My Top Five Favorite Episodes of The Bad Batch Season Two

Last week I made a post about my five favorite episodes of Season One of the Bad Batch. Today is all about Season Two. Honestly, I loved all the episodes of S2 and it was hard for me to pick five, so I did cheat a little and listed a few two-parters as one choice. Here they are:

Commander Cody contemplates his choices.

The Solitary Clone. Episode 3 is the first time we see Crosshair this season, and it’s excellent. We find out that the Empire left Crosshair on that platform on Kamino for 32 rotations. Even Rampart wonders why he remains loyal. But he’s been medically cleared for duty (though not for a command position), and he’s been paired up with Commander Cody, the first time we’ve seen that character after Order 66 in canon. They’re sent to Desix, where an Imperially-assigned governor has been taken hostage by that world’s self-proclaimed governor, Tawny Ames. Their assignment is to free the Imperial governor at all costs. The action-sequence as the clones make their way into the compound is awesome; Kevin Kiner’s soundtrack is just fantastic here. Working together, Cody and Crosshair finally make it to the top of the compound (that stairwell scene!), destroy the tactical droid, and confront Tawny Ames. Cody negotiates with her, promising a peaceful resolution and getting her to release Groton. Once free, Groton demands that Cody execute her. Cody hesitates, but then Crosshair shoots her instead. Many think that Crosshair did it to spare Cody from having to do it when he clearly didn’t want to and to save him from an insubordination charge. There’s no clear answer, but I think this rings true. Cody is disillusioned, and watches as more stormtroopers arrive on Desix. Back on Coruscant, it’s clear Cody is doubting he’s on the right side; this is confirmed when Rampart tells Crosshair that Cody has gone AWOL. And so just when Crosshair begins to feel that he’s part of a team again, he’s not. He’s alone. Again. Such an excellent episode, and I truly hope we get to see Cody again in Season 3.

The Clone Conspiracy/Truth and Consequences. Episodes 7&8 are a two-parter I’m counting as one. The Clone Conspiracy doesn’t have the Batch in it at all; it focuses on Senator Riyo Chuchi, who has decided that she is going to fight for clone rights, as it seems no one else will. Her main antagonist is General Rampart, who has no intention of giving the clones anything, particularly when the Emperor, through Mas Amedda, is pressuring him to push a bill through the Senate that would create a new Imperial army. A clone named Slip tells Chuchi that Kamino wasn’t destroyed by a storm; it was destroyed by Rampart. She wants him to testify, but he tells her she doesn’t need him; the information she wants is in the databanks on Rampart’s Venator. Slip is killed, by a strange assassin who kills himself after being captured by Rex.

In Truth and Consequences, Rex asks the Batch for help. They need to get the information about Kamino off Rampart’s Venator. While they infiltrate the ship to retrieve the data, Omega stays with Chuchi while she consults with Bail Organa. He tells her to “follow the money,” and directs her to the former Senator of Kamino, Halli Bertoni. After some persuasion, she’s willing to testify, but Chuchi needs hard evidence. She finally gets it, and the Senate watches in horror as Kamino is shown destroyed. Their plan backfires, however; the Emperor shows up and throws Rampart under the bus. He claims the clones’ willingness to follow orders without question means they need a new military, made up of recruits that fight for the people (the irony is galling). The recruitment bill is passed, and Sidious wins. These two episodes have great political thriller vibes, and I’m here for it.

At the end of the episode, we find out along with Omega that Echo is going to stay with Rex, at least for a while, to help him fight for the clones. This is deeply upsetting to Omega, as we see more fully in the next episode, The Crossing.

The Crossing. Episode 9 sees the Batch on a mission from Cid, to retrieve an explosive mineral called Ipsium from a mine she purchased on a desolate-looking planet. Things go wrong almost immediately. While in the mine, the Marauder is stolen by a young thief, stranding them. Tech and Wrecker begin to bicker, as it was Wrecker’s responsibility to be the lookout. They start walking to a settlement a long way off but are nearly trampled by a stampede of animals. Then a dust storm blows in, and while they find another mine to take cover in, they lose the Ipsium. It explodes and causes a cave in, and they’re trapped. More bickering ensues, which is upsetting to Omega, who is already upset about Echo leaving. She’s worried about losing the Marauder, too, which has become her home. Tech says something hurtful, and she storms off. This is the most irritated we’ve seen the usually unflappable Tech. Hunter tells him to go after her and make things right. When he finds her, she’s drilling for more Ipsium she found, which she hopes they can use to blast their way out. Tech helps, but then she falls off the ledge into an abyss. Tech immediately follows, not knowing what awaits them at the bottom. It happens to be water, and they’re swept through a tunnel system, over a waterfall, and into another cavern. There’s a way out, but they need the Ipsium to blow a way through. While they wait for Hunter and Wrecker, Tech and Omega have a heart-to-heart talk, which is really the highlight of the entire episode.

I won’t repeat that conversation verbatim here, but it really gives some insight into Tech’s character, and brings the two closer together. Basically he says, I react to things differently than others, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care. It’s a very sweet and touching moment, and this episode is one of my favorites.

The Outpost. Episode 12 brings us back to another amazing Crosshair episode. He’s sent on a mission to a wintry planet called Barton IV with the awful Lt. Nolan, to pick up some cargo that is described as vital to the Empire. There they meet clone trooper Mayday and what’s left of his unit. The outpost is in bad shape, as the Empire has ignored Mayday’s many requests for supplies and help. Which he explains to Nolan, who responds with contempt. The outpost is attacked by native insurgents and some cargo is stolen. Nolan orders Crosshair and Mayday to find them and bring back the cargo. They track the insurgents back to their hideout and destroy it. They find out that the cargo Mayday has been guarding for so long is stormtrooper gear, while the clone troopers have to patch up their old gear. “We were good soldiers. We followed orders. And for what?” he asks Crosshair. The explosions cause an avalanche, and they get caught in it. Mayday is injured, and despite Crosshair’s earlier comment about not wanting to carry “dead weight,” he picks up Mayday and half-carries, half-drags him through the freezing cold and snow. When they get back to the outpost, instead of helping them, Nolan sneers and scolds. Crosshair nearly begs him to help Mayday, but Nolan refuses and Mayday dies. “He was expendable. As are you,” he tells Crosshair. As he walks away, you can see the turmoil in Crosshair, the despair, the dawning realization of his colossal mistake. He shoots Nolan dead, and then collapses. He wakes to find himself on Tantiss, in Hemlock’s clutches, though he doesn’t know it yet.

I thought The Solitary Clone was a great Crosshair episode; when I watched this one I thought, Wow. Just wow. Watching the end of this one, with the screaming bird monster circling above, reminded me of how I felt at the end of Clone Wars, as Vader watched Morai circling above a different wintry planet: haunted, bereft, unutterably sad. Damn, these “cartoons” are killing me, lol.

Crosshair is so done with Nolan and the Empire.

