Double double…We’ve got two master/apprentice pairs mixing up all kinds of mischief in Ahsoka’s second installment, “Toil and Trouble.”

As a show, Ahsoka is not catering to newbies. And this episode, we’re diving into the deep lore of Darths (Revan, Traya, and Sion) and galaxies (the Star Wars galaxy, and one that is yet to be named).

We’re also spending a LOT of time on this show’s fascinating baddies. Thrawn lingers over the galaxy, calling out over space and time, even as Ahsoka is drawn back into the life of the Spectres, and Sabine faces up to her own shortcomings.

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Timestamps:

00:00:00 Who Are We?

00:03:36 Plot Summary

00:10:50 Deep Lore of Darths and Galaxies

00:24:56 The Baddies

00:43:27 Ahsoka, Sabine, and the Spectres

00:55:20 Bae Watch

01:02:24 Closing Thoughts

Not all villains are this impeccably dressed. But Ahsoka introduces some incredibly dapper baddies.

In “Part One: Master and Apprentice,” we catch up with General Syndulla (busy AF), Sabine Wren (lost and traumatized), and Ahsoka Tano (just too competent for her own good).

But EVEN MORE IMPORTANTLY, we meet Baylan Skoll, Shin Hati, and a slightly snarkier Morgan Elsbeth. They look great. And they symbolize the threat of rising fascism across the galaxy.

Ahsoka’s Season 1 premiere reintroduces us to the Spectres—no longer the happy family of Rebels—and plants the seeds for a galaxy-hopping, world-between-worlds-spanning story. We’re just happy to be here. And hoping Zeb shows up sometime soon.

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We did it! We finished The Mandalorian! Not just the finale, but the first and second epilogue too!

The action-packed conclusion to The Mandalorian brought laughs, drama, and really closed the loop on the themes of the whole series. We compare two big bads of the empire, Moff Gideon and Grand Admiral Thrawn; and worry about how we still don't know where Big Blue is (or what nefariousness he's up to). We also talk about the future of Mandalore as defined by its past and by its potential.

Next week, our Ahsoka coverage begins with Ahsoka Part 1: Master and Apprentice.

New to Growing Up Skywalker? Come join us for non-toxic Star Wars recaps from a veteran and a new fan. New episodes every Tuesday.

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Timestamps:

00:00:00 Who Are We?

00:02:33 Plot Summary

00:10:43 The Rise and Fall of Moff Gideon

00:27:24 Leading Into Ahsoka Season 1

00:35:06 How Will Mandalore Move Forward?

00:51:54 Bae Watch

01:00:41 Closing Thoughts

“The Spies” (The Mandalorian, Chapter 23) presents a real good news/bad news situation for the Mandalorians.

• The good news: Mandalore is habitable! The tribes have united! There are only a few terrible megafauna left to terrorize the planet!
• The bad news: The Imperial remnants have formed a Shadow Council following up on allllllll of their predecessors’ special interests, and Moff Gideon is angling to be their boss.

This week, we’re talking through the good (the Child piloting IG-11’s corpse) as well as the bad and ugly (the rise of fascism throughout the galaxy once more). Our heroes have their work cut out for them.

New to Growing Up Skywalker? Come join us for non-toxic Star Wars recaps from a veteran and a new fan. New episodes every Tuesday.

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Timestamps:

00:00:00 Who Are We?

00:01:58 Plot Summary

00:11:27 Scaling Up Fascism (Again)

00:26:55 Jewish Diaspora and Native American Colonization

00:39:27 Project Necromancer (Back Again)

00:51:36 Bae Watch

01:01:47 Closing Thoughts

Is Plazir-15 a fully automated, luxury gay space utopia? More importantly, is it the first solarpunk Star Wars community??

In the Mandalorian’s Chapter 22, “Guns For Hire,” we parse the depth and breadth of droid rights while we try to figure out if Plazir-15 (ruled over by Duchess Lizzo and Captain Jack Black Bombardier) actually is the yogurt commercial utopia of our dreams.

