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anakinskywalker97 · 2 months

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5 - The Rise of Skywalker

Vader x Ex-Padawan reader - Chapter 5 - Meditation

Previous parts

Summary: Vader finds out the true extent to how much damage his body endured after mustafar, meditation leads him to an old friend.

Thanks for all the love on this series! Reblogs and comments are what keep me going! <3

Warnings: panic attack description, hurt/comfort

No one would be that stupid.

Vader wasn’t sure what you meant until he saw it with his own eyes. People had a very healthy respect for you, especially the Rebels and their alliances. You had a reputation, one he didn't realize belonged to you. He had heard of the Shadow Tempest many times. The epic runs, always one step ahead of the Empire. The pilot behind almost all the notable Rebel wins. In all his time with you he always did most of the piloting, he knew there were a million things to do and sort out but more than anything he wanted to take you out and see who would win.

He sat there in a meeting of people, the higher-ups of the revolution, and watched as they listened to you. You never asked for anything, simply told them that he was on your side now and that he needed the best medical. In return, they would have your help in defeating the Empire. They were very eager to have your support, apparently up until this it was very hard to persuade you into helping them. Something he would ask more questions about as from what he was told your ship had been center stage in most Rebel wins. He was surprised that help from you and Obi-Wan was enough for them to overlook his past.

Obi-Wan let out a tense laugh as they handed him a bank card. Apparently, all his money was in his account and had been converted over to card technology despite his leaving. He could go run off and be a murdering psychopath then come home and find out how much interest he had earned off his funds. This wasn't right. He didn't deserve this. People had to accept him at your request, but he could feel the way they trembled in his presence. Fear gripped people tightly and he could even feel their concern for you. Even without being able to read their thoughts, he knew their plans to pull you aside to see if you had stockholm syndrome or if he had possessed you. He guessed that was a good thing, people here cared about you. Everyone stopped what they were doing to greet you, relief that you were safe overwhelming their features, it was good to know it wasn’t skin deep. People really cared.

He was unsure about the Rebel's plans for the Empire though. But then again he was retiring from this world. He would kill the Sith, try to come back from being one, restore balance to the universe, and hide away with you - hopefully forever.

Ahsoka had not been pleasant, but she came around for the sake of ending the Empire. He hoped in time he could mend things with her. She had been your closest friend and he missed how easily she fit into the family that was formed during the Clone Wars. A family he had to put back together.

R2 was beyond happy to see him. He ran around him squealing loudly. Everyone looked horrified but he bent down and put his arms around the droid. Affection towards R2 was easy. He was the most dependable thing in his life for the longest time. He was well-maintained but still looked like he was an active participant in the war. He thought of all the lore that surrounded the Shadow Tempest, more than anything he wanted to pull R2’s memory and watch every bit of footage he had saved. He would come back for it another time.

“I kept her safe” R2 chirped loudly in his language and he laughed again patting the little droid on what would be considered his head.

“Thank you, you did an excellent job R2.” He was grateful he left something behind to help you in his absence even if it was unintentional.

Then the medical meetings started. Once he saw all his options, he was overwhelmed. From the stem cells they had of his on file, they could re-grow most of his skin to cover the prosthetics. They would have to remove more of his arms and legs as the nerves had been permanently and purposely damaged where they met the metal prosthetics. The rest of his skin could be healed with minor scaring, they could even regrow his hair follicles.

After looking at the scans and seeing the damage Palpatine did he had to leave.

He had no idea what he gave up that day on Mustafar.

He lost the woman he wanted to marry, the ability to give her a nice life, to touch her without hurting her, to touch her and feel her skin. Not to mention the horrible things he had said to you at the end lived rent-free in your mind all these years. He had given up the one person in the world he considered family, he had tried to kill his brother. All of this was to build something better for them. Yet he spent years trying to kill Obi-Wan, terrified of his old master. The sickness was too much to contain as it all came flooding back to him.

Let me go - he commanded you as he left the building. It was cruel but he was drowning in pain. He was so consumed with rage and self-hate he left to go to the temple where Obi-Wan had been going to meditate.

He knew the only true way out was through. He couldn't go on a rampage, couldn't give into weakness. He couldn't lose you again.

Palpatine had made him suffer to prevent him from his full potential. To keep him from his density. Just as the Jedi had done. Everyone wanted to hold him down, force him to comply, just like Watto. He had been so caught up in thinking he deserved the pain, which in his opinion he still did. Palpatine gave him the illusion of control and freedom. That power was so seductive but what had it gotten him? The lives he took ran through his mind at a speed that made him dizzy. Nausea gripped him as the familiar coldness ran up his limbs to settle in his stomach. It was what he imagined death felt like. The icy energy caressed his body, but he had been here too many times before to know he wasn't that lucky.

It was his punishment, he had earned it fair and square. A lifetime of suffering would never be enough to make up for the lives he took. His mind ran through this for hours as he sat in the temple trying to find peace and clarity.

He’d done too much, taken too many.

“You did what the Force deemed necessary.” The voice made him jump, not an easy thing to do. The hazy, glowing form of Qui-Gon was in front of him.

“I -” He started to argue back.

“You - are the living force. The Sith willed you into existence Anakin, there is a power in you unlike anything else in this Galaxy.” He explained calmly and his heart sank at the realization of his words.

“I’m evil.” His voice was so broken. A truth he always should have known deep down. There would be no path leading towards the man you wanted, needed, him to be.

“No, there is no good and evil in the true force, this concept of light and dark comes from the people sensitive to it and how they choose to use it. You are what it is in its true form”

“Then why is everything inside me so painful.” His voice was wet with the tears streaming down his cheeks. As far back as he can remember that power inside him has always been anger.

“Because you experienced great pain. You have to understand that your life was always one with the force. The choices you made were ultimately the direction of the force. It wants balance. The Sith and Jedi were flawed ways of doing things, it’s your job to follow this through.” His words brought tremendous relief and a tremendous amount of anxiety at the same time.

“I failed you.” He whispered.

“I failed you. Had I been around I fear that things would have been better for you. Obi-Wan was not ready, but that does not mean he doesn't care for you.” Qui-Gon smiled sadly. “You have done great things, terrible things, and carried the pain of both of them.”

Anakin sobbed. This task he was burdened with, the pain he had to cause to settle debts that had nothing to do with him. Seeing Qui-Gon made him feel like he was ten years old again. He wanted to run into his arms and hold him.

“Thank you.” He said softly.

“Now, you must complete your training with Obi-Wan, I have shown him what is needed. You must also complete training your Padawan.” He gave Anakin a big smile. “She is more important than you realize. The second half of the prophecy rests on her shoulders. You must be there to help her carry it.”

