#like girl i watched tcw i know who dooku is
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dinsverdika · 2 years ago
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All right, I rewatched the latest mando episode and it wasn't as bad on the second watch. I still don't get why Din decided to hate all droids again but I'm gonna put it on the fact that he was triggered by the battle droids and wasn't thinking clearly. It's still kinda weird that he'd leave Grogu with an ex-imperial, though. But that's probably because Lizzo wanted to hang out with him.
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shrinkthisviolet · 1 year ago
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25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now? Of Obi-Wan?
Well I ofc first saw him in Episode 1, because my dad insisted that we watch the movies in numerical order. So...my first impression of him was that he was kinda charming and sassy 😂 which...I guess I'm not totally wrong there, because he definitely didn't lose his sass (*cue the "Hello There" scene from ROTS and also every scene in TCW where he teases Ventress and Dooku, among others*). I knew he'd be important later in the story, though I didn't know exactly how yet (I didn't know much about Star Wars, just the very basics). Still, I was on board.
Now, I find him an interesting character because of his nuance and inherent tragedy. He takes on this apprentice that was never meant to be his, after Trials that were nothing like he expected*, and it's challenging. Of course it is. His apprentice is a former slave, and Obi-Wan is at a loss, because they don't exactly have much experience with training former slaves. They have records, and he probably reads those cover to cover, but that's still just words on a page, and Anakin is so unique anyway. A beacon in the Force, so strongly loving his mother who's still left on Tatooine as a slave...Anakin is so used to getting attached because he has so little, while Obi-Wan is used to detaching and doing what's required of him. It's why they have a contentious relationship at times—loving, there's no doubt, but also contentious.
Ahsoka helps. I haven't finished Clone Wars, so I don't know the full details of everything, but from what I can tell, she's a great addition to the trio and they're at their strongest when they're all together ("we'll be fine as long as we stay together" oh Obi-Wan, how right you were). But then Ahsoka leaves the Jedi Order after a messy trial, the details of which I ofc don't know yet (haven't gotten that far in TCW!).
Then the manipulations Palpatine has exercised for 13 years pay off when Anakin is 22-23—due to fear for his wife and fear to confide in any of the Jedi, he tries to save her life and instead falls to the Dark Side, betraying Obi-Wan and all the Jedi when he slaughters them (some of them escape into hiding, but not many). It must hit Obi-Wan especially hard, given that Anakin in essentially the closest thing to a child he's had up to this point, whom he'd come to see as a brother after Anakin's Knighting. It's a pain so deep...and we know from ROTS that Obi-Wan is horrified by the idea of killing him...and in the end, he can't do it. Arguably, he condemns Anakin/Vader to a worse fate...and Vader is born out of that pain, while Padmé dies giving birth to her twins (triplets, in my AU, but ofc twins in canon).
And then Obi-Wan loses hope, for 10 years, until a little Organa/Skywalker girl makes him smile—two, in my AU, and raising Lucy is yet another challenge for him because of how much like Anakin she is, and how he's really, really trying to raise her better, trying to be more open and communicative with her and not restrict her too much, but also wanting to keep her powers under wraps so that they won't be found. He doesn't want Vader to find her...especially not with Luke being so close. He can't bear to lose either of them, especially this girl he calls daughter. There's a reason the Lucy Kenobi angle is what finally got Lucy to stick as an OC—it adds so much depth to Obi-Wan to have to raise a child on Tatooine.
And then when he's training them, particuarly Luke, he says to be prepared to kill Vader if it comes down to that. His worldview is such that he sees no other option. You can almost imagine he's talking to himself, on Mustafar, telling himself to kill Vader before he can become more of a threat than he already has. Perhaps it's a regret he carries. Luke, of course, finds another way—he always does. I imagine Obi-Wan and Yoda are both proud of him for it. In that way, I think Obi-Wan is able to finally find peace.
I just really appreciate his nuance as a character, the "infinite sadness" he carries within him. He makes mistakes, but that's a human thing, and even his flaws make him compelling. No person is perfect...no character is either. But they don't need to be! He's the mentor character, twice over, and though he doesn't succeed the first time, he succeeds the second time. There's something so poignant in that, I think.
*I do believe he was ready for the Trials, no matter what some people say - he wouldn't have been allowed to take them otherwise. But to do them without Qui-Gon, and for the ceremony to happen so quickly that he can request to take on Anakin within a day or two...they were definitely rushed and probably disappointing to him tbh.
character ask game!
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ooops-i-arted · 4 years ago
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I am dying to know your thoughts on the S2 finale
I’m dead.  I’m dead I’m freaking dead
Overall absolutely loved it yessssssss, so good!
Mmmmm so much good rampaging and fight choreography yessss.  Personal favorites were Din versus Gideon because the cinematography was so gorgeous, Luke’s entrance because I am a lightsaber-loving girl, and Din versus the Dark Trooper because Din ilu but watching you thrown around like a ragdoll was simply hilarious
Also I don’t think Din getting repeatedly punched in the face was supposed to be funny but I was cackling
Also man, if he hated droids before imagine how he feels now
Also good cinematography:  I loved all the shots of the TIE fighters and the shuttle coming out of the whatever-they-called-it chute, beautifully framed shots.  This whole episode was really gorgeously shot
I am a simple girl.  I see Cara Dune shooting Space Nazis and then beating the living shit out of them, I receive serotonin
I feel similarly about Fennec Shand, she is amazing
Bo-Katan was the only downside to this episode because she’s an annoying bitch but her comeuppance was SO worth it.  HAHAHAHAHAHA NO DARKSABER FOR YOU AND IT’S RUBBED IN YOUR FACE HOW MUCH YOU DON’T DESERVE IT
Especially after talking to Boba like that, HOW DARE YOU SPEAK LIKE THAT TO A REAL MANDALORIAN YOU STUCK-UP COW
Okay I GUESS it made sense to bring her along, Din clearly knew what he was doing using her, but if you’ll allow me to be petty and snotty for a moment, I prefer appearances from REAL Star Wars characters not TCW nonsense
Speaking of which HOLY SHIT LUKE SKYWALKER HOLY SHIT LUUUUUUUUUKE LUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUKE
In an earlier post I said I didn’t want a Luke cameo I take it back it was beautiful even if the CGI was just a touch off but it didn’t ruin the moment at least for me Like for any other character that entrance would be overlong and overdrawn, but for Luke Fucking Skywalker?  He deserves it and it was amazing.
My sister and I were, once again, literally screaming at the tv.  And then we managed to stop, Artoo came out, and we started again.
(Lol you know Artoo was just sitting there going “There’s ANOTHER one of these green fuckers?!”)
Gideon is such a cool villain.  So crafty and clever and always doing his best to stay one step ahead with excellent monologuing and fighting skills and also he has STYLE.  As my sister put it “He reminds me of Dooku” and “I’m glad Disney has figured out how to do villains again.”  I’m very glad he’s not dead and I hope he comes back and continues to be nefarious.
Villain honorary mention to that asshole pilot (in a Lambda-class shuttle! loved seeing one again!) who decided to talk shit about Alderaan, Cara gets an A++ for shooting him for it (and for clocking Gideon later)
“I yield” I fuckin died
So like.... I’m sure Din would be a great Mand’alor, he’s compassionate and clearly has a knack for bringing people together and deeply cares about Mandalorian ways (with a little adjusting for accepting others’ Mandalorian ways) but.... does he want this?  Because he seems to just want to mind his own business.  Not rule a planet he’s never seen and doesn’t really have any investment in.
Anyway to the Big Moment, I think Grogu going with Luke was overall well-done.  Grogu’s consent is clearly valued by Luke, he’s not baby-snatching him or anything (which is not what the Jedi ever did anyway), and while Luke addresses Grogu directly mostly, he also respects Din’s decision as Grogu’s father.  Luke clearly takes what they both want into consideration.  And of course, Grogu won’t go unless Dad says it’s okay and to me at least (maybe because I watch these halfway into ACCPOV mindset anyway) I felt like Grogu had already come to the decision himself, that he was ready to go train but only if he had Din’s support to do so.  I AM CRY.
God you know Din was dying inside though.  ME TOO, BUDDY
Overall I feel Din starting to remove the helmet has been a little too...easy?  I guess?  I’m not sure exactly what I wanted out of it more but he seemed to turn around too quickly for me given how hardcore Din was about it before.  That aside, Din taking off his helmet to say good-bye to his son was a beautiful heart-wrenching moment and straight-up murdered me with feelz and I loved it.
Lol so was Cara just standing there thinking “You wouldn’t let me remove it for A FATAL HEAD INJURY but now it’s okay????”
It was bittersweet but it definitely didn’t feel like an end to me.  Luke talks about training Grogu; he’s certainly not replacing Din as his father or anything, and like I said seems to treat Din as Grogu’s father.  Din says “we’ll meet again.”  And ofc Baby Yoda and Din are Disney’s big marketing Thing right now.  This isn’t good-bye forever, just good-bye for now.
That said as a teacher I’m picturing Luke setting up Class Dojo and sending Din a link and immediately getting five billion messages a day
Also you know Grogu spends the entire trip to Jedi School telling Luke all about how awesome his daddy is.  At least when he wasn’t trying to steal pieces from Luke’s cockpit with the excuse “Dad lets me do it”
So Din has lost his ship/home, almost everything he owns, gave up his beloved son, has taken off his helmet and even if he decides it doesn’t break his Creed he still probably has to do some serious Processing about it, and has just accidentally become ruler of a planet he’s never seen or even believes is worth going to.  CAN THIS MAN PLEASE HAVE A GODDAMN BREAK
Anyway imo the only big misstep of this episode was we didn’t get Din and Baby’s reunion.  Din fights Gideon and then he’s herding Gideon up into the bridge.  Where’s the emotional reunion between father and son?  Removing the baby handcuffs and making sure his boy is all right?  Baby finally relieved at being saved?  YOU’RE NOT GONNA SHOW US ANY OF THAT?!  (You’ll be seeing it in ACCPOV though, that’s for DAMN sure.)
The after scene was cool, the Boba Fett one is pretty much the only show I’m really interested in and I liked the little teaser.  Especially Fennec freeing the poor slave girl.
Tl;dr Loved it and was just wishing for one more big scene of Dad & Baby reuniting
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mylordshesacactus · 5 years ago
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An Exhaustive Blow-By-Blow Analysis Of The ‘To Catch A Jedi’ Warehouse Duel That Was Definitely Asked For And Desired By People Other Than Us: An Essay By Alex And Jo
Or: It Is The Year Of Our Lord Two Thousand FUCKING Twenty, And Yet Here We Are, At The End Of All Things, Still Analyzing Barriss Offee’s Terrible Life Decisions.
Yes we’ve been saying we’d do this for the past five years minimum yes we’re girls what about it.
Before we begin, a moment of acknowledgement. Of all the people she’s faced, with all her skill and cunning and strength in the Force, the one and only character we have ever seen completely get the drop on Asajj Ventress--take her out without even giving her time to go for her lightsabers, stone cold, no duel no banter no challenge—
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Is BARRISS FUCKING OFFEE. DEPENDABLE BARRISS™. LUMINARA UNDULI’S KID. THE NERD WHO MEMORIZED THE ENTIRE INSIDE OF A GEONOSIAN LABYRINTH, YOU KNOW, JUST IN CASE.
WITH A PIPE.
In the library.
And once she’s done that, this happens:
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...and Jo and Alex spend the next seven years going absolutely feral. 
A brief moment now where we drag Ahsoka for failing to notice that in the last ten minutes Asajj Ventress has somehow managed to lose about six inches of height. But of course she doesn’t; the entirety of To Catch a Jedi is spent establishing that Ahsoka is firing on zero cylinders. She’s exhausted—she’s probably been awake for over 24 hours at this point—she’s confused, she’s scared, her entire world is crumbling all around her and she doesn’t understand why. So we see her make slip-up after slip-up, making a lot of stupid mistakes that get her noticed by the Coruscant police, and also briefly forgetting how elevators work.
“I, uh, guess I’m not exactly on my game these days.”
So...yeah. She doesn’t notice Asajj’s height loss or the real damning difference: Barriss is completely silent the entire fight, and Asajj never shuts the fuck up.
