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Disney keeps dropping major bombs on their fans as they drop trailer after trailer for their 2019 film line up. We first saw their live-action trailers for Dumbo and Aladdin. Now, directors Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck return to Arendalle to bring snow magic, and possibly other kinds of magic, back to the big screen in Frozen 2. Anna, Elsa, Sven, Olaf and Kristoph head deep into the forest of their kingdom to learn the truth about an ancient secret of their kingdom. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSLe4HuKuK0&feature=youtu.be Short answer: Yes. Speculative short answer: Yeah, probably.

So...What to Expect?

In early August, there was a supposed leak as to what was coming to holotables for Star Wars Galaxy of Heroes player. While there were a ton of people who critisized the image, it's proven to be more than just wishful thinking. It' correctly predicted IG-88 ship, the dark side KOTOR toons, and just about everything else. There are two things that haven't been addressed by Capital Games or EA: the Millenium Falcon and the Mythic Raid.

Ralph Breaks the Internet is a fun movie, with a great cast, funny moments, and memorable scenes. There is only one problem with the film: the story. With a few exceptions, this makes the sequel feel very much like the original. Ralph Breaks the Internet follows the same pattern that its predecessor followed. A character wants more than what their current life offers, so they leave what’s comfortable in search of more. After a series of misadventures, the character finds what they are looking for. But a problem from earlier in the film pops back up and threatens to ruin everything. One character’s sacrifice makes everything okay and the movie has a happy ending. Seem familiar. I just described both movies. The only real different betweenthe first and second is the relationship between Ralph and Venellope. That relationship makes the ending feel more like a single parent taking an only child to college. Other than that, the story plays out similarly to original. That’s not to say that it’s not a good movie. It’s fun and something people with kids should go see. But from a critical standpoint, Ralph Breaks the Internet feels like it didn’t live up to what it could have been. Ralph Breaks the internet seems to suffer the same fate that all sequels suffer: it doesn’t outshine the original. It's the Die Harder of the Die Hard series. On it’s face, that is a pretty harsh critique. But in reality, it puts in perspective just how good the original was. Wreck it Ralph was nostalgic, funny, and emotional. It was just as good for kids as it was for adults; it may have even had more meaning for adults. Just try not to cry when Ralph, holding his medal and reciting the villain’s mantra, tries to sacrifice himself for Venellope and company. That gets me in the feels every time!

There has been very little love lost between fans and Kathleen Kennedy over the choices she made since taking the position at the helm of Lucasfilm. To say the Sequel Trilogy has fans divided is an understatement of truly epic proportions. The Force Awakens received mixed reviews. The Last Jedi seemed to divide the fans in two. But it was Solo that seemed to be the last straw for many fans. Whether you agree or disagree with the power that be, it looks like Disney is looking to replace Kathleen Kennedy. From what I can gather from various reports, forums, and online buzz, Kennedy will leave Lucasfilm sometime in the fall. Reports speculate that she will announce her replacement in September. This should give Disney and company time to find a replacement. But who is willing to take control of the sinking ship? Over the weekend, Bob Iger held a secret meeting to discuss this very issue.

Kennedy Replacement Front-Runners

There have been a number of people tapped as potential options for the role. The head of Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige, seemed to be Iger's top choice for the role. He's essentially brought the Marvel film universe our of obscurity and into the main stream. At the writing of this post, he has not accepted the job publicly. In all actuality, no one seems willing to take on the position. Even J.J. Abrams has been rumored to turn down the job. Personally, I would love to see someone like Dave Filoni or Pablo Hildalgo fill the void, but it's unlikely that either of those would the experience to run something as vast as Lucasfilm. Also, there's the fact that if either of them did take control, fans would lose them in the creative positions that they are currently in and I really want a stand alone movie directed by Dave Filoni.

The Great Divide

  Like many people, I started playing The Elder Scrolls Online when the beta released in 2013. Also like many, I promptly quit shortly after the game launched in 2014. Riddled with bugs and less than ideal elements to the crafting and other in-game systems, ESO was a great game with great problems. Fast forward to 2018, ESO is one of the best MMOs to date. It no longer has a required monthly subscription, has millions of players, and continues to release new content multiple times a year. Whether you’re considering purchasing the game or are a long time player looking to understand better how to get going, this guide will help you with the sometimes-stiff learning curve of The Elder Scrolls Online.  

Elder Scrolls Character Creation

  ESO, as with many games, begins with character creation. You have many options with which to customize your character. First off: Race. As with other Elder Scrolls games, there are 10 races to choose from in The Elder Scrolls Online. While each of these races has their own strengths and abilities, there are no right and wrong answers in ESO. For purposes of Min-Maxing, there are definitely races that perform better than others do in particular builds and settings, but all are viable. Each race also determines your Alliance. If you’ve purchased the Adventurer Pack, you have access to the “Any Race, Any Alliance” perk. This pack may be purchased in the Crown Store and allows you to choose your alliance regardless of race. As of the release of the One Tamriel overhaul, all alliances have access to every area of the game, which makes the decision of which alliance to join only affect your PvP experience. Next, you choose your character’s class. Currently there are five options: Dragonknight, Nightblade, Sorcerer, Templar, and Warden (which requires the Morrowind expansion or the Warden unlock from the Crown Store). Unlike most MMOs, this doesn’t lock you into one style of play. What’s import in ESO is the role you chose, rather than your class, be it tank, damage dealer, or healer. Your choices in game determine these roles. For example, a dragonknight can wield a restoration staff and act as a powerful healer, a sword and shield and heavy armor to become a mighty tank, or even a destruction staff as a deadly fire mage. These are only some of the options from which to choose. The rest of the character creation screen simply allows you to customize the look and sound of your character. You can adjust many minute details of your character’s body and face, as well as the normal height, weight, and hair color options many games provide for.  

