#the clone wars series and a bit of Rebels

[ravinoforre]

the second of my Pokemon Colosseum anniversary fanzine submissions. I've always found Colosseum and Star Wars have a lot in common aesthetically (and thematically to an extent), so this is based on one of the original 1977 Star Wars posters.

This game means a hell of a lot to me. Fixating on this, and its sequel, have gotten me through some rough times as a teen and young adult.

May the Orre by with you.

[mybrainproblems]

okay but you don't understaaaaaaaand. maul was so anticlimactic in phantom menace and it felt so fucking ridiculous to bring him back in the clone wars tv series and then he ends up being a genuine threat and sympathetic villain. he's the only one who actually knows what's up with the plot and just skdhjskgshakakjejwj

brilliant brilliant brilliant. i have never been so thrilled by them bringing back a dead character and it just seemed so stupid at first and then the writing and sam witwer's acting? oh my god.

two characters who have absolutely defined the franchise: darth maul and ahsoka tano, and i will hear no disagreement.

also holy balls props to matt lanter for making anakin a likeable and complex character who you actually believed had emotions.

[sinisterexaggerator]

Rebel With A Cause

Echo x Gen! Reader

Warnings: None. Fluff and a kiss. A little bit of angst in relation to wartime and heartfelt goodbyes.

582 words

Notes: I decided to write a series of "goodbye" ficlets where the reader takes / removes something from each of CF99 as they part ways. I plan to do the others. I wrote Crosshair some time ago.

---

The Rebellion was in its infancy, yet you were amongst those placing themselves on the front lines, determined to make a difference in a galaxy that otherwise seemed uncaring and oblivious. Your native home had been overrun by the Empire and all its lackeys, leaving you to find a greater purpose, one shared with many others; it was something to be proud of, and you had never once looked back.

Neither had this soldier, a clone who had been dealt a rough hand in life, parts of him not man, but mechanical, yet this in no way put a damper on your feelings.

As in times of war, his was another hasty exit, leaving your heart aching and your mouth dry as he strode with purpose, meaning to board the ship that would carry him away.

“Echo!” you called out, desperation coating that single utterance of his name; your legs felt like jelly, even as you forced them to propel you forward. The distance was short, finding yourself to be in the presence of your lover before he could even turn around.

You stood before him and swallowed back your spit, butterflies having taken flight in your belly. Still, you would not allow him to leave without saying farewell; there was always the real possibility he would never return to you, or you to him.

“Officer,” he started, one of his brothers watching from aloft. Your gaze darted upward, and he drifted inside the cover of his ship; you were thankful Rex understood you wanted this time alone.

“Don’t leave without saying goodbye,” you pleaded, unable to stop the tears that were beginning to well in your eyes. That stoic face softened, brows knitting in concern. Echo reached out to you with his scomp, then hastily lowered his arm.

“I’m…” The clone trailed off, unsure of what to say, or how it might be received. You smiled at him, finally daring to take up the one hand left to him.

Carefully, deliberately, you removed his glove. He watched you intently, deep brown eyes rising to meet your face. It felt as if time stood still, the thrum and hum of the rebel encampment behind you all but dying on the breeze; it was welcomed wholeheartedly as it cooled and refreshed your balmy skin.

Gently, you lifted his wrist, setting his hand against the curve of your cheek. This allowed Echo to feel your sorrow as it trickled from you in discrete drops, your lips brushing the inside of his palm as you whispered your one and only wish: “Be careful.”

Echo drew you in, fingers curling behind your ear as his thumb swiped away your tears. His lips met yours, kissing you fervently, and as if his life depended on it.

Words no longer felt necessary, his sentiments expressed through the impassioned swirl of his tongue. You loosed a whimper, Echo pulling back to study the intricacies of your face, those things that made you, you.

“I will,” he affirmed, temporarily placating you. He took up the glove offered shyly back to him, stowing it away, then turned on his heel to board the ramp, one final glance cast in your direction.

This alone would keep you hooked, desiring nothing more than for this blasted war to end, a life spent by his side something that may have already crossed your mind.

[momojedi]

Bad Batch: Season 3

My Predictions

The final countdown has started and I'm not ready at ALL! Here are some of my predictions for Season 3 and what I could imagine happening!

1. Tech will be back.

Yes, the trope of dead characters returning is incredibly overused. But as many others I have a good reason to believe that Tech might still be alive. Think about it. It’s pretty likely Hemlock managed to locate Tech’s body considering he left us a huge breadcrumb: his goggles.

Why would Hemlock get rid of a genetically enhanced super soldier, especially considering he likely knows how to properly brainwash someone?

I too like to think that Tech might be the black armoured soldier in the front. It’s the same, if not similar armour as Clone X. Maybe these are part of a special type of clone assassins or troopers? Could they be the prototype for the Dark or Death Trooper?

It’s pretty plain to say that Tech will likely come back, though probably not as the Tech we know.

2. Crosshair & Omega Dynamic

We've seen Omega genuinely bond with all of the Bad Batch - except for Crosshair. Despite her trying her best to get to him every time they had the chance to interact, he denied her any kind of response. Whether that would be because he's just too withdrawn or because he refuses to let anyone see his vulnerable side, we don't know so far.

What we do know however, both based on pure logic alone and the fact that we've heard them both involved in a heated debate in the leaked trailer from the Star Wars Celebration last year, is that they likely will spending a lot of time together on-screen now that they're both captives of the Empire.

Hopefully Omega will be able to lift Cross' spirits, he doesn't seem to be doing very well from what we've seen!

3. Ventress will be an enemy!

Asajj Ventress! We all know and love her, so naturally it's incredibly nice to find out that she'll be returning to the screens for the final season of the Bad Batch! Despite they're naturally being some raised eyebrows considering her fate in the Dark Disciple book, I'm curious to see in what way they'll connect the stories!

However, seeing as Ventress could rather be classified as an anti-hero rather than a full on hero, I believe that she won't be helping the Batch but rather fighting them in order to get to what she wants - as she likes to do.

Perhaps she'll end up cooperating when she realises there might be no other solution, but I strongly doubt she'll be any help to them when it comes to following their personal goals.

4. The Fall of the Clone Rebellion

It's sadly no secret that given the events of Rebels and the three remaining clones Rex, Gregor & Wolffe, it's very likely the rebellions aka rescue of the clones didn't go as initially planned.

I could imagine this being explained a bit clearer in the finale, perhaps even leading up to a great fight against the Empire in the end. We can't forget that the series mainly revolves around a rogue batch of clones, so the thought that it might also go out with a clone-centric subject, especially such a big one, isn't necessarily far-fetched.

5. The End of the Mission

And finally, my most tragic prediction: The end of the Bad Batch.

The writers have been making it very clear that season 3 will likely be the darkest season of the show which unfortunately leads me to think that, as much as I'd want it not to be the case, the finale will lead to the ultimate end of Clone Force 99.

I suspect the series to end with the batch ending up together in some way, as the original five, and landing in a tricky life-or-death situation. Perhaps they'll be stuck in a crashing ship with a one-person escape pod or maybe they'll be facing a threatening figure such as Sidious, leading to the decision to sacrifice themselves in order to protect Omega.

Either way, despite season 3 likely becoming a tragic rollercoaster of emotions, I'm glad we had the chance to experience the epic story of the Bad Batch. It's sad to see them go and although these characters have become like a family not only to me, but to many other fans, let's enjoy our last moments with them and let them go out with a bang!

[antianakin]

So I was recommended Out With Lanterns by SkyBean in this post about other potential masters for Ahsoka back in October, and I've finally gotten around to finishing it (as well as most of the other fics in the series) and I HAVE to say something about it because I feel like this fic has changed my brain chemistry just a little.

For reference, Out With Lanterns is a fic where Ahsoka is chosen by Mace to be his Padawan about a year or so prior to AOTC and follows her life and training with him through the clone wars.

Since this is a fic rec, I'm going to put a few warnings out front. There's absolutely going to be spoilers for this fic because I have a lot to say about it, so if you are interested in the basic premise and don't want to know any of the details so you can experience it for yourself, please don't read past this paragraph. This fic is NOT Anakin friendly, in any way shape or form. It isn't what I would consider a character bashing and he only shows up like 3-4 times total in a fic that's 300k words long, but it doesn't try to be particularly kind to Anakin when he is there. It's also not super kind to Padme or Anidala, unsurprisingly. The fic is completed, but the series is still ongoing. This fic takes the war a LOT more seriously than the show did and it doesn't shy away from some of the darker things that can happen in a war or the violence that the characters might have to go through as a result of fighting in it. Some of the other fics in the series continue past Order 66 and look more in detail at what life might be like for Jedi who have to go on the run and constantly fear persecution. It's dark, it's painful, it's harrowing, but it's VERY very good. This fic is also INCREDIBLY pro Jedi and Jedi friendly.

On to the spoilery bits.

I've been sort-of on the fence about Ahsoka since her show came out last year and it's embittered me towards her character quite a bit, which is sort-of sad because I HAVE really enjoyed her in the past, but nothing about her current trajectory is anything I like or find interesting and in fact it feels like it's leading that branch of Star Wars in a direction I find actively distasteful. And it's hard to look at her character and not REMEMBER where she's ended up, it's hard to look at her in TCW and Rebels and not see all the things that were signs of where she was heading.

But this fic has done a lot to make me like her again. This fic is written by someone who so clearly understands what made Ahsoka a really compelling character initially and focuses in on that in such a way that it makes me remember what I HAVE liked about Ahsoka. It allows Ahsoka to be incredibly flawed, even as she grows and develops and matures, she still makes mistakes and struggles and needs guidance from her master. But those flaws don't make her incompetent or a bad person, quite the opposite. Ahsoka, by virtue of having a real Jedi Master instead of Anakin, ends up capable of acknowledging her own flaws and learning from them. She knows where her strengths and weaknesses are and is able to make decisions with that in mind, and when she makes mistakes she doesn't sit there and dwell on them, but she DOES let herself learn from them. Ahsoka in this fic does not feel like a mouthpiece, she feels like a real distinct character and I LOVE THAT about her.

I love the ways we see her become the Jedi she can't be in canon due to Anakin's influence, the ways she retains so much more of her Jedi heritage as a result of not learning from him, and how that helps her SO MUCH MORE than anything Anakin's training does for her in canon. I also love seeing how much of MACE gets reflected in Ahsoka, the things she specifically picks up from him, both good and bad.

