May the Fourth Be With You

May the fourth be with you...it's a good excuse to release a new episode. In this one we ask a lot of questions.

We go over the May the 4th bundle sales in the app, and are they good enough to tempt Rhett to update his app and open it? 105K credits for $4.99 is a phenomenal deal, and Rhett is quick to ask why would buy the 300K bundle for $24.99. And quicker still to call them an idiot.

What legitimate businesses are depicted in the Star Wars films? Cantina, Jettster's Diner, Watto's shop, the bar where Obi-Wan talks to the death sticks kid...and? Canata's Castle?

What local law enforcement is depicted in the Star Wars films? Is Bespin's ships private security? Is Naboo palace guard local law enforcement? Does Constable Zuvio actually appear in The Force Awakens?

What was the last line of toys that you worked on collecting as a child?

What fast food restaurant brings you shame? That is, the cup from what restaurant do you try to avoid carrying back with you from lunch into your workplace so others won't know that you ate there? This leads to a long discussion of Krystal, and how it may or may not compare and contrast with White Castle.

Tommy critiques the missing Star Wars sound effects in the new version of the app, especially compared to the great work that was recently done in the Batter Up game in the Bunt app.

Is it actually physically possible to consume as many beers in a day as Wade Boggs has [allegedly] claimed (107)?

What's your favorite Prokofiev piece? Rhett's: Battle on the Ice from Alexander Nevsky. Tommy's: Montagues and Capulets from Romeo and Juliet.

And the most important question: Have you entered our giveaway contest? Leave us a review on iTunes to enter!

Meeting Topps, post-Celebration glow, and a Giveaway

After our last mini-episode, we come back with a whopper. An exciting opening, with Tommy on the road and a technical snag all in the first 7 minutes, but full steam ahead after that. Some points of discussion, definitely not in this order:

-We're having a legit giveaway: Leave us a review on iTunes  before the end of the month to be in the running for a pack containing the SWCT Orlando-exclusive Stormtrooper insert, and physical Card Trader Illuminerdy swag physically mailed to you!

-We got to meet Topps! It took some tracking them down, but we not only met with Topps Digital's Emily, but also some fellow Star Wars Card Traders.
-App talk: A new Poggle card! Sets being chased: Fan's Choice, Might of the Empire, Attitude, Widevision

-Other convention talk: a discussion of the new Star Wars location as a "major hub in the pre-lightspeed travel era" has Rhett questioning how that would be possible. He also questions whether there will be any opportunities for...private character encounters, say, with a Kiminoan.
-Tommy talks about running into The Last Jedi actress Kelly Marie Tran.
-Michael discusses the art of standing in line for 6 hours for merchandise.

Misc:
-Is there too much content in the world? Is it even possible to consume everything that's officially canon for even your favorite B or C-level
-500 million hours of Adam Sandler movies watched on Netflix: are people out of things to watch, or is that just what people really want to watch?
-What was the first reality show? This Old House? Remote Control?
-Rhett shares memories of fan fic on theforce.net forums involving a Dragonball Z / Star Wars characters on Earth mashup, to which he and other members recorded "radio drama"-style recordings.
-What is it going to take to be able to watch Billy Ocean's "Loverboy" video on MTV again?

Food:
-Why can't I pick up a bag of crisp chicken skins in the chip aisle?
-Michael somehow got a hold of the upcoming summer special red-white-blue Mountain Dew flavor: Mountain DEW.S.A.

TL/DR: Giveaway winner selected from iTunes reviews at the end of May

For the Many, a Mini...Episode

Rhett forgot we were supposed to record. Tommy didn't know Michael was recording the conversation about Rhett forgetting. But even though only one of us was intentionally podcasting, we still had more actual Star Wars Card Trader discussion than there's been in who knows how long. The rest of the conversation centers around the Star Wars Celebration in Orlando this weekend. If you'll be there Friday, look out for a familiar aquatic mammal on a t-shirt. Enjoy, and we'll see you on the other side of the con!

The Nature of the Force

We discuss in-depth the nature of the Force; does it have a will of its own, and use beings to achieve it? Or is it purely something passive to be tapped into to bend to one's own will? Did Shmi really conceive through the Force itself or someone manipulating it, or was there just not good sex education for slaves on Tatooine? Rhett floats his theory on Rey's parentage and how they will reveal it...no fear of spoilers on this one.

Michael announces a contest of sorts for those who will be attending Star Wars Celebration in Orlando.

Rhett discusses how changing his iTunes funding source from a credit card to a debit card has made him less interested in geting back into the app...after having spent freely enough to pull whatever he wanted whenever he wanted it, how could a smaller budget of credits feel as much fun to pull with? Especially if trading is not enjoyable to you?

Is Slingblade a comedy? Is deer hunting a sport? What's the collective noun for a group of deer? For a group of Ewoks? We discuss the ramifications of Lumpy from the Star Wars Holiday Special now being canon.

30 Pack Fans Choice pull, Space Camp Aviation Challenge

Michael's back in the Star Wars Card Trader app, adding a thin veneer of legitimacy back to our podcast. Tommy spends hundreds of thousands and 30 packs to pull a Fans Choice (with a 0.12% chance of that happening, it's his luckiest pull in the app). Rhett is in awe of the amazing things people can do from watching "People are awesome" compilations on YouTube. We discuss Chuck Yeager and Harrison Ford's current flight careers. Rhett discusses his experience with the flight sim software Falcon 4.0 (37 minutes), and how it led him to dominating an Aviation Challenge camp, part of the Space Camp at Huntsville, AL, even heads-up against an experienced fighter pilot. Rhett did, however, lost to this 70-year-old veteran in a foot race. He also shares how another campers narcolepsy factored into his experience (45 minutes).

"Survive" App Review, Rhett's Billions, Collective Nouns

Nominations are up for Star Wars Podcast Awards! Nominate here!

Michael still can't get logged back into Star Wars Card Trader, so he shares his experience with a game that he's tried in the mean time: Survive - Wilderness Survival. Who knew "Wilderness Simulation" was a genre? Also, we discuss what we'd do if we had unlimited money at our disposal. And as bonus, we dig into collective nouns, starting with Jedi: what should a group of them be called? A gullible? A blind?

New Year, Micro Resolutions, Rogue One

We come out of the gate strong in 2017! We don't have the theme music working, and thanks to Michael's micro resolution, he can't actually log into SWCT. His goal, though, is to stay with SWCT, and stay free-to-play, leaving behind the other apps. He's still the Poggle guy. Rhett still hasn't opened the app, and Tommy is not chasing much, but there's a new Star Wars movie to discuss, and other things, including Nashville Hot Chicken. Enjoy!