We also get mad Clone Wars callbacks to the Mon Calamari civil war, film noir detective stories, and roger-roger battle droids. The best part is getting to question our own beliefs about the meaning of work and what it takes to achieve self-actualization.

New to Growing Up Skywalker? Come join us for non-toxic Star Wars recaps from a veteran and a new fan. New episodes every Tuesday.

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Timestamps:

00:00:00 Who Are We?

00:02:36 Plot Summary

00:12:05 Three Romantic Entanglements

00:20:25 Is Plazir-15 A Solarpunk Utopia? Also Droid Rights

00:54:09 Bae Watch

00:59:28 Closing Thoughts

How much does independence from the New Republic matter to you when you’re being shelled by sentient algae/pirate king Gorian Shard?

That’s the question Greef Karga and all of Nevarro have to answer this week in The Mandalorian, Chapter 21: “The Pirate.”

We ask how societies in Star Wars thread the needle between bureaucracy and independence, especially when your government might be filled with secret fascists. We also gush over New Republic pilot bars (!) and 7-foot tall returning fan favorite characters (!!!) filled with Rebels callbacks.

This week's episode takes the Mandalorian’s penchant for action and crashes it up against the looming threat outside the New Republic. Join us in feeling uneasy!

New to Growing Up Skywalker? Come join us for non-toxic Star Wars recaps from a veteran and a new fan. New episodes every Tuesday.

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Timestamps:

00:00:00 Who Are We?

00:01:46 Plot Summary

00:12:36 Bureaucracy and Independence in the Outer Rim

00:30:24 Bo-Katan’s New Job

00:37:54 The Rise of the New Order

00:44:37 Zeb Lives!

00:53:43 Bae Watch

01:01:30 Closing Thoughts

So we agree, Ahmed Best is the best?

This week, we’re recapping the mythology-filled midpoint of the Mandalorian’s third season, “The Foundling” (Chapter 20). We parse the effects of Mandalorian myth, legend, and custom on the Children of the Watch’s community. We wonder whether Bo-Katan will stay, and where Kelleran Beq went. And we ask the real heavy-hitting questions about having sons and daughters when you belong to a society where no one takes their helmets off.

New to Growing Up Skywalker? Come join us for non-toxic Star Wars recaps from a veteran and a new fan. New episodes every Tuesday.

Want more Growing Up Skywalker? This is a great time to sign up for our Patreon for bonus audio content! (Visions S3 content is ongoing!)

Timestamps:

00:00:00 Who Are We?

00:03:13 Plot Summary

00:12:46 Mandalorian Mythology and Society

00:37:38 Bo-Katan and the Cult

00:45:02 Ahmed Best is the Best

00:56:12 Bae Watch

01:01:08 Closing Thoughts

It doesn’t get more packed than this plot-filled sandwich.

The Mandalorian’s nineteenth chapter, “The Convert,” takes us through two action-packed plotlines: Bo-Katan and Din Djarin’s acceptance into the Children of the Watch, and Dr. Pershing’s struggle to assimilate into the New Republic.

We dive DEEP into World War Two-era denazification programs as we parse Dr. Pershing’s journey, asking how the New Republic’s approach differed from the Allied Power’s and how AI might have been the ultimate reason for Dr. Pershing’s failure. We also ask a big question about Bo-Katan’s conversion to the Children of the Watch: Was Din Djarin her honeypot?

New to Growing Up Skywalker? Come join us for non-toxic Star Wars recaps from a veteran and a new fan. New episodes every Tuesday.

Want more Growing Up Skywalker? This is a great time to sign up for our Patreon for bonus audio content! (Visions S3 content is ongoing!)

Timestamps:

00:00:00 Who Are We?

00:01:51 Plot Summary

00:09:40 Dr. Pershing and Denazification

00:33:42 Project Necromancer Redux

00:40:50 Is Din Djarin A Honeypot Too?

00:53:28 Bae Watch

01:04:06 Closing Thoughts