#tpm novelization

[the-far-bright-center]

'I had a mother who loved me'

(aka, the Jedi Order is NOT Anakin's family)

This is a topic that I've seen discussed elsewhere and I felt compelled to add my own thoughts. I've seen some takes I vehemently disagree with, especially regarding Shmi and Little Ani in TPM, and Anakin's 'decision' to leave with Qui-Gon. It's crazy how some people will blame little Ani for 'wanting' to be a Jedi, yet apparently Luke in ANH is allowed to want this, even though Luke likewise barely knows anything about what being a Jedi entails, and even though it's much more risky (and, frankly, far more unrealistic) to dream of becoming a Jedi in the Dark Times era?? As if a nine-year-old slave-boy wanting to take part in his new-found freedom by learning to be something he associates with heroism means he somehow 'should have known' he wasn’t going to be a ‘good fit’ for the Order. My argument is that there was nothing wrong with Anakin, and there was in fact no legitimate reason for him or ANYONE ELSE to believe he'd not be good at using the Force to help others (which is what the Jedi are supposed to do), especially when he had literally just done so in the pod-race. The whole reason Qui-Gon noticed Anakin was because of how strong in the Force he already was, even untrained. Qui-Gon has faith in him, it's just the Jedi Council that doubts him. Because, unlike Qui-Gon who perceives Anakin's positive qualities and potential, Yoda and the Jedi Council are afraid of him. Because Anakin is basically an 'unknown' (read: uncontrollable) entity suddenly in their midst.

While the Prequels film-canon stands on its own in this regard, we can also look to the novelizations for even more emphasis on this topic. In the TPM novelization, several things are noteable: first of all, even before Qui-Gon arrives, Anakin has had prophetic dreams about becoming a Jedi. And since Shmi is aware that Ani's dreams and visions do often come to pass, when Qui-Gon appears and offers to take him away to be trained, why wouldn't she think that maybe this was somehow Force (or Fate) ordained? And that therefore it was the right thing to do to let him go? And the second thing, is while it's also clear that Little Ani (like Luke!) has a romanticised view of what being a Jedi might be like, his actual motivation for becoming a Jedi is not simply because he 'selfishly' wants to embark on some fun adventure without his mom. On the contrary, every. single. time. little Ani thinks about the possibility of becoming a Jedi or leaving Tatooine, it's directly in relation to eventually returning to FREE his mother and the rest of the slaves:

He was several things in the course of his dreams. Once he was a Jedi Knight, fighting against things so dark and insubstantial he could not identify them. Once he was a pilot of a star cruiser, taking the ship into hyperspace, spanning whole star systems on his voyage. Once he was a great and feared commander of an army, and he came back to Tatooine with ships and troops at his command to free the planet’s slaves. His mother was waiting for him, smiling, arms outstretched.

and

He gazed skyward, his mother's hand resting lightly on his arm, and thought about what it would be like to be out there, flying battle cruisers and fighters, traveling to far worlds and strange places. He didn't care what Wald said, he wouldn't be a slave all his life. Just as he wouldn't always be a boy. He would find a way to leave Tatooine. He would find a way to take his mother with him. His dreams whirled through his head as he watched the stars, a kaleidoscope of bright images. He imagined how it would be. He saw it clearly in his mind, and it made him smile.

Anakin wants to escape slavery and train as a Jedi so he can come back and continue helping his friends and family on Tatooine. So he can return to free the slaves. Little does he know that he won't be allowed to do that... :'(

It's important to note as well that at this point, Anakin *also* has no idea that, as a Jedi, he won't be allowed to get married and have a family. Even though he is already naively imagining himself someday marrying Padme. So he doesn't know that not only will he not be permitted to return for his mother as he'd always hoped, but he will also technically not be allowed to even have a family of his own even when he's old enough to do so.

And what of Shmi's thoughts on Anakin becoming a Jedi? At the start of the AotC novelization, she is trying to be happy with the thought of it, but ONLY because she believes he must be living his best life as a Jedi. She has no idea that he had to go through rejection first before being accepted into the Order. The AotC novelization shows that as Shmi is being held captive and tortured by the Tusken Raiders, she tries to comfort herself by holding onto her imagination of what Anakin's time as Jedi is like:

All those times staring up at the night sky, she had thought of him, had imagined him soaring across the galaxy, rescuing the downtrodden, saving planets from ravaging monsters and evil tyrants. But she had always expected to see [Ani] again, had always expected him to walk onto the moisture farm one day, that impish smile of his, the one that could light up a room, greeting her as if they had never been apart.

Heartbreakingly, as Shmi is being brutalised to death, she clings to the hope that her beloved Ani's life is now better than it was before, and that it was worth saying farewell to him all those years ago, even while simultaneously desperately longing to see him again.

As an aside, it aggravates me to no end that *cough* certain parts of this fandom perpetuate the idea that Shmi is just some blank, wholly selfless entity with no wants or desires of her own. That she's the ‘perfect’ example of a Jedi with no 'attachments' (aka an Old Order Jedi), and that somehow Anakin is a just a 'failure' compared to her. Yes, it could be argued that Shmi is shown to be a better or truer 'Jedi' than most of the other Jedi in the story (aside from Luke in RotJ), but guess what that would mean in that case? (Hint: it has to do with love and family.) Because first and foremost, Shmi is a MOTHER who is trying to do the best for her son, even though a piece of her heart is always missing while he is gone. The AotC novelization shows repeatedly that she tries to assure herself that she did the right thing by letting Ani go, but the human mother side of herself also cries out for him and misses him desperately. She might have let him go in TPM, but in AoTC she wants to see him again. In fact, she believes strongly that she will see him again (because she loves him and he’s her hero because she’s his mom and she trusts he will eventually come back to find her), which is the only thing keeping her holding on until he arrives. How can Shmi be a perfect example of an Old Order Jedi when the motivating factor for even her most selfless actions is her personal FAMILIAL attachment to and unconditional LOVE for Anakin?? Also, how insulting is it to claim that Anakin is a 'failure' in comparison to his 'wonderful, perfect mother', and then proceed to place all the blame on him for being said 'failure'....when he was shown on-screen to be doing just fine in taking after his mother prior to his time in the Jedi Order????

As another poster noted elsewhere, Shmi Skywalker is the only person responsible for the truly good person Anakin Skywalker was.

This is the heart of the entire saga. Anakin's True Self is good because of his mother. Because of how she raised him (to be selfless and to want to help others) and because of the unconditional LOVE she had for him. It was the Jedi Order that failed to provide that for Anakin, and Sidious who manipulated the situation to his advantage.

(And if Shmi was the only person who truly solidified Anakin's inner goodness, then Qui-Gon was the only Jedi who was presented as being equipped to bring out the best in Anakin when Shmi wasn't around. The only one who was prepared to act as an openly warm and compassionate parental figure to Anakin, the only one who could have properly mentored Anakin and helped him navigate both his Force powers as well as the Jedi Code, and the only one who was shown to be willing to stand up to the Council on Anakin's behalf. The tragedy is not that Qui-Gon found Anakin or even that he offered to take him to train in the Force. Rather, the tragedy is that Qui-Gon is slain in the Duel of the Fates, which leaves Anakin without a true protector and advocate in the Order, and allows Sidious an 'in'.)

So the idea that the Jedi Order is Anakin's ‘replacement family' is simply not true—certainly not in the way the story actually pans out. It's telling that, in the original Prequels-era EU, Anakin ran away from the Jedi Temple multiple times. That is NOT the behaviour of a happy child. (It is, however, typical behaviour for children who are struggling in institutionalised care.)

