Tumgik
#better than the revenge of the sith novelization
infinitepunches · 1 year
Text
I can finally say it.
Andor season 1 is the best piece of Star Wars media ever produced.
812 notes · View notes
intermundia · 3 months
Text
so for my vader time travel novel, i posed myself the question, how could you actually prevent the fall of the galactic republic? what would it actually mean to save it from fascism? bc it's more than just destroying the sith and saving the jedi, it's also dismantling the structural corruption the sith used to decay the republic and build an empire. i wanted to figure out how a small group of people could instigate galaxy-wide political and military actions and maneuver the republic back into a more healthy configuration. like yes, sidious is immortal and needs to be destroyed, but it will take more than killing one man to bring balance to the force again. anakin would need a goal beyond simple revenge against his enemies if he were doing the work to learn and grow from the past into a better man.
tbh it took years of researching and planning to answer all of those questions in a way that i found satisfying. i identified the major players in the galaxy in both canon and legends material, pulled tools available to them, and analyzed the connections to develop a realistic path forward for them. so now i'm very happy to say that plan is presented in the meeting in chapter 17: yavin iv, which is now posted on ao3!! while the story is ultimately about the emotional journeys of obi-wan and anakin and their developing relationship, the plot still had to support their character arcs. i hope that it does its job!! <3
88 notes · View notes
padawanlost · 5 months
Note
Is there a Star Wars book when anakin watches Shmi get beaten up in front of him and if there is what book is it
We don’t get much in terms of Shmi’s pov. Most of what we know of their time with Watto comes from unreliable narrators, mostly Anakin. So, no, I can’t think of any scene right now where we witness Watto physically abusing her in front of Anakin.
That being said, we do have proof that Watto was physically abusive to Anakin:
“He wasn’t sure how he would feel about seeing the slaver, even if Watto had nothing to do with bringing any harm to Shmi. Watto had treated him better than most in Mos Espa treated their slaves, and hadn’t beaten him too often, but still, it hung in Anakin’s thoughts that Watto had not let Shmi go with him when Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon had bought out his slave debt. Anakin understood that he was probably just deflecting some of his own guilt about leaving his mother with Watto, who was a businessman, after all.” AOTC Novelization When Count Dooku flies at him, blade flashing, Watto’s fist cracks out from Anakin’s childhood to knock the Sith Lord tumbling back. [Matthew Stover. Revenge of the Sith] Physical pain he could have handled even without his Jedi mental skills; he’d always been tough. At four years old he’d been able to take the worst beating Watto would deliver without so much as making a sound. [Matthew Stover. Revenge of the Sith] “Anakin wasn’t entirely wrong about him. He’d never been a slave. He’d never been beaten for making a mistake. Never crawled beneath threadbare blankets, starving, and fallen asleep with his mother’s tears on his cheeks. He didn’t remember his mother. He’d been raised in the Temple, safe and loved. I have compassion. I have empathy. What I don’t have are scars.” Karen Miller’s Star Wars: Clone Wars Gambit: Stealth
One could assume that a being who has no problem slaving people and beating up a little boy wouldn’t have any problem beating up his mom.
So, I can’t think of any factual evidence that it did happen. However, considering their circumstances, I do believe at some point in his childhood Anakin witnessed his mother being, if not physically, at least verbally abused. Sadly, we are talking about slavery here and there’s nothing good or positive about it.
139 notes · View notes
gffa · 3 months
Note
What’s your opinion on Star Wars: Padawan by Kiersten White, and Master and Apprentice by Claudia Grey? I’m considering getting into the books and really want to read stuff about Obi-wan as an apprentice.
Hi! Keep in mind that this is just one fan's opinions on the books, but I can definitely tell you what I thought of both, as an Obi-Wan fan: Padawan: This is easily my favorite Star Wars book in quite awhile. It can't dethrone Revenge of the Sith novelization as my favorite all-time book, but it's currently in second place and it was exactly what I wanted. It was an Obi-Wan adventure where he's such a good kid, one who loves so deeply, but in a very Jedi way, has amazing details about the Jedi woven into it, and was a fun adventure. It might be on the softer side for some (especially if you're expecting Jedi Apprentice style angsty shenanigans, but honestly I'm of the opinion that Obi-Wan's childhood was gentler than that, this fit much better for me), but it was right in my wheelhouse. Master and Apprentice: I had a ton to say about this book, which was a long struggle to reconcile what Qui-Gon would say versus what he would do. Ultimately, if I looked at Qui-Gon as a good person, but often an unreliable narrator and not perfect (which he shouldn't have to be!!!) who genuinely fucked up a lot, who said one thing and did another, who lectured others but didn't do anything about a problem himself, who never really seemed to talk to Obi-Wan despite that they'd been a duo for 4+ years by now, etc., then it it was a great Qui-Gon book. But I don't think anyone should read it just for Obi-Wan content, despite the way its billed it's much more a Qui-Gon book than anything, it's about his relationship with Obi-Wan and Dooku, for all that Obi-Wan has scenes from his point of view. Mileages vary, but I wound up having nothing to say about Obi-Wan in this book, so I caution getting it just for him. (You can always check to see if your library has it and snag it that way! Or, possibly, you may see it totally differently from me!)
