Jar Jar Binks has been the butt of Star Wars‘ fans jokes for a quarter century now and it seems he’s finally had enough. Gone is the bumbling comedy Gungan and in its place is a fearsome red lightsaber-wielding Sith Lord who travels in an evil Millennium Falcon.

His one line to date: “Meesa gonna hurt yousa…”. This is quite a development for Jar Jar, so why is he a Sith Lord and what in the name of Boss Nass is going on?!

Rebuild the Galaxy

Fans have long theorized that Jar Jar’s affable demeanor concealed something far darker. After all, it was his actions as a Senator that granted Chancellor Palpatine the emergency powers necessary to enact his evil plans. The canon take is that this was a classic Jar Jar oopsie, but what if he was playing the long game?

What if Jar Jar was secretly a dark practitioner of the Sith all along, concealing his power under the innocent facade of a bumbling amphibious clown? Amusing fan art has long wondered what “Darth Jar Jar” would look like, but now we have the official take courtesy of LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy.

This upcoming animated special sees the basics of Star Wars mutating beyond recognition. There are X-wing/TIE Fighter hybrids, Ewok bounty hunters, and, yes, Darth Jar Jar. As a LEGO special, the events of Rebuild the Galaxy are firmly non-canon so don’t expect to see this followed up in live-action. Even so, the trailer shows a sense of fun and imagination that’s been a little lacking in the franchise of late, so we’re very much tuning in.

And yes, if you’re wondering that is indeed original Jar Jar actor Ahmed Best once again reprising his most notorious role.

LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy will be released on Disney Plus on Sept. 13.

Between 11 movies, spinoffs, cartoons, books and video games, there’s a lot of lore in the Star Wars universe. It’s no stretch to say it can be hard to keep up with everything, or even remember it, especially for a more casual fan.

That said, nobody will forget Anakin Skywalker, the Jedi who turned to the Dark Side and became Darth Vader. A pivotal moment in this heel turn is his antagonistic relationship with Count Dooku, the leader of the separatist movement against the Galactic Republic. Let’s take a look at how it all went down.

Who was Count Dooku?

Count Dooku, also known as Darth Tyranus, was a pivotal character leading up to the demise of the Galactic Republic and the subsequent birth and rise of the Sith-controlled Galactic Empire. Dooku was born as a noble in the House Serenno on the planet Serenno, and his royal upbringing shaped his view of the world. Dooku was identified as force-sensitive from a young age, so he was brought to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant to be trained by Jedi Master Yoda himself.

Under Yoda’s tutelage Dooku became one of the best swordsmen in the galaxy, both in technique and with the use of the Force. He rose through the ranks of the Jedi order and eventually became a master himself. He took on a number of padawans, the most notable being Qui-Gon Jinn. Eventually, he grew tired of the politics, ineffectually, and corruption of the Galactic Republic. He also grew to feel the same about the Jedi Order. He left the Jedi Order, denounced his allegiance to it and was pulled to the Dark Side by Darth Sidious, who hid in plain sight as Chancellor Palpatine.

Once he fully switched sides, he became an apprentice to Sidious and took on the moniker of Darth Tyranus. His next job was to nurture the Separatist movement’s plans to leave the Galactic Republic. The new government was to be called the Confederacy of Independent Systems. He was pretty successful in this endeavor and pulled several systems and planets into his cause, sowing chaos throughout the galaxy.

In public, he was the face of the Separatists and battled regularly with the Jedi and the Republic, but behind the scenes there was a different story. He was loyal to his master Darth Sidious and was instrumental in the secret plan to eradicate the Jedi Order and take over the galaxy. That ended when he faced Anakin in a final battle.

What was Anakin’s relationship with Count Dooku?

