#star wars rebels is so WILD when you compare it to everything else star wars

[bonaesperanza]

Hm, I think that he always meant to use the Defenders exclusively in Lesser Space, and I do think that they're still tactically sound from the perspective of trying to balance the Empire's needs with the Ascendancy's.

Yeah, they're useless for traveling through the Chaos, but they free up some of the capital ships to be sent to the Chaos. The situation as it is requires the capital ships to carry around the TIEs - if the TIEs can fly circles around everything else and travel through hyperspace on their own, and if what they're typically facing are much smaller and more guerilla-warfare-oriented Rebel forces, this would free up some quantity of larger ships to be sent to the Ascendancy without compromising the Empire's safety. Because if you sent away anything you needed back home the Rebels would just take advantage of it and rise up again, and even the potential for that to happen would mean that the Empire top dogs would not agree to give the Ascendancy anything.

And if he can't come up with anything else but the TIE Defenders, it's either them or the Death Star, and the Death Star is even more useless for protecting the Ascendancy or for any other defensive purpose really.

All this excluding the possibility that he perhaps intended to somehow lure the Grysk into lesser space and fight them there (which would make it a lot easiers to convince the Imperials to fight them, especially since they were basically scouting out Lesser Space anyway), which kind of aligns with his "two guys meet a wild beast that wants to eat them, should they unite or should one throw the other one to the beast" metaphor. Or even just prevent them from gaining footing in the Empire so they can't use its military resources against the Chiss.

As for Palpatine, from the audience's perspective I agree with you, Palpatine would have screwed him over and Thrawn should be thanking Ezra profusely, but from Thrawn's perspective, none of those things are actually widely known about Palpatine in-universe. Palpatine isn't outed as a Force user, and the in-universe narrative is that the Jedi attempted a coup. Even if you were suspicious about that particular narrative, you'd be more likely to assume that Palpatine eliminated a powerful opposing faction that could present political problems down the line than that he hates all Force users because they're Force users and he's an evil wizard. A group of little girls with no offensive capability can't present a political or military threat in itself, from Thrawn's POV, so he chose to compromise the secret to save some lives. It was still not a particularly good decision because there's a reason that was a secret in the first place but it was the best one that he had.

BUT I'll say that Thrawn is remarkably incurious about Palpatine's motivations and the whole chain of events that led to him becoming Emperor - at some point in Alliances he goes, "Hmmm, isn't it weird how this war doesn't really have much of a logical cause" to Padmé but it doesn't ever occur to him to follow up on that when he comes to the Empire, or on whatever happened to the Jedi and WHY. Compare and contrast this to his interest in the Death Star or even the Clone Wars technology. He just sees politics and automatically zones out it seems. Which is stupid because it's the politics that will decide whether the Empire wants to help the Ascendancy in the first place.

I feel like the Grysk work way better than the Yuuzhan Vong as the "nebulous threat" that Thrawn is fighting against because they are clearly tailor made to highlight how wrong Thrawn can be due to his own personal weaknesses.

The entire plot of the Ascendancy trilogy is the Grysk gaining footing through 100% political means - they use espionage to discover the internal divisions and weak points of a country's political system and then attack that, an issue that is probably better addressed through collaboration and the strengthening of the country's political culture and institutions (the Chiss are so quick to abandon their national interests in the face of internal divisions). Thrawn wins every single battle in that trilogy and yet everyone, including himself, is way worse off than where they started and at great risk from the Grysks simply because the Chiss political system is so unstable and because their culture sees collaboration with other races as fundamentally undesirable.

And what Thrawn, who is also either incapable of or completely uninterested in thinking about politics, concludes from all this is, "Ah, yes, this is a problem that can only be solved by throwing more military power at it. Preferably military power run by an authoritarian state that tries to eradicate any trace of political pluralism, because that will make them less vulnerable to the exploitation of the political actors' rivalries and personal interests."

And then he spends, what, fifteen years working with people like Tarkin and Krennic, while having to constantly extinguish rebellions that are popping up everywhere due to the Empire's oppressive policies, and still somehow thinks that the Grysks wouldn't be able to deal with the Empire easily. The Empire that didn't even need them to topple itself through internal conflict in less than a generation - if the Grysks wanted to conquer it, all they'd have to do is wait.

And after reading Lesser Evil I really think that at least part of it is due to some personal drives/needs he's not self-aware enough to address: he says it point-blank that he never believed the Ascendancy would give him an admiralship, and you see hints of his constant frustration at people not understanding him and him having to teach them (sometimes from a position of less power than they have, sometimes when they really don't care to be taught) both through Thrass's POV and through his very slight (but noticeable by his standards) emotional unraveling by the end of the book (e.s. the scene with Unghali where he gets all angry and scary).

Because he has never naturally arrived at the limit of his own competence but was always hamstrung by others, he has no means of differentiating between when he's theoretically right but the politics are obstructing him and when he's actually wrong and the solution is outside of his sphere of competence.

So of course that a political system where being a flag officer means that he gets to do whatever the fuck he wants as long as he convinces one guy of it, where he gets to teach people how to think better and pick only them for positions of power, in a country with no pesky norms about preemptive strikes that he constantly needs to rule lawyer around, sounds appealing.

