Expounded Universe

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/expounded-universe-125-forest-balls.mp3 Finally the 70s kick up something interesting! It’s Han Solo at Star’s End, a book that predates Empire Strikes Back! We’re gonna be reading all about the wild adventures of pre-Rebellion Han and Chewie, and literally no one else you’ve ever heard of. So exciting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2020/03/expounded-universe-124-more-of-a-crucible.mp3 As is tradition, we wrap up. We discuss what we liked and didn’t like, if we’d recommend the book in general, and so on. Eventually when we run out of that stuff we answer listener questions for a while and then announce the next book. WHICH WE DO! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2020/03/expounded-universe-123-hot-golden-showers-of-force-1.mp3 Okay, let’s bring her home. The entire EU that is, because this is the end. The last of it. Will Luke, Leia and Han die in the monolith? Do the Qrephs somehow win despite being the dumbest morons since Hethrir? I think you know these answers already, but hey, listen on! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2020/03/expounded-universe-122-powerbodies-by-jake.mp3 As boilerplate as the Qrephs have turned out to be, Vestara Khai is a straight up delight. She’s very genre savvy and knows to be completely terrified of Luke and Leia and their terrifying “Light Side” progeny. Who are earning that fear this episode as we spend most of it in the perspective of a villain just watching the old Star Wars heroes rip through defenses like butter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2020/03/expounded-u-niverse-121-mad-about-goo.mp3 Luke and Leia engage in some recreational muggle-dumping before looking for any excuse at all to murder Mandalorians (that’s how the light side works) while Han runs around behind Barduun/Jhonus Raam and his whole bag of crazy situation. Wackiness ensues. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2020/03/expounded-universe-120-and-it-turned-into-a-barduun-blitz.mp3 Finally, they stop playing sabacc! After, you know, a whole chapter of them playing sabacc again. Meanwhile the smartest brothers in the universe continue their extremely convincing impression of being horny bumbling dumbfucks. So believable, these smart dudes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/expounded-universe-119-to-the-pain.mp3 Well, this certainly got way bigger after the last episode? Remember how last time it was Han playing cards with the Qrephs? Well now there’s more people at the table! Remember how last time Ben and Lando spent a bunch of time looking at a floating D8 in space? Well now there’s more people there! Hooray! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/expounded-universe-118-pinnace-envy.mp3 A classic tradition of Star Wars EU books return, as Benny Skywalker spends a whole-ass chapter talkin to Lando about a big D8 they found a picture of. Meanwhile, Luke and Leia escape the Ormni under cover of broad daylight in the largest pinnace in town! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/expounded-universe-117-the-beast-with-two-sabaccs.mp3 Whoa, halfway point already? Feels like we’re just getting started! Anyhow, Han is tied to a chair so he can play more sabacc. It’s not all bad though, because he’s playing with the dumbest geniuses in the galaxy, the Qreph brothers! Meanwhiler Luke and Leia sneak around a mining ship and dodge a sith with a mysterious new name! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/expounded-universe-116-stake-out.mp3 I’m sure the plan here was intentional, that two chapters in a row of Skywalkers sitting in spaceships watching things happening “rhymed” or something. Really, the thing that’s fascinating is this new Tahiri character. Who the heck is this lady with a Majin W on her face? Well, let’s find out. And also let’s finally meet Ben Skywalker. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/expounded-universe-115-big-money-blastas.mp3 If you were thinking “boy oh boy I sure hope we get to see some classic Expanded Universe sabacc games today” then I have great news for you. If, however, you were hoping to finally revisit our brainy blue bad guys, well sadly, I also have great news for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/expounded-universe-114-bacta-streets-back-all-right.mp3r Into every Star Wars book review a little rain must fall, and here it comes. At least we learn some surprising Dena Yus secrets, but boy do they come at the cost of wheels a-spinnin. Han has a plan, my friends. Stay fresh, cheese bags. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/expounded-universe-113-crash-into-me.mp3 This book continues to baffle our wary expectations, as a chapter begins with a wordy explanation of how one of Lando’s dumb mining operations works and then ends about SOMETHING ELSE! All that and Luke shows up! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/expounded-universe-112-puny-jaw-power-body.mp3 We meet the villains! There’s two of these floaty dorks and boy oh boy do we have a big reveal about them. They’re gonna threaten Lando for a bit, and then Luke will meet a Sullustan and talk about Sullustan sullustuff for a while. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/expounded-universe-111-you-know-forest-poles.mp3 So in this book, Jaina Solo is 36 years old. In case you were curious how far along in the timeline we’re dealing with, this one is set around roughly 45 ABY (I’m not using that new one and you can’t make me). Crucible is the last book published as an Expanded Universe title before the Legends swap took place, and so far it feels like that was well understood as the book took shape. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2019/12/expounded-universe-110-planet-x-plained.mp3 The wrap-up, listener questions, and the announcement of the next book. Thankfully our mission was not continuing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2019/12/expounded-universe-109-quatu-the-watcher.mp3 As we expected, the final chapters of this book break down pretty simply. A satisfying if somewhat short conclusion, along with a little more Worferine (which is our preferred ship name for the Worf/Wolverine bromance abrewin’). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2019/12/expounded-universe-108-there-are-four-claws.mp3 Wait, seriously? Are we this close to done? It seems like the part where anything cool happens didn’t happen. Oh well, we’re in wrap up mode, and if you were Patton Oswalt or something, all wanting to finally see the moment where Xavier and Picard virtually meet, well that’s in here, at least. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/expounded-universe-107-a-colossus-lapse-in-judgement.mp3 At this point I’m starting to long for the extreme action of a mid-season TNG episode or one of those really wordy Bendis X-Men issues. Sure, there’s stuff going on, but the pace! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/expounded-universe-106-sovar-so-good.mp3 Shadowcat enters and promptly leaves the fray! Data turns out to be some sort of alarming mechano-man! And Crusher has a dumb holodeck plan! It’s all going beautifully here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/expounded-universe-105-i-sure-hope-trois-okay.mp3 The fight rages on! So much transporting and phaser fighting and descriptions of the super cool powers of two of the definitely coolest X-Men, Banshee and… uhhh well Archangel. In a series of hallways. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/expounded-universe-104-dont-be-sad-jo.mp3 Holy cow the villains! We have villains! They’re improbably stereotypical (gross monsters called the Draa’kon that kill each other for failure? Come the fuck on), but we sure did finally get to see them! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2019/10/expounded-universe-103-shadowcatastrophe.mp3 Mysterious aliens arrive and start messing with our transformed friends on Xhaldia! Meanwhile Shadowcat is apparently just wandering through the walls of the Enterprise because X-Men, like wizards, have no sense of right and wrong. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2019/10/expounded-universe-102-just-call-me-archangel-of-the-morning-baby.mp3 The pride and craftsmanship our author takes in the simple act of a “Wolverine drinks some prune juice” gag is more obvious and satisfactory than any sense of accomplishment either of us has ever felt. And we also wrote a book! Full of gags! Anyway, this time a whole lot of nothing happens! Hope you like nothing! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2019/10/expounded-universe-101-its-geordi-the-forge.mp3 The X-Trek revolution commences! Erid and his erstwhile mutant family take to the hills and then take over a slum, while … well Dr. Crusher is taking cursory looks at whatever’s up with Archangel. Also Worf and Wolverine fight Turricans and Axelays in the holodeck (just kidding, those are video games). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2019/10/expounded-universe-100-bonestorm.mp3 Well last week Picard met the X-Men while Erid met his collection of weird new mutant Xhaldian friends. This week Picard meets Storm specifically while Erid meets the more revolution-inclined among the Xhaldians. Also Geordi and Nightcrawler, just pallin’ around. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2019/09/expounded-universe-99-a-thorough-accounting-of-powers.mp3 Picard meets the X-Men who are all acting like they just got their powers today, while Erid is shipped to a private facility and starts assembling the Planet X-Men. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2019/09/expounded-universe-98-very-tidy-seconds.mp3 Oh goddammit who let Jon pick the book? It was me? Shoot, complaint withdrawn. YES! It’s time to see what the X-Men and the TNG crew (and Worf if he’s into it) can do together! This is going to be ridiculous. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2019/09/expounded-universe-97-moonstruck.mp3 The somewhat less thrilling epilogue. Once we’re all done digging our way through Vector Prime, it’s time to answer a surprisingly large amount of listener questions! And we do exactly that. Then, just when you think it can’t get more exciting, it does, as we announce the next book! What will it be? Well, you’re about an hour from that answer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2019/09/expounded-universe-96-the-shield-ships-of-fart-planet-b.mp3 The thrilling conclusion! Oh… hold on actually there’s apparently two chapters left? With eight pages in them total? What’s happening back here? Anyway the war rages on til some dramatic stuff definitely happens! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2019/08/expounded-universe-95-daddy-warshacks.mp3 Jef is stuck in last week, but the show goes on! The post battle conversations are equal parts thrilling and samey, and someone forgot to watch the twins, so off they go again! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2019/08/expounded-universe-94-space-invaders-and-asteroids.mp3 Today it’s the Solo family(and Kyp) facing off against the might of the big bad Vong, as Prefect Da’Gara brings his fight directly to the doorstep of Lando’s Folly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2019/08/expounded-universe-93-thats-amore.mp3 Oh boy, Luke’s into it now. Ready for another chapter of him taking all day to do something he couldn’t possibly do forever? It’s here! All that and the long-earned rest of a legend on today’s episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2019/08/expounded-universe-92-big-bad-beetle-borgs.mp3 As they inevitably must do, the good guys and bad guys finally begin to converge. Yomin straps on all his gooptech while Han encounters some surprisingly political albinos. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2019/07/expounded-universe-91-the-dozen-and-2-avengers-endgame.mp3 A chapter focusing on Kyp Durron being a pompous douchebag lost in his own little world? This book just keeps giving us gifts. Also Dani remains a badass and Han sputters and blutters or whatever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2019/07/expounded-universe-90-what-if-episode-5-again.mp3 It’s sort of nice to have the main characters compressed into a single narr… hey wait a minute this the same as last time! Indeed, the Yuuzhan Vong continue to rampage around murdering everyone while the Skywalker gang doodles around at a theme park ride. Will this book ever get back on track? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2019/07/expounded-universe-89-vacation-all-i-ever-wanted.mp3 It’s sort of nice to have all the boring main characters condensed into a single wish fulfillment narrative while the Vong go about the wet gooey business of murdering scientists, so at least this is a satisfying couple of chapters! Also we find out what kind of couch there was in the TIE Advance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/expounded-universe-88-party-on-garth.mp3 Uhhh, I guess the Vong continue to get real? Even though our main character gang has changed planets, it still feels like they’re in prep mode instead of getting on with it, but at least we get to learn about even more of Yomin Carr’s gross menagerie of single-purpose pain tools. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/expounded-universe-87-hyperdriving-miss-daisy.mp3 The Vong plot gets real as their first ships enter the regular type galaxy and go all octopus ham on an ice planet. Meanwhile Anakin and Jacen have some serious discussions while Chewie gets pretty slapstick with a senator. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/expounded-universe-86-bolhpur-deez-nuts.mp3 Luke and Jacen march headlong into a council meeting and you know what that means… it’s time to learn a bunch of new Star Wars names! Yay, our favorite pastime! Meanwhile, Nom Anor is a hilarious dick, Leia gets grumpy, and we find out what Lando’s latest weird job is. That dude always has a weird job. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/expounded-universe-85-its-nom-anor.mp3 The time of the New Jedi Order is upon us as the Yuuzhan Vong set their wheels in motion! We finally meet Legends regular Mara Jade, plus newcomers like Wurth Skidder and Yomin Carr! It’s the dawn of a new horrible age! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2019/05/expounded-universe-84-planet-of-twilight-new-dawn.mp3 It’s the customary wrap up ep, yep! We talk the arching themes of the book, answer your questions, and finally, as always, announce the NEXT BOOK! Fire up your Amazon if you’re planning to read along! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2019/05/expounded-universe-83-tsiling-dzym-softly.mp3 The curtain drops. What has changed? What threats face us at the end of all chapters? What hath Hambly wrought? Does this book have the most hilariously unearned coincidence at the end of it at all time? (yes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2019/05/expounded-universe-82-daala-daala-bills.mp3 A mysterious new player enters the book in the 11th hour! I don’t want to spoil it for you so I’ll just do that in the episode title. Also Luke and Leia… finally meet? This can’t be right. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2019/04/expounded-universe-81-sweet-dreams-are-made-of-dzym.mp3 Luke and Leia both have dreams in this episode. If you were curious about what kind of book we’re reading, it’s the kind where both main characters have dreams during the same chapter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2019/04/expounded-universe-80-callista-explains-it-all.mp3 These books have a tendency to flip into gear after spending some time on wheel spinny world building, but this one is definitely taking a little longer to turn over. Sure, Luke and Leia have basically switched places now, and Threepio and Artoo are just jumping from one spaceship to the next, but still! Go faster, book! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2019/04/expounded-universe-79-a-big-crab-or-something.mp3 Stuff happened this time, so I guess this is just that kind of book that wants to chill for a while before doing anything. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2019/04/expounded-universe-78-but-im-a-fun-guy.mp3 Han arrives on the planet Nim Drovis and…Okay, now we know what’s going on. Han is wandering around for basically no reason while Threepio tapes bells to his head and meets a bat. Luke and Leia ponder. Oh god they won’t stop pondering. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2019/04/expounded-universe-77-the-squishiest-of-vapes.mp3 Han arrives on the planet Nim Drovis and… I dunno, I guess he meets a giant flower or something. If this book has a point I’d love to see it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://systemmastery.files.wordpress.com/2019/03/expounded-universe-76-hutt-girl-on-girl-action.mp3 Han rescues some survivors of a terrifying (and only tangentially related) spaceship crash, with Chewie and Lando in tow! Meanwhile Leia and Luke stay on course of learning the same bits of the mystery at the same speed in two different chapters at a time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices