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Good Morning Youtinians.  Thank you, everyone, for your feedback last week as we strive to make the best newsletter for you all. Last week, we also asked what Legends lightsaber hilt you wanted to be made next, and in a close vote, Bane barely beat out Revan by only two votes!

— JG Carse, Emmi Conner, and Doc B

Star Wars: Underworld Details Revealed

Thanks to our friends at the Young Indy Chronicles podcast, news has dropped that the one and only father of our galaxy far, far, away, George Lucas, was deeply entrenched in a brand new Star Wars TV series at the time he started negotiations with Disney to purchase Lucasfilm Studios and the Star Wars brand.

Who released the rathars? Producer Rick McCallum, known for his work on the Special Edition Episodes IV to VI in the late 90s and the Prequel Trilogy in the early late 90s and early 2000s, let a rancor loose:

• He stated that there was to be a new TV series, Star Wars: Underworld, that delved deep into the underbelly of the universe.

• The series would have taken place in the years between the end of Episode III - Revenge of the Sith and Episode IV - A New Hope, and was to connect the two movies.

• The top writers of the time were assembled to produce “over 60 scripts” that were sexy, violent, and “absolutely wonderful, complicated, challenging scripts.”

Why blow it up? McCallum stated:

• Although light on plot details and storylines, he did tease that in his belief, the series “Would’ve blown up the whole Star Wars universe, and Disney would’ve definitely never offered George to buy the franchise” should he have gone ahead.

• Each episode of the series proved to be bigger than an entire film. Lucas’s reliance on the tech to take us to his otherworldly scenes would have cost “US$40 million an episode.” Yep, just one!

The Proof’s in the vision: Along with the podcast came the release of footage from Stargate Studios and Lucasfilm entitled ‘Test footage and Making Of’ that sets out some of the early development ideas for an episode.

• The footage is 09:56 minutes long and is tantalizing, although brief, with little snippets of what could have been.

• A speeder lands on a wet, messy street-scape as stormtroopers patrol. A cloaked character steps out of the speeder in stiletto boots and walks away as a small spherical security droid seeks a victim. The troopers confirm rebel activity in the area, the droid hones in on a possible rebel, and a trooper moves on two red-skinned women, stating, “You two move along. This area is threat-level Orange.” The cloaked woman takes a flashing red capsule from a street vendor and thanks them, stating, “We couldn’t do this without you.” Ooooh, nice!

• The scene ends, and we take a behind-the-scenes look at a green screen set with a group of actors, including stormtroopers. We see the cameras, directors, and assistant directors and enjoy watching these amazing creators work their magic! The best bit is watching the smaller screen in the right-hand bottom corner, which depicts the real, SFX-added footage. Simply AMAZING!

The footage is awesome, the tale is amazing, and we are the poorer because this series never saw the light of day. But, Youtinans, if we have learned anything about Star Wars, it is that never say never! With Filoni and Favreau holding the reins, we could just see some or all of these scripts and storylines emerge in the future!

We’re all fine here now — how are you? This got you wishing we could just click and stream an Underworld episode? It sure has got us excited for what could have been.

Hunters Not Hunting

We at Youtini have covered the journey since 2023, when the much-hyped announcement that Zynga Games was to release a new Star Wars game on May 14, 2024. Now, just nine short months after we embarked on team battles with new characters, both villains and heroes, in three action-combat classes, the game's end is in sight.

The announcement: In an open letter addressed “Dear Hunters,” the news was not what we wanted to hear.

• A final content update for Star Wars: Hunters will occur on all platforms on April 15, 2025.

• The game will remain playable until October 1, 2025, when Zynga will shut down the game’s servers.

Three more key updates followed the announcement:

• Season 5 will be extended by three weeks, with extra reruns and shop bundles, allowing players time to hit Kyber 1 rank.

• A new Support Hunter, Tuya, will join the battle as part of the final update release in April, which will be free to players. A final Ranked Mode leaderboard will continue to run for players.

• Hunters will no longer be playable beyond Wednesday, October 1st, 2025.

The letter signed off with a heartfelt thanks to all players for an “incredible journey” and praising them for their time battling in the amazing gaming world of Hunters.

We’re all fine here now — how are you? With the announcement of the end, we look back on the awesome characters that we brought to life. Which was your favorite?

🛰️ In the Youtiniverse

🎙️  On The Youtini Show, we discuss Mara Jade’s legacy lightsaber, Star Wars Celebration panels, The Mandalorian and Grogu updates, and a behind-the-scenes look at Andor Season 2!

🎙️ On The Cosmic Force, we break down Legacy of Vader #2! Kylo Ren’s journey deepens as Vaneé leads him to Tatooine — explore the dark side’s latest chapter with us!

🎙️ On The Star Wars Archives, Trev breaks down the rumored return of the Nagai in Star Wars comics and explains to Jose why this could be a game-changer for the galaxy!

✏️ Our very own Gea shares her personal story with Star Wars and why she loves reading Star Wars books.

✏️ Who is Qimir in Star Wars: The Acolyte? Discover the origins, powers, and motivations of the Sith Lord known as "The Stranger," played by Manny Jacinto.

🚀 Ready for Dispatch

• After rumors of the game’s demise, Saber Interactive has reaffirmed that a remake of Knights of the Old Republic, the 2003 Game of the Year, is still on the way.

• The full list of panels for Star Wars Celebration Japan has been revealed, including looks at The Mandalorian and Grogu, Andor, and a new Star Wars video game!

• The High Republic Adventures #16 releases this Wednesday. The Battle of Eriadu rages on as shocking developments continue to shift the tide of the conflict! Follow Youtini for more coverage and a review later in the week from The Cosmic Force.

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