My December Entertainment Update

Hello friends! Time to talk about what’s been entertaining me lately.

Quest of the Jedi Book 1: The Way of the Apprentice, by Jude Watson. I needed an e-book to read, and after not finishing the series The Last of the Jedi, lol, I decided to try this one. It’s the first in a series chronicling the adventures of a young Anakin and Obi-Wan. Like the other series, these are short junior novels, quick, fun reads. This one has Obi-Wan and Anakin sent to a planet in trouble with two sets of other Padawan/Masters that includes Siri and Ferus Olin (I’ve finally gone back far enough to meet him as a Padawan). The planet has been devasted by some kind of bio-weapon disaster, and the Jedi are supposed to help the planet evacuate. Of course, the story becomes more complicated than that, and it’s essentially a story about Anakin learning (or not learning) how to work with other Padawans. I’ve started Book 2, but got distracted by If It Bleeds, by Stephen King. I’ll get back to it.

Ahsoka Rewatch. I decided to rewatch Ahsoka since a friend of mine at work said he was going to watch it, so we could discuss. But he’s been so obsessed with Loki, he hasn’t even gotten past Part 2. Sigh. Oh well, I enjoyed the rewatch, and like it even better on the second watch. It all seems to come together better when you can binge it rather than waiting a week between episodes, idk. Part 5, Shadow Warrior, remains my favorite episode, but I also just adore Ezra, too. And Baylan continues to intrigue. So many great moving parts to this series, though it comes off a little clunky as a whole.

Parable of the Talents, by Octavia E. Butler. In Progress. I’m about halfway done with this book, and I’m totally engrossed. The sequel to Parable of the Sower, it tells of Lauren Olamina and her Earthseed group finally finding safety and relative peace at Acorn, the community they build together in northern California. But disaster and tragedy strike when The Children of Christian America, a fanatical religious group, descends on the community, enslaves the adults, and steals their children. Very difficult part to read, but Lauren finally escapes and is trying to find her infant daughter. I’m eager to see how this one ends. Butler had planned on a third book but unfortunately she died of a stroke in 2005 before she could write it.

If It Bleeds, by Stephen King. In Progress. I was feeling in a bit of a King mood lately, so I thought I’d check this one out. I’ve always enjoyed his shorter fiction, sometimes more than his novels. I’ve only just started the first story, so not much to report on this one. More next month.

Timeless Heroes: Indiana Jones and Harrison Ford. Saw this a few weeks ago and of course watched it. Harrison Ford and Indiana Jones are intrinsically linked, obviously, and this documentary was about both. I’ve always been an Indy fan but I have my favorites (Raiders and The Last Crusade). And I’ve followed Ford’s career but have by no means seen all his films. I also have favorites of those (Blade Runner, Witness and Regarding Henry are top notch). This doc follows Ford’s career, but particularly focuses on the evolution of the Indiana Jones franchise. I did like the interviews with Ford and I decided I like him a little bit better, as in the past few years he just seemed like an ungrateful jerk, lol. Perhaps just misunderstood, but in these interviews he really radiated a warmth concerning these films that redeemed him a bit for me.

New book announced: The Glass Abyss, by Stephen Barnes. I always get excited when new Star Wars canon books are announced, and this one is no exception. I’m really hopeful about this one, because, as you may know, I’ve never been a big Mace Windu fan. He’s just unlikable, lol. I want to like him, though, and in the past have tried to read the Legends Mace book, Shatterpoint, in the hopes of understanding why people love him so much. But I just couldn’t get into it at all. Maybe a canon book will do better for me, as I prefer canon to Legends. Anyway, this one comes out in August of 2024, so not for awhile. Steven Barnes wrote the Legends book The Cestus Deception, which I have on my shelf but haven’t read yet, lol.

Anyway, this is the plot summary:

The Jedi are reeling from Qui-Gon Jinn’s sudden death at the hands of a Sith. Jedi Master Mace Windu’s feelings about Qui-Gon have always been complicated, and have not been made any simpler in death. While they often disagreed, Mace valued Qui-Gon’s unique perspective, and their shared dedication to the Force made them allies. Without Qui-Gon and his unorthodox views, Mace feels out of balance.

While considering his fallen friend’s legacy, Mace is surprised to receive a final message from Qui-Gon, marked to be delivered to Mace on the event of Qui-Gon’s death. The message contains a last request: a plea to help the Outer Rim planet of Metagos.

Many years ago, a violent solar flare transformed the surface of the desert planet into a landscape of irradiated glass—as beautiful as it is dangerous. Now most of the surviving inhabitants live underground, where rival clans fight to control the planet’s limited resources. As a young Jedi, Qui-Gon protected the Sa’ad farming clan from the planet’s less scrupulous factions. The Sa’ad practice the art of dream-weaving, retaining their waking minds upon sleep in order to communicate and coexist with the wild creatures around them. Qui-Gon vowed to return if they ever required his aid, but now it falls to Mace to fulfill that promise. The Sa’ad’s leader, KinShan Nightbird, has begged for the Jedi’s help in freeing Metagos from the crime lords who threaten to eradicate her people’s way of life.

Intent on fulfilling Qui-Gon’s final wishes, Mace travels to Metagos and infiltrates the enemies of the Sa’ad. But as the Jedi Master investigates the intricate web of adversaries and allies, Mace finds himself pushed to the boundaries of the Jedi code, challenging his beliefs and his relationship to the Force itself.
Amazon

Sounds good to me.

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

My Entertainment Update for November

Hello friends! As I was busy in November doing my NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) Challenge, I waited until the end of the month to post my Entertainment Update, instead of mid-month. There’s a few things to talk about, so I’ll be as brief and to the point as possible.

Crimson Climb, by E.K. Johnston. At the beginning of the movie Solo, a young Han Solo attempts to escape the White Worm gang on Corellia with Qi’ra. He succeeds; she doesn’t. She gets dragged back to the White Worm lair and faces the consequences. This book covers the first year after her failed escape attempt: Lady Proxima punishes her and sells her to a violent criminal; she’s then plucked from him by an associate of Dryden Vos, and becomes a member of Crimson Dawn. The book tells of her rise in that criminal organization to Vos’ lieutenant, the Qi’ra we see later in Solo when Han meets up with her again. I enjoyed the book, though it wasn’t a page-turner for me. I get the feeling we’re going to get a Qi’ra trilogy from Johnston, in the same way we got a Padme trilogy from her. I do like this idea. I wouldn’t say I like Qi’ra; she’s done some pretty bad stuff. But I do admire her smarts and her drive to survive. I was going to do a post on other Qi’ra-related content (comics and books, etc) but got side-tracked by the Chat Pack, so maybe I’ll do that next.

The Eye of Darkness, by George Mann. The long-awaited first book of Phase 3 of the High Republic released this month, and I tore through it pretty quickly. After a detour into the past with Phase 2, we now go back to the Phase 1 characters we know and love: Avar Kriss, Elzar Mann, Bell Zettifar and Burryaga. I was particularly happy to see Avar Kriss as a main protagonist; after meeting and really liking the character in Light of the Jedi, the first High Republic novel, she then retreated mostly to the comics for the rest of the saga so far. I loved seeing her in action again in a novel. Another character I haven’t seen in a novel since LOTJ and whose been in the comics is Porter Engle, who is also one of the main characters here. Both he and Avar are trapped behind the Stormwall, an impenetrable barrier put up by Marchion Ro, leader of the Nihil. Ro has claimed a large portion of the galaxy, calling it the Occlusion Zone, and the people who live within it are at his mercy. Boiling it down, Avar and Porter are trying to find a way out, while Elzar Mann, and Bell and Burryaga, are trying to find a way in, but of course it’s much more than that. This book really deserves its own post, because it’s fantastic and I loved every minute of it.

