"Replacements," episode 3 of Star Wars: The Bad Batch, is hardly about The Batch at all. What it does do, though, is reveal just how ambitious this series intends to be. (Very ambitious indeed.) Punch it!

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It's George Lucas's 77th birthday! Today, some fun facts from his life and career that don't get discussed as often as his Star Wars work (but yes, a bunch of Star Wars stuff as well). Punch it!

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In two episodes of Star Wars: The Bad Batch, we've learned so much more about the clone inhibitor chips, how they work, and why they fail. Punch it!

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Chain codes, Solo vibes, an old clone friend, a new Imperial menace, and Tech and Echo getting tetchy - that and more in "Cut and Run" from Star Wars: The Bad Batch. Punch it!

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Not too long ago, Ewan McGregor sat for a long interview with The Hollywood Reporter. And some of the things he shared about the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series are almost as good as if they'd come from Lucasfilm itself. Punch it!

Here's a link to the full interview:
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/ewan-mcgregor-obi-wan-star-wars-halston-4174111/

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Today, it's the second half of my new conversation with author Amy Ratcliffe, as we discuss one of her latest books, The Art of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. Punch it!

As I mentioned yesterday, the questions I had prepared for her didn't necessarily get asked and answered in the order presented below, but this was the plan:

Fans may be familiar with other Art of… books like the ones for the movies or The Mandalorian. How is Art of SWGE similar to those live-action-focused books, and how is it different?

What kinds of parameters did you have for the writing of the book? Were you character-limited within certain layouts, for example, or did you have the license to write as much as needed to be written?

You’ve previously written about the book coming together “in layers” – can you talk about that process?

You had the benefit of spending a significant amount of time at both Galaxy’s Edge locations prior to the pandemic. What surprised you the most to learn about Galaxy’s Edge as a result of writing this book, from both a broad overview perspective and from a most-amazing-little-detail-they-thought-of perspective?

Fair to say that you conducted dozens of interviews for the book? If you had to pick one or two of them from which you learned the most about Galaxy’s Edge (or specific elements of it) that you didn’t previously know, or that you found particularly exciting, which were they?

Will people learn more about the story of Galaxy’s Edge, from the perspective of how it fits into the storytelling timeline?

For someone who reads this book and has never been to Galaxy’s Edge, what do you hope this book will provide? And for the person who’s already been?

And, as promised, here's where you can keep up with Amy:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/amy_geek
Substack: https://amyratcliffe.substack.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/amy_geek

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She's back! Amy Ratcliffe returns to Star Wars 7x7 to discuss one of her latest books, The Art of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. Today, the first half of our conversation. Punch it!

The questions I had prepared for her didn't necessarily get asked and answered in the order presented here, but this was the plan:

Fans may be familiar with other Art of… books like the ones for the movies or The Mandalorian. How is Art of SWGE similar to those live-action-focused books, and how is it different?

What kinds of parameters did you have for the writing of the book? Were you character-limited within certain layouts, for example, or did you have the license to write as much as needed to be written?

You’ve previously written about the book coming together “in layers” – can you talk about that process?

You had the benefit of spending a significant amount of time at both Galaxy’s Edge locations prior to the pandemic. What surprised you the most to learn about Galaxy’s Edge as a result of writing this book, from both a broad overview perspective and from a most-amazing-little-detail-they-thought-of perspective?

Fair to say that you conducted dozens of interviews for the book? If you had to pick one or two of them from which you learned the most about Galaxy’s Edge (or specific elements of it) that you didn’t previously know, or that you found particularly exciting, which were they?

Will people learn more about the story of Galaxy’s Edge, from the perspective of how it fits into the storytelling timeline?

For someone who reads this book and has never been to Galaxy’s Edge, what do you hope this book will provide? And for the person who’s already been?

And, as promised, here's where you can keep up with Amy:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/amy_geek
Substack: https://amyratcliffe.substack.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/amy_geek

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Life (and Star Wars!) marches ever onward, and on today's milestone episode, a little look back and a lot of thanks to a special group of people who helped get me here. Punch it!

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Omega is still a mystery after the premiere of The Bad Batch, but certain elements of her character were discussed in the episode, as well as hints about her genetic enhancements... Punch it!

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The appearance of a certain padawan in The Bad Batch season premiere implies we'll have a lot more guest stars in this series - and also raises continuity questions. Punch it!

