#and cameos by lando and boba

[terriblygrimm]

so when is disney gonna make a luke, han and leia show with graham hamilton and alden ehrenreich. huh? when??? WHEN??????? it’s literally all people want. it’s a golden ticket. it’s a home run. guaranteed success. hole in one. like. why is disney so fucking stupid.

[shrinkthisviolet]

talk shop tuesday - I know Lucy's obviously going to have a main role in the films, but will you be having her appear in any of the spin-offs shows/novels? If not, what led to that decision?

This is admittedly TBD, largely because I have to actually catch up on the spin-off books 😅 I do plan on sorta adapting the Legends Thrawn trilogy, since I want to introduce Mara, so yes to that (although how much Lucy will be in it is TBD until I actually read it in full 😅)

I doubt she’ll appear on the Mandalorian in a major way, possibly just a small cameo at most. Possibly in Book of Boba Fett if the timeline lines up…? I don’t exactly feel like watching that again, but Lucy will probably be on Tatooine post-OT for a bit, so maybe a few minor encounters.

Ooh actually I definitely know she’ll appear majorly in Last Shot, protecting Lando from attempts on his life—after all, what better person than a Jedi to help in protection from assassination attempts? Just ask Anakin and Padmé! It’ll be so fun 💞 and a nice opportunity to write more of Lando & Han’s friendship* and explore the underrated Lucy & Han and Lucy & Lando dynamics, the latter of which I’m very excited to write (especially in ESB, when they meet 🥰)

(*tangentially relevant: Lando and Han are the same age in this AU, like in Legends, and like they were before the TROS art book came out. Lando isn’t 10 years older for some weird reason)

talk shop tuesday!

Taglist (send an ask or DM to be added or removed):

@arrthurpendragon @ocappreciationtag @raith-way @vexic929 @ironverseocs @thechaoticfanartist @goldheartedchaoticdisaster @negative-speedforce @dream-beyond-the-fantasy @starstruckpurpledragon @angst-is-love-angst-is-life

[kuwdora]

Star Wars audiobooks! I've been restless for new Star Wars since Andor ended. Been going through a handful of Disney era and Legends novels over the last few months. I have enough reactions to get down into an actual post. Mostly I'm just going to be foaming at the mouth over Marc Thompson and Sam Witwer's narration and falling over myself about the characters. I have listened to: Dark Disciple, Last Shot, Disney Thrawn trilogy, Heir to the Empire, Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter. Lots of these books I liked, some of them I didn't but the narration and characters are still amazing. Motherfucking MARA JADE. Asajj Ventress!!!!!!!! I have no rational mind about Maul and I am one of those feral stick figures chewing on Thrawn. Hnnghh.

First of all, let me start with Marc Thompson. He's been doing the audiobooks for years and years now. Here’s a great intro where he’s talking about the differences of doing character voices and learning the importance of bringing the right dynamic to the prose. He slips so seamlessly into his Star Wars voices reel, ahaha.

Here is a really cute Lip Sync Battle where Marc Thompson will say a line and then have a fan lip sync the same line back at the camera. His energy, his energy I love it so much. Everyone is having SO MUCH FUN. There’s also a cameo by Star Wars author Christie Golden in this video. Super cute.

First book:

Dark Disciple - Christie Golden Narrated by Marc Thompson

Alright I actually had picked this up ages go from my library and never read it but since I’ve been on an audiobook kick, Marc Thompson got me goin’ with alllll his voices.

I love Asajj Ventress so I was pretty much guaranteed to enjoy something from this book. Apparently it was written based on some unfinished scripts for an arc that would have happened if the show didn’t get cancelled. Knowing this makes a lot more sense with regards to the pacing and I think I would have preferred the animated episodic for this since I think a lot of the early Quinlan and Asajj stuff dragged a little too much. However I did appreciate getting more of a deeper dive in Asajj’s head and it really made me want to go digging through AO3 for some amazing character studies that I know must exist at this point.

But yeah, I didn’t think I’d enjoy the eventual romance between Asajj and Quinlan but Quinlan was such a perfect set-up for a fall from the Jedi Order. I think I’m just really easy when it comes to whumping the fuck out of Jedi with torture and their own emotional repression.

I was really into all the Dathomir scenes and the history of Asajj with her sisters being touched upon again and how she managed to not “go crazy from the dark side” because of the balance she found because she was a Nightsister.

A++ for Asajj having to go to Boba fucking Fett to mount a rescue mission inside a fake heist.

Really I think I’m just so easy for murdery women with a rage boner. Fuck Dooku.

Marc Thompson’s narration was a delight and I definitely would recommend this for anyone who enjoyed The Clone Wars series and wanted to get a little more Asajj screen time. Here’s a scene where someone pulled Clone Wars clips and put Dark Disciple audio underneath. Marc Thompson bringing incredible Dooku subservience and Sidious danger, hhhngh.

7/10, would listen to again even though I'd rather see the finished episodes.

Last Shot (A Han and Lando Novel) - Daniel Jose Older Narrated by Marc Thompson, Daniel Jose Older and January LaVoy

This book was extremely disappointing. Normally I am a fan of seeing fan-favorites have their mid-life crises but I was extremely bored and over with Older’s take on Han having an existential crisis of who he was as a father an husband in this post-Empire world. Lando on the other hand, was having a crisis of genuinely having fallen in love and not knowing how to handle that. I fucking loved that.

This book had multiple timelines and jumped around a lot and I don’t know if I just wasn’t focused enough while listening but the timeline jumps were jarring and incomprehensible at times. The action plot ended up being rather unsatisfying.

It was also very jarring to have three narrators for the different timelines and I kind of feel bad because I went and looked and Older’s narration is just consistently getting panned across all reviewers—and for good reason. Thompson and LaVoy are experienced voice actors and with Older in the middle, Older just seems slapdash in his reading. If it was just Older all the way through I might have been more forgiving but going back and forth with everyone… it really was painful at times.

It was a slog to get through this book, really. What I actually really enjoyed was all the original characters: an Ewok slicer, a nonbinary hot shot pilot, and Lando’s love of his life whose name is slipping my mind even now, agh. I wasn’t fan of the villain character, unfortunately, and it was a bit of a letdown that the action plot was just… I don’t know, boring. It was a riff on transhumanism except with droids and a bit of droid supremacy to it and I was just... tired by it.

Marc Thompson was KILLING it tho. His performances always fucking delight me. January LaVoy’s narration of Lando and L-3 were also really great even though I just wasn’t into the scenes themselves.

3/10 - do not recommend, HOWEVER I would read fic about the lady ewok hacker Peekpa.

Darth Maul: Shadow hunter By Michael Reeves Narrated by SAM WITWER

I am, as the fannish parlance goes, Not Normal about Maul or Sam Witwer's performance as Maul.

This novel takes place just before the events of The Phantom Menace and it’s a Star Wars story that is very, very narrow in scope. The stakes are still very high because someone has gained information about the Trade Federation’s impending blockade and Sidious sends Maul to go and take care of it. The whole story takes place in the underbelly of Coruscant and I gotta say, it’s really refreshing after going through a bunch of Star Wars shows, books and films where it’s all galactic hopping whirlwind stuff to have that's in one place and happening in a short amount of time. I think it's something like 2 or 3 days that all the events happen.

Michael Reeves is a man of deep characterization and creates an amazing sense of place in the Black Sun alley of Corusant. We get very little Sidious and Maul interaction but what bits we do get are fascinating and haunting. I do like the ‘less is more’ approach here with these two...although I will say I’m not sure I would have picked up this book if I hadn’t gone through The Clone Wars and lost my goddamn mind over Sam Witwer’s portrayal of Maul.

And his performance here. In this book. I don’t know what it is about Witwer but when he does Maul my brain just lights up in a way that I haven’t really gotten outside of live theater performances. He brings this sense of ruthlessness and competence to Maul, his gleeful rage and oscillating mania as he ends up tracking an information broker and Jedi Padawan. Oh, Witwer is truly just. Fucking amazing, okay.

I would love this book even if it wasn’t Witwer narrating it but my god he elevates it to a whole new level. I got my copy from the library but it is immediately on my to-buy list once I can buy books again.

Michael Reeves also wrote for Batman the Animated series and Gargoyles which makes a whole lot of sense in the way he’s able to just create such lush sensory detail of place and people, oh holy fuck. He’s the writer who wrote the Gargoyles episode about Broadway accidentally shooting Elisa with her gun (this is an episode that got pulled from airing and I don’t think they have on Disney+ right now). Aw man, alright I definitely need to read more of his stuff now.

The action plot is Lorn Pavan is a down-on-his-luck fellow who got information he shouldn’t have and he is trying to sell it, Darsha the Jedi Padawan gets sent down to bring in a Black Sun informant and things go tits up for her in horrible ways. Darsha and Lorn’s paths collide and they try to survive Maul. I love everything about these characters, except for the end where Lorn started having romantic feelings about the Padawan. Blech.

Also somehow I think I-5 is now my second favorite droid character I’ve come across in the greater Star Wars canon (Chopper will always be my #1 grumpy cat droid). Witwer has the best dry delivery for the droid character. Like. It’s so fucking GOOD.

I’m also impossibly impressed and obsessed with Witwer’s performance of Sidious and the Jedi Council. His Qui-Gon is SO FUCKING GOOD. His Palaptine has my teeth rattling in my head oh my god.

Here’s the first 5 or so minutes of Shadow Hunter, hhnngh. You get Maul, Sidious a drunk Lorn Pavan, and my new droid bestie I-5:

I am 100% going to be reading Michael Reeves’ other Star Wars novels. Apparently he has a series that follows a Jedi-in-hiding post-Order 66 and I want to just dunk my head in all the Star Wars noir, I guess, yes please.

10/10 - I love, would heartily recommend to anyone wanting a kind of story that’s more heavy on character and setting and also SAM WITWER!!!!!!!!! Maul. Hnnghghghgh.

TIMOTHY ZAHN TIME.

Thrawn Trilogy (Disney era) Thrawn, Thrawn Alliances, Thrawn Treason Narrated by Marc Thompson

This was my second time through the Disney novels. I watched Star Wars Rebels first, then my friend jb_slasher told me about Thrawn having novels. I had vaguely heard of Heir to the Empire over the years and also my friend recommended the Disney trilogy so I figured I’d start with that since I was diving off from Disney canon anyway.

