Aggressive Negotiations: A Star Wars Podcast

Rogue One Wars. John and Matt continue their journey to Episode IX as they look back at Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the second movie released by Lucasfilm after Disney's acquisition. In one of their most spirited debates in a while, they discuss what did work and what didn't, which characters were their favorites, what moments resonate, and why this Star Wars movie garners such strong reactions....

#RebelsRemembered. Matt and John reminisce about Star Wars: Rebels a year after it left the air, sharing what they saw as the show's impact, its strengths, and ways it challenged the larger Star Wars audience. Join them as they celebrate a show that was replete with turning points among the various projects launched in the Disney era, and what it could mean for future efforts. Host John Mills and...

Force Vision Casting. John and Matt look into the future, and discuss what they see as the best path forward for Star Wars as a franchise. They share their thoughts on what types of themes and time periods Star Wars could explore once freed of the Skywalkers, in the wake of Disney executive Alan Horn's recent comments. They debate whether there should be more, or less, content to satisfy the fans...

Book Club: The Day of Reckoning. Matt and John return to the Jedi book club this week with Book 8 in Jude Watson's classic Jedi Apprentice series, The Day of Reckoning. This book brings to a close the first major arc with Xanatos, Qui-Gon's fallen first student, but also touches on themes and ideas Lucas would return to throughout the prequels and the Clone Wars series. Matt and John discuss the b...

Star Wars Monster Mash. One of the defining characteristics of Star Wars has been its enthusiastic use of monsters, an echo of the movies and books that defined Lucas' own formation as a film fan, and the artists who helped bring the galaxy to life. John and Matt take a look at those iconic beasties and share their thoughts on personal favorites. Host John Mills and Matthew Rushing Send us your fe...

Stover's Revenge. As a special topic for the 150th episode of Aggressive Negotiations, Matt and John revisit the gold standard for film novelizations, Matthew Stover's Revenge of the Sith novelization. They discuss what makes it work so well, reminisce about special memories they have of their first time reading it, and analyze how Stover took something magical and made it wonderful in its own rig...

A Certain Point of View. Star Wars fans and authors have spent a great deal of time examining a single line of dialogue from Return of the Jedi, wherein Obi-Wan's spirit shares with Luke that “many of the truths we cling to, depend greatly on our own point of view.” John and Matt look at the meaning behind those words, and whether too much has been made of them over the years, or if they've found...

Phantom Menace Surprises. 20 years ago, Star Wars thundered back onscreen! The Phantom Menace expanded the mythos of a galaxy far, far away....but it wasn't quite what people expected. Matt and John revisit the surprising exploits of Jar Jar Binks, Qui-Gon Jinn, Padme Amidala, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and all the rest, to discuss how Star Wars in 1999 challenged their perceptions, and the perceptions of fa...

Reawakening the Force. 2019 features what will likely be our final Star Wars “Saga” film, Episode IX: As Yet Untitled. John and Matt revisit the film that restarted it all, The Force Awakens. They discuss how their relationships to the film have changed over time, and what factors shifted their perceptions. Host John Mills and Matthew Rushing Send us your feedback! Twitter: @TheJediMasters Faceboo...

Back to Jakku. Matt and John go back to Jakku and discuss why it seems so pivotal to the sequel trilogy, whether our heroes will return to it in Episode IX, and what clues it might offer for the resolution of the saga films. Host John Mills and Matthew Rushing Send us your feedback! Twitter: @TheJediMasters Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheNerdParty/ Email: http://www.thenerdparty.com/contact...

The Gift of Star Wars. John and Matt share a special holiday-themed issue of Aggressive Negotiations, discussing the many gifts of Star Wars in their lives - and fans in general - that make it the enduring touchstone for them and so many others. Host John Mills and Matthew Rushing Send us your feedback! Twitter: @TheJediMasters Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheNerdParty/ Email: http://www.the...

The Captured Temple. John and Matt continue their deep-dive series on the Jedi Apprentice series from the prequel era, revisiting the seventh book, The Captured Temple by Jude Watson. They discuss what works with the characters, insights about Qui-Gon gleaned from his relationship with Obi-Wan, and ponder a new expanded universe book by Watson wherein lessons from this series are reflected on by B...