61 notes · View notes
jewishcissiekj · 4 months
Text
hi let's talk about her
Tumblr media
Honestly I have so much to say about her. so much. so here's some of it
-Asajj (NOT VENTRESS THAT'S HER LAST NAME ISTG PEOPLE JUST HATE USING HER ACTUAL NAME AND IDK WHY I GUESS IT'S A COOL NAME BUT ASAJJ IS ALSO A COOL NAME AND)
-Asajj was last seen in canon in the Dark Disciple novel. Where she died. I would never recommend that book to anyone so if you haven't read it yet please don't. In short, after becoming a Bounty Hunter in The Clone Wars she grew out her hair, got a cool yellow Lightsaber and for some reason teamed up with Quinlan Vos to try and kill Dooku. They didn't manage to do it. And Asajj died (was fridged) trying to protect Quinlan. The Bad Batch will not contradict that, as was said by the creators. So this is just a summary for anyone who hasn't read it because I wholeheartedly believe that book is bad
Tumblr media
-I have not watched a single Bad Batch episode in my life. As a disclaimer. I started the first one, watched their TCW arc and saw memes screenshots clips and spoilers but I do not know this show. I will watch it now that Asajj's there tho
Tumblr media
-She does not have the same outfit anymore! It's a change, and we haven't gotten a clear look at her new design so idk how to judge it yet. Might be to look less recognizable, but it has a very different vibe than any of her prior outfits. There's a leftover shoulder pad and probably some other stuff from her last design but I feel like they kinda clash with the new one and tbb's design language in general. The Bounty Hunter look has a very TCWish feel to it and this one is a sharp turn in another, much more casual direction. I'm not inherently against it but I guess we'll see how it looks in action soon
-In my opinion the hair looks like shit. I don't think she should have hair ever. I don't understand why she can't be bald. Why is she bald when she's evil and has hair when she's a padawan (good) and when she is "redeemed"? guess we'll never know. It's a leftover from the cancelled Dark Disciple TCW arc design (and the Dark Disciple cover and promotional material ofc) and it's bad if you ask me but to each their own and if you like it good for you
-Her Lightsaber!!!!! Same case as the hair in terms of irl development but I like it so much better. The yellow just fits her character and it's pretty. Would love for her to find another one and get back to dual-wielding (I know that won't happen)
-The bag and pouches make me so happy as a design element do you think she carries a (tooka) cat in there
-Now, visually she looks great and the animation style is smoother and nicer than TCW (as is the quality), but what about the direction the character's going in? I didn't like her being dead before, but I felt like it was somewhat better than her being shoved into being a cameo character in new content. If you can't touch her after a certain point, you also can't mess her up. But I do wonder where they're going with her. A few questions:
-Asajj in canon is a directionless character. Also, a partially nonsensical and inconsistent character in her choices and storylines. I've talked about it a lot but in short she just feels messy. What's her purpose in life? Her motive? Her origin story doesn't really make sense, even. She's a Bounty Hunter, sure, but why? If all she wants is revenge on Dooku and maybe money (which was pretty much the case in Dark Disciple), what's she doing after the Empire? And more importantly, why?
-Obviously, the question I haven't asked yet because I don't like it: How the fuck is she alive? Nightsisters have a weird relationship with death but seriously, how?
-She's a Force User after the Rise of the Empire now, so what does he do about that? Is she founding The Path? Fucking around and finding out? Making a not-Jedi-not-Sith order with other force users she finds? Is the Empire after her? Do they know she's live?
-What about her girlfriend? Is Latts Razzi safe? Is she alright?
-Why is she in The Bad Batch show? Are we making her into a cameo character or is there a purpose? Why'd they bring her back? For fun? What is she doing after the show? Floating in dead space? Cameo-ing? Will we have a book?
-OK enough for tonight but if we see Quinlan Vos in the show I'll become violent (/neg). We probably will (he might just get mentioned idk).
70 notes · View notes
groundzero-v · 3 months
Text
Titles tag game
Thank you @roalinda for tagging me! 💕
List the titles of your top 5 priorities for WIP updates (link your fics for new readers)
An upcoming scene, event or detail in each fic that you're looking forward to writing
Bonus: make a poll for your followers to vote on which of the top 5 wips are they are most excited to see an update on!
Then tag 10 writer friends!
Titles
1. Revenge *is* the answer (worktitle, Prongsfoot)
Tumblr media
Set in a version of the wizarding world where ghosts work a bit differently, Sirius and James team up to hunt Peter Petigreew down.
Or: James comes back (sort of), breaks Sirius out of Azkaban (finally) and decides whoever betrayed them both doesn't deserve to live on.
2. Marauder's Guide to Saving the Wizarding World (Prongsfoot)
Tumblr media
I suppose everyone is tired of me talking about this one, but it's my only published wip 😄 James and Sirius compete as a team in the Triwizard Tournament which sets things that were never supposed to happen in their time in motion. Marauders fight Voldemort AU!
Includes lots of Marauder banter, feels, questionable humour, prongsfoot moments and brand new tasks in the tournament
3. No title yet. Star Wars AU + transmigration* (Prongsfoot)
Tumblr media
The Proud Immortal Sith Way was a webnovel with an average rating of 2.5. It was, quite frankly, a piece of shit. The only thing that kept James reading, day after day, was the main character, the Jedi turned Sith, Sirius Black.
Sirius' whole life was filled with misfortune and pain. Upon entering the Order he received nothing but distain and distrust from everyone around him, even from his Master. It was no wonder he turned to the Dark side when everyone was just a useless NPC!
'How is it fair that Sirius had to spend the rest of his life in misery after suffering this whole time?!!’ James wrote at 1AM into the comment section of yet another chapter that had Sirius traveling the galaxy and adding another one-chapter, useless love interest to his harem.
The same night, James died. When he woke up, he was in the novel, the words 'Fine, do better,' apprearing in front of his eyes before they blipped out of existence.
*((A variation of SVSS for those aware, but should be totally alright to read without any knowledge of SW or SVSS^^))
4. Fantasy/Knights of the Round table AU (Prongsfoot)
Tumblr media
Fantasy, Arthur & Knights of the Round table AU. James in the place of Arthur, future king, and Sirius as Lancelot, his most loyal knight. Features sword-magic, epic adventures and magical creatures. A very much just a concept for now
An upcoming scene, event or detail in each fic that you're looking forward to writing:
1. Prongsfoot just...being feral for each other, absolute devotion to the max. They have finally reunited again and there's nothing that can stop them. Also just them...trespassing everywhere 😄 Besides that, definitely the confrontation with Peter!!
2. I'm pretty excited about the Second Task of the Tournament (and a bit scared since I had to create it, hopefully it's interesting). But other than that, to be very vague haha, Prongsfoot meeting Voldemort for the first time!🙈 (There is a line that started this whole fic that I have been waiting to use and its coming closer with each day!!)
