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yukipri · 2 years

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Obi-Wan Kenobi show Episode 3 thoughts

Some people seemed to like reading the Episode 1-2 thoughts I put up last week, so here are some Ep 3 thoughts before Ep 4!

Spoilers for Episode 3 of the Obi-Wan Kenobi show beneath cut.

Gosh what an intense, RAW, powerful episode. Many parts of this episode just blew my mind, and I had to watch it a few times to truly process it.

Starting with the biggest thing: Obi-Wan and Anakin/Vader's reunion.

I am genuinely shocked I'm saying this, but I think it was handled masterfully, far better than I expected.

First, it starts with buildup. We ended on an amazing cliff hanger in Ep 2, and the recap flows seamlessly into unmasked clearly-Hayden Vader getting dressed. We see for the first time all of the details entailed in putting on Vader's suit--the heavy chains, the darkness, the attachment of all four metal limbs, the freakin' NEEDLES that stab into him that had me cringing away from the screen at how horribly painful it looks. It is not a smooth, graceful transformation. It is heavy, coldly mechanical without a single other life form involved. It's clearly painful, and it's part of the daily suffering that Vader has experienced every day since, in his mind, Obi-Wan left him like this.

It's almost jarring when he then strides out at a brisk walk, looking very must like the Vader we saw in the OT, even with James Earl Jones's voice...! But the opening ensured that we know exactly who is under that suit and how he got there. It tells us, without words, exactly how much he's reminded of Obi-Wan every day, and how much he hungers to find him again.

Then on Obi-Wan's side, the buildup was masterful too. Now that he knows Vader is alive, Obi-Wan knows without a doubt that Vader will come for him. His He is coming to Qui-Gon was fucking chilling. Then that damn ghost-vision-apparition he sees of Anakin in the field--that I had to do a double take to see, but no, there he is, Episode 3 Anakin in the flesh...! except not. It was done so well, making us unsure whether it was a stranger, the realization we recognize that color robe, that shape, then the glimpse of Hayden's face--we realize he can't be there, he must be a Force-vision foreshadowing or Obi-Wan hallucinating or something but we don't know, and I think we get clearly that he doesn't know either. It's not even clear if it's pre-fall Anakin, or Vader before he was burned, and again, I don't think Obi-Wan knows either, more on this later. Just, the overall subtle horror-movie vibe, of a first glimpse of a bad omen, and just the whole execution was absolutely chilling, absolutely beautiful.

Then we get to their actual reunion and--their bond. I feel like the exact nature of the bond between Jedi hasn't really been consistent in official media, and fandom interpretations have definitely taken and ran with it. I almost feel like what we saw, with Obi-Wan reeling and feeling, intensely and enough to physically affect him, almost leans more towards fandom interpretation, to what I wanted to see but did not expect to see. The fact that Obi-Wan knew immediately who was coming, but had to see with his own eyes, could not be torn away, drawn by a Force stronger than any logic or self-preservation could counter. He was utterly helpless as he watched Vader terrorize the villagers, and he knew Vader would be just as drawn to him.

Obi-Wan would usually never leave Leia, but in this situation, he has absolutely no choice. He knows that at this proximity, no matter where he goes, Vader--Anakin, in his mind--will know exactly where he is, their bond, once made of love but no longer, pulling them towards each other. He has no choice but to entrust Leia to Tala, because if he stayed with her, he's guaranteed to lead Vader to Leia.

The scene in the hills really manifests that Horror Movie feel. We know that Vader is supposed to be terrifying, but this absolutely sells it. When Ewan said in an earlier interview that Vader terrified him, I just sorta smiled, but man after this I understood. The moment of silence before he ignited his saber--I knew what was coming but cinematically, it still gave me chills. If ever there was to be a confrontation between Vader and Obi-Wan, and if ever Vader was to draw his saber--this is the impact it needed to have, and it delivered.

Hayden in that suit is MASSIVE, and his blows are heavy, unstoppable. Obi-Wan is utterly unprepared, both physically and emotionally. He told Bail it's been ten years, and he meant it. Some low-life child-kidnappers managed to land hits on him. He's beyond rusty. And the revelation that Vader/Anakin is alive, followed immediately by his actual arrival before Obi-Wan has time to process any of it--he's utterly mentally unprepared too.

Obi-Wan's saber, drawn. The blue and red lightsabers in the darkness. The buttons of Vader's suit glowing in the shadows. It was all done so masterfully, I could probably write an essay on the color/lighting in this scene alone.

And then the Revenge Fire. It was brutal. It was more brutal than I was expecting, but it's also exactly what Vader would do. He would want Obi-Wan to suffer, long and drawn out. After ten years, he wouldn't be satisfied with a quick death. It horrified me, but also made so much damn sense (though I wondered why Obi-Wan's face/hair/beard conveniently did not suffer any damage lmao).

But then the part that made me go hmm--Tala's shot makes the flames rise up, the NED-B scoops him up, and for all points and purposes they get appear to get away. I completely understand why the stormtroopers weren't able to get through, but Vader should have been able to lift Obi-Wan with the Force and simply pull him through the flames.

But he didn't.

I know people are hoping for a Clone Wars flashback in the next episode, now that Obi-Wan is unconscious, and man I'm praying for that too. But it's Vader's inaction at the end here that makes me think that Obi-Wan isn't the only one who was shaken and taken off-guard by their sudden and violent reunion. I am so intensely curious what was going on in his head as much as Obi-Wan's!

Other random points:

When the cargo ship was first pulling up on Mapuzo, the planet they're on for the episode, the music made me wonder if Hondo was gonna show up--in other words, I thought it was a bop ahahaha. Alas, Hondo did not show up, but there's still hope!

Leia. The fact that she "does not talk" but immediately starts talking leaving Obi-Wan to be the mumbler. How confident an orator she is, the way she doesn't panic even when she stumbles and almost says friend instead of father. The fact that ironically enough, it's Obi-Wan who slips and calls her Leia instead of Luma, a name that he'd provided. All of this points to how both distracted and rusty Obi-Wan is, but also makes me think that he's being reminded so much of Padmé every time Leia opens her mouth. That bit where he tries to cover his miss by saying Leia reminds him of her mother--it was heart-wrenching, but a beautifully written piece of dialogue, that truly honors Padmé and her memory.

