For Christ's Sake, Anakin!

Episode LXXXV - Omega's Baptism

18 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Bad Batch season one is in the books and I give my reactions (plural) to the two-part finale. Like the season as a whole, I struggled with connect...

Episode LXXXIV - The TVA and Loki's True Self

10 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Jonathan Majors' "Kang who Remains" may be eating the apple, but the institutions we all live under have their limits and try to exceed them. Kang's r...

Summer Shorts #3 - High Republic SDCC reveals

26 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Back in Ontario but still at a lake, I'm joined by some friends for a fully-vaccinated and fully-clothed look at the High Republic and its third wave ...

Episode LXXXIII - Masters in a Rising Storm (Commentary #2)

20 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

My commentary on Cavan Scott's The Rising Storm continues with a trio of character reflections on senior Jedi in the novel. Longtime friends Elzar Man...

Episode LXXXII - Grand Visions, Grand Armies (The Rising Storm Commentary #1)

16 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

FCSA is back to its High Republic ways with a look at Cavan Scott's The Rising Storm. I contrast the Valo attack with the Hetzal Disaster, and then go...

Sasky Summer Shorts #2 - The Bad Batch Episode 8, "Reunion"

20 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The rust of Bracca, and Crosshair's breathing apparatus. Unlike Omega, my own view was quite nice. Twitter        &...

Sasky Summer Shorts #1 - Loki Episode 2, "The Variant"

18 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

I'm taking this outside! Where you can hear the grandeur of wind and birds, alongside my thoughts on Mobius' eschatology and the show's potential refl...

Sasky Summer Shorts #0

12 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Introducing the month of Sasky Summer Shorts with my reaction to that incredible Loki premiere, as well as today's moving Bad Batch episode. Spoilers ...

Episode LXXXI - There Is No Fear

08 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week I reflect on the first arc of Cavan Scott's High Republic comic run. Building off its (ironic?) title, I explore the ways that Keeve, Sskeer...

Episode LXXX - High Republic Era

01 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week we're back aboard the High Republic Hype Train with a question rooted in real-world history. When does the High Republic Era begin and end? ...

Episode LXXIX - The Artist's Journey-with Din of F-105

25 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week I'm joined by Din of F-105 to talk about his new album, F-105 II Side B, the wonderful song Outer Space/Coming Home, his vocation as an arti...

Episode LXXVIII - A Batch of Characters

18 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

I love the Bad Batch! I really do, especially since it's taking the time to explore character growth, even as the "plot" or "mission" is moving slowly...

Episode LXXVII - Kanon Miscontinuities

07 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Bad Batch is here! It's great, and I give a brief review of the first two episodes. The first few minutes of the series make a change to pre-exist...

Episode LXXVI - Clone Force Gretzky

29 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Bad Batch is just around the corner! As I do with most upcoming series, I preview the show with a discussion of what I'd like to see and what ques...

Episode LXXV - Sam, Bucky, Karli, John

24 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome back True Believers! This week I give my spoilery thoughts on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier--both the series as a whole and where it all l...

Episode LXXIV - Into the Dark

03 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Jedi, Nihil and humble outer rim transport pilots. Claudia Gray's Into the Dark has it all, deftly exploring the struggles of three young folks making...

Episode LXXIII - Discerning the Light in a Great Disaster (Light of the Jedi Commentary #3)

12 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The FCSA Star Wars Podcast Day episode is here! This week I break down the High Council debate that forms a pivotal interlude in Charles Soule's Light...

Episode LXXII - Altar and Throne (Light of the Jedi Commentary #2)

05 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week I continue my commentary review of Charles Soule's Light of the Jedi with a look at the story as a whole, as well as some themes that emerge...

Episode LXXI - WandaVision, Sin and Redemption

29 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

FCSA goes MCU! The opening act of WandaVision is upon us, providing a good time to look back and reflect on its story and some comics connections as w...