“What’s the second half of the prophecy?” His voice went dark again. He didn’t want this nonsense anywhere near you. He wanted to end Palpatine and have this part of his life over with. Had he not sacrificed enough of himself for it? Had he not tried to make the right choice every time despite the cost? The only request he had ever had in this life was to spare you and his mother.

“Don’t worry about that. Just focus on training and confronting Palpatine. Only then you will be a Jedi, a true Jedi.” Qui-Gon looked at him for a long moment. “She will be fine.” His eyes held an emotion that Anakin didn’t understand. It scared him, but he trusted Qui-Gon. He didn’t really have a choice in the end, you were too involved to shut out. You were certainly not naive enough to dump off on some planet again.

He had a million questions but felt Qui-Gon fade out. A new presence took his place, one he knew could have no form or words. She could just manage a feeling and it was enough. It was more than enough, the feeling wrapped around him and he held onto his mother tightly.

After a long while, he came back to the present moment. He reached out to Obi-Wan, knowing that reestablishing the bond would be unavoidable.

Master - He reached out and felt the bond attach on the other side.

Anakin - Obi-Wan sounded surprised and the full force of his calm presence washed over Anakin. How much he had missed being able to reach out and feel his master. The feeling was so overwhelming he needed to stay in it for a moment.

I need your help - He was unsure of what he would have left to learn from Obi-Wan but he trusted Qui-Gon.

Obi-Wan rushed to the temple and Anakin could feel his unsettled nature. The concern for him made him want to cry again. He didn't deserve this side of Obi-Wan. He watched his master take in his meditation pose and his eyes softened. He sat next to him and Anakin tried to keep his composure as Obi-Wan’s arm came around his shoulders.

“I want to apologize again,” Obi-Wan whispered. He could feel Shmi’s presence had not left the temple yet.

“Please don’t.” Anakin choked. He could tell through the newly established bond just how much sorrow Obi-Wan’s heart carried. He was overflowing with it. He knew he felt responsible for Anakin’s mother, for how poorly the council had treated him, especially when he was a boy. He could feel how painful exile had been, how he couldn't escape Anakin so he moved to Tatooine to fully accept his punishment. How much he hated the sand, but how much he loved being close to the brother he lost. Then he realized that the fresh paint and seasonal flowers on his mother’s grave was his doing. He could see his master there lighting a candle occasionally sitting with her telling her his best stories, all the moments she missed out on while he was away. The love for him that was often so well concealed flowed through the bond.

“We failed each other,” Anakin whispered.

“I was older and should have been wiser.” Obi-Wan said sadly.

Anakin told him about the prophecy and they sat there together considering things.

“You must overcome your emotions -” Anakin flinched and Obi-Wan put his hand back on his shoulder “ You must feel them and use them, but not be overwhelmed with them. Once you submit to your anger you lose the light, when you lose your anger and sense of justice, you lose your power. Everything must be about finding balance.”

Anakin nodded.

“Do you think she will stay?” Obi-Wan looked confused by his question.

“Why would she leave?” He asked softly, with tenderness in his features.

“The whole Sith creation thing. She wants me to be better, that doesn't sound good with my track record.” Anakin could feel his insecurities start to rise up and he took a breath.

Obi-Wan let out a laugh. “If she didn't want to see you she wouldn't have accepted jobs in Imperial air space for the past 7 years.”

“I still can't believe you let her do that stuff,” Anakin said slightly put out with his master.

“You think I could stop her?” He laughed again and Anakin shook his head.

_________________________

He reluctantly stood in the elevator up to your apartment. He should feel a sense of relief, or motivated towards his plan. Instead he just felt anxious. He wanted you more than anything else in the galaxy. He’d sacrifice what he had to. He didn’t care that it was attachment, you were going to be his at any cost necessary. If you were horrified what would he do? Just force you down and fuck you back into submission again?

No.

He sighed as the door to your apartment opened, he hated it when you forgot to lock the door. You were in the kitchen cooking, the sight of him caused you drop the wooden spoon into the frying pan. Your fingers picked it out and you hissed as the heat stung your flesh.

Panic raced through him. Memories of Mustafar bit into his still aching flesh. He grabbed your wrist with too much force, using the other hand to manhandle you towards the sink. He put your fingers under cold water and tried to breathe.

_______________

Anakin’s gloved hand had a painful grip on your wrist as he held it under the cold water. The fear in his eyes scared you as a cloud of darkness wrapped around him tightly. He wrapped his other hand around your torso and rested his cheek on the top of your head. You could feel his tears sinking into your scalp.

“Anakin, it’s alright.” You said softly holding on to him with your free arm. “It won’t even scar, it doesn't hurt.”

Your words were from this moment in time and you knew his mind was far away. In a world you probably wouldn't be able to reach. You let him hold you tightly.

“I’m a Sith.” He said quietly making you jump slightly.

“I know.” You werent sure what exactly he was referring to.

“What do you know?” He asked pulling away to look down at you. He was so much taller, you felt swallowed by his frame.

“I had this vision? Not sure you could call it that exactly.” You tried to figure out what you wanted to tell him before you realized the best thing to do would be to read what you had written about it right after it had happened. No details would be missed or confused. “Here, I’ll grab my journal.” Your words did nothing to lessen his grip on you.

He gave you a conflicted look. With the force he grabbed a jar of burn salve from the fridge. He opened it and stuck your fingers in it.

“Just stay.” He was worn so thin it reminded you of when he had left you all those years ago. Three days he was at the temple, that probably meant three days without sleep. Not a good idea for Anakin.

“Which journal is it?” He asked looking for guidance.

“Erm - I’d have to help.” You picked the jar of salve up and kept your fingers inside it to appease him. Where did people go to get help for this sort of thing? You had no idea how to reassure him when he got like this. You just did what he wanted or had sex with him.

He was satisfied with this. He moved with you to the bedroom. He followed your gaze to the few shelves that held notebooks, knowing full well he wouldn't listen if you told him not to read them.

You pulled three from the shelf from around that time frame with the force and started flipping through them. His attention was engrossed with the colourful writing and drawings. You found the part you were looking for and handed it to him, returning the other two back to their place on the shelf.

You reluctantly gave it over to him and returned back to the kitchen. Thankfully dinner hadn’t burned, as he’d turned the element down. He followed you leaning against your island while you kept cooking. His red eyes making sure your fingers stayed coated in the salve.

You didn't hear him read the lines but you felt his heart clench. He rested his head in his hands for a moment.

