Star Wars: Thrawn Stars - 1998 Expanded Universe Figures and the End of Power of the Force 2
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- Опубліковано 22 кві 2024
- #retroblasting #starwars #potf2
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Michael looks back at the very end of Star Wars: Power of the Force 2's run, right before the Prequel Era with the Expanded Universe figure range that finally gave us figures of Grand Admiral Thrawn and Mara Jade for the first time, and much more. - Розваги
"Dash Rendar" sounds like a bottled cooking spice drawn by Rob Liefeld.
Dash did have some sweet pouches. There could be a connection.
He basically was! His shoulder harness was an exact duplicate of Cable's outfit when he first appeared in The New Mutants comic book! Lol.
Plus, he was influenced by Han Solo and Corellia. His freighter bore more than a passing resemblance to the Falcon. Not to say Dash wasn't good. It just seemed awfully contrived and coincidental.
Too bad his partner Pocket "Pouch" FannyBag was never made.
@@senojorCable's original appearance was ripped off from a Star Wars comic character, too. 😂
The Expanded Universe was so much better than the drivel that Disney gave us. Now Disney will ruin "Heir to the Empire" in a reboot featuring their characters that no one asked for.
All Disney had to do was make movies based on the EU novels & comics.🙄Their unwanted toys clutter dollar stores!
A terrific video Michael. I'm not overly familiar with the expanded universe so this was extremely educational. Thank you!
Hey I know u lol love ur show
You really should read the Timothy Zahn "Heir to the Empire" series. When Michael said it was the sequel trilogy he wasn't kidding
Your most recent video was also really good Tony
There was such a drought for new Star Wars content in the early 90’s. There was something really unique about reading new Star Wars Expanded Universe stories and playing with toys based on those adventures.
The Star Wars Universe presented in those books seemed so limitless, and those figures filled a great void for those collectors who read the novels.
To this day I display my figures with their intended and carefully cut, card stock backgrounds.
As an avid collector of all the Shadows of the Empire stuff: I got a signed poster framed, the trading cards, the figurines, the micro machines, the limited edition signed comic, the comic two packs, I even got the silly statue, I was laughing out loud at your comments on Shadows. That was spot on! You made my day Michael!
I genuinely appreciate you having a good sense of humour, sir. Thank you. - Michael
Micro machines are the most nostalgic thing I can think of for me.
In hindsight, I'm convinced that Shadows of the Empire was a proof of concept / trial run for what Lucasfilm wanted to do with the Clone Wars - a multimedia, mural-type story to bridge the gap between movies.
POTF2 ‘95-‘99 was alot of fun. I graduated HS when they came out in ‘95 and I had my own money. Those buff figures haven’t stood the test of time like the originals. But the experience of collecting back then was unmatched. At least for me.
My friend and I were into the damn variant hunt at the time. Strpe hand Boba Fett, Circle hand Boba Fett, Short Saber/Long Tray, We bought into it, and it never paid off.
Eh, it was fun.
The Thrawn Trilogy should have been 7,8 and 9 movies. Outstanding series...Outstanding video Mate! 😁👍
I walked out of the star tours ride at Disney, into the gift shop, and discovered the thrawn trilogy in hardback. Changed my life! Unfortunately, I don’t have those either anymore. I have reacquired them in paperback, but it’s just not the same.
"But if I may piss you off for a moment" is the most Michael quote ever 🤣
I was so pissed in the 90's when Shadows was announced. They kept saying "Everything but the movie" - but I kept hoping for a surprise announcement. I remember hunting all over for the variant of Xixor only to discover it wasn't a real thing. Ah, good times.
"Somehow, Palpatine has returned,"
Every time there is a mention of Palpatine clone, I think of that quote😂
That was the first thing I thought of was when I heard he's back. "Well, they cloned him in the books..." Not sure what the uproar is all about...
"I didn't learn about the Role Playing Game until 1991." The following year, Troy and Netter got married. DAMN I'm old!
