"Twisted and Evil" - Yoda and Obi-Wan were right about Darth Vader all along

"He made a pact with the Devil and now he's become the Devil." - George Lucas about Anakin Skywalker, Revenge of the Sith Audio Commentary 

It's common to think of Evil as a quality or characteristic inherent to some people's being, or as an external force operating on humanity's flaws and imperfections, infecting and seducing them, sometimes personified as the Devil. There is a notion of the Evil person, whose nature is 100% evil, that they will remain that way because it's their fundamental unchanging nature, and there is a certain either or that, all or nothing way of thinking, postulating, Good and Evil are mutually exclusive: true Evil doesn't allow for any Good to reside in a person, but if there is even a drop of Good within them, they're not truly Evil. These ideas - Evil as an external force, Evil as an intrinsic quality, Evil as something that pushes Good out of a person - are all powerfully rejected by George Lucas' Star Wars story.

George Lucas' Star Wars: Good and Evil redefined

In Episode IV, Obi-Wan identifies the culprit behind the evil deeds of Darth Vader: "he was seduced by the dark side of the Force" and in Episode V, Master Yoda reveals, the dark side of the Force is: Anger, fear, aggression... The dark side of the Force are they." He explains, "If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will, as it did Obi-Wan's apprentice." Later, as part of his Jedi training, Yoda instruct Luke to descend the cave that is "strong with the dark side", the "domain of evil", he tells him, there will find nothing, but “only what you take with you” adding, "Your weapons, you will not need them."

But Luke decides to take his lightsaber with himself: he approaches "evil" with expectations of an external force, something that he fears, angry at, hates and has aggressive feelings toward. And this is what manifests itself in the cave, what is within him: the likeness of Darth Vader appears. Luke draws his blade to fight him, and as they do, he decapitates the vision. The severed head's mask bursts apart, revealing Luke's face underneath, showing: he met with his own idea of evil as an external enemy, he reacted to it with fear, anger and aggression, hate, and the vision shown him, what he resent in Vader is also within himself. What moved him, ruled his reactions to the likeness of Vader are identical to what rules, moves Darth Vader: fear, anger, aggression, hate. This is evil, nothing more, nothing less. Both Obi-Wan and Yoda tells him, he failed in the cave, proving, he can't control the Force, therefore, he is not ready to face Vader, and warning him, "if you choose the quick and easy path, as Vader did you will become an agent of evil" warning him, “don’t give in to hate. That leads to the dark side.” In Episode VI, the dying Yoda repeats, “anger, fear, aggression, the dark side are they. Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny."

In Episode I, Yoda identifies fear, especially the fear of losing the people we love as the origins of evil: "fear is a path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering" and in Episode III, he repeats: “fear of loss is a path to the dark side." He warns against not accepting death as part of life: “attachment leads to jealousy. The shadow of greed, that is.” In Star Wars: The Clone Wars, in Yoda's Arc, while on his quest to achieve immortality, the Force Priestess Serenity instructs Yoda to face with "what in your existence some call evil, otherwise known as fear" and she says, "You must face your evil on that island and defeat it." Yoda faces with a dark creature, that he can defeat only through recognizing it as his own dark side, something that is a part of himself, "part of all that lives." He says, confronting with it, "Part of me you are, yes, but power over me you have not. Through patience and training, it is I, who control you. My dark side, you are. Reject you, I do." Serenity tells him afterwards, summarizing the lesson, "the beast is you and you are the beast. To deny it simply gives it power" to which Yoda responds, "Now I see. Simple the answer was."

Why some people believe, Luke "proved Yoda and Obi-Wan wrong" about Darth Vader?

George Lucas' Star Wars story - encompassed by the six episodes of the Star Wars Saga and the six seasons of Star Wars: The Clone Wars - is devoid of Evil as an external, independent, metaphysical force or a quality inherent to some people's being. In Episodes IV to VI, Obi-Wan and Yoda established that the line dividing good and evil cuts through the being of all living things, with the bad side being fear, anger, hate and aggression – what makes Darth Vader evil is that he is seduced by and is consumed by and he is walking on the path of fear, anger, hate and aggression. These emotions and feelings are part of Luke as well, and if he gives in to them, and falls under their sway, he will become just like Darth Vader. Yoda warns, once he gives in to them, they will consume him and his actions will dominate his destiny forever. In Episodes I to III, as well as in the Clone Wars, these lessons were re-stated and elaborated. Thus, it should be clear that their teachings on the nature of evil are radically different from conventional and popular concepts of Evil. 

In the 2010s, it become popular to entertain the idea, Yoda and Obi-Wan, the old Jedi Masters, in their absolutist, dogmatic and fanatic, black or white, all or nothing way of thinking, were simply unable to comprehend the possibility that Darth Vader can be saved, that there is any good left in him, and they're telling Luke, Darth Vader is Evil and Evil must be destroyed for Good to prevail, but Luke, the young one, naturally free of such flaws, proves them wrong by bringing his father back to the light side. But those who ascribe to this reading, are ignoring the mythology, cosmology and philosophy outlined in the Star Wars Saga and The Clone Wars. Their reasoning is founded on the fact that Obi-Wan and Yoda are using the word "evil", or they describe Vader as "twisted and evil" and "agent of evil" or "twisted by the dark side", while ignoring their definition of evil, as well as on projecting a "Dark-Side-Is-the-Devil" concept onto their teachings.

Yoda and Obi-Wan are not "wrong" about Darth Vader: in truth, the Jedi teachings throughout the Saga and Clone Wars are not rejecting the potential or possibility that an "evil person" will return to the good side. When Luke says Obi-Wan, "there is still good in [Vader]", the Jedi Master's reply, "He's more machine now than man. Twisted and evil." only translates to "No, there is no good in him! He is evil and evil must be destroyed!" if his usage of the word "evil" is divorced from his definition and concept of evil, and replaced with non-Star Wars concepts and notions of Evil and Evil people. The truth is, Obi-Wan and Yoda are not denying that there is still good in Vader - in accordance to their worldview and the cosmology of Star Wars - but they're both skeptical about whether this means that Vader can be turned back to the light side of the Force, and they believe, Luke will be forced to kill his father if he is about to save the galaxy.

Vader and his Emperor are under the sway of fear, anger, hate and aggression, and they both want to rule the galaxy, and they want to do it through fear, destroying entire planets and all living things on it to further that ambition, torturing and killing anyone who dares to oppose them, wielding fear, anger, hate and aggression - this is what makes the Sith. And this is why they must be confronted and stopped, even if this means killing them. Therefore, it shouldn't be hard to realize, "Sith" is not follower of a religion or a philosophy, a member of a culture or someone who uses dark sources of magic, rather, just like Lucas defined them, "The Sith are people who are very self-centered and selfish." and "Sith rely on their passion to get things done. They use their raw emotion, their hatred, their anger, their bitterness - which is the dark side of the Force", in addition, "Sith want to dominate the galaxy, to control everything" and "A Sith is somebody that is absolutely obsessed with gaining more and more power - but for what? Nothing, except that it becomes an obsession to get more." "Sith" is a personality, a state of mind, an attitude, a relationship to yourself, the world and others. And this is what Jedi Knights vow to fight against. This is why Yoda indicates in Episode III, "Destroy the Sith we must", and this is why Obi-Wan told Anakin, as the Chosen One, "You were supposed to destroy the Sith, not join them!" And this is why Yoda tells Luke in Episode V: "Stopped [Vader and the Emperor] must be. On this all depends!"

Yoda and Obi-Wan are preparing Luke for a confrontation that they believe, will end with Luke being forced to kill his father, but they never instruct him to do so. Yoda tells Luke, "you must confront Vader. Then, only then, a Jedi will you be. And confront him you will." When Obi-Wan tells him, "You cannot escape your destiny. You must face Darth Vader again", it's Luke who says it out loud: "I can't kill my own father" - because Luke knows, if he have to confront Vader, that would most likely mean, he will have to kill him. In the 1980s, Lucas explained, "The mission isn't for Luke to go out and kill his father and get rid of him. The issue is, if he confronts his father again, he may, in defending himself, have to kill him, because his father will try to kill him." And Luke tries to avoid the situation, so he won't have to confront Vader and the Emperor. This is why Obi-Wan tells him, "Then the emperor has already won." Only on Endor, Luke accepts his destiny and decides: "I have to face him." When Leia asks him, "But why you must confront him?" he replies, "Because there is good in him. I've felt it. He won't turn me over to the Emperor. I can save him. I can turn him back to the good side. I have to try."

It should be clear that there is no real conflict between Luke and the old Jedi Masters: Luke himself states, his father is on the bad side of the Force, he doesn't entertain the idea that he is not evil. The question is not whether or not Darth Vader is evil - he is - or whether or not there is a possibility or a potential for him to turn back into Anakin Skywalker, the good man who kept his dark side under the check of his light side - there is. The question is: will Darth Vader choose the good side over the bad? Obi-Wan warns Luke, Vader sank very low - "twisted and evil" - thus, it would be a miracle if that happens. Luke chooses to risk it: he takes a leap of faith.

Did Yoda and Obi-Wan sent Luke to Kill his Father?

Darth Vader turning back to the good side, into Anakin Skywalker was a theoretically possible, however, this was true to the Emperor as well. And whereas Lucas confirmed, Luke's mission is not to go and kill the Sith for the sake of destroying them, it should not be surprising that Yoda and Obi-Wan were not founding their plan to save the galaxy on faith in the inherent goodness of all that lives, but on the cold hard facts. Thus, as Lucas tells us, "You discover that Luke is being guided by Obi-Wan and Yoda. There is a plan afoot" and the fact that Luke doesn't know what that plan is, is "a little nefarious, because [Yoda and Obi-Wan] think he's the only one who probably has the power to kill Vader. Their agenda is to kill Vader and basically cut off the Emperor's right hand." In the same time, he repeated, the mission is not just to kill and get rid of Vader: "Ben hopes Luke will either save his father or kill him." Therefore, plainly and simply, Yoda and Obi-Wan sent Luke to confront Vader and end the rule of the Sith, and yes, they told him, if this have to involve killing Darth Vader, then it have to involve killing Darth Vader.

"They don't show 'Luke, what you need to do is to go to Darth Vader and give him a compassionate speech to bring him back to the good side'"

Yoda and Obi-Wan and the Jedi Order are sometimes accused with mishandling the Sith Lords, especially Darth Vader. If they were so compassionate, so the argument goes, then they were supposed to preach love and light to Vader - there was good in him, surely, he would listen! For example, even Dave Filoni claims, the Jedi weren't interested in saving Darth Vader: "They don't show 'Luke, what you need to do is to go to Darth Vader and give him a compassionate speech to bring him back to the good side.'" However, this reasoning is quite impractical, to put it mildly: no one would argue that all Darth Sidious needed was a "compassionate speech to bring him back to the good side", because he is branded True Evil, as opposed to Vader, who is believed to be not really Evil, since there was good in him.

"Nobody thinks of themselves as bad, not even the worst people, and they rationalize their behavior to say that we are doing good by killing all these people" Lucas reminds us, telling, “One of the issues in all of this is that the bad guys think they’re good. And Lord Sidious thinks he is brining peace to the galaxy, because of so much corruption and confusion and chaos going on. And then now he’s going to be able to straighten everything out. Which may be true, but the price the galaxy’s gonna have to pay for it is way too much.” Even Darth Sidious wasn't True Evil, because True Evil does not exist - there was good in him, too. However, the idea that when it comes to dealing with people like Sidious and Vader, "what you need to do is to go to them and give them a compassionate speech to bring them to the good side" is unrealistic and unreasonable, to put it mildly. And this is powerfully illustrated in Episode VI: Luke does go to Darth Vader and give him a compassionate speech to bring him back to the good side - and that won't transform Vader into Anakin Skywalker. Instead, when he tells Vader, he won't be turned to the dark side and Vader will have to kill him, his answer is: "If that's your destiny." When Luke ask him to come with him, Vader replies "It's too late for me", then he turns him over the Emperor. And when Luke tries to disengage from the fight, declaring, "I will not fight with you", Vader reacts with throwing his saber at him. When he realizes, he has a daughter as well, he concludes, "If you will not turn to the dark side, then perhaps she will."

How Luke Skywalker saved Darth Vader?

Yoda and Obi-Wan trained Luke to understand, what he resents in Darth Vader and the Emperor is also within himself, and he must keep that side of himself under the check of his light side - if he is forced to kill Vader, even then he must not repeat his failure in the cave of Dagobah. Vader and the Emperor are both urging Luke to to forsake the Jedi way, to make him to give in, to relinquish control over his fear, anger, hate and aggressive feelings, so he will experience the power of their energy and be seduced by it - to repeat his failure. The Emperor encourages him, "give in to your anger" and rejoicing, as Luke's anger and hate is "swelling" in him, saying, "with each passing moment you make yourself more my servant." He urges Luke, "strike me down with all of your hatred and your journey towards the dark side will be complete!"

