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trans-elrond · 10 months ago

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Nik! Did you watch Rebel Moon? How was it?

Yes hello this is my 4 star review of rebel moon on letterboxd.

But first: a professional, somewhat critical review of rebel moon that engages with the film well, especially regarding anti-colonial themes, and isn't just knee-jerk regurgitated Snyder haterism:

And now more of my thoughts: [edit: Oh No, He Went And Talked For 3 Hours About It, Thanks For Coming To My TedTalk:)

No one has a better knack at putting together a cast list SO ATTRACTIVE TO THE BISEXUALS. read it and weep, boys. (Jena Malone is there too but really just for 1 set piece)

...Jena Malone's one (1) scene set piece features her as an alien spider woman with legitimate grievances against the Empire who now wants to kill kids because all her kids were killed. Like, so valid, girl. Also, did I say Jena Malone as an alien spider-woman? And this is just one scene.

Look, if that pitch doesn't hook you, this film may not be for you, and that's okay, but by GOD my people are the people who hear "Jena Malone alien spider woman" and perk up. I love you, freaks.

The cinematography is ace and always will be under Snyder's direction. music by Tom Holkenborg SLAPS. Costuming and design overall is super super strong. (People on this hellsite are always complaining about inadequate, boring as hell sci-fi design and you get RM and you don't appreciate it for what it is. WAKE UP.)

Costume showcase! Second from the right in this photo showing off those sweet sweet sci-fi costume designs is my beloved non-binary they/them revolutionary Milius. CANONICALLY non-binary, let me add. Imagine SW doing that lmaoooooooooooo D*ve Filoni would fuckin keel over and die

Kora! Our tragic female protagonist of color who's over 40, with a dark edgy sexy background. [KIDNAPPED AS A CHILD!! DEAD FAMILY!!! DEAD LOVER!!!!!!! SHE FAILED TO PROTECT HER WARD FROM ASSASSINATION!!!!! SHE IS THE MOST WANTED WOMAN IN THE UNIVERSE!!]

Bitches on tumblr LOVE taking failmen with sad backstories from media and blorbifying them, but the second it's a woman? please. If this was a man people would be writing the filthiest x reader smut you've seen since Mandalorian S1 came out. If this was a man you'd already have seen 20,000 fan drawings of her with her muscles and tits OUT. God where's my Kora fanart.

I personally have no problems with the plot of this movie (part 1 of 2) being "we must collect warriors to fight the evil empire." That's kinda fantasy story 101 and I still love new, varied interpretations of that plot.

If there's not much interconnecting plot because Kora's just gathering fighters, it's kinda like... that's the point, babes, they'll actually get to it in part 2. We're just at the "forming the team" stage. I revel in that part of a fantasy film and I always want it to be longer, so this film is like catnip to me.

Uh, yeah, this is getting long. More under the cut.

Entertainment professional nitpick time! I've seen someone say RM would be better as a TV show to introduce a new character each episode. And I truly don't think that fixes any of the problems this person has with the film, while introducing way more problems. (Who the fuck would go in on an original concept TV show where each episode introduces a new hero. You could not sell that pitch to a studio, ever, and viewers would instantly check out if they didn't like the introduced character of the week, and the same complaints would be made: it’s just a new character intro blah blah blah. This wouldn’t fix anything! It would very much make it worse!)

Me, like every day, through gritted teeth: that's... not... how... tv... works...

Like be realistic for a hot second with me. Television is not "long movie"—it is a different medium with different rules. Yes, the past decade has blurred many lines between TV and film, but they're still different mediums, and when people blur them ("it's a 10-hour movie!") the results often suck ass, because you either lack episodic structure or you lack feature structure. Snyder is a feature filmmaker who has never worked in TV. Whenever features people jump into TV, it's a whole other learning curve! They're usually terrible at it! You want Snyder to have to learn a new medium? You want him to learn 5/6-act TV structure from scratch? You want him to (horrified gasp) lead a writers room? Those are not his strengths, baby. Let him play in his space opera sandbox.

And I'm not done! You want the casting team to have to deal with the headache of getting feature film actors to star in a TV show? (Pay cuts! Longer commitments! TV production timelines!) You want to do that to me, personally, and fuck up the TV landscape some more by going, "Oh, we can basically just make a Longer Feature Film in TV"? Fuck off with that. TV has different production realities and different basic story structures. A [long] film [with two parts] is still a film, in structure and production practicalities.

Truly, Tumblr media studies brains (derogatory) at it again.

To each their own, but again, I think RM's structure is fun because it gives me more of the goodies (badass, varied character intros) for the price of one (2-hour film.) Like... that's the good stuff, that's often the most exhilarating part of a film for me. And contrary to popular belief, it's not intro to intro without rising tension or stakes. It builds tension as it goes because new facets of resistance against the Motherworld are explored in each character's intro scene. New ways they fight back, new worlds on which they fight back. And a ticking time bomb of the King's Gaze (king's gays lol) catching up.

Here, have a trailer bc Tumblr's mad at me for too much text in one block.

youtube

...I like the RM characters. I want to spend time with them and see what other zany shenanigans Snyder will have them do. (Alien bar fights! Taming a space gryphon! Lightsaber battle!) I like the side-quest-y, exploratory, space opera sandbox playground nature. It's fun, and like, again, if you don't perk up at the concept of collecting cool characters like action figures, this film may just not be for you.

To me it's a polycule. Like, the most messed up polycule in the whole galaxy, but it's a polycule.

Speaking of: THE CHARACTERS ROCK. Yeah, we're missing some significant character development because Netflix truncated Snyder's 4-hr, R-rated film into a 2-hr PG-13 version (likely to be able to release the 4-hr cut later, drum up new press, and get more eyeballs on the movie in total in a few months.) That's... not really Snyder's fault [even though he claims he's in on the plan... some part of me thinks it was Netflix's idea and not his. Stinks of studio meddling.] And it's not indicative of the quality of the actual film, which I currently see as more of an abridged version of the R-rated film that's gonna come out and fill up some of these story holes.

If people are judging the film for not being the 4-hour version, and then decide not to see the 4-hour version, that's their call, but it's kinda shitty to act like the 2-hr version is all there is. Like it probably wasn't Snyder's call to do a 2-hr cut! He's said that the 4-hr one is a whole different movie. I betcha the common criticisms (not enough character development, just jumps from character intro to character intro without interconnection, lack of structure) will be helped, if not outright solved, by the longer cut.

I think people are also happy to take a Part 1 of a movie if it's, say, Dune, and the source material has another part, so Part 1 is allowed to be fucking boring, whereas people don't give that kind of allowance to original sci-fi movies, WHICH IS A REASON WE DON'T GET ORIGINAL SCI-FI. If you're painting with as huge and cosmic a palette as space opera Rebel Moon, the 4-8 hours total across the 2 four-hour parts is kinda bare minimum for an epic. So... patience is a virtue? Let part 1 have elements of IT'S KIND OF A PROLOGUE?

What's that saying? If you want the rewards of space opera worldbuilding with an ensemble cast, you must submit to the mortifying ordeal of 2 hours of setup. Geez. Enjoy the wacky exposition or get out of the space opera genre.

Yeah, that leads me to the point of people who don't enjoy space opera are getting mad at RM for fulfilling the promises of the genre. You might truly be happier elsewhere. The whole thing is over-the-top, huge-scale MELODRAMA and I thrive on melodrama. If it's too cheesy for you, don't come to space operas!!!!!!!

On that note, people have said RM is too tropey and too Star Wars-y. But like I said. If you don't love the tropes get out of the genre!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you aren't here for bloodier/hornier Star Wars get out of RM!!!!

Another big idea I would be remiss to skip over. RM is an explicitly, deliberately anti-colonial, anti-imperial text—far, far more so than any other mainstream sci-fi currently being released. Well-intentioned liberals love to tout Star Trek/Star Wars as progressive media but they really hedge and defang all their political commentary, especially in their 21st century franchise form—think the SW sequels/shows straight up woobifying K*lo Ren in realtime and the Trek shows that (while fun!) are really often just nostalgia bait.

RM is pretty fucking radical. Its theme basically is Kill Nazis—or in expanded form, something along the lines of "The empire will eat up everything of value in the universe unless it is met with unified armed resistance built on solidarity."

And just look at RM's casting. We're not colorblind here; we're very color-conscious. (That's a rant for another day, but I've really started to despise colorblind casting for its extremely well-intentioned-liberal "we're all the same" mentality. It just winds up erasing.) Anyway: RM features the explicitly American-English-Afrikaans empire vs. the Algerian Amazigh protagonist, Black freedom fighters, Japanese revolutionary... and like. Snyder's always gonna be into Vikings so obviously we have Space Vikings too, whatever. Look at me, I can criticize Snyder too! The Poor Sad Space Vikings are not the strongest part of the film!

...Anyway of course the empire vs. revolution is absolutely kind of Star Wars-y since RM is highkey Snyder's Star Wars, but it goes so much further than SW dreamed (or, perhaps, nightmared). SW's rebels/resistance continually get defanged because they're kind of foundationally space magic/singular hero's quest deals, and modern SW with the exception of Rogue One/Andor is just politically, socially stupid. In contrast, RM is about forming a coalition, without something like the Force to help you out. I could write an essay on the ways RM starts in the same place Star Wars starts but takes its politics so much more seriously, so much further.

While I'd argue "good politics" and "artistic quality" rarely correlate, RM is explicitly and doggedly a text about the colonial empire that exploits, enslaves, abuses, and seeks to utterly control marginalized people groups in its quest for domination—and god, I would LOVE to see a resurgence in very fanged, very angry political sci-fi.

One more aside. Snyder has been rightfully criticized for his earlier works basking in fascist-adjacent, hypermasculine aesthetics; 300 is notably super duper racist in how it depicts savage/monstrous Persians vs. Beautifully Good White Spartans Defending Their Culture. (more on "300 Bad" stored up in my brain if anyone wants THAT rant.) To Snyder's credit, none of his films since 300 have really done that—parts of Batman v Superman and his cut of Justice League purposefully poke fun at it. The hypermasculinity is kinda still there, but it's subsumed in the service of melodrama and mythic-flavored cinema, and it's kinda a staple of the action genre anyway, and if you're gonna criticize Snyder without criticizing EVERY ACTION MOVIE EVER, that's just more regurgitated Snyder haterism.

No one is doing mythic action like Snyder these days. No one has the balls and the command of melodrama & operatic visuals. And it comes clearly from Snyder's background in art & art history because all his shots are jam-packed with symbolism and meaning and allusion. So criticize the film for its weaknesses if you like but geez, if I see another post railing about the lack of CRAFT in RM, I will start biting. ALMOST NO BLOCKBUSTER HAS THIS LEVEL OF CRAFT. It's okay that you don't understand visual storytelling, babygirl, but please don't accuse Snyder of lacking craft.

Sorry, you've triggered Cinema Defense Mechanisms in me, I'm gonna have to sit down for a while after this.

I have more takes. Takes hot enough to fuel the King's Gaze (king's gays lol.) But I'll end with a funny observation: I transed my gender (cheers, shouts, hoorays) just about the time I was getting ready to watch Rebel Moon, and in one shocking, epiphanic moment I turned to my partner and went "Of COURSE I'm a man. I like Zack Snyder." So........... do with that what you will.