“Why did you come back?” He groaned. When you had written down what had happened you were completely terrified. You’d faced him and thought he had killed you. You woke up a shaking mess and wrote down every detail you could recall in case it came back to hurt you one day. You could feel his shame at the fear bleeding through the pages.

“I didn’t I got captured.” You said evasively. You didn't know how to answer the question he was asking you.

“Why did you bring me back.” He clarified his eyes devouring you. A memory came to you of laying in a field with him after a mission had ended and you were waiting on the ship to be repaired. The grass was covered in wild flowers and you laid in the sun, you had feelings for him but didn’t know how to tell him. You’d almost been hit on the mission and the way he had hugged you after was replaying through your mind.

“I promised you I would always come back.” You referenced that moment when he had almost lost you for the first time. “There’s enough of you in there to make the risk worth it.”

He closed his eyes and you felt him breaking down. You turned the element off half expecting to get jumped.

“I’m sorry.” His words were so thick and raw.

“Me too.”

“No, you haven’t done anything. I did it all, turns out I had to in the end. But still, the things I’ve done to you-” His voice broke.

“I wanted you to.” You felt his mind revisit that first night you had back together.

“You didn’t.”

“I did. I don’t know if you know this but I’m quite vocal when I’m unhappy.” You smirked.

“You tried to push me away, I thought it was you pulling us together -” He took a deep breath. He needed to eat and then sleep before he got too carried away.

“I don’t care. I wanted you back. That’s what I got.”

“There’s another part to the prophecy.” His voice was low.

“Oh boy.” you whispered.

“Qui-Gon won’t tell me what it is, but it’s about you.” His features looked manic and you knew it was time to shut things down before he went over the edge.

“I can handle it.” You said staring him down. You wouldn't let him be an idiot about things this time. “Now. I’m going to wash my fingers off, we're going to eat. Then sleep.” He considered you for a long moment. You could tell he was recounting what happened last time he got this worn down and scared.

He gave you a reluctant nod. You both ate quickly and despite it being 7:30 at night you got washed up and into bed.

Anakin fell asleep quickly leaving you time to think about everything. The true power of the darkside was a mystery to you. Having been Force resistant for the past 7 years, you felt particularly extra sensitive to it now. You could feel two sides of the force battling inside him, even as he slept the conflict radiated off of him. The pain still ate at his bones and his lungs were still struggling. Despite warring on him, the force was so strong it kept his body functional, making up for the gaps and the failings of his flesh.

Just like everything else about Anakin Skywalker, this was something unheard of. Even when he wanted to die, even when his body was decaying, the force still pushed him forward.

#anakin skywalker #star wars #anakin skywalker fic #anakin skywalker imagine #anakin skywalker x reader #anakin x reader #darth vader

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kalinara · 5 months

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I did think I would feel a bit more satisfied when an actor finally confirmed what, I think, most of us knew about Kylo Ren's intended arc in the Sequel Trilogy.

Blah, blah, the redemption arc wasn't supposed to happen. Kylo was supposed to be a villain throughout. Where's that Captain Holt vindication gif when you want it?

I'd agree, personally, that it would have made for a better movie if Kylo had remained the big bad. Adam Driver, I think, is the one who really missed out. I feel like he missed out on his chance to go full out, balls to the wall evil overlord. He'd have killed it, I suspect. And I say that as someone who isn't particularly a fan of the guy.

I do think though I get why they went with a half-assed redemption arc, though. I don't think it had anything to do with the Reylos (the kiss maybe, but I'd like to think they're smart enough to realize that rabid shippers generally don't go for the romantic - die for your love type of ending. At least not if the hot guy is doing the dying...)

I think it's because of Carrie Fisher's death.

They'd said for a while that the third movie was supposed to be Leia's, in the way that TFA was Han's, and TLJ was Luke's. Whether or not this made you optimistic probably depends on how much you liked the fates of those characters in those movies. I didn't hate them, personally.

I'm not going to speculate too hard on what the original story would have been. I certainly can imagine some pretty epic stuff with Princess Leia as the Big Good set against her son as the Big Bad. But...well...when you lose one of your primary actors before you get a chance to actually film anything...well, that limits what you can do.

I suppose that's why I'm willing to give Rise of Skywalker a bit more slack than a lot of folk. They were kind of stuck. Ultra-evil Kylo Ren is a more satisfying story with the set up they had, but it's also a tragedy. For what it's worth, the man does have a mother, who will grieve him if no one else does.

Except...we can't actually film the grieving, can we? We can't film the confrontation between despairing mother and lost son - whatever resolution was likely to happen. We can, at least, use some lost footage to TRY to build the relationship between Leia and Rey that needs to happen for that side of the story, but even then, we'll need Force Ghost Luke to help with the more reactive parts.

And of course, they need to write Leia herself out as gracefully as possible. In a way that doesn't require a lot of new footage and still gives the character a sense of accomplishment. Otherwise, you might as well have just blown her up with Hosnian Prime.

So...half assed redemption arc. With not-exactly-force-ghost Han to help there. I do feel like they could have done a better job with Kylo's part there. You know, made it look like he was at least interested in doing something OTHER than violating a woman's mind and terrorizing her for a good third of the movie. But well. No one's ever completely happy with things.

I don't know. In the end, I think the folks behind the Sequel Trilogy did what they could to give us a final, reasonably satisfying conclusion. There were fuck ups along the way (see: Finn, see: Poe. Though that fuckery started with TLJ, IMO) but, I think if we sat down and watched all nine movies in a row, and got to Rise of Skywalker's closing scene...I think we would end it feeling like we'd reached a workable ending to the Skywalker Saga.

Probably because we'd be too exhausted to notice the plotholes at that point. C'est la vie.

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425599167 · 2 years

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Barriss starts out the perfect padawan of esteemed Master Luminara Unduli, and Ahsoka is the wild child getting paired with living disaster zone Anakin Skywalker. But if Palpatine was stopped and the war ended on better terms, Ahsoka was growing into the dedicated Jedi who fought to protect the Republic and trusted in the Jedi Council. Meanwhile Barriss began the war disappointed in Jedi leadership and spent years full of festering doubt and resentment. The second she hits knighthood and becomes independent, she is going to criticize the council at every opportunity. She says they’re too loyal to the Republic over systems outside it, it doesn’t matter how nice they are to the clones when they’re still considered property, ongoing military leadership goes against Jedi ideals and contributes to a growing military-industrial complex, etc.

Luminara: By the right of the Council, by the will of the Force, I pronounce you a Knight of the Jedi Order. Barriss Offee, you may rise.

Barriss: Thank you, Master. No take-backs.

Luminara: You are welco- I beg your pardon?

