Date: April 30, 2004
Source: starwars.com
Posted by: Austin Welch
Star Wars Fan Club and Hyperspace are merging
It seems that Lucasfilm has decided to combine the yearly Star Wars Fan Club with their Hyperspace exclusive online content. As Bart once said, "Makes sense to me." From a Homing Beacon email:
By now Star Wars fans know that the Official Star Wars Fan Club and starwars.com Hyperspace have merged into one, offering the greatest Star Wars experience ever for subscribers. A year's subscription includes a unique membership kit, six issues of the new-and-improved Star Wars Insider, as well as all the exclusive online content that current subscribers have been enjoying since the launch of Hyperspace in June of 2003. (Click here for more details!)
"Hyperspace subscribers have had a great year of unprecedented inside access and the response has been great," says Director of Lucas Online, Paul Ens. "Now that Hyperspace is the online component of a larger Fan Club experience, we're looking forward to new opportunities to make that fan experience even better this year."
Episode III is what fans are most interested in, and the final Star Wars film will continue to be the focus for both Insider and starwars.com Hyperspace in 2004-2005. "Right now, we're planning on webcam coverage of the additional round of shooting in August, as well as bringing back the Set Diaries direct from London," says Ens.
In the meantime, subscribers can look forward to an inside look at a big Lucasfilm event planned for this summer. "Hyperspace really became ‘the-next-best-thing-to-being-there' during Sydney, and we want to continue that during the convention season," says Ens. "That's why we're working on letting subscribers in on some of the surprises that will be unveiled this summer at Lucasfilm's big Comic-Con presence. If you can't make it to San Diego, then tuning into starwars.com Hyperspace is the next best thing."
One of the new features for 2004 is a brand new Episode III photo series unlike any previously run on the site. "It's quite different as it's very interactive, and it will allow users to explore some of the Episode III production environments in a new way," says Ens.
"A key element to Star Wars' success has always been the collective experience, be it waiting in line, watching the movie in a packed theater, creating new adventures with action figures, gathering at a Star Wars Celebration or knowing you're reading the same Star Wars novel as thousands of other fans at the same time," says Ens.
"The internet has redefined what the concept of a community can be, and it only makes sense for the Official Fan Club to embrace and facilitate this important aspect of being a fan. This fall, look for new ways for fans to reach out to other fans, spotlight their fan groups, or share their creativity or opinions with their local and global communities.
"Naturally, look for Hyperspace to tie-in closely with this fall's Episode III teaser trailer and Star Wars Trilogy release on DVD," says Ens, "and making those landmark events even better for our members. Plenty of other surprises are also in store... stay tuned."
Click here to join the new Hyperspace: The Official Star Wars Fan Club.
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