I haven’t done a fan art post for awhile, and figured it was about time. I’m really digging Uzuri Art right now, what a fantastic artist! Check her out on uzuriart.com.
What do you think of this artist’s work? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!
Episode 10 of The Bad Batch, “Common Ground,” probably wasn’t as exciting as most fans would have liked, and didn’t have the same kind of stakes that the last couple of episodes had, but I still enjoyed it and thought it had some interesting themes going on.
The Batch are assigned a mission from Cid to save a former Separatist Senator from Raxus–the capital of the Confederacy of Independent Systems during the Clone Wars–and it doesn’t quite sit right with them. Especially Hunter and Echo, and particularly in the latter case, we can understand why. Echo suffered at the hands of the Separatists and isn’t willing to so easily overlook that. But let’s face it, if anyone is going to writhe under the yoke of the Empire, it’s former Separatist systems. If they didn’t like the policies of the Republic, then they’re certainly not going to accept the Empire. I think the Batch are going to find that their former enemies will likely become potential allies, as I believe they’ll eventually fight the Empire rather than continue with mercenary work.
In fact, they may not have to, since Omega paid off their debt to Cid. The other storyline of the episode was Hunter once again leaving Omega behind, his reason being that Raxus would be crawling with Imperials. True, but I believe his fears are more based on his ability to protect her rather than on Omega’s ability to handle herself. She certainly proved that she can take care of herself in former episodes, but it was Hunter who was with her when Cad Bane took her. He blames himself. So guilt goads him to insist she stay with Cid this time.
While there, Cid claims she’s useless, but during a holo chess match between Cid and a patron of the bar, Omega proves she has a talent for strategy. Cid uses it to her advantage, pitting Omega against a string of competitors, with Omega winning every time. When the Batch return, successful in their mission in extracting the Senator, Hunter is upset that Omega put herself in the limelight like that, and scolds her. Cid tells him to back off, since she just paid off their debt to her. Even Wrecker lets Hunter know he’s being unfair, with a deliberate shoulder bump. So Hunter tells Omega that if she wins a game against him, he’ll never leave her behind again.
We don’t see the end of the game, but we don’t have to. We know Omega will win, and thank goodness for it. I’ll always believe Omega will be better off with the Batch rather than left behind. And come on, the girl’s proven herself! But Hunter, as a new space dad, is just going through what every parent does: the instinctual need to protect. I don’t even like to let my 12 year old walk around the block by herself, so I get it, lol. But sometimes you just have to let go so they can grow.
And we learn more about Omega’s specialness: she’s a pure Jango Fett DNA carrier, yes, but she also has a talent for strategy. Kind of comes out of nowhere, but okay. And not much to do with the Force, really; I was hoping for a little Force sensitivity, but I can live without it, too.
Anyway, some may have thought this one was boring, but I thought it was a solid entry. Not great, but not terrible, either. Curious to see where the Batch will go from here!
What did you think of the episode? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!
Happy weekend fellow Star Wars fans!
So, I must apologize for not having a Bad Batch review for the last two episodes, “Reunion” and “The Lost Bounty.” Still watching, still loving it, but never got around to the reviews. I’ve been been posting less here (but posting on my other blog, The Star Wars Reader, which has been much neglected lately), mostly because I’m doing more reading right now. Not that there are riots in the streets or anything, but I’ll get back to reviews on Monday.
So what am I reading? Well, as you may know, I’m a huge fan of the High Republic, and the second adult novel, The Rising Storm by Cavan Scott, was just released, so I’ve gotten right into that. I’ve got that in hardcover, but I always have a book on my Kindle that I read at work on my breaks, and the one I just finished is called Loki: Where Mischief Lies, by Mackenzi Lee. You might also know that I’ve been in a Loki obsession lately, courtesy of the new Disney+ series, and just happened to come across this book on Kindle. I picked it up and just couldn’t put it down.
