Star Wars: The Bad Batch–Battle Scars

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!

My Star Wars Weekend Update

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).

Star Wars The High Republic: Out of the Shadows by Justina Ireland

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?

The Star Wars Reader Podcast: Queen’s Shadow

Here’s my latest podcast:

Star Wars Queen's Shadow : Paperback : Disney Lucasfilm Press : 9781368057943 : 1368057942 : 10 Mar 2020 : Written by the #1 New York Times best-selling author of Ahsoka! When Padmé Naberrie, "Queen Amidala" of Naboo, steps down from her position, she is asked by the newly-elected queen to become Naboos representative in the Galactic Senate. Padmé is unsure about taking on the new role, but cannot turn down the request to serve her people. Together with her most loyal handmaidens, Padmé must fi

Thanks for listening!

Star Wars: The Bad Batch–Decommissioned

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!

My Star Wars Weekend Update

Happy weekend, friends!

I don’t have too much to write about this week, just the usual stuff. I thought the latest Bad Batch episode, “Decommissioned,” was great, and will write about that in Monday’s post.

One thing I did do was finish my re-read of Light of the Jedi, by Charles Soule. This was simply to refresh my memory of the story in preparation for The Rising Storm, coming out on June 29th. It really is a wonderful book, a great introduction to the High Republic. I’ll probably write a post on it this coming week, just reflecting on some of the things I loved about it (and it will probably have spoilers, but I’ll warn readers of that). I’m now re-reading Into the Dark, by Claudia Gray, the first YA book in the series, since the next YA book, Out of the Shadows, will be coming out in July. I also loved this book, and will do a similar post.

Oh, one of the things I learned this week was that Qi’ra made an appearance in one of the comic series, The War of the Bounty Hunters, and in a big way. WOTBH is a big comic crossover event, but the gist of it is that Han Solo’s carbonited body had been stolen from Boba Fett en route to delivery to Jabba on Tatooine. From what I understand (I don’t read the comics, but I try to keep up on events through others’ reviews) Qi’ra and Crimson Dawn come into possession of Han, with Qi’ra’s big reveal at the end of issue one. She says that Han always wanted to save her, and now he has his chance.

I love this idea, as I loved the movie Solo, and I especially loved Qi’ra’s character. I’ve always wanted to know what became of her. Apparently, she’s still with Crimson Dawn, and of course Maul by this time is dead, so I’m guessing she’s running the show. Obviously we know that Boba Fett gets Han back and delivers him to Jabba, but it will be interesting to see how Qi’ra will play into all of this.

In kitten news, we’ve had Cosmo for a week now, and he’s settling into our household quite nicely. He’s a little rascal, as I’m covered in scratches, but that comes with the territory, lol. Everything is a toy to be played with, especially shoes and their laces, cords and wires, and any moving body part. He cries for attention, gets into everything (and I mean everything), knocks things over and off tables, and can be a general nuisance. He also will go to sleep in my lap while I’m at the computer, or curl up with me in bed, and vibrate his little body and mine with purring. I love him to pieces, lol.

May be an image of cat — =========llllll

How’s your weekend going? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

A Star Wars Book Review Podcast: Catalyst-A Rogue One Novel

Here’s my latest podcast:

If you’d like to check out my other episodes, go here: https://anchor.fm/tina-williams6

Star Wars: The Bad Batch–Rampage

In episode four, “Rampage,” the Bad Batch travel to Ord Mantell, where Echo knows of a Jedi informant that may be able to help them find out who is after Omega and why.

Once they get there, Echo admits he’s never met “Cid” and Tech, without a hint of irony, replies that it would have been nice to know that beforehand. Turns out Omega is the only one who figures out who Cid is (a female Trandoshan); is it the Force? Or just heightened instincts? The guessing game with Omega continues.

Cid says she can get them info on the bounty hunter they ran into, but only if they do a job for her (more Mandalorian echoes, but I don’t mind). She wants them to find a “kid” named Muchi who’s been kidnapped and is being held on the other side of the planet. If they bring the kid back to her, she’ll give them part of the bounty, and the info they’re looking for.

