#sith raised anakin have never experience affection before

[casieyfran]

Sith raised anakin x padme amidala dynamic be like XD

[phoenixyfriend]

Dear Creator Letter: Anakin-Clone Appreciation Exchange

Organized as:

General/Setting Likes

Gender Stuff

Setting AUs I like

About the ships

DNW with clarifications

General Likes:

Working with/around PTSD with each other

Asexual or ace-spec characters (doesn’t have to be explicit, just an underlying Vibe is fine)

hurt/comfort (NOT whump)

Generally I like ships being really sweet with each other, even when the sex or kink is rougher

I enjoy pretty much any kind of gender play, including:

Character is now Nonbinary

Trans (in the direction of canon)

Trans (in the direction opposite canon)

Questioning/Experimenting

Fluid

Magic sex swaps of the ‘woke up with my body a different reproductive setup, am learning the meaning of gender euphoria’ variety

Whatever the hell Ranma ½ technically is

Cisswaps (born a different cis gender) so long as it’s not used primarily to turn a same gender ship into a het ship

I do like AUs of all sorts, so long as the core of the character is intact, with vibes to match. This includes:

Time-travel, fix-its

Arranged/political marriage

Soulmate AU

Background or role swap AUs

Omegaverse (WITHOUT exaggerated omegaverse sexism or cissexism at all, and without mild/moderate sexism or cissexism as major plot points)

Modern AU - chill bakery/coffee shop/bookstore/beekeeper stuff - classy criminal playing cat and mouse with the FBI agent trying to catch them - “oh no, you’re my teenager’s English teacher and this parent-teacher conference just got very awkward because we started dating over the summer before I knew” - one of them is a celebrity - literally just whatever

Historical Fantasy (mostly for the fashion and/or if the author gets really invested in things like trade routes and agricultural pressures and inane tax law)

History AU, but only if you go the Bridgerton route of Fun And Funky Tropes Without The Racism

Royal Fantasy

Soulmate

Role Swap (does not have to be between the ship!)

Backstory swap (e.g. Never a Jedi AU, Raised a Sith AU, Senator of Tatooine AU, etc.)

For Want of a Nail

Faustian Castle AU

ABOUT THE SHIPS

These are not prompts! These are just me trying to explain why/how I ship them, the vibes I usually go for, or the kinks I associate with them.

Cody&Anakin or Cody/Anakin I think Cody is tentatively respectful and unimpressed by Anakin. I've got a whole post about it.

Rex&Anakin, Rex/Anakin, and Rex/Cody/Anakin I don't think Rexwalker needs much explanation. We all know the draw there. As for Codexwalker... I need them to share him. I need Anakin flustered. I need Rex flustered. I need Cody laughing at them.

Any given mix of Anakin with Fives, Echo, and Hardcase A ship of shenanigans! I do want Fives and Echo treated as a set whenever possible. Doesn't matter if they're both dating Anakin, or if one is dating him and the other is wingmanning like kingdom come, just need them to be A Set.

Fox&Anakin or Fox/Anakin Reluctance, suspicion, and a slow growth of trust is the name of the game. Fox is so very guarded and he is JUST as unimpressed by Anakin's nonsense as Cody, but with far less cause or inclination to trust or develop affection for Anakin.

Rex&Vader or Rex/Vader Bring that boy back to the light, baby.

Kix/Anakin or Kix&Anakin Not too grumpy of a medic, please. He's soft-spoken in canon, yeah? Also I like the idea that Kix is eager to prove himself to Anakin in non-medical settings. He's already proven himself as a medic! Let him prove his kissing skills!

Alpha-17/Anakin Alpha is challenging Anakin to prove himself. He is even less impressed than Cody. He is mean about it. I'm not sure if he'll ever like Anakin, but he might tolerate him long enough to have a grudging fondness after Anakin manically destroys a walker that was about to crush him or something.

Regarding my unwanted list/clarification on my DNWs

DNW that don’t need much elaboration:

incest (cloneshipping is fine)

bestiality

minor/adult ships - age difference of less than three years is fine - major age difference where both are adults is fine

Reader inserts, major inclusion of original characters

Lower body fluids (talking about blood or saliva is fine; excrement is not), vomit

Sick fic (injury recovery is fine)

IDK I just get nothing out of most sick fic

Non-canon Dark Histories meant only to make someone more sympathetic or pitiable (e.g. especially Rape as Backstory)

Downer endings (includes breakups that are not resolved)

Smoking/cigarettes/alcohol/recreational drug use

General sexism or bigotry as a major theme, or from one member of the ship to the other, as well as bigotry-based dirty talk

Moderate to extreme sexism or cissexism for omegaverse

anti-intersexuality bias, usage of 'intersex’ for dualsex (they’re not the same thing)

Misgendering

Particularly dark topics, including: - Noncon - major character death (I’m fine with “Tarkin died and that sure is impacting the war” but “the main character’s younger sister just died and the plot revolves around the grief” is a bit much) - underage sexual content - adultery/infidelity - whump - unresolved terminal illness - suicide - self-harm - domestic abuse - child abuse

To keep things simple, no nsfw for this one

Basic character/setting things:

Werewolf or folklore AUs.

No character bashing. I know the event already has this as a rule, but I want to make sure it's clear that I don't want ANYONE bashed, not just Anakin and the clones. - By this, I mean vilifying them based on negative fanon or otherwise non-canon actions or behaviors (e.g. Anakin mind-controlling Padme into a relationship), or stories that prioritize punishing a character for their narrative crimes in the plot, especially in a way that is inconsistent with the setting or characters doing the punishment (e.g. Padme or the Jedi being incredibly harsh with Anakin about the Tusken Massacre, despite Padme moving past it easily in canon, and the Jedi displaying extreme forgiveness and providing rehabilitation to other characters that Fall, like Quinlan). -The whole Anakin/Consequences movement is one that I dislike immensely. If you don’t know what it is, you’re probably not doing it. If you do know what it is, then you know what I mean here. - It is very common/popular to write Qui-Gon as a neglectful, cold, or downright abusive caregiver/parent figure to the children in his care. I do not like this in the slightest.

For some reason, a lot of writers are very casual about violating a character’s bodily autonomy “for their own good.” I don’t like this (unless it’s horror, but that’s a different topic), and ask that you refrain from having characters do something like that for a person’s own good unless there are some massive extenuating circumstances. Please, for the love of god, do not have characters nonconsensually drug each other with sleeping pills as an act of care unless it's meant to be a sign of how dark and fucked up they are. Like, if Vader is drugging someone 'for their own good,' that's one thing, but...

I’m pro-Jedi and pro-New Mandos. I do not want anything that suggests they: - deserved what happened to them - needed to change or learn to accept more militant values/that attachment is good - were stealing/brainwashing children or engaging in cultural genocide - Traviss-style Mando Supremacy is a no-go - This isn’t technically a DNW because it’s too difficult for the mods to enforce, but I’m not a huge fan of large amounts of Mando'a. If it makes sense for a scene (as in, characters are speaking Basic to one another and would include Mando'a for contextually necessary reasons) or has connotations that can’t be translated, then sure, but dropping in “ad'ika” or “gar gai” every few lines grates on me. Translation convention, please!

I do like the True Mandos but please don’t lionize them.

I have minimal interest in the Original Trilogy and no interest in the Sequels; my mind is squarely in the Prequels and pre-canon era. - That said, I do delight in having baby versions of the characters present; I am always open to toddler Skywalker twins cameo. - I’m not very into the Bad Batch. Cameos are fine.

No Barr*ssoka. No, not even as a background thing.

No Cod*wan. No, not even as a background thing. Preferably, no Jedi Master/Clone ships at all, but especially not Obi-Wan/Clones. (Knight/Clones is fine).

No Master/Padawan. I have exceptions when reading, but for an exchange, I’d prefer not to have any in my gift.

Vilifying Padme in the process of explaining why she isn’t with Anakin. She can be an ex, they could be in an open relationship, they could have not gotten in a relationship at all and just stayed friends, I don’t care, just… be nice about her.

The suggestion that Padme was mind-controlled into loving Anakin.

If you write Rebellion/OT setting versions of the ships, please don’t go hard on the clones being Old.

The word wh*re is considered a slur among many sex workers, and while I’m not among that category, I feel uncomfortable seeing it in contexts that don’t really justify it. If it’s a matter of characterization, to signify a character is a bad person, or part of a rougher underground community where it’s an in-group term, or a period setting, that’s one thing, but just as a part of dirty talk or an accusation or teasing? No, no thank you.

[transmalewife]

Alright, let's talk about attachment

I can’t find clear information on when exactly the non-attachment rule was added to the code. It was either soon before or soon after the great sith war. Either way, for the VAST majority of the existence of the Jedi, it wasn’t a thing. Jedi got married and had families for over 20000 years, then added the non-attachment rule, which ultimately led to their destruction. And before anyone tries to tell me I believe they deserved to be genocided, I don’t. I have never actually seen anyone say that, but I see people argue against it constantly, and imply anyone who doesn’t think the Jedi were perfect and blameless thinks that. I don’t think they deserved to die, I think they needed to change. And Yoda says that himself, many times. The Jedi weren’t prepared for the return of the sith, or the war. They had separated from the military 1000 years before, and the galaxy was in relative peace all this time, so the order’s role changed to one that worked very well with their rules. Detachment meant they could be impartial when overseeing political disagreements, lack of possessions meant they would be focused on the mission at hand and not prone to taking bribes, and distancing themselves from the general population meant they were more or less uniform, and could be trusted not to side with someone for personal reasons.

All of this falls apart once they become an army again. Impartiality is a flaw when they have to defend one side at all cost and not even allow themselves to consider compromise. Lack of possessions and attachment to people means they are prone to taking unnecessary risks, because they have nothing to lose, and do things like send 14 year olds into battle, thinking of the “greater good” over the safety of children. And the order being a monolith, with set rules and philosophy distinct from the rest of the population meant the Jedi trusted Dooku long after they should have stopped, because he used to be a Jedi after all, surely he still follows the code.

Now, I am not saying non-attachment is always bad, I think it served a very specific purpose in the order, and to some extent worked for many years. However.

Humans are a social species. Human babies NEED physical contact and affection to develop physically. Children need a stable, strong, and supportive relationship to their caregiver to properly develop psychologically. And after last year I don’t think anyone will argue that adults don't need connection with other people just as much. And not just shallow interactions, but open affection and love. Love of any kind, because claiming that the Jedi only forbid romantic love is just untrue. I think people tend to forget that "Compassion, which I would define as unconditional love, is essential to a Jedi's life. So you might say, that we are encouraged to love." isn’t the actual doctrine, it’s a literal pick up line that Anakin uses on Padme.

Ahsoka and Obi-Wan both get criticized by other Jedi for their entirely platonic attachment to Anakin, and vice versa. Now, humans are the most common species in the galaxy, and in the Jedi order. Many other species are near-human, so it’s safe to assume at least some, if not most of them also need that companionship and affection to develop and live happy and stable lives. I do believe that non-attachment is a valid philosophy and chosen path in life if done carefully and within reason, I just don’t think we have a single major character that actually applies to. And chosen is an important word here. Jedi don’t get much of a choice. I’m not trying to start the baby-stealing debate here. I hear the argument of ‘force sensitives are dangerous if left untrained, and said training should start as early as possible’. I think finding a way to deal with that problem was an insanely complicated decision, and taking children into the temple as young as possible is not a bad solution. I don’t entirely agree with not letting them see their families later, (especially since in legends Obi-Wan was allowed to visit his family, which implies Anakin couldn’t go free his mother specifically because he was already too attached), but the idea is sound. I do also understand that no one is forcing Jedi to stay in the order and they can leave for whatever reason at any time. But that isn’t exactly a free choice either. Leaving the order means leaving the only home you remember, the only people you know to make your own way in the galaxy, and staying with those people means you can never fully love them. It’s a difficult solution to a complicated question, and for the most part, it worked (not always, and not exactly as intended, but I’ll come back to that.) Children grew up in the order, were trained to control themselves and the force, and became Jedi who were impartial, patient, and balanced. But everything falls apart when you introduce someone who wasn’t raised in the temple.

