Marvel Star Wars Explorers

It's that time of year again, when your two best Star Friends set down their comic books and look towards the silver screen to talk movies, movies, MOVIES! As is tradition, Kev joins us for the usual countdown of our top ten movies of the previous year. Will YOUR favorite movie make the cut??? 

As our Gelfing heroes unite in the Dreamscape, Lauren reunites with us in the Pod(ling)scape, to get real with us about Deet, the realest of real ones, to further examine the strange role of Podlings in Thra, and to chat with us about all of our first concerts that we attended.

As three different Gelflings from disparate parts of Thra find themselves drawn to the path of resistance against the cruelty of the Skeksis, Blythe Rudloff finds herself drawn to the podcast by the siren song of Dark Crystal! We're covering the first part of the Age of Resistance tie-in comic, as well as the first three episodes of the TV show, which means we'll be analyzing how well this world translates to the page, pondering the confusing nature of the Podlings, and worshipping at the altar of precious and pure Deet. Also, squirrels!

As a mysterious hooded traveler sits us down to explain the origins of Thra, we find ourselves joined by Jake Beal, who helps us usher in Phase 8 of the podcast! We catch up on Star Visions season 3 and some recent Star Wars comics and chat about our personal histories with The Dark Crystal, before diving into our new adventure and the strange, wonderful, and terrible world of Gelflings, Skeksis, Aughra, Raunip, and Gyr! 

As Palpatine somehow returns, so too do the Marvel Star Wars Explorers, to cover the 2025 comic adaptation of the 2019 film, The Rise of Skywalker! And they've reunited the gang from the Last Jedi comic adaptation episode to weigh in! But before they get into the First Order Captain's Medallions, Sith daggers, and Han Solo ghosts of it all, they're catching up on some hot new Star News, including the latest LEGO Star Wars adventure, some other recent Star Wars comic reads, and the hot new trailer for The Mandalorian and Grogu. Will Marvel find ways to improve upon this famously maligned film, or will it leave us cold as the waters of Kef Bir? Tune in!

Indiana Jones' further adventures may have stopped (for now), but Brian and Sam are still at it! And they've brought along a Star Friend from A Long Time Ago, Kregg Castillo, to dive into a Thrawn storyline published over a year and a half ago! In addition to our bafflement regarding the insane way Marvel has chosen to present this storyline, Sam is also having his R5-D4 dreams crushed, Brian is reminiscing on his recent travels abroad, and the whole gang is finally taking a trip to the Underworld. 

As Sam and Brian mop up the last scraps of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, Jack returns to the podcast to offer some final thoughts on our Bud-Arc adventure. We're also getting stumped by Star Wars Dad Jokes, talking about some Indy adventures that could've been, and handing out our Indy Awards!

As Indy does battle with a sorcerer in the Scottish isles, Eric Ambler returns to the podcast for a triple play of an episode! That means discussion about the finales of Andor, Young Indy, AND The Further Adventures! Plus, Sam shares some recent Sky News, we get some more Ditko talk in, and the gang marvels at the Final Reckoning of it all. 

As Indy finds himself dragged into a hunt for none other than Bigfoot himself, we find ourselves once again joined by Jake Beal, to discuss the unsettling parallels between the world depicted in Andor and our own, to enjoy the simple pleasures of corny German accents and aerial dogfights with Young Indy, and to ponder what exactly a "Baron of the Northwest" is.

As Indy finds himself on the trail of a misplaced Chinese mummy, we finds ourselves once again joined by David Robertson, who is more than happy to offer up some fresh takes on Andor, plus Sam describes novel additions to his recent rewatch experience, we discuss the inherent humor in water-proof pouches of dynamite, and we all marvel at some surprisingly Indiana Jones-like Chronicles in the South Pacific.

As Indy travels to Iran to investigate a tower or something, Sam's life falls apart as he struggles to pull together a broken episode. Plus, oh my god, Andor! Celebration! Richard Dunham!

As Buffalo Bill's granddaughter consults the State Department about stolen family heirlooms, we bring first-time guest Jacob Lee on to the cast to explain youth culture to us fogeys (and also to unveil some exclusive Batman Forever trivia), then we appreciate Young Indy's descent into supernatural madness, and a delightful Eastern European romp from regular-age Indy... then things get pretty nuts during e-Words. 

As Jessie Hale finds herself saddled with the most irritating translator she could have asked for, we find ourselves once again joined by Lauren Petronaci, who has a surprisingly strong reaction to The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles episodes we watched this time. Plus, Brian has a controversial take on Steve Ditko, Bud-Arcs and bullwhips return, and Sam and Brian share some recent personal Indy news involving a treasured relic that belongs in a museum.

As Indiana Jones quietly relaxes in his study between adventures, your two best Star Friends reunite for their annual review of the previous year's films! This time, they're also looking back on some of their favorite comics of 2024, awarding an ungodly amount of honorary Hoojibs, and attempting a new twist on the traditional format to great(?) effect! And, of course, it wouldn't be The Hoojibs without our third best Star Friend, Kev Young.

As Indy finds himself roped into an ancient ritual involving a forgotten civilization, we find ourselves once again joined by Melissa Thiede, as we dive into Brian's blissfully solo experiences at Disneyland, Melissa's communal experiences with Skeleton Crew, and Sam's recent experiences with a genuine shrunken head.

As Indy lands himself a gig as stuntman to gain access to an artifact, Nate lands himself on the show to chat with us about watching Skeleton Crew with his children, watching Young Indiana Jones with his wife, and reading an Indiana Jones comic by himself. Plus, the Criterion Challenge, Alamo Drafthouse, Byrdie the Duck, and more! May the fizz be with you!   Resources to provide aid to those effected by the Los Angeles fires: American Red Cross: Emotional Recovery | Disaster Relief | Red Cross California.gov Los Angeles Fire Resources: 2025 Los Angeles Fires | CA.gov Mutual Aid LA Network: https://mutualaidla.org/ LA Regional Food Bank: Fires Update from the LA Regional Food Bank LA Works: https://www.laworks.com/2025fires Small Business Administration Disaster Assistance: https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/disaster-assistance/california-wildfires

As Indy travels to Cuba to clear Marcus' name, Barm and Jack both swing by to weigh in the Crimson Jack of it all in Skeleton Crew, to fight off a case of Indy Fever in Peking, to admire the unexpected charms of Steve Ditko in these comic pages, and to revel in the joys of the Smash Martians.

As Indiana Jones... fights a dragon, David Robertson returns to the cast to share with us his Skeleton Crew scribblings, to join us in a test of our collective Henry Jones Sr. knowledge, to determine at what point the supernatural becomes too supernatural for Indy, and to go Star Trekkin' across the universe... on the Starship Enterprise under Captain Kirk.  

As Indy joins Marion on her quest to discover the truth about her father, Eric Ambler boards the Phantom Train of Doom to discuss an action packed Young Indiana Jones adventure, but ends up traveling in the wrong direction and arriving at our first reactions about the newest Star Wars show, Skeleton Crew, instead! We're talking Easter Eggs, eighties vibes and juicy, juicy skeletons before eventually reaching our final destination: a truly out there Indy comic that has us feeling nostalgic for the gonzo Marvel Star Wars days. 

As Indy wages battle against an army of crabs, Sean stops by the podcast to chat with us about LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy, Agatha All Along, Where's Waldo controversies, and Young Indy's love life, plus Brian debuts a new regular segment!