The Mandalorian and Grogu: Part 1

The Last Jedi (Episode VIII) has a message for Star Wars fans: Let go of the past. There’s a new Star Wars in town. That unwavering theme carries the film to an elegant, if desperate, conclusion—with the Resistance in tatters, Supreme Leader Snoke dead on a floor, and Kylo Ren falling deeper to the Dark Side even as Rey rises toward the light. In our recap of the second half of the movie, we cover the motifs of brutality versus balance with nature. We eulogize Luke Skywalker. And we (obviously) dig deep into Reylo, as well as the counterbeat romance of Finn and Rose. Next week, the chronology takes us to the Resistance Season 2 premiere, "Into the Unknown" and “A Quick Salvage Run.” Want more Growing Up Skywalker? This is a great time to sign up for our Patreon for bonus audio content! We're working on Ninth Jedi coverage. Timestamps: 00:00:00 Who Are We? 00:03:51 Plot Summary 00:15:25 Nostalgia and Original Trilogy Fans 00:23:13 Brutality, the Throne Room Fight, and Holdo 00:37:40 Reylo and the Sith 00:53:24 Finn and Rose 01:00:09 A Last Goodbye for Luke? 01:09:41 Bae Watch 01:19:29 Closing Thoughts

The Last Jedi has a message, and it’s louder in 2026 than it ever could have been in 2017. This week, in our loving and nontoxic recap, we cover the first half of this extremely long (and exquisite) film—covering themes of loss, wars of attrition, sunk cost fallacies, and the idea that failure is permanent. We parse character arcs for Finn, Rose, Poe, Kylo, Rey, and Luke, and discuss whether Snoke and Kylo are truly Sith or have moved toward something new. We also cover the critical reception of this film and its central message: That you get into trouble when you allow unchecked capitalists to make their millions and watch the world burn. It’s a message that was probably a little too spicy for 2017, but feels all too relevant today. Next week, we’ll cover the second half of the movie, focusing on Reylo, Finn and Rose, and the wreckage of the Resistance and the New Republic. Want more Growing Up Skywalker? This is a great time to sign up for our Patreon for bonus audio content! We're working on Ninth Jedi coverage. Timestamps: 00:00:00 Who Are We? 00:03:03 Plot Summary 00:15:25 Critical Reception and Prescient Messages for 2026 00:21:53 Poe and Wars of Attrition 00:32:12 Characters: Finn, Rose, and Poe 00:38:08 Snoke and the Sith 00:47:52 Rey, Kylo, Luke, and The Burden of Choosing 00:57:59 Bae Watch 01:08:45 Closing Thoughts

Hot on the heels of sinking the Colossus, our heroes learn a lot about rebellion in the Season 1 finale of Resistance—and accidentally form their very own rebel cell. In our episode this week, which covers “No Escape, Parts 1 and 2,” we reflect on how The Force Awakens, A New Hope, and other pioneering installments in the Star Wars canon have rippled out into the Resistance show. We also talk through Tam’s conservative ideological blindness, the First Order’s scuppered plan for Castilon, and the making of Kazuda Xiono, Resistance hero. And just like that, we’re ready for the second sequel movie! Join us next week for the first half of The Last Jedi. Want more Growing Up Skywalker? This is a great time to sign up for our Patreon for bonus audio content! We've got Ninth Jedi coverage on tap (for real this time). Timestamps: 00:00:00 Who Are We? 00:03:15 Plot Summary 00:10:05 Reflections of The Force Awakens and A New Hope 00:11:52 Tam and Ideological Blindness 00:19:11 The First Order’s Plan 00:39:53 Kaz and the Making of a Hero 00:47:59 Bae Watch 00:55:58 Closing Thoughts

The Star Wars: Resistance episodes “The Disappeared” and “Descent” take place right at the beginning of The Force Awakens, so we’re detouring back into animated territory to cover the lead-up to the destruction of Hosnian Prime. In our coverage this week, we talk about the fascistic tendency of “disappearing” people and how it lines up (or doesn’t) with the social contract on the Colossus. We also talk through the appeal of an Agent Tierney to a young person like Tam; why Doza might be continuing to submit to the First Order; and how Leia is activating new Resistance cells across the galaxy. Want more Growing Up Skywalker? This is a great time to sign up for our Patreon for bonus audio content! We've got Ninth Jedi coverage on tap right after Sam recaps the Phasma novel for us. Timestamps: 00:00:00 Who Are We? 00:02:01 Plot Summary 00:09:46 Fascism and “Disappearing People” 00:24:16 Tam and Agent Tierney 00:37:47 Doza, Leia, and New Resistance Cells 00:52:19 Bae Watch 00:57:37 Closing Thoughts

With the balance of power in the galaxy deeply shifted towards the Dark, what is next for our heroes—and our villains? It’s time for us to find out in Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. We focus our discussion on the second half of the film on the Pyrrhic victory that is the end of Starkiller Base and the passing of the torch from the Original Trilogy trio (Luke, Leia and Han) to the new era: Rey, Finn, and Poe. We also do character deep-dives, and parse which characters have the most—and, notably, the least—chemistry. The Force Awakens is a monument to the modern era of Star Wars, and we wouldn't exist without it. Find our recap everywhere you get podcasts—and join us next week for the next chronological entries in the timeline, Resistance: The Disappeared + Descent (Season 1, Episodes 18–19). Want more Growing Up Skywalker? This is a great time to sign up for our Patreon for bonus audio content! We've got Ninth Jedi coverage on tap. Timestamps: 00:00:00 Who Are We? 00:02:14 Plot Summary 00:11:07 Rey and the Persephone Myth 00:25:46 The End of Starkiller Base 00:44:22 Deep Dive into the Trio (Also Romance?!) 00:54:12 Kylo Deep-Dive 01:08:40 Bae Watch 01:15:58 Closing Thoughts