My Star Wars Entertainment Update November 2025

Hello friends! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving, if you celebrate that where you are. 🙂 A few things to get to, so here we go!

Warning: SPOILERS!!!

Visions Season 3. I’d really been looking forward to this edition of Visions, as I’d loved the first two, especially Season 2. And while this one offered some good, entertaining episodes, none of them really stood out to me and I didn’t absolutely love it like Season 2. I think, like Season 1, these were all Japanese anime studios, while Season 2 encompassed other anime studios from around the world, and I think I loved that kind of diversity. So there seemed to be a certain stylistic sameness here that didn’t resonate with me.

That being said, there were some good ones. The sequel to Season 1’s The Duel, with the Ronin (The Duel: Payback), was a favorite, as I love the style, and the character of the Ronin. (Someday, I’m going to read that Ronin novel!) The Bounty Hunters was great, with the droid with two personalities, lol. I think my favorite, though, was The Smuggler, with the exiled Prince and the secret Jedi with the lightsaber hidden in a prosthetic arm.

The other two sequels, The Ninth Jedi: Child of Hope and The Lost Ones, were fine, but I feel like the Ninth Jedi one was holding back for the future series (although I did love that crazy ship, and the little droid who sacrified himself for Kara); F in The Lost Ones has to face her old master who has turned to the dark side, though it’s unclear how that came to be.

Yuko’s Treasure was kind of adorable with the big bear droid with a microwave belly, and the theme of found family is fitting for Star Wars. The last two episodes were my least favorite, though they were the most visually stunning. The Bird of Paradise was gorgeous, but the Padawan in question is unbearable, lol. I was left wondering how she got to be a Padawan in the first place with so many un-Jedi-like qualities–impatience, self-centeredness, self-pity, anger. I understand she had to work through these things to become more Jedi-like (and I’m not even sure if she survived or not by the end), but I had zero empathy for her. And Black is a psychedelic trip that is up for interpretation. Maybe it’s because I don’t do drugs, lol, but damn, it was just weird and alienating. My interpretation is that it’s a stormtrooper’s dying flashbacks to his life and the battles he’s fought. It’s an interesting premise, but I was glad when it was over, lol. Just not my thing.

I’m hoping that if we get a Season 4 we can get more of the anime studios from around the world, as I seemed to enjoy those most.

Master of Evil, by Adam Christopher. This book was much more satisfying than the last canon book (The Last Order). At first I thought, hmm, another Vader story? Do we need one? But I heard good things, and I’m happy to say that it was well worth the read.

The book takes place mere days or weeks after events of The Revenge of the Sith. The Empire is new, and Vader himself is new, so to speak. Sidious has not been forthcoming in his promise to teach Vader the secrets of the Sith and how to conquer death (although, technically, Palpatine promised the power to “prevent” others from dying, not bring them back from death, right?) Anyway, Vader is still obsessed with bringing Padme back into his life, and if Sidious won’t help him, he’ll figure it out himself. Sidious sends him on a mission to Diso, a distant planet, to investigate a Force shaman and the rumor of a Temple which holds a Force vergence.

Instead of being completely from Vader’s point of view (there’s a handful of short chapters from him, though), the main point of view is from Colonel Halland Goth, a member of the Imperial Royal Guard. He’s proud to serve, but the problem is, he’s dying. He’s got Kangly’s disease, which makes him feel like he’s burning up from the inside out, and will eventually kill him. He’s got his own personal droid, TC-99, who not only helps him with his medical needs, but is a good friend. Goth is tasked by the ISB to keep an eye on Vader, who no one really knows anything about yet, and he accompanies Vader to Diso. While on the mission, Goth figures out that Vader is probably Anakin Skywalker. As a good Imperial soldier, Goth swallows the propaganda that the Jedi were traitors and is glad to be rid of them, but he’s fascinated with Vader: he realizes the suit he wears is keeping him alive. He gets the crazy idea that Vader, and that kind of technology, might help him survive. He wants to live, and he wants to serve.

The Temple in question turns out to be on a Separatist ship stuck in hyperspace somewhere (it’s a long story involving Count Dooku, lol), and that’s where the climax of the story happens. The vergence in the Force emanating from the Temple causes Vader to have some interesting visions; the shaman’s wife and daughter have gotten involved, and want revenge on Vader; there’s a couple of droid scientists from a former Techno Union Corporation on board who want to utilize the brain of a super-tactical droid running ship; and Goth is near death, just trying to keep everybody alive, while realizing he himself won’t be getting any miracle cure from Vader. He understands that it’s not just the suit that’s keeping Vader alive, but the Force itself. And he realizes that the Empire he’s so loyal to is not exactly what he thought it was.

Goth is a likable Imperial protagonist, and his friendship with TC-99 is touching. The theme of “masks” runs throughout the story: TC-99 has data matrices from many other droids he can insert into his chest plate to learn whatever specialty he needs to, but sometimes the personality of the droid is very strong and takes him over, as if he’s a completely different droid. The natives of Diso wear masks in their Force rituals; Jarvic, one of the droid scientists, has a wrap-around cyborg implant in his head (like Lobot) and the tactical droid ends up plugging into it and taking him over; the evil entity from the Temple (the dark side itself) temporarily takes over the shaman’s wife; Goth himself wears the red mask of the Royal Imperial Guard, but is he loyal to the Emperor, Vader, the ISB, or himself and TC-99? It shifts throughout the narrative. And of course, there’s Vader himself and his iconic mask, representing the split between himself and Anakin Skywalker, who he battles in one of his visions.

I loved this book, and though maybe we didn’t “need” another Vader story, I’m glad we got this one.