It’s a story that takes place before the events of the Marvel movies, and Loki and Thor are a bit younger (by, oh, I don’t know, a hundred years or so) and centers around Loki and a character named Amora. She’s the apprentice of a sorceress of Odin, and by a series of unfortunate events she gets banished to Midgard, or Earth. Loki finds himself there years later, on a mission from Odin and encounters her there. It’s the late 19th, early 20th century, and she poses as a spiritualist. She calls herself the Enchantress, and later, uses the pseudonym of Sylvie (hmmm….). He also meets a group of people who call themselves the SHARP Society, who know about Asgard and work for Odin to help with otherworldly visitors to Earth. Loki suggests they change their name to SHIELD (hmmm…..). Anyway, it’s a very entertaining book, and I loved it.
Also, because of said obsession, I bought the book Norse Mythology, by Neil Gaiman. Besides Loki’s charming personality, I think I’m interested in the character because he comes from actual mythology. Loosely based, of course, but I find it interesting that the writers of the movies and shows throw in little tidbits that come from the myths. For instance, one story from the book is about Loki cutting off Sif’s hair (in the myth, she is golden-haired, and the wife of Thor); in the latest episode of Loki, Mobius puts him in a sort of punishment time-loop, and Sif (from the Thor movies) comes to him furious for cutting off some of her hair, slapping him and kicking him in the groin. Over and over and over, lol. It’s fun to pick out little things like that.
My blogging friend, Julie G, and I may take turns doing some mini-reviews of the chapters in this book, so stay tuned for that if you’re interested.
Anyway, that’s what I’ve been doing this past week. What have you been up to lately? Let me know in the comments, and we’ll talk about it!
So I’ve been mostly absent this past week, just reading and commenting on other people’s blogs. I’ve been cheating with another franchise, as I’ve wanted to catch up with some MCU movies as I watch the Disney+ show Loki. Certainly not all of them, but just the ones with Loki in them (which is 6 two and a half hour movies, at least, lol).
And they’re super fun, and seriously, if you haven’t checked out Loki, do so now, because it’s a real treat. It’s actually been good for me to take a break on the Star Wars and get into something new. I’ve been going full steam on the blogs for about a year now, and it felt good to have a little vacation.
But now it’s time to get back to work, lol. And I haven’t been completely ignoring Star Wars, either. I finished re-reading Claudia Gray’s High Republic book Into the Dark, and have started reading E.K. Johnston’s Queen’s Peril, about Padme Amidala. I was trying to wait until the paperback came out just before the third book in the series, Queen’s Hope, comes out in November, but I noticed Amazon offered it on Kindle for just $4.99. So I’m reading it on my Kindle, but will probably buy the paperback when it comes out to put on my shelf next to the paperback of Queen’s Shadow, the first in the series. Cuz I’m like that, lol.
Of course I’ve been keeping up with The Bad Batch; I didn’t do a review of last week’s episode, Reunion, but will probably do a brief review of it in this week’s episode review.
I actually had an afternoon to myself this Friday, and decided to go to this great used bookstore a couple towns over called the Montague Bookmill. I’ve always liked browsing books there, but they don’t often have many Star Wars books in their Fantasy/Science Fiction section (although I see plenty of Star Trek books). I managed to scour around and found a couple of middle grade books, which I don’t usually read, but hey, they’re Star Wars and I figured I’d just add them to my collection: Jedi Apprentice #15–The Death of Hope (a series with Qui Gon and Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi) by Jude Watson (a series I’d actually like to read), and the young reader’s version of The Phantom Menace (with pictures from the film in the middle!) by Patricia C. Wrede.
I also found The Making of The Phantom Menace by Laurent Bouzereau and Jody Duncan, which is pretty cool. I don’t have many reference books in my collection–in fact, I don’t have any, lol, and this is a great first. I got them all for twenty bucks.
So that’s about it. Looking forward to getting back to Star Wars (but can’t wait until next Wednesday to see how Loki and Sylvie get off that doomed planet, lol).
Happy weekend, and let me know what you’ve been up to lately in the comments!
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I was inspired to write this post from a Star Wars fan group I was scrolling through the other night. I often see the question “What are your top ten favorite Jedi?” or villains or pilots or whatever. But heroes in general? Nope. I had to think about it, because there are a lot of heroes in Star Wars, but how would I rank them and why? So after some thought, I came up with this list, in descending order:
I have to go with Ahsoka at the top of the list. Not only is she an incredible Jedi, but after Order 66 she worked as Fulcrum, the secret contact for the Rebellion during their fight against the Empire. Even after the defeat of the Empire it seems, from events in The Mandalorian, that she’s still working to help those in need, as well as possibly be looking for Ezra (through her search for Thrawn). Her battle against Maul at Mandalore is incredible, her compassion for Rex and the Clones during Order 66 (even though they were trying to kill her) is heartfelt and heartbreaking, and her confrontation with Vader in Rebels is unforgettable. I really can’t think of any flaw in her, lol. Nobody’s perfect, but she’s pretty close. Whether as a Jedi, a spy, or a friend, she’s a great hero.
Leia Organa is a true hero of the galaxy, whether as Princess of Alderaan, a Senator (both Imperial and New Republic), a soldier of the Rebellion, or a General of the Resistance. Leia was truly dedicated to helping the galaxy be a better place, whether she was on mercy missions as a young Senator, fighting the Empire in the Rebellion, passing important legislation in the New Republic, or gathering together those who would resist the First Order. Her bravery, her strength in the face of tragedy, and her commitment to the cause is unparalleled. Perhaps her most important act was sacrificing herself for her son Ben Solo, to bring him back to the light. So even as a Mom, Leia was truly heroic!
In every incarnation, whether in the Clone Wars, the prequels, Rebels, or A New Hope, Obi-Wan Kenobi is a hero. He was a holonet hero (along with Anakin) during the Clone Wars, he discovered the Clones on Kamino and defeated General Grievous in the prequels, defeated Maul in Rebels (and showed compassion to his old Nemesis as well), watched over Luke for what must have been a lonely twenty years on Tatooine, and sacrificed himself to Vader to save Luke in A New Hope. Even after death, his Force ghost was often there to advise Luke. Obi-Wan wasn’t perfect–he made some questionable decisions concerning Anakin when it mattered most–but he always loved him and did what he thought was best. Obi-Wan’s commitment to the Light never wavered, and his impact on the galaxy can’t be overstated.
There will be some who think Luke should be higher up in the list, and I get that. Luke is the original hero of Star Wars, after all. He blew up the first Death Star, was a hero of the Rebellion, saved his friend Han from Jabba the Hutt, confronted the Emperor, and brought his father, Darth Vader, back to the light. And don’t get me started on that hallway scene in the Mandalorian! Totally awesome. But, like all humans, Luke had flaws. Or rather, he made some mistakes–most glaringly, after his gaffe with Ben Solo, he retreated from the fight, and from the galaxy, cutting himself off from the Force. Not from cowardice, just regret, and shame, and a firm belief that the Jedi must end. Luckily, he got over that and helped the Resistance at Crait–sacrificing himself so they could get away, in the most Jedi-like way possible. Bravo, Luke.
Din Djarin was just your average bounty hunter (well, possibly an exceptional bounty hunter) until he met a little guy name Grogu, and then he became the Dadalorian. He formed a strong, yet tender, bond with this special child, and would do anything to protect him. Even if it meant giving him up, he would do what was best for Grogu. As most parents do–in the end, we have to let them go. Which isn’t heroic, just necessary, but Din was definitely heroic in his quest to protect Grogu from those who would harm/take him, and to get him where he ultimately belonged–with a Jedi. Not that we sobbed or anything when the time came for Grogo to go with Luke, lol. I’m eager to see what kind of hero he’ll be to the Mandalorians in future seasons of the show.
