#a positive relationship between the jedi and the republic

[kanansdume]

Reading Light of the Jedi for the first time has made the fact that the first (non-preschooler) TV show set in the High Republic time period is going to be a Sith-centric anti-Jedi mess even more disappointing than it already was.

[absolxguardian]

Reminder that the Acolyte takes inspiration from the film Rashomon, so the show is going to be full of unreliable narrators. That's exactly what we saw in this episode, with the coven repeating anti-Jedi positions that are familiar to the fandom, while the Jedi themselves show the thematic connection between queerness/neurodivergence that has been established more recently. Additionally, the new eu has clarified very recently that, unlike in Legends, the Jedi can't take children without parental permission (although I'm guessing in cases like Osha and Mae they can ask defer to the children's wishes). This has been stated very explicitly in media made while the Acolyte was in production, and if the intention was that the Jedi can take force-sensitive children, those details wouldn't have gone to print.

I think preserving this ambiguity is exactly why Indara was cut off when she was explaining what Republic law states about training children into Force religions. Because if there is any kind of law about that, it would have been enacted after phases 1/3 of the High Republic in response to the Elders of the Path, an anti-Force religion who are very heavily coded after anti-queer religious cults. What the Jedi were doing is the equivalent of the government checking in on religious groups that practice homeschooling to make sure there's no abuse by denying information going on.

Another context the High Republic gives us, this time back in phase 2, is that the Republic- and by extension the Jedi- are very tolerant of other Force religions. There are dark side faiths on Jedha- such as the Brotherhood of the Ninth Door and the Central Isopter. So Aniseya's coven can't be as innocent as she presents them. They must have committed actual crimes to be persecuted in the way they claim. The Path of the Open Hand (the predecessor to the Elders of the Path that were also anti-Force) was tolerated as they preached against all other Force religions until evidence that they were stealing artifacts was found.

I think the fact that all this information comes from the High Republic, the very project that Leslye Headland is a big fan of and pre-release material has been telling everyone to read is significant. This isn't some random panel from a comic published in 2015, this is from media that was considered when writing the Acoytle. Maybe lets not trust the woman running the enmeshed codependent sibling relationship factory.

[antianakin]

In TCW season 7, we have Rex discussing the clones' relationship with the war by saying that obviously none of them LIKE the war or like having to fight in it or how often they all end up dying in it, but that they all also recognize that without the war, they wouldn't exist, so they can't quite hate it either. And I love the complexity and nuance of that, but I want to add something to that.

The Jedi.

Because without the war, the clones are super unlikely to have ever met the Jedi. They're unlikely to have ever ended up in a position where they could explore their own individuality as people through means like body modifications. The Jedi are their BEST FRIENDS specifically because of how similar they are and how much the Jedi gave and taught them during the three years they spent together.

And the relationship between the Jedi and the clones is SO complicated because obviously the clones and the Jedi are both harbingers of death for each other. Not just due to Order 66, but the war itself. The discovery of the clones is what leads to the galaxy getting thrown into war and the Jedi forced to lead an army. The Jedi showing up on Kamino was always going to be the signal for the day the clones left their sheltered little home and shipped out to die for a Republic they'd never known. So, on some level, meeting each other is possibly the worst thing that could've happened to both groups of people because it spells their respective dooms.

But from a different perspective, the war was always going to happen anyway, neither the clones nor the Jedi actually START the war so meeting each other logically is not actually what causes it. And while the war is awful, it brings the Jedi and clones to each other, which provides a small bit of light for them both in the sea of darkness that they are stuck in together.

None of them LIKE that the war is what brought them together, but it was. And they can't regret having met each other and the joys that it gave all of them to have known each other. They can't imagine having to go through this war WITHOUT each other; it would've been infinitely worse to have had to do so and they all know it. So not only do the clones recognize they might not have existed at all without the war, but they might never have met the Jedi without the war and that is an unacceptable exchange. The Jedi hate that war has happened, they hate what it's turned them into and what it's doing to the galaxy, but they'd never have met the clones without it and it's hard to hate the thing that brought them that connection.

[adragonsfriend]

The Perfect is the Enemy of the Good, Dooku Style

Finally reading Supreme Chancellor Obi-Wan Kenobi by @stonefreeak and it got me thinking about what Dooku could’ve chosen to do with his position on Serenno.

Instead of delivering hundreds of worlds into the power of corporate interests to accumulate the power necessary to start a galactic war, he could’ve set about unionising those dissatisfied worlds for greater voting power in the Senate. Attempted to organise a peaceful exodus from the Republic. He could’ve just focused on helping out Serenno. He could’ve used Serenno as a platform for advocacy or as a humanitarian (sentiantarian?) outpost in the outer rim—in maybe conjunction with the Jedi or with other charitable groups, whichever.

Nobody cries over Sidious doing bad things, because he’s not narratively presented as a person (in the movies at least)—he’s more symbolic than anything. But Dooku shares Anakin’s fate. He’s a person, a good person with values, relationships to other people, and a desire to help others, who does unspeakable things because he becomes attached to his own ideas of perfection. It’s not an individual he can’t face grieving (well. it is a little bit about Qui-Gon too), but his inability to build a perfect society (anakin has some of this too) that makes him unable to accept his own limitations or ask for help.

All the suggestions above—unions, allies, charities, etc—they all require working with others, trusting that other people want what you want, that hope and compassion are not relics of a dying age, but powerful things which persist regardless of whatever victories which cruelty thinks it has achieved (through Power I gain Victory).

Dooku’s perfectionism—with a little help from Sidious—convinces him he is alone in wanting to change things (Peace is a lie, there is only Passion), and that suffering, his own and others, is the only way to make the rest of the world understand how it needs to act (through Passion I gain Strength). It is an incredibly individualist, not to mention lonely, set of beliefs (through Victory my chains are Broken, the Force shall free me).

It all leads neatly to the propositions:

If i can just tear down enough of society, then i will finally have enough control I need—and deserve—to build something perfect in its place;

I—or the decisive, pragmatic leader i put all my faith in—am the only person who can exercise this power to fix everything;

Any goal less than fixing everything is unworthy, and people who claim otherwise are unworthy of being included in the perfection I will create.

He’s (parts of) both Anakin and the Republic Senate’s arcs a decade early and in a single character. Fascism in a bottle.

In conclusion, a show about Dooku’s radicalisation over time could say some incredibly insightful things about US politics—by which I mean the Republican Party in general, Trumpism, the struggle of Democrats to unify, etc. Such a show probably shouldn’t be made because it would get twisted into a “and that’s why poor baby Dooku is sad and deserves everyone’s bowing-and-scraping-sympathy,” thing (which is not to say radicalized people do not deserve compassion—in fact they require it, lest we circle back to make our own little fascism), but if it was made it should feature Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan narrating and heckling Dooku as time traveling force ghosts (in between seeking genuine understanding of the past through Dooku’s decisions) because calling him weird would I think have the about the same effect as calling US republicans weird is having right now.

[rexscanonwife]

First Impressions

The galaxy was in pure chaos. She wasn't one to shy away from a bit of chaos now and then. In fact, some would say she was something of an expert back in her padawan days! This was different, however. Ever since The Battle of Geonosis, everyone from the outer rim to the heart of Coruscant was in a tizzy to say the least. Drawing lines, choosing sides, making plans, and in the middle of it were the Jedi. Once they were the galaxy's humble peacekeepers, now they were expected to fight this war for the citizens they had sworn to protect.

A/N: I suddenly got in the mood to write a little something about the day Kepler was assigned as Brea's padawan because I don't think I've talked very much about how everything started! No warnings for this one, just a short drabble and some dialogue to sort of establish their relationship dynamic at the beginning to set the stage. Maybe I'll add onto it and include their first mission, maybe not, but for now here it is! (Divider cred. @/cafekitsune)

Brea’s foot tapped anxiously against the spotless floor of the temple as she wrote out the report on her last mission, her boots leaving slight scuffs on the pristine marble in the process. She'd developed the nervous habit over time after suddenly finding herself in the position of Commander, less than a week after becoming a Jedi Knight to begin with.

She had no battalion to command. When she was deployed on missions, it was usually either as backup for a Jedi General who'd gotten in a bit over their heads as they attempted to push back Separatist droids with their clones, or she went out solo. Using her skills to scout out potential threats, in which case she was solely responsible for the outcome of such missions…and for all the paperwork. Her least favorite part of the job.

Getting shot at by droves of nasally-voiced droids was somehow preferable to this. Her eyes strained against the walls of text on the datapad before her, a headache beginning to form from blue light exposure. Her focus started to wane as she wondered how a droid could have a nasally voice anyhow? What kind of person would program them with that particular kind of voice box? Was their intention to annoy the Grand Army of the Republic to death?

“Speak with you, may I, Young Callisto?” An unmistakable voice and speech pattern shook her out of her thoughts.

“Oh, Master Yoda! How can I help you?” She said, lowering her datapad to reveal the short, green Jedi before her.

He was not alone, however. A young boy stood awkwardly just a few inches behind him. His small frame was emphasized by his posture, shoulders slightly hunched as he looked nervously between her and the back of Yoda's head. Though his robes were disheveled and seemed to be just a bit too big for him and his signature braid was done rather sloppily, he was obviously a padawan. Seemed the right age, probably between 12 and 13 years old. He wore thick goggles that obscured most of his face, but behind them his brow was furrowed, and he had slight wrinkles under his eyes that he was definitely too young for.

She didn't have to use the Force to know that this was a kid who didn't want to be here. That begged the question, why was he? She looked back towards Yoda for answers.

