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

Faces Frozen in Data
It's still a year and a half away, but toy fans were afforded their first glimpse into Episode II at this year's American International Toy Fair. There, in a sealed off room open only to specially-invited attendants, Lucas Licensing and Hasbro unveiled incredibly detailed busts of select Episode II characters.

The busts were crafted by Gentle Giant Studios of Burbank, California, who used digital scanning techniques to translate an actor's features into geometric data. This data can then be used for visual effects, archival and licensing purposes. In the rapidly changing world of digital filmmaking, this innovative practice is becoming all the more common.

"Christopher Lee was very intrigued and very cooperative in the process," recalls Gentle Giant President Karl Meyer. The legendary actor's role -- that of a charismatic separatist -- was one of several transformed into a plastic bust.

"He couldn't wait for the scanner to finish," says Gentle Giant Technical Specialist Steve Chapman. "He was so excited and wanted to see his form on the computer screen that he ducked out of the scanner to get a look at himself before it was finished."

"Ewan [McGregor] had Nick [Gillard] there coaching him in different poses," says Meyer. "It ended up being just a continuation of what they do on a film, but in a different place rather than the studio, and with a different machine rather than a camera. They were really just doing the filmmaking process, and this is just now another step in how movies are made."

Keep checking starwars.com for an upcoming feature on how these busts were made and what digital scanning means for the future of Star Wars merchandise.

Starfighter Available Now!
On Saturday, February 17, LucasArts turned the Sony Metreon in San Francisco into Starfighter central with the unveiling of the much-anticipated PlayStation 2 title to a very appreciative audience. Here are photos of the premiere event.

Academy Award Nominations
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences honored the talented artists at Lucas Digital with two Oscar nominations. Lucasfilm Ltd. congratulates the diligent and dedicated people recognized by these nominations.

Star Wars Insider #52
The latest issue of Star Wars Insider takes a look at some of the great Star Wars stories that have appeared in the celebrated parody newspaper, The Onion, and talks to the writers working behind the scenes to make these stories all the more authentic.

New Fan Films Playing
The Star Wars Fan Film Network -- a partnership between AtomFilms and the Official Star Wars Website -- has recently updated its marquee of fan-made films

Other recent Star Wars news...

The Evolution of Starfighter: An Interview with Project Director Daron Stinnett
A starfighter battle is a lightning fast blend of adrenaline and rocket fuel, where quick reflexes spell the difference between an ace pilot and a rapidly expanding cloud of atomized matter. It's hard to imagine such a grueling and exhilarating experience taking two and a half years to develop, but that's exactly the kind of dedication and hard work put into LucasArts' Star Wars: Starfighter game for PlayStation 2.

Recent Star Wars features...

Top 100 Fan Sites
Star Wars fans are among the most creative webmasters on the internet. For your viewing pleasure, we've gathered a list of the 100 most visited fan.starwars.com websites. Check out what your fellow fans have been up to!