The Power of Legends

Warning: Major spoilers for several Legends stories ahead.
“… there’s nothing inherently demeaning in the term Legends.” – Timothy Zahn

Ask most people what they think Star Wars is and they’ll likely respond with something along the lines of “movie franchise.” This statement is absolutely true and for most fans, the films will be the only stories they need to concern themselves with. Star Wars is, first and foremost, a set of films. That will never change.

However, for a kid like me who needed to absorb absolutely every little detail, the Expanded Universe was there to fill in the gaps. For those interested in exploring it, I have to warn you, the old EU is huge. There are literally hundreds of stories spanning multiple media formats (games, comics, books, etc.) Even though Lucasfilm declared the pre-2014 Expanded Universe non-canon, I still think it’s worth a look back on what made it so special.

The Beginning

“After Star Wars was released, it became apparent that my story—however many films it took to tell—was only one of thousands that could be told about the characters who inhabit its galaxy. But these were not stories that I was destined to tell. Instead, they would spring from the imagination of other writers, inspired by the glimpse of a galaxy that Star Wars provided.” –George Lucas

It could be argued that the old EU began with the novel pictured above. Splinter came out in 1978 before Empire was even conceived. As such, it is a bizarre read filled with Luke/Leia sexual tension (ick) and other oddities like Obi-wan possessing/controlling Luke during a duel with Vader. However, Foster had very little content to work with so I do not fault him for it.

Marvel Comics also had a hand in establishing the early expanded universe. Like Splinter of the Mind’s Eye, the authors of this series had little to work with, but they still managed to create enjoyable stories.

Resurgence

Contrary to what many movie-goers might assume, The Force Awakens is not the first story to explore what happened after Return of the Jedi. The Clone Wars era might have been off-limits to authors, but Lucas permitted the EU to continue the adventures of Han, Luke, and Leia after Episode VI.

In the early 90’s, interest in Star Wars was not quite what it was in previous decades. Thankfully, three books were released that renewed interest in the franchise once again. These novels are Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command. Collectively, these stories are known as the Thrawn Trilogy.

Many consider these books to be the absolute best stories in the old EU and I can see why. These books feel like an official continuation of the saga and many fans considered them the unofficial VII, VIII, and IX of the series. It’s rumored that the fan interest in these books inspired Lucas to continue the film franchise. In fact, Coruscant (capital planet) got its name from Timothy Zahn so it’s clear that Lucas got some inspiration from this trilogy.

The EU only continued to build from there. In addition to the numerous stories after Jedi, there were plenty of other time periods to be explored. The prequels spawned countless games, books, and comics. We also had stories set thousands of years before the films – documenting the origins of the Republic, Jedi, and Sith.

Of course, no one could predict the figurative “Death Star” lurking in the shadows. This leads us to our next point.

Reset Button

When Disney acquired the Star Wars franchise in 2012 and announced there would be a new set of films set after Episode VI, many EU fans (including myself) wondered what the fate of our beloved stories would be. Would Disney adapt a book series like the Thrawn Trilogy? Would these films be new stories but still respect the stories that had come before?

We wouldn’t find out until April 2014 when it was announced that all old Expanded Universe content (sans the television show The Clone Wars) would be relabeled Legends – a.k.a non-canon.

I’m not going to lie, this announcement felt like a punch in the gut. The Expanded Universe was just as much Star Wars to me as the films were. The loss of beloved characters and stories was saddening and difficult for me to process. That being said, I came to terms with it quickly and I’ll explain why.

1. There was absolutely no way Lucasfilm could have created an original story in that cluttered timeline. Additionally, adapting an existing book would have been boring and expecting film-goers to follow story details from dozens of novels would have been unrealistic. A blank slate was the best approach.

2. The EU was always third-tier “C” canon (two steps below “G” film canon) that could be overridden by the films or tv shows. The Clone Wars rewrote EU details all the time. The Legends reset had the silver lining of eliminating the concept of canon tiers. All content post-April 2014 is considered as official as the films by Lucasfilm.

3. I kept trying to justify my continued reading of the old EU, but in truth I had long grown disillusioned with it. I felt that the post-ROTJ EU had lost its way. Too many authors with very little supervision led to a very messy universe with inconsistent quality.