Episode LXX - We are all the Republic (Light of the Jedi Commentary #1)

22 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As promised, the first commentary episode on Charles Soule's Light of the Jedi. I reflect on themes of political and church unity as expressed in the ...

Episode LXIX - Narratives of Great Disaster

15 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week on FCSA: The Great Hyperspace Disaster of the High Republic is the latest in a number of post-cataclysmic stories that we *just happen* to b...

2021 High Republic preview

10 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

FCSA is back! We kick things off in 2021 with my thoughts coming out of the High Republic launch event this past Monday, which you can watch right her...

Episode LXVIII - Ahsoka's Attachments

04 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

With a week to process Ahsoka Tano's triumphant two-sabred leap into live action, I share my thoughts on her appearance as a whole, and reflect on how...

Episode LXVII - Is this the way, really?

20 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

So Din Djarin was raised in an extremist cult: who knew? Of the many reveals in last week's Mando episode, this was the most intriguing. I pick up my ...

Episode LXVI - Canon Miscontinuities

07 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Execute Episode 66! This week I'm diving into moments and storylines in the Galaxy Far Far Away that don't quite line up between printed material and ...

Episode LXV - Mando and the Force

30 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It's the Eve of Mando Season 2! This week I dive into the question, why doesn't Din Djarin know about the Force or the Jedi? I revisit some real-world...

Episode LXIV - Japor Snippet

23 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week on FCSA I delve into Vader's stroll down memory lane in Greg Pak and Raffaelle Ienco's recent comic run. He's looking for Luke's origins, bu...

Episode LXIII - Qui-Gon's Literalist Turn (Master & Apprentice Commentary #5)

09 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we conclude our series on Qui-Gon Jinn and Prophecy in Claudia Gray's Master & Apprentice by examining his turn to a more literal interp...

Episode LXII - The Prophecy of Protest (Master & Apprentice Commentary #4)

25 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As promised, we've come to the Halin Azucca episode! And again, let's all agree: she's the real prophet here. And her witness is a timely reminder in ...

Episode LXI - Qui-Gon's Restraint (Master & Apprentice Commentary #3)

18 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Picking up from last week's episode, this week we look at ways in which Qui-Gon is able to show calm, deft restraint in his prophetic role: his humble...

Episode LX - Qui-Gon's Realism (Master & Apprentice Commentary #2)

09 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we continue our look at the themes of prophecy in Claudia Gray's Master & Apprentice, centring on the character of Qui-Gon Jinn. Master ...

Episode LIX - Qui-Gon's Power (Master & Apprentice Commentary #1)

29 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week on FCSA I begin my commentary on Claudia Gray's masterful (pun!) Master & Apprentice. The early chapters of the novel introduce us to Qu...

Episode LVIII - Oh, Chelli...

21 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Chelli is as Chelli does! FCSA is back with a review of the Doctor Aphra Audiobook Original, written by Sarah Kuhn, starring Emily Woo Zeller and Marc...

Episode LVII - Martez Sisters and the Jedi

02 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week on FCSA! I'm joined by Dillon from DilDev's Diner on Eleven-ThirtyEight for a great discussion on the Martez Sisters arc from Clone Wars Sea...

Episode LVI - Themes in Picard *spoilers after 9:50*

01 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Now that season 1 of Picard is done, I look back at three themes that stood out in the show: choice, love and death. I found that they were handled wi...

Episode LV - The High Republic: Jedi Christendom?

03 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

During the lead-up to last week's announcement of the High Republic (series? era?), I started to speculate and stew over what kinds of things I want t...

Episode LIV - Picard at Midseason *spoilers after 7:10*

24 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We've hit the halfway point of Picard Season 1, so it's high time for a review! It's non-spoilery until about the 7:10 mark, and then I dive in. I als...

Episode LIII - Clone Wars Retro/Prospective

04 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Season 7 of Clone Wars is only a few weeks away! I've been doing a binge rewatch and have some thoughts and insights! The show's groundbreaking visual...