You're still young at heart Papa Pacelli! @TroyPacelli
Only the true RB fans will remember the intense and deep lore of the iconic duck blanket.
I like to throw in those Easter Eggs for longtime supporters when I can.
Life... finds a way!
I too had a noble blanket with the same name
Micheal your educated knowledge and expansive knowledge of this I.P. is not lost on me thank you for the "heads up on game" You truly are a go to for me and many for a nice sit down lesson on the history and lore of our childhood, thank you, and good day, sir
Even at 10 years old I bought these and left them on card as well as played with them. I just plain loved them. I cut grass, chopped wood, shoveled snow, cleaned cars, and all the money bought these figures. I still buy as many as I can find. It’s my only addiction and I’m ok with it.
This almost feels like a Star Wars victories episode.
Amazing video.
Oh, really quick because I forgot to mention it. Huyang is a droid from the Ahsoka show, as well as the clone wars. Been around for hundreds of years, teaches Jedi how to build their sabers. And he’s voiced by David Tennant. I just figured I’d mention it because I could see him pretty easily slipping into Luke’s academy.
I loved the steroid muscle rehashes of our favorite characters. that original red card wave 1 line will always hold a special place in my heart.
Excellent look at these figures. POTF2 was my first experience with Star Wars toys and they still remain some of favorites from a toy standpoint. I remember the figures actually got me into more of the Expanded Universe stuff as I was trying to find out where these characters originated.
same here and i trying to buy inbox figures as much as i can now as i didnt have many as a kid, but the vehicles are stupid expensive
As a fan of the EU this gets an automatic like.
Edit: Also wanted to say how disappointed I am with how they did my favorite Star Wars character Grand Admiral Thrawn in the Ashoka show this video helps me remember my teenage years reading these novels back in 2015-2016.
The RPG was amazing and i still play it today!!!
I ended up painting a ton of the west end games miniatures for my mate he needed them for the miniature war game they made they even made metal landspeeders and at pt walkers I pained them all he still has them
Interesting video. Thank you for an unique point of view, Michael. Brings back memories when the novels came out and meeting Timothy Zahn back in 97 and talking about Thrawn, as intended by the author. Keep up the great work.
As always, a well curated narrative not pandering to nostalgia. You have done well to account for the dark era of STARWARS between 85-1997, as fans today can not imagine a world unsaturated.
Always enjoy learning more about this Expanded Universe. Thanks!
Love this. Your video brings back so many memories from this time back in the scant toy aisles and limited shelf space of comic and hobby shops where Star Wars stuff was confined to in the 90s. We had the Star Wars card game, the dark horse comics, and those Expanded Universe paperbacks with the beautiful raised gold logo. It was a special, pre-Internet era where you only had your friends and people far away, who you saw maybe once a year at some random con, with whom you could enjoy Star Wars.
To this day, those West End Game sourcebooks are some of my favorite parts of the Expanded Universe.
Thank you so much for focusing on these figures. When they were first released, I was elated. Dark Empire was the first EU media I got my hands on, and its "very gritty" art and wild story has stuck with me ever since. That Dark Empire Luke, Leia, and Mara Jade STILL have a prominent place in my display. Dark Empire of course lead to the Thrawn books, and I went in on a few of the Dark Horse comic series.
Oh boy, I've been waiting for this!
You nailed it about the “dark times” from 85-95. Great video!
Great to see these figures get some love. Another thorough breakdown thank you.
Excellent video as always. I love your attention to detail in all of your videos. Keep up the great work.
It is so cool that you not only have pictures, but video of your fandom as a wee lad. AbsoLukely fantastic.
I feel like I should read the Thrawn Trilogy now
Thanks for the video Michael, enjoyed EVERY second of this episode 🙏
Utterly Fantastic Video Sir!!!
Great video Mike
This video will make a fine addition to my star wars video collection.
I actually grew up with the *Expanded Universe* before even seeing any _Star Wars_ movies.
I've got the _Ultimate Visual Guide,_ a lovely book by Dorling-Kindersley that meticulously recorded all the canon content (movies, books, games, comics, etc.) in the SW universe up to 2005. A glorious road map for ten-year-old me that allowed me to fall in love with the great mythology of that universe.
