How much power does the First Order actually have, and how much is projection? (And does it even matter?)These are the central questions of our recap of the final Star Wars: Resistance episodes before Episode VII, The Force Awakens: “The New Trooper” and “The Core Problem” (Season 1, Episodes 16–17).We try to understand the shape of the First Order, the scope of their power, and how much influence they have based on fear and intimidation vs. actual military force. We also wonder how many First Order troops are true believers, and how many have been indoctrinated to the cause.Want more Growing Up Skywalker? This is a great time to sign up for our Patreon for bonus audio content! We’re beginning The Ninth Jedi coverage next week.Timestamps:00:00:00 Who Are We?00:04:36 Plot Summary00:11:40 Power versus Power Projection00:43:14 First Order Reconditioning00:52:50 Bae Watch01:02:43 Closing Thoughts

Slowly at first, then all at once, the First Order is taking over the Colossus.In our first and only triple-header of Season 1 of Resistance, we cover "Dangerous Business," “The Doza Dilemma” and "The First Order Occupation” (Episodes 13–15) so we can parse the speed of the First Order occupation. But do they want the Colossus as a toehold into the wider Republic, or as a weapons manufacturing plant?We also wonder if Captain Doza ever had a plan to combat the pirates or the First Order, and try to understand Synara through the lens of order vs. freedom.Want more Growing Up Skywalker? This is a great time to sign up for our Patreon for bonus audio content!Timestamps:00:00:00 Who Are We?00:02:30 Plot Summary00:11:00 The Speed of First Order Occupation00:24:33 Did Doza Have a Plan?00:40:22 Synara and the Order vs. Freedom Calculus00:50:17 Bae Watch00:57:08 Closing Thoughts

Poe Dameron is a big dang hero and has been since he was about 18 months old. That’s all.In this week’s episode, “Station Theta Black” and “Bipo” (Resistance Season 1, Episodes 11–12), we dig into Poe Dameron’s past as a swashbuckling Rebel-style hero of old, and how he represents the Rebellion within the Resistance.We also sing the praises of General Leia Organa and parse the nefarious thorniness of the First Order’s weapons manufacturing scheme. Finally, we nail down why “Bipo” isn’t just a filler episode—and how we can all lean into our own personal revolution.Want more Growing Up Skywalker? This is a great time to sign up for our Patreon for bonus audio content!Timestamps:00:00:00 Who Are We?00:01:49 Plot Summary00:11:57 Poe Dameron Is a Big Dang Hero00:21:15 First Order Weapons Manufacturing00:31:26 General Leia Organa00:36:40 Bipo and Personal Revolution00:51:13 Bae Watch00:57:43 Closing Thoughts

How far will you go to forgive someone? What if they’re family? What if they’re also your former enemy?In "The Platform Classic" and "Secrets and Holograms” (Resistance Season 1, Episodes 9–10), we talk about the limits of love and loyalty when it comes to family: for Jarek Yeager and his brother, Marcus Speedstar, but also for Captain Doza and his daughter, Ace pilot Torra.We discuss the downsizing of the New Republic military after it deemed the Imperial threat to be over, and Doza’s overtures to the First Order. We also wonder whether Yeager (or Doza!) could be a First Order spy…or maybe even a sleeper agent of the Resistance. Come for the thrilling flying sequences and stay for the drama. Seeing Yeager fly for the first time is just as delightful as being completely charmed by Torra Doza.Want more Growing Up Skywalker? This is a great time to sign up for our Patreon for bonus audio content!Timestamps:00:00:00 Who Are We?00:02:20 Plot Summary00:11:06 Yeager, Marcus, and Family Forgiveness00:22:09 Downsizing the New Republic Military00:29:15 Doza, Yeager, and Spyhood00:47:45 Torra and Her Dad00:55:39 Bae Watch01:00:38 Closing Thoughts

The sibilances are strong in this week’s episodes. And so are Synara’s pirating powers.In “Signal From Sector Six” and “Synara’s Score” (Resistance Season 1, Episodes 5–6), we dive deep into Doza’s dilemma on the Colossus: Invite the First Order into the fold, or let them take over his colony by proxy? We tackle this question, and the question of the Resistance’s role in the galaxy, through the lens of the social contractWe also talk about Yeager as a Resistance hero, Synara as a spy queen, and the budding droid romance (?!) sparking between BB-8 and CB-23. The stakes are rising for our favorite space-race + spy show mashup!Want more Growing Up Skywalker? This is a great time to sign up for our Patreon for bonus audio content!Timestamps:00:00:00 Who Are We?00:02:52 Plot Summary00:10:56 Doza’s Dilemma00:18:12 Yeager As Resistance Hero00:22:38 Synara Is a Spy Queen00:28:40 The Social Contract and the Resistance’s Dilemma 00:44:43 Budding Droid Romance?!00:49:38 Bae Watch00:56:34 Closing Thoughts

