Review: Star Wars Insider #217 Celebrates 40 Years of Return of the Jedi

The latest issue of Star Wars Insider hits shelves on March 14th (US and Canada) and April 13th (UK), and kicks off the celebrations of the 40th anniversary of Return of the Jedi with an in-depth look back at the film and its impact on storytelling over the past four decades. The issue also features interviews with creators and actors from current-day projects, including Andor and The Mandalorian.







Read on for an overview of all the content you can get your hands on when the magazine releases.



The End of the Beginning



40 years ago, the third instalment of the original Star Wars trilogy hit theatres and brought the story to a close. But as we know, this was only the beginning for our favourite franchise. Star Wars Insider explores how key moments and reveals from the film have an impact today, such as how Obi-Wan's explanation of his 'certain point of view' about Darth Vader informed Hayden Christensen's dialogue when he said that he 'killed' Anakin in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series.



As the conclusion of the trilogy, Return of the Jedi brought in many great elements that have continued to be explored. Not the least of these is Ian McDiarmid's casting as Emperor Palpatine. Star Wars Insider looks at how the Emperor and so many other characters have been fleshed out over the prequel and sequel trilogies and Disney Plus series.



Yub Nub!







Love them or hate them, you can't think of Return of the Jedi without picturing the Ewoks. Star Wars Insider gathered three of the original performers behind them to reminisce on their experience playing everyone's favourite murder-teddy-bears. The actors talk about the joys and challenges of filming the battle scenes for the Ewoks (which were shot separately from the village scenes, with very few actors involved in both shoots), from running in a rubber bear suit through explosions to scaring their castmates while in costume!



Giancarlo Esposito Interview



The actor, who plays Moff Gideon in The Mandalorian, discusses his film and television career and what drew him to the role of the Imperial warlord. You can read our recap of the interview here.



Antonio Viña Interview







The actor, who played 'Kassa' in the first three episodes of Andor, talks about his first experiences with Star Wars and how he was thrilled that fellow Mexican Diego Luna was cast as Cassian Andor in Rogue One before he got the opportunity to play a younger version of the character in Andor. Viña talks about his experience getting the part and the challenge of being the only non-native English speaker on set while simultaneously getting to grips with the Kenari language. The actor is high in his praise of director Toby Haynes and says he would love to work with him again. We don't know if further flashbacks are planned for Andor, but we will watch his career with great interest.



Andor Companion



A full recap of all the episodes of Andor's first season, accompanied by interview snippets from the cast and crew as well as stills from the series. Relive the journey of Cassian from self-interested mercenary to Rebel leader.



The Inside Story of Star Wars: Timelines







The authors of the upcoming reference book Star Wars: Timelines, which explores the history of the galaxy from before the High Republic era to the conclusion of the Skywalker Saga, sit down to talk about their process and inspirations for this book.



Pushing Boundaries: John Knoll Interview



The visual effects wizard opens up about his early career and journey into filmmaking. John talks about how the original effects team for Star Wars inspired his work for ILM and pushed him into innovating new technology when working on The Phantom Menace. This is the first of a two-part interview that will conclude in the next issue.



Exclusive High Republic Fiction



More in the Tales of Enlightenment series by George Mann, which continues to look at the ordinary citizens of Jedha during the events of the High Republic's Phase 2. In No Such Thing as a Bad Customer: Part One, things get tense when two members of opposing factions sit down for a drink at the Enlightenment bar.



As always, Star Wars Insider also includes updates on the latest books, comics, and collectibles, plus stories from the worldwide fandom.



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