#filoni strikes again

[moonstone-blues]

DAVE WHEN I CATCH YOU DAVE-

[interdimensionalhellscapeportal]

You mean to tell me that Filoni stole the fucking Singing Mountain Clan & Augwynne Djo from Legends, dumbed down the names for "originality", and made the true Witches of Dathomir FUCKING NUNS with FUCKING WIMPLES

I am. Without words. I will however be glad to throw hands if I ever have the misfortune of encountering that rancid wannabe cowboy irl

[raphaellight]

The thing about very early Ahsoka is, she is suppose to not fully comprehend the stakes and scales of war. She is young, fresh from what's basically is superhero school and set on proving herself (Anakin being both cocky himself and reminding Ahsoka she is just a child is not helping) she is treating war as a challenging game.

That is until this attitude ends up with her men dead, thats where she starts to mature. Gonna give this to Lucas.

I found a Filoni/Lucas interaction over the creation of Ahsoka, and I'm chortling.

Basically Filoni wanted Ahsoka to be a serious commentary on war and child soldiers and her lack of preparation because she's not trained for it

But then George basically told him:

So, in other words: She's got this, and lighten the fuck up :D

[david-talks-sw]

When 'Star Wars' dilutes the impact of a "Kurosawa samurai standoff"...

It's no secret that one of the major inspirations for Star Wars was Akira Kurosawa movies. The Hidden Fortress influenced the basic structure of the first film, was a basis for Lucas' character archetypes and his use of narrative POVs.

But, really, all of Kurosawa's films were an influence on the making of Star Wars. Including the duels seen in his and other samurai films from the 60s.

Dunno if you've seen a kendo fight, but they're pretty similar.

The duelists size each other up, and there's a lot of mind games going on before the strike actually happens.

If you hold your sword this way, the other guy adjusts his stance.

You move your foot that way, the adversary responds accordingly.

Cinematically, this process allows you to play with a whole treasure trove of elements to build up the drama and suspense. We see this slow-yet-tense approach to dueling reflected all over the Original Trilogy. And we've seen it again in recent Disney-released content.

The perfect and first real example of this in Star Wars is the fight between Ben Kenobi and Maul, in Rebels.

The tension increases more...

... and more until the two fighters move, the music swells...

... and then it reaches its climax.

Beautifully executed.

Dave Filoni's done his homework, it shows, and while it's an awesome homage, narratively it also holds weight. There's a reason why this fight is so quick:

This time, Obi-Wan isn't fighting to avenge the death of his master, he's not fighting to save his own life... he's fighting to protect Luke's. And that means there's no time to fuck about. He'll end the conflict swiftly and decisively, he won't let it come to a prolonged acrobatic fight. So he lures Maul in by making him think he's taking Qui-Gon's form, and strikes true when Maul, increasingly consumed by his own rage to the point of blindness, falls for it.

Again: a wonderful fight and an excellent homage.

Then we get to Luke's stand-off with Kylo on Crait, in The Last Jedi.

An interesting take on the trope, also with meaningful narrative impact. As Rian Johnson writes in the TLJ screenplay:

"This is not like a saber fight. This like an old-fashioned samurai duel."

Here too, the tension gets built up...

... and every time we're close to getting that climax, Luke dodges.

It leaves a feeling of dissatisfaction, which is exactly what Kylo is feeling as he boils with rage.

Suddenly, we do get the climax...

... and a twist. Luke was never actually there. Boom. Those inserts during the build-up phase? If you look at them again they're clues (Luke doesn't leave a mark on the ground, salt doesn't land on his clothes, etc). Luke wasn't engaging because he wasn't actually there, he was buying time for the Resistance to escape.

Okay. Cool.

Next time we see a "Kurosawa" duel... it's here, in The Mandalorian.

Again, a lot of posing, slow movements and patience, as is expected from the trope.

But we know nothing about the opponent Ahsoka is fighting other than her name is Morgan... so no emotional impact, there.