The Batch find a group of people being held by the slaver Zygerrians, and believe they found the kid. But they get captured; Omega, who had been sent back to the ship, flees some Zygerrians nosing around, and tries to help them escape. She frees a creature that turns out to be a baby rancor as a distraction. It also turns out that the beast is Muchi.

The rancor is an effective distraction, and Tech, Echo and Omega try to lead the captured people back to the ship, while Hunter and Wrecker fight off the Zygerrians and try to capture Muchi. Since the creature will submit to a strength hierarchy, Wrecker battles her until they’re both exhausted.

Once back at Cid’s, Bib Fortuna arrives and collects Muchi for Jabba the Hutt. Cid tells them that the bounty hunter that attacked them is Fennec Shand, but couldn’t find out who she’s working for. She gives them their portion of the bounty, and then offers Hunter (who she called “dark and broody”) some future jobs. Hunter replies that he’ll think about it, but Cid subtly threatens him, saying that they must be important if they’re being pursued by bounty hunters. The subtext being that she could haul them in herself if Hunter doesn’t do what she asks.

I thought this was a fun episode. Some people think that Muchi is the rancor that Luke fought and killed in Return of the Jedi, and while that’s understandable, she’s actually not–in the Aftermath book, we find out that Luke’s rancor opponent was a male named Pateesa. But if people who haven’t read the book want to think Muchi is the one from ROTS, it’s not a big deal, either. It’s just us book nerds who know the difference, lol.

I like how Omega came to the rescue and showed her strengths. I also love the big brother/little sister relationship between her and Wrecker–he high-fived her when Cid said that she was smarter than any of them. Of course, Wrecker had another headache in this episode, and it doesn’t bode well–I’m steeling myself for tragedy. I’m really hoping that it all works out in the end. (Please let it all work out in the end!)

The Batch are beginning to understand that not only do they have to sell their services to survive in this new world, but that they may be asked to do some–questionable–things. This time it wasn’t so bad, just retrieving a baby rancor, but it was for Jabba the Hutt, a known criminal. And if they work for Cid again (and they probably will, considering her threat), who knows what she might ask them to do in the future. They’ll have to decide how far they’re willing to go, for credits and survival.

It’s also interesting to consider that the Jedi used the disreputable Cid as an informant, showing how desperate they’d become during the Clone Wars, and how they had resorted to going against their principles. Definite cracks in the armor.

I just want to point out that I loved the laser bow that Omega picked up during the battle, and can’t wait to see her use it.

And as I watched and listened to Cid speak, I thought, I know that voice. Who is it? I couldn’t figure it out and had to wait for the end credits to find out it was Rhea Perlman. Oh yeah, of course! What do you know?

Anyway, a fun episode with some interesting implications.

What did you think of “Rampage”? Let me know in the comments, and we’ll talk about it!

My Star Wars Weekend Update

Hello there, and happy weekend to my Star Wars readers!

So last Wednesday was May 25th, which to fans is known as Star Wars Day because the original Star Wars film (now called A New Hope) was released on May 25, 1977. In honor of that, I re-watched ANH, since I hadn’t watched it anyway in quite a while.

I’m convinced it still holds up, 44 years later. Maybe I’m biased, but I enjoy it just as much now as I did as a kid watching it for the first time. More so now, I think. The funny thing is, I haven’t watched the new editions (when George Lucas tinkered with his original trilogy some time ago and made some additions and changes) that much, so they were still kind of a surprise to me. One thing stood out to me in particular: when Ben Kenobi made the sound of the krayt dragon to scare the Tusken Raiders off. The original sound he made is burned into my memory; but this new sound he makes–it’s just weird, in my opinion, lol. The old sound was like an elephant roaring or something, some beastly call. The new sound was like a person being strangled to death, I swear. It was so odd, and disconcerting.

Anyway, the other thing I wanted to mention was that in the last few scenes during the trench run, whenever Darth Vader was shown, I could see the actor’s eyes behind the lenses in the mask. Was that always the case? Because I swear I never noticed before, if so. But it was so clear, like that last scene in The Clone Wars when he’s holding Ahsoka’s lightsaber and looking up at the sky. Spooky. I’m wondering if that’s something Lucas threw in when he edited the film, or if I was just blind to it all these years, lol.

