Solo: A Star Wars Story is coming this week — right after the thirtieth anniversary of Ron Howard and George Lucas working together on Willow!
JediShua and shazbazzar prepare for Solo: A Star Wars Story by digging out Brian Daley’s Han Solo books, playing some games featuring the Millennium Falcon, and watching Willow (again).
Thirty Years with Willow
and Solo: A Star Wars Story
Thirty years ago, Ron Howard and George Lucas teamed up to make a movie. That movie was Willow. This Friday, the Howard/Lucas connection returns with Solo: A Star Wars Story. And we’re kicking the hype up a notch by revisiting Willow, replaying video games featuring the Millennium Falcon, rereading the Brian Daley Han Solo novels, and joking around. And if you don’t think it’s worth 77 minutes of your day, listen at 2x the speed and only waste 38 1/2 minutes!
In the NEWS
Sledgehammer might get a reboot, but The Greatest American Hero reboot pilot didn’t get picked up by ABC. A potential G.I. Joe spinoff featuring Snake Eyes is in early stages of writing. A Willow sequel has been hinted by Ron Howard. PLUS: some new details about Disney’s Star Wars resort and next year’s Celebration!
We Love Our Cereal…
…with Star Wars masks on the back or plastic droids inside. With Solo: A Star Wars Story coming this week, we chat about some of our favorite Star Wars cereal crossovers and premiums. Plus, Shane in Grand Rapids lets us know about Toucan Sam’s nose and a new version of Froot Loops cereal.
Willow
Val Kilmer and Joanne Whalley met on the set of Willow more than thirty years ago. And though they didn’t last in real life, their chemistry still reacts well on screen thirty years later. Willow premiered on May 20, 1988 to appreciative audiences who loved seeing Warwick Davis as the lead as Willow, the reluctant hero who achieves greatness through persistence and a little help from friends, both big and small. With magic, swashbuckling, and special effects, Willow continues to thrill the homes of TechnoRetro Dads today!
TechnoRetro Arcade
Fly the Millennium Falcon in Atari’s vector-graphic The Empire Strikes Back arcade game or the axonometric Return of the Jedi game just a couple years later. Play Falcon Gunner on your iPhone or iPad or dust off your Super Nintendo for a sluggish ride through hyperspace in Super Star Wars Return of the Jedi. On modern consoles, you can soar in the iconic ship in Battlefront and Disney Infinity. And for those who can deal with the vertigo of immersive gaming, Star Wars Battle Pods allows you to climb into the pilot seat and punch it with Chewie.
Star Wars Scrapbook
Not long after Splinter of the Mind’s Eye enjoyed success in bookstores, Brian Daley’s Han Solo at Star’s End kicked off a trilogy of late-seventies / early-eighties novels featuring our favorite scoundrel, Han Solo. Rounding out the Daley novels were Han Solo’s Revenge and Han Solo and the Lost Legacy. These books were shazbazzar’s introduction to the Expanded Universe and still hold up as a fun look into Han Solo’s life before meeting Luke and Leia.
Thanks for tuning in to TechnoRetro Dads, EarBuds! Don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, and join discussions about toys, cereal, games, movies and/or shows from the ‘70s and ‘80s by giving the ‘Dads your feedback via voice mail at (209) 878-7323 or sending us a message or mp3 via electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com.
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Join shazbazzar and JediShua each week for a look back at the ’70s and ’80s as they share the fun and also fandom of their youth with their families, friends, and EarBuds. Topics include TV, film, music, toys, and games of the ’70s and ’80s as well as franchises which have continued into the 21st Century, like Star Wars, Willow, and Sledgehammer. TechnoRetro Dads creates new stories as old legends are passed down from one generation to the next.
If you’re a TechnoRetro Dad, the child of one, or just appreciate the ’70s and ’80s, then this podcast is definitely for you!