Attributes and Statistics

  In The Elder Scrolls Online, as in the other TES games, there are three main attributes: health, magicka, and stamina. These three attributes not only determine the size of the pools but also affect some of your character’s statistics. Your health is quite simply your life pool. The more health, the longer you are able to stay alive. Tanks benefit from this the most, but a little survivability never hurt anyone. Magicka is a little less straightforward. Your magicka pool does not only determine the number of spells and magicka abilities you can cast. Your max magicka also aids in determining the overall power of said abilities. Without going into the math, a character with a high max magicka will often do more damage or healing with magicka-based abilities than one with a smaller magicka pool. Staves work well with magicka-based characters, because of their ability to aid in magicka regeneration. Stamina works in a similar way. Your stamina, however, affects your physical, poison, bleed, and disease damage. Some healing abilities also use stamina. Like magicka, your max stamina also helps determine the power of its skills. The Sword and Shield, Dual Wield, Bow, and Two-Handed skill lines are all based on stamina.  

My Thoughts

If you’re going to make a park builder, why not allow people to recreate the most famous park of all time: Jurassic Park. Frontier Developments, the makers of Planet Coaster, Zoo Tycoon, and Roller Coaster Tycoon 3, have done exactly that with Jurassic World: Evolution. In the latest title of the Jurassic Park franchise, we take up the role as Park Manager in the re-creation of John Hammond’s dream attraction.

The Upside

From extracting DNA to creating genetically modified hybrids, science has never been more fun. You can make a little struthiomimus for a kiddie dino zoo. Then again, there’s always the option of engineering a colossal Giganotosaurus for gladiatorial combat. It’s up to you. (Editor's note: as of yet, there is no way to give your dinos battle armor or additional weapons but we are looking into mods) Career mode offers a unique experience as you build on each of the Five Deaths and unlock the sandbox mode at Isla Nublar. Each island presents its own challenges as you manage guest satisfaction, park capacity, and, of course, the nature of the dinos themselves. You’ll battle tropical storms that present their own problems. Let’s face it; no one wants to be standing on the other side of an electric fence from a hungry T-Rex when the power goes out. Storm or no storm, there’s always the risk of sabotage from enemies if you allow your reputation with the Science, Entertainment, or Security Divisions to fall. So, is Jurassic World: Evolution the non-stop thrill ride the park promises its guests or just another building sim? The game boasts incredible visuals, with 4K and HDR graphics even making an appearance on the Xbox One X. Combined with some of the franchises unmistakable music, Jurassic World: Evolution brings the nostalgia of Crichton’s original creations from start to finish. An in-depth tutorial and InGen Database allow you to hit the ground running and not stop until you’ve created the best in prehistoric attractions.

The Downside

70 New Episodes!!!

If you've been waiting for the next season of Rick & Morty to return to Cartoon Network, you only have to wait a little bit longer. Yesterday, show creator Justin Roiland revealed to the world that Rick Sanchez will be coming back for at least 70 more episodes. This will more than double the current number of episodes, bringing the show to over 100 episodes. If the past seasons are any indication of what the future will hold, fans can expect the 70 episodes to equate to 7 seasons of Rick being Rick (awesome AF) and Morty being Morty (assuming we are seeing the original Morty and not eye-patch Morty). We may see 14 episode seasons which would bring the total number of seasons down, but don't count on it.

Rick & Morty Return Date

Roiland's tweet made it seem like the developers not only have the first few episodes drafted, but that they are ready to send them the drawing board, literally. Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon have taken anywhere between one and two years to release new episodes for the hit show. If they keep to this pace, that could mean that fans could see new episodes as early as spring of 2019, with potential promos and sneak peaks anywhere between the fall of this year and the beginning of next. Harmon is on record saying ""I know how long this show takes to write, let alone animate," he said. "I'd be surprised if there was a fourth season on the air anytime sooner than 2019... late 2019.” This could be the creator giving himself some breathing room. It could also be an experienced professional knowing his product. Either are possible.

More Details?

What do you get when Luke Skywalker, a bunch of Jawas, and some angry Tuskens walk into a moisture farm? You get the latest event for the Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes mobile game, Trouble on Tatooine. Trouble on Tatooine is the first event in the newest event series. Players take the young Luke Skywalker and a group of Jawas and fight against marauding Tusken raiders. My first attempt to play this event is listed in the video below.   We first learned about this event in an interview during Star Wars Celebration and discovered more about this new event in a post earlier this week. While both of these sources got players excited about the new event, they didn’t give us too many details about what this event would entail. This post will go over the 6 things players need to know to beat the flash event in the SWGOH mobile game. I am basing this advice on information I learned from playing the Trouble in Tatooine flash event. I will periodically update this post as we see more of these events released.

Star with the Tier You want the Most

Flash events allow players to repeat any tier of the event until they have completed it. Unlike many of the events we’ve seen so far, once you have completed ANY tier of the event, ALL tiers of the event will be marked as complete. The tiers will reset when the flash event resets. So if you beat the bonus tier during the 11 am event, you will not be able to try to beat another tier until the event resets at 2. At that point, you can play any tier, but you can only beat one. Choose carefully which tier you want or need. If all future flash events will be modeled after this first one, the first time you complete a particular tier, you will receive additional rewards. This is to make it more appealing for players to try out different tiers.

Watch the Clock

These events last between 1 and 4 hours. While they do repeat throughout the day, if you wait too long, you could end up losing out on gear, credits, and possibly character shards. As I mentioned in the section above, start with the tier you think you are most likely to beat and try it as many times as you can. If you beat it, great. If you don’t watch the clock. Move to the next level and try again. It’s better to get gear at a lower level than it is to miss out on gear altogether.

Know the Enemy

Just because there’s no guarantee an AI enemy will attack a certain way every time you face off against doesn’t mean you can’t know how they are likely to attack. When the developers release who the  flash event enemy faction will be, look at that faction’s players. Then, think about possible enemy configurations. Look at the more common team set ups in that faction and see how they work together, what benefits they give each other, and what detriments they are likely to be against the faction you are going to play ask. This will help you better prepare before you actually face off.