New upload, nice 🔥
Excellent video Michael! You got lucky with the stuff you got! :)
Now that is a helluva video of great dark years figures!!
Man! This brought back the mid-late '90s zeitgeist, Michael. So much so, I pulled up my Oasis playlist for the drive home tonight.
Needed the smile brought to my face at this point in the semester and this did the trick. Thanks!
Great video, expertly taking us through both the toy line and a unique period in Star Wars fandom.
Great, informative video.
This might be the only video of yours where I own 90% of the items being featured. Great work as always Michael!
I was fortunate to find those figures at my local Walmart, when WM actually had a great selection of figures. I worked at a retail store back during that time and I was the only one that purchased the SOTE soundtrack. Great video Michael. 🙂
Awesome video!
Love this Vid!
Love this. I adore that line. I never saw them on shelves during their original release, only in magazines but over the 2000s I gradually began to collect them and put the set together.
Some of the most prized figures in my collection... personally, I was more drawn to Dark Empire because of the comic art... I didn't like the idea of the Emperor coming back, but after seeing these figures it immediately felt nostalgic from reading those comics... and now I have a soft place for the storyline. Anyway, your video helped me understand your perspective a little better.
Great video!
I adore this entire line. I went crazy when they came out in the 90s and immediately started hunting for them. I've tried to get a double or two of figures when I can find them of the years. Good video
Very informative, thanks. Only picked up Thrawn at the time and immediately open the blister and displayed him with his pop out diorama.
This is the SW toy line that was never sold in the toystore that was existing back then in my hometown and got closed a few years later. God knows how I miss going to the toy aisle, my hands holding a toy and examining it before deciding to buy or not. Physically doing some toy hunting today isn't much fun as before.
Awesome video! I have most of these Expanded Universe figures in my collection and was very lucky to find them, they were notoriously scarce at retail stores back in the day. I also picked up three EU vehicles that they produced which were based on early concept drawings for the speeder bike, cloud car, and snowspeeder. All very cool stuff!👍
I bought those when they came out. I bought 2 of all of the figures in those days - one to open and one to lay down. They were only 5 bucks a pop then, and I was out of school and earning money with no real expenses. It was a great time to collect! My other friends who collected or dabbled all steered clear of those, even the ones that were familiar with that media. Even though I was not in love with the "expanded universe" I had at least read the Zahn books and played Dark Forces. I just bought them to complete the range. To me they were neat "oddities" of the figure series. I think some of them were even peg warmers for awhile or ended up in clearance bins. I think I sold off all or most of my sealed duplicates years later, so I guess I don't have any gold treasures if they are worth big bucks now.
This was very educational, plugging a big gap in my SW knowledge, thank you
"But if i may piss you off for a moment..." Ha! That's a great line. Inthralling as always, Michael!
IT'S BACK
Great video and I always enjoy learning something new. "Xizor. Who knew?"
Very cool I never actually saw that line in stores. Props for having such a nice looking set in package 😎
After nearing the end of my vintage run I focused on the POTF2 line.
I found them affordable while still challenging as they are not loved by other collectors.
Loose or MOC the transition from muscle bound MOTU like figs to more realistic shows the era they came from & I think they will become sought after in years to come..
I was in my mid twenties when the POTF2 line was in full swing and I never saw those last figures until they ended up in collector shops, great video Irving Kir..er I mean Michael. you are the Master.
Great video sir, talk about memories. I thank I'll give those books a re-read. My set is still on card too except my double of Mara Jade.
I vividly remember reading the West End Star Wars sourcebooks at my local mall's Waldenbooks like a junkie looking for a fix of Star Wars. I must not have been the only one since the shrink wrap was always torn off before I got there.
The dark trooper holds up the most out of all the figures since it was even repacked in 2007
Great video. Love your black series mix of figures!!!
Regarding Shadows of the Empire, I think it’s the best SW novel there is, to me anyhow.
