#sw galaxy of heroes

[vampirerobot]

[intermundia]

thinking again about how the idea of anakin kind of haunts the OT, how he's a story to his son and a ghost to obi-wan, both present and absent whenever darth vader's on screen. he seems like a myth inside a myth, a figure belonging to a lost golden age, a hero story of old. i think it's kinda why the prequels feel so profoundly mythic to me, they're like one step beyond the hero's journey, filling out an implied pantheon in the OT stories. the fall of the republic feels kind of like a titanomachy, battles of an older generation of gods.

it's like anakin is a heroic precursor, whose brief, golden life in the light was coextensive with our brief glimpse in the films of that civilized world that was lost with his fall. that lost identity is just one step higher and beyond into the realm of legend, the realm of the jedi, when the world was good and noble, with honor and justice. darth vader may roam among the OT heroes but anakin lingers in the story as a story until the very end, when he returns to destroy the last of the titanic elder generation, making way for the new age of heroes.

[thora-sniper]

Why this new Ezra model have so Fett shape in SWGOH?

[magicdashworkss]

oh…i love it …

Mark is perfect Luke Skywalker …

yes that why i love this film and him creation…

[yukipri]

The grind is FINALLY over!!!!

Ngl Empire is not my department in SW, and prior to playing SWGOH I would not have been able to name the Executor or Admiral Piett etc etc. However, my desire to remain sitting at No. 2 in my fleet shard won out, and made the Executor my priority farm😂

It does help that most of the farm were bounty hunters, including Boba and Bossk, who I wanted to level up anyway.

Anyway, I know it'll still take a few months of collecting shards to max it (I paid enough crystals to get it to 5* no more💀), but for now, Satisfaction!

My next big goal is going to be GAS, which I've about finished collecting shards of all requirements for. But it'll take me a while to get them up to relics, and before that, I want to prioritize beefing up my CLS team. They're all 7*s but I wasn't giving them much love.

(I also desperately want to relic up my clones, who are currently sitting at G12, but I feel like I should prioritize at least getting GAS, since I know he takes a while to collect shards afterwards...)

I feel like I should also go back and get the Revans, but I'm kinda wary bc I feel like they're prime targets for the next Lightspeed Bundles. Which. I've been getting them, and they're a great deal and useful, but. Makes putting the time and effort into some things feel stupid.

Anyway, roughly half a year? maybe? since starting SWGOH and here we are lmao

[lukeskywalkerfanart]

Take your time! You have the entire month to post at least one piece about Luke Skywalker related to this month’s theme! Dont’ forget to use the hashtag-

#YEAR OF LUKE 2023

[thora-sniper]

My main account in Star Wars Galaxy of Heroes names "Phee Genoa" and Tech is the most high level character from my Bad Batch squad now. I need to make them all strong but it's a long way to rise units in this game.

I was using random name about six month before I decided change it to some more comfortable for my, more close. And Phee was one of main women characters wich was not so standard. And she is not playable as Merrin for example.

I'm going to jump in on the Phee positivity (or positiviPHEE) train after...certain opinions have been aired.

And since those certain opinions were from an autistic perspective, I thought I'd add my own autistic perspective.

I. Love. Phee.

My cat's name is Phee. Phee is one of my top Star Wars characters. I shoved her into one of my longfics as soon as I could.

And her relationship with Tech gave me a lot of hope for my own romantic prospects as an autistic person.

I love that Phee invites Tech to be present. I love the look on his face when he watches her leave to put the artifact away. I love that she was a trusted enough person for Tech to talk to about Crosshair at length with. I love that when it's clear that Tech isn't going to give her the goodbye she expects, she backs off. I love that her love for Tech expanded into loving and helping the Bad Batch.

And even by herself she's SO COOL. She goes and finds artifacts that were stolen from cultures on Pabu and brings them back??? She is a super cool pilot??? She is ride or die for the people she cares about??? She's confident and sassy??? She has a SWORD???

So yeah. Phee is great. She means a lot to me. I hope we see her more in the last 3 episodes.

[cruella1989]

Star Wars 30 Challenge

Day 5. Favorite Game

Another easy one. Star Wars Galaxy of Heroes.

It’s a fun strategy game, with a lot creative behind it, and good graphics. On a personal note, I’ve made a lot of friends playing it, and some of my best memories involve this games.

Day 1. Favorite Character

Day 2. Favorite Movie

Day 3. Favorite Show

Day 4. Favorite Trilogy

[galactic-rhea]

In an alternative universe instead of lightsaber duels, SW is all about dance battles ala Footloose and Dirty Dancing

Which also means that Windu lost a dance battle to Palpatine just because Anakin stopped the music or something like that

And also means that Anakin just danced against a bunch of kids. Agressively breakdanced against a bunch of kids.

And it also means that Obi-Wan and Anakin had an epic Dance of The Heros surrounded by lava. The most epic Tango of the Galaxy.

The empire was like what happened in Trolls 2, with the Punk/Rock trolls trying to force everyone else to only like Rock, which in SW i guess is called Rick.

[skywalkr-nberrie]

Padmé having such unwavering faith and pride in Anakin’s abilities, who he is as a person, basically being a supportive wife, and the way she hypes her man up so much is ridiculously cute.

Anakin in his nature is a hero, he wants to save everyone, and fix everything. This doesn’t change, in fact it escalates, when the topic is ‘saving his wife.’ Anakin tells her he can’t just sit around and do “nothing” while he has visions of her dying in childbirth, and her fondly looking to him and admiringly saying that she knows he wouldn’t, that he’s a hero, and that’s what heroes do. (Revenge of the Sith excerpt.)

One of favourite moments in the SW novels (Secrets of the Jedi) Padmé going on a mission of her own choice alongside Anakin, knowing how dangerous it could be, but deciding to go anyway because she knew the “strongest Jedi” was going to be there to protect her 😏 (with added extra teasing to make Anakin jealous, because she’s just a girl and likes pushing her husbands buttons and seeing him become possessive 🤣) though we know she’s truly talking of Anakin when she responds to him saying “I won’t leave your side.” with her own “Don’t, I don’t want you to.” knowing full well that he’d do anything to protect her.

