How to baby, with Good Dad Mace Windu and Questionable Dad Qui-Gon Jinn.

Yes I am reading Master and Apprentice by Claudia Gray. Yes I’m only at the beginning. Yes Qui-Gon is trying, but he just doesn’t know what he’s doing, poor dude.

No one ever tells Obi-Wan that he is his Master's padawan.

Of course, for most people who had known Qui-Gon Jinn, telling someone else they resembled the the man would in fact be a thinly veiled insult. But still, Obi-Wan feels the absence of comparisons almost as strongly as he feels the absence of his Master.

There is no one for Obi-Wan to push against now, no strong presence at his side, ready to grab him by scruff and pull him back from another reckless stunt. It's an odd feeling. He has been set loose against his wishes. There is no one to his left and Anakin at his heels, but Anakin had needed, still needs, a strong, gentle figure for his prickly but sensitive heart. For even their worst bickering could not hold a candle to the scathing remarks he and Qui-Gon had shot at each other and Obi-Wan knows he cannot push and needle Anakin in the same way.

When Qui-Gon had been alive they had been an amusing, mirrored pair, the maverick and his rule-following padawan. Opposites clashing against each other, yet working together to complete the most difficult missions. Few saw that Qui-Gon's impertinence had indeed rubbed off on his padawan, cultivated from that small, angry initiate, because the only way to rebel against the rule-breaker had been to parrot the Council fastidiously. No one would ever get to see that again. Obi-Wan is one half of a mirrored pair trying to complete a routine on his own. What once was an impish, teasing compliance is now a betrayal of all his Master's values.

"How could Qui-Gon raise such a model Jedi?" He hears them say, "It's admirable that Master Kenobi was appointed to the Council despite his Master's maverick ways."

Padawan Kenobi would have yelled and kicked and screamed. Master Kenobi is serene. It should feel like an achievement. It feels like a disappointment.

Sometimes, Obi-Wan looks at the shape of the man he has moulded himself into, and aches to be his Master's padawan.

Yoda: “A Jedi Master, you now are.”

Qui-Gon: “?? Neat-o?”

Yoda:

Qui-Gon:

Yoda: “At least four layers you must wear, at all times.”

Hi Lumi. This year I’ve watched The Clone Wars, Rebels, Mandalorian, Book of Boba Fett, and Tales of the Jedi and I’m watching Ahsoka as episodes are released. But I feel like I’m missing some context as to why people are wary of Filoni. What things should I know so I’m caught up, so to speak, in the fandom discussions?

Hi! That's a lot of Star Wars to watch in a year, I hope you're having fun with it all! And I will gently remind everyone that Filoni is not the be-all-end-all of Star Wars creators--Henry Gilroy was there for TCW and Rebels, too. George Lucas was holding writers' meetings years after the show started (at least into 2010!). The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett are far more Jon Favreau's shows. The Bad Batch is Brad Rau and Jennifer Corbett. Resistance was developed by him, but was run by other producers. It's just that Filoni tends to get the most camera time and has become the face of Star Wars creators. That said, the issue with Filoni is kind of two-pronged, though, they overlap. 1. He's done a lot of interviews where he's said a lot of anti-Jedi things that have drifted from reasonable critiques in the beginning to eventually "Qui-Gon Jinn was the only true Jedi. [blatantly wrong citations]" This has put a lot of people off him as a creator, because we love the Jedi Order that Lucas talks about and established, which Filoni has actively contradicted over the years, despite being promoted as someone who follows Lucas' themes. And it's hard not to be aware of his interviews when watching his shows and it's hard to enjoy shows that do your faves dirty, you know? 2. His writing has become weaker over the years for a lot of us--Rebels is a show most of us love and found to be incredible. Many of us really love The Clone Wars, which he was heavily involved in/was probably the central voice after Lucas started phasing out. But his biggest story told over the course of those series--basically, the story of Mandalore's history and fall to the Empire--has been extremely thin for a lot of us. And a lot of us get frustrated at his inability to be objective when it comes to Ahsoka's character, that we love her as a character very much, but it hasn't felt like Filoni really knows what to do with her character arc and yet almost everything he writes is centered around her. His final season of The Clone Wars? Gave her the walkabout arc and the Siege of Mandalore arc, both of which often did not hold up well under scrutiny. His episode of The Book of Boba Fett? I actually really loved it, but it absolutely just stopped the pacing of that show to focus a lot on her. More on Luke, but he couldn't resist putting her in there, either. Tales of the Jedi was half devoted to Ahsoka and so much of it wasn't even about her time as a Jedi! We're frustrated because he doesn't set things up well anymore--Morgan Elsbeth is a Nightsister?? Why wasn't that established in The Mandalorian instead of pulling out randomly in Ahsoka? Why does Sabine Wren suddenly so badly want Jedi training, when they barely even had a conversation in Rebels?? There's a lot of good that Filoni has given to Star Wars, I think he genuinely cares about the Force and what it means--he's very consistent on how it's not easy and how it takes discipline and control, that he has been consistent on how anger and fear are paths to the dark side, even his episode of TBOBF had Ahsoka saying, yeah, attachment is a path to the dark side, because the Jedi mean "attachment" in a more Buddhist-aligned way. A lot of his writing for the character of Ahsoka is actually pretty good, like I've been enjoying her being a prickly, traumatized hot mess in the show! It's just that I kind of hate all the interviews he gives and I think he's a lot less objective than a lot of fans and media coverage that would hold him up as a perfect writer/interviewee about all things Star Wars, and it all comes together to make him kind of a hot-button topic.

So, a lot of people LOVE Filoni's work, a lot of people are frustrated by it, a lot of people are casually fine about it, a lot of people HATE Filoni's work and it can be a fun mix of any of the above or even other issues that come up. (And that's all fine! I have my views on Filoni's work, but it's fine if others hate it more than I do or love it more than I do, there's room for us all, all of it is valid.)

But I think if you want to understand some of the roots of this corner of fandom's frustration, two (admittedly long as heck) homework assignment reads would be:

- My own rebuttal to Dave's behind the scenes Mandalorian Gallery talk (this is jokingly referred to as "Davegate" because I refused to take it too seriously) - @david-talks-sw's collection of comparisons between Lucas' commentary on the Jedi and Filoni's commentary on the Jedi

This response itself is more focused on laying out the problems a lot of people have with Filoni's writing, but also honestly I still have my giant collection of Jedi source material citations that quotes his commentary, I still bring up Filoni's quotes in current meta a lot, I still talk positively about the things I enjoy from his shows, so overall there's equal amounts of both praise and criticism here. So, as short as I can make it (which isn't very, shut up, I know! XD), that's basically what people mean when they say they're wary of Filoni.

Sith! Obi-Wan: Is it even possible?

Sith! Obi-Wan is such a fascinating concept to me, because it’s so unlikely. Like frankly it feels even less likely than Anakin’s redemption, and that redemption being so incredibly unlikely but still possible is literally the thing that makes the OT so powerful. Like it’s baked into the premise.

And Obi-Wan falling can’t be impossible, because that would take all the narrative power out of him always choosing good. But like, this man has literally had everything happen to him, and he doesn’t turn. He has moments where he has to recenter himself, but he always does it. He’s such a wonderful balance of “constantly looks like hot shit” with “but on the deepest level of his soul he’s untouchable.”

It should be impossible.

But I believe it at every turn.

People aren’t fucking around when they describe him as one of the best Jedi there ever was.

So I am fascinated by the idea of a Sith Obi-Wan, because what could possibly turn him?

Not torture, not loss, not grief, not losing his padawan, not having to fight his padawan, not beliving he’d killed his padawan, not finding out he didn’t kill his padawan, not watching over that padawan’s kid for twenty years, not death, not war, not walking away from Satine, not Satine dying in his arms, not losing Qui-Gon Jinn, not Dooku’s best efforts at temptation, not the genocide of his people, not being set on fire, not the existence of the Death Star, not twenty years of being a hermit, not Melida-Daan, not whatever Xanatos was doing, not every atrocity the Empire ever committed,

But it can’t be impossible, because he’s still a human, he’s not the Force itself.

