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On this episode of Hyperspace Theories, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester approach our usual theme of storytelling from a new angle for the podcast. In early September we attended Founding Member previews at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles, California, which opens to the public on September 22, 2026. We begin our discussion with the foundational questions: What is narrative art? And why did George Lucas dedicate a significant portion of his fortune to acquiring a vast collection of narrative art and building a museum to display and store it? Although Lucas's wealth comes primarily from his creation of the Star Wars franchise, and later his sale of Lucasfilm to Disney for $4 billion in 2012, visitors to the Lucas Museum may be surprised to discover that Star Wars comprises less than ten percent of the art on display for the grand opening. As a podcast with a longtime focus on Star Wars storytelling, naturally we share our thoughts about our favorite pieces in the Cinema gallery with its opening exhibit titled "Star Wars In Motion."   The Lucas Museum offers much more to visitors than just paintings and drawings hanging in frames on walls. The exterior park grounds, artistic in their own right, have meaningful sculptures displayed there, too. The large-scale murals in a fifth-floor gallery includes stunning works by Banksy and JR, among other famous artists. The museum's first floor, which will be open to the public without a paid ticket, includes a fascinating exhibit entitled "The History of Narrative Art: Heroes • Myths • The Sacred" that connects the ideas of narratives and art across millennia of human history. We also discuss our favorite works of narrative art from among the museum's numerous other galleries, featuring topics such as history, family, sport, fantasy, adventure, comics, children's stories, the art of Norman Rockwell, and more.   Related Links:   Lucas Museum of Narrative Art official website Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Taschen book Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opens to the Public on September 22, 2026 (Sep. 2, 2026) How the Lucas Museum's epic battle for a home ended in L.A. (Los Angeles Times; Sep. 10, 2026)   Social Media:   Tricia Barr (@fangirlcantina) Instagram | Threads | Blue Sky B.J. Priester (@redpenoflex) Instagram | Threads | Blue Sky Fangirl Zone on Facebok

A Star Wars movie is back in theaters for the first time since 2019! In this episode of Hyperspace Theories, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester kick off our analysis of The Mandalorian and Grogu with a discussion of the major storytelling decisions underlying the film, which is directed by Jon Favreau and co-written by Favreau, Dave Filoni, and Noah Kloor (The Book of Boba Fett). As the sixth movie of the Disney era and the first Star Wars film built upon source material from outside the preceding movies – specifically the three seasons of the Disney+ streaming series The Mandalorian as well as adjacent series The Book of Boba Fett and Ahsoka – the creation of The Mandalorian and Grogu faced a number of challenges not previously faced by theatrical Star Wars, including an imperative to produce the movie on a considerably smaller budget than the Sequel Trilogy releases while reviving fan and customer enthusiasm for Star Wars on the big screen and the ancillary merchandise revenue that has long accompanied Star Wars films. This context in the state of the franchise explains a number of key decisions about the story built for The Mandalorian and Grogu, including the desire to acknowledge the full range of previous Star Wars stories and fans, from the Original Trilogy and Expanded Universe to the Prequels, The Clone Wars, and Disney-era films, animation, and publishing. We also examine the themes found at the heart of the story, and the non-Star Wars cinematic influences on Favreau's movie. We then revisit a frequent aspect of the Hyperspace Theories podcast: examining how Star Wars' longstanding association with the monomyth story structure shapes the tale being told in The Mandalorian and Grogu. Unsurprisingly, as a standalone film rather than a segment within a trilogy, The Mandalorian and Grogu readily aligns with the cinematic story structure expressed by Christopher Vogler, a distillation and updating of the classical monomyth found in the work of Joseph Campbell. This plot structure also guides the character arcs for The Mandalorian and Grogu, which features the two titular characters as well as significant character development for a third: Rotta the Hutt, who faces his own father-son thematic turmoil as well as pivotal choices about his path in life and the future he seeks for himself in the galaxy far far away. Related Links: Fangirls Going Rogue: A Special Look at The Mandalorian and Grogu (April) Fangirls Going Rogue: Episode 26.4 Countdown to The Mandalorian and Grogu (April) Fangirls Going Rogue: Interview with The Mandalorian and Grogu's Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni (May) Fangirls Going Rogue: Doug Chiang, John Knoll, and Ludwig Göransson Discuss Making The Mandalorian and Grogu (May) Fangirls Going Rogue: Episode 26.6 The Mandalorian and Grogu Behind-the-Scenes and Review (May) Social Media: Tricia Barr (@fangirlcantina) Instagram | Threads | Blue Sky B.J. Priester (@redpenoflex) Instagram | Threads | Blue Sky Fangirl Zone on Facebook

