heard you all were doing KOTOR II and thought “yeah i love that game, good for them” and then i saw people mad that you were doing KOTOR II instead of Andor out of solidarity with the BDS movement and decided that I should listen out of support. thanks for doing the right thing! it matters.

One of the best Star Wars pods from some of the greatest podcasters to ever do the dang thing. It’s a great time and I’m glad a pod like this exists. Y’all, thanks for making this show. Free Palestine.

Im usually too lazy to leave reviews, I dont like writing and Im not especially interested in putting my own thoughts out for conversation or scrutiny. Likewise, I dont usually read reviews or go look into public discussion over the media I consume; I like to enjoy something relatively priavtely or with friends in person, and thats the end of it. Even for things I get a lot of enjoyment from, I dont usually feel the need to share my enjoyment, even with the people who create the thing I enjoy, because so often I dont feel like I have more to say than "I liked it". And again, Im pretty lazy. That said, its hard to see the backlash from the hosts recent decision to stand in solidarity with the Disney+ boycott (and the resulting pause of their coverage of Andor S2) and to continue to have nothing to say. If I find myself feeling generous, I can consider that perhaps the great majority of the response is a dissapointed outcry from those who came to the show for Andor coverage specifically, and I can understand the frustration with not having a much anticipated companion to what Im sure is an excellent season 2. It likely wont be quite the same to have the Andor coverage coming out after the fact, given that the fan discussion and theory crafting was an exciting part of their coverage of the previous season. It is crushing to have something you value and anticipate not arrive, and so I understand the outspoken disapointment. What I do not understand, or maybe just fail to have sympathy for, is the contingent that finds this choice unbecoming, ill-considered, or most bafflingly; out of character. I have to wonder what those individuals have been taking away from the hours they have spent listening to this podcast. Why does it make some angry that the hosts are acting consistently according to the values and views that they regularly express? Would it be better that they do not make an effort to maintain that integrity? If so, I struggle to understand how those people could stand listening to the show at all. It would render all their thoughtful coverage and in-depth consideration of the media they discuss inert, for if they do not stand by the things they say they believe, how could a person trust there is any substance to the other opinions they express or the critical thought they engage with. To the hosts: Your podcast is wonderful, and if nothing else, the acerbic reaction to your collective comprimise proves the value of the project you create, as well as the effectiveness of a well targeted boycott from a position with influence. Anger, frustration, and inconvenience are all effective tools for driving attention and action, and your choice to stand in solidarity expands the reach and message of the BDS movement that much further *because* of the quality of the product you are withholding. This is all a bit redundant, you certainly know this already and factored all this and more than I have mentioned into your decision. But since I am here already, I will conclude with a few of the compliments I usually dont express: The 4 of you have managed to curate some of the most thoughtful media criticism I have ever had the pleasure of consuming. Rob, your incredible insight is only matched by the infeciousness of your enthusiasm for the content and conversations you have with the other hosts. Austin, your depth of knowledge and desire to investigate or dig deeper into a topic gives you an uncanny ability to open conversational avenues and lead discussion in a way that is, frankly, masterful. Natalie, your ability to break down motivations and expose the heart of a topic of discussion leads to such excellent candid conversation. Ali, you bring such a poingiant and thoughtful perspective to every topic, and you regularly shift the lens of a conversation to expose facets of a topic previously unexplored. On top of all this, you are all so full of wit, humor and good grace as you navigate the challenging and often unstable landscape of being a public figure and content creator. It is a joy everytime a new episode appears in my podcast feed: be it coverage of a comic, a videogame, a childrens tv show, or a loadbearing text of incredible merit (looking at you Dooku: Jedi Lost). I know that no matter what you cover, you will bring your knowledge and your wit, your enthusiam, your consideration, and your care to whatever you so choose. Thank you, and 5 stars.