I’ve read some Sith Obi-Wan fics, but they’re all either unconvincing on this point, or have to resort to saying, “Obi-Wan is a Sith but he’s not evil,” as though that isn’t the contradiction of all time (No shade to these fics, not everything needs to be perfectly convincing, and I’m not against writing a character in a certain way just cause of the aesthetic. I know how to use the back button; I kept reading cause I enjoyed them overall).

I just.

I don’t know. Do people have ideas? Theories? Fic recommendations?

Cause my only idea is an Obi-Wan who has literally never heard of the Jedi and was raised from an infant as a Sith and barely resembles the Obi-Wan we know at all.

Qui gon has a space youtube channel where he uploads videos of cool plants and reviews books on space botany with the occasional random footage of jedi stuff. The content is either very dry or very chaotic with shaky cam and somewhat blurry footage.

He made the account when he was a padawan after Dooku (nursing a headache from Qui Gon's latest hyperfixation) wearily asked him to channel his love for plants somewhere else at least until this migraine subsides, padawan

He realises that he actually loves making videos and chatting endlessly to a camera. His first few videos end up being 3 to 4 hours long and focuses on obscure plants and random books he found in Dookus room

The jedi Council is a little illiterate when it comes to social media (it hasnt caused any problems for the order yet so its pretty much unregulated) so QuiGon isn't actually breaking any rules when he posts videos without making them private. Many jedi do have social media accounts but they tend to use it for more professional purposes, so Qui Gon's channel slips under the radar with an average of like 5 views per video.

He continues using the channel as a botany/cute animals/philosophy/ranting outlet throughout his apprenticeship.

Once he's knighted he has less time to upload videos so his most common type of videos end up being those 20 second to 1 minute clips ft. Something Funny or Something Cool or just blurry footage with unintelligible audio.

Ofc when he gets padawans, he also posts random vids of them when he catches them in 4k doing sth stupid/cute.

By the time obi wan comes around, qui gon's space youtube channel has like, 50 short videos of feemor and xanatos doing things like petting tookas, failing spectacularly at executing a flashy ataru form, being sappy while high on painkillers, running away from qui gon as he holds a flesh-eating parasite towards them and shouts 'why are you running?' etc etc

At this point he has about 20 or so regular viewers who either think he's roleplaying a jedi or are members of the jedi order who find it hilarious (mainly Qui-Gon's friends and, for some reason, Master Yoda)

Anw the point of this is to lead to the premise of one of his videos going viral during the clone wars (possibly the one of general kenobi when he was 14 doing a backflip and landing on his face. Or the one of him sleeping while half his body is dangling outside a window. Or the one where he does this).

It's good PR for the jedi bc it shows them as slightly chaotic but peaceful people who are at their core just like everyone else (idiots).

It's memed to the extent that it reaches the eyes of the Jedi Council and Anakin who immediately like brings it to obi wan like "Master is this really you??"

Obi Wan randomly discovering this treasure trove of videos that shows so much of the person his master used to be, missing his dad so much but at the same time feeling a little betrayed that Qui Gon uploaded such embarrassing videos to a public forum where anyone could view it: you are haunting me from beyond the grave master

And the channel has both clips of Qui Gon and Obi wan as padawans, so there would definitely be fan compilation videos comparing their feral padawan energy. Obi Wan feels seen bc no one used to believe him when he told them that calm Master Jinn was actually crazier than him but now he finally has proof but then angst bc Qui Gon is not there so he can't rub his face in it :(

Anakin and ahsoka discovering that their cool and calm master used to be wilder and more feral than them before qui gon died and left him to raise a child: that's actually very sad.

The general public seeing Dooku in the bg of qui gon's padawan videos: is General Kenobi... fighting a war... against his jedi grandpa?

Anw this can go two ways: either this is just a cute thing that happened during the clone wars and everything else happened the same as canon OR it inadvertently saves the galaxy

Canon: the videos make everyone involved Feel Things but don't change their actions. The empire never gets around to banning the channel so Obi wan uses it as one of his last sources of comfort in the desert as he watches over luke. Once he reconnects with Qui-Gon's force ghost, they bond by watching old videos from the channel. Years later, Luke discovers Obi Wans old datapad and inadvertently finds out about the original viral video and the channel. It ends up being a very good reference for painting a picture of jedi life pre-empire. Luke uses it as a reference when building his jedi academy but not before spending a solid hour laughing at the padawan kenobi fail compilations

AU:

Dooku watching some of the videos and all the fluff (and possibly seeing the vlog where padawan qui gon talks about the differences between attachments and love with regards to jedi and bringing up his bond with dooku): Actually maybe I can leave the jedi order and make positive change without becoming a sith lord. Maybe I can help the jedi order without agreeing with everything they do.

Anakin watching the same video on attachments vs love and going to obi wan

Anakin: Do you love me master?

Obi wan: ???

Obi wan: You are my brother anakain??? Of course I love you??? But why are you asking me?? Are you okay?? Do you have something to confess perhaps?? Like about a senator?? A senator that has a name beginning with a p??

Anakin, panicking: Ah yes p-pa-palpatine did tell me a strange story about a wise sith lord when we went for our weekly bonding session yesterday

Obi wan: I -

Obi wan: I meant your marriage to Padme actually but wtf there is a lot to unpack there.

And anakin is just reeling from the fact that

1) obi wan loves him

2) obi wan knew about padme and didn't say anything

So he doesn't get angery when Obi wan brings the palpy matter to the jedi Council and investigates him. Then add in a few well-timed coincidences bc this is a fix it and yay palpy overthrown!!

Anakin prolly voluntarily leaves the order and becomes a happy trophy husband for Padme after a long talk with Obi wan about his future where he reevaluates his life decisions. ("Anakin you will be my brother whether or not you're in the order")

Obi wan meets Qui Gons force ghost and does get to rub it in his face that he was a less feral padawan than Qui Gon.

And they all lived happily ever after except palpatine who died angrily ever after.

Obi-Wan: *summoned to the council at age 28, his Padawan and master both refusing to leave his side when they hear who’s come to the temple to see him for fear of them stealing him away* Alright, let’s do this, what can I help you… all… wow. There sure are a lot of you…

Kenobi Matriarch: O’ben! My sweet little freckled boy, come give your mummy a hug! *pulls him in forcibly so she can kiss his cheeks and pinch them* Oh you are just the cutest! Ernian, isn’t he just cute?

Kenobi Patriarch: Adorable. Are you sure he’s ours, Mimi?

Mimi: Of course I am, a mother always knows. *lets Obi-Wan be dragged into a crowd of redheads so Ernian can introduce him to his four sisters, two brothers and three cousins that took the journey with them, takes the chance to glare at Jinn before grinning and pulling Anakin into her bosom* You must be my baby’s baby, huh? Lookit that blonde hair, so pretty. How old are you, cherry pie?

Anakin: *confused* Um, almost thirteen.

Mimi: Oh, that’s a good age. You look healthy for it, your teacher was a waif at that age, from the pictures we were sent while he was growing up.

Anakin: *knows that Obi-Wan was very paranoid and thin at that age, but not why* Yeah. He’s bigger now. He says he wants to grow a beard.

Mimi: Oh, that’ll be nice. His uncle on his papa’s side has a very nice beard.

Yoda: *comes dottering over* Happy we are, to connect a child to their home past the impressionable age of childhood that can confuse them, but wonder we do, why now?

Mimi: Does he always talk like that? Been doin it since we got here?

Qui-Gon: Heh, yeah, try growing up with him. O’ben used to mock him straight to his face as a kid.

Yoda: Spirit, he has! Gumption!

Qui-Gon: O’ben’s his favorite.

Mimi: He’s everyone’s favorite, from what I’ve heard. Now now, we don’t want to get O’ben all in a tizzy by inviting him to a family gathering, that would just be too much family for him to handle.

Anakin: Master handles parties very well?

Qui-Gon: *puts his hands on Anakin’s shoulders* He /survives/ parties, grandpadawan, he handles them by surviving them.

Mimi: Exactly. Just like my Ernian, from what nice Master Mace tells me.

Qui-Gon: *glares at Mace because he knows damn well her initial glare at him was from Mace’s storytelling*

Mimi: Anyways, a bunch of us had reason to head this way, decided to make it a mini reunion of sorts. Well, more like O’ben’s first time meeting most of them, but listen, my brother and husband and I got a bet to settle once and for all. Which we need to see O’ben to settle it.