#rebel moon #dragoninthelibrary #rebel moon spoilers #long post

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unityrain24 · 3 months ago

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Saw your tags about Star Wars, it seems Star Wars stans and modern MCU stans are two peas in a pod. :/

im not entirely sure which tags you were referring to, because i have reblogged several starwars posts with Tags, but honestly, the mcu and starwars really are two peas in a pod. And im honestly surprised there isnt more comradery/comparing between the fandoms

both started out as, while definitely not "high art" or anything, legitimately good enjoyable films, with relatable characters the audience could feel empathy and compassion for, exciting new powers and places, fun and adventurous stories, and more, which instantly became beloved classic that people thought about with nostalgia and pleasantness. And they were and by people who cared and the people who watched them were compelled to care and create communities.

But then both franchises saw a shift, from making films from a passionate and moneymaking point of view, to purely making films from a moneymaking point of view. While star wars saw this happen with the franchise being picked up a few years after to make sequels, the mcu's shift happened more gradually, since there was no time in-between making movies.

now, while i would not consider myself a StarWars Fan, my sister and cousins most definitely were, so i had to watch basically everything in order to keep a conversation with them (not that i didnt enjoy it, i quite liked it and all the lore, it just didnt hold the special place in my heart that thing i consider myself a Fan of do). I've watched the movies, the clone wars series, rebels, the mandalorian, etc all the way through. It's been a while since i was keeping up with everything, so forgive me for not having quite a comprehensive understanding and opions of it as i did say, 3-4 years ago lol.

But the starwars sequels are a lot like the latest phases of the mcu. While i cant remember if they explicitly go against any prestablished canon like the later mcu phases do, they definitely go against the spirit and point/purpose of the original (and even prequel) films.From what i remember, the sequels also had went through several different directers and had direction and script changes and was a whole mess, so even the three films were sort of inconsistent or at the very leat felt oddly-thrown together (<-i may be wrong on the specifics of that its been a while. but it was something along those lines). Also like the later phases of the mcu, they relied a lot on the "nostalgia factor" with not only easter eggs but bringing back old ideas, concepts, plots, even characters, since it "worked so well the first time," when really what the "first time" did was think of new things, present old things in new ways, and tell make art from a place of passion, community, and connection, rather than a "whats the least i can do to make the most money" mindset formula (a point brought up a lot by @therese-lokidottir on many of their recent mcu critiques).

Starwars, unlike the mc, did have a brief period of "redemption" where it looked like the franchise would be saved and given back to the hands of people passionate about starwars, stoytelling, and film, with stuff like the final season of clonewars, the mandalorian, and a few other things. That was a great time to be a starwars fan. I wasn't even a fan, and it was kind of magical for me. But now it seems like they are back of the capitalist art-destroying path, hard. They have been pumping out series after series after series (once again going for the "nostalgia" thing, bringing back the clonewars artstyle, several beloved characters, and more), but it all feels so hollow. The stories feel more like they are just putting in a whole bunch of "wow, thats so shocking" and sewing them together with "hey i loved that character!". The costuming and makeup is absolute trash. The worst by far is hera (an alien character from the animated Rebels series, showing up live-action in Ahsoka). It is hideous. I have seen cosplays of her better than what the actual multi-bullion-dollar corpoation disney with all the best resources put on that screen. The costume looked like it was from spirit halloween, the makeup looked patchy and strange, they left out simple details of her design, and all the colours were Off. Examples:

Hera in Rebels:

Hera Cosplayers (x and x):

Hera in the Ahsoka Series: (it is like. seriously disconcerting to me)

and again, the costuming was not the most pressing point. Its actually relatively low on the list of points of everything bad with current starwars. But its good for a visual example. My sister and my cousins loved starwars. Passionate. Ahsoka was one of my sister's favourite characters. She couldnt even get though a full episode of ashoka. I havent heard anything new of starwars from our cousins, either. And we see eachother relatively often. I havent watched a new starwars thing in like... forever now. And it seems like neither have they. And not because they got sick of starwas, i can tell you that. They got sick of the new starwars being pumped out and shoved down their throats where the only things that resembled what they had loved were twisted into something else. Which, at least in my experience, is far, far worse than if they just ended things ubruptly and unfairly. At least mutilated corpse can rest.

The mcu's decline was, again, more gradual, like boiling a frog. Thor ragnarok is where i would probably pinpoint the beginnings though. I didn't like it at first, because it was out of character, sort of reversed elements of the character's well-developing character arcs , narratively picked on some characters more than others, etc. But, it was still a well-beloved film by many, in-universe explanations for why the characters, arcs, and plots were so different could be plausibly thought up, it was fun and unique, and i could make myself ignore the bad parts and focus on the good and enjoy it for a while. But by the time the loki series came out? There wasnt even any of that anymore. No passion. No community. No love of art. No respect for the previous artists and their art, that the new makers were supposed to honour and continue. While ragnarok's morals of the story could be a little iffy at times (attempting to critique colonialism/imperialism, but falling flat because mocking loki for dismantling it; making jokes at points of the film where it was a little inappropriate), the loki series was straight up horrifying. Perhaps most noteably, fucking. GLORIFYING AND EXCUSING/SYMPATHIZING FASCISM??? and labeling genocide as a "necessary evil?" (though, once again, that was not the only immoral "moral" the series preached). Disgusting. And the MCU is pumping out way more films than starwars, and seem far deeper in the money-lust trenches too.

either way, both are suffering and both are bought by disney (and oddly, both keep giving more and more screentime to the fascist characters. but at least starwars isnt romanticizing it like the mcu is...)

and it hurts so much when something important to you is taken from you, and twisted, and ruined, and its mutilated corpse is hung up on string and paraded around as a puppet before your eyes, and burned into your mind even when you finally tear yourself away. And then swarms of people thinking your ridiculous for caring so much about something so unimportant, and others defending the very monstrosity that did this.

But its not ridiculous or silly or inferior to be attatched to a fictional character or fictional world or fictional story or whatever. They can provide comfort, and ways to explore and understand and even come to terms with yourself (or even others!) (and can be especially important coping mechanism for mentally ill people!). And art is a such an innately human thing, for us to express ourselves, and communal art (like film!) is a tradition across humanity and time!

And with the whole thing with people these days defending/denying what capitalism is doing to art, and denying the notion that art has any influence or effect on "real life"... why are these such absurd concept to you, that you liken to some crazy conspiracy theory? Are you really so blind as to not see it happening before you? Is the blindfold over your eyes really so soft it feels like nothing there? They say a bird who doesnt know its in a cage thinks its free. These people seem to think that drastic, unfair, unjust, immoral, inequal changes and systems are only things of the past. And often, the past doesnt feel real. Dinosaurs and the roman empire and some genocide in some faraway land in some faraway time can at times seem just as unreal as mythical creatures and stories. And even if such terrible things were to happen now, surely theyd be able to see it coming. But things like this dont change in an instant. They are gradual. Like boiling a frog. You dont notice. And even if things arent the worst they can be, and never become the worst they can be, they are still bad. Things arent required to be certified the worst of worst in order for change to be allowed to happen. The worst of the worst isnt even a thing.

Our art is being taken from us. We are being overworked and underpayed. Our whole lives are dictated by how "valuable" we are. Our environments are being polluted and decimated and our planet is becoming more and more inhospitable. Racism and queerphobia and ableism and more are taking lives. And none of those things are at the very worst they can be. They could all be much, much, much worse. But we shouldnt just sit around and be grateful its not worse and do nothing more, nor should we deny anything is wrong at all. If you had cancer youd want to do what you could to get better. If you If broke your leg youd do what you could to make it better. Even if you just accidentally cut your hand or finger while chopping vegetables, youd bandages it up. We always should try to make things better.

We deserve to have our art continue to be art. Just as we deserve all the much more pressing areas of our lives to be better too

Anyways, marvel and starwars really are two peas in a pod. And that pod is with other pods, and the plant those pods share is film. Or perhaps even art as a whole. The mcu and starwars are just really good examples of whats happening right now, because not only does it feel like perhaps its hitting them the most, but also because since they are such large franchises, you can really see and document the progression of whats happening with each instalment.

two peas in a pod :( <3

#yay i answered an ask :D #i wrote this whole thing in one sitting and its past midnight now and im scared of what typos lie within.#i especially hate the typos that completly change the meaning of the sentence. Like typing can instead of can't and stuff like that #i have done stuff like that SO so many times on other posts and i inevitably dont realize until someone reblogs and its set in stone T^T #please just use logic and understand what i mean T^T #i may edit it later idk #unityrain.txt #meta #rant #mcu salt #fuck disney #anti loki series #starwars #star wars #star wars critical

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buckybarnesss · 2 years ago

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Sending this on anon -

I think there is a latent amount of misogyny in the star wars fandom that people aren't ready to face lol.

Like there was so much hate for RebelCaptain and Bix x Cassian (MechanicThief? Bixian?) After andor, and we were called homophobic for 'not wanting to ship' the mlm ships, and I'm like???!! First of all multiplies exist, and second of all, complex, dramatic, well written ships also should exist!

And I'm now seeing the same pattern where it's encouraged to ship Din with the men, but not with the women

I think that a lot of fans really need to look within their consumption and see if they're really looking for representation, or for Ken dolls they can experiment with.

DinBo is so fascinating and I really can't wait to see how they develop

oh y'all want me to get spicy. i'm gonna put his under a read more.

i don't even think it's latent. the female characters receive an excessive amount of hatred or are pitted against each other. i've been in fandom spaces a long, long, long time so i know it's sadly nothing new but people have a hard time accepting that not all the misogyny comes from men.

there is no quarter for woman characters like jyn erso and bo-katan. they will never please. especially when they may have possible romantic relationships with the male leads.

i have thoughts on the shipping atmosphere for the mandalorian and it's not positive.

i am very much a ship and let ship person. i prefer to stay in my lane and enjoy what i enjoy. no harm no foul.

but i do find it -- shall we say interesting -- that bo-katan and din have a multiple episode arc where they develop a deeper understanding of each other overcoming their differences from when they first met but is met with the attitude of ew no cooties. it is fine to prefer a more sibling dynamic between the two but some have been really nasty about others shipping it romantically.

i didn't even really ship it at first but it's grown on me over the course of the season. they compliment each other and have a lot of protentional to explore.

it's one thing to not like a ship but i've seen a lot of language that i consider problematic and outright anti behavior of labeling something you don't like with dog whistles of incest, grooming, toxic and disgusting when it's in fact none of those things at all. just say you don't ship it and keep stepping.

like, the most popular din ship over the past two years has been dinluke which is a perfectly acceptable ship but in canon they've exchanged like a handful of words in one scene. it's fanon.

the armorer and bo-katan has become a popular ship which is again built on a few interactions.

but somehow din and bo are terrible, no good and gross.

we don't even have canon sexualities for these characters and headcanons are not canon. hell, i personally see din on the ace spectrum and bo makes sense to me as bi but that's my headcanon.

this is also not dean winchester being based of a bisexual character and fifteen years of evidence of subtext or stiles stilinski's bisexual baiting by jeff davis on teen wolf.

i get the desire for more lgbta+ representation in star wars but a heterosexual relationship existing is not your enemy and if you think it is than you are part of the problem.

