#andor best line

[andorshitdaily]

WE HAVE OUR WINNERS!!!

Thank you all for voting in this gigantic tournament and making your voices heard on all your favorite quotes and lines from this show absolutely chock full of banger lines.

Without further ado.....in third place 🥉, a philosopher who needs no introduction:

In second place 🥈, a real underdog and the only line in the tournament not spoken in Basic:

And of course, the champion 🏆🥇. Could it have been anything else?

Congrats to the winners and congrats to us for having so many incredible options to choose from! Looking forward to more next season!

[darlingjmiller]

finished watching Andor.. I’m so mentally ill rn

[norraexploradora]

The Tragedy of the CX Troopers and the Missed Opportunity to Teach Us All an Important Lesson

A deeper look into how the CX-Troopers were handled in the Bad Batch and the narrative surrounding them that unfortunately got dropped in season 3

I want to start off by applauding the Bad Batch for the brave attempt to tackle dark topics throughout the series and presenting them in a way that is appropriate for families to watch and discuss with their children. Most of series is successful in being just dark enough to raise tension but to also keep things suitable for a child’s first glimpse into the harsh realities of life. However there still a few places that missed the mark.

The one I wish to cover today is the inconsistent narrative surrounding the CX-Troopers. I’m not here to say it was bad writing per se, but if a dark topic is discussed in a family oriented tv series, it is best to commit adequate time to truly flesh it out so the messaging is clear. Subjective is great in a mature series like Andor, but kids lack the life experience required to read between the lines.

And yes, exposition does make dialogue sound clunky at times, but there is a reason why most cartoons in the 80s had the kind of “The more you know” lesson after each episode. The Bad Batch was no different. Tech’s speech in the Crossing and his encouragement to Omega at the end of Retrieval are perfect examples of this.

In my opinion, there was an opportunity for an important lesson to be learned from the CX Troopers that was brought up but left unfinished. These shadow operatives could have been a way to show the viewer how anyone can be “brainwashed” either by force or by clever manipulation.

One operative in season 2 called himself a “Believer” which seems to evoke he was forcibly submerged into a cult-like indoctrination. It’s also why I prefer to use the phrase “coercive persuasion” or “forced persuasion” instead of brainwashing as they are a more accurate description of the process that has been historically implemented by governments, cults, and captors in order to make good people believe in or do horrible things.

Dr. Hemlock’s use of forced persuasion on select clones to turn them into CX-Troopers is a interesting look into the real world and well-documented cases of brainwashing within fascist regimes; especially in wartime settings. It is common and disturbing tactic implemented in moments of great despair and something that deserves more focus within the narrative if it is to be brought up as a major plot point.

Most of the brainwashing aspects in the Bad Batch were rapidly glossed over probably due to time and budget constraints, and not so much by the dark and disturbing imagery. One can easily get the “idea across” without showing it explicitly. (Like Crosshair having his hand chopped off. We didn’t see it but yeah, we get the gist).

I will say however, that despite the mystery surrounding brainwashing in the CX-Program, one of the more poignant moments was Captain Rex telling a caught CX Trooper that he was still their brother and that they would help him. It was a beautiful show of compassion and introduced new plot element; that the soldiers who undergo forced persuasion could possibly be reached or even saved.

It’s not a stretch to believe that the Bad Batch would take this route given the series had built up “we don’t leave our own behind” as one of the main themes. It would also be safe to say that saving fictional heroes from brainwashing gives us hope that real life survivors can recover from such trauma.

It was one of the many reasons fans were led to believe that the mysterious CX-2 operative could have been Tech or Cody. The focus on this particular shadow operative gave rise to speculation that he was different, that there was something coming to shed light or hope that a lost soldier could be found and rescued; something that would make sense of it were a character we already cared greatly about.

Alas, CX-2 was kept a mystery box that gave no insight to the tragic nature of his existence nor gave us a reason to mourn his death. That is why the battle between the Bad Batch and Hemlock’s Batch of secret operatives felt rushed and incomplete to some viewers. There wasn’t proper time for the story to breathe beyond “One Batch is good, the other Batch is bad.”

There were simply too many dropped narratives throughout the final season that reduced the whole CX Trooper plot to a video game-esque final boss battle. Don’t get me wrong, it was an amazing fight, beautifully animated, terrifying, and intense; but nevertheless, it felt hollow because the build-up went nowhere.

At that’s exactly where the narrative around the tragic nature of brainwashing got lost.

It’s important for you to know that I’m not saying the Bad Batch killing these operatives in the final fight was wrong. I’m also not saying that they should have tried to reach out to save these Shadow Operatives in the middle of of a life and death situation. It’s just unfortunate that we were never given a reason to feel anything other than relief that the CX-Troopers were killed.

And yes, this is a show about the Bad Batch and not brainwashed mystery troopers, but I stress, the writing set up these characters and introduced a very dark and disturbing concept to young viewers. With more time and effort spent on the narrative, it could have been an important lesson that applies to real life.