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They did the job they set out to do! The Bad Batch premiered on Star Wars Day, and in this non-spoiler review, we'll talk about the primary goals of this kickoff and how well they achieved them. Punch it!

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Happy May the 4th!!! We're wrapping up a week+ of looks back at interviews from Star Wars Celebration Anaheim in 2015 with this conversation, featuring Chris Taylor. Punch it!

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The penultimate episode in our series of looks back at interviews from Star Wars Celebration Anaheim in 2015 features the inimitable and endlessly energetic Chris Pirillo. Punch it!

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We're in the home stretch of a series of looks back at conversations from Star Wars Celebration Anaheim, and today we're featuring prolific podcaster Meg Humphrey. Punch it!

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Not only does Jordan White share his "Why Star Wars?" answer here from Celebration Anaheim in 2015, he also shares the moment he found out that Star Wars was coming back to Marvel - and that he'd be the editor. Punch it!

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Sarah Woloski of Skywalking Through Neverland and Fangirls Going Rogue is the latest interviewee in our series of recollections about Star Wars from Celebration Anaheim in 2015. Punch it!

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We're at the halfway point in our series of blasts from the past! Here's the first of multiple conversations with Star Wars sound and music master David W. Collins. Punch it!

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Welcome back for another flashback from the interviews at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim in 2015! Today, I'm sharing the first of what would become many conversations on the show, with Star Wars author and Nerdist managing editor Amy Ratcliffe. Punch it!

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What a ride it's been! Matt Martin has gone from social media maven for Star Wars to a key member of the Lucasfilm Story Group since this interview from Celebration Anaheim in 2015. Punch it!

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Today, day 2 of a fun look back at interviews from Star Wars Celebration Anaheim in 2015, this time featuring Fangirls Going Rogue's Tricia Barr, who's also a Star Wars author and much more. Punch it!

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Once upon a time - in 2015 at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim, to be specific - I interviewed Justin Bolger, who's had an amazing journey since then. Punch it!

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In our latest "What to Watch Now" segment, we check out some memorable moments from the first half of season 3 of the Clone Wars "2D" cartoon from back in the day. Punch it!

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On a new "potpourri" episode, we're following up on a couple of new news items, including a long-awaited VR announcement and a Hollywood trades rumor about a Kenobi cast addition. Punch it!

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Did you know? The Greater Good audiobook is as long as Victory's Price, even though the hardcover book is fifty pages shorter! There's a good reason why, and we'll discuss that and more today... Punch it!

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There's a line from the Batman movie The Dark Knight where Harvey Dent talks about the heroes and villains of stories. And what he says is the exact opposite of what's happened with Thrawn in the new novels. Punch it!

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Thrawn fans will have more to love from Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy: Greater Good, and may find the expansion of the novel's focus beyond the titular Chiss to be, in its way, even more compelling. Punch it!

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In our latest Mando Memo, we talk about the levels of characters (main, recurring, featured, guest) as a way in to talk about some characters we haven't yet discussed... Punch it!

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In today's Spinner Sunday installment, we take a look at the conclusion of the High Republic short story "First Duty" and use it as a jumping-off point for a brief meditation on the types of stories you can tell within Star Wars. Punch it!

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Last week on our "What to Watch Now" segment, we talked about the first season of the "vintage" Clone Wars. Now, let's talk about season 2. Punch it!

(Here's the mantra from Luminara Unduli I thought was noteworthy, which she recites as Barriss Offee assembles her lightsaber on Ilum:)

The crystal is the heart of the blade
The heart is the crystal of the Jedi
The Jedi are the crystal of the Force
The Force is the blade of the heart

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There's a rumor that the long-lost Star Wars Detours series is not only coming to Disney+, but with extra episodes. Today, some background and what else I'm hearing about this... Punch it!

Here's where the current story originated from...
https://www.thevulcanreporter.com/exclusives/star-wars-detours-disney-plus-release/

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About 900 episodes ago, I made some predictions about Clone Wars season 7. (Logic? Sound. Results? Mixed.) But the actual results of season 7, and what's happened since, may indicate how Lucasfilm is approaching new stories to come. Punch it!

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NFTs - "non-fungible tokens" - are becoming quite the rage. They basically take a digital item and make it "the" one official version of the item. The NBA is making a mint with it - will it happen with Star Wars? Punch it!

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Wave I of Phase I of The High Republic mega-story epic is almost complete! Today, we recap what's included in Wave I; preview the first titles in Wave II; and note two new authors as well as two missing ones. Punch it!

