Rebel Force Radio: Star Wars Podcast

The next STAR WARS film to come through the pipeline following THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU will apparently be helmed by Deadpool and Wolverine director Shawn Levy. We look at some new casting rumors and gather up clues about what this movie will be all about. Back in 1978, the legendary rock band Jefferson Starship performed a song on THE STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL, but did you know their current stage manager Todd Mills is a huge Star Wars fan? Todd joins us “In The Cantina” to discuss the band’s appearance on the infamous “Holiday Special” and to provide his answers to the famous “Yoda Questionnaire”. We look ahead to next month’s animated TALES OF THE UNDERWORLD and dive into the RFR Vault for an interview with one of the voice actors from the upcoming series. And as long as we’re talking about voice acting, we pay tribute to the original voice of The Emperor in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, the late Clive Revill. Plus, we continue to countdown the days until ANDOR season 2 debuts and more! 

In a surprise announcement this week, we learned TALES OF THE UNDERWORLD will be the next STAR WARS animation event, launching this May the Fourth. We review the new trailer shot-by-shot and speculate. Veteran sit-com writer Bruce Villanch just released a new book and it features his recollections of working on the infamous STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL. We listen to hilarious excerpts from his audiobook and discuss some of the cool new info revealed about the making of the show. Did Anakin Skywalker’s midichlorian count shrink after he lost an arm and both legs? We discuss and debate! Plus, Luke Skywalker debuts at STAR WARS GALAXY’S EDGE and more!

This week, we're raiding the RFR Vault to present you with a rare, professional-grade recording of Mark Hamill's full panel from Star Wars Celebration Japan 2008. Coverage from this event is sparce and this is the only opportunity to hear the full, unedited panel complete with Japanese translations and fan questions. Our recording will give fans who are traveling to Japan in April for the next Star Wars Celebration at taste of what the panels will be like. Plus, we're showcasing some highlights from our Patreon exclusive show RFR Q&A, including a deep discussion about The Balance of The Force and The Dark Side, plus a fun quiz about General Grievous and more!

If someone asked you who the artist was that originally conceived the iconic look of Star Wars vehicles like the TIE Fighter, The X-Wing, and The Death Star, you might think of famous names like Ralph McQuarrie and Joe Johnston. But before those legends were enlisted to work on STAR WARS, George Lucas first worked with Colin Cantwell. Colin’s partner Sierra Dall joins us “In the Cantina” to discuss Colin’s life, his artwork and she sets the record straight about his contributions to STAR WARS. We check out interview highlights featuring Tony Gilroy and some of the cast of ANDOR as they discuss the upcoming second season. Plus, listener feedback sends us down-the-rabbit-hole as we try to define what a “Bokken Jedi” really is. Get Full Show Video, Bonus Podcasts, Early-Bird access to Ad-Free episodes and more with RFR on Patreon!  www.patreon.com/rebelforceradio

As George Lucas was in his final years at Lucasfilm, he had some projects in the pipeline and on the verge of release, but they never happened. Via new interview highlights with producer Rick McCallum and writer Ronald D. Moore, we learn more about STAR WARS UNDERWORLD, the live-action STAR WARS TV show that had 50-60 fully written scripts ready-to-go, but was eventually abandoned. And Seth Green recently shared info about the fully-produced, but never-released animated comedy series STAR WARS DETOURS. These key creatives discussed their experiences working with Lucas on those shows and why fans will never get the chance to see them. In other news, we review interview clips of Daisy Ridley and screenwriter Stephen Knight talking about the ever-in-development “New Jedi Order” film featuring Rey. Plus, we discuss potential STAR WARS animated projects that may be in the works, “Star Wars in Pop Culture” features Mark Hamill on “Space Ghost Coast-to-Coast", and we have a huge announcement about the next RFR LIVE event happening later this year. It’s one you won’t want to miss!

We react to Kathleen Kennedy’s response to last week’s reports claiming she will be stepping down as president of Lucasfilm and clarifying what was true in the reports and what wasn't. Kathleen also discussed several STAR WARS projects currently in the pipeline. More footage of ANDOR season two dropped this week as the hype for next month’s season premiere ramps up. We breakdown the "Special Look" footage and search for hints of what’s to come. We discuss the STAR WARS presence in the 2025 Oscars including nominees and presenters, some film editing flubs in the Original Trilogy and more!   Get full show video, bonus podcasts, ad-free shows and more with RFR on Patreon! www.patreon.com/rebelforceradio   

NOTE: As we were prepping this podcast for release, Kathleen Kennedy responded to, but didn’t deny, the reports about her stepping down as president of Lucasfilm. We will discuss her recent statements on next week’s RFR.  Reports have emerged this week regarding Kathleen Kennedy eventually stepping down as Lucasfilm president at some point in the next year or so. We discuss the rumor and review Kathy’s reign as STAR WARS head honcho with a report card featuring all of her highs and lows. ANDOR is returning to Disney+ in April with its second season and a new trailer dropped this week. We go through the trailer shot-by-shot and discuss all the visuals and the music. We follow-up on Mark Hamill’s recent comments about singer Terri Nunn’s screen test for the original STAR WARS film with highlights of Terri recounting the audition via a rare radio interview. Get Full Show Video, bonus podcasts and ad-free shows with RFR All Access on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/c/RebelForceRadio

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE is celebrating its 50th anniversary this week, so we take a look back at several of the great STAR WARS celebrity cameos, jokes and sketches from the past five decades of SNL. Will Baby Yoda say his first words in the upcoming MANDALORIAN AND GROGU film? We discuss the possibilities and consider what his first words will be. We continue our review of the 1980 U.S. press conference for THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, Warwick Davis received a big honor early this week in London so we celebrate his career, and we also have audio highlights from recent interviews with Daisy Ridley and Mark Hamill. Speaking of Hamill, the Luke Skywalker actor takes center stage in our "Outrageous and Unthinkable Story of the Week" as he redefined the term “wardrobe malfunction” at the 2025 Bafta Awards and more!  

We’ve heard from so many listeners who say they love it when we feature rare interview footage from the Original Trilogy era so in this week’s RFR, we feature cool audio highlights from the official 1980 press conference for THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. You’ll hear from Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Irwin Kershner, Anthony Daniels, and Gary Kurtz. Fast forward to the present, we discuss all the latest STAR WARS headlines, including new quotes from Daisy Ridley discussing her upcoming “New Jedi Order” film along with comments from Sigourney Weaver who reveals  Baby Yoda “kicks ass” in upcoming THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU. We react to a recent Lucasfilm executive shakeup and new rumors about a possible pair of unannounced all-new STAR WARS animated series. Plus, listener feedback, Luke Skywalker at STAR WARS GALAXY’S EDGE, and Harrison Ford’s new Jeep commercial. Get Full Show Video, Bonus Podcasts, Ad-Free show and more with RFR on Patreon! www.patreon.com/rebelforceradio 

The screenwriter for the in-development “New Jedi Order” film featuring Daisy Ridley - George Nolfi - addressed some questions about the script in a recent interview. We look at quotes from Nolfi about his influences, along with the politics and history that may be inserted into the story. We provide a first blush review of the early chapters from the upcoming novel STAR WARS: REIGN OF THE EMPIRE: THE MASK OF FEAR. We continue our discussion about Marvel Comics’ “Legacy of Vader” and the death of Watto, we review highlights from recent interviews with Bill Burr, Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford, a RETURN OF THE JEDI-era “Outrageous and Unthinkable” story, listener feedback presents the question: Will Finn return as a Jedi? Get full show video, bonus podcasts, ad-free early bird releases and more at RFR on Patreon! www.patreon.com/rebelforceradio