Vader briefly manages to make Luke use the dark side, to be filled with fear, anger, hate and aggression toward him. In his fear, rage and hate, Luke attacks and mutilates his father, and the Emperor cheers: "Good! Your hate has made you powerful. Now fulfill your destiny and take your father's place at my side!" And this is the moment when Luke comes to his senses: he looks at Vader's missing robotic hand, then down to his own robotic hand, and he recognizes, he is on the path of becoming Vader, that he is repeating his vision in the cave, and he says no. Luke Skywalker is adhering to the Jedi way as Yoda and Obi-Wan taught him, brining his dark side under the control of his light side, which is compassion. "You failed, your highness. I am a Jedi, like my father before me." As George Lucas confirms, "[Vader's] son saved him by doing the very thing that Vader couldn’t do. Luke wouldn’t turn to the dark side, and unfortunately, that’s what Vader did.”

"Luke is not trying to get some magic potion. He does not accept the Emperor's offer of 'Come to the dark side, and you can be all-powerful.' When Vader see's his son willing to give up his life to save him - "Kill me. I am not going that way not matter what" - that is what turns him. It is the end of Vader's journey to the dark side." And "He takes the ounce of good still left in him and destroys the Emperor out of compassion for his son." And so, Anakin Skywalker, just like Luke, brings his dark side under the control of his light side, and breaks free from the shell of Darth Vader: the return of the Jedi. As Lucas explains the overall lesson: "Even the worst, most evil people find compassion. Darth Vader has compassion for his children, and that’s ultimately what children are for."

The Lesson of the Tragedy of Darth Vader

Way too often, the lesson of the fall and redemption of Darth Vader is obscured by attempts to reconcile Star Wars’ lessons on evil and evil people with the common and popular ways of thinking about Evil. However, all these are stemming from the desire to dismiss George Lucas’ call not for a new holy war against evil, but a less dramatic struggle, under the guidance of ancient sages, to control our fear, anger, hate, aggression, ignorance and selfishness, to keep this part of ourselves under check by our compassionate side, involving love, charity, fairness and hope, a struggle to transform our view on evil itself.

Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi: “Part VI”-Review

Obi-Wan Kenobi closes on a high note in an emotional, satisfying finale that centers character and catharsis.

(Review contains episode spoilers)

With the Empire hot in pursuit, Obi-Wan, Leia, and the members of the Path quickly search for a way to escape to safety. Meanwhile, Reva clings to life and revenge in a desperate search to find Anakin’s son, Luke Skywalker.

Despite its many faults, Obi-Wan Kenobi has always excelled at being a story about characters processing trauma. The climactic events that ended The Clone Wars left our principle cast emotionally and physically scarred. Reva fell down a dark path in the name of vengeance. Vader has become a monstrous amalgam of hatred and self-loathing. Obi-Wan spent the last ten years in a hopeless despair, focused only on the survival of Luke Skywalker. At the end of the day, Obi-Wan becomes a show about who is able to move on and grow from this trauma and who cannot escape the consequences of their actions. Like the best of Star Wars it shows how hope for the future can save those who are most lost and provide a guiding light in dark times.

Obi-Wan’s journey here is particularly cathartic and thematically well realized. Even if the road to this final episode has often been clunky and stop-gap, Obi-Wan’s triumphant final stand against Darth Vader and the quiet and emotional scenes that follow make up for most of the series’ missteps. This confrontation between master and apprentice may more closely meet the expectations of viewers than the brutal trouncing back in “Part III,” and it also looks significantly better. A generic quarry set is swapped out for a haunting, barren moon of towering rocky pillars. While Deborah Chow’s direction at times may be a tad too chaotic for the encounter, the duel between these two manages to capture the flash and spectacle of the prequel trilogy while still feeling like a fight and not an overly choreographed dance.

It also, like the best Star Wars lightsaber clashes, focuses on character just as much as laser swords. I appreciated the push and pull between both opponents and also how Obi-Wan’s escape from Vader’s impromptu tomb mimics the classic Master Planner saga from Stan Lee and Steve Ditko’s original Amazing Spider-Man run. But the highlight of this encounter comes from Obi-Wan’s defeat of Vader, not only in its well choreographed spectacle but in the emotionally necessary discussion that follows. In the duel’s final moments, Obi-Wan slices away a portion of Vader’s ebony mask and for the first time in a decade master and apprentice finally meet eye to eye. The result is an emotionally gutting conversation and some of the best acting in the saga from both Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen. In perhaps the best moment of the series, Vader declares that he and not Obi-Wan is responsible for Anakin’s fate. It may come off as typical Vader loathing, but there is a small part of the interaction that reads like a twisted act of mercy. As if Vader is alleviating a weight from Obi-Wan’s shoulders, but only in the name of his own sick satisfaction. The look that Obi-Wan gives Vader in this moment shifts from shame and sadness to pity. The man he loves is truly gone, replaced by a monster.

It is a shame then that this moment is undercut by its almost identical similarity to a similar showdown in Star Wars Rebels. As emotional as McGregor and Christensen’s performance are, their confrontation can’t help but feel like a retread of an existing (and honestly better realized) sequence. The impulse is understandable, but the more Star Wars media tries to inhabit the same narrative ground as other projects, more toe stepping will begin to happen.

Given the climactic battle between Anakin and Vader, I appreciate the almost quiet way that Reva’s story resolves itself. Sure, there is the tense chase through the Lars Homestead, but it is Reva herself that decides to let her path of vengeance go. Her murder of an unconscious Luke does herself no good and doesn’t even come close to avenging her own suffering and the deaths of her friends. Its senseless violence and she finally is able to let go of the dark. And, in a welcome move, she lives. There is a future of this franchise that includes more of this shattered and tormented woman, who has walked both the light and dark. I really hope we don’t have to wait much longer before we see her again.

And while the final minutes of “Chapter VI” may give The Return of the King a run for its money in the number of fade-to-black false ends, the fact that Joby Harold, Hossein Amini, and Andrew Stanton’s script lingers on our protagonist is appreciated. Given that so much of this series has been about its title character finding peace and purpose once again, these moments of Obi-Wan finding direction for his future feel necessary. We get the meaningful goodbye to Leia, the quick first meeting of him and Luke, and the long awaited reappearance of his former master Qui-Gon Jinn as a Force Ghost. It shows a man that was shrouded in despair and cynicism embrace his past and future for a brighter future. It’s beautifully contrasted with a Vader who is only able to let go of his quest due to fearful loyalty to his master.

Thankfully, Obi-Wan closes out on a high note. Despite its sometimes awkward pacing and messy production, this series is among the most emotionally engaging material that the franchise has served up in quite some while. If Star Wars television always focused on emotion and humanity at the expense of spectacle, I think we’d be looking at a hopeful future.

Score: A-

Conjuring Miracles 

Chapter 2

Summary: Tala shows up a moment too late, and Obi-Wan ends up in Anakin's clutches. Taken to the Inquisitor base along with Leia, he finds himself face-to-face with the boy he raised, and the man who was once his best friend, but his former apprentice has terrible things in store. Obi-Wan must search for himself to survive, keep Leia safe, and prevent Anakin Skywalker from realizing his daughter is right in front of him.

Canon divergence from Obi-Wan Kenobi Part III. 

Chapter Summary: Trapped on Nur with Anakin, a Obi-Wan has a tense, emotional conversation with the boy he taught. Anakin reveals his intentions for Obi-Wan's fate. Determined to get information on the Path, Anakin interrogates Leia, thinking she'll turn to save a badly injured Obi-Wan from more pain.

Faced with his old master and the girl he doesn't know is his daughter, Darth Vader might just lose his grip.

Where there is Kenobi, you will find Skywalker not far behind.

He left the next morning, against Beru’s protests.

No one needed to hear his screams but him, and shielding a wanted Jedi would only have endangered Luke.

“Master Plo once called you our most cunning and insightful master, and our most tenacious.” Anakin’s mocking him now, an odd laugh on his breath that sounds like the old Anakin, and yet also could not be further from him. It is a ghost, a phantom yet living, of the student he raised and the best friend he so loved. Loves. That cannot be changed. “I’m not sure you could negotiate with a post now, for the way you tremble at the sight of me.”

Saying nothing will tempt Anakin’s temper, but saying something smart will endanger Leia, so Obi-Wan carefully considers his words.

“I do not claim to be the man I once was,” he says, meeting Anakin’s gaze. “It was a long time ago.”

Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi Just Pulled off Two Major Clone Wars Callbacks

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This Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi article contains spoilers.

Obi-Wan Kenobi not only brings back two of the most important characters from the Original Trilogy, it’s also an embarrassment of riches for Prequel Trilogy fans who have longed to see the franchise pay tribute to the Star Wars galaxy of the early 2000s. At last, we have Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen sharing the screen once again, this time trading lightsaber blows on opposite sides of the battlefield. In episode 3, the Jedi Master and Sith Lord finally come face to face after 10 years, and the reunion is anything but heartwarming. Unless you count Vader literally lighting his old master on fire…

But McGregor and Christensen aren’t the only two major Prequel blasts from the pasts featured in the series. Last week, for example, the show featured a Temuera Morrison cameo, putting the Jango and Boba Fett actor in clone trooper armor for the very first time — despite being the face of all clones since 2002’s Attack of the Clones (the “magic” of CGI, am I right?).

“Part III” brings in two more major Prequel era callbacks that likely made Star Wars fans who grew up in the 2000s jump off their couches in excitement. Here’s what these references might mean for the show and the Star Wars canon timeline going forward:

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Quinlan Vos

Obi-Wan is shocked to learn that one of the Jedi fugitives who’ve passed through the safe house on Mapuzo is Quinlan Vos, the Kiffar Jedi Master who first appeared as an extra in The Phantom Menace in 1999 (you can spot him sitting at a table watching as Anakin walks down a Mos Espa street), but is best known for his appearances in The Clone Wars and Dark Horse’s Clone Wars comics from the now non-canon Legends continuity. In fact, it’s in the pages of Star Wars: Republic by John Ostrander and Jan Duursema where he gained most of his popularity as one of the comic’s central stars opposite mainstays like Obi-Wan and Anakin.

Unlike Obi-Wan’s more virtuous Jedi Knight, Quinlan was known for being more morally gray, which made him the perfect candidate for a secret mission to assassinate Count Dooku during the height of the Clone Wars. But regardless of whether you’re reading his canon or Legends adventures, Quinlan time trying to infiltrate Dooku’s inner circle within the Separatists led to the Jedi falling to the dark side and instead serving Darth Tyranus against the Republic. Fortunately, both versions of Quinlan’s story see him return to the light. In the canon novel Dark Disciple by Christie Golden, Quinlan is driven back to the light after former Sith apprentice and badass bounty hunter (and Vos’ lover) Asajj Ventress sacrifices herself to save him from a killing blow from Dooku.

As the behind-the-scenes story goes, George Lucas was so captivated by Quinlan’s unique design and story that he planned to include the Jedi in Revenge of the Sith, including in his own Order 66 scene. The production went as far as creating animatics for the scene, but it was ultimately cut. But Quinlan is still referenced in a line from Obi-Wan: “Master Vos moved his troops to Boz Pity.”

Later bits of lore place Quinlan on Kashyyyk after his victory on Boz Pity, fighting alongside Master Yoda right up until Order 66 and the start of the Jedi Purge. His whereabouts during the reign of the Empire largely remained a mystery until Obi-Wan Kenobi revealed Quinlan has been working for the Star Wars universe’s version of the Underground Railroad, helping Force-sensitive children escape the Inquisitors.

But does name dropping Quinlan in episode 3 mean he’s bound to make an appearance on the show before the end? It’s hard to say, although fans have been theorizing Obi-Wan Kenobi will feature at least one other Jedi Knight due to just how many classic Jedi the series has referenced in just three episodes, including Yoda, Qui-Gon Jinn, as well as Legends heroes like Corran Horn and Valin Halcyon. If we had to guess, the cameo will come in the form of Liam Neeson playing Qui-Gon’s Force ghost, but now that we know which other Jedi are still out there, anything could technically happen.

Jabiim

There’s a very good chance we will visit Jabiim next week. Fans of classic Clone Wars tie-in comics should know this planet well. After all, in the Legends timeline, it was the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the galactic conflict. The forces of the Republic and the Separatists converged on the rain-soaked planet during a local civil war in order to secure Jabiimi resources — whichever side won would get control of the planet’s vital mining operation.

Obi-Wan, his padawan Anakin, and Asajj Ventress all converged on the planet during the battle in the early days of the Clone Wars. While a fast-paced offensive quickly allowed the Republic to gain territory, a counter-offensive led by Ventress and local general Alto Stratus that saw the clone army suffer massive casualties, and even Obi-Wan was thought to have been killed, leaving Anakin to fend for himself.

With Obi-Wan gone (he’d actually been captured by Ventress and imprisoned on another planet), it was Anakin who led the Republic’s last stand on Jabiim with the remaining clone troopers and a group of padawan, holding out long enough for the surviving forces to evacuate. It was a victory for the Separatists and a major setback for the Republic.

Of course, all of this backstory was wiped away after Disney bought Star Wars in 2012. In other words, we don’t actually know whether any Clone Wars battles happened here in the new canon. Surely, Obi-Wan would have said something along the lines of “Oh no, not there!” when Tala (Indira Varma) mentioned that was where he and Leia would be headed next.

If you want to check out the Battle of Jabiim for yourself whole we wait for some answers on Obi-Wan Kenobi, track down issues 55 through 58 of Star Wars: Republic by W. Haden Blackman and Brian Ching.

Obi-Wan Kenobi is streaming now on Disney+.

The post Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi Just Pulled off Two Major Clone Wars Callbacks appeared first on Den of Geek.