Not because it had any great revelations (other than little things, like, how Luke crafted his green lightsaber and how the Alliance got pitched the plans to the Death Star II).
BUT, because it had the characters down to a T! Steve Perry (author) wrote every character the way they would think and behave in the movies:
Luke is still a bit hot-headed, but noticeably makes his transition to the thoughtful (wanna-be) Jedi we know from ROTJ.
Leia is the strong and resourceful senator we know she is, and she has a great, seductive plot line with Xizor. Writing soft erotic scenes for SW has to be one of the most difficult tasks, but Steve Perry pulled it off magnificently.
Darth Vader is given a warriors sense of honour by Steve Perry. Bridges the heartless, ruthless Vader from ESB to the conflicted Vader we know from ROTJ. Perry, masterfully, gives Vader more dimensions without breaking the lore or the character.
The triangle between the Emperor, Prince Xizor and Vader is so entertaining and thrilling to read. You witness how Prince Xizor and Vader strategise to gain the favours of the Emperor.
It’s a great story that has an amazing finale in which you actually feel relieved that the empire shows up. I’m not spoiling the ending, but I highly recommend you read this novel.
It’s so sad that this never got a movie.
Great video Micheal. I'm not familiar with the expanded universe so this was a great history lesson.
I didn't know any of this...thanks for the scoop and research. Mind blowing stuff. I just didn't know it.
Luke, Mara, Thrawn and Leia were the 4 I got my hands on and the only POF 90s figures that have permanently stayed out on display alongside my original Kenner line. Aside from the bizarre lightsaber colour choices (and I agree the colouring in Dark Empire itself was…bizarre…) these are great figures.
Just a fantastic review Michael 🎉
I collected those UK Dark Horse comics as well
This is ART!
Another great video. I'm from Southampton really cool to hear of your trip here
Still have my return ferry ticket from Cherbourg to Southampton.
@@retroblasting so cool. Take care my friend
Good point Mike
"Luke in Robotech armor." Mark Hamill later voiced three characters on Robotech the Shadow Chronicles DVD in 2007.
Great video i started to play the ROG back in 1988 as a French Canadian and my friends where English speaking I learned to speak English.
Good old days while playing the game I got the idea to collect vintage Star awars toys.
Then came Zahwn books and the dark empire comics 1995 figs came out and I was all in.
Good old days
I have to say I'm shocked no one made vintage styled figures of the Prequel era given they made some for The Mandelorian of all things
Thrawn has that Blofeld thang going on. "No, Mr. Skywalker, I expected a Jedi!"
I was glad to have GI Joe to fill the void after the original trilogy ended but i still searched for anything Star Wars until it came back in full force. The Thrawn trilogy, Super Nintendo games and role playing games kept us going and proves that Star Wars is forever. Disney can hurt it but it can't kill it
I had only ever seen the expanded universe figures once on toy shelves as well. It was in a Thrifty's toy aisle and they only had the Dark Trooper, The Sentinel and Space Trooper. I couldn't afford them at the time either but that was the first time I had even heard of them and I thought I was on top of things as far as collecting the POTF2 line. I had even been working at a Toys R Us when the Shadows of the Empire wave was released and all the way up until just after the Phantom Menace release, which to me was one of the benefits of even working there (having that access to the line). That whole time I worked there, we had never even received the Expanded Universe wave, let alone never even knowing of their existence upon release. I was even actively collecting the POTF2 line and stumbling on them accidentally in a Thrifty's (where toys went to die) blew my mind (this was probably a year after they were originally released).
In the end, I think I got the last figure I needed in 2002 or 2003 (It was either Palpatine or Leia), finding them only at antique and thrift shops where carded POTF2 figures were a dime a dozen and no more than $5 a piece. I stopped collecting Star Wars figures when they were branded as Hasbro and the line was renamed Power of the Jedi. I still have these sitting in a glass case one their own shelf with the Shadows of the Empire wave. Only that it was very cool at the time to see these alternate stories get some love on a toy shelf.
