Interview with Dave Prowse
(Original posting: June 01, 1998)

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“Hemorrhoids don’t concern me, Admiral…” That was something Dave Prowse said to me at a party after a sci-fi convention in the 1990s. He was telling me a story about how, on the set of The Empire Strikes Back, they couldn’t hear him very well as he spoke his lines inside the Darth Vader helmet. Everyone knew they would be dubbed later, so Dave thought he’d at least have a little fun with it and get a rise out of the cast and crew, replacing the word asteroids with something funnier. That should give you some insight as to the kind of guy Dave was.

I had the honor of giving Dave his very first website presence. He had put out the call to a few fans and somehow I ended up with the gig. From that day on, he treated me with the respect and dignity of a friend, and not just a person from whom he needed something. We spoke, interviewed, shared pictures, met at conventions, had dinners, and just talked and talked about everything. I met and became friends with his then manager Maxwell Patterson, who was also the loveliest of guys. We made a great little team. The site eventually moved on to someone a little closer to Dave in the UK and I was happy to hand them the keys. Dave thanked me over and over for the hard work and I never forgot it.

There will never be a more iconic moment for me in cinematic history than when Darth Vader first emerged through that smoky door in the original Star Wars film. If you’ve ever spoken to him, you know that he was also very proud of his roles in the Hammer horror films, A Clockwork Orange, and various other BBC shows, not to mention his bodybuilding career and his important role as the Green Cross Code Man, helping little kids cross the roads safely.

On November 28, 2020, Dave Prowse passed away. To him I say thank you for that villainous swagger and the ominous presence you brought to Darth Vader that’s been so important to all of us over the years. You will be missed.

(Original posting: June 01, 1998. This intro has been updated to account for Dave Prowse’s passing on November 28, 2020.)

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Interview with Gerald Home
(Original Posting: August 1, 2006)

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You might not have seen Gerald Home’s face in Return of the Jedi, but you have seen the masks that covered it. Remember the fellow that was later named Tessek in the Expanded Universe? Older fans know him as “Squid Head.” That was Gerald Home. Remember the Mon Calamari officers standing behind Admiral Ackbar in nearly every scene? Gerald Home was Admiral Ackbar’s main man. Nowadays, he keeps busy with commercials and conventions, but Gerald took a few minutes to answer a few questions for me.  (Original Posting: August 1, 2006)

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Ashley Eckstein

10 Questions with Ashley Eckstein
(Original Posting: May 13, 2010)

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You may know Ashley Eckstein as the voice of Ahsoka Tano from Star Wars: The Clone Wars. You may not know that she’s been an actress for many years and has appeared on such popular TV shows as That’s So Raven and Drake and Josh. Recently, she formed Her Universe—the first Star Wars fashion collection just for her. The friendly and down-to-earth Eckstein took some time to answer a few questions for me about her career and her new role in the fashion world. (Original Posting: May 13, 2010)

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Dan Madsen

Interview with Dan Madsen
(Original Posting: July 18, 2006)

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Dan Madsen is a publicist/marketing/public relations at Independent consultant working with fan based media. He is the former Founder/President/Publisher at Fantastic Media and created/produced the global official fan clubs, magazines, and merchandise for the Official Star Trek and Star Wars entertainment franchises under license from Paramount Pictures and Lucasfilm Ltd. He’s a humble, friendly guy and even had a cameo in The Phantom Menace. Dan took a moment to answer a few of my questions about fandom. (Original Posting: July 18, 2006)

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Interview with Anthony Daniels
(Original Posting: May 10, 2000)

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Anthony Daniels—the man behind and inside C-3PO—is one of the most friendly and entertaining personalities of all the Star Wars cast members. He is also a Shakespearean stage actor and does some writing on the side. He is always happy to reprise his role as C-3PO for any cause and will most-likely be one of the very few actors who can claim to appear in every Star Wars film. I recently got the opportunity to chat with Anthony Daniels and asked him a few questions.  (Original Posting: May 10, 2000) Read More

Marcia Lucas

Marcia Lucas Speaks

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If you know your  Star Wars history, you’re aware of the importance of Marcia Lucas. If you don’t, go do some research. Though George Lucas was the initiator of the universe we love so much, it would not exist as it does today without the influence of people like his ex-wife Marcia Lucas, Gary Kurtz, Ralph McQuarrie, and so many others who gave George Lucas the direction he needed at times, in order to produce one of the biggest blockbusters of all time. Read More

Interview with Alan Dean Foster
(Original Posting: July 03, 2002)

