Latest / Aggressive Negotiations: A Star Wars Podcast / Issue 352: Tribe

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Issue 352: Tribe · Aggressive Negotiations: A Star Wars Podcast

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We must be cautious. Welcome to the ned Palty. Hi, this is
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Nick and Ostasu, story editor on Star Wars, The Clone Wars and Star
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Wars bad Batch, and you are listening to aggressive negotiations. Welcome back to
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Aggressive Negotiations your Star Wars podcast here on the nerd Party Network. That is
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a little slice of Star Wars Heaven in a galaxy oh so large, as
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we explore every nook and cranny, and this week journey back to Kashik I
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am Jedi Master John Mills and joining me once more for a deep dive journey
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into a bad Batch. Season two episode is Revered Jedi Master Matthew Rushing.
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Matt, Are you ready to get a little Clone Wars with it this week?
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I am? And can you just pass a little bit more of that
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Wookie nog because that's really why I'm here. Well, Wookie nog is great
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to drink and to peel paint off of your car, but it's also extremely
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useful for keeping those spiders away, because I gotta tell you not a big
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fan of those things. Of course, what I am a fan of is
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people leaving us star ratings and reviews over on Apple Podcasts. If this is
1:19
the first time you've ever heard us ask for these reviews. Well, welcome
1:23
to the show, because I think this might be your first one. For
1:26
everybody else, if you haven't written us a rating and review, come on,
1:30
why it hurts you? Come on give us a rating and review.
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We'd really appreciate it. You, of course, can also interact with us
1:37
online at the Jedi Masters on Twitter and the nerd party dot com slash contact
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on your web browser, also accessible not just from desktop but from your mobile
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device. So, Matt, we are here, and we're getting deeper into
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season two and we've had some serious stuff going on. We've had a bit
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of a breather with Fee and now we have what I would say is another
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self contained episode, sort of a bridge story, a world building story,
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as we go with Tribe and we run across a Wookie Jedi as the Batch
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is conducting a deal for fake identity chips that the Robot Mafia apparently is involved
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in. Shout out to other Futurama fans that enjoy that, And I just
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wanted to get your feeling just right off the bat from you with this episode.
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Do you think that it's a bridge too far to bring back a character
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from the Clone Wars like Gungee or do you think that this is the right
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type of character to bring back from the Clone Wars? I mean, I
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love that we bring back this character personally, you know, I think that
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it's incredibly smart. You know, if we're going to run into a Jedi
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on the run, you know, I think you know, you could say
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it's small universe or everything, but I think the thing that makes it great
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and helpful. You know, when you're doing a show where you've got twenty
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you know, two minutes or whatever to tell the story, you know it
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is it is helpful to be able to use as much shorthand as you can,
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and so when you have this character, I think it's smart to use.
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The other thing I think that this does, though, is that you
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know, if you're coming into the Mad Batch and you know, this is
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your first time to watch the animated series, or maybe your kid and this
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is your first introduction, you know, this character showing up. If the
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way they talk about this character and Gungee and everything it's like, then you
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could be like, oh, maybe this character is and other things. You
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know, So I think it's it's kind of the perfect way to honor what
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came in the past. Of course, give fans that that moment of seeing
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that character again. You know, well, I think every fan, I
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think, is always kind of wondering, you know, as we get into
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this time period, who survived, right? You know who made it?
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And you know, this answers one of those questions about a character that I
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think a lot of people gravitated towards. Who doesn't love wookies and so all
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of it is really well done. And I was I remember watching this episode
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the first time, and all of those feelings kind of came back as I
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was watching the episode again that I just kind of jumped out of my seat,
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you know, being excited for the fact that this character was back.
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And so did you feel that way? Were you glad that they had brought
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Gunji back or did you feel as though you know, it was a step
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too far? No, I think I very squarely fall into the same camp
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that you do. In fact, I would say that Gungjie is obscure enough
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quote unquote in the sense that you and I or anybody watching the Clone Wars
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we see Gungee and I mean for me, I wasn't sure it was.