When I wrote my overview of Resistance the other day, I wondered if the Colossus had been at the Battle of Exegol. So I just did some quick googling, and there it was: on Wookieepedia, it stated that the Colossus received a distress call from Lando Calrissian, and showed up at Exegol, along with Yeager’s ship Blue Ace, and the Fireball, piloted by Kaz (I can’t believe that rickety thing made it through that rough ride to Exegol, lol). So there you have it. Now I just have to pick it out of the crowd the next time I watch The Rise of Skywalker.

I finished reading Clone Wars: Wild Space the other day, and will be working on a review. It was an interesting read: on the one hand, it was really fun; and on the other, the characters just didn’t seem to be in character, if you know what I mean. I’ll get into it more in the review.

The Bad Batch was another good episode, with some interesting events and revelations. I’ll be posting my thoughts on that on Monday.

I was hoping to get to another non-Star Wars entertainment this week, but I just didn’t get to it. I was hoping to watch Winchester, with Meryl Streep. After signing up for Netflix to watch Halston last week, I was scrolling around to see if there was anything else I wanted to watch and put on my list, and I saw Winchester. I remember seeing some documentary about this weird house a while ago, and when the movie came out I thought, I just have to see this. But of course I never got around to it. So I’m going to try for next week.

The big news in our house this weekend is that we got a new kitten! He’s a sweet little black kitten, and he’s just adorable. A couple of months ago, we had to put our 20 year-old ginger cat to sleep; she was just having problems and beginning to suffer. It was so hard saying goodbye to her, and I thought I wouldn’t be ready for another cat at least until fall or winter (I knew we’d eventually get another, as I must have cats in my life). And that was true up to a couple of days ago.

Then I saw a post on Facebook from one of our friends saying she has kittens she needs to find good homes for. There were two black kittens, and two tiger cats. I knew I wanted my next cat to be black, preferably a boy, as I’d only had females most of my life and wanted something different. Both the black kittens were boys, and I figured I shouldn’t let this opportunity slip by. So I contacted her, and all of a sudden, we have a kitten! He’s still figuring out who we are, and exploring the place, but he’s staring to settle down. Our daughter named him Cosmo, lol.

May be an image of cat and indoor — He tired himself out, lol.

So that’s about it this week. Hope you guys have a great day, and if you’re in the U.S., have a great Memorial Day tomorrow!

Star Wars Resistance: An Overview

So I finally finished both seasons of Resistance the other day, and I have to say it was worth the time. Really.

I know Resistance doesn’t get that much respect, or attention for that matter. And I understand why–it doesn’t have the same gravitas or stakes as The Clone Wars or Rebels. It was made for a younger audience, after all, and isn’t quite as dark or tragic. But does that mean it’s bad? Heck no!

Resistance is Disney/Lucasfilm’s animated answer to the sequel trilogy, just as Clone Wars was to the prequels, and Rebels was to the OT. So here’s the basic rundown:

Kazuda Xiono is a young New Republic pilot recruited by Poe Dameron to be a Resistance spy on the refueling depot called the Colossus. The Colossus is a huge station in the middle of the waterworld Castellon. Poe introduces Kaz to Jarek Yeager, a former Rebellion soldier who fought at Jakku. Yeager is now a mechanic on the Colossus, but is privy to Poe’s activities and helps him when he can. He reluctantly agrees to take on Kaz as a mechanic on his payroll, as a cover. Apparently there has been some First Order activity on the Colossus, and Poe (as well as Leia Organa) would like to know what might be going on there.

Poe Dameron and Kazuda Xiono star wars poster prints — Poe with Kaz

Kaz is enthusiastic in his new duty as Resistance spy, perhaps a bit too eager. He’s young and naïve, prone to boasting (he happens to be a very good pilot), but also friendly and sweet, and just a tad clumsy. Okay, a lot clumsy. Turns out he’s the son of a wealthy New Republic Senator on Hosnian Prime, and apparently his father has micromanaged his life thus far; Kaz is eager to do something to prove to his father that he can do his own thing. He also believes in the purpose of the Resistance. But nobody is supposed to know any of that, so he’s just a mechanic for Yeager. Kaz, though an exceptional pilot, is a terrible mechanic, which leads to some problems, as you can imagine.