Sorry about the Star Wars fans

Bunch of unmarried no children libs that rather sleep around and not commit and abort their children when they accidentally get pregnant. They act like they’re on a higher moral ground when really they’re despicable anti human “rebels”

Thank you, civvies.

5-Star runtimes with a 10-star crew.

As a staunch supporter of Palestinian rights and a vehement opposer of the Netanyahu regime, your reasoning for stopping coverage of Andor is abysmally antisemitic, and it breaks my heart. Lumping all characters with ties to Israel over its history is textbook antisemitism. Apparently every citizen of Israel for the last 100 years is tied to the current war crimes? Come on, that’s intellectually and morally dishonest. Not to mention, Disney got caught up a few years ago with the Chinese government’s genocide of the Uyghurs. Did you stop covering Disney then? No. Did you stop covering characters with ties to China? Of course not! How about characters tied to Russia during the invasion of Ukraine? No. So it’s not about genocide or war crimes, it’s about the Jewish nation. I am baffled that a podcast that prides itself on progressivism and empathy can have such a blind spot for its own bigotry. I hope you read this and take it to heart. I feel very betrayed by this podcast and will not be back.

As much as I was looking forward to more about Andor, I deeply respect your decision. Thank you civvies! Free Palestine!

Edit: Been salivating at the mouth for coverage of Andor Season 2 for months now, but I think the crew is making the braver choice by participating in the BDS boycott of Disney+. Free Palestine! Listen, the crew here have nice voices, critical thinking skills, a good rapport with each other, knowledge and enthusiam about more than just the shallow end of the pop-culture pool - couldn’t ask for a more entertaining podcast. P.S. Feel free to let your Andor episodes run even longer next season; I will happily listen. P.P.S. Shout-out to the fellow on the rpg.net forums who recommended this; rarely have I been so glad to have followed a podcast link.

i cannot tell you the number of times i have reached the brink of star wars induced madness, whether over some mind boggling creative choice of george lucas or david filoni, fandom nonsense, or just pure hype when oh my god this sw show is actually good?? each and every time i can count on the amca crew to suit up and charge into blaster fire to unpack and analyze the delightfully frustrating stories of the galaxy far far away, keeping me from ending up much like darth maul on the trash planet. you remember. shout outs to the pod for putting my thoughts to words and bringing new angles of analysis i never would have thought of. who knows where i’d be without y’all.

I’ve listened to most of the Andor S1 episodes and nothing else by this group of podcasters. Was excited about their enthusiasm for this excellent show but disappointed to discover that Mr. Walker monopolized the show. Started to skip ahead whenever he began to “grad school on” and wished that the three other people on the podcast including the host could get more of a word in edgewise.

AMCA reviewing various animated Dave Filoni Star Wars things or the old Zahn trilogy and the like is a very good, very fun podcast which I recommend. AMCA reviewing Andor is maybe the best podcast to ever do it. Metaphorically speaking, Andor in particular is proton torpedoes fired directly into the exhaust ports of its four hosts and then you just listen to them explode for a few hours every week. It is a joy.

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Just weeks before Andor S2 comes out, I’m rewatching season 1 of Andor and I crave more Andor content. I dig through this pod’s archives and find the episodes they released for Andor in 2022. They are wonderful companions to my rewatch. I love the deep dives into every detail, the obscure world lore that I would miss, the theories on what may happen next. Even if you don’t follow clone wars, like me, I can recommend this podcast for the strength of its Andor episodes, and I hope they can cover season 2 just as deeply.

i think one of the best way to say how good this show is is that for as excited as i am about andor season 2, i’m equally if not more excited to listen to the episodes of this show talking about it

What a great balance of humor, insight, and good faith speculation. I’m so glad I stumbled upon this podcast!!

I love this podcast, it is my absolute #1 right now when I need a break from reality and the news. I started listening for Andor content and then went back to the beginning. As someone who watched the animated series as an adult and is left politically, this is the best. Love how in-depth each episode is and how the tone veers from serious to hysterical. Can’t wait for you all to cover season two of Andor!

thank u for ur whimsy and willingness to go feral

Love this crew and their deep, delightful conversations.