Qui-Gon: *loves bets* Oh??

Mimi: Yessiree, we been wondering how many adult fangs O’ben has.

Qui-Gon: …I don’t actually know the answer to that one? He hasn’t bitten me in years.

Mace: He bit me less than two months ago after a spar. I startled him while he was in attack mode, but he was also still in sparring mindset, didn’t make the fangs drop.

Anakin: I’m sorry, what? Master has fangs?

Mimi: Sure does, baby! Alla us do. It’s Stewjoni genetics. See I got a total of eight droppable fangs, and Ernian’s only got four, so all of our kids have had a mix. We’ve even seen five in onea the boys, but he chose to get that one replaced, since it bothered him. We need to know how many fangs O’ben has to settle the bet.

Anakin: *eyes sparkling* How do you drop them?

Mimi: *pulls up her upper lip, and presses down on the gums above her canines on the left side, dropping two sharp fangs* Jus like that, sugar.

Anakin: *firm nod* Okay, I got this. *darts off into the crowd and manages to drag Obi-Wan outta the thick of it, before climbing him till he sighs and sits down, climbs into his lap*

Obi-Wan: *ignoring his cooing and snickering family while his child sits on him* Can I help you, Padawan mine?

Anakin: I wanna see the fangs.

Obi-Wan: *blushes super hard* I… really?

Anakin: Yeah. Your mom has super cool fangs, I want to see yours too.

Obi-Wan: *gives his mom a wary look before sighing, opening his mouth and manually depressing on each section, ignoring the way everyone in the room is watching* See? Not all that interesting.

Anakin: *looks back at Mimi* He has six. Who wins the bet.

Cousin 3: Gimme a minute to do the math for averages- *has the pad in his hands snatched by deft little fingers as Anakin steals it to do his math for him*

Anakin: Average looks like five?

Brother 2: Shit. I threw off the average, didn’t I?

Anakin: Were you the one with only five?

Brother 2: Yeah.

Anakin: Then yes.

Ernian: *fist pump in the air* I win! The pot is mine!

Mimi: *deep sigh, before coming over to sit next to her youngest and who she’s decided is a pretty good grandson* Well, we tried. *pulls a very confused Obi-Wan into her side for a hug* Still, we’ll be on the planet for a few days, it’d be nice to get to know you a bit better.

Obi-Wan: *blushy blushy* Oh, um, okay. That sounds nice. Anakin too?

Mimi: Yeah, O’ben, Anakin too.

Anakin: *snuggling against his master’s shoulder* We should all go to the room of a thousand fountains. It’s bigger. Less crowded. My mom works in the garages, she can come too?

Mimi: *absolutely enchanted with little baby grandson just like Obi-Wan is* Yeah, I’d like to meet her.

Tee, I'm re-reading Esama's glorious Sailing the Stars again and, a few chapters in, I thought- if the Desmond who could Hear Us got caught up in this scenario, many of us would be screaming at each other. Some in panic, some in excitement, and a few/one of us are starting to sound slightly unhinged from how long we've been laughing (read: cackling) for and how it's been growing so loud that's it's more like mad howling and it starts to drown out everyone else through sheer Awkwardness and how Unnerving it is.

Meanwhile, Desmond is just standing, awkwardly, before either a couple of Jedi or the entire Council- who are also slightly frozen in awkwardness because the Force is being as unhinged as the Cacklers but less Awkward and Unnerving and more, laughing/howling at a joke that it's decidedly Not Explaining. To Anyone.

And then the cackling suddenly stops and someone says, with a slasher grin you could almost hear: "Hey Des baby, can you go ruin the entire fucking careers of some Siths for us? Pretty please?"

Not sure which time Desmond would come out of, but I find it hilarious if Desmond manages to appear during a time when Qui Gon Jinn and Dooku were having problems later in their relationship but before he takes Vosa as his padawan and now Jinn has to deal with not only the knowledge that His Master Fucks but also has, and does occasionally, Fuck with Sifo Dyas and Madame Nu when the time and preference arises. The mental damage alone has some of Us laughing our asses off. Not to mention the implicated existence of Actual Gods/Patrons and the multiverse.

Sailing the Stars by esama (If you love Star Wars and Desmond Miles, go give it a read if you haven’t… or reread it if you already have XD)

This… isn’t exactly a fanfic of a fanfic because this can be summarized more as “Desmond gets awaken in the Star Wars timeline during maybe the Tales of the Jedi series? and he can still hear us”. I don’t think you need to have read Sailing the Stars to get this little snippet, at the very least.

.

.

Desmond has no idea what to do.

By this point, the voices in his head, the capricious ‘watchers’, would be giving him directions or suggestions but they were all still freaking out.

Because, according to what he could actually understand from their freak outs, he was not supposed to be here and this was a ‘crossover’ and “OH MY GOD” and the occasional “I don’t know enough about this!” sprinkled here and there would imply that he wasn’t in his ‘universe’ anymore.

Even the first who talked to him had fallen silent after a dreadful “fuck, this isn’t my fandom” and that was definitely not a good sign.

The other voices he could recognize were too busy freaking out and they were arguing where Desmond.

To be more exact: they were questioning if Desmond was in ‘canon’ or in ‘legends’… whatever that meant.

There a low chant of “Desmond for Darth Revan!” that was being shushed once in a while

And here he was… just… standing.

This council of what they call Jedis was staring at him with furrowed brows, something about how the Force was surrounding him and was… very ‘chaotic’?

But not in a bad way?

Like the kind of giddy chaos that children would get into?

At least, that was what that short green… alien?

Is it racist for Desmond to call him an alien?

Aren’t they all aliens anyway?

Isn’t Desmond an alien too because, apparently, he’s different from the other humans that the Jedis have on record.

Being both more primitive and also too ‘different’ to be considered one of the older ones, whatever that means.

Desmond would have assumed that it was because of his Isu-human gene ratio but the more logical reason would probably be because he was…

Well…

Not from this universe.

Not that he was going to say that.

Even if he did, they would probably just assume he meant not from this specific ‘galaxy’ or whatever.

Desmond would take any kind of distraction at this point and he finally got his wish when the door slid open and two more men entered the room.

The voices were silent for a moment before some of them began to shout, “Oh my god. Is that Count Dooku?! He’s soooo young.”

“Oooohhh, Qui Gon Jinn! Look at him! He’s so baby!”

Desmond’s eyes met the older man that he was certain was supposed to be Count Dooku and the voices hushed for a moment before someone whispered.

“300K, slowburn, corruption arc, hurt and comfort, BAMF Desmond Miles, Good Count Dooku.”

Desmond wanted to sigh.

Maybe he should just run away at this point?

📓!

There’s an atla au of star wars that I have tried so hard to bend into a shape that I can actually write, but alas, all I have are ideas. This is the one that’s in the wips folder as Everything Changed when the Clones Attacked, which is ironic bc I cannot for the life of me figure out what to do with the clones. Maybe they’re being brainwashed at Lake Laogai? Or something???

Anyway. The story has two parts, prequels and sequels. Details under the cut, because this got a bit long.

In the prequels, the elderly Master Yoda of the airbenders is Avatar, and in his old age he’s stopped traveling the world and instead dispenses his wisdom from one of the great Air Nomad temples, nestled deep in the mountains where only Air Nomads can reach. He’s unofficial leader of the council of Air Nomad elders, which is….not great, really, not how things should be, but it’s mostly been okay. He’s been a good avatar overall, and it’s only in later years that he’s leaned so heavily toward the Air Nomads, and really none of this is enough to push the four peoples truly out of balance. 

Our story starts with Qui-gon Jinn, an airbending master traveling with his apprentice, helping a besieged queen from a minor Earth Kingdom escape her city. (I saw a post once asserting that the Earth Kingdom is actually a collection of largely autonomous kingdoms that all loosely recognize the authority of the Earth King in Ba Sing Se, and I like that a lot, so that’s the worldbuilding I’m going with here.) Qui-gon agrees to take Queen Amidala to the Avatar’s council to beg their aid. 

Along the way, they encounter a young boy living with his mother. The boy can do a bit of earthbending—and also a bit of waterbending, and a bit of airbending, and a bit of firebending. Which is impossible, because Avatar Yoda isn’t dead, but there he is, bending all the elements anyway.

