Galaxy’s Edge merch: Jedi & Sith Holocrons

SWGE HolocronsI don’t have a ton to say about the Jedi and Sith holocrons ($50) offered at Galaxy’s Edge, because such items were extremely very rare in the Galaxy, and not something your regular Jedi—let alone average citizen—would ever have access to:

“…the deepest secrets of the great Masters of the Force were stored in restricted holocrons; since the Lorian Nod affair, some seventy standard years before, access to these holocrons was denied to all but Jedi Masters.” (Matthew Stover, Revenge of the Sith, Chapter 10).

While some further research revealed that the Jedi Temple archives probably held more holocrons than I had originally understood, I still don’t think they would be the kind of thing that any random Jedi or citizen could pull out of their backpack. (Disney!Canon has made it pretty clear through their various properties–Galaxy’s Edge, the recent Jedi: Fallen Order game, probably Rebels (I haven’t seen it), likely Marvel comics as well–that in their Canon, holocrons are widespread. I’ll just have to agree to disagree. Continue reading “Galaxy’s Edge merch: Jedi & Sith Holocrons”

Boba Fett’s survival knife: Accuracy vs. Authenticity

bobaknifeSWVD
I’ve been thinking about this item a lot recently, as a possible easy project to bang out with the drill press and benchgrinder some weekend. We don’t have many references to non-vibro knives in the Star Wars galaxy, and its identification as a “survival” knife lends itself easily to my purposes of wilderness adventure and interpretation. With a beefy 5 or 6 mm spine, I can easily see it being perfect for batoning firewood and other tasks around camp (in GFFA style, of course).
The problem is, there are two versions of Boba Fett’s ‘survival knife’ out there – so which one is ‘right’? Continue reading “Boba Fett’s survival knife: Accuracy vs. Authenticity”

Galaxy’s Edge merch: Credit Chip

SWGE ImpCredUnlike the $100 Black Spire Gift Card, this item is simply a $60, heavy lump of metal with a Republic credit symbol (Resh with two strokes) and etched lines on the back side, with only passing resemblance to what has existed for 20+ years: Continue reading “Galaxy’s Edge merch: Credit Chip”

Project: Spacer’s Duffel (part 1)

While doing research for my vest project this spring, I came across the following passage:

“Most sentients who make their livings as common crew aboard large civilian vessels tend to be lifelong transients, wandering from ship to ship and world to world in search of employment. A spacer might serve on dozens of ships during his career and travel untold millions of light-years, his only home the crew berths of cargo ships and the hostels, bars, and entertainment districts of spaceports. Such beings tend to travel light, carrying their entire lives with them from job to job in large cylinder-shaped bags colloquially known as spacer’s duffels. Roughly half the size of a grown human and featuring one large compartment, a sturdy zipper, and a single shoulder strap, spacer’s duffels have become a symbol of the free-and-easy life of the common spacer. Made by many different textile and storage-technology companies, these bags are as essential a piece of kit to the survival of a spacer as his certificates and his spacesuit. Among ship captains and recruiting agents, one of the most common sights in the spacelanes is a grizzled spacer with a hopeful look on his face, approaching with his duffel slung over his shoulder to inquire about work.” FFG, Edge of the Empire – Enter the Unknown, 53.

As soon as I read it, this M1943 duffel bag I inherited many years ago (and which has been kicking around the back of my closet for quite a while) immediately came to mind. I thought it would be a nice challenge—to take an Earth-specific piece of gear and try to make it better fit the Star Wars aesthetic!

Continue reading “Project: Spacer’s Duffel (part 1)”

Artifact ID: Galen Erso water test kit

Galen-Erso-11182016
(Credit for successful identification of this prop goes to Replica Prop Forum member ‘Saranac’.)

