#the high republic is one of my favorite eras because there are so many jedi with fascinating views on the order

[thislightsaberkillsfascists]

Pro Jedi in that I'm pro Jedi being little freaks who fuck up big-time

[padawansuggest]

Real take: I like Star Wars. I like the prequels because they have more fleshed out world building than the originals. I like the originals because it has a compelling storyline and character building. I like the cartoons because they do things that live action cannot. I like the children’s show Young Jedi Adventures and I think it’s both cute, extremely full of world building, and it’s designed to bring back the cartoon storyline of learning a lesson every episode that young children can relate to. I like the Mandalorian because it took a species with exactly two known people from it, and added a third, but made them a baby, and they were cute, and it shows the morals of Mandalorian adoption and love for children. I love Ahsoka because it took a favorite cartoon series and not only brought it to life, but also it’s funny and very full of world building for both the New Republic Rebellion scene, as well as more Dathomirian nightsister lore. I love a lot of other Star Wars off-shoots because they gave good storylines, they try to bridge plotholes, and a lot of amazing characters and new places to play with. I adore, fucking love, would give my life for Star Wars Visions; the lore and new concepts alone have captivated me and I can and HAVE made posts about things Visions did that no other SW series has touched and I’m so obsessed with the force and it’s aspects as well as just species and such you have no idea I would sell any of you for SW Visions. In fact, I would sell any of you for Young Jedi Adventures too. The worldbuilding alone for those two series is enough to have me vibrating with excitement with every episode. Sometimes I rewatch episodes of them just for random juicy facts that I can use for fics.

But you know why I don’t tell people I like Star Wars in real life? People always lookin at something they hate, and the most incel take on it is that it’s got too many women now. But irl non-fandom people who just want to ‘enjoy the ambiance of the original trilogy’ and me do not get along because they actually hate Star Wars. They genuinely hate Star Wars.

I can give you 50 plot lines in various sections of canon and legends that boiled my blood (tho not that one time Anakin at 12 literally boiled a man’s blood inside his body, that was hilarious his eyes turned black like a demons I’m so obsessed with him), but I’m not gonna talk about those.

Aren’t you exhausted? Wouldn’t it be nicer to gush about how amazing a certain costume design was? How the implications of a certain species makes you so excited you could burst? Wouldn’t you like to talk about how that one character just doesn’t get enough love and it wasn’t because they were fridged it was just because they didn’t get enough love from the fans for being black or female or disabled or something?

I am going to tell you this now, and you’re gonna hate me for it but I’m right: if you didn’t like Mortis because you think the force Doesn’t Work Like That? You don’t like Star Wars.

I’m tired of interacting with comments on commercials because it’s full of idiots crying about more women, a black character, the fact that ‘oh that wouldn’t happen’ as if the High Republic era didn’t literally have some sort of fucked up midichlorian vampire roaming the outer rim killing anyone force sensitive. Obviously they def would have acolytes set before the prequels shove it up your ass.

Anyways. Stop talking about what you hate. Yes, I get it. We are tired of rote pumped stories, but that doesn’t change the fact that there will ALWAYS be someone who hates the story you love, and loves the story you hate. You cannot please everyone, and I for one have found just about all off-shoot SW series individualized and compelling in some way or another.

You know what I did when I starting hating about 90% of all new Marvel movies? I stopped watching them. If I want back in the fandom I have older ones I can watch or simply only interact with fics.

Because Marvel, as much as they Need To Calm Their Shit, isn’t about me, and it isn’t for me anymore.

But I think a lot of you hate so much Star Wars content that you truly need to stop interacting with the series. It’s not for you anymore. And just because you didn’t like it doesn’t mean it’s not real SW. Not sorry, but this ain’t your scene anymore and you need to find a new one.

[intermundia]

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

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

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

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

my three very favorite sw books are:

revenge of the sith by matthew stover

darth plagueis by james luceno

rogue planet by greg bear

a selection of other ones i enjoyed:

padawan by kiersten white

wild space by karen miller

phantom menace by terry brooks

shatterpoint by matthew stover

labyrinth of evil by james luceno

dark lord: rise of darth vader by james luceno

lords of the sith by paul kemp

master and apprentice by claudia gray

dark disciple by christie golden

kenobi by john jackson miller

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

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

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

[caripr94]

Unpopular opinion: I know that a lot of Star Wars fans are peeved about the tragedy of the sequels negating much of the happy ending of the original trilogy, but honestly, that's actually one of my favorite parts of the sequels. Why? Because it means that well-intentioned hypocritical nutheads like Obi-Wan, Yoda, and Bail Organa don't get to get away with underhanded, morally unethical stunts like separating the twins from each other, kidnapping them from their biological families, lying to them about their heritage, grooming them against their own father, and using them to try to restore their own power and get everything back to the old status quo that got them into this mess in the first place. We all get to see the consequences of such tactics and nobody (who's paying attention) gets to say that "this and that" was okay because everything turned out fine in the end.

Because even though Luke managed to break the cycle of darkness and abuse on his end by the end of the original trilogy, we never really saw that happening with Leia on her end, nor did we see many of those family issues from that separation and manipulation or many of the problems with the Old Jedi Order or any of the problems with the Old Republic get even addressed. Many of the underlying issues of the prequels that came from people not learning from their mistakes just got swept under the rug. At least with the tragic events that happened in the sequel era (at least in TFA, before Lucasfilm messed everything up in the subsequent sequels, which I don't count as canon), we get to see many of the effects of such corrupt and dysfunctional methods that these "heroic" elders used, and in some way, there's some poetic justice in that, even at such a high price. And I know that many of you are saying that "Star Wars is supposed to be a fairy tale or myth; it's not supposed to be realistic", but let me remind you that not every fairy tale has gotten a happily ever after (at least in its early versions) and it was actually quite rare for mythological heroes to get a happily ever after either.

Disclaimer: This is mostly about TFA, which was much more consistent with the original lore. I acknowledge that the later two sequels didn't have as much consistency or respect for the original lore (or even with TFA), so I don't count them as canon.

[stellanslashgeode]

11,12,25,and 46 for the writer ask game! 💚💙

11. Link to three of your favorite fics right now

I really enjoyed honey, you're familiar, a great one-room one-shot like a stage play that uses chess as a metaphor for strategically making your way through a tough reunion.

And you know I have to boost your Luminara & Barriss, it's just hits just the right spots to give me those feelings.

And starwatcher (hold your ground) is a very unique canon divergence fic, and we really don't get enough set during Attack of the Clones. I'm way behind on it, @bettyxrosex has an admirable work ethic.

12. How does receiving or not receiving feedback/support impact you?

This is a hard one because on some level I am aware of my audience and do want to please them. And I'm often surprised on what gets hits and what doesn't. I'm working on Way of the Mynock right now because I have a lot of ideas for it, yes. But also because it's gotten a lot of hits and I want to keep the momentum up. Contrasts, by contrast, hasn't gotten much feedback. But that's okay, I'm kind of writing that as therapy. Plus, the next chapter is a long diversion to the High Republic Era (the undervalued Phase II even) which isn't as popular. But I love this group of characters that will be in it. Because it's a "one for me" I can afford to take my time.

Dusk of a Golden Age hasn't gotten as many readers but the comments on it were so sweet and encouraging! I am dedicated to finishing it and polishing well before publishing. Sometimes series with a few, but enthusiastic readers are the best ones.

Sometimes I write things knowing few people will read it, but a select few will be looking for that sort of story and will love it. Microcasting. Theed Lament is like that. It has under 100 hits, but I hope I really scratched an itch for dozens who were looking for that experience.

25. What fic do you wish you got more of a response on?

Oh, that's easy. Jedi: Dropout. It's a fic with all OCs so I knew it would not pop up in searches very often, but it's where I hid a lot of my worldbuilding for Mirial and Mirialan religion and culture. So, if you're a reader and you like the pantheon I created and put into my Barrissoka stuff go read that too. I also hid a lot of my musing on the Jedi and their practices there. And it is a great little slow burn about two girlfailures (and Nerf herding).

46. How do you describe your style.

Character driven. High on interiority. I sometimes have action-focused stuff but it's not very grand and epic. Action and violence are usually small scale and in close quarters, I don't do grand battle scenes. Because the characters get lost in that. I make a point to occasionally injure the characters I love and want to protect so I don't handle them too preciously. Sometimes I try to just write smut but always put a lot of emotional breakthroughs in there too because I just can't help myself. Is there a term for a coming-of-age genre but it's about that 25-30 age range? I find that time of life very compelling, you're past your education and need to figure yourself out again as an adult.

