#& how much of that influences how strongly he fights on behalf of the rebellion

[kasandor]

when cassian said he’s “been in this fight” since he was 6 i always imagined it meant he was 6 when the empire formed but andor now proving that to be false i think it’s interesting the implications of that statement. whatever turning point, whatever defining moment happened at age 6, cassian was still kassa, on kenari, living under republic rule. it was republic mining that turned the kids on kenari into orphans; it was a republic officer that shot their leader; it was a republic frigate maarva saved him from. when the flag ruling over the galaxy changed from the republic’s to the empire’s, how much of a difference did it really make to someone like cassian? he’s been fighting since he was six years old. republic, separatist, empire; alliance, guerrila, partisan front. when he turns himself over to the rebellion, does he wonder at how it’ll end? with the empire gone, what will take its place? another republic, another senate? will it matter? will there always be a kassa somewhere in the galaxy, fighting for their freedom? can cassian even imagine a galaxy that isn’t at war? or a life where he doesn’t have a weapon in hand?

[internetghost]

Senator Binks: A Star Wars Story (no wait come back and hear me out)

Just like... trust me on this one alright. I almost never actually post to tumblr. Basically I was challenged that I wouldn't be able to make someone care about Jar Jar Binks. I did it in like 4 (four) pages.

AO3 link or keep reading below

Lets begin with his exile. Do you know how young Jar Jar was at the beginning of TPM? He was 20. He was banished as far as I can tell from his dialogue due to his clumsiness causing essentially a diplomatic incident. To do that he would’ve had to have been working in govt. As like a teen. So realistically this is like his first job. He was essentially one of those teens that was working as an aide for the senate/congress/white house for extra credit.

And he messes up so bad, that he is banished. Let that sink in first and foremost. A teen, made a mistake, and was EXILED for it.

So Jar Jar starts his true entrance in Star Wars by being saved and pledging a life debt to Qui-Gon. Outdated things aside we can assume he made this because he’s seen his life saver as someone who is also admirable and worthy of pledging his life to them and their goals. What's Qui-Gon's goals? Why at its core it is to simply help people!

Jar Jar helps out where he can and even goes so far as to risk his life by returning to a place he has been banished from. Risking his safety in doing so. Jar Jar is the epitome of humble. Is good boy. He just wants to help this admirable Jedi who, as he gets to know him more throughout TPM, discovers is just more and more noble.

Jar Jar goes so far as to follow Qui-gon into a desert of all places! The last biome a Gungan would find hospitable. There he meets little Ani. A shining star of a boy that he's glad Qui-Gon also takes a shine to.

Jar Jar eventually sees little Ani win his freedom and escape what is surely his first real up close interaction with slavery. He also sees the heartbreak of a child leaving his mother to do so. And little Ani's mother, Shmi was kind to Jar Jar! She had nothing and was still perfectly happy to host them. When little Ani is alone on their journey, Jar Jar makes sure he's nearby to be there for him. Just in case.

Alright so fast forward. Qui-gon goes off to help the queen directly (who turns out to be this kind girl he made friends with on their journey WHAT!?) So, Jar Jar decides he’s going to be brave and project strength like he’s learned from Qui-Gon. He will lead a platoon into battle as a diversion against the occupiers.

After the battle Jar Jar must have been so excited to see Qui-Gon again and show how their influence has helped Jar Jar grow. He’s grown so much he’s been welcomed back by his people! He’s been promoted! With honors!

Except… Jar Jar doesn’t get to meet Qui-Gon. Instead he meets with a tired and distraught padawan who was always standoffish with him.

Jar Jar doesn't get to swap tales of honor and nobility with his role model because Qui-Gon did the ultimate act of nobility and sacrificed himself on behalf of a planet that wasn't even his home! Obi Wan and Jar Jar grieve together though somewhat awkwardly.

Jar Jar might be free of his life debt but he clearly pledges himself to the ideals that Qui-Gon taught him. He abandons what was sure to be a cushy life as a war hero and instead follows as best he can in Jinn's footsteps. Jar Jar may not be a Jedi but he can be useful as a diplomat. He grew in the ranks working with Padme towards further cooperation between their two peoples. He succeeds well enough that he becomes a representative for the Gungans in the galactic senate under Padme!

Representative Binks enacts his duties and actions so clearly in honor of Qui-Gons memory. He’s adjusted his whole worldview to do that. So he must have been overjoyed to have learned he had a unique connection to the force via the Dagoyan Masters. He has a closeness with the force! Just like Qui-Gon! He doesn’t know what he’s doing but he’s trying his hardest and it seems to be actually working! He's helping people! Not only that, he's helping these people mend old wounds shared with the Jedi Order!

And, after a time, he gets to see little Ani and Obi-Wan again! And Obi-Wan has grown into such a nice person! Obi-Wan is the spitting image of Qui-Gon. How great it is that Jar Jar isn’t the only one trying to honor Qui-Gon and his legacy! And stars above! Little Ani has grown to be such a strong padawan! He views Anakin as essentially Qui-Gon’s Grandson. He shares stories with him. He’s so happy to show what good he’s done with his life and to hear what Obi Wan and Anakin have done!

Representative Binks remembers Anakin's origins. He’s been working so closely with Padme. Working tirelessly their fight against slavery in the republic. He knows he isn’t doing enough but he’s trying his hardest and he knows that was all Qui-Gon could’ve wanted from him.

And then when Padme goes into hiding, Senator of Naboo! He’s nervous, but he leads strongly as the Republic cries out in crisis. The Galactic Senate is acting to slowly to be helpful. He is unsure how to help until he thinks, “what would Qui-Gon do?” Obviously, he needs to help speed up the bureaucracy just Like Qui-Gon did!

Jar Jar hears a suggestion and pounces on the opportunity to do good! Senator Binks formally proposes that emergency powers be granted to Chancellor Palpatine! His actions even help save Anakin and Padme!

The war is hard. Senator Binks sees the conflict escalating and not reaching a peaceful conclusion like he had seen on Naboo. He tries to atone by signing the petition of 2,000 senators to revoke the chancellor's emergency powers. It fails. He moves on to continue fighting against the militarization of the republic. He’s sneered at by his peers. After all, he was responsible for giving Sheev so much power in the first place.

He sees all his hopes and goals falling apart. Tragedy, as first Palpatine declares the restructuring of the republic into an empire followed swiftly by Padme’s disappearance, and then quickly followed by the death of Anakin, Padme, and Obi-Wan. He’s all alone now. None of his original friends from his new life are left. He’s left in charge of representing Naboo. Alone.

The Jedi Order itself is declared traitorous! Jar Jar doesn’t believe it, though he doesn’t voice that thought. After so much tragedy and brash decisions, Jar Jar has gained wisdom of guarding one's thoughts.

He starts to work closely within Padme’s old group of senators. While at first met with derision and mistrust, he proves himself by sharing all he can about The Emperor and his plans since he was also part of Palpatine’s inner circle for so long during the first half of the war.

Jar Jar remains in the senate. Fighting now for the galaxy on behalf of Padme the child queen turned democratic martyr. Fighting now on behalf of Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, the true bastions of the Jedi Order. Fighting now on behalf of Anakin; the child who became a galactic hero by fighting for what was right. Fighting on the behalf of Shmi, the one he failed the most; the kind slave woman who had nothing and yet offered everything to Qui-Gon’s band on Tatooine, and even more for the galaxy when she relinquished her son to the Jedi Order to become a hero of the republic.

Senator Binks hears rumors of a rebellion as the Empire becomes more and more brutal. The Emperor has a new galactic order that he rails against on the senate floor every chance he has.

The Emperor gains a new guard. Lord Vader, who is so cold. He is nothing like Ani. Lord Vader is physically cruel to anyone who dares speak against The Emperor. And yet, an oddity is found in this terrifying being. Vader is more tolerant of Binks than even the Emperor himself. He seems to have taken a shine to the senator of Naboo, much to his horror.

Senator Binks seeks out the rebellion via Mon Mothma after he learns that the empire now not only allows slavery but is actively making use of it! Mon Mothma has him work to regain The Emperor’s trust and learn of his plans. He's the only spy who might have a chance to slip past Lord Vader's scrutiny.

The worst point of Jar Jar's life is when the senator turned spy goes on his first diplomatic mission that he is solely in charge of. Lord Vader and a whole battalion of storm troopers accompany his team for security. When they touch down, the senator and his delegation is stopped by two troopers. The stormtroopers mow down the natives they were supposed to be convincing to join the Empire instead of attacking the miners sent here under Lord Vader's horrifying brutality. Only after the natives are dead are they allowed to unpack the supplies for the next wave of settlers coming to mine the planet.

