Star Wars

How ILM made you believe this painting was a real hangar in Star Wars

When I saw Return of the Jedi in the movie theater back in 1983 I and everyone else thought this matte painting of a Rebel hangar was a real thing—that, somehow, they managed to build a full size set with giant models. It was all a magic trick that used distraction to fool your brain.…

Clearest photo yet of the new Millennium Falcon—featuring Darth Iger

Fortune got to work with ILM on their December cover story, featuring Disney’s CEO Bob Iger. The cover itself has Iger against a computer generated version of the Millennium Falcon. The opening photo, however, it’s a shot of Iger composed over a photo of the set with the real Falcon. Pretty damn cool. Obviously, the…

Who Would Win in an All-Out Battle: Star Wars or Star Trek?

A classic debate! Good or Evil? Chocolate or Strawberry? Star Trek or Star Wars (excluding the Death Star)? But unlike those timeless questions this one really does seem to have a compelling answer. And its not what the majority seem to think. A few necessary caveats (take heed ye trolls): 1) Although it (should) hardly…

An Incredible High-res Gallery Of All the Original Star Wars Toys

As a global phenomenon, Star Wars is as much about the toys as it is about the movies themselves. It was the first film franchise to really capitalize on its merchandising potential, and over on The Man Who Shot Luke Skywalker you’ll find an amazing high-res collection of all the original product shots from Kenner’s…

This Lego Version Of The Force Awakens Trailer Is Amazingly Well Done

As we come to the end of 2014, year of the Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer, we head into 2015… year of the mashups of said Star Wars trailer. We’ve featured some good ones here on io9, but this Lego-ified take might be one of the best. Youtuber Zach Machias over at Mind Game…

Do We Finally Know What The Star Wars Spin-Off Movie Will Be About?

Plus, read a possible description of Max van Sydow’s Force Awakens character. Roberto Orci talks clears up some Star Trek rumors, Mark Ruffalo hints at a big mistake from Bruce Banner in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Robert Kirkman trolls us with a possible huge death in The Walking Dead. Spoilers now! Top image: Star…

This Swanky R2-D2 Figure Can Pop An Astromech Wheelie

It’s hard to do much with an R2-D2 figure at this point – I mean, after all, it’s not like you’ve got much to go on outside of making it really detailed and pretty. But Kaiyodo have managed to one-up every other toy R2 by making one that can POP DROID WHEELIES LIKE A BADASS.…

What Would A Ride In The Millennium Falcon Actually Do To Your Body?

The Millennium Falcon pulls some pretty crazy stunts in the trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. And while we recognize Star Wars takes place in a fictional universe, we couldn’t help but get pedantic about the physics of the scene, and the effects it might have on the human body. In the final shot…

Get Every Single Dark Horse Star Wars Comic For Just $300

There’s just a few days left before all of Dark Horse’s Star Wars comics vanish from digital sales forever. But luckily, Dark Horse is making it easy to stock up before it’s too late. For the rest of 2014, all Dark Horse Star Wars comics are 50 percent off, and you can buy every single…

Samurai Star Wars is 12 parsecs worth of neat

Now that Disney bought Star Wars, I hope they get a little bit riskier and produce new stuff loosely based on the classic trilogy. A Japanese version would look amazing, as these cool action figures demonstrate. It’s only a natural step—as George Lucas’ original saga was directly influenced by Kurosawa’s work. SPLOID is delicious brain…

Adidas’ New Star Wars Sneaks Will Make You Wish You Were a Kid Again

There always seems to be a steady stream of Star Wars merchandise hitting stores, but with a new film on the horizon in 2015, the Disney marketing machine is quickly ramping up to overdrive. Even Adidas wants in on the action with its upcoming Star Wars Originals collection that includes these wonderful Vader kicks. If…

What Does The End Of Last Night’s Doctor Who Mean For Season Nine?

There’s some new confirmation that even DC’s wildest film will still share the same universe as Batman v. Superman. Plus wild speculation about who will be the next big villain on The Walking Dead. And also, sneak peeks at the next seasons of Orphan Black and Penny Dreadful. Spoilers now! Top image: Doctor Who Shazam…

This Darth Vader Toy Comes With The Coolest Lightsaber Attachment

There’s a lot to like about Square-Enix’s Variant Play Arts Kai line – usually its willingness to offer batshit stylised versions of popular characters. But what I think I love about this Darth Vader the most is the awesome swishy lightsaber he has. I dare you to look at that and not make lightsaber noises!…

Building the Force: When L.A.-based Westside UrbanForum handed out its annual architecture awards, it bestowed cheeky “Darth Vader Awards” on a pair of memorable structures: Peter Zumthor’s “foreboding, jet black LACMA expansion,” and Renzo Piano’s Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Museum, which has a “helmet-looking theater.”

Yet Another Way Game Of Thrones Could Leave The Books Behind Next Year

An actor drops a major hint at another way Game of Thrones could depart from the books next year. Some long-discussed concept art of Han Solo and Chewbacca may have surfaced. Sleepy Hollow prepares you for its return with a pack of featurettes. And we may know which episode of Once Upon a Time is…

Who’s The Cutest Character In The Annals Of Science Fiction Or Fantasy?

Science fiction and fantasy have always been bursting with cuteness, from cute robots to cute creatures to cute sidekicks. But who’s the cutest character who’s ever appeared in books, movies, television shows, games or comics? Please include a picture, clip, book cover, screenshot, piece of artwork, poster or other representation of your cute character. And…

Review: Lego Friends, City, Star Wars advent calendars–day 23

Day 23 of the 2014 Lego advent calendars gives another Christmas tree, a trike and a place by the fire for your light sabers. See images and a review of the 23rd day of mini builds after the jump! Friends Advent Calendar (41040) We got Christmas trees in the other two calendars yesterday, today we…

This Giant Quarter-Scale Boba Fett Is As Detailed As Figures Get

The best thing about Hot Toys’ new 17-inch tall quarter-scale Boba Fett figure is that you won’t actually be able to get your hands on one until November of 2015. Which gives you more than enough time to save up the $470 you’ll need to pay off your pre-order, and built a suitable shrine to…

Chewbacca Is Beautiful As The Wookiee With The Pearl Earring (And More)

Chewbacca is given a high art makeover in several paintings by artist Christine Parisi. And he is goddamn beautiful in every single one. Behold the hairy majesty. All works of are here from artist Christine Parisi, who has posted her work on her Facebook account. (There’s a lot more make sure you check it out.)…

Now You Can Split A Laser Beam Into The Force Awakens‘ New Lightsaber

We have potentially reached peaked Crossguard Lightsaber madness (oh who am I kidding, we’ve got another year of this) – we’ve seen it in fan art, we’ve had it 3D printed, and now, here’s The Force Awakens’ shiny new lightsaber made out of laser beams. Because why not? Wicked Lasers are well known for their…