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Beltway Banthas #61: Revenge of The Russian Bots

by RetroZap Staff October 11, 2018

Are Russian bots behind the divide around The Last Jedi? Stephen chatted with researcher Morten Bay to discuss the results of his study on Twitter reaction to the film. Swara and Stephen discuss whether or not Russian bots and trolls amplified the negative reaction to the film.

Star Wars Get Out The Vote: A Stephen Kent Story

by RetroZap Staff September 27, 2018

Welcome back to Beltway Banthas and brace yourself for a ride through hyperspace in higher quality audio with host, Stephen Kent. The show had some hiccups this week with the whole team migrating to new homes and getting unpacked, but Stephen found a closet and an article in SyFyWire about Star Wars politics to review.

Bethany Banthas Interview: Ross Douthat of The New York Times

by RetroZap Staff September 20, 2018

Welcome back to Beltway Banthas! Swara and Stephen are BOTH moving this week to new homes and this was as good a time as any to share some audio from over the summer. Stephen met up with New York Times op-ed columnist Ross Douthat for a discussion on Star Wars and politics. It’s a well-rounded conversation with a lot of focus on Star Wars strengths AND weaknesses. We hope you enjoy and aren’t distracted by the ambient noise of the conference.

Bethany Lacina Interview: Who Hates Star Wars For Its New Found Diversity?

by RetroZap Staff September 13, 2018

Bethany Lacina is an associate professor of political science at the University of Rochester and she took a dive into “Star Wars Twitter” to get a better understanding of fandom and why it’s so toxic. She looked at the vitriol surrounding Kelly Marie Tran and wrote “How common is such harassment? In my research, I have investigated this phenomenon on Twitter, where offensive language and hate speech have a modest but clear presence — not because of automated accounts (“bots”) but because of humans. People use degrading language more frequently when they talk about women and minorities and when they talk to female fans.”

Beltway Banthas #60: I am a Part of the Resistance Inside the Empire

by RetroZap Staff September 6, 2018

Hello Banthas! Swara and Stephen are back for Episode 60 to with some exclusive audio from Dragon Con 2018, a great panel on Crime & Politics in Star Wars. We also riff on the bombshell anonymous op-ed in the New York Times by a member of the Trump administration about the work being done on the inside to restrain his worst impulses from the inside. Is there a Star Wars tie-in? You bet there is! And finally, we talk about the Disney union workers vote for higher wages – with a little disagreement to be had on the topic.

Strategy Strikes Back: How Star Wars Explains Modern Military Conflict

by RetroZap Staff September 3, 2018

Brooks wrote Strategy Strikes Back: How Star Wars Explains Modern Military Conflict. You can check out Strategy Strikes Back by Max Brooks on Amazon by clicking the image below.

Beltway Banthas #59: Imperialization Politics in Star Wars

by RetroZap Staff August 23, 2018

The Empire is coming for your moisture farm! Today on the show we discuss politically charged deleted scenes that never made it into the final cut of Star Wars films. Our main focus is a discussion between Biggs and Luke Skywalker about the “imperialization” of industry. Abby Gleason fills in for Swara and we are joined by Brittany Hunter to talk socialism in space, bourgeois Biggs and more.

Beltway Banthas #58: Enemies of the People

by RetroZap Staff August 9, 2018

We’re back! Stephen and Swara are back to discuss whether President Trump treats the media like Palpatine treated the Jedi Order during the Clone Wars. Both institutions are meant to be a positive check on power and injustice. Has Trump succeeded in shifting the public narrative against the media as Palpatine did with the Jedi? Tune in to find out!

Beltway Banthas Special: Solo, Politidope, & Fodder

by RetroZap Staff May 31, 2018

We have a jam-packed episode for y’all before our hiatus! First Stephen and Swara give their review of Solo. We then present Swara’s conversation with Matt Rogers (@Politidope) to talk about the politics of the Resistance on the Left and parallels we find with Star Wars, all from the prequels to the sequels. Finally the hosts give their final Bantha Fodders for the season before our two month hiatus!

Beltway Banthas #57: The Politics of Mark Hamill

by RetroZap Staff May 24, 2018

Mark Hamill is a Hollywood legend for his depiction of Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars movies. He is also a staunch believer in speaking on about politics. In this weeks episode we look at Mark Hamill’s public stand on gun control, President Trump and how he balances Star Wars with politics alongside the fans. This is part of a larger conversation on pop culture and whether or not our hyper politicized society has made it harder to enjoy art.

Beltway Banthas: Star Wars Representation Matters ft. Daniel Jose Older

by RetroZap Staff May 17, 2018

The Star Wars franchise has been becoming more visibly diverse on the screen, but will LucasFilm go further on issues of representation? Swara, the hosts of Book Wars Pod and Rebel Grrrl, are joined by Star Wars: Last Shot author Daniel Jose Older and others to discuss this topic. The online campaign that emerged as a result of this effort is called #SWRepMatters.

Beltway Banthas #56: The Public Service of Bail Organa

by RetroZap Staff May 10, 2018

Abby and Swara discuss and analyze the life of one of their favorite fictional politicians of all time, the wonderful and estimable Bail Organa of Alderaan. What drove him to sacrifice so much for the good of the galaxy? How can we learn from his amazing example? Why does he give us so many feels?!? Listen to find out!

Beltway Banthas Special: May the Fourth be with you

by RetroZap Staff May 3, 2018

Beltway Banthas turned two this month! The experiment of blending Star Wars and politics has turned into an adventure the likes of which we could never has anticipated. THANK YOU for sticking with us all this time and making it so much fun.

Beltway Banthas

The only Star Wars podcast dedicated to exploring the politics of a galaxy far, far away and why they matter.