This ‘water tester’—which I guess fits in with the Erso character’s disguise as a ‘dirt farmer’?—is comprised simply of two items, one of which we have seen already! Continue reading “Artifact ID: Galen Erso water test kit”

Marking a milestone

It’s hard to believe, but this week marks this blog’s second anniversary, which means I’ve somehow been rolling out research, how-tos, analyses, and projects for the last two full years – all part of my continuing efforts to make the Galaxy Far, Far Away a legitimate setting for ‘historic’ reenacting.
Many thanks to those of you who have stopped by, liked posts, made great comments, subscribed to the blog, and even joined the conversations over on the SWLH facebook group!

If you’re just joining us, please check out the FIRST STEPS page to see just what Star Wars living history is all about, then leave a comment and introduce yourself below. Here’s to many more years of galactic ‘historic interpretation’ and ‘reenacting’ to come! May the Force be with you!

Researching, compiling, and writing this site takes a lot of time and energy. If you would like to help my efforts to show the Star Wars galaxy can be a legitimate setting for high-quality reenacting, please consider supporting my work with a small donation below! Thank you!

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Artifact ID: Lyra Erso communicator

As explained in my earlier post of 24 June, I’m approaching the artifacts of Rogue One at arm’s length and with a grain of salt, under the understanding that the film is a materially-correct but narratively inaccurate holodrama. In this post, we’re looking at the belt communicator of the character ‘Lyra Erso’.
(Credit for successful detective work and identification goes to Rebel Legion forum member ‘the.rebel.agent’.)   What did it start its life as?

R1 lyraComm

Continue reading “Artifact ID: Lyra Erso communicator”

Galaxy’s Edge merch: ‘Resistance MRE’

resistanceMREContinuing our look at merchandise available at Disney Galaxy’s Edge, up next is the ‘Resistance MRE’. This sells at GE for $25, and is the one item I’ve actually been able to check out in person (shout-out to Seth for picking one up for me–thanks, pal!)
star-wars5-movie-screencaps.com-5547If this seems unfamiliar, it’s probably because it has nothing to do with the Sequel Trilogy ‘Resistance’–that’s just another attempt by Disney to impose ‘their’ setting as the dominant one. This should more accurately be called a Rebel Alliance ration kit!, and is based on the one Luke Skywalker brings with him when he first travels to Dagobah in search of Yoda. Continue reading “Galaxy’s Edge merch: ‘Resistance MRE’”

Artifact ID: G3 cleaning kit

Our Rogue One identification series continues, with a very useful–and very accessible–piece of German hardware that you can use to diversify your Star Wars-reenacting ‘hard kit’.R1 G3box
Credit for this goes to German contributor ‘T.K.’, whose eagle eyes were able to identify the gray-and-yellow box on the shoulder of ‘Cassian Andor’ as a familiar bit of Deutschland militaria.
Continue reading “Artifact ID: G3 cleaning kit”

Galaxy’s Edge merch: Jedi Food Capsules

An online friend of mine, whose living history efforts I’ve helped mentor, lives in California and took a trip to the Galaxy’s Edge park recently, and was kind enough to ask if I would be interested in any of their merch.
While I am not really interested in post-Disney Star Wars, I have been using Youtube to vicariously check out the new park since its opening…because as someone (with a minimal budget) and an interest in GFFA full-immersion interactions with the public, I’m always curious to see how things get done with a Disney-sized budget behind them.
Since I was already going to discuss the one item S.K. picked up for me (much appreciated, brother!), I figured I could also springboard and offer a few comments on the other merchandise I’ve seen offered for sale at Galaxy’s Edge, as the various items might pertain to our efforts here.

Let’s start with the Jedi food capsules ($20, set of 6):
Jedi-capsules-SWGEIf you’re interested in portraying an Old Republic/Prequel-era Jedi, the Jedi food capsules are a key item to decorate your utility belt; per in-universe lore, these would’ve contained survival rations for Jedi to use on their missions. But are these replicas worth purchasing? Continue reading “Galaxy’s Edge merch: Jedi Food Capsules”