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

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

The Star Wars 7×7 Podcast is Rebel-rousing fun for everyday Jedi, generally between 7 and 14 minutes a day, always 7 days a week. Join host Allen Voivod for Star Wars news, history, interviews, trivia, and deep dives into the Star Wars story as told in movies, books, comics, games, cartoons, and more. Follow now for your daily dose of Star Wars joy. It’s destiny unleashed! #SW7x7

Latest Episodes:

2,057. Sacrifice (Clone Wars Briefing, Season 6, Episode 13) Feb 20, 2020

Show notes

"Sacrifice" is episode 13 from season 6 of the Clone Wars - what we thought would be the last episode ever, until fan campaigns, the advent of Disney+, and the desire of Dave Filoni to finish what he started all combined to result in the season 7 that debuts tomorrow.

For now, though, we're focused on resolving the final story arc from season 6, which features Yoda flying to Moraband, the Sith homeworld. There, he will face his final tests in order for the Force Priestesses to believe that Yoda may be trained in the means of maintaining his identity after death, and being able to commune with the living as a Force ghost.

Well, the Force Priestesses pull out all the stops on these final tests, but the very last one subjects Yoda - and unwittingly, I might add - to the machinations of Darth Sidious and Count Dooku, both of whom realize that Yoda is on Moraband, and act to take advantage of the situation and destroy him.

We'll talk about all of this on today's episode, as well as the "other path" of which Yoda speaks to Mace Windu and Obi-Wan Kenobi, and a different read on the "There is another Skywalker" line that appears in this episode. Punch it!

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2,056. Destiny (Clone Wars Briefing, Season 6, Episode 12) Feb 19, 2020

Show notes

"Destiny" is season 6, episode 12 from the Clone Wars, the third part of a four-episode story are, and the penultimate episode of the Clone Wars - at least, until season 7 debuts on Friday.

From what we know about season 7 so far, it doesn't initially seem like this final season 6 story arc will affect the events of season 7 very much. And we know two of the three story arcs so far - the Bad Batch arc, and the Siege of Mandalore arc. What the third one is, is still a mystery at this point.

Meanwhile, speaking of mysteries, "Destiny" dives deeply into the mysteries of the Living Force and the Cosmic Force, as Yoda travels to one of the purported wellsprings of life to learn how to preserve his identity after death. There, he encounters the five Force Priestesses - Confusion, Anger, Sadness, Joy, and Serenity. (Makes you wonder if the Pixar movie Inside Out took any inspiration from this!) And even though they argue about whether to train Yoda, the fact remains that his destiny is already set, and he is supposed to teach someone who will eventually save the universe from a great imbalance.

You could argue that this is a reference to Luke Skywalker, and you could also argue that Yoda did it twice with him. Which I will, in fact, argue in this episode, as well as break down the details you need to know before the finale. Punch it!

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2,055. Voices (Clone Wars Briefing, Season 6, Episode 11) Feb 18, 2020

Show notes

"Voices" is episode 11 from season 6 of the Clone Wars, and aside from the Clone Wars Briefing that takes place on this show, we could be doing a whole separate episode about the nature of the Force - this episode reveals things that even the Jedi didn't know about it, and that deeply enhance our own understanding of it.

But there's also more pressing matters to consider, like the fact that the leader of the Separatists is the same person who is responsible for the creation of a clone army for the Republic. Yoda meditates deeply and here's the voice of a long-gone Jedi: Qui-Gon Jinn, voiced (pun intended) in a triumphant return by Liam Neeson. And the ghost of Jinn blows out candles and levitates Yoda himself to prove he's legit.

But Yoda's concerned that it's just a voice in his head or - more darkly considered by Ki-Adi-Mundi - that he's come under the sway of the dark side of the Force in some unknown fashion. And group meditation, sensory deprivation, and bed rest do nothing to help matters.

So Yoda instead follows the voice of Qui-Gon's instructions to go to Dagobah, alone, to find out just WTF (what the Force) is going on. We'll talk about all of that in today's episode... Punch it!

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2,054. The Lost One (Clone Wars Briefing, Season 6, Episode 10) Feb 17, 2020

Show notes

The urge to start this post with the big line from Yoda at the end of "The Lost One" is almost too much to bear. This episode of the show is a full spoiler Clone Wars Briefing for episode 10 from season 6, which also begins the final story arc of "The Lost Missions" episodes. So you'll hear me say it on the show, and revel in the magnitude of it for a time as well.

But I'll keep it out of here, just in case. What you need to know in the run-up to it: The episode kicks off with the Jedi receiving a distress signal from a ship long missing. Why did it suddenly start broadcasting now, more than a decade after its disappearance? That's never answered, but what Plo Koon discovers at the source sets a terrible chain of events in motion. The ship contains the lightsaber of Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas - yes, that Sifo-Dyas, the one who ordered the creation of the clone army.

Well, the thought was that Sifo-Dyas had died while helping warring tribes on Felucia negotiate a truce. But the rest of his file was sealed by the Office of the Supreme Chancellor. Is this a plot by Palpatine? Well, no, but he certainly managed to take advantage of a sticky political situation involving the Pyke Syndicate ...

I'll dig into all the details you need to know on today's episode, including the shocking discovery Obi-Wan and Anakin make on the Pyke home planet, and how that leads to the even more shocking conclusion with Yoda and the Jedi Council at the end of the episode. Punch it!

***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

2,053. The Disappeared, Part 2 (Clone Wars Briefing, Season 6, Episode 9) Feb 16, 2020

Show notes

"The Disappeared, Part 2" is season 6, episode 9 of the Clone Wars series, and this briefing is going to go quickly. That's because most of the plot was set up in Part 1 of this two-part story arc, and Part 2 is all about how Jar Jar and Mace are going to pull off the rescue of Queen Julia. The only big new deal of the episode is the detail behind the prophecy about chaos and destruction coming to the galaxy if the Frangawl cult pulls off their shenanigans.

We'll talk about that new news, and we'll also talk about the new preview video released for season 7 of the Clone Wars, featuring the Bad Batch - clones with "desirable mutations." It turns out that, along with titles for the first two episodes of season 7, that we've already heard a lot more about the first story arc of season 7 than we may have guessed. Punch it!

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2,052: The Disappeared, Part 1 (Clone Wars Briefing, Season 6, Episode 8) Feb 15, 2020

Show notes

"The Disappeared, Part 1" is season six, episode 8 of the Clone Wars, and the first of a two-parter. And it's remarkable for a strange juxtaposition.

On the one hand, the story is about the fact that various spiritual leaders on the neutral planet Bardotta have mysteriously disappeared. And it turns out this is a particular set of Force-sensitive mystics called the Dagoyan Masters. As Yoda notes, they're not warriors - their connection with the Force is about intuition, knowledge, and the harmonies of the universe. But they think the Jedi are kidnappers, and so relations between the two groups aren't so hot.

So it turns out that another group of Bardottan mystics - the Frangawl cult - is kidnapping the Dagoayn Masters to sacrifice to an ancient demon, Malmourral. And their cult temple is built, surprise surprise, deep below the Dagoyan Masters temple. (Why do cultures keep doing this? It seems like the worst idea every time.)

But meanwhile, Queen Julia of Bardotta requests help from the Republic, but will only accept one emissary - Jar Jar Binks, who is triumphantly voiced by Ahmed Best. Why Binks, you might ask? Because apparently he and Queen Julia have a thing going on. (Mace Windu, after finally reconnecting with Jar Jar on Bardotta - "Where were you last night?" With the clear implication that Jar Jar and Queen Julia were ... well, perhaps it's best left to the imagination. Or not.

We'll talk about *most* of this on today's episode, plus a surprising fact about the writer of this two-part episode. Punch it!

2,051. Crisis at the Heart (Clone Wars Briefing, Season 6, Episode 7) Feb 14, 2020

Show notes

"Crisis at the Heart" is the seventh episode from season six of the Clone Wars, and concludes the Banking Clan/Clovis story arc. Honestly, this is a plot following the formula of The Phantom Menace, in its way. Instead of the taxation of trade routes driving the action, this time we're talking about the interest on bank loans driving the action!

Specifically, Count Dooku has the leverage to entrap Clovis, just as Darth Sidious intended. Clovis wants to remain impartial in the Separatist/Republic conflict, but Dooku has the goods on Clovis. Where did Clovis get the information that caused the Banking Clan's Core Five to get arrested, which resulted in Clovis' own elevation to run the banks? Why, from the Separatists! That won't make him look good in the eyes of the Republic.

And neither will raising interest rates on loans to the Republic, which Clovis does, or else Dooku will stop paying interest on Separatist loans and collapse the banks. I suppose it's the Republic's own fault for agreeing to variable rate loan terms, but I digress.

It may seem like it's all about numbers, but that's until the Separatists arrive with an invasion fleet, triggering a military response from the Republic, and then it's all about the action! We'll break it down in this Clone Wars Briefing, as well as the final showdown between Anakin and Clovis. Punch it!

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2,050. The Rise of Clovis (Clone Wars Briefing, Season 6, Episode 6) Feb 13, 2020

Show notes

"The Rise of Clovis" is episode 6 from season 6 of the Clone Wars, and (according to Wookieepedia), was once part of a larger story arc that included "A Friend in Need," which ultimately was split off and became episode 14 from season 4 of the show. Which fits it into the four-episode story arc structure business about which we've talked previously on the show...

So Palpatine is at his manipulative worst in this episode, and I mean that in a good way (from a storytelling standpoint). He positions Padme to continue working with Clovis, and he HAS to be able to tell how mad that makes Anakin. Certainly Yoda picks up on it, and Clovis does, too. Yoda even shares his concerns with Obi-Wan, who comes to talk to his Padawan about clouded judgment, about romantic attachments, and even about Obi-Wan's feelings for the Duchess Satine of Mandalore.

We'll talk about all of this on the show today, as well as how "The Rise of Clovis" got me thinking about "The Rise of Skywalker," and what that title actually means... Punch it!

***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

2,049 An Old Friend (Clone Wars Briefing, Season 6, Episode 5) Feb 12, 2020

Show notes

"An Old Friend" is the fifth episode from season six of the Clone Wars, and starts a three-episode story arc that's cut from the mold of The Phantom Menace in terms of its setup. Here's the opening narration:

As the war between the Republic and the Separatists intensifies, many are driven from their home planets, and it is up to Senator Amidala to secure aid for them.

All eyes turn to the Banking Clan and the planet Scipio. In an effort to remain independent from the Republic and the Separatists, all operations are divided, and money transactions are performed in a neutral zone surrounding the main vault. For operations to continue, there must be no war on Scipio.

However, worry about the stability of the Banking Clan is brewing within the Republic as the wellspring of money may be in jeopardy....

Taxation of trade routes? Neutral zone banking transactions? Wow! But things get very personal, very fast, when Padme comes face-to-face with the Banking Clan's top negotiator - Rush Clovis, a known Separatist collaborator, and someone who didn't do much of anything to try and save her when she'd been poisoned during their last encounter.

To complicate matters, there's a bounty hunter named Embo on Scipio, and while at first it seems like he's after Padme, later he appears to be shooting at Clovis. That's because Clovis claims to know that the Banking Clan is about to be bankrupt, and needs help exposing them.

We'll talk about all of this in today's Clone Wars Briefing, and also about story-arc structure in these final episodes. Punch it!

***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

2,048. Orders (Clone Wars Briefing, Season 6, Episode 4) Feb 11, 2020

Show notes

"Orders" is episode 4 from season 6 of the Clone Wars series, and the final episode of the season-opening story arc. Unfortunately - for our characters, that is - it ends about as badly as you would expect it to, if you've already seen Revenge of the Sith.

Fives has been brought to Coruscant to present his discoveries to Chancellor Palpatine himself, but before that happens, Kaminoan collaborator Nala Se injects Fives with an unknown substance. Surprise surprise, when Fives is left alone in a room with Palpatine and his guard, Fives goes nuts and tries to kill everyone. Shaak Ti saves Palpatine and Fives goes on the run, and from there, well, let's just say that this Clone Wars Briefing is a full-spoiler show, and leave it at that.

We'll talk about the rest today, and also thrown in a wee book review for R2-D2 Is Lost! Thanks to Disney Lucasfilm Press for sending me a review copy - it's out wherever you buy books as of today, and it's a fun ride for your younger readers. There are plenty of references to Return of the Jedi, a story that covers a lot of ground in a short amount of time, and also features Artoo throwing shade at Threepio, which is always good fun. Punch it!

***I'm listener supported! Join the community at http://Patreon.com/sw7x7 to get access to bonus episodes and other insider rewards.***

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