#Naboo Society

[log6]

"Naboo isn't ready for us!" like Naboo has never seen 4 Coruscanti high society bitches hopped up on refined Spice recklessly driving an airspeeder their parents bought for the price of a small continent

[tired-smartass]

YOU live in a society

I on the other hand live in a perfect au where the whole disaster lineage is alive and basically a big family.

Yoda is dead?

No he's not. He laughs at and makes really dark jokes and plays pranks on everyone.

Count dooku is dead and evil?

No he's not. He's discussing politics with padme and taking luke and leia on ridiculous vacations. He's morally grey at most.

Qui gon is dead?

No he's not. He's telling embarassing stories about obi wan and anakin and has a million plants and pets

Obi wan is dead?

No he's not. He's babysitting the twins and ahsoka is living with cody his best life

Anakin is dead and was evil?

No he's not. He's THE soccer dad of the universe. Luke and leia refuse to believe he was ever cool.

Ashoka is alone?

No she's not. She babysits the twins all the time. She's the best aunt ever

Additionally

Padme is dead?

No she's not. She comes back from senate meetings and the twins run to see who hugs her first. (Also irrelevant but I love the head cannon that naboo is basically space India. padme 10/10, DESI padme 100000/10)

Rex is dead?

No he's not. He's the godfather of the twins and continus to help Anakin and padme in getting alone time. And the gar love the twins

Cody is dead?

No he's not. He's living with obi wan and meets up with all of his batch mates regularly to annoy and or embarrass them (middle child) (also irrelevant but the spelling of embarrass looks so fake to me) .

[twinterrors29]

the specific Naboo religious sect that Padme belonged to believed very strongly in reincarnation

so the first time Darth Vader is introduced to Princess Leia of Alderaan once her father finally relents and allows her to take over his position in the Senate, when he takes note of her resemblance and looks up her birth date, his first thought is not "Padme's daughter survived"

it's "Padme reincarnated as the Princess of Alderaan"

he finds this conclusion fitting, and of course immediately pledges his loyalty to her

Leia doesn't know what this menace to society's deal is, and honestly doesn't care, and decides to use this to her advantage by telling her father

Bail, of course, is biting his nails thinking that Vader has figured them out, but thankfully no

this is about the time that Sabe and her fellow handmaidens show up, so Vader introduces them to Leia and they all naturally reach the same conclusion

when Ben distantly senses the disturbance in the Force and drags the whole Lars family off to come investigate, Darth "Anakin Is Dead" Vader takes one look at young Luke and doesn't even try to ask about his birth date (or, conveniently, his last name) before assigning him as "Anakin Skywalker Reincarnated"

Ben, hidden in the next room with Bail, is face-palming as hard as possible to try to distract himself from that particular shit show

and now that 'Padme' and 'Anakin' are in the same room, Vader of course tries to ship them, with Sabe's passive support

Bail, sweating: maybe,,, we should not encourage that,,,

Vader: Why.

Bail, full of hypocritical shit: uh,,, he's not suitable, for the future Queen of Alderaan

which only serves to offend Vader, because what, Baby Me isn't good enough for Baby My Wife now?

so Bail throws in a faked relationship with a certain spice freighter captain he hired on the spot to fill the role of his daughter's secret boyfriend

before Vader can get upset about Baby Padme dating someone who isn't Baby Anakin, Sabe eyeballs this dude with no official birth records and asks, what DID happen to Kenobi? or maybe that Captain Rex fellow from the war?

causing Bail to nearly stroke out, as he KNOWS that neither of those men are even dead, and in fact one of them is choking on his spit in the other room as he listens in!

(this fake-dating effort additionally backfires, not that anyone realizes it yet, because both twins start actually dating this scruffy-looking nerf-herder)

of course Vader immediately questions why Sabe suggested that Captain Solo might be Kenobi, and got hit with Sabe's "well, Skywalker was always psychosexually fixate on Kenobi, and all of us knew he was the hot one even if Padme settled for Skywalker"

Vader: ...What. Was that thing you said. About Skywalker.

Sabe: yeah, Skywalker literally couldn't shut up about the guy, even while he was having sex with his wife, luckily she was into that if you know what I mean

Vader: ...

Vader: no, that is the perfectly normal level of interest to have in Kenobi

Sabe, remembering the way Darksiders always seemed to fixate on Kenobi: ...uh-huh, riiiight

Vader decides he's Not Dealing With That, and pours that energy into his fixation on Finding Kenobi in order to kill him about it

Ben, one too-thin wall away, is seriously considering letting that happen so he doesn't have to hear any more of this

but, of course, eventually Sidious notices Vader's interest in the young Senator Organa

and Sheev Palpatine was, interestingly enough, from the same sect as Padme

which means that he quickly puts together what Vader has concluded about Leia as a reincarnation of Padme Amidala

but unlike Sabe (and Vader, who has seriously deluded himself), he is keenly aware that Anakin Skywalker can't have actually reincarnated into that farm boy who's spending all his time with the Senator now

so he's able to (correctly, for once) conclude that Luke must be Anakin and Padme's kid, who somehow survived all these years

and since the child survived...

well, he starts to eye Sabe a little more closely, and wonder how he can fit this into his plans for the galaxy...

[padmestrilogy]

Anakin and Padmé as courtly love/exhalation of the beloved lady ???

They have the forbiddeness, the secrecy, the knight/lady dynamic, the purity of the love

(including these paintings to set the mood, and help remind people of what this kinda imagery is)

anakin and padme’s relationship is absolutely modeled off those ideals of “courtly love,” of something wholly pure and good despite the battle raging around. their romance is intentionally fantastical and high-stakes: it must end in death/rebirth, heaven/hell, there's no room for moderation. and with such a strong fictional lineage of doomed lovers to look back on, casting padme as a maiden saying farewell to a knight just feels right.

the really interesting part about this reading—to me at least—is you can come at it from a "believer" angle, and a "skeptic" angle. or, text v. subtext.

the "believer" angle is a straightforward applying of the "courtly love" fantasy onto the anidala dynamic. this angle disregards a lot of common criticisms of their relationship (anakin's awkard flirting, those stiff first dates, padme's reaction to the tusken massacre, etc etc), in favor of looking at what the plot demands of them. because if anakin and padme really are this great romance that splits the galaxy apart, these criticisms don't matter. their broad declarations of love are not structural weaknesses, but the whole point. what they as characters symbolize (truth v. lies, good v. evil, water v. fire, peace v. war) in the text et large is the source of their love for another, and questions like "but why would padme go for whiny anakin??" are completely off base. (i like this reading, i hope i'm not coming off as patronizing.)

the "skeptic" angle has anakin and padme seeing the other as fulfillment of their courtly love fantasy, and using these dual delusions as explanation for their worse moments. i.e. having padme idealize anakin as her only freedom from the oppressive queen/senator lifestyle as the reason behind her feelings for him. where i think this gets cool is interpreting padme as a religious figure, someone who is elevated to high status in society for her "purity" and goodness, but also objectified and dehumanized. "courtly love" is a deeply religious concept, and the "idealized beloved" is too. the most sympathetic reading of padme out there, imo, is she spent her whole life trying to be more than just queen of naboo and feel something real.

with anidala, you can have them truly be each other's only source of good and light, or you can have them build up impossible expectations of the other that all come crashing down. and both these readings are supported by the text, we have fun over here

[soaringthroughthegalaxy]

Comgratulations!!! Thats a interesting celebration!!! I can not put my mind around what are you going to birth with this 😚🙀 (sorry if sound weird english is not my thing but your writing are beautiful creations so the metaphor is alright)

Can this jedi (or medic) reader travel with Crosshair (It's a shame it can't be the twins or Maker bless us, all force 99) with soulmate as luggage to either Naboo or Alderaan? 😖

Thank you for booking with Soaring's Tours. We're now ready to board your flight. Please mind the gap between the transport and the platform. We wish you a pleasant journey!

Through Your Eyes

In a galaxy consumed by war, you find solace away from the medbay and injured troopers by painting your dreams. But a chance encounter reveals those dreams are more than they seem...

Pairing: Crosshair x f!reader

Word count: 3k

Warnings: brief reference to surgery, good ol' soulmates trope, breaking and entering, Cross can never give a straight answer, softness, romance, first kiss, lil' innuendo.

Your brush swooped across the canvas, and green paint dragged across its surface to form a tree. There was no reference holo, just the memory from last night’s dream in your mind.

Over the last year, your dreams have taken a turn. Once focused on your life, they’d now switched to landscapes - deserts, snowy mountains, swamps - they were endless. But they all had one thing in common. They were all from great heights, as if you were a bird soaring through the sky.

As a child, you found peace in painting, locking yourself away for days at a time. As you grew up and left for medical school, it helped ease your frazzled nerves after hectic days. And now, with the war raging across the galaxy and the Kaminoans relying on your expertise in trauma surgery, it was how you chased away the images of injured troopers.

As you dipped your brush into the pot of water on your desk, your gaze lingered on the small mark on your wrist - your soulmate mark. It had appeared five years ago - late by society’s standards, given that most received them before puberty. That was until a literal army of men had been revealed to the galaxy a year ago. The forums you’d frequented on the holonet had exploded, thousands of people connecting the dots that their soulmates were part of the GAR.

It was why you’d jumped at the opportunity to work for the Kaminoans when they’d been recruiting at the Grand Medical Facility. You figured it would be easier this way to find your soulmate. Some people on the forums had been able to find their soulmates through their bonds – picking up on their thoughts, sensing their feelings, or knowing they were nearby. Unfortunately, you had no idea what your connection with your soulmate was.

And you were no closer to figuring it out a year and a half into the war.

As you were about to dip your clean paintbrush into the soft brown on your palette, your datapad beeped urgently. Spurred into action, you abandoned your painting, snagging your scrubs. You dashed out of your quarters, the sterile corridor a blur as you sprinted towards the medbay. What was the emergency this time? Another trooper injured on the front lines, or perhaps an existing patient who’d turned critical?

You burst through the medbay doors, adrenaline coursing through your veins, only to be met with a scene that halted you in your tracks. A trooper lay motionless on a stretcher, surrounded by a flurry of activity as medics tended to his extensive injuries. The damage to one side of his face was the worst you’d ever seen, blood coating everything in the vicinity, and what you could see of his eye under the swelling wasn’t promising – all evidence of an explosion he’d been too close to.

Three other troopers hovered nearby, worry etched onto their faces, armour dirty and caked in blood. You didn’t even register that they looked nothing like the other clones, but you could feel a heavy gaze from their direction lingering on you.

Without hesitation, you joined the team of medics, your training kicking in as you assessed the trooper’s condition. The severity of his injuries was apparent, and you knew that every second counted. As you worked alongside the other medical personnel, your mind raced, trying to determine the best course of action to save this soldier’s life.

The medbay hummed with urgency, the air thick with tension as everyone focused on their tasks. As you worked tirelessly to stabilise the trooper, Lyndsy - a trainee medic on placement from Bespin - pressed a datapad into your hands. It was filled with notes from the team that’d intercepted the squad’s arrival, including details of the trooper.

CT-9903.

You bit your tongue. They hadn’t thought to get his name.

“Name?” You directed the question towards the three nearby troopers, gesturing to your injured patient.

“Wrecker, ma’am.” The shortest of the three spoke up, his face half-shaded by a tattoo. With a nod of thanks, you updated the information on the datapad.

“Theatre. Now.” You barked the order, stepping back to let the other medics release the brakes on the stretcher and hurriedly push Wrecker towards the operating room. A bacta bath could cure many things, but in the few moments you’d been focused on stabilising him, you’d concluded it would take far more than that for him to survive.

