Aggressive Negotiations: A Star Wars Podcast

World Between Worlds and Sith. Star Wars Rebels introduced us to the World Between Worlds, a metaverse where a Force User could see, and be connected to, the past and the future simultaneously. Inspired by a debate between Henry Gilroy and Timothy Zahn at a Dragon Con panel, John & Matt contemplate whether the Sith ever could have opened a door to this space between moments, and what that would ha...

Dragon Con: The Clone Wars Tenth Anniversary Panel. This year the Jedi Masters were able to go to Dragon Con and be apart of the Star Wars track. So this week we proudly present one of the panels as Henry Gilroy, Bryan Young, Tom Hutchens and Melissa Pye joined Matthew Rushing to talk about Star Wars: The Clone Wars as it turns ten years old. We discuss it's creation, the movie, favorite arcs and...

Bounty Hunters. From the beginning, Bounty Hunters have been a part of the Star Wars mosaic, offering an important portrayal of the way justice might be met in a galaxy far, far away. From wild west vibes to anti-hero causes, bounty hunters have always challenged our view of how things worked. John and Matt explore the evolving portrayal of bounty hunters through the saga. Host John Mills and Matt...

The Soundtrack of Solo. One strand of the Star Wars magic is its music, as much a part of its artistic DNA as its visuals. As the saga has progressed, more composers have expanded upon John Williams' stunning work, to create a rich galaxy of sound. Join Matt and John as they discuss the phenomenal work John Powell did on the soundtrack to Solo: A Star Wars Story. Host John Mills and Matthew Rushin...

The Clone Wars Commentary. Join John and Matt as they continue to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of The Clone Wars changing fans' perception of their beloved Star Wars saga with an exclusive commentary of the 2008 film directed by Dave Filoni! Host John Mills and Matthew Rushing Send us your feedback! Twitter: @TheJediMasters    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheNerdParty /  Email: an@thenerdp...

The Journey of Ahsoka. Despite initial resistance, Ahsoka Tano came to symbolize all that was best of the Star Wars mythology. Along the way, she gathered a fan base as wide and diverse as the Star Wars galaxy itself. Join Matt and John as they explore what worked so well about this character and why she continues to resonate with fans from The Clone Wars, to Rebels, and hopefully...beyond. Hosts...

The Bond/Solo Connection. Two iconic characters and their shared characteristics: John and Matt explore the similarities between James Bond and Han Solo, and discuss where those tendencies manifest themselves most visibly. They also field a listener question regarding scoring a new trilogy and what the Last Jedi novelization added to the audience's understanding. Host John Mills and Matthew Rushin...

Dooku of The Clone Wars. Who Weeps for Count Dooku of Serenno? Just in time for the #CloneWarsSaved announcement, Matt and John discuss Count Dooku as seen in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. They discuss his faults from light and dark side perspectives, and how understanding his character reshaped ideas of everyone from Palpatine to Anakin. Host John Mills and Matthew Rushing Send us your feedback! Twi...

Book Club: The Defenders of the Dead. John and Matt renew their look at the Jedi Apprentice book series, picking up with The Defenders of the Dead by Jude Watson. They examine how the book found the voices of the characters, where the story fits in our current understanding of Star Wars lore, and the current potentials of adapting the series in a new format. Host John Mills and Matthew Rushing Sen...

Ten Years of The Clone Wars. In April of 2005 at Celebration III, George Lucas told the audience that there would be a new 3D animated series coming that continued the story of The Clone Wars and in August of 2008 fans got their first taste of the series with the theatrical release of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. In this episode of Aggressive Negotiations host Matthew Rushing is joined by Nic Anasta...

A Youngling's View of Solo. John is joined by a fan-favorite guest, his eldest youngling, “Saber Goddess”. They discuss her reaction to Solo, from story to characters to where she ranks it on her personal scale. They discover some things about  what made it work as a film so well for so many. Hosts John Mills and Matthew Rushing Send us your feedback! Twitter: @TheJediMasters    Facebook: https://...

The Jedi and Spirituality. Matt and John delve  into the meaning of spirituality in Star Wars, examining the meaning of it to those in a galaxy far, far away.  Were the Jedi meant to wander the galaxy like Caine from Kung Fu? Was Luke really meant to reestablish a Jedi Order? What did spirituality look like for the thousand generations the Jedi existed before audiences met Obi-Wan in 1977? Matt an...

Yoda, Sequels and Lucas. George Lucas' thoughts about where he would've taken the Star Wars story in the Sequel Trilogy have been revealed, with reactions running the usual gamut. But had Lucas already laid the groundwork?  John and Matt explore what wound up as the final episodes of The Clone Wars, “The Yoda Arc.” They discuss Yoda's journey, what it reveals, and more importantly what it establis...

