I just finished my rewatch of Obi-Wan Kenobi, and I’m still in that frame of mind, so I thought I’d do another Obi-Wan fan art post. I’ve done a few of him in the past, but there’s always room for more, lol.
This is a pivotal moment for Obi-Wan in the series. He’s just finished fighting Vader, apologized to Anakin, realized how far gone he is, and let him go–not just physically (again refusing to kill him) but emotionally as well, which was a major part of his story arc.
himboskywalker.tumblr. com
I’ve seen a lot of fan art of Obi-Wan in exile on Tatooine in which he is in despair, lonely, defeated. The series shows us that may have been true for the first ten years of his exile, but after the events of the show he is at least at peace, and simply waiting for Luke to grow up and fulfill his destiny (and keeping an eye on him, of course). This one is in the style of early Obi-Wan in exile, perhaps contemplating his mistakes or lost in memories.
This one is another contemplative Obi-Wan in exile on Tatooine, but it’s not as despairing. There’s something mystical about it, perhaps showing his meditative calm, the Jedi Zen he found in the desert that led to the wise old man we see in A New Hope.
jedmossfeld on twitter
And of course, Uzuri Art has some wonderful images of Obi-Wan from the show. I love this scene of him with Leia after he rescues her from the Fortress Inquisitorious. When she takes his hand, something is reborn in him in that moment: the ability to let someone else into his heart; and a determination to protect Anakin’s legacy.
Uzuri Art
What do you think of these images? I have a few other posts of Obi-Wan fan art here and here and here. Check them out!
I’ve been continuing to read Convergence, by Zoraida Cordova, the adult novel in the first wave of Phase 2 High Republic books. I’m enjoying it, but as an adult novel, it doesn’t seem to have the same scope as other adult HR books. Instead of the usual galaxy-hopping, it takes place mostly on one, or at most, two planets. Add to this its focus on a group of young people, and it seems like another YA novel. That’s fine, it’s a good book, just not what I expected. I have a feeling this first wave of books is setting up the scene for the second wave, where things will possibly come to a head. I’ll write more about it when I finish it.
A story of a boy and his dog and another world.
On Kindle, I downloaded Stephen King’s latest, Fairy Tale. I don’t read all of King’s books, but once in a while he comes out with one that particularly appeals to me. The last one was Sleeping Beauties, and before that, The Dark Tower series (and I heard a Dark Tower series may be in the works for Prime, for which I am very excited). Fairy Tale is about a teenager named Charlie Reade who gets involved in helping out an old man named Howard Bowditch and his faithful dog, Radar. Bowditch has been hiding a secret for many years on his property: a hole in the ground in his backyard with spiraling steps that lead to another world. King really takes his time setting this all up and I’m just getting to the other world, about 80 pages in. I have no idea what this might be leading to and I can’t wait to find out!
Obi-Wan will do what he must.
I haven’t gotten back to Poldark yet, but in the meantime I’m rewatching the Obi-Wan Kenobi series (for the fourth? fifth? time, lol). This came about because, during one of my husband’s scrolling sessions through Youtube on our TV, he came across the second lightsaber duel between Obi-Wan and Vader in that show. He hasn’t seen the show (he’s a very casual Star Wars fan, doesn’t know much about the prequels, and was unimpressed with the first episode that I made him watch). But he does enjoy battle/lightsaber duel scenes, so we watched. And this, of course, got me in the mood to watch the show again. Because I LOVE this show. While perhaps not as technically brilliant as Andor, it’s the one that gets me in the feels the most. And since I’ll be getting the Obi-Wan comic next week, it seems fitting.
I love Omega’s new look.
There are a couple of Star Wars trailers that came out this past week that I’d like to note. I’m very excited about The BadBatch Season Two trailer, the second one we’ve gotten, and it gives us more to chew on and anticipate. In particular, I love that Cody will be in the show. Fans have long wondered what happened to him after Order 66, and now we get to find out. He’s shown talking to Crosshair, and mentioning that a lot of clone troopers are questioning their orders. I’m hoping this means that Cody is, too, and will eventually join with Rex in fighting the Empire. We see Gungi, the Wookiee Jedi Padawan from Clone Wars, and it’s exciting to see a surviving Jedi in the show (and maybe more?). Rex, and Bail Organa, and some new characters. Maybe Ahsoka? Ahsoka doesn’t need to be in everything, mind you, but it wouldn’t bother me, lol. I’m excited to see Echo exhorting Hunter for them to do more, to help fight the Empire. I’m hoping Echo has a bit more to do this season. It all looks fantastic, and I can’t wait until January 4th, when we get the first two episodes.
