Andor S2 Thoughts, Part 3

Hello friends! Bear with me for just a bit longer as I continue to spill out my thoughts concerning Andor S2 with the fourth Arc. If you missed it and are curious, here’s Part 1 (Arcs 1 & 2) and Part 2 (Arc 3). As usual, there are big SPOILERS!!!

Arc 4: Make It Stop; Who Else Knows?; Jedha, Kyber, Erso

Arc 4 is a bit of a denouement after the climax of the Ghorman massacre: there’s some action and anxiety as we see Dedra confront Luthen, Luthen’s attempted suicide, and Kleya’s one-woman tour-de-force in infiltrating the hospital and finishing off Luthen. Clearly it broke her heart, but it’s what needed to be done. During this episode, we get flashbacks and find out how these two met: Luthen had once been a Sargeant in an Imperial regiment, and during an attack he has a kind of breakdown at the violence and cruelty he witnesses. He escapes to the ship, not wanting to be a part of it anymore, muttering “Make it stop!” It’s here he finds a young Kleya hiding in the ship, and together they escape the carnage. It’s apparent that Kleya’s family has been killed, probably her entire community in some Imperial crackdown and has nowhere else to go. We see that it’s Kleya, really, who has been the driving force behind their partnership, who seeks revenge. Luthen teaches her that they’re in it for the long haul, that she must hide and bank the flames of her rage and use it later when the time is right, that they’ll lose again and again before they win.

The confrontation we’ve been waiting for, and it delivered. “The Rebellion’s not here anymore. It’s flown away.”

Kleya sends out a distress call on a coded signal, and Cassian defies orders again to go save her. Meanwhile, Dedra has been arrested and confronted by Krennic, who fears that the classified Death Star information has been leaked through her (I forgot to mention poor Lonni, who told Luthen about Jedha, Kyber, Erso and the superweapon, only to be killed by him, a very Luthen thing to do). Luthen told Kleya, and now she’s the only one who knows about this superweapon.

Cassian, Melshi and K2 land on Coruscant, but Dedra’s replacement, Heert, is on the way to nab her. Luckily K2 comes along with his very own hallway scene, using Heert as a human shield and plowing through the Imperials to get them out.

Krennic questions Dedra. The finger-thing was a little weird, lol. Anyone else think Krennic was a bit kooky in this series?

Kleya does not expect a warm welcome from the Alliance on Yavin, and she’s right: no one believes her story about the superweapon or doesn’t want to believe. Mon is the only one who knew Luthen and Kleya and what they did to bring this Rebellion together, and the Alliance’s brusque dismissal is infuriating. But guess what? Tivik, Saw’s man on the Ring of Kafrene, keeps contacting them, claiming he has important information about Jedha, and he’ll only talk to Cassian. Cassian’s mission to Kafrene is finally green-lighted, and he’ll be on his way to Rogue One territory very soon.

I want to talk about Leo Partagaz for a moment here. Partagaz has failed to procure the arrest of Kleya, and so must pay the price, as all Imperials must do who fail their masters. When we first meet him in Season 1, he terrified me, but over the course of the series, he grew on me. I know I wasn’t supposed to like him. But damned if I didn’t. I think it’s because Partagaz wasn’t the greedy, arrogant, ladder-climbing Imperial we usually see, throwing cruelty around like it’s rice at a wedding. He had a job to do and ran a tight ship, but the ship was doomed to fail in the end. Watching him listen to Nemik’s manifesto as he waited for his arrest made me sad. His sense of failure was palpable, but I also wonder if he was getting an inkling of maybe being on the wrong side of history. I might be reaching. But his suicide made me sad, thinking about how this man dedicated his life to all the wrong things. If only he worked FOR the Rebellion instead of against it, what an asset he’d be! But I digress.

The quieter moments of this last episode are wonderful. Vel takes Kleya in after finding her wandering around in the rain, lost and unsure where she belongs anymore. “We have friends everywhere,” she says. Vel and Cassian toasting the people they’ve lost: Luthen, Cinta, the Aldhani crew, Ghorman, Ferrix, etc. The people whose blood paved the way for Rebellion. The scene with Bail and Cassian: “If I’m going to die fighting the Empire, I want to go down swinging,” Bail says, and my heart breaks knowing that he’ll be dead within days on Alderaan. “May the Force be with you,” he tells Cassian, as this is a man who had known the Jedi and had worked closely with them. He knows the Force is real, that it’s working even now.

The montage of Cassian walking toward his U-Wing (and his destiny) is great, showing us the state and fate of several characters along the way: Kleya wakes up to a sunrise Luthen knew he’d never see; Wilmon has breakfast with Deena, his love from Ghorman; Vel and Mon eat breakfast with the troops and everyday members of the Rebellion; Dedra is in the white and orange uniform of a prisoner, mirroring Cassian’s time on Narkina 5; Saw is on Jedha, looking out at the Imperial ship looming over Jedha; Cassian glances at the Force-healer and gives her a nod as she watches him walk toward the destiny she knows is waiting for him. Just chills.

And the last scene on Mina-Rau: finally we see B2 having fun with his droid friend and it’s a big sense of relief that this sweet little guy is okay, but it’s Bix with Cassian’s child in her arms that is the final image of the series. Sure, it’s a bit soapy, but I loved it. Knowing that she’ll never see Cassian again, I’m glad she’ll have a part of him with her, that he’ll go on in that way. And it’s a scene of hope (that word we love in Star Wars), hope for the next generation that this Rebellion is giving them. I don’t know if we’ll ever see Cassian’s child in any future projects, but I’m not against it. And if we don’t, if he or she just lives a good, peaceful life on Mina-Rau, that makes me happy, too. Because that’s what their father was fighting for and gave his life for.

So, what’s my final assessment of Andor? Well, this fan is very happy (and emotionally moved), incredibly impressed, and hopeful (there’s that word again! lol) that we get more Star Wars like this. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Jedi and Sith and lightsabers and Force stuff as much as the next person; it satisfies the child in me, that sense of wonder that we never truly shed, and can’t wait for more. But this show satisfies the adult Star Wars fan that I am, the one that’s been on this journey with this galaxy and these characters for over forty years. It makes sense to me that Star Wars evolves, and we as fans must evolve with it. I love all the flavors of Star Wars: sometimes I want bubble-gum, and sometimes I want caviar. Shows like The Acolyte is the bubble-gum (which I chew with relish); Andor is the caviar, perhaps an acquired taste at first, but truly exceptional in the end. This is Emmy-award-level stuff, and I hope it gets all the accolades it deserves.

