Friends of the Force: A Star Wars Podcast

We proudly present DJARIN JARGON, our newest recap series for The Mandalorian! This week, we're discussing "Chapter 17: The Apostate" and "Chapter 18: The Mines of Mandalore," which are directed by Rick Famuyiwa and Rachel Morrison, respectively. What ramifications does the end of Chapter 18 have for the scattered Mandalorian factions? Does Din truly need redemption or will he herald in a new Way?...

After three years, Cal Kestis and the Mantis crew are back on another adventure in " Star Wars Jedi: Battle Scars ," which is the newest novel from Random House Worlds. We're joined by author Sam Maggs to celebrate the release of her first feature-length book that prepares readers for the upcoming video game 'Jedi: Survivor.' We discuss many of the books core themes around found family, legacy, an...

Brad and Sarah embark on a pilgrimage to the holy city to discuss the latest High Republic entry: "The Battle of Jedha" by George Mann. We share our key takeaways from the book, our favorite aspects of the story, and what we predict may happen as we near the end of Phase 2 in the coming months.  Independent Bookstore of the Week: Brain Lair Books (South Bend, IN) Thank you to Random Hous...

Brad and Sarah discuss the thrilling two-part mid-season special of The Bad Batch, "The Clone Conspiracy" and "Truth and Consequences," and what it means for the future of the Clone army and the entire galaxy. Check out UnwhitewashTBB here: https://linktr.ee/unwhitewashtbb Join our Patreon to unlock bonus episodes   https://www.patreon.com/friendsoftheforce Website: http://www.friendsofthefor...

Brad and Sarah continue their coverage of The Bad Batch season two by discussing episodes three through six including Crosshair's isolated reality, Star Wars Resistance homages (vroom vroom!!), Indiana Jones-styled adventures in a galaxy far, far away, and the wonderful world of Wookiees! (WHRAAAAARH!!!) Episode List:  203: “The Solitary Clone” 204: “Faster” 205: “Entombed” 206: “Tribe” #Unwh...

Clone Force 99 is back in this two-part premiere of The Bad Batch season two! This week, Brad and Sarah discuss episodes one and two: "Spoils of War," directed by Steward Lee and written by Jennifer Corbett, and "Ruins of War" directed by Nathaniel Villanueva and written by Gina Lucita Monreal. Resources: Collider article on #UnwhitewashTheBadBatch | #UnwhitewashTBB on Twitter | https://linktr.ee/...

Love can ignite the stars! Brad and Sarah dive into the latest High Republic entry "CONVERGENCE," which also marks Zoraida Córdova's adult-novel debut in the Star Wars galaxy. We examine the sociopolitical intricacies of the Eiram-E'ronoh crisis and how love can be an everlasting solution, discover what home means to Jedi Knight Gella Nattai, convince ourselves that we can fix Ax...

They mostly come out at night... mostly. We're back with another book discussion with George Mann's latest book "Quest for the Hidden City" which introduces us to the compelling Jedi Master-Padawan duo of Silandra Sho and Rooper Nitani. We're tackling this story's themes of environmentalism, rewriting history, the shield and the sword, and more. Plus, has a Zombie apocalypse arrived in the Star Wa...

The Force will be free! We are finally diving into the second phase of The High Republic with " Path of Deceit " by Justina Ireland and Tessa Gratton. Join us on our pathfinding expedition to Dalna as we get to know Kevmo Zink and Marda Ro, explore themes of balance and rebirth, pick apart the Path of the Open Hand's philosophies, and unravel the mysteries of the nameless and how they may connect...

On the final episode of ANDOR CANDOR (for now), Brad and Sarah are joined by Catrina Dennis ( @ohcatrina ) to look back at season one of ANDOR. We're discussing the education of Cassian Andor, the resilience of community and Ferrix, motherhood through Maarva and Mothma, and what to expect from season two. Plus, we answer some questions from listeners!  Check the referenced interviews with dire...

Fight the Empire! Brad and Sarah discuss ANDOR episode twelve, “Rix Road,” directed by Benjamin Caron and written by Tony Gilroy. The season finale is an absolute masterpiece and we’re still losing our minds over it! We’re diving deep into one of the most thought-provoking pieces of Star Wars by examining the power of communities, the brittle nature of tyranny, where each of our characters end up,...

The first adult novel for Star Wars: The High Republic Phase Two, "CONVERGENCE," hits bookstores today and we're joined by author Zoraida Córdova to dive into the creative process behind Del Rey's newest title. We loved chatting about her experience joining the initiative midway through, which characters she's most excited for readers to meet, building the warring worlds of Eiram and E'ronoh, and...