Rey is the hero of the sequel trilogy, becoming the last hope for the Jedi as the First Order grows in power. She joins the Resistance and becomes fast friends with Finn and Poe, as well as forming a strong bond with Leia, who takes her on as an apprentice. Rey is the only person, besides Leia herself, who believes Ben Solo can be turned back to the light. When she fatally injures him on Kef Bir, she instantly turns around and Force heals him, showing a compassion that defines her. On Exegol, she defeats Palpatine with the help of the Jedi who came before, nearly giving her life to do it. With Palpatine gone, the Sith Eternal and the First Order fall, freeing the galaxy from evil once again.
Despite his smuggler/scoundrel status, Han Solo early on becomes one of the bigger heroes of the galaxy. No matter how he might prefer to think of himself, he’s got a big heart and always ends up doing the right thing. He comes back at the last minute to help Luke blow up the first Death Star, becomes a General in the Rebellion and leads the attack on Endor, ultimately being successful in that mission, allowing the second Death Star to be destroyed. He helps free the Wookiees from the waning Empire on Kashyyyk. When the First Order threatens the galaxy, he plays his part to help, but loses his life in trying to bring his son back from the Dark. He begins the saga as a pilot for hire who’s in it for the money; he ends it with sacrificing himself for love.
Wherever Han Solo is, there is Chewbacca. Whenever we talk about loyalty in Star Wars, we must talk about Chewie. A copilot, a good shot with a bowcaster, a steadfast friend. When Han helped save him from the Imperials in Solo, he owed Han a life debt, and stood by his side for many years. Chewie helped his friends during the Rebellion, and then went back home for awhile to be with his newly freed family on Kashyyyk. He eventually found his way back to Han Solo, and once again stood against tyranny and fought the First Order.
Okay, so maybe R2 should be at the top of the list. Because without this little droid, our heroes wouldn’t have gotten very far. His very first act on screen is to get the Death Star plans from Princess Leia and get them off the Tantive IV, away from the Imperials and into the hands of Obi-Wan Kenobi on Tatooine. In every movie and in the Clone Wars, he’s always plugging into some data portal or other and gathering information, making doors open or close, distracting the enemy, and whatnot. In the sequel trilogy he’s largely absent, powered down since Luke disappeared, but he carries the last piece of the map to Luke’s location inside him. He’s a feisty, brave little astromech, with plenty of grit and attitude. He also has the patience (most of the time) to put up with Threepio’s insufferable complaining. Now that’s heroic.
Kanan Jarrus is one of my favorite Jedi, and he, along with the rest of the Ghost crew–Hera, Sabine, Zeb, Chopper, and of course, Ezra–belongs on this list of heroes. Kanan used to be Caleb Dume, a Jedi Padawan who survived Order 66. The experience haunted him, and at first, he tried to forget who and what he was in order to survive. But once he met up with Hera, he decided to help those in need, and then later, become an important part of the Rebellion against the Empire. He stumbled around at first in training Ezra, but eventually found his groove, and his own Padawan became a hero of Lothal–freeing that world from the Empire’s grip. Kanan sacrificed himself to save those he loved, and it’s one of the most painful deaths for me in Star Wars.
Honorable mentions:
I could go on and on. There’s so many great heroes in Star Wars, people doing what is necessary to make the galaxy a better place.
What about Yoda? He’s a great Jedi Master, and I do love him. But let’s face it, he was the head of the Jedi Order when it fell. He made mistakes. Instead of following the Force, he followed the “rules” of the Jedi. He got the Jedi involved in politics and in a pointless war. Yes, they were all duped and drawn in by Sidious, but come on. He was their leader, hundreds of years old and ostensibly “wise.” So I can’t call him a hero, at least not until he trains Luke, and at that point, any Jedi could have done it. His wisdom comes after the fact. But I still love the guy, lol.
Who are your favorite Star Wars heroes? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!
So it finally happened–we got Rex in The Bad Batch, and it made me so very happy!
