Eye on Canon Podcast

EP. 210 Our own planet’s biggest sporting event is halfway through – you know, the one with the round ball kicked by the players all over the flat green field towards large nets at either end? That got us thinking: Star Wars has featured all kinds of sports, be it the major action set piece of the Boonta Eve Podrace, a quick glance at “Droid football” in the Outlander Club, or…umm…real-life Dejari...

EP. 209It’s true that we can point to specific themes, plot points, characters, ships designs and more for a sense of what Star Wars “is.” Perhaps more importantly though, we all have a gut feeling – or different gut feelings – about the identity of the franchise and its stories. Action! Excitement! Heroism! Dread! That warm, fluffy sense of being home. This “emotional identity” is especially impo...

Ep 208 Joel goes it (Han) solo this time to answer some viewer questions and give his thoughts on Star Wars. You can watch our episodes live every Monday at 5:30 PM PT, 8:30 PM ET at https://www.youtube.com/@Starwarsunderworld/streams Hosted by Joel Davis https://jid20234.bsky.socialBluesky: https://eyeoncanon.bsky.socialStar Wars Underworld Podcast Networkhttps://www.instagram.com/theswu/ Join us...

EP. 207 What is a Glup Shitto, and how far can we as fans take the term before we start to lose sight of what that means? Also, do we as fans have a bit of a chip on our shoulder when it comes to this term, and what does it mean moving forward? Hosted by Joel Davis https://jid20234.bsky.social Guest: VNC Red LeaderBluesky: https://eyeoncanon.bsky.socialStar Wars Underworld Podcast Networkhttps://w...

EP. 206 Now that the dust has settled on the release of The Mandalorian and Grogu, we peel back the curtain to look at the business side of the film. What do the Box Office and Rotten Tomatoes numbers suggest about the success of the movie according to fans…and according to the decision makers at Lucasfilm and Disney? What might be in store for the future of the franchise: will it stay the course...

EP. 205 They did it! After seven long years, Star Wars finally made its triumphant return to the movie theatre with The Mandalorian and Grogu. And oh boy was it triumphant, with thrilling action, heartfelt character moments and brilliant special effects. Oh and puppets! It had puppets! This week we give our full Eye on Canon review of the film – its characters, story, themes and more! You can watc...

EP. 204 Season 1 of Maul: Shadow Lord was thrilling, gripping, and all around good times. It gave us a deeper perspective on our favourite Dathomiri Zabrak former Sith as he navigated his way through the Janix underworld and beyond. It also introduces us to Devon Izara, a troubled but headstrong and skilled Jedi Padawan figuring out how to fight for the Light in an age of darkness. This week we lo...

EP. 203 Happy May the 4th!!!!! You can watch our episodes live every Monday at 5:30 PM PT, 8:30 PM ET at https://www.youtube.com/@Starwarsunderworld/streams   Hosted by  Joel Davis https://jid20234.bsky.social Bluesky: https://eyeoncanon.bsky.social Star Wars Underworld Podcast Network https://www.instagram.com/theswu/ Join us on Discord!  https://discord.gg/xhbXgRuuGx Audible 30-Day Free Trial  ...

EP. 202 Galaxies: they’re big. Like, really really huge. The Galaxy Far, Far Away is filled with countless worlds with trillions upon trillions of sentient beings. And yet, it's presented as a single political community, notwithstanding separatist movements and fringe outposts. Neutral coalitions like Duchess Satine’s non-aligned group in the Clone Wars may have been sizeable, but their lack o...

EP.   201 It’s no accident that the design of the Jedi Council Archives is based on the famed library of Trinity College, Dublin. Since the galaxy of Star Wars particularly reflects our own western world, its communication is heavily reliant on documents, files and even books. Like us, the cultural heritage bestowed on (and forgotten by?) The Late Republic, Empire, New Republic and First Order is...

EP.   200 The Disney takeover in 2014 brought a brand new era of novels, comics and short stories, as well as films, live action and animated shows (including a new animated show literally this morning!) This fresh start promised an incredibly bold ideal: a fully-integrated and continuous canon across all media. This allowed it to hit the reset button for the Sequel Trilogy as well as opened up ne...

EP.   199 The Star Wars Expanded Universe — now known as Legends — was perhaps as sprawling, epic and varied as the galaxy itself. The real-world publishing saga may well be as interesting as the in-universe dramas told within those many, many pages. This week we chart this publishing timeline, from its humble origins, to its decisive turn into a staple of the fandom after the Original Trilogy, to...

