My Star Wars Entertainment Update for July (& a bit of August) 2025

Hello friends! Hope your summer (or winter, depending on where you are) is going well. I’ve been busy working on a new writing project, so I decided I’m only going to blog in some detail about Star Wars entertainments for the time being and simply list the rest with a few lines (well, I’ll try, no promises!). Here we go!

(SPOILERS ahead!)

Star Wars Books:

Sanctuary, by Lamar Giles. You all know I’m a huge Bad Batch fan, so it’s no surprise that I was super-excited when I heard about this book. It’s finally here, and I read it in a day and half, lol (it’s fairly short at 328 pages and I dropped everything to read it).

It takes place in a very particular time-slot: just after Episode 13: Pabu from the second season. So no Crosshair or Echo, but with the added attraction of Tech still being there. I’m in.

If you remember, Pabu is the island planet Phee brings the Batch to in order to lay low after leaving Cid’s service; but while there, a devastating tsunami occurs. The community needs funds to rebuild, and in the book, Phee has come up with a few jobs that will help in that regard. One is procuring (ie, stealing) an expensive artifact from an auction put on by icky, rich criminals that they will then sell to a buyer, but it goes bad after Phee’s droid, Mel, screws up.

They get out with the artifact anyway and move on to the next job before going to the artifact’s buyer: picking up passengers on Mygeeto that want to get to Felucia. The woman they pick up is very pregnant and her companion’s face is covered by a mask. As fate would have it, the woman, Sohi, is wanted by an ISB agent named Crane who pursues them to the planet where the artifact buyer is. Turns out, the buyer, Cellia Moten, is a narcissistic murderer and they barely get away with their lives.

In the meantime, Crane has followed them there, and he’s after Sohi because she used to be a pupil of his in the spy game and they’d worked for the Separatists. She got away from him and wanted a different life, but he’s a bit obsessed and wants her back, calling her his “daughter.” He also wants her baby, his “granddaughter.” Turns out, Sohi’s masked companion is a clone named Ponder and the father of her baby (mystery solved! Clones CAN reproduce). After some trouble, they all get away and flee to Dallow, where Sohi gives birth and after some MORE trouble, escape both Crane and Moten.

So, the plot line here is fine, but I didn’t really care what it was, to be honest. All I wanted was to see the Batch in action again (which it delivered) and some character interaction and insight (which it also delivered). Every member of the Batch had their time to shine in this book, especially Hunter and Tech. Hunter was particularly intense, maybe a bit more than in the show, but his arc was to learn to let go of control, as well as to get more in touch with his feelings. I liked that we did get more of his special enhancement, which I felt was underused in the show. I also loved that Crosshair was mentioned, and that Hunter was personally struggling with his betrayal and absence. A dream sequence in which he talks with Crosshair is wonderful.

Tech was showcased mostly in his interactions with Phee, which I loved. I’m one of the people who loved their flirtation in the show, which was mostly on Phee’s side. But here, we got to go inside Tech’s head and see what he was thinking and how he actually felt about all that. And yes, it was slightly confusing for him, but he also had a growing affection for her. They had a really fun, sweet dynamic, and it just twisted the knife a little bit to know they’d never get to play it out fully. There was nothing too dramatic about it, just conversations, little touches, and them being totally unaware that time was short and that Tech would be gone in a matter of days or weeks. (I’m still not over it).

Wrecker had some wonderful moments, too, showing that he’s not just a big dumb muscle-guy. He’s got some good ideas, and he’s keenly in-tune with his team and has opinions on whether or not they should stay on Pabu. Omega is shown as the brilliant and capable kid she is, particularly with her medical skills that she garnered on Kamino with Nala Se. She remains the bright heart of the group, and her character didn’t really have an arc. She’s the optimistic Omega we’ve always known, and that’s okay.

The villains were fine, both of them crazy in their own way, but clearly dangerous. I felt like the book spent way too much time with them, frankly, but I understand wanting to flesh them out. Crane and Cellia wound up playing their own dangerous game with each other, which was kind of interesting, but also tedious, lol.

There was a lot going on in this book, but the author handled it all deftly; he knew the characters so well it was like watching an episode, but more, if you know what I mean. I loved it, and I really hope we get more Bad Batch novels in the future.

Star Wars Comics:

I don’t normally read comics, but every once in a while, I’ll check one out for a specific character that I’m interested in (like Obi-Wan Kenobi, for instance). Lately, there’s been a few that have piqued my interest:

Legacy of Vader, by Charles Soule (Marvel). This one’s about Kylo Ren and how he learns about his grandfather Darth Vader as told to him by Vader’s servant, Vane (pronounced “vanay”), as well as how Kylo goes about trying to “kill the past.” It’s seven issues in, and I’ve gotta say, it’s a little weird. I’ve always liked a bit more insight into Kylo, but this one is only making him seem more nuts than usual, lol. I’m invested at his point, though, so I’ll keep going. It takes place between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker.

The Bad Batch: Ghost Agents, by Michael Moreci (Dark Horse). Of course, I had to read the latest Bad Batch comics. This takes place during the Clone Wars, so no Echo or Omega, but Crosshair is still part of the team. The Batch are sent on a mission to retrieve intelligence on Republic spies that has been stolen by a Separatist agent. Spoiler: the agent is Asajj Ventress (and later, Aurra Sing). Ventress wears a mask, though, so they don’t know who she is, and won’t immediately recognize her later in the show’s third season, when she shows up on Pabu. The story of the comic was fine, but I didn’t particularly care about it; I just loved seeing the Batch together before being broken up by Crosshair’s betrayal in the show. The comic was four issues. I think there’s another Bad Batch comic down the pipeline, this fall, I think, and I’m sure I’ll check that one out, too.