His large ears twitched as he leaned against his cane, always taking such a long time to say what he was going to say. She tried to remind herself that she was in the presence of someone much older and wiser than her and to not get impatient.

“Young Callisto, a very important task for you, I have. As you know, spread thin across the galaxy are the Jedi. Yes. Very thin.” He started pacing slowly, his cane tapping against the floor as he did so. “As many hands as possible, we will need to win this war.”

Finally, he gestured to the boy. “Introduce yourself, young one.”

He seemed unprepared, as he suddenly snapped upright and his hands fumbled to clumsily grip at his robes. “O-oh, me do it? Ok, uhm…my name is Kepler Quinn, Master Jedi!” He punctuated this with a quick and shallow bow, more akin to a nod than anything else. His small voice had an extremely distinct squeak to it, as though it couldn't decide whether the pitch wanted to settle up or down.

“Well, it's uh, nice to meet you, Kepler!” She smiled invitingly to try and set him more at ease, “Heh, so polite. Thank you, but I'm not a Master.” wait…

Brea began to piece together just what Yoda was suggesting and was stunned into silence for the briefest of moments. Not long ago, Anakin had told her about how a padawan was suddenly sprung onto him without so much as a warning, and in the middle of a battle no less. Sure, she had thought about perhaps someday in the future taking on a padawan learner herself, but she always thought it would be a long time from now and that it would be her own choice. And with the war going on, she just didn't have the time.

“Master Yoda, I- I- don't know…how good of an idea this is. I mean, I've only been a Knight for how long?” She stammered, not wanting to sound like she was just outright rejecting the kid when he was standing within earshot. “Do you really want me to be a master?”

Yoda hummed thoughtfully, stroking his chin “a strange and unusual time this is for us all, Young Callisto. Do things the way we have in the past, we cannot. Learn to adapt, we must. And learn from you this youngling will!” He pointed at her with his cane for emphasis.

“In need of help, General Skywalker and his men are. You and Young Quinn will go to the front lines and assist them. Yes, that is your task.”

Brea perked up just a bit upon hearing this. Ever since seeing Anakin on Geonosis what seemed like only yesterday, the two were as thick as they had been as younglings, but with how the war was going they hardly had any time to spend together. They usually ended up posted in totally separate star systems and always seemed to be running off to a new mission. This would be a good opportunity to catch up with him, once she was done saving his butt, of course.

She breathed in deeply through her nose, and out through her mouth, resting her free hand on her hip. This was classic Yoda. He wasn't allowing her a lot of time to consider it, if Anakin needed her help, then she would never be the one to keep him waiting. “Well, Kep. What do you say?”

“I guess I don't really have a choice, so…” He replied with a hint of bitterness, his eyes not meeting her gaze. This gave her a bit of pause.

“Hmm, decided then, it is.” Yoda glanced up at her knowingly. She hated when he did that, like he had some sort of trick up his sleeve in order to teach her a lesson. “If unsure you still are when you return, another master we will find for the youngling. There is no time to waste. Leave immediately, you must!”

“Yes, Master Yoda.” Brea said in unison with the boy, as they watched the ancient one shuffle down the temple hall and out of sight. There really was no arguing with him in the end, and at least for now, it seemed Brea had a padawan of her own.

—--------------------------

That was how she found herself where she was now. Her ship was roomy enough to comfortably house two people, but she had been so used to riding alone that she couldn't help but feel a sort of…weight in the Force around them. She sat arms crossed in the pilot's seat and watched the lines of blue and white light streak past through the cockpit window. There were few places as good to strike up conversation in than hyperspace.

She looked over at Kepler, who sat stiffly and silently in the co-pilot's seat, as though he was afraid to move even a muscle for some reason.

“So, this is your first time off-world, isn't it? it's exciting, huh?”

“I dunno. I feel more nauseous than anything.”

“Eh, that's normal! It'll go away after a while.” She said with a wave of her hand, a deceptively blasé gesture to hide the fact that she was actually floundering just a bit. She'd been trying to break the ice between them for a little while now, but had only managed to get similarly dry responses from him thus far. She was normally so good with younglings. When she visited the initiates when they had a break from their studies to play in the courtyards, they had lots of fun. But this one was so different. Most children raised in the Jedi Temple never see anything else until they reach padawanship, the little guy should be ecstatic right now!

But she wasn't sensing any sort of joy from him right now. Not a hint of excitement. He sat disgruntled and the slightest bit on edge like he was waiting for something terrible to happen at any moment.

“I hope you're not worried about it being your first mission, too. I promise, it won't be that ba-”

“You don't have to keep trying to talk to me, you know.” He said suddenly, cutting off her train of thought.

She quirked an eyebrow, eyeing him from the side as she idly flipped a switch here and there on the control panel to keep the hyperspace jump running smoothly. “I want to talk to you. It seems like we're gonna be spending quite some time with each other from now on, right?”

“Sure. If you say so…” He said under his breath, but just loud enough that Brea heard it over the hum of the ship's engines.

If she says so? That was more than a little concerning to say the least.

“Well, did anyone say otherwise? Come on, we're in this together now.”

He stayed quiet, retreating into himself both physically and emotionally. That wasn't good, she needed to get him to elaborate more so she could finally figure this kid out. What would her Master have done if she needed her to open up to her…?

“Well, this reminds me of my first mission as a Padawan. My Master Yora Tos was a very powerful Jedi, and she had such a kind soul. But she was also such a chatterbox. There we were, it's my first time entering hyperspace, I'm trying to focus be amazed by it and she just would not stop yammering on and on and on and on and on-”

She heard him heave a rather large sigh. Bingo.

“Alright, I'm sorry, it's just…I don't have. A very good track record with this sort of thing.”

“What, with hyperspace?”

“No, with my Masters.”

Masters…plural? It wasn't necessarily unheard of for a padawan to be reassigned once in a while. Sometimes the matchup just didn't work out for one reason or another. It seemed like what was bothering him ran a little deeper than that, though.

“How many…Masters have you had?” She pried carefully, not wanting him to clam up again. She was worried she'd made a mistake by asking when he didn't reply right away, but after a few moments and another large sigh, he did.

“Three.”

She blinked. Three previous Masters? Ok, now that actually was a little bit unheard of. Now she was starting to understand him a little bit. She only ever had one, so maybe this wasn't a matter she could relate to personally, but she felt that she could at least try to sympathize with him.

“Jeez, that's rough, buddy. Why did you drop them? You didn't like em?”

He turned away from her, leaning against the arm of the seat and resting his chin on his hand. “I didn't. They dropped me. Because I'm, well… I'm not really cut out to be a Jedi.”

Her head swiveled towards him, “Hey, don't say that! I'm sure it's not true.”

“Well, I mean? I kinda tend to fall behind, someone is always having to wait for me to catch up. My saber technique needs work. I can barely move a pebble with the Force. And on top of that I'm always getting sick.” He emphasized this with a wet-sounding sniffle and wiped his nose with the sleeve of his robe. “I'm not exactly a star pupil.”

Brea exhaled through her nose as she pondered this. All of that stuff had always come so easily to her, she couldn't imagine how frustrating it must be to struggle so much with it.

“Well, everybody has stuff they're not so good with. It just takes time. And the right guidance! Who were your previous Masters anyway?”

“Well, there was Master Tiin, and Master Koth, and I guess most recently Master Windu.”

“Whew! Well I can hardly blame you, kid.” She said raucously, “That one definitely wasn't your fault.”

He tilted his head to the side as he turned towards her, suddenly seemingly interested for the first time since they met. “What do you mean?”

“Listen, Master Windu has always been bit of a hardass.” She began, leaning back in her chair. Surprisingly enough, this got what she thought was actually a snort out of him. It was almost laughter. Not quite, but close enough. “Ha, that's probably why he's on the Council now, so I doubt much has changed since I was a youngling. His standards are so high you couldn't reach them if you were at the highest point of Cloud City.”

“Yeah…” He turned away, his expression starting to fall again.

Shoot. She dared to reach over and tried to put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, causing him to flinch ever so slightly. She retreated a bit, but suddenly it seemed like a new resolve had settled in her mind. Somehow she wasn't convinced that this kid was the problem here.

“Listen…if becoming a Jedi was easy, then everyone would do it, right? If you're here then it means you have every right to be.”

He said nothing, merely humming a noncommittal reply in return before looking ahead through the cockpit window. Her eyes turned in the same direction. The star streaks that had been shooting past them at impossible speeds suddenly slowing until they stopped entirely and returned to their natural shape as points of light in the far distance. The whole ship shook slightly as they were finally dropped out of hyperspace.

Brea sighed and rolled her neck to pop her upper vertebrae before turning her attention to the control panel, switching the ship from autopilot to manual controls again.

“Alright. Let's get down there and save Skywalker's skin!” they began their descent and soon they would be breaking the atmosphere. “In my experience, hands-on learning is way more useful than anything you can learn from silly old books anyway!”

She glanced over at him and saw how his eyes widened as he watched the planet's surface slowly approach them. His lips pulled tightly in a sort of grimace as he was no doubt imagining what sort of scene awaited the both of them there. So, he was a bit nervous about his first mission. In an ideal world, it wouldn't have been under these circumstances, but at least one thing was clear to her. She wasn't gonna let anything happen to him.

“Remember, I got your back out there, kiddo.”

He swallowed harshly and turned, throwing her a thumbs up and some semblance of an awkward smile, revealing that he had a gap between his two front teeth. Something she hadn't noticed before now.

Fear response or not, this was the first smile she'd seen from him this entire time, and as she returned her focus to the ship's steering apparatus and prepared for landing, she smiled back.

[david-talks-sw]

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.

