batheavensent5

[batheavensent5]

Donald Trump spreads lies and misinformation about many things — immigrants, the LGBTQ+ community, DEI, “wokeness,” FEMA, tariffs. The list goes on. But know this. Spreading lies is all part of his bigger strategy to sow chaos and consolidate more power. Understand it — and do not fall for it. ‘Andor’ hits close to home, doesn’t it?

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Mother of the Rebellion

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I need you guys to know that what's super funny to me is that as someone who has taken security training on private and secure data what you're SUPPOSED to do when someone sends you private data by accident is delete it and you're supposed to cycle your private keys and passwords on a regular basis so Dedra getting data she's not supposed to see and being like 'oh HELL yes' and saving it out while Lonni is sitting here on her email password/SSH key he stole a fucking year ago and has been reading everything the WHOLE TIME is so real and relateable and just. Like. Everything about how the Death Star gets leaked is based on ACTUAL infosec problems and stuff you're trained to NOT do because THIS is what happens.

'I've had her credentials for a year'

I howled.

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The characterizations in Book of Boba Fett

When the last episode of The Book of Boba Fett came out, I thought about what score I’d give the show, and found I had mixed feelings.

I loved a lot of it, but even in Episode 8, there’s a bunch of moments where I was going “do I really need to see/listen to this? Get to the point!” and my finger was constantly hovering on the >> button.

But beyond problems regarding structure, I really wanted to cover something I actually was pleasantly surprised with: Boba’s character.

On the one hand, I sorta get when folks get mad about Boba being “weak” in BoBF. Like, when the preview of this show was this…

… (which is very reminiscent of the badass, no-bullshit, John Wick-like Boba Fett from the EU) and instead you get a lot of this…

… there will obviously be some disappointment. And even when Boba does get some good hits in, the fighting choreography still isn’t on par with what was shown in The Mandalorian or in Episode 5 (which makes you wonder… like… why? Was the stunt coordinator busy on another shoot during Episodes 1 through 4? Is it because they shot Episode 8 first?).

So, sure, overall, on an emotional “gimme that sweet, sweet action!” level, I can understand and share the frustration.

But that being said (trying to focus on the positive, here)… as a character, I don’t mind the more “passive” Boba.

First off because this moment is goddamn glorious:

And before anyone says “it’s out of character”, please look at who he shares his genes with:

But also because, thematically, this change in personality makes sense and it gives the character some extra dimension.

Unlike EU Boba who kept roaming the galaxy after crawling out the Sarlacc pit (twice), Canon Boba found peace with that Tusken tribe and it calmed him down. It taught him a new path:

“Respect rather than Fear.”

Sure, the tribe was wiped out, but he grew during his years with them. He became a better man, a man who’ll earn your respect to get what he wants, rather than the guy who’ll beat you to a pulp and scare you shitless.

Like, as badass as the guy in the above picture is… he’s a bad person who got his ass handed to him by a blind guy, on Jabba’s sail barge.

So now, Boba knows better.

That fear-inspiring path laid out by Jango Fett, Aurra Sing and Cad Bane, led him straight into the gullet of a Sarlacc. Which is why he’s trying to run a criminal empire by following the principles of the new path the Tusken taught him.

Examples:

In The Mandalorian Season 2, he’s not just beating up stormtroopers and looking cool. He’s making a pact of honor with Din and he’s honoring that pledge for a good three episodes.

Before his time with the Tuskens, Boba would’ve simply shot Din, grabbed his armor and flew away. Instead he offered to help him. He does the same thing with Fennec and pledges his life to protect her.

And he even tries to do the same with the Mos Espa gotra lords.

Like, you’d never see Tommy Shelby, from the show Peaky Blinders, take that kind of shit from anyone. A rival gangster talks to him like that, they’ll get their throat slit.

And Boba could very well just shoot that guy and ask the other gotra leaders: “any other objections? But that’s not what Boba’s about, anymore. Now, he’s all about:

Inspiring respect to build his tribe.

Using strength only to protect that tribe.

So I love the changes to Boba’s character, love his character arc… but a lot of this, admittedly, is me extrapolating from what little we were shown on-screen.

A clearer way to convey this arc would’ve been by, y'know… focusing on it? Rather than cutting away to Din for two episodes?

I mean, Fennec and Cad Bane are the ideal philosophical antagonists for Boba’s character, in the show.

Fennec is seen contradicting him and having reservations about the way Boba moves forward. And Cad Bane, well, he’s basically an embodiment of who Boba used to be (and was doomed to remain, had he never met the Tusken).

By developing these two characters more, you develop Boba more.

