For Christ's Sake, Anakin!

My commentary on Cavan Scott's The Rising Storm continues with a trio of character reflections on senior Jedi in the novel. Longtime friends Elzar Mann and Stellan Gios seem to be on converging paths in their relationship to the Order. Loden Greatstorm was teased as a major character in the early part of High Republic, but his journey has gone in a different direction. Also I bring back the pull list with Doctor Aphra #12 and War of the Bounty Hunters #2, which shows the same events from different points of view! Thanks for listening. For Light and Life! Twitter         @neug485 Instagram     @mneug1138 Church blog  luminous-beings.com

Back in Ontario but still at a lake, I'm joined by some friends for a fully-vaccinated and fully-clothed look at the High Republic and its third wave announced at SDCC@home. Lending their voices and perspectives are Din of F-105, Dominic of the Star Wars Underworld and Patrick of Beskar Guitar, as well as the wonderful bustle of Kew Beach in Toronto. Check out the SDCC@home panel here. Dom also hosted us on Pod Force 99 for a great conversation on the latest Bad Batch episode, which you can listen to here. Thanks for listening, and MTFBWY. Din on Twitter         @f105music Dom on Twitter       @theSWU  @DominicJ25 Patrick on YouTube Beskar Guitar Feel free to comment, share and follow: Twitter     @neug485 Instagram @mneug1138 Blog         luminous-beings.com

FCSA is back to its High Republic ways with a look at Cavan Scott's The Rising Storm. I contrast the Valo attack with the Hetzal Disaster, and then go into this book's take on a standing army for the whole galaxy. I begin with some brief, non-spoilery thoughts on this morning's Bad Batch episode. Thanks for listening. For Light and Life! Twitter         @neug485 Instagram     @mneug1138 Church blog  luminous-beings.com

This week I reflect on the first arc of Cavan Scott's High Republic comic run. Building off its (ironic?) title, I explore the ways that Keeve, Sskeer and the Jedi Order as a whole are confronted with the fears emerging from new Dark Side threats: the threat of the Drengir to be sure, but especially the threats within themselves. For the Pull List segment in this comics-focused episode, I discuss the fact that Solo 2 probably isn't happening, at least for now. Ok I mainly go into War of the Bounty Hunters #1 and its incredible character reveal. Thanks for listening, and MTFBWY Twitter         @neug485 Instagram     @mneug1138 Church blog  luminous-beings.com Show art from the cover of High Republic #5 by Phil Noto.

This week we're back aboard the High Republic Hype Train with a question rooted in real-world history. When does the High Republic Era begin and end? How do we know when any "era" begins and ends? I look at signifiers, signposts of what we now call the "Modern era" of western history, when we know it had begun and can say that it ended: the Reformation, Revolution, World War and Great Depression. In-universe, I point to the 19th and 20th Lost Masters as potential signposts of the Jedi at their height and rapid decline. Is the term "High Republic" as lofty as it seems? The pull list goes into the War of the Bounty Hunters preludes for Vader and Aphra, and some thoughts on the crossover event and storytelling in general. The discussion on the High Republic Era was prompted by an episode of the Star Wars Underworld, which you can listen to here (especially around the 1:08 and 1:16 marks). It expands on a twitter thread I wrote in response to that episode, which begins here. Thanks for listening, and MTFBWY Twitter         @neug485 Instagram     @mneug1138 Church blog  luminous-beings.com Show art is from the cover of Star Wars: The High Republic #3, art by Phil Noto.

This week I'm joined by Din of F-105 to talk about his new album, F-105 II Side B, the wonderful song Outer Space/Coming Home, his vocation as an artist and his perspectives on our own universe and the Galaxy Far, Far Away. It's an in-depth conversation the gets to the heart of FCSA's mission of fandom in dialogue. For the Pull List, I continue with the latest chapter in the War of the Bounty Hunters, which picks up Beilert's journey in Bounty Hunters #12. Thanks for listening, and MTFBWY F-105 II Side B: Spotify; Apple Twitter:             @f105music Website:           skysinger.wixsite.com/f105 Follow me: Twitter:            @neug485 Instagram:       @mneug1138 Church blog:    luminous-beings.com Episode art photo by Din.

