EP.   196

If there's a bright centre of the galaxy, then countless star systems will try to slip through its fingers. For almost all of the Star Wars that we currently have, the main political entity is a single galaxy-spanning body centred on Coruscant. Of course, it's more accurate to say that the Republic, the New Republic and above all the Empire merely aspire to extend their reach across the galaxy, with mixed results. Both iterations of the Republic simply can’t establish enough of a unifying presence in the outer rim, or haven’t even shown up yet. The tyrannical Empire faces a number of worlds, including in the core (RIP Alderaan), that harbour an open guerrilla revolution aimed at regime change across the galaxy. But at some points in the story of Star Wars, a whole swath of worlds band together for the cause of independence from Coruscant. They want to separate and form a whole ‘nother  entity alongside the Republic. It's a pattern that has many parallels in modern real-world separatist movements, so it makes for another fascinating exploration into the politics 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

Bluesky: https://eyeoncanon.bsky.social

Star Wars Underworld Podcast Network

https://www.instagram.com/theswu/
Join us on Discord!  https://discord.gg/xhbXgRuuGx

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EP.   195

Perhaps the most important part of a story is the ending, which may be why it's the hardest to pull off. Likely the second-most important part of storytelling is the beginning. Readers often forget it as the plot thickens and characters develop, but it's critical to set up everything that follows. And in our era of Tik Tok attention spans and online hot takes, it has to grab the audience and then leave them wanting more. So this week, we’re giving the beginnings of novels their due, counting down our top five most memorable first chapters in 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

Bluesky: https://eyeoncanon.bsky.social

Star Wars Underworld Podcast Network

https://www.instagram.com/theswu/

Join us on Discord!  https://discord.gg/xhbXgRuuGx
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EP.   194

Star Wars has a lot to say about leadership. The Saga films often involve leaders as supporting characters who spur on our young heroes to come into their own and take leadership roles themselves. General Organa’s biting words to Poe, “dead heroes…no leaders,” pushed him to guide the Resistance out of Crait, and then take on the mantle of fighting the Final Order. At other times, these older figures can be obstacles for the main characters to overcome, either by their presence (hello, Palpatine?) or their absence (good night, Qui-Gon). When those heroes get taken up as legacy characters in the wider canon, we often see them in a leadership role, most notably Luke, Leia and Han, and ultimately Rey and Finn. And as if the character reaches beyond the story into the realm of storytelling, Mon Mothma shepherds the transition from Prequel Trilogy to the Originals as she leads the emerging Rebel Alliance. This week we examine these stories and more for lessons on the do’s and don’ts, the who’s who and who’s not of leadership.

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

https://www.instagram.com/theswu/

Join us on Discord!  https://discord.gg/xhbXgRuuGx

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EP.   193

Maul is back! On April 6, our favourite red and black Dathomiri Zabrak is leaping into the spotlight once again with his very own animated show, Maul: Shadow Lord. Of course, his journey to this point as a “captain of illicit industry” (I made that up) was a long and winding path, including a stint as Sidious’ promising but ultimately discarded Sith Apprentice, a rage-fueled, quasi-Orphean crawl through a subterranean junk pile, and a harrowing escape after a breathtaking duel with Ahsoka Tano during the Siege of Mandalore. This week we chart that path and take the long view of Maul’s story throughout Star Wars canon!

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

https://www.instagram.com/theswu/

Join us on Discord!  https://discord.gg/xhbXgRuuGx

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BONUS EPISODEIn 2024, Star Wars: Outlaws gave us a deep dive into the Underworld, "The Star Wars Underworld" (The World not the Podcast). Two years later we return to the wretched hive of scum and villainy with Mike Chen's Outlaws: Low Red Moon. Here we ask a simple question...What's it like inside the mind of a droid?Hosted by Joel Davis https://jid20234.bsky.socialGuest: Chris Abbott https://x.com/starrapterBluesky: https://eyeoncanon.bsky.socialStar Wars Underworld Podcast Network IG.com / theswu   Join us on Discord!   / discord  Audible 30-Day Free Trial https://amzn.to/3cfeebq #starwars #starwarscanon #SequelTrilogy #Vader #Canon #CloneWars #TheCloneWars You can watch our episodes live every Monday at 5:30 PM PT, 8:30 PM ET at    / @starwarsunderworld  