I love the complexities of Ahsoka's relationship with the clones and how it develops from the first initial overtures to the deep friendships she has with them by the end to the complicated feelings she has after Order 66 and after discovering the chips. Her relationships with the various clone characters she interacts with don't feel like they're all the same, they're distinct from each other the way they should be because the CLONES are distinct from each other. I like the balance she has to manage between being their commanding officer and their friend. I like that she can love them and recognize that there are things about the clones that she doesn't want to replicate in herself because it would make her a worse Jedi. In particular, she understands that there's a REASON the war feels very "normal" for the clones and so their reaction to the horrors of it are very different than hers, but she doesn't want to end up becoming numb to the horrors to the point that war starts feeling normal to her because she feels like it would end up making her a worse Jedi down the line. I love the complexity of that, the lack of judgment towards the clones but the recognition that their experiences are very different from hers and she cannot and does not want to be like them in this.

I also love that there's equal attention paid to Ahsoka's relationships with other Jedi and how distinct THOSE feel from each other because the Jedi are also individual people and not a monolith. Her relationship with Adi Gallia is very different from her relationship with Obi-Wan or Agen Kolar or Kit Fisto and Nahdar Vebb. She learns different things from each of them, intentionally or not, and she likes some of them better than others. I love how much Ahsoka loves her own culture and the different ways we see that expressed, from needing to meditate every day to the many times we hear about her interacting with younglings when she's at the Temple. Ahsoka finally FEELS like a Jedi again here and that identity actually means something to her in a way I think canon has sort-of forgotten or intentionally dismissed.

One of the things I think this fic REALLY does well is taking Ahsoka's general irrelevance to the Skywalker Saga and making that a GOOD THING. Ahsoka being Mace's padawan changes nothing. The people who die in canon still die. The war still happens. In general, the missions we know about from TCW still happen and happen almost exactly the same way. Anakin still marries Padme and still joins Palpatine to save her and murders the Jedi. Ahsoka's addition to Anakin's story changes exactly nothing about it because it CAN'T. She isn't the reason he falls, she doesn't save him and never could have, everything he does happens with or without her. So removing her from his story changes exactly nothing about it. But the change in her position within the narrative does change HER. SHE'S impacted by the narrative far more than it can ever be impacted by her. And her irrelevance to the Skywalker Saga doesn't mean she isn't a compelling character anymore, she's almost MORE compelling now than she's ever been before specifically because she's more outside of it and can see it from that perspective. Ahsoka is compelling because she's AHSOKA, not because she's Anakin's padawan the way Felony seems to think. She can be compelling WITHOUT HIM if they would just believe in her ability to tell her own story. And she doesn't need to be relevant to the Skywalker Saga in order for her story to be important simply for being HERS. She has a story to tell and it's a good one, even if nothing major changes because of it.

I love the way that that is woven into the fic because I kept EXPECTING things to change due to Ahsoka not being Mace's padawan. I kept expecting her presence to save some of the people who die during TCW, I kept expecting endings to change somehow, and they just... don't. And even when it DOES, right at the end, when she escapes with some younglings and an injured Mace, and they apparently go on to create an underground Jedi Order, it doesn't change the end of the story in the OT. Luke and Leia still go to Tatooine and Alderaan, they still end up fighting on and over Endor as the final battle, Luke still goes off alone to face Anakin and Palpatine and that confrontation goes exactly the way it did in canon. Ahsoka's presence and the things her new backstory have changed in the background of the narrative have no actual bearing on the major Skywalker Saga. But there are more Jedi survivors in this AU than there are in canon, an entire Order that has been slowly piecing itself together in secrecy for the last 20 years, and even though that doesn't change the actual story, it's not nothing. It's not insignificant that they survived and they're there.

And I think the last thing I will discuss that I absolutely adore about this fic is Anakin's padawan. This character is an OC created seemingly to be a foil for Ahsoka, a mirror into the person she could've been had she ended up with Anakin instead of Mace, a reflection of her canon self even though neither Ahsoka nor this new padawan would ever be able to know that. I love the way that this allows the author to make that comparison for the readers without it being super in your face about it. Ahsoka isn't facing a literal reflection of herself and the new padawan IS her own person with her own personality and struggles, but she still definitely feels like "who Ahsoka would've become if she hadn't been saved by Mace."

The new padawan isn't supported by Anakin, but she's really close with Rex. She ends up feeling almost DEFINED by her years with Anakin and can't really connect to her Jedi upbringing anymore after Order 66 even though she spent far longer without Anakin than she did with him. She's young enough that she can't see the truth about his darkness and defends him to others no matter what, even though she admits after Order 66 that there were signs she can see now and blames herself for not being able to see the truth of them then. She succumbs to her own darkness because it's the path Anakin guided her down and she can't quite figure out how to get back onto the path of a Jedi, no matter how much Ahsoka and Mace try to help her. She's lost, floundering in her own darkness because the person who was supposed to guide her towards balance ended up isolating her from the rest of the Jedi and making her feel dependent on him and then he discarded her like she never mattered to him at all.

And I LOVE how broken and shattered she is, I love how consumed she is by her pain and grief and anger because she's known little else for like two years, I love the way she lashes out because she doesn't know how to control it, I love how difficult she finds it to act like a Jedi anymore, I love how much she feels like she doesn't know who she is anymore. THIS is what I wanted to see Ahsoka struggling with in the aftermath of her revelation about Anakin. THIS is the kind of person I wanted Ahsoka to be in the Ahsoka show. THIS is why I can't agree with anybody saying that she came across as particularly unkind or prickly or broken at the beginning of that show because she really isn't. She's BARELY upset every so often, she's SO calm and in control at all times. I wanted to see her ANGRY, I wanted to see her LOSE CONTROL, I wanted to see her lashing out at people who are just trying to help her because she's lost all sense of who she is in the wake of realizing the person who had guided her on her current path became a monster and she has no idea how much of that has impacted the person she's become and how much it will CONTINUE to impact her going forward. I wanted to see Ahsoka GENUINELY STRUGGLE with the things that have happened to her and see her REALLY changed by it all before being able to come back to herself in the end. And that's not what I was given. Not until this series entered my life, anyway, and it's not even technically happening to Ahsoka herself.

(I'll also point out here that at no point does the padawan ever say anything Jedi critical. Even as an Ahsoka foil who is partially representative of canon Ahsoka, she never falls so far that she blames the Jedi for their own genocide. So despite how much more she's struggling than canon Ahsoka does, she's still a better person than canon Ahsoka has become.)

So if you hated the Ahsoka show, loved the Kenobi show, and want something that's immensely Jedi friendly and Anakin critical that takes things like the war and Order 66 and the ensuing Purge VERY seriously, give this series a whirl. It's definitely an epic (and it's not done yet) and I had to take breaks every so often by reading something a little more light-hearted, but it's SO worth it.

[gffa]

Hi :)

I'm a pretty new SW fan, not because I didn't like the movies/hadn't seen them but because I grew up thinking it was extremely nerdy and would often feel awkward trying to bring up anything related to SW.

Fortunately I've finally reached and met awesome people who love SW just like I did but I feel like I lost A LOT of important stuff and there's so much content to the saga that it's extremely overwhelming for me to even think about diving into the whole SW universe and catch up.

I've been following you for a bit and your posts are just extremely interesting to me but again, sometimes I'm a little confused about certain things and so I wanted to ask you if you had any recommendations about where to start catching up (besides the movies which I will be binge watching soon hehe)

Hi! Welcome to Star Wars fandom, I hope you're having a good time! And around here we embrace being as nerdy as possible--I mean, fandom is such a mainstream thing these days, but I still like to embrace being a nerd about things because it leads to a lot more happiness, to just be silly and having a good time with the thing that tickles our brains.

But, yes, it is pretty overwhelming when you're first arriving, I still remember when I first came back to SW several years ago, having really only watched the movies as a kid, and there was All This Stuff and it seemed impossible to ever reach the deep end of the pool, and that was before the last seven years of books, games, movies, comics, etc. came out! I will hopefully set your mind at ease with this, though: The vast, vast majority of content that Star Wars puts out isn't anything I would consider "essential". It's wonderful, fantastic stuff! But a lot of us have just been around so long that we're combing through the finer details of supplementary material, rather than those being absolute Must-Read/Watch To Get A Feel For Star Wars.

My recommendations for How To Get A Feel For Star Wars is basically, start with the animated series and the live action series, they're the second layer of foundation in the Star Wars building, all the comics and novels and such will be built on them, and in this order: - The movies, this is the foundation on which everything else will be built. - The Clone Wars, season 1-6 are part of George Lucas' story and they're pretty essential (at least in this corner of SW fandom) to understanding wtf anyone is talking about or even watching many of the live action series. (Season 7 is fine and should be watched! It's just not part of Lucas' Star Wars.) - Star Wars: Rebels, starts off light-hearted but really is one of the best developed shows and does a lot of connective work between the prequels and the original trilogy. - The Mandalorian, set 9 years after Return of the Jedi, this show just massively blew up and while each season is slightly less well-done than the previous one (imo), it's well worth watching for wtf fandom is talking about half of the time. (The Book of Boba Fett is somewhat optional in this corner of fandom, but imo worth the watch. Generally, it should go Mando s1-2 --> TBOBF --> Mando s3.) - Obi-Wan Kenobi, because this corner of fandom lost our goddamned minds about it and still haven't gotten them back. - Andor, which is a really great show and, as long as you've watched Rogue One first, you'll follow along just fine. Does some solid connecting the dots between the prequels and the originals, but not as much as Rebels did. - Jedi: Fallen Order, you can look up a "movie" version on YouTube for the story of this game, which is a really good plot, has some great new characters, has some genuinely effective cameos, and will be referenced fairly often in other materials/in fandom.

If you're not feeling overwhelmed by All The Star Wars You've Consumed, I would personally suggest going for the comics next, over any of the novels. The novels are great! But the vast majority of them are self-contained and meant to be supplementary material even more than the comics, which get to tell bigger, more connected stories. I always suggest starting with: - Star Wars 2015 by Jason Aaron + Darth Vader 2015 by Kieron Gillen, both of which are really, solidly fantastic stories about the timeframe just after A New Hope, like there are so many absolutely banger lines that came out of these comics. I won't spoil them, just know that I think these were legitimately good comics, not just legitimately good Star Wars comics. (The first six issues of each series are meant to be read concurrently, but after that, you can just pick one and read in that specific title.) - Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith 2017 by Charles Soule, which is set in the immediate aftermath of Revenge of the Sith. If Gillen's Vader keeps the mystique of the originals Unknowable Darth Vader, then Soule's Vader is more about the absolute BATSHIT DRAMA that is blending Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader. This series is BANANAPANTS in the absolute best way. - Obi-Wan & Anakin 2015 by Charles Soule, which is a five-issue mini-series set between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones and is both stunningly beautiful art and a solidly good plot that survives fairly serious analysis of. It's got some great worldbuilding details, but even more I like it for the look at why a young Anakin chooses to stay with the Jedi Order.