Then again in the Revenge of the Sith novel. She reassures him of how she believes he protect and save her from anything just as he was. She didn’t believe he needed more power, her confidence in his ability and power was firm, and unshakable.

And of course in the Brotherhood novel, on her date with Anakin (where they freak it in the back of a speeder 😏) they end up talking about politics and how to make the galaxy a better living place for all beings, Anakin sulking over not having a quick enough solution to help them, cue Padmé reassuring him that this was her arena and that he should remain her hit bodyguard husband whom she knows will keep her and everyone else safe,

✨ the pride oozing out of her entire heart. ✨

Bonus moment: in the Secrets of the Jedi novel where OW receives a distress signal from Padmé’s ship on the mission, and she calls for backup, but once the ships undergoes a huge attack, disconnecting her from the comlink, she only cries out for Anakin. Even when he’s not there or in sight, she seeks for his protection, and his arms to come save her ♥️

A pure love.

[classicanalyzer]

LEGO Star Wars Rebuild The Galaxy Thoughts

"Nothing makes sense, and everything's mixed up, and that's okay. Things fall apart, but maybe they can come back together better than before." Sig Greebling

Rebuild The Galaxy is my favorite out of all the D+ LEGO SW specials. I really love the connections to LEGO and SW, including the previous LEGO SW shows, especially Freemaker Adventures. Michael Kramer did an amazing job with the soundtrack, Sig's and Yesi's themes were well-composed.

Part I

"For someone who spends all his time telling stories about heroes, you have no idea how to be one. Maybe that's why you like history so much. It's over and done, but your life isn't. There's so much ahead of you if you'd just try, but you're afraid." Dev Greebling

Sig Greebling is such a cool name. I really love how he's a literal in-universe SW fan, yet someone who actually wants to be normal despite his Force sensitivity. I find it funny he's a literal Nerf herder. I do emphasize of how he wanted to avoid all the expectations if people know he's Force-sensitive.

I love the reference to Wookiees originally being a part of RotJ before being replaced with Ewoks.

Fennesa is a cool-looking world. Yesi Scala is another cool name (I get reminded of Scala Ad Caleum from KH haha). It's too bad Sig's indecisiveness and inability to step out of his comfort zone translates to his social life, even his crush. The background painting showing the sunset is so beautiful.

I really like how the Ackbar Troopers are the Clones in this universe. They must have chosen Ackbar as the main host due to his skills since he was a skilled warrior and leader, but definitely also for the memes out of universe. I also love how Phase I was used because the Kaminionans designed the Phase I suit based on aquatic species like themselves and would fit the Mon Calamari Clones.

The fighting animation and choreography for Yesi's fight against the Ackbar Troopers are so well animated. I laughed seeing that one Ackbar Trooper shooting with two blasters. I can see why Sig likes Yesi. Also ooff, Yesi lost her father in this timeline to the Empire. You can feel the bleak state of this galaxy under this Empire. At least, Yesi's desire to fly among the stars and not live in a backwater world is still there. I like how Sig also mentioned how Rancors are actually misunderstood intelligent creatures.

Double ooff, Sig's brother is now Darth Devastator "Dev". At least we finally get our first on-screen appearance of Jedi Bob!

Part II

"Being a hero is easier when you don't know the cost...Sig, the Force doesn't work that way. The dark side is loud and obvious like a big, mean Gamorrean kicking you in the head over and over. But the light side, the light side of the Force is just a whisper in the back of your mind." Bobolian Afol "Jedi Bob"

Darth Rey as Dev's apprentice feels so wrong about the intentional nature of aspects of this new universe. Jedi Bob!...or rather Bobolian Afol lmao (I also love how the markings seem a bit faded which signals his age). I love this cynical Jedi who sucks at fighting but is amazing at the Force...which is what a true Jedi should specialize in.

FREEMAKER LORE! THE FORCE BUILDERS ARE BACK! I love seeing them once again and hearing Bob recap them feels cathartic.

Ewok Bounty Hunters is one thing but bounty hunter C-3PO channeling his Triple 0 and HK-47 vibes in a Naboo Royal Cruiser with gold plating feels so right yet so wrong in the best ways possible. Yesi really has a lot of baggage with her wanting to prove herself and redeem herself for accidentally getting a rebel base captured.

Mos Eisley Marina made me die on the inside lmao. Tatooine isn't boring anymore lmao. I do love how this is a nod to how the BoBF and Legends mention Tatooine being once covered with oceans before becoming a desert world.

Like father like son indeed, however, even Anakin wouldn't go that far to cheat. I do love how Luke and Anakin use the same Podracer. Poor Max Rebo.

I love how Maul in this galaxy is much more relaxed and happy. At least, in this galaxy, Maul gets to live his life without the tragedies in his main galaxy life.

I love the implication that Nubs is well-known in the main galaxy that Sig knows about him. I'm incredibly confident that Darth Hammerhead is Rusty. Even in another universe, nobody remembers his name lmao.

That brief Duel of the Fates theme playing when Darth Jar Jar appeared was so hype and chilling. His line goes unironically hard.

Part III

"I know you can't restore a galaxy once it's gone because I tried to restore my own, and I failed. In the galaxy I'm from, things were simpler. I was a Padawan on Alistan Nor, learning the secrets of Force Building. I'd heard rumors about the Cornerstone. The more I read, the more obsessed I became. Was it possible to remake an entire galaxy? I needed to know the truth. My Masters forbid me from searching for the Cornerstone, but I wasn't exactly good at following orders. There were so many rules. I just wanted to do things my own way. I thought I could control the Cornerstone. I never thought -- When I left that temple, everything was different. My galaxy was gone, Sig. And yours had just been born." Bobolian Afol "Jedi Bob"

We truly reached the pinnacle of miniaturized Death Star tech with the Dark Falcon lmao.

