Small Screen Star Wars

The Mandalorian hits the halfway point of the season with a return to a familiar setting. Mando returns to Nevarro to reconnect with some old friends, and though not particularly plot heavy, it’s certainly a fun ride. Grief and Cara need Mando’s help to take out the last remaining Imperial stronghold on the planet, but they get more than they bargained for when they discover the true nature of the base. This action packed episode drops some interesting hints to the larger Star Wars galaxy (including a reference to The Phantom Menace!), setting up an interesting mystery for the rest of the season. The show has seemingly set the groundwork for things to really start moving next week. The Razor Crest is repaired, the bad guys are mobilizing, and all signs point towards a particular Jedi/citizen making an appearance next week. Exciting!

This week’s Mandalorian brings us the shortest episode of the season but boy is it dense! Julian, Daniel, and Rachel, spend arguably too much time breaking down every minute detail, and major reveal. And this episode definitely brings it on when it comes to reveals. Without burying the lead, we are introduced to the titular heiress, Bo-Katan Kryze, for the first time in live action. Something long time Clone Wars and Rebels fans will be sure to be excited about. That’s without even mentioning the major name drop that comes at the end. These reveals create ripples throughout Star Wars, and pose a lot of additional questions . Which only makes us hope that we start getting answers soon. In the meantime, there’s certainly a lot to discuss.

After an exciting season premiere featuring a giant monster, a new character, and little overall plot development, we get the second episode of the season! Which also features a giant monster, a new character, and arguably less overall development. That’s not to say it was a bad episode, it certainly executed on the horror and creepiness it had set out to deliver. However, it’s hard not to be a little disappointed that they didn’t follow up on the interesting tease they left us with last week, or give us an inkling into what’s going on with Moff Gideon and the rest. Instead we’re treated to a monster of the week type episode (to be fair it still had a few fun surprises. Love those X-Wings!) as Mando continues his quest to find more Mandalorians.

Welcome back to Small Screen Star Wars! With every major blockbuster movie being delayed or moved out of 2020 there hasn’t been too much to get excited about this year. That is, until now! The Mandalorian has returned, and with it brings exciting new adventures from a galaxy far, far away. The acclaimed series returns and kicks off it’s second season with a bang. Mando is on the hunt for other Mandalorians so he can return Baby Yoda to “his kind”. This sees him return to Tatooine to hunt down a mysterious stranger in Mandalorian armour, beyond the Dune Sea. We’re introduced to new characters and creatures as Mando makes a deal to take down the apex predator of dessert, a Krayt Dragon. Julian, Dan, and Rachel are here to break down every minute detail for you. From the backstory of the titular ‘Marshal’ to the implications of the episodes big reveal. Enjoy this jumbo sized season 2 premiere recap and join us as we cover the entire second season!

Inspired by the creative minds at @starwarstuff on Twitter, Small Screen Star Wars is back with more podcasting goodness. This week’s theme is Star Wars Oscars (not to be confused with Star Wars AT the Oscars, where John Williams owns). Julian and Rachel pick the best of the best from across Star Wars on film (and television of course). Who’s the best Star Wars director? What is the best lightsaber duel? The best droid? (spoilers, there’s only 1 correct answer for this. I’m sorry, but we don’t make the rules) Tune in to find what is OBJECTIVELY (subjectively) the best stuff in Star Wars!

We of course also encourage you to write in with your list! What do you think is the best of the best in Star Wars? Email us at [email protected]

So this is how liberty dies...with thunderous applause. Or perhaps it's the applause of the millions of Clone Wars fans all giving Dave Filoni and his team the standing ovation they deserve for capping this beloved series on such a perfect note. Though only coming in at around 24 minutes, and standing alone, likely not best Star Wars: The Clone Wars episode ever (that may belong to part 2 of this arch), the final moments of this episode, and in turn this series, are as close to Star Wars perfection as you can get. Ending one era and transitioning into the next, “Victory and Death: treat us to an emotional, action packed, and gorgeously drawn/animated series finale that encapsulates all the best that The Clone Wars had to offer. Light touches of humour, stunning lightsaber dances and force moves, lovable droids, pathos, lore and drama all came together to close out a series over a decade in the making. There isn't much else to say other than goodbye and thanks for the memories. We look forward to whatever this amazing animation team will bring us next, and may the force be with you... always.

It’s finally happened. The moment we’ve all been waiting for, but dreading all the same. Order 66 has come to our beloved Ahsoka and Rex. A foreboding sense of creeping doom hung over the first half of the episode like a guillotine with the score, once again, being used to the fullest to build suspense and tension. When the order was finally given, we were treated to one of the most intense moments we’ve ever seen in The Clone Wars. However, it was Dave Filoni and his team's ability to continue to exceed our expectations, particularly for a scene we all knew was coming, that was truly impressive. Every beat felt perfectly crafted to fit the narrative we already knew, while at the same time felt fresh and true to the characters. So far, every episode in this 4-part finale has been near perfect Star Wars, and “Shattered” maintains that streak. Which leaves us with one final episode to wrap up the series, and no matter what happens in part 4, I think we can all agree, it's been one hell of a ride.

It’s hard to say whether or not last week’s episode, part 1 of this 4-part finale, was better than this week’s part 2, but it almost doesn’t matter because they’re both almost perfect. Picking up at the exact moment that we left off on last week, “The Phantom Apprentice” begins like it ends, in a confrontation with Maul. With everything in between dripping with subtext and nuance as Maul deals with Ashoka’s arrival on Mandalore. All of this is keystoned by a lightsaber duel for the ages that includes the return of Ray Park to the role of Maul for one last fight. But as good as this episode is, ultimately we know where this leads. Order 66 looms large, and will likely be addressed in part 3, giving us a chance to see the iconic moment from a new perspective.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars has reached the final stretch, and they aren’t messing around. Part 1, of the final 4-episode arch, kicked things off with a bang! From the very first frame showing the green “Lucasfilm Limited” title card, to the humming of lightsabers over the final credits, you could feel how special this was. Every scene felt purposeful, every line of dialogue thoughtfully written. There was a certain air of importance that seemed to hang over everything. Nothing driving that home more than the music. For the first time, The Clone Wars was able to use the full John Williams score. It started with the opening fanfare and continued with perfectly cued-up classic Star Wars themes throughout the episode, driving the emotional core. And what an emotional episode it was. Dave Filoni and the gang at Lucasfilm poured so much heart into the final goodbye between Ashoka and Anakin alone, that there couldn’t have been a dry eye in the audience. Nevermind the other 28 minutes of the episode that spared no opportunity to tug at the heartstrings. Overall it’s a near perfect episode of The Clone Wars, and will likely go down as one of it’s best.

Although one episode longer than we might have liked, this week’s episode, one of the best of the arch, brings the Martez story to a close - at least for now. Ashoka and the Martez sisters found themselves in an overly familiar location at the beginning of this week’s episode but it quickly improved from there as the Pikes, with their own neck on the line, gave them one last chance to “return” the spice. What followed was some Han Solo-esque hijinx from the Martez sisters and a little Jedi espionage from Ashoka. It all felt very crisp and snappy, despite the somewhat clunky final moments. We can now turn our gave toward Maul and Mandalore as we move into the final quarter of the season.