Star Wars Weekly: The Hidden Fortress (07/04/25 to 13/04/25)
Japan travel stories, a Darth Vader novel, and more...
Strangely, no Star Wars movie has ever been shot in Japan.
Having been in the country for the past week and a half, I keep thinking how different places I visit would make for great Star Wars locations. I even found myself humming “The Jedi Steps” as I walked up the stone stairs in a shrine near Kyoto last weekend. It just felt right.
The Japanese influence on George Lucas’ galaxy far, far away is well known. The Jedi are partially inspired by Samurai, while Darth Vader’s iconic armour also draws inspiration from Samurai armour. And, of course, Star Wars wouldn’t be Star Wars without the influence of legendary Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa.
As I was planning my trip, I became interested in whether there were any classic Kurosawa filming locations that I could visit. I figured it would be a fun way to pay tribute to the filmmaker and country that had such a grand influence on the movies I love so much.
This is how I found out about the Akizuki Castle Ruins in Fukuoka Prefecture.
It’s said to be one of the inspirations for the 1958 Kurosawa film The Hidden Fortress. The Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO) even points out on their website, clearly trying to appeal directly to me, that The Hidden Fortress was “one of George Lucas' main inspirations when writing the script of the first Star Wars film.”
The Hidden Fortress follows two peasants as they unwittingly get caught up in a grand adventure involving a general bringing a Princess through enemy territory back to her homeland. Lucas has cited Kurosawa’s decision to tell this epic story from the point of view of the two lowliest characters, the peasants, as his inspiration to tell the story of Star Wars from the point of view of C-3PO and R2-D2.
Knowing this about The Hidden Fortress, I was intrigued by the Akizuki Castle Ruins, so I decided to add a visit to Fukuoka to my itinerary. Little did I know that in doing so, I was taking my first steps on a Jedi quest of my own.
On Monday night, after spending a full day at Universal Studios Japan (side note: Super Nintendo World absolutely lives up to the hype!), I took the Shinkansen (bullet train) from Osaka to Fukuoka City. I checked into my hotel and went over how actually to get to the ruins.
As a foreigner, I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how easy the Japanese transit systems have been to navigate. But, up to this point, I’d mainly stuck to city centres and touristy areas. This little adventure would take me out of those bubbles and put me into the part of Japan not usually seen by tourists. I realized just how far outside of the bubble I was on that Tuesday morning when I got on a train where the English names of the stations weren’t anywhere to be found on the map. I had crossed the threshold.
Once I reached the end of the train portion of my journey, I needed to get on a local bus. Here’s how local this bus line is: it’s not listed on Google Maps! It was referenced on enough tourism websites that I was pretty sure it existed, but it had still somehow managed to escape the notice of the world’s largest search engine. This didn’t fill me with confidence before I left, but I decided to just go with it.
When I got off the train at Amagi Station, over an hour away from my hotel, there was no sign of the bus I was supposed to take. There was no obvious stop or any signage with information about it (my phone was working overtime translating every poster I saw). I wandered around the town for about half an hour, finding nothing. Google was recommending that I take a taxi the rest of the way, so I downloaded the taxi app they were promoting…only to find that it didn’t service the area I was in!
I was about ready to give up when I decided to put “Amagi Station” into Google Maps one more time. This was when I discovered that there were two Amagi Stations! And lo and behold, the bus I wanted left from the other one, which was just down the street. So I headed over there, found the bus stop I wanted, and saw the bus I was supposed to take had left about 5 minutes ago. So I waited for the next one.
A 40-minute wait and a 15-minute bus ride later, I had finally made it.
The approach to the ruins is stunning. You’re surrounded on all sides by mountains, giving you another appreciation for just how beautiful a country Japan is. Then, the main street leading to the ruins, Sugi-no-Baba, is lined with Cherry Blossoms. They are in full bloom right now, so it was absolutely stunning. There were a handful of locals out enjoying the view.
There’s not much of the castle, which was small to begin with, left. Really, it’s just the main gate, known as the “black gate,” which leads to a Suiyo Shrine. Getting to the shrine involves climbing up some Jedi temple-esque stone steps, into a forested area with only a small clearing for the shrine. It’s secluded and peaceful.
