#star wars history podcast

[skytalkerspodcast]

George Lucas & Steven Spielberg: Best Friends and Filmmakers Forever

In this episode, podcasting BFF’s Charlotte and Caitlin take a look at the relationship between filmmaker BFFs: George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.

In this episode, podcasting BFF’s Charlotte and Caitlin take a look at the relationship between filmmaker BFFs: George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. They dive into George and Steven’s friendship and partnership as creatives who have come to define the film industry for the past 50 years. The episode covers Steven’s early thoughts on Star Wars, the creation of Indiana Jones, their shared love of…

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#george lucas #indiana jones #lucasfilm #Podcasts #raiders of the lost ark #star wars #star wars history #star wars history podcast #star wars podcast #steven spielberg

[changelingsandothernonsense]

Listening to a podcast and they are very confused by the term Mal...I will now refer to my seizures as "Darth Maul Party Time".

#the podcast has nothing to do with epilepsy #except for the subject having epilepsy #I am indifferent to Star Wars #but that was funny #the podcast is also not about the Star Wars #It's a dark history podcast

[euphonyonline]

Epic Encounters

Now

#maharashtra #mahabharata #bollywood #podcasts #redacted audio #audio #history #world of warcraft #star wars #university #free podcast #free songs #linked universe #alternate universe #steven universe

[itmeblog]

It's Black History Month

(Over here in the US of A) So here are some podcasts to check out.

Absolutely no Adventures - a fantasy (un)adventure story that follows Sig, the owner of Signature Eats bakery, as he aggressively avoids becoming embroiled in any daring quests or chosen one shenanigans even though the universe really seems to want him to do just that. This is a story about cutting Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey off at the knees to chill with friends and staying far, far away from the slightest whiff of adventure. And also baking. This is also a story about baking.

Afflicted - Lovecraft Country meets True Blood in this new series from award-winning producers Tonia Ransom and Jen Zink. In season one, a small East Texas town suffers supernatural disasters caused by a demonic book bound in human flesh…and only hoodoo can save the town from its affliction.

Apollyon - In the early 22nd century, the Apollyon virus wiped out 75% of the world’s population, and now most of the world is governed by the International Conglomerate of Research Scientists. Dr. Theo Ramsey is an ICRS research scientist who may have just discovered an effective vaccine for Apollyon, but the stakes to get the vaccine to the public are higher than she ever imagined.

Between Heartbeats - Tan immersive Urban Fantasy about the hurt, the powerful, and their growth within a broken world. We follow Sundiata, a guilt-ridden time manipulator with a knack for unemployment, and Nadia, a moralistic telepath determined not to lose control, as they balance frayed mental health against an unsympathetic police state. But when a malevolent presence rears is head, their neuroses become the least of their problems. Can our heroes make the most of their abilities before the option is taken from them?

Fan Wars: The Empire Claps Back - Two passionate Star Wars fans on opposite sides of the Last Jedi debate argue via Skype after their favorite forum closes down. If you love Star Wars (or call yourself a proud member of any fandom), you’ll love this romantic comedy told via

Harlem Queen - a Black historical fiction audio drama based on the life and times of Black, woman, "gangster" Madame Stephanie St. Clair during the Harlem Renaissance.

His Royal Fakin' Highness - What if Ophelia helped Hamlet get his throne back? This modern day, romantic comedy re-imagining of Shakespeare's Hamlet asks just that. As they stage an engagement in the wake of the king's death, these childhood frenemies must decide between duty and love.

InCo (This one's mine :D) - A Sci-Fi story about a disgruntled information seller, a mysterious space boy, and an android doing her best.

Janus Descending - a limited series, science fiction/horror audio drama podcast, follows the arrival of two xenoarcheologists on a small world orbiting a binary star. But what starts off as an expedition to survey the planet and the remains of a lost alien civilization, turns into a monstrous game of cat and mouse, as the two scientists are left to face the creatures that killed the planet in the first place.