Thanks for the asks, Bailey! I'll also link the original post so we can keep this going.

[obi1-kenobae]

you have some ocs you say???? I’d love to hear about them 👀

Haha you have opened the floodgates! I LOVE talking about my OCs. I have two main ones and a few minor OCs. My main two are extremely self indulgent but I love them deeply. I came up with both of them as a young teen, and have been tweaking them and making up stories about them for over a decade.

So my first OC is Trinity, a Jedi padawan during the Clone Wars who gets assigned to none other than master Obi-Wan Kenobi. I designed Trinity to be a bit of a foil to Anakin. She is extremely by-the-book, always follows the rules, and keeps all of her feelings very repressed. Deep down she wants nothing more than to belong to something, and she is determined to be the perfect Jedi, even if she at times takes that sense of perfectionism a bit too far. When I created her, I was extremely self indulgent by giving her my favorite Jedi as a mentor, but over the years I've really enjoyed writing a different kind of mentorship dynamic for Obi-Wan. After chasing Anakin around for 10 years, he's a bit caught off guard by having a padawan who actually listens to him. It's also kind of fun to give Obi-Wan a chance to be the instigator/rule breaker.

My second OC is Sola Kryze Kenobi, daughter of Duchess Satine. She grew up without a father, but rumor has it he was a Jedi. After surviving the siege of Mandalore and the rise of the empire, she seeks out her father to be trained in the ways of the Force. However, tracking down a Jedi in hiding is a difficult task, and so she recruits Trinity, her father's former apprentice, and together they embark on a dangerous journey across the galaxy. Sola inherited all of the sass of both of her parents, and at first she and Trinity clash quite a bit, but by the time they reach Tatooine, they've formed a very strong friendship. Sola does get to meet her father at long last, but ends up choosing Trinity to be her Jedi master, and they go on to have many more adventures together and eventually fall in love. Because all of my stories must have lesbians, it is required by law.

lolol I hope you enjoyed my super indulgent OCs, I love talking about them.

A few of my background OCs include a droid named 23-LOM and Niyati, a Togruta Jedi during the high republic era, but I'll save those for another day.

[kateeorg]

I do feel bad that the potential of this relationship's development won't be seen by the people who got really into it. I don't love how quickly they cancelled it either, I think it needed a little more time to marinate in public consciousness before making that call.

But my question is always, if the point all along was to center this dark enemies-to-lovers romance... why the heck didn't the creators and marketing say that upfront?

(essay below)

Why call this a murder mystery and hide the romance -- which was seemingly the point all along -- for the back half of the season? I don't fault people for enjoying this plot line or the creators for tapping into Reylo fanbase, but wouldn't they have gotten better reception from a fanbase who would actually appreciate that plot (and a second season along with it) if they'd made that apparent up front? Or at least earlier in the run?

So many books, movies, and shows have enemies to lovers as its central engine, including some of my favorite works - Pride & Prejudice, You've Got Mail, The Proposal, A Discovery of Witches. Or heck, just falling for the bad boy as its own thing. Fans of the genre love it But guess what: They know going in exactly what they signed up for.

So again, why market an enemies-to-lovers romance as a Star Wars High Republic-era murder mystery? That genre has its own audience, its own fans, who want different things out what they're watching. T

Here's how this article describes The Acolyte:

Centering on a sexually charged conflict between a former Jedi padawan (Amandla Stenberg) and a mysterious darksider (Manny Jacinto), The Acolyte openly capitalized on Reylo’s popular enemies-to-lovers dynamic—the romance between Kylo Ren and Rey in the most recent film trilogy—something the franchise had previously failed to do.

Did it, though??? Did it "openly capitalize on Reylo"???

Because compare that to the official description from the publicist:

An investigation into a shocking crime spree pits a respected Jedi Master (Lee Jung-jae) against a dangerous warrior from his past (Amandla Stenberg). As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems….

Like... that's not entirely a lie. There was a crime spree, and a Jedi Master, and a dark path, and not all was as it seemed. But oddly this description actually frames the plot as being about Sol and Mae. Not Osha and Qimir, or Osha and Mae, or even Osha and Sol.

And look, on one hand, it can be fun to turn the tables and surprise the audience, sometimes that works. Hiding the existence of the twins was a fun twist in the first episode, for example, and the fact that a lot of fans enjoyed the romance twist speaks to this.

But more often, misleading your audience is just going to piss people off. It will attract an audience who won't buy what you're selling, while over-relying on word of mouth to attract the audience who will. Meaning, you won't get those big first-day-viewing numbers the streaming ratings seem to rely on.

As it is, correct me if I'm wrong, I think most dark romance/Reylo fans didn't even know that's where The Acolyte was headed until halfway through the season or after it had already ended. So if they really wanted to appeal to those fans, why not just come out and say it from the start? Why hide it and trick people into watching it for this investigation plot that didn't really end up mattering much? That suggests to me they don't respect Reylo fans at all.

And in fact, there's another element of the marketing that frustrated me - the emphasis on queerness. Not because I don't think Star Wars could use it, but because of how it all played out. Part of that was due to the interviewers making assumptions about the show runner, but the show runner absolutely leaned into it. Meanwhile, like... the lesbian witches were all murdered. Years before the story even takes place. Jecki, hinted to have a crush on Osha? Also murdered. By the guy Osha ends up getting with. Vernestra, who is canonically aroace in the High Republic books? That doesn't even come up once here. You could maybe argue Osha is implied bi, but that's kind of it. So is the show really as progressive as it was marketed to be?

I get being subversive, but it just really makes me frustrated when writers or marketers flat-out lie or hide things the audience actually needs to know in order to make an informed decision on what to watch. There are some surprises that are good to keep, of course, to make the viewing experience more engaging, but there's a reason movie studios can now be sued for false advertising in their trailers. Star Wars has always had its toxic fans of course, people who will just hate watch and assume stuff before they even see the show. But I don't think the marketing or creators did it any favors by leaving the true romance angle for the back half of the season. (Or by spending two whole episodes out of 8 on flashbacks, but that's another issue)

I don't want to hate on this show, I do feel bad for the people who fell in love with it only to have it get cancelled, and I liked a lot of elements it discussed and introduced. But the popular narratives around why it's getting cancelled - either that it's the worst thing ever to Star Wars or that Star Wars is cowardly catering to toxic old-fashioned fans - leave out quite a bit of context.

Clearly, there is an audience for a dark romance in Star Wars, whether you like that or not. But to me, The Acolyte buried its lede too well and doomed itself in the process.

I love them your honor!

[datzyuk]

so i'm thinking of reading some star wars novels and i'm pretty sure i've seen you talking about them so do you have any recs or instructions on how to read them? there's just so many. also ignore this if i'm totally wrong lmao

i love star wars novels sm!!! here's my very long breakdown under the readmore.

for starters, there are two main types of books

canon: anything published after disney purchased star wars. first canon book was released in 2014. occasionally small details from the books are retconned by new tv shows/movies but everything else is considered canon.

legends: anything published before disney purchased star wars in 2012. not canon but the new content often takes ideas from these books. before disney took over, there weren’t many rules for star wars books, so a lot of legends books contradict each other.

i’d also say it’s important to note that the canon YA books are usually on par with the adult books, so don’t skip them!

i mostly read the canon books so that’s what i’ll focus on but there are some gr8 legends books out there, and you’re way more likely to find legends books at your local used bookstore.

as for the correct order, some people might read them by following the in-universe timeline but that’s definitely not necessary!

here are some of my favs / good ones to start with!

lost stars by claudia gray. follows two kids from a small outer rim planet that bond over flying and eventually join the imperial academy as pilots. it’s the /perfect/ starting spot because its centered around the original trilogy with an atmosphere + events we know, but with OCs who allow us to get a new POV….and there are small cameos from some gr8 characters. it’s a BRICK but i finished it in like 24 hrs bc i couldn’t put it down.

leia: princess of alderaan by claudia gray. maybe i’m biased bc i’m super interested in the formation of the rebellion and the organas are my favorite family, but this book is so well done. it follows 16 yr old leia as she juggles being a junior senator + a princess. she also starts to discover the secrets her parents have been hiding about how deeply they’re involved in the rebellion. it’s a great look at young leia, but it also gives us a really good look at bail + breha organa as well as mon mothma. similar time period as ‘andor’ so it might be a good read before that comes out next month!