Coercive Persuasion is not a fantasy concept. It is very very real. Sleep deprivation, isolation, abuse, constant interrogation, drugging, shame, and humiliation, are all various means to break down a person’s will and forcibly persuade them into believing anything.

One can simply look to how many people get forced into false confessions by unethical police practices, or those who end up committing atrocities due to cult leader manipulation. A more common and less obvious example is social media outlets designed to spin conspiracy theories; coercing people into believing anything they want, like like the Earth is flat and microchips were put in Covid vaccines. By preying upon people’s anger and fear, these sites cultivate distrust and can lead one to extremist thinking.

This is real world, dark and scary stuff that needs to be handled with serious care and consideration of bringing it into an animated Star Wars series.

So given more time and budget, how could this lesson be shown through the story of the Bad Batch? How could these brainwashed operatives been presented in a way to that is scary but still gives younger audiences a way to sympathize with them?

Shedding more light on a terrifying process would remind us the CX-Troopers are victims and despite their terrifying nature, they still deserve our compassion and empathy. So giving the operatives more of a backstory is a good start.

For Example:

Showing the transformation of at least one of these operatives before the final battle would provide more emotional impact after their demise. Having kids clearly, and not subjectively, understand that under those cool costumes there used to be good men is such an important lesson. It reinforces the narrative that the real villains aren’t these soldiers but the regime that warped their minds and forced them into mindless monsters.

To be clear, this a a family series and I am in no way implying that a clear visual of lengthy torture would be acceptable. There are already hints through Crosshair’s PTSD and that is enough to get the idea across.

My suggestion would have been to place the sniper clone who eventually became CX-2 in the cell next to Crosshair while on Tantis. The viewer gradually sees these two men go back and forth to their cells after these conditioning sessions and the witness bond that forms between them. Crosshair is forced to see CX-2’s identity slip more and more away after each session until he is no longer the person he once was. The sadness and loss of seeing this man lose his identity not only leaves a mark on Crosshair, but by the viewer as well.

The scene of the shadow operative watching Crosshair on Tantiss and the one shadow operative calling him “brother” would have made more sense in retrospect. In addition, having an emotional and clear connection between Crosshair and the man who became CX-2, would have given their epic fight on top of the waterfall more emotional weight. CX-2’s line “You could have been one of us. You made the wrong choice” would be more resonant to the viewer. CX-2 would literally be a sniper shadow operative that Crosshair could have become verses a subjective mystery box.

To further this narrative and Crosshair’s character arc, making the above change to the story could have also opened the door to Crosshair eventually saving this lost brother. Omega’s determination to never give up on Crosshair could have resulted in Crosshair reaching out to CX-2 and eventually getting through to him before the final battle. It would have been so emotional and fulfilling.

And yet…as lovely as that would have been, I realize the above scenario would require at least one additional episode; which the animation team probably didn’t have the luxury or the budget to do. So I’ll offer another solution:

Adding a few minutes here and there during season 2 and the beginning of season 3 dedicated to Hemlock’s treatment to the CX-Troopers and other Clone prisoners would give the viewer a clearer picture into the nature of the CX Program. The result would be that the feeling of triumph wouldn’t be seeing the shadow operatives lying dead on the floor but knowing that the experimentation on the clones at Tantiss by Dr. Hemlock was finally over.

So in conclusion:

It’s a shame that the shadow operatives were left a mystery and simply became foils and metaphors. The fight at the end was nothing more than the Batch having to kill or be killed and it failed to showcase a serious topic with less black and white thinking.

With more time, the writers could have explored the tragedy of forced coercion. Discussing a difficult subject in a manner fit for young audiences could leave them with awareness when they are faced with a similar real world scenario.

The CX-Trooper plot could have also been a good way for a parent to discuss what coercive persuasion does to people; especially in today’s world where social media is rife with bad people luring in youth and manipulating their anger and fear into extremist thinking.

Think about it.

How does someone get so isolated that they fall prey to extremism and they end up committing acts of terrorism? How does one get indoctrinated into a cult and become so brainwashed that they take their own lives or the lives of others at the behest of a cult leader? How would an innocent person sign a confession of a crime they didn’t commit?

These are all good questions that people often ask after horrendous real life events and can regularly be seen on the daily news and social media. Having a fictional metaphor for scary real world issues that children could easily understand would be exactly the kind of thing Star Wars was created for. It was also created to give children and all of us hope.

So in the end, the lesson should have been that people who fall victim to brainwashing aren’t weak or gullible. They have been put through extreme duress and put through unethical means of isolation and manipulation.

And if there is hope for even one of the CX-Troopers to be saved, we as a society should have empathy and try to reach out to those in our own lives who have been a victim of coercive persuasion before writing them off.

Disclaimer:

One thing I’ve learned in life is that platforms like Twitter are not places for deep discussions and good faith arguments. You have a set number of letters to get your ideas across and interpreting the meaning or tone always leads to misunderstandings.

That is why I’m coming to to Tumblr to discuss my deep dives into season 3 of the Bad Batch. I am the type of person who doesn’t like angry, confrontational sparring over ideas.

