It's the end of an era...or something...

Greetings, ladies and gentlemen, and thank you for coming. It is my great honor to announce that Me, Myself and Star Wars and the Weekly Scoundrel have merged and are now both available at the all-new hyperspacepodblast.com! Going forward, all posts that would have been made at either of those sites will now only appear on the new site. All current content has already been exported over, so nothing will be missing, it's simply in a different spot. If you've found your way here for the first time, welcome, and please mosey on over to www.hyperspacepodblast.com for all the latest posts, reviews, etc. For those of you that visit regularly, a hearty thank you for that, and I hope you'll continue to follow the blog at its new home.

Thanks again,

Bryan L.

Hyperspace PodBlast July Giveaway!

The winner will get their choice of 1 of the 2 giveaway prizes. You must follow @hyperspace_pod on Twitter to be eligible to win (this is how we're going to contact the winner). The winning name will be drawn randomly on July 14, 2017. The prize not chosen will be used in the next giveaway with another, new prize as the second option. Here's how the contest works:

Like the giveaway announcement tweet for 1 entry.

RT the giveaway announcement tweet for 2 entries.

Comment on your favorite episode on Podbean for 3 entries. *

Leave a review on iTunes and/or Podknife (send a screenshot of your review with your Twitter name to hyperspacepodblast@gmail.com so we tell who's who since that's how we connect with the winner) for 5 entries each. **

Each entry gets your name in the hat, so to speak (actually, we literally draw the names from a hat), so the more entries you acquire, the better your chances. So now you're thinking to yourself, "that's all well and good, but what do I win?!?!" Good question...here's the answer:

If you have any questions or need further clarification on anything, just let us know and we'll do our best to help. Other than that, good luck, and may the Force be with you...

*Although we'd be flattered if you commented on more than one episode, you can only earn the 3 entries once.

**All previous reviews, on any platform, will automatically be entered and will be used in all future giveaways.
***If you've already won (@mostofwhat) you can't win again. Sorry.

A Star Wars Comic: The Stories So Far...

For any of you who don't know, A Star Wars Comic is, as stated on their website, "a fan-made monthly anthology series exploring the small moments, characters, and themes of a galaxy far, far away. Each comic is six-pages and they release on the 25th of every month." Okay, so what's that mean? Well, it means that every month, you, yes you, can read a 100% free, 100% compelling, and 100% original, 6-page Star Wars comic. The two gentlemen behind the project, Jim & Alex, started by telling unknown tales of known characters, but this month made the leap into completely original content - frankly, it's a breath of fresh air for this Star Wars fan that's been drowning (in a good way, for the most part) in stories about characters I've known for, well, forever. But Star Wars is a gigantic, nearly infinite universe, with more than infinite stories, so I invite you to go check out A Star Wars Comic for yourself, and then come back and see if you agree with my take on their first six issues...

I Canto Bight gambling with just any old aliens!

So, in keeping with my "I love aliens in Star Wars" motif, and hearkening back to one of my very first blog entries, I decided to run down all the aliens from the two Canto Bight pictures in the new Vanity Fair Star Wars issue...pretty cool, right? Yeah, I think so too...anyway, as was the theme from Maz's Castle, Canto Bight appears too good to let any old Rodian or Weequay through the doors, so the casino is populated by a whole slew of new aliens - and not just sequel trilogy new, but entirely new! Exciting, I know...also interesting to note is that there appear to be no droids present at the casino...is this a "we don't serve their kind" situation, like back on Tatooine, or does everyone just leave the droids at home when they go out for a night of elegant debauchery? For that, I guess, we'll have to wait and see, but it's an interesting point...anyway, let's pull the slots and see if we come up 7s, shall we?

