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Over the last few days, we've taken a look at the latest Toy Fair offerings from Hasbro and LEGO. Today, we hit the floors around New York's Javits Center and perused the panoply of playthings on display. Here's an overview of the upcoming collectibles you may covet out of niftiness and/or sheer weirdness.

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Starting tomorrow, the Toy Fair 2012 trade show will engulf Midtown Manhattan in a tide of roiling plastic. Points of articulation will blot out the sky, and reality itself will polymorph into one cosmically absurd play set. More »
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Impossible as it may seem, Jar Jar Binks may be even worse than Star Wars fans originally thought. A deleted scene from Revenge of the Sith would have revealed the extent of the Gungan's collaboration with Emperor Palpatine to bring the Sith lord to power. More »
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This week we take a look at a pretty amazing episode of the Regular Show, check out parodies of Glee and Dolphin Tale on Mad, and see the finale of the Obi-Wan bounty hunter story arc on Clone Wars. Minor spoilers ahead! More »
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Life isn't easy if you're a genetic experiment. Or an expendable minion, a powerful being wedged into an itty-bitty living space, or a recently downgraded scientific entity. Fortunately, it's a little easier to bear the pain if you've got someone in a similar situation to share the load. More »
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In science fiction, everybody's always running and flying and questing, and time is always running out. So that makes those occasions when our space heroes and future warriors take the time to kick back and relax in a bar that much more alluring. There's nothing like a tall cold one when you're fighting the Dark Side. More »
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George Lucas has already sworn to stop making big-budget movies in response to fans' criticisms, but he still has an axe to grind. In particular, about the common complaints about his endless revisions of the original trilogy. In a new interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Lucas addresses those longstanding complaints, saying that Blade Runner has gotten recut three ways from Sunday, and nobody seems to mind. But also, he claims that the intention was always that Greedo shot first, and that the original sequence just had an editing problem. Says Lucas: More »
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Artist Clinton Felker has given some of the Star Wars universe's most iconic characters a bushido makeover. Check out his takes on Darth Vader, Yoda, the stormtroopers, and that notorious ronin Boba Fett. The only thing we're missing here is Oni The Hutt.

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When you think about science fiction theme tunes, chances are there are a few that are especially stirring and heroic. Star Wars. 2001: A Space Odyssey. Star Trek: The Next Generation. Superman: The Movie. And all of these theme tunes have something in common: they rely on the same basic intervals. More »
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Graham Norton decided to end that whole pesky battle between Star Wars and Star Trek in the most brilliant fashion ever: forcing Patrick Stewart and Liam Neeson to watch while their action figures fought it out. The outcome was hilarious. More »
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Hollywood loves to give us happy endings — but often as not, when the good guys scrape a last-minute victory in the face of incredible odds, you're left wondering how long it'll last. Maybe part of the reason why that victory seems so miraculous is because it'll never work. More »
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The Walking Dead comes back this week, and the show's creators are promising the fast-paced action you've been craving. But that's not all television has in store for you — there's also the series premiere of The River, a unique horror series from the creator of Paranormal Activity. Find out why we thought The River's first episode was the best pilot we've seen in ages. More »
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Last night, companies across America dumped millions of dollars into crafting the world's most perfect commercial. What did their millions dream up? Star Wars gags, Seinfeld, and the apocalypse. Here are the best (and the worst) scifi commercials from the Super Bowl.

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I was excited as the next Star Wars fan to get a sneak peek this week of the new "The Dog Strikes Back" Volkswagen ad that's set to debut at the Super Bowl. Like the big hit of last year, "The Force," a clever ad that featured a Darth Vader-dressed kid frustrated when his Dark Side powers don't work (until Dad makes his day by starting up the family's VW Passat with his remote), I was thrilled to see how my beloved Star Wars franchise might be subtly referenced this year. More »
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This week, the Regular Show comes to Saturday Morning Cartoons and John Belushi returns from the dead! Clone Wars heats up with a trial to test Obi-Wan's undercover bounty hunter skills as well - minor spoilers ahead!

