Aggressive Negotiations: A Star Wars Podcast

A Jedi Pilgrimage. It's a privilege to bring you this episode of Aggressive Negotiations, recorded after a special visit to Skywalker Ranch in Marin County, California. Matt and John are joined by special guest Nic Anastassiou to discuss the impact of what they saw while there, and what it reveals about George Lucas as a person as well as his legacy. Hosts John Mills and Matthew Rushing Send us yo...

The Kyber Calls. It's a special issue for Aggressive Negotiations!  Long-time listener @nerf22 on Twitter asked us what we thought our trials would have been, as padawans on Ilum to find our lightsaber crystals. In trademark fashion, we learned a little bit more about ourselves and each other as we imagined how the Force would have guided us to the special kyber crystals that have come to mean so...

The Dark Rival. Matt and John return to the Jedi Apprentice series with the second book, The Dark Rival, by Jude Watson. Plumbing the depths of the Legends line, they discover once again that there are gems all through the mines of the Star Wars universe.  A book for a younger audience, they nonetheless find themselves exploring the dark recesses of the Force, apprenticeship, and the ghosts of Qui...

Do You Wanna Build a Death Star? The Death Star. Its name is an iconic symbol of a Galactic Empire's power and merciless retribution for those who fail to toe their tyranical line. A massive space station created for the sole purpose of fear and domination. But John and Matt ask a very important question, one that seems to have slipped through the cracks of forty years of Star Wars fans' analysis...

Star Wars Comedy. Few things can be as polarizing as comedy. What tickles a funny bone for one may leave another bored, or even irritated at how the joke is told. Star Wars has, unsurprisingly, found those who like some aspects of its humor and others who like others, and the occasional moments where opinions converge. Join Matt and John as they look back on the chucklers, the gags, the pratfalls...

Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures. Execute Issue 66! Matt and John welcome two very special guests to Aggressive Negotiations this week, Bill Motz and Bob Roth. The Executive Producers of Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures, sit down and discuss this fantastic animated show with us. Bill and Bob share the inspirations for the show, the challenges in bringing it to screen, and why this...

A Personal Star Wars Story. Join John on a special episode as he discusses with Matt the impact that Star Wars has had on him and how it helped him deal with some difficult times in his life. What marks did it leave? Which characters speak to him? Why does that galaxy far, far away still resonate? Learn all that, and more. Hosts John Mills and Matthew Rushing Send us your feedback! Twitter: @TheJe...

Taking Star Wars Personally. Join Matt on a special episode as he discusses with John Mills why Star Wars resonates with him. What are its influences? Which characters means the most? Why does that galaxy far, far away still speak to him? Learn all that, and more. Send us your feedback! Twitter: @TheJediMasters    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheNerdParty /  Email: an@thenerdparty.com Subscr...

Lucas' Mythology. When George Lucas created Star Wars, his express purpose was to tap into the wonder and enchantment he saw fading in the (Post-)Modern Era. Seeking to create a “good, wholesome adventure,” he worked to inject an antidote to the creeping cynicism growing out from the battles and scandals of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Join Matt and John as they discuss what comes across from L...

Rogue Extras. Rogue One has landed on your digital devices and BluRay players, with a cargo hold full of rebellious extras. Matt and John look at those extras as only Aggressive Negotiations can, examining the approach, the completeness, the successes, and the shortcomings of the behind-the-scenes ephemera that fans and casual viewers enjoy to watch. They compare it to their expectations, and to t...

Star Wars Celebration Roundup. Jedi Master Matthew Rushing is back from his travels to #SWCO and shares his thoughts on the exclusives, the engagements, and the show behind the show. Find out from someone who was there first-hand as an emissary of The Nerd Party what you can expect, what you might have missed and what everyone will be talking about in a few short months. The party's not over Maste...

Rebel Music. Star Wars Rebels made a splash a few years ago by introducing a new band of heroes from the period in the galaxy far, far away that's shortly before we first meet Luke Skywalker onscreen. The show has met with mixed success in the fanbase's eyes. This being a series of stories from the space opera we all love, music serves as a natural focus for criticism and praise. Join Jedi Masters...

The Force of Perspective. Obi-Wan Kenobi told Luke that many of the truths we cling to “depend greatly on our own point-of-view.” It was an artful dodge about Luke's lineage, but Star Wars fans have long wrestled with how far this applies to the Truth and the Force. Join Jedi Masters John Mills and Matthew Rushing as they debate the possibilities in light of a passage from the Journal of the Whill...