40 Alien Species for 40 Years of Star Wars!

My passion for Star Wars runs deep, but so too does my passion for alien species - not just in Star Wars, either, but in all IPs. Sometimes, they're not even aliens, as with most fantasy genres, for example (you know, elves, orcs, trolls, and such), but, regardless of their origin, I've always enjoyed non-human characters. In fact, one of my favorite things about Star Wars is just how many alien species exist in the galaxy far, far away, and how many more are sure to be added as the vast and varied tales continue to unfold. So, for my sort of homage to the 40th Anniversary of Star Wars, I decided to make a list of my 40 favorite alien species! (Yes, this was as hard as it sounds.) I hesitate to call it a ranked list, exactly, it's more like a fluid group with the species I like the most toward the top. As you can see from the picture above, I changed my mind several times during the process, and if I did it again from scratch I'm sure I'd end up with an entirely different list, perhaps even with new species added and others left out (there are also eraser marks you probably can't see). That said, take a look at what I came up with and see how it compares to yours! (Okay, I don't really expect anyone to make their own top 40, but maybe a top 10...5?) Anyway, without further ado, here's Rick Dees and the Star Wars Top 40:

No, really, who are you? Or: I'm starting to rethink Rey being a Skywalker...

So, over a year ago, I wrote up a nice, long post about how I was convinced Rey is a Skywalker. I still stand by most of what's in there (some of the more outside-the-box speculation hasn't held up as well after the Aftermath trilogy, but oh well), but lately I've been starting to lean away from the simple, straightforward, dare I say obvious answer that Rey has Skywalker lineage and more toward what started out as a joke:  the midi-chlorians. I know, I know, for many fans that's a four-letter-word, but they exist, there's no getting around it, so why not bring them back into the fold in an interesting way? And what interesting way is that, you ask, well, follow me down the rabbit hole and we'll see...

Introducing the Hyperspace PodBlast! (A Star Wars Podcast)

That's right, ladies and gentlemen, just like I teased in the New Year's Update, yours truly has his very own podcast! Well, it's not my very own, I guess, it's technically half mine and half @ShelBB8's...you know, joint custody...or something...anyway, it's been live for about a week, and we're getting some really positive feedback that's been very humbling since we honestly didn't expect anyone other than, well, each other to listen to it...now, I'm sure you're asking yourself, "self, why on earth did they put out yet another Star Wars podcast?" That's a valid question, to be sure, but, just like with Jello, there's always room for more Star Wars podcasts, and, to be frank, Star Wars anything! And what we're putting out, we think, has its own niche that could fit right in with the rest of your indulgences from the galaxy far, far away...

So, the general premise of the show is:  A Star Wars Podcast with @blivengo & @ShelBB8 delivering discussion, theories, and speculation in 30 minutes or less - the emphasis being on the 30 minutes or less portion. We're trying to be a shorter, weekly show that you can fit in during a regular commute, on a run, working out, sitting in the break room, or, you know, during your afternoon meeting...in other words, we know you're busy, but we know you love Star Wars, and Star Wars-related discourse, so our goal is to deliver said discourse without taking up too much of your precious time. That's how we came up with the idea of having "hyperspace" in the name, as well as coining (I'm pretty sure) the phrase "podblast" (because it's like a quick blast, get it?)...oh, and did I mention it's got a definite humorous tinge to it? If you're a regular reader, you probably already guessed that, seeing as I'm (in my head, anyway) a pretty funny guy, but if you're new to the site, first of all, welcome; second of all, take a look around and I imagine you'll get a feel for my sense of humor more or less instantaneously (it's pretty pervasive). Hopefully you'll enjoy what you read and come back for more, but if you're one of those "reading is so last century" kind of people (or any other kind of people), maybe the podcast will hit that sweet spot for you...I guess what I'm trying to say is, "please like me!" ...only kidding, I'm saying give the podcast a try, and don't be shy about the blog either...

You can find the podcast on all the main podcatchers (iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, etc.) by simply searching "Hyperspace PodBlast!," or you can just click the Hyperspace PodBlast! link right ---> here <--- or at the top of the page...so many options! By the time this post hits the interwebs, there will be six whole episodes available for you to check out, including our newest episode where we talk about romantic relationships in Star Wars as well as "shipping"...it's a pretty great episode if I do say so myself (which I do...and just did). All new episodes will go live on Mondays, so be sure to subscribe if you like what you hear so you don't miss out...and if you really like what you hear, maybe take a minute to write a review since they help "grow the brand" by making us more visible to others...so, yeah, I think that's about it...since you're done reading this, you should totally go listen to the podcast, and, while you do, may the Force be with you...