Comics:

Han Solo: Hunt for the Falcon #3. Han and Chewie continue to search for the Falcon, as the Irving Boys point them in the direction of Unkar Plutt. There’s another flashback to Han’s past, with young Ben wanting to spend time with his dad, tinkering with a landspeeder, and Leia scolding him for not finishing his studies. Han and Leia then argue about the whole thing. (I feel like Leia is being a bit unreasonable here; geez, let the kid spend some time with his dad, lol). Han and Chewie end up arguing, as Han discovers that Chewie has been speaking with Leia without telling him. Anyway, Ducain gets back into the picture and decides to warn Plutt about Han and Chewie coming to look for the ship. There’s only one issue left, and I’m eager to see how this concludes, as we already know they don’t get the ship back until The Force Awakens.

Legacy of Vader #10. Kylo, back on Mustafar with Vanee, goes into Vader’s meditation chamber to see if he can find Luke Skywalker. The man is dead, and Kylo is still obsessed, lol. At first he sees weird snake-like creatures with the heads of his family, and he spends time cutting them down. Then, he finds himself somewhere that looks like Force Heaven or something, and a Force ghost tells him he shouldn’t be there. But Luke’s Force ghost comes over and chats with Kylo. Kylo wants to know how he died, who killed him and how much he suffered. But Luke tells him no one killed him. He sacrificed himself for those he loved. That’s what his life was for. “What’s your life for?” he asks Kylo. And of course, this enrages him. “Stop trying to teach me!” he yells at him. Luke points out that he shouldn’t have been able to access this place, and Kylo should think about how he did. (There’s still Light in him, if you haven’t figured it out, lol). Then Kylo is punished by some darkside creature for (unconsciously) accessing the Light to go there, and he comes out of the meditation chamber terribly wounded. I really liked this issue and his conversation with Luke, but as we know Kylo doesn’t really learn anything from it.

Non-Star Wars pick of the month:

Frankenstein, directed by Guillermo del Toro. Frankenstein has always been a favorite of mine, meaning the book and any movie adaptations that come along. I loved the Kenneth Branagh adaptation from 1994, and I think it’s still my favorite, but this one is a close second, although it’s very different in style and tone. Director Guillermo del Toro has a very distinct style and that comes through in this film very clearly. The subject matter is naturally gruesome, but it’s brought to a level of grotesqueness that’s more creepy than bloody (though there’s plenty of that, too, lol). There’s always a ton of stuff you can break down in this story, but I’ll just briefly touch on my thoughts here, since I think we’re all familiar with the basic storyline.

As you may know, I’m a fan of Oscar Isaac, and he did a fine job as the obsessed Victor Frankenstein. To be honest, I thought Mia Goth’s character as Elizabeth was just weird. In this version, Elizabeth is Victor’s brother William’s fiance, instead of Victor’s eventual bride, but there’s a sexual tension between her and Victor. I like that she has compassion for the Creature, but there’s something weird about it. She’s just weird, lol. Maybe it’s the actress, I don’t know, I haven’t seen her in anything else (I hope I like her better in the upcoming Star Wars film Starfighter). We’ll see.

Speaking of the Creature, I think Jacob Elordi does a fantastic job with him. I always love the Creature in any version, and this one was especially child-like and sweet (until he’s not, of course, lol). My sentimental mother’s heart always breaks for this child that is rejected by its parent; in other versions, it was fear that caused Victor to reject him, but here it’s more disappointment. He doesn’t learn to speak properly right away, and Victor, aghast that his creation is so dumb, is pretty damn mean to him and it’s clear that once again, Victor is the true monster here. Of course, it mirrors Victor’s father’s disappointment in him, a cycle that he doesn’t even realize he’s repeating.

I do like that the two forgive each other at the end, which does not happen in the book (not really), but instead of them both dying, the Creature in this version cannot die and must live alone forever in the Arctic wastes, which is the saddest thing I can think of.

So, an interesting and unique interpretation of an eternally fascinating story; not perfect, kind of weird, but definitely entertaining.

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

Catching Up On Some Marvel Projects-Part 1

Hello friends! In my eternal quest to avoid the awful real world, I’ve decided to set aside the endless rewatching of Star Wars I’ve seen a thousand times, and catch up with some Marvel projects I’ve let slide over the past year or so. I don’t know what kept me away, but once I started watching, I realized how much I missed this wacky world, lol. Here are some brief thoughts on a few installments (in watch-order):

Captain America: Brave New World. I perked up at this one initially because of Harrison Ford, but didn’t get around to it and then it just fell off my radar for awhile. I finally watched it, and thought it was pretty good. I don’t have anything against Sam Wilson as Captain America, but he just doesn’t have the same pull for me as Steve Rogers. And that’s the point, I guess. Sam is still trying to prove himself, to show that he can fill Steve’s shoes, but the problem is, even he doesn’t believe he can. But he shows up for work anyway, lol. I had some trouble following the plot, but it’s tied to the old Hulk movie (The Incredible Hulk from 2008 with Edward Norton as the Hulk and William Hurt as Thaddeus Ross). I might have seen that movie, lol, but I don’t remember much of it. This movie also ties into Eternals, as the countries of the world are negotiating for access to adamantite, the new super-mineral found in the Emergence in the Indian Ocean, the one that was going to destroy the earth but was stopped by the Eternals (I loved that movie, by the way!) The villain, called The Leader, whose name is Samuel Stearns, was in the old Hulk movie; he was a scientist affected by gamma radiation and imprisoned by Ross. He wants revenge on Ross, and has been secretly poisoning him with gamma pills for decades. It takes until the end of the movie before Ross transorms into the Red Hulk, and this time it’s DC that’s practically destroyed by these super-beings, lol. Pretty good, but not great, although I did love seeing Ford in a Marvel movie.