Lady Lucy - Lady Lucy is an audio drama inspired by Shakespeare's "Dark Lady" Sonnets, 127-154. Between running her brothel, fighting the Church, murdering her friends' abusive husbands, and pretending to be a poet, the last thing Lucy needed back in 1586 was a surprise visit from her former flame... Will Shakespeare.

Liars and Leeches - Tonya Wright felt it all after the tragic murders of her sister and brother-in-law in a random act of gun violence. Struggling to travel outside of her home, she now lives constantly on edge about perceived threats that seem to surround her.

Nightlight - Multi-award winning horror podcast featuring creepy stories with full audio production written by Black writers and performed by Black actors. So scary it’ll make you want to leave your night light on.

Null /Void - a science fiction audio drama about a young woman, Piper Lee, whose life is saved by a mysterious voice named Adelaide. Piper soon uncovers a malicious plot by a monopoly of a tech company and must work with her friends and an unusual ally to help foil their deadly plot.

Out of Ashes - (currently remastering season 1) Follow a group of survivors as they navigate the ruins of modern civilization and battle against demons, ghosts, monsters and the looming threat of extinction from an ancient power.

Small Victories - A recently recovered drug addict tries to start her new lease on life, too bad life has it out for her.  This dramatic comedy follows Marisol through the ups and downs of her life.

The Courtship of Mona Mae - In the 1870s, pioneers Mona Mae Christophe and Zekial Montgomery search the American West for Mona Mae's mother, Clara. Mona must recall a past, long forgotten in order to survive, so that she can find her mother, love and create a way of life for herself.

Vega a Sci-Fi Adventure Podcast - In a fantasy futuristic world, Vega Rex is employed by her government to kill off the world's worst criminals. She's never met a criminal she couldn't catch…until now. Join Vega as she journeys through a world of bumbling apprentices, powerful technogods, and her biggest challenge yet. Hosted by Ivuoma Hall.

Witchever Path - is an anthology series where your decisions effect the story. Our stories are based in America’s NorthEast, featuring characters finding themselves in the thick of the unknown while tackling issues like queer identity, gender, race, and spirituality. Stories often focus on the communities not typically seen in stories taking place in New England, and giving voice to the perspectives of those communities while uniting under some universal themes. And the supernatural happens. A lot.

(All descriptions were taken from websites)

If you want to find more and there are way more there's a directory :D

[alliterative-endlessknot]

Happy #StarWarsDay! #MayTheFourth be with you! We have several podcast episodes about Star Wars movies: The Force Awakens, Rogue One, and Rise of Skywalker!

#star wars day #may the fourth be with you #may the 4th be with you #luke skywalker day #star wars #history #podcast

[skyfullofpods]

Random Podcast Recommendations Mega-List Part 1!

Updated: 07/12/23

Collected here in part 1 because tumblr has a limit of 100 links per post of my alphabetical list are the fiction podcasts from A-M I've recommended so far for my random podcast recommendations! Part 2 is here

A A Ninth World Journal Afflicted Aishi Online Alba Salix Among the Stars and Bones Apollyon Arden ars PARADOXICA

B Back Again, Back Again The Ballad of Anne & Mary The Beacon Believer Black Friday Breaker Whiskey The Bright Sessions

C CARAVAN Chaika Chain of Being Civilized Coexistence Come On In, The Water's Fine Copperheart Counterbalance

D Death by Dying Desert Skies Desperado Diary of a Space Archivist Dining in the Void Directive Do You Copy Dos: After You Down

E The Earth Collective Echoes (In) Between Elaine’s Cooking for the Soul Electromancy The End of Time and Other Bothers Ethics Town Exoplanetary Everything is Alive

F Falling Forward Fan Wars: The Empire Claps Back The Far Meridian Fireside Folktales Folxlore Forgive Me!

G Gay Future Georgie Romero Is Done For Girl in Space The Goblet Wire Gone Great & Terrible Greater Boston Greenhouse

H Hallway to Nowhere Hand in Glove Harlem Queen Hauntingly Humdrum Hello From the Hallowoods Hi Nay Hit the Bricks Human Error

I Immunities InCo Inhale Inn Between In Transit

J Janus Descending Jar of Rebuke Joy to the World Jupiter Saloon

K Kalila Stormfire's Economical Magick Services Kane and Feels Keep It Steady The Kingmaker Histories

L The Last Echoes Less is Morgue Liars & Leeches Life On Pause Light Hearts LIMBO Lost Terminal Love and Luck

M Margaret's Garden Margaritas & Donuts The McIlwraith Statements Me and AU Mercury: A Broadcast of Hope Meteor City Middle:Below Moonbase Theta, Out

#Random Podcast Recommendations #audio fiction #audio drama #podcasts #podcast recommendations #podcast recs #fiction podcasts

[fandomtrumpshate]

Listed fandom rankings ...

We've just hours to go before signups close for the 2024 FTH auction. In the history of FTH we've only had one fandom ever break 100 signups in a single auction — MCU had 100+ signups in 2020. Right this minute, however, we're only 3 signups away from having a second fandom crack that number. K-pop is RIGHT ON THE EDGE. Will you help it make it across that line? Or sign up for another fandom and bump them up the list? There's still time. Do the thing!

At the top of our listed fandom leaderboard, we have the top ten:

97 K-Pop * 83 Good Omens 55 Sherlock Holmes * 47 Harry Potter * 46 Marvel * 39 Mo Dao Zu Shi / The Untamed 37 DC * 35 Avatar The Last Airbender 30 Star Wars * 29 Scum Villain's Self-Saving System

And falling out of the top ten (by just one signup) -

28 Red, White, & Royal Blue

Beyond that, we have several ties for various places -

[# of signups][fandoms]

23 Teen Wolf

21 Baldur's Gate 3, Locked Tomb Trilogy, Stranger Things, Supernatural

20 All for the Game, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Witcher

19 Boku no Hiro Akademia (My Hero Academia), Original Work, Our Flag Means Death, Tolkien *

18 Haikyuu!!!

16 9-1-1 and 9-1-1 Lone Star, Hockey RPF, Star Trek *

15 Tian Guan Ci Fu (Heaven Official's Blessing)

14 Jujutsu Kaisen

13 Hazbin Hotel, Naruto, The Old Guard, One Piece

12 The Magnus Archives

11 A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones/House of the Dragon, Check Please!, The Maze Runner, Raven Cycle

10 Final Fantasy *, Merlin, Shadowhunters

9 Doctor Who *, Dungeons & Dragons, Fullmetal Alchemist, The Sandman, Yuri!!! On Ice

8 Dragon Age *, Hades (video game), Hannibal, Heartstopper, James Bond, Justified, Kingsman, The Murderbot Diaries, SK8 the Infinity, Suits

7 Captive Prince, Critical Role, Genshin Impact, Grishaverse, Queen's Thief, Rusty Quill Gaming Podcast, Steven Universe, Top Gun Movies

6 Kinnporsche, Malevolent (Podcast), RWBY, Stargate,

5 Alex Rider, Arcane, Interview With The Vampire, Legend of Zelda, Nirvana in Fire, The Owl House, Pokemon, Witch Hat Atelier

4 Erha He Ta De Bai Mao Shizun (The Husky & His White Cat Shizun), Hunger Games, Les Misérables, The Magicians, Miraculous Ladybug, Trigun, Welcome to Night Vale

3 Disney's Descendants, Elder Scrolls, Fire Emblem Three Houses, Gundam Wing, Hetalia, Leverage, Mysterious Lotus Casebook, Spy x Family, Super Mario Bros., Tian Ya Ke / Word of Honor, Wheel of Time, Young Royals

2 Benoit Blanc Mysteries (Knives Out, Glass Onion), Bleach, Disco Elysium, Encanto, Homestuck, The Last of Us, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, Schitt's Creek

1 Assassin's Creed, Attack on Titan, Chainsaw Man, Diamond no Ace, Goncharov (1973), Stellar Firma, Wednesday / The Addams Family

Signups are STILL open. There are just hours to go. Wanna help set records? Do the thing!

#fth 2024 #fandom trumps hate #fanworks charity auction #listed fandoms #signups are OPEN!

[gothhobbithoe]

What tv shows/films the Fellowship would watch:

Gandalf: Ok so Gandalf loves his true crime, he's always listening to podcasts and watching true crime tiktok. He also loves the cosy old lady crime dramas such as Poirot or Marple. Gandalf also enjoys hospital dramas. Basically if there's drama he's here for it.

Frodo: Frodo loves his period dramas, Bridgerton, Downton abbey, Call the Midwife all that jazz. He loves the old fashioned scandals and dramas. Will cry if a character dies.

Sam: Now sam loves his cooking shows, espcially Masterchef or Bake off and will attempt the challenges if he's feeling really inspired. He also loves gardening shows, you know the really british one where they speak in soft whispers so they don't distrurb the bees.

Pippin: Pippin is an absolutely a sci-fi fan, Dr Who, Star Wars, Star Trek you name it he's watched it. and yes he will talk in great detail about it. He's also obsessed with Marvel and has already decided what member of the avengers each fellowship member is. (Gandalf is Nick Fury)

Merry: Fantasy and horror all the way. He's more into dark fantasy like Game of Thrones but will watch Merlin and other shows to give himself a break from the gritty shows. He will also watch horror until he scares himself but he wont admit that to anyone not even Pippin. Also partial to a good zombie show. Knows all of American Horror Story off by heart.

Boromir: Secret Disney fan but can't let anyone else know. Also enjoys a good comedy show, stand up comedy or the comedy shows with his silly humour. He also loves Action films like Top Gun, Die Hard and John Wicks, has watched all the Fast and Furious films.

Legolas: Loves nature documentaires and finds David Attenborough's voice so soothing. He also enjoys a good fashion/makeover show and has binge watch RuPaul's Drag Race too many times to count (him and Thranduil watch it together)

Gimli: Now Gimli loves his history shows, you know the types that your dad watched on a saturday. Deep dive into the pyramids, Time Team, fancy graphics and digging up bones. Mainly about ancient structures and buildings really. He loves the ancient egyptians and has so many facts about their culture and their buildings. He also loves a good historical drama, as long as it's accurate.

Aragorn: Survival shows, Bear Grylls, Ed Stafford etc. He loves watching their shows and getting tips for future quests. He also enjoys shows about people who live int he wild e.g Alaskan Bush People as it give him nostalgia of his Strider days.

#this was silly but couldnt get it out my head #the fellowship #the fellowship of the ring #lotr #gandalf #frodo #sam #pippin #merry #aragorn #gimli #boromir #legolas

[unleashthegoats]

EPISODE 1 OUT TODAY!

Welcome to the first episode of Unleash the Goats! In this episode, we introduce ourselves and our history with Star Wars and briefly discuss the hot takes you can expect from us, including: Gray Jedi aren’t canon, the sequels wrecked the great potential of every new character, Filoni has made some Choices We Don’t Agree With, the oversaturation of Ahsoka, we hope the writers strike cancels TBB, the missed opportunities with Satine and Bo-Katan (not necessarily in that order).

#star wars #star wars podcast #podcast #episode 1 #episode 1 links #spotify #Spotify

[dduane]

This evening’s not terribly burning question

So @petermorwood and I have been sitting down in the living room, soaking up warmth from the fire and watching YouTube vblogs about Star Wars: mostly about Andor. (Disclosure: Which I like very much.)

And I have to say: everything that’s turned up so far has been fanGuys (some of whom plainly think really, really well of themselves and the quality of their analysis and opinions, with only the most meager evidence visible to an outside observer as why this realistically should be...).

(For example: not a single one of the vbloggers who made it to the question “What makes this show work so much differently than other Star Wars shows?” got anywhere near the surely very basic question: “Where do the production team come from previously, and what else have they done?” ...It’s almost as if, for these guys, no one has a work history worth investigating outside of Star Wars. Honestly, do these lads imagine that someone walks into series work at Lucasfilms out of podcasts? Or fansites...?)

Anyway, all this caused me to turn to Peter and mutter, “Are there any women / femmefans doing analysis on this?” He had no ready answer for me. But I’m telling you, the vastly overwhelming number of deeply-assured laddies uttering their opinions on the general subject of “WTF, how are people saying this is any good?” ... is giving me reflux.

(sigh) So if somebody would kindly advise me, I’d appreciate it. Please & thank you.

#Andor #Star Wars #honestly #the fanboys task me

[olderthannetfic]

Speaking of fansplaining, what are your thoughts on that podcast? Have you listened to recent episodes, and especially the one with stitch as guest star?

I really like their content generally, but there are times they get too close to moral preaching for my liking even though I agree with them on most other topics, and their explanations of fandom history are fascinating. I'd love to hear your thoughts on them if you're willing to share.

--

I haven't listened in years. They're nice people, but I always found them weirdly ignorant of fandom history and prone to falling for ideas like m/m being this hegemonic, powerful force (instead of the reality that it's embattled everywhere but AO3 and that's why AO3 is how it is).

That trope survey they did a number of years ago was typically idiotic, with questions other fans had trouble even answering because they made so many faulty assumptions.

They used to be way too lenient on anti bullshit. I think they just weren't in the right spaces to see the virulent bullying or the culture war that was brewing.

Generally, I found them dangerous for how they seemed authoritative but got too many things wrong, and it was too annoying to keep listening.

(And no, before people ask, I don't think there's a better podcast that regularly covers fandom history. That doesn't mean the ones that do exist are up to an acceptable level.)

[skytalkerspodcast]

Willow & Lucasfilm’s Exploration into Fantasy

Caitlin and Charlotte take a dive into the magical world of Willow!

Caitlin and Charlotte take a dive into the magical world of Willow! First, they share their premiere experience, fresh off a quick trip to LA. In part one, we go over the production history of Willow (1988) and talk about some of Lucasfilm and George Lucas-isms that are present in the original film. In part two, we talk about all the facets that we love about Willow (1988). In part three, we dive…

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#disney plus #fandom #lucasfilm #star wars #star wars history #star wars podcast #star wars tv #willow #willow series

[thecrimsoncrow]

About zabrak

Okay, so I'm primarily a lurker on here. But I found out something interesting and I thought it'd be neat to share it with y'all.

So, I was doing some research for my final project about nightsisters for my Star Wars class (Yes, that is a real 3 credit course at my college) when I came across this channel. I know, it has 4k subs, and a lot of its videos range around the hundred. I didn't think this channel would be a good source. That was til I looked their archived interviews and recognized a few names of big Star Wars creators.

There's Dave Wolverton (The author of The Courtship of Princess Leia, the book which Dathomir and its witches debuted in. I actually used/referenced this in my essay), Daniel Wallace (Another big Star Wars author who wrote some essential guides), three separate interviews of John Jackson Miller (Author of the legends Kenobi book), they even got interviews with Sam Witwer and James Arnold Taylor. Forgive me for not recognizing the rest of the names, but there's just so many.

But what really got my attention was the interview with Ryder Windham, the author of The Wrath of Darth Maul, a book we Maul fans absolutely love. While I was listening, Windham said something interesting around the 23 minute mark:

" . . . someone decided that Darth Maul was a zabrak, and it was a word I made up. It has nothing - there's no history behind it beyond that . . "

This got me, honestly. The guy who wrote Maul's origin story also came up with the name of his near-human species?? Of course, because I was still iffy if this podcast was legit or not, I had to look for myself. There's not a whole lot, but I did find this article interview of Windham back 2012 about The Wrath of Darth Maul, and him coming up with zabrak was further explained:

"However, I did have an indirect impact on Maul's background. In 1998, Running Press hired me to write Star Wars: Episode I Who's Who, and for that book, Lucasfilm encouraged me to create names of species and homeworlds as well as brief biographies for various members of the Jedi Council and also the Podracers. I came up with the word Zabrak to describe Eeth Koth's species, and then another writer decided that the similarly horned-headed Darth Maul should also be a Zabrak. When I first heard a character say 'Zabrak' on The Clone Wars, I had to grin at that."

Again, this source is also weird because it's on a .net Star Wars fan site, and a lot of the punctuation is filled with questions marks rather than, you know, proper punctuation, but it's still interesting that two separate sources confirmed the same thing.

Y'all can ignore if you can't believe it; I don't blame you. Everything's linked if you wanna check them out yourself. But I thought I would share these findings because I don't think I've seen people talk about this in posts about The Wrath of Darth Maul.

#star wars #darth maul #maul #the wrath of darth maul #zabrak #nightsisters of dathomir #star wars books

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

New SpaceTime out Friday....

SpaceTime 20231103 Series 26 Episode 132

Rare heavy element discovered in stellar collision

Astronomers have discovered the rare heavy element tellurium being produced in the kilonova collision of a pair of neutron stars.

Planetary defence mission update

The European Space Agency’s Hera spacecraft has arrived at ESA’s ESTEC test centre in the Netherlands as it continues preparations for next October’s launch on its planetary defence mission to the asteroid Didymos and its small moon Dimorphos.

Moscow threatens star wars

As Moscow continues its war against Ukraine, the Kremlin is also continuing to ratchet up its threats against the west.

The Science Report

Tai Chi could slow the progression of Parkinson's disease.

Lead exposure is likely to blame for 5.5 million adult deaths from heart disease, and the loss of 765 million IQ points in kids under five globally every year.

Just 20-25 minutes of exercise a day may be enough to offset the heightened risk of death.

Skeptics guide to why there are no new ghosts

SpaceTime covers the latest news in astronomy & space sciences.

The show is available every Monday, Wednesday and Friday through Apple Podcasts (itunes), Stitcher, Google Podcast, Pocketcasts, SoundCloud, Bitez.com, YouTube, your favourite podcast download provider, and from www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com

SpaceTime is also broadcast through the National Science Foundation on Science Zone Radio and on both i-heart Radio and Tune-In Radio.

SpaceTime daily news blog: http://spacetimewithstuartgary.tumblr.com/

SpaceTime facebook: www.facebook.com/spacetimewithstuartgary

SpaceTime Instagram @spacetimewithstuartgary

SpaceTime twitter feed @stuartgary

SpaceTime YouTube: @SpaceTimewithStuartGary

SpaceTime -- A brief history

SpaceTime is Australia’s most popular and respected astronomy and space science news program – averaging over two million downloads every year. We’re also number five in the United States.  The show reports on the latest stories and discoveries making news in astronomy, space flight, and science.  SpaceTime features weekly interviews with leading Australian scientists about their research.  The show began life in 1995 as ‘StarStuff’ on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s (ABC) NewsRadio network.  Award winning investigative reporter Stuart Gary created the program during more than fifteen years as NewsRadio’s evening anchor and Science Editor.  Gary’s always loved science. He studied astronomy at university and was invited to undertake a PHD in astrophysics, but instead focused on his career in journalism and radio broadcasting. He worked as an announcer and music DJ in commercial radio, before becoming a journalist and eventually joining ABC News and Current Affairs. Later, Gary became part of the team that set up ABC NewsRadio and was one of its first presenters. When asked to put his science background to use, Gary developed StarStuff which he wrote, produced and hosted, consistently achieving 9 per cent of the national Australian radio audience based on the ABC’s Nielsen ratings survey figures for the five major Australian metro markets: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth.  The StarStuff podcast was published on line by ABC Science -- achieving over 1.3 million downloads annually.  However, after some 20 years, the show finally wrapped up in December 2015 following ABC funding cuts, and a redirection of available finances to increase sports and horse racing coverage.  Rather than continue with the ABC, Gary resigned so that he could keep the show going independently.  StarStuff was rebranded as “SpaceTime”, with the first episode being broadcast in February 2016.  Over the years, SpaceTime has grown, more than doubling its former ABC audience numbers and expanding to include new segments such as the Science Report -- which provides a wrap of general science news, weekly skeptical science features, special reports looking at the latest computer and technology news, and Skywatch – which provides a monthly guide to the night skies. The show is published three times weekly (every Monday, Wednesday and Friday) and available from the United States National Science Foundation on Science Zone Radio, and through both i-heart Radio and Tune-In Radio.