A tangent, but I have to mention it: I absolutely love how this show has been handling Padmé references. Tbh, I wasn't expecting any, maybe one, because Padmé has been very neglected in general by the post-prequels franchise. But gosh. Both Obi-Wan's mention of her in Ep 2, and the scene above in Ep 3--it all shows how Obi-Wan remembers her, and possibly most importantly, not as an add-on to Anakin, but as an individual. He doesn't remember her as Anakin's lover or crush. He remembers her leadership, her bravery, her charisma, her confidence. He remembers her as his friend, someone who, again, he saw through her final moments. That is immensely meaningful, and more than I frankly ever expected from any Star Wars live action.

Back to Leia, but she is so sharp. She knows Obi-Wan is hiding something, and immediately pinpoints that there's something in the way he spoke of her mother. We, the audience, definitely felt something, but it was still surprising to see her zoom in on it, but not unwelcome. She then goes on to ask if Obi-Wan is her father, again a very logical question to ask in this context, and that leads back to Anakin and pain. Obi-Wan's answer of if only I was (or whatever his exact words were) was so filled with regret, his attention once more on Anakin.

In sharp contrast to these beautifully quiet but meaningful character moments, this episode was also extremely violent, in a visceral way too, that made me shocked D-mouse even allowed it. The Stormtrooper cut clean in half with several very visible shots of the cut. Vader freakin' snapping a child's neck. Dragging a woman as she screams horribly. It was awful. It was real. It was exactly the amount of horrifying that I would expect from Vader, but did not expect to see in live action. To be clear I am not at all complaining, I was glad to see it, just shocked!

Another neat thing: I absolutely loved this show showing us the nitty gritty details of How Things Work, that had always existed in SW but we just haven't had the chance to explore in this much depth. I know I mentioned Vader's suit-up scene above, but also the launching of the probe droids. We're very familiar with those droids, but how they're just shot out like that? Fascinating. I absolutely love how these moments fill in details about familiar things, helping us understand them and the SW Universe more.

The Inquisitor Island design was absolutely killer. I loved the scene of Reva walking through, of just how massive it is on the inside with sinister ceilings and arches and pillars. It almost looked more Middle-Earth/high fantasy than Star Wars, and the merging of that ancient, dark-mystical aesthetic with sci-fi Star Wars with all the stormtroopers and officers walking around and the lightup doorways and such--chef's kiss.

I think I liked Reva considerably more in this episode than I did in the first two eps. I won't quite say she's growing on me, but I'm seeing more potential for her character. I wasn't a fan of the Inquisitors squabbling, but that's pretty consistent with Rebels so I'm not surprised. As I noted in my first ramble, I think Moses has a phenomenal aura, and boy did I feel it in this episode. There's one scene in particular when she's in the hidden room and sees the Jedi order symbol where she looks like she's about to cry, and there's such longing(?) or some other unreadable but complex emotion, and I'm fascinated by that moment. Given how Tala talked specifically about how Force-sensitive children are taken away, I'm getting more confident that she not only was talking about Leia, but was foreshadowing the reveal of Reva's past. I'm very curious indeed what will happen with Reva + Leia in the next episode.

I will say though, that with Reva's goal made clear, it definitely makes me concerned about the fate of her character. She stabbed and incapacitated the Grand Inquisitor, who definitely knows she did it. Said Grand Inquisitor is still alive, and we know that he retains his position given that Rebels takes place after this show. I highly doubt he'd let Reva go after what she did to him, so once he wakes up, it's sorta game over for Reva, unless she does something significant that gets her either Vader or the Emperor's personal protection. I feel like the likely scenarios are 1) she dies, 2) she defects (possibly thanks to Leia). I'm praying for the latter, but that will depend heavily on her past and what lead her to have her current motives, so we shall see.

Lastly, the two references that absolutely made me scream in this episode:

QUINLAN VOS. He was definitely up there in my list of character I'd love to see appear in the Kenobi show, but i didn't seriously expect it, at all. So when his name came up, it was like a punch to the gut (and of course I had to draw him immediately haha). While Obi-Wan has referred to Quinlan as "General Vos" in Ep 3, and of course there are the clone wars eps, the way he just says Quinlan here--someone survived, someone he knows, his friend survived and is still out there doing good--it was incredible. It was so much more than Obi-Wan expected, and so much more than I expected of this show. (praying this means there's hope for a Quinlan spin-off or at least appearance. I stick by my stance that I think a Quinlan-centric live action would be amazing)

JABIIM. Jabiim is the planet that Tala says she's going to send Obi-Wan and Leia to. To those unfamiliar with Legends, it's just a planet. According to Wookiepedia, it was apparently also came up in some sequels-era thing? But I know it from the Republic (Clone Wars) comics--the place of horrible rain and mud and hopeless endless fighting, where Obi-Wan fought alongside my beloved Alpha-17, and where the two of them were thought killed but were actually taken captive by Ventress to experience one of the most traumatizing events Obi-Wan has gone through in any media. Of course, most of that will probably not be relevant to this show, as it's Legends, but the fact that they chose this specific planet to reference still felt like a blow. (I know it won't happen but man. Canonizing Alpha-17 would be wonderful ;_;)

Lastly, I really loved the look of wonder Obi-Wan had at Tala's whole system. At this little piece of Rebellion, that doesn't even call it that, which has already helped so many. Obi-Wan's realization that there are others--that his meeting with Nari wasn't a one-time occurrence--that he isn't alone, and that people are working together to fight and save each other. I think he had a lot of thoughts, especially at Leia's interest in learning how to fight, which were likely all blown out of his mind by Vader's arrival. But I hope he'll think more on it in the future.

And that's the end of my disjointed unedited ramble! I'd love to hear any thoughts if you had any!

Onwards to Episode 4 in a few hours!