Thunderbolts. Okay, this one was super-fun. And really pulled on my hearstrings, if I’m being honest. Basically it’s about a bunch of sub-par “super-heroes” that must band together to stop a new threat. And it’s not that they’re sub-par, really, they’re just damaged human beings who have to go up against another damaged human being. The central figure is Yelena Belova, Black Widow’s sister, who’s been dealing with a sense of purposelessness. There’s also her boisterous father, Red Guardian, John Walker (the substitute Captain America shortly after Steve was gone and who’s kind of a jerk), Ava Starr (Ghost, who I’ve never heard of, lol), Bucky Barnes (eventually), and a guy named Bob. This group is working together (reluctantly) against Valentina Allegra du Fontaine, who is trying to build the latest “super-soldier” called Sentry, who happens to be the last test subject, Bob. Bob is a very sweet, but very troubled young man who’d had a rough childhood, had been a meth addict, and possessed zero self-esteem. But the powers bestowed on him through the Sentry Project are immense, and Allegra manipulates him into doing her bidding. Or she tries to, but new, improved Bob senses she’s using him and gets mad, so she hits the kill-switch. But it doesn’t work, and Bob goes full-dark, plunging New York City (and presumably, the rest of the world if he isn’t stopped) into the darkness of the Void. Yelena, who knows a little something about the Void, steps into the dark, and relives every shameful moment of her life, which is what happens to anyone in this shadow-world. But eventually she finds Bob–sweet, troubled Bob–hiding in a room, and she and the rest of the crew (who followed her in) help him face his dark side. These are all people who have done some terrible things, but this group of misfit antiheroes all help Bob face the darkness and let him know he’s not alone. “No one is no one.” I actually got a little choked up, lol. It’s quite funny, too, in that goofy, Marvel way. Anyway, they save the day and Allegra, to save face, proclaims them the “New Avengers.” We’ll see if that sticks, as in an end credit scene, it’s revealed that Sam Wilson isn’t too happy about the title. They also see the Fantastic Four’s ship approaching onscreen, an “interdimensional” ship. So somehow the F4 (from a different multiverse) are coming to this one. Now I really can’t wait to see what’s coming up!

What If…Season 3. I watched the first two seasons of this animated gem, and really enjoyed them. But for some reason, I slept on this one. I think I thought there were a few characters I didn’t know and so wouldn’t know what was going on, but even if that’s true, it doesn’t matter. With each episode, I thought, “This is probably going to be dumb,” but they were, in fact, delightful. The first one had a bunch of crazy Hulk-spawned godzilla-like monsters, lol, but it was fun, and I loved seeing Moon Knight in the group that fought them (it’s one of my favorite Marvel shows). The second one had Agatha (from Agatha All Along, which I did not watch) and Kingo from Eternals (which, as I’ve mentioned before, I adore). They’re making a Bollywood-style movie with Howard Stark directing, and the dance number is truly spectacular, lol. The one with Darcy and Howard the Duck marrying and having a baby (in egg form for most of it) is wacky but fun and pretty sweet, as they risk their lives to protect their child (the child comes back in the last two episodes all grown up; she’s called Birdie, and has amazing powers). Anyway, I could go on, but the main throughline is that the Watcher is always watching and isn’t supposed to interfere. But he does, and gets in trouble with his superiors. Peggy “Captain” Carter gets wind of this and goes off to help him with her friends: Birdie, Storm (a Storm/Thor hybrid) and Kahhori, the Mohawk woman introduced in Season 2. What ensues is a prolonged battle between these super-beings with the Watcher’s superiors, who are also super-beings, and it’s a stalemate that goes on way too long, in my opinion. Anyway, Peggy sacrifices herself to save her friends, and the Watcher (whose real name is Oatu), helps his mentor learn the difference between watching and really seeing. Super fun and better late than never.

Marvel Zombies. So, zombies…again, lol. I wasn’t going to watch this one, but thought, oh, what the heck, I’ve been reading about zombies, so why not? And it’s a sequel to a What If… episode from Season 2 which ends on a cliffhanger. So basically, in this universe, you guessed it–the world is overrun by zombies. What happened was that Hope Van Dyne sent her father, Hank Pym, after her mother in the Quantum Realm, but Janet Van Dyne was infected with some sort of zombie disease. When Hope pulled them out, it spread from there, quickly taking the Avengers and leaving hope for humanity in the hands of other superheroes. It’s mostly from the point of view of Kamala Khan from Ms. Marvel (I show I did not watch–but I might now). She and her friends, Riri Williams (from Wakanda) and Kate Bishop (Hawkeye’s apprentice), find a tiny techno-thingy in a crashed ship in New York, and figure out it can send a message to Nova Prime, whose people might be able to help them. So off they go to find a SHIELD base, but it’s overrun already. Riri and Kate are killed, but Kamala is saved by a Blade/Moon Knight hybrid. Over the course of four episodes, they find and join others in the fight, losing some, gaining others, until the big battle at the end between the zombie Queen of the Dead (Wanda) who controls all the undead, and Kamala and whatever heroes are left to protect Infinity Hulk (it’s a very long story, lol). Basically, Kamala gives in to Wanda’s urging to join with her to end the zombie nightmare. With their combined power, along with Infinity Hulk’s power, everything changes–everything goes back to normal, her friends are still alive, it’s as if nothing ever happened. But underneath, she sees quick flashes of the truth: the whole thing is just an illusion. Another one of Wanda’s elaborate illusions to cover up the painful truth. It ends on that note, and though it’s not the ending I would have preferred, the series was fun.

I did catch Fantastic 4 in theaters when it came out this past summer, and loved it. It was set in a different version of the multiverse, so it was kind of its own thing and I didn’t have to see any of these others before seeing it. But based on the final credits scene in Thunderbolts, looks like they’re on their way to the one we’re familiar with. Also, the final credit scene of F4 itself hints at Dr. Doom (I think that’s him?) as the next big villain. I don’t know a thing about that guy, lol.

Looking forward to the next installment, whatever it may be.

I’m planning on watching Wakanda Forever, Ironheart, and Ms. Marvel, so stay tuned for Part 2.

Andor S2 Thoughts, Part 3

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Andor S2 Thougts, Part 2

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

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

Beware: SPOILERS!!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Whew! Stay tuned for Arc 4….

