#references to Anakin & Obi-Wan comics

[galactic-rhea]

Opened your most recent comic without reading the panels visible above the break, expecting more of your Vaderdala AU, only to be flashbanged by catboy Anakin... I can only be mad at myself for my uninspired expectations

[ link to the post this refers to ]

NJLDFSNJ This is very funny because I, purposely, broke the panels down (since it all was drawn in a single page with four panels) so people would have to read what C3P0 is saying first, otherwise the eye would have been drawn first to Anakin and the little joke would lose impact sdfnjknknkjdd

That's the magic of my blog I suppose, you never know what to expect, is it messed up gothic romance Vaderdala, is it a joke about Anakin's messed up childhood, is it Old grumpy Luke hugging his ghost dad, is it sweet funny lovey dork Anidala, is it Imperial twins being scary, is it a comic that explores the deep psychic damage of a character, is it Obi-Wan re-traumatizing kid Anakin by mistake, is it Palpatine calling Dooku kitten whiskers? You never know, nor do I.

[david-talks-sw]

Woah there. Coming in a little hot. Take a step back, take stock, and chill. Even when we're discussing (read: "arguing") about stuff, it's Star Wars. It's a fictional universe. We're talking about movies and TV shows and comics aka... having fun.

(Which is advice that applies to me too, for the record)

That said, you trimmed out what I said, so I'll copy-paste it below (blue text) before expanding.

For context, someone said that (paraphrasing) the clones are referred to as “property of the Republic” by Shaak Ti in an argument with Nala Se regarding Fives and there is no rejoinder, so this acknowledgment of the clones being property of the Republic makes the Jedi complicit in their enslavement, as they partake in a flagrantly immoral command structure that sent slave soldiers to their deaths.

My response:

Tone and context are everything. There's an intonation on the word "property" when Shaak Ti says it. She isn't saying:

"Fives is property of the Republic."

She's saying:

"Correction! Technically, Fives is 'property' of the Republic."

She's taking Nala Se's cold, callous term and turning it around on Se with a technicality to score a point and pull rank, in order to save Fives' life. The subtext isn't "Fives is my slave," it's "you don't get to take this living being's life without my say-so."

Ti is regurgitating Nala Se's lingo to tell her to shut the fuck up.

In-universe, "there is no rejoinder" because Fives is aware of this subtext and knows Shaak Ti's in his corner. His life was on the line and Shaak Ti saved him.

Out-of-universe, "there is no rejoinder" because it's the ending of a 22-minute episode from a children's TV show 😃 and the point of the scene isn't to argue semantics about the ownership of the clones it's to save Fives' life. The beats of the scene can be boiled down to:

Nala Se argues fervently for Fives to die.

Shaak Ti is like "stfu no, I'm taking him to Coruscant"

Fives is grateful that Shaak Ti saved his life.

If the argument Nala Se used was, I dunno... "he must be terminated because the virus is contagious" then the beats of the scene would play out the same. Because again: the narrative, the story being told in this episode, ends with Shaak Ti coming in with the clutch and saving Fives.

The lore/sci-fi-ness of it all are mere details to move this children's story along.

You can read the rest of my response here, but since then, the user expanded on their point, explaining that while they acknowledge that Fives knows Shaak Ti's in his corner, what they meant is that there is no rejoinder from Nala Se. If it wasn't true that Fives was "property of the Republic", Nala Se would have said so in her cold and clinical terms.

Thus, for them, the point still stands.

And, uh, I'm not sure it does. Because the episode right before, Nala Se does counter Shaak Ti's argument by saying "nu-uh, the clones are property of the Kaminoans and we're leasing them to you."

So at some point, we either:

Point and go "IT'S A PLOT HOLE, BAD WRITING!" and acknowledge the point is thus moot.

Headcanon our way through this, theorizing that this point of semantics was argued by Shaak Ti and Nala Se and subsequently solved off-screen, in-between the two episodes. In which case, Shaak Ti's word on the subject is indeed final.

Acknowledge that this is a 22-minute story for kids, it was the end of the episode, and they needed Shaak Ti to come up with a technicality so as to save Fives without seeming unreasonable, and this is the best the writers could come up with.

I'm gonna go ahead and take option #3.

But, anon, this reaction of yours does open the door on a bigger point I've argued before.

All I did was bring proper context back to Shaak Ti's words, when they had been taken out of it.

And in discussion about the Jedi, this gets done very often. A sentence - or even words within one - will get plucked out of context and lore or fanon will form around it.

Here's some examples.

"Obi-Wan said that Anakin is pathetic!"

Context:

A pathetic life form.

He's comparing Anakin to Jar Jar, y'all.

AKA someone who had been exiled and was later about to be executed when they found him. AKA someone who has pathos, who inspires pity. Aka someone PATHETIC.

George himself describes Vader as pathetic.

That's because "pathetic" isn't just a judgmental term.

Resulting interpretation: Obi-Wan isn't saying Anakin is "ew, pathetic!" he's disagreeing with Qui-Gon's tendency to pick up strays and fails to see the point of them tagging along on the mission. He is proved wrong later and this ties in to his character arc about learning to see the value in listening to Guide archetype characters like Jar Jar or Ep. 1 Anakin.

"Yoda said the Jedi are arrogant."

Context:

Obi-Wan is bitching about Anakin being arrogant due to being so skillful, and Yoda tells Obi-Wan:

Resulting interpretation: Yoda is speaking in riddles, as per usual. He's being cheeky and implicitly telling Obi-Wan that he can be arrogant too sometimes, in his own Yoda-esque way.

Yoda is not "lamenting how far the Jedi have fallen". It's just another way of saying "we're all human, nobody's perfect."

"Mace said he doesn't trust Anakin."

Context:

Obi-Wan: “Anakin did not take to his assignment with much enthusiasm.” Mace: “It’s very dangerous putting them [Anakin & Palpatine] together. I don’t think the boy can handle it.”

Resulting interpretation: Anakin - not, by his own admission, the most subtle Jedi - is being asked to secretly spy on someone he considers a close friend, a mentor, a father even... aka someone who'll read Anakin like an open book (which is exactly what ends up happening).

Would you trust Anakin with that mission?

Because I sure as hell wouldn't. And that's what Mace is saying.

If it's "fucking disgusting" to point out the context in each of the above situations, during a Star Wars analysis or discussion, I fail to see why.

[gffa]

Hey, I saw an interesting discussion about the relationship between Leia, her fathers and Obi-wan in reference to her son(s). I never read some of the older books so I was surprised that she has a son called Anakin. The discussion is about the fact that she asked Obi-wan if he is her father and that she later gave her son his name. I have an opinion about this but it would be interesting to hear yours! You know so much about the books, interviews etc.

Hi! I was never too deep into Legends, so I knew about Anakin Solo, but I barely read anything with him (I barely read any Legends books, I tried more than once, but they just didn't take until I got infected with prequels brain, no shade, just personal preference). So, my area of expertise (such as it is, I mean, this is the pew-pew franchise lmao) is more with Lucas continuity (the first six movies + first six seasons of TCW) and Disney continuity and, to be honest, I've never been that wild about the idea of Leia naming her son 'Ben'. I think it works better after the Obi-Wan Kenobi show, where it gives her more of a connection to him, and in theory there's something interesting to play with on the idea of naming him 'Ben' after the person that brought them all together (I forget if that was from an author interview or in an actual book now), but it never just quite coalesces for me. I do like that it works better in that it's not just that Ben rescued her, but that he settled a huge question in her, that even as a little girl she ached to know more about her birth parents, she was turned around about how she wanted to move forward as a princess of Alderaan and what to do with her path in life--and she decided those things for herself, but he helped guide her along that path. I really do like that it helps smooth out why Leia would name her son after him! I just don't feel like it's quite there yet. What I would actually love to see is a story somewhere (in a post-ROTJ novel or comic or something) where Obi-Wan appears to Leia as a Force Ghost and talks with her occasionally, as he does with Luke. To tell her more about her parents (all of them), to provide someone to listen when she needs a calm voice in her life. Not necessarily that he's there constantly, just once in awhile to have a conversation with her, to show he still cares about her and watches over her, I think that would go a long way to making me believe she would name her son after him. I end up kind of in the middle re: Leia naming her son after him. I see potential, I can make it work, but it's also something I feel like was just a remix of Legends (Ben Solo instead of Ben Skywalker) rather than because it felt organically connected. But I can be convinced in multiple directions with a little nudge here or there!