The Summit/Plan 99. And we’re not done with the tragedy yet. These last two episodes of the season culminate in the unraveling of everything Hunter has fought for: keeping his squad safe and together. The Batch head for Eriadu, where the mysterious Dr. Hemlock is meeting Tarkin and other Imperial bigwigs. Their goal is to plant a tracker on Hemlock’s ship and follow him back to his base, where ostensibly Crosshair and other clones are being held. But they’re not the only ones infiltrating the summit; Saw Gerrera and his crew are there planting explosives to blow the place up. The explosions cause the railcar they’re on to stop in midair and hang dangerously above an abyss, while Imperials attack them, leaving them literally hanging on a cliffhanger.

Plan 99 picks right up where they left off, as sitting ducks for the Imperials. Tech thinks he can get the railcar moving again, but he needs to get to the terminal, which of course is not nearby. He goes to the top of the car, runs along the line and jumps to the terminal, does what he needs to do, and runs back, all while the Batch try to fend off the attacking Imperials. Blaster bolts cause the car to unhitch from the cable even more, throwing Tech off of it, leaving him hanging. We all know what happens next: Tech knows there’s no time to haul him up and shoots the cable that holds him to the railcar; he plummets into the abyss, to the horror of his friends. The car hitches up to the cable again, they go careening into the station at the other end and are injured. They make it back to the Marauder and Hunter tells them to go to Ord Mantell so AZ can help them.

It’s difficult to watch their grief as Tech’s death sinks in, especially with Omega. But they’re not out of danger–Hemlock shows up at Cid’s, and it’s clear she betrayed them. She probably didn’t have a choice, but it still stings. Hemlock captures Wrecker and Hunter and throws them Tech’s shattered goggles, which twists the knife in our hearts. He wants Omega in order to coerce Nala Se into working on Sidious’ cloning agenda. Omega tries to stop them, but she’s stunned and taken to Hemlock’s ship; meanwhile Echo and AZ help free Hunter and Wrecker from Hemlock’s clutches. Hunter can only watch helplessly as Hemlock’s ship lifts off with Omega on it. There’s no way to know where they’ve gone. Omega is brought to Tantiss and finds an unconscious Crosshair; Emerie reveals that she’s Omega’s “sister.”

And that’s where we are at the end of Season Two. Again, I loved all of this season’s episodes, and would have added Faster and Pabu to the list, but this post has gone on long enough, lol. The three-episode premiere of Season 3 is only days away, and it can’t come fast enough!

What are your favorite episodes of Season Two? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

My Top Five Favorite Episodes of The Bad Batch Season One

As a Bad Batch fan, I would argue that I love ALL of the episodes, lol. And I do. People like to throw around the word “filler” a lot, but I believe that each and every episode has something to offer as far as characterization or plot. Some are just plain fun, and why not? However, I do have favorites, and I do believe that some are “more important” than others. Here are some of my favorites from Season One:

Aftermath. This is the 76-minute premiere of S1, and it’s still one of my favorites. Out of all episodes of Seasons 1 and 2, I think I rewatch this one the most. I love how it transitions from Clone Wars to something new: it starts with the traditional Clone Wars narration, setting the stage for us. But the Clone War ends at the beginning of this episode, with Order 66 (yes, we have to go through it again). I love how we see a young Caleb Dume, who will grow up to become Kanan Jarrus, an integral part of Rebels. And I love how Hunter lets him go.

The premiere reintroduces us to Clone Force 99, who we met at the beginning of Season 7 of Clone Wars. When I watched that arc, I thought they were a little strange and definitely stereotypical characters. They grew on me, but I didn’t think much of them afterward. But this show about them has to go deeper into their characters and make them more three dimensional, and I think this first episode succeeds in that.

This show sets up the premise of the entire first season: the Batch, because of their defects, are immune to Order 66. Except Crosshair. Not only do they have to figure out where they fit in this new Empire, but they have to deal with a schism in their squad and how it affects them. They’re now deserters, with a former brother going after them.

And they meet Omega, their younger clone sister, which adds another element to the mix. Who is she? Why was she created? How will she fit into their squad, and how will that affect them all?

There’s a lot going on in this first (long) episode, and it’s a great introduction to the series.

Rex leads the Batch through the Bracca shipyards.

Battle Scars. Episode 7 sees the return of Rex, and the Batch getting their inhibitor chips removed. Rex takes them to Bracca (known from the game Jedi: Fallen Order, where Cal Kestis hides after Order 66) to an old Jedi Venator’s medical facility, the same kind of place he had his chip removed with the help of Ahsoka. By this time Wrecker has been suffering from frequent head bangs and headaches and his chip is dangerously close to activating. Which it does before they can get the chip out, and he is positively terrifying as he goes after them, intent on destroying them. Even Omega, who he’s formed a close bond with. They finally get him under control, all their chips are removed, and Hunter discovers Rex is covertly working against the Empire. Rex tells them they would be a great help, but Hunter replies he must do what’s best for his squad. Rex disappears into the mist, and we just know we’re going to see him again for another mission.

Reunion. This is Episode 8 and a kind of Part Two to Battle Scars, as it takes place on the Jedi Venator. The Batch decide to salvage some weapons on the ship for Cid to pay off some of their debt to her, but the Scrapper’s Guild has spotted them and alerts the Empire. It’s Crosshair who shows up, and he’s relentless here, going after them with a malicious zeal. They finally escape, but Hunter has been shot and Omega has been kidnapped by Cad Bane, who’s been hired by the Kaminoans to get her back for her special Jango-DNA.

Return to Kamino. Episode 15. In a previous episode, the Batch does Rex a favor and rescues Gregor from an Imperial facility, but in so doing, Hunter gets captured and is brought back to Kamino. Crosshair uses him as bait to lure the others to Kamino as well; we think it’s just to kill them, but no: Crosshair wants to convince them to join him in the Empire. He reveals that he’s had his inhibitor chip removed “a long time ago,” and is giving them a chance they never game him. “Don’t make me your enemy,” he says to them, to which Hunter replies, “Crosshair, we never were.” So I get the feeling he never wanted to kill them (or at least, no longer wants to kill them since having the chip removed) but wants to get them back on his side. It’s not going to happen, of course, and by this time Rampart is done with these clones and orders the destruction of Kamino.

The Batch watches Kamino smolder in the distance.

Kamino Lost. In Episode 16, the season finale, the Batch and Crosshair must find a way off of Kamino City, which has been totally devastated by Rampart and has sunk to the bottom of the ocean. As they traverse the dangerously unstable structure, trying to find a way out, they bicker and argue with Crosshair, who is still bitter, “severe and unyielding,” as Tech describes him. Omega even saves his life with the help of AZ, and he’s still a jerk, lol. What’s interesting in this episode is that we find out that Omega was created before the rest of them and is technically older than they are. They eventually find a way out, and Crosshair returns the favor and saves Omega and AZ from drowning. But back at the Marauder, they offer him a place with them and he refuses. “I’ve made my decision,” he says, and turns his back on them. Even after being left for dead and abandoned by the Empire, he remains loyal. I feel like this is at least part stubbornness on his part. He’s done such terrible things, I think he has to believe he’s on the right side. Or maybe he doesn’t think he deserves to rejoin them. Or maybe he really does love the Empire. Or all of these things, I don’t know. Crosshair’s character arc is truly the most compelling in the series, and continues in Season 2, which I’ll talk about in the next post.

