Ep 217There's an old joke: when it comes to understanding Star Wars, you need to know three things: Nixon, Vietnam, and Cars. But in all seriousness, Star Wars pulls from world history in order to tell its story. This causes for a lot of interesting if not sometimes odd allegories. This week we're talking about it. This is the Historical Allegory of Star WarsYou can watch our episodes live every Monday at 5:30 PM PT, 8:30 PM ET at https://www.youtube.com/@Starwarsunderworld/streams Hosted by Joel Davis https://jid20234.bsky.socialGuest: Red LeaderBluesky: https://eyeoncanon.bsky.socialStar Wars Underworld Podcast Networkhttps://www.instagram.com/theswu/ Join us on Discord! https://discord.gg/xhbXgRuuGxAudible 30-Day Free Trial https://amzn.to/3cfeebq

EP. 216

It's an Ahsoka Trailer Breakdown! The crowds at D23 and everyone else were treated to the first Teaser-Trailer of Ahsoka: Season 2, it had everything we love! This week we’re going full-podcastariat on the teaser, as well as giving an asteroid-lightsaber-sized Eyes on Screen look at The Ninth Jedi.

Ahsoka Season Two Trailer Timestamps:

• 0.09

• 0.24

• 0.28

• 0.34

• 0.46

• 1.03

• 1.26

You can watch our episodes live every Monday at 5:30 PM PT, 8:30 PM ET at https://www.youtube.com/@Starwarsunderworld/streams 

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EP. 215

Reason, progress, change, negotiating with institutional authority: these are largely the legacy of the Protestant Reformation, the decisive schism that divided and forged modern Western Europe in the 16th century. As a product of Western Civilization as well, Star Wars often looks to these ideals and their historical roots. David Lindlehof even made this explicit when he described the major influence of the film he was going to make, set after the events of the Sequel Trilogy. This week we examine that possibility, with the help of a thoughtful article, and consider if the Reformation would work as a model of Rey’s rebuilt Jedi Order.

You can watch our episodes live every Monday at 5:30 PM PT, 8:30 PM ET at https://www.youtube.com/@Starwarsunderworld/streams 

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Matthew Neugebauer https://instagram.com/mneug1138 

Joel Davis https://jid20234.bsky.social

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“The New Jedi Order Should Not Be Inspired By The Protestant Reformation” by Harrison Edgar: https://www.cultureslate.com/editorials/the-new-jedi-order-should-not-be-inspired-by-the-protestant-reformation

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EP. 214Adaptation! The Process of taking a story/concept/character from one medium to another. Star Wars has always had an odd history of it. What counts as source material? What can be transitioned from one medium to another, and does the reboot make certain ideas these days less likely to happen than before? We talk about all this and more.

You can watch our episodes live every Monday at 5:30 PM PT, 8:30 PM ET at https://www.youtube.com/@Starwarsunderworld/streams 

Hosted by 

Joel Davis https://jid20234.bsky.social

Guest: Red Leader

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EP. 213

San Diego Comic Con 2026 is now in the rear-view mirror, and Lucasfilm Publishing made a splash! They announced a gripping horror YA novel, a gloriously prequelist adult novel featuring Luke and Leia, an Indiana Jones comic and more! We also got updates on Zero Company, the George Lucas Museum, Star Wars: The Experience and the next era of Hasbro’s Black Series line. Folks in-person even got to meet some Anzellans first-hand and imagine flying on their ship! This week, we talk all about Star Wars at SDCC 2026!

You can watch our episodes live every Monday at 5:30 PM PT, 8:30 PM ET at https://www.youtube.com/@Starwarsunderworld/streams 

Hosted by 

Matthew Neugebauer https://instagram.com/mneug1138 

Joel Davis https://jid20234.bsky.social

Bluesky: https://eyeoncanon.bsky.social

Star Wars Underworld Podcast Network

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EP. 212

Star Wars. Famously, it has wars in it. The franchise isn’t pro-war, but often exposes the complexity, corruption and even moral struggle that often characterize armed conflict. It also examines the forces that lead to war: some of those forces are ideological, some involve a clash of worldviews and religions, many are driven by economic factors, and of course all of them rely heavily on political calculations. Naturally, the Clone Wars, the Rebellion against the Empire and the Resistance’s struggle to oust the First Order as well as conflicts in our world connect to a number of these at once. However, in-universe and real-world historians work to point to a narrative that highlights a primary cause that was at issue leading to military action. This week we put on our historical thinking caps and examine the motivations behind the wars of Star Wars!