As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not a gamer at all, but I did watch the Jedi: Survivor trailer, the Star Wars game that is a sequel to Jedi: Fallen Order. I’ve always been very interested in Cal Kestis’ story, and while I read a version of his story somewhere, and maybe even watched a Youtube version, I still felt like I was missing out. I’m glad gamers are getting more gaming fun from Cal and his crew, but it’s the book that drops the same week called Jedi: Battle Scars that I’m most looking forward to. I’m hoping you don’t need to know a lot about the game to enjoy the book, but just in case, I’ll watch some more Youtube summaries to get reacquainted with the characters. Both the game and the book drop in March of next year.
That’s it this week. What’s been entertaining you? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!
I’m getting excited for the book Padawan by Kiersten White; it was released yesterday, but it’ll be a few days until I receive it. Until then, thought I’d share some Obi-Wan fan art to get by. Your welcome.
This is the only one of Obi-Wan as a Padawan I found that I liked. It looks like the Tatooine suns are shining off of him (and that he doesn’t look too pleased to be there, lol).
I couldn’t find any artist info on this, but found it on fanpop
Obi-Wan presumably talking to Dex at Dex’s Diner in AOTC. He also went to Dex for advice and help in the recent book Brotherhood by Mike Chen, which I loved.
R-Valle on DevientArt
I thought this one was kind of sweet. Some feel it portrays Obi-Wan and Ahsoka as a romantic couple (which is just wrong, btw), but the artist is actually showing an alternative universe where Obi-Wan is Ahsoka’s Master, reading her a story, or maybe a lesson from a Jedi text. Perhaps a bit too intimate for such a thing, but I love how Ahsoka trusts him completely, and Obi-Wan looks happy with his Padawan (as opposed to being eternally frustrated with a certain someone, lol).
I can’t read the name of the artist on this piece–Autumn something…
I can’t have a fan art post without including Uzuri Art. I think she made this piece just before the series Obi-Wan Kenobi came out, and is her rendition of him in his exile on Tatooine.
I adore this one of Obi-Wan with Leia and Lola on Mapuzzo.
Art by Rola Rafal
Jake Bartok is always another favorite of mine, and his medieval series is awesome. Here’s older Obi-Wan as the vaunted Knight.
What do you think of these fan art pieces? Are you planning on reading Padawan? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!
The finale of Obi-Wan Kenobi is a moving, emotional tribute to everything I love about Star Wars.
Basically, it’s split into two pieces: the rematch between Obi-Wan and Vader, and Reva’s quest to find revenge by going after Luke. I’ll talk about the duel first.
At this point, Obi-Wan has found his center and his purpose again, and does what a Jedi does: what he has to in order to protect the people under his care. He decides to leave the transport and lure Vader away, because he knows it will work. But as Roken says, it’s also more than that: he must face Vader. They’ve got unfinished business, and it must be dealt with before Obi-Wan can move on.
“I will do what I must.”
In stark contrast to their last encounter, Obi-Wan is ready. I do believe that Vader was a bit disappointed that Obi-Wan was so weak that last time; I think he relished more of a challenge. Well, he gets it this time, even more than he bargained for. Kenobi is on fire, and Vader really has to work at it. “Your strength has returned,” he says at one point. “But the weakness remains. That is why you will always lose.” Anakin’s arrogance is so much on display here, and throughout the entire series. “Did you really think you could defeat me?” he asks, as he piles rocks on top of Obi-Wan. Then he walks away, thinking he’s killed him. Again, his arrogance causes him to make a huge mistake.
Obi-Wan thinks of Leia and Luke, and everything he’s fighting for, and blasts out of the pit to face Vader again. And this time, he’s not only on fire, he’s an inferno, not of anger, but of skill and determination. He succeeds in bringing Vader to his knees, and in the process, knocks part of his mask off. When he sees Anakin’s ruined face beneath the mask, he stops. He’s horrified, and grief-stricken, and just devastated. He breathes his name, and Vader replies, “Anakin is gone. I am what remains.” When Obi-Wan’s eyes fill with tears and he gasps out, “I’m sorry, Anakin,” I think my heart broke (again; it’s been broken so many times in Star War, lol).
“You didn’t kill Anakin Skywalker. I did.”
And Anakin’s response is heartbreaking, as well, spoken in halting sentences in a chilling combination of Vader vocoder and Anakin’s voice: “I am not your failure, Obi-Wan. You did not kill Anakin Skywalker. I did.” He seems to smile a little bit at this; some people have claimed that Anakin is trying to make his old master feel better here, but I disagree. He’s Vader, and he’s proud. He’s boasting. Anakin, that weakling, is dead, and I killed him. “The same way I’ll destroy you,” he threatens. But he’s in no shape to do any such thing at the moment.
“Then my friend is truly gone,” Obi-Wan responds, and we can see something let go in him, the weight of the galaxy lifting off his shoulders. He’s just sad. Vader’s words are exactly what he needed to hear to move on. “Goodbye…Darth,” he says, and walks away. Again. History repeats itself as Obi-Wan once again walks away from a defeated Vader, unwilling to kill him–not because he can’t kill Anakin (Anakin is gone), but because a Jedi practices mercy. Remember that flashback? Anakin tells Obi-Wan, “Mercy doesn’t defeat an enemy, Master.”
Doesn’t it? As Obi-Wan walks away, Vader can only shout out his name in anguish (which is so haunting to me, it kind of freaks me out, lol). He’s lost this round, and will continue to lose, because the dark side does not allow growth. You stay stuck in your patterns, clinging to your rage. It’s only when the Emperor calls him out on it does Vader decide to step back a bit, and let Kenobi go.
This whole sequence was just absolute perfection, and ranks high on my “Best Star Wars Moments” list.
Okay, so Reva.
She’s managed to stay alive after Vader impaled her (again), and has found her way to Tatooine. She’s going after Luke because it’s the only revenge she can get on Vader at this point. She probably doesn’t know that Vader has no idea that Luke exists, or she doesn’t care. She makes her way to the homestead, but Owen has been warned and he and Beru are waiting for her.
“We both knew this day might come.”
I think this sequence here will give fans a new appreciation for Owen and Beru. They fiercely defend their home and their boy. At one point Reva says, “You really love him. Like he’s your own.” And Owen responds, “He is my own.” Of course he is. Even in A New Hope, though Owen is grumpy and kind of mean to Luke sometimes, I never doubted he was just trying to protect him. As he does here, bravely confronting an Inquisitor, though a seriously wounded one. Otherwise, I think she would have just swept in and killed them both to get to Luke.
Anyway, she gets past both Owen and Beru, and chases Luke out into a desert canyon. She causes him to fall and he gets knocked out. As she prepares to kill him, memories of herself as a youngling flash through her mind, of Vader killing her friends and impaling her. Ultimately, she can’t go through with it.
By this time Obi-Wan has arrived. She carries Luke back to them, unconscious but alive. Owen and Beru take Luke away, and Obi-Wan is left with a crying Reva. She asks him if she’s become “him,” meaning Vader. Obi-Wan tells her no, she’s chosen not to. What she becomes now is up to her. This is the first time we see a baddie in live action be redeemed and not die immediately afterward (that I can think of). If we see Reva again, it will be interesting to see how she atones for her crimes. Maybe she’ll help with The Path, as Tala did.
So then we get a few happy endings similar to The Return of the King (after Vader’s exchange with the Emperor):
First, Obi-Wan goes to Alderaan to see Leia (and return Lola to her). I just loved this scene so much. To see him laugh heartily again was such a gift. And I do think he’ll be sleeping much better now. Again, I love how he’s had the chance to have this relationship with Leia. It always seemed kind of sad to me that he never got to know her, but that’s been rectified in a wonderful way. Now I’m just sad that the next time Leia sees him is when he dies on the Death Star. 😦
This makes my heart so happy.
Then he makes a trip to the Lars homestead. He’s packed up his gear and moved out of the cave, and I’m assuming he’s moving into the home we see in ANH, or will be looking for a house of some kind. Anyway, he tells Owen he’ll keep his distance, and that Owen was right: Luke just needs to be a boy right now. “The future will take care of itself,” he says. He’s trusting in the Force again. As he walks away, Owen sheepishly asks if he wants to meet Luke. So he brings the toy over to him and we get to hear the famous words: “Hello there.” I loved it. And the casting for young Luke (Grant Feely) is so perfect; that kid just captures Luke’s sweetness the same way Vivien Lyra Blair captures Leia’s sassiness. Perfection for both.
Lastly, as he rides his eopie toward the canyons, Qui Gon Jinn suddenly appears. I figured we’d see him at the very end of the series, and the exchange was short and sweet, but not quite what I had expected. I’m not sure what I expected. Maybe a little bit more, but at any rate, I was glad to see him. “I was always here, Obi-Wan. You just weren’t ready to see.”