What’s your favorite episode(s) from Season 1? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

My Favorite Lightsaber Battles From Ahsoka

I don’t think there’s more live action lightsaber battles in any Star Wars series than in Ahsoka. Seriously, every one of the eight episodes had at least one, sometimes two or three lightsaber duels. Which is awesome, of course, so I thought I’d list my top five favorites here.

Ahsoka vs. Anakin in the World Between Worlds. This encounter was thrilling in every way, from the teasing banter at the beginning, to Ahsoka’s “I will not fight you” and Anakin’s answer, “I’ve heard that before,” to the final lesson being learned.

I loved seeing Anakin’s signature moves here, even more so than as a Padawan against his master in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series. Here, he is the Master, seemingly in control of the entire duel, pushing Ahsoka to her limits, exhorting her to “live or die.”

That is the lesson: Ahsoka has been living a half- life, really since Order 66 but especially since learning Anakin had turned to the dark side and became Vader. She was fearful, cautious, afraid of connection, of the darkness in herself and others. It was why she refused to train Grogu; it was why she walked away from training Sabine.

After the vision of her younger self in the Clone Wars, of coming to terms with being a child soldier, she turns the battle around, faces the darkness within herself, overcomes it, and declares, “I choose to live.” In other words, she regains her faith in herself, in the Force, and in the Light. She decides to live fully rather than the gray half-life she’d been living. Anakin’s transformation from dark side demon to charming Anakin–“There’s hope for you yet”–is brilliant, and Hayden’s performance is flawless.

This battle is charged with intense emotion, and that always makes for the best lightsaber duels.

Ahsoka vs. Baylan (Round 1) on Selos. This is the meeting we’d all been waiting for: Ahsoka confronting the mysterious Baylan Skoll. Ahsoka and Sabine are after the map that leads to Thrawn, and Baylan, of course, must let it finish its work downloading coordinates to Morgan’s ship.

Baylan begins by trying to throw Ahsoka off balance by bringing up Anakin and his fall. Ahsoka doesn’t take the bait, and they circle each other for quite a while, changing stances, feeling each other out. Baylan is a big, imposing man, and he slashes at Ahsoka with powerful, controlled moves.

The orange lightsabers are never explained, and maybe they don’t need to be; but Baylan and Shin are clearly not Sith. They’re not Jedi, either, though Baylan is formerly of the Order. I haven’t figured out if they use the dark side of the Force or not–they use the Force selfishly, for their own ends, but are they truly evil? Let me know your take on this, please.

At any rate, the stakes are high in this battle; and when Shin shows up, Ahsoka thinks she’s killed Sabine. This momentarily weakens her, and Baylan gets the upper hand, pushing her toward the edge of the cliff. Ahsoka manages to knock Shin out, but when Sabine then shows up, Ahsoka tells her to destroy the map. But at this point, Baylan presses his advantage, and Ahsoka falls into the sea.

Ahsoka vs. Morgan Elsbeth on Peridea. I thought Morgan’s transformation into a true Dathomirian witch was cool and made her character more interesting; it was a shame it didn’t last very long. But Morgan went out fighting with her flaming green sword, the Sword of Talzin, in her battle with Ahsoka in the last episode. This duel was even more epic than their fight in The Mandalorian; here, both women have been transformed: Ahsoka is now Ahsoka the White, and Morgan is now Shadow Morgan. Light vs. Dark, and the stakes couldn’t be higher, as Thrawn is now making his escape. Unfortunately, Ahsoka loses one of her lightsabers in this battle, but she is ultimately triumphant, slicing Morgan across the midsection.

Sabine Wren vs. Shin Hati (Round 1) on Lothal. Besides Ahsoka’s fight with the droids on Arcana in the first episode, this is the first proper lightsaber duel we see in Ahsoka, and it’s between the Padawans, Sabine Wren and Shin Hati. Besides our surprise at how good Sabine has become with the lightsaber, it’s the first time we’ve seen two women duel in live-action (I think?–besides Ahsoka and Morgan in The Mandalorian, but it’s not a true lightsaber battle as Morgan has a Beskar staff rather than a laser sword). The aesthetics are striking, with Sabine’s green and Shin’s orange sabers lighting up the night. And Sabine taking Shin’s lightsaber through the middle is shocking. Even though we know that she must live through the injury, she clearly loses the battle. Plus, Sabine with long hair.

Ahsoka vs. Baylan (Round 2) on Peridea. It was inevitable that these two should meet once more here on Peridea, and this time Ahsoka is a bit more prepared. Again, the stakes are high, but it’s more about saving her friends than any strategic goal (like getting to the map in the first duel). The battle is just as beautiful and brutal as the first, but again, Baylan is a wall that Ahsoka cannot topple. He says, “You can’t defeat me,” and she replies, “I don’t have to,” and she’s right: it’s just a distraction until Huyang can come in and save the day.

I love all the lightsaber duels in this show; I haven’t even mentioned the two duels Ahsoka had with Marrock, and Sabine and Shin’s rematch. But these were my top five if I had to choose for brevity’s sake. I love how Dave Filoni approached the battles from a samurai perspective: from the brutal, slashing moves more reminiscent of the Originals and Sequels (as opposed to the dancing choreography of the Prequels), to Ahsoka’s garb, to the ethereal flute music, to the term “bokken” Jedi (a Japanese term meaning “wooden sword,” and how Baylan refers to Jedi trained outside the Jedi Order, after its fall). Wonderful.

Do you have a favorite lightsaber battle from Ahsoka? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

I rank Star Wars streaming content from 2023

Now that 2023 is over, I thought I’d do a personal ranking of the streaming content we got in Star Wars during the course of the year (excepting Young Jedi Adventures, which I have not watched). Here’s my list, beginning with my favorite, on down to my least favorite:

One of the most wrenching scenes of TBB S2 (besides *that* one): Crosshair is brought to the brink.

The Bad Batch S2. I think you all know how much I love the Bad Batch, so this shouldn’t come as a surprise. Season 2 had some great story arcs, more characterization, a new villain, and some heartbreaking moments. The Clone Conspiracy arc was especially fantastic; Echo and Tech both got some quality-time episodes that help us understand their characters more; Dr. Hemlock is creepy, cold-hearted, ambitious, and probably a little insane; and Plan 99–well, you know. I’d like to give a shoutout to Crosshair’s episodes, The Solitary Clone and The Outpost, as nominees for Best Star Wars content probably ever. Once we see a trailer for Season 3, my anticipation will reach a fever pitch, lol.

Oh Baylan, we hardly knew ye. The mystery of Baylan Skoll was one of highlights of Ahsoka, as well as the great performance of the late Ray Stevenson.

Ahsoka. This series was a bit uneven for me, but I still enjoyed it immensely. I will say it’s basically Rebels Season 5, but it was great to see some of my favorite animated characters in live-action. It has great mystical elements (Dathomirian witches!), warp-speed space whales, zombie stormtroopers, ancient artifacts, lots and lots of lightsaber battles, Baylan Skoll (he warrants a category of his own), the return of Ezra Bridger and Grand Admiral Thrawn, and oh yeah, Anakin Skywalker in the World Between Worlds. It was quite the spectacle, it was fun, and I love Ahsoka.

