The Force of March Madness: Inside the Ultimate Star Wars Tournament

There wasn't a whole lot Lucasfilm could talk about on the record in the early months of 2013. Behind the scenes, the company was scrambling to get itself in gear for Episodes VII, VIII and IX plus spinoff movies and the animated TV show Rebels, but it couldn't even reveal that. The games department was being axed, the animation department slashed, and everyone at the company was readjusting to having new bosses at Disney. No longer were they under the wing of a benign billionaire

Into that gloomy yet hopeful atmosphere came "This is Madness," a bracket-style tournament featuring the brightest lights of the fictional Star Wars universe. The brainchild of Matt Martin, Lucasfilm's Manager of Digital Content and Community Relations, "This is Madness" was the NCAA for the geek set; fantasy football with an emphasis on the fantasy. Its first year of operation saw a stunning 2.5 million votes cast for Lucasfilm's characters Read more...