Talking Star Wars

Alex and Connor, two 30-somethings with strong feelings about Star Wars, discuss a variety of topics in everyone's favorite science fiction universe, including; weird Force powers, character explorations, lore discussions, and deep dives into expanded universe content. Updates weekly each Monday. See our new subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/TalkingStarWars/

Episode 082 - Media Review: Star Wars Audio Dramas

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 stories delving into the lives of characters and examining key events, this episode provides an overvie...

10-28
29:41

Episode 081 - Character Spotlight on Leia Organa: General, Princess, Mother, and Hero

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 female character with a significant speaking role in the first two Star Wars movies. We examine mo...

10-21
35:45

Episode 080 - Giant Space Monsters

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 they mix the appeal of the unknown with the dangerous and sublime, with a size that is barely comp...

09-30
25:40

Episode 079 - Digital Likenesses, AI, and Recasting in Star Wars

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 actor portray the same character rather than using technology to recreate another person’s likeness...

09-24
37:03

Episode 078 - In Memoriam for James Earl Jones: The Iconic Voice of Darth Vader

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 in the voice of Darth Vader from visual media.This episode mentions content from and contains pote...

09-16
37:59

Episode 077 - Fanediting in Star Wars

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 as those prominent fan projects that have iterated on those changes (often to roll them back or ...

09-09
21:14

Episode 076 - Culture, History, and Context for the Skywalker Saga

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-millennium release of the prequel trilogy right around the birth of the Internet and the rise of glo...

09-02
35:03

Episode 075 - Expanded Universe Overview - Novels, Part 7

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, and finally those novels bridging the gap during the sequel era between The Last Jedi and The Ri...

08-19
01:08:07

Episode 074 - Character Spotlight: General Grievous - Cyborg, General, and Psychopath

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 warlord who had replaced most of his body with droid parts and cybernetics, Grievous twirls his ...

08-05
25:57

Episode 073 - The Acolyte Season 1: Cracks in the Jedi Foundation (Visual Media Survey, Part 9)

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 throughout the season. Further, the hosts dive into the key themes of the series: the increasingly dogmati...

08-01
47:05

Episode 072 - Mystic Materials of Star Wars, Part 2: Beskar and Cortosis

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’s lightsaber). The hosts both review and discuss the depiction of each of these minerals in the S...

07-22
21:36

Episode 071 - Mythic Materials of Star Wars, Part 1: Kyber Crystals

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’s superlaser. Additionally, this episode compares and contrasts the kyber crystal with the role o...

07-15
26:21

Episode 070 - Exploring Force Powers: Sith Soul Binding

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 to hear an exploration of all the ways the Sith use this darkest of arts.This episode mentions con...

07-08
31:41

Episode 069 - Exploring Force Powers: Force Ghosts

In this episode, the hosts explore the ability of certain Jedi, starting with Obi-Wan Kenobi and extending through Luke Skywalker and Yoda, to retain their consciousness and personality after death to provide counsel, advice, and input into the world as ghosts or apparitions that live within the Living Force. The episode explores the agency the Force Ghosts display, their powers and limitations, and the origins of this power: potentially an entirely new ability granted to Qui-Gon Jinn and Yod...

07-01
28:04

Episode 068 - Lore Spotlight: Lightsaber Forms

This episode provides an overview of the seven primary lightsaber forms used by Jedi, Sith, and other lightsaber-wielders in the Star Wars universe. The hosts explain each lightsaber style, the exemplars of each, and delve into what each style means as a vehicle of visual and character storytelling. Connor and Alex also discuss the concept of lightsaber forms and styles as a whole to see if they are an overcomplicated piece of lore, or if they add to the richness of the setting and its sense ...

06-24
50:07

Episode 067 - Missed Opportunities #4 - Supreme Leader Snoke

In this episode, our hosts explore the character of Supreme Leader Snoke - dark side adept, failed strandcast of Palpatine, and master to Kylo Ren - and how the compelling concept of a non-Sith force user could have been further expanded on. Connor and Alex explore other potential directions Snoke’s character could have been taken: having more clones of Snoke that emerged after his first death, strengthening or removing his connection to Palpatine, or giving him a backstory stretching back to...

06-17
25:53

Episode 066 - Execute Episode 66

This episode delves into the expanding lore of one of the cornerstone events in Star Wars lore: that of Order 66, where the Grand Army of the Republic turned on the Jedi Order in the closing days of The Clone Wars and leading into the Rise of the Empire. The hosts first explore the Rashomon-like collection of media that depicts the events of Order 66, and then examine Order 66 itself as a lynchpin event in the lore itself - where all future stories can be divided into “Before Order 66” and “A...

06-10
37:18

Episode 065 - From Zygerria to Malastare - The Sentient Aliens of Star Wars, Part 3

In this episode, the hosts continue their ongoing series on the various sentient aliens of Star Wars - analyzing their depiction, discussing their unique traits, and mentioning the most notable members of each alien species that appear in canon media. Discussed today include the Toydarians, Dugs, Devaronians, Evereni, Zygerrians, Dowutin, Gen’Dai, Ugnaughts, Besalisk, and Gamorreans. This episode also explores the ways that alien cultures gain nuance as more members of each species are depict...

05-27
42:26

Episode 064 - Sci-Fi Intersection: Influences between Star Wars and Dune

This episode delves into the mutual influences between two science fiction properties: that of the world of Dune, crafted by Frank Herbert, and of the Star Wars universe as originally created by George Lucas and company. The first Dune novel released in 1959 certainly had influence on the 1977 release of A New Hope, while the recent Dune films are being released in a filmscape indelibly altered by the existence of 11 Star Wars films and a wide range of shows and media. The hosts compare and c...

05-20
35:01

Episode 063 - Star Wars is Interactive: Canon Video Game Survey

In this episode, Alex and Connor survey the video games that are currently considered canon in the Star Wars universe, and also explore how the interactive nature of video games allows for a different kind of storytelling than more static mediums such as books and shows. The hosts also lament the trend of ‘lost media,’ as there are multiple video games that have been permanently shut down where all we have to go on are screenshots, summaries, and the memories of those who experienced the game...

05-13
40:20

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