I enjoyed this series immensely, and it just made me very, very happy, lol. It brought everything together beautifully, and yes, I kind of felt like it was ticking off some boxes at the end, but honestly, I don’t care. The emotional impact of a story is always more important to me than its execution (to a certain point, of course), and while this series stumbled a bit in its execution in a few places, it didn’t ruin the experience for me.
Will there be a Season 2? I think the better question is, do we need a Season 2? And the answer, in my opinion, is no. It’s perfect the way it is, and brings Obi-Wan’s story to where it needs to be for A New Hope. Would I like to see more Ewan and Hayden? Hell yes! But only if another story adds to what we already know in a meaningful way. Only time will tell, I guess.
Here’s an amazing piece by one of my favorite Star Wars artists, Uzuri Art:
“I’m sorry, Anakin. For all of it.”
What did you think of the Obi-Wan Kenobi series? What’s your opinion on a Season 2? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!
So of course the Obi-Wan Kenobi series premiered this past Friday, and it’s so big and exciting that I decided to dedicate this whole post to the first two episodes that dropped. So beware: SPOILERS AHEAD if you haven’t seen them yet.
So this was pretty much me the whole week:
I prepared simply by rewatching Revenge of the Sith. And was surprised that at the beginning of Part 1, we got a quick recap of the prequel trilogy, mostly as it applied to the relationship between Anakin and Obi-Wan, which makes sense. This whole series is mostly about Obi-Wan dealing with feelings of guilt and regret about Anakin, and how he presumably will come to terms with it.
Ten years after the events of ROTS, Obi-Wan is about halfway between Obi-Wan the heroic Jedi Knight and Ben Kenobi, the Zen desert dweller that Luke comes across. Here, he’s a broken man: defeated, depressed, traumatized, clearly suffering from PTSD, with nightmares about Anakin. He’s not living in the home he’s in from A New Hope; here, he’s just living in a cave with very little else. Perhaps he feels he doesn’t deserve much else. He works at a job cutting meat, which I find interesting: he’s a butcher, and I wonder if he feels that way about himself concerning Anakin, with the limb-severing and all. I love that he cuts a little piece for his Eopie, and I kept waiting for him to get in trouble for that, but he never did.
He watches over Luke from afar, as Owen clearly wants him to stay away. I love the little bits with Owen, too, since we don’t see much of him in the prequels, and only as a grumpy old guy in ANH; we see that he just wants to protect Luke because, well, he loves the kid. Obi-Wan represents to him everything that destroyed Anakin, and he wants nary to do with it. I get it. But it hurts to see Obi-Wan so disrespected and rejected.
Savage Owen of internet meme fame.
I found the Inquisitors to be kind of cartoonish, lol, but after all, they’re based on animated characters. I’m not sure how I feel about Reva yet. I’m theorizing that she was one of the younglings being trained during the Order 66 scene at the beginning; why else show yet another reiteration of Order 66, which has been burned into our brains many times over already? I’ll be interested to find out her backstory.
So then we get the other side of the coin: we see Leia as a little girl on Alderaan, being raised by Bail and Breha Organa, and I just love this little girl. She’s not only cute as a button, but precocious and sassy as only Leia can be. And we see how the Force manifests in her: she can see into people’s psyches quite easily and ferret out their innermost thoughts, as seen with that horrible cousin of hers.
So Leia gets kidnapped, and we’re not sure by who yet or why (by Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, of all people, lol. But it works!). So Bail and Breha ask Obi-Wan to find her. And he says: no. We see just how far Obi-Wan has fallen, as he has absolutely no confidence in himself to help anyone. “I’m not the man you once knew,” he tells them, and it’s at least superficially true. We know the old Obi-Wan is in there somewhere, and it takes a personal visit by Bail to change his mind. Bail cuts to the chase: we failed, we made mistakes, but get over it and move on. He couldn’t save Anakin, but he can save his daughter, etc. So off he goes to Daiyu.
This is a great official poster.
In Part 2, he finds himself on Daiyu with no leads. He sees an old clone down and out on the street, begging for money (he’s from the 501st, no less), and Obi-Wan is startled and appalled, and maybe a bit afraid (clones did massacre the Jedi, after all.) And it shows just how callous and cruel the Empire is, casting aside the clones they used for their own purposes. Anyway, a boy can tell he needs help and offers to lead him to a Jedi for a price. The “Jedi” turns out to be a fake, who uses the guise for credits, but to be fair, he does help people (he’s played by Kumail Nanjiani, seemingly fresh from his Kingo role in Eternals). From him, Obi-Wan is pointed to a spice refinery, and after a skirmish with some baddies (not using the Force, just fist-fighting and feeling every punch and hit), he finds Leia. And meets a tiny force to be reckoned with, lol.