Anakin Skywalker is without a doubt one of the most important figures in the Star Wars universe, and if he never joined the Dark Side, countless millions of lives would have been spared. He was born on the desert planet of Tatooine to Shmi Skywalker, a slave. Anakin’s natural Force sensitivity caught the eye of Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, who was of course Dooku’s padawan at one point. Obi-Wan Kenobi then trained Anakin, who gave his master much trouble as he was impulsive and overly emotional.

One of the biggest themes of Anakin’s life was his attachment to loved ones and his fear of losing them. After his mother died in his arms on Tatooine, he feared his wife Padmé Amidala might end up in a similar fate. This led him to eschew his Jedi teachings and give in to his darker nature. Count Dooku was pivotal in this transformation, and the two shared a complicated dynamic because of Dooku’s relationship with Qui-Gon Jinn and Anakin’s continued slide into the dark side.

What happened during the battle between Count Dooku and Anakin Skywalker?

When we talk about the pivotal duels in the Star Wars universe, Anakin versus Dooku is right up there with the greats. In fact, the two faced each other twice in the prequels: once in Star Wars: Episode 2 – Attack of the Clones and again in Star Wars: Episode 3 – Revenge of the Sith. When they fought for the first time, Anakin was still a padawan and not quite at his full potential.

Dooku then chopped off Anakin’s hand but didn’t kill him. As to why he spared him, that’s up for debate. One of the theories is that Dooku knew either Anakin’s potential or what he would eventually become. He could’ve even been told by Darth Sidious to spare the young Jedi in training.

Regardless, the ultimate battle between the two happened during Revenge of the Sith. Dooku “captured” Palpatine and took him to the Separatist flagship the Invisible Hand, and it was up to Anakin and Obi-Wan to rescue him. Once again, Obi-Wan is conveniently put out of commission by Dooku, setting the stage for a grand battle.

Anakin, with a blue lightsaber, clashes with Dooku’s red one. Every strike shows Dooku that this isn’t the same Anakin he faced on Geonosis, and he taunts Anakin in the hopes of throwing him off his game. Anakin, however, is too focused and continues to press forward with his attacks.

As the battle raged on, Anakin continued to get angrier and angrier, giving in to his rage. Dooku can’t keep up with the relentlessness of Anakin’s attacks and begins to falter, and he’s almost overpowered. A desperate Dooku then tried a Sith lightning attack, but Anakin flicked it away like a fly. He then disarmed Dooku and raised his own saber to deliver a decisive blow, but a shadow drenched him and he heard Palpatine’s voice say: “Finish him.”

In this moment, Anakin fought internally. On one side was all of his Jedi training and all the people he loved. On the other, the promises of power and domination from the Sith. Guess which side won. Anakin ended Dooku, and his scream echoed through the wreckage. That decisive moment was step one to Anakin becoming Darth Vader, and it sets the stage for Episode IV – A New Hope.

Few fictional characters are so hated as Star Wars’ Jar Jar Binks. However, as actor Ahmed Best underlines, it’s thanks to the goofy amphibian that MCU fans could gasp in horror as Thanos choked Loki to death and proceeded to turn powerful Avengers, including Wanda, to dust.

Jar Jar Binks made his Star Wars debut with 1999’s Episode I: The Phantom Menace. The movie was considered the worst in the franchise for a long time until Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker proved things can always get worse. One of the reasons for The Phantom Menace hate was Jar Jar Binks, a comedic relief who is loud, clumsy, and definitely underrated.

Fans despised Jar Jar Binks so much that Best, who helped bring the character to life, received a wave of hate mail and racist messages. This disgusting reaction even pushed the actor away from Hollywood for a while. Still, nowadays, Best realizes how his work in Lucasfilm helped define modern blockbuster cinema.

