Star Wars Blaster Canon

Rebels opened a door into a new dimension in the Star Wars universe this month, opening up the possibility of time travel and the Force working in exceptionally mysterious ways. On this episode of Blaster Canon, Megan, Paul, and Saf review the Rebels season finale and bring you this month’s Star Wars news, including reactions to the new Solo: A Star Wars Story trailer.

The trailer revealed a look at Han Solo’s past with Lando Calrissian, Chewbacca, and new characters including Han’s secretive old friend Qi’Ra. Paul is looking forward to the origin story of a beloved character, while Saf and Megan found the trailer to be unremarkable —and Saf loves Lando’s droid partner L3-37.

The announcement of Game of Thrones directors David Benioff and D.B. Weiss comes at a time when conversations about diversity behind-the-scenes are stirring up a lot of questions about which creators receive the coveted role of Star Wars directors. And on Rebels, the fates of the characters are revealed and the hosts talk about how the Force works, the resolution of four seasons of character arcs, and parallels with Return of the Jedi.

Timecodes: 1:48 Solo: A Star Wars Story 16:00 David Benioff and D.B. Weiss creating a new Star Wars series 27:00 The Last Jedi novelization 28:27 Star Wars Rebels

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The Last Jedi brought with it several tie-in novels for young readers. We review The Legends of Luke Skywalker by Ken Kiu, Cobalt Squadron by Elizabeth Wein, and Bomber Command by Jason Fry, asking: is it difficult to create books that fall in the short time between The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi? Or did these just not work for us?

We also discuss the Forces of Destiny comic books and how they add some good stories to the canon while, oddly, repeating others. Lucasfilm’s Leland Chee says fans may be surprised by some of the Expanded Universe characters returning to canon next. Comedic comic book characters Tag and Bink already have a cameo in Solo: A Star Wars Story, so what could be next? We also touch on fan theories about when a trailer for Solo might appear. Hold on to your helmets — Blaster Canon is back.

Timestamps:

0 - 12:30 The Last Jedi discussion 12:30 Legends characters returning to canon 23: Lack of Han Solo Trailer 25: The Last Jedi novelization will include deleted scenes 28: Forces of Destiny comics review 39: Book review: Legends of Luke Skywalker, 52: Book review: Cobalt Squadron 58: Book review: Bomber Command

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We’ve entered that rich season after a new Star Wars movie, and The Last Jedi has generated a lot of fan discussion: what does Episode VIII say about Rey’s parentage? About the identity of Supreme Leader Snoke and the legacy of the Skywalker family? Paul had a dramatic change of heart between his first and second viewing. We dig into the writing of the film, Luke Skywalker’s role and why Mark Hamill was thrown off by the direction the saga is taking him, and Rey’s character arc.

We also go into how the types of stories audiences want have changed, and what that means about the lack of history for Snoke or Rey. How does audience expectation affect the way people watch and re-watch The Last Jedi? It’s the biggest event of the year for our Star Wars podcast!

Timecodes:

Luke Skywalker and Kylo Ren relationship - 5:50 Rey Lineage - 50:00 Finn, Rose, DJ and Canto Bight - 1:13:00 Amilyn Holdo - 1:35:00

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It’s Star Wars season once again, and along with new trailers and TV spots for The Last Jedi, Lucasfilm made some big announcements this month. We talk the Rian Johnson trilogy announcement, pitch what we might want from a live-action Star Wars TV show, and review Leia: Princess of Alderaan. We dig into theories about when and why Rian Johnson was chosen to guide the Star Wars saga forward and what his placement might mean for Lucasfilm’s plans for the larger saga. Could the next Star Wars movies be set far in the future or the past of the galaxy far, far away?

The young adult novel by fan favorite Claudia Gray, author of the Leia-centric political book Bloodline, caused some debate among our crew as we talk about what makes for a good story and point out some of the hidden references in Leia: Princess of Alderaan.

(This episode was recorded before the release of Star Wars Battlefront II, but you can check out further coverage of the game on Den of Geek.)

Follow us on Twitter at @blastercanonpod

Timecodes: 0:00 Rian Johnson Trilogy 6:00 The Last Jedi trailer 10:00 Live-action TV Show 33:00 The Legends of Luke Skywalker 38:00 Leia: Princess of Alderaan

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With J.J. Abrams back in the pilot's seat for Episode IX, the Blaster Canon crew talks about how the director might have learned from his experience on Episode VII. Did Abrams find himself unexpectedly returning to his old headcanon for the new film? We also talk about the current Marvel Star Wars comics Captain Phasma and Mace Windu, as well as the Star Wars Adventures comics.

Our main Expanded Universe discussion is on the novel Phasma by Delilah S. Dawson, which tells the story of the Imperial trooper's origins. We touch on whether her characterization in the book matched with what we thought about her in The Force Awakens, whether Phasma's rival Cardinal might one day make an appearance in saga, and how the structure of the book reflects Phasma's personality.

Follow us on Twitter at @blastercanonpod, and check out Den of Geek for Star Wars coverage from New York Comic Con 2017.

Timecode: JJ as new Episode IX director - 0.50 Brief Princess of Alderaan talk - 13:25 Star Wars comics reviews - 16:00 Phasma - 30:00

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The Star Wars hype machine is up and running at light speed as The Last Jedi approaches, so the Blaster Canon crew has a lot to talk about in the August episode. Entertainment Weekly’s articles reveal new in-depth conversations with Mark Hamill and other The Last Jedi stars about Luke, Rey, and the Force, while Donald Glover steps into big shoes as Lando Calrissian in the Han Solo standalone. What does it mean to bring “balance” to the Force, and why has Luke traveled to a distant island in order to do it?

We also touch on Marvel’s Star Wars comics and the novel Phasma before reaching our main topic, the Battlefront II tie-in novel Inferno Squad. How well does the book characterize the Imperial agents we’ll be playing in the game later this year? The book follows Iden Versio and her squad into an undercover mission against the Partisans, and we generally liked its portrayal of a less black-and-white Star Wars universe.

Let us know how your Force Friday went at @blastercanonpod on Twitter.

Timecodes: Obi-Wan standalone rumors - 1:00 Rey's lineage in The Last Jedi - 10:44 Luke in The Last Jedi - 16:00 Phasma novel blurb - 26:23 Donald Glover interview in THR - 32:19 Inferno Squad - 41:30

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The latest Star Wars animated show, Forces of Destiny, has aired, so it’s time for the Blaster Canon crew to talk about our impressions of the show and some of the discussions it has kicked off in the fandom. Who is the show “for”? The hosts exhibit some character development of our own, too. Other recent Star Wars news includes behind-the-scenes footage from The Last Jedi, some more details about Star Wars land (uh, we mean Galaxy’s Edge) and the accompanying fully immersive hotel, and newly announced book releases. Author Jason Fry will return to the Star Wars universe for the The Last Jedi novelization. The tie-in novel Battlefront II: Inferno Squad is out now, and Den of Geek has a review. We talk a bit about the novel so far - and you can expect more of that on the next episode.

Timecodes: The Last Jedi Behind-the-Scenes - 1:00 Star Wars Land - 29:48 SDCC Book News - 44:17 Forces of Destiny - 1:01:28

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.