I love that Obi-Wan gets to meet little Leia. It actually helps to make A New Hope make more sense, and why Leia would turn to him for help in her most desperate hour. Sure, Bail could have just told her, “If you ever need help in a big way, look for my Jedi friend Obi-Wan on Tatooine.” But this is better. I love that Obi-Wan gets to meet both of Anakin’s children. And as Bail told him, she’s just as important as the boy.
So anyway, off they go through the city with Obi-Wan trying to corral this little miss sassafras. It turns out that Reva had hired the bounty hunters to kidnap Leia to draw Obi-Wan out (doing a little research in the archives and finding that Obi-Wan and Bail were–friends? during the Clone Wars–seems like a reach to me, but whatever). Leia finds out that he’s the reason she was kidnapped, and suddenly doesn’t trust him and runs away. Obi-Wan chases after Leia as the bounty hunters and Reva chase after them. When Leia tries to jump across a chasm that’s too far for her, she plummets–and Obi-Wan has to reach for the Force to save her. And we suddenly realize Obi-Wan hasn’t touched the Force for a long, long time, as he struggles to find it and save her. And it seems to me that that’s why he’s never been able to reach his master Qui Gon Jinn–he’s cut himself off from the Force (remind you of someone? Luke from The Last Jedi instantly comes to mind). How does he expect to reach Qui Gon if he won’t touch the Force? I imagine he will by the end of the series, having come to terms with his demons and touching the Force again.
Anyway, Leia finally believes he’s a real Jedi (but doesn’t think Ben is a good name for a Jedi, further making me think of the sequels as she names her own son Ben–food for thought, eh?) They encounter the fake Jedi again, and he wants to help–he sends them to a cargo port with coordinates to a place where others will help them. There’s a poignant moment when the decisive Leia reminds him of Padme, but then Reva catches up to them and he sends her off to the ship ahead of him.
Reva hunts her prey.
And this is where Reva drops her bomb–she tells him that Lord Vader will be pleased when she brings Obi-Wan to him. She intuits that Obi-Wan did not know this–that Anakin had survived. He nearly has a panic attack with the information–what an awful revelation. Anakin dead was bad enough–but Anakin surviving as the twisted Sith Lord Vader? Poor Obi-Wan. Reva nearly gets to him, but is interrupted by the Grand Inquisitor, who wants to bring Kenobi in himself. Reva stabs him in the gut, and I’m just assuming that he somehow survives to cause trouble for Kanan and Ezra in Rebels. But for now, it’s a chance for Obi-Wan to get away and take off with Leia.
On the ship, he’s still a wreck from the information and whispers Anakin’s name. We then cut to Vader in his bacta tank, opening his eyes as if he’s heard his old master. Daammnnn…..
So I’m just loving this series so far, as I predicted I would. One weird thing I noticed is that I’m hearing Ewan McGregor’s character of Halston in his Obi-Wan accent. I keep expecting him to light up a cigarette and hold it up between two fingers, lol. I think he’s trying to get closer to the Alec Guinness accent, but he definitely doesn’t sound like the Obi-Wan from the prequels. But his performance is still wonderful here, and I can’t wait for Part 3!
What did you think of Obi-Wan Kenobi? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!
So I’m about halfway done with Heir to the Empire, and I’m really enjoying it. Some things are kind of funny, like Joruus C’baoth, the crazy clone Jedi, lol. It’s only funny now because this obviously was written before anyone really knew what the “Clone Wars” actually were, and what “clone” referred to. The new canon has also shown that it’s not that easy to clone a Force-user. Looking forward to finishing it and going onto the second in the series, Dark Force Rising.
Luke revisits the Dark Cave on Dagobah in Heir to the Empire.
I’ve also been reading the High Republic comics: the Marvel series and the High Republic Adventures. I’ve finished Volume 1 of both series, and will be working on Volume 2 for both. I’ve mentioned before that reading comics is new to me, and slightly disorienting. It’s a very different experience than reading a book, which is a very orderly process. With comics, I kind of have a headache afterward, lol. I do love the stories though, and the visuals are great. I’m just not used to them being thrown together.