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Episode III Revenge of the Sith - S tier

Ok I might know the entire dialogue between Anakin and Obi-Wan at the end of this movie, but I am not biased...am I? This is genuinely my favorite Star Wars movie and will argue that this is indeed objectively S tier material! From the battles, to the anguish, to the plot and the characters and of course the memes.

It is not lie, some might say there are plot holes, but not really. Once again, (I know I say it again but bear with me please) watching the clone wars, which mostly goes on between the second and third episodes makes the progression of the darkside on Anakin much more realistic! With the senator in his ear, his padawan leaving, people dying, a conflict that seems endless and the influence of the Son, the literal embodiment of the dark side, and the death of the Daughter, the embodiment of light side.

Child murder, yes it is bad, but if you look at the one that talked in particular, he looks like Jake Lloyd, the young version of Anakin. Darth Vader had to kill the child version of himself that wad happy and he saw as weak. It feels like a necessary part of his path to the dark side and a recall of his previous massacre of the sand people. Yet another show of how the Jedis never really helped him or the others that struggled with their identities.

Another massacre was order 66, this is the first time we see Palpatine's evil plan truly unfold. Although we will see this scene again and again from many different angles it still hurts every single time. It resonates with the hunt of the templar knights in the time of the Crusades. A deep betrayal similar to the one Anakin feel towards Obi-Wan in the last scenes of the movie.

An aspect I disliked was Padmé's death being explained as dying of sadness which I feel is a very low blow. Padmé is an absolutely amazing character that deserves a better explanation. She was a Queen as a child, she had threats on her life forever, she became a very implicated senator that actually made an effort to bring positive change to her universe around her to stop things like slavery, and the trade federation's loan shark attitude, starvation from war and much more. Women only have 17% of screen time in that movie, and although she has a great legacy with Leia, Padmé was too great to die of "big sads"! Some alternative explanations is that Palpatine used her life force to control Anakin or that he drained her to scar her husband. But either way it is a "disposable woman" trope kind of situation or even the "Lost Lenore" of the dead significant other to push they main characters reaction. It is highly disappointing.

On a more joyfull note. This next GIF is my favorite scene. Fun fact, at least for me, is that the animal Obi-Wan is riding, is a Varactyls called Boga, is native to the planet Utapau. The planet is shared by two species, the Utai and the Pau'ans, one lives on top and the other underground which makes a fun ecosystem to co-habit. These ones had the decency to share in the naming of the planet, unlike the Mon Calamari, who called the planet they share with the Quarren...Mon Cala. But back to the Varactyls, they have subspecies on the planet of Pijal and they are red and play sports with the royal family.

Obi-Wan is skilled because he robe one before with the Queen of Pijal as he saved her life from assassins in the book Master and Apprentice by Claudia Gray.

Overall, I think this movie was an S tier, there is not much more to say!

Little nightmares 2 trophy guide

Little nightmares 2 trophy guide series#

Nari tries to get help from Kenobi, but is rejected, and later hanged in the town. In an attempt to lure him, she hires bounty hunters to kidnap Princess Leia Organa from Alderaan. Reva is also obsessed with finding Kenobi, widely believed to be dead. The Inquisitors Fifth Brother and Reva Sevander, led by the Grand Inquisitor, look for a Jedi named Nari on Tatooine. Kenobi has also lost his connection to the Force, cannot communicate with the Force spirit of his former deceased master, Qui-Gon Jinn, and experiences nightmares from his past. He watches over a young Luke Skywalker, the son of his former apprentice-turned-enemy Anakin Skywalker, now living with his stepparents, Owen and Beru Lars, despite Owen disliking Kenobi. Ten years after Order 66, when most of the Jedi Order were killed, reclusive former Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi is hiding in a cave on Tatooine, under the alias "Ben". Story by : Stuart Beattie and Hossein Amini Teleplay by : Joby Harold and Hossein Amini and Stuart Beattie This leads to a confrontation between Kenobi and Vader. Ten years after the events of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005)-in which the Jedi were destroyed by Order 66 and Obi-Wan Kenobi's apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, became the Sith Lord Darth Vader-Kenobi is in hiding on the planet Tatooine, watching over Anakin's son, Luke, when he is called on a mission to rescue Anakin's daughter, Leia, after she is kidnapped by the Galactic Empire's Jedi-hunting Inquisitors in a plot to draw Kenobi out.

Little nightmares 2 trophy guide series#

The series received generally positive reviews critics praised McGregor's performance, but some criticized the writing. The subsequent four episodes were released weekly until June 22. The first two episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi premiered on May 27, 2022. Natalie Holt composed the score, while Star Wars film composer John Williams wrote the "Obi-Wan Theme", which was adapted by William Ross. Filming began by May 2021 in Los Angeles, using StageCraft video wall technology, and wrapped by September. Additional casting took place in March 2021, with co-stars such as Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse, Jimmy Smits, James Earl Jones, and Christensen reprising their prequel trilogy roles. Joby Harold was hired to rewrite the series and serve as showrunner in April 2020, executive producing with Chow, McGregor, Kathleen Kennedy, and Michelle Rejwan. Production was scheduled to begin in July 2020, but the series was put on hold in January 2020 because Lucasfilm was unsatisfied with the scripts. McGregor was confirmed to be starring in August 2019, and Deborah Chow was hired to direct a month later. The project originated as a spin-off film written by Hossein Amini and directed by Stephen Daldry, but it was reworked as a limited series following the commercial failure of Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018). Set ten years after the events of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005), the series follows Kenobi as he sets out to rescue the kidnapped Princess Leia ( Vivien Lyra Blair) from the Galactic Empire, leading to a confrontation with his former apprentice, Darth Vader ( Hayden Christensen). It is part of the Star Wars franchise and stars Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi, reprising his role from the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Obi-Wan Kenobi is an American television miniseries created for the streaming service Disney+.

you were my brother, anakin. i loved you.

I finally finished my tag revamp and I think I’ve gotten all of them and this was way more work than it should have been and I’m just stoked that they’re done!!!! I know the style has been done before but we can’t all be creative, right? I’m also definitely not going back and changing all the tags out because uh....nah.

ANYWAY, TAGS BELOW THE CUT!

i. ( to bring balance to the force.  /  memes. )

i. ( the jedi oath.  /  psa. )

i. ( all things die and even the stars burn out.  /  aesthetic. )

i. ( incoming transmission.  /  inbox. )

i. ( unity wins wars.  /  promo. )

ii. ( our true hearts remain shadowed deeper still.  /  musings. )

ii. ( we hunger in earnest for that which we cannot consume.  /   desires. )

ii. ( within your furnace heart you burn in your own flame.  /  visage. )

ii. ( the chosen one.  /  about anakin. )

ii. ( the most powerful jedi of his generation.  /  headcanons. )

iii. ( she spoke a prayer to the stars.  /  padmé  amidala. )

iii. ( war has forged their two lives into one.  /  obi-wan kenobi. )

iii. ( love can ignite the stars.  /  anakin  &  padmé. )

iii. ( to the divine and mischievous spark in you. / anakin & janae. )

iii. ( master and apprentice.  /  anakin  &  obi-wan. )

iii. ( i would know him in death at the end of the world.  /  regretdestined. )

iii. ( i truly deeply love you.  /  senatcrdala. )

iii. ( you captivate me with your resonating light.  /  durasteelheart. )

iii. ( like my father before me.  /  novaespes. )

iii. ( in every one of us shines the light of love.  /  cromulents. )

iii. ( i was in the darkness so the darkness i became.  /  skywlkrr. )

iii. ( in the shadow of your heart.  /  darth vader. )

MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU from the Star Wars Book Club 

1. Ahsoka by E. K. Johnston + Ahsoka Tano in The Clone Wars (2008-2020) / 2. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith Novelisation by Matthew Stover + Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) / 3. A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller + Kanan Jarrus & Hera Syndulla in Star Wars: Rebels (2014-2018) / 4. Master & Apprentice by Claudia Gray + Obi-Wan Kenobi & Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) / 5. Thrawn by Timothy Zahn + Thrawn in Star Wars: Rebels (2014-2018) / 6. Leia, Princess of Alderaan by Claudia Gray + Leia Organa in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

Road to Obi-Wan Kenobi

This is our list to watch before the show:

MOVIES & TV

In Chronological Order:

Ep I. The Phantom Menace

Ep II. Attack of the Clones

The Clone Wars 

(Just the essentials, because it could be the whole show. But, come on, do you really need an excuse to rewatch The Clone Wars?)

Dooku Captured (1x11 - 1x12)

The First Satine Arc (2x12 - 2x14)

The Mortis Arc (3x16 - 3x18)

The Zygerria Arc (4x11 - 4x13)

The Rako Hardeen Arc (4x15 - 4x18)

Revenge (4x22)

The Maul-Mandalore Arc (5x14 - 5x16)

The Siege of Mandalore (7x09-7x10 just the first two episodes)

Ep III. Revenge of the Sith

Star Wars Rebels:

Twin Suns (3x20)

Ep IV. A New Hope

COMIC & BOOKS

In chronological order:

Before Ep I. The Phantom Menace:

Master & Apprentice

Age of Republic: Qui-Gon Jinn

Before Ep II. Attack of the Clones:

Age of Republic: Obi-Wan Kenobi

Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin

Before Ep III. Revenge of the Sith:

Dark Disciple

After Ep III. Revenge of the Sith:

Star Wars: Darth Vader - Dark Lord of the Sith

Ahsoka, interlude between chapter 20 and 21

Star Wars (2015), #7, 15 i 20

During Ep IV. A New Hope

From a Certain Point of View:

"Master and Apprentice" - Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon

"Beru Whitesun Lars" - Beru Lars

"Time of Death" - Obi-Wan and Vader

FOR THE INQUISITORS:

Star Wars: Darth Vader - Dark Lord of the Sith

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

Star Wars Rebels (The Grand Inquisitor essential episodes):

Rise of the Old Masters (1x05)

Call to Action (1x13)

Rebel Resolve (1x14)

Fire Across the Galaxy (1x15)

Cataegis: Part III

Summary: An apprentice to the famed Mace Windu, your master has made sure you are strong with the Force. But, sometimes the Force has other plans. And you happen to be caught in the middle of them. Rating: 18+ Warnings: Nonexplicit sexual content, slow-burn, noncon elements (non explicit), underage elements (non explicit), inappropriate use of the force, etc Pairing: Sith!Obi-Wan x Reader Masterlist

Cataegis (n.) Latin word meaning tempestuous storm

Part I Part II

Power.

That’s what he felt.

There was no denying the waves of it that rolled off of you. It…confused him if he was being honest. He tried to make sense of it all, but there were so many factors to consider that it sent him reeling.

He sighed and rubbed his temple, sitting back on his heels. He hadn’t felt that much power from anyone aside from Anakin. The thought made him frown. During his time training Skywalker, he could sense the turbulent emotions within him. It was like a raging storm that held no end in sight. His Padawan allowed his emotions to guide him. Looking back, he realized that he should have seen the signs and snuffed them out sooner. But, he digresses.

There was no use in dwelling on things stuck in the past.

But you were right there. In front of him, and in the present.

He couldn’t figure out what the point was in the Force binding the two of you together. It was a puzzle that he didn’t have all the pieces to. And it frustrated him to no end.

She’s not a sentinel, that’s for sure, he thought to himself. So why does she conduct herself as one?

From what he knew about the training of temple Sentinels, you had gone through no such thing. In fact, it was incredibly rare for one of them to take a Padawan learner. The Sentinel duty seemed to be ingrained in a youngling from the day they discovered the Force. But there was something different about you.

“Master,”

He opened his eyes, turning to look at his former Padawan. “Anakin,” he greeted. He inclined his head, his golden eyes seeming to pierce the soul of the Lord approaching him. “What is it?”

“I sense a disturbance.” Anakin said with a frown. His long hair framed his face and blew in the gentle breeze. “And it’s powerful.”

Cataegis hummed in response, nodding quietly. “She is,” he muttered quietly.

Anakin arched his eyebrow, part of it marred by the scar that adorned the side of his face. “She?”

Cataegis let out a chuckle. “Yes, she.” He was loathe to the fact that he didn’t have a name to put to your infuriatingly beautiful face. “She’s becoming a rather annoying thorn in my side.”

Anakin snorted and crossed his arms. “What do you plan on doing about it.”

The blond Sith pursed his lips as he thought. Truth be told, he didn’t know. There were too many unknown factors for him to run headlong into this without a plan. He knew Anakin was usually the one to do so, but spending so much time with his former apprentice seemed to be rubbing off on him. “I…don’t know.” he admitted.

“Let me hunt her-“

“No!” Cataegis snarled at Anakin and threw him backwards, his hold tight on the other man’s throat with the Force.

Anakin grunted as his back hit the wall and he clawed at his throat momentarily before realizing his Master had full control of his body.

“You will not,” he hissed.

“Seems like you’ve found a new pet,” Anakin choked, trying to struggle against the hold Cataegis had on him.

He growled, the sound reverberating through his chest and his eyes narrowing in a primal rage. “Touch her, and you’ll have one less hand to worry about,” he snarled. “She’s not a bantha for you to hunt for sport. She’s someone more powerful than either you or me. And Force help you if I find out you’ve disobeyed me.” He let Anakin go with another growl, and the former Jedi fell to his hands and knees as he tried to suck in large breaths.