[oshalittlestar]

saw a lot of TheAc. criticals post from angry/disappointed fans going around my dashboard these past few days -? tumblr algorythm when i catch you - whose recurring (and sometimes only) argument against it, is that Osha is OOC, (mostly starting from ep5) and would never have acted/done this kind of stuff to Sol, betraying the jedi, and mainly that [ep5 to 6] ruined the show.

and okay. okay. if you didnt like the turn and direction the show's taken, i understand, i have my beefs with other series/movies too, so here i'm only trying to share my own perspective on Osha's development, that some may have considered too 'sudden' and 'ooc',

and i completely get why others might see it differently and not be comfortable with it. their feelings are just as valid and legitimate.

but, her being out of character is something i just cannot quite 'accept', if only for the sake of 'rightful' criticism the show may have toward the end:

Osha [and by extension the Acolyte too, but this post is abt Osha] is a brand new character we just been introduced to for the very first time, no old reference, no comics, nothing. and that's something important to note, because in the 4 episodes we had before the 'infamous' ep5, the most we got on Osha's characterization was very 'scarce' in reality, and not really 'set in stone' by the narrative

( contrary to Anakin skywalker, for example: notice the stark difference between how they portrayed him in the 3 prequels movies, and the Clone wars cartoon - 2008. Here, we had 3 long ass movies to get used to Anakin's character, his story, his relationship with Obi Wan and Padme, and how his fall played out, and it was credible. What wasn't though, (beside the fact the cartoon did some blatant damage to how people now view Anidala and Anakin - cough cough sorry cough cough it was my first otp -) was that they heard some..fans didnt like the not 'virile' enough Anakin from AotC/Rots and thought, well, lets take the worst of him in the movie, all his flaws, his dark emotions, and lets mix it to give the fans some kind of jock/popular-aligned/macho-light w/ anger issues/possessive of his girl/action stoic/terminator hero, and nevermind the characterization already etablished by the 3 movies.!)

so, back to Osha in the first 4 eps:

first, from her interaction with her meknek 'bud', Fillik. She's friendly enough - not that much, she didnt went out with her crew/ nor she wanted to share her doings with him (yeah, you can put that on her preferring her privacy/but also: her Jedi's teachings! it did take roots in her very being, her mind and consequently her everyday's life after!), but she knows how to level the mood, and doesnt hesitate to go toward something ..dangerous, if it need to be repared, even if this something is trauma related, like fire...(mmmh. im not saying it's forshadowing, but it was without doubt the first indication that she wasnt at peace with her past - and vice versa, that she's have to confront it)

second, from Yord. it's the first figure from her 'second' past life we/she see. She's a little playful, teasing him, not even a little wary when she sees him again after all this time, and most importantly she seems to trust him from the get go, thats why it hurts her that way! - and it matters, that it was him first, i think. Sol wouldnt have had the same - ah! - detachment, ironically as Yord. Yord, with whom she likely used to train with as a Padawan, and who didnt see her for 6 whole years after she left the Order. so for him to not trust immediately her words, her, it highlights from the start that the connection she had with the Jedi Order is no more, -at the very best holding on a veeery light thread- since she left it behind all these years ago; and even if in the 3 following episodes, Jecki, Sol, Yord (to some extent venestra) believe her, there's always this gap in the back of her/our mind, between her and the Order, that she cant seem to fill...

thirdly, from Sol. do i need to say more?? okay, i will only say that: blind trust. there's nothing this man could do to make Osha dislike him, or acting ill toward him, he held the truth, 'controlled - take this word with a grain of salt, when i say 'controlled', it holds no malicious intent from Sol, - the narrative, for years ! (and here im not saying he was a villain, i am not demonizing him nor am i saying he was an abusive piece of shit at ALL just so we're clear. ik my words may seem cold and harsh) but, indeed, Osha had no special reason to be mad at him, there was this parental/father figure she saw in him, replacing what she had lost on Brendok... ( but the savior hold as much weight to their relation me think.)

and lastly, from the twins/her coven's interactions, and how she (and we, watchers!) interpreted a lot of things 'wrong' because..povs !! To name just a few :

Osha is literally torturing the poor insect: Mae copying her and since Osha is the one calling her out on it, her sister is seen in a bad light by the viewer, since we identify a lot more with Osha, the 'light' twin

Osha getting mad at Mae for taking a sneekpeak at her drawingbook (she needs the space from her sister, who wont give it to her, who's becoming too much, too close, she needs to breathe alone, and it gives the impression that Osha is trapped, in some kind of 'prison')

Osha seeing her sister lighting it on fire just after locking her up, aaaand the fire expanding, fast (we dont see Mae panicking!!!) i'll admit, the show did a good fucking job at trolling us, into thinking Mae was some sort of... 'unhinged' and 'deranged' sister, who set the entire coven on fire 'just' to keep Osha : thats why i also cant get behind these 'ooc' accusations, because, as flawed as the writing might have gotten at some parts - and other things, but i wont dwelve on that here, the Acolyte was, from start to finish, headed in one direction, fully centered on Osha/Mae subversion arcs, and Osha ascension to the dark side: its all the emotional unbalance i mentioned above, in her interactions with Sol, Yord, her family, and how the serie choose to present us with Osha's version of the story first.

and finally, the fact everyone is throwing 'OOC' around to describe Osha's actions is, very mid 'critic' at best, and inherently contradicting the core message of the Acolyte, which is that everyone can do 'evil' and destructive acts in the name of what they may consider the greater good, whether they're justified or not (Sol/Mae parallels go hard in that sense), and inversely the most 'evil' character can be all in all, very honest -Qimir, even back in Khofar didnt really lie did he? - and vulnerable in his presentation: the revealing of his intention toward Osha etc etc..)

aaand im done i dont know if what i wrote made sense (i dont want to cringe so im not rereading this but know that if there're any typos or weird turn of phrase then its normal :)

[intermundia]

Hey, I'm new to the Star Wars fandom here (TT) and I am an avid reader, can you suggest what books I should buy and in what order because u seem like a pretty well organized guy in terms of books, thanks (plz help, I will literally go broke if I buy them all, thanks)

welcome to star wars!!! 🫶 it's a hell of a mess but it's worth it haha i've been collecting for awhile, i have 173 of the novels (here's a link to an inventory spreadsheet if you're curious which ones), but there are almost four hundred available if you include all legends and extended universe in addition to disney canon. which is frankly too many lol

a useful book is the essential reader's companion by pablo hidalgo, which was published in 2012 and provides short summaries of all novels published before then, so you have a sense of what kind of books are available about the EU etc. it's good to have on hand to guide you through the absolute thicket that is legends haha

my personal area of interest is the prequels and obi-wan/anakin, so those are the books i really know the most about. the thrawn books by timothy zahn are notoriously pretty good for example, but i've only read one of them, and can't really comment on the rest. i've also only read one high republic book, light of the jedi by charles soule, which i adored, but can't comment on the rest of that era either.

my three very favorite sw books are:

revenge of the sith by matthew stover

darth plagueis by james luceno

rogue planet by greg bear

a selection of other ones i enjoyed:

padawan by kiersten white

wild space by karen miller

phantom menace by terry brooks

shatterpoint by matthew stover

labyrinth of evil by james luceno

dark lord: rise of darth vader by james luceno

lords of the sith by paul kemp

master and apprentice by claudia gray

dark disciple by christie golden

kenobi by john jackson miller

life and legend of obi-wan kenobi and the rise and fall of darth vader by ryder windham are two kids books that i really enjoyed

if you want to know comics (which are some of the best star wars media of all time) or my favorite nonfiction reference books let me know!!

also, a pro tip i guess is to check out ebay used book lots, people dump big piles of sw books all the time for relatively cheap and that can be a great way to jumpstart a collection without breaking the bank

[jewishcissiekj]

long time no comic reading post. But I felt like rereading Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison so let's

Lauritaaaaaa the babygirl ever

knocks me out how stunning the art on this series is. Agustin Alessio I owe you my life

🙂🙂🙂🙂

ough. .

this team-up and series just kills me because how old is Lurita even? he looks late teens to early twenties and guess who is also in his late twenties? fucking Vader. they should've been at the club (laurita did go to a club that was a pretty major thing that happened)

Laurita's loyalty to the Empire fascinates me. he does this not just because of the others' betrayal but also because he truly believes, specifically in Vader

The Jedi Temple empty and dark and in cold colors is so wrong I'm obsessed

I'm gonna be honest the concept of the Jedi having a secret prison unknown to Tje Republic is one of the stupidest concepts I've ever heard in my entire life and I do not like i as a concept and yet. this is one of my favorite Star Wars comics ever. Haden Blackman just makes it work idk. and the part in the council chambers is soooo pretty and cool

ignore everything they're saying and just look how pretty this is <3 <3 <3 (I adore Blackman's writing but this feels a bit too much like he's trying to make Obi-Wan the only 'good one' at least in Anakin/Vader's eyes)

so many scenes here just bring up emotions in me i can't describe

close enough, welcome back Eli Vanto (Laurita came 5 years earlier than Eli)

this is so funny because he looks nothing like ROTS. why is he like that

I'm so in love with the unidentified Prism Jedi you don't even know

nobody gives a shit vader

tbh how can you say no to that face

when I first read I got so confused about the Chuchi reference because I knew I was reading a Legends comic and tcw wasn't legends, right? lol. lmao even. big fan of Shonn tho

ok that's it for now not because I'm tired or anything but because of the Tumblr image limit there will be a part two if you care

[rainintheevening]

Just because it's been done before, doesn't mean it was a good idea the first time.

-me about Palpatine returning in the last Star Wars movie, referring to his resurrection/cloning in the comics

-but also probably Obi-Wan to Anakin at some point

[cantsayidont]

As much as I still enjoy the older comics and books, my feelings about modern STAR WARS media are at best mixed. Many of the recent streaming shows (with the notable exception of ANDOR) have been especially dire, but to my mind, the rot set in long before that.

There have been a lot of terrible SW tie-ins over the years (the old Bantam novels were so bad that after a while I stopped even bothering to get them from the library), but I'm particularly antipathetic to THE CLONE WARS, which is now emerging as the core text of the new SW universe. (I refer here to the 2008 animated series, not the earlier Genndy Tartakovsky shorts, which I hated and found pointless, but were at least easy to ignore.)

One of the riskiest and most potentially troublesome things a spinoff or tie-in project can do is to go to war with its own source material. This is something that even STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE ended up struggling with, despite that show's strengths; the writers couldn't hide their annoyance with some of the basic premises of the TNG-era future (like the Federation's abandonment of money), which at times became not so much a critique as an expression of writing staff frustration with dramatic rules they didn't make but weren't empowered to change.

