#*him and luke and leia in the sequels. and bb8 :')

[kylo-skywalkerr]

It has come to my attention that some people apparently didn't know about the Duel of the Fates script??

Okay so here's some of the official concept art for the original (and better) direction that the sequels were meant to go down.

1. Many cool fights were cut from the script. Kylo was supposed to fight a form of Vader to outline how he's always been in the shadow of expectations that Vader left. The Knights of Ren actually got used for more than just a brief battle. The Knights hunted the Resistance actively, and as seen in the art, it wasn't just Ren or Rey fighting them. In fact, Rey kills them, and it makes her fear that she's slipping to the darkside. Rey runs off as Luke had and goes into hiding so that she doesn't use her teachings to be anything like Kylo. In her fight with Kylo Ren, she's blinded.

2. The story also went a far darker route. Years had passed between the movies. Characters were older, and changes were made.

For example, Rose and Finn get sent away to a First Order labor camp for their crimes against the FO.

While I can't find an image for it, the Resistance also takes fewer prisoners with them. Rigging FO ships to explode if they attempted to escape, disguising bb8 as a FO droid to rob their ships, all that fun stuff that wasn't featured as much in the sequels we got.

My favorite part was that Hux was the chancellor. All of the power he wanted was his, and Kylo was alright relinquishing it. It was proof that they were stronger together, with Hux admiring the force and even having a lightsaber collection of his own. Chancellor Hux wishes he had the force and is frustrated that he doesn't, so he keeps Kylo as a tool to use instead of banishing him from the FO or simply killing him.

The darker aspect comes from what Hux does after the Resistance defeats the First Order. In shame for all that Hux lost, he commits suicide with a lightsaber. Another thing to note is that if you read about it, it's mentioned that the lightsaber was supposed to be purple. The concept art, however, shows a red one, like Kylo's. (I'll have to note this particular fact down for later.)

3. Kylo gets stronger. A Sith holocron guides him to a new master, from whom he learns to drain life from and use force lightning.

Eventually, these teachings are used to kill Kylo's new teacher, bringing him closer to the dark side than he was before, despite the internal conflict still being present.

Kylo was also intended to get a new mask! It may or may not have been intended to be a show of his journey, but imo the concept art seemed interesting enough to note.

4. How Kylo's redemption was handled. While hunting a sith artifact, the artifact senses the light in him and pretty much explodes, leaving him disfigured and severely injured. The locals of the planet, despite knowing who he is, help him recover. Kylo begins to reconsider his actions due to the kindness he was shown and works his way towards redemption.

He still dies, but only when Leia stops him from killing Rey. He sacrifices his life to save her as in the original, making his death the endgame in both scripts.

5. Relationships. Reylo isn't a thing, I think she actually kisses Poe or something at a point. Rose and Finn are canon and at the end of their story have force sensitive children. That could have been in the original if not for Disney's "issue" with them being together. (That's not a story for today)

6. Rey's true name was revealed to be Rey Solana. Not Skywalker.

To conclude, the script was fascinating to me. There was redemption, suicide, new characters, different relationships to explore, and so much potential for a darker yet more interesting story than what we got. Thank you for reading!

Here's some sources if you'd like to read more about it yourself, those were just key things to note about the script!

(And of course, a source for where I got the concept art from)

[hairenya]

Star Wars Characters According to My Dad

So, my dad has never seen Star Wars sober. He has only ever seen the original trilogy high. He took me to see the prequels as a kid but doesn’t remember them. He has never seen the sequels. I strongly suspect he doesn’t remember any of the details because he frequently misquotes scenes from the original trilogy. So, I showed him some pictures and according to him the cast of Star Wars included:

Original Series

Obi Wani ❌

“That Mark guy, no wait, Luke Skywalker?” ✅

Han Solo ✅

RD2 ❌

CP30 ❌

Princess Leia ✅

Chewbacca ✅

Prequels

“Darth Vader without the mask” ✅ technically correct

Anika ❌ (it was a picture of Obi Wan)

“Fuck if I know, Roman Reigns?” ❌ (it was Qui Gon Jinn)

“I don’t know but she’s ugly” ❌ (tbf the picture of Amidala I showed him had makeup on but still I got really mad at him for this)

Bonus Round- Sequels

All of these were “I don’t know” except for BB8, who is now apparently called RD3.

[adidegmez]

sequel movies spoilers

i wrote these when i was watching the movies so they are a little bit messy.

Star wars Force Awakens spoilers

I don't like stormtroopers. I liked the movie but i cant stand seeing stormtroopers, i just cant. (I can't do it after what happened to the clones).

But i liked rey she is a good person like she didn't sell bb8.

a stormtrooper using Anakin Skywalker's and Luke Skywalker's lightsaber. I am not okay with it. Finn might be a good person in the future but for now i don't like him. He just escaped. Thats what he did during the movie.

And Poe. I love him. I love Oscar Isaac. I watched resistance s1 so i knew him and bb8. And i liked them there and here. Their relationship reminds me anakin and r2. And i like them all. They would do anything to save each other.

Han Chewie Leia C3PO R2D2 i love them. They were perfect in here too. If I had watched Star Wars a long time ago, I would have felt more nostalgia. But it still nice nostalgia, i nearly cried. And it hasn't been a month since I've watched the original trilogy.

i didnt like kylo ren. he is crazy(i couldnt find a better word). He resists the light. I am turning to the light help me turn back to dark blah blah...(i dont get it and i didnt like that scene).

I didn't like the idea of ​​their son turning evil. I guess there were different plans for this trilogy, our original trio are trying to bring order to the galaxy. luke was happy han and leia had 3 children and they were all good.(if i am not wrong it is in legends?). ı would've liked it more.

but instead of that we ended up with a stormtrooper. From what I understand, they conditioned the stormtroopers since they were little.

sad but i dont care. that doesnt change the fact that finn lied to poe and rey just to get himself to safety.

han died. he didnt deserve this. han and leia didnt deserve a son like ren.

visuals of the movie was decent. i saw bad things about this trilogy this wasnt too bad but I too would prefer legends story(I suppose) as well.

Newt is in first order🤔

last jedi spoilers

first scene was perfect. it was funny. I love poe.

In the scene where Luke takes the lightsaber, I thought he wouldn't pick it up and throw it, right? yes, yes, he wouldnt. he did.

finn tried to run again. but at least this gave them a good idea.

i like maz (she will probably die). nice, she didnt die.

reys first lesson is funny.

ben solo being their last hope. no. luke is.

yoda...

how did mark hamill let that happen

i thought rose's plan would work too.

i missjudged holdo but. poe. how could ı not trust poe's desicion.

ben solo helped rey. i liked how he killed snoke but they could heve write a better story.

and of course he turned again. well he never turned to the light side he just wanted power. and maybe rey.

they destroyed the lightsaber...

woaw holdo did it. i realised what she was doing at the same time when poe realised. scene was amazing.

there might still be a hope for finn yet(maybe). he acts more decent now. but still i dont like him much.

rose saved finn thats good but why? by saving your loved ones blah blah blah... It would have been more meaningful and better if he had sacrificed herself. well i kinda hated that scene. Maybe it would have been a little better if Rose had at least lived. But if she was going to die anyway, if she sacrificed herself in his place, even one look would be enough instead of the empty words she said during this unnecessary sacrifice. (I thought like this, but she wasn't dead anyways, but it still wasn't good. (I thought, but he wasn't dead anyway, but it still wasn't good. It was done to make Luke's scene. It would have been better without that scene) and dont get me started with the kiss. everyone is at risk because of what you did rose.

luke returned. "no one is ever really gone" thats the man who convinced darth vader. are we supposed to belive the man saying this line tried to kill his student just because he saw his future. i cant belive it.

wow luke it was cool. how did you do that. and he died. (of course) but at least he gave us one last hope. he gave the rebellion hope.

leia is proud of poe they are like mother and son i loved their relationship.

rise of skywalker spoilers

somehow palpatine returned. finally i saw the meme. thats funny.

maul survived why cant palpatine. but they say he died that i dont know. he could have been like maul. survived because of his hatred.

ı didnt see lando coming.

and of course chewie died. no he didnt. chewie is alive.

c3po lost his memory. i think r2 bring some of his memory back?

this trilogy doesnt left many things from the past.

of course hux is the spy. like kallus but kallus was better. he had a story he had a character development he fighted for what he thought was right. hux ... i dont know what else could happen but i didnt like it.

rey is palpatine's granddaughter i already knew it, i saw spoilers before i watched the movie.

and again leia died too. i knew she would die. they will probably kill chewie too. they didnt How nice of them to do that.(!)

han, leia and luke is together again.

poe why. i know finn is your friend but there are better people. more capable and experienced than he is. he was a stormtrooper, come on.

luke returned.

finn you are not a jedi. you cant just launch an attack based on a instinct.

ı am sure palpatine gives power away(!). (he wouldnt imho).

ı didnt like kylo's story it was bad written. why did he turned good? because his mother died?

most of this sequel movies are not wellwritten. i dont hate the actors i liked them but the story was bad so...

in the end rey did kill palpatine. maybe not because of hatred but she did kill him.

is finn a forcewielder?

ben died.

finn didnt even had a proper character development(imo)

rey skywalker. i dont have anything against rey i loved rey. she is good. but i didnt like how she called herself skywalker. like; luke and leia did show up but still something was not right. it would have been better if someone else say that.

voices of jedi past ,

i knew i heard hayden christensen, but they also brought ahsoka and kanan!!!

there maybe things that i didnt understand well because its my firts time finishing star wars but thats my opinions for now.

[nonbinary-chewbacca]

Grocery shopping star wars edition:

Original Trilogy:

Leia: wrote the list and keeps it.

Han: wanders off to the alcohol section (grumbles about the selection and price

Luke: knows his veggies. Is banned from using the force whilst grocery shopping.