My god I love this trilogy so fuckin’ much. Marc Thompson out here nailing it. This Thrawn is the type of character who is always the smartest person in the room and I should get irritated by that like all the other characters but mmmm, I have a competence kink. And I am just over the moon with how he instills loyally and allegiance in his crew who can now have a commander who is not interested in politicking his way through things but actually is committed to strategy and whatnot.

Also fucking Zahn made Thrawn go back to space college. And gave him a little protege who he grew to admire. Eli Vanto is a great character, I am reading a lot of slash about them obviously but yeah, I loved seeing his growth throughout the trilogy. And THRAWN ALLIANCE. Y’all. Y’all. The Star Wars memes about Thrawn and Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker are AMAZING and really do the hilarity so much justice. Here's a fantastic book trailer cut together with Marc Thompson' narration, hnngh.

This man absolutely knows who Darth Vader is and Darth Vader is like “oh fuck no you don’t.” And when Thrawn had met Anakin during the Clone Wars and Anakin had to try and work together with him? Perfection. Bonus Padme getting to be a ridiculous and foolish badass when she goes looking for trouble. And also her also having a competence kink for Thrawn, too. It cracks me the fuck uuuuuup, okay.

Thrawn absolutely hates politics so fucking much and I love to see how that is the primary way he gets thwarted or has to build his strategy around. Because people are fucking assholes and political everywhere. Seriously, have I mentioned how much I love Marc Thompson??

Thrawn Treason gave us more of Thrawn’s people and whatnot with the Chiss which I also liked but I’m really less interested in their motivations and experiences as a culture on the edge of the Empire. More here for Vanto now getting to be the fish-out-of-water and leveling up and getting all the respect he deserves.

MARC THOMPSON, y’all. He does a great Thrawn, an AMAZING whinybaby sycophant Ronan of the Starkiller Project, and his Eli Vanto Space Yokel intonation is 💋. Also I feel like the loyalty and trust that Thrawn earns from his subordinates really feeds into this praise kink thing that everyone develops by being around him. I love it.

10/10 will lose my mind and listen/read this trilogy again and also read all the fanfic about it.

Heir to the Empire Timothy Zahn

I am sorry it took me 30 years to get here but I AM NOW HERE FOR MARA JADE’S RAGE BONER. Let me repeat: MARA. JADE. !!!!!!!!!

Also holy fuck. Luke Skywalker getting to be smart, technically creative and able to navigate through terrible situations in spite of a Force-Blocking Macguffin is AMAZING. I was not expecting to be this into a post-Empire Luke but I really fucking loved it.

I also love all of the Han and Lando scenes in this (WAY MORE than Last Shot, sorry Daniel Jose Older).

Leia and Chewie!! On Kashyyk!! Talon Karrde was so great (Thompson made him kind of sound like Antonio Banderas??)

Thrawn and his bestie Pelleaon! What a fascinating dynamic.

I actually was not very into Thrawn’s vibes in this book as much as I was in the Disney stuff. I don’t know if it’s because of the vibes they wrote him in Star Wars rebels that got filtered back into Zahn’s take on him for the books (or if it was the other way around?) - Like, the calculating tactical and man of strategy is still there, but… hm, I’ve been struggling to articulate what about it that didn’t tickle me as much. He’s still playing the long game in every situation but I don’t know… I think there’s this more pragmatic view of people he has in the Disney books that he doesn’t get here in the first of this trilogy. I haven’t gotten to the other two books from this series yet so maybe I’ll feel differently later. The anniversary edition of the audiobook that I got from my library was narrated by Marc Thompson and he (you'll be so surprised) fucking nailed it all for me. Love love love.

10/10 timothy zahn, I love you. You got an amazing way of writing action. I gotta read more of your stuff. Anyway, I'm also starting the Ahsoka novella that I think (??) is not quite canon anymore since they got a final season for Clone Wars, but it's by E.K. Johnston and narrated by Ahoska's voice actor Ashley Eckstein. Don't have enough thoughts about it yet but I love Ahsoka so I'm sure I'll have a decent time.

[independent-variables]

hello my dear @neptunesenceladus, your fic rec list inspired me to finish up this one! and like this is. a lot of fic feel free to ignore this, i finished mostly so i could get my recs all in one place XD

ok, fics!!!

forge the iron in your veins by afearsomecritter (jsaer)

WHAT IF. JEDI WERE SENTIENT SHIPS. AHHHHHHH!!!

watch it grow, child of woe by afearsomecritter (jsaer)

Ok this one. This one. What if Jango got reconditioned while on Kamino and had to reassess everything he believed about personhood. 

Etiquette Lessons (Type A, Type B) by ghostwriterofthemachine

Coping Mechanisms (Type A, Type B) Or: how to survive being a thing, advice from Obi-Wan and advice from Anakin. 

Of the Echo and Change by be_brave13

Ok this fic is gorgeous. This is about Luke trying to figure out who his mom was and if his parents loved each other and basically follows him from planet to planet, from cameo to cameo, as he pieces together the details of Anakin and Padme’s lives. Made me laugh, made me sob. 

for everything there is a season (Mountain Man Jesse) by electric_dreamer

CLONES POST WAR!!! LET’S GOOOOO!!! This is about Jesse basically fucking off to live in the mountains and come to terms with some of the fucked up shit that went down during the war. The prose is gorgeous and Jesse’s characterization is so so good. 

you're gonna need two bullets (Jedi Maul AU) by deniigiq

Jedi Maul. Need I say more. 

The Adventures of Palpatine's no. 1 Fan Club by orphan_account

This is one of the funniest crack fics I have ever read. What if Cody became the new emperor but also suffered severe amnesia and forgot he was Cody. And decided to chronicle his journey as the new supreme lord of the galaxy via diary entries. I’m. 

sand (glass) by electric_dreamer

Again with fucked up Jedi/clone relationships. What if Bly was in love with Aalya but wasn’t sure if his feelings were programmed or not. 

grinding bones, making bread by pantoracore

A clone contemplates death and the Republic’s war machine. Absolute chills. 

Dreamweaver by Bookboy

Ok this fic. I’m. Hm. This is an entirely original cast and is mostly about how to survive slavery through deception and stories. Draws a lot from Fialleril’s work. The worldbuilding is rich and the characterization is fascinating. (Clonecest at the very end, none of the of the main characters but some background relationships.) 

little bird, little bird by deniigiq

‘17 takes care of a batch of tubies, through the best times and the worst times. 

thank you for our service by batchmates

‘17 and Fordo hang out on Coruscant. 

this space may be a threshold by Scourge_of_Nemo

This is Boba/Din, it’s an AU and I have no idea how to describe it but it’s like. Modern? But also not really, and also everybody is a part of this very elaborate LARP/WWE— thing. Idk. It’s about intimacy and it’s great. 

End Racism in the OTW | Saltwater by Coline7373

Training on Kamino : )

End Racism in the OTW | Last Week This Benduday with J'hon Olivah: Clone Soldiers by Petra

I’M SO. THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT IT SAYS ON THE TIN AND I ADORE IT. 

May your troubles be less, And your blessings be more by Moisturize_Me

‘17 moves into his first apartment. Davijaan decides to sow chaos. This makes me laugh and sob in equal measure. Davi and ‘17… my absolute beloveds. 

Taxicab by nimblermortal

Numbers are not any less significant than names, as explained by a mathematician. 

love is with your brother by Petrichor (Mythmaker)

Rex is de-aged to Baby and Ahsoka observes the chaos, and also gets to take care of him and hang out with him and it’s just— sweet. 

Follow The Leader by DashRenders (Cydney)

Ezra makes a stupid joke about his and Sabine’s relationship and has to live with the consequences in the funniest way possible. I adore how their relationship is written here. 

Torn and Mended by Artemis1000

I have no way to explain my attachment to this fic but uh. It’s a crossover. With Mad Max. It’s Lando/Max. And. Yeah I can see it I need like a hundred more please. 

The Graveyarder by Trixree

Dogma joins the CG. Dogma is haunted. 

Both Haunted and Holy by imaginingstars

This is such a fun one, this is basically Fives doing his thing and saving the galaxy with the help of his siblings and a very handsome Jedi. Very sweet, always makes me happy. 

Masks and Ducklings by RMWrites

Chaotic Fox my beloved. This is basically Fox playing 5d chess with Sidious and impressing and terrifying some shinies in the process. 

knock, knock, it's housekeeping by deniigiq

Shmi needs to get a message to Anakin. What better way to get in contact than to join the war effort and befriend some clones. 

Carry the Debt by Anthem_of_the_Fates

This haunts me. This is a clone marching song, and it’s hopeless and beautiful and aching. 

Commander Cody: Marshal of the 7th Sky Corps by dio_icaurtica

The only Cody name origin story that matters. 

the better son. by deniigiq

Quinlan dealing with things and not dealing with things post-war. 

Father War by prouvairablehulk

What if Kote became a god. 

To Die, But Briefly by Waugh

This!!! Fic!!! Ok this centered on an original lead, she’s a Nightsister and she wants to make her way in the world, and it’s basically about her getting the hell off Dathomir with Savage and Feral in tow and almost immediately getting wrapped up in Phantom Menace era Sith and Jedi shenanigans. It’s some interesting Dathomir worldbuilding and really fun characterization. 

To Join in Love by menphina

When you’re a CG medic and you find yourself sort of maybe flirting with the guy in the drunk tank you’re stitching up. 

i live, i die, i live again by jaigeye

‘17 ends up on Tatooine, after the war, and with Obi-Wan. 

Battle Wounds, When You See Them That Way by ghostwriterofthemachine

Cal gets a tattoo. Psychometry does not mix well with tattoos. 

Steal the Soil of Her Life by ghostwriterofthemachine

Shmi origin story that broke my heart. 

dha munit by batchmates

Fox is not a safe person for children. Maybe. 

the house built on fresh snow by tiend

Very fun and very sweet. What if Jango and Shmi ran into each other during their time enslaved, and it changed both their lives for the better.

HELLO !!!

Having now finished binging all of your star wars fics, I come here asking for some recs. Just any of your favourites, bonus points if it will cause emotions (and tears).

Also can't stress enough how much I love your writing, it's so so brilliant <3

(this is neptunesenceladus btw, tumblr hates me and won't let me send asks with a side blog so you get this one)

HI!!! Good to see you, good to see you <3 Always happy to provide recs <3 <3 <3

I want you to know I went through my bookmarks and pulled like sixty fics and had a brief moment of panic, so this is not all of my recs just the first... thirty, or so. If none of these are appealing, oh boy, do I have more!

This list is not in any order other than bookmark order, most are on the shorter side, most are Gen and I am pretty sure all are complete. I tried to warn for stuff that could be a squick when I remembered.