Follow the Yellow Brick Rogue, Or: How the Rogue One Crew Mirrors the Wizard of Oz

from The Wizard of Oz

Krennic, Death Troopers, and AT-ACTs, oh my! "So, it's been over two months since Rogue One debuted in theaters, Bryan, shouldn't you be talking about The Last Jedi?!?!" Fie on that, I say! Rogue One deserves more written commentary! Exclamation points! Okay, anyway, yes, I am writing about Rogue One again because I think it's a fantastic movie and, in thinking about it quite a bit for the last two months, I've come up with what I think is an interesting correlation between the characters that make up the "main" crew and those in The Wizard of Oz that go "off to see the Wizard." Have I gone completely mad? Probably, but you'll have to read on to be sure...

Wanna Play Star Wars - Force Arena?

I do! And I have been, pretty regularly, since the game launched just over a week ago. If you're already playing, you may or may not find this post interesting/useful, but if you're not playing hopefully this will be a resource for you if you feel like giving it a try...otherwise, I hope it's at least insightful and interesting on a purely academic level...or something...anyway, I've been describing Star Wars - Force Arena as a "tower defense moba (multiplayer online battle arena) card game," clear as mud, right? Basically, it goes like this:  you control a "main" character with one usable ability on a long cool down. Your goal is to destroy your rival's (Alliance vs. Empire) shield generator that's protected by three large laser turrets (in 1-player mode). To assist you in your goal, you get to create a deck of cards that, using a resource called "energy," you can activate during battle to summon minions (troopers, etc.) to help you win the day. The battles are timed so your opponent (or you) can't turtle ad nauseam; in fact, each game only last a couple, three minutes, so it's not a big time sink. Like most mobile games, you can pay to be a pro (sort of), but you don't have to (I haven't spent a dime and I win more matches than I lose). So, barebones, that's it. If none of that floats your boat, check out another post instead, but if you'd like to know more, click right down there and we'll get into more specifics...

Baze of Glory! Or: My Favorite Scene from Rogue One for Star Wars ComLINKS

So, if you've been keeping up with my musings on Rogue One (which you should...in my humble opinion, anyway), you know that I went into December thinking K-2SO would be my favorite Star Wars newcomer...well, I wasn't exactly wrong, per se, I think it's fair to say that, as of this moment, K-2SO is now my favorite droid in Star Wars, but he didn't end up being my favorite newcomer after all...that title goes to one Baze Malbus, the realistic, modern brawn to Chirrut Îmwe's more antiquated, spiritual brains (though Chirrut certainly brought a good bit of brawn to the party as well). Though not featured as prominently as, if you ask me, any of the other members of the main group, Baze makes his screen-time count by delivering some great lines and by flawlessly executing the best scene in the movie:  avenging Chirrut's death by decimating the Death Troopers before joining his dear friend in the Force...that's my favorite scene from Rogue One, and that's all I have to say about it, so, thanks for reading, hope you come back for more! No, I'm just kidding, I didn't leave you hanging, there's more, c'mon!

New Year's Update

Happy 2017, everyone! I had a great time writing for this blog, as well as The Galactic Roundtable and Channel Star Wars last year, and really appreciate all the likes, follows, and comments, but, as you may or may not have noticed, that site is no longer working and I don't anticipate it ever getting fixed.

Have no fear, though, friends, as I intend to carry on writing my insightful and witty (I think they're insightful and witty, anyway) Star Wars posts here, and my Star Wars comic discussions on a new blog I'm going to start for The Weekly Scoundrel. Hopefully I'll be able to get all the old posts exported over, but, worst case scenario, I'll just copy and paste them, so they'll all be available  eventually, and I'll be making a group post soon for the comics I've missed recently (since I'm sure you've been patiently waiting to know what I think about them).

In addition, I'll be adding a podcast to my Star Wars repertoire early this year:  the Hyperspace PodBlast! It's going to be a 30-minute, weekly show that'll focus on characters and story, as well as tons of speculation and theories about the future of the Star Wars universe. Initially, it'll be myself, a life-long Star Wars über-nerd, and a female co-host that's only recently become a fan of the galaxy far, far away, so there will definitely be two distinct points of view, but I'm also going to be inviting other Star Wars fans to come on and pose questions or topics so we can talk about them together; I want the podcast to be interactive and more about what other people want to talk about since my blog is, as the name implies, all about what I want to talk about. So, if you'd be interested in joining in with a question, topic, or being on, send an e-mail to hyperspacepodblast@gmail.com and we'll get the ball rolling.