bloodline by claudia gray. takes place ~25 yrs after the original trilogy and ~5 yrs before the force awakens. this is the perfect sequel to #2. it gives us a glimpse at what leia has accomplished with the new republic while also showing its faults which lead to the rise of the first order. IMO, perfect mixture between plot + character driven.

dark disciple by christie golden. if you’re a fan of clone wars, this is it!!!! this was originally supposed to an eight episode arc but it was abandoned after the script was writen (by katie lucas!!). it follows quinlan vos and asajj ventress on an undercover mission to kill dooku. sounds weird, right???? i pushed it off for a year and i regret that so much. tied for my favorite star wars book.

the high republic. not a single book but an entire era that takes a look at the jedi order ~250 yrs before the prequels. it’s a collection of adult/YA/middle grade books, comics, and eventually a disney+ show (the acolyte). if you want something completely new, this is it! here’s a list with the reading order. i’ve personally only read the adult + YA books and i’ve really enjoyed them and haven’t felt like i’ve missed out by not reading everything.

some other notable mentions

ahsoka by e.k. johnston. this author’s books definitely feel more “YA” than others, but it’s well worth reading if you’re a fan of clone wars, rebels, or you’re interested in the formation of the rebellion.

the padme trilogy by e.k. johnston. same as above, but they’re a super quick read + really add to the prequels, especially the phantom menace. 

a new dawn by john jackson miller. the first canon book published and you can tell. definitely not my favorite, but it’s worth reading if you’re a fan of rebels. it’s way too focused on the horrible action plot and doesn’t give us much on hera, but it adds a lot to kanan’s history as a padawan + after order 66.

resistance reborn by rebecca roanhorse. if you want more from the sequels (including a whole page of finnpoe content) look no further. best read after the two leia-centric books mentioned above. not star wars but this author's book "black sun" is very good.

i’ve only read a handful of legends books (most are way too focused on the action for me) but here are some recs from that group

the revenge of the sith novelization by matthew woodring stover. like, yeah, it’s just a retelling of the movie we’ve all watched a million times but with extra scenes /and/ the character’s thoughts + feelings. makes it way more tragic. might contain a scene insinuating that obi-wan is hooking up with bail organa.

wild space by karen miller. a great look at obi-wan + anakin right after attack of the clones as they adjust to war, anakin adjusts to having a padawan, and obi-wan tries to talk to him about his attachment to padme. but 90% of it is bail + obi-wan stuck together on a mission and, you guessed it, there’s a lot of sexual tension.

the jedi apprentice series by jude watson. i literally started reading these bc i didn’t understand some references to obi-wan’s past in fanfic lol. 150-200 pages each, they’re short and simple but add a lot to obi-wan’s story as a padawan. most consider these canon.

youtini.com is a great source for both canon + legends, as well as r/starwarsbooks (except for their obsession with thrawn [puke])

btw you can get a lot of books on thriftbooks for FB marketplace for v cheap.

they are so many star wars books so if you’re looking for a particular character/era/story, let me know!!

[himboskywalker]

Finished Light of the Jedi and I’m piecing together my thoughts. All in all I thoroughly enjoyed the book and blazed through it. I think Soule did a really stellar job and I have only a few complaints,more to do with my nitpickiness of writing and structure then what a lot of people feared on the future of the Jedi in the Star Wars extended universe. So in all:

My favorite part of the book by far was how the Jedi were handled and expanded. I was so excited to see the Jedi Order at its peak of power and you can tell Soule really enjoyed writing that world building and taking his time expanding just how respected and loved the Order is in the Republic. They are hope,they are what we the audience regard them as and not what the corrupted Republic views them as,and it’s so terribly enjoyable to read. I think if anything this book really shows the juxtaposition of how far the Republic falls between this point and the prequels,certainly not the Jedi Order. The complete lack of unity in the Republic in Prequel Era compared to High Republic was astounding,and I think only further illustrates how deep Sidious’s corruption ran and just how much disunity the Jedi faced in the end.

On a personal level,I loved the Jedi characters introduced. I was most excited for Avar Kriss and while I did really love her,I also fell quickly in love with Elzar Mann and Loden Greatstorm. On that note I do think Soule had a lot of ground to cover and a massive scope to relay to his audience. I understand that scope and I think it relayed well,but to do so he utilized a huge cast of characters from many points of the galaxy to tell it. There were several points I didn’t care about those other minor characters,I was excited about this book for the Jedi,and I think there were a couple chapters from minor chargers’ perspectives that would have been better space to expound on the Jedi more.

That being said this is very much a prologue to a massive story. This read,and is,a huge introduction to an ongoing saga. It’s choppy,it’s fast paced,it doesn’t settle on the characters as I would like sometimes,but it sacrifices that for a huge depth of world building and laying the foundations for the future books of the High Republic.

I was most pleased with the expounding on how the Jedi handle and view emotion. How they care about people and seek to protect and act as beacons of light to others. I loved the personal relationships the reader sees between the Jedi characters and bits of humanity and humor between them. Between master and Padawan,between friends,and between childhood friends so close they compare to Prequel relationships I think. This is the strength of the book and what I certainly hope to see more of.

I wasn’t particularly impressed with the villains for most of the book until the very end. The buildup of the darkness and threat is a very slow one,and as a reader we don’t necessarily see the payoff in this book. The buildup is certainly a series length one,and the ending is more a chapter’s end for the next book to pickup the next story telling point of. I found the truest point of interest with the villains to be in the literal epilogue,so I recommend patience on that front.

And on a last note,one of my absolute favorite parts of the book was a Jedi Council meeting,where Soule not only made me fall in love with the Jedi even more,but I think he defended the Prequel era Jedi very very well. And I personally think it does away with a lot of fears of this new era of Jedi GFFA greater universe vilifying the Prequel era Jedi and characters. They defend the Jedi’s choice to become more involved with politics and the Republic,because of the Jedi’s core values of peace and justice. And Soule writes one of my favorite lines of the whole book, “Yes,but we are guardians of two ideals,are we not?——Sometimes,unfortunately,they come into conflict.We must always strive for peace,but also justice. Peace without justice is flawed,hollow at its core. It is peace provided by tyranny.”

All in all my negatives were with pacing and character focus. The book was 90% action and I would have preferred a few more moments of introspection on the characters,and more focus on the main characters and less on the very minor ones. That being said Soule’s choices were understandable and were made because Ultimately Light of the Jedi is a prologue book and a massive foundation for the other High Republic books. All in all I was extremely pleased and am immensely excited for what’s to come! 8/10

[revengeoftheswift]

Top 10 fav SW lines? Any lines from any episode? (Meaning *uugghaaawww* aka Chewbacca would count too hahahah 😄🤭)

OOh brilliant question. Now Star Wars dialogue is known to be full on Shakespearean but here we go.

1: "You were right about me, Luke. Tell your sister, you were right," - Anakin Skywalker (ROTJ) I'm crying while just typing this. After, the last scene in ROTJ where Luke looks and sees Obi-Wan, Yoda, and his father, this is my favorite. It just so full circle. The Chosen One, who had lost his way and become the devil's spawn returns to become an angel one last time to protect his son, the person who brings out the good in him, and dies. My heart aaahhhh. This is why I love Luke so much, he sees the good in everyone. And, it's so much like his mother, whose last words were also, "there's good in him, I know there is still." It's almost like Anakin is talking to Padme through Luke.

2: "I hate you" "You were my brother Anakin, I loved you," - Obi-Wan Kenobi (ROTS). Another scene that broke my heart. This is one of my favorite scenes of all time and I know the entire fight scene by heart because it's just such an end of an era. And Obi-Wan is a Jedi, and is told to leave all attachments and here he is, admitting to Anakin, that he was his brother that he loved him so very dearly, and now he had to kill him but, it killed him just the same.

3: "Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate is the dark side," - Yoda (TPM). I love this quote so much, I always remind myself of it.

4: "I was beginning to think I knew who you were behind that mask but it's impossible! My Master could never be as vile as you." "Anakin Skywalker was weak, I destroyed him." "Then I will avenge his death." "Revenge is not the Jedi way." "I am no Jedi," -Ahsoka Tano (Rebels). Yes I am crying again. I just love this scene so much. Imagine, leaving your friend and then he becomes Hitler, that was what Ahsoka was feeling. And for a second, when Ahsoka says "Anakin", you can actually see Anakin in Vader, and even as Vader he is teaching her.

