Star Wars 7x7: A Daily Bite-Sized Dose of Star Wars Joy

I have a sense that the old Expanded Universe (now Legends) did a great job as a melting pot for all kinds of genre stories to be included under the umbrella of Star Wars. What I've discovered over 10 years of podcasting is that Lucasfilm seems to be doing a fantastic job in this new era as well. Punch it! (Enjoy the show? For the price of a cup of coffee each month, you can support the independen...

As I reflect over 10 years of Star Wars podcasting, and more live action content than we saw in the 3+ decades previous, I'm taking time to consider what my original stance was, that one of the chief reasons Star Wars was so special was because of its relative scarcity. Punch it! (Enjoy the show? For the price of a cup of coffee each month, you can support the independent creator who's been making...

It's hard to believe I've been producing a daily dose of Star Wars podcasting joy for nearly 10 years! A lot's changed with Star Wars, and with me, over that span of time, so I'm taking a bit to reflect on what I've learned with various themes. Today, we're talking about trust. Punch it! (Enjoy the show? For the price of a cup of coffee each month, you can support the independent creator who's bee...

At a recent Ubisoft event, they were kind enough to show us new footage from Star Wars Outlaws! On today's episode, we'll flag some of the standout highlights, including confirmation of a speculated character and the reveal of another smooth scoundrel. Punch it! Here's the footage they showed at the event and released later online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QP_wXv2ErgI (Enjoy the show? For t...

We had a shocking discovery at the end of the last "Tales From the Occlusion Zone" installment in Star Wars Insider magazine, and in the next part, "Family Ties," we've got a bit of an in-betweener, as we resolve that situation and set up the next one. Our spoiler discussion happens today...  Punch it! (Enjoy the show? For the price of a cup of coffee each month, you can support the independent cr...

We talked with co-producer Patrick Cotnoir about the documentary I'm "George Lucas": A Connor Ratliff Story - now, it's time to talk about a review of it! I'm grateful to the producers for sharing a copy with me prior to the VOD release, and that's what we'll talk about today. Punch it! (Enjoy the show? For the price of a cup of coffee each month, you can support the independent creator who's been...

We just got the Osha version of what happened when Mae started a fire and "destroyed everything," but what REALLY happened in The Acolyte when the Jedi and the Witches faced off again? We'll consider that in our deep dive today. Punch it! (Enjoy the show? For the price of a cup of coffee each month, you can support the independent creator who's been making it for nearly ten years: https://patreon....

"Destiny" - the third episode of The Acolyte - shows us the origins of the trouble at the heart of this season. It also deepens that mystery a bit and turns some pre-existing Star Wars tropes on their ears. Our 7-takeaway breakdown is here...  Punch it! (Enjoy the show? For the price of a cup of coffee each month, you can support the independent creator who's been making it for nearly ten years: h...

The documentary drops today! I'm "George Lucas": A Connor Ratliff Story is out now on VOD, and I'm talking with co-producer Patrick Cotnoir about it in this second half of our conversation. (The first half was yesterday, where we talked about Connor and the George Lucas Talk Show, which is what the doc is about.) Punch it! Links for all the stuff we talked about in the interview:  Documentary webs...

"I'm 'George Lucas'*: A Connor Ratliff Story" is a new documentary about The George Lucas Talk Show, being released on VOD tomorrow! I got to talk with co-host/producer/talent booker Patrick Cotnoir about the show and the doc, and today's episode features the first half of our conversation. Punch it! Here are the links for all the stuff we talked about in the interview:  Documentary website: https...

From context clues in The Acolyte's "Revenge/Justice" episode, you can probably figure out that a Jedi might take the "Barash Vow" when they've done something very wrong. On today's deep dive show, we'll dig into the details - and what it means for the rest of the season. Punch it! (Enjoy the show? For the price of a cup of coffee each month, you can support the independent creator who's been maki...

"Revenge/Justice" is the second chapter of The Acolyte, and if we weren't sure whether the Jedi did a bad, bad thing 16 years ago, the signs are really pointing to YES after the events of this episode. Our 7-takeaway breakdown is on tap today...   Punch it! (Enjoy the show? For the price of a cup of coffee each month, you can support the independent creator who's been making it for nearly ten year...