In The Rising Force, 13 year old Obi-Wan had barely been off Coruscant in his life. He describes himself as sheltered and unaware of all the pain in the galaxy, and says it was done on purpose, so younglings wouldn’t have to face the dark side before they were ready for it. But Anakin had seen nothing but darkness, pain and injustice before he joined the order. He was severely traumatized, and while the temple might have had some ways of dealing with trauma and PTSD in adults, they had no experience in treating the same in a child, because their children were kept safe and protected. The idea of letting go of your pain and fear only works if you know you have a safe place to come back to, if you’ve spent the first decade or so of your life in the most protected place in the galaxy. Anakin spent the first decade of his life as a slave. He couldn’t let go of his fear, because fear was what kept him alive. Fear is not irrational if you are constantly in danger, it’s what protects you, keeps you aware of the limits you can push before you get punished. And that mindset doesn’t fade just because you’re out of that situation, especially if your only family, the closest person to you, is still facing that danger every day.

I’ve seen people use every excuse possible to explain why Anakin didn’t see his mother again to avoid blaming the council, including, and I shit you not, “He just didn’t have her comm number”. But to me that seems disingenuous, when we see in his first meeting with the council that they already consider him too attached. It's one of the main reasons they don’t want him to be trained, so it seems logical that they wouldn’t allow him to see her once he became a padawan. I also want to mention that what Yoda says, “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering.” Is just… blatant catastrophizing. Right? Like we can all see that the escalation is not rational there at all. Maybe it could apply to something else, but not to a child who just left his mother for the first time in his life and went from a tiny dustball in the middle of nowhere to the most populated planet in the galaxy, and is now being tested by a bunch of old people with the power to decide his future. Obviously he’s afraid, and obviously he’s not dealing with it the way Jedi younglings do. That, in and of itself doesn't doom him to fall. Also what Yoda misses there is that suffering leads to fear. This is a closed loop, and one that has defined Anakin’s entire childhood.

Let’s come back to how the system doesn’t always work. The way I see it, most of the characters we see are attached. Obi-Wan is considered one of the greatest Jedi of his time. Windu describes him as “our most cunning and insightful Master—and our most tenacious”. And yet, he was not insightful enough to look past his love for Anakin, his attachment, and see how close to falling he was. Ahsoka was so attached to Anakin she refused to listen to Maul on Mandalore, refused to even consider the posibility he could fall. She was arguably the person with the best shot at preventing the empire forming at that point, and she loved anakin so much she doomed him and the entire galaxy. Aayla admitted to thinking of Quinlan as her father, and also, apparently in legends had a long relationship with Kit. Even Mace didn’t follow the code when he decided to kill Palpatine, which directly led to his death and the empire. He also indirectly caused the war to start. According to wookiepedia “Windu viewed Dooku as the shatterpoint of the entire Separatist movement, which meant striking Dooku down would theoretically end the imminent clone war before it even began. However, Windu's prior attachments to Dooku clouded his judgment.” I’m not even going to mention Kanan and Ezra, who are obviously family.

So basically everyone is attached and lying about it. How has no one thought that maybe this isn’t the healthiest way to live and tried to change the code? Well, I have a theory, and it’s Yoda. He was 900 years old when he died, and was on the council for the vast majority of his life. I can’t find when exactly he became grand master, but it’s safe to assume he held some degree of power over the entire order for most of a millennium. At the end of TPM he tells Obi-Wan “Confer on you the level of Jedi knight, the council does. But agree with your taking this boy as your padawan learner, I do not.” Then he reverses that decision by himself. So either he has the power to veto the council’s word, or who gets trained is entirely up to him. Either way, not great, considering his lifespan is so much longer than most Jedi, and therefore his approach to life is vastly different. Humans need love and closeness to live. However, while we don’t know much about Yoda’s species, it probably isn’t a social one. You could count all the characters of this species on two (human) hands, and Yoda lived in complete isolation for 20 years on Dagobah, and only went a little bit insane. They are naturally rare, and therefore probably lead solitary lives in nature. Moreover, Yoda outlived every master who trained him, and almost every padawan he trained himself, (there’s a great post about that here) so even if he wasn’t naturally predisposed to non-attachment, he would have had to learn it to deal with all the loss he had to live through over the years.

A lot of people think that Anakin fell because he had attachments, which is not true. He fell because of how his attachments played out and/or ended. The most obvious example being Palpatine, who used Anakin’s trust and friendship to groom him for over a decade and actively undermine Anakin’s trust towards anyone else, especially the order. (more on that here). Obi-Wan refused to take on the role of a father figure that Anakin tried to shove him into, so he turned to someone who did accept it. It’s not Anakin’s fault that it turned out to be the worst person alive, nor can we expect him to notice when he’s known Palpatine since he was a child. Another failure of jedi non-attachment, because a loving parent or guardian would not let their child be used as a bargaining chip when the most powerful politician in the galaxy blackmailed the order into allowing him to meet Anakin regularly, but a distant teacher and detached knight thinking of the greater good might. The other attachments Anakin had were taken from him (Shmi and Ahsoka, the last orchestrated by Palpatine who was fully ready to give her the death penalty to make Anakin more unstable), or he was forced to lie and hide them, compromising his vows as a Jedi (Padme) or refused to choose Anakin over the order/their principles (Obi-Wan, and again Ahsoka, and to some extent Padme, but he’d already fallen then). All these people had every right to make the choices they made, but it wasn’t the act of loving them that made Anakin turn to the dark side, it was how those attachments played out.

I think everyone agrees that Yoda is as detached as a Jedi should, if not can, be, and that didn’t prevent Dooku from falling. We see that explored in more detail with Barriss and Luminara. Luminara is detached and distant, she’s fond of Barriss, but their relationship is not familial in the slightest, and she repeatedly shows her willingness to put the greater good and the mission before Barriss’ safety and even life. And yet Barriss still falls. A complex combination of events and choices caused each of those characters to fall, not the simple presence or absence of attachment.

And lastly, just as attachment can make you unstable if your relationship with that person is unstable, it can also make you stronger. There is a reason Anakin and Obi-Wan were the face of the army. Not only did their obvious attachment (the strongest between two jedi we are shown) make them more relatable to the public, but they, when working as a team, are shown repeatedly to be more or less undefeatable. They spend half of aotc flinging themselves off great heights because they know the other will be there to catch them. They know from years of experience that they have backup and they know each other well enough (or force bond communicate) that they can trust the other will be where he needs to be to help/save them. Contrast that to how Windu and Palpatine fight in rots once the window breaks- very carefully, clearly holding back to keep themselves safe. Neither of them has backup until Anakin arrives, but until the last second they can't be sure which one he will choose. Anakin and Obi-Wan fight the same way on Mustafar, especially when balancing on that thin bridge. No acrobatics, swinging arms to keep balance, keeping their distance, being almost uncharacteristically careful compared to how they treated heights in aotc, in tcw, and on the invisible hand in rots, because they both know the other won't catch them if they fall this time.

[padawanlost]

Hey there! First of all I wanna say that I love your blog 😊

If I may, I wanted to ask you something regarding the Jedi Code. What did it say exactly about love and family? From my understanding, they were forbidden to form attachments, yet one Jedi (can't remember the name) married and had several kids. So, as long as there was no love or risk of attachment, they could marry and/or have kids?

I'm so confused

Before anything else is said, we need some context. The Jedi Order is over 25000 years old, which means a lot of things changed over the years. what’s really important to keep in mind is that theirs rules were no set in stone. There’re multiple variations of the “Jedi Code”. Also, not every rule the Jedi had to live by were part of the Jedi Code. Some rules were more about tradition than the code itself. Because of that every generation of the Order has its own particularities. That’s why the Prequels Order was different from the Old Republic’s Order and that was different from New Republic’s Order.

With that out of the way, let’s talk about the prequel era Jedi.

1 – Jedi were NOT allowed to marry or reproduce (without the Council’s authorization):

“If anyone finds out that I’m expecting a child, I’ll be thrown out of the Jedi Order and I won’t be able to serve. I have to carry on. I can’t let the men down.” Skirata was furious. She felt it. She could see it, too. And if she thought that was bad, it would be nothing compared with how the Jedi Council would react. She’d be kicked out of the Order. She’d no longer be a general, no longer able to play her part in the war. [Karen Traviss’s Triple Zero]

2 – Jedi were allowed to have sex, but they were not allowed to have romantic relationships or to have any kind of emotional attachments to their sexual partners.

“Jedi Knights aren’t celibate. The thing that is forbidden is attachments and possessive relationships.” George Lucas.

“But ol’ Pellaeon’s just having a spot of romance, if you know what I mean. It’s not like he gets attached to any of them, is it? Is romance allowed? Can you have a spot of romance if you don’t get attached?” Ahsoka’s stripes became more vividly colored, embarrassed. Yes, she obviously did know what Coric meant by romance. It wasn’t the word he usually used for it, but Ahsoka was only a kid, and Rex had decided from the start that talking about that sort of thing was something best left to her Jedi Masters. Yes, General Skywalker, I think that’s a job for you, sir. It wasn’t a clone’s duty at all. “Romance,” Ahsoka said stiffly, “is acceptable. Jedi are not … celibate. Just … no attachment.” [No prisoners. Karen Traviss]

He felt his fingers fist. Don’t you lie. Not about this. Don’t you dare.  “You love her.” Monotonous blasterfire filled the silence between them. Then Obi-Wan nodded. “Yes, Anakin, I love her. But I was never in love. For a short while Taria and I needed each other. And when we no longer needed each other, we parted—and remained friends.” So that was how it worked, was it? Stay aloof, stay detached, never let yourself feel too much, too deeply, and the Order didn’t care? So if Padmé and I pretended we weren’t in love … [Karen Miller’s Star Wars: Clone Wars Gambit: Siege]

3 – Jedi were not allowed to have contact with their biological families;

“After the Jedi Masters decided that it was too dangerous to train anyone familiar with fear, anger, and any other emotion that might lead to the dark side, it was agreed that Force-sensitive juveniles, adolescents, and adults would no longer be eligible for enlistment or conscription. Instead, they sought out and adopted Force-sensitive infants who would be raised and trained at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant; to prevent any emotional attachments that might cloud judgment, most recruits would never have any subsequent contact with their families.” [ Ryder’s Windham’s Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force]

The entire baby Ludi case

Still no word from the Jedi Council about what happened at the Battle of Naboo. Watto is beside himself with fury, complaining that if I can spend a hundred credits to send a message, then the Jedi can spend a hundred credits to answer. It worries me that it’s taking them so long. Three days should be long enough to figure out whether you were at Naboo, and whether you’re still alive. […] Shmi seemed to believe that Watto genuinely missed the boy. Leia had trouble accepting this, but was forced to at least allow for the possibility when Shmi reported that Watto had actually made a gift to her of the ten credits she had borrowed to help pay for her message to the Jedi Council. […] An administrator on Coruscant had finally replied to Shmi’s ’Net message: Anakin was well, but the Jedi did not discuss the activities of their Padawans even with parents. Even that was enough to elate Shmi. [ Tatooine Ghost by Troy Denning]

4 - The love they were allowed to experience was nothing like how we experience love in real life:

Who wept their tears on the inside, where they would not be seen. To weep for a fallen comrade was to display unseemly attachment. A Jedi did not become attached to people, to things, to places, to any world or its inhabitants. A Jedi’s strength was fed by serenity. By distance. By loving impersonally. [Karen Miller. Wild Space]

It was impersonal. It wasn’t like loving your family or your friends. It was more compassion, than love (the kind of love that connects you to someone on a emotional level).

Instead, they sought out and adopted Force-sensitive infants who would be raised and trained at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant; to prevent any emotional attachments that might cloud judgment, most recruits would never have any subsequent contact with their families. [Ryder’s Windham’s Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force]

“Not that Luminara is indifferent, but that Luminara is detached. It’s not that she doesn’t care, but she’s not attached to her emotionally. And at the end of the day, one of the questions that I guess I pose is, is that really a good thing? Is Anakin’s way of being so compassionate wrong? Because on a certain level, you have to accept that the Jedi lose the Clone War. So there is something that they’re doing that’s wrong.” Dave Filoni

Nobody asked the obvious—whether clone troopers were everyone else or not. Joc looked from Ahsoka to Rex and back again. “What’s wrong with attachment?” he asked. “Why can’t you have attachments? You mean love, right?” Ahsoka looked at the clones wide-eyed but in slight defocus, as if she was trying to recall something. “Love is acceptable,” she said at last. “But not attachment.” “What’s love if it isn’t attachment?” “Attachment is … putting personal relationships first, caring about the people you love so that it influences how you act.” Ahsoka seemed to be picking her words carefully. Coric stared back at her. “You know, it affects your judgment.” [ No prisoners by Karen Traviss]

5 - The exceptions:

There were some exception to these rules, most of them happening during a different time (Old and New Republic Eras). However, there’s one notable exception all the rules above during the prequels: Ki-Adi-Mundi. Unlike most Jedi he was allowed to marry multiple wives and have multiple children and still remain a jedi. They allowed it because he belonged to an endangered species, so him being in a polygamous relationship was part of the greater good. Fun fact, he was emotionally attachment to some members of his biological family.

