Fan fiction video following on from the one we posted last week: the "Legends" version of Admiral Thrawn, from the "Heir to the Empire" trilogy which is a different timeline from Disney canon, discusses with his offiers why it was a mistake to build it in the first place. Note that in the timeline in which this discussion takes place, planning for the Death Star began in secret under the Republic as seen in "Revenge of the Sith" and the death star was designed by Bevel Lemelisk, not by Galen Erso under the direction of Orson Krennic. It should be noted however, that although some of the details differ between the legends history discussed here and the Disney Star Wars canon as seen in films like "Rogue One," the criticisms which Grand Admiral Thrawn, Commander Phennir and Captain Pellaeon make all apply to both timelines and very precisely map over to the Disney canon. 

Today in Clacton the leader of Britain's "Reform UK" party is defending his seat in parliament against a comedian with a bin on his head. Millionaire former bond Trader Nigel Farage says that a vote for him is a vote against the establishment and that a vote for the man with a bin on his head is a vote for the establishment. I can't really see it - and I thought politics on my planet in the galaxy far, far away was pretty terrible. We had not been planning to feature this by-election again, but this parody of the British patriotic song "Rule Britannia" was too funny not to use ...   If anyone reading this is from Clacton, the polling stations are now open (as of 7am on Thursday 13th August 2026) and they remain open until 10pm BST this evening.  YOU WILL NEED PHOTO ID TO VOTE. Mitth'raw'nuruodo

 Too obvious? Never mind. A little tribute to the late great Bonnie Tyler

A once in a generation opportunity to watch a solar eclipse from many parts of Western Europe takes place tomorrow (Wednesday 12th August 2026) If watching,  DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN WITHOUT EYE PROTECTION SUCH AS PROPER ECLIPSE GLASSES! Across the UK, the Moon will cover roughly 90% to 95% of the Sun in the late afternoon and early evening. The event begins around 6:08 PM to 6:18 PM BST and ends near 8:00 PM to 8:10 PM BST, varying slightly depending where exactly in the UK you are. Regional Eclipse Timings from the UK Mainland  (British Summer Time) Edinburgh & Glasgow: Begins at 6:08 PM; maximum coverage (approx. 91%) at 7:05 PM; ends at 8:00 PM. Manchester & Liverpool: Begins at 6:13 PM; maximum coverage (approx. 91-92%) at 7:10 PM; ends at 8:03 PM. Birmingham: Begins at 6:15 PM; maximum coverage (approx. 92%) at 7:11 PM; ends at 8:04 PM. London, Bristol & Cardiff: Begins at 6:16–6:17 PM; maximum coverage (approx. 91-93%) at 7:12–7:13 PM; ends at 8:06–8:...

In this fan fiction video, Grad Admiral Thrawn holds a briefing and discussion about why the first Death Star was destroyed by thirty obsolete starfighters. The above video, set in the "Legends" universe and not part of the official Disney canon, is not an official Disney or Lucasfilm production but is meticulously researched, and includes this list of sources: SOURCES Wookieepedia (Star Wars Legends) Battle of Yavin: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Batt... Death Star: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Deat... Tarkin Doctrine: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Tark... Destruction of Alderaan: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Dest... Great Temple: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Grea... Massassi: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Mass... Yavin 4: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Yavi... Black Squadron: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Blac... Mithel: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Mith... Biggs Darklighter: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Bigg... Tenn Granee...

" The Uplift War " by David Brin, which was first published in 1988, is the third in the "Uplift" series of science fiction novels and was originally presented as the concluding part of a trilogy, though Brin went on to write three further novels in the series. It follows on from "Sundiver," reviewed on this site  here , and "Startide Rising," reviewed n this site here . " The Uplift War " won the Hugo award. Like the first two books in the series, this novel thinks big, asking huge questions about man's place in the universe and coming up with answers - true in the context of the novel - which are quite terrifying, yet it remains entertaining, accessible and easy to read, and manages to address issues of the need to cherish our planet and environment without becoming in the slightest degree preachy.  "The Uplift War" begins in the late 25th century within an imagined and very scary future, 238 years after the events of th...