Galactic Voyage has selected the next "Site of the Month" winner! The winner for February, 2004 is Tales from the Outer Rim! Congratulations! I want to say thank you to all who applied. Don't worry if you were not chosen this month. Once you have applied, you will always be in the running!

The Tales from the Outer Rim sim or simulation is a cool role playing game that is played via Internet E-mail. It is a cooperative story-telling effort where each participant (player) creates and controls one or more characters in the story. The player's character then interacts in the game world environment. In the case of Tales from the Outer Rim, the setting is a long time ago, in a galaxy far far away. The current time is just after Return of the Jedi and the fall of the Empire. The central location of the sim revolves around Tae'Karada and acts as an ode to all the dynamic, vivid locations already existing in the Star Wars universe. If you like simulation games, then you will enjoy Tales from the Outer Rim!

If you would like to submit your site to be in the running for March, then apply here to be "Site of the Month!"

LucasArts has announced that you can enter the covert world of the Star Wars infantry for the first time and become a member of an elite Republic Special Operations unit in LucasArts new squad based first-person shooter, Star Wars Republic Commando. Set during the Clone Wars, between Attack of the Clones and the upcoming Star Wars: Episode III, Star Wars Republic Commando will be released fall 2004 for the PC and Xbox video game system from Microsoft.

Mission briefings set the tone in this dark first-person shooter, as players lead their squads on a variety of assignments such as hostage rescue, infiltration/data retrieval, elimination, assault, sabotage and reconnaissance operations. Your three-man team is controlled through an intuitive and accessible "smart squad" command system, based on squad markers and stances. The game features more than fifteen levels, with exercises covering both familiar and new Star Wars settings and characters, including the introduction of the mysterious General Grievous and his deadly bodyguards from the upcoming Star Wars: Episode III.

In Star Wars Republic Commando, players will have a variety of weapons at their disposal including the primary weapon of the Republic Commando, the DC-17m repeating blaster rifle with attachments allowing for sniper rifle and anti-armor weaponry. For use in challenging combat situations against sinister enemies, players have the ability to pick up and use enemy weapons including the Trandoshan slaver shotgun and Geonosian elite beam weapon as well as several types of thermal detonators.

You must infiltrate deep behind enemy lines and lead your elite team on precision operations – lurking in the shadows, striking at will...

• Explore the military side of the Star Wars universe like never before
• Explore eight diverse environments including the hostile surface and subterranean setting of the planet Geonosis, the massive machine-like interiors of a Separatist Core Ship, a disabled and overrun Republic Assault Ship and the lower jungles and tree cities of the Wookiee home planet of Kashyyyk, while you take on special operations that feature hostage rescue, infiltration/data retrieval, assassination, assault, sabotage and reconnaissance objectives
• Access to more than twelve authentic weapons including the primary Republic Commando firearm, the DC-17m and secondary weapon the DC-15s Blaster Pistol, as well as enemy weapons such as the Trandoshan Slaver Shotgun and Geonosian Elite Beam Weapon
• Innovative squad combat utilizing intuitive and accessible “smart squad” command system featuring squad markers and stances
• Challenging combat with enemies that include Trade Federation Super Battle Droids and Droidekas, Geonosian Warriors and Elites, and Trandoshan Slavers and Mercenaries.
• Multi-player capabilities including deathmatch, team deathmatch and capture the flag.
• Play with up to 16 players online via X-box Live or out of the box Internet play on PC

Sounds like fun to me!! I just hope that it is not a pay-to-play game like Galaxies.

Hasbro has announced the Star Wars Original Trilogy Collection. As most of you know by now, earlier this week Lucasfilm Ltd. announced that they will be releasing the original three Star Wars movies (Episodes IV-VI: A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi) on DVD in September. In celebration of this significant event, Hasbro has created the Original Trilogy Collection product line (OTC for short). This collection will be unveiled for the first time at the American International TOY FAIR in New York.

The Official Star Wars Site has announced that fans who prefer their Jango offspring with a silvery finish will get a chance to add to their collections with the Silver Boba Fett and Silver Clone Trooper action figures.

The Official Star Wars Fan Club is making available a limited quantity of the 2003 Convention Silver Boba Fett action figures at a discount price. Only the packaging on these discounted Fetts is deemed non-mint -- while it may not be up to the pristine standards of archival collectors, the figure is being made available to fans who want to add silver Boba to their collections. This may be your last chance to own this exclusive! Visit Paizo Publishing's official site for more information or to place an order.

The Silver Clone Trooper figure will be free with purchase at Toys 'R Us, when you buy any Hasbro Star Wars toys equal to a $19.99 value or more. This offer will also be available online at toysrus.com. The limited edition clone trooper will be available starting April 4, 2004, and quantities are limited while supplies last.

This report comes from the Offical Star Wars Site!
Answered by: Nick Gillard

I heard that Natalie Portman is terrified of heights. Did she do the whole pole/nexu/chain thing in Episode II herself?

Yes Natalie did stand on the pole. She also jumped from it. I had to show her how to do it and I think I was more frightened than she was.

The most requested films for the DVD format will finally become a reality this September as Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century Fox present the eagerly-awaited Star Wars Trilogy for the ultimate home entertainment format. The four-disc collection will be released on September 21 in the U.S. and Canada, with international release dates following closely.

"We know how long fans have waited for this release and how much they have been looking forward to it, so everyone has been working overtime to make sure that the Star Wars Trilogy on DVD is an awesome experience," said Jim Ward, Vice President of Marketing and Distribution for Lucasfilm Ltd. and the DVD collection's Executive Producer.

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi will be available in a four-disc set that includes a bonus disc filled with all-new special features -- including the most comprehensive feature-length documentary ever produced about the Star Wars saga and never-before-seen footage from the making of all three films. Each of the three films in the Star Wars Trilogy has been digitally restored and re-mastered by THX for superior sound and picture quality.

"First and foremost, the DVDs will deliver the very best possible sound and picture and take advantage of everything the medium can offer. On top of that, we are creating added-value material that gets inside the creation of the Star Wars films in a fresh and fun way," Ward said. "We want watching this DVD collection to be as memorable as seeing the movies for the first time."

The films of the Star Wars Trilogy will be available exclusively as a collection and will feature Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround EX. All three films are closed-captioned and subtitled in English, French and Spanish in the U.S. Internationally, sound and subtitling specifications will vary by territory.

Stay tuned for more specific details about the content of this must-own DVD set.

The latest Homing Beacon has arrived, and today we get to talk about postproduction. Industrial Light & Magic is still gearing up to take on the bulk of visual effects requirements for Episode III, but here’s a numerical snapshot of where they stand as of February 4, 2004.

Total number of shots: 2,000
Client Finals (final shots as approved by George Lucas): 37
Final Omits: 1
Shots Turned over to ILM: 809

Finals needed per week: 32
Weeks to go: 61
Shots left to go: 1,963

Length of the opening shot, from after the crawl to the first cut (in frames): 3,768

For continued coverage of the postproduction process, be sure to check out the Post Notes article that appears regularly at starwars.com Hyperspace.

This report comes from the Official Star Wars Site!
Answered by: Steve Sansweet