Chewie: highfives Leia when she rolls her eyes at everyone's antics

Obi wan: compares prices and nutrition and turns any trip into a 2 hour ordeal

C3P0: stays in the car, too anxious

R2D2: also stays, "it's boring as fuck. I'm not organic. The fuck would I do with that?"

Prequels:

Padme: delegates everything. The most responsable. Workaholic.

Anakin: has tantrums and is thus banned from every store and having more than 2 credits on his person at a time

Ahsoka: Small orange Anakin. No one every catches her

R2: begrudgingly goes "Someone around here has to get shit done"

C3P0: forced to translate for R2, gets held up because he's too anxious and too polite

Obi-Wan: too busy trying to get Qui-Gon's approval

-post Qui-Gon's death: chasing after Ahsoka and Anakin, too tired. (fails to cosplay as a person who has their shit together. even C3P0 notices it.)

Qui-Gon: can barely shop for himself, (who gave him any responsability?)

Yoda: weird elitist, lives off of tea, health store patron before it was cool, "Still press my tofu after 700 years I do. Better it is", eats roasted insects (cromch) during council meetings.

Sequels

Rey: feral, overwhelmed so she eats the same three foods (Tomatosauce has vegetables!). All the texture issues.

Finn: oh fresh food! A bit overwhelmed at the selection at first

Poe: kinda shocked at Rey's three same things. Competent. (BB8 keeps the list)

Luke: bulk-orders proteinshakes. grows his own vegetables. (farmboy for life).

Leia: delegates it.

[cosmik-homo]

yknow what its not even "star wars saga is three seperate generations of people bullying threepio" its more like. Times Change But Threepio Microagressions dont <3

[jedi-valkyrie]

sharing a bed with the star wars characters

prequels:

anakin skywalker:

he’d definitely be kinda an ass about it at first

partly because he doesn’t want to force you to deal with his terrible sleeping habits

he’d try and find other places to sleep but to no avail

he ends up finding your presence sort of calming

neither of you really felt the need to talk, it was a calming silence looming over the room

every once in a while he’d look over to check if you fell asleep and once he saw how peaceful you looked, he’d gradually fall asleep himself.

additional headcanon: this motherfucker most definitely moves around in his sleep- you’ll wake up and find him in some weird lil contortion that his body should not be able to do

padmé amidala:

she probably wouldnt care that much, if at all

she might be used to larger living quarters, but it doesn’t bother her

after she made sure you were comfortable she’d probably claim her side

there is one singular pillow between you two just in case

you’d converse until the former senator’s replies were replaced with soft snores

she sleeps with her hands neatly folded together on her stomach

obi-wan kenobi:

the most polite sleep buddy you can dream of

he’d offer to sleep on the ground, like the gentleman he is

if you weren’t tired, he’d make you both tea as you both talked until the mood softened

his #1 priority is your comfort

the pillow ratio is so uneven but he’s perfectly content with it

safety might also be tied for #1

he wouldn’t fall asleep until you did

he’d also wake up super early to get you both caf so you could have another chat session

original trilogy:

leia organa

with leia, it’d be similar to padme where the girl doesn’t really give a shit.

its different than whats she used to, but she could definitely use the comfort

before you both fall asleep you have a nice comforting conversation, or a vent session depending on how you’re feeling

shes a very soothing presence and you both end up falling asleep relatively early.

she’ll wake you very gently in order to let you get ready

its just a very relaxing, very tranquil night

additional headcanon: she’s so worried that she’ll accidentally hit you that she puts 3 pillows in between you too but ends up moving them because shes also worried that you aren’t comfortable.

han solo:

after his initial frustration at the situation, he’d start making sly sexual jokes (because he’s han)

“just keep your hands to yourself over there, pal”

depending on how exhausted he was, he might get bored

he’d take the outward facing side of the bed “for safety”

he’d probably get worried about chewy at some point and go to check on him

this man sleeptalks

it’s the softest his voice has ever been as he mutters incoherent little sentences

you tell leia about it the next morning

luke skywalker:

he probably doesn’t even notice that you have to share a bed

he’d either be really energetic or terribly exhausted. no in-between

hes probably the type of person who gets a burst of energy whenever he’s around another person

if he’s tired he’d fall asleep almost comically fast.

you’d turn the light off to say goodnight and he’d already be passed out

otherwise, you’d probably swap stories until one of you finally grows weary

if you started to ignore him in order to allow yourself to calm down, he’d look over your shoulder as you read or do basically in order to get attention

he’d also be protective of you, making sure that the door was shut at least 3 times before getting comfortable

you’d both sleep far past the time you were supposed to so someone would have to barge in to wake you

sequels:

poe dameron:

i don’t think poe would care at all

the only topic of interest was where BB8 would sleep

because the charging pod would only fit in the opposite corner of the room, poe was trying to convince you to let BB8 sleep on the bed as well

you would’ve caved if not for the fact that the bed probably wouldn’t fit the two of you, let alone a droid

you ended up moving the bed closer to the corner so you’d be near BB8

he talked while he got ready to sleep and you learned a lot about him, his mother, and his night time routine

he had an oddly soothing voice so you didn’t mind at all

also he had a strangely thorough nightly routine for someone in the resistance

finn:

finn would be so worried that you’d be uncomfortable that while you were in the bathroom he set up on the floor

after about 10 minutes of him complaining that the floor was too hard (but insisting that he was definitely fine) you finally coerced him to sleep on the bed

his body was basically falling off the bed so you added a few pillows to make a section for each of you

you both talked for a while and you could see him growing more relaxed

he fell asleep while you were talking about your past family vacations

rey skywalker:

like luke, rey would probably be too exhausted to care all that much

she’d enjoy the comfort of someone else but would also keep her blaster near by 

since she travels a lot, it wouldn’t take long for her to get comfortable

but she does leave literally every choice up to you

she doesn’t care what side of the bed she sleeps on, which pillow she gets e.t.c

she probably would’ve slept on the floor if you didn’t make a decision fast enough

by the time you got back from getting ready, she’d be dead asleep, drooling on the pillow

[arrowsbane]

I watched the sequels and I am so not okay.

Okay, so hear me out: force ghost Anakin.

He is having none of this bullshit imposter whispering in his grandsons ear, and is about to get his astral ass over there to clear this misconception up. But wait, say the ghosts of the jedi council, this is Ben’s path to walk, and Luke’s to guide. If he stands or if he falls, it is up to him.

So Anakin kicks the proverbial tires, and sits, and sulks.

And while hes sulking, years are passing, until Ben is 10, and suddenly hel-lo, whats this?

Theres another soul attached to Ben’s presence in the force.

Well then, says Anakin. They only said I couldnt talk to Ben.

Jaaku is… oh fuck, theres sand,

Anakin does not like sand.

But there is a tent, and a woman in blue robes holding a tiny child who all but shines with the force.

And so Anakin stays.

He watches this infant grown into a curious toddler, who grows into a laughing little girl.

He watches this beautiful family being torn apart, and he. cant. save. them.

Rey grows up in the sands of Jaaku, with a voice whispering into her ear. When to avoid sandstorms, where to find old wrecks, how to choose the best parts and barter them…

Rey grows up with the force humming through her bones, and sparking under her skin.

Rey grows up knowing the universe. Also, being raised by an adrenaline junkie.

Snoke still whispers to Ben.

Luke still makes the mistake of drawing his saber.

The temple burns and Ben f a l l s

But Anakin has a weapon ready made in the shape of a teenager who does not know how to give up,

When BB8 shows up, and Finn and Poe fall out of the sky, Rey is ready.

It basically then goes like this: Rey knocks out Han and Chewie, drops off her groups of morons with Leia, steals the Falcon, kicks down Ben’s door and goes “get in bitch, we’re going to murder my grandad.”

He does not get in.

So she steals him.

…

I maintain that Rey repeatedly getting one over on Ben is 70% a combination of luck, surprise, being raised by/having Anakin on her side and the minor concussion he got when she kidnapped him.

…

Ben: oh no. She’s cute. Send help

Anakin: I am “help”

Ben: no you’re a fucking disaster

…

Rey: I don’t have a last name

Anakin: that’s okay, my grandson can give you his

Ben: ben.exe has ceased to function

[winchesternova-k]

Hey, can you do Star Wars for the fandom ask?

hey! i’d love to!! (it’s been a while since i was hyperfixated on star wars and i’ve only seen the films minus rise of skywalker and played jedi fallen order tho so be forewarned fvgfvg)

blorbo: finn probably. i love him a lot and he had sm potential and they wasted it. also he’s just so Good and brave i love him. his backstory was so interesting and i’m a sucker for ppl doing the right thing even when it costs them big/is at a risk to themselves bc it’s Right and he rlly wants to do the right thing (also he’s the one i rotate in my mind the most when i’m hyperfixated on star wars and the standout character from the sequels for me)

scrunkly: this is so cliche but bb8 and grogu (even tho i’ve only watched the mandalorian through my tumblr dash and gif sets fvgfvg). they both remind me of my dog so i want to cuddle them both anytime i see them (honorary mention to bd-1 for the same reasons)

scrimblo bimblo: hmm i’m not super involved w the star wars fandom atm (i follow several blogs but i have no idea what’s common vs uncommon over there) so i’m gonna say cassian andor bc he was my fave from rogue one and i feel like i never see anything abt him (also bc i’m still not over the fact that when i bought my pop vinyl of him, it was in the bargain bin bc no one wanted him ????)

glup shitto: this one’s rlly difficult bc like i said i haven’t rlly engaged w much media where the characters i’m familiar w are likely to be minor characters or obscure? so i’m just gonna go w leia organa bc i got rlly excited abt her screen time in the first two sequels (even tho it didn’t go so well in the end. looking at u johnson and abrams)

poor little meow meow: i don’t rlly feel like any of the characters i like from what i’ve seen r particularly evil or pathetic (i haven’t finished fallen order yet so my answer might change to trilla bc i find her interesting but i haven’t played to the end to be sure of exactly how i feel/whether she fits this category y’know? sorry!)

horse plinko: yoda. no hesitation i hate that green bitch. he’s so mean to luke i’d LOVE to torment him to give him a little taste of his own medicine

eeby deeby: kyle fucking ron. i hate him sm. he took over and ruined the sequel trilogy and for what? he’s just a murdering, tantrum throwing space fascist and i hate his fans (and reyl0s in particular) for convincing disney that this was a good idea and for making fandom spaces unsafe for abuse survivors and fans of colour in particular (also disney for listening at all. y’all should know and do better). he could’ve been an interesting villain if they (disney) didn’t woobify him and make excuses for fascism but between that and the fandom and making reyl0 canon i hope he rots

sorry for the rant fvgfvg i’m sure my hatred of kyle ron is not a surprise to anyone who’s been following me fvgfvg

fandom blorbo asks

[adamdriverisbensolo]

TROS Pain

I just got done rewatching the sequel trilogy again. Of course, The Last Jedi is just my fav and I absolutely love every force bond scene. The Force Awakens is a damn classic and my Facebook whines about how much I loved BB8 and my fall into Adam Driver five years ago can be explained by "how do I end this terrible relationship with you, JJ Abrams?!!!"

Ya know, after he had already fucked up Star Trek 🙄 I loved ST09, but he ruined STID.

And he did it again with TROS.

Most of TROS, I'm okay with it. Flaws are evident, but I'm just here for the beauty that is Adam Driver. Ben Solo was spot on perfect and I want to just watch him on loop for a while, crying because Adam was fabulous.

Hell, I'm not too too upset that Ben died. It was honorable, sacrificial, it was *love*.

The issue I have with TROS and where my salt comes from is the way DLF has handled a post-Ben Solo/Skywalker world. The moment Ben dies, there is nothing. No mention of him. No mourning. No Force ghost. Rey says nothing. No one speaks his name. He is forgotten, ignored - not a passing thought. Rey takes the name Skywalker - for what? To please Luke and Leia? What about Ben?

He gets no real last words. "Ow" is just - sad? I prefer the word before that one, which was "Dad..." and of course that scene always makes me cry. Ben dies without any recognition - not of his good, not of his bad, not of him and his sacrifice for Rey or the galaxy.

Kylo Ren is barely a blip on the radar for TROS and how DLF promoted the film before and after its release. Ben Solo wasn't even a name to them. It is absolutely no wonder Adam hardly did any press and focused on Marriage Story. I was reading the Age of the Resistance Villians comic compilation and it mentions how Adam knew the end result the entire time (this was post TLJ, pre TROS) - and I have to ask: did he know? Is this what he wanted? For a character he grew into over five years, he wanted Ben to die? I doubt it. But I also don't fault him for thinking maybe that was the right path. Adam has never been a fan of big budget movies and concluding his contract with DLF with the trilogy satisfied him. We as the fans loved him at Ben Solo. But I don't think Adam exactly wants to come back 😅 I get that. But to have Ben die, and to not be mentioned again? Not in the final moments of the film, or even in the DVD release? Like, DLF completely ignored Ben Solo, and they continue to do so.

My anger is at the marketing and how much they disregarded a character that they still promote across a variety of mediums - you literally cannot walk through a grocery store without finding at least one product with Star Was in it - and in most cases, it's Kylo Ren. They don't hate Kylo Ren, they just hate the idea of acknowledging the human inside the villain, the Ben Solo we all connect with. They love Kylo Ren. They won't acknowledge Ben Solo. And that's frustrating. Maybe because the film was called "the rise of Skywalker" and that there was supposed to be hope at the end - what hope? Who rose? Rey, I guess, but she is beautiful and strong as a Nobody, not a Palpatine or a Skywalker. Also, don't get me started on Tatooine 😩 Rey left in a desert? Oh good.... 🤬

Ben's death hurts because it's the aftermath that stings. No mention of him, no mourning, no acknowledgement of who he was or what he went through. Three movies, and they throw Ben Solo away. Whether or not Adam was okay with this - it isn't *okay* in the sense of the message they want to send and the hope they supposedly were portraying.

When I say Ben Solo Deserved Better - he deserved better than forgotten and ignored after dying.

[dagenspear]

Using Sequel Pitches from Lucas’ ST Outline, Part 1: The Force Awakens

I suppose it goes without saying, that I have issues with the sequel trilogy, not using the OT characters strongly, to me, the world not being filled out more, to me. I liked a lot of the apparent pitch from Lucas, with Maul and Talon. In changing that and with those, here are the ideas God, if He wills, has blessed me with:

THE FORCE AWAKENS:

Essentially in the years after of the destruction of the Empire, there was a power vaccum left. As our heroes worked to structure the new republic, the Yuuzhan Vong crawled out from the outer rim of the galaxy and sought to fill the void, attacking planets and raiding them, showcasing their dominance in the universe.

Our heroes were forced to engage in a war against them. This war lasting years.

Luke trained jedi to fight against this threat. But the jedi weren't as effective of an army against them, as they were creatures who weren't vulnerable to the force. Luke's star student, Ben Solo, the son of Han and Leia, was appointed by Luke, as the leader of the new jedi in these battles, and over time became bitter and enraged at their losses, the loss of villages and lives, because of the jedi's weakness against the Yuuzhan Vong.

The new jedi order was attacked by them, several of the students murdered, powerless to fight them, the rest scattered, Luke lost it all, maybe even his daughter included and was faced with the idea that to defeat Youzhan Vong, he'd have to use dark side methods, and refused to do so. Luke refused to fight as a result. Ben Solo, embittered by this, left Luke. It seemed all was lost. Luke went into exile.

Until the First Order arose. Led by Imperial remnant governors, with a dark sider warrior General Talon leading their army, they fought the Youzhan Vong, Talon storming their capitol and murdering their leader, destroying their capitol in the process, the First Order using old Empire tech, Operation Cinder, to do it. This gained the First Order clout in the galaxy amongst some of the worlds. Which they quickly took advantage of and abused, under the orders of the Imperial Governors.

Bringing us to the events of TFA. A decade after these events, Ben Solo searches for the scattered students of the jedi school, keeping his lightsaber and using it in battle. He's, seemingly, our protagonist. The son of Han and Leia. He doesn't respect the jedi's idea of doing things, and resents that for the loss of his friends, and cousin, in the destruction of the jedi school. He's embittered by this and the First Order's attacks on lower class worlds, that the new republic fears getting involved in.

Ben comes to the junk planet, seeking out the scattered jedi, is found by the First Order, them wanting the location of Luke Skywalker. Ben, using his lightsaber, fights Talon, but loses. The First Order captures him. BB8 is Ben's droid, who escapes the battle, at Ben's request.

Finn, apart of the attack, is faced with, under the orders of Captain Phasma, like in the movie, slaughtering a village of civilians, after seeing one of the other stormtroopers die, his bloody handprint left on Finn's helmet. Finn doesn't do it, like in the movie. Talon senses Finn's hesitation, but keeps quiet on it.

Talon interrogates Ben, trying to peer into his mind, seductively taunting his weakness in jedi training. Finn, as a way to leave and get piloted out, helps Ben escape.

Like in the movie, the 2 are separated, though Ben doesn't disappear here, like Poe did in the movie. Finn thinks he's dead, continuing on, after seeing the crashed ship sink and explode, not realizing his ejector landed him farther away. Finn taking his jacket.

Rey's character is largely the same, fearful of moving forward, due to a past trauma she can't really remember, she tries to define herself by her past. At first she's caught up in a fight she doesn't want to be a part of, but does go along with. She finds BB8.

When Finn and Rey find eachother, like in the movie, BB8 telling Rey that Finn is a thief who stole it's owners jacket, and Rey attacking him over it. Finn lies, saying he's a resistance member. But here is where Ben shows up again, lying for Finn and telling Rey that he's telling the truth. Ben, having tracked BB8 to this location, realizes that Rey is the jedi that he'd been looking for, sensing her force potential. Rey, saying that she has no knowledge of that beyond legends. But Ben and Rey both realizing that they share a force bond. Rey has no idea what this means, but knows that she can trust Ben. Ben showcases a larger understanding of what this means, but bites his tongue.

Ben, Rey, and Finn, are attacked by the First Order ships with Talon on the ground, who battles, but doesn't kill them, though she continues to, in charged banter, taunt Ben's weakness in tactics and jedi training, citing the loss of the jedi students, using his guilt regarding that, his emotional recklessness and impulsiveness to unbalance him, allowing her to read his mind, discovering where Luke has been exiled.

In their escape, Ben takes Finn, Rey and BB8 to his ship: The millennium falcon. Something his dad gave him. Very similar things happen. Finn and Rey bond and connect.

Leia's character is expanded upon more here, in the politics side of the story. Yes, there's politics. In keeping with some Disney expanded material, Leia was dismissed by the New Republic due to it being discovered she was Vader's daughter. The New Republic, having become too afraid of repeating the mistakes of getting involved in war from the past, have basically been hands off with the threat of the First Order. Leia pushes for help for the outer worlds that have been oppressed by them. They deny her. In her frustration, she's begun to feel the pressure of what she feels is an endless battle against what she sees is a continuation of the Empire. All of this on top of her and Han having been separated (yes, still, sorry guys), due to the disappearance of their son, after the jedi school destruction.

Ben, Finn and Rey are found by Ben's dad, Han Solo. Han is mostly the same, but he's not a much regressed character. He has gone back to being a smuggler. But he's acting as an informant for the Resistance (or whatever you want to call it), playing in the criminal underworld and gathering information in the process. Han found them, by having gotten word of the First Order chasing after the millennium falcon, hoping it to be Ben.

Ben and Han have a strained relationship, Ben believing his dad to have been against him being a jedi, seeing him gifting him the millennium falcon on his 18th birthday as a manipulation tactic to try and get him to quit. Over the course of the movie, Ben repairs his relationship with his dad, with the understanding that Han feared losing him to being a jedi, to a world that he didn't fully understand and couldn't connect with him over, never that he wasn't proud of the man he'd become, the hero he'd become. Ben himself realizing that he'd put being a Skywalker, his mom's side of the family, a jedi, first, and that he feels may have led to their rift. They re-bond.

