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kenobiapologist · 3 years

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Star Wars Novel Rankings

In celebration of the end of this year, I made a tier list of all of the Star Wars novels I’ve read since I joined this fandom in 2017 (which you can use to rank these books too). And I named all the tiers in a dorky but appropriate fashion. I would love to hear your thoughts on my rankings, as well as how you’d rank the books yourself! I’ve had a blast reading Star Wars novels from both Disney’s canon and the Legends extended universe over these past 3 years. Here’s to many more years of reading stories from the galaxy far far away!

I put longer (but not more coherent) thoughts below the cut.

The Chosen One: Bringing Balance to the Force and My Depressed Soul

1. The first spot of top tier had to go to Matthew Stover’s Revenge of the Sith novelization for obvious reasons. You simply cannot beat it. It’s a masterpiece. I literally had to put the book down to scream when I read the prose associated with the opening battle over Coruscant. It gave a whole new meaning to the triumphant music and the synchronous twirling of Obi-Wan and Anakin’s starfighters as they weave through blaster-fire in the battle over Coruscant. The rest of the book is the same way. You can’t put it down. I have wAyyYyYy too many feelings about this book oh my god.

2. Thrawn was a surprising book for me. For being centered on an admiral of the Empire’s navy, it had so much heart in it! I loved reading from Eli Vanto’s perspective too. god dammit I love that freaking Wild Space hillbilly dweeb with all my heart. I think his experiences getting to know Thrawn and learning from him guides the reader to feel much the same way as Eli by the end. Thrawn is a trusted friend, not the enemy you expect him to be. I could have done without Arihnda Pryce but she’s supposed to be unlikeable so I won’t blame Timothy Zahn this time.

3. The Clone Wars Gambit duology is basically Karen Miller writing fanfic and I’m HERE FOR IT. As is tradition with Karen Miller’s Star Wars novels, the emotions are dialed up the eleven. Our favorite dumbass Jedi team is back at it again with a mission to save the galaxy and this time they end up going undercover as two lumberjacks from the boonies. Anakin holds an energy shield back from collapsing with his bare hands like a total badass. Obi-Wan is in love with another woman despite it always ending in tragedy, while also bickering like a married couple with Anakin every ten seconds. get a fucking room, you two. These two books inspired one of my fics so they’re near and dear to my heart.

Jedi Master: These Books Have A Seat On The Council Too

4. Wild Space was appropriately named, I’ll tell you that. It’s a wild ride from start to finish. *slaps the front cover* this book can fit so much of Obi-Wan’s suffering in it! @forcearama has elaborated on the many reasons why this book is a gem in Snark Wars blog posts (linked here). It’s also the beginning of the best team-up since Anakin and Obi-Wan...Bail and Obi-Wan! These two bastards get under each other’s skin but it makes for the perfect character development. This book is the reason I screech with delight whenever Bail Organa appears on screen, or is mentioned in conversation. Bail gets a mysterious tip about trouble on a planet, and Obi-Wan decides to go with him to investigate. Cue Sith-induced suffering. It’s cool to see a normal person experiencing the weirdness of Force sensitives and how the world has this extra level of sensory information in it. Plotwise this one isn’t the best, but I think the interactions between characters really shine in this novel. Karen Miller’s writing is like a cup of hot chocolate to me. Indulgent character insight, full of sweet moments, has a bunch of extra marshmallowy dialogue, you’re reading it to have a good time but not to be satisfied with plot. You get me?

5. Do I even have to explain myself here? Kenobi by John Jackson Miller is both an interesting western-style tale set on Tatooine, and a beautiful character study of a man stricken with grief he keeps suppressed. How does one continue on when their whole family was murdered and their whole culture burnt to ash? I wanted to give Obi-Wan a hug the entire time I read this. The characterization was spot-on, from the way he wrangled animals to the way he severed a man’s arm off in a bar with his lightsaber. And when he meets a woman named Annileen Calwell, or Annie for short, Obi-Wan can’t bring himself to call her by her nickname ever and if that doesn’t just break your damn heart fucking fuck.

6. Ahsoka was the first Disney canon book I ever read and it kickstarted my love for E.K. Johnston. The writing is simplistic, but that makes it easy to jump into. Overall, it’s a quick and enjoyable read. By far the best parts are the flashbacks that mull over memories Ahsoka has of the time before Order 66. That shit hits you right in the heart, man. And the part where Ahsoka equates Obi-Wan and Anakin to her adoptive family ohhhhhhh god the tears they flow like a river. There are scenes that allude to Ahsoka becoming the vital part of the Rebellion we know her to be from Rebels, balanced with her current struggles to survive and find herself. Despite having cast away her identity as a Jedi and having any remaining bits of her culture destroyed by Palpatine, Ahsoka shows us all how bright a hero can shine in the darkest of times. AND SHE WAS WRITTEN AS QUEER! finally some good fucking food.

7. Oh shit, another E.K. Johnston book? Don’t be surprised. She’s a prequel fan and so am I, hence why Queen’s Shadow is so high on the list. E.K. Johnston pays homage to our favorite queen and badass senator Padme Amidala. There’s politics, there’s solidarity between female characters, and Bail Organa is in it so you KNOW I simply must give it a high rating. All jokes aside, I thought the story added lots of little details to the world of Star Wars without it being all stereotypical sci-fi nerdy language. You know how people want to describe something beyond our technological capabilities so they throw a bunch of nonsense together like “pre-praxis crystal bio-anode circuitry”? I’m looking at you, Karen Miller, I love you but please. There is none of that in this book. It makes sense, it adds color and culture and life to the worlds of Star Wars. Most of all, it devotes time and love to developing Padme outside of her place in canon as Anakin’s wife, Queen of Naboo, and Senator. She is all of these things, but she’s human too. I do agree that the pacing is slow, but it’s something meant to be savored, I think. E.K. Johnston really shines when she’s writing dialogue because she gets these characters. That’s something to appreciate, because not all canon books agree with the way we’ve perceived the characters as an audience.

8. Rogue Planet chewed me up, spit me out, and declared me an even bigger stan for The Team. People who say Qui-Gon would have been a better master for Anakin can ~get out~ because I could read about these two hooligans getting neck deep in space shenanigans all damn day. Anakin is like twelve, which is a time in his training that we don’t get a lot of in canon. Personally, I think it was equal parts heartwarming and funny to read about their adventures. There is some angst sprinkled in there because hey, we’re reading about Anakin here, let’s not forget the emotional trainwreck that is Anakin Skywalker. The duo is sent to a planet that makes super fast ships that are ?sentient? or at least biologically active. They bond with the pilot, which makes Anakin perfect for this mission. There’s a scene where these little floof things attach all over tiny Anakin because he’s so strong in the Force and it’s god damn adorable how dare he?? I’d probably rate this one even higher if I read it again, but it’s been awhile. Characterization is spot on and reminiscent of Matthew Stover’s writing in how it highlights the strong bond between Obi-Wan and Anakin, how they’re fated to know each other. I’m a sucker for soulmates, what can I say?

9. Lost Stars reads like a movie. Not a script, but just the perfect amount of detail that you can imagine the scenes but the pacing is still quick, the dialogue smooth and natural. I couldn’t help wishing this was a film because the story was so all-encompassing. The highs and lows of the emotions of both protagonists, their relationship developing, the differences in culture. Folks, this book has it all! It’s a totally different perspective on the events of the original trilogy, seen from the side of Imperial cadets training to become pilots. Eventually, one splits off and joins the Rebellion while the other perseveres in the Empire. It’s like star-crossed lovers, but covers so much more ground than that. And the characters are fully developed. These original characters knocked my socks off, and that’s hard to do since I’m usually an Obi-Wan stan through and through. For anyone uncertain of reading Star Wars novels, this book is a great place to start. Action-packed, emotion-filled, and stands on its own despite weaving perfectly into the established universe. What more could you want?

10. Back at it again with the prequel shit, amiright? Queen’s Peril is E.K. Johnston’s most recent Padme-centric novel and it does not disappoint fans that wanted a taste of the Queen’s side of the story. Set during the events of The Phantom Menace, we get a “behind the curtain” look at how all of the handmaidens came to be more than their title suggests. There’s teenage girls getting stuff done! It makes more sense why Padme was elected ruler of her home-world, and you come to appreciate that a royal leader is not alone; there’s actually a whole team at her side to help her overcome everything from the drudgery of daily governing to Trade Federation blockades that threaten to starve her people. I think if you enjoyed Queen’s Shadow, you’ll enjoy this book a lot. For those that are unfamiliar with Johnston’s work, I wouldn’t recommend this one first because it does cover events you’ve already seen in movies and therefore is a less suspenseful companion to them. On the other hand, because it does tie in with TPM, it doesn’t suffer from the pacing issues of Queen’s Shadow to the same degree. I read this all in one sitting, so it’s definitely fun, but wasn’t compelling enough in its character development to elevate the book past some of the others I’ve listed already.

11. Thrawn: Treason was a refreshing return to the Grand Admiral we all know and love after the second installment in this series slowed things down a bit. Although it wasn’t as character-driven as the first book (which I love with all of my heart), there were still many moments that had me cackling at the disparity between Thrawn’s immense intellect and the other Imperials’ sheer stupidity, and that’s what we’re here for in a book about the Empire, right? There’s a lot of pressure on Thrawn, as his TIE Defender project has been pitted against Director Krennic’s Project Stardust. Who will get the funds? We just don’t know?? Tarkin sits in between the two and as usual, manipulates everything to his advantage. Palpatine questions Thrawn’s allegiance to the Empire after some of the choices he has made, leaving him in even more of a pickle. Thrawn is sent on a wild goose chase task that should definitely end in failure (on purpose because Imperials all want to watch each other burn as much as they want to watch the Rebellion burn), but you know Thrawn will find a way. My main squeeze Eli Vanto makes his return after being absent from book 2. Missed you, my sweet sweet country boy. He doesn’t have a leading role in this novel, but every scene he’s in makes the story better. Thrawn says “perhaps” way too often for my taste, but if you can ignore that, this book is a solid read. Equal parts action and deductive reasoning, as any Thrawn book should be.

12. Most of Dark Disciple had me thinking this was going to be a top tier book, and damn do I wish we could have gotten this animated. We follow Quinlan Vos and Asajj Ventress on a mission to assassinate Count Dooku. Why the Jedi thought this was a good idea, I don’t know. But I’m here for it all the same. 3/4 of the adventure were intriguing, but the ending didn’t do it for me. I won’t spoil things for anyone who hasn’t read this yet, but after all of the character development, to have it squandered so quickly just left me disappointed? I got really attached to everyone in this novel, and I’m sure you will to. I’ve read this and listened to it as an audiobook, and actually I think it’s more memorable as an audiobook. Would recommend, except for Mace Windu’s voice being exceptionally southern for no reason. Weird. I think this novel captures all of the great things about The Clone Wars show; time to really get to know each character and their motivations, action and adventure with the darkness of impending doom tinting everything, and lightsaber fights! Plus, Obi-Wan and Anakin make appearances in this book and it just adds that extra bit of spice. Worth the read, even if you know they aren’t going to get Dooku in the end (which I am still mad about, screw that guy).

Jedi Knight: Passed the Trials but There’s Room for Improvement

13. Few books in the Star Wars universe are centered around characters with no use of the Force, but in Most Wanted, we see a young Han Solo and Qi’ra struggling to survive on Corellia and it provides a humorous but compelling backstory to both characters in the Disney canon. Han is his usual lucky goofball self, and Qi’ra is smart and cunning. You can see how they grew into the versions of themselves in Solo. While the book stays on the lighter side of things (typical of stories written for a younger audience), there are still moments of depth on droid rights, viewing the Force as a religion, and what life is like in a crime syndicate. Addressing these heavier topics without it killing the pace of the story is hard to do, but Rae Carson pulls it off flawlessly. I went into this book with no expectations and was pleasantly surprised by how much fun I had. Han and Qi’ra start off as competitors, but eventually have to learn to work together to survive as more and more people start hunting them down. They’re honestly so cute together, I loved their dynamic. It makes Solo a better movie, and although I liked it on its own, characters like Qi’ra needed a little more time to get to know, which you can get here!

14. Thrawn Alliances was not what I expected at all, and it took me a lot longer to get through. Hell, it has Thrawn, Anakin/Vader, and Padme in it! What’s not to love? Apparently, a lot. The different timepoints and perspectives in this were more jarring than anything else. Although the interactions between Thrawn and Anakin/Vader were enjoyable, it was not enough to elevate this book into the Jedi Master tier. Things felt dry, the characters didn’t grip me like in the first Thrawn, and it all felt like a ploy to introduce Batuu into canon before the launch of Galaxy’s Edge.

15. Leia: Princess of Alderaan was a dive into young Leia’s life before we see her in A New Hope even though this was marketed as a journey to The Last Jedi book, which I disagree with. We really haven’t seen any content about Leia in this time period before, and although I can’t say I was looking for this, I did enjoy it. The book was a little long, but there was adventure and the seeds are planted for Leia to be a bigger part of the Rebellion. The romance wasn’t too memorable, but Holdo wasn’t pointless in this (a stark contrast to her brief appearance in TLJ just to sacrifice herself). There’s a hint about Leia being Force-sensitive but it’s not in-your-face. It’s a typical coming-of-age story but in the gffa. The best part about this is seeing Bail and Breha as parents. I’m forever in pain that we didn’t get to see more of this in movies because it’s so so sweet. Leia must choose what kind of person she is going to be--and what kind of princess she will become. It won’t be for everyone, but I liked it.

16. Master and Apprentice was a typical Star Wars novel, which means it’s full of original characters that are strange and outlandish to serve the plot, a new world full of beautiful landscapes, and Obi-Wan suffering. I want to make it clear that this book is 80% Qui-Gon, 10% Rael Averross, and 10% Obi-Wan. I was expecting it to be 50% Qui-Gon, 50% Obi-Wan, as the cover suggested. Although I was disappointed by that, the story overall was okay. Qui-Gon is kind of an asshole in this? When is he not, though. We really get to sink our teeth into the way he and Obi-Wan fundamentally disagree with each other, so much so that their teacher-student relationship is falling apart. Tragic! They go on one last mission before calling it quits. Qui-Gon is in over his head with prophecies, Obi-Wan just wants to follow the rules, and Rael Averross is Dooku’s previous apprentice that is living his best life as a regent until Pijal’s princess comes of age. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a solid book. I just don’t vibe with Qui-Gon and want to whack him upside the head every time he avoids confrontation with his own student. My protectiveness for Obi-Wan is showing again, isn’t it? Yikes.

17. James Luceno is one of the most analytical authors I’ve ever read anything from, but it seems to always work? Tarkin is all about...well, Moff Tarkin. He’s ruthless, intelligent, and just downright evil. His backstory was compelling and I found myself drawn into the story by the details, although it is dense and took awhile to finish. I’m not interested in him as a character, but despite that, I enjoyed this story. The plot wasn’t memorable enough for me to recall after 3 years, but it’s similar to how Thrawn rose through the ranks of the Navy, just in a different part of the Empire’s governing body. We don’t get many books completely focused on a villain (I don’t count Vader ones because we know who he was before and the whole damn saga is about him), but this one is good! Don’t be fooled by it only being in the Knight tier. I think people who read a lot of sci-fi will like this book a lot. This is like the opposite of Queen’s Shadow, basically. If you had gripes about that book, you might like this one instead.

18. Battlefront II: Inferno Squad was a worthwhile read for anyone who played Battlefront II. Iden Versio is a great protagonist in the game, and I think Christie Golden totally gets her character. She’s nuanced and relatable. The whole team is interesting and getting introduced to each member before the events of the game makes everything mean more. That’s the real goal of any prequel story, I think. Accomplished! The action scenes are on point, the plot served to highlight what makes Inferno Squad special, and you get a sense for the morally grey area anyone must function in as an operative for the Empire. Although not necessary for the greater canon, it’s a great adventure. Iden and her squad members infiltrate the remains of Saw Gerrara’s group (they’ve become a bit of extremist) and destroy them from the inside. It’s got the suspense of a spy thriller and all of the nerdy space opera elements you expect from Star Wars. Although it’s weird to jump into a story not knowing any of the characters, you’ll get attached to Inferno Squad fast. Well, except for Gideon Hask maybe. He’s kind of a dick.

19. If you’re craving some Dark Side action, Lords of the Sith will give you what you’re looking for. Sidious and Vader crash-land on Ryloth and have to work together to survive, and also defeat the Free Ryloth Movement led by Cham Syndulla. It’s all fucking connected, guys. I love when people weave together stories that fit into the canon timeline like this, bringing in side characters and allowing them to develop some depth. And a chance to sink into the mind of a Sith Lord is always fun, if you’re in the mood to read about destruction and anger. It’s cathartic sometimes. If you’re always wondering, why didn’t Vader just stab Palps when he had the chance, this book explains their dynamic more. It didn’t really change my opinion of any of the characters, which is why it’s not higher on the list.

20. Catalyst suffered from being in a really boring part of galactic history. Despite that, Galen Erso and Orson Krennic have a hilarious relationship that I would have loved to see on-screen. This book really develops Krennic to become more than just the whiny entitled evil man we saw in Rogue One. He’s ten times worse now! But I mean that in the best way, I laugh whenever he’s in a scene, that sassy man just brings me joy. James Luceno is at it again, making things as detailed and dry as possible. I read so many of his stories right at the beginning of my journey through Star Wars canon and it’s a wonder I didn’t quit. Some of them are dark as fuck. And also slow as hell. With this one, I think it all comes down to what you want out of a Star Wars novel. Some people will really enjoy the plot. I think seeing how Galen became a part of Project Stardust was interesting and every time something about the Death Star became more clear, I screeched because I knew what it would eventually become. This book may not hold your interest though, which is why I put it lower on this list.

21. Star Wars: Clone Wars was a decent retelling of the Clone Wars movie. I liked it because I liked the movie, but you have to be able to sit back and enjoy the ride, not thinking too much about the silly parts. For that reason, it’s pretty far down in the rankings. Ahsoka is young and liable to get on your nerves. I certainly wasn’t her biggest fan at this point in the series. The biggest problem is that Karen Traviss is very anti-Jedi. Some authors for Star Wars tend to do this? To me, it’s weird. I didn’t notice it too much because it was one of the first Star Wars books I read, but it contrasts starkly with the truth of the prequel trilogy and some of the other entries in the Clone Wars Novel timeline, like Karen Miller’s books. Needless to say, although this book wasn’t super memorable aside from the familiar plot, it kept me reading Star Wars books, and so it is at least an average book. Plus, any content with Anakin and the clones is worth it for me. I love them.

22. A New Hope was good, for Alan Dean Foster. I’m not a fan, I’ll be honest. But this novelization stands on it’s own. I’m going to have to do a re-read to really go in depth on why this isn’t farther up on the tier list, but the movie is always going to be better to me. If you want to re-live the great beginning of the Original Trilogy, it’s worth your time. I mean, the story is full of adventure and mystery and lovable characters. What’s not to love? I just feel like the movie really elevates the narrative with a great score and fun character design/costumes/sets.

Padawan: These Books Have Much to Learn

23. Attack of the Clones was more entertaining than The Phantom Menace because the characters are in funnier situations. Obi-Wan and Anakin chasing Zam Wesell through the levels of Coruscant? Hilarious, just like the movie. Anakin and Padme falling in love as they spend time together? Holy fuck it’s so much better than the movie. Please read it for that alone. Outside of that, the writing style didn’t really impress me. And my experience with it wasn’t super memorable. There was potential to really make the inner dialogue of these characters impactful, to really develop the story of Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Padme beyond what we could get from the movie scenes alone. I didn’t think it went above and beyond there. Not a bad story at all, but you don’t get to look at Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, or Ewan McGregor the whole time either, so therefore I must rank it lower. So many beautiful people in that movie, holy shit. You can understand my, dilemma, yes?

24. I enjoyed parts of The Phantom Menace book, like deleted scenes with Anakin living on Tatooine before Qui-Gon and Padme meet him. The additional depth is lovely, but I think a story like Queen’s Peril adds more to TPM than this book does. The story overall is still fun. I love this movie so much, it’s hard for me to be critical. I did put a lot of post-it flags in my copy, so it does develop the characters and get you thinking beyond your expectations from the movie. What more could you ask for from a movie novelization? I’d say not much, if I hadn’t read Revenge of the Sith and had my fucking mind blown. In comparison to that, this one is just okay.

25. The Last Jedi novelization wasn’t bad, necessarily. It tried its best to bring this story up to par with some of the interesting novels that don’t have movie counterparts. But still, the plot suffers because of how this movie was made. It’s very focused on Rey and Kylo, and Finn’s little adventure with Rose seems pointless in the grand scheme of things. I’d rather read this again versus watching the film, but that’s all I’ll say on this because I’m trying to keep my opinions on this movie to myself to avoid digging up old arguments. Jason Fry did well, and of the two Sequel Trilogy books I’ve read, I would recommend this one over Ep. 7.

26. The Force Awakens falls short and I think it’s because of Alan Dean Foster’s writing style on this one? It didn’t really expand on anything from the movie, while taking away the beautiful music and visuals. This novel is the antithesis of Revenge of the Sith’s novelization, and for that reason I ranked it fairly low. I wouldn’t read this one unless you really really love the Sequel Trilogy.

27. To be fair, I read the new Thrawn book before I went back and read this one. Even so, Heir to the Empire didn’t impress me at all. Thrawn didn’t seem like a thrilling villain with lots of depth like he did in Timothy Zahn’s reimagined Thrawn novel. We barely saw him. A lot of time was spent on the Original Triology’s trio, which waasn’t bad. I thought Luke, Leia, and Han were all written fairly well. The latter part of the story was redeemed by the interactions between Mara Jade and Luke, for sure. Enemies to lovers, anyone?? Without Thrawn, this book would have been an entertaining story, but for all of the praise it has received from long-time Star Wars fans, I was expecting to be blown away and I wasn’t. Maybe I have to continue the triology to figure out what all of the fuss is about, but after this one, I’m not super motivated to read more. Change my mind?

28. Cloak of Deception really shines when you’re following Palpatine’s perspective because you can feel the undercurrents of his master plan to destroy the Republic underneath his calm persona as a Senator. Other than that, it’s a forgettable plot. This is all about galactic politics and some terrorist group trying to blow up some government officials. Basically the most boring parts of the prequel trilogy. I listened to the audiobook of this at the beginning of this year and I already forget what it’s about. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan should have been able to bring some humor and energy to get you rooting for the good guys, but there was barely any of that. I was disappointed in all of the characters. Everything felt distant, removed from the heart of the characters. Some people in reviews have argued that the events of The Phantom Menace really pinned this novel in a corner because you already know what happens, but I disagree, because we know how Revenge of the Sith goes and The Clone Wars show is that much more tragic and heartbreakingly beautiful because of it. Prequels can be done right. This ain’t it, Luceno. Sorry.

29. Star Wars: The Old Republic, Fatal Alliance needs to go home and rethink it’s life. I’m a huge fan of the Old Republic and I’ve put like 200 hours of my life into playing that game, so I was hoping for some fun content in this part of the timeline. Sadly, this book captured the worst parts of the game, like the fact that there’s way too many factions at war with each other. Jedi, Sith, Empire, Republic, Mandalorians. They’re all here. They’re all ready to throw down. And I’m tired. As with many of the books in this lower tier, I felt there wasn’t enough description of the world or the people in the story. We’re in the gffa, be a little weird and wacky. Be big and bold! Make things terrifying, or beautiful, or both. But give my mind something to work with. The number of characters made the plot messier than it could have been, and it definitely isn’t worth the read. I can’t speak for all Old Republic books, but this one didn’t impress me.

A Sith Lord?! On My Bookshelf? It’s More Likely Than You’d Think

30. So underwhelming, you might as well just read the first half and then stop. Last Shot is absolutely terrible, except for Lando Calrissian’s characterization, which was spot-on. If the whole story had been from his perspective, I probably would have a much difference opinion on the novel as a whole. Sadly, this is not the case. Han was boring, he bottled up his emotions, and seemed drastically different from the badass he was in the original trilogy. There are different timepoints in this novel, and in all of them, Han is unrecognizable. Don’t nerf one of your main characters like that. Daniel Jose Older and I might just not get along. I thought his writing style didn’t fit Star Wars at all. It was like breaking the fourth wall, totally pulling me out of the story constantly. Also, there were little to no descriptions of body language, locations, or movement. It left me feeling disoriented the whole time I was reading. I thought one of the most interesting things would have been seeing Han, Leia, and baby Ben being a family at this point in time, but Han’s family was there as a prop, nothing more. There was a big bad item that was going to cause galactic destruction and our heroes had to go save the day. There was barely any tension and no one lost an arm so I’m pretty pissed off. Is it Star Wars if no one gets their appendage removed? I can’t tell you how much I disliked this book. Which is sad because I was hoping to enjoy it. I like Han. I like Lando. I like space adventures. I’m not that hard to please, or at least I don’t think so.

#Star Wars Novels #tier ranking #long post #i worked hard to put my thoughts into words for you guys #i read these books over a long period of time but I thought I'd encompass all of it in one post #sw lit #i've had so much fun becoming a part of this fandom #and I love the conversations about the books and the gffa in general #hopefully this will inspire some discussion!#i would love you guys to make tier rankings as well #they're always my favorite youtube videos to watch

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zelenacat · 3 years

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When We Were Young- Chapter 11- An Obitine Story- (Content-ish Warning)

Perhaps she’d been wrong about Obi-Wan’s feelings for her, maybe a lighter feeling had been buried under years of hard training to shut out love. Still, Satine went to bed with a smile that night and woke up seeing Obi-Wan’s face.

“Don’t tell me you’re in love again.” Parna teased.

“It’s too late for that,” Satine sighed, “honestly, I feel slightly hopeful.”

“Hopeful?”

Satine blushed, “Maybe he’ll kiss me today.”

Parna’s brow scrunched up, “We are talking about the father of your children, right?”

“Yes,” Satine nodded, “who knew this would be so hard?”

Parna laughed, a full belly sound that made her lady smile.

“Let’s get you dressed, Your Grace,” Parna grinned, “you have a big day ahead.”

“The Chancellor or-”

“No, Satine,” Parna winked, “your Jedi lover.”

The Duchess’ jaw dropped, “Don’t call him that!”

Parna giggled, “Forgive me, Your Grace, I just wanted to test your limits.”

Satine opened and closed her mouth many times before speaking again.

“Help me dress, Parna.”

“Of course, My Lady.”

The Chancellor’s office was her destination, yet on her journey, a few lawmakers stopped her and congratulated her on her perseverance. Mon Mothma was especially kind.

“Thank you, Senator,” Satine replied, “your acknowledgement legitimizes my struggle.”

“Oh, of course,” the lady replied, “I’m pleased Senator Amidala was able to help.”

“So am I.” agreed the Duchess.

“Well, I won’t keep you long, Highness,” Mon Mothma smiled, “do enjoy your debriefing with the Chancellor.”

“Thank you,” Satine winked, “I’m afraid I shall need it.”

Upstairs, the Duchess found Padme Amidala speaking of her to the Chancellor himself.

“I require no thanks.” Satine gestured, strolling in.

Obi-Wan shot her a look, she smiled.

“Satine,” Padme took the Duchess’ hands in hers, “the Senate held an emergency meeting, and Republic troops have been told to stand down.”

“Allow me to offer a sincere apology on behalf of the entire Republic,” the Chancellor nodded, “you are a most loyal servant, and we are all grateful.”

“Yes,” agreed the Chancellor’s aide, “grateful.”

Satine raised an eyebrow.

“Chancellor, Mosemeda,” Padme began, “if you would join me for a moment, we have some logistics to discuss to ratify the Senate’s decision.”

As they left, Satine noticed how obediently Master Skywalker followed Padme.

“But for you, this wouldn’t have happened.” the Duchess smiled, sticking her arm out in front of Obi-Wan.

“No, it was your unshakable faith in your people,” the Jedi grinned, “and your determination that brought about this result.”

“I appreciate that,” Satine tried to hide her blush, “but still, who’s behind all of this? Who tampered with that recording, who tried to convict me of murser and throw me in jail?”

“I’m not sure,” Obi-Wan frowned, “but as you said yourself, things are changing, and sometimes the line between friend and foe is blurred. Now more than ever.”

They stared at the sun rise for a moment.

“Would you,” Satine finally find the words, “would you-”

“Would I what?” Obi-Wan tried to hide his smirk, but failed.

“Do you have the day free?” Satine said quietly.

Obi-Wan lifted the Duchess’ chin, a move which caused her to inhale sharply, something Obi-Wan didn’t miss.

“I would love to spend the day with you, Satine.”

Looping her arm through Obi-Wan’s, the Duchess, tugging her Jedi along, left the Chancellor’s office.

“Where should we go first?” Satine asked as bubbly as she felt.

“Let me just comm Anakin,” Obi-Wan sighed, “he’ll find this hilarious.”

“Hilarious?”

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan pressed a button on his communicator, “Anakin, come in.”

“Yes, Master?”

“I’m taking the day off.”

“Have fun with your girlfriend, Master.”

Obi-Wan’s face went red and slightly uncomfortable, Satine burst out laughing.

“Enjoy yourself on Coruscant, Your Grace.” the young Jedi whispered, a smile in his voice.

“Thank you, Anakin,” Satine grinned, “and tell Padme I say thank you again.”

“Will do, Highness.”

The comm ended.

Obi-Wan sighed, “You must forgive Anakin, Satine-”

“If he thinks it’s funny,” Satine smiled, “then I’d hate to ruin his joke.”

They began walking.

“He thinks everything is funny.” Obi-Wan observed.

“Except Padme.”

Obi-Wan sighed. Satine laughed.

“You know,” Obi-Wan began, “I really don’t think you should laugh at that.”

Satine clicked her tongue, “Ben, they’re cute.”

“Oh?”

Leveling Obi-Wan a look, Satine smiled, “We used to be cute.”

