#* ✦ ╰ young jedi knight arc — but first some rebellion !

[morekills-moved]

it was strange to be back. yavin four    ——    the jedi academy    ——    that was home and so familiar. coruscant? it felt like a distant memory, so foreign to existence. it’s where she was raised, where her family resided, but it did not feel like hers anymore. even after all the challenges they faced like being kidnapped and manipulated by brakiss, it still felt better than being here.    “    the shadow academy,    ”    putting up a strong front, pretending like the events had no effect,    “    nothing happened. i’m fine.    ”    (    @mendshope    /    starter call.    )

[storytellingdreamer]

Mandalorian AU - role swap

In a Discord I’m part of, someone suggested the idea of a role swap AU, where Grogu is an adult and Din is a child. Premise: Grogu rescues Din after his covert is destroyed, and they go on a quest to find Mandalorians. The prompter was thinking of something that stuck a little more closely to The Mandalorian series’ story-beats & time-frame, but I came up with something different. (Long post.)

The story begins in 15 BBY. It covers Grogu rescuing Din, then Din growing up with Grogu as they try to find other Mandalorians, and slowly growing into the family they both need. 

Prelude: 

Grogu - 

Was a young Knight in TCW; led a search-and-rescue recovery group that followed behind major battles as a clean up crew. 

Formed a strong bond with his clone battalion; knowledge of Mandalorian culture informed by them, including Mando’a. 

Escaped Order 66 with the strength of his skills while trying to harm as few of his vod’e as possible (e.g. using a strong sleep suggestion or something).

Spent the next few years travelling alone, hiding his powers, very confused and hurt. 

Found it difficult to trust others; it had been well-known that he was one of only two known living members of his species, both of whom were Jedi.

Became a hermit figure, following the Will of the Force across the galaxy, and trying to avoid populated areas. 

Got itchy feet after too long spent hiding in the one place, which led to “accidental” exposure through him listening to the Force a little too much and interfering in some injustice or other. 

So instead, he travelled through the galaxy in his little ship; helping where he could, then disappearing again.

Din - 

Growing from a child to a pre-teen, had slowly begun integrating into the Aliit. 

Had been given a training helmet, and learnt the stories, and the risks of the Way. 

These risks meant that most stayed hidden; while they weren’t as completely underground as they would become after the Great Purge, they still kept to themselves. The Empire had put a high price on beskar, after all. 

The Tribe were careful, is what I’m saying. But it wasn’t enough. 

Story's beginning...

Din

The Imperials uncovered and raided the covert, with flimsy excuses – any Mandalorian in beskar’gam, especially those found so far from Mandalorian space, were potential insurgents. 

The Tribe scattered; some trying to flee with the ade, while the others stayed to fight to buy them time. 

Grogu - 

Travelling nearby when he got a distinct shove from the Force, directing him to head towards the city. 

On his arrival, sees a couple of ships punch their way to hyperspace, and wonders; then sees other ships shot down, and a district of the city explode into flame. He heads towards the firefight.

For a long time after, Grogu would feel like he arrived too late.

The place appears deserted, save a few Imperial troops picking through the rubble. Grogu subdues these, picking his way through the area with lightsabre in hand.

Finds Din in the wreckage of one of the ships that had been shot down; the only survivor.

Realises it’s a child pointing the blaster at him from the wreckage, and is moved to help even more than before. 

Decides against revealing the whole “the Force led me to you” thing for the moment, though.

Din -

Scared of Grogu at first, thinking he's some sort of creature sent to finish him off. 

Listens as Grogu patiently explains he means no harm, and eventually, reluctantly, is convinced to go with him. 

“You can’t stay here. For one thing, the stormtroopers will be back soon. I wasn’t exactly discreet when taking down the ones outside. And while I’m sure your aliit taught you how to survive here by yourself if you have to, I can help.” (Spoken in a mix of Basic and Mando'a - may edit more Mando’a in later.) 

“Tion jorhaa Mando’a? Tion Mando-?” ([You] speak Mando’a? [Are you] Manda-?) Din’s posture changed, leaning forward, helmet tilting slightly to the side.

“Some. I travelled with a group of Mandalorian verde some years ago. They considered me one of their vod’e… until we were betrayed, at least. I’ve... lost contact with them since.” (Again, may edit more Mando’a into this later.)

On the way back to Grogu’s ship, they’re cornered by more stormtroopers. Grogu has to use his lightsabre. Din was impressed, and very curious. After they’ve escaped into hyperspace, he asked: 

“What is that?” 

Grogu showed it to him. “A lightsabre. The weapon of a Jedi.” 

“Weapon of a what?” 

“That’s... quite the story.” He began, then explained - including mentioning he’d been given to the Temple as a youngling. 

“You were a foundling. Like me.” 

“… Yes, that’s right.”

Story continues: 

Din - 

Initially quite firm about following the Way (overcompensating after his losses), wearing his training helmet all the time. 

Is prepared to be Annoying about his needs, but then is surprised when Grogu accommodates him easily, including buying/ stealing a med-droid to assist. 

Also has to deal with losing his home and family twice; first his birth parents, now his adoptive Aliit.

Droids aren’t his only fear/ hate anymore...

Grogu -

Initially isn’t sure about his ability to be a parent, which he thinks Din needs. 

The life he leads, running from planet to planet to help as he can while staying one step ahead of the Inquisitors - that’s no place for a child, even one as skilled as Din. 

Plus, the last peoples he cared for as family – well, one betrayed the other, leading to death and strife. 

Those that still live do so in soulless blank armour - which his new ward hates and fears with a passion.

They each have things to discover about themselves, and each other, on the journey. 

Story/ character arcs: 

Din - 

Growing up (including Mandalorian rites of adolescence, the verd’goten or equivalent) and figuring out that what he knew about being Mandalorian isn’t all that there is out there. 

Confusing and painful at first, because he holds onto the covert’s teachings with tight fists in his grief, even as that threatens the growing familial bond with Grogu.

Dealing with his emotions about being orphaned twice, including accepting that not all droids are evil, and that some troopers had no choice in their actions.

Grogu helps him, at times antagonises him, and protects him as he figures out what sort of Mandalorian he wanted to be. 

Less mid-life crisis, more teenage angst/ identity development. 

Grogu -

Negotiating caring for Din while being a Jedi still – realising that they’re not mutually exclusive concepts;

Finding out why his vod’e betrayed him (Order 66), deciding what he wanted to do about that, and dealing with Din’s reaction;

Learning about Mandalorian culture, and developing a place for himself in it, as (eventually) a Mandalorian Jedi.

Rex and Ahsoka guest-star as big-name foils for Grogu’s Jedi and Vod’e connections, while the bigger emotions would come from a member of Grogu’s battalion vod’e and a fellow O66 survivor and old friend of Grogu’s.

Joint arc - 

Eventually get involved in the fledgling Rebellion through efforts to rescue and de-chip Grogu’s vod’e, and other clones. 

Maybe cross paths with the Spectres at some point. 

Towards the end of the story, Din claims Grogu as his parent (Ni kyr'tayl gai sa’buir), and Grogu becomes a follower of the Way (armour scenes). 

Building their own family comprising of Mandalorian (incl. Vod’e) and Jedi connections.

[rebelsofshield]

2019: Top Ten Star Wars Media

It’s hard to deny that 2019 was the biggest year for Star Wars in recent memory. With not only the conclusion to the Skywalker Saga released in The Rise of Skywalker, and the first ever live action Star Wars series, The Mandalorian, but all other manner of books, comics, games, and shows, it was a busy year to be a fan of the Galaxy Far, Far Away. While this year’s big feature film may have been largely disappointing, there were still some great additions to the Star Wars legacy.

10. Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren

Only one issue in and writer Charles Soule’s exploration of the start of the Kylo Ren tragedy is already shaping up to be another stellar addition to his already exceptional comics bibliography. While the Knights of Ren may have been little more than set dressing with cool designs in the films, Soule explores this deadly group of warriors as something of a self-destructive, nihilistic cult and gives them their own strange traditions and personality. Artist Will Sliney turns in career best work here with not only providing some great character design but also letting Ben Solo’s complicated facial expressions tell heartbreaking stories of their own. It’s complex and tragic reading that adds to the fascinating history of one of the most intriguing characters of the decade.

9. Star Wars Resistance

It is undeniably uneven and at times aimless, but Star Wars’ third canon animated series is still filled with moments of joy, spectacle, and undeniably fun plot swerves. The playful sense of humor and stellar racing/aerial combat sequences remain a standout and the show is likely a colorful delight for younger viewers. However, what made Resistance such a standout in 2019 is the refreshingly complex character arc given to one of its central cast members, Tam Ryvora. Showrunner Justin Ridge and voice actress Suzie McGrath show how anger and fear can lead even good people into the sway of fascism and Tam’s complicated betrayal and murky moral future makes for some of the most mature storytelling that Star Wars animation has attempted.

8. Star Wars Adventures

As always, IDW’s delightful Star Wars Adventures remains some of the most artistically dynamic and eclectic comics the franchises currently publishes. While always shooting for stories that can be enjoyed by Star Wars fans young and old, Adventures uses its anthology format to tell stories from across the entirety of the franchise canon featuring all manner of characters and letting different creative voices take a spin with the many toys offered. Whether it’s the creepy Halloween limited series Return to Vader’s Castle or seeing Chewbacca and a trusty Porg liberate the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk, Adventures continues to offer a little something for all fans.

7. Star Wars Age of Rebellion

While there were gems inside all three of Marvel’s yearlong Age Of… limited series, its highlight of the most classic of Star Wars eras was undoubtedly its strongest. Greg Pak and his team of collaborating visual artists delivered some outstanding one off stories for Luke, Leia, Tarkin, and others, but it was ultimately their stellar Boba Fett story that proved the highlight of the twenty seven issue run. A mostly wordless Western that opens up with the galaxy’s most infamous bounty hunter riding into town on a robotic horse, Pak and Marc Laming’s thrilling and understated character study was the best Star Wars comic of the year and arguably the best Boba Fett story of the decade.

6. Star Wars: Resistance Reborn

Rebecca Roanhorse’s official prequel to The Rise of Skywalker proves to be a more satisfying experience than the movie that it ties into. Fans of Star Wars media are sure to find much to enjoy in this tale that not only bridges the eighth and ninth episodes of the saga but also provides a conclusion to all manner of media for the last decade. In an incredible balancing act, Roanhorse manages to tell a story of galactic rebellion and resolve while roping in characters from Star Wars Battlefront II, Chuck Wendig’s Aftermath trilogy, Claudia Gray’s Bloodline, Charles Soule’s Poe Dameron comic, and more. The result is a satisfying and thrilling read that rewards longterm readership while remaining a fun and consequential story in its own right.