My goal is to shed light on a different perspective; not to make anyone agree with me, but just to understand that we can all watch the same show and interpret things differently due to our own life experiences. By explaining my viewpoints, I’m showing you into my thought process. You are certainly free to disagree but I’m not trying to change your feelings on the matter, nor do I wish for anyone to forcibly change mine.

We can all exist in the same space and I encourage anyone who has a different view to write an analysis of their own instead of arguing in anyone’s comment section. Be kind and respectful and most of all, remember this is fiction and subjective interpretation. There are so many things to be really angry about in the world and Star Wars is the least of our worries.

Cheers and as always, May the Force be with you!

[talaok]

Since all the nominations for Emmys, I need one fic where reader is either video calling or with Pedro when nominations are announced. Somethig fluffy and full of emotions cuz Pedro deserves all of this 😊

a/n: this ask skipped the line just cause I felt that if I posted this next week it wouldn't have made as much sense, so yeah here it is (also, I’m so happy for him and Bella, like omg man)

Today was the day.

Pedro was never usually one to care about this stuff, yes he was grateful, and yes he was happy, but no other time had he felt this electricity in the air, this buzz telling him that something was about to happen... something good of course.

He had set up his tablet on the coffee table in front of the couch, waiting for the announcement to start, but he hadn't even managed to sit- he was too nervous, too excited.

A ringing sounded through the room all of a sudden, and after an initial scare, he smiled, glad you finally could call him.

You were on set. In Vancouver. A thousand miles from him.

"Is it on yet?"

Your eagerness spurt through the screen.

And he thought he was exited

"nope"

"what? How much longer?"

He glanced at the screen, feeling a tiny goosebump traveling up his back at the countdown.

"two minutes"

"Oh my god!" You squeaked, smiling so wide your cheeks almost hurt "how are you feeling?"

"nervous" he chuckled drily

"Oh c'mon, what about? We both know you're gonna crush it"

"I hope so" he sighed "God I don't know why I care so much" he laughed "The only important thing is that Bella and the show get nominated"

"And you, of course" you chirped in

He tried to fight a smile, but it still pulled at his lips "Well if there's room..."

"There you are" you nodded, your smile fading ever so little after a brief moment "god I wish I could be there"

"Me too" he agreed "but at least w-" a noise in the direction of the coffee table caught his attention

"Oh shit, it's starting"

"shit, go go go go" you mumbled, feeling all too powerless in your position.

He sat down in front of the screen as the announcers appeared on it.

"what are they saying?"

"uh- just their names and stuff"

"ok-"

A moment passed 

"what about now?"

He laughed, ever so thankful for your presence "Still that, sweetheart"

"fine, just- tell me when they start telling the categories"

"ok ok here we go" 

"what is it?"

"talk series"

"Bo-ring" you huffed, making him chuckle "I want the good stuff"

"they're doing reality programs now"

"oh my god! it's like they want to torture us"

...

"Oh shit" 

A pit created itself in Pedro's stomach

"what?"

"lead actor in a drama series"

"oh my god" you screeched, doing a poor job of trying not to freak out "C'mon baby I know believe in you"

"jeff bridges... Brian cox... Kieran Culkin... Bob Odenkirk..."

come on come on come on

His mouth widened as he let out an incredulous breath.

"baby?" you called, already knowing but wanting a confirmation "baby pl-"

"I got nominated"

"I told you!" You basically screamed, jumping out of your chair "I told you, baby! I'm so happy for you! You deserve all of it babe, all. of. it." 

"I can't believe this" he smiled, his eyes glimmering with that spark in his eyes he only got whenever he was truly happy "This is crazy"

"Well believe it baby, you're an Emmy nominee"

"I just-" he interrupted himself as the next category was announced "shit it's best actresses"

You nodded, trying to cool down while really just mindlessly pacing around your trailer 

"Bella Ramsey!" he laughed "Bella Ramsey! They did it! I knew they fucking would"

"oh my god!" you grinned "What a power couple"

"I know right?" he chuckled "I'll have to call them I-" and once again, the announcers interrupted his train of thought.

His gaze moved from you to the tablet again.

"best drama series?"

He only nodded, clearly all the anxiety coming back.

"Andor... Better call Saul... the crown... House of the Dragon..."

he fell silent as his eyes came back to you, and this time... this time they shined with tears of joy.

"yeah?" you asked, feeling your heart beating out of your chest.

"yeah," nodded.

You felt your heart and chest and body fill with pure joy as you let some tears fall from your eyes.

"you did it baby" you sniffled "I knew you would. You deserve it, all of it" you smiled, wishing with all your heart you were there to hug him and kiss him and whisper in his ear

"How are you feeling?"

He laughed "I don't even know, I just- I think I need time to process this" he smiled, his hands slightly shaking "A-Are you ready to go to the Emmys?"

"are you?" You laughed, quite literally quivering from the excitement

"As ready as I'll ever be"

[jessequinnfirstofhername]

The Rules:

Every twenty-four hours there will be another round. After every round, the film in last place will be eliminated.

If there are multiple films tying for last place, there will be a special elimination round. In these rounds, every film in last place will be eliminated, even if all the films have tied equally.

