#tros critical

[bluntblade]

Not to jab at anyone using "the trio" in a Sequels context, but I feel a twinge of pain every time see it, in the part of my heart that loves Rose Tico. That ought to have been a quartet, damnit.

[limeadeislife]

That moment in The Rise of Skywalker where Poe says "I'm not Leia" and Finn says "that's for damn sure" was such a "he would not fucking say that" moment to me. Poe named Finn!! Whether you ship them or not, they love each other!

[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.

[frumfrumfroo]

Is it weird that I feel sadder about Rey than I do Ben after TROS? I mean, sure Ben died and he had a nonsensical character during the film but the entire core of his character wasn't eliminated. I feel so much sadder about Rey and miss her story in the first two films more, knowing the filmmakers didn't care about her to the extent that they just saw her as a vehicle for legacy backstories and flattery of older male characters. I know a lot of people on all sides of the SW fandom still resent her after TROS I just feel deeply sad and miss her.

A lot of people feel the way you do, I saw that sentiment frequently in the aftermath.

I stand by my statement that Rey is far deader as a character than Ben ever will be, but personally I care a lot more about the destruction of the saga as a whole than I do about the destruction of the ST and its protagonist.

[caripr94]

And the thing is that, as I mentioned in the following post, the Prequels actually created a need for the Sequels because they showed just how messed up things were before and even after the OT, and it presented several issues that were barely (if at all) addressed by the end of ROTJ. The corruption of the Jedi Order was barely addressed and it seemed that the corruption of the Old Republic and the damage done to the Skywalker family (especially on Leia's end) by Bail Organa and the remaining Jedi Councillors was just swept under the rug. These issues were bound to have terrible consequences later on, especially if nobody learned from them. Star Wars may be a mythology, but the thing about mythologies is that it's actually rare for the heroes to get a totally happily ever after, especially if there's still past mistakes and underlying flaws to address.

I wouldn't rely on George Lucas's claims that the Prequels completed the Saga, because he goes back and forth between that and saying that he'd had plans for a 9-film Saga since ESB or ROTJ. Because of this, the Sequels really did have a lot of potential and TFA really showed it, especially it was co-written by Lawrence Kasdan, who had helped George Lucas with ESB and ROTJ and had probably been let in on those early Sequel plans. After TFA, however, it's clear that Disney Lucasfilm strayed away from that and tried to do their own thing, and when JJ Abrams tried to get back to that with TROS, they hijacked the project and reshot everything so that it was almost completely different from had been originally intended.

Disney SW fans who claim to love Anakin but think the Prequels suck, you're part of the problem. And the OT purists who hate the Prequels and then turn around and blame them for why Disney SW sucks...yeah, you're part of the problem too.

One of the many reasons the Disney SW 'Sequels' were so terrible and destructive was because the people making them decided to completely ignore the importance of the Prequels and reject them as an intrinsic part of the saga. And they seemed to believe they were pandering to 'what the fans wanted' by doing this. But the Prequels are half the entire story as Lucas told it, and they just threw it out the window. The Prequels COMPLETED the saga. But Disney pretended that the saga wasn't complete yet and that it was up to them to do so. Instead of just making 'interquel' material from the beginning (like Rogue One, etc), they arrogantly took it upon themselves to 'finish' a story that was already completed back in 2005. And in doing so, Disney also decided to reframe the saga into something decidedly lesser (a repetitive grimdark story where the cycle 'wasn't broken ackshually', instead of an uplifting and transcendent mythic fairytale), but one which would allow them to continue making 'new canon' material indefinitely (cause that is more lucrative for them). But the Prequels had already reframed the saga and given it a very specific meaning. Without the Prequels, ALL of Star Wars loses that meaning. And without a happy ending for the OT characters and an unequivocally positive resolution to the their storyline, the entire saga is rendered into a perpetual tragedy. So, unless and until so-called 'Star Wars fans' can acknowledge and embrace just how intrinsic the Prequels are to the fictional story they supposedly 'like', they will be running around in circles trying to blame Disney's failures on the very thing that Disney so carelessly ignored and discarded in the first place.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Jay Kuo at The Status Kuo:

There’s a lot of talk of the “guardrails” failing these days. We see it in the cowardice and capitulation of our legacy media, which is shamelessly self-censoring and even settling bogus defamation cases with Trump to appease him and gain favor.