I probably forgot to mention a lot of stuff, but this has gone on long enough, lol. What are your thoughts on Andor? Do you want to see more Star Wars like it? Or do you think it will be a one-of-a-kind kind of show? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

Andor S2 Thougts, Part 2

Hello friends! Today I’m continuing my thoughts on Andor Season Two. I was going to do Arcs 3 and 4 together, but realized my Arc 3 post is pretty long, so I’ll do 4 next time.

(If you missed Part 1, here it is.)

Beware: SPOILERS!!!

Arc 3: Messenger; Who Are You?; Welcome to the Rebellion

Arc 3 focuses on Ghorman specifically, with the leadup to the massacre we know is coming, the massacre itself, and its aftermath. The interesting thing about the “Ghorman Massacre” is that it was originally in the Expanded Universe (Legends) and took place earlier during the reign of the Empire. In this earlier incident, Wilhuff Tarkin landed his cruiser on a group of Ghorman protesters who were blocking landing pads in protest to some sort of unfair taxation. In Andor, this incident is referenced by Thela, the bellhop Cassian talks to in the second arc. A memorial was built to those who died (including Thela’s father), and a promise was made that no Imperial building would cast a shadow over it. Fast forward to the present day, and of course the Imperials are building a tower near the memorial, which infuriates the Ghormans. They believe it’s a weapons depot, but it’s all just smoke and mirrors to get the Ghormans to misbehave so the Empire can crush them, so they can get their precious mineral.

Cassian returns to Ghorman, not to help the Ghorman Front, but to kill Dedra Meero, who is there supervising the leadup to the clash. He goes with Wilmon, who brought Cassian this message and who has been working with the GF for some time now (and has a new girlfriend, that smooth operator, lol). Dedra, of course, was on Ferrix in Season 1 and oversaw Bix’s torture, as well as leading the troops against the people of Ferrix during Maarva’s funeral, hoping to draw Cassian out in her quest for Axis. Their trip to Ghorman is not sanctioned by the Alliance, in which Cassian and Bix are firmly a part of now, and they live on Yavin since distancing themselves from Luthen. So their trip is for personal revenge, rather than as a strategic mission for the Rebellion. Draven is NOT happy, lol.

I have to mention that before Cassian leaves, Bix brings him to a Force healer that is on the base for a blaster burn that has not healed well. Cassian is skeptical, and thinks the healer is a charlatan. And maybe she is at this point, but I think we’re led to believe she’s Force-sensitive and has a true gift. When she sees Cassian, something sparks in her and she makes a beeline for him. Bix convinces him to give the healer a chance, and she puts her hands on him to try to heal the burn. But she sees something else, something about him that marks him as special, that he’s been “gathering” experiences and has a destiny. It frankly scares Cassian, and he rushes away, but the healer tells Bix that he’s a “messenger.” The audience knows that this is probably in reference to Cassian’s role in Rogue One, where he helps Jyn send the Death Star plans to the Rebellion. It’s a great scene that reminds us that the Force is still here, that this is still Star Wars, and that no matter what we do, there’s still a little mystery at work as well.

Anyway, Cassian can’t get a bead on Dedra as the Ghorman protest mounts, a protest that the Empire has encouraged by opening the plaza. Partagaz tells Dedra that their original plan is a go since all other avenues of getting the mineral has failed, with the line, “Bad luck Ghorman.” Bad luck, indeed. They bring in newbie soldiers to keep back the crowds, and these poor souls are actually there to be sacrificed by the Empire to light the spark that will begin the destruction. An Imperial sniper lets a shot go, shooting one of their own, causing chaos, and giving the Empire an excuse to open fire on the Ghor (who had stopped their shouting and began singing, which makes it all the more heartbreaking).

Syril, meanwhile, is increasingly bewildered and alarmed by what is happening and goes to Dedra for answers. Their encounter is shockingly violent, as he chokes her in his fury, learning about the mineral and their plan to sacrifice Ghorman, and the fact that he was deliberately kept out of the know and used for their own purposes. Syril’s world is crumbling: Dedra has lied to him, the Empire has set up the Ghor to fall, and he feels betrayed, to say the least. He wanders out into the increasingly violent crowd in a stupor, watching the horror unfold. Cassian is just trying to get away at this point, but the Imperials have closed off the exits, trapping everyone. Syril is in the middle of realizing he might be on the wrong side when he catches sight of Cassian: his mortal enemy, the one who ruined his life on Ferrix, and the one who must pay for his humiliation.

He attacks Cassian with rage, and their fight is brutal. Syril gets the advantage at last and is about to shoot Cassian when Cassian looks at him in bewilderment and asks him, “Who ARE you?” While Syril has been obsessing for years about Cassian, dreaming of the day he’ll get his revenge, Cassian has no idea who Syril is and is wondering why this random man is trying to kill him. It’s sobering for Syril, who hesitates just long enough for the leader of the Ghorman Front, Carro Rylanz, to shoot him in the head. Poor Syril.

The Imperials unleash the K2 droids, which are terrifying, and all is lost on Ghorman. Cassian and Wilmon manage to escape, but Wilmon wants to stay behind with his girlfriend, and Cassian brings a mangled K2 droid with him as he flies away. Dedra, in the wake of the massacre, has some sort of breakdown or fit, perhaps trying to come to terms with what she’s unleashed, but she ultimately gets control of herself–barely. Brutally suppressing whatever humanity she’s got inside herself, I guess.