I don’t think there’s slavery in the atla universe, but we could probably get away with indentured servitude of some kind, and Qui-gon acquires Ani in much the same way as he does in canon. He takes him to Avatar Yoda—and Yoda rejects him. Says, essentially, “This is weird as hell but it’s also not my problem.” (Frankly I can’t come up with an actual good reason for Yoda to do that, but just go with me here.) So Qui-gon angrily responds that if the Avatar won’t take responsibility, he will, and then gets himself enmeshed in Amidala’s political problems to boot. 

And then he dies.

Something something evil emperor, yadda yadda you know the drill. (Though I think the empire isn’t going to be the Fire Nation, despite the thematic appropriateness of fire spreading unchecked to consume all in its path. Palpatine is gonna usurp the Earth King, I think, and I do feel the prequels’ themes around entrenched systems with deep flaws, which are too big to fight as individuals and too implacable to change, will fit well with atla themes around earth.)

The sequels portion of things is even less plotted out. All I know is that Luke grows up in the same nameless patch of Earth territory his father grew up in, and he doesn’t actually discover he can waterbend until he’s practically an adult. It’s a shock to everyone—except, somehow, weird Old Ben who lives in the desert, who tells him that the next Avatar is supposed to be a waterbender, and won’t explain why he’s so convinced Luke is that Avatar given that he’s pretty emphatically not from the Water Tribes. 

Luke is finally convinced when he manages to airbend, under Old Ben’s suspiciously skilled tutelage. He can’t pull off any other elements, though, so they go off on a road trip to that swamp where you see spirits, to try to reach the past Avatars and get some guidance.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to both of them, Leia has grown up knowing she can firebend. This is kind of an alarming skill for the princess of an Earth Kingdom to have, and even more alarming given that she’s already an earthbender. So she’s kept it secret, and no one but her parents has ever known.

They can meet in some way analogous to the Death Star raid in A New Hope, idk I have zero plot in mind here. The point, as far as I’m concerned, is that the Skywalkers have fundamentally broken the Avatar cycle. Anakin shouldn’t exist, and yet he does, and he was born while Yoda was still alive. If he hadn’t existed, the next Avatar would be a waterbender, and that’s Luke—except he’s from the Earth Kingdom. If Anakin is a true Avatar, then the next one would be an earthbender, and that’s Leia—only then she shouldn’t have been born until after Anakin’s death. Nothing makes sense! Even Yoda and all the other past Avatars together have no goddamn clue what is going on!

Imagine their consternation when they discover that neither Luke nor Leia is the Avatar: it’s actually both of them together. Luke has air and water, Leia has earth and fire; Luke can visit the spirit world and be the bridge between humans and spirits, and Leia can speak to kings and maintain the balance between the four nations. The two of them, together, can defeat their father, defeat the emperor, and restore harmony to the world.

So this was the last qualm I had with the whole "Qui-Gon should've trained Anakin, not Obi-Wan" take or that Qui-Gon is somehow more advanced than the other Jedi.

During, Celebration Anaheim 2022, at the Tales of the Jedi Panel, Dave Filoni had this to say:

“Well, [Qui-Gon's] ego is not there, because Obi-Wan tells him "if you’d just do what the Council said, you’d be on the Council" and he’s [like] "I’ll do what I must." Like, he doesn’t worry about those things, because he’s trying to get to the selfless truth of things, y’know? Everything that Qui-Gon’s trying to do is— he’s not afraid to love because he does not possessively love. And that’s something that the Jedi of the Prequel era have kinda - in their involvement with politics - have forgotten. It’s faded.”

So aside from having already established that George Lucas said multiple times that all Jedi can love without getting possessive, it's not something unique to Qui-Gon...

... be it here or in Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian, Filoni bases the whole premise of this reasoning on a couple of lines from Obi-Wan.

Y'know, Obi-Wan.

The 25-year-old. The Padawan.

Like, of course he's ambitious and putting rules and the Council on a pedestal, he's still just a learner, he's in his friggin' 20s.

To be clear: Obi-Wan is not meant to represent the average Jedi, in The Phantom Menace.

Yes, he's smart and skilled but too prudent, too much of a stickler for protocol and still needing to learn about the Living Force.

And guess what?

He outgrows these flaws by the end of the film.

Obi-Wan thought Anakin was dangerous, and underestimated both Anakin and Jar Jar? Well, Anakin proves him wrong and blows up the Trade Federation ship, and thanks to Jar Jar, the Naboo are able to retake their planet.

We know Obi-Wan learns from this, because skip to Episode II and he's asking other "Guide" archetypes like Dexter Jettster for advice. He's learned to see their value.

He's putting the Council on a pedestal, is strictly by the book? Well, now he's ready to go against the Council's approval, if necessary, to train Anakin.

He still has much to learn about the Living Force, worries too much instead of focusing on the here and now? The only way he's able to beat Maul is by emptying his mind and letting the Force guide him.

Obi-Wan's whole arc in The Phantom Menace is going from being someone that...

dismisses characters emblematic of the Guide mythological archetype (like Anakin or Jar Jar),

needs to think for himself instead of being so by-the-book.

needs to open up and feel the Force instead of getting bogged down in thoughts and logic,

... to someone that:

listens to Guide characters, like Dexxter Jettster,

can stand up to the Council when needed,

can let the Force guide his actions.

As George Lucas puts it:

"In the beginning, Obi-Wan is at odds with Qui-Gon, who rebels against the Jedi rules. But by the end of the film, he has become Qui-Gon by taking on his rebellious personality and responsibilities." - The Making of The Phantom Menace, 1999

And you see this evolution, btw. It's not front and center, but it's there, in Obi-Wan's mannerisms (putting a comforting hand on Anakin's shoulder like Qui-Gon used to)...

... in his longer hair, his beard, the visuals...

Obi-Wan's flaws in TPM are intentional story points, which he grows out of by the end of the narrative.

So to see his arc in Episode I then say "well, Qui-Gon was better suited for Anakin because Obi-Wan said x"... when the whole point is that Obi-Wan starts out having much to learn and ends up becoming a less impulsive version of Qui-Gon... that's just crazy, to me.

For more on the subject:

Obi-Wan and Anakin’s character arcs in Ep. II

Analyzing Qui-Gon Jinn using only Lucas' words

Star Wars Prequels Thoughts

Okay, as requested by @rainintheevening (or more accurately, as forced upon you all by myself), here are my thoughts on the Prequels.

Now I want to preface by saying this - I love Star Wars, I love all of the Star Wars films, and I am far from a Prequels hater. However, I think that there are a few things that could have been done differently to make the franchise as a whole better. This whole thing came up from my wish that Star Wars had been made so that you could watch from Episode I on and not miss anything, as opposed to the way that the Prequels we have are built on the shoulders of the OT. Anyhow.

The first major change that I would make is this: the movies would have focused on Obi-Wan Kenobi as the main character far above any other character. Anakin would have been a sidekick in the Obi-Wan story. We would have started and ended with Obi Kenobi.

TPM -

Phantom would almost entirely follow the plot that is already established. The big change, though, is that instead of Anakin Skywalker being a little junkyard rat from Tatooine, he is already a Jedi padawan. 

So here's the shot - at the start of the film, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his former padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi, now a full-fledged Jedi knight, go to negotiate with the Trade Federation that has blockaded Naboo. Each of these Jedi has a padawan of his own - Jinn's is the young, brash, Anakin Skywalker. Kenobi's padawan is more mild-mannered and force-attuned. Let's call him Bob Dirtswimmer for the sake of clarity. Kenobi's fiery impulsiveness is played up to a big extent - he's brash, doesn't think things through before doing them, and he negotiates exclusively with his lightsaber. Jinn is more calm and level-headed. Their respective padawans both get along better with the other master, which causes some friction.

Like I said, the plot pretty well follows what already exists – the Trade Federation doesn’t want to comply, the Jedi are forced to ally with first Jar Jar, and rescue Queen Amidala. They escape the planet but are forced to land on the desert planet Tatooine, where they are befriended by a young moisture farmer named Owen. Owen hates Tatooine, hates moisture farming, and he hates how bored he is in life. All he wants is to escape the planet with his girlfriend Beru and become a pilot. While Kenobi and Jinn try to negotiate for parts to repair their ship, Anakin and Owen become fast friends, spurred on by their similar distaste for boredom and the ‘sedentary’ lifestyle that is being pushed on them by their respective mentors (Cliegg pushing Owen to join him as a moisture farmer, Qui-Gon pushing Anakin to be more mindful of the living Force instead of so action-oriented). Dirtswimmer tries to get along with them, but he feels excluded because he is far less inclined to join in on the action of things.

