Star Wars 7x7: A Daily Bite-Sized Dose of Star Wars Joy

Ahsoka saying it would be better to let Grogu's powers fade than to train him is emblematic of the chronic problem the Jedi had in helping anyone in their order deal productively with fear. And I think this is a big piece of the flaw in the Jedi Order that led to its downfall - and we really haven't talked much about that aspect at all.

On today's show, we're going to talk about love and fear, about the Jedi's non-attachment approach to life, how Anakin's notion about the Jedi being "encouraged to love" wasn't just a line to seduce Padme, and how - rather than helping anyone in their order address fears in a healthy way, presumed that anyone filled with fear was a risk, instead of someone in need, someone who could learn to master their fears in a healthy way. Punch it!

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The casting for season 2 of The Mandalorian is bigger than last season, in terms of actors and characters. But are these big names just going to be one-and-done? Today, we'll discuss... Punch it!

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From movies to live-action TV, books to comics, video games to VR, and everything in between! Here's your Star Wars storytelling preview for December 2020. Punch it!

We don't cover all the categories this month, because there's not notable news in all of them, but for the refresher, here's what they are...

Movies Live-action TV Animation Books Audiobooks Comics Virtual Reality Video Games Experiential (Events/Conventions/Parks) Merchandise

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Today, we acknowledge the Star Wars contributions of David Prowse, who struck terror into Rebel hearts as the man in the Darth Vader suit throughout the Original Trilogy. He passed away at the age of 85 on November 28th.

Read the statement from Lucasfilm, including a reflection from George Lucas, at https://www.starwars.com/news/david-prowse.

Today, the second half of my latest conversation with Nick Martorelli, executive producer for the PRH Audio adaptation of From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back. Punch it!

What follows is the full list of questions I had for him, and I think we got to all of them, though not necessarily in this order:

Aside from the source material and the stories themselves (naturally), how was the process of doing this audiobook different from the previous From a Certain Point of View audiobook?

How does the preparation for an audiobook of short stories differ from the preparation that goes into a novel?

How has the current public health situation changed your production process?

Can you talk a bit about the casting process, as far as how and where it fits into the whole project process?

Some folks, like January LaVoy and Marc Thompson, are well known to Star Wars audiences, and have "strong suits," as it were, based on their previous Star Wars narration experience. How do you balance your casting decisions between leaning into those strengths versus applying their talents in fresh ways?

Dion Graham is an experienced narrator doing a Star Wars project for the first time, and the similarly experienced Soneela Nankani is doing her second, after Lando's Luck. (Emily is comparatively new, too, of course, but with more recent appearances.) Can you talk a bit about the considerations for bringing in narrators who may well be unknown to a Star Wars audience?

Jon Hamm is, of course, an accomplished actor, but doesn't do a lot of audiobook narration – this is only his fourth PRH Audio credit, and half of those are Star-Wars related. What does he bring to the table for you, from your own experienced perspective?

I'd love to learn about the process of adapting Older's "STET!" for an audiobook, because it's so unique on the page.

Do you have personal favorites among the stories in the collection? Or any stories that affected the way you think about Empire as a whole?

And here are the links mentioned at the end of the conversation!

Nick on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nickmartorelli

PRH Audio: https://penguinrandomhouseaudio.com

***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

Today, the first half of my conversation with Nick Martorelli, the executive producer for Penguin Random House Audio's version of The Empire Strikes Back's 40th anniversary short story celebration. Punch it!

What follows is the full list of questions I had for him, and I think we got to all of them, though not necessarily in this order:

Aside from the source material and the stories themselves (naturally), how was the process of doing this audiobook different from the previous From a Certain Point of View audiobook?

How does the preparation for an audiobook of short stories differ from the preparation that goes into a novel?

How has the current public health situation changed your production process?

Can you talk a bit about the casting process, as far as how and where it fits into the whole project process?

Some folks, like January LaVoy and Marc Thompson, are well known to Star Wars audiences, and have "strong suits," as it were, based on their previous Star Wars narration experience. How do you balance your casting decisions between leaning into those strengths versus applying their talents in fresh ways?

Dion Graham is an experienced narrator doing a Star Wars project for the first time, and the similarly experienced Soneela Nankani is doing her second, after Lando's Luck. (Emily is comparatively new, too, of course, but with more recent appearances.) Can you talk a bit about the considerations for bringing in narrators who may well be unknown to a Star Wars audience?

Jon Hamm is, of course, an accomplished actor, but doesn't do a lot of audiobook narration – this is only his fourth PRH Audio credit, and half of those are Star-Wars related. What does he bring to the table for you, from your own experienced perspective?

I'd love to learn about the process of adapting Older's "STET!" for an audiobook, because it's so unique on the page.

Do you have personal favorites among the stories in the collection? Or any stories that affected the way you think about Empire as a whole?

And here are the links mentioned at the end of the conversation!

Nick on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nickmartorelli

PRH Audio: https://penguinrandomhouseaudio.com

***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

The worst-kept secret is out of the bag with "The Jedi," Chapter 13 of The Mandalorian (or episode 5 from season 2, if you prefer). And this episode also opens another huge door... Punch it!

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Before we get to the second half of the second season of The Mandalorian (Ahsoka, anyone?), we dig into the two big reveals from Chapter 12: The Siege. Punch it!

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On a day where gratitude is the thing, I share my gratefulness to Andy and Josh for inviting me onto their Holochronicles Podcast earlier this week to talk about The Mandalorian and Mando Monday... Punch it!

This episode features an excerpt of that conversation, and you can catch the whole thing right here!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W53utxszX6M

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The Mandalorian season 2 requires a lot less set up than season 1 did, and the creative team is using that time to maximum effect. Here's our mid-season review... Punch it!

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