5. Star Wars: Master and Apprentice

2019 was the twentieth anniversary of The Phantom Menace (holy crap) and while the film still remains a largely derided part of Star Wars history, Claudia Gray’s Qui-Gon Jinn centric prequel will happily enjoy a more positive legacy. Exploring the complicated teacher/student dynamic between Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan Kenobi, Master and Apprentice is an intriguing piece of courtly drama and conspiracy. Gray finds great dramatic fodder in the larger Jedi “family” formed by Qui-Gon and his own masters and former students and it makes for a fun character study amid some enjoyable dialogue centered prose. Gray is recognized by many as the strongest writer currently writing for Star Wars and Master and Apprentice is another fine addition to her repertoire.

4. Star Wars The Mandalorian

Of all other Star Wars media, The Mandalorian was the one to take the world by storm in 2019. Even outside the fire in a pan cuteness success of Baby Yoda, showrunner Jon Favreau’s space western drama was a runaway success. Despite a midseason drag in pacing and quality, the first ever live action Star Wars series thrilled and won over fans the world over with its enjoyable ensemble, great production design, and some stellar direction. Deborah Chow became the first woman to direct a live action Star Wars project and in the process delivered two fantastic hours of television. Her spearheading of an upcoming Obi-Wan show could not be more exciting. However, it was Taika Waititi’s outstanding season finale that is sure to stick in fan’s minds as a yearly highlight. Season two could not come faster.

3. Star Wars: Alphabet Squadron

Even with the Sequel Trilogy closing its doors last month, the next great Star Wars trilogy may have already begun in June. Alexander Freed draws inspiration from the cult favorite X-Wing novels of the 90’s to create a fantastically engaging military procedural set during the fall of the Empire and the rise of a new Republic. Without a doubt the most nuanced take of a galaxy in the final throes of wartime, Alphabet Squadron is an ensemble drama about a cast of characters finding their place in a new galaxy while coming to terms with their own trauma. Freed’s detailed and dutiful prose makes for a surprisingly engrossing read and some of the most powerful character writing to come out of a Star Wars novel in recent years. Thankfully the second installment arrives in less than six months!

2. Star Wars: Queen’s Shadow

There are few characters in the Star Wars galaxy that were in more need of a storytelling makeover than Padme Amidala. While she began as a great female heroine in The Phantom Menace, Padme spent the latter two films of the prequel trilogy bogged down with a leaden romantic story and a borderline misogynistic death. Writer EK Johnston’s Queen’s Shadow is an unabashed love letter to the girl queen that won over a generation of female fans in 1999 and a surprisingly relevant character study of a young woman entering the political scene in a time of galactic change and upheaval. Johnston turns Padme into a complex and politically astute young leader that is forced to navigate her transition from planetary matriarch to senator while also facing a wave of galactic scandal and judgement. It’s hard not to feel that Queen’s Shadow is in conversation with our own country’s treatment of women leaders and acts just as much as a rallying cry for young readers as it does a fun character piece. Also, who would have expected Sabe, Padme’s chief handmaiden played by Kiera Knightley in the film, to be one of the most emotionally complex protagonists of the year?

1. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

It’s been well over a decade since players have been treated to a great Star Wars gaming experience. The last true single player Star Wars game was the woefully lackluster Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II and fans have been clamoring for years for another chance to dive deep into an interactive story set in this rich fictional galaxy. Luckily, Respawn Entertainment have delivered just that in the fantastic Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Blending the exploration of Metroid Prime, the combat of Dark Souls, and the platforming set pieces of Uncharted with a fresh new Star Wars story, Fallen Order may not reinvent the wheel but what it does is present an entertaining and engrossing experience. Character progression and combat feel tailored to Jedi philosophy and exploring new, entirely optional, environments riddled with fascinating lore makes stepping into the interactive world Respawn has crafted rewarding and fun. However, it is the game’s story of the last remaining members of traditions that have been victims of cultural genocide that makes Fallen Order a success. Relatable and complex lead characters and even surprisingly sympathetic villains make this story a refreshingly emotional one and its high and lows are felt with a welcome dedication to theme and pathos.

[sonfaro]

Saw this from reddit poster JBaecker and thought I’d share.  Way too many TLJ defenders completely misunderstand Luke’s character arc in the OT and it shows badly.  This is the response to a poster claiming Luke was “always hot headed”:

Let us review: in the Throne Room, Luke was told....

1. Emperor let the Rebellion know about DS2

2. Dad was going to do his best to kill him

3. His friends on the Endor moon were about to die

4. He strikes OUT OF DESPERATION to try and kill the Emperor, which Vader blocks

5. Because both the Emperor and Vader are BOTH trying to turn Luke but Luke doesn’t hate Vader, therefore Luke needs a FOCUS for his hate

6. Vader then proceeds to kick his ass all over the room while the Emperor stokes his anger and hate by prodding Luke

7. Luke hides in an attempt to ‘be a Jedi’ (calm/passive)

8. Vader then violates Luke’s MIND and takes info that tells him HE HAS A DAUGHTER (I want anyone to think about this. Force users can enter the mind of others and see their most intimate thoughts without the permission of the person being invaded. This is a form of rape. Luke was RAPED.)

9. Instead of wondering at this, his first words are that Obi-Wan has now failed; Luke is in his clutches, the Rebellion is about to be destroyed and his last ace-in-the-hole has been discovered

10. Top off that suck salad with the bacon bits of IMMEDIATELY VADER JUMPS TO “I’LL JUST REPLACE YOU WITH HER”

11. Luke is literally going through hell and now he’s exposed his sister to that possibility

12. With the loss of hope Luke finally lets his rage go and he DEMOLISHES VADER; it’s not even close

13. Then as he stands over his father, he realizes that the cave vision has come true: Luke is his father

14. BUT THEN HE REALIZES THE FAILURE OF THE JEDI

15. life is about choices: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A PATH THAT FOREVER DOMINATES YOUR DESTINY

16. At this exact instant, he understands what the Jedi are SUPPOSED to be and why they are called Knights

17. He turns to the Emperor and throws away his lightsaber, a symbols of aggression and violence, takes a step and placed himself DIRECTLY BETWEEN THE PERSONIFICATION OF EVIL AND HIS FATHER AND SAYS “You have failed Your Highness. I am a Jedi, like my father before me.”

18. Because being a Jedi KNIGHT means you have a sword (lightsaber) AND A SHIELD. A Jedi’s shield is the Jedi’s own body. Luke literally shields his own father from evil and reminds his father of this in the process.

19. This means Luke CHOSE to attack and nearly killed his father in anger BUT then realized that like everything else, it was part of the Emperor’s plan. This also means that the PT shows this gradual descent of Anakin towards evil. EVERY CHOICE IN THE PT IS A CHANCE FOR ANAKIN TO CHOOSE THE JEDI PATH AND HIS CONTINUED FAILURE TO DO SO IS THE REAL FAILURE OF THE JEDI AND ANAKIN. But both Sith and Jedi see it in binary: either you are good or you are bad. But this is incorrect. Everyone makes mistakes and fucks up. But if you realize this, a real Jedi takes responsibility and then fixes their mistake.

20. With this realization LUKE SURPASSES OBI-WAN AND YODA AS A JEDI (there is also the entire problem of the philosophy of emotion, which Luke realizes is incorrect too, his anger at his father is valid and Jedi philosophy of suppressing emotion is completely wrong and one of the root causes of Vader’s rise); the Emperor then CONFIRMS LUKES STATUS BY SAYING “So be it, Jedi.” He realizes that Luke has figured out the Jedi Path and his manipulations will no longer work.

21. But Luke’s still young, going against a Dark Side user that has DECADES of experience

22. The RotJ novelization does this a touch better: The Emperor throws lightning and while Luke thinks he’s protecting his father he’s able to block the lightning even though he’s surprised by it

23. Vader crawls back to his Master like a dog, and Luke loses hope and his defense crumbles

24. The Emperor cackles and delights in torturing Luke while Vader watches

25. As he watches, Anakin contemplates the events of the past few minutes and realizes that Luke has shown him the True Jedi Path

26. Anakin has a choice in this moment: Let Luke die or be a REAL Jedi and protect his son, even if he dies

27. Anakin doesn’t call his lightsaber (your weapons you won’t need them) he uses his SHIELD of his own body and grabs the Emperor and then he ABSORBS ALL OF THE HATE AND RAGE THE PERSONIFICATION OF EVIL CAN THROW

28. He then casts the the “Devil” into the “Pit” one of Campbell’s most famous archetypal images

29. Afterward, Anakin tells Luke “Tells your sister, you were right about me. Tell your sister, you were right....” Luke was right because there was always good in Anakin, he had blinded himself to the fact he ALWAYS had a choice and he had made some pretty shitty choices. And with ONE choice he could redeem himself and his soul. Luke wasn’t nearly as ‘hot-headed’ as you make it out. You literally ignore every single thing being done to him in an effort to manipulate him. There is a logical sequence of events HERE that make the scene in TLJ as false as can be: the LESSON Luke learned was the True Jedi Path and that everyone fucks up, it’s the choice you make after that to fix it that makes you a real Jedi. So, sure, even though it’s dumb, I’ll spot you Luke contemplating murdering his nephew in his sleep. BUT the literal lesson of RotJ means that right after that Luke would realize he made a mistake AND HE WOULD FIX IT. It’s this inability of Rian Johnson to actually fully understand the concepts and execution of George Lucas in RotJ that hamstrings the entire premise of TLJ. And also why I wrote this long description. This is also bog-standard interpretation of the original trilogy in dozens of philosophical and story-telling analyses. It’s then fully supported by the development of the prequel trilogy. This lack of sophisticated understanding of Luke and the Force in TLJ is utterly apparent as you go from ‘distraught’ Luke to ‘heroic’ Luke, he’s a demonstrably WORSE person at the end of TLJ than at the end of RotJ. In RotJ he saves his mass murderer father from himself. In TLJ, Kylo says “ Are you here to save me uncle?”

AND LUKE SAYS “NO.” That. Is. Mind-boggling. (emphasis mine - Sonfaro)

His character archetype is the redemptive hero. Yet at the end, he eggs his nephew on and PURPOSELY drives him farther into anger and hate. For a mistake that he himself (Luke) made. This is why Mark Hamill has repeatedly called out RJ and is still vocally dissing TLJ. It also means that you are making a false statement about Luke and his motives.

Here’s the thread in question.

https://www.reddit.com/r/equelMemes/comments/by54hq/lukes_outlook_seems_to_have_changed_over_the_years/

[jenniferladybug]

Essay Wars - it’s a doozy

Last night my friend got in a texting debate about the story structure and character developments of Star Wars (a majority of it Kylo Ren). Well, what started off as my vigorous texting writing turned into full-blown essay responses. 

Alright, let’s get into how this actually happened.

First, I was so excited about The Rise of Skywalker Final Trailer and I began to sing praises for Kylo Ren/Bendemption. My friend did not like that...so I whipped out the big guns. 

I began to send scattered texts about certain things, mostly pertaining to:

Kylo Ren was turned to the dark side before he was even born via Bloodline, where Leia describes a dark presence over her womb.