Big corporations have kissed the Orange One’s ass too, with many of the richest CEOs seated by him at his inauguration, resulting in an abject public display of subjugation. And it’s quite distressingly apparent, at least to anyone paying attention, that the GOP majority in Congress is no check at all upon Trump’s power. Indeed, they continue to fall over themselves to confirm his nominees and win his favor, with many terrified to oppose him and the MAGA mob. That leaves as our last and best defense the federal judiciary. These are lifetime appointees who still wield considerable power to slow, alter or even halt some of the worst excesses of the new administration. And over the last two weeks, they have proven themselves ready to exercise that power and demand compliance. In the wake of a slew of executive orders and a brazen takeover of government computer systems by DOGE, plaintiffs—including labor unions, nonprofits and blue state attorneys general—sued. And sued. And sued. The number of lawsuits is fast approaching 50.

The plaintiffs demanded an immediate halt to illegal and unconstitutional acts by the White House, the new cabinet and DOGE members within several key departments and agencies. And the judges listened. Contrary to MAGA claims of “liberal activist judges” inserting themselves into these disputes, the jurists hearing these cases were appointed by both Republican and Democratic presidents, including by Trump himself. Not long after the cases were filed, these same judges began issuing restraining orders and temporary injunctions ordering the Trump administration to lift freezes on federal payments, to stop firing civil employees, and to limit DOGE’s access to critical systems, among other things. In response, MAGA began threatening open defiance of their orders. This puts us very near to a constitutional Rubicon. And it raises some important questions. For example, what power does the federal judiciary have to actually enforce its orders? Is the Trump White House preparing to openly defy the orders anyway? And what happens if it does?

[...]

Defying gravitas

Elon Musk really hates judges. In fact, like our current toddler of a president, Musk hates anything and anyone who tells him that he can’t do what he wants to do. Musk feels zero accountability to anyone, and he believes he can act with impunity at all times. To underscore this, Musk retweeted a post by a MAGA account that walked through a recent judicial ruling against the Treasury, all while making numerous inaccurate statements. It concluded with these chilling words: “I don’t like the precedent it sets when you defy a judicial ruling, but I’m just wondering what other options are these judges leaving us.” Musk wasn’t the highest level “official” in the Trump White House to take this position. Vice President JD Vance went a step farther, tweeting, ��Judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power.”

[...]

So the courts have issued orders. Can they enforce them?

As Democracy Docket’s Marc Elias explained recently, courts can order many kinds of relief, the most immediate being a temporary restraining order (TRO). Think of a fire burning near the house. A court can order the fire be put out right away (that’s the TRO) so that it doesn’t cause “irreparable harm” before it gets to the question of whose fault the fire was. A party has to obey an order to put out the fire, even if the judge later determines that it wasn’t in the wrong.

The courts, imperfect as they are, are the last guardrail left to rein in the tyrannical impulses of the Trump-Vance-Musk triumvirate.

See Also:

Daily Kos: Courts are keeping Trump's attempts at being a dictator in check—for now

The JGibson Report: The Trump-Musk-Vance triumvirate's Project 2025-inspired power grab threatens all Americans

Mother Jones: Ignoring Court Orders Would Make Trump a King

[hamliet]

Less of a question but I was never an avid manga reader till 2019 and mha was the first manga I kept track of weekly, and I read Tokyo ghoul after it ended, and seeing everyone be dissatisfied with how Tokyo ghoul ended after keeping up weekly is something I’m reminded of after seeing the latest chapter of mha. So this is what it feels like to witness 6 years of a character you hold in high regard be undermined(to put it lightly). I’m rather sad, but I can’t help but feel fondness for shigaraki even if the way he ended wasn’t satisfying, how do u feel about how mha has gone?