“I’ll do everything I can.” You assured Wrecker’s brothers quickly, wishing you had more time to explain what would happen next but knowing every second counted. With a determined focus, you led the medical team into the operating room. As the doors swung shut behind you, you blocked out the outside world, immersing yourself in the controlled chaos of the operating theatre.

Time seemed to blur as you worked, your hands moving with precision as you repaired the extensive damage inflicted upon Wrecker’s body. Each incision, each piece of shrapnel pried free, each suture, was a calculated effort to save his life, and you refused to let fatigue or doubt get in the way. The beeping of monitors and the hushed voices of your colleagues faded into the background.

Finally, you completed the last suture. As you stepped back from the operating table, your heart pounded in your chest, and you let out a deep breath, shoulders dropping with relief. You’d done all you could; now it was the Bacta’s turn. He’d likely have some prominent scars for the rest of his life, and his hearing would forever be affected, but you’d been able to replace his damaged eye with a cybernetic one and give him a blood transfusion. He’d pull through to fight another day.

Leaving the operating room, you peeled off your gloves, gown, and mask, your mind still buzzing with the intensity of the surgery as you deposited them into the biohazard chute.

“I’ll tell his squad.” Lyndsy offered, noting the tiredness in your body.

As Lyndsy’s words washed over you, a wave of gratitude swept over you. Her offer granted you some reprieve. With a nod of appreciation, you managed a faint smile before trudging back to your quarters, the tiredness starting to creep in.

Entering your cabin, you let out a long exhale, feeling the tension slowly ebb away as you sank onto the edge of your bed. The familiar surroundings offered a semblance of comfort amidst the chaos of war.

Scrubs off and buried under the comfort of your blankets, you found yourself drifting into a restless sleep. Gone were the beautiful landscapes you’d come to appreciate, replaced with images of Kamino, particularly the view from a large window. Even in sleep, your mind was working to place it, and judging by the perspective, you could pinpoint which structure it was from.

The barracks.

In the quiet corners of your mind, a realisation dawned. You hadn’t been having dreams of random landscapes; they were glimpses into someone else’s life, someone intimately connected to you. It explained the shift in your dreams, the sudden focus on places far removed from your reality. They were the places your soulmate had been seeing, the moments they had been living.

As you awakened to the soft light filtering through your window, the remnants of your dreams lingered in your mind. The realisation hit you like a ton of duracrete, settling heavily in your chest. Your soulmate was here on Kamino. The change in your dreams now made sense, and you couldn’t shake the excitement and apprehension coursing through you.

Before you could dwell too much on the revelation, there was a knock at your door. You blinked, momentarily disoriented, before pushing yourself off the bed and crossing the room to answer it. As the door slid open, you were met with the unexpected sight of Wrecker’s brothers standing in the corridor.

After brief introductions, Hunter spoke up. “We just wanted to swing by and thank you for what you did last night. Wrecker’s gonna pull through, and we owe that to you.”

You nodded, a small smile tugging at the corners of your lips. “I was just doing my job. I’m glad I could help.” You answered, tucking yourself a little behind the door to hide the fact that you were still in sleepwear.

Crosshair’s gaze lingered on you for a moment longer than necessary, his sharp eyes taking in the details of your quarters. You shifted uncomfortably under his scrutiny, suddenly feeling self-conscious about the messiness of your living space.

“You paint.” Crosshair commented casually, his tone betraying none of the thoughts swirling in his mind as he looked over the landscapes you’d committed to canvas.

You reached up to play with the neckline of your sleep shirt, a nervous habit that had developed over the years. “Yeah. When inspiration strikes.”

Crosshair’s lips quirked up in a subtle smirk as he leaned against the doorframe, his eyes flicking to the painting on the easel beside you. “You been there?”

“No. I paint what I dream about.” You admitted, trying to keep your voice steady despite your gut’s strange flicker of anxiousness.

He nodded thoughtfully, his gaze lingering on you as if he were piecing together a puzzle. “Funny thing about dreams,” he mused, “sometimes they’re more than just figments of imagination.”

His words hung in the air, but before you could respond, Hunter cleared his throat, breaking the momentary tension. “Well, we should get going to the debriefing. Thanks again, doc.”

You nodded, thrown off-centre by Crosshair’s comment. “Of course. Take care, and I’ll check in on Wrecker later.”

As they turned to leave, Crosshair glanced at the painting you were currently working on before leaning toward you. “When you get around to painting it, the third tree from the right was missing the bottom five branches.” He murmured, a spark of amusement in his eyes. Then he followed his brothers down the corridor, leaving you mouth agape at the door.

For days, you couldn’t shake Crosshair’s comment from your mind. It added complexity to your interactions with him and his brothers, leaving you grappling with emotions you hadn’t anticipated.

Despite your best efforts to focus on your duties in the medbay, your thoughts kept drifting back to him. Every time you passed him in the corridors or caught his gaze across the mess hall, you felt a strange pull, as if invisible threads were tying you together.

It wasn’t just you, either. There were moments when you caught Crosshair watching you, his sharp eyes giving nothing away. It left you wondering what was happening beneath the surface and what thoughts were running through his mind as he looked at you.

Returning one evening to your quarters after another exhausting shift in the medbay, you found something amiss. The door to your cabin was slightly ajar, and a sliver of dim light spilt into the corridor. Your heart skipped a beat as a rush of adrenaline coursed through you. You cautiously pushed the door open, expecting the worst, only to be met with an unexpected sight.

Crosshair was inside your quarters, standing by the easel where your latest painting was. His attention was fixated on the canvas as if examining every brushstroke with precision. His presence in your private space sent a jolt of alarm through you, but you couldn’t deny the intrigue that accompanied it.

“Crosshair?” you ventured cautiously, stepping into the room with a mix of apprehension and curiosity. “What are you doing here?” you asked, unable to suppress the hint of accusation in your voice.

Crosshair turned to face you, his expression unreadable as he regarded you with those piercing eyes. “Admiring your work.” He replied casually, though there was a hint of something else in his voice.

You felt a surge of irritation at his nonchalant response. “It’s not polite to enter someone’s quarters without permission.” You retorted, crossing your arms over your chest defensively.

He shrugged, unfazed by your admonishment. “Noted.” He commented, his gaze drifting back to the paintings. “Figured I’d see if you were around.”

You felt a flutter of excitement mixed with apprehension at his words. “Well, here I am.” You said, gesturing to the room around you. “Not much to see, I’m afraid.”

Crosshair’s smirk widened into a grin, a hint of mischief in his eyes. “I wouldn’t say that.” He replied cryptically, his gaze lingering on you in a way that sent a strange sense of heat curling through you.

“How did you know about the branches?” You steered the conversation in what you hoped was a safer direction, shutting the door behind you before you crossed over to him, glancing at the painting.

Crosshair tilted his head slightly, his gaze still fixed on the painting. “I’m familiar with that species of tree.” He lied.

You narrowed your eyes sceptically, not convinced by his explanation. “It was more than that.” You countered, gesturing towards the canvas. “You pointed out a specific detail you wouldn’t know unless you’d been there or inside my head.”

He chuckled softly, a low, rumbling sound that sent a shiver down your spine. “Let’s just say I have an eye for detail.” He said cryptically, his tone teasing.

You couldn’t help but feel frustrated at his evasive response. “You’re not going to give me a straight answer, are you?” You asked, crossing your arms over your chest once more as you regarded him with curiosity and exasperation.

Crosshair turned to face you fully, a smirk tugging at his lips, his gaze intense. “Where’s the fun in that?” He replied, his tone playful.

You refused to back down. Holding his gaze, your lips pressed into a thin line.

The silence hung heavy in the air, and anxiousness clawed at Crosshair. He’d thought he could play dumb. He should’ve known better. With a heavy sigh, he gestured to your painting on the easel. “Myrkr. The coordinates for that spot are 42.3814° N, 80.0889° E. I was there eight rotations ago. It’s where Wrecker had his accident,” he confessed.

“Bormus.” He stated, gesturing to one of your other paintings leaning against the wall. “51.5074° N, -0.1278° W.” He rattled off the coordinates before moving on to another painting, and another, and another…

You’d seen glimpses of his life.

“Does this mean...?” You began, the words catching in your throat as you searched for the right way to express the flood of emotions coursing through you.

Before you could finish your sentence, Crosshair took a step closer, closing the distance between you until barely a breath of space separated you. His gaze bore into yours with an intensity that stole your breath away, sending a jolt of electricity dancing along your skin. “I think it means we have a lot to talk about.” He murmured, his voice low and husky, sending shivers down your spine.

A thousand thoughts and emotions swirled through your mind, but in that moment, you could only focus on the undeniable pull drawing you towards him.

Crosshair’s hand gently cupped your cheek, sending a shockwave of warmth through you. His gaze softened. “I’ve been dreaming too.” He admitted, his voice barely above a whisper, as if afraid to break the fragile spell that had enveloped the two of you.

Your breath caught in your throat at his confession. “What do you dream of?” You managed to ask, although you already knew the answer.

A faint smile tugged at the corners of Crosshair’s lips, his thumb tracing a gentle path along your cheekbone. “Surgeries. Sterile medbays.” He answered. “While you get the landscapes I see, I get the shot regs and operations that you see.”

“Our link is sharing what we see.” You whispered, the realisation washing over you like a gentle wave. “Through our dreams.”

Crosshair nodded, his gaze never leaving yours. “Seems that way.” He agreed, his voice soft with a tenderness you hadn’t expected from him. “I never imagined my soulmate would be a hot doctor.” He confessed, sliding an arm around your waist to hold you close, his fingers that had been against your cheek now pushing errant strands of your hair out of your face.

A soft laugh escaped your lips as warmth swept through you. One hand moved to rest against his chest. “And I never thought mine would be a handsome soldier.” You admitted, reaching up with your free hand to ghost your fingers across his sharp jawline, relishing the feeling of his closeness.

Lost in each other’s eyes, the world outside your quarters faded into insignificance. “What do we do now?” You asked quietly, entirely at a loss.

“I’d like to explore this further.” He confessed, his voice rough with emotion as his gaze dipped to your lips for a fraction of a second. “If you’re willing.”

You nodded, a smile playing across your face. “I’d like that.”

Pleased, Crosshair spared no time before capturing your lips in a passionate kiss.

The galaxy ceased to exist. His lips were warm against yours, firm and demanding. You responded eagerly, your fingers dragging through his silver hair as you deepened the kiss, your heart pounding.

Crosshair pulled back, and you found yourself breathless and dizzy, your senses reeling from the intensity of the moment as his hands snaked towards your ass. Holding his gaze, you gasped quietly as his slender fingers grabbed at the curvature of your rear.

A smirk crossed his lips, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Not bad for a first kiss,” he remarked, his tone teasing, “but I think we can do better.”

You rolled your eyes, smiling despite the heat rising to your cheeks. “Yeah?” You challenged.

He leaned in closer, the scent of regulation soap and blaster cleaner filling your senses. His lips brushed the shell of your ear. “These hands don’t just make perfect shots.” He whispered.

With a playful swat to his chest, you chuckled, feeling a surge of excitement and a healthy dose of nervousness. “You better be prepared to back that up.”

Crosshair grinned as he pulled back, his eyes sparkling with anticipation. “Oh you can count on it.”

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[writerbuddha]

Good morning, @writerbuddha. The other day, I saw some critics saying that there is a tone problem with The Phantom Menace. That it doesn't make sense for a film to be very childish and at another time to have a serious political plot. In my opinion, I don't see any problem. The film's political plot is simple and not at all complicated. There are few political discussions and most of them are in the second half of Act 2, which is usually the low point of the characters' arcs. However, I would like to know your take on this topic.