-Posted 6/7/2022, before the airing of Episode 4

#Obi-Wan Kenobi #Obi-Wan Kenobi show #spoilers #YukiPri rambles

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writingforfun0714 · 2 years

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I know I’m a bit late, but I just watched the 1st 3 eps of Star Wars Andor

So spoilers (for Andor and Rogue One)…

I hadn’t really seen Andor on my Tumblr dash so honestly, I wasn’t sure what to think. I watched OWK (Obi-Wan Kenobi) and honestly, I thought it could’ve been better. I’ll do another post on my thoughts on OWK but I really wanted to talk about Andor (because I haven’t really seen anyone talk about it??). So because I was slightly disappointed with OWK, I was skeptical about Andor (despite the trailer). Because we know that pretty much everyone dies in Rogue One, I thought Andor was a bit…out of order? Idk if that’s the right term. I thought Andor was similar to Marvel’s Black Widow movie tbh. It was good but because we already know that Cassian dies, events preceding Rogue One seem a little…unimportant? Again, I’m not sure if that’s the right word to use.

After watching the 1st 3 eps, despite the story going all over the place (there are so many characters they introduce), I actually kind of liked that? It reminded me of Game of Thrones. Mixing in the flashbacks of Cassian’s backstory (he’s like a tribal kid or something) also reminded me of TBoBF (The Book of Boba Fett) with the Tusken Raiders flashbacks. I liked BoBF tbh and I know a lot of people have mixed reviews about it, but I really enjoyed it, more so than OWK (honestly I like both shows, but I’m more knit-picky about OWK).

I think the only thing I’d change so far in Andor would be the addition of subtitles. I’d like to know what everyone’s saying in the tribal flashbacks. I know it’s supposed to be one of those things about understanding what’s happening just from setting/context/whatever, but I’d prefer subtitles because I, personally, have a hard time reading people’s emotions/expressions so when the kids all decided to check out the crashed ship and Cassian’s little sis had to stay behind, I was a bit confused as to what was happening/why they were going. I had to rewatch the flashback tribal scenes a couple times to really understand what was going on. Strange thing is, I really enjoy Spirit Stallion of the Cimarron, a movie where there is little dialog and the animals do not talk. I think maybe Andor could’ve done a little narration over the flashbacks if they were persistent about not using subtitles, similar to Spirit.

Also I really enjoyed the music and even if I couldn’t understand at some points what was going on, the music really helped set the tone for each scene. I think SW has always been pretty consistent having great music. People used to shit on the prequels but one thing no one ever said was the music was trash. Like Duel of the Fates and Battle of Heroes is amazing (TPM and RoTS respectively). Even in the Clone Wars series, I thought the music was great. It had such a mid-2000s vibe to it that I can’t really describe other than ‘mid-2000s’ lol. So I’m not surprised Andor would continue with the good music.

I know the first few episodes are supposed to be more world-building and exposition to explain what’s going on so I’m sure the episodes will seem more…put together, if that makes sense, as the season goes on. Also, I heard S2 was confirmed??? Lemme know if that’s true or not cuz I’m sure having an extra season also allows the writers/people involved to go as slow/detailed as they want with the world-building, but rn Andor just kinda seems all over the place.

I like that the Empire hasn’t really shown up yet either. I’m sure that’ll change as the season goes on as well, but I like that there’s more than one ‘evil’ presence. I’ll be real here and say that I’m not too sure who the guys in the blue uniforms are. They’re like the policing force on whatever planet Cassian was on (after the flashbacks and Cassian ends up killing 2 of the guys). If anyone knows who they are and if we’ve seen them before, please lemme know. But I like that they weren’t Empire (and if they are, sorry I didn’t pick up on that), though it seemed like they reported to the Empire?? Again, idk.

I don’t think I have any expectations going forward really, but one thing I do hope they show is how K2 and Cassian met and Cassian reprogramming him (like how Nick Nolte’s character on Mando reprogrammed that IG11 droid). But other than that, I don’t really have anything else I wanna see other than a good story lol. It doesn’t matter how pretty the settings are, how good the music is if the story sucks.

So I think that’s all of my main thoughts on Andor so far, which I’m sure will change once more episodes come out. In short, the story is just starting but because of how many new characters there are, the story seems a bit all over the place. I’d also like subtitles for any of the flashback tribal scenes (though with Maarva taking him at the end of ep3, I’m sure there won’t be so many long talking scenes w/o subtitles and she will teach him English/Basic? Idk if it’s Basic or Common). The music was good and the scenery/effects looked nice. I think maybe this show would’ve done better had it been released before Rogue One (because watching it all I could think about was how similar it was to Black Widow, not in the story but b/c the main characters die in movies released before). Overall, not bad and I think Andor’s better than OWK by ep3. I’m a bit surprised I haven’t really seen any posts on Tumblr about it.

I’d love to talk to anyone and hear your thoughts on the show because I haven’t really seen anyone talk about it. Thanks Readers!

—Maisy

PS—I’ll do a more in-depth review once the series is over as well

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theangstyboiblog · 3 years

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How I Met Your Mother | Captain Rex Pt. 4

Kit accompanies Obi-Wan on his search to capture General Grievous. At Obi-Wan's order she takes Rex and his men to search for the separatist general, but leads them right into an ambush.

Follows the events of season 2's ep. 10: The Deserter.

I ended up splitting this part of the story into multiple parts because I figured someone would kill me if I posted a 5k word chapter on here (you’re welcome). Also, if you haven't noticed, we're going for a slow-burn here. I don't think Rex would be someone to fall in love at first sight (he’s got too much to lose, and too much work to do), and neither would Kit. So we're gonna take our time to get to know one another.

Anyways, see you tomorrow!

Part one | Part two | Part three |

The battle had been long. The deaths had taken their toll. It took us three hours to reach the surface of Saleucami where General Grievous’ ship had finally gone down. The troops were on high alert as we began to disembark the cruiser to begin our search for the separatist general. Swallowing a deep breath I made my way down the ramp keeping an eye on the back of Jedi General Master Obi-Wan Kenobi as he spoke to a small holo image. Quietly, I stepped up next to him, arms crossed as I listened in on their conversation.

