Star Wars: Mark of Balance Mark Iacobino

The Acolyte Episode 4 "Day" is another poorly written episode filled with baffling character choices, dialogue that fails from both a technical and "Jedi-like" standpoint, and a pace that is intentionally drawn out to end on a cliffhanger while also skipping over crucial character moments. Hear my thoughts on all this, as well as my predictions for where this story may being going, Enjoy!

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Episode 3 of The Acolyte titled "Destiny" has been a highly anticipated episode of the series due to controversy surrounding the potential "canon-breaking" implications of the episode. Does the episode break canon? No, but it has the potential to go against one of the core tenants of Lucas' Star Wars. The episode fails moreso from the continued pacing issues, clunky dialogue, and lack of subtly in the writing. The Mother character is the best part of the episode. Here all these thoughts and more, Enjoy!

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My most anticipated Star Wars show is finally here with our first glimpse at the High Republic era in the visual medium. This was a solid start, but not a great one. Even with a much higher production value, great fight choreography, and an interesting mystery, pacing issues and clunky dialogue still persist in these Disney Plus shows. Worldbuilding for the High Republic era also feels lacking. Hear all these thoguhts and more, Enjoy!

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In a galaxy full of pivotal moments, the "What If" concept has always been a talking point for Star Wars fans. Join myself and a frequent guest on the pod, one of my best friends, Cole Devlin, as we bounce our best "What If" scenarios off eachother. What if Mace killed Palpatine? What if Qui Gon Lived? What if Luke killed Palpatine? This is just an appetizer... Enjoy!

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The second season of Lucasfilm Animation's series of shorts is here with Tales of the Empire, the follow up to Tales of the Jedi. The six shorts follow Morgan Elsbeth and Barriss Offee, an unlikely selection but one I was interested in. Unfortunately, while these episodes display stellar animation, music, and compelling themes, the 3-part structure of Tales and a lackluster end to Morgan's story hold this series back. Hear all my thoughts and analysis in this episode, Enjoy!

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The Bad Batch's story has finally come to close. It has been an inconsistent road but the Mark of Balance podcast has been their week-to-week ever since the premiere back on May 4th, 2021, only 4 months after this podcast begun. Does the finale have Bad Batch's typical weaknesses? Who survives? How does it set up the future of Star Wars animation? Hear all my thoughts, the good and the bad, from this overall satisfying finale. Enjoy!

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