Someone must be impersonating Darth Vader when Kylo goes to the Vader mask for advice.

Leia and Han were emotionally neglectful/did not know how to raise their son in the right way, mixed with brainwashing lead to Kylo Ren.

The Jedi are not good for the galaxy (yes, yes I know, but see my explanation down below...if you last that long)

Kylo wants to let the past die and start fresh with a new ‘order’, leave behind the Sith, Jedi, First order etc.

I also rambled on about a few other things in separate texts, but that is the gist of it.

So, in response to my scattered texts I received this from my friend Sammy, and oh boy was I ready:

So, let’s start with the story of Ben. The dark side since before he was even born thing is interesting and the fact that he’s been influenced his entire life by it is something they should have made much more clear in the films. That’s actually one of the problems I have with this new expanded universe- it just seems like damage control for the movies. The Previous EU EXPANDED everything, giving backstory to the characters we know and understand, in addition to secondary characters. Hell, they even gave us new characters as well but they never negated or changed the meaning of the films which is the bread and butter of the franchise, so if this super important info is coming from the book I think that’s just silly. You really shouldn’t have to read the novel iteration to understand what the movie did a bad job of interpreting. But I digress, that is some crucial info…

The Vader mask scene and the theory that it’s someone else like Snoke who has been pretending to be Vader is interesting, and I buy that, but like…Kylo didn’t know Vader was redeemed? Did Luke, Leia, Han, Chewy, Lando, Akbar, Wedge, or like literally anybody else form the Rebellion forget to tell him that? Big yikes.

IMO, feeling “misunderstood and neglected by his parents” isn’t a valid excuse for him to kill his own dad and being ok with his mom getting bombed to hell. Idk, you can ask why it’s ok for us to forgive Vader through his redemption arc but I think comparing his experiences to Kylo’s is like comparing apples to oranges. Vader was a BAD guy, but he ended up doing the ultimate GOOD thing in the end, and then the prequels fleshed out how he became bad intangible way, which to be fair, Kylo doesn’t have. But still, this is why most fans don’t take him seriously.

About the Jedi not being good- I challenge your credentials. “For a thousand generations the Jedi knights have been the guardians of peace and justice for the Old Republic”, then they were hunted down and everything turned to shit. And both in this canon and the previous one, it’s wildly considered that the few thousand years preceded the events of the movies things were super peaceful all things considered when the Jedi were in charge…and the Sith traditionally only operates in agents of 2. So how come everything was so peaceful for a thousand generations when there were a million Jedi and 2 Sith…ying yang in this case is bollocks.

And if Kylo really wants to “Start fresh”, why’d he start by becoming Supreme Leader of like the Star Wars version of ISIS? This is something we’ll need to find out in this next movie. I agree, his motive is to dismantle the Jedi and Sith way and create something else entirely, but the second Rey says “nah” he goes back to how he was. It’s not looking good.

The George Lucas rhyme thing lets not forget he’s talking about Episode 1 which was arguably one of the worst Star Wars movies made and he ended it with “hopefully it’ll work” and then grimaces…IDK bud lmao. And I doubt back in 1977 he knew there was going to be an episode 9 because he didn’t even know what he just made was Episode 4! It definitely was never a 9 episode arc from the get-go. Now, I know for certain after the prequels he had another trilogy in mind, and when he sold the rights to Disney he did hand them his drafts and notes, but even Bob Iger, CEO of Disney, admitted in his new book, they didn’t follow those drafts AT ALL. LIKE NOTHING. And he said that George felt betrayed. This idea of a new trilogy is something that was created in 2012, but I suspect they have been making this up as they went. After this last movie, Disney scrambled to get JJ Abrams back and figure out how they were going to get everything back on track. Daisy Ridley herself said JJ wrote a story for each of the 3 new movies, but Rian ended up created his own completely. I think that alone shows that production for these movies has been inconsistent, I don’t buy this was all part of some 9 series plan with a definitive beginning, middle, and end from the get-go.

Not sure what Rey’s lineage is, we’ll find out for sure in this next movie. I read one theory that Palpatine created her sorta through the force like many people think he did with Anakin.

So that was what I was up against.

Let’s take a brief moment to appreciate this:

Okay now that that is done...great. 

My turn! 

Now, I wrote my response (copied below) at top speed in about an hour, so maybe some of the things I say start sounding rushed or not as fleshed out as they should be. But I cracked my knuckles and gave it a go:

I am the first one to advocate for a film to have the ability to ‘stand-alone’ in any particular universe, whether it be Marvel, DC, Hunger Games, and Star Wars. By introducing a backstory for Leia’s pregnancy and hers and Han’s marriage in ‘Bloodline’, LucasFilm is doing just that: giving a backstory. In both The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, there is proof that Snoke is the one pulling the strings when it comes to young solo. In the first film, Leia is quoted saying to Han, “There’s still light in him I know it! No. It was Snoke. He seduced our son to the dark side”, and in the second film Luke is quoted as saying, “Snoke had already turned his heart”. It is made apparent that ‘Kylo Ren’ is the production of Snoke, and Ren suffers abuse both mental and physical from his master. Though this changes when Kylo finally becomes free of the shackles Snoke once had on him when Ren slices him in half. The look of shock and release on Ren’s face when he realizes what he’s done says it all. Who are we to judge someone who is freshly out of the control of their captor? By just watching the films it is clear that Kylo Ren is not fully in control of his actions and he is being manipulated consistently as shown by the quotes above. When having that manipulation in conjunction with the neglect of a parental figure, then you get the full-blown reality that is Kylo Ren.

Feeling “misunderstood and neglected by his parents” is a valid excuse for turning to the Darkside in the world of a fictional fairy tale. Keep in mind we are not in a reality where this is okay, yet the world in which Star Wars exists allows such things to be redeemable and explainable. Take for example when Padme knew about Anakin killing younglings; she wanted him to still come home because she ‘loved’ him. If he had turned back to the light at that moment she would have most likely accepted him back. It is a danger of the force. They are not dealing with everyday normal emotions; the force, as well as the genre of the franchise, creates a heightened sense of urgency which is apparent throughout the forty-plus years Star Wars has been around (hell, as long as any fairy tale has been around). When you point out that Vader did the ultimate good thing in the end, do you mean to save his son and push Palpatine down a duct? If so, then this would be his redemption which occurred in the last of the original trilogies. If you are to treat Kylo with the same rules as Vader, then we must give him a chance to ‘do the right thing’, something which the filmmakers have been steadily building his character-arc for. Vader did numbers ‘wrong’ things, some of them much worse than Kylo has done. But yet the audience still chose to respect him, even before the prequels which fleshed out the story of Anakin Skywalker.

Now, you may be correct in that Ben Solo knew of Vader’s redemption, and I misspoke, to which I am sorry. He, in fact, learned of his heritage when he was training with Luke at his academy when he received a letter from his mother. The contents of the letter are unknown, though it is assumed she told him of his heritage when he was in his late teens. This was only because one of her rivals she was campaigning against in the senate threatened to leak the knowledge to the public that Leia was the daughter of the infamous Darth Vader. Ben had no idea before-hand though, so once again we assume that this had some type of impact. Imagine finding out your grandfather was Hitler. Would that be fun? But, since we addressed the fact that external material should not need to be consumed in order for a film to make sense, then we should disregard any idea as to how Ben Solo came to learn of his heritage. It is not mentioned in the films, but it is a widely held belief by many in the fandom that if Kylo Ren knew of his grandfathers’ redemption then he merely took this as a lapse in judgment in his late years (especially since it is hinted to in the films that Ren is speaking to someone via the Vader mask). Perhaps said mask has been telling Ren lies in lieu of the true story of the redemption. But that is speculation. What is not speculation is the line Ren utters in The Force Awakens, “Forgive me. I feel it again... The pull to the light... Supreme Leader senses it. Show me again... The power of the darkness... And I'll let nothing stand in our way... Show me... Grandfather... and I will finish... what you started.” What we can tell from the film is that Ren is in a constant struggle to stay within the dark, and through his words, it is expressed how this warrants forgiveness. The second half of the statement is even more worrying in the fact that Ren says ‘show me again’, referencing a previous time this ‘Vader’ has shown him what the darkness entails. Will we find out in episode nine if there was an imposter (Palpatine?) feeding more lies and brainwashing to Kylo Ren? That means not only was he getting terrible treatment from Snoke, but from his ‘grandfather’ as well. Perhaps this is why in the final trailer for episode nine we see Rey and Ren destroying said helmet. Until the film comes out, this will still be a mystery.

In coming to why I believe the Jedi are bad, I side with Luke Skywalker on this one. As he says in The Last Jedi, “ At the height of their powers, they allowed Darth Sidious to rise, create the Empire, and wipe them out. It was a Jedi Master who was responsible for the training and creation of Darth Vader.” To that, Rey points out that it was also a Jedi who saved him. Which is true! Yet, the rules surrounding the Jedi order are such that allowed for Anakin to search elsewhere for support. True, he was very conflicted, but the Jedi are so extreme that they do not welcome outside opinions or thinking. You are either all light or you’re bad. There is no intermediary. That is why the answer is grey Jedi. I know those exist, and what needs to happen is a yin and yang between the light and the dark. Working together fosters acceptance and love within the galaxy. Even the symbol in the pool of the Jedi Temple in which Luke tucked himself away had a figure in a yin and yang pattern. “Powerful light and powerful dark...a balance”. Yet, any dark whatsoever that the Jedi see they stamp out.

When Anakin says, “If you’re not with me, then you’re against me”, Obi-wan responds with, “Only sith think in absolutes!”. Well, can you see the issue there? Obi-wan is also thinking in absolute. Using the word only further segmented and cast aside Anakin, by labeling him a lost cause. Such a similar thing happened with Kylo Ren and the incident with Luke at the Jedi Academy. The momentary lapse which Luke expressed to Rey was the tipping point. In Ren’s eyes, even his Master saw him beyond saving. And since everyone around him insists on thinking in absolute, then he must be bad according to them, right?

Slowly, Ren is beginning to realize there is another way, something not presently defined within the Star Wars universe. It is not Sith, it is not Jedi, it is not the First Order: it is the ‘new order’ which he proposes to Rey. Yet, he is not ready for redemption yet. The entire point of the scene was for Rey to realize that Kylo Ren cannot be saved by anyone but himself. This is a very powerful message and I am quite looking forward to seeing how his self-realization occurs in Episode Nine. Now, keep in mind that he had banked everything on Rey saying yes, and in his mind, she is “Still. Holding. ON!”, which she is, and he is right that it is holding her back. How can you expect someone from a family of yelling, angry people to get it right the first time? In fact, Adam Driver had to ask Rian Johnson if Kylo Ren had ever kissed a girl before. Kylo is not experienced in this ‘love’ world. He did not receive much love language from his absentee parents, so the only relationship he’s known for most of his teen and adult life is that of Snoke and General Hux. At that moment in which he wakes up to realize she is gone is one of abandonment and rejection. He thought he had found his match, the answer to his loneliness, and she snapped his lightsaber in two. He is basically throwing a grownup temper-tantrum, which is blatantly apparent in the standoff with Luke. When Kylo threatens everything, even ‘destroying’ Rey, Luke claims that everything Kylo says is “a lie”. It is clear in the last few moments of the film when Kylo is defeated and on his knees holding his father’s die that the audience begins to realize his anger was all a facade. In that shot, he is merely a lost and lonely boy realising the path he has chosen is wrong. The final force-bond between Kylo and Rey exhibits every one of those notions. There is no anger in his face, not very ‘destroy-ee’ of him, and he looks up with her with an almost longing. But when she sternly shuts the door on him, once again he is left alone, the die slowly fading from his gloved hand.

