Happy New Year, Youtinians! In last week’s poll, we asked you about the new images released for Andor Season 2 and which potential arc was most interesting. Almost half of you (42%) are most keen to see Mon Mothma further build the Rebellion. Andor Season 2 comes this April, one of many things in the Star Wars universe to look forward to in 2025!

— JG Carse, Emmi Conner, and Doc B

New Celebration 2025 Badge Art Baby!

There is no better way to finish 2024 than with a gift from TAKUMI and the Star Wars Celebration crew! In October, we saw the first four badges: Darth Vader, Ahsoka, Luke Skywalker, and the Mandalorian and Grogu, all fabulous and amazing designs that blew us away.

Now, StarWars.com has revealed four new badges, and, well, WOW! The designs' amazing intricacy, incredible creativity, and vibrant colors are just breathtaking! So, let’s take a look:

• Asajj Ventress: The Sith assassin-turned-bounty hunter is a fan favorite with a massive cameo at the end of Star Wars: The Bad Batch. You can read more about her here.
  

  

  Image Credit: StarWars.com

• C-3PO and R2-D2: The dapper duo have been present for the BIGGEST moments in Star Wars lore and just keep thrilling us with cameos! Dive into their stories here.

  

  Image Credit: StarWars.com

• Queen Amidala: The mother of Luke and Leia appears in a beautiful, traditional style that leaves us breathless. Explore more of her story here.

  

  Image Credit: StarWars.com

• Sabine Wren: Completely loyal to Ezra and a credit to her creed; thankfully, the Force came to her when it mattered most. Learn more about stories featuring her at our Youtini page.

With Star Wars Celebration quickly approaching, we can’t help but wonder about the badges yet to come.

Disney, We Fainted!

In late-breaking Star Wars news, Vulture Magazine recently interviewed Alan Bergman. One of Bob Iger’s top lieutenants, Bergman is a Co-Chair of Disney Entertainment. In this role, he and Dana Walden drive content creation and streaming for Disney+. 

Bergman delivered various pieces of Star Wars news, including one final confirmation as well as some building hopes for the future:

The Acolyte Is No More: Vulture asked Bergman why a second season of The Acolyte was not an option.

• Bergman replied: “We were happy with our performance, but it wasn’t where we needed it to be given the cost structure… quite frankly”.

• The comments serve as some long-awaited confirmation from a Disney source that The Acolyte was too expensive to bring back. 

Andor Is “Excellent”: But enough of the bad news. Bergman conceded that he has watched all of the Andor season 2 episodes. If you've been waiting for a sign to get excited, this might be it!

• Bergman says, “We’re really excited… it is excellent… and it is a fantastic season."

• Forbes reports that Andor has cost just under US$645 million to produce, including US$290.9 million for the upcoming second season.

Developments Are a Go: After mentioning Dave Filoni’s continuing work on Ahsoka Season 2, Bergman discussed potential future projects.

• He notes that Disney is looking at “a number of additional series that are in development… we’ll see what we decide to do”.

• He also hinted at new films, stating, “We’ve got a number of films that we are developing. When we’re ready, we’ll be making announcements as to what those are”. WOW and double WOW!

The Mando-verse: Bergman was asked about the call to transition The Mandalorian TV series into a feature film, The Mandalorian and Grogu.

• He explained that leadership believes that, in this case, Star Wars would be best served by a theatrical release.

• According to Bergman, "Looking at our big franchises, there’s nothing like a theatrical release because of the marketing power you get across the world.”

Don’t Touch Anything!

The calendar changeover from 2024 to 2025 brings four new pre-orders from our friends at LEGO in Denmark. Yes, the humble little block continues to present enticing and exciting gift options for all Star Wars fans throughout the galaxy. They just keep getting cooler!

The Force of Creativity Book: This might be the most exciting offering. It's a must-have for all Youtinians and is available NOW!

• Take a chair, lie on the couch, or snuggle up in bed to read and revel in the 25-year history of the magnificent, colorful brick as it teamed up with our galaxy far, far away.

• The book features interviews, previously unseen development art, character designs, and LEGO memorabilia in an exclusive, beautifully presented, unparalleled 312-page time capsule.

Grogu and Hover Pram: Now available for pre-order, this set (75403) captures what has become a Star Wars icon.

• The little fellow and his conveyance changed the trajectory of Star Wars forever, with the little ‘Baby Yoda’ dominating fandom and toy shelves. Now, it can dominate your collection, too.

• The 1,048-piece set comes with a 19cm high Grogu in his Pram, an information plaque, and a Grogu minifig. And maybe a snack.

Acclamator-Class Assault Ship: LEGO hasn't left starship fans behind with this incredible and long-awaited addition (set 75404).

• The ship debuted in The Clone Wars and was a Republic go-to for transporting clone troopers and various support vehicles and fighters.

• The ship is 9 inches (23cm) long. The set comes with 450 pieces and a nameplate suitable for display.

Home One: Not content with one starship, LEGO also has Admiral Ackbar's flagship available (set 75405) for pre-order.

• This set marks the first time the iconic vessel that led the Rebel Alliance in the Battle of Endor has appeared in LEGO form!

• The 559-piece, 13-inch (33cm) model includes a small accompanying medical frigate and a nameplate.

We’re all fine here now - how are you? For many fans, LEGO is such a key part of celebrating the Star Wars galaxy. Here at Youtini, many of us fondly remember the first sets that coincided with The Phantom Menace. If LEGO has also been a big part of your Star Wars fandom, share your story with our community!

🛰️ In the Youtiniverse

• If you haven’t already, check out our newly redesigned website! The result of countless hours of hard work, the new Youtini.com is your home for everything Star Wars, from news to reviews and the best book timeline on the Internet!

• Between the holidays and the website relaunch, you may have missed our deep dive into the mysteries of Mortis, but you can catch a replay here!

• Don’t forget to catch up with Corey, Eric, Charles, and Wes on the year-end Youtini Show to relive the biggest and best Star Wars highlights of 2024 and look ahead to 2025!

🚀 Ready for Dispatch

• If you’re like us, you’ve been having a blast with Skeleton Crew! The latest behind-the-scenes look on StarWars.com features supervising sound editor Matthew Wood and sound designer David W. Collins discussing the series’ sound design.

• In an interview with IndieWire, Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy confirms he’s developing a Star Wars film with screenwriter Jonathan Tropper.

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