EP.   198 We often consider the final act of characters such as Anakin Skywalker and Ben Solo in terms of “redemption.” Have their sacrifices made amends for the evils of Darth Vader and Kylo Ren? But the Abrahamic faith traditions give us another angle to interpret their stories: “repentance.” If redemption considers the destination, then repentance is about the journey, the process and moment of...

EP.   197 It's a moon! It's a starship! It's a podcast network! Ok in this case it's none of these…. The criminal underworld forms a vital part of Star Wars storytelling, especially for characters who want to, or could stand to, get their hands a little dirty. It challenges the narratives of order and security in a galaxy full of institutions that bank on those very narratives–lite...

EP.   196 If there's a bright centre of the galaxy, then countless star systems will try to slip through its fingers. For almost all of the Star Wars that we currently have, the main political entity is a single galaxy-spanning body centred on Coruscant. Of course, it's more accurate to say that the Republic, the New Republic and above all the Empire merely aspire to extend their reach acr...

EP.   195 Perhaps the most important part of a story is the ending, which may be why it's the hardest to pull off. Likely the second -most important part of storytelling is the beginning. Readers often forget it as the plot thickens and characters develop, but it's critical to set up everything that follows. And in our era of Tik Tok attention spans and online hot takes, it has to grab the...

EP.   194 Star Wars has a lot to say about leadership. The Saga films often involve leaders as supporting characters who spur on our young heroes to come into their own and take leadership roles themselves. General Organa’s biting words to Poe, “dead heroes…no leaders,” pushed him to guide the Resistance out of Crait, and then take on the mantle of fighting the Final Order. At other times, these o...

EP.   193 Maul is back! On April 6, our favourite red and black Dathomiri Zabrak is leaping into the spotlight once again with his very own animated show, Maul: Shadow Lord. Of course, his journey to this point as a “captain of illicit industry” (I made that up) was a long and winding path, including a stint as Sidious’ promising but ultimately discarded Sith Apprentice, a rage-fueled, quasi-Orphe...

BONUS EPISODEIn 2024, Star Wars: Outlaws gave us a deep dive into the Underworld, "The Star Wars Underworld" (The World not the Podcast). Two years later we return to the wretched hive of scum and villainy with Mike Chen's Outlaws: Low Red Moon. Here we ask a simple question...What's it like inside the mind of a droid? Hosted by Joel Davis https://jid20234.bsky.social Guest: Chri...

EP.   192 When George Lucas had the final say on the “story” of Star Wars, it was *often* straightforward enough for us to understand the broad strokes of what he intended the meaning of each film to be. Of course, Star Wars – and Pop Art in general – is most successful when its themes are strongly and convincingly expressed through plot and character. However, even George wasn't always consis...

EP.   191 “Tuckerization” - naming a Star Wars character a modified version of a real person’s name, is a fun and heartfelt way for creatives to honour and thank those who have inspired them and support them. It also provides an avenue for fans to imagine themselves as characters in the universe itself, and raises intriguing questions and possibilities for the connection between the fictional GFFA...

EP.   190 Maybe it was poignant that Chris Kempshall’s The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire came out on the Fourth of July, 2024. It might also be poetic that one of us (who can tell?) only just finished reading it a year into the current presidential administration. Of course, Kempshall is drawing on plenty of real-world examples of authoritarian regimes that have come and gone. It’s also imp...

EP.   189 The New Year is upon us! And there will be Star Wars in it! Specifically, a new Star Wars film is on the horizon, carrying with it all the hype and expectations of the franchise’s grand return to the big screen. How much will The Mandalorian & Grogu serve to complete this transition in Star Wars media? We also have another season of live-action streaming to look forward to, as well a...

EP.   188 George Lucas was very keen on the power of visual design in Star Wars. The best filmmakers, production designers, comic book artists, video game illustrators and overall storytellers have continued this strong sense of the “look” of the Galaxy Far, Far Away. This clearly includes the use of symbols, be it of factions, movements, institutions and people: how those visual identities impact...

EP.   187 Starting with Mask of Fear and ending with Master of Evil, 2025 was a steady parade of all-time Star Wars novels. The standalones were all brilliant, only to be outdone by the High Republic’s long-awaited finale, Trials of the Jedi. And since the Force moves in mysterious ways, it was a less significant year for streaming — notwithstanding Andor season two — and a very mixed and perplexi...