I loved the look of this episode (“Sith”) and the theme of leaving your past behind to become a better person. Also: Force Art.

Visions S2. I really enjoyed Season 1 of Visions–I thought it was a great way to get new, original Star Wars-inspired stories. I had some clear favorites, while others didn’t grab me, but overall it was great fun. So I was excited to learn about Season 2, and I think I loved it even more. Every single episode was a strong installment for me, and I loved the global feeling of this season as well. Some standouts for me were Sith, Screecher’s Reach, and The Spy Dancer. But seriously, I loved them all. I hope we get more Visions in the coming years.

“Bad baby!” Grogu is always the best part of The Mandalorian.

The Mandalorian S3. Sad to say, this was my least favorite Star Wars offering of last year. I’m not saying it was bad; it was entertaining, and I enjoyed it. But it just didn’t grab me the way the first two seasons did. Part of this is because a good portion of it consists of the Mandalorians trying to get along with each other as they attempt to retake their homeworld (I’m not sure why, since it’s almost completely destroyed), and Din and Grogu’s part in it. That’s fine, I understand why this story needed to be told, but I really just prefer the more intimate story of Din and Grogu, what they mean to each other, and their adventures together. I hope we get more of that if a Season 4 happens; the Mandoverse is in a bit of flux right now. Will we get a S4? What about an Ahsoka S2? How will Filoni’s movie fit into it all? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see, but this is the only series I have not rewatched yet, and that says a lot.

What about you? What was your favorite Star Wars streaming content last year? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

My Favorite Dystopian/Apocalyptic Books

I’m a fan of dystopian fiction, but I’m a bit finicky about it. I tend to stay away from Young Adult dystopian (no Hunger Games or Divergent series, thank you). I usually like more literary-minded picks, but there are exceptions. I’ve been reading Octavia Butler, so I started thinking about my favorite dystopian novels. Here they are, in no particular order:

The Stand, by Stephen King (1978).

How it all ends: Accidental release of deadly bio-weapon

Basic premise/plot: A superflu kills 99% of the population; the survivors must choose between the powers of good and evil for the fate of humankind, following either Mother Abigail (good) or Randall Flagg (evil).

My thoughts: One of my first Stephen King reads, and one of my favorites. It’s a huge book with a ton of characters, but gripping for the most part. It’s been years since I’ve read it, but there are memorable characters I’ll never forget: Trashcan Man, in particular, who likes to set garbage (or anything, really) on fire–and even sets a whole empty city on fire; Tom Cullen, the mentally-challenged guy who is always spelling moon (“M-O-O-N, that spells moon.”) King is always entertaining.

Adaptations: I’ve seen the 1994 miniseries with Gary Sinise as Stu Redman and Molly Ringwald as Frannie. I liked it, for the most part. I haven’t watched the 2020 version, but maybe I’ll put it on my list.

The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood (1985).

How it all ends: Subjugation of women through theocracy take-over.

Basic premise/plot: In the near future, America has been taken over by a theocracy and renamed The Republic of Gilead; in a world of dwindling birthrates, women of child-bearing age have become property with no rights and used by wealthy couples to have children.

My thoughts: I read this book years ago, and it outraged me. Not the book itself, which is brilliant, but what happens in the book. I was young and couldn’t imagine such a thing coming to pass, couldn’t imagine women’s rights being so eradicated and reduced to basically medieval status. Ah, the naivete of youth. Now, it not only outrages me, but scares the hell out of me. Because it absolutely could happen, as far-fetched as it sounds. I won’t get into politics here, but let’s just say I’m not too optimistic about women’s rights just about now.

Adaptations: There was a 1990 film that I never saw (and I heard it wasn’t very good), but I’ve watched the first season of the series on Hulu in 2017. It’s fairly true to the book with a few smart changes, and was sobering and upsetting to watch. In fact, I decided not to watch the following seasons because I just couldn’t bear it, lol. I’m someone who can get through every brutal season of Game of Thrones, but this show just hit a nerve for me and I couldn’t continue.

Station Eleven, by Emily St. John Mandel (2014).

How it all ends: Worldwide Deadly Pandemic

Basic premise/plot: A worldwide pandemic has nearly destroyed the human population; a group of actors and musicians travel the countryside in the Great Lakes region to entertain the survivors with Shakespeare and classical music, as they believe “Survival isn’t enough.”

My Thoughts: I adored this book. I mean, it’s tragic that the flu happened, but the story and the writing is wonderful. If you’re looking for a Mad Max kind of post-apocalyptic world here, you won’t find it–it’s too quiet. There’s just not enough people. But those who are left behind find a way to survive, and this particular group–actors and musicians–try to bring a little joy back into life through art. It makes you think about what makes life worth living, beyond survival. It’s about art and memory and what lasts. There’s a bit of danger from a religious zealot (of course), but it’s the connections between past and present that’s really interesting to me.

Adaptations: HBO Max has a miniseries adaptation, but I haven’t seen it. It sounds like a lot of changes have been made, and I love the book so much, I don’t want to experience that.

The Road, by Cormac McCarthy (2006).

How it all ends: Unknown; landscape destruction and societal breakdown.

Basic premise/plot: An unidentified disaster has reduced civilization to rubble and anarchy. A man and his ten year old son travel the dangerous landscape, heading south along the east coast for warmer weather and hope.

My Thoughts: This is a very difficult book to read. I’m not talking about the language; it’s simple and clear. But the subject matter is so damn heavy. There’s been some vague disaster (I think it’s clever that we, the readers, don’t know what it is, because it puts us in the characters’ shoes–they don’t know, either.) It doesn’t really matter what happened, only that it destroyed life as we know it. A nameless man and his ten year old son traverse an ash-covered wasteland, heading south along the Atlantic coast in search of warmer weather. They must find food and shelter along the way, and avoid those who would steal from them or kill them. Cannibalism is a very real thing (there’s a few scenes concerning this that traumatized me, lol). The man is determined to keep his son alive and safe, though he knows he himself his dying. His son, a sweet, good boy despite the horrors he’s seen, “carries the fire,” which I interpret as the light of civilization, the hope for humankind. It’s a very dark read, but does offer some hope.

Adaptations: There’s a 2009 movie with Viggo Mortensen as the Man and Kodi Smit-McPhee as the Boy. I thought it was a great adaptation, and not just because I love Viggo.

The Passage/The Twelve/City of Mirrors, by Justin Cronin (2010-2016).

How it all ends: Accidental release of scientific experiment that turns humans into vampire-like creatures.

Basic premise/plot: A scientific experiment intending to make humans stronger goes awry; it instead turns the test subjects into vampire-like creatures who escape and either kill or transform the rest of the human population into more of them. The key to saving humankind resides in a little girl named Amy.

My Thoughts: I was totally mesmerized by this trilogy of books. It was recommended to me by my sister, who had read the first book, and I instantly fell into it. My sister ended up not reading the next two books, lol, but I tore into them eagerly. It alternates between past and present, from just before the experiment destroys the population, to a hundred years into the future with people trying to deal with the aftermath. Each book gets closer to the origin of the experiment and how it all went wrong, and how those in the future will begin a new era.

Parable of the Sower/Parable of the Talents, by Octavia E. Butler (1994, 1998).