You can watch our episodes live every Monday at 5:30 PM PT, 8:30 PM ET at https://www.youtube.com/@Starwarsunderworld/streams 

Hosted by 

Matthew Neugebauer https://instagram.com/mneug1138 

Joel Davis https://jid20234.bsky.social

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EP. 211

*Non-spoiler review ends at 24:50*

Madeleine Roux’s Legacy takes Rey, Leia and a plucky band of ordinary folks on a thrilling journey of discovery — within themselves, into the Force, and beyond the cave of the past towards a hopeful future. It gives us some exciting bits of ancient lore and whets our appetites for some intriguing possibilities beyond the sequel era, all the while drawing the characters to a deeper sense of purpose and belonging. This week we’ve got the whole band together for a good ol’ fashioned book review!

You can watch our episodes live every Monday at 5:30 PM PT, 8:30 PM ET at https://www.youtube.com/@Starwarsunderworld/streams 

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Matthew Neugebauer https://instagram.com/mneug1138 

Joel Davis https://jid20234.bsky.social

Chris Abbott https://twitter.com/starrapter. Https://youtube.com/starrapter 

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EP. 210

Our own planet’s biggest sporting event is halfway through – you know, the one with the round ball kicked by the players all over the flat green field towards large nets at either end? That got us thinking: Star Wars has featured all kinds of sports, be it the major action set piece of the Boonta Eve Podrace, a quick glance at “Droid football” in the Outlander Club, or…umm…real-life Dejarik (too soon?). Many of these have interesting political and social dynamics surrounding them, just like in our real world. This week we're exploring Star Wars’ Wide Galaxy of Sports!

You can watch our episodes live every Monday at 5:30 PM PT, 8:30 PM ET at https://www.youtube.com/@Starwarsunderworld/streams 

Hosted by 

Matthew Neugebauer https://instagram.com/mneug1138 

Joel Davis https://jid20234.bsky.social

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EP. 209It’s true that we can point to specific themes, plot points, characters, ships designs and more for a sense of what Star Wars “is.” Perhaps more importantly though, we all have a gut feeling – or different gut feelings – about the identity of the franchise and its stories. Action! Excitement! Heroism! Dread! That warm, fluffy sense of being home. This “emotional identity” is especially important for those who first encountered it as children, before we reached intellectual maturity. It’s also why nostalgia is one of the most powerful markers of that identity. This sense of whether or not something “feels” like Star Wars comes to a head most when a new film or show comes out, since that newness can challenge our feelings and perceptions, or perhaps affirm them. This week we still keep our thinking caps on, but tap them into the feels of the Galaxy Far, Far Away.You can watch our episodes live every Monday at 5:30 PM PT, 8:30 PM ET at https://www.youtube.com/@Starwarsunderworld/streams Hosted by Matthew Neugebauer https://instagram.com/mneug1138 Joel Davis https://jid20234.bsky.socialBluesky: https://eyeoncanon.bsky.socialStar Wars Underworld Podcast Networkhttps://www.instagram.com/theswu/ Join us on Discord! https://discord.gg/xhbXgRuuGxAudible 30-Day Free Trial https://amzn.to/3cfeebq

Ep 208

Joel goes it (Han) solo this time to answer some viewer questions and give his thoughts on Star Wars.You can watch our episodes live every Monday at 5:30 PM PT, 8:30 PM ET at https://www.youtube.com/@Starwarsunderworld/streams Hosted by Joel Davis https://jid20234.bsky.socialBluesky: https://eyeoncanon.bsky.socialStar Wars Underworld Podcast Networkhttps://www.instagram.com/theswu/ Join us on Discord! https://discord.gg/xhbXgRuuGxAudible 30-Day Free Trial https://amzn.to/3cfeebq