Six Degrees of Star Wars
by Sam Marchiony
Even before it became the property of a monstrously big corporation that started putting it everywhere, Star Wars was everywhere. Join us on a journey as we take the hyperspace lanes out of a galaxy far, far away and into other movies, finding all the ways George Lucas' flagship franchise surrounds us, binds us, and penetrates us.
Episodes
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Ep: 86: WHY is Howard the Duck (1986)?
Join us this Halloween to witness the horrors of... Howard the Duck! The first Marvel movie, which explains.... so much. But did it really have to be this horny??? PLUGGABLES: Rhaps: @RhapsodyBlueVA on Twitter, BlueSky, and Letterboxd. River: @dreamsrebel on BlueSky, @punk_skeleton on Letterboxd,...
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Ep. 85: Captain EO... Oh No.....
We are gathered here today to perform a spooky season autopsy on the 17 minute short film created for Disney with some of the most gifted people of the 1980s.... what HAPPENED???? Content warning for Michael Jackson. Meredith: @merthenerd on Letterboxd Gillian: @cutiepuppyfire on the socials…
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Ep. 84: Craving the Kiss of the Spider Woman (2025)
Sam and Jas observe Hispanic Heritage Month by talking about KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN, a movie that is so many things... an adaptation of the Tony-winning Kander and Ebb musical based on the Manuel Puig novel, J-Lo's most obvious attempt at an Oscar, Tonatiuh's star-making vehicle, Diego Luna's...
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Episode 83: Here There Be Peter Pan (1953)
We observe Talk Like a Pirate Day by talking in a not-very-pirate-y way about the animated Disney adaption of JM Barrie's classic story, including the parentification of Wendy Darling, racist depictions of Natives, and the homoerotic barely-sub-text of Hook and Smee! PLUGGABLES: Nick:...
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Ep. 82: Life is a CABARET (1972)
Life is a Cabaret... partially because the plot of CABARET covers the experience of living in a rapidly weakening democracy that is quickly being overtaken by fascism and how people react to living in such circumstances. Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee... Jas: @FaeRiviera on all socials, host of In Each…
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Ep. 81: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom by Orientalism
Dear GOD, the racism on this one... George Lucas teams back up with Steven Spielberg to give us another Indiana Jones adventure, this one featuring the film debut of future Oscar Winner Ke Huy Quan, the creation of the PG-13 rating, and an absurd amount of Orientalist tropes about Indian food,...
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Ep. 80: Get out and see GET OUT
Jordan Peele uses his directorial debut to introduce audiences to the talent of Daniel Kaluuya, win a Best Original Screenplay Oscar, and try to make white liberals confront their participation in systemic racism. How well did he succeed? Pluggables: Shami: @theonlinemuse on tumblr Todd:...
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Ep. 79: Sound of Metal, Hitting Hard
We mark Disability Pride Month by talking about the Oscar-winning SOUND OF METAL, featuring Riz Ahmed's big brown owl eyes, discussions about sign language subtitles, and cochlear implants, and the importance of community for disabled folx. PLUGGABLES B: @dropsofjupiter92 on BlueSky; @bdaae on...
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Ep. 78: At the End of My Rope (1948)
It's Gay Wrath Month, so let's be gay and do crimes and... wait. Wait, no, not like that, this is Alfred Hitchcock and Arthur Laurents making toxic codependent yaoi. Be Kind Rewind's Hitchcock Blondes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjSde5Su-14 Legal Eagle's Case of the Perfect Murder:...
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Ep. 77: Miss Juneteenth > July 4th
6 Degrees of Star Wars marks the 250th birthday of the United States by discussing a movie about the people who the United States has historically excluded, starring the incomparable Nicole Beharie, whom Hollywood tried to exclude. This is Miss Juneteenth. The Sojourner Truth Project:...
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Ep. 76: Dracula's Daughter Just Wants to Go to Pride
We decided to celebrate pride by putting a bunch of queer women enjoyers into a room to talk about the first cinematic reluctant vampire who is also giving so much lesbian. The results are exactly what you think. PLUGGABLES: Gillian: @cutiepuppyfire on the socials B: @dropsofjupiter92 on BlueSky;...
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Ep. 75: Blazing Saddles: Authentic Frontier Gibberish
It's the movie that could never be made today... I hate that cliché! Pluggables: Leif: @leifbradshawsings on instagram, @leifbradshawmusic on Facebook, linktr.ee/disneyoutlands Jas: @FaeRiviera on all socials, host of In Each Retelling Grady: @snakebitcat on the socials The Marsha P Johnson...