False Dichotomy by nsmorig

Starting off strong with my favorite Cody fic of all time. If you read nothing else on this list I encourage you to read this (if the tags are not a squick) because it will re-shape your brain and shatter your heart into tiny pieces. Basic premise is Force Sensitive Cody gets captured by Dooku and survives torture, experimentation, and imprisonment while trying to figure out his relationship to the Force and to his personhood, and the ways those things are connected. 

What's in a Name by Sankt

This is about Fordo post war and it’s phenomenal characterization. 

The Last Poem of Jedha by schweinsty

How Bohdi Rook becomes a rebel and writes a poem. 

you're like a loaded gun by kazhan

Ok this is E and also Underage, so maybe it’s a skip, but it’s teen Boba/Cal trying to navigate sex and love and secret identities and it’s so fucked up and so good. 

chicken, cattle and cat by deniigiq

Obi-Wan and Maul living in domestic dis-harmony on Tatooine. What more could you ask. 

Little things [are the reason to live] by i_will_bite

Clone medics navigating a slightly hostile working environment and trying to make it less hostile T-T

Two brothers (and a kid) by meerlicht

What if. Waxer and Boil just stayed on Ryloth, with Numa. What then? 

with poise, with grace by andeemae

Stone falls through a hole in a roof and falls in love. Beautiful clone/OC romance and very cute kids, doesn’t shy away from the difficulties of being a clone in love with a civilian. Very much an inspiration for me.

second time around by This_world_of_beautiful_monsters

This is another one I wasn’t sure I wanted to put on here because it deals briefly with rape, but it’s such a wonderfully fucked up take on Anakin and Rex’s relationship. Or, how Vader views Rex. 

The Desert Storm by Blue_Sunshine

If you are looking for an epically long series to get invested in I highly recommend checking this one out. This series and its sister-series are some of the best characterization and worldbuilding for Jedi I have ever had the pleasure of reading and it is a fix-it in all the messy, hard, terrible ways people don’t usually write fix-its. 

Shape-Changer by Fialleril

This is a foundational fic for me. Incredible Tatooine worldbuilding. Inspired me to write the way I write. 

The Sun Is Bright, The Sun Is Blue by ambiguously

CUT AND SU ORIGIN STORY!!! 

most things may never happen: this one will by jaigeye

This is brutal but what if you were a droid and you had to dissect a person. 

Bad Deal by FettsOnTop (GTFF)

Boba/Lando my beloved. A brief look into their relationship and into Lando’s thoughts leading up to Han and them’s arrival. 

and the Force is with me by sauntering_down

Rex and Ahsoka and the way the war changed them, and what they can and cannot do in the aftermath. 

Twilight on Owl Creek Bridge by yellow_caballero

The Fox fic of all time. What if you were trapped in a time-loop with a ghost from the future but your life is so monotonous and simultaneously bizarre you don’t even notice. 

Fishhooks by yellow_caballero

The Boba fic of all time. This author does not write much for SW but every time they do it’s iconic. What if you were a teenager running away from home but also a perfect clone of your father created to be him but better but also his because you will never escape his body and his ownership and his love. What then. 

Staring into open flame by SLWalker

This is such a beautiful and heartbreaking read, it’s basically exploring what would have to happen for Maul and Obi-Wan to have a genuinely healthy and happy relationship post murder and bisection. 

Energy Drink Fox by carrinth

The crack comic of all time. What if Fox had space Monster.

lost cause by catboydogma

The foundational Dogma fic. The fic that got me wondering about how clones spend their time on Coruscant. 

the married au by dharmaavocado

Clone rebellion my beloved. Basic premise is the clones took over Kamino and then went out into the galaxy as a mercenary army of sorts. Rex and Cody are finding their place in the world, creating business partnerships, falling in love, manipulating public perception of clones. (Background clonecest, not between Rex and Cody.)

[fanfoolishness]

Holding Space (The Mandalorian)

An Ugnaught's lifespan is twice that of a human's, but there are times when even a being holding the long view can still find space to hope. Kuiil POV, 1000 words.

***

Arvala-7 is a world of earth and water. It is a world of vicious summer rains flooding the canyons in gouts and torrents, and a world of fierce winter heat that bakes the mud into landscapes strange and beautiful. It is a world that hides its secrets, buries them deep beneath the ever-shifting surface.

Mudhorns slumber in darkened caves, feeding off the nutrient-rich mosses clinging to the reddish stalactites. Blurrg roam freely over the cracked mud plains, chasing the earthen-mice for sport and protein, grazing on the mud-choked grasses hidden within darkened fissures. It is on this world that he stakes his claim, a lone Ugnaught's defiance writ small on the galaxy's scale.

His memory stretches, back and back, when he allows it. The Republic in its glory once gave lofty promises to his people, claiming to uplift them into the galactic sphere, removing them from the hunger, the war, the struggle of their homeworld. He was so young once. Their words rang of hope, and he listened.

A deal struck, a debt tendered. Ushered they were into the glittering Core. But they found no succor in the dizzying spires of Coruscant; there was only servitude in golden halls, a quiet shriveled sorrow in the promises left broken.

Yet the Ugnaughts have always been a patient people, possessed of the wisdom that a longer lifespan grants. He watched the travails of the half-lifed humans, and he toiled in his time, and he endured the way the wealthy ignored him with polite plastisteel smiles. And when their trappings fell around them, their hollow men revolting in terribly clean violence, he was ignored once more. All that truly changed was the insignia.

Through all of it, he was not surprised.

The years continued, time’s march unending, and he let himself bury his hopes. It was best that way. His debt had been passed back and forth, round and round, a chit to bargain with. He faded from Coruscant, to Duro, to Corellia, always, always working for others and not himself.

He had learned, long ago, that this was the way of the galaxy; he had learned that he would work, and he would pray, but he would not hope. He was no longer young, and his joints creaked, and his knuckles swelled.

But a bright human in a blue cloak, his smile flashing, traded for a city in the clouds. He treated them as people, not as servants; he trusted their skills, the wisdom and cleverness in their hands and minds. They built a world their own, tunnels shaped for their hands and bodies, their language echoing in the dark. They were not seen as lesser.

When the Empire intruded on their hidden city in the air, their deadly Mandalorian called to heel, surprise at last came upon him. He had assumed imminent destruction, and prepared for nothing less.

The man with the bright smile told them to take all they could, to find a new life, all debts repaid. Kuiil’s hands hung heavy at his sides, but they would not remain idle long. Not when his own dreams called to him.

***

Arvala-7 is home, now. It is a world of predictability and rhythm. After so many years in tunnels and corridors, it is strange to feel the wind on his face, but not unwelcome.

Kuiil watches the summer rains fall, and he farms moisture, lichens, blurrg. He is himself. There are no demands upon him except those he sets himself, and he watches the sun rise in the morning, and the moon rise in the evening, and he is at peace.

Until the hunters come.

He knows not what they seek. It is unimportant but for the way it intrudes upon the peace he has so carefully cultivated. That is what cannot stand.

He aids the would-be seekers, urging them onward, away from his humble valley. They fail, again and again, and the debris of their failure stains the red-brown earth. The blurrg avoid the canyon of flames, and Kuiil turns his face away. Death and destruction linger in his home, a stain on the horizon that lingers in his gaze.

A new day dawns, and the Mandalorian sets boot to mud. He battles the blurrg, speaks with a determination that chills the bone and stirs the blood. Kuiil believes he has found the answer to the trouble in his valley in this hunter. And he has, but not in the way he thinks.

The Mandalorian returns with a child, a creature small and weak and something new. Kuiil wonders, looking into its large eyes, if this is not what he was meant for.

He repairs the hunter’s ship with the aid of the Mandalorian. He knows not what the hunter will do with the child. He knows the man was not sent to rescue. But he has also heard the stories sung of Mandalorians, and their foundlings.

The ship, renewed, takes to the air. Kuiil hopes.

There is work still to do, though. He travels to the canyon of flame and ruin, and finds a prize. Kuiil’s hands keep busy, remembering their skill, their use.

The child with the down-turned ears echoes in his mind, a memory of what should be, a reminder that he promised to serve. His hands take the promise, mold it, stretch it, spark it into the former bounty droid. Hardware shifts into software shifts into experience, and Kuiil leads. He teaches. He guides.

He remembers the little child with the brown-black eyes and the hungry face, and low in his chest, deep in his blood he holds space.

“Should they return,” he murmurs into the gold-red sunset, “we will care for them.”

IG-11 stands tall and steady and true beside him. “Yes,” it agrees. “I know my purpose.”

“And I mine,” Kuiil says, voice a low, dry chuckle. “I have spoken.” The sun pours over the mud-fields, and the fields crack, their water evaporating in the winter heat.

He knows not if the Mandalorian will return. Long years ago, there was little he could have hoped for.

But the galaxy is different now, and Kuiil holds the space.

[girlysword]

Good reasons for the Maul cameo

1) Qi’ra/Maul movie/tv show

2)Maul appearance in Boba Fett movie. Both are involved in the criminal underworld, both are driven by vengeance, both were antagonistic with Asajj Ventress, and both are cut off from their cultures (Maul is probably the last of his kind and Boba is different from other Mandolorians and from the other clones). Depending on whether the movie retcons Boba’s death in ROTJ, both met their end because of Jedi.

Bad reasons for the Maul cameo

1) Obi Wan movie

2) Han solo sequel

[dalekofchaos]

Killing The New Republic and Luke’s New Jedi Order killed the Sequel Trilogy

Disney you’re a business, who’s all about money, but then you chose to destroy the New Jedi Order and New Republic, that is definitely killing your billions, even after refusing to put storytelling first and foremost, and then having the audacity to claim “we don’t have source material” never mind the countless series of video games, comics, novels, tv shows and films, merchandising etc. Not to mention all the fucking stuff you could’ve done with the NR in BATTLEFRONT! YOU COULD HAVE MADE WITH THE NEW REPUBLIC AND NEW JEDI ORDER!

But no. Instead you made Leia an incompetent general leading an even weaker  and an on the budget Rebel Alliance. Han’s character arc was dropped, Han and Leia’s iconic romance was broken up and they were both turned into absent parents and Luke’s Jedi Order failed and 30 years of peace was undone pointlessly. But instead you just wanted Rebels vs Empire 2.0, but only this time around it’s dumber. 