The one book I will recommend--for a list aimed at getting you caught up on what fandom is referencing--is the Revenge of the Sith novelization by Matthew Stover, that book is quoted constantly, and I'm not sure any other SW book has ever been as good as it is.

I feel like this is the best set of reading to get you familiarized with the source material that tends to come up the most! There's lots more that's really good, but once you get through the above, you can let me know what era or characters you're most interested in or if you have a specific question about something and want to see where it comes from!

But there's one thing to address and you're kinda going to have to figure out how to approach it on your own. 😂 There is a ton of stuff in SW fandom that's ostensibly from a book or a comic, but the version in fandom often comes from those who never actually read the books/haven't read them in a long time or are just picking them up from other fic and meta.

For example, the AgriCorps or Melida/Daan get referenced in fic and in posts all the time, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend reading the Jedi Apprentice series (I mean, I'm not your mom, feel free if you want to!) and often times how they're used in fic is not how they were used in the source material. Or the clones speaking Mando'a comes from the Legends books by Karen Traviss and she is a whole big can of ugly worms (both what she wrote and her IRL politics), as well as much of what she wrote was overwritten/discarded when The Clone Wars came out, but fandom likes the idea and so they put that into their fics (as they should, if they like it!). The idea of Mace using the lightsaber form of Vaapad is from Legends sources (the best source probably being the Shatterpoint novel by Matthew Stover, I'd guess?), same for his ability to see "shatterpoints" in the Force, which aren't part of Lucas' continuity or Disney's continuity, but fandom enjoys using them to flesh out Mace's character. This will get you started and, if you're looking for something more specific, feel free to ask, I enjoy these kinds of question--and don't feel you have to stick with any of the above if they're not fun for you. This is meant to be enjoyable, it's meant to have a good time, there's no wrong way to consume Star Wars media! <3

[tired-night-owl]

The freaking theory that the shadow clone is somehow a clone of crosshair bothers me so much you have no idea.

I understand that people try to find the answer that is not the most obvious but like isn’t it impossible to clone a clone ? Wasn’t there an arc in the clone wars that implied that they would run out of jango’s DNA eventually and the clone production would stop bc of that…

I guess it would be cool to have crosshair face an evil version of himself but it doesn’t really make sense to me because of what I mentioned above but also bc like the whole point of these series is to prove that every clone is a unique individual… idk it would feel wrong to me if they went into crosshair copycat mode :/

The theories I do like tho is :

if it was Cody that went under the reconditioning program and ensues a tragic death with Rex or something. It will break me but I do believe there’s something big like that that needs to happen for Rex to go into hiding and let go of the rebellion with his old geezers gang like we see in rebels.

Dogma because that would be a cool use of his character after all these years and because I do believe in the fact that the Star Wars team likes to reuse old characters that haven’t really had that big of a spotlight on them. We got to know a bit about him with the Umbara arc and it ended with a good character development but we never heard of him again like not even a mention… suspicious if you ask me or more like an opportunity for a « plot twist » that I could totally see.

Tech because I cannot accept that he would just die like that without having any kind of presence in the batch/the marauder like crosshair’s bretrayal did. We legit only had a small name drop and a glimpse at his googles which leads me to : why would hemlock look for him and only recover a personal item that means nothing to him ? If the techno union held on to echo’s body for years the empire and most importantly, a mad scientist hellbent on research and testing on clones, would definitely keep an individual with such a exceptional mind as tech’s for who knows how long.

Anyway I’m probably wrong because I usually am not that good at predicting stuff that happens in shows but I really don’t think it’s a coincidence that the shadow clones have voice modulators even after we got to see that these « assassins » are always clones. Also, some merch dropped with wrecker’s CT number implying that tech is ct-9902 and apparently it’s been confirmed that the shadow clone is the last episode is identified as cx-2… Coincidence, I think not !!! Merch has never lead me astray from guessing who dies and who’s important before so I will cling to this little bit of info until I am proven wrong XD

[anakinskywalker97]

5 - The Rise of Skywalker

Vader x Ex-Padawan reader - Chapter 5 - Meditation

Previous parts

Summary: Vader finds out the true extent to how much damage his body endured after mustafar, meditation leads him to an old friend.

Thanks for all the love on this series! Reblogs and comments are what keep me going! <3

Warnings: panic attack description, hurt/comfort

No one would be that stupid. 

Vader wasn’t sure what you meant until he saw it with his own eyes. People had a very healthy respect for you, especially the Rebels and their alliances. You had a reputation, one he didn't realize belonged to you. He had heard of the Shadow Tempest many times. The epic runs, always one step ahead of the Empire. The pilot behind almost all the notable Rebel wins. In all his time with you he always did most of the piloting, he knew there were a million things to do and sort out but more than anything he wanted to take you out and see who would win. 

He sat there in a meeting of people, the higher-ups of the revolution, and watched as they listened to you. You never asked for anything, simply told them that he was on your side now and that he needed the best medical. In return, they would have your help in defeating the Empire. They were very eager to have your support, apparently up until this it was very hard to persuade you into helping them. Something he would ask more questions about as from what he was told your ship had been center stage in most Rebel wins. He was surprised that help from you and Obi-Wan was enough for them to overlook his past. 

Obi-Wan let out a tense laugh as they handed him a bank card. Apparently, all his money was in his account and had been converted over to card technology despite his leaving.  He could go run off and be a murdering psychopath then come home and find out how much interest he had earned off his funds. This wasn't right. He didn't deserve this. People had to accept him at your request, but he could feel the way they trembled in his presence. Fear gripped people tightly and he could even feel their concern for you. Even without being able to read their thoughts, he knew their plans to pull you aside to see if you had stockholm syndrome or if he had possessed you. He guessed that was a good thing, people here cared about you. Everyone stopped what they were doing to greet you, relief that you were safe overwhelming their features, it was good to know it wasn’t skin deep. People really cared. 

He was unsure about the Rebel's plans for the Empire though. But then again he was retiring from this world. He would kill the Sith, try to come back from being one, restore balance to the universe, and hide away with you - hopefully forever. 

Ahsoka had not been pleasant, but she came around for the sake of ending the Empire. He hoped in time he could mend things with her. She had been your closest friend and he missed how easily she fit into the family that was formed during the Clone Wars. A family he had to put back together. 

R2 was beyond happy to see him. He ran around him squealing loudly. Everyone looked horrified but he bent down and put his arms around the droid. Affection towards R2 was easy. He was the most dependable thing in his life for the longest time. He was well-maintained but still looked like he was an active participant in the war. He thought of all the lore that surrounded the Shadow Tempest, more than anything he wanted to pull R2’s memory and watch every bit of footage he had saved. He would come back for it another time. 

“I kept her safe” R2 chirped loudly in his language and he laughed again patting the little droid on what would be considered his head. 

“Thank you, you did an excellent job R2.”  He was grateful he left something behind to help you in his absence even if it was unintentional. 

Then the medical meetings started. Once he saw all his options, he was overwhelmed. From the stem cells they had of his on file, they could re-grow most of his skin to cover the prosthetics. They would have to remove more of his arms and legs as the nerves had been permanently and purposely damaged where they met the metal prosthetics. The rest of his skin could be healed with minor scaring, they could even regrow his hair follicles. 

After looking at the scans and seeing the damage Palpatine did he had to leave. 

He had no idea what he gave up that day on Mustafar. 

He lost the woman he wanted to marry, the ability to give her a nice life, to touch her without hurting her, to touch her and feel her skin. Not to mention the horrible things he had said to you at the end lived rent-free in your mind all these years.  He had given up the one person in the world he considered family, he had tried to kill his brother. All of this was to build something better for them. Yet he spent years trying to kill Obi-Wan, terrified of his old master. The sickness was too much to contain as it all came flooding back to him. 

Let me go - he commanded you as he left the building. It was cruel but he was drowning in pain. He was so consumed with rage and self-hate he left to go to the temple where Obi-Wan had been going to meditate. 

He knew the only true way out was through. He couldn't go on a rampage, couldn't give into weakness. He couldn't lose you again. 

Palpatine had made him suffer to prevent him from his full potential. To keep him from his density. Just as the Jedi had done. Everyone wanted to hold him down, force him to comply, just like Watto. He had been so caught up in thinking he deserved the pain, which in his opinion he still did. Palpatine gave him the illusion of control and freedom. That power was so seductive but what had it gotten him? The lives he took ran through his mind at a speed that made him dizzy. Nausea gripped him as the familiar coldness ran up his limbs to settle in his stomach. It was what he imagined death felt like. The icy energy caressed his body, but he had been here too many times before to know he wasn't that lucky. 

It was his punishment, he had earned it fair and square. A lifetime of suffering would never be enough to make up for the lives he took. His mind ran through this for hours as he sat in the temple trying to find peace and clarity. 

He’d done too much, taken too many.

“You did what the Force deemed necessary.” The voice made him jump, not an easy thing to do. The hazy, glowing form of Qui-Gon was in front of him. 

“I -” He started to argue back. 

“You - are the living force. The Sith willed you into existence Anakin, there is a power in you unlike anything else in this Galaxy.” He explained calmly and his heart sank at the realization of his words. 

“I’m evil.” His voice was so broken. A truth he always should have known deep down. There would be no path leading towards the man you wanted, needed, him to be. 

“No, there is no good and evil in the true force, this concept of light and dark comes from the people sensitive to it and how they choose to use it. You are what it is in its true form” 

“Then why is everything inside me so painful.” His voice was wet with the tears streaming down his cheeks. As far back as he can remember that power inside him has always been anger. 

“Because you experienced great pain. You have to understand that your life was always one with the force. The choices you made were ultimately the direction of the force. It wants balance. The Sith and Jedi were flawed ways of doing things, it’s your job to follow this through.” His words brought tremendous relief and a tremendous amount of anxiety at the same time.  

“I failed you.” He whispered. 

“I failed you. Had I been around I fear that things would have been better for you. Obi-Wan was not ready, but that does not mean he doesn't care for you.” Qui-Gon smiled sadly. “You have done great things, terrible things, and carried the pain of  both of them.” 

Anakin sobbed. This task he was burdened with, the pain he had to cause to settle debts that had nothing to do with him. Seeing Qui-Gon made him feel like he was ten years old again. He wanted to run into his arms and hold him.

“Thank you.” He said softly. 