The JNTO website claimed there was a three-hour hike available up one of the mountains to see an actual hidden fortress, like the one in the movie. Again, I searched for signs for this hike and came up empty. I did find a small road that seemed to be headed up one of the mountains, but I had had enough near-misses with getting lost for the day that I decided not to tempt fate and to stick to the main ruins and explore the small town around the castle ruins.
Although I was sad not to see the actual hidden fortress, I have zero regrets about my decision. The surrounding area was delightful. The Cherry Blossoms alone were worth the trip. Compared with Kyoto, where every tree was surrounded by a dozen tourists and would-be influencers snapping pictures with the blossoms, here, there was plenty of space to enjoy them (and get lots of pictures).
And there were other attractions to check out, including a preserved Samurai residence. Unlike the museum in the big cities, where you are kept on one side of the rope and the exhibits on the other, the Samurai residence was set up so you could walk around in it. This is how I learned I am just too tall to be a Samurai!
At one point, I was just wandering around the town and heard live music. I followed the sound to a cafe where a staff member urged me to come in and listen. A man was playing guitar and singing, while a woman played the piano to an audience of about six or seven locals. I sat with the locals and enjoyed the performance. Once they finished their set, the musicians thanked the audience. Spotting me, the singer threw in a “Thank you” along with the Arigatōs. He then politely asked where I was from and served as translator as I chatted with the locals for a few minutes.
It was a beautiful moment and is already one of the standouts from this trip.
It felt like a true Jedi experience. I had gone out to Akizuki in search of one thing, overcoming obstacles on the way there, only to find something else entirely. It’s a reminder to take things in stride, something I have struggled with. Sometimes things don’t work out the way you hope, but that doesn’t mean that something great won’t still happen. I went out in search of the inspiration for one of my favourites, and instead found my own inspiration in the people I met in that cafe and the brief connection we made.
They say one of the joys of travelling, more so than the sightseeing or tourist attractions, is the opportunity to meet new people. (Hell, I often say this about Star Wars Celebration about the big panels and whatnot, which is what I’m in Japan for, after all). On Tuesday, I lived that in my search for the hidden fortress.
The best things in life really are the friends we make along the way.
Top Story
New Darth Vader Novel, Master of Evil, Announced
It’s hard to believe it’s been over ten years since the last Darth Vader-centric Star Wars novel (Paul S. Kemp’s Lords of the Sith in 2015, for those wondering).
Not that we haven’t had a dearth of Vader content in other media. In the last decade, we’ve been blessed to have Vader in movies, TV shows, video games, and as the star of about a half-dozen comic book series! But if you’ve been missing having prose written about the dark lord of the Sith, well, you’re in luck.
In advance of Star Wars Celebration Japan, Lucasfilm made a slew of publishing announcements. The biggest of which is a new Vader novel from Adam Christopher, titled Star Wars: Master of Evil, coming November 11th, 2025.
Details about the book are sparse, though StarWars.com did reveal the cover by Simon Goinard (above) and dropped this intriguing nugget, Master of Evil “chronicles Vader’s haunting pursuit for the power to conquer death.”
One of the key components in Anakin’s journey to becoming Vader was a pursuit of saving Padme from death. It sounds like his pursuit of life beyond death didn’t stop with her death in Revenge of the Sith.
Christopher’s previous Star Wars novel, Shadow of the Sith, was set between the original and sequel trilogies and explored many of the ideas introduced in The Rise of Skywalker about Palpatine’s efforts to cheat death. It will be interesting to see if the author incorporates any of that material into this new Vader story. We know from the comics (which I haven’t read) that Vader knows of, and has been to, Exegol. Perhaps Master of Evil might see him seeking solutions to Force’s greatest mysteries in ways that are separate from his master’s.
