Lego refreshes X-Wing Starfighter ahead of Star Wars Day

Photo: Lego

Third time's a charm for the refreshed T-65 X-Wing Starfighter. Lego is releasing the most detailed version yet with this 1,949-piece Lego model. It joins the other sets in the Lego Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series. The design doesn't deviate too much from its predecessors. It gets the 4L4 fusial thrust engines and the KX9 laser cannons. This new X-Wing measures 10.5 inches in height and 21.5 inches in length once complete.

This build also comes with a lightsaber-wielding Luke Skywalker in a Rebel flight suit, complete with a dedicated spot on the display stand. There's also an R2-D2 minifigurine sitting inside the Starfighter. The X-Wing Starfighter will go on sale on May 4th at Lego's online and physical stores for CAD 319.99.

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Samsung released 'Star Wars' accessories for some of its newer devices

If you own a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4, Galaxy Watch 4/5, or Galaxy Buds 2, new Star Wars-themed accessories are waiting for you. There's a new Galaxy Z Flip4 Ring clear case for US$39.99 (around CA$55) and a new Flip4 strap featuring the Millennium Falcon for US$19.99 (~CA$27). Samsung also has a new strap and case for the Galaxy Watch4/5 in bright orange for US$49.99 (~CA$68).

There is also a Star Wars-themed Galaxy Buds case with a strap, fitting the Galaxy Buds Live, Buds2, and Buds2 Pro for US$49.99. The earbuds are sold separately, though. Samsung is also offering the option to buy all the new accessories for US$149.99 (~CA$205).

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'Andor' soundtrack Vol. 1 drops on streaming

Source: Lucasfilm

If you've been loving Andor and everything about this Star Wars series, you'll be happy to hear that the first volume of its soundtrack has just dropped. You can now listen to this Andor soundtrack on streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, and Deezer. It contains music from the first four episodes of the show. 

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Darth Vader's voice is now AI-generated

Source: Lucasfilm / Benj Edwards

Any future appearance of Darth Vader in the Star Wars universe will no longer feature James Earl Jones's voice. The actor signed off during the creation of the Obi-Wan Kenobi show that Disney could replicate his vocal performance as Darth Vader in future projects. Disney has been able to do this with the help of an AI voice-modeling tool called Respeecher, which comes from a company in Ukraine. It can use deep learning to model and replicate human voices in a way that's almost indistinguishable from the real thing. 

This isn't the first time Lucasfilm has used Respeecher, though. They've done it with Mark Hamill's voice in The Mandalorian. So, they thought it might work with Darth Vader, too. Jones has voiced the iconic Star Wars villain for 45 years. And now at 91, he was ready to retire the character. Respeecher used archival recordings of Jones to create a voice model another actor could use to "perform" vocally using its speech-to-speech technology.

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