Podcasts in Review

October 6, 2016 at 12:01 am | Posted in Podcasts, Podcasts in Review, Regular Feature, Reviews, Star Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Television | Leave a comment
Tags: dave filoni

Here is this week’s Podcasts in Review.

Assembly of Geeks: Star Wars Spin-Offs Beyond 2020 starts with news, DC comic sales, they talk video game movies, then head into Star Wars spin-off film ideas like Boba Fett, Kenobi, Yoda and Ahsoka. That and more in this episode, pretty good.

Blast Points: Episode 41 kicks off with some Bendu impersonations as they get into the groove of the new season of Star Wars Rebels. But before they get into the season premiere, they cover some news, the Star Wars 2020 comments, the composer change up for Rogue One, Moroff and Pao, and the credit change for Filoni. Then they get into Rebels as they talk about Hondo and his Ugnaught crew, the Bendu, the similarity to the end of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and more. Fun episode as always, but with the AC/DC soundbyte, I have to give them high praise. It is my favorite band after all, so hats off to good taste.

Blast Points: Episode 42 starts with news as they talk about the final Rogue One trailer, some new info on Rogue One creatures and characters, plus some other rumors, speculation and news on Sabine and Maul. Then they talk about Star Wars toy releases. They have on guest Kile Moore as they talk Force Friday, play some audio clips from standing in line with fans, and compare this year to last year. Some good discussion. The conversations with fellow fans really added a nice touch.

Bombad Radio: Episode 252 is dedicated to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. They talk about the characters, the locations, the groups you encounter in the game, and give a nice breakdown of the story and its progression, as well as covering the cut content and the multiple endings. If you’ve never played KOTOR and want the full spoilers, this is a great episode to check out. Also a good one for KOTOR fans who want to reminisce.

Brews and Blasters: Episode 89 covers #HatsOnADroid and listener feedback. They talk about the season three premiere of Star Wars Rebels, Ezra using the Force, Rex, the Y-wings, the Bendu and Tom Baker. Then they dig into Force Friday by opening just about all of the Rogue One figures starting with the 3-3/4-inch ones (K-2SO, Kanan stormtrooper, Jyn Erso, Sabine, Imperial Ground Crew, Stormtrooper) and then move up to the 6-inch figures (Kmart exclusive Jyn Erso, K-2SO, Death Trooper, regular Jyn Erso, and Cassian). Some excellent toy coverage. While there are other podcasts out there who did coverage of the new figures, no one did it with as much fun and gusto as these guys. There was no complaining about this or that, instead it was ripping into the packages and enjoying the love of Star Wars figures with some good, honest, on-the-spot reviews. Overall, great episode.

Children of the Force: Reaction Corps – Steps Into Shadow has a nice breakdown of the episode with some good observations on the foreshadowing at the end of the premiere.

Fly Casual: Episode 106 begins with talking about their new studio, they discuss the new Thrawn Trilogy book covers, Desplat and they joke around about French ticklers. They also speculate when the title for Episode VIII will drop, and there’s a toy report on Hasbro cars.

Fly Casual: Episode 107 starts with some movie talk before they head into comics. Darth Vader #25 was delayed again, but they review Poe Dameron #6, talk about the newly announced Yoda issue for the Star Wars mainline and touch on the Han Solo series. Then it’s rumors as they talk about Leia in Episode VIII, Billy Dee’s comments, Donald Glover, Star Wars movies to 2020 and beyond and speculation on the third spin-off film, plus a laugh out loud side discussion on roleplaying and crates. It’s the usual mix of Star Wars hilarity and goodness that keeps me coming back for more.

ForceCenter: Episode 31 begins with Jennifer talking about the Star Wars Target commercial she was in, then they get into the Star Wars Rebels premiere “Steps Into Shadow.” Good discussion.

Galactic Fashion: Episode 16 has the usual rundown on Star Wars fashion items such as a Rey dress, a BB-8 headband, new Rogue One products, suits with Geeky prints, Star Trek dresses, and they talk with Kay about everyday cosplay, astronauts, colors and Star Wars products. Good episode.

Hangin’ With Team Kanan: Episode 19 covers the Star Wars Rebels premiere as they talk about Ezra and the dark side, Kanan’s hair and beard, the Bendu, Sabine’s hair, Rex, and a little Thrawn plus some Maul foreshadowing.

Lattes With Leia: Episode 9 covers recent panels they’ve done, a Star Wars board game, then they break into some serious discussion on the Jedi prophecy. They talk about what balance means, how the Jedi dealt with Anakin, and how such a horrible character as Vader can be so loved, as well as his redemption. Good episode.

Less Than 12 Parsecs: Episode #0017 has a quick interview with Joe Mignano (Dark Empire Radio) as they go through 10 random Star Wars questions. With an episode that’s only 3 minutes long, it leads to some rapid content. Queue these up as they’re best in bunches.

Less Than 12 Parsecs: Episode #0018 provides a gut reaction review of the newly release book Star Wars Art: Ralph McQuarrie. While it isn’t cheap, it is a very pretty book.

Less Than 12 Parsecs: Episode #0019 talks a little Force Friday and then International Podcast Day with some shoutouts to the Star Wars community.

Less Than 12 Parsecs: Episode #0020 is three made up rumors for the upcoming Star Wars films. While it may sound like a dumb thing to do, it’s actually pretty tantalizing as Tim comes up with some good ones.

Rebel Force Radio: Declassified – Steps Into Shadow features Jason, Jimmy and Spencer Brinkerhoff III as they talk about Ezra, Kanan, the Bendu, dark, light and the middle path. Kyle pops in and they quickly touch on some other things, but not much mention of Thrawn.

Rebel Force Radio: Episode 9.30.2016 starts with a little Force Friday discussion, though this year they don’t have any live coverage as they recorded pre-Force Friday. Nevertheless, they break out the big guns as they have Dave Filoni on to talk about his “new” position. However, the interview ends kind of abruptly before they can get into Star War Rebels. Thankfully Dave is able to call back in a little later in the show and they’re able to dive into Rebels. They talk Ezra’s use of the Force, Kanan dealing with his blindness, the nature of the spiders, how the Bendu fits in, and Thrawn who Dave hints will be part of an ongoing battle for the characters. The first part of the interview has excellent audio quality but the second half is degraded as it’s a car interview. Still, it’s great to hear direct from Dave about elements of the show.

Rebels Chat: Episode 54 covers “Steps Into Shadow” as they breakdown the episode and share their opinions and observations. I like Maria’s insight on real life teenagers and Ezra’s actions. It brings things into perspective. Good episode.

Rock Out Loud: Return of the Hang Out begins with Kristin talking about an upcoming book signing with Bruce Springsteen and Steve reveals that Starkville House of El will be returning. Then they get into their jams. I liked the “Wicked Game” cover by HIM, plus they place some Bruce, Def Leppard, The Killers, The Foo Fighters, Van Halen and Against Me. Fun episode.

Skywalking Through Neverland: Episode 138 begins with new releases, upcoming events, then they talk with Duncan Jenkins about Force Friday, his collection ‘The Smithsonian,’ collecting and fandom. Afterwards Margaret Kerry stops by for Ask Tink, then they review the premiere for Star Wars Rebels Season Three with a nice focus on the music which really helps break things up. With so many podcasts out there, and all the Star Wars podcasts feeling compelled to review Rebels, it’s nice when they can stand apart from the others. Skywalking Through Neverland is one of the few podcasts out there who touched on the music. Rounding out the episode, they review Star Wars: Complete Locations and Year By Year with Drew. Great episode.

Star Wars 7×7: Bonus Episode – Sneak Peek at Rogue One Reveals includes a Toys R Us report as Allen talks about what details the packaging reveals and how this year compares to last.

Star Wars 7×7: Episode 823 discusses what happened to Leia right after the events of A New Hope ala the Marvel comic mini-series Princess Leia. Nice little quick rundown of the series for those who haven’t read it.

Star Wars 7×7: Episode 824 continues the theme as Allen talks about what happened to Chewbacca right after A New Hope via the events of the Marvel comic mini-series Chewbacca. Again, nice summary for those who didn’t read the series.

Star Wars Bookworms: Episode 62 includes some discussion of Force Friday, what will be happening at NYCC, and then they review Star Wars: Bloodlines by Claudia Gray. It’s a good review and it does include spoilers.

