hutt.

Katie Cook
Creator/writer/artist of the web comic Gronk!, Cook is a contributor for starwars.com and Star Wars Clone Wars online, plus the writer of the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic comic book.

Felicia Day
Day is a new, and perhaps largely unknown, addition to the Star Wars universe. Day will play a character in the upcoming Star Wars comedy Star Wars: Detours. She's not unknown to the geek world, however, and is best known as the creator/writer/star of The Guild. She played Vi on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dr. Holly Marten on Eureka, and Penny on Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.

Artists Shannon Denton, Alvin Lee, and more!

Comic book artist Shannon Denton has numerous comic credits to her name, but Star Wars fans will be interested to know that she has worked as an inker for Star Wars: Luke Skywalker: The Last Hope for the Galaxy (2008). She will be joined by fellow Star Wars comic artists Alvin Lee, Ryan Benjamin, and Andy Owens.

Want to attend Emerald City Comic Con? Tickets are available now at http://www.emeraldcitycomicon.com/tickets/.  Single day tickets start at just $25.

My 6 Year Droid Building Anniversary

January 6, 2007 I ordered my first R2 part after months of research - now six years later it's time to look back at the year behind me. 

Most of the first half of 2012 was spent working with Daren Murrer and Chris Reiff working to create new R2's for our "R2.0" project. It required that I completely tear down and walk away from 90% of my first droid, and left me droidless for most of the year. The new version was completed in early August (just hours before our cross country move to Seattle); my droid is now more reliable, more capable, more accurate, and better suited to do the tasks we ask of these units. I think we raised our own bar for what building an R2 should be. 

Chris Reiff, Daren Murrer, and Cole Horton with their new Droids

The droids turned into more than just rebuilding our own robots - we ended up creating an entirely new set of plans for any builder to use. Based on more than a year of research into screenshots, production blueprints, and actual props, these new R2.0 Blueprints more closely reflect the R2-D2s seen on screen. We shared these results with the builders at Celebration VI, where I learned a lot about the history of the club plans. After the show, I was happier than ever to have moved to the new designs... and already have ideas for future improvement. 

For as huge as 2012 was for droid building, it was even bigger for my study of History. In June, my wife and I took a two week trip to Europe: Paris, Normandy, Munich, Venice, Lake Como. For two weeks, I walked in the footsteps of history, including walking through Normandy on the 68th anniversary of the D-Day invasions. 

In Normandy, France exploring the German defensive batteries

Best of all, 2012 was the year that I finally brought my two passions together - History and Star Wars. After about two years of research, myself, Chris Reiff, and Chris Trevas presented "From World War to Star Wars" in the Star Wars University Lecture hall in Orlando, Florida at Star Wars Celebration VI. There are hundres of connections between World War II and Star Wars, and it was the highlight of the show to share just a few of these with a room full of fantastic fans. 

It's going to be hard to top 2012, but I have a few things in the works that might come close. With the announcement of new Star Wars films on the horizon, I think the best is yet to come.