We’re starting one of the most popular canon releases of 2017, STAR WARS: BATTLEFRONT II: INFERNO SQUAD by Christie Golden. Meet the Empire’s most elite cleanup team, find out more about life under the Emperor’s totalitarian state, and delve into more recurring Star Wars themes with us.

Plus, we finally have theme music! “Whiz Bang” is by Podington Bear.

This episode also references Thrawn by Timothy Zahn (which we covered in episodes 10-14) and season 3 of Star Wars: Rebels, and is NOT spoiler-free!

Book Wars Pod explores the Star Wars universe through the franchise’s non-screen media: the canon novels, comics, and video games. Check out our guide to past episodes, and subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, and wherever else you cast your pods. You can also subscribe to the Tosche Station Radio Mega Feed on iTunes or Google Play for more great shows from our podcast network.

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr for episode updates! Hosted by Kristen Sereci, Chris Sedor, and Kate Sedor. Art by Joe Butera. Music by Podington Bear.

This podcast has been brought to you in part by your support on Patreon!

We continue our run-up to the last season of Star Wars: Rebels by returning to the world of comics! STAR WARS: KANAN (THE LAST PADAWAN and FIRST BLOOD), written by Greg Weisman and pencilled by Pepe Larraz, recounts the Jedi past of Rebel leader Kanan Jarrus. What do the comics tell us about Kanan’s journey? What do Kanan’s former mentors tell us about the Jedi? How drunk did Kate get while recording this episode? All that and more this week!

Plus, we touch on a bunch of extra-credit materials for you to explore:

• Burden of Empire: The Complex Relationship Between Star Wars and Facism
• Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey, from The Hero With a Thousand Faces, and how it relates to Star Wars
• Why Joseph Campbell was kind of a lousy human
• Why Captain Hera Syndulla Deserves Her Very Own Marvel Comic
• The Clone Wars episode 3.8, “Evil Plans”
• The Clone Wars episodes 5.6-5.9, “The Gathering” arc

This episode also includes plot points from Star Wars: Rebels and is NOT spoiler-free!

Book Wars Pod explores the Star Wars universe through the franchise’s non-screen media: the canon novels, comics, and video games. Check out our guide to past episodes, and subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, and wherever else you cast your pods. You can also subscribe to the Tosche Station Radio Mega Feed on iTunes or Google Play for more great shows from our podcast network.

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr for episode updates! Hosted by Kristen Sereci, Chris Sedor, and Kate Sedor. Art by Joe Butera. Music by Podington Bear.

This podcast has been brought to you in part by your support on Patreon!

We wrap up our read of A NEW DAWN by John Jackson Miller and discuss his short story, “BOTTLENECK,” featured in the RISE OF THE EMPIRE compilation. What is the future of the Jedi Order? Where do we draw the line between the will of the Force and free will? Will Hondo ever be in a Star Wars novel? All that and more in this episode!

Extra credit reading: Miller’s production notes for A NEW DAWN and “BOTTLENECK.”

This episode mentions a ton of plot points from Star Wars: Rebels and is NOT spoiler-free!

Book Wars Pod explores the Star Wars universe through the franchise’s non-screen media: the canon novels, comics, and video games. Check out our guide to past episodes, and subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, and wherever else you cast your pods. You can also subscribe to the Tosche Station Radio Mega Feed on iTunes or Google Play for more great shows from our podcast network.

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr for episode updates! Hosted by Kristen Sereci, Chris Sedor, and Kate Sedor. Art by Joe Butera. Music by Podington Bear.

This podcast has been brought to you in part by your support on Patreon!

This week, we’re reading through the end of A NEW DAWN by John Jackson Miller: our introduction to Rae Sloane, the “New Imperial” generation, and name changes and trauma, two important Star Wars themes. Plus: Kate finally gets to do the Kanera screaming she’s been threatening all along, as she argues that the novel is an essential part of the canon, and Kanan and Hera’s character development.

This episode mentions a ton of plot points from Star Wars: Rebels and is NOT spoiler-free!

Book Wars Pod explores the Star Wars universe through the franchise’s non-screen media: the canon novels, comics, and video games. Check out our guide to past episodes, and subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, and wherever else you cast your pods. You can also subscribe to the Tosche Station Radio Mega Feed on iTunes or Google Play for more great shows from our podcast network.

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr for episode updates! Hosted by Kristen Sereci, Chris Sedor, and Kate Sedor. Art by Joe Butera. Music by Podington Bear.

This podcast has been brought to you in part by your support on Patreon!

We continue our journey through A NEW DAWN by John Jackson Miller: inescapable Imperial corruption, shades of gray in current Star Wars heroism, and, of course, Kanan and Hera’s growing partnership.

This episode covers chapters 18-36, mentions a ton of plot points from Star Wars: Rebels, and is NOT spoiler-free!

