The Young Jedi Knights Club

We ally once more with Ryan Davis for another little Golden book that—much like wintrium—gets stronger as it goes, only to leave us thinking about tentacles and cold, slithery need... From ruthless Mandalorian sieges to the angsty teen romance of "Benstara," we're delighted by virtually every plotline, while also paying our respects to Tony Jay, Bea Arthur and, dreading the final time, LOST. Check It Out!

Answering a Wedge-shaped "Allston-Signal" in the sky, the embattled Geoff Clarke executes a perfect backflip while effortlessly decapitating a rancor, vaulting straight into our discussion of Backlash. Even if the plot turns out to be a wild goose (falcon? duck? bantha?) chase, we're charmed by the book's rollicking action, and how it inspires visions of both a broccoli-headed Ben Skywalker and Natasi Daala as a furry.

As more Jedi succumb to the Capgras delusion, the needle-toothed, tentacle-armed, Lovecraftian abomination Jack Stovold descends upon the podcast to determine if this Troy Denning offering sparks joy. This proves difficult, as we face horrors like a grotesque rat king of sentient beings, the freakin' Sith who somehow always return, and the idea that blowhard political pundits exist even beyond our galaxy.

Golden boy Ryan Davis reunites with our Unit to welcome a new authorial voice to the reading rotation with Christie Golden's Omen. Her novel briefly fuels our hopes for Young Jedi Knights: The New Class, as we flow-walk back in time to rehash well-worn discourse surrounding the Rule of Two and trade Force psychosis theories like exotic beasts at the Coruscant Livestock Exchange and Exhibition.

The presumed dead Eric Ambler resurfaces for the Creamsicle-coded kickoff to Fate of the Jedi! Conspire with our Darkmeld as we speculate that Star Wars is entering its old-man era, wonder if we're too young to be harping about the good old days, and discover how this low-key kick-ass adventure seemingly sets the table for less doom and more mystery, leaving us cautiously optimistic for the rest of the series.

Punching in the coordinates for an unexpected detour, John Parton joins us aboard the Millennium Falcon in a real barrel of taurill that makes the jump through the freighter's offbeat ownership history and straight into a Black Hole of tangents. We bounce between topics faster than a bat-falcon and could have kept talking for a millennium, while asking how the frip James Luceno turned a book about a spaceship into Absolute Literature.

For a Special Edition, this Episode I commentary features... shockingly few suggested upgrades. Our own circular council we will keep on what is to be changed! We mostly just sit in awe of perfection, occasionally borrowing from both junior and "senior" novelizations while pitching AI to undo that unacceptable "shot on film" look. By the end, a communications disruption leaves us speaking entirely in Ben Burtt podracer noises.

L'Eggo my Legacy of the Force! As we finally let go of the Darth Caedus era, we find ourselves longing to flow-walk back in time, replace our younger selves, and send them forward just to avoid this whole karking series altogether. Just kidding… mostly. Hear us rank the sacrosanctity of these Jedi texts that, to their credit, somehow rekindled a tolerance for Boba Fett we haven't felt since adolescence. It's a Tax Day miracle!

Grok, generate the podcast equivalent of a film maudit... Jack into your datapads, listeners. Our Menace Era has begun. Instead of moving forward as promised, we pivot back to the Prequel-adjacent Jedi Apprentice series! The biggest menace we know, Eric Wheeler, enrolls with us for a peek into Obi-Wan's early school days. It's a wayside return to Young Jedi Knights vibes as this book club gets a little stranger...

Roll out the red qashmel carpet—an upgrade from past questionable floor coverings—for the 5th Annual Lowie Awards, our gala named for a tall, kind-hearted beast not unlike Harry (of the Hendersons). We mark this quinquennial with a brand-new category alongside our usual slate of Star 'Wards, even eking out some worthy winners from the mid-aughties, a dry spell for the galaxy far, far away. Another Hapan landing!