Jar Jar again tries to take a more active role in the rebellion only to be stopped by Mon Mothma. He is given a code name. One that has only recently been created. A blanket code name to keep the empire guessing. Senator Binks is the name The Emperor and his cronies call him. He answers to this name and plays his role as patsy he now realizes they have given him. But he takes solace that they will never know his new true name. He is now Fulcrum. The pressure point that will help topple this monster he helped create.

Fulcrum learns of the inquisitors. A plan is hatched. He will go in to help destroy the temple of the Jedi’s greatest enemy that resides on Malachor. Lord Vader, the absolute antithesis of Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Padme, will lose his inquisitors and, with any luck, his life. Mon Mothma tries to convince him to leave it to other rebel agents but Fulcrum will hear none of it. He's done hiding. He's ready to fight.

The mission abruptly changes when Fulcrum mid-mission discovers so many bedraggled teens and children in cages. Fulcrum realizes that to get them out, there needs to be a distraction. He tells his platoon; the platoon that he finally has, following in the footsteps of Anakin and Obi-Wan, heroes of the republic, that they should instead free the slaves and focus on escape.

Fulcrum creates the most chaos he’s ever created. He realizes he’s in his element as inquisitors and troopers alike get trapped behind doors and have training bots turn on them left and right. He's creating such a wild chaos but he's managing to turn it towards their luck!

Lord Vader appears out of the chaos like a furious cold spot. He advances on them from the hallway the rebels just came from as they head towards their ship. Fulcrum lobs a thermal detonator he knows won’t hit Lord Vader. He's seen his powers.

But he’s praying to the force and the ghosts of his friends that Lord Vader won’t realize his goal. The detonator goes off, cracking a transparisteel window, letting lava slowly flow in, triggering failsafes as magma doors start closing off the hallways. Closing off Fulcrum and Vader from the retreating rebels.

Lord Vader’s helmet is damaged and Fulcrum sees this shadow of a friend and despairs.

Little Ani approaches Jar Jar, who is too frozen in disbelief to do anything. The hero of the republic comes to stand before him and Lord Vader speaks. And surprisingly, instead of anger, Fulcrum hears for the first time, little Ani under all the technology keeping him alive. Little Ani's voice is filled with pain and sadness and the rawness of having screamed oneself hoarse.

“Jar Jar... why?”

Fulcrum collects himself in front of the young man who then sometime when he blinked, turned into this avatar of cruelty and rage... and suffering. Fulcrum speaks slowly, both to be sure Anakin hears him and to stall. All while the lava slowly creeps towards them through the hole in the wall.

“Because The Emperor and all he does is wrong. He enslaves people, Ani! How can you stand next to him? How can the hero of the Republic stand by him?”

Anakin hears his own name. And he hesitates.

Jar Jar, his last friend in the galaxy from when his world still had light in it, takes advantage of his hesitation.

“It’s not too late Ani. Help me and we can still fight for what Qui-Gon believed in.”

Anakin lowers his blade. Fulcrum-no, Jar Jar, reaches his hand out. A hand to keep safe the small ember of little Ani.

"That Obi-Wan fought for..."

Anakin doesn't move.

“That Padme fought for…”

It’s dead silent and time stops. Fulcrum’s finally living up to Qui-Gon’s example! He’s helping someone! And not just anyone, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan's apprentice!

Fulcrum let's out a breath he's been holding since Qui-Gon saved him all those years ago. A breath that he felt he wasn't worthy enough to release. It's funny how content it makes him feel.

Jar Jar doesn’t get to inhale. Jar Jar is only allowed to look up in despair as Vader raises his blade in a chilling display of wrath.

“Padme is dead.”

***

Vader emerges in a shower of violent sparks from the magma door. The Grand Inquisitor approaches past his various troopers and informs his lord that the rebels have escaped. He looks past his Lord Vader's cape and sees a corpse slowly being encased in lava.

The Pau’an bares his sharp teeth in a cruel smile, “Well not all of them. I see you found yourself a friend to toy with my lord.”

Vader waits until the Inquisitor begins to squirm under his glare. When the Grand Inquisitor finally breaks eye contact and bows his head, Darth Vader answers.

“Not a friend Inquisitor... A traitor.”