Star Wars

A few fun 'Star Wars' props from the last 2 franchise films are on the auction block, and are expected to fetch thousands for a good cause -- helping victims of last year's fires in California's wine country.

Lucasfilm donated 2 screen-used First Order Stormtrooper helmets -- one from 'The Force Awakens' signed by director J.J. Abrams and company president Kathleen Kennedy ... and the other from 'The Last Jedi' signed by director Rian Johnson -- to raise the money.

There's also a model porg from 'The Last Jedi' -- one of just 5 ever made -- signed by Johnson, Kennedy and creature designer Neal Scanlan. All 3 auctions opened last week with a starting bid of $1,000 ... but the helmets already have bids placed for over $4k.

Proceeds from the auction will go to Tipping Point’s Emergency Fire Relief Fund, which supports low income communities affected by the fires in the Napa and Sonoma Valley areas.

Alfie Curtis, the man who played the disfigured thug that tried picking a fight with Luke Skywalker in the first 'Star Wars,' has died ... a year after Carrie Fisher's death.

Curtis, who played the uncredited Dr. Evazan, in George Lucas' 'A New Hope' reportedly passed away this week, according to Comicbook.com. Mark Hamill reacted to the actor's death Tuesday by posting a tribute on Twitter.

Curtis took a lightsaber to the chest from Obi-Wan Kenobi after he knocked over Luke at the Mos Eisley Cantina -- where "you will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy" ... according to Obi, anyway.

The British actor also starred in "The Elephant Man," "The Wildcats of St. Trinian's," "Take It or Leave It," and a number TV series from the 1970s and '80s.

His death falls upon the first death anniversary of Fisher, who played Princess Leia in 'Star Wars.' He was 87. RIP ... and may the force be with you.

Sen. Ted Cruz is channeling his inner Yoda to force Luke Skywalker to hear him out in one of the most awesome celeb beefs in the galaxy.

Cruz was on Capitol Hill Tuesday when he went off on Mark Hamill. The Jedi and the Texas guy have been feuding on Twitter about net neutrality. If ya missed the fireworks, Hamill slammed the FCC Chairman last week after net neutrality was repealed, but Cruz came to his defense and "smarm-splained" the situation ... which didn't sit well with Mr. Skywalker.

Ted clapped back, and tells us he simply countered the Jedi's insults with the full force ... of facts.

"I will f**king gut you! I will make you bleed. Pain. Pain. A lot of pain."

That's Tim Kennedy -- UFC and U.S. Army Special Forces vet -- telling all the internet trolls what he's gonna do to them for spoiling "Star Wars: The Last Jedi."

Tim's a HUGE Sci-Fi guy ... but says he still hasn't seen the movie 'cause he's too busy being a badass in the desert.

Kennedy tells TMZ Sports he's pissed 'cause he can't touch social media -- "there's a bunch of a**holes out there trying to ruin it for people like me!"

So, if you spoil the party -- like UFC contender Colby Covington did on Thursday -- Tim says he's literally gonna cut you open and let you bleed out.

Yeah ... the force is strong in this one.

Carrie Fisher's final 'Star Wars' scenes hit too close to home for the Fisher family ... TMZ has learned.

Carrie's brother, Todd Fisher, tells us the family recently saw 'Last Jedi' and struggled watching General Leia in one particular scene ... which was extremely traumatic for the character. We don't want to say anything more than that with the movie just being released Thursday night.

We're told the family had actually seen an early cut of the film while Carrie was still alive. They saw the scene in question back then, and say it wasn't nearly as gut-wrenching. Again we'll avoid spoilers and leave it at that.

The family did enjoy the tribute to Carrie at the end of the flick. Although Lucasfilm has already announced Carrie won't be in 'Episode IX' ... we're told the family hopes Leia will continue to live on in the 'Star Wars' world in some spirit.

They're also not opposed to a CGI Leia like we saw in 'Rogue One.'

The Force and the force -- LAPD, that is -- will be extra strong in Hollywood for Thursday night's premiere screenings of "Star Wars: The Last Jedi."

We're told more than 20 extra uniformed officers and frequent neighborhood patrols will be deployed around the biggest movie theaters in the heart of Hollywood. Undercover cops will be on the beat as well.

A source at Grauman's Chinese Theatre tells us it's also bringing in private security from an outside firm. There's no specific threat -- we're told the extra muscle's necessary to smoothly move the massive number of moviegoers coming to get a piece of 'Jedi.'

We're told they're nearly sold out ... for the whole weekend! Get there early.

Prince William and Prince Harry were royal guests on the red carpet of Europe's premiere of "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" ... and the force looks very strong with these 2.

The princes suited up for the London event Tuesday night and cruised past a line of Stormtroopers before being greeted by one of the film's stars -- BB-8.

The Royal bros are more than just your typical 'Star Wars' fans, too ... they actually filmed cameos for the movie last year. Word is, they play Stormtroopers who appear alongside Tom Hardy's character while guarding John Boyega's character, Finn.

So keep a lookout for a couple 'troopers who look just a tad out of place.

Carrie Fisher's French bulldog, Gary, is more than a famous pooch looking to make a buck -- he's downright therapeutic for Carrie's throngs of fans ... and his new owner's seen it happen, firsthand.

We got Carrie's former assistant, Corby McCoin, leaving Basix Cafe in West Hollywood ... with Gary, of course. We asked her about the standoff with Disney and Carrie's family -- primarily her daughter Billie Lourd and ex-husband Bryan Lourd.

We broke the story ... Billie and Bryan think Gary's public appearances cheapen Carrie's legacy, and want Corby to keep Gary out of the spotlight.

