Underrated Moments from Star Wars

Princess Leia hated the Empire. But more than that, she hated Darth Vader. Even after Vader turned back to the lightside, she refused to forgive him for what he had done. Her hate was that strong. So… why did Leia team up with Vader's right hand woman, Doctor Aphra? That's today's story... --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

The Rebels were in deep, deep trouble. They had just destroyed the Death Star, but they had suffered a huge loss at the battle of Vas Vrogas, where Vader single handedly almost killed Luke and Leia. The Rebels needed to rebuild. And to do that, they needed supplies. They sent Luke and Han Solo on a mission to get resources, but something went wrong. Solo decided that he might be able to double the Rebellion's money with a quick card game. And he lost it all. How did he lose it all? And why didn't Luke stop him? That's today's story... --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

Lightsabers were forbidden during the Empire. They were the weapon of the Jedi, and as such, were contraband. So how did this particular stormtrooper manage to find one, and how did he use it to terrify Rebel fighters in all of his battles? That's today's underrated moment... --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

Over the few weeks following the destruction of the Death Star, newly appointed Rebel Alliance members Han Solo and Luke Skywalker have made quite the duo. Initially clashing due to their vastly different ideologies, the pair soon began to see eye to eye. So much so that the former farm boy was granted permission to pilot the all too pressure jewel of Han's crown… … The Millennium Falcon. How did Luke convince him to take the reins of his baby? And what kind of disaster could it lead to? That's today's underrated moment... --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

Han Solo loved the Millennium Falcon. It was more precious to him than almost anything, and his friends often joked that if he was forced to choose between Leia and the Falcon, it'd be an easy choice for Han….. he'd pick his ship. So if it was so precious, then why did he allow Luke to smuggle a herd of filthy cattle aboard the Falcon? That's today's story... --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

A dark side user could not be considered a proper Sith without wielding a crimson lightsaber. But in all the years of harvesting Kyber crystals, no one had ever found a stone that emitted a natural red light. No… the method for creating a Sith's red lightsaber was more difficult than just finding a rock. Essentially, they needed to make the Lightsaber bleed…. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

Welcome to Underrated Moments from Star Wars, a podcast where we take a look at all the amazing moments from Star Wars that don't get the love they deserve. Here's what we have for you today.... --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

A few weeks after Darth Vader learned that Luke Skywalker was his son, and a bit longer since the destruction of the first Death Star, Luke had gone missing. The young Jedi apprentice had ventured to the smuggler's moon of Nar Shaddaa in search of a ride to the Imperial planet of Coruscant, where Luke hoped to break into the Jedi Temple, and learn more about the ways of the Force. Luke was young, still, and foolish. Coming to Nar Shaddaa without protection meant that he was an easy target. The moon was filled with criminals, cut throats, and Hutts. A particularly notorious hutt known as Gracchus learned that Luke was in his territory, and he sent out an order to capture the would be Jedi and his lightsaber. The Hutt was fascinated with the ancient Jedi Order, and was delighted to have a living member in his midst. But he didn't want to learn from Luke. He wanted to be entertained. Gracchus forced Luke to fight in a gladiatorial arena against a gigantic beast known as Kongo the Disembowler. But the fight had drawn attention from forces around the galaxy. Han, Chewie, Leah, and a woman claiming to be Han's first wife, Sana, had come to Nar Shadaa to rescue Luke. And they were making their way through the arena. At the same time, Vader, having learned of Luke's location, made his own attempt to capture the boy, sending in a squad of stormtroopers. And so the story begins... --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

The Sith training Darth Vader underwent was full of surprises. And his master, Emperor Palpatine, was far from making it easy for him. Especially when just days after swearing his allegiance to the Emperor and murdering hundred of Jedi, Darth Vader was shocked to discover Palpatine had another potential apprentice in waiting. Who was the Grand Inquisitor? Why had the Emperor kept this student a secret? --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

