THE newest film in the “Star Wars” franchise, “Rogue One,” is out in theaters. Several excellent science-fiction-themed TV shows are on the air. And there are more sci-fi and fantasy films expected soon.That means it’s a great time to be a science-fantasy and science-fiction fan. And in a galaxy right here today, a lot of that content is designed for the supercomputer smartphone in your pocket, so you can take your love for the genres anywhere you go.For starters, there are the Lego Star Wars game apps. These have always been excellent — cleverly put together and containing many amusing moments that tie in to the movies.My recommendation is Lego Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles, based on everyone’s favorite small, green Jedi knight. As with the other Lego games, this is a 3-D puzzle-solving game that involves the occasional bit of combat. Your characters roam around an environment that fits into the “Star Wars” stories, picking up Lego pieces, smashing objects and using powers to assemble piles of Lego pieces into useful tools that can help get to the next level.
The graphics are excellent and the gameplay is satisfying. The app is free for iOS and Android. If you prefer to play a game with characters from a more recent “Star Wars” movie, check out Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens, based on the 2015 hit film, which stars characters like Rey and the droid BB-8. The game, which is fun and a challenge to complete, is free for iOS and Android — though to you have to pay in-app to unlock the full content. For those who prefer to battle the forces of evil in a more grown-up setting, try Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes. This is a turn-based combat game, with 3-D-ish graphics and gameplay set in venues different from those in the movies, prequels and TV shows like “The Clone Wars.” In the game, you are in control of a team of players, each with a different weapon and combat skills. As you fight against the Empire, you earn rewards and enhance your character’s skills to get stronger weapons. The game has great graphics and sophisticated options for leveling up your characters.
But beware of how this game might affect your wallet. While it is free to download on iOS and Android, you can advance more quickly by buying “crystals” in the app. Though prices start at a few dollars, some options are more expensive. For more “Rogue One” content, turn to Disney’s official Star Wars app. It has been updated with content from the new movie, including videos and news. My favorite part of the app is the soundboard section where you tap on the screen and are rewarded with samples of speech from your favorite characters or iconic Star Wars sound effects. The app is free on iOS and Android. Blastr is a different kind of science-fiction app, designed to bring together news about sci-fi matters from across the web. The home page contains many thumbnail images that entice you to read more, along with a few introductory words. Tapping on a story preview takes you to the full article to read inside the Blastr app, or click through to read it on the original website.
At the moment, there’s a great deal of “Star Wars” content in the app thanks to “Rogue One,” but you can also find news about comics, genuine science and space technology breakthroughs, and coming films and TV shows. You can filter the news stories to see just trending topics, or search for keywords or specific shows. The app’s interface is easy to navigate and the content is absorbing. It’s a free iOS and Android download.This year was also important for fans of another big science-fiction franchise: “Star Trek,” which this year celebrated its 50th anniversary since Captain Kirk and company hit our screens. One of my favorite apps celebrating “Star Trek” is the official TrekMoji app. This $2 iOS and Android download contains many different cartoon-drawing-style emojis featuring characters and quotes from “Star Trek.” You can use these emojis in different ways in different apps, but on iOS these integrate with iMessage, so you can easily include Trek-style images in any chat messages.
Lastly, there’s Lifeline, a sci-fi game that pays homage to the early days of computer gaming. It’s a text-based adventure game, and its story takes the form of an incoming text message from a stranded astronaut. The tale then evolves over a number of days. When you have to make a choice, you are offered a few text-based options on screen. Simple fun and $1 to download on iOS. Quick CallThe new BBC Earth Coloring app lets you take part, in a small way, in the BBC’s nature TV show hosted by the naturalist David Attenborough. Tapping into the trend for adult coloring books, this app lets you color in stunning scenes containing animals from all across the globe. It’s absorbing, beautiful and suitable for all ages. The app is free on iOS and Android.Star Scavengers is a podcast hosted by Johnamarie Macias and Aaron Goins covering all things LEGO Star Wars. Expect reviews of the Freemaker Adventures animated series, fun guests, informative interviews, and even some discussion on collecting.
[013] Bill Motz and Bob Roth Interview Just in time for the Holidays we have a very special episode of Star Scavengers! We had the privilege of interviewing the creators of The Freemaker Adventures, Bill Motz and Bob Roth. We talked Rogue One, story creation, favorite characters, and more. They had so much insight into what goes into creating Star Wars. This is an interview you don't want to miss! [012] Graham Hancock Interview Star Scavengers returns with a great interview with the Deputy Editor at Blocks magazine, Graham Hancock. We talk about his LEGO collecting at an early age, his love for The Freemaker Adventures, and much more! While we were waiting for an official announcement of Season 2 of The Freemaker Adventures we decided to record another episode of Star Scavengers. Just in time for all that line waiting at New York Comic Con.We talk about what we did for the Star Wars holiday and some of the merchandise we picked up.Ahsoka Tano has a big month ahead of her with the upcoming release of her novel.
We discuss the LEGO sets you can find her in.Johnamarie built the Eclipse Starfighter set and lets us know all about it. Sadly, the first season of The Freemaker Adventures has come to a close. But it was such a good episode! We cover it and more in this episode of Star Scavengers.Aaron talks about his weekend project of going through his old LEGO bricks. Is it Season 2 yet? We discuss our hopes for the continuation of The Freemaker Adventures. Was there a sale? We review the season finale "Return of the Kyber Saber." All we want for Empire Day is the announcement of a second season of The Freemaker Adventures!We talk about building the Star Scavenger LEGO set.Support the Punishing One project over at LEGO Ideas.We review the latest episode of The Freemaker Adventures, "Duel of Destiny." [008] Carrie Beck Interview.. We have an extra special episode of Star Scavengers for you today featuring an interview and a review!We had a great conversation with the Lucasfilm's Vice President of Animation Development.
We review the latest episode of The Freemaker Adventures, "Showdown on Hoth." Take a break from rewatching the Rogue One trailer and listen to the latest episode of Star Scavengers!More new DLC is coming for the LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens video game. We talk about how this relates to other media including a Marvel comic. Is it Christmas yet? We discuss the upcoming LEGO Star Wars advent calendar. His name is Yeppau! We review the latest episode of The Freemaker Adventures, "The Maker of Zoh." To the Bubbly Subbly! It's time for another episode of Star Scavengers!We talk about Johna's favorite clone, Captain Rex, and what LEGO sets you can find him in. This somehow leads to discussion on why some beards are better than others.We discuss the latest episode of The Freemaker Adventures, "The Kyber Saber Chase." Johna is back and we have some episodes of The Freemaker Adventures to discuss in this episode of Star Scavengers.Johnamarie attended San Diego Comic Con and tells us a little about her experience.
We talk about new downloadable content available for LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Johna gives a live reaction to the trailer for the Freemaker Adventures DLC.We discuss and review the last two episodes of The Freemaker Adventures, "Race on Tatooine" and "The Test." Johnamarie ran off to San Diego Comic Con, but Aaron found a friend willing to help him record a new episode of Star Scavengers.Aaron and guest Teresa Delgado talk about their personal LEGO Star Wars collecting memories. It's just a little ghost. We review the Ghost Microfighter set with Hera minifig.Our Minifig Focus this episode is on Wicket.We review the LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens video game. You need a break from all the awesome Rogue One news dropping today? Well sit back, relax, and listen to a brand new episode of Star Scavengers.We took a trip to the LEGO Store in NYC and spent some money. Gotta build 'em all. Star Scavenger, The Ghost, Resistance X-wing.. we talk about the sets we are building.