Star Wars Myths and Fables, by George Mann. I downloaded this to my Kindle because I needed something to read there, and it was free through Prime, lol. And I’d just read George Mann’s High Republic novel and loved it, so why not read him again? This was very different from that, of course, as it’s set up as a telling of, well, myths and fables. These stories are straight exposition, as if told around a campfire or as a bedtime story. They’re fairly entertaining, and Mann does a good job here, but not my favorite type of story. Just something to read between the major Star Wars reads. I love the cover and wouldn’t mind having the hardcover on my shelf, though.

Parable of the Sower, by Octavia E. Butler. This is a dystopian novel published in 1993, but remains relevant and frighteningly prescient, considering the events of the book take place in 2024-2027. Lauren Olamina is a precocious 15 year old who lives with her family in a walled community in the suburbs of Los Angeles. It’s walled to keep out the thieves, beggars, homeless, drug addicts, and other desperate people who are willing to kill to survive. It’s not easy living within the walls, but it’s a death sentence outside them. Society has broken down to a point where there aren’t many jobs that pay decent money, or money at all, for that matter; some work for food and board. Some flee to corporate-owned towns and cities and basically become slaves to the corporations. Lauren’s father is a preacher, and teaches at the local college (who he’s teaching, I have no idea; illiteracy is running rampant), though it’s precarious travelling to and from work. One day he just doesn’t come home. That’s after her 14 year old brother runs away and decides to try to make it outside the walls; he’s found dead later, horribly mutilated. The police and fire fighters charge fees for their services, which most people can’t afford. Their community is destroyed by “pyro” addicts, who smash through the gate and set fire to the houses, killing people and stealing their things. Lauren, whose remaining family is killed, is set on her journey north on foot, with a few survivors, to try to find a new, safer life. She’s been preparing for this, and has ideas about a new way of living, a kind of new religion called Earthseed, in which “God is Change.” Life on the road is dangerous and heartbreaking, but she meets people willing to join the group and protect each other. I found this book engrossing and terrifying, mostly because it has elements that we already see in our society, but on a larger scale. I can totally see it happening if we’re not careful, if we don’t pay attention and take action. Anyway, there’s a sequel called Parable of the Talents, which I want to read, but I don’t know how much more human suffering and tragedy I can take right now, lol.

Loki Season 2. I’m going to be honest and say I didn’t enjoy this season as much as I did Season One. I started out with “I’m so happy to see these characters again!” to “I have no idea what’s going on” to “This is okay but not great” to “All right, this is pretty good” to “I have no idea what’s going on” again, to “This is really good but now I’m sad.” In other words, it was uneven for me. However, I loved the character arc that Loki went on during the entirety of Seasons One and Two. He’s come full circle, from his arrogant proclamation of “I am burdened with glorious purpose,” to his acceptance of the actual burden of his glorious purpose. In finding that purpose, he had to understand himself, find his heart, make some friends, and realize he needed to give up the people he loved in order to save them. To see him transform like that was very satisfying; I love a good redemption arc. But I was kind of hoping he was going to lead the TVA, not have to sit on that throne all by himself for eternity. But he’s doing what gods do, I guess. Or what they’re supposed to do. At any rate, I have mixed emotions: I’m glad he’s found his glorious purpose, but I’m sad by how lonely it must be. Will this be the last we see of Loki? It seems that way, but I wouldn’t count on it. I also watched Assembled: The Making of Loki S2, which I always enjoy watching.

Snowpiercer. I’ve had this in my Amazon Prime queue for a while now, and decided to finally watch it at the beginning of the month. The premise is this: the world has frozen solid from some last-ditch experiment of launching something into the sky that presumably would “fix” climate change. Instead, it turned the world to ice. The last fragments of humanity are travelling around this ice globe on a train that never stops, circling the world on an endless track for years and years. The problem is, the train is divided into the haves and have-nots. At the front of the train are the haves, I’m guessing the people who originally paid for a spot on the train at the beginning; while the end of the train is for the have-nots, who I’m guessing were desperate people who fought their way onto the train when things went south (or should I say north?). These poor souls are locked in the back cars, cramped and nearly starving, at the mercy of the will of the creator of the train, Wilford. Chris Evans is great as Curtis, who decides to lead a rebellion and bust his way through the train cars to the very front, where Wilford, and the engine, are. It’s quite a journey, and very violent, which I suppose makes sense. Interesting premise, and entertaining.