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Science fiction is full of amazing musical acts. If you could rock out with your cosmos out, which musical group from science fiction or fantasy would you want to jam with? We asked over at io9's Facebook group, and now we're putting together a poll. More »
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The Star Wars movies are all getting re-released in theaters in 3D, starting with Phantom Menace. It's your perfect chance to relive the agony of the prequels, only more in your face this time. More »
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The Dark Lords of the Sith. Most of us grew up fearing Darth Vader and his compatriots — but the Sith Order holds many other secrets to dread. And a new volume of Star Wars lore, Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side, is chock full of monstrous Sith apparitions. More »
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All your favorite TV shows are back this week — including a new Supernatural, in which Aunt Jenna from The Vampire Diaries is getting knocked up. And you might (or might not) be surprised to see who's the father. Also, a whole new pair of alternate selves meet up on Fringe, and Obi-Wan finds himself in strange company, on Clone Wars. All this, plus discover a two million year old boy, and a living 300 million year old relic of the dinosaur age. More »
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Take a video tour of Michael Garnier's amazing replica of the Ewok Village from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. This former Green Beret built a forrest full of interconnected treehouses — in Oregon! And for a reasonable fee, you can stay in this treetop wonderland and recreate the ending of RoTJ. Yub Nub, y'all! More »
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Our new favorite fan-art mashup combines Star Wars and Tank Girl, to give Princess Leia a bit more attitude to cope with that nerf herder guy. Mashup artist James Hance posted this a couple days ago, and prints and T-shirts are already available. More »
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Over a decade into the 21st Century, our imaginations are captivated by creations of the 19th and 20th. Sherlock Holmes rules television and movies. We're eagerly awaiting new movies about James Bond, Captain Kirk, Superman, Batman and Spider-Man. Where are the 21st Century mass-media heroes and villains? Why isn't anybody even trying to create them? More »
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Death comes for everyone — but it doesn't always come in style. Sometimes instead of a heroic death or a cool death, a fictional character will get kind of a crappy death. (Often literally.) Sometimes a beloved character will die in a totally motifying fashion. More »
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Finally someone has trimmed the fat — and the bad ideas — out of the conclusion to the Star Wars saga! The latest short from the "How It Should Have Ended" crew is a perfect re-imagining of Star Wars Return of the Jedi. More »
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This week on television, Kiefer Sutherland returns to the network that gave him 24. Plus another new TV show debuts, in which video games invade the real world! And Chuck finally races to its conclusion after five years of spy craziness. Plus Brad Dourif is threatening to destroy Miami with a super-volcano! More »
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Has crowd-sourcing ever created anything cooler than Star Wars: Uncut? If so, it's hard to imagine. The entirety of the original Star Wars has been recreated in 15-second segments, filmed or animated by fans. The result is actually intensely trippy, especially when Han Solo and Obi-Wan Kenobi burst into song randomly. Or turn into puppets. Or whatever. You can watch the whole thing online for free, right here. [via CinemaBlend] More »
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Because you dissed the Star Wars prequels, George Lucas has sworn he won't ever make another movie about that faraway galaxy. He says, "Why would I make any more, when everybody yells at you all the time and says what a terrible person you are?" More »
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Think you know everything about the Jedi? Next month, a brand new series will explore some of the earliest eras in Star Wars history. More »
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As iconic as the spherical death-bringer is, the inner tinkerings of the Death Star still remain a great mystery. For example, if the Death Star suddenly materialized in the Solar System, how much energy would the vessel require to pulverize the Earth into bloody gravel? More »
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J.J. Abrams brings you another mysterious island and a ton of sinister clues, with his new show Alcatraz. Plus there are two other new shows debuting tonight. Meanwhile, this week also sees the return of several of your favorite shows, including Adventure Time, Being Human and Archer. Plus take a tour of the Lego factory! More »
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Serving the Galactic Empire comes with some murky moral questions: Is the Rebel Alliance really a terrorist organization? Is political stability worth the destruction of an entire planet? Should I serve in a military that doesn't even teach me how to shoot properly? As the short film "Love Wars" reveals, those questions become even more complicated when you're hiding the fact that you're gay.

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Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace is coming back to theaters, in a brand eye-spanking-new 3-D conversion. Yes, it's a horrendous movie, in the worst possible format. So we've been wondering: How do you even write about something like this? More »
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Want to know how much R2-D2's slapstick antics cost in 1970s ducats? David Pirie's 1981 book Anatomy of the Movies dissected the film's then-lavish $11-million budget, but sadly did not delve into the film's blue milk budget. Also, check out the amount of bank Sir Alec Guinness would eventually roll in. That crazy hermit was loaded. More »
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Every now and again the internet has the capacity to blow our dinky craniums to smithereens — this happens to be one of those moments. Some unplaceable Herculean conviction drove LEGO architect Ryan McNaught to build a 5.76-meter-tall recreation of the Saturn V rocket used for Apollo 11 out of 120,000 plastic bricks. More »
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Who knew Darth Vader was secretly hiding a twisted mound of quivering muscles under his cape? Behold Anakin Skywalker, spread-eagle and plenty disrobed. This veiny rendition of the Sith Lord is brought to you by Deviant Artist Ornia. You're welcome, internet. More »
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J.J. Abrams reveals why Benedict Cumberbatch is perfect for the Star Trek sequel. One of Battlestar Galactica's biggest badasses joins Vin Diesel's new Riddick movie. A beloved old monster might return to Doctor Who. Plus the latest on Fringe's future! More »
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In this week's television, Fringe is back — and kicking its universe-spanning storylines into high gear. This week also sees the return of a few of our other favorite shows. Plus the premiere of two brand new shows (to Americans, anyway), including a brand new look at a classic Marvel character. More »
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Even robots get the blues sometimes. When the Star Wars droids start feeling the ennui tugging at the edges of their consciousness, do they simply bottle up their melancholy? This series gives voice to their frustration. More »
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How do you show your allegiance to your side of the Force? Is it with your deeds? Your affinity for wearing black cloaks? Putting the title "Darth" before your name? A French burger chain wants Star Wars fans to choose their side of the Force by choosing their burger. More »
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