On this episode of Hyperspace Theories, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester continue our discussion of the new Maul – Shadow Lord animated series. This time we focus on the writing and characterization of the principal characters, especially Maul and how his past and present informs his strategy for gradually guiding Devon Izara toward her choice to become his apprentice. Along the way we consider the connections between the titular character we see in Maul – Shadow Lord and his earlier incarnations in The Phantom Menace and The Clone Wars, and how those portrayals influence who Maul has become by his time on Janix. We also compare Maul's proposal to Ahsoka Tano during the Siege of Mandalore at the end of that war to his goals with Devon Izara in Shadow Lord. With Maul's future appearances in Solo: A Star Wars Story and Star Wars Rebels already established, we also speculate briefly on where the new characters from Maul – Shadow Lord may be headed in its second season. Rylee Lawson and Two-Boots believe that Brander Lawson was killed by stormtroopers in their escape, which may affect their choices in his absence, but the show provides a strong storytelling reason to think he isn't dead (yet). Devon's future is unknown, too, and the parallel with Ahsoka poses some interesting possibilities for her ultimate fate, as well. Related Links: Fangirls Going Rogue Episode 26.3 Maul – Shadow Lord Interviews and Review Fangirls Going Rogue Episode 26.5 Maul's Next Chapter House of R podcast (YouTube): The 'Star Wars: Maul—Shadow Lord' Season 1 Finale With Sam Witwer Social Media: Tricia Barr (@fangirlcantina) Instagram | Threads | Blue Sky B.J. Priester (@redpenoflex) Instagram | Threads | Blue Sky Fangirl Zone on Facebook

On the new episode of Hyperspace Theories, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester begin our discussion of the latest series from Lucasfilm Animation, Maul – Shadow Lord. The ten-episode first season has been releasing on Disney+ with paired episodes each Monday in April 2026, culminating in the season finale on May the Fourth. The creative team already has confirmed a second season of the series is in production, ensuring the character arcs of the principal figures in the story will have much more to come. For this podcast episode, we focus on the world-building developed for Maul – Shadow Lord and how the series reveals it across the first six episodes. The first episode, titled "The Dark Revenge" rather ominously, naturally does a lot of the heavy lifting, but additional layers and implications to the world-building continue to unfold in further episodes. Interestingly, the season (through eight episodes) is set entirely on the planet of Janix, which has many recognizable location types from previous Star Wars storytelling as well as elements familiar from its other inspirational source material, such as gangster films and police procedurals. More importantly, however, Maul – Shadow Lord benefits from a development process that facilitated the entire season to be designed and written as a whole. This enabled the writers and creators to plan out the core character arcs, then build the world to suit the needs of that story in a way that feels natural and organic to the audience. From the symmetry in the disrupted fates of Maul and Devon to the buddy-cop duo of Lawson and Two-Boots, the criminal underworld and a Master-Padawan relationship, Maul – Shadow Lord takes advantage of its ability to rely on common traits and tropes to build a world with strong verisimilitude that serves, rather than distracts from, the trials and tribulations of the characters. Related Links: Fangirls Going Rogue Episode 26.3: Maul – Shadow Lord Interviews and Review Social Media: Tricia Barr (@fangirlcantina) Instagram | Threads | Blue Sky B.J. Priester (@redpenoflex) Instagram | Threads | Blue Sky Fangirl Zone on Facebook

