Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is turning quite a few heads. The series' newest trailer doubles down on the Goonies-inspired vibes established in the first, confirming this Star Wars series is treading unfamiliar ground. It also dropped some interesting hints on where the series falls on the Star Wars timeline.

The official Star Wars timeline is a tangled chord that's only gotten more twisted since the series started dipping into Marvel Cinematic Universe-style storytelling. Luckily, the trailers and a few comments from the series' creators have painted a pretty clear picture of when Skeleton Crew takes place in Star Wars canon.

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew unfolds in a familiar chapter of the Star Wars timeline

Star Wars fans have had questions about Skeleton Crew's place on the timeline since the series' first trailer in August. Scenes of cookie-cutter intergalactic suburbia threw viewers for a loop since we've seen nothing like that in the current canon or the original Star Wars Expanded Universe continuity, now known as Legends.

Thanks to an official statement from director Jon Watts, we have confirmation that Skeleton Crew's events will happen during Star Wars' New Republic Era. This is the same era in which The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Ahsoka occur. Set roughly five years after Star Wars: Episode VI - The Return of the Jedi, the New Republic era explores the early days of the titular galactic democr????acy, particularly its struggle to mend the scars left behind by the Galactic Empire.

Ironically, the day-to-day politics of the New Republic have taken a backseat during the New Republic era. Overhead X-Wings flying Vs and the rumblings of the new Galactic Senate act as loose threads that tie the era's different series together and rarely matter outside the rare individual episodes that incorporate the government's goings-on into their storylines. However, it looks like Skeleton Crew might bu??ck this trend by focusing on the lives of New Repub??lic citizens.

Skeleton Crew might cross over with other Star Wars New Republic era shows

Skeleton Crew follows a group of children who accidentally send themselves careening into a far-flung corner of the galaxy on an old ship. On the surface, this premise doesn't exactly scream "crossover." However, the various New Republic Star Wars series coming out on Disney+ have been increasingly crossing wires lately. The Book of Boba Fett effectively became The Madnaolorian Season 2.5 in the second half. Ahsoka, meanwhile, pulled muscles setting up Dave Filoni's upcoming Star Wars theatrical film, pulling in characters from almost every Filoni-lead Star Wars project.

Skeleton Crew reportedly has ??a budget of over one hundred and thirty million dollars, so I find it hard to believe that we aren't in for some flashy, late-season denouement that connects it to the web Filoni's weaving. Then again, Star Wars: The Acolyte had an even bigger budget and was standalone. I guess we'll have to?? wait and see whether Skeleton Crew's young explorer??s are as alone as they think.

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Star Wars and Lego have gone together like a glass of blue milk on a hot Tatooine day for 25 years, dominating toy aisles around the world in the process. From supplying collectors with numerous takes on the Millennium Falcon, X-Wings, and Death Stars to taking the gaming world by storm on numerous occasions, the two powerhouse brands have found no shortage of prosperity during their time together. They've even taken over home media and streaming, coming together for numerous Lego Star Wars specials throughout the years. The latest in this long line of offerings, Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy, seems to be the mo??st thrilling and self-referential? one yet.

The four-part Rebuild the Galaxy miniseries puts the spotlight on Sig Greebling (Gaten Matarazzo), who uses an ancient relic to accidentally rewrite history. What ensues is all kinds of craziness, with Jar Jar Binks (Ahmed Best) becoming a Sith Lord, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) abandoning his Jedi responsibilities to be a beach bum, and more. Along the way, there's plenty of in-jokes and Easter eggs for longtime Star Wars and Lego Star Wars fans to enjoy. The arguable?? deepest cut in the entire series is the very existence of Sig's ally, Jedi Bob (Bobby Moynihan), who, despite being unknown to many fans, has a fascinating story and large preexisting fanbase behind him.

With that, let's travel to a brick-built galaxy far, far away to look back o?n the lore behind Jedi Bob.

The origin of Jedi Bob

Lego swung for the fences with its original 1999 run of Star Wars products, providing collectors and kids alike with original trilogy and Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace sets galore. Thus, the two brands' working relationship continued into the new millennium, hitting another high point in 2002 with the release of more original trilogy sets and those based on the recently released Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones. No matter how you slice it, the crème de la crème of the year's assortment ??was set 7163, the Republic Gunship, as seen for the first time in the aforementioned prequel during the Battle of Geonosis.

