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

TV & Film
**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:

2,047. Fugitive (Clone Wars Briefing, Season 6, Episode 3) Feb 10, 2020

Show notes

"Fugitive" is episode 3 from season 6 of the Clone Wars, and we're now going from battlefield action to medical investigation to sci-fi thriller in our genre-busting first story arc of the season. It's a wild ride, and it works fantastically well.

Fives is supposed to be undergoing one last test before he's shipped back to the 501st, but medical droid AZI-3 says he's heard Fives is going to be reprogrammed and kept on Kamino as a sanitation worker. That, obviously, doesn't go over well with Fives, who overpowers his escort and goes on the run with AZI-3.

During the course of the episode, Fives learns that the rabbit hole related to Tup's "tumor" goes very, very deep indeed, and leads to a shocking revelation - one thqt can't end well in any way, shape, or form, unfortunately. And it also raised the question for me about viewing order. We all like to discuss the best order in which to view the Star Wars movies, but this series of episodes makes a strong case for recommending that they be seen before Revenge of the Sith.

I'll be talking about all of that and more in today's Clone Wars Briefing, but settling the matter of the proper pronunciation of "Kaminoan." Punch it!

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2,046. Conspiracy (Clone Wars Briefing, Season 6, Episode 2) Feb 09, 2020

Show notes

"Conspiracy" is the second episode from season 6 of the Clone Wars, and the second of a four-episode arc. Instead of being a sort of fog-of-war episode with lots of action like the last one, this episode is more of a medical investigation drama. That in itself is remarkable - it goes to show how flexible the Star Wars storytelling universe can be, and it also goes to show how unusual this is for a supposed kids cartoon. This really seems more like young adult storytelling and above.

Also, the sense of dread that you may have started to feel about the situation in the previous episode is only going to get worse in this one. Rex and Fives accompany Tup to Kamino, but while Rex is sent back to fight, Fives is kept in quarantine, in case he has the same problem that Tup does. (Why they didn't keep Rex also, since he was exposed, doesn't make sense to me.)

Tup and Fives both come up negative for any virus, and a debate over Tup's fate develops between Jedi General Shaak Ti, who wants Tup to undergo an atomic brain scan, and the Kaminoans, who want to "terminate" Tup and investigate after the fact. But we find out that the reason why the Kaminoans don't want Tup to undergo an atomic brain scan is because of what it will reveal...

We'll talk about that today, and about a change to the model of how these seasons are released. Punch it!

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2,045. The Unknown (Clone Wars Briefing, Season 6, Episode 1) Feb 08, 2020

Show notes

Now we move into the Lost Missions! That's how Lucasfilm referred to season 6 of the Clone Wars. It was originally intended to be a 22-episode season, but then it was pulled from the Cartoon Network lineup as of the end of season 5, in March 2013. But - good news! Production was still ongoing, and they ultimately completed 13 episodes, which were first released in Germany and later via Netflix in the US and Canada in early 2014.

On today's Clone Wars Briefing, we'll examine "The Unknown," episode 1 and the first of a four-part story arc. It's a story that, if you've already seen Revenge of the Sith, might fill you with a certain kind of dread. A clone named Tup has a mental breakdown and shoots a Jedi dead at point-blank range. When Count Dooku hears about it, he realizes that one of the big plans he has with Darth Sidious is in danger of being discovered. (Today I learned: Count Dooku knew about Order 66. I knew he knew about the creation of the clone army, but I didn't know he knew that particular secret about it.)

Thus begins a cat-and-mouse game for possession of Tup, which we'll talk about in today's episode, as well as the stunning visuals, and also a bit of Star Wars news I never got to in yesterday's roundup episode. Punch it!

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2,044. Star Wars News Roundup! Feb 07, 2020

Show notes

There have been a few decent-sized bits of news about Star Wars recently, not the least of which was the Disney earnings call earlier this week, when Bob Iger spoke about the future of Star Wars storytelling. I'll share the clip of him talking about that on today's show, and we'll talk about a few other things, too, including Rian Johnson, Project Luminous, and two names you might never have heard of - one who played a number of onscreen Star Wars roles, and one who helped the original Star Wars succeed from behind the scenes. Punch it!

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2,043. The Wrong Jedi (Clone Wars Briefing, Season 5, Episode 20) Feb 06, 2020

Show notes

And now, we come to the end of the Jedi Temple bombing story arc, and the end of season 5 of the Clone Wars, and the end of episodes of the Star Wars animated series on Cartoon Network. "The Wrong Jedi" - a title inspired, yet again, by an Alfred Hitchcock movie title, and yet again with not much to do with the actual content of the episode - features the final fate of Ahsoka Tano (at least, as depicted in the Clone Wars to date).

On today's Clone Wars Briefing, we'll explore the events of the finale, including a little moment or two that make all the difference in the emotional storytelling; the question of what rank Ahsoka would have had if she'd rejoined the Jedi Order; Barriss Offee's shocking confession; and whether Ahsoka already knows Anakin's deepest secret. Punch it!

