Hyperspace Theories

A Star Wars movie is back in theaters for the first time since 2019! In this episode of Hyperspace Theories, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester kick off our analysis of  The Mandalorian and Grogu  with a discussion of the major storytelling decisions underlying the film, which is directed by Jon Favreau and co-written by Favreau, Dave Filoni, and Noah Kloor ( The Book of Boba Fett ). As the sixth movie...

On this episode of Hyperspace Theories, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester continue our discussion of the new  Maul – Shadow Lord  animated series. This time we focus on the writing and characterization of the principal characters, especially Maul and how his past and present informs his strategy for gradually guiding Devon Izara toward her choice to become his apprentice. Along the way we consider the...

On the new episode of Hyperspace Theories, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester begin our discussion of the latest series from Lucasfilm Animation,  Maul – Shadow Lord . The ten-episode first season has been releasing on Disney+ with paired episodes each Monday in April 2026, culminating in the season finale on May the Fourth. The creative team already has confirmed a second season of the series is in pr...

On January 15, 2026, Lucasfilm  formally announced  that Kathleen Kennedy is "stepping down" as president of the company. Dave Filoni will take on the role of President and Chief Creative Officer. Lynwen Brennan, who for the past two years has held the title of "President & General Manager, Lucasfilm Business" alongside Kennedy, will continue in that role as "Co-President" with Filoni. On this epi...

The year 2025 marked the sixth without a new Star Wars movie in theaters since  The Rise of Skywalker  concluded the Sequel Trilogy. In the past few years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe and DC superhero films have struggled with consistency at reaching their prior levels of box-office earnings and fan satisfaction. We found it interesting, then, that two 2025 superhero movies – the MCU's rebooted ...

A year after  Part I , the  Wicked  movie franchise returns with  For Good , an adaptation of the second act of the Broadway musical. In this episode of Hyperspace Theories, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester examine how  Wicked: For Good  takes advantage of the movie format, and the passage of time since the original musical was written, to strengthen the character arcs of Elphaba, Glinda, and Fiyero...

In a matter of weeks, the Sony-produced animated movie  K-Pop Demon Hunters  became the all-time most-viewed original title on Netflix. A limited-release theatrical run of the sing-along version of the film, for two days on fewer than two thousand screens after it had been available on streaming for two months, was the #1 movie at the box office for that weekend. With four songs in the Billboard H...

For our third episode of Hyperspace Theories podcast discussing the second season of Andor , Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester examine how the series portrays characterization through the use of point of view in its writing and visual imagery. Although prose fiction Star Wars usually relies upon third-person limited storytelling, only revealing to the reader what the characters themselves know or unde...

On the latest episode of Hyperspace Theories, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester continue their analysis of Season Two of the Disney+ streaming series  Andor: A Star Wars Story  with a discussion centered on the Ghorman storyline heavily featured across Episodes 4 to 8 and culminating in the eighth episode focused entirely on the the tragedy of the Ghorman Massacre. One major theme of this storyline is...

Beginning immediately on the heels of Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025, the second season of the Disney+ streaming series Andor , now carrying the same A Star Wars Story subtitle as Rogue One , kicked off its four-week run with its first trio of episodes. The premiere and its title, "One Year Later," sets the framework for Season Two: as each "a movie a week" batch of three episodes brings us a ye...

On the latest episode of Hyperspace Theories podcast, hosts Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester report from Star Wars Celebration Japan on the latest news and happenings. Highlights from key panels - The Mandalorian and Grogu, Andor Season 2, Ahsoka, Star Wars Animation 25th Anniversary - are discussed. Let's celebrate Star Wars!

On this episode of Hyperspace Theories podcast, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester detour from our usual focus on fictional storytelling to discuss an instance of real-world events and surrounding narratives in the form of journalistic coverage of the upcoming retirement of Kathleen Kennedy from her current role as president of Lucasfilm. On February 24, 2025, experienced Hollywood journalist Matt Bell...

Ahoy, mateys! Pirates, pirate ships, and a search for lost treasure have returned to Star Wars – and so has the familiar story structure, complete with a boring home planet ( A New Hope ) and ten-year-old ( The Phantom Menace ) protagonists flung into a very unexpected adventure in the wider galaxy. On this episode of Hyperspace Theories, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester examine the first four episod...