On January 15, 2026, Lucasfilm formally announced that Kathleen Kennedy is "stepping down" as president of the company. Dave Filoni will take on the role of President and Chief Creative Officer. Lynwen Brennan, who for the past two years has held the title of "President & General Manager, Lucasfilm Business" alongside Kennedy, will continue in that role as "Co-President" with Filoni. On this episode of Hyperspace Theories, recorded days later, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester discuss the implications of this long-anticipated transition in the highest levels of Lucasfilm's leadership. We begin with a brief recap of the other Star Wars news stories in the preceding ten days, which had implicitly suggested that a major change would be imminent. We then unpack the press release from Lucasfilm, and what it represents as an official communication from a division of a publicly traded multi-national corporation. Next, we consider the additional information provided by source journalistic reporting from the major Hollywood trade publications – Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and The Wrap – as well as Matthew Belloni at Puck, who has consistently broken accurate stories about the extended leadership succession process at Lucasfilm. Then we examine the further remarks from Kennedy herself, provided in an "exit interview" she conducted with Deadline, another longstanding Hollywood publication. Finally, we end this episode of the podcast with our brief predictions about the likely future announcements from the new leadership team about the projects they have underway for the future of Star Wars. Media Coverage Links: Lucasfilm and the Walt Disney Studios Announce Leadership Transition (StarWars.com; Jan. 15, 2026) Lucasfilm Replacing Kathleen Kennedy With Dave Filoni, Lynwen Brennan as New 'Star Wars' Bosses (Brett Lang, Variety; Jan. 15, 2026) Star Wars Shake-Up: Kathleen Kennedy Steps Down as George Lucas Protégé Dave Filoni, Exec Lynwen Brennan Take Over Lucasfilm (Aaron Couch & Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter; Jan. 15, 2026) A Shift In The Force For Lucasfilm's Kathleen Kennedy: The Exit Interview (Mike Fleming Jr., Deadline; Jan. 15, 2026) Kathleen Kennedy's Final Episode (Matthew Belloni, Puck; Jan. 16, 2026) Kathleen Kennedy's Lucasfilm Legacy: A Galaxy in Disarray | Analysis (Drew Taylor, The Wrap; Jan. 16, 2026) Star Wars Has New Hope (and Some Growing Pains) in Its Future (Richard Newby, The Hollywood Reporter; Jan. 16, 2026) 20 Surefire, 100 Percent Probable Hollywood Predictions for 2026 (Part One) (Matthew Belloni, Puck; Jan. 6, 2026) Kathleen Kennedy to Step Down at Lucasfilm (Matthew Belloni, Puck; Feb. 5, 2025) FANgirl Blog Links: Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025: Perspective and Takeaways (May 2025) Hyperspace Theories: The Curious Case of Kathleen Kennedy's Retirement (Mar. 2025) Ten Years of Hyperspace Theories (Oct. 2024) Lessons in Franchise Management – MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios (Jan. 2024) Hyperspace Theories: Starting 2024 with the Future of Star Wars (Jan. 2024) The Stories Told By White Men Rise to the Top at the Lucasfilm Showcase: Star Wars Celebration Anaheim 2022 (June 2022) The Failures of The Rise of Skywalker, Part 6 (Jan. 2020) Comparing Two Fresh Starts: Captain Marvel and Star Wars (July 2019) Star Wars Celebration 2019: The Franchise Talking Points (May 2019) We've Been Here Before: Parallels in the Public Narrative on the State of Star Wars (June 2018) Rey At Risk Revisited: The Danger Signs From The Last Jedi (Feb. 2018) Skywalker At Risk: Serial Storytelling and Brand Value (Feb. 2018) Social Media: Tricia Barr (@fangirlcantina) Instagram | Threads | Blue Sky B.J. Priester (@redpenoflex) Instagram | Threads | Blue Sky Fangirl Zone on Facebook