How it all ends: Societal breakdown and anarchy; theocracy take-over.

Basic premise/plot: In the 2020’s, society has broken down into violence, illiteracy, drug addiction, and corporate slavery. Precocious 15-year-old Lauren Olamina sees the direction her world is going in. After her walled neighborhood is attacked and destroyed, she heads north from LA to northern California with a group of survivors, traversing the dangerous roads, determined to survive and start a new way of living.

In Talents, Olamina and her people have been living in their new community, Acorn, for five years, and it’s beginning to grow and thrive; she and her husband have a baby, Larkin. But disaster strikes–the community is raided by Jarrett’s Crusaders, an extremist group from Christian America; the men and women are enslaved and the children abducted. They live in abject slavery and horror for seventeen months. When they’re finally free, Olamina must decide how to rebuild her life, and Earthseed. Her husband was killed and her two month old baby taken, while her passion about Earthseed is stronger than ever.

My Thoughts: I really wish Butler had been able to write her intended third book in this series, because I did not want to say goodbye to these characters and this story. Talents ended in 2090, with Earthseed flourishing and fulfilling their Destiny, but Olamina and her daughter, finally reunited years after the disaster, have a strained relationship. The ending was fairly rushed, and I think Butler intended to write more about Olamina’s final years, and her struggles with establishing Earthseed and her relationship with both her daughter and her brother, in the third book, which she was going to call Parable of the Trickster. But alas, we will never know that story. These books will stay with me for a long while.

Adaptations: I’ve heard that an adaptation is in the works; A24 has bought the rights and slated to be directed by Garret Bradley, but no other details as of yet.

I’m sure I’ve overlooked other dystopian books that I’ve read over the years, but these are the ones that come to mind and I loved the most.

What are your favorite dystopian stories? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

Liked Ahsoka? (Or need more context?) Try these.

Star Wars is an intricately connected universe, for the most part. There’s just no getting around it. There’s so much canon content out there (not to mention a gargantuan Legends collection), it can be downright intimidating or confusing. If you’re just getting into Star Wars, or just watch the movies and live-action shows, there may be some gaps that leave you scratching your head a little bit. The Ahsoka series was supposed to be “non-Rebels fan-friendly,” but let’s be honest: it’s a much richer experience if you know a little bit about these characters. Or a lot. Here’s some content you may want to explore for further enrichment:

Ahsoka, by E.K. Johnston. This book came out a few years ago and details what Ahsoka did in the year after Order 66. Basically, she tried to keep a low profile (duh), worked on a farm planet and met two sisters and their friends who get mixed up in some Imperial trouble, and of course tries to help them. She also confronts an Inquisitor, and meets up with Bail Organa, who convinces her to help in the early formation of the Rebellion. It also shows how she got her two white lightsabers. An abbreviated version of these events happen in the animated series Tales of the Jedi (see below).

Tales of the Jedi. This animated series came out this past year and focuses on two characters: Ahsoka and Count Dooku. Each character gets three short stories (about ten minutes each) dedicated to them at crucial points in their lives. The Count Dooku episodes are great, and since we don’t see much of him (besides the audio drama Dooku: Lost, and as a baddie in Clone Wars), it’s worth watching just for those. But the Ahsoka shorts are pretty good, too. The first one is about baby Ahsoka and how her family found out she was Force-sensitive; the second is the abbreviated version of the Ahsoka book I mentioned above; and the third is how Anakin (inadvertently) trained her, along with Captain Rex’s help, to survive Order 66. Pretty good stuff.

Rebels. Okay, so the Ahsoka series has been described as “Rebels Season 5” and I can’t argue with that. If you want to know more about not just Ahsoka (who really only appears in a handful of episodes here) but Sabine, Hera, Ezra, and Thrawn (as well as Kanan Jarrus, Jacen Syndulla’s Jedi father), this is the series to watch. It takes place in the years before A New Hope and chronicles a Rebel cell consisting of the Ghost crew. As I’ve mentioned before in talking about Rebels, the first season is the hardest to get through–as most of these animated shows are, they’re targeted, at least initially, to younger viewers, and the first season attests to that. But they’re also designed to grow with its audience, getting more mature, complex, and a bit darker as it goes on. It truly has some of the best Star Wars out there. The finale shows how Ezra and Thrawn got stranded on Peridea in the first place.

Obi-Wan, Anakin and Ahsoka meet the Daughter

Clone Wars, specifically the Mortis and Dathomir arcs (but almost all of it is worth watching). This one’s kind of a monster, because it’s seven seasons with 15-22 episodes each. It took me longer to get into this one, as again, it starts out kind of kiddie, but does grow with its audience. By the last four episodes of season seven, it’s outstanding. But for Ahsoka-series purposes, if you want more on the Nightsisters, or need more context for the Mortis gods, check out these episodes:

For Dathomir and the Nightsisters:

Season 3 Episodes 12-14: Nightsisters, Monster, and Witches of the Mist

Season 4 Episode 19: Massacre

(The witches also make an appearance in Rebels–Season 3 Episode 11: Visions and Voices)

For Mortis and the Father, Son and Daughter: Season 3 Episodes 15-17: Overlords, Alter of Mortis, and Ghosts of Mortis.

Ahoska herself is in a lot of the episodes, obviously, as she is Anakin’s padawan, so if you want to get to know her better and her relationship with her master, this is the one to watch.

A New Dawn, by John Jackson Miller. This is a little further afield, but if you’re interested in early rebel Hera and how she met Kanan, this book tells that story. It’s a good book about Kanan and Hera working together and with others against an Imperial villain named Vidian, but they hadn’t met the rest of the ghost crew yet, so I was a little disappointed in that. But overall, a good read.

Any number of Thrawn books by Timothy Zahn. I think there’s well over a dozen Thrawn books, counting canon and Legends. Of course, there’s the original Legends books Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command, as well as Outbound Flight and Spectre of the Past. I read the Legends trilogy ages ago when they first came out, but they didn’t particularly wow me and I never much got into Legends. I tried reading the first canon novel (pictured above) but could only get halfway through it, lol. I don’t know, I just can’t get into “book Thrawn.” It’s very Sherlock Holmesy, with Thrawn lecturing his underlings about how he understand his enemies and why he’s doing what he’s doing. I just don’t care for it. But plenty of people adore the books and how Thrawn is portrayed in them. There are currently two trilogies: Thrawn, Alliances, and Treason; and then a prequel trilogy comprised of Chaos Rising, Greater Good, and Ascendency. I haven’t read any of the books, but from what I understand, Thrawn joined the Empire to help his people, the Chiss, fend off an invasive alien species called the Grysk. Some people see Thrawn as a hero for this; and while I understand that as a protagonist, he needs to have some redeeming qualities, he still does evil things in the name of his goal. He’s still a bad guy, and that’s okay, because at least he’s an interesting one. I prefer the Rebels version of Thrawn, but you might enjoy getting to know him better in these books.

Marvel Kanan comic. Kanan is not even in Ahsoka, so this is another reach, but if you’ve watched Rebels and you’re interested in Kanan, there’s a comic that shows him as a Padawan (with his original name, Caleb Dume) with his Master, Depa Billaba, during Order 66. The first episode of The Bad Batch begins with them on the planet Kaller when the order comes through, like in the comic, but it does change it a little bit, from what I understand. I’m not a comics person, and I haven’t read it, but it’s another connection you might be interested in.

