Episode 270 – The Art of The Art of The Force Awakens

This week is all about the amazing THE ART OF FORCE AWAKENS!  2013 was a magical time as Star Wars was just getting ready to strike back in a major way.  The Yoda like production designer, living legend and hero of ours, Rick Carter led this quest with a period of guided imagery from the best artists in the world where the blue sky was the limit and some incredible illustrations flowed along next to the story.  It was the time of Jedi Killers, Kira and Sam, Darth Talon, John Doe and RIFFS.  Join us as we look at this time, discuss the importance of concept art & much, much more!!So get in that dream state, go backwards and forwards, turn of your left brain, ask “what is BLAST POINTS?”, listen today and celebrate the love!! 

Episode 204 – Let’s Put the X in HUX

General Hux! You know him, you love him.  But did he love YOU?  Did he love ANYONE?  Was he a cold hearted military leader of The First Order or was he just looking for love? Join Jason and Gabe as they examine his life and his most memorable moments on screen and ask was he being mean or just kinda flirty?  Has anyone ever held his hand?  Can they when he’s always wearing black gloves? These are the important questions that need to be answered and we are here to help you understand the complicated man that was and is GENERAL “HUGS” HUX!  

So put the X in Hux and celebrate the love with BLAST POINTS!  

Episode 201 – The Sequel Trilogy’s Noble End

For so many years we all thought the sequel trilogy was a myth and now it’s hard to believe it is already done!  Its the science experiment that gave us a new look at the story and amazing characters like Rey, Kylo, Finn, Poe, Tallie, Master Codebreaker, Klaud and so many other treasures that we now can’t imagine living without!  Join us as we look back at it’s history, it’s legacy, what we loved in it, what lessons can be learned from it and wonder just what could be next for big screen Star Wars!  Celebrate the love & listen today!  

Episode 163 – Explosions are Star Wars, Star Wars is Explosions

EXPLOSIONS!  We’ve done some research and discovered Star Wars is actually all about explosions! There are hundreds explosions in the Star Wars saga and we’re talking our top 3 from each film & discussing their size, sound & feeling.  It’s a totally serious episode about a serious topic and explosions is the word that you heard.‬  What explosions are the ultimate from each film?  Listen and find out!
PLUS : Star Wars Celebration Chicago is just weeks away and we are freaking out.  Episode IX panel! What could happen?  The return of Ahmed Best!  Listener reviews & more!So ask Plo Koon about Young Guns Too and celebrate the love with BLAST POINTS!!  

Editorial – The Force of Star Wars Fan Fiction

“The Force of Star Wars Fan Fiction”

By Michelle Wittlich

 

I was a Star Wars Original Trilogy (OT) generation kid who was young enough in 1977 to have no memories of life pre-Star Wars. I also REALLY love the Sequel Trilogy (ST). I love it a lot. One might say I am obsessed. One would not be inaccurate if one used that term. I love “The Force Awakens” (TFA), but Holy Hello There, do I adore “The Last Jedi” (TLJ). I have no qualms calling it a Star Wars masterpiece.

However, am I EVER disgruntled with the current rift in fandom and the oft-discussed toxicity problem. We all know about that big ol’ “The Last Jedi”-shaped sinkhole that sadly opened up beneath us on or shortly after December 15, 2017. Most fans ended up on one side or the other of that sinkhole. I have close Star Wars friends who were also OT generation kids who simply do not understand how I can love TLJ with the passion that I do having been raised loving the OT. They feel differing degrees of betrayal for most of the same reasons other fans felt that way….Luke Skywalker’s character development and death, Canto Bight being a waste of time, a lack of Snoke’s backstory/importance, Rey’s lack of significant lineage, Yaddle, Yaddle, Yaddle. I have had a general theory on our divergent opinions on TLJ since the first times we talked following our first viewings….in my opinion, it was all about how they had expectations to which they were unable to let go and a sense of entitlement vs how I was able to let go of my expectations and had no sense of entitlement. What expectations I had (mainly, that Rey HAD to be a Skywalker), I was more than willing to let fall by the wayside in acquiescence to Lucasfilm’s and Rian Johnson’s engaging storytelling.

How can this be? Why am I so willing to let go of my expectations while my friends were unable or unwilling to do so even to the detriment of their Star Wars enjoyment?

I know what my friends think of me….I’m an OT traitor. They look at me like I am gleefully stabbing them in the back while I go on and on about my adoration for Rian Johnson, his carefully crafted script, his artful direction, and my favorite feature of all….the character developments of Luke, Rey and Kylo Ren/Ben Solo. Honestly, I know they would feel justified in revoking my Star Wars card for actually being happy about and grateful for Luke’s arc.

Let me start to get to the point. There is a thing in TLJ that really got me. It got me BUT GOOD. The surprising development of the relationship between Rey and Kylo Ren, ie Reylo, stunned and delighted me. Shamed I will not be for “‘shipping” Reylo, so useless the attempts are. That is a defensive statement because I have found that for….reasons, Reylo, like other features of TLJ, bothers some people. If you happen to be one of those people, don’t be too deterred about continuing to read because, really, this is not about Reylo, per se. It is more about Reylo fans, our expectations, and our solution for disappointment.

Reylo fans have been around since TFA. However, I didn’t get on board until Rian “Reylo” Johnson told me to. He seriously looked RIGHT AT ME and said, “Reylo is an actual thing I’m doing, and it is your new Star Wars obsession.” “OK, Rian.”, I answered. “I am ready, able and willing to drive this Reylo train to the ends of the galaxy!” I can talk about Rey and Kylo for hours. I can talk about how, together, they are the will of the Cosmic Force. How they will bring perfect balance to A Galaxy Far, Far Away. How only together can they achieve the balance that the Force has been striving for the entirety of the Star Wars saga. How, as the kids say, “Reylo is endgame.” How I believe Ben Solo will be redeemed through his love for Rey, with a Cosmic Force assist, and once and for all will close the circle of Anakin Skywalker’s and Padme Amidala’s tragic story through the selfless love between their grandson and his Force-chosen equal, through forgiveness, atonement and hope for the future (ie, Reylo babies). Beautiful, isn’t it? I think so.

But, wait. I just wrote that I am sure that the underlying reason my friends and a lot of fans are dissatisfied with TLJ is because they went into the theaters married or at least betrothed to theories and expectations about everything from Luke’s predicted badassery, Snoke’s backstory, Rey’s lineage, etc. So, then, why would I walk purposefully into the same trap for Episode IX? Am I not setting myself up to be a hater? Am I not going to be outraged and making YouTube videos about how J.J. Abrams ruined the entire saga by not following my carefully constructed head canons?

Full disclosure time….I would be disappointed if Ben Solo is not redeemed and Reylo fails to happen in some capacity. I understand that I might momentarily raise my fists to the sky and bellow, “WHYYYYYYYY????”. I might even be temporarily sad enough to binge on gluten-free cupcakes.

But I can also promise that I would NOT let that ruin my Star Wars joy for long. And here is the secret (It’s not a secret. Literally, huge numbers of people know about it.) that will keep me from contributing to bitter toxicity…..STAR WARS FAN FICTION.

Go ahead and make faces of skepticism. Look down your nose at me. Snicker. Chuckle. Eye roll. I’m used to it, and I’ll wait.

But here’s the thing. The fan fiction readers and writers that I know all agree on this. If one ever has feelings of disappointment with canon, fan fiction is a soothing balm for those feelings. It’s actually kind of magical. Deep within the safe confines of the internet lie thousands of fan fiction stories at archiveofourown.org. Some have blissful endings. Some are riddled with angst. Whatever kind of story you prefer (alternate universe stories, stories that stay true to canon, stories that are in the Star Wars universe but veer off into a whole other direction than canon) someone has probably written it. And if one had an idea but felt unsure about writing it, one could actually commission a writer to write that story. It is a glorious world of boundless Star Wars imagination. I am not exaggerating at all when I say fan fiction is the reason that I will not become a grumpy, Episode IX-hating ogre if Lucasfilm and J.J. Abrams decide that Reylo isn’t a thing after all, and Kylo Ren is just a run-of-the-mill villain who should bleed his own blood and die unredeemed and evil. I know many Reylo fan fiction readers who feel the same, and I think we would all cope with any Episode IX disappointment just fine by delving into any number of literally thousands of Reylo-centric fan fictions.

Why do I and others seem to catch a lot of guff because we very much enjoy Star Wars fan fiction? I have my theories on that. I think some people assume that fan fiction is not good quality writing. That is false. I have whipped through 30 chapter fictions like a crazy person because the writing was so wonderful. Often, I have been blown away at the writer’s creativity. I also think some people assume fan fiction is nothing more than gratuitous, romantic “‘shipping” stories. Granted, there is a lot of that if that is one’s jam, but there are all kinds of stories. I also think critics and skeptics assume fan fiction is only written by women and for women. I’m not a man, so I can’t say whether a man would enjoy any of the fictions I have enjoyed, but I would be interested to find out what kind of fictions men DO enjoy.

Am I saying if more fans enjoyed fan fiction, the backlash to TLJ would have been lessened? The split in fandom wouldn’t be so gaping? Well, yes. I guess I am theorizing that if more fans were accustomed to reading/writing many various takes on Luke Skywalker, fans may have had a less entitled and proprietary attitude towards that character’s arc and fate, and therefore may have been less angry and bitter when TLJ didn’t fulfill the fantasies in their heads. They may have grumbled for a bit, but then perhaps sat down to read or even write a satisfying tale where Luke is a Jedi god and lives so long he starts to resemble Master Yoda, and as a result, may have felt less hostile towards TLJ.

Also, guess what? Reading Star Wars fan fiction is just a fun, fun time. It’s fun to talk about with other readers. It’s fun to imagine all the alternative “what-ifs” in the vast Star Wars universe. It’s fun to discover a great, new fiction and recommend it to others. And it is super fun when a favorite, ongoing fiction finally posts a new chapter.

Speaking of which, enough writing for me for now. If you’ll excuse me, I have some fan fiction chapter updates to devour. May the Force be with you all.

Episode 120 – The Golden Age of Force Awakens Rumors

Join Jason and Gabe as they take a trip back to the simpler time of 2015 when Force Awakens rumors ran free across the land! Is Luke Skywalker an evil CYBORG?!  Is Kylo Ren actually LUKE? Who are the Jedi Killers? Will Chewbacca die?!? And what about that new Jedi hero / ex stormtrooper and his trusty pal Kira? Is Max Von Sydow really playing Boba Fett?!  Listen along as they go over what was true, what was just weird & what could still possibly happen!

PLUS: Solo TV spots, Rio Durant asks about a “Wooookiee”, Kasdan & son talking Enfys Nest & more! Celebrate the love & listen today !