Growing Up Skywalker

Well, the madcap adventures of Team Fireball were delightful while they lasted. But there’s a new sheriff in town, and their name is the First Order.

The Star Wars: Resistance episodes of the week—"The High Tower" and "Children of Tehar” (Season 1, Episodes 5–6)—introduce Kylo Ren and Captain Doza, and give Captain Phasma and Major Vonreg time in the spotlight. And they pull no punches…especially when we discover The First Order is doing genocide purely to hide the bodies. Even the delightful sequences of Kaz running like a noodle with a torso don’t really bring light to these dark times.

In our recap, we talk about classism on the Colossus, what about the First Order, and how the relationships of the characters might blossom. Big heart eyes for the Chelidae, btw.

Join us next week for Episodes 6–7, "Signal from Sector Six" and "Synara's Score.”

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

Timestamps:

00:00:00 Who Are We?

00:02:21 Plot Summary

00:13:59 Classism and Economics on the Colossus

00:26:00 Kylo Ren and Tehar

00:28:25 The Colors of The First Order

00:43:29 Bae Watch

00:49:42 Closing Thoughts

The madcap adventures of the Team Fireball continue! 

In the third and fourth episodes of Star Wars: Resistance (The Triple Dark + Fuel for the Fire), Kaz is struggling with double duty and managing to fail forward—and sometimes backwards—on everything. 

In this week’s episode, we talk about how fitting in is hard for Kaz, but being a good person seems to come easy. We speculate on Yeager’s backstory as a Rebel hero, threats to the Colossus, and how the First Order is maneuvering to establish a foothold in the galaxy.

Join us next week for episodes 4–5, "The High Tower" and "Children of Tehar.”

Timestamps:

00:00:00 Who Are We?

00:01:57 Plot Summary

00:10:29 Threats to the Colossus 

00:17:03 Kaz’s Struggle

00:30:11 Yeager, Former Rebel Hero

00:37:14 The Colossus

00:51:10 Bae Watch

00:59:14 Closing Thoughts

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The biggest time jump in Growing Up Skywalker history! This week, we flash forward to ABY 34. Everyone we know and love is 20 years older, and a new story is rising in the Outer Rim…the story of the First Order and the Resistance. 

We dive into galaxy-spanning politics like how, exactly, the New Republic came to need a Resistance wing and which Imperial remnants we think became part of the First Order. We also name Resistance a spiritual successor to Rebels, discuss Kaz’s spectacular penchant for bad first impressions, and question whether his dad, the beyond-bad Senator Xiono, could possibly be a First Order mole.

We had so much to talk about we also recorded a 45-minute “leftovers” episode on Patreon. Check it out!

Timestamps:

00:00:00 Who Are We?

00:03:23 Plot Summary

00:11:25 First Impressions

00:16:54 A Spiritual Successor to Rebels

00:21:18 What is the Resistance? What is the First Order?

00:45:48 Is Senator Xiono a Mole?

00:55:52 Bae Watch

01:01:34 Closing Thoughts

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All good things must come to an end—including our Mandalorian and Grogu coverage.

This week, we’re picking up the second half of The Mandalorian and Grogu with Embo’s assault on the Nevarro cabin. Along the way, we listen for echoes of Star Wars past, from callbacks to Yoda on Dagobah to memories of Boba Fett’s takeover on Tatooine. We discuss the Hutt succession plan (or lack thereof?!) and wonder how the New Republic plans to fill a massive power vacuum in the Outer Rim. 

Finally, we consider that the Mandalorian and Grogu’s efforts on Nal Hutta may inspire a new wave of young heroes.

Next week, join us for the premiere of Star Wars: Resistance!

Timestamps:

00:00:00 Who Are We?

00:03:36 Plot Summary

00:16:28 Echoes of Star Wars Past

00:24:38 The Hutt Succession Plan, Or Lack Thereof

00:46:57 A New Wave of Heroism

00:58:02 Bae Watch

01:05:47 Closing Thoughts

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

Movie tickets? Bought. Notebooks? Out. Butts? In seats. The Mandalorian and Grogu was the first theatrical release we had the opportunity to see during Growing Up Skywalker’s run—and what a joy it was to see Star Wars on the big screen!

This week, we’re covering the first half of the movie, from opening credits to Embo’s first appearance, and parsing themes of fatherhood, masculinity, and bread-and-circus blood sports.

We discuss the strategic importance of this movie in giving movie-only fans a taste of the New Republic in its heyday. 

We also sing the praises of Rotta the Hutt (he who paints arenas with blood and sets the stage for a classic Mandalorian-style romp) and Zeb, who is only getting better with age.

Next week, join us for the back half of The Mandalorian & Grogu!

Timestamps:

00:00:00 Who Are We?

00:02:45 Plot Summary

00:13:15 The New Republic and Subcontractor Reliance

00:31:13 We Have Heart Eyes For Rotta the Hutt

00:50:32 Zeb!

