Will The Saga Continue For Leia?

Posted on July 29, 2018 by nowherecaliforniapodcast

(Joshua Gilmore-Staff Writer)

As “The Last Jedi” faded to black, there have been multiple questions that have lingering and most of those questions will continue to be debated for years to come, but one question did stand out above most and that is how would Leia’s story end? That question was answered with the announcement of “Episode IX” production starting August 1^st and the cast being revealed with Carrie Fisher being listed in the talented cast.

“We desperately loved Carrie Fisher,” J.J. Abrams said in the announcement on StarWars.com. “Finding a truly satisfying conclusion to the Skywalker saga without her eluded us. We were never going to recast or use a CG character. With the support and blessing from her daughter, Billie, we have found a way to honor Carrie’s legacy and role as Leia in Episode IX by using unseen footage we shot together in Episode VII.”

This announcement added to an every growing roster of returning name from the current incarnation of this immortal saga; Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joona Suotamo, and Billie Lourd are set to return. Also, Naomi Ackie from “Doctor Who”, Richard E. Grant from “LOGAN”, and Keri Russell from “The Americans” will be joining the cast, but their characters still are unknown at this time.

During this series of films, the legacy has been held in high importance and some familiar faces have returned to continue the link from the past to the present. This will not be different with “Episode IX”, as Mark Hamill will be return (unsurprisingly) as Luke Skywalker. In “The Last Jedi” we were left wondering what could be next in Rey’s training and the answer could be coming in the form of a “Force Spirit”. Also, Anthony Daniels will be returning as C-3PO and Billy Dee Williams will return to the galaxy far…far away as Lando Calrissian.

“Star Wars: Episode IX” has not received a title, but with this stream of news and production starting soon, the people that miss their general and still mourn for their princess can feel the proper closure to the Skywalker saga.

Episode IX will be in theaters December 20, 2019.

NowhereCalifornia.com Reaches Its First Year..

Posted on June 1, 2016 by nowherecaliforniapodcast

(Joshua Gilmore- Staff Writer)

It started one year ago today, this site was launched and took the concept of Nowhere California to a whole new level.

Nowhere California started in 2011 and it was just another conversation between two friends, but these conversation started taking place in front of a microphone and unleashed on the internet. It was as simple as that, but as Nowhere California evolved, the team grew and new accomplishments were reach.

The episodes started to grow and the team ventured out of the Nowhere city limits, as they dove into the world of conventions and conducting interviews. It was with each accomplishment, the Nowhere California family stuck to their ideals of what they wanted to produce and not to become just another podcast.

It was that mindset that grew into this website and, as we mark our first year on the net, we want to simply say THANK YOU.

Thank you for following the journey of Nowhere California.

Thank you for listening to the original podcast and all of the other podcast that have sprung from this little idea.

Thank you for checking out this site

And thank you for continuing this adventure with us.

Captain Phasma will return for Episode VIII

Posted on February 2, 2016 by nowherecaliforniapodcast

(Nicholas Dye/Staff Writer)

What this writer believes was the ONLY disappointing aspect of the mega-smash hit that was The Force Awakens, was the lack of Captain Phasma. Shining metallic Stormtrooper armor, that black and red cape menacingly slung over her left shoulder with an even more menacing blaster rifle in her right hand, not to mention the fact that SHE is the first female villain in Star Wars film history, and she was here and gone in the blink of an eye. Well apparently not.

At the recent SAG awards, Gwendoline Christie was asked about her role in Star Wars Episode VIII. “I will be in the next Star Wars movie. I think that’s an exclusive, actually.” Christie readily divulged. She also spoke on her enthusiasm at playing the part and how much she wanted that role. In Game of Thrones, as Brienne of Tarth, Christie has been a force to be reckoned with so it is no surprise that her confident stature and fierce attitude were a perfect fit for the commander of the New Order forces. That sentiment was obviously echoed by J.J. Abrams who immediately cast Christie in a role that was originally written for a man. We can expect more from the impressive (and gorgeous) Gwendoline Christie when she hits the screen as Captain Phasma in Star Wars: Episode VIII on December 15, 2017.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens – I am definitely awake!