It's not just about the Ascendancy now, it's also about showing what he can do when not too obstructed, and it's also the first time he has enough free reign to slam headfirst into the big wall of his own lack of capacity or desire to understand politics. But hey, at least he's free to fuck around and find out, not feeling constantly frustrated and overly controlled!

Truly the most character of all time, I love it. People complain about how Zahn babygirlified him in the new canon books just because they're from his POV when switching out the Vong for the Grysk makes him more unambiguously wrong than he was in Legends (where you got other people like Jacen Solo following the same rationale).

[perfectharmonyloveschaos]

I have to wonder as the Rebellion went on... did the Spectres become somewhat of a legend between the Rebels? Like because of the level of secrecy with the Rebellion different cells probably only heard of one another until the Battle of Yavin and after, but some rebels straight up don't think that the Spectres are actually a thing which ties into them basically being Ghosts.

Like people know that Hera is General Syndulla and have seen a Lasat walking around and a C1-10P astromech murdering people's kneecaps if they get in its way but most people thought it was a coincidence until Luke appeared and suddenly people started to question if ALL the crazy stories of the rebellion, include that of the SPECTRES, were real??

They were one of the first few rebel cells, lead by the daughter of a Clone Wars legend who is supposedly better than Luke and Han at flying and could literally fly through everything that was a married to one of the last few Jedi but anyone who is still alive that remembers him doesnt want to engage in gossip so people question if Kanan was actually real even with Jacen around. AND their crew was made up of a supposed extinct Lasat warrior and his ex-ISB agent boyfriend who escaped the empire after playing a part in the genocide of said Lasats but who also was responsible for warning the early rebellion to avoid them being decimated, a Mandalorian artist who was the Manda'lor at some point and played a major role in uniting the remaining jedi and mandalorians, the first Jedi padawan in nearly 20 years at that point who supposedly was so powerful he took out the Empire's greatest strategist and his entire FLEET with a ragtag group of criminals and a pod of SPACE WHALES, who ended the Clone Wars with a simple conversation and common sense, who TIME-TRAVELLED using a magic force gods moving painting, and who survived smack-talking DARTH FUCKING VADER, EMPEROR PALPATINE AND LIKE TEN INQUISITORS AS A TEENAGER and a astromech with the highest body count of the entire rebellion.

Like tell me people didn't believe it was just Rebellion propaganda. Especially Luke since Yoda told him that he was the last Jedi until he was face to face with Ezra, Ahsoka, Grogu etc and just side-eyes Force-Ghost Yoda like "technicality, spoke of i did".

Can you imagine Luke and Han running into the Ghost Crew and being like "you're real???!" and Leia just takes the caf that Hera offers her behind them and shrugs just saying "I told you...". Like Leia and Chewbacca knew the Ghost Crew either as themselves or through friends informing them on them but just let Luke and Han convince themselves they weren't real because everything they did sounds so ridiculous unless you were there.

[bedlamsbard]

@comentter asked about the TCW series finale

Sorry if I don't remember, but did you ever talk about the last 2 episodes of TCW? I only remember the motion capture thing from the first 2 of the arc. I was annoyed at the changes to the story they previously established in the novel and Rebels (which included Rex and Ahsoka splitting up) and for some reason I can't figure out, it didn't feel like a real ending to me...

I don’t think I’ve talked about it past expressing my annoyance about using Sam Jackson!Mace and Hayden Christensen!Anakin during Ahsoka’s vision. (WHICH I AM VERY ANNOYED ABOUT.)

I don’t have particularly strong feelings about Shattered/Victory & Death -- I think they’re two of the better episodes of S7, but I think S7 is honestly the weakest of all TCW as far as theme and story arc go.  They are also, unfortunately, probably the most aggravating case in S7 of throwing out previously established canon from Johnston’s Ahsoka novel and from Rebels.  And like, there’s not really all that much to throw out! So you mostly have to work to do it!

(Under a cut because this got long and honestly I probably forgot stuff since I haven’t rewatched in a while.)

The big difference is, obviously, the change in location from Mandalore (I believe the novel either strongly implies or outright states it’s in the middle of the battle?) to the ship.  Putting aside Filoni’s comments from SWCE a few years ago about Ahsoka teaming up with giant wolves (I think it’s extremely likely that that was wistful thinking and concept art on his part, rather than George Lucas’s actual plan), the advantage of putting Order 66 on a star destroyer in hyperspace is that it’s about as confined a space as you can get with no escape.  And that works pretty well in the actual episodes -- it’s a nice callback to “Brain Invaders,” as well, though I’m not sure it was done deliberately.  It also limits the number of moving parts available, so rather than having to worry about Mandalorians on both sides (and civilians...would have liked to see those in the Siege eps...that’s a different rant), all that the audience has to worry about are Ahsoka (and Rex, later on), the clones, and the wild card, Maul. Which admittedly is done very well -- like, the way the clones turn on Ahsoka?  Terrifying!  I don’t think they really played into the claustrophobic atmosphere of being trapped on a ship in hyperspace with no way out enough; I actually do think Brain Invaders and A Test of Strength, and even the flashback scenes in Jedi Fallen Order, did it better.  (Not even ONE scene of crawling through the vents? are you even Star Wars?)  On the one hand, it’s been done before, do you really have to do it again?  On the other...y’all made the decision to do this.