Whew! It seems like a lot, but I’ve been reading and watching these things since mid-October. What’s been entertaining you lately? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

Star Wars Chat Pack: How would a droid help you?

Hey, we made it! Welcome to Day 30 of my NaBloPoMo Challenge, where I randomly pick a card from the Star Wars Chat Pack.

Today’s question is: You’re given a droid in real life. What would you like them to help you with?

Heck yeah, this would be great!

My first thought was: car repair, please god, car repair. We’ve been having some car troubles, and I’m sick of dealing with it. An astromech or droid that deals with mechanical repairs would be most welcome.

We could have used this guy’s help today installing a car battery.

But that’s only an occasional need (usually), and I’m thinking something I could use every day. I’m often exclaiming to my husband, “I need a secretary!”

So my droid would be a protocol droid that’s a personal assistant. This droid would make the phone calls that I hate making: scheduling doctor appointments, or any appointments for that matter, dealing with health insurance issues, ordering medical supplies for my daughter.

Perhaps not Threepio himself, but a similar protocol droid.

This droid could also keep track of things I need to buy, be it food or other products, keep lists, keep track of finances (such as they are), and pay bills. Basically the usual stuff of running a household that takes up my time when I’d rather be reading or writing, lol.

Of course, some light housekeeping would be in order: dishes, laundry, dusting, sweeping, cleaning the bathroom, etc. My spouse helps with this stuff, naturally, but we’ll give him a break too!

The droid could also help me take care of my elderly father, maybe even watch over him when I’m not there. It would probably freak him out, though. Hey, he’s eighty-eight, what can I say?

I just thought of something else: a cooking droid!

As long as he just cuts vegetables with those knives, this guy could live in our kitchen.

I’m not much of a cook. My husband knew that when he married me, but I still feel bad making him do most of it, lol. A cook droid would be a welcome addition. I still think I’d take the protocol droid, though.

What about you? What kind of droid would you like to help you in your life? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

So this is the last Chat Pack post for this challenge. It’s been a lot of fun, and it made me think about Star Wars in ways I never have before, but I’m ready to move on to other things. However, I’ve only used 30 cards out of 100, so there’s 70 more to explore in the future! Maybe I’ll do a Chat Pack post once a month or so.

I want to thank everyone who took part in the challenge and answered the questions along with me, particularly Tim from the Canon Padawan (seriously, check out his site, especially if you love clones) and For Tyeth from FTsabersite (awesome lightsaber designs!). Thanks guys, for making this so much fun!

Star Wars Chat Pack: Which Star Wars character is most like you?

Welcome to Day 29 (we’re getting there!) of my NaBloPoMo Challenge, where I randomly draw a card from the Star Wars Chat Pack.

Today’s question is: Which Star Wars character is most like you? What traits do you share?

Let’s see. Not many! Star Wars is full of larger-than-life characters: brave, reckless, dangerous, devious, genius, ambitious, charming, you name it. I’m not really any of these things, lol. But I think I do share a trait or two with certain characters.

I’d like to think I’m kind and compassionate like Obi-Wan. Most of the time.

I tend to be studious and enjoy learning; I’d rather spend time in a library than go on adventures, like Reath Silas.

There aren’t many space-moms in Star Wars (Padme didn’t get a chance; Leia was a career mom who clearly loved her child but lost him). But I do like Miramir, Rey’s mother, and admire the lengths she went to in order to protect her child. Oh, and Shmi is a great mom, too.

I’m an animal lover, like Ezra. He’s also a little goofy, which I can relate to, lol.