[seasidewriter1-writes]

Replying to @elizabeth0020 for: Hello!! I’ve always wondered how you decide what arcs/episodes you’re going to write? There are sooooo many, how do you know what’s a good one for your story vs one that isn’t? And a second question (if you feel like answering lol): how do you picture all the details you wrote? Like lighting, movements, facial expression etc? You’re so good at that and I’ve always been amazed at how you come up with them!

I love answering anything and everything, so never worry about sending me too much! I don’t often get to talk about the technical stuff (like the questions you’ve asked), so I love getting any chance I have to talk about them! (So hold on tight, ‘cause this is a ramble! 😂)

So, for the first question regarding the arcs... I picked out what episodes/arcs I thought were beneficial when I did my first watch through of the Clone Wars this past summer. I had a google doc that I wrote down all the episode names in, then jotted down the preliminary ideas. Let me tell you, with a show that has seven seasons of 20+ episodes, it was... so daunting to even think about narrowing down what episodes and arcs to use. It was what initially deterred me from using any of them at all. So I started to look for things that I felt would directly impact Elara, her character, and her development. For example, I didn’t really use all of “Cat and Mouse” because the episode, on a whole, wouldn’t have Elara much involved in it. It did, however, provide a wonderful backdrop for her time on Christophsis, which is why I didn’t nix it entirely. Aside from forcing Obi-Wan and Elara to be tied together, “Dooku Captured” and “The Gungan General” were used to introduce her to Hondo, whom both allows her to be more playful, and showcases her knowledge of the seedier side of the galaxy. And there are plenty of episodes that I love and adore that I just... don’t think would fit. For as much as I love “Senate Spy” and the introduction of Clovis, there’s no way for me to put Elara into that episode and not have it feel forced. That’s another huge thing I look for when picking episodes; if Elara doesn’t feel like she would naturally fit into the storyline somehow, even if it’s indirectly, I’m not going to force her into it. That’s when I do things like mention the events of the episode in a chapter (like with “Clone Cadets”) instead of doing a whole episode. So Clovis is obviously going to get a mention (she’s Anakin’s sister and Padmé’s bestie, of course she’s going to hear about the debacle), but the whole episode won’t be written out.

Then, of course, you have the arcs. The ones that I had immediately chosen are (and these probably come as no surprise): Ryloth, Mandalore, Mortis, Slavers, and Deception. The arcs I find easier to choose because you have a chance to work with more surface area so to speak. It gives me a chance to really flesh out Elara’s part in the story, focus in on her and her emotions and how she’s tied to this particular plot. With the Mortis Arc, for example––Elara is a Skywalker. She is strong with the Force, and in the “Balance” verse, considered a Chosen One. That ties her into the Mortis Arc very interestingly, since it’s not just Anakin going God Mode. It’s going to lend me the chance to really dig deep into Elara, her connection to the Force, to the Light and Dark (the Daughter and Son), and her relationship to being a Chosen One. At first I was like ‘holy shit I’m never gonna be able to do this arc,’ and then when I buckled down and really thought it over... I realized it’s going to be really important for her as a character, and particularly her relationship with Anakin (stay tuned!). It also probably comes as no surprise that a lot of the arcs (and episodes) that get picked are influenced by whether or not Anakin or Obi-Wan are in them. Which is why I almost turned a blind eye to the Umbara Arc until someone brought it up. I did a rewatch of it and knew I had to include it, too. Because that’s going to be an awesome opportunity to flesh out how close Elara is to the 442nd, and be able to contrast her ideals as a General against those of Krell. A lot of the picking of episodes and arcs ends up being trial and error. I wrote the first four-ish pages of “Clone Cadets” before I realized it just didn’t flow right.

All this being said, I like to envision Elara is around for all of the Clone Wars episodes, so I’ve got lots of fun little random snippets for things that I’ll probably never write, but figure would happen in some part of a CW episode.

And after all that, here we finally are at your second question! ☺️

Coming up with all those small details is actually an amalgamation of things at work. I do attribute a lot of it to my training as an actor/theatre artist. I think about how, if I were directing it, how I’d want the movements to look, and how that would translate on both a small scale, and a large scale. A touch of a hand for Obi-Wan and Elara can feel like a world shifting movement––but come off as nothing but a simple, friendly gesture to their fellows. On a small scale, what makes the difference is the way the touch happens. How light the pressure of the touch is, how long it lasts, how slowly their fingers brush against the other person’s hand... all those things help me figure out the mood of that touch and how they’d respond to it. Also, when choosing words to describe movements I often think about the attitude attached to it. A ‘turn of the head’ when Anakin’s being moody may end up being a ‘swivel,’ or the ‘arch’ of an eyebrow from Obi-Wan is more sarcastic than a gentler ‘raise.’ I often agonize picking out those sorts of words. I’ll sit there and try them over and over again, then put them all into a Thesaurus website because I worry I use the same words too much. The thesaurus (particularly when writing Obi-Wan), is my best friend.

When I write mannerisms for canon characters, I use a lot of reference for. I’ll literally just scroll through gifs, watch movie clips, or rewatch the scene I’m writing to pick up on character-specific mannerisms. A couple chapters ago I was describing Anakin’s angry face, and I just looked at images of him from Revenge of the Sith (him alone in the Council room, him being knighted as Vader, his expressions on Mustafar, etc.) I’ll also do this for vocal ticks/inflections. I will also unashamedly admit I will sit there and compose my face into whatever expression I’m trying to describe. Sometimes feeling it physically, or physically composing it helps me come up with words or ways to describe the look. Same thing with touches AND with vocal inflection. Do I sit by myself and read what I’ve written aloud in my best Obi-Wan Kenobi cadence? Yes, yes I do. And has it helped me figure out what words/phrases do and do not work? Yes, it absolutely has!

Also, a lot of describing the details of motion/facial expression/touch gets affected by music for me. Like, if you listen to “Stairway to Heaven” as played by the London Philharmonic Orchestra while reading, say, the scene in “The Gungan General” where Obi-Wan and Elara wake up pressed up to one another... that song is just THE feel of that moment. Listening to the right music when writing (the little details especially) is big for me. Kinda like how “Blue Monday” is the music that works best for the bunker scene in “Storm Over Ryloth.”

There are also a lot of details that I pull from real life. I remember when I wrote Elara seeing Naboo for the first time—and consequently grass, trees, and flowers, too—it was summer time for me. I was staring out at the trees and the way the light filtered through them, watched how they swayed... the grass had just been cut and the breeze smelled sweet... and I was like ‘god, imagine experiencing this all for the first time.’ So I took what I felt and elevated it a little, tried to add a kind of wonder to the things that we all, for the most part, kinda take for granted. I like pulling on experiences I’ve had in real life as a basis.

I ask attribute a LOT of my detail work to my training as a theatre artist. I think about lighting now differently than I did a couple years ago; because I learned what kinda of light fit different moods. Like the scene of Obi-Wan at Dex’s would feel completely different if I’d described the light as cool toned. It would lack a sense of hope. His reminiscences would be sadder, it would feel more stark. The warmer tones suggest that there’s still heart and hope, a possibility for things to get better, and that reflects his inner life better than colder, bluer light. Or how I used light when I wrote Elara seeing Watto again after 10 years to describe her struggle between Dark and Light in that moment. She stepped out of the sun and into the shade because, for a moment, she almost gave in to the Darkness. (Inspired by the scene in Force Awakens where Kylo asks for Han’s help and the light shines down on them... with hints of red low lighting to hint at the struggle... only to have the light disappear as he overrides his own vulnerability, reverts to the Darkness and kills his own father).

I also love using physical objects as emotional triggers, like is done in theatre quite a bit. A good recent example being Elara’s lightsaber. Obi-Wan having it reminds him of his worries regarding her safety, and his struggle with choosing what path to take in regards to his feelings towards her. Or Elara with the Snow Blossom. These things have the ability to spark different emotions depending on the situation. On a good day, the Snow Blossom will make her smile; on a bad day, it may make her feel more sad than happy. And sometimes they don’t have to be objects—they can be bruises or scars or healing wounds. Having something physical spark an emotional response can be really helpful, and has actually helped me though rough spots in my writing.

I could literally go on for hours about all of this kind of stuff! So thank you for asking about it and giving me a chance to discuss it even a little bit! ☺️

[spell-cleaver]

(Luke Palpatine AU) "I am departing on a diplomatic mission to Alderaan," said Palpatine, resting a gentle hand on Luke's shoulder. "It will only be for three days, but do not fear." His father smiled. "Lord Vader will watch over you." Terror shot through Luke, and he raised his eyes to the gigantic form of the Sith Lord standing there. "This will be good for you, young Prince," Vader rumbled, and there was hatred on his voice. "It will give you the opportunity to hone your skills."

Previous parts on the masterpost here!

"I am departing on a diplomatic mission to Alderaan," said Palpatine, resting a gentle hand on Luke's shoulder. "It will only be for three days, but do not fear." His father smiled. "Lord Vader will watch over you."

Terror shot through Luke, and he raised his eyes to the gigantic form of the Sith Lord standing there.

"This will be good for you, young prince," Vader rumbled, and there was hatred on his voice. "It will give you the opportunity to hone your skills."

What little skills he had, had been the main thought that ran through Vader's mind as he observed the brat. He was peering at his father with a pleading expression, but of course any gentleness that Palpatine showed anyone, whether it be a young Anakin Skywalker or the nameless orphan adopted as a prince, was nothing but cold calculation. Palpatine squeezed the prince's shoulder lightly then let go when the lambda shuttle landed on the pad next to them. The prince took one look at the ship, took a half-step towards it, then shuddered away when his father shot him a withering glare. He knew his place.

"Learn well under Lord Vader, my son," Palpatine told him. There was a strange amount of relish in his voice as he glanced at Vader, and Vader scowled fiercely. He should be dealing with the Rebel uprising on Sullust, not babysitting some prince. That was what Sabé had been here to do, before she'd been declared a traitor and banished from the Palace, and banned from seeing the snotty brat she'd put so much emphasis on for some reason. "If he tells me that you have progressed well, I will allow you to accompany me off-planet next time."

The prince nodded demurely, pale eyes to the ground.  "Yes, Father. Thank you, Father."

"In the meantime, if I hear that you have been disobedient..." Palpatine let the threat hang on the air. "Your pathetic nursemaid's rebelliousness is no reason to be rebellious yourself. You are my heir. Act like it, and compose yourself well for Lord Vader."

"Yes, Father."

"The thirteenth Empire Day is approaching. Preparations have begun—I intend to gift the new Star Destroyer the Dauntless to General Tagge on the day." Palpatine observed his son. "You will be thirteen that day."

The prince knew which statements to reply to and which to stay silent. He stayed silent.

"You will be accompanying him on his first tour of duty."

The prince blinked. Despite his perfectly composed expression, Vader sensed his sudden excitement crash through the Force, even from behind his pitiful shields, and he knew Palpatine could sense it too; the man smiled, lips curling maliciously.

That brat had always been so easy for his father to manipulate. Vader knew it was one of his master's great joys, basking in his adoration and utter obedience. He would do anything to make his father proud.

Palpatine laughed a little at the prince's shock, and placed his hand on the boy's head. His expressions of affection were always limited, calculated; the prince leaned into this one like he was starved for it. Vader doubted he'd been touched affectionately since Sabé had fled.

"Don't look so surprised, Luke. I trust you with this responsibility, so far from Coruscant. You must learn to command ships if you are to command my Empire one day." Palpatine retracted his hand. "But you must learn well from Lord Vader, and behave. Conduct yourself in a princely fashion. If all goes well, this will become a regular occurrence, travelling beyond the Core worlds—you will need all the experience you can get."

The prince nodded, and bowed—bowed his head first, then his entire torso, like one could not bow low enough to his father. "I am honoured, Father."

"Train well, my son. Become worthy of your crown. Because for now, you are not." He turned to Vader. "Don't you agree, Lord Vader?"

Vader had observed the brat, the prince, then, with unfeeling eyes, and seen only the undeserving orphan who was alive when his child was not, who had usurped his position as next in line to the throne of the galaxy he had battled and bled for while the boy was unborn or coddled, who was being handed everything for which Vader had fought and suffered on a silver plate.

"He is not at all worthy, my master," he said. "I doubt he will ever be."

*

Palpatine had indeed been on Alderaan for three days, and Vader had spent those days making Luke's life a living hell.

Luke had cried out, but never cried. He'd fallen over and over again, but whenever Vader ordered him up again, he got up. Lightsaber swinging, shields buffering, ready to do his best even when his best was terrible, through the fault of his teachers rather than his ability.

That had been another time under Vader's personal tutelage that Luke had nearly died. Palpatine had electrocuted Vader himself within an inch of his life, for that—for nearly ruining his precious vessel, he was fairly sure now—but even then Vader had sensed his delight at the savagery unleashed. There had been such pain, hatred, suffering in the Palace those days, and Luke had borne the brunt of all of it.

As Vader strode out of Luke's rooms, mind whirling with the realisation that he could never teach his son to use the power that was his birthright, that he would never get that chance again, and that it might mean he lost Luke all over again...

He couldn't find it in himself to blame Luke for his decision at all. He was the worst excuse for a father there was... barring Palpatine.

And as Vader desperately examined the situation from every angle he could, desperately tried to find a way that he would not have to cave to Sabé's suggestion... all he could feel was utter fury on Luke's behalf, that the Force had seen fit to saddle him the boy with both of them.

Send me the first sentence of a scene from this AU and I’ll continue it!

Beginning | Previous | Next

[starwarsfic]

II.6

Originally posted September 24, 2020

Summary: Vader gets a second chance to make things perfect.

Details: Sequel to I.14. Dark disaster lineage time travel AU.

xxxxxx

Vader remembered what it felt like to kill Obi-Wan Kenobi. That fleeting moment of triumph, of completion, before the gaping maw of loneliness hit.

He'd thought he'd been alone, as surrounded as he was by sycophants and Sith, but it wasn't until the tattered space that had once been his training bond with Obi-Wan finally finished tearing away that he knew the truth.

Finding out that Obi-Wan hadn't replaced him, not with a new Padawan and not as the father to his son, had only made it worse. Had there been an Anakin-shaped hole in Obi-Wan's life that he'd never filled? Never even tried to fill, knowing no one could ever be what Anakin had been to him?

Vader thought so. It was the same, as much as he did not want to admit it, for himself.

This unexpected second chance with Obi-Wan already in it was proof enough of that--the Force had always favored Vader and now it was giving him back his Obi-Wan, already trained to ignore signs of Darkness in supposed-Jedi by his worthless "Master" and Dooku.

The plans he'd started when he woke up on Tatooine had to be adjusted for the fact he wasn't alone, that Xanatos and Dooku had already had decades in the Order to prepare their own, worthless plans. That they'd already had Obi-Wan.

He could only be thankful they hadn't touched Padme. She was secure again on Naboo, with just the right amount of Force suggestions to keep her safe. Her handmaidens wouldn't even notice the regular comms they sent him on her status.

This time, he wouldn't lose Padme or Obi-Wan. Sidious and the Jedi would fall and the Empire would be theirs.

***

A second life as Obi-Wan's Padawan, once more, was an odd experience. He didn't ever resent this Obi-Wan for not being Qui-Gon (a truly pathetic figure in this lifetime, perhaps even in the last) and he could now see all the ways he was perhaps unappreciative of the Obi-Wan he'd first known.

This Obi-Wan's life was so much easier, fully supported by a Master, having taken a Padawan that wasn't like a slap in the Council's face. He wasn't the exhausted, overworked Knight that Vader had known.

Another reason that the Order needed to go, if only Sith could take care of their greatest member.

Despite being raised by Sith, Obi-Wan was still as caring as he had been. Gentle in his affections and attempts to reach out to Vader in ways that his past self--Anakin, for want of a better way to differentiate them--hadn't fully appreciated. Now Vader found he wanted nothing more than that. No awkward, overly emotional Master, just the soft smiles mostly found in Obi-Wan's eyes and over their bond.

This was love, he knew, even if he'd thought otherwise once. This was the sort of attachment that would keep a Jedi Master from killing a Sith who had murdered his family.

They didn't need Naboo or Qui-Gon's death to forge it. Obi-Wan was made to be Vader's Jedi Master, he could never be anything else.

***

Life went on as his plans slowly unfolded.

Vader played Sidious' game, pretending at being a naive Jedi Padawan who he could manipulate and corrupt.

He sowed dissent in the Order with well placed words and actions, sometimes using Dooku to influence mission assignments (at least the man had some worth).

Eventually, when he was old enough she wouldn't consider him a child anymore, he reconnected with Padme as well. It was easy enough to do, with all the information he had on her movements, and he made sure to eventually bring Obi-Wan along so they could forge a friendship. It was a connection for Obi-Wan he could actually approve of.

And when it was just the three of them...he started to feel more like Anakin, some of the vast weight of the decades lifting off of his shoulders. This was how it was always meant to be, before outside interference stole it from him.

When he'd usurped Sidious' plans, when the Empire was his, nothing would stop them from being together.

xxxxxx

This is a sequel to Chapter 14 of Part I, dedicated to Echo in exchange for the bribe of this absolutely adorable Obi-Wan art haha Not as cutesy as I'd originally intended, so another part in this verse may be coming soon.

[gffa]

Fourth question (feel free to send me to hell at this point). I loved how they portrayed Vader and Luke's relationship, especially in RotJ. What would you say motivated Luke to still believe in his father? And what do you think are Leia's feelings on the whole matter? They never showed us in the movies, but it seems most people believe them to be negative (I'd say rightly so, imo). And how do you reconnect RotJ Luke with TLJ Luke and what he did in regards to Ben?

HERE’S THE THING ABOUT LUKE SKYWALKER:  He didn’t experience his relationship with Anakin in the same way that other people did.  Luke knew Vader did terrible things, knew he killed families and friends and killed the already oppressed and killed any Jedi who just dared to exist.  He had a good idea about how much genuine evil there was there!But did Luke ever know specifics, when he believed there was still good in Vader?  Did he know that the Jedi weren’t just an order of Knights but an entire culture?  Did he know that they were family to each other?  Did he know that Anakin killed the children of his family, the ones who were asking him for help, just as easily as he killed the children of Tatooine?  Did he know that he did it for nebulous reasons that he had no actual proof of, only a tornado of a fear in his own mind?  Did he know that he turned on Luke’s biological mother, just because she wouldn’t go along with his murdering children, then Force-choked her while she was pregnant, badly enough that Vader later thought he killed her?This goes hand in hand with how Luke spent his entire life looking up at the stars and wishing that he’d known his father, that desperation for a bigger, grander life and the feeling of something tugging at him for his destiny.  There was a part of him that always wanted his father, would have been swayed by him no matter how evil or cruel or how little Vader cared about him–like how Qui-Gon says that, had Luke known the full truth before he was ready, there was a really good chance that he would have run off to him.This further goes hand in hand with how George Lucas talks about why Yoda and Obi-Wan are preparing him for a situation where he may have to face Vader and be ready for the possibility that he may have to kill him.  He specifically talks about how Obi-Wan didn’t really lie–ie, that technically he lied, but it was an emotional truth.  Mark Hamill talks about how Luke dropped off the platform at Cloud City because he couldn’t handle it, like committing suicide.  Luke was not ready because his issues with his father were still far too tangled up inside him.So, part of Luke’s belief in his father is his own want for there to be good there, part of it is not knowing the specifics of the full scope of Vader’s evil actions, and part of it is that Anakin was finally ready to stop being quite so much of a garbage bag.  Yes, he still didn’t give a shit what Luke wanted, he was still trying to make him into a Sith, he was still willing to let the Emperor torture him for a long time before making up his mind to step in, but that small seed of not killing Luke (which took 20+ years of misery before he was finally ready to even do that much) was something only Luke could feel in those moments.  He was the only one that didn’t know enough to not be overwhelmed by the evidence that Anakin was gone, he was the only one that Vader had even a shred of something not terrible for (until he finally let go and then Obi-Wan and Yoda could welcome him back).  It was the Force and Level 100 Psychic Space Wizards stuff, Luke just felt it and knew it in his bones.The thing is, Luke didn’t just face those feelings once and be done with them, that’s not how the Force or the Jedi work.  They teach that it’s a lifelong struggle to resist the dark side, to resist the darker things inside us.  Even in Return of the Jedi, we see that Luke’s anger is still there and he has to face it all over again, letting it go.  Palpatine’s taunts about how he can feel the hate rising would mean nothing if they weren’t there, it wouldn’t be a victory for Luke.  Hell, we even see Luke just smashing down on Vader over and over and over until he cuts his arm off again, then has to pull himself back from that anger.

Those are the actions and face of someone who believes Anakin Skywalker still exists, but also still has to struggle with his own anger when he’s bombarded by the dark side and his own feelings.  When he throws away his lightsaber it means something because he had to struggle up that hill to get there, not because it was easy and the only choice he could have even considered.That’s why, as much as my disappointment about TLJ is about the lack of other stories getting to be told, Luke falling down that path again is one that absolutely makes sense.  What happened with Ben is very similar to what happened with Vader and it takes the exact same time to pull back and realize Luke has to let it go again–the difference is that Ben was on the downswing while Vader was on the upswing.  Vader’s dark intentions (especially when he threatens Leia) genuinely affect Luke.  Ben’s dark intentions (if he was ready to go off the second someone stopped believing in him, yeah, those are some dark intentions) genuinely affect Luke.Both of them are ones Luke pulled back from, because the struggle to face the dark side is one these Psychic Space Wizards will face all their lives.  That’s how the Force works, George Lucas has laid it out in exactly this way.As for Leia, she’s a lot more complicated, largely because she rejects Vader and doesn’t deal with that aspect.  She does come to something of an understanding about her feelings on the whole thing by the time of Bloodline, she thinks of him as her father, but there’s little emotional consideration or impact there.Instead, I think Leia feels more strongly that it was important who was actually there for her, who raised her, who loved her, whom she honors every day in a very genuine way, by wearing her hair in Alderaanian style, by wearing Alderaanian clothes.  She doesn’t deny that Vader was her biological father, but she puts those feelings and thoughts on the back burner so thoroughly that she never talks about them ever.  To the point that she never talked these things through with Ben, never told him about his biological grandfather (partly because she hadn’t unpacked that within herself, partly because there never seemed to be a good time to drag all of that mess out) and it backfired on her in a way she could never have predicted.I don’t know that I would say Leia brims with hate for him (at least not after the Empire is dead and gone, that maybe she did for those first few years, but eventually put it aside as she had other things to focus on) but she certainly never really dealt with her feelings about him and rejects him so thoroughly that she won’t even face what’s a part of her, because she doesn’t want to give him even that much.  Ironically, in some ways, this makes her more like Anakin than Luke ever was, despite that Luke had just as much anger and desire for bigger things in him that Anakin did.All in all, Anakin’s biological family had a complicated narrative legacy and, because it’s Star Wars, it tends to echo and rhyme with each other.

[klcthebookworm]

Mission on Mimban 9 of 12

Previous Installments

Introduction, One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven,Eight,

What Happens in the Chapter

Chapter Nine opens with Luke and Leia's chat as they walk down the tunnel. Luke thinks of a new plan, but Leia dismisses Halla as a delusional old woman who wants the Kaiburr crystal to defeat Grammel. Luke brings up having to find it before Governor Essada and his people. Leia shudders, and Luke asks what could have happened on the Death Star to affect her so. Leia does not tell him. They find the linchen-fungi that glows in the dark, so they don't need to use their lumas. The underground is a wonderland of multicolored stalactites, an underground stream, a bottomless pond, a miniature forest of helicites, cantilevered mushrooms, and a tall stand of something resembling paralyzed bamboo encased in quartz that ring when struck.

Just when Leia's come around on her opinion of Mimban "If Mimban is ever settled formally, everyone should live underground," the ground shatters under her feet and Luke has to pull her out of the new pit. They pass on smooching, despite the obvious set-up for it. They continue on with the spelunking, testing the ground with the lightsaber and holding hands as they forge on. The path ends at the shore of a vast underground lake, so wide that they could not see the far shore.

We have a nice bit of problem solving as they figure out how to make a raft out of a leprous lily that grows where the underground steam meets this lake and paddles out of selenite crystals. With those preparations made, they make camp and both pass out from exhaustion.

They wake up after twelve hours of sleep and the concentrates for breakfast now taste good. They slide the pad-boat into the water and start paddling. They hug the wall on their left, where the path had vanished into the water. Eventually Luke's imagined terrors subside and he wonders about Leia if the experiences they'd gone through so far on Mimban had had a mellowing effect on her. Leia's common sense has not been affected as she shoots down Luke's offer to do all the paddling.