00:57:43 Bae Watch

01:04:03 Closing Thoughts

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

The thrilling conclusion to Maul - Shadow Lord is at hand—and it raises many questions about the Dark.

In the Maul Season 1 finale (Chapters 9–10, Strange Allies + The Dark Lord), our heroes are greatly diminished, and facing an impeccable foe. The shifting alliances we’ve tracked all season finally solidify, just as the sands in favorite characters’ hourglasses finally run out.

We discuss what it takes to be a Dark Lord of the Sith and how Maul stacks up, and parse Devon’s fall to the Dark. We also make predictions for Season 2, and sing a swan song to the Lawson boys.

This finale was emotional, fast, and brutal, and we hope to bring a thoughtful deep-dive into how we got here and what happens after the dust is settled.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 Who Are We?

00:01:57 Plot Summary

00:14:58 Peak Darth Vader and Less Peak Maul

00:37:05 Devon and Her Fall to the Dark

00:50:08 The Lawson Boys

00:55:16 Season 2 Predictions

01:05:03 Bae Watch

01:12:55 Closing Thoughts

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For the first time, we get to look through Maul’s eyes. He sees the galaxy darkly.

In “Call to Oblivion” and “The Creeping Fear” (Maul – Shadow Lord, Chapters 7–8) we dive into thorny thoughts on brothers, Inquisitors, and Maul’s deep-seated pain. We parse Devon and Daki’s ties, and why they were paired together as Master and Padawan. And we talk through the mechanics of Mandalorian betrayal.

This episode is also a masterclass in reparenting your inner child—so big kudos to Maul (not as big as the kudos for Spybot, who is simply and atrociously the best).

Timestamps:

00:00:00 Who Are We?

00:03:14 Plot Summary

00:12:45 Looking Through Maul’s Eyes

00:25:18 Brothers, Inquisitors, and Maul

00:39:29 Devon and Daki’s Ties

00:48:56 Mandalorian Betrayal

00:56:54 Bae Watch

01:05:22 Closing Thoughts

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

Alliances are shifting like sand by the midpoint of Maul – Shadow Lord. Who will end up on top?

In this week’s episode, we recap "Inquisition" and “Night of the Hunted” (Season 1, Chapters 5–6). These episodes mark the first time—in chronological order—that we see an Inquisitor onscreen, and we talk through the formation of these Jedi hunters. 

We also play a little game of alliances, doing a deep dive into where every main character stands with the next. As Devon and Maul are drawn closer together, she and her Master are being driven apart. But there’s also a growing strength between Master Daki and Captain Lawson, both of whom reveal hidden depths.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 Who Are We?

00:02:08 Plot Summary

00:10:02 The Beginning of the Inquisitors

00:21:47 Shifting Alliances

00:28:03 Survivor: Maul Edition

00:53:44 Bae Watch

01:01:04 Closing Thoughts

Want more Growing Up Skywalker? This is a great time to sign up for our Patreon for bonus audio content! Inspired by Brander and Drea Lawson, for the next few weeks, we're meditating on parents—the good, the bad, and the absentee—in Star Wars history.

Maul is the king of rhetoric, the master gaslighter, and the sensei of spin. He’s also, like, usually right?

In this week’s episodes, “Whispers in the Unknown” and “Pride and Vengeance” (Maul – Shadow Lord: Chapters 2–3) we talk through Maul’s masterful messaging and how his most seductive ideas are also closest to the truth. We also discuss Master Daki’s unshakable faith in his Jedi training, Devon’s extremely shaky Padawan foundation, and Lawson’s three terrible family dynamics.

This is a special episode: Not just a celebration of May the 4th, but also our 5-year anniversary as a podcast! Thank you so much for being on the ride.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 Who Are We?

00:03:06 Plot Summary

00:13:18 Creating A Live-Action Animation

00:16:50 Maul’s Messaging

00:33:01 Devon, Daki, and the Force

00:42:01 Lawson and Other Terrible Family Dynamics

00:56:32 Bae Watch

01:04:10 Closing Thoughts

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

He’s out for revenge, and he doesn’t care who he takes down with him.

The Maul – Shadow Lord Season 1 premiere plunges us into the gritty, abstracted cityscape of Janix, where Maul is unraveling at the edges. In our recap of “Chapter 1: The Dark Revenge” and “Chapter 2: Sinister Schemes,” we talk through the differences between Janix and Coruscant, and how the moody, macabre styling of this show reflect Maul’s twisted headspace. 

We also discuss our two Jedi on the run, ego death among the Sith, and cheeky chaotic evil droids.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 Who Are We?

00:02:23 Plot Summary

00:10:11 Aesthetics and Meta Reasons For Them

00:18:10 Jedi on the Run

00:22:19 Janix vs. Coruscant

00:34:52 Ego Death Among the Sith

00:50:34 Bae Watch

00:56:51 Closing Thoughts

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