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

We talked about some story choices Rian Johnson made in The Last Jedi that were supported by J.J. Abrams in The Rise of Skywalker. But we didn't talk about the biggest story choice of all - the one about Rey's parents. J.J. told us there would be "more to the story," and there was, but did it support or subvert what came before? You could certainly make the case that it undoes what Johnson did, bu...

The debate has already begun online about whether the story choices made by J.J. Abrams and Chris Terrio for The Rise of Skywalker enhance or undo the events of Rian Johnson's The Last Jedi. Personally, after my first viewing, I think it's pretty clear that what Abrams and company did is perfectly in line with what Johnson and company did. So on today's episode, I'm going to talk about four of the...

The end is nigh! The Rise of Skywalker debuted last night, and I was lucky enough to see it with the whole family at one of the first showings. Honestly, none of us ever know what's going to happen in life - it's entirely possible that neither you nor I might have lived long enough to see Lucasfilm bring the Skywalker Saga to an end. Not everyone has. Aside from getting to see the movie itself, th...

It is amazing how I feel lighter and happier now that I've seen The Rise of Skywalker for the first time! And I do think much of what the film critics have been saying were right - great performances by Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver, action-packed, visually dazzling, and I'll also add "funny," too. As for the rest - well, on today's episode, we're just getting started. Punch it! ***I'm listener sup...

I wish someone had said to me, before the full critics' reviews started to come online Wednesday, "This is not going to go the way you think!" And I wish I'd thought to say that in this episode of the podcast, too, but I only had the inspiration as I was writing this post to introduce this episode. So the Rotten Tomatoes critical consensus continues to fluctuate, but it's been in the fifties for m...

Well, it's out there now... The Rise of Skywalker world premiere happened in Hollywood on Monday night, and now John Boyega's lost script isn't the only source of information about the movie anymore! We're still in the "SAFE ZONE" here on the podcast, which means you can listen or watch without worrying about learning something about the movie that you're not yet ready to know. But that still give...

And here's the second half of my interview with Christian Blauvert! It's also a SAFE ZONE episode, so you can listen or watch without fear of hearing something about The Rise of Skywalker that you're not ready to learn. But speaking of learning, you'll do a lot of it when you check out How Not to Get Eaten by Ewoks (and Other Galactic Survival Skills), the guide to staying alive in a galaxy far, f...

Welcome to our latest Resistance Briefing! This is also a SAFE ZONE episode, so you can watch or listen without fear of hearing something about The Rise of Skywalker that you're not ready to know just. This episode was also recorded in the midst of a power outage, which occurred due to high winds across multiple New Hampshire counties. But the show must go on, and as long as a local cell tower sta...

Be More Lando and Be More Leia came out earlier this year from DK Books, and on today's show, I'm talking to the man behind these two titles, Christian Blauvert! Christian also wrote Be More Vader and Be More Yoda, the latter of which has skyrocketed to the top of Amazon sales thanks to the "Baby Yoda Bounce." We'll be talking about that, plus the challenges of writing books like these; what he ad...

Welcome to another Mandalorian Briefing! (And yes, this also counts as being within the SAFE ZONE, so you can listen or watch without fear of encountering anything about The Rise of Skywalker that you're not ready to hear.) On today's show, we're talking about Chapter 6, "The Prisoner." It's now the fourth out of six total episodes that doesn't advance the main story arc, and while I'm enjoying th...

Are you emotionally invested in Star Wars? If so, you may be excited for the upcoming release of The Rise of Skywalker. But maybe you're also feeling something more. Excitement, sure, but also nervousness? Sadness? Hope? All of the above, and more, and more complex? Speaking for myself, at least, it's all starting to hit me now, now that we're a week away from the release of the final movie in the...

We've been told over and over again that The Rise of Skywalker is the end of not just the sequel movies, but the end of a trilogy of trilogies - the end of the "Skywalker Saga." But what does that actually mean? In a new interview, Kathleen Kennedy says: ...'the saga' really references the Skywalker family. And that's what we're bringing to a conclusion. There is an inevitability with that because...

The Safe Zone continues! You can listen to or watch the podcast knowing that no rumors, leaks, or spoilers about The Rise of Skywalker will be discussed on the show during these final days before the movie debuts. Yesterday, we explored what we already know from trailers and interviews about The Rise of Skywalker, and how certain elements seem to be similar to things found in Return of the Jedi. T...

Welcome to the Safe Zone! The Rise of Skywalker is just 10 days away, and you can listen to or watch Star Wars 7x7 without fear. No spoilers will be shared on the show, but we will be talking about what we already know in this final run up to the end of the Skywalker Saga. On today's show: If The Force Awakens was at all similar to A New Hope (and, I would argue, also did the job of the whole preq...

It's Resistance Briefing time! The Guavian Death Gang makes another sinister return to the Star Wars Resistance festivities in "Kaz's Curse," episode 10 from season 2 of the Star Wars animated series. Things start off innocently and comically enough, with Kaz getting into a new kind of trouble with the pirates on the Colossus. The timing of that trouble is worse because it coincides with our heroe...

Continuing our series of looks at family dynamics in the Star Wars movies, on the days where the episode numbers coincide with the years of their release dates! As you might guess, Return of the Jedi is going under the microscope today, and things get really awkward at moments in the movie. Not only that, but there's also some familial connections that *don't* get made during the course of the mov...

Fill your Star Wars "bingo" card with "The Gunslinger," chapter 5 of The Mandalorian, with lots of Easter eggs and a new theory about those boots. On today's Mandalorian Briefing, I'll be running down the key details of the episode, which includes the planetary name reveal of the Bounty Hunter Guild's homeworld; another hint at the state of the galaxy; the continued fascinating casting of comedian...

The juxtaposition of new armor being forged for The Mandalorian, with flashbacks to his traumatic childhood moment, is a powerful visual metaphor. I'm exploring that today, and it also got me thinking about The Mandalorian's cinematic influences, and whether the template of the Hero's Journey applies to the story we're being told so far. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at h...

We've hit the episode number that matches the year of The Empire Strikes Back's release! On today's show, I'll be talking about how this mostly isn't a movie about family, until it's suddenly ALL about family. Along the way, we'll also talk about how the franchise earned the right to be called a "space opera," how this was basically a revenge flick until the big reveal, and how it's that *one mome...

The Mandalorian is a rather mysterious character. But with all this talk about foundlings, you have to wonder - is our Mando an actual Mandalorian? On today's show, we'll explore the evidence, which will also include a breezy trip through Mandalorian history and society. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other in...

What does "The Voxx Vortex 5000" have in common with some episodes of The Mandalorian? Or even The X-Files? I'll explain during the Resistance Briefing on episode 9 from season 2 of Star Wars Resistance. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.*** 

We've talked about hope in Star Wars - aka "A New Hope," but we haven't talked about one of the other strong themes of the movie: family. Since it's episode 1977 (the year A New Hope came out!), I thought we'd talk about the very unusual family dynamic of Star Wars - and what it has in common with the Keanu Reeves/Sandra Bullock movie Speed. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community...

The Rise of Skywalker is, of course, the headline news in Star Wars for the month of December. And there's so much more Star Wars happening this month, too! From TV to animation, books to comics, video games and retrospectives, it's shaping up to be a huge finale in 2019. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other i...

Another in-between episode of sorts, but one with more import and backstory fulfillment this time around. It's "Sanctuary," chapter 4 from season 1 of The Mandalorian. And on today's Mandalorian Briefing, we'll also be talking about what's left to do in the show, now that we've hit the halfway point. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access...

In the last week, we've gotten multiple new commercials for The Rise of Skywalker, a series of Good Morning America segments, and a "Special Look" video. We'll talk about all of it today, and listen - I don't know about you, but I think I've hit my limit as far as new Rise of Skywalker reveals go... Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access t...