Star Wars 7x7: A Daily Bite-Sized Dose of Star Wars Joy

Following on the heels of the previous episode of Star Wars Resistance, the pirates volunteer to kill one of the giant space manta rays (a "jakoosk") to get food for the Colossus residents and to undermine Captain Doza's authority. Naturally, nothing goes as planned. Today, it's the Resistance Briefing for "Hunt on Celsor 3," the fourth episode from season 2 of the series. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

News outlets are being sort of clickbait-y about an unnamed source with an alleged detail about what would have been the subject of the Benioff and Weiss Star Wars movies, had they happened. It's really only one thing, but it's presented as a much bigger deal. So I'll be exploring that one thing today, including what we know about the topic in the current canon and in Legends as well. Also, Vader Immortal Episode III. You heard me. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

The Mandalorian, debuting this month, is incredibly important to the future of Star Wars. I'll be talking about why, as well as all the other debuts of note from the galaxy far, far away for the month of November. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

Patrons of Star Wars 7x7 at the "Vader's Fist" level and above can submit questions for me to answer on the show every month! In this installment, we'll be talking about an aspect of the Millennium Falcon as it appears in The Rise of Skywalker; why Ben Solo may or may not have talked to his Force-ghost grandfather; and favorite Star Wars Halloween costumes. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have walked away from their deal to develop a new Star Wars trilogy, blaming the time commitments required by their new nine-figure contract with Netflix. What does this mean for the future of the franchise? And why, if you're standing in the metaphorical glass house that is Marvel, should you refrain from throwing stones at Lucasfilm? Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

Surprise! The folks behind Disney+ decided to drop a final trailer for The Mandalorian last night! And while a good chunk of the scenes were ones that had been shown before - both in the August trailer and to the audience at Celebration Chicago - there were also a few new tidbits as well. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

On the one hand, this question kind of answers itself. They just are! And yet, the Star Destroyer appears to be flying, which adds a level of complication and danger to the process. On today's episode, I'm wrapping up my conversation with Georgetown University physics professor Patrick Johnson (author of The Physics of Star Wars) by exploring that scene, which also leads us to discussing Leia's "Mary Poppins" scene from The Last Jedi, the electrocution scene from Jurassic Park, and how the human brain acts as a limiter on what our bodies can do in real life. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

In all honesty, I didn't even think to ask physics professor Patrick Johnson about that crazy floating space iceberg we see in The Rise of Skywalker's final trailer, but when he brought it up during our conversation, I realized I had to pursue the subject. So as we talk about that iceberg, we also wind up talking about the composition of asteroids, how the tails of comets behave, the temperature of the universe, rogue planets, and more. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

It's the age-old query - which would win, Star Destroyer or mountain? Okay, maybe not so age-old, but brought to mind by a quick scene in the final trailer for The Rise of Skywalker. In a continuation of my conversation with physics professor Patrick Johnson, we talk about how that scene could be happening in a way that *wouldn't* wreck or fatally damage the Star Destroyer. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

It's a question we've been wondering about since April, when the first Rise of Skywalker teaser debuted - how could that Death Star wreckage have landed on that moon without utterly destroying it! Well, if you want answers to questions like that right now, the only way you're getting them is by talking to a physics professor. Which is what I did! Patrick Johnson is the author of The Physics of Star Wars. He's also an assistant teaching professor at Georgetown University, and previously taught at Marquette University and William Jewell College after receiving his PhD in physics from Washington University in St. Louis. He's been on the show before, and after the final trailer debuted, I reached out to him to see if he'd want to talk about this and a couple of other topics where his unique perspective might come into play. So today, we're talking about the ocean moon of Kef Bir and how it could have survived the arrival of that Death Star wreckage. We'll also get into the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs, uniformity in Imperial design, and much more. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

Now that we have the Celebration teaser, the D23 special look, and the final trailer, I thought it would be fun to look at what we've seen so far of The Rise of Skywalker, compare and contrast elements of the three with each other, and understand just how *little* of the movie we've actually seen. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

I think you and I will be in agreement about the seven I've chosen for this episode - and about why I chose to exclude a certain moment that certainly would have qualified otherwise. Where I think you and I might disagree is about the order in which I've placed them, and I'd love to hear how you'd reorder them and why. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

Rey and Ben destroying the Vader mask pedestal? A "one last look" line from Threepio? Wet Kylo? The Ghost? A physical Palpatine? HORSES RUNNING ON TOP OF A STAR DESTROYER??? The final trailer of The Rise of Skywalker has done what it was supposed to do - provide thrills and surprises, deepening the mystery while packing an emotional wallop. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

A former Imperial TIE pilot explains why he thinks the Empire lost the war to the Rebellion, and it also illustrates the difference between the First Order and the way Jarek Yeager trains the Aces in "Live Fire," episode 3 from season 2 of Star Wars Resistance. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