“Now, you must complete your training with Obi-Wan, I have shown him what is needed. You must also complete training your Padawan.” He gave Anakin a big smile. “She is more important than you realize. The second half of the prophecy rests on her shoulders. You must be there to help her carry it.” 

“What’s the second half of the prophecy?” His voice went dark again. He didn’t want this nonsense anywhere near you. He wanted to end Palpatine and have this part of his life over with. Had he not sacrificed enough of himself for it? Had he not tried to make the right choice every time despite the cost? The only request he had ever had in this life was to spare you and his mother.

“Don’t worry about that. Just focus on training and confronting Palpatine. Only then you will be a Jedi, a true Jedi.” Qui-Gon looked at him for a long moment. “She will be fine.” His eyes held an emotion that Anakin didn’t understand. It scared him, but he trusted Qui-Gon. He didn’t really have a choice in the end, you were too involved to shut out. You were certainly not naive enough to dump off on some planet again. 

He had a million questions but felt Qui-Gon fade out. A new presence took his place, one he knew could have no form or words. She could just manage a feeling and it was enough. It was more than enough, the feeling wrapped around him and he held onto his mother tightly. 

After a long while, he came back to the present moment. He reached out to Obi-Wan, knowing that reestablishing the bond would be unavoidable. 

Master - He reached out and felt the bond attach on the other side. 

Anakin - Obi-Wan sounded surprised and the full force of his calm presence washed over Anakin. How much he had missed being able to reach out and feel his master. The feeling was so overwhelming he needed to stay in it for a moment. 

I need your help - He was unsure of what he would have left to learn from Obi-Wan but he trusted Qui-Gon. 

Obi-Wan rushed to the temple and Anakin could feel his unsettled nature. The concern for him made him want to cry again. He didn't deserve this side of Obi-Wan. He watched his master take in his meditation pose and his eyes softened. He sat next to him and Anakin tried to keep his composure as Obi-Wan’s arm came around his shoulders. 

“I want to apologize again,” Obi-Wan whispered. He could feel Shmi’s presence had not left the temple yet. 

“Please don’t.” Anakin choked. He could tell through the newly established bond just how much sorrow Obi-Wan’s heart carried. He was overflowing with it. He knew he felt responsible for Anakin’s mother, for how poorly the council had treated him, especially when he was a boy. He could feel how painful exile had been, how he couldn't escape Anakin so he moved to Tatooine to fully accept his punishment. How much he hated the sand, but how much he loved being close to the brother he lost.  Then he realized that the fresh paint and seasonal flowers on his mother’s grave was his doing. He could see his master there lighting a candle occasionally sitting with her telling her his best stories, all the moments she missed out on while he was away. The love for him that was often so well concealed flowed through the bond. 

“We failed each other,” Anakin whispered. 

“I was older and should have been wiser.” Obi-Wan said sadly. 

Anakin told him about the prophecy and they sat there together considering things. 

“You must overcome your emotions -” Anakin flinched and Obi-Wan put his hand back on his shoulder “ You must feel them and use them, but not be overwhelmed with them. Once you submit to your anger you lose the light, when you lose your anger and sense of justice, you lose your power. Everything must be about finding balance.” 

Anakin nodded.

“Do you think she will stay?” Obi-Wan looked confused by his question. 

“Why would she leave?” He asked softly, with tenderness in his features. 

“The whole Sith creation thing. She wants me to be better, that doesn't sound good with my track record.” Anakin could feel his insecurities start to rise up and he took a breath. 

Obi-Wan let out a laugh. “If she didn't want to see you she wouldn't have accepted jobs in Imperial air space for the past 7 years.” 

“I still can't believe you let her do that stuff,” Anakin said slightly put out with his master. 

“You think I could stop her?” He laughed again and Anakin shook his head. 

_________________________

He reluctantly stood in the elevator up to your apartment. He should feel a sense of relief, or motivated towards his plan. Instead he just felt anxious. He wanted you more than anything else in the galaxy. He’d sacrifice what he had to. He didn’t care that it was attachment, you were going to be his at any cost necessary. If you were horrified what would he do? Just force you down and fuck you back into submission again? 

No. 

He sighed as the door to your apartment opened, he hated it when you forgot to lock the door.  You were in the kitchen cooking, the sight of him caused you drop the wooden spoon into the frying pan. Your fingers picked it out and you hissed as the heat stung your flesh. 

Panic raced through him. Memories of Mustafar bit into his still aching flesh. He grabbed your wrist with too much force, using the other hand to manhandle you towards the sink. He put your fingers under cold water and tried to breathe. 

_______________

Anakin’s gloved hand had a painful grip on your wrist as he held it under the cold water. The fear in his eyes scared you as a cloud of darkness wrapped around him tightly. He wrapped his other hand around your torso and rested his cheek on the top of your head. You could feel his tears sinking into your scalp. 

“Anakin, it’s alright.” You said softly holding on to him with your free arm. “It won’t even scar, it doesn't hurt.” 

Your words were from this moment in time and you knew his mind was far away. In a world you probably wouldn't be able to reach. You let him hold you tightly. 

“I’m a Sith.” He said quietly making you jump slightly.

“I know.” You werent sure what exactly he was referring to. 

“What do you know?” He asked pulling away to look down at you. He was so much taller, you felt swallowed by his frame. 

“I had this vision? Not sure you could call it that exactly.” You tried to figure out what you wanted to tell him before you realized the best thing to do would be to read what you had written about it right after it had happened. No details would be missed or confused. “Here, I’ll grab my journal.” Your words did nothing to lessen his grip on you. 

He gave you a conflicted look. With the force he grabbed a jar of burn salve from the fridge. He opened it and stuck your fingers in it. 

“Just stay.” He was worn so thin it reminded you of when he had left you all those years ago. Three days he was at the temple, that probably meant three days without sleep. Not a good idea for Anakin. 

“Which journal is it?” He asked looking for guidance. 

“Erm - I’d have to help.” You picked the jar of salve up and kept your fingers inside it to appease him. Where did people go to get help for this sort of thing? You had no idea how to reassure him when he got like this. You just did what he wanted or had sex with him. 

He was satisfied with this. He moved with you to the bedroom. He followed your gaze to the few shelves that held notebooks, knowing full well he wouldn't listen if you told him not to read them. 

You pulled three from the shelf from around that time frame with the force and started flipping through them. His attention was engrossed with the colourful writing and drawings. You found the part you were looking for and handed it to him, returning the other two back to their place on the shelf. 

You reluctantly gave it over to him and returned back to the kitchen. Thankfully dinner hadn’t burned, as he’d turned the element down. He followed you leaning against your island while you kept cooking. His red eyes making sure your fingers stayed coated in the salve. 

You didn't hear him read the lines but you felt his heart clench. He rested his head in his hands for a moment. 

“Why did you come back?” He groaned. When you had written down what had happened you were completely terrified. You’d faced him and thought he had killed you. You woke up a shaking mess and wrote down every detail you could recall in case it came back to hurt you one day. You could feel his shame at the fear bleeding through the pages. 

“I didn’t I got captured.” You said evasively. You didn't know how to answer the question he was asking you. 

“Why did you bring me back.” He clarified his eyes devouring you. A memory came to you of laying in a field with him after a mission had ended and you were waiting on the ship to be repaired. The grass was covered in wild flowers and you laid in the sun, you had feelings for him but didn’t know how to tell him. You’d almost been hit on the mission and the way he had hugged you after was replaying through your mind. 

“I promised you I would always come back.” You referenced that moment when he had almost lost you for the first time. “There’s enough of you in there to make the risk worth it.” 

He closed his eyes and you felt him breaking down. You turned the element off half expecting to get jumped. 

“I’m sorry.” His words were so thick and raw. 

“Me too.” 

“No, you haven’t done anything. I did it all, turns out I had to in the end. But still, the things I’ve done to you-” His voice broke. 

“I wanted you to.” You felt his mind revisit that first night you had back together. 

“You didn’t.” 

“I did. I don’t know if you know this but I’m quite vocal when I’m unhappy.” You smirked.  

“You tried to push me away, I thought it was you pulling us together -” He took a deep breath. He needed to eat and then sleep before he got too carried away. 

“I don’t care. I wanted you back. That’s what I got.” 

“There’s another part to the prophecy.” His voice was low. 

“Oh boy.” you whispered. 

“Qui-Gon won’t tell me what it is, but it’s about you.” His features looked manic and you knew it was time to shut things down before he went over the edge. 

“I can handle it.” You said staring him down. You wouldn't let him be an idiot about things this time. “Now. I’m going to wash my fingers off, we're going to eat. Then sleep.”  He considered you for a long moment. You could tell he was recounting what happened last time he got this worn down and scared. 

He gave you a reluctant nod. You both ate quickly and despite it being 7:30 at night you got washed up and into bed. 

Anakin fell asleep quickly leaving you time to think about everything. The true power of the darkside was a mystery to you.  Having been Force resistant for the past 7 years, you felt particularly extra sensitive to it now. You could feel two sides of the force battling inside him, even as he slept the conflict radiated off of him. The pain still ate at his bones and his lungs were still struggling. Despite warring on him, the force was so strong it kept his body functional, making up for the gaps and the failings of his flesh. 

Just like everything else about Anakin Skywalker, this was something unheard of. Even when he wanted to die, even when his body was decaying, the force still pushed him forward.

[skygirlstars]

I have a lot of gripes with the Ahsoka series but probably the biggest is that the only relationship of Ahsoka’s that the show-runners seem to give a shit about is her relationship with Anakin. yes, of course, their relationship is incredibly important and it’s very special to me, but it’s not the only one Ahsoka has. don’t get me wrong, I love Hayden Christensen, I love Anakin, the Clone Wars flashbacks were my favorite part of the series.

but what about all of Ahsoka’s other relationships? what about Rex and Barriss and Plo Koon and Padmé and Obi-Wan? we got a very very brief Rex appearance, but not so much as a mention of any of the others. do they just not matter? it was an 8 episode series, so of course I didn’t expect them to address every single person Ahsoka has ever known, but no one aside from Anakin? really?

Rex is literally her only close friend still alive at this point and he only appeared in flashbacks. where is he? (is he safe? is he alright?) there’s a part of me that’s thankful they didn’t mention Barriss because I don’t trust any of these mfs not to do her dirty. but she still played an important role in Ahsoka’s life and we don’t even know what happened to her. Barriss’ role in TCW is literally why Ahsoka says she’s not a Jedi in Rebels, but apparently now she’s a Jedi again? huh???

it’s not just the lack of other relationships, it’s also how they dealt with Anakin and Ahsoka’s relationship. I know some people were expecting an apology, which I wasn’t because I interpreted Anakin’s appearance as a manifestation of Ahsoka’s subconscious, but the fact that she wasn’t even mad at him in the slightest rubbed me the wrong way. “oh but Jedi aren’t supposed to get mad!!!” 1. that’s an egregious oversimplification and just not true, 2. Ahsoka isn’t a Jedi anymore anyway, and 3. in Rebels, Ahsoka felt more guilt than anger, but that was before Anakin literally tried to kill her!!!! Ahsoka in TCW (and in Rebels, too, though she’s mellowed out a bit as she’s matured) just has so much fire, so where was that in the series? even if she does still feel guilt for Anakin’s fall, she should still be at least a little pissed at him!! I loved seeing them together again. I loved it so much. Hayden and Ariana were phenomenal. but grown-up Ahsoka should not be acting like everything’s all good between them because it’s not. there was so much good angsty potential that completely went to waste.

I could say that about the whole series. it had so much potential. but the lack of mention of any of Ahsoka’s other relationships, plus her interactions with Anakin… it’s all a whole lot of missed opportunities that shouldn’t have been missed.

[roninreverie]

Why Ahsoka's Thrawn isn't actually the real Thrawn

A theory by me, which I am going to be so annoying about for the foreseeable future, so let me just try to get most of it out of my system right here and now. 😅

---

So we all know by now that Thrawn is revving up to be the BIG BAD for the live action Star Wars series tying The Mandalorian into Ahsoka and working off of the Rebels finale.

I also remember hearing old rumors that they were going to be pulling a lot from legends lore for this show, and that Timothy Zahn was not really involved at all with the show itself. (Feel free to update me otherwise though.)

Now, the fact that they're calling him the "Heir to the Empire" in the teaser trailer is already a pretty decent confirmation that the legends lore nods are in full swing. So this raises red flags for Thrawn's character, who, as we know from the newer novels, has a bit more motivation to him than his legends counterpart, and while the two are not wholly dissimilar, there have been a few important updates to his character since the early 90's.

Not to mention, I've heard a lot of people saying "If Zahn isn't involved, it wouldn't really BE Thrawn, right?"

EXACTLY!

I have a very strong gut feeling that this Thrawn isn't actually going to be the Mitth'raw'nuruodo that we expect him to be, and here's why:

Evidence #1: The Beskar Spear

In Chapter 13 of Mando, we're introduced to Morgan Elsbeth who was apparently working so closely with Thrawn that Ahsoka Tano shows up to battle her and demand information on his wearabouts.

Do you really believe Grand Admiral Thrawn would think very highly of a woman who had tarnished the artistic craftsmanship and history of Mandalorian armor just to forge it into a spear?

Lest we forget how upset he got at Captain Slavin just for badmouthing Hera's kalikori in Rebels?

But Thrawn is a big-picture kind of guy, so swallowing his opinions on the dismissal to the value of art isn't necessarily out of character for him, and I'm not sure if they ever specified it was Elsbeth who had done the re-forging in the first place.

Moving on!

---

Evidence #2 Legends Lore and Fake Thrawns

There have been many versions of Thrawn since his creation in Zahn’s original trilogy/duology series, but did you know that there have also been multiple Thrawns existing in the Star Wars Legends universe?

I won't go into too much detail, but considering the Empire tried to keep Thrawn at arms reach up until he earned his Admiral status, and then some… they had quite a few backup plans to make sure the Chiss stuck around even after his “supposed” death.

Between Moff Vilim Disra hiring a con-artist actor named Flim, to fake the role and trick the galaxy... or the literal clone(s) who were set on backup timers and programmed with all of Thrawn's memories just in case of the Admiral’s untimely demise... it’s not as wild an assumption as you might think that there could be a few faux Thrawn’s roaming about in new canon. 

And we have been getting a lot of interesting nods to clones lately in the Bad Batch, especially concerning Mount Tantiss and the planet Wayland/Weyland.

Just some food for thought.

---

Evidence #3: Thrawn’s Death and Continuity

Though Legends and Canon Thrawn do have some similarities and ways to tie together their two universes, there have been updates to his story that cannot be ignored in the new canon, such as his inevitable death.

In legends, Thrawn was killed at the hands of his own Noghri bodyguard, Rukh, who was formally loyal to the Chiss until he learned that Thrawn had not been helping with the ecological disasters of his home planet as he'd promised, but instead had been purposefully keeping them present so that the Noghri people would remain indebted to the Empire. Discovering Thrawn's lies, Rukh stabs him through the chest in the ever-popular “it was so artistically done” scene, thus ending the deceitful Grand Admiral’s life in the old trilogy. 

Unfortunately for the latest iteration of Rukh, Garazeb Orrelios made sure that his new canon self's death was probably not the sort he would be able to get back up and brush off in a surprising twist down the road. 

This left the new-canon Thrawn without an assassin destined to carry out his death, and what many newer fans hoped would mean some sort of redemption arc, given the changes to the character since his reintroduction in Rebels.

I think it can also be stated that the newer version of Thrawn is a bit "kinder" for lack of a better word than his legend's self. Not enough to negate his antagonistic nature in Rebels of course, but maybe just not to the sinister degree as his past counterpart.

---

So in closing, I am going to be watching and taking notes, excited to see where this new "Thrawn" in the Ahsoka series, Mando, and heck... maybe even Bad Batch-- will play out.

I am going to be constantly thinking he's a fake until absolutely proven otherwise, hoping that the Thrawn I've spent all these years building up in my head is off saving the Chiss-Ascendancy with Ezra Bridger and Eli Vanto... and getting something of a redemption arc now that he's apart from the Empire.

Newer Thrawn never struck me as an irredeemable villain, especially in the novels, but I guess that's up to time to tell for sure?

I'm not going to let this theory ruin my expectations for the show and the character, of course, but I'll be super hype if this is the direction they've chosen to go with him.

Thanks for reading, if you did, and feel free to keep the discussion going in the replies/reblogs if you have anything to add!

[ct-hardcase]

Since a twitter mutual asked for an Inquisitor canon guide, I'm revamping my answer to an anon to include some more recent inquisitor canon. I'll get into the substantial canon stories first (which I'd say are the proverbial "must watch/read/play"s), and then into the ones where there might be slightly less content in a list below:

Star Wars: Rebels originated the inquisitors in the new canon and the start of their lore, though I'd argue it wasn't the best at handling them. Despite this, I'd recommend starting here. Introduces the Grand Inquisitor, Fifth Brother, Seventh Sister, and Eighth Brother. Also introduces (the ever-elusive) Project Harvester.

Darth Vader (2017): while this is a Vader-focused comic, you get quite a bit of inquisitor lore out of it, and also multiple characters you won’t find anywhere else/many other places. Highly recommend for how it builds up the Grand Inquisitor, Ninth Sister, and Sixth Brother in particular. Also includes the Fifth Brother, Tenth Brother, Iskat, and Tualon in a capacity that develops their characters. The comic additionally goes out of its way to include Seventh, Eighth, and Trilla as background characters. I recommend reading all of it, since I love the way it handles Vader as well, but the inquisitor-focused issues are almost all issues 6-20 minus issues 10 and 18. The writing has some flaws but overall one of my favorite canon comics in terms of story and art.

Jedi: Fallen Order was the blueprint, honestly. What made the inquisitors ascend from goofy side characters in others' stories to tragic villains in their own right. What's not to love about Trilla Suduri? Also provides a fair bit of depth to Ninth Sister, especially in the context of her previous DV (2017) appearances. It also fleshes out the Purge Troopers, who, while not inquisitors, are a fun addition to the organization. Also add a bit of inquisitor capture/initiation lore. I'm not a gamer, so I found a video which compiled all of the story scenes and it did the trick for me (though many gamers do recommend playing).

Obi-Wan Kenobi: Introduces Reva Sevander, and her wonderfully complicated story and character. This is among some of the essential inquisitor watch material for good reason, as it provides context for how inquisitors interpret the group dynamics, as well as a look at their military operations and how a hunt works from their end, somewhat. It also provides some context and/or development for the Grand Inquisitor and Fifth Brother; and introduces the Fourth Sister.

Rise of the Red Blade: The most personal look we get into an inquisitor's backstory and fall, so far (TotE will probably prove me wrong in about a month), this story centers Iskat's time as a Jedi and a bit of her time as an inquisitor. It goes through a Knight's look at the clone wars, and some of the Inquisitor initiation process/first few missions, in addition to glimpses of what a pre-Vader inquisitorius looked like. This book also features Tualon as a prominent character, but notably includes cameos from almost every canon inquisitor minus Reva, Marrok, and Bird Mask.*

*among others, who are more relegated to sourcebooks/secondhand references.

Next on the docket are Barriss' Tales of the Empire shorts, which I assume is going to go into the Inquisitor initiation process in full detail (see also: the reason Delilah Dawson couldn't full delve into it in RotRB), and should feature Barriss, the Fourth Sister, the Grand Inquisitor Marrok, and Bird Mask; and the Inquisitors (2024) comic miniseries coming this summer, which should include the Grand Inquisitor, Fifth Brother, Seventh Sister, and Ninth Sister.

I'll organize the rest by characters that you may want to know more about, though please note that there are minor spoilers for the above series (including character names) in the summaries of the series below:

Grand Inquisitor:

The Servants of the Empire series has some Grand Inquisitor lore with a focus on Zare Leonis and (the ever-elusive) Project Harvester. The Grand Inquisitor serves as an antagonist. This is a Middle Grade series, but it's one of the best MG series I've read in Star Wars.

The Grand Inquisitor has appeared in the Rebels manga adaptation! I haven't read it myself, but the art looks good.

He gets a semi-canon appearance in one short story of Star Wars: Dark Legends. He's got creepy vampire vibes, which are cool, and you also get one of my favorite Order 66 survivors in the dubiously-canon Kira Vantala.

[He also gets a spotlight in Issue 6 of Star Wars (2020). Yes, the comic takes place post-esb. Yes, the Grand Inquisitor is there. This one has the most payoff after reading Vader (2017) and watching swr s1

Will probably have a supporting/important role in Barriss' Tales of the Empire shorts.

Second Sister (Trilla Suduri):

Most of her Material is in JFO, but she also gets a spotlight in Jedi Fallen Order: Dark Temple. Though this five-issue comic focuses mostly on Cere, it gives you some good Second Sister content, presented pre-Trilla reveal in-game. It gives you more of her cool and competent inquisitor vibe that way. Also, the dynamic Trilla has with her Purge Trooper Commander is a bonus for me, in this one.