That tension is also at the core of THE CLONE WARS, which is driven by an ill-disguised disdain for the SW prequel films the cartoon is ostensibly supposed to bridge. TCW, particularly in the early seasons where Lucas was still directly involved, takes exaggerated care to remain faithful to the details of the prequel storyline (for instance, the assertion in REVENGE OF THE SITH that Obi-Wan Kenobi has never previously met General Grievous face-to-face). However, it also plainly wants to redo the prequels, making their story and characters into something more like what the show's creators would've preferred to see in the first place. (Some of that revisionism may have come from Lucas himself, but it's continued in substantially similar ways since Lucasfilm was swallowed by the Mouse.) It's not hard to see where the creators of TCW are coming from, because the prequels were distinctly disappointing in many respects, from their appalling racism and antisemitic caricatures to their hilariously clunky dialogue to the inept handling of the Anakin-Padme romance. However, in the show's zeal to fix what it sees as the films' flaws, THE CLONE WARS also seeks to dismantle their thematic integrity.

Where Lucas might have taken the SW prequel trilogy if 9/11 and the subsequent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq hadn't occurred is anyone's guess, but ATTACK OF THE CLONES and REVENGE OF THE SITH are plainly constructed as a surprisingly angry critique of the politics of the Wubbya era and the invasion of Iraq: The Jedi and the Republic are tricked into going to war on false pretenses, engaging in a conflict whose real purpose is to undermine the foundations of republican government and bring about the rise of a fascist dictatorship. By the end of ATTACK OF THE CLONES, where the war begins, the heroes have already lost: The military they're building is unmistakably an early iteration of the Imperial war machine seen in the original films, and the clone troopers are or will shortly become stormtroopers. Aside from being doomed by the narrative, Anakin Skywalker in Episodes 2 and 3 is a moral and emotional wreck: an immature, unstable young soldier — trained (and used) by an institution with no regard for his well-being that repeatedly urges him to reject normal human connections in favor of acetic martial purity — whose volatility and hazy grasp of right and wrong make him a dangerous, genocidal monster with no compunctions about murdering children in his paranoia and rage. None of the other prequel characters is remotely sympathetic: Obi-Wan Kenobi is a contemptible fool whose stubborn incuriousness (even when Dooku tells him quite directly what's really going on) and blind faith in the institutions he serves contribute materially to both the moral collapse of his apprentice and the ultimate triumph of interstellar fascism. Yoda is by the rules of our world a war criminal, whose eventual response to his failure to defeat Palpatine in single combat is to run away and make the brutal rise of the Empire everybody else's problem. Padme, meanwhile, is Anakin's enabler and apologist (she's an accessory after the fact to an explicit act of genocide, and she marries him anyway!) before becoming another of his victims. That's harrowing stuff, for all its clumsiness of execution, and, Lucas being Lucas, it's not at all subtle.

The central project of THE CLONE WARS is a cowardly obfuscation of the admittedly extreme grimness of the prequel films. It makes Anakin stable and competent, a capable if somewhat reckless leader who's a far cry from his deranged, tantrum-throwing live-action counterpart, a compassionate mentor with his own adorable teenage apprentice rather than a child-murdering fascist lunatic. The show also works overtime to rehabilitate Obi-Wan, Padme, and Yoda (who really doesn't deserve it). More alarmingly than that, TCW seeks to legitimize what the live-action films present as an unequivocally phony war, and blunt the edges of the prequels' original critique. In the films, the clones embody a military-industrial complex that's fundamentally inimical to the survival of justice or democracy — manufactured soldiers (and, pointedly, men of color) who are considered disposable war materiel even by the Jedi, and who are conditioned to follow any order delivered in a reasonably authoritative tone of voice. THE CLONE WARS wants desperately to reassure you that the clones are actually good guys (which it seeks to accomplish in part by making them white), noble and heroic true friends of our Jedi heroes who would obey them even if they didn't have to, and whose eventual heel turn has to be mechanically coerced. Moreover, TCW and its repulsive spinoff, THE BAD BATCH, take pains to distance the clones from the stormtroopers of the original films, qualitatively, morally, and ethically. Of course they're not stormtroopers who carry out massacres without question (even though we see them do just that in REVENGE OF THE SITH and in flashbacks to that period), they're Good Soldiers and heroes! They're victims of the evil space-wizard, just like the Jedi children and innocent people we watched them slaughter, and most of them feel terrible about it! The clones can't be bad guys, because then people wouldn't want to buy their toys. It's as disingenuous and cynical as the live-action films were dark, and it's completely nonsensical within the narrative bounds Lucas originally set out.

I'm not very fond of the prequels, which were not what I would have expected or wanted to see, and I can't blame Lucasfilm people for feeling similarly. However, I think that some creative levers really only go one way: You can take something simplistic and make it complex, or take something that's pretty black and white and introduce many shades of gray, but going the other way rarely works, and often feels insulting to boot. I did see the prequels, even though I didn't enjoy them very much, and while I don't begrudge anyone for wanting something lighter and less doomstruck, trying to tell me those movies were about something different than they obviously were has an "Ignore your lying eyes" vibe that I'm always going to find suspect.

[astheforcewillsit]

If you're referring to Quinlan's Fall in Dark Disciple specifically - I think it's because Feloni was poorly attempting to recreate his arc from the Republic comics, which was a /lot/ more compelling and complex imo. The comics were written well before The Clone Wars, so they didn't have the same frame of reference as Dark Disciple w.r.t. Barriss and Ahsoka and their respective trials.

(I will talk about how bad the Dark Disciple book/arc is until I'm blue in the face 👍)

Rant coming up because I have thoughts too.

It is a genuinely bad story, and I'm so stressed learning about it LMAO. The way it destroys established understandings in canon is what's getting to me.

Poor Ashoka, poor Barris, Poor Slick.

I just have a sour taste in my mouth about how these three were treated, because at least Barris and Slick had a reason for what they did. It wasn't right how they went about it AT ALL, but the issues they had weren't necessarily wrong. We have in-canon context proving that.

They just went about critiquing them wrong. And I feel bad for them in the sense that they were imprisoned or killed, and Quinlan wasn't?

AND QUINLAN? Quinlan's fall was so intrinsically motivated and he's given a slap on the wrist for it. Over a woman? A woman, mind you who has hurt so many clones and Jedi? And like he did some seriously bad shit when he Fell. Like if Anakin did that he'd be blasted on sight I feel?

Why did the Order allow him back in? He killed his own friend in cold blood? Like who gets justice because of Quinlan Vos? How is justice served for those that we harmed because he decided to play a double agent?

How many clones lost their lives because of the support he provided for the separatist. How many Jedi? This was over a repeatedly long time.

Even Crosshair from TBB went through more shit in his redemption arc than Quinlan did.

Like that genuinely disgust me, that someone who willingly endangered the lives of his friends and family, killed them, and gave Republic secrets was allowed back into the Order and faced no substantial prison time.

It makes the Jedi Order look absolutely terrible for letting someone like that back into their ranks, after he deceived them twice? It makes them look hella incompetent and reminds me of religious orders who protect men who harm people, but throw women and marginalized people to the wolves. And I think that's what's bothering me the most.

And like Obi-Wan, he deceived you personally?? Stand up please. Be ab it more upset. Stop forgiving him. The same Obi-Wan who left his padawan on a burning planet...you know what nvm

At this point I only like Quinlan because I ship him with Fox, because he gives me the ick lmao.

[vadertyrannus]

Darth Vader is the Most Powerful Sith in Star Wars Canon

There has been debate in the Star Wars community as to who is the most powerful Sith: Darth Vader or Darth Sidious. This question has different answers depending on the continuity:

Lucas Canon: Darth Sidious is more powerful then Darth Vader. Vader could've been more powerful, but after his loss on Mustafar, he couldn't reach the power he was destined to due to becoming half-machine. After dawning the suit, Vader is only as powerful as Maul and Dooku. Sidious is the most powerful Sith.

Legends Canon: Sidious is also the most powerful Sith and more powerful then Vader, though Vader is still more powerful then Maul and Dooku.

Disney Canon: Darth Vader, in his prime (post-ROTS to the end of TESB), is more powerful then Darth Sidious. Sidious initially believed that Vader would never recover after Mustafar, hence having Cylo create his cybernetic monstrosities introduced in Darth Vader (2015), but Vader proved his master wrong through the years, and Sidious recognized this. Vader is the most powerful Sith.

This post will be covering the Disney Canon version of Darth Vader, proving that he is the most powerful Sith in the galaxy. It will also analyze the impact this has on the themes and story of Star Wars, the in-universe logic, and why I ultimately believe this was a good creative choice.

In other posts linked below, I will be debunking common misconceptions surrounding Vader's power and cybernetics (most of which left over from Lucas or Legends canon), going more in-depth in his feats, and explaining why Vader didn't kill Sidious.

The Proof

In the player's guide of Canon video game Jedi: Fallen Order, Darth Vader is called “the most powerful Sith in the galaxy”. Vader is also explicitly listed as the greatest red saber duelist in the book Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need To Know.

Both The Force Awakens Visual Dictionary and Star Wars: The Age of Resistance – The Official Collector’s Edition state that the bloodline of "the most powerful Jedi and Sith" courses through Kylo Ren's veins (obviously referring to Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader).

Darth Sidious himself stated that Vader would become more powerful then either him or Yoda in Revenge of the Sith. While this is proven wrong in the previous continuities, it's proven right in Canon. He also called Vader's power "unpararalled" in the Tarkin novel.

Sidious is even afraid of Vader, as revealed in Lords of the Sith.

Somewhere in the back of Palpatine’s mind, he knows what Vader’s potential is. He feels he may be wrong, but he is wary of it. So he’s very interested in determining his ability to manipulate Vader and testing his loyalty and assuring himself that this tiger that he holds by the tail is going to stay that way.

The artist of the Darth Vader (2020) comic series confirmed twice on Twitter that Vader is more powerful than Sidious, when not conflicted.

Multiple Canon books and this tweet from Leland Chee confirm that Vader did not lose midichlorians after his loss to Obi-Wan Kenobi on Mustafar, and the lose of limbs does not lead to lost Force potential.

