How about that? A new writer comes in and the story gets better. That’s not magic. That’s just someone with better storytelling skills helping turn out the best episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi yet. "Best" is certainly a relative term, but when you have Vader being awesome, Obi-Wan and Anakin dueling once again and revenge on Reva instead of the other way around, it’s bound to be better than at least the last two segments of stories in this limited series. There’s echoes and tone poems and rhyming of s...
Jun 21, 2022•48 min•Season 2Ep. 84
It was devastating to morale to watch others claim credit for being the first to notice things that our podcast posted first. There's no use screaming to the heavens about it because if people don't listen to our podcasts and make the same observations, it probably wasn't some great mystery that This is the Way Podcast was first to solve. Seeing ideas we had several weeks back pop up NOW on YouTube was a little more strikingly painful, but I'm not supposed to be doing this for credit. It doesn't...
Jun 16, 2022•48 min•Season 2Ep. 83
Now, I don’t want to go off on a rant here… LucasFilm needs to hire me to take a look at “final drafts” of scripts…or anyone who is a fan of good television. The writing places us in situations in part four of the story that are unnecessarily bad and we shouldn’t have to ignore our way out of trouble to enjoy the show. It isn’t hard here to see ways the story can be exactly the same, but more believable and still exciting, but we get things like Stormtroopers who don’t notice Obi-Wan in the hall...
Jun 10, 2022•48 min•Season 2Ep. 82
We made such an effort to "be first" with great observations, theories, and content, but even being first and accurate doesn't lead to more downloads or listeners. For the fourth episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi, I decided to try and enjoy it more, but I found myself going off on tangents after taking notes so often it was apparent that the problems I have with the show outweigh the excitement and awe I have with what's happening in the story of Star Wars right now. The story isn't bad. Leia has been k...
Jun 08, 2022•29 min•Season 2Ep. 81
The third Obi-Wan Kenobi episode started streaming less than a week from episode two. Part Three gave us our answer of who would voice Darth Vader. It also gave us the first lightsaber duel between the two since Mustafar (Revenge of the Sith). Padme's daughter continues to shine in her role (in our opinion) and Reva's character seems to fit better even if only by a mote. Steve still feels strongly about the backlash on valid critiques of the episodes and adds sound mixing to his sources of frust...
Jun 01, 2022•33 min•Season 2Ep. 80
The Star Wars fandom really seems to be forever fractured. Just when you think there are reasons for coming together, some idiots post dumb things on the internet. That's not even the worst part, which you'd figure would easily be the worst part (and I'm sure it's that bad for the actors targeted). No, the worst part is the "over correction" that happens from every well meaning (and some not so well meaning) "fans" who then scour the internet for any contrary point of view and lump them all toge...
Jun 01, 2022•22 min•Season 2Ep. 79
The second of two episodes released on Obi-Wan Kenobi series day one is, oddly enough, called Part Two. I would bet heavily that the next episode in the series, the third one, will be called Part Three. We not only get more young Leia in this one, but we get Ben and Leia TOGETHER. They're the most talked about duo since a beskar plated cultist and a long eared, big eyed, green skinned, sack wearing alien of mysterious origin. The show STILL can't get a foot chase right, but we're less concerned ...
May 29, 2022•42 min•Season 2Ep. 78
Season One, Episode Two of Obi-wan Kenobi arrived early just like Episode One. I wonder if there was anyone out there that said to themselves, "You know what? I'm watching these things out of order." No one? I mean, this is 2022, so there had to be at least one person, right? This is the Way Podcast released an episode on Friday, May 27th (well, two actually) without the requisite quality control and somehow, audio was shifted, perhaps due to an errant clip deletion during the exporting process....
May 28, 2022•18 min•Season 2Ep. 77
The space wizard wasn't late, nor was he early. He arrived precisely when he meant to. Well, okay, it WAS earlier than we expected to get episodes one and two of Obi-Wan Kenobi. The usual release window of 3 AM eastern was changed at Star Wars Celebration to give fans a better chance to see the show, which honestly we felt was a strong possibility and it was a welcome one. Shortly before midnight, both episodes popped up on Disney Plus and Steve binged them both immediately. Part I was nearly pe...
May 28, 2022•30 min•Season 2Ep. 76
Season One, Episode One of Obi-wan Kenobi didn't just arrive, it arrived early. Parts 1 (and 2) became available on the Disney Plus streaming platform shortly before midnight on March 26th, having been moved up a few hours in an executive decision announced from Star Wars Celebration. The early release was appreciated. This is the Way Podcast immediately got to work and truth be told, notes have been taken and podcasts have been recorded for both episodes already, but a mountain of editing and e...