Book Wars Pod explores the Star Wars universe through the franchise’s non-screen media: the canon novels, comics, and video games. Check out our guide to past episodes, and subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, and wherever else you cast your pods. You can also subscribe to the Tosche Station Radio Mega Feed on iTunes or Google Play for more great shows from our podcast network.

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr for episode updates! Hosted by Kristen Sereci, Chris Sedor, and Kate Sedor. Art by Joe Butera. Music by Podington Bear.

This podcast has been brought to you in part by your support on Patreon!

We’re starting one of the new canon’s most popular books, A NEW DAWN by John Jackson Miller. The novel features new villains, even more Imperial mining problems, and, most importantly, the story of how two now-beloved characters met: Hera Syndulla and Kanan Jarrus.

This episode covers chapters 1-17, mentions a ton of plot points from Star Wars: Rebels, and is NOT spoiler-free!

Book Wars Pod explores the Star Wars universe through the franchise’s non-screen media: the canon novels, comics, and video games. Check out our guide to past episodes, and subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, and wherever else you cast your pods. You can also subscribe to the Tosche Station Radio Mega Feed on iTunes or Google Play for more great shows from our podcast network.

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr for episode updates! Hosted by Kristen Sereci, Chris Sedor, and Kate Sedor. Art by Joe Butera. Music by Podington Bear.

This podcast has been brought to you in part by your support on Patreon!

We wrap up our reading of THRAWN by Timothy Zahn by taking a wide lens: the novel’s unusual point of view, how the writing invites us to explore bias, the book’s genre, and everyone’s favorite bit: Easter eggs.

This podcast covers some plot points from Star Wars: Rebels and is NOT spoiler-free!

Book Wars Pod explores the Star Wars universe through the franchise’s non-screen media: the canon novels, comics, and video games. Check out our guide to past episodes, and subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, and wherever else you cast your pods. You can also subscribe to the Tosche Station Radio Mega Feed on iTunes or Google Play for more great shows from our podcast network.

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr for episode updates! Hosted by Kristen Sereci, Chris Sedor, and Kate Sedor. Art by Joe Butera. Music by Podington Bear.

This podcast has been brought to you in part by your support on Patreon!

This week, we’re finishing the last few chapters of THRAWN and taking a deep dive into the newly minted admiral’s tactics, character development, and relationships with Nightswan, Eli, and Pryce. Plus, we speculate on the future of Star Wars expansion.

This podcast covers chapters 23 through the end of the book, mentions plot points from season 3 of Star Wars Rebels, and is NOT spoiler-free!

Book Wars Pod explores the Star Wars universe through the franchise’s non-screen media: the canon novels, comics, and video games. Check out our guide to past episodes, and subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, and wherever else you cast your pods. You can also subscribe to the Tosche Station Radio Mega Feed on iTunes or Google Play for more great shows from our podcast network.

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr for episode updates! Hosted by Kristen Sereci, Chris Sedor, and Kate Sedor. Art by Joe Butera. Music by Podington Bear.

This podcast has been brought to you in part by your support on Patreon!

We head into the home stretch of THRAWN by Timothy Zahn: Eli’s character arc and slow rise through the Imperial navy, Pryce’s ascendancy to governor of Lothal, and how both serve as foils for Thrawn. Plus: What’s day-to-day life like in the Evil Empire?

This podcast covers chapters 15-22, mentions some plot points from season 3 of Star Wars Rebels, and is NOT spoiler-free!

Book Wars Pod explores the Star Wars universe through the franchise’s non-screen media: the canon novels, comics, and video games. Check out our guide to past episodes, and subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, and wherever else you cast your pods. You can also subscribe to the Tosche Station Radio Mega Feed on iTunes or Google Play for more great shows from our podcast network.

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr for episode updates! Hosted by Kristen Sereci, Chris Sedor, and Kate Sedor. Art by Joe Butera. Music by Podington Bear.

This podcast has been brought to you in part by your support on Patreon!

We continue our discussion of THRAWN by Timothy Zahn: Our favorite Chiss slowly comes into focus through the book’s point of view, how he views others (and how others view him), and other super-fun literary meta, because Kate was feeling her English major oats during recording.

This podcast covers chapters 8-14, mentions some plot points from season 3 of Star Wars Rebels, and is NOT spoiler-free!

Book Wars Pod explores the Star Wars universe through the franchise’s non-screen media: the canon novels, comics, and video games. Check out our guide to past episodes, and subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, and wherever else you cast your pods. You can also subscribe to the Tosche Station Radio Mega Feed on iTunes or Google Play for more great shows from our podcast network.

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr for episode updates! Hosted by Kristen Sereci, Chris Sedor, and Kate Sedor. Art by Joe Butera. Music by Podington Bear.

This podcast has been brought to you in part by your support on Patreon!