Bad pitch, but let’s have Fennec and Boba get into an argument where she tells him “look, you’re Boba Fett, you could end this all in one night, why are you letting the gotra disrespect you and the Pykes attack you?!” & having him explain that he’s not that guy anymore, that guy died in the Pit of Carkoon and he values inspiring respect and loyalty over inspiring fear. If they’ll attack him, he’ll show strength. But he won’t go looking for trouble.

Maybe Fennec talks to Drash and they bond over both being orphans in a large galaxy, forced to turn to crime in order to survive. That’s when Fennec learns that the mods are all loyal to Boba Fett ‘cause he’s the first one to give them a chance, and she sees the value of his approach.

And if we really do need to cut away from the main action for a whole episode, let’s see one focusing on old man Cad Bane as he completes a bounty or something. We intercut between the mission and flashbacks of him training Boba (if you’re gonna deepfake Luke, I think you can deepfake young Boba). 

We see him blow up yet another T0-D0 which shows just how much his philosophy is the stark opposite of Boba’s. He only values money and is still stuck in the same rut, whereas Boba values family and has grown up.

Eventually Fennec adapts with the times and comes around to Boba’s point of view… and Bane doesn’t, which results in his death.

So while Boba’s characterization worked for me… it would’ve been much nicer if we had delved deeper into it and other characters’ arcs in Episodes 5 and 6, instead of cutting away to a main character from another show who has no stakes in this conflict whatsoever beyond his own honor.

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I’m so sorry we didn’t learn, George.

[batheavensent5]

Maybe they wanted Baylan Skoll's comment about how Erza was the only family Sabine had left, to have more impact if none of the Spectres came. To drive home the fact, to her, that the Spectres abandoned her and Erza. That she was only one stayed on Lothal while they moved on. Just to make it easier for her to hand over the map to Thrawn's allies.

Why aren’t Hera, Chopper, Zeb, and Jacen here for this event? Why did they get so disconnected from their part in Lothal’s story?

(And before you say anything, I know what it’s trying to do. It’s trying to show just how alone Sabine is.

BUT…was she? Really?! Hera talks to Sabine later in the med center, and their conversation is easy. Jacen calls Sabine “Aunt Sabine”. Sabine wears her “Hera” jacket. I just don’t think it panned out.)

Anyway, I just think it’s a weird choice. I don’t for one second think the other Spectres would have skipped this. I think Hera and Zeb could’ve definitely gotten a day off in peace time, and I don’t think they would’ve abandoned Sabine on this day OR disrespected the memory or sacrifice of both Kanan and Ezra.

“This family will support you.” “This family will stand by you.” Leaving the other Spectres out of this event really shows how disconnected Ahsoka was from Rebels.

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I like to imagine that at least once during the clone wars someone sent a report to General Kenobi and a very tired Master Kenobi just graded it and sent it back.

[batheavensent5]

Star Wars, friends. I know this is not why you follow me, but please make this my most shared post.

You are here.

We're living the lead-up to Revenge of the Sith, and it scares me so much a) it feels like there is so little we can do, and b) young people are acting as if there is nothing we can do.

If you don't know what's going on, I need you to wake up and get engaged.

I have two history degrees. My whole life I've always been the person saying, "When people say, 'This is the most important election ever," it just shows how little they know about history.'"

So please believe me when I tell you that THIS is the most important election (cycle, not just presidential race) that you will likely ever be a part of.

Trump is not Hitler. He's too stupid to be Hitler.

But our democracy only held together in 2020 because of a few people like Mike Pence who were willing to stand up against Trump when it was truly the last line of defense. I know that's hard for some of you to hear, but whatever you think of his beliefs, Pence showed he has integrity and stands by the Constitution.

There will be no Mike Pences this time around. Trump will not make the mistake of surrounding himself with those who are not fully committed to him.

Trump is a convicted felon. He is running to avoid his convictions and likely jail time more than anything else. If he wins, he will be able to pardon himself of his federal crimes, but he's going to keep acting like Donald Trump. If he's still alive in 2028, do you think he will leave the White House peacefully and just submit to further cases against him?

Please watch John Oliver's recent expose on Project 2025 and Trump's Second Term. It is linked in a comment below.

Trump and his administration are already putting in place plans for sweeping reforms that truly will make America look like The Handmaid's Tale. Presidents usually will push for more when they're in their second term because they don't have to worry about another election campaign, but this is different. This is about dismantling the democratic system so that it only benefits the most radical conservatives and Christians.

Christians, I am one of you. I was raised Evangelical (capital E meaning politically motivated culture warrior), and I am still evangelical (lower-case e, referring to theological beliefs). This is not the posture of Christ-followers. There is no good that comes from state-mandated religion, which both coerces people to claim that they are believers for social and cultural clout AND waters down the true religious fervor of the church because most people are only nominal believers.

