The Blockade Runner

Star Wars Is Forever


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What About Ben? – The Blockade Runner Podcast #73

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Ryan and John devote this episode to exploring Kylo Ren and the possibilities for his character in Episode IX. We look at:

  • Who Is Kylo Ren?
    • the complexities of his character
    • abandonment and perceived betrayal as the genesis of his rage
  • The Case for Kylo’s Redemption
    • J.J. and Rian’s possible foreshadowing in TFA and TLJ
    • Leia’s role in Kylo’s future
    • His importance to the Skywalker Saga
  • The Case Against Redemption
    • Kylo’s choice to refuse redemption in TLJ
    • J.J.’s 2016 comments that “deep down he’s gone too far”
    • The weight of Kylo’s previous atrocities
    • The fact that Episode IX being the end of the Skywalker saga suggests it might also be the end of Skywalkers in general

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Episode IX Cast Announced! – The Blockade Runner Podcast #72

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We celebrate Episode IX’s first day of shooting (today!) by breaking down last week’s wonderful cast announcement press release. We share our thoughts on the returning cast, the newly announced actors joining the fold, and J.J. and Lucasfilm’s beautiful statement and plan for including Carrie Fisher and Princess Leia in the final installment of the Skywalker Saga.

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Star Wars at SDCC 2018 – The Blockade Runner Podcast #71

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Ryan and John break down all of the Star Wars news coming out of San Diego Comic Con 2018. Join us as we look at:

  • TV: The return of Star Wars: The Clone Wars to Disney’s direct-to-consumer streaming service!
  • Novels: Queen’s Shadow, Master & Apprentice, and the Solo novelization
  • Youth Publishing: Lando’s Luck, Pirate’s Price, Star Wars Choose Your Destiny: A Luke and Leia Adventure, and Star Wars: Search Your Feelings
  • Comics: Tales from Vader’s Castle, Age of Republic/Rebellion/Resistance macro-series,  and the Solo adaptation
  • Toys: Vintage Collection, Black Series, and Solo Force Link 2.0 figures and playsets

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Building (or Rebuilding) a Collection of 3.75″ Star Wars Figures

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Ah, the 3.75″ Star Wars figures. For many, they represent the cornerstone of their collections, their introduction to collecting, and maybe even their youth. If you want a history lesson on the origins of the figures, and to see why they’re so important to so many fans, check out the Star Wars episode of Netflix’s The Toys That Made Us.

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Star Wars: The Power of the 90s (1994) – The Blockade Runner Podcast #70

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Ryan and John return to the 90s to discuss all of the Star Wars books, comics, games, and merchandise releases from 1994. Join us as we look at:

  • Books: The Jedi Academy Trilogy, The Courtship of Princess Leia, The Crystal Star, A Guide to the Star Wars Universe (2nd Edition), The Art of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, and West End Games’s The Last Command Sourcebook and Star Wars Adventure Journals #1
  • Comics: Droids, Classic Star Wars, Classic Star Wars: The Early Adventures, and Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith
  • Games: Super Return of the Jedi and Tie Fighter
  • Plus: The inaugural issue of Star Wars Insider and the start of The Phantom Menace pre-production!

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Celebrating What We Love: Rose Tico & Kelly Marie Tran (with special guest Laura Sirikul) – The Blockade Runner Podcast #69

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All of us here at The Blockade Runner were horrified to hear last week that Kelly Marie Tran left Instagram/social media seemingly as a result of the disgusting harassment she’s been facing since she was cast in The Last Jedi. Inspired by Rose’s statement to save what we love instead of only fighting what we hate, we decided to put together an episode celebrating Rose and Kelly Marie Tran herself. Luckily the wonderful Laura Sirikul agreed to join us for this one, and we’re so glad she did! Laura has been a fan of Rose and Kelly since Lucasfilm first announced the character’s involvement in The Last Jedi; she’s the first fan to cosplay as Rose and has met Kelly Marie Tran too, so she’s the perfect person to help us celebrate one of the best parts of one of the best Star Wars movies! We start out by addressing the harassment and cruelty that toxic Star Wars fans (or whatever they are) have been spewing at Kelly Marie Tran, Kathleen Kennedy, and Rian Johnson in response to The Last Jedi before discussing some of the positive and inspiring reactions from the fan community. Then we spend the rest of the episode exploring the qualities and characteristics that make both Rose and Kelly Marie Tran such incredible new additions to the Star Wars universe.

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George Lucas’s Microbiotic Sequels and the Role of Canon in Star Wars – The Blockade Runner Podcast #68

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First up, Ryan and John discussing some recent Star Wars news including the Battlefront II and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order games news from E3 and recent George Lucas comments that are reminding us why we love him so much (even if his comments are sometimes a little wild!).

In the second half of Blockade Runner Podcast #68, Ryan discusses his reactions to the Rebels series finale (he just caught up). We end up spending a significant amount of time debating the importance and meaning of the concept of canon to Star Wars and how that influences our feelings regarding Star Wars Rebels and Star Wars storytelling outside of the films in general.

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