Yeah it does feel very reminiscent of Tokyo Ghoul in that they just went "ah yes, killing the right people is actually how we solve world issues." Which I find morally reprehensible, but also genuinely bad writing because the story as a whole doesn't support this message.

@linkspooky explained in her meta yesterday why Deku has completely failed as a character, and why the manga has failed thematically as a story. I'm just gonna say I completely agree with Link.

To be fair, I'm not sure Shigaraki is dead dead, but either way, it's bad writing and it doesn't conclude his arc with any sort of satisfactory element. Like, why would Shigaraki see Deku as different than anyone else who tried to punch him? That's nonsensical and written from the POV of an audience, not from Shigaraki's POV. It's like in Star Wars when Rey calls herself "Rey Skywalker" when she knew Luke for 3 days and none of the people she was actually close to (Leia, Han, Ben) were Skywalkers. That's writing for the audience, with their perspective, ignoring the logic of your story. It defies believability because the character does not have that perspective. It's "forced" because the audience can see the hand of the author.

If Shigaraki is dead dead... Not gonna Star Wars this one again, but since I also hated the ending of The Rise of Skywalker, I must make a comparison. The idea that Deku may have saved Shigaraki's heart but couldn't save his body (which to be honest, nothing in the actual chapter supports, but if he stays dead might be the argument) is still bad writing. Why? Because to Shigaraki didn't even make the decision himself. He didn't sacrifice anything. How can his heart be saved if he had nothing to do with it? Saving an object is easy as pie. Saving a person is different, and that's what the whole story has been about. Like, in TROS, Kylo Ren gave his life for Rey! Was it stupid? Yes! But at least his "saved heart" did something. Shigaraki's saved heart did what exactly?

So then, is the message that Deku failed? Then why isn't it framed as a failure? Why was BNHA never set up to be a grimdark tragedy? If he failed, then shouldn't he have a miserable ending? Unless it's "heroes always become bad guys and life is unfair," but then shouldn't Deku be framed critically?

Basically, Horikoshi can't come back writing-wise from this in BNHA, and it's sad to see.

Horikoshi's biggest flaw throughout the entire story was that he kept flip-flopping on what he wanted to say, and made the characters more about his trying to please every single fan than about being, well, characters to explore important questions he has that are worthwhile. And you can do this while still having a "cool" factor!

Instead the characters tell us one thing while cocooning Deku in the sweet bliss that no one ever has on this earth--being 100% right all the time. And it's sad, because BNHA had so much potential as a story to challenge its audience and entertain too.

I thought even if it flopped in some aspects it'd at least get this right. It's disappointing.

Anyways every day that goes by I want to send Isayama and his editors flowers for actually writing a thematically coherent ending, even if some aspects were dropped or messy along the way.

[bluntblade]

I sometimes wonder exactly what the thought process was on reducing Rose's role so much, and honestly at points I suspect that Abrams and Terrio just had no idea what to do with her. "She's... nothing's mysterious about her! There's no secret reveal I can pull somewhere in the second act!"

[limeadeislife]

It's funny to me that the "live slug reaction" meme didn't show up until more than two years after The Rise of Skywalker was released. It's like the Star Wars fandom had to take two years just processing all of the multiple substantial flaws in the movie before anyone could move on to noticing and joking about a minor detail like the funny slug guy at the end

[boinkingbattlemechs]

Catapult CPLT-BW-E 'EM4' (aka 'Creole')

This ‘Mech started off as an unremarkable CPLT-K2, but by the time of its first deployment, was a K2 in name only. Creole was developed in tandem with its pilot as part of the Blackwell Heavy Industries’ experimental Enhanced MechWarrior program, and was the sole such BattleMech developed and deployed, as the revelation of its pilot's existence set in motion events that would resonate beyond Helios, and ultimately help shape the early days of the new Star League... and also ensure the downfall of Blackwell itself.