Several hours after lunch, Luke calls a halt to the paddling. He's nervous about a pop-plop sound, too erratic to be drip water from the ceiling. Everything goes quiet and they resume paddling. When Luke calls a second stop upon hearing the strange sound again, Leia sees and is rendered speechless by a trail of fat bubbles that was arrowing rapidly toward them.

Luke fights the lake monster with his lightsaber, and falls into the water. Leia gets into a tug-of-war with the lake monster with Luke as the rope. Finally the monster gets tired of lightsaber hits and leaves them alone. Leia has a nice screaming fit after Luke is safely onboard the pad-boat again.

After several more luckily uneventful hours paddling, the far shore finally comes into view.

An ancient dock protruded from the dry ground ahead. While no boats of any kind were in sight, the long finger of metal extending out into the water left no doubt as to its function, its alien design notwithstanding.

Luke had less luck identifying the purposes of the numerous structures clustered all along the shore. Many appeared raised from stone, others had metal walls, and some combinations of both materials. No matter what the compositions, every one displayed signs of considerable age.

The lake is not a new feature underground if the ancient and vanished Thrella built a dock. Leia refuses to get her feet wet when they reach waist-deep water, so Luke carries her the rest of the way. She apologizes for her behavior and reveals she can't swim. They hike through the abandoned city and Luke keeps having the something is watching me sensation. He turns around to follow movement he saw out of the corner of his eye and ends up cutting the Coway behind them in half. Five more block their path ahead. Leia arms herself with a broken stalactite and wields it like a dagger.

Despite the odds in numbers, this is such an uneven fight it's almost funny. Luke slices up two of their spears. Leia dodges the third spear, trips him with her legs, and then stabs him in the skull. One Coway switches to an axe and gets his legs cut off with the lightsaber. Another with a spear loses his spear hand at the wrist. The last one jabs at Luke with his spear so Luke cuts off the spear point. He throws the shaft at Luke and runs away. Leia's last opponent keeps her at bay with his spear and retreats when he sees Luke approaching. Luke takes him out by throwing his activated lightsaber in the Coway's back.

Meanwhile, the smartest of the Coway is running uphill and climbing over a huge pile of rubble from the ceiling. Leia upgrades her weapon choice to one of the axes of the dead Coway and flings it at the runner. She scores a hit on his right shoulder. He tumbles down the other side of the rocks and they climb after him, desperate to keep him from alerting others. The chapter ends with Luke and Leia staring down at what is on the other side.

What I Liked

The water [of the underground lake] was as black as the inside of the Emperor's mind. Yeah, a description that a) feels Star Wars and b) something that Luke would think of! And I do believe this is our first hint that the Emperor is the evil heart of the Empire. To double check my belief, I found the 1976 hardback of the first movie's novelization published by Del Rey Books in my library. I believe my father bought it and it found its way onto my shelves next to the paperback novelizations of the next two that I bought at used books stores. I replaced these copies with a 2015 Books-A-Million edition that put all three in one hardback, but I wondered if they had edited to reflect what we know from the prequels. Surprisingly, they did not change the Prologue between the two editions. Here's the passage that described the Emperor of the Galaxy:

Aided and abetted by restless, power-hungry individuals within the government, and the massive organs of commerce, the ambitious Senator Palpatine caused himself to be elected President of the Republic. He promised to reunite the disaffected among the people and to restore the remembered glory of the Republic.

Once secure in office he declared himself Emperor, shutting himself away from the populace. Soon he was controlled by the very assistants and boot-lickers he had appointed to high office, and the cries of the people for justice did not reach his ears.

Having exterminated through treachery and deception the Jedi Knights, guardians of justice in the galaxy, the Imperial governors and bureaucrats prepared to institute a reign of terror among the disheartened worlds of the galaxy. Many used the Imperial forces and the name of the increasingly isolated Emperor to further their own personal ambitions.

The Emperor we get in Empire Strike Back and Return of the Jedi is not this Palpatine described, and by the time we get to the prequels, the character is a Machiavellian devil. Don't get me wrong, I prefer my Palpatine as the Master of the Sith controlling the whole galaxy brought down low after twenty-ish years of complacency, miscalculating just how hard abused beings will fight back (including Anakin and the Rebellion in that), and failing to factor in the murderbears (Ewoks). I'm also tickled to find evidence of changes in motion, as it were.

No Virgin Alarms go off during this camping scene.

Crossing the lake has more of the in-character moments for me.

Out of excuses, he stared at the lake. "I hope this lake's not as wide as it looks. I don't like traveling on water."

"That's not surprising," soothed the Princess, knowing that on the desert world of Tatooine where Luke had been raised, an open body of water was as rare as an evergreen.

It took 194 pages in my paperback copy for Foster to finally remember Luke is from a damn desert! The resulting fears in Luke's mind are pretty good too, believable from someone who has never seen water like this before.

I like the lake monster encounter and its introduction.

It rose.

A pale amorphous form, shining with phosphorescence, in color it was not unlike the great wandrella. But compared to the lake-spirit the worm-thing was a familiar creature.

There was no face, nothing recognizable in that constantly altering form. It lifted short, thick pseudopods of a whitish substance clear of the surface. They gleamed brightly in the dim cavern light. Luke thought he could see partway through the creature, and strange shapes swirling about it internally.

I kind of hate that ILM didn't take a stab at this kind of monster. Nowadays it would be easiest to use CGI, so I'm curious as to what the old school approach for film would have tried instead.

What I Found Problematic

Given how Grammel treated you, Leia, I would think you'd be on board turning him into a frog. Sure, be skeptical that you can actually do that with the Force, but don't mock the old lady.

Luke asking about why Leia is freaking out over an Imperial interrogation and what happened to her on the Death Star doesn't bother me as much as his reaction. Leia charged out of her cell and took charge of her rescue and then he was thrown into the pilots' ready room. So it's perfectly reasonable that he missed her trauma until she fainted after Grammel told them about the Governor.

She turned memory-haunted eyes on him. "Maybe I'll tell you someday, Luke. Not now. I'm not... I haven't forgotten enough. If I told you I might remember too much."

"Don't you think I could take it," he asked tightly.

She hasten to correct him. "Oh not you, Luke, not you. It's me, my own reactions I'm worried about. Whenever I start trying to remember exactly what they did to me that time, I start to come apart."

And Luke immediately follows Leia's confession with a heartfelt apology for prying. No, that is not in the text at all. Leia changes the subject and they discover the lichen-fungi that glows underground. I'm torn about this characterization, because making the trauma survivor (typically a female) soothe who is prying into the trauma by making it all about themselves is such a common response. It's believable as written (shocker from Foster I know).

This dynamic needs to be drop-kicked into the sun.

So I want to rewrite this with an added apology from Luke. His empathy fueled by his Force Sensitivity should make it a lot easier for him to pick up on how badly Leia is still hurt by the Death Star events. He is in love with this woman, offer some damn comfort. But Leia won't be in my version.

This is the lamest just kiss I have ever seen written:

Rolling away from [the gaping blackness], the Princess caught him with a hand, her weight halting his slide. Now Luke rolled clear, came to a panting stop on her chest. For a long moment they lay like that, suspended in time. Then their eyes met with a gaze that could have penetrated light-years.

Err, is Luke on top or are they on their sides chest-to-chest? Not only am I having trouble visualizing them on the ground, this really needs Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher's expressive faces to make me feel it. Not that I really want to feel the twincest.

Wait a blooming second, where did all this equipment come from? After checking his timer he woke the Princess. You didn't have a time piece hiking to town. Luke checked his tracom. Okay, maybe you had that earlier when you were searching for the beacon, but why wasn't it named? Luke brought water from the stream in a collapsible cup. Why are we just now seeing this stuff when it should have been shown on the first hike in Chapter Two (Did they have incomplete survival packs because these things were not mentioned in the text there.) If they didn't have these things in Chapter Two, where is the text that says these items came from the swamp crawler? Who edited this work and never caught this inconsistency?

Why, Foster, why? I liked the battle with the lake monster, even if I think the lightsaber should have a bigger effect. But then you go and ruin it by making Leia scream after it's all over. Since when is Leia a screamer? Was it just a set up for this?

Her voice rose slightly. "I'm ready to get out."

"Believe me, Leia," he replied, taking her hand in his, "I'm in just as big a hurry as you."

This is Luke Skywalker, who hardly needs an excuse to give anyone comfort and would seize Leia's hand without her having hysterics. If anyone deserves to have hysterics it is HIM, our poor desert farmboy dragged underwater again by something trying to eat him. Hello PTSD flashback to the Death Star trash compactor.

Leia can't swim. This is information that should come up at the beginning of a journey over water not at the end. And even if she can't swim, stop being a wuss and get your feet wet. Because Leia is a lot of things but a wuss isn't one of them.

Interracial warfare, perhaps, or maybe sequential decadence ending in their being overwhelmed by aborigines like the greenies. I'm wondering about what happened to the ancient aliens of Mimban too, but damn the phrasing of this sentence just rubs me the wrong way.

That's not how lightsabers work! They have an automatic off switch. No throwing it at fleeing opponents and expecting it to remain on, unless you are using the Force to keep it on.

What Changes in My Fic

Showing better trauma victim support: Mara's trauma is so different from Leia and with the bond between her and Luke, I don't see this conversation even having the massive misstep of Luke making it all about him. What will they talk about during this hike?

Lumas will be changed to glow rods. And do a better job with explaining where the equipment comes from.

I want a line from Mara about how bad they are at keeping watch when they wake up.

The underground lake is a good opportunity to touch on what swimming lessons the Alliance has given Luke.

The lightsaber effects the lake monster. Unless it doesn't for the same reason lightsabers don't seem to boil water. Research this.

My revision of the after lake monster fight: Luke's clingy because oh-crap-I-could've-drowned! reaction has kicked in and Mara has pulled him back onboard. Mara discovers she's not opposed to clingy or more accurately hugging with Luke.

Plot events time. Helping Writers Become Authors further explains this breakdown. It probably hasn't escaped anyone's notice that the scenes in the past few chapters have not ended up on the outline. While thrilling obstacles to overcome, they have nothing to do with what I have identified as the plot: getting the Kaiburr crystal before Grammel does. When will we get back to that plot? I have no idea, but I decided to fill in these scenes under the Action section.

Hook 1% mark = Crashing onto Mimban

Set-up 1% - 12%

Inciting Event 12% mark = Finding the Imperial mining outpost

Build-up 12% - 25%

1st Plot Point 25% mark = Luke and Leia agree to find the Kaiburr crystal with Halla

Reaction to 1st Plot Point 25% - 37%

1st Pinch Point 37% mark = Meeting with Grammel

Realization 37% - 50%

Midpoint or 2nd Plot Point 50% mark = Prison break

Action 50% - 62% = Wandrella chase, Lake monster fight, Coway attack

2nd Pinch Point 62% mark

Renewed Push 62% - 75%

[holocron-inthe-restrictedsection]

Created for @avada-matata for @jedifest Alien April fanwork exchange!! 

Prompt: Ahsoka + Time

(I made the drawing first, then thought I’d write just a little snippet to give it some context…

and then the little snippet became a lot longer than I meant it to be. Oh well.)

Enjoy!

It had taken a long time, but Ahsoka had finally found another entrance to the world between worlds. She had debated for years whether or not she should go back; she had seen how it had tempted Ezra, recognized the power it could yield, and was horrified at what could happen if the Emperor had access to the strange world. But she felt that it held the answers she sought. Answers that no living being could answer.

She hadn’t been on Yavin during the attack on the Death Star, but the name of the young pilot that fired the killing shot spread through the Rebellion like wildfire: Skywalker.

Of course, she sought out the boy immediately, and the world spun when she laid eyes on the young man who was so obviously his father’s son. They had talked, and Ahsoka had prodded to find out what young Luke knew about his parentage, but he had even fewer answers than she did. Looking into his wide eyes, she couldn’t bring herself to tell him what had become of his father. Not until I understand how it happened.

Ahsoka had thought that perhaps she wouldn’t be granted access to the doorway, which was deep in the ruins of the Jedi temple on Vrogas Vas. No longer a Jedi, she expected some sort of resistance to her approach. None came. On the contrary, she felt drawn to a particular stretch of rock that appeared to be the remains of a vast wall. Ahsoka stopped before it, resting her hand on the ragged stone. But how to enter?