I actually hate that Ahsoka has the ~vision of Anakin’s fall -- it’s very jarring, it makes no continuity sense (in all honesty, it’s the sort of thing I’d expect from the ST, so maybe in that context it does make continuity sense, lol), and I think to some extent that it weakens her later reaction to Vader/Anakin?  Also, as I’ve said before I’m very, very aural and pretty sensitive to character voices: the decision to use Jackson!Mace and Christensen!Anakin, even with Hayden transitioning into Matt Lanter, threw me out so badly that the scene lost all emotional impact.  This is a me problem.  Most people I know were just happy that Hayden was getting acknowledged.  Which is honestly not a great storytelling method, we want to tell the story and not acknowledge other actors. But again: this is a me problem.

I really do love the rising sense of tension from the beginning of the episode to the actual Order 66 moment.  It’s just genuinely terrifying, since the audience knows what’s coming all along.

Maul -- *flips hand*  I love Maul.  I think these two eps did a really good job at showing how terrifying Maul can be, even without a lightsaber -- especially without a lightsaber, rather.  I was a little hesitant initially about Maul being able to destroy the hyperdrive with the Force alone, but after thinking about it for a day or so (back when the ep aired, last May) I was fine with it.  I think Maul’s the one character for whom that kind of sheer power is believable, going back to his TCW debut -- if you ever look at spider-Maul closely (and Sam and Dave talk about this in the commentary to that arc), you’ll notice that some of the pieces of metal on his spider body aren’t actually attached, they’re hovering nearby; he’s holding his spider body together with the Force itself.

Rex. The other big departure from canon, because of his “we all had a choice / I didn’t betray my Jedi” comments in Rebels.  From a storytelling POV, this is the most dramatic possible route to go, and it makes sense that they did it.  I think it was either @alexkablob or @mylordshesacactus who said back when that it works well that Rex can’t shake off the command from the chip, that none of the clones are immune to it, because otherwise it looks like none of the other clones cared as much about their Jedi as Rex did about Ahsoka.  I do genuinely wonder if back in the original plan for the remaining two seasons of TCW, there was a scene where Rex had his chip removed, given that comment from Rebels. (And I’ve talked before about changes made from the ~original TCW scripts used for the Rebels backstory to the actual S7 and Mando, though admittedly in that context it was about Ahsoka.)  If originally the plan was for the Order 66 sequence to take place on Mandalore, then that suggests the unlikelihood (though not impossiblity) of Rex and Ahsoka removing his chip.  Given the arcs that we actually got in S7 there was no place to do it...I really do wonder what was in some of the scripts that have been talked about elsewhere but didn’t make the cut for S7.

(God, the one I actually really wanted was the Rex and Artoo’s Excellent Adventure one, I’ll be bitter about this forever.)

I assume Ahsoka and Rex split up afterwards -- the fake grave from Ahsoka was kind of weird to me, tbh, so I’m fine with them not going that way, but.  *shrug*  It is what it is.

The end is...fine. Like, emotional!  I had an emotion! They wanted me to have an emotion! My TCW and Ahsoka feelings have been broken for a while now so my emotions definitely were not what they would have been even two or three years ago.  (And I mean this by when the ep actually aired, not what my emotions are now; they haven’t really changed that much.  Well, my resentment grew, but it is what it is.)

I think...I just recently saw again the comment from Filoni about this, so it’s on my mind -- one of the major problems with S7 across the board, and honestly highlighted in the finale (which, again, is great), is that according to Filoni, TCW was always about Rex and Ahsoka, so S7 had to be about Rex, then about Ahsoka, then about Rex and Ahsoka, together.

TCW is not about Rex and Ahsoka.

That’s not to say that Rex and Ahsoka aren’t main characters, because manifestly they are, but the previous six seasons of TCW are not about Rex and Ahsoka.  At its core, TCW is about Anakin Skywalker, in the same way that the PT is about Anakin Skywalker (and the OT, to a different extent); TCW’s big strength compared to the films, however, has always been that it has the space to go beyond Anakin’s immediate story and deal with everything else going on in the galaxy, some of which overlaps with Anakin and some of which doesn’t.  The choice to make S7 three four-episode arcs has the side effect of narrowing the universe and limiting the stories told -- S6 is, I think, only one ep longer but feels like it’s a full season, because it’s a mixed bag of arcs of varying lengths, with a number of different foci.  Some of the claustrophobic feel of the focus on Rex and Ahsoka works for the finale because of the actual setting of the episodes, on the very claustrophobic ship, but on the other hand...thematically the whole season feels off because Filoni’s interests are very different from Lucas’s (and while we all love to give Filoni credit for everything in TCW, Lucas was showrunning it and all the really weird and controversial stuff in TCW, including Ahsoka, Satine, Mortis, and Maul, all came straight from George Lucas).  The finale feels aggressively narrow as a result -- which on the one hand, works, because yeah, it’s kind of neat and makes sense that Rex and Ahsoka don’t know anything else about what’s going on in the larger galaxy or if anyone else is alive.  On the other hand, it...doesn’t work.  (For me, obvs! Your mileage will vary!)