Andor S2 Thoughts, Part One

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

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

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

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

Arc 1: One Year Later; Sagrona Teema; Harvest

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My Entertainment Update for March 2025

Hello friends, happy Spring! Here’s what I’ve been up to for the last month or so:

Reign of the Empire: Mask of Fear, by Alexander Freed. If you like the political maneuverings of Andor, you’ll like this book. It takes place mere weeks after Order 66, when Palpatine takes control and declares himself Emperor. It focuses on Mon Mothma and Bail Organa, mostly, with some Saw Gerrera and a new character called Soujen. Mon Mothma is determined to curtail the Emperor’s power by legislation and keeping the Senate relevant in this new Empire (I know, good luck with that, Mon). Bail, meanwhile, is obsessed with what happened to the Jedi and is convinced that if the truth about their slaughter was known, it would ruin Palpatine (again, good luck with that, Bail). The two central figures of the Rebellion are not seeing eye to eye at this point. Saw is just out doing his thing when he and his group discover Soujen, a Separatist soldier who had been put in hibernation before the war ended as a contingency plan. Soujen has been surgically altered with implants to make him into a deadly warrior, and when he wakes his only thought is to continue the war against the Republic. When he’s apprised of the new situation, he still wants to continue his mission somehow and bides his time with Saw.

It’s a big, dense, political book but I didn’t find it hard to get through at all. Both Mon and Bail need to come to terms with how they deal with this new Empire–Mon figures out just how little power she has as a Senator but decides to continue to persevere anyway; Bail learns that he has to let the Jedi go in order to move forward; Saw continues to do what Saw does best: sow chaos; and Soujen finds that he’s obsolete in this new world order.

I’m eager to see what the next book in this series will offer, which will be written by Rebecca Roanhorse (who wrote Resistance Reborn, a favorite of mine) though I don’t think we have a release date for that yet. Can’t wait, though!

The Clone Wars: Gambit: Stealth, by Karen Miller. I started this one on my e-reader (a new Nook from B&N). It’s the first book in a duology, and I found the second hard copy book in my local comic store. I’ve read Karen Miller before (Wild Space, with Obi-Wan and Bail Organa) and I quickly realized why her writing style is slightly annoying: the characters are always arguing, quibbling, contradicting, and otherwise getting on each other’s nerves. And I mean ALWAYS. I get that there needs to be tension in a book, and between characters, but this goes above and beyond, like badly written fan-fiction, lol. Aside from that, her stories are usually pretty interesting. In this one, Obi-Wan and Anakin are sent on a clandestine mission to a planet called Lanteeb to find out if the Separatists are making a bioweapon there. I’m about halfway through, and besides the annoying arguments, it’s a pretty good book so far. I’ll report back next month.

Upcoming: I’m waiting for my copy of Into the Light by Claudia Gray, the next High Republic novel in the final wave of books. I should be getting it tomorrow, and I can’t wait! I’ll have my thoughts on that one next month.

Tales of the Underworld. On May the fourth, we’ll be getting Tales of the Underworld, focusing on Asajj Ventress and Cad Bane. I was hoping we’d get more Tales in this series, and while these characters are unexpected, they’re not unwelcome. Especially Ventress; with her appearance in the Bad Batch, I wanted more of her story: how she survived, what she’s been up to, how she’s atoning for her Sith ways, etc. And where’s Quinlan Voss??? So many unanswered questions, lol. Bane I’m not so interested in, but I’ll take it, and it all looks very exciting.

Drawings: Since March was Women’s History Month, I decided to draw the women from Star Wars. I have a few more in my sketchbook, but I’ll share those next month.

Now I can get back to some of the boys, lol. It’s been really fun learning how to draw portraits and I think with each one I get a bit better at it. It’s also been good for my mental health, as I get so absorbed I forget everything else (I’m in the US, so…yeah, there’s that, lol). Eager to share more sketches with you!

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

My Entertainment Update for January 2025

Skeleton Crew. I really enjoyed this one. I thought this show about four kids getting lost in the Star Wars galaxy would be a bit kiddie, and it’s certainly appropriate for the whole family, but I was surprised by how much I liked it. It did take a few episodes to pull me in all the way, but once I was invested, I was all in.

The 80’s kids-on-bikes-having-adventures vibe made it fun, and although suburban Star Wars felt a bit jarring, it soon fell into classic Star Wars mode, with lots of cool aliens, pirates, and space action. The whole mystery surrounding At-Attin was cool, the kids were great, and Jude Law as Jod was fantastic. It wasn’t my favorite live-action show, but it was certainly enjoyable and I’m all for a Season 2, if it happens.

Last Shot, by Daniel Jose Older. I tried reading this book back when it first came out (it was one of the first crop of canon books that came out), but after a few chapters, I just couldn’t go on. This writer is terrible, I thought. I have no idea what’s going on. And I was sad, because I really wanted a Han and Lando adventure to enjoy. So I thought maybe I’d try again someday and I’m glad I waited this long, as I’m 1.) more familiar with Daniel Jose Older’s style from the High Republic, and 2.) more familiar with some other canon lore that is subtly referenced in the book, such as the Aftermath Trilogy, and the movie Solo (I hadn’t seen it yet). So, this time when I picked it up, it was much easier to get into and enjoy.

That’s not to say it was a great book, but it was fairly enjoyable. It takes place a few years after ROTJ, as Ben Solo is two years old at the time. Han feels distinctly out of place as a husband and father, so when Lando comes around demanding he help him with something, he’s ready to go. That something is finding out where the Phylanx Redux Transmitter is, as Lando had been attacked by a droid-like being who demanded he find it. See, the last person who had seen it was the owner of the Millenium Falcon, and this person thought it was Lando. But guess who it really was? And what, exactly, is a Phylanx Redux Transmitter? They don’t really know, but they figure they better find it.

So then we go back fifteen years when Lando and L-3 still have the Falcon and L-3 drags Lando on some secretive mission involving droids; then we go back ten years when Han, Chewie and Sanna Starros (I’m still a little fuzzy on who she is, but Leia had referred to her as Han’s “other wife.” Okay.) are on Takodana and Sanna convinces Han to help her with some score, going after a device that is very valuable to many different people. Then we go back twenty years to Utupau, where a doctor there is kidnapped by thugs, his friend is killed by other thugs along with many others, but there are plenty of droids around. He’s so traumatized that he decides droids are the superior beings, and outfits them with the limbs of dead people.

Confused yet? Yeah, me too, but I was determined to make it through this book. It shuffled between all these timelines, and we finally figure out the Phylanx is a device created by that Utupaun doctor that, once activated, will cause all the droids in the galaxy to turn on their masters. Yikes!

This book was sloppy, confusing, and I’m still not fond of Jose Older’s writing style (his HR books are usually my least favorite). BUT–I did like the banter between Han and Lando, seeing L-3 again, seeing little Ben Solo, and seeing Lando fall in love with a Twilek woman named Kaasha Bateeen. I’m assuming this is the mother of Lando’s child who got kidnapped, presumably by the First Order when she’s two years old (who we learn about in the book Shadow of the Sith). So ultimately, I am glad I read this book, but it’s easier to read if you’re familiar with other canon material.

Announcement: A Bad Batch Novel coming in August 2025!

I’m super-excited about this news, as some of you know I’m a huge Bad Batch fan. There are some upcoming comics with the BB (“Ghost Agent,” a Clone Wars mission story) but as I’m more of a book person, this is great news. Here’s the synopsis:

Hunter, Wrecker, Tech, and Omega gamble on a mission to help rebuild Pabu in this thrilling adventure for The Bad Batch.

A good soldier knows that life is all about change — whether it’s on or off the battlefield. Surviving, living, means adaptation. Hunter is well acquainted with this lesson. He’s on the run from the Empire, Echo’s off on a mission with Captain Rex, and Crosshair is . . . still Crosshair, but amidst all the change, Hunter still has Tech, Wrecker, and Omega.

And it seems that his small family might have finally found a safe place to land, far from the increasingly vigilant eyes of the Empire: Pabu. But their potential new island home is in desperate need of resources if there is any hope for the fledgling community to recover from a devastating sea wave. That’s where Phee Genoa, self-proclaimed liberator of treasures, comes in, with a couple of jobs she swears will get them the funds they need. Despite Hunter’s concern with Phee’s precarious plans, the rest of the crew is fine following her lead.

Things go wrong almost immediately, as Phee’s droid blows the crew’s cover at a high-stakes auction, and they barely make it out with the relic they’d been paid to acquire. Hunter insists they finish their first mission and deliver the relic before taking on more work, but Phee and the others push forward with a second job: ferrying a couple on the run, one of whom is due to give birth at any moment. Hunter worries what they’re risking, especially when their mysterious new passengers cling to lies and secrets that trace back to an Imperial Security Bureau officer hot on their trail.

As Hunter tries to get the crew back on a stable, safe path far, far away from anything to do with the Empire’s watchdogs, their overlapping missions only invite more danger and chaos. On the verge of failing both their desperate passengers and their community on Pabu, the Batch must remember that the only way they succeed, the only way they survive to fight another day, is by trusting each other.

I was kind of hoping for a post-finale story, but I’ll take this, as at least we have Tech back (and I’m hoping for a bit of Tech/Phee flirtation, lol). The drawback is no Echo or Crosshair. Also, I have to wait until August to read it. 😦 But I’m very happy it’s on the Star Wars book horizon.

So I’ve mentioned before that I’ve been getting back into drawing and practicing portraits, mostly because I want to draw Star Wars characters. I’ve made some progress, though I have a long way to go. I do like this Obi-Wan Kenobi drawing I did a little while ago:

Yes, the top of his head is not there, lol, as the photo reference cut it off and I didn’t dare fill it in at the time. And yes, that’s an envelope at the top covering up some comments for improvement I made. But otherwise, I like it. I drew a lot of other SW live-action characters, but I’m not particularly happy with them; I need to improve a bit before I share them.

However, I have been drawing some Bad Batch characters, as they’re animated and already 2D, so I thought I’d have an easier time with them. I wouldn’t say they were easier, but they did come out better than the live-action characters. Here’s what I have so far:

I’m happy with these. Omega is up next, as well as Wrecker and Echo. I’ll share those next month.

Lastly, here are some non-Star Wars books I’ve enjoyed lately:

Wool, by Hugh Howey.
The End of Men, by Christina Sweeney-Baird.
Future Home of the Living God, by Louise Erdrich.

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

Life Day Update

Hello friends, long time no blog!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Entertainment Update for July 2024

Hello friends! I hope everyone is having a great summer (if it’s summer where you live!). I’m not a big fan of the heat, so I prefer being in air conditioning reading a good book, lol. And I’ve got a few to tell you about, but first:

(The Acolyte Spoiler Warning!!!)

The Acolyte, finale. I enjoyed every minute of this show, and while the finale left enough open for a possible Season 2 (which I very much would enjoy), it brings the series to a satisfying close. I won’t recount every scene here, but just give my thoughts on the finale as well as the show as a whole.

Everyone ends up back on Brendock, where all the trouble began. Osha has seen a vision of Mae killing Sol without a weapon. The fact that it turns out to be Osha herself is heartbreaking. I never thought about the Force choke as a possibility to the riddle of killing a Jedi without a weapon, but it seems obvious now. And the way Sol forgives her as he’s dying, with a tear rolling down his cheek and almost getting out “I love you,” is gut-wrenching.

And I love Sol, but let’s face it–he made a lot of mistakes in this show, lol. All the Jedi on Brendock did, except perhaps Kelnacca (yes, he used his claws on Torbin, but he wasn’t of his own mind and I consider him blameless). But the fact that at the end, despite everything, Sol doubles down on claiming he was “doing what he thought was right,” makes me wince. Oh, Sol. Maybe, but you didn’t do what a Jedi should do.

