Delusions Of Grandeur

The Senate is in an uproar about how to dish out justice in the face of genocide — but at least they agree that their new interior decorator has impeccable taste. Han Solo casually commits Watergate-adjacent political crimes so that he can argue over payment plans for espionage with Talon Karrde. And Luke Skywalker goes on a bonkers undercover mission with the help of stage makeup and a rack of ribs — but without the help of the Force. As per yuzh, Mara Jade saves his farmboy butt.

The High Council of Imperial Bitches has their inaugural meeting. An extremely stable political alliance forms. A Smuggle Buddy begins to doubt her life choices. Pellaeon puts on his detective hat. Wedge tries to back out of buying a melon.

Once again, we find ourselves on the bridge of the Chimera with one Gilad Pellaeon, staring thoughtfully into space. Only this time, there's no more Thrawn and Pellaeon is having a bad case of the Mondays. 19 years after the Battle of Yavin, the galaxy is completely changed, with the Empire controlling scraps and the New Republic (theoretically, at least) large and in charge. While Pellaeon is pondering surrender, Han Solo is trying to do some diplomacy in order to ensure his wife gets an actual break from running the galaxy. Luke is having a mental breakdown while flying when he realizes that not everyone likes him -- even if they have read his wiki page!! And Leia has an unexpected meet up with Talon Karrde and the smuggle buddies, in which they come to the horrifying conclusion that Borsk Fey'lya might actually have a point.

This week, we chat with the delightful author of The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire. Dr. Kempshall walks us through what an Imperial archive might include (or not include), which EU character he could imagine ghostwriting for, and finally gives us an answer to the persistent question: "how often should Luke Skywalker be thrown in the brig for stealing an X-Wing?" (tl;dr just like...maybe don't recruit any space wizards to your military.)We loved this book. So our only remaining question is this: what Chandrillan palms do we have to grease to get Chris assigned to write Artistically Done: The Life and Times of Grand Admiral Thrawn?

If all goes according to plan, we'll start our new year and next season with an interview with Dr. Chris Kempshall — author of "The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire."The book traces how and why Palpatine took power (spoiler: Sith crap) and how middle managers, bureaucrats, and neutral evil civilians held the Empire together. It also tries to make the most rational case we've encountered so far for the "return of Palpatine" and his Vegas residency on Exegol. It's an in-universe history, written from the perspective of an in-universe historian who is slowly losing his mind with the realization that you can't snuff out fascism just 'cause you blew up a Death Star. Or...three?Stay tuned after a small break for an interview with this galaxy's author. And then we'll embark on the HAND OF THRAWN DUOLOGY (I know, right?! It's finally happening!).

As this novel and trilogy draw to a close, the universe seems to be conspiring to make Han the grumpiest space pirate this side of Nar Shadda. Actually, it's not the universe. It's Bria and Han's inability to hear one another, despite a surprising amount of honesty (okay, and maybe the teensiest bit of betrayal). After a firm business handshake leads to a naughty coin flip and sexy times on the cat warrior planet, Han and Bria are separately convinced that the other one is going to ditch their respective dreams in order to keep the party going. Uh..."spoiler"...? No.In the end, Kelly gives A.C. Crispin's Han Solo trilogy 1,000/12 parsecs and Emily is left longing for more close-up magic and Wookie sandwiches. And for some reason, we're strangely compelled to go watch Rogue One.......... 🤔

Sit yourself down, my lads, as we delve into ever more Hutt schemes and ever wilder seating arrangements. Hutt clans are squaring off both metaphorically and literally. Xizor and Guri are using the power of Black Sun and electronic butts that just don't quit to take over the galaxy's spice production. Chewie is practicing self care and going to bed early. And, in the true spirit of Space Thanksgiving, Han is grabbing a series of increasingly emotionally fraught catch-up drinks with old friends and exes now that he's back in his hometown after doing a study abroad.Join the Patreon for early episode releases, a chat full of spicy takes, and infrequent but invaluable giveaways!