Ben and Han decide to go after Luke, before the First Order get to him. Rey and Finn along for the ride, Rey, desiring to go back to jakku, like the movie, but engaged in the situation and a desire to be a hero, and Finn, afraid of what will happen when the First Order find him. Rey bonds with Han, as a replacement for parents she can't, or can barely, remember. Rey also talks with Ben about the force, him explaining it, how it works. Them connecting over that.

When they arrive on the planet where Luke is, a planet that's not an unfindable place, but has a space port and others on the planet.

Finn, still fearing the First Order, admits to Rey that he's not a resistance member, not a hero and that he's running away, that he's too afraid to get caught up with all this and is going to find someone who will get him safe passage out of here and far away from the First Order, asking her to come with him, but she doesn't want to.

The finding Luke arc is completed in the middle of the movie, at this point. This allows the OT characters one last hurrah together. Luke's force powers are muted currently, though he's still physically capable. This is in placement of the TFA cantina scene. Rey finds Anakin's lightsaber there, seeing maybe similar things, fearing them, and when confronted by Luke, who admits that that lightsaber was his once, and his dad's before him, with his limited powers, reading that she's force sensitive, and recognizing her, something Rey sees similarly. Rey, fearful of this and the visions she saw, runs away from it. The First Order reach the location and attack. They come in. Finn sees their ships and chooses to go back to the group. Luke hands off the lightsaber to Finn, not wanting to do battle. Finn uses it, the same as in the movie. Talon captures Rey and escapes. Luke, Han, Ben Finn and Chewie go to Leia.

Talon reports her progress to a cloaked mysterious figure, who states that it's time.

Luke, Han and Leia are reunited. Ben is reunited with his mom. Luke admits to Han and Leia and Ben that he failed them. Luke, with renewed goals, agrees that they have to rescue Rey.

The Resistance gains word from an unknown mole in the First Order, that they plan to use Cinder to destroy the New Republic, and retake the galaxy as the Empire reborn. Luke, Han, Leia, Ben and Finn work out a way to prevent it, Finn offering his assistance to get Rey. Ben senses that Rey is on the Cinder ship.

Han, Finn, Ben, Luke and Chewie infiltrate the ship, mostly the same there.

But Han is murdered by Captain Phasma, who Ben attacks in a rage and battles, nearly murdering her, but the job is then finished by Talon, much to Ben's confusion.

The fleet are able to destroy Operation Cinder, which does destroy the New Republic senate, but due to it's destruction and the warning from the unknown mole giving them time for some evacuation of civilians, the whole planet isn't razed.

Ben, in grief and rage, seek out the Imperial governors, only to find only one alive, the rest having been murdered... by a very much alive, but withered, Maul, no longer a sith.

Talon having been Maul's apprentice and plant in the First Order to sabotage their goals, also being the mole that leaked Cinder info, Maul seeking to destroy every remnant of Palpatine's Empire he spent decades trying to build, destroy that legacy. Maul offers Ben a way to continue to take down the First Order and use all this as a way to bring the galaxy to order, strength and justice. Ben murders the last living governor... and accepts.

Rey and Talon fight, and she is skilled, but is losing badly until she remembers what Ben said about the force and taps into it, the fight still one sided, but Rey getting an edge, the fight upended when Luke joins in, not using powers, but still physically capable. He helps and Talon is able to escape.

They both live. Talon rejoins Maul and Ben. Rey, Luke, Chewie and Finn escape.

The Resistance, Leia, Luke, Chewie and Rey mourn Han's death. Rey is concerned for Finn, whose still in a coma from his injuries. Luke reveals to Rey and he's her dad, and she tells him that she wants to be trained as a jedi and he, reluctantly, agrees, the movie ending with them standing on a mountaintop, and him handing her Anakin's lightsaber and her igniting it.

Please review and tell me what you think!

[thebirdandhersong]

Pls tell me more about your alternate Star Wars sequel trilogy! It sounds like everything I ever wanted from Star Wars!

HELLO and thank you so much for asking!! Sorry this took a while to get around to....

My alternate Star Wars sequel trilogy is something I love to fiddle around with when I’m out of ideas/procrastinating. At present the premise is a jumble of notes and bullet points, but here are a few:

a Huge emphasis on found family!!

themes echo past SW movie themes: forgiveness and second chances (original trilogy), fighting for what is right in order to ensure a brighter future and holding onto hope when all seems lost (Rogue One), and so on

friendship between Rose and Ben, Rose and Rey, Rey and Ben, Poe and Rose, Rey and Finn, Finn and Ben--basically everyone will be friends at the end, and the journey they take to get there is sometimes prickly and uncomfortable, but ultimately they form a steadfast and loving bond

Rey’s parents were part of the Resistance and were ordinary people fighting for what they believed in--think medics/technicians/possibly her mother was a pilot? I haven’t decided.

we are making the most of Costume Design. Rey has a scarf? She has a chance to fashion it into a sling at some point, wrap it around someone shivering, use it to protect her face against the sand. Finn has a stormtrooper helment? He uses it to store things until he can get rid of it, and refashions his armour out of the armour he has. The only things Paige leaves behind are: her old jacket (Rose puts this on and wears it throughout the trilogy), a pencil drawing of their home (she keeps this in her pocket), and the gloves she wore when she was training as a pilot. They’re made out of scrap fabric and are pretty worn through. Later on you see that Rose has knotted it into a bracelet.

Leia is the one who tells Rey who her parents were

Poe’s parents knew Rey’s parents and they have a Bonding Moment talking about what they’ve lost and what they have now

Rey and Finn are both Force-sensitive and both are not naturals when they begin training. It’s a rocky path, but both are very determined to learn. Both feel conflicted about having to meet Ben in combat, but they’re very eager to go up against him at first. It’s Luke’s insistence that there’s still light in him that makes them think twice about Ben

Luke is a beacon of Hope and Light and Enduring Love in my version. He is the one who fights for Ben--general sentiment is not favourable towards his nephew, so he’s off on a solo mission to find him and bring him home. He’s called back specifically to help train Finn and Rey, and is the one who tells them about the past

Ben’s twin doesn’t have a name yet

jealousy, envy, desire for favour/superiority is something that will be addressed in Ben and his twin’s arc, Finn and Rey’s arc (a minor thing--when they first start training, they’re both a bit competitive); a distinct lack of it in Luke and Leia, and Paige and Rose

Luke trains both Rey and Finn at the same time, which makes them get along like a house on fire , but their fighting styles complement the other’s, and they come to trust each other and regard the other as the sibling they never had

Final Battle involves Poe and Rose working together on a ship (possibly undercover?), Chewie and Han teaming up, Rey and Finn and Ben joining together against Antagonist Guy with lightsabers of... I haven’t thought that far yet. Same colours? Three different colours? Anyway, it looks very cool in my head, and I like the idea of Poe and Rose being friends and working together

the focus is on the ordinary people, the people who make the Resistance possible, so secondary characters include the cleaners, the medics/healers, the technicians, the engineers, the flight trainers, the repairmen, the cooks, etc. etc... I thin the council leaders and the queens and kings and politicians are interesting, but I want to know about the people working behind the scenes, and in my version there is space for that

Also! A scene that discusses the effect of war on children. One major turning point is when everyone has nearly given up, and they see a child making a flower crown for BB8. They hear her laughing and they think: this is worth fighting for. This is worth protecting. This is worth the possibility of pain and death.

Parallel scenes: Rose and Poe nearly sacrifice their lives for Finn and Rey. They don’t die, but they show Finn and Rey respectively the extent of how their love has grown over the movies.

Comparison scenes: the desert (Jakku) and a green, green planet at the very end!!

There are conversations in the friend group about cultural differences, music, food from home because I’m very interested in stuff like that. Each planet by itself is just TEEMING with culture: songs, different dialects and ways of living, prejudices, childhood games, dishes that remind you of home, what grows in the garden, how food comes to the table, how you make a living, etc. etc. and it would be so interesting to explore that

 After the battle is won there is a great celebration and everyone goes around embracing each other: pilots, medics, council members, cleaners, cooks, technicians, spies, trainees. 



Thank you for giving me the opportunity to ramble about this one :’) There are so many plot holes and question marks in between bullet points, but I LOVE thinking about it!

[crispyjenkins]

18, 38, and 39? thank you!!

no no, thank you!

