Welcome back to the Homing Beacon, the official newsletter of starwars.com, and your first source for exclusive Episode II updates. Due to holidays, the next Homing Beacon is scheduled for January 11, 2001.

Episode II Update: Additional Shooting
Although Episode II is currently in post-production, this does not mean that filming has wrapped on this latest Star Wars movie. In March, the Episode II cast and crew are scheduled to return to Fox Studios Australia to shoot additional scenes that have developed as part of the evolution of the movie.

"It's not typical for a film, but it should be," says Producer Rick McCallum of the additional shooting process. "It's not typical, because there's two or three things that happen. For example, some directors get very embarrassed because they think it's a weakness if they have to do additional shooting. Which is absurd, because an audience doesn't know how much you shoot or when. This is like writing on a word processor. You cut and paste and you change right up to the minute you hand it in."

With the shooting completed in March, the new footage will be inserted into the developing cut of Episode II. From there, new angles, scenes and elements will undoubtedly spring forth. Additional shooting later in the year is a definite possibility.

Adds McCallum, "We believe in making that process very fluid, so we change the very nature of how we set up a movie in terms of our talent. If an actor wants to be a part of this movie, he has to know that he's going to be around and has to be available."

Episode II Update: Reel Progress
Despite being shot and edited digitally, Episode II is still being cut in accordance to "reels," the amount of film that fits into the canisters in which the movie will be distributed. Find out the latest status of Episode II in this report.

Episode II: Images from InterBEE 2000Producer Rick McCallum recently went to Japan to share images of Episode II with the people who helped develop the camera that captured them.

Explore Star Wars Galaxies
The much-anticipated Star Wars massively multiplayer online role-playing game now has a name and an official site. Star Wars Galaxies, developed by LucasArts Entertainment Company LLC and Sony Online Entertainment, unveiled its official information site with three active community relations message boards and a frequently asked questions list.

Decipher Expands the Galaxy
See Talon Karrde, Corran Horn and Prince Xizor in the flesh with these latest cards in the Star Wars Customizable Card Game. Decipher Inc. has unveiled some of the new cards that make up the Reflections II: Expanding the Galaxy set.

Surfin' the Net, Star Wars Style
Online Star Wars fans can now surf the web without ever leaving that galaxy far, far away thanks to new custom Internet browsers developed by MediaBrowser, Inc.

Other recent Star Wars news...

Now Playing: Star Wars Fan Films
The premiere movies of The Star Wars Fan Film Network are ready to be screened! AtomFilms and The Official Star Wars Website have teamed up to give filmmaking fans an official outlet to share their Star Wars parodies and documentaries. See their creativity at work, and get inspired to enter your own films today!

La Menace Fantôme
As they had done for every version of The Phantom Menace, the sound mixers of Skywalker Sound used their expertise to ensure that French fans would enjoy the best aural experience possible.

Recent Star Wars features...

Featured Fan Site: The Dark Side of the Force
A fascinating repository of dark side lore, this site is a collection of Sith secrets and Dark Jedi arts. Learn about the sworn enemy of the Jedi in these cross-referenced pages.