4. This book:

I know, I know. It seems a bit ridiculous to say that one novel among hundreds could kill my interest in seeing more Legends stories, but this book left such a bad taste in my mouth (it was billed as the last big adventure for the elderly power trio). It was the culmination of all of the worst the EU embodied and it’s not how I wanted the Legends universe to end.

5. We’re getting official film continuations of the Star Wars Trilogy. No, seriously. New. Films. My inner child can’t wait for December. That made coping so much easier.

Anyway, the point of this blog entry wasn’t to rag on the old EU’s failings, so the reasons above are all I’ll say about what disappointed me.

I know this post is getting rather lengthy, so I’ll keep the next segment brief. I’d like to cover the concepts and characters I really liked in the old EU.

Mara Jade (Skywalker)

Anyone even remotely familiar with the Expanded Universe knows about Mara. She’s easily one of the most popular characters. This fiery redhead debuted in aforementioned Thrawn Trilogy.

Mara was the Emperor’s Hand, an elite assassin usually reserved for high-profile targets that Palpatine wanted dead. She was trained in the Force and deadly with her lightsaber, blaster, or really any weapon she got her hands on.

When Palpatine was betrayed by Vader, he mentally commanded her to eliminate Luke Skywalker. Although she tried to kill him several times, their relationship eventually turned friendly, then romantic. Luke and Mara had a happy marriage that resulted in a son, Ben Skywalker.

Grand Admiral Thrawn (Mitth’raw’nuruodo)

Like Mara, Thrawn was introduced in Zahn’s trilogy (named after the character, of course.) A member of the enigmatic Chiss species, Thrawn impressed Darth Sidious enough to be permitted to rise through the ranks of the xenophobic, human-centric Imperial Military.

Although the idea seems a little silly now, Thrawn was brilliant enough to be able to deduce a species’ military weaknesses by studying their art. Thrawn gave the fledgling New Republic a run for their money when he reappeared to command the Imperial Remnant.

Unlike Vader or Palpatine, Thrawn would not execute an underling for failure if they demonstrated true creative thinking and learned from their mistakes. Because of this, the morale in his fleet was very strong.

In the end, this fearsome mastermind only lost because he was stabbed by his bodyguard, Rukh.

The Old Republic Era

One of my absolute favorite eras in the EU, the Old Republic timeline occurred thousands of years before the films. While the Tales of the Jedi comics were the earliest ventures into this time period, it didn’t gain true widespread recognition until the much-beloved Knights of the Old Republic game released.

This era is famous for its vast Sith Empires, armored Jedi Knights, ancient Force mysteries, and precursor races like the Rakata. It also introduced characters like Exar Kun, Nomi Sunrider, Revan, Malak, Bastila Shan, and countless other legendary figures.

Jedi Apprentice Books

Published by Scholastic, these youth-oriented novels have given me some of my fondest Star Wars memories. These books explored the budding relationship between a very young Obi-Wan Kenobi and his new master Qui-Gon Jinn.

Despite being targeted at kids, these stories dealt with some very adult topics like loss of identity, war’s effects on children, and the death of loved ones. Of all the Legends stories concerning Kenobi and Jinn, I would love to see at least some of the details in these books recanonized.

Bizarre and Unique Force Abilities

This is a very huge topic, so I won’t go crazy. The old EU had a lot of cool light and dark Force powers that we never saw in the films. One of my favorites was tutaminis – the ability to absorb energy (including lightsaber blades) with a bare hand.

Going Forward
“More important, the old concept of what is canon and what isn’t is gone, and from this point forward our stories and characters all exist in the same universe.” –Dave Filoni

The decision to declare all of Legends non-canon ruffled a lot of feathers. Many fans were upset that the stories they’d grown up with were no longer being continued. (It also spawned a lot of Fan Dumb, but I’d really rather not go into that).

I’ve really enjoyed the new canon so far. I’ve seen a lot of Legends fans accuse these new novels of “playing it safe” and that’s a fair assessment. But I think that’s also a good thing. We’ve seen what happens when you let multiple authors go off on their own within an established universe. So far the Story Group has done a good job of keeping things fairly consistent.