It would protect him if Palpatine ever tried to cut him out of his plans (which he eventually does, trying to convince Luke to replace his father). Of course, it’s in saving Luke that Anakin finally learns the secret to retaining his consciousness after death and is able to visit his son at the Ewok party on Endor. (Anakin’s Force ghost also speaks briefly to Luke in Shadow of the Sith, Christopher’s previous novel…)
No mention is made of when in the timeline Master of Evil is set. Vader’s mission to Exegol in the comics takes place between Episodes V and VI, so that would likely not factor into things if the novel is set earlier. Maybe we’ll learn more this weekend…
StarWars.com made several other publishing announcements, including: books of Doug Chiang’s art, the cover for The Art of The Acolyte, an updated edition of Star Wars: Women of the Galaxy, and more.
Headlines
The Andor Marketing Machine Enters The Home Stretch
The second and final season of Andor is just over a week away, meaning the marketing machine is fully up and running and ready to bring things home. There have been two new TV Spots this week. One leans into the legacy of the Rebellion by featuring some footage of Princess Leia and Jyn Erso, before featuring new footage from the series. The other is more of a classic TV spot, featuring a nice mix of new footage and material we’ve already seen in other trailers and TV Spots.
Additionally, the cast and crew took to the red carpet for an event in London, England. Among those in attendance were Diego Luna, Genevieve O’Rielly, Adria Arjona, Stellan Skarsgard, Faye Marsay, Ben Mendelsohn, Tony Gilroy, and Kathleen Kennedy. The official Star Wars Instagram accounts shared a fun video of the cast on the red carpet, which you can see below.
At the premiere event, Luna, Gilroy, Kennedy, and Sanne Wohlenberg (executive producer) took part in a live interview on stage. The four of them talked extensively about Cassian’s journey in season two, the format of the season, and the behind-the-scenes scale of the series. You can watch the interview below,
Andor season two premieres on April 22nd. There will be one last big marketing push this weekend at Star Wars Celebration Japan.
The BFI Is Screening A Pre-Special Editions Print Of Star Wars This June
It’s no secret that George Lucas loves to tinker with his movies, even after they were released. The most famous version of this was the “Special Editions” of the original trilogy released in theatres in 1997. All three re-releases featured tweaks to the movies in the form of new scenes, updated effects, and new dialogue. There were additional changes made for the 2004 DVD release, the 2011 Blu-ray release, and the 2019 Disney+ release (the changes were made pre-sale to Disney, likely for the cancelled 3D re-releases).
These alterations have been controversial, with some fans clamouring for Lucas to re-release the theatrical versions of his movies alongside his updated versions. The filmmaker never did, arguing that the films were his and that the changed versions reflected his truest vision for the movies. “De-specialized editions” of the movies have floated around in various, under-the-table forms over the years, but never gotten any sort of major release.
This may be about to change, however. The British Film Institute announced this week that it will be screening the 1977 version of Star Wars this June as part of their BFI Film on Film Festival. As the BFI website puts it, Star Wars will be “screening publicly for the first time in decades in its original 1977 version.”
They later add, “the original, unfaded dye transfer IB Technicolor British release print of Star Wars (1977), preserved in the BFI National Archive, and ready to transport us to a long time ago, and a galaxy far, far away, back to the moment in 1977 when George Lucas’s vision cast a spell on cinema audiences.”
To be clear, this isn’t necessarily indicative of any sort of mass release of the “de-specialized edition” of Star Wars. It sounds like the print being screened has been in the hands of the BFI since the 70s, and they are simply using it for their event this June.
But it does make me wonder if Lucasfilm’s attitude towards the original, theatrical cuts of the movies might be changing. Presumably, the BFI needed the company’s permission to screen Star Wars, and if Lucasfilm wanted to, they could surely force the issue and make the BFI screen the most recent version of the film. If your local cinema is ever showing an old Star Wars film, it will almost certainly be the most recent edition because that’s the one Lucasfilm lets theatres use.
I’m of two minds about the BFI doing this (and any hypothetical home media release of the theatrical cuts).
On the one hand, I support Lucas in his assertion that these are his movies and should get to dictate how people see them. He spent much of his early career fighting with the studios over who had final say on the final cut of the movie. Both THX-1138 and American Graffiti had edits made to them that Lucas was not happy with. Controlling the final cut of the movie is something he fought hard for, and I respect him for it. And I agree that he should get final say on what the “official” versions of his movies are.