Though Lego was still going through some growing pains with its Star Wars offerings, the first Republic Gunship did justice to its film counterpart. The shape and colors are pretty accurate, and the minifigure selection makes sense...almost. Alongside four Republic clone troopers, two Separatist super battle droids, and a droideka is a Jedi. Not Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson), not Yoda (Frank Oz), not one of the many named supporting Jedi present on Geonosis in the final act of Attack of the Clones. Just a generic Jedi with brown and gray robes, a green lightsaber, a gray beard, ?and a smile on his fa??ce.

With no name on the box or within the set's manual, in 2009's Lego Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary, it was theorized that this random Jedi's name is Bob, as fans had sp??ecul??ated previously, and the rest is history.

Attaining meme status

Star Wars fans love few things more than a goofy side-character without a backstory, any real significance to the canon, and a funny name. Thus, Jedi Bob very much fit the bill. In the years since he was introduced, fans have taken to him as a Lego Star Wars icon. His one appearance in the Lego Star Wars line has been celebrated for decades, and as the years have gone on, he has become a pretty sought-after minifigure. Over on the secondhand Lego marketplace Bricklink (where he's designated as merely "Jedi Knight"), new, used, complete, and incom??plete copies of the original Jedi Bob minifigure go for a pretty penny.

Not only has Jedi Bob become an adored symbol of Lego Star Wars and a coveted collectible, but he has also attained meme status within the Lego Star Wars fandom. The Star Wars Memes Wiki gives him a fantastical backstory, painting him as one of the galaxy's most powerful and important Jedi ever. Meanwhile, over on Reddit, specifically r/PrequelMemes, one can find numerous Bob-centric posts. Some do the same as the Wiki and give him a wild history and insert him into the wider Star Wars canon, while others simply shine a spotlight on him, maintaining his relevance as his Lego Star Wars debut slips further into the past.

Thankfully for Bob's sizable fanbase, it doesn't seem the folks at Lego o?r Lucasfilm forgot about him, hence why they're going all out for thos??e who've waited decades for his time to shine.

Jedi Bob's return to plastic form

Bearing in mind just how loved and talked-about Jedi Bob is among Lego Star Wars enthusiasts, it's no surprise that excitement was high when he was revealed as part of Rebuild the Galaxy. He'd never appeared in Lego Star Wars media before, so the fact that he was finally getting some of the spotlight, with Saturday Night Live icon Bo?bby Moynihan bringing him to life no less, was awesome news. It has since been revealed that Jedi Bob's miraculous retur?n after 22 years isn't limited to animation. After all this time, he's back in plastic form as well, ready to take on enemies of all shapes and sizes and, well, rebuild the galaxy one brick at a time.

Tying into Rebuild the Galaxy, Lego has released two sets. First is set 75389, the Dark Falcon, featuring minifigures of Darth Rey, Darth Jar Jar, Jedi Darth Vader, beach Luke Skywalker, Darth Dev, and bounty hunter C-3PO. The other is 75388, Jedi Bob's Starfighter. As the name implies, this is Bob's personal ship, so it comes with an updated version of him, in addition to a Mon Calamari Imperial stormtrooper, also known simply as an Ackbar Trooper, and the droid SR-VO, or SERVO. For just $39.99, you can commemorate the return of a Lego Star Wars legend and get him in?? minifigure form if you're not keen on paying aftermarket prices for the original.

At long last, Jedi Bob will return to the forefront of the Star Wars galaxy on September 13, when all four episodes of Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy arrive exclusively on Disney+.

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2024 has proven a trim year for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with both screens big and small having little to offer from the franchise. Thankfully, the one and only theatrical outing for the year, Deadpool & Wolverine, doesn't appear to take that status lightly. As ev??idenced by the film's promotional material,? Marvel fans are in for a wild, profanity-laden, Multiverse-exploring adventure with the Merc with a Mouth (Ryan Reynolds) and his not-so-close friend, if you can call him a friend at all, Logan (Hugh Jackman).

