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Making Tracks Episode 233: Knock on effect

·36 min·3 clips

Andor's four Emmy wins reveal why its production design and visual effects set a new standard for Star Wars.

This episode of Making Tracks features hosts Mark Duvall and Mark Newbold discussing recent Star Wars news and speculation. They cover the Emmy wins for *Andor*, a record-breaking auction for a Darth Vader lightsaber prop, and the closure of the animation studio Nelvana. The hosts also explore a hypothetical five-season version of *Andor* based on writer Dan Gilroy's comments. *Andor* won four Creative Arts Emmy Awards for costume design, production design, picture editing, and visual effects. The hosts note the series received 14 total nominations and praise the production design team led by Luke Hall. John Williams also won an Emmy for Outstanding Sound Editing on a Lucasfilm production. The hosts debate the importance of awards for validation within the industry and for opening career doors. A Darth Vader lightsaber used in *The Empire Strikes Back* and *Return of the Jedi* sold at auction for $3.65 million. The hosts discuss Darth Vader's status as an iconic movie villain driving the price and speculate the buyer is a private collector. They express a wish for the prop to be publicly displayed, perhaps at the future Lucas Museum, rather than remaining in a private collection. The animation studio Nelvana, responsible for the *Star Wars Holiday Special* cartoon and the *Droids* and *Ewoks* series, closed after 54 years. The hosts reflect on the studio's legacy, including over 5,000 episodes of programming like *Care Bears* and *Bluey*. They speculate a streamer might acquire its library and imagine what other 1980s Star Wars cartoons could have been made, suggesting a Han and Chewbacca or Jabba's Palace series. Writer Dan Gilroy speculated a five-season *Andor* would have explored the Emperor and the "halls of power" on Coruscant. The hosts agree Palpatine's absence maintained a deliberate mystery in the original trilogy era. They theorize extra seasons would have shown the Empire's corruption deepening and the Rebellion becoming more organized. Adding classic characters like Admiral Ackbar or General Merrick might have felt contrived, however. The conversation is casual and enthusiastic, blending news recap with fan-driven speculation. The tone is conversational and analytical, with both hosts offering detailed perspectives. This episode will appeal to fans interested in *Andor*'s production, Star Wars collecting, and animation history. Listeners seeking only narrative episode reviews or current franchise announcements might find the topics too niche.

As heard by us

A conversational Star Wars episode that weighs Ewoks, Droids, and other animation-friendly possibilities.

Making Tracks Episode 233 settles into a lively Star Wars debate that moves from Ewoks and Droids to which original-trilogy characters might fit a Nelvana-style cartoon.

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Why you'd press play

Hear two longtime Star Wars hosts test which characters could work best in animation.

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