That said, Star Wars was (and still is) such a cultural phenomenon that there are genuine historical reasons to want the original versions. These are the versions of the movies that made audiences fall in love with Star Wars. While 95% of that is unchanged in the subsequent re-releases, I understand the desire to see the unupdated versions. I will even admit that I’ve bought one of the unofficial, “de-specialized editions” of Star Wars for this very reason.
Ultimately, I hope there is some middle ground here. Like, maybe the 2019 version of the movies remains the versions available on Disney+, Blu-ray, etc., but some special screenings of the theatrical versions are allowed here and there for those who are interested.
Interestingly, there has been no comment from either Lucasfilm or Lucas about this screening. Usually, with a big event like this, we would see something on the official Star Wars social media channels, but it’s been radio silence thus far. Maybe they’re just too busy promoting Andor right now to acknowledge this.
The 1977 version of Star Wars will open the BFI Film on Film Festival, which runs in London at the BFI Southbank and BFI IMAX from June 12th to 15th, 2025.
Hey, Check This Out!
“The Myth That Rogue One Shattered”
Another week, another video essay! This time, YouTuber Artorr delves into Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and all the ways it’s different from the other Star Wars films.
With Andor set to tie directly into Rogue One with its upcoming second and final season, this feels like a good time to revisit what made the 2016 film so special. “The Myth That Rogue One Shattered” does an excellent job going over how the film came to be, the inspirations for the Death Star, and how Rogue One takes the myth “out” of Star Wars.
It’s a great deep dive into the characters and the universe from a perspective we don’t always see. At over 45 minutes long, it’s basically like watching a really good TV documentary. If that feels like a lot of time to commit to a YouTube video essay, don’t worry, it is well worth it!
From The Archives
Star Wars Celebration Chicago Begins April 11th, 2019
With Celebration Japan right around the corner, this feels like the perfect time to look back on a previous Celebration!
Star Wars Celebration Chicago kicked off six years ago this week, running from April 11th-15th at the McCormick Center in Chicago, Illinois. It is, to date, the only five-day Celebration we’ve ever had, and they packed a lot into those five days. This included the first trailers for Star Wars: Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (the title was also revealed), The Clone Wars season seven, Jedi: Fallen Order, and The Mandalorian.
On a personal note, I had a blast covering the convention for the Star Wars Underworld Podcast. We did daily podcasts from our booth on the show floor, culminating with a live podcast on the last day in front of an audience. (You can revisit those here.) It was a tremendous time spent with friends old and new, something I’m very much looking forward to again this weekend.
Here’s some of my Instagram posts from that weekend,
Also, I think the McCormick Center was the best venue that any Star Wars Celebration has ever been held in! The show floor was huge (and there was more space available if you wanted to expand), and the panel rooms were massive. The arena used for the big panels (The Rise of Skywalker, The Mandalorian, The Clone Wars, etc.) was the biggest one they’ve had so far. When it comes to letting as many people see the big panels at Celebration as possible, size does matter (sorry Yoda!)
If the next Celebration is going to be in the US, instead of going back to Anaheim (or worse, Orlando), my first choice would be a return to Chicago! Maybe, I’ll get my wish this coming Sunday…
Coming Soon
Always in motion is the future, but here’s a look ahead at what we can expect in Star Wars over the next seven days:
With The High Republic nearing its conclusion, the stakes have never been higher. And, Issue #17 of Daniel Jose Older’s The High Republic Adventures series looks to raise them even higher when it hits shelves on April 17th.
Also being released on the 17th, Charles Soule’s Legacy of Vader #3. The Kylo Ren comic book series follows the First Order’s Supreme Leader as he investigates his grandfather’s past.
And, of course, Star Wars Celebration Japan takes place from April 18th-20th at the Makuhari Messe just outside Tokyo, Japan. Tickets are sold out, but the official Star Wars YouTube channel will be live-streaming the whole event, including special interviews with the guests and select panels.
Hope to see you this weekend at Celebration!
It feels like Disney/Lucasfilm REALLY needs Andor to be a hit, and it's a lot easier to do that if the stars aren't answering questions about why can't fans in the US see the original cut of Star Wars. At least that's my best guess.
Celebration looks like it's going to be amazing! I wish I could have gone, but the next one the US I am absolutely there.