This is easily the most harrowing, stunning episode of the whole season. And I haven’t even gotten to the last episode of the arc, in which Mon Mothma makes her amazing speech to the Senate, damning the Ghorman massacre and calling out the lies of the Empire and the evil nature of Palpatine, calling him a “monster” who will “come for us all.” There are so many great speeches in this show: Luthen’s “sunrise” speech, Maarva’s funeral speech, Saw’s rhydo speech, even Vel gets a “you don’t get to cry” speech that is moving. But this one is a hum-dinger that is a turning point for the Rebellion, as Mon flees the Senate and intends to join the Rebellion on Yavin. But the logistics of just how she gets out of the Senate and to Yavin is the problem. Sure, we see in Rebels that Gold Squadron brings her to the Ghost crew, who then will get her to Dantooine on route to Yavin. But how does she actually get out of the building, with the Empire standing by to immediately arrest her after her treasonous speech?

Mon making the speech of her life (or death, from a certain point of view).

Again, Cassian is there, the main link in a chain that leads right up to the end of Rogue One. Luthen says as much to him, that he’s always where he needs to be just when Luthen needs him to be there. (Hmm, it’s as if an unseen Force is guiding his every move…). Anyway, Bail has arranged a ship and crew to get Mon out, but Luthen tells her it’s been compromised. Who knows how he knows this, but at this point Mon is fed up with Luthen, as she’s just found out her trusted aide Erskine has been working for him without her knowledge. Luthen tells her to look for his agent and his words, I have friends everywhere. Cassian kills a few people, including Mon’s ISB-planted driver, to get her out; her shock and horror transitions her from the relative safety of the Senate to the life-or-death environment of the Rebellion.

The arc ends with Cassian back on Yavin and telling Bix that he’s done with the Rebellion. He wants to go away with her and just live their lives. The next morning he finds a message from her. She’s gone away so he will stay in the fight. She firmly believes that Cassian has a big part to play in the coming war and won’t have him abandon it for her. She wants the Rebels to win. After all they’ve been through, all they’ve sacrificed, he has to see it through. With the leaving of Bix, comes the arrival of K2S0, who has been reprogrammed to serve the Alliance.

Whew! Stay tuned for Arc 4….

Andor S2 Thoughts, Part One

Hello friends! I’ve been meaning to post my thoughts about Andor Season 2 for a while now, but I’ve been delayed by a combination of general busyness and simply being overwhelmed with its greatness, lol. I’m going to split it into two parts, the first covering Arcs 1 & 2, and Part 2 covering Arcs 3 & 4.

I don’t even know where to begin, so I’ll just begin with: I loved it. I feel it’s a masterpiece in Star Wars storytelling (both seasons, but I’ll focus on the second season here). Like Season 1, it’s unlike any Star Wars we’ve seen before: gritty, yes, and focused on the ordinary people that struggle with oppression rather than on larger-than-life figures like Jedi and Sith. And yet, it’s still quintessentially Star Wars: it’s still a story of good versus evil, though there are definitely gray areas on both sides; life for most ordinary people is messy and doesn’t fit into neat black and white boxes. It’s still about the human heart, family, love and the connections we make with other people. It’s still about doing the right thing, even when it seems the odds are against you. It’s about that Star Wars hope we always talk about. And the Force is still there; it’s a subtle undercurrent that is only mentioned a couple of times, but it’s still the spiritual underpinning of this galaxy.

In lieu of only getting two seasons, the four-arc, twelve-episode format worked well. The writers relied on the audience to fill in any gaps; in other words, they didn’t insult our intelligence, lol. So even though I would have liked some more information or storylines, I didn’t necessarily need them. The writing was tight and stream-lined, no exposition, just boom, a year later per arc. And it worked, at least for me.

I’m assuming if you’re reading this, you’ve watched the show, so I won’t summarize each episode; I’ll just touch on the big aspects of each arc and what I thought and felt about them. If you haven’t watched it, just be aware–SPOILERS!!! And please, for the love of the Force, watch it if you can.

Arc 1: One Year Later; Sagrona Teema; Harvest

The first arc deals with Cassian stealing a new TIE model from the Imperials and getting side-tracked by a bunch of newbie rebels with no leader among them. They fight among themselves, showing us how far the Rebellion needs to go to unite and work together. Some people were annoyed with this storyline, and I understand why; these people are morons, lol. But they’re also people who need strong leadership, and this is what the Rebellion needs most at this point.

The Imperials, meanwhile, have discovered a kind of mineral on the planet Ghorman that they want for the Death Star, and make plans to get it no matter what. Orsin Krennic has a secret meeting, to which Partagaz and Dedra are invited. The point of the meeting is to find a way to get the mineral from Ghorman, destroying the planet if need be, but making it look like it was the Ghormans’ fault. Krennic pegs Dedra to make it so; she doesn’t want the assignment, as she wants to keep pursuing Axis, but Partagaz tells her the assignment is a “gift.” When Dedra gets back to Coruscant, it’s shown that she and Syril are a couple, though a very weird one, lol. They finally have dinner with Syril’s mother, and Dedra’s handling of the overbearing Eadie is priceless.

Arc 1 also shows us Bix, Brasso, Wilmon and B2 on Mina-Rau, a grain-producing planet, and they work there basically as undocumented immigrants. The people they work for like and appreciate them and try to protect them, but of course, the Empire comes calling. Not only is Bix dealing with her PTSD from her torture by Dr. Gorst, but there’s a slimy Imperial who attempts to sexually assault her. This is where we know we’re not in our usual Star Wars territory; some people took issue with this storyline, saying it was too much for Star Wars. Again, this is Star Wars for adults. If we’re going to watch Andor, we need to put our big-people pants on. Oppression absolutely includes this type of manipulation and attack, and to sugarcoat it now would do the show an injustice, I think. Brasso’s death gutted me, as it was so random and meaningless, but that was the point, too.

