Hyperspace Theories

It’s been ten years since FANgirl Blog launched the Hyperspace Theories podcast. On the latest episode, Tricia Barr and B.J. Priester look back on the podcast’s evolution from its origin in discussing how to speculate wisely on upcoming Star Wars stories to a broader consideration of storytelling, character arcs and the Hero’s Journey, and franchise management. We reminisce about our favorite episodes of the podcast over the years. After looking back, we turn to the present and future of the franchise through the lens of two recent articles in major Hollywood trade publications. James Hibberd’s lengthy essay in The Hollywood Reporter asks “Is Disney Bad at Star Wars?” offers a fair assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the past decade of the franchise, ultimately concluding that it’s not bad but it could do better. The timing of the article’s publication also is notable for two reasons. First, although it studiously avoids placing blame on particular named individuals, it renders an unusually critical