#emperor palpatine imagine

[dookuswifey]

I was thinking of writing a prequel's prequel where the reader is Queen of Naboo/ a Naboo senator with two love interest, an Alderaan senator and an upcoming senator with weird behaviour from the deceased Palpatine family...

In the ol' republic days, with Plagueis playing Michocondrial God.

Lemme know if you have any plot ideas, Headcanons, etc!!

[chloe-skywalker]

Didn’t Know - Obi- Wan Kenobi (Part 2)

Part #2

Obi Wan x Fem!Reader

Warnings: mentions of order 66, and inquisitor training

Word count: 1,974

Summary: It’s been awhile, things have died down now. Y/n think’s it’s time to go searching for Obi-Wan.

Authors Note: Here’s Part 2. I'm very proud of this part. Both Parts of this I'm proud of but this one even more so.

Masterlist

Star Wars Masterlist

Part #1

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

As Y/n looked around the Tatooine city she thought it looked very similar to when she came here as a padawan. Then again the places and planets like Tatooine never really changed after the Empire took over.

Y/n knew finding Obi-Wan on this vast planet of sand wouldn’t be easy, but she tried searching through the force for his particular signature. When she felt how faint it was she knew he was hiding it somehow. But it led Y/n to know at least this was the right landing port to look for him in. And it didn’t take long for her to find him in the marketplace. Y/n stood behind him leaning against the wall.

“Hello Obi-Wan.” Y/n smiled looking at him from under her hood, a disguise so no one would recognize her.

“Y/n.” Obi-Wan lifted his head in shock at hearing his name and seeing who it was when he turned around he was shocked. It had been months since their last encounter. “You found me.”

“I was always good at finding people.” Y/n smirked playfully, knowing her statement brought up good memories for both of them.

“That you were.” He smiled letting himself reminisce, after a moment Obi-Wan offered his hand out to her and led them both back to his home. He trusted her enough to bring her there and it was more private.

“I had to wait awhile. Everything needed to blow over.” Y/n spoke up knowing it had to be on his mind.

“I understand. . .Did you get in trouble? For letting us go.” He asked, even though his gut was turning at the thought of what she could’ve gone through. It hadn’t left his mind since that day. What could be happening to her? Did they kill her? At least he knew she was alive.

Y/n shook her head, his concern felt nice but she wanted to ease his mind and tell him what had happened. “No. An inquisitor tried to sell me out but Vader killed him for even speaking my name.”

Obi-Wan raised a brow at her words in curiosity, crossing his arms and rubbing his beard. “He protects you?”

“Yeah. He does.” She nodded.

Obi-Wan watched her look around his small barren home. He felt he needed to say this. “Y/n, I didn’t know you survived Order 66. I would’ve looked for you.”

She was just a young girl when Order 66 happened and she was all alone; it made Obi-Wan’s heart ache.

“I know, or at least I hoped you would’ve if you knew.” Y/n looked at him hoping her eye’s betrayed that she wasn’t upset with him.

“Have you been with Vader all this time?” He asked moving to sit hoping they could have a conversation and find some answers.

“Yes. . . Anakin came to the Jedi Temple with a ton of clone’s. They were killing everyone. He came to my room and escorted me out. Told me to hide on the furthest planet I could find.” Y/n told him picking up a trinket that was laying around.

“He spared you.” Obi-Wan let out a quiet shocked breath.

Y/n nodded at his statement before she explained further. “After the Empire took things over he came and found me. Took me back with him, finished my training, and protects me from the Emproper. I’m higher up in ranks than any of the inquisitors.”

“Your Vader's apprentice.” Obi-Wan came to the conclusion. That’s the only way she could be right under Vader.

“One and only. The inquisitors are disposable. They were Jedi at one point, no loss in them dying.” Y/n tells him with a grimace she had seen it first hand and felt guilty that she was proud to mean more than they do.

“I’m so sorry Y/n.” Even though he knows Y/n didn’t mean to, her words made Obi-Wan feel more guilty for what’s happened.

She shook her head. “Don’t be-”

Obi-Wan rubbed both hands down his face. “No I am. What you’ve gone through- if I had just searched for you.”

Y/n squatted down in front of him and his seated position, she pulled his hands away from his face. “You thought I was executed like everyone else. I don’t blame you.”

“Were you trained like the inquisitors?” Obi-Wan hopped more than anything in the galaxy that she wasn’t. Not the little girl he remembered that was so full of life.

Y/n shook her head ‘no’ instantly putting his mind at slight ease. “I knew you and the Second Sister talked. No. I wasn’t trained like that. That’s essentially torture, not training.”

Y/n knew what he meant and exactly how the Emperor had the inquisitors trained. It was torture to change there allegiance. Not make sure they feared not following through on orders more than they would ever want freedom.

“Have you . . .turned?” He asked the dreaded question.

“No, not really. That’s why he keeps me away from the Emperor. He’d kill me if he knew. Vader doesn’t send me on certain missions or tasks because he knows I wouldn’t be able to finish them.” Y/n explains to the older man. Y/n wasn’t on either side of the force, she was to far into either side to just be one. Y/n had been a youngling and a padawan for the Jedi but had been taken into the teachings of the Sith and completely those teachings. She couldn’t choose a side and frankly she knew to much of both to choose only one.

“Why not leave? If you don’t agree with what they do, why stay?” Obi-Wan asked with a furrowed brow.

“If I left they’d just track me down and find me. They’d either kill me, torture me, or I would lose Vader’s trust. His trust is why I can leave and do whatever I want. It’s why I can come see you now and no one asks where I’m going or where I’ve been.” Y/n tells him. It’s for her safety.

“But do you really want to be there?” Obi-Wan brushed her hair back as he questioned her.

“I know why Anakin seeked help from Palpatine. Why he chose to turn. It was one of the hardest decisions he had ever had to make.” Y/n felt Obi-Wan needed to know why she stuck with Vader/Anakin. She knew what had gone down, why he turned to the darkside and she felt Obi-Wan needed to know. “He had good intentions, things just went bad.”

“What do you mean?” Obi-Wan tilted his head, intrigued to know what she did.

“Anakin was having visions. Like he had of his mother before she died. But this time they were of Padme, dying in childbirth.” Y/n glanced at the floor knowing attachments were forbidden in the Jedi Order. Obi-Wan didn’t care that she knew though. He would’ve been shocked if she didn’t know about Anakin and Padme, with how close Y/n was to Anakin.

Obi-Wan grimaced at the mention of Padme’s death, he had been there after all.

Y/n rocked back to sit on the small crate behind her. “He went to Yoda for advice. But it didn’t help. Palpatine was already in Anakin’s head, they were to close for way to long.”

“Agreed.” He completely agreed with her opinion on Anakin’s relationship with Palpatine. It was way to close.

“He told him a story about Darth Plagueis the Wise. A Sith Lord that was so powerful he could even keep the ones he cared about from dying. Of course Anakin would want to know how since he didn’t want to lose Padme. Palpatine said he couldn’t learn it from a Jedi.” Y/n told him with a roll of her eye’s, Palpatine was a master manipulator.

“How do you know all of this? Did Anakin tell you?” He was confused as to how Y/n knows so much.

“He told me and I was there for part’s of it. Palpatine never saw me as a threat to his plan’s. So me being there wasn’t a problem.” Y/n shrugged but the gulp she did told Obi-Wan that she wasn’t always comfortable around Palpatine back then. She still wasn’t, being near him made her spine chill. But she was also lucky to have the relationship she does with Vader/Anakin otherwise she probably would’ve been dead a long time ago. But like she told Obi-Wan Palpatine didn’t view her as a threat, he viewed her as moldable. With how well she listened to Anakin’s teachings, she was the perfect future apprentice. “When Anakin came to the Temple and escorted me out. He told me what had happened at the Chancellor's office.”

“You mean when he turned? When he became Vader?” Obi-Wan was puzzled.

Y/n nodded before continuing. “Anakin had found out about Palpatine being a Sith Lord. He told Windu and the other’s when they were heading over to have the Chancellor give up his emergency powers. But Palpatine was calling out to him about if they killed him no one could save the woman he loved. He went and tried to stop Windu from killing him so he could stand trial. But Windu didn’t listen. So Anakin protected the one person he thought could save Padme. . . He didn’t want to turn. He just wanted to save Padme’s life.”

Obi-Wan thought back to what Padme said before she died. ‘There’s still good in him’. “That’s what you think?”

“That’s what I know. He confides in me and it’s what I saw. . . He cried Obi-Wan. He’s cried over what he’s done. He cried at the Temple.” Y/n stated with pleading eyes. Pleading for him to believe her. To understand he didn’t fail as a Master and Anakin didn’t want to turn to the darkside.

“That’s one of the reason’s you stay. Isn’t it?” Realization hit him as he nodded to himself. Now understanding why she stays with Vader through everything the Empire has done. Or at least one of the reason’s.

“There’s still good in him. But I think he tries to bury it. Maybe it’s to hide it from the Emperor or I think it’s because he doesn’t feel worthy to go back to being on the light side when he pretty much helped wipe it out. . . Also I stay because.” Y/n let out a breath. She knew it was wrong as a Jedi but they weren’t around anymore. “It’s a bit of self preservation.”

Obi-Wan reached out and held her hands in his before saying. “I may not agree but I understand. Especially given your situation.”

Y/n was close with Anakin and he protected her when the Empire took over and has since. Anakin meant something to her even if he was now Darth Vader.

They decided to talk about more lighter subjects for a while. The time they had together didn’t need to be consumed by the sadness of the past.

“I can’t stay much longer. But, can I visit you again?” Y/n sighed but she was hopeful for his answer to be the one she wanted to hear.

“Of course Y/n. You're welcome company.” Obi-Wan smiled at Y/n, she’d always be welcome to come and visit him. He enjoyed her company and their time together.

Obi-Wan walked her out to the main path back to the main port city where her ship was.

“May the force be with you Obi-Wan.” Y/n turned to him with a smile. Bidding him a farewell.

“May the force with you Y/n.” Obi-Wan smiled back watching her leave. He would reach out in the force to check on her from now on. He wasn’t going to let her get hurt if possible.

Taglist:

@padawancat97 @maryvibess @gruffle1

[kanerallels]

Okay, okay, maybe The Queen's Thief crew in a SW au? Your choice on who!

HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE this was my sister's idea (ALSO I ALMOST FORGOT @aslansjedi has also written a super fun TQT in Star Wars au! Check it out here):

The Senate building was in an uproar. In times such as these, that wasn’t totally unprecedented. Usually it meant that Senator Organa or Senator Mothma had just delivered a speech that the more Empire loving representatives were losing their minds about.

This time, however, people were rioting over the results of the first vote on Sounis’s sovereignty. And also the second, which had occurred after the king, here to attend the vote, had had the doors barricaded. The second vote had gone in his favor—but the audacity of him commanding the Senate into voting his way wasn’t what was causing the chaos.

In the middle of all of this, Attolis Eugenides—husband of the queen of the planet Attolia, Queen’s Thief of Eddis (some said former. Others were far wiser), strolled through the halls of the Senate building. He was followed by a posse of flustered attendants, all of whom were trying to talk to him at once.

“Your Majesty—”

“I don’t think it’s wise—”

“Please, Your Majesty—”

The king ignored them all, as he often did. Looking decidedly regal in his embroidered and elegant garments, he stalked up to a door guarded by two stormtroopers. One of them stepped forward as if to stop him, but was skewered by a look that made him back down hastily.

The door hissed open, revealing a small sitting room. Far from the nicest in the Senate building, it was out of the way and held a tall man, sitting in a chair, having coffee. He looked up, and the look on his scarred face was startled, but pleased. Sitting at the same table was a woman with short hair and a smile a man would die to earn, but she was not the object of the king’s attention. The king of Sounis was.

Gen cocked an eyebrow at him as the door hissed shut behind him. “You shot the Emperor?”

“You gave me the gun,” Sophos protested.

[the-imaginative-hobbyist]

Revenge...Of the Fifth!

_________________________

Follow @the-imaginative-hobbyist for more content and visit http://TheImaginativeHobbyist.com

[stljedi]

Star Trek /

Star Wars

[dumpster-fire-deluxe]

Imagine you're crying and Palpatine finds you.

The soft rustling of his robes when he sits down in front of you. Not saying a word, only featherlight touches as he pulls you closer.

Fingers trailing through your hair, brushing your back, as if he's massaging your soul. A soft kiss just above your ear.

A whispered "I'm here" and "I'll fix this. Everything will be alright."