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Alan Dean Foster and Star Wars go way back to the beginning of it all. You may remember Foster as the author who ghost-wrote the novelization of the original Star Wars. He soon and unknowingly became the granddaddy of the Expanded Universe by writing the first piece of tie-in fiction approved by Lucasfilm called Splinter of the Mind’s Eye which takes place between Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back. When it was revealed that Foster was returning to Star Wars once again many years later to pen a novel that would bridge the prequels Episode I and Episode II, fans were nothing short of delighted, especially fans like myself who enjoyed the original novelization. The new book is called The Approaching Storm and will be released in February of 2002. I was very pleased to talk to Mr. Foster and chew the Star Wars rag for a while. You can check out his website at www.alandeanfoster.com.
(Original Posting: July 03, 2002) Read More

Interview with Ann C. Crispin
(Original Posting: September 20, 1998)

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Ann C. Crispin is the author of several best selling books which include the Star Trek novels Yesterday’s Son, A Time For Yesterday and The Eyes of the Beholders. She has co-authored two fantasy books with noted fantasy author Andre Norton and collaborated with several other authors on other projects as well including the novelization of Alien: Resurrection.

She has created her own universe with the Starbridge series. The books center around a school for young diplomats, translators and explorers both alien and human located on an asteroid far from Earth. Several books from this series have been recognized as superior reading material for young adults by the American Library Association. Books in this series have also been in consideration for the Nebula award (The top award given by the Sci-fi and fantasy writers of America).

In 1995, Ann produced two short stories for the Bantam Books Star Wars Publishing program: Play It Again, Figrin D’An and Skin Deep for the Anthologies Tales From The Mos Eisley Cantina and Tales From Jabba’s Palace. These stories led to an invitation to write a new Han Solo trilogy about Solo’s pre-Star Wars adventures for Lucasfilm/Bantam, which are fantastic.

Ann is a very busy person these days but she took time out of her schedule to answer a few questions.
(Original Posting: September 20, 1998)

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Interview with Aaron Allston
(Original Posting: May 16, 1998)

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In 1996, the Star Wars Expanded Universe was off and running with many critically acclaimed books and other tie-ins under its belt. It was around this time that Mike Stackpole’s “X-Wing” series of novels were released and started to fly off the shelves. These centered on the famous Rogue Squadron, founded by Luke Skywalker. Stackpole found it hard to keep up with the workload, and so another author, Aaron Allson, was brought in to assist. Instead of continuing the story of Rogue Squadron, however, he created his own group of pilots dubbed Wraith Squadron. A band of misfits and criminals, they are hell-bent on thwarting Warlord Zsinj’s attempts at taking over the falling Empire. The first book, Wraith Squadron burst with action and I am sure the second and third will be just as thrilling. I asked Aaron a few questions about Wraith Squadron. (Original Posting: May 16, 1998) Read More

Interview With Peter Diamond
(Original Posting: December 11, 2000)

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Peter Diamond (1929-2004) was the stunt coordinator for the original Star Wars trilogy, but he was much more than a well-established master at the art of stunt performing. He was also an actor, fencer, and filmmaker. Being a man of many talents, it’s no surprise to learn that he performed many of the minor roles in the Star Wars films like the Tusken Raider who attacked Luke, the cantina patron who squeals to the Stormtroopers, or one of many dedicated Stormtroopers serving the Empire. Peter took a few minutes to talk to me about his long career in the entertainment industry and, of course, his many roles in the Star Wars saga. (Original Posting: December 11, 2000)

 

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A More Civilized Age…Exploring the Star Wars Expanded Universe

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Last year, Sequart published a pair of anthology books discussing Star Wars, starting with A Long Time Ago… Exploring the Star Wars Cinematic Universe and followed by A Galaxy Far, Far Away… Exploring Star Wars Comics. To round out the trilogy, as is often the case with many things Star Wars, Sequart released its third in the series, A More Civilized Age… Exploring the Star Wars Expanded Universe! Read More

A Long Time Ago…Exploring the Star Wars Cinematic Universe

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As some of you know, this site was launched in 1996. That means it’s been alive for 20 years; a pretty big accomplishment. In that time, I’ve written in my bloggy, informal style here on the site, with the occasional magazine article or sidebar here or there. It gives me great pleasure to announce today that the wonderful Sequart organization has released the first in a trilogy of Star Wars books called A Long Time Ago… Exploring the Star Wars Cinematic Universe. Inside, you’ll be treated to some great writing by some well-respected writers, one of them being me! Read More