On the other end, Mon Mothma is preparing for her daughter’s wedding. It’s a lavish affair, a traditional Chandrilan wedding. Here poor Mon has to deal with her unbearable brat of a daughter, Luthen watching her under the guise of bringing a priceless gift for the couple from Sculden, and her friend Tay, who has been hiding her money for the Rebellion in nonprofits. Tay is not happy, having had some losses with his investments (and his wife left him, no less); and he lets Mon know he basically wants money to compensate for those losses or else he’ll spill the beans. To whom, I’m not really sure, but Luthen sees him as a threat and “takes care of it.” Mon pretends to not know what he means, but of course she does. Tay’s betrayal and Luthen’s promise to unalive him, as well as the emotional toll of her daughter’s hurtful words (and presumably some guilt in arranging the wedding in exchange for Sculden’s monetary help) takes its toll, and Mon has a drunken, dancing breakdown to the catchy tune of Niamos. Seriously, it’s a song that makes even me want to get up and dance, though it’s heartbreaking to see Mon accept the price of rebellion with a public unravelling. Even Perrin looks askance at her. Oh, and seeing Tay fly away with Cinta at the helm is truly chilling. That woman is scary, lol.

Arc 2: Ever Been To Ghorman?; I Have Friends Everywhere; What A Festive Evening

Arc 2 brings us a year down the road. After Cassian saves Bix and Wilmon (leaving our beloved B2 behind, though it can’t be helped), Cassian and Bix are living together in a safe house on Coruscant. I love seeing these two as a couple. During the first season we learn that they had been together when they were younger but broke up at some point, and Bix was with Tim, but I was hoping that she and Cassian be together again at some point. They just fit each other. But Bix is still struggling and has an addiction to some drug that helps her sleep. Luthen sends Cassian to Ghorman to see about the Ghorman Front that has formed there in the guise of a fashion designer named Varian Skye, but Cassian feels they’re not ready to take on the Empire and wants nothing to do with it.

Luthen sends Vel and Cinta instead. The two hadn’t seen each other since that quick glance at the wedding, and it’s clear that Cinta has changed. She refers to some “accident” that took her out of the game for a bit, and while recuperating, realized she missed Vel. They both told Luthen they wouldn’t take the assignment without the other. Their reunion was sweet but ended in tragedy with Cinta’s death during their mission to help the Ghorman Front, another senseless death, as it was a result of one of the Ghor disobeying their orders. I’m wondering if Cinta’s “accident” was her deliberately crashing the ship she and Tay were in at the end of the first arc and she got injured while killing Tay. We’ll never know, I guess, but it’s a leap that makes sense.

Syril, meanwhile, has been on Ghorman as an Imperial inventory manager, but was really put there to infiltrate the Ghorman Front. Syril has no idea what he’s really doing, though, as Dedra has not told him about the mineral and the Empire’s ultimate plans to destroy Ghorman. He thinks he’s just there to identify possible “outside agitators.” But he’s really there to get the Ghormans to act up so the Empire can then punish them.

Wilmon, we find, is with Saw Gererra, presumably sent to him by Luthen. He’s supposed to teach them how to calibrate some mechanical thing to steal rhydonium from the Imperials, a kind of fuel. Saw kills the guy Wilmon has taught, because Saw thinks he was an Imperial spy, trying to find out where they’ll strike next. Who knows if this is true, but Saw is paranoid and crazy at this point. So Wilmon has to accompany him to the target to get the fuel. Saw is able to breathe the poisonous stuff and is addicted to it; he calls it his “sister,” which is creepy considering he lost his sister Steela during the Clone Wars and has never been the same since. He convinces Wilmon to breathe the stuff, too, and I thought that was the end of Wilmon; he’d either die or be a permanent part of Saw’s nutty crew. But surprisingly, this didn’t happen; he shows up in the next arc alive and well.

Kleya discovers that their listening device on a piece of Sculden’s art collection will be discovered if it’s not removed. She enlists the help of Lonni during a party to remove it, and it adds an unbearable level of anxiety while Mon and Krennic trade barbs. We also see Bail Organa at the party for the first time, and that the role is being played by Benjamin Bratt rather than Jimmy Smits. It’s a bit disappointing that Smits’ schedule prevented him from reprising the role, but on the other hand, Bratt did an excellent job of Being Bail, particularly in later episodes.

The classic “blow something up and don’t look back while you walk away” scene.

After talking to Bix and becoming concerned about her health and well-being (in Luthen’s particular, selfish kind of way, lol), he sets up Cassian and Bix to get revenge on Dr. Gorst, who has come to Coruscant to enlarge the part his torture methods will be used in the Empire. Bix satisfyingly hooks him up to his own awful device, and then Cassian blows him up as they walk away. Good riddance, Nazi doctor! A fine way to end the arc.

Stay tuned for my thoughts on Arcs 3 and 4….

More of my drawings

My Update turned out to be pretty long, so I thought I’d put my drawings in a separate post again. Here’s my latest drawings of Andor characters:

I took a little break from Star Wars characters and drew some random models I found on Pinterest:

I wanted to practice glasses, but they came out weirdly shaped, lol.

An interesting facial expression to try.

Closed eyes are a lot easier than open ones to draw, lol.

I’ll be working on a combination of Star Wars characters and random people, so stay tuned for more!

Life Day Update

Hello friends, long time no blog!

I hope everyone had a happy Solstice/Christmas/Hannukah/Life Day. I’ve been taking a break from the blog for a few months, as I was busy taking care of my elderly Dad. He ended up getting pneumonia and sepsis and passed away at the end of November. Then I got sick for a few weeks. I’m just now feeling as if I’m getting back to “normal” and have missed the blog, so I thought I’d give a quick update.

I’ve been reading a lot of great non-Star Wars books* (see brief list at end of post), but I did read the latest High Republic novel, Tears of the Nameless, and I think it’s probably my favorite HR book so far. It focuses on Reath Silas, one of my favorite HR Jedi, and his quest to solve the Nameless problem. He gets help from a Padawan named Amadeo, and oh yeah, his old Master, Comahc Vitus returns with some vital information. I was thrilled to see Comahc return, as he had left the Order at the end of Midnight Horizon. Fantastic book.