This means that Darth Vader did not lose Force power after his loss on Mustafar, in Canon. He remained as powerful as Vader before Mustafar in Revenge of the Sith and continued to grow from there (until after The Empire Strikes Back, when Vader becomes conflicted after investigating Luke and Padme's true fate, as depicted in Darth Vader (2020) comics).

This point-of-view still works even when exclusively viewing the films, as the Prequels constantly hold Anakin up to a high standard, and nothing in the films themselves indicate Vader lost any power. We only knew that was true in previous continuities because George Lucas and old EU novels outright said so.

It also helps that beating Vader is emphasized more by Yoda and Obi-Wan then beating the Emperor in the original trilogy, and why they believed that their only hope was the Skywalker children, Vader's own blood.

Anakin Skywalker, in both Legends and Canon, is repeatedly stated to be on par with or even more powerful then Darth Sidious in Revenge of the Sith, and the most powerful Jedi.

The strongest Jedi of his generation, perhaps of any generation… - Revenge of the Sith novelization

“Skywalker is arguably the most powerful Jedi alive. And he is still getting stronger.” - Mace Windu, Revenge of the Sith novelization

And now consider the fact that its been stated and implied several times in Canon that Darth Vader (and yes, I mean suited Vader) is more powerful then Anakin Skywalker in Revenge of the Sith.

The armour separated him from the galaxy, from everyone, made him singular, freed him from the needs of the flesh, the concerns of the body that once had plagued him, and allowed him to focus solely on his relationship to the Force. - Lords of the Sith novel

He stared at his reflection a long time. His injuries had deformed his body, left it broken, but they’d perfected his spirit, strengthening his connection to the Force. - Lords of the Sith novel

Taking this into consideration, if Vader is more powerful then Anakin, and Anakin is equal to or more powerful then Sidious in Revenge of the Sith, then Vader is more powerful then Sidious.

The power difference between Vader and Sidious is also shown in Canon material. In Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith (2017) #1, moments after Revenge of the Sith, Vader attacks Sidious with the Force. Vader is able to maintain his grip on Sidious, and he isn’t even able to break himself free until Vader lets go. You can even see Sidious reaching out as if he’s trying to overpower Vader, but he can’t. Vader is overpowering him.

This outright shows that, in terms of raw Force power alone, Vader is more powerful then Sidious. Sidious wins this clash because he uses force lighting, which Vader is weak against, and Vader doesn't even fight back.

Sidious is still incredibly powerful, faster, and has more knowledge of the dark side, but Vader has more raw Force power, is physically stronger, and is the better saber duelist. If Vader is 100, Sidious is 92 or 95.

Another key moment is when he receives a vision when he tries to bleed a kyber crystal. This vision shows him redeeming himself by becoming a Jedi again and yes, killing Sidious.

If Anakin could kill him, Vader could kill him, because again, Vader is more powerful then Anakin.

Vader rejects this future, and this is only a vision, but the entire crux of this moment is that Vader could fulfill his destiny, if he chose to. The whole point of this arc is that Vader ultimately chooses to be a Sith, to keep being a monster, and serve the Empire. The galaxy is the way it is because Vader chooses it to be that way.

Which is why this arc is titled, "The Chosen One". It reinforces that Vader is still The Chosen One, and he ultimately chooses the fate of the galaxy.

In the Prequels, Anakin was the Jedi's only hope of beating Sidious, and once he turned, the galaxy was plunged into darkness. This arc proves that his choice was never taken away. Vader still has agency and responsibility. Unlike the previous continuity in which he's trapped because the Emperor would kill him in a one-on-one, in Canon, he's powerful enough to choose his path.

This arc proves that Vader could've killed Sidious, for both the right or wrong reasons. He just chose not to.

And that's more compelling. Villains are better when they're responsible for their choices and actions. If they're just a helpless victim, they're not even a villain anymore.

Imagine if in Breaking Bad, Elliot and Gretchen didn't offer to pay for Walt's treatment, and as a result, Walt was actually cooking meth to provide for his family.

It'd destroy the narrative, because the entire point of Breaking Bad is...

The same should be true for Darth Vader.

The vision is entirely weightless if Sidious was more powerful then Vader. The entire defining moment of this entire first comic arc relies on the idea that Vader could kill Sidious if he chose to.

Finally, both Kylo Ren and Snoke in the Sequel trilogy revere Vader as the epitome of Sith power.

"The mighty Kylo Ren… When I found you, I saw what all masters live to see… Raw, untamed power and beyond that, something truly special. The potential of your bloodline. A new Vader."

All of these Canon sources explicitly state or imply that Darth Vader is the most powerful Sith in Disney Canon.

How it enhances the narrative of Star Wars

I did already go into this when I talked about how Vader choosing not to kill Sidious reinforces that he's still The Chosen One, thus maintaining his agency as a villain, but there's another aspect that I'd like to talk about.

Some people seem not to like that Vader is more powerful in Canon because they think it undermines the point of the narrative.

"But Vader isn't supposed to be unstoppable, Vader is supposed to be pathetic, and him losing power are his consequences for the bad choices he made."

But to say that is to misunderstand what truly matters and one of the main themes of Star Wars.

Throughout the prequels, Anakin always thought that what he needed was power. Once he could control everything, he could make everything be the way he wanted it to be.

He becomes obsessed with "the power to save Padme" to the point where he ends up destroying her.

Once he finally becomes Darth Vader, he finally becomes the most powerful man in the galaxy, and yet his family (as far as he knows) is dead, his attempts to bring Padme back fail, and he's still a slave. He's always angry and hates everything around him. He is the most powerful man in the galaxy, but also the most pathetic.

It’s only when he chooses to selflessly love Luke that he’s finally able to be happy and have a family again, even if its only for the last moments of his life.

One of the main messages of Star Wars is that power is not the answer to being happy. Compassion and love is. Having Darth Vader be the most powerful Sith ultimately enhances that theme.

This post is already very long and I literally can't use any more images, so here are links to other posts that expand on this topic.

Debunking myths about Darth Vader's Power Level

Why Vader didn't kill Sidious (own post coming soon)

Canon Darth Vader feats (own post coming soon)

Thanks for reading!

[phoenixkaptain]

Was rereading some of my old Qui-Gon - Luke parallel posts and I had the abrupt realization:

Luke is technically on the same level as Qui-Gon in terms of diplomatic ability.

Granted, this is mostly extrapolated from external works, the novels and comics and such, because the Original Trilogy doesn’t put Luke in any realy situations where he needs to act diplomatically (aside from the scene with Jabba, but I will come back to that) and, as we all know, Luke Skywalker was only ever portrayed as a baby in the prequel trilogy and then he was never portrayed ever again outside of that instance that the Original Trilogy, there were no other major motion pictures with Luke in them, unfortunately, and as we all know and accept with sadness in our hearts, the next time we saw Luke in live-action was in the Mandalorian. It’s wild, they never put him in anything else ever, never ever, not once, not twice, it was OT, PT, then Mandalorian S2, wild-

Let’s begin with the movies.

We see Qui-Gon’s diplomatic prowess in the Phantom Menace, when the diplomatic talks with the Neimoidians go south almost immediately and he has to fight his way out.

We see Luke’s diplomatic prowess in the Return of the Jedi, when the diplomatic talks (thinly veiled threats) with Jabba go south almost immediately and he has to fight his way out.

(Leia and Obi-Wan are my parallels in these scenes. Not because I think they actually are supposed to parallel each other in the text, but because they both are part of the action while being cute, so like-)

Already, we can see that they’re both prime examples of Jedi Diplomacy. Something goes south and they have to fight their way out of it. The Jedi way :) (look at Mace’s attempt to rescue Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Padme, my guy started by pulling out his lightsaber. At the very least, Qui-Gon and Luke both waited a bit longer to start beheading people.)

But, what I actually want to draw reference to is that Luke is skilled at de-escalating situations. In the 2015 comics, he is one of the only reasons Leia and Han don’t start wrestling each other like feral dogs. In the novels, specifically in the Thrawn Trilogy, there’s a scene where Luke handles a diplomatic situation by being as polite and fair as he can be. Also, he is a Jedi, which means that he is polite, fair, and nobody really wants to go against him because he’s the man who blew up the Death Star and can kill literally anybody in the room without lifting a finger.

We know from the text that Qui-Gon’s diplomacy was probably similar. Because, Obi-Wan learned negotiating from Qui-Gon, so if we look at how Obi-Wan deals with tense political situations, we can make an educated guess as to how Qui-Gon did so.

We know from Tales of the Jedi that Qui-Gon’s go-to in tense situations was de-escalation. Because if he didn’t de-escalate that shit really fast, his Master would kill literally everybody. He also seems to try and take the polite and fair road. Of course, he also is a Jedi, plus he has his Jedi Master growling at everyone from over his shoulder, only held back from committing senseless murder because Qui-Gon told him to please not to, so nobody really wants to go against him.

I don’t know. The parallels, the strange, strange parallels, are certainly present in the text. Which could mean a few things. We have options.

Option 1: Luke learned really, really fast from Obi-Wan. An option that, theoretically, does make sense. After all, we know that Luke knew Ben Kenobi before learning he was a Jedi Master, which means he could have mimicked the behaviour he witnessed. And we can reasonably assume that Ben Kenobi, crazy old desert wizard, was probably more talking his way out of trouble in the desert than fighting his way out.

Option 2: Luke and Qui-Gon really are just narratively mirrored. They act similar even if they don’t seem like they should, so Qui-Gon’s talent in political talks is based off of Luke’s inexplicable ability to make everyone in the room either begrudgingly accept what he says or be too terrified of him to argue. This would make sense, since they do parallel each other in quite a few ways anyway. One more parallel isn’t too strange to think about.

Option 3: I’m looking way too deeply into the theoretical political power of two fictional characters whose prowess in debates we know of only through sources of questionable canonicity, both of which are considered unskilled in this particular field by the fanbase at large, which for some reason rubs me the wrong way enough that I feel it necessary to make an incredibly long text post detailing my thoughts.

