#is yoda a well-rounded character with flaws? yes

[antianakin]

I read your disagreement on this popular sentiment that "The Jedi Were Flawed" and I couldn't agree more with your disagreement. The Jedi are not the problem in the galaxy. It's everybody else: the Sith for plotting a revenge conspiracy for 1,000 years, the Republic for being plagued with corruption in which the Sith had a hand in (but not all Republic senators were corrupt), the Mandalorians for being warmongering a-holes, the Hutts and other crime syndicates who terrorize innocent people, the Separatists for making problems worse by starting a war with the Republic, the Empire for bringing tyranny upon the galaxy, and if you're an EU fan, the Yuuzhan Vong for starting an unprovoked war against the galaxy that causes the deaths of TRILLIONS of people!

That post came about almost as a reaction to pro Jedi people constantly talking about how OF COURSE the Jedi were flawed all the time and how annoying I find it more than anything else lol. It's very annoying to have to keep seeing posts by people who I know do LIKE the Jedi talking about how flawed they are, how they make mistakes, blah blah blah.

I've had people ask me why the sentiment of "the Jedi were flawed" can't co-exist with the sentiment of "the Jedi were RIGHT" or "the Jedi did nothing wrong" and, to me, it's not that they can't coexist in a more general sense, but they don't coexist NARRATIVELY to me. "The Jedi were flawed" is just a bullshit statement because the entire point of the narrative is that the Jedi were RIGHT. So what does it add to that particular theme and storyline to insist that the Jedi were flawed all the time, or that they made mistakes? How does it add to the message about being selfless and compassionate to insist that the characters who are in the story specifically to showcase why it's important to be selfless and compassionate are in fact also flawed and make mistakes?

It ALSO bothers me because the people who most often say it are the ones who mean "the Jedi were flawed" as "the Jedi deserved what they got" or "the Jedi were wrong the whole time" or "the Jedi should've changed their entire culture to accommodate one person" or "it was the Jedi's fault that everything bad in the galaxy happened." So when fans who LIKE the Jedi and don't actually believe any of that continue to insist "OF COURSE I believe the Jedi are flawed" it just smacks of desperation, of trying to appease these other fans who will never change their minds. Why bother trying to insist on a middle ground when what they mean by "the Jedi are flawed" is not the same as what a real Jedi fan means by it? What does it add to try to find a middle ground with someone whose interpretation is so completely the opposite of your own? Why bother?

So yeah. I never say the Jedi were flawed because I don't find it a particularly useful way to analyze the story or the Jedi's position within it. The Jedi were right, the Jedi are always right, and it's not honestly any more complicated than that.

[padme-amitabha]

Is Anakin a Mary Sue?

Now it may shock you to learn this but it turns out that Disney Star Wars is kind of a contentious topic. The fandom's been more or less divided between those who like the sequel trilogy and those who like good movies but both groups spend a great deal of time slinging [ __ ] at each other over every form of social media known to man and truly no battleground is more fiercely contested than the protagonist of each trilogy. People who hate the Disney trilogy tend to criticize Rey for being an overpowered, flawless, perfect, invincible and unrelatable character for whom everything just kind of happens with no real struggle or difficulty a Mary Sue if you will.

Meanwhile supporters of the sequel trilogy are quick to leap to her defense usually with one of two potential counter arguments:  1. You just hate strong women 2. So what if she's op as [ __ ] Anakin Skywalker from the prequels was a Mary Sue too and you don't criticize him. You just hate strong women. This argument was brought into sharp focus for me the other day when I was perusing twitter in search of calm, logical, rational discussion about the merits of the sequel trilogy and I chanced upon this little gem of a comment. Ah yes that famously perfect protagonist who wins everything, always makes the right decisions, has a selfless and compassionate personality, and is universally loved and respected by everyone. Well random twitter [ __ ] as it turns out, I am ready to have that conversation right now. So saddle up y'all because the drinker's here to round up this [ __ ] and put an end to this argument once and for all. Let us journey deep into the world of the Star Wars prequels and see if we can figure out whether Anakin Skywalker really is a Mary Sue.