The Rise of Skywalker Adaptation, by Jody Houser (Marvel). I don’t usually read comic adaptations of movies or shows, but I heard this one was pretty good (courtesy of Star Wars Explained) because it had a little bit of extra stuff that gave insight into some characters. There’s extra dialogue and scenes with Leia, as well as Kylo Ren and Rose Tico, that was great. This one was five issues.

Star Wars: Hyperspace Stories: Codebreaker, by Ethan Sacks (Dark Horse). This one is a Poe Dameron story, and since he’s one of my favorite characters, I had to check it out (I need to check out some earlier Poe comics, as well). Poe must infiltrate a First Order base and retrieve some code-breaking technology; however, the codebreaker turns out to be a young Cerean girl that he then has to protect and save. Again, the story is fine, but I just love listening to Poe’s snark, lol. There are four total issues, and three are out right now. The fourth will be published in October.

Other Entertainments: I’ve read and watched quite a few other things lately, such as:

Books:

Gathering Blue, Messenger and Son, by Lois Lowry. I read The Giver in June and found out it was the first in a quartet, so naturally I had to read the others! These fantasy books, though written for middle-grade, are fantastic.

The Ferryman, by Justin Cronin. I loved Cronin’s series beginning with The Passage, and thought I’d check out this stand-alone novel. It’s a great “what in the world is really going on here?” book, and the answer is satisfying indeed.

All The Water in the World, by Eiren Caffall. This book takes place sometime in our near future when climate change has caused horrific storms and polar melt that has flooded coastal regions. It focuses on Nonie, a young girl who has been living on the roof of the American Natural History Museum in a flooded New York City. She and her sister, Bix, her father, and their friend Keller, survive a “hypercane” that destroys their home, so they embark on a dangerous journey to the Berkshires (not far from where I live in Massachusetts, by the way) to a family farm and hopefully a new, better life.

On the screen:

North and South (BBC). Just randomly saw this on Youtube and decided I was ready for another period drama. It’s based on Elizabeth Gaskell’s book North and South, published as a serial in 1854-55, at the time of the Industrial Revolution. Love amid the soot of Northern England, lol. It’s more than that, obviously; it’s about worker’s rights, the clash between the factory owners and the workers, the horrific conditions of the poor. A highlight for me was that it starred Richard Armitage, who I only know as the “hot dwarf” Thoren Oakenshield from the Hobbit movies, lol. North and South is made up of 4 one-hour episodes, and I loved it.

High Rise. Tom Hiddleston, people living in a high-rise apartment building in some sort of dystopian scenario where the rich live on the top and the poor live on the bottom, what’s not to love? Answer: this entire movie. I don’t say this about many movies, but this one was BAD. Not just, “Oh, it’s not really my thing,” but a really awful, terrible, horrible mess of a movie. Nothing, and I mean nothing, made sense in this whack job. Two hours of my life I can’t get back. Maybe I just don’t “get it,” in which case, it’s painfully pretentious.

Fantastic Four. Now, this is a good movie. A Fantastic movie, in fact! I really liked the 2005 movie and its sequel, The Silver Surfer, despite not being perfect; the 2015 reboot was totally forgettable; but this one! Ah, perfection. At least to me. I loved everything about it, from the great cast, the omitting of the origin story (who needs to see it again?) and the futuristic retro look of an alternate timeline Earth. The sixties vibe was so cool. It’s enough to make me excited about Marvel again, when my interest has been waning lately. Super fun and good storytelling.

Star Trek: Enterprise rewatch. I’d been casting around for a new show to watch, but couldn’t decide on anything, so I went for an old favorite. Enterprise ranks probably second after The Next Generation for me, and it’s been years since I watched. Super fun.

So, I tried to keep this as brief as possible, but if you’re still with me, thank you and I’m impressed! Have you read/watched any of the above-mentioned? What’s been entertaining you? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

Andor S2 Thoughts, Part 3

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Bad Batch Season Premiere Thoughts (Eps 1-3)

Season 3 of the Bad Batch is finally here and I’m so excited!

As you may know, Disney+ dropped the first three episodes together: “Confined,” “Paths Unknown,” and “Shadows of Tantiss.” I’m just going to briefly go over the plot of each and give my thoughts. This one will be a bit longer than usual since there are three episodes to discuss.

So just to be clear: SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It actually starts with a recap of Season 2 and the very first thing we hear is Tech’s words: “When have we ever followed orders?” Yeah, okay, thanks for that, I can see how this is gonna go already, lol. Heartbroken jokes aside, I think it signifies that Tech’s absence will no doubt haunt the entirety of Season 3 (whether or not he “comes back” has been hotly debated since the S2 finale, and though I have thoughts on that, I’m just going to wait and see).

Anyway, “Confined” begins on Tantiss with where Omega and Crosshair are at physically and emotionally. Omega is in a Groundhog’s Day type of existence, helping Emerie everyday with her lab chores, as well as feeding the lurkhounds in their kennels. Emerie tells her she’s not a prisoner, but this just shows how blind she is to her own servitude. It will be interesting to see how Emerie develops over the course of the season. Emerie takes Omega’s blood for testing every day, along with all the other clones, but Nala Se secretly disposes of it. Questions that began in S1 pop up again about Omega and what’s so special about her, questions that have been nagging me all along. But more on that later. She helps and befriends one of the lurkhounds, which she names Batcher, an obvious metaphor for the Batch themselves. Batcher is different and the Imperials conclude she’s useless and slates her for termination; the same could be said of all clones, not just Clone Force 99. You just know that Batcher is going to be important somehow later on.

