Friends of the Force: A Star Wars Podcast

This week, Brad interviews Alexander Freed ( @AlexanderMFreed ), the author of " Star Wars: Shadow Fall (An Alphabet Squadron Novel). " They how the world of sci-fi and fantasy influenced Alex's imagination early on, transitioning from video-game writing to novels, and take a spoiler-free glance at the themes of Shadow Fall.   Order Shadow Fall here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/6...

Join host Brad Whipple ( @bradwhipple ) and Sarah ( @seh221 ) for their lengthy discussion on the recently released Star Wars: Shadow Fall, the second installment in the Alphabet Squadron trilogy. Before our spoiler chat, we discuss recent news including Star Wars Celebration's cancellation, the upcoming From A Certain Point of View book, Jedi Temple Challenge, and Star Wars: Squadrons. **Spoiler...

Join host Brad Whipple ( @bradwhipple ) and Sarah ( @seh221 ) for Bibo's Book Report: A Star Wars Resistance Series. On today's episode of our "Remembering Resistance" subseries, we interview Sumalee Montano ( @sumaleedotcom ), the voice of Agent Tierny on Star Wars Resistance. We uncover Sumalee's journey from investment banker to actor-turned-producer, her role in Jedi: Fallen Order, what she th...

Join host Brad Whipple ( @bradwhipple ) and guest Sarah ( @seh221 ) for the 15th anniversary of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith! Hop in our time machine as we travel back to 2005 to discuss the lead-up to the film, pre-production, the central thematic elements of the film, and Sith's long-lasting legacy.   Twitter: https://twitter.com/FriendsOfForce , https://twitter.com/bradwhippl...

On this episode of our "From A Certain Point of View" series, Brad sits down with writer Preeti Chhibber ( @runwithskizzer s). We discuss what her many fandoms have meant to her, discover why she looks up to Luke Skywalker, and preview both her upcoming book, "A Jedi, You Will Be," as well as her story in "Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark," releasing in the Fall.  Twitter: https://twitte...

On this episode of our "From A Certain Point of View" series, Brad sits down with Ksenia Zelentsova ( @lorna_ka ), the illustrator behind the upcoming Star Wars book, "The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark." We discuss how her fandom centers around Star Wars animation, including Clone Wars and Rebels, and what it's been like to be chosen for the upcoming anthology, which chronicles different c...

Join host Brad Whipple ( @bradwhipple ) as he sits down with Sarah ( @seh221 ) to rank our top 10 Star Wars memories from May 4, 2019 to May 4, 2020. We discuss the Variety report that Leslye Headland has been hired as the writer and showrunner for a new Disney+ show. Plus, Mon Mothma is back following the Cassian Andor series casting announcement!  Twitter: https://twitter.com/FriendsOfForce...

Join host Brad Whipple ( @bradwhipple ) as he sits down with Alex Kane ( @alexjkane ) to rank our top five Star Wars video games. We also discuss Joby Harold being brought on to write the Obi-Wan Kenobi series ( from Variety ), Episode 1: Racer and Jedi Academy coming to the Nintendo Switch, and the legacy of Jedi: Fallen Order.  You can buy Alex's book on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republ...

On this episode of our "From A Certain Point of View" series, Brad sits down with Amy Ratcliffe ( @amy_geek ), the Managing Editor of Nerdist and author of Star Wars: Women of the Galaxy . We discuss how Amy's passion for the franchise began with the Clone Wars and Ahsoka Tano, her career as a writer, and what it's been like to be so heavily involved within the Star Wars community.  Visit Amy...

Join host Brad Whipple ( @bradwhipple ) as he sits down with Brandon, host of Talking Bay 94 Podcast ( @TalkingBay94 ), to discuss the most recent making-of documentary, The Skywalker Legacy , directed by Debs Paterson. This 2-hour special, released with the The Rise of Skywalker on digital, takes us behind the scenes on the final film in the Skywalker Saga and interviews a variety of cast & c...

Join hosts Brad Whipple ( @bradwhipple ) and Sarah ( @seh221 ) for Bibo's Book Report: A Star Wars Resistance Series . This week, we had the privilege of interviewing Tasia Valenza ( @TasiaValenza ), the voice actress behind Venisa Doza ( Star Wars Resistance) and Shaak Ti ( Star Wars: The Clone Wars ).  We discuss her choice to switch from on-camera roles to voiceover acting, getting the cha...

Join host Brad Whipple ( @bradwhipple ) alongside Jireh ( @sulcusandjirehs ) as they look at the lasting legacy of Rose Tico . They discuss Kelly Marie Tran's journey, the importance of Rose from a representation standpoint, screen-time in The Rise of Skywalker, and why Rose embodies some of Star Wars' most important themes.  Kelly Marie Tran: I Won’t Be Marginalized by Online Harassment (NY...

Join host Brad Whipple ( @bradwhipple ) alongside Eric Eilersen ( @EricEilersen ) & Meg Dowell ( @MegDowell ) of Youtini.com ( @youtini_us ). Project Luminous has finally been unveiled! We discuss what the Star Wars universe will look like in the High Republic era, which begins with Charles Soule's "Light of the Jedi" novel coming August 25th. Plus, we speculate on the conflict between the Nih...