We know some Jedi like the Lost Twenty choose to leave, but Barriss would stay. Stay and be a problem. The council probably wouldn’t even begrudge her for it, they’d just be stuck in the same political deadlock they’d been in for years, except now they’re facing growing internal criticism as Barriss unionizes all the other wartime padawans. The few who survived, at least.

Barriss: Masters, I’ve noticed the Order is becoming further entrenched in politics. As such, you’ll be happy to know I’m going to become more politically active! *heals Umbaran soldiers injured in Republic bombardments and widely publicizes the damage caused by the invasion*

Windu: Knight Offee-

Barriss: Oh, is this bad? Do you not like this?

Luminara: No, we agree that is exemplary behavior for a Jedi Knight in a recovering galaxy. What we wanted to talk about was you touring the casinos on Sal Sagev and using telekinesis to help several attendees win millions of credits at the roulette tables. It caused a bit of an uproar when you were identified from security footage. Who are these people?

Barriss: They are ordinary citizens who donated their winnings to various charities dedicated to postwar reconstruction projects.

Windu: Hm. Very well, I suppose that’s-

Barriss: They are also the opponents of senators whose corruption you’ve willfully ignored because they’re your political allies.

Twenty years later, Ahsoka is on the council, and is frequently called on to reign in Barriss from escalating fights with the senate and various megacorporations. Anyone else has zero chance of making Barriss stop, and Ahsoka still takes her side half the time. Then, half of that half, Ahsoka will escalate the situation even further than Barriss intended.

#star wars #the clone wars #barriss offee #ahsoka tano

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nerds-yearbook · 4 months

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With the infamous words, "Somehow, Palpatine returned," the end of the third Star Wars trilogy premiered on December 20, 2019. There had been plans to focus on Han in the first movie, Luke in the second, and Leia the third, but the death of Carrie Fisher changed those plans. Producers decided to inlcude her primarily through using unused footage. To help with the nastalgia for the original trilogy Billy Dee Williams returned as Lando Calrissian, Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Anthony Daniels as C-3PO, Ian McDiarmid as Emperor Palpatine, Harrison Ford as Han Solo, Mike Quinn and Kipsang Rotich as Nien Nunb, Warwick Davis as Wicket, Joonas Suotamo as Chewbacca, Denis Lawson as Wedge Antilles and R2-D2. Returning from the new trilogy were Adam Driver (Kylo Ren), Daisy Ridley (Rey), John Boyega (Finn), Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron), Domhall Gleeson (General Hux), Lupita Nyong'o (Maz Kanata), Kelly Marie Tran (Rose Tico), Greg Grunberg (Snap Wexley), Amanda Lawrence (Comander D'Acy), Billy Lourd (Lt Connix) and BB8. There were a lot of voice cameos by Shirley Henderson (Babu Frik), J.J. Abrams (D-0) , James Earl Jones (Darth Vader), Matthew Wood (Cai Threnalli), Andy Serkis (Snoke), Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker), Olivia D'Ablo (Luminara Unduli), Ashley Eckstein (Ahsoka Tano), Jennifer Hale (Aayla Secura), Samuel L Jackson (Mace Windu), Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Alec Guinness (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Frank Oz (Yoda), Angelique Perrin (Adi Gallia), Freddie Prinze Jr (Kanan Jarrus), and Liam Neeson (Qui-Gon Jinn). John Williams who composed the scores for all three of the original trilogies made a cameo appearance. There were also cameos by Richard E Grant, Keri Russel, Dominic Monaghan, Jeff Garlin, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ed Sheeran, Kevin Smith, and Karl Urban. The action took place at Ajon Kloss, Pasaana, Kijimi, Kef Bir, and Exegol. ("Star Wars Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker" Star Wars Movie Event).

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standard-muse · 1 year

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The news of Star Wars episode 10 brings a lot of mixed reactions. For some, it brings apprehension and dread, for others excitement and hope. At best, the general consensus appears to be curiosity. It is quite a shock to find out we’ll be returning to that era of Star Wars which has been completely avoided since Rise of Skywalker was released in 2019. That era in the Star Wars canon that was quickly swept under the rug as Lucasfilm and Disney desperately distracted audiences with a cute little baby Yoda, hoping people would never mention it again. Returning feels surreal. Like watching footage of divers visiting the wreckage of the Titanic.

Here are my thoughts on the news of a new sequel movie and the potential and fear that comes with it.

https://www.standardmuse.com/blog/back-to-the-sequels

#save ben solo #reylo #reylo fam #tros #star wars #star wars ep 10 #ben solo #kylo ren

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shakibone · 1 month

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Ok, it's time. You may now infodump about The Rise of Skywalker

So I've thought a lot about Star Wars Episode 9

...not just as the actual film that got made, Rise of Skywalker, but everything that led to that film's flaws, and everything I would have done with the ninth episode of Star Wars and culmination of the Sequel Trilogy (but would not have been able to do due to the laundry list of executive meddling).

I am far from the first person to have tried to run a fix-fic on this trainwreck, and I'm far from the last. I'm pretty sure the last person will be Dave Filoni, engaged as he currently is in trying to build support beams beneath that film so that the whole franchise doesn't collapse when it decides to explore that era again. Good luck to him on that endeavor!

Before going in on my bulletpoint plotpoint list (because writing it up as a full fic is not worth anyone's time) for Shakibone's Episode 9, I'll clarify one thing: I enjoyed Episode 8 a lot and hold it up among my top three favourite Stwarses. That being said, it had some huge flaws that could be amended... I liked Canto Bight and Finn's character arc being about getting him from merely supporting the Resistance to protect his loved ones to fully wishing to fight the First Order, but I didn't like how that plot was executed by denying him any Jedi and Force business. With that in mind:

Finn is a jedi now (or at least training) and Rey has got a double ended lightsaber. Maybe she used the broken Khyber crystal from Luke's to make her double ender, or maybe who-gives-a-dang. It's cool and matches her previous staff-based fighting style.

Kylo Ren is our primary antagonist, and he hasn't rebuilt his stupid helmet. Assuming Disney mandates a redemption and a new helmet for merchendising, I have a redemption plan explained below).

Leia is either dead from the start, or offscreen throughout. No making a CGI Corpse Actress for Carrie Fisher, and no reusing previous footage to pretend she's there throughout. The film either opens with her dead (and the opening crawl starts with "THE GALAXY MOURNS" which I think is a solid opening line), or she's away on another mission and we see her through holograms and once at the end (via limited use of prior footage and a voice double).

With the New Republic HQ blown up and the First Order's flagship blown up, the Galaxy has descended into factionalism. The First Order is still strong enough to get these new factions to bend the knee, however.

