Jedi Master's Degree

We close out the first season with Dennis Small from the In Syndication podcast. We discuss to his reaction to watching A New Hope for the first time (and realizing he'd already read it), how the movies are like westerns, and whether Star Wars is political.

Brandon Beardslee from the Box Office Battle podcast discusses his history with Star Wars, what scenes impacted him the most, his only Star Wars toy, how the movie has changed over the years, and where he stands on the franchise today.

Jeremiah Perez from the A Feast of Geeks podcast steps up to discuss the original Star Wars trilogy, his preference for the extended universe side of the franchise, and give his views on the subtext of droids among many other things.

Ever wondered what an alien rabbit looks like? Or wanted to explore a time when Jabba wasn't a disgusting slug? Or curious about the love triangle involving Leia that didn't contain Han (but still Luke, blech!)? We dive into the Marvel Star Wars comics from the original trilogy era.

This trio of books nails the character of Lando, without all that continuity. It's also bonkers. We'll sift through it for you.

Rebel Mission to Ord Mantell is an audio drama that was produced for NPR and put out on to vinyl. It's a strange curio that we're diving into. So fetch your evil bounty hunting insectoid twin sibling and give it a listen.

Jedi Master's Degree breaks down the third act of Return of the Jedi and examines the response to it. Plus, Siskel and Ebert tag team a Star Wars hater.

We take apart the second act of Return of the Jedi. And then we examine the decision to give Return of the Jedi a happy ever after vibe.

We discuss the production of the Return of the Jedi as well as the first act. So get your wookie, thermal detonator, and slave Leia costume ready, we're diving in (to the sarlacc pit).

This episode will focus on The Han Solo Adventures: Han Solo at Stars' End, Han Solo's Revenge, and Han Solo and the Lost Legacy. Learn Han's original origin. Ask questions like: why he can't hold onto the Millennium Falcon? Or how come you can blow up a prison without repercussion?

This week we finish discussing The Empire Strikes Back. We recap the last act of the movie, as well as looking at how the movie was received by the critics and the public.

This episode recaps the middle chapter of the middle chapter of the original trilogy. We also focus on the big reveal: who came up with it, was it leaked, how it changed the franchise, and it's effect in larger pop culture.

This episode breaks down George Lucas beginning ILM and attempting to create The Empire Strikes Back. We also break down the first act of the movie.

Why does the Holiday Special exist? Why does an eight minute conversation between wookies with no subtitles lead off the show? Why was a grandpa wookie watching space Cinemax Late Night in his living room? Why wasn't George Lucas able to eradicate every copy of the special? WHY?

Splinter of the Mind's Eye was the first extended universe book for Star Wars. We go over the plot, the fact that it was written to be Star Wars 2, the hot and heavy chemistry between Luke and Leia (blech), and other things that didn't age so well.

We look at the third act of A New Hope and talk about the colossal reception the film got at the box office. We also discuss the critic's reactions, and how the news of the day covered it.

This episode the movie and literary origins of Star Wars are discussed. We dig into many inspirations, homages, and flat out rip offs. And we delve into Act II of the A New Hope.

We begin the podcast by talking about how A New Hope (but really called Star Wars until later) was created by George Lucas. We go through the trials and tribulations of putting one of the most influential movies on screen. We also recap the first act of the movie, looking for buried meaning.

This is a short introduction to Jedi Master's Degree. I'll tell you what to expect from this podcast...Star Wars knowledge and lots of fun, but not in a lame I'm sitting in a cubicle with a kitten Hang in There poster sort of way. The whole season drops on May 4th.