After a disgruntled, garbling noise escaped his throat, Obi-Wan coughed.

“As I remember-”

“Satine,” Obi-Wan groaned, “I don’t remember you delighting in my pain so much.”

Before she could stop herself, Satine muttered, “I delight in other things of yours.”

Obi-Wan froze.

“Your kindness, Ben,” Satine recovered, trying not to turn red, “and your ability to come to my rescue.”

“Thank goodness you meant that,” Obi-Wan smiled, sliding his hand across Satine’s waist, “and not something else.”

“Obi, I-”

“I have the same memories you do, Satine,” Obi-Wan commented, “I don’t think we need to be ashamed of it.”

Satine raised an eyebrow, “Ashamed?”

“Not ashamed per se,” the Jedi backtracked, realizing his mistake, “but, I, things now, and being reunited, I’m afraid-”

Obi-Wan left the rest of his sentence to the wind, and Satine gazed at him. They were leaving the senate building now, and as soon as they passed under the doors Obi-Wan seemed to loosen a bit.

“Where would you like to go, Obi?” Satine asked, still focused on his last sentence.

“There’s a nice garden where we can have a picnic,” Obi-Wan smiled at his genius, “but I thought you might want to change first.”

Satine noticed they were heading back to the Senate housing quarters.

“How wise.” the Duchess remarked.

Obi-Wan waited outside while Satine changed quickly. Parna helped of course, looking as giddy as Satine felt. When the Duchess exited, wearing her simple salmon pink ensemble, Obi-Wan actually looked her up and down and grinned, which made Satine tremble slightly.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes,” Satine swallowed, “shall we go enjoy our picnic?”

The garden wasn’t modern, it was made to resemble an ancient garden where rows of imperfect petals gleamed in the sunlight. Gazing around, Satine noticed there weren’t many people here, how wise of her Obi-Wan. The Jedi led her to a bridge crossing a wide pond.

“Lilies!” Satine clapped.

“Yes, my dear,” Obi-Wan smiled, “lilies.”

“My symbol of serenity.”

“Aren’t I clever?” Obi-Wan asked, wrapping an arm around Satine’s waist and pulling her close.

The Duchess leaned her head on the Jedi’s shoulder, “Too clever for your own good.”

Obi-Wan chuckled, a sound that reverberated through his whole body, forcing Satine to realize they were standing awfully close.

“Come,” Obi-Wan said, grabbing her hand, likely thinking the same thing, “I know a place we can eat.”

Clutching the wicker basket in her right hand, Satine swung her left, the one that held Obi-Wan’s hand, and hummed quietly to herself.

“What are you thinking of, Satine?”

“It’s so peaceful here,” the Duchess sighed, “you would never guess this planet is at war.”

“I think it’s hard to understand a lot of things about war.” Obi-Wan commented.

“I don’t like war.” Satine stated.

Obi-Wan frowned, “I remember.”

“Innocent people die.” continued the Duchess, getting worked up.

“More so than during peacetime, I agree,” Obi-Wan nodded, “but is it old wounds that are bothering you?”

Satine blushed, surprised at how well her Jedi still knew her, “What do you mean?”

They had reached a woodsy area now, and Obi-Wan set down a blanket in the grotto where they were standing. Determined to look at anything but her Jedi, Satine surveyed the scene. The underbrush was slightly lacking here, and the sun poked through the leafy trees. Obi-Wan had chosen well.

“The circumstances that brought us together were particularly trying for you, as I remember,” Obi-Wan began, “but let’s not talk of that now, let’s enjoy our picnic.”

With a nod, Satine sat down across from Obi-Wan who opened the basket she had just placed. He rummaged around for a little while, then, with a smile, pulled out Satine’s favorite delicacy.

“Mandalorian cheese,” she squealed, “how did-”

“Dex’s diner,” Obi-Wan smiled, “they got everything.”

Satine snorted, then instantly regretted it.

Raising an eyebrow, Obi-Wan grinned, “How very unladylike.”

“What an ungentlemanly comment.” Satine quipped.

“Truce?” Obi-Wan asked, holding out the cheese.

“Truce.” Satine smiled, reaching for the food.

At the last second, Obi-Wan pulled back, causing Satine to teeter off-balance.

“Ben!” She pouted.

Obi-Wan grinned.

“I’m gonna get you for that,” Satine vowed, “I will.”

“The pacifist with morals?” Obi-Wan questioned, moving closer.

“A cruel Jedi?” Satine countered, meeting his stance.

“Cruel,” Obi-Wan tilted his head, a gleam in his eye, “I wouldn’t say I’m cruel, my dear.”

With an air of arrogance, Satine crossed her arms, “Well I would.”

“What else would you call me? Unforgiving?”

Satine rose to the challenge, “Cold.”

“Cold?”

“You take advantage of poor people.” Satine stated, laying the bait.

Obi-Wan grinned even wider, “People like you?”

“I never-”

Obi-Wan kissed her. Full blown, both hands on her face, in the light of day, kissed her, and Satine felt like she was so happy she could burst.

“My shining Jedi knight to my rescue once again.” Satine gasped, touching her nose to Obi-Wan’s.

“Am I cruel now?”

“Only if you don’t do that again.” was the reply.

Obi-Wan did kiss her again, this time rolling her bottom lip between his teeth. Satine melted, but she wasn’t one to go down without putting up a fight.

“Ow!”

The Duchess grinned, “You’ve gone soft, Obi.”

“Have I now?” the Jedi asked, moving the basket out of the way.

“Yes.” Satine smiled smugly.

“Well,” Obi-Wan sighed, “I guess I’ll have to eat this Mandalorian cheese and bread all by myself.”

“Oh no,” Satine gestured wildly, hand on her head, “whatever shall you do.”

Obi-Wan gazed at her warmly, grinning softly as he met his lips to hers. He only stopped when Satine’s stomach growled.

“Cheese?”

“Cheese.”

Satine and Obi-Wan laughed for the rest of the afternoon, trading stories of youthful Anakin and hilarious diplomacy situations as they feasted on Mandalorian cheese, bread, and fruits. Satine felt like she was home. By the time they finished all the food in the basket, it was lunch time.

“You know,” Obi-Wan tilted his head, “we should do something fun.”

Satine crossed her arms playfully, “That depends on your definition of fun, Ben.”

The Jedi grinned, “Mini golf.”

Satine burst into laughter, Obi-Wan held out his hands.

“I know what you’re thinking,” the Jedi began, “but it’s actually really fun.”

“Did Anakin tell you that?”

Obi-Wan sighed, “I’ll admit the first time I was forced to go, I was very skeptical.”

“You,” Satine giggled, “playing a child’s version of an old man’s pastime.”

“I assure you,” Obi-Wan grinned, “I won’t make any jokes at your expense.”

Satine raised an eyebrow, “I’d like to see you try.”

They made it three holes before Obi-Wan agreed that he wouldn’t let Satine beat him.

“Ben, I swear,” Satine began, “if you lose one more time-”

“You’re hitting it too hard,” Obi-Wan explained, “if you were more patient-”

“Patient,” Satine snorted, “next you’ll want me to be calm.”

“You’re calm all the time.”

“Except when I’m playing mini-golf apparently.” Satine shrugged.

“Here,” Obi-Wan stepped forward, placing his hands on Satine, “let me help you.”

The ball went off it’s mark though, because just before Satine hit the ball, Obi-Wan smacked her butt.

“Ben,” Satine growled through clenched teeth, “we’re in public!”

“Still,” the Jedi smiled, “you walked right into that one.”

With a sigh, Satine gestured for Obi-Wan to try, and even though she stepped on his foot, Obi-Wan got a hole in one. In dismay, Satine shook her head.

By the time they finished the course, it was three o’clock in the afternoon.

“I’m hungry.” Satine observed.

“So am I.” agreed the Jedi.

“What now?”

Obi-Wan gazed sideways at Satine, “Have you ever had ancient food?”

Squinting, Satine answered, “Some.”

“Well,” Obi-Wan grabbed Satine’s hand and spun her around, “there’s a marketplace that sells Ancient food from stalls.”

“I’d like that.” the Duchess blushed.

Together they walked into a part of town Satine would’ve never chosen to venture into.

“Ben,” she whispered, pulling at her hood, “is this safe?”

“Mainly,” Obi-Wan answered, “just look like you know what you’re doing.”

Satine tsked her tongue, but went along with the ruse. They went from stall to stall buying hot snacks before making their way back up towards the Coruscanti surface. Obi-Wan led her into the residential districts, and when Satine commented on it, Obi-Wan replied that they had the best parks.

“We already ate in a garden though.” Satine pointed out.

“Parks,” Obi-Wan grinned, “not a garden.”

They ended up eating everything under an umbrella which was made to look like the heavens. Satine pointed out the Mandalore system to Obi-Wan.

“I never would’ve guessed how large it was.” the Jedi commented.

“It does get busy sometimes.” Satine admitted.

Obi-Wan grinned, “I do hope today’s distraction was successful.”

“It was beyond successful, Obi.”

“I’m glad.” the Jedi nodded.

“Where are we going next?” Satine perked up, bouncing like a child.

“Roller skating.”

Satine’s jaw dropped.

“I’m just kidding,” Obi-Wan laughed, “I’ve something far more romantic planned.”

“Do you?” Satine raised an eyebrow.

“You finished?” asked the Jedi eagerly.

Satine sighed, “Yes.”

They went to a carnival. Satine ogled everything. They had carnival’s on Mandalore of course, but Satine, being royalty, was never allowed to go as a child, and when she became Duchess she was far too busy.

“Look at the lights.” Satine marveled, head swerving.

Obi-Wan led her to a tall mechanical ride with comfortable pods.

“You could see all of Coruscant from up there.” observed the Duchess.

Obi-Wan gave her shoulder a shove, “Where do you think we’re going?”

Satine smiled, giddy. There wasn’t much waiting in line, and the view was gorgeous. All the evening lights of the city were glowing against the darkening sky. As the ground below became smaller and smaller, Satine turned to Obi-Wan, who was watching her with enthusiasm.

“You’ve done it again, Ben.” she smiled.

“All the best for you, My Dear.” he winked.

“Come,” Satine patted the bench next to her, “sit next to me.”

Obi-Wan obeyed.

“Whatever happened to the bashful Jedi I met on the Coronet?” Satine teased.

“Bashful,” Obi-Wan began, “I don’t think-”

“My love declaration.”

“Ah,” the Jedi nodded, “I was not expecting that.”

“You underestimate a woman’s romantic notions of noble love.” Satine commented, slightly embarrassed.

“Noble love?”

“You’ve saved my life on numerous occasions, Obi,” the Duchess turned, “surely you know that.”

Obi-Wan sighed, “I tried to forget my love for you, Satine, but I could never.”

Satine placed the Jedi’s hands in hers and kissed his cheek.

“Ben, circumstance has brought us back together, I have to think it’s for a reason.”

Obi-Wan turned to his Duchess.

“So do I, Satine,” he agreed, “because I know that I’ll love you until the day I die.”

She kissed Obi-Wan, right at the apex of the machine’s height.

“You’ve always been the one for me, Obi-Wan,” Satine smiled softly, touching her Jedi’s nose with hers, “it was terrible being separated from you.”

“We’re back together now, My Dear,” Obi-Wan touched his forehead to Satine’s, “I’m just grateful you cracked my resolve.”

“So am I.”

They didn’t speak of what would happen next, beecause really, none of them knew how they were going to accomplish it. Satine figured she’d say that the Jedi was chivalrous and he was walking her home, if anyone asked. When they arrived in the Senate’s housing quarters Satine and Obi-Wan found them mostly quiet due to the late hour. The Duchess, being cautious, had sent a quiet comm to her lady, telling her to see if she could sleep with Padme’s maids.

“Satine,” Obi-Wan began quietly, “do you want me to leave you here?”

“No, Obi,” Satine whispered back, placing her hands on Obi-Wan’s neck, “stay with me.”

The Duchess stepped in first, Parna wasn’t there, then she motioned for Obi-Wan to follow her.

“Nice room.” the Jedi observed.

Satine locked the door and closed the blinds.

“Satine, I-”

“Please don’t deprive me of this moment, Ben,” Satine swallowed, taking a step forward, “there’s no need to be shy.”

Even in the darkness Satine could see Obi-Wan’s blush.

“It’s been so long,” he argued, “and we were so young.”

Satine took another step forward, placing her hand on Obi-Wan’s arm, “We’re not young anymore.”

That seemed to be all the reassurance he needed. Pulling herself deeper into Obi-Wan’s kiss, Satine slid her hand up his side, catching his outer robe in her hand. As her Jedi ran kisses along her jawline and neck, Satine gathered the other side of Obi-Wan’s robe.

“Ben, help me.”

Reluctantly at first, Obi-Wan stopped kissing Satine and began shedding his layers, Satine did the same. Feeling Obi-Wan pause, the Duchess looked up. He was staring at her, her Ben, his expression demonstrating more adoration and softness than Satine thought possible.

“Obi-”

He kissed her again, latching onto her waist.

“Ben,” Satine giggled as kisses trailed onto her collar, “I’m not going anywhere.”

“I know,” Obi-Wan smiled, picking up Satine bridal style, “and I’m very happy you aren't.”

“You were always a romantic, Ben.” the Duchess winked.

Obi-Wan set Satine down on the bed, “You’ll be glad of that.”

Satine raised an eyebrow, “Will I?”

Tugging at her remaining clothes, the Jedi commented that in the morning she’d rethink her stance on his beard.

“Will I?”

“Yes,” Obi-Wan answered, completely exposing himself, “you’ll adore it.”

Satine leaned back and crossed her arms, “That’s a pretty tough challenge.”

Growling Obi-Wan leaned into Satine’s ear, “I accept.”

The Duchess discovered quickly that she definitely preferred this Obi-Wan to her younger one, mainly because he had better stamina and stronger muscles.

“What are you thinking about, My Dear?” Obi-Wan asked, resting his hands on Satine’s thighs.

Tilting her head, the Duchess answered, “I don’t know if I like that beard yet.”

Obi-Wan licked his lips, “We’ve hardly begun, darling.”

There were many things Satine realized that night, one, was that her Ben was cunning. He had a clever way of surprising her, sometimes gentle, others rougher, but Satine was obviously enjoying herself. Hoisting her leg around Obi-Wan’s waist, Satine let herself melt into her Jedi. She fell back on the bed, exhausted far too soon for Obi-Wan’s liking.

“I don’t do physical activity often, Ben.” Satine explained.

“You walk.”

Satine corrected herself, “Physical exertion, then.”

Eyes grinning with hellfire, Obi-Wan told Satine to lie back. She did.

“Ben,” she gasped a few seconds later, gripping the sheets, “what-”

“You like it.” the Jedi mumbled into her thigh.

“Ben-” Satine sighed, the syllables drawn out as Obi-Wan continued.

When he was finished, he popped up and crawled over to Satine like a puppy.

“Like the beard now?”

Satine couldn’t help but smile, “You’re devious, Ben.”

“Am I?”

“And duplicitous,” Satine continued, “tricking me like that.”

In response, Obi-Wan began softly biting at Satine’s neck.

“What am I going to do with you, Obi?”

“I thought you were tired?” the Jedi teased moving his lips down to her collarbone.

“Obi-Wan Kenobi,” Satine shook her head, “you’re terrible.”

“But you love me.”

He didn’t understand the full depth of that statement.

“Too much for my own good.” Satine agreed.

Yawning, the Duchess rolled into her Jedi. Using the force, Obi-Wan pulled the covers up over them.

“Hold me while I sleep?” Satine asked, eyes drooping.

“Of course, my love.”

The morning was far less romantic, filled with quick kisses, arranged themselves to be presentable, while trying to engage in conversation.

“Wait,” Obi-Wan asked just before heading out, “where was your lady.”

“Sleeping with Padme’s ladies.” Satine answered, brushing her wet hair.

Obi-Wan stiffened, “Anakin’s gonna find out.”

“He won’t tease you,” Satine assured, “he’s a grown man.”

“You really don’t know him if you believe that.” Obi-Wan replied.

With a sigh, Satine answered, “I’ll see if Padme won’t tell him.”

“Thank you, darling,” Obi-Wan kissed her cheek, “now, put the vent back on once I leave.”

“Yes, Ben,” smiled the Duchess, “we went over this.”

Her Jedi made it out undetected, unfortunately, Satine’s two bodyguards asked Parna on her way in where she was last night, and of course, the lady had to respond, “Doing my faithful duty to my lady.” And apparently, she winked.

#obitine #obiwan #satine x obiwan #obi wan kenobi #korkie kryze #korkie kenobi #satine kryze #duchess satine

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a-dorin · 4 years

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youth | the zabrak brothers

a/n: i recently got an anon asking about the zabrak brothers in high school and college! so i am going to be answering their question! sorry if i got carried away with the headcanons! enjoy :))

high school

all three boys weren’t together in high school until maul & feral were freshman, while savage was a sophomore

they attended an elite private school on dathomir, a costly institution that prepared students for higher education

it was run by the nightsisters, a religious group of women

so, the boys all had to wear uniforms that consisted of:

grey or black slacks

polished dress shoes

a black, navy, or burgundy blazer with the school’s logo stitched on the pocket

a freshly pressed tie

sometimes, there were “casual” days

where the boys could wear khakis with a black, navy, or burgundy polo

maul was the one who broke dress code the most

he either refused to wear the tie, always left the top buttons undone, wore his silver chain (”no visible jewelry allowed”), and painted his nails black (”no nail polish allowed on boys”)

as predicted, the brothers got into trouble constantly

whether it was arriving late to class, cursing, or brawling with one another, the brothers were sent to the dean’s office often

one time, maul prepared a speech discussing the importance of “knotting in the male zabraki species” (this was a speech performed in chemistry class) and when the teacher suggested he go to the dean’s office, a devilish smirk painted his features

“perhaps you would like to see the knot yourself, mrs. zula?” (mrs. zula was a strict, older, batty nightsister)

needless to say, maul was the troublemaker of the group, with his main talent consisting of his sharp tongue and quick wit

savage was your typical athletic type: involved in more than one sport, it was his only extracurricular, he would weight lift in the morning before class started, then practice for hours after school

savage’s favorite sport was wrestling, and he was quite good at it. he tried saber wielding, but the sport was too technical, too strategic. wrestling is similar, but savage excelled at it due to his perseverance and brute strength

feral was involved in a variety of athletic activities: student council, debate team, scholastic bowl, baking club, peer mentoring, as well as the theatre troupe. he was also an active participant in art club

on the other hand, the only activity maul tended to really enjoy was saber wielding, as he had started the sport at a young age

although all of the boys were involved in different activities, they all actively supported one another

even if savage was sweaty and exhausted from wrestling or track practice, he would swing by the school’s auditorium, making it just in time for the latest fall play or spring musical

maul always saved a seat for savage

and the boys always brought a bouquet of flowers for every performance, just for feral

at home wrestling meets, maul would buy a decently sized portion of the bake sale table (which always earned a wide, bright, grin from feral)

savage and feral had a tendency to be the loudest at saber competitions. feral typically brought a freshly painted/drawn sign with a cheesy slogan (maul is number one! or maul will make you bawl!)

savage and maul were exceptional athletes, earning championship titles

yes, their plaques and photos are still on the walls to this day

since maul was a saber wielder, he was quite popular with girls. it is such a competitive and grueling sport, so many girls crushed on him

however, he paid no mind, either just entertaining the flirting or paying no mind to it

which, savage often gave maul shit for

“the ladies are practically drooling over you”

“i’m not interested in any of them. they just want me for my saber”

even though they were all apart of diverse friend groups, the brothers would always sit by one another at lunch, chatting about their days

and no matter how horrible of a day they were having, the laughter and smiles couldn’t be contained at the lunch table

there were other little moments too

like all three piling into savage’s beat up honda civic to carpool, early in the morning

feral and maul would snooze in the car while savage lifted weights before class

or helping one another get ready for homecoming and prom, straightening ties or smoothing out wrinkles in suits (cue feral frantically running around the house in his boxers the morning of prom, steamer in his hand)

the boys never really had girlfriends or boyfriends in high school, they had one another, and that was enough

at savage’s graduation, the twins were emotional, gazing at their older brother with nothing but adoration, eyes glossy with tears

savage was the class of 2005, on his way to mustafar central on a wresting scholarship

their last summer together as a trio was bittersweet.

even if maul and savage bickered, feral knew in his heart that it pained maul to see savage go

when maul received his scholarship offer his senior year, feral engulfed him in a massive hug, while savage hollered on the phone

at his signing, they were the proudest donning their “mustafar central” gear with pride (savage even came home from the midst of his freshman year to show his support)

feral brought a cookie cake, while savage brought the balloons

tears brimmed maul’s eyes when feral opened the admission letter, and savage was on the phone, eagerly anticipating the news

the whole house shook as yells of joy echoed through it

even though feral believed that savage wouldn’t be able to make it to his last spring musical (it was beauty and a beast that year) savage was able to make it

needless to say, feral was very surprised when he emerged from the dressing room, his older brother standing there with a bouquet of flowers

“what can i say? i couldn’t miss it.”

at the twins’ graduation, savage sat in the bleachers, the camcorder shaky as he bawled (savage was a crybaby that day)

maul and feral were apart of the class of 2006

feral on his way to a culinary school in coruscant (his dream school!)

while maul had his scholarship with mustafar central, training to be a professional athlete with a major in exercise science

college

college was a completely different ballgame for the brothers

even though they were separated, they messaged one another constantly, whether it was texting (texting was starting to become extremely popular) or through myspace

mustafar central was not a large university, the enrollment about 6,500 students

meanwhile, feral was at a well-known culinary school in the heart of coruscant, where there were about 1,000 students at his college

often, feral joked that maul and savage were the “country mice” while he was the “city mouse”

from the beginning, maul was beyond elated by the sheer amount of freedom he was given

he was able to expand his style, go out and party, and the best of all, maul grew as a person

he socialized more, gaining a large social circle

since savage was a wrestler and maul was a saber wielder, they had completely different schedules

yet, they carpooled together for target or walmart runs

they ate together in the dining hall when they could

however, there were mandatory dorm visits, where savage would help maul with the science classes he was struggling with, while maul helped savage with english and social science courses

“how are you a stem major yet cannot use grammar”

“before you go and chastise me, how about we discuss your organic chemistry grade?”

when he could, feral would travel to mustafar, surprising maul or savage at their meets

maul and savage did the same, popping in at feral’s apartment unannounced, bringing pick-me-ups and other odds and ends

savage would have maul tag along to parties, as savage was actively involved in a frat

maul had a knack for strategy, so he often was the champion of beer pong, calculating who would be his best partner, along with what angle would give him the best shot

the best part of college for the brothers though, was the reunion during breaks

they loved catching up with one another, sneaking in alcohol and sharing all of the stories that came to mind

their favorite spot was on the rooftop, gazing at the stars

life in college was good for the zabrak brothers

it was healthy for them, as they all got to explore their individuality even more, but give one another support and love while they found themselves

when feral came out to his brothers at the end of freshman year, maul and savage said nothing, but rather scooped him into their arms, in a massive cuddle pile

his junior year, maul was gaining traction as a saber wielder, becoming well known across the galaxy

he was undefeated, reigning victorious over not only obi-wan kenobi, an infamous saber wielder from university of corsucant, but countless others as well

savage was winning world championships, beginning to train for the galaxy title

feral was content at his college, earning all sorts of praise, his dream of a bakery becoming more and more of a reality

although, one fateful evening, their lives were forever changed

*****

tagged: @sapphicstars @maulieber @starflyer-104 @alwayshappysith @doobiwankenooku @magicalkitkat12 @dartheldur @princessayveke @multifandombtch @spaghetti-666 @lis-ard @swimmingsloths @sithmando @mother-0f-monsters @bonniewinchester @bonesaldente @maidofsionis @bespectacled-bunny @arsonistvoyager @tinalbion @nottodaysatan-8866 @vei-saretti @maybe-your-left @isabewwwa @aki-iko @corrupt-fvcker @ranoutofideas71

#darth maul #professor!maul #feral #savage opress #savage #zabrak brothers #headcanons #star wars

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in-arlathan · 3 years

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Fic Writer Question (#3)

I was tagged by @kunstpause again. Thank you for thinking of me. Doing this tag was a joy!

Today’s topic: Stories you want to write but for some reason haven’t (yet)

I will focus on fanfiction because I have way too many ideas for original works that never went anywhere or have been set aside to age like a good wine. But that’s okay. When I looked into my old fanfic folder, I found some gems from back in the day that made me cackle like the fandom grandma that I am.

But why do I put stories on the shelf? When I started writing, the main reason for abandoning a project was that I simply lost momentum or hadn’t thought the story through to the end and therefore ran into some kind of roadblock. If that happened, my burning hatred for revisions kicked in. I loathed editing with all my heart. Sometimes I made the effort to edit stories I really liked but that often lead to me finding even more stuff I wanted to change so it all spiralled out of control and I got discouraged.

This changed when I picked up copywriting as my profession. Through my daily job, I learned tp persevere and to stick with difficult projects when the rubber hits the road. It also taught me that not every idea is suited to be turned in fiction. From then on, I chose the stories I wanted to work on a lot more carefully and stored the plot bunnies in a swipe file until they either blossomed into a full-fledged concept or withered away.

The result is a much slimmer WIP folder. I collect a lot of notes and see if I can evolve them or include them in running projects, but I don’t hesitate to toss stuff into the garbage.

And now on to some of the stories that never went anywhere (yet). I had a pretty wild selection of fandoms in the last 15 years, so I picked a few fics that stuck with me for one reason or another. Added gifs for that certain je ne sais quoi.

The fun begins behind the cut.

Dragon Age

Since DA is the only fandom I actively write for a the moment, the list of projects is rather short. But these two are definitely on-hold for the near future.

Demon’s Dance – I shared a bit about this one during the WIP Title Game. It’s a one-shot idea set during Inquisition with some hot takes on the magic system in the Dragon Age games. I shelved it for now because that would require a deep dive into a system that is so very inconsistent that it slowed me down. I do want to get to it one day, but I have other stuff I want to focus on right now.

Running With The Halla – Another fic set during Inquisition, but this one is supposed to be a multi-chapter. If I break it down to its very core, then this is a fix-it fic for my Lavellan after the loss of her clan. I did write a few scenes for this but I’m not sure if this fic isn’t best kept in the realm of head-canons.

Moving on to the older stuff...

Star Wars Legends

Hahaha, yes, I’m ancient. I wrote Star Wars fan fiction when there still was an Expanded Universe (aka “Legends”). One of my bigger projects back then was an old LJ claim for which I had to write 100 one-shots for a pairing of my chosing, in that case Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade. I got around to writing 25 of them before abandoning this undertaking because me one-shots get way too long and therefore take a lot of time to write. I always told myself that I would get back to it because I had way too much fun, but when the EU was all but wiped out, it totally killed my momentum.

I also had a long fic titled “No Good Deed” that was AU take on the gap between the OT and the prequels. The main twist being that Qui-Gon Jinn had survived. That thing was dark and angsty to no end because, of course, it was. I orginally planned this to be a three-part series but only managed to write about 2/3 of the first part. I don’t know why I put it aside though. It must have coincided with my move to Hamburg and my change in profession. I work a ton in that year and stepped away from writing fiction for quite some time afterwards. But I still think of Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan in that fic very fondly.

If you want to see me embarrass myself: I’ve made a cover for ff.net back in the day for that fic. I might share it if someone asks. My Photoshop skills were subpar but I was enthusiastic! :D

Speaking of embarrasing WIP that never went anywhere...

Honorable Mentions

There was a CSI: Miami long fic that I used to write with my best friend back in the day titled “We Never Close”. The year 2006 was wild for us, let me tell you. I’m still not quite sure what we were thinking. But we outgrew that fandom and that fic very quickly...

There also must be a ton of Harry Potter fics lurking around somewhere that never went anywhere. One was my first attempt at writing in English and I remember that it was the hardest thing ever. Must have shelved that one back in 2008.

I think that’s all I got for you today. :)

Time to tag a few people, haha. As always, feel free to skip this one or join in. This is supposed to be fun after all: @johaeryslavellan, @kittimau, @charlatron, @serial-chillr, @faerieavalon, @cornfedcryptid, @deathvalleyqueen, @midnightprelude, @tessa1972, @elfrootaddict, @noire-pandora, @wardenari, @irlaimsaaralath, @solas-disapproves

Thanks for reading this far. Much love to all of you <3

#fic writer questions #writing and rambling

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farchanter · 3 years

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Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back: From a Certain Point of View

I had hoped that dying would be enough to untangle me from the Skywalker family’s Issues.

And yet here I am again, Obi-Wan Kenobi, one with the Force and still the only thing standing between a Skywalker and an impulse decision that could have galactic consequences.

Since I started reading again in earnest, one of my favorite discoveries was the original From a Certain Point of View. It’s a collection of 40 short stories for what was then the 40th anniversary of A New Hope, gathering talented writers and illustrators from all genres to tell the story of Star Wars— now continued for the 40th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back. When the 40 stories are read end-to-end, they do a reasonable job of recreating the plot of A New Hope. Crucially, however, the narrator perspectives of these stories are those of side characters. You will not find stories told by Han, Lando, Leia, Luke, or Vader. Instead, these are the stories of characters with major speaking parts, characters who appear briefly on screen, characters whose existence is implied, and characters whose existence isn’t not implied.

What makes the From a Certain Point of View effect so special is multifold. First, the authors gathered for these books are very talented. Not only do they do a good job of telling their character’s story, they are also writing in tribute to The Empire Strikes Back— and what Star Wars meant to them on their paths to becoming professional storytellers. It’s a particular thrill to see people, so gifted at crafting their own worlds, turned loose on a world I enjoy so much and know so well. Between the two books, I’ve added a number of authors to my seemingly bottomless “to read” list— discovering the writing of Django Wexler, Brittany N. Williams, Daniel José Older, Lydia Kang, and R.F. Kuang were particularly exciting this time.

