Good Morning, Youtinians. We wanted to send our thoughts and prayers to the friends and family of James Earl Jones after his passing on Monday at the age of 93. Iconically, he voiced Darth Vader, amongst many other roles, including the Lion King's Mufasa.

— JG Carse, Emmi Conner, and Doc B

Remembering James Earl Jones (1931-2024)

On Monday, September 9, we learned that the iconic James Earl Jones had passed away at 93. For many of us, he has been the voice of Darth Vader throughout films, television, and video games. In addition to the Dark Lord of the Sith, his 60-year career included nearly 200 credits. He's one of only 27 entertainers to have achieved EGOT status.

Emmy: Throughout his television career, he earned eight Emmy nominations. His victories came in 1991 for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Special as Junius Jackson in TNT's Heat Wave and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series as Gabriel Bird in ABC's Gabriel’s Fire.

Grammy: He was nominated for a Grammy in spoken word categories three times. In 1977, he, along with Helen Hayes, Orson Welles, and Henry Fonda, took home the Grammy for Best Spoken Word Recording for Great American Documents.

Oscar: 1989’s Field of Dreams earned him three Oscar nominations; however, he came up just short for each. Additionally, he received a nomination for Best Actor for 1970’s The Great White Hope. Finally, in 2011, he received a Lifetime Achievement Academy Honorary Award. 

Tony: Jones earned four Tony nominations, winning Best Actor in a Play twice, for The Great White Hope in 1969 and The Fences in 1987. He also received the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre in 2017.

His other accolades include a Golden Globe, the 2002 Kennedy Center Honors, the Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement in 2009, and the National Board of Review Career Achievement Award in 1995.

The only appropriate way to conclude this celebration of life is to end with this quote:

The Reviews Are In For Star Wars Outlaws

Star Wars Outlaws has been out for about two weeks now. The initial reviews have all come in, and we’ve got a general idea of how players feel about the game set in a galaxy far, far away.

Critics vs Players: As with most forms of entertainment, the critics’ reviews of Outlaws are, well, more critical than most players’ reviews, but it seems like there are several valid reasons for that disparity. While players mostly seem to be enjoying the game, a few bugs affected the experience straight from the onset — particularly for PS5 users who had to restart the game after several hours of initial gameplay due to a bug that has now been patched.

Julian Gerighty, the game's director, has admitted he is “a little disappointed” with the critical review so far. However, he is happy with players’ connection to and enjoyment of the game and plans to keep improving his product as Ubisoft moves forward.

Price vs Value: Players who wanted early access to the game coughed up the steep price of $109.99, but now that the release is behind us, Star Wars Outlaws will cost you $69.99. With the generally warmer reception from players and the promises of improvement from Gerighty, it seems like Outlaws is probably worth that price for the incredible fun of exploring the galaxy, interacting within some of the most iconic settings in Star Wars, and finding your own path among a host of dangerous crime syndicates ready to cut ties at the slightest hint of betrayal.

We're all fine here now — how are you? Several members of the Youtini team have vastly enjoyed Star Wars Outlaws so far while also recognizing areas with room for improvement. Do you think you’ll pick up the game for yourself?

Celebrating a Decade of Star Wars Canon

Wow! How a decade flies through hyperspace on us! Yes, Youtinians, this year marks the moment in 2014 when Lucasfilm opened the door to a new era in Star Wars lore.

Why the reboot?: Remembering that George Lucas sold Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012, only two years later, the new Disney leadership decided to classify all Star Wars material (except films and The Clone Wars TV series) as Star Wars Legends. Importantly for our fandom, the rebranding meant these stories were noncanonical or no longer part of the recognized storyline.

What launched the ‘New Canon’: Lucasfilm released two ground-breaking projects to mark the arrival of this new timeline, and they both changed the face of Star Wars fandom forever.

1. Star Wars: A New Dawn: The novel by John Jackson Miller delved into the years after Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith and the beginning of the Age of the Empire, ruled by His Imperial Majesty the Emperor Palpatine. This set the scene for the TV series released a couple of weeks later.

2. Star Wars Rebels: The first animated show by Disney-owned Lucasfilm, and what a hit from Dave Filoni and company! The 2014 show served as a prequel to Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope and introduced us to new favorite characters of Hera, Kanan, Zeb, Chopper, Sabine, Ezra, Thrawn, and so many more!

We’re all fine here now — how are you? With an entire decade of interconnected stories behind us and a wide open future ahead, we are excited about the new additions in the next decade. Continue to follow Youtini as we explore and celebrate the galaxy we love.

🛰️ In the Youtiniverse

Last week, we asked who you were most excited to see in the Mandalorian and Grogu based on what we know so far. Here are the results:

• Zeb: 48%

• Mando: 19%

• Grogu: 17%

• Sigourney’s Character: 12%

• Other: 4%

While news will be sparse, the next big update should come next year during Star Wars Celebration in Japan.

🚀 Ready for Dispatch

• Ahsoka has won its first Emmy. The accolade came over the weekend in the costume category for the eighth episode.

• Don’t forget that the Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy miniseries releases this week on Friday, September 13. The four-episode special event is sure to give us an entertaining new look at what could have been in Star Wars.

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