ForceFest 2020: Making Tracks – The Empire Strikes Back at 40 panel

August 30, 2020

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Yesterday saw the first day of ForceFest and Making Tracks were a part of the show as Mark and Mark chatted about all thing The Empire Strikes Back on the ForceFest Live Action Stage for its 40th anniversary, including a look back at the UK Marvel comics run between Empire and Return of the Jedi.

The Empire Strikes Back at 40

Mark Mulcaster (Rebel Legion Elstree Base Commanding Officer) and Mark Newbold (Star Wars Insider), the co-hosts of Making Tracks – part of the Fantha Tracks Radio Network – celebrate the 40th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back, looking at the UK experience, the Marvel Comics of the time and much more. Prepare to bounce around the galaxy faster than a x1 hyperdrive

Stay tuned for more event coverage on Fantha Tracks Radio, including 5 interviews from Empire40 coming to Making Tracks and Canon Fodder,

SourceForceFest

Mark Newbold

Exploring the galaxy since 1978, Mark wrote his first fan fiction in '81 and been a presence online since his first webpage Fanta War in 1996. He currently contributes to ILM.com and SkywalkerSound.com, having previously written for Star Wars Insider, StarWars.com, Star Wars Encyclopedia, Build The Millennium Falcon, Starburst Magazine, Geeky Monkey, TV Film Memorabilia and Model and Collectors Mart. He is a four-time Star Wars Celebration Stage host (the only podcaster to have appeared on every Celebration podcast stage since it began in 2015), the Daily Content Manager of Fantha Tracks and the co-host of Making Tracks, Canon Fodder and Start Your Engines on Fantha Tracks Radio.

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Counting Down To:

April 2026

mon06apr12:01 AM1:01 AMStar Wars: Maul - Shadow LordEvent starts in

May 2026

fri22may12:01 AM11:59 PMThe Mandalorian & GroguEvent ends in

Event Details

The Mandalorian and Grogu, announced as The Mandalorian & Grogu, is a Star Wars movie that started production in 2024. Directed by Jon Favreau and produced by Favreau, Kathleen Kennedy, and Dave Filoni, it takes place between the events of Episode VI: Return of the Jedi and Episode VII: The Force Awakens, focuses on the adventures of Din Djarin and Din Grogu, and will be a spinoff to the TV series Star Wars: The Mandalorian. The film was announced on January 9 that year on StarWars.com with a conceptual sketch by veteran illustrator Ryan Church, along with an announcement of a second season of the television series Star Wars: Ahsoka. A fourth season of The Mandalorian is also still in development.

On May 7, 2019, Disney revealed their future movie release schedule, including a set of three untitled new Star Wars films, one of which had a scheduled release date of December 20, 2024. The Star Wars Show also reported on the news on May 15. On July 23, 2020, after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the film was delayed to December 19, 2025. After the start of the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike, Disney shifted their theatrical film release slate, with the film being pushed to its current release date of May 22, 2026. A film directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy occupied this release slot until The Mandalorian & Grogu was announced.

Star Wars Insider 224 revealed the initial film logo was the same as the one for The Mandalorian Season Three. In August 2024, during D23 2024, it was revealed that the film had entered production, and a new logo was revealed, in addition to a teaser that was shown to the audience. In August 2024, Sigourney Weaver revealed that she had joined the cast of The Mandalorian & Grogu.

Alongside the release of the movie, Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run will be updated to include a new mission featuring Djarin, Grogu, Tatooine, Endor and Cloud City, which takes place off camera from the film.

Time

May 22, 2026 12:01 AM - 11:59 PM(GMT+01:00)

Calendar GoogleCal

February 2027

fri19feb12:01 AM11:59 PMStar Wars 50th Anniversary releaseEvent starts in

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The Empire Strikes Back at 40

Mark Mulcaster (Rebel Legion Elstree Base Commanding Officer) and Mark Newbold (Star Wars Insider), the co-hosts of Making Tracks – part of the Fantha Tracks Radio Network – celebrate the 40th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back, looking at the UK experience, the Marvel Comics of the time and much more. Prepare to bounce around the galaxy faster than a x1 hyperdrive

Stay tuned for more event coverage on Fantha Tracks Radio, including 5 interviews from Empire40 coming to Making Tracks and Canon Fodder,

SourceForceFest

Mark Newbold

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