[raleighrador]

Most fics I have read - even/especially the very good ones - that include Anakin having a relationship with Obi-Wan after Mustafar (or AUs where something similar to Mustafar occurred) are almost always frustrating to me. At least unsatisfying.

Anakin having any kind of positive relationship with Obi-Wan post Mustafar always seems to rely on a level of introspection and self awareness that frankly my head canon of Anakin is totally incapable of.

Anakin is not a forgiving person, even at his best. He is kind and generous but not forgiving. He remembers every slight (real or imagined). He holds onto those memories and lets them fester.

He also remembers all the good. He never forgets them. He cherishes them and polishes them and places them on a pedestal.

It's why (and a symptom of) he's so fucked in the head when it comes to his most important relationships.

He has no synthesised view of Obi-Wan or Padme or Palpatine or Luke. They are all of the things they have ever done to or been to Anakin.

What changes is the weighting Anakin gives to each of these things, with a massive recency bias.

I don't see how Anakin, in the full knowledge that Obi-Wan is the man who cut off his limbs, set him on fire, left him to burn, left him for Sidious to find, and then stole and separated his children before Padme's body was cold...

Could ever forgive him.

The why's and the intentions and who deserved what just wouldn't matter to (my head canon) of Anakin.

In lieu of self-awareness many fics give Anakin basically limitless self loathing. So instead of dealing with Obi-Wan or Padme or whatever he just hates himself so much that he doesn't have time to hate Obi-Wan anymore.

There is a lot I like about this (narratively/as entertainment) but I think the thing it misses is that is how Anakin worked prior to Mustafar anyway. He already hated himself almost limitlessly and he still found the time and energy to hate Obi-Wan.

After Mustafar he would have so much more justification for that hatred and resentment. So why would his self loathing get in the way?

The longer the timeline of these stories aligns to canon the more true this becomes.

I think by the time you get to Ghost Anakin at the end of ROTJ the things he would regret most are (in no particular order): choking Padme, handing Luke to the Emperor, torturing Leia, chopping off Luke's hand. MAYBE he regrets Alderaan but only in as much as it made Leia sad and means she hates him.

And he would likely blame everyone and anyone but especially Obi-Wan for this.

If Leia's surname was Skywalker, if they weren't separated, if Luke wasn't lied to about who Vader/Anakin was, if the Jedi hadn't filled Luke's head with lies and trained him as a weapon etc.

The rest of it? I just don't know that Anakin would really regret that much of it. I don't think he would see much difference - even with hindsight - between what he did as Vader in service of the Empire and what he did as Anakin in service of the Republic.

Killing the Jedi younglings probably sits in its own category. However, I maintain that Anakin would believe this was an acceptable price to save Padem IF it worked.

That might be his biggest regret - that none of it worked, that he lost Padme and his children anyway.

But any time travel force shenanigans where Vader uses the dark side to yeet himself into the past such that he can save Padme etc.

He would think that was a good deal.

There is the final (meta) element to all of this which is that Anakin's eventual forgiveness of Obi-Wan seems to generally function more as a narrative tool to assuage Obi-Wan's guilt, rather than some kind of real character development for Anakin.

And TBH I just want Obi-Wan to suffer/don't cate about him but that is another post.

I do however have sympathy for this - because I think Anakin is really, really hard to write.

A "redeemed" Anakin in my mind isn't one who suddenly becomes some kind of virtuous rules based utilitarian like the Jedi aspire to be, like Obi-Wan is.

A redeemed Anakin is one who chose his son, chose his family. A redeemed Anakin is one who was finally put in a position where choosing his family WAS the greater good. Anakin chose to save Luke - and kill Sidious - for the exact same reason and applying the exact same logic he applied to every other major choice he ever made.

And I don't see that Anakin as ever getting over what Obi-Wan did to him and his family. At best I see him not killing Obi-Wan because it would make Luke sad.

[furious-blueberry0]

Mandalorian Government (new)

Is someone interested in a revisited and more complete version of the Mandalorian Government I've been workin on for my AU?

Well here it is, beware it's long:

First of all, some extra context: 

This Government was created roughly 2000 years before the era of the prequels.

The difference between the Mandalorian System and the Mandalorian Sector:

Mandalorian System: composed by the nine homeworlds, and the respective moons, of the mando’ade.   Mandalorian Sector: the eleven systems, and respective planets, that the mandalorians conquered during their Crusade, plus the Mandalorian System. Imperialistic colonies, governed by the invasors, and where the people of those worlds had little to no agency or power over their own life. 

To be considered a citizen of age, and have the right to vote, it depends on only one thing: Completing the Verd’goten (whether you are 13 or 35, you have to complete it first)

When you reach the age of 60, you can still vote, but you cannot run for any kind of political office.

Mandalore is not part of the Republic, but the System decided to at least maintain a good relationship between the two, and so every ten years, they invite emissaries of the Republic to the Celebration of the election of the new Governors. 

More often than not the emissaries they send are Jedi, as if the Republic was testing them to see if they cared more about their current peace, or the war of the past, but for now no mandalorian ever attacked verbally or physically any of the Jedi sent there, or at least none of the Jedi ever said anything about it in their reports, so who knows.

There are four main bodies in this government:

The Assembly 

The Committee of the Elders

The Governors

The Council of the People

The Assembly is formed by 30 elements, and with the two Governors they are 32.

To be elected as a member you have to be a citizen of age, so the standard mandalorian citizen can be elected if they're at least 13 years old (since that’s the standard age of the Verd’goten), but not if they’re over 60.

It’s rare to see mandalorians under the age of 18 actually be elected, but some actually managed it.

Obviously the non-human species that have different life spans will have different rules, with their years equating to the human ones. 

Each of the nine planets of the Mandalorian System: Nog, Akaan, Tracyn, Kalevala, Mandalore, Mandallia, Bonagal, Shukut and Werda, who are considered as the homeworlds of the Mandalorians, run elections to choose three mandalorians to represent the planet in the Assembly.

Not only the citizens of the planets can run for elections, but also those who live on their moons, which is a bit tricky for the planets of Bonagal and Shukut, who have 34 and 30 moons, but they seem to manage just fine.

Only one member per Clan can run for election, and more often than not, they are elected based more on the power of their names than their actual worth as a candidate. 

But this doesn’t preclude the way to those who come from less known Clans, who are sometimes even preferred by the citizens, because they are considered more part of the people, and not spoiled kids of powerful families.

This way we have 27 members elected. 

The other 3 are chosen by the Assembly, and are the representatives of the Three Houses: House Vizsla, House Kast and House Kryze.

This was a rule made to avoid internal conflicts, so that the Houses could not complain about losing power or not being represented in the government.

They have the same power as the other members of the Assembly, no more, no less.

For each member their tenure lasts 20 years, but since one can’t keep a political career over the age of 60, for example, if they are elected when they’re 50 then their tenure will only last 10 years, if elected at 45 it will only last 15 years and so on. These cases are actually pretty rare, but they do happen.

They can decide to withdraw from their position, but only after 5 years of service. 

Their position can be taken away with a Vote-of-No-Confidence, who can be called by any individual that brings enough evidence to show their reasoning about the vote.

If any of this happens, their planet is given three months to redo a new election for a new member, if this is not done then the Assembly can choose a new member on their own.

The Committee of the Elders doesn’t have actual political power, their position is more honorary than anything else, they are there to give advice and suggestions to the Assembly and the Governors, but their voice has no power in the actual decision making.

It’s made up of 6 elders, elected by the Assembly, with tenure for life and to be part of it you need to be at least 60 years old.

Most of the time they are former members of the Assembly, who cannot be re-elected there, and so they are given this position.

There have been cases in which some of those elected never held political tenure, but they are rare.

They can decide to withdraw at any moment.

They too can lose their position, but this can be decided only by a Vote-of-No-Confidence made and voted by the Assembly.

The citizens have no say on the Committee, since they have no power and are only used as advice givers.

The Governors are the heads of state of the Mandalorian Sector.

They are chosen with an election done across all the planets of the sector, and are voted by only the citizens of age.

Before the Great Secession of the People, they were only voted by the planets of the system.

To run for the election they need to be at least 20 years old, and anyone from any Clan or House can do so. Their tenure lasts ten years.

When one becomes a Governor, they have to strip their beskar’gam of any kind of paint or symbols on it. 

This is done because the Governors have to represent all Mandalorians, and not just a specific faction or creed, so plain beskar is far preferable to send that message across.

In older times the Governors could not use their surnames for this exact reason, but this is a practice that was then lost to time and never used again.

During official meetings with the Assembly or the Council of the People, they have to wear a purple cloak, to signify their status as head of state and distinguish themselves from the other mandalorians.

The decade of the Mandalorian Calendar in which they governed has the name of the two Governors.

For example the decade of Satine and Arla is called “The Years of Fett and Kryze”, but since in older times the Governors didn’t use their surnames, the older ones used the first names, so another example could be “The Years of Arla and Satine”.

They too can have their power taken by a Vote-of-No-Confidence, that can be called by any individual that brings enough evidence to show their reasoning about the vote, but this happens only if at least 25 members of the Assembly vote against the Governor.

No, challenging one of the Governors to a duel to the death will not give you their position of power, but it will give you the chance to get your ass beaten and obliterated by all the 30 members of the Assembly for even suggesting such a stupid idea.

The Council of the People is formed by the representatives of each of the eleven systems that have been conquered by the mandalorians and transformed into colonies: the Breshig system, the Cheravh system, the Concord Dawn system, the Draboon system, the Gargon system, the Harswee system, the Hrthging system, the Jakelia system, the Ordo system, the Vorpa’ya system and the Zanbar system.

Each system elects 5 representatives, and they follow the same rules of the Assembly, both for the elections and for the tenure. In total the Council has 55 members.

Unlike the Assembly, who can decide anything for anyone, they have no saying on what happens in the other systems, but only on what happens to their respective one. 

So, for example, the representatives of the Concord Dawn system cannot decide new laws for the Ordo system, but the Assembly can for both of them, but not without the representatives of that system present.

This Council has not always existed.

During the times where the Mandalorians still followed the rule of the Mand’alor, these planets had no power of their own. 

The Mandalorian Crusaders were the ones in charge of these worlds, and they exploited the native populations as slaves, to work in their place in taking their own resources and giving them to the planets of the Mandalorian System.

The situation changes throughout the centuries, with the native populations slowly mixing with the mandalorians, leading to the creations of new clans and new subcultures of the Mandalorian one. 

The people are no longer the slaves of the invaders’ clans, now they cannot be sold away from their land, they can own houses and small properties where they can live with their own clans.

They are not allowed to wear the beskar’gam or own weapons, but thanks to a proliferating and well-hidden black market, these things manage to find their way into their homes.

But this does not make them free, the work life they are forced to live is cruel and unfair, the taxes on both their money and their products are terribly high, the vast majority of the people live in poverty, and the overall treatment reserved to them by the settlers is nothing short of horrific.

When the last Mand’alor gets assassinated, the mandalorians ( of the Mandalorian System) created this new government, but with only the Governors, the Assembly and the Committee being part of it.

This goes on for a few decades, but the people of the colonies are tired of not being considered in the political life, of being treated as class B citizens, of the way they were still being treated by those who proclaimed to have killed the Mand’alor to stop his tyrannical rule, but who gave them none of the freedom they were so fond of proclaiming to have protected and saved. And so, they decided to take action.

In what would later be known as The Great Secessions of the People, one day all the populations of the occupied worlds stopped working en masse, they abandoned the cities, all their shops and all the factories. The planets who started the secessions had been those of the Concord Dawn System, and as word spread of these actions across the Sector, the other Systems started to do the same, leading to an unprecedented economical crisis, that led the Mandalorian System to remain without primal resources, since the vast majority of the manpower came from the colonies.

The mandalorians had tried to send armed forces to force the populations to get back to the cities and to their work, but not only were they extremely outnumbered, the people had weapons too, and so they fought and fought, winning all of the battles they had to endure, until the armed forces had to retreat.

Realizing that with brute force nothing would have been achieved, the then Governors decided to find an agreement with all the planets of the Sector.

And so a treaty was written, where the planets would now be allowed to choose their own leaders and govern the planets to their liking, they are given a voice in political life with the formation of the Council and choose their representatives.

They are still under mandalorian domination, and are not free to do whatever they want without the Assembly approval, but it’s far more freedom and power than they ever had since becoming colonies.

Basically each planet can have their own form of govern (monarchy, oligarchy, democracy etc.), but they all have to follow the laws that are imposed by the Assembly.

[marymary-diva17]

New life with her

captain rex x reader

The secret marriage between you and rex had always stayed a secret between you and him, with a select few that had witness the wedding and approved of the relationship. As everyone knew if these relationships was found out it will be bad new for the both of you, but mostly rex as he had most of his life serving the republic and doing his duty as well. Soon enough the secret marriage will not stay secret anymore, as it will become well know to the republic and jedi. Soon the exposure of your marriage will soon affect your life and rex life in the end.

Bail " due to your relationship with clone trooper rex the senate has decided it will be for the best, if you step down from you position and leave the senate"

y/n " ......'

montha " we can't have this happening in the senate y/n we are sorry but your action have concerns for everyone, and the separatist could use this against us and it can hurt many people"

y/n " so I'm losing everything because I chose to be with a man I love and I'm not giving up on him"

bail " you are losing everything for the betterment of everyone else I'm sorry y/n but it will be good for you to leave now"

y/n " padme"

padme " I'm sorry y/n but it for the best we have to think about the well-being of the republic and the people you serve, you have done enough damage and broke your oath"

y/n " I made Oath to serve the republic and I did that there was noting against falling in love"

padme " it for the best we cant have the separatist or anyone else seeing we are breaking our rules"

y/n " what about rex"

senator" we was stripped of his rank and status of trooper he is just avenge man now ... he could of been more and so could you but looked what happened you both are useless and betrayed us"

y/n " bail, montha, and padme we are friends I'm friends with all of you are you really going to look at me like this"

bail " we are sorry y/n and we wish for the best for you" you didn't say anything else as you were soon escorted put by droids, you had seen the troopers look at with you disgust.

padme " y/n"

y/n " padme"

padme " I'm sorry but I had to do what was right for our people and the republic, we have to sacrifice what we love and care for so everyone else can be better"

y/n " so will you be saying the same thing if everyone found out you and my brother"

padme " I'm spry y/n there a place for you on nabob where you can live with rex, and I will come to see you along with anakin"

y/n " really padme you are going to stand here and save yourself and act like you are secret married to a jedi"

padme " I and anakin relationship has to stay a secret I'm sorry y/n but maybe one day everything will be fine" you dandy say anything else and you walked away from the senate building, it will be a long time until you are back here. It will be the last time any of your old friends will see and hear form you.

later on

y/n " rex" you found rex wearing normal clothes not longer with his armor, he looked upset.

rex " hey my love" you soon hugged rex he had given everything now to republic and now he was stripped of everything even his brotherhood as well.

y/n " I'm so sorry my husband I all my fault"

rex " no it not your fault my love what has happen can't be undone"

y/n " padme didnt fight for me none of my friends did after all these years it ... meaning nothing" rex soon got up from his seat and soon hugged you as the two of you stood there.

rex " don't cry everything will be fine"

y/n " where do you go from here we both lost everything"

rex " we can start a new life on planet far from here just the two of us, and see where they take us"

y/n " I will love that" you and rex soon left the clone base as you saw his armor was backed up in duffle bag he was given, his former or fellow brothers either looked at him or turn their backs to him. You held rex hand tight as the both of you handed toward your apartment to spend one last night there, as you two will be leaving.

y/n " so where this planet you know of rex"

rex " it good planet and is neutral in the war so we will be safe, and it less liking the republic will come and the separatist as well ... there a home and I can find some work I was told about from a friend I was talking with it will be hard but maybe it will be best for us"

y/n " I will love that rex anywhere with you will be good" rex soon smiled towards you and soon brought you into an embraced, soon the two of you talked more about your new lives. After getting all the Information you need for you and rex, to started new life without anyone asking questions and having some of your stuff send to this new home.

anakin " hello you two"

y/n " anakin"

anakin " sister I'm sorry for what happened and I'm sorry to rex" rex didnt say anything as he looked at his former commander with heartbroken look on his face.

y/n " anakin I'm your sister so hwy did you fight for me and rex"

anakin " I'm sorry but if anyone found out me and padme I wilmlose her and she will lose everything she loves"

y/n " so what are you going to do now the republic might mark me a traitor in now time, rex has been stripped of everything that he fought for"

anakin " I'm really sorry but where you go I will make sure you both, are safe and taken care off"

padme " oh ani" you soon turned around from your brother you just wanted someone to fight for you and rex, but it seems like your brother wouldn't do that at all.

rex " jedi knight skywlaker I think it best if you leave here for now"

anakin " rex come on we ...."

rex " please leave my wife be sir it has been a long day for her" anakin soon nodded his head and started walking away from the duo.

anakin " I hope one day everything will be fine and you can understand what happened here today sister" you didn't say anything as anakin soon left you soon started crying, as rex brought you into a embrace as you cried on his shoulder.

the next day

????? " y/n rex" you and rex were about to leave when you two spotted ashoka coming running toward you both she soon stopped, when she reached you two.

y/n " ashoka"

ashoka " I came to say goodbye you two have changed my life and helped me learn, I'm sorry for what happened to you both it wrong"

y/n " thank you ashoka"

ashoka " rex I'm so sorry if I ...."

rex " It okay kid I will be fine I just need you to be safe out there, and give a good fight as well"

ashoka " yes rex I will make sure I will look after anakin for you y/n and the troopers for you rex" you and rex soon hugged ashoka one last time, before you both got on the ship leaving the republic home world. Only ashoka and friends that were on your guys side and helping will know where you and rex had gone. Rex heart had broken when he was stripped of everything he knew and had been raised to be, until he knew you wil become his new world and life. It will be the two of you now making a new life in this galaxy.

[djarinsphere]

hi there! would love a short fic about jedi!reader introducing Din to long-time friends Han and Leia, which eventually leads to a very intense game of sabacc between Din and Han. thank u <3~

A game of sabacc

Din Djarin x female!Jedi!reader

Words: 1.9k Warnings: mentions of alcohol

For weeks, you had been trying to get Din to head to Coruscant with you. Whenever you brought it up again, he let out an annoyed sigh, talking about how he had so much to do when it came to bounties, payments and travel. 

You respected that of course. Being in a relationship with Din for a while had taught you that the man had his own way to travel, to live and to handle things. Going back to Coruscant to meet with some old friends of yours just wasn’t high on his list of priorities right now. 

But this list had to change at some point. As he slowly started working through the long list of available bounties, he gained more free time. Din would have preferred to spend it with you on a remote planet, just the two of you basking in your love for each other, but if visiting Coruscant was going to make you happy, then he would use his free time for that. Anything to see a smile on your face. 

Besides, you had talked a lot about Han Solo and Leia Organa. Your eyes were sparkling every time you told him a story about your two friends or just referred to a funny situation you had been in with Leia.