#my blog #the mandalorian #dinbo #getting spicy today #shipping discourse

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femmefighter · 21 days ago

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For the star wars fave/least fave thing!

1, 3, 8, and 19?

Ohhhhh, so many questions. I’m excited to get my teef into these!

Favourite/Least Favourite Movie

Someone else beat you to this punch, so just the short answers.

Favourite: Rogue One

Least Favourite: Solo

3. Favourite/Least Favourite TV show episodes.

Omg, I’m not sticking to just one!! I kinda need to break this all down to the different series. Sorry Andor, you get enough love from everyone else that I'm gonna skip over you. And sorry Book of Boba Fett, I haven't invested enough energy to know you better yet to have strong opinions.

The Mandalorian.

Favourites: Yes I’m giving myself two answers here. Firstly, the Foundling. I love seeing how Bo-Katan goes about fitting in with the Children of the Watch, working out how to live their lifestyle, but then also still showing off her natural leadership qualities and her tenacity. Also, we get the shoulder touch. So fucking gay. Inject that straight (queerly) into my veins.

The second fave is The Jedi. I hadn’t watched any of the animation series before Mando S2, and when she came onto my screen, I sat up and paid attention. Ahsoka Tano, my blorbo beloved. I needed to know everything about her after watching that episode. Cue brainrot.

Least Favourite: Probably the Passenger. Felt like another filler episode. The typical “you only get to progress in the storyline if you fulfil this side quest” was growing old on me by this stage. Plus, giant spiders on an ice planet. Ick. No thanks. And Grogu eating the Frog Lady’s babies, UUUGGGGHHHH!!!!!

Ahsoka series.

Favourite: Time to Fly. It gave me tension-filled Sokabine. It gave me Jacen Syndulla. It gave me Ahsoka doing unhinged stuff like going outside her ship in space to fight off attackers. It gave me Sabine’s gay-panic face. It gave me purrgil. It gave me Huyang being an honest arsehole. It gave me Sabine losing a fight to a cup. I’m more than willing to overlook the completely stupid storyline writing for Hera’s subplot for everything else that episode did give me.

Least favourite: Far, Far Away. Not enough Ahsoka in this episode. And no Hera. So that instantly makes me sad. Also Sabine is written so poorly in this (no shade at Natasha for it, she did well for the poor hand she was dealt). Sabine’s smart, and yet all episode she’s just being all “where’s Ezra?” Smart Sabine wouldn't be standing at her prison door, banging on it and yelling about some deal that can't be fulfilled yet anyway because they aren't even on the fkn planet yet. Smart Sabine would be taking in her situation so much better. She'd be finding air vents to sneak into, so that even if she couldn't escape through them, she'd know the layout of the ship for whenever the New Republic might come up to fight against it. She’s be coming up with a plan to get Ezra and herself back home again once she’s let loose or makes a gaol break. She’d be stealing another TIE fighter with decent scanner equipment and faster travel, not being given a cowardly howler to search an entire planet that Ezra’s been hiding on for ten years on foot. They did her intelligence a massive disservice this episode. Also wasn’t a fan with how contemptuous they made Thrawn of Baylan and the Jedi in general. Chiss culture has a certain reverence for Force-wielders, and even though Kanan and Ezra were the enemies of Thrawn throughout Rebels, he always showed a level of respect towards them. Actually, Thrawn was pretty poorly written for the whole damn show. Bring Tim Zahn to the table to write the character properly, I beg you.

The Clone Wars

Favourite: The Phantom Apprentice. NGL, the last half of season seven of The Clone Wars was peak Star Wars. Fight me. But with this episode in particular, that fight sequence between Ahsoka and Maul, the dialogue leading up to it, the tension and shadow hanging over the entire episode? Perfection. It makes me believe Anakin’s fall so much more, in that Ahsoka’s absence from the events of The Revenge of the Sith speaks more to Anakin’s emotional isolation and manipulation to turn on the Jedi.

Least favourite: Can’t really say a particular episode. There were a number of filler ones that I just yawned through. There was one that focused on Anakin and Padme’s relationship, that was probably my least enjoyable. I get that their relationship was toxic/fucked up/doomed to fail, I don’t want to see more of it. Gives me the ick.

Rebels

Favourite: Twilight of the Apprentice. I get Maul back. Ahsoka is a badass. Kanan is a legend. I cry like a bitch at the end of it. But Ahsoka’s not actually dead either. Wins all round for me.

Also, Hera’s Heroes. Where we get a real introduction to Thrawn. I love his assessment of her. The respect, the admiration, that he has for his enemy. How he sees her as a worthy opponent.

“War, it's all you've ever know, isn't it? You were so young when you survived the Clone Wars, no wonder you're as equipped in spirit to fight as well as you do. War is in your blood. I studied the art of war, worked to perfect it, but you? You were forged by it.”

Gives me shivers. I really hope they do future Thrawn vs Hera justice in upcoming movies/shows, but I know I shouldn’t hold my breath…

Least favourite: Jedi Knight. It was an amazing episode. I don’t think I’ve watched any Star Wars (with perhaps the exception of Rogue One) that’s managed to pull such unexpected emotion out of me. And for that reason, I cannot bring myself to watch it again. I dunno. Maybe one day when I’m feeling emotionally robust. RIP Kanan. You deserved such a heroic death, but you also deserved to live. Fuck you, Governor Pryce.

8. Favourite/Least Favourite Concept

Favourite: That the Force is in everyone. (Yes, even you!) It frustrates me that fandom miss the point of there being a difference between Force-wielding and Force-sensitivity. Anyone can use the Force, but those who are selected to train as Jedi from a young age have a natural ability to wield it, because if you don’t have that natural ability, tapping into it and wielding it is hard. Even those with natural aptitude for the Force find it hard! Ezra Bridger? Force sensitive. Had the abilities from a young age, and just required mentorship/guidance on how to best connect with and use them. Sabine Wren? She has the Force sensitivity of a sandwich. She is not Force-sensitive. Which is why Kanan didn’t ‘pick up on Sabine’s Force sensitivity’, because she didn’t have any! She was just a stubborn woman who decided she wanted to try the seemingly impossible and found a master who was unhinged enough as her to try it too. I think a lot more people could use the lesson from her story, about persistence, patience and hard work paying off. Anywho, end rant there.

Least favourite. That ‘falling to the dark side’ is somehow freeing/a good thing/something to strive for. I hate how they made Osha Aniseya seem like she’d achieved some kind of ‘enlightenment’ from having just killed her father figure, abandoning her sister to have her memory wiped, and teaming up with some attractive stranger who had just murdered a bunch of her friends. It wasn’t enlightenment. It was manipulation. STFU.

19. Favourite/Least Favourite Outfit

Favourite: Live-action Ahsoka’s outfits. Yes, even that poncho that hides her gorgeous deltoids from view. It looks so damn cosy. I love that those outfits give those tiny, tantalising hints of skin whilst still being modest and practical. They’re minimalistic in a way a Fulcrum operative would be, but with some random personal touches that we don’t fully understand yet (Like those beads at her belt. Are they meant to be her old padawan braid? Or Sabine’s padawan braid? Are they just rhythm beads? It’s anyone’s guess at this stage!) But mostly, she just looks comfortable. And since owning both the Adidas wrestling shoes from her white outfit and the Tabi shoes from her dark one, I can attest that they are so damn comfortable whilst also feeling like I could run over any terrain or kick some bad guys’ butts. I’m totally here for it.

Also, Mother Aniseya’s outfit. There’s just so much damn detail to that garb. The fabric. The layers. I love it. Also looks like it would be a cosplayer’s nightmare.

Least favourite: This is probably going to get me cancelled, but I must speak my truth. Leia’s first outfit, the white robe. The "Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi" one. It looks like a bedsheet. There. I said it. I don’t mind the whole idea of a plain white dress that covers her up, I just hate whatever fabric they used. How it hangs. Just screams worn-out bedsheet. And fuck trying to keep that thing clean.

Also, the padawan boob-tube. ‘Soka, babes. Just no. This isn’t Friday night discoteca. This is the military. Put your teenage midriff away and go find yourself something with pockets. You’ll need them.

#star wars rambles #star wars asks #femmefighter answers #thanks for the ask!

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ooops-i-arted · 9 months ago

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Gina Carano Sues Disney and Lucasfilm. According to Just Some Guy at 1 : 36 of the youtube video. Gina Carano was the one who put gasoline into the fire herself by intentionally starting a fight with trans people and mocking them for their importance in society.

I was sick the day the happened and @jennadknowsbest-blog was kind enough to tell me and boy let me tell you, despite feeling like crap I was laughing like this allllllll day

If you too need a good laugh, read the released document thingy. It's badly written on so many levels. (I saw it on Reddit but I think it's floating around Tumblr too. There are some golden comments on both.) Both from just a writing style perspective (it's written like a teenager's Star Wars fanfic) and the fact that her main argument is that "Pedro Pascal said mean things about conservatives and wasn't punished" when 1. most of the posts were apparently before he was hired as the Mandalorian and 2. it seems like pretty common knowledge in fandom that he was asked to tone it down and he did. I follow him on Insta and he rarely posts outside of promoting his own work, and it's largely "support this cause" or "I love my trans sister" instead of attacking/joking at anyone. (I guess his Twitter had more comments, but he's since deleted it afaik.) Overall, it's likely just a stunt to get the right-wing frothing at the mouth and Gina's name back in people's mouth, because she hasn't filmed anything since Terror on the Prairie (one of two Daily Wire films she was supposed to have, the other appears to not be happening anymore) and My Son Hunter (which was straight Breitbart propaganda). Shatpiro has used and dumped her and while I doubt she's hurting for money, I bet she's desperate to get the praise and attention and adoration that the Cara Dune role briefly brought her. Why else would she come crawling back to a company she's publicly trashed and accused of mistreating for the last several years? It doesn't make sense by her own logic! If they were so bad, why does she want back? (And who's gonna hire her now if they think she's a liability who's going to turn around and sue them?)

It's really disgusting though that Gina wants to claim she was discriminated against for being a woman while actively mocking minority groups. Her post appeared on my Insta fyp and I usually don't click because I know she's gonna piss me off, and I clicked and she did. At the time she had a story that said "Still beeping, bopping, booping" with a smirky picture of her. So all she's been told - we know Pedro talked to her because she herself admitted it on Twitter*, and while I'm sure there were plenty of people jumping on the hate bandwagon, there were also people trying to genuinely explain - and explained how this is hurtful to the queer community, she still keeps doing it and thinks it's funny.

That's what's unforgivable to me. Not that she said ignorant shit in the first place - we all have - but her refusal to learn and do better. She wants to say whatever she wants without pushback and so do her fans. The few times I've thought it's worth it to try and talk to someone about it, they always insist it's just her opinion and say something homophobic to me as well (last time I talked to a Cara Dune content creator on Insta, she said she "doesn't agree" with me being gay and "I can't expect everyone to agree with me." For wanting to exist as a gay person. Apparently I should just take it when people mock me or say I should burn in hell.) That's the problem with Gina and her supporters. They don't care, they don't want to think critically or debate, they want to say anything they want without consequence and brush off any conflict with "well it's just a joke" or "it's just her opinion."

Bigotry is not an opinion. You can't "not agree" with someone's skin color and it's the same with their sexuality. You don't get a fucking opinion on whether I have the right to exist as a queer woman.

