Take the Jedi Temple Challenge and see things From a Certain Point of View

Time again for STAR WARS WEEKLY, the SYFY WIRE series that rounds up the most important news of the week from a galaxy far, far away.

Think of us as your own personal Star Wars Holocron.

STAR WARS: JEDI TEMPLE CHALLENGE

The first two episodes of Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge were released this week, which might be the most unique offering to come from the Star Wars brand since the Disney takeover. This YouTube show stars Ahmed Best (who also produces) and is vaguely set in the Star Wars universe and the mythology of the Jedi. But it's also a send-up of throwback Nickelodeon content like Double-Dare and Legends of the Hidden Temple, only in a galaxy far, far away.

It needs to be seen to be believed.

The first season is 10 episodes long and the show, so far, is impossibly charming. New episodes come out on Wednesdays. If you find yourself upset or annoyed by this, try to remember what it was like to be a tween and know that this would have blown their mind.

FROM A CERTAIN POINT OF VIEW

Del Rey announced a brand-new collection of stories in their From a Certain Point of View series. This time, it's tapped 40 authors to tell stories around the edges of The Empire Strikes Back in honor of the film's 40th anniversary.

Authors who have made their presence known in the collection include Amy Ratcliffe, Alexander Freed, Django Wexler, Michael Kogge, Jason Fry, John Jackson Miller, Gary Whitta, Rebecca F. Kuang, and many others.

The complete list will be revealed on Monday, but it's shaping up to be a great collection of talent, telling stories we can't wait to read.

From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back is set to be released on Nov. 10.

THE MANDALORIAN ADDS SAM HARGRAVE

Collider got the scoop that Extraction director Sam Hargrave was added to the line-up of directors working on The Mandalorian.

Hargrave has an interesting role, though. He didn't direct any specific episode. His mastery of action flagged him as someone who could bring more to the table as far as action sequences in the second season, and he came in as a second unit director for just that purpose. "The next season is really, really cool,” he said. "The way the story arcs is really cool. So we tried to have the action represent that and take it to the next level. I think we did that."

Hargrave has been a stunt performer for a long time in Hollywood, doubling for the likes of Captain America, Wolverine, and Sabretooth, among others, and graduating to directing fight choreography for Captain America: Civil War and the last two Avengers films.

The Mandalorian's second season is set to air on Disney+ in October, and it sounds like it will be more action-packed than ever.

DREW STRUZAN'S DEEP CUTS

The legendary poster artist Drew Struzan has been posting beautiful renderings of the artwork over the span of his career on Twitter. He's no stranger to Star Wars and has done more posters for the franchise than many might realize. Recently, he posted his work for the 1984 TV movie The Caravan of Courage. Many have fond memories of the Ewok movies and, even if you didn't like them for whatever reason, you have to admit that Struzan's artwork for it is spectacular.

He's also posted little odds and ends that aren't often seen. Take this, for instance: an image of Steven Spielberg (kind of) passing off the crown to George Lucas (kind of) once again.

Go follow him on Twitter for regular infusions of his art, Star Wars-related and otherwise.

1-800-EMPIRE

Think back to the days before The Empire Strikes Back. Imagine you're a kid hyped for a sequel to Star Wars. Remember that it's the late '70s and very early '80s, and there's no such thing as the internet.

But you hear about a phone number you can call to hear messages from all your favorite characters.

This was one successful piece of the marketing campaign for The Empire Strikes Back from a long-dead era. It's now been posted to YouTube for all to listen to.

BLACK LIVES MATTER

Lucasfilm once again offered a post in support of Black Lives Matter on its social media. This time, it was a bit of chalk-art graffiti that somebody left on the Yoda statue in front of the company's San Francisco headquarters.

Many other people associated with Star Wars shared the image as well, including John Boyega and Mark Hamill.

Until next week: May the Force be with you!