[mandareeboo]

Unfinished Work #24: “Opposite Axes”

Wellll this is less ‘unfinished’ as it is ‘I’mma have to rework the SHIT out of this bc of the special and I can’t NOT put my beautiful Sunstone and co in there somewhere’ so I’mma probably scrap this part of my third in line of the Steven and Fam Fusion Musical Show and redo from step one.

Title: Opposite Axes

"Absolutely not. There's growth and then there's insanity."

"Oh, let's give it a chance, Yellow," Blue pleaded, one hand cupped over her mouth thoughtfully. "Steven's already brought us so many interesting proposals. What's wrong with this one?"

"Interesting?" Yellow repeated dubiously. "Era 3 has been a massive failure so far. Production has gone down by over forty percent!"

"Yes, but they're so much happier."

"They won't be happier when we have no more planet to live on!"

Steven's ears were ringing as the Diamonds' voices began to lift. He puckered his lips and whistled. "Look, I know I'm no good at stats like Pearl is- who, by the way, really wanted to do this presentation, and the fact that you won't even let her in the room is extremely rude-"

"Do you know how undignified it'd be if we-"

"But," he plowed over her. "This will expand production enough to make up for lost time. Pearls are far less destructive to create, and they can be beneficial in so many fields! Just imagine how many happy faces with pointy noses we could make!"

Yellow sighed and pinched the junction of her nose. "It concerns me that we've come to a point where this is making sense," she said wearily. "Listen, Steven. Having an Era 3 Pearl being made without typical refineries and allowed to run wild can cause a lot of trouble for all of us. Especially compared to the older models. We could face a full-on revolution."

"It'd kind of be one we'd deserve, don't you think?"

"Perhaps. But you know as well as I do that there are many Era 1 and 2 Gems who would still leap at the chance to be shattered to protect us. We'd be causing dustshed all across Homeworld."

"I wonder," Blue said, "What an unrefined Pearl would look like?"

"It doesn't matter what they look like," Steven stressed. "What matters is that this is the safest option- for us and for the rest of the galaxy."

"How do you know what's safe or what isn't?" Yellow challenged. "I understand that you were raised with different values, but you can't force change overnight and expect it to right everything."

"I've been working with Homeworld for three years!"

"Three years?" The Diamond stood up, running her fingers through her hair. "Stars help us, it's only been three years. How did we manage to go from galactic superpower to galactic embarrassment in three years?"

Blue took her arm. "Perhaps we should adjourn for now."

"That might be for the best," she reluctantly agreed. Yellow clapped her hands. "That will be all, Steven."

Steven saluted the typical Earth salute, turning away. Frustration bubbled just below the surface, but yelling at Yellow and Blue rarely seemed to do much good. It usually just made it all drag out more.

"He's so different from her," he overheard Blue murmur on the way out. "Yellow, what if he never remembers being Pink?"

Yellow's eyes fluttered shut. "I'm not willing to consider that option, Blue."

Overall, Steven spent the least amount of time on Homeworld as physically possible. As important as maintaining connections was, especially as the fully realized Ambassador of Earth (and, as some Gems felt the need to tack on, Keeper of a Diamond's Stone), there was something about the hard planes and structures that had never quite sat right with him. Unfortunately, Steven couldn't stay away very much anymore, seeing how pivotal his voice was for Era 3.

It had been two weeks since he'd stopped by the beach house, and it was of very little surprise to him that no one else was around when he warped inside- save for Bismuth, of course, who even after almost half a decade of peace refused to even contemplate returning to Homeworld. She tended to the house while they were away, drawing up plans and designs for various Gem machines designed more for safety and protection than war. Not that her impressive sword collection ever had the slightest chance to grow dusty, as she built and sculpted them in her free time.

"Hey," she said, sequestering over half the couch with her size. "How'd it go?"

Steven groaned. "Politics are horrible."

"Yellow being a butthead again?"

He flopped down beside her. "I get why she does it. I do. She asks the questions, I answer, nobody can pull them out later and blindside us. But does she have to be so mean about it?"

"Sounds rough, buddy." Bismuth leaned over to nudge his shoulder. "Hit me up if you ever get sick of hurdles, alright? I'll make you something nice and sharp."

Steven smiled. Homeworld seemed like it was constantly moving in some way or another- hustle and bustle, destruction and construction, who White Diamond was not pleased with that particular day- but the Gems themselves didn't change. He hadn't changed. "Thanks, Bismuth."

He doesn't recall falling asleep.

Connie's official title was Protector of the Ambassador- which is overtly long and means almost nothing to anyone; but, in Homeworld's defense, the Gems have always gone by their type. They've never needed official titles before the Crystal Gems brought them home with them- but most of them just referred to her as The Connie. At thirteen, that had bothered her greatly. At sixteen, she hardly even noticed.