If that doesn’t sound like poetry then I don’t know what is! George Lucas was quoted saying in the behind the scenes of the prequels, “You see the echo of where it all is gonna go. It’s like poetry, sort of. They rhyme.” Similar themes and sequences occur within the franchise, and they have kept that alive at Disney Lucas Films, especially in regards to the parallels drawn between Anakin/Padme and Kylo/Rey. They even designed their respective costumes in a similar fashion. Kylo has his mother and father’s anger and stubbornness. They had a rough idea of where it was all going to go. And in regards to JJ Abrams and Rian Johnson, JJ Abrams was an executive producer on Episode 8 and had a say in the general outline of the plot. JJ had set up the relationship between Kylo and Rey in The Force Awakens, and Rian continued along that path. He followed the skeleton needed to get the plot from 7-9. But think about it, Disney would not allow Rian to just veer off the path completely. Yes he had some creative license but within parameters. Sometimes I don’t think people understand the workings of a large corporation with creative decisions. On a project like Star Wars there is always input from the higher-ups. In addition, JJ Abrams auditioned potential Kylo Ren actors with the script from Pride and Prejudice (Mr. Darcy of course). This is made clear in the writing decisions and parallels which have been made for that particular character.

Lastly, would you really want George Lucas at the helm of this new trilogy? People thought the prequels were terrible and Lucas went back and digitally altered the originals against the will of fans. He is not technically the best when it comes to scriptwriting (Exhibit A: “I hate sand, it gets everywhere!”) Also, Mark Hamill was interviewed in the early ’00s and said, "You know, when I first did this, it was four trilogies. 12 movies! And out on the desert, any time between setups...lots of free time. And George was talking about this whole thing. I said, 'Why are you starting with IV, V and VI? It's crazy.' [Imitating Lucas grumble,] 'It's the most commercial section of the movie.'” Yes, the first film was a stand-alone, since they had no idea they would receive any further funding. But then the immense success allowed for Lucas to develop the franchise further.

What I think people tend to forget is that Star Wars is a fairy tale, and it is not supposed to be about ‘a mass murder’ who is going to jail. It is supposed to be about redemption at its very heart. George Lucus had expressed that he intended Star Wars as a series for “twelve-year-olds”. This explains things like Jar Jar Binks and other bizarre choices he has made as a creator. Though this explains a lot of why most of the people who hate the franchise now are angry adults online who live in an overly politically correct world judging a fictional character who is in the middle of a character arc. As JJ Abrams had said in the director's commentary of The Force Awakens, “We looked at it like […] a fairy tale. What are the elements that you’re going to see that makes it this genre, this specific genre? […] You’re probably going to have a castle, and a prince and a princess, if you’re looking at a fairy tale. We wanted to give these fundamental, not cosmetic, but prerequisite elements.”

Okay, I’ve talked too much. I am going to end it there for now. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

Haha hope that was entertaining and that sparked some thinking and inspiration. I know I let my keyboard run away from me and please excuse the odd typo from time to time. Let me know your thoughts.

I mean just look at that beautiful man.

Love you all!

[lj-writes]

Finn’s Parentage Theories: Legends Edition

Clockwise from upper-middle-right.

Luke Skywalker and Lando Calrissian

Luke and Lando raise a child together, either adopted or through a surrogate. When Kylo destroys the temple, Luke and Lando are devastated when they think their child is killed in the fire. However, all children are brainwashed and recruited by the First Order.

Pros: Uses a fan-favorite ship from Legends, largely thanks to the Marvel Comics. Would give Luke and Lando both a temporary happy ending and a good reason to resign to depression for a while. The timeline would add up and it would give potentially sweet scenes for Finn, Lando, and Luke in Episode IX.

Cons: Would be really depressing. Unlikely for Disney to have an onscreen gay relationship not played for laughs or cheap diversity credit. Would cause some people to view it as Skywalker=naturally good, even though Finn wouldn’t be his biological son.

Nick Rostu

A Force-sensitive warrior from Haruun Kal, Nick Rostu was young at the end of the Clone Wars, but seemed to be about Luke’s age when they met. Regardless, in this universe, Knights of Ren took children while posing as Jedi Knights. Rostu, remembering his friends Mace and Depa, let them, believing their lies that it was for medical purposes. The adults were knocked out, and the Force-sensitive children were stolen to make an elite squad of stormtroopers.

Pros: Allows a Star Wars culture only seen in books to join the screens. Would allow Finn to have a big, loving community to return to as well. Nick’s fighting style is also unique, being a sniper trickster.

Cons: Would come out of nowhere for fans outside of the EU. The timeline wouldn’t add up well. A white director could easily default on stereotypes when designing a culture of jungle-dwellers.

Qu Rahn

Qu Rahn was a young survivor of Order 66, and lived into the early years of the New Republic. With a bit of time displacement, we could change his noble end to be at the hand of Snoke, and his defense of Finn is similar to his defense of Kyle Katarn.

Pros: Would fit with Finn being based off from Kyle Katarn. Adds a connection to one of the most popular EU stories. Would be a way for Finn to get his own lightsaber.

Cons: Could anger Dark Forces fans. Wouldn’t allow closure for Finn’s arc.

Giddean Danu

As one of the signers of the Delegation of 2000, and a founder of the Rebellion, perhaps the Senator of Kuat was imprisoned in a secret Imperial jail, along with his family. His son and his son’s wife had a child after the death of the Emperor, but the Imperial Remnant led by Rae Sloane kept them in captivity and took all Rebellion children to be First Order grunts.

Pros: Reference to the prequels. Allows a new surge of Resistance allies. Some resemblance between Christopher Kirby and John Boyega. Has ties to the Space-Prince Finn theory.

Cons: Would be a bit of a surprise. It’s unlikely Palpatine would take prisoners from the delegation instead of killing them.

Novoc Vevut

In Legends, Novoc adopted and raised the boy who would go on to marry Boba Fett’s grandfather. This version would be biological father to one of the stolen Mandalorian children that he and the new Mandalore Boba Fett have been seeking. Novoc would also have his adopted son Ghes Orade, who would act like a big brother for Finn.

Pros: Similarity to both Mandalorian Finn theory and LJ-writes-verse Sequel Trilogy. Provide a plot-based excuse to bring in Mandalorians and Boba Fett. Would be suitably epic without contradicting previous material.

Cons: Always have to deal with the “Boba should be dead” crowd. Morrison and Logan are both a bit too young to play old Boba (but makeup would fix that). Would raise the question of “where were these guys in the last two movies?”

Barney

One of Luke’s earliest Jedi apprentices, despite not having any real demonstrable Force powers, Barney is a humble, kind man from Marvel comics. He lived on Belderone, a world where AT-AT’s were built, making it a target for First Order raiders. After his home was raided, he has been working any job to pursue any lead as to where his son might be.

Pros: Barney is both sweet and determined, and would be a likable addition. Would also be poor enough to explain a lack of Galactic presence in previous films. Also provide a cute moment for Rey and Finn when she talks about living in an AT-AT, and Finn’s dad makes an instant connection.

Cons: Is named Barney, which is reminiscent of a certain purple dinosaur. Might not reasonably find Finn on his own power. Likable but potentially devoid of conflict once he reunites with his son.

Akanah Norand Goss Pell

Akanah was an ex of Luke’s, and a member of the Fallanassi, a religious organization that thought of the Force as a river known as the White Current, flowing and rippling. Akanah was absorbed into the entity Abeloth, aka Mother of Mortis, and died. However, what if when Abeloth was defeated, she and her avatars transferred to a different timeline rather than a different time period? Akanah, revived, and driven mad by the process, is unable to keep her newborn son in safety.

Pros: Bridge the old and new timelines. Provide a set-up for a potentially grand tenth movie. Add some mystery to an otherwise straightforward saga.

Cons: Somewhat depressing. Akanah would be a bit too old to have a child (but it is sci-fi). Would derail the main conflict of the sequel trilogy.

Katya M’buele

Katya was a friend of Han’s before the Battle of Yavin. In Legends, she died helping Luke fight demons in Marvel’s comics, but this version could live past the battle and become a Rebel Hero like Kes and Shara. She would be in the Resistance, as a slightly older woman, running smuggling and transport operations, always looking for her son that went missing at a young age.

Pros: Ties to the Resistance strengthened. Could appear as a young woman in a Solo sequel. Would not derail the conflict.

Cons: Underwhelming reveal. Ultimately too serendipitous to happen naturally (but there is the Force.) Not a very popular character.

Those are just some theories to rebut the idea that nobody’s thinking of some potential parentages for Finn! I might do a canon one, if this goes over well. My favorite is Luke/Lando, but I think Novoc would make for the best story. (Moth)

[absolxguardian]

You know what day it is. It's Classpect the SW Trios day! (Page of blood Finn? Knight of Hope Luke? I think there's something to be said about both Rey and Anakin "inviting destruction")

Ahhh, I’m not too good at classpecting, but here we go:

Anakin: Lord of Rage. Being the chosen one means Anakin gets a master class. The rage comes from is volatility, inviting destruction (as you said), and Anakin’s later belief that the Jedi were lying to him and therefore must die. Being a Lord represents Anakin because of how damn active he is in the Homestuck sense. (Also he is literally a lord of the sith) Lord’s are also known for instructing/ordering others (while musing guide/inspire) which fits Vader very well. (Other than Rage, I’d put Time as Anakin’s aspect)

Padme: Maid of Hope: The class was really hard to figure out for Padme, but Hope was easy. It can repersent convictions, a sense of right, and the need to protect people from injustice. And despite all the destruction raining down around her, Padme still imagines and an impossible world where the Republic is still around, she can be open in her marriage with Anakin, and they can raise their children. The Maid class works with the possible interpretations of “made of aspect”(her convictions are her driving personality) “one who allows others to be protected by aspect”(Democracy would be one of those said convictions. And by being a senator, democracy can actually protect the people)  “someone who protects themselves and/or others with [aspect]” (same point more but intentional, which I prefer)

Obi-Wan: Heir of Doom: The extended zodiac description calls Doom players “ fate’s chosen sufferers.” Which is pretty much Obi-Wan’s thing. Kenobi would have become more in touch with his aspect during his exile on Tatooine, leading to his resignation and wisdom in ANH. The Heir class is based on his relationship with the Force in the prequels. He lets the Force control him and protect him, in the same way Heirs are often used by their aspect. The moments in the ROTS novelization where Obi-Wan basically reaches so deep into the force he’s in a super trance, that would be an Heir thing. And he is very much a pawn of fate, making sure everything is in the right place.

