​Before starting this article, I just want everyone to know: I love Star Wars! Some of them I love more
than others, but I don’t hate a single Star Wars movie. My top three Star Wars movies are The Empire
Strikes Back, The Last Jedi, and Revenge of the Sith. As you can see, every single trilogy is represented.
I didn’t plan it that way — it’s just that these three movies stick out to me whenever I watch them. So
once again, let me just say: I love Star Wars, and I don’t hate a single movie.

​Now… let’s journey back to before the sequel trilogy came out, before we knew who would be
directing or what the movies would even be about. This was a fun time for me, because I was just
curious who would be picked to direct Star Wars: Episode VII. I believe J.J. Abrams had an impossible
task, and I feel he succeeded with The Force Awakens. He brought Star Wars back. A whole new
generation got to see “A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…” and inch forward in their seats as
the fanfare began. It was such a great time.
But here’s who I think would also have done a great job with Episode VII. I’m going to start with my
number 5 choice and work my way up to number 1. Here we go — and go easy on me.

At this point he was hot off a great string of movies, including Pan’s Labyrinth. His artistic direction
can’t be talked about enough. All his movies look insanely beautiful, and his characters are rich with
layers and vulnerability. I mean, who would have believed a movie about a guy who looks like a devil
with a giant rock hand could carry so much emotion — and be that good while doing it? Hellboy 1 and
2 are incredible. So he was one of my early picks for Star Wars. I felt he would have brought a look and
feel that was fresh for audiences. The characters would have had complexity and been thought out
down to the smallest detail. And I’m not going to lie — seeing a giant space battle from his perspective
would have been absolutely insane.

I’m a huge David Fincher fan, and I caught him later in his career. The first film I saw by him was Alien
3, not realizing at the time that he was the one who directed it. I remember not really liking it and
feeling like it didn’t belong. (This was before I knew about everything he had to go through to make the
movie, and how to this day he disowns it as not really his.) The movie that made me aware of him was
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which is still in my top 5 movies of all time. Such a beautiful
film, with stunning visuals and insane VFX. Then I went back and watched Fight Club and Zodiac, and 
 saw The Social Network and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo on opening day.
I felt his visual style would have been a shift, like del Toro’s, but his would have had a sleek, cool look.
Something different for Star Wars. And his use of VFX would have been absolutely insane. I think a
Star Wars movie from him would have been the greatest-looking movie ever made. His characters are
also so rich with depth that you genuinely feel you’ve been on a journey with them by the time the
movie’s over. Star Wars needed that for its first sequel film, and I feel he would have delivered. Plus,
Kathleen Kennedy produced The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and she has said she enjoyed the
experience and trusted Fincher — so I felt he was a sure bet for the part. And I still would love to see a
Star Wars movie from him.

Okay, don’t throw anything at me just yet. I know he ended up directing a Star Wars movie. But when
all this discussion was going around, I thought he would have been a great choice. He writes and directs
his own films, and his scripts are always good, witty, and fun. And yes, he can get dark and make you
feel uncomfortable and uneasy while watching. I felt his style was perfect for Star Wars, and I would
have loved to see what he would have done with the first entry in the sequel trilogy. I know for a fact he
would have mapped out an entire story and arc for the leads and set things up well for the next director
to come in. I also would have been on board if he had written all three movies. From Brick to The
Brothers Bloom to Looper, the leaps he made with each film were huge, and he nailed all three. Plus, he
directed one of the greatest episodes of Breaking Bad — still ranked as one of the best episodes in
television history. I felt he was a good pick. So I was very happy when he got Episode VIII.

When I first saw the movie poster for Stardust, I thought it was going to be a corny, bad movie. When I
finally watched it, I was blown away. It was a great, action-packed, adorable fantasy adventure that I
feel not enough people saw. I absolutely loved it, and I compare it to The Princess Bride, which is also
an incredible movie. So when he followed it up with Kick-Ass — a foul-mouthed, violent movie — I
was skeptical. I loved the feel of Stardust, and Kick-Ass felt like it wouldn’t work. But nope, that movie
was amazing. I realized this director could do any genre, and do it well. Which is why I had no issue
with him taking on X-Men: First Class. And yep, I wasn’t disappointed at all.
So, saying all that — he was definitely a pick for Star Wars. I felt his action sequences were kick-ass
(wink wink), and they never felt over the top. It felt like he knew exactly where to place the camera for
those sequences. So a lightsaber duel from him would have looked really unique and intense. The blend
of different genres in Star Wars would also have been executed perfectly. Star Wars movies do so much
during their runtime — they have to wow you, make you think, and deliver a great story all at once.
Action, adventure, love story, good vs. evil, all of it. And I think Matthew Vaughn would have
delivered all of that and more. I remember when he stepped away from X-Men: Days of Future Past and
I got really excited, thinking he was going to do Episode VII. But nope — Bryan Singer just stepped inand kicked him out. Ohhh well.

I mean, come on… The Iron Giant, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, and Mission: Impossible – Ghost
Protocol! That alone should convince you. He was the absolute best choice for Star Wars: Episode VII.
He knew how to write, he knew how to direct, and he knew action. He made a rat running between
walls and cooking dinner exciting as hell. And the Dubai sequence in Ghost Protocol is, to this day,
edge-of-your-seat stuff.

