“The Force is with me, And I am one with the Force; And I fear nothing, Because all is as the Force wills it.“―The Guardian’s Mantra
Chirrut Imwe and Baze Malbus
I think most of us were introduced to the Guardians of the Whills in the movie Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Cassian and Jyn are on the streets of Jedha, looking for leads to the missing Imperial pilot. Jyn is distracted by a blind man begging on the street who somehow knows she’s wearing a kyber crystal necklace. He offers to give her a glimpse of her future for the necklace. “The strongest stars are made of kyber,” he tells her.
Jyn asks Cassian who the man is, and he says he’s one of the Guardians of the Whills. They used to protect the Temple of the Kyber, but the Temple is no longer there so they are just “causing trouble for everybody,” he tells her. That man turns out to be Chirrut Imwe, a Guardian who, along with his companion Baze Malbus, helps them steal the Death Star plans on Scarif.
The Guardians of the Whills were a religious order founded in 482 BBY. They primarily guarded the Temple of the Kyber on Jedha as well as the pilgrims who made their way there from around the galaxy. The Guardians were armed with lightbows, a weapon that they built themselves as part of their training.
Chirrut with his lightbow.
Guardians are not necessarily Force-sensitive like the Jedi, but they can sense the presence of the Force, while their compatriots, the Disciples of the Whills, prefer to listen to and interpret the will of the Force.
We see some of the Guardians in their original glory in the High Republic during the Convocation of the Force on Jedha. When fighting breaks out between Eiram and E’ronoh’s forces, it’s the Guardians of the Whills who assist the Jedi in trying to bring order back to the city.
If you want more of Chirrut Imwe and Baze Malbus before the events of Rogue One, there’s a short junior novel called, aptly enough, Guardians of the Whills. It tells of how Chirrut and Baze initially help Saw Gerrera in his fight agains the Empire, but change their minds when they disagree with his tactics and help a group of orphans escape the planet instead. It’s a great little book, with sayings and prayers about the Force from various Force-cults on Jedha at the beginning of each chapter.
In darkness, cold. In light, cold. The old sun brings no heat. But there is heat in breath and life. In life, there is the Force. In the Force, there is life. And the Force is eternal.“―Sunset Prayer of the Guardians of the Whills
So Star Wars Celebration was this past weekend, and it was packed with information and fun. The more I see of Celebration, the more I’m convinced I MUST attend one at some point. Super Star Wars fun! Anyway, here are my brief thoughts on some of the more prominent announcements of Celebration:
Movies! So three movies seem to be in the works–one about the dawn of the Jedi, a Mando tie-in movie, and a post-sequel movie about a new Jedi Order. The first one, supposedly taking place 25,000 years in the past, will show the very first Jedi, perhaps the origin of the Force, etc. That’s cool, I guess, and I’d definitely go see it, but not particularly excited about it. The Mando tie-in is a no-brainer, bringing all the Mandoverse elements together from The Mandalorian, Ahsoka, Skeleton Crew, etc. Fun.
The one I’m most excited–and worried–about is the post-sequel film about the new Jedi Order, with our very own Daisy Ridley reprising her role as Rey. As a sequel fan, this is hugely exciting, and I’m hoping we’ll see other sequel characters joining her, including Finn and Poe, and one very particular Force ghost. But I’m not sure if John Boyega is willing to return to the role, or any of them, for that matter. It wouldn’t be the same without them. I’m frankly surprised that Daisy has chosen to return, considering all the hate her character received, and is still receiving, from the toxic fandom. You can’t let the bullies win, of course, but I hate to see her get more abuse. There are those jaded souls who will say, “Money talks,” and perhaps that’s true, but I feel like she can go in plenty of other directions for her career. So I’m hoping that this is a sign that the idea is worthwhile enough for her to come back to and risk even more tiresome vitriol.
