Eye on Canon Podcast

EP.   162 “This Chamber’s hold on the truth was finally lost on the Ghorman Plaza.” The Galactic Senate: what had been a shining beacon of inclusive, representative democracy for millennia, had in just a century plummeted into a mouthpiece for authoritarianism. Mon Mothma herself witnessed the decline in real time, as the forum for truthful speech and good-faith debate was now a theatre for loyalt...

EP. 161Andor is over 😭 Yes we’re crying, even though we’re also smiling because it happened. The series wrapped up doing what it does best, with a character-focused story that shows how incredibly realized people live and fight in a galaxy overrun by darkness. It also transitions into the next chapter of the rebellion against the Empire in a brilliant way. This week we break down the final arc of...

EP.   160 It went there. Star Wars really went there. It showed an atrocity at a level of detail we have set to see from a story set in the Galaxy Far, Far Away. This week we talk all about the Ghorman Massacre, its surrounding circumstances and its immediate aftermath, as depicted in the third arc of Andor Season Two. You can watch our episodes live every Monday at 5:30 PM PT, 8:30 PM ET at https...

EP.   159 Andor Season 2 keeps the ball rolling with an impeccably-handled 1-year time jump! Travel to lovely Ghorman, and to more of our own real-world history, as we explore the trials and tribulations of episodes 4-6! 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 Matthew Neugebauer https://twitter.com/ne...

EP.   158 Season Two of Andor: A Star Wars Story immediately hit the ground running! It picked up the story from Season One while masterfully charting a course for the rest of the show. It also set a darker tone to the Empire, albeit one that connects more deeply with the wider Star Wars story in this period. This week, we keep our eyes on the screen for Andor Season Two Episodes 1-3! You can watc...

EP 157The Rogues are at it again—this time on a diplomatic mission to bring new worlds into the New Republic. Along the way, they encounter a mysterious phantom of Jedi long past, and Wedge is forced to confront some phantoms of his own. Joel is joined by friend of the pod Redleader Antilles to discuss X-Wing: Rogue Squadron – The Phantom Affair. You can watch our episodes live every Monday at 5:3...

EP. 156Easter is almost upon us, which means it's time to talk about the Chosen One! Hopes and prophecies of an anointed saviour abound both in real-world religions and in the Galaxy Far, Far Away. In this climactic week of the Christian year, we do the ultimate Theology Time and explore messianic tropes in George Lucas's modern-day mythos. You can watch our episodes live every Monday at 5...

EP. 155“Too late? For what, the Republic to fall? It already has and you just can't see it. There's no justice, no order but the one that will replace it!” Formally, the Galactic Empire began with Palpatine’s declaration in the Senate and the “reorganization” he promised. But Maul’s biting words to Ahsoka in the Sundari throne room point to a deeper truth: the Republic – and the CIS – had...

EP. 154It began with the Delegation of 2,000 during the Clone Wars. It continued with the rise of scattered cells of resistance across the galaxy. As the Empire tightened its grip, more star systems, factions, political leaders and militarist groups slipped through its fingers. Ultimately, it coalesced into the Alliance to the Restore the Republic, a full-blown revolutionary movement. Then at the...

EP.   153 Sith. Pirates. Crime bosses. Wannabe Edgelords. Corporatist Oligarchs. Stuffy Imperials. Evereni survivors and their not-so-furry pets. Star Wars has had its variety of villains, each of them embodying different patterns and forces of darkness, pride, selfishness and fear, sometimes with some genuine skepticism of central authority thrown in. This week we dive into the moral underside of...

EP.   152 “Fandom” is a tricky and amorphous concept. We have ideas of what it means, but those might be contradictory or at least distinct. The concept of a “Star Wars fan” raises fascinating questions since our fandom contains many groups within it, partly based on age, gender or other demographics. In a franchise spanning (real world) 48 years and (in-universe) multiple centuries, there are man...

EP.   151 The Mask of Fear by Alexander Freed kicks off the Reign of Fear trilogy in stunning fashion, giving us all the gripping political drama, guerrilla action and moving character stories it promised, and then some. We chart the journeys of Mon Mothma, Bail Organa, Saw Gerrera and new character Soujen Vak-Nhalis through this brilliantly-written intricate tale that may well become an all-time...