Brad and Sarah discuss ANDOR episode eleven titled “Daughter of Ferrix” — directed by Benjamin Caron and written by Tony Gilroy — with special guest and friend of the show Swara Salih , who hosts The Middle Geeks podcast! We discuss the set-up for the season one finale and the focused narrative of this episode that dealt with loss, grief, and coping.  Website: http://www.friendsoftheforcepod.com J...

We had the opportunity to talk with ANDOR writer Beau Willimon and executive producer Sanne Wohlenberg as part of a press roundtable that included fellow Star Wars outlets Ahch-to Radio, Blast Points, Pink Milk, Skytalkers, Star Wars Explained, Tatooine Sons, That Gay Jedi, and Triad of the Force. Thank you to Lucasfilm for making this happen!  Website: http://www.friendsoftheforcepod.com Join our...

Brad and Sarah discuss ANDOR episode ten titled “One Way Out” — directed by Toby Haynes and written by Beau Willimon. This was an absolute masterpiece in Star Wars storytelling, as well as for television overall, that gave us some insanely powerful performances from Andy Serkis and Stellan Skarsgård. We dive into the theme of sacrifice in the name of rebellion, the ends justifying the means, and h...

Brad and Sarah discuss ANDOR episode nine titled “Nobody’s Listening!” — directed by Toby Haynes and written by Beau Willimon. This was one of the most brutal hours of television that we've seen in a while as the Empire's brutality was put on full display while our heroes face the most dire circumstances. (Spoiler Warning)  Website: http://www.friendsoftheforcepod.com  Join our Patreon: ht...

Brad and Sarah dive into the eighth episode of ANDOR titled "Announcement" directed by Toby Haynes and written by Beau Willimon. Cassian experiences the Empire's dehumanizing methods firsthand. Will it be the very thing that inspires him to fight for something larger than himself? Plus, the reintroduction of some familiar faces backed by some standout performances!  Website: http://w...

We're thrilled to bring you this roundtable interview with Emmy-winning and three-time Academy Award nominee Nicholas Britell, who composed the score for ANDOR. As part of this press day, we sat alongside Blast Points, Jedi News, Skytalkers, Space.com, Talking Bay 94, and Triad of the Force. We want to give a huge thank you to Lucasfilm for this opportunity!  Website: http://www.friendsofthefo...

Brad and Sarah dive into the seventh episode of ANDOR titled "Announcement" — directed by Benjamin Caron and written by Stephen Shciff — alongside special guest Skylar Verduzco , who designed the artwork for our ANDOR CANDOR series. We discuss the changing political landscape in the aftermath of Aldhani, Imperial Security Bureau meeting-room drama, Maarva's rebellion, and a Niamos be...

Brad and Sarah discuss the sixth episode of ANDOR titled "The Eye" — directed by Susanna White and written by Dan Gilroy. This heist-focused episode is some of the most gripping Star Wars we've ever seen, and we're still working through all 53 minutes of pure high-stakes tension. Is Cassian inching closer to his Rogue One self? How will this Aldhani mission stick with him in the...

Brad and Sarah discuss the fifth episode of ANDOR titled "The Axe Forgets" — directed by Susanna White and written by Dan Gilroy. We come to understand how each character has their own form of rebellion, whether it's Nemik, Skeen, or Cassian. We dive into how this series continues building rich, dynamic characters while laying the groundwork for an emotional climax on Aldhani. Plus,...

Brad and Sarah are bringing the candor to ANDOR with our discussion on episode four "Aldhani" directed by Susanna White and written by Dan Gilroy. Arezou Amin of Space Waffles joins us to dive into Cassian's motivations after his escape from Ferrix, Coruscant's brutalist return, Mon Mothma's marriage (and our hopes for an eventual divorce), the duality of Luthen, our newest s...

The wait is finally over and somehow the High Republic has returned! Phase Two kicks off one week from today, and Brad and Sarah are back for a special preview episode with guest Eric Eilersen of the Living Force Podcast . We highlight every release announced for "Phase II: Quest of the Jedi" and dive into the synopses of the first three books of wave one including Path of Deceit, Quest for the Hi...

ANDOR is finally here! In this episode of our podcast series "Andor Candor," Brad and Sarah give their spoiler thoughts on the three-part premiere of Andor directed by Toby Haynes and written by Tony Gilroy. We're overjoyed by so many aspects of this series including the glove wall, the *clears throat* TIME GRAPPLER, our new bestie B2EMO, everyday life on Ferrix, and much more. We al...

For our 200th episode, we're bringing you our non-spoiler reaction to Andor fresh off its Hollywood premiere! We had the opportunity to attend the launch event on Thursday and watch the first three episodes in the El Capitan Theater. We talk through our red-carpet experience, the Andor pre-show featuring Diego Luna and Tony Gilroy, and our initial thoughts on the series.  Stay tuned next week...