18. How has Star Wars impacted your life?

oh man this is a LONG answer, but boiled down: I have three siblings and my brother closest to me is deadass named Luke, and my mother deadass considered Leia for my name before my dad had to stop her and remind her star wars existed. so I grew up with star wars, especially the prequels (imagine four autistic kids running around hyperfixating on Jar Jar Binks' speech patterns) and actually the like info books about the ships and weapons and stuff were a big part of my early childhood? we used to pick a random number and then whatever page that was, that was our ship, or blaster, or lightsaber.

i think I've said it before, but Obi-Wan’s beskar staff in all we have is hunger is collapsible because we all had toy lightsabers (before they started making them with lights and noises and stuff. I had Mace's! although I didn't know absolutely any character individually because I was like. five.)

but I didn't watch the originals after I was maybe 6, sci fi was never my thing (if star wars can even be considered sci fi lmao) until force awakens. movies are hard for me in general, but ESPECIALLY in theaters where I can't control the volume and can't talk to who I'm watching it with, but I saw force awakens in theaters three times. short version of this is I finally had someone in my life that felt like a best friend is supposed to and force awakens was MASSIVE for us in terms of bonding, and then he had the original trilogy on vhs and while I enjoyed them a LOT, I spent the next four years going from trauma to trauma and sort of forgot how much I enjoyed them

UNTIL the winter of 2019, where I rewatched the originals, loved them so much I almost cried over luke skywalker, and then watched the prequels for the first time since I was younger than ten. with quarantine just a few months later, I was Obi-Wan obsessed and needed an outlet and opened my inbox for prompts

star wars is a little weird for me because it's been around my entire life, to the point where we had to ban vader jokes pretty early (we still call my brother like aunt beru does in a new hope tho), but it was never MINE until last year, when I made this blog, where I've met so many wonderful people, including one of the most important people in my life, I've grown so much as a writer and even as a trans person making this content and FUCK I love star wars

38. Fic recommendations?

i have

SO MANY

the easiest way to do this from my phone tho is link my bookmarks on ao3 and also the tag other people's writing which is my fic tag over here

but especially breathe, just breathe by @bellsyblue which is DinPaz

and Jate'kara by @atelier-dayz who was my first follower and is one of my dearest fandom friends, and like. I can't recommend this JangObi enough

39. If you wrote a 'fix-it fic', what would it be about?

hmmmm I tend to only write different flavors of fix-it, so I'll go with the sequels for a moment

I think everything leading up to Han facing Kylo is fine, but I'd have Finn and Rey decide they'd had enough of his fascist ass THEN and not later outside, and they're stronger together, they save han and fuck kylo up enough that he runs

Han and Leia DON'T get back together, because I think that's lazy in most takes, and at one time in my life (before the last jedi came out probably) I would have had kylo fuck off from the new empire and give him a lil side redemption arc, but these days I'm saying fuck it, and fuck kylo. SO instead we have Finn and Rey tracking Luke down and getting trained and Luke's character isn't butchered so badly he's unrecognizable and leia maybe still dies because that's how life goes and carrie deserves for her to have a satisfying send-off, but poly Finn/Rey/Poe with a side of Rose, an absolute clusterfuck of a relationship that just works. rey is either still a nobody or a kenobi (korkie's, perhaps?), and finn gets to be the soft badass he deserves to be, and poe keeps his fighter pilot backstory and gets to raise a bunch of kids because he deserves it. the trio all have custody of bb8.

[yel-ashaya]

Thoughts on watching the rise of skywalker for the first time — because I know everyone would like to know

Hmm...

- I don’t get why people don’t like Rey and rose — Rey isn’t a Mary Sue (she’s fab with the force because of her parentage — anakin and Luke?!) and rose doesn’t do enough in this film to annoy me (even in the second one, I liked her storyline and I think she was right to have a go at Finn)

- Poe... he’s nice to look at and he’s a good character tho it would’ve been nice to see him interact a little bit more with Rey and Finn... him and bb8 are priceless

- ah, Finn, where does that leave us? I love him ofc but his role has dwindled a little bit in this film — his still instrumental in the final battle and he does a good job

- Harrison is back! Should never have killed him off in the first one and I would’ve like him and kylo, I mean, Ben, to have cuddles

- I am not a reylo shipper, I am not a reylo shipper... wait, maybe I am

- they kissed! Oh I know they’re related but does it count if it’s through clones and Sith magic? Not sure but I’m guessing not

- lando! Oh... where do I even begin? Knew it had to be him when I heard his voice, giving me return of the Jedi vibes... he’s such a lad and I love him (perhaps Jannah will be in the lando series?) I loved his reunion with chewie — those two need to cuddle for a long time! The little creatures where lando is are adorable

- I like to think that dookie, I mean, dooku, and maul are looking down on palps like... srlsy? You’re back? Again? No

- beautiful tribute to leia, our princess, and it brought a tear to my eye

- chewie!! Don’t you dare! Stop killing off og characters! Oh wait he’s okay now phew. What I wouldn’t give for a chewie cuddle

- yes, threepio is annoying and I don’t think it was ethically right to have babu frik go into his memory and get the sith code but babu frik is a babe so I’ll let him off

- would’ve been great if the law about droids not being allowed to translate Sith language had been passed by padme but that would’ve been so sad... ironic you might say

- do is great — he and bb8 seem to be getting on like c3p0 and r2, oh wait, I wish there was more of r2 in this!

- hugs! You were good... well, not in the wholesome way like Kallus is — you’re selfish and really hate kylo but still

- and admiral ackbar’s son was a lovely addition tho I do wish they never got rid of ackbar in the first place! Is Nien Numb okay? Love him

- Alan Pampertime (this is what my Mum calls him) — how I love that wrinkly, immortal, cloaked (it’s a little bit red now, someone’s been shopping) Sith Lord (but no I’ll never forgive him for what he did to my beautiful boy maul and also anakin)

- palpo has seriously left the map in the destroyed Death Star?! That man has issues

- the... voices... of... Jedi... past... how I loved this part — aayla! Adi! (I genuinely thought of ki adi mundi) anakin! Obi-Wan! (Both of them) Ashoka! Luminara! Qui-Gon! And my babe Kanan, who I have an unhealthy obsession with... and ofc Yoda! Love that little green guy

- ahem

- wicket and his son! Those poor ewoks, they can never catch a break!

- the ending! The twin suns! The jawas! That old lady — is she okay? Perhaps she knows Obi-Wan! Has anyone else lived in Luke’s house since he left it? Is it a shrine to him?

- could’ve done with a party scene like at the end of the film but there you go

- lovely inclusion of Vader but so so sad

- do it!!

- ‘move, ball’ is still the best line from the entire sequel trilogy (and yes Han Solo says this to bb8, it’s rude but so Han)

And there concludes my post.

[potatowitch]

finding out that the star wars sequel series was written on the fly rather than actually planned out makes so much fucking sense but also pisses me off EVEN MORE because i watched the force awakens in 2016 and within a day of leaving the cinema had a fully fleshed out idea in my head of the direction the next two films would take and the plot points they would cover, all brainstormed in the shower. 16 year old me was more capable of writing a cohesive storyline than disney was. so here you are - i rewrote the sequels to be ten times better than what disney actually gave us. enjoy.

- after rey finds luke they train for a bit then he's like "gotta tell u something. u ever heard of mara jade? she's ur mum" "wait weren't u two dating for a bit" "yeah" "does that mean ur...." "...yeah"

- "why did u leave me on jakku?" "i didnt. she did. i only just learned u existed i wouldve come for u" "oh."

- "...can i call u dad or" "i would be honored if u did"

- meanwhile at the resistance base leia realises finn is force sensitive, gives him her old lightsaber she had in the comics

- because come on. rewatch the force awakens and tell me that man aint fuckin feeling the "shitloads of voices cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced" when starkiller goes off

- and he picks up a lightsaber and instinctively knows how to use it?

- also: two main heroes in a star wars film being a queer coded woman and a queer coded black man.

- and the whole "used to be a stormtrooper and defected, becomes a jedi" is a TOTALLY NEW storyline? not some tired old "white boy villain is a dick for three movies then suddenly turns Good TM right at the end" trope

- make rey explicitly asexual. she's beautiful and smart and got abs that make everyone who sees them MELT but she is NOT INTERESTED in anything but JUSTICE and PLATONIC HUGS

- finn and poe are also making out because come on, disney, if u wanted to show you're becoming more progressive having a loving interracial gay romance is the fucking easiest way to do it. BB8 has two dads and they share The Jacket

- turns out finn is a kenobi because u cannot tell me obi wan didnt Fuck. jedi code says "dont form attachments" but watch the clone wars - obi wan plays fast and loose w the jedi code at the best of times. now we got a skywalker and a kenobi working together being best buds again, THE WAY IT SHOULD BE.

- the destruction of starkiller has crippled the first order. don't fucking look at me like "the resistance just won a major, VERY VISIBLE victory but OOO no somehow they're still very low on numbers and infrastructure" NO. the public destruction of starkiller has earned the resistance an influx of allies. the republic has started publicly supporting them. the first order spent years building that thing and now not only is all that time, effort and MONEY gone, they lost a shitload of staff and military personnel when it blew up

- "the first order is rich" is a plot point I DO NOT UNDERSTAND because it directly contradicts what's going on in the expanded universe books. the first order was built from remnants of the empire that had been banished to the outer reaches of the galaxy to live out of broken down, shitty old star destroyers.

- it's the reason hux, who was raised in a decrepit old academy in the ass end of the universe by an abusive father, is SO anti republic. in his head, it's the reason he starved as a child. it's the reason his mother is dead. it's the reason he had to be raised by a father that beat him. his hatred for the republic is PERSONAL

- disney learn how to write a good villain challenge? hux EASILY could have been terrifying AND sympathetic

- hux and kylo now have to deal with how absolutely PISSED snoke is that both of them failed with starkiller. hux gets force choked and threatened. kylo gets snoke very painfully rooting around in his head. it is emphasised that snoke's relationship with these two is downright abusive.

- somewhere in there, they realise that the whole five years they've known each other snoke has been deliberately pitting them against each other and sneakily forcing them to undermine each other's authority

- they realise it was snoke's shitty leadership that lead to the destruction of starkiller. they realise that maybe they'd be better off on their own

- the two of them plot to murder snoke themselves. while this is happening, the resistance is happily building an army, gathering resources, and forming alliances. luke and rey have reunited with the resistance and now rey and finn are both happily training with luke.

- snoke dies. hux decides to take the mantle of emperor. kylo LETS HIM because he realises he doesn't know shit about fuck when it comes to leading anything more than his knights. has a crisis of confidence about how useful he actually is, then hux decides he wants to keep the knights of ren around as his personal "fuck up the resistance" squad.

- the two of them working together turn out to be fucking terrifying, competent villains. the films have short, five to ten minute sections where they explore their VERY SIMILAR traumas to make them sympathetic WITHOUT making them seem like "uwu they're not actually bad people" because THEY'RE STILL AWFUL GENOCIDAL MASS MURDERERS

- on the kylo trauma side: it's made obvious in the books that from about age 6 snoke has been in his head deliberately grooming him away from his family. make that obvious in the films. make its impact on kylo obvious in how unsure of himself he actually is. don't make his "redemption arc" one where he suddenly goes light side. give him a bastardisation arc where he realises his whole life he has never made a choice - and then make THE FIRST ORDER his choice. (it is the wrong choice! emphasise that! but make him MAKE THAT CHOICE)

- the resistance thinks they're doing well. they have two new jedi. they've seen very little of the first order outside of small operations that they've been squashing. they think "hm. starkiller's loss must have crippled them. we're doing well!"