Speaking of The Bad Batch, we also meet a young Hera in Season 1 Episodes 11 and12; her father is Cham Syndulla, the freedom fighter on Ryloth, who we meet in the Clone Wars. If you’re a completionist, here you go, lol.

There’s one other small thing I’d like to mention, and that’s concerning Senator Hamatsu Xiono. You know, that slimeball Senator that Hera trades barbs with, and who seems to be a secret Imperial sympathizer (and may well be). He’s the father of Kazuda Xiono, the young Resistance pilot in the animated series Resistance. The Senator himself only makes a brief appearance, and the show truly is targeted to younger viewers (I watched and liked it, anyway), so it may not be for you. Just one other connection I wanted to mention.

That’s about all I can think of, and that’s plenty to chew on if you decide to investigate. Some people don’t like having to watch other things or read books to understand a show or movie in Star Wars, and I get that, but it’s kind of what I love about it: the interconnectedness. Anyway, hope this list is helpful to you if you want more out of Ahsoka.

Five Star Wars Moments That Give Me Joy

My last two list-type posts–about sacrifice in Star Wars and Order 66–-were definitely on the sad side, so I thought I’d write a post listing the moments in Star Wars that give me joy. Star Wars can hurt sometimes (okay, a lot), but let’s face it, we also love it because it’s fun, hopeful, humorous, or just heart-warming in general.

The big victories of the good guys (Triump of Good over Evil) are certainly joyous–the destruction of the two Death Stars and Starkiller Base, the defeat (twice) of Palpatine, etc. are all excellent examples of this. But I wanted to look deeper and point out the smaller, maybe quieter moments and themes that make me stop and think, yeah, this is why I watch. Again, no books or comics, just movies, shows, and animation to simplify it. There’s actually a lot, so I limited myself to five joyous moments or situations in Star Wars (in no particular order):

Not a dry eye in the house with this scene.

The relationship between Din and Grogu (Found family). These two are just a sweet pair. Grogu is initially just a job for Din, but after he delivers the “asset” he changes his mind and goes back to save him. That moment is so satisfying, when he gets on his ship and fingers the little round silver ball the child likes to play with. Nope, he thinks, and goes back with guns blazing. Din knows what it’s like to be an orphan in a dangerous galaxy; he had the Children of the Watch to adopt him and become his found family. He decides he will be the one to look after this child.

Rey/Finn/Poe friendship (Found Family, Friendship). I love that these three are all just good friends; there’s no need for romance between any of them. Sure, there’s plenty of shipping that goes on (Rey and Finn, Rey and Poe, Finn and Poe, etc), and I do have my own opinion on that, but for now they’re all just friends and I like that. All three trilogies had their two men and one woman formula, with a romance thrown in there somewhere. And while I like a good romance, sometimes it’s just not needed.

Yee-haw! Let’s blow this thing and go home.

Anytime Han does something selfless (Being A Better Person). Han worked hard from the very beginning to convince everyone around him (and us) that he was a scoundrel. But we knew better. There’s a heart in there, whether he likes it or not. When he and Chewie come back to help Luke destroy the Death Star, we cheer. We know he’s that kind of guy. When he falls for Leia, when he joins the Rebellion, when he confronts his deeply troubled son to try to connect with him again (and dies for it)–this is why we love him. Even in Solo: A Star Wars Story, when a young Han is desperately trying to build his scoundrelly image, he gives the coaxium to Enfys Nest for her cause. He doesn’t join her, but he gives up a lot of valuable assets, because he knows it’s the right thing to do. We need more scoundrels like him in our lives.

Ezra and a Lothwolf. Kanan also communed with the lothwolf, and those scary spiders!

Anytime Ezra (or any Jedi) communes with an animal through the Force (Compassion). The Jedi are a big part of what I love about Star Wars (the Jedi at their best, that is). Their compassion for all life forms, especially animals, just grabs my heart. We see examples of this with several Jedi, but Ezra in particular seems to have an affinity with them. Lothcats, lothwolves, purgill, an assortment of scary beasts–he connects with them with the Force and can communicate with them at a certain level, getting him and his friends out of some sticky situations. Ezra and other Jedi view the animals as living beings in the galaxy who deserve respect and compassion.

Senator Chuchi, Howser, and Echo. I love how Senator Chuchi is trying to give the clones a voice in the Senate, and just generally help them.

Rex and Echo helping their Clone brothers (Family, Loyalty). The Bad Batch has been focusing on the Clones after Order 66 and what their fate will ultimately be. Clone Force 99 themselves have had to reassess what their purpose is, but clones like Rex, and lately Echo, have felt the call to help their brothers in this new, cruel Empire. Many clones come to realize the wrongness of Order 66 and go AWOL, many are facing decommission in the face of the stormtrooper program, and others are being arrested for “insurrection” and brought to Mt. Tantiss for Dr. Hemlock’s nefarious experiments. When Hunter asks Echo what the point of fighting the Empire is when they can’t win, Echo replies, “It’s not about winning. It’s about helping our brothers.” Well said, Echo.

These are more like situations and themes than single moments, but you get the idea. These are the things that warm my heart, give me joy, and keep me invested in Star Wars. Along with a lot of other things, like awesome lightsaber duels, thrilling space battles, aliens, larger-than-life heroes and villains, and everything else that defines Star Wars.

What do you love about Star Wars? What part of it gives you joy? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

Ranking the Order 66 Scenes in Star Wars

I was thinking the other day how, naturally, the Star Wars stories we get overlap quite a bit, and we see certain events from different perspectives. One big one is Order 66, and we have to relive the pain of the end of the Jedi Order over and over again, lol. What hurts the most is how the younglings and Padawans suffered, and in the instances below I’ve focused on how Order 66 affected them.

Again, I haven’t included any instances in books or comics, just live-action and animation. I’ve ranked them according to how sad it made me feel, or how much the youngling or Padawan suffered (and they all do). It was hard, but this is what I came up with, with the saddest at the top.

The Clone Wars. The Clone Wars ended on Order 66, viewed through the eyes of Ahsoka and Rex. They’re on their way back from Mandalore with Maul in tow when the Order is given. Rex manages to resist it just long enough to give Ahsoka a chance, but then succumbs to the programming. Ahsoka manages to get her hands on Rex and remove the chip, and they both fight their way off the ship as it crash lands. This last haunting scene of Ahsoka shows her grief and her love and respect for the clones who served at her side for so long. It shows how the clones were victims of Palpatine as well; and Ahsoka’s refusal to kill them, Rex’s tears, and the clone graves makes it one of the hardest, saddest scenes in all of Star Wars. The entire episode is amazing.

Obi-Wan Kenobi. This series kicks off with Order 66, showing a group of younglings running for their lives in the Temple. It’s revisited later in the show, as we find out that one of the younglings was Reva. This one was so hard because it actually shows Anakin killing a child, thrusting his lightsaber into her middle, something Revenge of the Sith didn’t do years earlier. It’s shocking and horrible. And then later, to see that youngling floating in the tank in the Fortress Inquisitorious–wow.