Keeve and her master, Sskeer
Now, onto the super-awesome-I-can-hardly-stand-it exciting news: the Obi-Wan Kenobi teasertrailer that was dropped this past week. Oh muh gawd, this series looks amazing! The trailer gave us some tantalizing scenes without giving too much away. We see a young Luke Skywalker, a scene with Uncle Owen and an Inquisitor (called Reva), we see the Grand Inquisitor (who looks weird, not gonna lie) and Fifth Brother from Rebels, we see their Fortress (from Fallen Order). And Obi-Wan, of course. So so so cool. My heart is bursting. And this is just a teaser!
There were also images from an upcoming Entertainment Weekly issue, which I will be scanning the racks for in the next month. I have a feeling it will be hard to find, though. But since I’m a Star Wars fan, I have hope.
Last week I featured a favorite artist named Jake Bartokwho’s done some wonderful Star Wars art. Another favorite artist is Uzuri Art, who’s also done some amazing Star Wars images. I came across this Obi-Wan piece the other day and it seemed fitting to share:
Gorgeous.
That’s it this week. What’s been entertaining you? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!
As a booklover and a Star Wars fan, there’s a lot to be excited about for 2022. There’s a ton of Star Wars books coming out, and I’ve pre-ordered nearly all of them. Looks like I’ll be a very busy reading bee next year! Here’s a run-down of what’s coming up:
The High Republic:
The Fallen Star, by Claudia Gray. January 4th. Adult. The second wave of the High Republic stories is kicked off by this adult novel which continues the Jedi’s struggles against the Nihil. I love Claudia Gray’s novels, so I have very high expectations for this one.
Midnight Horizon, by Daniel Jose Older. Feb. 1st. YA. The young adult entries in the High Republic have been hit or miss with me, but this one concerns Reath Silas, a Jedi Padawan that I’m particularly fond of. So I have high hopes.
There’s also:
Queen’s Hope, by E.K. Johnston. April 5th. YA. I’ve enjoyed the previous two entries of the Padme series (a character who’s often gotten short shrift, in my opinion), and this third in the trilogy promises to be the best of the bunch. It concerns Padme’s marriage to Anakin during the Clone Wars, and I’m eager to see her side of the story.
And then there’s also a new batch of canon Star Wars:
Brotherhood, by Mike Chen. May 10th. (Adult? I think so.) This book centers on Obi-Wan and Anakin on a mission to Cato Neimoidia during the Clone Wars, and maybe we’ll get an answer to Obi-Wan’s cryptic reference to “that business” of Anakin saving him that “doesn’t count.” At any rate, it’s an Obi-Wan and Anakin adventure, and I’m so here for it. Maybe it will coincide with the Obi-Wan series on Disney+?
Stories of Jedi and Sith. June 7th. Middle-grade short stories. This one isn’t as high on my list, but I’m sure I’ll check it out at some point. I recognize a few of the authors and they’re quite good, so I’m betting these stories have a lot to offer.
Shadow of the Sith, by Adam Christopher. June 28th. Adult. No cover yet. This is the one people are frothing at the mouth for–it’s a post ROTJ Luke story (finally!) And it refers to events that will take place in the sequel trilogy: Luke and Lando are pursuing Ochi of Bestoon, a Sith assassin tasked with kidnapping a young girl–Rey. This one comes out on my birthday, and it will make a splendid birthday present to myself, lol.
Padawan, by Kiersten White. July 26th. YA. No cover yet. This one is about Obi-Wan when he is newly apprenticed to Qui Gon Jinn, on a mission to a planet with Force-wielding kids and teens. This one sounds fun, and really, there can never be too much Obi-Wan Kenobi, right?
I’m looking forward to ALL of these books, and I’ll be in Star Wars book heaven for at least half the year.
Are you looking forward to any of these books? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!
This week I finished our book club novel Abigale Hall, and during most of the book I had no idea where it was going or how it was going to end. But I have to say I didn’t think it would end the way it did. It kind of devolved into a B movie horror flick ending involving rotting corpses in a mine and bloody murder and madness, lol. It was quite the ride. We haven’t chosen our new book yet, but we’re looking for something a bit more light-hearted, lol.
In Star Wars books, I’m still working my way through a reread of Kenobi, by John Jackson Miller, and have started the upper middle grade novel Smuggler’s Run by Greg Ruckus. It’s a Han and Chewie adventure story that takes place right after A New Hope. Princess Leia asks them to retrieve a stranded Rebel operative named Ematt. I like these middle grade books when I want something short and fun between longer reads. This one joins my Kindle with the Leia story Moving Target and the Luke story The Weapon of a Jedi.
This is where the fun begins.