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What we learn about Ahsoka Tano from season 2 of The Mandalorian comes more by inference than direct knowledge. And that may tell us a bit about Bo-Katan and Grogu, too. Punch it!

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On another Spinner Sunday installment, we look at a story about Darth Maul trying to keep his rage in check prior to the events of The Phantom Menace - and doing very poorly at it. Punch it!

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In our latest "What to Watch Now" segment, we start to look at the "Star Wars Vintage" additions to Disney+, starting with season 1 of Star Wars: Clone Wars. Punch it!

We'll be talking about the genesis of that series, the chief story and side stories of season 1, how a certain side story is now canon again, and more...

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A fully non-spoiler update, which includes talk about the unauthorized aerial on-location set photos; plus a look at the previous work of the show's writers and directors, and what that suggests for the kind of show Andor will be. Punch it!

And if you want to see them, here's the link to those aerial photos:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-9401607/Star-Wars-Andor-filming-takes-place-Buckinghamshire-village.html

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Rumors about the Ahsoka series and questions about who's responsible for finding Ezra Bridger fuel this episode, and maybe we've been thinking the wrong way about that Rebels finale... Punch it!

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The VERY unauthorized drive through an on-location set, purported to be for the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, opens up a conversation about how Disney+ series are filmed, and where... Punch it!

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Sarah Kuhn, Emily Woo Zeller, and the full Penguin Random House Audio cast and crew did a great job expanding the Doctor Aphra comics story into an audiodrama last year. I wish I could say the addition of the script release made it feel like a "both" rather than an "either/or." I'll explain on the show today... Punch it!

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Fennec Shand tripled her episode appearances in season 2 of The Mandalorian! Not only did we learn a bit more about her, we've also learned that she's going to play an even bigger role in Star Wars storytelling. Punch it!

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Did you know that 2021 is Lucasfilm's 50th anniversary? I feel like I just clued into it finally with the Del Rey "Essential Legends" announcement. But they've been talking about it since last December... Punch it!

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Old movies and cartoons on Disney+, new books and comics, and a couple more things to talk about in our monthly preview of what's coming to Star Wars storytelling this month. Punch it!

We don't cover all the categories this month, because there's not notable news in all of them, but for the refresher, here's what they are...

Movies
Live-action TV
Animation
Books
Audiobooks
Comics
Virtual Reality
Video Games
Experiential (Events/Conventions/Parks)
Merchandise

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The April Fool's Day episode is one of my favorites of the year! On today's show, I'll break down what was real and what was fake from yesterday's "reveals." Punch it!

In case you're interested, here's a look back at the episodes I did for previous April Fool's Days:

2020: Episode 2,098: BREAKING: Project Luminous Resets Star Wars Canon
http://sw7x7.com/episode-2098-breaking-project-luminous-resets-star-wars-canon/

2019: Episode 1,732: “Special Edition” Phantom Menace Re-Release Details
http://sw7x7.com/episode-1732-special-edition-phantom-menace-re-release-details/

2018: Episode 1,367: Yoda, Luke, and the Secret Within the Jedi Library
http://sw7x7.com/episode-1367-yoda-luke-secret-within-jedi-library/

2017: Episode 1,002: Pablo Hidalgo to Lead Hasbro’s New Transformers Story Group
http://sw7x7.com/episode-1002-pablo-hidalgo-lead-hasbros-new-transformers-story-group/

2016: Episode 637: Breaking: Episode VIII to Film on the International Space Station!
http://sw7x7.com/episode-637-breaking-episode-viii-to-film-on-the-international-space-station/

2015: Fun fact about the show - this was the first April Fool's Day in the show's history, and I didn't do an April Fool's Day episode! Obviously, I rectified that in subsequent years. :-)

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Since the 2014 reboot, Lucasfilm has been bringing elements of the Star Wars Holiday Special (Mando's rifle, Chewie's family, Life Day) back into the canon. Here's what they plan to do next. Punch it!

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Saw Gerrera! Captain Rex! Omega? So many surprises in the new Bad Batch trailer, plus a little more mystery, and a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment with Hunter and Fennec that may shed light on her role. Punch it!

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No loose ships on this starship! The cast of the Obi-Wan Kenobi series was announced yesterday, and of the ten newly confirmed folks, only one had been previously rumored. Punch it!

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If there's one character about whom there are more unanswered questions than any other in The Mandalorian, it's Boba Fett. That said, the mystery of his boots seems to have been solved... Punch it!