I love the Bad Batch! I really do, especially since it's taking the time to explore character growth, even as the "plot" or "mission" is moving slowly. It represents the way we're now in an era of "slow burn" television storytelling that aims for a satisfying experience whether you watch it weekly or binge it over a weekend. Either way, the focus is on character as the most important aspect *of* plot, rather than something that incidentally happens *through* plot. It's a challenge to contemporary audiences used to edge-of-your-seat continuous shows of the 2000s, but ultimately a rewarding one. Picard, WandaVision and The Last Jedi before it, and now the Bad Batch with Hunter and Omega at the heart of the story. For the pull list, I go into the first two issues of The War of the Bounty Hunters. It's Fett-tacular! Oh and clearly, I have Star Wars Celebration Anaheim 2022 on the brain. Only a year to go! Thanks for listening, and MTFBWY Twitter  @neug485 Instagram   @mneug1138 Churchy blog    luminous-beings.com

The Bad Batch is here! It's great, and I give a brief review of the first two episodes. The first few minutes of the series make a change to pre-existing canon, and I delve into my thoughts and feels about it. Facts and events don't have to line up every time: I'm no "canon fundamentalist." But there should still be sound story and character reasons to tell an event differently than before: otherwise, why bother? This week of May the Fourth has certainly opened up a fascinating conversation on canon, story and character. For the pull list, a highlight another amazing backstory, the comic adaptation of Dune: House Atreides by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. And fair warning, this ep has spoilers for Bad Batch episodes 1 and 2! Thanks for listening, and MT4thBWY! Twitter @neug485 Instagram @mneug1138 Churchy blog luminous-beings.com

The Bad Batch is just around the corner! As I do with most upcoming series, I preview the show with a discussion of what I'd like to see and what questions I'm going into the show with. How do these outside-the-box clones respond to Order 66? How do they see themselves in relation to the newly-formed Empire? Will the show give us glimpses of the nascent Rebel Alliance? I also bring back the Pull List, featuring the Women of Marvel One-shot. Lastly, Cal Kestis. His name is Cal Kestis. (Find out where I blank on his name...) Thanks for listening, and have a happy, joyful and hopeful May the 4th! Twitter:              @neug485 Instagram:         @mneug1138 Churchy blog:    luminous-beings.com

Welcome back True Believers! This week I give my spoilery thoughts on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier--both the series as a whole and where it all landed in today's final episode. How well did Sam's story explore the struggles of Black Americans to find their place in their own country? Did it uphold the Flagsmasher's ideals of a world without countries at all? And did it stay true to John Walker's legacy as an ambiguous anti-hero? Give it a listen and let me know what you think! Some "bear with me" items (you'll hear why at the top): Yeah, I know it isn't episode 71... Also, sorry about the sound quality at some points: contact mics pick up *everything* Anyways, I'm glad to be back in the swing of things. Thanks for listening. Excelsior! Twitter          @neug485 Instagram      @mneug1138 Church blog  luminous-beings.com

Jedi, Nihil and humble outer rim transport pilots. Claudia Gray's Into the Dark has it all, deftly exploring the struggles of three young folks making their way in the galaxy. I give my thoughts on the novel by focusing on Reath, Affie and Nan as believable, sympathetic characters. I also talk about Jesuits; just not Jesuits in Space.... For the pull list I look at Greg Pak's Vader #10 featuring yet another Anakin flashback, and the conclusion to the Brave New World arc in Kelly Thompson's Captain Marvel #26. Thanks for listening, and MTFBWY. Twitter @neug485 Instagram @mneug1138 Churchy blog: luminous-beings.com

The FCSA Star Wars Podcast Day episode is here! This week I break down the High Council debate that forms a pivotal interlude in Charles Soule's Light of the Jedi. How do we discern the Will of the Force? How can the past help us decide what to do in the present? Or should we ignore precedent, or future implications, and focus on the task in front of us? All of it is right there on p 300 of this brilliant High Republic novel, so read along and listen in! On the pull list, I talk about Daniel Jose Older's High Republic Adventures #1, and also give some brief thoughts on the first half of Claudia Gray's Into the Dark. Yeah, this is a full-tilt HR podcast now, but I still stan The Last Jedi and the First Trilogy as much as ever! Thanks for listening, and MTFBWY Twitter @neug485 Instagram @mneug1138 Churchy blog: luminous-beings.com

This week I continue my commentary review of Charles Soule's Light of the Jedi with a look at the story as a whole, as well as some themes that emerge in parts two and three of the novel. After giving my story review, I go into Lina Soh's optimism and what it might mean for us and for the galaxy, as well as *that* Jedi Council scene! For the pull list, I talk about Bounty Hunters #9, why the series is finally growing on me, and how it might relate to both The Mandalorian and Zahn's original Thrawn trilogy. (Hint: Bounty Hunters Guild!) Thanks for listening, and MTFBWY Twitter @neug485 Instagram @mneug1138 Churchy blog: luminous-beings.com