3. It's so different so I have to say there're so many things I'm really excited about. Figuring out who should be who in the SW universe is a lot of fun, but I think I'm mostly looking forward to James and Sirius being absolutely unstoppable with lightsabers and the Force. The aspect of the transmigration is also something I'm really really looking forward to
4. I love fantasy so puttting Prongsfoot in there is just a dream. A scene I'm most excited about is Sirius getting knighted by James and swearing his loaylty to him 🥹
Tagging (no pressure and sorry if you were already tagged!) @lovelymasks @jmagnabo92 @cassiaratheslytherpuff @gracelesslady23 @prongsfoot4life @solitaire-sol @mycupofrum @siriuslystarbucks @siriuslycomplex
38 notes · View notes
Note
Just like Revenge of the Sith, I believe some novels could help make Hazbin Hotel better than it initially is. Maybe with a lore book series with biblical book-like titles like: "The Book of Angel Dust.", "The Book of Nifty.", "The Book of Alastor." and "The Book of the Cannibals." What would you think?
That actually would be great.
21 notes · View notes
himboskywalker · 2 years
Note
Hi! The Kenobi show made me wonder how much Anakin's choices were groomed by Palpatine being a master manipulator and by the Council overlooking the worrying aspects their friendship. What do you think? (I am genuinely curious as someone who is dipping her toes in Star Wars).
Hello! And welcome welcome!
I’m in a very niche category of how I interact with and perceive Anakin and his fall. While I love his character,and deeply empathize with his faults and fears,I also think there’s a middle ground in loving and understanding his character while also holding him responsible for his choices. Yes Palpatine groomed and influenced him,we see really just the tip of the iceberg in the films of the psychological influence he seeds with Anakin through the years,where some of the books and comics sheds more light on the darker aspects of this. Would he have been less likely to fall without the influence of Sidious since he was a boy? Yes I think absolutely so,I think exposure to twisted ideas coming from a mentor who’s supposed to guide him only further gray Anakin’s perception of the galaxy. Sidious wormed his way into Anakin’s trust through manipulative mentoring and flattery,and the result was Anakin listening to,not Obi-Wan,but this other mentor who soothed his ego and who he thought understood him. Sidious encouraged his volatility,his anger and fear,and primarily his mistrust and paranoia. And while Anakin is a temperamental and angry character and his faults are his own,I don’t think he would have been prone to a lot of his ideas of “my empire” and “the Jedi are evil” without Sidious’s years of darkside influence and manipulations.
But I don’t think the Council are responsible for this. We see a lot of evidence ( @gffa Check out Lumi’s meta on this it’s far better and more in depth than mine) in a myriad of canon sources that the Council don’t like Palpatine meddling and trying to be close with Anakin. They very much try to put themselves between the involvement of the Chancellor with Anakin,primarily in later years when it becomes more apparent. The Council do not want the influence of the Senate and the Chancellor,but they are also beholden to them,and especially by the Clone Wars very much have their hands tied and have been backed into a corner of no win scenarios orchestrated deliberately by Sidious. This is the tragedy of the Jedi,that they are placed in a no win situation.
Obi-Wan especially never liked the meddling of Palpatine with Anakin and you can see especially in Matthew Stover’s Revenge of the Sith novel and lots of comics that he actively does not like their friendship and does his best to stifle it all the while trying not to anger Anakin or the Chancellor. The Jedi were very protective of Anakin,but the fact is they couldn’t fully understand the situation when Anakin had kept them in the dark. You can do your absolute best to help someone but if they’re lying to you there’s no way you can fully understand what they are going through.
Lots of people cite that they didn’t help him when he was having the force visions of Padmé dying but he literally never TOLD Obi-Wan or Yoda that he was having visions/dreams of Padmé dying! How could the Council,Obi-Wan included,keep Palpatine from Anakin when by his twenties Anakin was very much hiding how close they had become and how often they interacted? The Jedi could not be responsible for things that they were not aware of by the deliberate omission of Anakin. In the scope of what they did know and by what was in their power,they absolutely protected Anakin as best as they were able and given the means of knowledge to do so.
That is to say I think a good deal of Anakin’s mistrust for the Jedi by RotS stemmed from Sidious’s direct influence and whispering in his ear. I think without Palpatine having such close access to him from being in such a position of power,that Anakin would have resisted his fall better. In all I love Anakin and am extremely sympathetic to his pains and faults,but I also think ultimately the blame is on himself and his inability to let go of his fear,it’s his very narrative. The inevitability and tragedy of Anakin Skywalker is how brightly be burned and how deeply he fell from his own avoidable and stoppable mistakes. Anakin himself has now looked Obi-Wan in the eye as Darth Vader and verbally validated what the narrative has been saying for decades,that Anakin fell because of his own choices.
“I am not your failure,Obi-Wan. You didn’t kill Anakin Skywalker,I did.”
Even Anakin asserts ownership and responsibility that his fall is his own fault. It is not because the Council could not help him or that everyone around him did not try to reach out to him,but because he succumbed to his own fear of loss and his crippling attachment/inability to let go.
705 notes · View notes
palfriendpatine66 · 7 months
Text
Writing Obi-Wan I got an amazing ask that has prompted your Pal to go on several rants so I’m breaking it into parts for readability.
An anon new to writing fanfic asked about characterizing Obi-Wan. They asked about his most important traits to include to really nail his characterization and most importantly:
"In particular, I'm confused about reconciling the (chaotic, dramatic, 10/10) Clone Wars happenings with the way he appears in some other stories (more, well, civilized)."
Well anon: ask and you shall receive. Find your pal’s beginner's thesis below, keeping in mind that there are many others in the fandom who are way more accomplished authors who are much better about characterization in their own works and are way more qualified to speak to this. I'm going to do my best!
I love this ask! Characterization is so important in fan fic as we take familiar characters in place them into different scenarios that we haven’t seen how they react and respond to, and yet want it to feel authentic. The best is when you read a chapter and think of course that’s how Obi-Wan would deal with this.