While you had been exploring your connection to the Force, mostly with Luke, you did have a lot of intimate talks with Leia as well. It brought you closer together, making you good, intimate friends. Din deserved to know that part of you.

You had been together for quite a while, a year or more, but he had never met any close friends of yours. Acquaintances maybe. People that had helped you out on your travels every once in a while. But after all this time together, sharing intimate moments together, opening up more and more, you felt like Din needed to meet your long-time friends eventually. 

It was a sunny day when you finally arrived in Coruscant, landing with the Razor Crest. “Oh, there she is!” You exclaimed excitedly when you spotted Leia outside. The woman was carrying a smile on her lips as she watched the engines of the Razor Crest turn off one by one. “I’ve seen her before. In the holo news,” Din mumbled, fixing the position of his helmet a bit. He didn’t wear it around you that often anymore, but as soon as you entered the atmosphere of a new planet, where scans of the ship could be made, he was hiding his face again. You respected this tradition. His armour was a part of him, as was the Mandalorian way of life. 

“Of course you’ve seen her before. She’s a war hero and part of the New Republic.” A chuckle left your lips as you shouldered your bag and then climbed down the ladder from the cockpit. Grogu was already in his little floating crib, a satisfied expression on his face. You had given him some sweets earlier. “Excited to meet some friends?” You asked him with a smile and the small child angled his head slightly, a curious expression filling his gaze. 

As soon as the ramp had opened, Leia was coming towards you, her arms flying around your neck to pull you into a tight hug. “Oh, how I have missed you,” she smiled, the excitement also filling her voice. You felt at home, welcomed back into the arms of your friend. 

You didn’t hesitate to hug her back, happiness spreading into every bone of your body. As soon as you left the hug though, you reached back to grab Din’s arm gently. The cool metal of his armour felt familiar under your fingertips. 

“Leia, this is Din Djarin. A bounty hunter I’ve been travelling with and well…” You didn’t need to say more. Leia understood that Din was not only “someone” you travelled with. At least not anymore. 

You could feel Din’s nervousness through the Force. He could hide it well behind his mask and his armour sometimes, but he couldn’t betray the Force. He couldn’t trick your feelings, the connection between you two. 

“Welcome to Coruscant, Din. My husband and I are excited to finally meet you,” the Princess smiled, as welcoming as always. Leia had a presence you had never seen before with anyone else. She was friendly, encouraging and a great leader at the same time. Without her, you doubted that the Rebellion would have been able to defeat the Empire. Without her, the war might still be going at this very moment. 

“Oh, I’m glad Han is here. Haven’t seen him in a while either,” you chuckled, remembering the last times you had visited Leia. Han just wasn’t one to settle down for a long time. He needed adventure, the dangers of the galaxy, in his every day life. 

“Yeah, he’s been preparing some drinks for us all. Follow me.” Leia gestured for you and Din to follow her to their apartment. 

Din couldn’t deny that he had never been in a place as fancy as this one. Technologies he had never even heard about ran this place. The apartment was huge, the windows big enough to capture the gigantic Coruscant skyline. “You also used to live in a place like this, cyar’ika?” He whispered, bending down a bit to make sure no one else heard. “No, but I’ve spent some time here. With the princess,” you explained, a chuckle leaving your lips again. You had never experienced the luxury of really living in a place like this, but your friends had often enough let you get a glimpse of it. 

Han Solo, the infamous pilot and smuggler, greeted you in the living room area. It was spacious, with a long couch and drinks ready on the glass table. You greeted him with a hug as well, feeling his hands rub your back in a brotherly gesture. “Been a while,” the pilot grinned and then took a step back to look at you. “No major injuries. Everything’s going well, then? And who is this guest of yours?” He asked, not hiding his curiosity. Not that he had ever been able to hide it. 

“That’s my partner. Din Djarin,” you replied. A smile spread over your lips. He was your partner. Hopefully for more years to come. 

“You look like you could play an entertaining game of sabacc, my friend,” Han grinned, offering Din his hand. 

The Mandalorian tensed up a bit, before he eventually shook Han’s hand. “You could say that.” You had seen Din play sabacc a handful of times. He was good at it. Especially since no one was able to read his expressions usually. You had only played against him once, but had failed miserably.

“Then let’s go.” Han had a wide grin in his face as he lead Din over to the kitchen table. The pilot grabbed a deck of sabacc cards from a cupboard in the kitchen, eventually laying down the cards. You positioned yourself behind Din, putting your hands on his shoulders. “Good luck,” you whispered, fingers brushing over the scarf around his neck. You wished you could give him a kiss as a good luck charm. But maybe he could have one as a reward later. 

The game eventually started. Han’s expression immediately changed. The grin was gone, instead he was furrowing his eyebrows as he concentrated fully on the cards in front of him. Din’s shoulders tensed up under your grip as he studied his own cards. You could feel the tension between he two players growing continuously. 

Glances were exchanged, in hopes of trying to read the other’s mind. Could they maybe have better cards? “I know I’ve won,” Han said, confidently. It was probably a part of his strategy, trying to make Din slip up and maybe draw more cards that could possibly be a disadvantage. 

“Do you?” Din asked in return, leaning forward a bit. “I think you’re trying to fool me, smuggler.” The tension was rising between them, your hands getting a tighter grip on your partner’s shoulders. 

Leia was already making a step forward to maybe interfere with this game before it could get out of hand. But Han motioned for her to stand back, for now.

“And I think you’re trying to look tough with those cards on your hands.” Han’s mouth formed into yet another grin as he leaned forward as well. Din’s heartbeat rose, a sign of his growing ambition to win this game. Had it been a good idea to let these two play a card game together?

“Just like you’re trying to look tough by switching up your cards with the ones in your sleeve.” 

You raised your eyebrows at the pilot in the seat across from you. Han’s cheeks turned a deep shade of red. “You-” he started, but an angry stare from his fiancé was enough. 

“How?” 

It was all Han asked after that. He wasn’t embarrassed about his attempt at cheating, they didn’t actually play for money, but his ego was still a bit hurt. The Mandalorian was the first person to look past his tricks.

“Let’s just say I’ve got an eye for that,” Din shrugged confidently, slowly getting up again. “Maybe you should try to act less confident next time. It’s kind of like carrying a sign that says ‘I cheat’ around everywhere you go.”

Han let out another chuckle, clearly amused but also impressed by how well Din had been able to identify his tricks. 

“Well done. A drink?” Han suggested, handing out the drinks he had already made earlier. Din wasn’t able to drink it now of course, but he would gladly do it when they were in their own room – the guest room. 

Din was slowly removing his armour, eventually placing his helmet down on the windowsill in your room. He let a hand run through his messy curls before facing you with a smile. “I was surprised your friend took that loss so well,” he chuckled, sitting down on the edge of the bed. 

“Me too. He’s usually quite bad at that. But… how did you know he was cheating?” You had been watching Han closely as well, but you had no idea what he had done with the cards. 

You walked over to the Mandalorian as he parted his legs for you to stand between them. His hands found your hips, giving them a small squeeze before he tilted his head further up, his brown eyes searching for yours. “I didn’t. I just figured he would. Seemed to confident,” he explained and an amused smile appeared on his face.

Din knew people like Han too well not to notice something might be wrong. Even if there was no real evidence at first.

You were impressed, truly. But you still had a question left. “How did you know about the sleeve then?”

“Common smuggler trick. I can show it to you if you want,” he shrugged, placing a soft kiss on your chin. “Even though I doubt I can pull it off. I’m not a smuggler after all.”

“No, you definitely aren’t,” you chuckled, hands finding their way into his curls. “You’re something a lot better. You’re mine.”

Then you kissed the Mandalorian, passionetely.

Maybe also as a reward for his sabacc win.

[ahthefreedomofbeingbacteria]

Random SWTCW idea

In the episode The Deserter I honestly don't know what Obi-Wan is doing there. The conflict between him and Grievous is really static in this ep and really only serves to get Rex injured + justify the appearance of the droids that invade Cut's home. Rex's dynamic with Cut is interesting, and his view into what life could be like if he chose to leave his forced position as a soldier + captain in the republic is a cool question that I wish came up more in his story as a whole. But the Obi-Wan + Grievous side plot is boring as hell and doesn't contribute anything to the ep tbh.

Which is why I think it would have been much cooler if Obi-Wan had also gotten injured (either on planet or in the previous episode) and the focus of the episode was on Cody taking command of the 212th and hunting down Grievous. Largely i think it would be cool to see how Cody would operate sans Jedi, what his strategies are like compared to Obi-Wan's or Rex's, what his relationship with his men is like, etc.

I also think it would be a good opportunity for Cody to get a win after Geonosis. Obviously in show he doesn't really express any feelings of doubt after that arc but realistically his ground invasion was the one that suffered the most because of circumstances largely outside his ability to control, and he lost a lot of men because of that. This episode could have him repeat that kind of thing with Obi-Wan and Rex being out of commission, no idea where Grievous is and seemingly little information available about the planet. But throughout the episode he could come face to face with that past failure and regain confidence in his skills as a leader and commander.

