Media Release: Wednesday, September 7, 2016
In an Australian television first
From a galaxy far, far away
A Star Wars pop-up channel awakens
FOXTEL MOVIES STAR WARS POP-UP CHANNEL
Featuring all seven movies in the epic Star Wars saga
Friday, September 30 – Monday, October 3
For the first time in Australia and only on Foxtel
In an Australian television first, Foxtel Movies presents a dedicated Star Wars pop-up channel available to Foxtel Movies and Foxtel Platinum subscribers on Friday, September 30 from 6.00am AEST through to Monday, October 3.
This epic movie marathon will be the first time all seven Star Wars films will be broadcast back-to-back on Australian television, in what is an exclusive television event for Foxtel.
The marathon will feature all seven films in the legendary Star Wars saga, running back-to-back and in order, launching with Star Wars: The Phantom Menace right through to the most recent instalment which broke box office records worldwide, Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
The arrival of the channel marks the most anticipated pop-up on Foxtel Movies ever, following July’s massive sci-fi marathon Foxtel Movies Star Trek, delivering another smash-hit science fiction franchise to Foxtel viewers.
Foxtel Movies Star Wars will be available in HD* on channel 400, already home to a series of hugely popular pop-up movie channels that have left Foxtel’s movie fans thrilled and eager for more.
Star Wars has long been considered one of the most popular sagas in the history of film. It depicts a galaxy rife with personal and political struggles, set against the backdrop of the ongoing battle of “light versus dark” and playing out across three generations.
The original trilogy of the George Lucas inspired saga introduced the world to Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill); Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), Han Solo (Harrison Ford); Obi-Wan Kenobi (Sir Alec Guinness); Darth Vader (James Earl Jones); Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew); R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) before going on to a second trilogy that featured the young, ‘pre-Darth Vader’ Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd, Hayden Christensen); young Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor); Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson); Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson) and Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman).
The latest feature film Star Wars: The Force Awakens brings in a new generation to uncover the mysteries of the Force with Rey (Daisy Ridley); Kylo Ren (Adam Driver); and Finn (John Boyega).
More information on the seven Star Wars films featured on the Foxtel Movies Star Wars pop-up channel is below:
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (1999) – Stranded on the desert planet Tatooine after rescuing young Queen Amidala from the impending invasion of Naboo, Jedi apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi and his Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn discover nine-year-old Anakin Skywalker, a young slave unusually strong in the Force. Anakin wins a thrilling Podrace and with it his freedom as he leaves his home to be trained as a Jedi. The heroes return to Naboo where Anakin and the Queen face massive invasion forces while the two Jedi contend with a deadly foe named Darth Maul. Only then do they realize the invasion is merely the first step in a sinister scheme by the re-emergent forces of darkness known as the Sith.
· Star Wars: Attack of the Clones (2002) – Ten years after the invasion of Naboo, the galaxy is on the brink of civil war. Under the leadership of a renegade Jedi named Count Dooku, thousands of solar systems threaten to break away from the Galactic Republic. When an assassination attempt is made on Senator Padmé Amidala, the former Queen of Naboo, twenty-year-old Jedi apprentice Anakin Skywalker is assigned to protect her. In the course of his mission, Anakin discovers his love for Padmé as well as his own darker side. Soon, Anakin, Padmé, and Obi-Wan Kenobi are drawn into the heart of the Separatist movement and the beginning of the Clone Wars.
· Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (2005) – The Clone Wars rage through the galaxy. Asked to spy for both the Jedi and for traitorous Chancellor Palpatine, young Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker finds himself caught in the middle of the intrigue. Seduced by the dark side, he pledges himself to the evil Darth Sidious and becomes Darth Vader. Together, the Sith Lords set in motion a plot of revenge against the Jedi, even while Obi-Wan Kenobi tries to save Anakin. The former allies come face-to-face in a climactic lightsaber battle that will decide the fate of the galaxy.
· Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) – Set 30 years after Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, the fourth episode of the saga returns to the desert planet of Tatooine. A young Luke Skywalker begins to discover his destiny, when, searching for a lost droid, he is saved by reclusive Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi. A civil war rages in the galaxy, and Rebel forces struggle against the evil Galactic Empire. Luke and Obi-Wan enlist the aid of hotshot pilot Han Solo. Joined by quirky droid duo R2-D2 and C-3PO, the unlikely team sets out to rescue rebel leader Princess Leia and make use of the stolen plans to destroy the Empire’s ultimate weapon. In a legendary confrontation, the rogue group mounts an attack against the Death Star for a climactic battle with the evil Sith Lord Darth Vader.
· Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) – The battle for the galaxy intensifies in this thrilling fifth episode of the unfolding saga. As imperial forces launch an all-out attack on the Rebel Alliance, Han Solo and Princess Leia flee to Cloud City where they are captured by Darth Vader. Luke Skywalker journeys to the mysterious, marshy planet of Dagobah, where the wise Jedi master Yoda teaches the young hero the ways of the Force. Little does Luke know his training will be called upon so soon. A stunning revelation and a seeming life-or-death dual with Darth Vader await.
· Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983) – In the spectacular climatic sixth episode of the Star Wars saga, Darth Vader readies the second Death Star to unleash the final blow to the Rebel Alliance. Luke Skywalker joins his droid allies R2-D2 and C-3PO, along with Princess Leia, to free his comrade Han Solo, imprisoned by the vile crime lord, Jabba the Hutt. Reunited, the rebels race to the moon of the planet Endor where they launch a desperate attack upon the entire Imperial Fleet. But the ultimate battle is between father and son, as Luke faces Darth Vader one last time, for the fate of the galaxy hangs in the balance.
· Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) – As Kylo Ren and the sinister First Order rise from the ashes of the Empire, Luke Skywalker is missing when the galaxy needs him most. It’s up to Rey, a desert scavenger, and Finn, a defecting storm trooper, to join forces with Han Solo and Chewbacca in a desperate search for the one hope of restoring peace to the galaxy.
The Foxtel Movies Star Wars pop-up channel will be available in HD* to Foxtel Platinum and Foxtel Movies subscribers with the HD pack on channel 400.
-Brad