Let's not pretend the things Gina says are in a void. People who flock to her believe the same things she does. That's why people have protested her attending FanExpo (this video goes into more depth thank you @jennadknowsbest-blog for sharing), when you invite people who, like her, think it's funny to mock anyone like them, it doesn't make a safe or welcoming environment for people like me. Sure one can brush off a comment or two - but where do you draw the line? When does it become harassment? And who is going to protect people like me from that harassment? How can I count on security from an organization that invited Gina and encouraged these people in the first place?

And I say all this as a queer woman who is able to chameleon myself very well because I've done it since childhood. Things are only getting more dangerous for people who are visibly queer. A nonbinary teen was just killed in Oklahoma. I live in a relatively blue area of a blue state, but that doesn't mean I'm completely safe. There are extremists out there, and they're only getting more bold - because people like Gina think it's amusing to fan the flames. Gina, at least, has faced some consequences for it. I doubt this lawsuit will go anywhere (either it'll be settled and Elon and Gina have some Own The Libs content, or they'll be dismissed/lose and they'll get some A Woke Judge Discriminated Against Me content). Gina will be happily on her way. Meanwhile, I get to wonder if the people around me who dismissively say "it's just her opinion" are the kind of people who don't think much about social issues.... or are the kind of people who will happily vote my rights away in the next election.

I assure you, if you have friends who are queer, they are listening to what you say about this case. Throughout all her tomfoolery, I've found Gina to be an excellent canary in the coal mine when it comes to identifying homophobes.

*She apparently later told Tucker Carlson that no one bothered to explain the pronouns thing to her, so we know she's a liar who twists the story as well, which is why I never take anything she says in good faith.**

**I'm very embarrassed I know this but I can't help but following up on stupid things she's doing. She fascinates me. She's like the inverse of a blorbo to me, like she pisses me off but she compels me. How can one person be this dumb. (Fr tho has anyone in her life talked to her about CTE??? Impulsiveness/aggression are possible symptoms....)

#gina why can't you be normal i would still be a fan if you weren't an asshole #I have a lot of Feelings bc first finding out about Cara/Gina I really related to and admired her #and then........this #anti gina carano #asks #gina carano

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manny-jacinto · 1 year ago

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Hey! I also wanna watch and enjoy Ahsoka but I'm having trouble getting past the Ros@rio D@wson of it all.. I heard about that insane incident and her and her mother beating a trans person (with very little details but it's still been enough to put me off for years). Did you ever hear more details about this/do you know anything else? I'm sorry I know this is the opposite of trying to ignore her existence and move on.

god i feel you, i was NOT interested into the whole ahsoka thing for the exact same reason. fuck rosario dawson! all my homies hate rosario dawson! for what is worth, i tried to ignore her as much as possible during the episodes and focused on sabine, chopper and the sith(?) master/apprentice and it was way better than i expected (especially since i didn't see a lot of r*sari*)

i'm not a deep dive expert so i cannot promise that i have the whole story figured out. there's a not a lot of articles or details but these struck me out:

the description of the assault is absolutely disgusting

In 2020, 18 of the 20 allegations were "withdrawn voluntarily without settlement," and Dawson spoke out about the lawsuit

r*sari* talked a little bit about it to vanity fair and her answer srsly rubs me wrong:

Ahsoka does mean a great deal to people, and they’re deeply invested in who she is. So, Rosario, I want to ask you about something that’s outside of this story of The Mandalorian, and that’s the concern in the fandom about a lawsuit that was filed against you last year by a longtime family friend. The claim accused you and other family members of anti-trans bias, and you’ve called the lawsuit false and baseless. But what do you say to those Star Wars fans who hear this and believe the worst—that you are transphobic?

Dawson: Well, firstly, I just want to say I understand that, and why people were concerned, and are concerned. I would be too if I heard some of those claims. But I mean, as we’re seeing right now in these past months, and just recently, actually, the truth is coming out. Every single claim of discrimination has been dismissed by the person who made them, and as you’ve said, the fact that this is coming from someone I’ve known since I was a teenager, the better part of my life, and who my family was trying to help as we have many times in the past, it really just makes me sad. But I still have a great empathy for him.

Court records show 18 of the 20 claims were withdrawn voluntarily without a settlement, and his lawyer left the case. Two counts remain alleging a physical altercation, and a judge will rule on whether that can move forward next month. There are people that would say, “Well, this is just another example of a wealthy, famous person overpowering the system.” So what would you say to those people who are unconvinced, both about this case and about what you actually believe about trans people?

Dawson: The reason that all of the discrimination claims were dropped is because they didn’t happen. I was raised in a very inclusive and loving way, and that’s how I’ve lived my entire life. I’ve always used my voice to fight for, lift up, and empower the LGBTQA community, and use my platform to channel trans voices, in fiction and nonfiction work that I’ve produced and directed. So I feel the record is really clear.

#and then nothing came out again about it so yeah #idk there's something so fishy about it #i do not trust this woman and her family in any way #dowhatyoulike #anti rosario dawson #ahsoka

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twinsunstars · 2 years ago

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Let’s break the Ahsoka trailer down.

ft. this little pure soul

Things we knew before the trailer:

Centers around Ahsoka (obviously)

Takes place after Rebels era

Features original characters from Star Wars Rebels: Sabine Wren, Ezra Bridger, Hera Syndulla, Chopper, and Grand Admiral Thrawn

Now that a teaser trailer has dropped in honor of Star Wars Celebration 2023 kicking off today, fans have obtained more footage of what we are going to look forward to this August. Considering the live celebration premiering on YouTube started at 5 AM where I live, I definitely had to stop myself from screaming with glee to not wake up my family. I've been a Rebels and Clone Wars fan since the pandemic, and the lore is captivating. Let's take a look at the characters set to make appearances in the series.

Rosario Dawson returns as Ahsoka Tano, previously playing her role in The Mandalorian, which was the character's live-action debut. We see Ahsoka at the beginning of the teaser in a place that is yet to be known, but it is clear that she senses something coming, and it's definitely going to be big. Ahsoka continues to protect herself in this galaxy, searching for answers.

Natasha Liu Bordizzo plays the live-action debut of Sabine Wren, and I adore her look! Normally, fans see Sabine with a very short cut, but her constant re-dying of her hair is nothing new. This time, we see her with long wavy hair with shades of magenta and orange, and I'm pretty sure I see some red and purple in there. Sabine appears to be staying on Lothal, which was Ezra's home. What she's been up to, that is to be seen.

Our beloved duo, Hera Syndulla and her brave droid, Chopper! The last we saw them in animation, we got to see a younger version of Hera in Season 2 of Star Wars: The Bad Batch. Here, the two make their live action debut, with Mary Elizabeth Winstead playing the role of Hera.

Considering the Rebels finale (sorry for anyone who hasn't seen the show, feel free to skip this part if you haven't!), we know she had a child who carries the blood of her late lover and Ezra's Jedi Master, Kanan Jarrus, who had passed in an explosion after saving Hera from the Imperials.

We have yet to learn who will be playing the young Jacen Syndulla, or if he will be making an appearance at all.

We all know the woman on the left to be Mon Mothma, a senator who fights against the Empire, played by the elegant Genevieve O'Reilly. The woman on the right was first seen in the same episode of The Mandalorian that Ahsoka had made her live-action debut in. Morgan Elsbeth, played by Diana Lee Inosanto, was seen ruling a town and facing off against Ahsoka, leading to Ahsoka defeating her. Her role in this series is yet to be learned of, but it most likely will answer how Ahsoka had known her before this.

When I first saw these characters, the first thought that went to my head was, "Are they inquisitors??" Actor and actress Ray Stevenson and Ivanna Sakhno will be playing these roles. Stevenson will play Baylan (left), and the name of the woman is yet to be revealed. I'm curious to hear more about these new characters and what purpose they will have in the series.

IT'S HIM! Since the day Rebels came to an end, fans all miss Ezra Bridger, questioning where he went and how he is. The hashtag, #ezracomehome, became very popular. This is just a hologram, but there are theories that he will likely come back in the series. How? We'll see. Ezra's live-action debut will be played by Eman Esfandi.

"The heir of the Empire." That line gave me goosebumps. It's been a long time since we've seen Grand Admiral Thrawn on the screens, and now he will be making his live-action debut in Ahsoka. Last in The Mandalorian, Ahsoka questions Morgan Elsbeth, asking "Where is Grand Admiral Thrawn?" Ever since, fans have been coming back to that line, knowing that Thrawn will probably be coming back, and now, we'll get to see his role in this world. The person who will be playing the role of Thrawn is still unknown, and we have still not gotten a proper look at him. Fans will be awaiting the news and more of his appearances.

When Ezra became lost to space during the finale, so was Thrawn. So how has he returned?

Here, we see Ahsoka facing off against what appears to be an Inquisitor. In another part of the trailer, we see her face off against Stevenson's character. There will definitely be a lot of action happening in the series, and Ahsoka's fights are always something looking forward to watching.

According to sources, Hayden Christensen will be reprising his role as Anakin Skywalker, although we have not seen any footage of him in this series just yet. Anakin played a vital role in Ahsoka's life as her Jedi Master while she was in the Jedi Order. In Rebels, Ahsoka faces off against Darth Vader, realizing that it is Anakin and hearing his voice again as he tries to kill her. Ahsoka has been through a lot since her time as a Jedi and on the run since Order 66, and it does not stop there.

There are many questions resurfacing with this teaser, but there will definitely be more footage coming before Ahsoka makes it's debut. Will surely be going on a Rebels rewatch before the series comes out. If you want to see more of Ahsoka before the show, consider watching Star Wars: The Clone Wars and the episodes she appears in in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, and her episodes in Star Wars: Rebels. I can't wait to see the loth cats again, as they were completely adorable in Rebels.

Ahsoka is set to start on Disney+ in August 2023.

#ahsoka #star wars ahsoka #sabine wren #ezra bridger #hera syndulla #chopper #star wars rebels #grand admiral thrawn #mon mothma #inquisitors #morgan elsbeth #ezracomehome #loth cats #ahsoka tano #the mandalorian #hayden christensen #anakin skywalker

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mandalorianchronicles · 2 years ago

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While I’m not a dinbo fan (din/fennec all

The way) I do have to say your positivity of this season is refreshing. I feel like I’ve been defending this season all by myself. Dave and Jon are excellent writers and I trust them with my whole heart. This season has really focused on the subtle plot choices that are going to come clashing together and make sense.

Nice to see another fan enjoying the show. 🧡

I love this! Thank you so much for sharing these thoughts. It's so nice to hear from other voices who are not so quick to jump on the negativity bandwagon. The Mandalorian tag has definitely had its ups and downs over the seasons. I can remember when the chief complaint was that there were too many episodes with canned plots that were "filler" or "slow" or "side quests" and everyone kept asking "where is the plot?" Of course, the overarching plot (that all those canned episodes contributed important pieces to) always came crashing down in the last few episodes of the season and they complained about that too.

This season has seen a lot more world building and has been incredibly focused on character development. The chief complaint I've heard now is that Din's character is "regressing" or being "sidelined". In the first two seasons, Din's priority was a) keeping Grogu alive and b) getting Grogu to a permanent home. Since The Book of Boba Fett, Din has accepted that Grogu is now his responsibility for the long haul. That has shifted his whole world. He can't keep dragging a baby on bounty hunting missions and even if he could, he wants something better for Grogu. He wants to give him a home and people, a stable lifestyle. Bo-Katan can make that happen and he is willing to support her in any way possible to help her succeed - not just for his and Grogu's benefit - because he truly believes in her.