Darth Jar Jar definitely isn't dead and I love what little time we had with him.

I love the lights looking like the Binary Sun and the music playing as Luke looks towards them.

I love how Palpatine in this universe is a cynic who gave up on fighting. I like that fascinating take on this alternate Palpatine. The new Jedi Council (I like the faded and scratched markings similar to Jedi Bob signals their age and tiredness of a seemingly hopeless war) is insane with Jedi Vader (I love that this is a SW Infinities comic reference, it felt cathartic to see it realized in visual media), Dooku, Cad Bane, Jannah, Lobot, IG-88(?), and even Jabba. I really love that Jannah has more to do here including her actress returning to voice her.

Greedo being the Han of this universe was so funny. He even has the Rodian ears for his Slave I Firespray ship lmao.

I love how Yesi recreates the energy in TFA when she does smth incredibly insane with Greedo's ship. Sig saying I do feels like his and Yesi's "I know" moment. And a Star Trous mention. I also feel like Yesi's point of how you fix the mistake got to Jedi Bob and got to him into revealing the truth. I love how Grevious is one of the rebels in this universe.

Alistan Nor!!! THAT'S THE FORCE BUILDER WORLD AND IT WAS MENTIONED IN FREEMAKER ADVENTURES.

Damn, this Han really became just like his mentor in the old universe. A true scoundrel.

God that twist of the old universe never coming back is gut-wrenching...especially since Jedi Bob is the only survivor of his old universe. The story of Jedi Bob is beyond tragic. One simple curiosity into the cornerstone left him the only survivor. Spending all that time alone in the Temple to make sure it doesn't happen again...only for it to happen again. I also really love how the simple galaxy is represented by 4:3 aspect ratio and all LEGO figures are the classic yellow designs.

WHEN SERVO WAS DESTROYED, I FELT MY HEART BREAKING APART. God that was heartbreaking to see, just like many heroes before him in his stories, to save his friends Sig gave himself up.

Part IV

"The tales of my galaxy. The tales of people like Dev. My Dev. I don't wanna forget them. They matter." Sig Greebling

God the intro with the sad music and Servo shutting down just hurts me in ways I cannot comprehend. The collapsing logo really showcases we're in the endgame.

I love how Yoda is voiced by his Young Jedi Adventure VA in this show. It is heartbreaking to see Ian Han hate Yoda given the very first major LEGO SW special (The Padawan Menace was one of my first non-SW movie experiences in my childhood).

Even if Dev is mentally messed up, I really like how he came around to having a brother and want to be brothers. I like how Sig realizes this is all a fantasy of a galaxy he can never restore. He fights to save this galaxy now.

I'm happy Tico got to a substantial role in this show alongside Rey. Reusing the Nobody line toward Darth Rey was pretty cruel.

The space battle was shot very well and I love the designs of the Calamari Destroyers.

Dev's breakdown was pretty disturbing to see and how he took the rage and lack of happiness in his life to put his idea of "order" and to take control of his life. Especially how he sees himself as beyond redemption and the point of no return.

The quote I used for the introduction quote is beautifully anti-nihilist.

The fight is so well choreographed and so peak, especially when the brief moment the windows were destroyed and the energy shield was activated. The fact the Nerf herder stick came back to be a major turning point in the fight against Dev is great. It was heartbreaking and I got a bit misty-eyed to see Dev ultimately decide to remain evil.

My heart repaired itself as Servo was reconstructed. The old galaxy is gone but the stories will live on. And leave it for Servo to interrupt Sig and Yesi's tender moment haha.

The ending shot with the new crew really felt like the passing of the torch between the Freemaker Adventures to Rebuild the Galaxy. I hope we get to see the Freemaker cast, especially the Freemaker family on Alistan Nor.

Also, The Landolorian and Evil Grogu has been so hyped as the sequel hook alongside Darth Rey and Tico being in charge of the Empire.

This is such a great show and I can't wait to see more LEGO SW stories set in this universe.

I love the score by Kramer who is also responsible for Ninjago’s score (alongside Jay Vincent):

[supersaiyanjedi14]

Artwork I commissioned from @rainbow-zebra-art of my Sabezra fankids, Brycan and Mazal Wren-Bridger! Thank you so much for this, RZ!

As a reminder for anyone interested, these two exist in my personal Star Wars AU, which is a hybrid of the Legends EU, Disney Canon, and other SW properties I want to squeeze in. I'll put some more specific stuff about them under the cut.

BRYCAN WREN-BRIDGER

Brycan was born on Krownest in 10 ABY, growing up in the immediate aftermath of the Thrawn Campaign. He grows up as a close friend of Jacen, Jaina and Anakin Solo, while also being super close to his "uncles" Kanan and Zeb and "aunts" Hera and Ketsu. Brycan is a kind and friendly boy who nontheless has a sarcastic streak rivaling his parents, and his passion for athletics and martial arts serves him well in his Mandalorian upbringing and Jedi training. Unsurprisingly, Brycan still grows up with a good deal of pressure, what with being descended from two cultural factions known for conflict with each other and being the child of two prominent war heroes. Determined to live up to his heritage while also stepping out of his parents' shadows, Brycan becomes a passionate Mandalorian warrior before enrolling in Luke Skywalker's Jedi Paraxeum on Yavin 4 at age 14. He does struggle to reconcile the contradictory aspects of the Mandalorians and the Jedi, but he does eventually learn to form a good balance with the help of his parents and Din Djarin.

The Yuuzhan Vong War puts Brycan though the biggest wringer yet, as the horrors of war cost him multiple friends and his mother is grievously wounded shortly after giving birth to his sister Mazal. He is roped into a faction of more militant Mandalorian crusaders who encourage him to give into his passions and pain, leading to a tense conflict with his father and a personal vendetta with the Vong commander Nas Choka. However, Ezra manages to save his son from falling down the dark path, and he rejects the hollow promises of revenge. He finally comes into his own as a Jedi Knight by wars' end, priding himself as a credit to his forebearers as a true Mandalorian Jedi.

