The Forcecast: Star Wars News, Talk, Interviews, And More!

We're back from our winter hiatus with stories about Disney's plans to promote The Force Awakens online, the packaging and release date for TFA merchandise, exciting new cast members for the movie, and 3D prequels at Celebration Anaheim. Plus, Oscar Isaac says all your teaser theories are silly, Star Wars tops a 2015 poll, and Bob Iger gets a magazine cover with everyone's favorite freighter. Welcome back to ForceCast Fridays!

The Force Awakens' young leads have names! BB-8, the ball droid, is a real prop! Yoda is coming to Star Wars Rebels and Rebels is going to Celebration! It's our last show of the year and we're powering ahead with all kinds of interesting news and rumors. Don't miss our thoughts on a rumored name for Gwendoline Christie's character and a report about Luke Skywalker's whereabouts. Happy Holidays from The ForceCast!

Late this week, Lucasfilm revealed the names of several The Force Awakens cast members and announced a Star Wars Rebels Season 2 premiere at Celebration Anaheim. Also in the news: Oscar Isaac reveals his childhood Star Wars costume, Del Rey reveals the cover of Dark Disciple, Bob Iger talks teasers and theme parks, and Marvel confirms a record-breaking figure for its first Star Wars comic. All that and much more in this week's ForceCast!

Erik is out this week, but Eric and Justin continue our discussion about The Force Awakens' teaser trailer. Stars John Boyega, Andy Serkis, and Oscar Isaac have all weighed in, Good Morning America has exclusive information, and there might be more to the ball droid than some fans realized. Plus: When are we getting the next teaser? What is Isaac's X-wing pilot up to? And what about that strange new lightsaber? We're following up on the biggest Star Wars video of the year, so don't miss this week's show!

Star Wars blasts back onto the public stage today as fans everywhere watch and rewatch the teaser trailer for The Force Awakens. We discuss the leadup to this momentous event, along with rumors about a standalone film and a sequel-era animated series. We also talk to a ForceCast listener who is using his artistic talents for charity, discuss what the sequels can learn from the prequels, and check in with our Patreon supporters. Join us for the ride as our favorite franchise enters a major new phase.

In a special crossover episode, Mike, Bryan, and Bobby from Full of Sith invite us onto their show to discuss all things Star Wars, from The Force Awakens trailer to a Mace Windu spinoff to the question of whether The Old Republic is really a Star Wars story. We also discuss our history with the Star Wars franchise and our work on The ForceCast. Enjoy two shows in one with this podcast crossover!

The trailer for The Force Awakens could drop any day now. What will it show us and when will we see it? That's the main news topic for this week. We also discuss StarWars.com's character spotlight, Padmé Amidala, with Making Star Wars' Johnamarie Macias. Plus, Celebration Anaheim news and details about one of the first TFA tie-in novels. It's all here in this week's show!

We continue our discussion of the title reveal for Star Wars: The Force Awakens with Steve Sansweet, the former head of fan relations for Lucasfilm and the man who revealed Revenge of the Sith's title in 2004. We also talk to former LucasArts sound designer David Collins about his video game work, his Celebration stage hosting experiences, and his new show, The Comlink. Between those interviews and the week's top stories, it's a jam-packed ForceCast you won't want to miss!

What's in a name? Star Wars: Episode VII is now Star Wars: The Force Awakens. We discuss this late-breaking news, including what it means for Luke in the sequel trilogy. Then, we talk to Tiya Sircar, the voice of Sabine Wren on Star Wars Rebels, about the Mandalorian rebel's role on the show. Plus, John Boyega chronicles The Force Awakens' wrap party and a soundtrack for The Clone Wars is coming soon. Awaken and enjoy this week's ForceCast!

Star Wars Rebels may snag two voice actors from The Clone Wars, a Star Wars costuming exhibit tours the U.S. next year, X-wing and TIE Fighter games are back, and we may be less than two months away from an Episode VII trailer. Plus, we talk to Taylor Gray, the voice of Ezra Bridger on Rebels, about the series' tone, Ezra's growth, lessons from voice-acting, and more.

Mashable Deputy Editor Chris Taylor joins us to discuss his book How Star Wars Conquered the Universe, which chronicles the entire history of the Star Wars franchise from George Lucas' early life to the 2014 canon decision and the lead-up to Star Wars Rebels. We talk about Palpatine's first name, the "Save the EU" movement, George Lucas' inspirations, J.J. Abrams' grasp on the heart of the saga, and much more.

As principal photography on Episode VII winds down, the youngest Star Wars fan to star in the original films comes back again, the set gets a visit from the Boy Who Lived, and a cast member who wasn't even announced has completed her role. Plus, Eric talks about the progression of technology in Star Wars with Christian Blauvelt, and Disney releases a trailer for the Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion "Special Edition" on ABC. Strap in and make the jump to hyperspace with The ForceCast!

Eric is back from New York Comic Con with a report on all the Star Wars panels, an interview with Star Wars Rebels panel moderator Christian Blauvelt and panelist Vanessa Marshall, and audio from the show floor. In other news, Rebels gets more strong ratings, canceled Rogue Squadron videogame footage emerges, and Marvel has a new Kanan Jarrus comic. All that and so much more, including a special Star Wars book giveaway, in this week's ForceCast!

Good news for Rebels after its series premiere, new interviews with James Luceno and Lucasfilm's point-person on Star Wars storytelling, and a new arcade game that truly immerses you in that galaxy far, far away. Plus, what's the deal with the "save the EU" crowd? We'll weigh in. It's New York Comic Con weekend and we're bringing you a heaping helping of Star Wars in this week's ForceCast!

Star Wars Rebels premieres tonight, and to prepare you for the show, we share our thoughts on its hour-long debut, Spark of Rebellion. The big story this week is the bonanza of Episode VII rumors ranging from characters to sets to story lines -- plus a massive report that, if true, would upend the face of Star Wars as we know it. Then, Spencer Brinkerhoff III joins us to discuss "Crystal Crisis on Utapau," the four unfinished episodes of The Clone Wars that Lucasfilm recently released. It's a show spanning movies, television, and more, and you won't want to miss it!

With less than twenty-four hours to go until the series premiere of Disney's Star Wars Rebels, voice actress Vanessa Marshall spoke to a small group of podcasters -- from Jedi News, the Ion Cannon Podcast, and The ForceCast -- about her life and career, her Star Wars fandom, and her experience working on Rebels.

Poster artist John Alvin, who died in 2008, left an indelible mark on the Star Wars saga through his iconic artwork. In this episode, ForceCast host and Lucasfilm-licensed Star Wars artist Spencer Brinkerhoff III talks to John's wife Andrea Alvin, the author of a recently published book celebrating John's art, about his career, their work together, and his experience in the Star Wars universe.

Lucasfilm shares unfinished material from three story arcs of The Clone Wars, new Episode VII set photos emerge, and there's a new Star Wars video game in town. Plus, we present a fan report from the 2014 Rancho Obi-Wan Annual Gala, complete with greetings from the man himself, Steve Sansweet. It's all here on The ForceCast!

J.J. Abrams shows us Star Wars: Episode VII's Millennium Falcon, a rumor may have told us Luke's whereabouts, and everyone and their mother wants a cameo in the movie. Plus, we go in-depth with our analysis of the film's "first pixel" and we discuss why you shouldn't trust Tumblr. Strap in for the jump to hyperspace, because it's time for The ForceCast!

I spy with my little eye...something from a galaxy far, far away! This week, we tackle tidbits about Episode VII's ships, cast, locations, and emotional focus. Plus, Eric reports back from the Star Wars Rebels New York City press screening with reflections on the episodes from himself and two friends of the show. It's all here in this episode of The ForceCast!