#it's fun [/s] being anti war while living in the military empire

[ranger-kellyn]

probably not within my lifetime, but i long for the day when "we have the strongest military on the planet" is no longer met with uproarious applause

[theculturedmarxist]

It’s not the big, glaring, obvious lies that get you. The New York Times is the world’s most destructive propaganda outlet not because it publishes giant ham-fisted whoppers, but because it appears trustworthy. Its reporting looks authoritative. Children are taught in school that it’s what credible news media looks like. This lets the well-crafted propaganda slide into people’s minds, undetected and without resistance.

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The western media are so ridiculously deceitful and propagandistic that the fact that popular comedy shows and famous comedians aren’t making fun of them constantly proves those shows and comedians are themselves part of the propaganda network.

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Most mainstream western reporting on Chinese military activity essentially amounts to “OMG you guys China isn’t just passively sitting there while we militarily encircle it and prepare to attack it!”

Example:

That’s what all the banging on about China’s “military build-up” is doing too; acting like it’s alarming and sinister that China isn’t just passively allowing itself to be surrounded with war machinery amid glaringly obvious western preparations for war without doing anything to defend itself.

China’s still spending vastly less on its military than the United States, both overall and as a percentage of GDP. Yet we’re meant to act like China is the obvious aggressor nation, even as it’s being rapidly surrounded by US war machinery and increasingly militarized US allies.

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One thing I’ve learned from interactions with Robert F Kennedy Jr supporters is that many of them sincerely don’t understand why his position of “unconditional support” for Israel is such a deal breaker for many anti-imperialists. They think it’s all about Palestinian rights, but it’s a lot more than that.

Unconditional support for Israel doesn’t just mean supporting apartheid abuses and frequent bombings of Gaza, it means supporting the regular bombing of Syria, the annexation of the Golan Heights, and Israel’s insane warmongering against Iran. Israel is always in a state of war.

“Unconditional support” for Israel means imperialist foreign policy throughout the middle east. This isn’t just conjecture — we already see it in RFK Jr’s other middle east foreign policy like his staunch opposition to the Iran deal.

It’s a nonsensical, self-contradictory position to claim you want to dismantle the empire out one side of your mouth and pledge “unconditional support” for a nation that’s never not at war out the other. If you’re saying both, there’s one you’re not being truthful about.

There’s not enough rage at the US empire for provoking and perpetuating the war in Ukraine. Objections you see to this proxy war are mostly just griping about how much it costs or whether it’s sound strategy or whatever, but how about the fact that human lives are being spent like pennies for the advancement US global hegemony?

Think about how much it hurts to have one death in your family. Think about how much it rocks an entire community to lose even one life to violence. Mountains of human bodies are being piled up in violent deaths, all to secure US geostrategic interests in Eurasia. It’s pure horror.

The empire had multiple opportunities to end this before it started. It had an opportunity to end it in April 2022. It had an opportunity to end it this past November. But it kept shoving it through to advance US interests, and young lives kept being sacrificed to the war god.

Meanwhile US officials openly gloat all the time about how much this war is serving US interests, while anonymously whining to the press that the counteroffensive is failing because Ukrainians are too cowardly to charge through Russian minefields under heavy artillery fire. This should draw white hot rage from everybody.

Basically the US empire’s strategy is to use Ukrainian bodies like a giant sponge to soak up as many expensive Russian military explosives as possible.

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For western war propagandists Syria was like a dress rehearsal for the war in Ukraine. The lies are being peddled mostly by the same people, using mostly the same methods, funneled up into the same mainstream media platforms. The only real difference is that the empire is on the side of the official government in Ukraine, so it can simply use its officials and its media platforms as on the ground sourcing instead of setting up a bunch of weird little propaganda constructs like the White Helmets etc. Syria marked a new era of imperial narrative management.

[cucullas]

The tale of two Fanfan’s: pro and anti war French songs

I’m absolutely not done with Spanish Romances but today i felt like overanalizing another country songs so follow me as we cross the Pyrenées and time travel to the XVIII century to see how the name of an idealized soldier (Fanfan, La Tulipe) ended on an antiwar song (Le conscrit du Languedoc).

beware: it gets very French, this level of French 

1952 film “Fanfan la Tulipe”, not even trying to be subtle o how much you should thrist for the hero

Fanfan la Tulipe, a very sung hero

The first Fanfan is a soldier of the French monarchy, his King is anyone from the very classy wing and heels wearing Louis XIV to his Louis the XVI before he looses his head. He is the hero of a very popular song (here all stanzas or here my fav version) a march of the Grenadiers an specialized military assualt division. The song is quite good at tellingin less than 4 minutes a quite plotty story of a young man who is recruited. 

Fanfan is short for François, a name that literally means French and “La Tulipe” is a “nom de guerre” a soldiers mandatory nickname cause at the time there were like 5 names. 

 A young desperate was historically a perfect candidate from the Army who is mostly volontary the Kingdom of France had no mandatory conscription. At times of war of course recruitement agent forced people and all able men were called but there was not a military service stablished. 

COLONEL DUGUÉ MAC Cathy - Planche Uniforme Maison du Roy 1745

Fanfan who has a bad relation with his father is trown from his home, to avoid starving he joins the army and became a grenadier. naive, but also honorable and a ladies man the song builds a very likeable character. From being initially afraid of battles and sing the chorus “Allons mon petit Fanfan / Let’s go my little Fanfan” to give himself courage to helping his father in his moment of need we can’t help to get a bit attached.

“Des vaincus la touchante prière / M'fit toujours voler à leur secours  / P'têt’ c'que j'fais pour eux, / Les malheureux l'f'ront un jour, à leur tour / Pour ma mère”

“The moving cries of those defeated / Always made me flight to help them / Maybe what i’m doing for them / These unfortunate ones will one day do for my mother” 

You got to like him a bit. 

Fanfan, French icon

The succes of the character is massive, an operette, several serials, comics and three movies the image of Fanfan as a Louis XV soldier an he has shenenigans of all sort… 

Last film is from 2003 it’s high time to do a new one, most of these film are pretty bad but fun as hell. 

In the song he retires after 20 years. This is how things went, if the soldier survived war but also the awful conditions of casernes, lack of payment, hunger and diseases they were free to go after 8 to 10 years of service. Our hero remained 10 more. He could not reach the higher positions those where reserved to nobles but a modest career was still available.

Fanfan, La Tulipe, the version that we know is the one adapted by Emile Debraux in 1819 for popular orchestras. At the time, and after the napoleonic empire and revolution the monarchy was restaured in France and the fun story of these soldier of the golden days of monarchy became very popular. 

The army life is idealized however the thematic is more approachable than Revolutionary songs that are many times more about ideals and revolutionary fervor. Ultimately Fanfan choosed to become a soldier and once there despite  “cannons fire” who afraid him so much during his first battle. 

And while live of population an military was by no means better during monarchy that revolutionary and napoleonic period back then military was far from the general population and could be idealized or played with. It will soon not be so easy to distance oneself for it. 

Fanfan, the reluctant soldier

The hero of the second song  is also Fanfan (listen here sung by a choir here with a sadder tune) but we don’t know his name at first. He presents himself like this: “Je suis un pauvre conscrit de l’an 1810 / faut quitter le Languedoc / avec le sac sur le dos.” I’m a poor conscript of the year 1810 / I ought to leave Languedoc / with my bag in the back″

Like the first one he is a young men but he doesn’t decided to join the army himself. Napoleon has been Emperor for two years now but conscription started some years ago. if the Revolution hoped at the start to make military voluntary they soon saw it was impossible and a career army was formed but the numerous napoleonic campaigns need more and more men. Recruitement became ofc highly unpopular. 

Tirage au sort pour la conscription, Anonyme aka if you think your days sucks? wait and see Fanfan2′s one.

Fanfan 2 is pissed as hell and he might not be a soldier yet but he already leave no survivors: 

“ Maire et M'sieur le Préfet / N'en sont deux jolis cadets (bis) / Ils nous font tirer-z-sort / Pour nous conduire à la mort.”

“The Mayor and M. Prefect / Make two great captains / They make us draw a number / To take us to death” 

The recruitment at the time happens in two steps: First the Mayor makes a list of all the available young men from a year and they are called to a main city to present themselves. There, they draw a number who will decide if they go the reserve and are not called (high number) or are immediatly called to the army (low number). 

Fanfan 2 has not luck that day and he drawn numer two: if he passed the medical exam (which unless he lacks a limb or is very very sick, he will) he goes immediatly with the army. So this young man is there, with his parents and girlfriend and says goodye to them while he fearing they will never see each other again. It leads to maybe the most French methafor ever

“Dites a ma tante que son neveu / à attrapé le numero deux / qu’en partant son coeur se fend / comme du fromage blanc”

“Tell my aunt that her nephew / drawn number two / that leaving slips his heart / like a piece of fresh cheese.”

Pictured: young soldier heart 

Poetic irony 

Fanfan 2 name is mentionned at the end of the song: 

“ Adieu donc mon tendre coeur, / Vous consolerez ma soeur / Vous y direz que Fanfan / Il est mort en combattant.”

“Farewell my tender love / Please comfort my sister / Tell her that Fanfan / that he died at war”

The authors of the first song very probably new the first and the name of Fanfan can onle mean this association with a young soldier but it can also be a way to compare this two songs and by contrast give an even further critique to conscription and war that is not like songs… 

… specially if we remember that some of the 1810  recruits will end up dying in the terrible Russian campaign. 

Napoléon faisant retraite depuis Moscou, par Adolphe Northen.

This song also became well loved by anti-war supporters and there is one version in Occitan, the regional language of Languedoc.

I find it interesting how differently these song treat the same thematics. The lyrics of the first song are here (FR) and the second here (FR and OCC versions). The papers are use to talk abut recruitement are here for 18th cetury  and here for empire both in French. Have a great day, eat fresh cheese and join me soon for more songs.

[rebelsofshield]

Panels Far, Far Away: A Week in Star Wars Comics 11/13-11/27/19

It’s certainly unfair for Lucasfilm to pick my first semester of grad school to start supplying us with more Star Wars content than at any other point in recorded history. Jerk move on their part. Anyways, as a result, here are three (!) weeks worth of Star Wars comics review in which: Marvel’s ongoing ends its seventy five issue run, Doctor Aphra gets her groove back, and Chewbacca knocks some heads. Hopefully I can be quicker about this in the future!

11/13/19

Star Wars #74 written by Greg Pak and art by Phil Noto

In its seventh chapter, “Rebels and Rogues” hurtles towards conclusion. The result may just be the strongest installment of an arc that has been chockfull of great ideas, but often struggled on just how to tell its sometimes overly scattered story. With the different teams now in open communication with one another and each fighting for their lives in desperate situations, writer Greg Pak’s take on the galaxy far, far away has never felt more a live and energetic.

We hop between narratives with surprising ease and elegance and the flow of the story is easy to follow, high energy, and positively fun. Han, Leia, and Dar Champion are flying for their lives in a defenseless ship against an Imperial star destroyer, Luke and Warba are in route to the planet’s rebels but with an Imperial patrol of Stormtroopers riding velociraptors right on their tale, and Threepio and Chewbacca are right in the center of a growing conflict between the rock people of K43 and Darth Vader himself.

Threepio’s arc here still remains the most fascinating stuff in “Rebels and Rogues.” For the first time in a long time, old goldenrod feels like he has an emotional story all his own and it culminates in a moment of self-sacrifice that capitalizes off all the themes of sentience and personhood that this surprisingly delightful subplot has been playing with since day one.

The promised Chewbacca/Darth Vader showdown on the cover doesn’t occur until the comics final pages but it sets up what should be a killer finale. Noto draws a suitably visceral encounter and no other panel in this creative team’s legacy will likely spark as much joy as Chewie spiking a boulder off of the Sith Lord’s ebony helmet.

Score: A-

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order: Dark Temple #4 written by Matthew Rosenberg and art by Paolo Villanelli

At the time of this writing, I’ve actually finished playing Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. The first single player Star Wars game in over a decade provides a very fun and rewarding experience that is populated with some truly outstanding characters. The game also shows that its tie-in comic, Dark Temple is surprisingly more consequential than one might have originally thought. Sure, Cere and Eno Cordova were known characters in the game from the start, but Dark Temple sees the two encountering numerous elements from Fallen Order for the first time.

