Beltway Banthas
Stephen Kent
Beltway Banthas is a monthly Star Wars podcast about the intersection of Star Wars and politics. Host, Stephen Kent, draws from politics IRL and connects the big problems we face to lessons in the Star Wars universe. Whether it be discourse about redemption, empathy, humility or hot button topics ranging from racial justice to cancel culture, Beltway Banthas takes it all on.
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Top 10 Beltway Banthas Episodes
Best episodes ranked by Goodpods Users most listened
E.K. Johnston on Padme, Trade Wars and the politics of Naboo
Beltway Banthas
06/04/20 • 28 min
Star Wars author E.K. Johnston just put out her latest book on Padme, "Queens Peril". This new canon novel takes a look at Padme's rise the political power on Naboo and the days leading up to the Droid Invasion of Star Wars: Episode I. E.K and Stephen talk Naboo politics, how real-world principles over trade and immigration impact a galaxy, far, far away and what Padme teaches us about the virtue humility.
06/04/20 • 28 min
Star Wars' Identity Crisis Mirrors Our Own
Beltway Banthas
05/28/20 • 43 min
Kat Rosenfield wrote for Reason Magazine a feature piece on how Star Wars' three trilogies aligns almost perfectly with the politics of the time they were made in. What makes the sequel trilogy so unique, Episodes VII-IX, is that their chaotic nature almost mirrors the era we live in today.
05/28/20 • 43 min
05/08/20 • 37 min
Michael Steel is a Republican strategist and partner for Hamilton Place Strategies. He served as a communications officer for the likes the Jeb Bush, Paul Ryan and John Boehner. He caught the eye of Beltway Banthas when on Kasie DC (MSNBC) he knocked the Trump administration for approaching staffing like it was the Mos Eisley Cantina. We get into how Jeb Bush & Marco Rubio's 2016 feud sparked this podcast into being and also how Star Wars makes the case for democracy...but perhaps not with total devotion.
05/08/20 • 37 min
The Tibetan struggle and the Force's threat to tyrants
Beltway Banthas
04/30/20 • 50 min
No tyrant can fully control a people if they believe in something higher than their worldly ruler. This is reason all memory of the Jedi must be wiped out by the Empire. The Force is a threat. Ashwin Verghese of the Internation Campaign for Tibet sees this struggle playing out between the Tibetan people and the Chinese government. He joined Beltway Banthas to share his fandom, talk about Tibet, China, Yoda, Naboo and the future of Star Wars.
04/30/20 • 50 min
04/16/20 • 52 min
Mayor Betsy Hodges may be the former mayor of Minneapolis and now Washington, D.C., but she's really a citizen of Tatooine. In this special interview episode, the progressive activist and mayor joins Beltway Banthas to share how Star Wars saved her life (The Mary Sue). Beyond her personal story, which is a remarkable one, Stephen Kent and Betsy Hodges trace how Star Wars explains redemption and why that matters for the world we live in.
04/16/20 • 52 min
Ben Domenech (The Federalist) on The Rise of Skywalker, The Mandalorian and democracy
Beltway Banthas
04/02/20 • 59 min
To supplement your social distancing we have a bonus episode with Ben Domenech, publisher of The Federalist. Ben and Stephen review the ending of the sequel trilogy and the case for The Mandalorian as the future of Star Wars storytelling. Ben makes a compelling point about why Star Wars raises some questions about the value and trade off's of democracy, and why people like Anakin Skywalker end of wanting something else.
04/02/20 • 59 min
The Clone Wars and the politics of starving
Beltway Banthas
03/26/20 • 65 min
Season 7 of The Clone Wars is live on Disney+ and it's as political as ever. Characters have to make real hard moral choices given their economic status, which is the making of a great Beltway Banthas episode. Bernie Sanders organizer Mohammed Shakibnia joins the show to dissect The Clone Wars political themes. Plus! Herb Scribner of the Deseret News makes a guest appearance to reflect on the messages of "The Bad Batch" episodes, and what they say about war, trauma and fandom.
03/26/20 • 65 min
Interview: Gene Park of the Washington Post
Beltway Banthas
03/19/20 • 38 min
Gene Park may have been the very first Star Wars fan to buy a ticket for Episode I: The Phantom Menace. In this special interview, Washington Post gaming reporter Gene Park talks about his Star Wars fandom and how storytelling methods from video games have crept in and out of blockbuster films. Gene memorably wrote in for WaPo about how the ‘Rise of Skywalker’ embraces all the worst parts of video game storytelling' and he's on the podcast to explain why that is, but why he's hopeful for the franchise.
03/19/20 • 38 min
Can the Force fix America? ft. Maggie Lovitt
Beltway Banthas
03/12/20 • 62 min
Beltway Banthas is back! In Episode 81, host Stephen Kent and guest host Maggie Lovitt review the latest Star Wars news including The High Republic era and The Rise of Skywalker novelization. We discuss theories around central planning and how some of the classic mistakes of governance might apply to the oddities in Star Wars storytelling since 2015. In our main segment, Maggie and Stephen discuss the principles of Star Wars that improve American politics and life. "Hope" and "Redemption"
03/12/20 • 62 min
06/18/20 • 46 min
Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is a movie about control, and what happens when someone with a great deal of power cannot bear the idea of living with unpredictability. It's relatable. We all want a certain degree of control over our lives and destinies. 15 years after Revenge of the Sith and its message about control and safety vs security...what can we take from it that applies to the world today?
06/18/20 • 46 min
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FAQ
How many episodes does Beltway Banthas have?
Beltway Banthas currently has 157 episodes available.
What topics does Beltway Banthas cover?
The podcast is about Podcasts and Tv & Film.
What is the most popular episode on Beltway Banthas?
The episode title 'E.K. Johnston on Padme, Trade Wars and the politics of Naboo' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Beltway Banthas?
The average episode length on Beltway Banthas is 55 minutes.
How often are episodes of Beltway Banthas released?
Episodes of Beltway Banthas are typically released every 7 days, 8 hours.
When was the first episode of Beltway Banthas?
The first episode of Beltway Banthas was released on May 1, 2016.
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