Hello! :)

Problem is that, in my view, the “criticism” of Episode I, II and III is the textbook example of groupthink. People don’t think about whether the “criticism” is valid, they don’t apply critical reasoning to these claims - it’s not the detailed analysis and assessment of a movie. I’ve met people who simply claimed, “the majority of fandom thinks this/that, so it’s plausible to believe it’s true.” And YouTubers who want likes and views are keeping this circulating, because I saw one of them explicitly stating, “tongue in cheek spite” makes you popular on YouTube quickly, whereas actual, reasoned and balanced analysis and assessment of a movie does not sell that well.

In my opinion, Episode I is not “childish.” I assume, people who say it's "very childish" are complaining about Jar Jar Binks - again. And possible believe that children are dumb and kids’ movies are meant to be infantile fun that occupies them for some time while you can finally get a break from them. For these people, serious lessons on democracy, society and politics cannot co-exist with Jar Jar Binks, and that's because, in my opinion, they refuse to acknowledge that there's a type of children's stories that are offering very complex moral, ethical, philosophical and psychological lessons and anchors that are relevant throughout one's entire life. They're mostly metaphors and allegories, presenting those lessons on a very abstract level, and you can make use of them in concrete situations. They're essentially the same stories and they fulfill the same role and function as the stories you can find in ancient mythology and in religious scriptures, in modern settings.

The political setting is very easy to understand: the governing body of the Galactic Republic, the Senate is planning to tax the trade routes. The a vast organization of businessmen doesn’t want that, and blockades Naboo as a means of pressuring the Senate. Then, it’s revealed that the traders are following the orders of a Sith Lord, who orders them to invade the planet. Queen Amidala asks the Senate to put an end of the occupation, but, as it turns out, the Senate is full of corrupt senators and the traders are able to pay them off, to stall the resolution of the problem, using bureaucracy. 

Another issue is that many people would insist that if a scene is about two or more people just talking to each other, it’s boring, and if you’re required to pay attention to what the characters say in order to understand the plot, then the plot is “difficult to understand.”  

So, I think that valid criticism of Episode I can be presented, but I'm yet to see one...

[aspiringnexu]

Something I've never really understood is people comparing Star Trek and Star Wars. Not only because the genres are so different (sci-fi vs sci-fantasy) or the fundamental difference that is the absence of Earth entirely in the Star Wars universe (Star Trek is meant to be about a recognisable, if improbable, future, whereas Star Wars is a Space Opera a Long Time Ago and Far Far Away).

But the biggest difference I see is that the two are set in fundamentally different times.

Yes, yes, I know that's obvious. I literally just pointed out the 'Long Time Ago' bit, but bear with me.

Star Trek is set in a time where exploration is still the order of the day. The Alpha quadrant is still being explored, new species are still being discovered. The Beta and Gamma quadrants are the big new frontiers. The Delta Quadrant has one very hazily mapped squiggly line with a few gaps thanks to Voyager but even that small portion was chock full of New Things. The Galaxy is still divided and unknown with new stations and trade routes popping up all over the place.

Meanwhile Star Wars is old. Real old. By the time of the Clone Wars the Republic has gone through different eras. There was a golden age. It has come and gone already. Sure there are still the Unknown Regions but it is fairly fucking rare to come across a brand spanking new space-faring race or rival government. Coruscant as the heart of the Republic has not been outright attacked for a millennium by the time of the CW. The galaxy is such a hot mess of a melting pot that only the truly reserved and isolationist species are rare to see. Humans have been buggering about and propogating so much that now its impossible to tell where they actually all came from because Alderaan? Naboo? Corellia? All major human hubs, but you could say the same about dozens of other planets, and as far as anyone can tell, at least some of the near-human species are almost definitely genetically related to humans so there has clearly been enough time for some natural evolution after the space travel.

I just find it so interesting that people try to compare them when they are at fundamentally different stages of galactic development. Its like comparing the Wild West to the modern day. The galactic governmental structures and attitudes are so amazingly different and that is to the franchises' strengths.

Star Trek is about, at its most basic point, exploration.

Star Wars is about, again at its most basic, adventure.

Sounds similar? They are similar, but whereas in Star Trek the New Things are new, in Star Wars they're new to those characters, or at least new to the audience.

Kirk and Spock are exploring the unexplored.

Luke and Han and Leia are having adventures in an already clearly established society. They forging new paths in an already defined environment.

They're both also, coincidentally, fighting evil Space Fascists but that's just par for the course. I think something about space just Does That. The Void inspires assholes to go 'I can conquer those stars!' only for said stars to pull an uno reverse in the shape of a blond kid with little to no self-preservation skills but a knack for flying spaceships.

Something something space something something sci-fi.

TL:DR Star Wars and Star Trek are different on so many levels but the most interesting one is the fact they're represent galactic civilisation but at different stages. The 'fun, exploration, everything-is-new!' stage, and the 'established society including rampant corruption, unfortunately' stage.

I love 'em both.

[thecoffeelorian]

Chapter Title: The Bet

Word Count: 1,542 words.

Brief Description: Captain Howzer x Female Reader, Captain Howzer x Chandrilan Reader (Singular Love Interest). Just when you're one step away from getting onto the ship bound for Naboo...some unseen force of nature finally intervenes, and you then have to make the biggest decision of your life.

AO3: Link Here

Extra Notes: My Clone Trooper OC, Commander Miles, has his first speaking cameo in this story! Hope you all come to love him as much as I do!

Chapter Masterlist: Link Here

The No-Pressure Tag List: @skellymom @masterjedilenawrites @littlefeatherr @ceejay3636 @red-plaidedandcladed

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@techhasmjolnir and anybody else who might want some more Howzer x Reader stories in their lives.

There's a cold chill growing upon the back of your neck as you step out of the line, your focus now trained solely upon this Trooper. Judging from the shape and placement of his pauldron, he's some kind of high command official, like a Captain or a Commander...and as of this moment, he just might be a few steps away from bringing you in for questioning.

“What seems to be the problem, sir?” Especially if, should your fears prove to be correct, your own father has found a way to keep you from leaving.

“Are you the eldest daughter of Julian Minola?” Which, apparently, he seems to have figured out right as you arrived at this spaceport.

“I...am an eldest daughter, Sir. Why do you ask?” In response, his right hand beg­ins to move toward his left wrist, a sure sign that you just might be one comm away from the lecture of your life. “Well, ma’am, I may have just received a message from your father—” “—It’s because of my father that I'm getting on board that ship, Captain...?” “Miles, ma’am. Commander Miles.” You're not about to give up so easily, though. Not when you're standing just a few steps away from literal freedom. “May I ask if you’re, ah...dealing with any trouble at home?” In fact, if you can speak well enough to the Trooper before you...would it perhaps, be a possibility that you end up convincing him to let you go?

“...Of a sort, Commander.”

“And that is?”

“Simple. I’m not staying in a place where I’ll be sold off to the highest bidder.”

At first, you see this Commander’s entire stance go rigid, and for a moment, you can almost swear he’s about to call your father to this very spot himself. Perhaps you might even deserve such a response as well, considering you were literally one sentence away from broaching a very uncomfortable topic of discussion.

There go your hopes of getting away blame-free. On the other hand...even though your supposed ‘place’ is within a gilded cage and his was once within the line of fire, just how different are the two of you at the end of the day? Isn’t it an odd coincidence that the both of you were raised for one purpose and one purpose only, whether or not you try to fight it in the end?

Furthermore, isn’t it a cold hard fact of life that women can die in the delivery room just as easily as men do on the battlefield, especially when the wrong people are left in charge? It certainly appears to be that way sometimes, what with the few but frightening tales about such things that you’ve read on the holonet late at night. Things that could easily happen to you or someone else you know, even if you all do your best to take the necessary precautions first.

Sure, you and your sister didn't come off of some genetic assembly line with countless other girls both ahead and behind you, but in the eyes of Chandrilan society, you’re not the first daughter to be married off and, chances are, you won't be the last for some time yet.

Not as long as there are more people around that cling to the old ways rather than changing or rejecting them.

It’s not that uncommon, either, for younger men on this planet to remarry within a few years of losing their first wives, if indeed ‘the worst’ should happen to them. According to a few old family stories, that was exactly how your father came to exist in the first place, as your paternal grandfather had once been married long before meeting your grandmother. Is it really too much to assume, then, that the both of you are replaceable?

“...Hm... and what about Captain Howzer?” Your line of thought is brought to a halt the moment this good commander chooses his next approach, and an unexpected one at that. “Who...?” ‘Howzer’? Who or what is that, some kind of obscure Trooper code word? “Captain Howzer, ma’am. The one who spoke to you earlier?” —Oh. Oh-h-h. So that was the interesting Trooper you just happened to meet in the middle of your escape. The one who didn’t look at you strangely or start asking you questions about where you were going, but just interacted with you instead like—like you weren’t something to be judged, or bothered by, and for that, you had started having—feelings. Awkward, yes...but still feelings.

You might have once thought that any and all of those awkward feelings had gone the moment that the two of you had gone your separate ways. Indeed, if the two of you were truly meant to never meet again, both you and that Captain might have eventually or gotten your first meeting, and so moved on with your lives. Now that you might, in fact end up speaking to him a second time, though...you feel that old heat rising in your cheeks all over again. “You...know each other?” “We’ve spoken before, all right.” A heat that could either excite you or embarrass you utterly, if it’s not dealt with in the correct manner. “So, then...what did he say about me?” But then again, there’s still your flight. Your one chance to trade Chandrila for Naboo, and it’s evident in the second pinging that you receive from your Comm. Can you really throw it all away now, just for somebody who might lose interest in you soon enough, if not also leave you behind instead? “Only that you were the kindest, sweetest lady he ever had the luck of meeting, and that he hopes you might yet return.” “ ‘Return’...?!” Can you really also run the future risk of some kind of complication when, or even if, whatever's waiting for you back home leads to the next generation of Minolas? “And how, Commander, do I end up explaining a change of heart to the Naboo University faculty? How do I explain it to the Queen?!” Oh, but your voice is getting shrill now, and perhaps also your bad temper right along with it. This wasn’t how things were supposed to end for you. This day wasn't supposed to be so jumbled, so confusing, as to send your mind into a tailspin. What, if anything, are you supposed to do with yourself now...? “Let me put it this way...” As though to answer you, the Commander touches a hand to his helmeted forehead, a single gesture might be a secret sign to remind you to calm down and think. “He’s eager to see you, that much is a given—but at the same time you’re eager to leave. I get that. I'm not going to make your decisions for you, ma’am, and you don’t have to listen to me if you don’t want to—but what if you were able to do both?” “ ‘Both’?” “Yep.” “How do I do both?” “Simple. You go back and listen to what he has to say, try whatever he offers for about a month...then, if it doesn’t work out for you, can go back to your original plan and leave for Naboo at your earliest convenience.” “What...you mean, like a bet?" “More of a trial run, really. That is, unless you’re willing to treat it like one?” “Hmm…” You absentmindedly finger the pouch full of credits hidden beneath your poncho, remembering the amount you'd saved up in secret before your escape. Would it be so wise to toss your money away upon a simple gamble, never mind a man who you don’t exactly know that well?