Kylo is the Supreme Leader of the First Order, but he doesn't actually do his job. Hux is left with the actual day-to-day running his "Empire", which suits Hux just fine.

In case it needed to be said: Hux, the true believer frothing-at-the-mouth fascist is not a mole for the Resistance. That's dumb.

What's got Kylo distracted from ruling the First Order? He's busy hunting down ancient Jedi and Sith artifacts, and destroying them! Burn the past, remember?

Either that or he's hunting the Resistance.

Following Luke's big sacrifice, the Resistance actually has a decently equipped military as their allies have risen to join them.

By the end of the film there is no New New Republic, or New New Jedi Order. We gotta build something different for the franchise going forward, not just return to the Status Quo. The Galaxy is divided, albeit not destructively so. Focus on the idea that maybe the Jedi Order and the Republic, which gave rise to and were destroyed by Fascism twice, are not necessarily great ideas.

Palpatine cameo via pre-recorded message or Sith Holocron because Ian McDiarmid is a delight to see and I am no more resistant to clapping at the things I remember than anyone else.

On that note, Hayden Christensen shows up as a Force Ghost to give Kylo his (potential) redemption talking too. Speaking of:

So, assuming that Disney will mandate that Kylo be redeemed (because even in my fanfic I assume Star Wars will have executive meddling), here's my plan for Kylo's redemption:

Kylo does a big redemption moment of saving Rey and the Resistance or whatever. Maybe he had a heart-to-heart with Grandpa Anakin and saw the error of his ways.

Kylo, as his Empire burns: "Grandfather, I called to you for aid! Why did you never answer!?" Anakin: "I did answer. I was there every time you heard a voice telling you stop and go home." Kylo: "It's too late for that now. There is no saving me." Anakin: "Maybe… But it's not too late to stop, even if it won't earn you redemption."

What is important is that Kyle gets massively fucked-up-mangled in the process and is presumed dead. Then at the big Resistance party before the credits Rey turns around like she's gonna look at some ghosts smiling at her, but it cuts to a planet where some First Order Remnant trying to enslave some kids to be stormtroopers. Ben shows up in a suit like those Redeemed-Vader concept art that the scrapped Star Wars Battlefront 3 was gonna use and saves the kids. When they ask who he is he says: "Ben… from Nowhere". Ben turns around, sees Rey in the scene watching him, she smiles, he leaves. Ben gets to survive and redemption, but he's gotta spend the rest of his life dismantling the evil regime he built, and he'll get no fame or acknowledgement for it except from Rey.

Anyway, that's the sickness in my brain.

As a reward for having sat through my rambling, here's the cool Redeemed vader concept art:

#Star Wars #Episode 9 #fix fic #Rise of Skywalker #here's how I woulda done it!

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mitigatedchaos · 8 months

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December 14, 2028.

The committee appointed by Republicans finally releases the finished recut of Rise of Skywalker into two movies, with Part 1 officially taking the place of Episode 8 in the main Star Wars series. A master copy of The Last Jedi is burned onto five golden discs as a record of shame.

You might question the authority of the Republican Party to decide the canonicity of Star Wars. You might even hold shares of the Disney company. But do you really want to lose your job over this?

The new Episode 8 disc arrives in the mail and you replace the Episode 8 disc in your collection. 25 minutes of new CGI footage gives John Boyega a more prominent role after his untimely death. Reylo is officially canon.

#star wars #media_tag

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themattress · 1 year

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A NUANCED LOOK AT THE SEQUEL TRILOGY’S CONNECTIVE TISSUE.

A post brought about by my recent rewatch.

People always bitch about the bad part of this subject given Disney/Lucasfilm’s lack of a solid visionary plan and the trilogy being tossed between different directors with different styles. But what about the good? Because a lot of good still managed to come through despite this.

........Ah, fuck it. Let’s just get the bad out of the way first.

THE BAD:

Finn - If there’s one character that everyone down to the actor himself agreed was screwed over in the Sequel Trilogy, it was poor Finn. He was a huge part of The Force Awakens, and even if the marketing making him look like the new central Jedi character was a lie to hide that it was actually Rey, the film foreshadowed him as Force-sensitive which meant he could still become a Jedi by the end of the trilogy. Instead, his importance was drastically reduced in The Last Jedi, he was treated more as comic relief than a leading man, certain scenes that could have set up a good arc in the last film where he leads a Stormtrooper rebellion were axed, and nothing was done to further explore his Force sensitivity. In The Rise of Skywalker, his Force sensitivity is confirmed but not explored or even told to Rey, and out of all the main characters his arc is the smallest and least consequential-feeling in spite of him playing a pivotal role in the final battle. In many ways, it feels like Poe ended up usurping Finn’s originally intended role, which is ironic since Poe was originally supposed to die after Finn busted him out and they crash-landed on Jakkuu, his last act being to eject Finn to safety. The character was meant to be a springboard for Finn, but it went the other way around.

Maz Kanata - She was introduced in The Force Awakens as a Mystery Box of a character, living for thousands of years and running a space cantina while dealing in less-than-legal activities, but also attuned to the Force and very wise about the cycle of imbalance it’s been through, and having personal connections to Han and Leia. Despite how intriguing the character was, absolutely nothing was done with her in the following two movies. We never learn any more about her, nor does she do much for the plot beyond helping in an ill-fated space mission in The Last Jedi and providing Leia-based exposition in The Rise of Skywalker to run interference for Carrie Fisher’s death. Oh well, there’s always the expanded universe...

Anakin’s lightsaber - Speaking of Maz, how did she recover Anakin’s old lightsaber, which was lost along with Luke’s hand in Cloud City? “A good question - for another time”; another time which never comes in the movies. And that’s not the only issue this damn thing has - it’s also used for the fake-out of Finn as the main Jedi hero only to say “Psyche! It’s Rey!”, it’s used for the notorious cliffhanger ending to The Force Awakens and the even more notorious follow-up of Luke tossing it over his shoulder in The Last Jedi, it’s used for Rey to unfairly best Luke in combat when they were fighting with staffs, it’s used to kill Snoke with, it’s used for awkward archive footage of Carrie Fisher twice, and it’s used for a controversial callback where Luke catches it and says “a Jedi’s weapon deserves more respect”. I agree; it does.

General Hux - He has a solid set-up as an antagonist in The Force Awakens, then when he takes his villainy further in The Last Jedi we get more development of his obvious animosity toward Kylo Ren which might lead up to him betraying him. But when he finally does in The Rise of Skywalker, it’s “I’m the spy!”, then about a minute later Bam! Dead. While some of this is The Last Jedi’s fault for using him for broad comedy too often which neutered any menace he might have once had and that naturally made using him as a major villain in the final film feel ill-advised, he still could have accomplished a lot more then he ultimately did.