The year 2025 marked the sixth without a new Star Wars movie in theaters since The Rise of Skywalker concluded the Sequel Trilogy. In the past few years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe and DC superhero films have struggled with consistency at reaching their prior levels of box-office earnings and fan satisfaction. We found it interesting, then, that two 2025 superhero movies – the MCU's rebooted The Fantastic Four: First Steps and DC's new iteration of Superman – showcased several prominent storytelling elements that we wish Lucasfilm had been able to incorporate into the Sequel Trilogy, as we talked about on the blog and podcast when the Sequel Trilogy was in development and production. On this episode of Hyperspace Theories, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester discuss how these two movies show the path that Star Wars missed in advancing new and important ideas for today's heroic tales. These two superhero movies have three big ideas in common that would have worked well for the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, too. First, neither First Steps nor Superman is an origin story. The titular characters, the Fantastic Four quartet and the Metropolis icon, are already established celebrity superheroes on their worlds when the movies begin. Rather than learn how to use their powers, they instead face the challenges of how to use their powers – and what to do when their powers can't solve the problem they're facing. Second, both movies are focused on themes of family and teamwork, rather than the lone-hero formula so familiar from Joseph Campbell's monomyth. The Fantastic Four has two siblings, a husband, and a best friend, and each of them has a character arc. James Gunn's Superman finds support from several superhero allies while Clark Kent relies on his colleagues at The Daily Planet to help carry the day, and his emotional journey in the films is inseparable from his connections to his birth parents on Krypton and the adoptive Kents on Earth. Third, both The Fantastic Four: First Steps and Superman are works of aspirational heroic fiction, fitting audience expectations for the characters as well as finding human truths in their themes and characterizations that urge the audience to want to be better people, too. In tandem with these analyses of the two superhero movies, we examine how the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy would have benefitted from similar storytelling elements. Star Wars contained plenty of examples for telling stories about Jedi apprentices who are already trained in the Force, rather than necessitating Rey's first movie to mirror Luke's in discovering her connection to the Force in the first instance. Similarly, the Sequel Trilogy mostly abandoned the Skywalker family saga and failed to form a consistent and coherent heroic trio like the Original and Prequel Trilogies did. The Sequel Trilogy also failed to successfully tell aspirational stories with its legacy characters or its new characters. Perhaps most importantly, the storytellers developing the Sequel Trilogy had access to plenty of precedent, both within Star Wars and in contemporary genre stories, to have been able to identify areas in which the Star Wars franchise could help to push forward new ideas and themes in today's storytelling, rather than simply repeating the old tropes and beats from the Lucas films. Social Media: Tricia Barr (@fangirlcantina) Instagram | Threads | Blue Sky B.J. Priester (@redpenoflex) Instagram | Threads | Blue Sky Fangirl Zone on Facebook

A year after Part I, the Wicked movie franchise returns with For Good, an adaptation of the second act of the Broadway musical. In this episode of Hyperspace Theories, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester examine how Wicked: For Good takes advantage of the movie format, and the passage of time since the original musical was written, to strengthen the character arcs of Elphaba, Glinda, and Fiyero in tandem with the story's themes. Like Part I, For Good also maximizes the opportunity to include locations, action sequences, and other visual elements which wouldn't be possible in a Broadway stage production. The two new songs written for Wicked: For Good, Elphaba's "No Place Like Home" early in the movie and Glinda's "Girl in the Bubble" near the end, reinforce the two characters' motivations for their crucial decisions in the story. Each song also feels especially timely, directly addressing themes of resistance to oppression, the influence of propaganda, and the emotional and psychological obstacles that sometimes must be overcome to make the right choice and do the right thing. Although the characters had similar motivations in the original Broadway show, the new songs for Wicked: For Good reflect the impact of recent political and social events to drive home themes that perhaps felt a little more abstract and distant to many listeners two decades ago. Along the path of their own respective journeys, Elphaba and Glinda also change the other Wicked characters around them, and ultimately Oz itself. Yet For Good also takes place in the background of The Wizard of Oz in a much more direct way than Part I's story. If there's a weak point in For Good, it's that this movie leans a bit too heavily on the assumption that its audience remembers the details of Dorothy's plotline from the earlier film, an assumption that may not be as workable for a mainstream movie release in 2025 compared to the theatrical musical attendees at the turn of the twenty-first century. Together, though, Wicked: Part I and Wicked: For Good tell a complete story for Elphaba and Glinda, and how they changed each other forever. Related Links: Hyperspace Theories: WICKED Part I Rises to the Moment (Dec. 2024) Breaking Baz: Jon M. Chu On How The Breathtaking 'Wicked: For Good' Took Flight With New Songs For Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande, Plus A Secret Guest Star As Cowardly Lion (Deadline; Oct. 16, 2025) Social Media: Tricia Barr (@fangirlcantina) Instagram | Threads | Blue Sky B.J. Priester (@redpenoflex) Instagram | Threads | Blue Sky Fangirl Zone on Facebook

