With the The Last Jedi in theatres for a while now, Star Wars fever has been steadily sweeping the lands. Chances are you've already seen the latest in the long running cult sci-fi saga and it's left you with a thirst for more from that galaxy far far away. Whether it’s video games, novels or toys and even action figures, we got you covered. Here's our guide to get you closer to the stars.
The Original and Prequel Trilogies, and Rogue One
This is stating the obvious but the best place to start is by rewatching the Prequel and the Original Trilogies. Even though the first of the films happened in the 80s, George Lucas’ fascination with movie technology led him to tirelessly restore the trilogy with newer and better visuals. The second trilogy, which consist of prequels, had their share of problems, but it's still a fascinating watch, if only to see the rise of Darth Vader, the saga’s iconic villain. Also, if you are confused by which to watch first, you can either follow the numbers or watch the Original trilogy first and then the Prequels later, like most of the folks that grew up with Star Wars have.
Rogue One however is different altogether: it’s the first of the standalone Star Wars which isn’t exactly cult yet, but enjoyable nonetheless. It fills in the blanks behind one of the biggest moments in cinema history, the end of the Death Star.
Star Wars: RebelsandClone Wars
Animated shows aren't just for kids. Take for instance Rick and Morty or Archer . The same holds true for the Rebels and Clone Wars series. Each episode is beautifully written and animated with memorable characters like Asoka Tano and Ezra Bridger, as well as fantastic villains and your favourites from the movies that drop in from time to time. The Clone Wars takes place between Star Wars Episode II and III, following the exploits of Anakin Skywalker and Obi Wan Kenobi. Rebels, though takes place after Episode III closes and before Episode IV opens. It effectively bridges a gap between the prequel trilogy and the classic one. Whichever one you watch, you are guaranteed to be entertained with both.
Books: The Aftermath Series
When Disney bought the Star Wars franchise, they threw a whole lot of books out of the window, labelling them as non-canon. It was a smart move because now we get a whole new series of official canon, starting with Chuck Wendig’s Aftermath Trilogy . Seriously, what is with Star Wars and trilogies? Anyhow, The Aftermath books chronicle the long gap between the end of Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi and the new Episode VII: The Force Awakens . The books start with Aftermath , Life Debt and close with Empire's End . They are not exemplary sci-fi literature, but they contain lots of story exposition.
OnePlus 5T Star Wars Edition
The latest OnePlus flagship killer is here and it comes in a new Star Wars flavour. With an official tie-in, the 5T is black out front and white at the back, with a red Star Wars logo emblazoned for you to hide behind a protective casing. The red also appears on the side switcher, making the limited edition 5T look swanky. The phone comes with a six-inch display, with very small bezels, in a size that's as big as the current OnePlus 5. It’s got the new SnapDragon 835 processor, a whopping eight GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage. You're ready to make calls to the galaxy far far away, as long as they're using a compatible cellphone provider.
Toys and Action Figures
With every Disney movie comes a wave of toys and other merchandise. It happened with the last Star Wars film and all Marvel outings. It will happen with The Last Jedi: from lightsaber umbrellas to other shoddy pieces of plastic. However, you can find some really cool gems if you look hard enough. For instance, Hasbro's vintage edition figures or Lego's very cool buildable toys. And if you are a collector with a lot of disposable income, you may want to look at Hot Toys' range which are ultra realistic, super detailed works of art.
Sphero's BB-8, R2D2 and BB-9E
Star Wars has always been about their funny and charismatic droids. A few years ago, when The Force Awakens hit theatres, Sphero, an unknown remote control toy manufacturer unveiled a version of BB-8, the beloved orange football like droid that captured our hearts, that could actually move and talk like in the movie. Now, with better technology, BB-8 is back with a friend, the legendary R2D2 and an enemy bot BB-9E. These tiny robots can be remote controlled or they can move around on their own patrolling. You can record holographic messages which can be viewed through the app.
Star Wars Fashion
While this is not yet available here yet, you can wear specially designed apparel inspired by the films fashion style. Portland-based Columbia Sportswear (which retails in India) has a new limited-edition Echo Base collection which has three jackets styled after Han Solo, Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker. Rag & Bone has an imperial white and black inspired line of shoes and clothes. Christian Louboutin has shoes inspired by characters like Rose Tico, Captain Phasma, Rey and even Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo. Not only that, you can find some indie licensed T-shirts online on Redwolf and The Souled Store. All you need to do is keep an eye out.