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Of course, Barriss doesn’t need this deception to be perfect. She just needs to make it believable enough. This little Makashi salute—a duelist’s formality, something that screams Dooku—is the first little Ventress-y quirk she throws in, and that’s relevant, because it’s central to her entire motivation for this fight.
Barriss isn’t here to kill Ahsoka.
Barriss is here to save her life.
...Like, she’s bad at it. She’s making horrible decisions that keep getting worse. But there’s a reason she’s disguising herself as Ventress—Ventress is the perfect catspaw, and Barriss desperately needs a catspaw right now, because Ahsoka was never meant to take the fall for the bombing.
Letta went off-script and came within inches of naming Barriss—who, going by the timing, was almost certainly already infiltrating that secure facility (which...gotta respect the skill that took, at least) to silence her—or free her, we don’t know what Barriss intended but we’re not giving her that much benefit of the doubt right now. If she hadn’t called for Ahsoka as quickly as she did, Letta would have died alone in her cell, killed by a nameless Force-user, and the trail would have gone cold.
Instead Ahsoka was there, and when Barriss was faced with a choice between her actions being exposed and letting Ahsoka take the blame, she took the latter. But then Barriss breaks her out, with every indication being that something...went very wrong, as the situation spirals out of control. It’s obvious that Barriss is in the vents during that escape because the clones in Ahsoka’s path keep mysteriously dying and their wounds are fresh, and also there’s no more convenient interference once she gets outside. So now Ahsoka’s free but the subject of a planetwide manhunt that makes her look even MORE guilty…which wasn’t meant to happen.
Remember that Ahsoka is the one who contacted Barriss for help, and Barriss clearly wasn’t expecting it. She spends most of this episode desperately flailing for something, anything to do to fix all this, and she’s lost until she discovers Ahsoka is now with Ventress.
Ventress. Ventress is a darksider. If Ventress is linked to this at all, people will believe it. Ventress could easily have gotten into that prison—through the vents, someone would inevitably have suggested, and probably discovered whatever lightsaber sabotage Barriss used to get in. Case closed. 
So all Barriss has to do to fix this without coming clean is frame Ventress believably. Then the person being executed will...well it’ll only be Asajj Ventress, and she deserves it, right? 
(Asajj Ventress--and all those clones Barriss killed in the breakout. And that’s very telling. Barriss who memorized 800 junctions of a Geonosian labyrinth for one singular mission, because “other people’s lives” depended on her success, doesn’t seem to have factored in the lives of those clones. They don’t seem to be registering in these calculations.)
The point is that Ahsoka’s name will be clear and Barriss’ will never have been in danger.
If you watch that short opening bout, before Ahsoka kicks her away, it’s...well, in Luminara’s words, amateurish and sloppy. All the blows, including that ostensibly fatal double-overhead strike, are DRAMATICALLY telegraphed. In a few cases, she is visibly missing on purpose:
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This strike right here? This strike is HILARIOUSLY transparent in slow motion. She has an opening and instead sweeps her lightsabers ALL THE WAY back on the opposite side; and when she brings them down again…
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Apologies for the motion blur but—Ahsoka moves to block and MISSES, which doesn’t matter because the blades were like a full foot away from actually making contact with her body. Barriss is striking at her lightsabers half the time for this first flurry of action, before letting Ahsoka break away for that salute. And this is not an animation error. TCW has plenty of those, but they know how to choreograph a lightsaber duel.
So the goal of this fight is very clearly not to kill Ahsoka. It’s to LOOK like she’s trying to kill Ahsoka, while mostly just trying to attract attention and act as much like Ventress as she possibly can.
As a result, Barriss spends a lot of the fight creating space. She pulls a sheet of metal down at Ahsoka, while gesturing dramatically to telegraph her intentions and give Ahsoka plenty of time to dodge:
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And then she runs away to a higher level, letting Ahsoka pursue and then hiding.
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This fucking pipe trick is NOT a Ventress thing, mind. This is 100% Mirialan using-the-environment bullshit and also, Barriss, a massive bitch move. We’re pointing it out mostly because of how dramatically Ahsoka JUMPS here. Because...listen, she’s better than this. She’s a wartime Padawan. She’s Anakin Skywalker’s wartime Padawan. She has way more duelling experience than a Jedi of her age normally would, and in a vacuum—in a normal sparring situation, where they’re both rested and prepared for it—Ahsoka would probably beat Barriss nine times out of ten in a duel.
This is anything but a vacuum. As we established, Ahsoka is firing on zero cylinders, she’s exhausted, she’s in the midst of a complete mental breakdown, she’s lost her offhand blade, and she doesn’t know the layout of the area like Barriss does. Ahsoka may be a more skilled and experienced duellist, but in this situation that means exactly fuckall. So Barriss runs rings around her.
So after the pipe trick—again a “cinematic” detail, something to ramp up the tension and sell the deception that otherwise has massive holes in it—Barriss gets in ONE solid blow.
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Ahsoka’s off-balance, she’s blocking with both hands, Barriss could use her primary to slice under her guard—
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At which point she does a FUCKING CARTWHEEL over the point of contact, which is not REMOTELY a Ventress thing, that is all Luminara Unduli all the time. That is the Mirialan Unnecessary Acrobatics Bonus Action.
And then again, a sloppy midsection slash that was nowhere near connecting and serves entirely to create space. A few more standard telegraphed blows.
And then what we generally refer to as the first turn in this duel.
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Barriss roundhouse-kicks Ahsoka in the ribs hard enough to send her flying through a stack of boxes and bounce off the wall behind it. And that was an actual, solid injury. Ahsoka takes a moment to get back to her feet, clutching her side like she’s broken ribs, and her already-poor form takes even more of a dive after this. If Barriss wanted to, she easily could have killed Ahsoka here, but instead...
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She backs off. Slowly and deliberately, making what’s very nearly a come-hither gesture with her offhand lightsaber. 
And again—Ahsoka is better than this. She is smarter than this. This is such, such glaringly obvious BAIT. She’s being drawn deeper into the factory; Barriss is absolutely herding her, and she falls for it, because she’s not doing great right now.
(And of course Barriss is herding her. Thus far, there’s no actual evidence that Ventress was here except for Ahsoka’s word. For this deception to work there have to be witnesses. She has to attract attention.)
So she does a bunch of flippy bullshit (#Mirialans) to knock those barrels off, slowing Ahsoka down and tiring her out some more.
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And when Ahsoka’s done playing Donkey Kong, she COMPLETELY crits on her spot check and does the exact thing that will get Anakin brutally dismembered in about a year. She flips onto the upper level, right past Barriss, who’s just sort of politely waiting for her to land and get her feet under her.
It...is genuinely heartbreaking, honestly, how out of it Ahsoka is during this fight.
And this is actually the second turn, because while it’s impossible to get a high-quality screenshot, this is the first moment where Barriss begins to show that she’s...getting a little too into this. Ahsoka flips onto the platform, and for several seconds she’s slashing wildly around herself while Barriss dodges...completely unarmed.
There’s a few more halfhearted exchanges of blows, culminating in Ahsoka’s only near-hit in this episode. And it comes CLOSE, too; she’s still Ahsoka Tano, after all. Barriss dodges this blow by inches, and Ahsoka impales her saber to the HILT in that support column.
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At which point Barriss dodges around the other side of the column and, again, just...waits, for Ahsoka to come at her again.
(We honestly have no idea how so much of the fandom misses how INCREDIBLY staged this whole thing was, because it’s not subtle. The animators are brilliant. It’s fast-paced enough that it’s believable that AHSOKA would believe it, but when you actually watch what’s happening...)
Barriss does ANOTHER FUCKING backflip and they exchange a few more strikes, at which point Barriss pulls what’s actually the bitchiest move she pulls in this whole fight. But it’s also...one of the most interesting and lowkey AWFUL things. Because right now, she is still trying to be Ventress.
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She slashes the gas canister open to set up the upcoming explosion, but she also times it so that Ahsoka gets blasted in the face with hot compressed gas that staggers her and briefly impairs Ahsoka’s vision. And that is...a move that we have seen Asajj Ventress use, onscreen, before.
Against Luminara.
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The only possible way Barriss could know about this little compressed-steam trick of Ventress’ is through her master. 
Barriss was not there for this fight. Barriss did not see this happen. But Luminara has, out loud, credited Ahsoka for saving her life in this fight—and rightly so, because Ventress came within inches of killing her multiple times during that fight and this was one of them. And Barriss would have to know that. And she just used it against Ahsoka.
In a fight, Luminara is a graceful Lady of War. Barriss Offee, on the other hand, is a stone-cold fucking bitch.
By the time of this arc Barriss is convinced that all of the Jedi have fallen, that they’re all in service to the dark side and just don’t see it, and in a lot of ways she’s right. But the fact is that Barriss Offee herself has fallen to the dark side personally in a way that most individual Jedi have not, and what happens next shows it.
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Barrels Offee over here uses the Force to shove a bunch of explosives over the red-hot wounds left by her lightsabers and gets the pyrotechnics she was looking for.
And this is the final turn. Earlier, we noticed Barriss getting a little too into this fight, toying with Ahsoka, taunting her with that unarmed dodging; but she was still focused on her objective, still laying a stage for the most part.
And this is it. This is the objective.
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By creating that explosion, she caught the attention of local authorities. There will be witnesses any moment now who will see her, wearing Ventress’ mask and holding Ventress’ lightsabers, standing in a munitions factory that Letta Turmond can be tied to. Ahsoka will testify that she went to investigate and Ventress came from behind to kill her, and suddenly everything will make sense.
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Ahsoka...is out of the fight. She’s barely stirring, she’s not getting up. She doesn’t even have the strength to lift that sheet of metal; the only reason she’s able to BARELY get onto her hands and knees is that Barriss uses the Force to lift it off her.
Barriss got what she wanted.
And then she keeps going.
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This is Barriss in the FULL grip of the Darkside Tango over here. She’s angry and scared and angry and something about that explosion was cathartic, and this is the point where the duel takes a sharp turn. Something...has changed, about Barriss’ demeanor, here.
She doesn’t appear to be thinking anymore.
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This is the point at which this fight is...honestly, just hard to watch. It’s a beatdown. Barriss is now hurting Ahsoka on purpose, and for no other reason than to hurt her. She puts her ALL behind flinging a ragdolling, half-conscious Ahsoka into the wall so hard it shakes some of the steel loose. It’s brutal, and Barriss’ body language is cold and confident the whole time.
She is completely lost in the sauce on the Dark Side at this point.
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The absolute worst thing from here on in is the way Ahsoka just…Keeps. Getting. Up.
She can barely stand at this point. She’s got her saber up trying to hold a guard position and she physically can’t. This is legitimately the worst Ahsoka’s ever gotten beaten in a fight in her life, and she knows it. She’s staggering. Her eyes aren’t even fully in focus.
Barriss doesn’t bother with actually fighting, because she doesn’t need to. She hits Ahsoka with a casual Force push to knock her back off her feet, and Ahsoka just cringes in anticipation of it because she knows she can’t defend herself properly.
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And then there goes her lightsaber, tumbling over the edge, and she never holds it again until the Siege of Mandalore. That Weapon Is Her Life, and we never see it in its current form again.
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And Ahsoka GETS UP AGAIN.
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Ladies and gentlemen, our hero.
She is DOWN. She’s dead on her feet, she can’t even walk; she just sort of stumbles across the floor with her own momentum. But she is still SOMEHOW trying to square off with “Ventress.”
And this, right here? This is how we know exactly what Barriss’ mindset is right now, because Ahsoka never gives up. She just doesn’t. She’s the biggest cockroach in a universe containing Darth “Just A Flesh Wound” Maul. Ahsoka doesn’t just lie down and accept her fate. She doesn’t just let people win.
And Barriss...has.
There’s a viciousness in the way she ends this fight. Like, it’s Barriss—all of her fights are a little bit vicious. She is a BITCH when the chips are down. But this is...vindictive. From the moment Ahsoka trembles to her hands and knees after that explosion, the overwhelming cold cruelty Barriss shows from that moment until she spin-kicks Ahsoka down like two and a half stories of broken slats onto solid concrete is raw, bitter:
Will you just STAY DOWN for once in your FUCKING life?!