Continuing our recent witchy trend on Hyperspace Theories alongside our discussion of Agatha All Along , this episode discusses the movie Wicked: Part I , which broke box office records in its first week of release. Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester begin with a common focus of the podcast: the storytelling structure of the movie, and how it compares and contrasts with the Broadway musical that the fi...

In this podcast episode, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester consider the recently released MCU Disney+ series  Agatha All Along  from the perspective of long-running themes at FANgirl Blog and Hyperspace Theories: the influence of myth and heroic journeys on contemporary storytelling and how contemporary storytelling is evolving those ideas, especially in stories told by women and other creators from d...

It's been ten years since FANgirl Blog launched the Hyperspace Theories podcast. On the latest episode, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester look back on the podcast's evolution from its origin in discussing how to speculate wisely on upcoming Star Wars stories to a broader consideration of storytelling, character arcs and the Hero's Journey, and franchise management. We reminisce about our favorite epis...

The Marvel Cinematic Universe accomplished an unprecedented track record of box office earnings, followed by an uneven phase that included a few box office miscues and a mixed reactions to its span of Disney+ streaming series. In this episode of Hyperspace Theories, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester discuss two MCU series that had lower profiles in fan attention and viewership, but much to consider in...

On this episode of Hyperspace Theories, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester examine the Disney+ live-action series  Star Wars: The Acolyte  through the lens of recent Lucasfilm's brand management struggles, especially with the Star Wars franchise. We begin with the strengths of  The Acolyte  that we want to praise, including the fight choreography, the performances of the cast, and the diversity, inclus...

Before turning to the currently releasing third season of  Star Wars: The Bad Batch , Hyperspace Theories podcast returns to the concluding episodes of Season Two. Having previously analyzed the first ten episodes, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester discuss episodes 11 through 16, starting with "Metamorphosis" and "The Outpost" and ending with Tech's (apparent) self-sacrifice by implementing the tragic...

Hyperspace Theories kicks off 2024 with a new episode analyzing recent developments that appear to chart a new course for the future of Star Wars. Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester begin with the November 2023 news, first revealed in a  Vanity Fair  article by longtime Star Wars and entertainment journalist Anthony Breznican, that Dave Filoni has been promoted to the position of Chief Creative Officer...

The epilogue montage of the recently concluded  Ahsoka  series on Disney+ included a surprising and exciting image: former Jedi turned antagonist Baylan Skoll standing amid colossal statues of the Father, Son, and (partially destroyed) Daughter of Mortis. These mysterious and powerful "Force Wielders" have a long connection to  Ahsoka  mastermind Dave Filoni: they interacted with Anakin Skywalker,...

The  Ahsoka  series on Disney+ has reached its finale. On this episode of Hyperspace Theories, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester analyze the storytelling in Part Six "Far, Far Away," Part Seven "Dreams and Madness," and Part Eight "The Jedi, the Witch, and the Warlord" and consider what  Ahsoka  establishes for the future of Star Wars tales. We begin by examining the conclusions to the character arcs...

Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester return for another episode of Hyperspace Theories discussing the  Ahsoka  Disney+ series, specifically the second act of the story: Part Three "Time to Fly," Part Four "Fallen Jedi," and Part Five "Shadow Warrior." Often Star Wars is at its best when it advances not only the character arcs of its principals, but also the mythology of the franchise, The episodes of  Ah...

The circle is now complete. Dave Filoni, longtime storytelling Padawan to George Lucas, has been Executive Creative Director for Star Wars for  three years  and played an instrumental role in the creation and progression of  The Mandalorian  streaming series. With  Ahsoka , the latest live-action Disney+ series from Star Wars, Filoni not only leads the project in full – he wrote all eight episodes...

On the latest episode of Hyperspace Theories, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester discuss Chapters 20 to 24 of  The Mandalorian , the five episodes comprising the middle and end of Season Three. (In our  previous episode  we talked about Chapters 17 to 19, the trio that began the season.) Overall, the theme of our analysis is the inconsistencies that seem to pervade Season Three from start to finish. De...