#but so did obi wan Padme Yoda the Jedi council many of the other Jedi members and the members of the high republic

[gch1995]

Palpatine is the pure evil “big bad” antagonist/cartoon villain of the prequels. Everyone else in the main cast sucks, in spite of their good intentions, and kind of got what was coming to them for not doing better under the pressures of systematic abuse, corrupt authority, crime, high expectations, in their insecurities, pride, fear of the unknown, and self-interest. However, it’s still tragic because they got worse than they deserved in the end, and they had so much potential to be amazing when they used their powers for good.

The prequels aren’t merely a story about Palpatine, Anakin, and the Sith ruining the lives of everyone else in the old Jedi Order and Republic they grew up in because they are the worst. If the Jedi Order and Republic were blameless victims in the prequels, then more of their members wouldn’t have felt the desire to eventually turn on them under pressure with compromised agency. If the adults involved in the old Republic government and Jedi Order had been blameless victims, then Darth Vader and the Empire couldn’t have existed in the first place. Where do people think that ends justify the means mentality came from in the first place? It certainly wasn’t something they learned from just Palpatine. It was a mentality that got reinforced in the Jedi Order and Republic many members of the Empire grew up in.

I feel like the Star Wars prequels fandom would be a lot more peaceful if people were more familiar with tragedy as a genre. It means everyone is problematic. All the characters make significant mistakes that have terrible consequences, which might have been averted had they chosen differently. Every character, every institution - they are all flawed and they're supposed to be flawed. It doesn't matter which flaws you, personally, find more or less acceptable. They all have cracks a mile wide. That's the point.

[fanfic-obsessed]

Dawn of Hope

This is going to start in that weird place where we are taking canon and making it simultaneously better AND very much worse.  Also, as always, I may be ignoring or ignorant of some part of canon that contradicts this stuff, forgive me. 

While there are many changs we need to address, the biggest is that Anakin does not choose Palpatine, or Fall, during the fight between the Council and Palpatine (Also, because I truly believe that it is the point of no return for Anakin’s fall, he did not kill the Tuskens). This does not actually make anything better.  

Anakin’s refusal caused the three way fight to last a bit longer, but also ended with Mace Windu’s death. The Force began to scream that Anakin needed to get back to the temple immediately. Anakin disengages from the fight and escapes.  Palpatine let him go, since this was still in line with several of Palpatine's plans (I fully believe that Palapine had a plan for any eventuality). Palpatine calls for Order 66 and Anakin arrives back at the temple mere moments before the 501st.  Anakin is horrified to see his men firing on, and killing, the Jedi in the temple and ignoring his attempts to order them to stop (it is important to note that in this, there is no indication in the Force or their behavior why the clones have suddenly started shooting Jedi; also Fives report in this one was not intelligible enough-due to being drugged-to give either Anakin or Rex information about the chips).  His help gives the appearance that the temple can start evacuating (they rebuffed wave one) and Anakin is told by one of the temple guards that a group of initiates had been locked in the council chambers for safety, but they need a counselor to unlock the door to evacuate them.  

Anakin goes down and unlocks the chamber, and just as the initiates look up at him with hopeful eyes, believing that they have been saved…Anakin is knocked unconscious by the temple guard, who had been one of the guards that betrayed the Jedi. The guard then slaughtered the children (all of them, including Reva as the guard had not been as conflicted) and dragged Anakin away (Palpatine now intended to torture him into Falling) as the other traitor guards disabled the last of the protections for the temple, letting the clones come back in to kill everyone.

 Another change was that early in the war Cody took a hit to the head that, unbeknownst to everyone, broke the chip. The extra time it took for Palpatine to call for Order 66 meant that Obi Wan had reached the upper levels and that Cody had joined him there when the chips activated and every clone, except Cody, started trying to kill any Jedi (for apparently no reason).  Cody and Obi Wan are able to escape, but there is a part of Cody that will never forgive himself for the fact that they both had to kill some of his brothers to do so.  They are able to get to Coruscant, where they meet up with Yoda at the ruins of the Jedi temple.  They see the surveillance video (the clones attacking, the temple guards that betrayed them, Anakin being captured, the younglings being slaughtered). 

The next step is obviously to rescue Anakin. Now both Yoda and Obi Wan are self aware enough to admit that this would have been the goal for no other reason than that Anakin was part of their lineage. However realistically he is also the only other Jedi they know is still alive, a powerful fighter, and would be a devastating enemy if he could be coerced to fall (they do not know for sure that this is the goal, but there are only a few reasons to take Anakin alive). Knowing that they would need to rely on the Force to move quickly Cody is sent to collect Padme before she can be used against Anakin. 

By the time Yoda and Obi Wan find Anakin, he has been tortured but has not fallen. Obi Wan is able to escape with Anakin, though Yoda gives his life for them to do so.   Anakin injuries mean that his remaining flesh arm and his legs have to be amputated. The stress causes the twins to be stillborn and the measures needed to save Padme’s life remove her ability to have any other children.  

Obi Wan and Anakin are the last Jedi in the galaxy at this point. Through chance or circumstance everyone else died in the Purge(This includes Ahsoka. With the extra time and without Rex having knowledge of the chips, she is eventually killed by the clones; the fight did enough damage that the ship still crashed into that moon, killing everyone on board-including Maul).  They are only just able to get the mechanics to replace Anakin’s missing limbs, and the four keep on the move to lay low.  By the time both Padme and Anakin have healed from those first few days, 18 months have passed and the galaxy continues to grow darker. 

Bail Organa’s fledgling rebellion has been found out (a combination of the lack of a daughter had Bail focusing on the rebellion more, and moving just a hair too fast, and Palpatine not having Vader to deal with-both not spending time focused on his recovery and not needing an enemy to point Vader at one he has healed). Bail and Breha have been executed as warmongers and traitors with a Palpatine approved puppet installed as the new ruler of Alderaan. Any friends that any of the four might have had were swept up in the aftermath of the failed Rebellion. 

At the two year mark Palpatine, who no longer has any use for the Clones, as he had recruited a natborn army in the meantime, issues another Order, this time for the last remnants of the GAR to kill themselves. 

Cody is the last Clone of the GAR in the galaxy, and none of four of them know about the chip. 

These four have no friends, no help, and no hope. And they survive in this galaxy where they can rely only on each other for another 8 years.  

In that time neither Anakin nor Obi Wan fall. This is not due to some extra attachment to the light, but the fact that there is nothing the dark can offer them. How do you resurrect an entire culture? Who would they even try to bring back? Because they do not know about the chips, they do not have one person, even Palpatine, that they can blame or get revenge on. 

Also during these 8 years the four form a Force bond, tying their life forces together.  Though the bond is deliberate, and of the Light Side, none of them are quite sure if it is ‘If one dies, we all die’ or ‘we all have to die for one to die’. Frankly, in the galaxy they live in, they figure there is not much difference.  This bond does have the effect of slowing all of their aging to the slowest (Anakin, with his Force connection ages at one third the normal human rate once he reached maturity)

10 years after Order 66 and the Purge, our four feral survivors find an artifact that will take them to a new timeline.  It has not been used often, because there is no control over where or when they will be dropped, there is no way back, and most people do not want to chance that they will end up somewhere worse. Our four are not worried about worse, they know that they have the worst timeline, and they have no one to try and come back to. So they activate the artifact.

It drops them into the canon timeline, during A New Hope, on the Death Star,  just before Darth Vader strikes Obi Wan Kenobi. This derails Old Ben’s attempt at martyrdom. Darth Vader is immediately distracted by Padme Amidala, looking older than he remembered but younger than she should be (had she lived).

As they all recognized an older version of Obi Wan, and guessing that the tall being in black is the bad guy, the four dimension travelers grab Old Ben, the teeny boppers (Luke, Leia, and Han look unbelievably young to them) with the Wookie and the familiar droids (as none of them look like they belong on the Death Star) and hustled them onto to only ship that does not look imperial (A Corellian Freighter) and escape while Vader is staring at the spot where Padme Amidala had appeared. 

The only reason that they were not immediately shot out of the sky is that Vader realized that Padme was on that ship and made sure no one shot the Millenium Falcon. 

The Millenium Falcon, and everyone she holds, escapes. They take some time to make sure that they are not being followed before Han, with input from Leia, sets a course to the nearest Rebel Base. There is enough confusion that he does not even ask about payment. 

Then everyone turns to the four dimension travelers.  Obi Wan, the younger, looks at Old Ben and goes ‘Hello There’ in a tone that is distressingly flirty for a solid half the ship. Anakin rolls his eyes, whacks Obi Wan (the younger) upside the head, and goes ‘set up a threesome between yourself, you husband (Cody), and yourself later’. 

Old Ben looks far too considering for Luke and Leia’s piece of mind. 

It is Padme who introduces the four dimension travelers, with a brief overview that they were from a different timeline.  Upon Padme introducing Anakin, Luke perks up and goes ‘Oh, you’re my father’

Anakin practically squeals with excitement that he (Luke) must be one of the babies (Padme also got visibly excited and interested in the answer), and asks if he is Luke or Leia.  Luke somewhat blankly answers with his name. A moment passes then Luke goes ‘BABIES???’ At the same time Leia goes ‘LUKE OR LEIA???’

At some point in the midst of this chaos Luke manages to tell Anakin that the Anakin was killed by Darth Vader (and clarifies that Darth Vader was the tall fucker in black). 

Both Anakin and Obi Wan feel the wince in the force coming from Old Ben at that statement. Old Ben, for his part, fully expected to be dead before having to have this conversation on ‘from a certain point of view’ with his niece and nephew. He also did not expect to be having this conversation with another version of himself with three people he had loved and lost to decades earlier. 

Old Ben manages to get out a single ‘from a certain point of view’ before Anakin goes ‘Oh, other me is Vader. I Fell’

Old Ben agrees (which increased the Chaos quite a bit and it takes some time for those revelations to sink in). It is at this point here a minor, but somewhat critical misunderstanding occurs. Once Anakin found out that this universe’s version fell, he muttered that it must have been the torture. Anakin has made an assumption that this Anakin was also captured by the Guard and was tortured until he Fell. Old Ben hears this and assumes that his Anakin was tortured to fall at some point before he killed the younglings (in this one Old Ben never found out why his Anakin fell).  Neither are speaking directly enough about what had happened to catch onto the mistake (both had had time to come to terms with what happened, it still is deeply traumatic and neither really wants to talk about it), though it will be resolved quickly and without real drama. 

Padme asks about her own fate, given that it is clear that neither of her children recognize either of their parents by sight. Old Ben says she died in childbirth. Padme, very used to Obi Wan’s ‘from a certain point of view’, drily asked how much Anakin’s fall contributed to her death.  Old Ben winced and admitted to the choking and throwing. 

Old Ben also admits that he has not seen Cody since Utapau.  No one on the ship is aware of the chips, so no one knows to disagree when Cody goes ‘so I went insane with my brothers’. Old Ben, Cody, and Obi Wan compare notes and realize that the clones ‘going insane’ happened a bit later to Obi Wan then it did to Old Ben.  They come to the erroneous, but understandable, conclusion that Obi Wan’s presence when Order 66 went out (not that they know that is what happened) somehow kept Cody from going crazy. 

On the other side of the ship Padme and Anakin are making a concerted effort to get to know their now adult children. 

Then they arrive at the Rebel base and additional, hilarious chaos. The Rebellion expected the Corellian freighter carrying Leia Organa (and were ecstatic that Leia, at least, survived Alderaan destruction) with R2D2 and C3P0.  They neither expected nor did not expect Han, Chewbacca, and Luke. They very much did not expect the Corellian freighter to be carrying: Presumed dead General Anakin Skywalker, Very officially dead Padme Amidala, not one but two General Obi Wan Kenobi (Possibly dead-no one has seen or heard of him in a decade, still has the highest bounty in the Empire; Also visibly different ages), and Cody (who was supposed to be on a mission somewhere in the Cadavine sector and looking much younger than he should). 

Our four dimension travelers are abjectly overjoyed, as anyone they recognize has been dead a long time as far as they are concerned, to see the people of the rebellion. It is in this set of explanations that there are many revelations. Including, but not limited to: Vader’s fall was not from being tortured (Anakin posits that Vader chose to Fall to try and save Padme, then killed her anyway); The revelation about the chips in the Clones; The revelation of Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa, twin children of Anakin and Padme. 

The Leaders of the Rebellion starts to recall any Force Sensitives, Clones, and anyone who the four dimension travelers would have recognized. There are many happy reunions (including Old Ben reuniting with the Older Cody; which eventually also results in a foursome with the younger Obi Wan and Cody) As soon as it is clear that the dimension travelers intend to stay, the Rebellion starts to plan how to use having 2 Obi Wans, 2 Codys, a non fallen Anakin, and a living Padme in their fight against the Empire (the propaganda potential alone is glorious).   None of them are really in the position to be on the frontlines, but there is still plenty they can help with.

Anakin does put his foot down, that they will not hide that they come from a different dimension. Some of the rebellion had talked at first at playing that the four had been put into some kind of status (since three of the four were presumed dead, and the fourth was also genetically identical to enough people that the stasis is realistic).  Anakin pointed out that doing that would essentially steal Old Ben and Older Cody’s identity. Plus, and this was the argument that actually worked, hearing that Anakin was a dimensional traveler from a timeline where Anakin chose not to fall AND did not cause his wife’s death would both piss Vader off and, possibly demoralize him.

Anakin and Padme take special missions to squash Vaders psych like a bug.

It works.

[marvelstars]

The fact fandom sees Obi-Wan as an uwu baby at 25 years old while also considering that Anakin should have got his feelings over his mother together at 9 show how bad it can get when we infantilize the characters to suit our vision of them imo.

At 25 Obi-Wan was a grown young adult when he started taking care of Anakin, in fact many people in real life marry and have children at that age, in light of that his hurt feelings and jealousy over Qui-Gon asking him to be knighted, which is supposed to be a good thing, a recognition of his skills, so he could take care of Anakin, show Qui-Gon was right in that Obi-Wan still had some maduration to go but that he was ready to be a Jedi Knight.

ObiWan defeating Maul sealed the deal for the council but it also presents a very problematic precedent, it wasn´t his emotional maturity and wiseness the thing that made Obi-Wan a knight but his dueling skills in his combat with Maul after his master was killed.

In Anakin´s case at 9 he was old to be introduced to the Jedi because he isn´t 4 or 5 but he is very young to be made a padawan, they usually start at 13 or 14 like Ahsoka did. So given Obi-Wan wish to train him to make a reality Qui-Gon´s dying wish, Anakin was made a padawan sooner than when he was supposed to be one, not because he was a kind child who worried about others and wanted to make a lasting change in the galaxy for the slaves, he was made a padawan because of his power potential and the Jedi Order didn´t try to make adecuations to the fact he was old enough to remember seeing slaves being blow up by their masters and the fact his mother was still a slave and in constant danger of this happening to her as well. Nothing of this was addressed with Anakin, he was told in no uncertain terms that his responsibility and compromise with the Jedi Order, which he made at 9, didn´t involve him thinking about his mother or seeing her ever again. Anakin obeyed this dictate until his mother was tortured killed and he had his first fall to the dark side by taking revenge on the tuskens for the murder of his mother.

Later at 19 he is made a Knight not because he had shown a grown in his control over the force or his own feelings but because he was an able soldier with leadership skills which served him well to survive a war in which the majority of the padawans of his generation were killed , at 20 he was made a Jedi master for Ahsoka during war time, he was responsible of teaching her how to be a Jedi while also making sure she didn´t die while also taking care of his troops and giving victories to the Republic all of which he did, even when his padawan was expelled, even when his men were killed for knowing too much like in Fives case and at 23 he was a general and one of the leading Jedi in the war, married to Padme with a child on the way, so Anakin was two years younger than Obi-Wan was when he was still a padawan and meet Anakin for the first time. Anakin fell to the darkside and became Vader when he was 23 years old, two years younger than padawan Obi-Wan.

So If I use the age argument it wasn´t Obi-Wan the one who got pushed into a situation he could not have managed on his own for his age but Anakin definitely was, because of his particular power and skills even if the popular take is that Obi-Wan was a baby at 25 taking care of an ungrateful, unstable almost teenager Anakin as a 9 year old, for many fans Anakin never was a child but he was, the fact he didn´t had an actual childhood is another thing.

But well if we take this in consideration then it makes all the sense in the world Yoda choose to let Anakin´s twins grow up with their families, train Luke when he was an adult and not make him a Knight at 23 if he didn´t deal with his inner conflict over his father but it was Luke´s choice of not wanting to fight or kill his father but rather ask him to come back to him, to the person he used to be, the thing that made the difference. Anakin came back to save his child from his master, himself and the Empire, he gave up his life to give Luke and Luke´s dreams a chance.

So while age certainly is a factor it isn´t everything when it´s about a character grow and choices imo.

[phoenixyfriend]

Slaves of the Senate AU

Do you ever come up with a premise for a Star Wars fic that is just so fucked up--

Okay so if you've ever read the Bleach fic New Order, it's a little bit inspired by that, but also by Jedi Indentured AU, Boundless, and a couple of others. Warnings will be just under the cut and in the tags, so please scroll past if you're not in the mood for That Stuff.

This is not a happy AU and will contain the usually Ugly things from the Indentured AU and similar, namely slavery with sexual elements. From this point forward there will be a lot of references to noncon, dubcon, pregnancy, torture, and so on.

Pre-RotS notes: Ahsoka is still a Jedi, and derailing RotS involved her still being there (keeps Anakin a fraction more stable), and Ventress having been captured at some point shortly before.

Setting start: RotS goes differently, in part because O66 doesn't get kicked into gear. Anakin doesn't Fall, and not all the Council members die, so Palpatine has the clones enact a different brain chip order: taking all the Jedi captive as traitors to the Republic to await an appropriate sentencing from the Senate.

Between Palpatine's emergency powers, anti-Jedi sentiment (enabled by the fact that Even The Clones have turned against them), and the breakdown of democracy, Palpatine does get to be Emperor, and he unilaterally decides on a punishment for the Jedi: Force-Nullifying cuffs on everyone over the age of one, and direct service to the Senate, under clone guard.

(This is actually better than the initial suggestions; Padme and Bail and the rest of their cohort managed to ensure the clone guard element; it's not there to protect Senators from the Jedi, but to protect Jedi from the Senators.) (The clones are still, by and large, under active chip control.)

Any given adult or teen Jedi is 'matched' to a planetary delegation. The Jedi are then 'given the freedom' to decide where to send the Initiates and Crechelings, since there are so many more kids than there are adults, what with the war killing off so many of them.

Palpatine has a goal with all this: putting the Jedi in this situation increases the general suffering a lot (so, yay, more Dark Side Energy for him), but also it gives him a way to directly impact Anakin.

Palpatine claims Anakin, Ventress, and Mace Windu to his own offices as his new Jedi Criminal Support or whatever they choose to call them. No younglings, just these three incredibly dangerous and important people that he can show off as having both won the war and subdued the Jedi uprising.

I think he maybe does a Dark Side thing to anyone who found out he was a Sith, to force them to keep their mouths shut. That way, some of RotS could still happen, leading to less "uhhhh let's figure out some plot? how did this even happen?"

The Senate is given leave to squabble amongst themselves to 'claim' Jedi. For his own entertainment, Palpatine 'suggests' that the Jedi are paired up to planets or senators they already have connections with, if possible. It's seen by the public as a kindness, to let Bail pull Obi-Wan, for Padme to claim Ahsoka, and so on.

It's meant to put them with friendly faces that can help 'rehabilitate' the Jedi to being law-abiding citizens who support the glorious new Empire and all that. Palpatine's handling of the Jedi and the Senate, even after declaring himself Emperor, was always at least partly a matter of balancing public perception.

I didn't really decide on who goes where elsewise, except that Yoda either ended up escaping and is biding his time, or he's with the Wookiees, and most people ended up at with the delegation of their planet of origin, when the numbers worked out. They are also generally guarded by clones they know. The clones don't necessarily act like the people they knew, but most Jedi do not know about the chips, so...

In public, the Jedi just look like. Servants/slaves. They're the latter, but they're all criminals, so does it really count? Look, they were even allowed to keep their children!

(Yes, it would count as slavery even if they were actually traitors.)

In the Senate Dome, Palpatine makes a habit of having Anakin and Ventress kneeling at either side of his throne, wearing a fancy gold collar and fancy gold cuffs that link behind their backs. This is very much a show of wealth and power, ostensibly. (In reality, it's less about showing off his power and more about humiliating these two.)

Some of the Senators do bring the older Jedi with them to the Rotunda. Some do it to be cruel (look how far you've fallen, look how futile it is, look at your fellows chained and tortured), and some do it to be helpful (Bail is hoping for Obi-Wan to pay attention and act as a sounding board to him to help reverse all of this)

Palpatine very rarely allows any clones to be active without their chip to tell them the Jedi are bad. When he does, it's temporary and very much meant to make everyone feel worse about the situation in general. He taunts them all with forcing the active-chipped to do things while the inactive watch in horror and helplessness.

In other areas, the clone guards on the Jedi are generally preventing the Jedi from being sexually assaulted by the less scrupulous Senators... usually. If Palpatine has decided a Jedi is causing too much trouble, or a Senator is worthy of a reward under the table, he can make sure the clones are looking away. (He can even have them do the deed, if the Senators aren't on his side. Nothing quite like the Emperor telling one of your best friends to rape you and then your best friend having to do it, right?)

Rex is actually chip-free, and slowly working to dechip some of his brothers, but that's a very, very small number and the spread is slow. He's been allowed to work under the Naboo delegation to guard Ahsoka. This is, again, meant to be a false kindness, and nobody can figure out what the catch is.

Padme has twin infants in her rooms, and Ahsoka's actual usual day-to-day is keeping an eye on Luke and Leia, and riding herd on a bunch of Initiates who are almost old enough to actually understand what's going on.

It's a very tense situation overall, but the actual horrors are, for the most part (so far), happening up in Palpatine's offices.

He knows that Anakin no longer trusts him, and is actually coming quite close to hating him, and so he doesn't try to pretend he's kind. He has Mace, but mostly just forces him to stand around and watch what's actually going on, which is usually... commanding Anakin and Ventress to have sex, and then shocking them with the collars or threatening Anakin's loved ones if they refuse.

He doesn't stay around to watch--it's not of any interest to him--but he does command chipped clones to ensure the two complete the deed, and that Mace watches from the wall without interfering.

(Mace does not want to watch, but even if he closes his eyes, he can hear, and he's the one that gets to apply bacta or cleanup when the incident is over.)

The three of them are not provided any contact with other Jedi, so nobody really knows what's going on with the three of them other than that Mace is never seen, and the younger two look deader in the eyes with every passing day.

(They're trophies, and at least a few Jedi are trying to make plans for Anakin having a far more complex relationship with this situation than most of them, on account of both his history with this trauma and his connection to the man who ushered it in.)

At one point, Palpatine decides to introduce a new element on a random schedule, which is Alpha-17 and the order to "visit some revenge upon the wretch who tortured you with Kenobi, won't you? There is what you may recognize as a 'breeding bench' in the next room, should you want it."

Alpha-17, for the record, does not want to do that. Alpha-17 does not have a choice.

Even without a chip in his own brain, there are brothers here, and Palpatine threatening to kill Fox if Alpha doesn't take him up on the offer to violate Ventress kind of makes the decision for him.

(So does Ventress catching his eyes and giving him the subtlest nod she can, because they're ALL fucked right now, and there are only so many ways to please Palpatine enough for the tortures to remain at a minimum.)

Palpatine is having a lot of fun finding out how close he can push Anakin to Falling like this.

At one point, a reporter of some shade catches Ahsoka in an off moment and asks if she's had any contact with the disgraced Skywalker. She says that no, she hasn't, and nobody else has, either. "Weren't you civvies all really upset about the whole 'child-stealing' rumor, by the way? Wasn't that a big part of the reason you were angry at the Jedi? Skyguy hasn't even gotten to meet his babies because of the Emperor's punishment. Why should his family be getting torn apart when that's one of those things you guys are always mad about in the first place?"

This hits the media trail and does rounds, but doesn't really have an effect.

Anakin isn't aware of it, of course, because his life is currently hell.

He and Ventress have been bonding over a lot of things, like how they were both slaves from a young age until a Jedi freed them, and the more recent bullshit, which they share with Mace (and sometimes Alpha). Ventress's wartime crimes are still a major horror for all three of the Rep-side guys, sure, but it's kind of fallen by the wayside considering everything going on in the moment.

The Senators who aren't pro-Jedi are getting more and more bold, and Palpatine is letting them push what few boundaries were set at the start. They are dressing up their Jedi in more revealing costumes, having them kneel at their feet in the pods or in the center of their offices. Many of the more attractive Jedi are put in next to nothing and made to serve drinks in a way that, to those in the know, is not dissimilar to a Hutt's court. They are asked to dance, or pose and hold as decoration, or to lay by the Senator's feet and suffer their affections like a pet.

(Senator Taa has not yet had his way with Aayla, but she hates him for how she is sat by his feet so he can caress her lekku and call her a good girl.) (She is finding it ever harder to convince herself that it is wrong to kill an unarmed sentient.) (Most of the Jedi are.)

In some cases, when there is an awareness of who a Jedi might consent to sex with--often a clone or a fellow Jedi that there have been rumors about--those Senators will arrange a show. Sure, the clones are meant to keep them from assaulting the Jedi, but there's nothing in those patchy rules the Emperor gave them about watching a Jedi get railed by her clone commander, right?

(Bly wishes it could have happened differently.)

After all, the Emperor always invites his favorite Senators to come up for drinks when Ventress and Skywalker are putting on a show, gagged and bound and blindfolded. Clearly, it's fine to watch. Sometimes, the Emperor even makes sure the two are in ever so humiliating outfits. It's almost cute!

(Sometimes, it's not the favorite Senators that are invited, but the ones that are the most horrified. Padme isn't, because he's still playing at keeping her and Anakin apart. )

(Bail is, because someone needs to ensure Obi-Wan knows what's going on, and Palpatine can almost taste how delicious his horror at his padawan's suffering will be, when the Senator of Alderaan reports back.)

Sometimes, Fox or Thire or whoever is on guard that day is asked to enact some humiliation, such as cuffing them up and waxing them bare, or binding them in some mutual predicament bondage where neither can escape, an act that is humiliating but not directly sexual so much as enabling the furtherment of Palpatine's enjoyment of the 'show couple' that he's made... and then the clone commander has their gun confiscated and their chip deactivated, and they are left in the room with the full weight of their actions and no weapons to even attempt a revenge on the man who's doing this to them.

They are left to sit with that horror, desperately trying to apologize to Anakin and Mace and even Ventress, maybe, and just when they start to bring themselves back together, the chip is reactivated.

(It happens repeatedly. Sheev thinks it's funny, after all.)

Then, because Palpatine wants to dig all these knives deeper, because incremental increases to the psychological torture truly do give him joy, Ventress is confirmed pregnant.

(It's not like Palpatine ever shied away from nonconsensual body modification in canon, and removing some birth control is nothing compared to what he does to Vader.)

The news leaks, probably by way of clone, but maybe it doesn't, and people just don't know or even suspect until Ventress starts showing, or a non-human delegation with particularly sensitive noses can tell by scent. Bothan, maybe.

The baby is probably Anakin's. (It might be Alpha's.)

This sets off gossip and tabloids like none other, and then Padme demands custody.

The Emperor claims that the child's parents are both terrorists or traitors or felons or what have you? Fine. They can't have custody of any child until they are released? Okay. In that case, the newborn should go to the nearest living relative, and since the Empire--by way of inheriting laws from the Republic--still has a rule on the books and in precedent that prioritizes keeping siblings together whenever possible, one that has not yet been overturned, Ventress's child should be with Luke and Leia, as half-siblings. Padme, as Anakin's wife and mother of his children, is thus the nearest living individual with a right to claim them.

Palpatine lets that happen, because he has precisely zero interest in having a wailing newborn in his living or office space, and it's probably going to really fuck up Ventress to have her child taken away only minutes after it's born.

The media starts clamoring a bit and asking if, since they can't take Padme's children away, and Anakin should be with a Senate member anyway, why not just transfer his sentence to the Naboo delegation? And since Ventress is carrying his kid, presumably, shouldn't she go with him too? It's far more in line with galactic policy, right? You'd still have the Head of the Order, Emperor. That's quite the person to have as your own resident Jedi Criminal!

Palpatine decides to let it happen, for now. A touch of happiness in the moment will make the later horrors when they're ripped apart again so much harsher, when there's been a chance to build up some fragile bonds again, and even in the meantime, Anakin's marriage will be on the rocks from the (forced) infidelity, the new child, and the circle of horror that's going to happen whenever they talk about what they've been going through.

(And they can't even mention Palps is a Sith.)

The family is somewhat happily reunited. Padme pastes on a fake smile--she's trying REALLY hard, you guys--for Ventress, and asks if she's had any prenatal care, because Padme wasn't too great about that herself, and she wishes she'd tried harder to discretely see a doctor. Threepio knows how to make a variety of pregnancy-friendly foods, by the way, do you need a snack?

Padme has to put in a lot of effort to not be jealous of how close Anakin and Ventress are now, how well they know each other, compared to Anakin and Padme after their snatches of time here and there over the course of three years. It's patently ludicrous to be jealous of their situation, so she shoves it down deep and decides to deal with it later.

Anakin gets to hold Luke and Leia, at least. He cries. So does everyone else, especially Ahsoka.

(The Guard show up one day. They need to 'borrow' Anakin and the very pregnant Ventress for an event the Emperor is hosting. He'd like to display them, you see. All above-board, promise.)

(They are met by Alpha-17, and they all know the rest of the night is going to be nothing but bondage and unwanted sexual activity.)

(Anakin ends up fucking into Ventress while speared on Alpha's cock, and it's... he might have enjoyed it, in another situation. Here... no. Nothing.)

Their 'reward' for cooperating is that Alpha gets to move into Padme's apartments with them.

It's deeply awkward, for all the same reasons, except also because Rex was kind of in love with Anakin for the last bit of the war, Anakin who has now been fucked by Rex's big brother apparently, and that's not romantic but it is trauma and bonding through sexual horror, and also Rex refuses to make a move while Anakin is in this specific shape of hell and flinches from even his own wife, so what can he even do? The web of relationships with just the four people actually doing sex things is already complicated enough, he can't do anything about it.

Alternately, Rex isn't interested in Anakin but has been having his own horrible situation going on with the Emperor 'encouraging' Padme to put Ahsoka in her place with the help of Rex's dick, which is all kinds of weird and uncomfortable since they were sort of dating, but also not.

IDK where I'm going with this as a plot, other than the idea that some of the Jedi who escaped capture try to save their family after regrouping in the Outer Rim. It involves Cal and Merrin, mostly because I need Merrin and Ventress to somehow compound their powers the second the Force-nullification cuffs and collar come off.

Other option is that, between Rex's spreading of the chip removal and Ahsoka getting temporarily possessed by a magic owl from outer space, the revolution starts from 'inside the house,' so to speak.

[not-totally-blind]

One last plea

The last request of a Jedi is sacred.

The Jedi are fighters for peace; they do not ask the world for anything in their entire lives, and in return, the world will fulfill the last wish of the Jedi when he is on his deathbed. It is a form of gratitude for giving and giving without receiving anything in return.

That is why the council and Obi-Wan Kenobi himself accepted the responsibility that was to train Anakin Skywalker even if they showed their refusal from the beginning. They were obliged to comply with Qui-Gon Jinn's last request. They hated to do it, but Master Qui-Gon was a Jedi who had served many years with great results; he had earned a request that big.

The last request of a Jedi was not only for those who accompanied him in his death; sometimes it was a plea to the force itself when his servants died alone.

Mace Windu's last plea was that this was all the will of the force, that in the end Qui-Gon had been right, and that young Skywalker would truly bring balance to the force.

Jaro Tapal and Depa Billaba's last plea was for their Padawans to be safe and not die as long as they were not there to protect them from this suddenly dark world. The force listened; both Caleb Dume and Cal Kestis had lives even after their masters left them.

Anakin Skywalker's last plea was on Mustafar, when he was burning painfully; he did not ask for someone to help him or redemption, or even for a pardon; the son of the force died thinking of someone else, as he had done so much of her life: she asks for someone to know what would happen to Padme and for someone to save her and her unborn child. The force listened to his son's plea, but Padme Amidala's death was sadly necessary; however, their children might be fine, and neither of them would suffer as Anakin had in his young childhood.

Obi-Wan Kenobi's last plea was for Luke to defeat Darth Vader, to avenge the father he did not have because of that dark force that used his shattered body. He demanded forcibly that Anakin and he see each other one last time to say goodbye properly.

Yoda's last plea was for someone to make amends for his mistake; he got carried away believing that age had made him wise, but the reality is that he became blind to the imminent fall of the order.

[xalonelydreamerx]

Heey!! Sorry to bother u, but I was rereading Lítost for maybe the sixth time and just wanted to ask if u could give us a little snippet of the next chapter?? Pls? I've read it for the first time soon after it was posted, and I just love how in-character all your characters are. Sending love!!

you've read it so many times? 🥺 I'm seriously not worthy of you. thank you so so much for your patience! I can imagine how frustrating it must be having waited that long and I'm so greatful that you and the people who have contacted me are so nice about it ♥

As for the snippet, chapter 2 opens with a (admittedly long) flashback that gives us an insight to the late dynamic Obi-Wan/Padme/Anakin had.

I went a bit back and forth whether the snippet should be from present moment but I think that part needs more editing so I hope you'll be happy with the opening flashback instead 🫶

Master Yoda truly knew how to deliver a punishment when he wanted to. Obi-Wan thought dryly as his eyes took in the people who were slowly arriving. The sounds of cheers, and claps and clicks could still be heard from the reporters outside, who were waiting like hawks did their pray to capture the perfect and the worst shots of the guests.

Master Yoda had had called it a simple request; “Fond of you are many Senators. With a familiar face content more they will feel.”

He had no choice but to accept and guard the multiple politicians that were to attend the gala and ensure their safety. Obi-Wan wasn’t a big fan of the unnecessary glamour or the spotlight. He was a Jedi, he didn’t belong here. There was next to nothing he could do however, especially after the stun Anakin had pulled.

Padme had been trying to comm him restlessly the past few days. To apologize, he presumed. Regardless of the inevitable talk they were bound to have eventually, he still felt hurt at her actions; for going behind his back, against her own word to tell Anakin of the secret mission the council had assigned him. What a fool he had been; to entrust her with his doubts, with his fears. Just because he had warmed their bed a couple of times, didn’t mean she would have his back. Padme and Anakin would always choose each other in the end and for the first time he wondered when he had stopped being an option for Anakin.

When had they stopped being a team?

A hand clasped his right shoulder firmly, “Where does your mind travelling, my friend?”

He sighed before he took another sip of the drink the senator had recommended him. He grimaced at the spicy flavour; he was more keen on the sugary side.

“To be frank, I’m just thinking how wasteful my presence is.”

Bail didn’t take his comment unkindly. He laughed easily and shook his head in a feign disappointment. “Wasteful? You already left quite a good impression on one of my friends.”

He raised his glass to toast at someone and Obi-Wan followed his gaze, which lead to Senator Danu. Yes, the Senator had an interesting viewpoint of the Kuat's shipyards, but seemed too concern about the guests who had yet to arrive. He, too, found a Jedi’s presence unnecessary - he was supposed to be fighting a war, not spend his night with the high social class of Coruscant but how could Obi-Wan explain that his attendance was more of a punishment than a service? “An interesting man indeed.”

“Your ability to blend among us must be a curse.” Bail teased him between his giggles and Obi-Wan wondered whether his had snatched an extra glass under his unsupervised eye.

“I wouldn’t call it a curse. More of an unwanted gift.”

“Ahhh, I’m certain you’ll endure.” He nodded, giving him another pat on his shoulder as his face brightened at the sight of another quest who entered. Obi-Wan couldn’t see him clearly as the people started filling in the room but Bail seemed to sober up rather quickly as he finished his remaining drink and left it on the table. “If you excuse me I have another friend to catch up. This is a night off for you Obi-Wan, try to relax.”

He watched silently as Bail walked across the room to greet an Ithorian Senator before they both made their way towards Senator Amedda who was conversing with Senator Taa. His eyes narrowed at their clumsily attempt to appear obscured as they tucked themselves in the other side of the roo,. He would have to ask Padme if there was something stirring within the Congress.

Speaking of whom, she was radiant tonight. He thought a little dazed.  The multi-colored gown hugged her petite form elegantly and her bodice was studded with beads and pearls complimenting her low-cut neckline wonderfully. Delicate embroidery was stitched at the hems of her dress and her silky brown hair were pulled back a by a silver headpiece made of embossed pieces of metal connected by tiny silver shells, allowing her face to be unconcealed. The rest of the hair were wound into a large braided bun, with the remainder of two stray strands framing her face. Obi-Wan had to wonder how long she must have sat to allow her handmaids to create such an artwork. He looked up, meeting her kind amber brown eyes; warm and inviting. Obi-Wan could easily get lost in them. He had almost begun to return the smile she gave him before he caught a sight that immobilized him to the spot. Anakin was there He stood right there, in all his glory with arms crossed and an angry petulant grimace on his face. Rather clumsily, Obi-Wan put back the glass on the table; it clinked against the tray, disturbing his uneasy thoughts.

He was suddenly weary as they ambled through the crowd; it was almost poetically fitting; him against them – separated by a sea of people. But Padme was determined, even as she made small stops to chatter and greet the people who demanded her attention.

Her smile was tight, fake and by the way her fingers twitched he could tell she was getting impatient. Anakin wasn’t hard to figure out. He always wore his heart on his sleeve, something Obi-Wan had continued to chastise him for years. Anakin rolled his eyes quite rudely in his opinion as he nodded whatever the quest was telling them and tagged Padme away.

“Obi-Wan!” Padme cheerfully saluted him, pretending to have just spotted him now. As if no one had noticed the furtive looks she had been sending at his direction from the minute he walked in.

“Senator Amidala, Anakin…” He greeted them with a slight bow, hands crossed behind his back in a perfect pose as he eyed their intertwined fingers with distaste.

Padme took a notice of it and dropped Anakin’s hand quickly as if it burnt her. She scanned around the crowd, suddenly concerned if anyone noticed her impulsive behaviour. Good. He thought, she should be Anakin glared both of them, probably annoyed at their façades. “Hello, Master…” The way he dragged his title was enough to let Obi-Wan know of his mood. “None of that Obi” She told him gently, placing a soft hand on his forearm.

He tensed at the endearment and cleared his throat, gently shaking her hand off as he looked at his former padawan whose fists clenched at his side. “Did you at least have the consideration to require permission from the council for your attendance here or is it another thing I should report?”

Padme folded her arms under her chest, making it temporarily difficult to concentrate as she raised her chin slightly upwards in defiance. "I requested his presence from the council and they granted permission without any objection"

Because they'll question me later. He thought, suddenly exhausted. He would be the one to stand once more in front of the council and defend Anakin’s actions until he was out of breath. How someone as intelligent as Padme could be so thoughtless and impetuous with her secret marriage was beyond him. Did they really believe their pretence wasn’t obvious? “I see… Well then I wish you both to enjoy the rest of your night.” A resilient hold prevented him from moving and he was pulled back roughly only to meet Anakin’s furious stare. “This isn’t fair!” Padme tried to sooth Anakin but he shrugged of her hand, his attention sorely on him. “You were ready to lie, to deceive us! And you have the gall to pretend to be offended?"

Obi-Wan tried in vain to jerk away his arm but Anakin’s solid hold only tightened painfully around him. He glanced around; making sure no one was watching the display of disrespect.”Lie, deceive? I’m not the one who hid his secret marriage for years” He accused him coldly and Anakin had the audacity to look shocked.

He relished him at last from his iron hold and stumbled backwards as if he had been slapped. His gazed lowered for a moment as if considering his next words before they hardened. “I thought we had moved passed that”

Obi-Wan studied the two for a moment, contemplating how worthwhile the argument was. “Perhaps I haven’t.”

Padme’s brows furrowed in guarded curiosity, “Why didn’t you tell us?”

Why indeed. How could he explain that he was in no rush to open old wounds? How every night they spent together, he had to wonder if it would be the last?

The air fell still between them and for once Obi-Wan was glad for the people who surrounded them; their mindless chattering was enough to fill the heavy silence. Despite the recently closed bond, he could sense the storm in his beloved eyes. Guilt sent little squirming feelings slithering through his belly at their suffering. He was hurting them for no reason. It wasn’t their fault they couldn’t understand. Their relationship was already so fragile and freshly new, it left him buffed on how to treat them and hesitant at the risk of destroying what they had built through their friendship

He thought of Siri, of how he had begged her to leave the Order with him, of how close he had been to convincing her to go. He thought of Cerasi; young, and passionate - his love for her had burnt brighter than any light. And then there was Satine; strong yet gentle, just as lovely as she was wise. She had seen the bigger picture, had known they wouldn’t be able to thrive together, not when their duties had become their priorities.

His love for these women had been selfish, and childish. His passion, naivety and yearning had been overwhelmingly consuming, a bubbling sensation slowly rising so close to the surface, he had been certain he would explode.

So far, he had been perfectly content with loving Padme and Anakin from afar. They had each other; he had to constantly remind himself every time the waves of envy and possessiveness made their way to his head.

His friendship with Padme had helped fill the gap between him and Anakin; the miscommunication that had existed between them for so long and yet…

Padme was never supposed to enjoy his company enough to want him to stick around and Anakin was never meant to dwell so deep into his heart. Somehow, the two had decided to cast aside logic and thought it was normal to start pursuing him

He refused to make the same mistakes again

He gave her a sidelong glance, opting to ignore their hurtful expressions, “This is neither the place nor the time for this.”

“When will it be then?” Anakin stepped forward, jaw clenched tightly as his eyes trailed his face as if searching for an answer. “When will it be when all you’ve done is shut us out?”

“What angered you most Anakin?” He turned facing him, a taunting tone painted in his voice. “That I was ready to accept the mission or that I chose Padme instead of you to know the truth?”

Padme could barely hide her mid surprise. Her eyes darted between them in uncertainty before she shook her head and claimed with confidence. “That’s not true, right Ani?”

Anakin did not respond.

[novelmonger]

Moments That Bring Me Joy: Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

I'm going through some of my favorite childhood movies and listing all the moments in them that bring me joy. I'm fully aware that many of the stories I loved as a kid are deeply flawed, but I just want to take some time to appreciate what they did well. Just because I'm focusing on the positive doesn't mean I'm unaware of the negative.

Note: I chose the word "joy" deliberately. Not all of the moments that bring me joy bring me (or the characters) happiness. Scenes involving death or pain might not be very fun or cheerful, but I find joy in a good story well told.

This one is a little harder for me to parse, because it came out when I was a teenager, after I'd mostly moved on to other fandoms. I still love it and have watched it many times, but it just has a different feel to all the other ones that I watched incessantly in my preteen years. I think a teenager enjoys movies in a different way than an eight-year-old does.

Love how it begins by throwing us immediately into the middle of a stunning battle!

Obi-Wan crash-landing his ship, flying out with a Force leap, then landing in a roll and coming up lightsaber swinging - woohoo, what a move! 8D

I love all the shenanigans and banter with the elevator XD

"Chancellor Palpatine, Sith lords are our specialty."

"Dew it."

Obi-Wan waking up, hanging over Anakin's shoulder and staring down an elevator shaft, then immediately clinging to Anakin ^_^

"Do you have a Plan B?"

"Not to worry. We are still flying half a ship." ... "Another happy landing."

I love the dramatic lighting in the scene where Anakin goes to Yoda for advice about his dreams.

*cradles the last conversation Anakin and Obi-Wan have as friends* The warmth of their interactions is so precious.... :')

I've always thought the people on Utapau look really cool. Also fun that the leader is the same guy who played the Mouth of Sauron!

I looooove the creature Obi-Wan rides on Utapau <3 Its cries are so cool, and it's so colorful and pretty! 8D

"Hello there." "General Kenobi!" Classic.

You know, Obi-Wan has always been a stellar fighter, but this movie really shows him at his prime. It's not just anyone who could face off against someone wielding four lightsabers at once and stand his ground.

"So uncivilized." *tosses blaster away*

That haunting scene where Anakin, waiting in the Jedi Council chamber, looks across the sunset-red expanse towards the room where Padme waits, looking across to him.... One of the most beautiful moments in the whole series.

Darth Vader's march upon the Temple--and all of Order 66, really--is heartbreaking, but cinematically perfect. So dramatic. So striking.

I really like that Anakin sheds a tear after killing the Separatist leaders. He's so far gone already, but there's still that sliver of the man he used to be. That he can still feel pain, even remorse...it's proof that, as Luke will eventually find, there's still some good in him. And as tragic as this movie is, that tear is actually rather reassuring.

The duel between Obi-Wan and Anakin is just stunning. The moves they use, the speed, the implications of what this fight means for both of them.... I still count the Darth Maul fight as my favorite, but this one is just *chef's kiss*

"You were the Chosen One! It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them! Bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness!" "I HATE YOU!" "You were my brother, Anakin. I loved you."

The juxtaposition of Darth Vader being operated on and Padme giving birth, both of them screaming, in a way both of them dying as a new life begins....

The sheer wonder on Obi-Wan's face when he learns that he might be able to talk to Qui-Gon again.

Padme's dress for her funeral is so pretty, especially with all the little white flowers in her hair.

The movie ending on a shot of the sunset on Tatooine. Beautiful.

[jedi-enthusiast]

Yes, three members of the Council knew her, but there are nine other members of the Council responsible for trying to figure things out for the entirety of the Order. The entire Order and everyone in it is all of their responsibility, so ultimately they have to make the decisions that will protect as many members of it as possible--they can't just put the well-being of one member of the Order (even one they know and care about) above everyone else, which would also be going against their philosophy.

And no, none of the Council visited her because, like you said, only three of them were really close to her, so those three would be the only ones that might get through to Ahsoka and be able to comfort her--but, given her behavior in those episodes, I highly doubt she'd trust them if they came to her anyway. Plus, they didn't visit her because they were trying to get her out of jail! Let's look at the three people who are close to her on the Council:

The fucking Negotiator, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Obviously they're probably gonna try to keep him there to help negotiate Ahsoka's release.

Yoda, the eldest member of the Order and arguably the head of it. He's probably also gonna have to be there and, frankly, I think you're wrong about Ahsoka "implicitly trusting" him (or the other three) because the entire Wrong Jedi arc contradicts her trusting anyone in the Order--let alone the Council--so I don't think she'd trust Yoda if he did come to visit her.

Plo Koon. Now he'd probably be the best candidate to go visit her, but again they were trying to get her released--it wouldn't be a stretch to say that he wanted to stay and help to try and get her released as quick as possible.

Besides, all three of them knew that Anakin was going to visit her--someone who they probably thought was the best candidate to go and comfort her (and he was, given that she trusts him the most). And, if they already have someone visiting her to comfort her, is it not reasonable to think that the best thing the other three could do was do everything they could to get her out of jail instead of just going to the jail to say everything Anakin probably already said all over again?

"Plenty of family members defend their child when accused of a crime."

Stealing? Yes. Vandalism? Yes. A DUI? Sure.

Attempting to blow up their ancestral home, killing several members of their family, killing several family friends (the clones), and joining a terrorist group whose leaders are dead set on the extermination of your family?

...I have my doubts.

You seem to forget the charges that Ahsoka was actually facing at the end. They thought she set off a bomb in the Temple, killed several Jedi in said explosion (Jedi that, hey, might've been close to other members of the Council--just like Ahsoka), murdered her "accomplice," murdered several clones, and had joined the Separatist Alliance--which is specifically led by people who want the Jedi exterminated, and do everything they can to exterminate them.

In the beginning, of course they defended her, because the evidence wasn't concrete and she easily could've been set up--but then Ahsoka escaped the jail and all of the evidence started to pile up against her, and then she teamed up with Ventress, a known fucking Separatist and Darksider.

Now Ahsoka looks undeniably guilty of all of those crimes and, given the political climate of the time, if the Jedi kept defending her then things could've gotten worse for the rest of the Order and put the rest of the Order in danger.

Do you really think they should've put her above everyone else?Which, again, is specifically against their philosophy--as a willingness to harm or put everyone else in danger for the sake of one person is literally attachment (a more extreme example is when Anakin massacres an entire temple full of people to "save" Padme).

I definitely agree with you that Ahsoka's feelings on the whole thing can stand beside the fact that the Council acted reasonably, but I disagree with the idea that they were the ones who should've acted differently. Ahsoka absolutely could've been worried and scared about the situation she was in, but she also forced them into a very shitty position by doing the things she did.

The only thing I think they shouldn't have done was say she was ready to become a knight, although I think that was more Filoni trying to make his beloved ocs "special" and "different" than anything else. Given everything else that's shown about the Council, it's incredibly ooc for them to say a sixteen year old should be knighted--just like I think all of Ahsoka's actions in this arc are really ooc for her, given that she's characterized as very calm and level headed in the later seasons of TCW.

In the end, though, yes I probably picked a bad analogy, but no analogy is perfect--and ultimately, like you said, the narrative needed to get rid of Ahsoka somehow for RotS so everything that happened was just their way of doing that without killing her off.

Ok here's my thing with "The Wrong Jedi" arc, and I'm saying this as someone who actually really likes Ahsoka in TCW.

People use this arc to shit on the Jedi (particularly the Council) so much, but like...Ahsoka was literally doing everything she could to make herself look guilty and give them no other choice but to suspect her.

Like, let's put this in perspective, shall we?

One of the people in your (really fucking large) family--someone you know of, but whom most of the family isn't really close to--gets accused of murdering someone and being a part of a terrorist group--and apparently there's video evidence, although even that doesn't really make it clear what happened.

You, of course, start trying to do everything you can to get said cousin out of jail since--even though you're not close to them--you don't think they would do something like that, and the evidence isn't concrete.

But, while you're trying to help them get released, you find out that your cousin has escaped from the county jail, several police officers are dead from knife wounds, and the only evidence is a knife that specifically belongs to your cousin as well as a couple other things that implicate them.

Your cousin goes on the run, then teams up with a known murderer and terrorist, and hurts even more police officers while on the run until finally they're caught once again.

Now you are left with a choice: you can either continue trying to defend your cousin, or you allow the police to take them into custody to face a trial.

Right now a lot of people hate your family, to the point that they're sending death threats and mail bombs and screaming obscenities outside your ancestral home.

It's already putting everyone else in your family, including literal children and babies, in danger and if you continue defend your cousin--despite all of the evidence that points to them being guilty--they could be put in even more danger and the government funding that your family lives off of could be taken away, since you would be defending a suspected terrorist.

So, in that situation, what would you honestly do?

You would do the smart, and reasonable, thing and stop defending your cousin so the police could take them into custody.

The Council tried to help Ahsoka, but she kept doing things to make herself look guilty and--in doing so--put them in a hard position where they couldn't defend her anymore without causing harm to the rest of the Order.

And would you really, truly, honestly defend someone when all of the evidence points to them being guilty? Of course not!

If you want to blame someone for what happened in that arc, blame Barriss for framing Ahsoka in the first place or Tarkin for being such a dick, but shut the fuck up about the Jedi.

They were put in a shitty position and made the best choices they could in a bad situation.

[gch1995]

Imo yoda has got to be one of the worst if not THE worst council member. Although I can understand the hate obi wan gets I can appreciate his character and think he can be redeemed to an extent. He shows sympathy and understanding at times and you can see he does care for anakin, but the cult he was in fucked him up; including his ability to empathise and understand others. Although he follows the council extensively he tries his best to make exceptions for those he cares about. (knowing about anakin and padme but choosing to ignore it because he knows anakin is happy like that, training anakin despite the council not wanting him to, yes I know it was qui gons dying wish but that is apart of it to an extent) the thing is being raised in the order took a massive toll on him and he seeks too much approval from them and doesn’t ever question their ways. He is a heavily flawed character but he does have redeeming qualities. Yoda on the other hand? None. Zero. Absolutely nothing. Nothing, not one thing about his character is redeemable. (Bit of a rant) This little green cunt is happily shown training a group of kids with lethal weapons in his fucked up cult. He is 500 fucking years old but never bothered to even attempt at learning how to speak normally, including when ordering the slave army he controlled. This fucker spent all his life supporting and feeding into the fuckery of the order whilst constantly telling himself it was the right thing. Arrogantly sitting in his little chair allowing slavery, making child soldiers and allowing god knows how much abuse to happen to others. This shit is responsible for approximately 700 years worth of abuse towards god knows how many others. This fucker straight up denies his responsibility for everything he’s done. And it’s not just the abuse. He’s caused billions to suffer because of his arrogance. The thing is, while I can find myself looking at a character like obi wan and thinking

“wow, this character is heavily flawed but has a lot of interesting aspects and I can sympathise with him at times. I like his character and the evolution of how he reacts and responds to situations although it’s sad considering his past and how those actions devolve into something horrific and unhealthy to the point where he becomes the abuser and carries on that line which is sad. Even though there are many things that he is responsible for there are times when it’s not his fault and I can empathise with that without excusing the ones he was responsible for even if they were heavily affected by the things he went through”

But when I look at yoda?

“I hope this cunt burns in hell for eternity for the things he’s done”

Legitimately cannot put into words just how much I hate him. He’s the one who’s heavily responsible for the way obi wan turned out and most of all:

He’s the one who tried to manipulate, gaslight and force Luke to kill his own mess of a father that he created.

I genuinely think he cannot be redeemed (for me, at least. I’ll never forgive that little shit) for everything thing he’s done. (Sorry for the long ask)

Definitely, agree with you! Within a Star Wars canon-divergent AU narrative that actually framed Obi-Wan’s bad choices and flaws as seriously bad ones in the story with stakes that he either learned from and self-improved upon before it was too late and/or didn’t learn from and suffered negative consequences for as a result. Yeah, he loses people he cares about, and, at least in regards to Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano, that is partially his own fault. However, while I do feel some sympathy for him and realize that he’s flawed, it’s difficult for me to get on board with his character in canon as he is written because he never actually learns from his mistakes on screen, nor are there any real stakes in him making seriously bad choices and not learning in comparison to Anakin and Luke. I don’t hate him, but it’s hard for me to get invested in a character who can always magically get the upper hand in his duels with his enemies or opponents suddenly getting baited, provoked, pushed into a corner, or dumbed down for him to be able to effortlessly defeat them. He also repeatedly gets away with being an asshole in many of the same ways that Luke and Anakin get framed as wrong for and/or suffer consequences for in the OT and PT movies when they don’t learn to be better. Yeah, Obi-Wan loses people he cares about, and at least in regards to Anakin and Ahsoka, that is partially his own fault, but there is no sort of humbling or meaningful development in canon for him.

Still, because, as you said, Obi-Wan also was a victim of Yoda’s cult who did genuinely grow to care for Qui Gonn, Anakin, and Ahsoka, in spite of being really bad at it, he does have a lot of potential to be a better character in canon-divergent/AU material that actually has him facing real stakes and learning to take real self-accountability for his bad choices before getting to earn the hero treatment in the narrative. Within canon and especially his fandom of diehard Kenobist fans, though, Obi-Wan is such a grossly overrated Gary Stu that I’ve genuinely began to find his character more annoying and boring than he was before.

Yoda, on the other hand, really doesn’t seem to have any sort of real conscience or significant guilt for being an asshole. Nor does he really feel like a person at all because the only things he cares about are avoiding the dark side and staying in power. He also has no real backstory, so I don’t understand why he’s become an unapologetically apathetic asshole, learned nothing throughout his life, and remained willfully in-denial for the past several centuries. I don’t understand why he was allowed to be in charge for so long. I don’t understand why he is the disaster of a person he is in the series because there is no development for his character. With Anakin, Obi-Wan, Padme, the rest Republic senate, and the other Jedi they may not be wholly innocent, but I can understand why.

[gffa]

Last time I went about five months between doing a set of STAR WARS fic recs, this time it’s only been three months! Hurrah! It helps that, as always, this fandom puts out an incredible amount of excellent fic, so I feel like I’m never hurting for fics I want to yell about and shove at people, which is something I continue to appreciate as it often feels like so much of the world is such a huge tire fire. It helps to be able to find fics to retreat into, to have fun with, to express joy and creativity with, and so many of the authors in this fandom are just so good at this! To the point that these sets sometimes take awhile because there are always more fics I want to add, until the post starts threatening to be overly long instead of a decent length–in my defense, no seriously, you guys are just too good! Also, I forced myself to stop at 69 fic recs, because yes I do think it’s funny. (Nice.) STAR WARS FIC RECS: PREQUELS RECS: ✦ a comedy in four acts by jesuisdeux, obi-wan & dooku & yoda & qui-gon & cast, time travel, 4k    This was what time-travel is: staring at the dark sockets of skulls everywhere your gaze lands on. Being haunted by ghosts long gone. The apprehension of the slow yet sure approach of the inevitable which is sending chills down your spine. ✦ No Rest for the Weary by Peach_Bitters (peachybitters), obi-wan & anakin & jedi & ocs, 61k    Needing a break from life at the Jedi Temple, Obi-Wan Kenobi and his apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, visit a Jedi AgriCorps settlement on the Midrim planet of Helia. There they encounter new friends, new enemies and have new adventures, all while attempting to navigate their sometimes turbulent relationship as Master and Padawan. ✦ Stars of Tatooine by Be_Right_Back, ahsoka & kanan & mace & rex & obi-wan & cast, 10.5k    After the end of the world, Ahsoka more or less kidnaps a child, has to air some old grievances, and tries to find whatever peace the universe can still offer. All paths in the Force lead home, eventually. ✦ Festival of Light by dendral, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & rex & cast, 8.7k    During his first year at the Jedi Temple, Anakin learns that even the Jedi celebrate holidays. ✦ the master, the padawan, the Force by skatzaa, depa & caleb, 1.4k    Caleb expects things to be different after Master Depa takes him as her padawan, but really, it feels like nothing really changes. ✦ desecrate my lungs by loosingletters, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & padme & cast, 16k wip    Time-travel fix-it in which Mustafar haunts Anakin decades after it happened and years before it would. ✦ Grace by dismantlingsummer, obi-wan & anakin, 2.3k    Shortly after Mustafar, Anakin realizes what he has done. He finds Obi-Wan to beg for death. ✦ Fifth Migration by wrennette, yoda & mace & obi-wan & ki-adi & yarael & coleman & plo & palpatine & cast, 2k    How about an AU where the Sith’s Grand Plan accounted for everything -everything that is, except the fact that the Jedi temple is actually an very ancient spacecraft and the second word got to the Jedi about there being clones on Kamino, all Jedi are called back inside and they take off immediately? Just imagine the dear chancellor’s face… ✦ fill pages with scribbled ink by magneticwave, obi-wan/padme & sabe & mace & quinlan & cast, 9.8k    A year after the Invasion of Naboo, Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi is invited by Queen Amidala to return to Naboo and participate in a rite known as the Night of Fireflies. Things kind of snowball from there. ✦ Mind Your Words by Peach_Bitters (peachybitters), obi-wan & anakin, spanking, 7k    Obi-Wan reminds Anakin that there are consequences for careless behavior for young Jedi on missions. ✦ (you taught me) the courage of stars by grumpyhedgehogs, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & cast, 5.1k wip    Ahsoka Tano flees after a warrant for her arrest is issued, but not before receiving aid from an unexpected ally. (Ahsoka proceeds to go on a road trip filled with a bunch of strangers who all say the same thing: Obi-Wan Kenobi is much more than he has ever appeared to be.) ✦ they faked it (guess everything’s complicated) by katierosefun, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka, 4.5k    Ahsoka temporarily loses memories of the events of Obi-Wan’s fake death. To help with the healing process, Anakin and Obi-Wan have to pretend that they’re okay. ✦ programed to dream by ghostwriterofthemachine, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka, body horror, 1.3k    The spaceship Comet-rider is the fastest, most efficient vessel in the galaxy, and is crewed by Separatist-funded pirates. Anakin Skywalker is missing. Unfortunately, these two things are connected. ✦ Unpleasant Truths by hellowkatey, obi-wan & anakin, 2.1k    Obi-Wan and Anakin are stuck in a room with one another while waiting for truth serum to wear off. ✦ moment’s silence by skatzaa, obi-wan & owen & beru & luke & leia (pre-obi-wan/beru-owen), 2k    Owen had long since resigned himself to trouble, whenever Beru got that particularly stubborn set to her jaw. ✦ hold gently and let go by shatou, obi-wan & anakin (pre-slash?), 1.7k    A troubled Anakin comes to Obi-Wan to discuss attachments. ✦ sun child by Ro29, obi-wan & anakin, 2.1k    (or; sometimes being so tied to the Force causes problems, Obi-Wan helps his Padawan as best he can) ✦ A Dinner Out by Peach_Bitters (peachybitters), obi-wan & anakin & cast, 1.6k    Obi-Wan can’t get his young Padawan to eat much, so he tries something new. But trying something different has unintended consequences. ✦ Shades in the Desert by loosingletters, obi-wan & anakin & luke & owen/beru, 10.8k    Not even from a certain point of view did Darth Vader kill Anakin Skywalker. He wished he did, but the specter of the Jedi’s light escaped before he could finalize his fall to the dark. Meanwhile, Anakin is raising his son on Tatooine. ✦ somewhere along in the bitterness by CallToMuster, obi-wan & anakin, major character death, 3.8k    It was probably the twelfth day floating alone in space that Obi-Wan and Anakin realized no one was coming for them. ✦ Songs for Little Jedi by soft_but_gremlin, mace & younglings, ~1k    The initiates are having nightmares, so Mace sings a lullaby to comfort them. ✦ atmosphere level by softredscrunchie, obi-wan/satine & qui-gon, 1k    As a joke, Satine tells Obi-Wan she thinks Mandalore is flat. He doesn’t take it well. ✦ on sith holocrons and misunderstandings by billowypants, obi-wan & anakin & mace & yoda & cast, de-aged!obi-wan, 7.2k    or, de-aged!Obi-Wan has the same Force bonds as adult Obi-Wan, and he does not react well. ✦ Perseverance & Resilience by loosingletters, obi-wan & anakin, 1.1k    In the aftermath of Naboo, Obi-Wan realizes he needs strength to protect his new Padawan. Growing up, Anakin needs peace. ✦ A Delicate Balance by Peach_Bitters (peachybitters), obi-wan & anakin & yoda & jedi, spanking, 9.6k    As Anakin’s skills grow, so too does his penchant for getting into trouble. After a training mishap, Obi-Wan struggles with his role as Anakin’s master. ✦ mirror, mirror by CallToMuster, obi-wan & anakin, 5.4k    Obi-Wan has been rescued by Anakin after being rather embarrassingly kidnapped on the remote planet of Ilnuria during his investigation of rumored kyber crystals deep beneath the planet’s surface. …But is all as it seems? ✦ Mace Windu Appreciation Week by Redminibike1, mace & obi-wan & anakin & ponds & cody & jedi & cast, 12.5k    Set of unconnected ficlets for Mace Windu Appreciation Week, because he deserves it :) ✦ begin again as a quiet thought by skatzaa, obi-wan/quinlan, d/s, ~1k    Cool, smooth leather touched his jaw—gloves. Because of course Obi-Wan had thought of that as well. ✦ Drunken Lullabies by Siri_Kenobi12, obi-wan & anakin & siri & quinlan & aayla & garen & bant & ferus, 6.5k    “Do I really have to go to this thing?” Fourteen year old Anakin Skywalker dramatically sighed. “It’s sooo boring!” ✦ heaven knows how I love you by the_13th_battalion, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka, 1.2k    Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka are stranded on an unfamiliar planet overnight. They spend their time exploring the community- and maybe they get a little closer to each other along the way. ✦ A Reckless Padawan by Peach_Bitters (peachybitters), obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka, spanking, 3.9k    When Ahsoka upsets Anakin with an act of reckless disobedience, it falls to her grandmaster to help her see the error of her ways. OBI-WAN/ANAKIN RECS: ✦ Too Hot by secretsolarsystem, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, 4.8k    Too Hot: A game where two players kiss without stopping and without touching each other. If one player touches the other, that player loses. The winner gets to do whatever they want to the loser. ✦ Nostos by intermundia, obi-wan/anakin & padme, NSFW, 17k    Or, how Obi-Wan and Anakin discover that there are many ways to come home. ✦ to touch the light, darkest by treescape, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, 1.9k    Obi-Wan begins to fuck Vader back to the light ✦ encode by loosingletters, obi-wan/anakin & padme & handmaidens & cast, 26.3k wip    Instead of being accepted into the Jedi Order at the age of 9, Anakin Skywalker became a ward of Naboo. ✦ Hunting the Homeward Light by GreenQueenofClubs, obi-wan/anakin & mace & ahsoka & shmi & padme & cast, 31.9k wip    When Anakin Skywalker was nine, he left his whole life and mother behind to follow Qui-Gon Jinn to Coruscant and the Jedi Temple. When Anakin Skywalker was twelve, he left his whole life and Master behind to follow Mace Windu to the Outer Rim and away from the Jedi Order. When Anakin Skywalker was twenty… ✦ use my body to break your fall by tennessoui, obi-wan/anakin & cast, NSFW, sith!obi-wan, 44.7k wip    Obi-Wan Kenobi is too good at being a Sith Lord general of the Separatist army. The Jedi Council approaches Anakin with an offer he can’t refuse. These things are, actually, related. ✦ Over and Over by obiwanobi, obi-wan/anakin, 1.4k    “I love you,” he blurts out, loud and impossible to miss. Obi-Wan blinks once, twice. And freezes. The first time Anakin tells him is a mortifying experience. ✦ Exceptions by rinverse, obi-wan/anakin & ahsoka & mace & quinlan & cast, NSFW, modern au, 23.4k    Young and brilliant, Anakin is the mind behind JEDI Tech’s latest innovation. Obi-Wan is the company’s perfectly composed Director of PR & Marketing. And last night, they were just two strangers at a bar, looking for something quick and easy. But life had other plans when it crossed their paths again the very next day. ✦ Here There Be Dragons by Ghost_Owl, obi-wan/anakin & ahsoka, 10.1k    Anakin knows why he can’t shift into his animal form like every other Jedi. It’s because he doesn’t want to, it’s because he’s had a vision of what he would become, and he doesn’t want it. ✦ Waiting in a Sea of Stars by Peach_Bitters (peachybitters), obi-wan/anakin, ~1k    Stranded in deep space, Obi-Wan and Anakin wait for rescue. ✦ Tristitia by JSwander, obi-wan/anakin & cast, NSFW, sith!obi-wan, 5k    An alternate timeline where Palpatine focuses his attentions on Obi-Wan Kenobi instead of Anakin Skywalker after the attack on Naboo. ✦ Prompted - Chapter 11: Communication, What Communication? by intermundia, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, modern au, mobster au, 7k    a 7k obikin PWP that is somehow a prompt mashup of a mobster au, an accidental sugar daddy au, with a soupçon of an anakin never left tatooine au, and a pinch of qui-gon was anakin’s dad au ✦ who a person truly is cannot be seen with the eye by RexIsMyCopilot, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, d/s, spanking, 3.6k    Anakin purposely avoids doing what Obi-Wan tells him to do. ✦ Prompted - Chapter 12: Potidaea, 432BC, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, historical au, 4.3k    Here is a short smutty scene inspired by all those classics asks, Alcibiades praising Socrates in Plato’s Symposium, and this vase c.490-480 B.C. depicting standing, face-to-face intercrural intercourse between a bearded man and a youth, which as far as we can tell was the most common and accepted position for it in Ancient Greece. ✦ Prompted - Chapter 13: Minikin and Tiny-Wan by intermundia, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, 5.4k    Happy May the Fourth! In honor of this happy day, I have written the fluffiest, crackiest, vanilla-flavored smut imaginable. Based on long discussions on discord with tomicaleto about her adorable Tiny AU. ✦ to hold until brightness by treescape, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, 1.4k    Obi-Wan feared that it drew out the darkest in him, to bring Vader to these flashes of light, but it was a trade he would make again and again without hesitation. ✦ May Be Found, If Sought by ghostwriterofthemachine, obi-wan/anakin & mace & quinlan, magical academy au, 2.3k    In which Quinlan, Mace, and Obi-Wan teach Non-Traditional Magical Philosophy in an institution rampant with academic snobbery and discrimination, something dark is stirring in the nearby forest, and no one is ever prepared for Anakin Skywalker. A small story about first meetings in magical academia. ✦ infinitely varied by loosingletters, obi-wan/anakin & ahsoka, modern au, 2.2k    Also known as Obi-Wan and Anakin teach a tiny program called A.H.S.O.K.A. how to be something more than lines of code via the power of linguistics. ✦ recipe for disaster by tennessoui, obi-wan/anakin & ahsoka, modern au, 9.8k    When Ahsoka tells Anakin she doesn’t want to learn piano anymore, Anakin is heartbroken. He doesn’t care about the instrument, obviously, but he’s practically in love with her teacher. Obi-Wan offers up a solution to their impending separation, and it’s not dating like any normal person would suggest. Instead, he’s gonna teach Anakin how to cook. Except Anakin’s a pretty well-known chef, and Obi-Wan is absolutely awful in the kitchen. ✦ Pretty Kitty by GayCheerios, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, 2.2k    “Master, you always take such good care of me,” Anakin says, a little chirp coming after his sentence, as his thumb rests on Anakin’s plump bottom lip. ✦ As One, Into Eternity by Pseudonymoose, obi-wan/anakin, force ghosts, 3.1k    Death comes, but the man who was, and is, and will be Anakin Skywalker is not gone. And in the Force, he will never be alone again. ✦ does he make you laugh? by y0u_idjits, obi-wan/anakin & ahsoka & cast, fusion fic, 3.6k    “Tell me it’s not about screwing the guy who’s screwing your husband.” ✦ Rotten Work by secretsolarsystem, obi-wan/anakin, 2.8k    Obi-Wan: I’ll take care of you. Anakin, with bloodshot eyes and a broken back from hours of terrible posture: It’s rotten work. Obi-Wan, who needs to bathe this man for his own sanity and health: Not to me. Not if it’s you. ✦ afterimages by shatou, obi-wan/anakin, 1.3k    Mustafar is nothing but a bad dream. ✦ understanding is honoring the truth beneath the surface by RexIsMyCopilot, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, d/s, 7.3k    Anakin asks Obi-Wan to take control. ✦ The strongest stars… by Tomicaleto, obi-wan/anakin & beru & cast, NSFW, 7.4k    The war’s end seems to be close, with everyone looking forward to it. And when Anakin is doubting himself the most, an unexpected visit arrives at the Temple. ✦ home has a heartbeat by izazov, obi-wan/anakin, 5.6k    Or: Anakin and Obi-Wan are together, but there are still some things left unsaid between them. ✦ turn back now (i’m haunted) by tennessoui, obi-wan/anakin & padme & quinlan & ahsoka & cast, modern au, ghosts au, 25k wip    Anakin Skywalker’s house is haunted. Luckily for him, Padmé knows a ghost hunter. Unluckily for him, it’s the hottest, most english-professor ghost hunter he’s ever seen. And extremely unluckily for him, he’s starting to get the feeling he understands maybe ten percent of what’s actually going on here, not to mention what’s at stake. ✦ game plan by treescape, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, 11.2k    Or, Vader keeps capturing Obi-Wan during the Wars. Obi-Wan keeps escaping. It’s kind of a thing. ✦ Provocation by ToolMusicLover, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, 4.9k    Or: Obi-Wan and Anakin attempt to navigate their complicated relationship with barbed words and wilful ignorance. It wasn’t going well. ✦ Languages by Crowgirl, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, 6.5k    So Anakin pulls out a map and makes a list. REBELS RECS: ✦ The Scent of You by ambiguously, kanan/hera & cast, a smidge of nsfw, 2.9k    Everything changes after Malachor, and Kanan has trouble finding his balance. ✦ Heard It in a Love Song (Can’t Be Wrong) by ambiguously, zeb/kallus, 2.7k    Kallus can’t quite figure out what makes Zeb tick, but he keeps trying. ORIGINAL TRILOGY/MANDALORIAN RECS: ✦ A Discussion of Choices by Peppermint_Shamrock, luke & mace, 2k    Mace Windu has traveled the galaxy since the fall of the Republic, keeping out of the Empire’s sight and teaching where he can. Upon the request of a ghost of an old friend, Mace finds himself instructing Luke Skywalker, who is still reeling from the truth of Vader’s identity. ✦ staring down the barrel of the hot sun by magneticwave, luke/din & obi-wan & grogu & mace & cast, 25.7k    “Gone to a Child of the Watch, the Darksaber has,” Grand Master Yoda announces in his creaky little voice. “Peace, there is not, and yet peace, there must be.” ✦ Released by Peppermint_Shamrock, cody & rex & luke & cast, 6k    Nearly two and a half decades late, Cody’s chip is finally removed. Adjusting to having his mind returned to him after so long takes time, and Cody struggles with questions of his purpose of the past, present, and future. Fortunately, he does not have to struggle alone. ✦ A Tatooine Rainstorm by skatzaa, leia & luke & shmi, 1.7k    Leia meets a ghost. ✦ Dealing with the Darksaber by Peppermint_Shamrock, din & bo-katan & cara, 1.3k    After her recovery, Bo-Katan contacts Din to challenge him for the darksaber. Din is still very much not interested in the whole affair. FULL DETAILS + RECS HERE

[smhalltheurlsaretaken]

do you think the jedi prohibit 'frivolous uses of the force'?? because i see it a lot in fic but i swear i distinctly remember obi-wan using the force to pull a literal chair over lmfao

Yoooo, I've been wanting to write a post about that for like a week xD Okay, so here's the thing: I started answering this one, confident that I knew where the use of the word 'frivolous' came from - but it turned out that I was wrong, so I'm actually a bit baffled about its origin. But here goes:

(@cacodaemonia I know you were interested in this topic?)

No, I don't think the Jedi prohibit that. I don't think the Jedi even have 'frivolous' use of the Force as a concept. The idea that they prohibit it, or at least frown upon it, is very likely rooted in the AotC scene of Anakin levitating a piece of fruit.

Wookieepedia cites that scene and that scene only on the topic of frivolousness in the page on Telekinesis.

But the word frivolous isn't used in that scene! Who came up with it? Obi-Wan being grumpy about Anakin levitating the fruit could mean just about anything. Maybe Jedi frown upon showing off in front of a diplomat you're meant to be protecting in a professional way. Maybe Obi-Wan and only Obi-Wan disapproves of Anakin levitating stuff because he kept doing it around the apartment as a kid, just to be a little shit. Maybe Jedi frown upon playing with your food with the Force, which wouldn't necessarily be linked with it being 'frivolous' but just with 'don't be gross.'

Now I thought it came from the novelization using that specific word, but it doesn't! The novelization is based on the original script as opposed to the dialogue in the movie (it actually came out before the movie, so that's why) and the scene is longer in them both and seems to confirm what I said about how it could mean a lot of other things (because he isn't just levitating it originally, he's playing with it):

(novelization)

PADME: You did that? [ANAKIN looks up - wide-eyed innocence.] ANAKIN: What? [PADME scowls at him. PADME jabs at the fruit - ANAKIN subtly moves his hand and it lifts up from the plate and hovers in front of her.] PADME: That! Now stop it! [PADME laughs. ANAKIN laughs. She reaches out for the fruit - it loops.] PADME (continuing): Anakin!! [ANAKIN moves his fingers. The fruit flies into his hand.] ANAKIN: I'm not really supposed to do that... for fun, I mean. If Master Obi-Wan were here, he'd be very grumpy. [ANAKIN is pleased. He cuts the fruint (sic) into several pieces and sends one back to PADME. She bites it out of the air and laughs.]

(script)

Even taking Anakin at face value, this does not say there is an Order-wide ban on 'frivolous' uses of the Force. Again, maybe Force-assisted food shenanigans are frowned upon. Maybe Anakin isn't supposed to mess with people with the Force for fun. Maybe it's just Anakin assuming, as he sometimes does.

I think 'frivolous' might come from one of the EU books - it's not from No Prisoners (the Karen Travis TCW book) though, so I have no idea who might have used it in that context first??

Anyway, the issue in fic is that 'frivolous' is often confused with 'casual.' Hence the Obi-Wan thing imo.

One, 'frivolous' is judgy - it gives it a sense of sin, something that the Jedi... don't seem to have that much of a concept of? Dressing 'immodestly' isn't condemned, for example. I don't see the Order as a whole (there are sticks in the mud everywhere) having a thing against a concept as vague as 'frivolousness.' I mean... Yoda? His whole idea of fun is to mess with people and cackle, and his teaching methods include massive trolling, teasing the grown-up Masters with his gaggle of kiddos and whatnot. You cannot tell me Yoda never tugged on somebody's cloak to make them trip.

Two, frivolous and casual aren't the same thing. Obi-Wan pulling the chair falls into the casual use category imo - and yes, we do see him and others do this kind of casual stuff many times! (Off the top of my head: Obi-Wan grabs the map-ball thingy from the map-reader in AotC - in front of younglings, so there's no fear of a bad example being set - Yoda calls his stick to his hand in AotC, Obi-Wan pulls a chair in TCW s2, Jedi call their lightsabers to them all the time - though it's usually in combat settings, so it doesn't necessarily count, Obi-Wan closes a door in AotC - I think Ewan was the one who thought it'd be neat to do it? Idk...)

And I don't agree that "it goes to show their hypocrisy" or whatever. What, because we assume that's what Anakin meant in the AotC scene and because we assume it's 100% an Order-wide thing, and we assume that the Jedi would view using the Force for daily tasks as frivolous, then every single instance of Jedi using the Force for simple every day stuff is hypocritical?! Even though floating freaking fruit around somebody's head and pulling up a chair are absolutely not the same thing? The latter is something you would do no matter whether you use the Force or not - pulling a chair is a normal thing to do. Playing with fruit around someone is a rude thing to do. There's a difference whether or not 'frivolous' stuff is frowned upon.

And also, using the Force is a natural thing. The Jedi do it like they breathe - it's all around them and they're aware of it constantly, and it's not always something they can turn on or off. It's natural that they would use it for daily stuff, and the level of respect that comes attached with using it would necessarily vary from one Jedi to the other. Just look at Quinlan. What, jumping out of a gunship to make an entrance isn't frivolous? Well, Quinlan is a Master, so his views on it are just as valid - just as Jedi - as anybody else's. (Plus Obi-Wan - the Council Member - gives him grief for being late, not for just for being ridiculous, so again - rudeness.)

I can see some Masters being against using the Force with carelessness - and yeah, I can also see some Masters being against using it in a 'fun' way - because you have to be careful with that stuff, but it probably would generate debate. There wouldn't be a definite consensus on what is too much and what isn't.

If "the Jedi all frown upon casually using the Force" is something that Lucas intended to convey in the movie, please correct me and give me a source.

Though it is also entirely possible that Obi-Wan was meant to be a bit hypocritical about it - because he and Anakin have their tensions, and as somewhat of a parental figure it's only natural that he would scold Anakin for stuff that isn't that big of deal, or that he himself has done, because that's what every person who's ever been in charge of a younger person has done at some point. So sure, maybe Obi-Wan scolded Anakin for being too casual with the Force? But I still don't see it as a Big Rule that is in the Jedi Code That Must Not Be Violated and that get you Shamed and Shunned if you dare to have fun with the Force.

(Honestly, it reminds me of 'your Lightsaber is your Life' thing, and Ahsoka and Anakin both separately whining that their Master was going to kill them for losing/breaking theirs. There's a certain level or respect and care expected, the Masters (or... only Obi-Wan and Anakin, lol) nag a bit, aren't always careful enough themselves, the kids make a big deal out of it in front of other people, but ultimately there are zero repercussion whatsoever for actually failing to follow the Master's nagging. Like, Jocasta tells Ahsoka Anakin would totally understand, and it's Ahsoka who insists he wouldn't and makes it into a big thing.)

Again, having Masters tell their students to be respectful of the Force and not to treat it like a joke? Sure. Showing off with the Force in a rude manner being called 'frivolous,' and it being a bad thing? I could see it. Having Masters get pissy about pulling chairs, closing doors or whatever - about doing things you can do with your hands with the Force instead? Maybe, but it wouldn't be an Order-wide thing.

One thing's for certain, we never see a Master directly scolding a student for using the Force casually in the Prequels, the OT or TCW, much less calling it 'frivolous.'

So yeah, gimme Jedi levitating stuff to clean up under the furniture xD

[into-daylight-hope]

Qui-Gon Jinn: Certified Hypocrite, Fascinating Failure, Mass of Contradictions

For starters, I am just going to let direct quotes from the man speak for itself.

Some excerpts from Master & Apprentice

Wise words.

Wait a minute...

😯😯 What the hell is happening here? All quotes are from the same man in one book.

Qui-Gon Jinn doesn't have an ounce of self-awareness and it is so hilariously terrible.

What is even better (or worse), this is perfectly in line with The Phantom Menace characterization .

I mean,

Remember when he said all this than spent the rest of the movie obsessing over prophecies, the chosen one and literally the future?

"He still has so much to learn of the living force." Qui-Gon Jinn about Obi-Wan in the council scene

After that scene

"The boy is dangerous. They all sense it why can't you?" Obi-Wan Kenobi about Anakin Skywalker to Qui-Gon Jinn

You see Obi-Wan, Master Jinn here has completely lost any sense of "here and now" between his crusade against darkness and divine mission to save the Galaxy.

This in turn, unsurprisingly blinds him to the fact Anakin is not suitable to become a Jedi. Or at least not ready to directly move on to becoming a padawan.

Anakin himself would suffer in a road that is not meant for him. But he is not planning for Anakin the child. He is thinking about The Glorious Chose One.

He is the chosen one. You all must, see it.

And yet from Qui-Gon's perspective it is Obi-Wan who doesn't understand the Living Force.

I have to say if he is truly a student of the living force as many fans claim he has been failing the class for at least 8 years.

Let's move on to another set of entertaining and horrifyingly oblivious quotes from M&A.

If you look upward you can observe Mr. Here and Now in his natural habitat.

He really acts like future is set in stone than thinks he is the right person to talk about about concentrating in the moment. Unbelievable.

Let's look at this dialogue again. In contrast with the excerpt from above.

He is all about the future when it suits him. But when Obi-Wan makes a remark on it he obviously should just focus on the moment. This is actually the third time in this post where he contradicts himself while specifically chastising or criticizing Obi-Wan for something Qui-Gon actually does.

Now I don't think Qui-Gon acts with malice. But it is important to point out his obliviousness has become a way of ensuring he is never in the wrong.

He suffers from an immense hubris. And a man obsessed with prophecies and chosen ones definitely has some kind of savior complex.

But notably Jinn doesn't actually want to put any effort into enacting real change with his limited yet existent capabilities.

He turns down a council seat in M&A because he thinks it would hold him down. From what? Dear God, the reason they offered him a seat was for different opinions. Qui-Gon can complain all he wants but one time he actually had a chance to make his opinions a reality he freaking bailed.

Why? He doesn't want to face his own limits. He can't bare to try and fail. It is much easier to sustain a superiority complex when you are complaining from the sidewalk.

So he fixates all this belief onto prophecies, visions that will magically cure the Galaxy. And of course his place to help fulfill them. To the point where it is the one thing that keeps him standing.

He has binded meaning of his life and belief for goodness dangerously close to his supposed importance in the Galaxy. (You can feel the influences of his former master)

His absolute refusal to engage with reality turns him into mass of contradictions. Cause he doesn't know what he will find or become if he is mistaken in his belief of himself.

He can't face reinvention on the event of defeat.

But this situation was different. It had to be, because the only thing Qui-Gon knew to be absolutely true was that his vision was real.

Oh by the way, it turned out he misunderstood the vision. But when does being wrong ever stopped Qui-Gon Jinn?

No words.

Only Qui-Gon could have come near declaring himself a prophet after making a mistake. Maybe stop and reflect man? Just stop and think about your actions.

Obi-Wan Kenobi: I have a bad feeling about this.

Qui-Gon Jinn: I don't sense anything.

Of course you don't.

Honestly he doesn't have much to speak for in the cosmic force department either.

(There is the whole force ghost thing I guess. But I have no idea if that is more connected with living or cosmic force. It seems to be more about spiritual enlightenment. Which is ridiculous when you consider Yoda had go through so many trials, face his darkside, learn to truly let go just for Force priestesses to deem him worthy enough to study immortality. Yes Qui-Gon never became a force ghost but he had started his training before he died. And much of Yoda's tests on TCW was about self-awareness. It is not just about being a good person. How did Force Priestesses approve Qui-Gon "I was meant to misinterpret this vision." Jinn? I would understand if he became wiser after death and faced his flaws and all but he never was on that level before he died. You might say even Anakin became a force ghost. But I would remind you, Anakin in the end broke out of denial, acknowledged the wrong of his ways and took that leap to the light side. Self-awareness seems such an important key to becoming a force ghost. Right there with selflessness. Personally it doesn't quite feel right for a character whose biggest flaws are their lack of introspection and hubris which we never see him rise above to be the one that discovers immortality again. It feels more like a rushed plot point to explain how we get from A to B.)

This post got out of control 😂. I honestly just wanted to point out lack of communication might be one of the reasons Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon have trouble understanding each other but it is sometimes even harder to understand Qui-Gon when he actually says something. Cause ration is not what drives him.

Qui-Gon is such a complex character. He is undeniably good especially compared to other SW characters. Yet for all fandom's deifying he might be the most flawed Jedi we see on the franchise. (The ones that fell to the dark side not included.)

It is a shame wider fandom completely write off his flaws to the degree I can't even recognize the character when they talk about Jinn. Cause that Qui-Gon is so hard to feel empathy for.

When people constantly make statements like "He is The Wisest sw character." his hypocrisy stops being amusing. It doesn't end on screen or page instead often used to bash other characters.

An unbelievable analysis from Wookiepedia:

When Jinn saved the Gungan exile Jar Jar Binks, who in turn swore a life-debt to him, his compassionate nature was such that Jinn took the hapless Gungan under his wing, much to Kenobi's dismay. His empathy toward all life forms, including the most pitiful and unfortunate, was Jinn's greatest strength. Additionally, he remained understanding and patient with Queen Padmé Amidala. During the short time they knew each other, he never asked for her to do more than she was willing to.

You know out of the two, Qui-Gon was the one who insulted Jar Jar to his face. And he didn't took Jar Jar under his wing. They forced him to take them to a city where Jar Jar could have been punished for entering. Now it was the pragmatic thing to do. For all three's survival not for their own gain. Understandable. But compassion is just pushing it.

Also he never asked Padme to do more than she was willing to do?

Padmé : Are you sure about this? Trusting our fate to a boy we hardly know? The Queen will not approve.

Qui-Gon Jinn : The Queen does not need to know.

Padmé : Well, I don't approve.

And he is aware she is the queen, herself. Padme was nearly tearing out her because of this man in TPM.

What is weird, Jinn in his bewildering hypocrisy probably thinks he is being admirably compassionate with Jar Jar, highly understanding and patient with Padme. We clearly see he is not.

Out of universe he has been a force ghost for decades now but fandom is nowhere near acknowledging his flaws than he is.

And honestly SW doesn't have that many major morally complex characters. People like Maul, Palpatine, Anakin,Ventress don't think they are serving a higher purpose or oblivious to the evils they commit.

Emotionally complicated, yes. Going through moral dilemmas, no.

Three major characters come to mind who make huge mistakes, condone or commit atrocities while thinking they are in the right/with good intentions/for a greater cause. With varying degrees of culpability.

Qui-Gon. Padme. Dooku.

In that order.

Let these characters be interesting instead of demonizing nearly inhumanly selfless Jedi characters. (They make mistakes too but funnily enough they are still way better beings than most people on our planet.)

By the way I found the epitaph "Fascinating Failure" from the article here. Especially the last paragraphs make some interesting points. ⬇️

👀

This post might seem harsh but that is expected since it focuses on Qui-Gon's flaws.

"People are more than their worst act,” Quote from Qui-Gon Jinn in Master & Apprentice

[marvelstars]

Luke Skywalker: Symbol of Rebellion

Luke´s character is interesting for many reasons but I have a special place in my heart for his phase as a symbol of rebellion tm in the Galaxy far far away, because the special circunstances around his birth and his family gave him such a different pov to the Jedi before and after his time.

The main authority figures in his life were Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, Tatooine didn´t´t have what you would call an official goverment besides the Hutt gangster��s order while the Empire mostly left them be except for some bussines that had to do with the galaxy at large, just like the Republic before them, so his links to his planet of origin were the people, not the autorities.

Luke grew up wishing to leave his home planet even if he had to join the imperial army to do it, as many young people of his generation did but when his Aunt and Uncle were killed by stromtroopers, he had nothing left so he decided to agree with Obi-Wan to leave the plant to join the rebellion helping Princess Leia Organa.

I think this is the moment for Luke where all bets were off, Luke had nothing left to lose, he ultimately destroys the Death Star, dealing a terrible defeat to the Empire but the rebellion doesn´t have a united governing body, so Luke is used to travel across space on his own, doing what he needs to do or what interest him.

Luke doesn´t see Obi-Wan and Yoda as the Jedi of Old did the Jedi Council, they are not a Council to him, they are not Authority but dear teachers he can choose to obey or not when he thinks it´s neccesary.

Luke: Sorry but I am going to go and see if my friends are all right, THEN, I will come back and complete my training.

This kind of relationship gives luke a fredom to act and develop his own skills in the force at his own pace while following his teachers counsel and instructions. Being a Jedi doesn´t preclude him to keep being part of the rebel alliance, have friendships or fall in love. Being a Jedi is a part of him but it isn´t all the he´s.

So when he gets confronted with the reality his main adversary, the one he hated more than anything for "killing his father" the father he always dreamed loved him and would have been there for him if he was able to, Luke at first is horrified, both at Vader and by his Jedi teachers hidding this fact from him.

Lest also remember Luke is really more caotic than his father, mother or sister, unlike them, he has never feel compelled to belong to a certain institution and follow their rules the same way Padme did with the Republic, Anakin with the Jedi/Republic/Sith/Empire or Leia with Alderaan/Rebel Alliance.

Luke is with the Jedi because he agrees with their principles and he wanted to know more about his father, Luke is with the rebellion because they fight the Empire and the Empire is responsible for evil actions like the death of his family but this doesn´t mean he doesn´t question either at some points or has a problem leaving them for a while to search for his own answers on different matters, without abandoning either or forgetting he has made promises.

So after the shock post ESB was done, I think luke grew more bold, he succedenly realized the Second most powerful man in the galaxy, the Iron fist of the Empire, feared by all who knew his name, is also his father, a father who put a bounty on him so every smuggler in the galaxy knew they should not hurt him or kill him, a father who asked him to defeat together the Emperor and rule the Empire as Father and Son.

In short, Luke knows Vader "cares" in his own Sith way for him and that´s such a big weakness, because then he can go on his own merry way around, keep being a rebel, knowing the main commander of the imperial army isn´t able to kill him because he cares, Luke realized Vader loved him even before Vader fully realized this fact.

There´s no other authority to hold him back in the entire galaxy and that protection extends to his friends, because Vader isn´t the Emperor, he can´t bring himself to take Luke´s friends from him or manipulate the event of their deaths to bring him to the darkside.

And Luke can´t bring himself to attack his father either first off because he´s his father, he knows he cares and second because he got to read Obi-Wan´s diary so he has some idea of what happened to him. The word complicated doesn´t begin to cover what Luke feels for his father.

So this presents a really hilarious dynamic between Luke and Vader

I can just imagine the number of times Vader got reports of yet another rebel attack on imperial ships done by the Rogue Squadron lead by Luke Skywalker and he just sighing while being mocked by his master for being unable to stop a single rebel child.

When it comes to the Emperor, Luke is in that sweet spot in which he´s not a big enough menace "yet" to get the Emperor´s attention but he´s a more informal menace in the influence he has over his apprentice and while he may as well try to turn Luke and get a new younger apprentice if Luke turns but that´s not a sure thing and he doesn´t want to let go of Vader as an apprentice just because some farmer/rebel youth from Tatooine has blood links with him which Vader recognizes so he can´t just kill Luke either.

Palpatine won´t make Vader choose between his master and his Son, because he doesn´t has a choice, that´s not in question and he will either turn the boy or kill him and Vader can keep being the Emperor´s apprentice or die, those are Vader´s only options.

Luke is a Jedi Rebel who doesn´t think twice to sassy the Emperor to his face because that´s who he´s as a person but also the especial circunstances around him brought them to that and they can´t ignore the irony.

So when Luke decides to go to Vader and say:

You know what Dad, I won´t join you, in fact, I will ask you to come back to the light side with me, lest run away from all this mess and play catch as father and Son are meant to be.

Vader: Is too late for me Son. The Emperor will complete your training, he´s your master now.

Luke: Then my father is truly gone.

Luke didn´t know but Vader was saying goodbye there, only two there can be with the Sith and Vader wanted Luke to live and he knew his master would let him live if Vader died to turn Luke, so he was kind of expecting that to happen.

In fact even when Palpatine was attacking Luke with his lighthing, he at first probably thought the Emperar was just punishing him, just like he used to do with Vader all the time but he noticed he wasn´t stopping and truly meant to kill Luke so he had to act.

At the end Luke was angsting over not being able to save his father and Anakin decides to exorcise that particular ghost from his Son right away, "Nothing can stop my death now" "You were right about me"(I am proud of you) so Luke isn´t left feeling like he failed his father, he can advance and move on.

Still this is Luke, so he doesn´t have much trouble going to Coruscant to search the Emperor´s private collection of force artefacts. and after he´s done.

Luke is the more caotic Jedi Master there ever was and that´s a big part of his charm.

[sirikenobi12]

War & the Jedi

This will be a long meta rant, FYI.

The Jedi Order, specifically the Prequel era Jedi Order, gets a lot of hate these days particularly regarding their involvement in the Clone Wars. Accusations are tossed at their feet constantly ranging from corruption all the way up to warmongering. 

Let’s first look at the Oxford English Dictionary definition of these two accusations, shall we?

Corruption - having or showing a willingness to act dishonestly in return for money or personal gain.

Warmonger - a person who encourages or advocates aggression towards other countries or groups.

The definitions of these two words are so very misunderstood when it comes to relation to the Jedi. If the Jedi are truly “corrupt” then where are the examples of their dishonesty for wealth or personal gain? In fact, I’d argue that canon (and Legends) makes a point to show us that it is the Sith who are in it for personal gain, not the Jedi. The Jedi have absolutely NOTHING to gain from this war on a personal level, in fact they are losing members in terrifying numbers.

The Jedi are also not advocating aggression towards the Separatists, in fact what we see instead is the Jedi DEFENDING against the Separatists. I have yet to see in either canon or legends an instance where the Republic forces invade a Separatist planet who doesn’t have an army or some military involvement (i.e. weapon factories). However, time after time we see the Separatists forcing peaceful planets who want nothing to do with them to either bow to their cause or die (i.e. Ryloth, Lurmen planet, Kiros, Mandalore) the Jedi and Republic Troops will then follow the Separatists to these planets, but they try to do what they can to liberate the planet from the Separaist invasion and then they give the planet the OPTION to join the Republic for safety and economic reasons, but they never force them, as is super evident with Mandalore.

Yet people don’t seem to see this and continue to drag the Jedi through the mud. 

Here are the top 5 other “woke” takes I hear - 

Jedi are peacekeepers and should not have gotten involved:

 First things first, let’s look at the definition of Peacekeeper - a soldier, military force, etc., deployed to maintain or restore peace. 

I’d argue by that definition the Jedi were still peacekeepers, it’s true that they weren’t a 3rd party as they normally were before the war, but their position was trying to maintain or restore peace. Peacekeeper is not the same thing as a Pacifist, the Jedi were skilled warriors (training from childhood to wield a lightsaber), the difference is Jedi used their skills for defense not attack which is what we constantly saw throughout the Clone Wars. 

With regards to the idea that Jedi “should not have gotten involved” I ask you then what exactly were they supposed to do instead?

 We see at the beginning of Attack of the Clones that the Jedi are worried things will escalate to war, they have obviously gone to the Chancellor hoping that a diplomatic solution can be presented to avoid bloodshed. Or if that isn’t possible then that the Republic have some way to defend themselves other than relying solely on the Jedi (i.e. an army). The Separatists are the ones pushing them to a breaking point, were the Jedi just supposed to stand back and let innocent people be invaded/killed because they didn’t want to get involved? The Jedi were “Guardians of Peace and Justice” which means it was their duty to help bring about peace in the galaxy while also enacting justice. 

Then after Geonosis (where they lost approx. 187 members mind you) they learned that the Sith are leading the Separatist army - the Jedi are duty bound by their code to fight the Sith, they had no choice but to join the war. 

So, I ask again...what were they supposed to do instead?

2.  Jedi used a slave army for their own purposes:

 Okay, I can (and probably will) write a whole argument based on just this accusation alone. There are so many fallacies I don’t even know where to begin but I’ll try. 

I guess my first question is the same as #1, what were the Jedi supposed to do instead with regards to the Clones? 

Technically speaking the Clones didn’t “belong” to the Jedi, they were “property” of the Republic (as stated by Lama Su in Attack of the Clones). In fact, the Jedi Council not only didn’t know about the order, they had vehemently denied Syfo Dias’ earlier request to raise an army in the first place. The Sith KNEW the Jedi would be against it, this was all part of their plan to trap the Jedi (as was EVERYTHING about the war) - they clouded the Force, they literally deleted Kamino from the Archives so the Jedi wouldn’t discover it until the Sith WANTED them to (i.e. Jango just happened to use a Kamino dart?? Come on people). Yoda even states “blind we are if creation of this clone army we could not see” he fully admits they missed it because the Dark Side was clouding their vision. 

Regardless, the army was created, there was no changing that fact. Had the Jedi not taken command of the army do you think the Clones wouldn’t have had to go to war? Do  you actually believe that the Republic who couldn’t get their citizens to give 2 craps about the war would’ve taken up the mantle and fought instead? Do you think if the Jedi were like “thanks, but we didn’t order this” that the Kamioans would’ve just let the Clones go free? 

The answer you’re looking for is...no. 

So, like absolutely everything about the Clone Wars the Jedi did the best they could with the cards they had been dealt. They chose to lead the army on the front lines, putting themselves in just as much mortal danger as the men they were leading. They even sent a member of the Jedi Council to oversee the creation of future clones/training to ensure they were being treated humanely (something the Kamioans thought was ridiculous). They were the first to tell the clones that they were individuals, they constantly put themselves in front of their men to protect them (i.e. season 7 Obi-Wan deflecting the rocket from blowing up his men). The Jedi did what they could, just because we didn’t see on screen Jedi stopping to grieve every time a clone died did not mean that they didn’t care - real life Generals can’t stop in the middle of a battle to grieve over their fallen soldiers either, so why is it we consider it a moral crime if the Jedi don’t?

Another thing I’ll add is once the Jedi had evidence that the Clones were actually ordered by Dooku, did they immediately stop and say “oh hell no, these flesh droids can’t be trusted, we should just have them decommissioned”?? NO! They defended the Clones, stating that they were good men and should be trusted (and look where that trust got them in the end).

The Jedi were forced/coerced to fight this war as much as the Clones were!! Why are we willing to forgive the Clones, but not the Jedi???

3. Ki-Adi-Mundi killing Geonosians was the same as Anakin’s slaughter at the Tusken camp: 

This is another moment where context is everything because there is a HUGE difference between Ki-Adi-Mundi on Geonosis and Anakin in the Tusken camp. The fact that I have to even spell it out makes me wonder how people can even dress themselves in the morning. 

The Geonosians were an opposing military force, attacking Ki-Adi and his troops. Anakin slaughtered unarmed women and children out of vengeance. 

Now, had Ki-Adi turned to his men and screamed “to the catacombs!” brandishing his lightsaber with a murderous glint in his eyes and proceeded to cut down the unarmed bugs below the battle then you’d have an accurate comparison on your hands and I’d be appalled right there with you.

But, as it stands this is not the same thing...not even close.

4. The Jedi sent children to war: 

So, this is a tougher one and I can even understand the concerns behind it, and I even share some of those concerns. The thing I will say to this is, given what we see throughout Star Wars, what constitutes a “child” seems to be different than our own real world definition. 

Padme, for example, was 14 when she was elected Queen, and she wasn’t even the youngest ever elected. She (and her handmaids) were trained as children to defend themselves and their people both politically and in battle (much like Jedi), but you don’t hear people condemning the people/traditions of Naboo the way we see the Jedi being condemned for theirs.

Jedi children arguably mature faster than your standard person, and with regards to Star Wars there are also species’ age ranges to keep in mind. Grogu for example is still a baby at age 50, could it be possible that Ahsoka at age 14 is on the same maturity level as a human in their early twenties due to her Togruta DNA?? We don’t know, it’s never stated other than Anakin saying something about because of her advanced skills he forgets how young she is. 

Obviously Boba Fett is treated like an adult by other Bounty Hunters - no one even questions when he picks up a job and is placed in charge of a group at age 12 or 13 (and he is placed in an adult prison without anyone questioning it). It could be that by law according to Star Wars that 13 is actually considered an adult. Throughout history (and in many different cultures) 13 was when people were considered to be “coming of age”, So, once again we’re placing our cultural biases onto a fictional space fantasy world without realizing it might not even be an issue in that world.  

But even beyond all of that I ask you again - what else should the Jedi have done? 

Their young Padawans would eventually have to grow into Jedi Knights, even before the war by the time they are teenagers they usually followed their Masters on missions (often very dangerous missions) in order to get real world experience. At the time of the Clone Wars the real world they were living in was one at war. If they hadn’t brought their Padawans onto the battlefield how else would they have learned how to strategize, or how to cope with the emotions of battle? They would’ve been ill prepared if the war had continued on for years and years as it had looked like it was going to do...once again, the Jedi had no real choice in this. 

5. The Jedi lost their way because of the war: 

Did they though?? I’d argue they actually didn’t. We first have to ask ourselves what is a Jedi - well, according to the very first time we hear any type of a description about a Jedi they are introduced as the “Guardians of Peace and Justice for the Republic” I don’t see how the war took that away from them. 

The Oxford definition of Guardian is a defender, protector, or keeper. I fail to see how the Jedi stopped being any of these things because of the war.

Here’s the bottom line, the Jedi’s biggest mistake was that they fell for a plot 1,000 years in the making. The Sith spent over a millenia perfecting/hatching this plan, there was nothing the Jedi could’ve done to prevent the war by the time the trap was sprung. As always, I’m not saying the Jedi were perfect (I hate that I have to always specify that when I argue that the Jedi were good), all I’m saying is they tried to do the most good that they could with the situation they fell into - few groups/characters can claim the same thing.

Everyone seems to forget that the Sith controlled BOTH SIDES to that war, there was nothing - absolutely NOTHING the Jedi could’ve done that would’ve changed or won that war. So, instead they saved as many innocent lives as they could and to me, that’s very Jedi. 

[phoenixkaptain]

Okay, so I’ve only watche dthe first two, but I think I can pinpoint where the Jedi went wrong, yeah? It was the part where none of them listened to each other! Yoda says “I don’t think we should train this young child” and the council is like “Train the child, Obi-Wan!” Obi-Wan says “I don’t think we should leave Padme and Anakin alone with each other” and the council is like “Have fun alone with a girl for three weeks, young hormonal barely-adult.” Dooku says “Darth Sidious is controlling the senate right beneath everyone’s nose” and the council is like “Nah, that wouldn’t happen. It isn’t as though we said ourselves that our ability to use the Force has gotten weaker and that the Dark Side is clouding everything.”

How many times did Padme say “No, I don’t think we should do this, this is dumb and reckless” only for Anakin to be like “Or, or, we could do it more.” And who decided to put the two most reckless, impulsive people on a ship together??? Who sat down and thought “hm, yes, surely nothing bad will come of Anakin, who never listens to anything we say, and Padme, who never listens to anything we say, spending large quantities of alone time together. After all, we told them not to do something, surely they’ll listen.” There’s that scene where Obi-Wan is like “I hope Anakin doesn’t make them do anything reckless” and Padme’s guard is like “I hope Padme doesn’t make them do anything reckless” and I feel like they should’ve decided to turn the ship around right then and there. They should have said “oh, no, wait, yeah, you’re right, we shouldn’t leave them alone together.”

Like, I suggested to my brother that they need to add sex ed. to padawan training. But, I’m beginning to think that what they really need is a course on active listening.

No one in these movies is thinking with their heads, are they? Is that the point? Are we supposed to be thinking “God, everyone is such a dumbass” and “Why are you staying on the planet, Obi-Wan, when you could leave????” Steal a ship, Obi-Wan. Steal two ships. Steal eleven ships. Why are you staying on the dangerous murder planet, Obi-Wan? Leave the dangerous murder planet, Obi-Wan! Make the message on the way out!

Things I actively enjoyed:

Pod racing was cool. It’s fun.

The fight scenes are very nice, very good, very many flips and spins, 10/10.

Obi-Wan’s hair in the second film is very pretty, what conditioner do you think he uses?

Jango Fett, very cool, very fun, has a jet-pack, asked for a child and just about nothing else, I liked when the Kaminoans or whatever were like “We keep Jango here” it made me think of a kid being like “I keep Jango riiiight here so that I always know where he is and how he’s doing :D” The film could have used way more Jango Fett, that guy is so cool. I liked the scenes with him and Obi-Wan. They had a stare off in front of a child, and Boba’s looking at them like “Why am I in this scene?” I especially like the scene where one of the guys is like “Jango, do something!” and Jango looks at him like “What the fuck do you expect me to do?” That was very fun.

I have a few questions, a few concerns, if you will. How many versions of his dad does Boba Fett have to watch die? Who let a child watch an execution? Was it Jango’s idea? It doesn’t feel like an idea Jango would come up with, saying as at every other point in the movie, his primary concern seems to be keeping his kid safe, and there’s no way Jango Fett, who fought with Obi-Wan twenty minutes ago, thought that everything would go just dandy.

Are we not supposed to know who Palpatine is? Like, is that supposed to be a twist? The hiding of it is really very sloppy, but like, are they hiding it? Or, like, what? The characters obviously don’t know who Palpatine is, but are we supposed to know as much as, say, Obi-Wan does, or are we supposed to be omniscient in this case and know everything?

I’m concerned about the Clones. You know the ones. Specifically, is that really humane? To make them less independent and force them to follow orders and force them to grow up faster, I mean. Like, okay, they would only be as old as Boba, who I don’t know the age of and I’m bad at guessing ages so I’ll just say is young and leave it at that, but won’t making them grow older faster accelerate their aging process for the entirety of their lives? What if the war lasts longer than a few years? What if it lasts decades? What if, say, the war lasted for a really long time and Jango died and your DNA sample, whatever you used for it, ran out like they claim it does later on (a lot later on, but still)? What would they do then? What’s the contingency plan? Is there a contingency plan? Are you going to make people with arthritis fight against Jedi and droids? Seriously, people.

But also, where does Boba go? I know he becomes a bounty hunter and eventually ends up on Tatooine, but how does he get there? I mean, Padme did say it was only a parsec over, so maybe it makes sense that Boba lands there, but what does he do? Is he old enough to take care of himself? How does he end up being a bounty hunter? What happened to him at the end of the film? The last we see of him is him holding his dad’s helmet, and it’s very sad and made me a bit concerned, where is this child during this war? Did he stay there, in that little arena place? Has he been there this whole time?

How weird do you think it would’ve been, for Jango? Like, if he didn’t die here. He would’ve had to fight himself! Multiple times over! Would he have won? Would it have been a tie? Is he really cool with himself being an entire army? Does he know the scope of the operation? He didn’t even know who the Kaminoans said hired him, unless we’re supposed to assume he was lying. Was he lying?

I guess, long story short, I don’t understand things unless they’re very clear, especially in terms of lying especially in television and film. But also, language in general. It flies right over my head. I have to have a clear subject! Was Jar Jar saying that Padme was “pitty hot”??? Was he saying the temperature was “pitty hot”??? Was he saying the vehicle was “pitty hot”??? What was that supposed to be referring to?? Is he stating temperature or attractiveness??? I’m confused, goshdammit. What is the subject of the sentence, Jar Jar? What is the subject???

Can a stand-in make requests for a senator on an intergalactic scale? That doesn’t sound reasonable.

Anakin is taller than Obi-Wan, who is taller than Jango. The height difference between Jango and Anakin must be pretty wide. Jango Fett is so tiny. Like, Obi-Wan is one of the shortest Jedi we see (standing next to other Jedi so that their heights are easy to compare) and Jango is shorter than him! No wonder Boba is tiny. He was doomed. Jango should’ve requested that they make his clones a bit taller.

I have a lot of questions on the cloning front, admittedly. Probably too many. Where do the people on Kamino get food? It’s constantly raining! The ground must be flooded! What is supplying them with enough food to feed hundreds of growing young men? Accelerated growing, no less! They must eat a lot of food! Where do they get it? Kamino was purposefully erased on the map, so who’s supplying the food? Do they clone food too?

Why does no one ever listen to Padme? She says “I think Count Dooku is behind my assassination attempts” and they say “nah.” She says “Anakin this is a dumb idea” and he says “nah.” Even Padme doesn’t listen to Padme! She says “I should not fall in love with Anakin nor should I tell him I love him” and she tells herself “nah.” Like, come on.

Also, was the best plan really to move her back to Naboo? Like, yes, the enemy wasn’t supposed to know she left in the first place, but wouldn’t that be the first place they check? Why wasn’t the plan to pretend to leave planet but really keep her on Coruscant? She has so many body doubles! And, they could’ve used multiple! Have them go in different directions, on different transport systems, to different planets! You know, in case there was a spy or someone stalking her? Or even a droid stalking her. Droids are stalking everyone in this movie, people, there is no way that taking Padme to Naboo was the best plan you could come up with!

Why does Jango Fett outsource his work? Why did he give the other bounty hunter multiple tries? Like, it was only two, but why trust them after the first fuck up? Why did he hire a bounty hunter? Was he hired and told to hire a bounty hunter? Maybe it was supposed to be a long chain? Like, Jango hired a bounty hunter to hire a bounty hunter to hire a bounty hunter to hire a bounty hunter to hire a bounty hunter to hire a bounty hunter to hire a-

Anyway, great time. Great movies. All my questions are definitely answered in the third film, definitely. I have absolutely NO doubt that every single question WILL be answered. All of them! All. Of. Them. These films are. Very. Good. I found them. Enjoyable. Definitely. No sarcasm here (much sarcasm here)

No but in all hoensty, I’m just kind of bored. And, the fight scene between Dooku and Anakin or Yoda or someone had too many flashing lights and now I feel sick to my stomach. I barely even remember the first film, and I watched it directly before the second one. I can barely remember the second film, and I watched it twenty minutes ago! The scenes seem to drag on forever, even the fight scenes, and even Obi-Wan’s obvious flirting with everything can’t distract me from that! (During the scene where Obi-Wan is talking to the guy who tells him about Kamino, there a part near the end of the scene where the guy says that the people on Kamino judge peopel on their manners and their (laugh) big (anotherlaugh) wallets. I really did not know where he was going with that, and his laughter didn’t help matters. I really thought he was going to make a sex joke. It would’ve fit in with the uncomfortable amount of Anakin having boners, you know?)

[countrymusiclover]

5 - Seeing Old Friends

Part 6

Kenobi's Future

Tag list - @tyrionsprincess30 @nanagoswife @lycaonpictusphotography @bigbendyhorns @abaker74 @haideehaids @sassycowboygoatee @jedi-archives

Y/n's POV

Obi-wan lands the ship down on the flat ground near the swamp. I pushed the hatch opened feeling the wind blow my messy braid around. Padme poked her head outside the ship quickly climbing down where I hollered after her. "Padme, Padme. Get back here. We didn't say it was safe!" Swinging my legs over the ramp of the ship I jumped down. My boots get mud thrown on them as I finally managed to catch her. "Mommy, the little guys floating." She pointed her finger upward where I see Yoda hovering off the ground. Some rocks are also floating around him while he had his eyes closed. He was always good at meditation then any other Jedi Master on the council. Obi-wan finally joined us from behind carrying a bag on his shoulder. My hope was that Kiera had found my masters coordinates and came here. Unfortunately I don't feel her presence her in the Force. "Rude to stare it is, Kenobi family." Yoda suddenly broke the silence opening his eyes, lowering himself and the objects around to the ground with a small smile. "Curious as to why you are here, I am. Tell me why, hmm."

"Master Yoda, we need your help. Have you seen or had contact with Kiera recently?" I blurted out throwing my arms away from my sides. Obi-wan regrets not being able to put a tracker on that she took off in enough time. He came home almost in tears and threw it against the wall screaming. So loud that he woke Padme thinking that someone was attaching the house in the middle of the night. "Heard from her I did not. Concerned why are you, Y/n?" My master asked pointing his fingers up towards me. I bend down on a knee with the train of my robe falling behind me. I wish I could be reuniting with him after do many years under happier news. "Kiera, she - she took off on a ship with a stranger - now we have no clue where she is or whether she's been captured by the Empire." I sniffed through tears wiping them away with my sleeve, but more keep coming too quickly for it to do any good. Obi-wan and Padme stepped close to my former master who tapped his fingers on his chin in thought. "Track her through the Force I shall try. Train young Padme in the ways of the Force you should."

My former master was right that Padme needs to learn the Force. Since Kiera has been rebellious lately we hadn't gotten around to teaching her younger sister. Which sounds like a crappy thing since our two girls are the most important thing in the world to Obi and I. A few minutes later Obi-wan is showing Padme how to lift things with her mind if she wasn't too nervous or anything. Giving me the chance to finally speak with my master alone. "I'm worried about her, Master. No matter how old she gets...I'll still see her as an eight year old girl." I sigh heavily pulling my knees to my chest sitting on a log. Yoda tilts his head staring at me, he remembered seeing the girls at a young age. He had told me once that Kiera was powerful or would be like the twins when she grew up. "Troubling thoughts your mind has. Trust in the Force you must, my padawan. In safe hands she is, Y/n." Padme's giggling breaks me from my second to ask what he meant. "Mommy, daddy, Yoda. I found her. I saw my sissy!" She cheers hovering off the ground staring at the three of us grinning ear to ear.

Kiera's POV

Blinking my eyes opened I see a thin brown cloak bag over my head where I can only see light coming through. I hear people talking and moving around. Foosteps approached pulling the bag from over my head off throwing my hair into a mess. "What the crap is wrong with you, Cassian...Was the bag really necessary and the restraints!" I raised my voice immediately glaring up at the strange man. He claimed to be a rebel but my parents told me to not trust anyone around me except for family. He lowers himself to be on his knees, holding the bag in his hands eyeing me. "The general may know you but I don't, sweetheart. So this is going back on when we head to see the council." He pulls me to sit in one of the chairs and I glanced down to my belt seeing my lightsaber is missing. "Where's my lightsaber?" Cassian just shrugged his shoulders turning off some switches on the ship. "What's a lightsaber exactly?" I scoffed at him playing dumb. I literally pulled it out in his face before he knocked me out and brought me onto his ship.

"Seriously I'm not playing games. Where is it, Cassian!" I stomped my boots on the metal floor of the ship, trying to remove the cuffs from around my wrists falling. He spins around in the pilot seat hands on his knees still annoying me. "When I found you I didn't recall you had a weapon, Ms. Kenobi." Bawling my hands into fists I'm close to punching him or at the very least try and use the Force ao he'll stop lieing to my face. "Lisen here, Andor. I'm in no mood so why don't you just-" K2SO stepped onto the ship speaking up about my weapon. "Captain, the weapon was clearly identified as a lightsaber. By Senator Bail Organa before he left to find more recruiters." Whipping my head around to the guy I stand abruptly, glaring at him. "You sick liar!" Cassian gets to his feet opening a compartment holding it out to me, unlocking my cuffs with his other hand. Clipping it onto my belt where it belongs K2SO grabs my arm moving me to walk down the ramp of his ship, where I felt handcuffs returning again. "Unbelievable, I'm not with the Empire you idiots."

The boys walked me through crowds of Rebels. Some ranged from pilots to just regular people who worked on droids. My eyes moved around seeing some people closely staring at me. I bent my head down a little feeling uneasy. I still have no clue who this general they're talking about is. The only name I recognized is Bail Organa, which is Leia's father. But we haven't seen each other since before I turned ten years old. Cassian opened a door and K2SO pushed us inside. Someone raised from their seat at a large round table, all dressed in a white dress. A white hood over their face so I can't make out who it was. "Captain Andor, remove the restraints they're not needed." A woman's voice rang through the room. Cassian stepped up holding my wrist slowly taking the cuffs off. I stick my tongue out at him mumbling where he would hear. "Told ya, Andor." The woman figure walked down some steps, stopping to stand in front of me. "We've been waiting to show you the resistance, Kiera. I just imagined it would have been with your whole family here." Knitting my eyebrows together I asked still blankly confused. "Should I know you, ma'am?" Finally the woman removed her hood where brown hair and a kind smile I'd know anywhere greets me after years apart. "I'd hope you would recognize your own cousin, Kiera." Hanging my mouth opened I nearly giggle like a kid again. "Leia!!"

Comments really appreciated ❤️