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ANDOR: The Heist and Its Aftermath

Release Date: 11/07/2022

Hyperspace Theories

Continuing our recent witchy trend on Hyperspace Theories alongside our discussion of Agatha All Along, this episode discusses the movie Wicked: Part I, which broke box office records in its first week of release. Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester begin with a common focus of the podcast: the storytelling structure of the movie, and how it compares and contrasts with the Broadway musical that the films adapts. Director Jon M. Chu maximizes the opportunity of the movie medium to broaden the visual storytelling for the characters, themes, and world-building beyond what is possible on a Broadway...

Agatha All Along: Mother to Mentor

Hyperspace Theories

In this podcast episode, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester consider the recently released MCU Disney+ series Agatha All Along from the perspective of long-running themes at FANgirl Blog and Hyperspace Theories: the influence of myth and heroic journeys on contemporary storytelling and how contemporary storytelling is evolving those ideas, especially in stories told by women and other creators from diverse and marginalized backgrounds. The story structure of Agatha All Along itself is built around the idea of an evolving myth, the “Ballad of the Witches’ Road” song, which...

Hyperspace Theories at 10: The State of Star Wars

Hyperspace Theories

It’s been ten years since FANgirl Blog launched the Hyperspace Theories podcast. On the latest episode, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester look back on the podcast’s evolution from its origin in discussing how to speculate wisely on upcoming Star Wars stories to a broader consideration of storytelling, character arcs and the Hero’s Journey, and franchise management. We reminisce about our favorite episodes of the podcast over the years. After looking back, we turn to the present and future of the franchise through the lens of two recent articles in major Hollywood trade publications. James...

The Heroine's Journeys of the MCU's Echo and What If? Series

Hyperspace Theories

The Marvel Cinematic Universe accomplished an unprecedented track record of box office earnings, followed by an uneven phase that included a few box office miscues and a mixed reactions to its span of Disney+ streaming series. In this episode of Hyperspace Theories, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester discuss two MCU series that had lower profiles in fan attention and viewership, but much to consider in what they got right in their storytelling: the binge-dropped live-action series Echo and the animated series What If? released weekly in its second season. Most significantly,...

THE ACOLYTE and Brand Management

Hyperspace Theories

On this episode of Hyperspace Theories, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester examine the Disney+ live-action series Star Wars: The Acolyte through the lens of recent Lucasfilm’s brand management struggles, especially with the Star Wars franchise. We begin with the strengths of The Acolyte that we want to praise, including the fight choreography, the performances of the cast, and the diversity, inclusion, and representation the series demonstrates both in front of and behind the camera. When it comes to The Acolyte‘s weaknesses, the problem of brand management is the...

Metamorphosis and Sacrifice in The Bad Batch Season Two

Hyperspace Theories

Before turning to the currently releasing third season of Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Hyperspace Theories podcast returns to the concluding episodes of Season Two. Having previously analyzed the first ten episodes, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester discuss episodes 11 through 16, starting with “Metamorphosis” and “The Outpost” and ending with Tech’s (apparent) self-sacrifice by implementing the tragic “Plan 99” during the squad’s fateful mission to Tarkin’s base on Eriadu. On the theme of metamorphosis and transformation, we consider the introduction of Doctor Hemlock as the...

The Future of Star Wars

Hyperspace Theories

Hyperspace Theories kicks off 2024 with a new episode analyzing recent developments that appear to chart a new course for the future of Star Wars. Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester begin with the November 2023 news, first revealed in a Vanity Fair article by longtime Star Wars and entertainment journalist Anthony Breznican, that Dave Filoni has been promoted to the position of Chief Creative Officer at Lucasfilm. We discuss what a CCO role entails and how Filoni’s position compares to other CCO roles within The Walt Disney Company overall. Filoni also now holds the title of Executive...

Ahsoka and the Allegories of Mortis

Hyperspace Theories

The epilogue montage of the recently concluded Ahsoka series on Disney+ included a surprising and exciting image: former Jedi turned antagonist Baylan Skoll standing amid colossal statues of the Father, Son, and (partially destroyed) Daughter of Mortis. These mysterious and powerful “Force Wielders” have a long connection to Ahsoka mastermind Dave Filoni: they interacted with Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, and Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Mortis trilogy (2011) in the third season of The Clone Wars animated series, for which Filoni served as supervising director under...

AHSOKA Tackles the Jedi, the Force, and the Future of Star Wars

Hyperspace Theories

The Ahsoka series on Disney+ has reached its finale. On this episode of Hyperspace Theories, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester analyze the storytelling in Part Six “Far, Far Away,” Part Seven “Dreams and Madness,” and Part Eight “The Jedi, the Witch, and the Warlord” and consider what Ahsoka establishes for the future of Star Wars tales. We begin by examining the conclusions to the character arcs of Ahsoka Tano and Sabine Wren, and their relationship as master and apprentice. With Ezra Bridger reunited with his old friends, the series portrays three different...

Ahsoka and Anakin Reunite!

Hyperspace Theories

Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester return for another episode of Hyperspace Theories discussing the Ahsoka Disney+ series, specifically the second act of the story: Part Three “Time to Fly,” Part Four “Fallen Jedi,” and Part Five “Shadow Warrior.” Often Star Wars is at its best when it advances not only the character arcs of its principals, but also the mythology of the franchise, The episodes of Ahsoka, and “Shadow Warrior” especially, mark a great success in that tradition. As we mentioned in our previous episode discussing the two-part...

More Episodes

After its first three episodes launching Cassian’s character journey, Andor quickly propels him into a plotline drawn from his ultimate fate in Rogue One: a risky heist from a secure Imperial facility that plays a crucial role in the fate of the Rebellion against the Empire. In this episode of Hyperspace Theories, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester examine the fourth through seventh episodes of Andor and break down what the heist storyline means for all of the key characters in the series.

For Cassian, his interactions with the other six members of the heist team teach him important lessons about himself, the possibilities for his future, and the personal and galactic nature of rebellion. As we had speculated, he ends the heist still unwilling to commit to the Rebel cause – but his return to Ferrix and his tourism to Niamos quickly show him that Nemik was correct: the pace of the Empire’s oppression has outpaced his ability to comprehend it. In the Imperial subplot, the success of the Aldhani heist changes the opportunities and possibilities for Dedra Meero and the ISB. In the Rebellion subplot, it reinforces that the price of rebellion will not only be personal for Luthen Rael and Mom Mothma, but also galaxy-wide as the Empire cracks down. Amid her political struggle against tyranny, Mon faces another kind of oppressive environment at home.

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