Hyperspace Theories

On January 15, 2026, Lucasfilm formally announced that Kathleen Kennedy is "stepping down" as president of the company. Dave Filoni will take on the role of President and Chief Creative Officer. Lynwen Brennan, who for the past two years has held the title of "President & General Manager, Lucasfilm Business" alongside Kennedy, will continue in that role as "Co-President" with Filoni. On this episode of Hyperspace Theories, recorded days later, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester discuss the implications of this long-anticipated transition in the highest levels of Lucasfilm's leadership. We begin with a brief recap of the other Star Wars news stories in the preceding ten days, which had implicitly suggested that a major change would be imminent. We then unpack the press release from Lucasfilm, and what it represents as an official communication from a division of a publicly traded multi-national corporation. Next, we consider the additional information provided by source journalistic reporting from the major Hol

The year 2025 marked the sixth without a new Star Wars movie in theaters since The Rise of Skywalker concluded the Sequel Trilogy. In the past few years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe and DC superhero films have struggled with consistency at reaching their prior levels of box-office earnings and fan satisfaction. We found it interesting, then, that two 2025 superhero movies – the MCU's rebooted The Fantastic Four: First Steps and DC's new iteration of Superman – showcased several prominent storytelling elements that we wish Lucasfilm had been able to incorporate into the Sequel Trilogy, as we talked about on the blog and podcast when the Sequel Trilogy was in development and production. On this episode of Hyperspace Theories, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester discuss how these two movies show the path that Star Wars missed in advancing new and important ideas for today's heroic tales. These two superhero movies have three big ideas in common that would have worked well for the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, too. First

A year after Part I, the Wicked movie franchise returns with For Good, an adaptation of the second act of the Broadway musical. In this episode of Hyperspace Theories, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester examine how Wicked: For Good takes advantage of the movie format, and the passage of time since the original musical was written, to strengthen the character arcs of Elphaba, Glinda, and Fiyero in tandem with the story's themes. Like Part I, For Good also maximizes the opportunity to include locations, action sequences, and other visual elements which wouldn't be possible in a Broadway stage production. The two new songs written for Wicked: For Good, Elphaba's "No Place Like Home" early in the movie and Glinda's "Girl in the Bubble" near the end, reinforce the two characters' motivations for their crucial decisions in the story. Each song also feels especially timely, directly addressing themes of resistance to oppression, the influence of propaganda, and the emotional and psychological obstacles that sometimes mus

In a matter of weeks, the Sony-produced animated movie K-Pop Demon Hunters became the all-time most-viewed original title on Netflix. A limited-release theatrical run of the sing-along version of the film, for two days on fewer than two thousand screens after it had been available on streaming for two months, was the #1 movie at the box office for that weekend. With four songs in the Billboard Hot 100 chart, including “Golden” reaching #1, K-Pop Demon Hunters has attained soundtrack feats not seen since Purple Rain (1984) and Saturday Night Fever (1978). And the social media fandom for the movie shows no signs of slowing down. On this episode of Hyperspace Theories, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester discuss the multi-layered success of K-Pop Demon Hunters in its storytelling and in its appeal to fans. Building on longstanding themes of the blog and podcast, we examine the story structure of K-Pop Demon Hunters as a movie that isn’t a heroic origin story for its protagonists, and how the character-driven narrative

For our third episode of Hyperspace Theories podcast discussing the second season of Andor, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester examine how the series portrays characterization through the use of point of view in its writing and visual imagery. Although prose fiction Star Wars usually relies upon third-person limited storytelling, only revealing to the reader what the characters themselves know or understand, cinematic Star Wars sometimes gives the impression of a third-person omniscient perspective, with the audience as an external observer watching a "true" version of events unfold. In Andor, however, much of the storytelling follows the limited point of view of the respective characters, and deploys effective camera angles and shot framing to convey their emotions as well as to build dramatic tension for the audience. We begin by revisiting the Ghorman Massacre from our previous episode, considering the ways its portrays the points of view from Cassian, Syril, and Dedra during those crucial events. When then

On the latest episode of Hyperspace Theories, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester continue their analysis of Season Two of the Disney+ streaming series Andor: A Star Wars Story with a discussion centered on the Ghorman storyline heavily featured across Episodes 4 to 8 and culminating in the eighth episode focused entirely on the the tragedy of the Ghorman Massacre. One major theme of this storyline is the power of propaganda, introduced in the first Imperial scenes of the season’s first episode. We then consider other forms of Imperial manipulation of the events on Ghorman, and the ideas Andor presents about oppression and resistance through the lens of Imperial military occupation, the Ghorman Front and public opposition, and the role of Luthen’s agents on the road to the Massacre. These themes and ideas are reflected across the characterization and character arcs of numerous individuals in these episodes, including Cassian, Luthen, and Wilmon; Vel and Cinta; Dedra, Syril, and Partagaz; and even Mon Mothma and Dir

Beginning immediately on the heels of Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025, the second season of the Disney+ streaming series Andor, now carrying the same A Star Wars Story subtitle as Rogue One, kicked off its four-week run with its first trio of episodes. The premiere and its title, "One Year Later," sets the framework for Season Two: as each "a movie a week" batch of three episodes brings us a year closer to Rogue One, several interweaving plots advance the characters arcs of Andor's expansive cast. On this episode of Hyperspace Theories podcast, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester analyze the first story arc of Season Two by breaking down how each of the four subplots reveals more of the world-building and characterization that drive the story forward. We begin with Cassian Andor examining how his character has evolved since the events of Season One and the lessons he learns in his mission-gone-awry from a Sienar facility to the Yavin IV jungle to his fateful return to his Ferrix friends. The other major plotlin

On the latest episode of Hyperspace Theories podcast, hosts Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester report from Star Wars Celebration Japan on the latest news and happenings. Highlights from key panels - The Mandalorian and Grogu, Andor Season 2, Ahsoka, Star Wars Animation 25th Anniversary - are discussed. Let's celebrate Star Wars!

On this episode of Hyperspace Theories podcast, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester detour from our usual focus on fictional storytelling to discuss an instance of real-world events and surrounding narratives in the form of journalistic coverage of the upcoming retirement of Kathleen Kennedy from her current role as president of Lucasfilm. On February 24, 2025, experienced Hollywood journalist Matt Belloni at Puck reported that “Kathleen Kennedy has informed Disney, as well as friends and associates, that she will exit as Lucasfilm president by the end of the year, per three sources.” Two of the three longstanding Hollywood trades, The Hollywood Reporter and Variety, quickly corroborated the reported, followed soon after by articles considering potential replacements as Lucasfilm’s leader. Then, on February 27, the other major trade, Deadline, ran an extended written interview with Kennedy. Although framed as a debunking of Belloni’s reporting, its substance actually verified the fundamental accuracy of his informa

Ahoy, mateys! Pirates, pirate ships, and a search for lost treasure have returned to Star Wars – and so has the familiar story structure, complete with a boring home planet (A New Hope) and ten-year-old (The Phantom Menace) protagonists flung into a very unexpected adventure in the wider galaxy. On this episode of Hyperspace Theories, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester examine the first four episodes of Skeleton Crew to unpack the story structure, character arcs, and themes unfolding in the first half of the new Disney+ streaming series. Although the story structure of Skeleton Crew draws from the monomyth that undergirds much of Star Wars, the series also draws inspiration from other 1980s films that followed a similar pattern with younger protagonists, including The Goonies and E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. Initially the schoolchildren simply want to get back home right away, but soon find themselves jumping repeatedly through hyperspace from one destination to the next. The four kid leads – Wim, Fern, Neel, and