Other notes:

-Brycan built his lightsaber in imitation of designs favored during the High Republic, featuring a physical crossguard below the emitter. Reflecting his mixture of Jedi and Mandalorian tradition, the crossguard is composed of solid beskar while his kyber crystal is an Adegan sapphire.

-Brycan is one of the most accomplished lightsaber duelists of his generation, mastering both the Shien and Djem-So sides of Form V as well as boasting a comprehensive academic understanding of numerous martial arts from across the galaxy. Thouhg he favors his lightsaber, he always wears a Mandalorian vambrace wherever he goes, loaded with a Dur-24 wrist laser, a fibercord whip, a portable energy shield, and whistling birds.

-Brycan's strength in the Force is easily comparable to his dad, though he appropriately focuses on the more physical aspects of his power. He's not as advanced a telepath as Ezra, but he compensates by being an awesome telekinetic and taking up a special interest in energy diffusion.

-While not as vibrant as his mom, he still inherited Sabine's artistic skill, particularly as a sketch artist. He can produce a nearly flawless rendering of someone in a heartbeat and has a talent for hand-drawn maps and starcharts. He occasionally cooks up new designs for his mom to try out.

-His best friend is Han and Leia's daughter Jaina, both of their natural fighting instincts feeding their desire to test and improve themselves. Sparring together is their favorite pastime, where they have traded wins and losses over the years.

-While a combat-oriented Jedi raised as a Mandalorian does raise some immediate assumptions, Brycan's passion for fighting is not as a blood sport. He sees it as a way of expression of his spirit, and he puts it to use for the good of others. He lives by the Form V maxim of "peace through superior firepower", wielding his skill to strike out at injustice and protect the innocent, not to flaunt his power. He doesn't go looking to pick a fight, but if fighting needs to be done, he is razor-keen and committed.

-Teenage rebellion and war trauma aside, he loves his parents more than anything in the world and adores his younger sister Mazal.

-Despite lacking Ezra's strong affinity for animals, Brycan does owns a Loth-wolf he rescued as a cub named Beskad (the mando'a word for "sword"). The two are nearly inseparable, though his efforts to mold Beskad into an oversized hunting dog have had minimal success.

MAZAL WREN-BRIDGER

Mazal was born on Mandalore in 26 ABY during the height of the Yuuzhan Vong invasion. Growing up in the shadow of the conflict, Mazal resolved to do her part to help put the galaxy back together after being nearly ripped apart. Like her older brother, Mazal initially wanted to become a powerful Mandalorian Jedi warrior, joining in the battles and adventures. However, this was shattered when she went on her first serious combat mission, helping in an effort to subdue a combine of pirates seeking to exploit the post-war chaos on Carlac. The mission ended in a horrific disaster, with the strike team being decimated in an ambush and narrowly escaping back to GA space. Traumatized by her experiences, Mazal found her previous passion lost, even considering turning in her lightsaber and throwing out her armor so as to never be stained by that violence again. Fortunately, Mazal received much-needed counseling from both Jedi Healers and more mundane therapists, and Sabine helped her daughter rediscover her calling. Feeling that the galaxy needed healing hands far more than warriors, Mazal was drawn to the ideals of the late Duchess Satine Kryze, seeing the value of promoting peace over the use of force. Taking up the path of a Jedi Healer and joining the reformed Mandalorian Protectors, Mazal channeled her passion into humanitarian aid, traveling the galaxy to help pick up the pieces of disaster and conflict. In a way, she does manage to become just as much of a Mandalorian Jedi as Brycan, albeit one dedicated to the higher calling of the Force and the more grounded tenents of the Resol'nare.

Other notes:

-"Mazal" is a Hebrew name meaning "good fortune". I chose this to fit a naming theme with her father Ezra as well as to reflect the safety of her birth given Sabine's injuries soon afterward.

-Despite no longer being a dedicated fighter, Mazal still keeps up on her training. She may not like fighting, but if the people she's helping need a lightsaber to protect them or Mandalorian armor to shield them, she won't hesitate to use it.

-Powerful in her own right, Mazal's Force abilities manifest strongest in her advanced skill in the healing arts, directly studying under Master Cilghal at the Jedi Academy. She also shares her father's sense-based aptitude, focusing on life-detection and projective telepathy to aid in her relief work.

-Unlike Brycan, Mazal is just as much of an artist as Sabine, constantly redecorating her room with new paintings and sketches. Her hair is her most common canvas, rarely going a month with the same dye job.

-Mazal is a self-professed daddy's girl; not even the Force can get Ezra to say no to her. At the same time, possibly as a result of having come so close to losing her and her mother, Ezra is almost overprotective of her, and was beside himself when she came home shell-shocked from Carlac. Sabine grows closer to her during her recovery period, and their time painting together played a big part in getting her back on her feet.

-She gets along well with Ben Skywalker, both being close to each other during their training. Outside of her family, Ben's the one she can confide in the most.

-Mazal is bi and dates Zay Versio as a teenager.

Feel free to ask me more about these two!

[arcadianmoonshadowjedi]

Callum & Viren: Are they similar? Is Callum on the same path as Viren? - Star Wars Analogies

I know there have been posts made before in the Dragon Prince fandom comparing characters from tdp to Star Wars characters, esp Callum to Anakin/Vader as someone who will eventually get corrupted/turn to the dark side and become a potential apprentice to Aaravos, as well as Rayllum to Anidala in terms of Callum being seen as being bound to doom the world for Rayla.

I wanted to share a different perspective of mine as to which characters/relationship dynamics (outside of romantic ones included) from tdp I believe compare the most to which Star Wars characters as a massive fan of both sagas myself.

