R2-D2: THE MAKING OF A MOVIE ICON THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE STAR WARS SAGA ™ the x-wing factor! How Marvel Launched Poe Dameron as a Comic Book Hero! ISSUE #166 July 2016 U.S. $7.99 CAN $9.99 Display until 07/26/2016 CHEWBACCA’S 20 GREATESTREVEALED! MOMENTS © 2016 Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved.Used under authorization. SWI_166_01_NS_Curtis_COVER.indd 1 20/05/2016 13:45 Untitled-1 1 16/05/2016 11:55 EDITOR’S a JULY 2016 a EDITORIAL Editor Jonathan Wilkins Senior Executive Editor Divinia Fleary Copy Editor Simon Hugo WELCOME Art Editor Oz Browne “Go straight at ’em. Editorial Assistant Tolly Maggs Don’t let these thugs scare you.”—Poe Dameron,ronn, Senior Editor Frank Parisi Star Wars: The Force Awakenswakens Editor Brett Rector Image Archives Newell Todd, Erik Sanchez, suspect that everybodyy wouldwoulld likelikeik to be Bryce Pinkos, Tim Mapp Art Director Troy Alders a little like Poe Dameron. He’sHe’s coolcooloo in Bantha Tracks Pete Vilmur the face of intimidation. Look howwh hee I CONTRIBUTORS faces down Kylo Ren with a witty quip! He’s Mark Newbold, Amy Ratcliffe, handsome, brave, and fearless in the cockpit James Burns, Dan Wallace, cj Fawcett of his sleek black X-wing fighter. He’s got a very cool droid, and he’s even happy to give THIS ISSUE.... SPECIAL THANKS TO Erich Schoeneweiss at Random House, away a jacket that, quite frankly, I’d have Chris D’Lando at Marvel Comics, fought tooth and nail to hold on to! So it’s 12 POE DAMERONMERON Tracy Cannobbio and Chris Argyropoulos no surprise that he’s now the star of his own at Lucasfilm comic-book series. This issue we take a look 20 JEDI TOY BOX behind the scenes of the new strip, meet the creators, and discover some of the secrets 24 STEVE BLUM that go into creating the latest Star Wars illustrated adventure. Elsewhere this issue, we’re celebrating 26 JOHN MORTON some of Chewbacca’s greatest moments. Production Manager Obi Onuora I think every Star Wars fan has a special place Production Supervisors Maria Pearson 30 R2-D2 & Jackie Flook in their heart for Chewie. In fact, we received Production Assistant Peter James numerous letters telling us how cool it was Art Director Oz Browne 32 STAR WARS SPEAKERS Studio Manager Emma Smith to see the Wookiee back in action in The Force Senior Sales Manager Steve Tothill Awakens! There was even someone who Subscriptions Executive Ben Alvarez Turner wrote in to offer to look after him, now that 36 FICTION Direct Sales & Marketing Manager Ricky Claydon Han Solo isn’t around! Brand Manager, Marketing Lucy Ripper Please don’t forget to write in to the 44 LEGO STAR WARS: Marketing Intern Keir Tressider magazine, whether it’s to C-3PO’s Commercial Manager Michelle Fairlamb Advertising Assistant Jessica Reid Communication Station (on page 11) or THE FORCE AWAKENS U.S. Advertising Manager Jeni Smith Bantha Tracks (on page 76). You can contact Publishing Manager Darryl Tothill us using the address below. We love to see Publishing Director Chris Teather 50 MY STAR WARS Operations Director Leigh Baulch your photos and art, and we really love Executive Director Vivian Cheung to hear what you have to say on all things Publisher Nick Landau Star Wars! 52 CHEWBACCA DISTRIBUTION US Newsstand: Total Publisher Services, Inc. John Dziewiatkowski, 630-851-7683 May the Force be with you… Always 62 PUBLISHING US Distribution: Source Interlink, Curtis Circulation Company UK Newsstand: Comag, 01895 444 055 US/UK Direct Sales Market: Diamond 70 INCOMING Comic Distributors SUBSCRIPTIONS US subscriptions: 1-800-999-9718, 76 BANTHA TRACKS email: customerservice@ Jonathan Wilkins, magazinefulfillmentservices.com Editor UK subscriptions: 0844 322 1280 80 RED FIVE email: [email protected] For more info on advertising contact [email protected] STAR WARS INSIDER JULY 2016 (USPS 003-027) (ISSN 1041-5122) CONTACT US Star Wars Insider is published eight times per year (January Star Wars Insider is February/March, April, May/June, July, August/September, email us: also available online. October, November/December) by Titan Magazines, a division of [email protected] Titan Publishing Group Limited, 144 Southwark Street, London To download, visit: SE1 0UP. www.titanmagazines. Contents © 2016 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved, visit us: Titan Authorized User. TMN 13425 www.titanmagazines.com com/digital PUBLISHER’S U.S. AGENT www.titanmagazines.co.uk 2819 Rosehall Lane, Aurora, IL 60503. Periodicals Postage Paid at Aurora IL and at additional write to us: mailing offices. UNITED STATES POSTMASTER Star Wars Insider, Titan Magazines, Send address changes to Star Wars Insider, 