Captain Phasma - Even Hux had it better than Phasma, who appeared early into The Force Awakens, then disappeared until one largely comedic scene near the end, then resurfaced in The Last Jedi’s third act only to be killed off...and in the much less climactic way compared to another version that was shot. Geez, why hype up this character yet do so little with her!?

Vice Admiral Holdo - While new characters be in every Star Wars movie with some of them being one-offs, Holdo is a case where making her a one-off feels like a grave mistake. The character is introduced out of nowhere in The Last Jedi as someone who’s been with the Resistance the whole time and has a deep history with Leia, yet we have never seen her before and her appearance makes her someone it would be hard to miss in a crowd. Then she makes herself as frustrating to the audience as possible, fucks up and then redeems herself by sacrificing her life in a blaze of glory. That sacrifice is designed to make us feel something, but we hardly know nor like Holdo so it falls flat. In retrospect, I think Admiral Ackbar should have stuck around long enough to make the sacrifice play and Holdo ascended to Admiral rank which she would carry forward into The Rise of Skywalker. We then could see her develop more and get to like her more, and she could do a lot of heavy lifting needed due to Carrie Fisher’s passing. The Holdo Maneuver was awesome, but Holdo being the one to perform it and die in the process, all her potential left untapped, was not.

Canto Bight - If we had to be put through this God-forsaken casino planet in The Last Jedi, at least make it mean something in the end! Let the fathiers be the ground team’s mounts in the final battle of The Rise of Skywalker, let Canto Bight be the planet that funded the Final Order’s creation, bring in the broom boy to do something instrumental, have fucking DJ return and do something instrumental, anything! Because otherwise, what was even the point?

OK, now for the good!

THE GOOD:

Kylo Ren - I have zero complaints as to how Kylo Ren was handled in this trilogy. I frankly don’t care that we never saw how Ben Solo was corrupted or got all the details behind his mindset spelled out to us; the character we saw on screen went through a perfectly natural progression that lived up to the initial pitch of “Darth Vader in reverse”: from conflicted and vulnerable to self-assured and ruthless to “killed” and reborn as a heroic Jedi who deals with his mother’s death in a positive way and is able to save the woman he loves through pure selflessness. Adam Driver’s performance helps sell it all as a grand, cohesive character arc.

Rey - And I’m talking specifically about Rey’s character. Her personality. This is something that Daisy Ridley carried across all three films; I was always interested in Rey and liked her and wanted to see what she would do and how she would overcome the challenges placed in her way. If she’s the start of a new Jedi Order, then the galaxy is absolutely in good hands.

Rey’s heritage - Yes, I’m going there. I think the films as a whole actually tell a good story about Rey discovering her heritage. She’s uncertain about it in the first act and wants to believe her parents were exceptional people who had a good reason for abandoning her on Jakkuu, then in the second act she comes to grips with the fact that they weren’t and for all she knew just sold her off for drinking money but that’s fine because she’s found a new family to belong in now, and in the final act she learns that her parents did love her and abandoned her for her own protection from her grandfather, who is exceptional in the worst possible way and at direct odds with the new family she has found. In the end, Rey defeats her grandfather and embraces the name and purpose of her found family, because that’s the family her spirit connects with in spite of her blood. It’s a beautiful message that deserves more appreciation.

Rey’s power - Again, I’m going there. The explanation that she is so powerful in the Force so naturally because she’s part of a Dyad in the Force with Kylo Ren due to them being the grandchildren of Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader makes perfect sense when you consider the depth of the relationship between Palpatine and Vader and how instrumental that relationship is to the entire Skywalker Saga. Oh yeah, and speaking of that Dyad...

The Dyad - Everything about this concept is fascinating and portrayed superbly. From Kylo Ren sensing something special about Rey immediately, Rey seeing Kylo Ren in her vision before meeting him, and Rey reversing Kylo’s Force probe on her mind back at him before defeating him in lightsaber combat in The Force Awakens to the Force-based conversations from entirely different locations which culminates in them touching from that distance in The Last Jedi to fighting through the Force from different locations and even passing objects back and forth between one another through the Force and Ben giving all his life force to Rey in order to resurrect her in The Rise of Skywalker, this was an awesomely executed plot point.

Han Solo - Given Harrison Ford’s notorious dislike of Star Wars and the character he played in it, it’s something of a shock that he ended up as the best utilized old character in the Sequel Trilogy. His role and development in The Force Awakens is perfect and although he dies by the end in a failed attempt to turn his son back to the Light, this death is never forgotten and reverberates across the rest of the trilogy, culminating when he appears as a Leia-induced memory that completes his son’s turn to the Light in The Rise of Skywalker.

Snoke - Yeah, I’m kind of surprised too. But Snoke ending up being a literal bad clone of Palpatine who is the puppet he uses to lead the First Order and manipulate Ben Solo through makes his whole character kind of genius. When he is introduced in The Force Awakens, the musical motif from “the Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise” from Revenge of the Sith plays, which led many to suspect Snoke of being Darth Plagueis back in the day. But now that the trilogy is completed, its meaning is more clear: that scene was actually about establishing Palpatine’s knowledge of ways to use the Dark Side of the Force to cheat death, and Snoke is a direct product of that knowledge being put to use. Then there’s the fact that Snoke is so much like Palpatine: from the hatred of everything Light, Jedi and Skywalker, to his throne room adorned with crimson-clad guards, to his decrepit appearance, to his use of Force Lightning, to him attempting the exact same gambit in The Last Jedi that Palpatine did in Return of the Jedi. Everything about Snoke now feels like foreshadowing that Palpatine is pulling the strings from the shadows, which honestly makes Snoke a stronger character for it.

Ach-To - This place features in all three movies, and it’s great. Not much else to say, really.

The Battle of Crait - For all of The Last Jedi’s milling around, its conclusion ends up being highly impactful. Kylo Ren is now Supreme Leader of the First Order and on the verge of wiping out the Resistance, who have sent out a signal for help but no-one in the galaxy answers. Then Luke Skywalker, the Legend, appears to face Kylo Ren in a duel. They fight, only for Luke to disappear like magic in the end after he’s bought the Resistance enough time to escape. The story of this battle spreads like wildfire across the galaxy and in The Rise of Skywalker, despite Poe’s fears and doubts, when the Resistance calls for aid in a climactic battle again, this time the galaxy answers the call. It’s a dramatic pay-off not just to a situation in this trilogy, but from the observation by young Anakin in The Phantom Menace that the galaxy’s biggest problem is that not enough people help one another. Well, they do now.