He would have given us exciting set pieces alongside great character moments. We could have gotten
the long-awaited reunion of Han, Luke, and Leia — and he would have made it work without it being a hollow fan-service moment. The struggles and vulnerable moments he would have created for the characters might have surpassed even The Empire Strikes Back. Yeah, I said that. After each of his movies, when it’s over you want to know more about the characters — you’re dying to know what happens next. That’s great storytelling, and that’s great directing. I was absolutely certain he would get Episode VII. Instead, he went off to make Tomorrowland, which I had such high hopes for but was completely disappointed by. Still, in my mind, I think about the what-if. What if Brad Bird had directed Episode VII? What would it have been? We’ll never know — but it’s a nice thought.

Mari and I touched down in San Antonio on Thursday, June 11th, ahead of the third annual SpaceCon. For me, flying into San Antonio is always a homecoming — I grew up just east of the city. For Mari, the Texas heat, hit her the second we stepped off the plane. "Welcome to Texas," I told her, because there's really no other way to say it.
That evening we met up with David and Craig from the podcast, and it was great to have part of the team back together in person. We caught the film Disclosure Day before calling it a night — a late one, since the next morning meant an early start.
​

SpaceCon is one of the newer additions to the Texas convention scene, now in its third year, and it's quickly become a major stop for sci-fi and pop culture fans across the state. The show brings in a wide mix of guests spanning Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, and beyond, alongside panels, autographs, photo ops, cosplay, and a packed vendor floor — all under one roof at the Freeman Coliseum Expo Halls.
We made our way over bright and early for day one, and the size of this thing was obvious before we even got inside. Giant banners lined the outside of the Coliseum with faces like Tom Hiddleston, Karl Urban, Zachary Quinto, John Cena and Hayden Christensen looking down on the line. This is not a small event for Texas. These are heavy hitters.
Once inside, the show floor had all the usual suspects — toys, merch, posters — but one thing stood out to me: the sheer number of local vendors selling original artwork and crafts. One booth near us had handmade leather keychains branded with both Star Trek and Star Wars logos. Watching local Texas artists make a living creating art for nerds, for us, was something special. 
By the time the convention got moving, it was clear this was going to be a packed house. The aisles stayed full of people the entire weekend.
​

Zac from the Star Wars Stuff Podcast joined us shortly after, and having the full crew together in one place was a treat. Mari and I are both in California, but we don't even record together — the podcast has run on technology and time zones for years because we're all scattered across different states. So standing around together, in person, in San Antonio, was rare. Our friend Adam joined the group too, and for a while we weren't podcasters at all. We were just fans, laughing, joking, and nerding out about Star Wars with no microphone in sight.
Sitting at our booth, meeting people, and talking with fans walking the floor was a highlight of the weekend on its own. The cosplay was incredible. And every time someone walked up and said, "I know who you guys are, I've been listening for years," it put a smile on David's face and mine that never really went away.
​

The panels themselves were great. Our friends from Countdown City Geeks moderated several of them and did a fantastic job — the crowd reactions and the energy from the celebrities on stage made it clear everyone in the room was having a good time.
The weather did its best to slow things down — hot, humid, and rainy for most of the weekend — but fans showed up anyway. The photo-op and autograph areas were packed from open to close, full of people waiting for their moment with a favorite actor.
I ended up talking with one attendee who's been hitting conventions across the country for the last 20 years. He had an entire booklet of photo-ops just from this one weekend, and he showed me a picture of his Captain America shield signed by pretty much every actor from the MCU. I asked him, genuinely curious and not poking fun at all, why he does this so often. His answer stuck with me: "I run my own business, and I'm locked in every day. This is my escape from all of that."
​

And that's really what a convention like this is — an escape, and a gathering point for every kind of fandom under one roof. You could walk past a replica of the bridge of the Enterprise, then right next door find a Jedi Academy teaching kids how to swing a lightsaber, and a few booths down from that, a giant inflatable Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man standing guard over someone's proton pack.
Growing up a nerd in Texas, I never had anything like this. If this convention had existed when I was a kid, I would have been first in line. So seeing young kids running around dressed as Jedi, Marvel heroes, and even deep-cut stuff like X-Files and Independence Day characters meant a lot to me. It feels like in the last fifteen years, conventions have finally opened up for everyone. Growing up, San Diego Comic Con and New York Comic Con felt like things that happened to other people in other places — there was no realistic path for a kid in Texas to ever attend one, let alone meet a celebrity. But with shows like Space Con, and Rebel Scum Con on the horizon, getting that photo or autograph with someone you grew up watching is finally within reach for fans here at home.
Overall, I loved SpaceCon. I'm already looking forward to next year, and hopefully getting the whole crew back together again. If you're local to San Antonio and on the fence about going — go. It's fun, and it gives you something special: a place to be a kid again, even if just for a weekend.
​

​I'll get straight to the point: I loved this movie.
The Mandalorian & Grogu is directed by Jon Favreau — the creator of these characters --
and it stands among the best work he's ever done. That's saying something for a filmmaker
whose credits include Iron Man, Elf, and Chef. What Favreau has built here is a Star Wars
adventure for everyone, one that feels genuinely expansive and inviting.
Before the film's release, Favreau talked in interviews about wanting to recapture the feeling
audiences had in 1977 when the original Star Wars hit theaters — that sense of thrill, of being
swept up in a story and launched into a galaxy far, far away. This movie delivers that. But it
also carves out its own identity, which is no small feat for a franchise that now includes nine
episodic films, two previous standalone features, and a growing catalog of television series.