So, while last year was a tough one in many respects, I enjoyed my blogging portion of it and am looking forward to carrying that on this year, as well as adding the new podcasting element. I hope at least one person reading this is keen on keeping up with me, and I hope to be talking to that person (and several more 'cause, I mean, c'mon, let's be honest, I'm great...okay, I know, I'm average...I was trying self-confidence...it didn't fit) on the Hyperspace PodBlast! sometime soon! Huzzah exclamation points! Anyway, all the best this year, and may the Force be with you (even if you don't keep up with me...see, I'm nice, you should totally check out my other Star Wars offerings)...

A Rogue One-derful Star Wars Story

Like many Star Wars fans (well, let's be honest, most), I thoroughly enjoyed Rogue One from the moment "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...." emblazoned the screen until the end credits were rolling. It was a gritty war movie, as advertised, but it had a ton of heart (more than I'd anticipated), well-placed comedy, intense action, and an incredible adventure that seemed to take us to all ends of the galaxy. It was literally everything I wanted it to be and more. I've still only seen it once (but that number will go up quickly over the next couple weeks), and I wanted to let the experience sink in before I wrote anything, but, now that the Star Wars Story dough has properly risen, I'm going to point out a few of my favorite moments from what's sure to be the first of many, many standalone Star Wars films...

Star Wars Battlefront: A Year(ish) Later

To commemorate the release of the Scarif expansion for Star Wars Battlefront, I thought I’d write up a little review of sorts concerning where the game is now versus where it was when it came out just over a year ago. Cards on the table, I hadn’t played the game for a very long time before I started logging more hours over the last week or so when I decided this would be a cool idea for a post. When the game came out, I enjoyed it, it was Star Wars and it was beautiful, how could I not? Unfortunately, after the initial excitement wore off, the game turned out to be lacking in content and overall underwhelming. So, what do I think now, a year later? I guess you’ll just have to click below to find out…(+1 clickbait)

Are We Being Kept in the Dark About Episode VIII? Or: What we don't know won't hurt us.

By this point in the Episode VII timeline, knew the title was The Force Awakens and were very close to getting a teaser trailer...so far for Episode VIII we know...nothing. Or, at best, very little. Sure, I understand that Episode VII was like the reintroduction of Star Wars to the world, and now we have Rogue One to keep us occupied, so it's not really out of the question to be less-informed about the next chapter in the saga than we were previously...but that also doesn't stop me from frothing at the mouth more and more with each passing day without any real, juicy Episode VIII information...so, are we being kept in the dark on purpose to keep the focus on Rogue One, or have they just not made Episode VIII a priority like they did with Episode VII because, frankly, they know they don't have to? Well, either way, here are a few things I'm dying to get when it comes to the main saga from a galaxy far, far away...
Read more on The Channel Star Wars Hour site »

The Real Star of Rogue One for Star Wars ComLINKS

With my recent busy-ness (not to be confused with business), I got out of the habit of writing something up for Mrs. @acrossthestars ComLINKS topic on her site, Anakin and His Angel, and that, my friends, is a shame. But! Lo and behold, here I am doing that very thing! This month’s topic is “Rogue One Newcomer,” meaning, “which NEW character are you the most excited to see on the big screen and why?” For me, this was an easy choice that took roughly 3.182 seconds to decide on:  K-2SO. But why, you ask? Why not the rough-around-the-edges Jyn Erso, the calm-cool-and-collected Cassian Andor, or the triumphantly-returning-Guerrilla-fighter Saw Gerrera? Well, how ’bout you read on and find out?