Continuing our recent witchy trend on Hyperspace Theories alongside our discussion of Agatha All Along, this episode discusses the movie Wicked: Part I, which broke box office records in its first week of release. Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester begin with a common focus of the podcast: the storytelling structure of the movie, and how it compares and contrasts with the Broadway musical that the films adapts. Director Jon M. Chu maximizes the opportunity of the movie medium to broaden the visual storytelling for the characters, themes, and world-building beyond what is possible on a Broadway stage, while leaving the plot and iconic musical numbers in place. Yet the movie adaptation of Wicked doesn't hesitate to make changes to take advantage of the movie medium, either, such as using close-ups on faces to enable emotional performances and greater vocal dynamic range that wouldn't work on stage. We then examine the character arcs of the two leading ladies of Wicked, Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana G

In this podcast episode, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester consider the recently released MCU Disney+ series Agatha All Along from the perspective of long-running themes at FANgirl Blog and Hyperspace Theories: the influence of myth and heroic journeys on contemporary storytelling and how contemporary storytelling is evolving those ideas, especially in stories told by women and other creators from diverse and marginalized backgrounds. The story structure of Agatha All Along itself is built around the idea of an evolving myth, the “Ballad of the Witches’ Road” song, which appears in multiple iterations over the course of the series. We then discuss the character arcs of Agatha Harkness and Billy Maximoff through the frame of the Maiden Mother Crone triptych that is central to the series, and to longstanding lore about witches and other female archetypes. We also examine how Agatha All Along draws upon familiar elements of storytelling frameworks like the Hero’s Journey and Heroine’s Journey while also breaking fro

It’s been ten years since FANgirl Blog launched the Hyperspace Theories podcast. On the latest episode, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester look back on the podcast’s evolution from its origin in discussing how to speculate wisely on upcoming Star Wars stories to a broader consideration of storytelling, character arcs and the Hero’s Journey, and franchise management. We reminisce about our favorite episodes of the podcast over the years. After looking back, we turn to the present and future of the franchise through the lens of two recent articles in major Hollywood trade publications. James Hibberd’s lengthy essay in The Hollywood Reporter asks “Is Disney Bad at Star Wars?” offers a fair assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the past decade of the franchise, ultimately concluding that it’s not bad but it could do better. The timing of the article’s publication also is notable for two reasons. First, although it studiously avoids placing blame on particular named individuals, it renders an unusually critical

The Marvel Cinematic Universe accomplished an unprecedented track record of box office earnings, followed by an uneven phase that included a few box office miscues and a mixed reactions to its span of Disney+ streaming series. In this episode of Hyperspace Theories, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester discuss two MCU series that had lower profiles in fan attention and viewership, but much to consider in what they got right in their storytelling: the binge-dropped live-action series Echo and the animated series What If? released weekly in its second season. Most significantly, both series featured stories with female leads that drew heavily upon elements of Heroine’s Journey stories rather than repeating the long-familiar tropes of male-centered superhero tales. More than a decade ago, prior to the release of the first film in The Hunger Games series, producer Nina Jacobson highlighted a core aspect of the story of Katniss Everdeen: that she is a nurturing heroine rather than a conquering hero. In a similar vein, Ca

On this episode of Hyperspace Theories, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester examine the Disney+ live-action series Star Wars: The Acolyte through the lens of recent Lucasfilm’s brand management struggles, especially with the Star Wars franchise. We begin with the strengths of The Acolyte that we want to praise, including the fight choreography, the performances of the cast, and the diversity, inclusion, and representation the series demonstrates both in front of and behind the camera. When it comes to The Acolyte‘s weaknesses, the problem of brand management is the central dynamic. We consider how The Acolyte portrays the character arcs of Osha and Mae and their relation to the dark side of the Force in a manner that is dissonant with the overall themes of the franchise and George Lucas’ films in particular. Similarly, The Acolyte portrays Jedi characters, and the Jedi Order as an institution, in a way that does not align with the brand’s longstanding messages. We also discuss other brand management issues, includi