Overall, Deadpool & Wolverine contains a lot of moving parts. As noted previously, it's a Multiverse story at its core, meaning that it will likely take audiences across different universes and beyond as the narrative unfolds. It's also more of a formal introduction of the X-Men to the MCU after their existence has merely been hinted at previously. Not to mention, it appears to be a swan song for the 20th Century Fox X-Men franchise.

All of that is to say, for the casual viewer, Deadpool & Wolverine might appear pretty daunting, or even impenetrable ??at first glance. Luckily for you, true believer, wrapping your head around the upcoming feature isn't nearly as difficult as you might think. All you need to do is check out a small handful of previous Marvel projects to? get the most out of the story.

Obviously, you'll want to watch the first two Deadpool movies

Though Deadpool & Wolverine is Deadpool's first outing in the MCU, it's certainly not his first solo movie. His first came in 2016 as the aptly-named Deadpool, with Deadpool 2 premiering two years later. Both films are violent, funny, emotional, and love t?o poke fun at the Marvel movie landscape, all while providing viewers with a pretty comic-accurate take on the lead character. Thus, they're both enjoyable viewings for new and seasoned Marvel fans alike.

In terms of prep for Deadpool & Wolverine, the two Deadpool movies are essential. They give you a good idea of what to expect from Wade Wilson and his costumed anti-hero antics, and establish his corner of the universe. According to trailers for the movie, the likes of Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), Blind Al (Leslie Uggams), Peter (Rob Delaney), and more will appear and be central to Deadpool's story as he seeks to save his perfect life from a tragic end. Skipping these will only make Deadpool & Wolverine more difficult to be emotionally invested in.

Loki Season 1 and Season 2 are musts for Multiverse knowledge

The MCU-Disney+ initiative has turned out to be a pretty mixed bag since WandaVision kicked it off in 2021. Some shows are widely-criticized, while others are applauded by virtually all MCU fans. A title that falls into the latter category is Loki, where the God of Mischief (Tom Hiddleston) himself is t??asked with not only saving the Multiverse, but coming to terms with the truth of his glorious purpose. It's dramatic, action-packed, a real tear-jerker at times, and evidence that MCU is and can continue to be great going forward.

Multiple projects have dealt with the Multiverse concept throughout the MCU's Multiverse Saga, but not all are necessary viewing to understand it. On the whole, Loki does the best job of explaining it and depicting its many complicated ideas. It puts the spotlight on the Time Variance Authority as well, thoroughly going over their role in the maintenance of the timestream. Seeing as the Multiverse and the TVA have a prominent role in Deadpool & Wolverine, giving the two Loki seasons a watch ahead of the film is in yo?ur best interest. As mentioned, too,? the show is tremendous and worth binging anyway.

The Wolverine trilogy, maybe

Despite being one of the most popular comic book character movie castings of all time, Jackman's Wolverine doesn't have the greatest trilogy. X-Men Origins: Wolverine from 2009 was a big swing-and-a-miss, turning in a bloated story with poor CGI and misguided attempts at adapting X-Men comic favorites. 2013's The Wolverine stepped things up, but is often overlooked. Then came 2017's Logan, which r?emains regarded among the greatest comic book movies ever. These movies are only loosely connected narratively, making the overall trilogy a somewhat disjointed watch.

So, is Wolverine's trilogy a needed watch before Deadpool & Wolverine? On the one hand, yes. It puts Jackman's Wolverine on full display in a range of settings, creating depth and complexity for the character. Some of the movies and moments from them are solid watches to boot. Still, it's unknown if the Wolverine of Deadpool & Wolverine is even from the Fox universe, so in terms of backstory, this trilogy might be entirely useless. It might be best to consider it op?tional.

What about the X-Men movies?

If it wasn't for Fox's X-Men saga, odds are the MCU wouldn't be what it is today. 2000's X-Men was a game-changer, showing that superheroes could be brought to live-action effectively and find success with general audiences. While subsequent films didn't always maintain that mark of quality, there are enough successes within the franchise for it to be regarded as a triumph. Decades later, nostalgia for these movies has kicked in heavily, hence why Deadpool & Wolverine is giving the Fox fi?lms and their actors one last chance t?o shine.