Starting with the feel of it — this one is different right from the jump. There's no "A long time
ago in a galaxy far, far away..." That text crawl appeared in front of both Rogue One and Solo,
anchoring them to the broader saga. This film skips it entirely, cutting straight to action after
the Lucasfilm logo. It was a genuine surprise, but it works.
We also get a title sequence — something that has never happened in a Star Wars film
before. Pedro Pascal's name appears on screen, followed by the rest of the cast, and I'll admit
I laughed a little. What was especially meaningful was seeing Brendan Wayne and Lateef
Crowder get their own title cards. These two have been essential from the very beginning in
bringing the Mandalorian to life physically, and that recognition is long overdue. And both
times I watched the movie, Martin Scorsese's name appearing on screen got an audible
"What?!" from the audience. Both times. I found that genuinely funny.
The title sequence does something important narratively: it tells the audience right away that
this is Star Wars, but it's its own Star Wars movie. The franchise has faced criticism fromdifferent directions — projects that feel too similar, or others that feel too disconnected. The
Mandalorian & Grogu threads that needle well. It's familiar and new at the same time.

​Watching it, I kept thinking: this is how George Lucas saw Star Wars. An adventure built on
momentum, where every sequence ends with you leaning forward wanting to see what comes
next. The pacing is one of the film's real strengths. There are no subplots pulling focus. No
cutting away to another corner of the galaxy to check in on a different story. When another
character does briefly enter the frame, Mando is right there, making clear whose story this is.
One of the film's best sequences belongs entirely to Grogu. Left on his own while Mando is
down, he does everything in his power to protect and care for him. It's one of the most
genuinely heartwarming things Star Wars has ever done. The scene could have easily played
for laughs — and it does have humor — but there's enough real stakes and tenderness woven
into it that it earns its emotion. I was almost tearing up, and I don't think I was alone.

Rotta the Hutt is a standout. The marketing kept him largely under wraps, so walking into the
film without knowing what to expect from this character made the reveal work even better.
Since Return of the Jedi, Hutts have been framed almost exclusively as crime bosses and
villains. Ratta flips that entirely. He's warm, funny, and genuinely cares about the people
around him — Grogu especially. It's a welcome and long-overdue expansion of what a Hutt
can be in this universe.
Ludwig Göransson's score is, as expected, excellent. The main themes from the series are all
present, but the new additions written for the film hold their own. Keep an ear out for "Shakari"
— I have a feeling that one is going to travel well beyond the theater.

​It's easy to forget there was a time when neither the Mandalorian nor Grogu existed. Star
Wars carried on before them, and it will continue after, but these two characters have added
something to this universe that feels genuinely irreplaceable. This movie is a reminder that
Star Wars can still be fun — the way it was always meant to be.
Overall, I loved it. Seeing Star Wars on the big screen again felt good. Really good.
9.2/10

One of the things that has always fascinated me about the Star Wars universe is how much
we were never truly shown. When we first experienced the Empire in Episodes IV, V, and VI
— A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi — we got a glimpse. A
powerful, menacing glimpse, sure, but the story was always centered on Luke, Leia, Han and
Vader. The Empire was the backdrop, the machinery of evil humming in the distance. They
destroyed an entire planet in A New Hope, and yet it felt almost impersonal. We didn't know
anyone on Alderaan. We felt the horror of the act, but not the weight of the world it crushed.
That has changed completely. Thanks to shows like Rebels, and especially Andor, and now
Maul: Shadow Lord, we finally understand what it truly meant to live under Imperial rule.
Chapter Five, "The Inquisition," leans hard into this territory — and it is genuinely unsettling in
the best way. Stormtroopers moving through civilian spaces, demanding identification papers,
controlling movement and language and thought. There's a real-world weight to these images
that is difficult to shake, and I think the show knows exactly what it's doing. Star Wars has
always had its roots in historical fascism, but when it plays out in animation — a format that
reaches broadly — it hits with a different kind of clarity. This isn't subtext anymore.

Chapter Five opens with no cold open. No buffer, no warm-up. The show just starts. It's a
statement of intent: we are not letting up. And it sets the tone immediately.
Much of the episode is dedicated to groundwork — and it earns every quiet moment. We're
introduced to Lawson's wife and Rylee's mother, a character who is unsettling in a very
human way. She's not a villain. She's not cruel. She's simply been conditioned. When Rylee
expresses fear at the sight of stormtroopers, she reassures him: if they're here, it's to keep
things safe. Don't interfere. Cooperate. It's chilling precisely because it sounds so reasonable.
And the contrast with Brander Lawson — a man who clearly sees the Empire for what it is --
foreshadows a fracture that runs far deep.  These two people cannot share the same world forever. The show underlines this beautifully in one quiet visual moment. As Rylee's conversation with
his mother ends, Imperial ships drift past the window outside — a constant, looming presence
in the sky. No dialogue needed. The Empire isn't an event. It's the atmosphere now. It's just
always there.
Chapter Five also introduces Marrok, the First Brother Inquisitor, voiced with menacing
precision by A.J. LoCascio — known to many fans as the voice of Gambit in X-Men '97 and
Prince Lotor in Voltron: Legendary Defender. Marrok has appeared before, most notably in
Ahsoka, but here he feels fully realized. The animation of the character is stunning — fluid,
intimidating, and unmistakably Imperial.
The episode closes on a quiet but powerful note. We see Brander Lawson absentmindedly
scratching the back of his neck — a small nervous habit under the weight of everything he's
carrying. And then, in a separate moment, we see Rylee doing the exact same thing. No
dialogue, no fanfare. Just a visual whisper that says: no matter how far apart they are, this is
still father and son. It's a beautiful piece of storytelling. And the final shot — a Jedi hiding in
Lawson's apartment — closes the chapter on the perfect cliffhanger.

The next episode opens with a brief but iconic sequence: Maul, adjusting to his repaired leg,
Watching that crimson blade spin and cut through the darkness — it's a reminder of everything that makes this character extraordinary. And the animation? I've said it before, but I'll say it again: the evolution from the early seasons of The Clone Wars to what we're watching now is staggering. The fluidity of Maul's movement, the lighting, the physicality — it looks spectacular. This is what years of
refinement looks like.
There's a wonderful character moment early in the episode when Jedi Master Eeko-Dio Daki,
voiced with commanding gravity by Dennis Haysbert, refers to the events of Order 66 not by
that name — but as the Jedi Purge. It's a small thing. But it matters enormously. Order 66 is
the Empire's language — cold, clinical, a numbered command. The Jedi Purge is what it
actually was. A targeted extermination of an entire people. That Daki frames it that way says
everything about how he carries that trauma. It's lived experience, not a classified operation.
Small detail, huge character depth.
Before the episode erupts into action, we get a genuinely sweet scene between Devon and
Rylee — two kids from completely different worlds and upbringing.
And then Marrok arrives. What follows is one of the most impressive action sequences the
show has produced: a lightsaber fight in the tight, claustrophobic quarters of an apartment,
where every swing feels dangerous and urgent, before expanding into a breathtaking rooftop
showdown. Devon's abilities as a Jedi are more advanced than many viewers will have
expected. She holds her own. She surprises you. Combined with her remarkable piloting skills
shown later, Devon is quickly establishing herself as a genuine force — not just a passive
apprentice candidate, but a character with real power and agency.
There's also a quiet but brilliant moment with Two-Boots, Brander Lawson's droid partner,
voiced with perfectly dry wit by the brilliant Richard Ayoade. Two-Boots is programmed to
appreciate order and structure — everything the Empire presents itself as. He's cooperative,
compliant, aligned. Until Lt. Blake voiced by Alastair James Murden, orders him to remove his boots. And something shifts.
The boots aren't just footwear. They're his name. His identity. The one thing in a galaxy full of
identical droids that makes him distinctly himself. The Empire, without a second thought, tries
to strip it away — and in doing so, may have just created an enemy. It's a throwaway scene
that isn't throwaway at all. That's great writing.
The extended action sequence — escaping the club, into the train, the three-way lightsaber
battle between Devon, Maul, and Marrok — is absolutely extraordinary. Fast, fierce, and
layered with tension. Devon and Maul are forced into an uneasy momentary alliance against a
common threat while still being fundamentally at odds. The moral complexity of that dynamic
playing out at full speed is something to behold. Let me be clear: this show is not for kids. This
is adult Star Wars. It earns that designation in every frame.
And then there's Maul himself. Episode after episode, the complexity of this character
deepens. You know what he's fighting against. You know the Empire is the enemy. And yet
Maul is also the enemy. He is dangerous and ruthless and driven by his own dark hunger for
power. And somehow you're still invested in him. Still, somewhere, rooting for him. That
tension — between understanding a character and trusting them — is what makes great
fiction. Sam Witwer and the writing team are doing something genuinely special here.

One final note: Master Daki is still alive at the end of Chapter Six. I was convinced we'd lose
him in Chapter Four or Five. The fact that he has survived this long means something. It
means we are growing more attached. It means the inevitable is being delayed just long
enough to hurt. When Daki's time comes — and it will — it is going to be brutal and deeply
sad. The show is building toward something emotionally devastating, and it knows exactly
what it's doing.Chapter Six ends with Marrok communicating via hologram with a mysterious figure — and
the screen cuts before we find out who. I am genuinely angry that I have to wait a week. That
is the highest compliment I can give.
— — --
Chapter Five was a deliberate, patient slow burn — laying the groundwork for the terror of the
Empire's presence while deepening every character relationship in the story. Chapter Six was
the payoff: explosive, emotionally rich, and visually stunning. Together, they represent Maul:
Shadow Lord operating at a remarkably high level. This series is not just good Star Wars. It is
great television.

​9.7/10

I woke up this morning to a flurry of text messages blowing up the podcast group chat. Tickets
for Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu were on sale. Right now. As in, had been since
6:00 a.m. PT. No fanfare. No countdown. No “get ready, this is the moment” post across
social media. Just — boom — tickets are on sale, go get them.
I’ll be honest with you. I thought it was going to be later in the day, maybe with some kind of announcement attached to it. But nope. They just quietly went live and moved on. Meanwhile, my co-host Mari — who, in her own words, is either a morning person with a curious mindset or running on pure autism-fueled hyperfocus, possibly both — had already been checking her local theater sites on her own. No group chat needed. Just Mari, quietly staying three steps ahead of everyone else as usual.
And look, I know what this could have been. Because we’ve seen it before. Think back to 2015 when tickets for The Force Awakens went on sale and the demand was so overwhelming that it completely crashed Fandango. That was a moment. The whole internet felt it. People knew it was happening, they were ready for it, and it became an event in itself.
The ticket sale became part of the excitement of the movie. Mari actually got put into a queue
on AMC this morning for less than a minute — and rather than being frustrated, she took it as
a good sign. Proof that the sites had prepared for heavy traffic, even if Lucasfilm hadn’t
exactly announced to the world that today was the day. That’s the kind of enthusiasm this
launch deserved on a much bigger scale.

​Star Wars hasn’t been in theaters in nearly seven years. Seven years! The last time we saw a
Star Wars film on the big screen was The Rise of Skywalker back in 2019. This is not a small
deal. This is a homecoming. So why does it feel like Lucasfilm treated the ticket launch like a
routine Tuesday morning notification?
I get it — maybe they made a deliberate choice not to lean into the chaos of a big pre-sale
countdown. Maybe they learned lessons from the Force Awakens era and wanted something
smoother. But even so, a little hype goes a long way. Throw up a TikTok. Post a reel. Do a
countdown to Friday. Something that tells your audience: “Get your tickets this Friday — this
is the movie event of the summer.” Instead, most people I talked to today had no idea the
tickets were even available.I did manage to snag mine, and I’m genuinely thrilled about where I’ll be seeing it. My wife and I got tickets to the El Capitan Theatre right on Hollywood Boulevard — honestly one of the coolest places in the world to see a Disney or Star Wars film. Mari is just as locked in and just as excited — she’s already buzzing about the exclusive bonus items the El Capitan is offering for the film, and she said it perfectly: she’s feeling “super lucky to live in the land of Disney and movie magic.” That’s the spirit right there. That’s exactly the energy this whole ticket launch should have been met with on a
national scale.
But I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a little bittersweet feeling mixed in. The fact that two fans
— one checking AMC at the crack of dawn out of sheer curiosity, one being rescued by a
group chat — both ended up locked in for opening weekend says everything. The passion is
there. The audience is ready. Lucasfilm just needs to meet us halfway. Star Wars is back on
the big screen, and I want everyone to feel that. Not just the podcast group chat. Everyone.
Disney, this is your moment — start acting like it.

​A Quick Prediction: The Opening Credits
One thing I’ve been thinking about a lot leading up to this film is something that’s been
reported in the last day or so: The Mandalorian and Grogu will feature an opening credits
sequence — and that is a first for any Star Wars movie. Think about it. In the episodic films,
you get the crawl. In the story films like Solo and Rogue One, the movie just drops you
right in. There’s never been a traditional opening credits roll — until now.
The Mandalorian and Grogu has a bit of a timeline problem when it comes to general audiences. Where does this fit in the Star Wars universe? It’s set after the fall of the Empire, during the rise of the New Republic — the same era as the Disney+ series — but for people who haven’t watched three seasons of
television, that context isn’t obvious. A well-crafted opening title sequence, one that feels
rooted in that classic Star Wars spirit while bridging the gap between the original trilogy and
everything Mando’s world represents, could do a lot of heavy lifting. I’m hopeful that’s exactly what Favreau and the team are going for. Because if general audiences walk in without that context, they might spend the first act confused about when and where they are in the galaxy. The film already opens with some static text (not a crawl, but a written setup explaining where the New Republic stands after the Empire’s fall) — so it seems like there’s awareness of the issue. But the credits sequence could really seal the deal.
The movie is 35 days away. Star Wars is back. Let’s get everyone excited about it --
starting now.

Ever since I was a kid, Darth Maul had me completely captivated. I remember the anticipation leading up to The Phantom Menace in 1999 — all I could think about was how that double-bladed red lightsaber was going to look on the big screen. I’d wander the grocery store aisles hunting for just the right Pepsi or Mountain Dew can or bottle, hoping to score one with Maul’s menacing face on it. He was everywhere that summer, and rightfully so.
Then the ending happened. When Obi-Wan cut him down at the end of Episode I, I was genuinely heartbroken. In my mind, Maul was supposed to be a constant — a looming threat woven through the entire prequel trilogy, ultimately meeting his end at the hands of Anakin Skywalker himself. That felt like the perfect symmetry: Maul’s defeat being the moment that cemented Anakin’s power and foreshadowed his dark destiny. But that’s the thing about head canon — it doesn’t always make it to the screen. I made my peace with it, and admittedly, Count Dooku turned out to be a worthy successor. The prequels told the story they needed to tell.

​

When The Clone Wars brought him back in 2012, my reaction was equal parts excitement and skepticism. I didn’t know what to think. It could have been a cheap retcon — a desperate ratings grab that cheapened one of cinema’s most striking villain introductions. But it wasn’t. Not even close. What the writers did with Maul in The Clone Wars — and later in Rebels — was nothing short of extraordinary. They took a character who barely spoke a word in his debut and gave him depth, rage, tragedy, and purpose. His arc across both shows remains some of the finest character work the Star Wars universe has ever produced.
It’s exactly what Luke Skywalker meant when he said, “No one is ever truly gone.” With the right writers and a story worth telling, any character can not only return — they can become something greater than anyone imagined.

​

I had the incredible good fortune of attending Star Wars Celebration Japan in April 2025, and one of the highlights of the entire event was the Lucasfilm Animation 20th Anniversary panel. I was there with the amazing Mari, and together we settled in for what turned out to be one of the most memorable moments at Celebration Tokyo.

​The panel was moderated by David W. Collins, with Dave Filoni — Lucasfilm’s Chief Creative Officer — and Athena Yvette Portillo, Vice President of Animation Production at Lucasfilm, taking the stage to walk the audience through two decades of storytelling magic. It was a genuine love letter to the animation department — a sweeping look back at how The Clone Wars laid the foundation for everything that followed, from Rebels to The Bad Batch and beyond. You could feel the pride and passion in the room as the history of Lucasfilm Animation unfolded before us.
Then, just as the panel seemed to be winding down, Dave Filoni paused and looked out at the crowd. With that trademark calm confidence of his, he said something along the lines of — “We’ve talked about the past of Lucasfilm Animation, and the present… but what about the future?” The room stirred. And then the trailer dropped.
Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord.
The reaction was immediate and electric. The crowd absolutely erupted. CinemaBlend reported that the response from attendees was “the most I’ve seen Star Wars fans lose their minds” during the entire Celebration. And they weren’t wrong. Every frame of that trailer felt like a gift — dark, stylish, and unmistakably Maul.
Then, just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, surprise guest Sam Witwer took the stage — and in that unmistakable, bone-chilling Darth Maul voice, he looked out at the crowd and simply said…
“Play it again.”
The room lost it all over again. The trailer rolled a second time to another round of thunderous applause, and honestly, it hit even harder the second time around. Sitting there in that room with Mari, surrounded by thousands of fans who had grown up with this character, it was one of those rare moments where you realize you’re witnessing something special — a fandom united in pure, unfiltered excitement for what’s to come.

​

Having said all of this — the history, the passion, the weight of what this character means to so many of us — attempting a solo show centered on Maul is a monumentally challenging undertaking. The bar is high. The expectations are even higher. And I’m thrilled to tell you: they absolutely nailed it.
The first two episodes hit the ground running and never let up. As George Lucas himself once famously said about Star Wars storytelling, it needs to be “faster and more intense” — and that’s exactly what Shadow Lord delivers right out of the gate. Episode one wastes no time, with Maul — back alongside his loyal Mandalorian allies — immediately setting his sights on the crime syndicates that betrayed him after his capture by Darth Sidious, pitting gangster against gangster in a calculated scheme of revenge while simultaneously discovering a Force vision pulling him toward a surviving Jedi Padawan named Devon Izara. Episode two escalates the chaos with a breathtaking high-speed freeway chase, a tense confrontation between Maul and Devon’s Jedi Master, and the deepening of a detective noir subplot as the overworked Officer Brander Lawson closes in on a criminal threat far beyond anything he’s ever faced.
The action is extraordinary. Flat out, some of the best kinetic, purposeful action Star Wars has ever produced in animation. And the look of this show — where do I even begin? The animation has come an incredibly long way since The Clone Wars first debuted back in 2008. What Lucasfilm Animation has achieved here is genuinely stunning. Cinematography and effects lead Joel Aron drew inspiration from classic filmmaking, incorporating hand-painted brush strokes and physical matte paintings into the digital animation to create something that feels cinematic in a way animated Star Wars never quite has before. My immediate reaction watching the first episode was visceral: this feels and looks like Blade Runner. The rain-soaked streets, the shadowy interiors, the deep purples and reds bleeding through every frame — it is an absolute feast for the eyes, and frankly, some of the finest animation I’ve seen in years.
And then there’s Maul himself. Sam Witwer remains the only person who should ever voice this character — full stop. The Maul we get in Shadow Lord is cold, calculated, and utterly sinister. He doesn’t storm into rooms, he materializes in them. Every entrance feels like a shift in the atmosphere. When Maul arrives somewhere, you feel it before you see it. This is the ultimate villain operating at his most terrifying — patient, methodical, and completely in control.
The supporting cast is equally compelling. Gideon Adlon voices Devon Izara, the disillusioned Jedi Padawan at the center of Maul’s dark designs — a character whose internal conflict between the light and the pull of the dark side promises to be one of the season’s most gripping threads. Wagner Moura brings Brander Lawson to life, the dogged, world-weary detective whose pursuit of Maul gives the series its unmistakable noir heartbeat. And Dennis Haysbert as Jedi Master Eeko-Dio-Daki — Devon’s quietly powerful mentor — provides a moral counterweight to Maul’s darkness that already feels essential to where this story is headed.
As someone who keeps a fairly casual relationship with the deeper lore of this era, I find myself genuinely hungry to see what comes next — and that is perhaps the best compliment I can give a premiere. If these first two episodes are any indication of where the remaining eight are headed, every Star Wars fan is in for something truly special. And knowing that a second season is already confirmed and in development? Even better.
This one is worth every bit of the wait.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  9/10

​

​Before the panels even started, the day gave me an unexpected highlight. I got to meet Craig Miller — Director of Fan Relations for A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back — and walk away with a signed book. If you don't know who Craig Miller is, he's the man who brought Star Wars to Comic-Con in 1977, before the film had even been released. He also came up with the names for the Star Wars toys. I didn't fully appreciate just how much history I was shaking hands with until I sat in his panel later in the day. More on that shortly.

​The first panel of the day was Droid Building 101: Making Friends with the Friends You Make, featuring five builders — Cory Hall, Gordon Tarpley, Doug Dixon, Cary Christie, and Nicholas Christie. They kicked things off with a sizzle reel of droids across the Star Wars universe, which got the room fired up immediately. What followed was one of the most genuinely fun and accessible panels I've attended. These aren't Hollywood professionals with massive budgets — they're fans who love Star Wars so much that they built the droids themselves, and the passion in that room was infectious.
Each builder brought something different to the table. Cory Hall built an astromech with a functional drink tray — his version of cosplay, as he put it, since he loves the culture but doesn't dress up himself. His attitude summed it up perfectly: "Who wouldn't want one?" Doug Dixon leaned on his background with radio-controlled cars, pointing out that at its core, his R2-D2 is essentially an RC car — one of the simplest ways to build a droid that actually moves. He also made everyone laugh noting that when you're operating a droid in public, nobody is paying attention to the person holding the giant controller. The droid is the star. Gordon Tarpley built a C-3PO because he loved the costume as a kid and always wanted to make his own — and as it turns out, his builds have actually appeared on screen. His RX droid showed up in Skeleton Crew and The Book of Boba Fett, and he performed AD-3d in Jedi Temple Challenge. A hobbyist who crossed into the professional Star Wars universe — that's a remarkable thing.
The Christie family brought one of the best stories of the panel. Cary Christie builds a BB-8 style droid — except it's not BB-8 at all. His original creation, called Zero, shares the dome head design but has a circular body instead of a sphere. Cary was drawn to the engineering challenge of making something that rolls without the head flying off. His son Nicholas got into droid building because of his dad, got hooked the first time he was asked to puppeteer a droid, and now builds Lego droids of his own. What he said about why he loves it stuck with me — he just enjoys making people's day when they see a droid moving. 
The panel also touched on the practical side of the hobby. Good news for anyone thinking about trying it: you don't need a workshop full of specialized equipment. Basic screwdrivers, wire strippers, everyday tools — that's enough to get started. All five panelists do own a 3D printer, which they agreed is a genuine game changer. They also talked about the importance of community — being able to reach out to other builders when you're stuck is essential, which is exactly what the panel's title was getting at. The droids make friends, and so do the people who build them. One of the best insights of the afternoon was about the Star Wars aesthetic itself — because it's a "lived-in world," builders can weather and dirty up their droids intentionally. And if something goes wrong during the build? That scratch, that dent — it just makes it look more Star Wars. Mistakes become authenticity. Cory also made a sharp observation about the difference between fan builders and Hollywood productions: a movie might build five separate droids, each designed to do one specific thing. These builders make one droid that does all five. 
The panel ended with a story that brought everything together. When the Force Awakens teaser dropped, everyone assumed BB-8 rolling across the screen was visual effects. Then came Star Wars Celebration 2015, and BB-8 rolled out onto the stage in real life. The reaction in that room — and in this one, retelling it — was the same: how do you build that? That moment of disbelief turning into a challenge is exactly how this whole world works. You see something that moves you, and you figure out how to make it real.

If Droid Building 101 was the heart of the day, the Craig Miller panel — Star Wars Early Memories, SDCC and Fandom — was the soul of it. Craig was there at the very beginning, and the stories he carries are the kind you can't find in any documentary. He set the scene immediately: in the 1970s, science fiction was at the bottom of every genre list. No adult would admit to liking it. Star Wars had no major stars to send on a publicity tour, so the film had to find another way to build its audience. What Craig and the team did — taking the film directly to fan conventions before it even opened — was genuinely unprecedented.
The details he shared were remarkable. San Diego Comic-Con was actually the second convention Star Wars attended, not the first. The 12 parsecs line from A New Hope — long mocked as a scientific error — was deliberate, George Lucas explained to Craig: Han Solo is lying. He's a hustler, and Obi-Wan's expression in that scene, once you know what to look for, says everything. I've seen that scene more times than I can count, and I will never watch it the same way again. Craig also shared how The Empire Strikes Back got its name — producer Gary Kurtz was being hounded by the press in Japan, everyone desperate to know the sequel's title. Annoyed and exhausted, he threw out "The Empire Strikes Back" just to make them stop. It was never meant to be the real title. They printed it, and it stuck. One of the most iconic film titles in history came from a moment of frustration.
There were quieter moments too. Leigh Brackett, who wrote an early draft of Empire Strikes Back, passed away after turning in a draft of the script. Her friend Ray Bradbury — yes, that Ray Bradbury — offered to do any rewrites needed on the script for free, just so her name would stay on it. That kind of loyalty between legends of science fiction is something worth remembering. Craig also told the story of having to quietly retrieve a miniature Yoda from a minature Dagobah set at a convention — he wasn't supposed to be on display yet, and Craig had to sneak it away without anyone noticing. Just a regular day at a convention when you're Director of Fan Relations for the biggest film franchise on earth.
When Craig's time ran out, the audience groaned. Audibly. He could have kept going for three more hours and nobody would have left their seat. That reaction said everything. This is a man who was there when Star Wars fandom was invented, who helped shape what it means to be a fan of something, and who still has stories that can make a room full of people lean forward in their chairs.
Day two of WonderCon delivered in every way. A Batman in full costume sitting in on a droid engineering panel. A room of fans hearing stories from the man who was there at the very beginning. Overall it was a great day of panels and fandom! 

​Walking through the doors of WonderCon, I immediately knew this was going to be a good time. This wasn't your typical one-fandom event — this was a full-on celebration of nerd culture in every form. Within the first few minutes I spotted Ghostbusters, X-Men, The Mummy movie franchise cosplay, court jesters, and more anime cosplays than I could count. The vibes were good, the energy was high, and everyone there was genuinely excited to be in a room full of people who get it. Oh, and someone was walking around as Fred Flintstone, which was unexpected and awesome. Only to be rivaled by The Dude from The Big Lebowski, complete with a bowling ball bag and White Russian in his hand. 

One thing my friend and co-host of the Star Wars Stuff Podcast, Mari pointed out to me — was just how many Mandalorian cosplayers were there. And remember, this is not a Star Wars convention. This is an all-fandoms event. Yet Mandalorians were everywhere, and I think that says everything about where the fandom is right now. People love this show, they love the lore, and with The Mandalorian & Grogu movie dropping May 22nd, the hype is real. Safe to say the Star Wars community is alive and well! 

The highlight of my day was easily the Star Wars: Inside the Creatures, Droids and Puppetry panel — which, by the way, should have been in a much bigger room. They told us it was full just minutes before it started, and honestly that tracks because this panel was packed with incredible talent. Christine Galey, the first woman to ever play R2-D2, shared that she had no idea who or what she was auditioning for and was told to wait for Favreau and Filoni — that's when it clicked it was a big deal and that's when she saw the robot she would be operating. She also revealed that R2-D2 is one of Favreau's favorite Star Wars character. Chris Bartlett, who plays over 20 characters in Star Wars including C-3PO, even cracked a joke about the Book of Boba Fett speeder chase that got a good laugh from the crowd — and honestly, the way he said it, you could tell even he knew that sequence wasn't the best. TaMara Carlson Woodard revealed that the whiskers on the Loth-cat — her favorite puppet she's ever made — came from her actual cat, who, for the record, wanted nothing to do with Grogu she brought home. Dawn Dininger, who puppeteered Grogu at the Academy Awards, shared that they only found out a few weeks before the Oscars that Grogu would be there — and the puppet didn't have his arm rods. Conan noticed in rehearsal that Grogu couldn't clap, and that's literally why he made the joke on live TV. 
​Two more panelists that really added to the conversation were Jacob Roanhaus and Jasper J. Anderson. Jacob does creature work and special effects makeup, and he's also worked on Marvel films handling superhero suits — but what really came through was his love for Jabba's Palace. He grew up fascinated by those creatures, and now he actually gets to play one in the new Star Wars shows. Jasper, who also came up through Legacy Effects, landed on Star Wars almost by accident — the team was stretched thin across multiple productions and needed a second crew, and that opening is what got him in the door. He also dropped an interesting tidbit for Skeleton Crew fans — apparently a lot of pirate content was filmed that never made it into the show. As someone who loved that series, I need those scenes released immediately. Both Jacob and Jasper, along with the rest of the panel, also touched on the fact that on set they weren't just doing creature work and effects — they were puppeteering their own droids at the same time. They all agreed this made some of the production days a little challenging. 

​What really stuck with me leaving that panel was the conversation about AI. These incredibly skilled performers — puppeteers, creature performers, suit specialists — were not scared. They pointed out that they went through this same fear when CGI was taking over, and they came out the other side just fine. Their belief? Audiences want practical effects. There's something real and tangible about a puppet or a creature suit that CGI just can't replicate, and the fact that Grogu — one of the most beloved characters in modern Star Wars — is a practical puppet operated by five people is proof of that. It was a great reminder that the craft is alive, the passion is there, and May 22nd can't come soon enough. Day one of WonderCon did not disappoint — and I cannot wait to see what day two has in store.

By James Herrera

Disney announced today that Darth Vader would be coming to Batuu on April 29th, 2026. 
This is a huge deal. Galaxy's Edge has famously been stuck in a time loop between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker. For a few years, people have complained that they want to see the OG characters walking around. But it doesn't make sense for the storyline it follows. 
Bringing out Luke Skywalker to Galaxy's Edge was a big deal; it showed they were starting to deviate from the sacred timeline they had created. 
Now we find out that THE Darth Vader will be walking around Batuu! And what's better? He's looking for Luke now. Meaning they are shifting the timeline, so it's not just a character appearance, it's a new plot for the land!
Leia and Han Solo will also be making their debut! 
Rey will remain at the park but will be mostly around Rise of the Resistance.

I think this is a great thing Disney is doing. They're listening to the fans. The parks and the timeline were a good idea, but it can't work with Star Wars. The story is growing every year. New adventures are beginning, new characters are introduced, that fans want to see and experience

With Star Wars, stories have come and gone as well. And those stories are what most of us have grown up with. Not wanting to take away anything from new fans of the Sequels (which I love), but it wouldn't hurt to go back and see a few adventures from Han, Luke, and Leia battling Darth Vader and the Empire. And Disney finally figured this out.

Most people had this in mind when the parks were announced in 2015 by Bob Iger. We had ideas of seeing our beloved characters walking around, interacting with them, and getting great photos with them.

Here's what’s suspicious... Rise of the Resistance is closing for refurbishment starting this month. Are they going to be changing a few things to coincide with seeing Vader, Han, Luke, and Leia? Will the First Order Troopers be replaced with Storm Troopers?  Will Rey's hologram message be changed to Leia? Or even Luke? 
Most likely. No, no, this will not happen. The amount of money, time, and planning that needs to go into doing this kind of change is way too much. But it is always nice to dream. 
While I'm dreaming, could they ever do a prequel era at Galaxy's Edge? Have Anakin, Ahsoka, Obi-Wan, and Clone Troopers walking around? Could you imagine that? Anakin and Obi-Wan in their Clone Wars outfits?! This would be a big deal considering how massive the prequel era has gotten over the last ten years. But one change at a time. 

I'm just glad that Disney is doing something drastic and what the fans want. But the trick will be making sure everyone is okay when they switch back to the sequel trilogy. 

We'll be there April 29th to bring you all the coverage for this awesome change at Galaxy's Edge! 
MTFBWY!