The larger clone struggle returns to center stage with the return of some fan favorites, in what feels like a sequel to the stellar “Clone Conspiracy” episode from season 2. This two-part episode ramps up tension quickly and then relieves it with exciting action set pieces framed by gorgeous scenery. Crosshair and Omega continue to play a vital role at the center of the plot, and with the assassin clones becoming a larger part of the mystery, we are eager to learn more about how everything ties together. These episodes do a great job of clarifying the stakes for the remainder of the season while also planting seeds for things we know are still coming.

The exciting escape last week left us with the unresolved conflict between Crosshair and the rest of his former squad. In the podcast we discussed how it would be a good idea for the show to slow down for a moment and let Crosshair hash things out with Hunter and Wrecker before jumping back into a larger plot driven narrative. Fortunately it seems like the folks over at Lucasfilm Animation were way ahead of us, as they did just that this week. With a return to Pabu for a reset, the team meets up with Echo to gather additional intel on the whereabouts of Tantiss. The mission takes Crosshair back to the events of "The Outpost" for a spiritual sequel, which feels more than appropriate considering where Crosshair is now in his character arc. Julian and Rachel break down every moment of discord whilst Crosshair does the difficult work of earning back trust.

With the extra large premiere out of the way, Julian and Rachel can settle back into the traditional weekly cadence. Unfortunately life finds a way to disrupt well laid plans. As such, this podcast drops a day later than usual - apologies. The episode itself was high stakes and thrilling from the jump, and had a potent finish that gave us a good reset for the rest of the season. We got to explore a new planet, Lau, which is already under a heavy Imperial presence and ruled by the iron fist of Captain Mann, a greasy Imperial leader who is out to enrich himself while stationed on a backwater world. The setting makes for an intriguing backdrop as Omega, Crosshair, and Batcher look for a way off the planet.

Smell that regs? That's the smell of fresh Star Wars animation - breath it in. 'The Bad Batch' dropped it's hotly anticipated 3-part premiere this week and your Small Screen Star Wars hosts are back to unpack each beautifully crafted moment from "Confined", "Paths Unknown", and "Shadows of Tantiss" . Buckle up, as the three episodes come in around 90 minutes in total, which means you are in for a full 2.5 hour recap and review from Julian and Rachel, as the melancholy journey toward the series finale begins. Fortunately each step (episode) on that journey so far has been up to standard. This premiere brings back the gorgeous look and feel from Lucasfilm Animation and the consistently strong storytelling to setup what looks to be an exciting final season. With the board now set it's time to tune in each week to see how this all comes together. We're betting it'll end with a well deserved bang. You know Wrecker wouldn't have it any other way.

Maybe time works differently in the Star Wars universe because it feels like it was just yesterday that we were flipping over the calendar from 2022 to 2023. We were so young and naive. We didn't know a Hollywood strike would bring production of all our most anticipated projects to a grinding halt, and we hadn't yet learned to never trust a movie announcement from Lucasfilm, or that Mando S3 would land with such a thud. But here we are, a year later, looking ahead at another year of Star Wars. We are still waiting for the next movie in the franchise, while some of the best animated content is about to come to an end with the final season of 'The Bad Batch'. Plus, some intriguing new live action shows are just around the corner in 'The Acolyte' and 'Skeleton Crew', though we still don't know much about either one. It's a tumultuous time, so to kick things off on the right foot, Julian and Rachel take a moment to enjoy their Star Wars themed Christmas gifts before diving back into the nitty gritty.

There it is folks. The big finale for Dave Filoni's first full season of live action Star Wars. Though it was a little bumpy at times, most can probably agree that 'Ahsoka' brought it in the parts that matter most. Characters and emotional through-lines were strong, the plot satisfying, the action thrilling, and most importantly they were able to stick the landing. Sure, there's still plenty of unanswered mysteries, and with no clear understanding of how the story will continue (we have yet to hear of an announcement for a season 2) all fans can do right now is unpack the story so far. And in that regard, you're in luck, because that's exactly what Julian and Rachel are here to do. The pair of hosts do a scene-by-scene dissection of the entire episode, look back at the season as a whole, and do their best to predict where things might go from here (which turned out to be surprisingly hard to do).

It never ceases to surprise me how quickly 8-episode seasons of TV fly by. Here we are, already at the penultimate episode of the season (everyone's favourite TV related word, maybe only next to "titular"). With only the season finale left to rap things up, there's some anxiety amongst the fandom that there won't be enough time in only one episode to provide a satisfying finish to what has largely been a very successful season of TV. Both in terms of quality of storytelling but also fan reception. Time will tell how 'Ahsoka' will tie off it's loose ends, but with a "Heir to the Empire" movie on the horizon, it may not need to neatly wrap everything up. In terms of 'Part Seven' itself, it does the necessary job of moving all the pieces into place for a big finish next week while also providing some exciting action set pieces framed with strategy sessions with Thrawn. It had this tick-tack-toe feeling to it, as Thrawn, commanding his forces remotely, faced off and was forced to adapt as Ahsoka and our heroes responded to his moves. It made for a interesting dynamic that filled most of the episode. Oh, and we got a fun cameo as we checked back in with Hera and the New Republic. Next week is the big finale. We all hope it's got a long runtime as it has quite a bit to do, and as Thrawn said this week, the season lost the only thing it couldn't afford to lose, time.

As the title implies, we're finally in another galaxy. The "enemy" has arrived on Peridea and with it we get the resplendent return of Grand Admiral Thrawn, and his first appearance in live action. Like an old shoe, Thrawn slips right into the narrative like he's always been there (Most impressive!). We also get our first real look at another character that's been teased since the first episode, but unfortunately the emotions of that scene don't really hold a candle to the effectively bombastic entrance of the blue man. This episode, by it's nature, does a lot of work tying up loose ends, and squashing fan theories, leaving only a small handful of mysteries left to be revealed. The most intriguing of which being whatever it is that Baylon is after. His character continues to be one of, if not the most compelling on the show so far, and with Ahsoka set to make her appearance on Peridea next week, I expect things will heat up even further.

After the final moments of last week's episode, many fans were left to wonder about the fate of the titular character, now that she found herself back within the "world between worlds". Dave Filoni stepping back into the director's role (as well as the special theatrical screenings), signaled that we may be in store for something BIG. "Part Five: Shadow Warrior" did not disappoint as it reunites Ahsoka with her former Master (who also happens to be dead, but who's counting), Anakin Skywalker, as he attempts to complete her training while she stares down death's door. Fortunately, it's more than just a nostalgia play, as the action is largely motivated by character, allowing for a satisfying "rebirth" of Ahsoka as she faces her demons. Unfortunately however, the back half of the episode lacks much of that early momentum. Although it does neatly setup the final 3 episodes, which remain a mystery, as we've still yet to see the big bad, Thrawn. Things should really heat up next week as we take out first steps into a new Star Wars galaxy (presumably).

Despite being only a few minutes longer than last week's episode, "Part Four" of 'Ahsoka' manages to feel much grander and expansive. It not only packs a heavy action punch, with plenty of lightsabers, it also manages to expand on a lot of the most interesting character dynamics and plot points as well. Character through action is always appreciated and this episode brings that in spades. That's without even mentioning the bold and surprising turns that Dave Filoni is able to pull off here, leaving the heroes in a very tricky spot heading into episode 5, which by all accounts is supposed to be banger. There's plenty of chatter online about where this episode sits in terms of the pantheon of "The best Star Wars TV", which means it certainly holds it's own against the some of best Star Wars installments we've ever seen. Join Julian and Rachel as they break it all down, scene by scene, and make your own assessment.