A few weeks after The Battle of Yavin and destruction of the first Death Star at the hands of the Rebel Alliance…. Darth Vader tracked Luke down to the Rebel hideout on a gaseous planet named Vrogas Vos. By himself, Vader was there to take on over 1,000 rebel soldiers in ground combat. And Leia was caught in the crosshairs. Could Han and Chewie reach her in time? And how could she possibly defend herself against what was to come? She couldn't. Eventually she chose to sacrifice herself in a Y-Wing bombing run in the hopes that she could kill Vader and deal a crushing blow to the Empire. This is that story. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

In order to become a fully fledged Sith Lord, Anakin Skywalker had a long way to go. Most importantly, he had to bleed a Kyber crystal in order to turn it red, and be a proper weapon befitting of the Sith. Though already donning his new armour and moniker, Darth Vader, he had been sent to a place that he knew only through pain and suffering. Mustafar. How could he craft his soon to be legendary weapon in such a volatile place? And what memories were about to greet him during the process? --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

This is the often untold side of the Star Wars universe. The seedy underbelly of outer rim planets, can get rather ugly. Amidst the double crossing, crime and nefarious characters down every alley, the smugglers and bounty hunters at odds with each other don't tend to forget each other. Just a few weeks after the destruction of the first Death Star, Han Solo's counterpart and Rebel Alliance ally Chewbacca was about to find himself at odds with a bounty hunter, as dark and brutal as the galactic civil war. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

Shortly after The Battle Of Yavin the Rebels went back into hiding. Darth Vader, with the help of renegade archeologist Doctor Aprha, had managed to track down the Empire's most wanted: Luke Skywalker. He jumped out of Hyperspace above the planet of Vrogas Vas, a wasteland surrounded by aseous surface emissions, and not much else. And it was the second Vader, alone in his custom TIE Interceptor, arrived that the fun began. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

Droids and Wookies don't tend to work together. In fact, it's a rare occurrence to even see them together. So when the unlikely team of Chewbacca, legendary Wookie warrior turned Rebel, and C-3PO, the ever reliable if oftentimes opinionated protocol droid, were seen questioning patrons at dive bars and cantinas about the whereabouts of their friend Luke Skywalker, alarm bells were no doubt rung. And the ringers of those bells were certainly not new friends of the intrepid adventurers. Before things escalated, perhaps prematurely, at least one of the team would provide protection… --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

“This is not a drill.” The comms blared through the Rebel base as Alliance soldiers hurried through the corridors with blaster rifles in hand. “Your target…” the comms continued, pausing only slightly “…is Darth Vader. May the Force be with you.” Y-Wing bombers rose into the air, and below them, crowded troop carriers rocketed away from the base over the planet's red rocky terrain, flanked by hovertanks. Vader's ship had gone down on Vrogas Vas, taken out when Luke Skywalker flew his X-wing straight into the Sith Lord's TIE fighter. Both men had crashed, and for all of Luke's heroism, he was not the priority. Now, the Empire's greatest commander was alone on the planet with them, cut off from any support. There was no way they would miss this opportunity to take him down once and for all. What did the Rebels do to finally stop Vader, and how did the Sith Lord react? -- script prepared by Theo Kogod --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

Battered. Bruised. Pushed to his limits, Luke Skywalker was being put through his paces. Shortly after destroying the Death Star, and under the capture of Gracchus the Hutt, the crime lord of the smuggler's moon Nar Shaddaa and avid Jedi artefact collector, he'd been put through brutal training for a death match with a monstrous creature. His trainer, The Gamemaster had prepared him… …For an enjoyable death. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

Welcome to Underrated Moments from Star Wars, a podcast where we take a look at all the amazing moments from Star Wars that don't get the love they deserve. Here's what we have for you today.... --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

Welcome to Underrated Moments from Star Wars, a podcast where we take a look at all the amazing moments from Star Wars that don't get the love they deserve. Here's what we have for you today.... --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

Welcome to Underrated Moments from Star Wars, a podcast where we take a look at all the amazing moments from Star Wars that don't get the love they deserve. Here's what we have for you today.... --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

