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:

2,017. The Last Jedi! Jan 11, 2020

Show notes

This episode didn't quite go the way I thought. It's the episode number that matches the year of release for The Last Jedi, so we're exploring family themes (as with previous number/year matchups). But my first instinct was to say that family was less of a driver in this Star Wars movie than any other Star Wars movie we've discussed so far.

And in a sense, that's right. Rey has accepted, somewhere inside of her, that her family isn't coming back for her, so she's forging ahead with the Resistance and training (hopefully) with Luke. Meanwhile, Kylo is still reeling from having killed his dad, and instead of it solidifying his journey to the dark side, it's split his soul, and Snoke is using it to drag Kylo about his adoration of his grandfather.

Well, Kylo gets a shot at redemption, so to speak - literally and figuratively. But he can't do it, he can't kill his mother. But he won't save her, either, which means that he, too, is totally alone in this galaxy.

Except that he isn't. And that's where family suddenly comes into the whole equation in an unexpected way - and it's the kind of family we've talked about in previous episodes, though it's usually a good-guy phenomenon. That's the part I wasn't initially thinking about when I started the episode, but that's where it's going to go 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.***

2016. Rogue One! Jan 10, 2020

Show notes

2016 is the year of Rogue One's release, so we're going to talk about that movie here on episode number 2,016 as well! As with our previous year/episode number matchups, family is the topic of the show, and in the case of Rogue One, family is a key driver of the action. Sure, you can make the case that family is important in most, if not all, of the Star Wars movies. But in this case, the father/daughter relationship between Galen and Jyn Erso is at the heart of the movie.

I noticed some parallels and follow-ups looking at the movie through this lens that I hadn't before. For example, Krennic calls Galen a terrible liar in the opening. Later, in Galen's hologram message (which Jyn hears in Saw Gerrera's hideout), Galen reveals that he learned to lie, in order to hide the flaw in the Death Star.

And Jyn telling the Rebel leaders in her initial briefing that it's easier for her to think of Galen as being dead, juxtaposed with Galen saying in his hologram that he tries to only think of Jyn when he's "strong enough"? Beautifully connected.

We'll be talking about this, and how Jyn's relationship (or connection, or lack thereof at times) drives her journey in the movie on today's episode. We'll also touch on the family situations only hinted at for three other characters as well. Punch it!

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

2,015. The Force Awakens! Jan 09, 2020

Show notes

And here we go! As with the episodes that corresponded to the years of release for the Original Trilogy and Prequel Trilogy movies, we're now about to enter the final run of episodes focused on the theme of family in the Star Wars movies. Today, The Force Awakens is on tap.

We've talked on the podcast before about how many, MANY of the story beats from The Force Awakens mirror those from A New Hope. Well, it turns out that, seen through the lens of family, there's a similarity between the two as well. Both movies feature people from broken families banding together to achieve one great victory against a galaxy-threatening evil.

The primary difference is that The Force Awakens is much more overt about putting family front and center as a driving element of the story and its character arcs. The most significant reference to family you get in A New Hope is Obi-Wan telling Luke that Darth Vader killed Luke's father. Meanwhile, Rey's waiting for her family to return to Jakku, flagging the possibility that her lineage will prove significant; Kylo Ren is the estranged child of Han and Leia; Han and Leia themselves are estranged; and Leia has spent years searching desperately for her missing brother.

We'll discuss the finer points on today's show, including two other cast members for whom family plays a significant role. Ultimately, this is the most brutal Star Wars movie to all of its characters, as seen through the lens of family. Punch it!

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

2,014. Star Wars 2020 Books Preview Jan 08, 2020

Show notes

Time to get back to our series of looks at what's to come in Star Wars storytelling for 2020! This is our fourth in the series - we've already covered movies, live action series, and animation. Now, we're on to novels, short stories, and children's books. On today's episode, I'll be going through the announcement we have so far, in chronological order, and sharing what we know about the titles announced so far.

I'll also talk about what's NOT on the calendar as of yet, since nothing has been announced for September and beyond. That includes one potential title that seems logical, when you look back at the 2017 Star Wars releases, and one very large project that's still quite mysterious... Punch it!

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

2,013. The Mutiny (Resistance Briefing, Season 2, Episode 14) Jan 07, 2020

Show notes

Welcome to another Resistance Briefing! With this one, we're all caught up on Star Wars Resistance, as today's episode of the podcast breaks down "The Mutiny." I have to say, I'm wondering if there was more to this episode - the log line at Disney's website says Ax Tagrin (Joe Manganiello) and Norath Kev (Daveed Diggs) were also supposed to appear in this episode, but they did not after all. I've got a theory about how they could have been involved, which I'll be sharing on the show.

