#being Barriss is suffering

[chronozen]

Inspired by this to write something:

Ahsoka Tano was now a fugitive. Framed for a crime she didn’t commit. The Togruta Padawan was now on the run from law enforcement and the Jedi Order. Searching and snaking her way down through the undercity of Coruscant. She needed to find something, anything prove that she was innocent before they found her.  

The streets were cramped and silent. Filled with unfocused, unknowing eyes, dull gunmetal buildings and a flood of neon oranges and yellows. Ahsoka moved from shadow to shadow. She could hardly believe everything that had happened to her. Calling on a friend. Running for her master. Joining with Ventress. All of it led to an abandon warehouse. Her montrals twitched. Something was off. She approached with caution.

The inside of the warehouse held no answers. Ahsoka’s muscles ached as her body began to tire. running on adrenalin alone, her mind was fearful and frantic. Looking at the sprawling mess of random crates, shelves and contained draped in shadows, she didn’t even know where to begin looking. Her energy and time were about to run out.

Everything that proceeded next felt like a blur to the young Padawan. The hiss of a lightsaber crackled as someone descended on her from above. Narrowly avoiding the attack, Ahsoka turned and saw a female dressed in a black hooded cloak. She wielded two curved red bladed lightsabers and a familiar helmet. One worn by Ventress. Her ally had a change of heart.

Igniting her own lightsaber, they clashed. Ahsoka knew she at a clear disadvantage. Ventress would strike from overhead, Ahsoka would parry. Ventress would run, Ahsoka would chase after her. However, when Ahsoka went on the offensive, Ventress would perfectly counter her with an almost elegant, refined movement. It wasn’t just her blocks, Ventress’s attacks were noticeably different. 

The style was Jar’kai, but her ferocity was gone. Her strikes were too telegraphed. It was almost like her attacker was toying with her. Ventress never uttered a word even when Ahsoka tried to goad her. That wasn’t like her. The dodging, the fleeing, sending barrels at her. Something was wrong.

Just as Ahsoka started to gain her footing and press the advantage. Ventress struck a gas barrel. Searing steam hit Ahsoka in her eyes. She couldn’t see clearly. Then Ventress turned and ran. The gas bellowed forth until it ignited, ending their duel in a fiery explosion.

Smoke filled her lungs. Ahsoka regained consciousness and realised she was trapped. Buried under a sheet of metal and rubble, her muscles ached as she struggled to budge the durasteel plate on top of her. She would either suffocate or be crushed by the massive weight.

‘Buried alive again. I had more a chance back on Geonosis.’ Ahsoka thought, her mind wandering as pain began to creep in.

Ahsoka was about to resign to her fate until the great load seemed to move. Ahsoka was stunned. Ventress was calling on the Force to lift the debris. Why would her attacker try to save her?

Coughing and gasping for air, the Padawan could only lie on the cold floor. Looking up she could she the cloaked shadow of her attacker drawing closer in a slow unflinching advance. She reached for her lightsaber. It wasn’t there. Lost over the edge. She was weaponless, disorientated, too exhausted to call upon the Force. Her only option was hand to hand combat, but she doubted it would work.

Then something changed. Ahsoka breathed in. An idea formed in her head. She eyes widened. It was a long shot but it might buy her time.

“Barriss!” Ahsoka shouted.

Ventress stopped dead in her tracks. Her face unreadable behind her mask.

“Barriss will come looking for me. All I have to do is activate my comm.” Ahsoka said, holding her hand over her communicator as if threatening to pull a trigger.

Ventress resumed her advance, tensing her arms. Her hand now hovering over the hilt of her lightsaber.

“Barriss and her master. Luminara won’t show you any mercy.”

As soon as those words left Ahsoka’s mouth, a frenzy came over Ventress. 

In a flash she drew her crimson blade and lunged towards Ahsoka, letting out a scream filled with anger.

Her voice, Ahsoka realised. Muffled from behind the helmet, it was clearly different. This wasn’t Ventress.

Ahsoka threw herself to the ground to avoid the cloaked figure’s lightsaber. She rolled, narrowly avoid a series of wild slashes from all angles. Her opponent wasn’t thinking clearly.

Now that she was up close to attacker, Ahsoka noticed her body was different. She was shorter than Ventress, but why go to such lengths to pretend to be Ventress?

Ahsoka saw an opening. As her opponent started a overhead strike, she kicked hard upwards. The kick connected to her attacker’s jaw, toppling her. She crumbled on top of her.  Not wasting any time, Ahsoka grabbed the helmet and tore it off with a free hand. Her eyes widened as she recognised her attacker.

Barriss Offee looked down at her, holding Ventress’s stolen lightsaber to her neck.

“Barriss. What did you do?”

Although Ahsoka could feel the heat coming off the lightsaber, she felt sucked in by Barriss icy stare. It was like she hadn’t even realised Ahsoka could see her. Then realisation dawned on Barriss. Her brows bended upwards as tears swelled in her eyes.

“Y-you. You shouldn’t have known it was me. You weren’t supposed to know it was me.” Barriss said.

Barriss faltered. She was confused. That confusion gave Ahsoka an opening. Calling upon the force she pushed her friend off her, getting to her feet. She used the Force again to summon the second of Ventress’s lightsabers from Barriss’s belt.

Barriss looked at Ahsoka and began her attack again. A flurry of strikes from all angles. Face contorting in a mixture of pain and anger.

Ahsoka activated Ventress lightsaber but never raised it. Barriss’s attacks were sloppy, unrefined. She actually dodged them easy enough with simple movements.

“Barriss stop now. Please. Stop”

Barriss didn't let up. She struck walls, crates and pipes more than anything near Ahsoka. Ahsoka wasn’t sure if she was missing her intentionally or not.

“You weren’t supposed to see me.” Barriis panted, exhausted. “I didn’t think it would be you with Letta. I didn’t want it.”

“The Temple. All those people. It was you.” Ahsoka said, dodging another lightsaber strike. “You were at the funeral.”

“I grieved. Tutso was my friend. He helped me so much. But I couldn’t just.”

Barriss trailed off. She stopped attacking Ahsoka, merely clenching the lightsaber tighter and tighter.

She stood still, shaking her head. Her breathing was heavy and shallow.

“I was on Geonosis when this all started. Many Jedi died that day. Then the droids started all over again. I got sent back. We got sent back.”

There was low hiss as Barriss deactivated the lightsaber. Ahsoka looked at her friend. Her hand was reaching for the front of her belt. Her fingers tracing a pattern that she didn’t have time to recognise. She didn’t seem aware of it at all.

“You and me. Crawling through tunnels. Fighting parasites. Then I fought in Umbara. I heard about what Master Krell had done. The fighting. Tutso. Letta. All this has to stop.”

Fires blazing from the explosion and smoke bellowed around them. Ahsoka reach out with one hand.

“Barriss. Let me help you.”

Barriss took a skittish step backwards towards the poisoned flames behind her. Ahsoka stepped forwards. Barriss looked at her as tears ran down her face.

“You should have listened to me. You should have killed me.”

“Barriss come with me. Stop this. We’ll go back to the Order and…”

Barriss’s back stiffened. Her voice taking on an icy tone.

“Do you honestly believe they will help me? Do you believe that they haven’t already decided your fate? They won’t take either of us back. We are a failing order serving a corrupt Republic. Do they expect us to fall in battle like soldiers?” 

Ahsoka didn’t say anything.

“Everything is falling. It’s only a matter of time.” Barriss said.

“You’re a Jedi Barriss.”

The flames burnt higher. Metal buckled. A shadow fell over Barriss as she raised her hood and turned to leave.

“No. I’m just Master Luminara’s failure.”

Ahsoka watched her former friend sink away into flames and smoke. Deactivating the red lightsaber and tossing it to the ground, she heard the rumble of engines. Blinded by spotlights, Ahsoka raised her hands above her head. She struggled to sense Barriss in the Force. 

The Clones and Master Skywalker had found her. Barriss Offee was lost.

Originally I planned this drawing for Valentines, but I only managed to finish it last month for my patrons. And it's May the Fourth so I'm posting it today.

This is a what if situation, what if Ahsoka somehow took off the helmet to finds it was Barriss she was fighting against.

[pandora15]

okay I've sat with it for a few days so here are my thoughts on tales of the empire

morgan elsbeth's episodes were interesting! I'm glad they added context to her backstory, but I just didn't connect with the episodes themselves very much. part of it is because I'm not really intrigued by her character, but…yeah. loved the visuals and animation, everything looked and sounded amazing.

barriss' episodes left me frustrated at the end. I'm trying to work through why exactly. I'm very glad that she became a Jedi again and redeemed herself. she seemed to have worked to overcome the darkness within herself which is amazing to see especially in modern sw. I do wish we got to see more of her redemption -- like how did she reconnect with the other jedi? did vader try to find her after she left? did she reconnect with ahsoka (is that who she was referring to when she mentioned an old friend)?

I'm especially frustrated that they left her fate on a cliffhanger again though. like we waited for over a decade to find out what happened to her, only to get. an answer but still uncertainty about her ultimate fate? I would've loved to see a character who redeemed themself and turned back to the Light Side get a somewhat "happy" ending (as happy as you can get considering. the galaxy at large and everything), but keeping her fate unknown is just. hngggggggggg I'm frustrated

but also like I really like what they did for barriss in the first two episodes and I love where she went in that third one. I'm just. frustrated about the way they left things hanging. and part of it could be just general cliffhanger-related frustrations, but I guess I was just hoping that things would end well for her. but instead we just don't know? which in a way feels worse than things ending badly for her.

[eleventhsister]

why are they so hard to draw

[gffa]

TALES OF THE EMPIRE wound up being a mixed bag for me, there was a lot I enjoyed but there was a lot that just felt really unfulfilled. Morgan's episodes were very pretty to look at but I couldn't help thinking--the entire time I was watching, even--that Filoni's not great at creating new characters that can carry entire episodes like this, none of this felt particularly necessary or like it was fulfilling a void that I wanted to know more about. It doesn't help that I still think her arc in live action was badly handled, that if she was meant to be a Nightsister from the beginning, her first episode should have dealt with that, instead of springing it on us later, so when filling in the background of her on Dathomir in TOTE, it brings all that up for me again.