We had a lot of "six years" this and "two years" that and "eight years" the other in the first episode of The Acolyte. So on our deep dive episode related to "Lost / Found," I'm going to sort things out so we have a clearer timeframe reference for the rest of the series. Punch it! (Enjoy the show? For the price of a cup of coffee each month, you can support the independent creator who's been makin...

Let's get into it! "Lost / Found" is the first episode of The Acolyte, and not only does it dispense with one hotly-discussed mystery, it doubles down with a bigger related reveal. So we'll talk about what the season is *really* about as we break down this initial entry. Punch it! (Enjoy the show? For the price of a cup of coffee each month, you can support the independent creator who's been makin...

Mysteries revealed! Fighting High Republic Jedi! Terrific music! Super-abrupt episode endings! All this and more on our first Acolyte episode, and the only non-spoiler one we're doing - including how this one, unlike Ahsoka or Andor, didn't need to have a two-episode premiere. Punch it! (Enjoy the show? For the price of a cup of coffee each month, you can support the independent creator who's been...

No Acolyte spoilers today! We'll dig into the premiere tomorrow. For now, we'll wrap up our coverage of Tales of the Empire with a compare-and-contrast episode, evaluating the differences in the two sets of stories featuring Barriss Offee and Morgan Elsbeth. Punch it! (Enjoy the show? For the price of a cup of coffee each month, you can support the independent creator who's been making it for near...

We're keeping away from Acolyte spoilers by checking out Tales of the Empire! Toyda, we're covering the last of the episodes, "The Way Out," which jumps us into the future with Barriss and Lyn/the Fourth Sister, but ends ambiguously - or does it? Punch it! (Enjoy the show? For the price of a cup of coffee each month, you can support the independent creator who's been making it for nearly ten years...

Yoda sure made it seem like going to the dark side was all-consuming, and that there was no coming back from it. But is that really true? Barriss Offee's experience in Tales of the Empire is just the latest example of how that's not the case. We'll discuss this in our deep dive episode tied to "Realization," and even bring in Anakin for comparison. Punch it! (Enjoy the show? For the price of a cup...

The long wait is about to end! We're getting five episodes of The Acolyte this month, and new releases in other media are also very High Republic focused. Let's discuss what's coming in the galaxy of Star Wars storytelling for June 2024. Punch it! (Enjoy the show? For the price of a cup of coffee each month, you can support the independent creator who's been making it for nearly ten years: https:/...

"Realization" is the right word for this Barriss Offee episode of Tales of the Empire, as Barriss finally understands that there are worse things in the galaxy than the Jedi Order - and not only did she help enable it, but she also became a part of it. Punch it! (Enjoy the show? For the price of a cup of coffee each month, you can support the independent creator who's been making it for nearly ten...

We don't see a lot of Barriss Offee in previous Star Wars storytelling. Her main appearances are in two arcs of the Clone Wars series - but both of them have far-reaching consequences. We'll recap those details in our deep-dive episode...  Punch it! (Enjoy the show? For the price of a cup of coffee each month, you can support the independent creator who's been making it for nearly ten years: https...

Let's flip over to the Barriss Offee side of Tales of the Empire! "Devoted" is the first episode, and we learn how Barriss went from Republic prisoner to Imperial inquisitor. Our 7-takeaway breakdown episode is here...  Punch it! (Enjoy the show? For the price of a cup of coffee each month, you can support the independent creator who's been making it for nearly ten years: https://patreon.com/sw7x7...

As opposed to "Fear" and "Anger" before it, "The Path of Hate" - the final Morgan Elsbeth episode in Tales of the Empire - answers comparartively minor questions and reminds us of much bigger questions without resolving them. But it's still fun to watch... Punch it! (Enjoy the show? For the price of a cup of coffee each month, you can support the independent creator who's been making it for nearly...

The TIE Defender turns 30 in Legends this year, and 10 in Canon! In Tales of the Empire, we learn a crucial detail about this deadly starfighter - namely, that it was designed by Morgan Elsbeth. On today's deep-dive episode, we're going to explore its Legends and Canon history. Punch it! (Enjoy the show? For the price of a cup of coffee each month, you can support the independent creator who's bee...

"The Path of Anger" is the second of three episodes featuring Morgan Eslbeth in Tales of the Empire, and it's especially notable for what it reveals about her backstory without directly *telling* us certain elements of her backstory. Today, our 7-takeaway breakdown...  Punch it! (Enjoy the show? For the price of a cup of coffee each month, you can support the independent creator who's been making...