We'll also talk about the cameo appearance of a cameo character from The Force Awakens, a confusing bit about the Colossus lockdown, and what's coming up next for the show. Punch it!

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

2,012. Jedi Business: Rise of Skywalker's Third Box Office Weekend Jan 06, 2020

Show notes

The third weekend is complete, and The Rise of Skywalker is on track to easily clear a billion dollars at the global box office. That said, it's still tracking behind The Last Jedi's numbers, which could be a function of the better reviews received by TLJ as compared to TROS ... at least in part.

We'll talk about this today, as well as other factors that could and will affect TROS's final box office totals, including how well the counter-programming by other studios worked out this time around, and what's coming up at the box office that could potentially draw attention away from TROS.

Also, if you were anywhere near social media last week, you may have seen calls for an "Abrams Cut" of TROS trending. The deal is that a user on Reddit claimed to have access to a source with intimate knowledge of the TROS production, who said (in summary) that Disney undermined Abrams by increasing degrees, to the point that he was "blindsided" by the version of TROS that arrived in theaters. Further, the source alleges that Disney did this in part to ruin Abrams' reputation as he moves on to his nine-figure deal with Warner Brothers (home of DC, a potential direct rival to Disney's Marvel).

Well, there's some truth to what was posted, but some of that truth was already out there, to borrow from another franchise. So we'll talk about all of that today, 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.***

2,011. Breakout (Resistance Briefing, Season 2, Episode 13) Jan 05, 2020

Show notes

Well, here's the cliffhanger that could easily also have been a mid-season premiere if it had been held for a few weeks more. "Breakout" is the 13th episode from season 2 of Star Wars Resistance, and as I noted in yesterday's show, this is now three episodes in a row that are at the peak of Resistance episodes overall. They really seem to be hitting their stride with the show - more's the pity that it's going to end with this season...

When we last left our heroes, Yeager, Synara, and CB-23 had been captured and would be turned over to Commander Pyre, Agent Tierney, and the First Order's tender ministrations. (Ironically stated - they actually show all three being tortured with electricity in this episode, which seems like a step older from their previously-stated younger audience perspective.) Kaz and the other Resistance spy Norath Kev have to figure out how to rescue them - and do it before the First Order finds and destroys the Colossus hiding nearby.

This podcast features a full-spoiler breakdown, and also looks ahead at episode 14 - because apparently we're not done with the bounty hunter Ax Tagrin just yet. Punch it!

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

2,010. The Missing Agent (Resistance Briefing, Season 2, Episode 12) Jan 04, 2020

Show notes

Well, with all the hoopla around The Rise of Skywalker, our Star Wars Resistance coverage had to take a back seat for a bit, I'm sorry to say. The good news is that we're catching up this weekend, starting with a Resistance Briefing for "The Missing Agent." This is episode 12 from season 2.

I praised the previous episode, "Station to Station," as the best of the series to date. While I wouldn't dethrone that episode, I will say that "The Missing Agent" (and "Breakout" following it) are turning this into a very strong run of shows. Action-packed, exciting, suspenseful, surprising, and funny - everything you could want from a Star Wars story!

That said, there is something strange going on that I've talked about on previous episodes related to Resistance. It was just a sense I had, but I've done a little digging and confirmed my suspicions, which we'll talk about on today's show as well. Punch it!

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

2,009. Star Wars 2020 Animation Preview (and 2019 Review) Jan 03, 2020

Show notes

Fans lobbied tirelessly for it, and Lucasfilm answered the call! Clone Wars season 7 is coming to Disney+ in February, with 12 episodes to let creator Dave Filoni finish the series and give it the kind of send-off that he always wanted - the kind he got to do with Star Wars Rebels.

Meanwhile, Star Wars Resistance is going to end its run in 2020, and after that ... what's next? A new season of a Star Wars animated series has begun in the fall of every year since 2008! (With the exception of 2013, but for that year, the "Lost Missions" episodes of Clone Wars, which would have been season 6, debuted a little later, in February 2014.) So, does that mean we have a new series to look forward to in the Fall of 2020? I'll be talking about all of the above on today's show. Punch it!

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

2,008. Star Wars 2020 Live-Action Preview (and 2019 Review) Jan 02, 2020

Show notes

Well, this is new! In previous years of previewing what's to come in Star Wars storytelling, live-action TV never had its own episode on the podcast. But now we've got not one, not two, but at least three shows in production in 2020! The Mandalorian is gearing up for season 2, and the Cassian Andor series and the Obi-Wan series are both in pre-production, at different stages of development. Today, I'll be talking about where we stand on all three of them right now, when to expect new news from each of the productions, and more. 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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