#FILONI I AM WAITING

[the-navistar-carol]

IGNORING THAT LAST FUCKING SCENE

IGNORING IT WITH ALL MY LIFE

CROSSHAIR IS COMING HOME

[starqueensthings]

WAAAAAAAIT A DAMN SECOND.

Echo is Havoc 5? Did… did he pick 5 because…? BECAUSE OF?

[fortes-fortuna-iogurtum]

sometimes you read something for a fandom you were crazy over years ago and you encounter one of the ships you loved back then and you just think “yeahhhh…. this is still great :) way to go younger me you were so based about this actually :)”

[starstruckfemme]

I KNEW I KNEW AS SOON AS THEY STARTED SHOWING ME THAT BIG BLUE BEAUTIFUL BITCH MORE ON SCREEN THEY WERE GONNA DO THAT

[legobenkenobi]

if Obi-Wan isn’t at least hinted at im going to go HAYWIRE

because this look? this isn’t the look of a man who simply disagrees with the Jedi being traitors

this is the face of a man who lost someone to the statement of the Jedi being traitors. that is the face of a man mourning someone close to him. that is a look of remorse. the guilt there is intimate and personal, not just because of the Jedi in general.

At this point, I don’t know which is worse. Obi Wan being mentioned in Cody’s episodes in TBB S2 or Obi Wan not being mentioned in Cody’s episodes in TBB S2.

Both are upsetting but for very very different reasons.

[midorisudachi]

"Jacen has abilities. His father, Kanan Jarrus, was a Jedi." - Huyang (to Captain Carson Teva)

Happy Sunday!

My goodness, I had meant to post this sooner! I'm been so busy with work, life, and Halloween costumes, that I've been neglecting my social media accounts! I actually drew this three weeks ago.

So...when Kanan was name dropped in episode 5, I got total chills and misty eyed. Kanan Jarrus is one of my all-time favourite Star Wars characters and I <3 him so much. I absolutely LOVE how Rebels Season 5....er, I mean...Ashoka, shows the mother and son relationship of Hera and Jacen. I had thought, "Awwwww, Jacen is like his daddy!" And how he wears the pauldron like his father. So sad that Kanan never got to see his son. (Darn it, Rebels season 4! Whhhhhyyyyy?) Of course I had to draw Hera and Jacen, and since I am a mother to a son, it makes it extra special to me. Hera must be so proud of her son no matter what, but the fact that Jacen used his Force abilities to find Ahsoka is just awesome.

Ahoska went by so fast, didn't it? I absolutely loved the series (with episode 5 being the best, making me emotional, teary-eyed, and giving me goosebumps so many times). I can't wait until the next season. So much goodness!

✨️I hope everybody likes this! Please share! It always means the world to me when somebody loves my artwork enough to share it. And as always, please let me know if you also draw Star Wars fan art (as well as Dragon Age, Naruto, and Minecraft).✨️

This was drawn with Sakura Pigma Micron pens, then coloured in with a mix of Copic Markers and Ohuhu Markers. White accents done with a gel pen. I had no idea what to do for a background (I'm rubbish with backgrounds, honestly), so I used a watercolour brush in Photoshop Elements & part of an Adobe stock watercolour image. I made the "stars" with the Dodge tool. So once again, a mix of traditional & digital! I actually used to use watercolours a very long time ago. I should start using them again for backgrounds, instead of "cheating" with Photoshop.

Ahsoka series/Hera Syndulla/Jacen Syndulla © Disney/LucasFilm/Dave Filoni Fanart © Jacqueline E. McNeese

[hecckyeah]

Listen. I know, I KNOW we all have mixed feelings about the finale. Just in the last hour, I’ve read at least five posts on each side, some saying it was the best thing filoni’s ever created, and some literally cursing his guts. As I watched it, I was leaning much more to the how dare you, I waited two years for this and this sucks side, but I had a good night of sleep and some thought, and. I think everyone is overreacting.

Some thoughts.

First, I do think it should have been an animated Rebels season 5. I am partial to live action in general and I’m so glad we got such fantastic casting. But Filoni really shines in the animated world. Live action has limits that animation laughs at, and with all of Dave’s creativity and parallels and callbacks and history in animation, it would have suited this show better. Granted, the viewership might have been worse than it already was, but who’s to say?

Secondly, of course the whole thing was a setup for future movies/shows. It would have been near impossible for this to be a standalone series, with only 8 episodes and so much at stake. I still have absolutely zero idea how this fits in with the s*quels, but I hope it’s all part of the plan to safely extract our (Filoni’s) favorite characters before all hell breaks loose on the narrative.

BUT. Just because it was a setup doesn’t make the story any less meaningful. Dave is the master of arcs within arcs within arcs within arcs. There was the mini arc of Ahsoka and Anakin, reconciling very (very very) complicated feelings and Ahsoka coming to grips with her past as a child soldier and forgiving Anakin for the choices and mistakes he made. There was the mini arc of Hera in the New Republic and how she has to balance her loyalty to the government that she helped to establish with her loyalty to her family (something I don’t think we’ve seen the last of). There was the mini arc of (obviously) finding Ezra!!!! HE’S HOME, YOU GUYS. Sabine did the selfless thing and sent him home after a decade to have a fighting chance to reunite with his family. And to meet Kanan’s son and to see the beauty that Lothal has turned into and to hug his adoptive mom. And she has full faith in him that he will be back to get her, or that she’ll find a way to go back. Because she now has knowledge that he didn’t before, and with Ahsoka’s help and probably Shin and Baylan too, there’s no way they won’t Jedi their way out of this. (*cough* world between worlds *cough*) Also seeing Morai was a HUGE plot twist. I, for one, can’t WAIT to see what’s up with that.