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In the second half of my conversation with Victory's Price narrator January LaVoy, we talk about the difference in working on Star Wars versus anything else, and the discussion goes in an unexpected and important direction.

Here's her official bio:

An Audiofile Magazine “Golden Voice” since May 2019, January has an extensive body of work in both narration and commercial voiceover. With hundreds of audiobook titles to her credit, she has received more than thirty Earphones Awards, eighteen Audie Award nominations (including seven wins), and was named Publishers Weekly's "Audiobook Narrator of the Year" for 2013. Her voice has been heard in national campaigns for products such as Revlon, Toll House, United Health Care, Dannon, Asthma.com, Home Depot, and Obama for America.

January's tweets are protected, but she does screen and welcome new followers:
https://twitter.com/justjanuary

And you can also keep up with her work at JanuaryLaVoy.com!

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January LaVoy is an award-winning audiobook narrator, and she's here to talk about her work on Victory's Price, the conclusion of Alexander Freed's Alphabet Squadron Trilogy. Punch it!

This is the first of a two-part conversation, and in this part, we'll be talking about conventions (the live event kind), her process in preparing for narration in general and Victory's Price in specific, her take on the story of Victory's Price, and the characters she found fun or challenging to perform...

Here's her official bio:

An Audiofile Magazine “Golden Voice” since May 2019, January has an extensive body of work in both narration and commercial voiceover. With hundreds of audiobook titles to her credit, she has received more than thirty Earphones Awards, eighteen Audie Award nominations (including seven wins), and was named Publishers Weekly's "Audiobook Narrator of the Year" for 2013. Her voice has been heard in national campaigns for products such as Revlon, Toll House, United Health Care, Dannon, Asthma.com, Home Depot, and Obama for America.

January's tweets are protected, but she does screen and welcome new followers:
https://twitter.com/justjanuary

And you can also keep up with her work at JanuaryLaVoy.com!

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Yes, Bo-Katan needs to take the Darksaber from Din Djarin in legitimate combat. But he doesn't want to fight her. So who's going to fight for the right to rule Mandalore, and how will that affect our Mando? Punch it!

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Yes, we're covering it all in today's episode, because it's all tidbits of news that, by themselves, wouldn't warrant a whole show. Punch it!

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In which we discuss profit sharing among the Mandalorians, as well as the "not publishing" of two Mandalorian books "at this time" for "scheduling" reasons - and what that may actually mean. Punch it!

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We learned precious little about the Way of the Mandalore in season 1 of The Mandalorian - and we learned that rules were made to be broken in season 2. Punch it!

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In the first of our Mando Memo looks at Din Djarin - aka The Mandalorian - we note that in season 2, he did practically no bounty hunting work! So today, we commence with an examination of his finances. Punch it!

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"Starlight: First Duty" by Cavan Scott is a new High Republic story that introduces us to a lot of major players on the Starlight Beacon, and becomes a shocking mystery at its cliffhanger... Punch it!

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Surprise! Some classic Star Wars content - no longer "canon," but still - is coming to Disney+ next month. We'll talk about when, and what, and also what's still missing. Punch it!

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Gone since 2016, back in a new form in 2021! The Star Wars character popularity tournament returns - I'll look at previous winners and the new version today. Plus, an amazing Legends story bracket vote... Punch it!

The story on the LEGO Star Wars Minifigure Madness event is here:
https://www.starwars.com/news/the-lego-star-wars-minifigure-madness-tournament

I'm guessing these characters for the winners ... and I'd love to see your predictions, too!

Light Side bracket: Grogu
Droids bracket: R2-D2
Dark Side bracket: Darth Vader
Allies & Adversaries bracket: The Mandalorian
Finalists: Grogu and The Mandalorian
Winner: Grogu

Also, check out the "The Best Star Wars: Legends Story of All Time" brackets by @LukeIsAmazing on Twitter - Round 3 of the "Tom Veitch & Kevin J. Anderson Group" is happening now:
https://twitter.com/lukeisamazing/status/1372546026406563840

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Since we talked about the luckiest non-major characters in Star Wars live-action stories yesterday, it only seemed fitting for today to nominate characters as the unluckiest of the bunch. Punch it!

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Happy St. Patrick's Day! Without picking any "main" characters, who would you say are the luckiest characters in live-action Star Wars stories? I've got my nominations, and I'd love to hear yours. Punch it!

