The Citadel Cafe: A Sci-Fi and Fantasy Podcast

Joel, and Stephen share their experience co-watching the completion of NASA’s Artemis II mission, their tension watching Daredevil Born Again Season 2, and their admiration of the artistic direction of Star Wars: Maul, Shadow Lord.Show notes for The Citadel Cafe are here:http://www.thecitadelcafe.com/2026/04/30/the-citadel-cafe-504-space-and-the-shadow-lord/Join The Citadel Cafe Discord community!http://Patreon.com/TheCitadelCafeThe Citadel Cafe YouTube:https://youtube.com/thecitadelcafe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, and Stephen chat about the challenges of new graphic software, and geek out over Light And Magic, a documentary series covering the history of Industrial Light And Magic at Lucasfilm. Plus two LEGO picks for artists, and speed demons.Show notes for The Citadel Cafe are here:http://www.thecitadelcafe.com/2026/03/27/the-citadel-cafe-503-lights-camera-magic/Join The Citadel Cafe Discord community!http://Patreon.com/TheCitadelCafeThe Citadel Cafe YouTube:https://youtube.com/thecitadelcafe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, and Stephen share in the nostalgia in watching the pilot return of The Muppet Show, and go along for the ride in Predator Badlands. Plus, Wonder Man, animatronics, and pencil mechanics.Show notes for The Citadel Cafe are here:http://www.thecitadelcafe.com/2026/02/28/the-citadel-cafe-502-its-the-badlands-show-yaaay/Join The Citadel Cafe Discord community!http://Patreon.com/TheCitadelCafeThe Citadel Cafe YouTube:https://youtube.com/thecitadelcafe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, and Stephen chat about the series finale of Stranger Things, and look ahead to the number of nerdy projects that had new trailers in the last few weeks including Masters Of The Universe, Avengers: Doomsday, and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.Show notes for The Citadel Cafe are here:http://www.thecitadelcafe.com/2026/02/01/the-citadel-cafe-501-the-future-of-marvel-and-masters/Join The Citadel Cafe Discord community!http://Patreon.com/TheCitadelCafeThe Citadel Cafe YouTube:https://youtube.com/thecitadelcafe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel celebrates the 500th episode milestone with Stephen, Alastair, Ryan, Lou, and Jonny all gathered around the Holiday Roundtable to share their top three films, shows, and games of 2025, as well as what films, and shows are at the top of their comfort watch list going into vacation around the holidays.Show notes for The Citadel Cafe are here:http://www.thecitadelcafe.com/2025/12/24/the-citadel-cafe-500-star-wars-k-pop-and-nostalgia/Join The Citadel Cafe Discord community!http://Patreon.com/TheCitadelCafeThe Citadel Cafe YouTube:https://youtube.com/thecitadelcafe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, and Stephen compare notes on the live action release of How To Train Your Dragon, and the first season of Severance. Joel is building a new LEGO set, and the new superhero game Dispatch is on the wish list.Show notes for The Citadel Cafe are here:http://www.thecitadelcafe.com/2025/11/01/the-citadel-cafe-499-how-to-train-your-severance-package/Join The Citadel Cafe Discord community!http://Patreon.com/TheCitadelCafeThe Citadel Cafe YouTube:https://youtube.com/thecitadelcafe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, and Stephen review new trailers for The Mandalorian And Grogu, Avatar: Fire And Ash, and Wolverine from Insomniac Games. Plus, Stephen has been watching Gen V.Show notes for The Citadel Cafe are here:http://www.thecitadelcafe.com/2025/09/30/the-citadel-cafe-498-gen-v-and-grogu/Join The Citadel Cafe Discord community!http://Patreon.com/TheCitadelCafeThe Citadel Cafe YouTube:https://youtube.com/thecitadelcafe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, and Stephen review Fantastic Four: First Steps, and KPop Demon Hunters, share recommendations for anime, and some favourite Kdramas. Plus, bonus bully tail wags.Show notes for The Citadel Cafe are here:http://www.thecitadelcafe.com/2025/08/31/the-citadel-cafe-497-fantastic-kpop-demon-hunters/Join The Citadel Cafe Discord community!http://Patreon.com/TheCitadelCafeThe Citadel Cafe YouTube:https://youtube.com/thecitadelcafe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, and Stephen dedicate the entire episode to their review of James Gunn’s Superman, then speculate on the future of the LEGO Icon’s Transformers lineup.Show notes for The Citadel Cafe are here:http://www.thecitadelcafe.com/2025/07/30/the-citadel-cafe-496-superman-a-james-gunn-film/Join The Citadel Cafe Discord community!http://Patreon.com/TheCitadelCafeThe Citadel Cafe YouTube:https://youtube.com/thecitadelcafe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, and