Over the five years we've been recording KnockBack, we've intentionally gone out of our way not to talk about A New Hope. It's an especially peculiar decision, considering the first-ever episode of KnockBack is about The Empire Strikes Back, the film that would follow it. But we wanted to get 2023 into gear with something positive and fun, a topic we can bring a lot of energy to, and we've finally succumbed: It's time to chat about 1977's original Star Wars film. But we do things a little differently, because this is probably the most-worn-out property to focus on, especially at this point. So instead of talking about the story, the main characters, and more, we discuss all we love in the negative space: The Jawas and the Sandcrawler, Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, the Imperial officers and that dope meeting room, TIE Fighter Pilots and Death Star Gunners, and on and on and on. Some may call us nothing more than mindless philosophers, but we think this is perfect fodder for a show like ours.

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