Jar Jar Binks helped usher in the era of photorealistic digital models

Jar Jar Binks is a fully digital character who moves and speaks like a flesh-and-bone being. This impressive result came from Lucasfilm’s research in motion capture technology. While mo-cap became the rule of blockbuster cinema, in 1999, Lucasfilm and Best were making magic. There was nothing like Jar Jar Binks before The Phantom Menace, and the technology used to bring the character to life would eventually lead to ultrarealistic 3D models such as The Lord of the Rings’ Gollum (Andy Serkis), Avatar’s Navi’i, and of course, the MCU’s magnificently detailed characters such as Thanos. 

As Best perfectly sums up in an interview for The New York Times:

“You can’t have Gollum without Jar Jar. You can’t have the Na’vi in ‘Avatar’ without Jar Jar. You can’t have Thanos or the Hulk without Jar Jar. I was the signal for the rest of this art form, and I’m proud of Jar Jar for that.”

It’s interesting to notice all these franchises would go on to break records and make cinema history. The Lord of the Rings is the most awarded trilogy in Hollywood, Avatar holds the biggest box office ever, and the MCU is the largest and most ambitious cinematic universe ever. Jar Jar Binks walked so all these IPs could run, and it’s about time Star Wars fans recognize the importance of the character for Hollywood.

It’s a shame that Best remained in the shadows for so long after the poor reaction to Jar Jar Binks. Fortunately, the actor was partly redeemed by his The Mandalorian cameo and the retroactive love Jar Jar Binks got from a number of fans.

Did you know that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson began his career on May 4? What about the history behind the famous Star Wars Day? The history of entertainment is filled with curious events and each day allows us to remember them.

May the 4th be with you!

May 4 is internationally known by the geek community as Star Wars Day, an unofficial celebration of one of the most beloved franchises of all time. At first glance, this might sound strange, given that the first Star Wars movie, A New Hope, was initially released on May 25, 1977. In addition, it was only recently that Lucasfilm decided to recognize the special occasion and offer new Star Wars news for the fans every year on this day.

So, where did this special Star Wars Day come from?

To keep things short, today was chosen as Star Wars Day because “May the 4th” sounds a lot like “May the Force,” a direct reference to the renowned “May the Force be with you” line. As for who coined the expression, the oldest register comes from the British newspaper The London Evening News. 

In the U.S., people already used “May the Fourth be with you” in 1978 to celebrate the 4th of July, America’s Independence Day. Still, the newspaper took one more step by celebrating the first day of office of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on May 4, 1979, by declaring “May the Fourth Be With You, Maggie. Congratulations!” The expression “May the 4th” on May 4 was too catchy to be ignored, leading Star Wars fans to adopt the day to express their love for the franchise. History can be wild sometimes.

On May 4, The Mummy Returns… to theaters

In 1999, Universal Pictures rebooted one of its classic monsters with The Mummy, an adventure filled with thrills and chills led by a brilliant performance by Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz. The movie became a huge hit, followed by a sequel that was released two years later.

On May 4, 2001, The Mummy Returns stepped into theaters, delivering more breathtaking set pieces and some of the worst CGI in the history of cinema. The sequel was also Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Hollywood debut. Johnson’s character, the Scorpion King, would get his own spinoff film series, with five entries. Curiously, The Mummy would only land a trilogy, making the spinoff more successful in some ways.

Happy birthday, Audrey Hepburn

On May 4, we celebrate the birthday of film and fashion icon Audrey Hepburn. She rose to stardom thanks to 1953’s Roman Holiday, a movie that allowed her to become the first female actress to win an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and an Emmy for the same performance. She would also get four Academy Award nominations as Best Actress for 1954’s Sabrina, 1959’s The Nun’s Story, 1961’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s (wherein she famously played Holly Golightly), and 1967’s Wait Until Dark.

Behind the cameras, Hepburn also used her fame and fortune to help those in need, retiring from her acting career in 1967 so she could dedicate herself to humanitarian causes. The actress was even UNICEF’s Goodwill Ambassador from 1989 until 1993 when she passed away. Yes, Hepburn’s movies are eternal classics, but she also more than deserves to be remembered as someone who decided to make the world a better place.