It could go any way ¯\ _(ツ)_/¯

[lemusegallery]

Ultimate Muse List

P.S.A.: This post is not meant to be reblogged nor even replied. For this showcases the new changes for my blog as far as muses go and so on. This is applied to here and the @lesinfullgallery (Sinblog) only. For references, bold is both blogs, italic is exclusive to my sinblog and normal only for this blog.

Primary Muses:

Yu-Gi-Oh!: Seto Kaiba

Yugi Muto

Aki Izayoi

Jack Atlas

Judai Yuki

Asuka Tenjoin

Ishizu Ishtar

DMG

Mokuba Kaiba

Kaiser Ryo Marufuji

Star Wars: Darth Vader

Anakin Skywalker

Ahsoka Tano

Shaak Ti

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Darth Sidious

Darth Tyranus

General Grievous

Asajj Ventress

Bo-Katan Kryze

Darth Talon

Aayla Secura

Luke Skywalker

Dragon Ball: Artificial Human #18

Piccolo

Son Gohan

Oob

Vegeta

Seripa

Vegetto

Fate: Saber!Artoria Pendragon

Ruler!Artoria Pendragon

Shirou Emiya

Senji Muramasa

Gilgamesh (Archer and Caster)

Rider!Medusa

Saber!Nero

Lancer!Enkidu

Lancer!Bradamante

Saber!Musashi

Scathach (Lancer)

Rin Tohsaka

DC Comics: Batman

Wonder Woman

Kara Zor-El/Supergirl

Catwoman

Poison Ivy

Raven

Cassandra Cain

MARVEL Comics: Thor

Wolverine

She-Hulk

Amora

The Hulk

X-23

Dr. Doom

Avatar TLA/LOK: Azula

Korra

June

Mai

Katara

Code Geass: Lelouch Vi Britannia

Cornellia Li Britannia

C.C.

Kallen

Naruto: Sakura Haruno

Ino Yamanaka

Sarada Uchiha

Tsunade Senju

Final Fantasy: Tifa Lockhart

Jesse

Akame Ga Kiru: Akame

Esdeath

Leone

BNHA: Katsuki Bakugo

Mirko

Shoto Todoroki

Momo Yaoyorozu

Eijiro Kirishima

Other Characters: The Rowdyruff Boys

Mandy

Medaka Kurokami

Satsuki Kiryuin

Riku

Erza Scarlet

Yoruichi Shihouin

Secondary Muses: Fate: Rider!Achilles

Berserker!Heracles

Caster!Xuanzang Sanzang

Assassin!EMIYA

Assassin!Cursed Arm Hassan

Assassin!King Hassan

Lancer!Karna

Rider!Iskandar

Rider!Saint Martha

Archer!Euryale

Tine Chelc

Assassin of Red!Semiramis

Yu-Gi-Oh!: Kaito Tenjo

Tyranno Kenzan

Rio Kashimiro

Kowora

Star Wars: Darth Maul

Jaina Solo Fel

Lord Starkiller

Barriss Offee

Asajj Ventress

General Grievous

Plo Koon

Kit Fisto

Lumiya

Galen Marek

Avatar TLA: Suki

Ty Lee

Kuvira

Asami Sato

Toph Bei Fong

Dragon Ball: Nappa

Tenshinhan

Mr. Popo (TFS)

Broly

Towa

Android 17

Android 16

Kefla

Code Geass:

Rakshata

Nunnally Vi Britannia

DC:

Big Barda

Cyborg Superman

Harvey Dent/Two-Face

Doomsday

Bane

Final Fantasy:

Lightning Farron

Emperor Mateus

Sephiroth

Noctis

Kefka Palazzo

Other Male Characters:

Syaoran Li (CLAMP Multiverse)

Omniman (Invincible)

Mark (Invincible)

Hiei (Yu Yu Hakusho)

Kill La Kill:

Ira Gamagori

Uzu Sanageyama

Hoka Inumuta

Nonon Jakuzure

Naruto: Tenten (Naruto)

Mei Terumi (Naruto)

RWBY: Pyrrha Nikos

Ruby Rose

Sienna Khan

Winter Schnee

Kingdom Hearts: Xion (KH)

Larxene (KH)

Disney: Jasmine (Aladdin)

Esmeralda (HOND)

Mulan (Mulan)

Pocahontas (Pocahontas)

Exclusive Muses to my sinblog: Chel

Nemona

Nessa

Mai Shiranui

Samus Aran

Rias Gremory

[david-talks-sw]

For a lot of fans, the "Jedi lost their way" take really comes down to:

"I never saw the Jedi Council genuinely be kind to Anakin in any meaningful way, so I just filled in the gaps and assumed they were dicks to him".

From there you get the myths that the Jedi manipulated him, only cared for him because of his power, forbid him from seeing his Mom, Mace in particular hated him, etc etc.

Well, quick reminder: in George Lucas' script, Anakin refers to the Jedi as his family.

But hey, if "not enough evidence" is a factor, how would we fix that?

PITCH: A five-issue comic book miniseries, featuring self-contained tales of young Anakin's interactions with various Jedi - seen from their POVs - about how they all come around to liking him, only to epilogue each issue with events from Episode III.

Not all of these are fully developed, but just to give you an idea...

Issue #1: Yoda.

Lesson: "letting to of what you fear to lose"

Set only months after Episode I, Obi-Wan is off on a mission, and Anakin is shadowing Yoda, for the day. Both are reluctant...

Yoda is still grappling with Anakin's uncertain future, maybe reeling from Qui-Gon's death and Yaddle's disappearance.

Anakin misses his Mom, and the last conversation he had with Yoda was the elf telling him he shouldn't be scared for his mother (or so Anakin thinks).

Throughout the day, shenanigans ensue.

Yoda takes Ani to a Council meeting and he keeps interrupting by asking Yarael Poof why his neck is so long, or asking Oppo Rancisis if he ever trims his hair. Giggles from all but Yoda.

Yoda mediates a negotiation between Senators and the subject of Malastare podracing comes up, so Anakin hijacks the meeting.

Yoda goes to Thustra to fight off mercenaries for the King and Anakin tags along, seemingly becoming a burden for Yoda.

However, despite their bumpy start (Anakin being a brat and Yoda being a grump) Anakin and Yoda bond and Anakin's input seemingly becomes the key to the mission's success.

Yoda discovers he admires Anakin's outside-the-box thinking and finds kindness deep in his heart. The issue's narrative voice is Yoda talking to Qui-Gon, noting how similar Anakin and Qui-Gon are.

Anakin realizes that Yoda trained the master who trained the master who trained his master... so that makes him his sort of grandpa! That's so wizard!

Once the task at hand is over, Yoda and Anakin have a moment and talk about the idea that Anakin misses his mother.

Yoda comforts Anakin, explaining that his mother let him leave the nest, and in life things come and go, things which they may grow to care for. But as Jedi, they must be able to let go of these attachments, when the time comes.

Anakin asks if Yoda ever lost someone he cared about. Yoda answers that he's almost 900, by now. A lot of loved ones of his came and went. Qui-Gon was one of them. Yaddle, too. Another one (thinking of Dooku)... still hurts to this day.

One day, it'll be up to him to be as strong as his mother, who Yoda adds might've made a wonderful Jedi. And who knows, maybe he'll see her again, once Anakin becomes a Jedi himself.

Anakin smiles.

Epilogue:

Anakin scowls.

We're seeing Yoda's scene with Anakin in Episode III through Yoda's POV. As he did years ago, Anakin still has problems with attachment... but in this case, he doesn't even tell Yoda anything. So Yoda can only give a general answer.

As Anakin refuses to elaborate on his premonitions and leaves, Yoda feels powerless, and can only hope he was able to help this troubled young man who, day after day, reminds him less of Qui-Gon and more of Dooku. Dooku who died yesterday.

Issue #2: Kit Fisto

Lesson: "don't try to be some 'Chosen One', just be yourself"

Anakin undergoes a trial that involves swimming. And he grew up on a desert planet. So of course, he fails. At night, he steals Obi-Wan's breather and sneaks out of their quarters to go to the pool and train.

He puts the breather on wrong and is about to drown but fear not! Jedi Knight Kit Fisto and his dashing smile are here to help!

He shows Anakin how to put his breather on right and shows him how to swim and fight underwater.

Now, this isn't just a pool. It's a pool in the Jedi Temple! So it's filled with a whole lot of marvelous fluorescent flora and fauna, I'm taking Avatar-style stuff.

So the swimming lesson becomes a lesson about the Living Force (who said it should just be Qui-Gon's thing? Lucas certainly didn't), using water as a metaphor.

The overall idea of the issue is that Anakin is concerned... he left his Mom behind, hoping to make her proud, make Qui-Gon proud, make Obi-Wan proud and live up to this expectation of being the Chosen One... but he's struggling at basic stuff like swimming! How's he gonna be this big time Jedi, one day?

Kit reassures Anakin: he shouldn't aspire to be a "Chosen One". All any Jedi should aspire to be is the best version of themselves.

Next day: Anakin passes the trial, Obi-Wan congratulates him, and Anakin completely misinterprets what Kit was telling him in a hilarious way by saying something silly and cocky like: "I just had to remind the water that I'm the best me there is so it better let me float or else."

Which gets an eye roll from Obi and a giggle from Kit.

(BTW, maybe we can have Nadar Vebb help Anakin swim too! Maybe even set him up as passing that trial the first time round with flying colors to contrast with Anakin, maybe he's an antagonist that comes around by the end, I dunno)

Epilogue:

As Mace battles Sidious in the other room, Kit Fisto, still breathing, rises to his feet and takes a few steps, intent on helping his friend despite his wound, but collapses... he's not gonna make it.