Now in order to do this, we have to nail down what exactly a Mary Sue is. Well according to the dictionary definition it's a term used to describe a fictional character, usually female, who is seen as too perfect and almost boring for lack of flaws originally written as an idealized version of an author in fanfiction. Now the finer points of what makes a Mary Sue can vary depending on who you talk to but after consulting multiple sources and drawing upon my own experiences as a writer, there's a few common traits that I think most people would generally agree on:

1.      Mary Sues usually possess skills and abilities that are not consistent with their situation and personal history. They can do stuff they shouldn't realistically be able to and they can do it better than anyone else.

2.      They usually possess flawless idealized personalities that no real person could measure up to they never give in to negative emotions like anger, greed, jealousy, selfishness or arrogance.

3.      They're universally loved respected and embraced by every good character they encounter even when there's no logical reason for this to happen.

4.      They never get seriously challenged, fail at anything or get beaten by anyone, success and victory come easily to them.

5.      They always make good decisions and strive to do what's right in any situation so why is this actually a problem.

Well I think the answer should be obvious, Mary Sues are boring as [ __ ]. If a character has got no flaws or weaknesses and never really gets challenged or tested by anything then what is there to get invested in?

It's the flaws and failings of a character that make them interesting in the first place and their struggle to rise above and overcome these flaws that make them so compelling. If these things are missing from a character, then there's nothing for the audience to latch onto or care about. There's nothing to like or root for. That's the essence of a Mary Sue and that's what we're going to be looking at here. So, with that in mind let's see how Anakin stacks up against this list shall we?

Point number one: Being overpowered and having abilities that he shouldn't. Now this more than anything else is what people tend to latch onto when they criticize Anakin and who can blame them really? On the surface it seems pretty ridiculous to see a nine-year-old boy doing stuff like this autopilot but let's put it into a wider context, shall we? When we first meet Anakin in The Phantom Menace, he's a slave living with his mother on Tatooine. He's spent most of his life salvaging junk and using it to make new stuff that can marginally improve their quality of life. As a result, he's become pretty good with technology. Well that makes sense, I guess. He's even applied these technical skills to pod racing where he's been fairly successful despite suffering at least one major crash that we know about. Again, this kind of makes sense when you consider he's strong with the force which would likely give him heightened perception reactions and understanding of the world around him, you know qualities that are important to high performance racing drivers. Anyway, his racing abilities allow the main characters to win an engine part that they need to repair their ship as well as enough money to buy his freedom. Sensing his importance Qui-Gon Jinn takes him under his wing and begins to teach him about the force. Remember when older mentor characters were allowed to teach the protagonist things? I miss that. He also takes part in a space battle that destroys an enemy mothership at the climax of the movie. Now as goofy as this scene is in its execution, it's not actually inconsistent with Anakin’s abilities and experiences. If you've worked around technology vehicles and ships your entire life and you can pilot a racing pod to a high standard then it stands to reason that you could probably operate other types of spacecraft as well, particularly if you have a droid on board to manage most of the ship's systems for you. However, for the sake of argument let's concede the Anakin in The Phantom Menace is indeed more skilled competent and capable than your average person.

