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Beltway Banthas Interview: Star Wars author Ken Liu

by RetroZap Staff January 25, 2018

Hello Banthas! This week we are excited to be joined by renowned science-fiction and fantasy author Ken Liu. His short stories have appeared in F&SF, Asimov’s, Analog, Lightspeed, Clarkesworld and he recently debuted in Star Wars canon helming The Legends of Luke Skywalker. Ken joined our producer John Liang for a call where they discuss his background, Asian themes in Star Wars and the experience of adding to the new universe.

Beltway Banthas #47: Wealth, War and Canto Bight

by RetroZap Staff January 18, 2018

It’s the first of our in-depth discussion on The Last Jedi. This week we discuss the politics of Canto Bight! Joining us to discuss is political scientist Seth Masket! We discuss war profiteering, socioeconomic inequality, whether we think the sequence carries apt allegories, partisan interpretations of the sequence, and much more!

Beltway Banthas Interview: Emperor Trumpatine

by RetroZap Staff January 11, 2018

Hello Banthas and welcome to our first interview of 2018! This week we had the distinct honor of meeting the real humans behind the curtain of @RealTrumpatine, Twitters most prolific Star Wars and politics account. Every day the Emperor Trumpatine account pumps out amazing comedic content echoing whatever President Trump is Tweeting that day. It has kept us laughing from 2015 to today. This has been a year in the making, so meet Dan Udell and Tom Hunt, the two halves of the Trumpatine brain.

Beltway Banthas Episode #46: OMG The Last Jedi

by RetroZap Staff January 4, 2018

We’re back from our holiday hiatus! Stephen and Swara FINALLY offer their first thoughts on The Last Jedi. This is the first of many episodes we’ll be having on this deeply layered film. In this episode, we touch all our favorite parts and hangups. We also overview its many political themes and list out what we’ll be talking about in the coming weeks.

Beltway Banthas & Friends: Live Show in Arlington

by RetroZap Staff December 14, 2017

Beltway Banthas is all about bringing people together–so this week we did just that. Past guests of the show, GOP pollster Kristen Soltis Anderson (host of The Pollsters Podcast), Ben Domenech (The Federalist), Tamara Keith & Scott Detrow (NPR Politics) gathered at the Arlington library in Virginia to share their love of Star Wars.

Beltway Banthas Episode #45: Operation Cinder & Star Wars Polls

by RetroZap Staff December 7, 2017

What did the Empire do in the days and weeks following Return of the Jedi? It’s not a simple happy ending. The Emperor left orders for Operation Cinder, a brutal campaign that would leave countless dead and the groundwork laid for the First Order. This week we discuss Operation Cinder and real world parallels.

Beltway Banthas Episode #44: The Last Jedi’s Political Intrigue

by RetroZap Staff November 30, 2017

The galaxy is in total upheaval! The events of Episode VII left the political order of Star Wars in a fascinating state of disarray. This week on Beltway Banthas the …

An Important Message From Beltway Banthas

by RetroZap Staff November 23, 2017

Happy Thanksgiving! Beltway Banthas is taking this week off to connect with family & friends, but we did want to speak to you on this holiday. First, we want to thank you! This audience is amazing. We also share things we are thankful for in Star Wars and politics, as well as read your Tweets. Finally…some important announcements about the future of the show. Stick around for those in this holiday broadcast.

Beltway Banthas Interview: Clayton Sandell of ABC News

by RetroZap Staff November 18, 2017

Clayton Sandell is a digital news reporter and correspondent for ABC News. You may know his work during the launch of Rogue One: A Story Wars Story when ABC went behind the scenes to see how Tarkin was brought back to life.

Beltway Banthas Episode #43: Palpatine, Manafort & Treason

by RetroZap Staff November 9, 2017

It’s treason then! This week we discuss how the Jedi botched the removal of Chancellor Palpatine. Had they done it more carefully, maybe the Empire would have never risen. Stephen is joined by guests Josh Gilliland of The Legal Geeks and Kate Sanchez of the But Why Tho Podcast.

Beltway Banthas Episode #42: Princess of Alderaan

by RetroZap Staff October 26, 2017

How did Leia get her start in politics? In this episode, Tricia Barr of the Fangirls Going Rogue podcast and founder of Fangirlblog, along with contributor John Liang, joins Beltway Banthas for a spoiler-filled discussion of one of the most recently released novels: Claudia Gray’s Leia: Princess of Alderaan, and what we learn about the politics of the Rebellion.

Beltway Banthas Interview: Looking for Leia with Dr. Annalise Ophelian

by RetroZap Staff October 19, 2017

Dr. Annalise Ophelian, the driving force behind Looking for Leia, joins us for a discussion on women in fandom, sexism, social movements, how to ensure fandom is inclusive.

Beltway Banthas Episode #41: I Will Make It Legal

by RetroZap Staff October 12, 2017

In this jam packed episode, we seek counsel from The Legal Geeks podcast. Jessica Mederson and Josh Gilliland run The Legal Geeks blog and podcast, where they break down the burning questions of law in sci-fi. They joined Beltway Banthas to address droids rights, liability for the Death Star, Han’s right to stand his ground and much more.

Beltway Banthas

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