The latest Homing Beacon has arrived, and today we get to talk about Star Wars Weekends. The second installment of Star Wars Weekends at Disney-MGM Studios bubbled over with excitement as fans met with Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) and the man of many Star Wars alien faces, Jerome Blake.

During the "Stars of the Saga - Star Wars Celebrity Talk Show," Blake entertained audiences with stories of his experiences portraying some of the more unusual characters in the prequels, while Mayhew reminisced about his role as one of the most beloved characters in the original trilogy.

Blake, most noted for his role as the slimy Neimoidian schemer Rune Haako, has also stepped into the shoes of Mas Amedda -- the booming voice of order in the Galactic Senate -- as well as the shaggy-haired serpentine Jedi Master Oppo Rancisis, Watto's tall-crested betting partner Graxol Kelvyyn, and alien senators Orn Free Taa and Horox Ryyder.

"I seem to always be playing the dodgy characters," Blake laughs.

When Blake first auditioned for The Phantom Menace, he and fellow actor Silas Carson were put to work shooting animatics of the submarine scene playing the parts of Qui-Gon (Blake) and Jar Jar (Carson). Even though Liam Neeson and Ahmed Best played the intrepid heroes in the final film, Blake joined Carson in the Star Wars universe depicting half a dozen notable characters.

To the audience's delight, Blake mentioned that his latest movie project will have him working closely with none other than Star Wars alumnus Warwick Davis (Wicket).

"I'm working on a little movie called Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," Blake says over the applause. "Have you heard of it?"

Hitchhiker's is being shot in the same place Star Wars made famous, Elstree Studios. "When I work there I get the sense that history is creeping out of its very walls," Blake remarks.

After Blake was asked by a fan to do his impression of Darth Vader by breathing into an empty glass, it was Mayhew's turn to take center stage.

When asked by a fan which scene was the hardest to play, the towering 7' 3" actor explained that acting around bluescreen wasn't the only obstacle on the set. Director George Lucas asked Mayhew to pretend to play against R2-D2 in a friendly game of holographic chess in the Millennium Falcon in A New Hope.

"He said to just pretend as though I was playing chess," Mayhew says. "But of course I'd never played chess in my life, not to mention against droids. So I faked it."

Mayhew also went on to describe what it felt like to meet one of his heroes while he was being fitted for his Wookiee costume last year on the Sydney Episode III set.

"I met Christopher Lee and was completely awestruck," Mayhew recalls. "When I shook his hand he said, ‘I think you have more screen-time than I do.'"

To the audience's surprise, right when Mayhew reminded fans that Episode III is scheduled to be released on his birthday of May 19, 2005, his alter ego Chewbacca, accompanied by a few Ewoks, walked on stage with a chocolate birthday cake to celebrate Mayhew's recent 60th birthday.

"Chocolate is a Wookiee favorite," Mayhew smiled.

Star Wars Weekends continues this weekend, May 28 - 30, with special guest stars Anthony Daniels (C-3PO) and Andy Secombe (Watto). In addition to the celebrity talk show, other fun activities keep fans busy during Star Wars Weekends.

These include the Jedi Training Academy, where youngsters train in the art of the lightsaber to face off against Darth Vader or Darth Maul; the Galactic Game Show, where Star Wars trivia mavens compete in a "Who Wants to Be A Millionare"-type setting; roaming costumed characters from the entire saga, including new bounty hunters, clone troopers, and even Mickey Mouse as a Jedi; and the ever-popular Star Tours attraction.

For a complete celebrity list, see this story here. For a look at some of the exclusive merchandise available at Star Wars Weekends, see this story here.

The Official Star Wars Site has announced that starting on Tuesday June 1, Hyperspace will go even deeper than before, with a new photo series that puts you right in the middle of the making of Episode III, and lets you look around.

Using QuickTime VR technology, this new weekly photo series examines the sets and production areas of Fox Studios Australia in an interactive and immersive way. Dubbed "KnollVision," this series was entirely photographed by Visual Effects Supervisor John Knoll. He used a standard digital camera fitted with a fisheye lens. After taking photos from various angles, Knoll would stitch the digital images together to create a QuickTime VR view.

While photography of this type does often have practical visual effects application -- such as determining appropriate reflections in shiny computer-generated surfaces -- many of the photos were taken to be unique keepsakes from the Episode III shoot. Sounds cool to me!

I am very proud to announce that Barry Paul Jones is our newest Featured Artist! I recently discovered an e-mail that was misplaced with his work, so I apologize for the extended delay in posting this gallery. Barry has been kind enough to allow Galactic Voyage to become the new home for his excellent work. Here you will find a collection of his art that was created using pastels and we are very honored to be able to provide it for you! Thanks Barry! Also, you can find other great works by several very talented artists at the Featured Artists section. Enjoy!

Jose Sanchez sent in a great new Fan Art collage for Episode I. I have added it to the Jose's collection under the Featured Artists section. Thanks to Jose for making this great contribution. It has been several years since Jose sent in a new picture, and I hope we will get to see more soon. To check out more of his work, go to the Featured Artists section! If you have some cool fan art, send it in!