Dashing and Daring

     So not too long ago, I had this idea to create a bunch of characters original to the Star Wars universe who were each heavily inspired by characters from The Disney Afternoon. Since today is Star Wars Day, I'm dipping back into that well.

     At first, I wasn’t sure how to plop the Gummi Bears into the Star Wars sandbox. Jedi? …nah. Ewoks? … too obvious. Nothing quite fit. Then I remembered Disney’s now-defunct Galactic Starcruiser and my favorite part of that whole experience: the Saja.

     For anyone unfamiliar, the Saja are Force-sensitive beings who aren’t technically Jedi but are devoted to preserving the Jedi ways... very similar to how the Gummi Bears devote themselves to the ways of the Ancient Gummis.

The two go together like a jawa and Amy Sedaris... which is to say... good enough for a blog post!

Rangers of the New Republic

     I've decided to rebrand my "Star Wars Afternoon" as Star Wars Adventures, in reference to Disney Adventures Magazine, a magazine that heavily featured comics from the Disney Afternoon shows as well as played a huge part in shaping who I am as a human being.

     Now I'm sure that something with the very generic title of Star Wars Adventures already exists, but... so what? This is my own little unofficial corner of fan-fiction that will never be distributed in any official form, and... I can do what I want!

     And the first thing I want to do is make retro-styled trading cards for each of my characters, starting with these guys inspired by the gang from Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers!

The Star Wars Afternoon presents... BATINE & PRINCESS WYNDLYN GALE

     The concept of swimming in a giant money bin doesn't really fit into the Star Wars universe,  so I decided to instead have Scrooge's counterpart's one love be a small, but prosperous, moon called Bindo. And since Scrooge's favorite color is probably gold, I gave the people of Bindo gold skin, as you can see here with Mrs. Beakley and Webby's counterparts.

Batine and Princess Wyndlyn Gale

Batine is the chief handmaiden and loyal bodyguard of Princess Wyndlyn Gale, heir to the throne of Bindo. During the attempted occupation of Bindo in 35ABY, tragedy struck the royal household. Though the First Order was ultimately driven from the paradise moon, the young king and queen were killed in the skirmish, leaving none but their infant daughter Wyndlyn to assume the throne. Until the young princess is of proper age, Baron Ansil Maddoc, one of the few outsiders welcome on Bindo, has been tasked as the small moon’s steward and protector. 

Although Batine and the baron may clash from time to time, they both have Wyndlyn’s best interests at heart and do their best to make sure the kindhearted princess grows into the wise and powerful queen that the people of Bindo need.

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The Star Wars Afternoon presents... CHOLIE PADLAP

My idea here was simply Launchpad... but as a gungan. 

Cholie Padlap

Very few gungans are capable star pilots, and Cholie Padlap is definitely not among them. But if there’s a high level of risk, and a low level of expenditure, then there’s no one better suited for the job! 

Always on the lookout for a bargain, it was Cholie’s nominal fee that first drew the attention of Baron Ansil Maddoc. The baron originally hired Cholie to deliver supplies to his estate on Bindo. Complications arose when a band of marauders attempted to hijack the shipment, however the gungan pilot managed to scrape his way through with the cargo mostly intact! What Maddoc admired most about Cholie though was his unwavering courage and ability to see the job through to the end; something that, in a galaxy of scoundrels and reprobates, is difficult to come by. Despite his reputation for calamity, Cholie was soon hired as Maddoc’s personal courier, and it’s a position that the gungan has never taken for granted.

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The Star Wars Afternoon presents... DV-40

I thought I'd keep this one short. Based on Scrooge's butler, Duckworth, ...here's Deev!

DV-40

DV-40, also known as Deev, is the chief protocol droid and personal operations manager for Baron Ansil Maddoc. Most protocol droids tend to stand on ceremony, operating with an over-abundant sense of pleasantry and decorum. Deev, however, does not. Curt and forthright, he manages the day-to-day operations with brutal honesty. Although this may irk Maddoc on rare occasions, the baron prefers Deev exactly as he is and never questions the droid’s devotion.