Morgan's first episode was so pretty and it was interesting to potentially get more Dathomir lore (even if it's incredibly thin and I felt it was too close to the "we see others suffering in the galaxy, but we don't want to get our own hands dirty by fighting for other people or getting involved in helping others, btw we're morally better for that :)" trope for me personally) but everything on Corvus just felt superfluous to me and I spent time trying to figure out why I felt that way. If they had done her story this way or that way, would I have enjoyed it more? If they had included this or that, would I have thought it more necessary?

And ultimately I just kept coming back to that I don't really care about Morgan Elsbeth enough that I wanted three animated shorts dedicated to her, when I could have had so many other characters get fleshed out better. I appreciated that they were showing two characters on opposite journeys, that Morgan was falling into the dark step by step, while Barriss was slowly clawing her way out of it, but that's about all that I appreciated of Morgan's story (other than the beautiful animation).

But I'm not sure I feel like Morgan's motivations were all that well planned out. It's clear that she's looking for revenge and trying to find a new family at the same time, but it's not really clear why she's working with the Empire or how she thinks this leads her to her goals. Grievous is the one who murdered her village, how does working with the Empire (as the Separatists were folded into the Empire, too) achieve that goal? Who or what is her revenge focused on? Is it that she just wants the whole galaxy to burn, because if her village burned, so should everyone else? I feel like that's probably what they were going for, but that it could have been more coherently written.

Barriss' episodes hit a lot harder, where I'm glad that she at least got an arc, but I feel like it just missed so many marks, like why even have Vader there, I'm all for gratuitous Anakin cameos, he's my trash can man and I'm always excited to see him, but absolutely nothing was done with him, despite that he was looking Barriss right in the face there. Not even a moment of showing the audience, "Oh, his soul is so far into the dark of fear, hate, and rage that he doesn't even care about her anymore." Just nothing there, like there was no connection at all. How do you go to the lengths of putting Vader in a scene with Barriss and then treat it like there's no history between her and Anakin??? So completely unsatisfying!

And then it's another series where other guest appearances would have made sense--Barriss has a whole unfinished story with Ahsoka and you don't include her here? I'm as tired of Filoni putting Ahsoka in everything as anyone else, but here it would have made sense and would have brought that relationship full circle on-screen, Barriss' betrayal of her and her clawing her way back to the light after all the trauma and hurt, there's so much she and Ahsoka would have between them. And then nothing.

Or Barriss' relationship with Luminara, TCW never really got into how that must have felt for Luminara, to have her student betray the Jedi so profoundly, for her to fall to the dark, there's such a well of potential there and it's just entirely ignored. She mentions Luminara once and it was a lovely mention, but there's no sense of resolution or completion to that arc.

I did enjoy her story with Lyn and I try not to compare what the show wanted to do with what I wanted the show to do, but I couldn't help it. During all those scenes, all I could think was that this could have been so much more powerful and complete if it had focus on Barriss' established relationships and characters I already care about, because a new random Inquisitor is just not going to hold the same weight for me as my pre-investment in Ahsoka and Luminara. (On the other hand, with the way they butchered Luminara in the last season of TCW, maybe I dodged a bullet!)

For all that negativity, though, I really loved that Barriss found herself in being a healer again, that she found the light again. That's all I've wanted for my girl!!!! (That and put a headdress on her, ffs.) I legitimately took in a hard breath when she said, "Then you have one more Jedi to deal with." because Barriss is still working through too much to fully come back to clarity re: the Jedi at that point , but when it really came down to it, when she really saw what the dark side really was, part of her still was a Jedi. And the way she spoke of her time as a Jedi, once she had a clearer, lighter head again, was sweet, I was so surprised that we got that much from her, but I'm so glad because, if nothing else, Barriss herself deserves to be in the light again.

The way she was settled into her own skin by the time she confronted Lyn on the icy planet, the way she genuinely wanted to help her, but wouldn't let her hurt innocent children, the way she could sidestep Lyn's predictable moves and could stop the blade with just a hand held out, she found her path and what she wanted to do, and oh it was so lovely to see Barriss finding herself again. I loved so much that her unshakable compassion did reach Lyn, it was such a satisfying arc for Barriss to reach that place after all the people she'd hurt. I loved so much that Barriss getting back to this place does a lot to remind us that her foundation is a compassionate one, even if she was lost to the dark for awhile.

I just wish that there had been acknowledgement of those she hurt, the people that died because of her, the betrayal she stabbed people in the back with, rather than just "sees the dark side is bad, walks away, finds the light again", which goes back to that this feels like a generic story that's mostly impactful because I'm filling in the gaps myself because I already know Barriss as a character, rather than that it continues the story that was previously told about her.

At the end of the day, I enjoyed it and I recognize that I'm being a little unfair in how I'm saying I wanted this, this, and this, rather than digesting what the show itself wanted to do, but when you're crafting two stories that are specifically about showing us the journey of two characters that originate elsewhere, you're drawing on the stories from those other origins--except TOTE decided to only halfway do that. There's a lot to love in these shorts, the animation was incredible, the voice work was incredible, Barriss' emotional journey was incredible and I'm so thankful that they even gave her any kind of compassionate resolution. But the specter of how much the shorts ignored hangs over it too heavily for me to say that they were anywhere near what they could have been imo.

[david-talks-sw]

Thoughts on Tales of the Empire?

Worth noting that I do my best to look at these as short films, the same as the ones I see when I go to film festivals. So re: any "lore-breaking" elements (Grievous' design, Thrawn stuff, etc)... I don't see them as retcons, so much as just format-driven reinterpretations.

That said, the first of the Morgan episodes is okay, the rest is lackluster... which is telling, frankly.

Even with three Tales of the Empire episodes on top of what we've seen in Ahsoka and The Mandalorian, they still haven't been able to give this character more depth than "she suffered loss and now she's mean." Morgan Elsbeth is the Jiren of Star Wars, as far as I'm concerned.

The Barriss episodes were fine. I'm glad to see she finds the light in the end and goes back to being a healer (win for EU fans) and I'm glad she eventually mended bridges with Ahsoka. She's probably not dead, if you ask me.

But even here... this is someone who bombed the temple, killed innocent people, made a woman inject nanobots into her husband then choked her to death to cover her tracks AND framed her friend.

A lot of people cling to her speech in the Senate to characterize her as this Cassandra-type figure, but don't forget this moment...

I mean come on guys, she's literally smiling sadistically, here.

My point being: she's no snowflake.

Aside from the already-panned fact that taking one of the few muslim-coded characters and making them a bomber is extreeemely poor form: you made a choice in writing, now stick to it. You wanted to have Barriss be someone who feels the red blades of a known assassin "suits her"? Do it.

I have no idea where they saw the above and thought that the "I don't wanna fight you, old friend" BS in her first episode, or the "we're supposed to be better than this" rhetoric from the second episode, would track.

I can fill in the gaps, and gladly will.

My headcanon is that Luminara visited her whenever she could... and this softened Barriss' hardened heart, over time. Then one day she's sent to Kashyyk, and "don't worry Barriss, I'll be back for our daily chat"... and she doesn't. Barriss goes to sleep concerned, wakes up during Order 66.

But, as usual, that's me getting creative with it because the creatives wouldn't do so in the first place. Also, I'm pretty sure "Barriss becomes an inquisitor" is a turnout most folks expected, so no real mind-blowing beats coming from these episodes.

All in all, a 7/10 in my book (a high score despite all my bitching because my qualms are with the writing; the sound design and visuals are amazing and I think a 7 reflects that).

[foreverchangingfandomsao3]

naasta ni a taylir gar alii’kote (destroy me to keep your reputation) (6,184 words) by foreverchangingfandoms

Chapters: 1/1

Fandom: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Characters: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Wilhuff Tarkin, Mace Windu, Yoda (Star Wars), CC-2224 | Cody, CC-1010 | Fox, CC-3636 | Wolffe, Ki-Adi-Mundi, Luminara Unduli, Barriss Offee, Plo Koon, Sheev Palpatine | Darth Sidious, Anakin Skywalker

Additional Tags: Whumptober 2024, Whump, Obi-Wan Kenobi Whump, Emotional Hurt, Hurt Obi-Wan Kenobi, Inspired by the Wrong Jedi arc, Good Jedi Council (Star Wars), Obi-Wan Kenobi Needs a Hug, Obi-Wan Kenobi Leaves the Jedi Order, Technically he leaves the Order, More accurately he's removed, Trials, Sheev Palpatine | Darth Sidious Being an Asshole, Wilhuff Tarkin Being an Asshole, Both are very relevant, Sassy Obi-Wan Kenobi, Wrongful Imprisonment, Also wrongful arrest, Caring Mace Windu, Jedi Council is So Done (Star Wars), Specifically they're so done with Tarkin, Sad with a Happy Ending, Hopeful Ending

Series: Part 3 of Whumptober 2024

Summary:

Obi-Wan Kenobi is framed for a crime he didn't commit, wrongfully arrested and forced to suffer through trials where his guilt is already decided (aka Obi-Wan in place of Ahsoka in the Wrong Jedi arc)

My fill for whumptober day 3 - Set up for failure (fingerprints | wrongfully arrested | “I warned you”)

[thatforkedroad]

the tearing at her soul

Summary: how Barriss Offee survives order 66

---

It doesn’t take long for the crying and yelping to blend into the background, as if they were as much a part of the prison’s structure as the metallic grey walls or the forcefield reinforced doors. There’s always something happening here, always someone remembering their old life or someone tempting the hand of an overzealous guard. Everyone — prisoners and guards alike — just gets used to the noise and keeps their head down. 

So when Barriss Offee doubles over in pain with a phantom scream locked in her throat, the guards outside don't even react. 

Barriss clutches — scrapes at — her heart as if that might ease the tearing at her soul. At first, she thinks she's dying. She must be. Someone has poisoned her food or pumped the air full of toxins or plunged a secret saber through her chest because there is no other possible explanation, not for the life-rending void bursting through every part of her. She is being autopsied and hollowed out from the inside out and all she can do is cry. 

The prey-animal blood haze passes and Barriss realises she's not dying; the galaxy is. It is being burned to ash and she is feeling every second of its suffering and nobody but her even seems to realise. The pain is not hers but it is so very close and it is bigger than anything Barriss has ever known. She wants to warn the men outside that something is happening, something is coming, but her throat refuses to cooperate. 