And let’s not forget: I’m always hungry, like Grogu.

So not one person in particular; just certain parts of many characters. And I suspect that’s true for most of us.

What about you? Which character(s) are you most like? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

Star Wars Chat Pack: Would nine-year-old you go to the Temple?

Welcome to Day 28 of my NaBloPoMo Challenge, where I randomly pick a card from the Star Wars Chat Pack.

Today’s question is: You’re nine years old, like Anakin Skywalker, and a Jedi offers to take you away from home for training. Would you go?

No. As much as I love the idea of the Jedi, and think it would be cool to be one, at nine years old, I never would have left my family. It would have worked much better if I’d been taken at birth. That’s why the Jedi do it, of course. Less traumatic for the kids, and the Jedi can shape their young minds from the very beginning.

I was much too close to my family, as well as shy and reserved, and would not have done well in a new, strange place like that. Besides, my mother would never have allowed it. No one takes her babies, lol. Best to just let whatever powers I had fade away.

Besides, look what happened to Anakin. It didn’t end well, obviously. It began a chain of events that led to tragedy and the galaxy falling into darkness. Not that that would happen anytime they took an older child–there is precedent in the Order for taking in older Force-sensitive kids (Zeen in the High Republic, for example), but not to be trained as Jedi Knights. They can find a place of belonging, and fulfill other roles in the Temple. But Qui Gon was adamant that Anakin was the Chosen One and needed to be trained as a Knight, and I think this was what Yoda and the Council objected to. They were right, of course; but so was Qui Gon, from a certain point of view.

So, not me. What about you? Would you give up your family at nine to train as a Jedi? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

Star Wars Chat Pack: What fear have you faced?

Welcome to Day 27 of my NaBloPoMo Challenge, where I randomly choose a card from the Star Wars Chat Pack.

Today’s question is: Luke Skywalker says, “Confronting fear is the destiny of a Jedi.” Have you faced a fear? What happened?

Hmmm, we’re gonna get reeeaaal personal here, but here goes. Most of my fears have been tied up with being a parent. I’m telling you, you don’t know fear until you realize you have a tiny, helpless human being that depends on you for everything, lol. To stay alive, no less. I could never keep a plant alive, so I had serious doubts about my parental abilities. But the clock was ticking, as they say, and I decided to take a huge leap of faith. I didn’t want to wake up the age I am now and regret not experiencing parenthood.

Once I got over that, I was ecstatic when the good news came. But then, we received some bad news when I was four months pregnant: our baby girl had spina bifida. If you’re unfamiliar with it, it’s a birth defect that affects the spinal cord. It can cause all sorts of problems: mobility, for the most obvious example. She could end up in a wheelchair. Bladder and bowel problems. A shunt in the brain. Learning disabilities. And a host of other things I didn’t want to contemplate.

First, there was shock. Then grief. And then the most engulfing, all-encompassing fear I’d ever experienced. (Rage came later). How was I going to do this? I hadn’t been at all sure I was going to be a good mom to a typical kid. But a child with a disability? Medical needs? How would I work? Would my marriage fall apart with the stress? Why was this happening?

Once the tears were shed and I calmed down (somewhat, a long time later), decisions needed to be made. The doctors couldn’t answer our questions with any certainty (would she walk? would she have mental retardation? what will her life be like?), and I was angry they couldn’t. They’re doctors, not gods, but I wanted them to be; I wanted them to have a crystal ball and tell me exactly what I’d be getting into. But nothing was certain. I had to decide if I was going to make another leap of faith, and continue the pregnancy.

Of course, we were already firmly in love with her. I’d felt her moving inside me; we’d named her. She was our child. I wasn’t going to abandon her just because I was afraid. I had to face the fear. Not conquer it; I never would, in all honesty. I had to feel it, and go forth anyway. So we did.

