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 For

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

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  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 @blastercanonpodTimecodes: 0:00 R

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:

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 stan

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  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On this month's Blaster Canon Paul Saf, and Megan share their long-awaited review of Star Wars Rebels season 3, as well as discussing the recent changes behind the scenes of the Han Solo movie and the new Battlefront II footage revealed at E3!  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This month, we share some thoughts on the latest set photos and other news coming from the set of The Last Jedi, and we talk about recent and impending book releases from Del Rey and Disney.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Fresh from Star Wars Celebration Orlando, we've got the news about The Last Jedi, Star Wars Rebels, and upcoming novels and comics. What does it mean that Luke Skywalker thinks "it's time for the Jedi to end? What's next for the final season of Rebels?  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

With the release of Empire's End, the Aftermath trilogy is complete, and Megan and Paul have Snoke theories (and Sloane theories) about where the canon books might go from here. Along with the Empire's End discussion and review, this episode covers the first excerpt from Thrawn by Timothy Zahn, season 3 of Rebels, and the newly announced Star Wars novel, Inferno Squad.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On this episode of Blaster Canon we tackle the Death Star in the room: Rogue One. What did the reshoots entail, and does it matter? How does Expanded universe material change a viewing of the newest Star Wars movie? We also discuss the heroes of Rogue One and who actually had the strongest character arc. Paul and Megan reunite to bring you the latest in the Star Wars films and expanded universe.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Episode 5 had been slightly delayed, but now we're back with a review of Star Wars: Aftermath: Life Debt and the Star Wars books news from the summer. Grand Admiral Thrawn is making his return in Rebels, Legends characters are coming to the toy shelf, and some fan-favorite authors have been announced for the tie-in novels for Rogue One. And what could Life Debt tell us about going back to Jakku?  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This month, we talk about some of our favorite titles from Marvel's Star Wars main series comics.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Topics this month include the Darth Vader Comic and Star Wars: Bloodline by Claudia Gray.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Star Wars fandom received a gift this month in the form of the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story trailer, and we're here with the second episode of Blaster Canon to talk Rogue One and some of the other Star Wars news that came out in the last two weeks.Paul Hermann leads an episode that asks the big questions about Rogue One: Does Gareth Edwards' film "look like Star Wars"? Felicity Jones as Jyn Erso brings a smuggler attitude to the Rebellion - is she more Luke Skywalker or Jack Sparrow? She's one of the few Star Wars heroes of the new era who has a last name - where does she fit in the saga of the Skywalkers? Who are the mysterious Imperial characters? We break down each character in the surprisingly revealing teaser trailer.This week, we also cover the first issue of the Poe Dameron comic book and its place in the new canon: Phil Noto and Charles Soule both bring a lot of experience to the story of Poe's quest to find Lor San Tekka, but did the story st

Keep an eye on the galaxy far, far away with Blaster Canon, a monthly podcast about the Star Wars Expanded Universe and the blockbuster films.Hosted by writer Megan Crouse and experienced podcasters Saf Davidson and Paul Hermann, Blaster Canon explores the books, comics, video games, and other stories that bring the Star Wars universe beyond the confines of the silver screen. Want to know how a character’s backstory is explored throughout multiple media? We’ll have it, plus maybe some debate on whether the Expanded Universe is the right place for that character at all. Examine, analyze, and enjoy Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars novels from Del Rey and Disney-Lucasfilm Publishing, and Marvel.For the inaugural episode, check out our review of Before the Awakening, the young adult novel that explores the characters of The Force Awakens before the events of the movie. You’ll also get an introduction to the new cast, plus Star Wars news and a look at Marvel’s Kanan comic and the Leia novel Star Wars: Bloodline. What c