On the other hand, though...what if he did have a point here after all, and you ended up owing him instead? “...And what if I offered you five hundred credits as a reward, should I decide to stay?” The Commander becomes just a little bit flustered after hearing this, as he demonstrates the same nervous head-rubbing gesture that you’ve seen a handful of other Troopers do whenever they were stressed out or troubled. Clearly, you’ve given him a lot to think about in a short amount of time, if he hasn’t also done the same for you. “Well, I ah...I guess I would have to find a banker willing enough to open an account for me!” Nevertheless, if the possibility exists that Captain isn’t the only Trooper looking for a fresh restart in life, and as long as you yourself dislike the idea of an entire army getting left by the wayside— “Then I think you and I just might have a deal, Commander.” —Then let it be five hundred credits to start Commander Miles upon his way if he’s victorious, and if not, the longed-for flight to Naboo for you. “We may indeed, Miss Minola. Time to make it official.” Either way, the two of you seal the deal with a handshake, the sign of business in action...and then, just as the last of your three notifications comes, the commander finally motions to the pilot that she has full clear­ance to take off. Well, that's the end, perhaps, but only for now. For better or for worse, your one journey may be postponed, all right...but another journey seems to be just beginning, even if you can't exactly be too sure of the outcome just yet.

Maybe this time, though, if you keep a full heart and an open mind...you’ll be better prepared to see it through.

[zoeykallus]

Hi here ♥ ! I hope you're all right. Thanks for all the Bad Batch contents you give us. You have no idea how much your texts help me feel better. Can you write something about The Bad Batch react/protecting their love interest from a grossophobic insult or insinuation ? Thanks and take care ♥♥

Aloha! Well, sure, still breathing 😁 I'm so glad I was able to make you feel better with my writing! Thank you for telling me that, it does me good too 😊

So I have to be honest, I had to google 'grossophobic', I have to admit I haven't dealt with this term before. Google first tried to convince me I was meaning glossophobia, which is the fear of speaking to people in public, like on a stage. Somewhere in between was a French article about grossophobia, also called fat-shaming. So I guess I'm on the right track now? Let's see what the boys have to say about that.

The Bad Batch x Reader HCs - Reactions To Body-Shaming

Warnings: Body Shaming/Hurt/Comfort/Fluff/Strong Language

____________

Base Situation:

While walking with your lover through the market grounds on Naboo, you are insulted by a passerby who comments negatively on your physical appearance as you look at something at a stall, making you feel super uncomfortable. How does your partner react to this?

_______________

Hunter

"Shut your mouth, or I'll shut it for you".

He has no patience for such idiots, and even less understanding. Hunter is angry, he would like to dish out a few good slaps, but he pulls himself together as long as he can, he doesn't want to look like a troublemaker in front of you.

It depends on how far the harasser is willing to go, if he doesn't stop or says something stupid, it could be that Hunter gets physical and pulls that idiot's ears out, pretty much literally.

Of course, Hunter will immediately take care of comforting you and assuring you how wonderful you are to him as soon as the troublemaker has cleared the field.

He grabs a little flower by the wayside and tucks it behind your ear with a smile.

"You must never take such idiots seriously, you are wonderful in every way".

No matter how insecure you are about the stupid comments, Hunter isn't deterred.

He gently caresses your cheek and solemnly says, "I love every inch of your body, every curve, every little wrinkle, every little hair, every fiber, and all your mannerisms that make you who you are"

Echo

As civilized and orderly as he usually approaches things, here, in this situation, a nasty word or even a heavy object flies quickly in the direction of the harasser.

Echo feels such people as the scum of civilized society, to pick on people because of their appearance, is really the lowest level. He is particularly sensitive to this, because since the Citadel he has not exactly belonged to the so-called norm and has already had to listen to one or two nasty comments. If it concerns him, however, he usually has the calm and strength to simply overhear and ignore it.

Here, however, it's about you, and he can see how uncomfortable you feel, how the disgusting words get under your skin.

"You better run as fast as you talk shit, asshole".

But in his anger, he doesn't forget to take care of you either. Once he's taken care of the idiot, he takes your hand in his, brings it to his lips and kisses it gently.

"My wonderful Mesh'la, I'm so sorry, I hope you don't give ear to this nonsense".

Echo appreciates you in every way possible, as a lover, as a friend, as a person. He shows you that every day, he has a profound, loving respect for you. All in all, you can't feel ugly or unloved with him as a partner, he has a gentle hand for picking you up when you doubt yourself. And honestly, who could ever resist his sweet little, winning smile?

"Come, my beloved, we need a few more things for our romantic evening together. We should get candles too, don't you think?"

Wrecker

He is honestly surprised, he didn't expect this ugly hostility towards you, and he can't understand it at all. Wrecker adores you, and as it is when you are in love, you believe that the whole world sees your partner as you do. Wrecker learns here and now that this is not the case, and is quite shocked at first.

But then the anger boils up. When Wrecker asks somberly, "What did you just say to my partner?", most people usually run away.

Who wants to mess with such a beefy giant? Unless you might be a Wookie or of similar stature, but a Wookie would certainly never stoop to insulting someone because of their appearance.

Wrecker is not afraid to get his hands dirty, should the situation escalate, to deliver a few bloodcurdling blows here and there. But in general, he's actually a laid-back guy who doesn't get rattled by superficialities. He does, however, see red when it comes to you and especially when he can clearly see how much the matter is taking you down.

As soon as the harasser is put to flight, he devotes himself completely to you again.

"Hey sweetie, don't look so sad, that was just some idiot spouting nonsense, nothing more. You are stunning, in every way, he's just pissed because he can't have you".

He shows you his most loving, broadest smile.

"Come on, let me do something good for you. What would you like to do tonight?"

Tech

He has a surprisingly short fuse in this case, even if he otherwise seems rather orderly and calm. Tech is sensitive when it comes to attacks and insults of this kind. Being raised among so many brothers, all the same, as someone completely different has left a few scars.

It is not uncommon for Tech and his brothers to hear stupid sayings, to be called abnormalities, even freaks, and other unpleasant things. However, this has also created a certain skin. Attacks of this kind directed at him hurt, but are not worthy of a reaction from him. But now it is about you.

As I said, his fuse is suddenly very short. You are startled when he tasers the harasser without hesitation and leaves him in the dirt without comment. Tech won't let such an idiot scar you the way he's been scarred, too.

He gives you his warmest smile, strokes your cheek, and finally reaches for your hand.

"You are beautiful just the way you are, Cyare, the most beautiful being in this and every other galaxy, don't let anyone tell you otherwise".

Crosshair

"What did you shithead just say?"

Crosshair reacts quickly and aggressively. His posture changes, you can really feel it boiling under his skin, even if you're not touching him right now. He is so tense that you could swear you see sparks flying.

His posture makes you so nervous that you almost want to tell him to just ignore the guy, you don't want Crosshair to flip out in public, especially since you're supposed to be keeping a low profile.

Contrary to your expectations, Crosshair doesn't go after the man, his sharp gaze is enough to make the man walk backwards, slowly moving away from you, as if Crosshair is a predator that could attack him at any moment. The comparison is not so far-fetched.

He mumbles a curse or two to himself before taking a deep breath and turning back to you.

"Don't pout, little kitten, you can't be taking what that idiot said seriously."

He points to himself and says, "Hey, I'm by your side, I desire you, day and night, you can't be anything that bantha-shit eater said"

As you look up at him a little unsure, he says, "For all I care we can go find a hotel room right now, and I'll show you my love, in every detail, mesh'la"

What you don't know is that Crosshair won't let it go. As soon as he can, he goes looking, tracks down the guy and finally beats the shit out of him like he wanted to do from the start. He might come back to the Marauder one evening with a few bruises, but the other guy sure looks a lot worse. He won't really admit what happened if you ask him.

Ko-Fi (If you feel like giving me some coffee)

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[marvelstars]

The lighter side of Anakin´s story

So I have seen some fans talking about Lucas mentioning that Qui-Gon was wrong to ask for Anakin to be trained as a Jedi because the prophecy only talked about a strong force user defeating the sith, not a Jedi and while I am not sure if that´s actually true given I have not seen the original video from Lucas, I must say that it´s a very interesting take.

Anakin at 9 was already a person who emboided compassion, a wish to help his community, he and his Mom bassically saved Qui-Gon and Padme for a long stay on Tatooine and saved Naboo by proxy, Anakin risked his life to give them the parts needed for their ship and later to destroy the droid army invading Naboo.

Shmi and Anakin were also active members of their society in the sense that they helped others without asking for anything, Anakin helped his fellow slaves, tusken raiders or people in need of his help, they did it just because it was the right thing to do and because they thought a nicer, kinder galaxy was in the benefice of everybody else, despite them being slaves. Anakin already had made a working transmiter detector to help take their slave chips outf and help other slaves like them. He was well on his way to achieving his dream to free all the slaves of Tatooine. He had many of the Jedi virtues without needing to be an actual Jedi.

Freeing the slaves of the outer rim, beggining with Tatooine, truly was Anakin´s purpose beyond the whole helping balance the force and defeat the Sith, in fact that was the first prophecy he made and the only one he didn´t get to fulfill properly which actually, it´s part of his tragedy imo.

Sooner or later, as a freedom fighter on Tatooine, he would have found himself in direct opposition with Palpatine´s plans be it as a Chancellor of the republic or the Leader of the empire, which would have given him the motivation to help end his reign without being too close and vulnerable to his influence. Anakin would have counted with the support of his community, his family, the Lars family and bassically any other people who joined in the cause of helping Tatooine to turn it into a better place for everybody. (Think of it as a proto-rebel alliance, just instead of restoring the republic, their main purpose would have been to free the slaves)

Anakin didn´t need to become a Jedi to do any of that, I believe Yoda´s, Mace Windu and the Jedi Council initial rejection of Anakin to become a Jedi was the right call, not for the reasons they believed, like being old or being afraid for his mother´s fate but in the sense that Anakin wasn´t fit for the way the Order opperated at the time, he didn´t need a master, he needed a father, he needed his Mother, he needed a family, The main reason why he was able to overcome the tragedy and pain of being a slave was because he could count on his Mom, his friends and his community to help him, listen to him and support him on equal footing which also inspired in him the wish to do his best to help them.

As a Jedi, Anakin was a stranger in a culture so completely different to his own that he never was able to fit in really, jedi training in the Republic only left Anakin feeling isolated, alone, vulnerable to Palpatine´s grooming by taking the role as Anakin´s father figure, bitter for the guilt of leaving his Mother behind as a slave and unstable emotionally because he no longer had a real supporting net to sustain him in the way a family would have done for him, when he had been a very stable kid, with friends despite being a slave on Tatooine. Bassically being a Jedi lead to Anakin emotional unstability and vulnerability to manipulation and nothing in their training helped him to overcome any of that because the main hurt, the abandonement of his family on Tatooine, wasn´t ever addressed until it was too late.

Qui-Gon intention was good, it´s completely understable he tought Anakin needed training but by forcing Anakin to become a Jedi in the same way the other Jedi were in the republic very much condemned Anakin to sacrifice the life and dreams that gave him happines and emotional stability. Anakin only needed his mother and him to be freed for him to quickly start positive changes from Tatooine and beyond it, not become a Jedi.

Yoda probably should have listened to his initial counsel, the only reason he changed his judgment was because Obi-Wan insisted as part of Qui-Gon´s last words, not because he thought it was the best path to follow and by sending Anakin back to his mother or letting him stay on Naboo as an hero, he most definitely would have done great things for the slaves in the outer rim and as a grown up adult, he would have not problem having a relationship with Padmé, taking away another pressure point that lead to him falling to the darkside, the other being of course, that he would have grown up secure and away from Palpatine´s influence.

