Good Morning Youtinians. We appreciate the support and feedback that we received from our launch email. And yes, we are definitely still continuing our Star Wars coverage 😉.

While we’re busier than ever since our company announcement, it’s important for us to remember to take time to recharge by doing the things we love. For some of us it’s loading into a match of Fortnite, for others it’s predicting and analyzing the Oscars, or reading some Cosmere. Whatever it is for you, get out there and explore your favorite fandom or discover some new ones.

— Corey Helton & JG Carse

Obi-Wan Kenobi and Andor Finally Get a Physical Release!

Is it time to block out a space on your bookshelves for your brand-new physical media collection? We believe so! Disney and Lucasfilm announced they are releasing the complete Obi-Wan Kenobi miniseries and Andor season one on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray. This is the first physical media release for these beloved Disney+ shows, which both debuted in 2022.

Bonus Features! Along with announcing this release, Disney and Lucasfilm also revealed some incredible bonus features! Here at Youtini, we are particularly excited about the breakdown of Obi-Wan and Darth Vader’s lightsaber duels by Deborah Chow, Ewan McGregor, and Hayden Christensen included in the Obi-Wan Kenobi set. But there are plenty of interesting features coming with Andor as well, including a deep dive into the rebellious roles of characters such as Mon Mothma and Luthen Rael.

Why buy physical media? Digital streaming has become the new cable over the last ten years or so. However, there has recently been a shift backward toward the reemerging importance of physical media. For some fans, owning a physical copy of their favorite movies and television shows demonstrates just how important that particular media and the experience of watching it are to them. And there is a definite argument to be made about the quality of digital streaming vs something like a 4K UHD Blu-ray disc.

We’re all fine here now—how are you? Do you plan to build a physical media collection of Star Wars shows/movies? Let us know in the Youtini Discord and in the poll below!

The Oscar Legacy of John Williams

The nominations for the 96th Academy Awards were announced on January 23, 2024. John Williams received his 54th nomination for best original score for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, which is the most for any living person. Only Walt Disney has more nominations, with a total of 59. 

Context: At age 92, Williams is also the oldest person to receive an Oscar nomination, with his first coming in 1967 for Valley of the Dolls. Despite all of those nominations, he has only won five times: Fiddler on the Roof, Jaws, Star Wars, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and Schindler's List.

Fandom Fusion: Williams' work has gone beyond films into amusement parks, sports, and more. He created the theme and ambient music for Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge and composed “Olympic Fanfare and Theme” for the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics as well as “The Olympic Spirit”(1988), “Summon the Heroes” (1996), and “Call of the Champions” (2002).  

We’re all fine here now—how are you? What is your favorite John Williams score? Let us know in our Discord as we celebrate the legendary composer.  

Caitlin Clark Continues to Make NCAA Basketball History

On February 15 against Michigan, Caitlin Clark became the leading scorer in NCAA women's history, passing Kelsey Plum's record set in 2017.

Only two weeks later, on March 3, she became the lead scorer in all of NCAA Division 1 basketball, men's and women's. No other person has scored more points than Clark in college basketball history. It’s an unbelievable accomplishment.

Context: Clark went into the final game of the regular season against Ohio State needing 18 points to pass Pete Maravich's record set during his career from 1967-1970. With under a second left in the first half, she successfully made two free throws to secure the record and extend Iowa's lead to 48-39 at halftime.

More Accolades: On March 8, in a win against Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament, she passed Steph Curry to set the all-time record for three-point field goals in a single NCAA Division 1 season. She has won many awards throughout her college career, including Player of the Year,  First Team All-American, season scoring leader, and more.

Future: Clark has the option to stay and play for a fifth year due to the COVID-19 pandemic; however, she has declared that she will enter the 2024 Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) Draft.

💭 Mindful Moment

Mark Dodson, best known to Star Wars fans as the voice of Jabba the Hutt’s small pet, Salacious B. Crumb, passed away last week at the age of 64.

Alongside the iconic Crumb, Dodson lent his voice to other creatures in Return of the Jedi, including a few Ewoks.

Though Salacious B. Crumb only had mere seconds of screentime, the maniacal laugh given to him by Mark Dodson has cemented his character in the hearts of Star Wars fans across the galaxy.

Take a moment to think back on your fondest memory of the character. Do you have a special memory of hearing the famous laugh? Let’s remember and appreciate this moment of mourning together.

🛰️ In the Youtiniverse

• Dune: Part Two is all the buzz right now, including at Youtini. In the most recent Youtini YouTube video, Eric breaks down the things that Star Wars used from Dune.

• Bounty Hunt, a Youtini Network Podcast is back covering The Bad Batch. Catch up on the first few episodes and follow along for the remainder of the final season.

• Youtini’s review is available for the most recent addition to Phase III of The High Republic, Defy the Storm by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland is the first Young Adult book in this new phase of the era. It continues the chronicle of the Republic’s struggle to disable the Nihil’s Stormwall.

🚀 Ready For Dispatch

• Star Tours is getting an update! This April, characters and locations from Star Wars Disney+ shows will be added to the Disneyland and Disneyworld attraction.

• Brandon Sanderson launched the Backerkit Campaign for the special edition printing of Words of Radiance, the second book in the Stormlight Archive Series. In a video kicking off the campaign, Sanderson revealed that he had secretly written another book set to release in 2025.

• The Wild Robot is Dreamworks Animation’s next movie, set to release on September 20, 2024. Based on Peter Brown's book series of the same name, the story follows a robot forced to adapt and survive after shipwrecking on an inhabited island. Star Wars alum, Pedro Pascal and Mark Hamill both voice roles in the movie.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem director signs first-look deal at Paramount Animation. Jeff Rowe is currently working on the sequel to Mutant Mayhem and is known for the critically acclaimed, Oscar-nominated Netflix film The Mitchel’s vs. the Machines.

• The Oakland A’s revealed new ballpark renderings. The team's new Vegas home will seat 33,000 fans and have an 18,000-square-foot jumbotron, the largest in the league. With the plan to relocate moving forward, the ballpark is scheduled to open in 2028.