Tomorrow night’s episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars takes you into the life of Pantoran Chairman Papanioda, the character of that series creator George Lucas played in Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. In Episode III, the Chairman is only a background character, but the beauty of Clone Wars is the ability to expand upon any and all aspects of the Star Wars universe.

Lucas wore blue face paint for his cameo in Episode III. Here, he talks about why he finally made an appearance in the Star Wars films:

“My appearance in Episode III was just for fun. Mostly, I did it for my kids. I was wrapping the series, and I’d never been on-screen in a Star Wars film, even though I’d been making them for decades. With The Clone Wars, I get the best of both worlds, because I get a starring role but don’t have to do any acting or wear any blue make-up.”

Lucas’ children, Amanda, Katie, and Jett, also make an appearance in this episode of Clone Wars. Though the Lucas family did not lend their voices for the episode, you can’t complain about who was cast in their stead: Seth Green (Family Guy: It’s A Trap, Robot Chicken) voices Jett’s character, Meredith Salenger (also the voice of Barriss Offee) voices Amanda’s character, Nika Futerman (also Asajj Ventress) plays Katie’s, and George’s Papanoida character is given voice by Corey Burton (also Count Dooku, Cad Bane).

Supervising director Dave Filoni says that they’ve given Papanoida some action in Clone Wars:

“We actually made Papanoida into kind of an action hero. The bad guys have his family, and he goes after them, blasters blazing. Shoot first, ask questions later. His character is very focused on finding and protecting his kids; it’s a desperate situation, and he steps up. It’s a fun episode with a lot of action – and it’s unique, in that our normal heroes give up the spotlight while Papanoida takes matters into his own hands. This was a surreal episode to produce, since the guy on screen was sitting right next to me while we were making it.”

Sounds like George Lucas is going all Taken on this episode of Clone Wars! Check out the episode synopsis and sneak peek below:

Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Episode Synopsis “Sphere of Influence”

When Pantoran Chairman Papanoida’s family is kidnapped and held for ransom, Ahsoka Tano must team up with Senator Riyo Chuchi to aid the new chairman in recovering his family. It’s a journey deep into the dark underbelly of the Coruscant crime scene, with an unlikely – and immediately recognizable – protagonist painted into a corner and forced into action in “Sphere of Influence,” an all-new episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars – airing at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT Friday, October 1 on Cartoon Network.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Sneak Peek at “Sphere of Influence”

Watch Star Wars: The Clone Wars on Cartoon Network, Fridays at 9/8C.

[Source] Lucasfilm

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Stargate Universe SG-U: 1.5

The electrifying series starring Robert Carlyle returns, presenting a whole new set of challenges for the civilians and military personnel stranded in deep space aboard an aging spaceship. As Dr. Rush (Carlyle) races against time to locate a tracking devise hidden somewhere on the Destiny, he also begins to suspect that a mole for the Alliance has infiltrated the group. Confronting the constant demands of their ship, the crew must also face their personal demons time and again in this powerful

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Tags: Ahsoka Tano, Asajj Ventress, Cartoon Network, CLONE, Clone War, George Lucas, List of Star Wars characters, Star Wars, star-wars-clone-wars

Did you know that prior to Harrison Ford being cast as Han Solo a number of other (now) prominent actors also auditioned for the role. Some of the names included Kurt Russell, Nick Nolte, Christopher Walken, Jack Nicholson, Al Pacino, Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, Bill Murray and Perry King.

Good god, can you imagine Bill Murray as Han Solo? At one point George Lucas had planned for Han Solo to be a huge green-skinned monster with no nose and gills, and had that been the case then perhaps Murray might have been his man.

Word is Harrison Ford didn't audition, but he did read the part of Solo to help actors audition for the roles of other characters. It is was these readings that helped Lucas pick Ford for the role, but I'm sure it was also auditions like Kurt Russell's that helped too:

Tags: bill murray as han solo, Kurt Russell, Star Wars

As soon as I saw this Darth Talon Premium Format Figure I thought it was so cool I decided a category of 'Cool Stuff' was necessary on this site.

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