Revenge of the Sith. This movie is, of course, our first experience with Order 66, and seeing the clones turn on the adult Jedi is awful, but when we see Anakin turning on his lightsaber with these poor babies, it’s sickening. We don’t even see them die; we don’t have to. Just knowing Anakin kills children is sobering and shocking. Despite this particular scene becoming a meme for (uncomfortable) laughs over the years doesn’t take away from its horror. I still get a little tear in my eye when that sweet boy asks Anakin what they should do, and he answers with death.

The Mandalorian. We get part of Grogu’s memory of Order 66 in The Book of Boba Fett, as well, and we’re left wondering who saved him. We get that answer in The Mandalorian with Jedi Master Kelleran Beq. I don’t think this story is over yet, and it may get even sadder as we find out Kelleran’s ultimate fate; but seeing our sweet baby (even babier here) so scared and helpless rips my heart out.

Jedi: Fallen Order. I’m not a gamer, as I’ve stated many times before, but I’m familiar with Cal Kestis and his story. I got to know him even better in the novel Battle Scars, so his experience of Order 66 is still moving for me. Watching your master be attacked and killed by the clones you served with, and were probably friends with, is terrible for anyone, never mind a kid. He survives and goes on to fight the Empire, but Order 66 will always haunt him.

The Bad Batch. In the Season 1 opener of The Bad Batch, we start right off with Order 66. Jedi Master Depa Billaba is fighting Separatist battle droids when her young Padawan Caleb Dume brings in the Batch for reinforcements. Order 66 occurs during the battle, and Caleb witnesses his Master killed by the clones. The Batch, mostly immune to Order 66, don’t know what’s going on and try to help Caleb, but he only sees clones and runs. Crosshair doesn’t help the situation, as he is the only one of the Batch that reacts to the Order and tries to kill Caleb. Hunter allows him to run away and lies to Crosshair and the other clones about it. We know Caleb eventually grows up to be Kanan Jarrus and fights the Empire with his Ghost crew.

I think that’s it with live-action and animation, but please let me know if I’m missing an obvious one. Between this post and my last one about sacrifice, I seem to be on a theme of “How Star Wars makes me sad,” lol. And it does, but there are uplifting and funny moments, too, of course. Maybe I’ll try to cover that next time!

Which Order 66 scene affected you the most? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

Sacrifice in Star Wars

One of the main themes played out in Star Wars is sacrifice, which is often tied to redemption, but not always. Saw Gerrera pays a lot of lip service to “sacrificing for the greater good,” but we rarely see him put that idea into practice himself. But there are other, far more noble characters who do (Can you tell he’s not my favorite person right now? Lol.) With the recent sacrifices made by characters in both The Mandalorian and The Bad Batch, I thought I’d explore characters in Star Wars who truly sacrificed themselves for the greater good.

For the purposes of this post, “sacrifice” denotes a character making a clear decision to give their lives for a higher purpose, as opposed to those “making the ultimate sacrifice” in war, like the clones, for example, or just regular soldiers dying in war (and I’m sure there are examples of soldiers making a clear decision to die to save their comrades, as well). I’m also not including any from books or comics, just to make it simpler.

Anyway, these are the main characters off the top of my head, though I’m sure there are more:

Obi-Wan Kenobi in A New Hope

The sacrifice: Obi-Wan allows Darth Vader to cut him down in a lightsaber battle on the first Death Star.

Obi-Wan clearly stops fighting, raises his lightsaber and steps back, giving Vader the opening to strike him down. This was mostly to allow Luke and his friends to escape. From a story standpoint, Obi-Wan was the wise mentor that had to be removed from the equation to allow Luke to overcome obstacles on his own. And perhaps Obi-Wan felt it appropriate for his “failure” with Anakin, though he had long accepted and let go of Anakin’s turn to the dark side. Plus, he knew he would become a cool Force ghost, and perhaps help Luke better that way.

Pain scale: 5 out of 10. When I first entered the Star Wars universe, I saw The Empire Strikes Back first, so Obi-Wan was already a ghost. When I went back and watched ANH, the death scene was expected. If I had watched SW in chronological order, with prequels first, and the Clone Wars series, I would have been much more attached to him by the time I got to his death, and the score would be higher. He’s now one of my favorite characters, but his death was there from the very beginning.

Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi

The sacrifice: Vader picks up Palpatine, who was electrocuting Luke at the time, and throws him down an air shaft, thereby saving Luke but destroying the life support system of his helmet and chest plate.

Vader sacrificed himself for the life of his son. After years of being a slave to the dark at the Emperor’s side, he finally had enough. It took his son’s compassion for him to be reached, and Luke nearly died himself to save his father. This is one of the examples that involves redemption with the sacrifice. Is it complete redemption? I don’t know–after all the atrocities that Vader committed, what’s enough? Did he truly repent, or was he just focused on saving his son? Whatever the case, it was a very satisfying scene, and truly moving to see.

Pain scale: 5 out of 10. At the time I saw it, it was very shocking, and sad, but it didn’t pain me like some of the others here. Vader was a monster, after all. He was the villain (although a puppet of Palpatine, too, who was the real big bad) and was defeated, though in a very unexpected way. All I can say is that I hope Anakin has found peace in the Force.

Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi

The sacrifice: Luke Force-projects himself onto Crait from his location on Ach-To in order to distract the First Order so the Resistance can escape. The effort drains all of his Force energy, and he dies, disappearing into the Force.

Say what you will about Luke’s character in The Last Jedi, you gotta admit he made a very Jedi-like sacrifice in the film to save the ragged remnants of the Resistance–and his sister, of course. It was quite a clever ruse, and no one was hurt by his actions, proving it was a very Jedi move. Was there an element of redemption in there? Perhaps a little bit. Luke thought he was doing the right thing by staying out of it all, AND he was very grumpy doing it, lol. But he was wrong, by his own admission as a Force ghost in TROS. This sacrifice made up for it and more.

Pain scale: 7 out of 10. It was hard to see Luke, the main character of the originals, fade into the Force. But he went out on his own terms, and that’s satisfying.

Amilyn Holdo in The Last Jedi

The sacrifice: Holdo pilots an empty Rebel ship into a First Order Super-Star Destroyer by going into hyperspace, thereby destroying it by going through it at light speed.

Some people were frustrated with the character of Holdo, mostly because she wouldn’t tell Poe and the rest of her crew her plan to evacuate the Resistance to the planet Crait. While I do wonder why she couldn’t simply tell them the plan, I do think Poe was out of line to disobey her and mutiny. But that’s a debate for another post. She redeemed herself at least in Poe’s eyes by sacrificing herself so the Resistance could get away. A really cool way to go out, all told, and I bet she didn’t feel a thing, lol.

Pain scale: 4 out of 10. We’d just met Holdo in this film so it wasn’t a great wrench to lose her, though it’s always sad when the good guys die. I usually tear up a little bit when Leia says, “I can’t take anymore,” but that’s Leia’s pain I’m feeling, not mine.

Ben Solo in The Rise of Skywalker

The sacrifice: Ben Force-heals a near-dead Rey, draining what’s left of his own Force energy, and dies.

Ben Solo giving up his Kylo Ren persona and rushing to Exegol to help Rey was a very satisfying part of his character arc. We only got about ten minutes of Ben Solo, which saddens me. The fact that he had no dialogue (except “Ouch,” I guess) is telling–Kylo liked to shoot his mouth off a lot, but Ben’s actions spoke louder than words. Giving all his Force energy to Rey so she could live is a pretty big act of redemption. Almost makes up for him killing his father. Not really, but the scene of his memory of Han Solo goes a long way in helping us forgive him.

Pain scale: 8 out of 10. Even though I swore when I saw The Force Awakens that I’d never forgive him for killing Han, by the time of TROS it really hurt to see him die. Mostly because we had just met Ben Solo, and then he was gone within minutes. I would have liked to get to know him better.

Kanan Jarrus in Rebels

The sacrifice: Kanan uses the Force to keep the flames of an explosion from killing those he loves, and when he uses the Force to push them back out of the way, the flames overtake him.

I was a little late to the party with Rebels, so I already knew through various social media channels that Kanan was going to die. Did that make it any easier? Not by a long shot. In fact, because I knew it was coming, there was a horrible dread clinging to me as Season 4 got nearer. And the fact that he already made a sacrifice, though not willingly–his sight–made it all seem so unfair, even though the blindness endowed him with a deeper wisdom. I do like that he knew his death was coming (thanks to the Lothwolf), so he could prepare for it and say his goodbyes.

Pain scale: 9 out of 10, because I really, really liked this guy. The way the Force gave him back his sight at the last moment so he could see his family was a nice touch, and cranked up the tear factor.

Tech from The Bad Batch

The sacrifice: Hanging over a precipice from a malfunctioning rail car, Tech decides to sever the connection and fall to his death rather than bring the whole squad–his family–with him.

So this is one of the most recent losses, and it is still an open wound for me. It totally blindsided me and I’m still coming to terms with it. I cried about Tech’s death in this post here, if you want more of my grief. It hurts so much more because it didn’t have to happen at all, if it wasn’t for a CERTAIN SOMEONE insisting on blowing up the place with no discernable results at all. There’s a lot of debate about whether Tech is still alive or not, and I’m about 50/50 on it. But until Season 3 comes along and we learn otherwise, I’m in total mourning.

Pain scale: 10 out of 10. Probably because it’s so fresh, so unexpected, and he’s a sweet nerd boy who shouldn’t have died. But he’s a hero in my book.

The Rogue One Crew in Rogue One

The sacrifice: Virtually all the members of the Rogue One crew are killed on Scarif in their attempt to steal the Death Star plans.

So even though I said I didn’t want to include military sacrifices, this one is a bit different, in that the Rogue One crew were, well, rogue. They all made a clear decision to disobey orders, go to Scarif on their own to do what they could, without any expectation of back up. They didn’t necessarily choose to die in the moment–their lives were just taken from them–but they had a pretty good idea that they probably wouldn’t be coming back from this mission, or at least, that chances were low of coming out alive. But they chose to go anyway, and that’s why I’ve included it here.

Pain scale: 8 out of 10. I figured several of them wouldn’t make it out alive, but ALL of them??? I loved them all, but to see even Cassian and Jyn waiting for the blast of the Death Star to consume them….it hurt. Knowing they accomplished their mission and that cursed space station was doomed helped a little bit.

Honorable mentions:

Leia in The Rise of Skywalker

Let’s not forget that Leia, still recovering from her unscheduled space-walk in TLJ, gave up the last of her life force to reach her son across the galaxy. I think it was more a personal need to try to reach her son one last time, rather than sacrifice her life to save anybody, but it turned out she did save Rey from Kylo Ren.

Pain scale: 6 out of 10.

Val from Solo: A Star Wars Story

Okay, so this one isn’t in service for a greater good. They were stealing coaxium from the Empire for Dryden Vos. But I was impressed how Val didn’t hesitate to press that button when her crew was in trouble. Unfortunately, the mission didn’t end well and she died for nothing.

Pain scale: 2 out of 10.

Paz Viszla in The Mandalorian

In the latest installment of The Mandalorian, Paz Viszla, a member of the Children of the Watch, sacrifices himself to try to save his people from Moff Gideon and the Imperials. It takes a whole squad of beskar-plated stormtroopers and three Praetorian Guards to kill him, the guy’s such a big brute. And perhaps there’s a bit of redemption in his sacrifice for the Viszla family, as Pre Viszla (from the Clone Wars, and maybe his father?) was the leader of Death Watch. I appreciate his sacrifice and am saddened, but his disposition didn’t go far to endear him to me, lol.

Pain scale: 3 out of 10.

Did I miss any obvious ones? I couldn’t think of any from the Prequels, what do you think? Whose sacrifice hurt you the most? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

My Favorite Star Wars Character From Each Major Project

Hello friends!

I was casting around for an idea for my next post, and decided to slack off and go to Facebook instead. The first thing I saw was a post on one of my favorite Star Wars Facebook groups (Star Wars Fans Who Actually Like Star Wars). The poster posited this question: who is your favorite character from each Star Wars project? Ah, perfect!

So without further ado, here’s my list:

Prequel trilogy – Obi-Wan Kenobi.

“Oh, I’m not brave enough for politics.”

Clone wars – Ashoka Tano.

“You’ll find I have many qualities for you to dislike.”

Tales of the Jedi – Yaddle.

“Already so many have suffered, for what you call peace.”

The Bad Batch – Tech.

“Just because I process things differently doesn’t mean I don’t feel them the same way.”

Jedi Fallen Order – N/A, although I’m reading Battle Scars and so far I have to say Merrin.

Rebels – Kanan Jarrus.

“Battles leave scars. Some you can’t see.”

Solo – Young Han.

“I have a really good feeling about this.”

Obi-Wan Kenobi – Young Leia.

“The Senate’s boring. It’s people in itchy clothes arguing.”

Andor – Mon Mothma.

“As long as everyone thinks I’m an irritation, there’s a good chance they won’t see what I’m really doing.”

Rogue One – Cassian Andor.

“I’ve been in this fight since I was six years old.”

Original trilogy – Han Solo.

“I think you just can’t bear to let a gorgeous guy like me out of your sight.”

Battlefront 2 – N/A

The Mandolorian – Grogu.

The Book of Boba Fett – Fennic Shand.

“In difficult times, fear is a surer path.”

Resistance – Neeku.

Star Wars Squadrons -N/A

Sequel trilogy – Kylo Ren/Ben Solo.

Star Wars Visions – Master Tajin from The Elder.

“No matter how powerful you become, know that it will not last forever.”

The High Republic-Elzar Mann.

I don’t have a quote for Elzar, either, lol.

The categories are from the original poster, but I added The High Republic on at the end since it’s such a big project and I love it.

There are so many wonderful characters from Star Wars and it’s so hard to choose! There are other characters I love that didn’t make it onto the list, like Luke Skywalker, Poe Dameron, Rey, Chewie, and a slew of awesome droids. But breaking it into categories helps narrow it down.

So who are your favorite characters from these projects? List them all, or just pick a few of your favorite projects, and we’ll talk about it!