Also under Yeager’s employ is Tamara Ryvora, a young woman who left home to be an ace pilot in racing, but lost everything and is now trying to save enough to get another ship. Another member of Yeager’s team is Neeku Vozo, a Nikto who is a very skilled mechanic and my absolute favorite character in Resistance. He’s just so sweet and kind-hearted, and takes everything quite literally, which leads to some very funny moments. He takes to Kaz immediately, but Tam, not so much. She comes around after a while, but mostly just criticizes Kaz constantly.

No Star Wars show is complete without droids, and Poe left BB-8 behind on the Colossus to help Kaz (until he comes back to reclaim him for a “mission to Jakku”, at which point he leaves behind another roll-y, CB-23, who is just as adorable). Yeager’s team has their own droid in Bucket, who literally looks like a bucket of bolts with a helmet on.

The Colossus is a refueling depot, but it also has racing–and it’s own team of “Flying Aces” that put on a race every week to entertain the crew and people who live there. They’re also supposed to protect the station, from pirates and other undesirables. They’re made up of a group that includes a Rodian named Hype (who’s pretty annoying, most of the time), an former Imperial, a woman with (strangely) a Russian accent, a guy in a yellow suit whose face we never see, and a young woman named Torra Doza, who happens to be the daughter of the mysterious Captain of the Colossus. Torra eventually becomes friends with Kaz, and over the course of the show, Captain Doza becomes less mysterious. Turns out he used to be an Imperial, but defected when he met Torra’s mother, a Rebel back in the day. We don’t meet Torra’s mother until the second season, however, as she’s a Resistance fighter now.

Anyway, Kaz tries to fit in and do his “spying” thing, and it turns out he does give Poe and Leia important information about the First Order, who’s been nosing around a lot. We see Phasma early on in Season One, but the main antagonist becomes a golden-armored stormtrooper named Pyre. The First Order wants the Colossus for its own fueling needs, and comes up with a plan to take it over: they hire some pirates to attack the station and make the Captain feel he needs to let the First Order onto the station to help defend it. Captain Doza increasingly feels uneasy with the agreements he makes with the First Order, until he decides enough is enough. The First Order aren’t willing to give it up so easily, and when they find out a Resistance spy is on board, they make it their business to occupy the station.

That’s the basics of it, and most of Season One; I won’t go into detail about everything, or much of Season Two (which is actually even better than S1) except to say that the Colossus is actually a space ship and takes off from Castellon, and the First Order pursues them relentlessly.

There are a few cameos besides Poe (who’s always fun) and Phasma; later we get General Hux, and even Kylo Ren. Once Poe comes back for BB-8 for that mission to Jakku, we know that the events of The Force Awakens is beginning; we even see Hux’s mad speech on Starkiller Base through a hologram. Things get pretty personal for Kaz just then–his parents live on Hosnian Prime, and when the planet is destroyed, he’s distraught, naturally.

The big crisis of the end of Season One and all of Season Two is that Kaz’s friend, Tam, joins the First Order. Naively, she feels the First Order are simply bringing order and safety to the station; when she finds out that Kaz and Yeager have been lying to her about being with the Resistance, she’s extremely angry (unreasonably so, in my opinion). She feels betrayed by the people she had come to see as family, and lets herself be recruited by a new character, Agent Tierney. (Another character named Rucklan, who’s kind of a jerk on the station, also joins. I had no idea that Elijah Wood voiced him until I saw it pointed out elsewhere, and then I couldn’t unhear Elijah Wood, lol). Season Two was about getting rid of the First Order pursuing their station, and getting Tam back into the fold.

I just found it a joy to watch Resistance, simply because it was entertaining and quite funny sometimes, and I knew my heart wouldn’t get ripped to shreds over tragic events. I even wish there was a Season Three that coincides with The Rise of Skywalker. I’d love to see the crew of the Colossus join the Battle of Exegol (maybe they do–there were a lot of ships that Lando brought with him, and maybe the Colossus is there; I haven’t taken the time to study all those ships–I’m convinced someone else did take the time and made a list of all the recognizable ships, so maybe it’s research time!)

If you’ve got some time on your hands and never watched Resistance, you might want to give it a go. Like all the other animated series, it takes a while to get going, and is geared toward the younger audience, but grows as it goes along.

And I haven’t even mentioned Flix and Orka: