May the 4th be with you! Yes quite possibly the ‘cheesiest’ line I’ve have ever heard. But seeing how it is soon to be “Star Wars Day” I’ll let it slide. Apparently a day set aside for the celebration of everything Star Wars has been around since 1979, but it seems to be that this is the first year that I have been aware of it’s existence. I suppose this is because it was only in 2011 at the ‘Toronto Underground Cinema’ in the wonderful city Toronto, that it was first celebrated in an organized fashion. It seems since Disney purchased Lucasfilm in late 2012 they have celebrated the holiday with several events and festivities at all their Disney Park locations. Going hand in hand with these celebrations, Disney is also launching their new animated series “Star Wars Rebels” on May 4th. I for one am looking forward to seeing something new coming to the franchise. I came across an article a few months ago about this show, they stated that it was going to be a TV movie to start of the new series, I can only hope this is still the case.
The new series takes place as the Evil Empire is gaining more power and tightening it’s grip on the galaxy. On a small remote planet the empire is grinding the people who live there under their boots. The story focuses around a motley crew of a star ship named Ghost. From what little information I can gleam about this upcoming show, it seems to me they have finally chosen to focus on characters other then Jedi and Sith, although I’m sure those types of characters will make appearances. It’s unfortunate however, because it was always stated that all the force users had been wiped out leaving only Yoda, and Obi-wan as the living Jedi. Come to think of it though, Obi-wan was quoted as saying that Darth Vader helped the Emperor and the Empire hunt down and kill all the remaining Jedi. This new series could be that portion of the Star Wars history that was never really touched upon. I guess that means we should look forward to seeing a random Jedi that lived through Order 66 struggling to survive, and then we should promptly see Darth Vader show up and chop said Jedi’s head off. Well that’s going to be depressing. I mean why get invested in loving characters that you ultimately know are going to die. It really is a let down. Perhaps this is one of the hidden reasons hardcore Star Wars fans dislike the Prequels so much. They where introduced to a wide range of characters that had no future.
It seems to me that this new show could fit easily within the realm of “Star Wars: Galaxies” in terms of timeline. As cool as it is to have nifty mind powers and a light saber, I have always preferred to play a common person struggling in the Star Wars Universe. I mean seriously, life would be pretty short for you if you where constantly being hunted by the government, and where everyone and their brother would sell you out for a ticket off the crappy rock they where currently living on. So why not play one of those people who are struggling to just get by, like may be being a ship mechanic or a pilot, or a bounty hunter, smuggler, militia trooper, heck who knows. There is so much more story to one of those characters then a hunted Jedi. That’s why I see this show being a success. For those who are only interested in seeing Jedi jump around and all the fancy light saber duels, and force powers, the exit is over there to the left, behind that fern. Everyone else, come this way and let me welcome you to a world of intrigue and excitement.
On another note, Mara Jade who has been a long standing character and love interest of Luke Skywalker is being made canon. Mara was first introduced in the Thrawn Series of novels where she was the “Emperors Hand” a force sensitive assassin and spy sent out into the galaxy to do the Emperors bidding. In later novels Mara moved past her dark side and became close to Luke, eventually marrying him and becoming the mother of their son Ben Skywalker. Her beloved character is finally going to take the leap from fiction to fact as she is introduced in the Star Wars: Rebels series. 
There is little more that I have to share at this time, but I felt it important to do a tribute to May the 4th and Star Wars Day. On this note I’ll leave everyone with a little video that was posted to our Facebook page, I found it to be highly entertaining and everyone should check it out. See you all later! May the 4th be with you! God… so cheesy.