# Deep Dive: Star Wars (Stern) PREVIEW

**Source:** Pinball Party Podcast  
**Type:** podcast_episode  
**Published:** 2024-03-30  
**Duration:** 5m 32s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://pinballparty.podbean.com/e/deep-dive-star-wars-stern-preview/

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## Analysis

The Pinball Party Podcast hosts discuss the Stern Star Wars pinball machine (designed by Steve Richie and Dwight Sullivan), examining its themes, mechanical features, and initial critical reception. They compare it to Game of Thrones and note that both games faced significant community backlash upon release despite their massive IP licenses. The episode covers Star Wars's production tiers (Pro, Premium, LE) and the evolution from Stern's earlier hardware to Spike 2 platform.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Star Wars pinball was designed by Steve Richie and Dwight Sullivan — _Host (Zach Sharp) stating design credits directly_
- [HIGH] Star Wars was released in 2017 — _Zach Sharp providing explicit release date_
- [HIGH] Star Wars came out after Game of Thrones and faced similar initial community negativity — _Host comparing reception and timeline of both games_
- [HIGH] Star Wars has three original tiers (Pro, Premium, LE) plus two comic-themed versions released two years later — _Zach Sharp detailing production variants_
- [HIGH] Star Wars featured a ball save mechanism with a metal flap in the right outlane — _Host describing specific mechanical feature_
- [MEDIUM] Star Wars represents one of Sam Stern's most polarizing games of all time — _Opening statement characterizing game's reception_
- [MEDIUM] The Star Wars ball save mechanism is pointless compared to early solid-state kickbacks — _Host opinion on mechanical feature utility_

### Notable Quotes

> "This is the biggest franchise arguably of all time. Let's talk about it on a table with a metal ball and some lights."
> — **Pinball Party Podcast host**, early in episode
> _Sets up the contrast between Star Wars' cultural enormity and its translation to pinball_

> "Star Wars is like a religion to a lot of people. It's just the biggest theme in the world."
> — **Pinball Party Podcast host**, mid-episode
> _Establishes context for why Star Wars pinball's reception matters culturally_

> "it is so let me I just have to People talk about that and I agree it cool It this little metal flap that says Star Wars on it and it a ball save right"
> — **Pinball Party Podcast host**, late in episode
> _Describes the iconic but divisive ball save feature of the machine_

> "I think we can both agree it's pointless."
> — **Pinball Party Podcast host**, late in episode
> _Shared critical opinion on the ball save mechanism's game design utility_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Star Wars (Stern pinball game) | game | 2017 pinball machine by Stern designed by Steve Richie and Dwight Sullivan; released in Pro, Premium, LE, Comic Pro, and Comic Premium variants; faced initial community backlash despite massive Star Wars IP license |
| Steve Richie | person | Pinball designer credited as co-designer of Star Wars (Stern) alongside Dwight Sullivan; also designed Game of Thrones |
| Dwight Sullivan | person | Pinball designer and executive at Stern; co-designer of Star Wars pinball with Steve Richie; also worked on Game of Thrones |
| Stern Pinball | company | Manufacturer of Star Wars pinball machine; referenced as 'Sam Stern' colloquially in podcast |
| Game of Thrones (Stern) | game | Earlier Stern game designed by Steve Richie and Dwight Sullivan that also faced initial community criticism; released before Star Wars |
| Zach Sharp | person | Host/co-host of Pinball Party Podcast; provides game facts and analysis about Star Wars and Star Wars pinball context |
| George Lucas | person | Creator of Star Wars franchise; mentioned as original creator before Disney acquisition |
| Disney | company | Current owner of Star Wars IP after purchase from George Lucas |
| Spike 2 (platform) | product | Stern pinball hardware platform; Star Wars marked transition era from earlier Stern hardware to Spike 2 and later heavy hitter titles |
| Pinball Party Podcast | organization | Podcast featuring Deep Dive series discussing pinball games and themes |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Star Wars pinball design and mechanics, Initial community reception and polarization of Star Wars, Comparison with Game of Thrones pinball, Designer credits (Steve Richie, Dwight Sullivan)
- **Secondary:** Production variants and tiers (Pro/Premium/LE/Comic editions), Star Wars IP licensing and cultural significance, Stern hardware evolution (Spike 2 platform), Ball save mechanism and game mechanics criticism

### Sentiment

**Mixed** (0.35) — Hosts acknowledge Star Wars as culturally significant and interesting but express critical views about specific mechanical features and initial reception. Tone is conversational and analytical rather than enthusiastically positive; criticism of ball save mechanism and comparison to initially poorly-received Game of Thrones suggests measured skepticism about design quality despite IP strength.