On Disney+ I’ve been watching a few things. I started watching Get Back, the Peter Jackson documentary about the Beatles working out their songs and show for the Get Back album. I went through a fairly serious Beatles obsession when I was younger and thought I’d check this out. It was entertaining in its way, but watching several hours of the band rehearsing and jamming songs (and often arguing) is a bit much. I only got through the first half of the first installment, and that seemed enough for me.
It was interesting, though: they’re all brilliant, coming up with songs off the cuff (and feeling the pressure of a deadline looming); Paul can be a bit bossy but it’s clear he wants the whole thing to work and tries to get the others on board; John often looks zoned out; George tries to get his two cents worth in but nobody seems to want to listen; and Ringo sits quietly at the drums watching it all. Cigarettes are smoked endlessly by all, Yoko sits devotedly in her chair next to John reading her magazines or whatever, and George’s swami friends silently sit cross-legged in the corner. It was definitely weird, lol. But there’s no doubt that when these four “come together” (ha ha, get it?) magic happens. Who knows, I may watch the rest of it this coming week.
The lads rehearse for Get Back
Anyway, in Marvel I watched Episode 3 of Hawkeye. I’m really liking this series. Echo (Maya) is a sympathetic villain in that she’s seeking revenge for her father’s death, as Hawkeye killed him during his Ronin period. I love that she’s a strong female character with disabilities–she has a prosthetic foot and is deaf. Hawkeye’s own hearing loss is, of course, rather symbolic: whenever someone tells him what an inspiration he is or that he’s a hero, he’s “not hearing” them. He’s defining himself by what he did as Ronin, and that’s clearly something he needs to work through in this show.
I also rewatched Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, because it’s just so wonderful and I love it, lol. I’m already on board for a sequel, not only because I want to see these characters again, but because now I want to know just what, exactly, the Ten Rings are and where they came from.
Also in rewatches, I watched A New Hope just because I wanted some Star Wars and figured I’d go back to basics. I try to find new things or insights whenever I rewatch stuff and realized something here. When Obi-Wan and Luke are in the cantina to meet Chewie and Han Solo, Obi-Wan doesn’t hesitate to bring out the ol’ lightsaber and chop that guy’s arm off. In my reading of the book Kenobi, Obi-Wan is trying to unlearn reacting to things as a Jedi in order to blend in and be invisible. But now, after twenty long years, he’s resurfacing as a Jedi and does it in a flashy way. Knowing Obi-Wan from all the other SW material out there, it seems a bit over the top for him, but I’m guessing he’s relishing coming out of hiding finally and can’t help himself. Old Ben’s gone and Obi-Wan’s back, bitches! At least that’s my in-universe head canon, lol.
That’s it for this week. What’s been entertaining you? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!
Hello friends, and happy weekend! I hope all my fellow American friends had a great Thanksgiving this past week.
In books, I’m working on Abigale Hall, the gothic tale we’re reading in my book club. I’m about 80% done and will have it finished for our meeting on Tuesday. A couple of fellow members have already finished it, and their responses have been “OMG, I can’t believe it!” So I’m curious to see how it ends! I’ll have my thoughts on it next week.
I started a reread last week of Kenobi, by John Jackson Miller, since I’m getting excited for the Obi-Wan series (though who knows when the show will come out next year, lol). It’s a Legends book, so it’s not canon; but I feel that since the show will be set ten years after ROTS, this book, set immediately after the events of ROTS, won’t conflict with canon in any measurable way. It’s a good story and very well-written, and one of my favorite Star Wars books.
He’s just a kid who wants to kiss a girl.
In Marvel, I finally watched Spiderman: Far From Home last week. I’ve always loved Toby Maguire as Spidey, but Tom Holland is really great in the role, too. He’s just this sweet kid that you want to hug, lol. The movie was fun and entertaining, as was the first one, but Mysterio was kind of a weird villain. The guy had no real superpowers, so how was he planning on dealing with any actual threat that came along? Idk. I was happy to see Happy playing a bigger role here, too. He just keeps growing on me. So now I’m ready to see No Way Home when it comes out next month.
I also caught the first two episodes of Hawkeye this week. I’ve heard some people say that it’s “boring,” but I don’t agree. I guess I can see why they may think that, but I like the show and have no complaints, really. Probably because I love the character of Hawkeye and Jeremy Renner, the actor, and I’m happy to watch him. (I thought The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was kind of boring, but I watched it anyway, because, you know, Avengers).