Do you know what we could’ve done with The New Republic? Leia as Chancellor. Han and Lando as her Ministers of Defense. Boba Fett, Din Djarin and Bo-Katan leading The Mandalorians together as allies to the New Republic. We could’ve had a House Of Cards/West Wing/Game Of Thrones styled writing for the overall politics of The New Republic. You could’ve made a goddamn fortune on New Republic troopers, armor, weapons, fighters and frigates. Hell, you could even have The New Republic wield their own Star Defenders as opposed to Star Destroyers.  I am well aware that canon demilitarized The New Republic and already made a post on why disarming the New Republic in new canon was stupid.

What should have happened is that the NR commanders the Imperial Fleet and starts protecting systems who join the NR, all while chasing down and fighting any of the Remnants (Moffs, Warlords, Crime Lords, etc) who have grabbed power in the resulting vacuum. We could have seen an evolution of ships from Old Republic to Empire to NR ones. They could have renamed Star Destroyers into Star Defenders. Hell, they could have had a Republic of independent systems, each with their own sizable military, so that power isn't centralized.

Here is what the Sequel Trilogy could’ve been with the New Republic in power.

This could have been an interesting question for the ST. What happens after you win a war? How do you not make the same mistakes or become the thing you fought. What happens in a power vacuum? The NR should have been the dominant emerging power, and the Remnant should have been a small, secretive, unknown order, striking strategically from the UR where they hid, and causing fear and panic to spread in the NR. But no, instead of telling an interesting story, we are force fed the recycled poorly written rehashed Rebels vs Empire and the Rebels are made to be weaker than The First Order. The First Order are a terrorist movement, they should not be reigning after Hosnian Prime’s destruction, ESPECIALLY AFTER LOSING STARKILLER BASE! Concentrating your government and defenses around only one system is really stupid(AND BAD FUCKING WRITING) The New Republic’s forces should have been spread far across the galaxy. So after Hosnian Prime, The New Republic  sees the bigger picture and mobilizes their fleet and unites their forces with The Resistance. Instead The New Republic is stupidly destroyed because Rian wanted the Rebels to be the Rebels again.(lol this movie is fucking dumb) God forbid we get The New Republic fighting the First Order and making the heroes looking strong in force instead of stupidly having all the Rebels fit inside the Falcon. For the love of fucking god I hate this fucking timeline.

As for The Imperial Remnant. Thrawn, and Rae Sloane would lead the fleets and  Darth Plagueis and the Knights Of Ren would would be in command of the dark side.

Do you have any idea how fucking frustrated it was to play The Battlefront games with The Resistance who are just discount Rebels? They look fucking pathetic.

JUST LOOK AT THE NEW REPUBLIC IN THE MANDALORIAN!!!!!!!! SO MUCH POTENTIAL!

Oh and just look at the NR Troopers from Legends and fan concepts

SO. MUCH. POTENTIAL!

As for the New Jedi Order.

Ya’ll were sitting on a GOLDMINE with the New Jedi Order. You murdered the goose which laid thegolden egg. Imagine proper video games, novels, animations, films in that era.  Think about all of the unique characters and designs we could’ve seen, all the unique toys they could have sold, plus they could’ve centered Galaxy’s Edge around becoming a Jedi, building your own lightsaber, and undergoing training at Luke’s academy. I know they have a lightsaber-building thing there currently, but it would’ve made a lot more sense if they could’ve tied it in to the new trilogy with the New Jedi Order. Plus, Mark Hamill was the only one of the major OT actors who was willing to continually reprise his role well into the future, and they reduced Luke’s role to a cameo in 2/3 sequel movies and ruined his character and killed him off in the other one. They could’ve kept Luke around for several more decades and thrown him in to as many TV series, video games, and movies as they wanted to, and people would’ve flocked to see or purchase whatever he’s in, because it’s freaking Luke Skywalker. Destroying the New Jedi Order offscreen and ruining and killing off Luke Skywalker were the two dumbest decisions made with the sequel trilogy. They could’ve made BILLIONS off of this stuff. The continued pre-trilogy and post-trilogy stories, the toys, the merchandising, the video games, the books and comics, everything. What makes matters worse is that as I said, Mark Hamill was the only one who wanted to continue with his role,( Also he is an accomplished voice actor so he would have done well in the animated stuff, which also gives him opportunities to do action scenes without being young) he honestly probably would’ve been willing to reprise Luke up until he was in his 80s or even into his 90s, hell, Billy Dee Williams was just over 80 when he reprised Lando in TROS, and Luke wouldn’t even need an action-heavy role as he got older, as the Grandmaster of the New Jedi Order, he’d be able to have a similar role to Yoda in the prequels and The Clone Wars, where he provides wisdom and guidance the majority of the time, but he every once in a while he steps into battle, while the new characters go on the vast majority of the adventures. They really shit the bed with these new movies, because using the New Jedi Order with Luke as Grandmaster would’ve made them BILLIONS. I truly don’t understand how such a money-hungry corporation could’ve missed out on this, because using the NJO would’ve been like printing money. It’s genuinely baffling.

We could’ve had it all

Source

Source

For story purposes. It could’ve been like this. 

Luke starts to rebuild the Jedi by training his sister Leia. Leia could not fully commit to the Jedi because she had to lead the Republic as Chancellor, but she is made an honorary member on his Jedi Council. Leia would agree to be trained as a Jedi Master. Leia has a Yellow Lightsaber she keeps hidden should the moment arises. Leia’s most powerful force ability is Battle Meditation. After training Leia, Luke eventually encountered The Emperor’s Hand Mara Jade. Their dynamic and romance would be the same as in Legends. Eventually after Ezra Bridger returns, Ahsoka Tano, Cal Kestis, and Ezra Bridger return and join Luke’s Jedi order. The Jedi council would be this. Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, Mara Jade, Ahsoka Tano, Cal Kestis and Ezra Bridger. The new Jedi Order embrace both the Light and Dark Sides Of The Force instead of repeating the mistakes of the Jedi of old and so balance can be brought to the force. Balance would mean understanding both aspects of the force and you can indulge in your anger and more toxic emotions, but you can’t let them rule you and when you can come to peace with that, that’s when you have balance.

Also, Luke’s Jedi order would include multiple aliens species from Wookies, Twi'leks, Iridonians, Trandoshans, Mirialan and you get the picture. 

Finn would be a mix of Kyle Katarn and Finn Galfridian.

For those not familiar with either character. Kyle Katarn, a self taught force sensitive who was a former Imperial Stormtrooper that later became a Jedi Master, Battlemaster and a Jedi Council member. Finn Galfridian, a Jedi who is from Royal background and is part of the New Jedi Order who was being taught by Luke Skywalker Finn could still be a Stormtrooper that chose empathy and to walk away, this results in Finn becoming Force Sensitive and brought to be trained by Grogu. We would later find out that Finn is a lost prince of Royalty stolen by The Imperial Remnant. Perhaps, in this scenario. Finn could be the lost Prince of Naboo. Finn would of course continue fighting in the war, but with Artorias on the New Republic’s side, they will gave more funding and at least another ally. It would also provide Finn the ability to have a home for the Stormtroopers after Finn liberates the Stormtroopers from the Remnant. Finn could allow the Stormtroopers that still want to fight to serve in the Naboo military. The Naboo having weak defenses could greatly benefit from having trained soldiers serve them and if the Stormtroopers would prefer a peaceful life, Finn can offer them a civilian lifestyle away from the judgment the rest of the galaxy would give them for their past, even offering them reparations.

Also, Finn would find love with best damn pilot in The New Republic, Poe Dameron!

Luke and Mara would have a daughter. Kira Jade Skywalker(who of course would be Rey) she would grow up loved, with her family and with the Jedi. They would all truly be With her. 

Ben Solo, Breha Solo(Played by Billie Lourd) and Jaina Solo(played by Millie Bobby Brown) would be the Solo children. Ben, Breha, and Jaina would all grow up close and would thrive as Jedi while their parents would visit and shower them with the love they would naturally receive from Han and Leia as their parents and Han and Leia would stand strong together leading The New Republic

You could have Ben Solo being the most promising of Luke’s Jedi Knights. He can either stay as a Jedi or choose The Imperial Remnant and become Kylo Ren. The Jedi Order is split between the Jedi loyal to Luke and those loyal to Ben. I will say Ben’s fall would be similar to Jacen’s. Because he sensed something terrible coming. The Grysk. He feels that the Jedi and the NR would not be enough. So he gives in to Darth Plagueis and leads the Knights Of Ren. But when The Grysk attack, Ben shows us his true colors and returns to his family to fight The Grysk and unites both The New Republic and Remnant. 

If Ben doesn’t turn to the dark side, Ben would stay true to the Jedi and his family. Ben would lead the Jedi to face the Knights Of Ren and destroy Plagueis.

Together Kira, Ben, Breha, Jaina and Finn would rise together and destroy Darth Plagueis and end the Sith once and for all.

But that’s not the end, because The Grysk would invade the galaxy.

Towards the end of the Trilogy, The NR and FO will join forces to fend off The Grysk invasion. Sloane will call for a cease fire and signing a treaty with Leia, where The NR and FO align their forces and build The Galactic Federation. Building a better galaxy together. Leia's vision for a Republic and Sloane's virtues for the Empire.

We get the legacy characters getting treated with respect, we get the new generation built upon and being prepared for the coming war and are all treated as important heroes, we have a FO treated like strong villains and a stronger threat to unite both forces and we have peace in the end. This is how I think the ST should have been handled.

The theme should’ve been family. It’s about how the Skywalkers and Solos lead and protect the galaxy. How well Han, Luke and Leia became after the fall of the Empire and the upbringing of their children. It should end with all is well with the Skywalker and Solo families. Not end in misery.

As Carrie Fisher said

“It’s about family. And that’s what makes it so powerful.”

We could’ve had it all.

[barissoffee]

Characters i like to think participated in the Battle of Exegol

We know the Ghost is there so id like to think Hera, Jacen, Zeb, Chopper, Sabine, Kallus, and Ezra were all flying it

Hondo and his Pirates

The other Aces and members of Team Colossus

Din and a now older Grogu

Boba Fett and the other Bounty Hunters (Fennec, Bossk, etc.)