Know Your Team

Like everything in this game, you need to have an understanding of the team you are using before you begin a battle. When the developers release information about the latest flash event, they will also release information about it…probably. This normally takes place a day or two before the event. Even in the most cryptic messages, they usually give players an idea about who they will use in the event. During the Trouble on Tatooine event, we knew that we would use Luke Skywalker and Jawas to defeat Tuskens. This information allowed players to learn about how these two groups would work together and create a battle plan for how to approach the event.

Gear and Mods: Get them

Moding your team properly is just as important to winning as knowing how your team works together. It’s unrealistic to think that all players will have the characters used in each flash event maxed out with gear, levels, and the best mods. But, it’s completely possible to move mod pieces from one character to another so that whatever team is needed for the latest flash event is as prepared as they can be. Use tools like SWGOH.GG and the Mod Advisors on CrouchingRancor to help you see how best to mod the characters you’ll be using in these flash events. Then, before you actually begin the fight, see what last minute adjustments you can make to your characters. Can you throw on an extra character or mod level? Can you farm a gear piece that can more a toon from a level 9-10? These small tweaks can make a huge difference when it comes to performance in events like this.

Let The RNG Guide You

In this week's season finales, we have a lot of major storylines wrapping up, and a few cliffhangers to hold us over until next season. Supergirl challenges Rhea in an effort to save National City and the world. After losing everything, Barry takes on Savitar, with everything he has, in one final fight. On Lian Yu, Oliver battles Adrian Chase with the help of some unlikely allies.

Important Things to Know This Week:

Last week, Rhea stopped the team's plan just before her ship was destroyed. She then brought out Superman, under her control, to fight Kara. We should also keep in mind the Luthor subplot, and how that could potentially carry over into next season. Iris is dead. I don't feel like I should write anything other than that. As I said last week, there could be twists coming, but as of right now, Iris is dead. We should keep in mind that Caitlin is still Killer Frost, as that could be a side-story this week, but Iris' death and the battle against Savitar certainly are more important. Last week, Chase kidnapped everyone Oliver cares about. When his son was taken, he helped Chase escape. He then set off to Lian Yu to fight Chase, with the help of Nyssa Al-Ghul, Malcolm Merlyn, Deathstroke, and Digger Harkness. We need to keep in mind that not everyone Chase took was shown on Lian Yu at the end of the last episode. I'm excited to see what happens.

The Biggest Moments This Week (Spoilers!):

Supergirl: (S2 E22: Nevertheless, She Persisted)

The opening of the episode picks up right where the last one left off, with Superman fighting Supergirl. We learn that Rhea has used silver kryptonite to make Superman view Kara as his mortal enemy, Zodd. The fight, and cause much destruction, before Kara is able to get the upper hand and knock him out. When they wake up in the Fortress of Solitude, Superman is back to being himself, luckily. Lillian continues working to turn Lena to her side. I definitely think next season will focus on the fight against Cadmus, and I really hope that Lena is on Supergirl's side, not her mother's. I guess we'll see what happens there. For now, the Luthor's are planning on creating a device that would make Earth uninhabitable for all Daxamites. Mon-El accepts that possibility, but Kara is determined to stop them in another way if at all possible. Lena's decision to only give Supergirl the power to activate the device bodes well for the future, but anything could happen. Kara challenges Rhea to a one-on-one battle, based on an ancient Daxam tradition, and it could decide the fate of the world. After training with Superman, she heads out and meets Rhea for the fight. Rhea goes back on her word, though, and unleashes an assault on National City. Luckily, Mon-El, Superman, and J'onn are going to do everything in their power to save the city and stop the Daxamites. M'Gann even shows up with some White Martians to help in the fight. Meanwhile, Rhea gets the upper hand in her fight when she reveals that she is infused with kryptonite. Ultimately Kara has to activate the device the Luthors created to stop the Daxamites. Even though it means Mon-El has to leave Earth.

The Flash: (S3 E23: Finish Line)

The episode opens with the twist revelation that HR and Iris had switched bodies in order to trick Savitar. The main problem with this is that, as soon as Barry learns about it, Savitar learns it as well. Savitar and Killer Frost are holding Cisco hostage, trying to force him to build something for them. There could be some issues with the paradox that has been created, though. Wally could lose his powers for instance. It also sucks that HR is gone now. It will be interesting to see if they replace him with some other version of Harrison Wells, or if Tom Cavanagh will leave the cast now. Savitar's plan is to force Cisco to re-purpose the Speedforce Bazooka to splice him into every moment throughout time, which would cause him to become a God. This apparently, has been his plan the whole time, and if Cisco doesn't help him, he is going to kill Caitlin. Barry, meanwhile, decides to try to save Savitar, to help him survive, in order to make everything right in the world. Savitar tricks Barry and sets off an explosion of the Philosopher's Stone in STAR Labs. Gypsy shows up to save Cisco. Then, the team comes to the rescue, just as Cisco's technology brings Jay Garrick into the fight. The fight with Savitar is awesome. Killer Frost helps Team Flash, Barry spare's Savitar's life, and ultimately, Iris kills Savitar. After the battle, there is a funeral for HR, and the team tries to go back to normal. Caitlin decides not to take the antidote Cisco gives her, though, and the team is going to have a lot to adjust to after battling Savitar.