Han Solo takes a break from this trilogy to pop over into the Brian Daley series of adventures on the Outer Rim. Meanwhile, Bria is back in the field, baby! She's taking her crew's temperatures, mercing slavers left and right, and posing as a middling but hot lounge singer, where she meets a rakish mustache by the name of Lando. After narrowly escaping the clutches of Boba Fett (thanks to Lando's square pirate lady ex), Bria invites the Hutts to fund an all-out rebel attack on Ylesia. Jabba's in, but Aunt Jiliac has reservations and so the Hutt-y Dune-y schemes continue.Join the Patreon for early episode releases, a chat full of spicy takes, and infrequent but invaluable giveaways!

"Mawwiage, that bwessed awwangement, that dweam within a dweam..." We are gathered here today to witness a Wookie wedding (humans: DO NOT DRINK THE BOOZE, YOU WILL DIE). Despite being surrounded by love, flying the ship of his dreams, and enjoying a moderate amount of smuggling success, Han Solo does not want to get married. Unfortunately, he also doesn't really want to talk about his feelings. So while Hutts be schemin' and Fetts be huntin', Solos be ghostin'.Join the Patreon for early episode releases, a chat full of spicy takes, and infrequent but invaluable giveaways!

But soft! What light through yonder airbrush breaks -- it is the east, and the book is A.C. Crispin's Rebel Dawn. We're creeping closer to to the moment Han and Chewie walk through the cantina doors in Mos Eisley, but for now we have several scheming Hutts, Chewie romancing his lady friend with some fresh porcupine, and everyone converging on beautiful Cloud City, Bespin -- Han and Lando to play some cards, Bria and Winter (!!) to propose some kind of Rebel study group, and get a nice cup of vine-coffee. Plus, patrons get inventive on galactic Reddit.Join the Patreon for early episode releases, a chat full of spicy takes, and infrequent but invaluable giveaways!

Han Solo is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.Join Zoom Meetinghuttp://webdotzoomdotcorellia/YT492727ZEDMeeting ID: YT492727ZEDJoin the Patreon for early episode releases, a chat full of spicy takes, and infrequent but invaluable giveaways!

Chewie contemplates the true meaning of a Wookie life debt after an incredibly annoying car ride with his human, Han finds out the perils of competency as he is sent to bribe yet another Imperial commander...and that he loves being on stage, even when not in a sparkly bodysuit. Bria finds out the Imperial Moff she's hitched her wagon to has lost his mind. Hutts continue to Hutt as battles and poisoning schemes approach their inevitable conclusions.Join the Patreon for early episode releases, a chat full of spicy takes, and infrequent but invaluable giveaways!

Everything seems to be coming up Han. Boba Fett hasn't shot him with a butt-dart in months. After being dumped by his close-magic girlfriend, he finds a new lady in a Corellian bar (and this new lady doesn't make him wear spangly bodysuits). His buddy Lando bought a shipyard with life-crystal money and leases Han and Chewie their very own ship!! (So what if it's a total lemon and not the Falcon?) All of the Nar Shadda Smuggle Buddies (TM) get together in a space barn on the daily to fix up their ships and trade hot goss. Life is prettay prettay prettayyyyy good......until it isn't. For some reason, old Empy P decides to 'crack down on crime', which means going after the Hutts, which means the National Guard is about to get deployed to Nar Shadda. The Hutts think that the best way to smooth this over is to call the only human they know (guess who) to try to make some bargains with the Imperials...Join the Patreon for early episode releases, a chat full of spicy takes, and infrequent but invaluable giveaways!