So, what kind of effect would this have on a young man from an impoverished background suddenly thrust into a much larger world of power, politics and opportunity? Well that brings me neatly along to point number two: Mary Sues are supposed to have flawless personalities never giving in to anger, jealousy, resentment, vengeance or ambition. All throughout the second and third movies in the prequel trilogy, Anakin displays an increasingly severe set of personality flaws that begin to undermine his position in the world and his relationship with other characters. He's impetuous and hot-headed, frequently rushing into dangerous situations without waiting for backup or considering the risk to himself particularly when someone he cares about is in danger. Keep that one in mind because it'll be important later. He's ambitious but also impatient, feeling like he's been unfairly held back by other characters, particularly Obi-Wan Kenobi, and this resentment causes a growing rift between the two men that eventually spills out into open conflicts. Rather than taking the longer and harder path to wisdom and understanding, Anakin wants everything right away. He also cares deeply about people close to him and this attachment often manifests in explosive bites of anger and jealousy when he feels that they're being threatened like when his mother gets kidnapped and killed by Tusken Raiders, causing Anakin to go on a violent rampage that escalates into wholesale slaughter. Afterwards even he's shocked by what he did or when he believes that Padme has turned against him by Obi-Wan Kenobi, causing him to lash out violently against both of them. By this point he's been totally consumed by uncontrolled jealousy anger resentment and betrayal. All of the emotions that lead to the dark side of the force. The point here is clear: if you [ __ ] with someone he cares about then mercy and compassion go right out the window.

All of his skills, abilities and potential which seemed so overpowered and unnecessary in the first movie in fact serve a very important purpose for his character development. They've generated a sense of superiority, arrogance and overconfidence, and a reluctance to listen to criticism or advice no matter how well intentioned they might be. These are dangerous flaws in his personality all by themselves but combined with his overwhelming emotional attachment to people he cares about it creates a potent cocktail of reckless ambition and deep-seated insecurity that makes him uniquely vulnerable to manipulation something which will later prove disastrous because while Mary Sues are universally loved respected and trusted by everyone, Anakin certainly isn't in the first movie. Obi-Wan Kenobi, Mace Windu and Yoda are all against training Anakin to become a Jedi despite his obvious potential because they know he's already too old to be inducted. This lack of early discipline in his life would leave a dangerous gap in his personality, making him unpredictable and less able to control his emotions, two factors which are extremely dangerous for Jedi. These misgivings would carry over to the next two movies where Anakin is elevated to the Jedi high council on Palpatine’s orders but the council itself refuses to grant him the rank of master because they feel he hasn't earned it yet. Now a different man would see this as an opportunity to prove himself by working hard and earning their trust eventually winning them over and gaining the recognition he deserves but Anakin takes this as a personal insult from the council which drives a deeper wedge between him and a Jedi order which he believes will never truly respect or accept him. Wow it's almost like Palpatine knew this was going to happen and engineered the whole thing to pull Anakin closer to him portraying himself as the only one who can help Anakin realize his full potential. It's a surprisingly smart piece of characterization that's completely consistent with everything we know about both men. The higher Anakin rises the more it stokes the fire of his ambition and superiority and the more he comes to see anyone who doubts or cautions him as a threat to his success. This arrogance and overconfidence also causes him to test himself against powerful opponents before he's actually ready for them and unlike Mary sues who easily win every battle they have to fight, Anakin’s recklessness causes an escalating series of losses like here where he tries to take on count Dooku all by himself and it ends with Anakin getting his [ __ ] arm sliced off. But his desire for revenge against the man who defeated him ultimately causes a more powerful and better prepared Anakin to execute him in the following movie, again proving his willingness to give into vengeance and anger even against helpless opponents or here in his climactic confrontation with Obi-Wan where his enemy has the advantage but Anakin presses the attack anyway and well I think we know how that turns out. Just as a side note I love how this carries over to Return of the Jedi. See Luke’s taking the high ground here just like Obi-Wan did.