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I was like Gungee Gut Like. It took me a minute. I was
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like, ah, geez, where okay, I know the name. It's
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not like the type of character where I would assign any small world thinking,
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small world thinking to me as they run across Canaan Sure, or you bring
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in obi Wan at this early stage and it's like, oh, right,
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I served with Anakin scutt like it's it's one of those things where it's like,
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this is the right way to get back into the idea that the Jedi
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didn't all disappear at the end. Additionally, I think that Gungie is an
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incredibly appropriate character because of the way they relate him to Omega. Specifically,
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they call out that Omega didn't have a real childhood, and then it casts
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into stark relief that neither did the Potawans. Yeah, and maybe that was
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a failing of the Jedi as well, is that it didn't let these people
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fully be people when they were children. Right, there's something to be said
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about that. We've talked about that with Luke's upbringing versus Anakin's upbringing. Luke
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is raised in basically a family instead of a you know, a didactic order
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that you know is dogmatic as well according to some But I think that my
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question though, would be is it too convenient they run across Gungee? Is
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it something where this organically grows in? Or do you think that this should
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have been a two parter that evolved into everything? Like basically, is there
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too much for twenty two minutes in here? Should this have been two episodes?
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Or is one episode enough? I thought that it felt pretty organic and
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and one of the things that that jumped out at me as I was watching
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it this time is the way in which this lets you know that the people
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that SID are working with, uh and and the people that they're going on
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these missions for aren't great people. And I think that's a this isn't that
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it's a very subtle thing and you have to be thinking about it, But
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to see that these are the type of the people that they're going on these
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missions for on the behest of SID, it's like, well, yeah,
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this is this is a bad look when they're trading in you know, human
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trafficking or not human trafficking, but you know what I mean, Oh,
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it's essentially that. And so I think I think that that's the thing that
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really works for me about this episode, and why the connection there I think
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works and why I don't think it's too much, uh, And I think,
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you know, the beauty is that it also builds upon things that we
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saw in the Clone Wars, where you know, the fight between the Transosians
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and the Wookies, their hatred for one another, and you know, the
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Trandosians using the Empire as their ability to go after you know, the Wookies.
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So to me, it's like everything about this episode works together really well
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so that I don't feel like anything is really out of left field in that.
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And yeah, I just I mean what I have loved maybe for it
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to be a two parter, just because spending time on Kashik with Gungji and
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the Wookies was awesome, which it was. That's that's the only reason.
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I think this episode just leads me wanting more of those characters and in that
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place more so than me feeling like the story like needed it well where I
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would have wanted to wanted it to breathe. And this is not a knock
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on the episode, but it's it more speaks to the world building aspect of
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it is we encounter Trandosans, we already know their scumbags. Uh, obviously
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you can't say every Trando, you know, the ones we encounter who do
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these terrible things. We've encountered Trandosans in this line of work before. Sure.
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I mean the fact that we into only met scumbag Trandosians, you know,
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it speaks to that. But you know, well, you know,
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I think Bosk is probably the best of the bunch so far. Which is
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this is true. It is a true statement, but it is it's a
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statement, you know. But but it's also one of those things where the
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Empire. This clearly establishes that the Empire just goes along with it. The
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Empire literally doesn't care. But also the Clone troopers are there that the Empire
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is using to assist the Transosans. However, it really also underlines the sudden
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reversal of fortune, the sudden betrayal of the Wookies by the Clones, because
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yes, that was one of the things that happened in Revenge of the Sith
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is they're fighting side by side, Order sixty six comes down and all of
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a sudden, the Wookies are their enemies, and it's like, when did
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that happen? Right? Order sixty six apparently wasn't just triggering kill all the
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Jedi. It was like, oh yeah, no, the Wookies now they're
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slaves what you know? That that sort of thing, and I think that
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that is the thing that I would have loved to spend more time with.
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Sure, I don't know how you go about that though, right, because
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you could sort of have an enemy mind thing where one of the bats gets
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paired off with one of the regular Service Clone troopers and they have that sort
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of conversation. But this isn't really the arena for it. You know.
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It's one of those things where you lose focus in the episode then, so
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I think to go to episodes it might have gotten a little too slow.
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So it's like, I think this is one of those ones where there's a
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lot of great stuff. Maybe another five minutes. You know, if they'd
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said, let's do a longer episode, I probably would have been completely down
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with that. But it's just because there's so much stuff that I'd love to
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underpack. I can totally see that. And you know, I think what
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you were saying is one hundred percent corrects, And this is the genius I
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think of the team for the bad Batch and just you know, Star Wars
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animation from the Clone Wars to Tales of the Jedi and of course Rebels,
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is that they really did feel they really did figure out this way to craft
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stories and always be asking the question what do we need and what don't we
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need? You know? And I think this is an episode that clearly shows
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you just how good they are at editing the story to the point where you're
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getting everything you need in the episode and nothing that you don't, and that
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takes obviously a ton of skill to be able to pull off. And I
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think that the beauty then is you're in that place where you're kind of like
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I am, just kind of left wanting more. And that's a great place
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to leave the audience, you know, because then you have the ability,
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if it ever comes up later, to return there, and you have a
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reason to return there because you also know that fans would be interested in doing
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that as long as it is good for the story that you're telling. So,
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you know, I think that's the thing here that is always exciting to
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me, because again I think this's go back to your original question building on
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the Clone Wars right, well, Gungeee's an interesting character. The Wookies themselves
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are interesting characters. You know, we knew and if you've you know,
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done any research, you know Dave had talked about, you know, future
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episodes of the Clone Wars that if they had gone longer, they would have
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returned to Kashik and so there are some designs here that they would have used
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there as well. So everything you know, George is always big on never
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throwing anything away because you never knew when you might use it. In the
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animation department, it's just continuing to live up to that Lucasian way of storytelling,
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which is, if it doesn't work here, put it in the archives,
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because we might pull that out and use it again. And I think
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that's the joy of again what we've been talking about, the kind of going
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around in circles, I guess, but it's it's so well done. Like
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I just as we're talking about it, I'm just really appreciating how tight the
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storytelling is and the fact that instead of being left where I'm like I don't
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really need to see that again, I'm more in the camp of I want
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to see more of that. Well, it's more along the lines in all
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honesty of this is the reason that shows like this, And I know people
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cringe and they roll their eyes. But it's the reason shows like this that
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filony or some of the other long term crew. This is why quote unquote
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feels like Star Wars because a discarded Star Wars idea from years ago is still
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a quote unquote Star Wars idea. It has that air of authenticity that it
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came out of that general wellspring. Now that doesn't mean that there can't be
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new Star Wars ideas that are valid, but especially when you're putting yourself in
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a time period where it is extremely vital, Like if you make a series
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you know that's set two hundred years before the Phantom Menace, I think you
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have a little more freedom to be a little weirder. But if you go
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like you have to have, you don't have to have I'm sort of overstating,
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but you know what I'm saying here. It gives it that air of
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authenticity because it's an idea that would have worked in one of the stories we
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saw previously, but instead it's being used here. And that's that tie.
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Now in terms of ideas that come back is in episode three, Kashik didn't
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have a chance to shine for its reputed expanded universe trove of horrific monsters that
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lived on it, where basically we found out that wookies basically survived because they
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lived higher than other creatures sort of thing. And you didn't go down into
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the jungle if you could help it. The spiders or spider scorpion thing,
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ease, whatever you want to call those horrific creatures that live in the webs.