Also I think Cody should get to fight Grievous in a lightsaber battle and beat his ass so bad that four armed TB man needs a wholeass ship to make it out alive. Idk maybe after Geonosis him and Obi-Wan were like "hmm maybe we should have a backup plan if our only laser sword wielder tm gets taken out" or maybe he picks it up for the 103838029183 time and just goes fuck it. Either way lightsaber wielding Cody supremacy

[advertingpizza]

What’s the lore behind Sykobe & Waves? I must know all there is to know about them :0

i had a whole draft i was working on throughout the day and lost it in the last 5 minutes of finishing a heated wii sports golf match 🤠

i've had a few asks for sykobe so i'll just use this as a single reply. you ask, i deliver. context, a lot of togruta society is a headcanon that i can explain in a later post.

also i love answering stuff like this!! i could talk about by boys all day long

cw for bad parenting and non graphic limb amputation

Sykobe Eyros is a 24 year old bounty hunter hailing from the Togruta clan Rivalke based on the abyssal planet Yxoha. Born to clan lead and force sensitive parents Sycante and Nalake, Sykobe and his older sister Neyti were both brought into the Jedi Order at a young age. Due to their unique background, both siblings had experience being involved in their cultural traditions, making them potential competitors for the throne. Sykobe's father, Sycante, constantly saw this as a threat to his leadership and actively sought to get both of his children dispelled from the Order by ensuring their training was ruthless and impractical.

While Sykobe survived far into his Padawan years , his sister succumbed to an unfortunate spinal injury after being ambushed by an alleged Sith. Sykobe always knew that his father ultimately played some role in what had happened with his sister, yet there was nothing he could do to prove involvement to the Order. Shortly after this time, Sykobe was left to complete his trials for knighthood, in which he was left in charge of the 307th Special Operations legion under the command of Alpaha-40, better known as Waves. With the aid of his newfound unit, he successfully completed his Jedi trials after running a successful rescue operation to save his master, Ezo Rizi. During this specific mission, Sykobe unknowingly tanked a blaster shot straight to his chest that penetrated his armor, leaving him with permanent damage to his heart. Thanks to the quick decision of Captain Waves to board another Jedi's Venator without permission, Sykobe was gotten into a bacta tank to heal a majority of his wounds.

Later into the Clone Wars, Sykobe was once again cleared for duty, relying on the use of a modified BD unit to administer a special medication that allowed him to remain in the field without risking death from his prior injury. He was quick to reunite with his legion, of which he began to treat like family. During this time, Sykobe's loyalty to the Republic began to falter as he uncovered a corrupt plot between his father and a Sith scientist, but no amount of hunting could get him the proof he needed. Instead of breaking his back to save a government that refused to protect him, Sykobe decided to expend his time by protecting each member of his legion. It was during this time that he unexpectedly began to foster a relationship with clone captain Waves after a shared recovery process following an orbital bombardment gone wrong. This was also around the time Sykobe and Waves decided to adopt two abandoned Togrutan children, Paka and Loha, as Sykobe was sworn to protected them under his clan's tradition.

Time was not in Sykobe's favor. Only a few months after settling into a position on the outer rim to avoid any run-ins with his father's fleet, Sykobe and the 307th were dispatched to locate 3 missing Destroyers. 2 of the 3 were presumed lost in deep space, whereas the 3rd orbited a small rocky planet far from charted space. In a freak accident where the group uncovered a very early prototype of the later Project I71A, Sykobe was overrun by infected reanimated corpses while evacuating his legion. He and his small squad were able to escape, although Sykobe sustained a mortal wound to his right leg. Not wanting to lose the only general that ever cared about them, Waves, as well as the other clones belonging to the small team, unanimously agreed to amputating Sykobe's leg to save his life. Trace amounts of the virus remained in his blood, yet it was not enough to severely inhibit his day to day life.

The remainder of the Clone Wars was quick. A final encounter between Sykobe and his father Sycante resulted in a duel to the death. With Sykobe's loyalty to the Republic already faltering, as well as his horrible lived experiences at the hands of his father, he did not hold back as the two initially dueled for leadership of the clan. Unfortunately, Sykobe had been blindsided by a second lightsaber wielded by his father that slashed across his stomach. Standing before the entirely of his legion, Sykobe was pushed off a cliff into a bottomless ravine as his father stood tall, claiming the victory for killing his only son. Months later, Order 66 rolled around. Despite Waves and the other Alpha-class troopers in the 307th being completely resistant to the order, all 4 of them at the time very religiously ambushed Sycante, executing him in cold blood for what they considered to be the only acceptable revenge.

Alpha-class ARC Trooper A-40, known as Waves by his brothers, is a special operations captain within the 307th legion. Born in the very beginning round of clones far before the creation of his quicker aging Beta brothers, Waves had the luxury of being trained by Jango Fett and the Mandalorians as many of the Alphas had been. Being unaltered, he and the rest of his batch, consisting of Alphas 41, 42, 43, 44, and 45, appropriately dubbed the 40 squad, all specialized in performing high stakes operations as well as injecting in multiple combat scenarios in order to turn the tides of the war.

Like many of his Beta counterparts, his first significant battle was upon Geonosis, where he very quickly learned that no matter how good he and his brothers were trained, many of the normal clones were painfully inexperienced and unfortunately, even if he tried, he could not save them all. This very quickly led to his distain for the Jedi Order, as he happened to have striking amounts of independence and self awareness when it came to the overarching reality of his purpose.

After serving his purpose as a special operations leader for many months, he and the legion he had led were eventually appointed a Jedi General. At first, hearing about the news that there would be a Padawan, he and the rest of the 40 squad were all appalled, seeing as a literal child on the battlefield would be no better than his undertrained brothers. Though his concerns held very real truth, he found that as a means of keeping his small team of Alpha troopers and the normal troopers they had adopted along the way together, the only option was to accept being under a general or else they would all be effectively disbanded and reassigned. This led to Waves working as a captain under Pantoran Jedi General Ezo Rizi, alongside his wild and disobedient Togrutan Padawan Sykobe Eyros.

In his first mission alongside his new general to apprehend a shapeshifting criminal responsible for stealing a holocron, Waves ended up getting tackled off a hill and stuck in an underground Separatist bunker after Sykobe unknowingly took a blaster shot that would've otherwise taken his life. Even though the Padawan was injured, the two were able to escape the bunker through a cavern encasing it by relying on Sykobe's echolocation. The two shared a brotherly bonding moment on the field shortly after escaping once Sykobe quite literally saved Waves from being eaten alive by the shapeshifter. Later finding out about the grave injury the Padawan had sustained, Waves slowly began to form a protective bond with the Togruta that put everything on the line for him, a feature he had not once observed in any other Jedi.

By now, Waves and Sykobe had become a relatively formidable force, as the young Jedi ascended to knighthood and inherited control of the legion. Almost every day, Waves and Sykobe spent hours training drill after drill, as they both shared the same passion for protecting the clones that served alongside them. Many battles later, the 307th found their way onto Kavado in a large offshoot conflict as a direct result of the slaves from Shili being rescued by the Republic. Waves and the 40 squad, as well as their adopted members ARC troopers Loch and Boulder, as well as a squad medic dubbed Tide, were assigned to evacuating a base while Sykobe investigated a trail of explosives that was far too coherent to have been planned out by a droid.

Unfortunately, Waves lost one of his own, Alpha-45, better known as Mesa, after he self sacrificed to save the rest of the squad from getting stuck in a collapsing building. Alpha-43, nicknamed Click, took a shot to the thigh while the baby of the squad Tide dropped limp after taking a shot to his helmet. Suffering heavy losses, Waves called in a desperate request for Republic backup after realizing that they had been sent straight into an ambush. All the while, Sykobe uncovered a Sith masterminding the attack and engaged him in a duel, catching the attention of the incoming fleet commanded by Jedi Master Sycante Eyros, a feared and dangerous force when it came to clone standards.

Instead of receiving the backup they had requested, a nearly impossible evacuation notice came as the Jedi Master's fleet prepared for an orbital bombardment on the entire outpost, an act that would cost an unfathomable loss of life. Waves attempted to detest the decision, as not only were many clone lives at risk for the possibility of killing one Sith, but a Jedi was in the middle of it all. Yet, the Jedi Master from above refused to withdraw his order for the sake of exterminating the Sith, although it became increasingly obvious that his only real purpose was trying to make the death of his son seem like an accident.

Although he ended up caught in the middle of an intense cultural drama between leading father and challenging son, Waves was lucky to escape the ordeal with his life. After running into the field to help escort his wounded brothers to safety, he got caught in the heart of the bombardment. His armor saved his life long enough for Sykobe to find him after the battle, in which the young Jedi used what he could of the force to stabilize the captain. During this shared moment as the two of them sat alone in the battlefield, it seemed that a deeper passion than just friendship fueled Sykobe's motives as he restlessly tended to Waves' wounds. Though Waves hadn't ever really had the luxury of being in love, he knew almost instantly after rousing from his state of unconsciousness that something about the Jedi lingering over him was far too important to ignore.

The first kiss was extremely out of the blue as Waves and Sykobe thought they both lost each other. Time only began to fly after that. It took a few more weeks, but after a rescue mission to save more Togrutas that had been taken into slavery and rescuing to Clan Rivalke children, Waves and Sykobe both came to realize their feelings for each other. Behind closed doors, the two would fantasize about a life after the war, thinking about all of the possibilities when it came to raising their family far, far away. Sykobe always spoke about a planet deep in an abyss that he grew up on, yet the idea always seemed horribly farfetched. Alas, it was a fun thought that always kept the two entertained as they survived day by day in the corrupt Republic. It was an honor at one point, as Waves had been trusted enough by Sykobe to be made an honorary member of his clan, allowing the two to become a pair mated for life by Togrutan tradition.

Losing Sykobe to his vicious father was the turning point that left Waves' heart shattered. Left with the two children and his squad to protect, Waves was on a quest for blood the moment Order 66 hit. While he had the independence to resist it, he sought retribution for what had happened to his fallen lover. Being trained in just about any scenario possible, there was no escape for Sycante as Waves and the 40 squad passionately hunted him down, ending his life with a blaster shot to the back of his montrals. Within hours, Waves and his entire squad defected, leaving for the promised safe haven Sykobe had always gone on about years in the past.

