Talking Star Wars

In this episode, our hosts return to the podcast to analyze and discuss the newest entry into Star Wars cinema: The Mandalorian and Grogu. Connor and Alex review the plot of the film, discussing how its stakes and structure compare to both other films and its roots as a television show, and then dive deeper into character growth, villains, cinematography, and ties to the greater Star Wars universe...

In this episode, returning from hiatus, our hosts Connor and Alex kick things off in 2026 with a survey of Vision Season 3. They review each individual episode and analyze its themes, tone, plot, and how it works as a broader piece of Star Wars fiction. Season 3 of Visions is notable for containing direct continuations from Season 1, as each episode in Season 3 was produced by a Japanese animation...

This episode dives into a staple of science fiction, faster-than-light travel, and explores how this subject is handled in the Star Wars universe. The hosts analyze both the established traits of hyperspace (the need for precise calculations, the speed of the travel, the aesthetic of the stars smearing into lines in a cockpit) as well as how hyperspace is used as a plot device. To hear more about...

Join us today for the first Pride episode of Talking Star Wars! Alex and Connor take this time to explore the evolution of queer representation in the Star Wars universe: from the potential subtext of C-3PO and RD-D2 in the original trilogy to the wide range of trans, non-binary, and queer individuals present in the High Republic, the hosts discuss the importance of representation even in (or espe...

This episode continues the hosts’ annual tradition of a Star Wars celebration and a focus on the positive and enjoyable sides of a galaxy far, far away. While the podcast series does often delve into analysis and critique, today is all about emphasizing the positive. Listen now to hear about who Alex and Connor this is the Star Wars character with the best fashion sense; who the most loveable droi...

In this episode, Alex and Connor delve into the world of Star Wars: Legends. With the reintroduction of Thrawn, mentions of Darth Revan, and hints at a Rakatan Empire, many aspects of the former Legends continuity have been phased back into the current version of the Star Wars universe. However, there are parts of Legends that don’t hold up as well, and the hosts delve into those aspects of Legend...

In this next installment in the Genre Intersection series of episodes, the hosts explore the world of Star Wars through a very specific lens - does the core of Star Wars lean more towards being a fantasy story at its heart, or science fiction? What aspect of genre are most important - themes, aesthetics, story structure, or something else? Could there be an acceptable version of Star Wars that is...

This episode explores a unique and infamous trait of Star Wars - that of the minor background character with the rich, hidden, and deep lore (or those that steal the show). From Boba Fett to cantina patrons to droids on secret missions, the hosts sketch out their favorite or more bizarre side characters that add a particular richness to a galaxy far far away. As a bonus, Alex and Connor discuss th...

In this episode our hosts discuss the latest visual media released into the Star Wars canon - Skeleton Crew , a piratical and coming-of-age story set post- Return of the Jedi that shows us a galaxy far, far away through fresh eyes. Connor and Alex recommend Skeleton Crew for almost any pirate fan, both for its tightly paced story, compelling characters, and (relatively) small stakes allowing the d...

Back from a 2024 holiday break, the hosts resume this season of Talking Star Wars with a discussion of preferred viewing orders of the Star Wars films, from release order to chronological order and everything in-between. They compare this trend in varied viewing orders with other media where media is released non-linearly (such as Lord of the Rings and Halo), and also turn the discussion to variou...

Hello listeners! Just a quick update today that Connor and Alex will be taking a break for the holidays in 2024, with episodes resuming in January 2025! Season 2 of Talking Star Wars proper will finish out with a dozen and a half new episodes, and then our next mini-season will delve into Lord of the Rings before we return to a galaxy far, far away. Stay tuned! Thank you for listening to Talking S...

This episode delves into another aspect of the most iconic weapon in Star Wars by exploring the history, variety, and symbolism of this hallmark of the Jedi and Sith alike. We explore the various color of canonical lightsabers, from traditional blue, green, and red to the more exotic black, white, orange, purple, and yellow. Along the way, we discuss the first depiction of each lightsaber color an...