“You’ve gotten rather attached,” Anakin said as he pulled himself to his feet.

Cataegis scowled at his former apprentice. “Have care how you speak, Vader. You never know when you’re going to push me too far.”

Anakin rolled his eyes, but the threat gave him pause. Cataegis only used his Sith title when he was extremely upset with him, which wasn’t often. There must have been something awfully special about this woman for him to be so on edge. “Very well,” he said, inclining his head and acknowledging Cataegis. “But is this going to be a problem?

The former Jedi let out a huff of annoyance. “I don’t know.” he said. “There seems to be a lot about this woman that I don’t know. And I don’t like it.”

“All the more reason we need to find out who she is.”

A low rumble came from Cataegis’ chest, a hum of agreement. “True. But I don’t want you doing anything to scare her off. She’s already on edge enough as it is.”

Anakin raised an eyebrow. “Since when have you been concerned about whether someone is scared?” he asked.

Cataegis gave him another warning look. “Since the Padawan I’ve connected with is barely more than sixteen,” he snapped. “Her mind is still malleable, and there’s still a chance I can undo everything that the Jedi have taught her. But if you go scaring her off like that, there’s no telling how she’ll react. We have a difficult enough time as it is. The last thing I need is for you to tear down any work I manage to accomplish with this youngling.”

“Do you really think you’ll be able to turn her?”

He paused for a moment, thinking it over. He could sense the turmoil and fear within you. There was confusion, doubt, and surprisingly, anger. At what, he couldn’t be sure. But it surprised him nonetheless. He could sense the disturbance in your mind. If he really tried, he didn’t think it would take much for him to sway you. “I believe so,” he said, rubbing his beard as he continued to think. “I’m going to Coruscant.”

“What?!”

“Are you questioning my decision?”

“Of course I am!” Anakin defended. “You’ve absolutely lost your mind! Yoda will know as soon as you step foot on that planet. There’s know way you’ll be able to get past all of them without getting arrested. Or killed.”

Cataegis sighed and shook his head. “Such little faith, Anakin.”

~*~*~*~

After what happened with Windu, you’d been avoiding your master like the plague. He understood that you would need your space, and he left you to your own devices. For the most part, anyway.

At least he did until Yoda came looking for you.

He found you in one of the many training rooms within the temple. You’d been going at a program of Darth Maul for several hours, at least. The hologram was giving you quite the workout, you had to admit. And you could land blows and slice it to pieces without actually hurting any of your fellow padawans in a sparring session. You knew the emotions raging within you would cause a disturbance, but at that point, you didn’t care.

You didn’t understand what was happening, much less why it was happening to you of all people.

Cataegis’ golden Sith eyes stared at you every time you closed your eyes. You could feel his presence looming over you. It was as if he were right beside you the entire time.

And it unsettled you.

“Hmm…sense your anger, I do.”

You jumped at the sound of the voice that interrupted your training session. You turned on your heel and thrust out your hand. A wave of powerful force energy flew from your palm and rushed towards Yoda. Your eyes widened when you realized who it was. “Master Yoda!” you exclaimed. He saw your reaction coming before you even acted. He quickly jumped out of the way, somersaulting in the air and landing behind you in the training area.

“Mean to scare you, I did not. Sorry, I am, Padawan.” He tilted his head to the side and watched you visibly deflate. The lightsabers in your hand retreated back to their durasteel handles and you quietly hung them on your belt.

“It’s alright, Master.” you replied. “I didn’t mean to attack you.”

He let out the quiet chuckle you knew so well and shook his head. “Conflicted, you are. Resolve your issues, you must.”

You felt like throwing your hands in the air. “How do I do that, Master?” you asked. “I don’t understand what’s happening to me.”

Master Yoda hummed quietly and observed as you took up a meditation position before him. “Explain what is happening, you will.” You arched an eyebrow. You’d figured that Windu had told the Council everything that was happening with you. It would make sense for him to do so. After all, from what he said, it was highly unusual for something like this to happen. Sensing your hesitation, Yoda shook his head. “Tell the Council the details, Master Windu did not. However, like to help you, I would.”

You closed your eyes and took a deep breath. You couldn’t help the flinch that took over your shoulders when you saw his eyes staring back at you.

There’s no need to be scared, little one. His deep voice soothed. I’ll soon be with you.

You let out a gasp and opened your eyes. Yoda almost recoiled when he saw the red and gold brimming your normally bright irises.

A chuckle that wasn’t your own echoed through your head and his voice spoke once again, this time a fading whisper. Have no fear, my young apprentice. I won’t hurt you. Yet.

“Hear his voice again, you have?”

You swallowed the fear that lumped in your throat and nodded. “Yes,” you admitted.

He hummed in thought and readjusted his hold on the cane before settling himself in front of you. “Get to the bottom of this, we will. First, discover what this bond is, we must.”

The lights of the training room began to fade away as you closed your eyes and began a light meditation. You’d done something similar with Mace in the past, and you assumed Yoda would want to see exactly what it was that you saw. You were willing to show him, but that didn’t mean you had to like the invasion it would bring into your mind.

But you pushed those feelings aside and opened your mind to him. Everything came rushing forward and you let it.

Everything you were feeling pushed itself towards Yoda. And you didn’t try to stop it. All of your emotions bubbled over the surface and came spewing out like a volcano.

The waves crashed against the edges of your mental shielding, and you didn’t want to hold them back anymore.

What’s happening little one? I can feel your pain from here!

There was a note of concern that you hadn’t heard before. You almost snorted at the thought. You and you let it with a sigh of resignation.

There was no use denying it.

The Dark Side had a hold on you.

And it didn’t appear to be letting go any time soon. didn’t want to hear his voice anymore.

When you opened your eyes again, you were no longer sitting in the training room with Yoda. Instead, you found yourself on a landing platform. The night was cold and dark, and the wind ripped around and billowed your Jedi robes around you. Standing across from you…was him.

Black encompasses him like the shadows of the night, trying to swallow him whole. But the closer you looked, you realized that he was controlling the shadows. The rain pounded on the both of you, soaking you to the bone. Lightning struck the platform to your right, lighting up the area around you. His eyes flashed with the lightning, gold and beautiful.

“You!” you snarled, baring your teeth and glaring at the man.

He held up his hands in what he probably thought to be a placating gesture, but you took it as a threat. You threw your hand forward, and a powerful blast of energy flew from your fingers. Cataegis grunted and crossed his arms to block your blow.

“Get out of my head,” you snarled.

Letting out a scream, you let yourself feel the force around you. The energy flowed through you, became your blood. Everything around you became a part of you. And when you attacked him again, you attacked him with everything.

Yoda watched you with awe. His eyes were wide as a bubble of pure force energy surrounded you. He could see the waves rolling off of you, creating the field. Blue, red, and purple flowed through it like veins in a body. The sphere itself had a golden glow that pulsated with your heartbeat.

His eyes widened and he jumped from his seat as he saw you open yours.

“Get out of my head!”

An intense gold seeped into the color of your irises, intensifying the color. Energy exploded out of your body, throwing Yoda away from you and across the room.

Taglist: @rogueheretic555 @lordofthenerds97 @say-something-nice-missy @doctor-warthrop @auroras-stirring-gaze @venus-armote @say-something-nice-missy @cosmicsierra

Obi-Wan in Exile – Vader

(Originally published on AllThingsKenobi.com December 13, 2020)

Welcome to the first in a series of looks into Obi-Wan Kenobi’s time in exile on Tatooine between Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. We’ve tried to mine as much Legends and canon material as possible to help guide you through some of the period’s most common and repetitive themes so that when the new Obi-Wan Kenobi series airs, you’ll be ready.

Not everything he ever did in the entire 19 years will be explored here, but as we said, we’ve tried our best to pick out the most prominent and impactful moments to give everyone a better understanding of exactly what one hermit had to endure out there all alone in the sandy deserts of Tatooine.

While Vader himself was not a common reoccurrence throughout Obi-Wan’s exile, the threat of him certainly was…well until now that is. As Vader so often does, he’s recently made his way back to the forefront of the story and will seemingly loom very large over the upcoming series, thus moving us to start with exactly what that might mean for Obi-Wan and how it might work with the canon boundaries we currently have. Yes, we understand that canon can change and probably will, but we do love a challenge.

“Vader,” Obi-Wan muttered. “Vader’s alive.”

DARK LORD: THE RISE OF DARTH VADER BY JAMES LUCENO L

Let’s start at the beginning. We have one instance in Legends where we see Obi-Wan learn that Vader survived Mustafar and it comes mere months after his exile on Tatooine begins. He first hears the name “Vader” mentioned again on the HoloNet during one of his trips into Mos Eisley and nearly faints before panicking to find a way to take Luke and run. (1) This early recognition seems to be reconfirmed in later canon as one of Ben’s greatest fears in the third year of his exile continued to be “sand crunching beneath heavy black boots, a dark cape billowing in the desert squall, the mechanical wheeze of a respirator.” (2) So will we see Obi-Wan only just learning of Vader’s fate in the tenth year of his exile? I’d say that’s highly doubtful unless the show provides a flashback for us—which we will gladly accept.

“Instead, Padmé was dead and Obi-Wan was running for his life, as stripped of everything as Vader was. Without friends, family, purpose…”

DARK LORD: THE RISE OF DARTH VADER BY JAMES LUCENO L

At the same time, Vader was also very convinced that Obi-Wan was still alive and would remain so despite his greatest efforts. Because if there was one thing Vader was good at it, it was holding a grudge like he held a lightsaber, and he would expend quite a bit of energy over the 19 years between episodes III and IV searching for his old Master. (Just ask anyone he comes across in the comics.) Oh, and let’s not forget that it’s also Vader who would later inform a disbelieving Tarkin, in no uncertain terms, that Obi-Wan was still alive and on the Death Star. (3)

“No, I can’t [leave],” Ben said, firmly. “I must be here.”

KENOBI BY JOHN JACKSON MILLER L

“The core of Anakin that resides in Vader grasps that Tatooine is the source of nearly everything that causes him pain. Vader will never set foot on Tatooine, if only out of fear of reawakening Anakin.”

DARK LORD: THE RISE OF DARTH VADER BY JAMES LUCENO L

Now that we’ve established that they both knew of each other’s survival, it begs the question as to why their paths never actually crossed in 19 years. Personally, I think it’s fairly simple: Obi-Wan would never leave Tatooine and Vader would never go anywhere near it. We will discuss Obi-Wan not leaving Tatooine more in-depth at a later time (and yes, we know what Ewan said about having a ‘rollicking time’), but Vader would canonically never visit his home planet until well after Obi-Wan and Luke were both gone. (4)(5) And by then it was much too late.

That brings us to the most recent ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ news and how that fits in with what Legends and canon have told us so far. We received a lot of exciting and thought-provoking announcements in a short amount of time, and frankly, our minds haven’t stopped spinning since. Could the show undo what we currently assume to be true? Yes. Could the show work within those same parameters? Also, yes. Do I personally have any idea what’s going to happen? No. DO I THINK THE SHOW IS GOING TO BE AMAZING NO MATTER WHAT? Y E S. The goal of this exercise is to simply try and reconcile the new details to the existing Star Wars lore because I think that’s what makes it interesting. So you can take it or leave it. The choice is yours. (Until it isn’t because the show has aired and this is all pointless.)

HERE WE GO.

“[Deborah] Chow confirmed that audiences will “definitely see Obi-Wan and Darth Vader get into it again” as we see the blue blade of a hooded Obi-Wan clash with the fiery red blade of Darth Vader.”

“McGregor knows the battle will be eagerly anticipated, and he’s looking forward to performing it just as much: “Having another swing at each other might be quite satisfying for everybody. We hope that you enjoy it as much as we’re going to enjoy making it.””

DEBORAH CHOW AND EWAN MCGREGOR DURING THE DISNEY INVESTOR’S REEL

Not only was the “Hayden Christensen returning as Darth Vader” bombshell dropped in our laps, but we were also fed the above morsels (not once but thrice) and told to digest them. Our first reaction was a hearty and well-deserved cry of rejoicing until the realization of what this could all mean set in and it turned into a hearty and well-deserved sob.

There’s hardly a way to be disappointed in the fact that we will see Ewan and Hayden not only together again, but “getting into it” as well, but we do have to wonder what this means for the moment where Obi-Wan and Vader face each other again on the Death Star. The moment is not only pivotal to Episode IV, but I would argue, the entire saga. And it’s made even more impactful by the fact that the two men have not physically confronted each other since their fateful battle on Mustafar.

What we do know, and that which should not change, is that Vader never knew where Obi-Wan was hiding nor that he had Luke, his son, with him. That tells me two things: whatever kind of “rematch” happens here does not endanger Luke’s safety in the long run nor is it probably something that would occur more than once. I think what we’re going to see happen is isolated and “unexpected,” occurring only once ten years into Obi-Wan’s exile.

You: But, All Things Kenobi, if they could never physically meet on Tatooine or elsewhere, then what does this all mean??

Us: Do we look like Deborah Chow or Ewan McGregor? Do we have all the answers for you? NO! But can we try to help ease your mind until the show airs and I’m proven all sorts of wrong?? YES! SO PUT ON THAT TINFOIL HAT AND LET’S DO THIS!!