At some point, Ahsoka loses a lightsaber. The apprentice to the Chosen One is struggling against some rando.

We find out later on that Morgan is a Nightsister from Dathomir, and that's cool... but we already know how Jedi-trained folks fare against the Dathomiri.

If you ask me, it feels like manufactured stakes. But that's beside the point. In fact, y'know what? It's fine.

Though the impact of this duel isn't as great as its predecessors, the whole episode is filled with visual homages to Kurosawa's work.

It makes sense that the duel would be too. Also it's the first time we're seeing Ahsoka in live action, in a lightsaber duel, the hype is real. Let's cut 'em some slack.

So we come to the series Ahsoka... where almost every duel in the the show has the Kurosawa posturing and tip-toeing and... I dunno. I was bored?

Like, the primary purpose of this approach to duels is that it's meant to be suspenseful and intense... and now it's not.

Because we know Ahsoka is gonna beat the crap outta these droids...

... so why even bother faking some semblance of "what's her next move gonna be?" suspense? There's a hole right behind her, gee, I truly wonder.

Oh, you think putting her against an Inquisitor's gonna make us fear for her life, wonder if she's gonna get outta this situation unscathed?

She was wiping the floor with two of them at the same time, a decade prior. At 17, she was killing Inquisitors while disarmed.

Do you really expect your audience to fear for her life in a fight against Marrok?

So we get to the fight with Baylan, and the posturing and studying opponent's next move would be welcome here (two Order 66 survivors, knew Anakin, both well-trained former Jedi)...

... if we hadn't literally seen that same dynamic with Marrok who, again, we knew was gonna die.

No tension was built in either moment, the only thing it achieved was me pressing >> on my keyboard.

It's not captivating anymore, it's just slow and un-dynamic.

Bottom line:

Tributes to Kurosawa are nice. They're part of what makes Star Wars what it is. But c'mon, we get it already.

Lightsaber duelists don't need to tiptoe around each other and change poses at every fight. Because when the actually meaningful duels come up (like the one with Baylan), the impact will be lessened.

The "Kurosawa samurai duel" is artistic and interesting, but it should be used sparingly in order to maintain its charm and not get old and trope-y. AKA too much of a good thing becomes a bad thing.

[pascallatte]

Mando's Lover?

Pairing: Pedro Pascal x Actress!reader

Summary: The Mandalorian interview but why are you included? (read to find out 😉)

Date: August 2019

Taglist: @benonlinear, @t-stark35, @heyitsme-2, @elleeeee21, @holmesstrange, @tagakalat, @flyestvenustrap, @oldermenaremyreligion, @cherryred444, @avengersheart, @guacala, @pukka-latte, @hobiismyhopeu, @lilvampirina, @ilovehotdadsandshit

A/N: AAAAA we're almost entering my favourite part of the series, but, I might post some throwbacks before we head to that though so stay tuned and like always, enjoy!! also kind of a late post but you know. hehe

Series Masterlist

The pair are seen on the red carpet during this year’s D23 Expo on The Mandalorian, which was to be released three months from now.

“Ok I'm gonna recreate your reaction to-being-casted celebration,” the interviewer, Ash, said as she shook hands with Pedro. She recreated his celebratory reaction making Pedro watch as she continued.

“That’s right. It was- it was a three-act event react play. Yeah, it was like “Oh thank you thank you”.. pass out,” He said also reenacting with an exaggerated crying look on his face, clearly having fun at what was happening.

She brings the mic closer to her to ask him her second question, “But can you walk me through actually finding out you were cast as The Mandalorian.” Pedro who was once looking at her intently, turned to look downwards remembering how that day went. 