Join host Brad Whipple ( @bradwhipple ) as he sits down with Emrys and Lúthien from Girls with Sabers ( @GirlswSabers ). Today, we discuss why Star Wars is a fairy tale and venture back to its initial creation by George Lucas. Lucas envisioned the story as breaking the boundaries of science fiction to tell a "fantasy story." We then analyze the impact of fairy tales in our own lives and why their...

On this episode of our "From A Certain Point of View" series, Brad chats with Ken Liu ( @kyliu99 ), author of Star Wars: The Legends of Luke Skywalker (2017). We discuss how his Star Wars fandom began with the Chinese translation of Empire Strikes Back , writing the new legends of Luke Skywalker, and his upcoming short-story collection The Hidden Girl and Other Stories (2/25/2020). Visit Ken's web...

Join host Brad ( @bradwhipple ) and Sarah ( @seh221 ) for Bibo's Book Report, their Star Wars Resistance recap series. This week, they discuss the series finale: The Escape , directed by Steward Lee & Brad Rau and written by Brandon Auman. Want to become a Friend of the Force? Twitter: @FriendsOfForce | @bradwhipple Instagram: @FriendsOfTheForce Website: bit.ly/2XpFQWJ Patreon: https://www.pat...

Join host Brad Whipple ( @bradwhipple ) and Sarah ( @seh221 ) for Bibo's Book Report, their Star Wars Resistance recap series. This week, they discuss The New World, No Place Safe, and Rebuilding the Resistance. Want to become a Friend of the Force? Twitter: @FriendsOfForce | @bradwhipple Instagram: @FriendsOfTheForce Website: bit.ly/2XpFQWJ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/friendsoftheforce Email...

Join host Brad Whipple ( @bradwhipple ) and Sarah ( @seh221 ) as they revive Bibo's Book Report from its two-month hiatus to recap seven episodes of Star Wars Resistance, including: Rendezvous Point , The Voxx Vortex 5000 , Kaz’s Curse , Station to Station , The Missing Agent , Breakout , & The Mutiny Want to become a Friend of the Force? Twitter: @FriendsOfForce | @bradwhipple Instagram: @Fri...

Join host Brad Whipple ( @bradwhipple ) as he sits down with Sarah ( @seh221 ) to discuss Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. We address the state of the discourse (3:18), our opening review (10:22), what didn't work in this film (14:24), and what worked (1:18:00). Remember: art is subjective and it means different things to different people. We are here to provide our point of view, and we hope to...

Join host Brad Whipple ( @bradwhipple ) as he sits down with Savanna and Brian Ballance, the co-hosts of The Dorky Diva Show ( @DorkyDivaShow ). On Episode 27, we discuss why hope is such an important and delicate thing within the Star Wars universe and how it all began with Princess Leia Organa, who in 1977 pleaded, "Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope." Join us as we discuss hope as it r...

On this episode of our "From A Certain Point of View" series, Brad sits down with Rebecca Roanhorse ( @RoanhorseBex ), author of Star Wars: Resistance Reborn .  Visit Rebecca's website: https://rebeccaroanhorse.com/ Buy Resistance Reborn here . “ From A Certain Point Of View ” is a series in which we celebrate the stories and experiences within the Star Wars fandom by interviewing fans, frien...

Join host Brad Whipple ( @bradwhipple ) as he sits down with Emrys and Lúthien from Girls with Sabers ( @GirlswSabers ). Today, we take a look inside Reylo (the union of Kylo Ren and Rey in the sequel trilogy) by discussing why romance is important in Star Wars, why Rey and Kylo's journeys are star-crossed, how they will bring balance to the force, and why this relationship is important. Plus,...

Join host Brad Whipple ( @bradwhipple ) as he sits down with Christy Carew ( @Christy_Carew ), a Canadian-American composer for film, TV, advertising, and multimedia. On Episode 25, we talk about the power of music in Star Wars and tackle why John Williams' score has touched the hearts of every fan across the world. We speak to the universalities of music, how it can set the emotional atmosphere o...

On this episode of our "From A Certain Point of View" series, Brad sits down with Marc Sumerak ( @msumerak ), author of " Star Wars: Secrets of the Jedi ." We discuss the development of the book, writing from the perspective of a changed Luke Skywalker in the sequel trilogy, and what we can learn from the Jedi's secrets. Visit Marc's website here: https://www.sumerak.com/ . Buy Secrets of the Jedi...

Join host Brad Whipple ( @bradwhipple ) as he sits down with Eric, Corey, and Charles from The Living Force Podcast ( @LivingForcePod ) for a lengthy roundtable discussion on Star Wars: Resistance Reborn (Journey to The Rise of Skywalker) , the latest book from Del Rey written by Rebecca Roanhorse.  Buy Resistance Reborn here . Want to become a Friend of the Force? Twitter: @FriendsOfForce |...