Craig Burt has provided another outstanding new painting to the Featured Artist section! This time we have an Episode III Anakin Skywalker, so if you missed the latest real picture before I had to take it down, this will do nicely. Thanks Craig! Also, be sure to see his outstanding gallery of work with Craig Burt's Paintings and also Craig Burt's Cartoons! You can find other great work at the Featured Artists section. Enjoy!

Our new featured fan is Melanie Killingsworth. Congratulations! Here is a small sample of one of the questions asked.

To find out more about our newest Galactic Fanatic, go to the Featured Fanatics page!

Do you love Star Wars? Why? Do you collect? Tell us your story! We are looking for fans like you to feature! We would like to let other fans know some of the reasons behind your love of Star Wars, how you got started, and your most treasured items. Fill out the Registration Form to become Galactic Voyage's Featured Fanatic!

This report comes from the Official Star Wars Site!
Answered by: Rob Coleman

The latest Homing Beacon has arrived, and today we get to talk about the next steps for ILM in the production of Episode III. With the first phase of principal photography now complete on Episode III, the movie moves further into the digital world of postproduction. The artists at Industrial Light & Magic are sparing no time in tackling the thousands of effects shots required to complete this final chapter of the Star Wars saga. While a trio of ILM crew observed the shooting in Sydney, Australia, a growing team back in Northern California has already been busy working on creating digital assets required for their work.

Visual Effects Supervisors John Knoll and Pablo Helman, and Matchmove Supervisor Jason Snell depart Australia this week for ILM's facilities. Both Knoll and Helman are scheduled to work the day after they arrive. "We'll be supervising model development and Viewpaint right away," says Knoll. "That's already been going on, so there's some catching up for us to do. George [Lucas] said he'd get us the first Yoda sequences to begin working on in a month or so."

Animation Supervisor Rob Coleman, who spent time on the set earlier in production, is beginning to assemble a team of animators to create the wide range of major digital characters in Episode III. "Rob will start animating in October," says Helman. "He's got a list of who his team is going to be, but he's not going to be putting that together until next month."

Jason Snell will be delivering his accurate digital wireframe models of the sets that he's made during production based on photographs and measurements taken in person. The matchmovers at ILM will begin to create virtual additions and enhancements to the tangible sets.

"The first thing I'll do is take all the models that I've built and clean them up and color-code them, and submit them to the Sets/Creatures assets area," he says. "When the plates start coming in, the matchmovers will check out the set environments that I created to be able to work with them. That first week, I'll organize all my sets and put them into a database. The following week, I'll be working with model makers, specifically the hard surface modelmakers who are building the set extensions to make sure they are the proper scale and will work with the models that I work with, and I'll do that until we start getting plates."

TF.N has provided some information of an upcoming character in Episode III. Spoilers - Hightlight to read:

Here is a side-by-side picture comparison of Tarkin, comparing Episode III to Episode IV.

Click here for spoiler comparison.

The Official Star Wars Site has announced an online chat for tonight with Ben Burtt. Continuing the series of online chats for Hyperspace members is a man who has been instrumental in the success of all six Star Wars films.

It was Ben Burtt's sound design work -- creating the voice of R2-D2, the hum and crash of lightsabers in battle, and the zooming rush of the speeder bike chase -- that gave the original Star Wars its convincing feel of audio reality.

For the prequel trilogy, Burtt has had his hand in shaping both the picture and sound. He is presently hard at work editing Episode III animatics sequences with live action footage, preparing for George Lucas' return to the U.S.

Join Ben Burtt from his editing suite at Skywalker Ranch on Thursday, September 18, 4:00 p.m. Pacific time (7:00 p.m. Eastern time).

I am very proud to announce that Dennis Budd is our newest Featured Artist! Dennis has been kind enough to allow Galactic Voyage to become one of the new homes for his excellent gallery of work. Here you will find quite a collection of his full color and penciled art and we are very honored to be able to provide it for you! Thanks Dennis! Also, you can find other great works by several very talented artists at the Featured Artists section. Enjoy!