What we have here is a clear pattern of behavior from a man whose ambitions consistently outstrip his abilities. Rather than demonstrating patience and restraint and taking the slower and harder path to lasting wisdom and fulfillment, Anakin’s inherent character flaws cause him to push himself beyond breaking point with increasingly disastrous consequences which brings me neatly along to the final points: whereas Mary Sues consistently make good righteous decisions and always strive to do the correct thing, Anakin on the other hand demonstrates a consistent pattern of mistakes and misjudgments that ultimately cost him everything. As I've already shown you the flaws in his personality are exacerbated by his powers and abilities making him easy prey for a ruthlessly ambitious man that knows exactly how to flatter his ambitions and prey on his weaknesses this eventually causes him to commit terrible crimes like murdering an entire tribe including unarmed civilians murdering children, executing a helpless opponent, helping to kill a jedi master, trying to murder his own wife, trying to kill his mentor and best friend, joining forces with an evil dictator to overthrow the republic, delivering this scene…

What I’m trying to say with all this is that Anakin Skywalker is the very furthest thing from a Mary Sue that you can get. Trying to label him as a Mary Sue for no other reason than because he's good at lots of stuff demonstrates a complete misunderstanding of what a Mary Sue is and also of who Anakin is. The reality is that he's a powerful but deeply flawed man whose unique combination of circumstances and abilities have created a dangerous personality that's vulnerable to manipulation and corruption his greatest strengths ultimately proved to be his most terrible weaknesses with consequences that echo across the entire galaxy. Now I have my own thoughts on the prequel trilogy as a whole and I’d be lying if I said they were great movies but fundamentally I think the story they tell is actually pretty [ __ ] good and I’m just gonna say it: Anakin’s rise to power and fall to the dark side is a damn good piece of character work that Disney would have done well to pay more attention to. Anyway, that's all I’ve got for today. Go away now.

I would argue the prequels are great movies but he makes some very good points. I have seen so many Disney fans claim Anakin is a Mary Sue, when he’s anything but a Mary Sue. 

[escaping-thoughts-reviews]

The “High Republic” is already broken and here's why...

After how Disney managed the “sequels” I was very sceptical and honestly weary of them going back in the timeline. Because if they weren’t able to write the OT characters well, what chance did they have to get the old Jedi right? Well, sadly the answer is none. Let’s start with the interview:

Right from the get go, we understand that the people in charge of this project have NOT researched the Old Republic or how the Order worked back then.

There is no reason to state that the Jedi are “the good guys”, they always were. This thought implies that the Jedi that came before or after this period are not and honestly if this is the road they want to take this, I have a few pieces of lore to prove the contrary.

“A memorial on Ruusan will serve as a reminder of how one hundred beings willingly marched off to face certain death so that the rest of the galaxy might live in peace. It will be a powerful symbol to inspire others.”

“The Jedi do not need symbols to inspire them,” Farfalla reminded him. 

“But the rest of the Republic does,” Johun countered. “Symbols give power to ideas, they speak to the hearts and minds of the average person, they help transform abstract values and beliefs into reality.

“This monument glorifies the victory on Ruusan: a victory that came not through the strength of our army, but through the courage, conviction, and sacrifice of Hoth and those who perished with him. It will serve as a shining example to guide the citizens of the Republic in their thoughts and actions.”

- Johun Othone, 900 BBY [Darth Bane: the Rule of Two, Drew Karpyshyn, 2007]

The Jedi were always an inspiration and always fought for the good of the Galaxy.

“Yes, being the only Jedi Knight in the sector gave Kerra other responsibilities. But those didn’t absolve her of her duty to those who had put faith in her.”

- Kerra Holt, 1032 BBY [Errant Knight, John Jackson Miller, 2011]

Here, Kerra puts the lives of those who put their trust in her before her mission, showing that the Jedi were always selfless and compassionate.

“... very ‘human’ - no matter their species”. This is laziness. Pure laziness. 

Every Star Wars reader knows that there are hundreds of different species through out the Galaxy and most of these species act and view the world in very different ways. They have traditions or customs so far removed from what we would consider “human”. To them it’s normal, to us can be percieved as the opposite. To make these aliens “human” is basically writing a human character, reskin them as (example) a Kel Dor, without taking into consideration the culture that species has. For example, a Falleen will have different views from a Togruta or a Hutt. You can’t make them “human” because they’re not. Make them unique characters, but don’t sacrifice their species individuality.