Lastly, things I’m half-and-half on.

THE IN-BETWEEN:

Poe Dameron - Aside from stealing Finn’s originally planned position as the leading man on the side of the Resistance, Poe’s character changes in every movie. He’s an admirable, upstanding guy in The Force Awakens, then a hot-headed, reckless and paranoid moron in The Last Jedi who has to learn how to be more admirable and upstanding, then a frequently angry guy struggling under the weight of leadership and embarrassment of his criminal past in The Rise of Skywalker. Even Oscar Isaac soured on Poe by the end, feeling maybe he should have stayed dead in the first film! But with that said, I feel that the screenwriters’ dialogue and Isaac’s performance helps keep a consistent likability to Poe even when he’s at his worst, and there is at least a semblance of a consistent character arc of becoming Leia’s successor as the Resistance’s leader. He could’ve been better, but he could’ve been worse.

Rose Tico - On the one hand, I am perfectly fine with her reduced role in The Rise of Skywalker compared to The Last Jedi; given the circumstances of the story it makes perfect sense that a character we only met in the previous film takes more of a back seat in the Skywalker Saga’s finale. But on the other hand, the bad editing on the film cutting her role down that much (approx. 2 minutes of screentime in an over 2 hour film) is unforgivable, especially considering the harassment that Kelly Marie Tran received from “fans” in real life.

Luke Skywalker - Once it got going, Luke’s character arc in The Last Jedi was amazing, and his contributions as a Force Ghost in The Rise of Skywalker were pivotal to its conclusion. However, early into The Last Jedi he was depicted as way too much of a grouchy asshole for my liking, which didn’t match how he looked when we saw him at the end of The Force Awakens. Even if Luke had depression and given up everything, I just can’t see him being so rude and hostile toward a perfectly nice young girl he just met who only wants to help. Rian Johnson could have stood to listen to Mark Hamill’s concerns more, it would have helped.

Leia Organa - Leia was infamously meant to be “the key role” in this trilogy, particularly in Episode IX. And she does play a major role, completing Rey’s Jedi training (with Rey also completing Leia’s as a result), sacrificing her life to save Rey and bring about her son’s redemption, and helping Rey from beyond the grave through both her spirit and her lightsaber. However, she does all this with limited time on screen, because Carrie Fisher passed away before The Rise of Skywalker could be filmed and they were stuck relying on archive footage and body doubles. And before this, Leia was honestly pretty underwhelming in the movies where Carrie Fisher was actually alive and playing her, especially in The Last Jedi where after a narm-tastic moment where she floats through space like Mary Poppins, she is put into a coma for a good portion of the movie and does little but shoot Poe and have an emotional reunion with Luke after waking up. I don’t get it - giving Leia and Carrie Fisher a major role was a huge goal for Kathleen Kennedy, yet she didn’t allow her to be utilized as much as possible when alive and on set. It just can’t help but feeling as though the character and her actress got screwed over one last time, just as they often were in the Original Trilogy.

The other old characters - Chewbacca, C-3PO, R2-D2, Lando Calrissian, Admiral Ackbar, Wicket the Ewok, the Force Ghost of Yoda, the helmet of Darth Vader...all of them were fine. Sometimes there were issues, like Chewie and Threepio being relegated to pure comic relief filler in The Last Jedi, Ackbar being unceremoniously killed off in the same movie, and Lando’s screentime being cut short in editing while also losing the firm confirmation of Jannah being his daughter in The Rise of Skywalker, but otherwise there was nothing offensive here.

Emperor Palpatine - I love that Palpatine was brought back as the mastermind behind everything and the Final Boss of the trilogy and Skywalker Saga; it made the most sense and you will never get me to budge on this. However, the execution of his return was admittedly ridiculous. The Dead Speak! Palpatine sent out a broadcast to the galaxy that we never hear! Less than two minutes after the opening crawl and we see him! No explanation is provided as to how he’s alive! Somehow Palpatine returned! It’s both way too much and way too little, and all in such a short amount of time. Plus, we could have used a little more solid foreshadowing beyond just Snoke that Palpatine was at large in the previous two movies; it really would’ve gone a long way. Aside from this, Palpatine’s presence as the Big Bad is most welcome.

The Knights of Ren - They’re purely perfunctory; I’ve got no strong emotions toward them either way, though I wish we had some of them in The Last Jedi for consistency’s sake.

That Force vision - The vision Rey receives when touching Anakin’s lightsaber in The Force Awakens is a pure Mystery Box style scene from J.J Abrams, not really meaning anything. With hindsight, though, you can easily read meaning into it: Rey being told by the Jedi who have joined with the Force that she is key to saving the galaxy (”These are your first steps”), Rey getting her first hint of being part of a Dyad with Kylo Ren, and Rey’s parents leaving her being related to something important about her lineage. So in that light, it’s pretty damn cool.

The Resistance vs. the First Order - My biggest mixed feeling on the whole trilogy is its primary conflict. Doing such a direct rehash of the Rebellion vs. the Empire from the Original Trilogy is just so lazy, and the lack of advancements in many of the characters, technology and situation in the galaxy makes Return of the Jedi almost feel like it was all for nothing. However, there are just enough new factors to still make it an interesting conflict I want to see through to its conclusion, and it really pays off in side material such as books, comics and Disney theme parks. So I ultimately like it, but wish that it could’ve done somewhat fresher.

#Star Wars #The Force Awakens #The Last Jedi #The Rise of Skywalker #Opinion #Analysis #Comparison #This has been a PSA

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marinersubmariner · 2 years

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The Rise of Skywalker lightsabers in motion (behind the scenes footage)

Previously: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

#star wars #the rise of skywalker #graphic #swedit

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newdougsblog · 2 years

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With the Kenobi series currently being released and Love and Thunder on the horizon, I’ve decided to start a lil’ something that I’ve been wanting to do for a while that I’ve been calling PW—Predictions and Wants. It’s pretty self-explanatory, I think.

After the series is over/after I’ve watched the movie, I’ll come back and reflect on how close (or far) my predications were and see if any of the things I wanted to happen did indeed happen.

So without further ado, here’s PW: The Kenobi Edition!

Predictions:

There will be at least one flashback containing new footage from before the rise of the Empire.