Clan Wren and any other Mandalorian Clans

Qi'ra

Chewies family from the Holiday Special (i onow whay i said)

Cal, Cere, Greez, Merrin

Ahsoka was helping Rey but i know shes alive dont @ me

Please feel free to add on because id love to see these characters interact with the sequel gang

You’re right and you should say it. I mean did you see all those ships that followed THE lando calrissian to battle? If Lando is calling me to battle than I WILL follow him ride or die. Literally everyone could be hanging around there since there were so many ships and we did see Wedge PLUS I’m pretty sure I saw the Ghost ship (I could be wrong though) and they did say that Kaz, Yeager and Torra were at the final battle (and in my resistance s3 we would have see that) and of course Ahsoka was helping Rey over face time we even heard her voice she was actually standing behind Rey the whole time shame we didn’t see her. But seriously it would have been cool if we would have seen every one, like a little cameo if only😔😔

[novakk96]

The entire star wars fandom is speculating on WHO might just appear as a Cameo in “The Book of Boba Fett”.  Some include famous bounty hunters such as Cad Bane, Bossk and Dengar.  Or even Jabba the Hutt (In flashbacks), or most likely a Hutt which has come to take over what Jabba had lost.  Will we see Omega? Lando? or maybe even perhaps Mace Windu himself will come back from the death at the hands of Palpatine in Ep3 so Boba can inact his revenge.

[mrjoelgarcia9]

Let’s Talk #StarWars: The Original Trilogy

When it comes to Star Wars, the original film trilogy ranges from perfect to good.

The films are entertaining, tell a cohesive story, full of memorable characters, and the most standalone of the franchise’s film trilogies.

For my thoughts on A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi, feel free to keep reading. There will be spoilers.

The original film trilogy centers around a Rebel Alliance led by Princess Leia taking on the Galactic Empire led by Darth Vader. Characters such as Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Chewbacca join the Rebels while confronting additional threats such as two Death Stars, Boba Fett, and Ewoks.

For a majority of fans, their first exposure to Star Wars was primarily through these films. They could have first seen them when they came out, in a re-release, on TV, or VHS (and/or Laserdisc).

The films are overall fun and exciting to watch, full of action, drama, just the right amount of comedy, and great actors. Each film has its own flaws, albeit not to the same level as the prequels. 

As for the “Special Editions”, more on that later.

A New Hope is a great introduction to the franchise. It presents an open-ended story of Good Vs Evil, wrapping up the main crisis within the film itself but leaving open the possibility for more adventures. The film can be enjoyed either by itself or as part of the trilogy. The only major flaw is the final confrontation between Obi Wan and Darth Vader. Regardless of what order you see the films, it is one of the weaker lightsaber fights, coming off as a fencing match compared to later duels and fights. Prequel fans might find it disappointing considering how their last confrontation was on a lava planet.

The Empire Strikes Back is an excellent follow-up. It raises the stakes by having the characters endure various trials and tribulations, from Luke training with Yoda to Han being frozen in carbonite. It also had a bit more comedy via C-3PO, which lightens up the film as this is the darkest of the three. Several characters were introduced in this film: Lando Calrissian, the Emperor, and Boba Fett. The climax is also one of the franchise’s best, with an emotional confrontation between Luke and Vader culminating in one of cinema’s biggest plot twists. The ending is a mixture of failure and potential, with the rebels suffering several losses but with the hope they can make a comeback.

Return of the Jedi, like any third part of a trilogy, is a mixed bag. It does bring the trilogy to a triumphant conclusion, has yet another great lightsaber duel between Luke and Vader, and an action-packed climax involving Lando and the second Death Star. Some of the weaker parts include the first act dragging on for a bit too long and the Ewoks feeling shoehorned in just to sell more toys (and produce a forgettable Saturday morning cartoon). It still is a good and exciting film but not as great as the first two. Also, Hayden Christensen looks very out of place in the ending.

Overall, the original trilogy is fun and exciting to watch. However, they are also critiqued due to something else: The Special Editions.

It is unbelievable how many times Lucas revised the films, all the way up to right before selling them to Disney by adding a single infamous line to an already controversial moment.

Without getting into any specific alterations, the Special Editions do not ruin the films. They still have the same plots, characters, and actions only with some minor CG additions to help the films avoid continuity issues and look outdated. For example, Christensen’s aforementioned cameo in Return of the Jedi connects with the Prequel Trilogy by showing Anakin before he became Vader. Ironically, by comparison, the CG in The Phantom Menace has badly aged.

However, the Special Edition being the only legal way to see these films is wrong. Those who grew up watching the original theatrical cuts are right to be furious they cannot see them alongside the Special Editions. Disney, for example, has included multiple versions of a single film in some of their releases, such as the three cuts of Beauty and the Beast.

It would be perfectly fine if the Special Editions are the ones airing on TV and streaming on Disney+. Disney should at least sell the original theatrical versions either on digital or as part of an expensive limited edition 4K box set, giving fans a legal way to watch them in the highest quality possible.

Regardless of which edition you prefer, the original trilogy is a prime example of a good trilogy. It starts off on a high note, goes even further with the sequel, and has a bumpy but successful conclusion. If you only wanted to see a single Star Wars film, A New Hope best summarizes the franchise. The Empire Strikes Back is a great example of the heroes losing but refusing to admit defeat. Despite the Ewoks, Return of the Jedi is a good conclusion to the trilogy.

The Original Trilogy is available to own on 4K, Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital. They can also be streamed exclusively on Disney+.

Until next time, thank you for reading!

[aion-rsa]

How Star Wars Can Finally Have a Marvel-Like Shared Universe

https://ift.tt/3oq0JL3

Last December, Disney announced seven new Star Wars film and TV projects, giving us a look at what the next few years in the galaxy far, far away will look like both on Disney+ and in theaters. While the Rogue Squadron movie directed by Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman) was the absolute mic drop of the evening, equally impressive is Disney’s plan for the small screen: several new series that expand the stories of fan-favorite characters like Ahsoka Tano and Lando Calrissian. Most intriguing of all is that many of these shows are designed to connect and interact with each other. In other words, Disney is finally getting what it’s always wanted for Star Wars: a shared universe of screen projects meant to emulate the interconnectedness of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Storytelling synergy has existed for a long time between Star Wars movies, books, comics, and games, but rarely in the Marvel way where one series or movie directly teases or leads into the next. Sure, Skywalker Saga films technically work that way, but those three trilogies are really one big story. But in Marvel’s case, it’s par for the course for a tonally unique series like WandaVision to still set the stage for the next Doctor Strange movie or Captain Marvel 2. The foundation of Star Wars wasn’t really built that way back in 1977 but as a contained trilogy of movies.

Then Disney+ changed everything with The Mandalorian season 2, which not only introduced beloved animated characters Ahsoka Tano and Bo-Katan Kryze to live-action but also ended with a teaser for the next Star Wars series, The Book of Boba Fett, which is out in December. And The Book of Boba Fett doesn’t just star the infamous bounty hunter; it’s also a showcase for Ming-Na Wen’s Fennec Shand, an assassin who first appeared in the first season of The Mandalorian.

Stream your Star Wars favorites right here!

Today, Marvel fans take this shared universe storytelling structure for granted, but this is still very new territory for Star Wars. Whether it works or not will likely depend on how many Mandalorian fans flock to Boba Fett later this year. But Disney is betting big on this approach.

The House of Mouse has already ordered two other series set during the same time period as The Mandalorian and Boba Fett, which take place five years after Return of the Jedi. The intriguing Rangers of the New Republic was reportedly conceived as a spinoff series for Mando associate Cara Dune before actor Gina Carano was fired from the franchise earlier this year, but I doubt that’s the only connection these series will have with each other. Meanwhile, Ahsoka will likely continue the hero’s search for Grand Admiral Thrawn right where it left off at the end of The Mandalorian season 2 episode “The Jedi.”

Disney isn’t just trying to cash in on the success of The Mandalorian with spinoffs for the show’s most popular characters, though. The company also confirmed in December that all of these shows will ultimately converge in a big story event. That sure sounds a lot like the end of a MCU phase. Are Mando, Ahsoka, Bo-Katan, Boba Fett, Fennec Shand, and friends eventually going team up against Grand Admiral Thrawn in an epic Avengers-like finale? It sure feels that way.

And the studio might not just be reserving its shared universe approach for the post-Jedi shows, either. Rogue One prequel Andor and Obi-Wan Kenobi are both set many years after Revenge of the Sith but before the Original Trilogy, and there’s a good chance the Lando series will also be set at some point during this era, with Donald Glover returning as the charming scoundrel. (While Disney hasn’t confirmed any details about the latter project besides the fact that it’s happening, the studio has been trying to make a Lando spinoff with Glover for quite a few years.) The timelines won’t line up quite as cleanly, though. Obi-Wan Kenobi takes place 10 years after Revenge of the Sith in 9 BBY (Before Battle of Yavin), while the events of Andor will unfold in 5 BBY.

But one rumor suggests that Ewan McGregor will appear as Obi-Wan in Andor, too. Far from an official confirmation, it’s still an intriguing possibility if true. With both series set to premiere in 2022, Disney could make the Jedi Master the character that ties both (or all three) pre-A New Hope series together, just like Mando is the common denominator across all of the post-Jedi shows. And could this all lead to an eventual big event that will see Obi-Wan, Cassian Andor, and Lando set up for their roles in the Original Trilogy era?

Read more

TV

Star Wars Movie and TV Release Date Calendar

By John Saavedra

Books

Star Wars Books: A Guide to Canon Novels in Chronological Order

By Megan Crouse

It’s true that The Mandalorian spinoffs present much more intriguing storytelling paths than a potential Obi-Wan, Andor, and Lando shared universe for the simple fact that we know where the heroes in the latter series are ultimately headed. Meanwhile, the future isn’t set for Din Djarin, Bo-Katan, Ahsoka, Boba Fett, and their friends. But if Disney is leaning into what’s worked with Marvel for the Mando shows, why wouldn’t it try the same with the others?

Marvel has shown that building towards big events across multiple stories can lead to massive payoffs (both in terms of storytelling and the box office). Why can’t the same work across all Star Wars screen projects, especially now that the franchise isn’t only reserved for movie theaters, where it has always been treated as more of a once-in-a-decade event than something more fluid like the MCU? Away from the big screen, Star Wars can shape a different future for itself that doesn’t have to fit into a trilogy or an epic saga about good vs. evil. In fact, The Mandalorian has already started that process with stories that feel much more intimate but that also flesh out the galaxy in a way the movies haven’t.

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And if Disney wanted to eventually connect the pre-Hope shows to the Mando ones for an even more interconnected universe on Disney+, it wouldn’t even need a specific event or series to bridge the two eras. The Original Trilogy is already there as the bridge. Assuming Obi-Wan, Andor, and Lando are set to introduce exciting new characters destined to earn fandoms of their own, they could jump from one era to the other just as easily as Bo-Katan and Ahsoka have. This is especially true for characters introduced in Andor, which takes place only about 14 years before The Mandalorian. That’s the tiniest of time gaps when it comes to Star Wars.