“I sense something. A presence I’ve not felt since…”

STAR WARS EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE C

“Obi-Wan once thought as you do.”

STAR WARS EPISODE VI: RETURN OF THE JEDI C

Instantly our minds turned to these two particular comments from Vader in Episodes IV and VI. They’ve always stood out as peculiar, demanding explanation, but even more so now. The first is a vague, open-ended statement that leaves us to assume they hadn’t met again since they parted on the slopes of Mustafar. The second is a seemingly wistful reminiscence of a memory Vader has of his old master.

Luke had just finished making a heartfelt plea for Anakin to remember his “true self” then says, “come with me.” Where did Obi-Wan make the same appeal to only be shunned by Vader as well? Is it possible the series will show us this after all these years and possibly solve the riddle of both enigmatic statements at once? Is it possible that any such conversation might quickly devolve into another lightsaber-fueled clash??

“Count Dooku was Yoda’s apprentice.”

“And Count Dooku has fallen to the dark side.”

“All of us have apprenticed to Master Yoda.”

“He cannot be held accountable for Dooku’s descent.”

“But they are connected. Profoundly.”

THE CLONE WARS 6×11 “VOICES” C

A distinct bond exists between each Padawan and Master and unfortunately that bond does not disappear when one or the other becomes a Sith Lord. Despite the bond between Obi-Wan and Anakin being firmly closed at both ends, there’s no doubt that a presence remains. And even the most sturdy walls might crack from time to time.

Even after 19 years apart, Vader is quick to recognize when Obi-Wan is nearby and goes so far as to know his intent. “Escape is not his plan. I must face him alone.” And he’s right. (3) As for Obi-Wan, the Force has plagued him with dreams and visions, even showing him “a limbless wreck hanging in a bacta tank, necrotic skin pallid and scarred.” (2)

Could their strong connection be the vehicle that allows Obi-Wan and Anakin to confront each other once more? Within the Force they could not only converse, but we could also see them “take another swing” at each other without any physical consequences no matter who “wins.” The mental toll would also make for great drama for both men and bring a new perspective and emotional weight to several scenes in the Original Trilogy.

“If you loved me, Obi-Wan, you would have killed me.”

STAR WARS: DARTH VADER 24 BY KIERON GILLEN C

Finally, it’s quite possible that Obi-Wan might not physically be involved at all in their “rematch” and it might be entirely from Vader’s perspective. One theory could be as simple as the fact that Vader once had a training droid whose deadliest combat setting took the form of his former master. (Oh, Anakin.) (6) Another theory, and a much more likely one, could be that Vader has a Force vision or dream that allows him to recreate and relive various moments between himself and Obi-Wan, including, but not limited to, another lightsaber battle. This would be interesting to witness as every time it occurs, it means that Vader is wrestling with Anakin.

Although the Obi-Wan that continues to exist in Anakin’s psyche doesn’t seem too different from the real thing, just imagine Ewan McGregor getting to play Obi-Wan from Anakin’s point of view…I’ll just drop my mic there.

Star Wars: Darth Vader 24 by Kieron Gillen (2016) C

Star Wars: Darth Vader 5 by Charles Soule (2017) C

Citations:

(1) Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader by James Luceno L

(2) “Time of Death” – From A Certain Point of View by Cavan Scott C

(3) Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope C

(4) Star Wars: Darth Vader 2016 by Kieron Gillen C

(5) Star Wars: Darth Vader 2020 by Greg Pak C

(6) Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (2008) by Haden Blackman L

Obikin Crisis AU Part Four

Read Previous Parts HERE

Star Wars AU #18

Obi-Wan made his way to the public training sallies, nodding in polite acknowledgment at the curious stares and double takes he garnered. At this point rumors of their appearance in this timeline had spread throughout at the temple. And while Anakin’s differences from ‘Ani’ were more stark at first glance, Obi-Wan clearly carried himself differently enough from ‘Obi’ that the contrast was obvious to anyone looking for it.

Anakin had waved him to go on ahead, promising to catch up, as he studied the news of all things.

He walked in to find his and Anakin’s ‘counterparts’ locked in a fierce duel. Which was what he was expecting to find, it was why he was there; he had been looking forward to comparing their dueling forms. 

But. 

Something about this just instantly put him on edge. Was it simply the strangeness of seeing himself duel from this angle? No, he had watched holo-recordings of himself before for training- there was... something else off putting about this.

Was, was Anakin showing off? It looked, well, different from how he typically showed off, less unnecessary flips and more...flexibility? Yes, that smirk accompanying the full-body split was definitely smug, but it was also decidedly different from any cocky look his Anakin had directed at him before. It was...weird. And made Obi-Wan a little uncomfortable.

And himself! At first he was mostly focused on the favoring of Ataru over Soresu- it was fascinating, but not entirely surprising. He had switched to the more defensive form in response to his failure to save Qui-Gon and his need to watch over a young padawan. It wasn’t shocking that without that impetus, this version of himself would instead continue to refine his mastery of form IV. He was briefly intrigued at the thought of pitting his form iii against his alternate in combat but was quickly distracted by other- irregularities in the form.

Brief puzzlement fell into recognition which dropped immediately into horror. This- he had to be mistaken. There was no way...

Oh sweet force, that was his most flirtatious fighting stance. And not casually flirtatious, either. That was- oh fuck he did the unnecessary-lightsaber-hold-readjustment with hair flick. He was watching himself do the LIGHTSABER HOLD READJUSTMENT HAIR FLICK COMBO at his padawan. With smile. Not the ‘Charming Negotiator’ smile, but the wouldn’t-you-rather-stop-fighting-and-do-something-more-interesting smirk. Oh gods, now he was doing the full body undressing-with-eyes-up-and-down-lookover. At his PADAWAN.

Fortunately he wasn’t quite close enough to hear what they were saying but judging by Ani’s flushed response it was definitely sexual.

He let out a strangled panicking noise and looked around wildly, expecting someone, anyone to intervene. But if any of the other casual combatants in the room were watching they were either oblivious to the depravity before them, or inured to it. He honestly didn’t know which would be worse. 

He began slowly backing up, unable to look away from the train wreck in front of him. This was- this was worse than that time Qui-Gon got drugged and started rhapsodizing about Master Tahl’s poise, and he hadn’t been able to make eye-contact with either of them for weeks after that! He stumbled out of the room and fell back against a wall, clutching his chest.

Before he could even regain his bearings, Anakin walked up. 

“Are you alright, Master?” He asked somewhat concerned.

Obi-Wan clenched his eyes shut, unable to even look at the innocent boy he had raised and apparently, in this universe, defiled.

“Oh yes, yes, I’m fine, perfectly fine,” Obi-Wan lied. “I was just- thinking about some of the, um, metaphysical implications of travel between universes. Anyway, why don’t we- why don’t we leave the temple for today? See if Dex’s is any better in this universe, what do you say?” 

He forced himself to open his eyes, resolutely staring past Anakin’s shoulder and trying to pretend as though his fundamental understanding of himself as a moral being hadn’t been shaken to the core.

“Um, as great as that sounds, Obi-Wan, we’re not really supposed to leave the temple for casual reasons? And we came to the dueling rings to compare our fighting styles with our selves, remember?” Anakin replied slowly. “Come on, I really want to spar ‘Knight Kenobi.’”

Obi-Wan grabbed Anakin’s arm, then let go quickly, pulling back as if burnt. “Absolutely Not!” he said in an overly high pitched voice.

“What?” Anakin said grinning. “Is this you really embarrassingly bad at fighting? I knew my prodigy lightsaber skills had rubbed off on you over the years.”

Obi-Wan winced. “Yes, yes that’s it exactly, I’m- I’m absolutely the worst in the reality, no need to go in there. Lets just, ignore Mace and go out in the city, come on now.”

Obi-Wan flapped his arms wildly at the man, unwilling to make unnecessary body contact after being forced to bear witness to...unnecessary body contact. 

Anakin squinted suspiciously. “Ok, I don’t know what exactly you’re so desperate for me not to see, but you do get that I definitely have to see it now.”

Anakin started to stride forward and Obi-Wan threw himself wildly in the way, shoving Anakin back. “Anakin! Don’t ask me to explain why, but please, for the love of the force, do not go in there.” 

Anakin got a gleam in his eye and Obi-Wan’s heart sank, realizing there was more or less nothing he could say at this point that would turn the man back now. 

“Anakin, don’t-” But it was too late, he had already leapt over Obi-Wan’s head and was now darting inside.

Obi-Wan ran after him, feeling ill. 

Anakin managed to make it halfway across the room before skidding to a halt and letting out a strangled squeak. Knowing he was going to regret it, Obi-Wan couldn’t help but follow his gaze. He gasped. Almost incredibly, the combat had gotten even worse in the minutes he had been out of the room. Both of them had inexplicably lost their sabers, and Obi had Ani pinned to the mat face down, arms trapped over ahead.

They were pressed together and panting.

Anakin  turned to his Master, looking frightened. “Obi-Wan, what-” he let out, slightly too loud.

Obi-Wan just threw his robe over his former padawan’s head in response and began dragging him away. “I told you not to look” he whisper-shouted.

At this point, their dramatics had gathered the attention of everyone in the room. Their alternate selves had jumped out and were watching them bewildered. 

“What is-” Obi tried to ask, but Obi-Wan cut him off, hysterical. “You just- you stay away from us!” he shouted. The dopplegangers exchanged a confused glance.

“Obi- uh, Obi-Wan, seriously, what-” the poor harassed twin of his young apprentice tried to ask, but they were already nearly out the door.

“I’M SORRY!” Obi-Wan shouted back. “I’M SO SORRY!”

