#there is already an obi wan foil for anidala

[jebiknights]

I'm not saying not to ship Codywan because, like, I'm obviously a rexwalker shipper, but acting like Codywan would be some healthy, well balanced relationship in CANON, esp in comparison to anidala is just... Absolutely wild. In fandom it's all well and good to ignore the wonky power dynamics and age difference between the ship because it's yaknow fanon (tho personally I think it takes all the fun out of the ship but that's a different post), but when y'all start talking about how Codywan would've been in canon that's where I have to stop you. Because Cody is in his early 20s maturity wise (hes literally Anakin's age when the war starts) and Obi-Wan's direct SUBORDINATE. Like, y'all have GOT to stop ignoring the fact that there is an age difference and a HUGE power imbalance there, especially with how much parts of fandom yell about age difference ships.

[chiliconsharls]

“Triangles are the strongest shape there is. Any weight placed on them is evenly distributed on all 3 sides. They represent geometric sturdiness; no matter how much weight you put on any side, it will not break.” With this science fact in mind,

let’s talk about ObiAniDala

(a ship manifesto brought to you by the joined forces of my silly brain and my much smarter besties at the discord server)

Also known as “Prequel Trio”, this is the triad ship for Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala (Naberrie), our main protagonist characters of the Star Wars prequel films (Episode I, II and III) as well as the subsequent shows, comics, and novels.

Most of the basis for this ship is centered around their interactions and established dynamics within the films canon more than any other piece of media but fans do not neglect the rest, as it also expands on their relationship. It also presents, as most polyam-oriented ships, a solution to fandom phenomenon known as shipping wars, in this instance mostly between the Obikin (Obi-Wan/Anakin) and Anidala (Anakin/Padmé) fans.

Obianidala is, as of January 2023, the second most written trio relationship in the Star Wars fandom on Archive of Our Own, with 536 works on their tag. They’re only topped by the sequels trio, Poe/Finn/Rey, who have over one thousand works.

Their nature of being the protagonist characters in two of the three films of the prequel trilogy is enough to warrant some people would’ve shipped them, but the special interest fans have in them has to do with the fact that they are intrinsically connected, even if only by proximity (in Obi-Wan and Padmé’s case). Anakin is the protagonist -turned antagonist-; Padmé is his love interest; Obi-Wan is his mentor/brother/best friend figure. Each of them have a loud presence in each other’s lives and thus, the importance of the others in each of their stories is pivotal.

What’s established in canon?

While I’m not a firm believer that we, as a society, should be bound by the shackles of canon, I also understand sometimes knowing you’re not picturing things in your head feels very vindicating. It’s good to know creators are onto something you’re digging with your little fan goggles. And Obianidala is no exception to that.  

As I mentioned above, they’re all connected. Narratively speaking, Obi-Wan and Padmé pose two opposing forces for Anakin, even though some fans even see them as foils of each other (as they do with Obi-Wan and Anakin as well); yet it is evidently clear that he loves them both deeply and strongly, equally. They are the most important people in Anakin’s life.

In fact, Anakin’s personal view of Padmé and Obi-Wan as opposing roads for him to take and the amount of love he feels for them is something that contributes to his falling to the dark side, aided by Sidious latching on his weakness and exploiting this internal turmoil he has.

From Matthew Stover’s Revenge of the Sith novelization:

Now, this quote infuriates me for several reasons but mostly because people see it as an ‘end it all’ to arguments of how much more Anakin loved one or the other. Personally, I see it as Palpatine pushing Anakin to his already preconceived idea that he had to give one up (and a perfect showcase of his reluctance to do so, too). Anakin ultimately had to make a choice, yes, but saying he loved one more than the other based on that is very debatable.

Throughout the films it is established that Anakin gravitates around them both, but the novels take a very special dive into this, often highlighting how Anakin’s mind seems to have Padmé and Obi-Wan as a single unit:

(From the RoTS novelization)

(Both from Wild Space by Karen Miller)

(I’m personally insane about that last one because sure, that’s a TOTALLY normal thing to think about. ‘I wish me and MY WIFE would make my BEST FRIEND be less alone’. Anakin Skywalker, I know what you are)

As for Obi-Wan and Padmé, the same thing goes, albeit in a more reserved and collected way – as it is their nature. While Anakin is constantly struggling with how much he loves the both of them and how he suffers because he eventually will have to make a choice, Obi-Wan and Padmé are at peace with their affection/love for Anakin AND the presence of the other in his/their lives.

In fact, they also care and deeply trust each other as well.

Padmé is the one who decides to go to Obi-Wan’s rescue in Attack of the Clones, and she also suggests they could trust him to help them with the whole pregnancy ordeal.

Then, there’s also this from the RoTS novelization:

Which even goes on to suggest Padmé might’ve even trust Obi-Wan more than she did Anakin. 

She accepts, willfully and unreservedly that they both love Anakin and therefore will always be present in each other’s life. And she spares some affection, warmth, and yes, perhaps even some love for him, too: 

Obi-Wan, the super-ego character of the trio, also cares for them very deeply, even past his otherwise private and reserved nature. It’s established in an episode of Clone Wars (7x02) - as well as a deleted scene from RoTS- that Obi-Wan is aware that Anakin has a relationship with Padmé and has been for quite some time yet he never tells the Council about it and he only ever tries once to talk to Anakin about it, trying to remind him that attachments are forbidden for the Jedi. Yet, Obi-Wan doesn’t press on this because he himself is attached and Anakin’s happiness is more important to him than Jedi rules. (Ok, maybe I’m interpreting it but, it’s true, I’ll show you). 

Snippet from the RoTS novelization because the screenshot was gonna be too big:

"Senator-Padme. Please." He gazed into her eyes with nothing on his face but compassion and fatigued anxiety. "I am not blind, Padme. Though I have tried to be, for Anakin's sake. And for yours." "What do you mean?" "Neither of you is very good at hiding feelings, either." "Obi-Wan-" "Anakin has loved you since the day you met, in that horrible junk shop on Tatooine. He's never even tried to hide it, though we do not speak of it. We... pretend that I don't know. And I was happy to, because it made him happy. You made him happy when nothing else ever truly could." He sighed, his brows drawing together. "And you, Padme, skilled as you are on the Senate floor, cannot hide the light that comes to your eyes when anyone so much as mentions his name."

From Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View: 

What I find interesting in this quote is the fact that Padmé is paired with Obi-Wan’s canonical love interest and the other two characters Obi-Wan has a more canonically familial bond with. So, yes, I do have the receips when I say Obi-Wan loved Padmé as well as he did Anakin.

This is from the RoTS screenplay, and it’s also RoTS canon, it just didn’t make it into the final cut but it’s very important to point it out because while here it’s explicitly said, in the film it’s implied, so it still counts: 

“I know you both too well” // “We’re all friends, I care about both of you”... Obi-Wan Kenobi, I SEE you. And so does Padmé: 

(I’m adding this one simply because it’s very inch-resting to me that both Anakin and Padmé seem to be very concerned with Obi-Wan’s loneliness... THAT’s suspicious) 

Even going to present content, the Obi-Wan Kenobi show very clearly establishes that Obi-Wan is mourning both Anakin and Padmé as they were the closest people to him in their last days. 

He sees Padmé in Leia (”Nothing, you just reminded me of someone” -1x02- “When I look at Luma, all I see is her mother’s face” -1x03-) and he finds a new life purpose in looking after Luke simply because he’s Anakin’s son (”To keep watch over Anakin's son-" Obi-Wan sighed, finally allowing his face to register a suggestion of his old gentle smile. "I can't imagine a better way to spend the rest of my life." -RoTS novelization-). 

It’s also very evident how much he loved and how high he regarded Padmé and Anakin when he’s listing the qualities of them that he finds in Leia: 

“Both were exceptional people who bore an exceptional daughter.” (From Obi-Wan Kenobi (TV series) – 1×06)

What about them from a meta point of view?

Now that we talked briefly (and I do say briefly because I could’ve gone even deeper with the canon stuff), let’s dive into this ship from a meta lens. What’s the REAL juice in this one true threesome? 

Well, we talked about this in the Obianidala discord server a few days ago, prompted by me asking why they shipped the trio, mostly because I couldn’t believe no one had written a ship manifesto yet, and as acting CEO of this OT3 I felt it needed to be done.

Here’s the masterpost of all their valid and incredible answers:

Pluto: Poly. I’m biased bc im poly, but like, I love poly ships

Saathi (@saathi1013): The balance among the three of them! How each pairing has its own dynamic but the whole is so much more than the sum of its parts! It's because it feels like any of the other pairings are incomplete and/or unstable comparatively? They're def enjoyable and I throw no shade to ardent supporters of the sub-pairings, but in MY head:

-Padme/Anakin are the impetuousness of youth, passionate but not grounded;

-Anakin/Obi-Wan carries the tension Anakin feels about the Order (and the War), lacking the outside perspective Padme brings;

and any way I slice it, Padme/Obi-Wan are either clinging together out of grief post ROTS or I have to mentally rewrite AOTC so she & Obi-Wan get together instead of Padme/Anakin, which might either precipitate Anakin's fall OR they end up like Obi/Satine so however I slice it, it's kind of heartbreaking.

Bere (@bereweillschmidt): Because they complement each other and are a perfect balance in their relationships. Both O and P are perfect pillars for Anakin. Also they’re all beautiful af

Ash (@cypanache): Okay so I’m coming at this from the perspective of an obidala shipper first but here’s my view on them.

Both Obi-Wan and Padme’s relationship with Anakin is flawed and doomed to fail on its own. Not just for the fact that the act of trying to love both of them separately tears Anakin apart because he simply doesn’t know how to love in moderation and the resulting sense of being forced to choose us what contributes to his descent. But also for the fact each only speaks to one half of Anakin and it’s weakness is the other relationships strength

For Obi-Wan his ability to set boundaries to hold Anakin to a standard of expected behavior Padme has never been able to maintain.

For Padme her ability to make Anakin feel unconditionally loved in a way Obi-Wan has never been able to get him to believe

At the same time I truly believe Obi-Wan and Padme’s relationship that love is the missing piece of what they all need. And the lack of it is why they all fall apart

Obi-Wan’s respect for Padme and his willingness to challenge her is what would give her the strength to hold her own in a relationship with Anakin without losing her sense of self

Padme’s caring.  Her compassion and heart and her passion is what would pull Obi-Wan out of his rigid ‘perfect Jedi’ persona and allow him to feel free to love and be loved he couldn’t do with just Anakin alone because of their history and the tempestuous nature of their relationship.

You need all three pieces for them to work.

Loki (@chaoticdumbassrogue): Polyamory for the win

Jeka (@darlingamidala): There are countless reasons why I ship these three characters together. I don’t feel like I need to go into the reasons anidala, obikin, and obidala are all fantastic pairings on their own, and it goes without saying that they all have chemistry with each other. So instead, I’ll focus on why I love them so much more as a polyamorous triad.

A large part of it is the way they balance and complement each other. Any two of them have the potential to bring out the worst in a each other, but when you put the three of them together, they bring out the best in each other. They balance each other in ways that allow their relationship as a triad to be greater than the sum of its parts.

Anakin and Padme are rather hopeless romantics, and they can get swept up in their relationship to the point where it almost becomes an escapist fantasy. Obi-wan is more practical and pragmatic, he keeps them grounded in reality, which is important for maintaining a healthy relationship in the long term.

Anakin and Obi-wan have such a complicated relationship, where they know each other on an incredibly intimate level and yet also struggle to see eye to eye. And Padme I think understands them both where they fail to understand each other. She helps them fill that gap and communicate their feelings when they don’t know how.

Padme and Obi-wan are deeply dedicated to their duties and responsibilities, often to the detriment of their personal lives. Both of them would feel like pursuing a romantic relationship would be a neglect of their duties. But Anakin is passionate and stubborn and devoted, and he pushes them not to neglect their own happiness.

There’s so much history between the three of them, their fates are woven together from beginning to end. They’ve been through a lot together, and they care about each other so much. They trust each other so much, and they love each other so much. Even when everything falls apart in Revenge of the Sith, and they’ve all broken each other’s hearts and can no longer trust one another, there is still a deep love between the three of them that can never be broken.

Jui (@nicolos): Like yes balance, and their delicious delicious dynamics, but also I got into OAD first bc I kept getting annoyed at one or other character being fridged or vilified in fics. Which is a fandom answer not a canon one, but it did get me thinking about it

Leo (@anakinkshamer):  I ship OAD bc it’s hot, I love polyamory, and the ✨chemistry✨

Vic @//vesper29: 1. Anakin is the chosen one. Very powderful. Fight of the immediate people he loves (padme and obi). 2. Because Obiwan and Padme if you look into their personalities and life purpose, they are cut out of the same paper. And to balance the raw force nature of Anakin, we will need both Obiwan and Padme. One show him way of life (career, life goal); the other love, family.

Joey (@alabama-metal-man​): it's all about how they dull each other's harsh edges, and temper their more more bullish traits, while also honing their strengths and hearts, thus creating this incredible balance. 

In summary, they balance each other, just like the triangle is meant to spread all stress equally to make up for the strongest of supports. In a perfect world, them together would’ve saved the entire galaxy from a lot of troubles.

So, if you’ve made it this far, I hope we got you at least quirking an eyebrow at the way Anakin stares intensenly into both Padmé and Obi-Wan, or Obi-Wan’s ridiculous use of plurals all the time, or how obvious Padmé is that even Yoda can tell:

[ahsoka-in-a-hood]

can you imagine if they hadn’t been cowards and used the set up that was accidentally already there and used bail/obi wan as the narrative foil of anidala

[onlyanidala]

onlyanidala fic archive

These are fics with titles J-P.

A-D     E-I     R-T     U-Z

searchable desktop version available here

more anidala fics can also be found in our fic tag!

the link for each fic can be found by clicking the title!

Title: just a bliss Author:  stranestelle Status: complete Rating: T Summary:  A lightheaded Anakin Skywalker wakes up to the heavenly vision that is Padmé Amidala. Can you blame the man for wanting to kiss his wife on the spot? Well you can, when the whole thing is witnessed by a room full of senators caught in a hostage situation... and she'd really rather they had waited for later.

Title: just carry me home tonight Author: gemma Status: complete Rating: R Summary:  "I – I didn't mean to, it's only that… Well, the Force, it lets me feel… What you feel, and I know this wasn't exactly what you imagined for your wedding night, so I…" His flesh hand rose to scratch his neck awkwardly, "I suppose I just wanted to make this special for you…"

Title: king of my heart Author:  catiiasofia & misschrisdaae Status: complete Rating: T Summary:  Anakin Skywalker's holiday to the small country of Naboo takes an unexpected turn when he unknowingly foils an assassination attempt meant for Padmé Naberrie, the nation's Crown Princess. Saving a Princess is crazy enough. The only thing crazier... well, actually, there are a few things. Things Anakin is well on his way to experiencing.

Title: lights in the valley outshine the sun Author: elizabeth7 Status: complete Rating: G Summary:  What would happen if Padme survived and Darth Vader finds out? Padme & Anakin Darth Vader.

Title: look into my eyes it’s where my demons hide Author: shelivesfree Status: WIP/Unupdated Rating: T Summary:  Each time he comes back to her, a little piece of him is missing... left out there, in the field, with his brothers. She can see it in the way he smiles and it doesn't reach his eyes. In the way he cries to himself when he thinks she's not awake. And all she can do is hold him.

Title: lost Author: pinkeastereggs Status: complete Rating: G Summary:  “I feel lost." “Lost . . . what do you mean?” Padme couldn’t help but frown, searching for any signs on her husband’s face that could give her an insight to what he meant. But Anakin was just frowning to the side, seeming conflicted about something. He seemed distant, his eyes filled with an emotion that the young wife couldn’t begin to describe. How long had Anakin had this look in his eyes? Had she been oblivious to it before now or was this something new? Anakin and Padme have a heart-to-heart when he admits to feeling lost and frustrated with the Jedi Council. With truths about his relationship with Palpatine coming to light, Padme fights to talk some sense into her husband.

Title: madam president Author: skywalkersamidala Status: complete Rating: R Summary:  Between late nights and headaches and mountains of paperwork and fierce opposition from her political opponents, President Padmé Amidala already had enough on her plate. And then she just had to go and fall for one of her bodyguards, a relationship which would ruin her reputation and his career if anyone were to find out about it. Also, someone's trying to kill her.

Title: make the world a little colorful Author: estrangedlestrange Status: WIP Rating: G Summary:  The morning after meeting her soulmate, Padmé woke up and saw color for the first time. In the midst of a political crisis, Padmé had just met a gungan, two Jedi, and a slave boy and his mother. She, like any rational young woman, assumed the padawan learner was her soulmate. Ten years later, after having accepted that she would never be with her soulmate, Padmé, reunited with both her supposed soulmate and the slave boy, she realized how wrong her assumptions were. The slave boy, Anakin, who had looked at her with wide hopeful eyes and asked if she was an angel, was her soulmate.

Title: the masterplan Author: stranestelle Status: complete Rating: T Summary:  In the midst of the endless galactic conflict, Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala have made a shocking discovery that brings more questions than answers. And maybe, just maybe, an end to the never-ending war. Sequel to Give Me A Signal.

Title: mother knows best Author:  catiiasofia & misschrisdaae Status: complete Rating: M Summary:  A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.... Shmi Skywalker Palpatine had ruled the Galactic Empire on behalf of her son, Anakin, since the death of his father. For his part, the next Emperor has been content to leave politics to his mother and engage only in military exercises. All that is about to change as Padmé Naberrie, former Queen of Naboo, comes seeking aid for her charity, Amidala's Crusade, and Anakin's long-dormant crush comes surging back. What should be a perfect match is opposed by a mother determined not to lose her son and convinced hers is the only way...

Title: no colors in our skin Author:  JTHM_Michi Status: Abandoned Rating: T Summary:  Anakin grew up knowing that his masters called him the wrong words. They all called him “girl” or “girl-child” and it was just another way for them to dehumanize him. He didn’t know that, of course, not in those words, but it was true enough. His mother was always very clear with him, from the first time he came to her and asked her if she knew which master had taken his “boy parts”, that just because his masters called him a girl didn’t make him one. a.k.a. the Transgender Anakin Skywalker Verse

Title: no heroes on the high seas Author: spellcleaver Status: complete Rating: T Summary:  When Luke's aunt and uncle are executed by order of the Emperor's right hand, Lord Vader, he flees his home to search for his sister and the mother he never knew. But then Obi-Wan Kenobi stows away aboard the same ship, Vader gives chase, and Luke is dragged into a conflict that his family are at the very heart of. Gen.

Title: nos cedamus amori Author: skywalkersamidala Status: complete Rating: M Summary:  Anakin is a gladiator and a slave. Padmé is the wife of the Roman emperor's heir. Circumstances should never even allow them to meet, let alone fall in love.

Title: of mutated worlds Author: gemma Status: WIP Rating: M Summary:  Nobody saw the end of the world coming. It happened overnight, no warning, no escape. They came from the shadows, biting, paralysing, and killing little by little until they were the majority. One day, everything was normal and then, suddenly, Padme Amidala Naberrie woke up in hell.

Title: of options and comlinks Author: estrangedlestrange Status: complete Rating: G Summary:  In that moment it seemed like there were only two options: help Master Windu arrest the Chancellor and secret Sith Lord or heed to Sheev Palpatine’s begging and turn against the Jedi. But then, in a split second, a third option revealed itself.

