Mid-lockdown, Den of Geek’s Star Wars experts talk The Clone Wars and The Rise of Skywalker news. Episode IX is out in home release, and Paul breaks down the merits of different versions, including digital, physical, and 4k editions. He has high praise for the physical version, laying out an argument for sticking with physical disks to preserve the dynamic look of the film and avoid the grainy look of the digital version. We have relatively few new tie-in books or book schedule changes to talk a...
Apr 22, 2020•1 hr 15 min
The mysterious Project Luminous has been revealed as a new crop of books set in the High Republic, 200 years before The Phantom Menace . Jedi are at the height of their powers, fighting against a group called the Nihil, described as “space Vikings.” Concept art by Iain McCaig of Prequel Trilogy fame has fans excited about a whole host of new characters who may or may not actually appear in the books. We discuss how the initiative can bring in new fans and why the era Disney and Lucasfilm chose f...
Feb 28, 2020•1 hr 46 min
In this episode, we tackle this month's news and the finale episode of The Mandalorian. Season nine of The Clone Wars is drawing closer, and a new trailer shows some unexpected but familiar faces. The Star Wars books world is also reaching into the Prequel era with the upcoming Queen's Peril. The Mandalorian ended with a bang! We talk about the state of the Imperial Remnant and how canon differs from Legends, then fangirl over Moff Gideon and speculate on what might come next for Mando and Baby ...
Jan 24, 2020•1 hr 1 min
The Rise of Skywalker is here, and it’s wild. We have mixed opinions on the final (?) installment of the main Star Wars saga, with some surprising alliances. Saf and Paul enjoyed it, while Megan has criticisms and questions. We cover the twists and surprises in The Rise of Skywalker, the character development and script, and what it might mean for the future of Star Wars. Before that, we take a jaunt into tie-in material with The Mandalorian. At the time of recording episode 7 was the most recen...
Dec 30, 2019•1 hr 45 min
This episode contains spoilers for episodes 1 through 3 of The Mandalorian. The Mandalorian is here, and our Star Wars podcast hosts are excited to talk about the first live-action Star Wars television show. First, Saf and Paul have played Jedi: Fallen Order and are in agreement about the entertainment value of the game but have very different ideas about the quality. Performance issues affect the gameplay, especially the traversal. Saf, a narrative writer for video games, picks out the parts th...
Nov 30, 2019•1 hr 36 min
This week in Star Wars news, the final trailer for The Rise of Skywalker is out, and our podcast hosts break down what we’re excited about and the deep cuts we noticed. Game of Thrones duo David Benioff and D. B. Weiss have been removed from their official Star Wars project, according to reports from Variety and Hollywood reporter this week. Are they “failing upward?” Is this symptomatic of a larger problem of disorganization among Lucasfilm’s leadership? Another idea that was confirmed by this ...
Nov 01, 2019•59 min
The lead-up to The Rise of Skywalker began at the D23 conference in August, and our Star Wars podcast hosts have the news. The Mandalorian is premiering with Disney+, and we have mixed feelings about the tone. What does it mean for a Star Wars show to do “dark” storytelling correctly? Very importantly, the trailer also features a Twi’lek. We discuss what we think of the new The Mandalorian footage, including breaking down favorite moments from the trailer. Is The Mandalorian really likely to con...
Sep 15, 2019•1 hr 33 min
On this month’s episode of Blaster Canon, our Star Wars tie-in experts tackle news from San Diego Comic-Con. The biggest announcement: the comic ministries The Rise of Kylo Ren. We talk about why Charles Soule is the perfect writer for this tale of the dark side. And in what ways is Kylo Ren’s story particularly suited to comics? A The Rise of Skywalker prequel comic, Allegiance, was also announced. However, we’re tired of prequel comics that manage not to add anything to canon. In other tie-in ...
Jul 29, 2019•1 hr 40 min
With Celebration 2020 dates announced, our Star Wars experts sit down to talk about the show and the latest new canon content. First, we chat about the difference between attending as press and attending as a fan. What is it going to be like going to Celebration after The Rise of Skywalker is out and the cultural conversation has sparked? And are conventions too expensive? In behind-the-camera news, Michelle Rejwan was named Senior Vice President of Live Action Development & Production at Lu...
Jun 22, 2019•1 hr 28 min
The latest addition to the Star Wars galaxy brings Den of Geek’s Star Wars experts back to the Prequel Trilogy with the novel Master & Apprentice, by Claudia Gray. The main topic for this episode, a review of the novel, covers whether or not the hosts liked it (a wide variety of opinions) as well as what it tried—successfully or unsuccessfully—to say about the fall of the Old Republic Jedi. Anakin’s turn to the dark side, Qui-Gon’s belief in the prophecy, and the role of the Republic in inte...