It turns out it was Rex that Raffa Martez had been communicating with in the last episode (nice poncho, Rex), and so he knew where to find them. Wrecker and Omega come back to Cid’s place after having their post-mission snack, and Wrecker gives him a big hug–but then complains of his headache. Rex is instantly on guard, getting ready to draw his blaster. He can’t believe the Batch haven’t removed their inhibitor chips yet, and presses upon them how urgent and important it is to get them out.
He says he’ll help them, and they meet on Bracca–a junkyard planet, where some Jedi ships are being destroyed or repurposed. He brings them to the same kind of ship he and Ahsoka had been on, with a medical facility that she used to take out his chip.
Before they can get started, Wrecker’s chip finally wins out, and he attacks everyone. Not wanting him to wreck the med facility, they draw him out of the room and try to stop him, but he’s just too strong and incapacitates them all. Then he goes after Omega. At the last minute, Rex stuns Wrecker, and they bring him back to the med facility and take out his chip.
Wrecker is unconscious for awhile after the procedure, and Omega insists on sitting by his side until he wakes up, despite his attack on her. Again, she knows it wasn’t Wrecker’s fault, and wants to make sure her big brother is all right.
The rest of the crew get their chips out as well, and then Hunter and Rex have a conversation outside the ship. Rex is working with others who oppose the Empire (we’re not sure who he’s talking to on his comlink–Ahsoka? I’d love her to make an appearance here, too, but I’d be surprised if she did. I suppose she doesn’t have to be in everything, lol.) Rex suggests to Hunter that he and his crew join him–that there’s still something to fight for in the galaxy; but Hunter tells him he has to do what’s right for his squad, especially Omega. But I believe, eventually, Hunter will decide to ditch the meaningless jobs from Cid or anyone else, and fight the good fight. Rex understands, and then walks away into the mist. I really hope we see him again!
I love how Wrecker apologizes to Omega for his attack, even though it wasn’t his fault. He feels so terrible, my heart breaks, lol. I’m really starting to love this guy (and to think he was my least favorite of the bunch in Clone Wars). If someone asked me who my favorite Bad Batcher was right now, I couldn’t tell you. I love them all so much! I’ve always been a fan of the clones since watching Clone Wars, but these guys are special. I guess I’ve got a soft spot for those who are born differently (my daughter was born with spina bifida, so I’m always cheerleading the differently-abled).
Anyway, at the end of the episode, they’re spotted by the “Scrapper Guild,” who alert the Empire. I’m guessing next week they’ll have to confront Crosshair again. I’ve read in different places that the BB’s might be able to remove Crosshair’s chip at that same facility, but I feel like it’s too soon to save Crosshair, that they need to have a few encounters with him as the enemy before anything can be resolved. But I could be wrong; we’ll see what happens.
So this was a great episode, and we finally got Wrecker’s chip crisis solved. Once it was addressed, it seemed to be over quickly, with minimal emotional turmoil, and I’m kind of glad, to be honest. I couldn’t bear it if they lost Wrecker, especially for Omega’s sake, and for once, it was a happy ending here.
What did you think of “Battle Scars”? Let me know in the comments, and we’ll talk about it!
Happy weekend, friends!
Not a lot to talk about this week, really. I loved the latest episode of The Bad Batch, and I’ll talk about that in Monday’s post.
I’ve been working on a post about the heroes of Star Wars–who are my top ten heroes of Star Wars, how would I rank them, and why. I haven’t written a post like this for awhile, and it’s been fun to work on. I’ll probably post that on Tuesday (since I’m not done yet, lol).
I finished my reread of The Light of the Jedi, and am currently rereading Into the Dark, by Claudia Gray. The next YA novel of the High Republic will be coming out in July, and it’s called Out of the Shadows by Justina Ireland. I am absolutely loving the High Republic stories, and am fully invested in these characters and this time. I think it’s because it’s familiar, in that it’s about the Jedi and the Republic (and the Jedi are my favorite part of Star Wars), but it’s also different because of the earlier timeline. I’ve always wanted to know a little bit more about the history of the Jedi, and we’re getting some here in the High Republic books. We’re also getting some tantalizing clues about how the Jedi were different, and what might have happened to lead them to become the kind of Jedi in the prequels (and subsequently lead to their downfall). I find it all very fascinating.
That’s really about it. I’ve noticed on Disney+ that Loki has premiered. I’m not a Marvel or DC fan at all (I don’t even know the difference, or which one he’s from, lol), but I do remember seeing a Thor movie with him in it (I just went along with some friends). I wasn’t too wowed by the movie, but I LOVED the character of Loki. He was the best part of the movie, lol. So I’m thinking about checking it out, even though I know nothing about the universe at all. I’ll probably be lost, but I’ll at least check out the first episode. Any DC/Marvel/Loki fans here? Have you watched the show, and what do you think?
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I’m continuing to enjoy The Bad Batch episodes, even though some people are starting to cry “filler!” I don’t understand that, I think each and every episode is adding to the story and creating more anticipation. Geez, what do these people want?
Anyway, I thought “Decommissioned” was a fine episode, with a surprise cameo of the Martez sisters from Clone Wars Season 7. I thought their story arc went on a little too long in CW, but I didn’t hate them or anything. So it turns out the BB and the sisters are both after a tactical droid in a Corellian factory where Separatist droids are being destroyed, or “decommissioned.” Both groups are after it for different reasons: the BB have been given an assignment from Cid, and have no idea who actually wants it; while it turns out the sisters are after it to help those who want to fight against this new Empire (seeing how the Clones are being used by the Empire, the tactical droid would know about their strategies and how to fight them).
I won’t go into details on what happened in the factory, but naturally the two groups have to work together to get out of the factory alive, with the tactical droid. The droid head ends up being destroyed, but Hunter gives the sisters the copy of the information inside its brain that Tech and Trace created. He knows they will put the information in it to good use, for something that matters. Raffa tells him that, in the end, everyone has to choose sides, which makes Hunter thoughtful. Yes, surviving is important, but at what cost? I have a feeling the Batch will eventually decide to fight this Empire that turned their world upside down, used their brothers for evil, and took their crew member, Crosshair, for their evil ends. It makes sense that they would do this, eventually, and I’m guessing once they meet up with Rex, they’ll be inspired to do so by him.
So who’s the contact Raffa talks to at the end of the episode? Could be Bail Organa. Could be Rex. Those are my top two contenders, and probably obvious. I don’t care which one it is; I’d love to see both of them (and we know we’ll eventually see Rex). And the fact that they have R7, Ahsoka’s droid, means she’ll probably be involved at some point, which is exciting. According to the novel Ahsoka, by E.K. Johnston, Ahsoka doesn’t meet up with Bail and become Fulcrum until a year after Order 66, and clearly it hasn’t been that long in this show. But events in books and comics can be tweaked, as we saw with the whole Depa Billaba and Caleb Dume thing in the first episode, Aftermath, which contradicts the Kanan comic (but only in the details). So it’s not out of the question that Ahsoka may make an appearance.
And Wrecker hits his head again, and then he says the dreaded words: “Good soldiers…” and I thought, oh crap, it’s happening! But he snaps out of it and he’s fine again. But it’s coming. Oh lord, it’s coming.
Other things I loved about this episode: Omega learning to use her laser bow. She’s not very good at it at first, which seems natural for most people, and Cid claims she needs to beef up her “noodle arms.” But Echo claims she just needs to tune out distractions. And that seems to be the case when she suddenly and effortlessly knocks off several droids later in the show. She says she just needed to tune out distractions, which sounds very Jedi-like. Or maybe I’m reaching, I don’t know, lol. I so want this girl to have the Force!
Also, this joke:
Dumb, but funny anyway! I bet Echo was waiting for someone to say that his whole life, lol.
I’m hoping to see more of Crosshair’s story soon, too.
What did you think of “Decommissioned”? Let me know in the comments, and we’ll talk about it!
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