Some food for thought

[whomst-the-hell]

i find it so so so funny that so many anti-jedi ppl r like ‘the council talked too much they werent decisive enough they were ineffectual and got what they had coming’ bc like. that was anakins point. anakin, mentally unstable mcmurderface, groomed by the sith, that guy. youre aligning yourself with,, darth vader? the genocidal one?? space heimrich himmler, thats ur man??? the message of the film, literally stated clearly, so memorable that its one of the most widespread memes, is that thinking that way is naive and shortsighted and leads to harm. that its essential to the continued betterment of society to unite peoples (eg the naboo and the gungans) and to hear multiple perspectives bc ppl in power are sketchy as fuck and cant be trusted. what would you prefer, for mace windu to seize control of the jedi order and command them to take action against the war on his complete authority? sounds an awful lot like a dictatorship…

[swan-of-sunrise]

Taking Care of Business (Chapter Forty)

Summary: Tensions run high when both factions of Mandalorians meet for the first time on Nevarro, and Din and (Y/N) bicker over an impromptu gift for Grogu from Greef Karga.

Pairing: Din Djarin X Fem!Reader

Word Count: 3.7k

Warnings/Disclaimers: None

A/N: I couldn’t wait to get to our new and improved IG-11 because it meant I could have DIn and Alor’ad squabble over parenting Grogu lol thank you for reading, I hope you all enjoy!

Chapter Forty The Exiled (Previous Chapter)

“I hope these two groups get along.” The worry lacing Bo-Katan’s words made Din look up from the blaster he’d been reassembling after a thorough cleaning, and he noted the tension in the Nite Owl’s shoulders as she piloted the Gauntlet down onto the surface of Nevarro; in their absence, the Mandalorian covert had gathered its remaining members from their old planet and established a thriving settlement on the outskirts of the city, its population evenly numbering the Mandalorian mercenaries accompanying them alongside their stolen fleet. “They’ve never met, and what little they know of each other, they hate.”

Din shrugged and went back to reassembling his blaster. “They will if they wanna survive.”

“You know, this isn’t all that different from what happened between the Naboo and the Gungans,” (Y/N) pointed out, tucking her holopad into her satchel and standing to retrieve Grogu from Bo-Katan’s lap. “For centuries, both societies hated one another but under the threat of an invasion by the Trade Federation, they were able to set aside their differences, work together to successfully defeat their common enemy and bring about an age of peace for Naboo.” Cradling the child in the crook of her arm, the captain placed a comforting hand on Bo-Katan’s shoulder and gave her a small smile. “Both groups may hate one another now, but they have more in common than they think. Once they realize that, they’ll finally see the benefits in working together.”

The Nite Owl returned her smile as she prepared the starfighter for landing. “Well, I certainly hope that the Mandalorians down there all share your optimism, Captain.”

The Gauntlet touched down and as the ramp extended itself, (Y/N) placed Grogu in his floating pram and Bo-Katan slipped her helmet back on while Din holstered his blaster, a part of him hoping that he wouldn’t be forced to draw it after both factions met. They followed Bo-Katan down the ramp and across the flats to where the Mandalorian covert was gathered behind the Armorer and Paz Vizsla; after taking a quick glance around at the rest of the stolen fleet, Din noticed that the Mandalorian mercenaries had wisely donned their helmets before exiting their ships. The gesture of goodwill wouldn’t go unnoticed by the covert, but Din knew that it still wouldn’t be enough to gain their immediate trust or approval.

Bo-Katan and the Mandalorian mercenaries stopped before the assembled covert, the tension of the momentous moment filling the air and making even Din hold his breath in anticipation for whatever would happen next; he rolled his eyes and forced himself not to sigh in exasperation when the mercenaries all removed their helmets in unison, and a muscle in (Y/N)’s jaw tightened as her narrowed eyes watched Paz’s reaction to Bo-Katan slowly removing hers in solidarity. Both sides sized each other up and just when it seemed as though the tension would finally come to a head, the Armorer banged her tools together and called out, “Welcome, fellow Mandalorians. We invite you to make camp.” She turned to look at Paz, who reluctantly assumed a more relaxed stance under her pointed stare. “Let us prepare a feast for our guests.”

The Mandalorian covert was seemingly more at-ease as they broke away to follow the Armorer’s command, but the mercenaries remained where they were until Bo-Katan roughly patted Axe Woves’ chestplate and led them back to the fleet. (Y/N) whistled a low tune and turned to Din with a shrug of difference. “Well, that wasn’t quite the reaction I was hoping for…but since no one died or got seriously maimed, I suppose I’ll count it as a success.”

“They’ll warm up to one another soon, alor’ad, just as you said,” Din reassured his worried wife, pursing his lips as his gaze flicked between Paz Vizsla and Axe Woves’ distant figures and snorting at the effortless and inexplicable way both Mandalorians appeared to irritate one another. “But don’t be surprised if a couple of fights break out before they do…”

“Mando! (Y/N)!” They turned to see Greef Karga walking their way; a warm smile illuminated the High Magistrate’s face and while his protocol droid struggled to keep up with him on the uneven ground, he chuckled and excitedly shook both Din and (Y/N)’s hands. “Welcome back, my friends! Welcome back!” He gestured towards the docked starfighters, starships and the Imperial light cruiser and shook his head in disbelief. “That’s quite a fleet you two have assembled.” With another smile, Greef handed (Y/N) the ornate glass bottle he’d been clutching in his gloved hands. “Little welcome gift to celebrate our new neighbors; that’s all the way from Coruscant, so you might wanna wait for a smaller gathering before you open it.”

Din gave his old friend a grateful nod. “Thank you.”

“After the…um, interesting week we’ve had, I’m sure that we’ll be able to find the time to enjoy a drink or two with our new friends,” The captain replied as she examined the elaborate bottle with interest before carefully tucking it into her satchel and looking up at the High Magistrate with a bright smile on her face. “Thank you, Greef.”

“Of course, Captain, but that’s not the only gift I have for you.”

(Y/N) arched a curious brow and Din returned her quizzical look with a shrug before resting a gloved hand on the small of her back and following Greef across the lava flats towards the city. Grogu’s coos of interest from his floating pram as they walked through the bustling streets made Din smile beneath his helmet, but his smile faltered when he spotted the handful of construction sites that were the result of Pirate King Gorian Shard’s attack on Nevarro. “I hope that the damage to the city hasn’t been too severe.”

Greef shot him a reassuring smile as he glanced over his shoulder at them. “Oh, it’s nothing that the good people of Nevarro can’t handle, Mando. Your people have been instrumental in helping us move past Gorian Shard’s siege by aiding with our rebuilding efforts; in no time at all, Nevarro will be returned to its all its formal glory and if our new neighbors truly intend on retaking Mandalore, then our planet will be the first in what will surely be a long line of allies to your people’s homeworld.”

“The Mandalorians will be lucky to have such a loyal ally in Nevarro and its people,” The captain remarked, reaching down to slip her hand into Din’s and give it a gentle squeeze; his wife’s touch was a stark reminder of how long it had been since he’d gotten the chance to look at her without his helmet’s visor getting in the way and now that they were back on Nevarro, the tract of land promised to them by the High Magistrate was beckoning to him more than ever. He’d finally have a place where he could safely remove his helmet for his wife and foundling, a place where all three of them could finally feel safe after spending the majority of their lives surrounded by the life-threatening anarchy that made up the galaxy. It’ll be ours to enjoy the moment our people have reclaimed Mandalore, Din vowed to himself, his longing for a quiet life to enjoy with his family kept at bay by the silent promise he made.

Once they were standing in Greef’s office, the protocol droid left to retrieve their next surprise and returned with a familiar face in tow. IG-11 was just as tall and imposing as Din remembered him to be before his untimely death, but it only took him a moment to realize that while the former assassin droid looked like his old and unexpected friend, there was something lifeless about him as he stiffly walked into the office. “What did you do to IG-11?” He asked, his brow furrowing when he spotted the Anzellan seemingly piloting the droid’s body from the hollowed-out crevice where he’d once stored thermal detonators during his bounty hunting days. From his spot on the office’s illuminated tabletop, Grogu tilted his head and let out a puzzled sound, and (Y/N) shot Din a look of confusion as she smoothed a comforting hand over the child’s wrinkled head.

“No, that’s IG-12 now.” The High Magistrate’s proud expression never faltered even as he took in Din and (Y/N)’s equally-baffled reactions. “Do you like him?”

“Do I like him?”

“It…he looks great, Greef, it’s just that…” (Y/N), struggling to find the words to express their trepidation, bit her lip and looked the droid’s body over before blurting out, “Are we sure that he won’t attack again?”

“Don’t worry, Captain, I assure you he’s safe.”

Din frowned beneath his helmet and took a step closer to Grogu. “You’re sure?”

Nodding, Greef gestured towards the droidsmith operating a set of controls from the hollowed-out crevice in the IG unit’s chest. “Well, the Anzellans stripped IG down to his base motor functions. They removed his memory circuit, and the pilot provides cognition.”

“Yes,” IG-11’s familiar voice answered when the Anzellan pressed a button on the droid’s control panel.

Grogu’s excited coo caused (Y/N) to disguise her giggle with a cough and when Din turned back to face Greef, he simply shrugged and watched the Anzellan crawl down from his perch. “Think of it this way: it’s more like a vehicle. Hmm? It’s safer that way!”

The Anzellan hopped onto the tabletop and his little eyes widened in terror when he spotted Grogu walking towards him. “Bad baby! No squeezie!”

While the droidsmith scampered away and continued to grumble about Grogu’s past antics in rapid Anzellan, Din looked between the child and the former assassin droid’s body, his jaw dropping when he finally understood the significance of Greef’s gift. “Well, he’s too little to operate this thing-”

“No, no, no, no. Let’s see if he fits.” Din turned to (Y/N), fully expecting his wife to veto the High Magistrate’s idea and insist that the child wasn’t old enough to pilot the repurposed droid, but to his surprise, she stepped aside and allowed Greef to place Grogu into the hollowed-out crevice; he shot her a pointed look and when she gave him a helpless shrug, he sighed in exasperation, tightly crossed his arms over his armored chest and looked on as their friend placed the child into the crevice. Grogu settled into the narrow space and placed his clawed hands onto the controls, causing Greef to chuckle and turn to them both with a bright grin on his face. “So, what do you two think?”

(Y/N)’s eyes sparkled with mirth, and she was doing her best to keep a smile from forming on her lips. “I think that it’s wonderful, Greef. Din?”

“…They do nice work, I’ll give them that,” He answered as diplomatically as he could and shook his head. “But Grogu is too young to operate heavy machinery.”

The captain arched a brow. “Sweetheart, he’s older than us both.”

“Well, maybe when he’s older-”

“No.”

Both Din and (Y/N)’s heads whipped around to look at Grogu, whose clawed hand was still resting on the button he’d pushed to communicate with them, and Din’s gloved hands moved to rest on his hips as he incredulously asked, “What do you mean, ‘No?’”

“No.”

“I think he’s saying he’s old enough to operate it,” Greef chuckled.

“Yes.”

Din shook his head again. “Mmm-mmm, get him out of there.”

“No.”

“At least let him try it out in the office.” (Y/N) rested a hand on the unarmored part of his arm and stared up at him with imploring (Y/E/C) eyes. “Greef went to all the trouble to have this made for him, after all.”

“Yes.”

“No,” Din sternly replied to Grogu before turning back to (Y/N); while he normally couldn’t resist his wife’s pleas, Din remained steadfast and refused to give in. “Alor’ad, this is not a good idea.” He turned away before she could argue and reached for the child. “C’mon, kid.” Instead of listening, Grogu used the controls to push Din out of the way and began piloting the droid around the office. “Hey-”

The droid stumbled over its feet and nearly knocked over the bust of Greef Karga, but the High Magistrate’s proud grin never faltered as he looked over at Din and (Y/N). “Will you look at that?”

“Yes.”