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And we want to take a moment to give Ahsoka the dignity of acknowledging that she still doesn’t.
And then the GAR shows up, and Barriss really shows her true colors. Because the moment she hears Republic forces arriving...
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Barriss runs.
We worry sometimes that because Barriss is our favorite character, people will think that means we think she’s justified in her actual actions in this arc, or that her worst actions are somehow not her fault. But let us be very clear: Barriss Offee fucked up royal and is entirely responsible for that. 
The fact that it’s very clear she didn’t come into this fight with intent to kill, the fact that her actions are calculated to clear Ahsoka’s name, is the FURTHEST thing from absolution. Even as she tries to find a solution throughout this episode, it all stems from her original decision to frame Ahsoka for Letta’s murder rather than let Letta spill the beans. There’s a very, very simple solution to this mess, a simple way to clear Ahsoka’s name and make amends for the attack that Barriss regretted almost the moment it happened. But she consistently refuses to even consider it as an option.
Barriss Offee does not want to face the consequences of her actions.
She came into this to fix things, but when push comes to shove—she wants to save her own life. She wants to be a radical dissenter and still get to be the Jedi Padawan poster girl, and the security that comes with it. She doesn’t stick around to make sure she’s seen by witnesses because as evidenced by that brutal beatdown, she’s...stopped caring, that much. She doesn’t value Ahsoka’s life enough to risk her own anymore.
So when this fails, when the clones don’t see her and there’s no evidence to back up Ahsoka’s story that Ventress was the one behind it, when three words from Barriss would save her from a death she doesn’t deserve, Barriss says absolutely nothing until she’s compelled at lightsaber-point.
At the end of the day, this whole elaborate deception was only ever about one thing, and it wasn’t Ahsoka. It was the fact that Barriss Offee doesn’t want to get caught.
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morganas-pendragons · 4 years ago
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Epiphany | Commander Cody
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another clone fic before i take my leave of tcw writing at least temporarily because my idea bank is dead (update: kidding i have another now, it’s coming this week) / this will probably not be happy because this song is not happy and most of you know better from me of all people lol 
this is actually more hurt/comfort but i hope ya’ll like it! :D 
based off of epiphany from taylor swift’s album folklore 
ft. phantom because i haven’t written enough for her 
@cherieboba​ // @libradusk​ / @obiorbenkenobi​ / @captainrexstan​ / @kamino-mermaid​ / @shitpost-kaley​ / @kryptonian-sith​ / @demigod-dragonrider-schoolidol​ / @lady-tano​ / @colorfulloverbatturkey​ / @djarinsdni​ / @sithmando​ /  @skyguysaga​ / @starflyer-104​ / @painkiller80​ / @ct7567329​ / @spaghetti-666​ / @kaikai1324​ / @cxptain-rex​ / @jellyfishpoptart​ 
*** 
keep your helmet, keep your life son.. just a flesh wound, here’s your rifle 
There’s a certain numbness that comes with being exposed to trauma so many times. Phantom knows in her heart of hearts that this - being on the front lines of a battlefield since the beginning of her padawanship to Obi-Wan Kenobi - was not what The Force meant for her. Jedi were not soldiers. They were peacekeepers. 
And now it seems she is among the best of them. 
Standing on the shorelines of Felucia, the eldest padawan of her class peers upward at the massive Separatist droid foundry they’ve been sent to eliminate. She knows the familiar signatures for the members of Ghost Company who have come to stand at attention around her as they await the General to begin their debriefing. 
Needless to say, the debriefing doesn’t go well. 
  “You want to do what?” Cody is skeptical, to say the least, but her Master seems rather okay with the idea. It’s probably because of how he’s grown used to Anakin’s antics and this is so very something that Anakin would do.
  “I want you to send me into the heart of the base, by myself.” 
  “Absolutely not. Not unless you have vode covering your exit.” 
A side note to consider: Until this point, Phantom had been going by her given name both by the clones and their Jedi. This was the mission that earned her the nickname Phantom. She slipped away unseen, returned unseen.. but it didn’t mean that Cody didn’t worry any less even after she agreed to take a small squad of his best men. 
That is now where he stands - in the eye of a hurricane that is his mind - on the beaches of Felucia that are crawling with clankers and vod. He’s barely able to hear the call of his Jedi through the comms or see the brothers who beg for his aid as he steps over their bodies and continues on in his task. 
Crawling up the beaches now
Sir, I think he’s bleeding out
A bloodied hand print settles against his boot. It’s a deep scarlet that bleeds past the plastoid and into the skin as he recognizes his inability to save yet another brother who died for a war that just didn't end. 
  “I’m sorry.” 
But in spite of his aching heart and the deaths he will have to catalog later, Commander Cody presses on. He has no other choice. He will go back to The Negotiator. He will come back to it with you - because Cody refuses to acknowledge a world where you are not present with him in it - and once Cody is safely ensconced within your embrace, he will weep for those he was unable to save. For those he failed. 
Such is life. 
*** 
With you, I serve
With you I fall down 
You’ve made it this far without being seen by the magna-guards that Dooku strategically placed to protect the droid foundry, or the B1 legion that remains on the first floor to keep the 212th from entering the front door. They are the distraction, and you are the executor. 
The bombs in your satchel tink as they bounce against your side. 
Viper, Killshot, and Abel are all covering your escape. The three clones, two of which were only just recently promoted to ARC Troopers, are three of Cody’s best men and people he would trust with his own life. Now he’s trusted them with yours and you with theirs. 
Your heart crawls into your throat when Abel starts screaming through the comms. He’s been overrun. 
Watch you breathe in 
Watch you breathing out, out 
“You have to keep going, Padawan!” Abel yells, and the ferocity of his voice makes you wince as you stop in the duct you’ve been crawling through for the last mile. You’re almost to the heart of the facility. “For The 212th!” 
For the 212th. 
You make a mental note to add Abel to the mural of fallen that had begun construction in the gardens of the Jedi Temple several months before. You will remember his sacrifice. You will remember him when the war is over, and the clones are freed. 
You and Cody will remember him together when the world won't. 
Something’s you just can’t speak about 
The vent drops down ten feet into a small but open control room. Once you plant the bombs, you have ten minutes to follow the marked path back to the ground floor of the foundry before you’re supposed to meet Obi-Wan and Cody on the beach. 
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Your hand slams against your wrist.
Detonation Initiated
TIME: 9:59
  “Killshot! Viper!” You yell, saber ignited as you sprint down the hall and to the adjacent staircase that will lead you to the floor beneath you. The B1 droids on duty yelp at the sudden presence of a Jedi and snap to attention in a futile attempt to stop you with their blasters, but to no avail. “Meet me at the rendezvous!” 
  “Yes Commander!” 
only twenty minutes to sleep, but you dream of some epiphany
You can hear screaming over your comm. Viper and Killshot are ARC Troopers, two of the best in the 212th.. there’s nothing to take them down. That’s what you’d also told yourself in regards to Abel. 
  “Shavit.” 
just one single glimpse of relief to make some sense of what you’ve seen
This floor is alot less crowded then the others. Viper and Killshot are at the point where they agreed to meet you at the debriefing, rifle and blasters out and firing rapidly to eliminate the threat of any droids that dare come near you. 
They had made a promise to their Marshal Commander to get his girl home to him. Cody might not like bearing his heart, but his vode see it every time he looks at you.. and they’re not about to deprive him a bit of happiness when the war has given them so little of it. 
  “Boys, on me!” 
  “Yes Commander!” They shout. 
with you i serve, with you i fall down 
A bolt grazes your shoulder. You yelp at the searing pain across your shoulder blade and whip around to give the hardest Force shove you can muster as you descend to the final floor. 
Your breath catches in your throat. There’s quite a bit of droids left. 
TIME: 5:10
  “There she is!” 
There had been no human guards in this foundry. You’d gotten in, attached the explosives, and had somehow gotten to the main floor without any kind of resistance from those within. Dooku hadn’t even left his best droids here to guard their foundry. 
  “BEHIND YOU!” 
The dread that’s settled in your stomach blossoms when you realize that you are overrun. 
  “PHANTOM!” 
watch you breathe in, watch you breathing out 
Tears burn your eyes as your arms move on their own accord. You are desperately trying to keep your men safe. You are tired and grieving the loss of all the vode who lay outside on that beach, and the natural climate of the planet does nothing when you’re wearing plastoid armor that feels like a second skin. 
with you i serve, with you i fall down 
  “Commander-” Viper starts, and before he can continue, a fatal shot is delivered to his chest that knocks him off his feet. Despite your exhaustion and the fact that your eyes are beginning to blur, you gently place the ARC trooper on the floor outside the door as Killshot continues to take out the activated commando droids. “Phantom-” 
  “You-” You grit your teeth and use The Force to lift him, oblivious to the trickle of blood that trails down your nose and drips into the sand. “Are not dying on me today, soldier! STAY ALIVE!” 
Time: 1:51
  “Look out!” Crys yells. Five or so of the remaining vode snap to attention - including Cody, who has been anxiously following the count down of the timer as he awaits your arrival with his men back on the beach - but he’s now distracted by the body that collapses just in front of the medics. “We need a medic over here! Viper has been hit!” 
The air smells of blood and smoke. 
59.. 58... 
  “Phantom!” That’s Boil - and Cody has no idea where the name came from, but he doesn’t exactly hate it either - yelling into his commlink from beside his Commander as Obi-Wan paces the sand. “The bombs are going to go off in 50 seconds!” 
  “Don’t you think I know that?!” 
  “GET OUT HERE! Kenobi is waiting for you!” 
Mustering all the energy you have left, you raise your hands in the air and throw hundreds of droids backward into the far wall at the other end of the ground floor before you and Killshot are sprinting out into the open and down the sandbar to where Obi-Wan and Cody are waiting for you. 
It hits you square in the face when you see how terrified he looks. You are still too far away for comfort, too close to the blast area, too close to danger... and seeing how many fallen vode are on that beach must make Cody believe he’s about to lose you too. 
Not today. 
  “Are you ready, General?” Cody asks. Obi-Wan nods and braces himself against the sand, digging his toes into his boots as he relaxes his body and concentrates the best that he is able. 
just one single glimpse of relief
to make some sense of what you’ve seen
10..9...8...7....
Cody holds his breath and screws his eyes shut. Please be okay. Please be okay. Please be okay. 
You hold your breath and allow yourself to fall limp in the Force grip that your Master uses to haul you and Viper down the beach. 
  “Cody.” 
Soot covered hands collide with hard white and gold plastoid. You are far enough away from the foundry not to get caught in the blast, and the minute you are safely ensconced in the arms of the Marshal Commander, Obi-Wan slams his hand against his wrist and detonates the bombs. 
The world explodes in a flurry of amber against a sapphire sky. The sun is descending. 
Time to go home. 
*** 
He finds you in the quiet of his quarters. After being released from medical to ensure nothing had happened to you and checking in on Viper, you’d immediately retreated to the sanctity of Cody’s quarters that he very rarely used on The Negotiator. 
The minute the door hisses shut, the weight falls on his shoulders and he shudders. It’s almost as if the world wanted to keep him feeling as light as possible before the weight of reality came back onto his shoulders.
You’d mentioned this before in a novel you’d read. Atlas. 
Yeah. Marshal Commander Cody is Atlas. 
  “Kote,” Your voice echoes through the quarters as you stand in the thresh hold between the kitchen and the bedroom, eyes softening at his state of exhaustion as you beckon him forward. “My love, are you alright?” 
He releases a shuddering breath and falls into the crook of your neck. “No,” Cody rasps, desperation creeping into his voice as he fists the material of your tunic with shaking fingers as he pulls you deeper into the curve of your body. “No. I almost lost you today.” 
Capable fingers swiftly work at removing his armor. Cody doesn’t know it yet, but you have the bath running, and you intend on taking care of him. Someone has to do it. 
Might as well be the person who’s in love with him. 
  “We destroyed the foundry.” 
  “Yeah? But at what cost?” He asks, and you don’t answer. You’d seen the defeat on the clones face as you and Obi-Wan had built them a pyre - a common occurrence after difficult campaigns to give the clones closure - and bid the fallen vode farewell. “We lost so many.” 
  “You didn’t lose me, Cody.” You whisper. “You never will.” 
He shakes his head. Once, twice, three times, he doesn’t believe you-
  “Phantom-” 
Standing in nothing but his blacks, you use the Force to place the pieces of his armor on the sofa before you turn back to him and grip his face in your hands. Your eyes are piercing, certain in your words, your fingers gentle as you cradle him in your grasps. 
  “Never.” You repeat. “You will never lose me.” 
It’s a declaration. One that Cody feels in the depths of his heart as he allows you to lead him into the ‘fresher. “Phantom,” His breath feels hollow in his throat as you turn to peer at him over your shoulder. “I-” The words are poised on the tip of his tongue and he has no problem saying it to the rest of his brothers.. but to you? It feels like he’s teetering on the edge of a boundary he dare not approach. 
  “Cody.” You breathe, taking him into your arms and guiding his hands to rest against your hips. “Look at me.” Dark eyes flutter open to meet your own as you lean in and just barely ghost his mouth with your own. Your fingers flex around the nape of his neck as you stand on the tips of your toes and open your mouth to him, sighing in relief as he blooms like the petals of a flower and opens beneath your touch. 
He hears the thought ring clearly in his mind. 
I love you. 
And the confession makes him want to weep. You’ve known, something tells him you’ve always known, but the fact that he doesn’t have to say it yet makes relief burst in his chest. Oh... there’s just something about the certainty in knowing the person you love also loves you just as fiercely. 
Cody looks at you, and he sees everything he has ever wanted since being brought into the cold sterile home of Kamino. 
You. He sees you. 
  “Just for one night, Cody.” You ask, gently guiding him into the bathtub and reaching for the shampoo on the side of the tub. Cody subconsciously leans into your touch as you begin to lather shampoo into his hair and quietly hum as you do so. “For once.. let someone take care of you. Can you do that?” 
He grips the side of the tub with lax fingers.
  “Of course I can,” He hums. “I’m home.” 
*** 
The Jedi Gardens are the most peaceful part of The Temple outside of the Room of a Thousand Fountains. You have spent much of your time there since before you were taken on as the padawan to High General Obi-Wan Kenobi, and even then, your previous Master had spent much of their time in here. It was the only place in the Temple you could find peace. 
Today, you’re spending your time engrossed in the mural of The Fallen that the Council had given you permission to paint. While you spent the majority of your time nowadays on the front lines with Obi-Wan and the 212th, your hobby during R&R was painting. This mural, this memory, was to test your ability. 
This was month six of working on it. 
Cody is wearing his civilian clothes - a gift from you nearly a year beforehand - and has his hands tucked into his pockets upon entering the temple Gardens. The two of you had agreed to meet for dinner ala picnic style in the Temple later that day despite his reluctance to meet you there for fear of.. people. There were only two jetti he trusted.
One of them he was looking at. 
Splattered in paint, hair messily tied on top of your head, he watches in awe as you finish Abel’s helmet and the blend of gold and white paint across the top before stepping back to admire the work. There’s nearly two dozen helmets painted across the rock face near the little waterfall on this side of the Temple Gardens, and Cody takes that into consideration because it’s truly a beautiful place for an eventual proposal. 
Not that he’s thought about it. 
  “Phantom, love-” He calls out softly, lips quirking upward in the ghost of a smile as you whip around at his presence and beam. He loves that smile. “That’s coming along really well. How long have you been here?” 
  “Just a couple hours.” Your eyes widen in embarrassment as you realize why he’s here. “Oh no, oh no-”
He runs a palm across your hip and pulls you against his body. “You forgot,” Cody muses. “It’s okay. You usually do whenever we come home from the front, but I’m not worried about it.” He bends his head down to ghost his lips over your pulse point, nuzzling your shoulder with his neck and peppering the bare skin there with kisses. Cody’s not sure there’s a sound more beautiful then your laughter. “Not when I’ve got everything I need right here.” 
He wouldn’t dare do this with his General or the vode around. This is a side of Cody only you get to see. 
And little Gods.. do you adore him. 
  “You’re a sap.” 
  “One of us has to be.” 
You link your fingers with his own and lead him to the beginning of the mural. “I wanted to show you this,” You murmur, taking his hand and reaching upward to graze the first word written in white calligraphy across the top of the collected helmets. “For you, my love.” 
Across the top of the rock face reads, 
With you I serve, with you I fall down
A memorial to our fallen vode 
We will remember you 
Even when the world won’t 
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cartoonnonsensegirl · 4 years ago
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Justice, Excellence, Defense, Intelligence (J.E.D.I.) Finale a.k.a. the SW Prequel Happy Ending AU
Since I see some people are interested, I’ll share what I’ve got. I’m working on the fanfic, but it’s stuck in the prologue.
First of all, I’ll have you know that this is a real world AU with several key differences. Most of the alien characters are human (except the Wookiees, who are Bigfeet in this version), everyone has more realistic-sounding names, and Palpatine is female in this version. Here’s a guide to the main cast:
Alexis Tano = Ahsoka Tano
Anatole Spacewalker = Anakin Skywalker
Obadiah Kenoly = Obi-Wan Kenobi
Patrice Amaretti = Padmé Amidala
Mace Windham = Mace Windu
Yo Fu Wei = Yoda
Sidonia “Sidney” Palpatine = Palpatine
Major Grievances = General Grievous
Tyrannical Tyrant = Count Dooku
Bail Organic = Bail Organa
Moira Morgan = Mon Mothma
“Jetpack Bo” = Bo-Katan Kryze
Mauling Mauler = Darth Maul
Captain Regis = Rex
There’s a ton of other characters but I won’t list them here; some will probably be in the description. It’s also a pretty lengthy idea; I don’t really know how to condense it anymore than what I’ve written here without just writing the whole fanfic already.
The plot of this AU begins in Spring 2057, with Alexis in Hungary with Jetpack Bo, planning their mission to capture the Mauling Mauler and free Satinka (Satine) from prison (she’s alive in this AU). The first half of this story is pretty much the same as ROTS with the added context of the Siege of Mandalore, and goes up to the Sunset Scene™/Ahsoka and Rex on the bridge of the star destroyer before Order 66 happens. There are some added elements, however, in the first half:
Alexis, Anatole, Obadiah, and Patrice all happen to have dreams that seem to symbolize either the good or bad ending of the narrative. The strangest of these is Patrice, since she’s the only one of the main four who isn’t Force-sensitive (or so we think; spoilers under the cut), and she shares dreams with Anatole.
Minor characters such as Bail Organic and Moira Morgan have actually seen the SW Prequels and TCW, and are aware that the events are unfolding like the movies. Unfortunately, they have no idea how to stop it. However, one character does succeed in changing the narrative, and it’s Sheila Ti (Shaak Ti).
It’s at the Sunset Scene where the story changes completely. Actually, a bit before that; Sidonia reveals that she is the “Insidious One” to Anatole, and also reveals that she’s known about his marriage to Patrice. Anatole gets furious and wants to kill Sidonia, but doesn’t as she tells him “Isn’t killing against the J.E.D.I. way?”, to which he replies, “How would you know anything about the J.E.D.I. way if you’re a S.I.T.H. Lady?”, and decides to turn her over to Mace.
Sheila Ti is watching the ROTS Sunset Scene on her laptop, when she senses a disaster about to happen. She goes up to the seemingly vacant Council Room and finds Anatole on his iPhone. She asks him if he misses Alexis and Obadiah, and he replies that he has forgotten about them until she mentioned them. Sheila discusses with Anatole that it’s not good to be sad or afraid, and cites them as the reason that Darth Vader fell in Star Wars (Anatole has never seen the prequels, only the originals). Anatole also mentions that he cut off his toxic friendship with Sidonia. After their conversation, Sheila advises Anatole to leave the Council room and go either supervise some younglings or see some friends and get dinner with them; she’ll cover for him for when Mace returns. Anatole heeds Sheila’s advice and leaves to buy takeout for Patrice, spending the rest of the night with his beloved wife. Meanwhile, Mace and his J.E.D.I. backup assassinate Sidonia, but it appears all too easy. Alexis captures the Mauling Mauler, and she and Regis are on a one-way flight back to NYC after bidding farewell to Jetpack Bo.
Now here’s where it gets interesting. Sidonia has been assassinated, but her spirit goes on to make one final attempt to turn Anatole to the Dark Side--by possessing Patrice and threatening to kill her if he doesn’t turn. Anatole sees right through Sidonia’s scheme--she was going to kill Patrice all along for being a roadblock to world domination. Anatole brings Patrice before Mace and Yo Fu to help expel the Insidious One. At the same time, all the J.E.D.I. have returned with their troops since the war is over. Sheila comes to tell Alexis of the terrible tragedy involving Patrice, and rushes to Patrice’s aid at the Academy. Surprisingly, Alexis is strong enough to expel the Insidious One due to her strong light power, but senses an energy in Patrice’s belly assisting her.
Defeated, Sidonia’s spirit influences her Personal Guard Troops to take her body from it’s autopsy room and fly it to Mount Agung, where she zaps the life force of the remaining Separatist leaders to revive herself. And it’s here that she also commands her troops to Execute Order 150: the Final Contingency Order that states that in the event of the Supreme Chancellor’s death, a Giant Mecha shall be deployed over NYC to enforce order.
Meanwhile in New York, everyone lives life as normal. Alexis gets adopted by Anatole and Patrice and is told that she is to become a big sister. Also, Satinka gets married to Obadiah, while Anatole and Patrice renew their vows. Everything is fine in New York, until the Giant Mecha arrives, piloted by the Insidious One and zombified versions of the Separatist leaders. The J.E.D.I. apparently have to deploy their experimental Mecha to combat with the S.I.T.H. Mecha. Patrice apparently remains at the infirmary at the J.E.D.I. Academy (this part is really important!). For the most part, the J.E.D.I. appear to win the battle until the Insidious Mecha finds a weak spot in the J.E.D.I. Mecha. Alexis and several other female J.E.D.I. activate their magical girl transformations to continue fighting, but are barely able to weaken the Insidious Mecha. And that’s when the deus ex machina of the story finally activates.
Back at the Academy, Patrice starts sensing Anatole in danger, and electrical appliances start exploding around her. A J.E.D.I. nurse tells her that she has Gestational ESP; a condition in which a non-Esper mother that is pregnant with an Esper child develops temporary powers of her own, losing them when her child(ren) is born. Most mothers with this condition have low-level powers, but Patrice’s power level is unusually high due to 1) having two buns in the oven, and 2) the paternal DNA being that of the Chosen One. Patrice uses her newfound powers of expectant motherhood to undergo a magical fashion change and creates a flowy, water-themed dress and adorns her hair with flowers. She chooses to manifest her powers as lotus flowers, specifically Nelumbo nucifera lotuses (her favorite flower).
The J.E.D.I. are overlooking the Upper New York Bay, when what appears to be a shooting star falls into the bay, causing a garden of giant lotuses to bloom and a glowing floral design to appear in the water, shooting a beam of light into the sky to finally reveal the super-powered Patrice, who has also gained glowing wings that appear to be resemble lotus petals. She attacks the Insidious Mecha with two glowing lotuses; one blue and one pink (her children are providing her the power), destroying it in the process. However, the Insidious One transforms into a terrifying final form with fire, lightning, and wind storms surrounding her. The J.E.D.I. realize that although Anatole is the Chosen One, he has only half the power required to defeat the Insidious One; the other half of the power is in Patrice. The two, the “Hero with No Fear” and the “Lotus of Florence”, must combine their powers to ultimately defeat the S.I.T.H. Lady forever.
The story ends with many J.E.D.I. and Republic Senators summoned to a hospital, where Alexis is throwing a party to celebrate becoming a big sister.  Anatole is with Patrice in the delivery room. A while later, Alexis, Obadiah, and Regis are called by Anatole to the room Patrice is resting in, where Alexis is introduced to her baby brother and sister. They all take a commemorative photo.
BONUS: Moira Morgan becomes Supreme Chancellor.
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doopcafe · 4 years ago
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Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Seasons 1--6), Final Analysis
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Well, I made it through. 
Let’s be absolutely clear: The Clone Wars (TCW) is not good television. For the most part, it’s not even watchable television. The show suffers from serious fundamental issues in nearly every aspect of storytelling. Characters are underdeveloped and inconsistent; the dialogue is expository and contradictory; the tone is disjoint and jarring; and most episodes serve no greater purpose than to be a twenty-minute vessel to house lightsaber fights. 
So I want to put this part of the show to rest before I move on to Star Wars: Rebels (and before returning to watch season 7). 
With two exceptions, the show poorly handles twists and reveals. In the earlier seasons, reveals were spoiled mostly due to telegraphing: Captain Sleaze in Cloak of Darkness, Senator Clovis in Senate Spy, and Yolo (?) in Senate Murders come to mind, but there were others. In later seasons, telegraphing was supplanted by “small universe syndrome” as the primary cause of spoiled reveals. In The Academy, a cloaked figure was seen doing shady, back-alley deals, but his identity could only have been the Prime Minister. During the “Ahsoka framed” series, Barriss was obviously the traitor, simply because her character suddenly reappeared after four seasons and there were no other candidates. 
Probably the most successfully executed reveal was that of Krell, as his assholeness was at least initially masked as military rigidity. But even so, it was so over-the-top that when the reveal finally came to light, it felt more like an overdue disclosure than a dramatic twist. It didn’t help that, by that point in the show, the format of “asshole = upcoming reveal” had been firmly entrenched into the show’s DNA. 
I would argue that the most effective plot twist of the entire show was when the dancer/singer girl shot and killed Ziro the Hutt in Hunt for Ziro. Although irrelevant to the greater story, it was an actual twist because it was strongly implied the opposite would happen (i.e., Ziro would betray the girl). If there is to be a second place, that award would go to Ahsoka’s decision to leave the Jedi Order at the conclusion of The Wrong Jedi. But this leads me into my next point...
Who was the main character of The Clone Wars? If we go by the logic that whoever had the most screen time was the main character, then Anakin probably wins over Ahsoka. But if we go by the logic that the most developed character was the “main character,” then this is a show about Ahsoka. Ahsoka---more than any other character---grows in a noticeable way (from impatient, violent child to impatient, slightly less violent teenager). In contrast, Anakin in Rising Malevolence is the same character as Anakin in Voices (only a little more violent and angry for some reason). 
It’s unfortunate that her major character moments were never capitalized on. Intentionally sacrificing herself for the greater good in Weapons Factory apparently led to no lasting repercussions on her character. Her impatience and disobedience led to the deaths of thousands in Storm over Ryloth, but was similarly forgotten immediately afterwards. Even Ahsoka’s major character moment at the end of The Wrong Jedi resulted in her walking away from the show, never to address the implications of that decisions (although I suppose that’s the subject of Season 7). 
On a different note, the show was riddled by a shameful amount of “references” and fan service, for reasons exclusively external to the story. These “nods” ranged from the obvious “Obi-wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope” (or whatever Senator Jimmy Smits says in Cat and Mouse) to the innocuous design of a droid or background device. 
These “references” are objectively problematic for at least a few reasons. (1) They contribute to the sense that the universe is a really, really small place. Is the Mos Eisley cantina really the only place in the Outer Rim where shady deals go down? Is carbon freezing really the only way to store a person in stasis for transport? How long do Rodians live for anyways? Greedo’s gotta be what, like 80 when Han shoots him in A New Hope? It’s ironic that ultimately, this incomprehensibly large, diverse galaxy actually feels much smaller after watching this series because we keep going to the same twelve places...
(2) “Fan service” is tricky to get right because different people have different memories and impressions of the source material. In result, copying material will oftentimes comes across as a blatant misunderstanding of the original content. For example, to me, Vader put Solo into carbon freeze because it’s what Lando had lying around. It’s not a galactically established method of transporting people. Obi-Wan trained Luke with those laser balls aboard the Falcon because Han had them lying around and Obi-Wan needed to improvise a training exercise to kill time. 
(3) "References” and “nods” usually are just a band-aid for a lack of creativity. Some of the better episodes in the initial seasons were just direct rehashes of famous movies. Seven Samurai, Godzilla, Stray Dog, The Most Dangerous Game, King Kong... I mean, it’d be pretty impressive to mess-up stories like these, but it’s concerning that there were just so many episodes made from other people’s stories. 
These “references” even seep into the most innocuous of scenes. When Prequel!Wan lands on Mandalore to attempt a rescue of Satine from Darth Maul, one of the Mandalorians takes aim at him, only to have their blaster pushed down by their companion who’s shaking their head. This is a direct reference o the Tusken Raiders on Tatooine when Luke went after R2 in the desert. Even if this scene served an important plot purpose (it didn’t), there’s undoubtedly a multitude of ways to communicate the same thing. Instead, a small reference to the OT is interjected into the show, deimmersing the audience from the events shown. Unfortunately, this is just one (very small) example of hundreds over the whole show. 
Let me say something positive. The episodes that worked best (especially early in the show's run) were ones that focused on mortal people, usually the clones. Innocents of Ryloth was one of the first watchable episodes, simply because we didn't have to sit through twenty minutes of unlikable, unrelatable “Jedi” and instead followed around a pair of troopers helping a little girl using their limited abilities. Likewise, Pursuit of Peace was way more enjoyable than it probably should have been, simply because the story was understandable, the consequences clear, and the drama real. Plan of Dissent (when the clones actively rebel against Krell) was also noteworthy for similar reasons: clones we liked must subdue a “Jedi” we’ve learned to hate. 
This isn’t to say that episodes focused on the major characters were inherently unenjoyable, it’s just that none of these characters had any room to grow (with the exception of Ahsoka). Dooku, Grievous, Anakin, Prequel!Wan... They were the same characters as portrayed in Episode II and III. As presented, there was nowhere for these characters to go. Dooku was literally identical at the beginning of the series as he was at the end, and the same can be said about the others. 
But these are false constraints the writers imposed upon themselves. Grievous was not in Episode II and was introduced in Episode III. TCW could have started him however they wanted and then illustrated his change into the character he later becomes. Who was he? What was his motivation? Why did he hate Jedi so much? The show was handed a completely clean slate to deliver a character from scratch, but instead we were immediately shown “Episode III General Grievous” with zero introduction because fans were expected to already know who he was. 
This is partly why the backstory episode to Grievous was so compelling, at least in premise: viewing his home was personal to his story and it represented a chance to learn a bit more about the character and where he came from. Of course, it was mostly mishandled by a reliance on meaningless action, but the high ratings of that particular episode suggest there was room for quality television here, it just was never capitalized on.
Instead, we have completely static caricatures, especially for minor characters from the movies. Admiral Tarkin, Admiral Ackbar, Greedo (among others) were written out of cardboard and their roles in the plot could have just as easily been played by anyone else (there was nothing unique about their roles that required them to be these characters). 
This is a shame because a lot could have been done with the established premise to really focus on Anakin, his motivations, and his relationship to his Padawan. I would have been okay with a lot of backtracking if it meant I could begin to grasp his “fall” to the Dark Side. Instead, I’m honestly more confused than ever about his motivation.
One argument is that Anakin joins the Dark Side because he like, “loves” Padme (or whatever). However, what we’re shown in this show---consistently, clearly---is that Padme and Anakin have a toxic, dysfunctional relationship. He is uncomfortably jealous and rarely trusts her. They argue nearly every time they’re together. Their “love” (or whatever) must remain secret, equating their relationship to something “wrong” or even “illegal” that must be kept secret, even on the verge of death. In a later episode, Anakin orders Padme to listen to him because he’s the “man” and, as his wife, she doesn’t have a say in the matter. This is clearly a broken relationship and the best result is the one that actually happens: They stop seeing each other. Anakin wants to save this woman from a vision? Why? 
This brings up a second point, which is that Anakin can’t stand the pain of losing someone. His desire to protect those close to him may be Anakin’s only redeeming trait. He has a single selfless scene (in the entire show) during the opening of Jedi Crash where he sacrifices himself to delay an explosion and save his companions. I want to stress that any other scene where Anakin saves or helps someone isn’t done because he’s a good person, it’s done because he’s a broken person. It’s done because he, personally, would struggle with the emotional toll of knowing he allowed someone close to him to be hurt or die. In other words, he’s doing nice things for selfish reasons. 
As far as I’m concerned, Anakin has always been Darth Vader. He is given choices between being a Jedi and allowing a lot of people to die, and he enjoys choosing the second. In Ghosts of Mortis, we’re shown that the threshold between “Anakin” and “Darth Vader” is disconcertingly low, requiring only a few choice words and less than a minute to convert him. In short, what I’ve learned from TCW regarding Anakin Skywalker is that he was an unlikable dick, and his “turn” to the Dark Side was just a long-overdue reveal. 
While the later seasons worked towards the events in Episode III in a way that at least made a bit of sense, earlier seasons were focused on adult-themed wacky hijinks. In a way, the show almost would have worked better as a kid’s show, but this was clearly meant for adults: politics, war, slavery, and lots and lots of horrific violence. In comparison, the silly adventures of Star Wars: Resistance worked well because the show didn’t take itself too seriously. It was very clearly, from the start, a lighthearted show about kids going on fun adventures. In contrast, TCW suffered because its themes were adult in nature, but was portrayed as a Saturday morning cartoon show. The humor was misplaced, the tone disjointed from actual events, and the violence excessive. 
Let me say a few words on the “Jedi.” Initially I labeled them as overpowered (OP), because in earlier episodes they seemed invincible and dissolved tension in every scene. Later, we see a slew of them get cut down as plot fodder, even against widely different situations. We see Luminara and others push through hoards of droids only to see “Jedi” Master Yoda-like dude get taken down by a dog. We watch as Fisto *heh* powers through entire battalions and the cone-head guy counting coup against an army, only to watch as pink girl gets shot in the face by a single clone who stands in front of her for several seconds before pulling the trigger. 
It’s nearly impossible to feel tension in these scenes because the metrics for judging the true strength of a “Jedi” keep shifting as a function of the plot requirements. Anakin suddenly forgets how to use the Force when the plot needs his help to fake some drama. Prequel!Wan pointlessly fist fights with a slaver cat for an hour until the plot needs him to get back up again and OP everyone in the room. Even their ships are only as strong or weak as the plot needs them to be. Plo Koon’s fleet is devastated in seconds in order to portray the Malevolence as being a threat; Anakin’s fleet powers through a larger force three times its size because Anakin’s like, really mad about something. 
Secondly, the “Jedi,” in general, were unlikable assholes. They were consistently portrayed as violent and ignorant and I struggled to understand them as real people. Frequently, we witnessed them torture victims, default to a lightsaber to solve problems, and enjoy death to the point of counting coup against sentient life forms defending their homes. Anakin threatened civilians with his lightsaber. Ahsoka was annoyed when she’s asked not to murder a defenseless creature in Jedi Crash. Prequel!Wan and Anakin team up to hurtle enormous rocks into a beaten monster in Dooku Captured. A trio of Jedi Masters mentally gang bang a shackled Cad Bane. They supported state terrorism when it suited their needs, but agreed to abandon their friends for political reasons. 
I mean, these are not good people...
This is a shame, because my impression of true Jedi comes from Luke, Yoda, and Obi-Wan in the OT, as well as the expanded universe novels that take place afterwards. It always seemed to me that being a Jedi was about conquering oneself, one’s fears, and learning to use the Force to selflessly help others and let go of all worldly attachments. You know, like the Buddhists they were originally inspired by. I always had the impression that the Force was extremely powerful and that Yoda was only showing Luke a portion of what was possible. That the Emperor was only using Force lighting to toy with Luke. That Vader only Force choked his officers because it was visually intimidating and kept them in line. 
Instead, we’re treated to some garbage about how a “Jedi” is nothing greater than an actuator to swing around a lightsaber. When Luke enters Jabba’s palace in Jedi to rescue his friends, it’s not with lightsaber swinging, cutting shit up, flipping around like an acrobatic monkey. Imagine Anakin and Ahsoka in the same scene. They’d blaze through the palace corridors before Force choking Jabba as the Darth Vader theme plays. Forget the rancor, these are demigods. They have lightsabers. Have you seen them? They go “woosh woosh.” 
In short, there was little to look up to in terms of a “hero” character. I can see how children can look up to Luke as a role model, someone they want to emulate or play with as a toy, but looking up to Anakin? Ahsoka? Hey kids, wanna learn to become a psychopath? First, you use your power to abuse those who are weaker than you. Then you need to get really really angry and uncontrollably choke someone, preferably your sister or one of your cousins. 
And so, for a Saturday morning cartoon show, it is very unclear who we’re supposed to care about. I liked when Ahsoka went against Anakin because I hated his character so much. I liked everything with Hondo, a pirate. I liked Ventress a little, because she was actively seeking to kill the main characters. I liked some of the clones, but I don’t know which ones because they all looked the same. I cared about Darth Maul because I’m honestly a little worried about him, especially after the loss of his brother. I kinda liked General Grievous just because he hates the “Jedi” and was therefore relatable (even though the reasoning was never explained). And... that’s it. 
At no point did I ever “look forward” to the next episode. I painfully died a little on the inside hitting the “watch next” button every single time.
This “review” is already way too long, so let me summarize by applying my five-star rating system (developed for movies) to each episode. In review:
5. Amazing, classic, culturally important. Something everyone should watch.  4. Great; very well done, no significant flaws. 3: Entertaining with only minor gripes/criticisms.  2: “Watchable,” but suffers from flaws and has some poor parts.  1. Uncomfortably bad; suffers from serious flaws. 0. Painfully bad, would actively fight against being forced to watch a second time. 
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The 3-star episodes were: 
Hostage Crisis
Lightsaber Lost 
Pursuit of Peace
Carnage of Krell
The Wrong Jedi 
Hostage Crisis was the introduction of Cad Bane, Lightsaber Lost was the remake of Stray Dog (and the only episode to include a real Jedi), Pursuit of Peace was the random Padme/politics episode that was strangely well-executed, Carnage of Krell was the reveal of Krell as a bad guy and his clones working to apprehend him, and The Wrong Jedi was Ahsoka leaving the Jedi Order (and the only episode to include a true character moment). 
Also, I scaled the IMDB ratings of each episode to my ratings and then detected outliers in their overlap. In other words, I wanted to answer the question, “which episodes did I rate the most differently from others?” 
Turns out, I rated every single episode lower except for seven. Those seven were: 
Mercy Mission (+1.853) - R2 and 3PO discover an underground world with ents. This one is universally panned by “fans,” but was a competently handled episode apart from the disappointing resolution. 
Pursuit of Peace (+1.382) - Padme struggles to win support for a Senate bill. Another competently handled episode that focuses on Padme and politics and is ranked low by “fans.”
Lightsaber Lost (+0.6471) 
Weapons Factory (+0.4118) - An average episode with a dramatic scene of sacrifice by Ahsoka and her “friend” Barriss. 
Shadow Warrior (+0.3824) - Grievous is captured during some dramatic moments on Naboo. 
Hostage Crisis (+0.3529)
Front Runners (+0.0882) - One of the rebels episodes, I don’t remember which. 
In conclusion, Star Wars: Rebels is next and I am somehow still alive.
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gffa · 6 years ago
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I’ve just seen the TCW Season 7 and I’m already pissed at that girl who accused the Jedi of starting the Clone Wars. Who does she think she is?
I KNOW THAT FEELING, but it’s entirely fitting with the state of the galaxy at this point, that they blame the Jedi as part of the problem, rather than understanding who they actually are and how little say they actually had.This is why Star Wars: Propaganda is one of my favorite books, that it’s such a great in-universe look at the bigger picture of everything that happened and it shows so much of how the Jedi’s PR problem shaped so much of what happened.In the lead-up to the Clone Wars:          “The Core Worlders became more enamored with the fleeting distractions of fame and fashion, transitory fascinations with sophistication that left little room for messages of faith or tradition that the Jedi exemplified. The lack of representation in the galactic mindshare undoubtedly fixed their future, as dark forces were on the rise that would poison the public sentiment toward the Jedi in the decades to come.”  (Star Wars: Propaganda | by Pablo Hidalgo)The beginning of the Clone Wars:         “Dooku had a commanding voice that demanded attention. He also had the authority inherited from his previous role, a former Jedi Master of the Order. Once again, the Jedi Order’s eschewing of the galactic spotlight allowed another to reshape the image of the Jedi, and for nearly a decade, the most famous Jedi in the galaxy was one who advocated for the dissolution of the Republic.”  (Star Wars: Propaganda | by Pablo Hidalgo)        “It was Chancellor Palpatine himself who recommended that images such as this poster not be used to bolster wartime support for the Republic, citing sympathy toward the Jedi discomfort. Very few examples exist of government-approved imagery that showcased the Jedi Knights in their capacity as military leaders.”  (Star Wars: Propaganda | by Pablo Hidalgo)       “The ancient eight-spoked sigil of the Republic found new application on freshly minted Republic war machinery as well as on snapping flags and military banners. These were the soldiers risking all for the sanctity of the Republic and the cherished freedoms of democracy—so went the stirring messages, ballads, and holographic short subjects. Absent from these portrayals was any lingering focus on the Jedi Order.”  (Star Wars: Propaganda | by Pablo Hidalgo)        “At the start of the Clone Wars, the Jedi were largely kept out of Republic propaganda, with the clone troopers becoming the face of patriotism during the conflict. This was the preference of the Order, which eschewed imagery of heroism or the romanticization of warfare.”(Star Wars: Propaganda | by Pablo Hidalgo)When saying why the Jedi weren’t enough and the Republic should vote for creating a galaxy-wide miliary, the Republic’s propaganda laid the seeds of “don’t trust the Jedi”:         “Rather than detail the inevitable horrors of impending war, its singular lightsaber and well-chosen words instead demonstrate how undefended the Republic was. In crafting this message of vulnerability, the Commission for a Safe and Secure Republic (a nonprofit think tank based on Level 5121, Coruscant) also unwittingly seeded a secondary story that would grow during the Clone Wars—that no salvation lay in the direction of the Jedi Knights.”(Star Wars: Propaganda | by Pablo Hidalgo)Showing just how little choice the Jedi actually had:        “In the blink of an eye, it seemed, the galaxy was embroiled in a full-scale galactic war. The Separatist Alliance congealed into the Confederacy of Independent Systems, a coalition of loosely aligned worlds united for war. It pooled its resources to purchase huge quantities of battle droids, creating a ready-to-deploy army. The Republic mobilized its newly activated clone forces and hurriedly brevetted the Knights of the Jedi Order into military commanders.”(Star Wars: Propaganda | by Pablo Hidalgo)         “A lot of people say, ‘What good is a lightsaber against a tank?’ The Jedi weren’t meant to fight wars. That’s the big issue in the prequels. They got drafted into service, which is exactly what Palpatine wanted.”  (George Lucas)         “Absent from this hero-making were the Jedi Knights. Citizens who witnessed the Jedi in action were understandably in awe of their abilities, but it was the clone trooper who was the public face of the war effort. The mystic Jedi remained forever inscrutable to the Republic citizenry at large. To the Separatists, they were branded as hypocrites (thanks to firsthand criticism by Count Dooku). That they could so callously brandish a clone army—“slaves bred for war,” as Separatist propaganda proclaimed—did not speak well to their character, though few among the Separatists knew that the Jedi were given no choice in the matter.”(Star Wars: Propaganda | by Pablo Hidalgo)When pointing out uhhh the Jedi aren’t actually like that, it was once again that other people shaped their image for them:         “After three long years of conflict, which included military strikes that reached the heart of the Core Worlds, public opinion soured on the war. More and more citizens saw the conflict as fruitless and demanded a negotiated settlement. It was during the height of this discontent that Chancellor Palpatine shocked the galaxy by exposing the Jedi Order as traitors. Despite some muted protests in the Senate, Palpatine easily spread this claim by reminding the galaxy that Dooku, the Republic’s greatest threat in a thousand years, was a former Jedi.“ (Star Wars: Propaganda | by Pablo Hidalgo)And the part that sums everything up the best of all:        “Anti-Jedi sentiment was more a product of their cultural absence rather than a refutation of anything substantive. Separatist worlds that had experienced lawlessness attributed that to Jedi neglect, a failure of policing. Indeed, the war itself was a failure of the peacekeepers. To these disaffected worlds, the Jedi were just one more symptom of an inattentive Core World. They imagined the Jedi to be cultural elites, or in the case of this piece, a zealous sect of warmongers.        “Had the Jedi made more of an effort to engage in the populace, such deadly misunderstandings could have been avoided.”(Star Wars: Propaganda | by Pablo Hidalgo)This book is the best example of showing how things got to where they were and it’s a really good example of showing why the Jedi chose the paths they did–for one thing, they were drafted into the war, both in-world and out-of-world sources have said so.  We’ve seen them try to object to things like, THEY DID NOT WANT TO SEND ANAKIN TO TATOOINE, PALPATINE MADE THEM, they did not want to let Anakin hang around Palpatine, but had no evidence to object with and so Palpatine shut them down, they did not want to put Anakin on a Council he wasn’t ready for, but Palpatine made them, Mace wanted leniency for Boba Fett, but the Judiciary Branch ignored his plea, when Dooku was a Jedi, he talked to the Senate to ask for help for Outer Rim planets, they told him him that he was stepping out of line to address them this way, to stop trying to influence them (an implication of “don’t you dare use your weird and scary mind powers on us, you weirdo Jedi!”, I think) AND how they eschewed getting deeper into the propaganda because it romanticized war, as well as they believed their traditions and faith would speak for itself, BUT that allowed over and over and over again to have OTHERS shape the Jedi’s image.By the time they would have realize it was a problem, so many of them were already dead and they had thirty tire fires to put out and they were exhausted and still had more to do and nobody really wanted to listen.The above shows an incredibly consistent pattern of the Jedi were drafted into this war, they weren’t given a choice about the clones, their image was spun by people who had an incredibly vested interest in painting them as the bad guys for their own manipulations, and they eschewed public imagery because they didn’t want to become known as warriors, they didn’t want to romanticize this war.So when the people of the GFFA are like, “Yeah, the Jedi are just part of the Core World Elites!  They never come down here with us lowly folks!” that’s playing into the propaganda that was spun about them (look how it also conveniently ignores how many “lowly” worlds they’re visiting and working with), it’s playing into what Palpatine was selling, what the Separatists were selling, and ignoring what the Jedi were actually doing and saying, what they actually had feasible options for.When people accuse the Jedi of starting the wars, it’s supposed to be contrasted against the audience knowing the truth–that Palpatine started that war, but that we know he was a master of propaganda and manipulative lies.  That girl accusing them of starting the war isn’t meant as truth, the idea that the Jedi were Core World Elites isn’t meant as truth, it’s meant as part of the political landscape that they weren’t prepared to navigate (because they’re not meant to be politicians!), but that people painted them that way because Palpatine wanted to make sure they were to blame for everything wrong in the galaxy so that when he murdered their children and burned their home, people would just stand by and watch.That girl saying it was the fault of the Jedi is a huge part of the story, how the galaxy believed the lies about them.  She’s wrong, but she was fed a steady diet of GFFA FOX News and we know exactly what’s going to happen because of it.
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bedlamsbard · 6 years ago
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The Ahsoka and Caleb adventure concept! This is a little different from the concepts I usually post because I would like to turn it into a full story someday, but don’t know when or if that’s going to happen, especially because I’ve been sitting on it for a while.  (Thus the mid-scene ending.)  Set during TCW S5 sometime.
About 1800 words below the break.
Returning to Coruscant and the Jedi Temple was always soothing, especially when it came with the promise of a week’s furlough before they were deployed again.  Anakin had vanished almost as soon as they had set foot dirtside, which was fine as far as Ahsoka was concerned.  She’d gotten dinner from the kitchens – real food, and not just ration cubes that were formulated for humans but were technically supposed to be nutritious for many different species, Togruta among them – and then a bath, before falling into bed for a full night’s sleep.  A bed.  With sheets.  She had still woken up at the crack of dawn, expecting the sound of a military camp coming to life before remembering where she was.  Without anyone to tell her otherwise, she had lolled around in bed for another hour before finally getting up and heading down to the dining hall, blissfully considering the breakfast choices as she got herself a tray.  No ration cubes here, that was for sure.