Having read "Be More Lando" for yesterday's episode, I had a better idea of what to expect in DK's "Be More Leia" by Christian Blauvelt (and thanks again to DK for sending me review copies of both). The Leia book takes full advantage of the fact that she appears in two more movies than Lando, and has a lot more dialogue to boot - but it also draws inspiration from the Prequels, Sequels, and Rogue One as well. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

I was very pleasantly surprised by "Be More Lando" by Christian Blauvert from DK Publishing. I must have been expecting something "fluffier" - and there's a place for that, to be sure! - but it turned out to be an honest-to-goodness high-level business success book that draws its lessons from every era of the movie franchise. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

All the news that fits in one episode! It's another of our "potpourri" shows where we cover bits of Star Wars news that can't take up a whole episode by themselves. Today: Tony Gilroy joins the Cassian Andor series; Daisy Ridley talks about "Reylo" and The Rise of Skywalker; why Ridley thought the Rey's parents question was answered in The Force Awakens; and much more. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

We're moving on to the sequel trilogy as we continue the Hyperspacing Hope series! A lot of commentary exists (and I'm among them) about how The Force Awakens mirrors A New Hope in its story beats. But in fact, TFA is doing the work of the entire prequel trilogy as well as Episode IV. And that plays a strong part in the way that hope is expressed by old friends and new ones in Episode VII. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

"A Quick Salvage Run"? If only it were that simple. In our Resistance Briefing for Season 2, Episode 2, we're covering the biggest moments from the show, including surprise survivors of the Hosnian Cataclysm and what's left at D'Qar after the opening of The Last Jedi. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

Well, Lucasfilm broke with a three-in-a-row precedent and did NOT reveal the last trailer for The Rise of Skywalker during Monday Night Football last night. But what about John Boyega's agent saying it was (brace yourself) confirmed? Well, we'll dig into that, and reset the guessing game of when it will finally happen. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

In our final look at the Age of Resistance stories, it's worth pointing out that a lot of the stories aren't always about the characters depicted on their covers. Yes, this is the Rey episode, but General Leia Organa looms large in this one - and she has a valuable lesson to share with Rey before she departs to find Luke Skywalker. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

We already know a lot of the background details about Rose and Paige Tico that are shared in the Age of Resistance one-shot focused on Rose. But it's really the final moments with General Leia Organa that really make this story shine, including a few lines that'll give you shivers as you imagine Carrie Fisher saying them. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

He will finish what Vader started. Or, put another way, he will do what his grandfather before him failed to do. In this Age of Resistance look at the backstory of Kylo Ren, we'll see how he takes on the "god" of a species (a creature we've seen before), and which has ties to both Palpatine and the Clone Wars TV series. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

And no, they weren't K-I-S-S-I-N-G (but the rhyme sprung up in my head when I wrote the title of the episode, I couldn't help it). So, what did Kylo Ren discover inside the Dagobah tree? Snoke said it would be "the things you're too weak to bury" (nice guy, that one). We'll discuss it today, as well as how it bears on a fan theory about Palpatine's appearance in The Rise of Skywalker. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

Do we know what we actually *think* we know about Rey's parents? I'm looking at a couple of assumptions we've all made, and the results of our polling on the question of Kylo Ren's fate at the end of The Rise of Skywalker. Will he survive or die? Will he be redeemed, or still be evil? The answer on today's show... Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

In the bleakest of the Prequel Trilogy movies, the concept of hope gets weaponized by Chancellor Palpatine/Darth Sidious. He turns Anakin's worst fears into the leverage he needs to destroy the Jedi and replace Count Dooku with a newer, younger, and far more powerful apprentice. Today, the examination of hope in the Star Wars movies continues with a dive into Revenge of the Sith. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

In this fifth of a series looking at the nature of hope as expressed in the Star Wars movies, we're flipping the script. After all, hope isn't a concept reserved for the good guys! Today, we're looking at the hopes of the bad guys, too, as we look at Attack of the Clones. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

From a Star Wars perspective, Diahann Carroll will always be remembered for the Holiday Special. But her career - including memorable roles alongside Billy Dee Williams and James Earl Jones - was nothing short of groundbreaking. Today, we remember Diahann Carroll, who passed away last week at 84. ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

The reveals on Triple Force Friday weren't limited to just The Rise of Skywalker. Merchandise related to The Mandalorian and Jedi: Fallen Order also debuted, but in all honesty, we didn't learn much more than we already knew... Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

It's not about collecting the toys (though there's nothing wrong with that!) - it's about checking out the packaging and finding out all sorts of new and interesting things when the merch gets released on Triple Force Friday. Today, The Rise of Skywalker reveals... Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

Triple Force Friday coverage is coming soon, but in the meantime, let's talk about the Empire Magazine cover story on The Rise of Skywalker! Today, two key questions driving the story of Episode IX, according to co-writer Chris Terrio. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

The expressions of hope in The Phantom Menace are rather different from the expressions of hope in the Original Trilogy movies. A lot of that owes to the differences in the state of the Galaxy Far, Far Away during those two eras. Hope is more of a "diffuse" concept in The Phantom Menace, and instead of being personalized, the focus is more on the ripple effect that one person can create. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

Coming back to our conversations about Return of the Jedi, we're taking a look at the final words Yoda spoke from his deathbed. He made three significant statements, and two of them have already been referenced in the Sequel Trilogy. There's more that can be read into one of those previous two, and the third one? Well, The Rise of Skywalker teaser in April already tapped into that one. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

This is going to be an INSANELY active month for the GFFA! From Triple Force Friday and the Journey to The Rise of Skywalker, to Star Wars Resistance Season 2 and new footage from Jedi: Fallen Order, I'm summarizing everything we know so far about what's to come this month - including the timing for when a final Rise of Skywalker trailer will debut (if Lucasfilm follows standard Imperial procedure, that is). Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

On today's episode, we're going to discuss the answers to two Patron-posed questions - one that weighs heavily over The Rise of Skywalker, and one that weighs more lightly on the faces of male characters in the movies. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

The Hollywood Reporter exclusively broke the news last week that Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige would develop a Star Wars movie with Kathleen Kennedy at Lucasfilm. Here's what we know so far (very little, actually), and why the rumor mills seem to be running in the wrong direction with the story. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

September did not disappoint in revealing new footage from Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order! The "Cal's Mission" video first played during the Triple Force Friday Global Livestream preview on Thursday gave us more with hero Cal Kestis versus the Inquisitorius' Second Sister, some intriguing voiceover content, and an audio Easter egg that could hint at something VERY exciting. Punch it! Here's the link to the "Cal's Mission" video, dropping you in at 45 seconds - three seconds before the sound I talked about in today's show: https://youtu.be/nfcAHfDuNzw?t=45 ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

The global livestream preview for Triple Force Friday featured a cavalcade of stars from The Rise of Skywalker, The Mandalorian, and Jedi: Fallen Order. It also dropped some interesting reveals about Zorii Bliss, other new characters, and Threepio brandishing Chewie's bowcaster. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

Princess Leia Organa may have been seen as an action hero from the start, with her debut in the original Star Wars. But it's during the finale of the Original Trilogy that she truly cements her action hero status. Today, an examination of just how awesome she is in Return of the Jedi. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

Was there an actual plan? If so, was it insane, or insanely brilliant? I've said in the past that it was just insane, but after re-watching Return of the Jedi, I've come to the conclusion that the rescue of Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt was not only planned, but may be one of the first instances of a now-common cinematic trope. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

It's part 3 of our ten-part weekly series looking into the nature of hope as it's expressed in the Star Wars movies! Today, I'm examining Return of the Jedi, which is a master manipulator of our hopes during its first act. It also features a rather remarkable act of hope in its final act - one that helps us to more clearly define the nature of hope in a galaxy not so far away. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

The Age of Resistance Special features three stories that maybe weren't "big" enough to warrant their own issues, and/or feature somewhat "secondary" characters - all the quotes because I'm not intending to cast aspersions with either of those observations. And two of the three stories could have interesting implications for The Rise of Skywalker, too. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

"Fight and Flight" is another Age of Resistance backstory one-shot from Marvel, this time featuring Poe Dameron! In it, we get a story that may well have been Poe's first encounter with the notion that the New Republic might not be telling everyone about the dangers it faces from the First Order - and that there's a Resistance rising to deal with it. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

Remember how Finn said he used to mop the floors at Starkiller Base? Well, now you get to see it happen! And you may get a sense of how the seeds of Finn's break from the First Order were sewn in "Infestation," from the Age of Resistance series. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

Three tales that warn against the perils of greed wrap up our look at Star Wars Myths and Fables by George Mann - and all three also have ties to other works of Star Wars fiction (two of them to Cavan Scott). Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

In our second of three looks at the stories of Star Wars Myths and Fables, we're looking at the two stories featuring Batuu and Black Spire Outpost, and one straight-up ironic tale featuring a prominent villain from the Prequel Trilogy. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

In a spoiler-rific discussion of Star Wars Myths and Fables by George Mann, today we're examining the direct and meta-level connections between three of the stories, and - if one were to assume they're real (from a certain point of view), when the events that inspired them might have taken place on the timeline. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

Though it's not marked as such, Star Wars Myths and Fables is part of the informal "Galaxy's Edge" Lucasfilm publishing initiative, as two of its nine stories take place on Batuu, the planet where Black Spire Outpost resides. To review these, and the other seven stories - which may have been told to Luke and Leia as kids in-universe - I turned to a member of its intended audience for a certain point of view. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

In this second of a 10-part weekly series, I'm looking at the nature of hope as it manifests in The Empire Strikes Back. Along the way, we'll talk about the etymology of hope (more interesting than you might guess); how the rebel base on Hoth is a physical manifestation of hope; when hope is no longer part of the equation; and about the unique transfer of hope from the characters to the audience in this movie. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

Okay, for real this time! The Captain Phasma one-shot introduces us to a new planet and species in the Unknown Regions. As with the General Hux one-shot from Marvel Comics, Phasma tell us in her own words what kind of person she is - and shows us with some pretty ruthless deeds. Punch it! ***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***