The number one character from Star Wars that I see Callum being most similar to is Luke Skywalker, whereas a character I think is the best comparison to Anakin/Vader, especially after watching Season 6 of the Dragon Prince, would be none other than Viren himself. While I do know for a fact that the tdp characters aren’t carbon copies of the SW characters I’m comparing them to, I still think that their overall arcs are quite matching.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Starting with Callum and Luke, on the surface, both are the hero who prevails and saves everyone & the whole world/galaxy from doom, but on a deeper level, they both struggle with a dark side inside of them & temptations to give in to it. And before I continue, I wanted to emphasize that I DO NOT see Callum as someone who’s morally dubious, as there are several instances in canon which prove otherwise, specifically his immense guilt over using dark magic and his fear of becoming corrupted and consumed by darkness in S6 (his nightmare at the beginning of episode 3 perfectly illustrates this), the latter of which is a challenge we also see Luke dealing with in The Empire Strikes Back.

Throughout the Original trilogy, mainly in ESB & Return of the Jedi, we see so many “hints” and “indicators” that Luke might turn to the dark side, who unlike Callum, actually shares many personality traits with his father such as his impatience and recklessness. We see Yoda fear that he might follow in his father’s footsteps before reluctantly training him, we see Vader and eventually Palpatine try to lure Luke to the dark side, even pointing out that they could sense his anger which is a major precursor for that. But in the end, despite all of those temptations, despite all of his anger and eventual fear & rage for his sister’s safety, he ultimately resisted and refused to join the sith.

Along with seeing many protagonists who may be put in similar situations or even in some cases share some similarities with the main/major antagonist, such as Harry and Voldemort being another example of this, this is why I am a firm believer that Callum will be tested in Season 7, he may be faced with temptations to use dark magic again perhaps as a quick means to defeat Aaravos or potentially save Rayla if it gets to that, or even Aaravos trying to bribe him to join him, but in the end he will ultimately resist, since dark magic, as stated several times before, is merely a shortcut that leads to much bigger long term harm (which I don’t think there would be enough time to even flesh this out in the final season of the Mystery of Aaravos arc). As we’ve seen Callum reject succumbing to his dark side after he used dark magic for the first time, and seeing him willingly do the purification ritual to rid himself of his darkness/corruption in his soul, I do believe that Callum has the power to reject dark magic once and for all and do the right thing (this does not necessarily mean he would sacrifice Rayla if the plot does get to that, but I do think he would find a third option aside from dark magic to save her, like he did back in S3 when he cast the mage wing spell to save her). After all, a major theme in the Dragon Prince is breaking cycles and not repeating previous mistakes, so what would be the point in having those themes or specifically Harrow’s letter in the first place, or better yet have the whole “destiny’s a book you write yourself” line be brought up multiple times if Callum’s just fated keep repeating past mistakes over and over again?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now onto my next analogy: Viren & Anakin/Vader, the characters who I genuinely saw as those whose corruption & downfalls may have started out of desperation to save a loved one from dying, but ultimately grew into greed and hunger for power.

I could go on about the complexities of Anakin’s character, specifically the ones that got fleshed out even more in the Clone Wars and how there are multiple factors that led to his turn to the dark side, but that’s not the whole point of this post. I know that there are some differing factors between both Viren and Anakin in terms of their dark sides/stories, but ultimately the last straw that led to their corruption was the fact that they were both terrified of losing an important loved one and both were completely unwilling to let that happen, whatever the price they had to pay. We also see them seek some sort of counsel/beg for help, like when Anakin vaguely told Yoda about his visions and fears, and Viren telling Kpp’Ar about Soren’s condition and needing the staff, ultimately both Anakin and Viren were told that there wasn’t really anything that could be done and they both needed to learn to let go. However neither of them were having that, so we somewhat see them both resort to another counsel, both very different but leading to same outcome. Anakin starts to open up more to Palpatine, who in turn manipulates him and convinces him that he has his “solution.” While Viren on the other hand, may have offered advice to Harrow to “do what he must” over his own dilemma, he in turn used that same advice but in a more twisted, corrupted manner. So then, both Anakin and Viren resort to darker approaches to solve their own problems and completely give in to their own darknesses.

I won’t go into deep detail about what they each did, since you can just rewatch these scenes in Revenge of the Sith and Episode 6 of TDP for that, but now I wanted to talk about how despite having the desire to save their loved ones, they ultimately caused massive harm to them. Anakin desperately did whatever he could to save Padme, but in the end, when he thought she betrayed him, he force-choked her then afterwards, she was shattered and heartbroken over his downfall that it led to her death, the very thing that Anakin tried so hard to prevent. While Viren on the other hand may have succeeded in healing and saving Soren, he grew to treat him coldly and abusively to the point where he completely damaged & even destroyed his relationship with his very son that he corrupted himself completely to save in the first place.

Even though I primarily focused on the similarities between Viren saving Soren & Anakin trying to save Padme, I also wanted to point out how similar the impacts were on Lissa and Padme as well, namely how they were both horrified when they saw what became of their husbands.

Sadly both of them ended up getting assaulted by their corrupted husbands, which then led up to the destruction of their families. And ultimately both Viren and Anakin continued on their dark paths and grew more ruthless, evil, and corrupted until they finally reached their eventual redemptions (I know not everyone thinks that Viren got redeemed but I do believe that his redemption arc was him accepting that he’s done far too much and accepting the consequences for his actions).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So far these are the thoughts that I have on which Dragon Prince characters/relationships I think compare best to which Star Wars ones. And I know that Claudia would also be a good comparison to Anakin since she too struggles a lot with loss and refuses to let go, but at the same time, I see her still being in Anakin’s early villain phase during Revenge of the Sith, not yet having reached the Vader levels that we see during the Original Trilogy era. The way I see Vader & Viren relationships with Luke and Callum’s characters, it’s that the former two represent what the latter two fear of becoming if they do not overcome their dark sides.