It was the best decision I’d ever made. I can’t imagine my life without my daughter. And though it’s been challenging, it hasn’t been nearly as terrifying or awful as I thought it might be. She walks, although with braces on her legs, and her balance is a little precarious. She never needed a shunt in her brain. She has bowel and bladder problems, and though it’s challenging, we manage them. She has no sign of any learning disabilities. She’s a beautiful, smart, sassy, sweet, almost-fifteen year old, and though I still live with fears concerning her every single day, I am absolutely blessed to have her in my life.

Thanks for coming to my TED talk, lol. Seriously, though, I feel that if I can get through that kind of fear, I can do anything. And like I said, the fears never go away; they just change shape. You learn to live with them and deal with them.

So even though I don’t wield a lightsaber (and would probably hurt myself if I did), this is how I practice my Jedi powers on a daily basis, lol. Face the fear, feel it, let it pass, and keep going.

What about you? Have you faced any fears? It doesn’t have to be this personal. Maybe you jumped out of an airplane. Maybe you got up in front of an audience to make a speech; maybe you took a trip around the world by yourself. It doesn’t matter what the fear is. The point is in facing it.

Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

Star Wars Chat Pack: Whose closet would you raid?

Welcome to Day 26 of my NaBloPoMo Challenge, in which I randomly pick a card from the Star Wars Chat Pack.

Today’s question is: You get to raid the closet of a Star Wars character. Whose wardrobe do you pick?

Fun! I’m not much of a fashion maven myself, preferring simple things like jeans and hiking boots, but I can appreciate nice clothes when I see them.

My first thought would be Padme Amidala. Certainly not her Queen of Naboo outfits, as impressive as those are, but they’re way over the top. They did serve a purpose, however, as described in the Padme novels by E.K. Johnston. No, I’m talking about her “civilian” outfits, which are impressive in their own right, and downright beautiful. That girl had an outfit for every occasion. I did a blog post a while back about Padme’s outfits, I was so impressed with them.

All of Padme’s outfits are stunning, but perhaps a bit too fancy for me. Also, they’re made for a much younger person, lol.

Perhaps Qi’ra from Solo? We don’t see too many outfits for her in the movie, but what I do see, I like a lot. For a scrumrat from Corellia who wore rags as a child and teen, Crimson Dawn definitely cleaned her up and leveled up her fashion.

No nonsense mission attire, but still stylish.

More formal party garb, stylish yet understated.

I wish I could have seen more outfits for her, but she’s very close to being my closet pick.

However, I have to go with Leia Organa, because she truly dresses appropriately for every occasion. The only outfit I actively dislike is the white sheet wrapped around her in A New Hope. Her ceremony dress at the end is lovely, however.

Even as a general, she’s lovely and stylish.

Perhaps a bit dark, but for a mature woman, this outfit radiates power.

Even the more casual outfits–the Hoth whites, the Endor greens, the Ewok dress–she’s always lovely. In the books, particularly Leia: Princess of Alderaan and Bloodline, both by Claudia Gray, Leia is shown to know that fashion can be armor, or a weapon, or a distraction. She’s more like her mother than she knows in this. We’re not gonna talk about the bikini, though, lol. (Even though she rocks it).

What about you? Whose closet would you raid? For you gentleman, are you more a Han Solo or a Lando Calrissian? Or maybe you prefer the Jedi robes? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

Star Wars Chat Pack: What if Ben Solo never turned to the dark side?

Welcome to Day 25 of my NaBloPoMo Challenge, where I randomly pick a card from the Star Wars Chat Pack.

Today’s question is: What if Ben Solo never turned to the dark side? Would he still have a connection to Rey? Would the destiny of the galaxy-at-large be affected differently?

Ooh, this is a good one, and another Sequel question! But hard, because I’ve never been good with What If scenarios. Everything in the stories seem so pre-ordained, it’s hard for me to imagine if something was different. I see them a lot on Youtube and such: What if Anakin never turned to the dark side? What if Luke was brought up on Alderaan and Leia went to Tatooine? What if Padme didn’t die? What if, what if, what if….well, I dunno, lol. We’d have a completely different story, that’s for sure.

