Star Wars Minute

Last updated
Star Wars Minute
Presentation
GenreComedy, film
Created byPeter "Pete the Retailer" Bonavita and Alex Robinson
LanguageEnglish
UpdatesDailyOngoing
Publication
Original releaseJune 3, 2013
Related
Website http://www.starwarsminute.com/

Star Wars Minute is a daily podcast that analyzes, scrutinizes and celebrates the Star Wars movies in sequential order, with each episode covering a single minute of the movies in the franchise. The podcast is hosted and created by Peter "Pete the Retailer" Bonavita and Alex Robinson, and features a rotating cast of guest commentators. [1] So far, the series has covered the original trilogy, the prequel trilogy, The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi from the sequel trilogy, Rogue One: a Star Wars Story, and Solo: A Star Wars Story. The podcast is viewed as a trendsetter for "movies by minutes" podcasts and Vulture has called it the "Ur-text" for podcasts that examine films minute-by-minute. [2] [3]

Contents

History

The first episode, analyzing the first minute of Star Wars: A New Hope , aired on June 3, 2013. [4] The series was inspired by another podcast, Mission Log, which analyzes the Star Trek series episode by episode. The podcast began to grow a cult following, and by the time Robinson and Bonavita began recording Return of the Jedi , the podcast had merchandise and its own Patreon page. Bonavita stated in 2017 that the podcast's new and old episodes combine for over 100,000 listens a week. [3]

Seasons

Season 1: The Motion Picture

The show's first season covered Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope , and spanned 122 episodes. This season's episodes tended to be shorter, with the first episode clocking in at just 11 minutes. Notable guests from this season that would go on to become series regulars include Tony Consiglio and Chris Radtke among others.

Season 2: The Empire Strikes Back

Before wrapping season 1, Bonavita and Robinson announced that they would be returning for The Empire Strikes Back minute. Minute 1 aired on January 13, 2014, just two months after season 1 wrapped. The duo hosted a live podcast on June 15, 2014 (Father's Day) covering minutes 111 and 112, in which Darth Vader informs Luke that he is his father.

Season 3: Return of the Jedi

Bonavita and Robinson began analyzing Return of the Jedi on January 5, 2015. For minutes 79 and 80 (in which Luke and Leia discuss their parentage with each other), the duo hosted another live show at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim with guest Matt Gourley. Notable first-time guests for this season include Paul Rust.

Season 4: The Phantom Menace

Bonavita and Robinson began analyzing The Phantom Menace (which they refer to as "The Naboo Movie" as part of a superstition they have) [5] on November 23, 2015. Notable guests this season include Mark Hamill's son, Nathan.

Season 5: Attack of the Clones

Bonavita and Robinson began analyzing Attack of the Clones on November 14, 2016. For minutes 101 through 105, the duo recorded a live podcast on a cruise ship as part of the Fan2Sea Cruise.

Season 6: Revenge of the Sith

Bonavita and Robinson began analyzing Revenge of the Sith on November 13, 2017. Bonavita had only seen the movie once in the theaters, allowing for a unique perspective on the film. Throughout the season, the duo would often reference The Force Awakens and other Disney-Era Star Wars movies, implying that they would continue making Star Wars Minute past the Lucas era of movies.

Season 7: The Force Awakens

Bonavita and Robinson began analyzing The Force Awakens on November 12, 2018. This season marked the first in which the trilogy of the film they were analyzing was not yet complete, as Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker would not be realized for another year. This allowed for more plot-related speculation amongst the hosts and guests.

Season 8: Rogue One

Season 8 began on November 18, 2019, and analyzes Rogue One . [6]

Season 9: The Last Jedi

Bonavita and Robinson began analyzing The Last Jedi on February 1, 2021.

Season 10: Solo

Season 10 began on February 21, 2022, and analyzes Solo . [6]

Season 11: The Rise of Skywalker

Bonavita and Robinson began analyzing The Rise of Skywalker on April 17, 2023.