Star Wars: The Phantom Menace might not be the pinnacle of storytelling, but the fandom has truly embraced it in the decades since the film’s release. Episode 1 kicked off the early years of the Skywalker saga, and laid the groundwork for the oh-so-important romance between Padmé Amidala and Anakin Skywalker.

At 9-years old, Anakin is just a little boy at the beginning of the series. Padmé, though the Queen of Naboo, is pretty much a child herself.

How old is Padmé?

Though she wasn’t the youngest queen Naboo ever had, Padmé won her first election when she was just 14. The monarchy structure of Naboo likely wouldn’t fly anywhere on our planet, but its hard to deny Padmé’s effectiveness as a leader. The vibrant green world’s peculiar election cycle happens every two years, and both boys and girls can participate.

I say boys and girls because the people of Naboo have a peculiar belief that the innocence of youth is a form of wisdom – one that adults lack. Don’t mistake her adolescence for inexperience, Padmé Naberrie was singled out as one of the top candidates for the political sphere when she was very young.

Devoting her life to civic duty by the time she was just eight years old, Padmé had already served as supervisor of Theed, the capital city of Naboo, when she was 12. Two years later, she campaigned to be queen and changed her last name to “Amidala” in a bid to protect her family’s identities.

As Amidala, Padmé adopted a stoic personality. Her campaign was centered on ending the isolationism her planet had relied on for decades. Her calm demeanor and eloquent speeches cinched her win. She was the youngest queen that Naboo had elected in years, and her reign was more than tumultuous. Though the people always believed she was a wonderful Queen, Padmé doubted whether she had been ready for the role when she was awarded it.

When you see her exploits on paper, it begs the question of what exactly Padmé saw in the petulant young Skywalker. By the time the pair saw each other again 10 years later, Amidala had served another two-year stint as queen, and worked as a senator for Eight. Sometimes girls just want a bad boy, but I’m with Duchess Satin on this one – I’d take Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi every time.

The posthumous performance of Ray Stevenson in the Star Wars series Ahsoka is being rightly praised despite his somewhat limited dialogue in the series, something he makes up for with his commanding on-screen presence.

Stevenson’s depiction of the force-sensitive character Baylan Skoll relies heavily on subtle facial expressions and his skill of emphasizing certain words with particular emotions, which is imperative considering the very restricted script for his character.

Yet, to everyone watching, it’s all quite sad because earlier this year Stevenson shockingly passed away just a few days shy of his 59th birthday.

He suffered serious chest pains while filming the movie Cassino in Italy back in May 2023.  He was admitted to the hospital, but his chest pains worsened and he passed away the next day. No actual cause of death has yet been revealed.

One of Stevenson’s many memorable roles was as the infamous pirate Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, in the award-winning Starz series Black Sails.

For those who have not yet seen Black Sails, I dare say turn away or consider the rest of this article a spoiler alert.

In the show, Teach is returning to seek out another pirate, Charles Vane, whom he had teamed up with on many adventures before and was a mentor to but who had also done him wrong the last time they saw each other. However, Teach wasn’t returning to take vengeance on Vane but rather seek him out to re-team with him. Why? As Stevenson so perfectly portrays in the series, Teach has something of a soft spot for Vane and sees him as the son he never had, something he eventually tells the fellow pirate.

Surprised over Teach’s sentimentality, Vane agrees to team up again with Teach but somewhat on Vane’s terms. Teach thus becomes a great help to Vane’s immediate aspirations.

Portraying a fearsome pirate with something of a heart is not exactly easy to pull off for any actor, but Ray Stevenson offered a model performance. His role, as a sword-slashing villain with complicated emotions, also likely greatly benefitted him in his role as Baylan Skoll, a lightsaber-slashing villain with complicated emotions.