It’s important to note that Lucasfilm stated Legends material would remain a resource for authors and directors to draw from. We’ve already seen character names, species, technology, and entire planets make their way into the new canon. It’s thrilling for me because I recognize these elements immediately.

So there it is. We’ve got a clean slate and a new film this December and I couldn’t be more excited. It’s important to remember what Zahn said. A good Star Wars story is a good Star Wars story regardless of canonicity. Lucasfilm didn’t come to our homes and burn our copies of old Legends stories. They’ll remain as long as we continue to remember and admire them.

Thanks for reading!

“But… It was so artistically done.”

Enigmatic Energy Field

Caution: Minor spoilers for TCW, Aftermath, and The Force Awakens.

“Well, the Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It’s an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together.” –Obi-wan Kenobi

The Force is one of the most iconic parts of the Star Wars franchise. It’s the driving force (heh heh) behind nearly all of the major events in the galaxy. The films give us a small taste of its true nature, but in order to understand this mysterious power, you have to delve deeper into other supporting media.

Most people know there’s a dark and a light side and that it allows its users to perform extraordinary feats like telekinesis, but the Force is a bit more multifaceted than that. So without further delay, let’s explore its nature and the various concepts associated with it.

I’ll start with the obvious aspects.

The Light Side:

“Do not hate him, Father. It is his nature.” –Daughter

The light side is the part of the Force usually associated with the Jedi Order. It is associated with life, compassion, self-sacrifice, honesty, etc. Those who adhere to its principles are highly altruistic and will only fight in self-defense or in defense of the innocent.

In the Mortis arc of TCW we met a woman who was essentially an anthropomorphic personification (see above: green haired humanoid/gryphon) of the light side. She and her brother (I’ll touch on him below) lived with their father in isolation until Obi-wan, Anakin, and Ahsoka were lured to their “planet” as part of a test.

True to her nature, she sacrificed her own life to prevent the death of another, much like a certain Chosen One would do for his son decades later.

Interestingly, she told her father not to be angry toward her brother, despite the dark-sider’s role in her death.

The Dark Side:

“Sith? Yes. And no.” –Son

The dark side is another facet we are all familiar with. It is associated with selfishness, deceit, death, and aggression. It is most attributed to the Sith, but there are other practitioners like the Nightsister witches of Dathomir or Imperial Inquisitors under Vader.

As mentioned above, TCW introduced us to a family of powerful Force-wielders. The Son was the physical embodiment of the dark side. Like his sister, he had a humanoid and animal form (batlike creature.)

Enamored by Anakin’s status as the Chosen One, the Son attempted to lure him to his side in order to escape his imprisonment and overthrow the Sith, promising Anakin there would be peace in the galaxy afterward. Here’s a short video of the vision the Son shared with Anakin. Note the brief musical note from Revenge of the Sith in the beginning. (Still gives me chills!)

Anakin’s Vision of the Future

Of course, status quo is God, and Anakin had his memory of this vision erased. Still, it’s interesting to wonder what would have happened if he had turned to the dark side this way in order to prevent his true future.

Despite being selfish by nature, the Son did express genuine grief over his sister’s death, stating she was the only one he ever truly loved. Might seem like an unimportant story detail, but I think I don’t think it was an arbitrary statement. I believe that light and dark share a more dynamic relationship than most people assume. This leads to my next point.

Balance:

“You have a very simple view of the Universe. I am neither Sith nor Jedi. I am much more, and so are you.” –Father

This aspect of the Force is a lot harder to flesh out because it’s been left slightly ambiguous as to what Balance actually entails.

Here’s what we know: light and dark are both aspects of the Force. No matter how hard the Jedi or Sith try to destroy their opposing alignment, they will always continue to exist. The light side survived the destruction of the Jedi Order to continue through Luke. Similarly, the dark side survived the fall of the Sith via cults like the Acolytes of the Beyond and the Knights of Ren.

The Force was severely imbalanced toward darkness during the Clone Wars and the Galactic Civil War because of the actions of Palpatine and his corrupt rule.

