Quote from: Jeff on February  7, 2013, 10:20 AM

Good luck and safe travels to all the guys heading to NYC for the show this weekend.  Hopefully the weather doesn't cause a cancellation of the fan media event.   

Hopefully it isn't cancelled, but there aren't any excuses if JDs rep can't make it 

The Hasbro investor presentation is scheduled for 8 AM tomorrow morning.  That's scheduled to be streaming on the web.  I don't know if it's a different presentation from the one for the collector media, however.

Given the timing of that particular presentation, things should be okay regarding the weather.

Blak and Blu by Gary Clark Jr.

In related news...

What's the first stand alone STAR WARS film to be made?

It looks like it could be a Yoda story.  Given the fact that Yoda was 900 years old, there seems to be plenty of ground that could be covered in exploring the diminutive Jedi Master.

VolkerC is one of the more well regarded collectors on the European scene.  And he's been a fairly reliable source of info.  The report supposedly came out of the German Toy Fair.

I can't say that I would be surprised by Hasbro announcing the cancellation of the Clone Wars animated figure line.  It's been diminishing in popularity over the past 2 years.  And when Hasbro started offering real-world renditions of Anakin, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka you had to expect that this would eventually happen.  Plus, it seems that the series might be wrapping up in the next year.  I just re-watched the season 5 trailer, and saw some key indicators that we're headed much closer to Revenge Of The Sith territory.  The ROTS era Jedi Interceptors are featured in that clip, most noticeably.  If the series is coming closer to an end, you've got to expect the same with the toy line.

I agree Sidious plans to confront Anakin with Maul, but The Chosen One is stronger.

Agreed.  But I think Sidious plans on using Maul in a more insidious fashion.  How?

I suspect that Sidious wants to turn Maul loose with the aim of killing Ahsoka.  Anakin has clearly become very fond of his young padawan.  And we came to see that over the course of Anakin's story arc he has been troubled by loss.  When his mother died in the Tusken Raider camp he lost control and slaughtered the Tuskens.  And when he thought that Padme had betrayed him he turned on her as well as his own Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi.  I have strong suspicions that Sidious will use Maul to kill Ahsoka, driving Anakin further towards the Dark Side.

Thinking back over the past few SDCC exclusives, I think it could be something cool / big.  Curto's hint was that it was Vader related and a set.  I'm thinking Vader w/ removable helmet and a meditation chamber base.

Wow.  I'm impressed on a number of fronts with this episode.

First?  The callbacks to previous episodes.  It seems that a lot of the plot points from previous episodes involving the Mandalorians, either on Mandalore or the Death Watch, have been culminated in these past couple of episodes.  The romance storyline with Obi-Wan and Satine doesn't seem quite as pointless as it did when it was first explored.  And revealing that Satine and Bo-Katan were sisters?  It draws an interesting parallel with the conflicting Mandalorian pacifist movement and the warrior culture behind Death Watch.

The aerial battle between the Mandalorian factions was actually really cool to watch.  The abilities of the armor have really been showcased in a great light, and it's made the buildup in the overall Mandalorian storyline worth waiting through.  But I don't know if the rest of the audience has that kind of appreciation for the slow buildup.

As for Maul and Savage?  Well, Maul's plans certainly seem to be unravelling.  He over-estimated his ability to manipulate and control the Death Watch, and didn't see the possibility that there might be a rebellion against him and his puppet government.  His execution of Satine was absolutely cruel, but not well calculated enough to achieve his desired goal of breaking Obi-Wan.

And then to watch Maul's realization that Sidious has come?  I was amazed to see the shift in Maul's character from confident, scheming conqueror to an almost sniveling sycophant when Sidious arrived.  And Savage Opress was really a non-factor, showing that he was not even worthy as an apprentice.  This duel absolutely upped the ante from Maul's duel with Pre Vizsla.  Especially since Sidious broke out TWO lightsabers.  I was a little surprised to see Maul do the same, using both his Sith lightsaber as well as the Dark saber.  But it was very clear as to who was the true Master, and who was the apprentice.  Then, when Sidious unleashed the Force Lightning on Maul, it was clear as to how he had dominated and controlled Maul from the time he had been selected as an apprentice.

Am I surprised that Sidious didn't kill Darth Maul?  Actually, no.  Because Darth Sidious is always plotting.  And I suspect that he means to use Maul as the story of the Clone Wars edges towards the events of Revenge Of The Sith.  My own theory is that Sidious plans to use Maul as he continues to push Anakin Skywalker further towards the Dark Side.  And the recurring theme of LOSS in Anakin's story arc seems the most likely avenue by which Sidious will use Maul to push Skywalker that much closer to becoming his apprentice.