And though I understand and respect that Dinbo is not everyone's cup of tea, I do believe that is the direction the writers are taking their relationship, especially in light of the fact that Bo has voluntarily (with zero prompting from Din) assumed a motherly role with Grogu. For me, I just really want to see these characters find some peace and happiness. I know that in Star Wars peace is always temporary, but it would be very satisfying for me to see Grogu, Din, and Bo (three characters who started this journey utterly alone) become a family. They have each grown so much over these three seasons and the writers have spent the most time focusing on them for a reason. I believe their story can be told well without detracting from the bigger picture of restoring Mandalore and pushing back against the restoration of the Empire.

We know that Star Wars fans are a toxic bunch who aren't happy unless they're complaining. I'll be the first to admit, I went through a phase where I really hated on the sequels (even though I was actually enjoying them until TRoS). We've all done it. And let's be real, there are legitimate reasons to be critical of some of these shows/movies. But I really do believe that a lot of the negativity over this season of The Mandalorian has been predominantly from fans who were just salty that their hyper specific headcanons weren't coming true or because they jumped the gun and judged it before they got to the end. If I had a nickel for every complaint about loose threads, I'd be rich. Even before the season is complete, the vast majority of those threads or pieces have become relevant and now everyone can clearly see why those were important. Patience is a virtue, y'all. Let the season play out and just learn to enjoy the ride. Save your criticisms for after it's done - you'll probably have a lot less of them and you'll undoubtedly feel less stupid when that plot thread you thought was just dropped actually became relevant (looking at you people who thought they went through all that trouble with IG-11 for no reason). Maybe we should all start meditating on my new favorite Mandalorian proverb:

"One does not speak unless one knows."

It sounds a lot like this other favorite of mine:

"Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; When he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive." Proverbs 17:28

#the mandalorian #din djarin #bo-katan kryze #the mandalorian spoilers #dinbo #grogu #the mandalorian season 3 #i'm not saying ALL the criticism of this season is unfounded #However - a lot people's objections are truly foolish

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travelerofthetimestreams · 5 months ago

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In A Galaxy Far Far Away

I have been a massive fan of Star Wars since I was a child. The queer person in me loved Princess Leia and thought she was simply badass. They homo in me wanted to be Luke Skywalker, but to swept off my feet by the swashbuckling Han Solo. Then when Billy Dee Williams was brought in as Lando...yes please!

As the franchise grew and expanded, it had its ups and downs like all franchises do.

When Rey was introduced, I became a big fan of her character as well. I know those three films are polarizing to many in the fan bases. I liked them. They weren't great, but they do make for great lazy day viewing.

I also liked The Mandalorian and Obi-Wan Kenobi. The rest however, I could not get into. Andor didn't grab my attention and The Book of Boba Fett was simply terrible.

I have not watched the animated series, so I can't comment on them.

Now we have The Acolyte. The one question I have for the show-runners and writers is, "did you have watch any of the franchise?"

The argument against fans' criticism is that they "haven't given it a chance". Halfway through a season's run, should pretty much have captured the audience and keep them coming back to watch.

This isn't a criticism of the characters, but of the writing and the story telling. Things like space fires and surviving a horrific crash without a scratch are just bad writing. Claiming The Force somehow being appropriated is ignorant to the lore of the franchise. Mainly because in order for something to be appropriated, it must first be owned or claimed by someone. Since The Force is all things, it's therefore for all beings. I won't comment on the acting because I don't know who to blame; the actors or the writers.

If the priority of this series is DEI, then I have to point to several series where diversity was just part of the story.

The re-imagined Battlestar Galactica did a good job of diversity. Side note: DO NOT REBOOT IT!

The Expanse was an incredibly well written and acted series with excellent social, political and ideological text and subtext.

And of course, Star Trek. The bastion of sc-fi DEI has always created diverse characters that were interwoven into the story.

With The Acolyte, it feels as though they tried so hard to fill the DEI quotient to their satisfaction, but with disregard to writing, storytelling and actual knowledge to Star Wars lore.

At the end of the day, if the story falls flat, so does the message.

#random thoughts #the acolyte #star wars #star trek #battlestar galactica #the expanse

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echinocereus · 2 years ago

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Andor: An Analysis (aka AAA)

Andor (2022-), a Star Wars show based around Cassian Andor, a rebel who appeared in the movie Rogue One (2016), has taken my mind by storm, leaving me with too many thoughts to keep without documenting. This will be my best attempt at a comprehensive analysis of Andor (7450 words), there will be spoilers, and likely some edits. And a quick disclaimer, no, these are not all original ideas, I am writing this as a combination of both my own brain and the brains of tumblr.

To begin, Andor, in my opinion, is not just a good Star Wars show, but a good show in general. The characters are well written, the pacing is well-executed, and it makes a clear argument. What truly satisfied me about Andor was the fact that it brought politics back to Star Wars. After the sequels (which didn’t happen, okay, they’re not canon, they didn’t happen, I think we as a society should just erase it from our memories), the shows Disney was putting out were decent, but despite the lore being entrenched in politics and political allegories, somehow managed to not really be political. Kenobi follows what happened to Obi-Wan, but doesn’t explore the early growth of the Empire. Boba Fett gave us what could’ve been a cool story of a power vacuum in a criminal underworld, if it was executed properly. It mostly fell flat and was all seemingly surface level thoughts. The Mandalorian was a compelling story about the importance of family, but something of a missed opportunity in The Mandalorian is the exploration of the consequences of a rebellion. Andor says “screw all that, Star Wars is political” and brings in everything the Star Wars canon gives us. According to the creator of Andor, Tony Gilroy, it’s allegedly “not supposed to be political.” Now whether this means that Andor was a fluke or if he said that simply to avoid being under fire from unhappy fans is a mystery (I personally think it’s the latter since… well you’ll see).

Cassian Andor:

To begin, Cassian Andor. The focus of the show and the central character. Even though he is the main character and the show’s namesake, he never makes an attempt to make himself the center of attention. Time after time we see Andor hand off the spotlight of rallying people together (Kino in the prison, Maarva’s speech, Brasso leading the charge against the Empire). His main purpose is being a spy: this is how he is introduced in Rogue One and we see that that aspect of his character is true and constant (@kanansdume on tumblr).

Cassian’s character arc has been of some discourse among some Star Wars fans. Some say that him starting off dismissive of the rebellion like Jyn is in Rogue One undermines his line in which he says he has been fighting for the rebellion since he was 6 years old. However, I disagree. I think Cassian’s character development makes his statement in the movie all the more meaningful. I will come back to this at the end of this section, but first I need to explain what this character journey was.

“I think it’s all useless…It’s better to live. Better to eat, sleep, do what you want. You don’t know me. I fought in Mimban when I was 16.” - Episode 4, Cassian to Luthen. This quote shows Cassian in the beginning of the series, jaded by the Empire that he sees no purpose in fighting. He is self-centered and for good reason: all he’s ever known is struggle, all he is ever trying to do is survive. He is disillusioned by the fact that he feels as though he does not have any effect on the Empire at all. Even when he eventually does agree to work for the Rebel Alliance, he is working as Luthen’s mercenary.

However during that heist, he witnesses the deaths of more than half the team. He still takes the money and leaves with his cut, but he kills Skeen. Skeen who seemingly has a very similar ideology to Cass. Skeen says that his rebellion is himself against the world, that he’s not one who has taste for the actual Rebel Alliance. From what we see in Episode 6, Cassian is the same way, so why does he kill Skeen? I think Cassian got spooked from how much he saw himself in Skeen. He saw the danger that Skeen proposed, realized this and ran from it because he didn’t quite know how to deal with it. But these little moments are so important to his overall development because they help explain the switch and changes in his character.

So he goes back home and meets back up with his family to check back in. To his disappointment, Maarva says that she is not going with Cassian (something that will be further discussed in the Maarva section down below). He doesn’t understand this and voices his concerns but still he walks away without Maarva; he should not be judged for doing so, Maarva certainly doesn’t. He tells Maarva that he’ll be back, which becomes somewhat of a catchphrase. Cassian starts to establish that if there is someone his family and friends can rely on, it is himself. Cassian has been looking for a vacation, a break from a war he never chose to enlist in since he was a child. He finally gets this opportunity and he seizes it, but the tragedy of his story is that the Rebellion is not something he could choose to escape, the reality of his situation of experiences is that he does not have the privilege to step away. He gets caught in a charge that has nothing to do with him, is imprisoned with a ridiculously long sentence, and he is not allowed to protest.

Cassian gets shipped off to Narkina 5, a planet where the Empire has decided to keep some of its prisons. The prison he is sent to is a manufacturing one, later revealed to be building the Death Star (significance of this is discussed below). There the prisoners are forced to be barefoot, for the prison exerts control on its inmates with electrocution through the floor. The guards all have boots on to protect them from this, but they force all inmates to give up all of their shoes. I mention this because it adds to the futility of Cassian’s predicament. The significance to Narkina 5 and the prison arc as a whole will be discussed in greater depth later since there is a lot more to these three episodes (Episodes 7-9). The most important thing for now is that it is in this prison where we see the distinct turnaround of his mentality when it comes to fighting the empire. “I’d rather die trying to take them down, than die giving them what they want.” - Cassian to Kino, Episode 10. Here Cassian finally understands what Maarva was getting at when she refused to leave with him, what Luthen was trying to explain to him, what Nemik died for. This sentence is the thesis of Cassian Andor’s story, something we see even through Rogue One. Ultimately, Cassian dies for something he will never see come into fruition, and we see here how he gets to that point of faith.

At the very end of the series, Cassian once again sets up everyone for success, leaving to deal with his own loose ends. As he is leaving, Bix reminds everyone that Cassian will come back and he reaffirms this. At this point of the story, Cassian is no longer a nuisance, but someone that the people of Ferrix can safely rely on to protect them. That, ultimately, no matter what happens to them, Cassian will find a way. This is Cassian’s M.O. He works in the shadows, he is there for Bix when she needs him, he makes sure everyone is set up to do what they need to do, and he makes sure everyone has enough information and resources to reach their destinations and goals. Cassian is a representation of the truest friend.

Now to connect back to earlier about how this works for his story in Rogue One. Cassian has been fighting against the Empire since he was 6 years old, he just hadn’t realized it yet. That was what this show was for, we see him go through the process of realizing that the rebellion was something he was born into. In Rogue One, Cassian is a zealot, willing to do anything for the rebellion. We now know why. He’s lost so much to this cause, he’s lost so much because of the Empire. Jyn, on the other hand, is nearly apathetic. She doesn’t understand his passion. Just like Cassian didn’t understand the passion of Nemik or Maarva. I think in order for Cassian to understand and connect to Jyn he had to go through the same process of finding his belief as before. His radicalization is so important because politically, he was already radicalized, it was his faith in himself and humanity that he needed to learn.