I can’t even listen to it bc of restrictions on my device for language…wish I could listen to it tho. If only it had less language…😔

Entertaining deep dive into several different Star Wars series with astute political, literary, and cultural references. They’re so fun to listen to you hardly notice the breadth and scope of the information being served.

The AMCA crew has taught me how to engage with media in more critical, thoughtful ways. Their coverage of Andor season 1 was phenomenal - I’m on my third re-listen now as I wait for season 2. They know how to critique Star Wars while still *clearly* loving the series and the work they get to do. Also, the five star runtimes make this a great podcast for long drives or cleaning sessions! Appreciate this crew for the work they do and the stuff they’ve taught me ❤️

I heard about this podcast from some other podcast. I don’t even remember which one. This podcast has made me a more thoughtful (and therefore better?) consumer of Star Wars media. I’ve been a Star Wars fan for as long as I can remember, but never really delved deeper into it other than looking to be entertained. After listening to about 50 or so episodes, thinking about the themes of Star Wars while watching and rewatching things I’ve seen a thousand times make me appreciate them even more. I really didn’t get Andor when I first saw it, but now as I’m finishing the Andor episodes, it’s very clear to me how good it is. Even the clone wars has me looking with a more critical and appreciative eye to see things I didn’t see before. So thank you Austin, Natalie, Rob, and Ali for all your hard work!

I found these guys due to a recommendation from someone in one of the Star Wars groups I follow in Facebook. I picked up with the beginning of the Heir to the Empire series review and have been hooked since! It is funny as I had just re-read the trilogy recently in 2024 for the first time since a teenager and was able to laugh and nod my head to the conversation. They are fans at heart and were able to hit the high points of the text, including how this was the beginnings of a larger universe outside of the original trilogy, with some references still in use even today! This team was also able to find the humor in points of the story that I also agree with and was able to laugh along to! I will be following this podcast going forward as I fully appreciate this team’s love of Star Wars and ability to both call out the seriousness, but also the humor, in our beloved franchise!

To my shame, it took me years to review this podcast despite it enriching my life every single episode. I love this show because of how seriously the hosts take Star Wars not only as a media property but as a text of the times, of the ever-dark days of American empire. They’re the only takes on Star Wars I vigorously agree with anymore, and best of all, they come from a place of wishing Star Wars was better than it is. I’m reminded of the line from “The Last Black Man in San Francisco”: you don’t get to hate it unless you love it. And this crew loves Star Wars. (I do disagree with their take on Hera code switching in Rebels though. That kind of thing where you switch into an accent wholly different from your own when talking to your parents and other immigrants happens ALL THE TIME. It moved me to see it with Hera. But that’s all!)

AMCA is oftentimes better than the Star Wars they’re covering. This show has become the barometer by which I measure all other podcasts.

First of all, this is an absolutely killer podcast. Secondly, Allie is absolutely right about how Maul and Obi reunion should go if it happens. I’ve been listening to your episodes in rough canonical order (starting with Kotor and moving forward) and it is a solid companion to the work and as another reviewer said deepens the experience. Caught up and we’re at Rebels! Sam Whitwer’s Maul basically single handedly made Maul one of my favorite characters in Star Wars. The Maul takes on the show, like all the others, are fire writ upon my ears. Love the Star Wars RPG shout outs and the books content also. Great way to learn about the extended universes; and love how you draw connections from the shows/movies to the EU/Legends and the RPG books and the novels. I didn’t realize that Maul was played by the same actor as the vampire in Being Human until this podcast; I’m not sure if yall mention it but it was because of you I googled it and found out. Worse the price of admission on its own. Thanks for the show!

I came to this show for their Andor episodes and have now started working my way through their backlog. Listening to their hot takes and key points and tangents feels like hanging out with friends and I find myself going back and actually re-listening to episodes, not because I forgot what was in them, but because they’re comfort food at this point.

This has been my #1 podcast since the Andor era when I hopped on. Loved Austin back at Giant Bomb, but the whole crew here is just so good together. This is what all pop culture media crit shows should be emulating. Always great insights and a ton of fun.

simply the best

Great podcast, been a longtime Star Wars fan and following Austin since the GB days and I always love the analysis. The Andor arc was fantastic!

Genuinely one of my favorite podcasts of all time!

I love this podcast I recommend

I got hooked by the Galactic Starcruiser episode, and now I’m going back to listen from the beginning. Appreciate y’all! Get well soon, Natalie!

It's only every 15 episodes or so, but the rest of the podcast is great too. It's worth listening to every episode to find those Patrick Jane filled moments. P.S. Kimball Cho forever #1 in our hearts! Update: For some reason they haven’t talked about The Mentalist since I wrote this review originally. Still a 5 star Star Wars podcast though. I’m holding out hope they are saving their material for a full Mentalist episode. Update 2: Several more mentions of The Mentalist in 2024! Still the best Star Wars podcast out there. Still waiting for the The Mentalist bonus episode.

This show has it all folks. Trenchant analysis, glorious tangents, and an appreciation for the messy drama. It's one of the few podcasts that can consistently make me laugh out loud, and it's been a heartening flame in uncertain times. I often listen to it on the way home from my best friend's place; it's the perfect way to cap off a good evening. The source of that strength lies in the hosts. Individually they all seem like insightful, funny people, but the chemistry that they bring to this show is off the charts. They've got just the right overlap and dispersion of interests and personalities to really drive a good podcast. End of the day, this show works because of Rob, Natalie, Austin, and Ali. Check it out, if you haven't already.

Have been listening to these folks for a number of years now on different shows/outlets. Their rapport is excellent. I can’t match the wittier/thoughtful reviews, but I second all of what they say! Definitely a show worth adding to your rotation.

5 Star Run Times

Yay.

It’s a great show! If you like the “Roadwork” episode of Just King Things, this is the show for you!!

F Dave Lang

Whether this group of pop-culture gourmets continues its march through the Filoni Zone or dives head-first down a rabbit hole into a 20-year old video game, they serve it up deep and juicy.

Their commentary on the movies was excellent. Stuck with the whole way. Great podcast. My favorite podcast.

You won’t find a better pop culture podcast out there. The show knows what it is from the first episode. I’m indifferent to Clone Wars and most of Dave Filoni’s time on Star Wars. But i like that the hosts don’t shy away from their own politics and the politics of Star Wars. I’d love if the hosts would drop a reading list when they mention academic papers or nonfiction work they reference. Also 1000% subscribe to their patreon bonus episodes. You can enjoy the show without them but I think they’re really high quality and allows everyone to be a little more free wheeling with their discussions.

What if u took the 4 funniest most insightful podcasts hosts of all time and then made them slog through like 50 episodes of the most watch the most oscillating in quality show of all time

People that understand what makes Star Wars cool, dumb (but cool), dumb (bad), and bad with the ability enjoy it for what it is and could be. Think the opposite of every hot take YouTuber or influencer. Nuanced conversation about a subject and series that people rightly (and not so rightfully) care wayyy too much about. Myself included. When a new episode drops I love to wait till later in the night, make a drink or two and listen while I do small house chores while my fiancé is in bed. I’ll normally wake her up from the other room I’m laughing so hard.

Such a fun exploration of the Star Wars prequels, the clone wars cgi show and now Rebels. Even when the content is lacking the analysis is fantastic, even explaining all the sports references I don’t get.

The AMCA crew is so smart and entertaining that I would even listen to them talk about a children’s cartoon that I don’t watch from a franchise that I used to love but that is currently in it’s floppiest flop era.

litmus test of a good podcast host is whether or not you'd want to get a beer with them. every host on this show passes that test