Title: order 66-S Author: disco shop girl Status: complete Rating: M Summary:  The order was to exterminate all Jedi: Past, Present and Future. Captain Rex has a different plan. Order 66-S: to save General Skywalker.

Title: parent-teacher conference Author: skywalkersamidala Status: complete Rating: G Summary:  Anakin has to meet with the twins' second grade teacher after Leia punches a classmate in the face. But he hadn't counted on Ms. Amidala being quite so pretty.

Title: pas de deux Author:  catiiasofia & misschrisdaae Status: complete Rating: M Summary:  When Padmé Amidala and Anakin Skywalker meet at their mutual friends' house party, the sparks immediately fly, resulting in a one night stand that both of them want to be the start of something more. Except it turns out that Padmé works at the ballet company Anakin just took over. And Anakin is in the middle of a very heated divorce as he tries to gain custody of his daughter Leia. With pressure coming at them from their private and professional lives, making their fledgling relationship work will prove the biggest role of a lifetime.

Title: the path of the dark Author:  catiiasofia & misschrisdaae Status: complete Rating: T Summary:  Vader triumphs. Padmé resists. Series:Three Paths Not Followed. Series: The Darker Path.

Title: perfect Author: skywalkersamidala Status: complete Rating: G Summary:  The war is over, Luke and Leia are five years old, and Anakin and Padmé finally have the peaceful life and big family they've always dreamed of. But their life is about to get a little less peaceful and their family a little bigger.

Title: perfect strangers Author:  catiiasofia & misschrisdaae Status: complete Rating: R Summary:  Anakin Skywalker meets a masked angel at a Halloween costume ball, and the two of them hook up for the best night of his life. But when the morning comes, she is nowhere to be found. Padmé Amidala forgot to get the name of a guy she hooked up with at Halloween before running out for work on November 1. A few weeks later, she realizes she's pregnant. Two perfect strangers, certain their paths are never going to cross again. Oops.

Title: pipe dream Author: skywalkersamidala Status: complete Rating: T Summary:  Padmé's new plumber is the most attractive human being she's ever laid eyes on, so naturally, she keeps faking plumbing emergencies so she can keep seeing him.

Title: pocket full of sand Author: philthestone Status: complete Rating: T Summary:  “I’m Leia Skywalker,” she says, and there is something unfathomably life-changing about that little declaration. “We’re here to rescue you!” Luke remembers the circumstances of his mother's arrest with a frustrating amount of clarity. AU series where Anakin never falls, Padme is a spy in the senate, and the dynamic duo of Force Sensitive twins don't know they're related.

Title: purgatory Author: helent Status: complete Rating: T Summary:  A newly dead Anakin Skywalker wakes in a new world - given the appearance of his 23 year-old self. However, the self-sacrifice that ended his life has also given Anakin an unexpected boon that he isn't sure he can accept. Worse, it comes with conditions that might just be impossible to meet. A moment of redemption is one thing, but a full reformation another entirely.

[laciefuyu]

I completely agree with all of your takes on Anakin! I’m curious, given how present Anakin’s faults are, what do you think Padme saw in him? I saw your post about Obi Wan and Satine (which I thought had amazing points, by the way) and I think their relationship mirrors Padme’s and Anakin’s relationship. You stated that Anakin wanted it both ways, as in to live as a Jedi and continue his relationship to Padme, thus being torn between the demands of both. I’m curious about what your take on Padme is in this.

What do Padme see in him? Temptation.

Here the thing about Padme Amidala, she is already a queen of Naboo by the age of 14. She knows what duty is and when set her mind right, she could do better. As shown in in TPM when she is initially naive, but forced to examined her own bias toward the Gungans and toward the Galaxy at large.

But by AOTC, she is swept away by Anakin Skywalker. I think it's because at very core, she was a hopeless romantic. She fell in love with him despite herself and agreed to marry him knowing it would place a strain on her own duty to her planet and the republic. She allows her relationship with Anakin to compromise her impartiality and obligations to her constituents and the republic. (For instance: trading Grievous for Anakin without consult to her fellow Senators of Galaxy Republic)

It’s built on her own desire to both have a relationship and wield the same level of responsibility, causing her to not disclose said conflict of interest. This is selfish, but understandable. It makes her an interesting character because she has a responsibility at young age and she wants things for herself and that isn't necessarily bad. In the process of trying to have both however, she doesn’t give either her relationship or the republic the attention they deserve. I think in this regards, Padme is white feminist that want to do good but has blinders.

And just like Anakin, she doesn’t make a choice. She want to do good, she really do but when she decided that reassuring Anakin after massacre of the sand people and rationalized it with ‘to be angry is to be human’, when she let herself being swayed away but Anakin’s ‘ to me, there's nothing more important than the way I feel about you. nothing.’, when she traded Grievous for Anakin without consult, that’s when things really shows how she willing to compromise her conscience and duty for the sake of their love, their selfish love.