When the Skywalker Saga concluded in 2019, it really felt for the first time ever that the possibilities were endless for Star Wars on the big and small screens. Star Wars no longer needed to tie back to Luke Skywalker (The Mandalorian cameo notwithstanding) and his family drama. On Disney+, Star Wars has found new ways to explore the galaxy far, far away while introducing us to new characters and places to love. Now comes the next frontier: a shared universe, a first step into a larger world.

The post How Star Wars Can Finally Have a Marvel-Like Shared Universe appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[sapphic-yang]

Thoughts on: The Rise of Skywalker

It’s not as bad as people are saying. The critics sound as childish as the neck-beards. ‘Worst Star Wars movie EVER?’, really? Worse than Phantom Menace? Worse than “I have the high ground!” Seriously guys? I feel the hate for The Last Jedi has caused an equal and opposite reaction where people worship it. It had some neat ideas but it didn’t really deliver on them nor did it set up much to follow. These reviews will age very, very poorly I think.

Is it amazing? Hell no, it’s a 7.5/10, much like Return of the Jedi to be honest. We traded Ewoks campy-ness, Boba Fett getting killed by a blind man and a weird incest joke for an overstuffed story with some wack editing. Seems like a equal trade. Yay us?

But it’s largely satisfying. There are weird parts; lore moments that needed an extra line of dialogue, a couple jokes that fell flat, more than a few nostalgia moments that were too much, and some truly bizarre editing.

But this is largely due to anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour being cut from the film, and you can tell. Like seriously, they needed a better editor, it’s jarring as hell in places (the Wedge Antilles cameo, hello?). I hope a 3 hour cut is released at some point. Make it happen Disney, what’s my Disney+ subscription for if not that?

All that said, it was very funny and cleaver for the most part. Lot’s of quips and laughs, lots of WOAH moments. Rey, Finn, Poe and Kylo had satisfying character arcs. Lesser protags are more a mixed bag, but honestly there wasn’t room (this is what happens when you have too many protags). Jannah was cute, Rose was a non-entity and no hate for Kelly Marie but the film legit didn’t have a use for her. Jannah is basically Rose but with better chemistry with Finn and more traditionally ‘cool’. Lando was basically a reoccurring cameo, a cute one but that’s all really. Zori was cute, give her streaming show Disney. C-3PO, R2, and D-O 9the new droid) were great, very little for BB-8 though, though he had some good moments and the start and finish. Chewie was Chewie.

Leia was handled very well and respectfully. The Emperor was buck wild start to finish (when he started quoting HIMSELF I knew we were in for some nonsense) but honestly was anyone not expecting that to be the case? Hux...was kinda amazing? Don’t know how hardcore Hux fans will feel, but it was good for me.

Reylo was...weird, but not as poorly done as a lot of similar relationships across media. It’s less that she’s rewarded with his love for saving him, and more that she loved the person she hoped he could be and in the end she proved to him through her own struggles that it was possible for him to be that person, though ultimately he had to save himself. I know that might not make a ton of sense but that’d what I saw there. It’s not perfect, but I’m OK with it? And I say that as a flaming lesbian with a crush on Daisy Ridley.

The action was cool, some of the light saber stuff strayed into the prequel-era flippy-ness but it was mostly dope. Great sets, great CGI, great puppets and practical effects.

Also, all the people saying this spits on The Last Jedi are foolish. It goes out of it’s way to reference The Last Jedi, in some places continuing points Rian Johnson tried to make. There are a couple jabs, but they’re very lighthearted and not malicious at all. Much like the jabs that movie had towards The Force Awakens. The only thing it contradicts is something that was vague in The Last Jedi and that in and of itself was a contradiction of The Force Awakens. Fair’s fair. Anyways, it’s a good, not perfect, and that in and of itself is the legacy of the Skywalker Saga overall so...it’s a good fit.

Farewell ~ Until our next adventure a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

[dnmeinster]

Why The Last Jedi Fails

I've debated whether it would be worth spending time writing this, as I know there are many critical takes out there about The Last Jedi.  But I figure it's time to gather up all my critiques and criticisms of Star Wars Episode 8 and put them into one (hopefully) coherent post.  Warning: I will be praising some parts of this film.

After I saw The Last Jedi opening night, my immediate reaction was that I loved it.  It is a beautifully shot film with some great scenes.  My initial trepidations were ones I've come to accept: Rey's parents are nobodies and Snoke was killed off without a backstory.  However, in the hours after watching, my critical brain turned back on and started to dissect every other bit of the film.  After seeing it a second time, the problems became more apparent.

Let's start with the film's greatest problem and a huge missed opportunity: Canto Bight.  Everything surrounding this whole plot point and locale is misguided from the minute it's mentioned.  It starts by wasting Maz Kanata, a potentially interesting character who is given little more than a cameo to send Finn and Rose off to the casino world.  Even worse, Maz's short amount of screen time includes a dig at the prequels, when she dismisses any notion that they'd be interested in her union dispute.  Here, we get some insight into how this film will approach politics in the Star Wars galaxy.  But director Rian Johnson misdiagnoses what was wrong with the prequels.  Space politics can be interesting!  See:  Star Wars Bloodline.  Johnson's decision to shy away from it compounds the problems when they actually get to Canto Bight.

It all goes wrong from the moment they land.  Literally.  Finn and Rose "park" their ship in a spot they're not supposed to.  Then they enter the casino, in what is apparently an homage to the cantina but on a grander scale.  This diverse set of gamblers are apparently war profiteers, as is briefly mentioned.  But their only interaction with any of them is when they are approached and arrested for parking illegally.  Seriously.

In prison, they encounter DJ, who will eventually join them on their mission to disable the First Order's tracker.  But first, they have to go back to the casino area and release enslaved creatures so they can trample and maim these profiteers we are told are bad.  This is a very long sequence that ends with Finn saying how glad he was to hurt them.  Huh?  Hurt these people you don't know and haven't spoken to?

The entire Canto Bight subplot lacks any depth.  It's completely superficial, and maybe that would've worked if they didn't spend so much of the movie there.  But it ends up being a whole lot of time wasted on what amounts to finding a way to get DJ with Finn and Rose.  This could've been so much better.

HOW TO IMPROVE CANTO BIGHT

Honestly, this should've been caught when someone was reading Johnson's drafts, because we're basically stuck with a chunk a TLJ that degrades it while simultaneously expanding its running time.  But it could've been fixed, starting with Maz.

 Instead of having Maz phone in her appearance, they should have met her on Canto Bight.  Right there, we lose one prequel crack and give Lupita a slightly larger role.  While there, they interact with these profiteers, engaging in a moral debate about the First Order vs. the Resistance, while finding out how the conflict is viewed through the galaxy.  Were there a lot of systems missing the Empire?  How do they feel about the New Republic's destruction?  Eventually, that moral debate is what leads to fisticuffs and their subsequent imprisonment, as opposed to a parking ticket.

Johnson doesn't touch on any of this in TLJ.  His take on the morality of the conflict is restricted to two lines involving DJ.  First: 

DJ: Good guys, bad guys, made-up words. Let's see who formerly owned this gorgeous hunk-uh. Ah, this guy was an arms dealer. Made his bank selling weapons to the bad guys. (Hologram shows a tie fighter.) Oh... And the good. (Hologram shows an x-wing.) Finn, let me learn you something big. It's all a machine, partner. Live free, don't join.

And second, when DJ betrays them:   

DJ: They blow you up today, you can blow them up tomorrow. It's just business. 

Finn: You're wrong. 

DJ: Maybe.

This is the extent Johnson is willing to go when it comes to morality in the Star Wars universe, and it's just not enough.  Either dig in or don't mention it.  Short changing it is a disservice, but that's exactly what happens.

If the entire Canto Bight sequence was redone, it would not only be a better Star Wars movie, but a better movie in general.  It doesn't have to be exactly as I think it should be, but it needs vast improvements.  If Disney were to ever special edition the sequels, then Canto Bight should be singled out.  And yes, I do think they should special edition them, along with the prequels.  But that's for another time.

MOVING ON

The second greatest issue of The Last Jedi is how immensely it fails at being a sequel to The Force Awakens.  I am undoubtedly biased when it comes to discussing TFA because JJ Abrams is one of my favorite directors and I absolutely loved his take on Star Wars.  Now, one of JJ's favorite things to do is to approach plots as mystery boxes, whose contents are slowly revealed over the course of a TV series or movie.  And don't say he didn't have any clue as to where TFA was going, as he had an outline prepared for the sequel, and an idea for who Rey's parents were.  Along comes Rian Johnson, who, instead of opening that mystery box, takes a hammer to it.

So much of what is hinted at, left unsolved, or teased in TFA is either ignored, brushed aside, or poorly answered in TLJ.  This is a problem.  TLJ is supposed to be a direct sequel, not a spin-off or an unplanned continuation.  When Yoda suggests there's another hope in Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi provides an answer to who that is.  Imagine if it didn't.  Well, I suppose you don't have to cause this basically happens with TLJ.

There was a lot of set up in TFA, but Johnson used TLJ to tear all of that up instead of building on it.  Rey's lineage, strongly hinted to be significant through multiple scenes in TFA, is made to be meaningless in TLJ.  Maz Kanata teased having a story about how she came to possess Anakin's lightsaber, but that's ignored in TLJ.  Snoke is treated like a disposable villain, even though he somehow managed to stitch the Empire back together and tempt Ben Solo to the dark side.  The Knights of Ren are mentioned in an offhand comment in TFA and are completely missing in TLJ.  I could go on.

Okay, I will.  Why would Luke leave a map for his friends to find him in TFA if he went to Ahch-To to die?  And why did Luke leave it with Lor San Tekka?  (Johnson's answer:  stfu, Luke is emo now.)

The Last Jedi also feels like a smaller movie.  There are two new locations introduced: Canto Bight and Crait.  It revisits Ahch-To from TFA, and the rest takes place on ships.  This is not necessarily a problem, except it fails to show both the dominance of the First Order and the scope of their battle with the Republic/Resistance.  Star Wars is a big universe.  Shouldn't it feel that way?

And then there's issues with some of the returning characters.  Finn is tied down in the wasteful Canto Bight plot that doesn't do much for him.  Leia spends most of the movie in a coma.  Ackbar is murdered for no reason and with even less fanfare.  Poe gets an expanded role, though somehow it doesn't lead to much character growth.