Ahsoka: Page of Time: Time is because the official site describes Time players as fighters and those who value action over passive acceptance. This describes Ahsoka pretty well, especially how, during the Ahsoka book she had to help others despite the fact she was putting herself in danger of discovery. Page is because of how she provides others will the tools they need to fight as Fulcrum. And how she helps the younglings in the Trandoshian arc, the people of Raada in the book, and the insurgents of Onderan.

Luke: Slyph of Breath: “Although Breath-bound do make very good leaders, breath tends to be a very personal aspect. Often, heroism comes along as an offshoot of them pursuing their own personal stories. They lead by example, and will routinely be surprised that others look up to or feel inspired by them. They have a tendency to underestimate themselves, and not always out of poor self-esteem. They were just doing their own thing.” (Extend Zodiac). Luke has metaphorically healed a lot of things. He healed Vader by redeeming him. He healed the galaxy by ending the Empire. He was going to heal the Jedi order. All those things relate to freedom (freedom from the Emperor, freedom from the Empire, the Jedi would preserve freedom). Hence Slyph of Breath. I’d say Luke could also be a Slyph of Life just as easily.

Leia: Knight of Blood/Time: Time would be because of the same reasons I outlined for Ahsoka. Blood would be because while young Leia isn’t much of a tactician, she is a vital figurehead and inspiration to the rebellion. And as the leader of the Resistance, she is both a tactical and moral leader. It is the strength of her personality that holds the Resistance together. Knight is because, compared to Ashoka or the role of a Fulcrum, she takes a much more visible and active role leading her cause than the Page class would.

Han: Witch of Heart: This is the one I’m the least unsure of. Heart would be because of the false face Han puts on of being way cooler and unfeeling than he really is. He’s very concerned about being perceived as the smuggler role he put on. Witch would be because he tries to manipulate his identity instead of doing the natural self-discovery the site seems to say is their base deal. I’d say Breath as an aspect as a second choice, but Witch wouldn’t work with that. *shurg*

Lando (because I did Ahsoka. Guess I’m doing the quartet for all of them. And that would make it a full session) Bard of Space: I was going to say Breath as well, but I’m planning on running a Sburb Sim with their classpects later, and well, they need a Space player. And honestly, Lando’s the only one good enough at long term plans that I’d give it to him. And then I’d say Bard, because of the fact his long term plans don’t really shake out the best, instead inviting destruction 

Rey: Muse of Hope: Rey’s got some super destiny thing going on. We all know that. And the thing is, the first part of her life was really similar to Calliope’s. For most of her life, she has been acting in a passive role. And there’s a lot of parallels between Calliope and Caliborn’s relationship and Rey and Kylo’s. And as the next Jedi, Rey is going to be a big inspiration to the galaxy and the Resistance. Like Padme, she has a lot of convictions she manages to hang onto in one of the most cruel planets. But she’s a much bigger dreamer than Padme, with the whole thing she has about her parents and Luke.

Finn: Mage of Life: Discounting my “Finn as the Restiance medic trained by Kix” headcanon, his empathy still leads him away from the First Order. But when he was part of the First Order, he did it because he honestly believed the lies that the First Order was preventing anarchy from burning down the galaxy. The thing on the site about how Life players often forget to take care of themselves reflects how little value Finn was raised to place on himself. His empathy is also apparent when how he defies Phasma to protect Slip. For class, I went for Mage with the assumption of “one who is manipulated by [aspect].” This has to do with how Finn’s empathy and selflessness were manipulated by the First Order.

Rose: Seer of Hope: Yeah, sorry it’s another Hope player. All the main characters are just too much of a mess to be void, mind, or light. Those aspects aren’t really Star Wars protagonist material. Anyway, “They do right for right’s sake, and are quick to come to the aid of anyone they deem to be experiencing injustice.” “They may sound like all sunshine and rainbows, but they aren’t adverse to a little destruction, especially if they think they can replace it with something better and more just.” (Extended Zodiac). Her seer class doesn’t relate directly to her aspect. It’s more about the extent of her knowledge in general. She creates the power bafflers, some vehicles for exploring D’Qar, and figures out that the First Order is using active tracking.

Poe: Knight of Time: Poe is more similar to a younger Liea than her current leadership role on D’Qar. Since sequel trilogy Leia is very much a Knight of Blood, then Poe is a Knight of Time. (Actaully now that I’m almost done I honestly prefer knight of blood liea than knight of time Leia)

So there you go. What do you think of these? I know I didn’t go off of your classpects at all, but I’m interested in hearing what yours are. Also these were the pages I used as aspect and class descriptions:

http://hs.hiveswap.com/ezodiac/aboutaspects.php

http://mspaintadventures.wikia.com/wiki/Class

[misssingingintherain]

The Tragedy of General Leia the Feminist Icon: AKA Leia Organa (and Carrie Fisher) Deserve Better

This is essentially my play-by-play (or rather movie-by-movie) analysis of how Star Wars failed Carrie Fisher/Leia Organa and how it can begin to make things right.

Perhaps the greatest failing of the Original Star Wars Trilogy is its treatment of Leia Organa (and, by extension, Carrie Fisher). Though a feminist icon and one of the great female characters of the Saga, Leia was never given much focus or a defined arc over the first three movies.

A New Hope’s portrayal of Leia is still lauded as revolutionary, and I am inclined to agree. While she does kiss Luke twice and has sexual tension with Han, their relationships are mostly based on friendship and her main goal is always the rebellion, with her being a representation of what Luke aspires to be in the rebellion: wise, courageous, clever, selfless, and a symbol of hope. Many Star Wars story leaders and fans also cite Leia as being the whole reason the saga started, with her being the reason the plans/R2 got to Luke and Obi-Wan. However, despite seeing her planet destroyed in front of her, no time whatsoever is spent on her emotional trauma and instead has her comforting Luke over Obi-Wan’s death and Han’s leaving and she is a relatively passive figure in the climax, not taking part in the planning nor the assault on the Death Star.

Empire Strikes Back is arguably the best of the bunch, though that isn’t saying much. This is the movie in which Leia has the closest thing to an arc, but even then it’s mostly a ‘defrosting ice-queen’ arc, with hints of the typical rom-com arc of “growing to love a man being the most important thing in life.” The Leia/Han romance is also peppered with predatory undertones, as outlined by Pop Culture Detective (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWoP8VpbpYI).

Which brings us to the worst of the worst: Return of the Jedi. I could go on for a millennium about everything wrong with the gold bikini, from how it was used to silence both Carrie and Leia to how it poisoned relations between Star Wars and its female fans for years to come by attempting to brand it a boy’s story. But perhaps the worst part is how, after Luke got focus in Empire and Han got his arc in A New Hope, Return of the Jedi should have been Leia’s movie;. She should have been leading the charge to get Han back, she should have been the General in charge the assault on the shield generator (there are implications in the new Canon that she was essentially a General at this point but this is not shown in the text), and most importantly, she should have had some reaction to Darth Vader being her father, as she arguably has spent more time with him than Luke; @commander-burnham goes into greater detail about it here (http://commander-burnham.tumblr.com/post/136549235712/could-you-please-elaborate-on-how-rotj-should-have).

After the Original Trilogy, there came the period of Retroactive Recognition for Leia. Revenge of the Sith showed that Leia was so strong in the Force, she could remember her mother’s face minutes after being born. They also showed she was more similar to her father than mother personality wise; though Leia is similar to Padme in looks and profession, she obviously gets her rage and sense of justice from her Jedi father. This is an interesting dynamic, as it explains why she may have been more likely to turn to the Dark Side than Luke and also shows how much power she wields.

The Expanded Universe (now Legends) had degrees of this, playing into both feminist and sexist aspects of the Original Trilogy. Leia’s force sensitivity was more fully developed to the point of her and her children becoming fully fledged Jedi Knights, lightsabers and all. However, she also was frequently kidnapped by everyone from Hutts to the Emperor’s imposter son to Han Solo (again, leading to predatory undertones).

This era of Retroactive Recognition has also carried over into the current Disney era, with Forces of Destiny, novels, and comics like Princess Leia and Vader Down expanding on Leia’s off-screen narrative and showing what kind of growth she went through off-screen. Star Wars: Infinities goes so far as to have Leia replace/join Luke as the Chosen One. I especially appreciate the Forces of Destiny as, while action-oriented, it also serves to emphasize Leia’s devotion to diplomacy and justice. Rogue One had this to some degree, putting Leia and her ship in the heart of the battle (though I maintain Leia would have been at the door of the ship, ready to shoot Vader to get those plans if need be).

Leia only one of main trio to appear in Star Wars: Rebels, showing how much she was doing for both the Rebellion and the Galaxy at a very young age. However, even here, she does not act very much like a fourteen year-old girl, but a shorter, younger version of A New Hope’s Leia, therefore negating any chance for an arc.

That brings us to the Sequel Trilogy; in The Force Awakens, Leia is the subject of almost all the deleted scenes, meaning we don’t get to see Leia being a General until the third act. Even then, a good portion of her character is still based around her relationships with men, whether it be a sister trying to bring her brother home, a wife trying to repair her relationship with her husband, or a mother trying to save her son. All worthy pursuits, but also somewhat unsatisfying from a feminist perspective, especially for someone who started out as independent and focused on the fight as A New Hope Leia.

The Last Jedi does have Leia using the Force and being a General, as well as a major symbol of hope for the Resistance, but also has her sidelined (metaphorically and physically) by her more famous brother and then a coma, leaving Admiral Holdo to take her place. While an interesting character, the dynamic between Holdo and Poe may have been somewhat more complicated if it had been Leia he had been questioning and defying. And once again, she is not allowed to deal with the trauma of losing her husband at the hand of her son, but is instead once again helping others through their issues instead.

Episode IX would have supposedly rectified some of these issues, having been set to be Leia-centric as VII was for Han and VIII was for Luke. However, with Carrie Fisher’s death, those plans have since been scrapped and it is unknown how exactly the story will handle the passing of our Princess.

So how can Star Wars / Disney continue to right the wrongs of their treatment of Leia Organa?

