Beneath Twin Suns: A Star Wars Podcast

We continue our chronological watch through with an early, formative Clone episode, followed up by two episodes we initially did not even realize were related, both centered around a previously disconnected Toydaria arc. Watching these episodes in order gives a significant amount of backstory to a handful of characters who play important roles later in the series, so let's jump in! BECOME A PATRON...

We begin our chronological watch through of The Clone Wars series with two episodes that, on first viewing, seemed completely random and unrelated to everything else surrounding them. Now, with the benefit of chronological viewing, we realize they make up two thirds of the Battle of Christophsis arc, and they benefit substantially from being viewed together and followed by the theatrical release....

We're back with the second half of our introduction to the Clone Wars, and while we're overall disappointed in the movie itself, we have a lot to discuss in terms of how expectations can sink (or elevate) a viewing experience. Stories can create different expectations just by virtue of being called a movie or a show, and release schedules can also impact those experiences. Clone Wars (and several...

Somewhat surprisingly, we have never discussed The Clone Wars move that was released in theaters to introduce people to the show on Cartoon Network. Spoiler alert: We feel it was a weird choice to use this particular arc from Season 1 as the theatrical release, when there are at least two other arcs that feel better suited for cinema. That being said, there is a lot to like, especially surrounding...

We've finally reached the conclusion of Ahsoka's first season, and we have a lot of thoughts to share. It's one of the rare occasions where both hosts agree on a lot of things but disagree on the overall score for the episode, with Mercules being pretty high on the presentation and moral of Ahsoka's journey, while Kutch is left feeling like some of the issues took away from the overall story too m...

The penultimate episode of Ahsoka's first season has a lot to like, but does the choice to hold the majority of the reunion between Sabine and Ezra offscreen hold it back? We talk about this and so much more, with a special focus on Thrawn's tactical decision making and strategy, as well as the realities of utilizing an aging-Storm Trooper force! Let's jump in! BECOME A PATRON: https://www.patreon...

A surprise second episode this week, so we can get a little bit ahead of the game before taking two weeks off. Episode 6 follows the strong trend of mid-season episodes, with wonderful "introductions" to returning characters from Rebels, and it does a perfect job of showing us new stuff that still feels like Star Wars (and pulling in some links from Legends too)! So lets jump in! BECOME A PATRON:...

Chapter 5 improves upon the already increasingly solid story, and gives us a nearly flawless episode of Star Wars TV (especially for those who have watched Rebels and The Clone Wars). If you haven't, you might be a little lost on some of the deeper cuts and cameos, but we're here to help you make sense of it all! Let's jump in! BECOME A PATRON: https://www.patreon.com/massivebreakdownpodcast DESTI...

Episode 4 of Ahsoka is nearly flawless in its execution of the story, preparing the characters for the inevitable larger conflict with a series of smaller but no less challenging ones, and finally cracking the door open to Ahsoka's inner turmoil. Let's jump in! BECOME A PATRON: https://www.patreon.com/massivebreakdownpodcast DESTINY 2 PODS: PVP: https://destiny-massive-breakdowns.captivate.fm/list...

Episode 3 is here and there is a lot to love, including some wonderful scenes that evoke memories of the Original Trilogy, Clone Wars, and Rebels each individually, along with some good character growth for our core players. However, we do have some criticisms about the way the first couple scenes handle the explanation of where certain characters are at in this story and why they take the paths t...

We continue our journey through Ahsoka with episode a two, a strong follow up to the premier that rockets the plot forward and takes us to a familiar shipyard planet, as we watch our characters struggle to overcome past decisions. Let's jump in! BECOME A PATRON: https://www.patreon.com/massivebreakdownpodcast DESTINY 2 PODS: PVP: https://destiny-massive-breakdowns.captivate.fm/listen PVE: https://...

It's been a long time coming, but we're excited to finally jump into Ahsoka's first episode! There's some great stuff in this episode, along with a few scenes that we question whether they could have been handled differently, but overall it's an excellent introduction to our newest series and a fun reintroduction to some of our favorite characters! BECOME A PATRON: https://www.patreon.com/massiveb...