“Our sensors are picking up multiple crash landings across the planet, you’ll have to pick your search area wisely,” Admiral Yularen said quickly. “General Grievous will have a head start on you.”

“We will find him,” Obi-Wan assured the Admiral with a firm nod before signing off. He glanced over at me. Then without a word he slipped the holo disc into his pocket.

“It’s what happens when we find him, that worries me,” I murmured under my breath before I could stop myself.

Obi-wan stilled as the troops around us continued their way down the ramp, trackers, speeders and walker tanks rumbling along. I watched over them, jaw tense, a painful coil in my stomach. “I sense much fear in you, Kit,” Master Kenobi said softly.

I looked up at Obi-Wan for a moment, then back down at the men. “Grievous has killed Jedi Knights that were far stronger than I am. Smarter too.” I curled my hands into fists, the memories of young, familiar voice crying out through the force. I had felt their pain. A quick look at Obi-wan told me he had felt it too.

“You fear dying, it’s perfectly natural.”

I shook my head. “Not dying. At least that’s part of it but not the most of it. It’s failing, Master Kenobi.” I glanced at him. “Not being strong enough to protect the people around me. That’s what I fear.”

Obi-wan looked me over for a moment. “Facing such a fear aloud does you credit. My advice would be to know your fear as what it truly is. Don’t give into the fear of loss.” He crossed his arms. “Knowing why you are afraid can empower you, but to focus on it can cloud your judgement.”

“So, accept that I’m not strong enough, and just do what I can?” I asked, after a moment of contemplation.

Obi-wan inclined his head and set his hands behind his back before walking down the ramp. “You’re very astute, Kit.” Holding back a sigh, I trailed after him and we made our way towards one of the ground transports tanks, my jaw still clenched, the worry still enveloping me.

That’s still easier said than done, Master Kenobi.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“There’s nothing here, sir!” a trooper called up to us from inside the crashed ship. Obi-wan and I shared a look. “But the engines are still warm!”

“Grievous could be anywhere,” I said as I turned on my heel, examining the horizon. Above us two clones scaled their way down the side of the ship. At first glance I didn’t recognize them, but then I noticed the jaig eyes on the helmet under his arm. “Captain Rex,” I greeted giving the man a soft smile as they approached. A look of surprise flashed over his face for a moment, before it disappeared and I bit back a chuckle. Didn’t think I’d recognize you?

“General Tolsim,” he said with a nod before turning to Obi-wan and doing the same. “General Kenobi, the crew compartment is almost entirely destroyed.”

Obi-Wan sauntered up and stood next to me arms crossed. “We need to split into teams.” He turned to me. “Kithrid, take Rex, Jesse, Hardcase and Kix and search that wetland.”

I nodded. “Yes, Master,” I said, glancing at the clones he had pointed to. Raising my eyebrows, I inclined my head and moved past them to begin climbing down from the ship. On the ground we began to jog towards the speeders, Rex taking the lead. I studied him for a moment. He didn’t pay me a second look.

“Battle droids in a wetland would be like throwing a shock grenade in the fresher,” Jesse grumbled behind me, glancing at me when he realized he’d spoken louder than he’d meant to. “Hope you’re ready for a boring swamp tour, General.”

I chuckled and glanced at the, Captain. “The last time I let Captain Rex take me on a tour, it turned out to be quite the opposite of boring.”

Looking over his shoulder, Rex shot me a frown. “It ---”

“Oh, really?” Jesse said, his voice teasing. As a group we slowed to a stop everyone taking a speeder. “You’ll have to tell us about that tour sometime, General,” he said, egging his Captain on. Rex stared straight ahead as he readied his speeder.

I thumbed the throttle on mine and edged my way forward until I was just barely ahead of him. Then I looked over my shoulder, smiled and shrugged. “Sometime,” I told Jesse. Then I looked to Rex and gave him a questioning nod. “Let’s move out.” With a lurch my speeder took off, racing forward, leaving the clones doing their best to keep up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jesse had a point about the wetlands. Unless Grievous was traveling with amphibious droids, this lower terrain was unfriendly to anything short of a hover bike. There’s nothing here. Peering through a pair of electro binoculars, I looked down from the ridge we had stopped on, sweeping the flat lands below us carefully.

“I don’t see anything,” I said as I handed the binocs to Hardcase. I glanced to the speeder next to me as Rex put his flipped back the scope on his helmet.

“Nothing,” he said, looking over at me. He pointed to the right of our location. “That ridge should give us another good viewpoint to scout from. If there’s no sign of them by that point, I suggest we call it in and regroup with General Kenobi.”

“Agreed,” I said as I thumbed the throttle on my speeder. “Lead the way, Captain.”

With a nod and not another word, Rex took the lead, speeding down the side of the ridge. Looking over my shoulder I maneuvered my bike ahead of Kix, taking the second position in the pack as we wove our way through the brush, over mudholes and washed-out creeks.

I almost ran over Rex when the shot hit. A flash broke on the hill ahead of us. And in the next moment, the captain was flying back through the air. A hard lurch of the controls pulled me to the left just in time to miss hitting him as he was thrown to the ground. His speeder rolled end over end, a cloud of dust filling the air. I could barely see.

“Protect the captain,” a voice yelled. I wasn’t sure whose. Jesse? Hardcase? I turned around, looking over my shoulder to find Kix’s speeder rounding back to Rex’s position. I should have faced forward then. I should have been alert. I should have been ready.

The second shot missed me, but hit my speeder right in the engine. My momentum died, the controls locked in my hands and my hands held on when my mind was screaming to let go. If I had let go, it wouldn’t have been so bad. As it was, I was pulled with the bike as it turned sharply, my weight pulling it further until at one point I found myself staring an inch away from the ground. Then it rolled. My hands finally let go of the steering bars, but not until after my left leg was smashed between the speeder and the ground.

Somehow, someway everything finally came to a standstill. Nothing moved. The world didn’t move. My body didn’t move. Face down on the ground, sprawled out like a baby on a crawling mat, I couldn’t breathe. I wasn’t sure I wanted to.