Creole featured a mixed weapon loadout with answers for threats at any range, and an extensive EWAR suite to back up the well-rounded armament. What set it apart, however, was its unique cockpit configuration. Engineered specifically for use by its pilot EM4, she was as much part of the ‘Mech as the ‘Mech was part of her. A suite of proprietary Blackwell vDNI technology known as the Vehicular Advanced Neural Interface Layered Link Apparatus - or VANILLA - connected her to her pilot at such a deep level that it was hard to determine if the ‘Mech was an extension of the pilot, or the pilot an extension of the ‘Mech. In addition, Creole had cleanroom-grade cockpit filters and an airlock to accommodate its pilot's sensitivity to non-sterile environments.

Though the pair performed extremely well in all simulated environments, Operation TOUCHDOWN was the first time Creole would see an actual combat drop. After being given a clean bill of health by the SLDF MechTechs, the 'Mech would show what Blackwell’s finest - if also most unethical - minds were capable of.

(Creole was designed by yours truly, but belongs to @sapphic-design-is-my-passion / @the-emmapult. Art was done by the ever talented @cromwell300!)

TRO below the cut:

Catapult CPLT-BW-E 'EM4' (aka 'Creole')

Mass: 65 tons

Chassis: Composite Biped

Power Plant: 260 XL

Cruising Speed: 43.2 kph

Maximum Speed: 64.8 kph

Jump Jets: Standard

Jump Capacity: 60 meters

Armor: Ferro-Fibrous

Armament:

2 Micro Pulse Laser

1 Improved Heavy Large Laser

2 Heavy Machine Gun

1 Heavy Machine Gun Array

1 Snub-Nose PPC

2 Improved ATM 3

Manufacturer: Unknown

Primary Factory: Unknown

Communication System: Unknown

Targeting & Tracking System: Unknown

Introduction Year: 3153

Tech Rating/Availability: F/X-X-X-X

Cost: 17,721,688 C-bills

Type: Catapult

Technology Base: Mixed (Experimental)