A hoot from above drew her attention. The green and white convor came to rest on a broken statue to Ahsoka’s left. The Togruta smiled at the creature. The Daughter’s vessel had never strayed far from her in recent years, and she was grateful for the company.

“May I enter, Morai?”

In response, the convor spread a wing in the direction of the wall. A faint blue light began to emanate from the rock, soft and inviting. She took a step towards it, but hesitated. The place beyond was ancient, imbued with power she couldn’t understand. Perhaps it was best to leave that realm in peace. But she needed answers. I need to know.

Ahsoka stepped through the doorway.

First, there was darkness. She trusted that she would not plunge into an abyss as she walked forward blindly. But then, she was not truly blind. She felt the world opening up to her, felt it morphing and brightening. And as she walked, voices began to surround her, echoing through the world. Ahsoka strained to hear them all. Some, she recognized; others, she couldn’t place the speakers.

Koh-to-yah, Little ‘Soka.

You never would have made it as Obi-Wan’s padawan. But you might make it as mine.

I want to learn the ways of the Force.

You and your precious Jedi Order.

And become a Jedi, like my father.

He’s my brother.

Light shimmered around her, and she stepped from the doorway and emerged in – what appeared to be a world suspended in space. The voices continued to speak as she gazed at the transparent lanes that arched between doorways as countless as the stars that enveloped her.

If you strike me down, I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.

I exist where there is no future or past.

Life doesn’t cease at death, but merely changes form in the Force.

I can only show you a place where the answers will be revealed to you.

The Force will be your guide.

Ahsoka felt…so small. The galaxy was vast and incredible in itself, but this place… she could barely comprehend it. She had seen the past here.

Morai hooted softly from behind her, and the convor landed lightly on her montrals. “How do I even begin?” Ahsoka asked. The voices quieted for a moment, as though pondering.

You turned her against me!

She spun around.

You will not take her from me!

That was Anakin’s voice, clear and full of – anger. It reached for her like a grasping hand, and she began walking on the transparent path, trusting the Force to show her the way. She did not know how long she walked for; did time even exist here? Eventually, she found herself before a circular doorway. Morai called mournfully and took flight. Ahsoka sensed the Dark Side beyond this doorway, something evil and awful. What if she wasn’t strong enough to face it? What if it was the Emperor again, attempting to claim possession of the power here? She had barely escaped last time. Her companion perched herself above the door, fluttering anxiously as a red haze filled the interior. Ahsoka took a breath to steady herself. She could not turn back now.

A landscape began to take shape through the mist, as though sucking the red color into its water. No, not water. Molten lava flows ebbed around volcanic land masses, its rock scorched and broken. Smoke and ash plumed in the air.

And – Ahsoka took another step forward – up the river of lava, two blurred figures stood in close quarters on some sort of skiff, blue blades of light arching towards each other. She knew their fighting styles too well, recognized their presence in the Force. But she could not understand the sight of Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi attempting to kill one another.

Dread crept into her heart. “What is this?” Ahsoka whispered.

Through the doorway, their blades locked, energy crackling between them. With effort, Obi-Wan leapt backwards, clearing the skiff and coming to rest upon the sloping land.

It’s over, Anakin. I have the high ground.

And even from here, years and lightyears away, Ahsoka could feel the hatred rolling off her former master. Her heart rose into her throat.

You underestimate my power!

“No. No. Don’t. Anakin, please.” Ahsoka stretched out a hand to –

To what? To push them away from each other? To help Obi-Wan? To help her master?

Don’t try it, Obi-Wan pleaded.

“I can’t.” The words caught in Ahsoka’s throat. “I can’t do anything.” The sound of her own voice rang in her ears, but it wavered. “This happened years ago.”

And he leapt. Anakin leapt, roaring as he spun through the air, angling his lightsaber to bring it down on his former friend –

Obi-Wan was quicker.

Ahsoka screamed as the blue blade passed through Anakin’s arm, his legs. She screamed as he hit the rocks and rolled toward the lava, barely stopping himself at the edge of the bank as he dug his mechanical fingers into the land.  

You were the Chosen One!

The agony in Obi-Wan’s cry seemed to be torn from her own throat.

It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them!

Bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness.

Obi-Wan turned his back on Anakin and picked up the fallen lightsaber. He stepped further away. Revulsion clouded her thoughts. “How can you leave him like this!” she shouted at ghosts.

I HATE YOU!

Tears spilled from her eyes as Anakin screamed, his face contorted, his eyes warped.

You were my brother, Anakin. I loved you.

Ahsoka waited with baited breath for her master to say something, to say anything. But before he could, a fleck of fire from the molten river sparked onto the fabric of Anakin’s clothes. Within seconds, he was engulfed in flames.

Hatred and fire burned through what remained of Anakin Skywalker, and Ahsoka could take no more. She whirled around and staggered, pressing her hand to her mouth, trying to stifle her sobs. But what was the point? There was no one to hear her. Her legs gave out and she crumpled to the floor, weeping, Anakin’s screams of agony fading behind her.

Ahsoka sobbed until her head ached, and even then, she lay there, suspended among everything that ever would be, letting the voices of the long-dead and the yet-to-be-born wash over her.

“I don’t understand.” Ahsoka’s murmur was barely louder than the other voices. “How did it come to this?”

How indeed.

The voice was unfamiliar, and Ahsoka raised her head. Morai stood before her, cocking her head inquisitively. Ahsoka had hoped the Daughter would offer her guidance, but it appeared the being either could not, or would not.

The voice spoke again, a male voice reverberating through the Force.

You may go from doorway to doorway, Ahsoka Tano. But in chasing the past, you narrow your knowledge.

“But I need to understand what has happened in the past to know how it will affect the future,” Ahsoka protested, wiping her eyes. “I need to understand…if only for my own peace of mind.”

Ah yes. The past, the present, the future. The passage of time seems so straightforward. But time has no meaning in the Force.

“I don’t understand.”

When Ezra Bridger pulled you from the temple on Malachor, was he not both young, as you had seen him not moments before, and older, as you saw him here?

“Yes. I suppose he was.”

Through the Force, we exist in every moment. Once you understand that, you can open yourself to every instant, to every corner of existence. You become truly one with the Force, and experience it all as it was meant to be – as one, cohesive thought.

“That sounds like far too much to bestow upon a single being,” Ahsoka said, getting shakily to her feet. “I don’t know that I would be able to process it.”

Eventually, you will master it.

The mere thought was too large for Ahsoka to wrap her mind around it. And this was certainly far beyond what she had been taught of the Force. “Who are you?”

I? I was once known as Qui-Gon Jinn. I trained Obi-Wan Kenobi to the best of my abilities. And I continue to teach him even now.

Ahsoka hesitated. She sensed no evil here, but no shining presence of the Light Side either. It reminded her of the Bendu. True balance in the Force. “And will you teach me? I want to understand.”

Yes. I will help you understand the Cosmic Force. And it is the Force that will be your guide.

She let out a breath, expelling her grief, her confusion. For the first time in quite a while, she felt at peace. “I pledge myself to your teachings.”

Then let us begin.

[aion-rsa]

How The Mandalorian Captures the Spirit of the Star Wars Prequel Era

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This Star Wars: The Mandalorian article contains spoilers.

Among The Mandalorian‘s many influences, at the top of the list is the classic Star Wars trilogy which started it all. Showrunner Jon Favreau, executive producer Dave Filoni, and the rest of the team have done a great job of incorporating lore from every era of the Star Wars saga in ways that make sense. Folding in elements fans know from A New Hope, for example, adds to the show’s sense of groundedness, showing us the weathered sci-fi locations that George Lucas made a staple of Star Wars while also picking up several loose threads unresolved after Return of the Jedi. 

The season 2 of the Disney+ series doesn’t forget the Prequel era, though. With Bo-Katan and Ahsoka appearing in season 2, and Grogu revealed to have grown up at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, more and more direct connections to the Clone Wars are becoming important to Din Djarin’s quest.

The Prequels were characterized by bright colors (see Padmé Amidala or Shaak Ti), cartoonish CGI (Jar Jar Binks), and a mix of high adventure and impending tragedy. The Old Republic, when The Phantom Menace opens, is about to begin its decline. The election of Chancellor Palpatine, who is scheming behind the scenes as the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, heralds the rise of the Empire. Several in-universe decades later, The Mandalorian is still dealing with the fallout from the events set in motion in Lucas’ second trilogy.

Stream your Star Wars favorites right here!

Because the Prequel Trilogy ran from 1999 to 2005, it’s a generation removed from fans of the original films and the sequels. Yet, The Mandalorian manages to blend all of these different eras into a cohesive narrative and setting, while also exploring them with a new lens. With season 2’s focus on beginning of the saga, here are a few things The Mandalorian brings back from the Prequel Trilogy and The Clone Wars: 

Ahsoka Tano

Season 2 is not only interested in the Prequel movies, but in the Expanded Universe stories that fleshed out the galaxy around it, particularly The Clone Wars TV series. And Lucasfilm wasted no time in creating a narrative throughline between the Star Wars animated series and the first live-action series, giving us both Mandalorian warrior Bo-Katan Kryze and former Jedi hero Ahsoka Tano. While both fan-favorite characters act as quest-givers during Mando’s journey, Ahsoka is the one who gives the bounty hunter the most immediate answers about his little companion’s past.

The former Jedi apprentice appears in “The Jedi” after working with the Rebellion for years. Now, she’s chasing the trail of Grand Admiral Thrawn to the planet Corvus, where an Imperial magistrate might have the answers she needs to find both Thrawn and missing Jedi friend Ezra Bridger (see: Star Wars Rebels).

Although Ahsoka left the Jedi Order over disagreements with the Council’s decisions, she now takes the role of a Jedi mentor, guiding Grogu toward the next step in this journey, even if she won’t outright train him. She doesn’t want to train Grogu because the loss of Anakin is still fresh in her mind. Anakin became Darth Vader due to his attachments, and may see the same fate for Grogu if he can’t let go of Mando. Even after Darth Vader’s death and redemption, his fall still affects Ahsoka.

Bo-Katan Kryze & the Darksaber

“The Heiress” brought Bo-Katan Kryze back into focus. Played by Katee Sackhoff, her armor and hair style are a direct translation of her look in The Clone Wars. She even has two Nite Owls, her original group of commandos, with her, and their fast-paced, competent fighting brings some of the shine of the Prequel Trilogy into the more laid-back Western style of action in The Mandalorian.

At this point in the timeline, she is the rightful leader of Mandalore, a planet that changed hands a lot even before the Empire got ahold of it, with the politics there making up a sizable part of the plot of The Clone Wars. Although The Mandalorian takes place after a Great Purge that wiped out most Mandalorians on the planet, Bo-Katan reveals in her live-action debut that she’s determined to get Mandalore back once and for all.

Her mission on Trask is part of that quest. She needs to capture a shipment of stolen Mandalorian weapons in order to arm her growing group of followers. By the end of “The Heiress,” her trajectory is clear. Now that her group is adequately armed, she can go find Moff Gideon and take back the darksaber, which appeared in the villain’s clutches at the end of season 1.

While initially part of the old Legends continuity, the darksaber became a major part of the Mandalorian storyline on The Clone Wars, as the ceremonial weapon wielded by a Mand’alor, the ruler of the race’s warrior clans. Although there doesn’t seem to be many rival Mandalorians left to question her right to rule, it’s still pivotal that Bo-Katan reclaim the darksaber, as it being in Imperial hands is a major insult to her people.

Grogu

“The Jedi” revealed that the Prequel era actually paved the way for another member of Yoda’s species. In reality, Grogu is a puppet, at least in some shots: Werner Herzog famously called it “heartbreakingly beautiful” when he saw two technicians performing the Child’s facial expressions. The character’s slick look combines Original Trilogy puppetry with Prequel Trilogy cartoonishness.

Now that Ahsoka has explained it, we know Grogu has an even more direct connection to the Prequels. He was raised in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant alongside all of the characters we know and love. Ahsoka, Anakin, and Obi-Wan Kenobi might have known him, and Yoda surely did. The fact that someone snuck Grogu out of the temple during the massacre of the Jedi during Order 66 adds a significant new event to the Prequel timeline.

Another way the Prequels paved the way for Baby Yoda is with Yaddle, the third known canon member of the species. Yaddle was developed based on concept art for a younger Yoda, but became her own character. Lucas wanted the origins of Yoda to remain mysterious, but Yaddle changed the mold by confirming there were others like the beloved Jedi Master.