The stories run from funny (a rebel soldier on Hoth studying Han Solo to improve his own love life), to sad (Obi-Wan’s above-quoted bitter and sarcastic reminiscence about Anakin Skywalker, frustrated with his seemingly futile efforts to avert the same cycle with Luke), to thoughtful (a study of regret by personifying the creepy tree cave)— all of them worth reading.

But the brilliance of From a Certain Point of View goes a little deeper than that. Fundamentally, Star Wars is about the slide of liberal democracy to fascism and the ultimate triumph of perseverance against that fascism. Sadly, that story becomes more necessary and more prescient as time goes on. The movies focus on the larger-than-life heroes and villains of that struggle, but From a Certain Point of View focuses on the smaller players— individual rebels, individual Imperials trying to snuff out rebellion, and those trying vainly to avoid the consequences of war. At a point where we’ve watched (and hopefully participated in!) mass demonstrations of individuals— like I said, Star Wars is timely. Maybe even more so now than it was in 1981.

In particular, I want to talk about one story that captures the full spectrum of emotions that the whole book encompasses— S.A. Chakraborty’s But What Does He Eat?. It notices that there is actually food on the table in the famous “we would be honored if you would join us” scene. Chakraborty then imagines the culinary staff told they were expected to prepare lunch for Darth Vader. That premise is very funny (as captured by the title), and the story did make me laugh— but it also cut deeper than just being a comedy. The staff realize that if Darth Vader is about to eat their food, they have a unique opportunity to assassinate him. The central conflict of this short story, then, is one of the entire concept of rebellion writ small. The chefs debate what to do and— while I don’t want to spoil the most memorably story in the collection— I will say that the story isn’t really about whether to try to poison a Dark Lord of the Sith. It’s about our own dark times, about our own struggles of whether to go to Black Lives Matter marches, about backing down rather than argue with your racist uncle, about feeling small in the face of greater evil, and feeling like your own personal actions won’t change anything and will only serve as a risk to yourself.

I do have some of the usual criticisms of A Certain Point of View— since there are so many authors, not all of them will resonate with you personally. I again wish Disney had exercised some greater executive control, where some stories seem to contradict each other even as they get small details exactly in sync.

More than anything else, though, I desperately want to be in on the Return of the Jedi book. Does anyone know how to become a notable author between now and 2023?

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fakeoldmanfucker · 4 years

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number 1, 3, and 25 for the meta writing asks?

1. Tell us about your current project(s) – what’s it about, how’s progress, what do you love most about it?

Currently, I’m working on some stuff for The Old Guard. (If any of y’all haven’t seen it (and somehow don’t know I’m obsessed with it even though it’s basically all I’ve been posting about for the past four days) I highly recommend it.) One of them is a fic comparing the lives of two immortals, Quynh and Booker, and how they interact with this other immortal, Andy. Sort of considering the futility of love when everyone you love will eventually die, I guess. (Not that love is ever futile. It’s beautiful and hopeful and I think it’s one of the best things to come out of humanity. But the character doesn’t necessarily think that.) My favorite thing is doing all the background research, to get where I can write and reference things the way someone who lived through the past 4 or so millennia would: all that horror and bloodshed, but also all the hope and perseverance.

2. Tell us about what you’re most looking forward to writing – in your current project, or a future project

I’ve got this (future) project that is basically rewriting the entire Star Wars prequels with endgame obikin (they’re only two years apart though) and how adjusting their ages would affect the universe. For example, since Obi-Wan is younger (15), Qui-Gon can’t just say he’s ready for the trials. So instead, Plo Koon takes Anakin as his apprentice.

I’ve got about 15 years of story to get through, so I have just this huge document with all the details and headcanons and plot points that I add to occasionally. And at some point, probably after I finish writing stuff for The Old Guard, I’ll switch to that.

25. What part of writing is the most fun?

For me, it’s probably transferring my thoughts and emotions (in whatever way fits the character, usually) onto a page and then seeing it come alive. As I write the first draft, I don’t really consider the bigger picture. Allusions and extended metaphors, usually, come later. The first time I sit down to write, I just pour raw emotion into the text. Reading back over it later, picking through what I can put in and should probably take out, watching as the story forms seemingly without any major input from me, is my favorite part. Thank you so much for the ask!

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sethnakht · 5 years

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“If hope dies, what survives?” is one of the questions explicitly posed in the solicits to Star Wars #55, the last issue in the arc “Hope Dies” (x). It’s a bit of an odd question, as the main heroes have to survive, and with them, one would think, also hope. The question of survival nonetheless strikes me as a useful way to link together themes that have been playing out in the comic for a while. In addition to the question of literal survival - how do the members of the Rebellion continue to survive against the Empire? - the comic raises questions of figurative survival. For instance, what makes an idea persevere? how do we remember those who died to make our continued existence possible? what goes into making a legacy, a history, into how we relate to the past? what persisting effects do our actions have on the future, and how do we make decisions knowing the potential gravity of our choices? what about our self-understanding, what does it mean to give oneself up for a cause, what do we preserve of ourselves and give up or get over to do so?

Spoilers below.

What survives when those who have hope die?

Luke explores this question in the grim and toxic surroundings of what remains of Jedha after the Death Star. Civilians still live there, unable or unwilling to leave their home. The Force feels strange there, wrong to Luke. The surviving Partisans are brutal, killing in situations where Luke would have shown mercy. Luke wants to learn more about the Force, and he thinks the insights he seeks can be unlocked with greater self-understanding. “I ... want to understand myself so much. But I know there are roads I can’t walk down without losing myself ...”, he says in #41.

Self-preservation, a kind of survival, is tied to goodness and heroism in this Luke-ean logic. As he puts it in #42, “it’s easy to stop being a good man” when “we lose track of ourselves, what matters”. (Hello, Darth Vader.) Luke uses Rogue One to illustrate his point. Although so many things went wrong for “Jyn and the rest of Rogue One”, they hadn’t lost track of what mattered, taking “whatever steps they needed” to improvise the “chain of sacrifice” that had ultimately ended with him “taking that shot” on the Death Star. But Luke wonders if he would have had that kind of resolve had he known about Jyn’s sacrifices beforehand (he’d only learned about them recently from the Partisans on Jedha). Would he have been able to handle "all that extra pressure”? he asks. “If I had really understood how many people had died to put me in that place, would I have done it?”

Yes, his interlocutors tell him, because “you’re a hero”. Heroism means staying focused on what matters, according to his own definition. And, as Leia defines it, it also means following a duty. In an earlier issue, #40, Leia described her father’s final words to her - the mission briefing to retrieve and take the plans to Tatooine. “Any time I stumble, I go back to that,” she tells Luke. “He trusted me to finish this. I will finish this”. When Luke responds that he feels he needs to become a Jedi, that he has no other choice, she scoffs. “I ‘feel things’ all the time,” she says. “But you know what I feel most? Duty. And knowing that I have to live up to it. We don’t all get to be dreamers.” Initially, Luke resists this advice, arguing that he will only avenge his father and Obi-Wan as a Jedi. After an encounter with cultists who insist he will fall without a guide, and being forced to kill a friend after said friend is possessed by the “madness” of the Dark Side, Luke decides to listen to Leia instead of “chasing my personal story”. Having learned more about Rogue One from the Partisans, Luke is reminded in #42 that not everything is about his own perspective. Rogue One hadn’t known Luke would be there to finish what they started, but they had hoped and “trusted someone to finish it after they were gone”.

If that sounds a great deal like Leia’s understanding of duty, she also goes on to define that kind of trust as “what heroism is.” “I always think of Vader as he boarded the Profundity”, she adds. Instead of running - does Leia not know they had nowhere to run? - “the marines faced off against him in the dark, slowed him down with their bodies”. Heroism, as she defines it here, is choosing not to flinch when in the dark, “because one flinch can change everything”. Dying doesn’t mean that hope dies - one can die in hope, hoping others will build on what one sacrificed. Survival can be won through self-sacrifice.

What survives when those who have hope die? For Leia, it’s arguably her sense of duty, compelling her towards future action. For Luke, it’s perhaps a sense of a legacy, of indebtedness to a past. “I wish I knew every dead Rebel’s name”, he says in #45. In #52, entering a dogfight, he tells Wedge, “if we’re acting like Jyn Erso,” “it is time for sentiment”, using that memory to pump up his team by giving them a new name - Rogue Squadron.

But the question of what survives is more complicated for Leia. The question asked of Luke is past-oriented, whether he would have been able to handle the burden of knowing how many people had already sacrificed their lives. Leia is faced with a significantly more troubling variation of the same question, namely a version having to do with the future. “If you knew what would have happened to Alderaan, would you still have rebelled?” The question comes to her in #44 from the regent of Mon Cala. Mon Cala has already lost Admiral Raddus, who died in the events of Rogue One after successfully copying the plans so Leia could escape with them. Fears that his world will be next in the long line of sacrifices - Jedha, Scarif, Alderaan - leave the regent unwilling to meet Leia’s request to outfit the Rebellion with the fleet she wants to build so the Rebellion can continue disrupting the Imperial war machine. “Our hopes lay with my people,” Ackbar says after this apparent setback, “there is no hope ...”

Luke gets to work through the burdens of past legacy by honoring it. Leia ends up repeating the same choice she made on the Death Star, thereby answering the question posed to her through her actions.

That is to say, Leia chooses to rebel, to trust, not knowing what will happen to the Rebellion because her trust was misplaced. Not one for pessimism, she privately reaches out to Queen Trios for aid in a move that will prove fateful some issues later. Even before she experiences those consequences, the comic sets up the lesson. “Optimism is good. We wouldn’t be Rebels if we weren’t optimistic,” Dodonna tells her in #45, but “it’s worth being occasionally pessimistic so we can continue to rebel”. After Leia apologizes for critiquing his pessimism, Dodonna adds, “We’re all wrong occasionally. There’s no shame in it. It’s only a problem when we don’t realize it”. Ironically, Leia seems to be moved by these words to think about someone she is very wrong about, namely Trios. That is to say, Leia’s next move is to reveal to Dodonna an entire plan based on information from Trios, whose identity she keeps secret and whom she clearly trusts with her life.

Leia’s reliance on Trios is notable because it depends on a story concerning Alderaan. After murdering her family and installing her upon the throne, Trios tells Leia back in #43, Vader gave her a hunk of the destroyed planet to teach her "what happens to those who oppose the Empire”. The lesson had an unintended effect, Trios claims - instead of cementing her loyalty to the Empire, it strengthened her loyalty to her own planet. Then and there, she resolved to never let Shu-Torun become another Alderaan. Trios is being quite forthcoming here - her goals are to protect her culture at all costs - but the best lies also are built on truths. When Trios says she is sabotaging the Imperial kyber-mining mission on Jedha, this is true; what she doesn’t say is that she is also doing so because Vader gave her that order. Unsuspecting, Leia hears what she is meant to hear, concluding that Trios, like her, is willing to put her people at risk to oppose the Empire - indeed, that she is willing to take on risk because she personally trusts Leia to keep her identity secret. Leia trusts Trios because she thinks Trios trusts Leia.

This trust pays off in the short-term. Trios gives Leia information to reach King Lee-Char in his underwater prison. In an action sequence on the way to the prison from #47, Luke, Chewie, and Han get to figure the unflinching light of hope in the darkness. Chased by a giant fish attracted to the lights of their ship, Luke asks Han to turn off those lights. “What difference is that going to make?” Han asks, only to watch as Luke uses his lightsaber to lure the fish, with Chewie’s direction, to its death (Han has to translate those directions for Luke in the meantime, saving their lives in the process). One bright light in the darkness, made possible through teamwork, ensures their continued survival. “You have no hope,” the heroes are told shortly after escaping being literally swallowed in the dark. “Hope is what you’ll never take from us,” Leia responds.

Not knowing what will happen does not keep Leia from hoping, from rebelling. She continually makes that choice for herself. But can - should - she make that choice for others? Were the people of Alderaan given a choice? “It is not your decision to risk our lives,” the Mon Cala regent tells her in #48, taking away from her the recording she had made of King Lee-Char in his final moments. Desperate to win the Mon Cala fleet for the Rebellion, Leia had planned on broadcasting the king’s last words - on using the king to side-step the regent - to incite the Mon Calamari into revolt. If Leia had been able to make that decision, would that decision have been the right one? Ultimately, any messy consequences are avoided when the regent himself chooses to broadcast the recording. The king backs her actions indirectly by imploring his listeners to think of the future and the legacy they could still leave behind: “how do we wish to live the time we have? What kind of life do we wish to leave for those who follow us?” As the Mon Calamari begin to revolt, the regent reaches out to Leia. He has thought over his initial question to her about Alderaan and reached an answer for himself. “I would rebel ... if it could make a difference,” he tells her in #49. “It’ll make a difference. I’ll make sure of it,” she responds shortly before he dies, “we all will.” And for a few months, she seems to be right - the Rebels can build a fleet that makes Luke think “The Empire doesn’t stand a chance!” in #50.

That “we” in Leia’s “we all will” to the regent isn’t gratuitous. The galaxy came together, she tells Trios in #50, instead of succumbing to fear: “this is the fleet that hope built”. When Trios tells Leia “you did this”, Leia corrects her with a “we did this”, naming all the people and worlds that came together to realize her vision. Leia trusts Trios - but Trios does not trust Leia, not to keep her planet from turning to ash. She completes her mission, signaling to Vader that he can attack the newly-formed fleet. Alone, untrusting, dropping the glass of celebratory fizzy drink to the floor, Trios watches the first cruiser burn and tells herself, “and I did this”. To ensure the survival of her world, to keep that culture - that legacy, that form of transmission - alive, she is willing to watch another legacy burn, arguing that the Rebellion is not a culture or a legacy but a vain illusion that gets people killed. “I will not make your hubristic mistake that puts vain idealism above the lives of those who depend on us. Shu-Torun will never be another Alderaan,” she tells Leia at last - alone in an escape pod, having told her men to cover her escape for the glory of their culture, the last link in a chain of sacrifice. Leia’s rebuttal is unusually weak. “You’ll pay for this,” she responds. From “we” to “I” and “you” - the hope built as a we is fragmenting.

Does hope die as a result? Vader certainly thinks he can kill hope by replacing it with terror, panic, fear. Giving the Rebels a fleet to hope with and then annihilating most of that very same fleet during what had begun as a hopeful, celebratory event might indeed be considered a very effective form of psychological warfare. Although many die hopeless, and others who have hope die, something nonetheless survives. “Being useful where we can. Sometimes it’s all we can do,” says one of the Rebel crew-members, a woman named Meorti, a name that means hope.