EP.   150 In the hut on Tatooine, Old Ben hearkens back to a time of prosperity and freedom, when the Jedi Knights were the “guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy.” The High Republic publishing initiative shows us this era outright – the name itself says as much, and even the Jedi are literally clad in the golden shimmer of the age. So what’s in a Golden Age? Do they even exist in our real...

EP.   149 It's the ultimate Week in Star Wars episode! Joel is joined by friend of the show and SWU flagship host Dominic Jones for some good old fashioned Star Wars discussion. 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://bsky.app/profile/jid20234.bsky.social   Guest Dominic Jones h...

EP. 148“What I told you was true, from a certain point of view.” Like Luke, we struggle with the way reality itself is mediated through our own differing perspectives. That's doubly true with dramatized history, and especially fiction, where manipulating perspectives is an integral tool in the storytelling trade. In Star Wars canon, however, we have a sense that there's a pseudo-historical...

EP.   147 Shiiiiver me timbers! Man the braces! Other pirate words we don't fully understand and might be made up! Star Wars went full-on treasure adventure in Skeleton Crew, its latest foray into live-action streaming shows. It turned out to be one of the most pleasant surprises in recent years and managed to serve up a hidden treasure we never expected to find: a universally-beloved story fr...

EP. 146 This is RogueLeader standing by. That’s right friends this week Eye on Canon enters into the world of pilots and X-Wings as we do a Legends Lookback with the great X-Wing comic book run and its first arc, Rebel Opposition. 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 Matthew Neugebauer https://twit...

EP.   145 The Disney era of Star Wars has seen an explosion of on-screen content, including a new trilogy, a whole bevy of live-action shows, and animated shows for a wide range of viewers. Add to this a proliferation of a whole new universe of paper canon stories for multiple ages, culminating (so far) in the long-running and highly cumulative High Republic initiative. All these stories aim to bo...

“We are all the Republic!” “The Republic shall be reorganized into the first Galactic Empire, for a safe and secure society!” But is the galaxy, far far away ever a single society? Are they really “all the Republic?” Or do divisions and competing interests override a sense of unity? Was the Empire simply building on what was already there, or was it (ultimately) a futile exercise in unitary state-...

EP.   143 2025 is here! And it promises to be a stellar year for the whole canon of the galaxy far, far away. On the first Eye on Canon episode of the year, we break down everything to look forward to over the next 12 months, from Andor season 2, to Star Wars Celebration Japan, to the looming end of the High Republic Initiative. Oh right-and a party for a certain GOAT of a film that came out 20 ye...

EP.   142 The end is nigh! Well, the end of 2024 at least. It was an intriguing, fascinating, “Hansicling” year of Star Wars to say the least. This week we look back on the year that was- what did we love? What did we enjoy? What might have prompted all that vigorous head-scratching? Tune in for the last EOC of the year! You can watch our episodes live every Monday at 5:30 PM PT, 8:30 PM ET at htt...

EP.   141 Christmas and Holiday preparations are on everyone’s mind – trees, presents, family dinners! Elf, Die Hard and Doctor Who specials and on our screens. For Star Wars fans who go to church, or work at one, Advent offers a unique time to reflect on themes on the power of prophecy, the meaning of the Galaxy, religious institutions like the Jedi, and the hope of a coming Chosen One to restore...

EP. 140 The Galactic Empire has been known to represent any and all forms of evil throughout history, but how has Star Wars decided to use such allegory. To analyze this Joel is joined by friend of the show Redleader Antillies to go over the history of this allegory and more. You can watch our episodes live every Monday at 5:30 PM PT, 8:30 PM ET at https://www.youtube.com/@Starwarsunderworld/strea...

EP.   139 Early December means we’re right in-between some major holidays in our universe and in the GFFA. Life Day and (American) Thanksgiving are in the rear-view mirror, while Christmas is coming faster than we think! This week we give you a shorter episode all about the holidays in Star Wars, and then let you all watch the first two episodes of Skeleton Crew! You can watch our episodes live ev...

EP.   138 Last week we talked all about the Jedi and their relatability in our own world. This week we follow that right up with some in-universe commentary- the Jedi, and the Force itself, and how “normies” or non-Force-users relate to them. We also dive into some comics news and look at the new Outlaws DLC! You can watch our episodes live every Monday at 5:30 PM PT, 8:30 PM ET at https://www.you...