This next one was honestly the main thing that motivated me to do this: When Vader and Obi-Wan fight (because we all know they’re going to at the very least confront each other), Vader will incapacitate Obi-Wan and have the opportunity to go for the killing blow—but doesn’t. He instead leaves Obi-Wan there. This is simultaneously the last merciful act of Anakin Skywalker—the boy Obi-Wan once loved—and the ultimate revenge of Darth Vader—whom Obi-Wan left to die alone on Mustafar (I actually wrote a fic in which this happens after the first teaser came out (you can find it HERE). Dave Filoni has also discussed how George Lucas was insistent that Vader can’t be diminished (it’s touched on a bit in THIS interview, but I couldn’t find the original video interview in which I heard that tidbit). We also know how obsessive Vader is. Even before his Fall, we’ve seen how he attempts to compensate for prior losses and ensure that they won’t happen again, even when they weren’t his own. This trait is evident in the “Obi-Wan and Anakin” comic, when he battles a training droid he specifically altered to mimic Darth Maul’s fighting style:

Listen. I just really want this to happen. It makes sense and it's angsty.

Wants:

Obi-Wan double-wielding his lightsaber and Anakin’s. I’ll also accept him using a blaster and a lightsaber in tandem.

Obi-Wan ignites his lightsaber for the first time in the series upon facing Vader.

During the inevitable rematch, flashbacks to their fight in ROTS—like their movements lend themselves to a seamless back-and-forth between past and present.

Obi-Wan and baby Luke interactions. Please. I need them.

#star wars #kenobi series #obi wan kenobi #anakin skywalker #darth vader #kenobi #kenobi spoilers #speculation #PW #PW: Kenobi Edition #meta #obi-wan and anakin comic #so many meta ideas not enough time #sorry this is a bit messy

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webseriesviral · 7 months

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A Star Wars Icon Helps With A Sneaky Rebel Assist In Ahsoka Episode 7 Sadly, Carrie Fisher p... #movie quote #movies #movie line #movie line #movie scenes #cinema #movie stills #film quotes #film edit #vintage #movie scenes #love quotes #life quotes #positive quotes #vintage #retro #quote #quotes #sayings #cinematography

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jedivoodoochile · 1 year

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Carrie Frances Fisher (October 21, 1956 – December 27, 2016) was an American actress and writer. She played Princess Leia in the Star Wars films (1977–1983). She reprised the role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), The Last Jedi (2017)—a posthumous release that was dedicated to her and appeared in The Rise of Skywalker (2019), through the use of unreleased footage from The Force Awakens.

#carrie fisher

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socialwicked · 2 years

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‘Rogue One’ Original Review: Star Wars Thrills, But Still a Footnote

Again in 2016, Lucasfilm launched the 1st Star Wars film that wasn’t component of the Skywalker saga — Rogue A person: A Star Wars Story. A person of the movies stars, Diego Luna, is about to get his have display in Andor, streaming on Disney Additionally from Sep. 21. So Disney is re-releasing Rogue One particular in IMAX theaters on Aug. 26, with a sneak peek at Andor footage. To rejoice, this is our first review of Rogue A single from 2016.

When Obi-Wan Kenobi brought Luke Skywalker to a place termed Mos Eisley a long time back in a galaxy considerably, considerably away, he explained, “You are going to never discover a much more wretched hive of scum and villainy.”

But Rogue 1: A Star Wars Story finds a number of. And though the heroes of the first Star Wars hopped in the Millennium Falcon to leave the wretched scum driving and blast off into galaxy-spanning space opera experience, there is normally some thing of the avenue about Rogue Just one.

Rogue One particular is the to start with spin-off from the key Star Wars saga. It expands the tale beyond the epic films we’ve observed so far, revealing what it can be like to stay in the Star Wars universe when your identify is not Skywalker.

Technically, it really is a prequel — slotting into the saga in the wind-up to the 1977 primary and hence stuffed with references for lovers to get pleasure from. But from barren labor camps to occupied desert cities to slight armed service outposts, the emphasis stays on bit-section players who push the action when the significant names are off addressing galactic federal government, wooing royalty and practising their lightsaber swing.

Felicity Jones prospects the ensemble solid as Jyn Erso, a petty felony drawn into the Rise up in opposition to the evil Galactic Empire. She’s surrounded by a dust-streaked crew of small-time rogues and renegades performed by Forest Whitaker, Riz Ahmed , Jiang Wen and Mads Mikkelsen. Amid them, Donnie Yen is the stand-out as a blind monk who’s a dab hand at roughing up Stormtroopers even without having a lightsaber.

Regardless of becoming a concoction of motion capture and CGI, Alan Tudyk’s droid K-2SO is a single of the most lifelike of the people. Which is a compliment to his hilarious effectiveness, but it also reveals how the relaxation of the proficient forged is remaining brief-transformed by the script. The film sets up a assortment of interesting figures — Whitaker’s extremist rebel, for example, or Ahmed’s guilt-ridden Imperial pilot — but won’t entirely commit to its intriguing thoughts.

Diego Luna, in specific, fails to influence as an icy assassin, but that could also be for the reason that his soulful eyes are just soooo dreamy.

And as exciting as the individual figures are, they don’t spark the type of chemistry that among Rey, Finn and Poe carried us by means of the significantly sillier Pressure Awakens .

On the opposite aspect of the Force is the sneering Director Krennic, played with pantomime relish by Ben Mendelsohn. Like the heroes, Krennic is definitely a small character in the Star Wars saga, a footnote in galactic heritage. He is a petty bureaucrat, an bold opportunist blindly serving men who take gain of his shorter-sighted moi to exhibit what evil genuinely is.

The shadow of the Dim Facet looms over the movie with appearances from acquainted villains, but Rogue 1 is in quite a few approaches a glance at the banality of evil, of the workaday compromise and minimal-degree corruption that retains the cogs of galactic tyranny grinding.

Speaking of villains, Rogue 1 repeats a mistake of final year’s The Power Awakens, leaning a minor much too difficult on CGI to deliver just one of the main villains to lifestyle.

Fortunately, Rogue 1 avoids the tacked-on ending of Force Awakens and it’s in the closing third that the new spin-off bursts into daily life like a Star Destroyer exploding into flaming carnage. The ending fight sees director Gareth Edwards diving headfirst into the Star Wars toy box, pitting lumbering walkers and swooping X-wings versus every single other in no-expense-spared battle. And you will find a climactic sequence that may be one of the finest moments in any of the Star Wars movies.

Faithfully brushing up towards the Star Wars saga, Rogue A single nevertheless can take us places in the universe we have never ever found in advance of. It might not have the joyous spark of experience as the classic films, but it is really nonetheless a thrilling glimpse into the street life of a galaxy considerably, significantly absent.

Now playing: Watch this: ‘Rogue One’ review: Street-level Star Wars

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https://socialwicked.com/rogue-one-original-review-star-wars-thrills-but-still-a-footnote/

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