FCSA goes MCU! The opening act of WandaVision is upon us, providing a good time to look back and reflect on its story and some comics connections as well as the theme of personal and systemic sin that the show starts to suggest. Who is keeping Wanda trapped in her own illusion? Who will help lead her out? What part do her blue-eyed twins have to play in this unfolding story? I speculate responsibly and theologize hamartalogically. I hope you enjoy it! The pull list stays in the GFFA, with a look at Doctor Aphra #7 and some live-action fan casting of our favourite anti-heroine. Thanks for listening. Excelsior! Twitter: @neug485 Instagram: @mneug1138 Churchy blog: luminous-beings.com

As promised, the first commentary episode on Charles Soule's Light of the Jedi. I reflect on themes of political and church unity as expressed in the first half of the High Republic novel, and in conversation with similar ideas in Soule's and Scott Snyder's Undiscovered Country comic. I also break out the Latin, which I hope is a good sign! On the pull list I continue discussing Greg Pak's Darth Vader run, which is turning its focus to some much-needed lore behind the events of The Rise of Skywalker. And as you'll hear, I'm tweaking the intro and outro a little bit. I think we have a winner. Thanks for listening, and MTFBWY. Twitter: @neug485 Instagram: @mneug1138 Churchy blog: luminous-beings.com

This week on FCSA: The Great Hyperspace Disaster of the High Republic is the latest in a number of post-cataclysmic stories that we *just happen* to be getting during this Pandemic. The Expanse, Picard and Season 3 of Discovery also reflect moments of great instability. What do these creative expressions of disaster explore? What do they say about the times we're living in? And what might a pair of Faster-than-Light disaster stories express about human division and connection? This packed episode includes some bleak moments, but ends on the high notes! I begin with a few added thoughts on the High Republic preview event from last week, and the Pull List opens my discussion with Cavan Scott's High Republic #1. Thanks for listening, and MTFBWY Twitter: @neug485 Instagram: @mneug1138 Churchy blog: luminous-beings.com

FCSA is back! We kick things off in 2021 with my thoughts coming out of the High Republic launch event this past Monday, which you can watch right here. My initial concerns about colonialism and 60s optimism and gave way to real hopes that the creatives involved will seriously tackle the underbelly of these issues. I also debut the new intro music, suggested by Din of F105. It's magical and a little snazzy, just like the Jedi of the High Republic themselves! Thanks for listening, and MTFBWY Twitter: @neug485 Instagram: @mneug1138 Churchy blog: luminous-beings.com

At last, it's the FCSA Prequelist review of The Rise of Skywalker! Now that I've had a chance to process this IXth installment in the Star Wars saga, it's time to discuss how it relates to Episodes I, II and III. I first give a general review of the film, and how I've come to enjoy it, and then dive into its deeper connections with our beloved Prequel Trilogy (and Clone Wars, of course!). While the references may seem sparse on the surface, the deeper themes of TROS connect very richly with the Prequels, especially Revenge of the Sith. So strap into your podracer, grab your purple lightsaber and give it a listen! Also, follow me on Twitter and Instagram, and check out my writing over at Ex Astris Sapientia. Thanks for listening, and MTFBWY

I'm back! And just in time for Fan Expo Canada 2019. I return to the exact same spot I recorded last year's Fan Expo preview, and talk about what I'm looking forward to this year. But first I go into the renewed and expanded vision for this podcast. Now that I'm on Anchor, I don't need to worry about sticking to the (very beneficial) community requirements from Podiant, so I can open this up to discussing various franchises and fandoms, engaging them theologically and otherwise intellectually. But the title remains, the intro (for now) remains, because the bleeding heart of this podcast will always be the story of Anakin and the Jedi as told in the Prequel Trilogy, and its resonances with Christian tradition. So I hope you join me for the ride, and enjoy this 2019 Fan Expo Canada preview. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram. (Episode art is available here: https://www.fanexpocanada.com/en/fxc25.html)

The Bad Batch season one is in the books and I give my reactions (plural) to the two-part finale. Like the season as a whole, I struggled with connecting these new characters to the wider Star Wars story. But with that concern out of the way, I was able on rewatch to focus on and appreciate the characters themselves. With her "home" of Tapioca City destroyed, Omega's courageous journey of compassion and charity is just opening up. In lieu of the Pull List, I express my utter glee at today's breaking news about Charles Soule's new Crimson Reign comic run, as well as my excitement from yesterday's gripping Star Wars: Visions trailer. I highly recommend you watch the Japanese version with English subtitles. Thanks for listening, and MTFBWY! Twitter       @FCSA99 Instagram  @FCSA1999 Facebook  (go here)