Arrow: (S5 E23: Lian Yu)

The episode opens up with Oliver trying to coordinate his new team. Although they are all incredibly strong, they don't trust each other. Beyond that, they are all very different people, with different motivations. Digger's betrayal was unexpected, but not that surprising. Slade's betrayal is less expected, but it makes sense once we learn it is all Oliver's plan. Malcolm, meanwhile, seemingly dies, causing some serious problems for Thea's mindset. The different groups of hostages make for a very interesting storyline. Felicity, Samantha, Thea, and Curtis get rescued first and head off to find Chase' plane with Malcolm. Instead, they find evidence of hundreds of C4 charges littered through the island. When Oliver gets to Diggle, Lance, Dinah, and Rene, it is a great way to set up some epic fight scenes. That group plus, Slade and Nyssa, are going to be a formidable group for anybody, and that is clear in the scenes following their escape. Chase may not be as physically imposing as some of Oliver's foes over the years, and he definitely isn't as powerful, but he has an advantage of being one of the smartest people in the history of the show. The whole season is a frustrating display of him constantly outsmarting Oliver. The season finale isn't different. Everything Chase does is in the interest of outsmarting Oliver. The other battle between these two is more of an internal struggle. Oliver has constantly struggled with being a killer. Chase is insistent on getting Oliver to kill him, in order to prove that is what Oliver is. Not killing Chase is more than just about not giving him the satisfaction. Oliver needs to know, for himself, that he doesn't need to kill anymore.

Overall: (This week, we cover cliffhangers)

After Mon-El leaves Earth, Kara is broken. She sees everyone around her, and how happy they are, and realizes that she just lost that. Ultimately, Cat Grant is able to talk her into going back to living her life. As the episode ends, we see Mon-El's ship veering into a wormhole of some sort, as it mirrors Kara's flight to go stop a fire. Meanwhile, we see that there was another pod sent to Earth, by someone on Krypton, as it was being destroyed, and it seems like this will be a very dangerous person. Just as Barry and Iris are settling back into their lives, intense damage comes down on Central City from the Speedforce. Barry decides to run into it in order to stop the damage from happening. It's highly unlikely that The Flash returns without Barry, but Caitlin could be gone. It sounds like Harry will be sticking around to help the team, and Barry asked Cisco to take on a bigger role with the team. If Barry finds a way out of this, things are going to be very different when he gets back. After narrowly saving William, Chase kills himself. Oliver has to watch Lian Yu get destroyed with explosives knowing that everyone else he loves and cares about is on that Island. The episode ends there. For all we know, the whole team is dead. We now have two of these shows set to return with total uncertainty. It will be great to see how they approach season 6 in the fall.

Ryan’s Speculation of the week:

  Radio Free Tatooine interviewed two of the lead game designers for our favorite Star Wars Mobile game. Galaxy of Heroes will be releasing a new character as part of the latest marquee event. While we don't have the details on what this event will look like, we do have the information on the newest character in the game: Rebel Ahsoka Tano. But the former Jedi isn't the only good news we've heard from this update. In addition to these new characters, reworks are happening for Grand Admiral Tarkin and possibly the Ugnaught. The video below outlines what this new information means to holotable heroes everywhere.

Ahsoka (Fulcrum) Abilities

This information was put together and posted on Reddit and it outlines  Ahsoka's abilities. TAGS: Rebel, Attacker, Light Side Description: Enduring Rebel attacker that shrugs off debuffs and consumes buffs to deal extra damage Basic: Balanced Strike: Deal Damage to target enemy and gain Protection up (Up to 40%) for 2 turns, and grant the same amount to a random ally (This cannot affect the same ally multiple times) (This MAY refresh the amount on Ahsoka, not 100% positive) Special 1: Meditate: Ahsoka gains Foresight and all other non-unique buffs on allies for 2 turns (Does not copy taunt), and gains up to 15% turn meter for each buff received. 4-3 turn cooldown Special 2: Whirlwind: Ahsoka consumes all buffs and deals damage to target enemy, for each UNIQUE buff consumed, attack once more up to 10 times. ZETA: This attack cannot be evaded And the target has -50% armor against this attack. Unique: Perseverance: Ahsoka is immune to Damage over Time debuffs and has 30% Crit Evasion, and dispells all debuffs on her at the end of each turn and takes 14-10% damage for each debuff (Non-lethal damage) Then gains 1-5% HP for each buff that Ahsoka has.

Tarkin Rework

When Omegaed, Basic grants 50% potency, stacking until Ultimate Firepower is used. Ultimate Firepower: Deal special damage to all enemies, with 100% chance to remove 50% TM. Gains Offense equal to double Tarkin's Potency. Intimidation Tactics: Gain Potency Up for 1-3 turns, inflict critical chance down and offense down for 2-3 turns on all enemies. Cannot be resisted by rebels. Gain bonus TM for each debuffed enemy. Tighten the Grip (Leader): Empire allies gain 30 speed. Inflict Defense Down for 2 turns on enemies that fall below 100% health during Empire allies' turns. This cannot be resisted. Zeta upgrade: Also inflicts Expose. Callous Conviction (Unique): Gains Defense equal to 100% of his Potency. Zeta: Gains 20% Potency per debuffed enemy.

Ugnaught (Super-sized)

We don't know anything about this character's rework, but if I were to guess, he would have some connection to Lando and Lobot. He may have even gained a leader ability that boosts droids on the team. Currently, the little pig-man is all but a loner. He doesn't effectively fit on any real team. The Ugnaught can be a strong character when geared and modded properly, but he doesn't have many synergies that make him a character most people will put on their team. At best, he plays the role of fodder when people can't beat the final node in Galactic War.

Note

This week, Supergirl has to decide whether she is going to follow the President's orders after Rhea's attack, meanwhile Cat Grant returns to National City. Barry decides to do whatever he can to save Iris, as time winds down to her eventual murder by Savitar. On Arrow, Black Siren shows up to help Adrian Chase, meanwhile Felicity tries to throw a birthday party for Oliver, and Quentin is angry with Rene for missing his custody hearing.

Important Things to Know This Week:

The big thing that happened in Supergirl was Rhea using her partnership with Lena to allow the Daxamites to come to earth in order to take it over. Another thing that could come as a result of that though, is Lena learning about Supergirl's identity. She knew what Mon-El looked like, and that he is with Kara, now she's seen them fight together against Rhea. Last week, Barry learned even more about Savitar, and the team hit another dead-end in trying to stop Savitar's plans. With little time left, the team is running out of options entirely. They have to find a solution, and they need to do it quickly. Adrian Chase was captured last week, but we can't really expect that to be the end of his story. Something is going to happen to bring Oliver out into the open. Meanwhile, in the Flashbacks, Konstantin attacked Oliver, making his wait on Lian Yu a little more interesting.

The Biggest Moments This Week (Spoilers!):

Supergirl: (S2 E21: Resist)

The opening of the episode is intense. Mon-El and Lena are prisoners on Rhea's ship, and being forced into marriage. The Daxamites are attacking everyone, and James and Maggie have to fight through it. The DEO is attacked, and Winn and Alex barely make it out. Meanwhile J'onn is incapacitated after being attacked by Rhea. As if everything wasn't already messed up, Lillian Luthor shows up wanting to help. I love the scene where the President and Cat Grant communicate with Rhea to explain to her that she isn't going to be able to just take over Earth, and that people will fight back. I totally forgot how much Cat added to this show, but after just a few scenes, I wish she had been here the whole season. Unfortunately, this also leads to the President ordering that they destroy Rhea's ship, completely disregarding the fact that there are innocent people up there. We do get a great Cat Grant motivational speech because of it, though. Then we get another one, which prompts the whole city to fight back. On Rhea's ship, Mon-El and Lena are trying to make a stand against Rhea by refusing to follow her demands for them to get married. Meanwhile, Supergirl has decided to work with Cadmus in order to save Mon-El and Lena. Their plan is pretty complex, and, if it goes wrong, they could all die. Of course, Lillian has a secondary plan to kill Supergirl and Mon-El in the process.

The Flash: (S3 E22: Infantino Street)

With just 24 hours to Iris' death, the team is working on finding a solution, but they also realize that time is running out. They reach out to Lyla, who has a piece of Dominators technology that would be able to power the "Speedforce Bazooka" to trap Savitar. Lyla refuses to give it to Barry on the basis of not trusting him, which is honestly ridiculous after the last few weeks of Arrow. As a result, Barry decides to steal it, and goes back in time to get help from Leonard Snart. Savitar and Killer Frost are also gearing up for the night as well. This includes an eerie conversation where they debate the readiness level for being able to kill Iris. Savitar seems to be cocky about the outcome of the night, but that could end up being his downfall. Meanwhile, Joe and Wally take Iris to Earth-2 to hide out with Harry, while Barry and Snart infiltrate ARGUS. Stealing from ARGUS turns out to be more difficult than they probably expected. First, Barry needs to take out some guards when his Lyla disguise fails to work. Then, Snart's skills become essential to unlocking the room holding the Dominators tech. Finally, they have to deal with King Shark guarding the technology. When they actually get to it, Barry gets out, but Snart ends up trapped in the room. Cisco is able to save him, but then Lyla shows up. His choice to save Snart convinces Lyla to give him to technology he asked for. After all of that, though, Savitar tricks the team into telling him where Iris is, and he goes to Earth-2, takes down Wally, and kidnaps Iris.

Arrow: (S5 E22: Missing)

After Oliver's party, Curtis goes to bring some new tech to Dinah. When he gets there, though, he finds her apartment trashed, and then he gets attacked and kidnapped. Now Curtis, Dinah, and Rene are all missing, and the only evidence is weaponry that suggests Talia Al-Ghul is involved. Oliver sends Thea and Quentin to a safe house, but Black Siren and Evelyn Sharp show up to take them as well. Felicity and Diggle then get taken by Talia, and her followers. This leaves Oliver on his own, with everyone he loves or cares for in danger. Oliver, meanwhile, is doing everything he can to try to find a way to save the people around him. Chase gives him an ultimatum that would save the people around him, but only if he lets Chase go. Malcolm Merlyn shows up to help Oliver, and he tries to convince him to give in to Chase' demands. Merlyn's story is a direct parallel to the Supergirl episode this week. He's willing to help the hero, only to save his daughter, like Lillian Luthor. He also talks to Oliver about human connections being the most important thing, just as Cat Grant did with Supergirl. Throughout the episode, we see a flashback to Oliver's last bit of time on Lian Yu. Konstantin tortures him, and gives him a psychoactive drug that causes him to hallucinate about some of the people he lost during the five years that he was away from home. He has to fight through it in order to be able to save himself, beat Konstantin, and make it back home. Coincidentally, his present day journey has brought him to Lian Yu to face off with Chase.

Overall:

The "Speedforce Bazooka" fails because Savitar has the Philosopher's Stone. After all of their efforts, the team fails, and Savitar kills Iris. There is definitely a possibility that they will find a way to save Iris, but I wouldn't be surprised if they don't. There hasn't been a death this significant in the Arrowverse yet, but it would be a big moment for these shows, and for the Flash specifically. Whatever happens, this moment will be very significant moving forward.

Ryan’s Speculation of the week:

During the Star Wars Celebration, holotable heroes were promised two new fan-favorite characters for the May and June character release. And since April, players have not stopped speculating on who these two fan-favorite characters might be. Towards the end of April, the first of the two was revealed: R2-D2. The Daring Droid challenge launched May the 4th and players selected from their Empire team to a team to pit against the original passengers of the Falcon. But since then, we’ve had no word as to who the next fan-favorite character will be. There was a cryptic message at the end of a recent update message that read:

The last time we got a message like this, it was to inform us about the revamp of General Veers and the addition of the Imperial Trooper tag. While this message could be taken as a glimpse of what characters are in the works, I think it’s more indicative of a character rework that’s in the works. So who could be next on the list of Star-wars fan-favorite characters we could see added to the Galaxy of Heroes rosters? I’ve outlined below the 6 most probable characters players could see coming in June and some random speculation about their character development.

C-3PO

Since May brought us R2-D2, June may very well bring us his bitchy gold counterpart, C-3PO. Whether he’ll have a red arm or not wouldn’t really matter as much as what a droid like that could do. Since 3PO is pretty useless in the movies, this character wouldn’t be someone who would do much damage. He would probably have a Slap attack, where he would get offended and slap the enemy. A character like 3PO would most likely be built with a strong leadership ability and an affinity to R2 and maybe the Ewoks. He’d probably make R2 damn-near invincible and make any accompanying Ewoks that much more effective. Like R2, 3PO would be a Republic, Rebel, Droid, and Resistance character.

Wicket

This is less of a probability as much as it is my fervent hope. I freaking love the Ewoks and I am a little upset that there aren’t more of them present. In early commercials for the game, Wicket was shown as a playable character, but at launch, he was changed to be the Ewok Scout. I’m not even sure what abilities Wicket would have. Maybe he and Teebo could have a bromance like Biggs and Wedge. Since he is so small, he could also have stealth or maybe a high dodge chance. I understand that Wicket isn’t the fan favorite that I think he is, but I can hope.

Jango Fett

The original Boba Fett is a character I have seen people really begging for in the forums. And why not? There are only a handful of Bounty Hunters and only a few more Scoundrels. Jango could have both tags as well as Separatist tag. He'd probably be similar to Boba, having some form of AOE attack, maybe in the form of a flamethrower or maybe even a thermal detonator ability. I think a character like this would have a high dodge chance, as well as the ability to stun characters. He did tangle up Obi-won, after all.

Rebel Chewie

Chewbacca is one of the first characters that we get when we start the game. For a long time, players leveled to a certain point, and then let him fall to the wayside. With the addition of a zeta ability, Chewie’s showing back up in squads. He’s the Wookiee we need to start the game, but not the one we want. We want to see an Old school Chewie. One that has an affinity to Han Solo, not Stormtrooper Han, the real Han Solo. Let’s face it, both of those characters are underwhelming. As a raid reward, I was hoping for more from Han, but at best, he’s okay. A new Chewie should fix that. I think a Rebel Chewie should be a very tanky attacker. His roar should inflict defense down instead of taunt. His basic should inflict daze and I want to see him rip an arm off someone!

Revan

With the Sith rework, it just makes sense that Revan will eventually join the game. Revan is definitely a Star Wars fan-favorite. Since the EU became legends, fans have been clamoring for Revan’s glorious return. We almost saw him in an episode of Clones Wars, but he was cut at the last moment. Revan would obviously be a Sith, but he could also have the Jedi tag. This would make him the first light and dark side character in the game, which would be fitting for his character. Depending on what they do with his story, I think he could have advantage against Jedi, Sith, and any future Mandalorian factions that are introduced. He would be a leader that would probably have a revive ability and a strong basic attack. We were told the new characters would introduce a new ability that we haven’t seen in the game so far. R2 has his fire ability. Revan could have a Dominate Mind ability, where he makes an enemy target a character on their team.

Jedi Luke

From day one, fans have wanted a Jedi Luke. Make no mistake, Jedi Luke will eventually join the game, the only question is when. Will we see a Return of the Jedi Luke or The Last Jedi Luke? Depending on which Luke we see, their abilities will definitely be different. A ROTJ Luke will obviously be dressed in all black and carry a green lightsaber. I think he will be faster than most others, maybe even have a force jump ability, that either lets him go before his opponent (like Han’s Shoot First). ROTJ Luke would probably have a high evade and maybe even a chance to counter. I could even see him with a unique ability like Iron Will, that would allow him to either dampen or lessen the effects of Sith or Empire characters. The Last Jedi Luke might be slower and focus more on using force powers than fighting with a lightsaber. Although, it is rumored that Luke will take on the Knights of Ren in TLJ, so maybe he’s honed his fighting skills, which means TLJ Luke would be a powerhouse with a saber. Honorable Mentions There are dozens of characters that fall under the fan favorite umbrella. I would do a huge disservice to these characters if I didn’t at least mention them in this post. Jar Jar Binks: Think about it. This would be the biggest troll move EA has made since launch. They would have to provide us with crystals and credits as a way of apology. Padme Amidala: Padme is a bad-a. Of course, she would be more susceptible to Vader’s attack. Maybe Vader would get a Heart Breaker ability. Mouse Droid: Because why the eff not? Malek: A great counter to a Revan that could be entered. Aphra: One of the newer characters introduced in the canon that is just amazing. Her comic is fantastic and all should read it. She’s a strong character that could be a scoundrel or Empire character. Admiral Rae Slone: Slone has been in a number of the new canon materials. She was a main character in Aftermath, made an appearance in the Kanan comics, and popped up in a few others. I think we’ll see her again in the films. XIzor and Guri: I just want to see these to come back into canon. Xizor was definitely a favorite character in the original EU and I think he could be a cool way to introduce us to the underworld Hando Ohnaka: I freaking love Hando. He was a mainstay in the Clone Wars cartoon and has shown up from time to time in Rebels. Hando could be a scoundrel and maybe have an affinity with Ezra.

Grand Admiral Thrawn

After escaping the Framework, the real battle begins as the team has to confront Aida in her new body. The team will have to figure out what her grand plan is, and find a way to stop her from succeeding, before it's too late.

Important Things to Know Going Into This Week’s Episode

Last week, the team narrowly escaped the Framework, leaving Mack behind, by his request. While they escaped, however, Aida put her plan in motion, and took over her new body in the real world. Simmons and Daisy's quin-jet is currently being shot out of the sky, May and Coulson are stuck in Ivanov's base, and Fitz was teleported away when he touched Aida. The team will have to reconnect, learn Aida's plan, and stop her, before it's too late.

The Biggest Moments in this weeks episode (SPOILERS!)