Episode LII - Second Coming, Second Look

24 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week on FCSA I talk about Mark Russell and Richard Pace's indie comic Second Coming, especially my experience of reading a book that doesn't try ...

Episode LI - All the Jedi: The Rise of Skywalker and the Prequel Trilogy

15 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

At last, it's the FCSA Prequelist review of The Rise of Skywalker! Now that I've had a chance to process this IXth installment in the Star Wars saga, ...

Episode 50 - The Prophecy, Misread

03 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

It's Advent: time for me to tell you what I really think! This week I consider Prophecy: Biblical, Political, the Chosen One, and the ways it can be m...

Resistance Reborn review *with spoilers*

22 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

I'm back! Hopping on to give my review of Resistance Reborn by Rebecca Roanhorse. An overall excellent book, with compelling characters, but some thin...

Episode XLIX - Exvangelicals, Ex-Jedi

20 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

What does it mean to leave? To leave the Jedi? To leave conservative fundamentalist communities? A lot of younger Christians have left for other pastu...

Episode XLVIII - Reform, Heresy and Schism

06 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome back to FCSA! This week I finish my recap of Fan Expo 2019, delving into the YA fiction panel I went to on the Sunday and how it helped me und...

Fan Expo Canada 2019 - Saturday check-in

24 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

I'm back at Roundhouse Park to cover all the panels I caught on this Con Saturday. Jonathan Frakes, Charles Soule and more.

Fan Expo Canada 2019 check-in, Friday afternoon

23 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Denise Crosby, Representation of women superheroes, Hasbro Star Wars and more!

Calm Before the Con Special 2019

22 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

I'm back! And just in time for Fan Expo Canada 2019. I return to the exact same spot I recorded last year's Fan Expo preview, and talk about what I'm ...

Episode XLVII- I am a Jedi, like my father before me

02 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Our Lenten series concludes--a little late--with a look at the cardinal virtues in Return of the Jedi. We can see many characters displaying patience,...

Episode XLVI- Do, or Do Not

12 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Our Lenten series continues with an exploration of the Cardinal Virtues in Episode V: the Empire Strikes Back. Spoiler alert: Yoda is wise. Of course...

Episode XLV - "Into the Garbage Chute, Flyboy"

29 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Our Lenten mini-series begins with an examination of Cardinal virtues in the film that started it all. I look at which characters show Courage, Pruden...

Episode XLIV - 'Grey Jedi'?

01 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Are Grey Jedi a thing? Do we really want them to be? Answer: nope and nope. I delve into my response to a recent Clashing Sabers episode on the topic....

Episode XLIII - Planetbuilding the Phantom Menace

22 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The FCSA Phantom Menace 20th Anniversary retrospective continues! This week we look at the planets of TPM: Naboo, Tatooine, Coruscant. How do their so...

Episode XLII - The characters and theme of The Phantom Menace

15 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

As promised, my 20th Anniversary retrospective on Episode I: The Phantom Menace! What makes it so great? This first installment focuses on the charact...

Episode XLI - It Shall Be a Year Long Remembered

25 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

My 2019 Preview is here! What am I looking forward to? What am I going into with...lesser expectations? Do I tell you to buy more Age of Republic comi...

Episode XL - Jedi Celibacy

11 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

And we're back! FCSA returns in 2019 with a question that I've wanted to address for a while: was the celibacy requirement in itself an example of Jed...

Episode XXXIX - Cons and Continuity

08 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This week I recap Fan Expo Canada 2018-its downs and its ups. Recalling my brief conversation with Charles Soule at the Con also got me thinking about...

Calm Before the Con

28 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

It's the Calm Before the Con special! I dive into what I'm looking forward to at this weekend's Fan Expo Canada! Mostly Star Wars, but also some other...

Episode XXXVIII - Anakin and Vader in Thrawn Alliances *with spoilers*

21 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Happy Tuesday! This week I discuss a surprising theme running through Thrawn Alliances, Vader's relationship with his past as Anakin. How many people ...

