Episode 81 - Doctor Strange, Arrow and Rebels

Julian Meush September 28, 2016

It was a slow news week but that didn't stop the ToB Crew from getting together to discuss all things nerdy. The guys dissect the tidbits of news that came from the set of Doctor Strange, peak behind the curtain of Arrow's 100th episode and then finish off by delving into some of what everyone has been watching over the last week. Julian talks Star Wars Rebels, as it premiered its third season over the weekend, Dan briefly touches on the often forgotten Star Trek Voyager, now that every Star Trek series has hit Netflix, as well as look back at the Joss Whedon cult hits Firefly and Serenity. All this, and so much more, on this weeks Tower of Babble Podcast!

Episode 80 - Emmy Awards 2016

Julian Meush September 20, 2016

On this episode of The ToB Podcast the guys recap the last two weeks of geek news. Including: all the new images from the set of Justice League, the possibility of Mr. Sinister being the big bad of Wolverine 3, the change of composers for Star Wars: Rogue One and what we would like to see from a Star Wars live action TV series. In addition to that, the 2016 Emmy Awards were this past weekend so the ToB Crew recaps the winners and losers of the big TV event. All this, and so much more on this weeks Tower of Babble Podcast!

Episode 73 - Post E3 Catch-up

Julian Meush July 18, 2016

Its been a slow couple of weeks after E3 stole the show. But we've managed to scrape together stories from across the internets and put together another great ToB Podcast for you. Julian Daniel and Jeremy sit down and discuss all things nerdy, starting with the "mea culpa" set visit that WB put together for DC's upcoming blockbuster; Justice League. After that, there'salways some Star Wars news so we breakdown some of the news that came out of EW's Rogue One: A Star Wars Story exposé before moving on to a whole slew of DC CW news. Not the least of which being the casting of Tyler Hoechlin as Superman and the confirmation of Flash Point. We also breakdown all the latest renewals and cancellations across the TV landscape before wrapping up with a chat about the worldwide phenomenon that is Pokemon Go!

Episode 60 - Sweet Star Wars Lego

Julian Meush September 10, 2015

The gangs back together! Julian hopped on a plane and is back in Winnipeg with the rest of the ToB Crew for the next few weeks. With everyone together again in the same room the guys have a blast discussing the latest geek news. Starting with an in depth conversation about the latest on Batman v. Superman and Cap 3: Civil War. They move on to some TV news and examin (make fun of) Diggle’s new costume and the trailer for Arrow season 4 and Flash season 2. The guys also talk about how their taste in games and movies have tended to change over time and what the future holds for Patrick Stewart and Star Trek. They ask what they think is the attraction of licensed Lego sets and why network TV is the same as the baseball season. Finally, the guys discuss what they’ve been watching/playing/reading and Julian makes a plea to get people watching Mr Robot as well as bids farewell to Falling Skies. All this and so much more on this reunited episode of the Tower of Babble Podcast!

May 22, 2025

SSSW/ToB Film Club - Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

It's hard to believe that 'Rogue One' premiered nearly a decade ago. At the time, it was fairly well received, considered to be a decent first step into the standalone Star Wars movies, if not a bit messy. As the years passed, we learned more about the production. Gareth Edwards, who retained sole directing credit, was assisted by Tony Gilroy to "fix" the project. Tony went so far as to call it a "corpse" when he came aboard for rewrites and reshoots. It was Tony's inclusion that brought us some of the movies most memorable moments, and ultimately led him to leading the charge on 'Andor', a prequel project that flew under the radar as hits like 'The Mandalorian' hogged the spotlight. With 'Andor' now complete, considered by many to be a masterpiece in storytelling, not just in Star Wars but on television in general, now is the most appropriate time to reexamine the movie that spawned the Cassian-centered prequel series with fresh eyes. 'Andor', which leads directly into the events of 'Rogue One' recontextualizes much of the film, creating a unique viewing experience that pays off a multitude of threads that are brilliantly laid over the two seasons of 'Andor'. It takes the movie, which was already pretty good, and makes it great. Now existing as part of a whole that weaves a cohesive narrative from the nascent moments of the Rebellion all the way through to the destruction of the Death Star in 1977 (the seed that begat ALL Star Wars, and what we appropriately align our Star Wars BBY calendars to). It all feels wholistic and considered when viewed from the broader perspective - an accomplishment that should set a shining example of what Star Wars can and should aspire to.

May 15, 2025

SSSW - Andor S2 Finale

After only 4 weeks - the blink of an eye - it's all over. The best Star Wars story since the Original Trilogy has graced our screens and left us in awe. These final three episodes weren't able to reach the emotional highs of last week's arc, but that wasn't the goal. Instead, it provides time to look back at what brought us here, and sets the stage for the climax of the story to take place not in this moment, but within the now recontextualized film that birthed all of this in the first place, 'Rogue One'. And while the show may carry Cassian's name on the title screen, it's been the cast of characters we've met along the way that truly elevated this experience. Not to pick favourites, but in particular, Luthen and Kleya, who get an episode all to themselves this week are the standouts. And what an episode it was, as their story which shepherded much of the series came to an end, as we all expected it would have to. Embracing those feelings of closure, in the final moments of the series, as Cassian flies off into 'Rogue One', we are treated to our last glimpses of our heroes and villains. From Dedra to Vel and even Perrin, we are left to consider their fates as the story marches with inevitability into what begat all of this way back in 1977. Will we ever see Kleya, Vel, Wilmon, or Bix again? One can only hope - and rebellions? Well, they're built on hope.

May 9, 2025

SSSW - Andor S2 E7 - 9

When dealing in the world of prequels, it’s impossible to escape the inevitable - Anakin will fall, Han will win the Falcon, Cassian will die on Scarif. Somehow, in the midst of some of the most thrilling episodes of television ever put to screen, Tony Gilroy and his team found a way to address that impending doom and weaponize it against the audience to induce some of the most gut wrenching and heart breaking moments we’ve yet to see on ‘Andor’ - “There’s some place he needs to be”. At a larger scale, the show continues to outdo itself on a weekly basis, proving that the Star Wars galaxy provides a colour pallet of some of the richest hues from which to paint bold and personal stories. Proving you can go beyond the larger than life stories of heroics and grandeur to human stories of loss and pain and everything in between. That’s without mentioning the deft touch in pulling in themes that resonates with the contemporary while remaining timeless - a feeling that is a staple of Star Wars. Every detail is considered, every character is deep and interesting. There isn’t much more that can be said about such a powerful piece of art, except that not even the audience can escape the inevitable - only one week remains of this masterpiece.

May 2, 2025

SSSW - Andor S2 E4 - 6

I'm sorry to tell you all, but we're already halfway through this final season of 'Andor'. Fortunately, the quality hasn't dipped one bit as we accelerate into the finish. Join Julian and Rachel as they savour every minute of this 3-episode arch that takes us to Ghorman for the first time on screen. Tony Gilroy and the team at Lucasfilm outdid themselves yet again in crafting every detail. The size of the set alone is impressive, but they take it a step further by developing a unique culture and even language different from anything we've seen in Star Wars before. It all fits seamlessly into this next chapter of the story that has a heavy emphasis on spycraft as the pressure ramps up for both the Rebellion and the Empire.

Episode 81 - Doctor Strange, Arrow and Rebels

Episode 80 - Emmy Awards 2016

Episode 73 - Post E3 Catch-up

Episode 60 - Sweet Star Wars Lego

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