On Mortis, we met the personification of Balance – Father. He wanted to verify Anakin’s status as Chosen One; an individual who could bring both of his children into a state of submission.

Father set up a test in which Son and Daughter would kill his master and apprentice unless he brought both of them under his control simultaneously. Anakin passed his first test of balance and would later go on to do the same by wiping out the Jedi and eventually the Sith.

Although he didn’t elaborate on it, Father also stated that the light side growing too strong would be just as disastrous. I’d love to see future clarification on this.

Now that we’ve covered the dichotomy of the Force’s aspects, let’s take a look at its “building blocks,” if you will.

The Cosmic, Living Force and its Messengers

“All energy from the Living Force, from all things that have ever lived, feeds into the Cosmic Force, binding everything and communicating to us through the midi-chlorians. Because of this, I can speak to you now.” – Qui-gon Jinn (spirit)

What’s that sound? Oh it’s just all of my readers leaving.

…still here? Okay. Let’s cover the most controversial aspect first.

I get why people hate the idea of midi-chlorians. These microscopic life forms have the potential to seriously demystify the Force and reduce it to boring biology. However, you need to remember two things: first, I sort of see what Lucas was going for with his theme of symbiosis and second, despite what I have heard multiple times, these organisms are not the Force itself. They merely give living beings the ability to touch the Force.

Subsequent media has attempted to give the Force a more mystical angle, likely in response to the backlash. Even the Force priestesses Yoda visits to learn of immortality make an offhand comment something along the lines of “what your science calls midi-chlorians,” leading me to believe that not even Jedi scientists fully know what they’re dealing with.

The Force, as ever, is still very much unknowable to non-Force-sensitives and Force-users alike.

On to the next related topic: the Living Force. This is the aspect most influenced by life in the galaxy. As detailed in Qui-gon’s quote above, everything that has ever lived or died feeds its energy into the Force. This energy in turn sustains the more unifying aspect – the Cosmic Force which is responsible for binding everything together.

So basically the Living Force allows life to exist and the Cosmic Force connects the universe and is responsible for the more metaphysical aspects like Force visions.

(If this all seems a bit vague, I apologize. I don’t have a lot of canon material to work with other than the final story of The Clone Wars. I would love to get more information soon.)

Awakening:

“There has been an awakening. Have you felt it? The dark side and the light.” –Supreme Leader Snoke

With today’s topic being the Force, I wanted to briefly touch on the new film that’s so (excruciatingly) close to release.

I don’t think they chose the title The Force Awakens without a good reason. I’m theorizing here, but I get the feeling that after finally going into a state of balance, the Force has gone into a dormant state. This could also be attributed to a lack of serious Force-users (sans Luke) in the galaxy.

I believe that with a resurgence of dark-siders (refreshingly, non-Sith if Abrams is to be believed) and perhaps a new generation of young Force-sensitives ready to train as Jedi, the Force is truly coming out of its “sleep.”

We’ll have to wait until December 18th to see if my theories are even remotely correct.

Thanks for reading!

“The Force will be with you. Always.”

Fading Light

Caution: spoilers for The Clone Wars, Rebels, and Tarkin ahead.
“And my attack on the Temple was an attack on what the Jedi have become: an army fighting for the dark side, fallen from the Light that we once held so dear.” –Barriss Offee

The Jedi Order. Peacekeepers and guardians of the Old Republic. For many generations, this monastic group stood as a bastion of hope for myriad sentients throughout the galaxy. However, this time of relative peace and justice was not to last.

In today’s entry, I’d like to discuss the fall of the Jedi Order and the various factors that led to its destruction by the Sith. I’ll try to go into as much depth as possible (hopefully) without scaring off or confusing newer fans.

Reason #1: Sheev Palpatine (Darth Sidious)

There’s no getting around this. Palpatine is pretty much the reason for (nearly) all of the following causes of the Order’s annihilation. Darth Sidious’s existence was the culmination of hundreds of years of Sith planning and it was because of his machinations that he was finally able to take revenge on the Jedi.

The Legends novel Darth Plagueis is no longer considered canon, but it is still an excellent read that shows how the Sith pulled the strings that led to the fall of the Republic and the Jedi. (Note: The canon novel Tarkin by the same author mentions some concepts from the Plagueis novel meaning that at least some of the story is still canon.)