And indeed, the very first paragraph of the AotC novelization opens with Anakin dreaming that he is part of a warm, loving family:

His mind absorbed the scene before him, so quiet and calm and...normal. It was the life he had always wanted, a gathering of family and friends—he knew that they were just that, though the only one he recognized was his dear mother. This was the way it was supposed to be. The warmth and the love, the laughter and the quiet times. This was how he had always dreamed it would be, how he had always prayed it would be. The warm, inviting smiles. The pleasant conversation. The gentle pats on the shoulders. But most of all there was the smile of his beloved mother, so happy now, no more a slave. When she looked at him, he saw all of that and more, saw how proud she was him, how joyful her life had become.

Why would Anakin be dreaming longingly of being part of an openly loving, happy family if he already had that at the Jedi Temple? (Tellingly, he notes that this seems like something normal, as if he's aware that it ought to be commonplace despite the fact that it's currently missing from his own life.)

And later on, when he's visiting Padme's parents' house for dinner, he sees this exact type of scene he's been longing for play out right in front of him, and he wishes that his mother could be there to enjoy it, too:

Anakin took a good helping of several different dishes. The food was all unfamiliar, but the smells told him that he wouldn’t be disappointed. He sat quietly as he ate, listening with half an ear to the chatter all about him. He was thinking of his mom again, of how he wished he could bring her here, a free woman, to live the life she so deserved.

Note that Anakin is thinking about his mother, and putting her first in his mind. He can barely enjoy the meal while he believes his mother could be out there, suffering.

Later on as he and Padme are heading to Tatooine to search for Shmi, they bond over the fact that both their mothers told them the same nursery rhyme ('home again to rest'). It means a lot to Anakin that he can bond with Padme over this similar childhood memory. (No doubt something he would not have had in common with his peers in the Temple, since their only childhood memories would have been within the Jedi Order, rather than in a true home. And certainly not with a mother.)

Finally, we get to the RotS novelization. Yes, THAT one. The one in which we see that Anakin was perfectly willing to walk away from the Order the minute he returned from the war and discovered Padme was pregnant. Willing to walk away to start their FAMILY together. But then his nightmares began, and he reluctantly stayed just a little longer, thinking the Jedi (whom he originally joined with the express intent of wanting to help his loved ones) could offer him some solution to the horror his nightmares were showing him:

If not for his dreams, he’d withdraw from the Order today. Now. ...Let the scandal come; it wouldn’t destroy their lives. Not their real lives. It would destroy only the lives they’d had before each other: those separate years that now meant nothing at all.

To drive the point home, we also have the pivotal scene where Obi-Wan—speaking on the Council's behalf—tries to convince Anakin to spy on the Chancellor. Their exchange says it all:

"He's my friend, Obi-Wan." "I know." "If he asked me to spy on you, do you think I would do it? You know how kind he's been to me. You now how he's looked after me, how he's done everything he could to help me. He's like family." "The Jedi are your family." "No. No, the Jedi are your family. The only one you've ever known. I had a mother who loved me."

Anakin's story breaks my heart because all he wants—all he has ever wanted—is a family. Not to just to 'have' one in a vague sense, but to be PART OF ONE. He wants this, because even when he was slave living an unfree life, at least he had his mother. At least he could feel his mother's love, and could openly demonstrate his love to her in return. For Anakin Skywalker, being a Jedi was never the goal in and of itself. In his mind, it was always primarily a means to save those he loved. To save his family. This is simultaneously the most tragic and the most beautiful thing about his character. It is both his fall AND his redemption.

And those who insist on ignoring Anakin’s deep-seated longing for a family and want to act as though he should just be content with the Jedi Order instead are willfully missing the entire point of his story.

#Anakin Skywalker #Shmi Skywalker #mother and son #the jedi order #jedi discourse #the prequels #tpm novelization #aotc novelization #rots novelization #the skywalkers #skywalker family #the skywalker saga #the real skywalker saga #love and family #love can ignite the stars #the barest flicker of persistent light

[jaguarys]

Oh :(((

#this is from the tpm novelization #personal #star wars #anakin skywalker #shmi skywalker #c3po #c3po star wars #sw prequels #star wars novel #the phantom menace #tpm #anakin and shmi #star wars anakin #darth vader #fandom: star wars #type: meta

