And that’s a wrap! After doing a review of Rogue One in light of what we experienced with Andor, we celebrate the conclusion of a majestic TV series with some hall of fame categories. GOAT of the Rebellion? Most entertaining dinner party guests? Ed and MaryAnn get into all of that and more, including our ideas for best Andor tattoo.

Spoilers for all of Andor, Rogue One, and Star Wars: A New Hope.

A few links and resources:

* The House of R podcast, which has done some marathon-length breakdowns of the show.

* Roger Robinson’s poem shared by Ed, “A Portable Paradise.”

* Dr. Bettina Love, talking about allies, co-conspirators, and the Underground Railroad, which ran on trust.

Steady on, and may the Force be with you!

Thanks to everyone who joined Edward Goode and me for our fourth conversation about Andor. We talked about the power and perils of a human-driven movement; disease, disgust and the rhetoric of dehumanization; the fate of our heroes; and the impact of one small word: TRY.

Spoilers for all of Andor, Rogue One, and The Last Jedi.

Follow Ed at Imago Scriptura.

Here’s the article I mentioned from Sojourners, We Have What We Need to Fix This. And here’s the quote I read:

Plugging into national organizations is always an option. My reservation is that I’ve noticed that people who are trying to do the big thing sometimes are not even doing the [things in their] backyard — and they are overwhelmed because they assume the big thing fixes the backyard. The problem is the backyard left unattended becomes a jungle. There wasn’t a national movement for white Christian nationalism; there were pastors giving voice to those ideas over decades, writing books and on talk radio. Those practices then [coalesced and were] expressed in national politics.

And Nemik’s manifesto is so soaring, it’s worth sharing in full:

There will be times when the struggle seems impossible. I know this already. Alone, unsure, dwarfed by the scale of the enemy. Remember this. Freedom is a pure idea. It occurs spontaneously and without instruction. Random acts of insurrection are occurring constantly throughout the galaxy. There are whole armies, battalions that have no idea that they've already enlisted in the cause. Remember that the frontier of the Rebellion is everywhere. And even the smallest act of insurrection pushes our lines forward. And then remember this. The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that. And know this, the day will come when all these skirmishes and battles, these moments of defiance will have flooded the banks of the Empire's authority and then there will be one too many. One single thing will break the siege. Remember this. Try.

We’ve got one last episode in this season—a recap of the whole story including Rogue One. We’ll have some fun categories and commemorate the end of this majestic show. Join us Friday at 2 p.m. EDT—link to come.

Steady on… and may the Force be with you.

Thanks to everyone who joined Edward Goode and me for our third conversation about Andor. We drew some historical and scriptural parallels to the show, talked about the communal nature of calling, explored the power of prophetic speech, and lifted up the nature of resistance, full of small moves and tag-team efforts. And much more! This was a meaty episode—fitting for some of the best television we’ve ever seen (just because I’m prone to hyperbole doesn’t mean it’s not true).

Spoilers for all of Andor season 1, plus season 2 episodes 1-9 and the movie Rogue One.

Follow Ed at Imago Scriptura.

A note that I’ll be away next week, so our next episode on episodes 10-12 (the finale) will take place Memorial Day, Monday May 26 at 1 p.m. EDT. (Link to come, but mark your calendars.) We’ll also do an episode on Rogue One.

After that, who knows? There was an upswell of interest in a rewatch (or for MAMD, a first watch) of Battlestar Galactica. Thoughts? Other recommendations?

Steady on… and may the Force be with you.

Thanks to everyone who joined Edward Goode and me for our second conversation about Andor. We talked about the benefits and pitfalls of episodic storytelling, the strength and frailty of human beings, the perils of building a movement, and more.

Spoilers for all of Andor season 1, plus season 2 episodes 1-6, the movie Rogue One, and The Last Jedi.

Here’s the book I mentioned: Preaching in Hitler’s Shadow: Sermons of Resistance in the Third Reich.

And don’t miss Ed’s charming story of adventure for Grogu on May the Fourth!

See you next week! Until then, may the Force be with you.

What a blast. Thanks to everyone who joined Edward Goode and me for our first of four (or more?) conversations about Andor. We talked about gender, power and privilege; the “cost of discipleship”; accelerationism as faithful strategy (or not?); and more.

Spoilers for all of Andor season 1, plus season 2 episodes 1-3, and the movie Rogue One, and a brief reference to The Last Jedi.

See you next week. Between now and then, May the Fourth (and the Force) be with you.

A bonus pod!

Season two of Andor premieres on Disney+ this week, and to celebrate, here’s a standalone pod featuring conversations recorded two years ago during season one of the television show. Special thanks to Derrick Weston and Marthame Sanders for these conversations.

A few spoilers for season one of Andor, but the spoilers are mainly thematic.

Enjoy!

~

Contact MaryAnn McKibben Dana at maryannmckibbendana.net.

Order Hope: A User’s Manual

Editor and Producer: Amelia Dana

A few thoughts on Sen. Cory Booker’s filibuster.

I didn’t mention this in the video, but it’s somehow fitting that this is taking place on April Fool’s Day. There’s a kind of reckless foolishness at work here. But as the Franciscan blessing says, “May God bless you with just enough foolishness to believe you can make a difference in the world, so you will do what others say cannot be done.”

And here’s the link to the David Lamotte TEDx talk I mentioned.

Steady on… together.

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