Another SW book I read was the Mace Windu book The Glass Abyss. This one was…interesting. Mace has never been one of my favorite Jedi, but I do respect the guy. But I’ve always wanted to like him, as well. The Clone Wars went a long way in helping me with that; he was great whenever he made an appearance there. I tried reading Shatterpoint, the Legends book about Mace, but I just couldn’t get interested. I didn’t have much hope for this one, to be honest, since I saw that a lot of people didn’t really like it. But you know what? It wasn’t bad. It was definitely different for a Star Wars book, and especially different for a Mace story. But maybe that’s the point. Here, Mace goes to an Outer Rim planet at the behest of his now-dead friend, Qui Gon Jinn, who had a mission there several years ago. The people are under the thumb of two different crime lords who hold a tenuous balance there. He befriends a community who have a symbiotic sort of relationship with giant silkworms (!) and comes to deeply respect them. He also falls for the leader of these people, and it’s weird seeing Mace all romantic and stuff (once he realizes he’s in love, that is), lol. One of the villains is strange, as well, as he’s two different beings bonded as one, a Rodian and another humanoid species, named Chulok. The other crime boss is a giant insect. Yeah, very weird stuff, but I found it kind of entertaining. I also read it in the hospital while my dad was dying, so it holds some weird emotional heft with me. So yeah, I do like Mace now, lol.

In live-action news, I’m quite enjoying Skeleton Crew. It took a few episodes to really hook me, but I’m fully on board now. It’s a fun, weird, mysterious adventure and I can’t wait to see how this is going to turn out. I’m curious about Jod’s past (is he just a random Force-user, or a former Padawan who escaped Order 66?) and if he’ll come to use his Force powers for good instead of piracy; I’m also wondering about the whole At Attin thing and what’s going on there. And if any harm comes to our sweet Neel there will be hell to pay.

Star Wars things I’m looking forward to: there will be some Bad Batch comics in January, a Clone Wars adventure I think, and this will be a comic series I’ll need to have on my shelf. I’m also hearing rumors about a Bad Batch novel coming out in April or May? If so, I’ll be in Bad Batch heaven! I’m looking forward to the conclusion of The High Republic series with the last wave of books, and of course, Andor Season 2. I recently rewatched Season 1 and I’m totally ready for that great series to continue and conclude.

So instead of blogging and/or writing these past few months, I’ve gotten back into drawing, specifically, portrait drawing. I just needed to do something different, and I have this crazy dream of creating Star Wars fan art. If you know me, you know I LOVE Star Wars fan art, and I’ve often thought, You know, I want to do that too! So I’m going to. I’m still practicing my portrait skills, but once I feel ready, I’m going to start drawing Star Wars characters, and I will certainly share them here if I feel they’re any good, lol.

Anyway, hope everyone is well. Let me know what you’ve been up to, and what Star Wars things are making you happy right now in the comments!

* Here’s some great non-Star Wars books I’ve read lately:

The Madwoman Upstairs, by Catherine Lowell
The Essex Serpent, by Sarah Perry
A Gentleman in Moscow, by Amor Towles
The Blue Hour, by Paula Hawkins
Once there Were Wolves, by Charlotte McConahy
Currently reading: Wool, by Hugh Howey

Star Wars Chat Pack: Who is the Alliance MVP?

Welcome to Day 19 of my NaBloPoMo Challenge, in which I randomly draw a card from the Star Wars Chat Pack.

Today’s questions asks: Who do you think is the MVP of the Rebel Alliance? Why?

Interesting. I think there are several candidates for MVP here, including:

Mon Mothma

Mon Mothma became the de facto leader of the Rebel Alliance, after serving as a Senator in both the Republic and Imperial Senates. We first meet her in Return of the Jedi, when she’s already leading the Rebels against the Emperor and the second Death Star. She became an increasingly important character in successive projects, going back to her time as a Senator in the Clone Wars, her budding position in the Rebellion in Rebels, and as Chancellor of the New Republic after the war in several books. But it’s her story in Andor that really gets to the meat of who she is and how she rose to unite the various factions of Rebel cells to form the Alliance. Her story is still being told in that show, and I can’t wait for Season Two!

Bail Organa

Princess Leia’s adoptive father, Bail Organa was also a Senator in both the Republic and the Imperial Senates. We first meet him in the prequels, and we see the suspicion and growing unease he feels with Chancellor Palpatine’s machinations. We don’t see him in the Originals, of course; we just see his planet get blown up by the Empire, and we learn later that he and his wife, Breha, had died in the explosion. But we learn in many later projects that Bail, while still serving as Senator, was secretly working behind the scenes to gather those opposed to the Empire, and build a network of spies and Rebel cells across the galaxy. He’s made an appearance in almost every Star Wars project since the prequels: Clone Wars, Rebels, Rogue One, Obi-Wan Kenobi. I’m almost certain he’ll make an appearance in the second season of Andor; it would be strange if he didn’t. He’s certainly an early trailblazer for the Alliance. He’s also one of my favorite space dads, lol.

Luthen Rael

Luthen is a really interesting character. He’s not very likable. Some of the things he does in the name of the Rebellion are…morally questionable, let’s say. But unlike Saw Gerrara, who is reckless, lashes out like a wounded animal, and ALWAYS creates collateral damage, Luthen’s actions actually accomplish something. We may not like what he does, but there’s always a purpose behind it, and it moves the spark of the Rebellion forward. He knows what he does and what he is, and doesn’t believe he’ll be remembered for his part in what is to come. He believes he’s sacrificed his humanity in the name of freedom for the galaxy. Is that a good thing? I don’t know. But his recruitment of Cassian Andor was pivotal in the eventual events of Rogue One and the destruction of the first Death Star. I can’t wait to see more of him in Season two of Andor, as well.

But I think as far as a leader who gets right into the action, I think Most Valuable Player has to be…

Leia Organa

Leia Organa is right there from the start, obviously one of the main characters from the Original trilogy. The adopted daughter of Bail Organa, a Senator, and Breha, a Queen, she grows up learning what it means to lead and to help those who cannot help themselves. She is highly idealistic, brave, and selfless. She’s also got a short temper and doesn’t suffer fools lightly, lol. It’s a great combination for getting sh*t done. Leia is the face of the Rebellion. While Mon Mothma makes the tough decisions, Leia is usually out in the field, fighting for freedom. She also serves as a Senator in the New Republic for many years until things go sour; then she serves as a General for the Resistance against the First Order. She’s truly an exemplary leader.

There’s many others who could win this award; cases could be made for any number of individuals or groups. But these are the main leaders I thought of, and my pick is Leia.