They eventually manage to secure the parts with the help of Owen. As repayment, they allow him and Beru to join them. He immediately and happily settles into the cockpit and gets some flying lessons from the Queen’s royal pilots. On the way to Coruscant to plead for Naboo’s case, we see Anakin begin to grow close to one of the queen’s handmaidens. Then we get the bit where Palpatine, the senator from Naboo, begins pushing Chancellor Valorum to raise an army to fight the Trade Federation’s unjust claims. Dirtswimmer remains on Coruscant to help Palpatine rally support for Naboo while the other Jedi return with the queen to retake the planet. Anakin and Owen fly together against the control ship because they are both skilled pilots, leaving Kenobi and Jinn to face off against Maul.

Now, since Qui-Gon is a bye-gone, Kenobi takes Anakin on as his second apprentice, teaching him at the same time as Dirtswimmer. At the end of the film, Palpatine talks to Dirtswimmer around Jinn’s funeral and mentions how disappointing it is that the Jedi with whom he really connected was now gone, leaving him to be the third wheel in the Obi-Ani Show.

AotC - We're going to get into some big changes that will be important, so keep track of this stuff.

Side note: Master Yoda is often referred to, but never seen. He is described as being the greatest warrior of the entire Jedi Order, but he has abandoned it because he believes that the Order has lost its way.

Again, we follow the same vague film plot - it begins with Naboo's new Junior Senator, Padme Amidala. She and Palpatine, the Senior Senator, are on Coruscant to debate the creation of a clone army for the republic. Palpatine represents the Nabooian populace that is in favor of the law - which is a significant portion, considering the Republic’s failure to assist them when they were being attacked years before - while Padme represents the minority who believe that such an act would be inhumane and lead to dictatorship. 

There have been many threats against anyone who opposes the law, so three Jedi are assigned to protect Amidala - Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Bob. There is a brief moment of happiness when they reunite, and Anakin and Padme almost immediately get going with the flirtation once again - something that Dirtswimmer sees is inappropriate, but Kenobi brushes off as unimportant. That night, there is an attempt on Amidala's life. The Jedi manage to protect the Senator and Anakin and Obi-Wan immediately set off after the would-be assassin while Dirtswimmer notices a second assassin following behind. Just as they capture the first accomplice, Dirtswimmer attacks the second - a Mandalorian. Mando and Dirtswimmer engage in a brief fight but Mando manages to knock Dirtswimmer off of him, hits the first accomplice with a poison dart, and escapes.

With this information, the trio of Jedi splits. Anakin is ordered to accompany Padme back to Naboo for her protection, Dirtswimmer is to work with Senator Palpatine to investigate who in the Senate is responsible for these attacks, and Obi-Wan is assigned to investigate the Mando alongside another Jedi Knight - Siri Tachi, with whom he clearly has history.

Padme is initially against the idea of leaving, but Palpatine manages to talk her into going for her protection and assures her that he will recall her before the vote takes place. On Naboo, Anakin and Padme get swept up in their whirlwind romance and whatnot. Owen and Beru accompany them with Owen as the pilot of their ship.

While they are doing that, Bob is pulled aside by our good 'ole boy Sheev. He is acting as Padme's advisor and is a good friend to her, and he notices that Bob is being ignored by Anakin and that when they are together with Kenobi, his opinions are often rejected in favor of the more aggressive attitudes of Kenobi and Skywalker. Slowly and insidiously, Sheephen begins to convince Dirtswimmer that he is the more powerful Force user and that his powers are not being appreciated.

Meanwhile, Obi-Kenobi and Siri are looking for Mando. As they investigate, they share some romantic tension as well. Eventually they track Mando to Kamino where they find the clone army has already been constructed on the orders of the current Supreme Chancellor. They make contact with Jango Fett, a civilian contractor who was hired to be the clone template. While talking to him they are attacked by Mando, who has come to plant bombs in the cloning facilities. Fett earns their trust by fighting Mando alongside them and disabling the bombs himself.

After the battle, Kenobi and Tachi follow Mando to Geonosis. There, they find that a massive droid army has been produced with the intent of waging war against the Republic. They are captured and separated, and Dooku appears to attempt to turn Kenobi to his side. The conversation goes about as well as it does in canon.

Dirtswimmer contacts Anakin to inform him that the Supreme Chancellor has been voted out of office because he ordered the clone army without the consent of the Senate, and Palpatine has already won the vote to take his place in a landslide. He also mentions that they have lost contact with Obi-Wan. Anakin and Dirtswimmer agree that this is bad news, so Anakin and Padme go to Geonosis to try to find them (where they get captured) while Dirtswimmer is convinced by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine to talk the Jedi Council into leading the Republic’s new army in a battle against the massive droid factories that Obi-Wan reported on.

The Council reflects for a while, and someone mentions that they wish Master Yoda had not left the Order because he, being one of the greatest and most powerful Jedi Warriors, would have known what to do. Finally they refuse the advice to take the army. We get an inkling that Jedi are somewhat vain - they say things like “The Jedi order has protected the Republic for millennia, we will do so now.” Instead of taking the Clone Army, a relatively small task force of Jedi is sent instead.

The arena scene happens normally, from the gladiator fights to the Jedi being outnumbered in the middle of the arena and surrounded by SBDs. Then, suddenly, Bob shows up to save the day along with the Clone Army. He obviously rejected the Council's decision in favor of trusting Palpatine, which seems to have been the proper call.

Obi-Wan and Anakin are honestly appreciative of Dirtswimmer for the first time. While he stays behind to  coordinate the clone attack, Skywalker and Kenobi chase down Dooku. When they get to the staging area where Dooku plans to escape, Kenobi is suddenly confronted by Siri Tachi, who has taken the Sith's side. She immediately knocks Anakin to the side, then says that Dooku has already fled and tries to convince Kenobi to join her. She makes several good points about the corruption of the Republic and also saying that they would be able to be together if they left the Jedi Order in her plea and Obi-Wan is tempted, but finally refuses. Tachi gives him the “if you’re not with me, then you’re my enemy,” line and they duel, ending with Kenobi being forced to kill his lady love. It is very emotional. 

Bob and the other Jedi lead the clone army to victory.

The end of the film shows Anakin and Padme marrying in a private ceremony, Kenobi mourning Tachi, and Dirtswimmer and Sheephen counseling each other even more.

RotS - Buckle up buttercups, we're going down the rabbit hole now.

Starts with the attack on Coruscant and the A-Team rescuing Sheephen from Dooku. When they get aboard the Invisible Hand Kenobi is distracted by Grievous, leaving Anakin and Bob to fight Dooku together. While Anakin is a good match for Dooku in terms of dueling prowess, Dirtswimmer is very clearly out of his depth. Still, when Dooku knocks Anakin back and makes a move to execute Palpatine, Dirtswimmer manages to leap forward and kill the Sith Lord instead. Anakin is clearly upset that his fellow Jedi - who isn’t nearly as skilled with a saber as he - managed to get the kill, whereas Bob is getting pretty cocky about what he managed to do.

So they land, get celebrated, blah blah blah. Anakin is starting to have nightmares but, even though this version of the Jedi Order is a lot more lax with relationships, he can’t exactly go to any of his fellow Jedi for help because his marriage is still technically a no-no (even though several Jedi like Aayla Secura and Kit Fisto are shown to have developed ‘secret’ relationships like.) As a result, he starts speaking with Palpatine since the man is a close friend of Padme’s.

So, in a few shots to show how the war is progressing we are shown that 1) the Jedi are becoming more and more aggressive in their combat styles, and 2) there is a squad of bounty hunters led by the elusive Mandalorian from the previous film that is proving very effective against Jedi. At one point we get a shot of Aayla being ambushed and killed by this squad so we know they mean business.

There are many mentions that "I wish the great warrior Master Yoda were here to lead us" but again, he does not appear.