Then the pain hit, and my lungs drew breath instinctively.

“Kriff,” I rasped as my body seized up with pain. I curled in on myself, the crown of my head pressed to the ground, the body’s weight pressing down on my forearms. My right leg pulled up to my chest, but my left leg --- no matter how much my body commanded it to move, it stayed still. Blasters fired in the distance, the sound of speeders whirred. Looking down under my body I glimpsed my leg and immediately felt the need to vomit.

Fuck that’s not pointing the right way.

Crying out, I forced my body to turn over so that I was on my buttocks, legs out stretched. My hands flew to my thigh, trying to keep my leg from twisting even worse.

“General Tolsim!” Hardcase and Jesse’s speeders whirred towards me both men jumping off before they had fully stopped. Tears blur my eyes as I fight them back, Jesse and Hardcase moving around me to find some way to help. Just then Kix’s voice comes over our comms.

“Jesse, you better get back here,” he said, his voice ominous.

I grit my teeth and waved them off. “Get to your Captain. Help Kix.” Hardcase moved next to me, putting on my shoulder.

“Ma’am your leg---”

“Isn’t going to kill me. One of you go,” I panted. The two men shared a look, before Jesse hopped onto his speeder and rode off. “Gaah,” I groaned as I collapsed back on my elbows.

“I’m going to stabilize your leg until Kix can get to you, General,” Hardcase said, taking off his helmet. I nodded, breathing hard and fast. Biting the inside of my cheek I force my breathing to slow, and cut my eyes over to Hardcase.

“Do it.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the time Jesse and the others found a place for us to spend the night, I was ready to cut off my leg. It felt like deadweight at the moment --- heavy, useless weight. Using Hardcase for support I followed after Kix and Jesse as they carried a still unconscious Rex into the barn the farmer’s wife had allowed us to use. Helping me settle down on a bench along the far wall, Hardcase soon joined his brothers in removing Rex’s armor. I ground my teeth as I got my first view of the hole that had nearly blown through his chest plate. My brow dipped as I focused on the captain, trying to get a sense of what was going on as the clones around him blocked my view. With a slow breath, I finally opened my eyes as I sensed his lifeforce.

He’s alive. Weak, but he’s alive.

Digging through his med kit, Kix brought out a bacta patch and affixed it to Rex’s chest, before giving him a direct injection of bacta. Two seconds later, Rex was awake.

“Wh-what happened?” he asked, trying to set up, before Kix or perhaps the pain forced him back down on the table.

“Sniper shot,” I said through grit teeth. Rex’s head turned, eyes zeroing in on me, before drifting down to my leg.

“General, what--- Kix, get off of me,” he ordered, rolling over.” Massive bruising had broken out across his back. “I can’t move my arm,” he said. I wasn’t surprised but I kept it to myself.

“You have nerve damage,” Kix offered.

“Understood, let’s move ---”

Before Rex could say more, all three troopers surrounding him had pressed him back onto the table. “As the team medic, when it comes to the health of you and the men… I outrank everyone,” Kix said, quickly. “So, I respectfully order you, sir, to get some rest.”

The room fell deathly quiet as Kix and Rex stared one another down. Finally, Rex gave in. “Very well,” he said, lying back on the table as Jesse draped a blanket over him. Turning his head, Rex looked to me. “Will you give them their orders, General?”

I nodded and turned to Jesse. “Jesse, take Kix and Hardcase and continue the search. Get word to Master Kenobi when you’re in range and let him know your findings and…” I glanced down at my leg. “Let him know that Captain Rex and I are both injured. We’ll regroup with you back at base camp when we’re able.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Jesse said with a firm nod. Picking up his helmet, Hardcase mirrored him and followed Jesse out the door.

Kix stepped back from Rex’s table and moved towards me, bag in hand. “I’ve got enough bacta to help your pain ma’am.”

I glanced round the room, eyes falling on the clone drifting in and out on the table. I looked over his chest. That’s gonna take a lot more help before he’s even close to moving. Lifting my head, I stared up at Kix. “Just splint it, Kix. Use what bacta you have left on the captain.”

Kix shook his head, brow furrowing. “Ma’am---”

“Yes, yes, you outrank everyone, I know,” I stretched out my leg best I could, unable to hide a grimace. “But I’m allergic to bacta.” Kix stared at me with a frown, Jesse and Hardcase stood behind him eyes wide. On the table, Rex lay on his back, head turned towards us. His frown was just as bad as Kix’s, if not worse. I ignored it. “I swell up like a gorg in a steam box,” I said. “The best we can do is splint it and let it heal on its own,” I said, as I looked down at my leg. I looked back up at Kix. “So what will it be, Kix?”

With a sigh, Kix knelt next to me, shoving the vial of bacta into his bag. “It’s gonna hurt, ma’am.”

“It already does, I don’t see how it could get worse,” I said, almost missing the look Kix gave me before setting to work.

I was wrong. It hurt. Everything hurt.

By the time Kix was done with me, I was ready to quit. I had found myself eyeing his med bag, where I knew the bottle of bacta was safely stored away. Patience. A voice said in my head. Pain is fleeting.

“You’ll need to keep your weight off your leg until we can get you to a cruiser,” Rex said as he began to pack up his things. I laid back on the bench, the rise and fall of my chest slowing as I finally relaxed. With my leg stabilized, the pain wasn’t nearly as bad. For a few seconds here and there I might have even forgotten it was broken.

I wiped my hand down my face. “I promise to stay off it,” I told him as I crossed my heart. Turning my head, I glanced at Rex, finding him still asleep. “Anything I should know about him before you leave?”

Kix raised an eyebrow. “About the captain?” he asked, voice sounding confused.

I frowned. “What---oh,” I realized where he’d misunderstood my question. “No, I mean about his wounds. How long before he’ll need another dose of pain meds?”

Kix nodded, understanding me finally. He set his bag next on the ground next to me. “He’s already had a lot, should last him awhile. When he wakes up, if he’s hurting give it to him. Better to stay on top of the pain. Once you start really feeling it, it’s hard to catch up.”

