Star Wars

All the Stuff From The Force Awakens Trailers That Wasn’t in the Movie

Last night, we felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if a million people went to see a movie and were suddenly rocked. But did you notice a few missing pieces? After months of dissecting the trailers for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, a few bits were not in the actual movie. This is…

The 20 Best Comics and Graphic Novels of 2015

It’s been a remarkable year for comics. Huge publishers like DC and Marvel have rejuvenated their line-ups with tons of amazing books; beyond the big two, there’s been some of the most compelling, challenging material in the industry we’ve seen in years. It was hard to narrow it down, but here’s 20 of 2015’s best.…

An Exclusive Look at the Never-Before-Seen Concept Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens!

There has been an awakening. Have you felt it? The day is finally here: The Force Awakens is upon us, and so is a bevy of new books about the film—including The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, revealing a never-before-seen look at the concept art that helped build the movie. Take an exclusive…

Your Spoiler-Filled The Force Awakens Discussion Zone

Not everyone has been able to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens yet! If you have, however, chances are you desperately want to talk about it with others. So I’m declaring this comment section a Spoiler FILLED Zone—where we can all talk about TFA to our hearts’ content. Again, if you don’t want to be…

This Lightsaber Made with a Thin Burning Flame Is So Bad Ass

Because real life is never as cool as the movies, we get hoverboards that don’t actually hover. But because real life can also be pretty damn fun, we get this totally bad ass “lightsaber” that uses a thin burning flame as its blade. It’s a firesaber, sure, but it looks like so much fun to…

The 13 Craziest Goddamn Rumors About Star Wars: The Force Awakens

As one of the most anticipated movies of all time, it’s not surprising that The Force Awakens has inspired hundreds of rumors from fans, desperate to know what’s going to happen a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. As it turns out, there are at least a dozen or so of these…

Could This Be The Most Important Easter Egg in The Force Awakens? (Probably Not.)

For months, we have pored over every screenshot, every glimpse of footage, and every toy package relating to Star Wars: The Force Awakens. But did we miss the Kurt Vonnegut shout-out? Or are we just seeing things? Earlier today, we were discussing great books that defy genre categories, including Kurt Vonnegut’s Breakfast of Champions. So…

Selected Star Wars Toys of Mine, Ranked

I saw Star Wars in the movie theater in 1977, the summer before I turned six. Then I saw it again, and again, and again. Pace Joseph Campbell, the mythology of my childhood was structured around the movie, rather than vice versa. So my parents’ attic ended up with a lot of Star Wars toys…

A Brief Visual History of People Waiting in Line for Star Wars

Have you been waiting in line for days to see the new Star Wars movie, The Force Awakens? Of course you haven’t. You bought your tickets online like a normal person. But there once was a time when buying tickets online wasn’t even possible. Below we have pictures of those poor chumps from the Olden…

io9 Round-Table: What Does Star Wars Mean to You?

You have heard a little something about a new Star Wars movie being released today. While The Force Awakens conquers theaters, we thought we’d examine how this scifi franchise has conquered the world—by discussing what Star Wars means to each of us. Please, add your thoughts and experiences in the comments! Rob Bricken: Let’s begin…

Watch an Old Stormtrooper Transform into a New Stormtrooper

Here’s an old Imperial Stormtrooper from the original Star Wars trilogy turning itself into a new First Order Stormtrooper from Star Wars: The Force Awakens in one sweet GIF. Made by GadgetLove, they say that the “size difference of the two designs makes it look as if they are breathing in and out while evolving.”…

The Only Thing Cooler Than an R2-D2 Fridge Is an R2-D2 Fridge With a Built-In Projector

Ever since Star Wars first hit theaters back in 1977, fans have been asking themselves: “when are we going to get a remote control R2-D2 mini fridge with a built-in hi-def video projector?” The answer to that question, it turns out, is at the Consumer Electronics Show next month in Vegas. Just in time for…

You Won’t Have To Wait Too Long To Learn All About Supergirl‘s New Comic Book Hero

No, Doctor Strange will probably not feature a Spider-Man cameo. The Flash casts another comic book villain. Lev Grossman teases the differences between The Magicians books and the show. Plus, good news for The Librarians, the stunts of The Force Awakens, and Black Mirror starts casting. So many Spoilers! Captain America: Civil War Marvel have…

Watch a Young Mark Hamill Explain Star Wars: “The Stuff that Fairytales Are Made of”

Back when Star Wars was brand new and nobody knew what it was, Mark Hamill had to go on the BBC’s iconic children’s show Blue Peter and explain it to the kids. And his explanation is just perfect. As transcribed by the Radio Times, Hamill explains: “It’s the stuff that fairytales are made of. We…

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Is the Most Fun I’ve Had at the Movies in Ages

They finally made a movie sequel to the original Star Wars trilogy. And the good news is? The Force Awakens easily captures the charm and excitement of the first three movies. Here’s our spoiler-free review. And by “spoiler free,” we mean: zero spoilers. Other than like character names, and the fact that there are spaceships…

The Star Wars Experts At Wookieepedia Answer YOUR Geekiest Star Wars Questions

A few weeks back, we asked the io9 readership to come up with their geekiest Star Wars questions. No topic was too taboo, no idea too nerdy, and you did an amazing job. We then picked our favorites and now, we have the answers. Note: There are no spoilers for The Force Awakens here. Below,…

Sneak Better Refreshments Into a Star Wars Screening With a Secret Lightsaber Flask

If you prefer drinking from an elegant flask from a more civilized age, here’s a brilliant (and even more covert) alternative to the Han Solo blaster flask from a few months ago. Insignificant Fish Industries is once again teasing this Return of the Jedi lightsaber flask on its website with absolutely no details on how…

The Pitch Letter That Created the Star Wars Expanded Universe

For nearly 25 years, the Star Wars Expanded Universe seemed like an unstoppable juggernaut of books, comics, and video games. But in 1988, nobody was even thinking of doing new Star Wars books. Until one publisher decided to write a pitch letter, out of the blue. Over at Barnes & Noble’s B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy…

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is one of the best films of the year. So says the American Film Institute who put the anticipated sequel on their top ten films of 2015 list along with Mad Max: Fury Road, The Martian and others. Here’s the list. The Big Short Bridge of Spies Carol Inside Out…

Why Ahsoka Tano Is the Best Thing to Happen to Star Wars in 20 Years

Tomorrow, Lucasfilm will release final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars on Netflix*, but the season won’t include an arc centered on one of the show’s main characters, Anakin Skywalker’s Padawan Ahsoka Tano. That’s a shame, not just because Ahsoka’s growth has been one of the most compelling aspects of the series, but also…