2819 Rosehall Lane, Aurora, IL, 60503, U.S.A. www.facebook.com/ PO Box 18479, Anaheim, CA 92817-8479 NEWSSTAND EDITION COMIC STORE EXCLUSIVE SUBS EXCLUSIVE U.S. subscriptions UNITED KINGDOM StarWarsInsider $49.99 per year; Canada $59.99 Star Wars Insider, 144 Southwark Street and U.K. $27.99. London SE1 0UP, U.K. Subscribe today and get an exclusive subscriber cover with every issue—not available Printed by Quad. in stores! Plus, in this month’s issue, get a free exclusive T-shirt and save up to 22% © 2016 Lucasfilm Ltd. and ™ All Rights Reserved. call us: Star Wars Insider @SW_Insider To subscribe in the U.S. please off the usual price. This issue of Star Wars Insider is also available Used Under Authorization. call toll free on 800-999-9718 with an exclusive cover image that is available only For U.K. and all other destinations Visit please call 0844 322 1280 or www.starwars.com at selected comic stores! See page 68 or visit: titanmagazines.com/Insider +44 (0) 1795 414 810 U.S. GET EIGHT ISSUES, SAVING 22%, FOR JUST $49.99! U.K. GET EIGHT ISSUES, SAVING 20%, FOR JUST £27.99! SWI_166_03_ED_CONTENTS_single page.indd 3 17/05/2016 13:17 ALL THE COOL NEWS FROM THE STAR WARS UNIVERSE ROGUE ONE REVEALED he fi rst trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story debuted on April 7, whetting Tappetites for the fi lm ahead of its December 16 release date. It introduced us to Felicity Jones’ character, who unites with a rogue band of resistance fi ghters to embark on a daring mission to steal the Death Star plans. The teaser also confi rmed the return of Genevieve O’Reilly as Mon Mothma (who fi rst played the character in deleted scenes from Revenge of the Sith). Before anyone asks where the Bothans are, they were responsible for stealing the plans to the second Death Star. Top image: Imperial AT-ATs make their presence felt. Bottom, from left: A dark trooper makes his big-screen debut; Felicity Jones and a group of pilots get ready to rumble. AHSOKA TANO ans of Anakin’s headstrong Padawan can find out more about her eventful Fhistory in E.K. Johnston’s forthcoming novel, Ahsoka. Promising to explore her lifee after she left the Jedi Order, but before she became the undercover rebel agent known as ‘Fulcrum’, the story will be set in bbetween Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Staar Wars Rebels. “Ahsoka has a long history, and there is much more to it than the fans know,” said Star Waars Rebels executive producer and supervising director Dave Filoni. “I have always workedd on her story, even parts that I know we will probably never see on screen. By broadening her story from the animated series to the printed page, we have a real oopportunity to provide fans with details about her character that they would not know otherwise. “Wee are responding to thes trong fan support that wee have seen Ahsokaa receive over the last eight years. The fans want more Ahsokaa and we are going to give it to theem! I have been thhere since the begginning, andIamm dedicatted to working with publishhing to help make this book as authenticapart of hers tory as if we filmmed it for the serries.” The novel will be published by Disnney-Lucasfilm Press, and will be availabble on October 11, 20116. 6 INSIDER COMPOSER KINER eorge Lucas experimented Appearing as part of a panel called a pretty good job!” He also outlined how the with hip-hop beats for sequences ‘Today’s Greatest Superheroes of Music’ approach to the music differed on Star Wars in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Kiner also discussed his admiration for the Rebels, where the intent was to echo the composer Kevin Kiner has music of John Williams. He showed sound of the original trilogy more closely. revealed. The man behind the music off his copy of Williams’ Star Wars sheet “Dave Filoni [Star Wars Rebels executive for The Clone Wars and Star Wars music, which he bought in the 1980s, producer] wanted to make Rebels more like Rebels was speaking at WonderCon explaining, “It’s marked-up the way A New Hope,” he explained. “So I used in Los Angeles, Califfornia, in March. some people mark-up their Bibles!” John’s stuff for some of the action scenes. “George is always looking for something He said, “One of the things that fi rst That was refreshing because I did The Clone new,” Kiner told a raapt audience of struck me about John Williams’ music for Wars for six or seven years and used hardly StarWars fans. “He wantedw to do hip-hop Star Wars was how broad it was, and how any of John’s melodies. I had been scoring once, withTIE fighters and Obi-Wan in outer unafraid he was to be huge when it was in a Williams-esque style before, but now space.