I sat up. “Got it. Thank you, Kix. You better head out or they’ll leave without you.”

Kix straightened up to stand at attention. “Ma’am,” he said, turning towards the door. The sound of speeders taking off followed a few minutes later and I breathed out a sigh and shook my head.

“Kriff,” I muttered as I looked around the barn. Rex lay motionless, save for the soft rise and fall of his chest and a soft twitch along his brow ever now and then.

See what your weakness leads to, a voice said in my head and I found myself holding my breath. You couldn’t even take a small group out on patrol without injuring yourself and watching as the group’s leader was blasted off his bike. What kind of leader are you, Tolsim? Worthless---

Reaching up, I wiped my nose on my sleeve. When my voice left my throat, it was small, barely a whisper as I closed my eyes.

“Emotion, yet peace.”

“Ignorance, yet knowledge.”

“Passion, yet serenity.”

“Chaos, yet harmony.”

“Death, yet the Force.”

My hands clasped as I repeated the Jedi Code again and again. Slowly the world began to fade, only to be interrupted by the pain in my leg, the thoughts in my head that belonged to a voice that wasn’t mine.

Focus. I told myself. Look past the pain. Use the Force and be healed.

“Emotion, yet peace…”

~~~~

I meditated until mid-afternoon, the pain in my leg dulled to brief moments whenever I tried to move it. It was better than what I’d hoped for, but still not healed enough for me to stand on it fully. If my focus hadn’t been stolen, I might have healed myself more. As it was, I was brought out of my trance by a moan of pain. At first, I forgot where I was. I forgot that I wasn’t alone. Then another sound met my ears. A whimper.

Looking up, I found Rex still on the table, head rolling back and forth as he slept fitfully.

Time for more meds.

“Ready for another dose of bacta, Captian?” I asked, rising from my seat. I didn’t expect him to wake so quickly, but as soon as I called to him, Rex opened his eyes and peered over at me, wrinkles on his forehead as he tried to stave off his pain.

“Your leg,” Rex said, eyes dropping down the length of my body.

“Is healing.” I raised my hand, and curled my fingers in a soft gesture. “Sit up, please.” Bending down, I grabbed the med bag and brought out the last bacta injection.

“Are you really allergic to Bacta?” Rex asked as he sat up with a groan.

“No.”

Rex froze, and I could feel his eyes scanning my face. “So you lied.”

I shook my head. “It’s not the first time I’ve told a lie in your presence.”

“But you’re hurt too, you should’ve---” Uncapping the lid of the bacta injection, I jabbed the side of Rex’s neck with the needle. Rex smacked his palm against his throat with a hiss as I pulled back. “Kriff, General.”

“I can heal myself, Rex,” I said as I tossed the empty vial into the bag. With a grimace I turned on my heel. “Not perfectly, but faster than a bottle of bacta can.”

“Then why didn’t you just say you could heal yourself?” Rex asked as I hobbled away from him, using the table as a support.

“Arguing with Kix didn’t seem very appealing,” I said as I sat back down, lifting my leg to elevate it on the bench beneath me. Rex relaxed on the table with a sigh and shook his head. Crossing my arms and let out my own sigh. “I’m not great at this healing thing, if I’m being honest,” I said as aches panged and pinged through my body.

“All the more reason you---”

“But I’m in better shape than you, Rex. You were shot in the chest. My leg is mangled, but a little pain isn’t going to kill me,” I said. I ran my hands up and down my thighs gingerly. Rex was silent for a moment and I looked up, expecting to find him asleep. Instead, I found him watching over me, his face almost what I would call relaxed.

“You can’t save all of us, Ma’am,” he said after a moment and the breath in my chest stalled, caught in my lungs.

Shaking my head, I laughed him off. “I didn’t save you, Rex.”

Rex smiled and looked up at the ceiling. “Tell that to my shoulder. Felt like I was being stabbed before you gave me that shot.” I watched as his smile disappeared. His eyes fell and met mine. “I know you felt bad about Hevy, back on Rishi Station. And I’m not saying that’s why you did what you did here, but you’re in command.” My smile cracked as he stared at me from across the room. “Next time, take the bacta, ma’am. You’re needed more than a few---”

“Captain,” I cut him off, an edge to my voice. Rex’s lips stilled, voice caught in his throat as his sentence went unfinished, but we both knew what he was really trying to say.

You’re needed more than a few clones. I shake my head, because I know he is wrong. But I don’t correct him.

“Rest,” I said after a moment of silence. I cut my eyes at him. Please, let it go.

Screwing his mouth into a frown, Rex turned his head and faced away from me. “Yes, Ma’am.”

Shaking my head, I slowly closed my eyes and took a deep breath, and fell back into my meditation trance as Rex’s breathing fell once more into a deep rhythm. Soon, the barn and even the sound of him faded away.

#captain rex #ct-7567 #tcw #tcw rex #original character #romance

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theboywhocan11 · 7 years

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“The one simple theory to explain everything (Rey, Snoke, Luke, Kylo Ren and more)”

Credit to: Thor Skywalker (YouTube)

Summary: This youtube video by Thor Skywalker goes over his theory that explains everything about who is Snoke, who is Rey, and what's going on with everything within Ep VIII and IX.

The premise behind this video's theory: * Thor Skywalker stated: most theories out there only covers one detail or aspect of the sequel trilogy. But, there is not one that answered everything in one swoop. * This theory goes over a simple explanation on what's going on so a casual star wars fan who never read the books, comics, or watch the TV shows (the canon only) would understand.

Highlights of this theory: * Who/What is Snoke: Snoke here is an ancient being who is possibly the founder of the original Sith Order a long time ago. He is the new threat to this galaxy because he is dying and needs a new physical host to reside in. He is possibly found by the members of the remaining Empire's forces in the Unknown Regions. Snoke wants Ben Solo so he can have a body to inhabit in. A body that is both dark and light. How Snoke know about rise of the Empire and it's fall? He was watching from a far.

* Who is / what is Knights of Ren: Dark side worshippers wearing the masks of ancient sith to honor them and continue their "legacy."

