We're mere days away from the release of Episode VIII and the full-fledged return of Luke Skywalker. Compared to The Force Awakens it's shocking how little we know going in... or at least it was. After months of rampant speculation, Bothan spies have provided a juicy dossier filled to the brim with insights on the film: The Last Jedi Visual Dictionary. But fear not of spoilers friend! They're locked safely behind the blast doors. In this episode we talk the latest news on Solo and Star Wars video games, but most importantly we serve up a primer for The Last Jedi. We zero in on some spoiler-free media tie-ins that enrich the depth of the world: background character back stories, weird alien anatomy, and thematic storylines threaded across mediums. But then, yes, beyond the blast doors we've cobbled together an iron-clad outline of the film using all the clues scattered through the Visual Dictionary. We also confront a substantial and controversial outline of the film. Is it the real deal or LIES! DECEPTIONS!... well... we'll find out. For links and more info, head to the main episode page: https://nerdyshow.com/2017/12/state-of-the-empire-episode-41-prelude-to-the-last-jedi