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The Star Wars Afternoon presents... BARON ANSIL MADDOC

     I'm back with more of what I'm calling, The Star Wars Afternoon! I'm shifting into DuckTales mode for the next few posts, starting with a character inspired by the famous Scrooge McDuck! Scrooge has always been my favorite Disney character, so naturally this entire fan-fiction universe of mine will revolve around his counterpart in some capacity.

And just for giggles, I thought it'd be fun to make this human interpretation resemble Ebenezer Scrooge. You see what I did there?

Baron Ansil Maddoc

The wealthy elitists of the Corporate Sector often hail from somewhat pompous upbringings, but not the Baron of Bindo, Ansil Maddoc! Raised on a quaint farm on the agriworld of Lazgo, Ansil has always known the value of honest work. As a boy, young Ansil once shined the boots of a deep space pilot, for which he was paid with a single ingot of Republic credit. When Ansil later found out that Republic credits were worthless on Lazgo, he was furious. He vowed then and there to always keep his guard up as to never be outsmarted by others, no matter how trustworthy they may seem. It’s a somewhat callous philosophy, but one that’s served him well. 

Ansil left his homeworld at a young age in pursuit of fortune and adventure. After a series of unsuccessful endeavors on every freighter, shipyard and spaceport from Boz Pity to Black Spire, the exhausted Maddoc eventually turned a handsome profit mining coaxium on the desolate planet of Lonkada III. Through shrewd thinking and pure grit, Ansil quickly transformed that small mine into a lucrative venture, and thus Maddoc Industries was born. Over time, his company grew even more, eventually expanding into a number of other fields such as ship building and cargo transport, and making Maddoc one of the wealthiest barons in the galaxy. 

As fond as he is of his acquired wealth, Ansil’s true love is and will always be Bindo: a small moon on the furthest edge of the Outer Rim virtually untouched by civilization. This peaceful world’s vast resources and kind inhabitants hold a special place in the baron’s heart and he’s fought hard to protect it from invading forces on several occasions. It is in this paradise, among these people, that Ansil Maddoc has permanently taken up residence, managing his ever-growing wealth while clinging to the philosophies of his modest youth; believing that anyone, if they work smart and stay tough, can find success.

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The Star Wars Afternoon presents... OLD TRRJAK & ZEEP

     I haven't decided yet if I'm going to do this whole thing show-by-show, or bounce around a little more, but I had to at least finish the lineup of Rescue Rangers! 

Old Trrjak and ZP-3R (Zeep)

Whether it’s wrestling a crazed happabore, or single-handedly taking on a squad of imperials at the Battle of Bindo, Old Trrjak has never been one to back down from a challenge… nor be remiss to embellish!

After the fall of the Empire, the Tarsunt adventurer found work as an entertainer in Bantha Bel’s Wild Space Spectacular, spinning yarns and regaling audiences with his skills as a sharpshooter. As the years went on, however, and his dependency on fire-water grew, Trrjak’s abilities became less and less impressive. During one performance, the washed-up marksman missed his target and took out one of Bel’s recently upgraded camera droids. He was fired shortly after. 

But again, Old Trrjak never backed down from a challenge, and as it turned out, being down on his luck was just the challenge he needed. The rough old fighter soon began the uphill battle of getting his life back on track, this time with the help of the one thing he never had: a companion. Using what little skill he had, Trrjak repaired the damaged camera droid ZP-3R and nicknamed him Zeep. The pair have been inseparable ever since. As honorary Rangers of the Restored Republic, Old Trrjak and Zeep stand ready to face the next challenge, proving that in a galaxy this big, there’s always room for another chance.

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The Star Wars Afternoon presents... GAGE MOONWREN

     When I explained to my friend that I was adapting characters from the Disney Afternoon for the Star Wars universe, he said, "I bet Gadget is going to be a freakin layup!" 

