91 episodes

On Hyperspace Theories the team from FANgirl Blog discuss elements that impact Star Wars storytelling. Each month hosts Tricia Barr, BJ Priester and Kay Serna take a deep dive into creative individuals who impact the franchise, from George Lucas and Kathleen Kennedy to William Shakespeare and Hayao Miyazaki, then break down storytelling from worldbuilding to character development.

Tricia Barr is co-author of Ultimate Star Wars, the definitive guide to Star Wars from DK Publishing, featured writer for Star Wars Insider magazine and author of the award-winning space opera WYNDE. BJ Priester is editor of FANgirl Blog; his writings on the Heroine's Journey is widely referenced by educators. Kay Serna writes book and movie reviews for FANgirl and is a regular on Disney Vault Talk's Rebel Yell.

Hyperspace Theories Hyperspace Theories

    • TV & Film
    • 4.6 • 13 Ratings

On Hyperspace Theories the team from FANgirl Blog discuss elements that impact Star Wars storytelling. Each month hosts Tricia Barr, BJ Priester and Kay Serna take a deep dive into creative individuals who impact the franchise, from George Lucas and Kathleen Kennedy to William Shakespeare and Hayao Miyazaki, then break down storytelling from worldbuilding to character development.

Tricia Barr is co-author of Ultimate Star Wars, the definitive guide to Star Wars from DK Publishing, featured writer for Star Wars Insider magazine and author of the award-winning space opera WYNDE. BJ Priester is editor of FANgirl Blog; his writings on the Heroine's Journey is widely referenced by educators. Kay Serna writes book and movie reviews for FANgirl and is a regular on Disney Vault Talk's Rebel Yell.

    Metamorphosis and Sacrifice in The Bad Batch Season Two

    Metamorphosis and Sacrifice in The Bad Batch Season Two

    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 Batch’s new primary antagonist, the significance of Crosshair’s realization that the clones are expendable to the Empire, how the Batch’s experience on Pabu provides a new perspective for their understanding of their place in a changing galaxy, and the increasing stakes for the Bad Batch and all of the clones as the threat posed by Hemlock becomes clearer. We also examine the visual symbolism throughout these episodes, particularly the significance of water and Crosshair’s ice vulture, as well as the themes presented in the sometimes conflicting motivations of the Bad Batch, Rex and Echo, Saw Gerrera, and within the Empire itself.
    Related Links:
    Hyperspace Theories: The Separatists in The Bad Batch (Jan. 2023) Hyperspace Theories: Story Structure and Character Development in The Bad Batch Season Two (Feb. 2023) Hyperspace Theories: Facing Ordeals in The Bad Batch (Feb. 2023)

    • 1 hr 33 min
    The Future of Star Wars

    The Future of Star Wars

    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 Vice President, a rank he shares with three women in Lucasfilm’s leadership team, including his trusted producer Carrie Beck.
    We then discuss Lucasfilm’s press release from January 9, 2024, announcing that the first new theatrical Star Wars project into production is not one of the three films mentioned by Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy at Star Wars Celebration Europe in April 2023, but rather The Mandalorian & Grogu directed by Jon Favreau. We examine the carefully worded press release and consider what it reveals about a fourth season of The Mandalorian and a second season of Ahsoka as Disney+ streaming series.
    We conclude with several implications from the upcoming Season Three of The Bad Batch animated series, particularly the surprise appearance of fan-favorite antagonist Asajj Ventress from The Clone Wars.
    Related Links:
    Now Filoni is the Master (Nov. 2023) Star Wars Undertakes Universe-Shaking Changes After Ahsoka (Vanity Fair; Nov. 2023) The Mandalorian & Grogu Journeys to the Big Screen (StarWars.com; Jan. 9, 2024) Lessons in Franchise Management – MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios (Jan. 14, 2024) Watch the Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 Trailer (StarWars.com; Jan. 22, 2024)

