-=Salute=-

Greetings from the Recon Office.

First off, Richard LeParmentier (AD Motti) has agreed to an interview with the EH. With the Star Wars DVD set coming out Tuesday, I'm eager to get his take on all of this. Look forward to that next report.

I will be conducting a small "questionaire" this week of various EH members about thier Star Wars experiences, from when they first seen the movies till the DVD release. Look for that either next week or the week after's report.

Now, with the Battlefront release just a short time away, then JTL in the near future the next few weeks should be a whirlwind of excitement. So I will be focusing my reports on the gaming world for alittle while.

Now, On to Star Wars News!

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***New Galactic Conquest Release***

Galactic Conquest has released Version 4 (and Patch 4.2) of their acclaimed mod for Battlefield 1942, mere weeks before Battlefront comes out. The new version adds 3 new maps, revises old ones, 8 new vehicles, 5 new character classes, and a ton of other things. You can check out the changelog for all the details. If you've never heard of GC, and own Battlefield 1942, you're missing out on an incredible Star Wars experience, it's like an entirely new game - for free!


***Jump to Lightspeed News***

IGN recently had an article on Jump to Lightspeed - The making of a new player species: Ithorian which tells just that, the technical hurdles that had to be overcome when creating the first of two new player species for Galaxies. And what is the second species? Lucasarts is being tightlipped about it, so we're not entirely sure, but you can probably narrow the species down to something that's humanoid, and already in-game as an NPC, which gives several possibilities, among them Chiss, Aqualish, Sullustians, Bith, Ewok, Gungan, Gamorrean, Quarren, and a few others.
You can check out this very well written Jump to Lightpeed FAQ to get a lot of questions answered. They've also been performing server upgrades recently for the expansion.


***List of Trilogy DVD Changes***

Gilless tells us that the Sept'04 issue of the french magazine "Les Années Laser - Le Magazine du DVD et du Home Cinema" has published a short but very informative review of the upcoming classic Star Wars DVD set, including a detailled description of the few modifications introduced by Lucasfilm. Here you go!

A New Hope:
- 24'51" : twin sun effect has been renewed.
- 48'50" : Han Solo avoids Greedo's shot before shooting at him.
- 50'30" : Jabba effect renewed completely, in accordance with Episode 1.
- 71'30" and after : Death Star jail corridor is much deeper.
- 77' : the garbage monster has been improved.
- 82'10" : "Power" and "Tractor Beam" stencils have been replaced with Star Wars "foreign" signs.

Empire Strikes Back:
- 50'56" to 52'05" : Emperor's hologram has been reshot with Ian Mc Dairmid. A new dialog has been recorded and Palpatine informs Vader about Luke's real identity!
- 63'42", 87'18" & 98'39" : Boba Fett's dialog has been re-recorded by Temuera Morrison.
- 92'05" & 92"15 : Han Solo's black jacket has been erased, due to cut mistakes in the original movie.
- 101'40" : Luke's scream, which was added in the '97 Special Edition, has been removed again.

Return Of The Jedi:
- 24'44" and after : Edge transparency defects around the Rancor have been removed.
- 115'41" : Old Anakin's eyebrows have been erased and eyes are now blue, to fit with Hayden Christensen.
- 120'44" : Naboo has been added to Tatooine, Bespin, Coruscant and Endor victory celebration scenes.
- 120'58" & 121'03" : Senate & Jedi temple are now included in Coruscant panoramic view.
- 122'30" : As everyone knows already, Hayden appears as a ghost beside Yoda and old Obi-Wan at the end of the movie.


***VH1 Airs When Star Wars Ruled The World***

The show I've been working on for the last few months – When Star Wars Ruled The World – begins airing this Saturday, September 18, at 10pm on VH1 (and repeats ad infinitum after that).
Give in to the dark side and watch. Here's what it's all about:

Few movies have reached the iconic status of the original Star Wars trilogy. A long-shot science fiction project that was rejected by multiple Hollywood studios, Star Wars (and its creator George Lucas) defied the skeptics and became one of the biggest pop culture phenomena of all time. Now VH1 is working with Lucasfilm to produce the ultimate oral history of the Star Wars years, When Star Wars Ruled the World. This hour-long documentary will take viewers back to those rapturous moments when the whole world wanted to wield a light saber.

The show begins in the mid-1970s as George Lucas struggles to find a way to make his dream project a reality. Relive the incredible and unlikely impact of the first Star Wars movie, the sudden fame of unknowns like Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher, and the way fans around the world fell in love, first with the movie and then with the action figures, pillow cases, C-3PO cereal and everything else they could - and did - line up to buy.

The show will also chronicle the immense anticipation for the first Star Wars sequel, The Empire Strikes Back and the build-up to the climactic Return of the Jedi that had fans traveling hundreds of miles to visit the gates of the movie's set. Along the way, we will highlight the cultural impression made on millions of fans by Star Wars icons like Darth Vader, Ewoks, and Yoda, and lines like "I am your father," "That's no moon. It's a space station," and, "May the force be with you."
For more information visit http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/when_ruled_the_world/82279/episode.jhtml

INTERVIEW LIST:
* Mark Hamill - Luke Skywalker
* Carrie Fisher - Princess Leia
* Harrison Ford - Han Solo
* Anthony Daniels - C-3P0
* Kenny Baker - R2-D2
* Peter Mayhew - Chewbacca
* Billy Dee Williams - Lando Calrissian
* John Williams - Composer
* Gary Kurtz - Producer on first two Star Wars movies
* Kevin Smith - Director / Superfan
* Frank Oz - Yoda
* Ken Ralston - Visual Effects
* Irvin Kershner - Director, Empire Strikes Back
* And many others

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That's it from me this week. Only thing left is the Non-EH SOTW. Have a great week. I know I will, the 18th is my Birthday. A cookie to any CSers who can guess my age :P

Non-EH SOTW:

The Tao of Star Wars
http://www.exn.ca/starwars/taoism.cfm

Intresting to say the least.