But this one intrigues me. I’m not sure why; maybe because I find Kylo Ren so fascinating; maybe because we never got to know Ben Solo; maybe because the concept of the dyad is so interesting to me. Whatever the reason, I’ll give it a go.

So first of all, if Ben never turned–if, for whatever reason, Palps never whispered poison into his ear–then I think perhaps his parents would have stayed together. It’s the pain of losing Ben that caused them to separate. I think Leia still would have become involved in the Resistance. She did that before Ben burned down Luke’s school and went in search of Snoke. Not much before that, but she did.

I think the Resistance would still be needed because the First Order would still rise. I’m getting a lot of this from the book Bloodline, by Claudia Gray, and it outlines how the First Order rose from the ashes of the Empire. So Leia would be a General still. What about Han? In the book Bloodline, he was involved in racing. Maybe he would have stayed with racing, or maybe he would have helped his wife in the Resistance, but I don’t think he would have gone back to smuggling. That was a knee-jerk reaction to losing his family.

So, Ben–he would have gone to Luke’s school. He never would have burned it down. He never would have caused Luke to question his loyalties. The school would have gone on, producing more Jedi to help in the fight against the First Order. Luke certainly wouldn’t have exiled himself to Ach-To. He wouldn’t be all “I failed my nephew and the Jedi Order sucks and needs to die,” etc.

So if Luke is not on Ach-To, then Poe would never have to go looking for a map to him, would never have gone to Jakku, would never have met a psycho named Kylo Ren and become his prisoner; Finn would never have been on Jakku, although he still might have had a change of heart somewhere else with some other atrocity.

So, no map in BB-8 going down to Jakku, no Finn or Poe crashing there. The Millenium Falcon would not be on Jakku, and Rey certainly would never have met Han. Rey would have just gone on with her awful life there, scavenging and waiting for a family that would never show. Or would she?

The other part of this question is, would Ben and Rey still have the dyad connection? I think so. Snoke claims he caused the connection between them, but I don’t think I believe him. Also, Palpatine was surprised by the dyad connection in TROS, but speaks of it as if it’s a thing. “Not seen for generations,” he says.

So they would still have the dyad connection, and because Ben never turned to the dark side, it would be truly what it was meant to be, a profound connection in the Force that makes them one. They get a glimpse of this at the end of TROS, when Ben goes to Exegol to help Rey. The whole lightsaber hand-off is rather mind-blowing, and probably just hints at what they might be capable of.

I think they would have found each other somehow. The connection is too strong and profound for them not to. Perhaps Ben senses it and goes in search of her. Can you imagine what they could do against the First Order, with other Jedi beside them?

But of course, that’s too easy. Our heroes need obstacles, things have to go terribly wrong, tragedy must strike, the odds must ever be against them–at least for a good story. It makes the triumph at the end that much sweeter. Maybe Ben would still die at the end, sacrificing himself to save Rey or something, I don’t know. But I believe they would definitely defeat Palpatine, just as they did in TROS.

Although it pains me that Han and Leia’s love child was manipulated and twisted to the dark side, it does bring more drama to the table (and borrows from Legends, as well, as one of their sons–Jacen–fell to the dark side). And Kylo/Ben’s redemption arc was satisfying.

What do you think about all this? How do you think it would have played out if Ben Solo never turned? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

Star Wars Chat Pack: What kind of Jedi would you be?

Welcome to Day 24 of my NaBloPoMo Challenge, where I randomly pick a card from the Star Wars Chat Pack.

Today’s question is: Scholar, diplomat, explorer, guardian–what kind of Jedi would you be?

I think I might have talked about this before, but I would be some kind of scholar. I would love to work in the Jedi Archives like Jocasta Nu, a kind of Jedi librarian. To have that kind of galaxy-wide information at my fingertips, and to help others access it, would be awesome. I’m a bookish-type in real life (if you haven’t already figured that out) and just wouldn’t adapt well to the more adventurous Jedi lifestyles.