    • 1 hr 41 min
    Ahsoka and the Allegories of Mortis

    Ahsoka and the Allegories of Mortis

    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 George Lucas, and then appeared as Jedi temple iconography in the penultimate duology (2018) of the Star Wars Rebels animated series, which was co-created and overseen by Filoni. As his segment of the montage ends, Baylan gazes upon a mountain range with a distant hovering light, a visual that closely resembles the Father’s monastery on Mortis.
    While this brief glimpse only hints at possible implications for future stories involving Baylan, Ahsoka, and other characters from the Ahsoka series, the reappearance of Mortis imagery provides the perfect opportunity to delve further into a topic we’ve long wanted to talk about on Hyperspace Theories. In this episode, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester discuss the Mortis trilogy from The Clone Wars and the symbolic, thematic, and philosophical ideas about Star Wars that Lucas used these episodes to explore – and that Filoni drew upon in multiple ways during the Ahsoka series. Tricia elaborates how the Mortis trilogy as a whole, and the choices and fates of the Force Wielders in particular, serve as an allegory for the causes of the fall of the Jedi Order during the Prequel Trilogy. We also examine, at the character level, the ways in which the Mortis trilogy represents Anakin’s fate – and Ahsoka’s future.
     
    Related Links:
    Metaphors of Mortis (Feb. 10, 2011) Hyperspace Theories: Masters, Apprentices, and Witches in AHSOKA Premiere (Aug. 26) Hyperspace Theories: Anakin and Ahsoka Reunite (Sort Of) in AHSOKA’s Belly of the Whale (Oct. 8) Hyperspace Theories: AHSOKA Tackles the Jedi, the Force, and the Future of Star Wars (Oct. 16) Now Filoni is the Master (Nov. 24) Adam Driver Confirms The Rise of Skywalker Changed Kylo Ren’s Character Arc (Dec. 14)

    • 1 hr 54 min
    AHSOKA Tackles the Jedi, the Force, and the Future of Star Wars

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

    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 perspectives on what it has meant and can mean to be a Jedi. On the other hand, Shin Hati parts ways with her master and starts the journey of finding her own path. In addition, we discuss the character arcs of other key players, including Baylan Skoll, Hera Syndulla, Morgan Elsbeth, and of course the series’ nemesis, Grand Admiral Thrawn.
    The third act of Ahsoka also leans into the mythology of Star Wars, especially the deeper themes about the Force. Sabine may not be a naturally gifted wielder of the Force, but her years of training with Ahsoka and her willingness to open her mind to its possibilities ultimately manifest in her use of telekinetic energy. Despite his years in isolation from other Jedi, Ezra is confident with the Force as his ally, and their cooperation is part of what inspires Sabine to unlock her own potential. Even as a Master, Ahsoka has more to learn, and by the end of the final episode she has found her own serenity by supporting her apprentice and finding serenity in knowing that they are where they supposed to be. Which may have something to do with the conclusion of Baylan’s quest: reaching giant statues of the Mortis overlords and gazing upon a distant light last seen in that mystical realm. While Thrawn’s return to the main galaxy heralds political and military conflict to come, the tale of the Jedi and the Force on Peridea has much more to offer, as well.
    The Ahsoka series premiered and aired on Disney+ during the concurrent ongoing strikes against Disney and other major Hollywood studios by unions representing the writers (WGA) and actors (SAG-AFTRA) who are indispensable to their productions. Accordingly, neither Filoni nor any of the actors in Ahsoka could participate in promotional interviews or other marketing for the series (although they appear in material previously recorded, such as interviews at Star Wars Celebration in April, that is shared by Disney or entertainment journalists). Aside from its value in raising the visibility of the series to the prospective audience, such interviews with talent often provide fascinating insight into the storytelling process, characterization and motivations, and the themes and values underlying a series. We are disappointed that the studios have denied the talent the opportunity to participate in the excitement of the series launch, and the fans and audience the ability to share in their enthusiasm and learn from it, through their unwillingness to agree to reasonable terms relating to changing technology, shifts in production and distribution within the industry, and a fair sharing of billions of dollars in global profits with those who make those profits possible in the first place. Despite the ongoing strikes, the unions have not called for a boycott of the studios: they encourage fans and audience to watch newly released films and series (to demonstrate their value and profitability) and have clarified that non-promotional activities such as reviews, criticism, and analysis are not inconsistent with the terms of the strike. At FANgirl Blog and Hyperspace Theories, we intend to discuss Star Wars (and other projects from the struck studios) in solidarity with the unions and in conformity with their approved official guidance.
    Contact Information:
    Hyperspace Theories: Twitter @HyperspacePod Tricia Barr: Twitter @FANgirlcantina; email Tricia@fangirlblog.com B.J. P