Grogu explores the mystery of Yoda’s species further. Where did he come from? Is there a planet of Yodas? Would the planet of Yodas irreparably break the internet? 

Jango & Boba Fett

Jango Fett’s role in Attack of the Clones led to some confusion as to whether the legendary bounty hunter’s father was technically a Mandalorian. For years, Jango’s origin was a hotly debated topic both in the fandom and in-universe. Members of the New Mandalorian government that ruled Mandalore during the Clone Wars, for example, denounced Jango as a phony, claiming he’d stolen the traditional Mandalorian armor for his own gain. The Mandalorian confirms that the truth can be found somewhere in the middle.

In “The Tragedy,” a resurgent Boba Fett confirms that his father was a foundling like Mando, raised to be a Mandalorian warrior and follow the race’s traditions. The episode even re-canonized a piece of Jango’s Legends backstory. As revealed in the armor chain code that Boba shows Mando, it was a Mandalorian named “Jaste” (very likely a nod to Jango’s adoptive father in Legends, Jaster Mereel) who mentored a young Jango.

Decades later, Boba Fett wears this heritage with pride. While not born on Mandalore (or by natural means), Boba feels every bit as Mandalorian as his father did. “The Tragedy” even confirms that the former Imperial-allied bounty hunter still follows a code of honor among Mandalorians. Indebted to Din due to his actions on Tython, Boba agrees to help his fellow Mandalorian track down Grogu and bring him to safety.

The Cloner

One character operating in the background of The Mandalorian is the mysterious Imperial scientist Dr. Pershing, who briefly appeared in season 1 to run experiments on Grogu and made his return in season 2 episode “The Siege.” Not much is known about Pershing or his twisted experiments except that he needs Grogu’s M-count-heavy blood to accomplish something for the Empire. “The Siege” reveals that he’s been injecting subjects with Grogu’s blood, a process that has resulted in twisted corpses floating inside of lab tanks on Nevarro.

While Pershing’s true motives and mission are yet to be revealed, one theory concerning his identity points to a direct connection to one of the Prequel era’s most important elements: cloning. The biggest clue is the patch on the arm of his lab coat, which matches the one worn by Kaminoan cloners in Attack of the Clones. It’s true that cloning has touched every part of the Star Wars saga, whether it’s a brief reference in A New Hope or Palpatine’s final scheme in The Rise of Skywalker, so it only makes sense that it would also pop up in The Mandalorian.

So far, all of the cloners we’ve seen have been aliens. It’s possible Pershing was trained by the Kaminoans or, judging from the mangled bodies on Nevarro, learned from them in secret and advertised himself as an expert cloner when he in fact is not. But the show is less interested in his back story; the important part is what his skill set might mean for the future of the Empire, the New Republic, and the Jedi. The Kaminoans were never able to replicate Force-sensitivity in their clones. Were Pershing to solve this problem, could this open up a new possibility for Star Wars?

Zabraks 

One popular race on the show are the Zabraks, the same species as Darth Maul and a staple of The Clone Wars. The short, curved horns on their skulls give them a devilish aspect to a human viewer, making them a perfect, unsubtle choice for villain characters. That said, the Armorer’s helmet also features what look like Zabrak horns, although whether this is decoration or a necessity is unclear. 

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In terms of design, the Zabraks on the show are a mix of Original and Prequel sensibilities. Their red skin is drab—after all, these are background characters, not main villains like Darth Maul. Since they are mostly human, there is no reason why this type of alien couldn’t have been created with prosthetics in 1977—and the show imagines what the Prequel race would look like had Lucas put them in the Mos Eisley cantina in A New Hope. 

Bestiary

The Mudhorn of Arvala-7 looks a lot like the Reek, the one-horned, rhinoceros-like creature Obi-Wan and friends fought in the Geonosian arena at the beginning of the Clone Wars in Attack of the Clones. Its lumbering gait and the way it attacks with its swinging head are very similar. The arena battle is a high point in Episode II, perhaps because of the strength of the fight choreography and the way it evokes the creature features classic Star Wars drew from. With better and better CGI technology available to Lucasfilm, The Mandalorian essentially updated the reek for a new era.

Unlike the Mudhorn being a reek look-alike, the blurrgs Mando rides on Arvala-7 are straight from the Prequel era and is unchanged. This species of top-heavy reptilian bipeds has previously appeared in animated form in The Clone Wars. However, they aren’t strictly a Prequel creation, even though many of today’s fans know them from Filoni’s previous work. They first appeared in cartoon form in Ewoks: The Battle for Endor in 1985. 

The post How The Mandalorian Captures the Spirit of the Star Wars Prequel Era appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[padawanlost]

(inspired by the anon who asked about the master/padawan relationships) How do you compare Qui-Gon & Obi-Wan's relationship vs Obi-Wan & Anakins? I feel like Obi-Wan loved and trusted his master more than Anakin did. Not saying Anakin didn't love or trust Obi-Wan at all but I'm not sure it was as strong. Also not saying that one relationship was perfect and the other was rotten, both had issues. But Obi-Wan remained pretty loyal to Qui-Gon, he even defied his beloved council b/c of him. Thank U!

I think the biggest different between both relationships is in the padawans upbringing. Obi-wan was raised to obey and trust his master in a way Anakin never was. Where Obi-wan learned from infancy to be subservient to his elders’ wisdom, Anakin knew better than to trust someone simply because they were ‘older’. 

So I don’t see it as a matter of one being more loyal or loving the than the other. I see it as matter of different upbringings affecting people differently. 

Unlike Qui-Gon, who was already an accomplished Jedi and master, Obi-wan was a young adult who never even got to pass his trials before he was pushed into raising a prophesied kid during his grieving process. At the same time, Anakin was adjusting to a life of freedom and duty away from everything he ever knew and love. 

Where Qui-GOn and Obi-wan had their own Jedi upbringing and tradition as a common ground, all Anakin and Obi-wan had during their first months together was grief.

To be fair, it’s hard to compare Anakin & Obi-wan relationship with any other duo because it was so unique. No other master/padawan shared the same kind experiences and processes. In the end, Qui-Gon & Obi-wan’s relationship, despite its ups and downs, was a fairly typical one. On the other hand, Anakin & Obi-wan’s were completely atypical from the start to finish. 

I guess it’s also a matter of personalities. Different people with different personalities will have different relationships and express themselves in different ways. 

Anakin loved Obi-wan as much as Obi-wan loved him (and Qui-Gon).

There were tears on Anakin’s cheeks, he could feel them. He wasn’t ashamed. He wasn’t going to apologize to anyone, not even Yoda, for caring enough about Obi-Wan to weep for him.Karen Miller. Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Wild Space

Obi-Wan had not truly allowed himself to love anything in a long time. But he had loved Anakin. Now, Anakin was dead. OBI-WAN KENOBI IN STAR WARS: LONE WOLF BY ABEL G PENA

It occurred to [Obi-Wan] then, with a clarity that was startling, given the dark side hurricane howling through him, that Yoda was wrong about the dangers of attachment. Or at least that he wasn’t altogether right. It was true that attachment could weaken a Jedi’s resolve. But it could also strengthen it … as he was strengthened now by his love for Qui-Gon, and Anakin. Without them he would have failed long before this moment. And so, leaning on them, he continued to fight. KAREN MILLER [THE CLONE WARS: WILD SPACE]

The boy [Obi-wan]’d raised and loved like a son had become a traitor. A killer. A monster. A convert to the dark side, a testament to Obi-Wan’s failure to guide, to protect. The boy, Anakin Skywalker, had died at the hands of the Emperor, and the Sith Lord Darth Vader had been born in his place. - OBI-WAN KENOBI IN JUDE WATSON’S THE LAST OF THE JEDI: THE DESPERATE MISSION

The problem was that Anakin never understood that because Obi-wan didn’t allow himself to express that love in ways Anakin could understand. Again, it’s a matter of upbringing. Where Anakin grew up understand that loving relationships were normal, Obi-wan was raised to believe that detachment was the only way.

[Anakin] had worried that Obi-Wan did not have room for him in his heart. But Shmi’s smile rose in Anakin’s mind. Hearts have infinite room, my son. It was one of her favorite sayings. Anakin sighed. He wished he could combine Obi-Wan’s cool judgement with his mother’s goodness. Someday. Maybe his Master would trust him enough to let him tangle again with the Sith. Perhaps he would never have a Master-Padawan relationship as deep and trusting as Obi-Wan had with Qui-Gon. Perhaps Obi- Wan kept his as a Padawan in order to fulfill a dying wish. But maybe it didn’t matter how it happened. He should not focus on what he didn’t have. He had this. This was his. And that was something. He would work hard. He would be a great Padawan. And Obi-Wan would come to love him. He would make him do so. [Jude Watson. The Trail of the Jedi ]

Both Anakin and Obi-wan were loyal to the masters, the difference is simply how that loyalty took shape. Qui-Gon asked Obi-wan to defy everyone to train Anakin. Anakin repeatedly defied everyone to keep on saving Obi-wan, even when his masters told him he shouldn’t.

“For Anakin,” Obi-Wan said at length, “there is nothing more important than friendship. He is the most loyal man I have ever met—loyal beyond reason, in fact. Despite all I have tried to teach him about the sacrifices that are the heart of being a Jedi, he—he will never, I think, truly understand.” He looked over at Yoda. “Master Yoda, you and I have been close since I was a boy. An infant. Yet if ending this war one week sooner—one day sooner—were to require that I sacrifice your life, you know I would.” “As you should,” Yoda said. “As I would yours, young Obi-Wan. As any Jedi would any other, in the cause of peace.” “Any Jedi,” Obi-Wan said, “except Anakin.” Yoda and Mace exchanged glances, both thoughtfully grim. Obi-Wan guessed they were remembering the times Anakin had violated orders—the times he had put at risk entire operations, the lives of thousands, the control of whole planetary systems—to save a friend. More than once, in fact, to save Obi-Wan. “I think,” Obi-Wan said carefully, “that abstractions like peace don’t mean much to him. He’s loyal to people, not to principles. And he expects loyalty in return. He will stop at nothing to save me, for example, because he thinks I would do the same for him.” Mace and Yoda gazed at him steadily, and Obi-Wan had to lower his head. “Because,” he admitted reluctantly, “he knows I would do the same for him.” [Matthew Stover’s Revenge of the Sith]

Ultimately, both duos had a deep bond of love and loyalty but how that bond took shape was different because of their unique situations.  

[gffa]

I’ve quoted a lot from this book, it’s one I think is really worth reading as it has a lot of overviews of Star Wars through the lens of psychology and this interpretation of Anakin is one I thought was really interesting, as someone driven by fear rather than by evil.  That it doesn’t excuse that his actions are evil, nor excuse that he could have applied the mindfulness teachings he was given and didn’t, but that he’s far more complicated in what actually drives him, all that scared little boy that he could never move past, not with Sidious there sabotaging every step of the way. Anakin is still responsible for Anakin’s choices, but it’s so, so much more complicated than that!

The most common answer to my question is, “Darth Vader is evil and the Jedi are good.” But I argue the point that Darth Vader really isn’t evil. His actions are clearly bad and should be characterized as evil, but those actions are motivated by something else. He is driven by a magnified emotion we all experience to one  degree or another. Darth Vader is motivated by anxiety. Therefore, the correct answer to my question about the difference between the Jedi and Vader is where they place their sense of control. Vader attempts to control everything external to him, whereas the Jedi strive to demonstrate self-control and allow for free will. 

and

More failures ensue, and Anakin focuses on them, building further on his increasing lack of control. Instead of looking inward, focusing on his emotions, and being mindful of the moment and his purpose, he externalizes and emotionally reacts with little thought to his underlying fears and anxiety. Over and over he runs into variables he cannot control, and this plants more seeds of anxiety, doubt, and fear.