After minutes or hours or days, the pain recedes. It dribbles away, like a tsunami returning to its ocean, and in its wake there is an emptiness Barriss cannot name. She does not understand what is lost, not yet, but she knows that something in the galaxy’s structure has been shattered. 

— 

She was told, at the start, that this place was temporary. That’s why there’s so little in the cell, why she is kept in complete isolation. They were going to move her somewhere more secure soon, once they worked out the security plans. A few years ago, she would have spent mere days here. But the war gets in the way of everything — even transfers of dangerous terrorists — and so whatever they planned, it never happens. 

In a way, they were right; she does eventually find herself in a new prison, but she stays in the exact same cell. She’s no longer in Republic prison on Coruscant; she’s in an Imperial one. The changes are gradual; at first it’s the name, next it’s the insignias branded on the walls outside her cell. She notices less and less of the guards are painted maroon, replaced with varying soldiers who have numbers, not nicknames.

It’s one of the new guards she works up the courage to finally ask what happened, what this new Empire is that she hears over the loudspeakers. He doesn’t beat or electrocute her like she expected; he seems more confused by the question than anything. He explains it as if he were explaining a sunset to someone who’d never seen one, like it’s something that everyone should know, something natural. 

Distantly, Barriss thinks he must not know who she is — who she was. He explains in the bluntest, blandest terms and does not make a single comment when he gives a name to the night of her greatest pain. 

The Purge, he calls it. A dark and glorious birthday for the fledgeling Empire. With their strongest enemies dead, the Jedi betrayed the Republic and tried to assassinate the Chancellor — now Emperor. He lived and ordered the loyal Grand Clone Army to enact justice on its so-called peacekeepers. The Jedi are gone and they said the war’s over, but there are still Separatists. There are still campaigns in half the galaxy, but they don’t have rations or power cuts anymore. Aside from that nothing has changed under the Empire, he tells her, before he remembers himself and tells her to quiet down and step away from the cell door. 

Barriss barely hears the command over the thunder of blood in her ears. Nothing has changed. Everything has changed and she had no idea. She didn't agree with what they had become in the war, didn’t agree with the idea of Jedi generals and commanding warriors, but this… 

She knows in her hollowed-out heart that this is not true. The Jedi were made into soldiers, not power-hungry assassins. They could not have fallen this far, not yet. No Jedi would… They were only trying to free themselves from the thing that was eating them, corrupting them like a bled-out kyber. Could nobody see that? 

Barriss shook her head. She knew the Jedi would fall to the Republic one day, she just… didn’t expect it to happen like this. She expected years of solid decay, like the rotting of a living corpse, until the Order could no longer recognise itself. She thought its death would happen over years, maybe even decades. Yet all it took was one night and a knife in the back.

And now everything she fought to save is gone. 

Part of her hisses how dare you mourn, after everything you did to them. How dare you mourn, after everything you did to her. 

She wishes she could listen, but her grief pushes far heavier than her guilt. Instead, she tugs at the torn bonds in her soul, reaches through the empty expanse where ten thousand lives once sung bright, and calls. She calls and calls and screams and howls and calls. 

Nothing calls back. 

Soon enough, she begins to mourn herself. Every time she hears a too-heavy footstep, her heart spikes in panic. They’re coming for her too. The Republic used the Jedi for their power and the Empire killed them for it. Barriss might not be a Jedi now, but she was raised as one. She has that power. She is a threat. She is a loose thread and she must be cut. 

They’re coming for her too. It’s only a matter of time. 

—

She thinks she is less a person and more a thing by now. Hollowed out by isolation and preparation and an overwhelming knowledge of things she should never have had to understand. 

At first she is resigned. She sits and she waits and she watches the door, flinching every time a new food tray clatters in. All she registers is the fear of footsteps and the electric-fast beat of her heart. There is no room in this small, dark cell for anything but panic. 

She continues in this state, somewhere between life and death. She eats only when her stomach calls louder than her terror, moves only 

It’s soon. It has to be soon. 

She barely sleeps, but she dreams one night. It’s the first in months that doesn’t jolt her awake, heaving in a cold sweat. She dreams of the gardens, untouched by death and war, a calm in the middle of the chaotic city. She dreams of the Temple’s quiet, of her master’s instruction, of an orange-skinned and pointy-toothed grin. She dreams. 

She wakes up feeling — feeling, how novel! — a half-washed heartache. She knows they are dead. She knows she will never enter that Temple again, never hear another lesson or another sweet, honey-like laugh. She is going to die like them, this much she knows. But that morning she decides she will face death as her people did, with dignity and in strength. She runs through stances holding nothing. She meditates and ignores the Force’s black silence. It does not make her feel any less a ghost, but it ties her down. She memorises the guards’ shift changes and their footsteps, one-two-heavy down the hall. 

She does not hope. She does not expect anything to come of her memorisation, but there is nothing else to do but listen. 

— 

In the end, all that memorisation is for nothing. 

She blinks against the hallway light when they finally open her cell, wincing at the change in environment. A prim officer holding a datapad comes into focus, followed by a small squad of troopers. 

Barriss stills. She thinks this is it. They’ve come for me. 

But the troopers keep their guns across their chests. The officer clears his throat and reads a command; you’re being transferred, he tells her. She blinks dumbly. 

The officer’s mouth flattens in a mix of disappointment and boredom. She half-thinks he’ll repeat it — slower, like her brain has turned into the sludge they feed her. But he wants to get the job done; he silently gestures and two troopers move forward to cuff her routinely. They guide her out the cell and into the hall that she hasn’t seen in full in four years. 

The officer leaves the group as they turn down the hall, and she realises there are only four guards surrounding her. All they have are guns and flimsy white armour, shinier than the clones’ armour ever was. Have the Jedi been dead so long that the Empire has forgotten their danger? Or is it only that Barriss has been buried too deep for them to remember her or what she was?

She risks asking them where they’re taking her and she’s met with unsure silence. They’re just grunts, she supposes; the new Empire does not need its cogs to understand the machine. 

She considers waiting for a shipyard or a secondary location, but she has waited years for this opportunity; she will not waste it looking for a better one. The Republic forced her to be a warrior and the Empire forced her to be something craftier. She waits only for the bell that calls a shift change. THe flimsy guards fall like cards under the Force and she is gone before any alarms so much as think of blaring. 

She’s sure they notice something soon enough, but she's fled through the city before and this time there are no vengeant Jedi masters to find her. She steals a cloak from one stall and a headscarf from another, and blends right into the busy Coruscanti night. 

It takes little more than a nudge of his mind to convince the harbour master that she's meant allowed in, and more importantly allowed onto this cargo transport. She’ll switch ships at the next spaceport, stay running until her legs can’t take her any further.

In the later hours of travel, as the cargo around her shudders through hyperspace, her mind wanders to the negligence of her escape. Ahsoka has — or had. Ahsoka must have rejoined the Order after Barriss confessed and Ahsoka was exonerated, she and her master were probably executed too. But Ahsoka has-or-had friends in the Senate; she knows-or-knew all about bureaucracy and the drawn-out processes of politics, even if she claimed not to understand it when she tried to explain them to Barriss. Ahsoka would have known a thing or two about how an organisation could forget a prisoner like this. If she were here, sitting next to Barriss on this cargo carrier headed to who-knows-where, she would be theorising rapidly, her hands and eyes flitting about like living static. 

Barriss’ smile at the thought dies as fast as it appeared. It doesn’t matter that she’s free; she’s never going to see Ahsoka’s smirk or wild hands or hear her laugh again. She and her master were fast and bold Jedi, but they were closer to their soldiers than most. They never would have seen it coming. 

Barriss had tried to tell Ahsoka that she was too trusting.

But she doesn’t want to admonish her friend or try to blame her or even roll her eyes at her. Barriss misses her friend. Misses her more than she thought her heart capable of, and alll she wants to do now is apologise. Or frame her better, so Ahsoka could have survived in Barriss’ place instead of being shot in the head by her own troops. Ahsoka deserved better. 

But instead, it's Barriss who is sat in the shadow of a cargo crate headed to who-knows-where. A new plan forms alongside her directive to run. She must not take great risks and she must hide — but that does not mean she must be useless. She will help weaken the Empire, bit by bit, bolt by bolt, until it is weak enough to stab in the back. 

She no longer wonders why the Force gave the burden of survival to a traitor like her. The Jedi taught against revenge, taught of peace and forgiveness, yet it is too late to save these teachings. It is far too late to save them. 

But Barriss is certain, more than she has ever been of anything, it is not too late to avenge them. 

[ljones41]

Looking Back at "STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS" (2008-2020)

LOOKING BACK AT "STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS" (2008-2020)

Lucasfilm's 2008-2020 animated series, "STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS" had become a big favorite among fans of the STAR WARS franchise over the past decade-and-a-half. Set during the tail end of the Prequel Trilogy, many fans regard it as superior to the three movies produced and directed by George Lucas between 1999 and 2005. Not only that, many regarded it as a necessity for STAR WARS to understand that particular trilogy. After viewing it, I can honestly say that I do not agree with these fans.

Fans had expressed two other opinions about "THE CLONE WARS", aside from it being superior to the Prequel Trilogy movies and being needed to understand it. They still believe it did a better job of conveying Anakin Skywalker's journey from loyal Jedi Knight to the young Sith apprentice who had betrayed his former Order. Many fans had also complained that the animated series did something that the Prequel Trilogy had failed to do - namely convey a full narrative of the Clone Wars.

Disagreement Over Prevailing View

When I had stated that I did not agree with the prevailing view of "THE CLONE WARS", I meant it. Do not get me wrong. Overall, I liked it. I especially enjoyed those story arcs that centered around the clone troopers, especially the story about ARC Trooper Fives in Season Six. But there were other story arcs that I found interesting - including the one regarding Jedi padawans Ahsoka Tano and Barriss Offee, and Count Dooku's conflict with his former apprentice, Asajj Ventress. The latter proved to be one of two characters introduced by "THE CLONE WARS" that I enjoyed watching. I also became a big fan of the cunning, yet hilarious space pirate known as Hondo Ohnaka. But I never became a major fan of "THE CLONE WARS".