There’s been some complaints that this show paints the Jedi as “evil,” and that’s just not true. It simply shows that they’re fallible and make mistakes. Too many at this time, which leads to their downfall many years later. That was the whole point of the Prequels–the Jedi were blind to the evil right in front of them. That didn’t just happen overnight. This show goes a long way in showing how they got there.

Qimir was a fantastic villain, by the way (and puts the seductive back into the dark side, lol). Whether or not he knows about Plagueis lurking around the island is up in the air, but I think he does and is under his direct tutelage. And I think Plagueis will be very much interested in this Force-born individual for his immortality studies.

I thought the series was great, and like I said, hope there’s a Season 2 to answer our lingering questions: Whatever happened to Mother Koril (Nightsisters?)? Will Vernestra find her former Padawan Qimir (with the help of amnesiac Mae?) What ultimately happens to Osha and Qimir? With the recent announcement of two Acolyte-centric books coming out next year, I’m guessing we will eventually get a Season 2. So take that, haters!

Honor Among Thieves, by James S. A. Corey. This was a fun Legends book focusing on Han Solo and a mission he gets involved in not long after the Battle of Yavin. He’s sent to find a Rebel spy (for which he will be paid, thank you very much) and bring her back to the Rebel fleet. Said spy, Scarlet Hark, has other plans: she’s got intel on a new Imperial weapon based on an ancient alien technology and needs to get to the guy who’s going to sell the location of it to the highest bidder. The technology is a way to stop ships from going into hyperspace, essentially grounding them in their own star systems; whoever controls that technology can control what happens in the galaxy. Eventually, Han, Scarlet and Leia get to the location to either take control of it or destroy it if they must.

This was a fun adventure, and I liked that it was all from Han’s point of view. And of course, we get a little more insight into Han and Leia’s burgeoning relationship at this early stage. Luke was a peripheral character here, helping where he was needed and offering his sunny optimism at this point, but not much else. Chewie, too, was sidelined as he was always left behind in the Falcon to provide the last-minute rescue from sticky situations several times. But I loved that it was Han-centric, and how he seriously comes to question exactly why he’s hanging around these crazy Rebels.

The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire, by Dr. Chris Kempshall. While awaiting the next Star Wars book to come out, I figured I’d check this one out chronicling how the Empire came to be and its eventual fall. The author is an actual historian in real life, and here he writes in the voice of Beaumont Kin, a character played by Dominic Monahan in the sequels. Kin, a historian who had been studying Sith relics, joined the Resistance after The First Order destroyed Hosnian Prime. After the defeat of the First Order, he worked on this historical treatise, finding it extremely important to understand how totalitarian states arise and how to possibly prevent it from ever happening again. He focuses, of course, on Palpatine, but also on the nature of the Empire, its bureacracy and protocols. There’s even footnotes linking his subject to various sources, from surviving Imperial archives (many of which were destroyed) to speeches by Leia Organa, as well as personal conversations he had with her.

It’s interesting to read, because we the reader know so much more than the writer himself about events in this galaxy (we’ve seen all the movies and read all the books, you see, lol). He can only surmise certain things based on the evidence he has at hand, and it’s kind of fun to know what he can only guess at.

I’m only a few chapters in (and it’s a big book–500 pages), and I’ll probably read it here and there between other Star Wars books, so I probably won’t finish it any time soon. But I’ll let you know when I do and what I think about it.

Writing on Empty, by Natalie Goldberg. I’ve read most of Natalie Goldberg’s memoirs and writing books, even though I don’t write according to her method much anymore, but she was a huge influence on me back in the day. And I just like to keep up with what’s going on in her life. Here, she recounts how, during the Covid pandemic, she went through some writer’s block, though she doesn’t like to use that term. Nevertheless, she lost the will to write and had to find her way back somehow. Through friends, books, and a retreat in Oregon, she came to the conclusion that, despite the isolation, the emptiness and despair, the only thing you can do is to write through it and get to the other side.

Swift River, by Essie Chambers. I’m going to come right out and say that I read this book because I went to school with the author. I didn’t know her very well, but she was in one of my English classes, and at the time I thought, This girl is going places. And she did; she went on to get an MFA in creative writing from Columbia University and worked as a film and television executive. She was recently on the Today Show with Jenna Bush, who chose this, her debut novel, as a Read With Jenna pick.

Here’s the Amazon summary of the book:

It’s the summer of 1987 in Swift River, and Diamond Newberry is learning how to drive. Ever since her Pop disappeared seven years ago, she and her mother hitchhike everywhere they go. But that’s not the only reason Diamond stands out: she’s teased relentlessly about her weight, and since Pop’s been gone, she is the only Black person in all of Swift River. This summer, Ma is determined to declare Pop legally dead so that they can collect his life insurance money, get their house back from the bank, and finally move on.

But when Diamond receives a letter from a relative she’s never met, key elements of Pop’s life are uncovered, and she is introduced to two generations of African American Newberry women, whose lives span the 20th century and reveal a much larger picture of prejudice and abandonment, of love and devotion. As pieces of their shared past become clearer, Diamond gains a sense of her place in the world and in her family. But how will what she’s learned of the past change her future?

A story of first friendships, family secrets, and finding the courage to let go, Swift River is a sensational debut about how history shapes us and heralds the arrival of a major new literary talent.

I recognized part of my childhood in this book–the Western Massachusetts setting, the 80’s references, even the name drop of a common teacher we both had. But it’s more than a nostalgic trip to childhood; it’s about the black experience in the North (I learned about “sundown towns” in this book, which I had never heard of, where entire black communities left a town overnight because of prejudice and racism in the early part of the twentieth century). But mostly, it’s a coming-of-age story about a young woman who’s trying to find her place in the world. It’s a wonderful book that I won’t soon forget.