When there are only two films remaining, they will face off against one another in a week-long poll to determine the victor.

If you feel that no mere Star Wars film deserves to win, then please hit the "No Star Wars *Film* Is As Good As ___!" option and reply to this post with the non-film piece of Star Wars media you wish to include in the poll. The non-film piece of Star Wars media with the highest 'write-in' votes will then be added to the poll in the next round. Welcome to the poll, Andor and Star Wars: The Clone Wars!

This is all for fun. Don’t take it too seriously ;)

...and with the elimination of Andor, we're back to a line-up of only movies.

For anyone who's confused about why there were non-film options in the first place, please feel free to re-read Rule 4, and cross-reference it with Rule 69: My Poll, My Rules ;)

We're in the semi-finals! It's time for Round Eleven!

[elwenyere]

Best Melshi Line in Andor

I've been enjoying the Andor best lines poll (go vote in the quarter finals!), and I would like to contribute a bonus poll for my sad space Scot, Ruescott Melshi. Feel free to share your propaganda in the tags.

["Hey new guy, prepare to fry."] / "Keef...It's his name. Right?"

"Don't ever look at the number. Double, triple, it doesn't matter. You're in 'til they don't want you anymore. Get straight with that. Anyone that thinks they're getting out now is just dreaming. Those days are over."

"They set 'em all free."

"Tell me they're leaving."

"We’re getting out of here. I can feel it."

"What if it's just us? What if we're the only ones? Somebody's got to tell people what's happening back there. We need to split up. Double our chances. One of us has to make it. People have to know what's going on."

[creativealmonds]

Why Did the Jedi Stay in the War?

We, as fandom experiencing a franchise that started in the 70s, tend to forget that not every character has the same knowledge and context as we do.

“The Jedi should just not go to war! It’s simple!”

Its not. Jedi, at their core, the thing they do most, is help people. Before the war they were wandering monks and priests who helped with problems be they planetary succession crises or a kid lost in the woods.

In a recent Obi-wan comic, he’s on Tattooine and reflecting on the war and a Jedi’s purpose in it. A bridge is about to be bombed. He’s told to get out of there. He shoots back, “there are still wounded here!”

The Jedi couldn’t just step away from the war because there were still wounded on the battlefields, on every planet and system.

“The Jedi turned their backs on their ways and became generals!”

They became generals because the Senate told them too. For years, they’d been slowly boxed in by Palpatine purporting the senate to make it easier for him to mass murder them. Of course it doesn’t make sense for a religious order of monks, priests, scholars, healers and diplomats to became generals of the biggest army in literal centuries! That’s what Palpatine wanted; for the Jedi to be seen as power hungry, war mongers so that when he called Order 66 people won’t be outright opposed to the literal genocide of a people.

“They enslaved the clones!”

The Jedi had just as much say in the war as the clones did. The clones were made to fight, they spent their entire lives trying to fight in this war. They weren’t recruited, they didn’t choose, they had no say. And, going back to the first part, the Jedi had to go because of the Senate and they themselves, the hood Jedi at least, wouldn’t leave knowing that there were people that needed saving, be that clones or civilians.

“The Jedi are peacekeepers!”

Yes but peace is not always pacifism. In the episode where Ashoka goes to the lemur village the elder says his version of people is better than the Jedi’s. His version of peace is not going anything. What he calls peace is compliance. The Jedi try and bring peace by fighting, same as the rebels in the original trilogy and the shows. I watched a video about Andor and this line stuck out to me.

“The empire doesn’t kill with a shot to the heart, but with slow strangulation.” People would rather do nothing, in fear of immediate danger, and be slowly killed.

The Jedi are no monolith, and they are not infallible. They are people, with flaws that make mistakes, that tried to do good, to be what they were raised to be and to carry out their beliefs as best they could while being manipulated, used and lined up to slaughter.

[velvet4510]

Look, I know the novelization has the “he didn’t know her, there wasn’t time” line about Jyn and Cassian.

I get the strong points made by takes and fics that bounce off this saying the two of them were an “I could have loved you” situation.

It’s unquestionable that their relationship would’ve only deepened and strengthened if they’d only had more time. There was a lot more they could’ve learned about each other’s pasts plus, you know, the little things like favorite colors and favorite food, things that normal couples know about each other. They were robbed of the happy future that they deserved and should have had more time among the living, no doubt about that.

But still, I don’t feel like that makes their feelings any less real.

Especially, you know, considering that people buy into the Titanic love story which plays out over just as short a span of time as RebelCaptain’s story (72 hrs max), and I’d argue that within those hours, Jyn and Cassian went through as much, if not more, together than Jack and Rose did. There’s just no “could” about their feelings. They got there.

The looks they shared, the total lack of personal space, his face when she took down the Jedha troops, their perfect teamwork in battle, the sheer number of times he came back for her, the sheer number of times he chose her over everything else, the fact that she canonically wanted to throw herself after him when he fell apparently to his death, the fact that in her head she placed him on the same level as her parents when thinking about what Krennic took from her, the fact that he made his way to the top of the tower with a broken back to save her, the sheer intimacy of the elevator moment and final hug… You don’t do any of those things for someone you don’t love.

Plus just the fact that they affected each other so quickly, that within only a few days they had already changed each other for the better and brought out the best in one another, the fact that they willingly died for each other and she didn’t leave him behind to escape when she could’ve, the fact that he literally declared himself her home … If that isn’t love, I just don’t know what is.

It happened so quickly because they’re soulmates; you only need to watch Andor to know that’s true. I’ve lost count of the number of parallels between their stories thanks to this show.

It is admittedly likely that mutual self-doubt about feelings made them think that it wasn’t real yet, and they were fooling themselves. It certainly was too soon for them to say it out loud, considering how inexperienced they were with relationships this deep and this loving. But they said it in the elevator, with their eyes (and maybe a kiss).

Their feelings were real, whether they knew it or not. By the end, they were in love.

I’m sorry, but nobody can convince me otherwise.

[supervisormeero]

Boop.

“And your thought is that if we question the driver, we might find evidence of Mothma’s rebel sympathies?” Syril asks, staring down at his datapad. He waits. Dedra’s silent, so he assumes he’s not said enough; assumes he’s not shown sufficient intelligence to earn her answer. “Which could, in theory, lead us to… Axis?” he presses. “And Andor?”

He waits.

And waits.

She’s quiet.

When the silence has stretched for too long, he glances up to find Dedra’s chin nestled in the heel of her hand, her eyes closed. Her fingertips skim the tight strands of her blonde hair just above her ear. Every determined wrinkle has smoothed from her brow. Her mouth has opened slightly; her lips have parted with the subtle relaxation of sleep. It’s the third time she’s fallen unconscious in the midst of their surreptitious meetings in her apartment this week, so it’s the third time he’s been fortunate enough to sit across from her at the table and witness this beautiful, paradoxical side of her, like a flower sprouting between steel beams. Dedra is as soft when she sleeps as she is sharp when she’s awake. It’s impossible for him to rip his gaze from her.

And yet.

The last time he continued with his work and left her to catch up on hours of much-needed rest, she’d awakened, taken a half-second to adjust to her surroundings, and promptly snapped at him for “proceeding insubordinately in my absence.” She’d made it clear that her expectation was for him to wake her up, rather than to keep working out of respect for her well-being, and his stomach clenches at the thought that she might drag him down the hall and shove him out the door if he disappointed her again. As much as they both know she needs it, he can’t let her sleep.

And yet.

How is he to wake her? Shaking her by the shoulder seems even more insubordinate than continuing their work. Dropping his datapad risks startling her, frightening her. He’d rather shoot himself in the heart than leave this place of his own accord. For seconds that last eons he sits in the chair opposite Dedra Meero, painting her into the mural of his memory with the precise lines and manifold hues of a lovelorn artist, and ponders. Ruminates on all of the ways he might misstep and trigger an explosion. His heart thuds, and twists, and sprints.

Then, without thinking, he leans forward, extends his index finger, and taps it lightly against the tip of her nose. He doesn’t know when, or where, or why he learned the gesture. He knows it’s called a boop just as he knows the name, along with the thing itself, is riddled with impropriety. Inelegant as it is, it does serve its purpose.

Her blue eyes slit open as her lips suck in a short, shallow gasp of a breath. Her shoulders stiffen. She swallows. She pulls her head up, and then back. Proper posture, always. He watches fog churn in her gaze as she glances around the room, and he watches clarity sweep in to blow her confusion away. To free the sunbeams of her brilliance. A tinge of red blooms across her pale cheeks.

She fixes her attention on him, focuses on the outstretched pointer finger he’d dropped into his lap. Evidence. It’d never slip past her.

Her lip curls in exquisite disdain. “What was that?”

His throat tightens. “I… know you didn’t want me to continue on without you. I thought it best to, ah… employ a… less harsh method of waking you.”

Her glare is an ice storm, and he’s honored to sit motionless and freeze in place. “Try that again, Syril, and you’ll lose a finger.”

He’s booped his final boop, then. He nods.

“Of course.”

[chamerionwrites]

A thought I have been idly turning over is that the argument can be made - and made pretty compellingly imo - in both directions that the changes from Cassian’s sketchy offscreen backstory in R1 to that presented in Andor serve to portray him as a more/less uncomplicatedly sympathetic hero and/or victim of imperial violence.

On the one hand “traumatized refugee orphan turned hustler, saddled with a juvenile record and nursing a self-protective apathy approach to politics, radicalized by the proverbial straw(s) that broke the camel’s back after a lifetime of survival in a system that wants to kill him” clearly complicates the narrative from “I’ve been in this fight since I was six years old.” And quite frankly, hard NOT to complicate the narrative when you’ve got an entire TV series to stretch your narrative legs in vs a single film with an ensemble cast. I don’t think it’s entirely fair to suggest that a story which has vastly more space to expand on an idea necessarily has smarter things to say so much as more space in which to say them - but I do respect the commitment to complication and interrogation, nonetheless.