There is NOTHING about Christian Nationalism that is in the best interest of Christians or in the best interest of the neighbors Christians are called to sacrificially love. If you need a reminder of who your neighbor is, read Luke 10:25-37.

Please start talking with your friends. Young people, please register to vote and bring your friends to do the same.

I know so many of you are disillusioned. I am too. Things that are going on in Palestine and Ukraine and so many other places make it very hard to vote for people with "D"s behind their names (especially after the recent presidential debate).

But punishing Joe Biden is not the revenge you want to pursue here. Are you unhappy with him giving Israel $12.5 billion? I am too, but do you think that number won't be repeated multiple times under Trump? Again, I was raised Evangelical. A staple of (politically-focused) Evangelicalism is that Christians (and thus America) must support (the modern state of) Israel no matter what because they have a hyper-literal understanding of the verse where God tells Abraham that he will bless those who bless him (including his descendants who became Israel).

Do not underestimate the importance of that view in their ideology. Nearly every member of my biological family has shunned me for suggesting that this is not a blanket endorsement of every action the modern state of Israel takes.

Trump is a criminal running for president to save his skin. He supports Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel who is now himself wanted for war crimes. Trump has aligned himself with the authoritarian leaders/dictators of Hungary, China, North Korea, and Russia. He is open about his love for Russian president Vladimir Putin's authoritarian regime and stands against Ukraine's democracy and national sovereignty.

This is what happened before World War I and World War II.

I know this isn't what you follow me for.

But George Lucas was showing the dangers of authoritarianism. He shows that democracy is hard. It's frustrating trying to negotiate with people you disagree with vehemently. It may seem like nothing gets done.

Go and watch the Naboo picnic scene. Go and do it. And after chuckling at all the funny memes it's given us, let me tell you why it scares me so much.

Because Padme laughs.

Anakin tells her who he is, and she laughs.

She passes it off as a joke, or as flirting, or maybe even as just the ignorant views of a boy who views life as far more black and white than she knows it to be.

But the alternative to all of that frustrating democracy, all that gridlock in the Senate, all those choices and compromises you have to make in order to benefit the people at all ... the alternative is a dictator who says, "I will make all the decisions for us."

That's why there are people who applaud Palpatine. That's why we as viewers see Bail and Padme as the reasonable ones and think it's crazy that anyone would applaud, but they do.

The applaud because Palpatine says, "You don't have to be frustrated anymore. You don't have to be worried about those who disagree with you anymore." Safety and security and ease are powerful temptations when you live in a polarized society, and Palpatine offers them all of those things.

That's why many people applaud Trump, too.

There were also people who applauded Palpatine who did see the danger of what he was doing. But they applauded because it was easier to do so. He had already amassed power because they didn't stand up to him before. They applaud him now because standing against him now would have dire consequences they wouldn't have faced if they had stood against him before.

So vote. And get your friends to vote.

If there is any part of you that believes Star Wars has important things to tell us about real life, then I need you to fan that flame into a fire.

Otherwise, you won't be living in the prequels anymore. You will be living in the time of the Empire.

Vote.

[batheavensent5]

I think I know why fate transferred Ji-wan's stomach cancer to Mrs. Yang. Mrs. Yang is in similar Ji-wan , before her death in the other timeline. I think fate was looking for someone similar to Ji-wan and found that in Mrs. Yang. Fate wasn't going to find it in Soo-min. Soo-min is not a pushover. Soo-min is a manipulator. And the reason I think fate gave Min-hwan Ji-wan's death is because he was the one who killed her in other timeline. Call it fate meeting out justice. I think it's a more fitting punishment for Soo-min that she has to live with the fact that Ji-wan will be happy and have all the things she wanted. And fate giving Yu-ra, Ji-hyuk's death. Again think it as fate stepping in. In way she is like Soo-min, but way worse. Yu-ra would've found a way avoid answering for her crimes. Ji-hyuk only wished for Ji-wan to be happy and never wished for some else to take his death.

As for Ji-wan manipulating Min-hwan and Soo-man. They were too entangled in her life for her to just walk away from them. Soo-man coveted everything Ji-wan had. And Min-wan saw Ji-wan as someone he could leach off. So manipulating both parities into a relationship, that was fated to happen anyway, was Ji-wan's only option.

[batheavensent5]

How did Min-hwan and Soo-min, in the original timeline, get caught for Ji-won's murder?

Min-hwan stopped paying for his wife's cancer treatments

Min-hwan took out a big life insurance policy on his wife

Min-hwan never visited his wife while she was in the hospital and that lead to questions

Ji-won disappeared from the hospital after being informed that her husband stopped paying her cancer treatments and was found dead in her apartment

Did neighbors' notice Soo-min coming and going?

Did anyone stop and think that nothing about Ji-wan's death added up?