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Very Lord of the Rings with you know, there's a lot of the
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story that's very Lord of the Rings. But I got to ask you,
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would you be able to avoid shooting at them? Because when Gunji's like,
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no, no, it's cool, just don't threaten them, would you be
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able to not threaten them? You know? The thing that I came away
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from this episode with was a few things, but specifically here I think the
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beauty of this was and it's one of the allusions to the Lord of the
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Rings, which is the elves and the way in which the elves are so
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connected with nature and they build their houses inside of the trees, right,
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and they build their houses, you know, like in Rivendell, it's built
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in harmony with nature. And so what we see here is that you have
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the wookies who live in harmony with the world that they inhabit, right,
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you know that they you know, have this religion and built around the trees,
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which you know again then also connects with the larger star wars mythos of
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that the force binds the galaxy together, that it's in the rock, the
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tree, you know, and so all of these things I think fit together
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so beautifully. And then on top of that, you're reminded, then this
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is Ahsoka's this is Omega's first experience really with the spiritual in this way.
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Ah yep, that's true. And so that there's that beautiful moment you know
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at the end where you know, she and Gungjie are are touching the tree
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and having that moment of meditation, and it's just an incredible reminder that this
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is another thing that's been taken away from Omega. She has never been able
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to experience this whole other side of life, and it takes what a Jedi
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to show that to her, right, which is what the Jedi did for
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the rest of the Clones, is to show them that there was a whole
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other side of life. You know. I like that basically that's a doorway
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and it goes all the way back to the start of the episode when they
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encounter Gungie for the first time. Is it's really fascinating to watch. There's
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no questioning, there's no oh, Omega, we can't put ourselves on the
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line. The minute that they see a Jedi, these clones, they go
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back to their original programming for lack of a better term, They're immediately they
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immediately fall in line in terms of like, Okay, we're working with the
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Jedi because it's just one of it's a default setting that they have because that's
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that's the way it was, you know, they were raised to be as
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it were, And I just I thought that was a really nice touch.
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But I actually want to get back to the robot mafia. It can go
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poorly for some people, like when Mandalorian season three had sort of that robot
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subculture on that on Lizzo Planet, I talked with people that they really rejected
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that, they really hated it. I did not hate it. I love
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it when Star Wars gets a little weird like that. Yeah, I thought
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it was cool too. Okay, but did you have the same sort of
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reaction here with our robot underworld sort of thing. I mean, you know,
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I didn't have a problem with it, mainly because too. I mean
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when you think about, yeah, we've seen droids right that are bounty hunters
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with the IG series, and you know, I think with Solo with L
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three kind of opening the door for our understanding of droids. And I mean
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the thing about those droids and droids in general in Star Wars is they've always
20:08
had big personalities, you know, They've always felt like real characters. You
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know, even though yes, they are tools, there's still something that makes
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them feel almost sentient, right. You know, nobody would argue I don't
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think that R two D two isn't a person, you know, like he
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just feels like a person, right, And so does C three Po.
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For all of his frustrating tendencies. You know, these characters, you're a
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three PO bashing young man, but they feel like characters, right, They
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feel like as legitimate of characters in this universe as anybody else. And so
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I don't have an issue with that, And I think that it does create
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a lot of fun for them to be able to play with it, and
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I don't think that they've ever really taken it so far where I think,
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if anything, I think L three probably pushes the boundaries as far as I'd
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like to see them go otherwise, though, I you know, I enjoy
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when they have you know, Droids is the bad guys or you know Droids
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is the good guys. Like I mean, it comes back to me thinking
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of you know, K two in Rogue one. What a great character,
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right, and and when he gives his life for Cassie and Gin in that
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moment, you know, it's one of the tear inducing moments of that film
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and so and it's a droid, right, So I mean, I just
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think that speaks to the power of really well written characters, regardless of quote
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unquote kind of who they are, as long as you write it, well,
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I'm gonna care about I'm going to feel for them, and I'm going
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to empathize with them. Well, I mean, for me, it's also
22:04
an extension of the fact that it's like I'm willing to entertain that they're walking
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around lizard people that aren't just in the Earth government, but also you have
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like giant shaggy dogs literally going around and yeah, this is not just an
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episode of v you know, right, yeah, exactly exactly look up the
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lizard people. But I think that the biggest thing with this episode is where
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I want to get sort of like a final thought from you, is you
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have to flip a coin between a slightly lighter episode like faster and a slightly
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more mythology connected episode because you got a Jedi in it with the tribe.