Din sighed in annoyance as he addressed Grogu’s enthusiastic voice command. “‘Yes’ what?”

“Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.”

Resisting the urge to cross the room and detach the droid’s vocabulators with his bare hands, Din turned back around to face the captain and rested his hands back on his hips. “(Y/N), do you seriously think that this is a good idea? What if he gets hurt or accidentally hurts someone else with that thing? That very annoying, very loud thing he can barely control?”

(Y/N) tilted her head to the side as she crossed her arms over her chest. “You know, Din, I seem to recall you trusting him enough to let him crawl into the wall of the Razor Crest and reconnect live wiring; how is this any more dangerous than that?”

“Hey, that was your idea, not mine.”

“But you went along with it.”

“…Technically, yes, and that situation ended just as badly as this one inevitably will,” Din hastily added as a smug smile graced his wife’s features, and he looked over at his old friend for some much-needed assistance. “Karga?”

The High Magistrate raised his hands in surrender. “I’d rather not insert myself into a marital quarrel, Mando…however, I’d be remiss not to remind you that your stunning wife also happens to be a rather fantastic pilot; if she can teach your covert’s young foundlings how to fly, then surely she can teach this little one how to control IG-12.”

“Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.”

As (Y/N) watched Grogu toddle around the office with unabashed triumph written across her face, a miffed Din said his goodbyes to Greef and led his clan out onto the streets of Nevarro. “I still think that this IG-12 is a terrible idea. Grogu gets into enough mischief as it is; he doesn’t need any added temptation to cause even more.”

“And I think that Grogu only wants to be an equal in our clan,” (Y/N) countered and when Din shot her a questioning look, she fell into step beside him and continued. “Lately, he always insists on coming along whenever I’ve flown a mission and he was nearly hysterical when you went off on your own on Mandalore. It’s possible that IG-12 helps him feel more independent and puts him on the same level as us, both height-wise and in terms of abilities.”

“Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.”

“And you’re telling me you don’t find the vocabulators on IG-12 to be incredibly annoying?”

Din arched a skeptical brow when (Y/N) cleared her throat and gave him an overly-cheerful smile. “The novelty will wear off in no time, sweetheart. You’ll see.”

“Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.”

“…That wasn’t exactly an answer, alor’ad.”

“Yes, it was.”

“No, it wasn’t.”

“Yes, it-wait, why’d he stop using the vocabulators?” (Y/N) quickly whipped her head around to see where Grogu went, and her eyes widened in shock when Din nudged her arm and pointed to one of the street vendors’ food stalls; the child was controlling the droid’s hand to grab a cup of nuts and stuffing them into his tiny mouth, only quickening his actions when he noticed Din and (Y/N) hurrying over to him. “What are you doing? Stop, Grogu!”

“No, you have to pay for those.” Din wrenched the cup of nuts out of the droid’s grasp and hastily pressed several credits into the indignant Tarsunt vendor’s hand with a murmured word of apology; the Tarsunt’s grumbles only continued and when Din turned, he saw that Grogu had picked up a meiloorun fruit. “No.”

“Yes.”

(Y/N) reached for the meiloorun but the child held it high over their heads. “Hey, Grogu-”

“No.”

“Give me the fruit, Grogu.”

“No.”

“Grogu, give it ba-” The captain’s words were cut short when the droid’s hand inadvertently squeezed the meiloorun too tightly and sent a stream of juice shooting directly into her face; Grogu whimpered, realizing that he’d gone too far with his antics, and released the squashed meiloorun, and Din handed the vendor several more credits as (Y/N) wiped some juice away with the sleeve of her coat. While Din quickly ushered them away from the vendors’ food stalls before they could cause another scene, (Y/N) shot Grogu a stern look that would’ve intimidated a rancor. “Okay, this isn’t working for me.”

Din cleared his throat in a vain attempt to mask his chuckles. “I take it that it’s too soon to say I told you so?”

“Mir’sheb.”

“I love you too, ner cyar’ika alor’ad.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later that evening, the Mandalorian mercenaries were finishing up their meal while the members of the Mandalorian covert gathered around and talked amongst themselves; both factions watched one another like loth-cats, distrust written across the mercenaries’ uncovered faces and tension apparent in the covert’s armor-clad bodies. Din and (Y/N) sat with Grogu by one of the many bonfires scattered throughout the encampment and while his small clan half-heartedly ate their dinner, Din kept a watchful eye on both groups of Mandalorians, knowing that the stress of interacting after so many years of conflict was bound to boil over into a fight. Maybe Bo-Katan will find the words to deescalate both sides before that happens, he thought to himself as he watched the Nite Owl stride into the center of the encampment and take a reassuring breath before addressing her fellow warriors.

“Mandalorians.” The quiet chattering amongst the crowd vanished as Mandalorians from both factions respectfully listened as Bo-Katan loudly continued. “It is time to retake our homeworld. Even though the planet is not cursed, there are still dangers; thanks to Clan Mudhorn and their brave exploration of Mandalore, we now know that dormant species have been awakened from the bombings and the remaining magnetic interference has made it impossible to scan the surface from above atmosphere.” Several Mandalorian mercenaries glanced over at Din and (Y/N) with curious eyes, but they both remained focused on the Nite Owl pacing amongst the gathering. “Which is why I’m proposing that we leave Nevarro and move the fleet into orbit above Mandalore. We send down a small recon party, we’ll scout the surface, find out what remains of the Great Forge, and establish a safe perimeter. Only then, will we bring down the others.” She glanced around at the assemblage before her, and Din could almost see her bracing herself for an unfavorable reaction when she announced, “I need volunteers from both tribes.”

The Mandalorians that surrounded the bonfires all exchanged apprehensive looks and remained silent under the weight of Bo-Katan’s request. When Din looked over at (Y/N), she was already looking at him with a determined gleam in her (Y/E/C) eyes and he could feel his heart warm at the sign of his wife’s unwavering loyalty to the Mandalorian covert; he held his hand out to her and waited for her to thread her fingers around his before standing beside her. “We will go.”

“Grogu as well,” (Y/N) added, and the corner of Din’s mouth curved into a smile when the child softly cooed and clambered to his feet.

Bo-Katan gave them a nod of thanks and glanced over in time to see Koska Reeves stand, holding her helmet under her arm and giving her fellow Nite Owl the barest of smiles. “I will go.”

“I will go,” Axe Woves called out as he got to his feet and bowed his head in deference.

Din’s brows shot up in surprise beneath his helmet while he watched Paz Vizsla of all people rise to his feet and loudly declare, “I will go.”

One by one, over a dozen Mandalorians from both tribes stood and pledged their assistance to Bo-Katan, who struggled to maintain a neutral expression under such a display of unity and allegiance. As the last Mandalorian made their vow, the Armorer stepped forward bowed her helmeted head in respect. “I will go as well.”

The smile that the Nite Owl had been fighting to suppress finally broke out across her face, and she threw Din and (Y/N) a look of pleasant surprise just as Mandalorian mercenaries and members of the covert converged around her; while both factions finally began to mingle with one another, Din and (Y/N) took Grogu to their tent and coaxed the child to sleep in preparation for the long and difficult day they’d be facing in the morning.

“Everything okay, alor’ad?” Din quietly asked, a frown forming on his newly uncovered face as he watched the captain unbuckle her holster and tug her boots off, the tell-tale line that signaled a troubling thought appearing between her brows while they both prepared for bed.

(Y/N) shook her head to clear her mind and flashed him a brief smile of reassurance. “Mmm-hmm, I’m fine.”

Unconvinced, Din adjusted the blanket covering Grogu in his pram and slowly crossed the tent to stand behind his wife, gently taking hold of her shoulders and rubbing soothing circles against her stiff muscles. “Ner kotir alor’ad. You don’t have to hide what you’re feeling from me.”

“It’s just…” She trailed off and turned around to face him before continuing. “We have a solid plan and a group of loyal warriors on our side, but I can’t shake the feeling that something bad is going to happen on Mandalore.”

“Is it possible that our exploration of Mandalore is what’s making you feel that way?” Din asked and when she shrugged noncommittally, he cupped her face between his bare hands and gave her an encouraging smile. “Everything’s going to be fine, (Y/N). We’re better equipped to explore Mandalore now and more importantly, we still have one another. Ner cyar’ika alor’ad, I swear on all the stars I’ll never leave your side.”

The anxious look in (Y/N)’s eyes softened at his utterance of their familiar vow as she wrapped her arms around his waist and smiled up at him. “Ner cyar’ika beroya, I swear on all the stars I’ll never leave your side.”

“This is the Way,” Din murmured, leaning down and capturing his wife’s lips in a long and meaningful kiss, the fear of what might occur the next day put far out of both of their minds.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Mando’a Translations:

Alor’ad-Captain Mir’sheb-Smart-ass Ner cyar’ika alor’ad-My darling captain Ner kotir alor’ad-My brave captain Ner cyar’ika beroya-My darling bounty hunter

A/N: Like I’ve already mentioned, we’re having work done in the house and it’s been difficult finding time to write, but I’ll hopefully have the next chapter up on time! Thank you all so much for reading and commenting! Oh, and I’ve created a Spotify playlist of all my favorite music from the world of Star Wars, so if you’re interested in checking it out the link is down below!

Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2KuSKJhVOPPvxdJ9YHeo4M?si=2977ff31bf0c4bdd

Chapter Forty-One

Taking Care of Business Masterlist

Tagging: @remmysbounty​ @sinon36​ @seninjakitey​ @thatonedindjarinfan​ @ginger-swag-rapunzel​ @mostclevermiss​ @momc95​ @welcometothepedroverse​ @sarahjkl82-blog​ @elinedjarin​ @ccomandercody​ @crowleysqueenofhell​​  @goldielocks2004 @wondergal2001​​ @groovy-lady​​ @impala1967666​​ @fluffy-canada-pancakes​​ @icee228​​ @siimiasoi​​

[writerbuddha]

Good evening, @writerbuddha. I'm a little confused about Anakin's arc in "The Phantom Menace", especially in the climax. What is Anakin's arc in Episode I about and how is that reflected in the film's climax and ending? What does the character learn or fail to learn at the end of the film?

Hello! :)

George Lucas described The Phantom Menace as basically Act I in an epic, where the characters and the basic themes are introduced. Episode I is actually the beginning of Anakin's arc, arching over the trilogy. We're introduced to him and his flaws as well.

We see that Anakin is a very compassionate, courageous and kind person who "gives without a thought of reward" and "knows nothing of greed," and being a Jedi Knight, a guardian of peace and justice in the known universe, who lives for others, is what he dreams about doing. However, we get to see the crack on his armor: Anakin has a fear of losing is mother, he doesn't want things to change, although Shmi tells him, "you can't stop change any more than you can stop the suns from setting." The Jedi Masters, explaining, there is always fear behind anger, there is always anger behind hate, and these are add up to a state of suffering, and lead to evil behavior. Because he has much fear in him, the fear of losing a coming and passing thing, there's a possibility for that to grow into much suffering, not just on his part, but on the part of others. This is the groundwork upon which Episode II and III is built, the foreshadowing of the fall of Anakin Skywalker and the rise of Darth Vader.

With that said, in The Phantom Menace, Anakin learns some lessons. For example, he has to acknowledge that being clean of fear is not limited to having the courage to die for them - it also includes having the courage to live without them, and in that sense, he is very much fearful. He also has to face with the fact that a Jedi Knight can be killed, which feeds into a larger realization: when the good guys win, sometimes, one of them dies, and you must accept the fact that in life, there is no clean, perfect, absolutely satisfying happy end. There are things that we cannot control, so we will never get it just how we want it. Anakin is accepted into the Order, but he had to leave his mother behind. He saved Naboo, but Qui-Gon died. I think it's important that at the end of the movie, everyone seems content, smiling, but Anakin only smiles at Padmé. So, to me, that shows, he has troubles with emotionally accepting this. Which, again, is the inability to let go of what cannot stay.