- until they learn actually. they've got an emperor now. and the commander of the knights of ren is INCREDIBLY loyal to him. the first order is PISSED OFF and VENGEFUL. they're back with a force. they've started invading and subjugating planets even with their forces cut as thin as they are because hux is a military mastermind and kylo and the knights of ren are a fucking TERRIFYING unit in combat.

- also why did disney decide to present hux in the films as a weak pissbaby when he probably topped his class in all combat situations and fights dirty in close quarters. man can SNIPE. man will bite your fucking finger off if you manage to disarm him. he is a 6 foot beanpole and he will kick your ass

- kylo has a crisis about actually having to kill his mother, uncle and cousin. he still feels a bit bad about han - despite everything, he still loves them and is struggling. he actually confides in his knights about this. we get to see that the knights of ren have a found family dynamic with their commander and they comfort him.

- kylo realises it will be painful to murder the last of his bio family but it must be done, because he's come around to hux's view that the resistance and the republic are standing in the way of true peace in the galaxy. he actually believes that reinstating an empire is the best thing for the galaxy. this makes him a more effective villain because he actually believes what he's doing is right.

- more stormtroopers defect to the resistance. finn is there to welcome them and help them adjust. there's a couple of lowkey force sensitive troopers in there too. we learn more about how horrible, soul crushing and traumatic stormtrooper training is. this is a good way to keep painting the first order as an organisation that violates human rights and the geneva convention at every turn.

- the first order makes up for this loss of troops in picking up recruits from the planets they've taken over in the outer rim because they've been providing stability. again - it is SO EASY to write the first order as sympathetic villains WHO ARE STILL FASCIST ASSHOLES. this would've been such a good opportunity to show the moral argument between stability vs freedom. show the flaws in the republic because they do exist!! we see that throughout the ENTIRE expanded universe! every iteration of the republic fails in some way!

- the fight against the first order becomes increasingly more difficult, but they're actually on pretty even ground. it doesn't make sense to me that disney decided to go for the route of "the resistance should've been squished easily by the might of the first order but uwu kylo can't make up his mind and thats what saves them!" that is not a compelling storyline! they are relatively evenly matched and the resistance only JUST comes out on top!

- kylo kills luke in actual combat, not just "luke randomly dissolves for ... no good reason?". this hits the resistance HARD. rey and finn have to struggle with their desire for revenge. leia realises her son is beyond help. it nearly breaks her. she has a moment where she feels like she has lost everything. poe has to step in to remind her she still has him. it is revealed that he joined the resistance after the first order killed his family HORRIBLY when he was a teenager and he and leia sort of have a mother/son relationship.

- this is also a good way to juxtapose hux and kylo. they took their trauma and it made them awful. poe takes his trauma and it makes him kind. it makes him want to protect people from what he went through. also gets rid of the "haha we made the latino man have a drug dealer background" bullshit that disney did

- poe also has to comfort his boyfriend and best friend and remind them that they are fighting to make the galaxy a better place, NOT for revenge. then they have a discussion about "yeah, don't make revenge your main priority, but the jedi were a bit wrong in saying that you shouldn't enjoy it anyway. it's going to feel good to fucking murder kylo and that's okay". acknowledgement that the old jedi code was garbage and too restrictive for actual PEOPLE to follow it.

- kylo still can't kill leia or chewie. we get flashbacks of her singing to him, braiding his hair, comforting him after nightmares. we see baby ben riding on chewie's shoulders. seeing the conflict between kylo recognising his family loved him and still choosing to be a villain would have RUINED ME. he tells hux this, expecting hux to shoot him for it. hux understands - he had a mother, once. the republic killed her.

- (they actually didn't. she was an imperial slave and was probably left behind when an imperial settlement was being razed. the only reason hux actually survived was because he was his father's only heir. there's a whole spiel in the books about brendol going "this kid is a piece of shit bastard i dont want him" and imperial officials being like "the empire needs kids. go pick him up")

- hux decides to kill leia instead. he nearly dies doing so because woman is STILL a force to be reckoned with even at this age. remember she is actually trained to use a lightsaber AND guns. the only reason hux doesn't die? kylo steps in at the last minute and kills his own mother. he's made his choice. he mourns, and then he steels. there is nothing left to pull him to the light side anymore.

- anakin has given up trying to bring his grandson to the light from beyond the grave. him and obi wan are focusing their force ghost attention on rey and finn. now luke and leia are both there too. we get the same "all my jedi ancestors are rooting for me" moment that disney gave us, except now it's shared between rey and finn.

- the two of them plus chewie cut through the knights of ren until they get to kylo. he kicks the living shit out of them, but they manage to kill him. rey earns some gnarly, sexy scars. chewie needs a hug and goddamn does he get one.

- poe is the one to kill hux. he's not just doing it for the galaxy, he's doing it for leia. the first order already stole his first family from him. he won't lose his second family to them. bonus points if BB8 joins the fight and like ... tases hux in the leg a few times.

- we get some gratuitous "c3p0 and r2 are sneaking through an imperial base and fucking shit up but like, badly because 3p0 never stops talking" scenes

- you want to bring rose tico into it? she's head of the resistance's infiltration team. she's with the droids taking down shields, stabbing people in the back, freeing prisoners, stealing plans, sowing chaos. she's the one who finally takes down phasma.

- without their emperor and the knights of ren, the new empire crumbles pretty quickly. the resistance has taken HEAVY losses but they have won. we get a very beautiful funeral scene for luke and leia. there's a gorgeous group hug between finn, rey, poe, chewie and bb8. poe and finn smooch against the sunset.

- we see finn and rey going into crystal caves to get kyber crystals. poe, chewie, bb8, r2 and 3P0 wait outside the cave in the falcon for them to be done picking up their crystals, then we see finn and rey inside the falcon building their new lightsabers with guidance from a bunch of force ghosts. we get to see that rey has chosen to decorate the inside of the falcon with a bunch of potted plants so she can be surrounded by greenery at all time. the found family aesthetic is STRONG

- rey builds a saber pike. it comes out golden. finn builds a standard single blade saber that comes out white, like ahsoka's. gold to emphasise protection of the weak and the perfect blend of combat and scholarly pursuits. white to emphasise free will from both the jedi and the sith. it is emphasised that these two will NOT be your traditional jedi.

- we see an epilogue where poe is working to help shift the republic's focus from political squabbling to actually protecting its citizens. he leads reconstruction efforts, helps establish more of a presence in the outer rim, constantly fights for moving resources from protecting the republic's assests to providing food, shelter and safety to its citizens.

- finn is constantly by his side. we see him protecting his new husband, on the front lines destroying remnants of the empire and the first order, and using his combat prowess to absolutely murder slave owners.

- rey has taken to training new force sensitives with chewie by her side, however she recognises the jedi code has been failing force sensistives for millennia, and instead her teachings are more aligned with the grey jedi philosophy. she recognises that people feel anger, hate, grief - and that they are all valid emotions. it's what you choose to do with them that is important.

- she actively encourages personal connection, believing that loving your friends and family is righteous and the true path to the light side. her apprentices all adore her, and she is always there for them - she'll listen to their worries, from something as small as "i am 13 years old and my first crush just rejected me" to "i am a former slave coming to you after the first order murdered my family and tortured me. i am having nightmares and am afraid of the anger i feel".

- she encourages apprentices to stay in contact with their family, and she becomes that family for the ones who have lost theirs.

- you get the feeling that this time, peace in the galaxy is actually going to last. anakin, obi wan, luke and leia look on from the Force in pride at their children and grandchildren. they did good. they can finally rest.

- the sequels have made personal choice a major theme. finn chooses to defect. poe and rey choose to be kind, when they have every reason not to be. hux and kylo make the wrong choices. there's no flip flopping like a dead fish between good and evil until the very last second. the lines between kindness and freedom and hatred and subjugation are clearly drawn again and again.

- i sit in the cinema after the screen goes black and i weep. i am satisfied. this was a fitting end for a franchise i have loved for most of my life.

[piscesbiitch]

Star Wars characters in Hogwarts Houses:

prequels:

Anakin Skywalker - Gryffindor (too stubborn for his own good, Extra, too brave for his own good, overprotective, Pure of Heart Dumb of Ass, reckless personified, flippy jumps off of explosions!!, No Thoughts Head Empty)

Obi Wan Kenobi - Ravenclaw (follows the rules, witty!!, The Negotiator, talks his way out of problems, flirts with his enemies, 99% of Anakins impulse control, just look at the entirety of the Brain Invaders episode)

Ahsoka Tano - Gryffindor (inherited Anakins stubbornness, Snips, smol Pure of Heart Dumb of Ass, did i mention stubborn, has a strong moral compass, Will Fight You, remember when she decapitated half of Deathwatch? i do)

Padme Amidala - Gryffindor (kept a gun by the thrown when she was queen, is ready for a fight Always, will die fighting for what she believes in, very trusting, completes the Stubborn Holy Trinity)

Captian Rex - Gryffindor (lets be honest, most of the clones would be in Gryffindor with their Headassery, brave af, "loyalty means everything to the clones" like??? Gryffindor. )

Qui Gon Jinn - Ravenclaw (the midichlorian conversation anyone??, is the Luna Lovegood of the Jedi, wiiiise)

Darth Maul - Slytherin (the most ambitious person in the galaxy, ambition, did i mention Ambition??? also revenge)

Asajj Ventress - Slytherin (also very ambitious, has almost died for revenge multiple times, Bold, tends to lean on the more selfish side of things)

original trilogy:

Luke Skywalker - Gryffindor (bravery!!!, just kinda rolled with the punches, also very stubborn!!!! definitely Padmes son, another Pure of Heart Dumb of Ass)

Leia Organa - Slytherin (the perfect rebel, literally helps overthrow the Empire which is pretty fucking ambitious tbh, strong leader, a Bold Woman, Takes No Shit, "well someone has to save our skins")

Han Solo - Hufflepuff (will drop everything to help his friends 24/7, very caring, cares too much actually, Loyal, seems like an exceptional finder, very Passionate)

Chewbacca - Hufflepuff (is if a shag carpet had the personality of an overgrown golden retriever, Pure!!!!, sticks by Han through all of his shit, the best friend anyone could have)

Lando Calrissian - Slytherin (sold out his friend and for what? selfish dumbass. but he redirected his ambition towards a better cause, is also very assertive)

R2D2 - Gryffindor (BADASS, the drunk uncle at the wedding, "hold my beer" personified, teaches BB8 swears for fun)

Yoda - Ravenclaw (Wise Old Master trope, but is more of a crazy space wizard tbh)

sequels:

Rey - Gryffindor (inherited the Jedi Stubbornness gene, is a big brave girl who dont need no Jedi!!, Will Kick Your Ass, is on guard at all times, may seem like a ray of sunshine on the outside but is all Fight on the inside, idealistic)

Finn - Hufflepuff (cares very very much about the wellbeing of his friends, listens to his heart instead of his head, Pure, has a very good heart, is just an all around great guy!!)