Crosshair, meanwhile, is quite defeated, slumping along with the other clones, laying morosely on his cot in his cell. He’s totally given up, and he doesn’t care. Omega sneaks down to his cell when she can and talks of escape; he tells her not to bother with him, not to waste her time on “lost causes” like the lurkhound and himself. He tells her he belongs there, obviously punishing himself for all the things he did while with the Empire. Omega tells him that none of them belong there. She’s not going to give up, on escape or on him. It’s not clear if Omega told him about Tech’s death, but I’m going to assume she did until I learn otherwise. If so, maybe he partly blames himself. After all, they were trying to find him (at Tech’s urging), and their plan to get intel on his whereabouts caused Tech’s death (as well Saw Gerrera’s not-very-well-thought-out attack on Eriadu. In fact, I totally blame him. But I digress.)

“Paths Unknown” shifts to Hunter and Wrecker, the only two of the Batch still together, as Echo is off with Rex somewhere. They get some intel on an Imperial lab from Isa Durand and her son, Roland, who we met in S1 when he took over Cid’s parlor. I actually kind of like Roland, lol. His mother, on the other hand, is an icicle.

Echo and Rex can’t meet up with them for two more days and Hunter decides to go without them. Surprisingly, it’s Wrecker who is the voice of reason: he says the last time they infiltrated an Imperial base, not all of them came back. Hunter won’t wait, which further shows his desperation to find Omega. The fact that they messed with the Pykes for the Durand intel shows how far Hunter is willing to go.

So off they go to find this lab, but unfortunately, the intel is outdated: the lab was destroyed by orbital bombardment. They meet up with some young clones who escaped the lab and have been living in the jungle on their own. They surmise Hunter and Wrecker are “99s, defective.” Wrecker’s response, “Defective AND effective!” is perfect, and obvious t-shirt material. Anyway, the young clones explain that the Imperials destroyed the facility when they lost control of one of their experiments, which they face soon after–slithervines that have overrun the lab. They bring them to Mox, a slightly older cadet, who is impressed by their loyalty to Omega, but won’t help them because it’s too dangerous. Deet, one of the younger ones, wants to help, however, and he leads them to the lab. There’s a control panel there that might have some intel that could point the way to where they might have gone. They bring Gonky along for power, and get some intel, but are attacked by an even bigger vine-monster. The other two boys decide to help (after thinking about stealing the Marauder and leaving) and get them out. The intel only gives them a sector to search but it’s better than nothing. Hunter tells the young clones they’ll drop them off on Pabu where they can decide who and what they want to be.

“Shadows of Tantiss” goes back to Omega and Crosshair on Tantiss. Turns out that the Emperor is making a visit to the facility to check on Hemlock’s progress with “Project Necromancer.” Hemlock wants Nala Se to be with him, so she can’t dispose of Omega’s blood like before. She warns Omega that she must leave; she tells her to take her datapad and find a shuttle to get off the planet. Omega won’t leave without Crosshair, however; she runs down to his cell and convinces him to distract the guards, which he does. She brings them down to the kennels to escape through Batcher’s empty tunnel to the outside; she plans on finding the shuttle that had crashed in the first episode and using the communications system to contact Hunter and Wrecker. Emerie finds them first, however, and calls for backup before Crosshair stuns her. The flee into the wilderness with lurkhounds and Imperials following. The communications system in the downed ship doesn’t work and Omega begins to despair. But Crosshair tells her they’re not done yet and they execute Order 72, which apparently means split up and surprise the enemy from two sides. Batcher helps out and they commandeer the Imperials’ shuttle.

They’re pursued by fighters and probably wouldn’t have gotten away except for one thing: Omega’s blood count shows that she’s a match for what they’re looking for– a high M (midichlorian)-count with no degradation. This is what they’re looking for in Project Necromancer, which I presume is how the Emperor is trying to achieve immortality–transferring his essence into a Force-sensitive clone of himself, which tracks with what we’ve seen in the Mandalorian and the Sequel Trilogy.

Anyway, Emerie makes the discovery and tells Hemlock to break off pursuit, since they’ll need Omega alive. Omega and Crosshair jump into hyperspace and get away. Hemlock calls it a “minor setback,” as he has all the resources of the Empire behind him.

There’s SO much I loved about these opening episodes, especially the dynamic between Omega and Crosshair. Crosshair’s got a long way to go, but I’m glad to see he’s still got some spark left in him, and that he’s softening toward Omega. Just a little bit.

I’m also gratified to learn about Omega’s high M-count. It doesn’t mean that she’s Force-sensitive, I guess, but maybe she has a strong potential if taught. Certainly more so than Sabine. If Sabine can learn, who presumably has a very low M-count, then Omega has huge potential. I flirted with the idea of Omega being Force-sensitive early on during the first season; I even made a post about it outlining my “evidence.” But then nothing came of it and I gave up on the idea. So I’m loving this interesting turn of events and I’m eager to see where it all leads.

A very satisfying opener for Season 3, and I can’t wait for the next episode!

Oh, and side note: we get a very brief glimpse of the assassin that’s in the trailer, the one similar to the clone assassin in S2 that went after Senator Chuchi. Of course, there’s been a lot of speculation about who this might be: Cody? (I don’t think so). Rampart? (Maybe? But again, I don’t think so). Tech? (Gahh!!!) It could very well be no one special, just another clone, but I have a feeling it’s someone we know, or they wouldn’t have (briefly) called attention to him right now. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see on that, too.

Oh, side note #2: Crosshair’s tremor. This is an interesting development. Not surprising, considering the trauma he’s been through, but it will definitely affect his sharpshooting skills. He’ll have to reconsider his future, what he may want to do or be going forward, like the rest of the Batch has had to do this whole time. A tall order for a man who followed the Empire, in part, because he didn’t know what else he could be besides a soldier. Anyway, no more side notes or I’ll go on forever, lol.

What did you think of these episodes? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

My Top Five Favorite Episodes of The Bad Batch Season One

As a Bad Batch fan, I would argue that I love ALL of the episodes, lol. And I do. People like to throw around the word “filler” a lot, but I believe that each and every episode has something to offer as far as characterization or plot. Some are just plain fun, and why not? However, I do have favorites, and I do believe that some are “more important” than others. Here are some of my favorites from Season One:

Aftermath. This is the 76-minute premiere of S1, and it’s still one of my favorites. Out of all episodes of Seasons 1 and 2, I think I rewatch this one the most. I love how it transitions from Clone Wars to something new: it starts with the traditional Clone Wars narration, setting the stage for us. But the Clone War ends at the beginning of this episode, with Order 66 (yes, we have to go through it again). I love how we see a young Caleb Dume, who will grow up to become Kanan Jarrus, an integral part of Rebels. And I love how Hunter lets him go.

The premiere reintroduces us to Clone Force 99, who we met at the beginning of Season 7 of Clone Wars. When I watched that arc, I thought they were a little strange and definitely stereotypical characters. They grew on me, but I didn’t think much of them afterward. But this show about them has to go deeper into their characters and make them more three dimensional, and I think this first episode succeeds in that.

This show sets up the premise of the entire first season: the Batch, because of their defects, are immune to Order 66. Except Crosshair. Not only do they have to figure out where they fit in this new Empire, but they have to deal with a schism in their squad and how it affects them. They’re now deserters, with a former brother going after them.

And they meet Omega, their younger clone sister, which adds another element to the mix. Who is she? Why was she created? How will she fit into their squad, and how will that affect them all?

There’s a lot going on in this first (long) episode, and it’s a great introduction to the series.

Rex leads the Batch through the Bracca shipyards.

Battle Scars. Episode 7 sees the return of Rex, and the Batch getting their inhibitor chips removed. Rex takes them to Bracca (known from the game Jedi: Fallen Order, where Cal Kestis hides after Order 66) to an old Jedi Venator’s medical facility, the same kind of place he had his chip removed with the help of Ahsoka. By this time Wrecker has been suffering from frequent head bangs and headaches and his chip is dangerously close to activating. Which it does before they can get the chip out, and he is positively terrifying as he goes after them, intent on destroying them. Even Omega, who he’s formed a close bond with. They finally get him under control, all their chips are removed, and Hunter discovers Rex is covertly working against the Empire. Rex tells them they would be a great help, but Hunter replies he must do what’s best for his squad. Rex disappears into the mist, and we just know we’re going to see him again for another mission.

Reunion. This is Episode 8 and a kind of Part Two to Battle Scars, as it takes place on the Jedi Venator. The Batch decide to salvage some weapons on the ship for Cid to pay off some of their debt to her, but the Scrapper’s Guild has spotted them and alerts the Empire. It’s Crosshair who shows up, and he’s relentless here, going after them with a malicious zeal. They finally escape, but Hunter has been shot and Omega has been kidnapped by Cad Bane, who’s been hired by the Kaminoans to get her back for her special Jango-DNA.

Return to Kamino. Episode 15. In a previous episode, the Batch does Rex a favor and rescues Gregor from an Imperial facility, but in so doing, Hunter gets captured and is brought back to Kamino. Crosshair uses him as bait to lure the others to Kamino as well; we think it’s just to kill them, but no: Crosshair wants to convince them to join him in the Empire. He reveals that he’s had his inhibitor chip removed “a long time ago,” and is giving them a chance they never game him. “Don’t make me your enemy,” he says to them, to which Hunter replies, “Crosshair, we never were.” So I get the feeling he never wanted to kill them (or at least, no longer wants to kill them since having the chip removed) but wants to get them back on his side. It’s not going to happen, of course, and by this time Rampart is done with these clones and orders the destruction of Kamino.

The Batch watches Kamino smolder in the distance.

Kamino Lost. In Episode 16, the season finale, the Batch and Crosshair must find a way off of Kamino City, which has been totally devastated by Rampart and has sunk to the bottom of the ocean. As they traverse the dangerously unstable structure, trying to find a way out, they bicker and argue with Crosshair, who is still bitter, “severe and unyielding,” as Tech describes him. Omega even saves his life with the help of AZ, and he’s still a jerk, lol. What’s interesting in this episode is that we find out that Omega was created before the rest of them and is technically older than they are. They eventually find a way out, and Crosshair returns the favor and saves Omega and AZ from drowning. But back at the Marauder, they offer him a place with them and he refuses. “I’ve made my decision,” he says, and turns his back on them. Even after being left for dead and abandoned by the Empire, he remains loyal. I feel like this is at least part stubbornness on his part. He’s done such terrible things, I think he has to believe he’s on the right side. Or maybe he doesn’t think he deserves to rejoin them. Or maybe he really does love the Empire. Or all of these things, I don’t know. Crosshair’s character arc is truly the most compelling in the series, and continues in Season 2, which I’ll talk about in the next post.

