Welcome back to the Homing Beacon, the official newsletter of starwars.com.

Clear Your Mind of Questions
A popular segment of the Official Star Wars website is the Ask the Lucasfilm Jedi Council. Registered members can ask all manner of questions of Lucasfilm staff. A common question is "are the questions you post for real?"

Indeed they are. We get tons of great questions, and it's a daunting task sorting through to the select few that get posted. Not every one of them can be answered, but we try to choose some of the most popular, intriguing or entertaining questions of the lot.

What helps makes the sorting process entertaining are the fans out there who have fun with Ask JC (as it's called around these parts). A few of their questions make it to the site (as when someone asked Doug Chiang "Are you an especially dangerous Doug?"). There are so many, though, that we can't answer all of them. Here are some that we'd like to share with our Homing Beacon subscribers.

Is Chewie a male or a female? Me and my sister have arguments about it. She also believes that Chewie is in love with C-3PO that is why s/he went to rescue Threepio.

Since so many people want to be in a Star Wars movie, why don't you let them pay to be an extra? Say \$500/person. I would!

Do you know if there were any Gungans in The Empire Strikes Back? Because, in one of the scenes, there appears to be one of them.

Hi, I wanted to know why Yoda's house is shaped like Sebulba's face and head.

Is it true that Ricky Martin will be in Episode II?

In a fight between Darth Vader and the Predator, who do you think would win? Because he's the only guy I can think of who can defeat Vader.

When Qui-Gon first meets Jar Jar, he says "You own my Scottish kilt." Why did he say that?

Can Yoda type to me?

How come there is no Qui-Gon Jinn bubble bath? Its slogan could be "Qui-Gon, take me away!"

Does Kelsey like me?

From Ad Art to Episode II: An Interview with Marc Gabbana
When concept illustrator Marc Gabbana signed on for Episode II, he knew that a lot of people would potentially see his artwork. Little did he realize that his illustrations would be the first piece of Episode II concept art to be seen by the public.

Episode II: Spring Shoot Plans
Episode II's shooting schedule began with principal photography from June 2000 - October 2000. As was done on The Phantom Menace, additional weeks of shooting are planned for the post-production phase.

April 2001 Comics
A hunt for a huntress, a quest for a fabled relic, and an epic struggle between light and darkness highlight the Star Wars comics adventures due out in April 2001.

Star Wars Gamer #2
The second issue of Star Wars Gamer features a fleet's worth of pirates, privateers and pilots in various articles and short stories set in the Star Wars galaxy.

Other recent Star Wars news...

Star Wars: Podracing Tales
Find out what happened in the days leading up to the famous Boonta Eve Podrace in this exclusive comic strip available only at starwars.com.

Recent Star Wars features...

Skywalker Bizarre
This site was made by Princess Vickia and Ally-kin, a diplomatic ambassador and a Jedi (well... kinda) to alleviate boredom. The end result is a site that earns its name. Be sure to check out the ever-growing Star Wars Musical and sing along. May the Farce be with you.