1. Ivanov's LMDs:

The version of Antanov we've been seeing turns out to be an LMD. I knew Aida had done something unnatural to keep him going, but I didn't think that was it. The fact that there are multiple LMDs is way more than Coulson and May are ready for. After taking a few of them out, Ivanov himself chooses to destroy the base.

2. The trouble in the Quinjet:

Daisy and Simmons work to help ensure the survival of Yo-Yo and the rest of the crew on their quin-jet. This involves putting out fires, rerouting power, and narrowly succeeding at shooting their enemy out of the sky. While they make their way to meet Coulson and May, they learn of Talbot's position that SHIELD may be behind the explosion seen before Daisy and Simmons went into the Framework. The team is being considered a group of terrorists, and it's going to be difficult to deal with while also fighting Aida. Luckily Talbot and his men are too afraid of Daisy to give the team trouble when they confront each other.

3. Aida's Humanity:

Fitz is able to convince Aida that, to truly be a human, she needs to have empathy and compassion. She tries to convince Ivanov that he should let the team go, but he refuses. She then decides to use her teleportation to save Mack. It was a moment that showed the possibility of her being a valuable asset to the team. Before that can even be a thought, though, Simmons ices her and Fitz. They imprison the two of them, in order to see if they can be trusted. After some communication, Fitz explains that he still loves Simmons. Aida does not respond well to this and decides to start trying to kill everyone. Fitz reveals to the group that she has multiple Inhuman powers and that she won't be able to be stopped.

Ryan’s Speculation of the week:

When Guardians of the Galaxy was first slated to be made, I was hesitant. I had never read the comics so I wasn’t familiar with their story or how they fit into the Marvel universe. But once I was in the theater for the first film, I was sold. The music was great, the story was fun, and the dialogue was just enjoyable to listen to. On top of all that, the visual effects were so well done. The original was so well received that Marvel bumped up the premiere of the second film by more than a year. When the second film arrived, I was way more excited. I have become more of a Marvel fanboy than I was a few years ago and I couldn’t wait to see what happened next to the Guardians. The trailers made it look like so much fun, I just had to go see it. So I gathered my team at work and took them all to the theater in the middle of the day…on a Tuesday…because it’s cheaper. The perks of being the boss, right? With the movie still fresh in my mind, I just had to sit down and write out my review of the film. This is going to wander into spoiler territory, so be warned: SPOILERS AHEAD!

Plot Summary (Seriously, SPOILERS!!!)

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 is the story of Jesus if Jesus and his God-father disagreed with each other on the purpose of life and got into a planet-crushing fight. The film starts out with Ego, Peter Quills’ immortal father impregnating his mother and planet Earth. It’s a god-like man coming to earth and impregnating a woman. That woman bears a son that eventually “gives” his life to save the galaxy. Or at least he would have if not for the help of his buddies. Does that make Rocket Raccoon Peter’s Paul? Probably not, but it’s a fun idea to think of. Flash forward 34 years and Star-Lord and his buddies are protecting an energy source from an inter-dimensional octopus in a truly epic battle. After the battle, the group offends their would-be employers which then send an entire armada after the Guardians. Enter Ego—god with a little g. That’s not a penis joke, but there are a few of those in the film, thanks to Drax. Thanks, Drax. Ego takes his half-human, half-god son to a paradise planet that he constructed himself. It’s a beautiful place that the crew soon come to realize hides a dark secret. The Guardians soon realize that Ego is a crazy person and that they must destroy. Fighting ensues and five post-credit scenes later, the movie ends.

My Thoughts

The story was fun. I had to laugh at the Jesus parallels throughout the film. While I don’t think the director was trying to offend anyone, the god-father/immortal-son trope is not a new one. And it’s subtle, so if you are easily offended, then you probably won’t even notice it. Unless you’re reading this and you now know to look for it. In which case, it’s still not that bad. There were parts of the film that were slower than others. I know that not every moment of the movie can be packed with action. Some of the slower bits in the film were actually really well timed and helped viewers like me—who don’t have a solid grasp of characters—to better identify with those who we don’t know as much about. Characters like Drax, Yondu, and Nebula were all developed in this film way more than they were in the previous. The action was fun, the music was on par with the original, and the story was believable in the realm that it was told in. Keep in mind, I have not been a fan of the comics, so if I am way off base, please let me know in the comments below.

Guardians’ Cast

As always, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 boasts an all-star cast. Listed below are just some of the big names that grace the screen in this movie.

On Supergirl, Alex is kidnapped, forcing Maggie and Kara to work together trying yo find her, meanwhile Rhea has a proposal for Lena. Team Flash finds a scientist who may be the key to stopping Savitar, but they have to battle Killer Frost in the process. On Arrow, Oliver and Felicity are trapped in the bunker while Diggle and Lyla work through their issues.

Important Things to Know This Week:

In the ending moments of the previous episode, Mon-El's mother approached Lena. We know what kind of danger she brings with her, so this will be a very interesting storyline. Kara is also back to working at CatCo after impressing Snapper. This will help combat the boredom we saw in the last episode, but it could cause problems when Supergirl is needed. After a trip to the future, Barry learns that Killer Frost will be working with Savitar. We see this actually happen when Savitar chooses to reveal his identity to her. Barry will be doing everything he can to discover Savitar's identity. It may be the only thing he can do to stop Savitar and save Iris. After the whole Helix-Argus ordeal, our heroes are in a strange predicament. Diggle is genuinely surprised about some of the things Lyla justifies, which come out during the fight. Argus also loses a high-profile prisoner to Helix, who just happens to help the team, by giving them a way to track Adrian Chase. Chase just happens to be at the bunker, and causes an explosion as the episode ends.