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

2,042: To Catch a Jedi (Clone Wars Briefing, Season 5, Episode 19) Feb 05, 2020

Show notes

Again with the Alfred Hitchcock-inspired titling! But To Catch a Thief doesn't offer any clues to the events of "To Catch a Jedi," which is episode 19 from season 5 of the Clone Wars animated series, and the third of a four-episode story arc that will conclude the season (after episode 20, "The Wrong Jedi").

Ahsoka is on the run, and the murders for which she's been framed - plus the presumption that she has something to do with the Jedi Temple bombing herself - are being described as an act of "sedition" by *that* Admiral Tarkin. And man, "sedition" is a pretty big word for a kid's cartoon show, which this increasingly seems not to be...

Anakin and Plo Koon are assigned to track Ahsoka down and bring her back to the Jedi Temple, both very logical choices. Ahsoka is Anakin's padawan, of course, but Plo is the Jedi who found a young, Force-sensitive toddler Ahsoka all those years ago and brought her to the Jedi Temple to become a Jedi. So they have a long-standing bond as well.

Now, if you thought things weren't complicated enough, Asajj Ventress decides to work her way into this whole business. Barriss Offee passes on a clue to Ahsoka that doesn't quite work out as intended - or does it? And the episode also plays around on levels above and below 1313, the infamous level that was supposed to appear in a previously partially developed Star Wars story project. We'll talk about all of this and more on the show today. Punch it!

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2,041. The Jedi Who Knew Too Much (Clone Wars Briefing, Season 5, Episode 18) Feb 04, 2020

Show notes

"The Jedi Who Knew Too Much" is the second of a four-part story arc that concludes season 5 of the Clone Wars cartoon series. Today, it's a Clone Wars Briefing on this episode, episode 18 from season 5.

Influenced by Alfred Hitchcock and Richard Kimble, this episode finds Ahsoka unwittingly maneuvered into a very bad position. Letta Turmond, the prime suspect in the Jedi Temple bombing plot, has been remanded into Republic military custody, but she'll only talk to Ahsoka. When Ahsoka arrives, Letta will only talk to Ahsoka alone, and tells Ahsoka that she (Letta) was told to reach out to Ahsoka if she (Letta) ever needed help. Do you sense the trouble brewing already?

Letta reveals that a Jedi is actually behind the bombing, because there are unhappy Jedi who don't like how they've become weapons of war in the conflict with the Separatists. But before Letta can reveal the true culprit, she's Force choked to death by an unknown assailant.

Perfect timing for a smarmy Admiral Tarkin (yes, *that* Tarkin) to arrive, and how convenient, there's video of the murder, but no audio. So Ahsoka is taken into custody. And later, when she finds a key card has been left behind for her to escape, she REALLY steps into it. Dead clone troopers and her lightsabers at hand, right when more clone troopers arrive? Now she's framed for multiple murders! She goes on the run, and even Anakin can't convince her to stop and help sort everything out.

We'll talk about all of this on today's episode, and explain the Hitchcock and Kimble references, too. Punch it!

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

2,040. Sabotage (Clone Wars Briefing, Season 5, Episode 17) Feb 03, 2020

Show notes

With season 7 of The Clone Wars coming to Disney+ starting February 21, I thought it would be a good time to catch you up on some of the stories that you may want to be aware of, or be refreshed about, prior to the debut of the final season. So we're starting with the final story arc of season 5, and the first episode thereof, which is "Sabotage." That's episode 17 from season 5, to be specific.

Personally, I haven't seen an episode of The Clone Wars since the middle of season 3, so I'm dropping in a bit ahead of where I was - like, two full season's worth of episodes - and I have to say, I'm super-impressed. The complexity of the animation for the opening space battle, even for the few seconds it's onscreen, rivals the complexity and fill-your-screen madness of the opening battle in Revenge of the Sith.

Additionally, the types of issues they address - either head-on, or with a side comment to let you know they're thinking about these things - is also rather complex, too. I know this was intended for an older audience than, say, Star Wars Resistance, but it was still intended to be for kids. And yet, we're getting nods to the poverty on Coruscant, the ethics of war and the Jedi's involvement in it, and holographic re-creations of a bombing crime scene. This is pretty heady stuff.

So we'll run the Clone Wars Briefing on this episode today, and we'll also talk about what genre Star Wars actually is, or could be. Punch it!

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

2,039. A Eulogy, of Sorts, for Star Wars Resistance Feb 02, 2020

Show notes

There won't be a new episode of Star Wars Resistance tonight, because the season has ended, and the series has ended. And in the opinion of your humble Star Wars 7x7 host, the ending has come far too soon. On today's episode of the show, I'm going to be highlighting a lot of the positives from the show, especially those that came in the second half of the second season.

I'll also talk about the timeline of Star Wars Resistance, from the announcement of its second season renewal to the announcement that the second season would be its last, and related points in between and since. Mix in a dash of speculation, and a round of kudos to the cast and other creatives, and you have a eulogy of sorts for Star Wars Resistance. Punch it!

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

2,038. Star Wars February 2020: What's Coming This Month! Feb 01, 2020

Show notes

Happy February! On today's episode of the show, we're going to look ahead at this month about talk about Star Wars storytelling in movies, live-action TV, animation, books, comics, and more. What's going to be released? What can we expect announcements about? And what is the deal with Project Luminous??? We'll cover it all today. 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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