* Who/what is Rey: Rey could be Luke's daughter. But, there are some problems. For instance, if Rey is Luke's daughter then that leads to a butt load of questions that Ep VIII and IX can't answer. For instance, who is Rey's mother/Luke's wife? Why Rey was abandoned on Jakku? Okay, so Rey died...but why Luke not sense she is alive this whole time and rescue her? Luke abandoning her child...would that make Luke a bad man?

Does it have to be another Skywalker to save the Skywalker family when Obi-Wan Kenobi (a non-skywalker) save the Skywalker family, starting in the prequels leading through the original trilogy?

So, is Rey a descendant of Obi-Wan Kenobi? Maybe. But, what if Rey is a person who is defined by who she is going forward and not going back to where she came from. It could be likely that Rey's parents were just people who did not understand her and abandon her on Jakku. Also, Rey is the one ends up adopting the Skywalker last name and sees the Skywalker as her own family.

Also, Rey was on Jakku, a planet that is housing a light side nexsus (as claimed by Thor Skywalker)

* The ending of Ep IX: It may not be Reylo, but it can be Reylo. Or, just a something in between. But it would be an emotional bond between Kylo Ren and Rey where either: Rey and Kylo fought Snoke together. Or, Rey and Kylo fought each other and Rey forgives Kylo Ren. Or, Rey kills Kylo Ren, the last Skywalker. Thus, ending the Skywalker family in Ep IX, but only for Rey to continue on the Skywalker legacy by continuing the name as a way to honor them. So, if this is the scenario, Luke Skywalker dies probably at the hands of Snoke.

My thoughts on this video: * It is a simple theory that does a good job explaining everything that may happened in order for casual audience to understand.

* My disagreements though: (1) Snoke is not the original founder of the orignal Sith Order. In fact, I see Snoke as an ancient entity. Like, he's a Rogue God. A rogue force wielder. He is separate from any dark side order in the galaxy. He is something that is above any Dark Side order made by mortal beings. He pre-dates any dark side order. (2) I think Snoke wants to be a true strong immortal by absorbing the powers of both Kylo and Rey. One dark/light and the other light/dark. Kind of in a way that Old Sith Emperor of Knights of the Old Republic Era, Darth Vitiate did to live a much much longer time.

Other things this simple theory did not consider: (1) the possibility that Rey's parents were either dark side followers. Or, there was actual non-biologically related guardians who saved Rey from her dark side family and dropped her off on Jakku temporarily. These guardians were meant to come back and get her to Luke, but they got killed. [Legends Source material for this part: The Jedi Prince novel series where someone told "Male!Rey" name Ken on why he was left on some Jedi City on Yavin IV so the good side in him overcomes the dark side of his ancestors.] (2) Other Imperial Remnant Factions that are Anti-First Order and Anti-New Republic at the same time. This is known as the Wrath of the Third Party Factions.

(3) What happens to the Jedi Order? Is there going to be a new one that replaces the old and just keep the Jedi name?How would Poe and Finn and Kellie Marie Tran's character fit into the Rey's life once this war is over? Where would they go? Is Poe and Finn and Rey work together to create a new Jedi Order?

(4) Kylo Ren’s redemption in the light of Carrie Fisher’s death and what would happen to Leia? Like would Leia die too in order to get Kylo ren back to the light.

#thor skywalker #ep viii #rey #kylo ren #snoke #luke skywalker #the last jedi #tlj

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dorksideproductions · 7 years

Text

So Star Wars Rebels is back with it’s fourth and (gasp) final season with a two-part opener entitled Heroes of Mandalore. So how was it? Did it live up to the promises of the beginning of a satisfying end? Did Sabine’s return to Mandalore arc reach a satisfying conclusion? Well……… ****SPOILERS**** after the break, and they’re bloody. Just sayin’….

OK, so here goes nothing. I’m not going to do a long-winded recap summary, I’ll keep that part brief so I can get to what worked for me and what didn’t. In a nutshell, Sabine and part of the crew of the Ghost (Kanan, Ezra, and Chopper) return to Mandalore in hopes of liberating the planet from Imperial occupation and to find a worthy wielder for the Darksaber. After season three’s Mandalore arc my hopes were super-high that we were building towards not only an epic showdown on Mandalore in regards to not only the aforementioned Imperial occupation and the Darksaber but also Sabine’s complicated relationship with the planet and the weapon she created that we’ve been hearing bits and pieces about since season one if I’m not mistaken.

OK, so here’s the quick rundown – the crew fights to liberate Sabine’s dad from Imperial imprisonment, and after a successful rescue, Mandalore’s new governor, Tiber Saxon (who came completely out of nowhere to replace his dead brother, Gar Saxon, who was killed by Ursa Wren in season three) dispatches the weapon that Sabine designed for the Empire during her time in the Academy on her family and clan. Also aiding in the rescue was Clan Kryze, led by none other than Bo-Katan Kryze who made her first appearance in The Clone Wars. After some dissent and anger towards Sabine over the creation of the weapon (which happens to be called the Duchess of all things), the Mandalorian clans unite to fight Tiber Saxon and disable the weapon. In the end they are successful and Bo-Katan accepts the Darksaber from Sabine to become the symbolic leader of Mandalore. Ok, let’s get to the best part – my opinions!

What worked for me:

Kanan – he was awesome in this episode and I have really enjoyed his arc throughout the series from the middle of season two on. His interaction with Hera via hologram was touching and is obviously foreshadowing the tragedy their relationship is sure to suffer before the end of the final season. His calm and cool demeanor is welcome in this show, as immaturity has a tendency to run rampant, even as the younger members of the Ghost crew get older.

Chopper – always funny, always on point. I am really just putting him in here so I can reference his ‘get a room already’ comment to Kanan and Hera. Hilarious.

The chase – lots of Indiana Jones influence in the chase sequence on the surface of Mandalore to rescue Sabine’s imprisoned father, Alrich Wren. Mando’s flying on jetpacks and Jedi doing Jedi stuff was an awesome combination.