Without anything to interrupt her – like a Separatist attack, for example, or Anakin and Obi-Wan helpfully popping up out of nowhere with a set of new drills for her to run – Ahsoka applied herself to her breakfast and ate her way through two glorious servings, settling back with a cup of steaming kerami juice and a bowl of cut fruit to finally take stock of the room.
 It was still early, but there were far fewer people about than she had expected.  Most padawans were in the field, of course, which probably accounted for the majority of the absences – prior to the war at least half of them would have been here, still taking advanced classes in the Temple between assignments with their masters.  But the number of initiates and younglings seemed far too low as well; Ahsoka abruptly remembered a conversation she had overheard between Master Obi-Wan and Master Plo, discussing the drop in new younglings.  There simply seemed to be far fewer Force-sensitive children in the galaxy than there had been two decades earlier, a number that had peaked with Obi-Wan’s generation and then dropped sharply after Anakin’s.  Since only a tenth of a percentage of already rare Force-sensitives were strong enough to potentially become Jedi, that meant that cohorts in the past decade and a half were the smallest in recorded history, many including fewer than half a dozen younglings.
Ahsoka hadn’t thought anything of it at the time. As far as she was concerned, that was just the way things were.  But now, looking at the mostly empty dining hall – built for the Jedi Order in its prime – the shock of it struck her.  Jedi were dying in the dozens in this war, and the Force wasn’t producing enough new Jedi to replace them.  It went against everything she had ever been taught about the Force.
“Padawan Tano?” a shy voice said from her other side, and Ahsoka turned to find a youngling standing there, a human boy a few years younger than her with amber-dark skin, thick brown hair, and striking blue-green eyes.  No lightsaber on his belt; he hadn’t gone on his Gathering yet.
“That’s me,” she said. “And you are –”  She didn’t know as many of the younglings as she would like, not having been at the Temple very often in the past few years.
“Dume.”
Ahsoka blinked, wondering if she had misheard him. “Doom?”  Precognition? she thought an instant later, wary.  It was a fairly common wild talent, though from what she had heard strong precognitives tended to be extremely precocious.  Prophesying destruction in the dining hall seemed like it would qualify for that.  “The doom of what?”  The Jedi?  The Confederacy?  The Republic? The Sith?
The corner of the boy’s mouth twitched a little. “Dume is my name,” he said, and this time she heard the very slight difference in pronunciation.  “I’m Caleb Dume.”
“Oh,” Ahsoka said, a little embarrassed. “Um – what can I do for you, Caleb?”
He glanced self-consciously over his shoulder; a little ways down the long table Ahsoka saw two more younglings watching them, a dark-skinned human girl and a blue-skinned Twi’lek boy.  Small cohorts, she thought again, with a chill that had nothing to do with the room’s temperature.  Three was a very small cohort; hers had at least been closer to ten than five, though not all of them were still alive.  And these younglings weren’t much younger than her.
“Are you doing anything today?” he asked in a rush. “Anything important, I mean?”
“Not unless my master wants me,” Ahsoka said, “which he probably won’t.”  Given how quickly Anakin had left the shipyards, Ahsoka wasn’t expecting to see him before their furlough was up – unless of course bounty hunters attacked the Temple or the Separatists stole a march on them somewhere or someone tried to assassinate Senator Amidala again.
Well, in that case, Ahsoka probably still wouldn’t see him.
“Why?” she added, studying the boy.  She could feel the bright purl of power in him; he was very strong with the Force even for a Jedi, and there was something about him that reminded her a little of both Anakin and Obi-Wan, a sense that for lack of anything better she called destiny. She wasn’t going to tell anyone else that, though.
The boy hesitated briefly, then decided to forge on. “I want to go down into the city,” he said, “but we’re not allowed out of the Temple by ourselves.  And all the masters here are busy.”
Ahsoka stared at him. “What do you want to see in the city?”
He looked at her with deadly seriousness. “A shadow.”
*
Ahsoka’s disbelief must have shown on her face, because Caleb bristled a little and said, “It’s true!”
“It’s not,” said the human girl, coming up behind him along with the Twi’lek. “The kid’s hallucinating and thinking he’s having visions again.”
“I don’t think I have visions!” he snapped at her. “And don’t call me kid!”  He took a breath with the obvious intent to calm himself, then turned his back on his cohortmates so that he was looking at Ahsoka again.
Ahsoka always had trouble with humans, but Twi’lek ages were a little easier for her to judge, and she thought cautiously that Caleb was younger than his two companions; most cohorts were made up of younglings around the same age since they entered the Temple at the same time, but occasionally you got one who was substantially younger.  Mostly not older, except in rare cases like Anakin’s or Quinlan Vos’s, from Master Obi-Wan’s cohort.
“It’s not a vision,” Caleb told Ahsoka determinedly. “I’ve had classes.  I know what a vision is.”
“Classes aren’t the same as the real thing,” Ahsoka said; she knew that particular fact better than she’d like.  “What do you think you – saw?  Sensed?”
The boy hesitated for a few moments, obviously sorting through his thoughts and impressions.  His cohortmates glanced at each other, obviously dismissive, but the fact that he was thinking about it made Ahsoka think that he was telling the truth after all.  Ahsoka ate another few pieces of her cut fruit as she waited, then pushed the bowl in the direction of the three younglings as an offering.  The Twi’lek and the human girl fell on it immediately, but the boy kept frowning.
Finally, he said, “There’s something down there.  In the lower levels, I mean, I don’t know what. Something…sinister.”
“There are a lot of things in the lower levels,” Ahsoka said gently.  “A lot of them are fairly sinister, but that’s for the city police to deal with.”
“This one is ours,” Caleb said with absolute certainty, and then, like he needed to justify that, “I know it is.  I don’t know what it is, but it’s ours.”
“All right,” Ahsoka said slowly.  “Why do you think that?”
He frowned again. “I just know it.”
“Did you see anything?  Or feel anything?”
The human girl sniggered softly and Caleb shot a hurt look over his shoulder at her.  “Cold,” he said. “I felt cold.  And I couldn’t see anything but red.”
*
Somewhat against her better judgment – mostly because, as Ahsoka had thought, Caleb hadn’t had his Gathering yet and didn’t have a lightsaber – Ahsoka checked out a speeder from the Temple garage and went up to the youngling dorms to collect Caleb.  She made him exchange the cloak he had put on for a nondescript green poncho with a deep hood, hoping that anyone who spotted him in the lower city would mistake him for an Ugnaught or a Sullustan instead of a Jedi youngling. Ahsoka didn’t think he was helpless – having been a youngling herself more recently than it actually felt, she was under no illusions about the capability of any Jedi no matter their age – but she didn’t want to borrow trouble.
She was aware that a master or a Knight – or even an older padawan – probably wouldn’t have taken Caleb seriously.  But several years in the field with a pair of Jedi Knights had taught Ahsoka that the older and more experienced someone got, the more entrenched they were in their own opinions, biases, and traditions.  Jedi younglings were in that hundredth of a percentage point of individuals strong enough in the Force to be considered for the Order, and in that thousandth of a percentage point to actually be suited for it. Ahsoka was coming to the conclusion that younglings were more sensitive to the Force than masters, since they didn’t have the weight of the war or the Republic weighing on them, shifting them one way or another.
The more time she spent in the field, the more Ahsoka thought she understood how the long-dead heretics of the past had gone off to found splinter cults on Ahch-To or Jedha or any of the dozens of other lost temple worlds.  She didn’t agree with them – that way lay Dooku’s fate and she wanted no part of that – but she was beginning to understand them.  If the Force was trying to tell one of its chosen few something, then Ahsoka wasn’t going to deny either it or Caleb Dume.
“Can I drive?” Caleb asked hopefully when they arrived in the speeder bay so that Ahsoka could pick up the speeder she had reserved.  She’d done so under Anakin’s name, since that upped the priority level more than using her own would have done.  It wasn’t like Anakin was actually going to find out about it; he was busy elsewhere.
“No, you may not,” Ahsoka said firmly.
“I’ve passed my urban flight course.”
“Yes,” Ahsoka said, “but you’re not old enough to drive by Coruscant city law, and I don’t want to get pulled over by a traffic droid.”
Caleb pouted. “Those laws don’t apply to Jedi, do they?”
“Those laws apply to everyone,” Ahsoka said, feeling a sudden surge of sympathy for Anakin. “It’s just that we have a little more leeway with them if we’re on duty.  Which we’re not.”
He frowned. “Even though –”
“I’m not on duty unless we find something, and you can’t be on duty yet, youngling,” Ahsoka said pointedly.
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cienie-isengardu · 7 years ago
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Well, the great difference between the Jedi and the clones is that while Jedi indoctrination makes for mitigating circumstances, they are still held personally responsible. Yes, the narrative may skirt around these issues, but it still brings them up - Slick calls the clones slaves, Barriss criticizes Jedi's part in the war, otoh Miraj argues that the Jedi themselves are akin to slaves etc. But the clones are blameless. They did not turn against their buddies and slaughter them with a clear head
2/2 to the audience it also feels different to slaughter a complete stranger or a passing aquaitance as opposed to a friend. In spite of all else, how could fandom not hate Wolffe and co. if they killed Plo for no reason than because a superior ordered it? As for the comparison to Kenobi, as opposed to clones he had very good evidence of Anakin’s crimes. If he had any doubt, it disappeared when Anakin strangled Padme. He might not wanted to be the one to deal with it, but there was no one else.
Firstly, I’m sorry it takes me so long to answer, I had really tiresome two weeks at work and couldn’t reply earlier. Also, I lost my first draft of the answer and needed to rewrite it entirety, so sorry in advance for possible grammatical mistakes and so on.
Secondly… Well, I’m not so sure if Jedi were truly held personally responsible in The Clone Wars animated series - yes, TCW’s narrative brought the issue few times, but never really addressed them in a way that made me feel the Jedi actually were forced to think over what happened. Slick’s accusation was pretty fast dismissed, because he was the traitor and “disappointment” and it was his selfish doing that killed so many clone troopers in the process. Barriss would never be brought to trial at all (and thus never openly criticized Jedi Order), if not for Anakin and Padme, the only people willing to prove Ahsoka’s innocence. But did Jedi Council take any blame for the whole fiasco? Not really. They just washed their hands of both Barriss and Ahsoka. Anakin & Plo were the only one who bothered to say “sorry” to Ahsoka, but rest of Council acted as it was the Will of the Force or her Jedi Trail and were now kind enough to allow her come back. In the end, Ahsoka’s departure was about how she couldn’t trust herself since Council didn’t trust her than how they failed a child in their care. I don’t know what happened to Barriss after trial (and since that was public thing, I doubt Jedi could sent her to their own top secret Ghost Prison), but did any Council member or the girl’s master even get involved afterwards? I don’t remember anything like that. Barriss’ words had merit but are easy dismissed - she is terrorist whose action killed innocent people. If she cared so much how Order changed for worse, why she used violence or did not speak about that in more civil way? How she can criticize Jedi when she alone put bombs and killed people?
And the queen Miraj? She was the “bad one”, so why Jedi (or audience that is supposed to cheer up for Jedi) should care for her claims and screwed up ideology/POV? She enriched on human trafficking, allowed to torture, abuse and dehumanization of captured people - what she really knew about Republic and Jedi corruption, if she alone wasn’t saint? Did she really meant that or did she just messed up with Anakin who was forced to obey her, otherwise dear to him people would be hurt? Or Asajj, who by most of time mercilessly killed people and never questioned Dooku’s evil orders until he betrayed her? See, the problem with accusations coming up from the bad ones is that, those characters do not have any higher moral ground to pass judgment or criticize anyone. I admit I didn’t watch TCW for a long time, so I may missed some more important moments (the padawans left behind, for example). But at the end of day, Jedi are the heroes and rescuers, even when some groups didn’t want to be bring into their military conflict. The villains may have valid points, but it’s easy to dismiss them. TCW did not bring criticism for Jedi from the good guys and for most of time, I feel like all accusation only reinforces Jedi false belief how flawless they were.