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Here's what new over the past few weeks about the Kenobi series, which also - we can't help it! - gives us reasons to discuss the Andor series, The Book of Boba Fett, and season 3 of The Mandalorian. Punch it!

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Moff Gideon, as we know, was a member of the Imperial Security Bureau during The Great Purge of Mandalore. And when you know what the ISB was responsible for, you begin to understand the greater danger Moff Gideon really presents. Punch it!

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Connections to the TIE Fighter series, the origin story of a bounty hunter, a perfect scoundrel setup, and similarities to the early career of Alphabet Squadron's Yrica Quell, all in the series that sheds light on Han Solo's days as an Imperial Cadet. Punch it!

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I say "watch" because the presentation was audio, but we put the key Star Wars parts into fun little waveforms! There's an aspect of the Kathleen Kennedy news that I haven't seen talked about, and it's a pretty big deal... Punch it!

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Is Moff Gideon working for someone? Is he secretly "the Volunteer"? When did the Great Purge happen, since he played some unknown role in it? We'll explore these and more... Punch it!

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Why is Moff Gideon overseeing similar experiments to those the Sith Eternal were doing for Emperor Palpatine? And who's the mysterious "volunteer" they're doing it for? Punch it!

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The place where Grogu was being held was the biggest open secret in the sector. Just ask Kuill! But who were those Nikto mercenaries working for, and why did Moff Gideon not use his own forces to get Grogu? Punch it!

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In yesterday's episode, we pointed out that Moff Gideon is at the heart of many of The Mandalorian's biggest mysteries. Today, we start examining those by exploring the history of the Dark Trooper - and how did he get them, anyway? Punch it!

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Moff Gideon - played with fierce joy by Giancarlo Esposito - appeared in more episodes in season 2 of The Mandalorian than any other supporting character. Here's what we learned about him... Punch it!

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A good pair of stories well told, "TIE Fighter" is an Alphabet Squadron prequel only loosely connected to the novel trilogy's story, taking place just before the fall of the Empire. Punch it!

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From the mischief in Alec Guinness' eyes and smile, to Peter Cushing screwing up a line, to a guy yelling Vader's lines from offscreen who sounds just like Rick Moranis, Star Wars outtakes and bloopers are delightful. It's the latest entry in our "What to Watch Now" series... Punch it!

Here's the main one I mentioned on the show...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3c7dI0JOgzc

And here's the much longer one...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNfIQVplY9U

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Three books, three narrators! Unusual, to be sure, and on today's episode of the show, we'll talk about January LaVoy's performance in the audiobook of Victory's Price. Punch it!

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An interview Alexander Freed gave at the very start of the Alphabet Squadron launch hints strongly at important themes in Victory's Price. Also, a discussion of the key differences in the defector journeys of Yrica Quell and Battlefront II's Iden Versio. Punch it!

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When you call your book "Victory's Price," it shouldn't come as a surprise that readers are concerned for the fates of their favorite characters...

On today's episode, we're NOT going to reveal who lives and who dies in Victory's Price, the final novel in the Alphabet Squadron trilogy. But we know the Rebellion/New Republic will win the war, and we can talk about the toll it's taken on our heroes up till now, while considering the challenges they're about to face. Punch it!

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Moving confidently between epic battles and interpersonal dramas, Alexander Freed concludes the Alphabet Squadron trilogy in spectacular fashion with Victory's Price. Punch it!

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Animation, books, audiobooks, and comics are the main storytelling avenues where we know new things are coming in March 2021. We'll talk about those, and other places where news may be due. Punch it!

We don't cover all the categories this month, because there's not notable news in all of them, but for the refresher, here's what they are...

Movies
Live-action TV
Animation
Books
Audiobooks
Comics
Virtual Reality
Video Games
Experiential (Events/Conventions/Parks)
Merchandise

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If there's one thing that's clear from what we're highlighting in the "What to Watch Now" feature today, it's the joy that everyone brings and feels to making The Mandalorian. Punch it!

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I debated whether it was worth saying anything on the podcast about me getting COVID, but in case just one person listening needs to hear a "stay strong" kind of message right now, well, here we go.

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There's not one "thing" that makes Star Wars "Star Wars," but Force users are such a strong part that - if post-Skywalker-Saga storytelling didn't include them - then Star Wars would be lacking something crucial. Punch it!