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In terms of self contained episodes, where are you falling on this season?
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Which one would would edge the other out in terms of how you'd like to
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see these bottle episodes operate? I mean, I I think that most people
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will not be surprised to hear me say that an episode with a Jedi is
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going to win out. You know. I I love Jedi in general in
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Star Wars. They're they're you know, I think, probably my favorite part
23:18
of the series, and so to have that in this episode is something that
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I loved. I also, though, will say that I do think it
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just kind of it's whatever my mood is, you know, and there are
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times where you know you do just need something lighter. It's the reason why,
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you know, am I going to turn on an episode of Parks and
23:45
rec Or am I going to turn on an episode of Game of Thrones or
23:48
something you know of that ilk right, It's like, well, It just
23:52
kind of depends on my mood. Sometimes I just need to laugh. I
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need something light and funny and silly and poignant all at the same time.
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And sometimes I want something like more intense, and so the beauty of the
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I think what they do with these Star Wars animated series episodes is that they
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also give you the opportunity to have episodes of all different kinds to choose from,
24:18
and I think that's really wise. You know, you need the ups
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and downs in a season, you know, the highs and the lows,
24:27
the serious and the fun and so yeah, I probably would lean towards a
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tribe, but again, you know, I just might be in the mood
24:38
for something a little bit sillier and or more you know this lighthearted, and
24:45
so that could have a big impact on what I choose. So which way
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would you end up going with that? I mean, I'm pretty much in
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the same camp. I The one thing that makes Faster edge out for me
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is that at it doesn't feel like there should have been a little bit more,
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which again it is sort of like a bass ackwards way for me to
25:08
compliment how much is in this episode. But also I loved the the the
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racing droid from Faster. Now that character can tell me yeah, I loved
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him, and I don't have that here, Like I don't walk away with
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a character. Like even in Entombed, I get time with Fee and that
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advances that as well. But I love seeing Jedi, so it's like,
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there's no bad choice here, Like you're saying it all depends on mood.
25:41
But my default setting puts me with Faster because it's really tight and it's really
25:48
self contained, and it has a new character and not just the droid,
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but I forget it's the big mob boss guy that's threatening Sid. That guy's
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interesting to you know, like I don't have have somebody like that to hook
26:00
onto in this that's a main antagonist or side character that tickles my fancy the
26:07
same way. Again, love the episode. I'm just talking about default settings,
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so you know that's where I end up. But speaking of default settings,
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people have to be able to program in. Where else they can find
26:22
you online, Jedi Master Rushing, where else can they find you? Well?
26:29
I can be found all over social media under the name Matt Rushing zero
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two. Of course here on the network you'll find me doing a completed show
26:36
with dre Kaufman, as we talked about every single chapter the Harry Potter series.
26:40
Over on the TFM Network, you'll find me on the six or two
26:42
Club talking about all of the franchises that we love. Outside of the Star
26:47
Trek, you'll find me also doing the orb Warp five, the Artificial Tango
26:52
and Saddle Up. And then that means, after all of that, John,
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where can people find you? Well, the real question is the one
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place they will never find me is anywhere with weird spider scorpion creature thingies like
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on kashik because yeah, that's not ending well, either they're all dying or
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I'm dying. It's not going to be peaceful. But you can find me
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as Cassel Junkie k E S s E l j U n ki E,
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or you can find me also here on the network co hosting a show called
27:26
house Lights that I co host with Tristan Riddell and Darren Moser, where we
27:30
talk about the films of different directors by different criteria to delight and amaze everybody
27:37
as we discuss film. But speaking of delightful and amazing, there is actually
27:44
some wookie nog available for us. Back at the Temple, So Master Rushing,
27:48
I think it's time to close these negotiations. John, negotiations are closed.
28:02
Join the Revolution, Join the Nerd Party.