Lou and Lenny discuss the second installment of the Ascendancy Trilogy, Greater Good (2021) by Timothy Zahn. Chiss military culture prompts a discussion of girlbosses in the military, and the chafing of military and political interests through the lens of Chiss family drama. Lenny talks about the early study of religion in relation to how (what we know as) the Force appears in this book. Lou expounds on the merits of being a guy who knows guys. 

Hosts: Lenny Apesos and Lou Laverty

Art: Lenny Apesos 

Music: Thomas Seibel

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Further reading:

The Sacred and the Profane by Mircea Eliade (1957)

Patterns in Comparative Religion by Mircea Eliade (1949)

Das Heilige (The Idea of the Holy) by Rudolf Otto (1917)

Star Wars Gamer 5 (2000)

The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire by Chris Kempshall (2024)

The Warriors (1979)

Letterkenny (2016-2023)

“I’m really proud to be from Ohio” - Joe Burrows

Just Like the Holodramas by Marroniere_m (2025)

Lenin’s Testament 

The Book of Job 

Lou and Lenny start the Ascendancy Trilogy! Chaos Rising (2020) follows Thrawn at the start of his military career where he shows his early affinity for pre-emptive strikes. Join Lou and Lenny as they meander through conversation topics as wide ranging as conditional familial bonds, the significance of flag rank, and the inherent intimacy of hand-to-hand combat. 

Have questions, comments, or concerns? Email us at [email protected] 

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Substack: interviewwithabothan.substack.com

Bluesky: interviewwabothan.bsky.social

Hosts: Lenny Apesos and Lou Laverty

Art: Lenny Apesos 

Music: Thomas Seibel

Further Reading: 

Anakin Has a Doctorate in Darth Plageius the Wise Studies 

“Arranged Marriages & Other Literary Tropes - LarissaFae - Star Wars - All Media Types [Archive of Our Own].”

“The Artist Is Present - Marroniere_m - Star Wars - All Media Types [Archive of Our Own].”

The NRSV Bible 

Begiato, Joanne. “Favouritism, Patronage and the ‘Family System’ in England, c.1700–1850.” English Historical Review 139, nos. 598–599 (2024): 801–29.

“Love Covered in Oil with Broken Wings - LarissaFae - Star Wars - All Media Types [Archive of Our Own].” 

Leaves of Grass

Nylan, Michael. “Confucian Piety and Individualism in Han China.” Journal of the American Oriental Society 116, no. 1 (1996): 1–27. https://doi.org/10.2307/606369.

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Wikipedia) 
Tzanelli, Rodanthi. The Cinematic Tourist: Explorations in Globalization, Culture and Resistance. 1st ed. Routledge, 2007.

In this episode, Lou and Lenny finish Timothy Zahn’s Empire Trilogy. Thrawn Treason was a fan favorite, Lou cannot comprehend why Ezra Bridger is barred from being an adult. Lenny, on the other hand, is obsessed with Imperial aesthetics.

Hosts: Lenny Apesos and Lou Laverty

Art: Lenny Apesos

Music: Thomas Seibel

Have questions, comments, or concerns? Email us at [email protected]

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Substack: interviewwithabothan.substack.com

Bluesky: interviewwabothan.bsky.social

In this episode, Lou and Lenny are discussing the second installment of the Imperial Trilogy, Thrawn: Alliances. Lou geeks out about historiography in the GFFA and Lenny, the city slicker they are, is fascinated by the indoctrination of rural populations in fascist regimes. 

Hosts: Lenny Apesos and Lou Laverty

Art: Lenny Apesos 

Music: Thomas Seibel

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Substack: interviewwithabothan.substack.com

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Episode 4- Thrawn (2017)

In this episode, Lou and Lenny begin their journey with the canon Thrawn books! Thrawn, published in 2017, explores Thrawn’s beginnings as an asset to the Galactic Empire. While Lou and Lenny are fascinated by Eli Vanto and Ahrinda Pryce, they also discuss the implications of femininity in fascist spaces and the process of reading about the Empire from the Imperial perspective.