What’s your favorite episode(s) from Season 1? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

My Entertainment Update for January 2024

Hello friends and welcome to my entertainment update for January! Here’s what’s been entertaining me lately:

The Golem and the Jinni, by Helene Wecker. This book caught my eye when it first came out in 2013 and has been on my mental book list ever since. I found this used edition at my local Salvation Army for a few bucks and decided it was time to read it. It’s about two magical creatures from two different cultures: a golem from Jewish tradition and a jinni from Arabic culture. A golem is a being made from clay in human form and brought to life, meant to protect their master. A jinni (genie) is, well, you know; but my understanding of these spirit creatures is being expanded by this book.

The “present” of the novel takes place in turn-of-the-century New York City, but we get flashbacks of the Jinni’s long life in Syria, though he doesn’t remember how he was put into the flask in which he is found by Arbeely, a tinsmith in Little Syria. Turns out he was imprisoned by a wizard a thousand years ago. The golem, on the other hand, is very new, having been created by an old rabbi wizard named Shalmaan in Poland for a man named Rotfeld, who wanted a wife and companion as he embarked on a journey to the New World. Unfortunately, Rotfeld died on the ship over from a burst appendix, and the golem is left alone. In the city, a Rabbi named Avram recognizes what she is and takes her in to help her. Both creatures must learn to navigate this bewildering new world.

It’s a big book (over 400 pages) and it’s a slow burn; I’m about a fourth of the way through and they haven’t met yet. I’m reading it rather leisurely, but it’s very intriguing and compulsively readable. I’ll check in again when I finish it, hopefully at next month’s update.

Cobalt Squadron, by Elizabeth Wein. This is a junior novel that takes place between The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, centering on Rose Tico and her sister Paige. I’ve been in the mood for more sequel stories, and this is one I hadn’t gotten to yet. We see Paige Tico die at the beginning of The Last Jedi in the bomber run against the First Order, and Rose later grieving for her. We are led to understand that they were very close, but we don’t get to see that in the film. So we get it here in this book, as they serve together on the bomber Hammer of Cobalt Squadron. The bombers of Cobalt and Crimson Squadrons are on a mission to help Atterra Bravo, a planet that’s being blockaded by The First Order. They must perform a series of supply drops to the planet while evading asteroids (some of which are armed with automatic cannons) and First Order TIE fighters. The bomber supply runs are dangerous and nerve-wracking, but Rose remains brave and determined as long as her sister Paige is in the gunner turret. In fact, Rose can’t imagine going on a mission without her sister. By the end of the story, she’s ready to be separated from Paige, after the destruction of Hosnian Prime puts them on different ships–Rose on Amilyn Holdo’s Ninka, and Paige on the Hammer, where she’ll be killed. It’s a sad foreknowledge, but I enjoyed this book where they could serve together one last time.

What If… S2. I’ve been a bit picky about the Marvel projects I’ve watched lately, having skipped most of the live-action shows and only viewing the latest movies (the notable exception being Loki Season 2). I enjoyed the first season of the animated show What If…? but when I saw that Season 2 was out, I thought, meh. I don’t know why, I guess I just wasn’t ready. But once I finally watched the first episode, I was hooked all over again. Each episode just got better and better. While the episodes explore variations of our heroes (and villains) in several different multiverses, there is an over-arching story arc involving Peggy Carter aka Captain Carter, continuing on from Season 1. I wasn’t particularly interested in her at first, but she’s grown on me. I loved every single episode here; they’re super fun, often hilarious, and could be heartbreaking as well. I also love how at the end of the last episode, the multiverse here is somehow connected to the World Tree multiverse that Loki is now holding together, though only vaguely. I’m hoping we’ll get more information on that in a Season 3.

Echo. This series is billed as a “Marvel Spotlight” as it’s only five episodes long, just long enough to focus on Maya Lopez, a character introduced in the Hawkeye series. While that series didn’t wow me as much as I’d have liked, I was intrigued by this character who is deaf and has a prosthetic leg. That doesn’t stop her from being totally badass, of course. There’s plenty of action here, but the heart of this series is Maya’s story. We got a little bit of it in Hawkeye, but it’s expanded on here, and let me tell you: it’s fantastic.

Maya comes from a long line of gifted Chocktaw women, and her Native heritage is front and center in this show. The crux of Maya’s story is her need to choose between her birth family in Oklahoma (which includes her estranged grandmother Chula, her cousin Bonnie, another cousin named Biscuits, and her uncle Henry); and her uncle in New York who happens to be the villain Kingpin. I don’t know much about Kingpin, other than he runs a criminal empire. He also loves Maya very much (or what seems to serve as love, for him). After her father died, he took her into his organization and she became an integral part of it, doing a lot of his dirty work. Fueled by rage and a sense of abandonment by her birth family, it took Hawkeye to open her eyes to her uncle’s ruthlessness. Oh, and he killed her father. At the end of the Hawkeye series, she shoots Kingpin in the face, believing him dead.

But of course he’s not. He pursues Maya to Oklahoma, presumably to kill her, but really to try to make amends and bring her back into the organization. But Maya’s having visions of her ancestors and must decide who she wants to be and where her loyalties lie.

I didn’t think I was going to watch this series, but I’m so glad I did! Don’t sleep on this gem if you can help it.