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Ep. 74: Parasite | Gisaengchung | 기생충 (2019) Makes Us Insane
We close out AAPI month by taking a look at the modern classic class-satire brought to you by Director Bong Joon-Ho - PARASITE. I'm deadly serious. PLUGGABLES: Ellie: @elessar42 on Bluesky, Letterboxd, and Medium; @football-in-tuxedos on Tumblr, Podcasting's Biggest Night available wherever Pods...
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Ep. 73: Aquaman (2018) Makes Us Thirsty
We are joined by special guest Agatha Vile for an oceanic adventure of super proportions, taking us back to 2018, when we had no idea how much worse superhero fatigue could get and we were just happy to have a DCEU movie that was willing to have fun and be bright and colorful. Pluggables…
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Episode 72 is Episode 2-point-Something (The Clone Wars)
Gillian and Bradley are subjected to the experience of trying to make Sam and River shut up about the 2008 animated film STAR WARS: The Clone Wars, wandering through the foibles of Dave Filoni, the introduction of Rotta the Hutt aka Stinky (soon to appear in the Mandalorian and Grogu), and lies...
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Episode 71: May the Force Be Willow (1988)
Two years after covering the sequel series, we're talking about the original Willow, the star-making turn by Warwick Davis in the title role, the pure chaos of Val Kilmer as Madmartigan, and the world's BEST baby, Elora Danan. Pluggables: Conor: @youngmrduffy on the socials, TTRPGs at...
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Ep. 70: Let's Have a Conclave (2024)
Six Degrees of Star Wars finds religion with the 2024 Oscar-winning movie, CONCLAVE, featuring tangents about statues of Pope John Paul II, dramatic readings of the screenplay directions, and bemoaning the lack of people willing to destroy their own careers for the sake of their morals.…
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Ep. 69: Jupiter Ascending, Credibility Plummeting
Ah, Jupiter Ascending, the Wachowskis' movie about an ordinary person suddenly being awakened into the reality of an urban fantasy and learning that they are the most specialest person in said reality, except this time the protagonist is a woman and also bees can detect royalty and the love...
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Ep. 68: The Marvels of Studio Sabotage
6 Degrees of Star Wars dips its toe into the MCU with a look at what should have been a fun project for Nia DaCosta, Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, and Iman Vellani, but instead got mired up in studio interference, misogyny, racism, Hollywood guild strikes, and overall exhaustion. Woo. Pluggables:...
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Ep. 67: Absolute SINNERS-ma
It's a southern Gothic-vampire-horror-musical. It's a box office smash that grew from word of mouth. It's the most Oscar-nominated film of all time. It's Ryan Coogler's masterpiece. It's SINNERS. What else needs to be said? Producer's note: this episode aired before the 98th Academy Awards on…
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Ep. 66: Mississippi Masala has the Spice
Get in the Valentine's Day spirit with a movie that will raise your standards for romance, starring a post-first-Oscar Denzel Washington and the film debut of Sarita Choudhury, in a beautifully crafted story directed by Mira Nair. Six Degrees of Star Wars is not responsible for any relationships...
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Ep. 65: A Knight's Tale (c.1200-2001)
Ah, yes, the medieval coming of age film starring future Oscar Winner Heath Ledger (RIP), directed by Oscar Winner Brian Helgeland, adapted from the works of Geoffrey Chaucer! Surely, this will be a very dignified and romantic adventure that will take itself completely seriously! Pluggables…
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Ep. 64: We Had Chicago (2002) Coming
Opening the year with a three-way podcast crossover, and one of the most celebrated movie musicals of all time, we're taking a trip to Chicago, with skidoo, hotcha, whoopee, and all that jazz! Also, we did nothing wrong, your honor, the only thing we're guilty of is being theatre kids.…
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Ep. 63: Holidays with some Jokers
It's time to bring 2025 to a close with our holiday episode — and what are the holidays without a healthy helping of chaos? Featuring the 6D Glee Club: Gillian Quigley, Shamila Karunakaran and Harley Quinn (Jasmine Garcia) PLUGGABLES: Grady: @snakebitcat on the socials, recommending Mask of the...
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The Force Awakens turns 10 — Salute the Actors! (Bonus Episode)
The schedule didn't shake out quite the way we wanted, but we weren't going to let the 10th anniversary of THE FORCE AWAKENS pass by without any acknowledgment! So, a few of us gathered for a very giggly and surprisingly thirsty celebration of the actors who joined the Galaxy Far Far Away one...
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Episode 62 is Episode 3 (Revenge of the Sith)
Aka, we are NOT talking about The Clone Wars! Happy 20th year of existing, Revenge of the Sith, final installment of the prequel trilogy. To celebrate, have a voice actor, a swordsman, a gremlin, and a scholar all losing their minds over you in different ways. Featuring Grady Smithey as the voice...
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Ep. 61: How to Blow Up a Pipeline (IN FICTION)
Join us for a movie that will definitely mess up your algorithms and most likely put you on a watch list if you search it online without including the words "movie" or "in fiction" afterwards. Look, the Swedish journalist who wrote the original book named it, if you've got a problem with that…
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Ep. 60: Coming of Age is a Wicked Labyrinth (1986)
Stealing a page out of the book belonging to In Each Retelling, we mark the release of Wicked For Good by doing the closest thing Lucasfilm ever made to The Wizard of Oz -- a coming of age fantasy musical that features a singularly famous pop star in as one of the two leads in a very... intense...
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Ep. 59: Treehouse of Horrors #1: Quoth the Raven, Feel the Force
We channel the power of the very first Simpsons Halloween Special, TREEHOUSE OF HORROR, to stave off the onset of a different holiday season for just a little bit longer... Happy Halloween/All Saints' Day, everyone! PLUGGABLES: Ellie: @elessar42 on Bluesky, Letterboxd, and Medium;...
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Ep. 58: We all SCREAM (1996) for Meta Horror
It codified the tropes while subverting the tropes, spawned a legion of sequels while mocking endless sequels, and gave a lot of my friends the answer to a very important question. But as a SCREAM neophyte, am I going to end up the final girl, or the first victim? Scream is rated R for strong...
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Ep. 57: West Side (of the Force) Story (2021)
Is it ever really worth remaking a movie that's generally considered a classic? Most people would say no, but most people are not Steven Spielberg deciding he wants to bring the musical New York street gang Romeo and Juliet better known as West Side Story to the big screen again, sixty years…
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Ep. 56: The Blues Brothers
Hey, kids, want to see what kind of movie gets made when the entire cast and crew has access to a lot of schedule II narcotics, some of the greatest musicians of the 20th century, and a script that was originally the size of the yellow pages? You're in luck, because this puppy (slaps the...
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Ep. 55: Clue (1985) with Extra Curry
Whodunnit? Was it the 80s comedy icon? The maid? The other 80s comedy icon? The singer trying to act? The OTHER 80s comedy icon? The cook? The all around icon? One of three more 80s comedy icons? I haven't got a Clue (1985)! The subject of this episode is a movie from the 1980s depicting the…
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Ep. 54: May the Phineas and Ferb Be With You
We finish out OOPS ALL TV Month by looking at the Phineas and Ferb Star Wars episode that features such delightful moments as Perry the Rebel-pus making a birthday cake for a Tusken Raider, Isabella Garcia-Shapiro beefing with Han Solo, and Candace Flynn singing imperial propaganda that's way too...
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Ep. 53: Young Indiana Jones: My First Cancellation
We start off our "Oops! All TV" episodes with a look at that time George Lucas made a prequel to one of his beloved franchises with a child actor yelling things like "yippee" and a lot of really racist stereotypes that were bad even in the 90s. No, not Phantom Menace, we already did that one!…
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Ep. 52: My Fair Lady, Forces of Dub-stiny
Let's take a look at an Oscar winning movie that involves a famous instance of an actor being dubbed when they weren't expecting to be... only let's make it extra ironic because we're doing an entire movie about language and speech. It's the romantic (against the wishes of George Bernard Shaw)...
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Ep. 51: American Psycho: Satire or Documentary?
We return to your regularly scheduled program with American Pyscho. Before this bloody satire of the ideal man of the 1980s gets its inevitable remake, let's remember our roots... (puts on a raincoat and grabs an axe) and that it is hip to be square. American Psycho is rated R for graphic...
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Episode 50: Much Ado About Star Wars
In honor of the 50th episode of 6 Degrees of Star Wars, we cracked open William Shakespeare's Star Wars and bring you selection from all nine installments of the Skywalker Saga. Our players are Jasmine Garcia (In Each Retelling), Kyle Kallgren (Brows Held High), River Lane (The Straights Aren't...
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Ep. 49: La Cage Aux Folles Gets Unlocked
It's very timely, but it's also badly aged. It's been adapted for the film and for the stage. And now we're looking at this tentpole of queer cinema, La Cage Aux Folles! Happy Pride. Pluggables: Émile: Stay tuned for the Not Even Podcast and for Malaika at Hear Me Out Productions...
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Ep. 48: Turning Red (and Canadian)
From Academy Award winner Domee Shi comes Turning Red a beautifully personal and messy coming of age story that will bring you to tears. Or at least send some grown neurodivergent queer adults into an impromptu therapy session. PLUGGABLES River: @dreamsrebel on BlueSky, @punk_skeleton on...
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Ep. 47: Mishima: A Life In Four Chapters Requires Multiple Readings
Truth can be stranger than fiction as we dive into the Lucasfilm co-production directed by Paul Schrader (yes, Martin Scorsese's Paul Schrader) covering a uniquely important figure in Japanese history, Yukio Mishima. CONTENT WARNING FOR DEPICTIONS AND DISCUSSIONS OF SUICIDE. Jas: @FaeRiviera on…
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Episode 46 is Episode 2 (Attack of the Clones)
We celebrate May The Fourth 2025 with the most appropriate prequel possible -- Attack of the Clones! [Cricket noises] Okay, look, you'll get your Revenge of the Sith in December, you have to practice patience, our young Padawans! Anakin Skywalker's voice for the script section provided by Billy...
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Ep. 45: Lilo & Stitch is Still Good. Yeah. Still Good.
Ah, the animated Disney classic of the new millennium that should not be getting left behind just because a certain studio wants to keep doing what they've been doing for the last ten years. Nobody gets left behind or forgotten. Matt: @4urconsderation on Letterboxd; Dear Natty fundraiser...
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Ep. 44: Death Becomes Her Becomes Meme'd
The campy 90s horror comedy with the groundbreaking special effects and extremely dated sexual politics makes it to our corner of the galaxy, prompting discussions about immortality, the inherent eroticism of frenemies, and fingers pointed at both Canada and Portugal. Pluggables River…
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Ep. 43: THE SUBSTANCE Over Style
Newly minted Oscar-winner THE SUBSTANCE arrives in a galaxy far far away, with just... so many content warnings. But it's art, so we'll allow it. The Substance contains graphic depictions of drug use, nudity, body horror, and sex. please proceed according to your needs and comfort. Pluggables…
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Ep. 42: Portrait of a Lady on Fire = HAWT
Allô, bonjour, it is a very good day to be egregiously French with the MOST lesbian period drama ever to lesbian period drama. This may well be Céline Sciamma's masterpiece, but will it stand up to 4 sapphic disasters' shenanigans? Portrait of a Lady on Fire contains depictions of sex, abortion,...
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Ep. 41: Let the BOTTOMS Hit the Floor
Y'all, is it gay to start a fight club so that you can flirt with cheerleaders after your principal threatened to expel you for lightly tapping the star football player with your car? Just asking for Emma Seligman's 2023 teen satire, BOTTOMS. Bottoms is rated R for language, violence, and sexual...
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Ep. 40: Love Lies Bleeding, We Lie Screaming
We officially make it Femslash February with the 2024 sapphic romance/thriller, LOVE LIES BLEEDING, taking be gay do crime to a whole new level. Love Lies Bleeding is rated R for graphic language, and depictions sex, drug use, and violence. Please proceed according to your needs and comfort....
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Ep. 39: The Watermelon Woman is Sweet
We gather a bunch of women enjoyers for a heartwarming and horny episode covering Cheryl Dunye's THE WATERMELON WOMAN. Join us for philosophical discussions of representation, cinema, and lesbians! The Watermelon Woman contains explicit depictions of sex, and focuses heavily on the history of...
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Ep. 38: Indiana Jones... (Punching Ensues)
Raiders of the Lost Ark, aka the Lucasfilm Project Harrison Ford ACTUALLY Cares About, aka Marion Ravenwood's Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day, aka It is Your Duty To Thwart Nazis At Every Turn. Indiana Jones Denied Tenure:...
About this show
Even before it became the property of a monstrously big corporation that started putting it everywhere, Star Wars was everywhere. Join us on a journey as we take the hyperspace lanes out of a galaxy far, far away and into other movies, finding all the ways George Lucas' flagship franchise surrounds us, binds us, and penetrates us.
Hosted by
Sam Marchiony
Categories