TF.N has provided some more spoilers from Episode III. Spoilers - Highlight to read:

From what I've seen of the movie so far, there was a very Darth-looking character who looks like a cross between a Clone War trooper and the original Darth. Not sure if it was really him or some type of precursor, but very cool.

And has anyone told you about the Peter Cushing prosthetics? Marvelled at the work that went into this guy, yes he pops up in the new film as you've reported and looks stunningly like a younger version of the character from Episode IV. They've nailed the look for sure. I saw a still shot with his hand stroking his chin that you could have sworn was Peter Cushing from the early 70s!

Rohan Nichol will play the "young" Captain Tarkin in Episode III

The highly anticipated game by Lucas Arts, Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy, has been released today. The game allows players to immerse themselves in the classic Star Wars universe as they take on the role of a student eager to learn the ways of the Force from classic characters such as Master Luke Skywalker.

Production on the third Star Wars prequel has gone swiftly and all according or ahead of schedule. In fact, the main shooting wraped up today around lunch time, with most of the cast and crew planning to head home.

The Episode III Webcam announced that "SHOOTING HAS WRAPPED... STAY TUNED FOR THE POSTPRODUCTION WEBCAM." The pick-ups for Episode III fiming are currently scheduled for March of 2004. It is hard to believe that it is truly over.

This report comes from the Official Star Wars Site!
Answered by: Dan Gregoire

The Official Star Wars Site has provided a look at what Dark Horse Comics has in store for Star Wars fans in December. Savage aliens, alternate Return of the Jedi plots and a special tribute the infamous bounty hunter Boba Fett. Here's a look at what Star Wars fans can expect from Dark Horse Comics this December.

He may have washed-out as a pilot at the Imperial Academy, but Lt. Janek Sunber has found a new home in the infantry. Hoping for a post on a world where he could see some action against the Rebels, he instead finds himself on the jungle world of Maridun as part of a regiment overseeing the construction of a new base. But just when he's resigned himself to a long, uneventful tour of duty, things heat up. The alien natives are restless, and on the hunt for human skulls! Sunber is about to learn one of the truths about the infantry: all service is sacrifice, and in the infantry that sacrifice is usually in blood.

Star Wars: Empire #16 reveals a different side of the Imperial army with this story by Welles Hartley, Davide Fabbri and Christian Dalla Vecchia, and features cover art by David Michael Beck. Star Wars: Empire #16 is scheduled for release in December.

Star Wars: Infinities is an unique series that asks the question, "What would happen if you changed one little thing from the story in the film?" In this version, as Leia, Lando, and Chewbacca pursue Boba Fett in an effort to retrieve the frozen form of Han Solo, Luke Skywalker discovers that he has arrived too late for his rendezvous with Yoda. Worse, he has run into the waiting clutches of Darth Vader. Unaware that Luke has been captured by the Empire, Leia and the others have their own encounter with Imperials - as well as a fateful showdown with Fett!

All of the characters and situations you loved from the film, but twisted and altered by fate as can only happen in Infinities!

Star Wars: Infinities - Return of the Jedi #2, the second in a series of four, written by Adam Gallardo, Ryan Benjamin and Saleem Crawford, and features cover art by Rodolfo Migliari, is scheduled for release on Dec. 10.

Throughout the galaxy there is one name that can send a chill through the core of any wanted man. That word is Fett. Join us for a full-issue tribute to the most feared and respected bounty hunter of all time -- Boba Fett. From stories of Boba's exciting childhood with his father Jango to tales of Boba bringing in wanted men Star Wars Tales #18 is a thrill a minute, action-packed issue that will excite both new and old fans alike.

Star Wars Tales #18 features writers Andy Diggle, Henry Gilroy, Haden Blackman, Jason Hall, Todd Demong, Henry Flint, Peter Alilunas and more, plus a special cover from artist Cam Kennedy. It is scheduled for release on Dec. 24.