Or did anyone investigating Ji-wen's death take one look at Min-hwan and think we need look into this

Or was it the standard, treat this death as a homicide until otherwise

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It has to with faith. Faith that the person behind you is there. No matter what.

"if i was orpheus i would simply not turn around" yes you would. if you were orpheus and you loved eurydice, you would. to love someone is to turn around. to love someone is to look at them. whichever version of the myth — he hears her stumble, he can't hear her at all, he thinks he's been tricked — he turns around because he loves her. that's why it's a tragedy. because he loves her enough to save her. because he loves her so much he can't save her. because he will always, always turn around. "if i was orpheus i would simply —" you wouldn't be orpheus. you wouldn't be brave enough to walk into the underworld and save the person you love. be serious

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I think deep down Sabine Wren wanted to hand the star map to Baylan Skoll. But was torn about doing what she wanted and making sure Thrawn never returned. But when Baylan Skoll talked about her parents and brother dying and Ezra being the only family she had left. That little speech gave her permission to give in to her selfish desire to see Ezra.

She could've of walked over to cliffside and possibly threw it in the ocean. Or at least made some kind of effort make her threat believable, then just standing there with her gun pointing at the star map.

In the end, all Sabine wanted was permission to give in her selfish desire to see Ezra.

And doomed a galaxy.

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"Service to evil is still evil. What you're saying is that doing something wrong isn't really wrong if your motives are good. That's nonsense."

- Mara Jade

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A strange alien doctor stands near the unconscious body of Padme Amidala. “It appears she has lost the will to live.” A older man with a limp hobbles closer with the aid of a cane. “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard,” says Dr. Gregory House.

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Anakin and Ahsoka are “pick-me’s.”

Don’t worry, I’ll elaborate.

Anti-Jedi folks will always, always, lift these two assholes up as “better than all the rest of the Jedi.”

They’ll say that they have “empathy,” and “compassion,” and that they “care about the little people and not just the politicians in the Senate”—or whatever the fuck else they wanna say—all because Ahsoka and Anakin “Aren’t Like Other Jedi™️”

Now, theoretically, you could say the same thing about Qui-Gon, Kanan, Cal, etc. except for the fact that they themselves don’t believe that.

They loved being Jedi, they viewed themselves as being Jedi, they loved their fellow Jedi and the Order. They didn’t betray their family, they didn’t blame their family for their own fucking genocide or basically call their practices stupid because “look how much better I am teehee.”

Qui-Gon, Kanan, Cal…they loved the Order and being Jedi in a way that Ahsoka and Anakin didn’t.

Ahsoka’s change is partly Anakin’s fault, since she only changed after being his padawan, but that doesn’t change the fact that now she’s so entrenched in her own ignorance that she truly believes that the Jedi brought on their own genocide because they didn’t train non-Force-sensitives.

So yeah, Anakin and Ahsoka are massive pick-me’s and y’all are too.

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Sabine Wren always runs away from her problems instead comforting them.

She ran away from the Imperial Academy when she discovered the Emprie's true intentions for the Duchess.

She ran away from her own family. She didn't even go to her family and tell them what happened. Instead Sabine's actions forced Ursa Wren to bend the knee to Gar Saxon and by proxy the Empire. Just so Clan Wren won't face the consequences.

Nor has she admitted as to why she would create such a weapon that would turn a Mandalorians armor against them. She would only admit to it as being a series of bad decisions.

Sabine understood from birth what a Mandalorians armor means to a Mandalorian. Yet, she goes and create a weapon that turns a Mandalorians armor into a death trap. Then why do it? Why?

And the only time Sabine would admit anything was when Kanan pressed her.

By the time of Ashoka, Sabine is still running away.

The first time the audience sees Sabine, she's on a speeder running away from a dedication ceremony to the rebel victory over Lothal. All she had to do was play nice and give a speech. Instead, she decides to blow it off. She literary blows off the people she helped save.

In a sense, she is also, running away from herself. In that she is not dealing with the loss of her family and Mandalore, in a healthy way. I think at one point Zeb, Kallus, Hera and Ahsoka tried to help but Sabine pushed them away.

Sabine Wren is running away when she dodges Ezra's questions about how she got to Peridea. She just refers to as it being shady. She just doesn't want to admit that she traded the safety of galaxy on the slim chance Ezra might be alive. Or ruin her reunion with Ezra.

She is still running away when she chooses to stay with Ahsoka. Of course Ahsoka is Sabine's master (I use that term loosely). They had been estranged until recently.

Staying is easy. It's easier than facing the questions that are waiting for her. It's easier then lying to everyone or omitting certain facts. Or having to deal with the consequences when the truth does comes out.

Sabine Wren is still running away