However, Black Sails was not the first time he depicted a swordsman. Stevenson played Porthos in the 2011 film The Three Musketeers, which greatly swayed from the its source — a literary classic courtesy of Alexandre Dumas. In fact, the Musketeers sort of become pirates at one point in the movie, and even end up pirating on zeppelin-like balloons in the sky. It’s quite unique, really, though I personally prefer the 2014-17 series from the BBC, titled The Musketeers, which Black Sails coincidentally feels much more like, especially in terms of era depiction.

In episode XXIV of Black Sails, Teach reveals the single most motivating reason for wanting to forgive Vane and reconnect with him.

Teach is asked by a woman who knows him all too well what suddenly changed his mind about Vane. 

Stevenson then delivered his lines with a natural poignancy, something perhaps slightly unfamiliar to the series about plundering Pirates. “Things are different now. It doesn’t need to last long.”

Teach then follows up his cryptic statement with a further explanation while pointing to just above his heart. “A little Spanish shrapnel. It went in there when I was not much older than him. Once in a while it migrates, ticks closer to reaching its terminus and striking its chime.” Teach ends his explanation by moving his fingers an inch or two to his heart.

Teach had little time left before his heart would suffer and fail him. While watching the scene now, it’s sadly difficult not to think of Stevenson’s untimely passing, and the chest pains he experienced while his heart failed him.

“A grim little timepiece.” Teach tells the woman, while all-too-aware of his own mortality.

The scene, filmed in 2015, can serve as a haunting reminder for us all. It’s just a matter of time before we meet our own respective mortalities and that unwelcomed meeting could be much sooner than we expect.

Nonetheless, for Ray Stevenson, he was kind enough to leave us decades of such impactful scenes and other more joyous work, much of it without depicting a swordsman. He may have left this world, but so did his Ahsoka character Baylan Skoll — who journeyed not only to another world, but to another galaxy. 

Maybe that’s where we’re all headed.

Black Sails is now streaming on Netflix and I very highly recommend it.

In the 1980s, there was an outbreak of “Darth Vader Syndrome”. Most people today are unaware of it, thanks partly that it’s no longer a significant issue. So, what was this bizarre syndrome and why was it named after the iconic Star Wars villain?

Over the last few weeks, while researching another project, I came across several newspaper articles from 1983-90, about Darth Vader Syndrome. I’d never heard about it before so I did more research and found over 40 articles printed in newspapers across the country from that time.

If you only knew the power of the Dark Side

Here’s the best way to explain what it is. Imagine being a kid in a house that’s suddenly on fire. You would be horrified, especially if trapped. As the smoke thickens, things get darker and then something approaches you that looks menacing, like Darth Vader, and is breathing heavy like Darth Vader, and is coming after you. What would you do? If the answer is scream and/or run around in panic then you’d understand this syndrome.

The figure approaching these kids in fires are, of course, firefighters. They’re wearing masks and you can hear them breathing through those masks as they approach in the smokey darkness.

Firefighters had a real problem. Children were actually running away from them when the firefighters were trying to rescue them, creating a worse situation where the firefighter would have to chase them and save them as the child’s fear only grew.

One newspaper quoted Captain Gibbs Hammond, a fire prevention education officer for the Knoxville fire department, who said, “There have been documented cases of children running back into a burning room after seeing a firefighter, who looks like a monster, at the door,”

This is also why it’s also referred to as Monster Syndrome. Apparently, the Children’s Television Workshop — producers of Sesame Street — coined the phrase “Darth Vader Syndrome” and began to spread awareness of it in the early 1980’s and tried to teach kids that a firefighter is a real-life Superman despite looking like Darth Vader.

Why did it disappear?