May 27, 2022•19 min•Season 2Ep. 75
Order 66 seems to have caught up to any and all co-hosts. Transmissions from the Jedi Temple revealed too many in hiding and now, Steve is going "solo" for the newest Disney Plus Star Wars series. Obi-wan Kenobi debuts Friday, May 27th, 2022 with TWO episodes of the six episode limited run. Well, it's limited until Kathleen Kennedy and LucasFilm says it's not, right? This show could be a huge success and we've already heard Ewan McGregor say he'd love to give the 'ol space wizard another crack. ...
May 26, 2022•13 min•Season 2Ep. 74
Do not listen to this episode if you loved Akakiri. Yeah, sure we finally rank the nine episodes of Star Wars: Visions at the end, but it won't be worth hearing how much the host didn't like this episode if you enjoyed it. Steve's issues with Akakiri almost left HIM in a "red haze" and if this had been episode one, there might not have been any coverage of the series beyond a single general thoughts episode. Maybe that would have been best, but so much time was invested in really giving this ser...
May 25, 2022•24 min•Season 2Ep. 73
This is the Way Podcast learned about two parts of anime culture through episode 8. Steve knew they existed, but didn't really understand the terminology. There's "kawaii" and there's "manga effects" and neither of them are important to storytelling, but are certainly a big part of anime. If those things appeal to you, then "Lop and Ocho" might serve you a terrific Star Wars story. If those things pull you out of the suspension of disbelief you need to enjoy the story, the eighth episode of seas...
May 20, 2022•19 min•Season 2Ep. 72
Content waits for no one. When the Vanity Fair article hit the 'net on Tuesday, it threatened to make a relic of Steve's hard work. Should he have buckled down Sunday and released both his latest Visions review podcast AND the monthly (on the 15th) news update? Yeah, maybe. He also could have done the news update first and then released the Visions podcast on Tuesday. He didn't. Vanity Fair's article is out. There are SOME details, but you know what? There will be more at Star Wars Celebration. ...
May 18, 2022•27 min•Season 2Ep. 71
If you had to pick a project to retire after, it's hard for me to think of a better send-off than Star Wars. Me? No, I'm speaking about Masahiko Ôtsuka, going out with a strong message for the young after many years as a creator of anime. The episode wasn't a long one, just 15 minutes from first shot to the start of credits (the Filmmaker's Focus episode that goes with it lasts less than 7 minutes). It felt even shorter because of the long pauses, the determined nature of the moral of the story,...
May 15, 2022•24 min•Season 2Ep. 70
There are special episodes and then there are episodes that are special. This is both! For "May the Fourth" in 2022, Steve interviews...his father. Impossible you say, Luke? Nonsense. Yes, we are well aware that Mother's Day is right around the corner. Steve's mom will have her own time to shine here on This is the Way Podcast. Today was a short interview about remembering Star Wars for the boys. Nevermind the head scratching you'll hear from time to time in the audio...Steve's dad's head isn't ...
May 04, 2022•23 min•Season 2Ep. 69
Star Wars: Visions? Visions. Now that's a show I've not podcasted about in a long time. A long time. More than four months and 17 episodes since our discussion of episode 5 in season one, and rumors have discussed the release of season two. Originally, Steve thought he might wrap all the episodes into one podcast and gloss over the anime, because it's not his favorite medium for storytelling. After watching just one episode, Steve realized there were stories that can transcend the medium. Is TO-...
Apr 26, 2022•21 min•Season 2Ep. 68
Sometimes content creators have reasons to try and get ahead. With the week of April's news update release coming with a holiday and work on a second podcast as well, Steve thought he'd clear up family time with a Tuesday recording session for a Friday release. What could possibly be so big that couldn't (or shouldn't) wait until May if it wasn't in the April update? Well, a few things, actually. C'est la vie. An O-B-K delay, Andor release rumors, Ahsoka rumors squashed, The Bad Batch and Vision...
Apr 15, 2022•31 min•Season 2Ep. 67
Marching onward in 2022, we've got the Obi-wan Kenobi series teaser trailer to mention, a rumor we're kind of hoping isn't true about Grogu (but we don't spoil anything, just in case), and have some videos to recommend if you're thinking of spending a small fortune on a trip to the "stars" near Hollywood Studios in Orlando. The Bad Batch will return a little older here in 2022 according to the composer for the show and Andor hires someone to handle scoring that isn't Ludwig Goransson. Go figure....
Mar 15, 2022•20 min•Season 66Ep. 2
The 2022 Annual Disney Shareholders Webcast didn't hold much information for us about Obi-wan Kenobi, but the Entertainment Weekly article and teaser trailer appearing that same Wednesday, March 9th sure did! I'd like to mention that just for the sake of partiality, I do not own stock, even partial stocks, in Disney...though it probably is a silly restriction to put on myself since it stands to be a good investment with prices going up across the board for everything Disney. As with The Book of ...
Mar 13, 2022•19 min•Season 2Ep. 65
Short month, short news podcast coming your way! Steve experimented heavily with ambient sound under this one, so it might not be your cup of tea, but with so few news items of note, it seemed like a good time to test out a few tricks. There is that ONE news story, of course, but we've already discussed Obi-wan Kenobi's debut date for Disney Plus. It's May 25th. Yeah, we've mentioned that a few times already. Boba Fett wrapped up. Ahsoka is gearing up. Acolyte is on deck. Andor is in post-produc...
Feb 16, 2022•13 min•Season 2Ep. 64
Filoni giveth Cad Bane and he taketh away. Robert Rodriguez wrapped up the first (and only?) season of The Book of Boba Fett with some great action and some head scratching moments. Even casual fans of Star Wars continue to puzzle over the "mods" and their place in the show. The rancor should have been a show stopper, but Grogu is the money maker, let's not pretend we don't know it.\ Chain mail (obviously) won out over Yoda's lightsaber and Luke sent his potential first student on the first bus ...
Feb 16, 2022•47 min•Season 2Ep. 63
It's a strange thing to decide you want to do a podcast to talk about your love for Star Wars and then feel like you have to apologize for your opinions just because some people can't handle opinions other than their own. It certainly feels limiting, but then you realize that those people aren't the ones you want to talk to in your everyday life anyway. It doesn't make great business sense, but calling it like you see it and not worrying about what others think certainly brings joy back into wha...
Feb 10, 2022•19 min•Season 2Ep. 62
Last week, The Mandalorian makes an appearance. This week, the prospect of revisiting Grogu was on the table. Well, we didn't just get "baby Yoda" in Chapter Six. We got Master Luke, Ahsoka Tano, R2-D2, the debut of ant droids, Cobb Vanth...and we even got Cad Bane. Watching so much Star Wars certainly pays off when you get episodes like this because you're not as lost and don't have to say, "wait, who is this guy and why is she/he important?" You don't HAVE to watch that much Star Wars, but if ...
Feb 08, 2022•40 min•Season 2Ep. 61
Joy is a very strange emotion when you think about it. Can you predict when you'll be joyful? If you could, would you be able to attain that joy? This is the Way Podcast was filled with joy watching Chapter 6 of The Book of Boba Fett. To talk about it would really spoil it. Oh, if you listen to this podcast before watching the show, you will have the episode spoiled. This is a REACTION to what was seen in the early morning hours of February 2nd. Like Groundhog Day, we kind of wish we could watch...
Feb 02, 2022•32 min•Season 2Ep. 60
You can count This is the Way Podcast among the many that would gladly sing the praises of Bryce Dallas Howard this week after a fantastic installment of The Mandalorian, season 2.5 (though it masqueraded as The Book of Boba Fett season 1, episode 5). It's Mando heavy, like a lightsaber in the hands of a novice. There's callbacks to themes galore, even literally (like when Grogu's theme is heard on the star liner while Din Djarin is looking at the bindle bundle). Easter eggs? If you're looking f...
Jan 30, 2022•48 min•Season 2Ep. 59
This is the Way Podcast doesn't release reaction podcasts that much anymore. This one felt like it needed it. There are huge spoilers in this reaction podcast. We talk in general about the big events and some of the small things mentioned, too. Do not listen to this reaction podcast without having watched the episode. This is intended to be a podcast for people hoping to hear someone talk about the things they just saw and build excitement for our in depth podcast, which is already at work. Seri...
Jan 26, 2022•27 min•Season 2Ep. 58
This is the Way Podcast is pleased to tell you that the salty brine of disillusionment has been cleansed by the bacta of fewer anachronisms this week. Chapter 4 was an improvement in our book (of Boba Fett), but according to Steve, that wasn't a tall order. How many bacta sessions are left? None if you take the dressing droid at its word. The emotional scarring may never heal, but the way Boba freely spreads his trust around makes me think he needs to fly to a planet with great psychologists and...
Jan 21, 2022•39 min•Season 2Ep. 57
We started off the year with The Book of Boba Fett coverage, but we're sticking with the news updates once a month to make sure we stay in the know for ourselves and for you, our listeners. There isn't much news that doesn't have to do with The Book of Boba Fett, but we may soon get some dates for things like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Andor. Marvel just put out a trailer for their Moon Knight show coming in March, so if our speculation is correct, we may get a May 4th announcement for Kenobi by the end...
Jan 19, 2022•24 min•Season 2Ep. 56
This is the Way! Now with extra salt! Steve didn't care for this episode, not for one or two cosmetic issues, but for some real problems that even if fixed might only stick out more. The easter egg colored bikes might fit in the world George Lucas built, but they don't fit in on Tatooine. Neither does the poor fighting of a fearsome wookiee said to be a prized fighter. Nor do Hutts make sense slithering away without a threat. I'd bring up how slow the street chase was, but a certain film had one...
Jan 14, 2022•59 min•Season 2Ep. 55
