Gene Park may have been the very first Star Wars fan to buy a ticket for Episode I: The Phantom Menace. It’s true! In this special Bantha interview, Washington Post gaming reporter Gene Park talks about his Star Wars fandom and how storytelling methods from video games have crept in and out of blockbuster films
Star Wars politics
Maggie and Stephen discuss the principles of Star Wars that improve American politics and life. “Hope” and “Redemption” is what we get into and it’s one of the best conversations yet on Beltway Banthas
Buzzfeed’s Ryan Broderick wrote The “Star Wars” Misinformation Hell Is The New Future Of Everything” and he couldn’t be more right.
Stephen is joined by friends of the show to look at how The Rise of Skywalker does as a conclusion to STAR WARS, the good, the great, the bad and the ugly.
The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters this week! To discuss the hype and stakes for the film, comedian and baritone geek Andrew Heaton joins Beltway Banthas. We get into the return of Emperor Palpatine, Rey, fanboys vs The Last Jedi and Heaton’s recent interview of Jonathan Last, who notoriously penned “The Case For Empire” in the Weekly Standard
Josh Gilliland (The Legal Geeks Podcast) and Gio Insignares (WUSA Channel 9 DC) join Beltway Banthas to discuss the new Star Wars series on Disney+
Stephen Kent and Kennedy talk about everything from Luke vs Han, Jar Jar and the Leia bikini to U.S. foreign policy and Deadliest Catch.
Michael and Stephen discuss how Star Wars can inspire a young, new-left movement to confront the most pressing issues of the day for progressives: capitalism, income inequality, climate, nationalism and more.
Have Disney and Star Wars made questional compromises to do business in China? In the wake of the NBA-Hong Kong controversy, no better time to discuss!
Barriss Offee bombed the Jedi Temple and framed another Jedi for the act of terror. She was right about the war, and the Jedi, but did something very wrong.
Stephen Kent and Glenn Beck talk about Star Wars, the power of fear, generational change and the evolution (plus consistency) of Star Wars’ message.
In the main segment Stephen Kent is joined by Matthew Neugebauer to analyze Star Wars fandom and its troubles over the decades by understanding the Protestant Reformation and the concept of a ‘legitimation crisis’. Basically, in social science, what does it take to unravel social order and how can that be applied to the life of Star Wars fans.
Welcome back Banthas! The Beltway Banthas podcast has returned with regular shows now through 2020. Starting off this new season of Star Wars & politics chatter, Stephen Kent is joined by guest host Nick DiColandrea for a dive into the political conscience of Padme Amidala. In Revenge of the Sith, she opens up to Anakin about her uncertainty with the Republic’s democratic virtue. What got Padme to the point of questioning her entire political position and that of the “democracy” she has served?