Firefighters began doing more frequent demonstrations at kindergartens and elementary schools. Almost every newspaper article I read about it referred to an upcoming event that firefighters were doing for children, partly to help them not be afraid of them in their gear. They would show kids how they put on the mask, what it sounded like, and tried to make it fun. Some children still felt the mask was too scary but parents were encouraged to teach them that even though firefighters can look scary in their gear, they are there to help

The mention of Darth Vader Syndrome significantly decreased in the 1990s, suggesting that it was no longer an issue. I reached out to my cousin, a NYC firefighter, and asked him about this. He said it’s definitely no longer an issue because, as he admitted, he never even heard about it before.

It’s likely that one other reason why this is not the major problem it once was is that the character of Darth Vader was at the peak of his popularity during that time, which was when the original Star Wars trilogy was being released, and although he is still a major character, it’s not quite like what it was then. His villainy used to scare children in the 1980s, whereas kids today want to dress like him for Halloween.

Now, there’s even a Darth Vader that visits Children’s Hospitals to brighten the day of the kids there. It’s probably accurate to say that most children today actually see the character as cool.

That doesn’t mean that they can’t develop a fear of masked firefighters but it’s far less an issue than it was when Darth Vader was every kid’s nightmare.

The following article contains spoilers for season 3 of The Bad Batch.

From live-action to animation, many Star Wars properties have found a confident foothold thanks to Disney Plus. Now, shows that may not have seen the light of day have become a well-oiled machine.

This includes Dave Filoni’s prolific Star Wars universe. The creative force behind beloved works such as Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels can now expand the characters developed in these animated series. In addition to creating Ahsoka Tano and Ezra Bridger, Filoni has also given life to the underappreciated Bad Batch. A group of clones established in The Clone Wars, these soldiers were genetically modified men who did not fit into the traditional crop of Clone Troopers. Hunter, Tech, Echo, and Wrecker form a brotherhood of sorts, and invite one more in the first episode of Star Wars: The Bad Batch.

They discover a female clone named Omega, whom they have since devoted their lives to training and protecting. This ragtag group of clones has formed a found family and remained strong well into season 3 of the Disney Plus series.

When does season 3 of The Bad Batch release?

The Bad Batch season 3 premieres February 21, 2024, and will consist of 15 episodes as follows:

• Episode 1: “Confined” – February 21
• Episode 2: “Paths Unknown” – February 21
• Episode 3: “Shadows of Tantiss” – February 21
• Episode 4: “A Different Approach” – February 28
• Episode 5: “The Return” — March 6
• Episode 6: “Infiltration” – March 13
• Episode 7: “Extraction” – March 13
• Episode 8: “Bad Territory” – March 20
• Episode 9: “The Harbinger” — March 27
• Episode 10: “Identity Crisis” — April 3
• Episode 11: “Point of No Return” — April 3
• Episode 12: “Juggernaut” — April 10
• Episode 13: “Into the Breach” — April 17 
• Episode 14: “Flash Strike” — April 24 
• Episode 15: “The Cavalry Has Arrived” — May 1

Each episode airs on Disney Plus and drops on Wednesdays on the platforms. This season, fans can look forward to the long-awaited return of a favorite character from The Clone Wars. Though she dies heroically in the books, Asajj Ventress follows the tradition of many Star Wars characters in the new universe coming back to life.

The former apprentice to Count Dooku, the Force-sensitive Dathomirian was once an adversary for Anakin and Obi-Wan and has since turned into an anti-hero. Cultivating an ire towards the Empire for the massacre of the Nightsisters on her planet, she has been a fascinating character to watch. Fans can see Ventress’ return in season 3 of The Bad Batch, streaming only on Disney Plus.

Star Wars has had many lucrative gaming endeavors in its long lifetime, but none taking place in an open world before. Star Wars Outlaws will be the first. 

Published by Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry developer Ubisoft and developed by The Division‘s Massive Entertainment, Star Wars Outlaws will put the player in the shoes of a young hero making her way through the crime syndicates as a way to find a better life. Star Wars has historically had a love for scoundrels, and now players can play as one during the period between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi

Characters confirmed for Star Wars Outlaws

The original trilogy setting means there are characters both original and new to pull from.