On the other hand the implication of R1 - made extremely albeit briefly explicit in the offscreen references to, and I quote, Outer Rim “anarchist movements” and children “tossing rocks and bottles at Republic walkers” (no further comment at this time but like…oof) - is not, imo, a less thoughtful or complicated or potentially subversive story. Some of the complexities certainly lie in different places! But I don’t even think that such questions as “Does a slightly-selfish-on-the-surface grifter ask more from the audience than a dedicated idealist?” are as straightforward as they initially appear, within the broader context of a media landscape that is frequently far more comfortable lauding revolutionary action as a variation on a revenge plot (Everyman Hero just wanted to keep his head down and live his life until Evil Empire killed his girlfriend/family/best pal/etc etc) than as a natural outgrowth of ideological conviction (which is for Scary Radicals*). I also continue to find it UNBELIEVABLY tantalizing that R1!Cassian was explicitly described as, if not a Separatist himself (hard to describe a six year old that way or know how he would describe himself as an adult!), then unquestionably part of that ideological lineage, in that Star Wars as a franchise has never been willing to give more than halfhearted lip service to the idea of Separatists as anything but cartoonishly over the top villains - or, by extension, to the idea that the Republic was the Anakin Skywalker to the Empire’s Darth Vader. Even in highly abridged form, that’s a backstory that’s begging a lot of pointed and fascinating questions (What are the political fault lines within the Rebel Alliance? What does it mean that this franchise’s treatment of the Clone Wars has frequently boiled down to glibly setting up and knocking down arguments about Third World sovereignty and resource extraction? Can you as the audience imagine a political movement that contains both incredibly corrupt bad actors and grassroots liberation movements under the same broad ideological umbrella?)

ANYWAY TL;DR I think there’s a lot that’s spiky and unstraightforward and potentially subversive about both of those backstories, and I don’t think you need to dismiss the complexities of either in order to appreciate the other.

*I am OFC not saying that Andor doesn’t engage with ideological conviction, because it does! I am merely pointing out that - outside the audience demographic of broadly left-leaning people on tumble - a loveable rogue who wants to stay out of politics and survive does not necessarily read as less likable or morally upright than a revolutionary who’s fully prepared to Die For The Cause.

[andorshitdaily]

ANDOR Best Line, THIRD PLACE

"Power? Power doesn't panic." - Cassian Andor, ep. 10

vs.

"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort; it breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear." - Karis Nemik, ep. 12

[e-the-village-cryptid]

I love the way that Andor shows us the sheer mundanity of the choices that everyday people are faced with in the gradually but steadily tightening grip of fascism. Because in real life, picking a side doesn't look like a big dramatic moment where Luke or Anakin chooses The Light Side or The Dark Side for once and for all. It looks like Brasso and Bix deciding to provide what help they can to Cassian fleeing the consequences of an unjust police state, or on the flip side, Timm deciding that his personal gain is worth briefly siding with the Imperials, or in the middle, Pegla deciding to simply step back and be a bystander. It looks like little acts of defiance and humanity. It looks like Bix and Paak making the decision to send that message just on the off-chance Cassian could get the chance to say goodbye to Maarva, despite knowing the risks. It looks like Brasso doing his best to subtly buy Bix a few extra seconds to run from the Imperials chasing her, even if he couldn't stand up and fully fight them in that moment. It looks like community, like the citizens of Ferrix warning each other of danger and holding their funerals whenever and however they goddamn want to. At every turn, the characters of Ferrix are faced with small, everyday choices to step up or step back. They might not even realize they're picking a side in a larger war. But these mundane choices gradually shape their role in it, and their consequences are very real.

But Andor also shows us that however difficult these decisions, and however dire and even fatal their consequences, it is still a privilege to be able to make those decisions at all. Because characters like Cassian, and Cinta, and the prisoners on Narkina 5 never had a choice. They were taken from their homes, ripped from their families, and placed in this fight whether they wanted to be or not. And so they rely on people like Bix, Brasso, the Paaks, Mon Mothma, Vel, and so many others who do have the choice to choose them, to choose justice over their own personal safety and stability. And they do choose, and they do suffer for it. But at least they got to make that choice themselves.

And it asks: What would you choose? If the choices were small, if they were presented not as Good vs. Evil but something more personal, more complex? If your safety, your livelihood, even your family were on the line? What do you choose? At each turn, do you step back or step up? Do you help your friends, your neighbors, your community? Do you engage in a million tiny braveries? Or do you keep your head down as the net closes, hoping your silence will save you, not waking up until you find yourself as surely ensnared as those whose plight you ignored?

[roseaesynstylae]

Star Wars: Republic Commando: Hard Contact, Chapter 2

"Clone personnel have free will, even if they do follow orders. If they couldn't think for themselves, we'd be better off with droids -- and they're a lot cheaper, too. They have to be able to respond to situations we can't imagine. Will that change them in ways we can't predict? Perhaps. But they have to be mentally equipped to win wars. Now thaw these men out. They have a job to do.

