Growing Up Skywalker

We have so much to celebrate this episode! The Asajj + Maul Arc, Part 2 marks the end of Season Four of the Clone Wars…our 50th episode…our one-year anniversary as a podcast…and May the 4th (Be With You). We’re so excited to have Tim Beisiegel of Funny Science Fiction Podcast and Pop Culture Addicts on the show with us. Tim has been a champion of Growing Up Skywalker from the beginning, and it was...

Buckle in, kiddos, because we’re headed to Dathomir. In the first half of the Asajj and Maul arc, Asajj renounces her ties to the Sith and pledges herself to the Nightsisters. Cue Dooku losing his dang mind. We talk about loyalty, betrayal, witchy covens, catharsis, and Asajj’s four life-altering transformations: slave to Jedi, Jedi to Sith, Sith to Nightsister, and Nightsister to outcast. Somehow...

Did you know that Star Wars has a bounty hunter-themed reality TV show in the middle of Season Four? Who knew! Shenanigans continue in the second half of the Rako Hardeen arc (The Clone Wars 4.17–18) as Dooku whittles down 12 of the galaxy’s greatest bounty hunters to five. It’s a race against time — and Anakin’s impatience — as Obi-Wan tries to thwart Dooku’s plans to kidnap Chancellor Palpatine....

The first half of the Rako Hardeen arc (The Clone Wars 4.15–16) is a romp, y’all. Obi-Wan goes undercover as a hardened criminal to sabotage a plot against Chancellor Palpatine as the entire galaxy believes him to be dead. He hooks up with Cad Bane — who can be threatening even when he’s only armed with a toothpick — and tries to outrun Anakin and Ahsoka, on the warpath for vengeance. We talk abou...

“A Friend in Need” (The Clone Wars 4.14) is the last standalone episode of The Clone Wars series, and boy howdy is it chock-full of discussion topics. In 22 minutes, we see Ahsoka reunited with her BOYFRIEND Lux Bonteri, watch the Separatist-Republic peace talks disintegrate (again), meet up with Death Watch, see Bo-Katan for the first time, witness R2D2 raise a droid army, and see an entire villa...

The Zygerrian Arc of the Clone Wars (4.11–13, “Kidnapped,” “Slaves of the Republic,” and “Escape from Kadavo”) begs us to consider: Who are the real slaves under the Republic? In this three-part arc, we see Anakin, Ahsoka and Kenobi struggle to free the Togrutan people of Kiros from being condemned to a life in chains. There are heists, spies, infiltration plots, fake names, fake imprisonment (plu...

Betrayal has a long legacy in Star Wars, and in the final half of the Umbaran arc (The Clone Wars 4.9–10) we come face-to-face with one of the galaxy's greatest traitors. In our recap of “Plan of Dissent” and “Carnage of Krell,” we put the spotlight on the 501st. Through heartbreak, sacrifice and betrayal, they go against their beliefs, have existential crises, and eventually learn to find their o...

No more fun and games. We’re getting down to business in the first half of the Umbaran Arc (The Clone Wars 4.7–8). When’s the last time you read the Geneva Convention? Because war crimes abound on Umbara, especially after Anakin is sent home to Coruscant mid-invasion and the 501st is put under General Pong Krell — a Besalisk with a VERY bad attitude. We rabbithole into Civil War-era parallels to t...

The R2 and C-3PO arc (The Clone Wars 4.5–6) has the strangest and yet most strangely delightful Clone Wars episodes in a while. We talk about fairytales, magical realism, the Balance, and droid rights/droid supremacy. R2 talks trash to every sovereign leader they meet in the LONGEST episode ever, and in the face of death, 3PO has — for once — a heartfelt moment. This arc is an actual fever dream,...

“Shadow Warrior” (The Clone Wars Season 4.4) is one giant, beautiful retribution for Star Wars’ treatment of the Gungans thus far. As Jar Jar is forced to impersonate Boss Lyonie to keep his people from going to war against the Naboo, we (finally) get to see the Gungans step into the light. We get fierce Gungan warriors, ancestral Gungan magic, a fantastic callback to Padmé’s switcheroos in the Ph...

Surf’s up! The first arc of Season 4 of the Clone Wars has our faves swimming with the fishes. We’re introduced to yet another teenage monarch — Prince Lee-Char — who’s navigating a civil war between the Mon Calamari and Quarren and orchestrated, as always, by Count Dooku. Kit Fisto is glorious, Padmé and Anakin are mostly there to be threatened with drowning, Ahsoka does Anakin’s job from Attack...

Happy Star Wars Podcast Day! We’re closing out Season 3 of The Clone Wars with the most dangerous game of them all — messing with Ahsoka and her band of misfit Jedi younglings. And we’re thrilled to have Nick Stockbridge of Funny Science Fiction as a guest on this week’s show! In the Ahsoka Hunted arc (The Clone Wars 3.21–22) we meet a group of Trandoshan weekend warriors who like to hunt younglin...