Reason #2: War

Palpatine was smart. He knew the Jedi had been in power for centuries and that the Sith (because of Darth Bane’s Rule of Two) were outnumbered. They would lose badly in open confrontation against ten thousand Jedi. So he set up a Morton’s Fork for them in the shape of a galaxy-spanning war.

The Jedi were presented with two unfavorable choices: A: The Jedi do not get involved in the Clone Wars and let the Republic deal with it. Unfavorable outcome: Millions of innocents die and the public accuses them of not protecting the citizens of the Republic. B: The Jedi join the war against the Separatists, trading their status as peacekeepers for the mantle of military leadership. Unfavorable outcome: The public grows tired of the extended war and loses faith in the Jedi. Some even accuse the Order of being warmongers.

Ultimately the Jedi chose option B, and sure enough, the public (as seen in TCW) began to distrust the Jedi. In choosing to involve themselves in warfare, the Jedi lost the support of the people who once adored them. Rumors of Jedi corruption began to spread. Palpatine fanned the flames of distrust and more Jedi continued to die in battle.

As death and political corruption began to seep into the fabric of the Republic, the dark side of the Force strengthened.

Reason #3: Jedi repression

This point is a little more difficult to flesh out because I don’t want to stereotype an entire group made up of different individuals and species (who might have different ideas or beliefs.) Instead I think it’s wiser to turn to the Jedi Council and its teachings for this particular failing.

The Jedi Code forbade attachment. While I understand why they believed it was dangerous (love and passion can lead to other emotions like hatred or anger if not tempered by wisdom), forbidding Jedi from all emotional attachments seems like a very knee-jerk way to prevent your members from falling to the dark side.

One of my favorite quotes about Jedi relationships comes from the Legends video game Knights of the Old Republic:

“Love doesn’t lead to the dark side. Passion can lead to rage and fear, and can be controlled… but passion is not the same thing as love. Controlling your passions while being in love… that’s what they should teach you to beware. But love itself will save you… not condemn you.”

Jolee Bindo fell a bit more on the “grey” side of the Jedi moral spectrum, but he was absolutely right. You can’t make human (or any sentient) emotions disappear by endlessly reciting the mantra “there is no emotion. There is peace.”

We don’t have to look much further than Anakin’s example to see how this particular Jedi fallacy worked out.

Reason #4: Jedi arrogance

(I know I warned you about spoilers before, but if you have not seen the fifth season of The Clone Wars, do not read the following segment.)

Do you see those faces? The ones that punch me in the feels every time? The ones that spell “the Jedi Order failed us in a huge way?” This scene proved to me once and for all that an animated work could be just as powerful as a live-action work.

The final three episodes of TCW season five show Anakin’s Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, framed for a crime she did not commit (bombing the Jedi Temple.) The Council refused to believe her, stripped her of her title and military rank, and turned her over to the Republic courts to be tried. If not for Anakin discovering the identity of the one truly responsible (Ahsoka’s friend Barriss Offee) she would have been executed.

Despite committing terrorist acts, Barriss falls squarely into the trope “extremist was right” in her confession speech. Here’s the full quote:

“I did it. Because I’ve come to realize what many people in the Republic have come to realize. That the Jedi are the ones responsible for this War. That we’ve so lost our way that we have become villains in this conflict. That we are the ones that should be put on trial, all of us! And my attack on the Temple was an attack on what the Jedi have become. An army fighting for the Dark Side, fallen from the Light that we once held so dear. This Republic is failing! It’s only a matter of time.”

That speech still gives me chills when I hear it. It even touched a nerve with Palpatine judging by his blink-and-you’ll-miss-it reaction. She did horrible things and turned to the dark side, but it didn’t change the fact that she was right!

Afterward, the Council’s apologies to Ahsoka were hollow at best (e.g.”The Force works in mysterious ways. You passed your trials and can become a Knight.”) She rightly refused to return and left the Order, shattering her Master’s faith in the Council forever.

Ironically, this decision saved her life when Order 66 was initiated, but I can’t help but wonder if she’ll blame herself for Anakin’s fall during their inevitable Rebels reunion. Another topic for another post.

