Aggressive Negotiations: A Star Wars Podcast

Shadow Score. Matt and John revisit the score to the 1990s Star Wars thought experiment, Shadows of the Empire. They discuss its strong points, its shortcomings, and favorite moments, along with their memories of the score as fans. Host John Mills and Matthew Rushing Send us your feedback! Twitter: @TheJediMasters Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheNerdParty/ Email: http://www.thenerdparty.com/...

What If...Anakin Surrendered? John and Matt re-enter the What If arena and ponder how Star Wars history changes if, in Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Anakin decided to surrender to Obi-Wan. 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 Podcasts Mak...

Canon Fodder. John and Matt finally have the deep dive discussion they’ve been waiting to have for years, focused exclusively on the book publishing empire of Star Wars. They discuss waning interest, multiple reboots, emotional attachments, levels of anticipation for The High Republic era, and what role books have in an era increasingly defined by as many visual channels as there are franchises. H...

Imperial Cannon Fodder. Matt and John discuss the most famous foot-soldiers across the stars, Imperial Stormtroopers. Also Clone Troopers, Sith troopers, Death Troopers, Shock Troopers, Shore Troopers, and all the other types of trooper you care to name! Host John Mills and Matthew Rushing Send us your feedback! Twitter: @TheJediMasters Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheNerdParty/ Email: http:...

The Solo Blueprint. John and Matt explore what makes Solo work so well as a world-building film, and what other Star Wars works can learn from it as they move forward to build a galactic continuity. Plus they pick a winner in their review contest! Host John Mills and Matthew Rushing Send us your feedback! Twitter: @TheJediMasters Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheNerdParty/ Email: http://www.t...

What if...The Lars Lived? Matt and John award the runners up in their review contest, and then delve into a curious question: What if Owen and Beru hadn’t been killed? What does Luke’s journey look like? 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...

Book Club: The Ties That Bind. John and Matt return to the Legends era of books with a look at the 13th book in the Jedi Apprentice series, “The Ties That Bind.” What implications are there if this story were to be left in the official continuity? What does it speak to in society today? Join us for a fascinating look at an intriguingly deep book. Host John Mills and Matthew Rushing Send us your fe...

Filling in the Sequels. Matt and John field a question from the email inbox about whether a new Expanded Universe of official stories could rehab some fans’ opinions of the sequel trilogy, the way that The Clone Wars rehabilitated some fan's' opinions of the prequels. Host John Mills and Matthew Rushing Send us your feedback! Twitter: @TheJediMasters Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheNerdParty...

Musings at Forty. John and Matt talk about the 40th anniversary of the beloved sequel, The Empire Strikes Back, and John’s own feelings of alienation in the fandom since he doesn’t rank it as his personal Number 1. They also discuss their personal connections and favorite scenes, and how adoration for this wonderful film may limited the series in the modern era. Host John Mills and Matthew Rushing...

The Life and Times of Rex. Inspired by a note from a long-time listener, Matt and John discuss the beloved character Rex and his journey from The Clone Wars to Star Wars Rebels. 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 Podcasts Make sure you foll...

Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir. When we left Maul in season five of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, his brother had been killed by Sidious and he'd been kept alive for unknown nefarious purposes. Before Maul returns in the final season of the show, Dark Horse Comics, in 2014, gave fans an unproduced arc that was meant to be in-between where things left off in season 5 and the Siege of Mandalore. Join us t...

Behind JJ's Scenes. Matt and John explore the extras on the Rise of Skywalker home release, including the 2-hour documentary The Skywalker Legacy, and share some of the latest entries received for their review contest. Host John Mills and Matthew Rushing Send us your feedback! Twitter: @TheJediMasters Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheNerdParty/ Email: http://www.thenerdparty.com/contact Subsc...

Correlation and Causation. The review contest continues! In the meanwhile, Matt and John examine the similarities and themes in the first two arcs of the seventh season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, focused on The Bad Batch and Ahsoka’s time immediately following her departure from the order. Host John Mills and Matthew Rushing Send us your feedback! Twitter: @TheJediMasters Facebook: https://www....