It's common knowledge, and perhaps a logical conclusion, that the smugglers of the galaxy were well versed in outer rim territories. Often used as a hideaway, the planets within these far reaches of space were home to many things. For Han Solo, the infamous smuggler turned Rebel, one of these destinations happened to be on a cloud giant in the Monsua Nebula. This particular location was a well hidden secret, known only by Han's counterpart, Chewbacca. But could it help the charming mercenary and his princess companion evade an incoming fleet of Imperial starships? --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

Welcome to Underrated Moments from Star Wars, a podcast where we take a look at all the amazing moments from Star Wars that don't get the love they deserve. Here's what we have for you today.... --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

Darth Vader, aside from being the Emperor's right hand man, was undoubtedly one of the most feared Sith apprentices of all time. It came as a surprise, then, to learn that in the Emperor's greed and lust for total power, he had back ups… replacements should Vader ever weaken his resolve in the Dark Side of the force. If ever Vader became less ruthless or less murderous, then the Emperor would put him down, like a pet that he no longer wanted, and simply pick up a new one. One of these replacements was known as Commander Karbin, a Mon Calamari soldier who had been cybernetically fitted with a droid body, just like General Grievous. Fuelled by envy of Darth Vader, Karbin would eventually challenge the Lord of the Sith, putting former Jedi Master Skywalker through a heated lightsaber duel that would challenge Vader, pushing him to his limits... This is that story... --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

Welcome to Underrated Moments from Star Wars, a podcast where we take a look at all the amazing moments from Star Wars that don't get the love they deserve. Here's what we have for you today.... --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

The most dangerous Imperial enforcer had just been birthed. Created through the alchemy of rage, anger and revenge, former promising Jedi Anakin Skywalker had now completed his transition to the Dark Side under the guidance of the most powerful Sith Lord, Darth Sideous. Who was now the Emperor of the galaxy. But why would Vader's own master try to end his new apprentice's life? That's the story we're going to tell today. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

Welcome to Underrated Moments from Star Wars, a podcast where we take a look at all the amazing moments from Star Wars that don't get the love they deserve. Here's what we have for you today.... --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

Vader was never known for mercy. In his very first act as a Sith Lord, he murdered hundreds of Jedi Knights, younglings, and force adepts in the temple on Coruscant. Since that moment, even when the objects of his wrath were innocent, Vader showed indifference to whether they lived or died. So if he had been so heartless in his murder of younglings, why did he let this particular teenage girl live… even after she had tried to assassinate him? To know the truth, we have to start at the beginning… --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

Welcome to Underrated Moments from Star Wars, a podcast where we take a look at all the amazing moments from Star Wars that don't get the love they deserve. Here's what we have for you today.... --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

Darth Vader had no patience for most people. Let alone Hutts. So how did Jabba the Hutt convince Darth Vader to come to his own private party? He had an invitation that would be hard to refuse… --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

Darth Vader was haunted by the ghosts of his past. The people he killed. The teachers he betrayed. The students he murdered. The memories of all these people tormented him. But he did his best to ignore them. He used the Dark Side, and his new role as Palpatine's galactic enforcer, to fill the holes of his life with a different purpose… to spread Sith control. But there was one hole he couldn't fill through combat and bloodshed. The hole left by his wife. The woman he couldn't save. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

Though passionate about the Order and its history, Luke Skywalker actually had little Jedi training, especially with a lightsaber. A few sessions against a Marksman-H Combat Remote on the Millennium Falcon may have helped him foster his force powers, but for all his willingness and courage, the former farm boy needed lightsaber training. So, when thrust into a battle arena to fight for the pleasure of Grakkus The Hutt on Nar Shaddaa, just a few days after his heroic take down of the Death Star, Luke wasn't expecting to find someone so instrumental to his Jedi future… his first teacher in lightsaber dueling. However, this helping hand would come in the form of a villain. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

The alchemy of a Lightsaber was a complicated one. At the weapon's core is a mineral known as the Kyber crystal. And it was a living, breathing stone. What visions would it present to its user? --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

Princess Leah Organa was not Han Solo's first wife. No, that title belongs to another. Who is she? How did she manage to lock down Han Solo? And why didn't they last? Well, that's what we'll try to find out. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