#science #space #astronomy #physics #news #nasa #esa #astrophysics #spacetimewithstuartgary #starstuff #spacetime

[angelosearch]

This has been languishing in my drafts for a while but with the new season of The Bad Batch being dropped today, I thought maybe it would be a good time to discuss...

The Actual and Potential Star Wars References in Final Fantasy VIII

Preface: For your standard nerd, I was a very late bloomer when it came to Star Wars. The first piece of Star Wars media I actually got into was Clone Wars when I was in my mid-twenties. So the first time my husband saw me play Final Fantasy VIII, he kept saying "That's a Star Wars reference!" and I was like "pffft, no way, not everything is Star Wars."

Now revisiting this game as someone who is so into Star Wars I can give you a 60-slide PowerPoint on why I love Thrawn (recent book series version) and identify characters by just their lightsaber, I can tell you: This game has many connections to Star Wars. Honestly, I will probably miss some in this post.

And it is a long one.

But first, the spiritual connection

We all know that the Final Fantasy series is peppered with Star Wars references; perhaps most notably, Biggs and Wedge. However, I like to think the connection between FFVIII and Star Wars is a little deeper.

FFVIII and the first installment of the Star Wars prequel movies, Episode I: The Phantom Menace, both came out in 1999, which means they were both being produced around the same time. They were both extremely ambitious projects in their field. But I think one of the strongest connections is that both the movie and FFVIII were pioneers in utilizing motion capture technology, and, in doing so, completely changed their medium. (If you want to learn more about the importance of motion capture in the history of Star Wars media, I highly recommend the podcast The Redemption of Jar Jar Binks.)

This may be controversial, and I adore Episodes 1, 2 and 3 so I mean this is the utmost affection, but I kind of think of FFVIII as the "Prequels" of the Final Fantasy series. The Star Wars prequel films were reviled by long-time fans of the IP when they were first released, because they seemed silly, because they deviated from what people were used to from the series, because they took big swings, because the dialogue was a little clunky at times, because the nuance of the characters and the politics was lost on some. But, the Prequels are now being appreciated, mostly by those who grew up with them. Sound familiar?

Onto the in-game connections!

I am going to try to move from the connections that I am most certain are intended to least certain.

Biggs and Wedge. This serially demoted bumbling duo from the Galbadian army share names with Biggs Darklighter and Wedge Antilles--two Red Squadron pilots who fight alongside Luke Skywalker.

Piet. Or should I say Piett? The space guy in FFVIII is named after the Imperial Officer Fleet Admiral Firmus Piett.

Only one of the most iconic lines in Star Wars history. When Squall goes to retrieve Ellone from the library mid-disk 2, Squall is spinning out and asks "why me?" As Ellone is leaving, she says under her breath, "You're my only hope." Um, Obi Kenobi called, he wants his Leia recording back.

EXCUSE ME, BUT IS THAT A TIE FIGHTER? Nope, that's a spaceship we briefly see when we are getting into the Lunar Base on disk 3.

Lunar Cry is a deep, deep, deep cut? Screen Rant calls this the biggest FFVIII allision to Star Wars, but I am not familiar with the comic being referenced. It's still interesting though so I'll pull the quote:

The biggest Star Wars allusion in this Final Fantasy game, however, involves the Lunar Cry phenomenon which works similarly to the pull of the tides. The gravitational pull between the moon and planet occasionally brings about the Lunar Cry, where the moon's surface becomes so saturated with monsters, that it creates a gateway for monsters to fall on and attack the planet. This is a direct parallel to how the Beast Wars started in the Dark Horse comic miniseries, Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi, in which the planet of Onderon and its moon - Dxun - would connect once a year during their orbit. The native monsters of Dxun learned to use the "oxygen bridge" created from this occurrence to travel to Onderon which inevitably resulted in the Beast Wars.

