A very short stuntman

Quote of today

"And hurry up, will ya? I haven't got all day"

Han Solo thinks C-3PO is a slow translator
Return of the Jedi

Today we celebrate...
Kiran Shah at his 54rd birthday (born 1956)

Kiran Shah was born in Nairobi, Kenya and played an ewok in Return of the Jedi. He is an actor, a stuntman and a poet. Since 2003, Shah has held the Guinness World Record as the "shortest professional stuntman currently working in film." Read all about him on Kiran Shah's own website.

Ewoks are the furry worriers that helped the Rebels to destroy the Imperial shield generator on the forest moon of Endor.
 

Good friends

Quote of today

"Look at the size of that thing!"

Wedge Antilles is impressed by the Death Star
A New Hope

Today we celebrate...
Denis Lawson at his 63rd birthday (born 1947)
Garrick Hagon at his birthday

Denis Lawson was born in Scotland, United Kingdom and played Wedge Antilles in all three movies of the original trilogy. He is also the uncle to Ewan McGregor who portrayed Obi-Wan Kenobi in the prequel trilogy. Denis Lawson was offered the role of Captain Antilles in Revenge of the Sith but turned it down.
In A New Hope Wedge Antilles is voiced by David Ankrum, as well as in the scene below.

In one scene in A New Hope, during the pre-battle briefing on Yavin 4, it is not Denis Lawson playing Wedge Antilles. It is Colin Higgins who plays Wedge Antilles when he talks with Luke about hitting such a small target as the Death Star exhaust port.

Garrick Hagon was born in England, United Kingdom in the 1940's and played Biggs Darklighter in A New Hope. Most of his scenes were cut out of the final movie but one was restored to the Special Edition, the Rebel Base scenes on Yavin IV just before the attack on the Death Star.
 

Wedge Antilles is a Rebel fighter pilot. He served as Red Two during the battle of Yavin. He is part of the Rouge Squadron during the battle of Hoth and ends up as Red Leader during the battle of Endor.

Biggs Darklighter is Luke Skywalkers best childhood friend from Tatooine. He was shot down and killed by Darth Vader during the attack of the first Death Star.

The son of suns

Quote of today

"I want to come with you to Alderaan. There's nothing here for me now. I want to learn the ways of the Force and become a Jedi like my father."

Luke Skywalker decides to follow Ben Kenobi on a damned-fool idealistic crusade
A New Hope

Today we celebrate...
Mark Hamill at his 59th birthday (born 1951)

Mark Richard Hamill was born in California, USA and played Luke Skywalker in the Original Trilogy. Playing Luke Skywalker wasn't his first or last acting as many people may think. Since Star Wars Mark Hamill has been successful on Broadway, as a voice actor in animation and video games, and as a comic book creator. There is an official fan website and you can read more about him full of surprises (archived www.starwars.com).

Luke Skywalker is a farmboy on Tatooine that becomes a Jedi knight and fight with the Rebel Alliance against the Empire. In early drafts of Star Wars he was known as Luke Starkiller.

(Sorry it's just a copy from last year.)

Young bold female

Quote of today

"Master, my Jedi training didn't prepare me for this. What are we going to do?"

Ashoka Tano finds her selves in the liability of a Huttlet.
The Clone Wars movie

Today we celebrate...
Ashley Eckstein at her 29th birthday (born 1981)

Ashley Eckstein was born in Kentucky, USA and raised in Florida. She is the voice of Ashoka Tano in The Clone Wars movie and TV-series. In the TV-series, episode Raise of the Bounty Hunter she also did the voice of a village girl. Read more about Ashley Eckstein at her own fan website and more about her work with The Clone Wars in Ashley Eckstein Talks Ahsoka.

Ashoka Tano is a young Togruta eager to prove herself as a worthy Padawan during the Clone Wars. Her bold Master, Anakin Skywalker, nicknamed her Snips.


Today we remember...
Michael Gilden at his birthday (born 1962).

Michael Gilden was born in California, USA and played an ewok in Return of the Jedi. He died 5th december 2006 by suicide. Michael played the ewok hammering the foot of an AT-ST*) and that role was his film debut.
*) Source was a photo in a now deleted website.  :(

He fight as a count

Quote of today

"Grand Master Kenobi, you disappoint me. Yoda holds you in such high esteem."

Count Dooku feeling invincible
Attack of the Clones

Today we celebrate...
Kyle Rowling at his 40th birthday (born 1970)

Kyle Rowling was born in Australia and was the stunt double for Christoffer Lee/Count Dooku in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. For Obi-Wan's combat sequence with General Grievous in Revenge of the Sith he wore a bluescreen (or greenscreen) suit to fill-in for Grievous. Kyle Rowling played Joclad Danva in Attack of the Clones and he also tought Jett Lucas to fight with a lightsaber.
You find him as a Fight Director in The Sydney Stage Combat School.

Joclad Danva is one of the Jedis fighting in the Geonosian arena. He can be seen behind Anakin in the survival circle but is possibly killed during gunship arrival.

The only non-American director

Quote of today

"Yes or No will do."

The EV-9D9 isn't in a mood for chitchat.
Return of the Jedi

Today we remember...
Richard Marquand who died today 1987 (born April 22, 1938)

Richard Marquand was the Director of Return of the Jedi. He also did cameo appearance as an AT-ST driver and the droid EV-9D9 in the same movie. He was the only non-American to direct a Star Wars film.

AT-ST is the two-legged All Terrain Scout Transport first briefly seen in the battle of Hoth. They are later used during the battle of Yavin. The AT-ST are faster and more agile than its larger AT-AT walker cousin.

The AT-ST developed for The Empire Strikes Back has a number of cosmetic differences to the ones in Return of the Jedi. That is because much more detailed and versatile AT-ST models were constructed for that film.

Just like the original

Quote of today

"Mom, you said that the biggest problem in the universe is no one helps each other."

Anakin wants to Pod race
The Phantom Menace

Today...
at 21:00, year 1999 was a special showing of The Phantom Menace held at Rigoletto in Stockholm, Sweden

On the demand from Star Wars fans Fox Film and the theater Rigoletto invited us to a show where The Phantom Menace was showed in English with no subtext.
Usually, in Sweden foreign films is in original language but with subtext. But Star Wars films has always had the opening crawl translated into Swedish. It was OK back in the 70's and 80's but nowadays we expect the original text.

A guide to the galaxy far far away

Quote of today

"Well, if there's a bright center to the universe, you're on the planet that it's farthest from."

Luke describes to C-3PO where they are
A New Hope

Today...
year 1984 was the book "A Guide to the Star Wars Universe" published

A Guide to the Star Wars Universe is a reference book published by Del Rey. The books alphabetically detail people, places, things, and events in the Star Wars universe.

The first edition was written by Raymond L. Velasco.


A second edition was published March 8, 1994 and a third edition was published October 3, 2000, both written by Bill Slavicsek.