Poe Dameron - Gryffindor (he would be in Hufflepuff if his dumbass didn't try and start a mutiny in tlj, Bravery, has his head stuck in his cockpit, Will Not back down from a fight)

Kylo Ren - Slytherin (very ambitious indeed...., selfish to a fault at times, Anger Issues)

Ben Solo - Gryffindor (literally gave his life to save Rey, entered a fight that he had no idea if survival was guaranteed, that is the definition of Brave, my sweet boy)

Rose Tico - Ravenclaw (actually Has Braincells, very intelligent, rose through the ranks very quickly, is probably one of the only things keeping the Rebellion together at this point)

BB8 - Hufflepuff (Baby!!!!, loyalty is the default setting, did i mention baby!!)

rebels:

Kanan Jarrus - Gryffindor (headass, extremely stubborn, extremely reckless, playful despite his traumas, likes to keep the situation light, is the most selfless person I Love Him)

Hera Syndulla - Gryffindor (too brave for her own good, also extremely stubborn, always puts the mission and her crews safely above her own, if you hurt her kids she Will End You)

Sabine Wren - Ravenclaw (insanely smart, creative!!!, stands out as an individual in a crowd, the brains of the Ghost Crew, Snarky AF, very expressive)

Ezra Bridger - Slytherin (very ambitious, strong willed, he may be a headass but at least he's smart about it, very goal oriented, a driven individual Indeed)

Zeb - Hufflepuff (always down to kick some ass for his friends, Big Brother energy, big heart, Loyal)

Chopper - Gryffindor (big Fuck Da Police energy, Will Fight You for free, just a lil shit)

[bwemph]

Darkness Rising / Volume I: The Force Awakens / Chapter I

Pairing: Kylo Ren x Reader

Summary: Your mundane, tasteless life takes a turn for the more exciting when a droid and a Resistance fighter bring the fight with the First Order to your middle-of-nowhere planet, Jakku. Little do you know, you are about to get wrapped up in saving the universe.

Word Count: 3,377

Warnings: N/A

A/N: This is kind of a “pilot” episode, so to speak. I’m planning on rewriting the entire sequel trilogy and fixing a lot of the creative choices that I personally didn’t like, so things will MAJORLY divert from the original plot when we reach the ROS landmark. Should I keep going?

Luke Skywalker has vanished. In his absence, the sinister First Order has risen from the ashes of the Empire and will not rest until Skywalker, the last Jedi, has been destroyed. With the support of the Republic, General Leia Organa leads a brave Resistance. She is desperate to find her brother Luke and gain his help in restoring peace and justice to the galaxy.

***

Blood trickling down the side of the pilot’s head matted his black curls in the sticky red substance.

Poe Dameron, best and most daring pilot of the Resistance, was now unconscious and beaten nigh senseless in his holding cell.

Kylo Ren watched him with cold eyes, prodding him with the Force every so often to coax the hostage to life again.

Poe had resisted each interrogator with impressive resolve, and finally Kylo decided if he wanted to get anything done in a timely manner, he would have to do it himself lest he face the wrath of Supreme Leader Snoke.

Besides, he wanted to give Skywalker what he deserved. It was time for Kylo to face Skywalker himself, as Snoke promised.

After making one last lap of pacing around the cell, he turned and faced the wall with a sigh.

A sudden stir in the Force alerted Ren of the pilot now waking. He turned silently. “I had no idea we had the best pilot in the Resistance on board.” He looked the pilot up and down. “Comfortable?”

“Not really,” Poe rasped, that infuriating wit intact despite his bruises.

“I’m impressed.” Kylo stalked forward, watching the way the dim light reflected off the silver on his mask and into the pilot’s eyes. Poe winced before Kylo went on, “No one has been able to get out of you what you did with the map.”

“You might want to rethink your technique.”

A twinge of vexation pulsed through Kylo’s veins. He raised his hand toward Poe and took a moment to revel in the way the pilot fought against the Force.

A grunt escaped Poe’s lips as he writhed in silent agony.

“Where is it?” Kylo said, jabbing at some of the the pilot’s more recent memories. He thrust Poe back against the headboard.

“The Resistance,” Poe’s breath caught in his throat, “will not be intimidated by you.”

“Where...is it?” 

Poe let out a harrowing scream, sweat beading on his forehead and veins protruding from his neck. He fought against his bonds, and Kylo could feel the hundreds of pleas and cries that Poe fought back with a last effort to retain where the map was hidden.

Finally, he cracked.

Kylo released him, watching as he slumped forward while labored breaths wracked his body.

“A droid…” Kylo mused. “Clever.” He leant in close to the pilot one last time. “Thank you for your compliance.”

With that, Kylo strode from the room.

The door hissed open to reveal a man waiting for him. A pale, scraggly General with slicked back ginger hair and an unpleasant expression that crumpled his lips as he caught sight of Kylo.

“It’s in a droid. A BB unit,” Kylo said.

“Well then,” General Hux replied, “if it’s on Jakku, we’ll soon have it.”

“I leave that to you.”

***

Unscrewing the panel in the rudder, you took a moment to look around inside.

The lightbulb on the side of your goggles was dim and starting to fade. Hopefully you could find someone to trade portions with for a new bulb soon.

You reached inside and poked around, pulling pieces of machinery apart until you found enough satisfying parts. This thing had to be ancient. Hardly anything of worth to be found amidst the dusty wires and pieces that used to move.

You tucked the dismembered machinery into your bag and grabbed hold of the rope to your left before sliding down, down, down, to the rusted floor of the once glorious Star Destroyer.

The pieces of scrap and metal rubbed against each other with unpleasant clanging and scratching as your feet hit the ground. You removed your goggles and ragged mask as you emerged into the hot sun.

Amidst the metal was your last bottle of water. In order to ease your sandpaper tongue you poured the last few drops down your throat, but they were nowhere near enough.

Now you started your journey back across the desert on your speeder. It coughed up two puffs of black smoke before humming to life and carrying you over the sands of Jakku.

You were pleased to find the breeze drying your sweat and cooling your skin as you neared town. Small black dots appeared on the horizon, all hard at work. The heat made them dance around a little and you hoped your dehydration wasn’t playing tricks on your mind.

Finally, you reached town and hopped down from your speeder. You pulled a lever and slung your staff over your shoulder before dragging all the parts you had collected today across the sand to clean and polish them.

After vigorous scrubbing and polishing, you sat back and admired your work. All this had to be worth at least three portions. You gathered your things and waited in line at Unkar Plutt’s shack. When it was your turn you laid them all out for him to inspect.

“What you’ve brought me today is worth...hmm…” he inspected the items closely, “one quarter portion.”

Disappointment grabbed your heart and yanked it downwards, but you took your quarter portion with a glare.

That night you found yourself cooking for one, your only company the sizzling of the rehydrated meat you had been saving for a while. You stirred some powder into a rusted bowl, and it instantly rose until it was a small loaf of bread.

Now that the sun was setting, it was cool and the humidity had gone down. This led you to your decision to eat dinner outside that night. 

You licked your plate clean and allowed yourself a moment to gaze at the horizon. You watched a small ship leaving the atmosphere. Someone far more fortunate than you must have the chance to get off this speck of sand. You pondered on a hundred different places they could be headed to. Were they as golden yellow, deserted, and dry as this place? Or was it somewhere swampy and wet?

A high pitched, mechanical squeal caught your attention. It wasn’t a sound you were unfamiliar with, but it wasn’t common near your home.

A distressed droid.

You jumped to your feet and caught sight of the brutish Teedo indeed struggling with a droid.

You called out to the aggressor in the native Jakku language, “Tal’ama parqual!”

Your accent wasn’t exactly accurate, but it was enough to get across that you were demanding Teedo set the droid free.

Teedo and the droid went silent and looked to you in surprise.

“Parqual zatana!” you shouted.

Teedo spat a handful of threats back and refused to free the droid, continuing to struggle with it.

You rushed forward and pulled a knife from your belt, cutting the droid loose from the netting it was all caught up in.

Teedo lost his temper and frantically spat more angry words at you, demanding you stop immediately. He found that droid, and it was his to sell.

“Noma,” you replied when the droid was free, pointing a finger in Teedo’s face.

Teedo shook his head, exasperated, and gave his clunky steed a kick. You watched as it lumbered away.

The droid beeped and buzzed a long thread of provocative insults and names after him. You hushed it. “That’s just Teedo. He wants you for parts.” You snarled. “He has no respect for anyone.”

The droid hummed in response.

