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Star Wars (1977)

Episode 172•Directed by George Lucas•2h 1m•Published May 2, 2023•Episode length 3h 59m
IanIan
LiamLiam
MeganMegan
GeorgiaGeorgia
Episode 172 - Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
AdventureActionScience Fiction

Top cast

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Mark Hamill
Mark Hamill
Luke Skywalker
Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford
Han Solo
Carrie Fisher
Carrie Fisher
Princess Leia Organa
Peter Cushing
Peter Cushing
Grand Moff Tarkin
Alec Guinness
Alec Guinness
Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi
Anthony Daniels
Anthony Daniels
C-3PO
Kenny Baker
Kenny Baker
R2-D2
Peter Mayhew
Peter Mayhew
Chewbacca
David Prowse
David Prowse
Darth Vader (performer)
James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones
Darth Vader (voice) (uncredited)

Director

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George Lucas
George Lucas
Director
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Overview

Princess Leia is captured and held hostage by the evil Imperial forces in their effort to take over the galactic Empire. Venturesome Luke Skywalker and dashing captain Han Solo team together with the loveable robot duo R2-D2 and C-3PO to rescue the beautiful princess and restore peace and justice in the Empire.

Show notes

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Now this is pod racing! Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew: Ian, Liam, Megan and Ethan (Georgia's off ordering a clone army for next year's entry) as we're heading to Naboo, Tattooine, and Coruscant all in search of freedom from oppressive tax legislation in George Lucas' return to the Space Opera genre,…

Read full show notes

Now this is pod racing! Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew: Ian, Liam, Megan and Ethan (Georgia's off ordering a clone army for next year's entry) as we're heading to Naboo, Tattooine, and Coruscant all in search of freedom from oppressive tax legislation in George Lucas' return to the Space Opera genre, Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. It might be his Episode I but it's our Episode 172 as we discuss:

  • Whether Ethan constructs his personality to be contrary to the popular view for kicks
  • We discuss our own Star Wars fandoms
  • Ian asks if this is the first example of overhype causing fan backlash 
  • Some peeps go to bat for Jake Lloyd's performance in this film
  • We talk about what appears to be some lazy stereotyping
  • Why do they spend so long on Tattooine?
  • Ethan shares some news about Star Wars: Celebration as well as some audio footage
  • We share some good news the pod got this week
  • Ian argues that there's actually 2 pretty good twists in this film
  • We ask what is the viewing experience like if you viewed the franchise linearly (1-9) rather than chronologically (4-6 then 1-3, then 7-9)
  • You're not going to believe this but Meg wants to jump ahead again
  • We debut "Storytime with Megs"
  • Whether or not Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace is the Best Film Ever

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Also massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song.  You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Timestamps for this episode:

  • 0:00 - Opening Banter
    6:00 - Reflections & Corrections
    8:45 - Shoutouts
    18:30 - Can We Talk About This for 2 Minutes? (Star Wars Celebration & The Tonight Show)
    35:00 - Deep Dive
    3:05:30 - Endgame