Growing Up Skywalker

It’s the final countdown…to the duel that took 30 years to finish.

This week, we have special guest Tim Beisiegel of the FSF Popcast on the show to talk about the final duel between Maul and Obi-Wan Kenobi. We talked all about THAT DUEL THO, in addition to the prophecy of the Chosen One, the end of Darth Maul’s journey, the significance of these two Force masters to Ezra, and the wider Rebellion.

"Twin Suns" (Rebels S3, Ep...

Welcome to the Rebel Alliance.

“Secret Cargo” (Rebels S3, Ep. 18) starts off with a bang and finishes with Mon Mothma—last seen in Andor—calling for each rebel cell to unite. But to get there, the Spectres have to fly through a nebula, chased by Thrawn’s TIE Defender, and barely escape with their lives. Sam cried so much at all of this.

We also made some time to laugh this episode...

The darksaber saga continues!

Following up on the stellar darksaber training montages of last week, "Legacy of Mandalore" (Rebels S3, Ep. 16) brings Sabine and her family into direct conflict—over Satine’s past mistakes and her potential to lead all Mandalorians. Will found family fight blood? We dive deep into Mandalorian culture and the futility of feudal life. 

Then we take a turn straight into Alexsandr Kallus’ eyeballs...

“Trials of the Darksaber” (Rebels S3, Ep. 15) is, quite simply, one of the tightest-scripted, haunting, and beautiful episodes of Rebels so far. And “Warhead” (Ep. 14) is a delightful buddy cop special feat. Zeb and AP-5.

This week, we dive deep into the lore of lightsabers and darksabers. We talk about what it means to wield the Force, rather than just be a part of its flow, and talk about Sabine’s inner demons...

Have you ever wanted to spend half an hour debating the moral calculus of war and the conflicting ethics embodied by Saw Gerrera? Boy are you in the right place!

In “Ghosts of Geonosis,” Rebels’ mid-season 3 arc, we do a deep dive into fanaticism, rebellion, and the meta-narrative of a character who has been in just about every single Star Wars series up until now...

Not to dunk on it too badly, but so little of note happened in “The Wynkahthu Job” (Rebels S3, Ep. 9) that we added “Visions and Voices” (Rebels S3, Ep. 11) to our watch this week. Combined, these episodes show that there are two Boomers inside of you—a Hondo and a Maul—and you become the one you feed.

We spend quality time on Dathomir getting hassled by Nightsister ghosts, and watch Thrawn touring the facility and picking up slack on Lothal...

Do you want to know everything there is to know about Mandalorian internal politics? You’re in luck! In our discussion of “Imperial Supercommandos” (Rebels S3, Ep. 7) we explore Mandalorian clans, the Protectors of Concord Dawn, family loyalty, treason, and responsibility. Star Wars was only mostly samurai-inspired before this!

On the flip side, “Iron Squadron” (Rebels S3, Ep.8) gives us…youths...

Welcome to a “Best of Thrawn” homage. In “Hera’s Heroes” (Rebels S3, Ep. 5) we talk all about the grandest art appropriator of them all—and how art theft is a theft of self. 

In the second installment this week,”The Last Battle,” we get a deeply ominous situation which ends up being DELIGHTFULLY silly. We see the Clone Wars from the other side—from the battles we fought in the past, to what we need to do to overcome them...

Fate in the Star Wars universe: Can you escape it? Does free will exist? All these questions and more come up during “The Holocrons of Fate” (Rebels Season 3, Ep. 3) as our heroes have to contend once again with an angry Maul.

We also dance around some of the setup and payoff for the events of the original trilogy in “The Antilles Extraction” (Rebels Season 3, Ep. 4). Wedge Antilles, Boy Wonder and heartthrob of Skystrike Academy...

And you thought we were anxious during the Rebels S2 finale!

After a six-month time skip, everyone has new hair and new vibes. We’re also introduced to two new characters: the Bendu (iconic, btw) and GRAND. ADMIRAL. THRAWN. 

We talk about Thrawn’s canon importance, the nature of the Force, and absentee parents. We also question when a healthy relationship is just unbelievable. (C’mon, Hera, yell at your man!!) as well as what the wider Rebellion is up to...