Reason #5: Jedi complacency

The Jedi hadn’t fought a Sith Lord for approximately one thousand years. They wrongly believed their enemies to be extinct and as such, were not truly prepared for their resurgence.

Reason #6: Jedi Temple location

Another short point. In Tarkin, it’s revealed that the Jedi Temple was erected over the site of an ancient Sith shrine. The Jedi (wrongly) assumed that they’d neutralized this location, but its dark energies continued to seep into the Order, weakening them further.

When the Emperor transformed the Temple into his own Imperial Palace, he often retreated to this shrine to meditate and ponder the nature of the dark side.

Conclusion: There’s absolutely no way I can cover every reason the Order fell, but it did and the repercussions for the galaxy were huge. The Empire expanded unchecked, crime lords exploited innocents, and it was a dangerous time to be born a Force-sensitive.

As we’ve seen in the trailer for Rebels S2, Imperial Inquisitors would descend upon anyone found to have this gift regardless of age. If these “children of the Force” could not be recruited, the Inquisitor’s job was to exterminate them before they could become a threat to the Emperor.

That’s all for now! Thanks for reading.

If you ever have any suggestions, please don’t hesitate to contact me!

“Never give up hope, no matter how dark things seem.” –The Wrong Jedi Episode moral

Son of the Chosen One

“You’ve failed, your highness. I am a Jedi, like my father before me.” – Luke Skywalker

Luke Skywalker. Jedi Knight and friend of Captain Solo. Anyone who has known me for even a short time knows that Luke is my favorite Star Wars character. I’m sure I’ve gotten some funny looks for that. After all, Han Solo is definitely the “cooler” of the two male leads.

I can definitely see why Han is typically more popular. He’s (at first) morally ambiguous, flies an awesome ship, relies on pragmatism instead of honor in combat, and he has some of the most memorable lines in the Original Trilogy. Luke, on the other hand, in his transition from farm boy to Jedi Knight falls almost perfectly into the trope-laden “hero’s journey” archetype that we’ve seen in countless stories throughout history. On the surface, Luke doesn’t seem like more than a one-dimensional character going through the motions. In order to get a better glimpse at what makes Luke such a compelling character to me, let’s go back to the beginning of his timeline.

Luke’s life was shaped by tragedy before it even began. Like his sister, Luke lost both of his parents (death of personality for one and physical death for the other) right after birth. Unlike his sister’s more royal and cultured upbringing, Luke was taken to his father’s harsh home planet of Tatooine to grow up as a moisture farmer. Skip ahead two decades, and Luke had lost his only two parental figures to the Empire. Move slightly further down his timeline from there and he’d lost his best friend (Biggs) and a love interest (Nakari Kelen). Finally, Luke had to come face to face with the fact that one of the galaxy’s most merciless killers was indeed the father he’d been working so hard to avenge. I won’t go into every story in the new canon, but suffice it to say that Luke was no stranger to death, loss, and psychological trauma.

That being said, the best part about the aforementioned losses? They do not break him. As a powerful Force-sensitive (with his father’s raw potential to boot), it would have been so easy for him to fall to the dark side and few would have blamed him for holding on to resentment and anger. Instead, Luke chose to forge his own path when his Jedi tutors –one of whom lied to protect him from an ugly truth– urged him to destroy Vader.

I frequent the website TV tropes often and one particular trope associated with Luke is the “all-loving hero.” Luke, upon discovering that his father was an evil Sith Lord, decided that Anakin was still worth saving. Everyone cautioned him against it, but he proved them very wrong in the end and he was instrumental in bringing about the fulfillment of Anakin’s prophecy to balance the Force.

I’ve seen people say that Luke is the Chosen One, but he’s really the Unchosen One (another trope I am fond of). Unlike his father, Luke had to work and fight for everything he attained. His father was raised by the Jedi and formally instructed in lightsaber combat and the ways of the Force. Luke had to rely on his own adaptability and intuition. Like his father, Luke faced temptation, but because he had a stable upbringing (plus a little of his birth mother’s compassionate personality – more on that in another post), he became a hero instead of a villain. So, no, Luke was not the Chosen One, but because of a prophecy twist, he played a huge part in helping to fulfill his father’s destiny.