And I can't forget Phasma.  A character with so much potential yet given such short shrift in both TFA and TLJ.  She feels tacked on in this film, when she could've been given a meatier role given how underwhelming all of Johnson's original characters are.  Which brings me to...

THE NEWBIES

The Empire Strikes Back introduced us to Yoda, Lando, and Boba Fett.  The only memorable addition to The Last Jedi are the porgs.

Johnson gives us three new characters in TLJ:  Admiral Holdo, DJ, and Rose.  There isn't that much to say about them, because, well, they're not very memorable and they're certainly not iconic.  Holdo is a one note character meant to serve as the adversary to Poe.  Her entire role consists of antagonizing him and withholding information.  She's much more interesting in Claudia Grey's novel, Leia: Princess of Alderaan.

I've already mentioned the role DJ plays during Benicio del Toro's criminally tiny amount of screen time, so that leaves Rose.  She's...okay?  Sticking her on Canto Bight certainly doesn't help her.  The most memorable thing she does is interrupt Finn's suicide run and plant a kiss on him, both of which come from almost nowhere.

It really feels like these characters are underdeveloped and the actors are wasted in the roles, and that's a shame.  But then, that's the story of the prequels as well.  It's just that it was less surprising when George Lucas was doing it.

THE WORST MOMENT IN THE LAST JEDI

Luke Skywalker is far from the Luke we remember in RotJ.  At least until the end of the film, when he leaves Ahch-To, joins Leia and the Resistance, and takes on Kylo Ren and the First Order on his own.

Except he didn't really leave Ahch-To, it's a Force projection, and the stress of creating it kills him.  What?

Han Solo's death makes sense given his son's role in TFA.  Luke Skywalker dies because Rian Johnson chose to kill him.  There is not a single reason plot-wise for Luke to die in this movie.  The Sequel Trilogy should not be about killing off a member of the original trio in each film.  And it didn't have to be.  What were they thinking?

When Carrie Fisher passed away, and it became clear Leia was not going to be in Episode 9, that should have convinced the powers that be to change the last three minutes of the film and allow Luke to live.  Yes, he can return as a Force ghost, but that's not the same.  They would've only had to cut Luke's disappearance and a line from Rey and BAM, Luke's still alive for Episode 9.

His meaningless and arbitrary death ruins this film.  (And after they spent a whole film trying to find him, no less.)

THE GOOD

Now that I've rattled off some of the major flaws I perceived in TLJ, let me list some of the good.

The Yoda Scene:  Easily the best moment of the film.

Luke tossing the lightsaber:  A hilarious and unexpected moment before there were too many "hilarious" and unexpected moments.

Hux:  The one minor TFA character Johnson does an excellent job with.  He may be my favorite character in the film.

Rey and Ren:  The development of their relationship is the strongest element of TLJ.

The Caretakers:  See Damon Lindelof's Instagram.

The Porgs: Adorable pests/wookie-fodder.

Luke flashbacks:  We needed more of these.

Artoo: BB-8 is stealing his thunder, but he can still get in a cheap shot.

Threepio: He's also in this film.

Praetorian Guards: That's some good lightsaberin'.

The Cinematography:  Seriously, this movie is gorgeous.

It feels like a Star Wars movie (minus one ridiculous ironing scene).

FAILURE

Yoda tells Luke how failure is the greatest teacher, laying out one of the themes of this film.  The other, a quote played over numerous TLJ trailers, is "Let the past die.  Kill it, if you have to."  Let's explore.

Weeks before Max Landis disappeared from Twitter following sexual harassment allegations, he described how every character in this movie fails:

REY - Turn Kylo - Fails KYLO - Turn Rey - Fails FINN - Turn off tracker - Fails POE - Save Revel Fleet - Fails SNOKE - Kill Rey - Fails LUKE - Train Rey - Fails HUX - Usurp power - Fails LEIA - Escape - Mostly Fails ROSE TICO - Turn of tracker - Fails HOLDO - Evacuate to Planet Secretly - Fails

That's a lot of failure.  Ironically, you can add one more:

RIAN JOHNSON - Make a great Star Wars film - Fails

But this theme is not why TLJ doesn't work.  It's the other one that drags it down.  The whole idea to let the past die.  If this was Episode 9, and Disney was about to start fresh with a new series of Star Wars films, perhaps it would work.  But this is the middle chapter.  The past, especially TFA, should not be killed.  It should define the entire Sequel Trilogy.

After all, this is a culmination of everything in the OT and PT.  The First Order is born from the Empire.  The Resistance is born from the Rebellion (and then turned back into the Rebellion?  Guess you can't let the entire past die, huh?)  Most of the characters come from other movies.  This is their last time to shine.

Johnson subverts expectations too many times in TLJ.  It works at first, with Luke tossing the lightsaber, but by the end, it has become trite.  Rey's parents are nobodies.  Snoke's dead.  Luke's dead.  The entire Resistance can fit on the Millennium Falcon.  (And Kylo Ren’s awesome mask is wrecked.) He's killed the past without building anything for the future.  That's left to JJ in the single remaining film in the trilogy.  Come on!

The Last Jedi is so polarizing because there’s so much to nitpick, whereas The Force Awakens mainly had only one general complaint leveled against it (it was too much like A New Hope).  One fan may be okay with Leia's Mary Poppins scene, while also despising how Luke became a cranky hermit.  Each potential negative has to be overlooked to come out of it with a positive view, but it’s a lot easier to focus and harp on the negatives.  And that's what's happened online, and, yes, in this post.  Also, killing off Luke for no reason was dumb.

Before I go, I want to mention how overrated Looper was.  Interesting concept, but it falls apart at the farm.  And they gave that director a Star Wars film, while taking one away from the guys who did the Jump Street movies and The Lego Movie.  Sigh.

If JJ sticks the landing with Episode 9 and churns out a terrific film, perhaps TLJ can be viewed in a new light.  And opinions do change over the years.  But even though Revenge of the Sith was pretty good, no one looks back fondly at the prequel trilogy.

[twinkie-dude-blog]

¿Porque estoy ansioso por la secuela de Solo?

Solo: a Star Wars story fue un fracaso. A pesar de lo que puedas opinar de la película, ésta fue un fracaso. La película tuvo un costo de producción de 275 millones de dólares, y recaudo tan solo 392.8 millones. ¡392 millones! Las cifras son aterradoras considerando todo. Fue una película de verano, trajo pocas ganancias al estudio y peor que todo, es una película de Star Wars. Star Wars es la franquicia del mundo, amada por chicos y grandes, son películas dirigidas a todo el mundo, y no importa si te gusten o no, al menos tienes una opinión. En su tiempo fue el Imperio Contraataca, en el 99 La Amenaza Fantasma, en 2015 The Force Awakens y el año pasado tuvimos a The Last Jedi, que todas; si,  todas; en su momento son polémicas tanto entre críticos, fans casuales y diehard fans, pero todas generan una opinión. Debido a que no muchas personas vieron Solo, por desgracia la norma es que no se tenga una opinión de la película. Este solo es para entrar en contexto con la película, y dejando de lado estas razones les daré mi opinión de Solo.

Es una película divertida y la disfrute mucho. ¿Es necesaria? no, nunca lo fue. ¿Hace daño al pirata espacial que tanto amamos? no, no lo hace. ¿Tiene pequeños detalles que te vuelan los sesos cuando piensas como es que aceptaron poner eso en la película? si, si los tiene, pero después de todo todas las películas de Star Wars los tienen. No te va a hacer daño ver la película de Han Solo, una película que nadie pidió. 

Cuando Disney anunció los posibles spin-offs que planeaban hacer, películas individuales resonaron entre el público, pero una película de Han Solo es lo que menos se quería. Los spin offs son un tema controversial, pero teniendo una galaxia de posibilidades y de personajes nuevos éstas películas dan detalle a temas que ya conocemos. Y si, Rogue One nos sorprendió a todos, lo hicieron muy bien con esa película, tambien podría disfrutar una película de Obi Wan en Tatooine, y hasta cierto punto un filme en solitario de Boba Fett, pero el tipo de películas que no me emocionan serían las origin-stories, como una de Yoda o como ya ocurrió, con Han Solo. Han Solo es un forajido, un mercenario. Le interesa el dinero y su propio bien, por eso todos en Mos Eisley lo quieren matar. Es lo que tenemos que saber de Han, y toda esa información nos la dan cuando lo conocemos por primer vez en la cantina, y a lo largo de la película Han cambia, su arco se cierra y todo esta bien. Pero ya está hecha la película, y si bien no es necesaria, si es entretenida. No es muy memorable, pero sin duda se disfruta. Ver personajes como a Lando y Chewbacca es fantástico, y de hecho explorar la época Imperial de Star Wars sigue siendo entretenido. 

Ahora bien, ¿Porque me entusiasma tanto la secuela? si es que hay secuela claro. Es por el potencial. De hecho mi idea original para la película era ver una historia en la que un joven Han Solo se hiciera un nombre en la galaxia como un hábil criminal, dejando en el camino sus famosas enemistades. En mi draft mental, Jabba the Hutt hacía un equipo de criminales para robar una importante carga imperial, viajando por la galaxia y el bajo mundo de este amplio universo. Psicópatas, gángsters, piratas, cazarrecompensas y estafadores serían los personajes de esta película. El equipo protagonista serían Han Solo, Chewbacca, Lando, Boba Fett, Greedo, personajes nuevos y algunos de los más amados personajes de Star Wras; para los más nerds como yo... el resto de los seis grandes cazarrecompensas. Un fan observador recordará la escena en el Imperio Contraataca en la que Darth Vader contrata cazarrecompensas para capturar a la tripulación del Halcón Milenario. Un fan súper nerd recordará en nombre de cada uno de estos personajes, y sus historias en el anterior canon. Boba Fett, Dengar, Bossk, IG 88, Zuckuss y 4-LOM, amados por coleccionistas y die hard fans. En mi película deseada de Solo, algunos si no es que todo estos “legendarios” cazarrecompensas serían parte del equipo armado por Jabba, otros serían antagonistas secundarios y otros tendrían solo un cameo. Los detalles de la historia jamás los pensé tanto, pero en manos de buenos guionistas, podrían hacer la película más cool de Star Wars. Imaginense John Wick en Star Wars. Un Suicide Squad bien hecha. Al final de mi película deseada, Han traiciona Lando quedándose con el Halcón, deja a Greedo en alguna parte de la galaxia, y en el clímax traiciona tambien a Boba Fett, dejando que el Imperio lo arreste. Y quien sabe... tal vez de ahi conozca a cierto Lord Sith con fe en los cazarecompensas. La película terminaba con Han en posesión de su querida nave, en compañía del fiel Chewbacca, con fama en toda la galaxia, muchos peligrosos enemigos y el favor de Jabba the Hutt.