Two years passed since the loss of Sykobe. Waves had settled down in a small village on Yxoha with his small squad of clones, as well as Pantoran Jedi Jaira Rizi, who had come to trust Waves following the loss of her husband Ezo, who had formerly commanded Waves' legion. The two had come to share a soft love for each other, as they had both lost a lifelong partner to the war. Being together was healing, yet it could not replace the pain of losing the Togruta he had quite literally paired to for life. Yet, through some strange combination of luck and hopefulness, in the middle of the night, Sykobe simply showed up. Nobody really ever knew how, or why, but he was there again, and that was all Waves needed.

[antianakin]

I wanna know what your thoughts on the Jedi of the High Republic Era are, cause I’ve been scrolling your Pro Jedi tag (all your opinions are so real btw) and while the Jedi orders painted in a positive light in the PT (not that some people have the media literacy to understand that), THR explores the perspectives of Jedi of all ranks more than the films were able to, as well as seeing how everyday civilians interact with them

My experience of High Republic has been immensely limited because I've only read the three adult novels in Phase 1 (Light of the Jedi, The Rising Storm, and The Fallen Star) and nothing else, so please know that the opinions I express here are based on a very small sample of High Republic content. It's possible I'd like some of the other stuff if I tried it, but I got a little discouraged by The Fallen Star and so I haven't really gone back to it.

So my very first opinion here is that I appreciated that there's a lot of evidence of the Jedi and the Republic's government working together on issues. There's not as much of the separation we see grow with Palpatine in charge during the Prequels and there's a level of respect between the two groups as they work to deal with the problem of the Nihil. There's a lot of commentary from fans about the relationship we see between the Jedi and the Republic during the Prequels and about whether the Jedi should've been more or less involved in politics and whether the relationship was one that did them any good or if it was always a bad idea, and so I really loved the way that Light of the Jedi in particular showcased this relationship as a very positive one right from the jump.

I didn't necessarily HATE any of the Jedi characters, but there were only two that I had strong positive feelings towards and the others I was primarily neutral about. The two I liked the most were Regald Cole (gone too soon) and Bell Zettifar. I thought Regald was ADORABLE and I personally found him really funny, anyone who told him he had a bad sense of humor were just wrong. Bell is really sweet and it seems difficult NOT to feel for him, especially when the various authors seem to just delight in giving him like two to three new traumas in each successive novel. He just doesn't get a break. I loved that he got a service dog, his relationship with Ember is awesome and I think more Jedi should have pets or animal companions of some kind, it's sadly underutilized.

Elzar Mann was fine, I appreciated the exploration of someone who was struggling with darkness but hadn't really lost himself to it completely, that's something I think we've not seen a lot of in Star Wars high canon. I'm less into the romance of it all he has with Avar, I just don't care. Part of that might be because Avar is rarely around and so we don't get a real idea of what their dynamic is in order for me to root for them or feel bad for them, part of it might be that I'm just feeling oversaturated on romance narratives in general, and part of it might be that I just am leery of romance narratives for Jedi specifically.

Stellan Gios was my biggest disappointment. I'd heard he was basically a High Republic Obi-Wan in a lot of ways, and I love Obi-Wan quite a lot, so I'd expected to enjoy Stellan and then... didn't. While you CAN view Stellan's narrative as about struggles specific to him and nothing else, I personally felt like his narrative was meant to be viewed as something of a metaphor about the Jedi Council and the Order itself beginning to lose its way and stray from what it means to be a Jedi. Stellan spends a lot of his time feeling lost and distant from the people he cares about and then a lot of time in The Fallen Star is spent on emphasizing the difference between him and Orla Jareni which seems to lean in the direction that Orla's way of being a Jedi (Wayseekers, who are basically just defined as Jedi who don't answer to the Jedi Council and apparently just do whatever they want wherever and whenever they want, which really just lands them in the category of being a Gray Jedi by another name) is the far superior way of doing things than Stellan's. Stellan also expresses a jealousy over Avar and Elzar's relationship specifically because they have romantic feelings for each other which I guess makes it stronger or something. And then he seemingly dies at the end of that book and if that sticks then it's a really unsatisfying end to the character and if it doesn't, then I'm convinced Stellan is at the beginning of a really Jedi critical storyline that I am so uninterested in that it hurts.

As you can clearly tell from the last paragraph, I'm not a fan of Orla Jareni or the Wayseekers. I don't like what they represent and the way they're being used to send certain messages about the Jedi, specifically about the Prequels Jedi.

As much as I adore Bell as a character, I wasn't a big fan of the idea that he was ready to be knighted at 18 years old. Even if we assume he was chosen earlier, like around 11-13, that still means that he got 7 years of training AT MOST, which is three years LESS and a year younger than Anakin, who is supposed to be a prodigy. I personally believe that Anakin's record of 10 years should be the minimum a Jedi Padawan could possibly take to become a Knight if they become a Padawan that early. Obi-Wan himself takes 12 years when he is chosen at 13. I would only accept a 7 year apprenticeship for a Padawan who was chosen at the more normal age of like 16-18. Bell doesn't seem to be indicated to be a prodigy of any kind, so I find it weird and unrealistic that he would somehow be ready to be a Knight at the age of 18 (which is arguably closer to the age he should've been CHOSEN, not the age at which he should be getting KNIGHTED). This to me seems like it's just trying to associate becoming a Knight with reaching adulthood, which isn't quite how it works. Even outside of Star Wars, that's not how apprenticeships ever work. It doesn't help that Bell seems so far from being ready to be a Knight when this poor kid can't even jump from a tall height yet, which appears to be a pretty basic skill for Jedi to learn. He needs like 3-5 more years of apprenticeship at minimum.

I don't know if I can really talk about my opinions on "everyday civilian interactions" with HR Jedi given that the three books I have read primarily focus on large scale crises and catastrophes the Jedi are dealing with and so there's relatively little of that. I don't remember having a ton of strong opinions on it, so I assume it was probably fine and not like notably off or memorably excellent. There's just enough respect for Jedi for most civilians to listen to them in a crisis but when things go wrong, those same civilians often lose faith pretty quickly, which is a pretty common theme in Star Wars in general, even in more Jedi positive content.

So TL;DR I think the first two adult novels are quite Jedi positive and I did enjoy them, but I found Stellan's narrative a little grating and by the third book it seemed to get more overtly Jedi critical and that put me off of reading more within the High Republic universe.

[radiosummons]

It's been so long since I’ve watched the Clone Wars movie that I completely forgot that a major plot point is that Anakin (also Ahsoka, but mostly Anakin) was tasked with keeping Jabba the Hutt's son, Rotta, safe/alive.

And like ... wow, that's actually super fucked up. Like S-tier levels of fucked up. Congratulations. The writers really did put Anakin in a situation where he had no choice but to actually protect the child of a being who was directly responsible for his family’s suffering (as well as that of everyone on Tattooine, but this is Anakin-we all know he only cares about his special circle of people more than he ever will the “greater whole”). 

And Anakin’s immediate disgust, while confusing and probably even downright unfathomable to Ahsoka in the moment, is so absolutely justified. He knows that Rotta is going to live and grow into an adult that basks in absolute luxury at the expense of slaves. 

You just have to know that it absolutely infuriates him that his duty as a Jedi and, by extension, citizen of the Republic has put him into this position. He can’t even object to his responsibility to carry out this mission (although he initially tries). 

Now, obviously, I’m not saying Anakin should have abandoned Rotta, refused to protect him, or force forbid actually tried to harm/kill him (though, I could totally believe Anakin had a brief moment where he might have even seriously considered or fantasized about doing any of those). Regardless of how unjust and fucked up it is that Rotta is going to continue to benefit from his father/the Hutt Clans’ brutal supremacy, he’s still, well ... a child.

And no Jedi would willingly ever bring harm to a child, right? *cough cough*

I can only wonder what was going through Anakin’s head as he watched this random ignorant padawan he only just met an hour ago pick up Rotta and then proceed to call him “cute.” Like ... can you even imagine the sheer amount of conflicted emotions he must have experienced in that moment? 

And the fact that Palpatine directly orchestrated all this whole other level of sick fucking shit just to force Anakin specifically into this kind of fucked up situation ... bruh. Mister Sidious just couldn’t resist an opportunity to bring even more pain and suffering into Anakin’s life, especially when it had the added benefit of sowing more discontentment/doubt into his already shaky relationship with his own personal morals as well as his relationship with the Jedi Code. 

Fuck, what an actual maniacle bullshit fucked up thing to do. Creating a situation where Anakin has no choice but to actively protect an innocent life (a noble and moral thing to do), but with the full knowledge that this innocent being will only later grow to contribute to the cycle of abuse and trauma that he himself has been scarred by (and has already committed great atrocities in direct response to) ... brilliant.

Sith Lord in fucking deed.

(Also, don’t let this post fool you into rewatching the movie. There’s small gem moments in it, sure. Meeting Ahsoka, Captain Rex and Ventress for the first time are some highlights, of course. And maybe a few other mini moments between Anakin and Ahsoka as they start to sorta bond. But like ... you can just find some Youtube compilations of those moments. Don’t force yourself to watch the movie. It’s not horrible, but it’s definitely not up to the quality of the show and uh, yeah. Not worth your time imo).

Update: Sorry for reposting this again. Grammar mistakes and typos were driving me insane.