The first part to nailing characterization is voice. Not even the motivation aspects behind “he would not fucking say that” but I literally ask myself: can I imagine the character’s voice actually saying these things? If I can’t hear Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan in my mind speaking the lines of dialogue I’ve written, I know it’s not right. This isn’t something specific I could give you a How To on, it’s 100% based on vibe and feel, BUT. Listen to the dialogue in the movies/tcw/kenobi series. The words he uses, his cadence, his tone. Even if he's being written in an alternate universe speaking about something that canon Obi-Wan has never experienced, and never will, it should still *sound* like him. If I had to summarize his voice: civilized yes, and more mature or refined than Anakin’s speech patterns, but with the ever present threat of sass. Underlying almost everything he says is a sense of I can and will destroy you if you piss me off, so tread lightly.
That brings me to your point of reconciling the different parts of Obi-Wan. There’s a line in Stover’s novelization of Revenge of the Sith which (I'm paraphrasing) says: he’s a Jedi Master who deep down still feels like a padawan. To me, this is why he can be the cool, calm logical Jedi Master one moment and then impulsively launching himself out of windows to hang from a speeding droid the next.
He is the expert of Fake it Till You Make It. He was suddenly thrust into all these roles of responsibility before he was prepared for them, but has taken them on and is Doing His Best. He literally went from being a padawan to having a padawan overnight. He had no time to experience being responsible for himself before he was responsible for someone else. He’s the youngest member on the council and despite, you know, not being trained in the military he is like The Highest Ranking Jedi and in command of a frighteningly huge portion of the GAR. He *is* incredibly competent and good at what he does, but he feels like its a role he's acting. He is playing the part of the wise Jedi, modeling himself after everyone he respects and looks up to and thinks is doing a better job than himself, when a lot of times his personal instinct isn't to react with measured patience but rather Yeet! or Read This Bitch!
Always remember: this man contains multitudes. There is no One Right take on his personality. That’s why he’s so fun to write! And also why there’s so many different versions of Obi-Wan in fan fic, and yet most are able to feel right if they hit the voice. Authors lean into the different sides of Obi-Wan they want to bring out. Some are more into his Big Dick Energy, being a BAMF, having the answers, and being in control General Kenobi. Some relate to the more the anxious padawan desperate to prove himself. Some see the man tossing back shots in the Outlander and think to themselves “this ho has slept with half of Coruscant”. Any and all of these can feel true to the character when done from a place of love and understanding for our main man Obi-Wan Kenobi
32 notes · View notes
homoeroticbetrayal · 1 year
Text
Iconic Homoerotic Betrayal: Round 1
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Round 1 Directory
Context:
Anakin/Obi-Wan (Star Wars)
"The whole 3rd arc of the "Return of The Sith" movie is effectively just the painful end of the most powerful and committed relationship in all of Star Wars. Obi-Wan even told Yoda that he could not kill Anakin and he was right. He couldn't deliver the final blow to Anakin and just assumed that Anakin's severe burns would do what he could not. Even when he's gone into exile on Tatooine, he still wishes he could see Anakin again. Anakin is never not on his mind, even in the end. The ROTS novel is even more explicit about their love for one another, something that transcends brotherhood, friendship and lovers."
"They are so dependent on eachother like get a room boys. Also they have one of the most iconic fights (when Anakin falls to the darkside in the Revenge of the Sith movie) and Anakin literally takes time out of the lightsaber fight to choke Obi-Wan like hello?? Also this is a quote from an official canon Star Wars book; "Blade-to-blade, Obi-Wan and Anakin were identical. After thousands of hours lightsaber sparring, they knew each other better than brothers, more intimately than lovers; they were the complementary halves of a single warrior."
Macaque/Sun Wukong (Lego Monkei Kid)
Mac + Sun Wukong were the bestest buddies in the whole world until Sun Wukong was forced to go through a character arc road trip and made NEW friends. Mac severely misunderstood the Forceful Character Growth methods and attempts to kill Wukongs friends. So, to defend the new friends, Wukong kills Macaque in return. Now, Macaque does come back Wrong and there is some speculation on how there could be some possible trickery and manipulation regarding Mac's death, but watching LMK it is intensely homoerotic.
119 notes · View notes
redsandspirit · 5 months
Text
Matthew Stover ruined Dooku
It is perhaps generally accepted that Revenge of the Sith novelization by Matthew Stover is one of the best books ever written in the Star Wars universe, if not the best. It's not hard to see why, since in many ways the story is head and shoulders above the movie, and Anakin Skywalker is, in my opinion, better captured by the author than anywhere else in the Expanded Universe. Still, I can't say that I was completely satisfied with the novel. Count Dooku is one of my favorite EU characters and I was saddened by how he was portrayed by Stover.
Xenophobia
Matthew Stover's Darth Tyranus is a terrible xenophobe, who never fails to remind the reader of this even during conversations with his colleagues such as Grievous and Darth Sidious. He deeply believes that creating the Empire of Man is what he was born to do? Seriously? Dooku is so evil in this book that it seems as if he would have been able to carry out all of Palpatine's plans exactly to the smallest detail without the participation of Palpatine himself. I think Stover here erases the complexity of the character that Jude Watson and Sean Stewart were able to create, and that's something we'll come back to.
A government clean, pure, direct: none of the messy scramble for the favor of ignorant rabble and subhuman creatures that made up the Republic he so despised. The government he would serve would be Authority personified. Human authority. It was no accident that the primary powers of the Confederacy of Independent Systems were Neimoidian, Skakoan, Quarren and Aqualish, Muun and Gossam, Sy Myrthian and Koorivar and Geonosian. At war’s end the aliens would be crushed, stripped of all they possessed, and their systems and their wealth would be given into the hands of the only beings who could be trusted with them. Human beings. Dooku would serve an Empire of Man. And he would serve it as only he could. As he was born to. - Revenge of the Sith, 2
In the novels written before Revenge of the Sith, we saw many important episodes from Dooku's past, and there were no premises for xenophobia. As a child, he was constantly dealing with other sentient species in the Jedi Order, and his father figure was a literal gremlin. One of Dooku's childhood friends was Eero Iridian, who is also not human. Darth Tyranus shows some remorse due to the fact that he and Darth Sidious took advantage of the Troxans (a non-human species) to drain the Republic's resources. This definitely doesn't fit with the way in RotS Dooku gleefully imagines crushing non-humans under the new government.