Jocasta Nu naturally isn’t the only scholarly Jedi. In the High Republic, Jedi Master Cohmac Vitus was renowned as a scholar and a mystic. He didn’t work in the Archives, but he studied folklore and cultures as he traveled the galaxy. Cohmac eventually left the Jedi Order, as he did not believe the Order and the Jedi Code were made for what the galaxy was becoming in its fight against the Nihil.

Cohmac reminds me a lot of Qui Gon Jinn, who, while I wouldn’t call him a scholar, had studied the Prophecies and was a bit of a mystic. I believe Qui Gon, if he had lived, would not have participated in the Clone Wars, as the Jedi Code did not encompass Jedi being generals in a war. I think he would have, like Cohmac, left the Order, or perhaps become a Wayseeker of old, remaining a Jedi, but operating outside the supervision of the Order. It wasn’t really a thing anymore during his time, but I think he might have done it anyway, being the maverick he is.

Cohmac’s Padawan, Reath Silas, was much like his master, preferring the Archives to missions out in the galaxy. In fact, he would have been happy to stay on Coruscant forever and do his work in the Archives. Over time, he became more comfortable on missions (he kind of had to, as the Nihil increased their attacks), but it’s still not his favorite part of being a Jedi.

I think that’s why these Jedi are some of my favorites–I can relate to their interest in scholarly study, in learning, in ancient knowledge. While I think it would be cool to know how to use a lightsaber–and these Jedi do, of course; they just prefer not to have to use it–I wouldn’t relish a confrontation of any kind, lol. But a Jedi does what a Jedi must.

What kind of Jedi would you prefer to be? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

Star Wars Chat Pack: What if you had psychometry?

Welcome to Day 23 of my NaBloPoMo Challenge, in which I randomly pick a card from the Star Wars Chat Pack.

Today’s question is: Some Jedi can sense the history of an object when they touch it. If you had this ability, what item would you want to pick up and learn about?

I think this Force ability–called psychometry–is quite interesting, and seems rare. Jedi like Quinlan Vos and Cal Kestis have this ability, and can often sense feelings and/or see events linked to an object. Ahsoka, however, did this in her show with shards of the map to find out what happened to Sabine. I don’t recall her ever doing that before, so maybe it’s something that can be learned.

Anyway, what would I want to touch and learn about?

I can’t really think of anything in particular in my life or in the world in general, unless they’re mysterious historical objects. Historians or archeologists would love this ability–they can get information on just about anything they discover, without having to guess or piece together what it’s all about. Picking up artifacts, touching buildings (The Shroud of Turin? The Pyramids? etc). Mystery solved! That would be pretty cool. Or detectives trying to solve a crime, although the legality of such insights would be up for debate.

I recently read a book called “The Echo of Old Books,” in which the protagonist has psychometry, but only with books. She’s a used bookseller, naturally, and sometimes can get intense feelings from certain books. Joy, sadness, anger, whatever, of the person who last read that book. The point being that books can absorb these intense emotions, that some people are so attached to certain books that they leave an imprint behind on them. I think that’s a cool idea. I’d want images, too, though. Maybe it’s a little creepy, lol, but it would be neat to know who loved a particular book and why, how they felt about it, what part it played in their life. As a book lover, I feel like books are living things, breathing with not only the characters and the stories inside the covers, but also with the people who read them.

The only other thing I can think of is maybe something that belonged to a grandparent or an ancestor, and I could get a sense of their life. Memories, emotions, whether they were happy or fulfilled. We rarely know a lot about our forebears beyond our parents, at least in my case. It would be like an added tool in your genealogy research, bringing the facts you unearth to life. A window into their lives.

Old photos, coins, jewelry, or keepsakes of an ancestor would be great objects to learn about your family history.

Anyway, that’s what I’d get out of this particular Force power. What about you? What would you want to pick up and learn about? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!