Before turning to the currently releasing third season of Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Hyperspace Theories podcast returns to the concluding episodes of Season Two. Having previously analyzed the first ten episodes, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester discuss episodes 11 through 16, starting with “Metamorphosis” and “The Outpost” and ending with Tech’s (apparent) self-sacrifice by implementing the tragic “Plan 99” during the squad’s fateful mission to Tarkin’s base on Eriadu. On the theme of metamorphosis and transformation, we consider the introduction of Doctor Hemlock as the Batch’s new primary antagonist, the significance of Crosshair’s realization that the clones are expendable to the Empire, how the Batch’s experience on Pabu provides a new perspective for their understanding of their place in a changing galaxy, and the increasing stakes for the Bad Batch and all of the clones as the threat posed by Hemlock becomes clearer. We also examine the visual symbolism throughout these episodes, particularly the signific

Hyperspace Theories kicks off 2024 with a new episode analyzing recent developments that appear to chart a new course for the future of Star Wars. Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester begin with the November 2023 news, first revealed in a Vanity Fair article by longtime Star Wars and entertainment journalist Anthony Breznican, that Dave Filoni has been promoted to the position of Chief Creative Officer at Lucasfilm. We discuss what a CCO role entails and how Filoni’s position compares to other CCO roles within The Walt Disney Company overall. Filoni also now holds the title of Executive Vice President, a rank he shares with three women in Lucasfilm’s leadership team, including his trusted producer Carrie Beck. We then discuss Lucasfilm’s press release from January 9, 2024, announcing that the first new theatrical Star Wars project into production is not one of the three films mentioned by Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy at Star Wars Celebration Europe in April 2023, but rather The Mandalorian & Grogu direct

The epilogue montage of the recently concluded Ahsoka series on Disney+ included a surprising and exciting image: former Jedi turned antagonist Baylan Skoll standing amid colossal statues of the Father, Son, and (partially destroyed) Daughter of Mortis. These mysterious and powerful “Force Wielders” have a long connection to Ahsoka mastermind Dave Filoni: they interacted with Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, and Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Mortis trilogy (2011) in the third season of The Clone Wars animated series, for which Filoni served as supervising director under George Lucas, and then appeared as Jedi temple iconography in the penultimate duology (2018) of the Star Wars Rebels animated series, which was co-created and overseen by Filoni. As his segment of the montage ends, Baylan gazes upon a mountain range with a distant hovering light, a visual that closely resembles the Father’s monastery on Mortis. While this brief glimpse only hints at possible implications for future stories involving Baylan, Ahsoka, and

The Ahsoka series on Disney+ has reached its finale. On this episode of Hyperspace Theories, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester analyze the storytelling in Part Six “Far, Far Away,” Part Seven “Dreams and Madness,” and Part Eight “The Jedi, the Witch, and the Warlord” and consider what Ahsoka establishes for the future of Star Wars tales. We begin by examining the conclusions to the character arcs of Ahsoka Tano and Sabine Wren, and their relationship as master and apprentice. With Ezra Bridger reunited with his old friends, the series portrays three different perspectives on what it has meant and can mean to be a Jedi. On the other hand, Shin Hati parts ways with her master and starts the journey of finding her own path. In addition, we discuss the character arcs of other key players, including Baylan Skoll, Hera Syndulla, Morgan Elsbeth, and of course the series’ nemesis, Grand Admiral Thrawn. The third act of Ahsoka also leans into the mythology of Star Wars, especially the deeper themes about the Force. Sabine

Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester return for another episode of Hyperspace Theories discussing the Ahsoka Disney+ series, specifically the second act of the story: Part Three “Time to Fly,” Part Four “Fallen Jedi,” and Part Five “Shadow Warrior.” Often Star Wars is at its best when it advances not only the character arcs of its principals, but also the mythology of the franchise, The episodes of Ahsoka, and “Shadow Warrior” especially, mark a great success in that tradition. As we mentioned in our previous episode discussing the two-part premiere, Ahsoka has excelled at representation and inclusion, particularly compared to Star Wars’ less than stellar historical track record. In late September, the Women’s Committee of the Critic’s Choice Association (CCA) announced that it would be honoring Ahsoka with the Seal of Female Empowerment in Entertainment (SOFEE), which “recognizes outstanding new films and television series that illuminate the female experience and perspective through authentically told female-drive