Beltway Banthas: Star Wars, Politics & More

Did you hear? The U.S. presidential election next week is the most important election of our lifetime. Maybe that's true. But it's been said of every election since Reagan and beyond. Why does politics feel this way? Are the stakes supposed to always feel existential, or like life and death? Beltway Banthas explores this through the Star Wars lens with special guest DAVID FRENCH (The Dispatch) author of a new book, Divided We Fall: America's Secession Threat and How to Restore Our Nation.

In this special broadcast of Beltway Banthas, host Stephen Kent and producer Riley Blanton react to Republican Senator Mike Lee's mention of Star Wars' Galactic Senate to describe Court-Packing. Why did he say this? Slate seems to suggest it's a lowkey expression of Lee's disdain for diversity and pluralistic government, but does that sort of miss the point?  We break it down in this short episode of the podcast!

On this roundtable follow up to our most recent episode, "Does liberty always die in thunderous applause?" politicos Nick Dicolandrea and Danielle Adams rejoin Beltway Banthas to discuss the show. The panel grapples with the idea that democracy could die in the United States with barely a whimper, and why the political lessons of Star Wars still remain so poignant.  Panel: Stephen Kent @Stephen_kent89 Danielle Adams @DanielleAdamsNC Nick Dicolandrea @NickDico  

"So this how liberty dies...with thunderous applause." There is so much of that line by Padme in Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, that is timeless and true. But what if America's democratic crisis is more complicated and harder to even see? Featuring expert guest insights from Ilya Somin (George Mason University) and Prof. Seth Masket (University of Denver), this episode breaks down what Star Wars teaches us, and what it doesn't.

Hello Banthas! We have some important updates about the podcast to share with you. Exciting news to be sure. In this broadcast, you'll get a quick primer on what we're working on and why! The podcast is about to undergo a major transformation and we hope you'll be part of it.  **LISTENER SURVEY https://forms.gle/x2mkMgL1sWkTVZkW8 **NEWSLETTER SIGNUP: Star Wars, politics and more https://mailchi.mp/01c4273308e7/starwarspolitics YOUTUBE VIDEO: https://youtu.be/cXSsxgB88Us

Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is a movie about control, and what happens when someone with a great deal of power cannot bear the idea of living with unpredictability. It's relatable. We all want a certain degree of control over our lives and destinies. 15 years after Revenge of the Sith and its message about control and safety vs security...what can we take from it that applies to the world today?

Star Wars author E.K. Johnston just put out her latest book on Padme, "Queens Peril". This new canon novel takes a look at Padme's rise the political power on Naboo and the days leading up to the Droid Invasion of Star Wars: Episode I. E.K and Stephen talk Naboo politics, how real-world principles over trade and immigration impact a galaxy, far, far away and what Padme teaches us about the virtue humility.

Kat Rosenfield wrote for Reason Magazine a feature piece on how Star Wars' three trilogies aligns almost perfectly with the politics of the time they were made in. What makes the sequel trilogy so unique, Episodes VII-IX, is that their chaotic nature almost mirrors the era we live in today.

Michael Steel is a Republican strategist and partner for Hamilton Place Strategies. He served as a communications officer for the likes the Jeb Bush, Paul Ryan and John Boehner. He caught the eye of Beltway Banthas when on Kasie DC (MSNBC) he knocked the Trump administration for approaching staffing like it was the Mos Eisley Cantina. We get into how Jeb Bush & Marco Rubio's 2016 feud sparked this podcast into being and also how Star Wars makes the case for democracy...but perhaps not with total devotion.

No tyrant can fully control a people if they believe in something higher than their worldly ruler. This is reason all memory of the Jedi must be wiped out by the Empire. The Force is a threat. Ashwin Verghese of the Internation Campaign for Tibet sees this struggle playing out between the Tibetan people and the Chinese government. He joined Beltway Banthas to share his fandom, talk about Tibet, China, Yoda, Naboo and the future of Star Wars.

Mayor Betsy Hodges may be the former mayor of Minneapolis and now Washington, D.C., but she's really a citizen of Tatooine. In this special interview episode, the progressive activist and mayor joins Beltway Banthas to share how Star Wars saved her life (The Mary Sue). Beyond her personal story, which is a remarkable one, Stephen Kent and Betsy Hodges trace how Star Wars explains redemption and why that matters for the world we live in.

To supplement your social distancing we have a bonus episode with Ben Domenech, publisher of The Federalist. Ben and Stephen review the ending of the sequel trilogy and the case for The Mandalorian as the future of Star Wars storytelling. Ben makes a compelling point about why Star Wars raises some questions about the value and trade off's of democracy, and why people like Anakin Skywalker end of wanting something else.

Season 7 of The Clone Wars is live on Disney+ and it's as political as ever. Characters have to make real hard moral choices given their economic status, which is the making of a great Beltway Banthas episode. Bernie Sanders organizer Mohammed Shakibnia joins the show to dissect The Clone Wars political themes. Plus! Herb Scribner of the Deseret News makes a guest appearance to reflect on the messages of "The Bad Batch" episodes, and what they say about war, trauma and fandom.

Gene Park may have been the very first Star Wars fan to buy a ticket for Episode I: The Phantom Menace. In this special interview, Washington Post gaming reporter Gene Park talks about his Star Wars fandom and how storytelling methods from video games have crept in and out of blockbuster films. Gene memorably wrote in for WaPo about how the ‘Rise of Skywalker’ embraces all the worst parts of video game storytelling' and he's on the podcast to explain why that is, but why he's hopeful for the franchise.

Beltway Banthas is back! In Episode 81, host Stephen Kent and guest host Maggie Lovitt review the latest Star Wars news including The High Republic era and The Rise of Skywalker novelization. We discuss theories around central planning and how some of the classic mistakes of governance might apply to the oddities in Star Wars storytelling since 2015. In our main segment, Maggie and Stephen discuss the principles of Star Wars that improve American politics and life. "Hope" and "Redemption"

Look around the world today and you will see otherwise advanced societies overrun by misinformation, myth and conspiratorial thinking. Information echo chambers and media disruption has helped to polarize communities on everything from political viewpoints to opinions on Star Wars. Buzzfeed's Ryan Broderick wrote The “Star Wars” Misinformation Hell Is The New Future Of Everything" and he couldn't be more right.

What a merry time of year it is!! Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker crashed into theaters and has concluded the 42 year run of the Skywalker story that started in 1977. Stephen Kent saw it opening night and again the first weekend, and this is your REVIEW episode of the film. Stephen is joined by friends of the show to look at how The Rise of Skywalker does as a conclusion to STAR WARS, the good, the great, the bad and the ugly. We also feature reviews from LISTENERS.

The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters this week! To discuss the hype and stakes for the film, comedian and baritone geek Andrew Heaton joins Beltway Banthas. We get into the return of Emperor Palpatine, Rey, fanboys vs The Last Jedi and Heaton's recent interview of Jonathan Last, who notoriously penned "The Case For Empire" in the Weekly Standard.

The world loves The Mandalorian! This week on Beltway Banthas, guests Josh Gilliland (The Legal Geeks Podcast) and Gio Insignares (WUSA Channel 9 DC) join to discuss the new Star Wars series on Disney+. We review the show itself, Baby Yoda and the legal questions raised by the entire profession of bounty hunting. Gilliland helps us understand The Mandalorian in a whole new way.

This week on Beltway Banthas, the one and only Kennedy of Fox Business joins the show to share her Star Wars stories. You know her from Fox News, or perhaps from her time as a VJ on MTV. Either way, the Force is strong with this one. Kennedy and Stephen talk about everything from Luke vs Han, Jar Jar and the Leia bikini to U.S. foreign policy and Deadliest Catch.