If you are as excited as we are for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, we’ve put together a list of gear that will be helpful for standing in line as you watch the seconds tick on your Darth Vader wristwatch.

1. A Temporary Homestead

While digging into the sidewalk to recreate the Lars homestead on Tatooine may be slightly extreme, having a solid tent will give you a bit of privacy when sleeping in front of a theater. Here are a couple options:

• Camping with a trio of friends: Wenzel Alpine Tent
• Camping for one? Outdoor Tube Tent

2. The Belly of a Tauntaun

For anyone that lives in a Hoth-like climate, having a sleeping bag to stay warm at night is absolutely essential, especially since there are few, if any, Tauntaun roaming the great white north. Here’s a few options:

• Ideal for temps between 20 and 40 degrees at night: Coleman Brazos Cold-Weather Sleeping Bag
• Ideal for temps between 40 and 60 degrees at night: Coleman Trinidad Warm-Weather Sleeping Bag
• Ideal for the most hardcore fan with disposable income: Star Wars Tauntaun Sleeping Bag

3. A Throne fit for the Emperor

Ideal for doing your best Emperor Palpatine impression and laughing creepily at anyone that walks past you, having a chair to relax in is ideal for helping the time pass away.

• Good budget option: Ozark Trail Folding Chair
• Great size for kids, holds up to 100 lbs.: Star Wars Camping Chair
• Ideal for eating, drinking, laptop stand: Coleman Portable Deck Chair with Side Table

4. Harness the Heat of Mustafar

Without melting away into the same fiery pits that turned Anakin Skywalker into Darth Vader, staying warm while sitting in line for hours is a must, especially with a movie opening in December!

• A portable propane heater: Mr. Heater Little Buddy 3800-BTU Propane Heater 
• Ideal for using a smartphone / tablet: Star Wars Logo Touch Screen Gloves (Fingerless option)
• Keep those feet warm: Force Awakens BB-8 Crew Socks
• The best jacket in the galaxy: Chewie Hoodie (Amazon)
• One branded blanket: Star Wars Fleece Throw

5. Master the power of Force Lightning

In case you don’t have time to swing by Tosche Station to pick up some power converters, this selection of items will keep your gadgets charged and replaying the Original Trilogy for the long haul.

• Great for keeping devices powered up during the day: Solar Charger 5000mAh Power Bank
• Ideal for late night reading, hanging in the tent: Etekcity Rechargeable LED Camping Lanterns
• Wind-up battery pack for recharging devices: Wind-up Rechargeable 5000mAh USB Battery Pack

6. More Entertainment than a Pazaak Deck

Those stretches of time sitting and waiting for the The Force Awakens can get pretty lengthy. It’s best to keep your attention on movies, television shows and games while you wait.

• Perhaps ideal for a tent, keep track of those pieces! LEGO Star Wars Poe’s X-Wing Fighter
• The board games that takes forever: Star Wars Monopoly
• Hours of Star Wars RPG fun, available on mobile now: Knights of the Old Republic (Android, iOS)
• Get lost in the music of the trilogy: The Music of Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Everything you need to wait in line for the new Star Wars movie

Rolled out as a new feature this week in a free update, Sphero’s BB-8 replica Star Wars droid has the ability to watch Star Wars: The Force Awakens along with you and react to what’s happening on the screen. You simply pair the BB-8 with an Android or iOS mobile device and activate the new “Watch With Me” function in the updated BB-8 mobile app.

Ideally, you should keep BB-8 on the charging pad so the battery life during the two-hour movie isn’t an issue. In addition, you will need to position BB-8 in a area close enough to hear the action happening on the screen. According to Sphero, BB-8 will react to scenes with a range of emotions including excitement, sadness and anger at the events of the film.

Here’s a video of BB-8 in action while watching the film:

While Sphero recently lowered the price from $149.99 to $129.99 as a promotional sale for the release of The Force Awakens on Blu-ray and digital media, you can find lower prices from other retailers if you watch the Ben’s deal feed. Less than a month ago, we saw the price drop to $110 on Rakuten.

If you want to catch the next sale, set up a Deal Alert on Ben’s Bargains for “BB-8” and we will email you the second when the deal goes live.