May 30, 2019•1 hr 22 min
Blaster Canon is back from Star Wars Celebration Chicago with news about The Rise of Skywalker , The Mandalorian , and more. We recount how the best part of Celebrations is the way the convention lifts our spirits and shows Star Wars fans at their best, including embracing Kelly Marie Tran after she was hassled off of Twitter. Episode IX brought a surprise: the return of the Emperor. We speculate on what form he might be living in on after his apparent defeat, and how his presence helps tie all ...
Apr 24, 2019•1 hr 11 min
Den of Geek’s Star Wars experts cover this month’s news in on the latest Blaster Canon. Star Wars Resistance season one has wrapped up, and we devote most of this episode covering our mixed feelings about the series. The show dovetails with The Force Awakens, bringing the Resistance agents into direct contact with the First Order while continuing to try, with varying success, to tell a story about the average citizen of the galaxy far, far away. Does Kaz work for us as a main character? Paul doe...
Apr 01, 2019•1 hr 9 min
J.J. Abrams broke the serious secrecy around Episode IX just long enough to post a photo of the cast on the day photography wrapped. Den of Geek’s Star Wars podcast hosts have you covered with analysis of the new costumes, and we’ve hyped ourselves up for what might be the last movie in Rey’s saga. That’s just the beginning of a plethora of the news for February. "Triple Force Friday" and a bevy of other merchandising announcements have dropped, including a promise of toys connected to the upcom...
Feb 23, 2019•1 hr 7 min
With the Cassian Andor television series coming to Disney +, our Star Wars podcast hosts revisit Rogue One and Cassian’s character in particular on this month’s episode of Blaster Canon. What might the TV show be about? What is the “secret weapon” that makes Rogue One so good? We take another look at the symbolism in Rogue One, particularly the contrast between Jyn and Cassian. Additionally, we examine how Rogue One takes a unique look at the Force, and discuss whether Rogue One might actually b...
Jan 13, 2019•57 min
Rogue One hero Cassian Andor is coming to live action TV, and our Star Wars hosts have the details on how this show connects to the movies and why Cassian is a good fit. As usual, Blaster Canon covers new Star Wars book releases including Lando’s Luck , Women of the Galaxy , and the upcoming Alphabet Squadron . This month also brings more news and rumors around The Mandalorian , the much-hyped live-action gunslinger show which hasn’t yet announced its cast. Is Pedro Pascal the new face under the...
Nov 19, 2018•1 hr 1 min
Star Wars Resistance is about to change the world of Star Wars animation, and on this episode of Blaster Canon we break down the latest trailer and lay down some expectations for the Sequel Trilogy-era story. Resistance brings flashy racing starships and brand new characters, and we’ve already claimed some favorites. This week, Paul also reviews the current Darth Vader comics and talks about how much they’ve added to the story of the Sith Lord. After some brief conversion about Star Wars referen...
Sep 25, 2018•1 hr 24 min
After San Diego Comic Con, our Star Wars panelists have had the chance to think about the many book and television announcements from the galaxy far, far away. The biggest news was the return of The Clone Wars , which Paul thinks might be just the beginning of a renaissance for the popular animated show. Since the time we recorded this episode we’ve also seen a new trailer for Star Wars Resistance , the Sequel Trilogy-era animated series coming this October. Shooting has started on Episode IX, a...
Aug 21, 2018•1 hr 4 min
Solo has come and gone, and Blaster Canon is back to cover Star Wars tie-in novels and discuss what — if anything — went wrong with Solo ’s marketing and reception. In the world of books we review Last Shot by Daniel José Older and Most Wanted by Rae Carson, both of which flesh out characters from the standalone film. How does L3’s role in Last Shot compare to her story in the film, and do either justify her fate? In other books news, the fandom is buzzing with the announcement of an exclusive S...
Jul 17, 2018•1 hr 24 min
Solo has arrived, and we have mixed feelings. On this episode of Blaster Canon, the Star Wars expanded universe podcast, Paul, Megan and Saf break down the new film and some of its more controversial story decisions. What does Solo ’s box office performance mean for the future of the anthology films? Do Solo ’s strengths outweigh the flaws? The movie comes with plenty of references, deep cuts, and surprising cameos from other Star Wars stories, so we have plenty of excitement about both canon an...