Star Wars Report: Episode 241 features guest Bobby Roberts as they talk about Dave Filoni’s comment on how Star Wars Rebels will show how the fire of the Jedi dies out, what that might mean, and how it fits into Star Wars Rebels and Rogue One. Then they get into listener emails and talk about a Boba Fett spin-off vs an Obi-Wan spin-off. Good episode.

Starships Sabers and Scoundrels: Episode 12 starts with the news as they talk composers, Star Wars on TNT, Billy Dee’s comments and the possibility of an Aphra comic series. Then they do a new segment with Lenny the Lothcat that’s pretty funny. They have a con rundown on Star Wars guests for Skystalking, then they cover the Star Wars Rebels season premiere. From the space moose to the Chopper Y-wing connection, they have some good observations. They wrap up with listener emails and tie off another fun episode.

Starships Sabers and Scoundrels: Episode 12.5 covers Star Wars Rebels episode 2 “The Holocrons of Fate.” They talk about the issue between Kanan and Ezra and whether it’s really resolved, they point out the rickshaw droids Maul has repurposed, they discuss what is seen in the Holocrons and the Kenobi vs Maul showdown possibility. Nice breakdown of the episode.

Talk Star Wars: Episode 42 covers a lot of great topics. They touch on Star Wars Rebels as they talk about the significance of the Rebels characters, Ezra and lightsaber crystals. They talk Halloween costume ideas, throw down a fan challenge, dive into Episode VIII expectations, the Knights of Ren, Magnificent Seven and speculation, as well as who Benicio Del Toro might be. They talk about tv series directors and Ewan McGregor, Rogue One composers, the look of the Korean and Japanese Rogue One posters, and Billy Dee Williams’ comments. Great stuff and a really good podcast for those looking for a Star Wars discussion focus.

Talk Star Wars: Episode 43 provides an update on the rap battle, then they get into listener feedback and audio responses. They talk about which Star Wars characters they would bring back/kill, romance in the sequel trilogy, Yoda not mentioning the Bendu and the middle path, the significance of Ahsoka’s white lightsabers, Rey having offspring, Kylo communing with Vader, Order 66, gauging Yoda interest and their “Who shot 1st” poll. Good episode.

The Rubin Report: Episode 47 features a conversation with former wrestler/actor/governor Jesse Ventura. Now I’ve never listened to this podcast before, but I tuned in on a recommendation from Rob at Talk Star Wars. I have to admit, Ventura is an entertaining person to listen to. He talks about marijuana, freedom, politics, money and corruption.

TSW After Dark Side: Episode 24 has them talking about podcasting, a mention of trying to Blast Points as part of the Commonwealth, websites and marketing. Then they transition to Rogue One as they speculate about the bacta tank scene and who might be in it as well as who is walking into the shot. Then they head into the moon landing, conspiracy debunking and seeing things outside.

TSW After Dark Side: Episode 25 begins with some talking around something about Mark Hamill, something which I completely missed so I didn’t have any idea what they were talking about. Then they talk about what podcasts they listen to, which is pretty cool as there are lots of suggestions on other podcasts you can check out which have nothing to do with Star Wars. I actually took them up on one of their suggestions and tried The Rubin Report out this week.

Tumbling Saber: Episode 43 has a non-spoiler review for Star Wars Rebels “Steps Into Shadow.” They also talk about Filoni’s change in title, a new animated show, comic news, whether Thrawn will have combat skills or will just be cerebral, and how Krennic might die.

You Seek Knowledge: Episode 6 leads me into yet another new podcast I haven’t listened to before. This one is solo hosted by Mike DeRose. It’s still a pretty fresh podcast with just six episodes so far, so are longer than others and there’s a variety of topics. This one covers the balance of the Force with Mike’s take on the Jedi prophecy. It’s only 12 minutes long, so it doesn’t go too deep but it does have time to get the point out there. I’m curious enough to try out some of the other episodes to see if it’ll make regular rotation or not. I typically don’t go in for the solo hosted podcasts, but they do have an interview episode with author Adam Bray, so I’ll be checking that one out next.