Our recording session this week went too long again, so we’re splitting it up into two episodes, the first of which features our discussion of the Episode IX footage shown at the Disney shareholder’s meeting earlier this week. Shout out to newly minted RESISTANCE HERO @Ladewig for his tweets that made the pain of having to wait until Celebration Chicago to see any footage sting just a little bit less. We wrap this first episode with Ryan’s endorsement of Queen’s Shadow.
Tune in later this week for our discussion of the most recent episodes of Resistance and don’t forget that the audio podcast features chapter markers if you want to skip to a specific section. As always, we welcome feedback at blockaderunnerpodcast@gmail.com or on Twitter at @blockaderun.
We start this week’s episode out by sharing our appreciation for Topher Grace and Jeff Yorke’s Star Wars: Alwaysbefore moving onto breaking down last week’s Galaxy’s Edge impressions and updates (via Anthony Breznican and EW). We wrap up this (long) show by discussing the recent panels and guests announced for Star Wars Celebration Chicago.
Also, John takes a weird heel turn during our discussion of Galaxy’s Edge selling generic Jedi robes. Sorry about that.
Don’t forget that the audio podcast features chapter markers if you want to skip to a specific section and as always, we welcome feedback at blockaderunnerpodcast@gmail.com or on Twitter at @blockaderun.
Show Notes: John, Chris, and BCD spent four glorious days at Star Wars Celebration Orlando last week and this episode features our thoughts about the show as well as an in-depth analysis of the Last Jedi trailer. Recorded from the show floor and/or our hotel room on the 6th floor of the Fairfield Inn!
John, Chris, and Dan get together to discuss our hopes for the 40th anniversary of Star Wars including what we’d like to see at the Celebration Orlando panel and a potential rerelease of the A New Hope in theaters.
We gave Google Hangouts on Air a try for this episode and it was a lot of fun for us. We’ll keep working on this as a possible method of recording shows; incorporating chat and scheduling recordings ahead of time so listeners can watch live are nice perks, plus we get to see each other’s dumb faces while we record. Audio quality leaves a bit to be desired though, so I’ll be looking to improve that going forward. Let us know what you think about the Hangouts thing using any of the social media links below!
Ryan, Lindsey, and John get together to pay tribute to Carrie Fisher and further discuss Rogue One. Check out the links below, particularly the one for the Steele Wars call in show devoted to Carrie’s life – it’s the best tribute to her we’ve seen thus far.
It occurred to me while watching the most recent episode of Rebels, “Always Two There Are,” that I’d like to do something here on The Blockade Runner blog to show appreciation for the incredible art/design/look of the show. To be honest, I wasn’t sure about the show’s style when the characters were revealed (there had been a bit of talk re: the McQuarrie influence and I think was expecting something different), but from the moment I was able to see it in motion, I’ve been incredibly impressed. Seeing Joel Aaron’s presentation at Celebration Anaheim only increased my appreciation for the show’s look and dedication to authenticity, and the initial shot of The Ghost approaching the abandoned Republic medical station moved me to action.
I was initially taken aback by the presentation of the medical station itself; the elegance of the station and the cylindrical or almost funnel-like shape of it seemed distinctly McQuarrie. I think it may have reminded me of some of his Cloud City designs, and upon doing some digging I found a piece of Coruscant concept work that shares some similarities with this design. I’m not sure if this specific station was directly influenced by McQuarrie concepts or not, but it shares qualities with his designs that I think are very beautiful and very Star Wars.
I was also struck by the enormity of the medical station in relationship to The Ghost. It becomes clear as the episode unfolds that Ezra and the rest of the crew are pitted against a powerful enemy that outmatches them in most ways, and the composition of this shot emphasizes that the deck is very much stacked against them and that they’ll have to overcome a major challenge to successfully complete their mission.
I’m no design expert, so I hope it’s clear here that I’m commenting on this shot from “Always Two There Are” out of appreciation for the incredible work of the Rebels crew. Watching Rebels has delighted me more than I expected in numerous ways, and its so gratifying and exciting to be presented with such beautiful imagery each week, so I’m looking forward to finding more breathtaking shots to feature from upcoming episodes.
The Blockade Runner 