He turns around, stares at the ceiling. Is this how it ends?

Anakin appears in his line of sight, looking around at the dead Jedi, shocked. Kit smiles (ROTS novelization reference) as Anakin rushes into the adjacent corridor.

His last thought is the knowledge that everything's going to turn out alright, now that the Chosen One is here.

Issue #3: Mace Windu

Lesson: Control your feelings, don't let them control you.

Simple story. Obi-Wan was captured by a bunch of IG-11 assassins, allowing Anakin to escape and rescue a Senator's daughter. Now, Anakin and Mace are on a mission to get him back.

They make their way through a jungle filled with traps. Anakin is rushing, he's angry at the droids and afraid for Obi-Wan and it's making him do dumb stuff. After it happens a second time, Mace scolds him.

Around a campfire, Anakin apologizes for his impulsive behavior.

Mace comments that it's understandable. He only started being a Jedi, like, 5 years ago. Mastering your emotions isn't an easy thing to do, and in Anakin's case it's twice as hard. Anakin pries: is that why Mace didn't want him to become a Jedi?

Mace hesitates. Then says it, point blank: "yes".

And while he's sorry for being blunt, the fact remains that last week he threatened two of his fellow initiates with a lightsaber to the face.

Anakin points out that they were bullying him because they were jealous of his skill.

Against all expectation Mace smiles and reveals that he can relate to that. His own classmates would bully him for the same reason. You know who'd step in, in that situation? Qui-Gon. Qui-Gon was like a big brother to Mace, always had his back.

After sighing, with a calmer tone, Mace says he'll have a chat with those students. But Anakin needs to double his efforts to keep his feelings under control, lest he become enslaved by them.

The way he went about it was by developing Vaapad. He demonstrates it to Anakin, whose eyes are filled with stars.

Mace concludes that while he did have misgivings, he has faith that Anakin can find the way to do it.

In the morning, Anakin and Mace storm the castle filled with assassin droids. One of the droids sees they're losing and electrocutes Obi-Wan, hoping to unbalance them. Mace orders Anakin to stay focused, Kenobi can take it! And Anakin does!

Once the courtyard is cleared, Mace lifts the remaining droid torturing Obi-Wan with the Force and crushes it into a ball of metal.

As they walk away, Mace lets out a "good work, Skywalker."

Anakin asks Mace if he can teach him Vaapad-- Mace cuts him off with a "Nope".

"C'mooon!"

"Don't push it, Skywalker."

Epilogue:

In the Chancellor's office, Mace reflects the lightning back onto Palpatine's face.

The Sith seems out of commission.

And Mace is scared shitless. He almost died, a few seconds ago. His instinct is to run. He uses shatterpoint, tries to sense the future because Force knows he's got no idea what the hell he should do next. And that's when he sees it:

The various ways Sidious can kill him and Anakin.

Stop Mace's blade mid-air and Force Push them out of a window,

snap their necks with the Force,

crush the crystal in his lightsaber and let it blow up in his face.

Palpatine is faking and there are barely any scenarios in which Mace and Anakin are walking out of this room alive. And even if they do capture him, then

Sidious can bribe judges and Senate officials and supposing that doesn't work either, he can

escape any prison, kill thousands of clones in one night and

set up a new power base, starting from scratch.

This either ends now or the galaxy is doomed.

For a full second, the gravity of it all terrorizes Mace... then he chases his fear and musters his courage.

Anakin argues but Mace knows what he must do. He prepares to end the conflict once and for all, like a true Jedi would.

Anakin argues again, and Mace detects something else. Wait, why is Skywalker scared?

As he falls, Mace realizes the very thing that he feared would happen, a long time ago, has finally come true:

Anakin let his emotions rule him... and it doomed them all.

Issue #4: Shaak Ti

I was thinking for this one, we can have Obi-Wan bring her in as a sparring partner so she can demonstrate Jar'Kai to Anakin.

I haven't thought of a deeper lesson for this one, I just like Shaak Ti, folks, she's awesome :D

If anyone has suggestions, put 'em in the replies.

Epilogue:

(This one will definitely age poorly when The Mandalorian Season 3 comes out tomorrow!)

Order 66 rages as Shaak Ti protects a group of elderly Jedi in charge of the babies. She takes clone after clone down as she escorts them to an escape room the notices one baby left in the infirmary: Grogu.

Suddenly, she senses an overwhelming darkness approaching this wing of the temple. She thinks fast, she takes Grogu, crosses a corridor where 2-3 Jedi are killed (which is what Grogu remembers in the flashbacks)...

... and goes to a meditation room nearby. The shadow closes in and Shaak Ti realizes who it is: Skywalker.

We catch her moments later as she finished recording a message in her Holocron (the one from Star Wars #9)...

"It's up to you now. Don't let our deaths have been in vain. Don't let this be the end of the Jedi."

... then places it in Grogu's pod and hides him in an air vent. She sits on the chair, pretending to meditate.

The door slides open. Anakin enters the room, senses something in the air vent. Shaak Ti realizes he's about to find Grogu and distracts him: "what is it Skywalker?"

He stabs her. She falls.

He picks up her saber as he prepares to engage Cin Drallig and his apprentice with two lightsabers, just as she showed him.

A tear rolls down Shaak Ti's eye.

She looks at the air vent, sees Grogu's wet eyes peer through the grate. At least he's safe.

Issue #5: Obi-Wan

Lesson: Be less cocky, beware of Palpatine, ffs

Obi-Wan and Anakin are on a mission, maybe they're being chased by monsters, maybe it's in the middle of a firefight, maybe Anakin is trying to stop a train.

Bottom line: Anakin gets cocky and tries to do something incredibly stupid, thinking he can pull it off... and almost dies.

Obi-Wan manages to save him, but that hits him like a ton of bricks.

"I almost lost him."

Anakin's justification? Something along the lines of: he told the Chancellor he'd manage to do a triple flip next time he's on a mission, and that he'd try to catch it on a holovid.

So Obi-Wan loses his shit on Anakin, takes his saber and grounds him for a friggin' month.

Privately, he feels guilty. He almost lost Anakin and it would've been on him. His promise to Qui-Gon would be broken, Shmi's sacrifice, wherever she is, would be rendered pointless... and Anakin would be dead.

He talks to Mace and Yoda, who tell him not to blame himself. Obi-Wan takes this to heart and realizes who's to blame.

He goes to see the Chancellor.

And it's awkward af.

Put yourself in Obi-Wan's shoes. How do you tell your boss, the leader of the free world, to back off because he's a bad influence on your kid, in the most diplomatic way possible?

But he somehow manages. He puts his foot down and asks Palps if he wouldn't mind being a bit more hands-off.

Note: for one page, we're on Palpatine as he remembered every time he undermined everybody else's lessons. "Don't listen to Windu, your emotions are what make you human." "Still, a bit heartless of Yoda to not even send someone to free your mother. I'm sure they had their reasons." "Trust me, you're definitely a Chosen One, even if Jedi like Master Fisto don't see it."

Then Palpatine smiles. "Of course!" He even apologizes and agrees to step back for a bit, he understands that he may have inadvertently undermined Obi-Wan's authority. My bad, Master Kenobi. My bad.

Back in Anakin's quarters, Obi-Wan enters and sits next to Anakin on his bed. Silence.

What follows is a scene like this one in The Lion King:

Obi-Wan admits that Anakin really scared him today.

Anakin is sorry, but at the same time, he knew Obi-Wan would be there to save him in case he failed.

Obi-Wan explains that he won't always be able to be there to have Anakin's back. Anakin dismisses that, saying he trusts him.

"As long as we're together, it'll always turn out alright."

Epilogue:

As their dialog from the previous scene continues, Obi-Wan watches as his Padawan, his ward, his brother, his everything for the past 13 years, kneels in front of the Chancellor on a hologram recording.

So yeah, that was my attempt at writing Star Wars ^^' Thank you for making it this far!

Why only 5 issues? Well, it could be 6 issues. Could be 12, released monthly. I focused on 5 because I didn't wanna spend too much time photoshopping collages. Other scenarios could feature:

Saesee Tiin teaches Anakin flying maneuvers and finds he also has much to learn.

Quinlan Vos and Aayla Secura partner up with Obi-Wan and Anakin. Anakin initially finds a kindred spirit in Quin, even wonders if it would be possible for two knights to do a "Padawan swap", but eventually he sees that - as cool and laid back as Master Vos is - maybe he needs a Master who'll give him a bit more structure than the guy who'll let him stay up late.

Anakin and A'Sharad Hett going through a trial together. #Tatooineboys #arooo #kraytdragonsounds

Here's why I wrote these story ideas down:

There'll always be fans who see the Prequel Jedi as corrupt and arrogant, regardless of how much evidence from Canon or Lucas you provide to dispel the notion.

But sometimes, Star Wars transmedia content is used to fix inconsistencies or bolster ideas that were only alluded to in the films, or show a different point of view.

We got this recently with Shadows of the Sith, for example, which helped smooth some plot-holes from the Sequel Trilogy.

Sometimes, the material around the movies manages to re-contextualize and make the characters or the film itself more endearing, to fans. I mean, that's what The Clone Wars did for a lot of Prequel haters.

And I'm just disappointed this approach wasn't used to help the Prequel Jedi's perception among the fandom.

'Cause these are characters that have slowly been reframed as "the corrupt/complacent establishment" by authors who didn't find them likeable when they watched the films, when they were originally supposed to be "the underdogs who're doing their best".

An approach that was being taken during TCW was "let's question whether the Jedi are really all that good and moral and pure".

Nobody ever said they were, it's just that they tried to be their best selves, but whatever, let's play "devil's advocate", sure. Let's get some new points of view.

But skip to almost two decades later, and Star Wars has played "devil's advocate" with the Prequel Jedi so much that seeing them in a negative light is now mainstream.

So, now... how about we explore:

The trauma Mace Windu felt when he was actively seeing people he grew up with get shot to shreds by battle droids on the daily.

The ex-Jedi Knights who come back to the Order to help their former family, instead of focusing on the ones who left.

Rael or Sifo-Dyas calling Dooku out on his ideological bullshit and forcing him to face the fact that he's just a crook who talked himself into betraying his brethren.

The young Padawans whose masters went to Geonosis and never came back.

Plo Koon being attacked by a mob because he "looks evil" and both the Republic and the Separatist's war propaganda reflects badly on the Jedi, framed as “baby-snatching warmongers in their ivory tower”.

How about - instead of focusing on a series set 200 years prior, y'know, Back When The Jedi Were Great™ - we roll up our sleeves and question whether or not the Prequel Jedi were all that bad?

Just a thought.

[gffa]

I would love your Legends recs!!! I've tried getting into Legends before but the books I'd randomly pick up would just seem off somehow & I couldn't really get into them (which might be my fault for buying whatever star wars thing I saw because it had clones on the cover)

But that was before I knew the difference between Canon and Legends and what not so I think I might be less confused by all the continuity stuff now (hopefully) & I would love to give them another go. I've been recommended the Kenobi book before, have you read it? Which ones are your favorites?

Hi! I'm not as well-versed in the Legends books, as I've prioritized the Disney continuity ones, because I only have so much time to also get through all the documentaries and reference books and watching the shows and reading the comics and reading fic and having fun in fandom, etc. And with decreasing amounts of free time, it just hasn't been a priority! That said, generally I like Karen Miller's books, which do fall into the attachment = love thing sometimes, but other than that her id aligns with my id like 90% of the way, because her Obi-Wan & Anakin (&Ahsoka) writing is fantastically fun. The Kenobi book is solidly fun from what I remember of it (I think I got halfway through and thought it was fine!), anything by Matthew Stover is worth picking up (the ROTS novelization and Shatterpoint as a Mace novel), and James Luceno's books are generally a solid start. (Dark Lord is probably the one to start with or else Labyrinth of Evil.) The other film novelizations are a mixed bag (and often leave that feeling of something being kind of "off"), the Jedi Apprentice/Jedi Quest books are worth reading just to understand where a lot of plot elements came from, but they're very much aimed at a young audience, so the drama and artistic license is dialed up to eleven (because kids want to read about other kids having exciting adventures, not adults taking care of things before they happen XD), etc. AVOID Karen Traviss' books, like set aside the anti-Jedi stuff (which is still pretty awful), I've seen soooo many people tear those books apart for just how badly written they are because she can't get out of her own bias. If anyone else has some prequels-era Legends books to recommend, please feel free!

[localowlhousefanatic]

Continuing my war :]

Obi wan kenobi

Rey

Amity 

Harley Quinn

Jason Todd 

Tim Drake

I’d spread my propaganda ab OLS but I don’t wanna harass you while you’re sick so instead I will just make you do 6 character dissertations

Yours,

Dick and Balls

and now, my dear, we have entered the thuderdome. lets duel. Obi-Wan:

1: he is so snarky sometimes i love him (i assume we are talking about clone wars era kenobi here)

2: no romantic ships (for the reasoning behind that- 'reasoning'- please defer all questions to my anonymous star wars friend)

3: anakin&obi-wan, of course.

4: unpopular opinion? ugh. hes not as good a negotiator as people make him out to be i guess?

5: i wish episode three ahdnt happened. Rey:

ooh boy. speak your litany against toxity, everyone.

1- i dont have any strong opinions on rey, i dont think. im sorry, were you expecting a barrage of hellfire?

2- that being said, theres a lot of things i dont have about rey. like romantic ships.

3- or platonic ones, for that matter.

4- so actually, thats also my very unpopular opinion- i do not actually mind her as much.

5- although by the gods do i wish she'd have thought of a cleverer solution to the death star problem than that stupid fucking knife.

Amity blight!

1- i love her so much. Parental angst my beloved.

2- need i actually say it aloud? lumity ftw. next

3- willow is of course the easy answer. i just want her to be best buds with masha.

4- hmmmm. She shouldve killed hunter, i guess? no witnesses?

5- she should have punched odalia through a european-grade wall.

Harley!

1 she is so cool.

2. ivy.

3. bruce. They jsut seem like very funny friends.

4. shes not very funny in her animated show? idk.

5. she deserves to shoot joker. as a treat

Jason Todd!

my acquintance has infected me with jason-love. guy's great. love him as a big brother to my boy tim as well (blame @motleyfam. then go read their tim drake works, theyre bloody genius)

hm. none, sorry. as you may be noticing, i am suprisingly tough to get in on romatic ships (some people are laughing their asses of rn, but its true!)

Tim drake any day. see above for reference to the reason why

hes far more edgy in some comics tahn is in any way productive.

which, canon. lol? i just need him to make friends with his family,

INTRODUCING TO THE STAGE: TIIM DRAAAKEEE.

MY BOY. YES. i love him so. parental angst is so tasty yum yum.

bernard, i suppose? maybe kon?

i could answer jason, but im going with my girl stephanie brown.

see the thing is i dont know enough about the wider batman fandom to know waht popular opinions would be. Whats the rules for when such a situation happens? i think hes less obsessive than how hes commonly portrayed?

WHICH. Canon? anyways i need him to not have had the dealio with jay.

now, this took me half an our. but now it is my turn to move

[the-far-bright-center]

I'm not entirely sure what discourse this comment is referring to, but any pro-Jedi fan arguing that Anakin should have made some kind of choice between his relationship with Padme and his relationship with Obi-wan/Ahsoka is missing the point completely. For Anakin, Padme, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka are ALL people he loves. It's the Jedi Order that is against him acting on that love for specific individuals and which continuously tells him he needs to put that aside and act only in the interest of the 'the Greater Good'. I've mentioned multiple times before that the Prequels-era Jedi's biggest flaw is that they seem to have forgotten that sometimes saving individual beings *IS* in service of 'the Greater Good'. In contrast, this is something that Luke embraces in RotJ when he decides to to save his father instead of killing him, and is in turn what ultimately saves the galaxy.

Neither Obi-Wan nor Ahsoka 'represent' the Order in Anakin's mind. It's only in RotS that Obi-Wan becomes this to Anakin (when he aligns with the Council), but during the Clone Wars he is Anakin's FRIEND and someone for whom Anakin goes up against the Order to save multiple times. Likewise for Ahsoka. Anakin doesn't stay in the Order solely out of loyalty for them, and imo this interpretation seems like it's coming from people who are primarily TCW fans and are perhaps not aware of the wider context of Anakin's story in the film canon and other supplementary material. Yes, Anakin doesn't want to abandon his Clone Troopers or Obi-Wan and Ahsoka to fight by themselves in the war. However, by the time the Clone Wars are in full swing, Anakin is already becoming more and more disillusioned with the Jedi and genuinely WANTS to leave the Order behind and be openly with Padme. He says so in both the EU comics and in the RotS novelisation. Padme encourages him to stay until the war is over.

Which brings me to the other point. Once Anakin and Padme are married at the end of AotC, the MAIN thing keeping Anakin in the Jedi Order is the war itself. His need to protect his men and his loved ones on the frontline stems directly FROM the fact that they are at war. This is also why Padme herself remains a Senator even after she has begun to have doubts about the Republic. Both she and Anakin feel a sense of obligation to remain in their respective careers while the war is still ongoing, but they plan to eventually leave these careers behind and be together openly. So whatever arguments certain fans engage in regarding Anakin being some selfish person simply for wanting to have both friends/comrades and a wife (a pretty basic thing that many people who aren't under the Jedi's thumb are perfectly able to do) is really disingenuous because he would be making completely different choices re: his status in the Order if he wasn't literally a general fighting in a galactic war.

Anakin's struggle is rather to do with his inability to believe in the concept of 'Death yet the Force' which leads him to act out of extreme Fear of Loss. He has difficulty accepting mortality because he doesn't want to be separated from his loved ones and thus clings to material existence out of desperation. But his loved ones are his loved ones. They aren't at odds with one another in his mind during the majority of the story — in fact, if anything Anakin struggles so much because he desperately wants to save EVERYONE but the Jedi Order tells him this isn't allowed. The Order tells him he must 'let go' and allow people he loves to die. THAT is the main conflict, here. And that is what drives him into Sidious' grasp in RotS.

'I had a mother who loved me'

(aka, the Jedi Order is NOT Anakin's family)

This is a topic that I've seen discussed elsewhere and I felt compelled to add my own thoughts. I've seen some takes I vehemently disagree with, especially regarding Shmi and Little Ani in TPM, and Anakin's 'decision' to leave with Qui-Gon. It's crazy how some people will blame little Ani for 'wanting' to be a Jedi, yet apparently Luke in ANH is allowed to want this, even though Luke likewise barely knows anything about what being a Jedi entails, and even though it's much more risky (and, frankly, far more unrealistic) to dream of becoming a Jedi in the Dark Times era?? As if a nine-year-old slave-boy wanting to take part in his new-found freedom by learning to be something he associates with heroism means he somehow 'should have known' he wasn’t going to be a ‘good fit’ for the Order. My argument is that there was nothing wrong with Anakin, and there was in fact no legitimate reason for him or ANYONE ELSE to believe he'd not be good at using the Force to help others (which is what the Jedi are supposed to do), especially when he had literally just done so in the pod-race. The whole reason Qui-Gon noticed Anakin was because of how strong in the Force he already was, even untrained. Qui-Gon has faith in him, it's just the Jedi Council that doubts him. Because, unlike Qui-Gon who perceives Anakin's positive qualities and potential, Yoda and the Jedi Council are afraid of him. Because Anakin is basically an 'unknown' (read: uncontrollable) entity suddenly in their midst.