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

Entertainment Update for June 2024

Hello friends! A few new Star Wars things to talk about and a movie, so let’s get to it!

(SPOILERS AHEAD!!!)

The Acolyte, Episodes 1-5. I’ve been really enjoying this latest Star Wars offering, despite the haters and all their ridiculous criticisms. Let them complain; they’re missing out on some cool Star Wars. Is it perfect? Nope. Is it a new flavor of Star Wars that is intriguing, fun, and tragic all at the same time? Heck yes!

The only real problem I’ve had with it is the pacing, but it’s a minor grumble. As a reader of the High Republic books, I’m a bit sad that Vernestra has become so entrenched in politics and keeping things from the Council, but maybe that’s part of her character arc and that might change (people tend to change after a hundred years, I guess, lol). We’ll see.

I’m assuming if you’re reading this, you’ve been watching, so I’m not going to recap anything; let’s just talk about that awesome Episode 5. Holy lightsaber fights! This episode was full of not only the kind of Jedi action that we love, but some plot twists, shocking deaths, and on-point dialogue that had me glued to the screen.

I assumed that all the unnamed Jedi were goners, but Jecki’s death really hurt, and #YordHorde is mourning deeply. I’m a little shocked that Sol just left them there in the jungle, but I guess he couldn’t very well carry them both out, or any of the many Jedi that died that night; besides, they were in a hurry to get back to the ship and didn’t have time to bury them.

I was kind of surprised/not surprised that “The Stranger” turned out to be Qimir. I mean, it was obvious, but I figured it was a little too obvious. I’m still glad it was him, because Qimir–or whatever his name is– whether he’s the bumbling smuggler or the badass darksider, is very entertaining. Whether or not he’s an actual Sith has been up for debate in the fandom (some people think he might be an early Knight of Ren), but I’m going with yes, he is a Sith. The fact that he quotes part of the Sith code in an earlier episode (“Peace is a lie”) and he mentions the very word “Sith” makes it clear, at least to me. At any rate, he believes he’s a Sith. The whole Ki Adi Mundi outrage seems silly to me. I really don’t care when Legends said he was born; and clearly, his words about the Sith in the prequels shows he either a) doesn’t know about this guy because it was covered up, b) is lying, or c) is in deep denial over the whole thing, which is quite indicative of prequel Jedi in general.

Mae’s twin-swap, and the swapping of Masters, is something I was not expecting. I don’t like to predict anything about this show, precisely because it’s unpredictable and surprising, but I’m thinking Osha may become the Acolyte this guy’s looking for. I hope not, but I wouldn’t be surprised. I’m not sure about Mae’s fate, but I can’t wait to find out, as well as what actually happened on Brendock. Sol is the only one left who knows the truth and he’s going to have to confront that painful truth, whatever it is.

This show is keeping me on my toes, and I’m loving every minute of it!

Temptation of the Force, by Tessa Gratton. This is the second adult novel for Phase 3 of the High Republic (The Eye of Darkness by George Mann being the first, along with the YA offering Defy the Storm by Justina Ireland and middle grade book Escape from Valo by Daniel Jose Older and Alyssa Wong). This one came out the first week of June, so I’m only halfway through it, but I’m thoroughly enjoying it.

This one focuses on the Republic and the Jedi crossing the Nihil’s Stormwall for rescue and relief missions, trying to help those still stuck in the Occlusion Zone. With the help of Xylan Graf and Avon Starros, they find a way to bring down the Stormwall and launch an attack against the vicious General Viess, who has taken over the planet Naboo.

Meanwhile, Marchion Ro is investigating an intriguing but terrifying blight that is spreading across some worlds, hoping to use it to his advantage.

The book centers on a few personal relationships, the most obvious being the one between Jedi Masters Avar Kriss and Elzar Mann, as the cover would suggest. Close since their time as Padawans together, Elzar has always struggled with his feelings for Avar throughout the series, while Avar had maintained a boundary that she refused to cross. After many brushes with mistakes and the dark side, Elzar had been finally coming to terms with who he needed to be as a Jedi. Now, however, after escaping the Occlusion Zone in The Eye of Darkness and being away from Elzar for a year, Avar realizes she’s in love with him and has been slowly introducing the idea to him that they can be together and that their love is a good thing, without being possessive or selfish in that love. Hmm, I don’t know Avar, I don’t think you understand romantic love, or at least, the tendency of romantic love to go that way, lol. I’m totally shipping them, but I also am convinced that this relationship does not bode well for them, the Jedi, or the future of this story.

Another relationship it explores is that between Jedi Master Porter Engle and his nemesis General Viess. Their long history began many decades ago and was explored in a comic that I didn’t read, but I do know it resulted in Porter’s sister taking a vow that was ultimately named after her: the Barash Vow, in which a Jedi abstains from taking action from the Order and isolates oneself to listen only to the Force, as a kind of penance for some wrong-doing (this is seen in The Acolyte with Master Torbin, who had taken the Barash Vow sometime after the events on Brendock). At any rate, the two hate each other, but also respect each other; Viess has shown considerable skill in holding her own against a Jedi and the Force (having a beskar sword helps). Viess nearly killed Porter in the last book; now, he is determined to end her life and pursues her throughout this book relentlessly. Porter is clearly on a revenge mission, operating outside the Order, but he’s accepted that. Maybe he feels that if he survives, he’ll take the Barash Vow himself, but I don’t think he expects to live. It’s interesting because Porter has not fallen to the dark side at all. He just decided that he’s going to kill this woman or die trying, and that’s that, lol.

It’s these personal relationships and thorny Jedi choices that make these High Republic books so great to read, at least for me. We’re seeing the beginning of the end of the High Republic, events that lead to The Acolyte a hundred years on (which clearly shows the Jedi have become more political), which of course leads to the Prequel Jedi and their downfall. Good stuff! I’ll write more about this book next month after I’ve finished it.