I think that’s the thing about Anidala too, they let themselves see the idealized version of the other, not what they truly are. She tiptoed the fact Anakin killed children, she tiptoed the fact Anakin have fascist belief and they become an enabler of their worst impulse. They don’t actually manages to set a boundary in relationship. People who in relationship supposed to be bring the best of each other but theirs end up bring like feedback loop of negative cycle. 

And it’s not like the love is not real, I believe it’s real, but its foundation is a mutual blindness to each other's faults. Good couples in a healthy relationship help each other face their issues, they call each other out and communicate well, they make each other better people. Anakin and Padme ignored each other’s faults, and made each other into worse people

Also as you mentioned Anon, Obitine is their foil because unlike Anidala, they are someone who instead make the others compromise who they are, they choose to let each other go. They have a clear understanding of each other’s priorities, communicate effectively, and don’t lose themselves in the relationship.  They understand that they have to put duty first. They don’t let their romantic love defined their entire being. 

So I think in the end, Padme somewhat enables the situation by wanting to have the cake and eat it too because she knows her job would make her able to do good but in the same time, she was consumed by their loves, obsession with each other and that I think actually weighed on her conscience, especially by the time of ROTS, and yet she was still willing to take him even after she was told that Anakin murdered the younglings, even after she knew that he is more that capable to do that after his confession of massacre the entire village of sand people. She established boundaries and priorities with respect to their relationship far too late.

Unwillingness to make choice is one of the cause (a big one) why everything fall apart. 

[twilightofthe]

@nerdgatehobbit Hey! Thanks for the question! Ik you asked this to my main but imma respond on my SW blog if that’s okay?

So whew that’s a big question. Do I honestly think that Dave kept Obi Wan and Padmé and then Anakin and Satine from interacting in the TCW show because they didn’t want shipping wars?

(Remember, these are all just my personal opinions. I do me and you do you!)

Short version? Yes and no. Long version? Under the cut because I can never shut up.

Firstly, I don’t wanna say this was all Dave’s decision. He was one of the top guys in charge of TCW, yes, but he was far from the only one, there was an entire creative team working on the project, and during the time of TCW’s original six seasons Lucasfilms was not owned by Disney yet and George Lucas himself had a very large amount of creative control over the entire show. So I don’t really think it’s fair at all to point fingers at any choices the show made and go “yep that’s completely 100% Dave’s fault alone”.

I also don’t quite think they were concerned about shipping wars in the way ATLA had them. Avatar’s shipping wars were so absolutely toxically rancid that they legit drove me right out of that fandom. I’m still hesitant to come back during the current renaissance because of them. Star Wars, prior to the Sequel Trilogy, never had shipping wars close to that calibre of pure nastiness. The fandom was a godawful cesspool that fought to the death on most aspects of the franchise, this has always been true, but shipping, if I’ve read right, was somehow never really one of those hot button issues within fandom. I don’t think Lucasfilms kept the Clone Wars four apart because they were afraid of fans fighting over ships.

That being said, Lucasfilms HAS always been Very Strict on how they want their characters to be seen, romantic-wise, way back to when they would terrorize Original Trilogy slash shippers back in the 80’s and 90’s with threats of legal action. It’s part of why they were Very Firm in their insistence that they had absolutely nothing to do with all the Luke/Mara Jade EU stuff. You either abided by LF’s canonical romances or not at all in their world. So yes, in the case of Obi Wan and Padmé, I absolutely think the writing team’s decision to keep the pair of them apart was almost entirely so fans didn’t ship them together.

Why do I think this? Because there is no other rational reason why Obi Wan and Padmé haven’t had a single second of screentime in TCW that hasn’t had either Anakin or Satine also in the room as a buffer. Not when Revenge of the Sith EXPLICITLY portrays their relationship as relatively close friends who care about each other. So nope, I genuinely think the show just doesn’t want the fans to consider any other relationship for Padmé besides Anakin.

But why would they do this just to her and Obes? Obi Wan and Padmé both have other friends of different genders, why don’t they worry about us shipping THEM? Well for Obi Wan’s case, it can be excused that he flirts with everyone, so we’re conditioned to think that it’s never anything serious, and none of the other characters are married to the main character of the series. This is entirely because of Padmé’s position. Yes, she has other male friends, but either they’re nonhuman and not conventionally attractive so the series doesn’t see them as a threat, they’re Clovis, who they actively show Anakin going into a jealous fit over, or they’re Bail, who can be excused by the fact that he’s already married and also because he’s never actively shown as in competition with Anakin for anything, so he’s not threatening either.

Obi Wan, on the other hand, is a major threat to Anidala in the show’s eyes. They already constantly make a point to compare him and Anakin in almost every opportunity. Which is strange, the show’s decision to force them into the role of narrative foils to each other when in the movies that isn’t the case at all— Obi Wan is much more of a foil to Sidious and Anakin’s foil is Luke —but yeah, the show very often has Obes and Ani going through similar situations with competing viewpoints— ESPECIALLY their canon romances, and I won’t rant about how the show’s attempted Anidala and Obitine parallels fall apart under scrutiny right now but if yinz want the rant sometime let me know.