Third Sister (Reva Sevander):

Sadly, not a lot of supplemental content exists for Reva outside of OWK. I suppose I'm obligated to include the Obi-Wan Kenobi Comic Adaptation, but considering the art is about the equivalent of traced-over screenshots, I feel confident in saying you can skip this one.

Fourth Sister (Lyn):

Her...armor appears in Return to Vader’s Castle 4 and 5. The saboteur wearing it uses her designation, but that's about all the character lore we get. I suspect that more will come in the TotE short.

Will probably have a supporting/important role in Barriss' Tales of the Empire shorts.

Fifth Brother:

He gets a PoV section in Jedi: Battle Scars! Though it's not super substantive, it's the closest we've gotten to a backstory for him, and he gets a hell of a duel in this one. The overall plot is steamy and fun as well, plus Merrin and Fret are worth the price of admission alone.

He also gets a lot of bit parts in other inquisitor media, including OWK and Vader (2017), all of which add up to a more complex character than the man we get in Rebels.

Some comics featuring the Fifth Brother are in the Star Wars Rebels Magazine are in German so if you read the language you’re in luck, but some have been translated into English by fans so you can find them in their tumblr tags.

It seems he'll be a main character in the Inquisitors (2024) comic series.

Sixth Brother (Bil Valen):

The Ahsoka Novel: This is obviously mostly about Ahsoka, but Sixth Brother gets some PoV chapters as well. Though the chapters may initially not seem the most substantive, the other inquisitor canon (plus his scenes in Vader [2017]) builds up around him to end up giving a surprising amount of glimpses into who he is as a person. The Grand Inquisitor also appears here, but his appearance is short enough to not warrant a place in his section.

Seventh Sister:

She plays a somewhat significant role in Iskat's first years in Rise of the Red Blade, though sadly, aside from Rebels, she doesn't have a substantive role in many stories.

Seventh Sister also features in the Star Wars Rebels Magazine stories.

She also seems to be a main character in the Inquisitors (2024) comic series.

Eighth Brother:

Sorry, you're SoL (I say with love; he's my favorite).

In all seriousness, he has one line of dialogue in Vader (2017), and a cameo in Rise of the Red Blade. If he ends up being your favorite, I can help link some interviews from Robbie Daymond about him, or something.

Ninth Sister (Masana Tide):

Aside from a brief appearance in Jedi: Survivor, most of her story takes place in Vader (2017) and JFO.

She also appears to be among the main cast of Inquisitors (2024).

Tenth Brother (Prosset Dibs):

Mace Windu: Jedi of the Republic: A five-issue comic focusing on a strike team of four Jedi in the beginning the clone war, raises questions of what the republic is coming to, and also gives you some of the Tenth Brother’s backstory.

Thirteenth Sister (Iskat Akaris):

She doesn't have much outside of Vader (2017) and RotRB, but considering she's the protagonist of the latter, hopefully that's alright for now.

Tualon Yaluna:

See Iskat's entry above—though he's not the protagonist of RotRB, he gets quite a bit of focus.

Marrok:

One of the antagonists of the Ahsoka show, and primarily appears there.

Will probably have a supporting/background role in Barriss' Tales of the Empire shorts.

Bird Mask:

A note on him is that the jury's split about whether he's actually the Sixth Brother based on his role in Ahsoka's final Tales of the Jedi episode, which is strikingly similar to the Ahsoka Novel. I choose to believe he's not.

Will probably have a supporting/background role in Barriss' Tales of the Empire shorts.

Other Canon Inquisitors/Noncanonical Inquisitors/I'm Bald/Other Nuanced Opinion:

There’s an Inquisitor in the semi-canon Star Wars Visions season 1 episode T0-B1.

There's also an Inquisitor in the semi-canon Star Wars Visions season 2 episode Bandits of Golak.

Per a guidebook released prior to Obi-Wan Kenobi, There was an inquisitor with the designation Third Brother. At this time, we do not know what he looks like, nor has he been confirmed to have been in a story.

Per a TTRPG campaign, there was a female inquisitor who trained the Nightsister Jerserra, who killed her and stole the unidentified inquisitor's lightsaber. We do not have confirmation on who this is.

Maul carries an inquisitor's saber from at least the time of Solo to Star Wars: Rebels. This may or may not belong to an existing canon inquisitor or an as-of-yet-unknown character (it was modeled off of the Grand Inquisitor's, but we can assume this was due to budget concerns).

There's a variety of mobile games, sourcebooks, and other sources that provide a series of blurbs on the canon inquisitors that I haven't kept close track of. While these provide some information, most of it goes over existing information (possibly sourced directly from the Star Wars databank entries or Wookieepedia pages) and rarely do we get any new information from these (and more rarely still does canon actually stick to the information we get from them). These are fun, and can be delved into if you want more detail, but my personal MO is to stick to canon works first.

The slight exception to me is the Lightsaber coffeetable book, which I find has gorgeous (original!) art, and has some blurbs about the inquisitors' fighting styles.

[pandora15]

so yeah I still feel the same way I felt at the beginning of the ahsoka series

there are things I really REALLY liked about it. but there are also things that I find frustrating and like. not really fleshed out at all?

like.

ezra's whole arc was amazing. his dynamic with sabine? him getting to make a new lightsaber that looks like kanan's? him finally getting to go home and reuniting with hera? i was almost CRYING at that part and I literally screamed when it cut away before we could see them hug. all of it was AMAZING.

but I'm also like. frustrated with the way that they didn't really explain sabine's past? or like, the things that connected her from the end of rebels to now. like I feel like I still don't understand what happened between her and ahsoka before the events of this show. there was that moment where huyang talked about it to ezra a bit but it's like. so quick and just like "oh ahsoka was worried about sabine turning to the dark side" and then it's never mentioned again???? it's just like how baylan mentioned mandalore's destruction in ep4 and how it drove sabine and ahsoka apart as like a throwaway line and then it's never brought up again? i'm??????

but I also really REALLY liked baylan and shin, and the fact that the mortis gods are referenced at the very end of this season INTRIGUES me. i need to know where this is going.

every time hayden showed up in this series he was INCREDIBLE. probably definitely my favorite part of the series. episode 5 is definitely my favorite episode.

but I'm also like. not feeling great about how ahsoka seems to think about the jedi at the time of the clone wars. she says this line about how anakin was the only one to stand by her, even when no one else would, when homeboy literally turned to the dark side and later tried to kill her in rebels? did she forget about that?

did she forget about all the jedi who mentored her during tcw? about plo koon, luminara unduli, tera sinube, aayla secura? about obi-wan? we haven't seen her even mention any other jedi from that time other than anakin (and kanan, in today's episode, but that's literally because of ezra).

i'm just hnggggggggggg so conflicted. the show does some things so WELL and I'm in awe of those things but then it also just. completely misses the point or confuses me or just makes me vaguely upset and it just leaves me in this state of being frustrated

anyways.

overall I did enjoy the show, even if it sounds like I didn't. It's just. I think it would've been better if the ahsoka series and the rebels sequel were two different things, y'know? it would've given more time for both of these storylines to be fleshed out more properly.

but here we are, I'm accepting that this is the show that we got, and I think it was good. I'm intrigued to see what happens next.

[spacemagicandlaserswords]

The Clone Wars: Return of the Thoughts

I’m over half way through my first watch through of The Clone Wars (I’m part way through the Onderon rebels arc at the moment) and it has been An Experience. I have really enjoyed watching it, even though so much of the story is just pain and despair. If it isn’t already completely obvious from my reaction posts, I have completely fallen for the clones. New hyperfixation unlocked. I love and adore all of them. This brings about its own problems because for a show called The Clone Wars, there isn’t exactly a great focus on the clones. They’ve basically been sidelined in their own show (Hmmm, I wonder where we’ve seen that done to a clone before?). When we do finally get some decent clone-centric episodes, they are all just pain, misery, angst and despair. Which explains why I’ve been dreading watching so many of the various arcs in TCW.

I’ve found that my anticipation of episodes falls into either 'outright dreading', 'generally looking forward to', 'somewhat interested in', or 'fairly ambivalent about'. Out of the three seasons I have left to watch, the only arc I’m actually looking forward to is the opening arc of season 7, because:

a) Baby Bad Batch b) ECHO c) More clones! More clone interactions and personality and character development and depth and emotions and all the things! d) Jesse and his ARC tits running around being an absolute unit e) Kix! *weeps for his beautiful hair* f) Rex being a BAMF as usual but also being all soft and concerned when he gets one of his Domino Twins back after he thought he’d lost them both. g) We even get a bit of Cody too, before he gets squished by a larty and Wrecker has to lift it off him. h) Non-chip controlled Crosshair! He smiles! He laughs! He’s snarky and sarcastic! We finally get to see the toothpick with a soul before it’s ripped out and trampled into the ground by the Empire. i) I think the season 7 premiere is where Obi-Wan cuts an actual missile in half to save Cody, and if that isn’t the most hyper competent way of conveying your love for your space husband, then I don’t know what is.

On the other side of things, there are a number of arcs that I am dreading and almost don’t want to watch. 

I’m not overly looking forward to the Mandalore arc in season 5, mainly because we have to watch Obi-Wan watch Satine get brutally murdered in front of him by Maul. Along with being utterly cruel and completely devastating, it’s also another wholly unnecessary fridging of a female character. There’s already enough man pain in this series as it is, we don’t need to add to it by killing off one of the few female characters with depth. 

Straight after this is the Jedi temple bombing arc, which I almost don’t want to watch. The way Ahsoka was treated was utterly horrendous and appalling. No wonder she left! What they did to Barriss was just as awful. 

Then it’s straight into the chip conspiracy arc, which is just more pain, misery, suffering and death for the clones. First Tup, then Fives, in what seems to be generally regarded as one of the most devastating deaths of the entire Clone Wars series. I’m pretty sure there’s going to be a lot of sobbing at the end of it. I also cannot wrap my head around the fact that Fox is the one to shoot Fives. I cannot believe that a clone would ever shoot another clone. That a vod would kill another vod. It’s just inconceivable. From what I’ve read, the generally received headcanon seems to be that Palps was controlling Fox via the chip or the Darkside. This makes complete sense, is a believable in-universe reason, and is definitely the headcanon that I’ve accepted. Blasters have a stun setting! Fox is the Commander of the Coruscant Guard. He’s a command class clone and he has a kama so presumably he’s got ARC training as well. There’s no way he’d be that sloppy as to not have his blaster set to stun. I know this is leading up to my inevitable internal conflict between fandom Fox and canon Fox (which is already brewing), but that’s another rant for another day. Either way, I'm absolutely dreading watching this arc.