Brasso:

Brasso is the man in the background, a constant, a pillar of the community and a man the characters can consistently rely on. Brasso is the role-model for Cassian. From the beginning he is to his people what Cassian becomes: a man of reliability. Cassian comes to him in the first episode to use him as a cover story, an alibi. We never see Brasso need to do it, but we know that he would cover for Cassian in an instant. When Cassian is away, it is Brasso (and Bix) we see taking care of Maarva. When the Imperial officers zero-in on Bix, even then Brasso risks himself to urge Bix into action, to run. When Maarva dies, we see Brasso handling her funeral, making sure everything is running smoothly. When all the others don’t know how to comfort Bee, it is Brasso who’s there for the droid, being patient with Maarva’s grieving friend. Brasso is the one to lead the fight against the Imperial soldiers in Episode 12.

There are dynamic characters and static characters, and I would argue that Brasso is a static character. However, that is not necessarily a bad thing—if done right, there is a place for static characters like Brasso. In Brasso we see the good of the world, we see that not everyone is bad, not everyone is corrupt. In Brasso we see strength in the devotion and loyalty towards family and friends, the power that small acts of rebellion can have.

Brasso never does something completely outright aggressive until the time is exactly right, he waits for Maarva’s go to attack, but it’s his small actions that no one really sees that I think have the most meaning. He is the one to tamper with the ship in the first arc, that small bit of tampering sent home the message to the Corporate soldiers— never underestimate the power of community.

Luthen:

A man living two lives, one as a rebel and another as an eccentric shop-keep, Luthen is forced to make the difficult decisions. He is the one forced to call a hit on Cassian (at this point of the story, for all Luthen knew, Cassian could very easily take the vital Rebel information he had to the Empire, jeopardizing the movement). Luthen makes the decision to allow a group of rebels to die in order to protect the insider that he had within the ISB ( basically the Star Wars version of the CIA, further discussion of this provided below in the U.S. Government section). Luthen is such a vital character for the Rebel Alliance, while I just discussed how Cassian plays puppet master and makes things happen, Luthen does just that on a much larger scale.

Luthen doesn’t try to be palatable for the more moderate. When Mothma comes to him upset about Aldhani, he doesn’t flinch. When Lonni comes to Luthen, one of the first things he does is mention his daughter to him. The thing about Luthen is that if we didn’t know for a fact that he was on the good side or see any of his intentions, he could be an antagonist. His ways are not the cleanest, but he knows this. This is what he talks about for his sacrifice: in probably one of the best monologues of the show, Luthen explains how he has sacrificed everything from his potential happiness to his morals for the rebellion. He knows how far he’s gone and what that means for him, but we also know that if it’s not Luthen, then it’ll be someone else making those difficult decisions and living with the guilt. Andor doesn’t have morally gray villains, but it does have morally gray protagonists. Luthen and his operation is a prime example of that. Andor shows that, as aptly put by @captjynandor on tumblr, “when you live in a world where existing incorrectly can get you killed, sometimes you have to make the bad choice to survive.” We see this with Cassian, some of his first scenes showing him killing two Pre-Mor employees in order to survive. We see this most strongly with Luthen’s plan at Aldhani, his motivation to kill Cassian, and how he treats Lonni - objectively seen as immoral, but with a glimpse of the bigger picture, we see that it’s necessary.

For all that makes Luthen great, some argue that one of his greatest flaws is thinking similar to the Empire. Meaning, he tends to look over the smaller people. He only looks for people that have larger personalities, like Mothma or Cassian. The realization of his flaw hit him during Episode 12 when he saw that simply the speech of an old woman brought down the strength of an entire town. He saw that the little people can make so much of the difference and saw the power of community. However, there is a different viewpoint on this scene provided by @kanansdume on tumblr. Luthen knows what he’s doing, he knows that what he does on Aldhani will anger the Empire, he knows that the Empire will cause more people to suffer, and he knows that means more people will be angry. He says this explicitly. What he saw in Maarva and the townspeople was not that she was able to accomplish what he didn’t, but rather showing him that his work and sacrifice had paid off. What truly shook him was that he never expected to be able to see the effects of his actions on people. He doesn’t know that Maarva was directly inspired by the heist on Aldhani, but here he sees that impact. It’s not that he never expected the common people to fight back or that he underestimated them, but rather the opposite. He was fully banking on it. He knew what the common people could accomplish, and for him to be able to see that first hand was likely unexpected. I personally like this interpretation better because it makes more sense for his character and story and the ideas that Andor is trying to present.

Maarva:

Maarva, the best mother Cassian could’ve had, is arguably the strongest woman portrayed in the show. She decides to stay and fight, she is the one that makes the decision that Ferrix needs to fight back, and she decides it when she knows she will not have the strength to see it through. Maarva is old, she says this herself, she can no longer afford the time to run, she’s too tired. At the very end, she’s had enough, and she is the one that rallies the town to fight the Empire. The last thing Maarva told Cassian (through Brasso) was “Tell him none of this was his fault. It was already burning. He’s just the first spark of the fire. Tell him he knows everything he needs to know and feels everything he needs to feel. And when the day comes and those two pull together, he will be an unstoppable force for good.” Maarva knows Cassian on such a deep level, she knows what he’s gone through and what he’s capable of. Maarva knew deep down that Cassian would be important to the rebels, and here we see a reference to what he is in Rogue One. Andor is before he realizes his full potential and before he “wakes up”, as Maarva says. In Rogue One, we see him take advantage of both his knowledge and emotions and is shown to be the zealot we know him to be.

“Tell him I love him more than anything he could ever do wrong.” She gives Cassian unconditional love, showing him what love and safety feel like. Maarva took Cassian from Kenari to save him, then proceeded to show him what a home was.

While similar to Brasso in passion and reliability, Maarva’s characterization happens most through her words whilst Brasso’s was through his actions. Maarva’s speech and her words to Cassian tell us so much about her and her relationships, as well as her importance to the story. She speaks out to the crowd, telling them it’s time to wake up. It’s a metaphor she uses often, she says “The Empire is a disease that thrives in darkness, it is never more alive than we sleep.” Her point is that for the oppressed, they cannot afford the time to relax. In order to win their freedom they need to use every chance they get, because the Empire will never stop. They are the oppressors and as Nemik says, it is unnatural and it requires constant upkeep (more on this later in the Nemik and Skeen section). There will never be a time where the Empire takes a rest because it knows it can’t afford it, so the only way to counteract that is by making them sweat, by stretching the Empire thin.

Bee:

Bee, the lovable droid who means so much to those around him. He has been with Maarva as a companion since the beginning, and his physical deterioration reflects Maarva’s as well. Maarva tells Cassian that she’s gotten tired and she can’t move around much anymore. We see that in Bee as well, he has aged and now constantly needs to recharge. I really like this aspect they show about the droids, because in the world of Star Wars, droids are basically another race. It ties into how they respect and acknowledge the emotions of the droids and treat them with dignity. It is clearly shown that the Empire only really respects humans. Any other species, including droids, are neglected and disrespected. Not even all humans are treated properly; we see the way the Empire treats the indigenous people of Aldhani, commenting on their smell and talking about controlling them. What Andor shows with Bee and how he is treated by those around him is that discrimination is something of the Empire. This is really important to show in Andor because in Rogue One, K-2SO was one of the main side characters who was pushing for the rights of droids. Here, with Bee, we see that Cassian and the Rebellion are always ones to respect other people. (Bee is not the only example of this, Commander Gorn’s treatment of the same Aldhani natives that the Empire disregarded is another good example.)

Bee is the one Cassian relies on, when everyone else relies on Cassian. When he tells Bee, “I’m counting on you,” Bee responds, “You always say that.” What does Cassian say? “And you always come through.” Cassian knows how important having someone who holds the heart of the group is. He saw how quickly Skeen fell awry when Nemik got gravely injured, and for Cassian, Bee is that heart. He is the one that keeps everyone going, the one that grounds everyone. When everyone is looking to Cassian for solutions and for help, Bee is the one he goes to to make sure that everybody he cares about is safe. Bee is the one he trusts.

Nemik and Skeen:

Nemik’s one of the truest believers in the cause. When he said “Tyranny requires constant effort. Authority is brittle. It breaks, it leaks. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that.'' (Nemik’s manifesto, Episode 12), he was calling ordinary people to arms. Not ordinary people the way Cassian or of the others in the official Rebel Alliance are ordinary, but ordinary people who are not affiliated with any sort of organization. One of the beautifully shown parts of Andor was the way the small people did their own little things to fight back. From the sign language on Narkina 5, to Brasso tampering with the Pre-Mor ship, to the people of Ferrix making noise to psych out the Pre-Mor authorities, to Wilmon Paak building a pipe bomb to use against the Empire, none of these connected with each other besides fighting the fascism of the Empire. Nemik understands this, because he, like all of these people, have been radicalized from their experiences of just simply trying to survive the oppression (@spicysucculentz on tumblr).

One of my favorite lines from Nemik is one of his last lines where he says in his manifesto, “Remember this. Try.” It juxtaposes one of the more famous lines from the franchise, from when Yoda scolds Luke, “Do or do not. There is no try.” Likely, the reason for this difference is in the supernatural. Yoda and Luke are connected to an external, supernatural entity— the Force. But for people like Nemik, normal people who don’t have access to the Force, they can’t afford the binary, the finality of “Do or do not.” They are simply trying to survive, to get through (@killsandthrills on tumblr). In fact, it is because of the average people that the Rebel Alliance was able to become what it was by the time of the original trilogy. The reason why Luke had the cushion of support was because of the efforts of people like Nemik. Luke needed to be able to succeed, fully, but the only way he was able to have that opportunity to finally win is because the Rebel Alliance was already built up by the people who were just trying to do whatever they could to survive.

Skeen was fascinating to me. I originally wrote him off as a kind of bully: the man who would butt heads with Cassian, the guy who wasn’t fully bought into the Rebellion quite yet. Part of that ended up being true, he wasn’t bought in. But we only truly see this part of him that places himself against the world after Nemik is shown to be near death (with slim chances of surviving). We see a sibling-type dynamic between Nemik and Skeen where they’re friendly and playful. And maybe Nemik was helping Skeen start to believe in the cause near the end, but the thing that ripped it away for him was Nemik’s fatal injury. We see their banter, but when Nemik gets hurt, Skeen starts to panic. He is the one cradling Nemik’s head and the one to convince Cassian to go for the doctor. “This kid— he is the reason why we are here” (Episode 6); Skeen knows that Nemik’s passion and ideas are important for progress, he knows that Nemik is the heart and soul of the group. When he started to believe in the cause, Skeen started to feel hope again after a long period of time. But Nemik’s death brought him back to his childhood of pain and fighting. This happens so clearly in front of us, where he went from panicking to cynical when Nemik’s at the doctor’s. Skeen says, “Yeah, luck. It’s what drives the whole damn galaxy.” He references how he doesn’t choose his life, the life of struggling when others were born into wealth and privilege. This is the moment where he goes back to what I imagine would be a younger, angrier Skeen. Convinced that he can’t do anything to change the world he becomes selfish, saying that the only rebellion he cares about is his against the world. Even as he tries to convince Cassian to take the money for themselves, it sounds like he’s also trying to convince himself of what he’s doing.