Stephen talk live action dragons, Andor, Season 2, and Predator: Killer Of Killers, along with summer plans to see Superman, and The Fantastic 4 First Steps.Show notes for The Citadel Cafe are here:http://www.thecitadelcafe.com/2025/07/01/the-citadel-cafe-495-andor-killer-of-killers/Join The Citadel Cafe Discord community!http://Patreon.com/TheCitadelCafeThe Citadel Cafe YouTube:https://youtube.com/thecitadelcafe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, and Stephen talk Thunderbolts*, some punches landed, some missed the mark. Stephen also went to see Sinners, and Joel completed the LEGO Retro Radio set.Show notes for The Citadel Cafe are here:http://www.thecitadelcafe.com/2025/06/08/the-citadel-cafe-494-thunderbolts/Join The Citadel Cafe Discord community!http://Patreon.com/TheCitadelCafeThe Citadel Cafe YouTube:https://youtube.com/thecitadelcafe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, and Stephen talk about playing around with ChatGPT, then share their thoughts on A Minecraft Movie, and Dare Devil: Born Again. Plus, some Transformer LEGO on an unpredictable scale.Show notes for The Citadel Cafe are here:http://www.thecitadelcafe.com/2025/04/20/the-citadel-cafe-493-the-devil-likes-tension/Join The Citadel Cafe Discord community!http://Patreon.com/TheCitadelCafeThe Citadel Cafe YouTube:https://youtube.com/thecitadelcafe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, and Brocket chat about sharing nerdy interests with kids, LEGO announcing a brand partnership with Pokémon, and being cautiously “optimistic” on the new summer Superman film from DC.Show notes for The Citadel Cafe are here:http://www.thecitadelcafe.com/2025/03/30/the-citadel-cafe-492-which-way-will-superman-fly/Join The Citadel Cafe Discord community!http://Patreon.com/TheCitadelCafeThe Citadel Cafe YouTube:https://youtube.com/thecitadelcafe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, and Stephen share their thoughts on Captain America: Brave New World, and the season premiere of Daredevil: Born Again. Plus, Stephen is learning Korean, and Joel is digging fossilized LEGO bricks.Show notes for The Citadel Cafe are here:http://www.thecitadelcafe.com/2025/03/14/the-citadel-cafe-491-born-again-in-a-brave-new-world/Join The Citadel Cafe Discord community!http://Patreon.com/TheCitadelCafeThe Citadel Cafe YouTube:https://youtube.com/thecitadelcafe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, and Stephen talk about their latest nerdy pastimes, and break down some of the latest blockbuster movie trailers released this month, from How To Train Your Dragon, to Jurassic World Rebirth, Captain America: Brave New World, and the first look at MARVEL’s Fantastic 4.Show notes for The Citadel Cafe are here:http://www.thecitadelcafe.com/2025/02/14/the-citadel-cafe-490-a-brave-new-jurassic-world/Join The Citadel Cafe Discord community!http://Patreon.com/TheCitadelCafeThe Citadel Cafe YouTube:https://youtube.com/thecitadelcafe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, and Stephen take a trip down memory lane with The Story Of Super Mario Bros. 3 documentary, and quench their gaming platformer thirst with Nine Sols from Red Candle Games. Plus, Blacktron LEGO is back!Show notes for The Citadel Cafe are here:http://www.thecitadelcafe.com/2025/01/22/the-citadel-cafe-489-the-nine-sols-of-super-mario-bros/Join The Citadel Cafe Discord community!http://Patreon.com/TheCitadelCafeThe Citadel Cafe YouTube:https://youtube.com/thecitadelcafe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, is joined by Stephen, James, Lou, and Ryan for the Holiday Roundtable to talk about the films, shows, specials, and video games that they’ll be indulging in over the holidays. From Secret Level, to Superman, to indie games, and Indiana Jones, and The Great Circle.Show notes for The Citadel Cafe are here:http://www.thecitadelcafe.com/2024/12/24/the-citadel-cafe-488-secret-levels-and-great-circles/Join The Citadel Cafe Discord community!http://Patreon.com/TheCitadelCafeThe Citadel Cafe YouTube:https://youtube.com/thecitadelcafe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, and Stephen discuss Act II, and Act III, the final episodes of Arcane. Joel has been playing around in the FICS*MAS holiday event in Satisfactory, and Stephen has some handy, productive apps to share.Show notes for The Citadel Cafe are here:http://www.thecitadelcafe.com/2024/12/10/the-citadel-cafe-487-arcane-season-2-finale/Join The Citadel Cafe Discord community!http://Patreon.com/TheCitadelCafeThe Citadel Cafe YouTube:https://youtube.com/thecitadelcafe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, and Stephen discuss the premiere episodes of Arcane as the series returns to Netflix for its second, and final season. Plus, Joel has been digging into some League of Legends lore, and Stephen has a behind the scenes recommendation for Arcane fans.Show notes for The Citadel Cafe are here:http://www.thecitadelcafe.com/2024/11/24/the-citadel-cafe-486-arcane-season-2-premiere/Join The Citadel Cafe Discord community!http://Patreon.com/TheCitadelCafeThe Citadel Cafe YouTube:https://youtube.com/thecitadelcafe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel has been modelling factory floors after Transformers in Satisfactory, and Jonny is back to talk about monkeying around in Mörk Borg, as well as the second half, and season finale of The Rings Of Power, Season 2.Show notes for The Citadel Cafe are here:http://www.thecitadelcafe.com/2024/10/31/the-citadel-cafe-485-the-long-game/Join The Citadel Cafe Discord community!http://Patreon.com/TheCitadelCafeThe Citadel Cafe YouTube:https://youtube.com/thecitadelcafe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, and Jonny talk about fantasy RPGs on screen, and on table top, before returning to Middle Earth to share their thoughts on the triple premiere episodes of The Rings Of Power, Season 2.Show notes for The Citadel Cafe are here:http://www.thecitadelcafe.com/2024/09/05/the-citadel-cafe-484-the-return-of-the-rings/Join The Citadel Cafe Discord community!http://Patreon.com/TheCitadelCafeThe Citadel Cafe YouTube:https://youtube.com/thecitadelcafe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, and Stephen went to the movies! A spoiler filled discussion (You’ve been warned!) about Deadpool & Wolverine, reactions to some of the MARVEL news out of ComicCon, and an unexpected nostalgic LEGO Lamborghini.Show notes for The Citadel Cafe are here:http://www.thecitadelcafe.com/2024/08/14/the-citadel-cafe-483-deadpool-wolverine/Join The Citadel Cafe Discord community!http://Patreon.com/TheCitadelCafeThe Citadel Cafe YouTube:https://youtube.com/thecitadelcafe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, and Stephen talk about acquiring new skills on the fretboard, and on the keyboard. Stephen was pleasantly surprised by the recent Tetris film, while Joel continues to wait to be surprised by The Acolyte. Plus, buzz about a LEGO set that’s more than meets the eye.Show notes for this episode of TCC are here:http://www.thecitadelcafe.com/2024/07/06/the-citadel-cafe-482-does-the-acolyte-stack-up/Support The Citadel Cafe, and join the community Discord at:http://Patreon.com/TheCitadelCafe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, and Stephen review Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, and The Acolyte premiere. (No spoilers!) Stephen is developing a personal rating system for films, and series, and Joel shares an email from a listener interested in advice for freelancing in digital media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, and Stephen talk about the visceral first season of Fallout on Prime Video. Stephen has been geeking out under the hood about building websites, and Joel is looking forward to building the LEGO UCS TIE Interceptor live on stream. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel has been dipping his toe back in the No Man’s Sky galaxy, and Stephen continues the sci-fi trend with 3 Body Problem, and Dune Part 2. Plus, Oppenheimer, Masters Of The Air, and D&D LEGO. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, and Jonny discuss the world building, element bending, strengths, weaknesses, and inconsistencies of the new live action series adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender on Netflix. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, and Stephen talk graphic novels, football documentaries, and MARVEL’s Echo mini series. Stephen has been watching Sweet Home, a creepy Korean drama, and Joel has his sights set on a new LEGO Star Wars UCS set. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, and Ryan talk nerdy challenges in 2024, then dive into a look at upcoming games that have grabbed their attention on Xbox, and PC, and speculate on what could be next from Nintendo. Plus, Super Mario LEGO! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, and Stephen kick off the new year with a stream of sci-fi news, and reviews. The Mandalorian And Grogu starts production, How To Train Your Dragon live action casting, and thoughts on MARVEL’s What If…? Season 2, The Creator, and Rebel Moon: Part 1. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel is joined by Stephen, Alastair, and James The Civilian for the annual Holiday Roundtable. What is everyone looking forward to in 2024? Is there a preference between limited streaming series, and the theatrical release experience? Should there be more instalments in our favourite franchises, or more room for new ones? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, and Stephen chat about decentralized social media, lowering your movie sequel expectations, then gush over the new Netflix series, Blue Eye Samurai. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel has been to the moon watching For All Mankind, Brockett has been busy keeping up with the antics of Lois, and Clark in My Adventures With Superman, and our game of Pass Or Play returns with a list of holiday classic films. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, and Stephen discuss Loki, Season 2, listener email about the state of going to the movies, and the different kinds of media fighting for attention in their evenings. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, and Stephen talk books, and fonts, answer listener email about October horror films, and discuss the epic third act of Star Wars: Ahsoka. Plus, tiny German models, and huge LEGO models. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, shares his first impressions of Starfield after about a week of playing the game before digging into the first five episodes of Ahsoka with Stephen, and drooling over a LEGO collection of over 8,000 sets! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, welcomes Tadpole Milk to The Citadel Cafe to chat about Minecraft, Twitch streaming, video editing, The Witcher Season 3, and how we are all just tiny specs in the universe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, and Stephen geek out about workflow organization, run down a quick list of what’s streaming in August, and attempt to unravel the Skrulls in MARVEL’s Secret Invasion. Plus, new LEGO sets! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, and Stephen talk Xbox Games Showcase, Starfield, Avatar: The Way Of Water, and Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse. (No Spider-Spoilers!) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, and Stephen discuss the majority of the news coming out of Star Wars Celebration 2023, Chapter 23, and 24 of The Mandalorian Season 3, and a new UCS LEGO set is on it’s way to the studio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, and Brockett run through the list of spring, and summer movies on deck for 2023, and share their excitement, hopefulness, or complete disinterest in a game of “Pass Or Play”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, and Stephen catch up on space news, listener email, and discuss mid-season episodes of The Mandalorian, Season 3. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, and Brockett discuss Atlas Fallen, and the “monster hunter” genre of games, Inscryption on the Nintendo Switch, and the first episodes of The Mandalorian, Season 3. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, and Alastair rank some of their favourite television series from 2022, explore brave new YouTube videos, and head into the final season of Picard at maximum warp. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, and Stephen share their first impressions of the February Nintendo Direct announcements, two new LEGO sets each with an incredible amount of detail, and their full review of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, and Stephen take a look at what's coming to, and potentially worth seeing on the big screen in 2023, as well as what's new this month on their screens at home, the first LEGO sets of 2023, and a family friendly Minecraft community. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Joel, Alastair, Stephen, and Lou to wrap up 2022 in galactic style as they talk about new holiday specials, holiday classics, and what they’ll be watching over the break, as well as what they’re looking forward to in the new year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, and Stephen are following the blood lines of witches in The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself, and keeping up with the future in The Peripheral. Joel has also started watching the Tim Burton directed, Adam’s Family spinoff, Wednesday on Netflix. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, and Alastair are enjoying time back in Minecraft, and discuss why some voxel based inspired games often miss the mark. Alastair has been refilling on documentaries, Joel has been engrossed in the historical dramatization of The Crown, and LEGO has been engineered to new heights. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel, and Stephen take a peak at the new trailers for Ant-man And The Wasp: Quantumania, and Avatar: The Way Of Water, then share their thoughts on The Peripheral, and Star Wars: Tales Of The Jedi. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.