Galactic News

Saturday November 16, 2002
Homing Beacon #73

The latest Homing Beacon has arrived, and today we get to the Episode II Attack of the Clones DVD! This week marks the arrival of the Episode II DVD. While the two-disc set has hours of expanded material exploring the creation of Attack of the Clones, a DVD-ROM weblink provides a gateway to even more content.

The DVD format has huge amounts of storage space, but producers must carefully balance the quantity of content placed on a disc, since it comes at the cost of image and sound quality. Basically, the more stuff jammed on a disc, the worse it all looks. As a result, some things couldn't fit on the DVD.

Some of this content is finding its way to dvd.starwars.com. Over the coming months, new material will be added to the site, but to start off, there's over 20 minutes of video there right now. Users will need a PC DVD-ROM, an Internet connection, and the Episode II DVD to take full advantage of these features.

DVD Trailer. Originally crafted to inform retailers of the Episode II DVD, this four-minute trailer provides an exciting summary of the disc's multitude of features.

Music featurette. Episode II marks the fifth Star Wars collaboration between George Lucas and composer John Williams. They liken the creation of the distinctive musical themes to the writing of a book, and Episode II adds some important chapters to the musical language of the saga. Find out more in this six-minute video.

ILM featurette. With over 2,000 visual effect shots, Episode II stands as one of Industrial Light & Magic's most phenomenal achievements. Learn more about the process and the innovators behind the magic in this 11-minute video.

Star Wars Bounty Hunter Cut Scene. Jango Fett has become one of the most popular characters from Episode II, and fans want more. See an exclusive sequence created by Industrial Light & Magic, featuring Jango, from the new Star Wars Bounty Hunter video game.

Depth Commentary. Thanks to software from InterActual, the power of DVD and the Internet are combined to deliver a text-based commentary as viewers watch Episode II on their computers. Color-coded "pop-up" blurbs deliver three types of information: learn behind-the-scenes factoids ("Hey, is that a fake beard?"), bits of lore trivia ("How did Typho lose that eye?"), or hard-to-spot visual treats ("Where exactly is 'THX-1138' in this movie?")

Not all the DVD-ROM extras require an Internet connection. Two of Lucas Online's most extraordinary website efforts have now been archived on the Episode II DVD.

First up is HoloNet News, a website of dozens of news stories as reported from within the Star Wars galaxy. First launched in the spring of 2002, this site kept track of the major happenings in the Republic in "real time" as the events of Episode II began to encroach. Archived on Disc One, this off-line version of the site allows readers to immerse themselves in the Star Wars galaxy as a citizen of a Republic threatened by Count Dooku's Separatist movement.

Another Episode II online experience that has been archived on the DVD is the Episode II College Campaign, which can be found by snooping around the walls of Dex's Diner on Disc Two. Although visible through just a standard DVD player, a DVD-ROM translates the full multimedia experience of these funky little websites -- including downloadable wallpapers and messenger icons. These sites launched last April to promote Attack of the Clones to select college audiences across North America.