Bendu, Neutrality & the Broader Force

Going back to an idea I touched on a few weeks ago, when I was kid watching the original trilogy, and even when I was older and watched the prequels, I was under the impression that the Force was a two-sided coin:  it was either used for light, or dark; good, or evil; Jedi, or Sith. There wasn’t really any middle-ground. But now, with the Sith destroyed, the dark side of the Force should be gone too, leaving the light as the only remaining side of the Force coin, right? Well, I think the Bendu, Supreme Leader Snoke, and the Knights of Ren would all disagree…so let’s put the Force stew back on the burner, add elements of neutrality along with different forms of good and evil, and then see how it tastes, huh? (Yay, cooking reference!)
Read more on The Channel Star Wars Hour site »

“Hope” & “He lives!” Or: Maul’s Return to Star Wars Rebels Season 3

I assume you all watched that episode of Rebels last night, yeah? (Or Saturday night, depending on your time zone and when I actually get this published…) Pretty bad ass, right? Right, okay, we agree, awesome, I knew we would…and, yeah, I get that a lot of people are jazzed about the idea of the “twin suns” being the secret to destroying the Sith, but I’m more interested in Maul’s vision, his search for “hope”…what does “hope” even mean for someone like Maul? What does someone who’s been through everything he’s been through hope for? Vengeance? Power? Immortality? All of the above? I’m going to postulate a few possible hopes for Maul based on his “he lives!” line following what was probably a partial vision of his would-be true “hope”…and, just as fair warning, these are all definitely old hopes, not a new hope, like the one Ezra saw…
Read more on The Channel Star Wars Hour site »

Star Wars: Uprising is SHUTTING DOWN

“Dear Player,

Despite the best efforts of our team here at Kabam, unfortunately, Star Wars: Uprising will soon be decommissioned. On November 17th, 2016, all Star Wars: Uprising servers will be shutting down permanently. As part of this shutdown, we will be shutting down payments on November 17th, 2016 to prevent additional payments from occurring. For information about the shutdown, please visit the FAQ HERE or your in-game message. We hope that you enjoyed Star Wars: Uprising, and would like to invite you to come check out one of Kabam’s other great mobile games, listed below. Finally,We would just like to again thank you for your commitment to Star Wars: Uprising. We hope to see you again soon!

Sincerely,

The Kabam Team”

So, just over a year after its full launch, Star Wars:  Uprising is going the way of Disney Infinity and getting shut down…it’s a little sad, even in this Star Wars-rich era, to see anything Star Wars-related get canned, especially after such a short run, but, at the same time, I’m a fairly huge Star Wars fan that tries to be involved with anything and everything Star Wars and I didn’t even play this game through…and if hardcore fans fall off the wagon, there has to be some kind of stellar hook to keep casual fans and/or gamers interested…unfortunately, Uprising just didn’t have that…for more on the quelling of the Uprising, we go to special gaming correspondent me, me:
Read more on The Channel Star Wars Hour site »

3 Things I’d Like to See in Rebels Season 3

Alright, I’m back in the driver’s seat, bringing you the Star Wars content you so desperately desire! Okay, I know, “bringing you the Star Wars content you didn’t know existed” is more accurate, but let me pretend, dammit…anyway, with the premiere of season 3 of Star Wars Rebels just a week from tomorrow, I decided to make a quick wishlist of three things I’d like to see happen over the course of the season (three things in season 3, get it?). If the ysalamiri wasn’t already out of the bag, I’d probably list seeing Thrawn (or, more likely, Director Krennic since I thought he was the de facto Thrawn for the new canon), but I think I have an equally interesting candidate for a surprise legends character addition (if you read any of my stuff, you probably know what it is)…so, pull up a chair, sit back and relax and let’s see if you want to see what I want to see…
Read more on The Channel Star Wars Hour site »

The Force & Balance

Way back when there wasn’t an “original trilogy” and there was just “the Star Wars movies,” I thought the Force was something good and pure that the Jedi used correctly, and the Sith misused for their own evil agendas. It was a simpler time when the Force was merely a tool to be wielded and not the more complex entity it is today; and what was the first thing that really started to broaden the Force’s horizons? The idea of “bringing balance to the Force.” A vague prophecy that even Yoda thought the Jedi may have misinterpreted, but one that I, nevertheless, am going to attempt to solve in this post (okay, not really “solve” so much as babble on about). So if you like the Force, and you like babble, this is the blog you’re looking for…
Read more on The Channel Star Wars Hour site »