Solo with Nic Anastassiou. Our ongoing discussions of the terrific Solo: A Star Wars Story continue as we welcome back longtime friend of the show Nic Anastassiou to discuss his reaction to the film, his insights on what made it excel, takeaways about the effects work, why it's had trouble finding an audience, and how it fits in the tradition of Star Wars. Hosts John Mills and Matthew Rushing Gues...

Han's Heart. Solo: A Star Wars Story surprised fans with a new, dynamic female character who had captured Han's heart in youth and provided some insight into the man he was and would become. Matt and John debate whether Qi'ra was Han's one true love, what parts of her he saw in Leia, and possible ways her memory impacted his future relationships.  Hosts John Mills and Matthew Rushing Send us your...

Solo: What's Old is New. In the lead-up to the theatrical release of Solo: A Star Wars Story, John and Matt discussed Brian Daley's Han Solo Trilogy, so now that the movie has been released they dive into the ways the movie referenced Daley's work and also call out the other places it uses canon and non-canon sources to weave it's tale of everyone's favorite scoundrel's origin.  Hosts John Mills a...

Han Solo and the Lost Legacy. In the run-up to the theatrical release of Solo: A Star Wars Story, Matt and John complete their review of Brian Daley's classic Han Solo trilogy with Han Solo and the Lost Legacy. Released in August 1980, they look at the story structure, expectations going in to the third story in an arc, resemblances to other Lucasfilm stories, and...health spas? Hosts John Mills a...

Musical Hope. In the run-up to the theatrical release of Solo: A Star Wars Story, John and Matt return to their retrospective on the Star Wars scores by dusting off the vinyl and spin the 1977 original soundtrack that started it all! With several variant releases through the years, they discuss the score's impact on their own lives, share some personal stories about the work of John Williams, and...

Han Solo's Revenge. Matt and John revisit the second novel in Brian Daley's classic Han Solo series, Han Solo's Revenge. Join them as they explore ways in which Daley's handling and understandong of the character visibly matured, areas that drop hints about future directions onscreen and in the Expanded Universe, and some favorite surprises from a 1979 Star Wars time capsule. Hosts John Mills and...

Favorite Aliens. Usually it is John that surprises Matt with a question but this week the tables have turned, Matt asks what John's favorite alien are in Star Wars. Aliens permeate the saga, from ewoks to Embo, from Teeto to twi'lek, what are the Masters favorite aliens? Hosts John Mills and Matthew Rushing Send us your feedback! Twitter: @TheJediMasters    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheNe...

Han Solo at Stars' End. Matt and John revisit the classic Brian Daley novel that helped shape what Star Wars fans would come to expect from “Expanded Universe” works and their favorite smuggling duo of Han Solo and Chewbacca the Wookiee. Join them as they discuss the work and the lasting impact of Han Solo at Stars' End. Hosts John Mills and Matthew Rushing Send us your feedback! Twitter: @TheJedi...

Henry Gilroy: The Zygerrian Slaver Arc. John and Matt gleefully welcome back writer and co-producer from Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, Henry Gilroy! They talk to Henry about his work writing the Zygerrian Slavers arc from the Clone Wars comic series and later adapting it to a three-episode arc from The Clone Wars television series. Hosts John Mills and Matthew Rushing Send us you...

The Last Jedi Extras. Star Wars fans enjoy extras, and have clamored for more behind-the-scenes material consistently. With The Last Jedi, Disney & Lucasfilm have delivered a cornucopia of extras to make any fan content. Matt and John examine and discuss the extras delivered on The Last Jedi's home release. Hosts John Mills and Matthew Rushing Send us your feedback! Twitter: @TheJediMasters    Fac...

Droid That Meets the Eye. Those who grew up with Star Wars also remember another fun franchise: The Transformers. The prequel era introduced us to transforming robots in the Star Wars galaxy, but what if they took the next step and became more than meets the eye? John and Matt imagine what that would be like. Hosts John Mills and Matthew Rushing Send us your feedback! Twitter: @TheJediMasters    F...

Palpatine: False Angel. Few screen villains have entranced and delighted fans as much as the Star Wars saga's Sheev Palpatine. Matt and John explore the new perceptions of him shared through Star Wars Rebels, and discuss what it means for interpretations of the saga as a whole. Hosts John Mills and Matthew Rushing Send us your feedback! Twitter: @TheJediMasters    Facebook: https://www.facebook.co...