But a lot had changed in three simple years. Connie had nearly tripled in height, finding herself at the same height as Pearl. Her arms and face held a scattering of scars from various violent exchanges as debates had gone on- scars that Steven could have healed up, of course, but Connie had demanded they stay, noticing that the discolorations intimidated Gems. Maybe they were reminded of Jaspers when they saw the scratch that went from her lip and over her eye, or the deep line on her shoulder she had tattooed over with a single star- and, if so, they'd have every right to be frightened. Her sword, made by Bismuth, was swirled with pink and white like a Cookie Cat, tapered to her specific height, and hung carefully from her hip.

Another sign of change was the Gems who met her at the door- not Agates, but an Amethyst and a Ruby, who gave her a respectful salute and sheepish smiles. Connie saluted them back with the signature diamond shape before going inside.

"Diamonds," she greeted, not particularly worried by how they both snapped to attention as she strolled into the room. Connie felt bad for interrupting whatever private moment they'd been sharing, but duty is duty. "I just wanted to stop by and tell you Steven's gone back to Earth for a visit."

"Of course," Yellow said, bitter, as she rubbed at her eyelids. "Make a big speech before vanishing off the planet to goof around with his rebel friends. That's so typical."

"He wants us to bring Pearls into the workforce," Blue explained, as if Connie didn't already know.

"I'm aware, ma'am."

"You were trained by one, correct? What do you think of all of this?"

"I give the proposition my full support, ma'am," Connie said firmly. "No one has the right to tell anyone what they should be, and that's what Homeworld's done for centuries now. If you really wanna change, you have to go all the way."

"Where does that put us, then?" Yellow challenged. "Diamonds are created to rule. If we break all the barriers, what happens to our system?"

"No one ever said it wasn't going to be messy, ma'am."

Yellow seemed to sink under the weight of that statement. For once, it's Blue who says that's all. Connie saluted again and walked back out, wondering with a shake of her head if there had ever been a point to any of this.

Lion seems to enjoy hopping between her and Steven, taking random Ruby ships from Homeworld to Earth and back. Today he's waiting for her outside the palace, eager to get back to what could technically be called an apartment, if apartments didn't require rent or have basic plumbing. In it's own right, it's an honor they even built a room semi-suitable to human cohabitation in the first place for them. It was just a shame that they had such limited knowledge.

The apartment is a perfectly set rectangle in the wall of one of Homeworld's many spires. It's an ugly, washed out shade of blue- like the ocean but ten times less beautiful- and contains exactly one lump that she expected was supposed to be a bed or couch or both. Her parents had insisted on getting her a comfy armchair, which was a brown smudge in the corner. The cherry on top of the horrifyingly ugly color-nightmare was Captain Lars, snoring in said ugly brown chair, in said ugly blue room, his pastel pink skin glaring.

"Back from shipment?" she asked, dismounting Lion.

"Hmm?" Lars tipped his head back, reluctantly opening his eyes. "Oh. Hey. Yeah, I'm back."

"You sound ever so pleased about that."

"I'm bored. Whatever happened to cool boss fights and daring space chases?" He flicked his cape over his shoulder dramatically. "Now I just haul cargo. You're basically a door-holder, and Steven spends his days telling giant Diamonds that maybe people should be allowed to actually think for themselves."

"The cool boss fights and space chases didn't do as much as we hoped, I guess." Connie shrugged, setting her sword aside. "It just kind of evolved into this."

"Hey, I got my buddies to Earth just fine."

"I know, and it was awesome." A giggle erupted from her, remembering her involvement fondly. "They still tell stories about you in the public octagon. Especially the Emeralds."

Lars clicked his tongue and shot some finger guns her way.

[starwarshyperdrive]

My opinions after reading fan theories about ‘The Rise of Skywalker’

Let me start off once again by saying that I think Star Wars cannot be compared to Comic Book movies and predictions and speculations based on ‘it’s like in [insert random MCU movie]’ are therefor destined to fail. I wouldn’t normally post my prediction but I’ve seen sooo many wild speculations and unlikely predictions that I thought I should post it somewhere for the sake of ‘told you so’ later this year.

Apart from the Comic adaptations and to some extent the animated series Star Wars always stuck to a certain style of storytelling rooted in classical mythology. Joseph Campbell and all that ..blabla.. So even if books or episodes of Rebels ventured outside of this story structure, the movies always followed a certain style. 

