Star Wars and Beyond: Episode I
A Review by Jay Mustered

Robbie Chastain begins his talk show career with Star Wars and Beyond (SWAB), clocking in at a little over an hour. How does Robbie's first attempt go?

After introducing the format of his show, Robbie gives his opinion on: canon (recapping the levels of canon from Nathan Butler of ChronoRadio [CR]); simplifying canon (it happened or didn't happen); and the idea that each fan can slide what they did and didn't like in and out of canon. Next comes "Newspapers and You," where Robbie discusses newspapers and internet articles about Star Wars and other topics. Next, Janine and Ron Garner (Requiem of the Outcast) talk about their life outside of Star Wars and Star Wars itself, with their normal ROTO banter. This is followed by some commercials (including one for Star Wars: The Musical, which goes on for a bit). Next is a retrospective of the first five movies, starting with A New Hope, with thoughts by Janine Garner. This is followed by the other ROTO member, Rich Sigfrit, beginning his segment, which deals primarily with professional wrestling. This episode, he was joined by "The Stro" and a referee, while reviewing a recent Pay Per View. The closing segment encourages everyone to get out and vote.

So, now that we have surveyed the width and breadth of what was covered on SWAB, the next question is "How was it?"

SWAB suffered from the same two basic problems that plague most first episodes (be it internet radio shows, TV pilots, whatever): production values and tone. Robbie's segments sounded fine; his editorial inserts (a good idea), interviews, and Rich's segment all need better levels to even out the sound of the show. The tone of the show was hard to define; it seemed to tread the ground where ROTO and CR are oft criticized. Less wacky than ROTO, but less angry than CR, Chastain heads for the middle ground, which sometimes leads to him being overshadowed by his guests.

If past is really prologue then SWAB will quickly resolve its technical problems, find its voice, and gain an audience. And when all of these kinks work themselves out, I think Star Wars fan audio will have four quality radio shows broadcasting at once.

I would recommend this episode to anyone with an eclectic range of interest, and anyone who wants to hear more of the ROTO gang.