Obi Wan also has the canonical ability to charm the pants off of literally everyone he meets. Nearly everyone in canon is in love with him, 80% of the fandom at least is in love with him, and I KNOW most of the crew was in love with him too. Anakin, on the other hand, has a very abrasive personality and is much easier to dislike. The show was ALREADY terrified of the fans not liking or wanting to root for Anakin to the point that they reworked his entire personality to make him more palatable to his critics from the movies. Plus, Obidala fans already existed! Since the first and second PT movies, a big group of people already shipped these two because they already thought Obi Wan was a preferable match to Padmé than Anakin. The studio did not want to encourage this.

So yes, I think it was a combination of the show’s tendency to already try and get the fans to compare Obi Wan to Anakin for everything else plus their insecurity in Anakin’s image and likeability as it was, that they did Not want the handsome charming not-future-evil guy around the leading lady and threatening her canon romance by existing as a possibly better option. So Obi Wan and Padmé got no stories together, just kinda throwing the opening ROTS left them in the garbage ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ The worst part is, there is so many potential places in TCW where Obi Wan and Padmé could talk to each other, like during her investigation into her friend’s murder, during the Clovis arc, bits during the Malevolence arc, the earlier Naboo crisis arcs, even the one time where she’s just hosting a damn party and wants to invite her friends gahhhhhhhh

Anakin and Satine, I also think yes, but this is also a case of half and half because Satine isn’t nearly as major a character as the other three are, and out of the nine episodes she appears in, she only has more than a singular line in seven of them, and out of those seven, only two of them aren’t revolves entirely around building her relationship with Obi Wan. So really, there is a defence for the writers here in noting that there’s not as much room to explore Satine’s character as it is, let alone trying to shoehorn in a scene with Anakin.

Except no, I’m not gonna give them that defence because in the two episodes where she only has a speaking line or less— Obi Wan’s funeral and the Ahsoka and Lux meet Death Watch ep —I can already easily think of ways she and Anakin could have really meaningful interactions in them both. Y’all have already heard my bit on how they could have a real important conversation at the funeral, but y’all HAVEN’T seen my idea for a rewrite of the Carlac ep where it’s a two-parter, Anakin comes with Ahsoka and Padmé to the negotiations on Mandalore, and it ends up with a subplot of Anidala chasing after Ahsoka and Lux with Satine as the put-upon third wheel and we get foreshadowing to Satine being Bo Katan’s sister, so when the reveal happens the next season it actually means something.

So yeah, it was partially because of timing constraints, but it was also DEFINITELY in part because they didn’t want Satine being shipped with Anakin— which ppffffft, if they were brave enough to actually try writing these two in a conversation in-character, they’d understand how much of a not-worry this would be xD —because the show is set on the fact that despite maybe there being other flings at some point, Obi Wan and Satine are each other’s one true tragic love (Or, at least Obi Wan is Satine’s. He’s always had more freedom and decision than she has in this narrative, and that’s always kinda bugged me). So, that means Satine can’t interact with any men unless they’re gonna betray her trust and try to kill her by the end of the episode, because the show needs Obi Wan to have a loyal, steady, good girlfriend because he is a good man.

(And yes, before anyone says it, I have heard the more unpleasant rumors behind why exactly Obi Wan was given a girlfriend in the show, but as I’ve yet to see any official proof of them besides fandom salt, I’m not gonna spread them because those are hefty accusations to throw around).

So yeah, Satine can’t talk to Anakin partially because time constraints, but also because she isn’t allowed to talk to any other nice men besides Obi Wan and her son (no I don’t particularly like the Korkie Kenobi thing, but it is blatantly obvious that that is what the show was implying and I’m not gonna pretend otherwise), and Obi Wan and Padmé can’t talk to each other entirely because the show saw Obidala as a threat to Anidala.

Again, just my opinions and things I noticed, y’all are more than free to disagree and discuss with me.

[ariainstars]

Star Wars Inspired Asks

1.  How do you feel about the prequels?

When I first saw them, I was irritated. They were not in the least what I had expected. On watching them again, years later, I saw the story through Anakin’s eyes instead of focusing on the Jedi, and a lot of scales fell from my eyes. I still prefer the classic trilogy or the sequels, though.

2.  What is your favorite movie?

In general, or in the SW universe? 😉

a) Beauty and the Beast (the Disney version), b) Hmmm, I’m not quite sure, either “The Empire Strikes Back” or “The Last Jedi”.

3.  Jedi or Sith?

Grey Jedi, perhaps.

4.  Do you ship Anidala?

What is there to ship? They loved one another and got married. I don’t like to break my head about the “proofs” for a relationship that might or might not have occurred. At least that’s how I understand shipping. 😉

5.  What is your favorite theory?

Ben Solo is the good father the galaxy was waiting for all of this time, opposite to Darth Vader, the “Dark Father”.

6.  Luke or Leia?

Luke. My all-time favorite hero, ending the war by throwing away his weapon and declaring his loyalty to his father. Besides, Mark Hamill’s smile is to die for.