I mean that. Yoda, Plo and Shaak Ti may gave clones pep talk, but they would send them on suicidal mission without any remorse or doubt, if that was for the greater good. Saving son of Jabba the Hutt is the best example. Does anyone hold Jedi responsible for letting behind slaves in need, when they actually made a deal with slaver? Not really.
Or did any senator (citizen of Republic) even once asked why Jedi will not pay themselves for clone army whose creation they ordered without the senate’s knowledge, when republic budget was discussed? Did anyone asked how out-of-nowhere, there is a full army ready for a war? Did we even see Yoda to explain any Jedi matters to non-Jedi person (senators?) at least one time? Or being questioned by anyone? Not really.
That said, in some sources (usually Legends) Jedi were forced to rethink their choices or were blamed for things that went wrong. Like senator Ask Aak, who blamed Jedi for another lost battle and even questioned not only their ability, but the desire to defeat Dooku. Still, Jedi weren’t hold responsible nor their mistakes weren’t publicized (“Whispers of names that the Jedi would like to pretend never existed. Sora Bulq. Depa Billaba. Jedi who have fallen to the dark. Who have joined the Separatists, or worse: who have massacred civilians, or even murdered their comrades.” [RotS novel]). They did not apologized for action of Jedi who fell to Dark Side. They did not answer to senate or court the way average citizen would be forced to.
Let me quote fragment from Order 66 novel, between ARC troopers and Jedi master Zey that I think sums up pretty much the different idea of obedience:
“They killed us … They killed us all … Why?” […]
“Orders,” Ordo said. “You never read the GAR’s contingency orders? They’re on the mainframe. I suppose nobody thinks contingency orders will ever be needed.”
Zey leaned panting against the door frame as if he was about to collapse. “But why?”
“Because,” said Maze’s voice from outside the doors, “it’s neither your right nor your position to decide who runs the Republic. Who elected you?” […]
“Maze, what are you going to do now?” Ordo asked.
“I’ve never disobeyed an order,” said the ARC captain. Zey didn’t seem to have the strength to turn and look at his former aide, just shutting his eyes as if he was waiting for the coup de grace. “What am I supposed to do? Pick and choose? That’s the irony. The Jedi thought we were excellent troops because we’re so disciplined and we obey orders, but when we obey all orders - and they’re lawful orders, remember - then we’ve betrayed them. Can’t have it both ways, General.”
[…]
“I really must be going, General,” Ordo said. But he had to know. “Just tell me, is it true that Windu tried to depose the Chancellor?”
Zey raised his head all anguish and agony. “He’s a Sith. Can’t you see? A Sith! He’s taking over the government, he’s occupying the galaxy with his new clones, he’s evil…”
“I said, is it true?”
“Yes! It was our duty as Jedi to stop him.” “What’s a Sith?” Maze asked.[…[
“Like Jedi,” Ordo said “only on the other side. Mandalorians fought for them thousands of years ago, and we got stiffed by them in the end. We got stiffed by the Jedi, too. So, all in all, it’s a moot point for us.”
“Palpatine’s probably the one who had you created” Zey said. He was lucky he was still breathing. Ordo wasn’t sure why Maze hadn’t just slotted him. “Why couldn’t you see what he was?”
“Why couldn’t you sniff him out with your Force powers?” Ordo asked. “And why the shab did you never ask where we came from?”
Jedi Order was politically untouchable organization until now. Jedi matters were only for Jedi. The outsiders didn’t have much to say about that nor could put them on public trail (Ahsoka was a special case). Jedi ruled themselves on their own way. But the moment when Mace Windu and Council members attacked Chancellor - a legally elected leader - this changed everything. We know why they did so, but for average citizen of Republic? This was just coup. No one cared for Sith or Dark Side of the Force. Council tried to take control over Republic and so all Jedi paid the price. It’s unfair and cruel, especially for all children killed in Temple and padawans who suddenly lost their masters and friends and remained alone in the cruel galaxy. It’s unfair for all those Jedi that never had anything to say about Order politics or Yoda/Council decisions. But they paid the price and since then Jedi were blamed for everything bad that happened or forgotten for good. But to that point, Jedi rarely were hold responsible for their crimes or ignorance. And TCW made it quite clear, all bad things happened because of Sith’s doing or Jedi who fell to Dark Side or corrupted politicians & greedy people or mad scientist and so on.
But at the same time, clones weren’t blameless. Jedi blamed clones for “betrayal” when troopers suddenly followed someone’s else (legal!) orders. Some people actually don’t think that much about reasons behind clone action, because they don’t see them as human beings. Clones were breed to war and obedience, so it’s easy to dismiss their feelings or beliefs or inner pain, if they really didn’t like Order 66 but still did as were ordered.
I saw Revenge of the Sith in cinema in 2005, way before knowing that much of clone wars era, but even then I didn’t hate clones. For sure I don’t blame them now. Frankly, I wouldn’t mind seeing someone shooting down Yoda for sure. In a way, Jedi had a chance to save themselves during the three years of war. They could dig and dig all the mystery of clone army yet they never did much about that. They took clones (and their obedience) for granted and that was used against them.
Kenobi had a solid proof of Anakin’s crimes. And you know what he still said to Yoda then? I will not kill Anakin.
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Despite everything that Skywalker have done, Obi-Wan didn’t want nor feel to be emotionally ready to kill Anakin. And yet he did what Yoda ordered him; he used pregnant woman to get to Anakin (and revealed himself in the worst moment, really). But the worst part of that? He shouldn’t be sent after Anakin. Skywalker should be stopped faster than later, yes. Should be brought to justice, YES. But Palpatine was the biggest threat then. Yoda shouldn’t be so fucking arrogant to think he alone will kill Darth Sidious, when Mace Windu and three other members of Council get killed in less than, like what? Two minutes? And since Yoda felt death of Jedi in the Force I pretty sure he could put all pieces together how quickly they died. My point is, Skywalker fall to Dark Side was important stuff to deal, but death of Palpatine should be prioritized over everything else. Too sure of themselves [Jedi]  are. Even the older, more experienced ones. Yeah, shame Yoda never thought he may be the most arrogant one. And to the end of his life, Yoda had never been held responsible for that arrogance, while hundreds of Jedi paid the ultimate price.
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imtryingmybeskar · 3 years ago
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hii💕 from the fanfic ask game, what about letter F or Y?
F: share a snippet from one of your favourite dialogue scenes you've written and explain why you're proud of it.
(Since I'm an indecisive idiot I've got two scenes under the cut. Sorry!)
This is from In Time - Pero Tovar is in modern times and the notion that he would like Murder She Wrote because he thinks Jessica Fletcher was homicidal amused me quite a lot.
"I am pleased with this," he gestured at what was currently on the TV. "I watch this woman. She has put to death many people. They do not know it is her. She is very wise."
"Pero, that's Jessica Fletcher. She investigates the murders, she doesn't commit them."
"Commit?"
"Um...she doesn't do them herself. She finds out who has done them."
"Then why is she there without fail when they come about?" he demanded. "No, she kills and kills and they never know as she is just a prying old woman. I like her."
And this one is from Fugitive. It's when Reader is on the trail of Din and goes to Nar Shaddaa where she meets Hondo (from The Clone Wars). If you're not a Star Wars fan it probably won't be of interest, but it pleased my geeky soul to marry KOTOR2, TCW and The Mandalorian in one piece. Plus Hondo is such a satisfying character to write for!
Hondo's mouth fell open in amazement and he clapped his hands together with glee.
"Wonderful, wonderful!" he proclaimed. "And now we see how everything works out as it should! Trats used to work for me. He betrayed me many cycles ago. Stole from me and used the credits to build his own business. I was so proud of him." Hondo dabbed at his eyes with the hem of his coat. You couldn't tell if it was for effect or if he was genuinely weeping with pride. Neither would have surprised you at this point. "But treachery of this kind cannot go unpunished forever and now the time has come to crush him and take back what is mine. With a Jedi beside me once more, I shall finally have my revenge upon his filthy hide!" Hondo declared this in a tone akin to talking about taking a pleasant afternoon stroll. Your curiosity finally got the better of you.
"Which Jedi were you friends with? And which Mandalorians for that matter?" Hondo gave a resounding burst of laughter.
"Ah, Hondo has had many an adventure across this galaxy with many a companion! The stories I could tell you, so many of them true! I once kidnapped Count Dooku, General Skywalker AND General Kenobi during the Clone Wars. It was after this that Skywalker and Kenobi became my very good friends. Always happy to see me, they were, especially when I was delivering weapons for their cause against the Separatists. And little Ahsoka! Ah that sweet little girl. I kidnapped her too once, or maybe twice. I had the pleasure of calling the great Mandalorian Jango Fett my associate. The best bounty hunter in the galaxy he was, and Hondo taught him all he knew! I met his son Boba as well when he was but a little boy starting out in the galaxy. I stole his ship from him. Ahhhh, those good times, excellent times all!" With every infamous name that fell from Hondo's lips, your incredulity grew and you were very glad you had chosen to keep your face covered.
"It was actually Boba that tasked me with finding Trats. He and I are...also friends." At this news, Hondo became even more animated and went into a paroxysm of delight.
"My dear lady! You must give him my very best wishes! Tell him that if he ever wishes to work together again, I would be most delighted to see him. I'm sure he is a forgiving man-" At this you shot Hondo an incredulous look from under your mask. "-And he will not hold it against me that I took his ship while he was in prison. I fixed it for him, after all! And it was definitely not my fault that he was arrested by the Republic in the first place!" Feeling a certain amount of time pressure, you interjected before Hondo could reach full flow in his speech.
Y: A character you want to protect.
It's an obvious answer but Marcus Pike.
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glompcat · 6 years ago
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Thanks to the link to an interview with him, I don’t have time to listen to it, but looking at the comment you linked me to, there really is only one mention of TCW. It is him saying he "researched” the show when he decided to write Padmé as an “action girl.”
Which is odd, as the entire reason I am sure he never watched TCW is this book had so many continuity issues that all explicitly link back to him not even knowing the basic plots of most episodes, and especially all of the main Padmé centric episodes.
I couldn’t figure out any other reason why Padmé seems to have total memory loss involving the past three years this entire book long.
I mean she no longer remembers the drink that was used to poison the kids on Mandalore in the plot she foiled, since she has no idea what Moogan Tea is.
She has no memory of ever being betrayed - so that means she has no memory of her uncle Ono and either him joining the Separatists for a moment, or his death at the hand of his political aide, nor does she have any memory of her mentor Mina Bonteri and her being a Separatist or her death at Count Dooku’s hand. It also means she has no memory of her ex boyfriend Rush Clovis and him not only using her to get information on the Republic, but how he was working for the Separatists when he assumed control of the Banking Clan.
The fact her view of the Republic and the Confederacy in the book was pretty black and white also seemed to imply Zahn had no working knowledge of Padmé’s stance on the war. After all it was a far cry from the woman who was always talking to Ahsoka during the show about how complex the issues behind the war were, how she even once sat in on a session of the Confederacy’s Senate.
She also seemed to only have witnessed Anakin in his angry mode during Attack of the Clones, so that means she didn’t recall Clovis’ death. I can excuse that one though, because unlike the above it is possible that happened after when the book is set. I’d assume other incidents over the show would have scared her pretty bad, but none were as bad as that one or when he slaughtered an entire village, so her immediately thinking of the genocide he carried out makes sense.
Not to mention that when she was dealing with Duja it seemed to me like she had no memory of her handmaiden Teckla Minnau and her death.
Zahn just never seeing the show was truly the only interpretation I could come up with, that he just didn’t know about any of the above things and that’s why they don’t exist in his book. Hearing he did think to use the show as research for his book, and that the only conclusion he reaches is that she is an “action girl” (something I honestly don’t get how anyone could draw as their conclusion from that show) just makes this even more confusing. 
Thank you for making this book all the more confusing for me!
(But really thanks for the link, it really makes no sense! Do you think maybe he only like... saw one arc, like maybe just the Malevolence Arc at the start of the show, and that was it?)
Well I finished it.
I can safely say that was without question the absolute worst canon Star Wars book that I’ve read.
I regret having liveblogged it and will possibly go back and delete most of my posts, as I really do hate being a source of negativity.
But wow, that was just bad.
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