“These are the envoys from Troxar,” his Master said. How could he know? Dooku didn’t ask. Darth Sidious knew. He always knew.“They are considering surrender,” Dooku said. “They claim they have a resistance planned, ready to rise in insurrection when the clone troops withdraw.” “No!” the flickering figure said sharply. “The war has already damaged the planet too much to make it worth saving. Its only value now is to chew up more troops and resources. Tell them they have to fight on. Promise them reinforcements—tell them you will be deploying a new fleet of advanced droids to retake the whole system within a month, if only they can hold on. Explain that such weapons will not be put in the hands of those who surrender.” “And when the month passes, and no reinforcements arrive?” “Help will come within another month at most. Promise them that, and make them believe it. I’ve shown you how.” “I understand,” Dooku said. How casually we betray our creatures. The hooded figure cocked its head. “Having an attack of conscience, my apprentice?” “No, Master.” He met the hooded figure’s hideous eye. “It was their own greed that brought them to you,” he said. “In their heart of hearts, they always knew what they were getting into.” - Yoda: Dark Rendezvous, 1
Technophobia
The next uncharacteristic trait that was added to the character is technophobia. Anakin Skywalker's prosthetic arm disgusts Dooku, and he almost spits bile while talking to Grievous. The aristocrat hates not only cyborgs, but also ordinary droids, calling them “repulsive” and hoping that they will be destroyed along with the General.
“Which is precisely,” Dooku said meditatively, “why it might be best if I were to kill him, instead.” “Are you so certain that you can?” “Please. Of what use is power unstructured by discipline? The boy is as much a danger to himself as he is to his enemies. And that mechanical arm—” Dooku’s lip curled with cultivated distaste. “Revolting.” “Then perhaps you should have spared his real arm.” “Hmp. A gentleman would have learned to fight one-handed.” Dooku flicked a dismissive wave. “He’s no longer even entirely human. With Grievous, the use of these bio-droid devices is almost forgivable; he was such a disgusting creature already that his mechanical parts are clearly an improvement. But a blend of droid and human? Appalling. The depths of bad taste. How are we to justify associating with him?” - Revenge of the Sith, 2
Dooku nodded judiciously to himself, frowning down at the translucent blue ghosts slinking toward Palpatine. “Sound the retreat for the entire strike force, General, and prepare the ship for jump. Once the Jedi are dead, I will join you on the bridge.”“As my lord commands. Grievous out.” “Indeed you are, you vile creature,” Dooku muttered to the dead comlink. “Out of luck, and out of time.” He cast the comlink aside and ignored its clatter across the deck. He had no further use for it. Let it be destroyed along with Grievous, those repulsive bodyguards of his, and the rest of the cruiser, once he was safely captured and away. - Revenge of the Sith, 3
Why doesn't this make sense? As with xenophobia, the previous books and comics do not contain any hints that Dooku has disdain or hatred towards people with prosthetics and cyborgs. Moreover, when Grievous proposed using Geonosian technology on the Jedi Padawans for experimental purposes, Dooku approved the idea. Not to mention, the Sith Lord enjoyed Grievous' training.
Tumblr media
Grievous had been a delight to train, as well. - Labyrinth of Evil, 22
Love and friendship
Next, Stover gaslights the reader by talking about the friendship between Dooku and Lorian Nod. Because if we go back to Legacy of the Jedi, it turns out that Dooku wasn't such a bad friend. He cares about Lorian and tries to be careful with his words so as not to hurt his feelings. Then after Lorian betrayed Dooku by blaming him for stealing the holocron, did Dooku worry about his reputation? Sure, but what unsettled him was that he was betrayed by someone so close to him. Even after what happened, he considers Nod his friend and cannot decide to refuse his request.
He doesn’t remember quite when he discovered this; it may have been when he was a young Padawan, betrayed by another learner who had claimed to be his friend. Lorian Nod had said it to his face: “You don’t know what friendship is.” And he didn’t. He had been angry, certainly; furious that his reputation had been put at risk. And he had been angry at himself, for his error in judgment: trusting as an ally one who was in fact an enemy. The most astonishing part of the whole affair had been that even after turning on him before the Jedi, the other boy had expected him to participate in a lie, in the name of their “friendship.” - Revenge of the Sith, 3
His best friend had betrayed him. Throughout the years at the Temple, he could always depend on Lorian. They had shared jokes and secrets. They had competed and helped each other. They had quarreled and made up. The fact that this person could betray him shocked him so deeply he felt sick. Legacy of the Jedi, 3
Dooku didn't know what to say. He wasn't prepared to lie, but he couldn't say no to his friend. So he said nothing, and, after a long while, the two friends fell asleep. Legacy of the Jedi, 3
Was Dooku the perfect friend? Of course not, and his pride played a role in escalating the conflict, as did Lorian’s envy, but to reduce everything to the words that “Dooku was different and did not understand friendship” I think is a monstrous simplification. The loss of his friend played a big role in Dooku's life, and that's how the story ends.
Lorian had been wrong. Dooku's heart hadn't been empty. He had loved his friend. But he had changed. Lorian had betrayed him. He would never believe in friendship again. If his heart was now empty of love, so be it. The Jedi did not believe in attachments. He would fill his heart with nobility and passion and commitment. He would become a great Jedi Master. Legacy of the Jedi, 6
We further learn that Dooku cannot care about the feelings of other beings and does not even see those around him as entirely real. Now, I don't by any means think that characters with these traits are a bad thing, or that you can't do something interesting with them, but that's not Dooku. We've seen how important his relationships with some of the other characters are to him (there's a whole novel written about him and Yoda), and that he cares to some extent about the feelings of those around him. Moreover, Stover will not explore these new traits, because Dooku will die in the next chapter anyway.
He is entirely incapable of caring what any given creature might feel for him. He cares only what that creature might do for him. Or to him. Very possibly, he is what he is because other beings just aren’t very … interesting. Or even, in a sense, entirely real. For Dooku, other beings are mostly abstractions, simple schematic sketches who fall into two essential categories. - Revenge of the Sith, 3
Jedi Order
Stover's Dooku ideal Jedi Order would forcibly remove Force-sensitive children from their families. Perhaps it's just my opinion, but it seems strange in light of the fact that his rejection trauma, as described by Sean Stewart, is related to his parents and the Jedi Order.