In a matter of weeks, the Sony-produced animated movie K-Pop Demon Hunters became the all-time most-viewed original title on Netflix. A limited-release theatrical run of the sing-along version of the film, for two days on fewer than two thousand screens after it had been available on streaming for two months, was the #1 movie at the box office for that weekend. With four songs in the Billboard Hot 100 chart, including "Golden" reaching #1, K-Pop Demon Hunters has attained soundtrack feats not seen since Purple Rain (1984) and Saturday Night Fever (1978). And the social media fandom for the movie shows no signs of slowing down. On this episode of Hyperspace Theories, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester discuss the multi-layered success of K-Pop Demon Hunters in its storytelling and in its appeal to fans. Building on longstanding themes of the blog and podcast, we examine the story structure of K-Pop Demon Hunters as a movie that isn't a heroic origin story for its protagonists, and how the character-driven narrative modifies some classic plot beats and character archetypes. Although it isn't an origin story, K-Pop Demon Hunters shares features in common with contemporary Heroine's Journey stories, in contrast to tales based on the older monomyth of the Hero's Journey, particularly its climax in a victory based on democratic collective participation rather than a triumph in combat by Rumi or Huntrix. In many ways, K-Pop Demon Hunters succeeds at developing the core narrative and world-building elements that the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy should have used, but didn't. We also consider other successful aspects of K-Pop Demon Hunters in resonating with so many people. The movie draws not only from its creator's Korean heritage and folklore to tell a story with universal themes like shame and trauma, but also from her experience as a lifelong K-Pop fan to weave in moments and ideas that ring true to twenty-first century pop-culture fandom. The soundtrack itself is excellent, of course, but the progression of lyrics and musicality mirrors the plot and character development throughout the arc of the film. And of course it has an adorable animal sidekick, whose role is actually far more significant and impactful than first appears. Related Links: The Hero's Journey – discussing Campbell and Vogler (FANgirl Blog) Social Media: Tricia Barr (@fangirlcantina) Instagram | Threads | Blue Sky B.J. Priester (@redpenoflex) Instagram | Threads | Blue Sky Fangirl Zone on Facebook

For our third episode of Hyperspace Theories podcast discussing the second season of Andor, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester examine how the series portrays characterization through the use of point of view in its writing and visual imagery. Although prose fiction Star Wars usually relies upon third-person limited storytelling, only revealing to the reader what the characters themselves know or understand, cinematic Star Wars sometimes gives the impression of a third-person omniscient perspective, with the audience as an external observer watching a "true" version of events unfold. In Andor, however, much of the storytelling follows the limited point of view of the respective characters, and deploys effective camera angles and shot framing to convey their emotions as well as to build dramatic tension for the audience. We begin by revisiting the Ghorman Massacre from our previous episode, considering the ways its portrays the points of view from Cassian, Syril, and Dedra during those crucial events. When then examine Mon Mothma, whose POV scenes begin with her very first appearance in the second season's opening episode, when the camera follows her through a single extended shot in which she must constantly switch her persona and demeanor as she encounters the next person she greets. Other dynamic uses of point of view in these Andor episodes include Vel's perspective during the Ghorman Front's attack on the Imperial character, scenes with Cassian and Bix and with Luthen and Kleya, and Kleya's dramatic mission into the Imperial hospital on Coruscant.

On the latest episode of Hyperspace Theories, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester continue their analysis of Season Two of the Disney+ streaming series Andor: A Star Wars Story with a discussion centered on the Ghorman storyline heavily featured across Episodes 4 to 8 and culminating in the eighth episode focused entirely on the the tragedy of the Ghorman Massacre. One major theme of this storyline is the power of propaganda, introduced in the first Imperial scenes of the season's first episode. We then consider other forms of Imperial manipulation of the events on Ghorman, and the ideas Andor presents about oppression and resistance through the lens of Imperial military occupation, the Ghorman Front and public opposition, and the role of Luthen's agents on the road to the Massacre. These themes and ideas are reflected across the characterization and character arcs of numerous individuals in these episodes, including Cassian, Luthen, and Wilmon; Vel and Cinta; Dedra, Syril, and Partagaz; and even Mon Mothma and Director Krennic. We also examine how the various new characters from Ghorman – particularly Carro Rylanz, Enza Rylanz, Samm, Thela, and Lezine – illustrate the themes and ideas of the storyline, and how their experiences of oppression and resistance influence their decisions and actions leading up to, and during, the Massacre. In media appearances promoting Andor Season Two, creator and showrunner Tony Gilroy has spoken extensively about the real-world influences on his storytelling in the series, especially his lifelong passion for reading and learning about revolutions across the world and throughout history. Our discussion considers several of these influences, such as wartime propaganda, especially in the twentieth century. Gilroy also references both the French Resistance to Nazi occupation during World War II and the subsequent Algerian resistance to French colonial control in subsequent decades, portrayed in the classic film The Battle of Algiers (1966), which influenced the visual style of the eighth episode in particular. We also point out connections to the American Revolution, French Revolution, and Haitian Revolution, and the significance of Gilroy's mentions of Oliver Cromwell and the Baader-Meinhof Group. Like George Lucas, who drew heavily on fictional and nonfictional influences when first creating his ideas for the initial Star Wars films, Tony Gilroy's Andor contains an insightful and impactful combination of fiction and nonfiction inspirations. Related Links: Hyperspace Theories: One Year Later as ANDOR Kicks Off Season Two Fangirls Going Rogue Episode 25.6: Five Women of Andor REVIEW: ANDOR Season Two Backstory Magazine Interview with Tony Gilroy Tony Gilroy on facism in Star Wars via Josh Horowitz Clips Facism via Wikipedia Vietnam War via Wikipedia