The way I see the movie, the character who learns something at the end of the film, whose arc is completed in the movie, reflected in the film's climax, and it's also the central arc of the movie, is Padmé and Naboo as a whole: the peaceful and the warrior-like are frowning upon each other, one lives on the surface, in flowery cities, the other is underwater surrounded by beasts, one is led by a queen the other is by a king. Padmé is despised of the concept of war and insist, negotiation is always the answer, but eventually, she must realize that sometimes fighting is necessary. Instead of waiting for the strong and wise leader to solve her problems (which is how tyrants get power: sit back, people, leave this to me. I will fix it, I will make a safe and secure society… in fact, why don’t you put me in charge of everything? You can get on your life, I will bring your security, safety and prosperity!) she decides to stand up, to not to descend into political passivity and apathy, and save her planet. She reconciles with the Gungans, as well as her own warrior-side, and they mutually accept each other at the end of the movie, in harmony and balance.

I hope this is helpful! :)

[coline7373]

On the aftermath of Melida/Daan

Jedi Apprentice? I loved this serie!!!!

That said, I have long struggled with the way the aftermath of Melida/Daan seemed to be just swept under the rug and how, at the Temple, everyone seems to condamn Obi-Wan without a word about Qui-Gon's own behavior.

I long wanted to read a fic that tackled all that and now, I have.

So. First thing first.

The problem is two fold: one, whether or not Obi-Wan was wrong to abandon the Order to figh with the Young, and second, the matter of the probation.

And of course, Qui-Gon's role in all that.

Let me start of by saying that, yes, I do think Obi-Wan was wrong to do what he did. Not moraly, but in facts and consequences for others. Don't come at me with the pitchfoks and let me explain.

There 10 000 jedi for 4 quadrillions people in the galaxy far, far away. Just by the number, they physically cannot help everyone. Nor should they have to! Jedi are negociators, facilitators and investigators. It is not up to them to make the system work. They are elbow grease in a -supposedly- already functionning system. So, due to their limited numbers, they have to limit and choose where they intervene.

Jedi and the Senate have long decide to pick these missions by a democratic process of selection. The elected representatives of the people are the one who vote on where the priorities for jedi interventions lay.

And since the Republic is a democracy, there is a legal separation of power. Jedi can't just go where it was voted they should go and do there whatever the hell they want there. They can't dispense off governments and their laws, customs, culture and choices just because jedi decided they knew better. Jedi help the people there. They don't make decisions for them.

Accountability, preventing abuse of authority, keeping each other in check, preserving freedom of self-determination, respect of governments' autonomy, equal treatement of all.... There are a multitude of very valid reasons for the separation between legislative, executive and judiciary powers.

The gffa is a special place and the jedi are a special people. There is probably some leeways for them to dispense, in certain specific situations, for the due process. But not entirely! Just, some.

War crimes and genocide are probably amongst those exceptions, but it would still need to be proven in galactic court. Think of the Trade Federation's invasion of Naboo and the chill way the Senate decided to make a commitee so they could "assess" the situation. The Senate wouldn't just take jedi words for a situation like Melidaa/Daan. Hard evidences, investigation and a senatorial agreement of intervention decided by a majority vote would be what could make the Senate waves a government's rights to govern themselves.

And there is a difference between acting within the legal parameters provided for jedi, as representatives of the Republic, and acting as a religious follower of the Force, as it dictates a jedi should.

When it's at cross purpose, it threatens the legality of jedi actions, and probably the leeway power-hungry politicians give those seemingly over-powered individuals most of them fear.

So, a jedi dispensing "justice" in the way he thinks is justice, outside of due process, without the approval or demand of any governing official and/or body, it augments the risk of society deciding jedi are overreaching and therefore shouldn't have the legal authority to act without consultation anymore. Or at all. And in the end, isn't it what just happened? The clones killed the jedi under the Sith's chips influence and people cheered in relief to be "free" of the threat of the jedi.

(I'm basing myself on comics, here. Considering we're talking about the books, I think it's fair.)

The jedi can do as much as they do because they are a recognised and state sanctionned legal power, in a sort of no-men's land cross-road between diplomats, specialised tactical forces and intelligencia agents. And their reputation as monks-space-wizards, of course.

Obi-Wan, by going against the mandate of the Senate, threaten that.

Because if one jedi goes rogue, what's to say more won't follow? And if representatives of the Republic can't trust jedi anymore to act within the boundaries of the law, why should they have legal, executive and judiciary powers other citizens don't?

It's normal Obi-Wan was put on probation. He did exactly what jedi shouldn't do: let his emotions get the better of himself, lost the ability to see the situation with a clear head, act outside of his legal parameters of actions, without thinking of or caring for the consequences.

He acted on impulse, to save the children of Melidaa/Daan, yes, which is moraly commendable, yes, but also to sooth his own emotions. To stop the situation that was causing him distress, outside of the boundaries of the law for jedi, regardless of the consequences for the jedi Order and the billions of people they may not be able to help anymore if the jedi lost their freedom of action and its state sanctionned legality.

There's a lot of things he could have done to help the children of Melida/Daan beside what he did.

Don't get me wrong. I don't blame him for not having a better idea, he was just thirteen. Children were being killed by adults who had already been fighting each other for centuries. Hard not to feel a sense of urgency or to have a better solution at that age. Even harder to watch impassively.

But as a jedi, he should have stood by and watched. Because he should have been able to think on the situation impartialy until a legal, effective solution was found. It is what his duty as a jedi demanded of him. That he bears witness, without intervening. Because the legal governments of that planet didn't want jedi help, neither the Melidaa, nor the Daan.

He had to have that emotional strengh, if he was to be a jedi. To be able to abide by the legal decisions of the governing bodies of that planet, no matter how terrible, because it was their planet. And jedi have to respect of the autonomy of the peoples of the Republic to govern themselves. Otherwise it's not a democracy anymore.

And if you think Democracy is wrong, I put you to the challenge to find a better way for people to govern themselves, because people have been trying for centuries irl and no one have found one yet. Unless, of course, like Anakin, you think a dictature is a grand idea. In which case, you can go open a history book.

You probably think I'm terrible for saying that or that a Democracy that abide by children mass murder shouldn't exist. But we don't know that total annihilation of children on Melidaa Daan is what would have happen without Obi-Wan's intervention. All we know is that, in the end, he was not the key element that help stop the war. He helped some, but the one who saved the children are the adults jedi, who got the approbation of the Senate to intervened, the leaders of the Young who convinced their adults to make peace, Qui-Gon who helped settled the treaty between the Melida and the Daan and the people of Melidaan who made it stick.

Think, for one moment, if special foreign agents you cannot fight against because they are too powerfull, came and make you stop do something you think is necessary for your society? Would you be happy? That they change not a trivial aspect of your society but its very fabric?

That you don't think children murders and mutual genocide is necessary, good, fine. Me too. All the people who thinks jedi had it coming in RotS can get the f*ck out here.

But in this particular case, we judge the Melidaa/Daan with our own values. And jedi can't do that.

Because jedi have to respect the values of all. Because they represent the Republic, who represent all the peoples.

And unless the people in question ask for help, jedi cannot act legaly. And if you say jedi should just act illegaly, (aside from the fact it wasn't necessary in the end,) we go back to the problem of jedi loosing their legal, executive and judiciary special powers that help them save billions because of overreach.

Would you leave billions to suffer to help just one planet? Would you abandon Alderaan, Naboo, Chandrilla, Ord Mantell, Bith, Corellia and countless other just to help one Melidaa/Daan?

Sorry to quote Spock there but the needs of the many do outweigh the needs of the few. And the jedi are the guardians of that: the safeguard of most.

If, like me, you think it's horrible no more can saved or helped, you can get angry at the people of Melida/Daan who made the situation horrible in the first place, those who perpetrated it, and the outsiders, civilians and politicians alike, who witnessed the situation and did nothing.

Again, there is four quadrillion of people in the galaxy far, far, away. Certainly more than enough to help one planet. To reach for galactic peace if they all work for it.

Like Obi-Wan said in The Clone Wars, if civilians had all stood up and decided to stop the war, it would have stopped. Nothing politicians can do it they are all fired. Galactic War went on because the majority of people just let it go on. Not enough protested or fufilled their civilian duty to hold their governement accountable for their actions.

It shouldn't all depends on the jedi. And it certainly shouldn't depends on just one boy who had neither the knowledge nor the know-how to stop a centuries old civil war, with a side of children genocide.

But he choose to try. And, of course, he didn't came up with much better than "fight back", because he had no experience in warefare, diplomacy or politics, nor access to the ressources the jedi do have in case such as these. This is also the strengh of the jedi Order: strengh in numbers, support in term of hardware (weapons, tools, vehicules, ect) and legitimate influence on how the Senate punishes a planet that break galactic laws (economical embargo, emprisonnement of the leaders of terrorist/genocidal movement, ect).

He had the emotivity and impulsivity of someone young and had no one with his best interests in mind to help him cool off and look for others options rather then "stay and give up on the jedi path" or "leave and forget about Melida/Daan completely".

He did wrong but it was a mistake to be expected of someone his age, with no training and support.

And this is where Qui-Gon failed him.

By not offering support, no matter his own distress at Tahl's injuries or how Obi-Wan disobeying him awaken Xanatos' related PTSD. Because he was the Master and Obi-Wan the padawan. He was supposed to be able to master his own emotions and put Obi-Wan's training first.

Instead, Qui-Gon let his emotions get the better of him and blind him until he couldn't see the situation for what it was. He was so caught up in his own trauma about Xanathos, about his fear of making Obi-Wan like Xanathos because there is something inherently wrong with his teachings, his fear that there is something wrong with his judgement and those he choose, l5ike Xanathos,) his fear for the critical condition of the woman he loved that he didn't see his padawan was in emotional turnmoil and needed help.

He let fear blind him.

And Obi-Wan did need help. He needed someone to help him work through his outrage and horror at what was done on Melidaa/Daan, to be able to view the situation impartialy, and help to think of a workable solution to help the people on Melidaa/Daan while still being within the legal boundaries of the role of the jedi. Which is what Qui-Gon did, in the end. He came back and helped make the treaty that ended the war.

But, at the time, when Obi-Wan needed his help, he let his negative emotions, his attachements to Xanathos and Tahl, his pride in his own councel, his fear of repeated failure, his fear for Tahl's life overhelmed him. And thus Obi-Wan was left to make this life-altering decision without support.

I've seen a lot of people saying he should have just knock Obi-Wan out and grabbed him. Which -yes. One hundred percent. But again, this is something we wished for based on our own values.

Jedi's values say serving the Order is something that has to be done voluntarily, that one should respect one's autonomy to the fullest extent whenever possible. (Remember Mace giving droids killing people the choice to be re-programmed rather than destroyed?) And Obi-Wan has made it very clear what his will was, there.

"Obi-Wan was just a child." It's very canon, not even legends, but canon, that children are treated as seriously as we do adults very early in their lives, in the gffa. Padme became queen at twelve. Anakin swore a lifetime of servitude to the jedi Order (agreement to become a padawan) at nine. And no adults in the gffa had any problems with that.

"Qui-Gon didn't take the time to discuss the situation with him and argues his decision. " Yes. But, considering Tahl was dying, I think he was right to rush. What he he should have done was come back once Tahl was safe, to discuss it some more, rather than make it all hinge on a two minutes conversation. But he did come back, in the end. Months later, maybe, but he did. And that's why people feel so ambivalent toward him. Because Qui-Gon is exactly who G. Lucas wanted him to be: the reminder to the audience that jedi aren't infallible all knowing, all powerfull superheroes. That they can make mistake. Because they are just people.

