I think George Lucas deserves some credit where it’s due, and say what you will about the prequels, the opening to Revenge of the Sith, with the dogfight over the planet was pretty awe-inspiring. So when the trailer for Red Tails came out, I was excited to see a Lucasfilm production that focused mainly on one of the strengths he still had.

And I’m pleased to say that he’s still got it. The dogfights in Red Tails look good, give a good sense of whose plane is whose (with the exception of the opening battle), further the plot, and build on each other. You can see the Lucas touch of following one plane during its flight then latching on to another.

In one sequence, a group (squadron?) take down a train, with one pilot taking it head on. Another shows how the under-equipped planes of the heroes are able to fight with lightning-fast German jets.

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As a fan of the Star Tours attractions on both coasts, I was excited to go to the D23 panel on the making of Star Tours: The Adventures Continue… I crowded into the 1,000+ seat ballroom, not knowing what Imagineer insights awaited me.

In true Disney fashion, the panel was a professionally crafted presentation, with no room for questions..errr, I mean error. In this panel, lead Imagineer, Tom Fitzgerald, spoke with the aid of Powerpoint and took us on the journey to bring this attraction into the future.

Tom Fitzgerald, began his Star Tours story in 1998 when George Lucas summoned the Imagineer team to his ranch to watch the pod race, and only the pod race. After seeing the infamous scene, the Imagineers decided to wait to see the rest of the film, hoping against hope that it would the pod race would be scrapped for something way cooler.

Ok, so Tom said, “In fact, we did think it was a great idea”, but I can read between the lines. Interestingly back in 1998, way before the 3D onslaught, the Imagineers knew the ride was going to be in 3D.

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Lucasfilm Ltd released a sneak peek video showing fans what’s in store for The Clone Wars when it returns from mid-season hiatus on January 7th, 2011. In the clip, we see some exciting developments for the series, including young padawan Ahsoka Tano’s apparent turn to the dark side.

Very exciting stuff and should really shake up what many have complained is a rather boring storyline thus far in Season 3. In the video, we get to see Jedi Master and Jedi Council member Even Piell in ‘on-guard’ position and Ashoka, Anakin Skywalker’s Togruta Jedi padawan, battling her master.

Be sure to let us know in the comments section your thoughts about Season 3 of The Clone Wars. Are you excited about the upcoming episodes? Or not so much?

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Since WonderCon is basically in Lucasfilms’s backyard, fans should expect some extra love from the company when the Con is on “home turf.” This year, fans who were able to pack into room 103 were treated a discussion led by Lucasfilm’s Pablo Hidalgo, and featured Jamie King (Aurra Sing), Daniel Logan (young Boba Fett) and supervising director, Dave Filioni.

Plenty of time was spent discussing the role of bounty hunters in the series (especially this season), and how it’s not so easy to label them as “villains.” In discussing the character of Aurra Sing, actress Jamie King said that for her character, “it’s always about the money and the power.”

Since we’re dealing with the present and future Boba Fett, of course the topic of Slave 1 came up. King was genuinely excited that it was “her ship” for the moment and that it also looked like “and upside down C-3PO head” from the back.

Logan was giddy with relief on finally being able to talk about his work on The Clone Wars, and publicly thanked everyone who voiced their support of his involvement in the show.

The highlight of the panel, however, was the debut of the trailer, which featured a young, scowling and conflicted Boba Fett; a smirking Aurra Sing; and my favorite bounty hunter Boskk. King also announced that Filoni wrote and directed the three-part finale.

The Star Wars: The Clone Wars season two finale will begin airing on April 23.

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Do you love Star Wars? Of course you do. Comics? Check. How about the iPhone? Copy that. Well, if you’re actually a fan, reader and avid user of these three things then today is truly your lucky day. Why?

Well, its simple really. Dark Horse Comics, in partnership with Lucasfilm and THQ Wireless, has just announced that they will release Star Wars comics to the iPhone for the first time ever. Excited? You should be. It’s pretty darn cool.

Here’s all the info from the official Dark Horse Comics press release:

In a partnership that will echo through the cosmos, Lucasfilm, THQ Wireless, and Dark Horse Comics will release Star Wars™ comics to the iPhone mobile platform for the first time ever!

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There comes a point at every Comic-Con where the faithful can gather en mass to celebrate and salivate over all things Star Wars. During this year’s Lucasfilm panel, IGN reports that fans were treated to hints for Star Wars: The Clone Wars, a Star Wars In Concert preview, The Star Wars Stories Project (featuring Comic-Con fans giving YouTube like confessions about their favorite Stars Wars memories), a LucasArts videogames preview (with Star Wars: The Old Republic and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed DLC wowing the crowd), and information on the upcoming first season DVD and Blu-ray release of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The only thing missing from the panel was information about the live action television show.

Supervising Director Dave Filoni was on hand to promote Star Wars: The Clone Wars, stating that the new season would be dark like Empire Strikes Back. He described the second season as “adult”, “serious”, “mature” and “scarier”. Apparently, The Clone Wars isn’t just for children anymore.

The second season will also feature more bounty hunters. Cad Bane will return to do the dirty work for Palpatine, and fan favorites Bossk, Aurra Sing and some guy named Boba Fett will be featured as well. Audiences were treated to a glimpse of a troubled young Boba Fett wearing a poncho and his iconic helmet determined to take down Obi-Wan and any other Jedi that got in his way.

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Its not like this should be a surprise to anyone. After all, Olivia Munn is a self-professed Star Wars nerd and often makes her fans extremely happy by dressing as their favorite Star Wars princess — complete with slave outfit. Example on the right.

So it makes perfect sense that she would want to utilize her Star Wars knowledge and also her creative abilities in a new way. And what better way then by producing and starring in some cool new Star Wars fan films? I can’t think of a better way and apparently, Olivia agrees because she just signed a deal with Atom.com to produce and star in fan films exactly like we are talking about.

Want to know more? Of course you do. Fortunately, here’s all the info from the official Atom.com press release:

ATOM.COM JOINS FORCES WITH OLIVIA MUNN TO PRODUCE

STAR WARS FAN FILMS

“Operation Olivia” Videos To Premiere With Munn’s Appearance At

Atom.com And Lucasfilm Events At Comic-Con On Friday And Saturday Nights

“Operation Olivia” Site Debuts Saturday At http://olivia.atom.com

Atom.com announced today that Olivia Munn –Attack of the Show co-host, current Playboy cover girl, and all-around geek goddess — has signed to star in and executive-produce Star Wars fan films for the digital comedy network.

Munn is joining Atom at San Diego Comic-Con International this weekend to premiere the first of the Star Wars-themed videos she is producing through “Operation Olivia: The Star Wars Challenge,” a new online destination that will launch Saturday, July 25 at http://olivia.atom.com. (Select photos from Munn’s first fan film production are already available on the site.)