#i'm grateful for hayden and ewan return

[cienie-isengardu]

Obi Wan Kenobi episode 6 (that I’m gonna ignore as the whole series LOL)

I'm truly grateful to Disney that Hayden and Ewan were brought back to Star Wars and I don't think anything will change this statement. But I'm also so SO GLAD the Obi Wan Kenobi show finally ended and hopefully ended for good. No sequel(s), please, I barely survived this six episodes’ lack of common sense, narrative wise and unnecessary drama that doesn’t add much to established Original Trilogy, including the two duels between Obi Wan and Vader, dragging 10 years old Leia into pretty traumatic mess and Bail having like zero understanding how secrecy works? Sorry, not what I need in my (star wars) life. 

Seriously, though the Obi Wan Kenobi TV series has its good moments and elements (hello, Third Sister, to some degree), it is another reason why Disney!Star Wars doesn't work for me. And yes, I'm aware that some previous animations, movies and other media weren’t always the most coherent sources in regard to logic and world-building (I mean especially TCW / Sequels, bear with my bias), but the whole deal of Obi-Wan's need to sacrifice himself for the rest of group so their ship had time to run away is so SO STUPID. There is a reason why TIE fighters are stationed on big ships, ya know? Tie squadrons should be on the enemy ship's tail from the start (and before anyone will tell me that Vader may have wanted to get Obi-Wan alive then shooting from main turbolasers would not work either. TIEs actually could disarm/damage the ship so that it can be boarded to take people in custody). Even when Obi played the decoy, Vader didn’t need to choose between Jedi and the “rebels” (not mentioning him choosing to destroy a civilian ship would be actually a better choice to hurt Obi-Wan, if he was willing to massacre a village just to get him last time?). Vader could board his own TIE / Lamba class shuttle and simply go after Jedi while leaving rest to the navy. I’m pretty surprised he wasn’t in TIE personally shooting the enemy ship but I guess, that way Obi-Wan would not have a chance to survive LOL.

Anyway, the start of Obi and Vader duel was pretty nice but then the show of course needed to go with destroying Vader’s mask and armor and I guess this was supposed to be the oh so big emotional moment? But that shock value meant something to me after the first or second time I saw unmasked Vader (and the first time was Purge comics, I think?) but after years of Disney/Marvel maiming Vader on every fucking occassion, I feel only irritation, leaving bad taste in mouth. Ahsoka did so in Rebels. Obi did it here. Comics did damage to armor like, at least once per every Darth Vader run lately? It doesn’t feel special. It feels like just standard Wednesday for Vader at this point. And after this supposed emotional closure in which Vader… suddenly doesn't blame Obi-Wan for Anakin’s death/own suffering??? (“I am not your failure, Obi-Wan. You didn’t kill Anakin Skywalker. I did.) in contrast to the previous episode (I am what you made me?) but it doesn’t lead to anything really? I mean, yes, of course, they couldn’t make Obi Wan killing Vader in this scene but him walking away and leaving (again) dangerous Sith to terrorize galaxy for the next decade is so… I’m lacking a word for what it is. It only makes me feel definitely sure Obi Wan and Anakin should have never met between RotS and ANH and the last two duels were unnecessary and done only for drama. I understand why Kenobi didn’t (couldn’t) kill Anakin on Mustafar but here, him walking away and dooming galaxy is just so, dunno, selfish and fucked up?. But yeah, why not, the new hope (Luke) will be there to ask to finish the job LOL.

(Oh, and don’t let me start about how Disney/Marvel use Vader’s amputated, wounded body for shock value and the feeling of horror. I’m really, really tired of new canon maiming Anakin on screen and comics pages time after time.)

I also finally figured out why seeing Vader sitting on the throne bugged me so much. In previous episode(s?) it felt unusual (unnatural) for him to sit in anything beside his meditation chamber, or even to want to have a throne. But this time, when he is speaking to Darth Sidious, his Sith master? Vader sitting doesn’t make sense. Vader was usually kneeling or simply standing while talking to Palpatine. Here, him sitting set him as either equal or at a better position than Sidious and this doesn’t feel right at all.

Okay, I was ranting long enough to draw the picture that Disney!star wars doesn’t work for me, not in the context of established sources like the Original Trilogy. The Obi Wan Kenobi TV show demands of me too much mental gymnastics to believe in its narrative or logic, or even care emotionally for what is happening. I guess, if that was a stand-alone, not connected to anything else than RotS series, my feelings would be different but alas, it is as it is. 

For those who enjoyed the show, I’m glad for you. Me myself is going to simply ignore it as much as possible, as I’m ignoring lately a lot other pars of new lore like chips in clone brain, domestic abuse in regard to Anakin and Padme, TCW’s portray of Anakin, Mandalorians with aristocracy and Darksaber as their main power symbol. Yeah, lately I’m pretty good at ignoring stuff.

#star wars #obi wan kenobi tv show critically #obi wan kenobi spoilers #my rants #darth vader #obi wan kenobi #disney star wars critically #i'm so done lately with new star wars lore if anyone didn't notice LOL #sorry for rant #but i feel like i should just dig myself up in legends hole and stay there forever if that is how new star wars are gonna look all the time #i'm grateful for hayden and ewan return #but their characters deserves better than just drama for drama

[ivy-miranda-2390]

In Defense of Anakin Skywalker (and Hayden Christensen)

I grew up with Star Wars, my whole family loves Star Wars. I was 8 when I saw Episode I and afterwards, I was completely immersed in the Star Wars universe. Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan Kenobi was probably my first fictional boyfriend and I'm unashamedly still in love with him too.

Episode II: The Attack of the Clones came out when I was 11 and so naturally I was excited to see the continuation of the Star Wars prequel universe. However, nothing could have prepared me for the absolute utter gorgeousness of Canadian actor, Hayden Christensen who was cast to play the adolescent Anakin Skywalker.

My memories of first seeing Episode II are fond because I got to see the movies with my older siblings while on vacation in Myrtle Beach. It was probably my first experience of being accepted among my older adult brothers and sisters or the feeling of 'grownupness' as I like to call it.

So Attack of the Clones has always been an special film to me because I saw it at a time when I was no longer being viewed as a child, but as a growing teenager.

It's also why I've always been rather defensive of the film too. While the film was titled Attack of the Clones, it may as well have been re-titled, "Attack of Anakin Skywalker (and subsequently, Hayden Christensen)". For over 20 years, there has been an absolute and indescribable hatred of Anakin Skywalker and many people blamed both Jake Lloyd and Hayden Christensen's supposed poor acting as the result of a badly done Anakin.

And to be honest even though I had a massive crush on Hayden Christensen and was hardly a movie critic at the time, I felt that at times that Anakin could have been better acted. However, I was young and didn't care about the script or the acting. Yet, for years I constantly defended, Attack of the Clones, Anakin Skywalker and Hayden Christensen. Partly due to nostalgia, partly to being a teenage girl and most of all partly to do with understanding the character of Anakin as being misunderstood, misinterpreted and not being treated as an adult by the elders in his life.

Did Anakin have problems? Yes.

Were most of these problems his fault? No.

Did Anakin ever try to fix these problems and better himself? Everyday of his life.

He had nothing, but he gave everything

 The prequels were written as a timeline of a boy's journey from goodness into darkness. Anakin's life is a story arch of sacrifice and redemption. Life has not always been good to Anakin. He was born a slave with no father. He was raised in the strong love of wonderful mother Shmi Skywalker. While Shmi may have been scared and confused as to how she conceived a child without a man, she raised her son in love and simple contentment.

Chances are Anakin and his mother probably faced terrible abuse in their time as slaves and more than once, Anakin may have been separated from Shmi as leverage for greedy slave owners. Although a slave, Anakin was never a victim. He may have been physically owned, but his heart and mind were free. He was his own person, always thinking outside of the box, building, creating, questioning everything and everyone. Not to mention a little wild and rather reckless.

Even as a child Anakin was a little strange to people. For a slave to have such a hopeful and positive attitude may have seemed bizarre to outsiders, but that was just the norm for him. Shmi once remarked that her son knew nothing of greed. For a boy raised with nothing, all he had were his talents as an inventor and growing pilot. And he used his talents for other people. He built C-3PO to help his mom, he entered the podrace to help Qui-Gon Jinn, he always gave without any expectation of being thanked.

A spirit that refused to surrender

After Anakin is freed and sent to train as a Jedi, that wild spirit was still intact. Much to his by-the-book master's dismay. Anakin didn't have the opportunity to grow up in the strict Jedi Temple that was built on order, rules and tradition. As a child, Anakin was use to being himself and not fitting into anyone's mold. His original dream was to be a pilot, not a Jedi. No one asked him if he wanted to be a Jedi, no one asked him if he wanted to be trained by Obi-Wan Kenobi.

While Anakin may have been grateful for both opportunities presented to him, overtime he may have seen this new life as not to different from the one he left. A life run by others. Telling him what to do, where to go, how to dress, how to behave. He survived as a slave because he dared to dream and imagine and refused to be defined by others.

Now he's thrown into a culture where individuality is looked down upon. He lived through the stifling Jedi order because he still held onto those qualities. He was going to be himself on his terms. He would nod his head and say yes when he needed to, but off the clock he would live by his own rules. Something that Obi-Wan and the Jedi order could not understand. And Anakin is getting frustrated by this.

So now we get to Attack of the Clones (and the Attack of Hayden Christensen). Critics came down hard on both Anakin and Hayden. Constantly complaining about Anakin's constant complaining, his tantrums, broodiness and being a crybaby about everything. Critics blamed the disaster of Anakin Skywalker on the terrible miscasting of Hayden Christensen. The only redeeming quality Hayden Christensen had that saved him was the fact he was so easy to look at.

For years, fans were desperate to know who Anakin Skywalker was. And so the pressure to deliver a good character that could measure up to the icon of Darth Vader may have seemed insurmountable. And so when people got this confused, overemotional 19 year old, who has no experience in love or sex, but is madly in love with a beautiful young women; and who wants to be respected in a highly established culture, without losing himself or conforming, well people were just disappointed. The disappointment can be explained in one of Anakin's most famous lines.

"HE'S HOLDING ME BACK!"

He, being George Lucas who was holding back Hayden's actual talent to create a good three dimensional character. Plus his bad script writing. Poor Hayden was just made to read lines on a page and somehow make this sad character somebody that people can root for. Unfortunately fans and critics ate him alive. It's only in recent years that people have begun to realize that they were blaming the wrong person. And by blaming Hayden, they were completely misunderstanding Anakin as a character.

His most beautiful gift, his most fatal flaw

Of all of Anakin's gifts, his ability to love deeply was probably his most profound and his most dangerous. The Jedi Temple forbade romantic attachments to others and for good reason. When you become attached to or love someone beyond the boundaries of platonic friendship you become afraid of losing them. The end of my review for the Star Wars prequels sums it up the best:

In The Phantom Menace, Yoda warns Anakin about the dangers of being afraid. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering. Anakin's most beautiful attribute is also his most fatal flaw. His ability to love deeply. Yet, if you love someone you will always live in fear of losing them. Anakin was created by darkness, but raised in the light of his mother's love. His own love was made manifest by Padme and then by their unborn child/children. However, Love no matter how strong can be weakened and even be destroyed by the evil of fear. If the prequels taught anything about life, it taught how fear (even in its smallest form) can be be our most detrimental enemy. Living alone in fear and not seeking help is a signing of our own death warrants. What might have happened if Anakin had gone to Obi-Wan and seek his help? Would things have been different? The prequels were not meant to tell a happy story. They were written as a timeline of a boy's journey from goodness into darkness. No, they don't have the silliness or humor of the Originals, because there is nothing humorous about someone's self-destruction. Yet, the story of Anakin Skywalker's transformation had to be told in a way that was real and heartbreaking. To take Darth Vader and make him a human who could feel and understand and love could be an insurmountable task. Yet, you only need to watch his death scene at the end of Return of The Jedi to see that the humane part of Anakin Skywalker had always been there. The prequels were made to be built on that final scene of redemption and human love. A husband's love to save his wife became a father's love that could overcome darkness and hate. An extreme love that defied fear and held on to hope. That was the love of Anakin Skywalker.

Anakin could be a bratty and immature young adult. However, to only base a character by his few annoying flaws is overlooking the bigger and better picture. Anakin was an outsider his whole life and yet that never seemed to bother him. He never cared about fitting in. He was content being himself and he refused to let Obi-Wan or the Jedi Order or even Padme change him. He held onto who he was for as long as he was able to. Then the tragedy of losing his wife changed that. The indomitable spirit wasn't broken, it was destroyed. Anakin re-entered a life of slavery for over 20 years.

And he was ultimately freed by one person. An orphan who once had nothing but a talent as an inventor and dreams of being a pilot. A young Jedi with an unbreakable spirit that refused to surrender to evil or fear or pain or loss. A son who loved his father so deeply that he would fight to the death to free Anakin Skywalker forever.

#star wars #anakin skywalker #hayden christensen