I’m not really looking forward to watching the Rush Clovis arc in season 6. I touched on this in 2.04 ‘Senate Spy’ and I should imagine that this arc involves more of Anakin being abusive and controlling of Padmé, which both @0bianidalas and @coraex basically confirmed in the comments. For a multitude of personal reasons, I am really not comfortable with watching something like this. That said, I should imagine it will be a clear example of Anakin’s further descent to the Dark side and give a greater understanding to how it happened, which I gather was a key reason for the existence of The Clone Wars series in the first place.

Finally, there’s the Siege of Mandalore arc, which is just pain, misery, death and despair for everyone involved. We have to watch another perspective of the genocide that is Order 66, and by all accounts this one seems to be one of the most heart-wrenching and devastating. All of the clones are forced against their will to turn into brainwashed, controlled, mindless monsters. Jesse is turned into the very opposite of everything that he is, stood for, and believed in. Ahsoka is hunted by the very men she thought were her friends. Rex has to shoot his brothers out of self defense and to protect Ahsoka. All of the 322nd die. Rex cries. The only saving grace to all of this is that Rex is finally free, but at what cost. At what cost.

(Editor Me: My heart is already aching just going through the various gifs from these arcs. I'm going to be an absolute wreck I watch the actual episodes.)

After all of this, I somehow have to power through 4 seasons of Rebels before Ahsoka premiers on August 23. I’m probably going to have to binge watch Rebels and come back to it later for the reaction posts but we’ll see. While I have spoiled myself on Rebels in the same way I did for TCW, I haven’t been looking up what happens in Rebels quite as much as TCW. I’ve forgotten a fair amount of what happens so I think I’m going to try and keep myself as spoiler free as possible for Rebels. Hopefully that way I’ll be able to avoid this ‘dreading watching particular arcs’ problem that I’m encountering with TCW.  

It’s not all doom and gloom though. There are moments in particular episodes that I’m looking forward to.

Hondo turns up again in the younglings arc and I am all for more Hondo. My interest in this arc falls somewhere between ‘somewhat interested’ and ‘fairly ambivalent’ but Hondo is an absolute riot and I love his particular brand of chaos. He was hilarious in the season 5 premiere and stole every scene he was in so I’m very glad to see him appear again.

We finally get to meet Gregor! He seems like a fan favourite and I’ve been looking forward to meeting him. If the droids mission is anything like R2-D2 and the reprogrammed B1 droids in the Citadel arc then this should be fairly amusing too so I’m generally looking forward to this.

In a way, I am looking forward to parts of the Mandalore arc in season 5. Obi-Wan in Mandalorian armour! More sass and snark from Obi-Wan is always enjoyable and at least we get to see him rescue Satine before it all goes horribly wrong. I know I’ve made this point before but I also love it when we get to see just how damn good a Jedi Obi-Wan is. There’s a little bit of this in the season 4 finale when Obi-Wan teams up with Ventress to fight Maul and Savage (after he’s thrown about like a rag doll and we get even more Obi-Wan whump. TCW has been a surprisingly excellent source of Obi-Wan whump.) But you really get to see it in the season 5 premiere. At one stage Obi-Wan is dual wielding lightsabers like an absolute madman while fighting both Maul and Savage at the same time. Sir, your lightsaber form is Soresu, what are you doing?

I’m looking forward to ‘The Lost One’ because we get to see a bit more of Wolffe, Plo and the Wolf Pack and I am always happy when we get to see more of them. Even if it's only for a tiny bit at the start of the episode.

As painful as the Siege of Mandalore arc is going to be, there are also some good moments that I’m looking forward to. Rex and Ahsoka reunite after she left the Order. I’ve really been enjoying watching the gradual evolution of their relationship, from Captain and Commander, to colleagues that respect each other, to friends, and then brother and sister. Or ori’vod and vod’ika, if we’re going with the headcanon of clones knowing Mando’a and creating their own culture out of what they can glean from their Mandalorian origins. Rex is definitely ori’vod. 

Rex is finally promoted to commander so we get a little bit of Commander Rex for a while, and isn’t that just a delicious thought thot. 

Ahsoka essentially gets her own company in the form of the 332nd and they all paint their helmets in a pattern inspired by the markings on her montrals, which is just so damn sweet and adorable.   

Rex and Ahsoka fighting side by side, even if some of it is against chip controlled clones.

From what I can gather, this entire arc is mainly about Rex and Ahsoka, with a showdown with Maul thrown in. They both go through the wringer and there’s going to be everything from hilarious one liners, to heartfelt moments, to the absolute emotional devastation that is Order 66 and all that it wrought upon them.  

Out of the arcs that are left, they’re a mix of ‘somewhat interested’, ‘fairly ambivalent’ and ‘really not sure what to expect’. I’m fairly ambivalent about the rest of the Onderon rebels arc, which ends in another unnecessary fridging of a female character. At least Steela was more sensible and had more nuance. I could see her evolving into a great leader, in a similar vein to Leia. Saw is just another boring arrogant male who turns into a ‘for the greater good’ monster. The consequences of his actions have disastrous effects for the Empire and the rebels, or anyone who even slightly opposes the Empire. He’s not a good person and definitely falls into the ‘an enemy of my enemy is my friend/temporary ally’ camp.  

I’m ‘fairly ambivalent’ to almost disinterested in ‘The Disappeared’ arc. Anything involving Jar Jar Binks is always deeply painful and uncomfortable to watch, a point I’ve made before, so I’m not going to blither on about it again.

The final arc of season 6 just sounds weird and all very ~mystical~ Jedi. Or more Jedi osik as the more cynical of the clones would probably say. 

The Ahsoka arc in the middle of season 7 is one I’m really not sure what to expect from. I’m looking forward to meeting Trace and Rafa and I’m all for more women of colour in Star Wars. It’ll also give more context to the episode ‘Decommissioned’ from The Bad Batch and help understand exactly who they are and why they’re coincidentally looking for the same Separatist tactical droid as the Batch. It’ll also be interesting to see what happens to Ahsoka after she leaves the order and get a sense for what she’s been up to and how she’s managed to survive and cope since. I’m not sure if this arc is in chronological order with the rest of the season. Though the last episode does appear to link into the Siege of Mandalore arc, so maybe it is. The official chronological order lists this arc as happening before the Bad Batch arc and after the season 6 finale arc, so I guess that solves that then.

Aside from The Bad Batch arc, there’s no whole episode or arc that I’m actually looking forward to watching. This seems to be the main structure to TCW, hilarious comedic moments and heartfelt scenes interspersed between a whole lot of emotional devastation and heart wrenching endings. I’m still glad I’m finally watching The Clone Wars but the emotional ride from certain episodes and arcs has been something else. I’m so glad fix-it fics exist, because I’m going to need to read so many after all of this is said and done. 

I know this might seem like I’m complaining but I’m not. I’m simply being open and honest about my experiences watching The Clone Wars. I am enjoying watching it all, even if ‘enjoying’ doesn’t quite feel like the right word with all of the pain and despair and misery that happens. 

I’ve got a lot left to watch and not much time to watch it in but I’m also going to make sure I enjoy it as well. I’ll be sad when it’s finished but I am very happy and glad that I finally started watching The Clone Wars. 

[tarisilmarwen]

Rebels Rewatch: "The Honorable Ones"

Kallus starts growing the nigglings of a conscience and also I never want to visit Bahryn ever.

Does this count as Friendship Fetch Quest episode? I mean... we do technically recruit an ally, albeit we make one out of a consistent former enemy, and he is important to things later...

Yeah, you know what, I'm counting it.

Geonosis looks gorgeous.

Oooooof SO many Death Star foreshadowings in this conversation. This is in fact where they started construction on the Mark I, as far back as the Clone Wars. Some time between now and then (Wookiepedia thinks it's between "Breaking Ranks" and now), the project was moved, the orbital stations scrapped, and the entire population of Geonosis genocided to conceal the project's existence.

Just, you know, your ordinary Tuesday for the Empire.

Hi Kallus!

Love Chopper getting to be an absolutely murderous psychopath again lolol.

Ohhhh hey, this cue is from back in "Droids In Distress" when they were about to blow up the ion disruptors. How fitting, lol.

Ezra is still Not Fond of leaving people behind.

He looks so worried. :(

Love how Kallus and Zeb stop fighting for a second when they realize they're about to crash. Matching Oh Crap expressions and everything.

Ngl, I felt that cry of agony deep in the recesses of my childhood.

(I fell off some parallel bars once in gym, didn't break anything, but my first scream? Sounded not too unlike that.)

Lol Ezra banging on Chopper. "Yes, we want him back! Don't be a sleemo!"

Jeez, how terrified Kallus must have been, stuck in the exact scenario that traumatized him so in the past. Lucky for our favorite asshole Zeb is the honorable type.

Yup, yeah, pissing his pants terrified. David does a really good job with Kallus this episode, it's one of the first times they let him show a bit more range and he does shrill and hysterical very nicely, if I may say so.

Kallus is so assured of the Empire's fairness and nobility, aww let's shatter that to pieces this episode. :D

Worried Ezra continues to be worried. <3

He is already shivering, nice little animation here. Also lol @ Zeb pettily pulling the heater closer towards him.

Ahhh the glowing rock of friendship. Love that Kallus keeps it after this.

"You're going to hurt yourself!" <3 See this mother hen behavior right here is why I stuck the Iron Squadron kids with him in my Mirrorverse series, Kallus being a fussy fretful Team Mom is hilarious.

Ah NOPE, nope, nah-uh. Nooooooo thank you.

The bonzami are actually really well-designed. They look like prehistoric dinosaurs of some kind. Definitely evocative of all my childhood nightmares about T-Rexes.

Kallus parroting the Might Makes Right and Social Darwinism of the Empire, leading to Zeb beginning to ask pointed questions.

Oh man there was a really good analysis on here someone did about Kallus's fighting style, how he's better at close quarters than distance/ranged, I wish I remembered who wrote it.

Subtle animation appreciation detail: That pinched guilt in Kallus's expression.

Oooh yeah, that's the good stuff.

Kallus launches into his tragic backstory, possibly to try and remind himself why he personally hates Lasats, rejustify in his head how it was okay for him not to question orders when told to use the ion disruptors--("They deserve it, they're bad people, they kill the injured!")--and the connection to Saw is not a coincidence I think, the writers expand heavily on the whole "It's how we fight that matters." and "The ends justify the means." conflict later on down the line. Numerous characters on this show like Saw and Thrawn and Kallus to an extent represent what happens when you go too far to fight those you consider monsters. I've always loved how firmly Rebels comes down on the side of "The means do matter."

