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

It's been an incredible five years, and so much has changed in the Star Wars universe since I launched this show on July 7, 2014! Today, a look back at the first five years, a look forward at the next five, and half - just half for now - of a special announcement. Punch it!

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In our last episode covering the first novel in the Alphabet Squadron trilogy, we look ahead to the next novel - how Shadow Wing will recover, the fault lines between our hero characters, and the potential for more Star Wars Rebels connections. Punch it!

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Daisy Ridley is doing press for her new movie Ophelia, and you know what that means - it means everyone's going to ask her about The Rise of Skywalker! Today, excerpts from her interviews with USA today and the Happy Sad Confused podcast. Punch it!

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We knew she survived the events of Star Wars Rebels and the Battle of Scarif during Rogue One. We also know she showed up on Endor after the destruction of the second Death Star in Return of the Jedi. Now, we're learning more about Hera Syndulla's career in the New Republic, thanks to Alphabet Squadron. Punch it!

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Luke Skywalker's journey from galactic citizen to New Republic hero began with ideas very similar to those of Alphabet Squadron's Yrica Quell. How her journey diverges, the "What if?" of Luke's path, and comparisons to Iden Versio (another famous Imperial defector) are on tap in today's episode. Punch it!

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In depicting a galaxy in turmoil on the macro scale, and a disparate band of pilots learning to bond as a squadron on the micro level, Alexander Freed has raised his game with his latest entry into the new Star Wars canon, Alphabet Squadron. My coverage this week starts with the non-spoiler review... Punch it!

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During last month's E3 video game expo, Respawn Entertainment, in connection with EA and Lucasfilm, revealed a chunk of gameplay footage from Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order to the world. They also privately shared a separate chunk of footage with the assembled media at E3. Well, that "secret" footage has finally been revealed publicly, and that's the topic for the show today. Punch it!

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In our final look at Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith (a Star Wars comic series), I'm talking about the first-ever meeting between Rogue One's Orson Krennic and Darth Vader, and about Vader cashing in a favor from Tarkin, which involved using a bunch of bounty hunters in an attempt to kill Vader. In the midst of this, Tarkin learned things about Vader one could consider ... dangerous. Punch it!

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There's a series of panels in the back half of the Fortress Vader story arc that gives you the Star Wars version of Michael Palin as the King of Swamp Castle from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. And it's priceless. It's also probably not the most *important* thing about that story arc, since it also involves Lord Momin resurrecting himself, a genocidal lava attack, and Vader finally piercing the veil of time and attempting to bring his beloved Padme back to life. Punch it!

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Luke wanted to go to Tosche Station to pick up some power converters! His dad, on the other hand, was focused on more serious things. But Vader did have a bit of a whiny "I want my OWN planet!" moment with Palpatine, once things got boring with the Jedi hunting business. The scoop revisited on today's episode... Punch it!

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