I have often given Qui-Gon Jinn a hard time because he’s so often used in STAR WARS fandom as a weapon to beat on other characters I love and it makes it difficult to like him, as well as it overshadows who the character himself is. So, to help balance that out some, I wanted to do a set of recs to remind myself–and just share some happiness in!–that I actually do very much like Qui-Gon! He’s a good person who really loved the people around him, he cared very deeply, he had an amazing friendship with Yoda (seriously, that Yoda’s the one he reaches out to when he becomes a Force Ghost, that even after death, Qui-Gon loves his Jedi family, it gives me feelings in my feelings place every single time), and one of my favorite things about Master & Apprentice is that I often got the impression that he knew he was kind of obnoxious sometimes, but he was at peace with it, he was fine with that. That was a straight shot to my heart, I love that dude! So, here have some fics that celebrate that Qui-Gon is actually a really great character. He may not always be the central character, but I remember him being well portrayed in these and they gave me good Qui-Gon feelings! STAR WARS - QUI-GON JINN FIC RECS: ✦ Reprise by Elfpen, obi-wan & qui-gon & anakin & dooku & mace & cast, time travel, 491.1k wip    Ben Kenobi dies aboard the Death Star in the year 0 BBY. He wakes up shortly thereafter in the Jedi temple in the year 41 BBY. Haunted by memories and regret, Ben must forge a new path for himself in the Jedi Order of his youth while navigating the murky waters of time travel. Crafting a better future from bitter experience is hard, but learning to heal is even harder. Major AU. ✦ The Way Back Home by Anakinstopyourpanakin, happygiraffe, obi-wan & qui-gon & bant & tahl, 39.5k wip    He had been missing for nearly four years. How could Obi-Wan be alive? It was too good to be true, and simultaneously too horrifying. What had been done to the innocent child who was currently falling asleep against his shoulder, and did his wounds run too deep for Qui-Gon to mend? ✦ When the world gets too heavy put it on my back by nematoda, obi-wan & anakin & qui-gon, 29.8k    Obi-Wan is different when it comes to relationships. Not in a bad way, just… different. Studies of platonic love in the life of Obi-Wan Kenobi, exploring the master/padawan relationship with Qui-Gon and eventually with Anakin. ✦ Shadows of the Future by stormqueen873, obi-wan & anakin & qui-gon & cast, 129.3k    ObiWan lost the duel on Mustafar, but instead of dying, he finds himself on a ship leaving Tatooine, with his old Master and a familiar young boy. As events begin to unfold, can he stop the future he knows from occuring? ✦ No Galaxy for Good Jedi by Annie_Walker, obi-wan & anakin & padme & qui-gon & dooku & yoda & cast, some obi-wan/satine, sith!qui-gon, 124.8k wip    Obi-Wan Kenobi was only a young padawan when he ran away with three-year old Anakin. He had no choice after his Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, fell to the Dark Side by Master Dooku’s manipulations. ✦ Masters and Padawans: Three Generations by GirlwithCurls98, qui-gon & obi-wan + obi-wan & anakin + anakin & ahsoka, 24.6k    Three generations of incredible bonds. ✦ What Is My Heritage? by Marnie, qui-gon & yoda, 7.7k    Qui-Gon, age 13, tries to find a place to belong. ✦ Coming Home by Marnie, qui-gon & yoda & dooku, 18.1k    A story telling how Qui-Gon comes to be Dooku’s apprentice. ✦ Trust Me by Charmisjess, dooku & qui-gon, 2k    A certain Jedi Master is less than pleased about being laid up with the flu. ✦ Triviality and QuiGon by Charmisjess, dooku & qui-gon, 4.1k    The Council’s infinite cruelty gives Dooku the most brutal of punishments: quality time with the Padawan and his plantlife! ✦ Rainy by Charmisjess, dooku & qui-gon, 26.8k wip    A seemingly easy mission goes horribly wrong for Padawan Qui and Master Dooku as they struggle to battle an insane adversary, poisons and curses, and an awful lot of rain. ✦ The Luckiest Man Alive + Letting Go by Elfpen, obi-wan & qui-gon & dooku & yoda, 7.9k    Yoda, Dooku, and a twenty four year old QuiGon go to the small planet of Omartia to pick up a forcesensitive infant. + Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan go to pick up a Force-sensitive child. On the way back, Qui-Gon is faced with the fact that someday very soon, he will have to let Obi-Wan go. ✦ Lineage by ruth baulding, obi-wan & qui-gon & xanatos & cast, 35.9k    AU!Jedi Apprentice. Book I: In which master and apprentice meet for the first time, enjoy a disastrous adventure courtesy of Xanatos DuCrion, and reap the fruits of patience and fortitude. A fanciful retelling of the original. ✦ Lineage II by ruth baulding, obi-wan & qui-gon & cast, 40.9k    A year or so has elapsed since the last time we saw our heroes. BOOK 2: In which master and apprentice investigate an evil brainwashing plot, attend a boisterous wedding, and battle the enemy within. ✦ Lineage III by ruth baulding, obi-wan & qui-gon & dooku & xanatos & bant & cast, 49.4k    AU!Jedi Apprentice. Book III: Master and apprentice face an important rite of passage, grapple with a traitorous plot within the Temple’s walls, and discover the limits of obedience and intuition. Appearances by Bant Eerin, Xanatos DuCrion, Yan Dooku, and others. ✦ Lineage IV by ruth baulding, obi-wan & qui-gon & siri & adi gallia, 39.3k    Master and apprentice endure a stint with the Agri-Corps, and find that trouble has a way of coming home to haunt them. Featuring a pile of bantha poodoo, a tentacled carnivorous plant, a desperate escaped convict, and a highly provocative young woman. ✦ Lineage V by ruth baulding, obi-wan & qui-gon & tahl (& some qui-gon/tahl) & dooku & cast, 50.7k    An evil scientist wreaks havoc when she captures Jedi Knight Tahl Uvain for purposes of obscure research; Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan rush to the rescue, only to be embroiled in further trouble; and Master Dooku joins in the hunt with characteristic aplomb. ✦ Lineage VI by ruth baulding, obi-wan & qui-gon & cast, 66.2k    Master and apprentice undertake a risky undercover mission to expose conspiracy in a far-flung sector; a comedy of manners abruptly transforms into a nightmare when their cover is blown; and a desperate escape gambit strikes deep at the foundations of trust. ✦ Lineage VII by ruth baulding, obi-wan & qui-gon & siri & adi gallia & some obi-wan/siri, 74.5k    Sent to the aid of their fellow Jedi on a disastrous mission to New Apsolon, master and apprentice contend with brainwashing, genocide, conspiracy, and the perilous realm of the heart. ✦ Lineage VIII by ruth baulding, obi-wan & qui-gon & cast, 83.4k    Hard on the heels of the mission to Apsolon, master and apprentice find new troubles - in their own backyard. Jenna Zan Arbor faces prosecution for her crimes; the Jedi grapple with the disastrous realities of corruption and personal loss; Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon undertake perilous and disparate quests. ✦ Lineage IX by ruth baulding, obi-wan & qui-gon & dooku & cast, 61k    A year after parting ways, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon struggle to complete their self-appointed quests for enlightenment and justice. ✦ Lineage X by ruth baulding, obi-wan & qui-gon & dooku, 49.2k    The war-ravaged world Melida-Daan is backdrop to a manhunt, an occult conspiracy, a bitter guerilla conflict, and a test of ultimate loyalties. ✦ Lineage XI by ruth baulding, obi-qan & qui-gon & cast, 56k    The disastrous situation on Melida-Daan takes a turn for the worse; the Jedi dispatch a team to capture a dangerous murderer; and Qui-Gon Jinn and his former apprentice face the consequences of their rebellion. Series finale. ✦ Snakefic by esama, obi-wan & anakin & qui-gon & yoda & cast, 6k    It was only the matter of time before the egg hatched. ✦ Strokes of Colored Grey by Elfpen, obi-wan & qui-gon, 9.5k    ObiWan has been drawing since he was a small youngling, but only a few people know, including his teacher, Vianro Dleka, and the elderly, trustworthy archivist, KinWan Terius. But what happens when his master discovers his secret? ✦ Pies, Books, and Swords, obi-wan & qui-gon/tahl, 1.2k    Qui-Gon Jinn has made quite a good name for himself, as far as holonet cooking shows go. ✦ They Are by Charmisjess, dooku & qui-gon, 1.7k    This is their moment, their eternity. They think its going to be like this forever. ✦ Strongest Stars by Elfpen, obi-wan & qui-gon & chirrut & cast, 2.6k    The Force works in mysterious ways. A few quiet moments in the dark create a touchstone spanning across three generations, two orthodoxies, a war, time, space, and the galaxy. A maverick meets a visionary and listens for a song. Spoilers for Rogue One, sort of? ✦ Anecdotally by Elfpen, obi-wan & qui-gon & cast, 14.6k    The biggest stories are always made up of smaller ones. Here are some of the forgotten moments in the life of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Will feature a wide variety of genres, characters, eras, and AUs. Oneshots from whenever inspiration strikes. ✦ the floor under our feet by FoxGlade, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & qui-gon & dooku + background pairings, 4.5k wip    or, the adventures and exploits of Qui-Gon’s three adopted children. ✦ A Long, Long Time Ago by ruth baulding, dooku & qui-gon + qui-gon & obi-wan + obi-wan & anakin + anakin & ahsoka, 5.8k    A wisdom tale handed passed down through the generations poses troublesome questions for a line of masters and Padawans, from Dooku to Ahsoka Tano. ✦ Family by lilyconrad, obi-wan & anakin & qui-gon & darth maul & cast, sith!obi-wan, 6.8k    Seven years after the duel on Naboo, Obi-Wan Kenobi has turned to the dark, Maul has turned to the light, and young Anakin is caught somewhere in-between. Can Qui-Gon rescue his Padawan before it’s too late? ✦ Fountain of Force by esama, qui-gon & cast, final fantasy 7 crossover, 8.9k    In which Qui-Gon Jinn comes from Gaia. ✦ Midwinter Sun by orphan_account, dooku & qui-gon, 4.2k    Padawan Jinn is a rebel and Dooku is very much not ready. ✦ Jedi In Winter by bluedragoninamber, obi-wan & qui-gon & dooku & yoda, 12.3k    In which Yan Dooku understands regret and tries to make things right. Something new will be born from the ashes of the old but exactly what remains to be seen. ✦ A New History by Annie Walker, obi-wan & anakin & qui-gon & dooku & cast, time travel, 533.4k wip    During a heated battle, Dooku escaped into the past! Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker follow to stop him, but discover that Dooku went to the past where Obi-Wan is a young padawan to a very much alive Qui-Gon Jinn. Now, the two must go undercover to stop Dooku’s plans from coming to fruition in order to save not only the future, but also young Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn. ✦ In the Heart of the Force by ReneeoftheStars, ahsoka & qui-gon, 1.7k    Ahsoka Tano travels back to the world between world’s. Searching for answers, she comes across a past event that only makes her question the past even more. ✦ Stitches and Time by ladyarcherfan3, obi-wan & anakin & qui-gon & ocs, 4k    Alara Nel is a seamstress who keeps getting an unusually large number of orders for Jedi robes from an Obi-Wan Kenobi. Over the years, she learns why and gets to know the Jedi a little bit better. ✦ The Uses of a Sandwich by Laura Kaye (laurakaye), obi-wan & qui-gon & oc & cast, 17.6k    A few months after being taken as a Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi faces a challenge: meeting his Master’s first apprentice. ✦ untitled by elfpen, obi-wan & qui-gon, 3.1k    Anonymous asked: if you’re still accepting prompts: smol padawan obi-wan letting slip his law abiding exterior and letting loose the terrifying intensity beneath it. preferably in defense of qui-gon or something. ✦ The will of the Force by Lysore, obi-wan & yoda & qui-gon, 2.7k    Obi-Wan piqued Yoda’s interest early on, except the Grand Master of the Order had known for just as long that the Initiate was destined to be Qui-Gon Jinn’s Padawan. ✦ I thought I fought this war alone by stonefreeak, obi-wan & qui-gon & cast, time travel, 3.7k    Obi-Wan is thirteen years old, just about to start learning Ataru from his Master. Obi-Wan is sixty-one years old, dead and one with the Force since four years back. Obi-Wan is both, and neither. ✦ The First Trial by Raven_Knight, obi-wan & qui-gon, 2k    Accompanied by his Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, young Obi-Wan Kenobi undergoes his first trial and rite as a Padawan Learner on the frozen planet of Ilum. ✦ Hearts Entwined by KeeperofSeeds, obi-wan & shmi & qui-gon, time travel, 6.5k wip    stolen moments between Padawan Kenobi and Shmi Skywalker, glimpsed by Qui Gon Jinn, and his continued attempts to understand both this strange new addition to the Temple and the unexplained relationship between the pair ✦ The Orchards by Raven_Knight, obi-wan & qui-gon & cast, 3.6k    When young Obi-Wan Kenobi is injured on a previous mission, Qui-Gon Jinn refuses to accept further off-planet missions until his Padawan’s recovery. Yoda assigns the pair an in-Temple mission of utmost importance while Obi-Wan heals. Master and Padawan welcome the change of pace. ✦ The Path of Totality by Raven_Knight, obi-wan & yoda & qui-gon & cast, 1.8k    Before going their separate ways into exile, Obi-Wan Kenobi shares with Yoda a lesson of wisdom he’d learned from his late Master, Qui-Gon Jinn. A lesson of darkness, light, and hope. ✦ Finding Balance by Raven_Knight, qui-gon & dooku & jocasta, 1.4k    Eleven-year-old Padawan Jinn is left behind while his Master goes on a mission off-planet. Qui-Gon is left in the care of Jocasta Nu, and he’s not exactly enthusiastic about it. ✦ Warmth by Tomatosoupful, obi-wan & anakin & qui-gon & xanatos & tahl & shmi & cast, child endangerment, time travel, 59.8k wip    Time Travel AU. Anakin has woken up in the past. Time to say hello to past friends, right? Only problem, Anakin is a walking talking human disaster and makes a lot of stupid decisions. Stealing a Jedi baby from the temple certainly isn’t the smartest thing he’s done. ✦ Abducted by devilinthedetails, obi-wan & qui-gon, 1.6k    In trying to rescue the kidnapped daughter of a planetary leader, Qui-Gon finds himself abducted and in need of Obi-Wan’s rescue. ✦ Trust Fall by devilinthedetails, obi-wan & anakin & qui-gon, 1.4k    Two generations of Masters and Padawans. Two generations of trust falls. ✦ Something Borrowed, Something New by Raven_Knight, qui-gon & dooku/jocasta, 1.6k    Qui-Gon Jinn had only been claimed as Knight Dooku’s Padawan for three weeks before he’d managed to get himself into trouble with his Master. ✦ In Memoriam by ruth baulding, obi-wan & anakin & qui-gon & evan piell, 6.4k    In the midst of a desperate escape from the Citadel, Obi Wan mourns a friendship. A tribute to Jedi Master Evan Piell. ✦ One Day by ruth baulding, obi-wan & qui-gon & mace & shmi & bail/breha & palpatine, 9.9k    A single moment in time, on five different planets. A birth, an election, a discovery, a marriage, and a mission. Because all things are mysteriously united in the Force. ✦ They Are by Charmisjess, dooku & qui-gon, 1.7k    This is their moment, their eternity. They think its going to be like this forever. ✦ The Exchange by MissLearn, obi-wan & anakin & some anakin/padme & ahsoka & qui-gon & rex & cast, time travel, 77k wip    ROTS Obi-Wan and Anakin are swapped with their younger, TPM, selves. It changes things, in both parallels. ✦ Family by lilyconrad, obi-wan & anakin & qui-gon & darth maul & cast, sith!obi-wan, 6.8k    Seven years after the duel on Naboo, Obi-Wan Kenobi has turned to the dark, Maul has turned to the light, and young Anakin is caught somewhere in-between. Can Qui-Gon rescue his Padawan before it’s too late? ✦ Fountain of Force by esama, qui-gon & cast, final fantasy 7 crossover, 8.9k    In which Qui-Gon Jinn comes from Gaia. ✦ Rewrought by esama, obi-wan & qui-gon & maul, time travel, 4.4k    Bit o time travel ✦ Lion Jinn by esama, obi-wan & anakin & qui-gon & cast, 5.7k wip    Qui-Gon Jinn reincarnates as a lion. ✦ Brothers (working title) by Charity_Angel, obi-wan & anakin & qui-gon & padme & shmi & yoda & cast, 17.3k wip    In which Qui-Gon has a very near miss on Naboo, Obi-Wan is very stubborn, and they end up breaking a lot of rules accidentally as a result. All because of that kid they picked up on Tatooine. ✦ untitled by legobiwan, yoda & dooku & qui-gon, 1.5k    Yan Dooku was getting too old for this type of thing. He had rushed into the healer’s ward, Qui-gon’s limp body in his arms. That in itself had been a feat, as the boy’s gangly limbs were everywhere, but somehow the older Jedi Master had been able to deposit his wayward Padawan on a bed before an errant arm took his nose off. ✦ Drifting Starlight by Pandora151, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & qui-gon & cast, time travel, 60.3k    Just before the fateful Battle of Naboo, Qui-Gon Jinn is brought to the future, to the Clone Wars. He doesn’t know why or how, but he knows one thing for sure: He never, in a million years, expected the galaxy to end up like this. ✦ Although He Smiles by AutumnChild22, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & padme & qui-gon & cast, time travel, 86.9k wip    She’d counted the 750 steps down from the Temple. She’d said her goodbyes, and left Master Anakin standing below the great pillars. What more could the Force want from her? ‘Everything’ sums it up nicely. Waking 13 years in the past, Ahsoka faces a harsh reality. As events begin to unfold, she faces a ticking clock that times a galaxy’s end. ✦ A New History by Annie Walker, obi-wan & anakin & qui-gon & dooku & cast, time travel, 533.4k wip    During a heated battle, Dooku escaped into the past! Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker follow to stop him, but discover that Dooku went to the past where Obi-Wan is a young padawan to a very much alive Qui-Gon Jinn. Now, the two must go undercover to stop Dooku’s plans from coming to fruition in order to save not only the future, but also young Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn. ✦ The First Trial by Raven_Knight, obi-wan & qui-gon, 2k    Accompanied by his Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, young Obi-Wan Kenobi undergoes his first trial and rite as a Padawan Learner on the frozen planet of Ilum. ✦ Hearts Entwined by KeeperofSeeds, obi-wan & shmi & qui-gon, time travel, 6.5k wip    stolen moments between Padawan Kenobi and Shmi Skywalker, glimpsed by Qui Gon Jinn, and his continued attempts to understand both this strange new addition to the Temple and the unexplained relationship between the pair ✦ Highly Dissatisfied by Raven_Knight, obi-wan & qui-gon, 1.1k    Obi-Wan enters the quarters he shares with his Master, intending to ask for help in preparation for his exams. Qui-Gon, however, is dealing with a far more urgent matter. ✦ playing yourself like a red three by EclipseMidnight (EternalEclipse), obi-wan & xanatos & qui-gon, 7.7k    As usual, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon’s mission has gone spectacularly sideways, this time before they even reach the planet they are meant to be helping. Luckily for them, they get some help from an unexpected source. ✦ so far the suns by blackkat, mace & qui-gon, 1.3k    “My old friend,” Qui-Gon tells Mace, quiet, and his presence comes closer. “I fear I made several mistakes in the past weeks, and I would ask you to correct them for me.” ✦ The Cry by batsojopo, obi-wan & qui-gon & xanatos & ocs & cast, 4.2k    This is my version of how Obi-Wan Kenobi arrived at the Jedi Temple. ✦ kybersong by Shadaras, obi-wan & qui-gon, 1.6k    Obi-Wan Kenobi goes in search of his lightsaber’s crystal heart. ✦ What Have We Become by Batsutousai, feemor & qui-gon & obi-wan & anakin & cast, time travel, 43.7k    One of Feemor’s greatest regrets, was that he never had the chance to get to know his brother-padawan, but the Force is willing to give him one more chance. And maybe, if he’s lucky, he can finally make amends with his former master and save them all in the process. ✦ We Start and End With Family by Batsutousai, feemor & qui-gon & obi-wan & yoda & cast, time travel, 8.8k    Qui-Gon had been mostly joking when he’d originally brought up the idea of a lineage dinner, but when his former padawan grabbed for the idea with both hands and a desperation Qui-Gon didn’t understand (and privately hoped he never would), he knew he would never be able to refuse. ✦ turning dust right into gold by blackkat, mace/qui-gon & depa & cast, 1.3k    Mace knows Depa too well. She’s absolutely going to do something terrible, particularly for Mace’s dignity. ✦ A Price to Be Paid by Peach_Bitters (Starf), qui-gon & dooku & cast, 3.1k    Young Qui-Gon learns there’s a price to be paid for his curiosity. ✦ For the Future of the Order by thetorontokid, obi-wan & qui-gon & cast, 3.9k    There are important lessons to be found in the Jedi Temple crèche.