Tonnage: 65

Battle Value: 1,919

Equipment Mass

Internal Structure Composite 3.5

Engine 260 XL 7

Walking MP: 4

Running MP: 6

Jumping MP: 2

Double Heat Sink 15 [30] 5

Compact Gyro 4.5

Small Cockpit 2

Armor Factor (Ferro) 211 11

Internal Armor

Structure Value

Head 3 9

Center Torso 21 32

Center Torso (rear) 10

R/L Torso 15 23

R/L Torso (rear) 7

R/L Arm 10 20

R/L Leg 15 30

Right Arm Actuators: Shoulder, Upper Arm

Left Arm Actuators: Shoulder, Upper Arm

Weapons

and Ammo Location Critical Heat Tonnage

2 Heavy Machine Gun CT 2 0 1.0

Heavy Machine Gun Array CT 1 0 0.25

Jump Jet RT 1 - 1.0

CASE RT 0 - 0.0

Extended-Range iATM/3 Ammo (20) RT 1 - 1.0

Standard iATM/3 Ammo (40) RT 2 - 2.0

High-Explosive iATM/3 Ammo (20) RT 1 - 1.0

Micro Pulse Laser RT 1 1 0.5

Improved ATM 3 LA 2 2 1.5

Snub-Nose PPC LA 2 10 6.0

2 Double Heat Sink LA 4 - 2.0

Targeting Computer LT 3 - 3.0

Jump Jet LT 1 - 1.0

Heavy Machine Gun Ammo (300) LT 3 - 3.0

CASE LT 0 - 0.0

Double Heat Sink LT 2 - 1.0

Micro Pulse Laser LT 1 1 0.5

Armored Cowl (Armored) HD 1 - 1.0

Nova Combined Electronic Warfare System HD 1 - 1.5

Direct Neural Interface Cockpit Modification None 0 - 0.0

Improved ATM 3 RA 2 2 1.5

CASE RA 0 - 0.0

2 Double Heat Sink RA 4 - 2.0

Improved Heavy Large Laser RA 3 18 4.0

Features the following design quirks: Battle Computer, Combat Computer, Cowl, Improved Communications, Improved Life Support, Improved Sensors, Multi-Trac, Variable Range Targeting, Cramped Cockpit, Difficult Ejection, Hard to Pilot, No/Minimal Arms, Non-Standard Parts, Prototype

[innocet]

look i have never taken these "criticisms" seriously for a moment because of the dogwhistle of it all but saying the sequel trilogy is the worst star wars because its "too political" is so fucking funny when tfa and tros are easily the least interested in politics of any star wars ever. personally my biggest single critique of this trilogy is that it isn't political enough

[rapunziedameron]

Wait what's the deal with resistance reborn

If you meant why it's not canon, the gist is that the book exists to serve as an explanation for why no one answered the Resistance's call at Crait, which The Rise of Skywalker ignores in favor of going for a different explanation. If you meant why I don't like it, I'm so sorry you unlocked a patented Nym rant.

I made a post about this in the past, but I genuinely can't remember if it was on this account or my old one, so! Also if I sound more and more short, Nonster, I promise the attitude isn't toward you, but this godforsaken novel. Anyway, a good starting point would be anything that comes out of Rebecca Roanhorse's mouth when she's given an opportunity to talk about Poe:

There's also a tweet I saw of hers back in 2021 after The Rise of Skywalker came out wherein she claimed Poe was "ooc" because he was a 'stoic no homo shooty guy' in TROS rather than looking like on the cusp of crying every second - as if Poe isn't more vulnerable and cries the most in TROS than any other film? But you don't have to take my word for that it almost feels like a fever dream! But pretty much any interview I've read of hers leading up to Resistance Reborn, she makes it abundantly clear that she hates Poe Dameron with the passion of a thousand suns! But she thinks he's pretty!

As for the book itself, I find it...as tonally removed from the sequel era as it possibly could be. It is a slog to get through, if only because the author so eminently hates the main character she decided to center the book around: she gives Poe an uncharacteristic amount of self-loathing so that she can criticize him on every page. She has him admit to the entire Resistance he would commit suicide in a heartbeat to defeat the First Order in a heartbeat, and no one is concerned with this (it's also missing, entirely, the point of his arc in The Last Jedi. Not that I think she watched it!).

There's the fact that prior to this, she has veterans of the Rebellion tell Poe to his face that he should be killed for his mutiny against Holdo, proudly citing that they should throw him out of an airlock (in front of Leia, who NOTABLY just survived this experience! And notably, when all of command died this way), and has a number of the Resistance agree with this sentiment.

There's the fact that she calls Poe arrogant so many times in this book, it legitimately appears on the same page about six times. She also has Maz physically assault him for not wanting to talk about his feelings after turning him and the Resistance down for her aid, and then compares him to the Neo-Nazis that just a week ago captured and tortured him for an undetermined length of time (possibly three days, going off the TFA script, but it could be less).

And Maz, and the man who promoted the idea of murdering Poe, later get to flirt with him so obnoxiously that Leia has to change the subject because Poe's becoming uncomfortable: it's far from the first time he's needlessly sexualized in the novel. There's the running gag about his hair, even if he's not present during the scene, and then there's the joke about the size of his (and Finn's!) penis. And then the laughable way that she manufactures a reason to have him jump into a pool fully dressed in a tux - you can almost hear the plot screeching on the rails from the elaborate sequence of events she sets up just for that image.