I remember those days still have my roleplaying source books all the novels the insider magazines the 90s were great for Star Wars toys games and merchandising then the dark times of the prequels came
Video is really cool Michael. I think we all would rather have these stories these days rather than the sequels. I’m young so I had the legacy comics as a kid and while cool, I still really enjoyed the Zahn books and lore once I started reading them.
Also, out of those DK legacy collection 2 packs they were selling at TRU and other stores, I think the coolest to me were the Imperial Knights.
I'm in the same boat with you Michael I kept my expanded universe figures in the package until the last I sold them last year
That's the same Walkman I have! Love that yellow sony sports line!
Very, very interesting. I never got into the toy collecting - I think it came way later to us here in Germany, than it did in the English countries - and I was always a book kid above anything else. So I wasn't as aware of these other things, but I ended up coming to pretty much the same place you did: the prequels didn't end my love for Star Wars, but they did turn me into an outsider towards my own favourite franchise. The precise end of the EU for me was the publishing of Zahn's Vision of the Future. Tragically. Maybe you could still throw in the comic with Luke and Mara's wedding. That's it. Thank you for this fun trip down memory lane, Mike!
I never saw the EU figures on the pegs during their original release. At the time I wasn’t going to pay secondary market prices for an action figure ($20 for a Star Wars figure? Outrageous!) and had basically written off hope of finding them. Then almost a year later I ended up finding cases of them at KB Toys, dumped into one of those wire clearance bins that they would roll out into the mall in front of the store for $3 a piece. I got the whole wave, save for Mara who was absent, and even multiples of the Sentinel and Space Trooper. And my first taste of the distro problems that would make collecting the line at retail increasingly frustrating to near impossible in the future.
While it was definitely a filler story, I’ll always have a place for Shadows of the empire in my heart. “Everything but the movie” was awesome for a 9 year old Star Wars fan. I had the figures the comic the book and the n64 game. Dash was my main man.
Many of those I have still not seen in person to this day. At the time of their release, I really wanted them.
I never did get that Kyle Katarn. : /
Hey Ryan, do you know if this Dark Trooper is supposed to be same version, they showed in Mandalorian?
@@impossiblepieit is not.
@@LaserPants ok thanks.
Ahhh...the duck blanket, the best accessory. For me it was empty cardboard boxs and tape...i made so many gijoe city fights out of those.
14:53 fellowship of the ring!!!!!!!!! Yes!!!!!!
Will always remember finding The Last Command at a small bookstore in the middle of nowhere, in insanely good condition no less! Grew up at the tail end of the EU and will always love those times.
Awesome video. Such a dark time, the 90’s…
Anyway, it’s funny- we name our shows after Star Wars things, and we’re doing “Heir to the SUPERWRESTLERS” in June!
Great video! These were great figures back in the day. However, finding them at retail was pain in the butt. I remember buying a few from the Star Wars Insider magazine, and the rest from a Johns Collectible Toys (a now shuttered hobby store in Massachusetts). I miss the POTF days - the toys weren't great, but you could pretty much find everything very easily.
It was pretty special seeing these in stores, not knowing anything about the stories they were attached to, it gave them an air of mystery and intrigue that sadly my imagination would overblow by the time I got to the Thrawn trilogy, but it was still pretty exciting seeing these toys in the mix and wondering what stories they had behind them. As an '85 baby the POTF line was pretty important to that time when Star Wars was my big thing.
There wasn't anything disappointing about the Zahn novels. They are still the best post-Return of the Jedi anything that officially came from Lucasfilm.
@@retroblasting I'm not saying they're bad, not at all, but what I meant to say is that my anticipation grew a little too large over the years of waiting to read them and I was rather disappointed by the Clone Luke ending, which I think you yourself mentioned in a previous video. To me the ending was the weakest part of an otherwise compelling, excellent story.
@@retroblastingYou know what....Gonna call it quits here. I don't know if it's because you're on the spectrum or something else Michael, but the fact that you couldn't even acknowledge my point other than to get weirdly triggered because you perceived I was "attacking" the "flawless" Thrown trilogy (nothing is flawless) I think it's time to leave this channel. I respect your work but you definitely have issues with communication and social skills and it's a little exhausting dealing with it. It was a pleasure while it lasted, but it's time to hit that unsubscribe button. You just have too many random episodes of getting angry or otherwise weirdly set off if people don't perfectly express what you want to hear and you miss seeing what else they have to say. Something worth working on in future
I've never had the chance to see these in real life...
I totally forgot about Dash Rendar. And I had no idea that this figure series even existed.
Thanks Michael for a great. Star wars figure video history lesson...?? And a nice look into your life as well. I had a star wars plate too. Wonder if anyone ever ate food off theirs...lol
Hope not. They were decorative with warnings to explicitly NOT eat off them.
Michael having to make due with a porcelain plate collection in a china cabinet during the dark times is a pretty funny notion.
The POTF2 line and the Shadows/Dark Empire books are pretty flawed, but I have a huge spot for my heart for them.
Great video as always1
I never saw those 1998 EU figures in a store like Toys R Us or Walmart either. I found them in some tiny comic book shop for (I think) $25 each. I was in college then too, but I had to have them. Groceries that month were limited to peanut butter and saltines.
Today peanut butter and a box of saltines will cost you $25.
@@retroblasting Yep. Sad but true.
It was a miracle I was able to find most of these at the store before the scalpers got hold of them to sell them at the flea market.
The only place I ever saw these was at Rite-Aid.
Mara Jade had a purple lightsaber in the Dark Forces 2: Jedi Knight expansion pack Mysteries of the Sith in 1998. In 2000, Decipher released the Mara Jade card with the purple light saber, and seemed to take the design from the prior game. You should check out that expanded universe set of Star Wars CCG (Reflections 2 it was called). Zahn is the model for Karde, and the author of X Wing is Horn.
I'm aware of all of this. Why did you assume I'm not?
@@retroblasting woah dude, pump the brakes. I am not criticizing you. I thought in the video you were implying there that a Mara toy shouldn’t have a purple lightsaber, but in the 1998 video game she did. I didn’t know if you played it or not but it seems to be the source for that saber color. I plugged the Decipher cards because they also gave her the purple light saber and as an EU appreciator I thought you’d find them interesting if you hadn’t seen that set before. Decipher in the 90s built a lot of EU lore on top of what West End Games did with their card game.
Really disappointed that your knee jerk response to my comment was so negative. I’ve been subscribed to your channel for a decade and thought you seemed like a nice person.
Mara Jade had a purple lightsaber in Star wars: Masters of teras kasi, came out in '97...
@@PeterSTIHL You’re right! Forgot about that one. My point stands that the purple light saber was pretty common for Mara beyond the “model gimmick” (which was a photoshoot by Decipher for the card game; they weren’t the first to give her a purple light saber). Any idea why Michael is so rude to benign comments?
@@pyramidsong Yeah, I'm not an expert on the EU, especially Mara Jade, she is my favorite from there so I SHOULD know more however those books had a bad reputation from what I heard back in the day so I didn't bother. Not sure on the story of her lightsaber, maybe they ret-conned it, who knows, I wanna think she has both.
Some strange things have happened with everyone's lightsaber's; Leia had a yellow one in the Force Unleashed, Mace Windu originally had a blue one in his mail away figure before AOTC and was blue in Jedi Force battles.
Not sure on Michael's reply, sarcasm maybe? I wouldn't worry about it.
I sold my harbound Heir to the Empire series, as well as Dark Empire. I still have all 3 of the original Han Solo books, two of which I got through school book clubs. I used to have Splendor of the Mind's Eye And the expanded universe moc. I sold all of that, as well as the entire POTF2 line to restore my 1927 model T. No regrets, though. The Model T has brought new friends and adventures for my family.
I really like watching videos like this since I am a 90ds kid so I missed alot of the rise of star wars
Gotta love those flash light/ flesh light looking hilts for Leia, Palps and Luke lol