Ahsoka trailer! The Ahsoka trailer was awesome, and I can’t wait for August when it premieres. We got the whole Ghost crew assembled, it seems, with Sabine, Hera, Chopper, and we saw Zeb in The Mandalorian, so I’m guessing he’ll be around. Oh, and Ezra in a hologram, like a Star Wars photo that Sabine has of him. There are plenty of villains, too, with Morgan Elsbeth returning, two new dark Force users with orange lightsabers, and yes, Thrawn. The big news is that the actor who voiced Thrawn in Rebels, Lars Mikkelson, will portray him in live-action. I think it’s a great decision, and seems only natural–come on, the guy even looks like Thrawn, lol.
The Acolyte! This show won’t come out until next year, but I’m very excited about it. It takes place towards the end of the High Republic era, and as a fan of the books, this is very cool. Whatever footage they showed at Celebration was not made public, but it sounds great. There are dark Force users (Sith?) and Jedi and intrigue and lightsaber battles, and come on, who’s not excited for this? Also, Vernestra Rwoh from the High Republic books, who is only 15 at the time of these stories, will be making an appearance here, which I think takes place quite a bit later (100 years? I think). But she is Mirialan, and so perhaps long-lived. I saw a fuzzy photo of her character in the Acolyte, and she kind of looks like Nebula from Marvel, lol.
Andor Season 2! This also will be coming out in 2024, and I’m looking forward to it. I believe in Season 2, every three episodes will constitute a year in time, so things will move right along. No sign of K2SO, but without doubt he will make his appearance. I’m ready to learn of Luthen’s fate and Mon Mothma’s family drama, and what happens to B2EMO?
Skeleton Crew! I haven’t given much thought to this one, but it sounds like fun, and any Jude Law is a good thing, lol. A bunch of kids get lost in space, and their parents are worried, and they meet the Jude Law character, who is at least Force-sensitive. It takes place during the Mandoverse era, so this crew will likely play a part in the big tie-in.
High Republic books! Phase Three of the High Republic books, called Trials of the Jedi, was announced, and I’m VERY psyched. Phase 2 has been quite good, but I’ve been itching to get back to the characters of Phase One. This publishing phase goes right into 2025, with three waves as with Phase One, so plenty of High Republic Star Wars on the horizon. Yay!
Tales of the Jedi S2! I really enjoyed Tales of the Jedi, and I’m glad there will be a Season Two, I just wish we knew more about it. It was simply announced there would be a second season, but no release date, no info on episodes. Oh well. Patience.
Return of the Jedi theater release on April 28th for 40th anniversary! I can’t believe it’s been 40 years since I lined up at the movie theater with other fans in 1983 when I was 12 years old to see Return of the Jedi. Did I ever think I’d be just as obsessed and enjoying all this Star Wars goodness with gray in my hair? Not in a million years, but here we are, and I’m so glad. I will not miss this re-release.
The Bad Batch will get a third and final season! I figured we’d get a Season Three, but I was kind of hoping for four, only because I love these guys so much. But three makes sense if it wraps things up in one more. Or at least, a satisfactory ending, which includes all of the Batch retiring comfortably on Pabu. Kidding, I know I’m asking for too much, lol. There was footage shown of Season 3 but of course, not made public. From descriptions I’ve heard, it looks like the Emperor will be making a visit to Mt. Tantiss, Omega and Crosshair are prisoners together there, and the others are going through a lot of action trying to find them. At one point Wrecker says, “Why are there always monsters?!” Indeed, Wrecker. Out in 2024, but no specific release date.
Visions Season Two trailer! This is Star Wars’ creative experiment with various animation studios, and Season One was very cool and very different. I loved some of them more than others, but each one brings a different flavor to the Star Wars universe. The trailer looks super cool and exciting, and I can’t wait to watch them all on May 4th.
Celebration 2025 in Japan! Celebration will apparently be skipping 2024, but it will take place in Japan in 2025. I was kind of hoping to make it my mission to go to the next Celebration, but Japan is pushing it for me, lol. I’m going to leave it at “The next Celebration in the US,” and sign it in blood. Definite bucket list item, which gives me an idea for my next post!
What did you think of the Celebration news? Did you go? (And I’m so not jealous!) What’s your favorite announcement? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!
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