Talking Bay 94: A Star Wars Podcast

My day job is VP of Marketing for FANGORIA (the horror movie magazine and production studio). And, as part of that job, I interviewed Paul Dini (BATMAN:THE ANIMATED SERIES) and Stephen Langford (FAMILY MATTERS), who scripted one of the episodes of Shudder's CREEPSHOW. Of course, I had to ask them about EWOKS and DROIDS. Dini was an associate producer on both, as well as writer, and Langford was a writer and collaborator (including, non-chronologically, the final episode of EWOKS: "Malani the Warrior".)

Bill Hargreaves is a prop maker and droid creator, from EV-9D9 and probots to B’omarr monks and mynocks … to, of course, IG-88, we go through his start working on Alien all the way to his tortuous coat hanger creation for Raiders of the Lost Ark. I want to stress here: the coat hanger story is a masterpiece.

This is the 50th episode of TALKING BAY 94 and, to celebrate, we’re talking to one of the people who has been at the very top of the list to have on this show from the very beginning ... two time Academy Award winner: Phil Tippett. From the Cantina to the chess table to the AT-AT to the Return of the Jedi creature shop, Mr. Tippett was one of the driving forces of, not only the Star Wars world we know and love, but also the visual effects landscape as a whole. This was literally a dream come true.

Angus MacInnes played Dutch Vander in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope ... you might know him better as Gold Leader.  We go through some fascinating stories about being on the set of Rollerball, his experience with the Canadian actors that populated the original trilogy, working with George Lucas and Stanley Kubrick, and (of course) his triumphant return in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Juan-Luis Sanchez is a visual effects artist who worked on clothing, digital stand-ins and so much more for Star Wars: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. From working at Industrial Light and Magic to trying his hand at the sound stages, Mr. Sanchez's time in the VFX industry is full of incredible stories and equally incredible passion.   (He also stood in for Count Dooku’s hands … so just buckle in for a fascinating conversation.) 

Alan Harris is most famous for portraying one of the most iconic aliens in Star Wars: the fearsome bounty hunter Bossk, in The Empire Strikes Back.  However, he had roles in each of the Original Trilogy, as well as returned to the saga briefly, two decades later, to appear in The Phantom Menace. From being the first person to wear a Boba Fett costume (the famous white "Prototype Fett") to becoming the mold for Han Solo in Carbonite, Mr. Harris' contributions to the saga are so important.

Jock is not only one of the best comic book artists in the world, but also was one of the Costume Concept Designers of The Last Jedi. From Luke Skywalkers’ hermit gear and Crait robes to General Organa’s collar to Rey’s poncho, we go through the process of so many of the iconic outfits he helped to design. So pull out your The Art of the Last Jedi and follow along as we go page-by-page through the creation of DJ, Rose Tico, Resistance Bombers and so much more.

In this episode, I'm talking to one of my favorite current Star Wars authors, Mr. Jason Fry, who not only wrote the incredible novelization of The Last Jedi, but has been contributing to the universe for many, many years.  Learn more about how Incredible Cross-Sections are put together and find out the details behind Luke's wife, Han Solo's funeral and deleted scenes of the Master Codebreaker. (I also, of course, had to bring up the re-canonization of Dash Rendar at the end of the episode).

Today's conversation is with one of the most formative voices in Star Wars, as we know it today, Mr. Bill Slavicsek, writer, game designer and Creative Director for West End Games and Wizards of the Coast.  From naming alien creatures like Ithorians, Quarrens and Sullastans to shaping what we now consider to be the “voice” of Star Wars, we take a fascinating look at the early Expanded Universe and the journey from the sourcebooks to The Clone Wars and Rebels.

So, I did something dumb. When The Academy announced a panel featuring Marcia Lucas, Ben Burtt, John Dykstra, Dennis Muren, John Knoll, Harrison Ellenshaw, Richard Edlund and many more ... I bought a ticket. The event was in LA on a Thursday and I live in Dallas. So I booked a flight, flew out to Cali and ended up having the best time. Here's a quick listen about my trip, both my experience and some snippets from the panel. It is probably the closest I'll get to getting Marcia Lucas on the show.

Troy Denning is the author of so many classic Star Wars novels, including Star by Star, Tatooine Ghost, the Dark Nest Trilogy and a ton more. From the New Jedi Order bible to the deaths of Anakin Solo and Darth Caedus, we take a trip back to the Expanded Universe for some behind-the-scenes stories. For more information about his latest novels and upcoming appearances, follow him on Twitter at @TDenningAuthor.

Bill Kimberlin started at Industrial Light & Magic as a Visual Effects Editor on Return of the Jedi, working alongside Ken Ralston, on the infamous SB-19 shot … dubbed the most complicated VFX shot in motion picture history We even get into the Back to the Future sequels, which shouldn’t be a surprise if you know me at all. Check out his book, Inside the Star Wars Empire: A Memoir: https://www.amazon.com/Inside-Star-Wars-Empire-Memoir/dp/1493032313

This is my conversation with Kevin J. Anderson, one of the most prolific Star Wars authors of all time. From the beginnings of the expanded universe to Darksaber and the Young Jedi Knights series, we really go through the history of those original Bantman books. And we talk some Dune, of course. His latest epic novel, Spine of the Dragon came out on June 4, 2019 and is available anywhere books are sold.

Mike Quinn is an incredibly talented puppeteer and creature performer, from Jabba the Hutt’s eyes to Sy Snootles to Nien Nunb returning and then surviving to the end of The Last Jedi, we talk about it all. I’ve been wanting Mr. Quinn on the show since the very beginning so it is SO exciting to have him on today.

This is my special LIVE FROM JABBA'S PALACE conversation with previous guests Gerald Home (Tessek and a Mon Calamari officer) and Simon J. Wiliamson (Max Rebo and a Gamorrean Guard).  We got to talk to them again, this time in person, to tell some of our favorite stories, as well as quite a few new ones in this special anniversary episode.