Bo-Katan Kryze’s return – I’ve been speculating that Bo-Katan would wield the legendary Darksaber since Sabine and crew claimed it from Maul in season three, and it was awesome to see that prediction come to fruition. As the sister of the former ruler of Mandalore (and love interest of Obi-Wan Kenobi), Duchess Satine Kryze, it only seemed right that she would become the symbolic leader of Mandalore and unite the clans in their fight against Imperial occupation. I do have a few gripes about this which I’ll touch on below, but overall this wraps up the Mandalore storyline in a fitting way.

Mandalorians being Mandalorians – although I like the portrayal of Mandalore and it’s people in The Clone Wars, I understand many fan’s gripes about the direction George Lucas and Dave Filoni took the planet and it’s people. In Rebels we’ve seen a return to what we were led to believe via the old EU/Legends material that Mandalorians were like – bad ass! It’s cool to see the different clans flying around on jetpacks and being the fierce warriors we have come to expect. I’d also like to give kudos to the design team for not taking the easy way out design-wise with the clans, giving each a distinctive look and aesthetic. It didn’t go unnoticed.

Beskar Alloy – the legendary (pun intended) material Mandalorians use to construct their armor is officially canon. Awesome, thanks Dave!

What didn’t work for me:

Ezra – seriously, isn’t it time for Ezra to be a hero and not the comic relief? It’s so frustrating watching Ezra’s character arc continually regress from the end of season two/beginning of season three, and it’s hard not to think Filoni, Gilroy, and crew are taking it too easy on the audience here. His ridiculous series of hijinx with the jetpack was a distraction and quite simply wasn’t even funny. Also, that stupid Scout Biker helmet needs to go, why the hell does he keep wearing that thing?? I’m going to (hesitantly) stick by my prediction that Ezra will in fact be the Jedi to die (rather than Kanan), but I reserve the right to change that prediction as late as halfway through season four, because well, it’s my blog…

Sabine – after an emotionally-charged arc for Sabine in season three I feel like the resolution to the Mandalorian story arc and her role in it was completely rushed and unfulfilling. And while I admit I’m glad the Mando arc is over (hopefully), way too many scenes in Heroes of Mandalore felt rushed and unconvincing. Also, we know Sabine is a prodigy, but to think that she was able to build this superweapon that was so devastating to Mandalorians in armor at the age of 14 or 15 is pushing it. I’m surprised nobody else is talking about that…. Furthermore, she named it the Duchess? That’s just wrong, and her excuse was super lame. Duchess Satine was by far the best leader Mandalore has had in canon, I have a very hard time believing even the most angsty teenager would name a superweapon that only targets Mandalorians after her. Come on man.

Take a chance Filoni!!! – dude, you had a chance to make a real difference in Sabine’s arc by killing her mother and brother off when the superweapon is used on them and you wimped out!!! Don’t be afraid to kill off characters, man! And these two in particular were so ripe for the picking, as their deaths would’ve resonated strongly in the show given we are in the final season, and shown the audience that the stakes are very high for our heroes as the series winds down. Huge missed opportunity there, let’s hope the creators show more guts moving forward in the final 11 episodes of season four….

Alrich Wren = Bail Organa? – not really, but it would be hard to tell just by looking at the animation models… Could the design team not have come up with a character model for Sabine’s dad that looked original? I mean the resemblance to Organa is startling, to say the least, and distracting.

Tiber Saxon, where’d you come from? – OK, so it’s not a stretch that the recently deceased Gar Saxon’s brother Tiber would take up the mantle of Imperial Governor of Mandalore, but this dude came out of nowhere. This belies a huge problem with Rebels in that there is continually no build up. I wish the creative team would trust the audience like they did with The Clone Wars and build longer story arcs. It wouldn’t have been hard to introduce the character of Tiber Saxon in season three so he didn’t just seemingly appear out of nowhere. This brand of storytelling just isn’t fulfilling to me. Which speaks to a larger problem of….

Lack of real story arcs – I get that Rebels loves to wrap up story arcs in one or two episodes, but it’s so hard to do that convincingly as the series progresses and gets more complex. I was really hoping that the fourth and final season would have a true sense of connectivity in the way that The Clone Wars did, but unfortunately I’m not very hopeful that will happen in the way fans want it to. I would love to see true demographics on just who is watching Star Wars Rebels, because I think the fanbase is older and more mature than Lucasfilm is trying to cater to.

The destruction of the Duchess – OK, so Sabine (very quickly, conveniently enough) is able to turn the weapon against the Empire and use it to target the Stormtroopers plastoid armor as opposed to the Mandalorian’s beskar alloy armor and you destroyed it??? And Chopper and Kanan destroyed all the plans and blueprints??? Don’t you think you could’ve used that in the future? OK then. Saw Gerrera would NOT approve.

Bo-Katan and the Darksaber – I know up top I said I liked this, and I still do. However, I must point out that it’s a little morbid that Bo-Katan now wields the weapon that was used by Maul to murder her sister but OK. You do you, Bo-Katan.

And finally, the ‘what the hell’ category:

Aging on Mandalore – we know the twin suns of Tatooine cause the residents there to age rapidly, but does the the moon of Concordia have the complete opposite effect on the people of Mandalore by chance?? Bo-Katan is almost 20 years older than we last saw her and she looks younger now than she did then. It was comical to hear the creative team talk on Rebels Recon about her character model, quite frankly….

Overall this was a very unsatisfactory start to the fourth and final season of Star Wars Rebels, and by far the worst season premiere in the series’ history. My hope is that things will pick up now and that we can leave Mandalore alone moving forward. Quite frankly, these two episodes should’ve been part of season three, but oh well. Fingers crossed as we move into the final 11 episodes of Rebels. Below are some pics from the official Star Wars site as well as a link to Rebels Recon. Feedback? Gripes? Agreements? Wanna be a guest on The Exhaust Port podcast? Hit me here.

~Todd

Rebels Review – Heroes of Mandalore – S4, Ep’s 1 & 2 So Star Wars Rebels is back with it's fourth and (gasp) final season with a two-part opener entitled…

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