BB-8 will now watch, react to The Force Awakens as you watch

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the movie that Star Wars fans have been waiting 16 32 years for. Fans waited 16 years for The Phantom Menace, only to be bitterly disappointed, and now 16 years after that, those same anxious fans and more are lining up outside theaters with high hopes for Star Wars nirvana. In the immortal words of C-3PO: here we go again!

For fans, it all really boils down to two questions. Is The Force Awakens better than the prequels? Yes. (Is the Dark Side stronger? I mean, come on.) Is it as good as the originals? Well, maybe not, but time will tell. Always in motion is the future.

But here’s the good news: you’ll actually want to see it again.

In many ways, 49-year-old director and co-writer J.J. Abrams made the most sense as the torchbearer for George Lucas’s grand space opera vision, and after seeing the movie, he still feels like the right choice. He understands the balance of character, action and humor that were important to the original trilogy.

But there’s another “force” at work here, and that’s the larger sense that Star Wars has passed from being the singular vision of one creator (for better and for much, much worse) to being the cog of a much larger machine, à la Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe.

In some ways, the Disney universe approach offers some satisfying moments, and at other times, feels forced. To paraphrase one character in the film, “I feel like I’m being torn apart.” Some characters and plot devices seem like they’re passing through the movie, only to (presumably) reappear again in a later episode or perhaps in a “sidequel.” (The standalone Star Wars Anthology movie series is set to launch next year with Rogue One.) On the other hand, there’s a sense of mystery and unexplained backstory that permeates the plot and feels like it will be paid off at some point down the line.

For this, we have only to blame The Empire Strikes Back, still the high water mark for the series. Empire kickstarted the Star Wars template of a non-self-contained plot, even though it was originally panned for doing so. So if The Force Awakens borrows liberally from this story structure, then we have only success to blame.

The Force Awakens co-writer Lawrence Kasdan, the screenwriter of Empire and its sequel Return of the Jedi, is known for his affinity for the Han Solo character (and with son Jon Kasdan is co-writing the Han Solo origin movie set to be released in 2018). It’s no surprise then that Harrison Ford is top-billed in TFA and is a major part of the last two-thirds of the movie. Ford brings some of the playful glint we’d seen from his earlier Solo days, but there are moments of the 1990s “Get off my plane/find my wife” Ford that slip through. His performance is key to the story, but as this is still an action film, we still don’t quite get caught up with Solo the man. But perhaps that is the key to his mystique.

As for the original cast, Carrie Fisher seems to struggle to find the core of her original Princess Leia characterization, but she’s not given much to do and the role is small. As for Mark Hamill, well, you’ll just have to see the movie to find out how he does, but he doesn’t disappoint.

You can see where the filmmakers famously debated on the direction of the film—whether to go in a completely new direction or bring the old faces along for the ride. That conflict does make the character development a bit of a patchwork with so many more central characters. It’s also the rumored reason Michael Arndt, the original screenwriter (and credited associate producer), was replaced by Abrams and Kasdan.

The two new faces, young actors Daisy Ridley (Rey) and John Boyega (Finn), actually do breathe new life into the series. (Oscar Isaac is solid as pilot Poe Dameron, but it’s a small role.) They are front and center in the marketing campaign, and they do hold up their end of the bargain. The story gives them fresh new things to do in what feels at times like a series of callbacks to the original trilogy.

You will definitely have moments of head-scratching déjà vu from lines of dialogue and set pieces, as well as plot devices, major and minor characters, props and various minutiae that will probably take multiple viewings to uncover. The filmmakers also manage to squeeze in a note of surreal mysticism in the middle of the movie, just as Empire did in the middle of its story (the cave scene). Just when it feels like the fan service might be too much, Abrams and company do take the series in some interesting emotional directions, especially in the last third of the movie.

The Force Awakens opens strongly but surprisingly meanders in the middle. However, the spine of the story starts to appear in the last third, and the new emotional beats have a satisfying ring to them that will echo through at least two more installments. Adam Driver (Kylo Ren) is a major reason for this shift, and his performance is fascinating. The work that Abrams, Kasdan and Driver put into this aspect of the movie feels like the richest part of the whole enterprise.

There is more CGI in the movie than some fans might be expecting after pre-release hype suggested an almost apologetic turn away from the cartoonish prequels. The CGI is more organically integrated but at the same time, some key characters are clearly CGI in ways that do not feel satisfying, like say Gollum was in The Lord of the Rings series (although this movie’s involvement of Andy Serkis—Mr. Gollum himself—probably should’ve given that away).