In Star Wars news, we got some pretty exciting announcements lately, such as:

The Mandalorian and Grogu movie, Ahsoka S2 announced. On top of the three movies that have been talked about the past few months (the Rey New Jedi Order movie, the James Mangold Dawn of the Jedi movie, and the Dave Filoni Mandoverse movie), suddenly out of nowhere we get an announcement stating there will be a movie about Din and Grogu called, originally enough, The Mandalorian and Grogu. There was some debate about whether or not this movie will replace a season four of The Mandalorian, but I think the consensus is that it will not. There will be a S4 of The Mandalorian and this movie. At some point. There are no anticipated release dates for any of these films or shows, including the near-afterthought announcement of an Ahsoka Season Two. I was happy to hear about that. Of course, as is always the case, things may change. I’m just going to sit back and wait and see what they bring us and not hold my breath for anything, lol.

Bad Batch S3 Trailer. And of course, we got the first trailer for The Bad Batch Season 3, which I’m super-excited about, as you may imagine. I posted a brief reaction to the trailer the other day and am just counting down the days to February 21st when it premieres.

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

The Bad Batch S3 Trailer is here!

Okay, Bad Batchers, it’s finally here!

I came home from work last night and the internet was abuzz with the long-awaited new trailer for Season 3. The show premieres on Februray 21st with three, count ’em, three episodes. Woo-hoo!

Here’s the trailer if you haven’t seen it yet:

I don’t normally break down trailers, but let’s talk about this, because I’m super-excited.

We see a lot of familiar faces returning here: Phee, Rex, Fennec Shand, Cad Bane, Hemlock, of course, besides the Batch, which seems to be made up of Hunter and Wrecker at this point. I didn’t see Echo at all, but maybe he’s on Coruscant helping Rex and Riyo Chuchi? At one point, and you’ll miss it if you blink, it looks like Crosshair is in a vehicle with Hunter-or at least someone in Crosshair’s armor. So maybe he somehow escaped Tantiss, and now they’re going back for Omega?

We see Omega at one point passing Crosshair on Tantiss (and he looks quite defeated), Omega in a room being scanned somehow as she’s holding a tray or something, and Omega looking fierce as she pilots some kind of ship, perhaps.

We see another one of those weird assassin clones that we saw in Season 2, and I was soooo scared it might be Tech, but then we see the guy without his helmet talking some poo-doo, and he looked just like the reg clone from before. Whew! But then, at least he’d be alive. Or it could just be trailer trickery…at any rate, we’ll have to wait and see how that debate turns out.

It seems that lovely Pabu finally sees the arrival of Imperial troops. But I’m not worried–Shep told Hunter that if they do come, they’ll be ready. I believe the mysterious Arkium holds the key, but again, we’ll see.

The biggest and most shocking surprise is at the end of the trailer, when we see none other than Asaaj Ventress make an appearance! She’s clearly in her Light-side form, as seen in the novel Dark Disciple, with her blonde hair and yellow lightsabers. Readers of the book may well be confused, because in that book-spoiler!-she dies, at least several years before the events of this series. But I trust that the writers know what they’re doing, and I’m pretty excited to see her in the show. All will become clear.

Needless to say, I can’t wait for February 21st. We even have a list of episodes and their air-dates:

What do you think of the trailer? What are your hopes for Season 3? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

Star Wars Deep Dive: Is Ahsoka Tano a Jedi Even Though She Left the Order?

Welcome to the first installment of my Star Wars Deep Dive.

These are questions I might ponder now and then or that have been brought up in the fandom before and discussed and picked apart, possibly ad nauseum, but that I’d like to give my particular thoughts on. I ask these questions, not because I have a definitive answer, but because I want to know what I think, lol. So here we go!

Ahsoka walks away from the Order…and Anakin.

In Clone Wars Season Five, Ahsoka Tano leaves the Order after undergoing a trial that accuses her of setting a bomb in the Jedi Temple. Barriss Offee turns out to be the treasonous Jedi, and Anakin proves to the court that Ahsoka is innocent. But Ahsoka feels the Jedi Council did not support or stand by her during this crisis. Feeling betrayed, she walks away.

The question: Is Ahsoka still a “Jedi”?

Perhaps its semantics, but it’s an interesting question. In Rebels, Maul calls her a “part-timer” on Malachor. In that same episode she faces Darth Vader. Believing he killed Anakin, she says, “Then I will avenge him.” Vader states, “Revenge is not the Jedi way,” to which Ahsoka replies, “I am no Jedi.”

So by her own admission, she’s not a Jedi. And, more importantly, she is willing to seek revenge, a definite no-no for the Jedi. She is operating outside the bounds of the Jedi Order.

Case closed? I don’t know. Ahsoka may say she’s no Jedi, but apart from this event, she continues to act like a Jedi, to a great extent: she is always working for good, helping others who need it, joining Bail Organa’s fledgling Rebellion as Fulcrum; you know, fighting the good fight. When she meets the Martez sisters in Clone Wars Season 7, she helps them when she doesn’t really have to. Because that’s what she does. That’s what Jedi do. You can take the Jedi out of the Temple, but can you take the Temple out of the Jedi?

Perhaps Ahsoka is a Gray Jedi? Now, “Gray Jedi” is a kind of Jedi that was played around with in Legends, but George Lucas himself disputes the term, claiming that there is no such thing. You are either Light or Dark side. If you even consider dabbling in the dark side, you are no Jedi. So “Gray Jedi” would be a contradiction in terms. Call yourself a “Gray Force User,” I guess, if you want to straddle the two aspects of the Force. I have nothing against that. But don’t call yourself a “Jedi,” as that implies Light side only.

One of several variations I’ve seen of the “Gray Jedi Code.”

So is Ahsoka a “Gray Force User?” So, okay, she was willing to seek revenge for Anakin. That’s not very light-sidish. However, I’m willing to argue that she was reacting to strong emotions of the moment, learning that Anakin was “killed” by Darth Vader, this dark being in front of her. Does that make her evil? No. Does it make her “Gray”?