Death in Star Wars, and How Ben Solo Was Shafted: A Mini Meta

Something has been bothering me about Ben’s death in The Rise of Skywalker. While I’m upset that he died, I echo the sentiments of other fans that just as offensive was the way that he died and how his death was treated in the context of the film. It bothered me because death has always been a part of Star Wars, but usually handled much better.

And so this meta was born.

I will be doing a brief analysis of significant character deaths from the Star Wars movies. I don’t want to touch on all of them because there are simply too many, so I’ll focus on the ones that were either major characters (i.e. trio billing or main villain) or narratively important (i.e. Shmi Skywalker).

This list will be approached chronologically within the Star Wars universe, beginning with:

Qui-Gon Jinn; portrayed by Liam Neeson

Personal feelings: I cried like a baby. Qui-gon holds a special place in my heart. His death was both epic and sombre. It hurt to watch other main cast celebrating their victory after defeating their respective challenges and then cut to Obi-wan cradling his master’s head in his lap, crying.

Mode of death: Killed by Darth Maul at the end of The Phantom Menace. His actual death takes a few minutes of screen time, an outburst/scream from another main character (Obi-wan). He has last words to say to the person he has the closest on screen relationship with.

Aftermath: Held by a visibly devastated Obi-wan while he died. Sombre funeral pyre. Death discussed on screen by the council and Obi-wan.

Narrative purpose: To enable Anakin’s training under Obi-wan, which is pivotal to the overall arc of this trilogy. To provide a tangible loss and character growth for Obi-wan, who failed to save his master from a Sith--later mirrored by Obi-wan’s inability to save Anakin from becoming a Sith in Episode III, thereby providing a narrative ‘tail-end’ to Obi-wan’s journey in the trilogy. To cement the master/apprentice relationship as loving, emotional, familial, which then adds narrative depth to the bond between Obi-wan and Anakin. To introduce a cohesive theme of death, failure, and loss at the hands of the dark side that would pervade this trilogy.

Overall response: This death is both emotional and narratively important. It’s given the weight and time it deserves to have an impact on the characters. 

Shmi Skywalker; portrayed by Pernilla August

Personal feelings: Rough acting aside, watching a person die in their family member’s arms is always sad. It’s an extremely dark moment in a film that otherwise leans heavily into romance, action, and detective-mystery storytelling.

Mode of death: Tortured by Tusken Raiders. Died from her injuries. Again, her actual death takes a couple of minutes of screen time. She is able to say some last words to her son, the most important character relationship for this character.

Aftermath: Dies in the arms of her visibly devastated son. Anakin murders the Tuskens for revenge. On screen funeral where she is mourned and memorialized by her family/loved ones.

Narrative purpose: To drive Anakin further to the dark side by taking advantage of his love and compassion and turning this into anger and hate (revenge against the Tuskens). To plant the seeds of Anakin’s inability to save the ones he love. To emphasize his failure to keep his promise to return to his mother and free her. (Despite being freed off screen, she essentially died in captivity anyway, and Anakin was not the one to free her.) To further the cohesive themes of the trilogy: death, failure, loss, the power of the dark side.

Overall response: While not as moving for me personally as Qui-gon’s death, it has a very relevant thematic purpose and furthers the story. Shmi’s death is given adequate time on screen and we are able to observe the responses and aftermath of that loss.

Padme Amidala; portrayed by Natalie Portman

Personal feelings: We make jokes about how she lost the will to live, but her funeral was beautiful and Natalie’s delivery of the line “you’re going down a path I can’t follow” feels extremely important in this story.

Mode of death: Up for debate. She has lost the will to live after giving birth to Luke and Leia in the wake of Anakin’s fall to the dark side. Some have theorized that her life force was taken (or given?) to keep Anakin alive, but this is not made explicit in the movies. She dies beside Obi-wan Kenobi, and has the time to say last words--words of hope for Anakin’s eventual redemption. Her death itself takes several minutes and is followed up with screen time for a funeral where characters acknowledge her death.

Aftermath: The gorgeous and enormous funeral, mourned as a queen and a senator and a good woman. Anakin (as Darth Vader) mourns with a devastated and poorly acted “nooooo”.

Narrative purpose: To fulfill the themes of death, loss, and failure (Anakin’s failure to keep her alive) at the hands of the dark side. To provide a character loss that mimics the loss of democracy, freedom, and goodness that has fallen to Palpatine’s control. To provide a visual and narrative parallel between the death of Anakin (through the death of his love) and the birth of Darth Vader.

Overall response: While this death was definitely poorly handled it did have narrative significance and it was arguably necessitated by having to have this trilogy line up with the original trilogy. Her short funeral was one of my favorites in the series.

Obi-wan Kenobi; portrayed by Sir Alec Guinness/Ewan McGregor

Personal feelings: I feel weird having an opinion about this one because this movie was made well before I was born, and so I didn’t feel a real connection to/nostalgia from these characters the way I did with the prequels and sequels. Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan was a huge part of my childhood, so watching A New Hope in retrospect makes this death sad for me.

Mode of death: Killed by Darth Vader/becomes one with the Force. Essentially sacrifices himself so that Luke doesn’t try to come after him.

Aftermath: Luke shouts “no!”. In a later scene, Luke further acknowledges his death--”I only wish Ben were here”. Ben is later seen as a Force ghost in Episodes V and VI, continuing to acknowledge his character’s death and ongoing influence on, importance to, and relationship with Luke.

Narrative purpose: To provide growth for Luke’s character as he grapples with losing a mentor and surrogate father figure who was also the last person (he believed) who was a link to Luke’s (supposedly) dead hero father that Luke looked up to--and setting us up for this narrative complication in VI. To demonstrate that the Jedi/good guys of the film win through self-sacrifice and not through anger, hate, or fear, which is very thematically resonant in this trilogy.

Overall response: Narratively meaningful, and the character’s death is immediately recognized. We get to see the response of the characters who he has the closest relationships with.

Yoda; portrayed by Frank Oz

(I just love The Last Jedi, okay??)

Personal feelings: It was kind of sad, in the way any person dying of old age is. It did feel more overtly spiritual than Obi-wan’s death.

Mode of death: Dies of old age, in his own home, in his own bed, with Luke beside him. His death scene lasts a few minutes and he has some last words.

Aftermath: We see Yoda again as a force ghost, which we are expecting as an audience since his body fades like Obi-wan’s did. There is sufficient closure. Luke is present for Yoda’s death and, at this point in the films, is the only character relationship Yoda has left alive--therefore this is the most significant his death can be to someone. Luke doesn’t look overly upset but this is not painted to be a sad death, as death by old age is usually more a fact of life and a nice reprieve from untimely losses.

Narrative purpose: Honestly, it’s been a long time since I watched the original trilogy so I’m kind of stretching here. I’m going to borrow from The Last Jedi and say that Yoda’s death allows Luke to grow beyond his master and stand on his own two feet as a fully autonomous agent of goodness. He no longer has the crutch of wise older men to lean on and must make his decisions on his own. Yoda’s death frees Luke to be the master of his own destiny, now knowing the truth of his parentage and no longer being guided by others to do what they think is best (kill Vader).

Overall response: One of the less impactful deaths in the series, but I do appreciate how it adds to Luke’s growth as a character and transition into Jedi Master.

Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader; portrayed by James Earl Jones, Hayden Christensen, and Jake Lloyd

Personal feelings: This is the big one™ of the trilogy, and it shows. Watching Luke trying to literally drag his father to safety is raw and heartbreaking. Seeing him unmasked for his son is chilling. The funeral pyre is beautiful. This definitely made me feel the feelings.

Mode of death: Sacrificed himself to kill Palpatine. Death lasts several minutes. Dies in Luke’s arms and Luke cries as he dies.

Aftermath: Funeral pyre. Force ghost Anakin bringing peace to Luke and cementing his redemption.

Narrative purpose: Too much to list! Reinforcing that good guys sacrifice themselves to protect the people they love. Bringing balance to the Force by killing the Emperor (thanks JJ for messing that up by the way). Finding peace with Obi-wan as a force ghost. Showing that the belief that people can be saved from themselves is validated. I’m sure there’s plenty more besides but this one is so narratively rich that it would take forever to mine.

Overall response: Extreme narrative importance. Basically ties together six movies. Emotional, beautiful, resonant.

Han Solo; portrayed by Harrison Ford

Personal feelings: Ouch, ouch, ouch! This was... this was angsty. I love angsty. I cannot possibly find adequate words to describe how well done this scene and this death was. One of my top three moments of The Force Awakens.

Mode of death: Struck through the chest with a lightsaber by his son, Ben Solo (under the alias of Kylo Ren), after an attempt to save him from the dark side and bring him home. His body falls into the pit on Starkiller Base.

Aftermath: So. Much. Rey screams “no!” Finn is visibly upset, too. Chewie roars in agony and shoots Kylo Ren with his bowcaster. Leia can be seen feeling Han’s death and cannot find the strength to keep standing. Kylo/Ben looks immediately shaken by what he has done. Rey and Leia share a sad hug at the end of the film. In The Last Jedi, reactions continue. Luke is shaken by the revelation of Han’s death and spends a quiet moment in the Falcon mourning him. Kylo/Ben’s reaction continues to spiral. Snoke, in one of my favorite lines in the film, announces that “the deed split [his] spirit to the bone”. Rey grieves Han and accuses Ben of hating him. Luke warns Kylo that he will always be with him, “just like [his] father”. Han’s shadow is felt all over The Last Jedi without him being present. Even without the further reactions in The Rise of Skywalker (Rey saying Ben is haunted by him, the literal memory scene on the Death Star), the impacts of Han Solo’s death are the most significant in the entire franchise.