Who do you think is the Alliance MVP? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

My Entertainment Weekend Update

Hello friends, and happy weekend!

(Spoilery things ahead!)

Well, the Andor finale aired this past week, and I enjoyed it for the most part. All the principals were gathering on Farrix, all of them to find Cassian and either kill or capture him. No one did. In fact, none of them even saw him, and while I expected at least one of them to have a confrontation with him, that didn’t happen, either. Cassian ended up working behind the scenes to free Bix from the Imperials.

Otherwise, it was all about Maarva’s funeral and its aftermath. I appreciated the denizens of Farrix defying the Empire’s restrictions on the event, showing up in numbers and at the time they wanted. This is an appropriate defiance; but I hesitate to champion Maarva’s hologram speech during it. The speech itself was fantastic. But I feel like Maarva didn’t think this through. Surely she must have known that the funeral would be supervised by the Imperials. To instigate an uprising from the people of Farrix right then and there seems a bit…irresponsible? She must have known people would be killed. And yes, of course, sacrifices must be made for the Rebellion, etc etc, but these things need to be thought out and planned. I don’t know, I just thought her speech could have been better timed.

Anyway, Luthen shows up to…I’m not sure, check up on Vel and Cinta? Help with Cassian’s murder? At any rate, once chaos breaks out in the town square, he distances himself and heads back to his ship. True to form, he sees such uprisings and outrage necessary for the Rebellion, but doesn’t want to risk his own life. As he’s said, he’s a coward. In the meantime, Cinta kills the ISB guy that has been watching her for days, Syril saves Dedra’s life (the shippers will be going nuts, lol) and Cassian gets Bix out of the hotel. He gets her to a ship along with B2, Brasso, and Pak’s son, who brought a homemade bomb to the funeral. But Cassian doesn’t go with them.

He waits for Luthen in his ship and tells him to either kill him or bring him in (into his inner circle of Rebels). Because Cassian, over the course of the show, has gone from someone who doesn’t care and just tries to survive, to a true believer who wants to fight back. Many of the people he’s met during the show has influenced Cassian’s transformation: Nemik (whose manifesto Cassian has read and is voiced over during the episode), Kino, and Maarva (who sends a message to him through Brasso); and all the inequities and punishments he’s suffered under the Empire, including his father’s unjust execution, bring Cassian around to the man we meet in Rogue One.

We don’t see much of Mon Mothma in this episode, except to see her cleverly trying to throw off the Empire from the missing money in her accounts by blaming Perrin for gambling, knowing her driver is listening in on the conversation. Also, her daughter meets the the thug’s son, and perhaps a marriage will occur. Or not. We’ll have to wait until Season Two to find out.

I thought the episode was fine, but something made it a bit anti-climactic for me. I’m not sure what it was; maybe it was Cassian lurking around and not confronting any of these people who were out to get him. I expected some kind of confrontation. Oh well. I did enjoy the entirety of Season One and am looking forward to Season Two.

The Guardians with the Legendary Kevin Bacon.

I haven’t been watching much Marvel lately (I chose to pass on both Ms. Marvel and She-Hulk), but I did watch the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. When I saw the teaser trailer for it some time ago, I thought, oh yeah, I’m SO there for that! Lol. Guardians of the Galaxy is one of my favorite aspects of the Marvel Universe, besides Loki and Dr. Strange, and I knew that I’d enjoy it immensely. It was only about 45 minutes, which was plenty, but it was so fun and amusing and makes me excited for the next Guardians movie (2023?)

The premise of the special is that Mantis and Drax want to do something nice for Peter for Christmas, believing Yondu spoiled it for him some years ago. Since Peter has talked quite a bit about Kevin Bacon to them over the years (mostly about his character from the movie Footloose, which was a favorite of his when he was a kid), they decide to….give Peter Kevin Bacon for Christmas!

Goofy fun ensues as they head to Hollywood in search of Kevin Bacon. If you don’t expect too much from it, it’s really fun. And it’s rather heartwarming in the end, which is what all Christmas specials should be.

Anyway, other than that, I’ve been continuing my fevered watching of Poldark. I’m about halfway through Season Three (out of five seasons) and the drama only gets more complicated and juicy. It’s like Jane Austen’s naughty sister, lol. I’m nervous at the start of every episode, wondering what could go wrong next, who will get hurt, what evil George Warleggon will conjure up next. The setting of the show, by the way, is spectacular, with the dramatic cliffs of Cornwall and the boiling ocean waves of the sea a reflection of the character’s churning emotions. I love it!

In books, I’ve finally finished The Obelisk Gate, by N.K. Jemisin, the second book in a trilogy called The Broken Earth series. I’ll probably do a post on all three books when I’m done.

And I finally received Convergence, by Zoraida Cordova, just today, the latest High Republic book in Phase 2. I would have gotten it sooner but I failed to update my payment method when my bank changed some time ago. Oops! Looking forward to starting that one.

That’s about it this week. What’s been entertaining you? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

My Entertainment Weekend Update

Hello friends, and happy weekend!

(Some spoilery things ahead!)

Cassian and Melshi work to get off Narkina-5.

This week saw the eleventh and penultimate episode of Andor, “Daughter of Farrix.” The title presumably refers to Maarva, Cassian’s adoptive mother, who has died offscreen. I was a bit surprised by that; I thought she would die during the episode, maybe even when Cassian was there. But no, he finds out by space telephone when he calls home. This is after his escape from Narkina 5, along with Melshi. They have to climb some cliffs barefoot, avoid the Imperials looking for escapees, and then they come across some natives. They capture the two fugitives in some kind of goopy net, and at first it seems they will turn them in for a reward. But then they decide to let them go and help them get off planet, as the Empire has ruined their water, and by extension, their fishing livelihood. Cassian returns to Niamos to retrieve his money from the Aldani heist, and that’s where he makes his call home. He and Melshi decide to split up, and Melshi tells Cassian that he will spread the word about the Empire and what’s happening on Narkina 5.

Meanwhile, Luthen visits Saw and has a cool battle with an Imperial ship, Mon Mothma worries about her daughter, and Syril finds out that Cassian may be going back to Farrix. Basically, this episode is setting everyone up to go to Farrix for a climactic finale, and I can’t wait.