The Last Jedi got a lot of hate, some justified, some completely out of place, but mostly for the wrong reasons. I have repeatedly spoken up about how I think that in some instances the dialogue doesn’t fit and shows too much of the writers handwriting. Same goes for the humor, much loathed by a lot of fans. Humor has always been a part of Star Wars and nothing will ever top the humor used in the prequels (battle droid humor is the worst), but the handwriting clearly shows and feels out of character. In a story like Star Wars the rules are pretty much set and you have to follow the flow of the characters and not the writers. And while we’re at it.. Maybe I got Aspergers or something but it bothers me a tiny bit that The Last Jedi doesn’t adhere to the established form of Star Wars titles. First part of the trilogy is 3 words (The Phantom Menace, A New Hope, The Force Awakens) , Third is 4 words that was pretty similar which is why I LOVE the EP9 title (Return of the Jedi, Revenge of the Sith, The Rise of Skywalker) and Second was supposed to be the same (The Empire Strikes Back, Attack of the Clones,..). So The Last Jedi feels even more like one writer/director doing his own thing. Don’t get me wrong. I love the movie, but so much could’ve been done more elegantly. The title feels more like the end or beginning of a trilogy. Back to the titles; now if we look at the abbreviations there is a beautiful rhyme to it: TPM-ANH-TFA, ROTS-ROTJ-TROS.. and AOTC-TESB- and .. TLJ which sounds much more like the set up of a trilogy. OK, I can see how someone might think ‘Is he seriously obsessing about that?’ Yes I am, and it’s one of the reasons I’m very happy with TROS restoring order in the galaxy far, far away..

POTENTIAL SPOILERS?

A lot of people seem to think Skywalker is the new title for Jedi and I’m just loosely quoting Collider here, which I usually wouldn’t do as their speculations have been a bit too wild for me in the past and their track record is not as high as they think themselves (no hard feelings though, they are doing a great job): ‘that makes no sense from a branding perspective, why would you change an established part of popular culture. everyone knows what a Jedi is’. I couldn’t agree more. I think we have to look more towards mythology once again. As much as they tried to retcon the name in recent books Skywalker is Shmiis last name. Take Buddhists or Christians for example. They are not followers of the religion of John Buddha or Joe Christ. Both were titles given to the respective prophets or gurus or whatever term for regions leader you prefer. So using that logic the term Jedi - from Jedi master or Jedi knight - makes a lot of sense. You could of course create some lengthy explanation and fashion something in the vain of ‘Lutheranism’ based on the name of the person who reformed the existing religion, but this has not happened in the movies. Not even in canon, so I think it’s highly unlikely. You always have to think of the general public and casual fans. JJ Abrams stated it himself. It has to appeal to everyone and work as a standalone movie. If too much exposition is needed, it’s not gonna work. And that’s not something you can put in an opening scroll. So...nope. 

Can Rey still be a Skywalker? Why not? After the BS Obi Wan told Luke we never can take anything at face value. I mean by now it’s kinda clear that there weren’t anything planned out properly but there are hints here and there that could or could not be used. Everyone was much too interested in ‘the girl’ all the time? why would Leia hug her, a complete stranger? why is Luke so curious who she is and then there is the ship in the trailer that seems to be the same that dropped her off on Jakku. The dark side cave showed her what she needed to see. Vader didn’t have Lukes face either. Symbolism, people! I really don’t wanna come up with my own fan theories now, but there are so many ways this could pan out and would work.

Can Kylo Ren be the Skywalker and have his redemption moment? I always said Kylo can not be redeemed and I’m still maintaining this position, but I’m willing to admit, there is ONE WAY this could work and I have read some rumors recently that seem to go in that direction. There is no way there is a happy ending of him and we see him frolicking around with a blue lightsaber and brown robes, but he could follow his grandfather and have a last minute sacrifice-himself-for-the-good moment, followed by his immediate demise. George Lucas is known for saying ‘it’s like poetry, it rhymes’, so there is that. as for him being the Skywalker, he has been introduced as Ben Solo. I don’t know a lot of people who take their uncles name after their parents get a divorce, so that makes no sense to me.

Reylo - I will not even dignify this with a response. She shut the door, what else do you need.

Who is rising? Luke Skywalker is obviously still in the picture and we’ve seen Anakin in his force ghost form. They were supposed to bring balance to the force. I don’t expect that we see the literal rise of Skywalker. ‘We’ve passed on all we know’.. My guess is, that it’s ‘just a title that sounds cool’ and refers to them becoming one with the force once the balance is finally restored.

UPDATE: The newly revealed German translation which can be retranslated as ‘the ascension of Skywalker’ backs my claim.

How is the emperor still alive? That’s easy. He isn’t. We see the ruins of the Death Star and Luke says ‘no one’s ever really gone’. There is all this Darth Plagueis talk about keeping someone from dying and the emperor was powerful. I think Ian McDiarmid was saying the truth when he quoted George Lucas saying ‘he is dead’. At the same time I think his spirit or essence is alive and was maybe even influencing Snoke. I don’t expect to see him in flesh, but he’ll probably be haunting them and might still have be pulling strings from the beyond. Some say ‘why would he wait so long’, but I don’t think time is relevant when you’re dead. Or he waited for a good vessel, or someone who is receptive for his low level radar signal of dark side force and Kylo was a good receptor.

What’s up with the TIE-fighter? I think it’s cut to deceive. Yes we see Kylos gloves. But is it from the same scene? A lot of fans argue that it’s a training sequence. We see Poe and Finn at the same location and as we all know both know how to fly a TIE-fighter, so it could be a stolen one - after all it’s to be expected the Resistance is short on equipment - so I’m taking a bet that it’s Poe or Finn and it’s just the magic of editing making it look as if it’s Kylo flying. We’ve seen similar in the The Last Jedi trailer. So, training sequence or something. Yeah, I can see that. Might as well be part of the fight, but why is he not shooting.