At the same time as all this, Jango Fett is the key liaison between the clone army and the Senate. He is a GoodGuy(™) trusted by both the Jedi and the senate.

The film follows most of its plot, with the addition of Sheev influencing both Anakin and Bob at this point - Bob through his feelings of rejection by his master and fellow former padawan, Anakin through his pride and fear of losing Padme (that way we can still get some good "tragedy of Darth Plageuis the Wise" action in here). Obi-Wan is sent out to finish off Grievous. Instead of Anakin, Palpatine wants Bob to be planted on the Council as his liaison with the Jedi. When Obi-Wan leaves he secretly tells Anakin to keep an eye on Dirtswimmer because he’s afraid of the influence that Palpatine is exerting over him.

The Jedi Order realizes that the Chancellor is the second Sith and they send The Squad to kill him. This time, though, Sheev doesn't fight (because there's nothing wrong with a powerful force user not being able to also duel with lightsabers.) Instead, Mando and his squad are there to protect Palpatine. The Jedi immediately attack and start picking them off one-by-one, but both Agen Kolar and Saesee Tiin are eventually killed.

Finally it's just Kit Fisto and Mace Windu back-to-back fighting the rest of the squad. Fisto sees a chance to kill Mando (who he has been hunting, since Mando is the one who killed his lover Secura). Kit smashes Mando against the wall and is about to murderize him when the helmet comes off and he sees that Mando is Jango Fett. In Fisto's moment of confusion, Fett manages to stab him with a vibro blade. Windu kills Fett, but Palpatine uses his Force lightning to kill Windu. A real paper-beats-rock-beats-scissors moment.

Interspersed with this duel is Kenobi's attack on Grievous. Kenobi is clearly taking out all of his negative emotions from the past few years on the cyborg, who seems to be enjoying it at first because he thinks he stands a chance. Eventually, though, it becomes clear that Grievous is outmatched. Kenobi kills him somewhat brutally. Maybe reminiscent of that CGI cutscene version of Grievous’s death.

Meanwhile, Bob arrives at Palpatine’s office just after Windu’s death and reveals that he was part of the plan all along and has become Palpatine’s new apprentice. Sheephen tells Bob to go to Mustafar to destroy the Separatist leadership (which was sent there by Grievous when Kenobi first attacked) in order to end the war.

Anakin watches this interaction from a distance. He sends a communication to Obi-Wan to warn him that Palpatine is the Sith and that Bob is going to Mustafar on his orders. Obi-Wan starts to tell Anakin to wait for his return when suddenly Palpatine gives the big "The time has come, Commander" speech, and Obi-Kenobi gets blasted out of the sky by Cody.

We get the Order 66 sequence which is largely unchanged. Owen helps Kenobi escape and together they fly away, clones everywhere are turning on and killing their Jedi leaders. Meanwhile, Anakin leaves his extremely pregnant wife on Coruscant, promising, "I'm doing this for us," and takes off after Bob.

Bob and Anakin arrive on Mustafar at the same time, where they find the Separatist leaders already massacred by their own droid armies. Anakin acts completely surprised by this, but Bob just starts laughing and says, "I thought they were my final test, but I was wrong. It’s you." He ignites his lightsaber and says, "Only one of us is leaving this place alive."

Cue massive lightsaber battle. Anakin and Bob are jumping all over crap, lava is everywhere, the whole nine. Obi and Owen arrive on the planet just in time to see both padawans fling themselves at each other over a lava river, and both of them seemingly fall in. They try to fly their ship down to rescue Anakin, since it is clear that Bob has turned to the dark side. Before they can, though, a Star Destroyer arrives in-system and they have to run away.

Obi pretty much breaks down. He has lost his master, killed his girlfriend, lost a padawan to the dark side and just watched that fallen Jedi kill his favorite padawan. Owen is also seen with tears on his face because Anakin was one of his best friends.

Kenobi and Owen meet up with Bail Organa, who has secreted Padme away to his fancy moon-based hospital where she is dying in childbirth. Kenobi (who figured out a long time ago that she and Anakin were married but didn't do anything about it) can't bring himself to tell her that Anakin is dead and instead promises that he is on his way and will be there soon. She dies with a smile on her face talking about how Ani is her hero, and Kenobi breaks down big time.

Meanwhile, Palpatine is on Mustafar and a scarred figure drags itself out of the lava river. The person is too disfigured to recognize, but Palpatine is pleased and collects them. They are then sealed into the Vader suit, and Palpatine tells them, "You have finally earned your place at my side. Rise, Darth Vader." We get the dramatic shot of the full Vader suit stepping out of the shadows, with the implication being that Bob is the one inside because he was the one who wanted to join Palps.

Organa and his wife take Leia because they have just suffered a miscarriage that no one knows about, so it will be easy to protect her as their child. Owen offers to take Luke and he and Beru return to Tatooine - the place that he most hates - in order to protect Luke from Bob and the Emperor. Though Kenobi accompanies Owen to protect Luke, there is now a level of animosity between them because they both blame Obi-Wan for Anakin's death.

The episode ends with Owen and Beru holding Luke and watching Tatooine's twin sunset.

-

So. All of that being said. The big reason why I think that the Prequels would be better for these changes is this: I want all of Star Wars to be centered around the big reveal that Darth Vader is Anakin Skywalker. The Phantom Menace was written with the idea that everybody already knew - I think that it would have been a lot more fun if we got three whole movies that led you to believe that Anakin Skywalker was dead and gone. That Bob Dirtswimmer was in the suit, he had killed Luke’s father, and he was the evil one. Then, “No, I am your father,” would hit so much harder. I also think it would be more fun to have Yoda missing all the way through the Prequels but built up with the expectation of him being this incredible warrior because it builds into the twist in Empire - by the time we get there, we are expecting someone incredible. Even Master Windu was talking about what a great warrior this Yoda was… the fact that he is actually just a muppet with a great understanding of the Force would feel much more impactful.

So there we go. That’s the type of Prequel trilogy I would have wanted. If you actually managed to read all of this… you have my sincerest apologies.

Time Travel is my favourite trope and I think we need more fics where both Obi-Wan AND Qui-Gon time travel together because no matter when they get sent it's chaos. They're saving the galaxy and being physic flash-bangs to everyone around them.

like before Bandomeer?

The entire council is baffled to watch as Qui-Gon 'never taking a padawan again' Jinn has suddenly cut off his post-Xanatos depression tour to return to the temple and beeline to the creche with a frantic energy. His wild eyes immediately single out a fluffy, red-haired initiate.

"You." he exhales with a pointed finger, slightly ominous as he towers over the child. Said child starts vibrating with delight. "Me." he agrees, launching himself at the man. Qui-Gon drops to his knees with a thud that cannot be healthy. Obi-Wan's attempts to clamber into Qui-Gon's robes and maybe onto his shoulders is thwarted by the fact that Qui-Gon's massive hands are cupping Obi-Wan's tiny squishy cheeks. He stares at the initiate for a few minutes with an intensity that is starting to worry people.

Finally, "You're so small." Qui-Gon sounds like he might cry.

'What the fuck?' Plo Koon projects at Mace.

"I'm 9! That tends to be the case!" the child chirps back.

"You're nine." Oh. Ah. Qui-Gon's eyes are distinctively misty. He squishes the boy in a hug so hard he squeaks. Mace makes a series of gestures that imply the need for a head-scan. Depa obligingly drifts off towards the halls. Qui-Gon scoops the child up onto his hip and claims him as his padawan on the spot. The assorted council members and creche-masters burst into noise. Mace tells Depa to bring some space ibuprofen as well.

after Naboo?

Anakin is a little apprehensive of his place in both the order and Obi-Wan's life, but then one day Obi-Wan wakes up and is suddenly a lot less sad in the force?? In fact, if Anakin didn't know better he'd say he was almost giddy, but he's watched Obi-Wan try to pretend his world hasn't fallen apart for the past few months so it can't be that, right? And um, Miss Bant? He knows grief is a funny thing that affects people differently but he's pretty sure 'massive mood swing' and 'having full conversations with invisible people' is not...great? and you said to tell you if Obi-Wan got really weird in any way.