Return of the Music. Continuing their deep-dive analysis of the scores of a galaxy far, far away, Matt and John explore John Williams' work with Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. As only they can, they discuss the impact of the score, where it stands for them in the hierarchy of Star Wars music, and its brilliance as a standalone work from Williams. Host John Mills and Matthew Rushing Sen...

Tarkin Infinities. Grand Moff Tarkin is one of the iconic villains of the Star Wars saga. Commander of the Death Star, and bold enough to boss around Darth Vader, he gave shape to the villainy of a galaxy far, far away. John and Matt discuss Tarkin's role in shaping the Skywalker story, his place in the firmament of Imperial power, and ponder what the story would have looked like...if he survived...

The Mighty Chewbacca. Matt and John discuss the illustrious history and blossoming back-story of everyone's first and favorite Wookiee, Chewbacca! They chat about what makes him so magical, why he resonates so well with audiences, and how his presence enriches all of Star Wars. Host John Mills and Matthew Rushing Send us your feedback! Twitter: @TheJediMasters Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Th...

Thanksgungan 2018. It's that magical time of year when Matt and John discuss the things for which they're most thankful in Star Wars fandom over the last year, from content released to content announced. Host John Mills and Matthew Rushing Send us your feedback! Twitter: @TheJediMasters Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheNerdParty/ Email: http://www.thenerdparty.com/contact Subscribe in Apple P...

Plumbing Palpatine. Sheev Palpatine has captivated Star Wars fans for decades. The embodiment of evil, a living devil sent to tempt and destroy the goodness of the galaxy. But...what if there's more? John and Matt discuss the possibility that, as the Sith are dark mirrors of the Jedi, is it possible that they are continually tempted...by the light? If so, what shows as Palpatine's hidden tendencie...

Darth Vader - Legacy's End. The new wave of content for Star Wars has had some real gems, among them the Darth Vader storylines created by Charles Soule for Marvel comics. In this episode, Matt and John look at the second arc of Vader's comic title, which examines the Inquisitorius and Jedi Master Jocasta Nu. They look at what the arc says about Vader's relationship with Sidious, the expanding und...

Empire of Music. John and Matt return to the music of the Star Wars maestro, John Williams, for an in-depth look at the score to Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. They discuss the impulses that drove Williams, how they shaped our experiences with the film, and what makes this many fans' most beloved score from the entire series. Host John Mills and Matthew Rushing Send us your feedback! Twitter:...

Bringing the Force Together. Matt and John continue their quest for clues about the sequel trilogy's direction by looking at the character Lor San Tekka, played onscreen by Max Von Sydow in The Force Awakens. San Tekka's search for artifacts has crept in through the comics, reigniting debates about Balance of the Force, the power of the past, and the identity of the future in Star Wars. Host John...

Passing the Baton. A quick fan favorite in the current Star Wars story era, Poe Dameron has become an anchor character tying together numerous arcs which answer various questions. At the core of it, though, is a character about whom we still have questions. John and Matt tackle those questions, including the nature of Poe's relationship with Leia and what that might mean for Ben Solo/Kylo Ren. Hos...

The Question of Sentience. A conversational seed bearing fruit in the Star Wars galaxy is the question of droid sentience. Spurred on by L3 in Solo: A Star Wars Story, the Jedi Masters pick up on momentum from a DragonCon panel on which John appeared, to discuss the implications and philosophical underpinnings of artificial intelligence, droid sentience, and the role of the robot in terms of the n...

Extra Solo. Join John and Matt as they dive deep into the extra materials served with the recent home release of Solo: A Star Wars Story, sharing their reactions to deleted scenes, mini docs, roundtables, and the glimpses at the decisions & reasonings for constructing the origin of a beloved hero from a galaxy far, far away. Host John Mills and Matthew Rushing Send us your feedback! Twitter: @TheJ...

Book Club: The Uncertain Path. Join Matt and John as they continue their examination of the Jedi Apprentice series from the 1990s. They discuss its place in the existing storyline, whether it should be recognized as official material for the characters, and the deeply-explored themes of forgiveness, compassion, and understanding the place of the past while moving forward. Host John Mills and Matth...

Always in Motion. George Lucas said Star Wars was meant to act like a Tone Poem, where certain story beats “rhyme.” To that end, John asks Matt if we see a broken echo between Yoda's decision to let Luke go toward a possible dark fate in The Empire Strikes Back, and Luke's temptation to eliminate Ben's future seen in The Last Jedi. The Masters then examine what this could mean thematically for the...