Star Wars fans around the world are hungry to get their mitts on Star Wars Jedi: Survivor this Friday. We’ve had our copy for a week now and have rolled credits on it, with our review coming the moment the embargo lifts tomorrow at 8am PT. Until then, our lips are sealed as to what’s in the game and how Cal Kestis’ story plays out, and it seems that’s exactly how EA and Respawn want it.
Other than that, we’re gearing up for ‘Star Wars Day’ on May 4. The chances of a big reveal then are slim given the number of new projects recently unveiled at the Star Wars Celebration in London, though we may get the Skeleton Crew or The Acolyte trailers that were exclusively screened to attendees. Alongside that, the second season of Star Wars Visions will arrive in full, with all early reactions universally positive.
But first let’s get into what’s going on with Jedi: Survivor.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor story leaks are out there and the developer isn’t happy
Though the official release of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor arrives on Friday, retailers appear to have broken the agreed-upon street date by sending copies out early. Hardly a new problem in the world of video games, but nonetheless frustrating for everyone having to wait until official release day to get their hands on the sequel.
Stamping these out is impossible, though EA has asked fans to behave:
Respawn senior writer Pete Stewart is also asking fans to “be kind”:
Yes, the genie is out of the bottle, and if you’re so inclined you can tap in a quick search and see these spoilers for yourself. But we’d wholeheartedly recommend experiencing them as intended within the game’s plot, as no story fares well when summarized as a series of bullet points on Reddit.
Mark Hamill reacts to Carrie Fisher finally arriving on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
We had assumed that bona fide Hollywood legend Carrie Fisher would already have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but apparently, she’s been omitted. That will be rectified on May 4, when a ceremony will take place honoring the much-missed Princess Leia actor. Mark Hamill has long been dedicated to preserving her memory, always taking the time to post his favorite pictures of the pair on her birthday or to remember the date of her death.
Taking to Twitter, he rightly described this as “long overdue”:
Here’s hoping Hamill can join the ceremony next month as we take one more opportunity to remember Fisher. Let’s not forget that she wasn’t just one of the iconic faces of Star Wars, but a talented writer and script doctor who helped perfect a ridiculous amount of iconic movies in the ’80s and ’90s. Fisher was particularly known for rewriting women in scripts by male screenwriters, gaining a reputation as a wizard when it comes to elevating a script to excellence.
We miss her!
Katee Sackhoff reveals how a key ‘The Mandalorian’ character was saved from death
One of the coolest moments in The Mandalorian season three finale saw Simon Kassianides’ Axe Woves pilot a gigantic cruiser into Moff Gideon’s base. The resulting explosion killed Gideon, and would have wiped out Din Djarin and Bo-Katan if it wasn’t for Grogu’s Force shield protecting them.
Axe himself escaped out of a window and jetpacked to safety, leading his people in a rousing cry of “For Mandalore!” as the episode ended. But none of this might have happened, as Woves was not only originally supposed to die in season two, but his death was even shot. As Sackoff explained in an interview with Kristian Harloff:
“Axe, you know, we knew he was supposed to die last year. That was the thing that no one could talk about. There was this moment where he sacrifices himself in that episode. We shot it. In Season 2.”
Axe was saved when The Mandalorian team decided it should be Din’s moment:
“They were like, ‘It needs to be Din. Not him.’ So then you shoot a person’s death and then they take it out and then there’s still a scene left and then everyone’s like, where’d they go?”
It seems likely that this was to take place in Chapter 11 of season two in the scene in which Din takes a volley of blaster fire from Stormtroopers and tosses some explosives that allow our heroes to escape. We’re glad Axe didn’t bite the dust here. His Star Wars story is clearly far from over, so let’s hope he returns in The Mandalorian season four.