Well, let’s compare Ahsoka to Baylan Skoll. Now there’s a candidate for a Gray Force User if there ever was one. Trained by the Order, not Sith, but working outside the bounds of the Jedi Order (that doesn’t exist anymore, of course). I don’t believe he or Shin are tapping into the dark side (I may be wrong on this). But here’s the difference between Baylan and Ahsoka: Baylan is using his Force powers, not for Good, but for his own selfish purposes. We don’t know the details of that purpose, but he truly believes that what he’s after will change things up in the galaxy (or galaxies), I’m guessing for the better, in his opinion. So I think, if my understanding of Gray Force User is correct, that Baylan fits this description. He’s doing morally questionable things in pursuit of a higher purpose, one that he believes is worth it.

This is not what Ahsoka is. She never uses the Force for selfish purposes (except for that one teensy little time when she was willing to kill Darth Vader in revenge for Anakin). Since then, it has always been for good. True, she certainly dresses in gray garb, and is falling prey to dark side emotions: fear, mostly, of the power in herself and others, of misusing that power. But I think it’s only to show a stark contrast to when she becomes Ahsoka the White: someone who doesn’t fear the Force, who doesn’t fear connections, who doesn’t fear living fully in the life that she was given. Her faith has been restored.

So no, I don’t think Ahsoka is a Gray Force User.

However…

Let’s talk about Huyang for a moment. Huyang, her droid companion who has served the Jedi Order for about, oh, 25,000 years, still acts and thinks as if the Order is still around. He scolds Ahsoka about her unconventional choices, of going against protocol, of basically doing things that are unbecoming to a Jedi, lol. But let’s be honest: she’s just doing things the way she and Anakin used to do things: unconventionally, and well, maybe a little recklessly. Things that would make Obi-Wan shake his head in disapproval. They were mavericks in their own way. And Huyang does concede that she “comes from a long line of unconventional Jedi,” which includes Anakin and Qui Gon Jinn.

Couldn’t have said it better myself, Huyang.

So, what does all this mean? Do I believe that Ahsoka is still a “Jedi”? In my opinion, yes. Even though she walked away from the Order, she is still a Jedi in her heart. After all, she’s taken on a Padawan and intends to teach her the ways of the Jedi. Perhaps not the strictures of the Order, but what it really means to be a Jedi: to serve others through the Force.

But this is just my opinion. What’s yours? Do you think Ahsoka is still a Jedi? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

My Favorite Lightsaber Battles From Ahsoka

I don’t think there’s more live action lightsaber battles in any Star Wars series than in Ahsoka. Seriously, every one of the eight episodes had at least one, sometimes two or three lightsaber duels. Which is awesome, of course, so I thought I’d list my top five favorites here.

Ahsoka vs. Anakin in the World Between Worlds. This encounter was thrilling in every way, from the teasing banter at the beginning, to Ahsoka’s “I will not fight you” and Anakin’s answer, “I’ve heard that before,” to the final lesson being learned.

I loved seeing Anakin’s signature moves here, even more so than as a Padawan against his master in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series. Here, he is the Master, seemingly in control of the entire duel, pushing Ahsoka to her limits, exhorting her to “live or die.”

That is the lesson: Ahsoka has been living a half- life, really since Order 66 but especially since learning Anakin had turned to the dark side and became Vader. She was fearful, cautious, afraid of connection, of the darkness in herself and others. It was why she refused to train Grogu; it was why she walked away from training Sabine.

After the vision of her younger self in the Clone Wars, of coming to terms with being a child soldier, she turns the battle around, faces the darkness within herself, overcomes it, and declares, “I choose to live.” In other words, she regains her faith in herself, in the Force, and in the Light. She decides to live fully rather than the gray half-life she’d been living. Anakin’s transformation from dark side demon to charming Anakin–“There’s hope for you yet”–is brilliant, and Hayden’s performance is flawless.

This battle is charged with intense emotion, and that always makes for the best lightsaber duels.

Ahsoka vs. Baylan (Round 1) on Selos. This is the meeting we’d all been waiting for: Ahsoka confronting the mysterious Baylan Skoll. Ahsoka and Sabine are after the map that leads to Thrawn, and Baylan, of course, must let it finish its work downloading coordinates to Morgan’s ship.

Baylan begins by trying to throw Ahsoka off balance by bringing up Anakin and his fall. Ahsoka doesn’t take the bait, and they circle each other for quite a while, changing stances, feeling each other out. Baylan is a big, imposing man, and he slashes at Ahsoka with powerful, controlled moves.

The orange lightsabers are never explained, and maybe they don’t need to be; but Baylan and Shin are clearly not Sith. They’re not Jedi, either, though Baylan is formerly of the Order. I haven’t figured out if they use the dark side of the Force or not–they use the Force selfishly, for their own ends, but are they truly evil? Let me know your take on this, please.

At any rate, the stakes are high in this battle; and when Shin shows up, Ahsoka thinks she’s killed Sabine. This momentarily weakens her, and Baylan gets the upper hand, pushing her toward the edge of the cliff. Ahsoka manages to knock Shin out, but when Sabine then shows up, Ahsoka tells her to destroy the map. But at this point, Baylan presses his advantage, and Ahsoka falls into the sea.