Book Club: The Rising Force. The Star Wars Expanded Universe has been fluid, like a river of ideas, since its inception. In that great river have flowed many works, among them the Jedi Apprentice series released in 1999 which gave the back story of how Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan became student and teacher.  Join Jedi Masters Matthew Rushing and John Mills as they revisit this book to look at its implicat...

A Different Return of the Jedi. Released in 1983, Return of the Jedi spent decades as the black sheep of the Star Wars saga. Though the conclusion to a legendary film series, as its audience aged they created new complaints with each passing year. Endless comments about Ewoks, endings and supposed alternate visions have become the stuff of legend. Join Jedi Masters John Mills and Matthew Rushing  ...

Favorite Star Wars Toys. Few items in modern times have reached the totemic value of Star Wars toys. From the blockbuster figure line from the 1970s to the modern collectible market of today, even those who have never seen Star Wars have seen its imprint on aisles from Target to their local supermarket and everywhere in between. Join Jedi Masters Matthew Rushing and John Mills  as they stroll down...

Successful Star Wars Books. A topic around which many passions swirl for Star Wars fans, the Expanded Universe has always been a conglomeration of moving parts. Sometimes they mesh well, sometimes the machine breaks down and catches fire. So what makes it work, and what makes it break down? Join Jedi Masters Matthew Rushing and John Mills as they explore what it takes to make a galaxy of connected...

Mandalorian Excalibur. Star Wars has in some ways always been a myth built around family, destiny, and the inheritance of important relics. The Star Wars Rebels series has come to embrace this aspect of the story as it relates to Sabine Wren, Mandalorian and current keeper of the Darksaber, a sword first introduced in The Clone Wars animated series. Join Jedi Masters John Mills and Matthew Rushing...

The Umbara Arc. As The Clone Wars series progressed, the gathering darkness of the Star Wars galaxy was explored in more depth. With this essential world building we saw many incremental movements toward the chaos that would mark the opening shot of Revenge of the Sith. Join Jedi Masters Matthew Rushing and John Mills as they focus on the “Umbara” arc in particular from the fourth season of The Cl...

Rey/Jyn. 2015 started a new era for Star Wars, focused on female main characters. Rey and Jyn Erso are the new faces of heroism for the franchise, and who they are tell us a lot about what's new and what's constant in the stories we've come to love over the last 40 years. Join Jedi Masters John Mills and Matthew Rushing as they explore Rey and Jyn's similarities, differences and symbolism. What do...

Uncle Owen: The Best Jedi. Uncle Owen spent decades as the model of draconian parenthood for Luke Skywalker, an impediment to dreams and a dreary minder of a darker past for Luke's father. But how does Owen Lars play now? Is he instead a faithful keeper of the flame, the father that Luke needed to be the Jedi who saved the galaxy? Join Jedi Masters Matthew Rushing and John Mills as they explore th...

Star Wars Commentary. 20 years ago, George Lucas brought *Star Wars* back to theatres. This was no simple anniversary release, though, as it had “a few new surprises.” Celebrate this special (edition) anniversary with Jedi Masters John Mills and Matthew Rushing for an exclusive audio commentary track to accompany you on your journey back to that galaxy far, far away. Then complete your trip after...

Rogue One. Rogue One's another certified blockbuster for Lucasfilm under the Disney banner. They've discussed it privately and in other forums, but now that they've had time to absorb its impact, it's time to have an aggressive negotiation about it. Join Matthew Rushing and John Mills as they share their deeper musings and more refined ramblings on everything from most successful characters to lea...

Hearts of Kyber. In one way or another, Kyber Crystals have always been near the heart of the Star Wars galaxy. From the very early drafts of the original film, George Lucas had conceived of a crystal that could focus the energies of the Force and serve as a link to the ethereal energies that were core to the Jedi Way...or the Sith. In this episode, Jedi Masters John Mills and Matthew Rushing expl...

Rogue One with Nic Anastassiou. Rogue One has been a massive box office success and a resonant hit with the majority of Star Wars fans. In this very special episode of Aggressive Negotiations, Matt and John welcome friend of the show Nic Anastassiou, a Lucasfilm veteran who worked directly with George Lucas, to discuss his own reaction to the film.  They talk with Nic about his special history wit...