• Kay Vess — The protagonist of Star Wars: Outlaws, Kay is a young woman looking to find her way in the galaxy. As the aforementioned scoundrel of the game, she seeks a big score with the help of her trusty companion. As with most scoundrels, she finds herself on the most wanted list, making her life that much harder.

• Nix — Kay’s creature companion who accompanies her on her travels. Every protagonist needs a cute alien friend and this one is a Merqaal. 

• ND-5 — A droid built by the Confederacy of Independent Systems, ND-5 was involved in the Clone Wars and falls into Kay’s spectrum during a heist gone wrong. 

• Sliro – The confirmed villain of Star Wars: Outlaws, Sliro is the leader of the criminal syndicate Serek Besh. An original character created for the game, Sliro poses a great threat to Kay after putting a hit on her

• Vail – It isn’t Star Wars without bounty hunters and the newest one is coming after Kay. A human female, she is hired by the crime syndicate Serek Besh.

• Jaylen Vex – A character that sends Kay on her ultimate journey. He offers her a job that turns into disaster when Sliro puts a bounty on her head.

• Danka – A Mon Calamari featured in the official Star Wars: Outlaws trailer. She was an information broker during the Imperial Era

• Qi’Ra – One surprising character who is not original to the game. Lady Qi’Ra is the leader of the criminal order Crimson Dawn. After leaving Han (Alden Ehrenreich) in Solo: A Star Wars Story, it appears she’s still kicking and causing complications as a syndicate leader.

• Jabba the Hutt – The galaxy may be big but that doesn’t stop Jabba from taking his cut from wherever possible. Both he and Salacious B. Crumb make an appearance in the trailer, along with an appearance by the frozen decoration of Han Solo.

This cast of characters shows a love for the rich origins of Star Wars while exploring new territory. Star Wars Outlaws will be released on August 30, 2024. 

Billy Dee Williams, known for his part in Star Wars among other things has recently come out and voiced some… interesting opinions.

Speaking on Bill Maher’s “Club Random” podcast, the two began talking about the 1965 adaptation of Othello with Laurence Olivier in the titular role. For those who haven’t seen it, Olivier wore blackface to portray the character. “When he did ‘Othello’, I fell out laughing […] I thought it was hysterical.” Maher didn’t quite share Williams’ view on Olivier’s portrayal, labeling it as “problematic” and going on to say “today, they would never let you do that.”

I mean he’s not wrong, there are a lot of reasons why people don’t do blackface today. However, Williams’ response came as a surprise asking “Why not?” before doubling down and saying “you should do it, […] if you’re an actor you should do anything you want.” The comment caught Maher off guard along with anybody watching most likely.

Williams’ opinion seems to come from a position of not limiting an actor as an artist in any way; that race shouldn’t come into the conversation and that giving the actor complete creative freedom to do as they desire is what’s important. Even if what they desire is blackface. He doesn’t think too deeply about race when it comes to acting which is a stance he seems to have always held judging by this interview from 1980.

Maher points out that the Nighthawks star “actually lived in a period where you couldn’t play the parts you should’ve played.” to which Williams responded “the fact is you discuss it, […] you don’t go through life feeling like ‘I’m a victim’” to which Maher agrees.

That’s definitely a wild take on the conversation surrounding blackface. Billy Dee Williams might think it’s alright; but I don’t think there are many actors out there willing to put his words into action.

Star Wars Outlaws is one of the biggest game releases of the year. However, PC players won’t be able to buy the game on every popular store, such as Steam, Epic, and GoG.

While Star Wars Outlaws is set in one of the most beloved fantasy universes ever, the game promises to offer players a unique experience. Even if the game takes place between Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, in Star Wars Outlaws, you don’t play as a Force-wielder or dive into the conflict between Rebels and the Empire. Instead, the game’s protagonist is the original character Kay Vess, a scoundrel trying to pull off the biggest heist the Outer Rims have ever seen. So, instead of choosing between Light and Darkness, Star Wars Outlaws will give you the freedom you need to explore the gray corners of the Galaxy.