In other viewing news, I’ve become totally obsessed with a show on Prime called Poldark. It’s a period piece from Masterpiece Theater, starring Aiden Turner (who happened to be a dwarf called Fili in The Hobbit movies–you know, one of the “hot” dwarves, lol). It takes place in 1780’s Cornwall. Ross Poldark has just returned from serving as a soldier for the Crown in the American War for Independence. The British having been defeated, he returns home to his estate at Nampara and finds that his father has died and left the estate in near-ruin, and that Elizabeth, the young woman he loved before leaving for the war, is engaged to be married to his cousin Francis, as everyone thought him dead.

This is how the show of five seasons kicks off, and although I’m only halfway through the second season, so much has happened that my head is spinning, lol. Basically it’s a costume drama soap opera, and I’m loving every minute of it. Oh, and guess who else is in the show? Our very own Syril Karn from Andor! Kyle Soller plays Francis, Ross’s cousin. He’s got blonde curls in this one.

I’d write more about it, but I gotta go and watch the next episode…

What’s been entertaining you lately? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

My Entertainment Weekend Update

Hello my friends, and happy weekend!

(Spoilery things ahead!)

Andor’s tenth episode, “One Way Out” was probably the best of the series so far. This, of course, was the prison escape episode, and it delivered in so many ways. Now that Kino Loy (played by Andy Serkis) is done with the Empire’s games and is on board, they make a plan. Now that the old man Ulaf died, a new prisoner will be coming in to fill his spot. And that’s when the Imperials will be at their most vulnerable. Cassian finishes sabotaging the water pipe from the refresher, and that leaking water will help disable the electrified floor. Once the new guy is brought in, they attack (poor new guy, he has no idea what’s going on…and ends up dying from a blaster bolt). Once they’re all out and kill the guards, they make their way to the command center and take over. They cut off the power to all the floors, and then Kino makes his speech over the intercom, telling the prisoners they had taken control and were escaping. But more than that, his speech is inspiring to the prisoners, as he tells them to help one another. It’s not “every man for himself”, it’s “if we work together we can get out of here.” So it was heartbreaking when they finally get out and have to jump into the ocean to get away and Kino says he can’t swim. He helped everyone else get out while likely knowing he wouldn’t make it out himself, as it’s obvious he knew they were surrounded by water. I really liked Kino’s story arc, going from a man counting down his days until he gets out and everyone better not ruin that for him, to a man leading everyone out while he himself can’t get out. I hope we find out what happens to him–sent to another prison? Killed? Suicide? Maybe I don’t want to know.

Anyway, there was another big speech in the episode, given by Luthen Rael. He meets with one of the ISB agents, Jung, who is actually a mole and working for the Rebellion. He’s meeting with Luthen to warn him about the ISB laying a trap for Kreeger’s rebel cell, but really he wants to tell Luthen he’s done with this double agent thing. He’s got a baby coming and wants a different life. But Luthen won’t let him, telling him that they have to make sacrifices. Jung asks what Luthen’s sacrificed, and what we get is some sorely-needed insight into this man. Basically, he tells Jung that he’s sacrificed his soul. He’s not a kind man, and he uses the Empire’s own tactics against them. In other words, he’s become what he’s sworn to destroy, all for a victory he suspects he’ll never see.

Someone who’s not ready to sacrifice her soul is Mon Mothma. She meets with this Davos, a “thug” in her estimation, only because she’s desperate for money to cover up what her “charity” is actually doing. She’s willing to pay the man off, but he’s already rich and doesn’t want money. He wants his son to meet her daughter–probably in the hopes of a traditional Chandrilan arranged marriage, likely so he can get closer to the influential and more respectable Coruscant society. Mon balks and is curt at dismissing him. But as he points out her, she’s thinking about it. What is she willing to sacrifice? I’m curious to see how this plays out. Only two more episodes of this season!

Now that The Rings of Power is done, I need to make that Amazon Prime subscription worth paying, so I’ve added a few things to my watchlist. One of those things is Blade Runner 2049, the sequel to 1984’s Blade Runner that came out a few years ago. I saw it in the theater at the time, and absolutely adored it. I’m a big fan of the original, and wasn’t sure about a sequel. But my doubts were immediately dispelled as I heard that otherworldly music and watched Ryan Gosling totally nail it as a replicant Blade Runner called “K” whose job it is to “retire” older, less compliant Replicants from the past.

During one of his cases, he comes upon a mystery and a miracle: a Replicant woman who gave birth 30 years ago. Sensing the enormity of the event and what such a child represents, K’s boss, Madame, played wonderfully by Robin Wright, orders him to find and kill the (30 year-old) child. But during his investigation, he comes to believe that he, himself, is the child of that long ago miracle.

In the meantime, the creepy corporate billionaire Wallace (played by Jared Leto), who had taken up the reins left by Tyrell Corporation and created new models of Replicants like K who obeyed, also wants to find the child in order to figure out how to make his Replicants with the power to give birth. So he can have more slaves, you see, to dominate the stars. He sends his pet Replicant, the ironically named Love, to follow K during his investigation, a woman who certainly doesn’t know anything about love.

Director Denis Villeneuve’s Los Angeles of 2049 is a bleak and wondrous place, where illusion is the order of the day. Replicants are implanted with false memories, to make them emotionally stable. They know that they’re implanted, they know exactly what they are (and aren’t), but the memories make them feel more human. K has a relationship with a beautiful hologram named Joi, and though her programming is meant to fill every one of K’s desires (except, of course, physical contact, which is solved in a clever way), it certainly seems like Joi is a real person who loves him. And he does love her. Or maybe he’s in love the idea of her. Can you be in love with someone who’s not “real”? She’s an illusion, but K’s feelings about her are not. Does that make her real?

Are Replicants “real”? They’re alive–they breath and bleed and can die–and they’re sentient beings. They have emotions. They’re supposed to obey and not be able to lie, but K breaks both of those rules. It seems moot to me that if one is “born” instead of “made” they’re more real and therefore have more rights. But apparently this child represents something dangerous–the fact that Replicants can reproduce give them more “self-agency.” To Madame, this would be disastrous, leading to a Replicant rebellion; to Wallace, it is the holy grail that would serve his purpose to simply enslave more Replicants.