[willowcrowned]

imagining one sided obi wan/padme where she thinks he’s really hot day one and it only magnifies when she’s old enough that he doesn’t see her as a kid anymore. only she’s kind of insane about romance so obi wan’s like “sometimes when it’s clear someone else thinks you’re soulmates trapped on opposite sides utterly incapable of reaching what you both long for you just have to nod and smile and extract yourself from the situation” while baby anakin is thinking vividly about killing him in the night. on the other hand anakin get get padme to meet with him by talking about how cool obi wan is

anon I have been thinking about this ask for WEEKS unable to reply for sheer inability to add to the genius therein

#Padmé is ABSOLUTELY the sort of person to believe in doomed love #but she believes in doomed love in like... the romance novel way #she doesn't see them as romeo and juliet she sees them as as chad mcrichguy and whitegirlname character from space book forbidden desires #which is to say that padmé fundamentally believes in the all-conquering power of love #and is SURE that sooner or later they'll get together #she's completely incapable of conceptualizing herself as genuinely in unrequited love #because she has trouble with narratives that don't fit into her strict rules about How The World Works #part of that is because she's too young (especially when she first meets obi wan) to really have any experience that forces her to grow #and part of that is because she was born into such a HUGE position of privilege (esp compared to like... the general galaxy) #that no one around her could teach her context #when she gets to tatooine in TPM she's shocked that there's slavery because the republic has outlawed it #now granted she is fourteen and an idealist #but at the same time #is it really so hard to believe that a girl who believes that the republic is an effective and fair government #and that anything can be fixed if you work hard enough and believe in yourself #would grow into a woman who believes that love conquers all #asks #anon #obidala #padmé amidala #star wars #star wars au

[yiliy]

"Duality is also present in the characters of Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon. In the beginning, Obi-Wan is at odds with Qui-Gon, who rebels against the Jedi rules. But by the end of the film, he has become Qui-Gon by taking on his rebellious personality and his responsibilities."

- George Lucas

Star Wars - The Making of Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999), by Laurent Bouzereau, Jody Duncan

But Obi-Wan Kenobi was not a conventional Jedi, in many ways. Although he tended to be reserved, especially when dealing with his Padawan, his former Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, had left a mark on Obi-Wan.

Star Wars - Episode II - Attack of the Clones novelization (2002)

by R. A. Salvatore

#Star Wars #Obi-Wan Kenobi #Qui-Gon Jinn #George Lucas #The Phantom Menace #TPM #Attack of the Clones #AotC #Obi Wan #Qui Gon #George Lucas quotes #George Lucas interview #Kenobi #ObiWan #Obi Wan Kenobi #Qui Gon Jinn #R.A. Salvatore #Attack of the Clones novelization #Jedi #Obi Wan and Qui Gon

[randomguyonline71]

So nobody is going to talk about how Anakin and Padmé basically got engaged during TPM?

"I'm going to marry you," the boy said suddenly.

And then a little later:

"It's beautiful. But I don't need this to remember you." Her face lifted to his with a smile. "How could I forget my future husband?" She looked down at the pendant, fingering it thoughtfully.

Full scenes below.

She was looking back at him now, embarrassment turning to curiosity. She was small and slender with long, braided brown hair, brown eyes, and a face he found so beautiful that he had nothing to which he could compare it. She was dressed in rough peasant's clothing, but she seemed very self-possessed. She gave him an amused smile, and he felt himself melting in confusion and wonder. He took a deep breath.

"Are you an angel?" he asked quietly.

The girl stared. "What?"

"An angel." Anakin straightened a bit. "They live on the moons of Iego, I think. They are the most beautiful creatures in the universe. They are good and kind, and so pretty they make even the most hardened space pirates cry like small children."

She gave him a confused look. "I've never heard of angels," she said.

"You must be one of them," Anakin insisted. "Maybe you just don't know it."

"You're a funny little boy." The amused smile returned. "How do you know so much?"

Anakin smiled back and shrugged. "I listen to all the traders and pilots who come through here." He glanced toward the salvage yard. "I'm a pilot, you know. Someday, I'm going to fly away from this place."