The Mandalorian

On November 13, 2019, Bonavita and Robinson launched The Mindalorian, a spinoff podcast analyzing the Disney+ series The Mandalorian . This podcast has its own separate feed apart from Star Wars Minute, and analyzes the show episode by episode rather than minute by minute.

Reception

Star Wars Minute has been called "the seed of a rapidly expanding podcast genre" by the pop-culture website The Ringer due to its minute-by-minute format, which has now bled into hundreds of other podcasts analyzing films such as Back to the Future , The Big Lebowski , Goodfellas , and the superhero franchises of Marvel and DC. [7] [3] [8]

In 2017, the podcast made Thrillist's list of "8 'Star Wars' Podcasts You Need to Listen To," stating that "the show will give you a brand-new appreciation of the sequels, and help you look a little closer and the minutia of cinema in general." [9] PCMag also named it one of their "Best Podcasts for 2019". [10]

Related Research Articles

<i>Star Wars</i> American epic space opera franchise

Star Wars is an American epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon. The franchise has been expanded into various films and other media, including television series, video games, novels, comic books, theme park attractions, and themed areas, comprising an all-encompassing fictional universe. Star Wars is one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wedge Antilles</span> Character in Star Wars

Wedge Antilles is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. He is a supporting character portrayed by Denis Lawson in the original Star Wars trilogy, and voiced by David Ankrum in Episode IV – A New Hope (1977) and Rogue One (2016). He is also featured in the Star Wars expanded universe, most notably as the lead character in most of the X-Wing novels. Antilles has also appeared in the sequel trilogy film The Rise of Skywalker (2019), with Lawson reprising his role, in the 2014 animated series Star Wars Rebels, voiced by Nathan Kress, and in the 2023 second volume of Star Wars: Visions, voiced again by Lawson.

<i>Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace</i> 1999 American film by George Lucas

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace is a 1999 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It stars Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd, Ahmed Best, Ian McDiarmid, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Pernilla August, and Frank Oz. It is the fourth film in the Star Wars film series, the first film of the prequel trilogy and the first chronological chapter of the "Skywalker Saga". Set 32 years before the original trilogy,, during the era of the Galactic Republic, the plot follows Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi as they try to protect Queen Padmé Amidala of Naboo in hopes of securing a peaceful end to an interplanetary trade dispute. Joined by Anakin Skywalker—a young slave with unusually strong natural powers of the Force—they simultaneously contend with the mysterious return of the Sith. The film was produced by Lucasfilm and distributed by 20th Century Fox.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luke Skywalker</span> Character in Star Wars

Luke Skywalker is a fictional character and the protagonist of the original film trilogy of the Star Wars franchise created by George Lucas. Portrayed by Mark Hamill, Luke first appeared in Star Wars (1977), and he returned in The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983). Over three decades later, Hamill returned as Luke in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, cameoing in The Force Awakens (2015) before playing a major role in The Last Jedi (2017) and The Rise of Skywalker (2019). He later played a digitally de-aged version of the character in the Disney+ series The Mandalorian, appearing in the second-season finale, which premiered in 2020, and The Book of Boba Fett, in the sixth episode, released in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darth Vader</span> Fictional character in the Star Wars franchise

Darth Vader is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. The character is the central antagonist of the original trilogy and, as Anakin Skywalker, is one of the main protagonists in the prequel trilogy. Star Wars creator George Lucas has collectively referred to the first six episodic films of the franchise as "the tragedy of Darth Vader". Darth Vader has become one of the most iconic villains in popular culture, and has been listed among the greatest villains and fictional characters ever. His masked face and helmet, in particular, is one of the most iconic character designs of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Obi-Wan Kenobi</span> Fictional character in the Star Wars franchise