Posted on December 24, 2015 by nowherecaliforniapodcast

(Pilot Porter.Staff Writer)

I write this now being a little over 4 days from my completion of a movie, which I have been anticipating for my entire life. That is not a dramatic sentiment meant to define the gravitas of my eagerness, I was born in 1984 and Return of the Jedi was premiered in 1982, so the math adds up. Growing up a Star Wars fan I had always heard of the possibility of a final trilogy, but once the prequels were put on the docket I among many others started believing that our anticipated final trilogy was no more, left to the annals of the Extended Universe. But then on October 30^th, 2012 a shirtless little mouse announced, his owners will make our final trilogy.

They will do it fast, and they will throw a bunch of other stuff in as well, just because we asked nicely. Never let it be said that Walt Disney pictures would not make the most profitable drug dealers in the world, if they turned their attention to organized crime. Most of you reading this have probably been following The Wars for quite some time, so I will spare you the boring history lesson. If you would like to discuss Star Wars history, by all means tweet me, @thedougporter!! Since history discussions will be saved for later, I wanted to write about what The Force Awakens has done for me as a…..it pains me to say this….a lapsed Star Wars fan.

Yes, over the last few years my interest in the fandom of Star Wars has been on a slow, slow, slow, sloth like journey to dormancy. That isn’t to say that the Galaxy far far away had been any less important to me, I have it tattooed on my body…TWICE! I just found myself getting less excited with the “day to day” of the Star Wars fandom. But this movie has AWOKEN (PUN) the fan that waited 5 days outside a theatre for Attack of the Clones.

I think it is fair to say at this point if you’re a fan of Star Wars you have seen this movie at least once, but if you haven’t PLEASE COME BACK AFTER YOU’VE SEEN IT, cause there will be rosebud type spoilers aplenty. I will give you a minute to get out of eye sight before I continue….

Well I think burying the lead at this point is futile so, WTF HAN IS GONE!?!?!?!?!?! I am still in mourning from this scene. I have cried multiple times in my life, but I have wept 4 times in my life. Han’s death was the latest. Now before you judge me for being a copy of cryingfwife.com I would like you to understand something. I spent quite a lot of time growing up by myself watching movies, because as we all know the outside sucks! I would on average watch one of the original trilogy a day. I consistently ran the marathon once I had gotten a TV in my room, so the characters became my pseudo family. Always there when I needed them, never leaving, never making fun of me, always encouraging. Han Solo was the epitome of the man I was hoping to become in my adult life. Now as an adult, I have realized that Han’s death was meant to affect us on an ever deeper level than just losing a familiar figure head, losing Han was the symbol of losing our childhood. The story of Star Wars has always followed Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey and one of the key turning points is The Death of the Mentor. This is the moment that the hero’s innocent, childlike life, is forever changed and puts said hero on the final part of the journey towards heroism.

Han was our mentor, he was the non-believer who we could relate to while watching Luke takes these steps into the force. Now, JJ Abrams wants us to take our own journey with Rey, how do we do that? Remove our mentor. By removing our mentor we have to take this journey with her, we have no one else to look to, we alone are the deciders of our destiny. Plus, added bonus Kylo Ren has become just more evil than Darth Vader in the eyes of the fandom. Which will make his inevitable fight with Luke that much sweeter….unless JJ wants to completely tie up all loose ends and kill him too. Wouldn’t that be something, eh?

The Verdict! Star Wars: Battlefront

Posted on November 27, 2015 by nowherecaliforniapodcast

(Nicholas Dye: Staff Writer)

I must admit, I am a bit behind in this posting. Was it due to the madness of the pending holiday? Perhaps it was the fact I have a 6 month old daughter I care for? Or maybe it was simply because I am a die-hard Star Wars nerd and I didn’t want to put down my controller to write this damn article! Yeah , that last one was probably it. As I am writing this, my inner 7 year old is screaming at me to get back to the game so I will keep this brief.

I bought the deluxe edition version of Star Wars: Battlefront for the PS4 and couldn’t wait to try Jakku from the upcoming Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens. Unbeknownst to me, that sneaky bastard J.J. Abrams delayed play until December 8th! Keeps the air of mystery I suppose but I digress. The deluxe edition of the game gives you the DL-44 blaster, better known as Han Solo’s blaster, the Ion Grenade, Ion Torpedo, Ion Shock emote, Victory emote, and eventually, Jakku.

The thing that grabs you right away is the extreme attention to detail that EA/DICE has put into this game, from the sparkling of the ice on Hoth, to the small bugs and marsh creatures that bring Endor to life. The sound is the next quality that I adore. All of the traditional sounds that make Star Wars so rich and immersive are present. You get the familiar “roar” of the TIE fighter, the gravely sound of Slave-1 as it accelerates into battle. My personal favorite is the “wat-wat” sound from the laser fire that erupts from an X-Wing. This game holds nothing back in it’s attempt (and success!) to bring you into the world of Star Wars.

Now, I am a big first person shooter guy and I expect a certain level of customization in my experiences and load outs. While, you cannot put a long range scope onto Boba Fett’s EE-3 blaster, you do get to pick what weapons you want to take into battle. Each weapon serves it’s purpose and many can be well suited for any map big or small. For instance, Han’s DL-44 hits like a truck but is limited in it’s effective range. There’s even a modified Jawa stun weapon that is more like a sawed-off shotgun in that it couldn’t hit the wall 15 feet away but will kill you dead 5-7 feet away. The secondary weapons come in the form of cards that you hold. Not like Magic the Gathering but you have a “hand” of three cards you can carry which are two weapons like a thermal grenade or homing missile and the third being an ability like focus fire which is…pretty self-explanatory.

Back in the day, (a term used by old people like me to vaguely reference some point in our past) I was a HUGE X-Wing player on the computer. Much like that PHENOMENAL commercial for Battlefront that featured the two brothers reuniting in the cockpit of an X-Wing, I wanted to be transported back to that feeling. I am happy to say, Battlefront, did not disappoint!! There is an entire game lobby dedicated to vehicle dog fighting and it is absolutely stunning. Saddle up in an X-Wing or an A-Wing for the Alliance or a TIE fighter or TIE interceptor for the empire and special upgrades allow you to pilot the Millennium Falcon or Slave-1.

To wrap this up, I will leave you with this: Star Wars: Battlefront may not have the customization of other first person shooters but that is the only avenue it lacks in. It runs the spectrum of map sizes and the graphics are immersive. Where it it may fall short in the scope of games like Battlefield and Call of Duty, it completely makes up for in action and nostalgia. With the upcoming Star Wars VII, I can only imagine the a galaxy far, far away is going to get a hell of a lot bigger. I will gladly give this 4.5 out of 5.

A New Trailer From A Galaxy Far, Far Away..

Posted on October 20, 2015 by nowherecaliforniapodcast

(Joshua Gilmore-Staff Writer)

The world is around 58 days away from returning to a galaxy far, far away and Lucas Films has given us our biggest taste of episode VII. Here is the trailer for Star Wars Episode VII: THE FORCE AWAKENS..

This trailer continues to do the right job, by giving you enough to not give everything away and keeps you wanting more. It will be hard for the most jaded Star Wars fans not to get goosebumps by this trailer, as the passion of this franchise continues to burn and grow in the hands of this generation. The legacy and force will endure.

Just a friendly reminder, if a reminder is needed, Star Wars Episode VII: THE FORCES AWAKENS will be in theaters December 18th.

D23 Expo brings a “Galaxy far far Away” much much closer

Posted on August 21, 2015 by nowherecaliforniapodcast

(Nicholas Dye, Staff Writer)

Disney’s D23 Expo took place in Anaheim California over this last weekend and if we learned ANYTHING from the event it is this: It is a damn good time to be a Star Wars fan! All things Star Wars took a front and center spotlight at the expo this year and yet, aside from what we’ve learned from the most recent Entertainment Weekly, there weren’t really any new details to the story of the highly anticipated Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. What we did learn is that Disneyland, as well as Disney World in Orlando Florida, will be adding a 14 acre expansion to their parks that will be completely Star Wars themed.

Walt Disney Company CEO, Bob Iger took the stage to address the fans and revealed; “We are creating a jaw-dropping new world that represents our largest single themed land expansion ever. These new lands at Disneyland and Walt Disney World will transport guests to a whole new Star Wars planet.” It was also announced that the expansion will feature an attraction that allows guests to pilot Han Solo’s ship The Millennium Falcon on a “secret mission” and will also feature “an epic Star Wars adventure that puts guest in the middle of a climactic battle.” Conceptual artwork was featured as well which you can check out below.

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