Where to BEGIN. Han and Chewie are living in a shitty apartment and driving a giant space bus while on the run from many a bounty hunter when they end up taking a quick jaunt to Kessel to escape from a very handsy lady Wookie. A.C. Crispin does her level best to explain why you might measure the Kessel Run in parsecs...and more importantly, how Han is, of course, a natural at flying through asteroid fields. Back on Nal Hutta, he finally gets a meeting with Jabba and Jiliac, which leads to a new job and the opportunity to romance a famous (and very serious) magician. Not even magic can save him from Boba Fett, who hits him in the butt with a dart filled with the old "Ella Enchanted" juice. But you know who can? A very handsome, stylishly dressed man who needs some flying lessons in the old hunk of junk freighter he just won in a card game.Join the Patreon for early episode releases, a chat full of spicy takes, and infrequent but invaluable giveaways!

Smash cut to our next book...and one Han Solo, recently kicked out of the Imperial Navy after five years of faithful (?) service. He's getting very drunk in a bar and getting very nostalgic about his cool Corellian pants while he tries to get rid of an annoying Wookie who won't stop following him around. It's a good thing Chewbacca did adopt this rescue human at the shelter though, because Han spends the rest of these chapters writing checks his body can't cash. And maybe, just maybe seeing his ex across a crowd of potential pilgrims... Join the Patreon for early episode releases, a chat full of spicy takes, and infrequent but invaluable giveaways!

Han and Bria head to Corellia, where they have an incredibly awkward long weekend with her family ending in Han getting recognized as the swoop champion of all Corellia by Bria's ex. To be fair, he seems hella stoked she's sleeping with such a good swoop pilot. Then it's off for an even more disastrous mini break on Coruscant that ends with Han (failing at) robbing a bank, Bria realizing she needs to deal with her addiction before she can be in a relationship, and Han getting his retinas burned off. Luckily, the Imperial Naval Academy doesn't care if you heart is now a hard empty shell because your girlfriend left you...but they do care if you know about like, jizz and art and stuff. Shrike also doesn't care about the breakup or any of that culture stuff, although he would like the bounty on Han's head. Can't a man enjoy his new retinas and eat his nerf medallions in peace??Plus, the chat has spoken: we'll continue on to book two, The Hutt Gambit.Join the Patreon for early episode releases, a chat full of spicy takes, and infrequent but invaluable giveaways!

The action's really pickin' up, pardners. Han and Muurgh both race to rescue their respective partners from horrible, cult-based slavery with some tastefully designed explosions. Also, they stuff a bunch of antiques into a backpack, do some fancy flying, attend a space-cat wedding, and have some tastefully off-screen sexy times. Plus, we ask: what do we read next?Join the Patreon for early episode releases, a chat full of spicy takes, and infrequent but invaluable giveaways!

Emily gets her laptop back. Han Solo does some hand smoochies and gets a reluctant mud bath. Bria gets high and realizes her religion is a sham. Muuurgh plots a murder and goes for a run.

This episode is coming to you late as Emily's solar panels got connected to the grid. We are proud to say that makes Delusions of Grandeur a bi-coastal and (theoretically) carbon-free production thanks to two roofs full of spook crystals!But back to the book: our intrepid hosts describe a whole lotta drugs as Han learns more about the world he's found himself on -- and how the whole 'religion' thing is a front for the drugs thing. Han also meets his 'bodyguard', Muurgh, a high priest with his own museum, and a possibly hot Corellian archeologist wearing a dumb hat while she makes spice. Plus, Han goes on his first drug run, is attacked by pirates, and is forced to touch down on some dumb college planet called Alderaan.Join the Patreon for early episode releases, a chat full of spicy takes, and infrequent but invaluable giveaways!

Welcome to a new book, a new trilogy, and some classic Dickensian capers! We've got a young Han [neé Solo], some bleak living conditions, a gang of juvenile pickpockets, brutal adults, furry best friends slash 'bodyguards', and a Bel Iblis cameo. Join us as we uncover the true story of how Han Solo became the galaxy's premier grump by the ripe old age of 29...ish.Join the Patreon for early episode releases, a chat full of spicy takes, and infrequent but invaluable giveaways!