    • 1 hr 58 min
    Ahsoka and Anakin Reunite!

    Ahsoka and Anakin Reunite!

    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 premiere, Ahsoka has excelled at representation and inclusion, particularly compared to Star Wars’ less than stellar historical track record. In late September, the Women’s Committee of the Critic’s Choice Association (CCA) announced that it would be honoring Ahsoka with the Seal of Female Empowerment in Entertainment (SOFEE), which “recognizes outstanding new films and television series that illuminate the female experience and perspective through authentically told female-driven stories.” The press release noted that Ahsoka had achieved “a perfect score in the numerical formula” which evaluates whether nominated projects “have a prominent female character arc, give female characters at least equal screen time to male characters, have female leaders behind the scenes, and pass elements highlighted in the Bechdel test.” Congratulations to Carrie Beck, Dave Filoni, and the other leaders behind Ahsoka for their contributions to making this kind of recognition possible for a Star Wars project.
    The second act of Ahsoka places the characterization focus on the titular character and the personal and spiritual journey she undertakes. “Time to Fly” and “Fallen Jedi” reveal the ways in which Ahsoka Tano, despite her age and experience, still faces the emotional legacy of her past and still struggles to follow herself the Jedi lessons she imparts to Sabine. In “Shadow Warrior” her near-death experience compels her to face her deepest traumas and fears – and to finally truly confront her feelings toward former Master, Anakin Skywalker, and his fate as Darth Vader, and what it means for Ahsoka to have been trained by him. After her rescue and return to land on Seatos, she has rediscovered her true self and made the transition, inspired by Tolkein’s Gandalf, from Ahsoka the Gray to Ahsoka the White. In the Hero’s Journey monomyth described by Joseph Campbell, a recurring topic on Hyperspace Theories, the Belly of the Whale marks a key metamorphosis from the hero’s ordinary existence to their extraordinary adventure. For Ahsoka, her ascension to her Wizard’s Journey requires such a transformation – and its culmination is indicated, literally, by her passage into the open mouth of a gigantic, ancient purgill.
    These episodes of Ahsoka also present interesting perspectives on the Force, and what it means to be a Jedi, through other characters including Sabine, Hera, Jacen Syndulla, Huyang, and Baylan Skoll. All of these ideas are juxtaposed against Ahsoka’s concurrent personal journey, and all of them pay off in the third act of the series. Check back soon for our next episode of Hyperspace Theories analyzing those episodes in depth.
    Related Links:
    “AHSOKA” to receive the Seal of Female Empowerment in Entertainment (SOFEE) (Critic’s Choice Association; Sep. 24, 2023) Contact Information:
    Hyperspace Theories: Twitter @HyperspacePod Tricia Barr: Twitter @FANgirlcantina; email Tricia@fangirlblog.com B.J. Priester: Twitter @RedPenofLex; email Lex@fangirlblog.com The Ahsoka series premiered and aired on Disney+ during the concurrent ongoing strikes against Disney and other major Hollywood studios by unions representing the writers (WGA) and actors (SAG-AFTRA) who are indispensable to their productions. Accordingly, neither Filoni nor any of the actors in Ahsoka could participate in promotional interviews or other ma