NORG and Jabba. I think they look alike but also have similarities in the way they move and speak.

Martine and Nida. The Headmaster of the Galbadian Garden is named "Martine" in the English version because perhaps it was too obvious to call him "Dodonna" like he was in other translations. Jan Dodonna was one of the first generals to join the rebel alliance in Star Wars. Nida is a bit of a stretch (and honestly I didn't know this one until I looked it up) but there is a character by the name of Lorth Needa who is an imperial lieutenant commander. Like Nida, he controls a big ship (Imperial Star Destroyer Avenger) during an important battle (the Battle of Hoth).

"You can go about your business." I am pretty sure this is just part of a larger trope, but Galbadian soldiers and Storm Troopers are characterized very similarly. They are always masked, ineffectual, silly, and easily manipulated. Plus the soldiers are very weak in battle. Maybe they miss a lot of their shots?

Probably not references, but interesting parallels

Mysterious parentage/separation from sibling leads to epic destiny. Squall grew up an orphan. Being disconnected from his parents and a secure sense of home, along with living in that particular orphanage, made Squall, well, Squall. And then of course is his canon event of being separated from Ellone. Those beginnings set him on his path toward his fate. His mother is dead, possibly dying in childbirth (like Padme), he has forgotten his sister (Luke just doesn't know), and his father, not aware of his existence, is at the helm of a powerful "empire" (like Anakin/Vader). Of course, Laguna's character arc is much different from Anakin's, but I can still see a sort of "Luke, I am your father" moment happening between Squall and Laguna post-game. (Side note: Does that make Kiros and Ward R2-D2 and C-3PO???)

Gold eyes = evil. Palpatine and Anakin (as Sith lords) and Edea (when under Ultimecia's control) and Ultimecia all have gold eyes. Adel is my c-c-c-combo breaker here but I also know there are other evil characters throughout the Star Wars canon that have red eyes. (NOBODY SAY THRAWN.)

SPACCCCEE! Just space. While I am out here Charlie-Day-murder-boarding it (again) I might as well throw this in. Also, sorry sequels, but Rinoa did floating out in space and surviving because of an unseen power (the force of love?) first.

EZRA BRIDGER HAS A GUNBLADE!!! In Star Wars Rebels, Jedi-in-training (AND ORPHAN) Ezra Bridger builds his first lightsaber to have a blaster at the hilt. Also, he later gets a facial scar.

A character's home gets blown up. Sorry Trabia and Alderaan. :(

Idk, I need to look more into this but something about Esthar reminds me of Coruscant. Anybody else get that vibe?

So there you have it! My Venn Diagram of two of my favorite things. That's all the conspiracies I have time for today. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.

Edited for typos. Of which there were many. My apologies.

#final fantasy VIII #final fantasy 8 #occult fan ii content #fan theories #star wars #star wars prequels #squall leonhart #luke skywalker #ezra bridger #final fantasy #the bad batch

[thisweekinfandomhistory]

Those aren't just stormtroopers! This week, Emily and V head back to 1997, when two guys who really loved Star Wars started a fannish endeavor that has grown to epic proportions. The illustrious 501st Legion, Vader's Fist, began as a cosplay club for stormtrooper fans and now spans the globe as an elite society of 10,000 Star Wars fans who delight in all manner of Star Wars villains as they do charity, volunteer work, and official jobs for Lucasfilm. These nerds make nerdery cool. Do you cosplay? Have you ever joined a fan society?

This Week In Fandom History is a fandom-centric podcast that tells you… what happened this week in fandom history!

#star wars #sw fandom #501st #501st legion #501st shenanigans #clone wars 501st #cosplay #cosplayer #fandom #fanfiction #Spotify