The Biggest Moments This Week (Spoilers!):

Supergirl: (S2 E19: Alex)

Alex' kidnapping is obviously the main storyline this week. In a way, it seems to just be manufactured drama, though. Kara and Maggie argue right up until the moment they realize Alex is in trouble, and even then, they can't seem to agree on the way to handle the investigation. Even when the team finds Alex' supposed location, they can't agree on the best way to get to her. Lena and Rhea's story is also extremely interesting. I can't tell if they are setting up Rhea to be the main villain for the finale, and pushing Cadmus off for another season, or if Rhea will just be a bump in the road. Luckily, Lena is smart, and she finds out what Rhea is before it's too late. Rhea is persistent though, and she convinces Lena to work with her anyway. Finding Alex turns out to be a strange process. Interrogations, negotiations, and computer tracking all only serve to put the team in a position where they have a fraction of the time, and very few options. It definitely doesn't help that Alex is acting like this is the end, and refusing to allow them to give in to demands. After all of that, Alex is in more trouble than ever. While she tries to escape, Maggie continues working to try to get her back to safety. In the end, the two adopt the other's style, and miraculously get an answer just in time to save Alex' life.

The Flash: (S3 E20: I Know Who You Are)

The side-story in this episode about Joe and Cecile is interesting, even if it doesn't play much into the overall plot. It is a classic superhero trope. It's hard to have relationships when you are involved in super-heroism. In this case, it seems that Joe is trying to protect Cecile as well as Barry, Wally, and the team. Killer Frost kidnaps Cecile, and the team has to figure out how to save her without giving up Tracy. Tracy Brand, the girl who will invent the technology to trap Savitar in the speed force, is a grad student who has just failed her dissertation, and is giving up on her dreams. Team Flash and Killer Frost are both trying to find her, for very different reasons. The two sides going after her makes sense, but there isn't a guarantee that she will be able to replicate her work anytime soon, anyway. She seems to think so as well. Having Iris' life in her hands doesn't make it any easier, either. Killer Frost's powers are freaking awesome! If they can somehow figure out how to turn Caitlin back to the good side, without her giving up the powers, it will be one of the coolest things we've seen in these shows yet. Cisco's inability to fight against her, though, is difficult. I get that he is afraid of killing her, but she needs to be stopped. She would be much safer in a cell at STAR Labs than she is running around working for Savitar. Right when it seems like Killer Frost has won, Cisco decides to fight back. It's an important moment for his character, and for Caitlin's. They weren't able to save her from Savitar yet, but that moment could go a long way towards Caitlin returning to the team, and Cisco trusting his powers.

 Arrow: (S5 E20: Underneath)

Oliver and Felicity getting trapped in the bunker is definitely a difficult thing to deal with. Add the fact that everything that runs on electricity, including Felicity's spinal support technology. There is even a, slightly comical scene, where Oliver tries to go up the elevator shaft, even though Felicity warns that it may be booby-trapped. Which leads to him getting a huge slice in his back. The thing that bothers me is Felicity talking about the imbalance of trust in their relationship. I know that Oliver doesn't agree with a lot of Felicity's choices. Felicity definitely disagrees with a lot of his choices too. The cheesy flashbacks to set up a potential relationship between the two are a little annoying. Having Quentin deal with the political/legal fallout of the D.A. being revealed as a serial killer is a great twist. Quentin definitely has a different view on the legal implications of everything happening than other characters might, due to his background with the SCPD. It would have been fun watching Rene help, but I get that he was needed elsewhere. Diggle and Lyla's marital issues seem to be boiling over the surface. Diggle hates what she's doing with Argus, she compares it to team arrow's actions. She offers to help the team, but then it's revealed that she may have stolen one of Curtis' spheres. There is a lot of stuff they are doing to try to save Oliver and Felicity, and that is incredibly important. Once that is done, though, they will have a lot to deal with.

Overall:

Barry makes a realization at the end of The Flash that I have avoided thinking about. Savitar is Barry, from the future. The mystery now will be finding out what causes Barry to turn evil, and become Savitar in the future. It will also be interesting to find out if Barry tells this secret to the rest of the team or not. This is a strange way for the story to go. The team could end up resenting Barry for eventually turning evil. Even if that doesn't happen, Barry may have a hard time accepting that he would be able to do that.

Ryan’s Speculation of the week:

In this week's episode, time is running out to get out of the framework. As Daisy and Simmons try to get the rest of the team out, not everybody is willing or ready to leave this world behind.

Important Things to Know Going Into This Week’s Episode

Last week we saw May help Daisy to escape Hydra and find the resistance. We also saw Aida begin her plan to supplant the real world in a way that she could actually exist. We should also keep in mind that the team did lose Mace, as he was crushed by a building. Meanwhile, almost all of the team is now working with the resistance (minus Fitz). We're into the home stretch of the season, so definitely expect things to start getting crazy.

The Biggest Moments in this weeks episode (SPOILERS!)

1. The Real-World Danger:

We already know that "the Russian" is trying to track the Jet where Daisy and Simmons are. We learn early in this episode that the team guarding them is in danger, and cutting anything non-essential for flying or keeping them alive. This, however, seems to include cloaking. I get that they are having issues, but removing their cloaking will be immensely dangerous. They realize that later and have to do whatever they can in order to save our heroes.

2. Simmons' Hesitation:

I fully expected May and Mack to be hesitant to return. Simmons seems to be more hesitant than either of them might be, though, when she realizes that Fitz won't be coming back with them. I fully understand her hesitation, but Fitz can't be trusted in this world. Simmons refuses to give up, though, and she ends up killing Fitz' "father" in the process. Putting Fitz on a revenge spree. He ends up tracking them down right before Simmons attempts to leave the Framework.

3. The Backdoor:

The team finds the Backdoor that Radcliffe told them about, but it is covered by a layer of molten Lava. Daisy figures out a way to peel back the lava, and open the portal. Coulson gets shot while trying to get to it, but jumps in, luckily, before he dies. This lets the others see what is actually happening in the Framework, and the team begins to leave the framework. A lot of things will still be messed up, but at least the team will be fighting in the real world now, even if they don't have Mack with them.

Ryan’s Speculation of the week: