69 episodes

A Star Wars speculation podcast, where we “Look For News in Alderaan Places!” Head to a galaxy far, far away and jump straight down the garbage chute for the latest news and rumors from the Star Wars Universe. We'll do anything to get a scoop, even make it up! And that's not all - we've got Indy Inquiry and Willow Watch, our segments dedicated to Indiana Jones and the Lucasfilm fantasy epic, Willow!
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State of the Empire: A Lucasfilm Podcast The Nerdy Show Network

    • TV & Film
    • 5.0 • 42 Ratings

A Star Wars speculation podcast, where we “Look For News in Alderaan Places!” Head to a galaxy far, far away and jump straight down the garbage chute for the latest news and rumors from the Star Wars Universe. We'll do anything to get a scoop, even make it up! And that's not all - we've got Indy Inquiry and Willow Watch, our segments dedicated to Indiana Jones and the Lucasfilm fantasy epic, Willow!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Come to Our Willow Screening! NC Comicon - Nov 9th

    Come to Our Willow Screening! NC Comicon - Nov 9th

    We're hosting a Willow screening! Come see the Lucasfilm classic at North Carolina Comicon November 9th.We're hosting a panel beforehand that'll give you a look behind the magic to make this special screening an Expanded Experience. The screening also features a limited edition Willow print by artist Tommy Lee Edwards. Join us for this live Willow Watch experience Friday, November 9th in Durham, NC. Panel at 6, screening at 7.
    North Carolina Comicon: http://nccomicon.com/bull-city/tickets/
    The LA screening with Ron Howard and Bob Dolman (Oct, 21st): http://bit.ly/2NVmW5d
    Tommy Lee Edwards' Print: http://bit.ly/2S1vnuu
    The Call of Cthulhu Mystery Program: http://cthulhumystery.com

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    • 5 min
    Star Wars Resistance Recap :: Series Debut - "The Recruit" Parts 1 & 2

    Star Wars Resistance Recap :: Series Debut - "The Recruit" Parts 1 & 2

    In the Disney era of Star Wars, the movies might have the center stage, but when it comes to expanding the universe, the real action is happening in animation. Star Wars Rebels enhanced and bridged the history of the Original Trilogy and the Prequels in fascinating and validating ways, and even re-shaped and the nature of The Force itself. Rebels might've been a "kids show", but as the series matured, it carried itself with an all-ages candor that won over the hearts of even the staunchest detractors. Now the Lucasfilm animation department has shifted gears and are taking on a whole new time period - one in desperate need of deeper storytelling: The New Trilogy.
    Star Wars Resistance takes place just before the events of The Force Awakens and sees Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron recruiting a young pilot into a life of spying in Leia's Army. Main character Kaz Xiono has to navigate an outer rim outpost filled with the raddest racers this side of Mon Gazza Speedway. It's a character driven, high octane ride that's a ton of fun right out the gate and here on State of the Empire you can look forward to our episode-by-episode Resistance recaps.
    Listen in to our spoiler-free podcast on the two part debut, "The Recruit" - hear our hot takes on Kazuda and co. and how far we think this series could go in exploring and improving the modern era of Star Wars stories.
    Star Wars Resistance's two-part debut hits Disney Channel this Sunday at 10PM EST, with future episodes Sundays on Disney XD.
    For links and more info, head to the main episode page:
    http://consequenceofsound.net/2018/10/star-wars-resistances-series-premiere

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    • 36 min
    Episode 60 :: Twice Upon a Time: Lucasfilm's '83 Animated Feature

    Episode 60 :: Twice Upon a Time: Lucasfilm's '83 Animated Feature

    This episode of State of the Empire widens our lens to the rest of Lucasfilm and examines how the innovative production company shaped the world of film as we know it, even through now-forgotten features.
    1983, same year The Star Wars Saga ended, a very different kind of Lucasfilm hit select theaters. Twice Upon a Time, directed by John Korty and Charles Swenson, is an animated feature the likes of which you've never seen before. Using a unique rear-lit animation style called "lumage" and myriad mixed media techniques, the fractured fairytale stumbles its way through its narrative while sticking the landing on startling and uncanny visuals.
    Twice Upon a Time might be off-the-beaten-path, but it casts a long shadow. Join Cap, Doug, and Matt for a journey to "a place so far out, you’ll never, never land" and discover how this Lucas-backed project served as an incubator for talents behind A Nightmare Before Christmas, Pixar, a young David Fincher, the music of Bruce Hornsby, and some Michael McDonald-produced Yacht Rock.
    And hey, if you're looking for our trademark Star Wars speculation, never fear - we've got a hot take on who Keri Russell is playing in Episode IX that'll really Teek-le your fancy.
    For links and more info, head to the main episode page:
    http://consequenceofsound.net/2018/09/lucasfilms-animated-feature-twice-upon-a-time



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    • 1 hr 6 min
    Episode 59 :: Episode IX Leaks and the Phantom Menace of Fake News

    Episode 59 :: Episode IX Leaks and the Phantom Menace of Fake News

    Filming for Star Wars: Episode IX has begun and already the leaks are pouring in... but can they be trusted? Sure, there's some exciting and authentic on-set photos that have found their way onto the internet, but moreso there's more fan theories and uninformed conjecture posing as "journalism" than ever before. Here on State of the Empire, we celebrate "looking for news in Alderaan places", but our crackpot theories are always to be taken with a modicum of spice! Join us as we pick through an Ord Mantell-sized pile of garbage, dig up the sordid history of Star Wars fake news, and share what's really going on with JJ Abrams' forthcoming feature.

    We also discuss the possible focus of Jon Favreau's forthcoming streaming live action Star Wars TV series, the ties it may have to The Clone Wars, our first takes on seeing the animated series Star Wars Resistance in action, an Original Trilogy era romance that came to Cap in a dream, and a tome of bygone Willow fandom on the deep web.

    For links and more info, head to the main episode page:
    http://consequenceofsound.net/2018/08/star-wars-episode-ix-leaks-and-the-phantom-menace-of-fake-news

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    • 1 hr 9 min
    Willow Watch :: Episode 4 :: Early Scripts & Roads Not Taken

    Willow Watch :: Episode 4 :: Early Scripts & Roads Not Taken

    This may be a show about Willow, but we're starting to feel like Indiana Jones the way we're unearthing all these forgotten artifacts from the film's past. We've regaled you with tales from the Willow expanded universe, which we suspected were based on unused sequences from the film. We've discovered production notes hinting as drastically different scenes... and now we've found the tome that answers all our questions and pieces our crackpot theories together: a first draft, third revision script of Willow.

    Brace yourselves for elves that steal baby tears, inflatable crabs, man-beast troopers, a romantic rivalry between Madmartigan and Kael - and that's just for starters. We use a hitherto unknown Willow young readers film adaption by Hugo-winning author Joan D. Vinge to help us determine which draft of the script the entire Willow expanded universe was based off of. Then we explore the very divergent roads not taken in this early Willow script - specifically a "selling draft" used to secure finances for the film. Find out what would happen if Willow was sent alone to the crossroads, discover the truth behind Moebius' "King Kael" illustration, and just what was that stinky spell Willow was making?

    Through our Willow archeology, we're not just uncovering the untold history of one of the most beloved fantasy films of all-time, we're also gleaning an unparalleled look into the Lucasfilm franchise machine in its prime.

    For links and more info, head to the main episode page:
    http://consequenceofsound.net/2018/08/george-lucas-willow-early-drafts/ 

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    • 1 hr 39 min
    Episode 58 :: The Journey to Episode IX Begins

    Episode 58 :: The Journey to Episode IX Begins

    The filming of the final movie in the Skywalker Saga is upon us, and with it is the cast announcement of all the old faces returning and new editions to galaxy far, far away. The results are more revealing that we'd expect - including two confirmed rumors, a Force ghost, a loose plot thread we didn't think was gonna get tied up, and a surprise posthumous appearance of Carrie Fisher. Will any of our Episode IX theories come to pass, or will they just end up being a "story for another time?"