5: "From a certain point of view," Obi-Wan Kenobi (ESB). I use this in every argument, I also love this scene so much.

6: "Have heart little one. A wise Jedi once said, "it is the will of the Force that you are by my side." Just want to keep you there in one piece," - Anakin Skywalker (TCW). I love that Anakin references Qui Gon, and this is something I always tell myself, that everything is as the Force wills. But, this also is the beginning of Anakin and Ahsoka's friendship so this is very wholesome.

7: "You've failed, Your Highness. I'm a Jedi like my father before me," -Luke Skywalker (ROTJ). This is why, ever since I was a child, I've sort of idolized Luke. He sticks to his morals and sees the good in everyone. He trusted his father, and he saved him.

8: "Hello There" "General Kenobi" - Obi-Wan and General Grievous (ROTS). This is for the memes. It will forever be etched in my memory.

9: "I don't like sand" - Anakin Skywalker (AOTC). Again for the memes. But, I actually like this scene. People forget the meaning of this scene. It's saying that 'hey Padme, I didn't grow up with wealth and the luxury you have. I was a slave on a dessert.' And, people can trash on Anidala how much ever they want but I love them. So, I like this scene.

10: "The Republic will be reorganized into the first Galactic Empire for safe and secure society and prosperity" "So this is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause" - Sheev Palpatine and Padme Amidala (ROTS). It's no secret how much I love Palpatine as a villain, and as a kid I literally wanted to be Padme, so I love the themes here. The end of democracy, and people applauding it, a lot like today. I think the cinematography here is just mwah.

Damn that was long, there are many more as well, especially from Qui Gon and the Clone Wars, and Obi-Wan cause he is just so wise.

[smokeybrand]

Smokey brand Reviews: Force Sensitivities

I love Star Wars. I have since i was a kid. It just missed the Trinity of my Childhood, Spider-Man, Godzilla, and Transformers, by inches but i hold it in high regard. I’d say that it’s only a step behind the big three, along with the Alien franchise. I enjoy both franchises for a lot of the same reasons; Expansive lore, impeccable world building, and fantastic characters. I have a strong emotional connections to all things a galaxy far, far, away so the past few years have been difficult to witness. Under the “guidance” of Kathleen Kennedy, i watched my space wizards and cyborg warlocks, decline considerably. I saw all that creativity and inspired storytelling fall by the wayside in favor of identity politics and ego driven agenda.

Then, The Mandalorian dropped and everything changed. There’s been an infusion of quality, a resurgence of the creative, and one of the things to come out of this brand new inspiration is Star War: Visions. Visions is an anthology series of original stories, created by some of the top anime studios in Japan. That, alone, is enough to pique my interests. I love anime and the world Lucas created, lends itself to the medium almost effortlessly. It finally released yesterday and i was able to check out all of them, twice. Is this thing everything i dreamed of? Kind of? Sometimes?

The Duel

The first of the shorts presented and easily the most visually striking. This thing is a CG animation, usually kind of wonky but not so much with this short. I’m more a fan of traditional cell animation but Kamikaze Douga does a fantastic job with the new computer flavor. That expertise is put on full display with this Kurosawa inspired epic, an irony not lost on me. Old Kurosawa films like Yojimbo and Seven Samurai were direct inspirations for Star Wars so seeing it come full circle like this, is very rewarding. Overall, i liked this entry. It’s a great introduction for the anthology and delivers a strong viewing experience.

Tatooine Rhapsody

True to it’s anthology nature, the very next episode delivers something completely different than the last. This entry, made by Studio Colorado, is traditional animation with a heavy, heavy, influence from Leiji Matsumoto. One can definitely make the argument that this is what Interstella 9999 would look like if i had a Star Wars skin and i wouldn’t fight you about it. That’s kind of the art direction being leaned into with this short, that Captain Harlock/Galaxy Express 9999 look. I’m a sucker for that classic aesthetic so i kind of loved it. Didn’t care for the music but seeing a stylized Boba Fett was a real treat. This one is the most original of the anthology, so far from the overall Star Wars theme, and i think that hurts it some. As it’s own thing, though? Fantastic.

The Twins

This one is top tier for me and not just because it’s the first entry from Trigger. This one is good. It’s the first to really nail that more kinetic feel of the prequel lightsaber duels and, if you know anything about Studio Trigger, of course it would. These people gave us Kill la Kill and Brand New Animal. In fact, the overall look of this thing has shades of both Dead Leaves, Gurren Lagann and Promare all over it. It reminds me a great deal of the conflict between the Solo twins in legends. This thing is beautifully animated and tells it’s story with with skill. That said, it’s to one of my favorites. I love Trigger but this one, i think, doesn’t really live up to the Star Wars standard. Still, there is a lot of cool sh*t in here. Kyber powered Sith armor is something to behold, for sure.

The Village Bride

This one is the one for me. I f*cking LOVED this entry. I think it’s the nest of the lot for a lot of reasons. This thing feels the most like a Lucas or Filoni entry into the franchise. It delivers u to an alien world where we get to see the people interact with their surroundings. It delivers a personal conflict juxtaposed against a very real, very, worldly danger. It grounds us with great characters and does so with a beautifully rendered style. For me, The Village Bride is everything i want in a Star Wars story and i need to see more of these characters, more of this world, more of F, herself. She’s f*cking amazing! The Lady Jedi does some sh*t with her lightsaber that left me in awe. Kinema Citrus animated this one in the style of Katanagatari and it really works for this style of narrative.

The Ninth Jedi

This one is real special. It feels right at home in a Clone Wars narrative or something from the Old Republic. I adore the look of this one. Its one of my favorites, after The Village Bride and Lop and Ocho, but is far more action oriented than those to. This one focuses on lightsaber duels and delivers the best of the anthology, in my opinion. This f*cking thing goes hard to deliver that visceral, aggressive, fancifal style you see in the Prequel films  but completely stylized in this wonderfully fluid animation. The overall narrative is pretty simple but loaded with potential and i hope we get a continuation in the inevitable second season of Visions. Production IG really did their thing with this entry and i really hope it becomes something more.

T0-B1

If Astro Boy took place on Tatooine, you’d have T0-B1. This thing really leans into Tezuka’s style and is all the better for it.  I can’t say i really enjoyed the overall narrative but the look of this thing really stays with you. It’s incredibly distinct from everything in this anthology mostly because you don’t see the Tezuka style all too often nowadays but this entry definitely has more heart than most of it’s contemporaries. I was surprised by how much emotion was packed into this little cartoon and can definitely recommend it on the strength of that, alone. While not one of my favorites, i can definitely appreciate what Science SARU delivered.

The Elder

I didn’t like this one. The pacing was too slow and the characters were forgettable. I kind of hated the overall aesthetic and the narrative told was one we’ve seen from this universe a few times. That said, it has a dope ass lightsaber duel toward the end. That’s really the only good aspect of this short, in my opinion. Interestingly enough, this is the second entry from Trigger which makes it incredibly disappointing because they usually kill it. They did not kill it with this one. Not at all.

Lop and Ocho

This one was my second favorite of all nine shorts. It is the most “anime” of the lot and really leans into that genre with gusto. It also feels a lot like Star Wars as far as narrative is concerned. Similar to The Twins, this is a story of forced sensitive sibling, clashing over ideals, told through the crossing of their blades. It’s definitely interesting to watch, especially considering our heroine is an anthropomorphic bunny, something you don’t see too often in the Star Wars universe. I really enjoyed Lop and hopes she garners enough popularity to explore her character further in either a second season of Visions or an actual series dedicated to her personal journey. Geno Studio really impressed with this one.

Akakiri

This one might be the weakest of the lot, until you realize what you’re watching. All of these stories focused on Jedi and their perspective on the world but Science SARU went in a different direction. This is the story of how a Jedi falls. It’s an amazingly emotional watch once that revelation is delivered, putting everything before into perspective. It’s deftly told and works, for the most part, but i feel like this one needed an extra few minutes to develop fully. Still, as the booked to a rather excellent anthology, Akakiri does it’s job well.