Can't wait for another trailer and more theories. Just remember: The higher the expectations the more likely the disappointment. Not everything will be explained, solved, make sense. Take it for what it is.

[x-reader-shipping]

Cherry Wine

There is like... no Caleb Brewster X Reader fics out there, so I had to remedy that. I am so ASHAMED. I /may/ turn this into a real fic.... If you like this, feel free to request your own!

The bonfire surges forward with the addition of another log, the flames licking ever closer to the heavens. Caleb adjusts his wide brimmed hat and leans more heavily against the stump he had been using as a backrest; his strength still minimal. The silence between the two of you is amiable, though you can tell he wants to shatter it, say something he’s had on his mind since his rescue. Ben had left you both in this abandoned shed in the woods, hoping to give Caleb time to heal from the horror his body had undergone under Simcoe’s ministrations, and had ordered you to use the medicinal knowledge you’d learned while living with a small Iroquois tribe at the northern most point of the colony.

The first night you had wrestled with his delirium, always patiently pressing his feverish body back into the large, straw-filled mattress near the fireplace. Sweaty curls clung to his forehead, swirling like wisps of smoke, his screams echoing through the quiet thicket you were camped in. As if by an act of Providence, you weren’t discovered during these fits. On the third night, the whaler’s fever finally broke, and he managed to breathe out your name through gritted teeth. With some maneuvering and a lot of praying, you managed to help Caleb to his feet.  He had offered you a weak smile as he slid to rest on the ground, relishing the cool night air as it filled his lungs.

That was how you had ended up blushing furiously in the firelight, ducking your head as you chewed thoughtfully on the last piece of roasted rabbit. Caleb’s steady brown eyes kept their focus trained on you, a hint of a smirk quirked his lips upward. You continued to chew, hoping to excuse yourself before the smuggler could continue with his current proposition. Of course, you couldn’t chew fast enough.

“Ya know, Y/N”, Caleb worried the marrow out of the leg bone he had been holding, “I’m not just askin’ because you saved me life, either. We’ve been tangling for some time now, either as friends on the battlefield, or fellow smugglers in the Sound... My heart’s always jumpin’ when you’re around.”

You sigh and set your dinner down, heart squeezing slightly at the hope in Caleb’s eyes; it’s open and unabashed and you can feel yourself being swept up. “Caleb, we’re in the middle of a war. There’s no time for thoughts like these, and what’s more….Ben...” You trail off at the man’s wince.

“Listen, I know I’m not Tallboy. I can never be what Ben is to you,” a shaky hand cards through the bushy beard at his chin, “Don’t look surprised. I’m actually pretty damn perceptive when I wanna be.”

You try your hardest to close your mouth, but the disbelief is etched there. How had Caleb known? “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Brewster. Benjamin Tallmadge is my commanding officer and friend. I suppose if you mean in the terms of you holding rank above me, then no...you will never be what Ben is to me,” You try to turn your tone lighthearted, “In fact, I’m pretty sure I’ll outrank you by the end of this.”

“Cute. But not what I mean,” Caleb tries again, “You say his name while you sleep, you know?” His face becomes kind, pitying, “He may never return your feelings. Ben is…,” He sighs, “Tallboy is a league all his own. He’s a virgin for fuck’s sake. His work will always come first, and it’s not your fault.”

You scratch the back of your neck, all arguments dying on your tongue. It feels almost cathartic for someone else to know your secret, “I say his name?”

Caleb nods, pitching the bone into the fire, “You’ve been doing that for months now. If he were as red blooded as the rest of us... he would have made you his by now.”

You feel your cheeks heat at the implication, though you try to defend Ben, “Ben is just focused on winning, Washington has him running ragged. You’ve seen.”

“Aye” Caleb concedes, “But he’s runnin’ us the same way,” His tone becomes soft, “Alls I’m saying is you deserve something...someone waitin’ for you at the end of this war, and it might not be Bennyboy.”

You feel embarrassed tears prick at the backs of your eyes, you go to speak, but nothing falls from your parted lips.

“Like I said, I know I’m not...him. Never will be. But, I can make you happy. Just as much, maybe more.” Caleb’s tone turns pleading, “With me you’ll never have to wonder, I’ll always tell ya how absolutely perfect y’are. I’d never force you to be someone ya aren’t.” His accent becomes thicker the more desperate he becomes.

That catches your attention, “Ben has never forced me to be anyone other than who I am, and I don’t appreciate such an observation of your friend, Caleb.” Your tone is edging towards angry, and every muscle is prepared to head for the cabin, leaving Caleb to muse by the fire alone.

Two dirty hands are held out to you by way of surrendering, “I don’t mean it like that. Jus’ that you should be thinkin’ about what marrying Tallboy would even mean for you...”

You cock your head to the side, ready to argue once more, but the curiosity stops you.

When Caleb’s certain you aren’t going to hurl angry words at him, he continues, “Yeah, like...Benjamin Tallmadge…he’ll most likely be a Colonel by the end’a this war. Most likely have a thousand offers for a thousand fancy and important posts in the new government, if we win...”