Aside from that, nearly every woman in the novel is reduced to - I feel - a very misogynistic stereotype. Leia is a hardass bitch, any of Holdo's flaws are posthumously removed to make her a perfect angel, Rose is condescending and rude, Rey is shy as a mouse (!!!), Kare is the sensible wife to her hothead husband, Norra is the paranoid rude PTSD riddled mother, Suralinda is the Party Girl (and her backstory as an investigative journalist is scrubbed clean, as Roanhorse makes it seem as though Suralinda got lucky on the gift she gives Poe to give to the woman in charge of the syndicate ends up being perfectly in line with the woman's interests. The investigative journalist. Who figured Poe was in the Resistance based off, like, two details. Got lucky, okay) and then Jessika is a hothead who loves fighting and nothing else.

Kaydel is the worst offender here, with her being reduced to "sensible girl led astray by the convincing bad boy" with her and Poe acting against Holdo in TLJ, and then Zay from Battlefront II has her personality from the game completely removed to make her into an overeager, bratty teenager who wants to prove herself, rather than an extremely competent proven fighter that we see in the game. The novel also forgets that her father just died, not just her mother.

Then there's the queerbaiting. The novel ignores every other piece of canon material released around the time, and breaks Finn and Rose up, and equally emphasizes there's nothing there between him and Rey. It goes on to have him and Poe essentially go on a date, and overall, Roanhorse does her damndest to imply in the novel that the two of them are almost undoubtedly going to get together. Which she had no control over, and likely would have had some idea from the Story Group was not going to happen ever, so this is not a case of "subtext" in my opinion, but just plain old queerbaiting. And I feel like that level of queerbaiting is probably why the problematic elements of the novel get overlooked, especially with the misogyny and fetishization.

Poe is, as already noted, ridiculously sexualized and consistently harrassed throughout the novel, and put through the meat grinder for the sheer crime of being a man of color who didn't listen to two white women. That's what that boils down to. And you'd think that Finn must have a huge role in this novel, right? That he's especially memorable? If they push Finnpoe so hard?

Yeah uh. He likes making jokes with Suralinda about risky missions. He eats at the buffet. He can't tie a tie. And he watches saturday morning cartoons. And he's DEFINITELY not interested in girls!!!!!!! ewwww!!!! Yeah that's literally all he's given to do, basically.

And there was definitely some ableist moments in the novel too, but it's been a while since I last read the book/bitched about it that I can't really remember what specifically it was about. Probably Norra? Almost certainly Poe.

That's not to say that there aren't some redeeming qualities to Resistance Reborn; it has some of the most well-written Poe and Leia interactions we've gotten outside of Before the Awakening and The Last Jedi; and Roanhorse is shockingly competent at nailing the character's voices, even if things fall apart when she tries to do their internal narration. There's decent worldbuilding in the book, and there's some character traits of Poe's that I like and have taken on as my own for writing him. I love how she writes Wedge, and that we got a hug between him and Poe. But that's about the extent of it.

Also I'm pretty sure deadass halfway through the book she just...forgets Artoo, Threepio and BB-8 exist? And Poe's arc in the book is a retread of his arc in TLJ with the same emotional climax (big speech showcasing His Development, of which there is none in this mediocre fanfic masquerading book).

[frumfrumfroo]

A few years ago, I was discussing The Last Jedi with a classmate and he said something like “It was a good movie, just not a good Star Wars movie”. At the time, I chalked it up to the fact that he was a teenage boy who was probably parroting the vague and irritating criticism that the movie faced at the time. Years later, I began to think about that moment more and more. Despite hearing that critique so many times, hearing it from him made me reflect on the concept of “getting” Star Wars and what fans perceive as “getting” Star Wars.

What the last few years (and the stream of post-TROS shows) have taught me, is that a large portion of fans don’t actually get what Star Wars is. The same is true for those who are currently planning the future of the franchise. They don’t see the value in the mythical framework of the series or care to understand it, it seems like they overlook it entirely. They’re so consumed by the fidelity to “the lore” that they can’t take step back and see the (mythical) elements that drew them to the story in the first place. It feels a bit arrogant of me to say that, but it’s a feeling that’s been bothering me.

