The Credible Nerds

We close out this first series of Star Wars Apologetics with one of the most controversial characters in Star Wars - Jar Jar Binks! We talk about why we like him, what we don't like, and why he's important to the movie. We also talk about the soundtrack to The Phantom Menace and what we love about it. Then we move in to how The Phantom Menace was released again in theaters in the 3D format. I was able to see it a couple of times and I give my opinion on what I thought of the 3D version.

We talk about the Final Battle in this movie. There's an epic space battle over the planet Naboo between the Naboo and the Trade Federation, there's a hard fought ground battle between the Gungan's and the battle droids of the Trade Federation, and to top it all off there's a Duel of the Fates between a Sith Lord and two heroic Jedi! Who will win and who will die?

In this episode we have the final audio clip from the Rhythm of War Release Party from November 2021.

Brandon starts off by talking about his charity, the Lightweaver Foundation and that his sister, Jane is in charge of that. Jane talks about what to look for in the future from the Lightweaver Foundation. Make sure you check out their website for more info, www.lightweaver.org.

Brandon answers some fan questions:

What will you do after Cosmere is finished?

In regards to Wit and his stories, how do they relate across the different books?

With the structure of the Cosmere - is being tweaked and changed as you move forward?

Brandon talks about the risk of burnout and how he manages it. He talks about what he calls the "Brandon almost goes insane Era" during 2007-2015 - when he wrote 3 Wheel of Time books, 2 Stormlight Archive books, and other books too.

Brandon then reads from a story he had on his website for awhile, I Hate Dragons, an unfinished novel from the early 2010’s.

There are more questions from fans that he answers:

What is the longest amount of time you've spent writing in one sitting while writing this series?

What culture inspired the Horneaters?

What’s your favorite and perhaps lesser known fantasy series?

Since metal born siblings can end up with different powers, what about twins?

What are the most surprising reactions from fans about the characters you've created?

Out of all the characters created which one do you personify/relate the most with?

How do you balance your already established series' with the new series you’re creating?

Brandon then spends time talking about his writing future and how he will manage it going forward as there are a lot of stories left to tell.

And finally, he reads from the unnamed (it won’t be Seventh of the Dusk) sequel to Sixth of the Dusk - which takes place during the Space Age of the Cosmere. He states that we won’t see these ideas for awhile, and they are not yet canon. 

End of Release Party

Part Two of audio from Brandon Sanderson's Release Party for Book Four of The Stormlight Archive: The Rhythm of War.

We hear from one of the artists of the series - Isaac Stewart.

Isaac talks about the design process for the cover of the book featuring Shallan and Shadesmar. He talks about the collaborative process with Ben McSweeney and Michael Whelan as they created the cover art.

There is also audio from an interview with Michael Whelan about his part in the creation of the cover art. (about 22:40 mins)

Isaac talks about the creation of the different Radiant spren and the collaboration with Ben McSweeney. (27:45)

Isaac brings up the creation of the end covers inside the book. The came up the ideas about drawing the Heralds and how they came up with idea for the 10 Heralds and commissioning the art to different artists. (32:00)

The artist, Howard Lyon , discusses the creation process for the Herald's Pailiah and Kalak. (35:25) You can see the artwork on Howard's website.

There is audio from a video that was pre-recorded for the release party featuring the artist, Magali Villeneuve, who also created original artwork of the Heralds Pailiah and Kalak. (40:10)

Isaac talks about the backend papers that were created by Karla Ortiz. She created prints for Nale - the Herald of Justice, and Chanarach - the Herald of the Order of the Dustbringers. You can see the prints on her website and also order your own copies! Click on the above links to see them. (43:45)

Isaac talks about the creation of the art depicting the atrium of Urithiru and the new viewpoint icons. (52:20)

Dan Dos Santos drew the fashion plates artwork for the book. There is audio from a video with Dan Dos Santos. (54:30)

Isaac talks about how Kelly Harris created the Navani sketchbook artwork. (1:00:00)

Isaac talks about the creation of the maps for this book and how it relates to Dr. Who. (1:01:50)

And as with the previous episode, you can find the full video of this on Brandon Sanderson’s YouTube channel.

Audio from Brandon Sanderson's Release Party for Book Four of The Stormlight Archive: The Rhythm of War.

Brandon introduces his team. Brandon answers some fan questions to kill time.

Brandon talks about the books that didn't make it, that didn't get published. He also talks about the struggles of getting this book published due to the pandemic. He breaks down his career into four different areas.

Part One: The Early Days of Brandon Sanderson. How he picked projects to write.

Brandon reads Chapter One from his 5th novel, The Sixth Incarnation of Pandora, that was actually an inspiration for a scene that bubbled up from his unconscious and got written into Rhythm of War, as well as some other stories. (34 min mark)

Part Two: The Early Part of Brandon's Actual Career (51 min mark)

At about the 59:20 mark Brandon reads from the Liar of Partonel (sp?) the backstory of Hoid, which deals with how Hoid became Hoid. This is a unfinished book that he will have to rewrite and it is unknown if he will ever release it. He says it's one of the worst books he's ever written. Brandon says that some of the chapters are on his website to read.

Brandon says he is planning on re-writing Hoid's backstory after he finishes Book 10 of The Stormlight Archive.

Make sure to listen to the next part of the Rhythm of War Release Party in Episode 52!

Zack Snyder has had two big releases this year - ZS Justice League and Army of the Dead. We discuss Justice League and our thoughts on this 4 hour film, is it worth watching?

It's been a long time since we've had a bunch of new movies that will be released in theaters soon. We review some trailers for new movies coming out soon!

We review the trailers for:

Army of the Dead

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Venom: Let There Be Carnage

We also discuss some new Wheel of Time video footage that has been released of Lan and Moraine. We talk about this series and what we'd like to see regarding the Aes Sedai weaves and the sword fighting forms and how they would be portrayed onscreen.

We discuss some new news about the Cosmere, with Wax and Wayne 4 being written as well as the timeline for The Stormlight Archive Book 5 and beyond.

Lots of nerd goodness packed into this episode! Check it out!