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

In the bleakest of the Prequel Trilogy movies, the concept of hope gets weaponized by Chancellor Palpatine/Darth Sidious. He turns Anakin's worst fears into the leverage he needs to destroy the Jedi and replace Count Dooku with a newer, younger, and far more powerful apprentice. Today, the examination of hope in the Star Wars movies continues with a dive into Revenge of the Sith. Punch it! ***I'm...

In this fifth of a series looking at the nature of hope as expressed in the Star Wars movies, we're flipping the script. After all, hope isn't a concept reserved for the good guys! Today, we're looking at the hopes of the bad guys, too, as we look at Attack of the Clones. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other i...

From a Star Wars perspective, Diahann Carroll will always be remembered for the Holiday Special. But her career - including memorable roles alongside Billy Dee Williams and James Earl Jones - was nothing short of groundbreaking. Today, we remember Diahann Carroll, who passed away last week at 84. ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episo...

The reveals on Triple Force Friday weren't limited to just The Rise of Skywalker. Merchandise related to The Mandalorian and Jedi: Fallen Order also debuted, but in all honesty, we didn't learn much more than we already knew... Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.*** 

It's not about collecting the toys (though there's nothing wrong with that!) - it's about checking out the packaging and finding out all sorts of new and interesting things when the merch gets released on Triple Force Friday. Today, The Rise of Skywalker reveals... Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider...

Triple Force Friday coverage is coming soon, but in the meantime, let's talk about the Empire Magazine cover story on The Rise of Skywalker! Today, two key questions driving the story of Episode IX, according to co-writer Chris Terrio. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.*** 

The expressions of hope in The Phantom Menace are rather different from the expressions of hope in the Original Trilogy movies. A lot of that owes to the differences in the state of the Galaxy Far, Far Away during those two eras. Hope is more of a "diffuse" concept in The Phantom Menace, and instead of being personalized, the focus is more on the ripple effect that one person can create. Punch it!...

Coming back to our conversations about Return of the Jedi, we're taking a look at the final words Yoda spoke from his deathbed. He made three significant statements, and two of them have already been referenced in the Sequel Trilogy. There's more that can be read into one of those previous two, and the third one? Well, The Rise of Skywalker teaser in April already tapped into that one. Punch it! *...

This is going to be an INSANELY active month for the GFFA! From Triple Force Friday and the Journey to The Rise of Skywalker, to Star Wars Resistance Season 2 and new footage from Jedi: Fallen Order, I'm summarizing everything we know so far about what's to come this month - including the timing for when a final Rise of Skywalker trailer will debut (if Lucasfilm follows standard Imperial procedure...

On today's episode, we're going to discuss the answers to two Patron-posed questions - one that weighs heavily over The Rise of Skywalker, and one that weighs more lightly on the faces of male characters in the movies. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.*** 

The Hollywood Reporter exclusively broke the news last week that Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige would develop a Star Wars movie with Kathleen Kennedy at Lucasfilm. Here's what we know so far (very little, actually), and why the rumor mills seem to be running in the wrong direction with the story. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonu...

September did not disappoint in revealing new footage from Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order! The "Cal's Mission" video first played during the Triple Force Friday Global Livestream preview on Thursday gave us more with hero Cal Kestis versus the Inquisitorius' Second Sister, some intriguing voiceover content, and an audio Easter egg that could hint at something VERY exciting. Punch it! Here's the link...

The global livestream preview for Triple Force Friday featured a cavalcade of stars from The Rise of Skywalker, The Mandalorian, and Jedi: Fallen Order. It also dropped some interesting reveals about Zorii Bliss, other new characters, and Threepio brandishing Chewie's bowcaster. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and...

Princess Leia Organa may have been seen as an action hero from the start, with her debut in the original Star Wars. But it's during the finale of the Original Trilogy that she truly cements her action hero status. Today, an examination of just how awesome she is in Return of the Jedi. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episode...

Was there an actual plan? If so, was it insane, or insanely brilliant? I've said in the past that it was just insane, but after re-watching Return of the Jedi, I've come to the conclusion that the rescue of Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt was not only planned, but may be one of the first instances of a now-common cinematic trope. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patre...

It's part 3 of our ten-part weekly series looking into the nature of hope as it's expressed in the Star Wars movies! Today, I'm examining Return of the Jedi, which is a master manipulator of our hopes during its first act. It also features a rather remarkable act of hope in its final act - one that helps us to more clearly define the nature of hope in a galaxy not so far away. Punch it! ***I'm lis...

The Age of Resistance Special features three stories that maybe weren't "big" enough to warrant their own issues, and/or feature somewhat "secondary" characters - all the quotes because I'm not intending to cast aspersions with either of those observations. And two of the three stories could have interesting implications for The Rise of Skywalker, too. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the...

"Fight and Flight" is another Age of Resistance backstory one-shot from Marvel, this time featuring Poe Dameron! In it, we get a story that may well have been Poe's first encounter with the notion that the New Republic might not be telling everyone about the dangers it faces from the First Order - and that there's a Resistance rising to deal with it. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the c...

Remember how Finn said he used to mop the floors at Starkiller Base? Well, now you get to see it happen! And you may get a sense of how the seeds of Finn's break from the First Order were sewn in "Infestation," from the Age of Resistance series. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.*** 

Three tales that warn against the perils of greed wrap up our look at Star Wars Myths and Fables by George Mann - and all three also have ties to other works of Star Wars fiction (two of them to Cavan Scott). Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.*** 

In our second of three looks at the stories of Star Wars Myths and Fables, we're looking at the two stories featuring Batuu and Black Spire Outpost, and one straight-up ironic tale featuring a prominent villain from the Prequel Trilogy. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.*** 

In a spoiler-rific discussion of Star Wars Myths and Fables by George Mann, today we're examining the direct and meta-level connections between three of the stories, and - if one were to assume they're real (from a certain point of view), when the events that inspired them might have taken place on the timeline. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to...

Though it's not marked as such, Star Wars Myths and Fables is part of the informal "Galaxy's Edge" Lucasfilm publishing initiative, as two of its nine stories take place on Batuu, the planet where Black Spire Outpost resides. To review these, and the other seven stories - which may have been told to Luke and Leia as kids in-universe - I turned to a member of its intended audience for a certain poi...

In this second of a 10-part weekly series, I'm looking at the nature of hope as it manifests in The Empire Strikes Back. Along the way, we'll talk about the etymology of hope (more interesting than you might guess); how the rebel base on Hoth is a physical manifestation of hope; when hope is no longer part of the equation; and about the unique transfer of hope from the characters to the audience i...

Okay, for real this time! The Captain Phasma one-shot introduces us to a new planet and species in the Unknown Regions. As with the General Hux one-shot from Marvel Comics, Phasma tell us in her own words what kind of person she is - and shows us with some pretty ruthless deeds. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and...