Ahsoka vs. Morgan Elsbeth on Peridea. I thought Morgan’s transformation into a true Dathomirian witch was cool and made her character more interesting; it was a shame it didn’t last very long. But Morgan went out fighting with her flaming green sword, the Sword of Talzin, in her battle with Ahsoka in the last episode. This duel was even more epic than their fight in The Mandalorian; here, both women have been transformed: Ahsoka is now Ahsoka the White, and Morgan is now Shadow Morgan. Light vs. Dark, and the stakes couldn’t be higher, as Thrawn is now making his escape. Unfortunately, Ahsoka loses one of her lightsabers in this battle, but she is ultimately triumphant, slicing Morgan across the midsection.

Sabine Wren vs. Shin Hati (Round 1) on Lothal. Besides Ahsoka’s fight with the droids on Arcana in the first episode, this is the first proper lightsaber duel we see in Ahsoka, and it’s between the Padawans, Sabine Wren and Shin Hati. Besides our surprise at how good Sabine has become with the lightsaber, it’s the first time we’ve seen two women duel in live-action (I think?–besides Ahsoka and Morgan in The Mandalorian, but it’s not a true lightsaber battle as Morgan has a Beskar staff rather than a laser sword). The aesthetics are striking, with Sabine’s green and Shin’s orange sabers lighting up the night. And Sabine taking Shin’s lightsaber through the middle is shocking. Even though we know that she must live through the injury, she clearly loses the battle. Plus, Sabine with long hair.

Ahsoka vs. Baylan (Round 2) on Peridea. It was inevitable that these two should meet once more here on Peridea, and this time Ahsoka is a bit more prepared. Again, the stakes are high, but it’s more about saving her friends than any strategic goal (like getting to the map in the first duel). The battle is just as beautiful and brutal as the first, but again, Baylan is a wall that Ahsoka cannot topple. He says, “You can’t defeat me,” and she replies, “I don’t have to,” and she’s right: it’s just a distraction until Huyang can come in and save the day.

I love all the lightsaber duels in this show; I haven’t even mentioned the two duels Ahsoka had with Marrock, and Sabine and Shin’s rematch. But these were my top five if I had to choose for brevity’s sake. I love how Dave Filoni approached the battles from a samurai perspective: from the brutal, slashing moves more reminiscent of the Originals and Sequels (as opposed to the dancing choreography of the Prequels), to Ahsoka’s garb, to the ethereal flute music, to the term “bokken” Jedi (a Japanese term meaning “wooden sword,” and how Baylan refers to Jedi trained outside the Jedi Order, after its fall). Wonderful.

Do you have a favorite lightsaber battle from Ahsoka? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

What I’m looking forward to in Star Wars in 2024

Now that I’ve talked about what I loved in 2023, let’s talk about what’s coming up in 2024.

The Bad Batch S3. Again, no surprises here if you know me. The Batch’s third and final season still has no release date, but at some point I heard maybe April, so we’ll see. It can’t come fast enough! How will Crosshair and Omega escape Tantiss? Who will the rest of the Batch recruit to help find them? Phee? Rex? Fennec Shand? Benny? How will the story of the clones in general wrap up? And of course–is our favorite goggled clone still alive?

The Acolyte. I’m pretty psyched about this one. It takes place near the end of the High Republic, perhaps fifty years before the prequel era. Here’s a plot blurb from The Nerdist:

“The Acolyte is a mystery-thriller that will take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era. A former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes, but the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated.”

Oh my word, I am so there, lol. I’m guessing it’s going to hint at the Sith planning their return, which of course leads to Palpatine and his devastating coup d’etat. One of my favorite High Republic characters, Vernestra Rwoh, is presumably going to make an appearance, and will be near one hundred years old (which is prime for a Mirialan). I’m eager to see what kind of role she’ll play in the series. As far as I know, there is no release date as of yet.

Tales of the Jedi S2. I really enjoyed Season One of this little animated series, which focused on Ahsoka and Count Dooku in three 10-15 minute shorts for each character. I’m looking forward to seeing which Jedi Season Two will focus on, and when it will drop (all the episodes of Season One dropped at once, and I assume this one will do the same).

Phase Three High Republic books. I’m including books in this list as well as streaming content, since I’m a huge Star Wars book reader. Phase Three (Trials of the Jedi) began in late 2023 with George Mann’s Adult Novel The Eye of Darkness in November. The Phase continues this year with the Middle Grade book Escape from Valo at the end of January and the Young Adult book Defy the Storm in March. That’s Wave One of this Phase, and waves two and three will continue throughout the rest of the year, wrapping up the Phase, as well as the entire series, in early 2025. The High Republic has really been a highlight of my Star Wars love since it began three years ago with the release of Light of the Jedi.

Other Canon Books: The Living Force, by John Jackson Miller, and The Glass Abyss, by Steve Barnes. There seems to be a pattern to Star Wars publishing lately, namely that early in the year we get the latest High Republic, then in the spring a standalone canon novel, another standalone at the end of the summer, and then the High Republic again in the fall and winter. The Living Force, about the Jedi High Council on a mission in the Outer Rim, will release in April, while The Glass Abyss, about Mace Windu, will be out in August. I’m looking forward to both books.

Skeleton Crew. This show has been talked about for a long time now, but because of the writer’s strike (which I absolutely supported), it looks like this one won’t be out until the end of the year. I’m okay with that, as it’s the thing this year that I’m the least excited about, but I will certainly be happy to watch it. It’s about a bunch of kids going on adventures in the galaxy, to put it very basically. It stars Jude Law as a Force-sensitive who looks after these lost children; the show is being billed as a fun family adventure. Perfect for Christmastime.

As of this writing, Andor Season Two is not on the roster for 2024 and seems to be slated for release in 2025.

What about you? What Star Wars projects are you most excited about? 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!