Marvel Star Wars Explorers

As Kiro attempts a daring rescue of an injured Luke on the desolate world Kinooine, we welcome back two returning champions, Chris Lantz and Jack Stovold to talk about the shocking revelations regarding Lumiya's identity, the upcoming adventures of the Lego Star Warriors, and the states of the Star Wars world in 1985 and 2020.

As Luke finds himself on the hostile world of Kinooine, facing his most formidable foe since Darth Vader and the Emperor, we find ourselves facing some of our favorite Star Friends, Cam Siemer and Sean Davis, for a lengthy and spirited discussion covering such diverse topics as the rumored (and definitely real) Lucas Cut of Episode IX, the exciting reintroduction of the Dark Lady Lumiya and the incredible art of Cynthia Martin, plus we read an enormous e-Word that has us ranking the Terminators and delving into the nature of force sensitivity.

As the Alliance grapples with a potential civil war between its two most adorable members, we welcome Eric Ambler, Dark Horse Star Wars Explorer and the original Star Friend, back to the pod to weigh in on the uncertain future of Star Wars in the mid-eighties and today, to hear his thoughts on the stunning cinema of January 1985, to celebrate the debut of Cynthia Martin in these pages, and to address a bounty of e-Words.

As Luke, Han and Leia unravel a dastardly plot unfolding on Cantros 7, we're rejoined by Star Friend (and creator of our theme song!) Daren Sprawls to talk about whether or not cat-like aliens belong in the Star Wars universe, to find out which internet cat celebrities Sam follows on social media, and to dive into the dense mythology of Grimalkians, the fierce anthropomorphic cat people of a future South America. Cats, cats, CATS!

As Luke struggles to understand the meaning of the dreams that have been plaguing him, Sean Davis makes Sam and Brian's dreams come true by returning to the podcast to discuss A Nightmare on Elm Street's release, the thematic reflections of Kylo Ren in this issue, and the triumphant and long-awaited return of Flint and Barney.

As Han, Lando and Chewie uncover a sinister plot unfolding on Kazhyyyk, Sam and Brian welcome Eric Deutsch back to the pod to give their hot takes on Jedi Temple Challenge, to discuss the excitement of getting a post-Holiday Special glimpse at the Wookiee homeworld, and to examine just how much Wookiee "dialogue" is too much. They find that it's never too much. GRONK!

As Luke and Leia catch up and share their feelings about the state of the Alliance, Nate Tapp catches up with us to share his feelings on a post-Return of the Jedi world, to examine Luke and Leia's place in the Skywalker legacy and to tell us who his favorite Muppet is.

As Luke finds himself being tempted by the dark side of the force during a planetary revolution, we find ourselves tempted by Jack Stovold's wiles, as he joins us to talk about one of his favorite Marvel Star Wars issues, to warn us about the dangers of naturally occurring poison gas, to react to the rapidly expanding Star Wars television universe with us and to SEE US IN THE THRONE ROOM!

As Leia and Mon Mothma attempt to negotiate an alliance with the suspiciously peaceful world of Herdessa, we are joined once again by our Canadian Correspondent (and Marvel Planet of the Apes Explorer) Geoff Clarke, for an in-depth and super-sized discussion spanning Prince's 1984 film, Purple Rain, Geoff's memories of this issue from his childhood and our introduction to a new dark lord, the cyborg Lumiya.

As Luke, and a motley crew of castoffs, pirates, and a telepathic bunny, struggle to deactivate a doomsday device that they've accidentally triggered, we welcome Melissa Thiede back to the pod to hear about her experience seeing an early screening of The Rise of Skywalker, to imagine with us the unique life cycles of Hutts, to analyze this comic's take on nihilism and to finally find out what exactly is STILL ACTIVE AFTER ALL THESE YEARS.

As Leia Organa and an Alderaanian stormtrooper debate philosophy on the harsh surface of an alien world, Daniel Borders-Ashe returns to the podcast to debate which Indiana Jones movie is the best, whether fictional expanded universes are worth anyone's time, and whether princesses precariously hanging off of cliffs still feel high and mighty. 

As Exar Kun lands on Coruscant to crash the trial of Ulic Qel-Droma, your star-friends Cam and Eric double down on the historical happenings of October 1995, then dig into this Dark Horse Comics classic to discuss the ways it reminds them of The Last Jedi, to revel in the high fantasy style of the Old Republic, and to celebrate the first appearance of a double-bladed lightsaber in Star Wars canon! 

As Lando, Chewie and Han find themselves on the run during a diplomatic mission on Keyorin, Sam and Brian find themselves welcoming Kristina Kephart back to the podcast to discuss the long-awaited return of Jo Duffy, to weigh in on Back to the Future's careless take on international politics, to offer a plethora of casting options for fan-favorites Lemo and Sanda and to catch up on their bursting mailbag of e-Words.

The Explorers just finished their table read of the unproduced Episode IX script by Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly and they HAVE THOUGHTS! Joined by the rest of the crew who helped make this momentous event happen, Sam, Brian and the gang give their hot take reactions to what worked for them in this script, what didn't, which of our performances they enjoyed the most, and dig in to how this script compares to the one that was delivered in The Rise of Skywalker! 

We're Star Wars Exploring new territory this week, as we sit down and do a table read of the original leaked script for Episode IX, written by Derek Connoly and Colin Trevorrow! Hear what could have been the continuing adventures of the Star Warriors, Rey, Finn, Poe and Rose in their battle for the soul of the galaxy against Kylo Ren, Hux and the mysterious Tor Valum! Featuring the additional vocal talents of Eric Ambler, Sean Davis, Cam Siemer and Kevin Young.  And make sure you listen to our follow-up episode afterwards for our thoughts on this unproduced script and this wacky table read!

As Han and Chewie venture to far reaches of the galaxy in search of fortune, Sam and Brian, with two hours of recording already behind them, dive into this THRILLING issue of Marvel Star Wars with their good friend Kevin Young. They're talking about the post-Return of the Jedi world, surprisingly forgotten trials and media frenzies of the 80's, the motivations of Han Solo and SO MUCH MORE!

2019 is over! Your two best Star Friends sat down to record an episode about issue 84 and ended up getting lost in the weeds heaping praise on their favorite films of 2019, so the Explories have become their own full-fledged episode! Tune in to hear us talk about our favorite comic book films, our biggest disappointment and our top 5 overall films of 2019, plus a look back on our favorite films of the decade. Reopening the Wormhole co-host and film-buff Kevin Young joins! And the conversation continues.... make sure you listen to today's second episode, featuring Star News, Earth History, comic book coverage and all of your other favorite Star Features!

As Lando finds himself tangled in a web of royalty and rebellion on Drogheda, our old Canadian Correspondent Geoff Clarke finds himself tangled in our web of first-hand experiences of Rise of the Resistance, piercing analyses of lighthearted Calrissian Chronicles and meandering Mandalorian diversions and sweetens the pot by also giving us a history lesson on a beloved prime minister from Quebec.

As Luke Skywalker returns to Iskalon to try to recruit members to a new federation of star systems, Kevin Young makes his return appearance on the podcast to discuss the exciting ways that Jo Duffy is choosing to follow up Return of the Jedi, to hear way more about lightsabers than any person would ever want to, and to speak further on The Rise of Skywalker.

The dead aren't the only ones speaking, as Marvel Star Wars Explorers finally tackles Episode IX: The Ninth Star Wars Film! A movie event this big requires a podcast event that's equally big, so Brian and Sam have assembled a team of MSWE all-stars for a sprawling, hours-long discussion that covers the few things they like and the many things they don't about this divisive installment in the Star Wars saga! Babu Frik! Zorii Bliss! C-3PO's RED EYES! It's all here!