Star Wars Blaster Canon

Blaster Canon is back from Star Wars Celebration Chicago with news about The Rise of Skywalker, The Mandalorian, and more. We recount how the best part of Celebrations is the way the convention lifts our spirits and shows Star Wars fans at their best, including embracing Kelly Marie Tran after she was hassled off of Twitter.

Episode IX brought a surprise: the return of the Emperor. We speculate on what form he might be living in on after his apparent defeat, and how his presence helps tie all nine movies together. Paul and Saf debate over whether directional decisions will create tension between Episode VIII and IX.

After a brief foray into the upcoming seventh season of The Clone Wars we talk Jedi: Fallen Order, the Del Rey tease of “Project Luminous,” and The Mandalorian, including the new images and how the panel itself was handled. A big part of the con experience is dictated by the behind-the-scenes planning, and so we also talk about how panel hosts and streaming changed the experience.

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Den of Geek’s Star Wars experts cover this month’s news in on the latest Blaster Canon. Star Wars Resistance season one has wrapped up, and we devote most of this episode covering our mixed feelings about the series. The show dovetails with The Force Awakens, bringing the Resistance agents into direct contact with the First Order while continuing to try, with varying success, to tell a story about the average citizen of the galaxy far, far away. Does Kaz work for us as a main character? Paul doesn’t think so. We speculate about what will happen next season and how the show could become more of an ensemble to take advantage of the characters of the Aces. With the destruction of Hosnian Prime and Tam’s defection, the characters have a lot of room to grow.

In other tie-in news, Del Rey Star Wars has announced their first audio-only story, Dooku: Jedi Lost by Cavan Scott. We talk about the format, the current wide variety of Prequel characters, and the dark powers of the Sith.

Disney has announced opening dates for Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland and Disney World, so we briefly talk about what the opening might be like — and advise fans not to go during the initial rush.

Star Wars Celebration is just one week away, so keep an eye out for our convention coverage!

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J.J. Abrams broke the serious secrecy around Episode IX just long enough to post a photo of the cast on the day photography wrapped. Den of Geek’s Star Wars podcast hosts have you covered with analysis of the new costumes, and we’ve hyped ourselves up for what might be the last movie in Rey’s saga.

That’s just the beginning of a plethora of the news for February. "Triple Force Friday" and a bevy of other merchandising announcements have dropped, including a promise of toys connected to the upcoming game Jedi: Fallen Order. With all the changes in the Star Wars video game world, what can we expect from its merchandise?

In terms of books, a full slate of tie-in products has been announced supporting the Galaxy’s Edge theme park. An excerpt from the novel Master and Apprentice sparks a comparison of Legends Qui-Gon to the character as he appears in Age of Republic and in The Clone Wars.

As the characters in Resistance grow, we get a better feeling for which people and relationships have most at stake on the Colossus. We’re still lukewarm on the show, and talk about the highs and lows of the first season, plus comparing it to The Clone Wars’ rough start. With Resistance approaching The Force Awakens, there’s plenty of room to theorize about how the show connects to the film.

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With the Cassian Andor television series coming to Disney +, our Star Wars podcast hosts revisit Rogue One and Cassian’s character in particular on this month’s episode of Blaster Canon. What might the TV show be about? What is the “secret weapon” that makes Rogue One so good? We take another look at the symbolism in Rogue One, particularly the contrast between Jyn and Cassian. Additionally, we examine how Rogue One takes a unique look at the Force, and discuss whether Rogue One might actually be a more “Force-ful” story than The Force Awakens. And, how could Rogue One have gone differently if Cassian had made different choices?

In other Star Wars news, we cover the newly confirmed cast of The Mandalorian, upcoming books including Thrawn: Treason, and the Flight of the Falcon middle grade series, including Pirate’s Price and Lando’s Luck.

In the world of comics, Age of Republic is knocking it out of the park with in-depth explorations of Prequel characters like Obi-Wan and Darth Maul, and we take a look at what writer Jody Houser brings to the Star Wars canon. It’s the calm before the storm as we gear up for Celebration news in April.

Timecodes:

0 Introduction and predictions about Episode XI trailer and Disney+

5:50 The Mandalorian cast confirmed

9:40 Episode IX filming in Jordan

12:30 Resistance mid-season trailer, short videos, and Galaxy of Adventure

16:35 Books news: Thrawn Treason, Pirate’s Price, and the Age of Republic comics

23:40 Rogue One discussion

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Rogue One hero Cassian Andor is coming to live action TV, and our Star Wars hosts have the details on how this show connects to the movies and why Cassian is a good fit. As usual, Blaster Canon covers new Star Wars book releases including Lando’s Luck, Women of the Galaxy, and the upcoming Alphabet Squadron.

This month also brings more news and rumors around The Mandalorian, the much-hyped live-action gunslinger show which hasn’t yet announced its cast. Is Pedro Pascal the new face under the classic Star Wars helmet? What’s in store for martial artist Gina Carano, also reported to be attached to the project?

Our main topic is the animated show Star Wars Resistance, which has, as many subjects do, divided the fandom. Does it work for adults and children, or is this one solidly just for the younger set? Resistance does give a few hints at the state of the First Order, and may answer questions fans have wondered about since The Force Awakens, but our review of the season so far shows that those answers are few and far between.

Timecodes: 0.00 - Cassian Andor TV show 19:40 - The Mandalorian TV show 25:56 - Books news 33:54 - Star Wars Resistance

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Star Wars Resistance is about to change the world of Star Wars animation, and on this episode of Blaster Canon we break down the latest trailer and lay down some expectations for the Sequel Trilogy-era story. Resistance brings flashy racing starships and brand new characters, and we’ve already claimed some favorites.

