Growing Up Skywalker

The Rebellion struck..and The Empire Strikes Back.

This week, join us for 00:00 to 01:06:33—the first half of 1980’s “Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.” On a freezing planet, the Rebellion bides its time. On a swamp and fleeing through an asteroid belt, the Rebels run from enemies and dive into mystery. The first half of Empire Strikes Back sets an atmosphere and cadence that weaves the Original Trilogy magic. 

Is Empire the best Star Wars film of all time? Tune in for our thoughts on this film’s critical reception, its budding romance (or lack thereof??), and the evolution of the Force.

Send Us Your Thoughts: Now is the time! Tell your friends! Post on your social! We're hitting the Original Trilogy! What is your experience with it? Do you want to be interviewed, or share what Star Wars means to you? Make your voice heard on social media or drop us a line at [email protected] And join us next week for The Empire Strikes Back: Part 2.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 Who Are We Tho

00:02:08 Plot Overview

00:11:04 Initial Impressions: Critics, Sam, and Anna

00:29:13 Han and Leia’s Budding Romance (?)

00:43:12 Dagobah, Luke, and the Force

00:55:26 Vader and Luke

01:05:53 Bae Watch

01:14:22 Closing Thoughts

Want even more Growing Up Skywalker? This is a great time to sign up for our Patreon for bonus audio content! 

Want more nerdy content? Check out Sam’s articles on Couch Soup!

We’re carrying the wisdom of 150+ episodes of Growing Up Skywalker into our viewing of the second half of 1977’s “Star Wars: A New Hope.” Turns out, we’re super jaded about Luke and Han shooting down a measly 4 TIE fighters—but Leia’s sass will never get old.

This week, we’re diving into Star Wars archetypes, tropes, and sacred plotlines. We’re also doing deep dives into Leia, Han, Luke, Obi-Wan, and Vader—and shedding not a single tear for Wilhuff Tarkin.

This week, we’re also discussing Star Wars women on the Patreon. Join us!

Send Us Your Thoughts: Now is the time! Tell your friends! Post on your social! We're hitting the Original Trilogy! What is your experience with it? Do you want to be interviewed, or share what Star Wars means to you? Make your voice heard on social media or drop us a line at [email protected] And join us next week for Empire Strikes Back Part 1

Timestamps:

00:00:00 Who Are We Tho

00:01:52 Plot Overview

00:16:28 Star Wars Archetypes, Tropes, and Plotlines

00:36:45 Characters: Leia, Han, Luke, Obi-Wan, and Vader

01:06:24 Bae Watch

01:13:38 Closing Thoughts

Want even more Growing Up Skywalker? This is a great time to sign up for our Patreon for bonus audio content! 

Want more nerdy content? Check out Sam’s articles on Couch Soup! New this week, he's posting on why the Growing Up Skywalker hypothesis really works.

Hello there! Welcome from a new point of view.

Rogue One's second half starts with a crash and gets wilder from there. From 56:17 on, we string together heroic space battles, Vietnam war techniques, and Star Wars’ classically atrocious file-sharing practices. We do, indeed, both cry about X-wings.

But now, the real question. Does this Growing Up Skywalker experiment work? Is the strict internal chronology the way to watch Star Wars? Join us next week for 1977's breakout, genre-defining classic—”A New Hope,” Part One.

Timestamps:

00:03:04 Plot Overview

00:18:01 That Space Battle Tho

00:25:08 Veteran Fan Vs. New Fan Impressions

00:35:04 Characters: Cassian, Jyn, Darth Vader, Chirrut, Baze

01:06:18 Bae Watch

01:13:38 Closing Thoughts

Send Us Your Thoughts: Now is the time! Tell your friends! Post on your social! We're hitting the Original Trilogy! What is your experience with it? Do you want to be interviewed, or share what Star Wars means to you? Make your voice heard on social media or drop us a line at [email protected].

Want even more Growing Up Skywalker? This is a great time to sign up for our Patreon for bonus audio content! 

Want more nerdy content? Check out Sam’s articles on Couch Soup!

Welcome to the magnificent, galaxy-sweeping, planet-shattering Rogue One (Part One).

From its first scenes, "Rogue One" carries weight. This week, we watched until 56:17, when Cassian’s crew lands on Eadu, and talk through the thematic ties between Andor and Rogue One, the film’s critical reception, and deep dives into our main characters: Cassian, Jyn, and the one and only Saw Gerrera. Plus, we talk about what’s a treat for a veteran fan versus what might get a new fan lost in translation.

We had so much to talk about this week that we recorded 30 minutes of bonus content on our Patreon! Head over to Spice Run, our Patreon-exclsuive bonus show, where we’re covering Chirrut Îmwe, Baze Malbus, the Guardians of the Whills, and Jedha City.

Timestamps:

00:03:30 Plot Overview

00:15:07 New Fan Impressions versus SW Veteran Impressions

00:19:21 Character Deep Dives: Saw, Jyn, and Cassian 

00:37:50  Critical Reception and The Making Of

00:50:07 Thematic Ties Between Rogue One, Rebels, and Andor

00:59:08 Bae Watch

01:06:44 Closing Thoughts

Send Us Your Thoughts: Now is the time! Tell your friends! Post on your social! We're hitting the Original Trilogy! What is your experience with it? Do you want to be interviewed, or share what Star Wars means to you? Make your voice heard on social media or drop us a line at [email protected].

Want even more Growing Up Skywalker? This is a great time to sign up for our Patreon for bonus audio content! 

Want more nerdy content? Check out Sam’s articles on Couch Soup!

Well, that's it. Rebels is done. What a ride! From the epic action to the thrilling post-war coda, this episode encapsulated the true meaning of rebellion. We cried (a lot).