And that Fist would become a power beyond any Jedi’s darkest dreams. The Jedi were not the only users of the Force in the galaxy; from Hapes to Haruun Kal, from Kiffu to Dathomir, powerful Force-capable humans and near-humans had long refused to surrender their children to lifelong bound servitude in the Jedi Order. They would not so refuse the Sith Army. They would not have the choice. - Revenge of the Sith, 2
Ultimately, I can make the case that the ending of Yoda: Dark Rendezvous may have served to develop Dooku and make him even more bitter, but that doesn't justify the radical personality transplant Matthew Stover performed. And now, I often see these lines used to say that Dooku was always pure evil, had no good intentions and was always pretending, and also see questions like "as a human supremacist, what did Dooku think of Yoda?" And how can we know? All of these things were added to the character at the last minute and didn't match anything we'd seen before. This is not my Dooku.
22 notes · View notes
intermundia · 3 months
Text
so 417 days have passed since i began the revenge of the sith page-a-day read-through, which means that it is now finished. i have so many thoughts about that book, having lived inside it for so long. it's better than i remembered and anticipated. i have such deep respect as an amateur star wars author for all the things stover accomplished with it, the choices he made stylistically and structurally, with the blessing and guidance of lucas (e.g. the dragon anakin's heart is from his fear, not his anger). stover's personal knowledge of martial arts and obvious awareness of buddhist philosophy, mixed with his education in classical greek theater, in service of the potent, latent homoeroticism in the tragic narrative of obi-wan and anakin, it all combines in an intoxicating alchemy into a star wars novel unlike any other. it enriches the movie in a way that is rare among novelizations. it's not just describing what's on screen, it's embroidering it and illuminating it with gold. the sum of the two media, the visuals and music from the film mixed with the lyrical prose together synthesize into one of my favorite piece of art, something emergent between the two and transcending them both, and i'll never get over it.
59 notes · View notes
merrysithmas · 2 years
Text
Vader HATES Obi wan because Obi wan took away Vader's full force capabilities by cleaving off his limbs.
In doing so, Obi-wan limited Vader's access to the Force (flesh is a conduit for the Force). Obi-wan essentially castrated Vader's full abilities, which in turn forever blocked him from overtaking Palpatine. "I am more powerful than the Emperor. I can overthrow him" Vader, shaky with thrill, says to Padme on Mustafar, brimming with newly birthed dark power. Welp. This turns out to be a short-lived aspiration - as per Obi wan.
Obi-wan severed Vader's limbs because, despite feeling gutted, anguished, guilty, and "unmerciful" himself--- it was the only way he could ever hope to save Anakin.
If Vader was allowed to come to full power, the ghost of the good & tormented man Anakin Skywalker would have been smothered to dust, scraping helplessly at the ceiling of Vader's power and drowned eternally within the dark. By weakening Vader's ability to harness the darkness (although his power still outmatched anyone in the galaxy) Obi-wan preserved the possibility of Anakin resurfacing.
Despite his own anger and devastation, Obi wan could not kill Anakin. And he couldn't allow Vader to either.
The man he faced was everything Obi-Wan had devoted his life to destroying. Murderer. Traitor. Fallen Jedi. Lord of the Sith. And here, now, despite it all… Obi-Wan still loved him. -Matthew Stover, Revenge of Sith novelization (canon)
In fact, he kept his word to Master Yoda. "I can't kill Anakin" he says, beside himself in Ep III. And he doesn't. He doesn't execute Anakin when he could have on the hellish shores of Mustafar, and furthermore he neuters Vader and in doing so prevents Anakin's extermination at Vader's hands, limiting Vader's power.
But, tragically, in a way, by trying to cut down Vader, Obi-wan played right into Palpatine's hands. Palpatine wanted an eternal slave, and with Obi-wan's help that's exactly what he got. But from Palp's POV it was even better - because Obi-wan, Anakin's tether to the light, swung the blade. Obi wan ensured the eternal suffering and physical agony of the man he loved more than anything in the galaxy. He, Obi-wan, massacred Anakin's body, guaranteeing his eternal suffering and physical damnation - which is in a way symbolic of how the Jedi Order had failed the Chosen One Anakin Skywalker (aka, the Galaxy). And Obi-wan knew it. The guilt destroyed him.
Like, The FREAKING GREEK TRAGEDY OF THESE TWO.
This is a huge reason Vader hates Ben/Obi wan. Obi-wan ensured his enternal enslavement to Palpatine and is the reason why a husk of Anakin Skywalker may still live inside of him. Obi-wan is the reason why Vader, however powerful, may yet fail - and Vader knows it.
And this drives Vader mad with obsession.
Because not only does he want to destroy Obi-wan, more than anything he wants to destroy Anakin Skywalker.
781 notes · View notes
helix-studios117 · 2 months
Text
My Headcanon Star Wars Timeline
This might also double as a "Star Wars: A Beginner's Guide," so if you want, you can also use this as a reference for Star Wars stories you can pick up if you want to get into the franchise; but ultimately, this is not the main point of this post.
Pretty much all Pre-BBY Legends stories: How the Sith and Jedi came to be, how lightsabers were created, the first wars, how everything started out as a high-fantasy before it evolved into proper sci-fi, the fleshing out of the midi-chlorians as entities in Star Wars... it's all so damn fascinating.
KOTOR - KORTOR II: SITH LORDS - SWTOR: The Knights Of The Old Republic games, and it's unofficial third entry in the form of 'Star Wars: The Old Republic,' are stories that take place in an even LONGER time ago in the same galaxy that's far, far away. The first game talks about Revan, the second talks about 'The Exhile' and the third game has both characters be greater-scope forces in the background that influence the events of the game.
The Prequel Trilogy: I never had a problem with these movies. I grew up playing the LEGO games, so I guess it never registered to me that these were bad. But I love the prequels.