    We're excited for the forthcoming release of the new animated series Star Wars Resistance, and even have some leaked details to share, but we were floored at the recent announcement that The Clone Wars is coming back. It's an episode of surprising returns, including another installment of Indy Inquiry, where we dredge up unused Indiana Jones scripts so we can guess where the series might head next. What parts of the Crystal Skull-heavy "Indiana Jones and the Saucermen From Mars" will make it into the next adventure? Will Gary Fisher be mo-capped for Episode IX? What previously-unknown Willow treasure did we find? Unlike Maz Kanata, we're not gonna leave you hanging.
    For links and more info, head to the main episode page:
    http://consequenceofsound.net/2018/07/the-journey-to-star-wars-episode-ix-begins

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    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 1 hr 19 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
42 Ratings

42 Ratings

DMark76 ,

So fun to listen to the older ones!

This is the web's best Star Wars podcast. I found it quite late and didn't start listening until around the time that Solo came out and I have HAD A BLAST starting at the beginning and listening to these guys geek out about Star Wars. It has been so fun to listen to the podcasts knowing what already happened and hearing their crazy theories! Sometimes I laugh at how ludicrously wrong they are and then just a minute later I marvel at how accurate their rumors, second hand info, and personal theories prove to be. Also, as a fan who never paid much attention to the EU (old or new) it has allowed me to fill in a lot of the gaps in my knowledge of the broader Star Wars universe. Plus, Willow Watch is pretty gangsta too!

TheOnlyN33b ,

A great critcal and emotional conversation that tries to include any and all opnions.

I found State of the Empire about 2 months ago and it has been such an amazing journey to hear the hopes and visions that this team has about the franchise. There is still more for me to get through as I'm only just finishing up episode 45, but I had to finally break down and leave a comment. The first chunk of this podcast I have found myself siding with Matt on most arguments and it feels good to hear his opinions on the Prequels and The Clone Wars. In recent episodes, as we got to The Last Jedi and the thoughts about it, I have been on Doug's side of the studio though and find that we seem to have come to very similar conclusions in a lot of parts. Obviously, the movie has its flaws, but overall I enjoyed the movie and it is amazing to hear the arguments and opinions coming through without a bunch of yelling and name calling. This podcast does such an amazing job of sifting out the best things to come out of the multi-faceted media machine that is the current Disney run Lucasfilm, while being critical of the flops. There are times that I feel some of the ideas and opinions are wrong, or overly critical, but it is what they are here to do. Hearing true fans of the serious, debate over the smallest and largest parts of this franchise is so much fun and I'm afraid of catching up to the current episodes because then I will have to wait with everyone else for my news.

PS. I am planning on buying a copy of Willow soon and finally seeing it. Somehow this movie has avoided my radar until the podcast and I find myself being overjoyed every time I hear the "Willow" soundbyte and music. I skipped the first all Willow Watch episode because I feared for too many spoilers before seeing it, but the Willow Watch segment has become one of the best parts of the show, and I always enjoy hearing Doug tell stories from that old source book.

coryyyyyyyyyyy ,

A must for all Star Wars fans!

Haven’t missed an episode of this podcast since I discovered it around episode 20 and I must admit, this review is well over do. This group of three well studied, charismatic Lucas Films super fans (Cap, Matt and Doug) have yet to disappoint. Through this podcast you will get thorough breakdowns and intelligent discussions on all things Star Wars. And when the news on the Star Wars front gets a little slow, they break down the broader world of Lucas Films including the always intriguing “Willow Watch”, and “Indi inquiries”. However, it’s not always about breaking down current news, rumors and content. Some of their best stuff is reading early drafts of movie scripts that wound up on the cutting rooms floor. And finally, one of the best features of this podcast is that Cap, Doug and Matt are careful to take what they consider spoilers and secure them “behind the blast doors” until the end of the show. Cannot recommend this show enough!!!

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