“Well I got a call and the actual words were “Jon Favreau wants to talk to you about something Star Wars” and so I said absolutely and I went out to meet him at his offices in Playa Vista and he invited me into a room where he introduced me to Dave Filoni and in this room, it was wall-to-wall, immaculate illustrations of this series which is everything Star Wars-”

He continues to share his precious moments before the final revelation, “-And so being a Star Wars fan myself I was like, “oh what’s this” and “oh I remember that” and “what are you gonna do here” and “what do you want me to do?”” Pedro rambles on about asking them what creature, robot, or whatever role they wanted him to audition for before taking a deep breath.

“-and they looked confused and basically pointed to the- this incredible like silhouette of The Mandalorian. He said you’re the, you’re The Mandalorian. So yeah that’s why I- that’s why I sort of died inside of joy.”

Nodding at his response Ash looks at him,” Who was the first person you ever told when you got the job? Since the role became like a very important one for you.”

Scratching the back of his neck, “Well, y/n was picking me up from Jon’s place, so naturally, I told her fir-actually, I freaked out on her. I kept blabbering on things I can’t even remember you know, it must be the adrenaline I felt at that moment. And then- just then did I call my sister, who is a big Star Wars fan, saying how I’m a part of the huge franchise that she loves and now we’ve done and are about to release the first season, it makes me really happy.” Ending his response with a content smile.

“How could you not? I mean, you mentioned you were a Star Wars fan, so what’s your earliest Star Wars memory? Do you remember like-“ Ash inquired once again, wanting to know more about him and his experience as an interviewer.

Pedro enthusiastically blurted out,” I saw Star Wars- I saw episode four in the movie theatre. I was very young so I don’t remember the experience of being in the theatre for it as well as I do the empire strikes back which is burned into my childhood imagination and  I remember like three attempts to get tickets for return of the Jedi and getting my heart broken every time because it was sold out, and then finally getting the tickets and literally you know like staring at the poster being like I’m finally seeing this movie so it was highly present in my childhood. All the toys you know and all the stories yeah.”

“And now you’re in it,” Ash said, seemingly into his history with Star Wars.

Agreeing with her, “And now I’m in it. it’s weird, leading the series”

“Now, back to being an avid Star Wars watcher. What was your reaction when you were first introduced to your now-girlfriend, Y/n L/n, who played the character Sabe in the phantom menace?"

Pedro looks at her with a look that he knows what she was up to and decides to keep it short, "Yeah well like I knew it was her when we first met but I didn’t like barging into her space telling her that I’ve watched her in Star Wars and loved it because that would be weird coming from this guy you’ve never met before. But now, I can say that we’re now also together in another galaxy."

"Did you ever think you would ever meet her in person or like be with her all those years ago?"

Crossing his arms, thinking for a moment, "I didn’t really well- but to start it off I didn’t even think I would be able to meet her in any way, since she was like in the spotlight already at such a young age so I didn’t really think about it. That was until we got introduced that is and it was one of the best moments in my life," finishing it off with a shy smile.

“That’s sweet, do you think we’ll ever see Y/n as part of your series, The Mandalorian?”

“Good question but we haven’t thought about it really. But with the number of times she’s been on set they should’ve made a character just for her don’t you think?” Pedro said laughing. “Last question, what role from The Mandalorian would you think y/n would fit in if she were to be cast?” she quickly stated as their time's almost up.

Pedro gave her a teasing knowing look, “Ummm Mando’s lover, no I'm joking. But maybe someone in the ranks, probably not a Mandalorian cause she'll look-" he makes a tiny sign from his hands, laughing at himself, "-wearing the armour. Maybe a Jedi, we don’t know really, she can play herself actually. She’ll take whatever they give her.”