7.  Qi’Ra and Han or Leia and Han?

Nothing against Qi’Ra, but I prefer Leia.

8.  Did you like Lando?

Yes, but I found him rather insignificant.

9.  Do you think Anakin was ever truly redeemed?

Yes and no. The original trilogy was all about his return to the Light, but technically speaking, he was saved by his son’s love. The active role he played in his return was small.

10.  Did you like the sequels?

Yes, they are fresh and original and at the same time pay homage to both the classics and the prequels and wrap up a lot of the storytelling threads.

11.  How did you feel about Captain Phasma?

A pity we never saw her face…

12.  Snoke or Palpatine?

Snoke was an idiot, treating his apprentice with so little respect. Palpatine never made that mistake.

13.  Thoughts on Admiral Holdo?

An interesting character. I would have liked to see more of her.

14.  Thoughts on General Hux?

Cold and self-controlled but largely powerless. An excellent foil to Kylo Ren.

15.  Favorite ships?

I had a few speculations about Finn and Poe before Rose stepped in. 😉 And Ben and Rey, excuse me, how is that shipping? It’s canon!!

16.  Least favorite ships?

Anything that has to do with the cliché “girl saves the guy through her goodness / love / bravery” etc…

17.  Leia or Rey?

Rey is much more human and approachable than Leia. I wonder why so many fans call her a Mary Sue. She’s everything but perfect.

18.  What is your favorite quote?

“You’re not alone.” “Neither are you.”

19.  Did you like Yoda?

In general, yes. But I disliked his detached approach to life. He meant well, but I daresay he never knew what it means to really care about someone like Anakin did.

20.  Sith Code or Jedi Code?

A way in between, perhaps…

21.  Do you believe Kylo will get a redemption?

If he doesn’t, my DVDs will all fly out of the window. And never talk to me about the saga again…

22.  What is the saddest Star Wars scene?

The ending of “Rogue One”. I felt depressed for two days afterwards.

23.  What is your favorite Star Wars moment?

a) Luke, Leia and Han falling into each other’s arms at the end of “A New Hope”, b) Anakin and Padmé fooling around in the grass on Naboo, c) Ben’s and Rey’s hut scene.

24.  Han or Luke?

I can somewhat identify with Luke. With Han I could never (which doesn’t mean I don’t like him).

25.  Do you ship Finn and Rose?

A love story like a KISS - Keep It Short and Sweet. 😊

26.  Favorite villain?

Darth Vader is undoubtedly the creepiest and coolest villain of all time.

27.  Phasma or Rey?

What kind of question is that??!

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

I would like for her to find a home. If there’s a love interest in there, too, so much the better.

29.  What is Luke Skywalker’s best moment?

His last confrontation with the Emperor = ending the war through compassion, not through more violence.

30.  Thoughts on Solo?

I would have loved to see him as a young dad. I bet he and his son did a lot of crazy pranks together and drove poor Leia to despair.

31.  What did you think of the golden bikini?

A pity Han never saw Leia in it…

32.  What is your favorite Star Wars pun?

“Who’s the greater fool, the fool or the fool who follows him?”

33.  Did you like the Porgs?

Yes, they’re just cute and don’t get in the way of fighting. The Ewoks, by comparison, were annoying because they did both.

34.  What is your favorite battle?

The opening battle of “Revenge of the Sith”.

35.  Who is your least favorite character?

Don’t chop my head off - Obi-Wan. He was so arrogant and narrow-minded, and so much of Anakin’s descent to hell was caused by him. And he never saw any mistake in his ways or took responsibility. Not even after his death. Luke only made one mistake and then went into exile, and later, he apologized.

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

See above…

37.  Pick a saber color.

Spontaneously, green.

38.  Anidala or Scoundress?

Scoundress. Anidala was somewhat too sugary.

39.  Would you ever go pod racing?

Argh. No. It already took me years to overcome my fear of driving a car!

40.  Leia’s hair or Lando’s fashion?

Leia’s hair. It’s fancier. 😊

41.  What is the best The Last Jedi scene?

Hmmm, either the hut scene or Luke’s first lesson (“Do you know what the Force is?”)

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

A Porg. I have a stuffed one at home. 😉

43.  Who is your favorite non-main character?

Qui-Gon. Gentle, compassionate, cunny, rebellious Qui-Gon.

44.  Yousa like Jar Jar?

There are worse characters in SW. At least he has no bad intentions.

45.  Corellia or Tatooine?

Tatooine. Old habits die hard. 😊

46.  Finn or Poe?

I like Finn, but I immediately lost my heart to Poe.

47.  Who is your favorite Star Wars female?

Interesting question. Rose, perhaps.

48.  What are your top five ships?

I don’t ship couples. I just lean back and wait for the developments. 😉

49.  Did you like Rey?

Yes, a very interesting character. A little too dominant, perhaps, but I can live with that.

50.  Who is your favorite character?

Difficult to say. My favorite always was Luke, but his nephew has entered a competition contest with him. Let’s wait and see how the story ends. 😉