The Verdict

This thing is pure Star Wars. It's everything that made Lucas' magnum opus fantastic. Some of these entries hit harder than others, my favorite being The Village Bride, but the overall content in this anthology is f*cking spectacular. I love the different animation styles and how these bite sized stories are told. Some of them take a great many liberties with he world rules whole others are fantastic homages to the genres that make up the Star Wars skeleton. Visions is work of love and passion. These shorts are made with care and not only revere the franchise which came before, but really lay the ground work for potential future exploration, which is what Star Wars has always been about. I still think Mando is the best thing to come out of Favreu's era, so far, but Visions is something very special and is a fantastic example of what can be coming next. If you love Star Wars, you'll love this show. If you left the fandom over Kennedy and her polarizing rhetoric, Visions is a great point to jump back in. Star Wars: Visions is f*cking exceptional and everyone should check it out if they can.

[keldae]

Xaja Taerich! c:

Full Name: Xaja Elynnai Taerich

Gender and Sexuality: Cis female, bi-romantic demisexual

Pronouns: She/her

Ethnicity/Species: Human, Caucasian

Birthplace and Birthdate: Lavisar. 15 Telona, 7 BTC, 3661 BBY 

 Guilty Pleasures: Reading (and sometimes writing) fanfiction for space!Game of Thrones (the smuttier the better >.>), and collecting little plush animal toys, for no other reason besides they look cute.

Phobias: Spiders, carbonite, darkness, abandonment.

What They Would Be Famous For: What, she’s not already famous as hell for being the Outlander/Zakuul’s Most Wanted/Alliance Commander? :P She was already pretty well-known across the galaxy before KOTFE came about, something about being a certifiable badass. If she wasn’t a Jedi/the Outlander, she would probably be famous as a writer.

What They Would Get Arrested For: Fighting. She may or may not have had a stern chat already from Republic security after whipping around and punching someone for calling her “Missy”. Alternately, she was almost nabbed for theft and pickpocketing a few times as a kid. Good thing she could outrun them?

OC You Ship Them With: In RP ‘verse, my friend’s character Corovan. In fic ‘verse? Nobody. She’s so far gone with Theron, there’s no coming back. ;)

OC Most Likely To Murder Them: Her uncle, Darth Maglion the Douchebag. Or, in RP ‘verse, my other friend’s Sith character Wraythos Vi’garion. Or her bestie Jakar Forseti, @d6790‘s brainspawn, after she rigs another prank on his ship one too many times.

Favorite Movie/Book Genre: Action.

Least Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: Toss-up between horror and “comedy”… which she thinks is just stupid attempts at humour trying to cater to the lowest common denomination.

Talents and/or Powers: She’s damned good with a lightsaber in almost any form. In-game she uses dual sabers, although she knows how to use a saber-staff too. She’s also good at hiding with the Force, using the Force for speed, and using it to fuck up someone’s mind temporarily.

Why Someone Might Love Them: She’s smart, she’s relatively friendly, she’s a good natural leader, and she can crack wise with the best of them. She has a kind, protective spirit – just watch her when a child or a small animal is in question. And when she decides she loves someone, she loves them wholeheartedly – romantic, platonic, familial.

Why Someone Might Hate Them: Anything ranging from her short temper to her snarky comebacks to how she has the tendency of just leaving her clothes and boots wherever they fall when she’s changing out of them. Theron has tripped over her boots in the dark more than once. Also, it might not be cause for hate, but anyone who’s tried to make her be happy and talkative in the mornings before her caf might have felt a bit of fear. She’s a little bit murderous before her caf.

How They Change: At the start of the vanilla story, she was pretty much a fearless 19-year-old who was ready to take on the entire galaxy. She realized pretty quickly that the galaxy was way bigger than her. Her self-confidence took a huge hit after the end of Chapter 2, and it still hasn’t fully recovered. She’s still sarcastic and friendly, but she’s far quieter and more suspicious of the people and situations around her, and she’s gone from considering herself almost completely self-sufficient to having to rely on people around her at all times. There’s a lot more lingering fear and anxiety under the surface now. But, on the flip side, she’s more confident and sure in saying what she wants, and speaks her mind regularly. If she was still in the Order, she’d be arguing with the Council every step of the way for her relationship with Theron, because dammit that is what she wants.

Why You Love Them: Xaja’s been in my head the longest out of any OC ever. She started out as a Jedi Apprentice-era OC back when I was in high school, and just stepped into different time eras when I got interested in them. A lot of her is a foil for either what I am like, or what I wish I was like. Writing her fighting her demons and struggling with her own mental health problems (that she doesn’t like talking about to anyone) has been helpful for me as well, and it’s kind of inspiring me to try and develop at least a semblance of the same confident exterior that she projects. Xaja’s the character who stayed with me through a guild dissolving and a few outright awful times of my life. There’s too much of me in her for me to not love her. 

[it1776]

The Best Nintendo Switch Controller Review

The Pro Controller is fine.

I still recommend it to most people

but if you play a lot of 2D games that the D-Pad placement

just isn't gonna cut it. 8BitDo is been making

fantastic Deepak controllers for a while now.

I originally recommended the old SN30

if you wanted to play a lot of 2D games.

Its biggest flaw was it's ergonomics, making it hard to play

3D games with its thumb sticks.

They fixed that with the release of the SN30 Pro+

a near-perfect controller that quickly became

my favorite controller for the Switch.

I used it so much that I ran it into the ground

and had to buy a new one recently. Almost two years later,

they finally released an updated version,

simply called the 8BitDo Pro 2.

Thank God that name was starting to be a mouthful.

This version adds a lot

to the already fantastic Pro Controller alternative.

If you are on the fence about getting one before,

this one will for sure give you

a couple of pretty good reasons to reconsider.

(upbeat music)

This video is sponsored by Aspyr, the guys who brought you,

the Jedi Outcast and Jedi Academy Switch ports

are now bringing you Star Wars Republic Commando.

It's finally on Nintendo Switch

and PlayStation 4 for just 1499.

Check it out at the link in the description below.

Whoa! Whoa! Come on, dude.

Chaos has erupted throughout the galaxy.

As leader of an elite squad of Republic Commandos,

your mission is to infiltrate, dominate,

and ultimately annihilate the enemy. You will play as Boss,

leader of the special ops unit Delta Squad

together with Fixer, Scorch and Sev

working together as a team

instinctively, intelligently, instantly. You guys all right.

I was here first and then you guys just came.

Battle a variety of highly intelligent and deadly enemies

from brutal Trandoshan mercenaries, all right.

To the flying insectoid warriors of Geonosis.

This game was originally released in 2005

and I think is a crucial part of Star Wars history.

I love this era of Star Wars games and I love that Aspyr

is putting some games from this era on the Switch.

So again, you can try it for yourself for just 1499

at the link in the description below.

(water bubbling)

Sorry anybody got a USB-C charger.

(water bubbling).

So if you're new here

the biggest reason why I recommend this controller

is because of the D-pad. It's perfectly clicky.

It feels almost exactly like an original S.N.E.S controller

but you know, newer obviously. But it also has

all of the makings of a great modern controller.

It's thumb sticks feel almost exactly

like a DualShock 4 thumb sticks, making this a great option

for 3D games if you need something that could do both.

Here's something I often forget to mention.

It comes with a rechargeable battery, but it can be removed

and replaced with two double A's if you're in a bind,

something Microsoft should take note of.

It also has great motion controls and rumble.

The only thing that it's missing

that the Nintendo Pro Controller has is NFC.

But at the significantly lower price point,

are you really gonna be missing NFC that much?

The original SN30 Pro+ was and still is $45.

This new one bumps the price up to $50,

which is still a reasonable price

and some harsh competition for Nintendo's $70 controller.

It also works on Switch, Windows, Mac, Android,

and Raspberry Pi via Bluetooth, which is great

if you wanna play emulators or 2D games via Steam.

It's an all-around great controller

and I haven't even mentioned any of the new features yet.

Everything that I've said is also available

on the older $45 model.

The Pro 2 Sports 2 assignable back buttons.

This is a very welcome addition

and something I wish more controllers included.

My only gripe here is that

they're a little too easy to press. They're very large.

It's very difficult to grip the controller

without touching these buttons with your middle fingers.

In an intense game of Mario Maker

I accidentally press these buttons many times.

Luckily, by default they're assigned to nothing.

So pressing them did nothing at all.

You can assign functions to these buttons

using the brand new 8BitDo companion app.