Unlike many fans and critics, I never regarded the series as better than the Prequel Trilogy. Just about every STAR WARS production I have seen (movies or television) had its share of flaws. Personally, I believe "THE CLONE WARS" had suffered from more flaws than the Prequel or Original Trilogies. The two trilogies served as parts of a saga about the Force-sensitive Skywalker family, with the Clone Wars, the decline of the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic, along with the Galactic Civil War serving as the saga's backgrounds. For me, "THE CLONE WARS" was like watching a series that could not make up its mind about its main narrative or theme. The only aspect about "THE CLONE WARS" that seemed to be consistent was its setting - the three-year civil war withing the Galactic Republic known as the Clone Wars. Otherwise, the series spiraled into different arcs and stories with very little connection - whether they were about the war itself; the decline of both the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic; the downfall of Anakin Skywalker; the development of his Jedi apprentice, Ahsoka Tano; the Mandalorian Civil War, which involved Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi; the re-emergence of Maul, former Sith apprentice of Darth Sidious; and other arcs that centered around characters like Count Dooku aka Darth Tyrannus, Asajj Ventress, the Mandalorian clone Boba Fett and especially the clone troopers.

A Necessity?

Since many fans and critics had claimed that viewing "THE CLONE WARS" was a necessity in understanding the Prequel Trilogy. Really? Why? I do not understand that opinion. The reason I do not understand it is because I never had any trouble understanding the Prequel Trilogy. As I had stated earlier, I realized that it was mainly about the downfall of Anakin Skywalker, in which the Clone Wars and the downfalls of both the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic played major roles. I get the feeling that many had wanted the Prequel Trilogy to be more about the Clone Wars, instead of the Skywalker family saga.

If that is how they feel, why not complain about the Original Trilogy's limited portrayal of the Galactic Civil War? It seemed to me that the Original Trilogy seemed more about Luke Skywalker, his circle of companions, and his father Anakin Skywalker aka Darth Vader more than the actual civil war that served as the trilogy's background. Perhaps Lucasfilm should create a series that feature numerous stories and character arcs set during the Galactic Civil War? Especially the four-year period between 1977's "STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE" and 1983's "STAR WARS: RETURN OF THE JEDI"? Sure, there have been productions about the early years of the rebellion - before the events of "A NEW HOPE". But these productions have only appeared in the last ten years. And they were released or aired as individual productions, not the sprawling monolith that became "THE CLONE WARS". But I did not need these productions to understand the Original Trilogy anymore than I needed "THE CLONE WARS" to understand the Prequel Trilogy.

Portrayal of Anakin Skywalker

If "THE CLONE WARS" was supposed to be a production that helped fans understand the Prequel Trilogy, who was the series' main character? Seriously. Was it Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker? If so, I was not impressed by the series' portrayal of the character. Many have claimed that Anakin's portrayal in "THE CLONE WARS" was an improvement over his portrayal in the Prequel Trilogy. I do not agree with this assessment. In fact, I found Anakin's portrayal in the animated series rather troubling. One, he seemed to be a cross between a juvenile delinquent and a borderline Sith Lord. There were moments when the series seemed to be rushing him toward his role as Darth Sidious' Sith apprentice . . . before the events of 2005's "STAR WARS: REVENGE OF THE SITH".

The 2005 movie's first half hour had revealed Anakin's continuing guilt over his massacre of the Tusken Raiders who had killed his mother Shmi Skywalker in 2002's "STAR WARS: ATTACK OF THE CLONES". Not only did Anakin experience three years of guilt over that act, but also expressed regret for killing Darth Sidious' previous apprentice, Count Dooku aka Darth Tyrannus, when the latter was defenseless in "REVENGE OF THE SITH". Anakin even managed to express both horror and disgust for helping Sidious kill Jedi Master Mace Windu in the movie's last half hour. Following the Jedi Master's death, Anakin had ceased to feel any genuine remorse over those he had killed. However, "THE CLONE WARS" was set during the three years between "ATTACK OF THE CLONES" and "REVENGE OF THE SITH". And yet, I cannot recall the series ever conveying any of the guilt Anakin had felt toward his destruction of the Tusken village. Between that (over which he had felt guilt) and his roles in Dooku and Windu's death (which he had express regret and horror respectively), Anakin had harmed a good deal of individuals in "THE CLONE WARS" without any regret or remorse. This seems very odd to me to this day.

For me, the Anakin Skywalker of "THE CLONE WARS" seemed to be some Force sensitive version of Han Solo. In fact, someone had once given Anakin the nickname, "Jedi Han Solo". Many fans had complimented the character for his lack of whining and being more powerful. If these same fans were referring to Anakin's bouts of whining in "ATTACK OF THE CLONES", then what the hell were they expecting from a nineteen year-old padawan? Complete self-assurance? Some James Dean version of Anakin Skywalker? Well, instead of James Dean, they got some variation on Han Solo. And Anakin's attitude toward Padme seemed completely different from his relationship with her in the Prequel movies. Aside from that ugly moment in "REVENGE OF THE SITH" when Anakin had been blinded by unsubstantiated jealousy, he had never been aggressive toward Padme in the movies. The Anakin of the movies would have never tried to control Padme or dominate her the way he did in "THE CLONE WARS"'s Season One finale, (1.22) "Hostage Crisis" in which he tried to convince (in reality, coerce) her to stop work in order to provide him with "tender loving care" during his furlough. The cinematic Anakin would have shown more respect toward his wife. And as for that whole "Mortis" from Season Three . . . oh God! Why did Lucasfilm believe it was necessary to shove some ham-fisted narrative about Anakin bringing balance to the Force? I realize I should go into more detail about this particular arc. Needless to say, I did not care for it. It was like watching a series of over-the-top metaphors and allegories flashing before my eyes. And as I had earlier stated, I found it necessary. One has only have to observe Anakin's personality and his arc to notice the complicated nature of his character.

Ahsoka Tano

Then . . . Lucasfilm gave Anakin a padawan learner - a Togruta female named Ahsoka Tano, who was five years younger than him. Why did the Jedi Council assign a padawan for Anakin to train so soon after becoming a Knight? Yes, the Council had allowed the newly knighted Obi-Wan Kenobi to serve as Anakin's new Jedi mentor near the end of "STAR WARS: THE PHANTOM MENACE". But Anakin's recruitment into the Jedi Order and his role as Obi-Wan's new apprentice had occurred under unusual circumstances, due to a promise the latter had made to his dying former Jedi master, Qui-Gon Jinn. Obi-Wan had chosen to take on a new apprentice at the ripe age of 25. He had not been ordered to accept a padawan learner, like Anakin. Who had been 19 to 20 years old at the time . . . and recently knighted like his former mentor. Why did the Jedi Council, whose opinion of Anakin had always seemed to be in a state of wariness, had assigned a padawan to him? Why did Lucasfilm? If they had wanted Ahsoka to be one of the series' major character so badly, why not make her Obi-Wan's next padawan?

Now that I think about it, why bother creating the Ahsoka Tano character in the first place? In "THE CLONE WARS", Ahsoka had been close to Anakin, Obi-Wan and Padmé. Yet, the trio and NO ONE ELSE had mentioned her in "REVENGE OF THE SITH". I realize that the 2005 movie had been created first. But if no one had mentioned Ahsoka, someone who had been so close to Anakin, what was the fucking point in creating her for "THE CLONE WARS"/? Or . . . what was the point in making her Anakin's padawan? And it is a damn miracle that her character never became a Mary Sue. At least not completely. Ahsoka had made her share of mistakes throughout the series. But considering that she seemed to be the only Force user capable of using two lightsabers at the same time, I sometimes found myself wondering otherwise.

By the time "THE CLONE WARS" ended, I found myself wondering who was supposed to be the series' main character. Did the series actually have a main character? No one was more surprised than myself to discover that the series' last eight episodes focused on Ahoska Tano. After all, her character had left the Jedi Order in the Season Five finale, (5.20) "The Wrong Jedi". She never appeared in Season Six. I had assumed that Season Five was the last viewers would see of Ahsoka. Oh no. She came back with a vengeance and practically dominated Season Seven. The latter had twelve episodes. Out of those twelve episodes, four of them featured Ahosoka's adventures with a pair of smugglers known as the Martez sisters and the last four centered on her experiences with Darth Maul and Order 66. Eight out of twelve fucking episodes. At this time in the story, Ahsoka was no longer a Jedi - padawan or otherwise. Why did Lucasfilm and Dave Filoni thought it was necessary to bring her back and allow her to dominate the series' final season? Why was it necessary for us to see Ahsoka survive Order 66 at a time when she had not been a Jedi since the end of Season Five? After all, she was alive and well in "STAR WARS: REBELS", the series set right before the Original Trilogy. And once Order 66 began, the clone troopers not only targeted Ahsoka, but also . . . a captured Maul. WHY? In the name of God, why would the clone troopers target two people who were not a part of the Jedi Order?

Other Characters

*Darth Maul - What made the series' final season so problematic for me was not only did it focus heavily on Ahsoka Tano, but also Maul, Darth Sidious' former Sith apprentice. After being defeated and cut down by Obi-Wan Kenobi in "THE PHANTOM MENACE", the Nightsister Mother Talzin resurrected him and he became obsessed with the man who struck him down. How can I put this? I believe Darth Maul should have remained dead. I realize George Lucas had plans for his resurrection in the Sequel Trilogy films, but I do not care. I was never able to generate any real interest in his arc, following his resurrection in "THE CLONE WARS". And I found his arc in both "THE CLONE WARS" and "REBELS" and death in the latter series, an exercise in futility.

*Padmé Amidala - Thanks to Ahsoka Tano's presence in "THE CLONE WARS", Padmé ended up being regulated to one of the series' supporting characters. Granted, the series featured the occasional episode about her missions for the Galactic Senate or some political situation, her relationship with Anakin barely received any attention, aside from the Clovis arc . . . or perhaps one or two other. I am not sure. Nevertheless, I believe the heavy focus on Anakin's relationship with Ahsoka came at the expense of his continuing relationship with Padmé. I have one other issue with Padmé. I did not find her as interesting as I did in the Prequel movies. It seemed as if a good deal of her complexity had been stripped away.

*Obi-Wan Kenobi - It seemed to me that the young Jedi Master did not suffer from underexposure on the same level as Padmé Amidala. As one of the military leaders of the clone troopers, it only seemed natural that his character was focused upon. For me, Obi-Wan's most interesting arc proved to be the Mandalorian rebellion and his relationship with the pacifist leader, Duchess Satine Kryze. It seemed like the only time Obi-Wan came close to being the complex man he had been in the films. Otherwise, the Jedi Master spent most of "THE CLONE WARS" being portrayed as this ideal character. If Obi-Wan had truly been the ideal character many have claimed he was, I would have found him boring. Uninteresting. And Obi-Wan has never been boring to me in the films produced by George Lucas.

*The Jedi Order Council - My memories of the Council seemed to be a bit sketchy, aside from two arcs. I do recall arc that Jedi Master Mace Windu played a major role in an arc about him and Jar-Jar Binks rescuing a queen from a cult headed by the Nightsisters' former leader, Mother Talzin. Somewhat. And there was the late Season Six arc that featured Jedi Master Yoda exploring the origin of the Force and through a series of visions, discovering the true nature of the Clone Wars, the possibility of the Jedi Order's downfall and later, its resurrection. This particular arc seemed like nothing more than a ham-fisted attempt at foreshadow. Also, Yoda's conclusions following this arc seemed to contradict his actions during the last act of "REVENGE OF THE SITH" - namely his attempt to kill Darth Sidious.

*The Sith Order - I suppose I have no real complaints about the portrayal of the Sith Order in this series. Count Dooku's character seemed more fully explored in "THE CLONE WARS" than it did in the second and third Prequel movies. Darth Sidious remained a shadowy figure at this point in the series. I found his constant evil smiles (when no one was looking) rather annoying after two or three episodes. Hell, I can only recall this happening once in "REVENGE OF THE SITH". If there was one story arc regarding Sidious that I truly dislike was the Season Two episode, (2.19) "The Zillo Beast Strikes Back". The Sith's decision to entrap a dangerous Zillo beast and study it escaped to the streets of Coruscant struck me as one of dumbest ever made by a Sith Lord. Especially once as intelligent as Sidious.

*Cad Bane - I might as well say it. I dislike the Cad Bane character. No . . . I despise him. I despise his faux Southern accent. I despise that ridiculous hat that he wears. But what I really despise about Cad Bane was how George Lucas, Dave Filoni and Henry Gilroy made him such a tough adversary for the Jedi characters. Despite being a ruthless, yet greedy bounty hunter with a fast draw, Bane has been able to defeat powerful Jedi characters like Anakin and Obi-Wan . . . despite lacking any Force abilities. This guy was practically a villainous Gary Stu. And I never thought I would actually see one in a television series, let alone a movie.

I could go on about many other characters in "THE CLONE WARS", but my main issues with "THE CLONE WARS" seemed to be mainly focused on the series' narrative. Many of the stories and arcs rarely connected, if not at all. And I am at a loss on how this was supposed to help filmgoers understand the Prequel Trilogy. Perhaps many STAR WARS were unable to understand the Trilogy's main narrative. But I did. I was also aware that both the Original and Prequel Trilogies were part of the Skywalker family saga. Events and conflicts like the decline of the Galactic Republic, the Clone Wars, the fall of the Jedi Order, the ascension of the Sith Order, the rise of the Galactic Empire, the rise of the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Civil War all served as backdrops for the family saga. While many fans had criticized the Prequel Trilogy for not focusing more on the Clone Wars, these same fans praised the actual series for doing just that.

The Prequel Trilogy was basically three chapters in the Skywalker family saga. Not two or three chapters in the detailed account of the Clone Wars. All one has to do is watch the Original Trilogy movies and see how the Galactic Civil War had merely served as a backdrop for another set of chapters in the Skywalker family saga. Yet, I do not recall anyone demanding a television series or a collection of movies depicting that particular conflict in greater detail - to the point of excluding the main characters of the family saga.

Once I had complained about the sprawling nature of "THE CLONE WARS"'s narrative online. Someone had pointed out that it explained the series' rarely connected arcs and stories was an indication that it was an anthology series. Strangely enough, I have yet to encounter a website that includes that description for the series. A part of me suspects that Lucas, Filoni and Gilroy had created "THE CLONE WARS" to satisfy those fans who had expected Lucasfilm to convey the conflict in full detail in the Prequel Trilogy. I find this laughable, because the Galactic Civil War had never been portrayed in full detail in the Original Trilogy.

[spacemagicandlaserswords]

The Clone Wars: Return of the Thoughts

I’m over half way through my first watch through of The Clone Wars (I’m part way through the Onderon rebels arc at the moment) and it has been An Experience. I have really enjoyed watching it, even though so much of the story is just pain and despair. If it isn’t already completely obvious from my reaction posts, I have completely fallen for the clones. New hyperfixation unlocked. I love and adore all of them. This brings about its own problems because for a show called The Clone Wars, there isn’t exactly a great focus on the clones. They’ve basically been sidelined in their own show (Hmmm, I wonder where we’ve seen that done to a clone before?). When we do finally get some decent clone-centric episodes, they are all just pain, misery, angst and despair. Which explains why I’ve been dreading watching so many of the various arcs in TCW.

I’ve found that my anticipation of episodes falls into either 'outright dreading', 'generally looking forward to', 'somewhat interested in', or 'fairly ambivalent about'. Out of the three seasons I have left to watch, the only arc I’m actually looking forward to is the opening arc of season 7, because:

a) Baby Bad Batch b) ECHO c) More clones! More clone interactions and personality and character development and depth and emotions and all the things! d) Jesse and his ARC tits running around being an absolute unit e) Kix! *weeps for his beautiful hair* f) Rex being a BAMF as usual but also being all soft and concerned when he gets one of his Domino Twins back after he thought he’d lost them both. g) We even get a bit of Cody too, before he gets squished by a larty and Wrecker has to lift it off him. h) Non-chip controlled Crosshair! He smiles! He laughs! He’s snarky and sarcastic! We finally get to see the toothpick with a soul before it’s ripped out and trampled into the ground by the Empire. i) I think the season 7 premiere is where Obi-Wan cuts an actual missile in half to save Cody, and if that isn’t the most hyper competent way of conveying your love for your space husband, then I don’t know what is.

On the other side of things, there are a number of arcs that I am dreading and almost don’t want to watch. 

I’m not overly looking forward to the Mandalore arc in season 5, mainly because we have to watch Obi-Wan watch Satine get brutally murdered in front of him by Maul. Along with being utterly cruel and completely devastating, it’s also another wholly unnecessary fridging of a female character. There’s already enough man pain in this series as it is, we don’t need to add to it by killing off one of the few female characters with depth. 

Straight after this is the Jedi temple bombing arc, which I almost don’t want to watch. The way Ahsoka was treated was utterly horrendous and appalling. No wonder she left! What they did to Barriss was just as awful. 

Then it’s straight into the chip conspiracy arc, which is just more pain, misery, suffering and death for the clones. First Tup, then Fives, in what seems to be generally regarded as one of the most devastating deaths of the entire Clone Wars series. I’m pretty sure there’s going to be a lot of sobbing at the end of it. I also cannot wrap my head around the fact that Fox is the one to shoot Fives. I cannot believe that a clone would ever shoot another clone. That a vod would kill another vod. It’s just inconceivable. From what I’ve read, the generally received headcanon seems to be that Palps was controlling Fox via the chip or the Darkside. This makes complete sense, is a believable in-universe reason, and is definitely the headcanon that I’ve accepted. Blasters have a stun setting! Fox is the Commander of the Coruscant Guard. He’s a command class clone and he has a kama so presumably he’s got ARC training as well. There’s no way he’d be that sloppy as to not have his blaster set to stun. I know this is leading up to my inevitable internal conflict between fandom Fox and canon Fox (which is already brewing), but that’s another rant for another day. Either way, I'm absolutely dreading watching this arc.

I’m not really looking forward to watching the Rush Clovis arc in season 6. I touched on this in 2.04 ‘Senate Spy’ and I should imagine that this arc involves more of Anakin being abusive and controlling of Padmé, which both @0bianidalas and @coraex basically confirmed in the comments. For a multitude of personal reasons, I am really not comfortable with watching something like this. That said, I should imagine it will be a clear example of Anakin’s further descent to the Dark side and give a greater understanding to how it happened, which I gather was a key reason for the existence of The Clone Wars series in the first place.

Finally, there’s the Siege of Mandalore arc, which is just pain, misery, death and despair for everyone involved. We have to watch another perspective of the genocide that is Order 66, and by all accounts this one seems to be one of the most heart-wrenching and devastating. All of the clones are forced against their will to turn into brainwashed, controlled, mindless monsters. Jesse is turned into the very opposite of everything that he is, stood for, and believed in. Ahsoka is hunted by the very men she thought were her friends. Rex has to shoot his brothers out of self defense and to protect Ahsoka. All of the 322nd die. Rex cries. The only saving grace to all of this is that Rex is finally free, but at what cost. At what cost.

(Editor Me: My heart is already aching just going through the various gifs from these arcs. I'm going to be an absolute wreck I watch the actual episodes.)

After all of this, I somehow have to power through 4 seasons of Rebels before Ahsoka premiers on August 23. I’m probably going to have to binge watch Rebels and come back to it later for the reaction posts but we’ll see. While I have spoiled myself on Rebels in the same way I did for TCW, I haven’t been looking up what happens in Rebels quite as much as TCW. I’ve forgotten a fair amount of what happens so I think I’m going to try and keep myself as spoiler free as possible for Rebels. Hopefully that way I’ll be able to avoid this ‘dreading watching particular arcs’ problem that I’m encountering with TCW.  

It’s not all doom and gloom though. There are moments in particular episodes that I’m looking forward to.

Hondo turns up again in the younglings arc and I am all for more Hondo. My interest in this arc falls somewhere between ‘somewhat interested’ and ‘fairly ambivalent’ but Hondo is an absolute riot and I love his particular brand of chaos. He was hilarious in the season 5 premiere and stole every scene he was in so I’m very glad to see him appear again.

We finally get to meet Gregor! He seems like a fan favourite and I’ve been looking forward to meeting him. If the droids mission is anything like R2-D2 and the reprogrammed B1 droids in the Citadel arc then this should be fairly amusing too so I’m generally looking forward to this.

In a way, I am looking forward to parts of the Mandalore arc in season 5. Obi-Wan in Mandalorian armour! More sass and snark from Obi-Wan is always enjoyable and at least we get to see him rescue Satine before it all goes horribly wrong. I know I’ve made this point before but I also love it when we get to see just how damn good a Jedi Obi-Wan is. There’s a little bit of this in the season 4 finale when Obi-Wan teams up with Ventress to fight Maul and Savage (after he’s thrown about like a rag doll and we get even more Obi-Wan whump. TCW has been a surprisingly excellent source of Obi-Wan whump.) But you really get to see it in the season 5 premiere. At one stage Obi-Wan is dual wielding lightsabers like an absolute madman while fighting both Maul and Savage at the same time. Sir, your lightsaber form is Soresu, what are you doing?

I’m looking forward to ‘The Lost One’ because we get to see a bit more of Wolffe, Plo and the Wolf Pack and I am always happy when we get to see more of them. Even if it's only for a tiny bit at the start of the episode.

As painful as the Siege of Mandalore arc is going to be, there are also some good moments that I’m looking forward to. Rex and Ahsoka reunite after she left the Order. I’ve really been enjoying watching the gradual evolution of their relationship, from Captain and Commander, to colleagues that respect each other, to friends, and then brother and sister. Or ori’vod and vod’ika, if we’re going with the headcanon of clones knowing Mando’a and creating their own culture out of what they can glean from their Mandalorian origins. Rex is definitely ori’vod. 

Rex is finally promoted to commander so we get a little bit of Commander Rex for a while, and isn’t that just a delicious thought thot. 

Ahsoka essentially gets her own company in the form of the 332nd and they all paint their helmets in a pattern inspired by the markings on her montrals, which is just so damn sweet and adorable.   

Rex and Ahsoka fighting side by side, even if some of it is against chip controlled clones.

From what I can gather, this entire arc is mainly about Rex and Ahsoka, with a showdown with Maul thrown in. They both go through the wringer and there’s going to be everything from hilarious one liners, to heartfelt moments, to the absolute emotional devastation that is Order 66 and all that it wrought upon them.  

Out of the arcs that are left, they’re a mix of ‘somewhat interested’, ‘fairly ambivalent’ and ‘really not sure what to expect’. I’m fairly ambivalent about the rest of the Onderon rebels arc, which ends in another unnecessary fridging of a female character. At least Steela was more sensible and had more nuance. I could see her evolving into a great leader, in a similar vein to Leia. Saw is just another boring arrogant male who turns into a ‘for the greater good’ monster. The consequences of his actions have disastrous effects for the Empire and the rebels, or anyone who even slightly opposes the Empire. He’s not a good person and definitely falls into the ‘an enemy of my enemy is my friend/temporary ally’ camp.  

I’m ‘fairly ambivalent’ to almost disinterested in ‘The Disappeared’ arc. Anything involving Jar Jar Binks is always deeply painful and uncomfortable to watch, a point I’ve made before, so I’m not going to blither on about it again.

The final arc of season 6 just sounds weird and all very ~mystical~ Jedi. Or more Jedi osik as the more cynical of the clones would probably say. 

The Ahsoka arc in the middle of season 7 is one I’m really not sure what to expect from. I’m looking forward to meeting Trace and Rafa and I’m all for more women of colour in Star Wars. It’ll also give more context to the episode ‘Decommissioned’ from The Bad Batch and help understand exactly who they are and why they’re coincidentally looking for the same Separatist tactical droid as the Batch. It’ll also be interesting to see what happens to Ahsoka after she leaves the order and get a sense for what she’s been up to and how she’s managed to survive and cope since. I’m not sure if this arc is in chronological order with the rest of the season. Though the last episode does appear to link into the Siege of Mandalore arc, so maybe it is. The official chronological order lists this arc as happening before the Bad Batch arc and after the season 6 finale arc, so I guess that solves that then.

Aside from The Bad Batch arc, there’s no whole episode or arc that I’m actually looking forward to watching. This seems to be the main structure to TCW, hilarious comedic moments and heartfelt scenes interspersed between a whole lot of emotional devastation and heart wrenching endings. I’m still glad I’m finally watching The Clone Wars but the emotional ride from certain episodes and arcs has been something else. I’m so glad fix-it fics exist, because I’m going to need to read so many after all of this is said and done. 

I know this might seem like I’m complaining but I’m not. I’m simply being open and honest about my experiences watching The Clone Wars. I am enjoying watching it all, even if ‘enjoying’ doesn’t quite feel like the right word with all of the pain and despair and misery that happens. 

I’ve got a lot left to watch and not much time to watch it in but I’m also going to make sure I enjoy it as well. I’ll be sad when it’s finished but I am very happy and glad that I finally started watching The Clone Wars. 

[bart1607]

My thoughts after watching Tales of the Empire. Spoilers, so please scroll down if you haven't watch TOTE yet. You're reading at your own risk!

Okay, so to be honest I wasn't interested in Morgan's backstory. However seeing Dathomir again was really nice! Grievous isn't comic relief any more and is finally scary, as he should be. I also liked the apperance of Pellaeon and Rukh.

Now the most important part of TOTE. BARRISS OFFEE! 😍😍🥰 SHE'S FINALLY BACK! Damn, I love her so much. I'll have a new fine additions in my Barriss folder. I'm glad that she got redemption and was helping people as a healer.

And yes, I have headcanon that Barriss survived lightsaber stab, she's a healer after all. I'm also very happy that she finally appeared without hood and has a cool hair. I think it's first time, when she appears hoodless in canon. The last time I saw her without hood was on Medstar book cover. She's beautiful.

But I noticed one thing. In the first scene of episode 4 there can be heard lightsabers and geonosian's sounds. I think Barriss has PTSD and despite being lonely, she's also suffering from nightmares.

Anyway I loved each episode of Tales of the Empire.

[jedimasterbailey]

Hey baby 😘 for the Jedi ask game I am going to focus on the most popular misunderstood Jedi that deserve all the love (sorry for the bombardment dear 🤣):

Mace: 14, 33, 41, 42

Luminara: 31, 34, 35, 45

Barriss: 30, 32, 36, 47

Mace 💜

14-How does Mace like to meditate?

I feel like Mace LOVES to mediate with others even though he can meditate alone just fine. He also comes off as plant guy to me, so I feel Mace’s favorite spot is in the Temple gardens with his Padawan Depa and later Caleb, but Mace wouldn’t turn anyone away, he would even let Anakin mediate with him if the man gave him a chance. Given his position within the Order and his fighting style (being able to channel dark side energy without giving into it), Mace is under a lot of stress at times so being around others be it loved ones or others, puts his mind and spirit at ease and I find that to be a beautiful thing. Most Jedi see Mace as an open and caring man instead of the intimidating Master others may see.

33-If Mace was able to survive Order 66, how would he live?

Mace would most definitely get the hell away from Coruscant as soon as he can and as far as he can. With all that’s happened, Mace would know he cannot take on the rising Empire alone especially wounded so he would need to flee and recoup somewhere safe until he can get back on his feet. I don’t believe he would return to his homeworld for obvious reasons, Mace would want to charter to some backwater planet where he can lay low and avoid Imperial attention. I don’t believe Mace would be want to be an active Jedi for a while because trauma, but he like Obi-Wan would do what he can to survive until he makes peace with what’s happened. I can see this going one of two ways. Either Mace lives a comfortable life of solitude helping out when he can or he could became a part of the Path and aid other surviving Jedi and Force sensitives in time of need, passing on his wisdom, possibly reuniting with Kanan in the process.

41-Is Mace more of a droid person or a critter person?

Mace seems to be a guy that’s all about life and with that comes critters. He would definitely be the dad that lets Depa bring in all the stray Tooka cats, birds, etc. because he enjoy taking care of things and being around animals help him relax like his plants.

42-What’s something Mace will never forget?

Okay I’m going to give a happy answer to this and a sad answer to this. I’ll start with the sad one to get it out of the way; I don’t believe Mace will ever forget the fact that if he had followed through in killing Dooku, that things could have ended differently. Maybe the Clone Wars would not have started that day and so many Jedi would still be alive. If you’ve ever read the Legends book “Shatterpoint”, you’d know that Mace constantly beats himself up over his decision to spare Dooku due to personal feelings. As for the happy one, I believe Mace could never forget all the milestones of his little girl (Depa) growing up from Padawan, to Knighthood, to making her a member of the Council, and to meeting his grand Padawan Caleb.

Luminara 💚

31-A Jedi Luminara looks up to the most?

Obi-Wan Kenobi 💙 I think Luminara would be in awe of someone who has dealt with so much tragedy in his life yet still chooses the light. Despite losing his Master and witnessing his death, taking on a Padawan when he wasn’t ready, losing his old flame, etc. Obi-Wan stays true to his Jedi ways and I believe that would inspire Luminara to do the same since she will inevitably deal with tragedy later. We don’t know anything about Luminara’s past, but given we don’t know who her Master was for sure, it’s safe to say that Luminara may have already faced grief and suffering in her past and perhaps leaned on Obi-Wan during those times only for her to return the favor. I would also say that Anakin isn’t far from being number one to her either since Luminara does openly praise him and trust him despite teasing him on his recklessness. I think she respects Anakin’s unorthodox way of thinking when she herself can’t think of another solution.

34-Luminara’s favorite food.

SWEETS! Luminara will never turn down a pastry, candy, etc. because she has the biggest sweet tooth and always has. You will always catch her eating a chocolate croissant or something with her morning coffee and she will always have her dessert after dinner. Barriss picks up on the habit as well because those two women need just has much sugar as they do caffeine to get through the days 😅

35-Luminara’s drink of choice.

A chai tea latte, hot or iced depending on the weather. Given the amount of stress Luminara is constantly under, she needs her caffeine (like Barriss only I headcanon her to be a huge coffee drinker) but she’s a classy lady that turns to tea more than coffee plus she loves some spice in her drink. Not to mention she can’t get drunk often so better to stay safe. Barriss knows that after a long day of work, that her Master loves to decompress with her chai and her Padawan will happily fetch that drink for her at the local space Starbucks anytime.

45-How was Luminara brought to the temple to become a Jedi?

I like to believe another Mirialan woman, possibly Master Katri (who I also headcanon to be Luminara’s Jedi Master) discovered baby Luminara on their homeworld of Mirial by chance as if the Force pulled them together. I also love the idea of Luminara possibly hailing from a very affluent family (like Dooku) or perhaps even Mirialan royalty of some sort but they happily give her to Katri as being a Jedi is a huge honor in Mirialan culture.

Barriss 💙

30-Her most embarrassing moment.

During a mission with Ahsoka and their respective Masters, Barriss gets caught by both Luminara and Anakin kissing Ahsoka in a closet or something. Anakin starts to laugh whilst Luminara is all stoic (even though she is trying so hard not to laugh and rub it in Barriss’s that she knew along) and is like “sorry to interrupt Padawan, carry on.” causing Barriss to blush real hard and almost faint this Ahsoka has to calm her down and reassure her everything is alright 🤣

32-Her thoughts on flying.

I don’t believe Barriss would have much of an opinion on flying. She can do it but she’s not obsessed with it nor does she hate it. To Barriss, flying is just getting from point A to point B and that’s that. She most definitely wouldn’t be pulling stunts like Anakin or Ahsoka because as a healer safety comes first 👍🏻

36-Her guilty pleasure.

Reality holotv, Barriss needs something to remind her that her life while traumatic and chaotic isn’t nearly as bad as others.

47-Her best quote.

I can’t remember which Medstar book it was but Barriss was explaining Jedi philosophy to one of the doctors she was working with and this particular quote made me love her all the more 💙

“A Jedi’s strength doesn’t come from her lightsaber but rather the strength of her heart.”

This quote has me feeling all the feelings for multiple reasons. One, it perfectly captures what it means to be a Jedi. It’s not about power, it’s about inner strength. Two, again with Barriss’s role as a teenage war hero and medic, she really does have to dig deep to find her courage in order to help people in disastrous situations. It’s not easy, but she does it and I find that kind of bravery beautiful. Three this quote just speaks to me on a personal level as I’ve dealt with plenty of traumas and tragedies in my real life but somehow I find a way through even when I want to give up. Barriss is an inspiration and she must have gotten that wisdom from somewhere either from Luminara herself or someone else in her Jedi family 💙💚

Original Jedi Ask Game Questions

[azurecanary]

I feel like my main complaint with Star Wars fans is the misunderstanding of Ahsoka Tano's character

(My qualifications: Watched TCW S1-7 + the movie, read her novel, watched Rebels S2&4, watched Mando 2x5 and BoBF 1x6)

She is not anti Jedi because she walked away from the Order. Her best friend framed her in mass murder and terrorism (in an arc i despise for a multitude of reasons) and her leaving the Order was what she needed to do to heal. (Leaving the religion due to trauma from others is something i can relate to a lot)

She is not a Mary Sue for her actions in Siege of Mandalore. She was a teenager suffering from PTSD due to being a child soldier and what occurred in the Wrong Jedi arc and decided to take it out on Maul (and Obi-Wan) after Bo Katan offered her the opportunity.

"I am no Jedi" was not about her rejecting the Jedi Order or the Code. It was her facing the fact that her older brother actively participated in the genocide of her entire culture including and as well as the people she loved (e.g. Padme, Barriss, Obi-Wan (as far as she knows), PLO KOON, etc) and Vader represented everything about that.

Her comments about attachment in Mando and BoBF were not ooc. Ahsoka has always been wary of attachment, especially after Order 66. Or have people just not read the book?

And of fucking course she didn't fucking torture a Nightsister to get information. Even the fact that that comes to mind before "occasionally snarky Jedi says very snarky things" just goes to show that people would rather shit on a Filoni project (which is fair enough) then consider that they have the wrong interpretation of her character.

Ahsoka being anti Jedi is a fabrication created by Jedi haters who want to emulate the "all the perks of the Jedi without the dedication and culture" part of her. And everyone else has just went with it.

[stellanslashgeode]

About the True Sith story idea. I actually want you to be the one to write it and I serve a purely advisory role mainly because I'm so committed to my novel that I can barely lock in on any other writing. So I could beta and whisper ideas into your ear that you wrote down for this collaboration. Also I have some ideas for this story.

1: about the motivation and goals of the True Sith. The True Sith in the original KOTOR III concept wanted to 'kill' The Force, silence the semi-sentient, pantheistic will forevermore, by turning every last planet in the Galaxy into a blood-drenched battlefield, a realm as traumatized as Malachor V. Bleeding the Force to its marrow by torturing the entire Galaxy to near-death.

I'm a sucker for insane fanatical monsters. I could see their version of the Sith code being: Cruelty is sacred. Mercy is reserved for The Holy. Pain makes us stronger, and brings you closer to God. Comfort is stagnancy and weakness. War is sacred. Peace is evil.

"A horrifying world of suffering and pain" is the definition of Eden, of Paradise, of Heaven. Because infinite pain and infinite suffering will only make you infinitely strong and infinitely holy. In the same way fire may forge and reforge a blade. Anything short of that is Perdition.

2: I have been debating whether this story should be taking place in the Galactic Empire (purely to see Palpatine being fucking terrified of something for once) or the New Sith War. I'm honestly leaning towards a synthesis with the main story being set in the New Sith Wars a thousand years before a New Hope with the protagonists learning that this millennia of war was being fueled by the True Sith and the story having an epilogue a millennia later with Palpatine meditating after founding the empire, feeling something terrifying gaze back at him from the outer rim and realizing how screwed the galaxy is.

3: What do you think would be some good scenes to demonstrate the sheer cruelty and power of these True Sith. I have a thought of the opening scene being a True Sith slacking his hunger by consuming the souls of an entire planet (Using the essence transfer Vitiate learned from the True Sith as their disciple in this canon) with both regular sith and Jedi on it and the protagonist somehow surviving that and vowing to learn how he did it.

Another scene idea I have is the red-skinned traveler turning the rain of an entire world into poison using Sith Alchemy, thus killing everyone on it, just as the crew is about to land on it.

I really love you you are putting down here. Completly.

But you've got to realize I have promicies to keep, and miles to go before I sleep. I'm busy with my !Fulcrum Barriss and !inquistorAhsoka fic at the moment, and I have the first contact on Shili story to finish up. And my canon Barrissoka fic is only half finished. And my Bacara and mygeeto the clone protectorate fic has been long neglected. Once I finish with those I think this is a very promising project and I can't wait to get started on it. The idea of turning a whole planet to poison with Sith alchemy alone would be worth it. So please have patience for my schemes.

[kaaragen]

YES IM SO GLAD YOU REBLOGGED THE ASK GAME! 😍 I’d like to know ❤️💕🦋🦈💘🚦📚🎨

❤️ Argh! this is the one I was hoping I wouldn't be asked because I remember having a line I was very proud of but I can't remember what the damn thing was now! XD

Of the lines I remember liking, I'd say this one is one I'm very pleased with looking back, as sentimental as it is. Ignore the fact that I'm cheating because there's more than one, but the context of the previous line is necessary:

"Because you, and millions of others, have fought and suffered through a war that’s killed billions, wrought by the most sophisticated minds of the age.

"So maybe childish, naïve and idealistic is worth a try."

💕 It has to be And if we Fell Together, which I think is also the best thing I've written. It honestly still boggles my mind how popular that became, and especially when I think about how close I was to never actually writing or posting it. But I'm very glad I did, and reading it back gives me so much joy. I don't think I'll ever be able to thank the people who read it enough, or convey how much it meant to me, not least for the confidence boost it gave me when I was at a really low point.

🦋Oof, that's actually a tough one...I like writing Ahsoka and Barriss for different reasons; mainly because they are interesting foils in how they hide their insecurities. Barriss presents with a lot of poise and decorum, but internally she's a hot screaming mess; whereas Ahsoka outwardly projects confidence, but is very insecure and almost uses 'running headfirst at things' to stop herself from thinking and being paralysed.

But lately, I'm really enjoying teenage Tatooine Leia and pre-fuck-up-with-the-Duchess Sabine. Both are quite fun to unpick and work backwards from their canon characters and think 'okay, but if they were in this environment and didn't have that what would they be like?' without removing their essential natures as characters.

🦈 It used to be Luminara, as I really struggled to get a handle on her. After her confrontation with Barriss, where she loses her poise, it became a lot easier as it clicked that she's devoutly committed to the Jedi Order and the spiritual ideals of the Force, but is also using them to mask her uncertainties about what to do in situations.

As of now, it's probably Seventh Sister - who is fun to write, but also needs care as she is a mess and it's easy for her characterisation to split too far too soon and there's less in canon to anchor with.

(The Spectres as a whole are tricky, because you have to give each of them something to do, and also have them react in ways that fit each character, without that becoming a litany of reciting. God knows how Tamsyn Muir manages to do it so effortlessly in The Locked Tomb...)

💘It will surprise no one when I say angst XD My brain just seems to be wired for it (and I like to think I do it pretty well). But I maintain that angst makes the fluff worth it/better when it comes. So there!

🚦I've changed on this one. I used to think I was more of a 'bad' ending person, but perhaps years of reading Grim Dark stuff has worn me down. Or, writing has made me realise I'm more sentimental than I thought. Either way, I like plausible happily ever afters or ambiguity tinged with hope.

📚Ooo, that's a good question. I couldn't narrow down to just one, so I'll say that The Padawans (by someone you may not have heard of, called JediMasterBailey :P) and The Erosion of the Spirit by @425599167 are different, brilliant, takes on canon-compliant Barriss redemption arcs; Down to my Knees (Up en Pointe) by @cafffine is the best Inquisitor Barriss fic I've ever read, with Tomorrow, She'll see the Sky Again by @thevalaxy being the best post-Inquisitor Barriss fic I've read. Then there's Where I've Always Been and Coming Home to You by Gabby (Kirahsoka), which are amazing and made a sceptic of modern-world AUs and fantasy-world AUs like me rethink my scepticism.

Special shout-out goes to Pity and Reforging by @mylordshesacactus, which were the first Barrisoka fics I read and Jesus Christ, I think they fundamentally altered my brain chemistry and will haunt me until my dying day.

🎨Well, someone (not naming because I don't know if they want to be) very nicely asked if they could do fanart inspired by And if we Fell Together, which was about the happiest day of my life! I've seen some drafts and it looks incredible and I'm incredibly excited to see the finished version!

If there were to be a specific scene, I'd go for Ahsoka and Anakin's starfighter duel as I really like the imagery in that one! Oh, and also the first kiss!

[devondeal]

1, 2, 7, 15, 16, 43, 47, 49, 51 for Kenduli ask game please and thank you 😘

I'd like to once again thank you for introducing me to Kenduli because my god they are hot together and I didn't expect it to be this fun to answer but this was truly a surprise joy for me 🥰

1.) How did they each fall in love?