Isolated in exile on a tranquil planet in the outer rim, Jocasta Nu knew of the impending danger she was in. She also knew how the persecution of the Jedi during the great purge had wiped out nearly the entire Jedi Order. So she tried to build a new one. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

The Hutts aren't exactly known as a friendly race within the outer rim territories. In fact, they've made their name among the galaxy as crime lords, bounty hunter employers and double crossers, all in a community far from one the Jedi would usually be concerned with. However, the deeper into the galaxy one treads, the more the old rules no longer made sense. Luckily, Luke Skywalker managed to stumble upon a Hutt that defied the stereotype. After the destruction of the first Death Star, Luke Skywalker went in search of a smuggler who could take him to the old Jedi Temple on Coruscant. His quest for a smuggler sent him to Nar Shadda. After a series of poorly planned events, the young Jedi found himself in captivity on a distant planet, one ruled by a powerful crimelord. This was no place for a young Jedi to find answers for the mysterious ways of the Force, and yet, that's what Luke found... --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

The Empire had to keep Darth Vader's identity a secret. The entire Empire had been built on one giant lie: the Jedi tried to betray the galaxy. But what would happen if the citizens of the galaxy found out that the Empire's second most powerful commander, Darth Vader, was actually Jedi General Anakin Skywalker. It would destroy everything… everything that Darth Sidious had worked so hard to create. So they had to keep it hidden…. and it was simplest to keep it hidden if nobody was alive to speak of it. If, and when, someone discovered Vader's true identity, he already knew what he would have to do…. he would quickly silence them with a red lightsaber blade through their heart. And he would have to start doing that very soon… It was only a few months after first donning his life-support armor that someone was wise enough to connect the dots, and realize Vader was in fact Anakin. This is that story... --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

There's a big gap between the power levels we see Luke Skywalker exhibit in the return of the jedi and the power levels he shows off after training with master yoda on dagobah in the empire strikes back. Especially in that final battle with darth vader over cloud city, we see luke skywalker as a nearly fully trained jedi knight, but his powers aren't nearly as mighty as what he'll possess when he faces off with darth vader again in the return of the jedi. So, what happened in the year between? --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

In his desperate grab for galactic wide power, the Emperor was unaware, or more likely, inconsiderate, of the web of lies he was spinning within his own order. He had told the entire galaxy that the Jedi were traitors, and that they had tried to kill him. So, if anyone found out that his second in command, Darth Vader, was actually Jedi Master Anakin Skywalker, then everyone would wonder… What else did Palpatine lie about? Was Palpatine a Jedi too? Or if not that… could he possibly be something worse? Palpatine and Vader couldn't let the public connect the dots, and found out that they were Sith. That couldn't happen. So what happened when a squad of elite Clone Trooopers were told Vader was Anakin Skywalker? This is that story... --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

When you think of a Hutt, it's likely you tend to imagine a slobbish, greedy, slug like creature that can barely move. They get their violent natured underlings to do their dirty work for them. Well, not so much for this Hutt. Avid Jedi artefact collector and crime lord Graccus The Hutt, equipped with 8 cybernetic legs, took on the battles himself. And that's what he did on the day Imperial Forces invaded Graccus's gladiatorial arena on the Hutt homeplanet of Nar Shaddaa. Just a few weeks after the Destruction of the first Death Star, Luke Skywalker had journeyed there in search of finding a pilot to take him to Coruscant. Before he could find one, the local leader Grachus the Hutt found him, imprisoned him, and forced him to fight in his arena for entertainment. But Vader soon discovered Luke was there, and sent a squadron to retrieve him. Gracchus, in order to keep his place as leader in the criminal hive of Nar Shadaa, was forced to fight. This is that story... --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

While in exile on Tatooine, former Jedi master Obi-Wan (now going under the name ‘Ben'), kept a low profile. Being one of the very last of his order, now all but obliterated by the evil Empire ruling the galaxy, hope dwindled year by year. But there he stayed, just in case Luke needed him. And on this day, Luke needed Kenobi's help more than he would ever know. Let's start at the beginning…. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