Can't Keep a Palpatine Down. The review contest continues, while at the same time John and Matt decide to debate the finer points of the surprisingly-eternal Sheev Palpatine, and all the implications it carries. Was it a quick story cheat? An inspired idea in need of more time? A surprising twist that he couldn’t find a new tailor? Debate all this and more! Host John Mills and Matthew Rushing Send...

The Rise of the Soundtrack. John Williams music for the Star Wars saga as been called the heart and soul of the series and fans were overjoyed that he was able to complete his work on the series with this final score for The Rise of Skywalker. This week John and Matt dig into the soundtrack from the movie to discuss Williams last contribution to the franchise. Plus we read out the latest reviews i...

Star Wars "Dominoes". Inspired by a recent rewatch of Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones, John and Matt have a discussion about the impact if Dooku had been killed or captured on Geonosis, which turns into them postulating what other pieces from the Clone Wars had to fall into place at the right moments. Plus they share the first reviews they received for their latest review contest! Host...

Star Wars Catharsis. If there’s one thing Star Wars knows how to deliver, especially to its fans, it’s emotional release. Given the current state of the world, Matt and John explore the cathartic moments from the saga that speak most strongly to them, and ask you: Where do you find catharsis in Star Wars? Host John Mills and Matthew Rushing Send us your feedback! Twitter: @TheJediMasters Facebook:...

The Anakin Conundrum. John and Matt discuss a new tidbit officially entered into Star Wars lore by a recent episode of The Clone Wars: that Obi-Wan knew about Anakin and Padme’s secret relationship. They discuss what motivated him to keep the secret, what it meant for him to keep the secret, and precisely how deep his knowledge ran. Host John Mills and Matthew Rushing Send us your feedback! Twitte...

Book Club: The Dangerous Rescue. Matt and John return to the Jedi Book club to discuss Jedi Apprentice: The Dangerous Rescue, the 13th book in the classic Young Adult series. They explore the deep themes that resonate all these years later through a book for younger audiences, the similarities in approach and execution to the Star Wars: The Clone Wars series, their favorite parts, and where the re...

Controversial Opinions. In this episode, John and Matt discuss some recent poll results from the @TheJediMasters twitter account, and then John asks Matt his opinions on what turns out to be a very controversial read of The Rise of Skywalker. Host John Mills and Matthew Rushing Send us your feedback! Twitter: @TheJediMasters Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheNerdParty/ Email: http://www.thener...

The Shape of Wars. The 201st issue of Aggressive Negotiations finds Matt and John discussing the decision to have The Clone Wars include the beloved Jedi characters from the prequels, and not focus on the clones exclusively. They look at how that shaped the show, what insights it provided for the characters, the value of small human moments and the philosophical ramifications of war, and more. Hos...

Maul, Mandalore & Milestones. 200! John and Matt have swept into another milestone episode, offering a commentary on the four-episode Maul arc from The Clone Wars. Sith are setting up syndicates. Obi-Wan is everywhere. They can’t believe it’s been so long since they started this podcast. They appreciate everyone who’s been along for the ride, and look forward to presenting you with more #StarWarsL...

Skipping Death Stars. Matt and John make the jump to hyperspace to figure out...hyperspace rules in the Sequel Trilogy era. It all starts with an innocent question about whether a Death Star could use a Sith Wayfinder to get to Exegol, touches on how Lightspeed Skipping might work, and ends up back at things that might make the Millenium Falcon special. Their heads were spinning by the end, and yo...

The Rise of Ghosts. John presents one of his surprise topics with Matt, trying to puzzle through all the possibilities and problems presented by the presence of Jedi voices at the end of Episode IX. What does it mean in terms of Palpatine’s goals? Does it break established lore? Was Ben Solo trained in the retention of identity after death? They discuss all this and more. Host John Mills and Matth...

Book Club: The Evil Experiment. John and Matt return to the Jedi Apprentice series with a look at Book 12, again authored by Jude Watson, The Evil Experiment. The book spurs discussions about how much the galaxy knows about what makes the Jedi special, the dangers of ethical and moral relativity, and the continuing development of Obi-Wan’s character on an arc that pays off in the prequels. Host Jo...