It’s time for a classic Clone Wars mess-around! The Citadel Arc (The Clone Wars 3.18–3.20) has everything: battle droids, ambushes, a rescue mission, carbon freezing, Ugnauts, a phenomenal MacGuffin (the Nexus Route hyperspace lanes), Kenobi banter and a truly astonishing amount of foreshadowing for Anakin’s journey. If you are a Wilhuff Tarkin fan, this is the arc for you. (If you are a no-Jedis-...

Hold onto your Star Wars encyclopedias, because we’re in for the ride of our lives! In the Mortis Arc (The Clone Wars 3.15–17) we get the deepest dive into the lore of the Force so far — and that’s just where the first episode starts. We talk about good, evil, and ambivalence…why wisdom has to be earned to be learned…and all about the family story at the heart of Star Wars. Buckle up, baybees, bec...

The Clone Wars so far has been a series of appetizers, but with the Nightsisters Arc (3.12–14) we’re getting filet mignon, baybee! As Assajj and her witchy sisters plan vengeance on Count Dooku, we’re introduced to Anna’s big sad baby, Savage Opress — and then things get spooky, y’all. We talk about Star Wars steroids, the Rule of Two, identity erasure, unexplainable magic, and the moment when fem...

Lieutenant Divo is back on the case in “Senate Murders” (The Clone Wars 2.15) — and so is Action Padmé! As Padmé struggles to maintain her political leverage against the clone-troop bill, she’s beset on all sides by the creepiest of the Galactic Senators. Friends become enemies! Enemies become…non-enemies! (Because they’re dead.) And the question of whether the Clone Wars will continue hangs in th...

We’ve got war and war profiteering on the mind during our recap of the Funding the War arc (The Clone Wars Season 3.11–12, “Heroes on Both Sides” and “Pursuit of Peace”). Padmé and Ahsoka take a field trip to Raxus to broker peace with the Separatists, Ahsoka meets a boy, and Bail Organa continues to be the best. There is murder! There are speeches! There is creative accounting! And there is perha...

Coming to you live from our luxury conveyex on Vandor, we bring you a deep dive into the swamps of Nal Hutta — and the twisted politics of the Hutt Council. In the Ziro the Hutt arc (The Clone Wars 3.8–3.9 and 1.22), Ziro rekindles his love affair with cabaret cutie/part-time bounty hunter Sy Snootles. We meet Jedi Master Quinlan Vos, finally discover C3PO’s real backstory, and witness an incredib...

This week, we talk about heroes great and small as we recap “Arc Troopers” (The Clone Wars 3.2). As you can imagine, Anna’s notes for this episode are mostly frowny faces. And we have so many questions!! What makes a noble death? What are the limitations of being a general by the sword? Is the glory of combat all it’s cracked up to be? And, if you had to pick a favorite clone for this episode, wou...

It’s never a good day to be a Neimoidian, but especially not in “Assassin” (The Clone Wars Season 3.7) and “Sphere of Influence” (3.4). As we carefully unpick the convoluted chronology of The Clone Wars’ third season, we see Ahsoka thwarting Aurra Sing (again), Senator Chuchi achieving legendary BAMF status (again), and the dream team making fools out of the entire Trade Federation. This is offici...

We’ve got heart eyes for the Scooby Gang in the Second Mandalore arc (The Clone Wars Season 3, episodes 5-6). The Moogans would have gotten away with their entire racketeering scheme if it weren’t for those pesky kids! In other news, we talk about Padme’s grace in the face of a diplomatic rabble, corruption schemes of yore, and why the kids — cadets Korkie, Amis, Lagos and, ya know, the blonde one...

It’s the Boba Fett and Mace Windu show! (Yeah, yeah, Aurra Sing and Plo-Koon are there, too.) Boba serves up vengeance just the way he likes it in the final arc of season two of The Clone Wars: spicy-hot and full of explosives. In our recap, we talk about wolves in sheep’s clothing, the intimacy of being known, generational debts, whether or not Aurra Sing is a good mom and all about the EDM scene...

It’s time to talk about the greatest romance of Star Wars history. No, it’s not Anakin and Padme. Or Leia and Han. It’s Obi-Wan and Satine’s world, and we’re all just living in it!! This episode, we’re recapping The First Mandalore Arc (The Clone Wars Season 2, episodes 12-14) and talking all about false flag operations, the cultural juggernaut of Mandalore’s warrior past and, MOST importantly, Sa...

In Anna’s second favorite Clone Wars episode (beaten only by “Trespass”) we’re blessed with dad jokes, grandad-vice and an epic American Ninja Warrior Challenge across Coruscant. We talk about great teachers and great lessons, Padawan electives and the origins of Bae Watch. All hail Tera Sinu-bae. Watching along with us? Next week, we’re reviewing the First Mandalore Arc: The Clone Wars Season 2,...

Clones: Rural soldier philosophers married to hot babes OR speeder bike enthusiasts with no concept of self-determination? In the Deserter Arc (The Clone Wars, Season 2, episodes 9-10) Obi-Wan exhibits both internal and external screaming as Grievous escapes from him once more. We get not one, but TWO new Jedi masters, adorable smol children and one very spooky cornfield. It has been 0 days since...