Anxiety Disorder’s Need for Imperial Control: Was Darth Vader Evil or Scared? Frank Gaskill

“Father-son myths attracted huge audiences in the 1970s and ’80s. Men feared being like their fathers, but they wanted desperately to bond with them even if they could never really please them enough to feel anointed.” —psychiatrist Frank Pittman “Join me and we can end this destructive conflict….” —Darth Vader to his son Luke

Viewing Star Wars for the first time was and is for many people a life-changing experience. Princess Leia’s ship comes into view with Tatooine in the distance as Darth Vader’s Star Destroyer closes in. This opening sequence is the iconic memory from Lucas’s classic film that we all share. Despite the power of the opening scene, the image that held me captive as an eight-year-old seeing Star Wars for the first time was the moment when Darth Vader steps through the smoking air lock his troopers blasted open. With his black cape flowing about him, Vader stands to survey the damage in the smoke-filled corridor. Without a word, his mere presence bleeds ultimate power and fear. The only sound we hear is his slow, deep breathing. I knew I liked Vader. Throughout the next 40+ years of viewing the Star Wars films, I knew Vader was similar to me, but I was unclear initially how that could be. He didn’t feel like a villain to be feared and at times seemed almost aspirational in his goal of galactic stability and peace. As the films progressed, he became more and more human. As a little boy, I couldn’t understand what I was sensing about Vader. As my dad and I left the theater that night in May 1977, he held my hand. Squeezing it, he looked down at me and said, “You know, that Darth Vader was pretty cool.” I looked into his eyes and agreed. Vader was cool. The 54 Darth Vader toys and figures inhabiting my office are a testament to that coolness. But how could a murdering, planet-destroying, princess-torturing (his daughter, I might add) machine of a man be cool? Cool is probably not the right word, but more important, I don’t believe Darth Vader was evil. Darth Vader wasn’t a bad guy. He was just very scared.

This Present Unconscious Menace Living under Imperial rule has to be stressful. Freedoms are being undermined, the Senate is dissolved, the existential threat of the Death Star is unleashed, and the knowledge that all the Jedi have been killed or expelled offers little to no hope. The tiny rebellion has little chance against the Imperial Starfleet or the regional governors who hold planets captive on the basis of fear. Other threats are ever present from the Hutts, bounty hunters, slavery, and bribery. Stress is omnipresent under the Empire. As Ben Kenobi tells Luke, there had been a sense of safety and hope when the Jedi were considered “the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic, before the dark times … before the Empire.” In the present day, we may not be living under an empire, but we could be living under another, more sinister menace that is walking among us every day. In my private practice as a psychologist, I see a lot of scared kids and parents. More accurately, I serve the needs of a lot of anxious people. As a society, we are working harder in our jobs now than at any other time in history. Levels of anxiety are the highest ever reported. Individuals are reporting 40 percent more stress, worry, and panic now than they did in the 1950s. With parents under such intensive pressure and stress, the lives of children are similarly under mounting pressure. Living in such conditions on an ongoing basis raises levels of anxiety to pathological levels. Our innate fight-flight-freeze responses tend to engage in situations in which these responses are not needed. When we lived in caves and jungles, fight-or-flight responses served us well and kept us alive. However, exaggerated or uncontrolled responses to anxiety can have dire consequences in those who have limited awareness of how fear can affect them personally in regard to anger outbursts and rash decision-making. In Star Wars, the Sith are well versed in anger as this emotion is what they use to channel the Force. A deeper human emotion fuels the anger of the Sith. Emotions need to be addressed because without such attention, the dark side awaits. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an approach to psychological treatment that alters thinking patterns and/or behaviors that cause problems in people’s lives. CBT is used in an attempt to reduce anxiety-based negative thoughts and behaviors that interfere with successful living. CBT is the state-of-the-art tool for anxiety reduction. Anxiety can be paralyzing. It can make you feel that you are under an existential threat, but CBT can help. Before beginning CBT sessions, my most frequently used tool is an introduction to the true nature of Darth Vader. As he is one of the best-known characters in cinematic history, the majority of my clients, even little five-year-olds, have a good understanding of his story. My first session with anxious and fearful kids begins with a foundational question: “There is only one difference between the Jedi and Darth Vader. What is it?” The most common answer to my question is, “Darth Vader is evil and the Jedi are good.” But I argue the point that Darth Vader really isn’t evil. His actions are clearly bad and should be characterized as evil, but those actions are motivated by something else. He is driven by a magnified emotion we all experience to one degree or another. Darth Vader is motivated by anxiety. Therefore, the correct answer to my question about the difference between the Jedi and Vader is where they place their sense of control. Vader attempts to control everything external to him, whereas the Jedi strive to demonstrate self-control and allow for free will. Darth Vader wants peace and justice throughout the galaxy. He aspires to an admirable goal for sure. Vader so much desires and believes in a peaceful galactic future that he implores his son to join him on his quest and to destroy the Emperor. Vader actually wants the same goal as the Jedi, but he pursues that goal in a manner that leads him down a frustrating, failure-ridden, and dark path. Vader’s Childhood: Tell Me About Your Mother … Experiencing so many early life stressors must be very hard on young Anakin. His time on Tatooine probably reinforces within him a deep-seated sense that he is controlled by life circumstances. His ultimate unconscious conclusion could be that he has little control over his own destiny, and this may reinforce his desire to seek control of his own destiny. Control of future events drives him. In its response to being controlled by so many factors, Anakin’s nature is to attempt to control as much as possible, even things far outside his ability to control. When under stress, people tend to seek ways of gaining control, sometimes even using magical thinking. Before he leaves his mother to train as a Jedi, we get a clear glimpse into Anakin’s heart as he says, “I will come back and free you … I promise.” Although the sentiment is beautiful, we are able to see the pressure this 10-year-old child places on himself. No child should feel that he is responsible for saving his parent. Perfectionism has been described as a kind of neurosis that pushes someone to achieve severe and exacting goals. A subtype of perfectionism in children has been identified as “pervasive perfectionism.” Such individuals are very well organized and tend to set incredibly high personal standards. However, these individuals often react strongly and very negatively to mistakes in a way that results in anger outbursts or meltdowns. Pervasively perfectionistic children tend to have parents who have high expectations of them or are often very critical (think about the Emperor as Anakin’s father figure with unreasonably high expectations). Having such a perfectionist manner of thinking leaves a person with unavoidable failure as nobody can be perfect, not even one who expected to bring balance to the Force. Having repeated experiences of failure plus never feeling a sense of perfect completion can leave one feeling defeated, shameful, and guilty. Individuals who tend toward perfection often develop a dichotomous way of thinking that is very moralistic. Anakin, as he turns to the dark side, surmises his dichotomous manner of thinking by stating, “If you’re not with me, then you are my enemy.” Obi-Wan responds to the Sith way of thinking by stating, “Only a Sith deals in absolutes.” The Story of Anxiety and Fear in Vader’s Life Anxiety is a powerful force, one required for survival. Anxiety is a more modern term for a base emotion we know as fear. Fear affects all the parts of our brains but especially the limbic system and a little area called the amygdala. When researchers electrically stimulate the amygdala, individuals can immediately experience a fear response and demonstrate all the symptoms of fear, including sweating and a rapid heart rate. Human beings need this fear response especially when living in caves with lions, tigers, and bears as their adversaries. With the fear response, heart rate goes up, breathing quickens, and blood flow moves to the extremities, placing us in a ready state to fight or run. This state is often called fight or flight. In the physical body’s effort to survive, it will attempt to control the external environment in any way possible even if that requires jumping out of the way of a car, fighting off a perceived attack, or jumping onto a robot that hovers over lava. In an increasingly stress-filled world, people’s bodies often invoke the fight-or-flight response as the biological self perceives an existential threat despite the absence of such a threat. Examples of this can include public speaking and taking a test, which for some people can result in sheer panic. An underlying propensity for anxiety or a perfectionistic style can fuel the fight-or-flight response and makes us believe in the little “brain lies” that can cause us to think we must control variables that are far beyond our control. Stressed brains seek control over stressors, real or imagined. Fear and the need to control external events repeatedly arise in Anakin’s personality. He fears for his mother and feels the need to return to Tatooine to free her. He also fears the loss and potential death of Padmé, the woman he loves, after a blaster hit causes her to fall from a Republic gunship during the chase for Count Dooku. Ben Kenobi embarrassingly challenges and reprimands Anakin so that his Padawan will remain focused on the mission. Anger and frustration are clearly evident in Anakin’s face. His heart is with Padmé and cannot be in two places at once. In this moment, he loses sight of the mission because of his fear for Padmé’s safety. A true Jedi would release his fear and not allow emotions to cloud his judgment. A similar display manifests during the Jedi rescue mission against General Grievous’s ship. As Ben and Anakin are trying to rescue the Chancellor, Anakin wants to break off the attack to help save the clone pilots who were being slaughtered behind him. At every turn, Anakin demonstrates his core of fear and unreasonable goal setting. He repeatedly experiences the pull to save others to prevent bad things from happening. Ultimately, the variables that he strives to control grow into the most unreasonable and unattainable goal of all: the establishment of peace and order throughout the galaxy. As Anakin attempts to control seen, unforeseen, and imagined tragic life and galactic events, he experiences failure time and time again. Anakin fits the model of the “pervasive perfectionist.” He increasingly responds with anger and ultimately rage. He perceives himself as having failed his mother by not saving her from the Sand People. Imagine the personal sense of failure when she dies in his arms. His response to this perceived self-imposed failure is to react with rage in an attempt to seek moralistic justice by killing an entire village of Sand People, including women and children. More failures ensue, and Anakin focuses on them, building further on his increasing lack of control. Instead of looking inward, focusing on his emotions, and being mindful of the moment and his purpose, he externalizes and emotionally reacts with little thought to his underlying fears and anxiety. Over and over he runs into variables he cannot control, and this plants more seeds of anxiety, doubt, and fear. Hope of Redemption I grew up in an abusive household where I would be physically attacked for even minor infractions. For a child struggling to see the best in people, finding coping mechanisms in the midst of this upbringing was incredibly difficult. Seeing Return of the Jedi seems to be the only thing that got me through my childhood. Star Wars became a coping mechanism and gave me hope that things could be better. The familial relationship between Luke and Vader is the most tortured I could imagine, but Luke never gave up hope that there was good within his father. The moment Vader comes back to the light and saves his son was always a teary-eyed catharsis for me. If Vader could come back from such ugliness, maybe my dad could, too. It took me years to decode why Return of the Jedi was my favorite part of the saga, but once I connected the dots, it made sense. I just wish I would have had someone there to point it out to me sooner. That’s why I tell this story often, to show that Star Wars helps. And for the little boy I used to be, it was the only help I had. The culmination of his anger that is based on fear and doubt is a physical assault against his wife. As Anakin’s fear increases, his anxiety escalates, resulting in an intensification of his desire for external control. This never-ending cycle is what leads him down the path to the dark side. Vader on the Psychoanalytic Couch Our emotions are complicated. Sometimes we don’t even have the words to express accurately the way we are feeling. This lack of emotional language can be very hard for kids, particularly for boys. An example of confusing emotions would be when someone is both angry and sad. It would be hard to come up with words to explain the emotion other than “sangry.” Even adults can emotionally revert to this childlike feeling. The best visual of such an emotion is when Luke responds to the knowledge that Darth Vader is truly his father. We see and hear shock, anger, sadness, and fear all at once expressed in Luke’s face and his tortured scream. One model of understanding complicated and even competing emotions is to think about our emotions in four boxes: (1) mad, (2) sad, (3) worry, and (4) happy. When mad, we are typically being blocked by something that has been placed in our way. Anakin is mad that he is refused permission to sit on the Jedi Council. The Jedi have blocked his way. But worry is why Anakin ultimately becomes Darth Vader. Worry is seated in a person’s desire to control the unknown. People are unable to control the past or the future, but those who remain firmly rooted in the present can manage their circumstances more effectively. Yoda and many other Jedi stay rooted in the present. Yoda once tells Luke, “Difficult to see. Always in motion the future.” I like to rewrite the quote as “Difficult to see. Always emotion the future.” Darth Vader’s emotions cloud his judgment, and this focuses his mind and heart on the future and the past, not on the present. Anakin was not mindful of the present as Sidious gained greater control over him through lies and deceit. If Anakin had been more aware of his complicated emotions and the way fear ruled his life, he might have become more aware of the dire circumstances that held him within the grip of the dark side. Being mindful of the present may have resulted in the destruction of Sidious rather than the destruction of Vader’s own life by his own turning to the dark side. With You Always Star Wars is just a movie series, not a real story, but we can still dream it all happened. Although the films have a nice, tidy ending as Anakin returns to the fold and dies in his son’s arms, we are left with a complicated picture of a little gifted boy who turned to the dark side. The character of Darth Vader has fascinated us and will continue to fascinate us for generations to come. It is all too easy to cast a blanket commentary on Darth Vader by calling him out as bad or even evil. We similarly can name the white-dressed princess as good and pure. Such simplistic and dichotomous thinking can cause us to miss the great emotional depth of the characters in Star Wars. These characters are complicated, real, and relevant to our lives. Good people can be bad. Bad people can be mean but also have great aspirations. Darth Vader does a lot of bad stuff because he is scared. And he’s really cool, too! Thanks, Dad.