I don't really get sports, as is evidenced by, well... all of this, but she was among the easier ones.

Gage Moonwren

Gage Moonwren is the daughter of renowned shipbuilder Djigara Moonwren and has definitely inherited her mother’s knack for ingenuity, though her methods are less conventional. Gage was shortlisted into the engineering academy at an early age, but then promptly dismissed due to her scatterbrained nature and “lack of decorum.” Refusing to be troubled by the opinions of others, however, Gage remained unfazed and opened up a small shop on the Outer Rim where she conducts repairs for the odd passerby, all the while scrapping together custom-made starships that would put the best Corellian engineers to shame, including her pride and joy, The Decanter. 

Though content in her solitude, fate has other plans for this quirky young mechanic, and when a band of rangers enlist her help in tracking down the sinister Facatta the Hutt, Gage will discover that it's the unexpected path that often leads to greatness. 

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The Star Wars Afternoon presents... HITCH RANAGAN

I started with Dale, so obviously Chip had to be the next character to adapt. 

     I guess I should clarify that I'm basing all of these in the yet untouched time period following The Rise of Skywalker where the major powers in the galaxy have either been destroyed or crippled, and Rey's new order of Jedi has yet to be established.

Hitch Ranagan

Born without a strong connection to the Force, the chance of scrappy and stalwart Hitch Ranagan becoming a Jedi Knight is a slim one at best. Nevertheless, Hitch remains devoted to the values of the famed protectors, being among the first (along with his brother Lonzo) to join the Rangers of the Restored Republic, the new guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy. On a mission to the Western Reaches, Hitch came into the possession of an actual lightsaber, which he then retrofitted with a magnetic propulser, essentially allowing him to summon it from a short distance. 

Force abilities or not, Hitch exemplifies the Jedi way through resourcefulness and dexterity, fending for those less advantaged and proving that there is more than one solution to a problem, as well as more than one type of hero.

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The Star Wars Afternoon presents... LONZO RANAGAN

     The first character from the Disney Afternoon that I'm adapting for the Star Wars universe is Dale from Chip 'n' Dale Rescue Rangers. A while back, Lucasfilm announced a title for a series that they've since shelved: Rangers of the New Republic. The whole 'rangers' concept intrigues me and I figured what better fit for our favorite crime-solving chipmunks? 

Lonzo Ranagan

In the absence of the Jedi, the duty of upholding justice in the galaxy falls to an elite group of peacekeepers known as the Rangers. The life of a ranger, however, is not always as exciting as the intrepid Lonzo Ranagan would like it to be. On more than one occasion, Lonzo has let his reckless nature get the best of him, carelessly racing into a perilous situation that could have easily been avoided. Fortunately for him, his brother and fellow ranger Hitch is always there to bail him out. 

Despite his cocksure demeanor, Lonzo adheres to a conduct of valor and steadfast optimism, always seeing the best in others and motivated by a wish to change the galaxy for the better.

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The Star Wars Afternoon!

     I love Star Wars. I love the Disney Afternoon. So now I bring you The Star Wars Afternoon - "Original" characters for the Star Wars universe that are each heavily inspired by (or based on) characters from the Disney Afternoon!

     Here’s the thing. I love coming up with original characters. I could do it all day. But when it comes to getting these characters out of my head and putting them into a form that’s the least bit tangible and defined, I freeze up. I second guess myself and lose confidence almost immediately. The intent here is to use these preexisting characters as a sort of jumping off point. I'll be working on character designs along with detailed bios for each character, all in the "safe space" of my two favorite fandoms. Then, hopefully, I'll move on to creating ACTUAL original characters for ACTUAL original concepts, but with a little more confidence in my abilities. 

So, in other words, stay tuned for my Star Wars / Disney Afternoon fan fiction?

Wow. When you put it like that... 

Woof.