[bloglizziekamiya]

I know I've probably said this before but I am begging Dave Filoni and or the universe as a whole

To please make a sequel to Clone Wars and Rebels but set between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back

PLEASE THAT'S THREE YEARS OF ORIGINAL TRIO CAUSING CHAOS I NEED TO SEE IT

Consider all of the Leia/Han banter, consider all of the awesome Luke moments we could have since the sequel did my baby dirty and most importantly

Please let me enjoy watching Vader spend three years chasing after his son only for Luke to yeet himself away at the very last second again and again

[brachiosaurus-on]

#if this is what it takes for people to realize that filoni's commentary about sw stuff he didn't make should be ignored#then i can live with that (via @jedi-order-apologist)

What is wrong with this man

[ooops-i-arted]

"But the show is about MANDALORIANS! Any Mandalorians! It never says it's about DIN!" is the stupidest fucking take I've seen out of this whole mess

Imagine if The Empire Strikes back cut away from Luke going to rescue Han and Leia to a new tax being levied on the citizens of Coruscant by a greedy Imperial bureaucrat because "they didn't say WHERE the Empire was striking back!"

Or the Original Trilogy ended by cutting away from the Rebel Fleet bravely standing up against the Death Star to a skirmish between a separate Rebel cell being attacked by a TIE fighter patrol because "they didn't say WHICH war in Star Wars!"

Or while Frodo is standing in Mount Doom, the camera zooms in on Vilya on Elrond's finger while he's sitting in Rivendell because "they didn't say WHICH Ring The Lord of the Rings was about!"

The Little Mermaid switches to following one of Ariel's sisters swimming around during the climax because "they didn't say WHICH little mermaid!"

Would y'all have read From A Certain Child's Point of View: The Sanctuary if I skipped all of Grogu's stuff to write from Winta's point of view the whole episode and then said "Haha, I didn't say WHICH child's point of view I was writing!" Or imagine if No Prison Can Hold had everything from Din and Luke's point of view, built up that confrontation, and then that chapter everyone was commenting they couldn't wait to see was Cara Dune calling Leia and explaining the situation and calling in a favor from a fellow Alderaanian and that's how the whole thing was solved. Leia takes Grogu and hands him to Din and Luke and Din never meet.

Previous seasons focused on Din. The advertising was all Din. It's not unreasonable to expect the show to be ABOUT DIN. All you're doing with that stupid fucking take is making excuses for Favroni's shitty writing and Filoni's inability to write anything but the same 3D Clone Wars characters over and over and over again.

[randombrambles]

I guess I'm in the minority because I came away from the Ahsoka finale more of a Sabezra shipper than before and more convinced they might be going in a canon Sabezra direction. Nothing ship killing happened in the finale...they are both alive and neither of them are romantically involved with anyone else.

And I'll say this, if Filoni wants Sabine and Ezra to be platonic, as people keep insisting, then he didn't communicate that very clearly, or at all, to the actors and the directors because Ezra and Sabine come across like they are in love. Like seriously Ezra's "I missed you" was pretty darn close to a love confession imo. The way he looked at her and the way he said it had me going "oh he is totally in love with her".

Sure them being separated, again, is a set back but its really a minor one for a scifi fantasy show. When Ezra got stuck nobody knew where he was or even how to begin finding him or if it was even possible. This time around Ezra knows exactly WHERE Sabine and Ahsoka are and HOW to get there. Its been established now that travel between galaxies is indeed possible and it doesn't even appear to be that hard? You just need the coordinates and a powerful enough hyperdrive. Ezra has either already stolen the coordinates from the Chimaera or he's working on a plan to do just that. This separation will be temporary and given that Thrawn is back in the main galaxy now, and there is no OT coming up in the timeline that Ezra needs to be MIA for, I'm betting it will be way, way shorter in universe that the last one. [how long we have to wait to see them reunited I have no idea, everything is so up in the air right now what was the just resolved writers strike and as yet to be resolved actors strike]

The big thing that's giving me pause on canon Sabezra at this moment in time is Sabine apparently committing to becoming a Jedi and her embracing being Ahsoka's apprentice. I just don't now where they are going to come down on the Jedi and romantic attachments thing. I'm worried they might revert back to the Jedi are forbidden romantic attachments angle to align with the BS they established with Luke regarding attachments for the Sequel Trilogy.

The fact that they didn't retcon the fact that Kanan was a Jedi, as I feared they would, and the fact that Carson didn't say "wait how can Jacen's father have been a Jedi? I thought Jedi weren't allowed to have families" gives me hope. And the obvious, to me anyway, "romantic coding" with Sabine and Ezra in Ahsoka gives me hope. But then I remember that they had Luke make Grogu chose between being a Jedi or seeing Din again in the Book of Bobba Fett and I get worried.

[contentment-of-cats]

I'll say it again. Andor is the best Star Wars show.

And that's because they didn't let Dave Filoni anywhere near it.

The show is called 'Ahsoka' but is actually an unaired season of Rebels. It ought to have been called 'attempted massive retcon at unwise forward speed' or 'Sabine has abandonment issues and makes poor decisions.' There are good scenes (possibly from another show, which one is anyone's guess) strung together with tired plot devices. Thrawn was chucked into this mess because there was no other way to move the plot. I did dig on some of the details like the signs of age and hard living and the obvious condition of the Chimaera. Other than that - pfft.

Turning to Thrawn - I am an unabashed fan of the Zahn-authored 2017 Trilogy and the HTTE trilogy (except the ending). He is complex neither all good or all evil. He is an antagonist and protagonist at once. Someone to root for and also against. Did he contrive his exile to join the Empire and possibly take it over in order to protect his people? It's possible. I don't think we'll ever find out, though. That being said, I don't think we're going to get much more from two more episodes.

One of my friends said that Filoni writes for children's shows, and it's true. The characters are almost cartoonish, not understandable as adults, but as kids understand adults to be. Perhaps I am expecting too much from an eight-episode MCU-kin show, but there was time to develop Sabine, or FFS Ahsoka (you know, the protagonist?), to fill in whatever has gone on in the past nine years since the Battle of Yavin, five years after Endor. For Sabine and Ezra, there should have been more feeling in that scene than the swell of the music.

A lot of the blame rests with Disney, and the paranoia-controlled process to stamp out leaks at all costs. There is a continuity to writing a script, working out the story boards, reading the script, and then shooting that is entirely lacking in franchise-oriented product. Franchise oriented product is formulated to sell merch and streaming subscriptions, and to drive bodies into theme parks. It's marketable.

The writers' and actors' guild strikes are ongoing. I'm content to wait - writers and actors have been getting screwed, fucked, and buttered without mercy for years. There is a new intensity to the talks as the studios start to sweat.

Final note: I love Thrawn, but the ageism of a vocal part of the fandom makes me want to still be around when these people hit 50. Age and illness and injury HAPPEN. Our bodies do not work as well when joints break down, we get hurt, or sick. Even when he regain functionality, it doesn't all come back. Even when our lives are saved, there are still sequelae. It's made me think less of some folks.

[illustratingari]

*AHSOKA SPOILERS EP 4*

Dave Filoni to all our Marrok theories that have been discussed for the last 3 months:

Dave Feloni strikes again

[isagrimorie]

[initial reactions] Star Wars Ahsoka 1x06 - Far, far away

Why is this show only 8 episodes??? I want to spend more time in Peridea!

Peridea, where Purgill comes to die, and the homeworld of the Witches of Dathomir. I get it now when House of R posited one of the reasons why Filoni loves Tolkien is that the setting is always in places with ruins and structures of once great empires because this is what Peridea is.

Also, there are more threatening powers in this new galaxy, as hinted by Baylan. He wants to break the cycle of the Jedi rising and falling and all its folly. Baylan claimed that he trained Shin 'to be more'.

And interestingly, Sabine 'reeks of Jedi,' but Baylan and Shin don't.

Thrawn is here! I believed he'd be shown in the last episode of the season but no! Filoni once again zigged when I thought he would zag and we're seeing Thrawn - weathered and his opinions on Force users changed.

ALSO IS ONE OF THE GREAT MOTHERS CLAUDIA BLACK???? I have to rewatch the credits later.

And we saw Ezra and Oh my... I get it now he looks HOT. Especially with that beard and okay, I kind of ship Ezra and Sabine a bit because of this. He aged and matured well, it didn't translate in the animated series but here?

Hello, sailor!

I love how Sabine went all... Sabine Alone, and she got a dog horse of her own. She might also have an affinity for animals.

But oh, Sabine 'I named a weapon after Duchess Satine' Wren, of House Disaster Lineage... strikes again. Ezra won't be happy with this, he of House Mace Windu.

I love the small scene that we saw of Ahsoka, who might have been riding the euphoria of rebirth but still has unresolved issues, as I mentioned last episode. She's chosen to live and embrace life, but all those issues don't go away. Ahsoka still has concerns, especially about Sabine's decision-making.

There's a really interesting discussion of destiny and fate that might be a throughline through everything and underscore Ahsoka's series. I wonder where they're going with this.

I love how Peridea looks so high fantasy, and it's brought on with the creatures, and really Baylan, Shin fit in but also Sabine with her Mando armor and cloak.

I love the weathered structures and ruins and the mention of the Great Witch Kingdom of Dathomir. Why did some of the Nightsisters migrate to another galaxy? What vast threat is there that they need a whole new Galaxy's distance to escape?

Baylan talks about the cycles the Jedi go through from rise to fall and how disillusioned he is of it-- how he loved the idea of the Jedi but not the reality of their flaws. This episode is the most dialogue-heavy of all episodes. PLEASE FILONI MOVE AWAY FROM FAVREAU'S LITTLE-TO-NO-DIALOGUE APPROACH.

I love that Ahsoka is being treated as this mythic, larger-than-life threat. 'She is coming.' is the new 'Winter is coming'.

I KNEW I KNEW AND TOLD MYSELF THIS WAS THE FIRST OF A THREE-PARTER!

DID I LISTEN TO MYSELF??? NO. OF COURSE NOT.

Sometimes, the wound is self-inflicted!

If the last episode was a love letter to Clone Wars fans, this episode is a love letter to Rebels fans.

[tikkisfanart]

Character Analysis: Tech—The Bad Batch, Season 2 (continued):

Plan 99

Spoilers for The Bad Batch: season 2 (after season finale)

Just before the finale of the second season of The Bad Batch, I posted a character analysis of Tech up to that point: https://tikkisfanart.tumblr.com/post/712999818567548928/character-analysis-techthe-bad-batch-season-2

Now that the finale is past (yes, very past, sorry this is delayed), I have a few things to add.

I just have to say, I was so pleased with Tech when he stood up to Hunter in behalf of Crosshair. When he mentioned that he was still their brother and “we do not leave our own behind”, I was so happy! He was aware of the emotions of others around him—not just data—and he expressed his own emotions in his own little way. He addressed Hunter’s concern, understanding why he did not trust Crosshair, but then stood up for Crosshair, despite what he has done in the past. It was a shining moment for Tech.

As the events of the episodes unfolded, I grew more and more anxious about the upcoming sacrifice. I knew it was going to happen, but I was hoping it would have been at least in an event to save Crosshair. In a way, I suppose it was because it happened on a mission to find Crosshair’s location, but the mission ultimately failed. Despite this, his sacrifice was still noble because it saved the rest of the squad. The moment was so heartbreaking! When Wrecker looked at Tech just before it happened, you can just see his pleading expression through his helmet. Oh, the beauty in the animation of that moment! The stillness of the music for that brief second then climaxed as Tech’s sacrifice unfolded! And the fact that they named such a sacrifice after the clone 99! Oh, that was tear-jerking! But something that strikes me so much, is the look of peace on Tech’s face as he fell. Despite his fate, he was at peace knowing that he offered his family a chance to escape and survive. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13, New Testament, KJV)

But is this truly the end for Tech? Well, in a way, I would say, "no." His act must live on in the rest of the squad. He must be remembered and honored through them.

But do I think he survived? Will we see him in season 3? I am sorry to say, but I do not think so. I want him to have survived, and I want him to come back, but unless he found a way to slow his fall and dodge the falling railcar, I don’t think he would have survived such a fall. He still had his grappling hook, so perhaps he was able to use it to catch himself somewhere along the fall. I know some people think that perhaps Hemlock found him before he perished and is keeping him alive for study. I have thought that myself. The fact that Star Wars is known for the “bringing back characters from the dead” cliché, it is a possible solution. But that is just it. It is cliché. I think that Dave Filoni and the creators are taunting and teasing us with this possibility. It seems to be too obvious a conclusion. Perhaps it is better to just have them honor his sacrifice and leave it at that. Don’t get me wrong. Again, I do want Tech to still be alive and I want the whole squad to be reunited and all alive and together at the end. However, I know that not everything is going to have a perfect, happy, fairytale ending. (I even suspect that there will be at least one more sacrifice, but I have not yet hypothesized who it will be from: Hunter, Echo, or even Crosshair?) Part of life is experiencing sorrows. It is something that helps us grow, and, perhaps, this is something Omega and the rest of Clone force 99 need in order to grow.

Whether or not Tech survived, however they address it in season 3 needs to be respectful of his sacrifice—not diminishing it in any way—and needs to show growth in the other characters. If it is presented properly, either way will be satisfactory—joy in his survival, or closure to his sacrifice.

[david-talks-sw]

I havent watched it yet, but I saw a lot of reports that The Acolyte promotes a lot of Jedi Order "hate" if you will. What did you think about it? As a Jedi fan, I kind of DONT want to watch it because of that.

If you ask me, it's a fine show :) it hasn't quite gripped me, the thick lightsabers that look like toys are a nitpick that keeps triggering me.

But overall it's nice!

Yes, there are some small jabs.

The Jedi in The Acolyte are really reticent towards using their lightsabers, resorting to hand-to-hand or even stun weapons.

From what I've seen on Twitter, people are speculating that this is to show how much more "good" the Jedi were back then, as opposed to the more "square, dogmatic, quick-on-the-draw Prequel Jedi," who lost their compassion and have fully detached themselves to the point of dehumanizing themselves.

Yord is clearly meant to be one of the first "Prequel Jedi" as described above.

It's played for laughs 50% of the time, but yeah. The narrative frames him as being a bit of a dick who's a bit too proud of himself. And I'm seeing reflections of Tales of the Jedi Mace Windu & what Filoni described Episode I Obi-Wan as.

Same goes for Vernestra, dogmatically insisting he return to Coruscant because "protocol" and literally shown playing politics.

I've seen folks draw a parallel between Vernestra's attitude and that scene in Episode II where Yoda and Mace agree that they can't let the Senate know their powers of foresight are waning... and yeah, people interpret that scene as the two of them playing politics.

The director commentary of Episode II states that's not the case. It's more about the fact that if they trying to keep the war from starting.

Parallels between Sol and Qui-Gon

Very evident. But again... if you ask me, Sol is just being a Jedi. Qui-Gon isn't the only one with those character traits. Look at Obi-Wan, Yoda, Mace, Shaak Ti.

Finally, there's some hints that some evil shit went down years prior to the show and the Jedi were at the center of it.

I'm gonna hazard a guess that it's not as black and white as Mae or Sol makes it seem. A "big misunderstanding" type deal.

So yeah. Vernestra and Yord strike me as one-dimensional and a bit cartoonish. But overall:

Love seeing Jedi do some Kung Fu.

Love that they finally fixed how lightsaber blades look on camera.

Love the concept of a Jedi-centered detective story.

Mae and Osha are fun in different ways, but I'm kinda scared that, from their mantra, the show is gonna culminate in a "Gray Jedi is the way" kinda direction, and you know how I feel about that.