You crouched to eye level with the droid. “Your antenna’s bent,” you said, reaching out to pluck it from the droid’s head and carefully reshape the small wire. While you fiddled with it, you took a moment to fully consider the droid, noting its unique orange and white coloring, round body, and dome shaped head that remained on its top regardless of how it rolled or maneuvered.

“Where do you come from?” you asked.

It gave a handful of tones equating to “That’s classified information”.

“Classified. Really?” you said, your voice reflecting that of humoring a small child. “Me too. Big secret.”

You clicked the antenna back into place on its head and pointed to the west. “Niima outpost is that way. Stay off of Kelvin Ridge,” you said as you gathered your staff stood. “Keep away from the Sinking Fields in the north or you’ll drown in the sand.” With no further instruction you turned and began heading back to your home.

The droid beeped a question.

You turned sharply. “Don’t follow me. Town is that way.” You pointed again toward Niima Outpost.

It tweeted a protest.

“No!”

This time it gave a sad tone and drooped a little, cautiously rolling toward you. The droid was alone, lost and afraid. You were the first being on this planet to show it a little kindness.

Your heart broke a little for it. After a long, long moment of consideration and a further hesitation to follow it up, you made a small head gesture for it to follow you.

“Beeeeep!” The droid excitedly rolled after you to catch up. It chattered a string of thank yous as you started back toward home.

“In the morning, you go,” you said.

Another thank you from the droid, as if it had ignored the statement.

“You’re welcome.” You couldn’t help smile a little at the droid’s enthusiasm.

***

The droid, who introduced itself as BB8, ended up keeping you company all day. It was hard to say no to it, and the it was actually quite useful when it came to scavenging. It would scan the room and alert you of any pieces of machinery that might be worth something.

The two of you rode into town and you began unloading the parts you had scavenged that day. BB8 told you the whole way how worried it was about whether its master would come back.

“Don’t give up. He might still show up, whoever it is you’re waiting for,” you assured. “Classified. I know. And I know all about waiting.”

BB8 asked who you’re waiting for.

“For my family.” You squinted against the sun, looking to the sky as if you were waiting for their ship to return any moment now. “They’ll be back. One day.” You nodded and looked at the droid, forcing a smile. “Come on.”

You got in line outside of Unkar Plutt’s shack, making sure to keep BB8 close and keeping a close watch on those who eyed it almost hungrily. You laid out your parts on the counter and watched Plutt inspect them.

“These five pieces are worth...Let me see here...” he made a gurgling sound deep in his throat, something of a hum, “One half portion.”

Dismay grabbed your throat and you furrowed your eyebrows. “Last week they were a half portion each!”

Plutt didn’t listen to you, but he leaned over the counter and inspected BB8 with interest. “What about the droid?”

You looked to BB8, who had an air of confusion as it stared back.

“What about him?”

“I’ll pay for him.” He disappeared from view of the window for a moment before dropping a large pile of portions right before your eyes. “Sixy portions.”

You rushed forward, your stomach rumbling at the many nights worth of dinner--and snacks and breakfasts and second breakfasts and lunches--right in front of you. You started scooping them up, but took another look at BB8, who looked silently up at you, shaking.

Your eyes fluttered as if you were snapping out of a trance, and you breathed out a sigh of resolve. “Actually...the droid’s not for sale.” You took your one half portion and looked to BB8. “Come on,” you said to him before you both promptly left.

You strode through town back toward your speeder.

BB8 gave a string of tones and bleeps. Why did you do that?

You sighed and looked at the plastic package in your hand, eyeing the food that would leave you with a half filled stomach tonight. “Because it was the right thing to do.”

He thanked you and rolled along, beeping and buzzing with glee. BB8 told you again and again how happy he was to have a new friend, and how grateful his master would be that you saved him. You smiled, listening to the droid’s happy chatter, but then the droid appeared a little sad the longer it talked about its master.

You knelt to face him. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you until he comes back. You’re safe here. Nothing much goes on here anyway.”

“You there!” a guttural voice cried.

You stood and saw two thugs approaching you.

“We are taking that there droid,” the same voice said as the goon pointed at BB8.

Before you had time to react, the other threw a sack over BB8, who squealed in response.

“Oi!” you cried, kicking him in the stomach. “Get away!”

The thug with the sack crashed into a stack of metal urns, while the other grabbed you around the waist and pinned your arms to your sides. 

You kicked the air and cried out, landing on your feet and sinking your teeth into your aggressor’s grimy arm wrapped in musty black rags.

You thrust your elbow back into his stomach while he was distracted. The man tumbled backward. The other recovered.

You picked up your staff and began trying to fight off the second goon, kicking him away again when the first grabbed your staff and trapped you between it and himself.

Spinning, you nailed his jaw twice with your weapon and he stumbled away, passing out in the sand.

You took a moment to catch your breath and knelt to free BB8 from the sack.

He beeped, frightened, then let out another shrill alert sound.

You followed his gaze to a man in a brown and red leather jacket.

That’s my master’s jacket! It’s just like it! That man took my master’s jacket!

“Him?” you asked, waiting for confirmation before rushing toward the thief.

The man made a dash in the opposite direction with you hot on his tail.

You took a sharp left turn and cut around in front of him, swiping at him with your staff before he could process you standing in front of him.

He tumbled to the ground with a grunt.

“What’s your hurry, thief?” you accused, keeping him pinned to the ground with your staff.

He took a moment to catch his wind. He was still dazed when he said, “What? Thief?”

BB8 rolled up fast and a small arm extended from a compartment in his side. He proceeded to zap the man with some kind of electric spark.

“Ow!” he cried, still confused. “Hey! What?”

“The jacket,” you said. “This droid says you stole it!”

“Look, I’ve had a pretty messed up day, alright? So I’d appreciate if you stopped accusing me of--ow!”

BB8 had zapped him again.

“Stop it!” he snapped at the droid.

“Where’d you get it?” you pressed. “It belongs to his master.”

The man looked between you and the very agitated BB8, then let out a long sigh. He took a beat to piece together some words.

“It belonged to Poe Dameron. That was his name, right?”

BB8 looked to you, confirming, arm still extended.

“He was captured by the First Order. I helped him escape, but our ship crashed.” He paused while you and BB8 waited expectantly for his conclusion. “Poe didn’t make it.” His words hung heavily in the air.

BB8 drooped and made a low, sad beep.

“I tried to help him. I’m sorry.”

BB8 retracted his zappy arm and rolled off to mourn. You watched after him to make sure nobody else tried to snatch him up.

You turned your attention to the man again. “So you’re with the Resistance?”

He paused. “Obviously. Yes. I am.” He pushed himself to his feet. “I’m with the Resistance, yeah.” He leaned in and whispered, “I’m with the Resistance.”

A little starstruck, you lowered your staff and gave a smile. “I’ve never met a Resistance fighter before.”

“Well, this is what we look like. Some of us. Others look different.”

Excitement welled in you as it now appeared you were going to be face with the opportunity to become an ally and aid the Resistance. “BB8 says he’s on a secret mission. He has to get back to your base.”

“Apparently he has a map that leads to Luke Skywalker and everyone’s after it.”

Further exhilaration coursed through your veins at the prospect of this mission. “Luke Skywalker?” you breathed. “I thought he was a myth.”

BB8 began beeping wildly, and both you and your new ally turned to face him. You followed after the droid and peeked around a corner, seeing something that dampened your excitement a generous amount: stormtroopers. They spoke to Plutt’s thugs, who were still favoring their bruises and pointing in your direction.

Suddenly, your hand was in the Resistance fighter’s and he was pulling you in the opposite direction, right as blaster fire started firing in your direction.

“What are you doing?” you cried.

“Come on!”

You ducked as a red blur passed over both your heads and brought down a merchant’s booth.

“Let go of me!”

“No, we gotta move!”

You ripped your hand free and continued sprinting alongside him. “I know how to run without you holding my hand! BB8 stay close! This way!”

You all turned a corner and again ducked under more laser fire.

As you took a breather under the shade of a tent, you gripped one of the poles to keep balance. “They’re shooting at both of us.”

“Yeah, they saw you with me. You’re marked.”

“Well thanks for that.”

“I’m not the one who chased you down with a stick!”

You heard some things clatter and fall into the sand, then your ally cried, “Does anyone have blasters around here?!”

You knelt to check in on BB8. “Are you okay?”

He beeped frantically before the Resistance fighter quieted you both.

A whirring sound echoed from the sky, and the fighter took your hand again.

“Stop taking my hand!” you said.

The three of you burst from the tent. You glanced over your shoulder to see a TIE fighter screaming down from the sky, and a second one opening fire on you.

The lasers missed you, but they collided with the tent you had previously hidden in, which exploded and threw you, the fighter, and BB8 several feet in the air before you skidded a little farther in the sand.

The dust settled around you and you saw the townspeople panicking and scrambling in all directions, screaming and calling out to each other.

You looked up to see the two TIE fighters reeling back for a second go. Your heart sped up, and you looked around for your ally. He lay motionless in the sand.

You scrambled over to him and shook him awake.

In an instant he was upright and checked you over for injury. “Are you okay?”

The question stunned you. Nobody had ever asked you that before.

“Yeah,” you breathed. “Follow me.”

Dodging lasers and explosions and debris, you made a dash for a ship in the spaceport, now only several hundred feet in front of you.

“We can’t outrun them!” the Resistance fighter cried.

“We might in that quad-jumper!” You pointed at the shiny red and white ship in front of you.

“We need a pilot!”

You gestured to yourself. “We’ve got one!” 

“You?” The fighter disregarded the issue, then pointed at a much closer, disk-shaped ship. “What about that ship?”

“That one’s garbage!” you said, considering how it hadn’t flown in years.

Right as you reached the quad-jumper, laser fire ignited the ship and it went up in a great mushroom cloud.

You skidded to a stop. “The garbage will do!”

With that, the pair of you sprinted toward the piece of junk in hopes that it would carry you safely out of the atmosphere.