Let’s not forget John Williams. The 83-year-old composing genius once again scored the music (listen to the soundtrack on Spotify), and while it doesn’t sound as inspired as his earlier work, Rey’s Theme and The Jedi Steps are notable additions to the Star Wars musical oeuvre.

The Force Awakens, though flawed and overly familiar at times, does set up the promise of a much grander story. It stands on solid legs with the new cast led by Daisy Ridley who convincingly balances fierceness with vulnerability and is ready to carry the baton (or lightsaber, if you will) for the next generation of Star Wars movies and its fans.

Star Wars The Force Awakens Review: Total Recall

This first generation of NERF Star Wars toys will likely lay the groundwork for more advanced toys modeled after large blasters in all future Star Wars films. However, there’s plenty to appreciate in this group of toys, ideal for killing time while waiting in line in December.

Star Wars Rebels Stormtrooper Blaster

Outfitted with a removable barrel extension as well as a folding stock, this two-foot long Stormtrooper Blaster comes with three darts and fires one long dart at a time. Appropriate for ages five and up, this blaster design was modeled after the Star Wars Rebels animated series. (MSRP: $25)

Check the Sale Price on Walmart

Episode VII First Order Stormtrooper Deluxe Blaster

Including a shoulder stock, tactical rail and a removable scope, the First Order Stormtrooper Deluxe Blaster comes with a clip that holds up to 12 darts. Rated for children six years and up, the deluxe blaster can fire darts up to 65 feet. (MSRP: $40)

Check the Sale Price on Walmart

Chewbacca’s Nerf Bowcaster

Modeled after the iconic bowcaster used by Chewbacca, the NERF version of the bowcaster includes a removable scope, tactical rail and five foam darts. Due to the addition of the string, this toy is rated for children eight years and up. (MSRP: $25)

Check the Sale Price on Walmart

Episode VII First Order Stormtrooper Blaster Pistol

Also including a removable sight as well as a tactical rail, the smaller First Order Stormtrooper Blaster is modeled after a traditional pistol. The NERF blaster comes with three darts which can be fired up to 65 feet away. (MSRP: $20)

Check the Sale Price on Walmart

Orignal Trilogy Nerf Lightsabers

Rated for children ages four and up, the NERF lightsabers are a simple toy designed to replicate sabers carried by Luke, Yoda and Darth Vader. Be aware that reviews indicate the Nerf material breaks easily. If you are looking for a faux lightsaber that will take more of a beating, take a look at extendable, plastic lightsaber toys, like the The Force Awakens Kylo Ren Lightsaber. (MSRP: $15)

Check Sale Price on Amazon

Shoot like a Stormtrooper: 5 Best Star Wars NERF Toys

The Star Wars celebration came and went over the weekend. We saw a new trailer for The Force Awakens, peeked into the gameplay potential for Star Wars: Battlefront and generally freaked out for a solid 72 hours. Now that life is boring again, you’ve got the itch. You know the itch. You need to watch Star Wars stuff right friggin’ now. Disney planned for that.

Star Wars: The Digital Movie Collection

Hitting pretty much any relevant piecemeal VOD service is the Star Wars The Digital Movie Collection, delivering all six core films in one relatively affordable package ($90).

Here’s the full list of ways you can (digitally) get your hands on the collection, from iTunes to even the PlayStation and Xbox video services. And, because we like Amazon so much, here’s the link to that one too.

Unfortunately, the existence of this package pretty much destroys any possibility of any of the films appearing on any Netflix-style monthly fee service. That’s not surprising. Star Wars is about to reemerge as one of the most valuable brands on the planet.

If you do happen to own some, but not all, of the films, you can purchase any of the digital copies individually as well. And, if you don’t trust the internet to deliver the best quality lightsaber visual and sound effects, there’s always the Blu-Rays.

Star Wars Blu-Ray on Amazon

The key here is to time out the necessary viewing of all six movies so you don’t reach a peak craving at the wrong time. You don’t want The Force Awakens off in the distance when the credits roll on Return of the Jedi.

What’s that? You just came here to watch the trailer again? Fine, you can watch the damn trailer again.