-- Jedi Master Arligan Zey, intelligence officer"

I'm going to add any of these...I'm not sure what these extracts at the beginning of the chapters are properly called, but I'll add them whenever they're interesting.

Zey's comment about the clones reminds me of the line from Andor. "We're cheaper than droids, and easier to replace." The difference here is that while clones are more expensive and harder to replace than droids, they're superior.

And yes, Master Zey, it did change them in unexpected ways.

"It didn't feel so bad to be revived after stasis. He was still a commando. They hadn't reconditioned. That meant -- that meant he'd performed to expected standards at Geonosis. He'd done well. He felt positive."

The implication that "under-performing" clones are brainwashed, at best, is one of the Traviss's additions that I genuinely like, emphasizing the cold detachment of the Kaminoans before they become prominent in the series. It's also just a terrifying idea.

"Darman was careful not to stare -- even though any eye movement was disguised by his helmet -- because Jedi knew things without having to see. His instructors had told him so. Jedi were omniscient, omnipotent, and to be obeyed at all times."

And here we see the official beginning of the Jedi-Bashing count. It's subtler here, but it keeps popping up in ways that are unmistakable in the context of the series' attitude toward the Jedi Order. In multiple cases, such as this one, lines that wouldn't make me bat an eye in a different book, (or more accurately, a different author), but make me grit my teeth here.

The way this specific paragraph is written is very similar to how I'd write a passage from the POV of a character who thinks the antagonist is a good person, or is brainwashed, but I want to make it clear what's really going on. Only in this case, it isn't portraying, say, a Sith cult, but the Jedi Order, which is devoted to helping others, enforcing justice, and studying the Force.

Jedi-Bashing: 1

"'This is your unit of four, then? A squad?' He seemed to be recalling a hurried lesson. 'Almost like a family?'"

This might be a stretch, but I'm not cutting this series an iota of slack when it comes to the Jedi Order. The implication here seems to be "Oh look, the Jedi have no idea what a family is! It's so unnatural and wrong, not like the good, wholesome Mandalorians!" Am I being petty? Maybe. Does Kal Skirata ranting about baby-stealers get really fucking old really fucking fast? Definitely.

Jedi-Bashing: 2

"'My squad called me Atin," the wounded commando said.

Niner glanced at Fi but said nothing. Atin was Mandalorian for 'stubborn.'"

Okay, this bit is just funny.

"Darman -- a soldier able to withstand every privation in the field, and whose greatest fear was to whither from age rather than die in combat -- felt inexplicably uncomfortable at the idea of a Jedi having failings."

Jedi-Bashing: 3

"Etain was neither a natural warrior nor a great charmer, but she was aware of her talent for spotting opportunities. It made up for a lot."

In this book, at least, I really like Etain. She's a good audience surrogate and her headspace is easier to get into than the other three narrators.

Jedi-Bashing: 3

Di'kut Count: 1

Main Post

[classicanalyzer]

Into the Breach Thoughts

The title music transitioning to Hemlock’s theme really cements the finality. Echo’s full return also cements the feeling that this is the end of the Bad Batch’s story alongside their reluctant ally Rampart.

Rampart still remains that arrogant Imperial even after being a prisoner at a labor camp and a Clone hater, “I hate clones.” And I love him suffering at the hands of the BB.

Karr is hopefully building up to helping Omega, the kids, and the Clones escape Tantiss.

I love Omega’s resourcefulness and her skills not only in this episode but this whole season. Same with the BB as their skills as Commandos shine this entire season and this episode. Wrecker knocking out the Imperial officer and “You’ve been demoted” line was pretty funny.

Omega cutting away the wall panels also remind me so much of Andor in the prison arc. When she said “our way out”, all I can think about is Kino. I cannot wait to see her give Hemlock a mental breakdown.

The sequence of Echo disabling the proximity sensors and Hunter deciding to go ahead attaching to the ship was filled with so much tension and anxiety. Hunter’s line “Negative” is so raw and embodies the BB’s trust in one another to achieve the impossible. The ending to the end credits playing the BB theme is so good.

My best guess is that Omega with the help of Karr will disable the base’s security systems and Rex’s rebels coming in to attack the base.

Either way, all roads lead to Mt. Tantiss.

Musical motifs:

Hemlock’s theme, Rampart’s theme, Karr’s(?) theme, and BB’s theme.

[jyndor]

black lights, spaceships fly

for rebelcaptain fluffbruary st fluffentines day or whatever it's called, have some post-war them in the club where they SHOULD HAVE BEEN fluff

the prompts were lush | camera | beau and I did actually use them all but very ✨️subtly✨️

written while listening to renaissance on repeat for the vibes and the title of course is from cuff it. cross-posted on ao3.

cw for recreational space weed consumption and of course alleged legal real world weed consumption behind the scenes lmao

The driving baseline from the stage reverberates through the floor into the soles of Cassian's feet. He feels his heart thumping in time with the red-haired Zeltron drummer on the drum set. His nose brushes the crown of Jyn's head as she sways in his arms.