Working for crime syndicates and taking on bounties to buy your freedom sounds exciting. Plus, the gameplay trailer for Star Wars Outlaws already shows the many different ways you’ll have to overcome challenges, from stealth to gun fighting. The game also includes a dynamic reputation system that can turn you into a target for a specific gangster or win their favor. In short, Star Wars Outlaws sounds like the kind of game you can sink hundreds of hours into. Sadly, you won’t be able to buy it on Steam.

Why won’t Star Wars Outlaws be available on Steam?

Star Wars Outlaws is developed by Ubisoft, one of the biggest companies in the industry. Ubisoft is so giant, and its catalog of games is so expansive that its distribution branch has been trying to launch a competitive storefront for many years. Ubisoft’s latest DRM attempt is Ubisoft Connect, the exclusive store where PC players can acquire upcoming games.

The first reason Ubisoft refuses to sell its games on different platforms is that each store, such as Steam, takes a cut of the game price for each sale. So, to increase the profit margin of its products, Ubisoft prefers to sell Star Wars Outlaws directly. Ubisoft has also launched a subscription-based service called Ubisoft+, which gives you access to their complete catalog of games for a monthly fee. The idea is to convince players to provide the company with money every month instead of buying only one or a few products per year. In addition to access to the newest Ubisoft+ releases, the subscription program gives early access to highly anticipated titles. In the case of Star Wars Outlaws, Ubisoft+ subscribers can play the game three days before its official release.

Star Wars Outlaws will be available for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows on August 30, 2024.

Ubisoft’s Star Wars Outlaws promises to fulfill your bounty hunter fantasy by allowing you to explore the dark corners of the Outer Rim in search of loot. It’s a concept that would only get better if you could share the experience with friends.

Set between Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, Star Wars Outlaws give you control of Kay Vess, an original character with a considerable debt to pay and a bounty over her head. Kay’s goal is to perform the biggest heist the Outer Rim has ever seen, a task that demands she navigate the dangerous underworld of Star Wars, where crime syndicates impose their law. It’s an exciting concept that offers something different from the usual war between the Light and Dark sides, which, done well, could show more gray areas in the Galaxy far, far away.

As a criminal, Kay will assemble a crew to help her face gangsters, evade bounty hunters, and take on dangerous tasks. Unfortunately, Kay’s crew contains only NPCs, and the game has no multiplayer element.

Star Wars Outlaws reuses Ubisoft’s single-player open-world formula

The gameplay trailer of Star Wars Outlaws reveals that Ubisoft’s ambitious game mixes stealth and action mechanics to turn you into a one-woman army surviving in the galaxy. You can sneak through enemies’ lairs or use your blaster to shoot your way out of danger. You can also drive speeders and even engage in dog fights against enemy ships. Finally, you have a cute companion trained to distract enemies and create the window you need to escape tricky situations.

While there seem to be many different ways to interact with the open world of Star Wars Outlaws, you’ll be doing that alone. Considering Ubisoft’s game development tradition, this shouldn’t be a surprise.

While Ubisoft is responsible for many profitable IPs, the studio is primarily known for its work on the Assassin’s Creed franchise. Most Assassin’s Creed games follow a single-player open-world formula: you can roam wherever you wish while looking for optional quests and progressing through the main story. Ubisoft also has a tradition of using repetitive quest structures that make exploring the open world tiresome, which explains Star Wars fans’ skepticism regarding Outlaws. Still, the trailers look good so far, and if Ubisoft manages to turn Star Wars Outlaws into a hit, they might be open to offering a multiplayer sequel.

Star Wars Outlaws will be available for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows on August 30, 2024. Players who subscribe to the Ubisoft+ service will have three days of early access.