FINALLY. and I think this is something that Star Wars fans (dare I call them fans anymore?) seem to always forget is that Star Wars……. Kinda sucks. It always has. No one in their right mind would say that Star Wars is a literary masterpiece or anything close to that. Star Wars is great because you are literally required to take it all with a grain of salt. Nothing goes at face value. You have to overlook things for the rest to make sense. You cherry pick your favorite parts and ignore the rest. Do I know absolutely anything about mandalore and their political history?? Not one single thing. But could I explain to you the nuances of the aptly-named Disaster Lineage and how generation trauma comes in more ways than by blood?? I could write PAGES. There’s so much history and lore and side characters and branches of story and nuance that no one can ever fit it all together perfectly, no matter how good of a storyteller they are. You have to pick a niche and run with it, and that’s exactly what Dave Filoni is doing. AND that’s what we as fans need to do. If you’re mad that he didn’t address the chiss as a whole or delve into the mysteries of the nightsisters or expand on what happened between Ahsoka and Sabine in depth, then I’m sorry, but you’ve come to the wrong place. Put on a pair of rose colored glasses and cry at Ezra’s reunions with the rest of us.

I’ve stopped expecting perfection from any major franchise (haven’t watched a marvel show or movie since TF&TWS) because the bigger they get, the less they’re going to appeal to the general fan base. And Ahsoka was no different. But it did accomplish one thing: bringing Ezra Bridger home after 10 years, and I think that is all we actually need to worry about for now.

Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

[dalekofchaos]

I waited over 20 years for a Boba Fett show and I was disappointed in TBOBF. Seems like the man himself shares my disappointment. The way they've treated both TBOBF and him has been so disrespectful and I am still fuming at how they sidelined Boba in his OWN SHOW to shoehorn in a Mando plot they could have done in s3.

We Fett fans were 100% right. Disney Star Wars did Tem/Boba dirty, and it’s not right whatsoever! At this point it’s so clear that they only used Boba Fett as a catalyst to get Din and Grogu to where they wanted them for mando s3

Boba Fett is the VERY REASON why The Mandalorians exists in the first place and instead of taking his place with his people, he is constantly given the shaft and replaced by Din and Bo.

There was a time when Boba Fett was the most badass bounty hunter in the galaxy before continuing his father's legacy by becoming the new Manda'alor. Boba cleaning up the outer rim and rule through honor and respect had potential, but it's clear the people involved had no idea what to do with Boba Fett. All they had to do was literally everything here. Show Jango's past as Mandalorian, show Boba's change from cold Bounty Hunter to crime lord dispensing justice(and actually doing crime) feature his Bounty Hunter allies and rivalry with Cad Bane(hint hint use Daniel Logan in flashbacks for the cut Bounty Hunter arc) and tease the future with the Syndicate, potential confrontation with Mace and Boba potentially meeting Omega. How is it I know more about Boba Fett than Filoni?

He has a right to be pissed and not just about Boba's treatment(especially considering how much of himself and his own culture he put into the character), but Star Wars/Disney lightens the clones’ skin, that’s HIS appearance the clones are based on. Beyond disrespectful.

Boba Fett deserved better, the Clones deserves better and Temuera deserved better. Fuck Filoni and fuck Favreau.

[marvelstars]

I honestly disagree, Filoni and Lucas belonging to different generations doesn´t have anything to do with their take on Star Wars or the Clone Wars themselves, sure as writers their background may inform some of their takes and dialogue but "The Clone Wars" as a series was written between both of them, the creative decision to make Ahsoka Anakin´s apprentice was both of their idea, as a way of having a character who received Anakin´s Jedi legacy, because Luke while he´s his Son, was mostly trained by Yoda and Obi-Wan while Ahsoka was trained by Anakin and her style of combat and reflective nature, because Anakin´s style as a teacher isn´t just about giving her orders but also argue between each other before coming to a decision as well as her combat experience came from being Anakin´s apprentice.

So most if not all of the character choices we see in the clone wars series has the approval of George Lucas. This positive view of Anakin isn´t something that only Filoni supports it´s also the view of Lucas himself.

The series was the tool Lucas used to complete the story of the prequel trilogy and to give Anakin story the parts missed between Episode II and Episode III because for Lucas Anakin story is a tragedy but for it to be truly appreciated it needs to be told not only the dark parts but also the lighter parts, the story of him as a truly heroic character who was known as the "Shield of the Republic"in the Mattew Stover ROTS novel,, who was Ahsoka´s master, Obi-Wan´s brother and Padmé dear husband without the clone wars, the story remains incomplete, you see the fall but you don´t see the entire journey that lead towards it.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars connects Episode II and III. As a TV series, it gives more depth and understanding about how Republic fell, and what a fantastic hero Anakin Skywalker was. We got so focused on him turning into Darth Vader that it's easy to forget that he was one of the biggest heroes of the entire Clone War. I think seeing him as a great Jedi Knight reminds you that before it gets dark and tragic, Star Wars is a fun adventure story, too."

Lucas view of Anakin was that of a fallen hero, he was a good man until he fell and became Vader, he was seduced by the darkside because he wanted to keep Padmé from dying at any cost as a consequence of being unable to save his mother, he also was a victim, who lost everything as a result of his actions but also who was able to come back to the light thanks to the compassion of his Son, which inspired him to show compassion once again and for the last time, leading him towards becoming the hero at the end of the story by saving the galaxy from the Empire and the Sith, Palpatine and himself included. That´s George Lucas view which Filoni shares and has added some of his pov.