The herbal scent of the Marcan joint they'd shared earlier lingers in her hair, and he breathes in deeply, scent memory tossing him back to the walk from the ship and the freshly-rolled cigarette passing from her fingers to his, then burning between his lips, the cherry bright in the humid night air. Kohl-lined green eyes sparkling from the freshly harvested herb in her blood and silent laughter at something Bodhi says to Cinta. Han and Chewie arguing about a failed hustle in the first bar of the night, Shara singing some song she's got stuck in her head at the top of lungs in the middle of the road, the world softening at the edges of his vision, lights dimming and time slowing, and Jyn ripping the joint from his lips and offering it to Bix, and falling behind their friends for a few minutes about two blocks down from the club to make out against a darkened wall-

He blinks back to the present as Jyn kisses the skin of his collarbone where it peeks out of his jacket. She drapes her arms over his shoulders; his hands grip her waist. She pulls away from him to meet his eyes. She's got glitter on her cheekbones and lashes, her hair is damp and curling. There's a flush growing over her skin like a sunrise, the glow of a hot night, pulsing lasers lighting her up in the dark, smoky air.

His mind takes a holopic. Shutter, snap.

This past year has looked good on both of them. Jyn wears peacetime beautifully - not without anxiety, not without grief or pain, but with hope. A little softer in her face, she's not always the best sleeper but neither is he. They sleep better these days.

His rebellion now is accepting joy with a sure hand.

The electric wail of the guitar trembles along his half-metal spine.

What a gift to just be himself again, just Cassian Andor - some guy in a club with his pretty girlfriend pressed close to him, caught up in the sea of other bodies like they've not spent years and years pretending to be anyone else. Both of them desperately hiding behind aliases and alibis. Fighting a war they shouldn't have survived, knee deep in the mud, running from everyone they've had to leave behind, their pasts, their shadows, their losses and now-

Now they get stoned and go out with their friends on some nights. Now he takes the time to properly cook for her and she rolls their joints with the shrub she's been growing in their cabin, the little growth-light hovering over it during the dayshift, and they talk about the weather when they're planetside and watch smashball over caf and have sex with the radio on in their ship's cabin and have friends with couches to sleep on. Planets to explore, cities and rainforests.

They have proper identichips and scandocs with their real names (although they've still got their fakes, just in case). They have a ship and a cat, they have community across the stars.

Sometimes they talk about the future. What they want out of it and what it can provide for them. Separately and together. The work that he still needs to do, work he'll do better with her by his side.

Six years ago he would have never believed he would outlive the Empire, or have a family again, and fuck he's high.

“Happy birthday,” Jyn says. “I'm glad you were born.”

Cassian leans in for a kiss, sighs when he feels her fingers comb through his beard.

“What are you thinking about?” she asks.

He smiles. “That this shit's stronger than I remember.”

“Maybe you just can't keep up anymore, Andor.”

“With you?” He squeezes her waist and pulls her back to his lips. “I think I manage alright.”

“Hmm.” Her eyes are still shut. “Actually I could probably cool down too.”

“I'm saying I can keep up with you,” Cassian mumbles into her cheek, his own eyes drifting shut. He can't stay away, has to engage the rest of his senses to handle her. “I'll keep up with you.”

Jyn makes an amused noise and snuggles into the hollow of his neck. He swallows as her fingers trace up and down the curvature of that half-metal spine. "D'you still want to get married?" His eyes pop open.

"I mean, I-yeah." Cassian huffs. "I'd love to marry you."

"And kids? You still want kids?"

He smiles. "Whatever you want, Jyn."

"Whatever I want," she repeats. "And if I say we're gonna go set up a farm on Lah'mu and raise like a dozen babies and maybe some goats or something?"

"Seems reasonable," he says with a straight face until she snorts. "We can always revisit this conversation later."

[the-scandalorian]

OMG i’m sorry if ur inbox isn’t the best place to disappointment rant about TBOBF but ur last post is so REAL like i was SO disappointed w it especially because i have loved boba fett since i was like 3 years old and he is a BOUNTY HUNTER ?? HELLO ???

like… disney… i get that there are a lot of kids watching star wars but… let my space western have some space saloons.. some space brothels if u will…

definitely not the wrong place

i was wildly disappointed by TBOBF, especially after the dope ass intro it got in mando with boba and fennec killing bib fortuna and sitting on that throne ?? like ?? those vibes--yes please

and the scene in mando where boba kills all those storm troopers. where was that sick fucking energy???

there was so much PROMISE

then the show was weird and watered down and the plot was meandering and boba was somehow out of character and also had no personality? the writers were like we'll make him a badass crime lord! who hates crime! that will be so cool for us

i thought there was going to be a meaningful story line with the tusken raiders... and then they were ALL killed for the sake of plot and not mentioned again

as much as i love mando, TBOBF shouldn't have been used as a shoddy bridge between seasons 2 and 3. it was a huge disservice to both shows

and don't even get me started on the 1950s cyborg child biker gang

the inconsistencies between star wars shows (and the seasons, in the case of mando) is truly baffling to me. how did we get andor, with its impeccable writing and execution, and TBOBF in the same franchise?? why did they do boba so dirty???