Written By: Brandon Engel

Sci-Fi fans are forever wishing for their favorite fiction technology and gadgets to become reality, and none more so than Star Wars fans. While lightsabers are unfortunately still firmly ensconced in the fictional side of that universe, there are several examples of Star Wars technology which have become or are in the process of becoming a reality. From the original trilogy to the extended universe and beyond, there are plenty of opportunities to find examples of fictional technology inspiring real life technology.

When fans were first introduced to the universe in 1977, such things as artificial intelligence, communicating robots and self-driving cars were either very rudimentary or pure fantasy – but today we have Apple’s Siri and Tesla’s driverless cars. In honor of The Force Awakens in the canon and of science fiction becoming science fact, the following are just some of the fun gadgets found in the Star Wars universe that have since become part of our very real lives.

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Written By: Dan Geer

When Guillermo del Toro left the director’s chair on The Hobbit trilogy, Peter Jackson stepped up and took the reins once again for Middle Earth and decided to direct. This posed a huge problem for Jackson and his team of designers and writers, and put a tremendous amount of pressure on everyone because Jackson’s vision differed greatly from del Toro’s. They basically had to redesign the films all over again, essentially throwing out a year and a half’s work of pre-production time out the window. What this meant for Jackson was that he was not able to have that same amount of prep time for his version of the films, and the vast majority of the time he had to wing it on set.

Now that the Extended Edition of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies has finally been released, one of the special features on this release chronicles what it was like for the director, as well as the designers and writers to go through this trial of getting these films completed in light of what happened. A segment of the video has gone viral, with many movie sites claiming this is Jackson owning up to the reason why The Hobbit films were supposedly “a mess.”

I argue the exact opposite. Watch the video below first, and then we’ll dive in!

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Source: io9 | Posted By: Dan Geer

Last night, Star Wars fans from around the world were able to check out the behind-the-scenes video reel that played at the San Diego Comic-Con 2015 Star Wars panel, and it was awesome. Now, thanks to io9, we can also check out some of the highlights from the panel itself! Hit the jump to watch over 10 minutes of footage from the panel (Update: Lucasfilm has now released the full panel online, embedded below for your viewing pleasure)!

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Source: Star Wars | Posted By: Dan Geer

Whenever we get the chance to take a peek at any footage from Star Wars Episode VII, even when it is “behind-the-scenes” footage – we all go ballistic. With every glimpse we get from the new film, the more we just ache for December 18th to get here.

At the Star Wars panel in Hall H of this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, fans got to spend nearly four minutes diving behind the scenes of The Force Awakens with a special video reel that shows, well, a lot actually – perhaps even more than the trailers have shown to some extent. But the best part is that the reel is now available online for the entire world to watch. I’ll say no more. Check it out below!

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Source: StarWars.com | Posted By: Dan Geer

“Chewie, we’re home.”

We certainly are! Sure, the teaser that debuted last November was the perfect way to whet our appetites for Episode VII of the Star Wars saga, but the first full trailer that debuted at the Star Wars Celebration convention in Anaheim, California today is what we’ve all really been waiting for. If you haven’t already checked it out, you [insert Jedi hand-wave gesture here] must watch it now. Hit the jump to view the most incredible trailer for what is surely the most anticipated film of the year!

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Source: Star Wars.com | Posted By: Dan Geer

Well, this is like only the coolest thing ever.

Any hardcore Star Wars fan that has ever had the opportunity to check out a Star Wars Celebration convention knows fully well that it is the single most greatest, most awesome, most incredibly spectacular event one could ever attend to indulge in all things Star Wars for 4 days straight. Anything and everything you can possibly think of is there – from collectable merchandise, Star Wars celebrities (many of whom you can meet, get autographs from and even take pictures with), exclusive footage from upcoming movies or TV series episodes, props from the films themselves, and even the chance to check out the latest and greatest in Star Wars gaming. It’s all there, and the best part is that you get to enjoy it with thousands of other fans like yourself!

But unfortunately, not everyone can be there. Life just gets in the way, for better or for worse. I was personally able to attend Star Wars Celebration III-V, but missed out on VI, and will once again not be able to witness what is surely to be the greatest one ever at Celebration Anaheim. But this time, we won’t have to miss out entirely. For the first time ever, Verizon has teamed up with StarWars.com to live stream “highlights and more than 30 hours of exclusive video content” from the event starting April 16th. Hit the jump for the official press release!

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Source: StarWars.com | Posted By: Dan Geer

If you thought that Season 6 (a.k.a. The Lost Missions) of Star Wars: The Clone Wars that debuted on Netflix this past March after last year’s cancellation of the show on Cartoon Network would be the last stories we’d ever see from the critically-acclaimed animated series – think again! Just recently, StarWars.com made four more episodes of the series available to stream online, revealing a four-part story arc with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker on a mission to stop General Grevious from retrieving a powerful weapon for the Separatist Leader (and Sith Lord) Count Dooku. Read on for more!
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Source: Vice | /Film | Posted By: Dan Geer

20th Century Fox has teamed up with Vice to produce three short film prequels that lead up to the new Dawn of the Planet of the Apes film (which, by the way, is getting rave reviews). The project is called Before the Dawn, and the films (each directed by a different director) take place during the ten years in between Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn, chronicling the pandemic caused by the Simian Flu that devastated the human population. Hit the jump to watch!

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Source: Peter Jackson Facebook | Posted By: Dan Geer

One of the most incredible aspects of both The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and The Hobbit films are the musical scores composed by Howard Shore. These films would definitely lack the emotional impact they currently have if the films didn’t have that musical foundation to stand upon. The various themes Shore has created have stood the test of time, and he’s still working hard at creating new themes that are hopefully just as memorable.

In Peter Jackson’s latest production video, we get to take a look behind the scenes of orchestrating new music for Middle Earth, including themes for the characters Tauriel and Smaug. Hit the jump to watch!

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Source: Peter Jackson Facebook | Posted By: Dan Geer

Director Peter Jackson’s latest Production Video for The Hobbit Trilogy has made its way online, taking us deeper into putting the finishing touches on certain scenes through pick ups and re-recording sessions, while also featuring brief interviews with various artists responsible for rendering special effects, including those produced for the big confrontation between Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and the dragon Smaug (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch). The video captures some of the momentum behind trying to finish a huge film like this before its deadline, and, as is tradition with these blogs, also treats us to some of the fun behind the scenes with the cast and crew. When the video becomes available, it will be posted here. In the meantime, you can find it over at Peter Jackson’s Facebook page.

Update: You can now watch the video below!

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