    • 1 hr 33 min
    Ahsoka Premiere: Masters, Apprentices, and Witches

    Ahsoka Premiere: Masters, Apprentices, and Witches

    The circle is now complete. Dave Filoni, longtime storytelling Padawan to George Lucas, has been Executive Creative Director for Star Wars for three years and played an instrumental role in the creation and progression of The Mandalorian streaming series. With Ahsoka, the latest live-action Disney+ series from Star Wars, Filoni not only leads the project in full – he wrote all eight episodes and directed the first (and fifth) – but also brings the erstwhile Jedi apprentice from key member of ensemble casts to titular character and central figure. Over the past fifteen years, from The Clone Wars to Star Wars Rebels to Mando and Grogu to Ahsoka, Filoni and Tano have traversed similar paths.
    In this episode of Hyperspace Theories, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester share our reactions, review, and analysis of the two-episode Ahsoka premiere, “Master and Apprentice” and “Toil and Trouble.” We begin with our praise for the representation and diversity in the cast of Ahsoka. After more than a decade at FANgirl Blog criticizing Star Wars for its often poor track record in that regard, it is thrilling to watch a series in which the “big three” lead protagonists are all women (Ahsoka, Sabine, and Hera) and two of the three antagonists (Morgan and Shin, with Baylan) are women, too. Ahsoka also features women of color in four of those six roles, as well as actors of color throughout the supporting cast.
    Turning to the storytelling, we discuss the parallels between Baylan and Shin, with their orange lightsabers and a familiar Padawan braid, and the tutelage relationships between Ahsoka and Sabine and, previously, Anakin and Ahsoka. We also examine how Filoni draws upon all aspects of Star Wars storytelling, including elements from the Original Trilogy, the Prequel Trilogy, and the Legends tales of the Expanded Universe, as well as more recent Star Wars productions. With Morgan Elsbeth confirming her connection to the Nightsisters, also known as the Witches of Dathomir – something we had speculated about after her initial appearance in The Mandalorian – we consider what Ahsoka may have to say about the Jedi, the Sith, individuals who are not-quite-Jedi or not-quite-Sith, and other ways Star Wars characters might perceive or wield the Force. This idea is especially interesting in light of Professor Huyang’s emphasis to Sabine Wren that, while she may not be strong in the Force, she can still train in and follow the ways of the Jedi. We conclude with some brief speculations, informed by footage from the trailer and teasers that did not appear in the premiere episodes, on how the story might unfold in the remaining six.
    The Ahsoka series premiered on Disney+ during the concurrent ongoing strikes against Disney and other major Hollywood studios by unions representing the writers (WGA) and actors (SAG-AFTRA) who are indispensable to their productions. Accordingly, neither Filoni nor any of the actors in Ahsoka could participate in promotional interviews or other marketing for the series (although they appear in material previously recorded, such as interviews at Star Wars Celebration in April, that is shared by Disney or entertainment journalists). Aside from its value in raising the visibility of the series to the prospective audience, such interviews with talent often provide fascinating insight into the storytelling process, characterization and motivations, and the themes and values underlying a series. We are disappointed that the studios have denied the talent the opportunity to participate in the excitement of the series launch, and the fans and audience the ability to share in their enthusiasm and learn from it, through their unwillingness to agree to reasonable terms relating to changing technology, shifts in production and distribution within the industry, and a fair sharing of billions of dollars in global profits with those who make those profits possible in the first place. Despite th

    • 1 hr 7 min

Customer Reviews

4.6 out of 5
13 Ratings

13 Ratings

MickeyMere ,

Deep dives into lore

Tricia and BJ help weave through the lore and pulling together citations from both legends and canon. The force guides their path as they find all the threads in the stories.

boooo1138675309 ,

Speculate responsibly

I honestly don’t know how Tricia hasn’t been blacklisted by Lucasfilm for the immature mean girl gossip she buys into and puts out there. It makes theorizing about show not fun anymore

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