Anyway after a lot of medical exams, intense consultation with the archives, and a couple exorcisms, Anakin ends up being raised by his 'real' master and his ghost master. He is far more well adjusted emotionally and far less well adjusted for what counts as normal people behavior(not talking to thin air). When questioned on this, all he ever says is that he's talking to Qui-Gon. Isn't he...dead? Well, yes. Wait, he's a ghost? Ghosts are real? ...Well this ghost is real.

This starts a great number of existential crises among non-force sensitives and incredibly heated theological arguments amongst the Jedi. Whenever Obi-Wan is questioned on this, all he ever says is some variation of "the force got to know him for 5 seconds and kicked him back out." Mace backs him up on this even though that reasoning is technically blasphemous. Qui-Gon is having the time of his un-life. He's ascended to his final form, his sheer existence is a heresy, this is truly all he has ever aspired towards.

the Clone Wars?

The minute they get dropped back Qui-Gon immediately goes and haunts the shit out of Dooku. They have a signed terms of surrender and promise of info on the Sith Lord within the year. Only half of it is because Qui-Gon's giving Dooku complexes that are only perceptible to shrimp, the other half is because they now have a ghost spy that is not bound by the laws of physics nor spacetime.

Obi-Wan only nominally pays attention to this as he immediately goes and implements his 19 step seduction plan with Cody (he had to focus on something on Tatooine to pass the time). It fails. Spectacularly. Publicly. Ah right. Tatooine was not exactly the height of his sanity. Everyone in the GAR and temple is now riveted by High General and Councilor Obi-Wan Kenobi's attempts to go on a date with his Commander, who bats him away him like a particularly annoying stray and seems one bouquet of cactus away from committing mutiny. Anakin is worrying if it means his master knows about his secret marriage and this is some sort of really weird power play. (It is, but not in the way he thinks)

The next time Dooku goes after Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon spends a good few months appearing tear-stained at the edge of Dooku's perception and only communicating in terrible wails and discordant mutterings of 'padawan. my padawan. my little one.' 24/7.

"Wait, you're annoying Dooku into surrendering?"

"Oh no Anakin, we're crushing his psyche like a bug. :)"

hunger 'verse "crispy has lost control of their life again" celebration sneak peek

will be starting a wip wednesday sort of thing maybe next week (which will include more than star wars related stuff since that's where most of my time is going these days), but wanted to do a lil celebration today 'cause i recently exceeded a thousand hours in skyrim, in less than a year, and that's quite an achievement for someone who said they'd never even touch an elder scrolls game so here's a lil sneak peek at the next and penultimate chapter of all we have is hunger! i'm really excited for the second to last scene of the whole fic but i haven't even started writing it yet so here's this instead~ (told y'all there would eventually be qui-gon—punching)

When Jaster Mereel comes at him fist-first with no prologue, Qui-Gon sighs and accepts it.

  It’s far from the first time he’s been punched in the face, and it’s not even the first time Jaster has done so, but the sharp impact is as nausea-inducing as ever, even having expected and braced himself for it.

  “If I thought you could accept, I’d challenge you to an honour duel right here, right now, Master Jinn,” the man snarls, panting more from the effort of restraining himself than the actual blow.

  It probably says something about Qui-Gon, and his many recent blunders that he isn’t sure which exactly Jaster is pissed at him for.

  “However,” Jaster grits, watching him hold his nose with a snarl of satisfaction. It doesn’t look like he’d drawn much blood, but Jaster hadn’t held back either, Qui-Gon’s eyes watering even as he stands there and accepts Jaster’s rage. “As it is, I won’t ask you to set aside your own culture to satisfy mine, but make no mistake: you would not win.”

  “I am aware,” Qui-Gon coughs, and is actually relieved he can’t see how the others scattered in the courtyard are taking such a violent interruption of their afternoon. “May I ask for what you’d be challenging my honour?”

  Scoffing, Jaster forces himself to relax, and props his helmet on his hip. “Obi-Wan.”

  “... Unfortunately, you’ll have to be more specific.”

  Jaster bears his teeth in a mirthless smile, but doesn’t actually answer Qui-Gon’s question. “Where is my son?”  he asks instead, looking around the courtyard as if Jango Fett would appear from the small crowd their altercation has gathered.

  With a sigh, Qui-Gon holds his sleeve to his nose and avoids the glare of one of the handmaidens. “Presumably with Messere Naberrie,” he says, “though I should warn you that there is another Jedi from my Temple that may be with him as well.”

  “Plo Koon,” Jaster agrees with a satisfied nod, “I look forward to seeing him again. Jinn.” He gives Qui-Gon a perfunctory nod of farewell and doesn’t wait for a response, marching into the palace proper like the military man he is.

  Qui-Gon lets out another sigh.

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Hi! I've got a 12 hour flight in a few days, so by any chance do you have any more star wars fic recs? I love your rec lists, they're so detailed and amazing and always such amazing recs!

Hi! I have been slowly plunking away at doing a recs list and here are some slightly longer fics (and a couple epics thrown in for fun) I've enjoyed that should hopefully round out your reading list! ✦ wayfinding by night by wrennette, obi-wan & luke & cast, time travel, 10.2k     Before him stood a fellow Jedi, worn and weary with loss. Obi-Wan finds himself on Ahch-To and helps Luke find a path through his grief.  ✦ Birds Fly in Different Directions by Triscribe, jedi & clones, time travel, 14.6k     In the corridor beyond her quarters, other Jedi were emerging from their own doors, most of them wide-eyed with shock. A few merely looked blearily concerned, and Aayla heard snatches of questions as she darted past, queries as to whether everyone experienced the same distressing vision. But those who clutched at their chests or throats, their weak points- those Jedi bore a muted horror in their eyes, and Aayla didn’t doubt they’d just suffered their own betrayals from trusted men.  ✦ Off-by-one Error by Jessepinwheel, obi-wan & cast, 12.2k     A stranger appears in the Jedi Temple. Nobody knows who he is or where he came from. Nobody knows what has happened to him except that it must have been something truly terrible. The stranger’s name is Obi-Wan Kenobi.  ✦ Loth-Cats and Loth-Rats by TessaDoesThings, mace & depa & kanan & ezra, 19k     All Mace Windu wanted out of the Post-Clone Wars world was a simple trip with his lineage to the long-forgotten Jedi Temples of the Outer Rim. However, on Lothal, the three might have bitten off more than they expected. The Republic may have triumphed, but the roots of what could have become the empire are gripped in the corners of the galaxy, and it might be time for some aggressive space weeding. Or a coup d'etat. That would work too. ✦ Unexpected Awakening (The Rewrite) by Rhiw, obi-wan & bruck & qui-gon & feemor & cast, time travel, 130.2k wip The life of General Kenobi is cut short at the hands of his Padawan, but the sight that greets his eyes upon awakening is not that of blinding light of the Force, but the Jedi Temple he knew when he was still a youth. As he struggles to understand the path laid out before him, Obi-Wan unwittingly captures the attention of a singularly unusual Temple Guard, and that of a reluctant Qui-Gon Jinn. ✦ Supreme Chancellor Obi-Wan Kenobi stonefreeak, obi-wan & anakin & padme & bail & palpatine & various jedi, 115.6k wip By an old Republic law, all members of the Jedi High Council are senators in the Galactic Senate, and can thus be voted in as chancellor. A Senator from a less prominent planet has had enough of Chancellor Palpatine's incompetence and calls for a Vote of No-Confidence and the installation of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi as Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic. This one action becomes the catalyst that changes the direction of the galaxy. ✦ Reprise by Elfpen, obi-wan & qui-gon & mace & anakin & cast, time travel, 558.8k 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. ✦ The Intruder by Hollyoakhill, obi-wan & original clone characters, 82.5k When a vicious attack from a strange, indestructible monster traps them on a derelict star destroyer, a young clone trooper fresh from Kamino join forces with Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi to find a way to escape.

The First Verse

Obi-Wan lays his hand on the mirrored glass and closes his eyes, let’s his awareness spread like a gentle breeze, unobtrusive, imperceptible through the cracks of surprisingly solid mental shields.

Below the observation deck, the Marshal Commander of the Third Systems Army is being divested of his armor and weapons, shackles heavy on his wrists. He doesn’t struggle, only a mulish stubborn twist to his jaw showing his displeasure at the situation.