Which X-Men movies should you watch ahead of Deadpool & Wolverine though? Considering the presence of Sabretooth (Tyler Mane) and Toad (Ray Park), X-Men is likely a good choice, as are X2: X-Men United and X-Men: The Last Stand bearing in mind Lady Deathstrike (Kelly Hu) and Pyro's (Aaron Stanford) inclusions. Azazel (Jason Flemyng) makes an appearance as well, so put X-Men: First Class on the watchlist. Otherwise, the rest might be skippable, at least when taking into account what Deadpool & Wolverine's teasers have shown off. Perhaps ??we'll be proven wrong once the film releases on July 26.

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The debut season of The Acolyte, the latest Star Wars series to overtake Disney+, is nearly at its end. It has been?? a long road, but at last, the show has provided some answers to the many questions it posed early on.

Most importantly, The Acolyte has revealed the main ant??agonist of the story: the Stranger, also known as Qimir (Manny Jacinto). He's also quite a beast on the battlefield, utilizing his red lightsaber and experience with the Force to strike down several Jedi in Episode 5, "Night."

Of course, there's more to Qimir's victory than mere skill with a lightsaber or knowledge of the Force. His few pieces of armor also proved essent??ial to his success, as they managed to deflect lightsabers and prevent telepathic communication in the case of the helmet. That's because Qimir's armor is made of a specific, highly rare metal called cortosis, which, up to this point, hasn't received much of a spotlight in Star Wars canon. It has only come to the forefro??nt in a handful of print projects and is only now making its live-action introduction.

Long before it appeared on The Acolyte, however, cortosis and its applications were thoroughly explored in the Star Wars?? Legends continuity. Sith such as Darth Tenebrous and Darth Plagueis mine it for their own gain. It's used during the Clone Wars to aid the footsoldiers on both sides of the conflict, a??nd various weapons are constructed from it to stand toe-to-toe with traditional lightsabers. Suffice it to say that it's pretty important to have multiple stories across the Legends timeline.

Additionally, cortosis took center stage during the campaign of one of the most overlooked Star Wars video games to hit the market in the 2000s.

Cortosis is central to the story of Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast

One of the sequels to the recently remastered Star Wars: Dark Forces, 2002's Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, continues the story of Kyle Katarn as he reconnects with his Jedi side and aids Luke Skywalker in rooting out the Imp?erial Remnant, as ??well as protecting the reestablished Jedi Academy.

This time, the threat is one of Luke's former padawans, Desann, who seeks to create an army of Dark Jedi to destroy his fo??rmer master, his current students, and the entire Jedi Order. During the campaign, it's revealed that, as part of ??his scheme to do so, he's collecting cortosis.

During the story, it comes to light that gangster Reelo Baruk has been involved in a cortosis smuggling operation. Katarn learns that the Remnan??t has taken it over, using it to form armor for its Force and lightsaber-wielding Shadowtroopers, giving them a distinct advantage over Luke and his students. Players even have to battle some of these troops in-game, proving a challenge compared to the less-durable Dark Jedi, the Reborn.

Jedi Outcast is still worth a play-through today

Cortosis isn't unique to Jedi Outcast but is central to its story. It effectively demonstrates how the metal can be used and the threat it can pose if it falls into the wrong hands. While it hasn't been explicitly stated that Jedi Outcast influenced The Acolyte (though the series was inspired by past Star Wars games) regarding its use of cortosis, the parallels exist. In both cases, the Jedi are caught off-guard over their dark side enemies' use of the material and are forced to adjust to the revelation with little time to spare. Thus, with Star Wars canon picking apart elements of the Legends game, perhaps it would be wise to give Jedi Outcast another look all these years later.

Aside from potential canon connections to watch for in the future, Jedi Outcast has a lot to offer. The intriguing story takes players through a range of environments, from military bases to waterlogged valleys. This variety keeps the action fresh, as does the litany of weapons and Force abilities. While a tad repetitive, the overall gameplay is engaging enough, and the side modes like duel and capture the flag are a good time with friends. To top it all off, there are plenty of references to the Star Wars unive??rse and appearances from iconic characters to keep the game firmly rooted in the galaxy far, far away??.