Yes, part of the core of the problem is that even the people who actually like SW that DLF hired seem to be mostly fans of the old EU who are fundamentally unconcerned with what SW is actually about. People who prioritise 'lore' and minutiae, who think trivia is worldbuilding or that 'worldbuilding' is what defines the GFFA.

Whereas what actually defines the GFFA is the themes ('love people, that's all Star Wars is' -George Lucas). The universe exists to tell the story and the story exists to communicate the themes. It is character-driven, not plot or setting driven. Things making emotional sense is the only thing that matters in the OT, the logistics are irrelevant and incidental. It's not sci-fi and never has been, there is no interest in explaining the rules of the technology or codifying the Force into a structured system. There is no exploration of the relationship of society with technology because this is an epic fantasy story focussing on the conflict going on in the human spirit between selfishness and love; it's about the coming of age of an individual where the entire setting is established to facilitate that. SW is a story about individuals and their journey to ethical adulthood.

TLJ is written to the mythic archetype and themes of SW, its basic narrative shape is absolutely textbook exactly what anyone who understands literary criticism should have expected. It is exactly what a SW sequel to TFA should and needed to be. Which is why so many people doing that kind of analysis were able to accurately predict its main story beats.

The lore fans who want 'realism', video game power system Force magic, and the kind of moral ambiguity which is foundationally incompatible with SW are not fans of the story, they are fans of the trappings. These are the people who dismiss Vader's redemption as a unforunate incidental that 'everyone' can ignore because the rest of RotJ is good (paraphrase of an actual post I saw).

THE moral victory, the protagonist's moment of vindication, the entire POINT of the story and this dude thinks it's like, an accidental blooper that just kinda snuck into the edit because he wants Luke to be a standard American hero and not to have his worldview challenged.

I am totally comfortable saying they don't get SW no matter how much trivia they've memorised and merch they've collected.

[tljisthegoat]

Reylo Making Star Wars Beautiful Again

I want sooo desperately to feel the excitement I felt for Star Wars when I got back into Star Wars because of Reylo & Ben Solo.

I want Reylo to have the happily ever after they've fought valiantly for since The Last Jedi.

Disney deserves all the mockery & criticism for making Star Wars into a pale, disgusting imitation of what it used to be.

We all know that Disney's grasp on what to do with Star Wars is so comically out-of-touch that it's a wonder how they've survived this long.

The more depressing thing is that Star Wars has no clear happy ending after basically erasing TLJ & having TROS be the end to The Skywalker Family (just kill me...why make us suffer like this? You know how depressing it is to know how little love has saved our heroes even though it saved fuckin' DARTH VADER?!)

[is-the-battlemech-cool-or-not]

CPLT-BW-E "EM4" (aka "Creole")

This ‘Mech started off as an unremarkable CPLT-K2, but by the time of its first deployment, was a K2 in name only. Creole was developed in tandem with its pilot as part of the Blackwell Heavy Industries’ experimental Enhanced MechWarrior program, and was the sole such BattleMech developed and deployed, as the revelation of its pilot's existence set in motion events that would resonate beyond Helios, and ultimately help shape the early days of the new Star League... and also ensure the downfall of Blackwell itself.

Creole featured a mixed weapon loadout with answers for threats at any range, and an extensive EWAR suite to back up the well-rounded armament. What set it apart, however, was its unique cockpit configuration. Engineered specifically for use by its pilot EM4, she was as much part of the ‘Mech as the ‘Mech was part of her. A suite of proprietary Blackwell vDNI technology known as the Vehicular Advanced Neural Interface Layered Link Apparatus - or VANILLA - connected her to her pilot at such a deep level that it was hard to determine if the ‘Mech was an extension of the pilot, or the pilot an extension of the ‘Mech. In addition, Creole had cleanroom-grade cockpit filters and an airlock to accommodate its pilot's sensitivity to non-sterile environments.