I have a few suggestions:

1. A Leia Anthology movie about her early days in the rebellion. Leia, Princess of Alderaan, Rebels, Rogue One, and even the Han Solo movie have already laid the groundwork for this to work. This would be a difficult one, as it almost feels blasphemous to continue Leia’s story after Carrie’s death, since the two are in many ways a “Möbius striptease” as Fisher once said; however, as this would be a prequel exploring Leia before she became the Rebel Princess and General we know and love, it could work as a look into how she found that strength and sense of justice. As an almost political spy thriller reminiscent of Padme Amidala’s episodes in The Clone Wars, it could have Leia struggling with her rebel idealism and the harsh reality of Imperial politics, with a potential cast of side characters like Tarkin, Darth Vader, and (Future Vice Admiral) Amilyn Holdo either helping or hindering her navigation of it. There have already been fan poster of Millie Bobby Brown that are absolutely spectacular and Fisher’s family has expressed a desire for her to remain a vital part of the franchise. This could be that way.

However, if it is deemed too soon, an alternative could also be:

2. A fictional documentary on the life of General Leia Organa, with in-character interviews from the sequel and original movies’ casts. It could serve to tie in more of the Retroactive Recognition found in the comics and novels into the movie canon. If not as a movie, it could work as a Netflix documentary or an exclusive feature on the future Disney streaming service. This could pay tribute to both Carrie and Leia in one fell swoop.

3. Another Star Wars: Infinities comic series, this time for what Episode IX would have been like if Carrie Fisher had lived. Obviously, this would have to come out after Episode IX to avoid spoilers, but that would give writers and artists time to capture Carrie’s witty writing and unique portrayal of the character to the best of their ability.

4. More supplementary material, whether comics, novels, or cartoons, exploring Leia’s Force sensitivity, so the audience may know how powerful she was and/or could have been had she been trained.

5. Tackle issues that Carrie did in life; bring in more women (especially older ones otherwise neglected by Hollywood), tackle issues like mental health, addiction, body image. Do not wait to tell these stories about minorities and incredible, as like Carrie Fisher herself, while their spirits may live on in us and the Force forever, their physical forms may not.

[atamascolily]

An incomplete review of the Star Wars EU/Legends canon

I never thought I would say this, but I'm actually very thankful there will never be another Star Wars EU/Legends book in the old - now non-canon - universe. I've been revisiting those books recently as part of my recent Star Wars kick, and let me tell you, I stopped reading them just at the right time - when Vector Prime came out and they killed Chewie off. It's all downhill from there.

Anyway, the Legends universe is a hot mess, but for me, the five Thrawn Books by Timothy Zahn - Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, The Last Command, Specter of the Past, and Vision of the Future - are amazing and totally canon in my heart for pretty much everything. Everything else is pretty much "meh" except for a few books that evoke some late '90s nostalgia (because really this blog is all about late '90s nostalgia).

So in my head, Luke and Mara Jade are happily married, and so are Han and Leia; their three children, Jacen, Jaina and Anakin, are all happy-go-lucky teenagers who can use the Force with their besties - Tenel Ka of the Hapes Cluster, Chewie's nephew Lowbaccha, and Tahiri Veila - and getting kidnapped/saving the galaxy every few months. The New Republic is alive and going strong on Coruscant (which never gets invaded by aliens from outside the galaxy), Luke runs the Jedi Academy on Yavin IV; the remnants of the Empire are scattered and disorganized and sue for peace with the New Republic and Captain Pelleaon finally gets the retirement he deserves. It's really great.

But let's face it, I read just about all of the books published prior to 1999 because I was a Star Wars geek and that's just what you did in the late '90s. (They were New York Times best-sellers so I know I wasn't the only one.) In general, I love the art on the books because it looks just like movie posters for films that were never made and that's exactly what I wanted.

Random thoughts on said EU/Legends canon cut below, for length:

-Ben Kenobi's last appearance to Luke in the Legends AU: "You're not the last of the old Jedi... but the first of the new." (TAKE THAT, DISNEY EPISODE 8!) -Awesome things from the Thrawn books: Mara Jade - check. Talon Karrde - check. Art as a major form of military strategy - check. Secret commando ninjas - check. Leia's title as "Lady Vader" - check. Borsk Fey'lya -check. Camaas Document macguffin-thingy- check. Ysalamiri - lizards that block the Force - check. Vornskrs - Force-sensitive predators - check. Insane Jedi master- check. Lots of clones - check. Lawful Evil Imperials - check. Mara fulfilling her orders to the Emperor in the most badass way possible in The Last Command - check, PLEASE. -Jacen, Jaina and Anakin Solo forEVER! -Also, Coruscant and New Republic forever!! -Shadows of the Empire: WTF, Xizor/Leia sex pollen (okay, pheromones) seduction scene???; Dash Rendar is a Han Solo expy, you're not fooling anyone.   -Truce at Bakura: wow, Ssi-ruuvi are full of Fridge Horror, powering their tech with human life force; maybe the Imperials aren't so bad after all; Luke and Gaeriel have no chemistry and also her entire religion is against the Jedi on principle, and she's not interested in changing it for you, Luke, sorry; of course Dev dies after his redemption arc; watching the force-ghost of Anakin Skywalker try to talk to Leia is amazing, because Leia is so not interested in his shit. -The Courtship of Princess Leia: I love the Hapes cluster, but man Han buying a planet in a card game and kidnapping Leia with the Hapan Gun of Command (pretty much what it sounds like) is NOT OKAY; Teneniel Djo is awesome and so is Dathomir in general. Isolder is okay once he gets over Leia, which takes most of the book. Also on the cover on one edition, Leia looks like Sarah from Labyrinth during that dream sequence with Jareth - what? On the other, she's wearing her Endor outfit, as are Han and Luke and there's a Rancor there, too for no good reason that I can recall.   -Jedi Academy Trilogy: Yay getting to see the Kessel spice mines; I'm not so into the Sun Crusher and the Maw Installation, but Qwi Xux and Wedge Antilles are adoreable together, poor Admiral Daala and Imperial sexism (yet another reason Tarkin is an asshole); yay for a Jedi Academy on Yavin IV; Kyp Durron seriously needs to chill, Luke's in a coma for a lot of the series, Exar Kun is not as clever as he thinks himself. -I, Jedi: I'm supposed to like you, Corran Horn, and I'm just not interested and your narrative voice is kinda annoying.... Just sayin'. -The Crystal Star: super weird and trippy, Han and Leia's kids are kidnapped by "The Empire Reborn", which is as dark and terrible as it sounds, Crystal Star explodes, do not read. -The Black Fleet Crisis: super dark and trippy, especially the Yevethan culture; reveal that Luke's mother was one of the Fallanassi - pacifist Jedi who hid when the Empire was formed - only it turns out to be a huge macguffin, which is too bad. -Children of the Jedi: EVEN TRIPPIER AND DARKER THAN THE CRYSTAL STAR, HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE; Luke gets a love interest who's a Force ghost trapped in a ship's computer; sacrifice, body-swapping, creepy song motifs. -Darksaber: Hutts try to build a Death Star, what can possibly go wrong? Luke's new Jedi girlfriend can't live without her force powers when she loses them, so she leaves him. -Planet of Twilight: Luke goes chasing off after Callista and they don't get back together, so that's good. Also dark and trippy.   -The New Rebellion: SUPER DARK AND TRIPPY, LOTS OF MASS MURDER, NOT A FAN. Thank goodness for Mara Jade and Talon Karrde showing up with ysalamiri to turn the force off so Leia can shoot the Evil Dark Jedi behind it all with a blaster. I can't believe I read this. -Ambush at Corellia/Assault on Selonia/Showndown at Centerpoint: also weird and trippy. Han has an evil identical cousin. Luke has to go back and ask Gaeriel for help (she's married now and it's awkward). Lando tries to marry for money and after some awkwardness ends up with Tendra Risant, who is awesome. Lots of things blow up. Kids save the day at the last minute. -I only read one of the Junior Jedi Knights series, Lyric's World, about young Anakin Solo and his friend Tahiri, taking some time off from their Jedi studies to help a friend metamorphose into a new life stage, and I remember it being really charming, despite the inevitable intelligent secret animal sidekick. I later learned that Anakin and Tahiri were kinda an item and then it went horribly wrong in New Jedi Order so I'm glad I didn't read that. -Young Jedi Knights: yay young adult Star Wars novels from the '90s; I  stopped reading after Diversity Alliance, but these were fun - especially Tenel Ka, who was a badass, and I quietly shipped her and Jacen (and then that ALSO ended badly in later books - why can't we have nice things?) Especially good in my memory: Shadow Academy (trying not to get corrupted to the dark side at an academy for Dark Jedi), Lightsabers (Tenel Ka has to deal with losing a hand during a training accident); Diversity Alliance (aliens get pissed off at human dominion in the New Republic government but decide that killing the humans off is the only way to achieve justice).

We're not going to even go into all the stuff that happens post-Vector Prime, because it is truly awful. Go look it up if you're curious.

I did read a few stand-alone books this week, though:

-The later Zahn novels lack the spark and vigor I remember from the Thrawn books. Scoundrels couldn't keep my interest. Allegiance and Choices of One feel very weird to me because Luke and Mara manage to work together without actually meeting each other. Survivor's Quest ought to have been good except somehow Luke and Mara encountering the Outbound Flight expedition was BORING and it shouldn't have been. It's not clear if reading the follow-up novel set during the Old Republic era - titled Outbound Flight - will help with this. -Also, I dislike the retconning so that Mara and Luke make references to Naboo and the Trade Federation, which they didn't do in earlier books, and also Thrawn's major motivation for everything is getting the galaxy ready for the impending invasion of the Yuuzhan Vong in New Jedi Order, which I just - really don't like, especially since NJO was pretty awful. -Also, there are an awful lot of Jedi healing trances in Survivor's Quest, which are only tolerable because the code word that Luke and Mara use to snap each other out of it is "I love you". D'aww. -Also, perhaps this is just me reading too much fanfic, but would it hurt to have at least an allusion to the fact that Luke and Mara have sex on occasion - in addition to snuggling and having Force mind-meld sessions? I'm not asking for porn, mind you, but just anything beyond platonic Force buddies would have been good. -Kenobi, by  John Jackson Miller was another, relatively recent Legends book that ought to have been good. I mean, it's Obi-wan Kenobi hanging out on Tatooine, dealing with Tusken Raiders and moisture farmers - I eat that sort of fanfiction up - but although there were some good bits, it just really didn't work for me. -Those handy timelines in the front - listing every single book and how it fits into the convoluted chronology - is really helpful, though! The only thing that would make it better would be to add authors and dates. But that is what the Internet is for, I guess.

Conclusions and Follow-Up Questions to Research:

-Wow, the '90s were an interesting time. -Bantam Spectra line of EU novels: mostly good, some weirdness. Del Rey line: ARGHHHHH. -Wow, there are a lot more Star Wars books out there then I remember. -Wow, Mara Jade is awesome. -I have a lot of strong opinions on the subject. -Since they stopped putting out Legends novels as of April 2014, I never have to care about keeping up with canon or anything I don't like about this universe ever again. -Has fanfiction spoiled me for the "real" thing? Or is it just a failure of the published works to address the topics I'm REALLY interested in? -Is the Disney EU canon any better? (My guess, given how I feel overall about the direction of the recent movies: probably not for me, but maybe worth checking out.)