Caleb’s eyes turn almost sad as he sees the realization painting your features, “So that means...”

“Aye,” Caleb explains, “He’ll be a real high society type. How’s he supposed to explain his wife’s native blood to a bunch’a powdered wigs who’ve never set foot off of their plantations?”

You run a hand through your hair, fingernails catching on a snarl; a piece of bramble falls into your lap, most likely from hunting earlier, “I hadn’t thought about it.”

Caleb nods,  “Plus, you love canoeing, and smearing squirrel brains on just about any wound big enough to merit the treatment,” His laugh is bright despite the harshness of the truth, “Do you think as Lady Tallmadge you’ll be able to enjoy any of the things that make you, you? Now, I love Bennyboy as much as you, but let’s face it you and I...we’re… wild inna way he never will be.”

A tear slips from the corner of your eye, tracing a clear line through the soot covering your thumb. You hadn’t considered that, hadn’t considered that even if Ben loved you, it may not be enough.

Finally, you find your voice, shaky as it is, “I would give it up. All of it, Caleb. I don’t love Ben with the intention of making myself happy. It’s for him. All of it. My taking up the cause, my services both on and off the field, my friendship. It has never been about me.”

Caleb nods, scrubbing at his beard thoughtfully. It’s quiet for a time, and you think that maybe that’s the end of it. The end of Caleb’s love and your pathetic scrambling in defense of Ben Tallmadge, your defense of what your heart is starting to believe is foolish.

“I just want you to know, you have options,” Caleb’s voice is sweet and soft, the way you imagined it could be when entertaining the idea of being with him instead, “You don’t need to wait for Ben to get his head outta his arse. You don’t need to go back to your tribe at the end of this. You don’t need to walk between worlds anymore,” The Smuggler suddenly becomes very interested in the dirt under his nail, “I’ll love you, always. When there’s sun in your eyes and sea spray in your hair, when there’s blood covering you from head to toe and you’re searching for your tomahawk in the middle of a battle, when you’re begging for Ben in your sleep...I’ll always love you.”

Caleb goes quiet after that, offering the fire an uncharacteristically watery smile before dragging himself to his feet. You move to help him, but he waves you off, choosing to instead limp gingerly to the shack. You let him go, mind reeling from the conversation you’ve both just had. The only word that could come to mind was ‘impossible’. Everything about your life seemed impossible. Your kidnapping and upbringing by the tribe that had invaded your town, your secret enlistment into the rebel army, your love for Ben Tallmadge and the life that could follow.

--------

The stars shift in the sky, and the fire begins to burn low. You should have gone in to bed hours ago, but Caleb’s confession hangs heavy in your mind. He had been so earnest, his eyes shining in a way you had never seen before. Something in your gut roils at the memory, pushing your heart into over drive. You hadn’t imagined a life apart from Ben, whereever he ordered you, you would happily go; you would follow him into hell if he so chose.

But Caleb, he would never ask that of you, would never ask you to be anything other than what you are. Suddenly, whiskey brown eyes seemed comparable to the ocean blue you had come to adore. Unexpectedly, a chill ran up your spine at the thought of losing the booming laughter and sarcastic remarks you hadn’t realized were now part of your daily routine. You may not ever love Caleb precisely the way you love Ben, but you could try to love your friend in a way unique only to him. Ben Tallmadge would always be as beautiful to you as a marble statue, something to reverently worship, but Caleb Brewster was warm and alive, like the sunlight; familiar and comforting.

With your resolve steeled, you buried the coals of the campfire, hoping they would stay warm enough to stoke to life in the morning. Your feet carried you along the same path that Caleb had cut through the long grass earlier, your heart rested in your throat, hands trembling as you opened the door to the cabin. The soft glow at the hearth and Caleb’s light snoring greeted you. You toed your boots off loudly, hoping to stir Caleb from his sleeping. A shift in the sheets of his sickbed confirmed that you were at least marginally successful in your mission.

Caleb sat up in bed, shirtless and wild haired, his voice thick with sleep, “Y/N, what’re ya doing?”

Bare feet carried you passed your bed roll in the middle of the room and over to the owner of the husky voice. You stripped your outer layers as you went, scattering the clothing in a trail behind you. When you reached the bed Caleb was occupying, you were clad in nothing more than your soft, white slip. “I’m exploring my options.” You whisper, bringing yourself ever closer to the courier.

Cautiously, Caleb slides his fingers through your hair, careful to comb through the snarls with nothing but gentleness, “You are so beautiful. I’ve always thought that,” He curls his hand around the back of your neck, “Is this alright, love? I don’t want you to think I’m takin’ liberties.”

You nod and allow your lips to be captured by his. The kiss is sweet, filling your chest with something you’ve never felt before. You both break away for a moment when you whisper, “Take them.”

Caleb groans somewhere deep in his chest, wrestling you into bed with him. You feel his tongue slide along the seam of your lips, and you part them slightly to the intrusion. He tastes of rum and smoke. He tastes of promises and freedom.