Resting your head against his shoulder. Taking shuddering breaths. A small sense of peace.

[knackeredforever]

Considering union in lancers overarching political bureaucracy that encompasses the galaxy I had the stupid idea of what would happen if you just dropped palpatine from star wars in the middle of there and see how quickly he fucks shit up.

[once-delight]

I was writing my friend about the new Napoleon movie and accidentally called it "The new Napoleon"

And now I can't stop cracking up at the thought

"Somehow... Emperor Napoleon has returned".

[saphronethaleph]

Strike Me Down With A Feather

“If you choose to face Vader, you will do it alone,” Ben warned Luke. “I cannot intervene.”

Luke paused halfway through getting up.

“...what?” he asked. “Why not?”

Ben blinked at him.

“I’m dead, Luke,” he said.

“That wouldn’t stop you showing up to distract him,” Luke replied. “I imagine you’d be quite distracting – you’re still able to give me advice right now.”

He pointed. “And Master Yoda over there was going on and on about how ‘cannot’ is a word that shouldn’t exist.”

“A point, he has,” Yoda said, nodding.

“Oh, don’t you start,” Ben muttered. “What do you expect me to do, exactly, Luke? Use the Force?”

Luke looked back at him.

“...actually, is that possible?” Ben asked, curious. “I’ve never tried.”

R2-D2 rose slowly into the air, then dropped again, and Ben examined his semi-transparent hands.

“...hold on a minute, please,” he requested, and faded out.

Several thousand light years away, the pitch-black rock ceiling of Emperor Palpatine’s office creaked, then came free and mashed him absolutely flat.

“Well, well,” Ben said, fading back into view on Dagobah. “It appears that what I told Anakin was literally true, I have become more powerful than he could possibly imagine.”

“...what?” Luke asked. “Did you say Anakin?”

Ben looked put out.

“Whoops,” he said. “Oh well. Leia’s your sister. May as well get it all out there now.”

[galactic-rhea]

you know, maybe I'm wrong, but my interpretation of Anakin/Vader and Redeemed Anakin is that he pretty much is aware he's terrible. He pretty much thinks of himself as a monster even before becoming Vader, he considers himself one as soon as he had to leave Shmi to survive as a slave alone while he got to become The Chosen One and travel the stars (his basic understanding of love is self-sacrifice), he knows the tusken massacre was bad, he knows murdering disarmed Dooku was bad; he knew turning against the jedi and helping Palpatine was bad; he's extremelly self aware of his violence and hates himself for it.

I think it's easy to think of him as nonchalant or as sort of a shameless dick about it all because his General At War Persona was to be jokey and pretend he's having fun. He's very confident on his ability for Murder (tm), he (tragically) became one of the Best general jedis in the order by becoming good at murder, he's useful when he's being murderous at the right people; so he has no doubts on his abilities on this regard; that doesn't mean he isn't aware of how fucked up and cruel it is, but he keeps doing it, and it's all he knows; he was born in violence, raised in violence, taught to yield a extremelly dangerous weapon, groomed into violence, rewarded for violence, cheered for violence, with Ahsoka then he had to teach violence, and then violence just became something that ran in his blood, it came to him easily, too easily because he was never given the means to deal with such a extreme hyperviolent paradigm. So yep, he knows he's good at murder and little self-preservation.

And he probably despised himself for it, he saw himself as less than a being with human rights, he saw himself as a weapon and he hated not being seen as a person, and at some point he became apathic about it, the fight left him as soon as he had no future with a family. As Vader his hate and anger is just cold fury, is mostly apathy and a void of emotions, there's just pain and self-disgust and regret and old anger, there's not even trying to be something else anymore, it's all he's ever been good at and all he's being asked to do.

So redeemed Anakin (which canonically just means Ghost Anakin lmao) acting oblivious or playing the dumb or victim card it's just something I can't even imagine him to do; like Anakin is aware of being violent and messed up and Bad, but he is completely unable to concieve the idea of having been a victim because besides violence, Anakin's other big trait is that he never ever processes trauma and he horrifically has a history of blaming himself instead of the people who owned him.

This guy, when he was at his best as a Jedi, was pathologically prone to suicidal missions even when it wasn't a necessity, he thinks he's an asset, a means for his superiors to impose their stance and chose to own it, instead of blaming his superiors he just hates himself because he can't stop pathetically reliving when he left his mom behind, when he carried her corpse, when he retaliated against even innocents including kids, when he hurt Padmé, all the times he failed, and the he lived in his personal, fitly created just for him, inferno and had no plans to escape it until one certain sunshine farmer showed up, and all because he thinks he deserves the torture and the abuse and being owned because he's just good at murder and nothing else.

So yeah, no one probably hates him more than himself. Someone could tell Ghost Anakin he's a monster, the worst thing that ever happened in the galaxy and he would say "Yes." And no attempts at arguing or whatsoever, his dignity couldn't be lower if he tried, he would half-heartly agree if someone like Luke said the emperor did him wrong by, y'know, torture him? But then he would also say something like "Well, yes, but cruelty is the way of the Sith, what else could be expected", he's just terribly messed up and couldn't stop himself from defending, at least a little, his literal groomer and abuser and master, and he certainly won't expect forgiveness, like,,,,at all. He can, and will, make excuses for people directly hurting him, but he also would retaliate in terrible ways against anyone, guilty or not, if it meant doing it for someone he cared about.

So Anakin is just...used to being used, and falls easily into being used because it's what he knows best, freedom feels useless and uncertain after he lost padmé.

It's an increíble vicious circle: He worked himself hard to be useful because being useful it's what makes people like him and a means of survival, he then hates himself for being just useful and loosing his personhood, and because he hates himself and thinks he doesn't deserve any sort of...human rights, he keeps on being a mere weapon, an object, but what a good and expensive weapon at least, repeat.

So nope, this guy would be completely unable to even dare to play the victim or excuse himself, even less act as if he doesn't understand he did wrong.

[weepylucifer]

i mean what does he even do every day when he's in charge of mandalore, or his various criminal enterprises? he just instates some puppet figurehead while he goes off to "rule from the shadows" but clearly people do know about him or there wouldn't be mandalorians in darth maul armor running around. what is he actually... doing... in the shadows? and what would he do if he weren't in the shadows anymore? the whole subterfuge was because he had to stay under palpatine's radar. imagine a world where there's no more palpatine to hide from and maul is just... straightforwardly in charge?? does he become a public figure? does he have to stand on balconies and wave now? kiss babies? give a state of the union speech?

the thing abt maul is, bc i love him i wish he would succeed at the things he wants to accomplish, but i also can't for the life of me imagine what that would look like. he's kinda like a dog chasing a car. he sorta works in secret to do something against palpatine, but i doubt he knows what his end goal is, apart from i guess some vague notion of revenge. imagine a world where maul actually kills sidious. great, he got back at his abuser, now what? he immediately explodes into a million particles? bc what else? can you imagine him as emperor? no you can't. and neither can i. and neither can he

[fellthemarvelous]

Mon Mothma and the Ghorman genocide

This is the moment I've been waiting for.

We've known since Star Wars Rebels that the genocide of the Ghorman people was what tipped the scales for Mon Mothma and why she walked away from her role as a Senator. Ghorman was the catalyst for the unification of the Rebellion, and Mon Mothma's powerful speech proved that she was the leader the rebellion needed.

Finally getting the Ghorman context made the entire situation even more heartbreaking. I started bawling the moment the Ghorman people began marching and started shouting "We are Ghor. The galaxy is watching." We knew this wasn't going to end well for them, but the reality ended up being so much worse than I could have even imagined.

My heart broke for the people of Ghorman, but I was also surprised to feel my heart breaking for the troopers who were sent to their deaths just so the Empire could justify colonizing Ghorman. The Imperials who died were not high ranking officials. They had no idea what was going on or why they were really there. Even Dedra was appalled that the riot officers they brought in for this planned massacre looked like children. The high ranking Imps got to hide behind closed doors and shield themselves while they watched their very own men die, smirking about their hollow victory over a planet that was never going to stand a chance against their firepower. They were colonizing Ghorman based on a misinformation campaign so they could strip the planet of a precious resource the Empire wanted to get their hands on for the Death Star (still a heavily guarded secret at this point). And the Empire got their way by committing genocide.

Again.

The Empire came into power by committing genocide against the Jedi Order.

They later did the same thing to Kamino.

To Geonosis.

To Lasan.

To Ferrix.

To countless other worlds.

“I stand this morning with a difficult message. I believe we are in crisis. The distance between what is said and what is known to be true has become an abyss. Of all the things at risk, the loss of an objective reality is perhaps the most dangerous. The death of truth is the ultimate victory of evil. When truth leaves us, when we let it slip away, when it is ripped from our hands, we become vulnerable to the appetite of whatever monster screams the loudest.

This Chamber’s hold on the truth was finally lost on the Ghorman Plaza. What took place yesterday… what happened yesterday on Ghorman was unprovoked genocide. Yes, genocide. And that truth has been exiled from this Chamber. And the monster screaming the loudest, the monster we’ve helped create, the monster who will come for all of us soon enough, is Emperor Palpatine.”

I was cheering for Mon Mothma here. I was clapping. I was crying. I knew this was going to be a powerful story line, and it exceeded my expectations. She knowingly put herself in danger to speak truth to power and the rebellion gained a powerful leader as a result.

Mon Mothma is truly an icon.

[rebel-hunk-enjoyer]

I don't think Kallus is a great spy!! Here me out, though :)

I like the idea of him being fairly competent at spying compared to your average rebel, because of some of his experiences in the ISB, but the ISB isn't exactly an intelligence bureau in the traditional sense. They're law enforcement and internal intelligence, they are the not-so-secret police who are internally investigating things like treason, disloyalty, thought crimes, etc within the Empire.

To get into the gritty details: the ISB is a part of COMPNOR or the Commission for the Preservation of the New Order. This commission grew out of the Clone Wars Era COMPOR or the Commission for the Protection of the Republic, a hard-line loyalist group that lobbied the Galactic Senate to give more authority to the Supreme Chancellor and promoted wartime propaganda that aligned with their agenda. When Palpatine became Emperor, the New Order absorbed COMPOR and reorganized it into a government agency that served as the Empire's propaganda wing. The Imperial Security Bureau is a part of that because it used to be the Internal Security Bureau of COMPOR. They were already shady af and trying to root out disloyalty within their ranks during the later stages of the Republic and just shifted that over to rooting out disloyalty within the Empire at large through the ISB.

Which means that the ISB is ultimately tasked with making sure the New Order's agenda is advanced: enforcing the state-sponsored political religion to maintain control, order, rule of law, uniformity, Imperial civic pride, and so on. COMPNOR supported xenophobia and the Empire's humanocentric policies, advanced the human 'natural right to rule' nonsense, minimized the accomplishments of alien species, and pushed anti-alien xenophobia to the point of sowing distrust throughout the Empire. The ISB is their agency that does all of that in the name of security. In fact, the ISB has an entire division for interrogation and another for re-education, just to underscore the New Order's dedication to the bottom line of thought conformity and the role the ISB plays in that. They aren't just the not-so-secret police, they are the not-so-secret police who have the authority and means to brainwash loyalty into Imperial citizens.

Now, Kallus worked within the enforcement, investigations, and internal affairs divisions of the ISB throughout his career and by the time we see him in Rebels, he's clearly operating as a part of the enforcement division. He specifically states that "as an agent of the ISB, [he] follow[s] the letter of the law" and I imagine that he has the ISB Loyalty Manual memorized backwards and forwards. But knowing the letter of the law when it comes to hard-line New Order political religion conformity doesn't automatically translate into knowing everything, right? He's ignorant about larger scale operations to the point that he seems almost disinterested in them on Bahryn while talking to Zeb about Geonosis, actually.

This, I think, is what makes Kallus very interesting as a defector. He isn't just some guy who changes his mind when presented with new information, he's some guy who has dedicated his entire career to toeing the party line and rooting out the mere suggestion of anyone, anywhere within the Empire not doing the exact same. He's the thought cop and he's suddenly thinking thoughts he has never had before, he's suddenly doing things that he's only ever seen done by people who were arrested and re-educated if they were lucky, he's suddenly the thing that he's spent his entire career trying to stop.

But that's also why I think he wouldn't be a good spy specifically in S3 against Thrawn. He's used to finding traitors to the Empire, that's what all of his skills are honed toward. Now he's the traitor to the Empire, surrounded by a bunch of hard-line Imperials who are all focused on stopping the rebels, and he's ... trying to get information from them? To pass along to the Rebellion? With a repurposed MSE and some sleight of hand with Lyste's code cylinder? This isn't to say that he didn't give the Rebellion valuable information, he did that on several occasions, but when it came down to the wire, when it came down to the actual spycraft of keeping himself safe, he did not perform well. He got the job done, he covered his ass, but he did not cover his ass in such a way that he was able to fool Yularen or Thrawn. They were onto him immediately, they left him in his position with the intention of using him against the Rebellion, Thrawn even waited until he had Kallus dead to rights, caught him right in the act of sending a message to the Rebellion.

All of this is to say that I think Kallus might have been a better spy if he hadn't been ISB and that being ISB maybe set him up to be terrible at spying on Thrawn. Because I can't imagine spending nearly two decades hunting down people for non-conformity, then suddenly finding yourself on the other side of that and not being really, really nervous? He probably saw accusations of treason on his own face every morning in the mirror, he was probably sick about it constantly, worried that he might slip in a way that would be meaningful to an ISB agent, thinking more about his performance of being an Imperial than on the actual spying itself, than the MSE or the code cylinder or whatever else. I imagine him worrying so much about his Imperial Mask and not thinking as much as he should have about the rest.

Because first and foremost he was a cop who policed loyalty, not actually a spy.

Now, of course, this changes once he gets into the rebellion at large, because I do think a lot of his ISB skills would be adjacent to spycraft, but I think before that he was more backed into a corner like a wounded animal about it than anything else because of the political atmosphere surrounding the Empire and how it polices loyalty.

[allthingskenobi]

This is honestly a beautiful love letter to the prequels AND Revenge of the Sith, and I encourage everyone to read it.

Some of the highlights for us:

In recent years, the slaughter of younglings and the ultimate efficacy of Order 66 may have become dank meme fodder to be filed alongside the droid attack on the Wookies and “Hello There!” But back in ‘05? That montage of Clones massacring Jedi across the galaxy, Anakin igniting his ‘saber at the Jedi temple, was a real watershed moment — a visceral evocation of the horrors of war and the sheer oppressive power of fascism. Thrilling and terrifying in equal measure, “Execute Order 66!” endures as a reminder of a more daring time in franchise filmmaking.

and

Even now, the emotional and technical craftsmanship of the duel is astonishing. Christensen and McGregor’s blistering choreography and the emotional intensity of their performances; thousands of man-hours’ worth of VFX blending large-scale soundstage work and real footage of Mount Etna erupting; Lucas going full Shakespeare with Anakin’s excoriating, “I hate you!”, and Obi-Wan’s anguished, “You were my brother Anakin… I loved you”; John Williams going God-mode once more with his cacophonous score. It’s an epic battle between the forces of good and evil, the culmination of two trilogies and almost thirty years of cinematic storytelling, painted on the largest canvas imaginable. Honestly, what more could you want from a Star War?

[obimaulartfire]

I can't stop thinking about the fact that before the prequel movies were made, and maybe even a lot of the old legends content was made too, Force powers were specific to individual characters, and Luke's powers became an amalgamation of everyone he'd learned from.

Obi-wan could do mind tricks because he's a hermit living in hiding and didn't want to be found.

Yoda could lift things that seemed impossible for any creature to lift, because he is small and acts senile to throw Luke off, showing that you can't judge anyone by their appearance.

Vader could choke people because he was angry, lashed out, and was oppressive.

And Palpatine could shoot force lightning because well, he was the emperor. He was overwhelming, unbeatable, etc.

Luke uses all of these powers (except for Palpatine's, of course), because he is a blank slate, and he is able to learn from everyone, like a good Chosen One.

Imagine what we could have had if this continued to be the norm in Star Wars!! I know certain characters have unique Force powers now, like Ezra has his connection with living creatures ability. But augh... the narrative power that was lost by making Force Powers standard for every Jedi...

[memories-of-ancients]

I can imagine in the Empire there's an official group photo in the Imperial Archives specially made for public release of Emperor Palpatine with Darth Vader, Grand Moff Tarkin, Director Krennic, Major Partagaz, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Governor Pryce, Admiral Constantine, Admiral Zaarin, Admiral Ozzel etc. etc. And they keep having to go into the archives to digitally erase people from it over time.