The fifth season premiere of The Clone Wars, "Revival," brought us some familiar faces, improved animation models, and a bit part to knock your socks off! The return of Darth Maul continues, and this time around they're joined by some familiar faces which haven't been seen on the show before. Numerous spoilers and links to the full episode await you after the break.

Check out Mace Windu, a nifty artifact from a period where Hasbro really didn't have a clear and firm grasp on if they were selling toys or collectibles.  Sculpts improved, as did action features, but articulation was pretty weak.  This deluxe figure had a nifty spring-loaded sleeve and a blow-apart droid as accessories.

While pretty much nothing is known about this release, word is spreading that the Xbox will have a downloadable game called Star Wars: First Assault and if that picture is any indication, there may well be Stormtroopers in it.

The evolution of the action figure at Hasbro has taken a lot of weird twists and turns.  At one point they were all engineered to be toys for kids, and now they're basically modestly-priced plastic collectibles for adults... but not this Darth Vader.  Despite having one of the best sculpts in years, the engineering seems to be better for kids to play with, or as a desk accessory.  When we looked at Boba Fett from this set, it became our most-read FOTD of 2012... so you're gonna want to read this one, right?

Let's talk big vehicles because you ain't gettin' any more next year. How are we feeling Episodes II and III 3D in about 365 days? Not bad! Gotta look forward to something. And how about some classic Kenner/Hasbro-style 12-inch action figures. We're going to get new ones, right? (No.) Read on!

Welcome to Galactic Hunter Video Theater! You no doubt know that there are hundreds of nifty stories from and media presentations on the Star Wars universe, and a lot of old media has been uploaded to YouTube. Some of it is great. Some of it isn't. We kick this possibly weekly, hopefully regular feature with the book-and-tape read-along Droid World... and a little bonus trivia for some of you Man or Astro-Man? fans out there. Set aside about 13 minutes and be sure to have some speakers or headphones handy after the break.

Tom sends in this report from Georgia of some awesome Star Wars bargain finds at 5 Below. Check out all the deals after the jump!

From our sponsors at Brian's Toys: The Brian's Toys newsletter this week features a whole new Vinyl Cape Jawa AFA 85, restocked Master Replica Boba Fett Blaster, and a pre-order for the new Sideshow 12" Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi figure. The Jawa includes a Certificate Authenticity and comes protected in an acrylic case from the Action Figure Authority.

It's Fixer, a Republic Commando!  This version has knees.  The previous version didn't.  Does this mean we're now dealing with a superior being?  Read on!

Just a reminder that Season 5 of The Clone Wars makes its exciting debut at its new Saturday morning time slot tomorrow at 9:30 am ET/PT 8:30 am CT. The first episode, titled "Revival", has Maul and Opress on their quest for ultimate power while being chased down by their nemesis, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

The new ToysRUs exclusive Speeder Bike with Scout Trooper is now IN STOCK at ToysRUs.com for $21.99 each. This flew (no pun) out of stores on its first pass and you can score one, two, or more now with this week's Buy One Get One 50% Off deal.

If you didn't spend all day counting the seconds to the Banimon figure launch, perhaps you will want to read about the late 2010 Obi-Wan Kenobi.  Season 3. Thin. Awesome?

Check out the latest pre-orders and IN STOCK items at our sponsors at Big Bad Toy Store! Star Wars merchandise now available include the eFX Darth Vader EP IV Limited Edition Helmet Replica and the new Darth Maul Returns Battle Pack!

The Pennsylvania Star Wars Collecting Society is excited to announce they have begun shipping their charity fundraiser Yoda medallions. These medallions, which benefit Mid-Atlantic Burn Camp, were initially available exclusively at Star Wars Celebration VI.  A limited number of unsold medallions have been made available online to the public at http://www.pswcs.com/BurnCamp/

Star Wars Celebration VI is almost a month behind us, but the memories are still fresh, as are the collectibles! From coast to coast Celebration attendees are receiving their Disney Carbon Freeze Me statues! Marjorie and Arnie got theirs in the mail last week, so listen to this week's hands-on review of these truly one-of-a-kind collectibles! They'll tell you if it would be worth a Disney trip if these return to the theme parks.