I personally think Filoni is teasing Ghost Anakin appareance in the Ahsoka series, with his phrase "Anakin was the greastest Jedi" because as far as the galaxy knows, Anakin was the face of the Jedi during the war, he and Obi-Wan could acomplish real miracles and keep up the idea that they could overcome the clone wars given enough time. So Baylon, who is now a fallen Jedi in association with Thrawn is definitely aware Anakin became Vader and is going to use this fact to take Ahsoka out of balance, it´s even possible he believes Vader had the right idea by becoming rogue from the Jedi given he´s on the same path.

In some novels, Luke himself found a lot of people who either were saved by his father during the wars or respected his skills as a general this is bassically part of the reason why he thought his father could be brought back, because from Luke´s point of view someone who once cared so much about people, who had this goodness inside himself could not dissapear completely with the darkside and his main clue was that despite plenty of opportunities, his father keep refusing killing him and Luke himself didn´t want to either, despite the fact they were declared enemies on opposite sides of a war with only their blood link linking them, hence his words "You were ONCE Anakin Skywalker "my father" "You have only forgotten. For Luke Anakin is his father while Vader is the denial of who his father truly is.

So my two cents are that Filoni take on Star Wars has the approval of George Lucas and while his series is done now under the disney banner, I think he consulted Lucas to be able to bring his vision about the story of Ahsoka going forward and confronting the literal ghost of her dead master once again, I believe this will be the center of the series.

The fact that Dave Filoni called Anakin “the greatest Jedi ever” is proof that he’s bias AF. His anti-Jedi rhetoric is bupkis.

I wonder if he means "the greatest" in terms of in-universe fame...?

Dunno if this is the case in Canon (then again Dave Filoni blatantly ignores any *non-motion* transmedia elements in Canon so meh), but in Legends he's:

"Anakin Skywalker, the Hero with no Fear™, handsome, dashing, the face of the Republic's army during the Clone War, the only Jedi who tried to resist the nefarious Order's coup and was treacherously murdered for it".

And I seem to remember that, in Canon, he's like the Jedi Temple's superstar anyway, every Jedi recognizes him on sight. I mean, that line from Baylon about "Anakin speaking highly of Ahsoka" must have some meaning beyond artificial personal stakes.

So from a fame and a "power level" standpoint... sure.

He's the greatest.

I'm giving Filoni the benefit of the doubt.

While I've talked about why Filoni's entire headcanon about the Jedi doesn't track with what George Lucas' intended narrative, I think it's worth acknowledging that Filoni's bias comes from part of his duties while directing The Clone Wars was.

One of the goals of TCW was humanizing Anakin, expanding upon his character make him go from "a character whose only purposes is to embody the themes presented in three movies based on the matinee serial format" to a relatable person, a good man, the hero Ben mentions to Luke in A New Hope.

I think it's normal that he'll see Anakin in a more positive light.

Also (and full disclosure this is just me theorizing I am no authority on any of this so if turns out I'm wrong just come right out and say so)...

I'm pretty sure that Filoni, Lesley Headland and most of the recent Star Wars authors are all Gen X, raised by baby boomers forced to conform to society, obey authority and have proper decorum (boys don't cry!) all of which they strove to rebel against. Add to that the corruption they witnessed growing up and coming out of high school, and you see a kind of jadedness emerge. "The rules aren't as black and white, the world is grey."

So while most of them and the boomers despised the Prequels upon release, a few of them projected a more individualistic headcanon onto those movies that fit with where their head was, at the time.

As such: Anakin isn't interpreted by them as a cautionary tale about what happens when you're greedy. He's a misunderstood rebel, a non-conformist who has his flaws but is ultimately good at heart. Which isn't entirely inaccurate, but it is very clearly an embellishment of a character who will one day become a space nazi.

The fact is... the Prequels were made by a boomer. One with very liberal values and who was himself a rebel, but a boomer all the same. The whole point of his story is...

"we all must come together and fight as one, if push comes to shove; we must all be compassionate and selfless if we are to survive; don't be greedy, let people go when it's their time to leave".

And then he makes the Jedi say that, making them beacons of truth and good and compassion in his fairy tale, now aimed at Gen Z kids.

Gen X-ers hear/read that and project all the boomer BS they had been told onto the Jedi...

"oh, so the Jedi are saying you shouldn't love yourself, you shouldn't be yourself, you should give up on what makes you an individual to fit in, you shouldn't feel any emotions"

Because nobody is that good, realistically, right?

This happened in other mediums. The one that comes to mind on the spot is the relationship between Mufasa and Scar.

In The Lion King, Mufasa is strong and noble, Scar is weak and conniving. Simple enough. Around that same time, in A Tale of Two Brothers, young Mufasa is shown to be pretty nice with Taka (Scar), who is framed as a spoiled brat to begin with.

Skip to the 2019 remake, and it's hinted Mufasa gave Scar his wound, and in The Lion Guard they explain that Scar got his nickname from Mufasa mocking him for a misadventure.

He went from being a noble king to a bully who had it coming, Scar is an underdog who got picked on. Because again: nobody is that pure, right? Fairytales be-damned.

Nothing is black and white, it's all grey.

So yeah, long story short I do think that Filoni being part of the generation that wasn't the target demographic but was old enough to retcon the crap out of the Prequels also plays a role into his view of Anakin.

[cuddles-with-dragons]

where the fuck is my impulse control

Yeah, Avengers AU.

Don't care what you say, I tried to make it work.

Including edited quotes from Avengers and Age of Ultron

I replaced Hulk with the Zillo Beast.

---

Dave Filoni: Superheroes in New York? Give me a break.

Echo: We won.

Hunter: All right, yay! Hurray. Good job, guys. Let's just not come in tomorrow. Let's just take a day. Have you ever tried shawarma? There's a shawarma joint about two blocks from here. I don't know what it is, but I want to try it.

Wrecker: We're not finished yet.

Hunter: And then shawarma after.

Echo: Is he breathing?

Tech, in lizard form: *roars in his face*

Hunter: What the hell? What just happened? Please tell me nobody kissed me.

Hunter: Tell him to suit up. I'm bringing the party to you. *a giant Chitauri is following him*

Omega: I don't see how that's a party.

Echo: Tech. Now might be a really good time for you to get angry.

Tech: That's my secret, Echo. I'm always angry.

Omega: Just like Budapest all over again.

Crosshair: You and I remember Budapest very differently.

Hunter, to Scorch: Maybe your army comes and maybe it’s too much for us, but it’s all on you. Because if we can’t protect the Earth, you can be damn well sure we'll avenge it.

Crosshair: Why am I back? How did you get him out?

Omega: Cognitive recalibration. I hit you really hard on the head.

Crosshair: Thanks.

Crosshair: Have you ever had someone take your brain and play? Pull you out and stuff something else in? Do you know what it's like to be unmade?

Omega: You know that I do.

Mace Windu: There was an idea, Hunter knows this, called the Avengers Initiative. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people to see if they could become something more. To see if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could. Cody died still believing in that idea. In heroes.

Echo: Big man in a suit of armor. Take that off, what are you?

Hunter: Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.

Mace Windu: I don't know about that, but it is powered by the Cube. And I would like to know how Scorch used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys.

Wrecker: Monkeys? I don't get it.

Echo: I do! I understood that reference!

Hunter: It’s good to meet you, Tech. Your work on antielectron collisions is unparalleled. And I’m a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous Godzilla lizard.

Tech: Thanks.

Hunter: The only major component he still needs is a power source of high-energy density. Something to kick-start the Cube.

Ahsoka: When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?

Hunter: Last night.

Hunter: Raise the mizzenmast. Jib the topsails. *points to Anakin* That man is playing Galaga. He thought we wouldn't notice, but we did. *covers one of his eyes* How does Windu even see these?

Ahsoka: He turns.

Hunter: Sounds exhausting.

Wrecker: Don't talk like that. Scorch is beyond reason, but he's from Asgard. And he's my brother.

Omega: He killed 80 people in two days.

Wrecker: He’s adopted.

Echo: Is this a submarine?

Tech: Really? They want me in a submerged, pressurised, metal container? *walks to the side of the deck* No, no, this is much worse.

Cody: We need you to come in.

Omega: Are you kidding? I'm working.

Cody: This takes precedence.

Omega: I'm in the middle of an interrogation. This moron is giving me everything.

Bad guy: I don't... give everything.

Omega: Look, you can't pull me out of this right now.

Cody: Omega... Crosshair's been compromised.

Omega: Let me put you on hold.

Hunter: Shit!

Echo: Language!

*Some chatter and fighting later…*

Hunter: Wait a second. No one else is gonna deal with the fact that Echo just said “Language”?

Echo: I know. Just slipped out.

*Some more chatter and fighting later…*

Wrecker: Find the spear-thingy.

Hunter: And for gosh sake, watch your language!

Echo: That’s not going away any time soon.

Omega: Wrecker, report on the Zillo.

Wrecker: The gates of Hel are filled with the screams of his victims.*Omega gives him a look* But not the screams of the dead, of course. No, no, wounded screams. Mainly whimpering, a great deal of complaining and tales of sprained deltoids and gout.

Echo: The two Enhanced?

Ahsoka: Leia and Luke Skywalker. Twins. Orphaned at 10 when a shell collapsed their apartment building. Sokovia's had a rough history. It's nowhere special, but it's on the way to everywhere special.

Echo: Their abilities?

Ahsoka: He's got increased metabolism and improved thermal homeostasis. Her thing is neuroelectric interfacing, telekinesis, mental manipulation.

Echo: *confused*

Ahsoka: He's fast and she's weird.

Ahsoka: Lab's all set up, boss.

Hunter: *points to Echo* Actually, he's the boss. I just pay for everything and design everything and make everyone look cooler.

Tech: How's he doing?

Hunter: Unfortunately, he's still Crosshair.

Tech: That's terrible.

Hunter: Right, so, if I lift it, I then rule Asgard?

Wrecker: Yes, of course.

Hunter: I will be reinstituting prima nocta. *tries to lift the hammer* I'll be right back.

Hunter: *Tries again with the Iron Man glove, nothing. Makes Rex take his glove too and they both try to lift it.*

Rex: Are you even pulling?

Hunter: Are you on my team?

Rex: Just represent. Pull.

Hunter: All right, let’s go.

*Echo tries next*

Hunter: Come on, Echo.

Echo: *makes it move a tiny bit*

Wrecker, nervously laughing: Nothing.

Echo: Sorry for barging in on you.

Hunter: Yeah, we would've called ahead, but we were busy having no idea that you existed.

Luke, in a police station: We’re under attack! Clear the city! Now! *No one’s doing anything, comes back with a gun and fires in the air* Get off your asses.

Crosshair, to Leia: Hey, look at me. It’s your fault, it’s everyone’s fault. Who cares? Are you up for this? Are you? Look, I just need to know. Because the city is flying. Okay. Look, the city is flying, we’re fighting an army of robots, and I have a bow and arrow. None of this makes sense.

Luke: Keep up, old man! *takes Leia and runs off*

Crosshair: Nobody would know. Nobody. “The last I saw him, an Ultron was sitting on him. Yeah, he'll be missed, that quick little bastard. I miss him already.”

Crosshair: All right, we're all clear here.

Echo: We are not clear! We are very not clear!

Luke: This is S.H.I.E.L.D.?

Echo: This is what S.H.I.E.L.D. is supposed to be.

Luke: This isn't so bad.

Luke: *Shoves Crosshair and a kid behind cover and gets shot multiple times in the leg* You didn't see that coming?

[kylanfedje]

Disney Star Wars Retrospective - Episode I: The Phantom Mouse

A long time ago, in a conference room far, far away....

They say the pen is mightier than the sword. Or is it the lightsaber? On October 30, 2012, a few strokes of ink were all it took for one of the most lucrative media enterprises of all time to be subsumed into arguably the largest entertainment empire in history. I am talking of course about the $4.5 billion sale of Lucasfilm to the Walt Disney Company, which brought iconic film franchises like Indiana Jones and Star Wars under the ever-expanding Disney umbrella of intellectual properties.

While Indiana Jones has been no box-office slouch, George Lucas’ epic space fantasy saga was the real prize in the transaction. And the new regime at Lucasfilm, headed by Kathleen Kennedy, longtime movie producer and frequent collaborator of Steven Spielberg’s, could hardly wait for the dust to settle before greenlighting a series of moves that would define the franchise for the decade to come.

Shortly after the purchase was announced, so too were a new trio of Star Wars films set after the Original Trilogy, which would pick up the stories of Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, Han Solo, and a host of new characters as they sought to protect the galaxy against a resurgent evil, seeking to destroy the peace brought by the establishment of a New Galactic Republic. Additionally, the company also announced plans for a series of anthology films, which were to release between the latest installments in the Sequel Trilogy. However, to compensate for the number of resources devoted to such an ambitious film schedule, the fan-favorite Star Wars: The Clone Wars series, which had aired five seasons on Cartoon Network since 2008, would come to an end. Alongside these announcements was also the confirmation that the Expanded Universe (EU) material, the books and comics that had filled out so much of the galaxy’s lore before, between, and after the films, was no longer considered canon for the purposes of new Star Wars projects and would be reclassified as “Legends.”

Many of the creatives behind The Clone Wars continued onto Rebels, including showrunner Dave Filoni, and as a result, many storylines and characters from the former were brought into the latter in one way or another. Fan favorites like Captain Rex and Hondo Ohnaka would return, as well as lesser-known ones like Saw Gerrera and Bo-Katan Kryze would appear, though rarely for more than a few episodes at a time at most. But easily the most prevalent of The Clone Wars originals to join the cast of Rebels was the one and only Ahsoka Tano, the former Padawan of Anakin Skywalker who, after being falsely accused of bombing the Jedi Temple on Coruscant and murdering a witness to cover it up, decided to walk away from the Order, even after she was exonerated on all charges. Since The Clone Wars hadn’t reached its natural endpoint of the Jedi Purge (commonly known as Order 66) before its untimely cancellation, fans were left wondering what fate may have befallen their favorite ex-Jedi at that critical moment in Star Wars lore. Now, they would at least know she had survived Emperor Palpatine’s directive to rid the galaxy of the greatest threat to his power, even if the specifics of how she’d done so were left unsaid at the time.

However, Rebels was hardly a direct successor to The Clone Wars in terms of its general tone and art direction, both of which were noticeably altered from the relatively mature and moody atmosphere of its predecessor, particularly its later seasons — though Rebels would eventually reach similar levels of emotional and thematic intensity as The Clone Wars had by the end of its run. But while the lighter tone of Rebels can be easily attributed to a desire by the franchise’s new overlords to keep the franchise more in line with Disney’s “family friendly” brand ethos, the change in art direction is more indicative of a broader trend within the franchise that began in this time and arguably persists to this day, which is an almost compulsive reverence for the Original Trilogy and its iconography.

It’s no secret to anyone familiar with the history of cinema that the Star Wars prequels were not very well-received upon their initial release, though they have received a critical reappraisal by fans in recent years. Either way, when Lucasfilm went to work on their new slate of Star Wars projects in 2013, the general consensus was still that the Prequel Trilogy was a collection of overly ambitious and poorly executed disasterpieces, a fact they were like well aware of and would make them want to avoid whatever associations with it they could when developing new material. This might also help to explain why The Clone Wars, a series set in the midst of the trilogy, was cancelled so unceremoniously at the time, with only a 13-episode sixth season released straight to Netflix, a handful of unfinished animatics dumped on the Star Wars website, and other unproduced story arcs being adapted into quasicanonical books and comics to fill the void left in its wake.

What this represents is a desire among the creative minds behind the franchise towards inserting Original Trilogy “fan service” into their work. The style of Ralph McQuarrie’s concept art, while critical in shaping the visual language of Star Wars, is in truth only recognizable as such to the most die-hard of fans and thus provides no more — or less — value to the average viewer, and therefore can be seen as a decision made primarily to cater towards the superfans while not alienating newer or less knowledgeable ones. Likewise, the series’ (re)introduction of Grand Admiral Thrawn in the third season can easily be understood as yet another case of this phenomenon, albeit in a slightly different manner.

The character of Thrawn was first created for Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire trilogy of novels, a core component of the EU/Legends canon written in the early 90s during that time when Star Wars was mostly seen as “uncool nerd shit” to the general public. But for the fans who grew up reading and loving these books, they may have felt hurt and betrayed when Disney came in and told them these stories were no longer canon. So, when Thrawn reappeared in Rebels with the same character design and personality as he had in the novels, it signaled to them that the franchise was still willing to look to the EU/Legends for inspiration and would even draw directly from them, thus rewarding their continued devotion to the franchise’s extended lore.

That’s not to say that casual fans were necessarily turned off by this either. If anything, because the Heir to the Empire novels were no longer canon, it was easier for them to only see Thrawn as the version that appeared in Rebels and therefore discard the ancillary material as unnecessary to understanding who he was, where he came from, and what he wanted. Those novels still existed if they wanted to dive deeper, but it was ultimately inessential to following the show’s plot, and thus wouldn’t make newer or more casual fans feel like they had “homework” to do before they could start enjoying the franchise’s current marquee offerings.

In a similar vein to Thrawn’s role in the series is that of Darth Maul, the failed apprentice to Darth Sidious who somehow survived being sliced in half by Obi-wan Kenobi during a duel on Naboo in The Phantom Menace. It could have — and probably should have — been a disaster class in fan service when he was brought back in The Clone Wars, but to the show’s credit, it went to great lengths to make it work both narratively and thematically. It presented his miraculous survival as the product of pure hatred, channeled through the Force, and directed towards the man who nearly killed him and the master who abandoned him. Through much of his screentime both shows, he is motivated almost singularly by a desire for revenge against both Kenobi and Sidious, eventually culminating in a final rematch between him and Kenobi in the Tatooine desert that ends with him being slain and set free at last from his eternal torment.

For Rebels viewers who had perhaps seen the main saga films — Episodes I-VI at the time — but missed The Clone Wars, Maul’s return would come as an utter shock. The last they had seen of this man he had been falling down a reactor shaft in two pieces; now he was alive and well and menacing the galaxy yet again. When did this happen? How did this happen? They would have to watch The Clone Wars or read a Wookiepedia article to learn for themselves, since the show mostly assumed you were already aware of his return. Thankfully, the entire show was available on a popular streaming service and came highly regarded by much of the fandom, so the reward for “doing their homework” might be seen as worthwhile. Not to mention its arc-based structure lent well to isolating a few specific episodes as “essential,” instead of needing to view the entire show to understand how and why Maul had come back from the dead. And yet, the prospect of there being “homework” at all for an animated show geared towards children and teens might have also turned away some of those who had been lured in by the stormtroopers and lightsabers they once knew and loved.

All told, the first few years of Star Wars under its new management indicated a great deal of how the next decade of Star Wars media would play out. Anything the fans didn’t like — the prequels, mainly — could be mostly ignored. Aspects of the franchise beloved by fans but unknown to broader audiences — The Clone Wars and the EU /Legends— may continue to appear, but only when it can contribute positively to the story already being told. And above all, stick to what everyone knows and loves as much as you can — the aesthetics and iconography of the Original Trilogy: X-Wings and TIE Fighters, Rebels and Empire. These were as good as gospel in Disney’s new church of Star Wars, a fact which was only proved truer when the highly anticipated Episode VII hit theaters in December 2015, the first theatrical live-action Star Wars movie in a decade, and the first since the Disney buyout.

[oh-three]

Bad Batch S3E9:

Beautiful opening shots and music

Guysss, Cross as updated his armor a bit….I miss the antenna pauldron 😭

Not Batcher chasing the moon-yos reminding me of Jurassic Park II's opening scene

Who the fuck landed in that cave.

VENTRESS!!

Okay, I should've realized it when the description said "mysterious stranger".

Damn, she knows exactly who they are.

AYYY. SHE WAS FENNEC'S CONTACT.

The way they phrased the dialogue to say "more capable of wielding the Force". Dave Filoni watching out to make sure that another Sabine situation makes sense.

"I need to know what I am." 😭

Ventress putting Omega through basic Jedi tests >>>>

THE MUSIC.

Damn, they figured out who she was fast.

….Is riding Batcher cheating?

Ventress fist fighting the Bad Batch isn't something I thought I needed, but this is actually kind of entertaining.

BAD BATCH THEME. Like, not the full theme, but maybe as close as we'll ever get to it, with the pitching changes to the score over the seasons.

Shitttt, the "I wasn't planning on killing you, but you're making it very tempting" quote was directed at the team.

"We were pawns in the same war. And we all lost. "The Empire is more dangerous than you could possibly fathom. I'm many things, but I am not your enemy." Honestly, I don't think she came here to do harm. They just pushed a little too hard- can't entirely blame them, though, with her record, but still.

"Okay, but if she's as bad as you say, then why didn't she kill you when she had the chance?" Glad to see she's thinking about this rationally.

Omega making decisions for TBB (and them going along with it) >>>>>

Wait. Using Batcher wasn't cheating? Must've been an improvisation test, then.

Okay, but seeing Ventress casually sitting on that boat, more curious about Omega than anything, is very satisfying for her journey after seeing how violent she had been at the start of TCW and how far she's come since Dooku.

Not Ventress turning to glare directly into the binocs 🤣

THIS SCENE IS BEAUTIFUL 😭

Ventress, you accidentally summoned something that wants to eat you, good job.

Oh, it has kraken tentacles!

The animation of Ventress's hair when it's wet is so fucking good.

Wait, I saw a Tumblr post about the Marauder getting blown up in the Teth episodes- I don't think that actually happened, because that's definitely it.

I half thought they were gonna leave Ventress there, I'm surprised Crosshair was the one to let her aboard.

Test 1: Patience/Mediation/Balance. Test 2: Improvisation. Test 3: Connecting with animals through the Force.

So, Omega does have a high M-count 👀

"You're not as safe as you think you are." Well, that's ominous as fuck.

That ship has an extra-long wing like the Twilight, neat.

Are we all in agreement that next week is the invasion of Pabu?

[contentment-of-cats]

I'll say it again. Andor is the best Star Wars show.

And that's because they didn't let Dave Filoni anywhere near it.

The show is called 'Ahsoka' but is actually an unaired season of Rebels. It ought to have been called 'attempted massive retcon at unwise forward speed' or 'Sabine has abandonment issues and makes poor decisions.' There are good scenes (possibly from another show, which one is anyone's guess) strung together with tired plot devices. Thrawn was chucked into this mess because there was no other way to move the plot. I did dig on some of the details like the signs of age and hard living and the obvious condition of the Chimaera. Other than that - pfft.

Turning to Thrawn - I am an unabashed fan of the Zahn-authored 2017 Trilogy and the HTTE trilogy (except the ending). He is complex neither all good or all evil. He is an antagonist and protagonist at once. Someone to root for and also against. Did he contrive his exile to join the Empire and possibly take it over in order to protect his people? It's possible. I don't think we'll ever find out, though. That being said, I don't think we're going to get much more from two more episodes.

One of my friends said that Filoni writes for children's shows, and it's true. The characters are almost cartoonish, not understandable as adults, but as kids understand adults to be. Perhaps I am expecting too much from an eight-episode MCU-kin show, but there was time to develop Sabine, or FFS Ahsoka (you know, the protagonist?), to fill in whatever has gone on in the past nine years since the Battle of Yavin, five years after Endor. For Sabine and Ezra, there should have been more feeling in that scene than the swell of the music.

A lot of the blame rests with Disney, and the paranoia-controlled process to stamp out leaks at all costs. There is a continuity to writing a script, working out the story boards, reading the script, and then shooting that is entirely lacking in franchise-oriented product. Franchise oriented product is formulated to sell merch and streaming subscriptions, and to drive bodies into theme parks. It's marketable.

The writers' and actors' guild strikes are ongoing. I'm content to wait - writers and actors have been getting screwed, fucked, and buttered without mercy for years. There is a new intensity to the talks as the studios start to sweat.

Final note: I love Thrawn, but the ageism of a vocal part of the fandom makes me want to still be around when these people hit 50. Age and illness and injury HAPPEN. Our bodies do not work as well when joints break down, we get hurt, or sick. Even when he regain functionality, it doesn't all come back. Even when our lives are saved, there are still sequelae. It's made me think less of some folks.

[tired-night-owl]

Blood Runs Cold

Fandom : Star Wars The Bad Batch

One shot ?

I tried to write a small fic about Crosshair and Omega in the new promo that’s been released because I can’t wait to see them together in the new season even if I know my heart is gonna get crushed by Dave Filony again… Hopefully I am the opposite of last season and I am soooo wrong and they will all be reunited as a big family where no one dies or sacrifice themselves for the others ! Anyway I hope you enjoy :) 

Word count : 866

Summary : Crosshair has much to think about in his new conditions, what doesn’t help is when a far too bubbly and optimistic teenager comes and ruins his peaceful self pity moment.

Notes : brief mention of torture I guess, small but graphic description of tech’s death, Siblings!crosshair x omega, Spoilers for the new promo clip !

He noticed it a while ago, when they first started their wicked experiments on him. He tried to keep it under control mostly for his pride because seeing as with such a condition, his (now rendered useless) talent would be even more so wasn’t helping his morale. Crosshair didn’t mind it too much for now because not one clone in this cursed facility was in any shape or form to judge him in his misery. That is until the girl showed up. 

That child has been the sole cause for any misfortune he had to live though in the last couple of months he thought, but scolded himself to at least not make it show. She has enough to deal with too at the moment without having to suffer his endless wrath and sorrows. Still she cost him everything. His family, in more ways than one, his station, attempting to save her branded him a traitor and a VIP ticket to Hemlock’s test table and —

His mind went silent 

His brother Tech…. He had to give his life for hers. Skull smashed to pieces because they didn’t heed his warning. There's no way the batch can survive without its brain now. 

His mind whirled with thoughts like these locked in his dark cell all day. Some would say they were enough to drive a man insane but Crosshair already knew insane, and it wasn’t by his choice. Now he sees it, the effect that damn chip has had on him. How it made him turn on the only people who ever cared for him. He couldn’t turn on this one now. 

« Crosshair… »

« Crosshair ! I tried to come earlier, but there are too many guards watching me…»

He tried to calm his usually snappy tone for the sake of the girl who must be as terrified if not more than he is at the moment.

« You shouldn’t be down here at all » he tried to make her realize a little harsher than he wished.

It was foolish of her to put a target on her back by snooping around, on THEIR backs. In a situation like this where there is no hope, it’s best to comply and hope you die as painlessly as possible. Though that seemed unlikely for him at the hands of that sick scientist. But there might be hope for her yet if she stopped escaping her quarters.

The girl continued with her misplaced energy and optimism.

« How else are we gonna plan an escape ? »

An escape ?! Had she gone insane? Did she not realize they were in the middle of no where, in an unknown imperial playground, surrounded by guards with no moral compass except loyalty to the credits they earn at the end of each shift filled with screams of tortured people. Better to kill that idea in the egg before she gets too altruistic. 

The sniper resumed his usual cold and unapproachable attitude, hoping the girl would realize that planning an escape in a place such as this with only 1 ally was foolish already but with no one, it was simply stretching your neck to help the executioner do his job. 

« There is no WE, and there is no escape… I’ve already tried. » 

The young clone didn’t budge.

« Every stronghold has a weak point ! Maybe I could convince Emerie to help, she’s one of us. »

His brothers has taught her well he could tell, and by that he meant by filling her head with useless idiotic tactics and informations for a obviously changing galaxy. Besides if they shouldn’t trust one person in this Sarlac pit, it was HER. That double crossing scientist woman. Testing on people was bad enough but on her own « brothers » that was being a plain sociopathic hypocrite. 

« Not every clone is your ally ! » The sharpshooter reminded her.

« You trust too easily… »

He expected a reply and one sounding similar to that one too, so he doesn’t know why her words struck him so. 

« Maybe you don’t trust enough. » Omega replied with that same misguided hope as earlier.