Obi Wan always had a crush on Luminara since he was a young lad in the same creche as her but he was always too shy to say something. He assumed she didn't feel the same since she was probably too "cool" for him.

Luminara also had a crush on Obi Wan since the beginning and she tried all the flirting however Obi Wan was too oblivious to pick up on it. She probably would have straight up told him but I think that probably got stunted when (and what I'm about to say is my headcanon) she lost her Master. The death of Master Katri probably was so consuming she just didn't have the energy to think of romance anymore.

This in turn would reinforce Obi Wan's belief that she didn't feel the same for him and being a good caring person and Jedi, he put his feelings aside to comfort her as a friend.

Unfortunately by the time Luminara was able to heal and felt comfortable enough again to tell him how she felt, that's when Obi Wan met Satine so she assumed he only cared for her platonically or whatever interest she may have sensed earlier in him, he moved on and she was too late.

2.) Who would confess first and how?

Luminara would confess first and I feel like it happened at some point during The Approaching Storm just given the chemistry and events of the book. I mean they promised to take care of the other's Padawan so they clearly had some intense interactions between the lines and scenes.

I mean a mission that forces them to spend prolonged time together sleeping right next to each other? That's prime romantic potential right there. So I feel like in one of the moments their Padawans were both preoccupied with something, they'd get to talking in the infamous tent and Luminara would let it slip that she had a crush on him growing up.

Obi Wan would be so shocked at this and in turn reveal he also had a crush on her. And the interaction would go something like this and it would all be spoken a little heatedly given their surprise how long they've had to hold back:

Obi Wan: "Well why didn't you tell me?! All those years, I thought you only saw me as a friend!"

Luminara: "And I thought you only saw me as a friend!"

(Suddenly both realize how close their faces have gotten)

Luminara: "We are good friends, aren't we?..."

Obi Wan: "Yes... very good friends..."

(They both start furiously making out)

7.) What's a typical date night for them?

I feel like Obi Wan would always have flowers and a "hello there" to start their dates and they're both all dressed up to go somewhere fancy like a restaurant with a private booth or the theatre which usually ends in one of their rooms in the Temple.

In the more casual version they'd probably stay in and cook together just enjoying each other's company while they can.

15.) How would they express their affection for each other?

They both ADORE using cute titles for each other like "darling," "dear," "love," etc.

Obi Wan is THE gentleman and will always open the door, pull up a chair, all that stuff for his lady. He would also be big on words of affirmation and always reminding her how amazing she is because he knows she needs to hear it.

Luminara would give Obi Wan gifts and souvenirs from her missions. She definitely would give him something significant to Mirialan culture that is some kind of sign of love and commitment. Food is also a love language for her so she def would feed him much like Barriss would for Ahsoka.

16.) How would they comfort each other?

With Obi Wan, like I said he would try to use words to validate her but he also knows that sometimes there are no words so he would just check on her and take care of her, makes sure she's eating, etc. until she's ready to talk about it. Luminara suffers in silence for the most part so lots of holding her for sure.

Luminara would be his safe space for him to cry and express his feelings. She'd just listen and hold him. She'd struggle to not go out there and beat the crap out of whoever caused this. But she'd know that he needs to just spill what he's feeling without feeling judged so she'd let him feel it all.

43.) What does Luminara think of Obi Wan's past relationship with Satine and Ventress being flirty with him?

With Satine, Luminara for the most part just feels really hurt that she missed her chance with Obi Wan. She understands why Obi Wan would still care about Satine years later but also is frustrated because she knows it was not a healthy relationship for Obi Wan. Luminara does still feel bits of jealousy come up and just does not like her.

And if Luminara doesnt like Satine, she FUCKING HATES Ventress's flirtiness with Obi Wan 🤣 nothing gets her straight to big mad faster than the thought of that bog witch throwing her skirt at Obi Wan.

47.) What does Luminara mean by "strategic planning?"

🍆🍑🌋🎆💦

49.) Describe their reunion as Force ghosts

Oh this one is gonna give all the feels 😭 They both would immediately start crying upon seeing each other and Obi Wan would say that he's waited so long to come back to her while Luminara tells him she watched over him the whole time ❤️

51.) Favorite Kenduli moment from either a show or a book?

Onscreen of course I have to mention the "strategic planning," basically the entire Legacy of Terror despite Obi Wan's questionable choices of negotiation 🤣 I do love how worried he got when seeing her holo of her getting captured like the man banged on the table in fear for her 🥺

Also The Approaching Storm is basically the Kenduli bible. But I flipped through some pages for examples and it will explain my headcanons above are the way they are:

This was Luminara encouraging Obi Wan that he is capable of training Anakin

Just Obi Wan being both a feminist and probably blushing furiously too

The man watched her sleep this whole damn paragraph and, get this, "aroused" him

This was toward the end when the main conflict is resolved and Luminara wants to chill with Obi Wan for some "small pleasures".... yeah that's one way to put it

[thecleverqueer]

Alright. Let me start unpacking my “The Wrong Jedi” arc theories. I think we all want answers. Full discretion, I don’t have them, but I’ll gladly share with you what I don’t know.

So, the first thing I’m going to discuss is the elephant in the room:

Why Barriss?

The truth is that we know next to nothing about Barriss in cannon. She has all of about 35 minutes of screen time total (including the movies). Nevertheless, her character is intriguing. From what I gather, she’s smart, brooding, emotional, painfully gay, religiously repressed and beyond that, I know very little.

It’s apparent to me that Barriss meant A LOT to Ahsoka (I say this is pretty apparent to me because Ahsoka doesn’t stop thinking about Barriss… Barriss is clearly STILL occupying space rent-free in Ahsoka’s head long after TWJ arc… even into her Fulcrum years), but their relationship isn’t fleshed out in cannon. The writers tell us that Ahsoka and Barriss are “close friends”, but we never see them hanging out or what the true nature of their relationship looks like. It puts us into a gray area really which leaves a lot of room for interpretation (which may be the point, I don’t know).

With what we’re given, we can assume one of two things in regards to the answer of “Why Barriss?” either….

1.) The writers lazily used Barriss to fall on a sword for the sole purpose of Ahsoka’s character development. This is the likely cause if we’re being honest. Ahsoka has a lot of acquaintances in The Clone Wars, but I’d say she’s close to five six people in the show: Anakin, Obi-Wan, Rex, Plo Koon, Padmé (which all get fair amounts of screen time to flesh out their stories) and Barriss (which we’re told about, but gets virtually no screen time for). Since the other characters are all well-developed and have story arcs that stretch beyond “The Wrong Jedi”, it would have to be Barriss by process of elimination. She was the only option. It wasn’t enough to simply be blamed for the crimes and banished by the council due to stupid politics. Ahsoka would have likely returned to the Jedi order after her name was cleared if it hadn’t been so personal. Instead of just a stab, it had to be a stab then a twist. Barriss twisted. So, yeah. This. This reason.

Or…

2.) There was a whole host of other things going on behind the scenes that we did not see, but that we can infer based on hints…. A blazing dumpster fire filled with drama and chaos that pushed Barriss into a corner and forced her to lash out violently.

I honestly like this option better because it allows me to be creative with theories (where the writers may have just been lazy). And, I have them so that this arc and the question of “Why Barriss?” makes sense to me.

It requires more depth for Barriss as a character… a kind of filling in the blanks. What motivated her to do what she did? For me to make sense of it, it was clearly a combination of things (three things specifically).

First, I believe that Barriss was disillusioned by the war. As a healer, Barriss saw the ugliest parts of battle: mangled men, excruciating pain, blood, sadness, peoples’ last breaths and a lot meaningless suffering and death. I imagine that Barriss would heal her battalions only to have the same men return to her seeking out her healing over and over, further prolonging their suffering and grief. She may have lost her sense of purpose as a result. What was the point to any of it? It was all so dark and disturbing. She was just a teenager likely on long deployments where she was forced to manage other peoples’ suffering endlessly. I can only imagine the PTSD that would be associated with that. I feel the disillusionment was very valid, very real. This pushed her. She mentioned this in her confession to the crimes.

Second, (and something that should absolutely be cannon) is “Barrissoka”. I don’t know how far Barriss and Ahsoka’s relationship went. It clearly went pretty far, but not far enough. The dialogue (as well as the angsty, furtive, desirous looks that they shoot one another) after the funeral of the Jedi killed in the hanger bombing suggests to me that either they confessed their feelings for one another and determined that it wouldn’t be wise to pursue anything, or that they got caught messing around and were forced to end their romantic relationship (it was Ki-Adi Mundi that caught and threatened them, make no mistake). Being cock-blocked because of weird religious beliefs sucks, but for them to be cock-blocking you from someone like Ahsoka? Someone that you got buried alive with? Someone that held your hand as you prepared to die? Someone that couldn’t bring themselves to kill you when were clearly trying to take them out? Someone that held you in their arms so that you wouldn’t freeze to death until help arrived to save you both? Someone that cared about you so much that they asked about you as soon as they came back into consciousness despite your attempts to murder them? Someone that did stupid things to cutely show off in vague attempts to impress you all of the time? Someone that smoking hot? Holy shit. I’m not going to say that I would blow anything up, but I kind of get it. I’d be pissed. This would have pushed Barriss even further.

Finally, Palpatine. I’m confident that he was manipulating the entire thing. I think he found some way to convince Barriss that it was the best course of action based on the previous two scenarios. The war will never end, and she’ll never get to be with the girl she loves. As Barriss states as they walk down the halls of the temple post-bombing, “The evidence seems clear, Ahsoka, nothing will ever change.” She was trapped. She was desperate. She was manipulatable. Palpatine convinced her that the bombing would be her out. He did this to get Ahsoka out of the way, of course. He knew that as long as Ahsoka was in the picture, Anakin would not fall to the dark side. It was imperative that he create space between Anakin, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka… which he did. As Tarkin stated, Palpatine rarely did anything without a strategy. This was one of his finest chess moves. Either way the trial went, Ahsoka would be out of the picture. One down. One to go.

So for me, that’s why Barriss. Otherwise, yeah. It was totally lazy and made zero sense. Without complete and utter despair, disillusionment and outside manipulation, it would be nothing less than character assassination.

Now, give Barriss a FUCKING redemption arc!!