Hosts: Lenny Apesos and Lou Laverty

Art: Lenny Apesos 

Music: Thomas Seibel

Have questions, comments, or concerns? Email us at [email protected] 

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Substack: interviewwithabothan.substack.com

Bluesky: interviewwabothan.bsky.social

Further reading:

The Fog is Coming 

Sun Tzu on The Art of War 

Hitler’s Furies: German Women in the Nazi Killing Fields - Wendy Lower 

Joe Hill, performed by Paul Robeson 

The World’s Most Dangerous Country for Trade Unionists (BBC)

Death of Stalin (2017)

Metahistory: The Historical Imagination in 19th-century Europe - Hayden White 

Death Stars and Democracy- Chris Kempshall

Maus - Art Spiegelman

In this episode, Lou and Lenny wrap up the original Thrawn Trilogy with The Last Command! Published in 1993, Zahn wraps up what many would consider the beginning of the Star Wars EU. Lou continues to be fascinated with Garm bel Iblis’s existence, while Lenny raises interesting questions about the environmental implications of the Emperor's decisions and workplace safety laws in the New Republic. 

Hosts: Lenny Apesos and Lou Laverty

Art: Lenny Apesos 

Music: Thomas Seibel

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Substack: interviewwithabothan.substack.com

Bluesky: interviewwabothan.bsky.social

This week, Lou and Lenny read Dark Force Rising! Published in May 1992, the second installment of The Thrawn Trilogy raised many questions about how xenophobia manifests in the Empire and the New Republic, Garm bel Iblis’s return, and speculation on the nature of Pellaeon and Thrawn’s relationship.

Hosts: Lenny Apesos and Lou Laverty

Art: Lenny Apesos

Music: Thomas Seibel

Have questions, comments, or concerns?

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Substack: interviewwithabothan.substack.com

Bluesky: interviewwabothan.bsky.social

Further reading:

The White Man at the Centre of the World: Masculinity in Sherlock- Judith May Fathallah

Death Stars and Democracy- Chris Kempshall

Unsettling Settler Food Movements: Food Sovereignty and Decolonization in Canada- Zoe Matties

Is Multiculturalism Bad for Women?- Susan Moller Okin

On this episode of Interview With A Bothan, Lou and Lenny discuss Heir to the Empire, the first installment of The Thrawn Trilogy. Published in May 1991, Timothy Zahn’s novels are credited as the ‘beginning of the EU’ by many fans. Lou and Lenny dive into the role of warlords in the GFFA, slavery in the Empire, Thrawn’s “love” of art, and the permeability of Religion and Culture as Luke is tasked with creating a New Jedi Order. 

Hosts: Lenny Apesos and Lou Laverty

Art: Lenny Apesos 

Music: Thomas Seibel

Have questions, comments, or concerns? Email us at [email protected] 

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Substack: interviewwithabothan.substack.com

Bluesky: interviewwabothan.bsky.social

Further reading:

Death Stars and Democracy- Chris Kempshall

The Humanity Game: Art, Islam, and the War on Terror- Jessica Winegar

Welcome to Interview With A Bothan! This episode introduces your hosts, Lou Laverty and Lenny Apesos. They are scholars of Religion who are fascinated by the Star Wars universe in all its forms (and Thrawn, but that is beside the point). Interview With A Bothan will cover Star Wars books, with no preference for Canon or Legends (Old-EU). Ultimately, this is a last ditch attempt for them to talk about Star Wars without further alienating their loved ones and peers! 

Hosts: Lenny Apesos and Lou Laverty

Art: Lenny Apesos 

Music: Thomas Seibel

Have questions, comments, or concerns? Email us at [email protected] 

Find us elsewhere on the internet!

Substack: interviewwithabothan.substack.com