Obi-Wan Kenobi is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. Within the original trilogy, Obi-Wan is a Jedi Master as a supporting character and is portrayed by English actor Alec Guinness. In the later-released prequel trilogy, a younger version of the character serves as one of the two main protagonists, alongside Anakin Skywalker, and is portrayed by Scottish actor Ewan McGregor. In the original trilogy he is introduced as Ben Kenobi, an alias he uses while in hiding from the Empire. He is a mentor to Luke Skywalker, to whom he introduces the ways of the Jedi. After sacrificing himself in a duel against Darth Vader, Obi-Wan guides Luke through the Force in his fight against the Galactic Empire. In the prequel trilogy, set two decades earlier, he is initially a Padawan (apprentice) to Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, and later mentor and friend of Luke's father Anakin, who falls to the dark side of the Force and becomes Vader. The character briefly appears in the sequel trilogy as a disembodied voice, speaking to protagonist Rey, and serving as the namesake of Ben Solo. He is frequently featured as a main character in various other Star Wars media, including the streaming television miniseries Obi-Wan Kenobi, in which McGregor reprised the role.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R2-D2</span> Fictional character from Star Wars

R2-D2 or Artoo-Detoo is a fictional robot character in the Star Wars franchise created by George Lucas. He has appeared in ten of the eleven theatrical Star Wars films to date. At various points throughout the course of the films, R2, an astromech droid, is a friend to C-3PO, Padmé Amidala, Anakin Skywalker, Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker, and Obi-Wan Kenobi. R2-D2 and his companion C-3PO are the only characters to appear in every theatrical Star Wars film, with the exception of Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucasfilm</span> American film and television production company

Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC is an American film and television production company founded by filmmaker George Lucas in 1971 in San Rafael, California, though most of the company's operations were moved to San Francisco in 2005. It has been a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios since 2012 and is best known for creating and producing the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, as well as its leadership in developing special effects, sound, and computer animation for films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galactic Republic</span> Fictional state in the "Star Wars" universe

The Galactic Republic, commonly known as the Republic, is a fictional political entity in the Star Wars universe that predates the formation of the Galactic Empire. It is prominently featured in the prequel trilogy of Star Wars films, offering a glimpse into its history and functioning. In the original trilogy, which takes place after the events of the prequels, the Republic is referred to as the Old Republic, suggesting its long-established nature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skywalker family</span> Fictional family in the Star Wars series

The Skywalker family is a fictional legendary human family in the Star Wars franchise. Within the series' fictional universe, the Skywalkers are presented as a bloodline with strong inherent capabilities related to the Force and sometimes lightsaber skills. Luke Skywalker, his twin sister Princess Leia Organa, and their father Darth Vader are central characters in the original Star Wars film trilogy. Darth Vader, in his previous identity as Anakin Skywalker, is a lead character in the prequel film trilogy and so is his wife and the twins' mother Padmé Amidala; while his mother Shmi is a minor character in the first and second films respectively. Leia and Han Solo's son, Ben Solo, renamed himself Kylo Ren and is the main antagonist in the sequel film trilogy, while they and Luke serve as supporting characters. Shmi, Padmé, and Han are the only members who are not Force-sensitive. The Skywalker bloodline, alongside the Palpatine bloodline, are the two bloodlines that are the strongest with the Force.

Star Wars: Rogue Squadron is a series of Star Wars action video games jointly developed by LucasArts and Factor 5 and published by LucasArts for Nintendo consoles.

The Star Wars prequel trilogy, colloquially referred to as the prequels, is a series of epic space-opera films written and directed by George Lucas. It was produced by Lucasfilm Ltd. and distributed by 20th Century Fox. The trilogy was released from 1999 to 2005 and is set before the original Star Wars trilogy (1977–83), chronologically making it the first act of the Skywalker saga. Lucas had planned a prequel trilogy before the release of the original film, but halted major Star Wars films beyond the original trilogy by 1981. When computer-generated imagery (CGI) had advanced to the level he wanted for the visual effects he wanted for subsequent films, Lucas revived plans for the prequels by the early 1990s. The trilogy marked Lucas's return to directing after a 22-year hiatus following the original Star Wars film in 1977, as well as a 16-year hiatus between the classic and prequel trilogies.

The Star Wars sequel trilogy is the third trilogy of the main Star Wars franchise, an American space opera created by George Lucas. It is produced by Lucasfilm Ltd. and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The trilogy consists of episodes VII through IX, chronologically following the prequel trilogy and the original trilogy, serving as the final act of the "Skywalker saga". Lucas had planned a sequel trilogy as early as 1976, but canceled it by 1981. He produced only the first six episodes, and for a time described these as comprising the complete story. The sequel trilogy concept was revived when the Walt Disney Company entered negotiations to acquire Lucasfilm in 2011. Lucas produced new story treatments, but these were largely discarded. Both the acquisition and plans to produce the trilogy were announced in late 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palpatine</span> Fictional character and Star Wars antagonist

Sheev Palpatine, also known by his Sith name Darth Sidious, is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise created by George Lucas. Initially credited as the Emperor in the original trilogy films, he serves as the main antagonist of the nine-film Skywalker saga, in which he is portrayed by Ian McDiarmid. In creating Palpatine, Lucas was inspired by real-world examples of democratic backsliding during the rise and rule of dictators such as Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Adolf Hitler.

<i>Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker</i> 2019 film by J. J. Abrams

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is a 2019 American epic space opera film produced, co-written, and directed by J. J. Abrams. Produced by Lucasfilm and Abrams' production company Bad Robot Productions, and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the third installment of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, following The Force Awakens (2015) and The Last Jedi (2017), and the final episode of the nine-part "Skywalker saga". Its ensemble cast includes Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Anthony Daniels, Naomi Ackie, Domhnall Gleeson, Richard E. Grant, Lupita Nyong'o, Keri Russell, Joonas Suotamo, Kelly Marie Tran, Ian McDiarmid, and Billy Dee Williams. Set one year after The Last Jedi, The Rise of Skywalker follows Rey, Finn, and Poe Dameron as they lead the Resistance's final stand against Supreme Leader Kylo Ren and the First Order, who are aided by the return of the Galactic Emperor, Palpatine.

Rey (<i>Star Wars</i>) Fictional character in Star Wars

Rey is a character in the Star Wars franchise and the main protagonist of the sequel film trilogy. She was created by Lawrence Kasdan, J. J. Abrams, and Michael Arndt for The Force Awakens (2015), the first installment of the trilogy, and is primarily portrayed by Daisy Ridley. She also appears in the film's sequels, The Last Jedi (2017) and The Rise of Skywalker (2019), and related Star Wars media.

References

  1. Christian, Bonnie (2017-05-03). "The pop-culture podcasts dissecting your favourite shows minute-by-minute". Wired UK. ISSN   1357-0978 . Retrieved 2020-01-17.
  2. Quah, Nicholas (2019-07-17). "One Heat Minute Turned the Movie Heat Into a Religious Experience". Vulture. Retrieved 2020-01-17.
  3. 1 2 3 Lindbergh, Ben (2017-01-11). "The Microculture Is Coming". The Ringer. Retrieved 2020-01-17.
  4. "Minute 1: A Period of Civil War". Star Wars Minute. 2013-06-03. Retrieved 2020-01-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. Star Wars Minute Wiki Inside Jokes https://wiki.starwarsminute.com/index.php?title=Inside_References_and_Running_Jokes#The_Naboo_Movie
  6. 1 2 "Rogue One Minute 1: Ellipses". Star Wars Minute. Retrieved 2020-01-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. Movies by Minutes. http://moviesbyminutes.com/
  8. Lidl, Bruce (27 August 2018). "INTERVIEW: Alex Robinson on Podcasting in the era of angry Fandoms". Comics Beat. Retrieved 2020-01-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. Romain, Lindsey (2017-12-12). "8 'Star Wars' Podcasts You Need to Listen To". Thrillist. Retrieved 2019-11-03.
  10. "The Best Podcasts for 2019". PCMAG. Retrieved 2020-01-17.