An uncomfortable silence surrounded the two and then it started again : the shaking.

The stupid shaking he couldn’t stop. The best sniper in the whole GAR with quivering hands, how ironic. He felt uneasy having her see him like this. It was as if his own brothers could see how low he had fallen and for a prideful man like Crosshair, it was not an easy feat to overcome. 

« Crosshair ? »  The young girl asked after her gaze fell upon her brother hiding his hands from her. 

Not so long ago he would’ve snapped at her for simply seeing him in a state like this, desperately trying to steady his once reliable hands but now, he just didn’t have the heart or the energy to do so…

« Just… Go. » he simply said. 

« Before you make things worst for both of us… »

In this moment he came to the conclusion that yes, he didn’t want to be punished for the girl’s misbehaviour but he also mostly didn’t want her to suffer because of him. 

Knowing Hemlock, he wouldn’t even do it to punish Omega… but he would do unexplainable things to the girl to make HIM suffer. 

[archduke42]

OK, I've had time to really reflect with this trailer

I still have some mixed feelings. Part of me hoped they would not bring Barriss back because maybe it was time to move on. After 11 years, I felt like I was just being suckered by red herrings. It's a little exhausting when opportunities happen and everyone speculates but it becomes a false alarm. Plus I used to be rather arrogant over the thought of Barriss being an Inquisitor. Used to irritate me a lot that fans even wanted that to happen. "How can anyone want this?" I used to ask myself. But I'm old fashioned, from a time when good guys were good, bad guys were bad, and Hero(ine) blows up the super weapon. All this character ambiguity people embraced for their Star Wars was a bit alien to me. It was enough that she was supposed to die in Order 66, but this was almost too much. The backlash against "The Wrong Jedi" was a tidal wave at the time, and lots of fans (myself included) cried hard at Filoni and Lucas' casual retcon.

But then, I'd been writing hero journey stories for Barriss since 2005 or 2006 and the whole villain plot twist was infuriating. And there was so much hate for Barriss on the internet at the time. I cursed Filoni's name with an old man's fiery blackened heart. My Muse had become the most hated character in Star Wars, and I had become a hot mess for several years after so much heavy emotional investment. I wanted to channel all my energy into Barriss stories (and eventually Barrissoka stories, since they were such a perfect couple) I also commissioned some shipping/wedding/marriage art to maybe push back against people's notions of a revenge fight between Ahsoka and Barriss. I have been blessed with discovering a huge Barriss Offee/Barrissoka fan community out here, and I think we have all built so positive energy in our love for these characters. Being a writer and reading the works of so many others has helped me grow with the community and learn so much. I am grateful to the art of people like @grissaecrim, and stories by people like @jedimasterbailey and @stellanslashgeode (and so many others) I can be excited that Barriss is officially coming back! The wait is over, and my anxiety returns. but I also have had a long period of time in 11 years to accept these new dynamics for Barriss. I am ready to accept whatever Destiny is in store for Barriss, though I suspect Filoni will be giving her a journey of sorts and not just leading these episodes towards a villain death for her. I suspect this journey may even go to live streaming with Ahsoka involved but time will tell. I still loath the concept of challenging expectations, but I realize that Star Wars characters have to grow out of two dimensional designs. Heroes don't need to be sparkling perfect and Villains can have a moral compass of sorts. I just wish Lucasfilm would stick to a consistent history with all this. I'm certain Filoni will have more retcons to drop on us. It's his style. But in fairness, the trailer was exciting, the animation looked really good. And I enjoyed seeing other minor characters involved, like 4th Sister, Grand Inquisitor, etc. I look forward to the exciting battles with Elsbeth and Grievous, etc. Most importantly with this trailer comes the enthusiasm to see Barriss return. Much of the hate is gone, and the Star Wars community in places like Youtube, Tumblr, etc is blowing up with excitement for this. The majority fans are ready for her adventure to continue with open minds. I think that gives me more joy than anything, that fans actually want to see her again, and want her to win at this in the best way possible even though she is starting from a dark place. I'm ready to see how this goes. This could be one of the best Star Wars experiences of 2024.

[dtrizz94-blog]

I AM SO IRATE!

Ezra and Sabine moment GOT ROBBED!!!

Dave Flioni made a dick move to make Ezra and Sabine separate it AGAIN!!!! I am sick and tired all the teases over the last 5 straight years in my lifetime. Dave Filoni need to stop, hiding his bald spot behind his cowboy hat and come out and reveal the truth… I am sick and tired of trolling mind games through 5 years

i’ve been counting 2025 days over the past five years through the pandemic, sitting on my ass waiting to see the Sabezra/Ezrabine moment and then 2 episodes later they separated to finish season1 of Ahsoka series?!

I know they are afraid to tell the truth Sabezra/Ezrabine ship is THE REAL DEAL.

they don’t wanna see us …. I smell Cowards from the writers

When Ezra says “ I miss you” That is pure Love…

Ezra Bridger doesn’t hesitated.

i’m still mad that Sabine refuse to tell Ezra the whole truth and she’s afraid to tell say on Ezra’s face. I thought Mandalorians are not afraid of anything especially feelings concern. hiding and the truth…. It’s pure obvious that Sabine and Ezra hiding their true feelings and Ezra bridger the first person reveal. But Sabine is afraid of it. Especially she hiding her smile in her helmet… my question is how many times that Ezra say something nice to Sabine hiding her smile inside her helmet since rebels? Every girl/woman always has a secret . Sabine needs to stop hiding. And she need to confess her feelings to Ezra…

Sabezra/Ezrabine is Sailing..

if there is season 2, I got no problem with that..

But the separation? I GOT A BIG PROBLEM WITH THAT…