Star Wars Weekly: New cartoons, Galaxy's Edge woes, and the Holiday Special is canon

Time again for STAR WARS WEEKLY, the SYFY WIRE series that rounds up the most important news of the week from a galaxy far, far away. Think of us as your own personal Star Wars Holocron.

STAR WARS ROLL OUT

A unique new series of Star Wars shorts, titled Star Wars Roll Out, makes its debut today. The shorts are the work of Hideo Itoyanagi, a Japanese animator who found a fan in Lucasfilm's head honcho, Kathleen Kennedy.

You can check out the teaser here and watch for more to come by subscribing to the Star Wars Kids YouTube channel.

IGER'S GALAXY'S EDGE MEA CULPA

Apparently, ticket sales in the last quarter at Disneyland are down 3 percent, despite the opening of the much-hyped Galaxy's Edge attraction. Some have declared that the sky is falling on Star Wars, and many articles proclaimed that the next generation is failing to connect with a galaxy far, far away — but there's too much evidence to the contrary to believe such things. Disney CEO Bob Iger took some time to explain a number of factors that led to that mild drop in attendance and it makes a lot of sense.

For one, there's a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy going on. I personally talked to so many people that said they weren't even going to try to go to the park in the first year due to fears of overcrowding. Iger's definitely right on that point. Then, he explained that ticket prices went up drastically, and that's keeping a lot of people away, too. The third reason is that people are holding out until the entire, initially promised experience is open. Rise of the Resistance, the park's marquee attraction, still hasn't opened yet.

When people adjust to the cost, get used to the idea that the crowds aren't so bad, and that third ride opens, that 3 percent will be long forgotten.

Iger told investors, "… long term — and look, we build these things for the long term — we have no concerns whatsoever."

JON KASDAN AND THE HOLIDAY SPECIAL

The script for Ron Howard's Solo: A Star Wars Story is rife with references to every part of the Star Wars legacy. Jon Kasdan, the co-writer of the film and son of legendary screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan, is a super-nerd who smuggled every bit of lore into the script that he could.

Which is why you get bits like this:

Yup. When you translate Chewbacca's Wookiee-speak in Solo, he confirms that his father is Attichitcuk, which is a name straight out of the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special. It's amazing the level of detail and love for Star Wars the people crafting the series have for the property and it's always great to see these little nods.

JOHN POWELL WANTS SOLO 2

The music in Solo: A Star Wars Story was not the work of the iconic John Williams, but rather composer John Powell, who turned in a frankly underrated score. Powell seemed to have enjoyed his time making music for Star Wars, as he expressed a wish to return for a Solo sequel in a recent Instagram post.

Ewan McGregor isn't a fan of Kylo Ren's lightsaber. Or at least, it seems that way. In the past, he has joked about how back in the days of the Jedi, anyone who knew how to fight with a lightsaber didn't need a hilt.

McGregor's hilt-hating was mostly just a funny joke he could bust out in interviews, but it's recently been codified into Star Wars. At the end of this clip from Battlefront II, Obi-Wan Kenobi faces off with Kylo Ren. And, folks, he does not approve of Kylo's lightsaber.

HUX'S HAPPY BIRTHDAY

There's not much to say about this other than how wonderful it is. The First Order's General Hux is one of the most serious characters in Star Wars and he has a hard time with things like human emotions. So, when Domnhall Gleeson recorded a video for a friend's kid, in character, to wish him a Happy Birthday, hilarity ensued.

Hux is one of the better characters in the new movies, so seeing hot air be deflated out of someone so self-important and entitled is a lot of fun to watch. And Gleeson slips into the character perfectly.

CHEWBACCA SPEAKS

This week, we leave you with footage of Peter Mayhew doing dialogue in the suit on the set of A New Hope.

It's a little weird and unsettling, but for those who worked on the Star Wars movies, this was an everyday reality.

In any case, it's charming:

Until next week, May the Force Be With You!