While the Prequels film-canon stands on its own in this regard, we can also look to the novelizations for even more emphasis on this topic. In the TPM novelization, several things are noteable: first of all, even before Qui-Gon arrives, Anakin has had prophetic dreams about becoming a Jedi. And since Shmi is aware that Ani's dreams and visions do often come to pass, when Qui-Gon appears and offers to take him away to be trained, why wouldn't she think that maybe this was somehow Force (or Fate) ordained? And that therefore it was the right thing to do to let him go? And the second thing, is while it's also clear that Little Ani (like Luke!) has a romanticised view of what being a Jedi might be like, his actual motivation for becoming a Jedi is not simply because he 'selfishly' wants to embark on some fun adventure without his mom. On the contrary, every. single. time. little Ani thinks about the possibility of becoming a Jedi or leaving Tatooine, it's directly in relation to eventually returning to FREE his mother and the rest of the slaves:

He was several things in the course of his dreams. Once he was a Jedi Knight, fighting against things so dark and insubstantial he could not identify them. Once he was a pilot of a star cruiser, taking the ship into hyperspace, spanning whole star systems on his voyage. Once he was a great and feared commander of an army, and he came back to Tatooine with ships and troops at his command to free the planet’s slaves. His mother was waiting for him, smiling, arms outstretched.

and

He gazed skyward, his mother's hand resting lightly on his arm, and thought about what it would be like to be out there, flying battle cruisers and fighters, traveling to far worlds and strange places. He didn't care what Wald said, he wouldn't be a slave all his life. Just as he wouldn't always be a boy. He would find a way to leave Tatooine. He would find a way to take his mother with him. His dreams whirled through his head as he watched the stars, a kaleidoscope of bright images. He imagined how it would be. He saw it clearly in his mind, and it made him smile.

Anakin wants to escape slavery and train as a Jedi so he can come back and continue helping his friends and family on Tatooine. So he can return to free the slaves. Little does he know that he won't be allowed to do that... :'(

It's important to note as well that at this point, Anakin *also* has no idea that, as a Jedi, he won't be allowed to get married and have a family. Even though he is already naively imagining himself someday marrying Padme. So he doesn't know that not only will he not be permitted to return for his mother as he'd always hoped, but he will also technically not be allowed to even have a family of his own even when he's old enough to do so.

And what of Shmi's thoughts on Anakin becoming a Jedi? At the start of the AotC novelization, she is trying to be happy with the thought of it, but ONLY because she believes he must be living his best life as a Jedi. She has no idea that he had to go through rejection first before being accepted into the Order. The AotC novelization shows that as Shmi is being held captive and tortured by the Tusken Raiders, she tries to comfort herself by holding onto her imagination of what Anakin's time as Jedi is like:

All those times staring up at the night sky, she had thought of him, had imagined him soaring across the galaxy, rescuing the downtrodden, saving planets from ravaging monsters and evil tyrants. But she had always expected to see [Ani] again, had always expected him to walk onto the moisture farm one day, that impish smile of his, the one that could light up a room, greeting her as if they had never been apart.

Heartbreakingly, as Shmi is being brutalised to death, she clings to the hope that her beloved Ani's life is now better than it was before, and that it was worth saying farewell to him all those years ago, even while simultaneously desperately longing to see him again.

As an aside, it aggravates me to no end that *cough* certain parts of this fandom perpetuate the idea that Shmi is just some blank, wholly selfless entity with no wants or desires of her own. That she's the ‘perfect’ example of a Jedi with no 'attachments' (aka an Old Order Jedi), and that somehow Anakin is a just a 'failure' compared to her. Yes, it could be argued that Shmi is shown to be a better or truer 'Jedi' than most of the other Jedi in the story (aside from Luke in RotJ), but guess what that would mean in that case? (Hint: it has to do with love and family.) Because first and foremost, Shmi is a MOTHER who is trying to do the best for her son, even though a piece of her heart is always missing while he is gone. The AotC novelization shows repeatedly that she tries to assure herself that she did the right thing by letting Ani go, but the human mother side of herself also cries out for him and misses him desperately. She might have let him go in TPM, but in AoTC she wants to see him again. In fact, she believes strongly that she will see him again (because she loves him and he’s her hero because she’s his mom and she trusts he will eventually come back to find her), which is the only thing keeping her holding on until he arrives. How can Shmi be a perfect example of an Old Order Jedi when the motivating factor for even her most selfless actions is her personal FAMILIAL attachment to and unconditional LOVE for Anakin?? Also, how insulting is it to claim that Anakin is a 'failure' in comparison to his 'wonderful, perfect mother', and then proceed to place all the blame on him for being said 'failure'....when he was shown on-screen to be doing just fine in taking after his mother prior to his time in the Jedi Order????

As another poster noted elsewhere, Shmi Skywalker is the only person responsible for the truly good person Anakin Skywalker was.

This is the heart of the entire saga. Anakin's True Self is good because of his mother. Because of how she raised him (to be selfless and to want to help others) and because of the unconditional LOVE she had for him. It was the Jedi Order that failed to provide that for Anakin, and Sidious who manipulated the situation to his advantage.

(And if Shmi was the only person who truly solidified Anakin's inner goodness, then Qui-Gon was the only Jedi who was presented as being equipped to bring out the best in Anakin when Shmi wasn't around. The only one who was prepared to act as an openly warm and compassionate parental figure to Anakin, the only one who could have properly mentored Anakin and helped him navigate both his Force powers as well as the Jedi Code, and the only one who was shown to be willing to stand up to the Council on Anakin's behalf. The tragedy is not that Qui-Gon found Anakin or even that he offered to take him to train in the Force. Rather, the tragedy is that Qui-Gon is slain in the Duel of the Fates, which leaves Anakin without a true protector and advocate in the Order, and allows Sidious an 'in'.)

So the idea that the Jedi Order is Anakin's ‘replacement family' is simply not true—certainly not in the way the story actually pans out. It's telling that, in the original Prequels-era EU, Anakin ran away from the Jedi Temple multiple times. That is NOT the behaviour of a happy child. (It is, however, typical behaviour for children who are struggling in institutionalised care.)

And indeed, the very first paragraph of the AotC novelization opens with Anakin dreaming that he is part of a warm, loving family:

His mind absorbed the scene before him, so quiet and calm and...normal. It was the life he had always wanted, a gathering of family and friends—he knew that they were just that, though the only one he recognized was his dear mother. This was the way it was supposed to be. The warmth and the love, the laughter and the quiet times. This was how he had always dreamed it would be, how he had always prayed it would be. The warm, inviting smiles. The pleasant conversation. The gentle pats on the shoulders. But most of all there was the smile of his beloved mother, so happy now, no more a slave. When she looked at him, he saw all of that and more, saw how proud she was him, how joyful her life had become.

Why would Anakin be dreaming longingly of being part of an openly loving, happy family if he already had that at the Jedi Temple? (Tellingly, he notes that this seems like something normal, as if he's aware that it ought to be commonplace despite the fact that it's currently missing from his own life.)

And later on, when he's visiting Padme's parents' house for dinner, he sees this exact type of scene he's been longing for play out right in front of him, and he wishes that his mother could be there to enjoy it, too:

Anakin took a good helping of several different dishes. The food was all unfamiliar, but the smells told him that he wouldn’t be disappointed. He sat quietly as he ate, listening with half an ear to the chatter all about him. He was thinking of his mom again, of how he wished he could bring her here, a free woman, to live the life she so deserved.

Note that Anakin is thinking about his mother, and putting her first in his mind. He can barely enjoy the meal while he believes his mother could be out there, suffering.

Later on as he and Padme are heading to Tatooine to search for Shmi, they bond over the fact that both their mothers told them the same nursery rhyme ('home again to rest'). It means a lot to Anakin that he can bond with Padme over this similar childhood memory. (No doubt something he would not have had in common with his peers in the Temple, since their only childhood memories would have been within the Jedi Order, rather than in a true home. And certainly not with a mother.)

Finally, we get to the RotS novelization. Yes, THAT one. The one in which we see that Anakin was perfectly willing to walk away from the Order the minute he returned from the war and discovered Padme was pregnant. Willing to walk away to start their FAMILY together. But then his nightmares began, and he reluctantly stayed just a little longer, thinking the Jedi (whom he originally joined with the express intent of wanting to help his loved ones) could offer him some solution to the horror his nightmares were showing him:

If not for his dreams, he’d withdraw from the Order today. Now. ...Let the scandal come; it wouldn’t destroy their lives. Not their real lives. It would destroy only the lives they’d had before each other: those separate years that now meant nothing at all.

To drive the point home, we also have the pivotal scene where Obi-Wan—speaking on the Council's behalf—tries to convince Anakin to spy on the Chancellor. Their exchange says it all:

"He's my friend, Obi-Wan." "I know." "If he asked me to spy on you, do you think I would do it? You know how kind he's been to me. You now how he's looked after me, how he's done everything he could to help me. He's like family." "The Jedi are your family." "No. No, the Jedi are your family. The only one you've ever known. I had a mother who loved me."

Anakin's story breaks my heart because all he wants—all he has ever wanted—is a family. Not to just to 'have' one in a vague sense, but to be PART OF ONE. He wants this, because even when he was slave living an unfree life, at least he had his mother. At least he could feel his mother's love, and could openly demonstrate his love to her in return. For Anakin Skywalker, being a Jedi was never the goal in and of itself. In his mind, it was always primarily a means to save those he loved. To save his family. This is simultaneously the most tragic and the most beautiful thing about his character. It is both his fall AND his redemption.

And those who insist on ignoring Anakin’s deep-seated longing for a family and want to act as though he should just be content with the Jedi Order instead are willfully missing the entire point of his story.