EP.   192

When George Lucas had the final say on the “story” of Star Wars, it was *often* straightforward enough for us to understand the broad strokes of what he intended the meaning of each film to be. Of course, Star Wars – and Pop Art in general – is most successful when its themes are strongly and convincingly expressed through plot and character. However, even George wasn't always consistent, especially in the many interviews and commentaries he gave over the years to illuminate his films. That inconsistency has only gotten more complicated now that multiple directors, showrunners, screenwriters and other creatives are involved in “passing on” their characters and stories to the next creative –such as the “hand-off” in the Sequel Trilogy from JJ Abrams to Rian Johnson and then back to JJ. So how do we untangle this? How do we, the audience, interpret artistic intent in this exciting but sometimes bewildering age of creative diversity in 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.social

Guest Dominic Jones! https://www.instagram.com/dominicj25/ 

Bluesky: https://eyeoncanon.bsky.social

Star Wars Underworld Podcast Network

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EP.   191

“Tuckerization” - naming a Star Wars character a modified version of a real person’s name, is a fun and heartfelt way for creatives to honour and thank those who have inspired them and support them. It also provides an avenue for fans to imagine themselves as characters in the universe itself, and raises intriguing questions and possibilities for the connection between the fictional GFFA and our real world. This week we give our favourite tuckerizations, and think about who we would want to be in 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

and Joel Davis https://jid20234.bsky.social

Bluesky: https://eyeoncanon.bsky.social

Star Wars Underworld Podcast Network

https://www.instagram.com/theswu/

Join us on Discord!  https://discord.gg/xhbXgRuuGx

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EP.   190

Maybe it was poignant that Chris Kempshall’s The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire came out on the Fourth of July, 2024. It might also be poetic that one of us (who can tell?) only just finished reading it a year into the current presidential administration. Of course, Kempshall is drawing on plenty of real-world examples of authoritarian regimes that have come and gone. It’s also important to remember that the implied author Beaumont Kin is as fictional as the Galactic Empire he is chronicling. That intersection of real-world history and fictional narrative makes for an incredibly fascinating book that is almost tailor-made for a podcast like ours. So it’s high time we dig into it, and this is the week we do just that!

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

and Joel Davis https://jid20234.bsky.social

Senior Senate Correspondent Ash Mothma https://bejeweledmothma.bsky.social 

Bluesky: https://eyeoncanon.bsky.social

Star Wars Underworld Podcast Network

https://www.instagram.com/theswu/

Join us on Discord!  https://discord.gg/xhbXgRuuGx

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EP.   189

The New Year is upon us! And there will be Star Wars in it! Specifically, a new Star Wars film is on the horizon, carrying with it all the hype and expectations of the franchise’s grand return to the big screen. How much will The Mandalorian & Grogu serve to complete this transition in Star Wars media? We also have another season of live-action streaming to look forward to, as well as two new animated series — all full of space wizardry! Of course, we have our eye on the whole canon, and so a pair of adult novels and a tie-in comic are catching our attention, as are some video games and other stories. This year is going to be a fresh makeup for Star Wars, and we’re here to break it all down for ya!

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

and Joel Davis https://jid20234.bsky.social

Bluesky: https://eyeoncanon.bsky.social

Star Wars Underworld Podcast Network

https://www.instagram.com/theswu/

Join us on Discord!  https://discord.gg/xhbXgRuuGx

Audible 30-Day Free Trial  https://amzn.to/3cfeebq

EP.   188

George Lucas was very keen on the power of visual design in Star Wars. The best filmmakers, production designers, comic book artists, video game illustrators and overall storytellers have continued this strong sense of the “look” of the Galaxy Far, Far Away. This clearly includes the use of symbols, be it of factions, movements, institutions and people: how those visual identities impact characters in-universe, and impact us real-world folks who are familiar with them. Of course, the work that symbols do in Star Wars comes straight from that same work of symbolism in our own everyday life, and how we associate these symbols with our own societies, countries, organizations and people – how we think and feel about them. This week we close off the year with a look at the power of visual identity in Star Wars and our own world.

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

and Joel Davis https://jid20234.bsky.social

Bluesky: https://eyeoncanon.bsky.social

Star Wars Underworld Podcast Network

https://www.instagram.com/theswu/

Join us on Discord!  https://discord.gg/xhbXgRuuGx

Audible 30-Day Free Trial  https://amzn.to/3cfeebq