Even outside the comic’s surprising consequence to the game it draws from, Dark Temple continues to be a very entertaining prequel era narrative. Even four issues in, writer Matthew Rosenberg is still providing us with new information and twists that upend our understanding of what exactly is going on. Cere and Cordova may have gotten involved in something bigger than they originally anticipated and there is more on the line than freedom for Fylar. Rosenberg has weaved a complex web and just what exactly lies within the titular temple is just as much a mystery now as when it started.

It also helps that this comic is arguably the best looking Star Wars comic on the stands now. Paolo Villanelli has always excelled at drawing dynamic and well choreographed action sequences and he truly shines here as the violent conflict between Flyar and the DAA corporation explodes into full blown war. Villanelli is great at creating a sense of motion and scale and these moments of larger conflict are filled to the brim with well designed characters and explosive energy. Colorist Arif Prianto makes the comic feel like it comes ablaze too with multicolored embers peppering each panel.

Between the surprisingly complex story and the killer art, Dark Temple has quickly evolved into one of the stronger tie-in comics that Star Wars has released in recent memory and a significant improvement on both creator’s previous works in the franchise. Its final issue may not stick the landing, but this is a comic that is well worth considering picking up.

Score: B+

Star Wars Target Vader #5 written by Robbie Thompson and art by Cris Bolson, Robert Di Salvo, and Marco Failla

So turns out the Hidden Hand isn’t the rebellion? I’m very lost at this point. The mysterious crime organization that has been at the center of Target Vader from its start has always been its biggest head scratcher. A last panel reveal at the end of the comic’s first issue heavily hinted that the Hidden Hand was actually just an organization used by the Alliance to work in the criminal underworld. Over the past few issues, we have been given to doubt this reading, until now, where this theory is thrown out the door. Turns out the Hidden Hand may have older and more mysterious origins, but now we are just as lost as ever.

It speaks to the overall aimlessness of Target Vader. Despite the violent thrills of last issue, this miniseries has still been a mostly confused and overly long affair. Beilert Valance is still a mostly dull protagonist and his quest to neutralize Vader feels even more muddled than ever before. Writer Robbie Thompson does some work to try to remedy this situation by giving us an issue that is split between retelling Valance’s past and maiming by the Imperial military and the present where he is now caught between the grip of the Empire and the Rebel Alliance. It creates an interesting scenario for our central anti-hero, but ultimately fails to reveal much enlightening about Valance as a person. We may know why he is a grumpy, angry loaner by this point, but it doesn’t make his relatively one-note behavior any more interesting.

It also doesn’t really help that we have three guest artists on board instead of Stefano Landini. Marco Failla’s pencils may do a good enough job of approximating Landini’s style, but as a whole the result is a bit jarring as the comic never establishes a clear visual consistency. Combined with the fact that we already lost Marc Laming after issue one, this just adds to the weirdly confused reading experience that Target Vader has maintained to this point.

We have seen this comic work. Last issue’s installment was a brutally realized explosion of violent chaos, but we only have one issue now to really bring it all together, and I’m worried that Target Vader may not be up to the task of making this long, strange voyage worth it.

Score: C+

 11/20/19

Star Wars #75 written by Greg Pak and art by Phil Noto

All roads lead to K43. In its eighth and final chapter, “Rebels and Rogues” sees all our team members converge on the rocky moon for one climactic stand against Darth Vader and the Empire. In this extra sized finale, Greg Pak and Phil Noto try their best to pull the disparate threads of this arc together while also delivering a satisfying finale. The result proves fun, very strange, and ultimately forgettable. It ends with a summation of this run as a whole: filled with smart art and ideas, but lacking in standout storytelling beats to leave a lasting impression.

Some of the disappointment comes from the fact that much of this issue comes down to our various cast members beating up on Darth Vader. We open with the final blows of Chewbacca and Vader’s brawl which Noto clearly enjoyed bringing to life, but much of the rest of the issue resorts to the extended ensemble blasting away at him in various set pieces. It plays out like a miniature version of 2016’s Vader Down, but lacking in the edge and thrills of that original crossover.

There’s also some strange choices made with the rock people of K43 that don’t entirely gel with what came before. Part of what made these characters so refreshing throughout this story arc has been how Pak used their existence to challenge our characters’ concepts of sentience and to allow C-3PO to bond with another group of non organic life that is similarly overlooked. This fun play continues, but the conflict of it all is handwaved away in a manner that feels unusually flippant. Given the amount of effort put into finding a way around murdering this race, Pak introduces a last minute plot detail that makes it all feel unnecessary and that’s before the giant planet sized stone giant appears.

Yes, this comic gets very weird and it’s certainly fun, but it feels more than a little scattered and chaotic in a comic that already feels all over the place.

With that, we bid goodbye to this short but enjoyable era of Marvel’s Star Wars ongoing. While Empire Ascendant will presumably be the final issue of the main series, with it being rebooted for a new post Empire Strikes Back ongoing headed by Charles Soule and Jesus Saiz sometime in January, there is a sense of finality to this creative team’s last chapter aboard. Pak and Noto prove a fun bunch and had a great sense of playfulness and scope to this ongoing during its final days even if the execution wasn’t always immaculate. I’m glad to hear that Pak will be staying around to write the next volume of Darth Vader. He has some big shoes to fill, but if the heights of this comic are any indication, he is capable of the same spectacle and intrigue as past creators.

Score: B

11/27/19

Star Wars Adventures #28 written by John Barber and Michael Moreci and art by Derek Charm and Tony Fleecs

Chewbacca’s adventures with his porg sidekick, Terbus, are pretty much perfect fodder for an all-ages Star Wars comic. Given how strong Adventures’ visual storytelling has been since day one, having two protagonists who speak through grunts, squawks, and body language is right up this teams’ alley. Yes, it’s cutesy and yes it is a bit simple, but there is undeniable charm in the way Derek Charm draws us through the liberation of Kashyyyk. It may not be as visually inventive as last issue, but the way that Chewbacca hops through the forest and takes on First Order baddies is still illustrated with the same energy and personality.

There is a bit of tonal whiplash here though. While it’s hard not to be won over by Porg salutes and Wookiees knocking heads, there are moments where the enslavement of the Wookiee population is presented as an all too real possibility. The lighter, more playful execution of this issue may do a lot to make this subject matter more palatable for younger readers, but one wonders if this should have been the direction that the story went with at all.

Michael Moreci’s droid adventure is more tonally cohesive and certainly also a fun time, but it lacks the standout visuals and heart of the Chewbacca section. Last issue succeeded by pairing the under appreciated droids with another outcast that also was invisible to the First Order, but the events here are less concerned with character and theme and more so with the fun action of their plan. All the same, it’s still a decent read and sure to delight younger readers.

Score: B

 Star Wars Doctor Aphra #39 written by Simon Spurrier and art by Caspar Wijngaard

With just one issue left before the end of their tenure, Simon Spurrier and Caspar Wijngaard are pulling out all the stops for the end of Doctor Aphra. After the misstep that was “Unspeakable Rebel Superweapon,” it has been nice to see Spurrier get back in the swing of things with “A Rogue’s End” as each issue improves upon the last. Wijngaard and colorist Lee Loughridge feel more in sync here than ever before and Spurrier twists the knife as Aphra digs herself further and further into a disaster of her own making.

While she was first introduced in Kieron Gillen’s run on the title, Magna Tolvan and her relationship with Aphra have been staples of Spurrier’s run since he first stepped into the title. Here as we hurtle towards the big finish, it seems only fitting that the tortured and complex romance between these two very different souls take center stage. “A Rogue’s End” isn’t afraid to really dig into what it is about these two broken and confused women that drives their attraction to one another and just how deadly and ill advised their love, if it can be called that, is. It’s antagonistic, violent, but ultimately brimming with the sort of affection and tension that makes a good Star Wars romance sing. There is one image in particular here that is beautifully realized by Wijngaard and Loughridge and may rival the two’s first kiss for the iconography of this pairing.

It’s not all two woman coming to terms with one another under extreme circumstances, Aphra is still full speed ahead on her own mission survival. We hurtle towards a series of decisions at the issue’s end that may just cross the line into Aphra’s biggest moral slippage to date. Spurrier seems poised to deliver final judgement on what kind of person our dear rogue archaeologist may be, but knowing her and this series, the final thematic resting point is anyone’s guess. It’s a good thing that Spurrier makes the whole thing so damn fun to read and Wijngaard creates such beautiful imagery.

Score: A-

[rebelsofshield]

2017: The 10 Best Pieces of Star Wars Media

With installments in almost every form of storytelling media, 2017 has been a busy year for the Galaxy Far, Far Away. There have been more than a few duds, but even with a few minor hiccups, 2017 brought us some all-time classic Star Wars stories. 

10. Forces of Destiny

In a way, “Forces of Destiny” may just be a glorified series of animated toy commercials. However, there is an undeniable sense of charm and energy to the series. With its simplistic but often expressive animation and all-star voice cast, “Force of Destiny’s” chronicling of the adventures of Star Wars’ heroines is a fun distraction with plenty of family friendly adventure. It’s a welcome reminder that this universe is a place of inspiration and escapism for fans of all ages, genders, sexes, and races. Also, I’m weirdly a huge fan of Sabine Wren and Jyn Erso teaming up. Let’s see that pairing again.

9. Star Wars Aftermath: Empire’s End

Despite a rocky start, Chuck Wendig’s expansive, quirky, and inclusive Aftermath trilogy improved itself with each installment before finally reaching its creative zenith in Empire’s End. With a galaxy spanning scope and a truly diverse ensemble of characters, Wendig draws to a close the narratives of three books but also creates a tight epilogue for the finale to the original era of Star Wars. The result is frequently mysterious and foreboding but just as often romantic, tragically emotional, and laugh out loud funny. Wendig’s take on the Star Wars universe feels unique to his own mind and bridges the distant war-torn galaxy to our own political landscape in intelligent and oddly relevant ways.

8. Captain Phasma/Phasma

Yes, I’m aware the duel pairing of this would really make the list “Top 11 2017 Pieces of Star Wars Media,” but Delilah S. Dawson’s novel, Phasma, and Kelly Thompson and Marco Checchetto’s limited comic series, Captain Phasma ,function as a perfect duology. Together, both Thompson and Dawson take on the task of redeeming the character of Phasma in the cultural psyche and craft the chrome armored warrior into the dangerous and surprisingly haunting villain we all expected her to be when she first debuted in The Force Awakens in 2015. The two create a strong piece of storytelling synergy that draw together Phasma’s origins and future and craft a dangerous and opportunistic woman who quickly stakes her claim as the Boba Fett of a new generation.

7. Star Wars: Darth Vader -Dark Lord of the Sith

When writer Charles Soule originally solicited this series earlier this year, he described it as “Darth Vader: Year One,” referencing the famous Frank Miller Batman comic.  Soule has taken this inspiration in following the immediate aftermath of Anakin’s transformation into Darth Vader and has turned in a brutal and at times horrifying character study of a man at his moral and emotional lowest point. Coupled with Giuseppe Camuncoli’s dynamic art which excels at kinetic action sequences, Soule is more than on his way of living up to the lofty legacy of Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larroca’s now legendary run on Darth Vader just last year.

6. Star Wars Battlefront II: Inferno Squad

While the video game that shares its name and from which it draws inspiration may have largely been a disappointment, Christie Golden’s tie-in novel “Inferno Squad” makes for one of the best Empire centric narratives told in the current canon. Following an elite Imperial special forces unit in the immediate aftermath of the destruction of the Death Star, Golden’s take on the titular Inferno Squad hammers home the dangers of fanatical fascism in the face of catastrophe or loss. The result is a tense and nail-biting story that sees squad leader Iden Versio and her allies infiltrating some of the last remaining members of Saw Gerrera’s Partisans to stop potential terror threats against the Empire. While Golden may not turn you into an Imperial convert, she does explore, in perhaps the most realistic and intimate way to date, the mindset that a soldier working for this government would have.

5. Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi

While understandably controversial and divisive, writer and director Rian Johnson’s eighth installment in the Star Wars saga is among the most creatively daring of the franchise. Upending much of our expectations for both the series and genre, Johnson’s script, even if it may run a little long, crafts a twisting and unpredictable tale of legacy, destiny, and the personal/societal importance of heroes. The result is a Star Wars movie that feels unique in its purpose, delivery, and message. From thrilling space battles, political intrigue, to musings about the place of Jedi and the Force in the galaxy, Johnson’s Star Wars is an epic space opera that tickles the brain as well as the eyes. Drawing it together are a wide string of talented performances with particular standouts being in Mark Hamill, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, and Oscar Isaac. However, hanging over the entire proceeding is a genuine sense of melancholy as Carrie Fisher provides her final, and one of her best, performance as the iconic Leia Organa.

4. Thrawn

Thrawn and Timothy Zahn are a pair as linked by destiny as any two in-universe characters in the Star Wars saga. Ever since Zahn brought the calculating, art-loving tactician to life in his deservedly iconic Heir to the Empire, Thrawn has haunted and loomed over the Star Wars expanded universe with an appropriate sense of gravitas. For the first time, Zahn positions Thrawn not as a villain but as an anti-hero protagonist and in the process creates a unique look in this iconic aliens mind. The result is a thrilling and intriguing piece of military sci-fi that functions not only as a prequel to the third season of Star Wars Rebels but also to Zahn’s work in the Legends continuity. Fans of classic Star Wars novels are sure to be as satisfied as new converts to Thrawn’s web.

3. Doctor Aphra

Without a doubt the best creation from Marvel’s current tenure in the Star Wars universe, Doctor Chelli Lona Aphra is just about everything that makes a great character in the galaxy far, far away. Originally created in the formerly mentioned Darth Vader ongoing by Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larroca, Aphra quickly won the attention and hearts of readers through her blunt sense of humor, wild schemes, and fluid morality. In short, Aphra is a queer, chaotic neutral Indiana Jones that also happens to get herself into uneasy alliances with Sith Lords, unstable Wookie bounty hunters, and psychotic murder droids.  Gillen’s follow up series with regular artist Kev Walker is one of the most refreshing and stylistically unique offerings of the new canon that regularly blends heist thrills, light cosmic horror, and laugh out loud humor. It’s a series that delights with almost every issue and Star Wars fans are all the more blessed to have it.

2. Star Wars Rebels

While it may not have had anything as instantly iconic and mythic as season two’s stellar finale “Twilight of the Apprentice,” Star Wars Rebels continues to grow into a mature and superbly realized animated journey. As the series moves into its conclusion in the first half of 2018, it is important not to underplay the important work that executive producer Dave Filoni and his crew provided in 2017. While furthering the growth and personal saga’s of its central cast, the series took us to Tatooine to Yavin to Mandalore and, of course, to the now war torn planes of Lothal. In the process, the Rebels delivered the best on screen Star Wars installments of the year in the emotional “Trials of the Darksaber” and beautifully realized “Twin Suns.” It doesn’t get much better than this, but we still have just under three hours of Rebels left before the series concludes. 2018 may still top this.

1. From a Certain Point of View

From a Certain Point of View is the kind of Star Wars product that, like all of the best, is a communal stroke of mad genius. Taking the works of over 40 different authors to tell 40 stories, “From a Certain Point of View” as collected retells the full narrative of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope from a wide variety of periphery and supporting views. Through the talented prose stylings of Kelly Sue DeConnick, Paul Dini, Ashley Eckstein, Matt Fraction, Alexander Freed, Kieron Gillen, Christie Golden, Claudia Gray, Pablo Hidalgo, Charles Soule, Chuck Wendig, and more From a Certain Point of View offers a truly unique and undeniably special reading experience. In the process, A New Hope evolves into a series of moments and adventures that connect this seminal film to the prequels, Rogue One, the canon comics and books, the animated series, and even teases of the sequel trilogy in new and exciting ways but at the same time plays with the heart and mind. Even more impressive is the sheer variety of subject matter and genre on display. Meg Cabot, Cavan Scott, Claudia Gray deliver beautiful post-mortems for Aunt Beru, Qui-Gon Jinn, and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Matt Fraction and Kelly Sue DeConnick deliver a sprawling crime caper that collides with a tense table sit down at the Mos Eisley cantina. And of course, Gillen finds a way to work in Doctor Aphra. Fans of unique creative projects in the Star Wars universe owe it to themselves to read this collection. Also, a large chunk of the proceeds go to a charity that provides reading materials to students in need. Just buy this book.