Is the Force still with us? In this episode, we're joined by long-time Star Wars fan Bhaskar to break down the current state of the franchise—from the highs of Andor to the lows of The Acolyte. We talk about the Disney+ overload, the trilogy that derailed itself, the missed opportunities, and whether it's time for a creative hiatus. There's plenty of fun, frustration, and fandom to go around—this one's for the galaxy brains. ✨

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/MDgfxhURWtg

👇 Timestamps:

0:00 – Context for Episode

0:42 – Music + official podcast intro

1:16 – Welcome + Bhaskar joins the podcast

1:37 – Star Wars fan spectrum: from casual to hardcore

2:49 – Thoughts on The Acolyte so far

4:13 – Five years since the last movie, is TV filling the gap?

5:27 – Highs of Disney+ Star Wars (Mandalorian, Andor, Ahsoka)

6:11 – Volume of content & mediocrity problem

7:18 – Declining viewer motivation

8:24 – Star Wars fatigue & missed opportunities

11:03 – The Mandalorian & Book of Boba Fett burnout

12:16 – Prestige TV or quantity over quality?

13:52 – Budget vs. quality in Star Wars shows

15:36 – Visual effects & production consistency

17:24 – Inconsistent storytelling & directing

18:16 – Similarities with Marvel’s struggles

19:42 – Fan service vs. actual storytelling

20:51 – Rian Johnson’s Reddit rewrite controversy

24:13 – Week-to-week production changes?!

25:33 – VFX crunch & poor visuals

26:25 – Acolyte casting controversy

28:02 – Disney’s creative echo chambers?

29:13 – Corporate decision-making in creative studios

30:35 – Diversity: authentic or performative?

32:53 – Dathomir witches vs. Acolyte witches

34:18 – Lack of musical identity in Acolyte

35:10 – Should Star Wars take a break?

36:30 – History of movie gaps in Star Wars

38:38 – How Disney+ diluted Star Wars & Marvel

39:56 – The pattern of cancelled Star Wars movies

42:33 – Solo, recasting, and Elseworlds potential

47:30 – Should George Lucas return?

50:17 – Explore the future, not the past

53:37 – High-quality animation as the future?

55:52 – Andor’s success without fan demand

57:40 – Wrap up: What next for Star Wars?

58:06 – Merch jokes, Japan Celebration 2025, and outro

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