In conclusion, for the first part of the Melidaa/Daan Problem, I think Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon were both wrong. Obi-Wan, in his choice, blindness to its consequences, and Qui-Gon in letting his attachements and fear get the better of him and consequentely in failing in his duties as a Master.

Now, onto the probation part.

I think a lot of people who criticize the probation have never been on one imposed by kind people who act from a position of honest goodwill with their most sincere best interest at heart.

It's not meant to be just a sanction, to say 'this was wrong'. It's an opportunity to have all the time in the world to reflect at lengh without any other demand on your time. It's a chance to improve, to open your mind to points of view you might not have seen before, to understand better how your own emotional mechanism work that it put you in said situation in the first place, to review the situation with more insight, to gain wisdom about past event and about yourself.

Failure is an opportunity for growth and probation is a an opportunity to dedicate your focus solely on reflection and emotional/social recovery.

That said, it's not how it's presented in the books.

It's all "You did wrong. Do your time and maybe Qui-Gon will take you back". There is no blame assigned to Qui-Gon, no self-admission of failure from him, no discussion of their bond, their duties to one another, their actions and what it means, no admittance of a need for changed behavior, no chance for growth...

I feel that they wanted to keep it simple because it's a book aimed at a young audience. But by wanting to avoid difficult discussions kids might not understand or be bored by, they by-passed the concepts of probation, guilt, accountability, and the responsabilities and boundaries of the role of jedi entirely and thus give a completly skewed view of the event and how jedi work when one of their member make a mistake.

I think it's a false short-cut, a misrepresentation of the jedi and a disservice to the audience, no matter how young. Because rather than struggling with understanding "adults can make mistake but it doesn't mean you're blameless by elimination or that every adult's entire authority should be put in question", the story ends up telling "You should never question authority. Adults are always right so you just shut up." And that's a terrible message to give, because it's definitively wrong.

It's not because an adult is wrong once you never have to obey them as a minor ever again or that they are wrong about everything on this particular matter. This fear of having to justify authority, it come from a place of not being sure of its reasons other than "I'm the boss" or how to explain it to a child well enough they will accept to obey to that authority. It's the fear not being able to justify the legitimacy of one's authority. And acting on fear, that's not the way of the jedi.

Qui-Gon clearly had wisdom and intelligence, beyond this incident. He was capable of thoughfull interpersonnal interactions or he wouldn't be the jedi everyone say he was. And Obi-Wan himself wouldn't regard him as highly as he did either.

He can be uncertain faced with Qui-Gon's everything but, come on, he's no shrinking violet either.

How many thirteen years old has the gall to stand up to such an intimidating adult the way Obi-Wan did? But he did. And yet, he still thinks Qui-Gon is strong and wise and a good jedi and wants to learn from him.

So, Qui-Gon screwed up. The problem was Qui-Gon have been screwing up a lot and, each time, they talked about none of it, neither with the High Council, the Council of Reassignment, nor between themselves. He didn't apologised either, so it build up and up until it actually became so big it was impossible to do adress without changing fundamentally who they were as characters in the story.

This is where the Order was supposed to intervene.

A neutral third party with authority over them both, a duty of overview, and recognised wisdom. They should have torn down that built-up mess of unspoken issues and make Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan work through it. Do a thorough review of eveything problematic that happen between them from the start, so that everyone can say their piece, offer insights into the other's actions or POV, and prompt apologises where necessary.

Not in an accusatory way. In a way that say "this is where Qui-Gon failed as a jedi, as a master because .... Here is how you might improve."

Transformative justice rather than punitive justice.

Opportunity of betterement of self, in his role as Obi-Wan's master, as a jedi in the Order whose actions can influence other jedi, as a jedi and therefore a representative of the Order to the wider galaxy, as a representative of the Republic... This is what was taken from Qui-Gon too.

And from other jedi.

By not condamning them both, the Council announce to the rest of the Order that they found no fault in Qui-Gon and that the fault fall solely on Obi-Wan.

The intelligent masters who have experience in padawanship before, or the perceptive knights, will know it's not true. It take two to make a relationship. To think a 13 years old apprentice was just as responsible for this mess as his 43 years old Master is just foolish. The social judgement of Qui-Gon's actions was maybe just done behind closed doors.

But not all jedi may see this. And that open a whole new can of worms where the blame is put solely on the shoulders of a 13 years old learner, instead of partially on the learner and mostly on his 43 years old teacher.

That say to the othe jedi "The wisest amongst us have decide it's just the padawan who screwed up."

And since it was no small screw-up with priors, the youngest and most dogmatic/short-sighted/mean members just turn on him.

That's to be expected. It's the normal reaction in any society to shun a member condamned by its governing body, when he threaten the society as a whole. Which Obi-Wan did (see above).

And that's where the Council messed up again. Either they don't see it happening or they do but don't do anything about it, when their role is to regulate the Order, in addition to decision making and interpretation of the will of the Force. So, it's allowed to go on and fester. It let those toxic emotions and behaviors grow. When those are emotions that open the door to the Dark Side! It taint the Jedi. Against a thirteen years old.

Again, I know it was written this way to probably make the probation, an act of self-reflection on one's mistakes and change -something no one, especially not a young audience, enjoy practicing- still a Dramatic Arc (tm). Look at mean padawans! Look at the masters who ignore him! Obi-Wan alone against the world! But he will prevails! Because he's the hero!

Yeah... no.

Self-reflection is difficult and boring. No one likes to spend days on thinking what they did wrong, what they missed, trying to internalised different point of views, how they should improve. Especially when the stakes are that high and the initial motivation that just, that moral.

But it was a mistake for how the jedi function in-universe, and he should reflect on what else he could have tried, on why he acted as he did, why he made the choices he did, what motivated him and what are sensitive points for him. So that he can learn from this and do better next time, in another mission. So he can understand the mechanisms of his own psyche better and recognise when he find himself in a situation where his emotional reaction might be a danger for his impartiality and how to safeguard against it.

That's just part of growing up.

Learning, making mistakes, learning again, putting in the work, even when it's unpleasant or boring... This is also what it takes to become a jedi. Not just telekinesis, mindfuckery or lightsaber fighting.

The attempt to make it seems unnecessary or even something grand to fight against where Obi-Wan is this righteous innocent lamb, just to make the episode exciting, it did a disservice to everyone: Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, the jedi, the Council...

I was always furious at how the functioning and the philosophy of the jedi was completely warped just for gratious storytelling purpose.

Or worse, because that's the author's honest opinion of the jedi Order. There is more than enough opinion the jedi are unfeeling cold bastards in the world already. To add to it just to make things dramatic... Ugh!

But this is what we've got so this what I think should have happened instead, if we stay with the canonical characterisation and motivation of jedi, as individuals and as a group.

All that to say, I have long wish for someone to have a go at it and cut this bullshit in half. Or more. And extract from it what a fall-out with in-canon motives, philosophy and good characterisation might look like.

And here we are! Finally! And not just a past wrong righten but also a look at how the jedi operate in "peace times" before everything became about the Sith and the war against the Separatists.

Just... the Order and the regular problems of being a jedi in a galaxy far, far away.

Thank you!!!!! I feel like I can breath because something that always bothered me immensely is finally right!

I thought the characters were on point and I love how the author represented Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan's relationship. I love how they just said fucked it to the meal plan and went to treat themselves something appetising. I love how they opened up to each other and how each want the best for the other.

I loved the stories and everything in it. I loved the view at all the different jedi. I love how all the bullying might finally be adressed. I love when Obi-Wan talk about the war, even though it broke my heart. I love the chance to see regular citizens as characters. I love the description of the Temple and regular life there. I loved everything!

So a big, heartfelt thank you to this author!!! It was great serie and a great read and something that absolutely missing for me! I encourage everyone who struggle with the treatment of the aftermath of Melidaa/Daan in the books to read it!

[jessepinwheel]

What is the end of para? Or like how do you see the galaxy changing after the Empire collapses? Multiple dif regimes across the galaxy? What's Alderaan up to? Or Naboo since Padme is trusted enough to be a handler for a Mando-Jedi. Also love that Maul got the chance to be a Jedi <3

well, fundamentally the number of mandalorians is extremely overwhelmed by the number of worlds they've taken, and their main way of enforcing their rule was to send suppression forces when worlds were starting to do things they didn't like or weren't paying their tithes. without an efficient surveillance system, or with multiple worlds rebelling at once, they're really easily overwhelmed by sheer numbers

which is to say, after the coup the mandalorians communications systems are completely trashed, almost all of their leaders have been assassinated, their emperor is dead, and the darksaber has been destroyed. there's a huge power vacuum and a bunch of mandalorian clans break out into fighting for the throne. the mandalorian empire has also historically instituted limits on ship production and highly policed hyperlane traffic to stop people from occupied planets from leaving, which is really biting them in the ass and ends up stranding a lot of mandalorians due to not having a ride out or a way to call for one. basically this ends with a lot of fighting over resources because mandalore receives most of its food and other essential resources from tithes, which colonized worlds are no longer supplying. so they're basically killing each other and also starving to death because a society that's all warriors is, uh, not sustainable

a lot of worlds claimed by mandalore are able to regain full independence, including alderaan. bail and breha end up accepting a lot of refugees from mandalorian worlds, many of whom are non-mandalorians who were living in service to mandalorian clans and others who are mandalorians who agree to disarm. a little keldabe community ends up forming on alderaan, which is fine as long as none of the mandalorian refugees, y'know, kill people

naboo, which is also a highly established mandalorian world, is not doing great for similar reasons to mandalore itself, though it does have the benefit of being more self-sufficient with regards to food. it probably ends up as one of a handful of sanctuary worlds for empire mandalorians after the empire broke apart. for padme specifically, she presumably tries to launch an attack on a previously occupied world and ends up being arrested along with many other belligerent mandalorians who refuse to give up on the empire. she refuses to disarm and take the community service way out, sticking to her principles and the mandalorian empire

yeah, dathomir is outside the reach of the mandalorian empire, which is how maul and his brothers ended up with the jedi. (the nightsisters give force sensitive children every so often to the mandalorian empire effectively as a tithe to leave the rest of the planet alone, which is how ventress ended up there.) maul mostly stays in dagobah because his legs were injured in his fight vs qui-gon, and he runs the jedi's amateur theatre troupe (which he inherited from mace) as well as works with jocasta nu with archival work. he and obi-wan have pretty much had a weird rivalry all their lives, and maul was absolutely devastated when obi-wan got captured (and presumably killed).

ask me questions about parasitic extraction, the role reversal mandalorian empire au that I have

[hegodamask]

While I’m on a roll with my Karn Family Thoughts™ I saw this, and now I really like the idea of Eedy not being a Coruscant native

And it got me thinking: with her big hair and eye for appearances, wouldn’t be be delicious if Eedy was from Naboo of all places?

We all know clothing is highly symbolic and important to the Naboo. Every piece they wear communicates something specifically. Eedy is a strong believer in this too:

She literally puts words to the position of Syril’s collar, “Look at me. I don’t believe in myself. I am desperate for approval.”

Then there’s the added flavour of Naboo being the Emperor’s home planet. I can just imagine her and Syril using that at every opportunity to impress imperial society. 

Plus, Eedy would’ve been a young woman when Palpatine was elected senator. What if she’s followed his rise to power since then? What if he was her inspiration to leave Naboo? “If Palpatine can make it to the centre of the galaxy, then so can I.”