Medstar I: Battle Surgeons and Medstar II: Jedi Healer (Legends), by Michael Reeves and Steve Perry. These two books are basically Parts 1 & 2 of one long novel, focusing on Jedi Padawan Barriss Offee, who has been sent to the planet Dongar to help the medical personnel stationed there. She suspects that her master, Luminara Unduli, has sent her there for her Jedi Trials. The planet is being contested by the Republic and the Separatists for a particular fungus that acts like bacta, but works even better. It focuses not only on Barriss, but on human chief surgeon Jos who has seen his share of clone injuries and deaths, a Sullastan reporter looking for his next big story, and an unnamed spy in their ranks, who works for both the Separatists and the Black Sun crime syndicate.

I picked these novels out mostly because of a renewed interest in Barriss considering her shorts in Tales of the Empire, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I really enjoyed these books on their own. Jos’ struggle with coming to terms with seeing clones as actual, individual human beings (and seeing droids as possibly sentient beings) while also struggling with his feelings for a woman who is not permissible according to his people’s traditions, really captured my full attention; Den Duhr, the Sullastan reporter, finds that he’s actually less cynical than he thinks and might even be a hero, though he’s loathe to admit it; and Barriss learns an important lesson about the dark side–that it can be deceptive and cloak itself in the illusion of doing the right thing. Or at least, what feels like the right thing. In fact, it doesn’t feel evil at all; it feels good. All the while, the question of who the spy is continually intrigues and makes the reader consider and eliminate various characters as the books go on.

I don’t read a lot of Legends books, but I personally loved these Medstar books.

Honor Among Thieves (Legends), by James S.A. Corey. I just started this book on my Kindle and haven’t gotten very far, but so far, it’s pretty good. It takes place between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. Leia asks Han to extract one of the Rebellion’s spies, Scarlet Hark, from the planet Cioran, deep in the heart of the Imperial-run Core. I’ll write more about it next month when I’ve gotten further or finished it, but I will say I like that it’s all Han’s point of view, which I don’t see too often.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. I’ve always loved the Mad Max movies, though The Road Warrior is by far the best of the lot. When Fury Road came out a few years ago, I thought, a Mad Max movie without Mel Gibson? Pshaw! But Tom Hardy did an impressive job of filling those shoes, and anyway, Max wasn’t really the focus of that movie, Furiosa was, and I absolutely loved her! When I heard that another Furiosa movie was in the works, I got excited because I knew I’d love another go-round with Charlize Theron as the titular character. But wait–it’s not that. The filmakers go back in time and tell Furiosa’s story of how she came to the Citadel, beginning when she was taken as a child from The Green Place. And Anya Taylor-Joy would be playing young adult Furiosa. Disappointing to me, but I thought I’d give it a chance.

And by and large, I enjoyed the movie. It was interesting to know Furiosa’s backstory. How she was taken by marauders from her lush, green home in the middle of the Australian desert; how her mother pursued them across the wasteland like a demon and nearly succeeded in getting her child back; and how, ultimately, she was caught, tormented, and killed. The leader of the marauders, Dementus, is played by Chris Hemsworth, who’s been given a prosthetic nose to…I don’t know, dial down the handsome? I guess, but it works, because he looks strange to me, lol. But he does a great job portraying this weird, vicious, driven, but ultimately broken man, a man that Furiosa vows to take her revenge upon.

She ends up at the Citadel, run by the horrendous-looking Immortan Joe, while Dementus takes control of Gastown, one of the three communities in the wasteland (the other being Bullet Town). She’s brought to Joe’s harem, witnesses one of his women give birth to a baby with too many limbs and resists the gross advances of one of Joe’s sons. She decides she’d rather take her chances masquerading as a boy than stay in that harem, cushy though it may be (besides, you know, having to have sex with ugly Joe and giving birth to his mutant children).

She grows up learning what she can to survive, until one day she stows aboard a big rig that regularly makes a run to one or the other communities, to trade food for gas or weapons. The rig is attacked by marauders, though, and she and the driver, Praetorian Jack, are the only ones who survive. Jack, impressed with her, offers to teach her how to be a Praetorian (basically, a driver of the big rigs).

During the course of their time together, they fall in love. Yep, I said it: there’s an actual love story in a Mad Max movie (besides the first one all those years ago). It’s not overly done or thrown in your face, but it’s sweet and actually kind of nice to see such tenderness in this awful, vicious world. But of course, it can’t survive said viciousness. Inevitably, they get attacked by Dementus and his goons on one of their runs, and it doesn’t end well: Jack is killed (and not quickly) and Furiosa loses part of her arm, explaining that prosthetic arm she sports in Fury Road.

Eventually, war breaks out between the Citadel and Dementus, and Furiosa uses this opportunity to go after the man who kidnapped her and killed her mother, as well as her lover. She pursues him relentlessly and eventually gets her revenge. But here, it gets a bit ambiguous: did she simply shoot him in the head? Make him suffer like Jack? Or…plant a tree in his guts (the seed her mother gave her) and watch him suffer as it grew out of him? The fruit of which she brings to the women in Joe’s harem, beginning a relationship of trust with them? Which leads, of course, to her helping them escape in Fury Road.

I really enjoyed this movie, though I felt it was a bit too long. Taylor-Joy does a good job of portraying younger Furiosa, but Hemsworth as Dementus was pretty entertaining. A truly horrible man, but he must have had a family at some point, as he wears his (presumably dead) child’s teddy bear on his belt. This world had chewed him up and spit him out, and he survived by becoming as violent as the world that broke him. It’s a contrast to someone like Jack, who shows kindness and love despite his losses, and later, Max, who, while distant, still has a heart in there somewhere.

Speaking of Max, I blinked and nearly missed his “cameo” in this film: a distant shot of him leaning against his instantly recognizable vehicle atop a cliff, watching a chase from afar while eating his dogfood from a can. He’s in the title of the movie, so I guess he had to be in there somewhere, lol.

For some reason, this movie didn’t do well at the box office, but I thought it was a winner.

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