### Signals

- **[product_concern]** Ball save mechanism criticized as pointless compared to early solid-state kickbacks (confidence: high) — Host directly states the metal flap ball save feature and agreement that it's mechanically pointless
- **[sentiment_shift]** Star Wars pinball faced significant initial community negativity similar to Game of Thrones, despite massive IP license (confidence: high) — Host: 'initially people just really laid into' the game; comparison to Game of Thrones' negative reception
- **[design_philosophy]** Steve Richie and Dwight Sullivan collaborated on both Game of Thrones and Star Wars, suggesting consistent design philosophy across major licensed titles (confidence: high) — Both games credited to same designer team; hosts note pattern of initial backlash on both
- **[historical_signal]** Star Wars marked era of transition from earlier Stern hardware to Spike 2 platform before major hitter releases like Iron Man and Led Zeppelin (confidence: high) — Host: 'era when new sterns were just changing a little from Sam over to Spike 2 and before...serious heavy hitters'
- **[product_strategy]** Star Wars released in multiple variants including Comic-themed editions released two years after original launch (confidence: high) — Zach Sharp: 'two other models released two years later in art difference alone, the comic Stern Pro and the comic Premium Edition'
- **[licensing_signal]** Star Wars represents one of the largest IP franchises adapted to pinball at time of release (confidence: high) — Host: 'biggest franchise arguably of all time'; extensive discussion of cultural significance

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## Transcript

 Sup. What's up mef, you gorgeous robot, and what's up to all the pinball party fans out there. This week on Deep Dive, we find out who Luke Skywalker's father is, and we look at one of Stern's most polarizing games I'd say of all time. Star Wars. Heard of it? Created by George Lucas himself, later sold to Disney. You all know what it is. This is the biggest franchise arguably of all time. Let's talk about it on a table with a metal ball and some lights. Beyond seeing the movies and being Star Wars fans as a lot of us are, we both played the This week in Pinball, Franchi newsphtpenduele, the Cypher Star Wars customizable card game in the 90s which, to those unaware, even surpassed Magic the Gathering in popularity for a while and was a very popular customizable card game. It blew up for a minute. So popular. We are apt to talk about Star Wars and Star Wars Pinball even further because both of us are strangely obsessed with this weird hobby. Enough to do not only one podcast but also a deep dive about these games specifically enough of that Zach what are the facts of Star Wars Pinball by Stern Yeah, this is an interesting game. It's from 2017 and it's from Steve Ritchie and Dwight Sullivan. There is three tiers pro premium and L.E., but there were two other models released two years later in just art difference alone, the comic pro and the comic premium. All of these are from the era when new sterns were just changing a little from Sam over to Spike 2 and before you started to have the serious heavy hitters like your Iron Maidens and everything after that, right? Yeah, like Led Zeppelin. Heavy hitters. Is what you're talking about. I'm talking about the real deep cuts like Led Zeppelin. We're just so good. So, you know, it is fascinating, right? When Star Wars hit, if you just want to segue into first impressions. Yeah, sure. And we'll get more on the trims in a bit. But yeah, first, what was your first impressions? It's just such an interesting thing because Star Wars is like a religion to a lot of people. It's just the biggest theme in the world. I mean you know especially in the nineties if you grew up in the seventies eighties or nineties you have some different type of relationship with that theme Whether you know you have a friend Brad who works at Toys R Us who you have trying to get you the rare chase Fig from Power of the Force II in 1996 with a half circle hand Boba Fett Or you are just a guy who likes the movies There a real connection And hilariously When this game came out, I, this came out after Game of Thrones and all of the negativity around all the games empty. Uh, the art is bad. Um, the rules, you know, aren't they're complicated. This is another Steve Ritchie and Dwight Sullivan, and it's another game that initially people just really laid into. I, everybody, I think, Finckoah Madduyn projections win Yeah I mean You get the mechanical Sure It a thing right It is It there But it is so let me I just have to People talk about that and I agree it cool It this little metal flap that says Star Wars on it and it a ball save right So when a ball comes into the right out lane it just says nope go into shooter lane and then it launches the ball The only difference between that and the Pro I'm just saying that the gate mechanism is that kickback to the early solid state. It's a lost mech. But I think we can both agree it's pointless. Yes. Yes. The hyperloop is— To hear the remainder of this fantastic episode and more, join the rest of the nincompoops at patreon.com slash pinballparty. See you later.

_(Acquisition: groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 748c5898-77ce-4743-af1f-9e09897ef236*