In fact, you can remap all of the buttons

using the companion app.

And there are three different assignable profiles

that you can swap between on the fly.

Technically there's four because

there's just a baseline default one which is great

for when you don't wanna accidentally hit the back buttons.

Pressing this button right here switches between the modes.

There's off one, two and three.

In addition to remapping the buttons,

this software also allows you to fix the sticks dead zones.

It's also supposed to let you fix the trigger sensitivity,

but I couldn't figure out how to do that in the app.

I can only figure out how to do that on the desktop version.

But I like having my trigger sensitivity set really high

so they're like hair triggers because almost no Switch games

registered trigger sensitivity anyway.

Upon further review it seems that they disabled

the trigger sensitivity tab for the Switch.

So they got rid of trigger sensitivity

entirely for the Switch which is weird

'cause there are games that could still use it.

But if you go to Android or DInput or whatever,

it shows the trigger sensitivity, which is very strange.

You can also adjust vibration levels and of course,

macros, which go great with the new additional back buttons.

Previously, I used to assign macros to the share button.

Now I don't have to, unfortunately, the macro functionality

still, isn't very intuitive. You have to program it yourself

in the app, one button at a time. You can set the timings

between button presses but that's way harder to do

than just inputting a macro yourself on the controller

and having it record your inputs.

Something I've seen in a few other devices lately.

I hope that 8BitDo can eventually update

the Ultimate software and the Pro 2's firmware

to have this sort of functionality.

Because right now the macro function is pretty much

all only useful for like fighting games.

They did add the ability

to use thumb stick inputs for macros.

So if you have more patience than me

you can figure out some macros for Smash Brothers.

What might be more useful is assigning a turbo button

which is useful for many games, namely Animal Crossing.

I have a whole video on that if you're interested.

The old Pro+ had a turbo function but with this new Pro 2,

it might be worth it to assign one of the back buttons

to enable the turbo function. You can also have

the other back button assigned to hold.

So it will hold down a button forever.

So you can breeze through long menus or something.

Another useful feature that was recently added.

You can set the left stick to be swapped with the D-pad.

This is useful for games like Link's Awakening,

which should have D-pad support, but it doesn't.

There's also an option

to swap the right stick with the triggers.

I think that's some fighting games.

But my favorite part about this new mobile app

is that it allows you to change your settings on the fly.

You don't have to disconnect it from your Switch at all.

You can have it connected to your Switch

and the app at the same time.

This is something that you could not do

with the previous desktop app. This is huge for figuring out

the timing of macros or finding out the right button mapping

for yourself and immediately trying it out in the field.

One of my least favorite things

about wireless controllers like this

is connecting it to the Switch.

I often find myself just (indistinct) the button

till it finally comes up.

This controller alleviates some of that pain

by adding a mode switch on the back.

On the previous Pro+ you had to hold Start and Y

to enter switch mode. Windows, Android, and iOS,

all had different corresponding face buttons.

You expect me to remember all those.

There was also no indication

what mode you were currently in.

Now it's as easy as just flipping the switch.

You have Nintendo Switch, Apple DInput and XInput.

XInput is for Windows and Android.

DInput is for like old. I don't know it's

just probably don't worry about it. Other than all that

the only other real difference is it's enhanced grip

which is really just a textured back

similar to the textured back

of the new DualSense controller.

Other than that, this controller feels exactly the same

as the old SN30 Pro+ controller.

Switching between the two reveals that the face buttons

feel more responsive on the newer one.

Maybe it's because it's newer

and I used the shit out of my old one.

It's hard to tell.

- Oh no. - Hit the button, dude.

I think this controller.

(upbeat game music)

You know, I'll try, I'll try the top ones.

The buttons, the build quality, everything feels the same.

The Pro 2 comes in gray, black and GB edition.

I pre-ordered myself the Game Boy looking one

so I'll be getting that one when it eventually comes out.

But 8BitDo sent me their gray edition one, which looks like

it's attempting to resemble a PlayStation 1 controller.

It's an okay design. The A, B, X, Y buttons

colored like PlayStation buttons is like unsettling.

It's like a sin. The strongest design that they have

is definitely the Game Boy looking at one.

8BitDo used to have controllers that looked almost exactly

like Super Nintendo and N.E.S controllers,

but I'm sure they strayed away from that

so that they weren't bullied by Nintendo's lawyers.

It's also probably why they don't have

a Super Nintendo looking one at all anymore.

But I mean, the feel of the controller

is more important than anything else. And for 2D games,

there's nothing better than this,

until you find your Lord and Savior keyboard keys baby.

So if you haven't yet picked yourself up a 8BitDo controller

now might be the time to make the jump.

$5 extra for the back buttons,

the updated Ultimate software, the mode switch,

the custom profiles that can switch on the fly.

Yeah, I'd say it's worth it to get this version

over the original or Pro. Now is it worth upgrading to

if you already have an original SN30 Pro+.

That I'm not sure about.

Maybe if yours is starting to feel like shitty.

I know mine started to feel like

a little unresponsive, I guess.

I don't know how to describe it other than

it just got shitty and then I had to buy a new one.

But if you're perfectly content with your original SN30 Pro+

then it's probably not worth dropping an extra $50

on a brand new controller. It's like 90% the same controller

and about 10% new hotness. Or maybe I'm sure

you could find a way to justify it.

Maybe you could teach your grandma how to do Kaizo Mario.

What do you guys think about the brand new 8BitDo Pro 2?

It's a lot easier to say at this time.

Is this gonna make you finally make the jump

into getting an 8BitDo controller? Or it's something that

you would consider upgrading to from the original?

I don't think you really need to

unless like yours got like old crappy.

If you have a Nintendo Switch Pro controller already,

and you find yourself playing way more 2D games

this might be worth getting in addition to.

I mean it's like a second,

you get a second player with it to.

Leave in the comments below, add me on Twitter

and all this social media garbage.

As always we have new videos here all the time,

at least once a week.

This week, I think you're getting two, lucky you.

And we got streams over on twitch.tv/wulffden

where we can hang out and chat with each other

about stuff like this. Look at that.

Make sure you turn on notifications for all of that stuff

so you know, when we go live

'cause you can't rely on YouTube or Twitch to tell you.

But of course the most important thing right now

is just subscribe. Thank you.

I appreciate you for wanting to watch these videos.

And share this video with a friend.

A friend who maybe hasn't gotten

one of these controllers yet and it's still stuck

with the freaking regular role Pro controller.

Or maybe they're using the freaking split Joy-Cons

like a real, degenerate.

(gentle music)

Thank you. Have a good week.

[arielsojourner]

LOOSE ENDS/FUTURE HEAD CANONS “Luke and Vader Save the Galaxy” - Some final snippets in this universe as requested focusing on what happens for our favorite clones in the future. As you can see, I stole my favorite ideas from the EU. The rest of the masterpost you can find on my main Tumblr page. Thanks everyone!

-The holonet figures out Anakin and Padme are married and have twins near the end of the Tatooine campaign. (Not that the they were hiding it, but it certainly didn’t help that Hack Squad had set up several holomedia accounts and groups for clone brothers to post and share photos and stories and keep in touch with each other. Several of the troopers had holocameras and like taking pictures of their Jedi General goofing off and being something other than a stoic Jedi.) Holosnaps of Anakin embracing Padme and carrying his children cause a massive crash of several popular holomedia sites. The Jedi Order neither censured nor expelled him. When Ventress later posted her own holosnaps of Obi-Wan and Duchess Satine, the Jedi Order again said nothing. As Master Windu later remarked when some journalists just wouldn’t leave him alone, the Order had much more important business to take care of and deal with.

-The GAR reformed under the Reconstruciton Accords into the Republic Reconstruction Forces or RRF, and was no longer just a military force. The Force sensitive clones form the Jedi Corps branch of the RRF.  Luke’s first students are clones but he is not adverse to teaching anyone who has the ability, regardless of age and his students take up the tradition. Force training is offered at nearly every Home Base where clones have made their communities on half a dozen different worlds. Many parents choose not to give up their children for Search when their children can learn how to be Jedi and stay in touch with their families. It leads to widespread changes within the Order and in the centuries that follow, the time will be referred to by scholars and lore masters as the Era of Reconciliation between a variety of Force traditions both old and new.