Luke also displayed tremendous character growth over the course of the OT. For example, in A New Hope he is probably remembered for his childish optimism and semi-whiny lines. By the time Episode VI rolls around, he is markedly more mature, he’s wearing a sweet black suit (to symbolize the fact that he is vulnerable to falling to the dark side) and he showed that he possessed the ability to verbally spar with his father and cause him to doubt his connection to the dark side. That’s a far cry from the character we first met in ANH.

Oh, and bonus points for throwing the top page quote at Sidious and being one of the few people to make our favorite evil chessmaster lose his cool. Palpatine’s face is priceless before he starts his Force lightning barrage.

Anyway, I wanted to write a lot more, but I can always save other parts of Luke’s persona and exploits for another post. I just wanted to express why I loved the character so much. He’s patient and compassionate (two traits I value highly), but if you mess with him, you’ll be in for a world of hurt.

Oh, and he’s totally not Kylo Ren and I’m betting he won’t be turning to the dark side in the new movie (thus invalidating his entire journey in the OT), so let’s just nip those rumors in the bud, shall we?

Thanks again for reading!

“Your overconfidence is your weakness.”

Welcome!

“The heart of the lightsaber, the crystal is.” – Master Yoda

Hello and welcome to my brand new blog! I am certain that I’m going to shock my friends and family as I reveal that this site will be dedicated to all things Star Wars. No? I suppose it’s no secret that I’ve been obsessed with the franchise since I was very young. With my mind being so full of GFFA (galaxy far, far away) stuff, and there being a brand new film right around the corner, I figured it was well past time to start this.

First off, I’m sure you’re thinking “what the heck is up with the name of your blog?” I was struggling to find a name that was both alliterative and somewhat clever. I may or may not have succeeded. I’ll let the readers decide, but I personally like it.

The first word–kyber–comes from the crystals that rest in the hilt of every Jedi’s lightsaber. The kyber crystal focuses energy from the power cell and shapes it into the deadly, humming plasma blade that we all know and love. (Note: As this is an introduction post, I’ll have to cover lightsabers and their crystals more in the future.) The second word of my title (cogitation) is defined by deep thinking or contemplation. Not a common word, but it worked.

tl;dr Star Wars is at the heart of my writings much like the titular crystals form the “heart” of a lightsaber. It made sense to me, I promise!

Just a few miscellaneous notes:

I will be covering a lot of topics here. The Star Wars universe is massive and it’s comprised of the six films(soon to be nine – not counting spinoffs like Rogue One), comics, video games, novels, etc.
I will be drawing on my sizable knowledge of both Legends and Story Group canon in my future topics. For those who aren’t in the know, Legends is the new title Lucasfilm chose to refer to the old Expanded Universe. Basically, anything before the April 2014 announcement (except for the films and The Clone Wars TV series) is not considered canon. Everything after that date (books, comics, games, television) is overseen by a Story Group before it is published and considered to be just as official as the movies. http://www.starwars.com/news/the-legendary-star-wars-expanded-universe-turns-a-new-page
I will be discussing prequel content (Episodes I-III) from time to time. That might annoy some people and I understand those films are very divisive. I personally don’t consider them great films, but they are canon and they did help create one of my favorite TV shows (The Clone Wars).
I consume a lot of comics and novels. I also watch the current TV show Rebels every week. I will try my hardest to avoid spoilers, but I’m only human. If I deem something to be a major plot point, I will preface it with a warning.
I’ll try my hardest to update this blog as often as possible. I am a new parent and have work and school responsibilities, but I will not neglect this space.

That’s basically it. I just want a place where I can have fun unleashing my inner SW geek. Hopefully, my readers can share in some of that sentiment as we move ever closer to the release of The Force Awakens.

Major props to my wife for her help in setting this up!

Thank you for reading. May the Force be with you!

Emotion, yet peace.

Ignorance, yet knowledge.

Passion, yet serenity.

Chaos, yet harmony.

Death, yet the Force.

Kyber Cogitations

"The Force. It's calling to you…"

Month: November 2015