Pretty much all protocol droids were well known for their efficiency, loyalty and politeness. All except one… a protocol droid known as Triple Zero. Just how evil could a droid really become? To know the answer, it's best to start at the beginning, with how Triple Zero came to be… --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

Though he had only been birthed as a Sith Lord for a relatively short amount of time, Darth Vader was making himself well known across the galaxy as a particularly violent force. But this notoriety didn't only stretch to his enemies. This fear was felt within his allies in the Empire too. Especially within the order of Jedi Inquisitors, a secret sect of Jedi hunters created by Emperor Palpatine. Shortly after his defeat to Obi-Wan on the planet of Mustafar, Palpatine placed Vader in command of the Inquisitors. Darth Vader wasted no time in teaching them the hard lessons of the Dark Side of the Force. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

Luke was one of the greatest pilots in the Galaxy, and after the destruction of the first Death Star, one of the most famous. So why did he decide to pilot his X-Wing head first into a massive Star Destroyer? That's today's story... --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

Welcome to Underrated Moments from Star Wars, a podcast where we take a look at all the amazing moments from Star Wars that don't get the love they deserve. Here's what we have for you today.... --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

Emperor Palpatine wiped out most of the JEdi order simply by commanding his clone troopers to execute order 66. That line, hard coded into the memories of every clone soldier in the Republic army, prompted the warriors to point their blasters at their JEdi commanders and open fire. Simultaneously, on hundreds of worlds across the galaxy, the Empire was able to snuff out the fire of the Jedi Order… But that wasn't the last time Order 66 was used. Many years later, a group of clone troopers were once again commanded to execute order 66, but this time, it was a Jedi commanding them… and the object of the clone's order was the Darth Sidious's Jedi Inquisitors. This is that story… --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

The Mon Calamari are a noble race of deep sea dwellers that have been known to fight against the forces of evil. But what happened to those brave Calamari soldiers during the Clone Wars when the Empire dawned? Did they stay with the Jedi, or trade allegiances, and join the new Sith Emperor? Well, this particular Mon Calamari played a part in both major wars, as he forged a name for himself by attempting to overthrow Darth Vader's position in the Empire… But he wasn't on the side of good. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

Welcome to Underrated Moments from Star Wars, a podcast where we take a look at all the amazing moments from Star Wars that don't get the love they deserve. Here's what we have for you today.... --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

Welcome to Underrated Moments from Star Wars, a podcast where we take a look at all the amazing moments from Star Wars that don't get the love they deserve. Here's what we have for you today.... --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

Vader's studies under the Emperor had proved gruelling and violent. Mission after mission, planet after planet, death after death…. Palpatine instructed his apprentice to carry out tasks and assassinations that further destabilised what was left of any non-Imperial systems. It resulted in the murder of hundreds of beings. Did this huge loss of life from Vader's missions have any effect on Palpatine? Did he regret making his apprentice carry out these atrocities? After returning from one particular mission, the Emperor finally addressed the topic... --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

Luk Skywalker often talked about his time flying through Beggar's Canyon on Tatooine. But what exactly was Beggar's Canyon? How difficult was it to traverse? And what type of spacecraft did young Luke use in order to navigate through the high, canyon walls? That's today's story... --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

Princess Leia was a vicious soldier, but also a principled one. She wasn't willing to kill prisoners… no matter how terrible their crimes were. But sometimes her noble principles came back to haunt her. Once, aboard Sunspot Prison, when forced to murder 17 pirsoners, she refused. And as punishment for her decision, the 17 criminals were released into the Prison… and they had one thing on their mind…. killing everyone onboard, starting with Leia. How did she survive? That's today's store... --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support

In the space of a few months, Emperor Palpatine was able to completely change the galaxy. The Clone Wars had ended, the Empire had taken over… and the Jedi were all but extinct. Even the most powerful of the Order, Master Yoda, had gone into hiding. He left in a rush, having lost a duel with Emperor Palpatine in the Senate Chambers. And in his haste, he left behind his lightsaber. But what happened to it? Today, we're going to find out... --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/star-wars-podcast/support