A skim bares so much already. Steadfast, integer, loyal to a fault when it’s deserved. Just as expected. He shines like a sun, it makes Obi-Wan want to turn his head towards his light, bask in it, devour it. So much strength. Protective with a heart big enough to hold every single one of the clones close, dead or alive.

Obi-Wan opens his eyes, steps back from the observation window. “I need a week.”

Next to him, Dooku hums. “Very well. That can be arranged.”

“They think he’s on Serenno?”

“Yes. I left enough clues and Qui-Gon will look there first anyway when he realizes I’m behind the kidnapping.”

Obi-Wan can feel his jaw flex at Jinn’s name. He rolls his shoulders. “Alright. Give me an hour,” and turns to go. Messing up his hair he points at the guards, “you two, with me.” He throws a sly grin over his shoulder at Dooku. “See you at dinner, Pops.”

———

Being kidnapped, Cody decides as he’s thrown into a cell, karking sucks every time. The air in his lungs breaks for freedom when he roughly lands on the stone floor. He lays there for a moment, shoulder throbbing, getting his breath back enough to see through the ringing in his head.

Rolling onto his back is a pain but at least it grants him a view of the situation. Old fashioned and connected barred cells lined up on both sides of the corridor, locks that need keys - Cody has only seen those in history holos.

And a cell neighbor, it turns out, when his eyes have adjusted enough in the dark to check the cells in vicinity.

Cody can’t make out much at first besides pale dirty hands gripping the length of chain between shackles much like the ones Cody is wearing. Dirty ginger hair, torn, bloody tunic and pants over bruised skin. Very bright storm blue eyes, as he suddenly finds out, even if one of them is almost swollen shut.

At the eye contact the redhead violently flinches back, gasping when their head connects with the stone wall.

Cody winces. “Hey, hey,” he soothes, gentling his voice, “it’s alright. It’s okay.”

The figure slumps with an awful sounding heave, shackles clanging together.

Cody ignores everything to do with his bruised ribs and slowly raises his hands. Unarmed, see? Same cuffs as you, same boat. The redhead uncurls just a tiny bit, one knee shaking, and Cody’s chest gives a little twang. “I’m Cody,” he offers, keeping his tone gentle. He’d rather establish trust with the civilian now than rescue a struggling and confused victim later. People are unpredictable when it comes to rescue efforts, Cody has learned.

The silence stretches. He’s almost given up getting an answer for the moment, when a swallow clicks through the redhead’s throat. “I’m—,” hesitant, quiet voice with a surprising core world accent, “I’m Ben.”

“Hey, Ben,” like he’s dealing with a skittish animal, “I’m going to get us out of here. I’ll make sure.” Or die trying, he adds only in his head.

“I don’t think I can go.” Ben hunches into himself. Judging by the dirt under his fingernails, he must’ve been here a while already.

How long though, and for what reason? Cody tables the questions for later, says instead, “The GAR is looking for me. I will get you out of here.” The more his eyes adjust to the dark, the less whole skin he can make out on Ben. “Just hold on until back up arrives. Can you do that for me?”

Ben’s eyes search his for a torturously long moment. He looks away first, fiddles with a chain link. “Okay,” said so unconvinced, so quietly Cody strains his ears even in the echoing silence of the cells.

During the night of the first day, when he can’t sleep because every noise makes Ben flinch and the chains rattle, Cody asks why he’s here.

Count Dooku is looking for potential apprentices. And isn’t that disturbing intel. Ben is just the latest in the line unlucky enough to have survived long enough to intrigue. Barely force-sensitive at all, he doesn’t know what they want from someone like him. Says he’s been here what feels forever but might be closer to a ten-days.

After the first day Cody loses track of time. Meals are provided but irregularly, confusing on purpose to mess with the perception of how much time passes, if it’s night or day. They get taken out of their cells just as irregularly. Sometimes both of them together, separated in the hallway leading to the lock-up. Sometimes just one or the other.

The silence in the cells, the meals half thrown on the floor, the interrogations, it all streams together to an endless unpredictable routine. They start talking just to escape the monotony.

Cody would even say they get to know each other.

There’s more interrogations. More:

“Marshal Commander. Third Systems Army,” Cody glares, spits blood on the floor like he’s seen in holos, just for something to do. “CC-2224.”

“Commander Cody,” Count Dooku says from the shadowy corner, bored and bordering impatience. “You could at least vary with your chosen name sometimes. Obviously I already know it.”

“Marshal Commander,” he smirks, “Third Systems Army. CC-2224.” He gets a backhand to his cheek for the trouble.

The Count sighs, steps closer into the light of the lamp hanging over Cody’s head and making him sweat through his blacks. The Count mutters something about having to leave Cody’s head in one piece, looks at his comm, and waves at his henchmen to find more vulnerable places on Cody’s body with their fists.

And more torture.

They deposit him back into his cell, and he can barely breathe through the pain.

Sometimes Ben gives him the water he saved from the measly meals, when the guards are distracted enough to not notice. Quietly urges Cody to take it, please, you need it more than me.

Cody— starts feeling protective.

Sometimes Ben comes back out of his mind fighting something trying to get in. Soothing doesn’t work, touch makes a dent. Talking, distracting him from the— voices, or something, in his head, that seems to do the trick. Giving him something else to focus on.

So Cody starts talking. The silliest anecdotes he can think of. He doesn’t think he reveals anything. He’s nonplussed to how much bantha shit his brothers get up to now that he’s exclusively reflecting on that.

The days go by and in between wondering how much more his ribs and kidneys and… everything else, really, can put up with and talking with Ben, he— Yeah, maybe, when Ben laughs at his stories, a curious hysterical little edge to it, eyes lit up, shoulders touching through the bars, he’d like to find out if they can still make each other smile while not slowly bleeding out in cuffs. He gets the feeling Ben would like to find that out as well.

Sometimes, more and more often and Cody cannot figure out why, Ben looks almost guilty at the strangest moments. Maybe he fears the torture starts working, that he’s going dark. Cody tries his best to comfort him, says the Light will be here for him, as his General likes to say.

Close to a week must have gone by and Cody seriously starts to wonder where his kriffing exfil is hauling ass if it’s not here. He’s telling the story of Waxer’s unfortunate endeavor into befriending a baby gundark and its acquaintance with a power spine when—when he— when he says something and Ben easily rolls to his feet from his painful slouch. Shackles falling away. Stretches as he crosses the cell, opens his cell door with an absent wave, opens Cody’s cell door, and crouches down.

His eyes are different.

He cups Cody’s jaw, thumb carefully brushing the split open skin on his cheekbone. “Thank you,” he says, “that’s everything I need.”

Cody goes still in absolute, hands clenched, fingernails driving into his palms.

Ben tips his head forward, Sith eyes burning Cody alive. “Understand, Commander, that you cannot die now. I’ll make sure.”

The constantly active, analyzing part of Cody doesn’t know if it’s a threat or a promise, doesn’t know what’s more terrifying. The rest is free falling into betrayal.

Will! Will! Will!

Have you heard about this up coming booook?!?!?

“The Living Force is an upcoming adult novel by John Jackson Miller that will be set in the year before Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace. Due out on April 9, 2024 in hardcover, audiobook and ebook format, it will focus on Qui-Gon Jinn, his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi, and the twelve members of the Jedi Council.”

AHHHHHHHH!!!

yeah!! i was excited when i saw it announced, and then i read the summary and was.... much less excited, more wary and tired. it reminds me of various anti-jedi fanfics, saying the jedi are "secluded on Coruscant" in "increasing isolation" and per miller, "Qui-Gon challenges them to get out of the Council Chamber and rediscover the Jedi they used to be," and needless to say, this is consistent with the Disneyfication of the jedi order, a reinterpretation which is distinct from how the order is presented in lucas's films and commentary. many works of this era implicitly shift the blame for the order's fall to their monastic nature and buddhist philosophy, making qui-gon the only real good jedi because of his friction with the council. it's no secret that i prefer books that focus on the rise of the sith despite the best effort of the jedi order and respect their altruism and moral authority as imagined by lucas. so basically i don't think i'm the target demographic of the book, it's for people who are fans of star wars but also too jaded for the mythic morality play and tragic structure of the prequels. i hope they enjoy it very much!! star wars is many things to many people, it's just not my preferred flavor haha