Good Morning Youtinians.  An overwhelming majority, 95% of voters last week, are excited for Andor Season 2. In the meantime, we have the rest of The Acolyte, Skeleton Crew, and Young Jedi Adventures season 2 to keep our TV screens busy while we eagerly await.

— JG Carse, Emmi Conner, and Doc B

A ‘Gold’en Time for Star Wars Outlaws

If you want to build your skills as a cunning scoundrel in the Outer Rim and Unknown Regions of a galaxy far, far, away, then breathe Rey, breathe! Confirmation appeared on X (Twitter) that the d-day to battle the Pykes, Crimson Dawn, the Hutts, and Zerek Besh as Kay Vess is ever-closer, as Ubisoft confirmed: #StarWarsOutlaws has “GONE GOLD”!

What does this mean? “Gone Gold” (shorthand for gold master) is a gaming industry term that originated in the old gaming world when a gold recordable CD was a stage of development in a new computer game. Moving forward a few decades, a “Gone Gold” on social media now indicates that Star Wars: Outlaws is nearly ready for the public. The final master copy is in hand, and production copies will be ready to ship to retailers soon. Granted, there are still a few parsecs before we can become Kay Vess and battle Sliro, but August 30th is just around the corner!!

Who is Kay Vess? “The underworld’s favorite new scoundrel!” the Official Story Trailer exclaims. She emerges as a player from Canto Bight and quickly becomes a feared outlaw as her missions and skills become more dangerous daily. In Outlaws, Kay finds herself with a bounty on her head after her last mission goes terribly wrong. Instead of running, she goes big and plans to pull off one of the greatest “death wish” heists ever seen!

From the Creative Director: Earlier this year, Creative Director Julian Gerighty sat down for an interview with starwars.com to discuss the excitement and adventure that awaits the fandom when the game finally releases, but as Yoda says, “A Jedi craves not these things!” So, let’s pass on some of our favorite things we have learned:

1. The game explores the dynamics between the rogue, Kay Vess and her pet, Nix, and the syndicates, and between the syndicates themselves.

2. Inspiration for the game came from the Original Trilogy, but more importantly, Rogue One and Solo.

3. Two new worlds, in particular, excite Gerighty: Toshara and its huge city, Mirogana, which is bursting full of scum, and Akiva, from the Aftermath books, which has a huge tree in the middle of its cantina.

At Youtini,  the Force guides us to the June 11 Dispatch. We covered the brand-new open-world game details comprehensively in a past newsletter. So, spend a moment to revisit our summaries, recap on the awesome features we expect, and generally nerd out on what is going to be an epic addition to the Star Wars galaxy with other fans in the Younited Discord!

The Lightwhip in Legends and Canon

If you’ve been following along the Star Wars publishing journey centered around the golden age of the High Republic, then you’ve no doubt enjoyed the wide variety of weapons seen for the first time or reintroduced from Legends. The most iconic among these, though, is definitely Vernestra Rwoh’s purple lightwhip!

Vernestra’s Lightwhip: Featured in The High Republic novels and comics and The Acolyte, Vernestra Rwoh’s lightwhip is one of the most fascinating weapons of this era. The weapon works as a variation of Vern’s lightsaber, easily switching between modes, allowing her to engage in the typical close combat of lightsaber duels or drive her enemies backward by extending the weapon into its whip form. But Vernestra is not the first Jedi — or Force user in general — to use a lightwhip in Star Wars. 

The Lightwhip in Legends: The weapon first appeared in Legends and has been referenced several times, typically as a favorite among Sith Lords and the infamous Nightsisters of Dathomir. Perhaps that dark origin is among the reasons the young Vernestra hesitates to present her modified saber to the Council. The lightwhip appeared in several comics over the years and sometimes had a distinctly different look compared to what we’ve seen from Vern’s, including the ability to break off into various strands to ensnare a victim. One of the more notorious lightwhip wielders in Legends was Darth Vader’s apprentice, Lumiya, who built the weapon from Mandalorian metals and used it in battle against Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade.

The Lightwhip in Canon: As you may know, Vern is the most well-known user of the lightwhip since the Disney acquisition, but she is actually not the first. In the third episode of Volume I of Star Wars: Visions, a dark side character first wields six lightsabers at once — think General Grievous but human — then later turns each saber into a lightwhip. Even though these animated shorts are not considered Canon, this episode was still a cool way to reintroduce the weapon. Now, The High Republic series writers have fully Canonized the weapon. 

We're all fine here now — how are you? The High Republic features so many cool weapons, and Vern’s lightwhip is only the beginning. We invite you to join the Younited Discord to chat with other fans about this era's amazing weapons and other feats!

🛰️ In the Youtiniverse

• Some of the Legends Lookback crew met in person to catch up and record a live episode. This special, silly episode includes a bit of Legends discussion, a fun game, and loads of craziness. 

• Karl, the Dispatch’s incredible editor, wrote a helpful guide for Star Wars fans seeking the behind-the-scenes magic of TV documentaries. From Light and Magic to The Gallery, fans have many options to gain insight into the franchise's production, impact, and more.  

• Nathan guides readers through the expansive world of Zelda video games. With many games dating back to the ‘80s, the franchise has reinvented itself over the years, giving gamers many opportunities to start playing.

🚀 Ready for Dispatch

• Over the weekend, Apple Studios released the first look at F1 starring Brad Pitt. Filming for the movie took place at real F1 races, adding to its realism. It’s currently scheduled to release on June 25, 2025, internationally and on June 27 in North America. 

• Marvel released the first official teaser trailer for Agatha All Along. The trailer gives the first look at the campy yet also horror influence where “the infamous Agatha Harkness finds herself down and out of power after a suspicious goth teen helps break her free from a distorted spell.”

• Alex Bowman broke an 80-race winless streak over the weekend at the Chicago Street Race in a wet and wild weekend. With a set end time in place, they raced towards that and not a set distance due to the inclement weather that paused the race twice.  

• Summer X Games Ventura was held over the weekend in California. Both men’s and women’s events focus on Skateboarding and BMX skills, with competitors from around the world coveting a gold medal. The event is a warm-up for the BMX Racing, BMX Freestyle, and Skateboarding in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

• The Dallas Mavericks have signed a trade deal involving six teams to acquire the Warrior’s Klay Thompson. Thompson, a five-time All-Star and one-half of the Splash Brothers with Steph Curry, could support Luka Doncic’s championship aspirations in 2025.

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