The Clone Wars 2003: Unpopular opinion, but this is way better than Clone Wars 2008; no offense to anyone who loves the 3D Show, but the 2003 cartoon is a flashy and high-octane series that NEVER stopped and it had an appealing art/animation style. More importantly, the characters here are far more faithful to their film counterparts than 2008!CW. Plus, Grieveous was a straight BADASS in this show.
Republic Commando (both the book & the game): The book is generally a good read, but the game is basically "What if Star Wars made a Halo game?"
Revenge Of The Sith - Junior Novelization: While RotS is a good movie, the book is... it's just so much better. It goes in-depth into Anakin's descent into complete madness, properly fleshing out his paranoia and his trust in Palpatine; it makes everything he's gone through in the film more believable.
Jedi Fallen Order, Force Unleashed, Force Unleashed II, Jedi Suvivor: These four games, all taking place in-between episodes III and IV, are two sides of the same coin. Both are epic hack-n'-slash games where you play as a lightsaber-wielding force-user. But that's where their similarities end, the Force Unleashed games are power-fantasy games where you are so unbelievably powerful that you can do just about anything; the Jedi games are a more traditional journey from zero-to-hero where you start out weak and the gameplay requires a bit of legitimate skill to properly master.
The Han Solo Books: The REAL origin story of Han Solo. Born of a family of thieves, Han joined the Imperial Navy because he wanted to fly. He meets Chewy and loses his job. Other goofy stuff ensues.
Rogue One: Didn't think a movie that was based ONE LINE IN THE OPENING SCRAWL OF THE FIRST MOVIE was gonna be as good as it was, but here we are.
The Radio-Drama version of the Original Trilogy: I love the movies, but I love the radio-drama adaptation WAY more; as it expands upon and fleshes out the things in the films that left me scratching my head, it has more context to a lot of it's scenes AND it has a bunch of other extra scenes that weren't in the movies that make listening to the radio-drama a fresh experience.
The Mandalorian (seasons 1 and 2): I haven't seen season 3 (I'm sure it slaps, though), but I think this is an awesome sequel show to the original trilogy.
The Courtship Of Princess Leia: I just— this book is so damn funny, I can't wrap my head around it. (Plus, I love Han and Leia as a couple).
The (original) Thrawn Trilogy & Dark Empire: While I'm well-aware that the Thrawn books are pretty much loved by many a Star Wars fan, Dark Empire (I've noticed) is a lot more contested... but I love the Dark Empire SO MUCH. I love the idea of the World-Devastators and Luke turning Dark is awesome.
All of the Post-BBY Books from the Legends continuity: Mara Jade, the Solo kids (Jacen, Jaina and Anakin) and Ben Skywalker are such cool characters that I'm actually depressed that they get de-canonized.
Star Wars Legacy: Cade Skywalker is a very interesting character, as he's a Skywalker who became a hedonistic criminal who doesn't want the burden of responsibility weighing on him by proxy of being a Skywalker, the Empire is actually kind of chill, and everything that we all thought we knew about Star Wars gets flipped on it's head. Legacy, in my mind at least, is an interesting way to end the story of Star Wars.
18 notes · View notes
barmadumet · 8 months
Text
Ahsoka Episode 5 Spoilers Below!
*
*
*
Okay, I’m going to do something I never do, and I don’t think ever have done – I’m going to do the “take” thing – put my opinion online. I don’t like to do this, because I feel like there is ALWAYS someone opposed, and I just don’t want any bad energy revolving around my beloved escape from reality.
For the last twenty-two hours, I have been profusely hitting the ❤️­s on other posts, jumping up and down and hugging people, and basically just doing the equivalent of shouting, “ANAKIN!!!” but I’ve yet to really try to discuss Episode 5, because, quite frankly, it’s just been too freaking emotional for me! I have all these feelings that I don’t know how to sort out, and I've honestly felt like I could burst into tears at any given moment, all day long. I went through this with the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, and I remember I felt literally insane for a WHILE. Perhaps, I should’ve written something like this back then – writing is my outlet, after all.
So, here we go. . . I don’t have many followers, and I know many people won’t read this, but I just need to get it out!
A couple of weeks ago, my dear friend, Wibz asked me, “What kind of story do you like? What kind of fic do you like to read?” I replied sappy, mushy, hurt/comfort, of course. I told her I like dialogue – dealing with emotional ups and downs - HEALING. I told her I liked fix-its and time travel, and I specifically said I like seeing into ‘what could’ve been’ scenarios, and I mentioned by name the movie, “It’s A Wonderful Life.” And the thing I really love about that movie is the ability to visit the past. I like stories that take us back – and not just as a flashback, but a present character being able to look at their past and reflect. You probably know where this is going by now, but the way we finally got our long-awaited Clone Wars ‘flashback’ couldn’t have been more perfect in my opinion.
And the thing that has made me the most emotional through all of this was simply seeing that first battle in live action. I will admit, upon viewing the first two episodes of Ahsoka, I felt the show might’ve been better presented in Rebels animation. Well, I can now, happily admit I was wrong.
We saw the brutal beginnings of the Clone Wars at the Battle of Geonosis in Attack of the Clones, and we see the heart-breaking conclusion and the end of the war in Revenge of the Sith. My personal opinion is that we have been very fortunate to get a great show about the time in between, however; being short, animated (directed at a younger audience) episodes, there are emotional aspects that are rushed through and not fully explored. If you’ve read my insanely long fix-it fic, then you know that it carries through these Clone Wars episodes that I love so very much, BUT in writing it my own way, I was able to put in all the drama I wanted to see – the breakdowns, the tears, a deeper look into the trauma of fighting in a war. And yes, there have been some amazing Star Wars novels that do this, but again, seeing it in live action. . . seeing just how young Ahsoka really was, seeing her mourn the injured and deceased clones. Having her and Anakin address the fragility of life and getting to hear that conversation about it. . . Now the viewing audience has a grasp on just how bleak this time period was. I didn’t know how bad I needed to see this – a human turned Togruta actor conveying those destroyed expressions and defeated body language. The impact was more than I expected, and it wouldn’t have been the same in animation.