“We’ve put a lot of time and effort into making our Jedi feel real, rounded individuals”. Yeah, I sure hope you did.

You mean as every character should be? Congrats for the bare minimum. The EU did it time and time again and do you see them patting their backs? Mmmh...

“They serve not out of unwavering dogma, but deep passion to protect the light and life.” There is so much wrong in that sentence it’s amazing. 

First, let us remember that the Jedi ARE a religious Order

The Jedi Order was a noble, religious order of protectors united in their devotion to the light side of the Force. [Wookiepedia]

Their “dogma” is part of who the Jedi are and that dogma is what motivates them to do good and never stray from the light side. With this sentence it’s clear that Disney aims to paint those who follow the Code as “NOT good”. To bad that Obi-Wan was one of those Jedi. Was he perfect? No. Was he a bad person? Absolutely NOT. He was flawed, but good.

Second, “passion” has nothing to do with the Jedi, as the Code says: 

There is no passion, there is serenity.

“Passion” is a tool of the Sith. As Yoda states:

“You will know (the good from the bad) when you are calm, at peace. Passive. A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack.”

“Some may have not chosen to work with the Jedi they’ve been posted alongside” ... Do these people even know anything of how the Order operates? Clearly not. Jedi are sent on missions by the Jedi Council. They can take the mission or not, but they don’t choose who they work with. The Council does.

If this first part wasn’t evidence enough, let’s take a look to these new Jedi... and may the Force be with us...

(part 2)

[acatbyanyothername9]

Every even number :)

2.                  What is your favorite movie?

AOTC : we got introduced to so much greatcharacters : Dex, Dooku, Jango Fett… We got to see Obi Wan drink and play detectiveand going with the flaw in some of the most ridiculous situation ever shown onscreen, we got to meet the GAR for the first time too! I also loved Kamino aesthetic.

4.                  Do you ship Anidala?

This is a complicated question. I don’t, notreally because I don’t think theirs is a healthy relationship. They jump into amarriage after having lost contact for ten years, Padme just brushes under thecarpet the fact that Anakin committed genocide, they don’t seem to agree onsome of the fundamental things such as democracy. I mean Padme fought untildeath to preserve the Republic and the Democracy, while Anakin was on board fora dictatorship and then brought on the Fall of the Republic. And some of therecent comics have shown that Padme does not trust Anakin (even if it’s only onpolitical matters because of his relationship with Palpatine). Also Anakin doesnot do healthy relationship and that is reason enough to not ship Anidala. On theother hand, I find Anidala fascinating because of all this: it’s a deeplyflawed relationship, yet they did it anyway and tried to make things work.

6.                  Luke or Leia?

Definitly Luke. Leia is way to belligerent forme.

8.                  Did you like Lando?

As a matter of fact I did! I liked his slyhumour, his friendship, the hinted background with Han, everything. I think heis one of the characters of the Original Trilogy that stuck with me the most.

10.                  Did you like the sequels?

Nope not at all. TFA is nothing more than aremake of ANH with characters with a different name/colour/gender (it was likewatching the Beauty and the Beast live action remake), as for TLJ, I still don’tknow what they were trying to do. At least I had some things to say afterleaving the theatre, even though none of them were nice. It’s a Star Wars travestythinking it’s a clever film. And I’m still mad that we saw Yoda and not Obi Wanhaving a talk with Luke. I mean who better to talk about what happened but ObiWan? Especially since the same catastrophe affected the characters in such adifferent way. But no, it would have required the movie to have some substancethat was very sadly lacking.

12.                  Snoke or Palpatine?

Palpatine. I mean have you SEEN what he did tothe Galaxy? He played the game from the inside, become Supreme Chancellor then Emperorand he had corrupted the Republic so much that SENATORS applauded him when he proclaimedthe Empire!!!

