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

Two rather big names in Star Wars publishing and podcasting join me for interviews at Star Wars Celebration Chicago! On today's episode, Coffee With Kenobi's Dan Zehr and Fantha Tracks' Mark Newbold share what they know for sure when it comes to Star Wars. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.*...

Tim McMahon and Dennis Keithly have supported me and Star Wars 7x7 since the early days of the show, as friends, podcasters, and Patrons. I got to see them both at Star Wars Celebration Chicago, and put them both through the one-question interview ringer. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.**...

As far as legends go, Lorne Peterson is right up there. He was a founding member of Industrial Light and Magic, won an Academy Award for visual effects, was deeply involved in the model making for the Original and Prequel Trilogies ... and was so kind and generous with his time at Star Wars Celebration Chicago. Today, his answer to the one-question interview. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! J...

Where could that lightsaber have come from? And what's with the asymmetrical stormtrooper helmet? The cover art for the upcoming YA novel "Force Collector" is perhaps the most mysterious of all the elements revealed about the Journey to The Rise of Skywalker publishing initiative. I'll examine those mysteries and more today... Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patre...

Disney CEO Bob Iger held court during Disney's "Q2 FY19 Earnings Results Webcast" yesterday, and I listened to it so you wouldn't have to! On today's episode, here's everything Star-Wars-related that you need to know - plus a lesser-known bit of news from last August that ties into the new stuff we learned. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get...

Back in December (episode #1,615, to be precise), I looked at how things were unfolding and predicted that it wouldn't be until 2022 that we'd see the next Star Wars movie after the end of the Skywalker Saga. Yesterday, The Walt Disney Company announced their latest film release schedule and the next Star Wars movie comes out in ... 2022. Then 2024 and 2026, and I'll examine the release schedule i...

On May the 4th, Lucasfilm revealed its plans for the Journey to The Rise of Skywalker publishing initiative - and surprisingly, many of the significant stories won't be dropping until well after the Triple Force Friday event on October 4th. Today, those major stories and more, including a tentative timeline for how some of them unfold between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker. Punch it! ***I...

Getting back to the conversations we were having about Star Wars audio dramas last week, I'm sharing my one-question interviews from Star Wars Celebration Chicago today with Nick Martorelli (producer, Penguin Random House Audio) and Marc Thompson (voice actor and audiobook narrator). Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes...

Happy Revenge of the Fifth! Today, I'm sharing my interview on CTV News in Canada, during which I got to thank Canada for hosting the first organized Star Wars Day event. We also talk about Star Wars Day in California, Galaxy's Edge, The Mandalorian, and The Rise of Skywalker. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and ot...

More international versions of "The Rise of Skywalker" have been released - at least, as far as releasing the name of the movie in different languages. And as with The Last Jedi, we're bound to misunderstand this one, too. A hot take on the Polish version, and consideration of whether the French and Spanish versions support or contradict it. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community...

A former hospital orderly, he brought to life an iconic character on the silver screen, and his influence will continue to be as legendary as the mighty Wookiee himself. Peter Mayhew passed away on April 30th, family by his side, at the age of 74. Today, statements from his family, Star Wars creators and cast members, and a personal thought or two on the occasion of his passing. ***I'm listener su...

Kudos to the production team of Dooku: Jedi Lost, who buried some audio Easter eggs in the recording, and who really took the storytelling up to a new and visceral level. There's a scene midway through the audio drama I'll be talking about today, and sharing a creepy excerpt as an example... Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus...

Before we get to the deep dive into Dooku: Jedi Lost, my one-question interview with the author of that excellent audio drama, Cavan Scott. (The reason for the change in schedule is personal - our Video Production Assistant Padme - an Australian Shepherd mix puppy - had two grand mal seizures yesterday. She's home and seemingly okay now, but that threw a spanner in the works, so to speak.)  

It's here! The audio-only drama Dooku: Jedi Lost debuts today, and I've got the non-spoiler review here for you. Also - a lot of puzzles are present in the few quick shots we get of Leia and Rey in The Rise of Skywalker teaser. Let's suss 'em out. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.*** 

Ranking Star Wars movies, adding non-Star-Wars movies into the mix, and a non-spoiler take on Avengers: Endgame and what it means for The Rise of Skywalker in this month's Patreon Q&A episode. 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 First Order Treadspeeder in action, the other moons of Yavin and Endor, what Poe's wounded arm means for the order of events, and much more in the second part of our look at what's been missed or misconstrued about The Rise of Skywalker teaser trailer. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.*...

From the moment we hear Luke's voice in The Rise of Skywalker teaser, we're being misled by J.J. Abrams and company. And no one else is talking about this! On today's episode, there's a lot happening in those desert scenes that's either been missed or misconstrued by a lot of other folks posting breakdown stories and Easter egg videos and whatnot, and I'm setting the record straight. Punch it! ***...

Time Magazine is still perpetuating the claim that The Rise of Skywalker takes place one year after The Last Jedi. That, and other claims about the timeframe in between the two movies, is the subject of today's show. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.*** 

If you saw season 4 of Star Wars Rebels, you might answer "time travel." But let's take that one off the table, and consider how else the lightsaber Rey inherited from Luke could "live" to see action in The Rise of Skywalker. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.*** 

Adam Driver, Lupita N'yongo, and Domhnall Gleeson weren't at Celebration Chicago for The Rise of Skywalker panel, but we know who they're playing. Keri Russell, Richard E. Grant, and Matt Smith weren't there, either, and we DON'T know who they're playing. So let's dig into that where we can... Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonu...

It's always a joy to chat with Todd van der Heyden about Star Wars news, and my latest opportunity happened this past weekend! Todd invited me onto CTV News' "Viewpoints" syndicated radio show, and the excerpt I'm sharing today includes topics I haven't talked a lot about on my own show in the wake of Celebration Chicago. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.co...

Not long after The Rise of Skywalker panel at Star Wars Celebration Chicago, J.J. Abrams revealed in interviews that they met with George Lucas prior to writing the script for Episode IX. That may sound like a big deal (and it is, for reasons I'll explain), but we need to remember that he was consulted about this movie long before Rian Johnson's The Last Jedi debuted. Punch it! ***I'm listener sup...

In an interview after the Episode IX panel at Star Wars Celebration, director J.J. Abrams was asked about Rey's parents, and he actually had a bit of a teaser to share about that topic. I'm breaking his response into three parts and analyzing each for what it means to The Rise of Skywalker - and The Last Jedi. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to g...

Star Wars planets are often treated as having only one climate, and we know where the only two Death Stars blew up. So we can speculate about which Death Star we're seeing a fragment of in The Rise of Skywalker trailer, and what planet it might be on. I've got two strong prequel-era candidates, which are also remarkably near to two other significant planets... Punch it! ***I'm listener supported!...

Continuing a tradition here on the show, I'm analyzing the teaser trailer for The Rise of Skywalker to determine how many planets we're seeing in the newly-released footage. One of them takes up the lion's share of the footage, and I'm making my strongest case yet for what that planet is. Plus, another milestone I've hit that goes beyond 1,750 episodes, and a fun Palpatine fact I didn't share with...