The other super tear-jerky part for me was the theme of ‘Live or Die’ ‘Fight or Die’ . . .I can’t let myself get into too much detail about this, but if you know me, and you know my story, then you know. Great. I’m crying again 🤷🏻‍♀️ This was just such a powerful message for ANYONE struggling in any aspect of their life, and it sincerely helped me to rise another day, and will be a continued reminder, probably for a while.
You all know how much I love Anakin (and Obi-Wan), and so much of the hype is revolved around his character right now, but this personal journey we find Ahsoka on is truly beautiful to me. I was honestly uneasy about the way Ahsoka was portrayed, thus far, in our other series. She didn’t feel like Ahsoka to me. I accepted and understood that her character had been through much in her short life, and that much time had passed since we last saw her and she would've evolved, but overall, I honestly (😬) didn’t much enjoy what we got of her in live action. I kept my expectations for this show at the minimum. I try not to predict what might happen in canon Star Wars, because I never want to set myself up for disappointment. I strive to go in with an open mind and a clear head and just enjoy the show. But I’ll admit, I was hopeful for Ahsoka’s character development in this. . . and so far, I find myself satisfied. It has now been acknowledged how severely Anakin’s turn impacted her – that was a necessity in my opinion, because of course it did. And it’s still unfathomable to me, but I feel like we got to witness her getting her closure with Anakin 😭 At the end of episode 5, I was finally getting the Ahsoka vibes I was longing for. And let’s not ignore just how ’Ahsoka’ she was in the past scenes with Anakin! I was in awe of how her different animated fighting stances over the years translated into live action. It was her! And this is probably a great time to also mention: that was Anakin, too! In the beginning, we saw him on that World Between Worlds walkway training Ahsoka – the orchestrated footwork, the lack of aggression . . . It felt like the Anakin we see in the lightsaber kata training video Ahsoka watches in Rebels! We have not seen this in live action! We have not seen Anakin as a Master to an apprentice! 🥹 And again, I didn’t know how bad I needed that. Later, when we are taken back onto that WBW walkway, we see him fighting like we’ve seen in Revenge of the Sith. It’s Vader! And he’s so pissed and intends to kill! I won’t spend too much time gushing the way most already have – the Sith eyes, the flawless ROTS attire we already loved given back to us, and the Clone Wars look brought to life. . . the hair 😍 Just seeing him, Hayden Anakin, fight in a Clone Wars battle in live action! So strong and mighty 💪🏻 with such determination and sensitivity. . . with just the right amount of cockiness 😉 He’s perfection. And I think this is noncontroversial opinion everyone would agree with lol.  
And maybe you do or don’t agree with this part, but I feel Anakin’s appearance was 💯 open to interpretation, and I think that’s GREAT. This character means so much to so many people, and there is never a way to satisfy everyone when it comes to storytelling. Everyone had/has different opinions of how this should’ve been handled. Was Anakin a Force ghost? Was the entire encounter all in Ahsoka’s head? Was Anakin something else entirely? Was he Vader? Maybe you have an answer to this question and you are certain in your theory – that’s awesome. I think that’s the way it should be. We get to “make things the way we want them to be” WITH CANON! 👏🏻 I am not yet certain of what my own theory is. I’ve watched it four times, and I am still processing it all. One thing for sure, I’m glad the WBW was involved. Again, if you know of my preferred way to ‘fix-it’ then you know what that means to me 🥰
I think I’m done 🫣 I just needed to release these feelings! And I feel we are so blessed. I still can’t believe this really happened. And I am so thankful to get to share in the joy with all of you 💖 Okay! I think I’m ready to talk now if y’all want to talk! 🤭
28 notes · View notes
soulmatebracket · 1 year
Text
Soulmate Bracket: Round 1 [Side A — Part IV]
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Provided reasoning under cut:
Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Sywalker
Lines about them from the books (actual canon): "They knew each other better than brothers, more intimately than lovers; they were complementary halves of a single warrior." and also "Anakin and Obi-Wan. Kenobi and Skywalker. From the beginning of the Clone Wars, the phrase Kenobi and Skywalker has become a single word." and we can't forget "Neither can imagine life without the other. The war has forged their two lives into one." They become Force ghosts in the end and spend the rest of eternity together in the Force so... I'd say they qualify as immortal, in a way. After all; there is no death, there is the Force.
They are soooo special
They are described like this in the novelization of Revenge of the Sith: : "they knew each other better than brothers, more intimately than lovers; they were complementary halves of a single warrior." which is pretty soulmate-y. in the Obi-Wan Kenobi TV Show they are hinted at being a force dyad, which is basically the star wars equivalent of a soulmate. they are not reincarnated but they are reunited as Force Ghost after they both die, and Obi-Wan is the one who reached out to Anakin when he died to make it possible for him to become a ghost and not just die (and while this isn't a soulmate specific power they still chose to spend the rest of their death together)(also there is a fan theory that says that being a dyad is what made it possible for anakin to become a ghost while not having done any of the training necessary to become one)
​​ People often argue if their relationship can be read as romantic or only platonic, but nobody can argue how deeply connected these two are to each other. In the universe they have been called partners, The Team, their enemies would say "Where there is Kenobi, you will always find Skywalker not far behind", in Stover's novelisation of the ROTS he calls them "2 parts of one perfect warrior". Their bond is unmistakable. They went from best friends and brothers to enemies. And at the end of RotJ we see them as friends once more. As force ghosts they will be able to spend the rest of eternity together.
They are literal soulmates in canon; they share a bond called a “force dyad” wherein they are two halves of a whole. This can apply to them platonically and/or romantically.
Kaidan Alenko & Commander Shepard
They’re fated in space and they’re hot. It’s destiny, your honour.
They fall in love, Shepard dies and gets reincarnated, and Kaidan falls in love with her all over again because she keeps showing him it’s really her.
The two of them are peak, “I know you and I refuse to lose you”. They’re star-crossed lovers like you wouldn’t believe. Shepard keeps trying to die (and successfully dying and then not being dead) and Kaidan keeps loving them anyway. Shepard comes back changed and Kaidan still loves them.
43 notes · View notes