But to answer my questions in the header, I do not think that Callum is bound to be on the same path as Viren or that he will let himself be consumed by darkness. Season 6 dealt with his overall guilt over using dark magic, his fear of being consumed by it/being used as by Aaravos, and ultimately his choice to purify himself of his darkness and understanding the consequences of doing dark magic again beforehand. Just as many protagonists get put through the wringer in their final battles, but ultimately persevere and do the right thing, I do believe that Callum will win and not fall victim to his temptations once again.

That’s all I have folks! Thanks for reading this far if you have! And an important friendly reminder (as mentioned already in my bio) if you have differing opinions and would like to disagree and discuss, please be sure to do so respectfully. Otherwise scroll by or I’ll be more than glad to press that block button! 😊🙌🏽

(Screenshot+caption of Lissa scene by @stuck-in-jelly)

[thehollowprince]

A good Screenrant article? Color me surprised.

"Most viewers assume Qui-Gon was right to believe Anakin needed to be trained - but surprisingly, George Lucas seems to think it was a mistake.

"George Lucas believed Qui-Gon was wrong to decide to train Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. Many viewers see Qui-Gon Jinn as the perfect Jedi, the embodiment of everything the Order was supposed to represent. He is a rebel against the Council, alone and uncorrupted, a champion of the underdog who recognizes Anakin Skywalker's potential. The reality, of course, is that Qui-Gon is a lot more nuanced; he's as flawed as any other Jedi, and in fact, George Lucas considered him even more flawed.

"Lucas expressed his own view in an interview with Cut Magazine in 1999 (via David Talks SW). In his view, Qui-Gon shares the same faults as Anakin; he is spontaneous and reckless, with Obi-Wan Kenobi providing him a sense of balance. What's more, Lucas surprisingly suggested Qui-Gon made a mistake in insisting the Jedi should train Anakin.

"I think it is obvious that he [Qui-Gon] was wrong in Episode I and made a dangerous decision, but ultimately, this decision may be correct. The 'phantom menace' refers to the force of the dark side of the universe. Anakin will be taken over by dark forces, which in turn destroy the balance of the Galaxy, but the individual who kills the Emperor is Darth Vader - also Anakin."

"It is certainly ironic that Lucas believes it "obvious" Qui-Gon shouldn't have trained Anakin. The modern consensus is that Qui-Gon was the one Jedi who could have saved Anakin, the only one who truly understood the prophecy of the Chosen One.

"The general view is that the Jedi Council was wrong to initially reject Anakin. Lucas takes a different view, though, suggesting Anakin's training was, in fact, the mistake that doomed the order. It's fascinating to imagine how the Star Wars saga would have played out if Anakin didn't join the Jedi; the most likely scenario is that he'd have been taken in by the people of Naboo as a hero, and no doubt he and Padmé would have gotten together anyway. Padmé wouldn't have held Anakin back when he began dreaming of his mother's death, so this Anakin would never have built up the fear of loss to the cataclysmic degree seen in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. Amazingly, this is probably the happiest path Anakin could have taken - and he was denied it because of Qui-Gon Jinn's choice.

Personal Note: I don't like the insinuation that the Jedi "held Anakin back" from pursuing his visions to save his mother because by his own admissions, they were just dreams. By the time he himself finally decided to do something about it, it was too late. But aside from that, I agree with everything else.

"It's significant that the will of the Force had Anakin brought up on Tatooine, a world outside the Republic, where he wouldn't be found by the Jedi. In his impetuousness, Qui-Gon insisted the Chosen One should be trained by the Jedi - but there's nothing to indicate the prophecy of the Chosen One suggested any such thing. Unsurprisingly, Lucas' perspective on the Star Wars saga is entirely convincing, even if it does run against the general view. Things worked out in the end, of course, but only after a whole lot of chaos on a galactic scale."

[setokaibapetty]

5 + 1 Fic Friday Roundup: Time Travel Via Outsider POV

Today's fic recs revolve around time travel fics (and a bonus time loop) that include POV from a non-time traveler. Though given the embarrassment of riches in the Star Wars fandom, this is going to be SW specific.

unlearn the constellations to see the stars (AO3) - "A decade after the end of the Clone Wars, Wolffe catches wind of an artefact that can manipulate the flow of time itself. He makes the obvious choice."

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Time-Travelers (AO3) - "Mace's morning starts with far too much paperwork. Being kidnapped at blaster-point is honestly an improvement."

doth suffer a sea-change (AO3) - "In the wake of the attack on Korda VII, in a last-ditch attempt to heal Jaster of his wounds, Myles calls in a favor and takes him to the doctors on the strange aquatic world of Sedri. They aren't the only ones there for healing, however. Myles befriends a strange, scarred man and his three wards, all of whom are recovering from something terrible, and the mystery of Jon and his children isn't one Jaster can resist, either."

I dreamed we met when day was done (AO3) - "There's a body on the ground, blood on Jaster's hands, and rising ice cutting through the aching fury of his righteous anger when the Jedi shivers into view."

No fathom between us (AO3) - "Fox has the galaxy’s greatest hero in his bed, he’s well-fed, he’s astonishingly well-rested, and he has a whole week of leave saved up that starts in about six hours, during which no one is allowed to bother him with anything work-related even if Coruscant gets invaded by brain-stealing worms. Again. He made sure Thorn and Thire both knew that. Which makes it ten times as unpleasant to wake up to someone bypassing the chime entirely and just pounding right on his door."

Bonus: cloudbusting (AO3) - "Fox knows he's made mistakes. All he does is make mistakes - over, and over, and over."

[empress-violetlight]

Hyperspace Beacons: The Empire of the Hand’s unique way of navigating the Chaos

Another in my Empire of the Hand world-building series, written for my fanfic series. Please see my document on Nirauan, the capital planet, here, on the Empire of the Hand's capital ships here, and on the Empire of the Hand military's ranks and the Explorer program here.

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How Hyperspace travel seems to work in most of the Galaxy Far Far Away:

It seems that very little thought was actually put into how exactly hyperspace works in Star Wars, but there a few "rules" that seem to pop up (mostly) consistently:

Firstly:  You can't jump to hyperspace while still within the effects of a large gravity well -- i.e. a planet. 

(Note:   Rise of Skywalker can eat a bag of dicks for ignoring this long-established rule first set by Han Friggin' Solo in Ep. 4 for Force's sake!)

Second:  Objects in real space cast "mass shadows" in hyperspace, so you can't go right "through" a star, for example, without killing yourself. 

Third:  When ships unexpectedly encounter a large mass while in hyperspace, they will exit into real space as a precaution.  This is the basis for how interdiction technology works, where an artificial gravity well is generated to give the appearance of a large mass, and ships are either pulled out of hyperspace, or prevented from jumping to begin with.

Fourth:  There are a lot of chaotic, unexpected and unpredictable large objects (i.e. large asteroids, rogue planets, black holes, etc) in most of the Unknown Regions/The Chaos, which makes hyperspace travel through the region a lot more difficult than in the rest of the galaxy.

Fifth:  Hyperspace travel is very fast.  No consistent speed is given, and travel times in stories vary by plot, but it is implied it takes no more than about two weeks to travel all the way across the diameter of the Galaxy.  If we assume the Galaxy Far Far Away (GFFA) is similar in size to the Milky Way, that would mean it has a diameter of about 100 000 lightyears.  That's so fast I can't do math well enough to determine just how fast it is.  Compare that to another well-established sci-fi franchise, where it was predicted the “hero” ship would take about 70 years at maximum warp to travel across the galaxy (they found a few shortcuts, but still). 

My idea, based on the rules established above (in both Legends and Disney Canon) is that when a ship "jumps to 'lightspeed' ", what they are actually doing is jumping into a dimension where the speed of light is not the absolute speed limit it is in our universe (or in SW's "real space", presumably).  The time spent in hyperspace is actually the time it takes the nav computer /astromech droid /Navigator /skywalker/etc. to plot the course based on how fast they can determine where mass shadows lie along the wanted path.

Therefore, it's not the Millennium Falcon's engines that are fast, for example, it's the ship's nav computer.

Ships "pop out" of hyperspace when the nav computer/whatever determines where the "exit" is.  With well-established hyperspace routes, this is why a planet can be “blockaded” by just blocking off a small area in the orbit of the planet, as seen with Queen Amadala’s escape from Naboo in Episode One, when logically, a ship should be able to jump from any point in space as long as they were far enough away from the gravity well.  It’s not the planet itself that is being blockaded – it’s the long-established hyperspace jump point. Heading for a different point is like making a beeline for a highway instead of using the exit ramp – technically doable, but likely to wreck your vehicle if you try. 

Say, for example, you were plotting a course between Tattooine (Outer Rim) and Alderaan (Core) .  There are X number of stars and planets between your "entrance" and "exit".  The nav computer's job is to plot the most efficient course around those large masses that occur between the two points, and the hyperspace engines do little more than open the entry and exit points into real space at either end.  It accesses its most up-to-date astrometrics information available (likely through the holonet, and knowledge of well-maintained hyperspace routes) and plots its course accordingly.  The time spent "in" hyperspace is the time it takes the computer to finish its calculations.  For well-established routes, the computer doesn’t even try to plot a new course – it just reads the “road map” and follows that. 

This is also why the non-inhabited planets of any given solar system in the GFFA tend to be ignored.  Unless there’s something in the outer solar system of interest (i.e. a metal-rich asteroid belt), nobody’s going to be visiting Saturn when they can jump right to Earth.  Hyperspace routes to outer planets are simply not established at all, and when plotting new routes takes so much comparable “work” (comparable to blazing a new trail instead of taking already-established highway), most people and computer systems simply don’t bother.

This system, as imperfect and even counter-intuitive as it seems, does seem to be so much the norm in the majority of the GFFA that even people who perhaps should understand the value of blazing new trails (i.e. the Rebellion, smugglers) almost never even think to do so, never mind bother.   

In the Unknown Regions, however, there are so many objects going every which way that real-time astrometrics information is required, and nobody has apparently figured out a way to do this except for using the Force.

The Empire of the Hand's Hyperspace Beacons:

However, a clever use of communications technology could end the dependency of a relatively tiny portion of most species' populations.

Using an Imperial probe droid as a basis, the Empire of the Hand has developed a "hyperspace beacon".

A Viper probe droid, as seen in The Empire Strikes Back, the basis for the Empire of the Hand's hyperspace beacons.

Dropped in small clusters, in regular intervals in real-space, the beacons continuously scan real space around their locations, and communicate astrometrics to any ships that can pick up their signals, who are part of the beacons’ network. The network is only usable by ships with nav computers or specially programmed astromech droids that can pick up the signal.  To everyone else, the data looks like regular space background radiation (R2-D2 or other similarly “independently-minded” astromechs might be able to pick up on it themselves, but such droids are a rarity).  All ships on the network can use it to communicate with each other as well as the beacons, and the network can act as a safety tether to track ships’ locations and to call for help in the event of emergencies. 

A line of beacons could act like a "trail of breadcrumbs" or “railroad tracks”, and allow ships to safely and efficiently navigate through the Unknown Regions/The Chaos without reliance on a Force User, since all the beacons working together transmit real-time data.  The beacons are dropped in clusters so that if one becomes damaged, the others in its group can cover for it until repairs are completed.  If all the beacons in any given cluster are disabled, a star destroyer is dispatched to the nearest other beacon cluster on the “trail”, then uses jump-by-jump navigation to get to the beacons’ last known location to investigate. 

One of the primary purposes of the Empire of the Hand’s Explorer program is to drop these beacon clusters as they go, using their own powerful sensors to plot "microjumps" through hyperspace (journeys of less than a light year) and creating trails of beacons as they, well, Explore.

To a lesser extent, Navy vessels also drop beacons, though they usually follow the paths the Explorers establish for them.

Also, because Explorers create these beacon trails, when they get in trouble, they can signal the nearest Star Destroyer for help, and by "following the breadcrumbs", the Star Destroyer can arrive at their location much faster than they would be able to otherwise.

Similarly, established “beacon tracks”, like that down “Thrawn’s Cut” between Watchtower Station, just outside the border with the Chiss Ascendency, and Nirauan, can make travel between these points far faster and more efficient than traditional hyperspace routes, since the nav computers need to spend far less time checking their routes, instead following the paths the beacons tell them to.  Such “tracks” connect all the major systems in the Empire of the Hand. 

Hyperspace Beacons’ Strategic Benefits:

Hyperspace beacons can also be used in the “known” regions of the Galaxy to give the Empire of the Hand a navigational (and thus strategic) advantage, letting them carve their own paths around and through known systems of interest, regardless of established hyperspace routes.  Probe droids can be delivered by jump-by-jump scouts (often Explorer ships) to the outskirts of a solar system, which, as established earlier, are usually ignored.  The droids are small and independent enough to travel well into a system on their own, then go into low power mode (which subsequently makes them extremely difficult to detect), to wait to activate their beacon signal, which Hand ships can use to jump into (and out of) a solar system well away from established hyperspace entry/exit points.  

As was utilized in the Honoghr mission, where a probe droid was used to find the asteroid in the outer solar system, which would be sent on a collision course to the planet of the race that murdered Grand Admiral Thrawn

"Nightfall of the Final Day"

This technique, the “Faro Ambush”, was first developed by Admiral Karyn Faro for use against enemies of the Hand and later saw extensive use in the Far Outsider War. It is very similar to the “Thrawn Pincer” technique, which uses interdiction ships, only it does not block off entry/exit to and from hyperspace.  It is thus not used to trap enemy forces, but to just get the jump on them.  It is not a technique that can be used on the fly – it requires planning.  However it can be used to devastating effect against hit and run targets, allowing attacking ships and fighters to come in from a course not expected by the enemy.

Systems of interest within New Republic, Imperial Remnant and Chiss Ascendency space have had their solar systems “seeded” with probe droids on stand-by, so that the Hand Navy can jump in and help if needed. 

Cultural Ramification of Hyperspace Beacons:

Unlike in “Lesser Space”, where star systems form economies and coalitions spanning  tens of thousands of cubic lightyears, often advertised as “Galactic” in scope, the space-farring cultures of the Unknown Regions, or as its inhabitants aptly put it, “The Chaos” are usually a lot smaller in scope of area and influence.  This is because in order to navigate the ever-changing hyperspace hazards safely, they are forced to rely on Force-capable navigators.  Most cultures use the Pathfinders or similar navigational guilds, comprised of Force-Sensitive adults who choose to hire out their ability to navigate.  Most only use their ability to communicate with the Force (Great Presence, Third Sight, etc.) strictly as navigators, with no training or interest in the further abilities demonstrated by the Jedi, Sith, and other Force-using groups of Lesser Space.  However, there are notable downsides to the use of essentially mercenary navigators:

Rarity.  Force users comprise of a tiny minority of any given population.  Navigators are correspondingly rare, and thus can be quite expensive to hire, and may not be available on short notice. 

Security.  Despite most navigator guilds’ guarantees of client confidentiality, many cultures do NOT wish to use hired navigators for military or otherwise sensitive missions, preferring to use their own loyal people, who, because of the rarity of Force users, may not be available.

For the Chiss Ascendency especially, where the ability to sense hazards through “Third Sight” is limited to only a tiny number of pre-pubescent female children, (known as “sky-walkers”) this is a severe strategic weakness, and that is before addressing the ethical problems with the sky-walker program.  The girls are taken from their families, with their memories erased, and used as child labour aboard Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet ships, usually only being allowed to interact with their assigned caretakers, who are often far from nurturing.  The Chiss are well aware of how terrible the program is, which is why it was kept secret from the general public, with only CEDF bridge officers, high-ranking members of the Syndicure, and the perpetrators of the program even aware of its existence (officially speaking, at least).  There has only been one known instance of a sky-walker keeping her abilities past early mid-age, which suggests the children are overworked to the point of burn-out. 

Despite “improvements” said to be made to the system in recent years, the children are still often abused, isolated, and not given the time for a proper education nor for social development.  It is still essentially child slave labour, completely against the “light of civilisation in the Chaos” that the Chiss Ascendency portrays itself as.    

As stated earlier, a huge advantage of the Hyperspace Beacon Network, especially in the Unknown Regions/the Chaos, is that it allows navigation through that chaotic third of the Galaxy without relying on Force Users, or any kind.  The Empire of the Hand’s ships, from Explorers to Navel vessels, down to civilian transports, do NOT have to hire expensive, liable navigators nor rely on literal child slaves. 

During a diplomatic visit to the Chiss Ascendency, the Empire of the Hand’s chef diplomat and Heir to the Empire, Princess Mitth’andor’randeth – Andorra – offered to outright give the Chiss Ascendency hyperspace beacon technology, saying, in a public forum, that by setting up their own beacon network (which does not even need to be connected to the Empire of the Hand’s), they could finally eliminate the need for the sky-walker program.  Princess Andorra claims had been unaware that the program was secret when she exposed it to the Ascendency publicly. 

Princess Andorra, the Heir to the Empire of the Hand, daughter of Grand Admiral Thrawn and Empress Xelarra

The Ascendency declined at the time, but due to the political ramifications of Princess Andorra’s revelation, the Empire of the Hand is confident that they will eventually change their position. 

In the meantime, the Empire of the Hand offers refugee status to any sky-walker, would-be sky-walker and their families or caretakers who manage to seek refuge with Empire of the Hand forces.  Once on Nirauan or another long-standing Hand world, they are granted the same educational opportunities as any other child, and are given a special gift from the Empress herself, a comforting and low-maintenance pet ysalamir.