Jun 05, 2018•1 hr 53 min
The heroes of Star Wars had more adventures in Forces of Destiny this month, so we reviewed the YouTube short series and speculated on what other characters might get the cartoon treatment next. Forces of Destiny season 2 connects to some major events in the saga, including how Leia got the armor she used to sneak into Jabba’s Palace, and an extra adventure with Rose and Finn in The Last Jedi . After a brief diversion to discover the origins of banana splits and the cultural significance of Denn...
Apr 06, 2018•1 hr 17 min
Rebels opened a door into a new dimension in the Star Wars universe this month, opening up the possibility of time travel and the Force working in exceptionally mysterious ways. On this episode of Blaster Canon , Megan, Paul, and Saf review the Rebels season finale and bring you this month’s Star Wars news, including reactions to the new Solo: A Star Wars Story trailer. The trailer revealed a look at Han Solo’s past with Lando Calrissian, Chewbacca, and new characters including Han’s secretive o...
Mar 22, 2018•1 hr 32 min
The Last Jedi brought with it several tie-in novels for young readers. We review The Legends of Luke Skywalker by Ken Kiu, Cobalt Squadron by Elizabeth Wein, and Bomber Command by Jason Fry, asking: is it difficult to create books that fall in the short time between The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi? Or did these just not work for us? We also discuss the Forces of Destiny comic books and how they add some good stories to the canon while, oddly, repeating others. Lucasfilm’s Leland Chee says fa...
Feb 03, 2018•1 hr 10 min
We’ve entered that rich season after a new Star Wars movie, and The Last Jedi has generated a lot of fan discussion: what does Episode VIII say about Rey’s parentage? About the identity of Supreme Leader Snoke and the legacy of the Skywalker family? Paul had a dramatic change of heart between his first and second viewing. We dig into the writing of the film, Luke Skywalker’s role and why Mark Hamill was thrown off by the direction the saga is taking him, and Rey’s character arc. We also go into ...
Dec 25, 2017•1 hr 51 min
It’s Star Wars season once again, and along with new trailers and TV spots for The Last Jedi , Lucasfilm made some big announcements this month. We talk the Rian Johnson trilogy announcement, pitch what we might want from a live-action Star Wars TV show, and review Leia: Princess of Alderaan . We dig into theories about when and why Rian Johnson was chosen to guide the Star Wars saga forward and what his placement might mean for Lucasfilm’s plans for the larger saga. Could the next Star Wars mov...
Nov 28, 2017•1 hr 15 min
With J.J. Abrams back in the pilot's seat for Episode IX , the Blaster Canon crew talks about how the director might have learned from his experience on Episode VII . Did Abrams find himself unexpectedly returning to his old headcanon for the new film? We also talk about the current Marvel Star Wars comics Captain Phasma and Mace Windu , as well as the Star Wars Adventures comics. Our main Expanded Universe discussion is on the novel Phasma by Delilah S. Dawson, which tells the story of the Impe...
Oct 03, 2017•1 hr 15 min
The Star Wars hype machine is up and running at light speed as The Last Jedi approaches, so the Blaster Canon crew has a lot to talk about in the August episode. Entertainment Weekly’s articles reveal new in-depth conversations with Mark Hamill and other The Last Jedi stars about Luke, Rey, and the Force, while Donald Glover steps into big shoes as Lando Calrissian in the Han Solo standalone. What does it mean to bring “balance” to the Force, and why has Luke traveled to a distant island in orde...
Sep 01, 2017•1 hr 31 min
The latest Star Wars animated show, Forces of Destiny , has aired, so it’s time for the Blaster Canon crew to talk about our impressions of the show and some of the discussions it has kicked off in the fandom. Who is the show “for”? The hosts exhibit some character development of our own, too. Other recent Star Wars news includes behind-the-scenes footage from The Last Jedi , some more details about Star Wars land (uh, we mean Galaxy’s Edge) and the accompanying fully immersive hotel, and newly ...
Aug 01, 2017•1 hr 31 min
On this month's Blaster Canon Paul Saf, and Megan share their long-awaited review of Star Wars Rebels season 3, as well as discussing the recent changes behind the scenes of the Han Solo movie and the new Battlefront II footage revealed at E3! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 03, 2017•1 hr 20 min
This month, we share some thoughts on the latest set photos and other news coming from the set of The Last Jedi , and we talk about recent and impending book releases from Del Rey and Disney. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 05, 2017•1 hr 25 min
Fresh from Star Wars Celebration Orlando, we've got the news about The Last Jedi , Star Wars Rebels , and upcoming novels and comics. What does it mean that Luke Skywalker thinks "it's time for the Jedi to end? What's next for the final season of Rebels ? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 03, 2017•1 hr 21 min
