EPISODE 24: STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL

Written By Stephen Slota

Episode 24: Star Wars Holiday Special | 5 May 2026

In honor of May the Fourth and Revenge of the Fifth, Trent and Stephen express their love of (and occasional frustration with) the biggest and best example of transmedia storytelling on earth: STAR WARS.

Join the duo as they discuss the fabled franchise’s five decades of social, cultural, and economic ascendance, including:

  • A brief history of the Star Wars transmedia storyworld;

  • The crisscrossing relationship(s) between diverse Star Wars stories;

  • Star Wars as a model for future multi-modal artists;

  • Recursive storytelling;

  • How Star Wars fostered a complex, global Community of Practice;

  • Balancing new ideas with internal consistency and canonicity;

  • Diminishing returns from retreading the same content;

  • Rebels as a skeleton key to the Disney Star Wars universe;

  • The cross-generational benefits of transmedia storytelling;

  • “No chocolate, all Easter eggs”;

  • Deciding what makes Star Wars “Star Wars”;

  • Exerting creative restraint to keep stories grounded and facilitate suspension of disbelief;

  • Andor as the peak representation of purposeful Star Wars storytelling;

  • Determining how much story can be told through a given medium;

  • Stories as a product of and response to the times in which they are written;

  • How the Star Wars tabletop role-playing game scaffolded Star Wars into its current popularity and scope;

  • Cosplay, theme parks, and community-building through mutual love of Star Wars; and

  • What Star Wars can do for real-world educational systems, approaches, and tools.

Episode References:

  • Jenkins, H. (2006). Convergence culture: Where old and new media collide. New York University Press.

  • Wachowski, L. & Wachowski, L. (Directors). (1999). The Matrix [Film]. Warner Bros.

  • Lucas, G. (Director). (1977). Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope [Film]. Lucasfilm; 20th Century Fox.

  • Lucas, G. (Director). (2005). Star wars: Episode III – Revenge of the sith [Film]. Lucasfilm; 20th Century Fox.

  • Lucas, G. (Executive Producer). (2008–2020). Star Wars: The Clone Wars [TV series]. Lucasfilm; Cartoon Network/Netflix.

  • Foster, A. D. (1978). Splinter of the mind’s eye [From the adventures of Luke Skywalker]. Ballantine Books.

  • Kaminski, M. (2008). The secret history of Star Wars: The art of storytelling and the making of a modern epic. Legacy Books Press.

  • Nintendo of America. (1988–2012). Nintendo Power. Nintendo of America.

  • Howard, R. (Director). (2018). Solo: A Star Wars Story [Film]. Walt Disney Pictures; Lucasfilm Ltd.

  • Gray, C. (2017). Leia, Princess of Alderaan. Disney Lucasfilm Press.

  • Johnston, E. K. (2016). Ahsoka. Disney Lucasfilm Press.

  • Johnson, R. (Director). (2017). Star Wars: The Last Jedi [Film]. Lucasfilm; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

  • Headland, L., Kennedy, K., Emanuel, S., King, J. F., & Micallef, J. (Executive Producers). (2024). Star Wars: The Acolyte [TV series]. Lucasfilm; Walt Disney Company.

  • Kennedy, K., Rejwan, M., Chow, D., McGregor, E., & Harold, J. (Executive Producers). (2022). Obi-Wan Kenobi [TV series]. Lucasfilm; Disney+.

  • Favreau, J. (Executive Producer). (2021–2022). The Book of Boba Fett [TV series]. Lucasfilm; Golem Creations

  • Jenkins, Henry. “Transmedia Storytelling 101.” Confessions of an Aca-Fan. 22 Mar. 2007. Web.

  • Abrams, J. J. (Director). (2015). Star Wars: The Force Awakens [Film]. Lucasfilm Ltd.; Bad Robot.

  • Miller, J. J. (2014). A new dawn: Star Wars (1st ed.). Del Rey.

  • Weisman, G. (2015). Star Wars: Kanan—The Last Padawan (P. Larraz & J. Camagni, Illus.). Marvel Worldwide, Inc.

  • Filoni, D., Kinsey, H., & Ratliff, K. (Executive Producers). (2014–2018). Star Wars Rebels [TV series]. Lucasfilm; Lucasfilm Animation.

  • Edwards, G. (Director). (2016). Rogue One: A Star Wars Story [Film]. Lucasfilm; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

  • Lucas, G. (Director). (1999). Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace [Film]. Lucasfilm Ltd.; 20th Century Fox.

  • Gilroy, T. (Executive Producer). (2022–2025). Andor [TV series]. Lucasfilm; Disney+.

  • Lucas, G. (Director). (2002). Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones [Film]. Lucasfilm Ltd.; 20th Century Fox.

  • Favreau, J., Filoni, D., Kennedy, K., & Wilson, C. (Executive Producers). (2019–present). The Mandalorian [TV series]. Lucasfilm; Golem Creations.

  • Filoni, D., Favreau, J., & Kennedy, K. (Executive Producers). (2023–present). Ahsoka [TV series]. Lucasfilm; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

  • Spielberg, S. (Director). (1975). Jaws [Film]. Universal Pictures.

  • Hitchcock, A. (Director & Producer). (1960). Psycho [Film]. United States: Universal Studios.

  • Scorsese, M. (Director). (1976). Taxi driver [Film]. Columbia Pictures.

  • Zahn, T. (1991). Heir to the Empire (Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy, Vol. 1). Bantam Spectra.

  • Costikyan, G. (1987). Star Wars: The role-playing game (1st ed.) [Role-playing game]. West End Games.

Stephen Slota
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EPISODE 23: WORLDBUILDING WALKTHROUGH - PART III