Corby says she isn't in it for the money, but adds it's clear to her now ... Gary provides emotional support to fans who are missing Carrie.

Carrie Fisher's French bulldog, Gary, is one of the most popular pooches on the planet, but his public appearances have upset Carrie's family ... TMZ has learned.

As you'll recall ... when Fisher died, Gary went to her assistant, Corby McCoin. There have been numerous stories out that Carrie's daughter, Billie Lourd has the pooch, but it's not true. Corby has had the dog since Carrie died.

Now here's the conflict -- Corby wants to take Gary to various functions, including ComicCons, where people can interact with Gary and somehow feel closer to Carrie. We're told people over at Lucasfilm contacted the folks at ComicCon and asked them to block the appearance, which they did.

There was another event last April in Orlando which held a "Star Wars" celebration. We're told Mark Hamill wanted Gary to come out on stage with him. We're told the P.R. Dept. for "Star Wars" shut it down because Billie didn't want it ... and there have been other failed attempts as well.

Sources connected to Billie tell TMZ ... she and her dad, CAA head Bryan Lourd, fully understand how much Gary meant to Carrie, but when she died Gary was really nothing more than a dog, and they didn't want the animal to define the memory of Carrie ... they felt it cheapened it.

We're also told Bryan asked Corby to delete Gary's Instagram, which has more than 160,000 followers ... again, because he feels it cheapens Carrie's legacy.

We're even told Bryan offered Corby $250 a month in return for not parading Gary around, possibly for money, but Corby declined.

We broke the story ... 'Last Jedi' director Rian Johnson says the upcoming film will pay homage to Fisher's beloved dog, so no matter what -- he's still got some time left in the limelight.

Carrie Fisher's dog was such an adorable companion on the set of 'Last Jedi' it was only a matter of time until the 'Star Wars' flick paid homage to him.

'Last Jedi' director Rian Johnson was at LAX Thursday and he tells our guy exactly why Gary the Dog inspired a character in the highly-anticipated movie. It's easy to see how Gary's likeness charmed his way onto the big screen ... he had us here, here and here.

Rian swears he's told no one about the plot points ... but Ram Bergman confesses he spilled the beans here and there.

Mark Hamill's no longer two-wheeling it ... and he's even got a pep to his step.

Luke Skywalker was back on his feet Thursday on his way to 'GMA' to promote 'The Last Jedi.' Mark stopped on his way out to sign autographs, took a pic with a fan and even struck a pose.

It was a huge difference from when we saw him at JFK Monday ... slumped in a wheelchair and doing his best to cover his mug. As we reported, Mark said he was just trying to avoid autograph seekers who "gouge true fans later on eBay."

Billie Lourd could be shopping for a Grammy night outfit soon ... now that her late mom Carrie Fisher's been posthumously nominated.

We got Billie in Bev Hills Tuesday, hours after Carrie's 2016 memoir, "The Princess Diarist," earned a spoken word nom. She was beaming about the honor, and wouldn't rule out accepting the award for her mom ... if she wins, of course. Use the Force, Billie.

Speaking of which, we tried to get some 'Last Jedi' scoop from Billie, but apparently being Princess Leia's spawn isn't even enough for Disney to risk spoilers getting out.

2:20 PM PT -- Mark says he was just trying to avoid autograph seekers by rolling out of the airport in a wheelchair because they "gouge true fans later on eBay." He included the hashtags #TheyCanGoForceThemselves and #NoMoreAirportSignings.

Luke Skywalker's looking more Vader-like than ever -- and we're not referring to the rumors about 'The Last Jedi' plot.

Mark Hamill, and his little dog, rolled through JFK airport Monday night in a wheelchair. Mark did his best to cover his face with a dark hat -- not unlike a certain Dark side villain.

Fans greeted Mark while he cradled his little dog, and fired off questions about 'Jedi,' but he seems to know -- talk not he must, with the movie opening less than 3 weeks away.

Unclear if Luke's actually injured, or just trying to keep a low profile. We've gotta call in to a galaxy far, far away.

We'll let ya know if Yoda, or Darth, responds.

If you don't think 'Star Wars' and fashion go hand-in-hand, step back and watch Disney's marketing geniuses go to work ... with the likes of Kendall Jenner and the Hadid sisters!

Kendall, Gigi and Bella Hadid and Kaia Gerber all dropped into a galaxy far, far away for a spread in the November issue of Harper's Bazaar.

It's actually pretty cool -- Harper's Bazaar hooked up with longtime 'Star Wars' illustrator Brian Rood for the feature. Rood turned a Millennium Falcon landing port into a catwalk for the Hadids, and had Kaia strike back on the planet Hoth.

Kendall's lightsaber shot seems like an homage to Rey and R2-D2.

Expect 'Star Wars' promotions to keep coming at lightspeed for the next 6 weeks.

Justin Trudeau's stoked like the rest of us after seeing the new "Star Wars" trailer ... but he's got no time for nuke talk.

We got the Prime Minister of Canada in D.C. Wednesday and asked him what he thinks about "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" ... he says it's a must-see. As for real-life nuclear war that threatens to destroy us all -- no comment.

Can't blame Justin, though ... he's been busy in our nation's capital with other important matters. And signing autographs.

But he's right about that trailer.

Chris Hardwick doesn't have a problem with J.J. Abrams being back at the helm for "Star Wars: Episode IX" ... 'cause he's proved he can do it, and deserves another shot.

We got Chris, certified comic and sci-fi nerd, Wednesday in Bev Hills, and asked what he thought of Disney tapping Abrams again to direct another 'Star Wars' flick ... instead of going with someone new. In other words: is the Mouse house playing it safe?