In this episode the hosts take us through the currently-recently audio dramas in the Star Wars canon: Dooku: Jedi Lost, Tempest Runner, and The Battle of Jedha . Alex and Connor explore the difference between an audio book and audio drama and provide an overview of each audio piece currently released. From the meandering decades-long and nested tale of Dooku, to the more recent High Republic stori...

This episode spotlights the character of Leia Organa from both the original and sequel trilogies as well as all media set around and in between those eras. The hosts examine Leia both in-universe as a capable, driven woman with unquestioned leadership ability and ironclad drive (while also being a princess, a sister, and eventually a wife and mother) while also acknowledging that she is the only f...

This episode surveys a unique part of the Star Wars setting - giant monsters and creatures that exclusively live in the black void of space itself. Connor and Alex talk about the majestic Purgill (space whales), the enigmatic and enormous exogorth (space worm) and the apex predator of the space lanes, the suma-verminoth. The hosts explore the depiction of each of these enormous creatures and how t...

In this episode, Connor and Alex discuss the varied ways the Star Wars has handled the depiction of characters in visual media when the original actor who played them has aged out of the role - from recasting, in the case of Han Solo, to digital de-aging, to wholesale CGI replacement of an actor’s face with a recreation of another actor’s. In general, our hosts are more in favor of letting a new a...

This slightly more somber episode of Talking Star Wars is in honor of the late James Earl Jones, the voice of Darth Vader. The hosts explore both the reasons Darth Vader himself has become and remained one of the most recognizable villains and characters in all of popular culture, and how Mr. Jones’ depiction contributed to this legacy. The hosts also each opine on the most powerful spoken lines i...

In this episode, Connor takes the lead and explores the subject of fanediting in Star Wars - the process of taking the raw footage of media and rearranging, editing, altering, and adjusting scenes, audio, and more. We explore both the subject of George Lucas as the very first ‘faneditor’ and review the continual updates the original trilogy in particular have received via CGI since the 90s as well...

In this episode, the hosts take a step back from an in-universe perspective and analyze what was happening in the world during the release of each of the trilogies of movies that comprise the Skywalker Saga. They explore the influence of 70s cinema and the post-Vietnam era on the production of the original trilogy, which was released in the divided world of the Cold War period; the turn-of-the-mil...

This episode resumes the hosts’ survey and discussion of each work in the current Star Wars canon by going over the next group of novels in release order. This episode discusses the works released in the leadup to The Mandalorian and filling in the gaps about the fall of the Empire, the books released as a tie-in to the opening of the Galaxy’s Edge park at Disney and exploring the planet of Batuu,...

In our continuing series of character spotlights highlighting interesting characters from the Star Wars Universe and analyzing both their in-universe traits and how they function as a character in the greater narrative, this episode dives into the half-life of General Grievous, supreme military commander of the armed forces of the Confederacy of Independent Systems during The Clone Wars. A Kaleesh...

In this episode, our hosts take a look at the most recent visual media series released in the Star Wars Universe: The Acolyte . Connor and Alex provide an overview and investigation of the plot of the series, from the Rashomon -style episodes portraying the events on Brendok, to the way noir mystery influences the first several episodes, to the beautifully choreographed fight scenes spread through...

This episode continues the series’ ongoing look at mythical and exotic materials in the Star Wars Universe, after exploring the role of kyber crystals last week, but expanding on the use and cultural significance of both beskar (used primarily in the forging of Mandalorian armor) and cortosis (notoriously one of the only materials in the Star Wars setting that can deactivate and counteract a Jedi’...

This episode of the first of a two-part series on exotic and mythic materials of Star Wars, this installment investigates the depiction and role played by kyber crystals play in the galaxy far far away. First, the hosts explore the works that explain and show the role of kyber crystals in Star Wars, from the lightsabers of Jedi and Sith to their (mis)use as the primary component of the Death Star’...

This episode explores the dark mirror to the Jedi’s ability to return as Force Ghosts by examining how the Sith can attempt to prolong their lives by binding their souls to objects as well as by binding the souls of others as servants. From the ancient mask of Exim Panshard that can possess its wearer, to the desperate remnant of The Grand Inquisitor lingering on long after his death, listen now t...