Leia survives too, and as a leader, but she also goes through hell to get there. In an earlier issue, she defined heroism as the choice not to flinch in the dark, to keep hoping even when sacrificing oneself. She gets to both witness and play out that definition in the comic when she leads a mission - posing initially as Trios - together with General Draven onto the Executor. The plan is to find the code needed to send the remaining fleet into hyperspace, then escape. Things go sour when Vader begins to chase her team down. Citing Jyn Erso as a model in #54, Draven notes that “every second we buy can save the day”, and even though “we don’t know if we’ll make a difference”, “we die hoping we do.” Having decided that Leia will be the one to escape with the code, Draven remains behind with the chain of sacrifice formed to give her time to escape. He uses his last breath to proclaim his hope aloud: “We ... win. All we ... had to do ... was ... slow ... you .. down”. Draven doesn’t know at this point whether Leia will escape, but he trusts that she will and that the fleet will escape with her. Naturally, she succeeds. But for this to happen, Draven has to first acknowledge that sacrifice can be meaningful - that Jyn’s sacrifices were meaningful, even though he dismissed her at the time. That legacy survives, moreover, because Leia survives to tell of it. Leia, for her part, has to acknowledge herself responsible for what has happened in the now, and promise Draven she’ll do something about it. Draven writes history with self-sacrifice, his trust that his story will not end with his death. Leia survives with the intellectual and psychological burden of personally witnessing people give their lives for her own survival, dying while hoping and trusting her to do what needs to be done. Armed with new duties, she is left to carry that legacy into the future - to lead in the darkness. At what cost? one might ask.

#marvel star wars #star wars spoilers #star wars comics spoilers #leia organa #darth vader #luke skywalker #sethnakht rambles as usual #this is not at all organized or coherent

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shaliira · 7 years

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The Cloaked Storm: Chapter 21 - Fear Within The Sidelines

Jedi Temple

It was one thing to stand at a distance and observe the Temple. It was one thing to stand at its footsteps looking up at the ancient pillars. But to actually walk the ancient halls again after so long. Valanthe almost felt as if she was trespassing in an ancient sanctum. The fact that she was both invited and ordered to attend was a whole different story.

Riis wished she could take her time to once again walk its entire halls, however that was not to be today. Today she needed to brief the Jedi on a dangerous situation that had arisen, and action that needed to be taken. As she rounded a corner towards a briefing centre, she could feel an ancient, powerful presence. One ever calm and ever mildly amused at the world.

Plo Koon. Valanthe thought with a smile.

The Kel-Dor had been of the median opinion back when her fate in the Jedi Order was ‘being decided’. He was far from happy with what she had done, but he was not the judgemental one either, willing to have the young Mirialan prove her devotion to the Light Side of the Force and the Jedi.

“Valanthe Riis, it has been a long time.” His deep timbre greeted her.

The Mirialan nodded as she approached, an info-pad in hand. “Indeed it has, Master Plo. How have you been? I’ve heard of the battle of Abregado-Rae...such a loss must have affected you deeply.”

Whether or not he was affected by her words was difficult to tell, his facial expression never gave away anything, and his Force signature remained as calm as always. He merely extended a taloned hand towards her.

“We persevere, regardless of the enemy’s attempt. My men have suffered the loss to a greater depth.” Plo said, his shoulders sagging a little, “they are a strong, severely underrated people.” He said.

Valanthe nodded slowly, smiling, “indeed they are.” She said, remembering her own former team, Ren’s ARC Troopers and Fives and Echo, whom she now worked with within the Special Operations Division of the GAR.

She dearly missed her old job at RMOI. Though she still regularly conversed with Xander and her other colleagues, working for the military was so very different. And now this...

“You are at a crossroads, young one.” Said Plo, looking at her curiously as he motioned for her to follow him.

Riis blinked, pausing for a moment before following the Kel-Dor, “I believe so...so many things have happened and are yet to happen...I am, conflicted as to what to do.”

“The Force will guide you, young one. When the time comes, you will know what to do.” He said as he lead them towards the briefing room.

Vala chuckled softly, “thank you, Master.”

“Your briefing, it also troubles you.” Plo nudged softly.

“Indeed, but I cannot reveal it here, we must wait for Kenobi and Skywalker.” Riis said as they entered the briefing room.

Plo nodded, “they will join us momentarily. They just returned from operations from the Outer Rim.”

Valanthe nodded as they stepped down to the small circular podium. “It is so strange to be here again. Part of me feels like a stanger…"

“Part of you feels at home…” Plo supplied, crossing his arms on his chest.

Slowly, Valanthe nodded, “I did not expect to feel it still, after all this time.”

It was true. She had thought she was beyond the old antiquated lifestyle, beyond the isolation of the Temple. It had been eight years since she walked among the Jedi as one of them. Eight years that had shown that her choice had been correct. Yet still...these ancient halls felt both familiar and comfortable and a strange, different place from another lifetime ago.

“It will always be part of you, this Temple, the Jedi, the friends you made here, the trials you went through.” Plo said kindly, “they molded you into who you are today, Valanthe Riis. Do not think it wrong, however. Your past helps you make decisions towards your future. Embrace it, do not run from it.”

Valanthe nodded, quirking her head a little, sensing familiar presences. The ever contained, wise yet ever concerned, Obi-Wan. The burning ember that sought freedom, Anakin. There was one she had not felt since her team got off of Balmorra. Loyal, reliable and very closed off, Commander Cody. Then there were Echo and Fives. Somehow it made perfect sense for Anakin to want the two ARCs with him on this mission. The two had been on 501st related assignments for a few weeks now, so Valanthe hadn’t seen much of the two men since they’d started working together.

“Ah, Valanthe!” Obi-Wan exclaimed as the small group descended the steps, “so good to see you again, old friend.”

“Hello again, Vala. How are you?” Anakin jumped in, grinning brightly, not to be outdone.

“It is good to see both again, you as well, Commander Cody.” Valanthe bowed slightly to them, “Fives, Echo, welcome back, gentlemen.”

Almost as one, the three clones echoed, “thank you, Commander.”

There was a mutual sense amusement among the Jedi, before the holo-projector flickered and an image of Captain Rex appeared.

“Hello again, Captain Rex.” Valanthe greeted as she turned to face the newcomer.

“Commander, Generals, troopers.” Rex greeted professionally and quickly.

“I wish I was here on a happier occasion.” Valanthe stepped over to the main console of the holo-projector, “I assume you all know what has happened to Master Piell.”

After a collective round of nods, she connected her info-pad to the projector and initiated several commands, bringing up an image of an ancient looking building.

“We have learned that Master Piell and what is left of his crew is being held at The Citadel. As you all know, The Cidatel was designed as an impenetrable prison, one designed to hold rogue Jedi on the planet Lola Sayu.” Valanthe began the briefing. “Nowadays it is in the hands of the CIS, with one Osi Sobeck as its warden. To this date, noone has has escaped.”

Anakin spoke up, confidence and challenge in his voice, “there’s a first time for everything.”

In sync with his former apprentice and now practically brother, Obi-Wan added, “indeed there is.”

“We need to be cautious none the less.” Plo advised.

Valanthe nodded, “indeed you must. With almost no reconnaissance available due to their security measures, we have managed to construct a crude map based on known information and old archival data from the Temple, kindly provided by Master Sinube and Master Plo.” The Mirialan nodded to the Kel-Dor.

“The data is difficult to rely on at the best of times,” Plo said, gesturing to the tunnel schematic which now appeared, “due to our information being extremely old.”

“The facility was built roughly 530 years ago…” Valanthe supplied.

“So, we are essentially going in blind,” Anakin spoke up again.

Holo-Rex interjected before more could be said, “with respect, Generals, how do we know Master Piel is still alive?”

“The Separatists need him alive,” Plo said, crossing his clawed hands behind his back, “so long as he has the information, he is useful to them.”

“The information being a secret set of coordinates known as the Nexus Route. It travels into the heart of Republic and Separatist space.” Valanthe supplied. “This is what Master Peel was in possession of when he was captured.”

She could see Echo and Fives behind Cody, their Force signatures clearly displaying wonder as to how such a leak could have happened. How did the Separatists learn the Republic had this information?

It was what Valanthe wondered herself. But this was within the RMOI purview, something she no longer had full access to. Now, she was GAR Spec Ops Intel Liaison, which meant she was on limited access to intel pertaining to the GAR and their operations. She would have to ask Night later if he knew anything about how the Separatists got wind of this crucial find.

“These coordinates could prove vital to maneuvring our forces into remote separatist sectors.” Obi-Wan began.

“Or the enemy could use them to slip through our defenses and attack Coruscant.” Anakin added.

“These hyper-lanes are of immense interest to both our sides,” Plo nodded, “and could tip the scale of the war to whoever is in the possession of them.”

“So you all understand the necessity of finding a way into the Citadel to rescue Master Piel. Make no mistake about this, gentlemen, this is a mission of utmost secrecy. Noone beyond this room and Masters Yoda and Windu may know about this.” Valanthe urged.

“Based on the archive schematics, we have narrowed it down to three possible locations they could be holding Master Piell.” Plo said.

“My greatest concern is penetrating their outer security,” Obi-Wan said, his expression one of utmost seriousness. “The life form scanners will not be easy to fool.”

Anakin was already thinking uncoventionally ahead as was his usual way, “I’ve got a thought about that.”

“Oh?” Valanthe raised an eyebrow.

“What masks lifesigns yet is common to not raise suspicion if discovered?” Anakin looked over at Valanthe with a grin.

“Oh that’s very clever. Carbonite freezing.” Valanthe chuckled.

“That’s right!”

“Very clever indeed,” Obi-Wan agreed.

“If there are any other questions, pose them now because time is of the essence. Master Piell is strong, but even the strongest can break if pressured for long enough.” Valanthe cautioned.

She could feel a sense of pride and approval projected towards her from Plo and Obi-Wan, while Fives and Echo projected admiration.

“Everyone clear on what your objective is? Rescue Master Piell and his crew and attain the Nexus Route coordinates?” Valanthe asked again.

After another collective round of nods, the Mirialan dismissed the Jedi and the Clones.

As they exited the briefing room, Valanthe felt Fives and Echo hesitate momentarily. Making her good byes to the Jedi, Valanthe turned to them once she realized they were still there, waiting.

“You’re not coming with us…” Fives stated, his Force signature dimming as she nodded slowly.

“I’ve got a different assignment I need to take care of.” Valanthe sighed. She didn’t, not really, but it beat saying that she was pretty much barred from Jedi related missions, even if she would be going in a GAR capacity. She didn’t have the heart to tell them just on how many levels she was still shunned from the Jedi society.

Echo nodded, “we’ll get them out, Commander.”

“I know,” Vala smiled, doing her best to hide her concern from them. The Citadel was not a place for anyone. “I have faith in you.”

Their Force signatures brightened. The two men seemed to stand taller too, taller than their usual, military stance.

“Come back in one piece, okay?” Valanthe placed a hand on each of their shoulders, nodding solemnly to them.

The atmosphere grew thick with swirling, confusing emotions. It was Fives and Echo who broke it by putting on their helmets and saluting her.

In as best a military posture as she could muster, Valanthe snapped to attention and saluted the two ARC Troopers. “Force be with you, gentlemen.”

“And you, Commander.” Fives replied thickly as the trio relaxed their stances. “We better join the others.”

Valanthe nodded, giving her silent permission for them to leave. The two began to walk away. The Mirialan slowly turned, watching the two blue and white figures among the sea of brown and beige. There was a heavy feeling about the place, something indescribably wrong. She couldn’t tell what it was. It was almost as if she was saying farewell, though she couldn’t pinpoint why, or to whom.

Shaking her head out of her reverie, Valanthe decided to focus on what she could do, what she could influence. For that she needed information. She needed to talk to Xander. He was working an angle, and he would periodically send her data to one of the several dead drops she had set up. Vala needed to see if he’d learned anything more.

The heavy feeling started washing away as she departed the Temple, walking down the promenade. Valanthe felt slightly guilty, turning her thoughts away from the mission and her men going into one of the most dangerous places in the Galaxy. How easily she was able to turn her thoughts away and disconnect from the emotion attached to it.

How Jedi of me. Turning from those in need for the sake of putting out another fire elsewhere without regard for the consequences of leaving too soon? Vala thought to herself as she descended the steps, pulling her coat around her tighter, as the artificial air around her seemingly grew cold. Or was it just her imagination?

Gallifrey Lane, Sector 2-12, sometime later

Gallifrey Lane was a study in opposites, when it came to who lived on it. While most of the apartments were designed by Benits Stinex, an architect famous throughout the Republic, frequently known as ‘the Old Man’, it was the rest of the buildings that kept the Lane from being high end, keeping it only at partly affluent level. The rest of the buildings were quite clearly built by ‘new money’ families, many of which fell into disrepair once the families moved on to more elite neighborhoods.

One such was number 22, an apartment building in which Xander Night lived. It was unremarkable in its look and upkeep, which was pretty much perfect for who he was and what he did.

Which made it all the more confusing when Valanthe sensed a great number of clones and others near number 22 as she approached the complex. Among the emergency responders, there was also a forensics vehicle, as well as several vehicles she recognized as belonging to RMOI.

What is going on? Valanthe wondered as she came to a stop about a hundred meters from the building. She could see the colours and markings of the Coruscant Guard on the clone armour. RMOI doesn’t get this much fanfare, ever.

“Ma’am, I’m going to have to ask you to step away,.” a clone’s voice broke through her thoughts.

The green skinned woman blinked, “what’s going on, Trooper?”

“There has been an incident, ma’am. Please, step away,.” the trooper replied, his gauntleted hand tightening around his rifle.

Valanthe rolled her eyes visibly, the sense of urgency and dread, filling her. So much so in fact, she completely ignored the fact that this poor man was just doing his job and did not deserve her ire.

“Yes, I can see there’s been an incident! I am asking what’s happened!” Valanthe growled, not stopping her approach.

“Ma’am, remain where you are!” He raised his weapon deftly, pointing it at her, “this is CT-8976-92, I need…”

Valanthe’s arm shot out, “you need nothing. It was just an animal. False alarm,.” sShe said in a calm, even tone, lilac eyes focused on his head, where the man’s eyes would be.

“Trooper! CT-8976-92, what’s going on?” Came over his wristcom.

“Nothing, sir. It was just an animal. False alarm. Sector is clear,.” said the Trooper almost mechanically.

The communication was cut. The Mirialan’s hand raised again, “you will forget you saw me.”

“I will forget I saw you.” The Trooper nodded stiffly, slowly turning and returning to his post.

Valanthe nodded, stepping backwards, assessing the situation through her training as well as opening herself to the Force. She was trying to isolate a specific Force signature, one very familiar, almost comforting in the confidence that she always associated to it.

I can’t find you! Panic and dread swiftly returned.

Valanthe ducked behind the nearest corner and leaned against the wall. Her heart was beating fast, almost thundering in her ears. Calm down! Focus! Breathe! Taking a long, deep breath she tried to expel the negative emotions through breathing out. Slowly, slower than she would have liked, the feelings abated and calm returned.

She needed to get into that building and see for herself what was going on. Should she just waltz back in there and reveal who she is and thus her connection to Night? Didn’t he get her reassigned just for that reason? To distance them in the face of the public so that they both could perform their investigations without too much interference. Could she use her skills on everyone she passed to implant suggestions and thereby pass by under false pretense?

She shook her head at herself. It was likely that she would come across a strong mind or two on whom her skills would not have an effect and then she would be in trouble. Hurting people today was not on her list.

So that left her with one option. Taking another deep breath, Valanthe pulled the Force about her, slowly shimmering out of sight.

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phosphorescent-naidheachd · 7 years

Note

So I am woefully behind on my dash and thus all The Best Blogs such as your own, but please tell me: What were your thoughts about Twin Suns? Please feel free to refer me to a post if you already made one.

*blushes* Thank you! And sorry for taking so long to reply to this! Apparently I had even more thoughts on “Twin Suns” than I’d initially thought.

Rebels 3x20: “Twin Suns” has its weaknesses, but I really enjoyed it overall. As you may be aware, I’m a fan of Obi-Wan (yes, yes, I know, ~shock~), so I spent pretty much the entire time I watched the episode clapping my hands in glee (albeit softly, so as not to drown out what was happening) because Obi-Wan was on my screen again. I mean, you’re talking to the person who gets excited every time canon makes the slightest of oblique references to him, so…¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I’ve also always been All About Those Parallels™ and this episode abounds with them. The most obvious, of course, are the ones that mirror Qui-Gon’s death sequence in TPM, and I found this fitting for several reasons. First and foremost, I love it because it brings Maul and Obi-Wan’s story full circle. By setting their fight amidst the desolate sand dunes of Tatooine, Obi-Wan and Maul meet for the last time where the audience met Maul for the first time – something which the show explicitly underlines in 3x10: “Visions and Voices: “it ends where it begun… a desert planet… with twin suns”. (In fact, for all we know, the setting of Obi-Wan and Maul’s final encounter might even be somewhere in the Xelric Draw, which, according to Legends canon, is where Qui-Gon and Maul first met and fought. If you look at this map, you’ll notice that the Xelric Draw covers a wide swath of the space between Obi-Wan’s hut and Mos Espa, so it’s not improbable that Obi-Wan might travel there by dewback.)

In contrast to our introduction to Maul, however, which took place under the heat of a midday sun, our last glimpse of him takes place at night under the stars; Obi-Wan and Maul are at the end of their journey together and so – ostensibly, anyway! – are Maul and the audience.

Just as day and night contrast, so too do Obi-Wan and Maul, both when compared to their younger selves and when compared to each other. Both characters have gone through enumerable events in the three decades since they first met one another, all of which have shaped them… but at the end of the day, Obi-Wan has grown and changed in a way that Maul hasn’t. One of the first things Maul says in TPM is the following: ”At last we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi. At last we will have revenge.“ And at the end of “Twin Suns”, his last line is “He…will…avenge us.”

For all that Maul scolded Ezra about refusing to break free from the chains of his past in “Visions and Voices”, Maul is still focused on revenge – still focused on Obi-Wan; in the end, it’s all he has left to give his life purpose. Obi-Wan, on the other hand, has moved on from their grudge match and is focused on the future – on Luke. He is no longer the hot-headed padawan or the crusading knight that Maul knew; he is a guardian, and thus it is only when Luke is threatened that Obi-Wan deigns to fights Maul. Luke is, after all, Obi-Wan’s sole remaining tie to Anakin, his sole remaining purpose for existing… and seemingly his sole remaining hope for a better future.

At the same time, however, the two characters have a great deal in common. Obi-Wan and Maul have always been foils to one another. Both are Force Sensitive children who were taken and raised by their respective Orders, thus setting their feet on the paths to their respective destinies. Both had brothers that were destroyed by Sidious’ machinations and both are deeply lonely as a result. Now, both are relics of a past that has already passed into legend for most of the galaxy; they are old men who have no place in this new world – this new Empire – and have consequently been hiding in exile for the past seventeen years. Obi-Wan has long been aware that they have some commonalities (see some of his comments in TCW 5x16: “The Lawless”) and I think Maul is aware too… he just refuses to acknowledge as much until he’s dying. (Honestly, I’ve always gotten the impression that he’s subconsciously a bit jealous of Obi-Wan and that that is one of the roots of his resentment towards him, but that’s a conversation for another day.)

“He…will…avenge us,” Maul says with his dying breath. Us. Although they belong to very different traditions and have made very different choices, Maul tacitly acknowledges that at the end of the day, they both belong to a way that has vanished, and that this experience bonds them together. It is my personal opinion that both men are tired of fighting by this point – it’s simply that Maul doesn’t know any other way. He seeks out Obi-Wan because it gives his life renewed purpose, and he fights Obi-Wan because that is what he has always done. No matter which of them wins the fight, Maul gets what he wants – either the defeat of his nemesis or a release from his own suffering.

In a sense, Maul has been occupying a liminal space between life and death ever since Obi-Wan cut him in half in TPM. When we first re-meet him in TCW 4x21: “Brothers”, Maul is emaciated and utterly deranged. As TCW progresses, Maul regains some of his sanity and ambition – and his brother! – only to lose them again. At this point in Rebels, just as when Oppress first found him in TCW, Maul has lost all sense of self and purpose, his own spite and a burning desire for revenge against Obi-Wan (and Sidious) the only things keeping him alive. He lacks hope.

Fortunately for Maul, Obi-Wan is heavily associated with hope in Star Wars; does “Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope” ring any bells? ;-) That said, Obi-Wan is associated with sorrow as much as he is with hope. Perhaps nowhere is this peculiar combination encapsulated as well as in that oft-quoted excerpt from James Luceno’s Legends novel, Labyrinth of Evil: “And you, Master. What does your heart tell you you’re meant for?”“Infinite sadness,” Obi-Wan said, even while smiling.”

We see this theme repeatedly play out in Rebels. The two most blatant examples of Obi-Wan being linked with sorrow are when Maul uses Ezra’s suffering to lure Obi-Wan out of hiding (“Your pain, your sorrow… it calls to him”) and portions of Obi-Wan’s holocron message (“I regret to report that both our Jedi Order and the Republic have fallen, with a dark shadow of the Empire rising to take their place […] Do not return to the Temple…that time has passed.”). Meanwhile, Obi-Wan repeatedly acts as an embodiment of hope for at least three of our main characters: Kanan (“This message is a warning and a reminder for any surviving Jedi. Trust in The Force […] we must persevere. And in time, a new hope will emerge. May the Force be with you, always.”), Maul (“As for myself, I seek something much simpler, yet equally elusive… Hope. […] I see him! […] He lives!”), and Ezra (“The answer to my question of how to destroy the Sith is Obi-Wan Kenobi.”).

Obi-Wan’s sorrow and hope both come to the forefront during his brief appearance in this episode. Maul’s unnecessary death is tragic in and of itself to Obi-Wan, but the way in which it mirrors Qui-Gon’s death and the fight that preceded it only adds to the pain he feels. And although he undoubtedly has hope for Ezra and the Rebellion after safely seeing the boy off (just look at the faint smile on his face before Maul starts to speak again), there’s something incredibly sad about his parting words to Ezra: “That is your way out. Your way home.” Obi-Wan can’t go home anymore – his home no longer exists. Yet still he clings to hope.

“Look what I have risen above,” Obi-Wan says in response to Maul’s taunting. And that’s Obi-Wan in a nutshell, isn’t it? He’s far from perfect, but despite all the blows life has dealt him, he perseveres and continues to choose the Light. In their previous confrontation in “The Lawless”, he told Maul, “You can kill me, but you will never destroy me”, and this holds true throughout Obi-Wan’s life and beyond. Obi-Wan is sorrow, yes, but he is also hope – and although hope can be shattered, it rises anew from the wreckage each time, a phoenix from the ashes. And hope is indeed “more powerful than you can possibly imagine”.

A related recurring Star Wars theme found in “Twin Suns” is that ‘it’s always darkest before dawn’. It is only after Ezra has given up on finding Obi-Wan, collapsing of heatstroke/dehydration/exhaustion next to a powered-down Chopper, that he achieves his objective. Although Maul dies, he does so with a glimmer of hope that the “Chosen One” will balance the cosmic scales. One might even call it a new hope. ;-) Meanwhile, we literally see this theme played out at the end of the episode, with the dark night fading away into pale morning mist, Tatooine’s twin suns hanging partway up in the sky as Beru calls for Luke (presumably to come back in for breakfast?), the titular new hope.

Speaking of the Chosen One… Ughhh, I’ve hated that prophecy ever since it first popped up in TPM. Can I believe that several key individuals in-universe bought into said prophecy? Absolutely. But honestly, “bring balance to the Force”? I know prophecies are always vague and therefore can be interpreted twelve thousand different ways, but come on. This ties into Star Wars’ problem where it can’t quite make up its mind as to what the Force is, let alone what the Light and Dark sides of it mean or what “balance” would look like. One could argue that we’re not supposed to understand it any more than the characters do – all of whom having differing beliefs on the subject – but I personally think it’s sloppy storytelling rather than an artistic choice. I guess we’ll have to wait and see if TLJ clears any of this up.

…But I’ve gotten off-topic here. The Chosen One. *sighs* Up until TCW’s Mortis arc, I was happy to believe that the prophecy was only true insofar as characters’ perceptions of and reactions to it, but TCW more or less put paid to that when it had literal manifestations of the Force declare Anakin the Chosen One. I can still headcanon my way around that, but I’m pretty sure the canonical intention is for the prophecy to be a legitimate thing. So, working from that interpretation…

I know there’s been a lot of debate post “Twin Suns” about the implications of Obi-Wan’s statement that Luke is the Chosen One – does this mean that Anakin was never the Chosen One in the first place? does this mean that there’s more than one Chosen One? – but I think a lot of viewers are overlooking the simplest explanation, which is that although Obi-Wan may believe that Luke could be the Chosen One, it doesn’t necessarily follow that he is the Chosen One.

Obi-Wan canonically places a great deal of hope – and pressure! – on Luke’s shoulders throughout the Original Trilogy, so a belief that Luke is the Chosen One would dovetail nicely with that behavior. For instance, with that belief in mind, his comment to Luke in RotJ takes on a new meaning: “Then the Emperor has already won. You were our only hope”. This complete and utter focus on Luke to the exclusion of Leia would make a bit more sense if Obi-Wan sincerely believes that Luke is the true Chosen One. (Though that still doesn’t answer the question why Obi-Wan would think Luke must be the Chosen One rather than Leia. *rolls eyes*) Moreover, it is makes sense that Obi-Wan would no longer believe that Anakin/Vader is the Chosen One. By the time we reach the Original Trilogy, Obi-Wan appears to have given up on Anakin. In his mind, the moment that “the good man who was” Anakin turned to the Dark Side, Darth Vader “betrayed and murdered” him. In Obi-Wan’s mind, submerging the galaxy into darkness is incompatible with bringing “balance to the Force” a la the Chosen One prophecy; therefore, Anakin either lost his status as the Chosen One when he became a Sith or he was never truly the Chosen One to begin with.

Another possibility is that Obi-Wan, master of “half-truths and hyperbole” as he is, is merely trying to give a dying Maul some form of comfort and hope. After all, he never outright says that Luke is the Chosen One – his reply of “he is” in answer to Maul’s question (“Is he the Chosen One?”) certain implies that he’s referring to the person he’s all but admitted to protecting (i.e. Luke), but we all know that Obi-Wan sometimes has a casual relationship with the truth, especially when he thinks his obfuscation will serve a greater good. It would be just like Obi-Wan to intentionally give a vague reply that he knows someone will read an incorrect message into; after all, it’s not like he’s lying… And ironically enough, this is another way in which Obi-Wan parallels Maul. Obi-Wan’s line to Ezra that Maul “used your desire to do good to deceive you” and “manipulated the truth” could just as easily apply to himself, what with his “the truth is often what we make of it” and “from a certain point of view” way of looking at the world.

But honestly, I couldn’t care less who is or isn’t the prophesied Chosen One. It’s been a recurring theme in the prequels and animated TV series, but thus far it has yet to significantly affect the story (except insofar as it affects the characters, who in turn influence the plot – but most of this is implied rather than shown outright onscreen).

The audience sees “Twin Suns” through Ezra’s and Maul’s eyes, and both of them are lost – figuratively and literally – throughout most of the episode. From a narrative standpoint, perhaps this is why so much of the episode’s time is spent focused on them wandering in the desert. Both characters are searching for Obi-Wan in hopes that he will be the solution to their respective problems… failing to recognize that those solutions can only be found within themselves. On a personal level, I’m a bit unsatisfied by how much of the episode is wasted on Maul and Ezra’s wanderings, but I can acknowledge its merits on a meta-narrative level. Perhaps we’re supposed to feel frustrated and as though something is incomplete, just as Maul and Ezra do… or perhaps I’m giving the Rebels writers way too much credit.

Of course, no discussion of this episode would be complete without examining Ezra’s role in the story. “Twin Suns” acts as a metaphor for Ezra’s inner journey every bit as much as it does Maul’s. While their futures may indeed “converge on a planet with twin suns” as Maul claimed in “Visions and Voices”, Ezra does not choose to “walk that path together” with Maul. Ezra certainly has his attachments, but unlike Maul, he isn’t so married to the past as to be irrevocably trapped in it.

“What else can we do?” Ezra says in response to Chopper’s grumbling after their ship is destroyed, leaving them stranded in the middle of the desert. “We have to go forward.” And that’s what this episode is about for Ezra, really – learning to move forward again… and learning to accept that he already has everything he needs in order to do so.

A few more random thoughts before I (finally) end this:

• Chopper’s slump and resigned sigh before turning around to go after Ezra like his babysitter will never not be hilarious to me.

• Chopper goes from being powered-down and sand-logged in one scene to awake and alert in the next. The only possible conclusion? Obi-Wan must have fixed him while Ezra was sleeping. And later, Obi-Wan pats Chopper while talking to Ezra; that’s practically a declaration of friendship coming from him! It makes you wonder what kind of conversation they had before Ezra woke up… (That would explain how Obi-Wan knew Ezra’s full name, though, if Chopper told him.) …I kind of want that missing scene in a fic now.

• “You saw what you wanted to see, believed what you wanted to believe,” Obi-Wan tells Ezra of the combined holocrons’ message. Going off of what I said earlier about Obi-Wan possibly misleading Maul, I can’t help but wonder if he’s doing the same thing to Ezra here. I mean, Obi-Wan is obviously trying to get Ezra to not delve into the subject any further and to leave Tatooine before he learns about Luke (and, y’know, to protect him from Maul), but part of me wonders if there’s anything more to it – the same part of me that wonders if the holocrons had a point beyond the obvious (and, if we’re being honest here, author intended) interpretation. Not to take anything away from Luke, but I’d love to see a fic that runs with an AU interpretation of the holcrons’ message.

• I had had some doubts when I first heard him in the episode promo, but I after watching “Twin Suns”, I have to admit that Stephen Stanton did an excellent Alec-Guiness-as-Ben-Kenobi impersonation in this episode. Kudos to him and to the writing staff for nailing the character’s speech patterns a la ANH.

• I’m just as glad to see Maul finally gone (well, ostensibly anyway!), but I’m also glad that he was able to find some small measure of peace on his proverbial deathbed. He was dealt a truly terrible hand in life, and although he inflicted suffering on so many beings, you can’t help but feel sorry for him.

• “That is not your responsibility. I will heal this old wound.” Other fans have doubtless already commented on this Easter Egg, but it’s still worth a gleeful mention.

• Responsibility is another theme that runs throughout “Twin Suns”. I got the impression that we’re supposed to think Ezra is initially trying to foist the primary responsibility for destroying the Sith off on someone else, someone older and more qualified (hence his search for Obi-Wan) and that he eventually learns to take responsibility for fighting evil himself. I disagree with that reading– I’d argue that Ezra’s narrative arc has been more about learning to be able to depend on others, as he’d had stand on his own two feet for years before he met the Ghost crew. Moreover, while of course the Rebellion doesn’t need to wait around for mystical saviors in the form of Jedi (nor should they!), that doesn’t mean that the adult Jedi – namely Obi-Wan, Yoda, and any other Councillors who might have survived – have no responsibility to the Rebellion, either. The rise of the Empire was by no means solely their fault, but like many, they did help to enable it… and therefore the responsibility for destroying it also partially rests with them. The problem, of course, is that this isn’t their sole responsibility to the galaxy, and so they have to choose which responsibilities to prioritize. In the end, they deem the survival of the Jedi (through themselves and Luke) and the protection of someone powerful enough to eventually bring about the demise of the Sith (once again, Luke) to be more important than any individual strikes they could make against the Empire on their own. Are they correct in their decision? Well, that depends upon your point of view.

• You can definitely see the moment where Obi-Wan goes from a calm refusal to fight – even amusement – to Must Protect Luke At All Costs™. Similarly, you can see the moment when he recognizes the move Maul is making and adjusts his stance accordingly. Some very nice animation work here from the creators!

• Some fans find the shortness of Maul and Obi-Wan’s final duel to be unsatisfying and unrealistic, while other fans think that the duel’s speed and anticlimactic nature are the whole point. I… don’t particularly care, tbh? I can see both sides. That said, I do think that they should have shown Obi-Wan’s lightsaber making contact with Maul’s saber-staff and chest for more than half of a second in the dark; on my first watch-through, I didn’t realize that he’d actually hit Maul until Maul was dead. I was so confused… and I know I’m not the only viewer to have had this problem.

• I love the strange sense of kinship that’s evoked between Maul and Obi-Wan as he lays dying. And the way Obi-Wan cradles Maul and gently closes his eyes kills me every time.

• Why, precisely, is Ezra so sure that Maul is dead when he left before the Big Showdown™? Does he just have that much faith in Obi-Wan? Did the Force tell him as much? Personally, I’m rooting for someone to write a crack fic where Obi-Wan comms him mid-flight through something he installed in Chopper or something and tells him, leading to a wacky correspondence. (Utmost secrecy and security risks? What utmost secrecy and security risks?)

• I was slightly disappointed not to get any more of Luke than his silhouette (well, Ezra’s silhouette, if we’re going to be technical lol – Rebels re-used footage of Ezra to save time & money) in the closing scene, but I also thought it was kind of fitting. The closer we get to the timeline of ANH, the stronger Luke’s shadow looms over Rebels, after all.

• The closing scene in general!!! I get chills each time I watch it. It really ties “The Journals of Ben Kenobi”, the Rebels series, and ANH together nicely. All we needed was for Obi-Wan’s bantha family to make an appearance… ;-)

• As much as I loved “Twin Suns”, I think it would have worked better if they’d cut just a smidgeon of the ‘wandering in the desert’ bits and used that extra time to 1. Show a point in Obi-Wan and Ezra’s conversation where Obi-Wan gets Ezra to promise not to tell anyone that he’s still alive and on Tatooine, or 2. Shown us Kanan’s reaction to learning that Obi-Wan is still alive… and is hiding on a backwater planet instead of searching for remaining Jedi and/or helping the Rebellion (I’d love to see the other characters’ reactions to this news too, but Kanan’s reaction is the one that is most important thematically), or 3. Use their original draft’s plotline, which involved Ezra and Kanan going to Tatooine instead of Ezra and Chopper. This last scenario would have the added benefit of more narrative ‘showing’ than ‘telling’ when it comes to Kanan’s reaction, and it would allow for further streamlining of the episode, as TPTB could then cut out most of the scenes with the rest of the Ghost crew (which, although enjoyable, split the audience’s focus in an undesirable way in this episode, IMO, even if they did act as nice bookends). Any of these options would have made for a much tighter, less rushed, more coherent, and more satisfying episode.

All criticisms and analyses aside, I really liked “Twin Suns”. Although it’s enriched by knowledge of previous Rebels episodes, it can stand on its own. I’d say it’s definitely among the best work Rebels has produced and is a worthy addition to new Star Wars canon.

#phos replies #spectral-musette #obi wan kenobi #darth maul #star wars rebels #star wars meta #things done by phos #star wars #perfect parallels #star wars prequels #star wars original trilogy #swr #meta #death #star wars is pain & suffering #star wars is perseverance & hope

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silverscreenclassics2016 · 4 years

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by Paul Batters

It’s a real thrill to be acknowledged by a fellow blogger whose work you respect and enjoy. We rarely receive that acknowledgement and to be nominated by by Zoe K at Hollywood Genes is certainly thrilling! I cannot thank you enough for your kindness, Zoe!

As Zoe pointed out in her acceptance, it’s a great deal of fun to receive the award because the questions allow for introspection that we rarely give to ourselves. So without further ado, let’s get into the conditions for the Sunshine Blogger Award.

The Rules

Thank the person who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.

Answer the eleven questions from the blogger who nominated you.

Nominate eleven bloggers.

Create eleven new questions for your nominees to answer.

Here are my answers to Zoe’s questions:

The Questions

1). Whose biography would you want to write and why would you pick that person?

James Murray. I became fascinated by his story when I read ‘Hollywood Babylon’ as a kid (which I know is heavy with inaccuracies) but was even more fascinated after finally watching ‘The Crowd’ which is one of my favourite films and an exceptional artwork. There are myths regarding James Murray’s life that need to be cleared up and indeed there’s a lot we don’t know either. There’s something tragic about his story and so many themes to examine that I think it would be challenging and very interesting to research and find out more about the man.

2). What is a film that people would be shocked to find out you haven’t seen?

I’ve avoided many of the Marvel and DC films, particularly the most recent ones. I’m so tired of ‘over-the-top’ CGI nonsense and noise. And for the record I was a huge Marvel comic fan from the 70s onwards (and still am!). But if I had a free ticket to go, I wouldn’t nor couldn’t be bothered to see any of those films. Not judging anyone who likes them – it’s just my taste.

3). Which favorite book of yours has never been made (or made properly) into a movie? If it were, who would you cast in the lead roles?

Definitely Budd Schulberg’s book ‘What Makes Sammy Run?’ – not because it’s a favourite per se as many books I love have been made into films but because it’s a powerful book and should be made. I know and understand the stories behind why it’s never been made as a film, as it is a terrifyingly cynical view of the film industry. In terms of casting, it’s very difficult which might also explain why it was never made. But I’ll take my best shot, using actors from the classic era.

Al Mannheim: Dana Andrews Sammy Glick: Frank Sinatra Cathy ‘Kit’ Sargent: Teresa Wright Sidney Fineman: James Gleason ‘Sheik’: Anthony Quinn Laurette Harrington: Martha Hyer Carter Judd: Jeffrey Hunter Rosalie Goldblaum: Cathy O’Donnell

4). Which blog post did you spend the most time researching and/or writing and what was it about?

It would have to be ‘Fatalism And Futility In Film Noir’. It’s over 4,000 words and I really focused on it a great deal. Of course I re-watched the films I discussed a number of times, as well as read some critical work and reviews to immerse myself in the essence of what I wanted to write. I think it came out ok!

Here’s the link: Fatalism And Futility In Film Noir

5). When and why did you start blogging?

I began in 2016 for a few reasons; I have always loved classic film and wanted to write about it. The advice that kept popping up in my face was quite simple – just DO IT. It was also an avenue to developing an idea for a book (which I am still working on) nI finally took on the challenge and whilst I have been disillusioned and disheartened at times, I’ve tried to remember why I started writing in the first place and I am starting to get my mojo back.

It’s also a desire to keep alive an appreciation of classic cinema, at a time when it is slowly being eroded away and diminished by so many factors. Researching and writing about classic cinema is also a fantastic way of learning more and I wanted that to be a key part of the reason I started blogging.

The key with writing is simple yet difficult at the same time – just WRITE. Even if they come out terrible, the process is still cathartic as well as being a learning opportunity.

6). You’re hosting a themed Halloween party. Which book or film would you use as the theme and in what ways?

It would be Roman Polanski’s film The Fearless Vampire Killers – simply because it would give everyone a chance to become a creature of the night. Everyone of course would be dressed in period piece, the party would be held in a beautiful old ballroom for everyone to dance the night away and the hired staff (suitably attired) would be on duty to provide everyone with enough food and beverages and keep them satisfied. For those who are interested, there would be viewing rooms with different classic and not so classic horror films playing – and of course the decorations would be appropriate to the evening.

7). What was the last film you saw that really blew you away and why?

The Irishman. Not only were there incredible performances from De Niro and Pacino, but there was also the reminder of why I miss Joe Pesci so much on the big screen. Ray Romano was no slouch and perfectly cast. A tour de force of a film!

8). Marry, Kiss, or Kill: Which film character would you marry, which would you share a hot, pre-code kiss with, and which would you kill like a noir anti-hero or villain(ess) with a score to settle? (And why did you pick these 3?)

Marry: Nora Charles (Myrna Loy). That is assuming Nick was deceased and she was available. (I know that sounds awful but…it is Myrna Loy after all! To spend a lifetime with such a gorgeous gal would be heaven!)

Kiss: Marian Martin (Joan Crawford). Locking lips with a hell of a sexy pre-code dame like Joan Crawford would send the temperature soaring!

Kill: Tommy Udo (Richard Widmark). He’s a sadistic, mad dog and dangerous as hell!

9). Which film character’s closet would you love to raid?

Why any character being played by Cary Grant of course!

10). Recast Star Wars using early Hollywood (silent to 1940s) actors and actresses then recast Casablanca with modern actors and actresses (1990s to today).

I’ve also placed the original players next to the recast actors and actresses.

Star Wars Luke – Jackie Cooper

circa 1942: Promotional headshot portrait of American actor Jackie Cooper tilting his head forward and looking straight ahead, for director A Edward Sutherland’s film, ‘The Navy Comes Through’. He is wearing a pinstriped blazer with a tie. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Han – Clark Gable

Leia – Olivia de Havilland

Obi-wan Kenobi – Sir Cedric Hardwicke

Darth Vader – Claude Rains (Voice)

Grand Moff Tarkin – Boris Karloff

Casablanca Rick – George Clooney

Ilsa – Monica Bellucci

Victor – Christoph Waltz

Sam – Jamie Foxx

Captain Renault – Jean Dujardin

Major Strasser – Mads Mikkelsen

Signor Ferrari – Anthony Hopkins

Ugarte – Steve Buscemi

11). You were working in the lab, late one night, when your eyes beheld an eerie sight. What was it and what did you do?

The hour was beyond the clock, as I looked dazedly upon my work. Was it finished? Was it complete? Was what lay before me everything that I had sweated, ached and poured my heart out for? Or was there more to do?How long had I toiled and found myself lost in the seemingly infinite depths of trying to perfect my creation! Yet at every turn there were obstacles; some I had placed there, the rest beyond my control – or so I told myself. The distinction between perseverance and madness had long blurred and I could not remember the last time I had spoken to someone about the weather or sat at the table to eat. Indeed, what was finally driving me to complete my work was something I could not ascertain, even when I deigned to find some moments of peace in disturbed sleep. Even then the only reason I closed my eyes was a justification to allow myself to recover to continue my work. And so at that point, I slumped in my seat and felt my arms fall lifelessly by my side. It was enough. There was no more that I could do. Yet something compelled me to turn to my right, as if a presence was watching me. Finding myself torn between daring to look and pretending there was nothing there, I nonetheless apprehensively turned slowly towards an apparition beyond my wildest nightmares. Staring at me was a figure so grotesque that I could not scream. As I opened my mouth in silent horror, the figure did the same, as if it were mocking my terror and laughing inside at my frozen fear. Its eyes were large and dark, sunken in what appeared to be the hollows of a long dead oak, with hair hanging down bedraggled over its’ face. Its pale face was fixated on me like a predator eyeing its’ prey and as I instinctively raised my hand in some pathetic attempt to fend it off, I saw it too raise its’ fiendish arm as if ready to strike. Rising slowly out of my chair, the figure also stood and I knew that at any moment, it may rush at me and inflict violence upon me. Determined to defend myself, I saw its’ face contort into a horrific mask of contemptuous violence. My fists clenched into red knuckled balls of fury. And waited. Bracing myself for the attack to come. But then I noticed a change in my tormentor’s face, as it looked at me questioningly. I, too, found myself staring back, realising that I knew who it was and the realisation hit me like a thousand thunderbolts all at once… I touched the mirror with the tips of my fingers before turning back to my creation and hitting the ‘Publish’ button on the screen. Sleep beckoned…

The 11 Nominees For The Sunshine Blogger Award

Down These Mean Streets – Musings Of A Noir Dame

Four Star Film Fan

Wolffian Classic Movies Digest

B Noir Detour

Noirish

Queen Of The Lot Blog

Diary Of A Movie Maniac

Cinema Essentials

The Classic Movie Muse

Moon In Gemini

Once Upon A Screen

The Questions

My questions are a mixed bag of my own and others that Zoe.K was given so I hope you find them interesting!

1. Which actor or actress who hasn’t received an Oscar do you think deserves one? And for what film?

2. Who is your favourite child actor and name a film they were in which you love.

3. If a biopic was made of you during the classic film era (1920s to 1960s), who would you like to play you and why?

4. Which famous starry couple (of any time and place) would you want as neighbours?

5. Of all the classic monsters, which one do you feel associated with and why?

6. Is there a classic era actor/actress that you have a crush on?

7. If there was ONE actor or actress (living or deceased) whom you could interview for your blog, who would it be and why would you choose that person?

8. Which film character’s closet would you love to raid?

9. Marry, Kiss, or Kill: Which film character would you marry, which would you share a hot, pre-code kiss with, and which would you kill like a noir anti-rhero or villain(ess) with a score to settle? (And why did you pick these 3?)

10. Of all the classic film studios, which is your favourite and why?

11. Choose a film where you would love to change the ending. Explain what that change would be and why you would do it.

Well, I hope you take part and of course totally understand if you cannot or would prefer not to. However, I thoroughly recommend it as it’s a great deal of fun and certainly is a pleasure and honour to be nominated. Happy blogging everyone! And I’m looking forward to reading your responses.

Paul Batters teaches secondary school History in the Illawarra region and also lectures at the University Of Wollongong. In a previous life, he was involved in community radio and independent publications. Looking to a career in writing, Paul also has a passion for film history.

The Sunshine Blogger Award – Brightening Up A Blog! by Paul Batters It's a real thrill to be acknowledged by a fellow blogger whose work you respect and enjoy.

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