#damn the disney sw WHY YOU ARE LIKE THAT? :(

[cienie-isengardu]

Star Wars Yoda Issue #8

[smallblueandloud]

guess what's relevant again !

every time i try to write a new fic about leia it ends up nosediving into me trying to remember the plot to leia: princess of alderaan, which frankly is not even a book i super ENJOYED, and yet i feel like i Should stay consistent to the backstory for leia that they set up and. it's a whole mess

[beholdingslut]

CONFESSION i thought baru cormorant was a star wars. for months now i have thought it was a spinoff novel or video game. i have been associating the name with that lady in one of the sw spinoff shows with the bad headband. literally no doubt in my mind until you posted about it earlier and reblogged the fanart of the pearl diver girl and my brain had to muscle through the question, "does star wars have pearl divers? star wars COULD have pearl divers. on a planet. like a funky combo of old-world jobs with futuristic space stuff. what's star wars armour made of? could be pearl. people wear jewelry in star wars. maybe headband girl has pearl in her headband? although seth dickinson doesn't sound like the established ya authors that disney's commissioning to write all these new books. THAT'S the last uncrackable puzzle, only now will i google this book, 47578 years after my mutuals started posting about it"

i can't fucking believe. like i'm 100% going to read it, now that i know it isn't star wars, but. it's just. baru cormorant. is SUCH a star wars name

i am fucking crying this is so so funny. your level of conviction and self assurance and subsequent problem solving to maintain the falsehood that it was a star wars novel/game makes me think you will probably like these books because. that’s so baru coded. also damn! why is your pearl diving in the star wars universe mental gymnastics such satisfying worldbuilding! it WOULD be better if they had people like her.

[justiceforc3po]

ANDOR is great, but not like that

Ok, here we go. I need to talk about Andor - I love this show so much, and so I've been watching lots of content about it, especially analysis videos. And while I would technically immediately join in on praising this show into absolute oblivion, I often find myself disagreeing with one specific idea - that Andor is "The Best of Star Wars".

When I first heard someone say that, I didn't know why I hesitated to agree. After all, technically, I'd say they're right - Andor is brilliantly written, has great dialogue, beautiful practical and CGI effects, incredible characters, acting, themes, etc. But I realised, there's a few reasons why I do not think that Andor is or can be called the epitome of Star Wars. First of all - I don't think there can be such a thing as "The Best of Star Wars". The franchise is far too massive and varied to pick something out as the best thing. You simply can't compare Andor, a live-action show with a very dark story and incredibly tragic characters, to The Clone Wars for example - an animated childrens' show that will simply have different restrictions (and benefits!). But secondly...while I adore Andor, I think that it does lack something important to even be considered the best of Star Wars specifically for me. Quite simply, Andor is just too different from the rest of the franchise. It isn't Star Wars enough. Does that make it bad? Oh hell no. They shouldn't be trying to make it more Star Wars! It's perfectly fine as it is! But I think that while it is better on a technical level than most other Star Wars media, putting it on a pedestal over the rest of the franchise is doing a complete disservice to what made SW so popular in the first place. Because no, the OT and especially the PT are not better stories, or movies, than something like Andor. They're kind of cheesy, sometimes a bit muddled, and campy as hell. But I also wouldn't change them one bit (ok, I do have some bones to pick with the PT but shh)! Luthen's speech is amazing, it's beautiful dialogue, nothing in those movies comes close to it on a technical level! But Star Wars didn't get popular through dramatic speeches. In fact, the sometimes stilted dialogue is part of it's charm as a series. The campy sci-fi elements, the humour, it's all part of what makes Star Wars what it is. Andor is excellent at highlighting the more gritty part of the story, and executes the political themes wonderfully. But in Star Wars, for me, it will always just be showing one side of what the franchise has to offer. This isn't a bad thing. I'm glad Andor does its own thing. But it simply isn't close enough to the heart of this franchise to be the best part of it. And now, here we can argue all day, but for me, the core of Star Wars is and always will be the OT and the PT combined. While I might enjoy the OT more, the PT is undeniably incredibly important to what the franchise is today and so so much to the table. I don't think I need to mention the sequels (but jar-jar binks had more goddamn plot relevance than several sequel characters. just saying.) But, what I will say, it is the best of what Disney+ Era Star Wars has to offer. Because shedding the classic Star Wars feel for Andor was a decision that makes it a little less Star Wars to me - but it also makes the show work better in its own merit. And at the end of the day, no lightsaber battle, no cute reference, no beautiful scenery will EVER make up for how much these shows are simply empty husks lacking any real passion or fresh ideas for the franchise. And it's a real damn shame, because they could all have been beautiful. But Andor works - not even because of how damn good it is, but honestly because there has to be someone who truly makes us want to love these characters, because they cannot rely on us simply knowing them already. And that's when Star Wars is best! When someone makes something new, and you can just feel the passion and love for the world and the story and characters through the screen. And wether that be through how much George Lucas filling the PT with bad CGI just because he CAN, or through how beautifully tragic Cassian Andor's story is, I truly do not give a fuck.

I went a bit off-topic there lmao, but TL;DR: Andor is brilliant, and better on a technical standpoint than most other SW media. But not only is the franchise too vast to have a "best" part, Andor only shows a very specfic facet of what the franchise can be, and that's completely fine. It's definitely better than all other live action Disney+ SW shows though.

[demonsfate]

FINALLY SOMEONE WHO AGREES ABOUT LUKE BEING OOC IN LAST JEDI. IDK WHY PEOPLE SAY IT'S A MASTERPIECE IT'S LIKE THE TEK 6 OF STAR WARS (CAP LOCK I'M SORRY AGSHDKDJFK)

LOL I've loved Star Wars for my whole life practically. And I think people's view on Last Jedi is uh... divisive. I honestly thought it was the worst SW film (I've YET to see Rise of Skywalker fyi) I could go off on why - but I'm just gonna go about the topic at hand since this isn't a SW blog. But I think the fans opinion on the movie is divisive. Some view it as garbage, whilst others like it. I think the people who see it as a "masterpiece" are just those who are Disney SW fans / newer to the series.

You know it's bad when Mark Hamill himself had problems with the characterization and tried to say it wasn't Luke. And I'm tired of people who do try to defend it by saying "Luke's just really paranoid after all the events that happened :)" Luke wouldn't even kill his own father - a man he never even knew growing up, a man he had just recently met and only knew him as this evil monster who's killing billions. But he still wouldn't kill his own father because that's his family, and he still believed in him. Anakin was probably, one of the DARKEST people you can get. So... why would Luke kill his NEPHEW??? The son of his BEST FRIEND and SISTER just because he sensed some darkness in him? He absolutely wouldn't! Shaking my damn head!

And the funny thing is - TK6 is actually similar in terms of what happened during the writing process. Mark Hamill (someone who knows the character better) tried to convince the writer that they weren't writing the character accurately, he got ignored. From what Harada said, it sounded like the main writers of the series were highly against making Jin a bad guy - but they were also ignored. It shows that sometimes... maybe you should listen to other people. Because you'll only cause controversy in the end.

LOL, I don't mind the capslock, you can type like a Homestuck troll and I won't mind. xD

[lenklanklonk]

I'm about to watch AoTC for the first time as an adult and I'm gonna put my thoughts here.

:read more:

1. Beginning scroll says thousands of star systems are leaving the Republic and I'm so shocked cuz like I never thought about how BIG The Republic is??? Ya know?

2. Poor Padmé she's genuinely sad that her handmaiden died and she even expresses her regret for even coming 😭

3. Like why is Naboo still part of the republic? At the end of TPM I totally expected Padmé to give a speech about how the Republic failed them and call for a vote on whether or not to leave. And she (so far) expressed disappointment/distrust in the Senate???

4. Jedi council are all in a meeting with Palpatine. Mace tells him "that we aren't soldiers and that we don't have enough people to protect the Republic." Which just disproves some anti-jedi arguments I've seen

5. Awww Yoda being so sweet and nice to Padmé

6. It's so bittersweet how much the Jedi still believe Dooku to be a good person

7. Jar jar in a dress

8. Obi Wan is like, telling her she's beautiful in front of my salad???

9. Obi-Wan and Anakin are just having a domestic in front of everyone is just so funny

10. Anakin hasn't seen Jar Jar in 10 years and yet the second Padmé leaves the room Anakin just starts ranting about his crush XD is the normal for him? like does Anakin pull random Padawans into conversation and just info dump his problems?

11. "I much rather dream about Padmé" right to Obi Wan's face!? This clown I can't stop laughing

12. Like I totally expect Anakin to have every one of her speeches saved, a scrapbook of her official photos, and maybe even a space Tumblr all about her XD (his username is QueenAmadalasHusband)

13. The only reason Obi-Wan doesn't approve of Padmé is cuz she's a politician XD if Anakin brought Padmé home for Thanksgiving for the first time. it would go like this

" Padmé what do you do for a living? :)"

"I'm a politician. :)"

"oh. :/"

14. Props to the people who worked on the chase scene. The CGI still holds up and the design of the buildings/speeders are nice

15. she's a changeling??? What does that mean in the sw universe cuz I don't think Anakin is saying she's a fairy

16. Looking at the club clothes I'm just thinking like damn what if Disney hired Haus of Gaga to design some star wars clothes

17. :( Yoda says that arrogance is popping up in more and more Jedi

18. Also Mace and Yoda having more faith in Anakin than Obi-Wan is ironic since Anakin would think the opposite

19. I just noticed that jar jar speaks some Spanish?? He said muy muy in the correct context

20. Anakin once again info dumping his problems onto people XD the victim this time? Padmé

21. The sadness Padmé expresses when she tells Anakin not to grow up too fast 🥺 Girl had to grow up so fast

22. Awww Obi-Wan gets hugs from Dex

23. Dex knows of the Kamino?? Huh

24. And now they're showing droidism... It's like finding out your favorite aunt doesn't like the immigrants "taking all the jobs" :/

25. Anakin and Padmé having a heart to heart at a crowded space Denny's

26. Wait Padmé straight up asks if loving is forbidden for Jedi and Anakin immediately corrects her saying "Attachment is forbidden. Possession is forbidden...One might say the Jedi are encouraged to love."

Do the people who are anti-jedi even pay attention?? Like if you find the Jedi order boring just say that, you don't need to come up with a bs moral justification

27. Anakin "your are just like how I see you in my dreams."

Padmé proceeds to pretend she didn't hear that

28. Every time Anakin mentions having dreams about Padmé I just assume they're wet dreams

29. Yoda is teaching the younglings to listen to their feelings so the unfeeling Jedi trope is just fanon. Good to know

30. It's kinda sad how Padmé didn't actually enjoy being Queen

31. Padmé just straight up dis Anakin in front of the queen "he's not a Jedi just a Padawan learner" like I'm pretty sure every one who is in the Jedi order is called a Jedi the difference is only in rank

32. I do like Kamino design

33. Excuse me!? Anakin and Padmé are already kissing?? I feel like I missed a few scenes

34. Anakin straight up to Padmé's face suggests that if a wise person is in charge then maybe dictatorship isn't so bad. Palpatine's influence no doubt. He probably also got it into Anakin's head that he's the best one for the job

35. I can see why Jango/Obi-Wan is a thing. It's not for me but I see it

36. Anakin's "agony" speech is actually quite poetic. I personally don't find it romantic but it's certainly poetic and pretty sounding.

37. I know Anakin is talking specifically about his love for her but him saying that he can't be rational. is funny when applied to his whole character

38. Aww :( the foreshadowing of them keeping their relationship a secret would destroy them

39. Wow George Lucas is not subtle

40. Anakin's nightmare scene and all I can do is stare at his nipples 🙈

41. I'm glad they show Watto getting his cumupence

42. Props to the costume department Padmé is styling

43. I really do love Owen and Beru. I'm glad the actors got to come back for the Kenobi show

44. Wow Cliegg I know they kidnapped your wife but you really shouldn't generalize a whole people group like that. wow Ani really took what he said and Internalized it huh

45. 10,000 more systems!? Once again how BIG is the Republic!!????

46. Shim's actress is so good her trying to say 'I love you' made me tear up :(

47. I don't really like how short the scene where Anakin kills the tusken raiders. It's the first time (of the prequels) we see Anakin touch the dark side. It's a huge turning point for his character. I feel like it should be treated as a climax. Bit it feels anti climatic to cut away. I just feel like it should've highlighted more that these are real sentient people he's massacring.

48. What the fuck!? Anakin just blames Obi-Wan??? Palpatine don't gotta manipulate that. That boy will really blame everyone else before taking responsibility,

49. I can see why people type Ani as Nuro divergent

50. Anakin's response is interesting 🤔 to Padmé's statement that "it's human to be angry" is "I am a Jedi. I know I'm better than this." Idk on how to put it into words but this statement recontextulizes a lot for me... I think I'll make a whole post on its own about this

51. Cliegg at the funeral thanking Shim for everything 😭

52. Anakin,I hate sand, grabbing the dirt from Shim's grave :(

53. Wow Anakin thinks he already lost Obi-Wan like he lost his mom and Padmé is like nope we're going after him

54. Palpatine Really calling Padmé out for being radical enough to call a vote for emergency powers. I can't help but feel this is a reference to TPM

55. Dooku straight up lying to Obi Wan right from the start. It makes more sense now that Obi Wan didn't believe him when he said the sith was on the Senate

56. Dooku calling Obi-Wan,my young Jedi, really shows how the phrase got passed from master to master :)

57. Like really the only truth Dooku has said so far is about Darth Sidious I really don't blame Obi-Wan for thinking it's also a lie.

58. Jar Jar is the one who proposes giving Palpatine emergency powers 💀

59. C3PO and R2 really are the Scooby and Shaggy of the star wars universe

60. Padmé really was almost boiled alive

61. "I'm not afraid to die. I've been dying a little bit each day since you came back into my life."

If I was drinking I would've done a spit take.

62. Awww Anakin looks genuinely surprised and happy that she loves him 🥹

63. Good to know that the base of their relationship is we may die so let's love each other while we can. At least on Padmé's side of things

64. Anakin said the "I've got a bad feeling about this" line. Now Obi-Wan knows Qui Gon's pain

65. Mace is so cool why do people hate him?

66. I've decided Obi-Wan and Mace are bros

67. Wow I did not know Mace was the one to kill Jango 😯

68. Jedi are dying :(

69. Wait the first plans for the death star started here???

70. In like a spy modern Au during the high speed chase scene Dooku would be on a motorcycle while the trio chase him in a car

71. Poor Obi-Wan. He missed Anakin's entire character arc and now has no idea how to properly communicate with him

72. I keep trying to figure out which clone is Cody but so far no luck

73. I do love Dooku's lightsaber design

74. Aww he pushed Anakin in exactly the right position to put his head on Obi-Wan's feet 🥺

75. Oh shit I forgot that this would be the first time audiences saw Yoda be BAMF. I hope people lost their shit

76. Padmé just runs up and gives Anakin a hug right in front of Obi-Wan and Yoda. These two are not subtle in the slightest

77. Mace doesn't dismiss Dooku's claim of Darth Sidious having control of the Senate. Once again another complaint I've seen turns out to not be true

78. Yoda is so wise for realizing that geonosis wasn't a victory but a loss cuz war has started

79. Having the imperial march play after the declaration of the clone wars starting makes me think that THIS is the true start of the Empire not when the Jedi order was destroyed

80. Padmé's wedding dress is so pretty. I want it

Final thoughts

I definitely had more fun watching this movie than TPM.

I found the beginning of the movie and the way the exposition was given hilarious. I laughed so hard.

Another take away from this movie is a lot of complaints about Mace, Yoda, and the order in general are not based on Canon just personal feelings

Even if Anakin never fell, Palpatine has everything planned so well the Empire would still rise. The Jedi were truly placed in a lose lose scenario. The countdown on the end of the Jedi order started with this movie

I don't understand why people found Anakin annoying but then again people really really don't like teenagers and Anakin was definitely acting his age of 19

It's obvious on Padmé's side of the relationship is: Fuck it, my whole life I've done my duty, never got to be a teenager, and I may die any day, I might as well do what I want and marry the man I love. I would rather love and lost than never loved at all.

But on Anakin's end he has a firm belief that he needs to get more and more powerful to keep the people he loves from dying. On his relationship with Padmé, I think Anakin's brain functions on an if so, then statements. If I love Padmé and she loves me, then we should get married. :) And that's all the thought he put into it.

Padmé has accepted her mortality. Anakin has not.

Poor Obi-Wan. He missed Anakin's entire character arc so 1) he can't properly help Anakin with his emotions 2) correct Anakin's wrong assumption that if he got more powerful he could solve his problems and 3) now can't communicate properly since Obi-Wan doesn't know their relationship dynamic has changed

Phew it's done!

Because I kept pausing to write my commentary this movie took 4 hours to watch XD

I can't believe I wrote 80 points. I may put some of them in separate posts

Thank you for reading till the end. The fact that someone cared enough about my thoughts to read the whole thing makes me very happy 😊

May the Force be with you!

[ravenya003]

@jadelotusflower

I have written a dissertation in return! Long story short; I loved this show and it's a pleasure to talk about it some more.

But I was pleasantly surprised as how much this show felt spiritually and aesthetically in tune with the original trilogy, and especially A New Hope, as opposed to Disney!Star Wars. Even if the tone and content of Andor is very different, it feels in conversation with the OT in a way the rest of Disney’s output has not - building on the story we already know, rather than trying replace or rewrite it as something else.

I noticed this too, and it was a relief to enjoy practical effects and actual sets instead of the damn Volume, which still looks obvious to me. I don’t think people realize how much of a relief it is to the brain to just accept reality instead of working around CGI and bluescreen all the time.

So many people have to die for Cassian to make it to the Rebellion - just like Cassian himself will die for the Death Star plans to make it to Leia, like Obi-Wan will die to ensure those plans make it to the Rebellion, and squadrons of rebel pilots will die so Luke can ultimately destroy the Death Star.

This is what I loved about the show in its entirety; that “passing on the torch” effect. That moments that are so tiny and inconsequential ending up having these massive, far-reaching outcomes. It’s pretty mind-blowing to consider that Cassian being unable to resist eyeballing some imperial officers at a seedy brothel starts a snowball effect that leads to the destruction of Death Star.

Of course he's also a credited screenwriter on Rogue One, and I understand his contribution was mostly to the infamous rewrites/reshoots. I desperately want to read a full breakdown/bts of what went down with that film (well all of Disney-led Lucasfilm really) and see the deleted/original material, because I am fascinated.

The closest we’ve got at the moment is Tansy Gardem’s Going Rogue podcast, which is a fascinating listen, but obviously not something told from the inside. Disney will probably have the real story and footage locked up in a vault for some time, though if Andor is any indication of quality, it’s difficult not to mourn the loss of what might have been if Gilroy had been involved from the ground floor.

But first things first. B2EMO made it to the end!

I remember seeing you worrying about him, and had to refrain from providing any reassurance. But really, has anything bad happened to an important droid in a SW film/show? I can’t think of any. They're like the franchise equivalent of pet dogs: too beloved to get killed off in what's (on some level) a story for young people.

Overall I thought the show was excellent (with a few caveats). What's impressive is the sheer number of characters and plots interwoven together, every conversation servicing character, the overall theme or setting something up that will pay off later, playing with coincidence and fate (the will of the Force), the interlocking domino effect.

For me, it was almost dizzying to watch/listen to dialogue that was both intelligent and naturalistic, especially on a mainstream franchise show. I think I’d forgotten what it was like to be treated as an intelligent viewer, and for the writers to assume I was paying attention instead of spoon-feeding me what I needed to hear. Things! Have! Consequences! There’s Cause! And! Effect! I think one of the most rewarding parts of the viewing experience was looking back and thinking “ah, so THAT’S why you spent time on that particular thing.” And sometimes the pay-off doesn’t come until the very end of the season, to stuff that was seeded right off the bat. Watching people complain that it was slow to start with made me roll my eyes, as there’s not a single second wasted on this show.

I love the dialogue in Andor too - which rightly gets high praise, and while it's arguably tighter, in many ways it's no more naturalistic than Lucas's, it's just pitched differently because this is a different genre (and the acting is uniformly excellent because they are actually interacting with each other and being competently directed).

The interactions between Cassian and Bix were particularly good: their entire fraught history was there, in their terse communication and body language. It was SO NICE to be allowed to figure things out for myself, and utilize my own imagination in filling in the blanks.

The Empire casts people out while the Rebellion draws them in.

This is a recurring theme across the franchise; one of my favourite examples is in Star Wars Rebels, when Zeb and Kallus are forced to work together for survival – but when they return to their respective crews, Kallus watches Zeb greeted back with hugs and cheers; when he returns to his ship, nobody had even noticed he was gone.

Contrast this to the jockeying over position and territory and power in the ISB - they serve the Empire, but never at personal cost.

I’ll never get tired of watching Imperials being on the backfoot due to the in-fighting among them. Yet even here, this motif was played with a little on a personal level – the personnel under Deidra’s command were treated with respect, and she got ahead as a result.

And yet we're not there yet - it's important that this is still a Rebellion and not an Alliance, a disparate collection of segmented sedition with a myriad of agendas we see run by Saw Gerrara, Anton Kreegyr, Luthen Rael.

This was also interesting to me; that the piecemeal nature of the Rebellion at this point is reflected in the uncertainty of Cassian himself: he doesn’t know what he wants or who he wants to be at this stage – the Rebellion grows in strength as he grows in conviction, which is a nice Doylistic mirror between the macro and microcosm – AND is further demonstrated in the opening title, during which the music becomes more booming and powerful and structured with each episode.

While much has been said of the moral ambiguity and nuance of Andor, it's not incongruent with the OT, if anything it reinforces its power and message.

So true. This is why I’ve been a little on the fence about The Acolyte (admittedly I haven’t seen yet; I’m only responding to what I’ve heard) which seems to be about how the Jedi are deeply flawed and the Dark Side makes some good points. And yet when one side is unleashing weapons of mass destruction, and the other side is… you know, NOT doing that, I remain skeptical about trying to infuse too much moral ambiguity into this universe.

I love that this show is proving that (like you said) things can be nuanced and complex while also operating within very clear and established definitions of right and wrong, light and dark.

HOWEVER, I have my nits to pick - the lack of aliens is a serious flaw (and in particular, the lack of familiar aliens).

It didn’t bother me as much as it did you, though I can definitely see your point. I can easily imagine that Gilroy cut down on the amount of aliens that could have been involved, since he wanted this to be a “serious human drama.” Which… okay dude, but it’s Star Wars. It reminded me a bit of how all the weirder elements of Frank Herbert’s Dune were removed for the recent films, seemingly because it’s meant to be “serious sci-fi.” And yet the Empire would have certainty been using alien slave labour every chance they got, and places like Coruscant should have at least had some alien extras in the background. And would it have killed them to have at least one person on the Aldani heist with antennae or an extra hand or something?

Which is of course because this was only intended to be season 1 of 5, with each arc a year of Cassian’s life leading up to Rogue One. But sadly Andor has been given a second season only, leaving 12 episodes to wrap everything up, so ultimately I fear the show will feel like a slow setup and rushed conclusion, which is a real shame.

Aw man, I didn’t realize this. I guess we can say goodbye to ever finding out what happened to Cassian’s sister, or any more context to his relationship with Maarva and Clem after their kidnapping of him. There was clearly going to be more meat to these plots, though I imagine they’ll be the first on the chopping block given the limited time-frame and all the pieces they have to put in place for Rogue One (namely K2).

Still, I’m a trilogy-minded person. Two seasons and Rogue One is the trilogy of Cassian’s story, and that works for me..

Diego Luna has such a charismatic presence and it is nice to have a more internal, insular character, but it’s kind of sad that Cassian is really the least developed character in a show ostensibly about him. It’s not really his story, but he’s the fulcrum (pun intended) around which most of the other characters pivot; this is a story of the rebellion of which he is just one part.

Here’s my first big disagreement with you! As a fan of this character, I was pretty happy with what we got, though that’s because I understand Cassian to be a very understated protagonist – not just here, but in Rogue One as well. I remember a bit of a ruckus in the fandom when Jyn repeated his “rebellions are built on hope” line to the rest of the rebels and accusing her of appropriation (*eye-roll*) when I think that very much encapsulates Cassian’s character – he observes, he encourages, he works in the shadows, he puts other people where they need to be without ego or the need for validation. You see this particularly well with Andy Serksis in the prison arc: just like Jyn, Serksis repeats Cassian’s words across the intercom system, while Cassian himself looks on.

In other words, he’s not a leader or a hero in the obvious sense of the word, or what we’d expect from a Star Wars protagonist. I found that really interesting, to see someone at the center of the story who is not a big, flashy character as we’d expect, but rather more like an impetus to spur on other characters. It’s clearly a deliberate choice.

I also didn’t think he was undeveloped; in fact, I was pretty riveted by how he went from someone who was largely content with gnawing at the edges of the Empire (stealing their stuff) to becoming fully committed to the cause – that definitely counts as development in my view. As he says at one point (paraphrasing): “why fight a losing battle, why not just take the money and do what you want?”

This is said in the gap between the heist and his arrest, and of course after learning what he does in the prison complex, the answer to his question is obvious: there is no peaceful living under an oppressive regime. They will always come for you, even if you’re just minding your own business. (Like you said, the Empire forges the weapons that’ll be used against them).

In many ways, this is a story of radicalization: how and why it happens, and whether it can be considered a good thing. We already know that he’ll eventually be all-in on this cause and that it will cost him his life, but that it won’t be a sacrifice made in vain. Hovering over this entire show is the question: “is it worth it?” For me, this tracking of an individual’s radicalization was the crux of his arc, and one of the main points of the show.

And it does feel a little bit skeevy that the actual Axis (pun intended) of the show is Luthen in his middle age white man glory, with a whiff of Gilroy’s self-insert about him.

I often wonder how Luthen would have played if he’d been a woman or an alien or a person of colour. I feel by the end he was deliberately positioned as a foil to Maarva, who was able to incite a riot without any deceit or manipulation, but by only speaking the truth, a point which may well come into play in the second season.

I also have an inkling (or perhaps it’s just wishful thinking) that Luthen will share his philosophy with Cassian at some point: that they’re all destined to die alone, that they’ll have to sacrifice their moral compasses to the cause, etc. And of course, the beauty of this being a prequel is that we already know Cassian doesn’t COMPLETELY give up his sense of right and wrong, and he won’t die alone as a result.

Which is to say, I also think Luthen will get a death scene in season two that will reflect his philosophy: he will indeed die in ignominy, in contrast to Cassian being able to give/derive comfort from Jyn in his final moments.

In other words, I don’t feel that Luthen is being held up as any sort of ideal. I was fascinated by the way he was introduced in a very Sith-like cloak: the dark side of the light side, so to speak. And I think (or hope) Gilroy will commit to NOT glorifying his point-of-view, as a jumping off point for Luke's idealism, though that remains to be seen.

We get a strong start to Cassian and Luthen that peters out - he's intent on recruiting Cassian, but then writes him off when Cassian flees after Aldhani and wants him killed, then goes all the way to Ferrix for him, but is about to leave without actually doing anything? I know Luthen's meant to be ambiguous, but this is one area where plot is obviously driving things not character.

My take was that Luthen was more rattled than he cared to admit by Maarva’s speech – like I said, here’s a woman that is able to incite rebellion WITHOUT any Machiavellian schemes, and – knowing she was Cassian’s mother – decides to let him go.

Cassian is without a reflective character pairing because his true mirror is Jyn Erso, and seeing Cassian’s struggles here does give real weight to his “you’re not the only one who lost everything” speech - in many ways the show is his journey from being Jyn, to being the man who says to her “we don't all have the luxury of deciding when and where we want to care about something.”

In a way it’s a shame that this is a prequel to a prequel; imagine if we got to watch this unravel in the correct chronological order, with Rogue One as the grand finale. Damn. Still, it DOES give us more insight into that Cassian/Jyn rapport, making what the film was going for with the two of them even clearer. Cinta telling Vel that “I’m a mirror; I show you what you need to see,” is how Diego Luna described how Cassian saw Jyn, though in that case it’s “he doesn’t like what she reflects.”

The artifact Luthen gives Mon represents “a sun goddess and a serpent sharing the same mouth” representing their differing philosophical approach to fighting the Empire.

Hey, nice catch. I didn’t twig to this one.

“I’m condemned to use the tools of my enemy to defeat them. I burn my decency for someone else’s future. I burn my life, to make a sunrise that I know I’ll never see. No, the ego that started this fight will never have a mirror, or an audience, or the light of gratitude."

Like I said, I guarantee he’ll eventually say some sort of variation of this to Cassian, or that “we will die alone,” the irony being that because Cassian still clings to a semblance of humanity – he at least won’t be alone when he dies.

Ultimately, the Rebellion needs people like Luthen and Cassian to make not only the physical sacrifice, but the moral one as well (noting our first introduction to Cassian is him killing an informant so he can escape) - people who play the Empire's game so Luke can ultimately reject the Emperor's.

It’s interesting, because I knew at least one viewer who disliked Rogue One precisely because of this mentality – the idea that the Rebels had to engage in underhanded tactics in order to secure their victory, when he believed that the OT was so based upon very “clean” black and white moral underpinnings that depicting the Rebellion as guerillas and saboteurs and assassins was undermining the story as a whole.

I can’t say I agree as Star Wars is very compartmentalized in a lot of ways, but I do enjoy the question it poses: it’s easy to make your life a sacrifice, but what if your morality/humanity IS the sacrifice?

I’m surprised Gilroy has said he wrote Deidra to be relatable - she skeeved me out from the first, someone clearly ready to step over anyone and everyone if it served her purposes rather than someone gradually drawn further into an authoritarian regime. There's the slight subtext of sexism - there's only one other women in the ISB briefing and Pendergast alludes to it, but that certainly didn't engender any sympathy or admiration from me.

RIGHT??!! I was rather baffled by this, as well as the actress’s interview in which she states the audience was meant to initially see her as the underdog up against the sexist work environment she was surrounded by (and subsequently root for her) only for her torture of Bix to make you realize “oh right, she’s a victim of sexism AND an evil imperial. You can be both!”

Because I seriously did not see her as the underdog in any of her pre-Bix scenes. From the actress’s facial expressions to the fact that she didn’t really seem to be a target due to her gender, I was actually completely surprised by this take on the character. Which is a shame, as it’s not a bad premise.

I just hope they’re going somewhere more interesting than his creepy crush.

Yeah, I’ve no idea what they’re doing with that one.

Andor happily treats its women as characters, not faux-empowering meme-fodder.

Honestly, for me the best moment of this entire series was when Vel was depicted as completely terrified and on the verge of calling everything off when she and Cinta had to abseil down the dam. What a great moment, and it humanized her so well.

The whole anti-woke crowd are profoundly tedious, but I also get sick of the whole “girlboss” phenomenon, in which girls are never allowed to have any sort of flaws or foibles or weaknesses to overcome. Those few minutes watching Vel force her way through her fear and then finding her courage were such a great antidote to that.

I also noticed that the fact Vel and Cinta were in a relationship went completely unremarked upon by fandom – because hey, when you make same-sex relationships an understated part of how humanity works instead of something to do a big song-and-dance number over, people just accept it and get on with it! Amazing!

In Vel and Cinta we have two more sides of insurgency - from wealth and privilege in Vel, the cousin of Mon Mothma struggling with the weight of it all, to Cinta with her cold fire and unwavering drive, her family killed by stormtroopers and for whom the struggle will always come first.

This show didn’t do Easter eggs, but I do like to think on some level they wanted to get in a “hitherto unknown familial connection between two characters” link as a homage to the Skywalker twins. And of course, the fact that it really doesn’t make much of a difference as to whether Vel/Mon were cousins or not was somehow very funny.

I loved Ferrix as a location, with its own distinct aesthetic, culture, and populace - the work gloves all hung on the wall, the metal tapping warning system, the daily hammer and anvil (the Time Grappler, according to Wookieepedia), funerary practices. etc.

This was SO GOOD. Love me some world-building that’s integrated neatly into the story.

But again there’s a disconnect with the history we’re shown - Maarva and Clem kidnap/save Kassa from Kenari but we don’t really get any sense of how Cassian feels about it or the connection he has to his heritage/childhood.

Yeah, they dropped the ball on this one. A fascinating setup, and they might get into it a little in season two, but it’s the most obvious fatality when it comes to cutting down the seasons from five to two.

The difference, for me, is does inclusion of a known character/object/trope/line of dialogue serve the character and/or story, or is it Leo DiCaprio pointing meme, designed for “hey it’s the thing” nostalgia and YouTube compilations with no substance behind it? Ultimately, is the inclusion Watsonian or Doylist - and if the latter, what of the former justifies it.

I know I’ve said this to you before, but Rogue One itself had the perfect examples of this: the little cameo from C3PO and R2D2 was fine, because it made sense they’d be there and it was only a few seconds long, but earlier in the film everything grounds to a halt so they can showcase the two cantina aliens from Tatooine – which makes NO SENSE, because Jedha is about to be blown to smithereens! We’re just meant to point and say “hey, those guys!”

Not all fanservice is created equal.

This is my fundamental, and possibly at this point, irreconcilable, issue. Disney wanted to get away from Lucas-associated Star Wars as quickly as possible, replacing every character, planet, and theme with their own wholly Disney counterpart, killing off Han, Luke, and Leia so the old and classic couldn’t distract from the shiny and new, tearing down the conclusion of the original trilogy only to try and tell the exact same story (just not as well).

Strange comparison, but it’s a bit like how the writers for the BBC Robin Hood were so eager to get rid of the old guard and shoehorn in their bright shiny new characters that they forgot to give anyone a reason to care about Kate, Tuck, Archer, Isabella, etc. They just plonked them in and hoped no one would notice they’d just thrown out everything we’d invested in for the past two years.

The massive difference being that the RH audience bailed MUCH faster, and the show got cancelled before ever having the chance to fulfil its new vision. Star Wars obviously has more staying power, but even that’s clearly starting to wane. All anyone can do is shake their heads and ask: “why do that?”

It’s funny: when things are good, there’s a myriad of explanations as to why, but when things suck, it’s usually because of just one or two similar reasons.

(I promise I did not bring up Robin Hood just to point out that the Aldani leader who led the pilgrimage under the Eye was the same actor who played the Abbott in the third episode of season three).

So I finally watched Andor...

...and naturally I have thoughts (hey, it’s me). Maybe they're belated, seeing as this show was released almost two years ago, but I've been on the outskirts of the Star Wars fandom for a while now. This in and of itself isn't usual - I tend to drift between my core fandoms in phases, but since TLJ the GFFA hasn't really been a pleasant place to be so I haven't really had a reason to drift back to it for any length of time.

Which isn't to say I've avoided Star Wars altogether, dipping in when something piques my interest like Obi-Wan Kenobi (which I liked aspects of but ultimately felt like just a setup to the show I actually wanted to watch), and have absorbed some of the rest through cultural osmosis. Andor is a show I've been meaning to get to for a while, although it has been praised to the point of being overhyped (and there was a whiff of Not Like Other Star Wars to the critical reception) so I was concerned it would not meet expectations.

But I was pleasantly surprised as how much this show felt spiritually and aesthetically in tune with the original trilogy, and especially A New Hope, as opposed to Disney!Star Wars. Even if the tone and content of Andor is very different, it feels in conversation with the OT in a way the rest of Disney’s output has not - building on the story we already know, rather than trying replace or rewrite it as something else.

Aesthetically, we have the 70's vibe of the set design and costuming in middle-class Coruscant, the stark white jumpsuits and surrounds of Narkina 5 evoking Lucas's early film THX-1138, even the way we are plopped right into the middle of the story with very little exposition, but still eased into the narrative is very reminiscent of the first act of A New Hope. Thematically, of course we’re seeing the Rebellion in its earlier stages - small disparate cells of seditious activity directly acting against Imperial interests that will become the somewhat ragtag but nonetheless organised and unified Alliance.

While Star Wars was a cinema pastiche throwback to Flash Gordan serials and Campbell’s hero’s journey as an antidote to the grimdark antiheroes of the 70’s, in many ways Andor brings things back full circle to the grit of neo-noir. It holds a mirror up to the OT and lets us see the other side of the coin - and the full cost of victory. So many people have to die for Cassian to make it to the Rebellion - just like Cassian himself will die for the Death Star plans to make it to Leia, like Obi-Wan will die to ensure those plans make it to the Rebellion, and squadrons of rebel pilots will die so Luke can ultimately destroy the Death Star.

A stone is dropped in a pond, and we see the ripples but the stone itself sinks.

Overall thoughts

Tony Gilroy is the showrunner here, a veteran screenwriter notable for the Bourne films, and we can certainly see this influence at work. He also wrote The Devil’s Advocate, which is by no means good but I do enjoy in all its ott mythological monologues-and-accents glory, and seminal romcom (of my childhood at least) The Cutting Edge. He also wrote and directed Michael Clayton, which I have not seen but was nominated for several Oscars, including Original Screenplay, Director, and Best Picture (Tilda Swinton won for Supporting Actress).

Of course he's also a credited screenwriter on Rogue One, and I understand his contribution was mostly to the infamous rewrites/reshoots. I desperately want to read a full breakdown/bts of what went down with that film (well all of Disney-led Lucasfilm really) and see the deleted/original material, because I am fascinated. It's also interesting to note that Gilroy took over showrunning duties from Stephen Schiff pre-production. The show does very much feel like Gilroy wanted to make his own stamp on the Andor character and use him as a vehicle in his spy-thriller/political intrigue wheelhouse.

Reading some of Gilroy’s comments around the series had made me wonder how much of Andor being reflective/referential to the OT was intentional (on his part at least), and arguably Gilroy did overwrite the character of Cassian Andor so…there’s nuance. But as a story, to me it felt in tune with what I love about Star Wars rather than at odds with it, and that's what I appreciated most.

But first things first. B2EMO made it to the end! Finally, my expectations are subverted in a good way, because I love this little droid with all my heart. There are several key elements of Star Wars to me that separate it from other sci-fi/space fantasy and that is Jedi, distinctive aliens, and sentient droids. Obviously there's no Jedi here (nor does there need to be), my issues with the lack of aliens I'll address below, but when it comes to droids B2EMO fits right in, and we can assume is a precursor to Cassian's relationship with K-2SO.

Overall I thought the show was excellent (with a few caveats). What's impressive is the sheer number of characters and plots interwoven together, every conversation servicing character, the overall theme or setting something up that will pay off later, playing with coincidence and fate (the will of the Force), the interlocking domino effect. Arvel Skeen recognising the tattoo on Cassian's arm leads to a conversation of his history, but also sets up Skeen later offering to take and split the haul with Cassian (and getting killed for it). The raid on Aldhani triggers the Empire’s harsh new measures that gets Cassian sentenced to six years in prison, but also inspires the rebellion on Ferrix (via Maarva). The Aldhani heist is a triumph for Vel, but traps Mon’s financial contributions to the Rebellion by the Empire’s crackdown on banking, leading her and her daughter into an unwanted family alliance.

I'm a big proponent of Star Wars Dialogue is Good, Actually - not saying there's not clunkers or stilted scenes (the PT moreso than the OT) but there seems to be this weird consensus that Lucas-era dialogue sucks despite being some of the most quoted/referenced movies of all time. Lucas was creating a modern myth, of course a lot of it is arch and operatic. I love the dialogue in Andor too - which rightly gets high praise, and while it's arguably tighter, in many ways it's no more naturalistic than that of the Saga with everyone constantly speaking in metaphor, it's just pitched differently because this is a different genre (and the acting is uniformly excellent because they are actually interacting with each other and being competently directed).

There’s layers of meaning in almost every scene and subtle moments of foreshadowing that I really enjoy - Karis Nemik muses on the role of mercenaries in a rebellion that must use every tool and weapon at its disposal, and obviously Cassian starts out as that mercenary who will be pulled into the wider struggle, but this also foreshadows the importance of Han Solo - at first only out for the promise of a reward but ultimately instrumental in bringing the Empire down. But it’s not because he’s treated as a tool - as the Empire treats its workforce as tools - but because he’s treated as worthwhile, he’s valued as a person. The Empire casts people out while the Rebellion draws them in.

We also see this in the arc on Narkina 5, and the Empire’s tightening grip backfiring against them. In order to force the prisoners to speedily produce parts for the Death Star they work in close-knit teams, creating a close camaraderie ultimately allowing them to escape - because when you turn people into cogs of a machine, the machine can be turned back against you. Contrast this to the jockeying over position and territory and power in the ISB - they serve the Empire, but never at personal cost.

We see the Republic of affiliated systems from the PT turn into an Empire of conquered planets, where local cultures are subsumed into homogeneous Imperial rule. Even Corpsec is replaced by Imperial oversight, and we know that the Senate on Coruscant will be dissolved completely in ANH. But ultimately this ferments rebellion and unites the outcast and oppressed - the Keredians on Narkina 5 hate the Empire for their prison polluting the waterways, and so let Cassian and Melchi go. Cinta’s whole family was killed by stormtroopers turning her single minded focus to destroying them. The people of Ferrix respond to Maarva’s call and riot against the Imperial forces even though it will mean violent reprisal.

The Empire forges the weapons that will be used against them. As Nemik’s manifesto states: “The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear.”

And yet we're not there yet - it's important that this is still a Rebellion and not an Alliance, a disparate collection of segmented sedition with a myriad of agendas we see run by Saw Gerrara, Anton Kreegyr, Luthen Rael. They won't be a genuine threat to the Empire until they join forces, share resources and intelligence, and unite behind a collective goal. Although there may be sacrifices in this as well - Separatists, Partisan Front, Sectorists etc mentioned by Saw will either coalesce under the Alliance to Restore the Republic or be driven further to the fringes.

The thrust of Nemik's manifesto is that freedom is a natural state of being, while oppression is unnatural, and even though Andor has nothing to do with the Jedi it nonetheless echoes their philosophy: that the Force is in a natural state of balance, while the existence of the Sith who tap into the Dark Side upset this balance. As we see in Return of the Jedi, the balance is ultimately restored by the return to that natural state buffeted by the most powerful forces - friendship, love, sacrifice - forces that ultimately drive Cassian as well. While much has been said of the moral ambiguity and nuance of Andor, it's not incongruent with the OT, if anything it reinforces its power and message.

HOWEVER, I have my nits to pick - the lack of aliens is a serious flaw (and in particular, the lack of familiar aliens). In some cases they can get away with it and make subtle commentary - Coruscant is stark and grey as the centre of bureaucracy in stark contrast to the vibrant metropolis of the PT. Seeing the streets populated almost exclusively by humans where once it was a melting pot underscores the Empire’s segregationist policies. However the dearth of non-humans elsewhere - Ferrix, Aldhani, even the prison labour camp Narkina 5 - is disconcerting. These are places meant to depict the oppressive rule of the Empire and this undermines the strength of the rebellion as a group of diverse species fighting against the Imperial monoculture. It's odd, for example, that we see all the characters from Ferrix return except Vetch, the muscle employed "just to stand there" by Nurchi (a nice moment with Cassian!), and that Maarva's funeral procession seems entirely human.

Ultimately, I think the setup is much stronger than the payoff, and while I appreciate the slow burn, the show does have sometimes have difficulty juggling the plots. Once set up, characters are parked waiting to be incorporated into the narrative (it feels like we watch Syril stare at his cereal forever) and looking back not much actually happens to a lot of them- there are a lot of threads left hanging and not much resolution. Which is of course because this was only intended to be season 1 of 5, with each arc a year of Cassian’s life leading up to Rogue One. But sadly Andor has been given a second season only, leaving 12 episodes to wrap everything up, so ultimately I fear the show will feel like a slow setup and rushed conclusion, which is a real shame.

Cassian Andor

I’m went into this as someone who doesn’t really have a strong connection to Cassian as a character - I certainly liked him in Rogue One! But let’s just say he’s not my blorbo. And this not the backstory I would have expected for the character five years before Rogue One as someone who has “been in this fight since [he] was six years old.”

Diego Luna has such a charismatic presence and it is nice to have a more internal, insular character, but it’s kind of sad that Cassian is really the least developed character in a show ostensibly about him. It’s not really his story, but he’s the fulcrum (pun intended) around which most of the other characters pivot; this is a story of the rebellion of which he is just one part. So, I can see if Cassian fans may have been upset by his lack of focus, and I personally would have wanted to delve a bit deeper into Cassian Andor on a show called Andor, you know? And it does feel a little bit skeevy that the actual Axis (pun intended) of the show is Luthen in his middle age white man glory, with a whiff of Gilroy’s self-insert about him.

I do wish LFL would abandon simply naming their shows after the main character - presumably it’s for general audience recognition and algorithmic reasons, but my god how boring. If the show had been marketed as the ensemble it actually is I would take less issue with the lack of Cassian focus. But sadly I’m not sure we know that much more about Cassian at the end of the show than we did at the end of the first three episodes - or really, what it adds to his character and arc we see in Rogue One.

Yes he’s further radicalised by his experiences and is now presumably "all in" on the rebellion, but the events of the show are kicked off by Cassian searching for his sister which is a motivation that is all but dropped thereafter - although at one point I was half-expecting (dreading) it to be revealed that Luthen's assistant Kleya Marki was Kerri (and sidebar, Kleya - what a stone cold bitch! I love a stone cold bitch).

This plot will likely continue in season 2, but it felt a bit undercooked and too deep in the subtext given the prominence it had in kicking off the narrative. We get a flashback to Cassian’s childhood, but ultimately it feels like lipservice to his Indigenous heritage rather than true engagement since we don't see him reflect on it in any way, nor does it seem to have any impact on his choices throughout the series that seem primarily motivated by his life and relationships on Ferrix.

We get a strong start to Cassian and Luthen that peters out - he's intent on recruiting Cassian, but then writes him off when Cassian flees after Aldhani and wants him killed, then goes all the way to Ferrix for him, but is about to leave without actually doing anything? I know Luthen's meant to be ambiguous, but this is one area where plot is obviously driving things not character. I get that it was important for Cassian to be the one to go to Luthen at the end and choose the Rebellion unfetted, but the relationship is undercooked. I almost feel like the series is a procession of things that happen to Cassian rather than a journey I was on with him. There's external forces, but very little internal focus.

However, what I did love about the show was the thematic resonance that was happening on a macro and micro level - while the show as a whole is a mirror/reflection of the OT, we also see dichotomy in the character pairings that are mirrors and/or foils of each other in various ways - we have the two sides of the conflict being Empire and Rebellion (with Cassian stuck in the middle), and we are also shown conflict within those two sides.

Cassian is without a reflective character pairing because his true mirror is Jyn Erso, and seeing Cassian’s struggles here does give real weight to his “you’re not the only one who lost everything” speech - in many ways the show is his journey from being Jyn, to being the man who says to her “we don't all have the luxury of deciding when and where we want to care about something.”

Mon Mothma and Luthen Rael

The most obvious mirror/foil pair as the two sides of the Rebellion, although arguably we have a third prong in Saw Gerrara, and kind of a mirror in Luthen as Cassian’s mentor as Saw was Jyn’s - and I do wonder about the show that was a two-handed prequel with Cassian and Jyn growing up in different factions of the Rebellion, but alas.

The artifact Luthen gives Mon represents “a sun goddess and a serpent sharing the same mouth” representing their differing philosophical approach to fighting the Empire. As mirror characters they are alike in many ways - both of the privileged class and living double lives on Coruscant, but while Mon makes political efforts to move the needle on the Empire's activities in the Senate while also funneling money to direct but small rebel efforts, Luthen outright pokes the bear, sacrifices allies, and knowingly making things worse to swell the ranks of the rebellion on the hope it will speed up progress. There's more than a hint of the incrementalism/revolutionary dichotomy here.

It also raises a lot of interesting questions without (rightly) providing many answers - the struggle of the oppressed, the moral weight of insurgency and revolution. Is it right to intentionally provoke an oppressive power into reacting with violence in order to fuel a greater pushback against them? Is short term suffering justified if it achieves eventual victory, and is it right for the few to decide what is a justifiable sacrifice? What are our responsibilities to each other under the threat of/struggle against authoritarianism? As social commentary it's more timely than ever.

Whether Mon or Luthen is right for the viewer to decide, although as Leia tells Tarkin in ANH: "the more you tighten your grip, the more star systems will slip through your fingers." On the other hand, we know Mon survives to the end of the Empire while Luthen (I assume) will not. She will become a leading figure in the Alliance, and eventual Chancellor of the New Republic, while he will be another stone at the bottom of the pond.

This is foreshadowed in the dialogue (with a direct mirror reference):

“I’m condemned to use the tools of my enemy to defeat them. I burn my decency for someone else’s future. I burn my life, to make a sunrise that I know I’ll never see. No, the ego that started this fight will never have a mirror, or an audience, or the light of gratitude."

Arguably however, the mirror is the show - we are the audience.

We know Cassian joins Luthen at the end of season 1, and will meet Mon in season 2, so it will be interesting to see him struggle between these two philosophies, although we can infer from Rogue One that he aligns himself (out of necessity) with Luthen's veiwpoint:

"We've all done terrible things on behalf of the Rebellion. Spies, saboteurs, assassins....And every time I walked away from something I wanted to forget, I told myself it was for a cause that I believed in. A cause that was worth it. Without that, we're lost."

Ultimately, the Rebellion needs people like Luthen and Cassian to make not only the physical sacrifice, but the moral one as well (noting our first introduction to Cassian is him killing an informant so he can escape) - people who play the Empire's game so Luke can ultimately reject the Emperor's.

But I had mixed feelings on the Mon Mothma storyline. It feels a bit off for Luthen to be her entrée into the Rebellion, when we know she’s been on the ground from the very beginning with the Petition of the 2000 (cut from ROTS, but still canon I assume). She just felt very isolated and fragile which is at odds with her quiet steel that we see in Return of the Jedi and Rogue One. I could maybe see this Mon in the early dark days, but only 5 years before ANH? A scene with Bail Organa would not have gone amiss just to give breadth to her rebellious activities.

We get to see Luthen visit Saw Gerrara on Segra Milo, why not give Mon a scene with Bail to show she has other irons in the fire rather than relying on Luthen? In Saw we see the rough and tumble of disparate rebel factions, I would have liked to see the political machinations of Mon and Bail to serve the metaphor even further.

She is more than just a bank for the rebellion, and I think in the effort to contrast Luthen and Mon there was a bit of disservice done to the latter.

And Mon’s loser husband - ugh. Okay they’re in some kind of arranged marriage but there’s very little substance, nothing us particularly revealed about Mon by including him. Other than her cleverly using his gambling debts to deflect her rebellion spending at the end, the story wouldn’t really have changed by him not existing, and in fact would have been improved by focusing more on Mon’s difficult relationship with her daughter.

But on a purely shallow note, I want her wardrobe!

Dedra Meero and Syril Karn

In some ways Cassian and Syril are the narrative foils and there are parallels between them - their conflict instigated in the first episodes, their maternal relationships, both essentially exiles for the middle section before both end up back on Ferrix where Cassian saves Bix and Syril saves Dedra. But I feel Syril and Dedra work better as mirrors, and their arcs also parallel and intersect.

In the Empire, Dedra and Syril are two sides of the other coin (there's quite a few coins in this metaphor). Regimes need bureaucracy, and you have the true believers, the status-climbers, and those just going along to get along. In Dedra we have the talented star of the prestigious Imperial Security Bureau, and in Syril the over eager Corporate Security officer, two arms of the Empire’s control, although the latter we see becoming obsolete as the former gains more control.

But they're both middlemen who chafe against the inaction of their superiors, both desperate to rise above their station (although those stations are quite far apart). Throughout the series their plots are mostly in parallel; they are reflections of each other without even having met.

It's uncomfortable to watch both of them on screen - all unblinking stares, sucked in cheeks, and pursed lips - fittingly repellent. I’m surprised Gilroy has said he wrote Dedra to be relatable - she skeeved me out from the first, someone clearly ready to step over anyone and everyone if it served her purposes rather than someone gradually drawn further into an authoritarian regime. There's the slight subtext of sexism - there's only one other women in the ISB briefing and Pendergast alludes to it, but that certainly didn't engender any sympathy or admiration from me.

In episode 7 Syril’s mother Eedy says “Everything says something, Syril” and chastises him about tailoring his uniform (just as he did in the first episode, a neat little character tell), and immediately after we see Dedra donning her uniform perfectly in sync with the rest of the ISB. He’s trying to stand out from the crowd, she’s trying to fit in - or, from a different perspective, Syril adjusts his collar to resemble the Imperial style as a signifier of where he wants to be, while Dedra is already there and still looking higher.

But both are thinking outside the rigid Imperial lines and command structures, both on the hunt for Cassian - although for Syril it's personal and Dedra it's about climbing the ranks. Both take it upon themselves to investigate against orders, but Syril’s attempts are clumsy and random while Dedra’s are clinical and targeted.

She identifies that “systems either change or die” to push the ISB’s fragmented and bureaucratic inefficiencies into a cohesive power structure, but while it wins her approval it doesn’t earn her any loyalty; her troops abandon her to the mob on Ferrix. Inexplicably though, Syril does manage to gain the loyalty of Sergeant Mosk, who was also punished for the initial blunder on Ferrix, but ultimately draws Syril back there to in search of Cassian.

The point at which they first intersect in episode 8, Dedra is on an upswing, she holds the power and sends Syril further down, but when they meet again in episode 11, the roles are reversed as he is the one to save her from the mob.

I just hope they’re going somewhere more interesting than his creepy crush.

Vel Sartha and Cinta Kaz

One of the major faults of Rogue One was its Smurfette Syndrome, where Jyn is a great female character surrounded by men, but Andor has pleasingly course corrected from this. See what happens when you don’t have one woman having to embody everything and bear the weight of her entire gender in the narrative (and therefore, also bear the criticism)? Andor happily treats its women as characters, not faux-empowering meme-fodder. Although there is perhaps some valid commentary that it’s still white women on the whole - Dedra, Mon, Vel, Maarva - who get the meatier roles, and I have my issues with Mon’s characterisation, but one thing I will give Disney LFL credit for is it’s ongoing efforts towards gender parity.

In Vel and Cinta we have two more sides of insurgency - from wealth and privilege in Vel, the cousin of Mon Mothma struggling with the weight of it all, to Cinta with her cold fire and unwavering drive, her family killed by stormtroopers and for whom the struggle will always come first.

Cinta’s cool reserve is a contrast to Vel’s nerves (as seen in the Aldhani raid); they’re coming from very different places even if their cause is the same. There may even be a bit of classism in the subtext - Vel leads the mission on Aldhani after asking for the mission from Luthen, when really Cinta is the one who is most committed, and she has to push Vel though several times when she falters.

Vel still has one foot in the Imperial world and the complications of rebellious machinations - worried for Mon and her family, wanting to prove herself to Luthen, jockeying with Kleya - but for Cinta none of that matters, she loves Vel but there's often a sense she's disappointed in her. There's a dichotomy within Cinta - she's not unfeeling, showing kindness to Cassian when he joins their group, yet accepting the mission to kill him later without hesitation.

It seems to me that Cinta is the revolutionary Vel wants to be but can't quite divest herself of enough to become - the metaphor is made explicit with these two - Cinta tells Vel: “I’m a mirror. You love me because I show you what you need to see.”

Which is a pretty interesting dynamic, especially as a romantic one, and I’m interested to see where it will go (and hope that Cinta will get more focus, even though I do love Vel a lot too).

Their storyline did run out of steam by the end through, was there any point to either of these characters being on Ferrix at the end? It very much felt like all the plot lines were being forced to intersect at the climax without all of them necessarily needing to. Although Cinta stabbing that guy in the heart was pretty cathartic.

Bix Callen, Maarva Andor, and Ferrix

I loved Ferrix as a location, with its own distinct aesthetic, culture, and populace - the work gloves all hung on the wall, the metal tapping warning system, the daily hammer and anvil (the Time Grappler, according to Wookieepedia), funerary practices. etc. The first few episodes set up Cassian’s community on Ferrix which we come full circle on in the final two, but I did have some trouble keeping track of who was who at that point.

It is interesting that the trope of “just another brick in the wall” is turned on its head here - rather than representing a cog in the machine, in Ferrix ashes of the deceased are mixed with brick and added to a wall in remembrance - a literal touchstone for Cassian as he remembers his adoptive father Clem. A wall is strong, a bulwark against outside forces, and every brick added makes it stronger. Stones dropped in a pond, bricks built into a wall - reminders of the dead that spur the will to fight.

I do love the relationship between Maarva and Cassian, especially in a franchise that has never really had an interest in mothers and sons. And we have another mirror in the overcritical and cold relationship between Syril and Eedy as the inverse of Cassian’s complicated but loving one with Maarva - contrast the reception Syril gets when he returns home to the one Cassian gets from Maarva, as ultimately Eedy's pointed disappointment is sharp where Maarva's is borne from love and concern for Cassian.

But again there’s a disconnect with the history we’re shown - Maarva and Clem kidnap/save Kassa from Kenari but we don’t really get any sense of how Cassian feels about it or the connection he has to his heritage/childhood. I’m not saying I need everything spelled out, but sometimes I feel the show does err too much on the side of subtext, and as a result we don’t delve as deep into some of the relationships as we could have. Even her final message to Cassian - that she loves him more than anything he could ever do wrong - is a beautiful sentiment, but is it earned? He hasn't really done anything wrong, arguably she did wrong by him by taking him from Kenari but it's never even mentioned, it doesn’t even seem to be a factor in their relationship as adults.

On the other hand, I didn’t mind the treatment of the post-romantic relationship between Cassian and Bix - there’s a sense of history there but it didn’t need to be explored further. Bix's involvement in the Rebellion is interesting though, it's implied she was recruited by Kleya through the black market but are her motives purely profit or does she have rebellious fervor? Luthen knows of Cassian through Bix - did she see him as a candidate for the Rebellion or just another person from whom Luthen could obtain tech? What piqued Luthen's interest from what Bix said about him?

I don't think all these questions need answers, but it is unfortunate that she does get a bit Damseled, spending most of the runtime threatened, captured, and then tortured. On the other hand, there's less to criticise in employing that trope when it's not the only one at work and the breadth of female characters on the show.

I do wonder if we will see Bix, Brasso, and B2EMO again though, or if they’re a part of Cassian’s past he had to leave behind to fully commit himself to the Rebellion.

On nostalgia, fanservice, and the state of the Star Wars universe

A tangent into my frustrations with the sequel trilogy, skip if you’re allergic to salt.

Andor has been lauded for its lack of fanservice, although I’d actually argue it’s a show that (perhaps despite Gilroy's intention) is rooted in nostalgia. Well, perhaps not nostalgia per se, but it’s a show that relies on the audience’s knowledge and affection of Rogue One and the Original Trilogy, and it’s successful because it manages to feel authentic and fulfilling rather than ham-fisted and overly meta - a story set in the Star Wars universe, not about the Star Wars universe.

I know Gilroy intended this to be able to stand alone, but would the story have the same resonance if we weren't aware where Cassian's path leads, that the efforts and actions of Mon and Luthern, Vel and Cinta, Nemik, Bix and Kleya, are ultimately justified? Perhaps it would work in a generic sci-fi setting rather than the GFFA, but would we feel as much watching it? Personally, I think not.

Because nostalgia isn’t inherently bad. It’s a vital part of how we consume media - the stories that resonate with us in childhood will continue to resonate in adulthood because they are foundational, it's a shortcut to that incredible feeling of discovering something new that's nonetheless something very old. It's partly why Star Wars was such a success in the first place - a mix of myth and fairy tale, matinee serial and Kurosawa - a familiar story told in a new way. And like in Hadestown, "we're gonna sing it again and again."

The problem with nostalgia is when it’s empty; window dressing intended to evoke that feeling but without any substance behind it, so it feels cheap and unsatisfying. Andor doesn’t completely escape from this (blue milk, mouse droid), but most inclusions feel organic.

Sometimes I think we go to far decrying fanservice, and of course it's subjective - as I like to say, everyone hates it until they’re the fan being serviced. But there is criticism, and then there's dismissing any references to existing material as mere "fanservice" and therefore contemptible. For example, I’ve seen the treatment of Luke, Han, and Leia in the sequel trilogy defended because to actually have them interact at all would be “silly fanservice” rather than natural because, you know, they’re family.

The difference, for me, is does inclusion of a known character/object/trope/line of dialogue serve the character and/or story, or is it Leo DiCaprio pointing meme, designed for “hey it’s the thing” nostalgia and YouTube compilations with no substance behind it? Ultimately, is the inclusion Watsonian or Doylist - and if the latter, what of the former justifies it.

Mon Mothma or Saw Gerrara in Andor doesn’t feel like fanservice even though they’re existing characters, because it makes sense to include them in a story about the Rebellion’s beginning and they had a part to play in Rogue One, to which Andor is ostensibly a prequel. Conversely Leia and Vader’s inclusion in Obi-Wan Kenobi (even if I did enjoy them both) tip over in the side of fanservice because they really have no place in Obi-Wan’s story at that point and require fanwanking around their dialogue in ANH (and to be fair, Lucas was guilty of this as well). I don’t need to see random object or minor character no 6 from the PT/OT/Clone Wars, iconic catch phrase shoved where it doesn’t make sense, or obscure Legends reference divorced from context, just tell me a good story! Give me characters to care about! Make me feel something! Andor did that, where much of the other Disney Star Wars content has not.

This is my fundamental, and possibly at this point, irreconcilable, issue. Disney wanted to get away from Lucas-associated Star Wars as quickly as possible, replacing every character, planet, and theme with their own wholly Disney counterpart, killing off Han, Luke, and Leia so the old and classic couldn’t distract from the shiny and new, tearing down the conclusion of the original trilogy only to try and tell the exact same story (just not as well). They did it so quickly and so shoddily that many were understandably unsatisfied, leaving Disney to frantically course correct, going back to the well and shoving nostalgia bait into every conceivable project even (especially) if it had no place.

If they’d actually had any sort of plan for the sequel trilogy, if they’d made their focus to conclude the Skywalker Saga in a way that even approached emotional resonance, imo the vast majority of the audience would be happy to move on and embrace the next chapter - new characters, new stories. But people can’t move on from the characters they love because the treatment of those characters and the post-ROTJ timeline was so unsatisfying. Luke wouldn’t have needed to show up in The Mandolorian to try and placate the fans if treatment of the character in the ST hasn’t been so abysmal.

So LFL have been stuck in this weird ancillary storytelling space, where every project seemingly needs to be adjacent to the Skywalker Saga but not actually engaging with the Saga direct - Han has a prequel film no one asked for, Rey is a Skywalker for name recognition only, Luke pops up in pointless cameos but isn’t there when he arguably should be (just recast the damn role already!), we get young Leia in a story where she has no place rather than in one she does, who knows what’s going on with the whole Ashoka/Thrawn/Heir to the Empire stuff, Boba Fett is There with a parade of Hey it’s that character/ship/thing with no contribution to the actual storytelling.

What does this have to do with Andor? Well, Andor is perhaps the only quality tv product of the Disney era, which is fitting since Rogue One is imo the only quality film of the Disney era (TFA being retroactively diminished by what came after). Andor is the type of story Star Wars should be telling - expanding the universe, using known elements and characters where it makes sense to do so, not a collection of ideas on a whiteboard thrown in front of an LED screenstage and a bunch of meaningless easter eggs.

To be fair, this does seem what they are attempting to do with The Acolyte (which I am actually enjoying!) but the planned Rey-focused post-ST film…eh. Admittedly I never bothered to watch Rise of Skywalker, but where can the story possibly go? Is there any investment at all after the mess that was the sequel trilogy? I can’t see how the narrative can possibly be redeemed at this point, which is a shame because I do believe it started with a lot of promise in The Force Awakens that was squandered by a lack of vision, planning, and oversight, and the bizarre need to brutalise and kill off the legacy characters, marginalise the genuinely original and interesting new characters, and waste the immense acting talent they had at their disposal.

They’ve made no meaningful in-universe progress after the ST, the New Republic and Jedi have to be rebuilt again, except Rey is going to do it this time somehow, so what what the point of the last 30 years in the timeline? It’s different with Andor - we know where his story ends, but the series only makes Cassian’s sacrifice stronger, there’s emotional resonance in seeing his journey to Rogue One in knowing that it’s in service of the overall victory of the Rebellion (however undermined that victory is made by the ST).

But I digress. This rant really ended up being kind of off topic - apologies.

Anyway. Andor is good! I liked it! Looking forward to season 2!

[legobiwan]

so glad you came around to watching andor! it's a fantastic show, and probably takes the crown for best piece of disney-era sw media. though personally, i disagree that there are themes relating to criticism of the jedi's role in the fall of the republic like there are in TCW. what i took away from the show (w/ respect to order 66) was how /removed/ it was from the classic fantasy baked into the star wars mythos. the jedi, their philosophies, the light/dark of the force, are all noticeably missing (it's even a far cry from rogue one, where we do see belief in the jedi/the force in chirrut). andor gives a very cutting commentary on how fascism is able to wipe out cultures, history, and identity. the lack of the jedi's presence is a statement on how the empire has already erased a whole culture from the fabric of the galaxy—and will continue to do so across many other planets in order to enforce its rule (thus giving a very solid backing as to how the jedi become a myth after just 20 years). again, this is my take on it—and it is neat when star wars is open to different readings of it like this

also, wall of text aside, who's your favorite character from the show? mine is, surprisingly enough, saw (who is finally being done justice by a SW media that recognizes what he's doing is necessary, lmao)

Oh, I definitely agree, anon, that Andor did not directly (or consciously) address the issues of the Jedi. That is an extended reading, from my standpoint, but one I'll stand by. But yes, one of the many strengths of Andor is that there was not a single lightsaber lit nor any reference to the Force. The characters of Andor lived and died by the strength of their humanity (or being-iality, as Andor was lacking in non-human races until we hit Coruscant lower levels, but we probably know why, don't we).

What I'm really interested in is your comment about how removed Andor is from the fantasy (Force) elements of Star Wars and this brings me to how we can possibly reconcile the two. I personally loved the fact that we got away from the Jedi and the Force and all of that for a purely political show, but how can something like Rebels make a touchstone with Andor? I could forsee a conflict with any ex-Jedi being asked to use their powers for a purpose that would further the Rebellion, but perhaps seen as "Dark Side," and be curious as to where that conversation would go.

With the Empire having wiped out the Jedi as a religion, where do Light and Dark stand anymore? (I dearly wish questions like this had been addressed in the Kenobi show). If your culture is obliterated (and the Jedi were a culture and a religion and so much more), how do you redefine this? (No wonder Luke was lost and gave it up for farming milk on some forgotten island. That is a hell of a legacy to inherit).

Okay, that's my wall of text :D Honestly, I think my favorite character is Mon Mothma in this series. She is treading this absolute highwire and ends up sacrificing everything she has for the Rebellion with a smile and drink in her hand and just, god damn. I was enraptured every time she came on screen.

[jedi-enthusiast]

Alright dude, I'm responding and then I'm gonna ask you to please get the fuck off of my blog because I don't have the patience to deal with someone whose only argument is basically- "well that doesn't count" -or- "nuh uh" -whenever I make logically sound arguments.

Which, side note, if the only thing you can do when faced with an argument that disproves yours is change the goalposts and refuse to actually respond to the majority of my points, then maybe you're just wrong and refuse to admit it 🤷‍♀️

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Sure, main characters in SW tend to be Jedi, but if we're still going by the "main characters" argument then you can't criticize the Jedi, you're gonna need to get real specific on who you're talking about because the majority of the Jedi characters we see aren't main characters either---and you can't criticize the institution either because, again, it's not a "main character" or around "long enough," in your opinion.

Three movies and a show with multiple episodes centered around them don't make someone a main character? Ok then, by that logic, the only main characters in Star Wars are Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, Palpatine, and Anakin, going by Lucas-canon. No one else.

Luke, Han, Leia? Side characters.

Padme, Ahsoka, pretty much every other Jedi? Side characters.

The clones themselves? They only appear in two movies and in the show, sure they have some episodes to themselves, but they're usually side or background characters---so they don't matter either!!! Which means this whole debate is pointless!!!

Again, you either need to stick to the argument that only the main characters matter---which would mean the clones don't and so the Jedi don't have to do jack shit---or you need to stop responding to me pointing out the Senate's responsibility by saying- "nuh uh."

Next point, so being a woman immediately takes away a character's autonomy and responsibility? ...interesting that you think that, especially considering that sexism isn't really a thing in the SW universe. From what we see, gender never really comes into the equation throughout the shows and movies, not the way that things like class and age do---Leia is mocked by Han because she's a noble, not because she's a girl, Padme and Ahsoka are doubted because of their age, etc.

Not to mention that men are also equally doubted for the same things---Anakin is doubted because of his age in TPM (pod racing), Yoda is doubted because of his age (they think he's going senile), whoever the fuck Ahsoka had a crush on was doubted because he was a noble, same goes for Satine's nephew, etc.

So, again, you're basically just going- "nuh uh" -when faced with a sound argument.

And have you ever seen the show? The one with the characters you're arguing with me about? The Clone Wars? Because I can fucking list the times, let's fucking go:

The Lumen episodes, the Pantora moon episode, the episodes with Tarkin, again the episodes where people are literally protesting and bombing the Jedi, the episodes with the twins who don't like the Jedi, the episodes with Satine who vocally shits on the Jedi, and I could go on.

And I'll remind you that the galaxy cheered when the Jedi were murdered and that in Disney-canon it's shown that plenty of people actually didn't like the Jedi during the Republic and/or Empire days.

Some people loved them, yes, but not everyone and certainly not enough people to make the Senate give up their army---especially considering that most people never met a Jedi, so they wouldn't give a damn what they had to say just because they're Jedi. Again, people would be more likely to be swayed by the senators.

And why do you think it'd be fair for the Jedi to use their only "break" days, which usually aren't even breaks because usually they're just doing work on Coruscant, doing more paperwork...when the Senate and senators should be taking care of this shit?

Again, all you're doing is saying- "nuh uh" -and trying to blame the Jedi for everything rather than just admitting you were wrong when faced with a logically sound argument.

What, since Padme isn't a main character apparently, did you want Obi-Wan giving speeches in the Senate and walking around with 10 body doubles? Maybe Yoda could've been the one to give birth to Luke and Leia, since Padme doesn't matter. Palpatine should've just been having a conversation with a mirror in TPM when discussing the current Chancellor with the Queen of Naboo. Anakin was actually making out with his palm in that arena on Geonosis, and his wedding was really a hallucination brought on by the shit tons of medication he was probably on.

...

Because, yeah, Padme isn't a main character so therefore she and her actions don't count.

Maybe we could have Obi-Wan without a beard for Luke, Yoda with a gun for Han, and Palpatine in a drag for Leia since they're also not main characters---only being in three movies and all 🤷‍♀️

Could you debunk the "jedi are slavers/have slave" argument people always seem to bring up in correlation with leading the clones? Thanks in advance ! <3

Of course!!!

Firstly, while the Kaminoans say that the clones were made for the Jedi, they are actually property of the Republic---which means that, since I would agree that they're slaves even if that wasn't GL's intent, the Republic would be considered the slavers, not the Jedi.

"Oh, but Jedi-Enthusiast, the Jedi are still slavers because they're forcing them into battle-" NOPE!

The thing is, even if the Jedi could refuse to fight in the war---which is a very complicated thing, both morally and politically---the Republic would still be sending the clones to fight the Separatists, only this time without the Jedi. And, as we've seen multiple times in TCW, more clones tend to die on missions without the Jedi's help---and that the Jedi are often shown saving their men from situations where they would otherwise die or be injured.

And, as much as I enjoy the trope of "the Jedi have limited experience actually running a war, so they struggle a bit and ask for help so the Jedi and clones get closer" because of the angst and fluff potential, in canon the Jedi are shown to be very good tacticians and they're rarely shown to struggle leading their men.

All of this to say that the Jedi leading the clones actually saves more lives, and that the Jedi not leading them would mean a lot more of them die...and idk about y'all, but I don't think- "more clones should die so the Jedi stay morally pure" -is the gotcha anti-Jedi morons think it is.

Not to mention that, if the Jedi didn't lead them, the job would go to people like Tarkin---y'know the man who criticized the Jedi for not being ruthless enough and caring for their men.

Are the Jedi put in a difficult position by leading the clones? Yes.

Is fighting in the war a morally grey decision? Yes.

But are the Jedi slavers or terrible in any way for doing what they did? Absolutely fucking not.

[thatgirlinskullz]

Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 6 ***SPOILERS*** (and final thoughts)

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OHMYGOD THIS EPISODE

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

fucking hell my heart hurts

Baby Leia is still perfection and needs to be protected!! i am so happy with Vivien Lyra Blair's performance, and cannot wait to see her in more stuff. not only is she adorable, but she is soo damn good for her age!!! 💖

Baby Luke is adorable, and i'm happy with what they did with him, and Grant Feely did a great job with what he got, but i feel like they could have done more.. he barely has any lines or screentime, but then again he does it really well, still. and i am glad he wasn't the focus. tbh, cuz Leia deserves more love and screentime, she is a badass and i love how she was the focus...

speaking of badasses... AUNT FKIN BERU KICKED ASS!! holy shit!! she was so amazing, (underutilized but amazing!!) thank you Bonnie Piesse for gracing us with your presence, i love you. please come back for more!! 💖

Owen still kinda pisses me off xD i get why he's so protective, but i just don't like him.... he did do a good thing in the end by allowing Obi-Wan to meet Baby Luke and give him the present, so i guess that's fine.

moving on to other things...

Haja is still one of my favs from the show, and i wish he got more to do.. maybe in the future.. i really liked Kumail Nanjiani in this so i hope he can come back to SW one day..

Roken is actually great. he grew on me. and i rreeeeallly hope we get to see more of him in future projects.

unfortunately the Grand Inquisitor was extremely underutilized. he is wasted potential if i ever saw one.. he is such a fkin cool character and then you don't do shit with him?! what the hell?!!! 💔

aanyway...

Reva is redeemed, i guess. which.. works, i guess... i mean she was never fully on the dark side, she was tempted, and after revenge, but she was never fully turned, so i guess it makes sense to go down this route..

i really loved how they made her face her demons, face herself, face her past, and choose her own path.. for a second there i actually thought she'd commit seppuku like Hux was supposed to in the sequel trilogy... but no. she lives. she gets to move on. and build a life i guess...

would be really cool if she joined in on the rebellion or just help rescue force sensitives, trying to fully redeem herself and make up for her actions.. maaaaybe partner up with Quinlan Vos.. they would be a perfect pair: both having been on the dark side, both having lost people they cared about. they would work perfectly together imo.

now... let's talk about that fight...

OHMYGOD THAT FIGHT

my heart. it hurts. 💔😭😭😭

fkin hell...

the choreography was great, the music was great, the lighting, the lines, the emotions, it was all there. it was fkin amazing.

no, it was not as powerful as Revenge of the Sith, nothing can be that powerful. nothing can ever come close to that.. BUT it still all worked. it was so well done..

the chemistry between Obi-Wan and Anakin/Vader.. you could feel all the history and emotion behind each slash and stab..

idk if it was Hayden or one of his doubles in the suit, but goddamn they did an amazing job!! moving like that in that heavy ass suit cannot be easy, so great job to them! and thank you!! 💖💖💖

loved the way Vader was showing off how strong he is, using the saber one-handed and using the force so much... but he did switch to two-handed mode when he felt he was in over his head xD

loved how Obi-Wan regained his strength from thinking of Luke and Leia, well, mostly Leia.. thinking of them, their future, what they mean to him and to the galaxy gave him the push he needed and goddamn did he use it well.. throwing rocks at Vader to make him lose focus.. niceee

speaking of... what is it with Disney Star Wars and floating/throwing rocks? XD i get it, it's cool, but it's funny they keep using it xD

but the end of the fight was waaay to much for me...

Lucas was right when he said "It's like poetry, it rhymes" because goddamn did it rhyme. and did it break my heart.. again..

the way Obi-Wan slashes Vader's helmet and Anakin's face is shown, and his voice comes through.. a perfect parallel to Rebels when Ahsoka slashes Vader's helmet... and it hurt. it hurt so much. 💔😭😭😭😭😭

(he also said the "then you will die" line at some point like he did with Ahsoka in Rebels and that hurt me on a personal level)

the way Anakin's voice breaks through and mixes with Vader's... and says he killed Anakin.. my heart...💔😭

and even after the loss, Vader/Anakin is still obsessed with Obi-Wan, and he has to pretend that he doesn't care in front of Sidius...

speaking of... FKIN YESSS IAN MCDIARMID IS BACCK I KNEW IT FKIN HELL YESS THANK YOU FOR COMING BACK!!!!

also... they fkin left the Qui-Gon force ghost cameo to the last second, they just wanted to hurt me even more, didn't they? XD LOVED IT though

edit: alsooooo the way Obi-Wan was talking to Leia about her parents, the way he got sooo emotional talking about Padme and Anakin.. omg. it was such a good scene!! and it was also very painful but like in a good way? idk... i LOVED how he told her all these nice things about her parents, and it was enough. and i feel like Leia finally realized that she doesn't need to know more, because she HAS parents already. Breha and Bail, who love her and would do anything for her. and they ARE her parents. the way she ran to Breha proves it that she's finally content and happy with being an Organa. she doesn't need more. she is at home. she has a family. i loved that scene. 💖💖💖

.....

all in all... this is not a perfect show.. there's a LOT of wasted potential: the Grand Inquisitor, no mention of Cody or Satine, no clone war flashbacks, the episodes could have been longer to flesh out the characters more.. we could have had more of Obi-Wan in solitude.. could have had more Luke and more Beru tbh.. more Inquisitors.. the lightsaber lighting was a bit overused, (sabers have never been this bright ever xD but i guess it's fine, i get it was a stylistic choice)

there's a lot they could have done with this story, a lot of characters could have been mentioned or shown.. but overall IT IS A DAMN GOOD SHOW!!

i fully enjoyed all of it. and i loved all the performances!! i loved where they went with the story and characters. i loved how there was a lot of inspiration from Rogue One and Rebels, and Clone Wars.. with the references and some story beats.. the parallels and the rhyming.. it is all perfect imo. 💖

the emotional weight of all aspects of this story, Reva's, Anakin's, Kenobi's, Leia's, even Owen's.. it's all there and you can feel it all..

Anakin is still not fully gone, and you can sense it in every second he spends obsessing over Obi-Wan..

Obi-Wan has not fully given up, because he knows there is hope..

their reunion and rematch makes sense, and was very much needed before A New Hope, imo, it ties things together perfectly.

i am so happy that this show happened. that Ewan and Hayden got to come back and play these roles again. 💖

and, while i hope it's not the last time we see them, (although i know Hayden is gonna be in the Ahsoka show, so that's something i guess), if it is the last time, i'm happy with what we got 💖

i am happy with this show, and i am hopeful for the future of star wars.

[fruitcoops]

if you are still taking request I think that it would be so cute if lily convinced remus to go to the nail salon with her, and he was going to just get like a manicure and clear coat, and he changes his mind and comes home with his nails done sirius' favorite color as a surprise and sirius is just like dumbstruck by how much the little things remus does makes him fall even more in love with him and fluffy cuteness ensues

This is adorable! Enjoy some Loops and Lily, ft. fluffy Coops on this lovely Monday. SW credit goes to @lumosinlove!

“Remind me why I’m coming with you again?” Remus sighed as they turned the corner. “It’s just going to chip off in two days anyway.”

“Because you had a shitty weekend and deserve a hand massage,” Lily said briskly. She looped her arm through his and tucked her hand into her pocket, tilting her face up toward the sun and trusting him to guide her along the sidewalk. “You don’t have to choose colors if you don’t want to.”

“If I have to go, I’m not going to half-ass it.”

She grinned and cracked one eye open. “There’s my Remus.”

A gentle bell jingled above his head as they ducked into the shop—Lily called it a ‘salon’, which he didn’t really understand, but it sounded fancy. One woman looked up from a client’s nails and waved, then pointed to the far wall. “Pick whatever colors you’d like! I’ll be with you in a few.”

Remus stopped in his tracks. “That’s…a lot.”

Lily rolled her eyes and dragged him closer. “You’re not chickening out on me over some colors, Lupin. Which one do you like?”

“I don’t know! There’s too many!”

“There’s green,” Lily huffed, planting him in front of about three dozen different shades. “Go nuts.”

“I’m not putting green on my nails. It’ll look weird.”

“Then do red and gold!”

“That’s lame. Can’t I just watch you get yours done?”

“No,” Lily groaned. It wasn’t the first time he had asked, and likely wouldn’t be the last. “It’s about the experience, Re. If you want just a clear coat, that’s fine, but you said you—”

“—didn’t want to half-ass it, I know,” he finished with a grumble. Colors. Colors aren’t that difficult. Green would be odd, orange would be worse…

His eyes caught on a little bottle near the base of the racks. It was a plain, pretty blue; nothing special, yet calming. Sea You Later! the base read when he picked it up. Lily made an approving noise over his shoulder. “That’s cute.”

“It’s not bad.”

“Looks like Sirius’ shirt, actually. The one with the dogs on it?”

Remus rolled the bottle around for a moment. “It really does, now that you mention it. Huh.”

She patted his hip and went back to the shiny, shimmery ones on the right. “You should give it a shot.”

---------------------------------------

Painting nails took a really, really long time. Much longer than Remus was anticipating when he hesitantly rested his hands on the towel and tried not to think about how much bigger they were than Lily’s. He felt awkward in a place like this, where everyone seemed so put-together and comfortable.

His worries were quickly dispelled when the nail artist began rubbing the tension from his joints with peony-scented lotion; he immediately relaxed into her touch, letting the calluses from sticks and weights be soothed. Judging from her pleased hum when she inspected his nails, he hadn’t accidentally been butchering them his whole life—the scrape of the nail file made him grimace, but she didn’t have to do much before a coat of clear polish went on.

“It’s a protector,” Lily said at his confused look. “So your nails stay healthy and don’t turn yellow.”

“This is a lot more complicated than I thought it would be,” Remus muttered as he stuck his hands underneath the miniature fan.

The nail artist laughed as she rolled her chair to Lily’s station. “First time?”

“Yeah. I can’t imagine you get a lot of guys in here.”

She shrugged. “More than you’d think, I bet. There’s nothing wrong with wanting your hands to look nice, and a pop of color never hurt anybody.”

“Good point.”

The clear polish—base coat, Lily said with a teasing smile—dried quickly, and soon two perfect layers of blue shone under the bright lamp. Lily’s design was much more complex than his own, with shimmery bits and spiraled paint, but he liked the simplicity. It even matched his socks.

Lily and the nail artist chatted the whole time, swapping stories about summer activities and everything that had happened since she last visited; Remus waited patiently with his fingertips under the fan and people-watched as the sun grew higher in the sky.

After an hour, they were finally done, and Remus couldn’t stop rubbing his hands together as they headed back outside until Lily smacked his arm. “Stop it, you look like a Disney villain.”

“I’m sorry, they’re just so soft!” He brought his hands to his face and breathed in the soft floral scent. “Here, feel.”

“I’m not going to feel your hands.”

“Feel them.” When she shook her head and kept walking, he jogged ahead and held them out, palms-up. “Lily! Feel my hands!”

“Alright, fine!” she laughed, grabbing them both. Her eyebrows rose. “Damn, they are soft.”

“Told you so.”

“That color looks really good on you, too.”

“Yeah?” Remus looked down at the polish again, smiling to himself. There was just something about them that made him happy. “They match my socks.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope.” He reached down and pulled his pantleg up, startling a snort out of Lily.

“You’re ridiculous,” she said as she linked their arms again. “Did you have fun?”

“It was nice,” Remus said with a shrug. “I don’t know if I’ll go back a lot, but I had a good time listening to you two talk.”

Lily nodded, looking quite self-satisfied. “Good. I bet Sirius will get a kick out of them.”

“You think so?”

“For sure. He always likes mine.”

Remus thought back to the many, many times Lily had displayed her freshly-done nails to them with great pride; Sirius did have a penchant for colorful and sparkly things, after all. Why should his ordinary blue nails be any different?

Lily made sure to take an obligatory Instagram photo of their hands before they entered the house, then immediately laid out in front of the fan by the back door while she uploaded it. “Hey, Lily, it’s good to see you, too,” Sirius said drily as he came in from the backyard. “I’m good, thanks for asking. It’s pretty hot out there, but—”

“Shut up,” she laughed, grabbing the back of his ankle when he stepped over her. “Where’s my lover?”

“Your husband is tormenting my dog,” he called over his shoulder before winding his arms around Remus’ waist for a kiss. “Bonjour, mon amour.”

“Hey, you.” Remus bumped their noses together with a grin he could never even try to hold down. “You know how I never half-ass things?”

“Mhmm.”

He held his fingers up. “Ta-da!”

“Oh, pretty.” Sirius’ eyes went wide as he took one of Remus’ hands. “Your hands are so soft!”

“I know, right?”

“He made me feel them!” Lily groaned from the floor. “It was so weird.”

“You love it!” Remus shot back before leaning onto his tiptoes to kiss Sirius’ forehead. “I figured you’d like the blue.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t do green.”

Heat rose to his cheeks, and it had nothing to do with the sunshine. “It’s your favorite color, right? Not too green, not too purple. Reminded me of you.”

Sirius’ eyes grew impossibly soft and he cupped Remus’ jaw, pulling him in for an unhurried kiss that melted his brain into his toes. “Je t’aime.”

“Love you, too,” he breathed. His face was definitely redder than a fire engine by that point, but he hardly cared.

There was a light squeeze around his hand. “These look really nice.”

A spark of joy lit in Remus’ chest. “I’m glad you like it.”

“Ugh, love,” Lily scoffed, despite the fact that James was pressing a million and one kisses to her neck as he hugged her from behind. 6

Sirius thumped his forehead on Remus’ collarbone. “You are the worst sister-in-law of all time.”

“I know,” she said with a smug smile, tilting her head to kiss James’ cheek. “Hi, lover.”

“Hi. Your nails are so beautiful.”

“I didn’t get them in your favorite color. Sorry.”

“I’ll never recover,” James sighed. “Well, at least we’re not a terrible rom-com cliché.”

Remus flipped him off over Sirius’ shoulder; the nail polish gave the gesture a little extra oomph that certainly canceled out the grin that made his whole face ache.

[rise-above-the-grave]

[smashes down door] who is Bail and why do you like him? I could look it up but I'd rather you gush over him

OH BOY.

So first off, a quick (canon) history lesson: Bail Organa was the Senator and Viceroy (aka Prince Consort) of Alderaan. If you don't know what that means (because old titles are Weird - I'm not judging the only reason I know this is because of this very character), it means that Breha, Bail's wife, is ruling Queen of Alderaan and was the heir to the throne. She married Bail, making him a ruler by marriage, though technically she still held the crown. He, at some point, was also elected Senator of Alderaan, and was Senator leading up to and during The Clone Wars (and after, but we're getting to that).

So Bail, we come to find out, became (best) friends with Padmé Amidala. We see him in a couple of scenes in Attack of the Clones with Padmé, just kinda vibing and making the occasional commentary. We know he stood with her on the Opposition bill (the bill Padmé was nearly killed over at the beginning of AOTC, which was against the formation of a Republic military), though we don't learn much about the rest of his politics until later.

So he's kinda...there, but obvs isn't the focus of the story, and is really just a minor background character. The first real insight we get into Bail is, actually, a really tiny character moment right at the end of AOTC, when Palpatine and some of the Senators are looking down at the Clone troops loading up onto the ship, watching their new military gear up for war.

Bail looks away. While everyone else is staring down at the (slave) army, some of them smiling (like Sheev), some of them just serious, Bail looks away from them and makes this tiny little hand gesture: a simple, closed fist knocking against the banister of the balcony.

It's this, I think, that first piqued my interest in this character. He was the only one not triumphant in that situation. He was the only one who saw things for what they were: a tragedy, and a horror, and that this wasn't something to celebrate but to mourn.

Then we come to Revenge of the Sith, and boy howdy. The man may have like 10 minutes of screen time, but does he make those 10 minutes count!

A quick bullet point of the Important Things Bail Does in ROTS:

When the Jedi Temple is burning, what does Bail do? He flies to it to figure out what's going on and see if he can save anyone. He then watches as a youngling is shot and killed by Clone Troopers, and manages to escape because he's a fucking badass.

Please note, to our knowledge, Bail is the only one who actually goes to check on the Jedi Temple.

As soon as he escapes the Temple, Bail immediately - like immediately - takes his ship and goes to find any surviving Jedi. He is almost certainly the reason both Yoda and Obi-Wan don't walk into the trap that is the Jedi Temple, or are captured - and even if that's not true, he most definitely is the reason they manage to sneak safely onto Coruscant and figure out what happened.

He's the one who rescues Yoda (again) after Yoda's failed duel with Palpatine in the Senate. Which, let me rant about the SYMBOLISM of that for a second please. Because holy shit, the entire duel between Yoda and Palpatine takes place in the Senate, with the Senate building and pods. Here Palpatine proves to Yoda that yes, he is the Senate, he controls it, the new Empire is under his control and no one can stop him. But then - but then - Yoda escapes, and who saves him? Bail. Bail sneaks in with a speeder, saves Yoda, and gets him back to safety. Which is such a huge fucking metaphor for the fact that Bail will be the one who, ultimately, is responsible for Palpatine's defeat. But, more on that later.

Bail is there when Padmé (remember, his best friend) gives birth to Luke and Leia. Bail is literally one of 3 sentients in the galaxy who canonically knows about both Luke and Leia.

Bail instantly offers to adopt one of the children, saying "She will be loved with us." (And then she absolutely is.)

And he does all of that in line 10 minutes of screen time.

He shows up again briefly in Star Wars Rebels, and again in Rogue One, but I'm going to take a trip down a side alley here into a territory that is grossly unused in the SW EU: the founding of the Rebellion.

So we don't actually know much about how the Rebellion got started. What we do know is that Bail was one of the (if not the main) Founders. Bail was the mastermind behind the Rebellion, by all accounts knowing...everything about it: who was who, who did what, where they were located, etc. He knows (and controls) Fulcrum in Rebels, as just one example, and Fulcrum is considered by that text to be one of the most powerful Rebel operatives at the time. In Rogue One (regardless of whether you liked what they did with the Rebellion which, side note, I did not), we see he certainly has a position of great authority and power. People respect him, and listen to him, and he's on an even footing with Mon Mothma (or Mom Mothma as my autocorrect tried to say) who is canonically one of the most powerful people in the Rebellion, according to ROTJ.

More than what he did, though, we can look to his character as a reason I love him. He is a good, kind, honorable man who does (or at least tries) his best. We see again and again, throughout all of SW media he's in, that he consistently chooses the right path, regardless of whether or not it's the easy one. He fights corruption, fights for justice, fights for freedom, fights against tyranny.

He is also, canonically, an amazing father and (according to EU content, since Breha literally doesn't have a spoken line in any media content) an incredible husband. We know he's well-loved by his people, and by the Rebellion, by the extraneous texts and mentions about him in the wake of his death on Alderaan. He's also respected by many Senators during his time in the Clone Wars (Padmé makes a comment in a TCW episode about how he's the best and most respected speaker and Senator she knows), and regardless of how people felt about him after the Rise of the Empire (which is, unfortunately - or fortunately maybe, because I don't trust Disney to do it right - up to headcanon), the fact remains that Bail played an incredibly tricky position as an Imperial Senator, having to balance fighting for his people, the people of the galaxy, and setting up the Rebellion, with not making himself too much of a nuisance, or too much of a traitor, that Palpatine straight up had him executed.

Which, speaking of that, can we also take a moment to appreciate the fact that Bail knew almost every single secret that Palpatine and Vader wanted??? He knew where Obi-Wan was, and possibly where Yoda was. He knew where both of Anakin and Padmé's children were. He knew everything about the fledgling Rebellion. Like...that man, had he been captured and interrogated (and had he broken) would have damned the entire galaxy. Yet he never was. He played his cards perfectly, and was either never suspected, or was able to somehow hide all of the information they wanted to know from being found. Personally, I suspect a mixture of the two.

Furthermore, Bail Organa is a great father and husband. He is directly responsible for Leia being the amazing woman we know and love. The one shot we get of Breha, you can practically see and feel the love and adoration Bail has for her radiating off of him through the screen. Literally the most unproblematic ship in Star Wars. I have never seen a single person say they aren't amazing (unless they just want to break them up to make Bail gay? Which, come on, bisexual and polyamorous people exist, y'all. But that's a talk for another time).

If you're still not convinced, the only thing left that I can say is: I'm a raging lesbian and like, while I definitely wouldn't fuck him, Bail/Jimmy Smits (his actor) is handsome. Have some pictures that I have saved on my phone for when I'm feeling sad.

Tl;dr: Bail Organa is singlehandedly responsible for putting into motion the events that secure the galaxy's freedom, not only by being one of the founding fathers of the Rebellion, but also by reaching Yoda and Obi-Wan before the new Empire can, and getting them safely to Coruscant. He is a good, kind, and noble man who does his best in shitty times, and even if he has to make hard choices, he always makes them for the right reasons. He is a loving father, husband, and ruler, who does right by his people and his family. He fights for what's right, even when that fight is nearly impossible. He's a badass, and arguably a literal genius (you'd have to be, to do the kinds of things he does in canon).

Anyway, Bail Organa is great and I love him - and you should too.

[knightotoc]

Anakin Blogging:

What’s the right order to watch the SW movies? KnightOTOC Ranks the SW Movies Why Ahsoka’s S7 Lightsabers are Blue ”I cannot interfere” Sometimes I draw Buzz Lightyear Luke Father-son or brothers? My favorite part of Wookieepedia the Skywalker name Content between TPM and AotC  Helmet: A Star Wars Story Rey Anakin parallel Fresh Salted Hunk from the Deli Devil’s Contract AU An Explanation Are gifs libel or slander? Higher Ground Blogging Lars Quell Name Game Anakin’s Ghost Bum Out Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth) Mind-Blowing Organizational Tool The Reaction You Requested Brad Pitt Cameo Can’t Explain, I think it’s Love My 3 Fave Characters Ever Worth its Weight in Gold Dark Middle Chapters My Curse It’s outrageous, it’s unfair Facts and Opinions Would these items work instead? Space Cowboys Diegetic Opera Lady Minnesota Update High-Maintenance Boyfriends Ranked + Part 2 Reconnaissance! This Guy + Part 2 Mirror Universe Karen Do Ben-Hur Again! Young, Dumb, and Full of Midichlorians Happy Birthday! + Part 2 My Ani Cosplay Best Title Crawl in Star Wars Low Poly Ani Hayden Voice + Hayden and Natalie Voices

Love That Maul:

I’m not a Sith Maul’s will Jedi Maul AU + Part 2 Impress the Bridgers “I was hoping for Kenobi” Poor Evil Gay Men "There IS no ‘US!’” Memes for the Old Master Awkward Zelda is the Boy 🙏Manifesting🙏

Other Prequels Stuff:

You’re reckless, little one (Except Shmi) “That’s...why I’m here.” Padme 🤝 Destiel Sith Obi-Wan AU Yikes High Republic Thoughts Pink and Blue Wat Tambor Theory I’m a weirdo. I don’t fit in. Korkie! Actually I Want at Least 20 Prequels Discourse by Layer Rush Clovis Sideblog? My Evil Wife Ahsoka, Artorias, and Gerard Way Wait...We’re All Handmaidens!

I care about the Knights of Ren:

Illustrated Knights of Ren Headcanons The Baddest Boys of TRoS are Friends  another Knight of Ren theory (with evidence)  Avril of Ren Evil Monkey: Origins Poor Old TRoS Let’s split up, gang, and search for clues! vs Hux

Gay/Emo Shit About Han Solo

Solo is Sad, Too Solo 2 Solo Fandom the FOUNDATIONAL Rare Pair Han Feelings Chewie Feelings

Thinking about Mando:

Gallery review The Rise and Fall of Baby Yoda Coming at You from 2002 The line must be drawn here! This far, no further! Target Audience Mwahahahahaha + Meme + Part 2 Always Read the Comments Madeline just said “pooh pooh!” Warrior Gentleman Ouch, right in the niche! Yes he means ALL Mandalorians Put That Thing Back Where it Came From

Other Disney Star Wars Stuff:

Hierarchy of Needs + Part 2 Finnrey White Feminism Rogue Won LASaT Seriously Though, Where’s Ezra? Always Read the Comments, Bot Edition Cussin’ Anime Predictions My TFA Joke Revenge of the Jedi Promises, Promises

Gamer KnightOTOC:

Old Republic Wars Timeline Worth Fuckin Zeffo OTP YTTD = KotOR 2 Imaginary Sadness of Imaginary World + Part 2 Branching Paths  Less Famous Sherlock Holmeses Hot Takes from my Kitten

Other Star Wars Stuff:

Last Thoughts Masterlist SW cartoons as meals I will never read this again My strongest Star Wars opinion Special Force Abilities Trek AU Top 11′s Balosar blogging Star Wars Writing Women Don’t bet against the house 20 Hot Takes Girls and Siths Vibing with Russ + Part 2 + Part 3 Powerpoint I’ve read approx. 10000 comics about this MY GIRL + AGAIN! + MY SON Ghostwritten by Cham Syndulla Mom Protagonists Dooku makes no damn sense...Compels me, though + Another List Starring Dooku A Daily Occurance + Part 2 + Part 3 Nostalgia and Ending a Franchise + Some Girls Planet Misandry Krayt’s Eye Color Continuity Small Companions Crossover #1 + Crossover #2

Catawampus from Star Wars:

Favorites Writing + Part 2 + Part 3 Senseless Violence MY ARM!!! Goodbye, Sheev Mashups for the faves Your SW Cameo Name Ahsoka’s suitors Ahsoka Fanart! My Mantra / My Better Mantra Fictionsonas SW Haters vs Trek Haters Darth Maul Prints They really are pretty useless Evolving Tastes The Gay Agenda Holorcon Boss Nass Kitty Balance in the Force KnightOTOC’s Official DNI There’s some good in...that! Ponchos: A Star Wars Story Fan edit of Maul vs Ahsoka Zabrak Padme Darth Hanna-Barbera It’s good, I like it Man After Midnight Snips protecting Skyguy Halloween cover of Battle of Heroes Come to the Dark Side... The Youngliest Youngling of Them All Hello, Sheev the OoOoOoOoOne! this looks better on mobile EU joke attempt (rough draft) Luke x Lando song! “Legacy Characters” Vivid Dream + Another One “Bill it to the Republic!” Maul and Ezra But They’re Cats Anakin vs Lancelot at Being Problematic  Ongoing Poll grumble grumble Quinlan feelings Uncle Oni Blogging Part 1 - Part 2 Christmas OT3 How to Make ANY Sci-fi Good Subtweet How I’m Feeling So Intellectual Give in to your cringe! Prepositions Stretched Past their Limit Panicking Skywalker It’s called “art,” Kolara + Part 2 It’s no Seagulls, but still good My Favorite Trope + More Trope Stuff Underrated Joke imo My Demands! Spoonerism Wifeless Wife Guys 3 Guesses

[parjaisquadpartysquad]

Star Wars Visions Episode reviews (Spoiler Free)

Very nice color palette, very good coeorgaphy. It's inspirations are very clear and it's a very nice blending of the genres. What a great homage to old Ronin movies, such a great oremise for star wars [9/10]

Nice music, not too action heavy, but a nice self contained story [6/10]

Trigger?? What are you doing here?! Who said you could make better Star Wars than Disney?? Don't get me wrong it still falls into some of Triggers usually bad habits. But it's still damn entertaining. Especially the end [8/10]

Haha pretty ladies... oh no, the war...Oh NO not the pretty Lady! *Gasp* the other pretty lady!!! She's doing cool shit!! Yoo!! YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!Someone give Kinema Citrus a Star Wars show rn. Their art style is gorgeous [10/10]

Production I.G. what are you doing here?!?! Who said you could make better Star Wars than Disney??! God, I.G.s budget and writing skill attached to SW is such a great combo. Such a well done episode. Great plot, amazing character design, wonderful action, such a well done blending of Star Wars and Anime. [10/10]

Yooo this is a sick art style!! Very cute. What a nice cute story about a professor and his robot son. Wait, what's this? why am I sad now?! [8/10]

Trigger!!! What are you doing here again?!! Is this where you put your A-Team?! this isn't your usual style, gosh this is lovely. I love the plot, the lore of this new world is fun. Character interactions are great. Weird to see an agreeable Padawan after so much of Anakin and Ahsoka. Sick as Hell action, I cannot get enough of these samurai Jedi/Sith, it's such a wonderful combination of asthetics, the choreography of a samurai lightsaber duel is so amazing [10/10]

Okay. If you watch just one episode of Visions, this has to be it. I don't know what it is, but this is the purist combination of Anime and Star Wars there is, it honestly just feels like if Star Wars had originated from Japan [11/10]

Yes yes yes yes yes!!!!!! YES!!!! It's anakin but told shorter, would have loved to have seen it resolved better but still a fun episode. [7/10]

In summary, this has been a wonderful project I am beyond happy with the results, of course my scores are completely arbitrary, I was looking for action, fun combos, and something new, I'm sure anyone else who watches these will slightly differ from me. And when I say watch the 8th episode, I mean it. Pirate it. Watch from a friend's account, I don't care. Just somehow yet your eyes on it.

[trikadekaphile]

Why I Hate Mara Jade

Mara Jade, who is mercifully a nonentity since Disney kicked the EU to the curb (one of the few things Disney has done regarding SW that I applaud)  never “stepped into the light.” She was still a violent, rotten-tempered, self-serving, self-absorbed bitch who “loved the Emperor” and said so, to people whose lives, families and planets the Emperor destroyed. The only reason this shrew didn’t return to the Empire was because it wasn’t the cat’s meow anymore, and she mourned the cushy life she had from before. And don’t tell me this shrew “served the Emperor selflessly,” as if that’s even a praiseworthy thing to start with. She was amply rewarded and she loved it. She wasn’t brainwashed, not that that would pardon her even if she was. She slaughtered people for her own benefit.

She thinks that the galaxy revolves around her. She broadcast her labor pains all over the damn galaxy, yet we’re supposed to think that she’s a Jedi master while Leia is “half-trained.” When Leia was a mere padawan, she was able to keep her labor pains (with twins!) to herself rather than spreading them to everyone in the universe. But Mara, a violent, insensitive, vicious-tempered shrew, was the Jedi master who everyone worshipped, while Leia was mocked, derided and sneered at by everyone, particularly her BRAT daughter (Mara’s padawan).

I might add that Leia’s brats, when Mara broadcast her labor pains all over the galaxy, were brought to their knees, sobbing. When their mother was tortured nearly to death, experiencing a pain much worse than childbirth, they didn’t even notice, much less care. Neither did Luke. In ESB, when Luke called out to Leia, she turned right around and risked Imperial capture to save him. She called out to him, he shrugged and resumed making out with Mara.

And for someone who “turned to the light,” she sure was a nasty shrew to Leia when her (Leia’s) son died, and she commanded her lapdog Luke to stop grieving because it might make their kid uncomfortable. She also snarled about Anakin Skywalker, “The Dark Side is the Dark Side. If you’d known him later in life you wouldn’t be so quick to defend him.” Really, Emperor’s Throat-Slitter? Who are YOU to talk?

This is also the self-centered hag who mourned the loss of her stupid SHIP more than the loss of her nephew, who worshipped her, loved her more than his mother, even lusted after her (creepy!). Rather than holding this WITCH accountable for her despicable behavior when Anakin Solo died, the books let her off the hook, with some nonsense about how she “grieved deeply, she just hid it.” When had she EVER hidden her emotions? She spewed them to everyone – in fact, the authors kept having characters sit in slack-jawed awe about how she “told it like it was” and “never hid her emotions”!

And I was sick of reading about how beautiful and youthful Mara was, while Leia was “old and wrinkled and gray-haired.” Mara had a supposedly fatal disease (wherein everyone gathered around her, gushing over her strength – contrast this with how no one even CARED when Leia was tortured nearly to death and nearly lost her legs), but it actually ENHANCED her youth and beauty (and libido, as she and Luke screwed like bunnies throughout), and her ability to kick butt, but she emerged from it even more beautiful and youthful than ever! Like all survivors of a pernicious disease do! Leia, on the other hand, became a wrinkled old hag, wondering if Han loved her as much as Luke loved Mara! And on top of that, the authors wouldn’t shut up about how Luke and Mara were a better, stronger, closer couple than Han and Leia could ever be!

This on top of Han and Leia’s separation, while Luke and Mara boffed each other even when their students were off in battle, and broadcast their lust to each other before going into battle themselves, which their students picked up on! And sweet Mara, who bashed Leia’s mothering abilities while Luke nodded like the marionette he is, ended up doing the same thing with her baby as Leia had done: sent him away for his own safety! But did she ever reflect on her undeserved self-righteousness or hypocrisy or condemnation of Leia? NO! Leia, meanwhile, berated herself for “selfishly” feeling so much grief when her child died, when there were others who had it worse than she. Yet MARA is the Jedi master and Leia the derided, insulted nothing?

I HATE Mara, and I’m glad this HAG is finally dead. I hope they never find a way to bring her back into the storyline, because she’d just become the overblown, overrated, untouchable Mary Sue she was from before, with the authors being too scared of her fans to let her suffer so much as a paper cut. And don’t throw her illness (during which she suffered not a whit) or her death (which was portrayed as the greatest tragedy the galaxy ever faced, and she was not only a “martyr,” she was canonized, with everyone talking about little BUT her death and how it destroyed everything, from then on) at me.

[janiedean]

Just seen a post like "y r reylos upset? they kissed. I have a ship where they don't even meet" and I was ready to go "I Don't Know How To Explain To You That knowingly shipping a crackship and seeing a ship that's been set up since the beginning get turned into some emotionally manipulative little trick by hacks who dgaf abt the characters and only want to cash in on every single part of the fandom are very different things." But I gave up. Not worth the effort.

it’s not, but... honestly?

this thing is... like... I don’t want to say mildly worrying me, but... it is. (beware the next post won’t probably make much sense but bear with me this thing isn’t sitting well with me lmao)

I mean, like, let’s get it out of the way that I didn’t care for reylo either way until tlj and post-tlj I was like ‘oh okay they’re definitely the romance of the trilogy fine sounds nice I’ll be here being happy for them when they inevitably kiss’, because it’s like.. star... wars. I mean. sw is like the one franchise that until five days ago I’d have cashed in on being the ONE thing that would always end up cheesy/hopeful/not disappointing you know, so... I didn’t even consider that there was another way it could end. because it’s goddamn sw, redemption stories with happy endings are the damned brand.

so like... the fact that the thing was obviously set up and they tore it to shreds along with everything else in the movie is bad. like, bad. but people who didn’t realize how fucking insulting it was just... don’t seem to get that the moment you go watch movies whose brand is making you feel better about things and they turn into calvinism central NO HAPPINESS ALLOWED and they don’t even do it with sense - bc rots made no fucking sense at any point ever and that’s outside reylo - it just... makes you feel betrayed? like, again: in 2015 when I came out of the cinema the only thing I banked on was poe dameron not dying and I couldn’t care either way about kylo ren, but like - tlj made me care. as it was supposed to be. I was supposed to care about kylo ren’s pull to the light and guess what I did because that movie wanted me to, and it wanted me to do 2+2 and realize that he and rey were soulmates and fine I was down with that because I like myself a nice love story.

and then like... you give it to me, like that, and the moment you have the character who has had a shitty life, has been groomed since he was born if not before by Worst Person In The Galaxy if the new canon wants me to buy that - or by snoke but it’s the same -, is an abuse victim and is 100% sure that everyone hates him and no one understands him or wants to understand him, you make that character related to one of the most iconic ones in the franchise to the point that you tried to make han every other member of the trio tbh, you actually have that character taking his life in his hands after talking to han and like embrace what he always wanted to be and show that he’s actually happy with it (like ffs guys it’s also probs because adam driver is an excellent actor but you can see the ben solo vs kylo ren difference in the span of five seconds, and you’re supposed to root for ben solo to win ffs), have him actually win, have him being happy for the first time in the entire canon and then you kill him a second later with rey in tears over it except that then we forget to give him a funeral........... like.......... sorry but I feel robbed because as lowkey as my effort on banking on ben solo’s redemption was because I was sure it was coming and I took it for granted it still felt like they were being unnecessarily cruel. like, they could have killed him in ten other ways that wouldn’t make you feel like someone stabbed you in the kidney as another anon put it. but no, let’s give people the prospect of HEY THEY’LL BE HAPPY just to tear it away from them ten seconds later. like, what the fuck? that’s not what anyone signed up for.

especially when the entire thing was obviously set up for the happy ending. like, if you actually misread the audience so much that you think star wars audience wants grimdark when it’s a movie marketed at children then you don’t deserve the money you’re most likely getting paid.

like, again: as someone who wasn’t even diehard reylo or whatever even if I absolutely shipped it, I felt like these assholes took my money and punched me in the kidney since rey palpatine was a thing and the moment he died I about screamed fuck you out loud... along with most of the entire room which was screaming fuck you, because guess what, not a single person in that room actually was banking on the ben solo redemption to fail and each single person in the room was clapping when they kissed because we were fucking waiting for it already, and like......... obviously ppl shipping it are upset. they were given an unsatisfactory movie up until then that didn’t give the characters justice but which could have still been more or less decent if it saved the spirit of the entire thing... which it didn’t because sw is not fucking calvinist central and hasn’t ever been until now. and then they were given canon after being the target of the vilest shit (guys seriously I unfollowed antireylo people way before shipping reylo myself bc that crap was out of line for shipping fictional stuff)... just to have them take it away by killing the one character that was there to show you that there’s always hope for you to do the right thing?

like, let’s be fucking real: the message is that if you fucked up and want to be better it won’t ever be enough because sorry but you’ll never get another good start and if you care about someone who fucked up and want to help them be better it’s wasted time because people who want to do better can’t actually live and have a chance to keep on doing it.

and sorry but fuck that message with a chainsaw. the beautiful thing about this ship imvho was that in tlj it made it overtly clear how rey helped him out of being a genuinely nice person who listened to someone who thought no one ever would and at the same time kylo/ben couldn’t believe that someone actually said that he wouldn’t be alone either bc the two of them are extremely lonely people and feel that acutely....... and they even threw in the soul bond to make it extra obvious. it was a hopeful story because you had girl who never had anyone who was also innately good who could put her prejudices aside to see that someone who also went dark side because he thought no one loved him and then kept on being abused his entire life actually had good inside them and wanted to help him see that instead of writing him off as a lost cause. like. that was a good romance. nothing exceedingly new under the sun, but in sw it was pretty fresh and a good spin compared to the two other main love stories of the trilogy. also, anakin/padme was what it was and han/leia was immensely better but hey someone decided to kill off the entire original trio so whatever... and if these two ended well they’d have been a constant improvement, never mind the symbolism - you had anakin who was a no one and married a space princess but ended up tragically because he went to the dark side and she could do nothing for him, then anakin’s daughter who was a space princess and married han who is also technically a no one since he didn’t even have a surname on his home planet, and if rey/ben had actually not.. had that ending you’d have closed the circle with space prince descended from both anakin and leia being brought back from the dark side with the help of another no one and finally the damned skywalker line would have gotten one 100% happy ending because it was supposed to be the ending.

like.

that’s something that thematically made so much sense I didn’t even think they wouldn’t do it.

and they did. and guess what of course people are pissed. because this movie about ignored themes, its own canon (from tfa and tlj) and didn’t accomplish one single thing except chewie getting his damned medal.

which, while something we all hoped would happen at some point, is hardly the one thing you should accomplish in a star wars movie supposed to end the goddamned cycle and which eventually ended up being prequel-level if not worse. because I mean, objectively I think the phantom menace was actually a better movie, and I would rewatch this over 2 and 3 just because the cgi in this movie didn’t hurt my eyes, but as bad as lucas got with the prequels, he never did a single character as dirty as disney did all the characters here. no, not even padme, and he did do padme dirty.

tldr: if people don’t get why you’d be pissed at how this movie ended idk what to tell them... but shit if it’s not worrying me that people apparently can’t get that it was a disaster on each single level it could have been. peace.