[alpha-centari27]

Kylo Ren is the best character and performance pairing to come out of the sequel trilogy, and ultimately one of the best in all of Star Wars' filmography. His arc throughout the trilogy was brilliant to watch and was arguably the best underlying story of it all. The big debate on his character as soon as The Force Awakens hit was two-fold; would he be redeemed, and if so, would he die.

In the end, Kylo Ren was redeemed and once again became Ben Solo before coming one with the Force. The Last Jedi seemed to hint at a more villainous route for Kylo, but The Rise Of Skywalker managed to fulfill Kylo's redemption brilliantly. Whether he deserved said redemption though, is another story, so, here are 5 reasons why Kylo earned his redemption and 5 reasons why he did not. 

10

HE DIDN'T BECAUSE HE SLAUGHTERED INNOCENT PEOPLE

Fans' introduction to Kylo Ren comes at the start of The Force Awakens in what is a brilliant and brutal scene. Kylo and his First Order troops arrive on Jakku in search of the map to Luke. Kylo then confronts Lor San Tekka and strikes him down before ordering his troops to slaughter the population of the village he has invaded.

In The Rise Of Skywalker, we also see Kylo on Mustafar slaughtering inhabitants as he searches for the Wayfinder. These people are Alazmecs and were in Kylo's way, but his ruthlessness nonetheless points to his redemption turn being out of reach.

9

HE EARNED REDEMPTION BY STILL CLEARLY LOVING HIS FAMILY

Adam Driver's phenomenal acting drives this home as it ties in perfectly with the core trait of Kylo Ren; his torn emotional state. The initial signs of this all comes in The Force Awakens when Kylo and Han confront one another and Kylo is visibly upset, torn, and confused.

Han's reappearance as a memory of Kylo's as he makes the turn back to Ben Solo reaffirms the idea he always loved and missed his father, deep down. The more obvious signs of this are through Kylo's love for Leia. In The Last Jedi Kylo is so close to pulling the trigger on his ship and killing Leia, tear eyed, but cannot do it. Then, in The Rise Of Skywalker, it is Leia's death and last action as she calls out to Kylo through the Force that turns him back to Ben Solo and stops him battling Rey, instead he mourns his mother who he later joins in the Force.

I cannot help but feel the sequel trilogy could have benefited from giving us a glimpse of how Snoke / Palpatine are manipulating Kylo / Ben mentally and emotionally through the force.  As they say, show don’t tell.  It’s only in TROS that it’s revealed through Palpatine that he has been every voice in Ben’s head.

Give us some sort of clue as to what degree Kylo Ren’s decisions are his own and when he is making decisions because Snoke / Palpatine is prodding him.

8

HE DIDN'T BECAUSE HE DESTROYED THE HOSNIAN SYSTEM

Leading on from Kylo's slaughtering tendencies, alongside Snoke, Hux, and the First Order, Kylo Ren used Starkiller Base to destroy the five planets of the Hosnian Prime system.

To end the New Republic and bring the First Order to power, Starkiller Base was unleashed. It killed millions, five planets worth of people, while it was not all down to Kylo, he was a major part and it brings his redemption to question.

I have seen this point brought up a number of different times and I do not entirely agree with it.

As I remember it, general Hux was the one who was trigger happy to use the power of Star Killer base to send a message.

Kylo Ren surely did not commission Star Killer base.

Kylo Ren did not build Star Killer base.

Kylo Ren did not give the order to power up and fire the weapon.

And Kylo Ren did not carry out the order to fire the weapon.

By my assessment I think Kylo Ren is only guilty by association with the First Order and failure to act in such a way to stop the base from firing.

Arguably, Kylo Ren does bear some responsibility, but he is not the party that bears the most responsibility for this action.

7

HE EARNED IT BECAUSE HE MADE THE CHOICE

Luke Skywalker teaches us in Return Of The Jedi that nobody is beyond being redeemed. Darth Vader helped destroy the Jedi order, slaughter younglings, hunt people, slaughter people, bring destruction to the Rebellion, was redeemed when he made the choice and "killed" the Emperor.

Kylo earned his redemption by completing his redemption. The light side of the Force is forgiving, the good people in the universe are forgiving. Kylo chooses to turn back to Ben Solo, and that tumultuous journey back to the light is enough for him to have earned it and he is forgiven by the people around him for it, like Leia, Rey, and undoubtedly Luke too.

I gotta say the line, “Kylo earned his redemption by completing his redemption“ sounds rather odd rolling off the tip of my tongue.  What is this supposed to mean?

I have not seen TROS for myself, but I don’t think there is a specific line of dialogue or anything directly supporting Leia and Luke forgiving Ben Solo.

I feel like it could be implied that Leia forgives and still loves her son because of the way she sacrificed herself to bring her son back to the light.

Other people have already said this far better and in much greater depth, but there could have been much more depth and attention given to Ben Solo’s redemption arc.

6

HE DIDN'T BECAUSE HE TORTURED, HUNTED, AND ATTEMPTED TO KILL OUR HEROES

A lot of what Kylo does in the trilogy involves hunting and attempting to kill the heroes of the said trilogy which he kicked off with quite a bit of torturing. In The Force Awakens, he captures Poe and tortures him for information before doing the same to Rey.

From there, he nearly kills Finn and battles Rey which he ends up doing multiple times. He hunts the Resistance heroes to Crait where he unleashes all his power in an attempt to kill what he thinks is Luke. On top of all that in The Rise Of Skywalker he hunts Rey down and battles her a couple of times in an attempt to either bring her to his side or kill her.

5

HE EARNED IT AS HE WAS YOUNG, MANIPULATED, AND CONFUSED

Similar to how Anakin is manipulated by Palpatine, Kylo is manipulated by Snoke (who is controlled by Palpatine so it's actually the same) to the dark side of the Force. When Kylo believes Luke is trying to kill him, that's when the turn begins to properly occur. 

This moment, however, is a state of confusion. It is assumed by some Kylo burned down Luke's temple, but, it was the Knights of Ren before they met Kylo. Kylo attempted to save fellow learners before being confronted by those believing he did it. Kylo is manipulated with thoughts while he is relatively young, he is completely torn and confused throughout the trilogy as the light still calls to him, allowing him to be redeemed.

4

HE DIDN'T BECAUSE HE KEPT SEEKING POWER

A quality possessed by Jedi and light-side Force users and most good people in general in the Star Wars universe is that they do not look out for and seek, nor crave power. They usually want to help those without it. What we see throughout the trilogy though, especially The Last Jedi and The Rise Of Skywalker, is Kylo desperately seeking power. Kylo kills Snoke because, for one, he realizes he is being used, for two does not want to kill Rey at that moment, and for three, and most importantly wants that throne and Snoke's power for himself. The same thing arises in The Rise Of Skywalker, he seeks to kill Palpatine because he is a threat to Kylo's power, he only abandons this plan because Palpatine promises him much more power.

3

HE EARNED IT BECAUSE HE WENT TO EXOGUL TO BATTLE PALPATINE ALONGSIDE REY

After his conversation with Han, his throwing his lightsaber into the ocean, and realizing who he is and what he must do, Ben Solo makes his way to Exogul to battle Palpatine, and to help Rey. 

Kylo is already Ben at this point but one way he earns his redemption is by doing this. He finds a way off of Kef Bir, makes his way to Exogul to save Rey, to battle Palpatine, to make things right.

2

HE DIDN'T BECAUSE HE MURDERED HAN SOLO

One of the most defining moments of not only Kylo Ren's character, or in the sequel trilogy, but in the entire Skywalker saga is the death of Han Solo. Murdered on Starkiller Base by his son.Kylo and Han plead with each other with Han begging for Ben back and Kylo begging for help. Kylo begs his father to give him the strength to do what must be done, before impaling one of the franchise's most iconic characters, his father, and killing him. One of Star Wars' most emotional moments and one that makes it hard to forgive Kylo.

1

HE EARNED IT BY SACRIFICING HIMSELF TO SAVE REY'S LIFE

Following Kylo's turn back to Ben Solo, the battle with Palpatine is a great way for Kylo to solidify his redemption. However, the true definitive way Kylo earns his redemption is when he sacrifices his life, for the life of Rey. After a battle with Palpatine, Kylo crawls out of the hole to Rey's body which is done due to the energy and Force used to kill Palpatine. Kylo heals Rey, kisses her, and because healing used the last of his life energy, he dies. He sacrificed himself for Rey in what is an emotional and beautiful moment that solidified Ben Solo's hero status, and Kylo Ren's redemption.

In my opinion, even if Ben was somehow unsuccessful in reviving Rey and he had to live the rest of his life without Rey...  He still has at the minimum a few decades ahead of him in which to live his life and make amends for his past misdeeds.

Of course nothing he does is ever going to undo the amount of suffering he has inflicted on others and the damage he has caused.

I feel as though whether someone “deserves” to be redeemed or can be redeemed is an academic question.  

In practical terms what matters is the person owns up to their mistakes and seeks to made amends.

[tiffanyunscripted]

5 Billion Rentals: 8 Star Wars Films from DVD Netflix

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)

Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) is a young Jedi Knight student under the tutelage of Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson); Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd), who later became father of Luke Skywalker and revered as Darth Vader, is just a 9-year-old boy. When all paths to planet Naboo are cut off by the Trade Federation, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are tasked to settle the matter.

Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002)

The Republic appears to be mired in turmoil and chaos ten years after the events of "The Phantom Menace." A separatist movement which involves hundreds of planets and powerful corporate alliances poses new threats to the world that even the Jedi are unable to combat. Those campaigns, long planned by an unrevealed and influential force, lead to the start of the Clone Wars— and the beginning of the Republic's end.

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005)

It's been three years since the start of the Clone Wars. Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) rescue Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) from the droid army commander General Grievous, but Grievous flees. There are questions regarding Chancellor Palpatine, with whom Anakin has developed a relationship within the Jedi Council. Asked to spy on the chancellor, Anakin joins the Dark Side, full of anger towards the Jedi Council.

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

The Imperial Forces— under ruthless Darth Vader (David Prowse) orders— are keeping Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) hostage in their attempts to quench the rebellion against the Galactic Empire. Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and Han Solo (Harrison Ford), captain of the Millennium Falcon, are working with the accompanying droid teamR2-D2 (Kenny Baker) and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) to save the beautiful princess, help the Rebel Alliance and restore the Galaxy's freedom and justice.

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

In this sequel to "Star Wars," the adventure continues. Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) face an assault against the ice planet Hoth by the Imperial Forces and their AT-AT walkers. As Han and Leia are escaping the Millennium Falcon, in pursuit of Yoda, Luke is heading to Dagobah. Luke will survive only with the help of the Jedi master when the dark side of the Force invites him into the final duel with Darth Vader (David Prowse).