-Luke continues to help people and travel the galaxy with the RRF and his students. He opens a formal Jedi academy and training facility on Yavin IV and the planet is claimed as a formal home planet for the clones. He is confronted by the Noghri some years later who have tracked him down and they pledge loyalty to him in honor of what he and Vader did to protect their planet. The clones and the Noghri warriors get along like a house on fire and together manage to cause even more chaos and help an even greater number of people throughout the galaxy.

-Luke visits the Order’s Temple on Coruscant only once at Master Plo and Master Kenobi’s invitation. During the tour he asks them quite candidly why they are bothering to reconstruct the Temple over what feels like a Sith Shrine that is seeping malevolence into the very air. Master Jocasta Nu who overhears the question, fires back that he is the foolish one settling his Academy on Yavin IV. Luke thanks her for her concern but informs her that the Sith Ghost of Exar Kun was handily disposed of with the help of ghost!Vader and his students before anyone moved into the old Temple structure and the planet now is a beacon of Light. Coruscant, cannot say the same. The Order moves off Coruscant within two years after Luke’s first and only visit. The land still belongs to them though and they let the gardens retake the entire Temple District before they leave Courscant.

-Luke finds time to keep up with racing and ensures that when his old model X-Wing is finally released onto the market he buys one for his personal use. It isn’t the same without Artoo, though.  He still is invited out with clones for nights on the town. He visits dozens of systems and explores the galaxy. He keeps a careful distance from Anakin and Padme’s family, not wanting to interfere until Leia attends Young Legislators Camp one summer and in an effort to stop Luke from moping dejectedly around the house for being abandoned by his sister, Anakin brings Luke to Yavin IV for Jedi summer camp. Luke and Luke bond and are so similar in mannerism and mood that they spend the entire summer joined at the hip.  The clones and those familiar with clone culture take it in stride. They don’t find it odd at all to have little Luke following grown up Luke around. 

-Ventress settles up the bets she took for the 501st eventually. She takes one look at Luke and Luke on Yavin IV and knows who the winner is. She sends the substantial credit pot to Chatterbox without a word. 

-Satine and Obi-Wan bicker over the finer points of pacificism and the Jedi Code for the rest of their lives.

-Ahsoka Tano delays her Knighting by over two years, choosing instead to stay with Anakin and when not with Anakin, traveling with various clone troopers (but mostly Captain Rex and Commander Cody) as part of their ongoing mission to tackle the Datapad of Disasters that Luke maintains from his Father’s memory. She insists that Barriss is Knighted alongside her which further delays things since it takes at least the approval of 4 High Council Members to be present for the Knighting outside the Temple. After her Knighting, a party rivaling the celebration after the Battle of Theed is held.

-Barriss Offee ends up leading a group of medic clones on mercy missions all across the galaxy. She walks unmolested through brutal firefights and defies all governments and treaties to treat the sick and the wounded. She ends up in command of the Medical Corp of the RRF. It is rumored she has not raised her saber in attack or defense since the day the chipped clones were triggered, and only then to defend others, not herself. She never returns to the Temple, but at Ahsoka’s insistence joins her friend at her Knighting and receives official Knighthood herself.

–Ventress always wanted revenge. It was what drove her to the Dark Side. Luke had once told her the best revenge was living well. She isn’t sure that she is living well, being the friend of largely moronic battle droids and the diplomatic voice of the Separatist Alliance systems before and after the Reconciliation Accords are signed.  She never wanted power or influence, but now she has both. When she grumped about it to Luke he laughed and says that is what made her a good leader. She never marries but she and Quilan Vos have four terrifying daughters together.

-Fives takes several clone apprentices over the years, and becomes a formidable leader and eventual high admiral of the RRF navy. It is one of the proudest days of his life when he takes command. With Echo serving with him, they lay the groundwork for clones to live and work in a variety of different arenas not just in military operations, always looking to help the innocent and those suffering above all else.

–Hardcase is the first of the clone brothers to take an apprentice and begins training Loops as soon as he can. The two of them are tireless in coordinating and leading the decades long battle against the remnants of the Zygerrian slave empire. In the end, Hardcase sacrifices his life to save his former apprentice and thousand of child slaves and finally destroys entire slaving civilization once and for all. He is memorialized with a statute at the Jedi Academy on Yavin IV and another in the Order’s Temple proper.  Loops however, believes that the most important memorial to his dear teacher and older brother are the several drinking songs written in his honor still sung in cantinas around the galaxy to this day.

–Chatterbox doesn’t so much choose an apprentice as an apprentice named Rob chooses him. Rob is cheerful and talks enough for the both of them and latches on to his older brother and won’t let go. People wonder how exactly Chatterbox manages to train Rob to be a powerful Jedi since Chatterbox is still very much a brother of few words. Eventually, Chatterbox succeeds 99 as the representative of the clone brothers. It is his gift of listening to the Force that proves instrumental in reaching a peaceful resolution to the galactic invasion the Reformed Republic faces fifty years after the death of Sidious. His one and only speech on the matter was so persuasive it is remembered as the catalyst for peace and responsible for saving trillions of lives. Chatterbox is named one of the most influential speakers of the time, an irony that never fails to have his brothers’ all laughing until they cry. In the future, historians will mourn the fact that only one recording of Chatterbox’s speeches survived because with his powers of oration and his name he obviously was a prolific speaker. It is such a shame that all other records of Chatterbox’s public speaking have been lost, historians mourn centuries in the future.

–Waxer and Boil go back to Ryloth and there an orphaned Numa remembers her brothers and isn’t going to let them go again. They end up adopting her and several other war orphans. Eventually they lead galactic efforts to aid the orphans of the Clone Wars finding homes. Many children are adopted by the newly freed clone soldiers following their example.  With encouragement from Senator Organa and Senator Amidala, they eventually leave the army proper and focus on leading the humanitarian efforts under the banner of the RRF.

-Captain Rex and Commander Cody like the good soldiers they always were, never retire. Their aging slows to a crawl for several decades before continuing on at a moderate pace. They spend the rest of their lives working with the Luke’s Jedi and their favorite Generals and Commanders maintaining peace in the galaxy. While Anakin Skywalker will always be considered the General of the 501st and Obi-Wan Kenobi will always have the loyalty of the 212th, the two battalions frequently operate under the joint command of Ahsoka Tano and send troopers to support Luke’s growing squads of Force sensitive clones on missions. 

When they have free time, Rex’s favorite thing to do is to travel with Commander Tano to visit the Skywalker family and the Jedi Academy on Yavin IV. Cody loves to work training the new cadets who are interested in joining the RRF, showing his younger brothers how it is really done. Cody is also one of the few active military clones that Duchess Satine welcomes to Mandalore.

-Over time, the 104th reforms, takes in members of the Coruscant Home Guard and becomes a permanent detachment protecting the Order wherever it may call home. Master Plo couldn’t be happier.  Plo Koon is the first Order master to take a clone cadet as a Jedi Padawan on the understanding that there will be none of this “no attachment” business. Master Koon agrees. 

-When Luke Skywalker, taught the Force by his father and by his other self and by half a dozen clone Force Sensitives and Obi-Wan reaches his teen years, Yoda himself travels to Naboo and asks if Luke Skywalker will be his padawan learner. The discussion that follows at the twins’ birthday party is an interesting one to say the least.

-It is a good thing that the RRF diversifies from the GAR. Fifty odd years after the death of Sidious during an invasion from the Unknown Region, the RRF with its Jedi Corps, its Refugee programs, Medcorps, Slicer teams, and its good old fashion troopers are quick to react and stand with the Jedi Order to defend the galaxy. They manage to stop the fleet before it passes through the Outer Rim. It is a costly campaign and in the end it is Luke using the Force to throw the alien fleet out of orbit of the Dantooine system that wins the day and allows the rest of the fleet to arrive under the command of Admiral Fives and General Anakin Skywalker and his children and stop the invasion before it starts.

[helloworlddemo1122-yahoopar-blog]

FLASHBACK: George Lucas Talks Origins of ‘Star Wars’ and Expanding ‘A New Hope’ Into a Trilogy

May the Fourth be with you!

Since Disney bought LucasFilm in 2012, excitement around May 4 has been tied to new additions to the Star Wars universe. (This is the third consecutive year that a new film in the franchise has been released.) But there is an even more festive reason to hug the nearest Wookie this “Star Wars Day,” aka “May the Fourth:” the fast approaching 40th anniversary of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope.