Probably one of the reasons I'm still kind of relucant to watch Andor, I know fandom loves that "I burn myself for a sunrise I'll never see." quote but eehhhhhhhhh.

The exchange right after Kallus's story is a bit clunky, I get what the intent was--that there are people in the Empire who aren't cold and bloodthirsty and evil and the Rebels shouldn't write them all off like they're the same--but it's clumsily executed.

PPFFFFTTTTTT LOLOLOL. KALLUS CANNOT BELIEVE THE SHEER PETTINESS IN ZEB HURLING THE BO-RIFLE OUT OF THE CAVE RATHER THAN LET HIM HOLD IT.

Hey remember when I said I love David Oyelowo's hysterical Kallus voice? Yeah.

Zeb's prehensile feet put to good use again.

Ohhhhh yeah no that's absolutely a terrifying concept for me. Nope.

"Hey we didn't get eaten! Are we friends now?"

There's some debate in the fandom about the inconsistency of the stories Kallus tells from "Droids In Distress" to here. Some parts of fandom point to how he almost gleefully bragged about giving the order to use the ion disruptors and others point out that he couldn't possibly have been high enough in the ranks at that point to actually have the authority to do that.

I tend to fall more towards the latter camp, that he wasn't actually THE one to give the order but he didn't question it and passed it right along due to his prejudice against the Lasat, and only said what he said to Zeb to rile him up. As much as he hated Lasats though, there has been some guilt severely weighing on him since then, and I'm pretty sure it's partly due to his confusion over the Honor Guardsman giving him his bo-rifle. There was a note of aggravated self-defense in Kallus's voice when he explains to Zeb how it was given to him, like he's dispensing with an act and being all, "All right look here's how it really happened."

This conversation is slightly less clear but to me reads like Kallus is detailing his thoughts from the moment he'd been given the order. Like it's mid-battle and it's going harder than they anticipated and the weapons are handed out and he's told to use them and he realizes, "Oh. The Empire is not playing around are they?" and he shoves down his own potential qualms about it and just passes on the order.

Zeb, having had his character development, is dismissive of Kallus's attempt to explain the massacre, saying that it doesn't affect him anymore, basically.

They're so happy to see him. <3

Awwwwwww.

Subtle animation appreciation moment: Zeb's little elbow bump to Ezra's arm as they climb up the ramp.

Ohhhhhh man the behind the scenes had a little plot bit that they should have kept, basically it was not the Empire that retrieved Kallus from Bahryn, it was a scavenger ship, the Empire spent a paltry two rotations looking for him and then wrote him off, he had to make his way back to them on his own.

Konstantine doesn't even look at him.

:((((((

Kallus's redemption is a bit of a polarizing topic in fandom. Personally I'm very fond of it, I like Kallus as an antagonist-turned-Rebel, I think he's a lot of fun post Heel Face Turn and the many myriad fanfics that bridge the gap between "Zero Hour" and Season 4 featuring Kallus slowly blending in to the Spectres are among some of my favorites.

But it's also one of my major nitpicks because it's a bit lacking in legwork. Show👏me👏the legwork!👏 Like 90% of all writing problems can be solved just by expending some effort. Don't just have Kallus as the new Fulcrum offscreen between seasons I need to SEE it.

That being said, this is a mostly tightly written Locked In A Room type episode, well-paced, decently animated. Fandom definitely loves it and I'll still give it fairly regular rewatches since it's another of the husband's favorites.

Next up, we return again to Lothal for Force Weirdness.

[lightwise]

Ahsoka Show Episode 2 - Spoilers/Thoughts

Okay, now for episode 2 thoughts. (I've posted my reaction to *that* moment at the end of episode 1, and it's resulting consequences in this episode, in another post).

SPOILERS BELOW THE CUT! DO NOT SCROLL IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED THE EPISODE YET! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Okay, I ranted about my dislike for Sabine's injury here. Moving on.

Literal chaos child. Sabine is the natural successor of the disaster lineage force sensitivity or not lolol. "I uh, I unlocked the map. And then lost it. And then lost all my backups. But everything's fine I swear!" Anakin would be proud.

I gotta say it, Baylon's ship makes me think of the Marauder just a bit.

I am loving these nightsister temples. So cool. Very Celtic/stone circle/mapping the planets and stars vibes.

Ahsoka trying to trace the fight between Shin and Sabine almost felt like she had some Psychometry skills ala Quinlan Voss going on??

AHSOKA PET THE DANG LOTHCAT. YOU MUST PAY TRIBUTE BEFORE ENTERING THE ABODE.

Love that she's so calm feeling that droid coming down behind her before taking it out.

Huyang vs Hera as Sabine almost blows them all to pieces...gotta love it. I need to see Tech and Huyang hanging out together. They would either be besties or drive each other insane.

I really love the practical effects of all the droid and machine builds in this show. It feels even more detailed and realistic than props in Mando.

Hera just still doesn't quite feel like Hera to me :/ And it's not MEW's fault at all. It feels like costuming and dialogue choices. Love her talk with Sabine though. I'm fascinated to know what viewers who have never seen Rebels are thinking of these scenes, bc they have no idea the backstory behind these two and the mother/daughter, older sister/younger sister nature of their relationship.

The CGI here is absolutely gorgeous when Morgan opens the star map. I also love how it is much more extensive and detailed than what Sabine was able to get. And the hint of green nightsister magic!

It will be really interesting to see if she's referring to the Chiss homeworld, the Yuuzhan Vong, or something else by "other galaxy".

I really want to see more of Baylon and Shin's history. She is attached to his every word and obeys his commands very seriously. How did he come to take her on as his padawan? When did he find her? What made him abandon the Jedi order (did he have doubts before the Clone Wars? Or just found a way to survive after?) So many questionssss.

Ahsoka and Hera, on the detective trail. Love it. When this series was announced, long before it was apparent that it would be Rebels season 5, I had hoped it would be Ahsoka hopping around the galaxy solving mysteries. This is fun to see.

Guys. I am trying SO HARD to not fall down the "imperial remnants and new republic politics as the galaxy tries to rebuild" rabbit hole that my brain eagerly wants to fall down whenever they start bringing up these dynamics. I was almost losing my mind during the Dr. Pershing episode in Mando season 3, and this is whetting my appetite again. Idk if I will someday need to write fanfiction about this or copious amounts of tumblr posts, but you have been warned. Star Wars and politics and the navigation of the collapse of empire and the redistribution of status and wealth and goods and the devious ways that can all quickly start to fall apart...okay I'll stop myself. When we get to the Mon Mothma episode...heaven help me.

Again, the subtle facial expressions in this show are so good. Not all of the dialogue is escaping cheesiness, but the facial expressions are conveying a wealth of emotions that is backing and grounding each line of dialogue.

This scene. THIS SCENE. Okay, I promised I would talk about Sabine's Jedi training and supposed Force sensitivity that we all have been wondering about since the trailers. I was not thrilled about the idea of Sabine being retconned to be force-sensitive. There's no hint of it in Rebels, and it would feel like a shocking contrast to her lineage as a Mandalorian if it wasn't handled properly. That said, I went into it with a relatively open mind, and have not been overly bothered (more just confused and wanting the backstory) on her and Ahsoka all of a sudden having this master/apprentice relationship that has taken place off screen and that obviously did not go well. Sabine has trained with lightsabers before (the Darksaber and Ezra's lightsaber), and it did make sense to me that she could want to know how to use it more effectively and want to be closer to the practices of what made Ezra who he is in his absence. Why Ahsoka would have agreed to train her...that I am unclear on. I wonder if her failure in that also contributed to her telling Din that she couldn't train Grogu. Anyway, all of this has been a "what the heck are you up to Dave," but I haven't hated it.

All that said, I didn't really want Sabine to be Force sensitive bc I also hate when Star Wars, or Star Wars fans, try to make everyone have latent force abilities in ways that feel like a cop out, like it's the only explanation for a character being cool, or having value, or tying into the plot (I am not trying to call out anyone in particular here, just the concept). Star Wars is not only about Jedi, and while it is almost always about the Force, that doesn't always happen in the highly specialized, exclusive ways we see from force users like the Jedi and the Sith. So, I was hoping, let's see Sabine trying to tap into the fact that the Force is inside everyone, but not everyone can access it to the same capability. Let's see her trying to gain certain skills and practice a way of existing in the world that goes beyond some fancy lightsaber moves and meditation rituals. Let's see a Mandalorian who already has a distinct and powerful way of fighting and philosophy in the world, attempt to mold it with another, almost opposite, approach. And I think that's what we are getting! (maybe this should have been it's own post, oops).

Huyang's no nonsense talk to Sabine is exactly what she needs to hear. For all his sass and directness, he doesn't lack compassion in how he chooses his words with her. And yet he also isn't afraid to eviscerate her (lack of) Force abilities with the most Jedi worthy burn I've ever heard "your skills would fall short of them all." He's been around for 2500 years. I don't think Sabine is force sensitive ya'll. At least not in a conventional way. And yet, Huyang, who has been the keeper of lightsabers and Jedi youngling training for generations, is not at all discouraging her from applying herself to try. His tone is exceedingly gentle with the words "the only time you are wasting, is your own." Is it possible to marry a droid? Pretty sure he's husband material lol.

Also his hands look like medieval gauntlets. So cool. They outdid themselves on the practical effects here.

Star Wars has Solid State Drives?? (Sorry the SSD reference was kind of funny).

Alright, Ahsoka against a droid and a former Inquisitor. Easy peasy.

Hera and Chopper (who looks FANTASTIC btw, there is no distinction between Choppper animation and Chopper live action LOL), in the Phantom and their dialogue back and forth was perfection.

That lil force push and lil backflip midair and lil shoulder turn to miss the lightsaber from behind 👀 please more force usage from Ahsoka! In her own show!

Very interested to learn more about Marrok too. Their stunt actor is really good.

Girlie is pulling out the Mando armor. We're getting serious now.

"It's not loyalty. It's greed."

I liked Sabine's part in this recreation of the end of Rebels, but I didn't really love the retcon on Ahsoka's. Where is her staff? Why is her cloak a different color? Where is Morai? It just fell kind of flat for me. Like the live action hasn't earned the emotional gravitas and hope that this scene held in Rebels. Again Dave, really fascinated to see where you're going with all this.

Finally, Ahsoka's ship is cool. I would travel around the galaxy with her for sure. And, the unique way that holograms show up on Morgan's ship is very, very cool. Can't wait to see what next week holds!

[butchhansolo]

ok im super curious about this within sw circles

and if you want to, tag your answer + which sphere you are most a part of! (main series, clone wars, bad batch, rebels, mandalorian, etc.) (my answer is yes; the bad batch)