Where the hell does Star Wars go now?
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Each week this newsletter makes a big recommendation. This week, our recommendation is Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, a Marvel movie that stands apart from its peers thanks to the vision of director Sam Raimi. And honestly, that’s all we currently have to say about the film beyond our spoiler-free review, because heaven knows we won’t be responsible for spoiling the latest entry in the MCU on the weekend of its release.
We’d rather use this space for a discussion about a question and, more importantly, the implications of the question on the entertainment industry.
This isn’t a question we expected to ask a decade ago, before Disney acquired Lucasfilm and resuscitated the Star Wars film and TV production line, then ramped it up into overdrive. George Lucas wasn’t averse to the commodification and exploitation of his faraway galaxy. The galaxy was becoming messy, dusty and cluttered, much like an attic that you promised to clear out one day.
Now, Star Wars is sparkling clean, meticulously planned, and utterly inescapable. Gone are the days when hardcore fans debated the Expanded Universe of books; now we fill Reddit with theories that will be proven or debunked in next week’s episode, a game this fall, or a movie in the coming years. Star Wars is so high up in pop culture that it’s easy to forget about “Baby Yoda”, two words that don’t belong together just a few short years ago, and how Star Wars has returned to the top.
With all this in mind we wrote three stories this week about Star Wars’ current state and future plans:
Will Star Wars’ future move in this direction? We’ll know more when Obi-Wan premieres later this month. We have the trailer for now. This trailer looks just like anything that Benny Safdie stars. In the meantime, why not play the 13 best Star Wars games you can grab in this year’s May the 4th sales? They’re almost certainly a better use of your money than the peculiar stink of Grogu.
This week on YouTube | How Call of Duty turned war into a circus | “Call of Duty was created by developers who worked on Medal of Honor, a World War II game modeled after Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan. The film is brutal, unflinching, and a little bit romantic. But Call of Duty would grow into something much weirder, much bigger, and much more perverse than anyone could have known. This is part of the military apparatus that sells war to the general public. It’s also fun .”
Five stories to read
Photo: Marni Grossman/Paramount Plus
After 50 years, Captain Pike got the Star Trek show he deserves | It took more than half a century, but Strange New Worlds delivers on the promise of a proper Pike spinoff.
The first trailer for the Game of Thrones spinoff looks quite promising | Can HBO rekindle the flame that got extinguished by the original series’ finale? The trailer suggests that just might happen!
The Owl House is proving itself to be too good for Disney | “Even with Disney’s meddling, The Owl House is flipping brilliant.”
Everyday Heroes uses the rules of D&D to roll up Rambo, Highlander, The Crow, and more | They had us at “Rambo D&D.”
Heartstopper understands the bisexual panic of watching Pirates of Caribbean | Sometimes a headline says it all.
Four things to watch
Image: Marvel Studios
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in theaters | Read our spoiler-free review of Sam Raimi’s return to the superhero-industrial complex!
Belle on digital rental platforms like Amazon and Vudu | The director of anime hits like Mirai and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time has made a breathtaking and befuddling spin on Beauty and the Beast. Curious? Check out our review.
Lux AEterna in theaters | Controversial director Gaspar Noe is at it again.
13 great movies new to streaming in May | Seriously, you no longer have an excuse to skip the Wachowskis’ underrated gem, Bound.
Plus, everything new to streaming!
Five games to play
Image: Toukana Interactive
Before we get into the list, let us just say: what a week for video games! This may be the first time we’ve awarded four games our Recommends badge in the same week. We thought it would be a slow season.
Dorfromantik | Polygon Recommends | Imagine Catan minus all of the stress. Available on Windows PC
Rogue Legacy 2 | Polygon Recommends | After nearly two years in early access, Rogue Legacy 2 is a worthy sequel to a beloved roguelite. is available on Xbox Series X and Xbox One.
Citizen Sleeper | Polygon Recommends | “The game’s greatest strength (and also its most infuriating choice) is to untether me from concrete objectives and let me exist without a reason.” Available on Windows PC, Mac, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch.
Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters | Polygon Recommends | XCOM always needed more giant space hammers. Available on Windows PC
The 25 best games on Xbox Game Pass | We added new treasures to our rolling list.
Free game of the week
Image: Two Star Games
No-Snake Hotel | Reader, there is a snake and it is terrifying. The game is short and free and streamable if you’d rather watch someone else play, so let’s leave the details at that. Available on itch.io.
The best of the rest
Image: Valve/Arkane Studios via Noclip