Where to Watch the Animated Star Wars Shows

If you ever wanted to fill the lore gaps between the films, you’d turn your eyes towards to the two recent animated TV shows (or await the first full-length live-action spin-off, Rogue One, coming sometime after The Force Awakens). Star Wars: The Clone Wars is exactly as it sounds, following Anakin and Obi-Wan as they fight alongside the clones in between episodes II and III. Thankfully, the former of the pair isn’t voiced by a grown man not yet emerged from puberty.

It’s the same premise as the 2003 series of the same name, only this time sporting fancy 3D animation rather than a Samurai Jack 2D style. The show does an ample job of jumping tones, themes and characters to give a well-rounded look of the tumultuous time period, unafraid to invent new and interesting characters.

All six seasons and the full-length film that kicked the whole thing off are available through Netflix streaming. Because of this, you should consider Star Wars: The Clone Wars the easiest, and cheapest, way to scratch the itch. Familiar heroes will often grace the screen in stories considered official canon to the universe as a whole.

The Clone Wars originally aired on Cartoon Network. The follow-up series, Star Wars: Rebels, is about to enter its second season on one of Disney’s channels. You might guess how that happened. Rebels takes place after Episode III, which means the good guys are no more than scattered survivors and the bad guys (including Darth Vader) are doing the whole galactic domination thing they always wanted to do. So, instead of hailed Jedi heroes known through the ages, the show follows a Firefly-like group of outcasts crisscrossing between survival and attrition.

The entire first season, the start-off film and a collection of shorts derived from the premise are all available to watch through the Disney DX website, or as VOD purchases on whatever streaming service you prefer to use. You’ll need a cable-provider log-in to access the website versions.

The Best Star Wars Games and How to Get Them

Steam has a fairly robust Star Wars collection, running 14 games for $100, and saving you $60 total from the individual prices. The only notable games missing are the LEGO Star Wars titles, which, despite their cutesy nature, get you closest to revisiting the plots of the movies in their fullest form. Neither will you find the Star Wars: Rogue Squadron games, a dogfighting series popularized on old-ish Nintendo consoles. Without a Gamecube or Nintendo 64, though, you’d be hard-pressed to find a workable version.

Steam Star Wars Collection

Of the games in the bundle, two really stand out.

Knights of the Old Republic

Before BioWare made the Mass Effect series and lapsed to the dark side (EA), they made Knights of the Old Republic, earning for a decade the love and respect of science fiction gamers exhausted in a universe of swords and dirt. It’s an RPG very much in the BioWare tradition, melding tactical combat with deep character development and dialogue, both riddled with the same level of choice so elemental to Mass Effect.

Chronologically, Knights of the Old Republic is one of the earliest stories ever told in the Star Wars universe, though since Disney took the reigns and essentially reset the canon, BioWare’s RPG sadly doesn’t really count anymore. Still, it features writing that pretty much puts the prequel films to shame.

BioWare forewent developing the direct sequel, but came back to the series to build an MMO from the roots of the already great RPG. Star Wars: The Old Republic is still going strong today; it remains one of the few legitimate World of Warcraft alternatives, and free-to-play at that. Check it out here.

Star Wars Battlefront

On the other end of the spectrum are the Battlefront games, which are experiencing renewed fan fervor due to EA’s series reboot due later this year. The initial titles, Battlefront and Battlefront II, exist in exact opposition to the ideal of a Star Wars video game. You’re not a Jedi Master or a Sith Lord, you’re just a grunt on the battlefield subject to the war waged online against tons of other people. Take the battle on foot, in a raging AT-AT or even in the air, few games capture the insanity of science fiction war any better.

Battlefront II mixed it up a bit by allowing well-performing players to step into the shoes of familiar heroes and villains, or partake in space battles about massive cruisers. You’ll notice such influences in the recently revealed Star Wars Battlefront (2015) gameplay footage, though with a visual quality ripped right out of theaters.

If Star Wars games, movies and TV shows aren’t enough to satiate your desires, then I honestly can’t help you. You should just head over to StarWars.com, where there’s a whole bunch of extra stuff about a whole bunch or Star Wars things, and on and on. Or you could go to Amazon’s Star Wars storefront, though I’d imagine sifting through that is a bit like trying to find a game on the Android app store that doesn’t automatically post to Facebook.

Worst comes to worst, go to Disney World and do this.

Spice Girls hits at around 2:10.

Check Ben’s for Star Wars Deals

Scratch the Star Wars Itch: The Digital Collection, TV Shows and Games