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jerryb2 · 3 years ago

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Here we have what I’ve taken to calling the (Minor) Jedi Council Collection. From left to right:

Depa Billaba, Shaak Ti/Adi Gallia, Kit Fisto & Ki-Adi-Mundi

In years past, I wasn’t too hot on the Prequel hilts that used bar graph displays. Initially, I kind of wrote them off as extraneous, but after working with them a bit, I think I’ve finally come around. While not strictly necessary, it adds an extra bit of sci-fi-ness to the saber, and it makes me wish more Jedi incorporated them into their sabers.

Having all four of these on-hand, I was reminded of this wonderful piece of art, associated with the OG Republic comics:

In fact, recently I’ve been reading some of the aforementioned Republic comics that initially I missed out on in years past. *gasp* Yeah, I know, I’m a fake fan & I hate Star Wars - c’mon, give me a break, I was five-years-old at the time.

For those of you who don’t know, the Republic comics began publication in late 1998, roughly six months before The Phantom Menace dropped in theaters. It would go on to be one of the longest running publications in the history of the franchise, ultimately ending with the final issue of the Dark Times spin-off in 2014.

In the early months of the series, it chronicled the adventures of everybody’s least favorite Ceran, Ki-Adi-Mundi, and was actually the official introduction of the character. The series would go on to chronicle the exploits of many members of the Jedi High Council, including Adi Gallia, Saesee Tiin, Eeth Koth, Even Piell, Yarael Poof, Plo Koon, Mace Windu, Depa Billaba, Yaddle and Oppo Rancisis, among others.

This brief window of time in the history of Star Wars publishing is honestly one of my favorites, if only because of how sloppy and disorganized everything is. Comic book writers like Randy Strandley, Jan Strnad, Tim Truman & (the best one) John Ostrander were just throwing everything at the wall and hoping that something would stick. These writers were essentially operating one main directive; be true to the characterization of the Jedi in the Original Trilogy. That’s it. Everything else - the world building, lore, events & setting - were all secondary.

This of course applies equally to something like the Tales of the Jedi comics, which were published years earlier, as well as many of the novels more contemporary to the Republic comics, particularly The Hand of Thrawn Duology & I, Jedi. This practice, coupled with the revolving door of writers, made for a very eclectic (if sometimes a bit underwhelming) Expanded Universe.

In stark contrast, when you turn a more critical eye toward Disney Star Wars, everything is just so bland. If, for example, you look back on the Tales of the Jedi, that series is straight-up bonkers. From Ulic Qel-Droma and the Beast Riders of Onderon (yes, that’s what it’s actually called) to the mutated Massassi trying to sacrifice Exar Kun to a giant Sith Worm (their exact words) on Yavin IV - by the standards of modern SW, the Tales comics are set in an entirely different universe.

Some people may like the uniformity of the Disney Canon, and deride the EU of years past for perpetually not keeping its story straight - but not me. Because while the EU was a mess of conflicting stories, contrived character arcs & wildly varied writing styles - it was always about something. It was about something bigger and more important than the individual characters. It was about Good triumphing over Evil. It was about growing to accept your destiny, even if it ran counter to what you might want. Star Wars was fun.

Now let me ask you - what the kriff is Disney Star Wars about???

#star wars #lightsabers #depa billaba #shaak ti #adi gallia #kit fisto #ki adi mundi #jedi #jedi high council #bargraphs #tech #negativity #fuck disney #eat shit disney #you frauds #eu #eu forever

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