Solo no fue así, pero tengo fe. SPOILER ALERT la película termina con Han diciendole a Chewie que escuchó que un gángster importante en Tatooine esta armando un equipo...

... Por eso tengo fe en la secuela de Solo, si es que hay. 

[mushroomhedgehog]

Star Wars characters that should have gotten an origin movie before Han Solo:

- Darth Maul (Before Episode I)

- Boba Fett (during Episodes III and IV)

- Emperor Palpatine (Before Episode I)

- General Grevious (He just kind of shows up during the Clone Wars TV series)

- Master Yoda (Before Episode I)

- Mace Windu (Before Episode I, maybe have SLJ reprise the role for a cameo in the ending?)

- Supreme Leader Snoke

Hell, even minor characters that don't even need a backstory like Watto or Jabba would have been good ideas, since Han's had a lot of screentime and some of his past was explored, being a smuggler and all. Yes, I am interested in seeing how he met Chewie and Lando, but other characters could use a stronger presence in the franchise considering how minor their roles were or how much we don't know about them, and that they just show up at some point in the franchise.

A common argument about Darth Maul is that he was so cool, but his potential was pretty much trashed once he was killed, so they were like "Hey, remember how he was killed? Well, he's actually still alive." in both The Clone Wars and Rebels, which honestly felt like a cheap attempt at boosting ratings than an actual storyline.

[dalekofchaos]

Ways I would change Solo

My other Star Wars changes

Prequels

The Clone Wars and Rebels

Original Trilogy

Sequels

Rogue One

Solo wasn’t really a bad movie, I think it is a fun movie with great potential. The problem is they focused more on the future and not in the now, a movie about Han Solo does not focus on Han Solo and it’s not necessary at all and the story is very forgettable, and it really is just a cash grab. There is nothing remarkable about the movie and the only two characters who stand out as 100% only enjoyable to me are Enfys Nest and Chewie. The rest of the characters just feel like unnecessary adds or barley passable imitations. So these are ways I would change Solo to make it a great movie

Make the movie about Han. It focused too much on other characters that don’t matter.  Solo suffers from the fact that it really isn’t an origin movie about Han, but rather a movie about how he got his stuff. Which I think is in part because Lucasfilm planned to make Solo a trilogy till it completely and utterly failed at the box office and became the most financially disappointing Star Wars movie in all of the franchise’s history. It focused too much on Qi’Ra, Beckett and L3. The movie should have been about Han. from the streets, to Imperial and to Scoundrel. The movie should have been focused on Han and his relationships with Chewie and Lando. Showing Han leaving the Imperials for freeing Chewie and the two of them work together from that day. Putting a greater emphasis on Lando would have been a smart move since he’s returning in IX, and adding Jabba and Boba mention would have made sense since Lucasfilm had really wanted to do a Boba Fett movie and testing the wasters in Solo would had been better than adding that random cameo with Darth Maul, a character who literally couldn’t have anything less to do with Han or the OT. Why is Darth Maul in a movie about Han Solo? I really feel like they should not have brought Maul back in Solo. He had his return in The Clone Wars and he got his final death in Rebels. Bringing back Maul was dumb. The majority of casual audiences do not know Maul survived TPM, they just shoehorned Maul in for sequel bait and nostalgia. The problem is they focused on the future instead of focusing on their movie.When it comes to Solo, Maul shouldn’t even be there. Han does not believe in the force and believes a lightsaber is a ancient weapon from archaic times and all he needs is a good blaster. From Han himself “I’ve never seen anything to make me believe there’s one all powerful force controlling everything.” I really feel like no one on board understood Han Solo as a character and their inability to make a Han Solo movie about Han or any aspect of Han’s character is what ultimately failed the movie.

Make it a mix between Ocean’s 11 and The Good The Bad And The Ugly. The original trilogy was influenced by Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai.  Rogue One is a Dirty Dozen type war movie. Solo’s problem is it’s just a movie. An easy fix is to make it a heist film first and then make it a space western.  Solo turned into a heist film about 45 minutes into the film. Until then you just had Ehrenreich bouncing around doing stuff. It wasn’t boring but we wasted so much time with him enlisting in the empire, joining Beckett’s gang, having Beckett’s gang die, owing Beckett a favour, meeting his long lost lover and then we finally have our plot. There’s definitely a better way to get the gang together than the convoluted way we got. 20 minutes in, we should know exactly what the stakes are for the rest of the movie.

Han Solo picks his own name. Han is a rebel without a cause. He doesn’t care where he came from, so a random Imperial Officer should not be given Solo his last name. This is Han’s story, he should tell the officer that he’s Han Solo. Han not calling himself Solo was a really bad sign.

Give Han’s original Legends Backstory and how he met Chewie. Han wanting to escape his life in the gang works better in Legends and while I don’t see anything wrong with his bond with Qi’Ra, I just felt like it was really dumb for Han to want to go back to Corellia for her and just see her 20 minutes later. Show his Imperial career more. Have him be revealed as an Ace Tie Pilot, but something changed all that, Chewie. I strongly feel like Legends Han meeting Chewie was more impactful and emotional than what we got in the actual movie. Han saving Chewie from being executed by his Imperial superiors is better than Han being thrown into a pit and speaking Shyriiwook.

More Lando. Basically focus more on Han and Lando’s friendship and surprise everyone by basically pull a Jack Harkness and have Lando kiss Han and Qi'Ra simultaneously. Show us why Han and Lando have a strong friendship, show don’t tell. Have Han and Lando being smugglers in arms. And finally Lando would not leave he would patch himself up and return to help Han in the end. We really needed to see why Han sees so much reverence in his friendship to Lando in ESB. What we got from Solo makes Lando’s betrayal unsurprising. We needed to see why Lando was willing to sacrifice an old friendship to save Bespin from the Imperials, the emotional weight of Han and Lando’s friendship wasn’t there in the movie, it needed to be there so their relationship friendship should’ve been one of the core elements of the movie.

Make Han and Qi'Ra just platonic and childhood friends. I didn’t like the romance and thought Han and Qi'Ra just worked as childhood friends. It really rubbed me the wrong way that Han’s first instinct when seeing Qi'Ra again was wanting to make out with her…when Qi'Ra has been abused by Vos for years and Qi’Ra was uncomfortable about it in Lando’s cape closet. It would be more tragic imo if being betrayed by Qi'Ra that she just wants to kill to the top and stay ahead of the food chain at the cost of old attachments, which this would help turn Han into the cold smuggler we know from ANH

Take out that god-awful “I’m not saying that full name” line Cause Han calls him Chewie and not Chewbacca! Get it? It’s one syllable in the difference. Out of all the connections in the movie, that is the very worst.

Beckett is killed instead of Val. Val was rather mistrustful and skeptical of Han, imagine if only Val, Han and Chewie made it out alive. Val would have no choice BUT to stick with Han and she would grow to trust him, Beckett was a boring character and we all saw his betrayal coming. You could’ve easily changed places with Beckett. But Val would not betray the gang. Val would’ve joined Enfys Nest, while Qi’Ra would’ve been the one to betray Han and co.

L3-37 stays on the slave planet by choice. A minor one but after L3-37 liberates the droids, I think it’d work better if she stayed on the planet to live among her “people”. Her whole shtick was she didn’t like being a slave, there was no logical way she’d get back on the Falcon after freeing all the droid so they had to kill her off. A less cheap and more rewarding pay-off would be she tells Lando she’s staying. They hug, have a moment and she gets to finish her arc. Too many characters die in this film just so the plot can progress (Okay 3, but that’s 3 more than you have to kill). Sure this means you lose the connection in A New Hope where C3-PO mentions the Falcon’s odd dialect but I think we can manage without it. Also, now Han gets to do the Kessel run without any droid help. It shows he’s a great pilot and has what it takes. That’s kinda what we needed to see.

Qi'Ra and Aurra Sing would be partners and lovers. One of the most deadly bounty hunters during the Clone Wars is fridged for Beckett’s reputation. She doesn’t even get a dignified death, not even on screen. Not even a duel. She is pushed to her death. So instead of that bullshit, Aurra would be Qi'Ra’s right hand and lover and together they would kill Vos together. 

Make Dryden Vos more of a legit threatening villain. Paul Bettany used to play really fucking evil gangster characters and that’s what I was hoping Dryden was going to be playing, but he was barely there. Make him cruel, and a clear danger. Prior to the meeting, show him execute an underling for insubordination and have him say “sorry for the mess” imply his abusive relationship with Qi’Ra and show that Qi’Ra wants out, but not in the way Han might think. She wants to kill Vos and take power for herself! And make his death at the hands of Qi'Ra and Sing mean something. Show that Sing is sick and tired of seeing Qi’Ra be hurt by that scum and will say “the Crimson Dawn would be better in your hands, just say the word and he dies” Qi’Ra would say “when the time is right, my pet” 

When the betrayal happens, Aurra Sing leads the Crimson Dawn to attack The Marauders, so we get a climatic scene of Enfys Nest fighting Aurra Sing, while Han and Lando deal with Vos, however when Qi’Ra’s betrayal is revealed, show Qi’Ra killing Vos and leaving Han and Lando to fend for themselves against Crimson Dawn forces. Han and Lando fight them off and Han goes after Qi’Ra and Chewie.

Han would face Qi’Ra. Qi’Ra will boast that Han is too emotional and too good deep down inside and that he doesn’t have what it takes and this was never about him and finally before Qi’Ra can pull out her blaster, Han shoots first. This would be a way of letting the past go and Han embracing his scoundrel ways.

Han’s farewell with Enfys remains the same, but Han also bids farewell to Val to thank her for everything, but Val thanks Han for letting her see to let go of her hatred as she learned that Enfys was just a child and knew that Becket allowed his greed and hatred lead him to his death.

Val would contact L3 and together with Enfys Nest and L3, Val would be a big help to the Rebellion

Han and Lando play one last game of Sabacc and Han wins, thus winning him the Falcon and Han and Lando part off as friends.

Solo ends similar to how it ended with Han and Chewie flying off in the Falcon with a hint to his future with the Hutt Cartel and his rivalry with Boba Fett, thus giving a sign for sequels without making the movie built on sequel baiting.