Aggressive Negotiations: A Star Wars Podcast

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...

A Star Wars Wish List. ?It's the Holiday Season, a time for thankfulness and...wish lists! In this issue of Aggressive Negotiations, John Mills and Matthew Rushing review their wish lists for Star Wars as they prepare for 2017. What do the fans want from their movies (or at least these fans)? Is there a place in the galaxy for Star Wars: The Broadway Years? What esoteric treats from the Lucasfilm...

There are few characters in Star Wars like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. They have been explore in movies and a television show but one thing that has not been done in canon is to dig into the years between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. In this episode of Aggressive Negotiations Jedi Masters John Mills and Matthew Rushing talk about Marvel's Obi-Wan and Anakin comic mini seri...

Star Wars Rebels: S3, Part 1.  The third season of Star Wars Rebels started off strong, with a very enigmatic new force user, some old friends and enemies. But how did the rest of the season fare? In this episode of Aggressive Negotiations Masters John Mills and Matthew Rushing look at the first half of season 3. We talk about the wins, the losses and the implications of the winter finale. Hosts J...

The Jedi Win. What if Obi-Wan and Yoda had faced Sidious together at the end of Revenge of the Sith?  To borrow a line from a different franchise, history is replete with turning points. Join your hosts John Mills and Matthew Rushing as they explore what might have happened if a pivotal Star Wars moment - the dual confrontations of at the end of Revenge of the Sith - had gone a bit differently. Ho...

Qui-Gon Jinn. Like a comet, he flashed briefly across the skies of the Star Wars galaxy, spurring questions of prophecy. Would Anakin Skywalker's fate have been different if he lived? Would the Jedi Order have spared itself a painful purge if he hadn't fallen to Darth Maul on Naboo? Join your hosts Matthew Rushing and John Mills as they field a listener question about Qui-Gon's potential impact on...

Favorite Locales. From the sunset hues of Cloud City to the sculpted streets of Theed, Star Wars has always been known as a galaxy far, far above the location design of your average film series. A short hyperspace jump can take you from one amazing aesthetic to another. Join your hosts John Mills and Matthew Rushing as they discuss their favorite locales, finding similarities and differences in th...

Thanksgungan. Sometimes fans take for granted the many ways Star Wars has made our free time so much more enjoyable. We focus on what we want instead of what a great gift it is to have such a rich escape from the many stresses of our days. In short, we can lose sight of what it is that makes being a fan so much fun. So gather together this year with Matt and John as they recount recount the things...

Mandalorians. When his armor was first glimpsed, Boba Fett captured the heart of Star Wars fandom. As his mythos grew, fans came to know he was “Mandalorian.”  But the definition of a Mandalorian has shifted over time. Fenn Shysa told one history in the Marvel comics of the 1980s. They acquired a new origin as the Expanded Universe was rebuilt in the 1990s. Then came The Clone Wars TV series, with...

The “Witches of Dathomir” have lurked in the back edge of fandom since the days of the old Expanded Universe in the 1990s, when they appeared in The Courtship of Princess Leia.  They captured the imagination years later, when they were reworked and included in The Clone Wars TV series, woven into the story of Dooku's acolyte, Asajj Ventress, and then revealed to be a part of the backstory of fan-f...

Star Wars Halloween Special.  Imagine a world where the 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special was good and entertaining, and seeking opportunities to capitalize on that success, Lucasfilm was open to making more holiday specials. We could have received a Star Wars Halloween Special. In this episode of Aggressive Negotiations John Mills and Matthew Rushing explore the idea of what a Star Wars Halloween Sp...

The Phantom Menace unleashed Darth Maul into a world ready for an on-screen inheritor to the terror that Darth Vader tapped into in 1977. Then it promptly killed him. That was, of course, not the end of the story. In this episode of Aggressive Negotiations Matthew Rushing and John Mills explore the extended life of Darth Maul, the Energizer Bunny of Star Wars villains. They discuss their reactions...

Star Wars: The Clone Wars - the movie soundtrack. In 2008, George Lucas took everyone a little off-guard by announcing that the animated Star Wars show in development, The Clone Wars, was going to get its own theatrical release to kick off the series. Debate immediately raged among fans disoriented by the idea of an animated Star Wars movie. What was to be expected? What would it look like? And ju...

Star Wars Rebels is now in its third seasons and continues to solidify itself as worthy successor to The Clone Wars, carrying on the proud tradition of challenging Star Wars fans with new perspectives to see things from, by deepening the mythology of the saga. In this issue of Aggressive Negotiations our intrepid masters are diving head first the season three premiere of Rebels and plumping the de...

“Die wanna wanga?” Star Wars has always been known for its creative use of languages. Whether a Rodian, a Hutt or a human being, each was given its own tongue to communicate in that galaxy far, far away. And communication was never a real barrier...most of the time. John Mills and Matthew Rushing translate their way through the finer points of language in Star Wars, from conversations with crime l...

What makes Anakin and Luke different, and why were their choices so distinct? This leads into the driving question for The Force Awakens for director JJ Abrams, “Who is Luke Skywalker?” While the answer may seem simple, it's layered with meaning and metaphor built through four decades of filmmaking.  Matthew Rushing and John Mills challenge each other with their interpretations of Luke and Anakin,...

Every year in the real-life Mos Eisley known as Atlanta, Georgia, fans of all types and stripes gather to celebrate the slices of geek life they love. This magical gathering is called DragonCon, and for several decades it's been the premiere place for fans to meet, mingle and muse on topics having to do with all their favorite obsessions. Aggressive Negotiations' own Matthew Rushing attended Drago...