Awesome Star Wars

Between Rise of the Skywalker, The Mandalorian, and all of the buzz surrounding the launch of Disney+, it’s a good time to be a part of the Star Wars franchise. That is, unless you’re an Ewok. Glove and Boots reporter Fafa the Groundhog sat down with an Ewok who has some very strong opinions on the subject.

Makers of 2/3rd-scale arcade machines Arcade 1Up have released a cabinet that plays three classic Atari Star Wars video games based on the original trilogy. It features a 17″ color display, a 15″ arcade height riser, and is one of the only ways to play these games with the proper arcade controller. Also available from Gamestop.

R2-D2 was always the most versatile droid in the Star Wars universe. Beyond his computer hacking, hologram projecting, X-wing piloting, and drink serving skills, he can also pop popcorn. This air-popper droid features a removable dome head that doubles as a serving bowl.

Specialty colored pencil maker PopColors makes fun sets of pencils with pop culture themes. They recently released a set for Star Wars fans, including colors like Darth Shader, Chewbacco, Maroonium Falcon, and Princess Leialac. Be sure to check out their website for more hilariously bad color names.

Whether you’re rooting for the Light Side or the Dark Side of the Force, you still need money to get through life. Nixon’s sleek and lightweight fabric billfold is the perfect gift for the Star Wars fan who has everything. Choose from designs patterned after R2-D2, C-3PO, Darth Vader, or Stormtrooper.

The first episode of animator Ian Wilkins‘ Star Wars fan series is here, and it’s every bit as good as we hoped. Many years after the fall of Vader and the Emperor at Endor, members of the Rebel Alliance must once again defend against the Empire as they strengthen against the New Republic. Soundtrack by Daniel Ciurlizza.

The thrilling final trailer for Star Wars: Episode IX combines moments of action, conflict, and sentimentality, as Rey and Kylo face off – and possibly join forces?… and we say goodbye to more of our old friends from the original Star Wars universe. OMG, Does C-3PO die?

In the early moments of The Empire Strikes Back, Luke Skywalker finds himself in a precarious situation, dangling upside-down in the cave of a deadly wampa. In the original, Luke manages to escape with help of The Force, but in VanBullock’s version, things don’t turn out so well.

Synthwave duo Litiowave envisions what John Williams’ Imperial March (aka Darth Vader’s Theme) might have sounded like if it came out in the early 1980s rather than in 1977, giving the track a new neon-lit electronic sound.

Show the world which team you really are rooting for with one of these Star Wars-inspired caps from Gallery94. Choose from an olive camper cap, embroidered with an Imperial officer’s lapel decorations, or a black Darth Vader snapback cap. The Empire Snaps Back. There, we said it.

Spoonman makes some amazing custom toys, often from kitbashing together pieces from various off-the-shelf toys. One of our favorites has to be this mashup of Transformers’ Optimus Prime and an AT-AT from The Empire Strikes Back. If ever we wanted to throw money at our computer screen, it would be now.

This is the droid cookware you’re looking for. The R2-D2 Mini Cocotte casserole is just one of eight licensed Star Wars kitchen pieces cooked up by Le Creuset to precede the December debut of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Priced $20-$450, the collection drops 11/1/2019 in a retail shop, not so far, far away.

LEGO presents its biggest Star Wars set yet – an incredible 4,784 piece model of the Imperial Star Destroyer. The ship measures 43″ long and 26″ wide, and includes tons of details, like swiveling guns, a tilting radar dish, and massive engines, as well as a scale model of the Rebels’ Tantive IV. Drops 10/1/19, or 9/18/19 for LEGO VIP members.

LEGO worked with synthesizer wiz Sam Battle of Look Mum No Computer to put together an electronic orchestra comprised of 42 real musical instruments and over 95 of LEGO’s Star Wars BOOST droids, all controlled by a bunch of mechanically-activated tablets. Of course, they played John Williams’ classic theme.

During the 2019 D23 Expo, Disney teased just a little more of Star Wars: Episode IX, which was always planned by George Lucas to be the end of the Skywalker saga. The first minute or so looks fondly backwards, as the remaining footage teases Rey’s rise, and new conflicts between dark and light.

Walt Disney World’s most immersive experience yet will be a new hotel being built next to Galaxy’s Edge. The Galactic Starcruiser will make multi-day guests feel like they’re inside a spaceship – the Halcyon – via galactic views, hotel staff portrayed by characters like Chewbacca, and a port day on the planet Batuu.