14.                  Thoughts on General Hux?

He spends most of his time on screen screaming?I’m not into the sequel fandom so I don’t have to say much about him. One thingfanart made clear however is that he seems to be a cat lover, so he scorespoints.

16.                  Least favorite ships?

Ooh boy, here comes I fear some unpopular opinions:Obikin first and foremost, just NO. Obitine just doesn’t work for me, nor ObiWan/Siri Tachi, despite Ruth Baulding excellent Lineage and Legacy series. Rex/ObiI just don’t get it (not that I mind it’s just I don’t understand why Rex/Obi).

18.                  What is your favourite quote?

« Hello there! » or alternatively ObiWan and Dex : “Cloners? Are they friendly?” “Depends how good your manners are andhow big your pocket money is” It’s just so reminiscent of Obi Wan attachment tothings that are “civilised” (and Dooku attachment too), like Ok, we know moneyis what makes the world go round, but I like this idea that manners and respectare really important too. Thank the Force it’s Obi Wan who went to Kamino. Can’timagine their reactions if it had been Anakin….

20.              Sith Code or Jedi Code?

Jedi Code, wether you agree with it or not, it’sa quality food for thought and meditation.

22.              What is the saddest Star Wars scene?

DO YOU EVEN HAVE TO ASK????? Qui Gon’s death akathe scene that didn’t happen

24.              Han or Luke?

Again Luke.

26.              Favorite villain?

It’s a tie between Dooku and Palpatine. Palpatinebecause a villain of such scale and cunning is an extinct specie in blockbusterstoday and Dooku because he’s fascinating, and it gives me so much Lineage feels!AND he’s played by Christopher Lee.

28.              Do you want Rey to have a love interest?

Noper. Being asexual and seeing how the romanticrelationships are handled by Hollywood (romanticizing predatory behaviour in men,thinking that snide remarks are belligerent sexual tension, pushing characterstogether that have NO chemistry) I would prefer for Rey to be single and allowher character to have some growth on her own before being saddled in arelationship.

30.              Thoughts on Solo?

I haven’t seen it. But from the clips I’ve seen,I LOVED Lando.

32.              What is your favorite Star Wars pun?

I had to look them up, because I don’t think I’ve ever heard/seen one. The one I found genuimly funny was this one : “What did Cody say to his fellow clone when Count Dooku spotted them? “Tyranus saw us, Rex!”

34.              What is your favorite battle?

I haven’t seen TCW so I can’t say much about it (onlythe two first seasons were available on Netflix and since it isn’t in chronologicalorder, I find it very confusing and sort of gave up). So I’m gonna go with themovies. For the lightsabre battle, it’s Obi Wan vs Darth Maul in TPM.

36.              If you could be trained by Qui-Gon Jinn or Obi-Wan,who would you choose?

Obi Wan. Qui Gon would have infuriated me.

38.              Anidala or Scoundress?

Scoundress because I said earlier Anidala is notan healthy relationship.      

40.              Leia’s hair or Lando’s fashion?

Lando’s fashion. I would never wear anything asflashy as he does, but I wish I could rock the capes as he does!

42.              If you could have any creature as a pet, what wouldyou choose?

A Loth-cat.

44.              Yousa like Jar Jar?

I never really disliked him in the first place.Anakin annoyed me more than him^^.

46.              Finn or Poe?

Finn became a joke in the TLJ and seeing whatwas done to his character, I much prefer Poe, who was at least a bit morefleshed out. But I admit I don’t really care about either of them, the sequeltrilogy did nothing to make the character other things than walking/talkingtropes. And as such, I was never emotionally invested in any of them.

48.              What are your top five ships?

My OTP is QuiObi, after that, well Obidala isthe only het ship I like when it comes to Obi Wan. Then there’s Quinlan/Obi Wanbecause these two were totally in a relationship at some point or another. Finally,Han/Lando. Yes it’s only four ships but that’s it.

50.              Who is your favourite character?

Obi Wan. Hands down. Nobody comes close.