Our road to Ahsoka ends here, the day before the two part release, with our primer on the suspected main antagonist of the series: Mitth'raw'nuruodo AKA Thrawn! We begin with a discussion of the books, both canon and non-canon, but the meat of the episode is focused on his appearances in Rebels. Given the rumors that Ahsoka can basically be considered Rebels fifth season, this seemed like a great...

We wanted to do something a little different in our episodes leading up to the two-part premier of Ahsoka, so we decided to chronologically go through the arcs and episodes that we feel are essential viewing for someone wanting to be caught up on the character. Kutch and I both took different approaches but there is a lot of overlap and we cover some of the best stories ever told in Star Wars TV,...

The second episode in our Documentary Series (and potentially the last one until after Ahsoka) covers the making of Episode 1 with The Beginning. This documentary is a surprisingly candid look at the difficulty behind following up on the greatest trilogy of all time, and serves as a fair warning to what can happen when someone is given free reign to micromanage every facet of a production with lim...

Diving into the first episode of our Documentary Series here on Beneath Twin Suns with an all time great work of Star Wars non-fiction, Empire of Dreams! Join us for a behind the scenes look at what it took to make the original trilogy, presented through the interesting lens that was the early 2000s. It turns out that Star Wars was not just a labor of George Lucas's passion for the story, but it a...

We've finally reached the end of the second season of Bad Batch, and we're going out on a high note (at least as far as episode quality goes). Surprisingly poignant, with little to no levity which is appreciated given the story they tell, and with an interesting semi-twist at the end that leaves us on a cliffhanger and excited for Season 3, this is a very solid two-part episode and arguably one of...

We're near the end of Bad Batch's second season, and we've offered an episode that is pretty much a 20 minute establishing shot in Pabu, and then an episode that lives up to its name in Tipping Point. Pabu is probably a low point in the second half of the season not because it is a bad episode, but simply because not much happens and it is surrounded by pivotal moments in the story. Tipping Point,...

Two absolutely phenomenal episodes in a row, with a mixture of horror and monster movie madness in Metamorphosis and another brilliant treatment for Crosshair in The Outpost. We had too much fun discussing these episodes, especially in comparison to the previous two, so let's jump in! BECOME A PATRON: https://www.patreon.com/massivebreakdownpodcast DESTINY 2 PODS: PVP: https://destiny-massive-brea...

These next two episodes have the difficult task of following up on two of the best episodes in the series, but the Crossing starts out strong with some of the best character development we have seen within the Bad Batch yet. Unfortunately what could have been an interesting "bottle" episode gets mired down in an unneeded linkage to a secondary story about a group of youthful miners/prisoners ruled...

We reach the midway point of Bad Batch's second season with a true high water mark and two of the best episodes of the show we have seen so far. We get an entertaining mix of political intrigue on Coruscant, but the Bad Batch themselves makes a fun and functional appearance in the latter half of the arc, alongside some real character growth and permanent changes to the Galaxy. Let's jump in! BECOM...

Just before the midway point in the season, and Bad Batch still feels like it is trying to figure out what it wants to be in a post-Kamino world. Entombed is an Indiana Jones style adventure with a bit of heart, but it closes off the storylines it opens in almost the same breath, with a confusingly short climax. Tribe fares better, but for the most part wastes Kashyyyk and the return of a certain...

We basically get whiplash going from one of the best episodes of The Bad Batch so far to one of the most forgettable. The Solitary Clone is bordering on a masterpiece of story telling, while Faster is a rehash of the Phantom Menace's podracing scenes without the fun of podracing, salvaged only slightly by some fun guest stars. Let's jump in! BECOME A PATRON: https://www.patreon.com/massivebreakdow...

The first two episodes of Bad Batch Season 2 feel like a bit of a regression from the strong ending we experienced in Season 1. The stakes are low, the world building is present but not a central focus, and there is little in the way of interesting character progression. On the positive side, we do get to see some beautiful bits of a destroyed Serenno, as well as more of Admiral Rampart and the cl...

And with this, we come to the end of Season 3 of the Mandalorian, and what a journey it has been! We wrap up the season on a high note with the conclusion to last week's semi-cliffhanger episode, neatly putting a bow on the main storyline that has been in progress all the way from Season 1. We wouldn't have been disappointed if this was a series finale instead of a seasonal one, as this episode br...