The Morning Linc: New Star Wars Cartoon and Game On the Horizon. Plus, the Emperor Speaks and We Will See the Resurrection of Agent Coulson

Well good morning everyone! I'm sure we've all been trying to rebound from the doldrums after news of the Clone Wars cancellation. But we are offered some tantalizing news of things to come!

1. New Star Wars Animated Series Takes Us To A Never-Before-Explored Period

Lost in the dismal report about the end of The Clone Wars, Lucasfilm and Disney announced a new animated series that would be set "in a time period previously untouched in Star Wars films and television programming."

Well I'm calling it now...we're finally going to find out "Where's Kitser?"

Still waiting on that high five from Wald, no doubt.

2. First Assault May Be the Precursor to Battlefront III

Gaming blog Kotaku has announced that the mysterious downloadable game First Assault might actually be a forerunner of the eagerly anticipated Battlefront III. As with most things over at the Ranch these days, it is still unclear when and if First Assault will be released. What is known is that it will be a 16-person FPS where teams of Rebels and Stormtroopers duke it out on a variety of planets. 

Head on over to Kotaku for more information and check out the screenshots below:

3. The Emperor Speaks: Ian McDiarmid on the Films and Celebration Europe II

It should be a known fact that Palpatine/Sidious is my favorite character in all of Star Wars. And Ian McDiarmid, who I had the pleasure of meeting on several occasions at Celebration VI last year, is one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. Luckily, fans across the Pond will be able to have an audience with the Emperor and Ian sits down with SciFi now to talk about his experience in the movies as well as his love for the fans.

You just know he actually can use Force lightning....

Regarding the perpetual love fans of all ages have for Star Wars, Ian says:

"And I'm usually approached by mums and dads of 4-year olds now who've been watching the movies, who are completely fascinated by them. And they won't leave their television screens until they've seen the whole lot. So it continues to grip, and it continues to grip kids. And even though we all know with the prequels some of the adults who'd seen the early films were a bit disappointed, that's not true of succeeding generation, which sort of means that these films are going to go on forever, and that's extraordinary, I think, and great." 

I couldn't agree more, Your Highness.

For more information about Celebration Europe II head on over to StarWarsCelebration.eu

4. The Son of Coul Returns for the S.H.I.E.L.D. TV Series!

While The Clone Wars may be dead, someone who is enjoying a resurrection is none other than everyone's favorite smarmy S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Phil Coulson, played by Clark Gregg. In a move that can only be described as "anti-Whedonian", the Avengers director is actually bringing a favorite character back to life!

Nope...sorry Wash.

Whedon explains his reasoning to Deadline:

"The idea of the Little Guy is something that I am very fierce about, and there has never been a better Little Guy than Clark Gregg. That intrigued me, this world around the superhero community. It's the people whose shop windows get blown up when the Destroyer shows up. It's the more intimate stories that belong on television that we can really tap into the visual style and ethos, and even some of the mythology, of the Marvel movies. I think we've put together another really great ensemble headed by Clark."

Now that's one hell of a Heimlich maneuver!

Well, that does it for this morning. Keep an eye on The Missing Linc for more geekery and such!

-Joe