"Family Reunion - And Farewell"  (Season 4, Episode 15) pulls together everything the Rebels needed to pull off the biggest mission they've ever undertaken—the polestar of the whole series—the liberation of Lothal. Thrawn can’t even hope to thwart them this time. But just as Rebels giveth, Rebels taketh away, and we spend time coming to terms with the sacrifices that Lothal’s liberation required.

What's next for Growing Up Skywalker? We're getting Andor and Chopper on the big screen together to figure out why the other shoe never dropped on Lothal in ROGUE ONE!!!

Timestamps:

00:03:25 Plot Overview

00:16:08 Ezra and Thrown Trapped in Amber

00:23:50 Errybody Else

00:35:03 Rebels versus Clone Wars

00:48:09 Favorite Rebels Moments

00:59:03 Bae Watch

01:05:55 Closing Thoughts

Send Us Your Thoughts: Now is the time! Tell your friends! Post on your social! We're hitting the Original Trilogy! What is your experience with it? Do you want to be interviewed, or share what Star Wars means to you? Make your voice heard on social media or drop us a line at [email protected].

Want even more Growing Up Skywalker? This is a great time to sign up for our Patreon for bonus audio content! 

Want more nerdy content? Check out Sam’s articles on Couch Soup!

This is the final countdown…before the end of Rebels!!

Everything comes together in these episodes: Ahsoka, Ezra, Palpatine, the past, the future, and the necessity of sacrifice.

In "A World Between Worlds" (Season 4, Episode 13), we get the answer to Ahsoka’s fate from waaaaaay back in Season 3. (SHE LIVES!!!) As Ezra is forced into a devastating choice, the Phoenix cell is left with burnt bridges and scarce resources. But they are Rebels—and this is where they excel. 

In "A Fool's Hope" (Season 4, Episode 14) the Rebels scrape together every ally they can for a daring plan to finish this once and for all: To liberate Lothal, no matter the cost.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 Plot Overview

00:11:08 AHSOKA LIVES

00:26:15 The World Between Worlds

00:33:05 Kanan and Ezra

00:49:31 Bae Watch

00:57:02 Closing Thoughts

Send Us Your Thoughts: The Growing Up Skywalker chronology has finally hit an inflection point (i.e. new stuff is being released out of order). What should we watch, and when? Make your voice heard on social media, or drop us a line at [email protected].

Want even more Growing Up Skywalker? This is a great time to sign up for our Patreon for bonus audio content! 

Want more nerdy content? Check out Sam’s articles on Couch Soup!

Welcome to our most mystical, magical episode of Rebels (and Growing Up Skywalker…and probably Star Wars) ever.

“Dume” and “Wolves and a Door” (Rebels S4, 11–12) bring back the mysteries of the Mortis Arc and take us deep into the heart of Force magic. We guess about the connection between Kanan and the Loth-wolf Dume, and question what Palpatine wants from a gateway that allows someone to bend space/time and control the galaxy. And, of course, because we’re still not over it—we meditate on different forms of grief.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 Plot Overview

00:10:31 Mortis Arc and Palpatine Redux

00:32:02 Kanan and DUME

00:45:35 Big Questions from this Episode

00:55:29 Bae Watch

01:03:01 Closing Thoughts

Send Us Your Thoughts: S4 of Rebels is a short one…and new shows have come out since we started. What should Growing Up Skywalker watch next? Make your voice heard on social media or drop us a line at [email protected].

Want even more Growing Up Skywalker? This is a great time to sign up for our Patreon for bonus audio content! 

Want more nerdy content? Check out Sam’s articles on Couch Soup!

X-wings and Major Plot Development, here we come.

The rebel assault in "Rebel Assault" (Rebels S4, 9) goes off with a bang, but then goes down in flames. With our heroes on the run or worse, the Loth-wolves have important information to share with Kanan.

However, "Jedi Night"(Rebels S4,10) breaks the mold about what a star wars episode is, and we are left dealing with devastating fallout both on Lothal and in the hearts of watchers.  We still have more of Rebels S4, but the stakes have never been higher for what will happen on Lothal.

Send Us Your Thoughts: S4 of Rebels is a short one…and new shows have come out since we started. What should Growing Up Skywalker watch next? Make your voice heard on social media or drop us a line at [email protected].

Want even more Growing Up Skywalker? This is a great time to sign up for our Patreon for bonus audio content! 

Want more nerdy content? Check out Sam’s articles on Couch Soup!

Timestamps:
00:01:50 Plot Overview
00:12:25 Kanan Jarrus Retrospective
00:33:38 Swan Song to Hera Syndulla
00:43:14 The Empire is Writing Its Own Doom
00:49:09 Bae Watch
00:56:19 Closing Thoughts

On all levels except physical, this episode is just wolves.

We delve deeper into Loth-wolf lore in “Kindred” and “Crawler Commandeers” (Rebels S4, 7–8) as we learn they can step across space and time…and drop our intrepid heroes in the path of sinister Imperial plots on Lothal. As the Rebellion’s invasion of Lothal approaches, TIE Defenders may be not be their biggest worry.

Send Us Your Thoughts: S4 of Rebels is a short one…and new shows have come out since we started. What should Growing Up Skywalker watch next? Make your voice heard on social media or drop us a line at [email protected].

Want even more Growing Up Skywalker? This is a great time to sign up for our Patreon for bonus audio content! 

Want more nerdy content? Check out Sam’s articles on Couch Soup!

Timestamps:

00:00:00 Plot Overview

00:12:52 The Bigger Picture of These Episodes

00:32:01 Loth-Wolf Symbolism

00:40:30 Hera and Kanan and THE SMOOCH

00:56:28 Bae Watch

01:03:12 Closing Thoughts