Mon Mothma:

Mon Mothma is a perfect example of someone who chose the rebellion. She was not born into it, she was raised privileged in a system that married her off young. Mon Mothma used the tools of the Empire against them, using her power to advocate for those being hurt by the Empire’s laws. She used her family wealth to donate to the rebellion, and she faked evidence of her husband’s gambling problem because she knows they’re listening to her. On top of this, as @kanansdume on tumblr pointed out, neither Perrin (her husband) nor Blevin realize that Mothma could be lying. She has put up this front of being just a general nuisance, of being very worrisome and concerned about her image. “She showed the stone in her hand, but everyone missed the knife at their throat, just as she said they would.”

Aside: The Empire is listening to Mothma but none of the smaller people because they make the mistake of forgetting that the small people can make a community and fight back. They don’t listen in to the conversations of the prisoners because, as Cassian says, they don’t need to. They have such a strong grip on the prisoners that they believed that they didn’t need to worry about them or listen to them. But that’s not the case with Mothma. She is a Senator, to their eyes, she poses the most danger. She has money and influence, and to the Empire that’s all that matters. However, in reality, the smaller people ended up being more dangerous to the Empire’s rule than Mothma did. Yes, she was funding the rebellion for some time, but when that fell through, Luthen made a way to get the money anyway.

Mon Mothma is shown to reject some of the traditional values of her culture. Originally following these values, she married young to a man that she is now constantly butting heads with, stuck in a unsupportive, unhappy marriage Because of this, she has tried to encourage her daughter away from those values, but because she’s a Senator and almost always busy she ends up being a distant mother, and her daughter rebels against her. Instead, she is actively moving towards those same values Mothma tried to pull herself away from (@rebelsofshield on tumblr). It clearly hurts Mothma to see her daughter doing this but she knows trying to further control her would also not work. And while she tries not to encourage it, her financial position and the rebellion have all but forced her hand into making a decision that she was not prepared to make.

Kino and Melshi:

We see Kino’s radicalization happen in the span of a single episode. Kino tries so hard to be an ideal prisoner, he follows the rules, keeps his men in line, and is banking on getting out of there alive. He has built his mind completely around the fact of obeying the Empire. He is so concerned about even talking about breaking out or musing about it because he’s worried that someone is listening in. The use of the line, “How many guards on each floor?” is used to show the process of radicalization. In the beginning of Episode 9, he refuses to respond or even humor Cass. The last lines of the episode are exchanged between Cassian and Kino - “How many guards on each floor?” “Never more than twelve”. Here we see a man angry and broken. He tried so hard to be a good prisoner but with the knowledge that they were never getting out, that when a man’s sentence is up they just send him to the other side of the prison, that is the thing that crushes Kino and makes him turn. He realizes even when playing with the rules of the Empire, there is no winning. When in a game where the other side is an empire, an organization so big as a government, playing by their rules means nothing to them. They will continue to hurt and commit atrocities and do injustice, and it’s only the act of disobedience that brings change. Going on peacefully changes nothing, it just makes you all the more easier for them to ignore. But if you cause a problem? If you are even a bit of nuisance, the slightest bit of a thorn? That is when change will come.

Kino in the end never made it out of the prison, when all was done and everyone was running out, we find out that Kino can’t swim (we know that the prison itself is in the middle of a lake). He goes through everything, he rallies the entire prison, but in the end he can’t swim, he doesn’t make it out of there. It’s the theme of the show, sacrifice for a sunrise they’ll never get to see. This is Kino’s.

Melshi, a man we see from the beginning who is already radicalized. He tries to give Cassian a reality check, which was so jarring especially after the introduction to the system, the game that was the prison. That the floors and tables that did the best would get flavor with their food instead of bland food. It’s portrayed as an upside to the prison, to make us think, “Oh this isn’t so bad, it could be worse,” until Melshi comes in and grounds Cassian. He tells him to never look at the numbers, because that is the way they control their prisoners, by giving them hope of freedom, by showing them the days passing and the number going down. Kino pushes Melshi back and tells him to shut up, because Kino is afraid of what those ideas will bring. As far as we see, Melshi is the only one besides Cassian to make it out alive, and we never know if Melshi was able to tell more people about the injustices of the prison.

Syril and His Mother:

Syril grew up in a system where he’s been so blind-sided, so steeped in propaganda, he genuinely thinks he is the good guy. Syril and his mother are examples of people who have bought into the lies of the Empire. He is one that believes that the Empire has genuinely brought peace, and that he is protecting that peace. He hasn’t known difficulty the way Cassian and any of the other rebels have, because his entire world was entrenched in the Empire and he’s known nothing else. Even when he gets screwed over by the system he is working so hard to protect, he still doesn’t try to think critically about this system.

The way he latches on to Dedra in his mind as the one person who has saved him is telling. He is craving for someone to lead him and becomes near obsessed with her. He starts basically stalking her, and there’s some weird tension between the two of them in several scenes. (I have no idea why or what to say about this, it was an observation and an uncomfortable one. I have an idea for nearly everything else, except for this.)

Something that @captjynandor on tumblr points out is that those of the Empire aren’t morally gray. Typically, villains in these types of stories are morally gray, shown to have some other motive or intention that is better, but we don’t see that in Star Wars with the villains. Syril grew up in an emotionally manipulative household but that isn’t portrayed as an excuse for his actions. He is very clearly shown to be an awful person because he wants that power and control over others and because he enjoys it.

As Ben Lindbergh on The Ringer mentioned, Syril is a zealot who wants to stand out in a uniform for an Empire that stresses conformity. For most of the season, Syril doesn’t seem to be going in any direction--all we know about him is that he’s incredibly passionate about what he does. It makes us wonder: if Syril happened to be born to a different family, maybe one outside the Empire, how likely is it that he would’ve become a rebellion? If he hadn’t been born into a family and indoctrinated into the Empire, would he have been against the Empire? There was a period of a few episodes in the middle of Syril’s arc in which it seemed as though it was possible that he may become radicalized. We see him fall due to corruption (he knows it’s corruption), and we see him relatively unhappy in a job that is the definition of a corporate nightmare. But because he has a one-track mind (like Cassian sometimes tends to have), he doesn’t try to question the system but rather throws himself right back into it and begins to climb once again. Syril is a symbol of blind faith, the product of indoctrination and manipulation of the Empire.

The Significance of Narkina 5:

The purpose of the prison was to bring down the prisoners to be only focused on fighting each other instead of the system, but it doesn’t work. Narkina 5 was built to control its inmates. They had several modes of this, the most obvious one being that prisoners were forced to walk barefoot on a floor that could be triggered to electrocute them at any point in time. However the other ways they tried to control were more subtle and nefarious. First, they made a reward system to benefit the most efficient inmate, in order to pit them against each other. The reward system? The winning table would get flavor. Flavor. Not something necessary, not something they cared about. All it was, was psychological manipulation. Not only this, but they would display each inmate's running total of how many days left in the prison they had. As they later learned, this number was arbitrary, once your number went to zero they would just put you on another side of the building. Seeing this number go down by one each day would give them a false sense of hope, some motivation to keep moving forward.

However, this all failed. It didn’t work. The inmates figured out the prison system, then worked together as a cohesive unit to break out. No one turned on each other, they all knew one vital thing and that was that they were all either going to live together or die together. I think the fact that Andor did this, undermining all the prison tropes where the prisoners have to prove themselves, is wonderful (@horatio-fig on tumblr). There are no gangs, just a sense of brotherhood. And this is where the show disproves Skeen’s assertion. Skeen claimed that the way someone survives in an unwelcoming environment is by “climbing over the other guy to get out.” But with Narkina 5 we see that, no, in times of difficulty, the way to survive is by climbing out with the other guy, so that you both get out (@tiarnanabhfainni on tumblr). The prisoners all support one another, and that is human nature. It is not natural for humanity to fight one another, however it is natural for humans to bond with any group they can.

Quick aside about Narkina 5, the planet itself. When Melshi and Cassian are escaping, they catch sight of an alien aircraft and they make a run for it to steal it. They get caught very easily by said aliens, but instead of them being hostile, they help the pair escape. This is such a good detail because it shows that Narkina 5 wasn’t always a place fit for prisons, it was once someone’s home. We don’t see a lot of aliens in Andor but this is such a beautiful representation of the fact that anyone who is not part of the Empire is against it (because the Empire has screwed over so many people) (@kanansdume on tumblr).

The Significance of the Construction of the Death Star:

As @captainofthetidesbreath on tumblr explains, “Yes, Cassian was forced to make parts for the weapon that would ultimately kill him,” but he also had a direct hand in subsequently destroying the very thing that would’ve wrought destruction, the thing he was forced to build against his will, and the event that turns the tides in favor of the Rebel Alliance. The time that he managed to stall the construction was crucial. In Rogue One, the margin of error they had was like threading a needle. The time that Cassian was able to stall the production of the Death Star, even unknowingly, was likely crucial in providing the time for the Rebellion to get the Death Star plans off of the planet.

The Portrayal of Capitalism:

We see the importance of money from the beginning; in this system, no one can do anything or go anywhere without it. We see people in jobs, having schedules working around those jobs and still making time to fight a rebellion in between the times where they have to make a living. One of the first major objectives for Cassian is to get money. Yes, in previous star wars movies they did mention money, but it never seemed to be much of an issue for the characters. It was never a legitimate barrier they had to cross.

Not only do we see the effect of capitalism, but we also see the institutions. The place that Syril ends up going to for work has all the tell tale signs of a corporation. Hell, even before that, Syril worked for Pre-Mor whom everyone called the “Corpos”. He then goes on to work for the Empire in an environment that is so stereotypically corporate: “Everyone matters”, the cubicles, the monotony of the design, everyone wearing the same outfit, they’re all being constantly supervised, using previous familial connections to gain an upper hand, etc. Even the apartments that Syril and his mother live in have the signs of a capitalistic environment. The whole show is a testament to the consequences of oppression and this is one of the best ways they show that. The oppression of capitalism is about benefiting the big man on top by using the time and labor of the little people below. It is a system built on keeping those born without privilege disadvantaged. And so how do we see them fighting back? Brasso using his job in the shipyard to tamper with the Pre-Mor ship, Salman Paak using his storefront as a cover for Bix to signal Luthen, Bix using her business as a cover for the fact that she’s buying and selling stolen Imperial parts - to name a few. They use the system that screws them over to fight back against the same people stepping on them.

Similarity to the U.S. Government:

Here is the illusion of choice, being told that you are in a democracy while there is a facet of the government that is essentially left unchecked. The Senate in the Star Wars government is really interesting, because it is revealed that the people vote for those in the Senate, and while the Senators are allowed to make noise and advocate for change, we don’t see how they truly have any effect. Who has the most power? The ISB. And is the ISB regulated in any sort of way? Not at all. So what would the ISB equivalent be? The CIA. The CIA, something the people cannot control, known to have actively traffic drugs into black communities in order to control them (similar to the ISB leading along cultures in order to control them) and have recruited Nazis (similar to ISB and the Empire in general in how they treat other cultures and races that they see as “other”, and the genocide of several societies). When all’s said and done, if the government wants something done they go to the CIA (ISB) to do it, since they are technically not controlled by the people.