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We're continuing our look at post-Skywalker-Saga storytelling, and the trends we're seeing from Lucasfilm as it moves into this new era. As opposed to yesterday's "scoundrels at the margins," today's "damaged do-gooders" did set out to be good folks, but are haunted by what they've done in the name of the light. Punch it!

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Yesterday we talked about a certain kind of story that's becoming prevalent in the post-Skywalker-Saga era. Today, we're exploring a kind of character that's becoming ever more prominent. Punch it!

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What would Star Wars storytelling look like, once the Skywalker Saga was complete? Now that more than a year has gone by, some patterns have emerged. On today's episode, we're starting a miniseries of looks at the directions Lucasfilm is taking, starting with the concept of the grand interconnected story initiative. Punch it!

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Migs Mayfeld became a multi-dimensional character in season 2 of The Mandalorian, and his arc within his lone episode appearance subverted any expectation you might have had for him. Punch it!

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The conclusion of a new High Republic story also signals a continued investment in a unique in-universe perspective on the events of this big storytelling initiative. Punch it!

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Amy Richau is the author of her first Star Wars book, "I Love You. I Know. Lessons in Love and Friendship"! And she's back on the show to talk about the experience. Punch it!

Here's Amy's bio:

Amy Richau is a regular contributor to the official Star Wars website (StarWars.com) and the magazine Star Wars Insider. Her work has also appeared in Nerdist, Screenrant, and she wrote about the Denver Broncos for several outlets over the years including Mile High Report.

She worked as a researcher for the docu-series about female Star Wars fandom "Looking for Leia" and she's been researching female Star Wars characters and women who worked behind the scenes on Star Wars projects for the 365 Star Wars Women Project. (365 Star Wars started out at the beginning of 2018 as 365 Star Wars Women. In this project she highlights a new female character, actress, writer, producer, or artist from Star Wars films, TV shows, books, comics, and more every day.)

She has a background in film history, analysis, and preservation from academic and archive work at UC Santa Barbara, The George Eastman House, the UCLA Film & Television Archives, YCM Laboratories, and The Lucasfilm Film Archive at Skywalker Ranch.

And here are the sites and socials mentioned in the show:

Website: https://365starwars.com
IG: https://instagram.com/365starwars
Twitter: https://twitter.com/365_starwars (note the underscore) and https://twitter.com/amyrichau

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First-person shooter? Multiplayer co-op? Arena challenges? Today, we're sorting out the details of the newly announced Star Wars: Hunters game, including some intriguing elements about its placement in the storytelling timeline. Punch it!

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This notion of epic Star Wars storytelling initiatives with a tale told across a variety of outlets has taken on a more niche application. Today, history, context, and news about the just-announced "War of the Bounty Hunters," led by a High Republic writer. Punch it!

In case you want to dive deeper:

The Legends version of Boba's time between Empire and Jedi:
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Boba_Fett/Legends#Pursued_by_Rebels_and_bounty_hunters

The new storytelling initiative news:
https://www.starwars.com/news/war-of-the-bounty-hunters-exclusive

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Rian Johnson confirms - yet again - that his Star Wars trilogy is still a thing. And the language of it makes us dig and discover an important story we missed from 2019... Punch it!

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The question "What scares the Jedi?" was crucial to the development of the High Republic storytelling initiative. it seems that, in the process, they've also revealed what scares the Sith.

On today's episode, we'll talk about why it is that a group of villains from Into the Dark are the ones that scare the Sith. And - perhaps more importantly - we'll talk about Star Wars history timelines, and why the timelines suggested that the Jedi should be extremely worried, and not just about the villains from that book. Punch it!

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Last we saw the Armorer, she was salvaging what she could from the Mandalorian covert before leaving Nevarro. She didn't appear in season 2, but a reappearance in season 3 would be filled with drama. Punch it!

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Penguin Random House Audio Executive Producer Nick Martorelli dives even deeper into the process of creating Star Wars audiobooks as we complete our conversation about the new High Republic titles. Punch it!

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How do you create an audio experience that *feels* like Star Wars and yet is a new galactic experience all its own? That's the crux of my latest conversation with Penguin Random House Audio Executive Producer Nick Martorelli. Punch it!

In the first half of the interview, we'll talk about just what an executive producer does for the creation of an audiobook (it's a LOT), and then break that down in terms of how it played out for the creation of an audiobook experience for the High Republic storytelling initiative...

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"Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future," a Lucasfilm spokesperson said in a statement. After that first announcement on Wednesday evening, we can add a bit of context to the news. Punch it!