Narrative purpose: To advance both internal and external character conflicts. Kylo killing Han provides an external conflict between him and the heroes--particularly between him and Rey as Rey yearns for parents who love her and Ben (seemingly) rejects/kills his that do. It also provides a meaty internal conflict for Kylo Ren/Ben Solo, who is the most nuanced villain I have ever seen in film. While Han’s death doesn’t seem to serve a main theme in The Force Awakens (it is my perspective that JJ does not have cohesive overarching themes in his two entries in the saga), it does blend in pretty well with The Last Jedi’s preoccupation with killing the past. The thematic takeaway from The Last Jedi is that you can’t and shouldn’t kill the past, you should learn from it and move on--and Kylo killing Han neatly fits into this theme by showing that Kylo tried to kill his past by killing his father, and yet he was unable to move on because of it.

Overall response: Poignant. Purposeful. Well-crafted. The effects are long lasting and felt throughout the trilogy. This is not a meaningless death. Of the entire saga, this is the death that is given the most acknowledgement.

Supreme Leader Snoke; portrayed by Andy Serkis

Personal feelings: I was on the edge of my fucking seat. This is not emotionally resonant because we don’t care about Snoke but it was huge and shocking and had these enormous narrative implications moving forward.

Mode of death: Cut in half by Kylo Ren while he narrates his own death.

Aftermath: The Praetorian guards spring into action to avenge their master. In a later scene, we see Snoke’s severed legs topple to the floor. Hux is visibly shaken and angry. Kylo Ren acknowledges the death (by blaming it on Rey) and takes Snoke’s position as Supreme Leader (”the Supreme Leader is dead”, “long live the Supreme Leader”). I’m... going to ignore how The Rise of Skywalker handled Snoke. It was unnecessary to have Snoke clones from a storytelling perspective. It added nothing to the narrative, just used as a clumsy way to justify that Palpatine was really pulling the strings all along.

Narrative purpose: To deepen the perceived conflict within Kylo Ren and showing his unwillingness to kill Rey. This further complicates their relationship moving forward as we’ve established that the new head honcho powerful villain has no real desire to hurt the hero. The narrative implications of this moving forward were so rich. Pity JJ ignored them. Additionally: To show Kylo Ren symbolically surpassing Darth Vader. In Episode III Anakin claims he will overthrow the Emperor and rule the galaxy with Padme. He never achieves this. But Kylo Ren does (minus the Empress by his side). To deepen the theme of Kylo Ren trying to kill/bury the past in order to become stronger (and ultimately failing). To add Snoke to the list of characters in the movie who embody the theme of failure. To shake up an expected narrative trajectory and provide new pathways for future storytelling. (Again, JJ, looking at you.)

Overall response: Loved it. Loved it. Not as resonant as some of the other deaths but by far to me the most shocking.

Luke Skywalker; portrayed by Mark Hamill

Personal feelings: Okay, this is a big one. Here’s the thing. I did not grow up with the original trilogy. I never really cared for Luke (didn’t dislike him either, just ‘meh’). But this movie. This movie. I went on a journey with Luke. I saw him as fallible. As human. Making mistakes. Failing. Falling into depression. And overcoming it. I cried when Luke Skywalker died. I did not think that would happen. I did not think I would ever love Luke so much.

Mode of death: Force projects himself across the galaxy to face his nephew and save the Resistance; the effort kills him. Luke’s death takes a couple of minutes of screentime, and it is gorgeous. Hamill acts his ass off. The music, the visuals, everything combines to make this the most emotional death in Star Wars--a fitting end for its first hero.

Aftermath: Leia and Rey feel his death in the Force. They speak to each other quietly about it. They know it was peaceful. Luke, knowing he was going to die, came and saw his sister first and gave them beautiful closure and a message of hope. Just before Luke dies, he warns Kylo/Ben that he’ll always be with him. Just like his father. Luke fades into the Force and we know we will see him again as a force ghost (which we do, but JJ managed to trash even that). The boy on Canto Bight and his friends are inspired by the legend of Jedi Master Luke Skywalker. He ignites hope throughout the galaxy once more.

Narrative purpose: Multiple. As above, inspiring hope throughout the galaxy once more. To serve the theme of self-sacrifice. Achieving victory without violence (pacifistic). Preventing Kylo Ren from killing more people he cares about (Rey, Leia, Luke) and thereby protecting him, at least a little, from himself. Also serves a similar purpose to Yoda’s death--with both Luke and Snoke dying, Rey and Kylo Ren are without masters, the arbiters of their own destiny (thanks again JJ for fucking that up too).

Overall response: I can’t decide if this or Han Solo’s death is more emotionally impactful to me. They are both so, so moving, and so essential to the narrative.

Leia Organa; portrayed by Carrie Fisher

Personal feelings: This is hard. I don’t think her scenes in The Rise of Skywalker worked. They were cut from The Force Awakens for a reason--and then cobbled together like some kind of Frankenstein’s Monster for this movie. As much as I love Leia and Carrie, I couldn’t feel emotion for her death because it was so wooden and artificial.

Mode of death: Uses the last of her energy to reach her son (it is unclear exactly how she is reaching him. Force projection? Did she create the Han memory? Who knows.) Even with so little to work with, they still managed to focus on her death with her lying down, her hand falling to the side--trying to give this some weight.

Aftermath: Chewie mourns. Ben and Rey both feel her death and are clearly devastated. The Resistance gather around her body in mourning. Her body fades at the same time as Ben’s (wtf, JJ) and then we see her as a force ghost with Luke (but not Ben because fuck him apparently). 

Narrative purpose: To bring her son back to the light, something that has been a central struggle of this trilogy. Sacrificing yourself to save that which you love.

Overall response: It has a purpose, but I can’t help but think it wouldn’t have gone this way if Carrie hadn’t died. It doesn’t seem as organic as the deaths of Han and Luke.

NB: I’m skipping Palpatine because his death was literally nothing else than “defeat the big bad”. It wasn’t even fulfilling a prophecy, it had no significant narrative weight for Rey, it was a nothing burger.

Ben Solo/Kylo Ren; portrayed by Adam Driver

Personal feelings: Twofold. In the cinema, I felt nothing. Nothing. I actually laughed in surprise. Like, “what was that”? The next day, at home, I cried. I don’t think I cried because he died. I was open to that possibility. I cried because I was so, so angry at how poorly his arc and death was handled. Like he was a footnote in his own fucking story. I think him living was a much more interesting story, narratively and thematically, but I wasn’t necessarily opposed to his death if it was done well. And it wasn’t.

Mode of death: Uses the last of his life energy to resurrect Rey. Falls over. (Plop, there he goes.) Fades into the force.

Aftermath: Like, none? Rey looks kind of surprised and blinks for a couple of seconds. No words are exchanged. He just tips over and dies. Cool.

Narrative purpose (or failure thereof): I am fucking reaching here because all of the previously established trajectories and themes are dashed by this ending. We could argue that this is a self-sacrifice to save what you love theme point. Which is fine, but like, no one mourns. He doesn’t become a Force Ghost. No one acknowledges his death. Ben fading into the Force is a metaphor for him fading from people’s minds. It’s like he doesn’t even exist in the context of the story anymore. Which is insanely baffling because all three of the original trilogy heroes sacrificed their lives, at least in part, to save Ben Solo. So that he could in turn save Rey? So he’s just another cog in the machine? This was always about Rey and never about the love Han and Leia had for their son, or that Luke had for his nephew? If you think about it, the only other ‘main’ characters to die during the course of their trilogy were Qui-gon and Padme. And both of those characters had funerals, and people mourning, and huge narrative implications. The death of Ben Solo reads like the death of a minor character. It serves one very narrow and already over-represented theme. The death of all of the rest of the Skywalkers had huge emotional ramifications for the other characters in the films. With Ben Solo, the Skywalker legacy fades as well, as if JJ is telling us that this saga was not about this family at all, but their whole story existed only for the point of saving Palpatine’s granddaughter. How fucked up is that?

Overall response: Narratively, this just doesn’t make sense. It’s lazy and not impactful. When a character dies in films, you want the audience to feel something, so you show other characters reacting to it. Are they sad? Then we should feel sad too! Are they elated? We should be celebrating! No one reacts to Ben’s death, so we’re not sure how we’re supposed to feel, either. The people who are devastated by this death are the ones who love the character itself and are upset that he got treated this way--the death itself was hollow and emotionless.

So, there you have it. Ben Solo was shafted. Death is extremely prevalent in these movies, and yet, being the only new Skywalker of the sequels and half the protagonist (thank you Rian), Ben Solo has arguably the least emotional or narratively impactful death in the franchise.

Rian Johnson would never do this to Ben Solo.

Dark Disciple- Book Review

(Nobody asked for this review, but here it is. This is spoiler free but it does contain spoilers for Episode III and some key events from the clone wars. I’m not a book expert and I don’t even know how to speak in English to begin with, so excuse my poor grammar.)

“Dark Disciple” is a canon novel written by Christie Golden based on unproduced episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars that focused on Jedi Master Quinlan Vos having to team up with former sith apprentice Asajj Ventress to take down Count Dooku. I think someone who has not seen the Clone Wars could enjoy this book, but if you have watched the series this book will definitely impact you more.

I was not ready to read this book. I thought I was, but I was wrong. It’s a good read, but it will break your soul into tiny pieces from beginning to end. It’s beautifully written and it did make me laugh and cry multiple times. Before I started it, I already knew what was going to happen because I spoiled myself on accident, and even with that I still got hurt from reading it.

I will not make spoilers of the book whatsoever here, but I will mention spoilers for the Episode III. We know from the start that they are going to fail the mission because we already know that Dooku is killed by Anakin Skywalker in Revenge of the Sith. We know that something is going to happen, we just don’t know how. And it’s the “how” the thing that keeps you glued to the pages and interested in what’s happening.

If you are a Clone Wars fan, you are going to love this book and it’s a must read for you. It’s a really important story to understand how the Jedi Council was doomed to fail, the culture of the night sisters, how the dark side works, and the mistakes everyone made in this war. It’s also a love story as well in more than one way.

This novel does wonders showing how Asajj Ventress has evolved during the series. It’s a completely different person from what we first saw in Jedi Lost or in the movie of the clone wars. She has evolved past his masters and I truly believe she is the best force user character out there. Not because she is perfect, because she is definitely not, but because of her growth. I love her deeply.

Same for Vos. We don’t get to see much about him in current canon, being his only canonical appearance in one episode of the clone wars and as a background character in Phantom Menace, so this book does all of his development and characterization. And it’s good.

They both felt really real, so real they were really complicated beings the whole time. You can see how they both had issues and how those issues affected the way they reacted or interacted to the things happening around them. Their story parallels Anakin and Padmé at times, and the book acknowledges it, but with more depth and complications. It’s beautiful.

I also loved the relationship they both had with Obi-Wan Kenobi, who also appears in this book quite a lot. You can tell they appreciate each other as friends and that he cares about both of them as well.

Even when I knew what was going to happen, the plot continued to surprise me and got me hooked from start to finish. I never really knew what was going to happen next until I finished it. It never felt slow, or out of place. The pace was also really good.

My favourite part of the book is the inner conflict of what it means to be a jedi in a galaxy where not everything is black and white. The struggle of wondering how far you’ll go to do that, or where do you draw the line of what’s right and what’s wrong.

As I said earlier, this book made me laugh and cry (the laughing part mostly because of Anakin, he has such disaster energy I love him) and it was a rollercoaster of emotions from start to finish. The whole book has this bittersweet feeling because you already know they are going to fail, but it makes you appreciate the little details even more.

I didn’t like the ending. From a writer’s point of view, I did like it, and it goes perfect with the story being the most accurate ending. But, as a fan of the shows, I felt something broke inside of me when I finished reading it. It’s a good ending for the story.

I know we will probably never see this arc animated, because the clone wars ended and there’s no way you could fit this arc into something like the Bad Batch, but I would’ve loved to see this in the series. I still like this story in book format because you get to see exactly what goes inside the characters mind and it gives another layer of depth and information.

Overall, this is one of the best Star Wars books so far. I would recommend this book to clone wars fans, Ventress stans, people interested in jedi culture, people who like battles, Anidala shippers, Kenobi simps, people that really enjoy the night sisters, people that really like bounty hunters, hopeless romantics, and everyone else. I just loved it so much. I’m probably going to re- read it.

I wouldn’t recommend reading this book before watching the clone wars. You can totally read it without watching it, yes, but I wouldn’t do that since these episodes line up with the series and are a part of that story.

This book does contain scenes where they describe violence and blood, so if you are triggered by that you should know that before reading it. Some pages may disturb you. If you want to read it anyways, you can send me a message and I will tell you which pages to avoid. If you don’t want to read it, it’s fine. I have reviewed other Star Wars books in my blog if you want to check another one out.

It’s a pretty important read to tie some stuff the series left unsolved.

I hope you find this review useful and give this book a chance if you are interested.