Episode XXXVII - Hope and Fatigue

12 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This week I continue the theme of Hope and community begun last week, this time from an explicitly Christian perspective. I also relate this to hope i...

Episode XXXVI - #Millennial Hope

06 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

What do Millenials want? It's a question that churches and billion-dollar entertainment industries grapple with every day. Part of the answer comes fr...

Episode XXXV - A Prequelist Golden Age

30 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Are we entering a Prequelist Golden Age? I go into all the news and reveals from San Diego Comic Con and discover that almost all of it is set in or n...

Episode XXXIV - Fear and Love

12 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This week I contribute my thoughts--hopefully intelligent and sensitive--on the recent uproar in fandom. What really started coming to light after The...

Episode XXXIII - Solo's Galaxy

05 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Solo! I've seen it. Hopefully you've seen it, but if you haven't then my non-spoiler review runs from 9:45 to 15:40 on this week's episode. It's all a...

Episode XXXII - #Prequelist

23 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

What is Prequelism? This week I step back and look at what it claims, and what it doesn't, and share a bit of my own story in the process. I look at s...

Episode XXXI - The Last Jedi Novelization

15 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

As promised, I give my thoughts on Jason Fry's novelization of The Last Jedi: some things it adds to the story, or (potentially) improves in our appre...

Episode XXX - Infinity War and Star Wars

08 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

FCSA hits 30! Well, episodes at least. This week I talk about common threads between Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War and the Wars in the Stars. It's s...

Episode XXIX - Clone Catholicity

01 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

It's a #Prequelist podcast: I was bound to get to a Clone-centred episode sooner or later! This week I look at the term "catholicity"-what it means fo...

Episode XXVIII - Broskis on the Films

19 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

My brother Jamie's back to give us his thoughts on the newer films of the Disney era. We go into the intellectual themes of The Last Jedi, partly info...

Rogue Three - Evangelicals

14 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"Evangelicals." It's a word used a lot these days, often pejoratively describing a ceetain political faction in the US. But it takes in a lot more tha...

Episode XXVII - Ahch-To, Wakanda and the Church in Exile

10 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This week on For Christ's Sake, Anakin! I explore pick up on my discussion of Luke and Rey on Ahch-To from last week, but delve more explicitly into t...

Episode XXVI - Rian, Mark, Luke and Ram

03 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The Last Jedi bluray came out last week and I made a bee-line for the documentary "The Director and the Jedi." This week I share some thoughts arising...

Episode XXV - Death of Death by Vader's Death

27 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Our Lenten series on the Four Last Things concludes with a Holy Week meditation on Death. To do so I give an expanded reflection on Darth Vader as an ...

Episode XXIV - Lessons and Judgement

20 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Part three of our Lenten Four Last Things series continues with the theme of judgement: judgement on the Jedi, judgement on the Dark Side, and the jud...

Episode XXIII - Hell is Empire

13 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Our Lenten series on the Four Last Things continues with a brief discussion parallels between the icy wasteland of Hell and the icy grip of the Galact...

Episode XXII - Heaven in Star Wars?

03 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Tonight on FCSA I kick off my Lenten series on the Four Last Things. I respond to the question, "is there Heaven in Star Wars?" with the response, "so...

Episode XXI - Palpatine, Deceiver

19 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

On this first Sunday of Lent, I examine the links between Darth Sidious/Sheev Palpatine and the satan found Scripture and Christian Tradition. Decepti...

Episode XX - Coming up in 2018

03 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

It's 2018! February 2018 to be more precise, which means it's time to look ahead to what's coming out in Star Wars canon this year. This week I give m...

Episode XIX - At the height of their powers

02 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Happy New Year! And let's talk about the most #Prequelist thing to happen since the Prequels, Star Wars: The Last Jedi. This week I discuss some ways ...

Episode XVIII - We are what they grow beyond

23 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

As promised, here is my spoilery reflection on the profound resonances between Christian theology and The Last Jedi. Spoiler alert: it's all about Bap...