Some people thought this movie was too long and convoluted, but not me. I loved every single minute of its almost 3 hour runtime. It’s mesmerizing to behold, and offers a lot to chew on. The performances were amazing, especially Ryan Gosling, who was a revelation to me at the time. I wasn’t really familiar with him except for “The Notebook,” lol. But he perfectly captures the nuances of a person who initially accepts the status quo, and then gradually learns who he is (or could be), and what it means to be “human.” Bravo.

In books, this week I started and finished a rereading of Mission to Disaster, a middle-grade book by Justina Ireland. It’s a Phase 1 High Republic book, and I wanted to revisit it because most of it takes place on Dalna, a planet we see 150 years earlier in Path of Deceit. Basically the Nihil has taken some children prisoner to “recruit’ them, and young Jedi Knight Vernestra Rwho and her Padawan Imri Cantos are on it. Their friend, Avon Starros, a technological genius, has been taken and made to help the Nihil with a weapon that can destroy the planet.

I wanted to see if I could get any insight into Dalna considering the events of Path of Deceit, which also took place on Dalna. What we learn is that something happened on on that planet involving the Jedi, something that went very bad and the Jedi are blamed. Ever since, the Jedi are not trusted, although by the time of Vernestra’s time, there is a Jedi Outpost there. There seems to be some evidence that the Jedi covered up the incident. We don’t get anything like that in Path of Deceit, but I think we will see it later in Phase 2.

That’s about it this week. What’s been entertaining you? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

My Entertainment Weekend Update

Hello friends, and happy weekend!

(Spoilery stuff ahead!)

This week’s episode of Andor was, as usual, fabulous. The situation in the prison becomes particularly tense, as it becomes clear Cassian is trying to find a way to escape. At the same time, something weird and mysterious happened on Level 2, and we eventually find out that the entire work crew was killed by their murderous electric floors. We only find out towards the end of the show that it was because the Imperials put a prisoner who was supposed to be done with their sentence back into the workforce on a different level. Clearly, no one’s getting out of there alive. Didn’t they realize that the prisoners would figure this out and become outraged? The answer is yes, they did, and no, they don’t care. Kino finally realizes he won’t win at the Empire’s game, and so finally answers Cassian’s question about guards. He will help Cassian with the escape, but I have a feeling he won’t survive it.

The Empire in this show is at its scariest, and we don’t need any Sith to prove that. Bix is tortured by Dedra with sounds. The sound of tortured and dying children, which of course is quite appalling. Dr. Gorst is the freaky sadist who administers the “procedure” and is quite proud of it. I suppose torturers have to be a bit deranged.

Speaking of deranged, Syril Karn seems to have lost whatever marbles he may have had in the first place, stalking Dedra and claiming they’re kindred spirits with red-rimmed, delusional eyes. I have no idea where his story arc is going, but I’m curious to find out. His mother is a peculiar kind of awful, and I kind of feel sorry for him.

And speaking of awful, Perrin continues to be a complete jerk while his wife strives to convince the Senate that they’re still relevant. It falls on deaf ears, of course. The Senate is a sickly thing at this point, corrupt and apathetic. Mon is realizing she will get nowhere in that direction. And she’s also realizing she may have to compromise some of her ideals by dealing with a wealthy thug for a loan to hide a large sum of money missing from her “charity.” I feel like Mon is being pushed into a corner and she’ll have some pretty difficult decisions to make. What is she willing to sacrifice for the Rebellion? Vel turns out to be her cousin, and I have a dreadful feeling she’ll be one of the casualties that will push Mon further toward the Rebel leader she’ll become. And Leida? I honestly don’t know what’s up with that girl. One day she’s a spoiled rich brat; other times, especially at Mon’s parties, she’s a nervous wreck. Is she spying on her mother? Time will tell what role she’ll have to play in the story. Honestly I don’t care what happens to Perrin, as long as he’s either unhappy or dead, lol. I really don’t like that guy.

I can’t wait for next week’s episode, which will undoubtedly be the prison break. And then there will only be two more episodes, which will probably take place on Farrix. I have a feeling Marva will not survive, and this will further push Cassian toward the Rebel leader he will become. This show is truly compelling Star Wars.

Other than watching Andor, I did a rewatch of The Rings of Power this past week, knowing the reveals of the Stranger and Sauron, and those scenes became particularly interesting. Halbrand is, of course, “Hot Sauron,” and the clues are there. I still think I love the Elrond/Durin storyline best, though, believe it or not. They just have this great chemistry. And even though Durin’s father seems like a jerk here, the truth is, he’s right. Once he’s gone and Durin starts to mine the mithril or whatever else he’s delving for, they unleash the Balrog. He wants to help Elrond (and his people, as well as himself and Disa personally), but he’ll end up dooming his own people.

Naturally, I have many questions at the end of Season One: What will Miriel do? (and do I detect a possible romance between her and Elendil? Or am I reading too much into it?) What will Sauron do next? Where is Isildur? (and whatever happened to his brother Anarion?) Is the Stranger really Gandalf? What’s in Rhun? I’ll have to wait a few long years for the answers to those questions.

Other than that, I’m waiting impatiently for the next High Republic novel, Convergence, out on Nov. 22nd, and reading The Obelisk Gate in the meantime.

I also downloaded onto my Kindle Walking in this World, by Julia Cameron, of The Artist’s Way fame. I’ve always liked her and her methods for helping people find their creativity. I just wanted a bit of inspiration as I try to get back into writing. I’m doing her “morning pages,” three pages of longhand writing, mostly stream-of-consciousness. She also prescribes “Artist Dates,” which is simply taking your inner artist out for some fun, which for me means a visit to the used bookstore, browsing an antique store or curiosity shop, going to a movie at the theater, etc. Just something that stimulates and/or delights your senses or the artist in you. She also recommends solitary walking, which I already love to do. I haven’t been doing enough of it lately, though. I think all of these things will be particularly therapeutic for me right now, as I deal with my mother’s recent death.

That’s it this week. What’s been entertaining you? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!