This week, Paul also reviews the current Darth Vader comics and talks about how much they’ve added to the story of the Sith Lord. After some brief conversion about Star Wars reference guides (particularly The Rebel Files), we zoom into the novelization of Solo: A Star Wars Story.

For our main topic we return to the galaxy’s premiere blue strategist with Thrawn Alliances, the latest novel from heavy hitter Timothy Zahn. Alliances brought the Clone Wars-era characters back to the screen with a focus on Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala. We break down how Zahn built on the sometimes inconsistent characterization Padmé had in the Prequels to make her a compelling point of view in the novel as she works on her mission.

Timecodes: 2:15 - Resistance trailer 22:00 - Darth Vader comics 29:00 - Reference guides 38:00 - Solo Novel adaptation 43:00 - Thrawn Alliances

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After San Diego Comic Con, our Star Wars panelists have had the chance to think about the many book and television announcements from the galaxy far, far away. The biggest news was the return of The Clone Wars, which Paul thinks might be just the beginning of a renaissance for the popular animated show. Since the time we recorded this episode we’ve also seen a new trailer for Star Wars Resistance, the Sequel Trilogy-era animated series coming this October.

Shooting has started on Episode IX, and we peer into the first of director J.J. Abrams’ typically cryptic set photos. In other live-action news, what might Jon Favreau’s live action Star Wars series be about? Rumor has it the show might focus on Boba Fett’s masked kin the Mandalorians. We discuss how it could connect to other Star Wars stories and why Mandalorians might be a great choice.

In the world of Star Wars books, SDCC brought an unexpected bounty of Prequel-era novel announcements. Master and Apprentice brings us back to the days of Qui-Gon Jinn, while Queen’s Shadow tells a long-awaited story of Padmé Amidala and her handmaidens. We discuss how these measure up to other canon stories focused on the politics of the galaxy. Lastly, we touch on Thrawn Alliances and how the book connects to Galaxy’s Edge, the Star Wars expansion coming to Disney parks.

Timestamps: Episode IX Cast Announcements and Set Photo - 00:00 The Clone Wars returns - 22:30 Live action TV show rumors - 34:35 Book announcements: Master and Apprentice by Claudia Gray - 43:00 Book announcements: Queen’s Shadow by E. K. Johnston - 48: 45 Thrawn Alliances Review - 54:00

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Solo has come and gone, and Blaster Canon is back to cover Star Wars tie-in novels and discuss what — if anything — went wrong with Solo’s marketing and reception. In the world of books we review Last Shot by Daniel José Older and Most Wanted by Rae Carson, both of which flesh out characters from the standalone film. How does L3’s role in Last Shot compare to her story in the film, and do either justify her fate?

In other books news, the fandom is buzzing with the announcement of an exclusive San Diego Comic Con cover for Thrawn: Alliances by Timothy Zahn and an excerpt featuring Anakin Skywalker. Speaking of Clone Wars-era content, an excerpt released after we recorded also features Padmé Amidala.

At the end of the episode we zoom out to take a look at Star Wars books of the present era as a whole. How does the current crop compare to the old Expanded Universe? Has the secrecy around the Sequel Trilogy kept the books from achieving the sprawling story and memorable cast that the previous canon had, or have we just not had enough time to see which stories will loom the largest in the new canon? Catch up with all things Star Wars expanded universe on Blaster Canon.

Timecodes:

Standalone rumors: 00:38 Thrawn Alliances excerpt and exclusive cover: 17:23 Most Wanted: 24:34 Last Shot: 36:57 The current state of Star Wars novels: 56:15

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Solo has arrived, and we have mixed feelings. On this episode of Blaster Canon, the Star Wars expanded universe podcast, Paul, Megan and Saf break down the new film and some of its more controversial story decisions. What does Solo’s box office performance mean for the future of the anthology films? Do Solo’s strengths outweigh the flaws? The movie comes with plenty of references, deep cuts, and surprising cameos from other Star Wars stories, so we have plenty of excitement about both canon and Legends.

In the world of tie-in stories, the latest episode of season four of Forces of Destiny brings together Qi’Ra and some fan favorite scoundrels. Forces of Destiny continues to provide quick looks into the lives of many female characters. We’ll talk about what it means for Solo. An update with information we have learned since we recorded: Qi’ra is played in Forces of Destiny by Olivia Hack.

Also out now is the novel Last Shot, which take place over three different time periods and tells the stories of Han, Lando, and L3-37. The book offers a slightly different look at L3’s droids’ rights campaign. For a complete review, stay tuned.

Timecodes: 1:00 Forces of Destiny 6:03 Last Shot novel 14:30 Most Wanted novel 16:11 Solo film, spoiler free 45: 53 Solo spoilers ​

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The heroes of Star Wars had more adventures in Forces of Destiny this month, so we reviewed the YouTube short series and speculated on what other characters might get the cartoon treatment next. Forces of Destiny season 2 connects to some major events in the saga, including how Leia got the armor she used to sneak into Jabba’s Palace, and an extra adventure with Rose and Finn in The Last Jedi.

After a brief diversion to discover the origins of banana splits and the cultural significance of Denny’s in both the United States and New Zealand, we talk about the new characters revealed from Solo: A Star Wars Story. Is Therm Scissorpunch the best Star Wars name yet? Yes. How does Therm Scissorpunch pick up objects? We don’t know.

We also discuss the Blu-Ray release of The Last Jedi and compare what was seen in the movie and deleted scenes to the scenes included in the novelization.

Timecodes: 0:45 Thrawn: Alliances novel excerpt 9:50 Solo: A Star Wars Story character reveals 18:45 The Last Jedi Blu-Ray and special features 30:11 The Last Jedi novelization 41:16 Forces of Destiny Season 2

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