[ospreyeamon]

RotS deleted scenes: trust and paranoia

Rewatching Padmé and the Delegation of Two Thousand’s deleted scenes from Revenge of the Sith has illuminated a couple of parallels between Padmé and Anakin’s relationships with Palpatine, and the Jedi Order and Republic Senate’s mutual mistrust.

“I can’t believe it has come to this. Chancellor Palpatine is one of my oldest advisors. He served as my ambassador when I was queen.” Padmé Amidala “Senator, I fear you underestimate the amount of corruption that has taken hold in the Senate.” Giddean Dani

Padmé is far more friendly towards Palpatine than I had remembered her as being. Even this late in the game, she really doesn’t want to believe the worst of him. She doesn’t want to believe Palpatine will need to be forced to do the right thing – that he is a bad actor, rather than a well-intended person making mistakes.

Padmé was probably introduced to Palpatine during her time in the Youth Legislature – before she was elected Princess of Theed at nine – so she first met Palpatine at a similarly young age to Anakin. They have both known Palpatine more than half their lives. He was one of the few people Padmé and Anakin already knew on Coruscant when they moved there. Padmé left her family behind on Naboo when she became Senator and, as he had served in her position for many years before her, Palpatine would have been a natural person for her to look to for guidance. To become, if not a political father-figure, then at least a surrogate uncle.

So, the way Padmé relates to Palpatine probably has similarities to the way Anakin relates to him. A reliable fixture of their lives. Not someone they meet every day or every week – more like every month or three – but someone who will reach out if they haven’t met up in a while to invite them out with him. Someone who always stops to greet them and have a little chat if they run into each other unexpectedly. Someone who openly expresses how fond of them he is; someone who doesn’t hide that he worries about their wellbeing. It’s Palpatine who successfully persuades Padmé to go into hiding after the assassination attempts against her in Attack of the Clones by making a personal appeal rooted in his affection for her.

Both Padmé and Anakin’s initial reaction to discovering Palpatine’s duplicity is to turn on him. The first thing Anakin does after Palpatine reveals himself as the Sith Master – reveals himself as having deliberately orchestrated the Clone Wars – is run to the Jedi Council and tell Mace Windu. After Order 66, when Palpatine makes his proclamation of empire, Padmé realises that anyone in the Senate to vote against it will be the next to be purged saving future rebel leaders like Bail Organa and Mon Mothma.

Padmé and Anakin’s revelation that turns them against Palpatine is that the person they believed was their friend was a mask who never really existed at all. That it was all a lie, that they were played right from the beginning. It’s only after Padmé is dead and Anakin has lost everything that his loyalty reattaches itself to Palpatine, now Anakin’s sole close relationship.

“I know a Jedi that I feel we should consult.” Padmé Amidala “That would be dangerous.” Bana Breemu “We don’t know how the Jedi fit in to all this.” Mon Mothma “I only wish to discuss this with one – one I trust.” Padmé Amidala “Going against the Chancellor without the support of the Jedi is risky.” Giddean Dani “The Jedi are not any happier with this situation than we are.” Padmé Amidala “Patience, Senator.” Chi Eekway Papanoida “We have so many Senators on our side, surely that will persuade the Chancellor.” Fang Zar “When we present the Petition of the Two Thousand to the Chancellor, things may change.” Bana Breemu “Well then, let us see what we can accomplish in the Senate before we include the Jedi.” Bail Organa

This snippet of conversation between the leaders of the Delegation of Two Thousand mirrors the scene with the Jedi Council discussing what to do about Palpatine. Giddean Dani’s line about the danger of going against Palpatine without the support of the Jedi is one I find particularly telling, especially coming after Bana Breemu’s and Mon Mothma’s. There are two reasons why it would be risky to make a play against Palpatine without gouging the support of the Jedi Order. One is the risk that the Delegation might not have sufficient clout to successfully pressure Palpatine without the Order’s additional support. The other is the risk that the Order might side with Palpatine.

While Palpatine’s relationship with the Jedi Council chills considerably between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, in Attack of the Clones it is very cosy. Palpatine regularly inviting the Jedi Council into his offices to confer with them and ask for their advice; Palpatine giving the command of the Grand Army of the Republic to the Jedi Order; Palpatine publicly defending the Jedi against rumours circulating about them (in a way that adds fuel to those rumours). One reason Palpatine does these things is to persuade the Jedi Council that he trusts them; believing that somebody trusts you makes you more likely to think they are trustworthy in turn. Another reason is to cement the image of the Jedi Order as a bastion of his support.

It works. The Delegation of Two Thousand keeps their plans secret from the Jedi because they aren’t sure that the Jedi aren’t Palpatine’s trusting followers, who will report their intentions to him rather than support the Delegation’s attempt to shame him out of power. The Jedi Council mistrusts the Senate which they perceive as being under Palpatine’s thumb and make no effort to test those waters for potential allies against him. Notable Senators in the Delegation are members of the Chancellor's Loyalist Committee – he has played the same trick with them. Palpatine keeps his enemies divided and divided they fail.

Even Anakin and Padmé being married to each other isn’t enough to break the barrier of mistrust, and they aren’t the only Jedi-Senator pair keeping secrets. Obi-Wan Kenobi and Bail Organa may be friends, but we never see them even consider reaching out to each other. Maybe Bail suggested it offscreen and was, like Padmé, talked down. Maybe Bail was genuinely unsure where Obi-Wan’s political loyalties lay; his old Padawan and best-friend sees no problems with Palpatine becoming Supreme Chancellor For Life. Maybe Obi-Wan departed for Utapau before Bail considered approaching him.

The smog of paranoia weighing over Coruscant is so thick it effects relationships between characters of the same faction. “If what you've told me is true, you will have gained my trust” is an odd line because it is said by Mace right as he is embarking on a course of action that demonstrates considerable faith in Anakin. You don’t burst into your head of state’s office to arrest him on the word of one guy if you don’t trust that one guy’s word. But I don’t think Mace implying that he doesn’t trust Anakin while making a choice which shows that he does trust Anakin is a writing mistake; I think it is a symptom of the suspicious mindset that has suffused through the cast.

[rebelsofshield]

Star Wars Ahsoka: "Time to Fly" - Review

Ahsoka and Sabine begin their mission and the series starts to find its footing in an improved, if not great, third chapter.

As Hera Syndulla reaches out to New Republic leadership for help, Ahsoka and Sabine set out for the mysterious world of Seatos. However, they find much more than they expected upon arrival.

Finally, things are starting to come into shape. "Time to Fly" doesn't exactly solve the many issues that plagued Ahsoka's two part premiere, but it takes some decent strides towards getting back on course. Despite it's remarkably short runtime, Dave Filoni manages to accomplish a decent amount in "Time to Fly" delivering some much needed exposition and character study and an entertainingly unique action sequence.

While it may be a strange thing to be thankful for, I'm very glad that such a large portion of this chapter is spent simply letting Ahsoka, Sabine, and Huyang interact with one another. Sure, Rosario Dawson's Ahsoka is still too detached and mysterious to make much of, but we are finally starting to understand the ins and outs of her mentoring of Sabine Wren. Unlike the premiere where both women were defined mostly by quiet frustration, we begin to see a more fruitful, fluid, and dynamic relationship between both characters here. Ahsoka wonders aloud if she's a quitter and too eager to abandon her callings. Sabine struggles to live up to the steep expectations that come with being a Jedi. We are still missing the origins of this dynamic and Ahsoka's rationale for wanting to change a non-Force Sensitive in the Jedi arts to begin with, but "Time to Fly" at least lets us understand a bit more why this is a dynamic worth following. And even if Dawson's performance is still failing to land, Bordizzo seems to be settling into Sabine while creating her own spin on the character.

There's also some welcome clarification on the state of the larger galaxy in "Time to Fly" as Hera Syndulla approaches members of the New Republic with concerns about Grand Admiral Thrawn's return. Intentionally or not, Ahsoka seems to put the audience in the position of the skeptic here. While Hera is one of the show's heroines and a beloved character to franchise fans, viewers who are new to all of this have no context as to why they should care about Thrawn's return or about Hera's desire to rescue Ezra Bridger. We may understand that Hera wants this, but viewers haven't exactly been given reason to stand by her side during her debate with Mon Mothma and Kazuda Xiono's asshole dad. It's a bizarre moment of narrative dissonance and if intentional, could be an interesting move in the long run. I'm not inclined to give that level of credit, but it still makes for an interesting sequence

Also Jacen is here. He still has green hair. He looks a little less like a horrific mash up of a Rugrats character and a head of broccoli.

The highlight of "Time to Fly" is undoubtedly the extended dogfight that takes place above and in the skies of Seatos. The initial reveal of an ornate and massive hyperspace ring is a fun spin on Star Wars' forever fascination with big secret space objects and I like that for a change it isn't a superweapon. And the dogfight that follows is fun Star Wars spectacle. It may be lacking in any form of true narrative tension, but the execution by director Steph Green and the production team is pretty damn fun. I mean, Ahsoka gets in a space suit and slices at any enemy ships in zero gravity. It's the kind of Star Wars set piece that many fans have dreamed about for years and the results are filled with all of the whirring laserswords and sliced up starfighters that you'd hope for.

And then, "Time to Fly" just kind of stops. Given the episode's short runtime it doesn't really make sense why Dave Filoni didn't write more of a coherent third act to this chapter. It speaks to the clunky serialization of Mandoverse shows that want to be episodic without the actual storytelling chops to do so.

All in all, "Time to Fly" feels remarkably more competent than its predecessors. Sure, this is faint praise, but I do want to see this show succeed. There's some genuine joy and creativity bubbling beneath the surface in Ahsoka and I want to see it break free. Hopefully this is a sign of good things to come.

Score: B