Here's the story from THR that we discuss in the episode, and which goes into detail about the social media posts that led to this action:
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/the-mandalorian-star-gina-carano-fired-amid-social-media-controversy

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From becoming a Wayseeker to taking the Barash Vow, and discussing what comes more naturally to some Force users than others versus learning by sheer willpower, we're diving into new things we learn about the Force and the Jedi in Into the Dark. Punch it!

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After listening back to the non-spoiler review of Into the Dark, I realized that anything I said about the character Geode likely made no sense at all. So we'll briefly discuss the lack of official information about some characters from the new novel, but really, we're here to talk about the hilarity of Geode. Punch it!

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Nearly everyone has a history catching up to them in Into the Dark, the High Republic YA novel by Claudia Gray. It's unusually structured, uniquely entertaining, and features the best running comedy gag in all of the new canon. Punch it!

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While we didn't learn anything new about "The Client" during season 2 of The Mandalorian, Chapter 12 (The Siege) helped to show The Client's activities from season 1 in a new light. Punch it!

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BUCKETS OF BLOOD!!! Yes, we're kicking off the second half of the conversation with Daniel Jose Older by exploring the inspiration for Jedi Master Torban Buck... Punch it!

Here's Daniel's official bio:

Daniel José Older, a lead story architect on the Star Wars cross-platform initiative The High Republic, is the New York Times bestselling author of the sci-fi adventure Flood City, the Middle-Grade historical fantasy series Dactyl Hill Squad, The Book of Lost Saints, the Bone Street Rumba urban fantasy series, Star Wars: Last Shot, and the award-winning Young Adult series the Shadowshaper Cypher, which won the International Latino Book Award and was shortlisted for the Kirkus Prize in Young Readers’ Literature, the Andre Norton Award, the Locus, the Mythopoeic Award, and named one of Esquire’s 80 Books Every Person Should Read and one of Time’s best fantasy books of all time. He co-wrote the upcoming graphic novel Death’s Day and writes the monthly IDW comic book series The High Republic Adventures. You can find more info and read about his decade long career as an NYC paramedic at http://danieljoseolder.net/.

He's also on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/djolder/

And TikTok:
https://www.tiktok.com/@danieljoseolder

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I'm thrilled to finally debut this episode! Daniel and I had this conversation back on January 19th, but since we were talking about his Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures, I needed to hold this until after issue #1 came out, which was earlier this week. Punch it!

So, we'll start by talk about about the notion of a "lead story architect" (see in his bio), about adapting his writing style for the comics space, and much more...

Here's his official bio:

Daniel José Older, a lead story architect on the Star Wars cross-platform initiative The High Republic, is the New York Times bestselling author of the sci-fi adventure Flood City, the Middle-Grade historical fantasy series Dactyl Hill Squad, The Book of Lost Saints, the Bone Street Rumba urban fantasy series, Star Wars: Last Shot, and the award-winning Young Adult series the Shadowshaper Cypher, which won the International Latino Book Award and was shortlisted for the Kirkus Prize in Young Readers’ Literature, the Andre Norton Award, the Locus, the Mythopoeic Award, and named one of Esquire’s 80 Books Every Person Should Read and one of Time’s best fantasy books of all time. He co-wrote the upcoming graphic novel Death’s Day and writes the monthly IDW comic book series The High Republic Adventures. You can find more info and read about his decade long career as an NYC paramedic at http://danieljoseolder.net/.

He's also on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/djolder/

And TikTok:
https://www.tiktok.com/@danieljoseolder

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The other major announcement (aside from Andor) that we never talked about after the Disney Investor Day was The Bad Batch! So today, let's revisit that heady trailer filled with planetary arrival shots... Punch it!

BTW, here was the official description from July 2020 - which was repeated verbatim on the official Star Wars website within the rest of the Disney Investor Day announcements:

The series follows the elite and experimental clones of the Bad Batch (first introduced in The Clone Wars) as they find their way in a rapidly changing galaxy in the immediate aftermath of the Clone War. Members of Bad Batch — a unique squad of clones who vary genetically from their brothers in the Clone Army — each possess a singular exceptional skill, which makes them extraordinarily effective soldiers and a formidable crew. In the post-Clone War era, they will take on daring mercenary missions as they struggle to stay afloat and find new purpose.

And if you haven't seen the sizzle reel yet, check it out here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YB9DIxdB198

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