Star Wars: Episode VI - The Return of the Jedi (1983)

Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) is fighting horrible Jabba the Hut and evil Darth Vader in the Rebel Alliance to save his comrades and triumph over the Galactic Empire. Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) reaffirm their affection and team with Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams), the Ewoks and the C-3PO andR2-D2 Androids in helping to overthrow the Dark Side and kill the cruel emperor.

Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)

Extending the historical arc of the Star Wars saga and setting 30 years after the Jedi's return, this full-throttle adventure includes familiar faces and new characters, including planetary scavenger Rey and incomparable X-wing pilot Poe.

Star Wars: Episode VII - The Last Jedi (2017)

Once he meets Rey, a young woman who shows strong signs of the Force, Luke Skywalker's quiet and lonely life gets upset. The ability to know the Jedi's ways pushes Luke to make a decision that will forever change her life. Meanwhile, in an all-out attack on Leia and the Resistance for world dominance, Kylo Ren and General Hux led the First Order.

You can watch these films over a huge bowl of popcorn. Rent them from DVD Netflix via dvd.netflix.com. Add them to your queue today. If you don’t have an account, you can sign-up for a free month. If you decide to keep the membership, pay as little as $7.99 per month to enjoy DVD Netflix’s massive database of blockbusters, documentaries, independent films, and more.

Disclaimer: As a DVD Nation Director, for introducing the DVD Netflix service to you, as well as writing about some awesome movies to rent that can be challenging to find anywhere else, I’m rewarded and always happy to share awesome movies with you.  #dvd20 #dvdnation #ad

[dreadedloreenkid]

I want to know all of the star wars asks, but I don't think you'd appreciate them all at once... so 1-10? or all, I don't mind :)

@ct-hardcase​​ also asked me for some of these, so here goes. Sorry it’s late! Long post, so it’s under the cut.

1. Favourite Star Wars movie? (Episode 1-R1)Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith

2. Favourite Star Wars era? Rise Of The Empire, but I’ve recently been getting into the Empire (19BBY-0ABY) a lot.

3 Favourite Star Wars trilogy? (Originals, Prequels, Sequels)Look, I love them all, but I’ll have to say Prequels, even though it’s pretty even, because I have a lot of nostalgic memories attached to them.

4. Jedi or Sith? I think Sith, from the point of view that I love learning about them and their history and doctrines. The Jedi are super interesting too, especially when delve deep into the political aspect of the Order. Idk, they’re both interesting in different ways.

5. Empire or Rebellion?Well, if you’d asked me this a few years ago I would have said Empire without hesitation, but now that I know and care more about the Galactic Civil War era, I have to say Rebellion.

6. Bounty Hunter or Clone/Strom/First order Trooper? CLONE TROOPERS!

7. Rebels or Clone wars? Clone Wars

8. Favourite Star Wars book?I must confess, I haven’t read many Star Wars books; of those I have, I’d probably say Aftermath: Empire’s End? 

9. Favourite Star Wars Comic? I’ve never actually read any of the comics

10. Favourite Star Wars game? Star Wars: Battlefront 2 (the original from 2005, obviously). What an iconic game. I wish I still had a working PS2 to play it on, because I will never ever be bored of it. Empire At War is a close second, I really wish they had done a Clone Wars era edition of it.

11. Top 5 favourite female Jedi?Ahsoka Tano (who is not a Jedi anymoer and I strongly support that decision)Shaak TiAayla SecuraRey SkywalkerDepa Bilaba

12. Top 5 favourite male Jedi?Obi-Wan KenobiLuke SkywalkerQui-gon JinnKit FistoPlo Koon, 

13. Top 5 favourite Bounty Hunters?Jango FettAsajj VentressJas EmariEmboBoba Fett 

14. Top 5 favourite Sith?Darth MaulDarth SidiousAsajj VentressDarth VaderDarth Bane

15. Top 5 favourite Droids? Individual droids: -Mister Bones-C1-10P-R2-D2-General Kalani-C-3POModels: -OOM-Series Battle Droid-P-Series Droideka-HMP Droid Gunship-Vulture Droid-OG-9 Homing Spider Droid

16. Top 5 favourite Troopers? Fives (ARC-5555) Rex (CT-7567) Keeli Tup (CT-5385)Gregor (CC-5576-39)

7. Top 5 favourite Senators? Padmé AmidalaMon MothmaBail OrganaRiyo ChuchiLeia Organa (NR)

18. Top 5 favourite Republic/Rebellion shipsVenator-Class Star Destroyer (GR)LAAT/i Gunship (GR)ARC-170 Starfighter (GR)T65-B X-Wing Starfighter (RA/NR) Mon Calamari Star Cruiser (RA/NR)

19. Top 5 favourite Separatist/Imperial shipsRecusant-Class Light Destroyer (CIS)Imperial I-Class Star Destroyer (GI)TIE-series Starfighters (GI)Lucrehulk-Class Battleship (CIS)Providence-Class Star Dreadnought (CIS)

20. Top 5 favourite planets? NabooGeonosisCoruscantKashyyykMandalore

21. Where would you live in the Star Wars universe?Naboo, no question

22. Who would you be in the Star Wars universe?In terms of occupation, I think I’d be happy as a public official on Naboo tbh, nothing too fancy, but high enough to go travelling as part of diplomatic entourages. 

23. What ship would you own?I think I would like to own nice Naboo yacht, something like what Padme had at the start of Episode II; otherwise, something reliable and reasonably comfortable, like a Corellian light freighter or similar. A customised Sheathipede class shuttle or Lambda class shuttle would be nice too.

24. What Droid would you own?I’m not sure that I’d own a droid, but I guess they’re useful so probably an astromech or a repurposed OOM-series or B1 battledroid.

25. Would you have a team, or would you work alone? Well, ideally I’d love to have a team of friends that I could trust and keep me company.

26. If you where a Jedi, would you be a Knight or a Master?I think I’d be a Knight. My disdain for the Council and their dogmatic doctrines would make them disinclined to grant me the rank of master, I should think.

27. If you where a Jedi Master, would you have a Padawan?Maybe? I doubt it, but alternatively I might be able to give them a better, more honest and open view of the galaxy than a more orthodox master.

28. If you where a Sith, would you be the Master or Apprentice? Oh, the apprentice for sure. I don’t have it in me to be a Sith master; I wouldn’t be a very good Sith. I mean, I can see myself using the Dark Side maybe, but I would never subscribe to the Sith Creed or doctrines.

29. If you where a Sith Lord, would you have an Apprentice?No, given that the Rule Of Two dictates that the apprentice only becomes master by killing theirs.  

30. Married, in a relationship, or single? Well, it’d be lovely to have a hubby or two, but you know, that’s down to the circumstances. I wouldn’t actively avoid or search for relationships, though.

31. Top 5 favourite species?GeonosiansZabrakWookiesTwi’leksMon Cala

32. What species would you be? Probably human tbh.

33. What species is your type? Uhhhhh………that’s an interesting question. Do Mandalorians count as a species? But that’s just because of Jango and the clones. Maybe Nautolans?

34. Who would your best friend be?I don’t know, I’ve never thought about this sort of thing. 

35. Would you customise your ship? Someone who I trust, because I’m not very good at mechanics and engine things. If I’m honest, I probably wouldn’t customise at all.

36. Would you customise your Droid? Again, someone I trust and who knows their stuff.

37. What colour skin/eyes would you have?I really have no idea. Given I haven’t even thought about being a different species, I think I’ll have to pass on this one.

38. If male, beard or no beard?Beard if I can. Love facial hair. 

39. 1 lightsaber, 2 lightsabers, double lightsaber, or 2 double lightsabers?Look, I’d love to go for double lightsabre (sabrestaff), but I would probably end up killing myself with it, so I think in reality I would keep it safe with a single sabre. 

40. What colour would your lightsaber(s) be?BLUE! Even though in Legends canon (and possibly current canon?) blue represents a warrior, someone who about taking action, whilst green represents thinking and analysing (which is more me). I’ve also been told by online quizzes that I should have orange, but no thanks.

41. If you’re a Bounty Hunter, what armour would you have? Phase 1 Clone armour with kama, pauldron, and all that jazz. 

42. Would you customise your armour? Definitely. Gotta look snazzy.

43. What colour scheme would your armour/robes be? I’m not sure. I think white, green, and blue would look good. Although, I might go for white, purple, and black.

44. If you where a Droid, what Droid would you be? I mean, I’d like to be something intelligent but also powerful and capable of looking after itself. Maybe a super tactical droid?45. What colour would your droid self be? Purple, blue, yellow…those sorts of colours I guess.

46. Pod racing or ship racing? I don’t have a death wish, so ship racing.

47. Space battle or ground battle?? Ooh, that’s a tough question. In Star Wars there are lots of cool things about both, but I’ll go with space, because I think my naval strategy would be a little better than my surface strategy, and it’s easier to escape if it all goes tits up.

48. Would you have survived order 66?Almost certainly not.

49. Where would you go after order 66? Probably a small, peaceful world on the edge of the known regions (if I could find one)

50. What would you do after order 66? Probably just hide, maybe try to resist if I encountered a rebel cell. I think these are the sorts of things that people always say “well, this is what I would have done”, but noone really knows exactly how they’ll react until they’re actually in these situations.

51. Do you have any Star Wars Pop Vinyls?Yes! I have a Queen Amidala one.

52. Do you have any Star Wars collections?I have a lot of Star Wars Lego.

53. Do you have any Star Wars art? I have some BTS prints from Episode V and Episode VI, otherwise no.

54. Do you create any Star Wars art?Nope, can’t draw at all, never really been interested that much in the visual arts. I used to try to copy the technical drawings in Incredible Cross Sections when I was a kid though.

55. Do you like/read any Legends/non canon stuff? I loved the young Boba Fett books (the ones that took place between Episodes II and III), and I loved the storyline of Battlefront II until Disney decanonised it. There’s also a lot of non-canon information in Incredible Cross Sections that was super fascinating. Having said this, I still support the decision to redo the EU canon and clean it up, because imo there was way too much crap in the EU that was just plain rubbish.

56. Top 5 favourite Legends character? I’m sorry, I don’t know enough for this.

57. Who is your Star Wars role model? It has to be Padmé Amidala. She is resilient, skillful, intelligent, principled, and compassionate. When I was a kid I used to pretend to be her.

58. Top 5 saddest Star Wars deaths? The entire Order 66 sequence in ROTSFivesSatine KryzePadmé AmidalaHan Solo

59. If you could bring any Star Wars character back to life who would it be? Padmé Amidala

60. If you found out the Star Wars universe was real, would you move there or stay here? Stay here, obviously. Have you watched Star Wars?! Sith, pirates, bounty hunters, crime lords, totalitarian regimes, corporations that have official political representation and own entire planet systems?! I think I’ll stay put, thanks.

61. On a scale of 1-10 (1 being very little, 10 being an absolute know it all) how well do you know the Star Wars universe? 8.5, maybe a 9?

I hope those answers were satisfactory! Thanks for the asks!