Is Jedi Outcast the premier Star Wars gaming experience? Probably not. Some would argue that its 2003 sequel, Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy, is better, but it's far from a waste of time should you pick it up. It's a good play, and, as evidenced by The Acolyte's use of cortosis, for all we know, it could contain more lore ??elements that will soon trickle into the modern canon.

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If one of Disney's top TV executives is to be believed, the company's hit animated series Gravity Falls may be on the verge of a comeback. Yes, yes, burn the child! I mean, ??yes, yes, revive the show!

Meredith Roberts, executive vice president of television animation and Disney Branded Television, recently raised the possibility of Alex Hirsch's seminal supernatural comedy epic returning to screens in a recent exclusive interview with The Direct.

When asked about Gravity Falls' enduring popularity, Roberts revealed she had recently discussed the possibility of a continuation with Hirsch.

"You know, we're in conversations with Alex." Roberts told The ?Direct. "He's about to publish a book with Disney on his project. And we also do some sh??orts. So never say never."

This quote is far from an ironclad promise that Gravity Falls will be getting a third season, but it is proof that Disney is at least partially aware of the series' enduring popularity. While Gravity Falls' mystery-driven story came to a satisfying and decisive end i??n the second season, Hirsch has continued to expand the Pine Family's adventures in the mystery-soaked titular town through a series of books and graphic novels.

In the years since Gravity Falls' conclusion, the series has only gotten more popular, with new fans discovering the show after it made its way onto Disney+. Hirsch's creative career has also made significant headway through his work on The Owl House, Amphibia, and other animated films and series.

That said, Hirsch has started on his official Tumblr that season two of Gravity Falls brought the series to a conclusion he was content with. As much as I'd love to see Gravity Falls return, the decision to revive the series is Hirsch's, and I'd ha?te to see him compromise his creativity just so the show can go on.

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The Star Wars gal?axy continues to expand on the small screen, specifically on the Disney+ streaming service.

Following up such titles as The Mandalorian, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, and Star Wars: Visions comes Star Wars: The Acolyte from showrunner Leslye Headland. Based on promotional material for the series so far, it's safe to say that the Star Wars RPG-inspired program is quite a ?depa??rture from most recent franchise endeavors.

Set long before the events of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, The Acolyte sees a period of relative peace interrupted in the worst way. Mysterious forces are conspiring against the Jedi, killing those within its ranks. Thus, it's up to a few brave members of the Jedi Order to figure out who is responsible for these heinous acts and put a st?op to ??them before it's too late.

The Acolyte puts a host of new characters front and center for this mystery, from Jecki Lon (Dafne Keen) to Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae). However, it's no secret that Star Wars loves nothing more than tossing viewers cameos of their favorite legacy heroes and villains. In fact, it has come to light that a staple of the Star Wars: The High Republic multimedia initiative, Vernestra Rwoh (Rebecca Henderson?), will appear on the program. Can fans expect more preexistin?g characters to appear?

Though it takes place far ahead of the Skywalker saga, one might think that characters with long lifespans like Yoda (Frank Oz), Yaddle (Bryce Dallas Howard), and potentially Plo Koon (James Arnold Taylor) could appear on The Acolyte. In reality, however, this isn't the case. Headland herself revealed to ComicBook.com that cameos from such characters, specifically Yoda, who has appeared in High Republic stories already, aren't on the table.

With that said Headland did mention that she and the Acolyte team pulled from existing Star Wars material to fill out the show's roster. "We are pulling characters from the High Republic and characters from the EU, but that's it," she said. So, one has to wonder which other High Republic-era characters besides Rwoh could pop up, and, more intrigu??ingly, who from the Expanded Universe ??could do the same.

This time period could allow for Emperor Palpatine's (Ian McDiarmid) Sith Master, Darth Plagueis, or even his master, Darth Tenebrous, to appear. After all, The Acolyte is about the sudden and violent reemergence of the Sith to the galactic forefront, so if there were ever a production fo??r them to make their live-action introductions, this seems to? be the one.

Time will tell which High Republic and Expanded Universe names could be on the table as The Acolyte unfolds across its eight-episode debut season. For those curious, here's the series' release schedule.

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