Episode XVII - Broskis Talk TLJ *with spoilers*

18 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Jamie's seen The Last Jedi! I've seen it twice! We both loved it. We talk about it, spoilers and all. If you haven't seen The Last Jedi, then go watc...

Season 2 kick-off: Last Jedi initial reaction

15 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The Last Jedi is here, I just saw it, and I give my non-spoiler initial reaction. It was enthralling, challenging and compelling. And I loved all of i...

Episode XVI - What's in a name?

25 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

There are a bunch of characters in Star Wars with Biblical names, and like in the Bible, these names are significant. So this week I try to tease out ...

Episode XV - #ComicandCanon

14 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Return of the Podcast! I'm back to talk about a few topics that have come up recently, such as my thoughts on From A Certain Point of View, the Rebels...

Episode XIV - Jedi in Exile

18 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

This week I return to my Scriptural parallels series by examining resonances between the state of the Jedi on the heels of Order 66 and circumstances ...

Episode XIII - Rebels Returns

13 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

As promised, this week I talk all about Star Wars Rebels! I give some thoughts on where it's come thus far, with its challenges and triumphs on the wa...

Rogue Two - Loud boiling test tubes

11 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

"Earth and all stars, loud rushing planets, sing to the Lord a new song! Oh victory, loud shouting army, sing to the Lord a new song! God has done mar...

Episode XII - Discovery

08 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

This week on FCSA I delve into some recent points of convergence (!) between Star Trek and Star Wars, particularly Timothy Zahn's Thrawn and _ _ the ...

Episode XI - Anakin Redemptor

30 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

This week I respond to a wonderful episode on Jason Flatt's Holy Star Wars, where he brought on Beltway Banthas' Stephen Kent to talk about Christ, An...

Episode X - Kanan, Iden, Leia

20 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

This week I review three books I read recently: two new, one not so much. I give non-spoiler and then spoiler reviews of 2014's Rebels prequel A New D...

Rogue One - Good Lord, Deliver us

08 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

"From lightning and tempest; from earthquake, fire, and flood; from plague, pestilence, and famine; from battle and murder, and from sudden death, _...

Episode IX - FanExpo, Fear and the Lothwolf

06 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

This week I recap the Star Wars Rebels panel from FanExpo Canada, and reflect on a few Christian parallels that emerged. I give a non-spoiler review o...

Episode VIII - Faith, Exile, War

24 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

My buddy Dallas turns the tables on me to ask some wide-ranging questions covering various topics. We get into the Hero's Journey, the particularity a...

Episode VII - Hail Shmi, the Force is With You

16 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Just in time for the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, I look at the wonderful and wonderfully on-the-nose parallel between St. Mary the Virgin and Shm...

Episode VI - Counseling Anakin

02 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

My old youth group buddy Dallas joins me to look at Anakin from a psychological standpoint. Dallas is a counselling psych student and applies his stud...

Episode V - The Canon Strikes Back

27 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

This week on For Christ's Sake, Anakin! I look at the Canon itself, how Lucasfilm is crafting a coherent story through books, comics, TV shows and oth...

Episode IV - On Jordan's Bank, Hear Qui-Gon's Cry

18 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode I delve into parallels between Qui-Gon Jinn and John the Baptist, as they prepare the Galaxy for the coming of the Chosen One. I'm dee...

Episode III - Broski on the Clone Wars

11 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

My brother Jamie joins me for Episode III of the podcast, talking all about the incredible Clone Wars TV series. First we go into the new Forces of De...

Episode II - The Passion and Resurrection of Anakin Skywalker

27 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to Episode II of For Christ's Sake, Anakin! I begin with the heart of it: can the Sith Lord Darth Vader really look like Jesus? First some hou...

Episode I - Welcome

20 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to Episode I of For Christ's Sake, Anakin! I give a brief intro about what I hope to do with the podcast, go into some of my perspectives and ...