Star Wars: Mark of Balance

After almost 3 years, Andor has finally returned. Tony Gilroy picks up right where he left off, continuing to prove that he is a master of build up and pay off with a mehtodical 3-episode arc leading to a tragic finale. Hear my thoughts on the incredible set/costume design, wordlbuilding, and character work, as well as 2 criticisms I have, one involving Cassian, and the other involving THAT scene....

2024 marked a definitive turning point in the Star Wars fandom with casual, and even die hard fans leaving in droves due to consistant low quality projects and a lack of direction at Disney and Lucasfilm. I discuss why this years failures were the biggest ever across TV, video games, and movies and why they far outshined the release of good projects like Skeleton Crew and Bad Batch's final season....

Skeleton Crew delivers an explosive finale with solid action, good performances, and great themes with a another standout episode for the musical score. However, the finale had a lot of bark and no bite from our villains and some character arcs felt underdeveloped. Hear all my thoughts on the first season of Skeleton Crew as well the future for the show. Enjoy! Subscribe to my Youtube: https://www...

Skeleton Crew's penultimate episode keeps up the momentum with Jod's dark turn being solidifed and we finally return to At Attin. The musical score is the best its been for the series with standout moments being punctuated by great tracks. I talk about my negatives surrounding the conveniences and the concerns I have going into the finale. Enjoy! Follow on Instagram: @star_wars_markofbalance Subsc...

Skeleton Crew delivers another solid character focused episode with spotlight moments for KB and Jod as we head into the penultimate episode next week. Hear my thoughts on the worldbuilding, the new character dynamics, the importance of the idea of "a Jedi", and so much more. Enjoy! Follow on Instagram: @star_wars_markofbalance

In the holiday spirit, Skeleton Crew dropped its 5th episode on Christmas Eve, and it was another solid present. We get our most radical tonal shift in the show with a satisfying twist. The sense of adventure and discovery is still front and center with great comedic moments. The episode does suffer from more conveniences but I get into why they are more easily forgiven with this show. Hear all th...

Skeleton Crew Episode 4 is another enjoyable episode directed by the Daniel's coming off their big Oscar win for "Everything Everywhere All At Once". Hear my thoughts on the great character moments, the environmental storytelling, plot conveniences that will hopefully be justified by the end of the series, some theories for the next couple epsisodes, and so much more, Enjoy! Follow on Instagram: @...

Jude Law. Thats it. Thats the review. Skeleton Crew Episode 3 takes it up a notch from the premiere episodes and delivers great comedic moments, more fascinating mysteries, and exciting chase sequences. Jude Law's character of Jod steals the show. Hear all my thoughts on these topics and more. Enjoy! Follow on Instagram: @star_wars_markofbalance

The newest live-action Star Wars show has premiered, does Disney continue to skid or does the series breath new life into the universe? Hear my thoughts on the all child cast, the immersion breaking moments, my theories for the kid's mysterious homeworld, and so much more. Enjoy! Follow on Instagram: @star_wars_markofbalance

The time has come... Hear me discuss my all time favorite arcs in Clone Wars. There are givens but maybe a dark horse or two? Ill give ya a hint, these 6 arcs all involve Clones, Ahsoka, and Manadalore. Wait thats pretty much the whole show... Enjoy! Follow on Instagram: @star_wars_markofbalance

We have entered the Top 10 (kinda). Hear me discuss this group of arcs that just miss out on the Top 6 but are still top tier Star Wars stories. This episode includes early season nostalgia filled arcs with great world building, as well as late season, mind-bending arcs. Maybe Mandalore, maybe Mortis, maybe Yoda? Listen to find out. Enjoy! Follow on Instagram: @star_wars_markofbalance

My Clone Wars Arc Rankings continue with spots #18 - 13 (again apologies for the odd ranking numbers). In this episode I may talk about Cad Bane, or maybe Maul, who knows! Come find out. Enjoy! Follow on Instagram: @star_wars_markofbalance

Who doesn't love a podcast episode solely focused on Clone Wars? In this spiritual successor to my "Top 20 Clone Wars Episodes" list, hear me discuss my rankings of all 26 Clone Wars arcs from worst to best, starting with 26-19. I know 26-19 is a weird amount but just roll with it. Enjoy! Follow on Instagram: @star_wars_markofbalance

Lego Star Wars: Rebuild The Galaxy is a 4-episode series that finds the known Star Wars galaxy all mixed up. The story follows Sig as he tries to put the galaxy back the way it was with the help of Jedi Bob and some unexpected allies. However, his alternate reality Sith brother Darth Dev, stands in his way. Hear my thoughts on how Rebuild the Galaxy uses this creative premise and Lego's signature...

Star Wars Outlaws, the new third-person action adventure open-world video game has released and the reception has been... not great. There was lots of controvery surrounding this game prior to launch namely, predatory pricing practices and the most important, being forced to play as a WOMAN (shocking I know). But I'm here to cut through all that and give it to you straight. Hear my first impressio...

Predictable. Convenient. Incoherent. Contradictory. Anti-Star Wars. All the staples are on full display for The Acolyte's Finale. The show is consistent, I will give it that. Hear my thoughts on the baffling resolution of the series as well as my thoughts on the problematic Anti-Star Wars message that it sends, embracing your dark side is a good thing when justified. Enjoy! Follow on Instagram: @s...

The penultimate episode of The Acolyte titled "Choice" finally reveals what happened 16 years ago between the Jedi and the Coven... and unsurpringly, "the mystery" is not so mysterious. This episode contains all the staples of The Acolyte, inconsistent and rushed character work, a shallow attempt at painting the Jedi as "bad", and conveniences laced throughout. Hear all my thoughts on these topics...

The Acolyte Episode 6 "Teach/Corrupt" picks up after last weeks massacre with another convenience filled episode. Qimir provides some well-needed intrigue and fills the role of an over-promising dark side user but the show has to be careful not to justify the dark side. Hear me discuss the continued poor writing in the series from the intentional vagueness to pad out the "mystery", to the convenie...

The Acolyte Episode 5 "Night" features some of the best live action lightsaber fights weve seen from Disney Star Wars. However, action cannot save a series that continually has lazy, covienence-filled writing choices, bad characterizations, and a mystery that isn't so mysterious. Hear my thoughts and examples on all of these points and more, enjoy! Follow on Instagram: @star_wars_markofbalance

The Acolyte Episode 4 "Day" is another poorly written episode filled with baffling character choices, dialogue that fails from both a technical and "Jedi-like" standpoint, and a pace that is intentionally drawn out to end on a cliffhanger while also skipping over crucial character moments. Hear my thoughts on all this, as well as my predictions for where this story may being going, Enjoy! Follow o...

Episode 3 of The Acolyte titled "Destiny" has been a highly anticipated episode of the series due to controversy surrounding the potential "canon-breaking" implications of the episode. Does the episode break canon? No, but it has the potential to go against one of the core tenants of Lucas' Star Wars. The episode fails moreso from the continued pacing issues, clunky dialogue, and lack of subtly in...

My most anticipated Star Wars show is finally here with our first glimpse at the High Republic era in the visual medium. This was a solid start, but not a great one. Even with a much higher production value, great fight choreography, and an interesting mystery, pacing issues and clunky dialogue still persist in these Disney Plus shows. Worldbuilding for the High Republic era also feels lacking. He...

In a galaxy full of pivotal moments, the "What If" concept has always been a talking point for Star Wars fans. Join myself and a frequent guest on the pod, one of my best friends, Cole Devlin, as we bounce our best "What If" scenarios off eachother. What if Mace killed Palpatine? What if Qui Gon Lived? What if Luke killed Palpatine? This is just an appetizer... Enjoy! Follow on Instagram: @star_wa...

The second season of Lucasfilm Animation's series of shorts is here with Tales of the Empire, the follow up to Tales of the Jedi. The six shorts follow Morgan Elsbeth and Barriss Offee, an unlikely selection but one I was interested in. Unfortunately, while these episodes display stellar animation, music, and compelling themes, the 3-part structure of Tales and a lackluster end to Morgan's story h...

The Bad Batch's story has finally come to close. It has been an inconsistent road but the Mark of Balance podcast has been their week-to-week ever since the premiere back on May 4th, 2021, only 4 months after this podcast begun. Does the finale have Bad Batch's typical weaknesses? Who survives? How does it set up the future of Star Wars animation? Hear all my thoughts, the good and the bad, from t...