Last month, at the 2017 Star Wars Celebration, George Lucas dropped by the commemoration to discuss Episode IV, as well as pay tribute to the passing of our princess general, Carrie Fisher. In his reflection on the movie, Lucas summarized his original intention for the now-iconic film.

MORE: First Trailer for 'Star Wars - The Last Jedi'  Is Here!

“The idea was simply to do the high-adventure film that I loved when I was a kid with meaningful psychological themes,” said Lucas as thousands of fans listened in the Orlando auditorium, with tens of thousands more streaming it online.

He added, “I’m not supposed to say this, and I wasn’t supposed to say it at the time, but it’s a film for 12-year-olds.”

Lucas has been talking about Star Wars for a long time. The last prequel, and the final film he was involved with, hit theaters 12 years ago. He devoted much of the ‘90s to maintaining the saga’s presence in pop culture, including the release of special edition versions of the original trilogy. He also began work on the prequels at that time, which were heavily anticipated by the fans after realizing “IV” meant they had been dropped into the middle of a much bigger story. Throughout this renaissance, Lucas often talked with ET’s Leonard Maltin about the genesis of A New Hope and how he had pulled off such an ambitious vision.

"I think, basically, I was interested in, you know, in mythology, and I was really looking for a way to sort of recreate the role mythology played and I was sort of poking around,” Lucas told ET.

How the works of Joseph Campbell shaped the saga’s story structure has been well-documented over the years. Lucas’ love of Republic serials famously influenced A New Hope and Raiders of the Lost Ark. With the shoulders of these giants to stand on, he further narrowed in on his vision by seeking out voids that had been left behind in as a new generation of filmmakers took over cinema.

"The Western was sort of the last real mythological genre. And I couldn't make a Western. Westerns were out of style at that point, and I wasn't that interested in Westerns anyway. And I said, ‘What is going to take over, because nothing has replaced it.’ Nothing replaced the Western,” Lucas said.

"And I said, ‘Maybe it'll be space. And I like space. Space is fun, so we'll create a kind of fantasy space world where I can tell some time-worn stories.’"

Science fiction wasn’t a popular or profitable genre at the time. Special effects makeup artist Rob Bottin told ET that before working on creatures for the cantina scene in A New Hope, he had worked on a movie called The Incredible Melting Man. This film would later become fodder for Mystery Science Theater 3000 -- a solid indicator of the state of the genre. Lucas was a risk from the start. The pitch for a space adventure with mythological themes was heavily rejected by the studios until Twentieth Century Fox president Alan Ladd Jr. took the project.

“Science fiction was not very well thought of when I did Star Wars. It was very hard to get a science fiction film off the ground. Special effects films were almost nonexistent,” said Lucas, whose most popular work at that point was a low-budget coming-of-age comedy, albeit a very successful one.

MORE: Hayden Christensen Gets Standing Ovation at First 'Star Wars Celebration in 15 Years

“Because they were considered complicated and people didn't understand them, to do a complicated science fiction film that involves special effects was unheard of at that point.”

While the genre mashups of the script were groundbreaking, A New Hope also ushered in the next advancements in special effects. The limited budget meant applying practical effects techniques, many of which had origins dating back to the silent film era. It also provided opportunities to showcase developments in technology that had been expensive in the past. This included a motion control camera system created by visual effects supervisor John Dykstra, once too expensive, now cost-efficient and practical for productions such as A New Hope.

Lucas knew that special effects didn't have the capacity to shoulder the burden of making a good movie. Like many people after first seeing 2001: A Space Odyssey, he noticed the expanded role they had played in the movie’s success. He now saw their potential as simply another storytelling device, on par with compelling characters and an exciting plot.

As he finished up initial drafts of the story, one problem became obvious: It was too big. Like J.R.R.Tolkien before him, he was forced to split his tale into sections. Each act in the script was big enough to sustain its own film, not including a massive backstory (our future prequels). In the beginning, we were in the middle.

"I took the first act, and I said, ‘I'll make the movie about this, because I think I can get this done. This is sort of within the range of what I can do,’” said Lucas.

"So I made a movie out of the first act and then that was such a hit I was able to do the second two acts. And then after that was down, I said, ‘Maybe I'll go back and tell the backstory and it will be all one whole piece, so you can follow the whole story.’"

Lucas would later integrate several elements from his early drafts that were left out of A New Hope into episodes I-III. The Lucasfilm Story Group, a creative coalition that acts as overseers of canonical material, would similarly repurpose ideas, names and places from Lucas’ early writings for future Star Wars stories.

In one interview, Maltin asked Lucas if there was a particular part in the movie that stood out as his favorite. “I would say in Star Wars it's him going out and looking at the sun as my favorite moment,” replied Lucas.

This scene, where Luke watches the dual suns setting on Tatooine, is a perfect example of silent film-style visual action pushing the story forward with little to no dialogue. There are no X-wings or even a lightsaber. The telling moment required a very subtle performance from Mark Hamill while a John Williams score works its magic. The crescendo syncs perfectly with the audience feeling Luke’s wish for a call to adventure that has yet to arrive. It’s the blend of elements Lucas wanted from the beginning for what Steven Spielberg once called “the movie of the century.”

Lucas added, “It's the moment that's the most like me in terms of my view of what I do. I'm sort of always standing out there looking at the sunset, thinking about where I'm going to go from here.”

[himboskywalker]

Thank you for the good review of “Light of the Jedi” I wanted to get it, but was worried it’d be a terrible attempt to “revitalize the Star Wars Fandom.” That said are you worried that Disney might try to buy the rights from the author to try and make pre-prequel movies?

I’m going to express some probably very controversial opinions so dear god please none of you gripe at me.

But I’m assuming and I’m hoping that Disney does expand with pre-prequels era films. I don’t really understand why so many fans are opposed to it when the alternative is just to keep expanding on the Skywalker verse until there’s no soul left. And I love the Skywalker saga and the expansions,don’t get me wrong. I mean the prequels are my favorite and I love the Clone Wars and am immensely excited for the Kenobi series and the other new shows coming out. But they can’t keep making films and shows about the same era forever,and I think the next and obvious step is to start making movies on the Old Republic and High Republic. Too,I mean the way Disney is rolling out the High Republic to me very much conveys that the books are a stepping stone for the fandom to future movies.

I very much want to see Old and High Republic movies! More then want I’m really hoping that’s what’s to come. While I love the clones and the rebels and the smugglers and Mandalorians,my true love of Star Wars will always be rooted in the Jedi versus the Sith. I adore the Old Republic era and absolutely fell in love with the High Republic,and the grandiose scale and potential on screen is super exciting to me. I would love to see a Revan movie get made and so on.

And here’s where my take gets spicy,and please no one think this is a personal attack,because it isn’t. But I find the constant negativity of the fandom when it comes to anything new to be fucking exhausting. I am an optimist,I will always approach the potential of new content with excitement and from a positive perspective. I don’t understand going into something with this,they’re going to fuck it up,perspective because then you’re setting yourself up to be unhappy and disappointed. I like Star Wars,I can usually find something to love in any facet of it,and I absolutely don’t get why everyone else is so determined to be so cynical and to hate new content before it even comes out? It makes me sad. I was one of the only people on here excited when they released the High Republic news,when I felt like everyone wanted to jump on the bandwagon of they’re going to ruin it. Like—why always assume everything is going to be terrible and that you’re going to hate it? I do get that we’ve all been disappointed or burned by our fandoms,like my guys I was a supernatural fan,I 1,0000% get it.

But I don’t agree with the mindset everyone in this fandom seems to take up,which is to hate content before it even releases and to expect the worst and that it will ruin everything? And people will cite how tErRiBlE the sequels were as this justification for not trusting anything but there were aspects of the sequels I loved,there will always be something for me to love. I love to love things,it’s kind of who I am as a person,and everyone else’s negativity will always be a big bummer to me. Which is why I tend to stay in my corner and ignore 99% of fandom,I don’t care that you hate everything about Star Wars Brad,I love my space samurai with laser swords okay. So my answer to what do you think about ——— new content,will always be one of excitement,because I welcome new content with open arms and joy until I’m proven otherwise when I read or watch it myself,not based on everyone else’s negative opinions. You can guarantee that when the mouse sprinkles new content and everyone is furious because Disney is going to ruin everything,I am bouncing somewhere going hOlY sHiT hOlY sHiT mOrE sTaR wArS!!!!