Love Qimir. And I get the feeling he's more than what he says he is, if you get my drift.

Love the acting in it, the set pieces, the production value, the way some Force powers are used (Sol with the Force speed, fuck yeah!)

Love that the title of "sith acolyte" is an actual thing now. It kinda helps us figure out what Dooku was between when he left in Dooku: Jedi Lost and his last episode in Tales of the Jedi. If I understand correctly, Sidious had an apprentice while grooming an acolyte... once the apprentice kicked the bucket, he promoted Dooku.

8/10 as far as I'm concerned.

[reyturnofbensolo]

"Now I’m what’s called chief creative officer of Lucasfilm," Filoni tells Vanity Fair, which places him into the development process much earlier and in a much more expansive capacity than his previous advisory duties. He described his responsibilities as understanding the intent of the filmmakers and being a resource to them, based on his mentorship under Lucas himself, and his years spent steering The Clone Wars, Rebels, and Ahsoka.

I think Filoni will be AMAZING in this capacity(I realize this could tots blow up in my face btw but I think he will be good bts)! D/LF should’ve had him in this position years ago(I’m looking at you TROS)!! Make George proud my man(give us some dang midi-chlorians)!!!

Filoni will continue developing his film, as well as exploring a possible second season of Ahsoka, while serving in his new position.

Excited about his movie, the possibility of more Ahsoka(writer’s room please), and Dave really getting in there and making good decisions for Star Wars…YES! YES!! YES!!!

"You know me, I plan for a long game. I really do. And that encompasses a lot more than it used to, as I help other people as well," he says.

Now bring back Ben Solo and Rian Johnson!!!🙏

@TheDinkumReylo

"I know the storyline for one film. That's not to say that that's all it is, but that's what I was told about. And I imagine it will be the next film, I think. I mean, again, I don't know, post strikes and everything, how quickly everything will start up again. But yes, so far, I know the story of one film and I think people will be very excited."

I love Rey! Give her the story she deserves!! She needs a happy ending please!!!

[harrumphingtons]

!!!Bad Batch S2E11: Metamorphosis spoilers under the cut!!!

That was a good episode. I really enjoyed that one. In my opinion, the previous one was... a little slow. This one checked off boxes I forgot I had.

I have been waiting for a Zillo Beast follow up for years. I recently rewatched that arc and spent at least half an hour afterwards trying to figure out if there was anything that ever mentioned the Zillo Beast again after, y'know, "You want me to clone the beast?" There was nothing, obviously, although I came across some Zillo-eats-Palpatine fanfics that were very entertaining.

The Zillo-absorbing-energy-for-strength thing actually isn't new. Screencrush's Breakdown Video on YouTube mentions that in the Clone Wars episodes, the Zillo broke free only after absorbing energy from some generators near it, which, whoa, never noticed that. It's subtle, but it's there. (It's at about 9 minutes and 50 seconds into Clone Wars S2E19: The Zillo Beast Strikes Back, if you want to rewatch that part).

Aside from the Zillo Beast, I loved a lot of other parts of this episode, too. Mainly the mention of Echo and Rex, those two are my favorites and just the thought of seeing them again has me screeching. I'm also glad that Hunter is coming around to the prospect of joining the larger fight against the Empire, and all the Tech and Omega moments are just. Healing for the soul.

BUT.

OMEGA IS IN DANGER AGAIN!

Which I honestly didn't see coming. I mean, obviously she'd be in danger, but I didn't think Filoni would sic the Empire on her again. However, I'm glad it happened in the sense that the stakes are raising higher and they're raising faster, and it's all gearing towards a pretty epic finale, hopefully.

Tech: Your concern is not warranted. I will be fine.

Me: yeahhhh the person who goes off alone dies first....

ALSO Tech's "Fascinating" STOPPPP I LOVE THIS MAN HE IS A BEAUTIFUL SOUL I LOVE HIM