Beginning immediately on the heels of Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025, the second season of the Disney+ streaming series Andor, now carrying the same A Star Wars Story subtitle as Rogue One, kicked off its four-week run with its first trio of episodes. The premiere and its title, "One Year Later," sets the framework for Season Two: as each "a movie a week" batch of three episodes brings us a year closer to Rogue One, several interweaving plots advance the characters arcs of Andor's expansive cast. On this episode of Hyperspace Theories podcast, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester analyze the first story arc of Season Two by breaking down how each of the four subplots reveals more of the world-building and characterization that drive the story forward. We begin with Cassian Andor examining how his character has evolved since the events of Season One and the lessons he learns in his mission-gone-awry from a Sienar facility to the Yavin IV jungle to his fateful return to his Ferrix friends. The other major plotline features Mon Mothma and the ostentatious wedding for her daughter on Chandrila, which brings with it considerable interpersonal drama for the family and for the still-perilous groundwork for the burgeoning Rebellion. On Mina Rau, the Ferrix expatriates confront the iron grip of the Empire through the lens of unexpectedly timely themes of refugees, undocumented residents, and the risks of exploitation and oppression they face. Similar themes appear in the final subplot, the Imperial characters who shift from hunting rebels to plotting far greater atrocities on Ghorman, all the while planning to use propaganda and manipulation to conceal the truth. Along the way, we also discuss the color palette used in the costume design for these episodes. Deliberately recurring hues cutting across the storylines indicate important thematic parallels in more subtle visual ways – and also, perhaps, hint toward events to come in future episode arcs.

On the latest episode of Hyperspace Theories podcast, hosts Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester report from Star Wars Celebration Japan on the latest news and happenings. Highlights from key panels - The Mandalorian and Grogu, Andor Season 2, Ahsoka, Star Wars Animation 25th Anniversary - are discussed. Let's celebrate Star Wars!

On this episode of Hyperspace Theories podcast, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester detour from our usual focus on fictional storytelling to discuss an instance of real-world events and surrounding narratives in the form of journalistic coverage of the upcoming retirement of Kathleen Kennedy from her current role as president of Lucasfilm. On February 24, 2025, experienced Hollywood journalist Matt Belloni at Puck reported that "Kathleen Kennedy has informed Disney, as well as friends and associates, that she will exit as Lucasfilm president by the end of the year, per three sources." Two of the three longstanding Hollywood trades, The Hollywood Reporter and Variety, quickly corroborated the reported, followed soon after by articles considering potential replacements as Lucasfilm's leader. Then, on February 27, the other major trade, Deadline, ran an extended written interview with Kennedy. Although framed as a debunking of Belloni's reporting, its substance actually verified the fundamental accuracy of his information while presenting a narrative of Kennedy's aspirations to remain an important participant in Star Wars movies after her successors takes over. In addition to closely examining the wording of the reporting and the interview for their accurately interpreted meaning, we also consider the implications of these revelations for the future of Lucasfilm and cinematic storytelling in the Star Wars franchise in the years ahead. Media Articles: Matt Belloni, Kathleen Kennedy to Step Down at Lucasfilm (Puck; Feb. 24, 2025) Matt Belloni, What I'm Hearing: Oscars Politics, Zaz's Split Motive & More Kathy Kennedy (Puck; Feb. 28, 2025) Aaron Couch, Lucasfilm Boss Kathleen Kennedy Expected to Retire This Year (The Hollywood Reporter; Feb. 24, 2025) Rebecca Rubin & Brett Lang, 'Star Wars' Boss Kathleen Kennedy Planning to Exit Lucasfilm at the End of 2025 (Variety; Feb. 25, 2025) Borys Kit & James Hibberd, Disney's 'Star Wars' Succession Problem: Who Will Replace Kathleen Kennedy? (The Hollywood Reporter; Feb. 25, 2025) Brett Lang & Rebecca Rubin, Who Will Run 'Star Wars' After Kathleen Kennedy Leaves? One of Hollywood's Hottest — and Hardest — Jobs Opens Up (Variety; Feb. 25, 2025) Mike Fleming Jr., Kathleen Kennedy Speaks On Her Lucasfilm Plans — She Is Not Soon Retiring — & The Films That Will Keep Her In 'Star Wars' Orbit For Years To Come (Deadline; Feb. 27, 2025) Related Links: Ten Years of Hyperspace Theories (Oct. 2024) Dave Filoni Talks Writing AHSOKA and Guiding the Future of Star Wars Storytelling (June 2024) Hyperspace Theories: Starting 2024 with the Future of Star Wars (Jan. 2024) Now Filoni is the Master (Nov. 2023)

Ahoy, mateys! Pirates, pirate ships, and a search for lost treasure have returned to Star Wars – and so has the familiar story structure, complete with a boring home planet (A New Hope) and ten-year-old (The Phantom Menace) protagonists flung into a very unexpected adventure in the wider galaxy. On this episode of Hyperspace Theories, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester examine the first four episodes of Skeleton Crew to unpack the story structure, character arcs, and themes unfolding in the first half of the new Disney+ streaming series. Although the story structure of Skeleton Crew draws from the monomyth that undergirds much of Star Wars, the series also draws inspiration from other 1980s films that followed a similar pattern with younger protagonists, including The Goonies and E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. Initially the schoolchildren simply want to get back home right away, but soon find themselves jumping repeatedly through hyperspace from one destination to the next. The four kid leads – Wim, Fern, Neel, and KB – have clearly drawn personalities and motivations, seemingly inspired by the varying common experiences of Gen-X youths in the '80s, such as the latchkey kid fending for himself, the academically demanding mother, single-parent families and two-parent households, and only children or larger families. Their adult ally and guide, Jod Na Nawood (if that is even his real name …), presents his own puzzle of goals and dreams as he helps the kids chart their journey back to At Attin, while further reinforcing connections with more piratical source material like Treasure Island. We also discuss the world-building developed in Skeleton Crew through four episodes. Much remains mysterious about At Attin, the Jewels of the Old Republic, the Great Work and the Supervisor, and the connection between the children's homeworld and SM-33's long-buried pirate ship and long-lost captain. Drawing upon the pirate fiction and real-world pirate history, we speculate about how these questions might be answered in the latter half of the series. Related Links: Fangirls Going Rogue: SKELETON CREW Showrunner Interview Fangirls Going Rogue Interviews Cast of SKELETON CREW Fangirls Going Rogue: SKELETON CREW Mysteries!

Continuing our recent witchy trend on Hyperspace Theories alongside our discussion of Agatha All Along, this episode discusses the movie Wicked: Part I, which broke box office records in its first week of release. Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester begin with a common focus of the podcast: the storytelling structure of the movie, and how it compares and contrasts with the Broadway musical that the films adapts. Director Jon M. Chu maximizes the opportunity of the movie medium to broaden the visual storytelling for the characters, themes, and world-building beyond what is possible on a Broadway stage, while leaving the plot and iconic musical numbers in place. Yet the movie adaptation of Wicked doesn't hesitate to make changes to take advantage of the movie medium, either, such as using close-ups on faces to enable emotional performances and greater vocal dynamic range that wouldn't work on stage. We then examine the character arcs of the two leading ladies of Wicked, Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande), particularly their motivations and wants within the story and the contrasting impulses of selflessness and selfishness. In Wicked, these character arcs are inseparable from the broader themes of the story, including oppression, resistance, and historical and political allegory. We consider how those themes have roots not only in the 2003 Wicked musical, but also Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which initiated the storytelling twist on the classic American mythic tale presented in the iconic and beloved The Wizard of Oz (1939) movie and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) novel by L. Frank Baum.