Villains play a vital role in Star Wars, but we don’t often see stories from a villain’s perspective. On the heels of the recent animated series Maul – Shadow Lord, Eric and Grace explore what villain-centric stories add to Star Wars and what separates good villains from bad ones. Why did Syril Karn succeed while Kylo Ren failed? What are the key differences between Maul and his former master, Darth Sidious? And how dark and cynical is too dark and cynical? Our conversation also explores the tension between depicting villainy and endorsing it, as we consider different perspectives on Qimir from The Acolyte. Plus, Eric ruins Grace’s day by telling her about a character backstory she didn’t want to know existed.

Star Wars fans love to debate whether controversial characters are sorely misunderstood or rightfully condemned, and we at Hoth Takes are not immune to that temptation. In this episode, Eric and Grace each present a character they think deserves to be reconsidered. Our conversation delves into Star Wars’s trickiest moral and metaphysical issues — light and dark, fate and free will, emotion and logic, child soldiers and clone servants. If you enjoy exploring gray areas, this episode is for you!

Star Wars is back on the big screen for the first time since 2019. But is Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian and Grogu any good? Eric, Grace, and Haley saw it together on opening weekend and then recorded this discussion minutes after the credits rolled. It’s safe to say we’re still stunned by what we just saw. As we process our thoughts, Eric praises an emotional storyline, Grace critiques the fight sequences, and Haley highlights an unexpected allegory. Plus, we share our reactions — some of them intense — to swole Hutts, faceless acting, and greasy-spoon sandwiches.

We’re bringing you something a little different this time. In our first-ever Star Wars quiz show, Eric, Grace, and Haley take turns quizzing each other on topics of their choice, with questions range from mainstream to incredibly obscure. The competition is intense, expectations are upended, and along the way, we all learn useful information about tasty desert creatures, misleadingly named beverages, and Gonk droids.

For all the attention that the Star Wars movies and TV shows get, one of the biggest ways that people engage with the saga on a daily basis is through video games. Hoth Takes isn’t exactly known for our obsession with that corner of the Star Wars franchise, but that doesn’t mean we don’t respect it — or occasionally partake in it. In this episode, Eric, Haley, and Haley’s friend Chris Estep discuss their history with Star Wars video games and take turns pitching new game ideas. Our games take players from the Tatooine hospitality industry to the center of the Clone Wars to the dawn of the Republic, illuminating — and in some cases redefining — what it means to step into the Star Wars universe.

Kathleen Kennedy has left Lucasfilm. Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan are now co-running the company. What does that mean for the future of Star Wars? In this episode, Bill Kuchman joins Eric and Grace to discuss Kennedy’s legacy, Filoni’s creative style, and how the new leadership arrangement will actually work. Plus: We speculate about the future of artificial intelligence in Star Wars storytelling, and we call on Lucasfilm to rethink its conclusions about recasting iconic roles.

The start of 2026 means we’re only a few months away from the first Star Wars movie since The Rise of Skywalker. And speaking of the final film in the sequel trilogy, we thought it would be a good time to look back at the original plan for Episode IX: Colin Trevorrow’s “Duel of the Fates” script. In this episode, Haley’s friend Jack Merritt joins us to discuss the highs and lows of Trevorrow’s story, from a worthy role for Finn to a controversial take on the dark side. We also cover Trevorrow’s portrayal of Luke Skywalker, his plan for Kylo Ren, and his use of Coruscant and Mortis. If you like imagining what could have been, this is the episode for you.

Between Andor and the upcoming Mandalorian and Grogu movie, Star Wars is currently leaning into stories about the “regular” people of the galaxy. But what about the Jedi and the Sith, the people at the core of the Skywalker saga that started it all? In this episode, Wired’s Lily Hay Newman joins Eric and Haley to discuss the Jedi and the Sith stories we want to see, the challenges of superhero protagonists, and the value of the Force as a storytelling concept in an increasingly rational world. We explore how Star Wars should balance fantasy and relatability in its portrayal of Force-users, with special praise for some of the franchise’s weirdest Force-adjacent characters and creatures.

The teaser trailer for The Mandalorian and Grogu makes it pretty clear that the first Star Wars movie in seven years will be a popcorn flick for Baby Yoda fans of all ages. But how much will hardcore fans get out of the film? Will it meaningfully expand the universe or shed light on the state of the galaxy? And if not, is that even a bad thing? Politico’s Bill Kuchman joins Eric and Haley to analyze the teaser trailer and discuss what we want and expect from the movie. We talk about the challenges of transmedia storytelling, Grogu’s inconsistent maturity, Disney’s marketing strategy, and tiresome nostalgia cameos.

With few Star Wars film or television projects on the horizon, it’s time to think about how we would fill the void if we were in charge. In this episode: three pitches for revitalizing the Star Wars franchise on the big and small screens. Eric offers a redemption story for an Andor villain, Haley proposes a subversive culinary journey, and Grace imagines a better sequel trilogy. Our ideas lead to conversations both silly and profound, with a lore connection that no one could have seen coming.