Though the pair performed extremely well in all simulated environments, Operation TOUCHDOWN was the first time Creole would see an actual combat drop. After being given a clean bill of health by the SLDF MechTechs, the 'Mech would show what Blackwell’s finest - if also most unethical - minds were capable of.

(Creole was designed by yours truly, but belongs to @sapphic-design-is-my-passion / @the-emmapult . Art was done by the ever talented @cromwell300 !)

TRO below the cut:

Catapult CPLT-BW-E 'EM4' (aka 'Creole')

Mass: 65 tons

Chassis: Composite Biped

Power Plant: 260 XL

Cruising Speed: 43.2 kph

Maximum Speed: 64.8 kph

Jump Jets: Standard

Jump Capacity: 60 meters

Armor: Ferro-Fibrous

Armament:

2 Micro Pulse Laser

1 Improved Heavy Large Laser

2 Heavy Machine Gun

1 Heavy Machine Gun Array

1 Snub-Nose PPC

2 Improved ATM 3

Manufacturer: Unknown

Primary Factory: Unknown

Communication System: Unknown

Targeting & Tracking System: Unknown

Introduction Year: 3153

Tech Rating/Availability: F/X-X-X-X

Cost: 17,721,688 C-bills

Type: Catapult

Technology Base: Mixed (Experimental)

Tonnage: 65

Battle Value: 1,919

Equipment Mass

Internal Structure Composite 3.5

Engine 260 XL 7

Walking MP: 4

Running MP: 6

Jumping MP: 2

Double Heat Sink 15 [30] 5

Compact Gyro 4.5

Small Cockpit 2

Armor Factor (Ferro) 211 11

Internal Armor

Structure Value

Head 3 9

Center Torso 21 32

Center Torso (rear) 10

R/L Torso 15 23

R/L Torso (rear) 7

R/L Arm 10 20

R/L Leg 15 30

Right Arm Actuators: Shoulder, Upper Arm

Left Arm Actuators: Shoulder, Upper Arm

Weapons

and Ammo Location Critical Heat Tonnage

2 Heavy Machine Gun CT 2 0 1.0

Heavy Machine Gun Array CT 1 0 0.25

Jump Jet RT 1 - 1.0

CASE RT 0 - 0.0

Extended-Range iATM/3 Ammo (20) RT 1 - 1.0

Standard iATM/3 Ammo (40) RT 2 - 2.0

High-Explosive iATM/3 Ammo (20) RT 1 - 1.0

Micro Pulse Laser RT 1 1 0.5

Improved ATM 3 LA 2 2 1.5

Snub-Nose PPC LA 2 10 6.0

2 Double Heat Sink LA 4 - 2.0

Targeting Computer LT 3 - 3.0

Jump Jet LT 1 - 1.0

Heavy Machine Gun Ammo (300) LT 3 - 3.0

CASE LT 0 - 0.0

Double Heat Sink LT 2 - 1.0

Micro Pulse Laser LT 1 1 0.5

Armored Cowl (Armored) HD 1 - 1.0

Nova Combined Electronic Warfare System HD 1 - 1.5

Direct Neural Interface Cockpit Modification None 0 - 0.0

Improved ATM 3 RA 2 2 1.5

CASE RA 0 - 0.0

2 Double Heat Sink RA 4 - 2.0

Improved Heavy Large Laser RA 3 18 4.0

Features the following design quirks: Battle Computer, Combat Computer, Cowl, Improved Communications, Improved Life Support, Improved Sensors, Multi-Trac, Variable Range Targeting, Cramped Cockpit, Difficult Ejection, Hard to Pilot, No/Minimal Arms, Non-Standard Parts, Prototype

[clementineskesh]

the thing that consistently frustrates me the most about AMCA is like for all their sequel series criticisms they like never touch on the blatant and awful racist treatment of john boyega in tlj and tros theyre so busy talking about adam driver and shit and never even acknowledge that john did a great job and was given less than nothing over and over again