If you do not let your prisoners vote, those in power now have strong motivation to imprison their enemies. This is a very basic rule in civics, something we see in both the United States as well as The Empire. The Empire is actively sending out people to capture Rebels and anyone who is remotely against the Empire, since they don’t let any news of what happens inside the prisons reach the outside and because they don’t allow their prisoners to vote. The reason why the levels of incarceration is so high in the United States is because slavery is legal in prison— this loophole in the 13th Amendment provided ample motive for the US government to imprison people of color or those who would stand against them. In a similar line of thought, the portrayal of the prison-industrial complex in Andor is brilliant. The prison-industrial complex is the idea of the relationship between a government and the various businesses that benefit from the institute of incarceration. We see that the government directly benefits from having people incarcerated, and not just because they are keeping supposed criminals, but because they are attempting to build something they will profit off of. They have incentive to imprison people for more petty crimes for longer sentences because they need to generate a self-replenishing workforce to build the Death Star. This sounds somewhat familiar because that is similar to what the CIA did with black communities.

As mentioned previously, the 13th Amendment provided the loophole that slavery was legal in prison. Because they still wanted to use slavery, they needed to get people into jail. So they trafficked drugs into black communities, which destroyed them and stunted their ability to grow and heal. But the CIA didn’t stop there because they needed a workforce, so then they went on to criminalize drugs, and imprison anyone who was involved with anything drug related. But even if people make it out of prison, getting a job is near impossible at that point, and so they fall back onto crime in order to survive. And then they go back to prison where slavery is legal. It is a vicious circle meant to cripple a population and profit the government.

Not meant to be political, eh Gilroy?

The Tragedy of Rogue One

Cassian Andor goes through hell and back, orphaned at a young age and taken from his sister and home planet while the rest of his people are killed. His life is nowhere near easy, and time after time he is roped into rebel activity. Eventually working for the rebellion on his own motivation, he goes through a whole character arc; again and again, he watches people die for a cause that they will never see come to fruition. He makes bonds with these people and gets close to them, only to see them die. Despite this, he learns that it’s worth it, is prepared to do the same (“Kill me or take me in”), and he realizes that everyone makes a difference, all of the small and big acts. And in the end, he does die for it. At the end of Rogue One, he dies. All of his friends die.

But the tragedy? He had finally, finally, reached happiness. After years of running and fighting in a war that he had no choice but to participate in, he finally finds love: Jyn Erso. And something we’re shown in the show is that he goes through trial after trial, just barely surviving. He survives the attack on his planet, then the attack on his home, then the prison break, then the manhunt- no matter what, he always survives. He always finds a way to keep going, even when things seem dire. Every single time. Except for one. Except for that last time on the beach, when they knew they were about to be killed by the Death Star, what did he do? He sat on that beach with Jyn Erso, and they held each other, knowing that this is the only time that they would be able to spend with each other as a couple. They sat there on that beach and faced death, together, peacefully, after succeeding. They won and they knew it and they knew they would never get to see it and they knew that they would never truly get to be together and that was okay.

#holy hell #thank you so much for reading #counter arguments welcomed #if i told you i was going to credit you and i accidentally didn't lmk #this show has a choke hold on me #sorry for the long post #andor #cassian andor #star wars #show analysis #aaaaaaa

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jyndor · 2 years ago

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At this point I'm just convinced that most Star Wars fans are simply not used to thinking of their characters as nuanced, and the sequels and the disney+ stuff before andor didn't really help our case lol.

The fact that the writers retconned Luke-fucking-skywalker, the dude who gave a big F You to all Jedi traditions in the original trilogy, and also used him at Bait for the mandalorian is a true indictment of the current scenario lol.

At this point, I'm just trusting Tony and Diego more than the execs at Disney- it's clear that they want to create a specific story, and don't really give much of a fuck about the fandom which involves guys with 4+ million subscribers who have such AMAZING takes like "star wars doesn't have bricks"

jessie gender has a good video essay on youtube about andor and while i don't necessarily agree with all of it, i think the parts about how disney depoliticized star wars and made the first order almost exclusively reminiscent of nazi germany (to the exclusion of a lot of the references the empire had to us empire) as well as through use of intertextuality (almost exclusively referring to other star wars things instead of referencing to real world things like the original trilogy, the prequels and rogue one did) are 1000000% on point.

as a result fans expect cameos and easter eggs out the ass (easter eggs and cameos are fine imo as long as they make narrative sense - ie: rogue one has good cameos - mothma, saw*, bail, leia, tarkin and vader ALL make sense in the context of the story- and bad cameos - artoo and threepio are just distracting imo and don't really add anything of value except to get audience members to say HEY OMG I KNOW THOSE GUYS) and for everything to directly connect.

which... sometimes again it makes sense (the prequels being about anakin and obi-wan makes total sense, it's the point of the prequels to explain how we got to the point where luke has to fight the empire and anakin has to redeem himself and destroy the emperor) and sometimes it's just absurd and cheap. "somehow palpatine returned" auihiuahduash oh my god it's funny because it's not even like it doesn't make sense for sheev to be so obsessed with living forever and having absolute control over the galaxy, plus legends also had a story about palpatine cloning himself... but it feels absurd because the sequels weren't leading to that, we all know lucasfilm didn't have any plan whatsoever, largely bc disney wanted a fast return on their investment, but rey being a palpatine is... just insulting. rey being a skywalker is less so because of we know the main trilogies are about the skywalkers.

i don't know that i'd call any of what happened with luke in the sequels a retcon unless we're talking about how disney got rid of the entire expanded universe and now it's called legends. i mean i consider it more of a reset (especially because george lucas wasn't really involved directly with legends stories and didn't really care about any of it - not that i care what he cares about, give me my mara jade back lmfao).

but im gonna push back on luke giving the jedi order a middle finger in the OG trilogy. first off, from an out-of-universe perspective, while i'm sure lucas had some idea of what the jedi were about, i doubt he really had the order's practices worked out because lol this is the guy who didn't know that he was going to make luke and leia twins before rotj. sometimes he had his shit worked out, other times he was just figuring stuff out as he went along - and hey i get it, but lol fandom can be a bit too referential about him.

i don't know as much about how he developed the jedi so please correct me if im wrong, but there's no way that luke was intended to be a refutation of jedi practices since... luke was written decades before the prequels came out. before the prequels came out, no one in the fandom even conceived of the jedi having rules against romantic relationships and/or attachments - that's why you've got so many jedi falling in love and being married in the legends 'verse, including and especially luke.

i know my generation is much more okay with the jedi order's practices because we grew up with it and understand it more, but there was a big pushback at the time of aotc because no one had thought of the jedi being celibate or not having attachments or being raised by the order as children. but that wasn't a retcon so much as george lucas going in a direction pro fanfic writers hadn't known he was going to go in. and while he did have a final say over what legends writers could do, those weren't his stories. now i don't care lol the thrawn trilogy is great and losing mara jade as thrawn's foil makes his story less compelling (and frankly it reeks of misogyny to bring him back and not the most important character of that story but whatever). but a lot of fans were annoyed about the direction the jedi took in canon because it didn't jive with decades of pro fic.

i'm sympathetic to that. and of course add into it that the prequels were poorly executed, good intentions and ideas aside.

i don't agree that the jedi were told to fuck off by luke (obi-wan and yoda perhaps to some extent but by then their religious group had been killed off in a genocide. and only because obi-wan and yoda withhold information from luke about his father, not because they are believers in jedi teachings). in universe, remember that luke doesn't know any jedi, he isn't brought up in the order, he doesn't have that cultural context. he doesn't know about them like that. he doesn't even really get into the jedi teachings besides the sparknotes version yoda gives him in empire (and a little bit with obi-wan). he knows very, very little - so he's a new kind of jedi because the jedi were killed off by the sith.

in the time between the originals and the sequels i guess luke does try to rebuild the order but lol idk i cannot even with the story he gets in the sequels because it doesn't work with what i grew up with, it's not the luke i knew and loved as a kid. i mean im not sure how anyone can make the argument that he makes choices that are consistent with who he is at his core but whatever. that's not a retcon though (unless we consider the retconning of legends but i mean that's kind of complicated since legends was pretty inconsistent itself) since it doesn't erase his story. even if he is out of character in the sequels.

god i cannot believe im defending the sequels but yeah they didn't retcon luke's story in the original trilogy. they did retcon legends but i mean again legends was never really as canon as the films or anything that george lucas worked on.

as far as his appearance in the mandalorian, imo it is an example of a cameo done right. it was consistent with who luke is, it made some narrative sense (no reason why luke wouldn't sense grogu reaching out to him, and since he is trying to rebuild the order why not bring in someone who had some experience with the old order?) and it helped establish scale of power (similar to vader massacring the rebels at the end of rogue one) in a story mostly about a character who is an extraordinary ordinary guy (like rogue one). it doesn't take away from the core of the show - the relationship between din and grogu, and din's relationship with his identity as a mandalorian - and helps propel the story forward. similar to how ahsoka is used in mando, there's a point to it. is it fan-service? yes! absolutely, and i would argue it was sorely needed given luke's treatment in the sequels was so polarizing and hurtful to so many fans, myself included. bo-katan also makes sense since she is a literal mandalorian lmfao like it works and helps build on the differences between sects of mandalorians.

HOWEVER. juxtapose that with the book of boba fett. you've got a show about a beloved legacy character who has been a fan-favorite for decades (despite me not really caring about him before his appearance in mando lol i can't deny his popularity) and finally he's getting his story fleshed out in a way that so many fans have wanted for ages.

and not only is the story arc poorly received (imo the best parts are the stuff with the tusken raiders but even that is handled terribly because they just kill them off off-screen) but in the middle of the show, we cut away to... the mandalorian season 2.5 which then goes on to resolve the conflict set up at the end of s2 far too quickly to be as effective as it should have been.

and then as a result of the writers using 2 episodes of an 7 episode season, boba fett's story is not only structured poorly but feels rushed. he gets sidelined. in his own show. as much as din djarin gives pure 'im trying to be a secondary character in my own show' energy, he is still the core of mando. he is centered even if he isn't always the hero or the most powerful guy on screen. with boba, he feels many times to be an afterthought in the show. about him.

and that's because these cameos are really poorly used. luke could easily show up in boba fett's show because it's set on tatooine. luke could be poking around his childhood home. they have history, it's not like it wouldn't be interesting - even if i'm like meh on the idea myself. but luke doesn't show up to further boba's story. he shows up for GROGU, for the mandalorian's story arc. same with ahsoka who has no business being in bobf imo. din i can see because boba showed up in mando and they have ties to each other, but as a CAMEO. as a secondary character. poor guy can't even be the side character in a show about someone else lmfao.

this stuff is not just fan-service done poorly to me, it feels like studio meddling, like the studio was nervous about splitting up din from their cash cow baby yoda. why couldn't that have been part of mando s3? idk there's really no good explanation for it.

cameos, fan-service, even retcons and resets can be used effectively. but it depends on how they are used and why. andor handles its cameos really well because they make sense in the story. rogue one mostly does too. mando does too imo but i get why people would be frustrated with how s2 seems to overemphasize cameos... but again imo they make sense. bobf's cameos are ridiculous and insulting.

*saw gerrera isn't handled as well as the others but i'd say it isn't out of the bounds of reason for saw to be jyn's adoptive father. i think we should have seen jyn as a teenager with him.

#asks #answered #jake-and-amy-are-married #meta #the mandalorian #bobf critical #bobf #star wars #anti-sequel trilogy #star wars andor #rogue one #original trilogy #prequel trilogy

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