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 about, but do have a brief review of the Prequel Era novel Queen’s Peril. Star Wars comic books have been disrupted like other comic book lines, and the comic book industry is responding to that in ways that affect readers and comic shops. In Star Wars TV news, writer Joby Harold has been reported as being attached to the live-action Kenobi series on Disney+. That prompts us to talk about the rumor that Ahsoka Tano will appear in the second season of The Mandalorian, played by Rosario Dawson. 

Our main topic this month is the The Rise of Skywalker novel, which greatly expands on what was seen in the movie. New scenes and references to other parts of the saga give us a lot to pick apart, including some speculation about Alphabet Squadron. We talk about whether we enjoyed the novel and whether the connections and additions in the novel improved our experiences of the movie. New information about Palpatine’s son adds another wrinkle to the themes of Star Wars overall as well as to the conversation about the canonicity of tie-in books. 

Epilogue: Hey everyone, thanks for listening. I’m sad to report this has been the last episode of Blaster Canon. We’ve had a great time making it and hope you’ll join us for the next endeavor. Thanks to Den of Geek for supporting us so far, and may the Force be with you.

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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 Yoda.

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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 recent episode, so we cover episodes 4 through 7. Everyone is enjoying them, but Saf has some suggestions for viewing order. 

Paul has been reading The Rise of Kylo Ren, and Megan takes a look (and maybe read the whole issue in the course of recording this podcast). Things have been a bit quiet in the Star Wars books realm, but Megan has read Force Collector and has a brief review. It’s a fun book, but what are its implications about the First Order? Like The Rise of Skywalker, they’re a bit weird.

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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 that didn’t work for her. Paul brings the perspective of someone who doesn’t play games often, and praises the story.

Then it’s all hands on deck for The Mandalorian. With Baby Yoda and Pedro Pascal’s Mando taking the internet by storm, we talk about how we went from excited anticipation (or weary skepticism) to fully on board with the new show by the time episode 3 was released. We break down what the different directors brought to each episode, and the hopes we have for Deborah Chow’s upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi show.

It wouldn’t be Blaster Canon without a look at the previous Star Wars canon that was moved aside to make room for the Disney timeline. In this case, there’s a lot to say with regards to how the Mandalorians are portrayed in the show as compared to the Expanded Universe. In what ways are the show's Mandos actually more like Legends author Karen Traviss’ in-depth culture-building than like the Mandalorian politics shown in The Clone Wars?

The next episode of Blaster Canon will cover The Rise of Skywalker and the end of a Star Wars era, so buckle up for that after November's cascade of content from a galaxy far, far away.

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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 news was that the pair was working on a project about the origins of the Jedi. Ancient Jedi are a popular subject among Star Wars fans across the board, so how could that project go ahead with a different creative team?

We veer toward the Prequels to talk about why Rey’s story might ought to be more like Anakin Skywalker’s. Was Rey born from the Force? Will The Rise of Skywalker be influenced by a growing love of the prequels and deep Force lore from the fandom? Another key reveal in The Rise of Skywalker is Emperor Palpatine’s throne and ominous dialogue. What might George Lucas’ early drafts show us about what’s going on in Episode IX? Could Rey’s history be connected to Darth Plagueis’ manipulations of the Force before Emperor Palpatine ever rose to power? 

Lastly, we cover some books news, where it’s all about the Resistance. (NOTE: You will notice some audio distortion in this episode. We apologize, and will have a cleaner episode up next time.)

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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 connect to the Sequel Trilogy?

We take a detour to Galaxy’s Edge to talk about the hotel planned for the park. Additionally, the tie-in novels Black Spire and Crash of Fate add to the canon—but are they very good? The Age of Resistance comics bring us new Sequel trilogy stories, including about Supreme Leader Snoke and Kylo Ren.

Especially compared to the breathlessness of the Marvel announcements, did D23 as a whole feel like an exciting time to be a Star Wars fan or not? In other news, the Kenobi TV show has officially been announced, and Star Wars Resistance will be ending after two seasons. With The Clone Wars coming to Disney+, a new group of Star Wars fans may be hooked on the prequel era instead of the original trilogy.

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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 news, the first season of the animated TV show Resistance comes to home media—but only to DVD.

Our main topic this week is the novel Alphabet Squadron by Alexander Freed, the first in a trilogy. We talk about why military stories appeal to us, how Alphabet Squadron manages to be both slow and propulsive, and the complexity of the main character. Alphabet Squadron also gives us an opportunity to do an overview of the new continuity. It can be awkward when one piece of tie-in media needs to dance around the history of a character who might yet appear in another story. How does Hera Syndulla fare in this book, and how can Star Wars strike a balance between maintaining continuity and giving beloved characters cameos?

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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 Lucasfilm. What does it mean that she could be “the Kevin Feige of Star Wars”? We go over her credentials and talk about the difference between adapting comics and creating new stories.

Our main topic this week is the audio drama Dooku: Jedi Lost, telling the story of the Count’s fall to the dark side. Saf and Paul generally found the concept interesting but the execution to be poor. Asajj Ventress talks to a manifestation of her former Jedi Master, and Dooku encounters Syfo-Dias and his prophetic visions. It turns out that the characters on the margins are more interesting than the story of Count Dooku’s fall, but we do pull out some connections between the audio drama and the latest novel, Master & Apprentice.

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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 interfering in slave-holding planets like Tatooine all connect to the novel—but what exactly is it saying?

The hosts also dig into new character Rael Aveross, a contemporary of Qui-Gon, and what he can tell us about Anakin’s Jedi lineage.

In other Star Wars news, Vanity Fair released its traditional article and photos to accompany the upcoming saga film. It reveals space horses, new costumes, and a lot of lighting choices to interpret. Most importantly, space horses!

Director Laeta Kalogridis is rumored to be on board for a Knights of the Old Republic-era film. Could this be the same project David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are working on? Lastly, our hosts do a quick run through of other tie-in works like the audio drama Dooku: Jedi Lost and the ongoing TIE Fighter comic series.

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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 nine movies together. Paul and Saf debate over whether directional decisions will create tension between Episode VIII and IX.

After a brief foray into the upcoming seventh season of The Clone Wars we talk Jedi: Fallen Order, the Del Rey tease of “Project Luminous,” and The Mandalorian, including the new images and how the panel itself was handled. A big part of the con experience is dictated by the behind-the-scenes planning, and so we also talk about how panel hosts and streaming changed the experience.

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