Hyperspace Theories

About Hyperspace Theories

On Hyperspace Theories the team from FANgirl Blog discuss elements that impact Star Wars storytelling. Each month hosts Tricia Barr, BJ Priester and Kay Serna take a deep dive into creative individuals who impact the franchise, from George Lucas and Kathleen Kennedy to William Shakespeare and Hayao Miyazaki, then break down storytelling from worldbuilding to character development. Tricia Barr is co-author of Ultimate Star Wars, the definitive guide to Star Wars from DK Publishing, featured writer for Star Wars Insider magazine and author of the award-winning space opera WYNDE. BJ Priester is editor of FANgirl Blog; his writings on the Heroine's Journey is widely referenced by educators. Kay Serna writes book and movie reviews for FANgirl and is a regular on Disney Vault Talk's Rebel Yell.

Publisher

Hyperspace Theories

Category

society & culture · tv & film

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

30 Sept 2014

Latest episode

7 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

110 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   7 Oct 2026

   Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

   On this episode of Hyperspace Theories, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester approach our usual theme of storytelling from a new angle for the podcast. In early September we attended Founding Member previews at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles, California, which opens to the public on September 22, 2026. We begin our discussion with the foundational questions: What is narrative art? And why did George Lucas dedicate a significant portion of his fortune to acquiring a vast collection of narrative art and building a museum to display and store it? Although Lucas's wealth comes primarily from his creation of the Star Wars franchise, and later his sale of Lucasfilm to Disney for $4 billion in 2012, visitors to the Lucas Museum may be surprised to discover that Star Wars comprises less than ten percent of the art on display for the grand opening. As a podcast with a longtime focus on Star Wars storytelling, naturally we share our thoughts about our favorite pieces in the Cinema gallery with its opening exhibit titled "Star Wars In Motion." The Lucas Museum offers much more to visitors than just paintings and drawings hanging in frames on walls. The exterior park grounds, artistic in their own right, have meaningful sculptures displayed there, too. The large-scale murals in a fifth-floor gallery includes stunning works by Banksy and JR, among other famous artists. The museum's first floor, which will be open to the public without a paid ticket, includes a fascinating exhibit entitled "The History of Narrative Art: Heroes • Myths • The Sacred" that connects the ideas of narratives and art across millennia of human history. We also discuss our favorite works of narrative art from among the museum's numerous other galleries, featuring topics such as history, family, sport, fantasy, adventure, comics, children's stories, the art of Norman Rockwell, and more. Related Links: Lucas Museum of Narrative Art official website Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Taschen book Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opens to the Public on September 22, 2026 (Sep. 2, 2026) How the Lucas Museum's epic battle for a home ended in L.A. (Los Angeles Times; Sep. 10, 2026) Social Media: Tricia Barr (@fangirlcantina) Instagram | Threads | Blue Sky B.J. Priester (@redpenoflex) Instagram | Threads | Blue Sky Fangirl Zone (https://www.facebook.com/fangirlzone) on Facebok

2. 

   26 May 2026

   Star Wars Returns to Theaters with THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU

   A Star Wars movie is back in theaters for the first time since 2019! In this episode of Hyperspace Theories, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester kick off our analysis of The Mandalorian and Grogu with a discussion of the major storytelling decisions underlying the film, which is directed by Jon Favreau and co-written by Favreau, Dave Filoni, and Noah Kloor (The Book of Boba Fett). As the sixth movie of the Disney era and the first Star Wars film built upon source material from outside the preceding movies – specifically the three seasons of the Disney+ streaming series The Mandalorian as well as adjacent series The Book of Boba Fett and Ahsoka – the creation of The Mandalorian and Grogu faced a number of challenges not previously faced by theatrical Star Wars, including an imperative to produce the movie on a considerably smaller budget than the Sequel Trilogy releases while reviving fan and customer enthusiasm for Star Wars on the big screen and the ancillary merchandise revenue that has long accompanied Star Wars films. This context in the state of the franchise explains a number of key decisions about the story built for The Mandalorian and Grogu, including the desire to acknowledge the full range of previous Star Wars stories and fans, from the Original Trilogy and Expanded Universe to the Prequels, The Clone Wars, and Disney-era films, animation, and publishing. We also examine the themes found at the heart of the story, and the non-Star Wars cinematic influences on Favreau's movie. We then revisit a frequent aspect of the Hyperspace Theories podcast: examining how Star Wars' longstanding association with the monomyth story structure shapes the tale being told in The Mandalorian and Grogu. Unsurprisingly, as a standalone film rather than a segment within a trilogy, The Mandalorian and Grogu readily aligns with the cinematic story structure expressed by Christopher Vogler, a distillation and updating of the classical monomyth found in the work of Joseph Campbell. This plot structure also guides the character arcs for The Mandalorian and Grogu, which features the two titular characters as well as significant character development for a third: Rotta the Hutt, who faces his own father-son thematic turmoil as well as pivotal choices about his path in life and the future he seeks for himself in the galaxy far far away. Related Links: Fangirls Going Rogue: A Special Look at The Mandalorian and Grogu (April) Fangirls Going Rogue: Episode 26.4 Countdown to The Mandalorian and Grogu (April) Fangirls Going Rogue: Interview with The Mandalorian and Grogu's Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni (May) Fangirls Going Rogue: Doug Chiang, John Knoll, and Ludwig Göransson Discuss Making The Mandalorian and Grogu (May) Fangirls Going Rogue: Episode 26.6 The Mandalorian and Grogu Behind-the-Scenes and Review (May) Social Media: Tricia Barr (@fangirlcantina) Instagram | Threads (https://www.threads.com/@fangirlcantina) | Blue Sky (https://bsky.app/profile/fangirlcantina.bsky.social) B.J. Priester (@redpenoflex) Instagram | Threads (https://www.threads.com/@redpenoflex) | Blue Sky (https://bsky.app/profile/redpenoflex.bsky.social) Fangirl Zone (https://www.facebook.com/fangirlzone) on Facebook

3. 

   20 May 2026

   Maul, Devon, and Characterization in Maul – Shadow Lord

   On this episode of Hyperspace Theories, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester continue our discussion of the new Maul – Shadow Lord animated series. This time we focus on the writing and characterization of the principal characters, especially Maul and how his past and present informs his strategy for gradually guiding Devon Izara toward her choice to become his apprentice. Along the way we consider the connections between the titular character we see in Maul – Shadow Lord and his earlier incarnations in The Phantom Menace and The Clone Wars, and how those portrayals influence who Maul has become by his time on Janix. We also compare Maul's proposal to Ahsoka Tano during the Siege of Mandalore at the end of that war to his goals with Devon Izara in Shadow Lord. With Maul's future appearances in Solo: A Star Wars Story and Star Wars Rebels already established, we also speculate briefly on where the new characters from Maul – Shadow Lord may be headed in its second season. Rylee Lawson and Two-Boots believe that Brander Lawson was killed by stormtroopers in their escape, which may affect their choices in his absence, but the show provides a strong storytelling reason to think he isn't dead (yet). Devon's future is unknown, too, and the parallel with Ahsoka poses some interesting possibilities for her ultimate fate, as well. Related Links: Fangirls Going Rogue Episode 26.3 Maul – Shadow Lord Interviews and Review Fangirls Going Rogue Episode 26.5 Maul's Next Chapter House of R podcast (YouTube): The 'Star Wars: Maul—Shadow Lord' Season 1 Finale With Sam Witwer Social Media: Tricia Barr (@fangirlcantina) Instagram | Threads (https://www.threads.com/@fangirlcantina) | Blue Sky (https://bsky.app/profile/fangirlcantina.bsky.social) B.J. Priester (@redpenoflex) Instagram | Threads (https://www.threads.com/@redpenoflex) | Blue Sky (https://bsky.app/profile/redpenoflex.bsky.social) Fangirl Zone (https://www.facebook.com/fangirlzone) on Facebook

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.5 / 5

13 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 59 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

84

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

85

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.