Well, the madcap adventures of Team Fireball were delightful while they lasted. But there’s a new sheriff in town, and their name is the First Order.The Star Wars: Resistance episodes of the week—"The High Tower" and "Children of Tehar” (Season 1, Episodes 5–6)—introduce Kylo Ren and Captain Doza, and give Captain Phasma and Major Vonreg time in the spotlight. And they pull no punches…especially when we discover The First Order is doing genocide purely to hide the bodies. Even the delightful sequences of Kaz running like a noodle with a torso don’t really bring light to these dark times.In our recap, we talk about classism on the Colossus, what about the First Order, and how the relationships of the characters might blossom. Big heart eyes for the Chelidae, btw.Join us next week for Episodes 6–7, "Signal from Sector Six" and "Synara's Score.”Want more Growing Up Skywalker? This is a great time to sign up for our Patreon for bonus audio content!Timestamps:00:00:00 Who Are We?00:02:21 Plot Summary00:13:59 Classism and Economics on the Colossus00:26:00 Kylo Ren and Tehar00:28:25 The Colors of The First Order00:43:29 Bae Watch00:49:42 Closing Thoughts

The madcap adventures of the Team Fireball continue! In the third and fourth episodes of Star Wars: Resistance (The Triple Dark + Fuel for the Fire), Kaz is struggling with double duty and managing to fail forward—and sometimes backwards—on everything. In this week’s episode, we talk about how fitting in is hard for Kaz, but being a good person seems to come easy. We speculate on Yeager’s backstory as a Rebel hero, threats to the Colossus, and how the First Order is maneuvering to establish a foothold in the galaxy.Join us next week for episodes 4–5, "The High Tower" and "Children of Tehar.”Timestamps:00:00:00 Who Are We?00:01:57 Plot Summary00:10:29 Threats to the Colossus 00:17:03 Kaz’s Struggle00:30:11 Yeager, Former Rebel Hero00:37:14 The Colossus00:51:10 Bae Watch00:59:14 Closing ThoughtsWant more Growing Up Skywalker? This is a great time to sign up for our Patreon for bonus audio content!

The biggest time jump in Growing Up Skywalker history! This week, we flash forward to ABY 34. Everyone we know and love is 20 years older, and a new story is rising in the Outer Rim…the story of the First Order and the Resistance. We dive into galaxy-spanning politics like how, exactly, the New Republic came to need a Resistance wing and which Imperial remnants we think became part of the First Order. We also name Resistance a spiritual successor to Rebels, discuss Kaz’s spectacular penchant for bad first impressions, and question whether his dad, the beyond-bad Senator Xiono, could possibly be a First Order mole.We had so much to talk about we also recorded a 45-minute “leftovers” episode on Patreon. Check it out!Timestamps:00:00:00 Who Are We?00:03:23 Plot Summary00:11:25 First Impressions00:16:54 A Spiritual Successor to Rebels00:21:18 What is the Resistance? What is the First Order?00:45:48 Is Senator Xiono a Mole?00:55:52 Bae Watch01:01:34 Closing ThoughtsWant more Growing Up Skywalker? This is a great time to sign up for our Patreon for bonus audio content!

All good things must come to an end—including our Mandalorian and Grogu coverage.This week, we’re picking up the second half of The Mandalorian and Grogu with Embo’s assault on the Nevarro cabin. Along the way, we listen for echoes of Star Wars past, from callbacks to Yoda on Dagobah to memories of Boba Fett’s takeover on Tatooine. We discuss the Hutt succession plan (or lack thereof?!) and wonder how the New Republic plans to fill a massive power vacuum in the Outer Rim. Finally, we consider that the Mandalorian and Grogu’s efforts on Nal Hutta may inspire a new wave of young heroes.Next week, join us for the premiere of Star Wars: Resistance!Timestamps:00:00:00 Who Are We?00:03:36 Plot Summary00:16:28 Echoes of Star Wars Past00:24:38 The Hutt Succession Plan, Or Lack Thereof00:46:57 A New Wave of Heroism00:58:02 Bae Watch01:05:47 Closing ThoughtsWant more Growing Up Skywalker? This is a great time to sign up for our Patreon for bonus audio content!

Movie tickets? Bought. Notebooks? Out. Butts? In seats. The Mandalorian and Grogu was the first theatrical release we had the opportunity to see during Growing Up Skywalker’s run—and what a joy it was to see Star Wars on the big screen!This week, we’re covering the first half of the movie, from opening credits to Embo’s first appearance, and parsing themes of fatherhood, masculinity, and bread-and-circus blood sports. We discuss the strategic importance of this movie in giving movie-only fans a taste of the New Republic in its heyday. We also sing the praises of Rotta the Hutt (he who paints arenas with blood and sets the stage for a classic Mandalorian-style romp) and Zeb, who is only getting better with age.Next week, join us for the back half of The Mandalorian & Grogu!Timestamps:00:00:00 Who Are We?00:02:45 Plot Summary00:13:15 The New Republic and Subcontractor Reliance00:31:13 We Have Heart Eyes For Rotta the Hutt00:50:32 Zeb!00:57:43 Bae Watch01:04:03 Closing ThoughtsWant more Growing Up Skywalker? This is a great time to sign up for our Patreon for bonus audio content!