But I really didn’t think it was boring. Kate Bishop is fine as the “next” Hawkeye, but I’m more interested in Clint Barton’s character. He’s sad over Natasha Romanov’s death, of course, and is a bit over the hero status. He’s just trying to spend time with his family and to be a good dad. I think it’s a nice touch that he’s got a hearing aid in one ear, because you rarely see superheroes suffer any physical consequences of constant explosions, lol. He’s also reaping the consequences of his “Ronin” period. I love the doggie, too (where did he come from? He obviously belongs to someone because of the leash. What happened to his eye? I have questions….). And oh, man, that Avengers Broadway musical! We need that in real life, lol.
He’s just a man who wants to kiss his kids.
That’s about it this week. I’d just like to add that The Curtain Saga strikes again! My stats have been crazy, 500-1000 views these past few days, which is unheard of on my site, lol. The last time this happened was this past summer, when I happened to mention putting up curtains in my daughter’s room, and put “curtains” as one of my tags. Little did I know that curtains are apparently super-popular in the google-sphere, and I think people unintentionally found my site. Someone else had seen the post the other day and “liked” it, and the stats have been spiraling ever since, lol. The internet is weird! But I’m not complaining. 🙂
So what’s been entertaining you lately? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!
This past week I finished my reread of Master and Apprentice by Claudia Gray, a novel about Qui Gon Jinn and his Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi. It’s a great read, and I love the exploration of Qui Gon and Obi-Wan’s relationship at this time. Qui Gon continues to be a fascinating character, a Jedi more akin to the Jedi of the High Republic, I think. A little bit more mystical, more attuned to the Living Force. He’s a great foil to young Obi-Wan, who is much more straight-laced and logical. It’s interesting to see how Obi-Wan changes over the course of the saga, and especially his relationship to the Force. I just love these two Jedi!
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to reread The Rising Storm before the next High Republic book comes out in January, The Fallen Star, by Claudia Gray yet again (I can’t wait for this one, it’s the first adult novel in the High Republic series Gray has authored); or, if I wanted to reread Kenobi by John Jackson Miller, as I’m getting excited for the Obi-Wan series (when D+, when???).
There’s also been a cover reveal for one of the new canon books coming out next year. It’s called Brotherhood, and it’s an Obi-Wan and Anakin story during the Clone Wars, and it comes out May 10th, 2022. Here’s the cover:
Taking place between AOTC and ROTS, Brotherhood deals with “that business on Cato Neimoidia.”
I meant to do a separate post on all the new canon books coming out next year, but alas, never got to it. I’m planning on reading all of them, and I’ll probably do a blurb about each one here as I read them. Three new High Republic novels, four new canon novels, and a Padme Amidala novel are all coming out next year. Needless to say, I’ll be doing a lot of Star Wars reading, and I couldn’t be happier about it!
I’ve also been reading our book club novel Abigale Hall, a gothic tale of two orphan girls sent to a creepy Welsh manor just after World War II. I’m about halfway done, and it’s a strange ride, I’ll say that. I’m eager to see how it all comes together at the end, and will report on it in the next post.
In movies and Marvel, I watched Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on D+, and I adored it! I previously haven’t been too excited about any new Marvel heroes, as I’ve just discovered the Avengers recently (even though they’ve been around for years, lol) and I don’t feel like I’m ready to move away from them. But since it was on D+, I figured I’d give it a whirl–and absolutely loved it. I was enthralled by Shang Chi’s family drama, the amazing martial arts, the incredible visuals, and pretty much just everything about it. And oh, that dragon! Katy was a hoot, too. This was another example of Marvel at its best.
I love her.
Speaking of Marvel, Hawkeye is out next week, and I can’t wait! You can bet I’ll be posting my thoughts on the first two episodes that will drop next week.
On the SW fan fiction front, I’ve finished a tentative outline, wrote the prologue, and the first two sections of the first chapter. There’s still a lot of plot issues to iron out, but I’ll deal with those as I go along. As long as I know where I’m headed, I’ll be fine. I find that if I try to figure every little detail out at the beginning, I’ll a) never get started, and b) miss out on the amazing insights that come to me while I’m writing. It never fails–when I’m in the writing “zone” the Muse will send me exactly what I need. Anyway, I’m pretty excited about it, and will plod on spinning my tale.
That’s it this week. What’s been entertaining you? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!
Your source for everything Obi-Wan Kenobi. This is the companion blog to the @AllThingsKenobi Twitter. Because our love doesn't always fit into 280 characters.
![Star Wars: Brotherhood by [Mike Chen]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41vqX7GDf4L.jpg)
Star Wars and Other Obsessions 