The girl wandered to one end of the counter, looked away, then back again. "Have you been here long?"

"Since I was very little-three, I think. My mom and I were sold to Gardulla the Hutt, but she lost us to Watto, betting on the pod races. Watto's a lot better master, I think."

She stared at him in shock. "You're a slave?"

The way she said it made Anakin feel ashamed and angry. He glared at her defiantly. "I am a person!"

"I'm sorry," she said quickly, looking upset and embarrassed. "I don't fully understand, I guess. This is a strange world to me."

He studied her intently for a moment, thinking of other things, wanting to tell her of them. "You are a strange girl to me," he said instead. He swung his legs out from the counter. "My name is Anakin Skywalker."

She brushed at her hair. "Padme Naberrie."

The strange creature she had come in with wandered back to the front of the shop and bent over a stout little droid body with a bulbous nose. Reaching up curiously, it pushed at the nose with one finger. Instantly armatures popped out from every direction, metal limbs swinging into place. The droid's motors whizzed and whirred, and it jerked to life and began moving forward. Padme's odd companion went after it with a moan of dismay, grabbing on in an effort to slow it down, but the droid continued marching through the shop, knocking over everything it came in contact with.

"Hit the nose!" Anakin called out, unable to keep himself from laughing. The creature did as it was told, pounding the droid's nose wildly. The droid stopped at once, the arms and legs retracted, the motors shut down, and the droid went still.

Both Anakin and Padme were laughing now, and their laughter increased as they saw the look on the unfortunate creature's long - billed face. Anakin looked at Padme and the girl at him. Their laughter died away. The girl reached up to touch her hair self-consciously, but she did not divert her gaze.

"I'm going to marry you," the boy said suddenly.

There was a moment of silence, and she began laughing again, a sweet musical sound he didn't mind at all. The creature who accompanied her rolled his eyes.

"I mean it," he insisted.

"You are an odd one," she said, her laughter dying away. "Why do you say that?"

He hesitated. "I guess because it's what I believe…"

Her smile was dazzling. "Well, I'm afraid I can't marry you…" She paused, searching her memory for his name.

"Anakin," he said.

"Anakin." She cocked her head. "You're just a little boy."

His gaze was intense as he faced her. "I won't always be," he said quietly.

______________________________________________________________

"Here," he said, "I made this for you. So you'd remember me. I carved it out of a japor snippet. Take it. It will bring you good fortune." He handed her an intricately carved wooden pendant. She studied it a moment, face lowered in shadow, then slipped it around her neck.

"It's beautiful. But I don't need this to remember you." Her face lifted to his with a smile. "How could I forget my future husband?" She looked down at the pendant, fingering it thoughtfully. "Many things will change when we reach Coruscant, Annie. My caring for you will not be one of them."

The boy nodded, swallowing. "I know. And I won't stop caring for you, either. Only, I miss -" His voice broke, and the tears sprang into his eyes once more.

"You miss your mother," the girl finished quietly.

Anakin nodded, wiping at his face, unable to speak a word as Padme Naberrie drew him against her and held him close.

#anidala #star wars #the phantom menace #TPM novel #Why didn't they include this in the movie??? #maybe i am exaggerating the title a little #anakin skywalker #padmé amidala #anakin and padme #padmé naberrie #Anakin and padmé TPM #the prequels

[hedonistbyheart]

“They gripped hands impulsively, and as quickly as that, the breach that had opened between them was closed.”

#star wars #obi wan kenobi #qui-gon jinn #obi-wan kenobi #qui gon jinn #star wars: the phantom menace #the phantom menace #tpm #star wars fanart #the phantom menace novelization #saw a picture of liam and ewan in this pose and had to use it for this specific moment in the novel #in this house we won't hear qui-gon slander #my art

[jewishcissiekj]

Padwan by Kristen White is dragging me by my collar back to my Obi-Wan era I'm afraid

#yael is reading star wars #padawan #he was my fav when i first watched the prequels #like you know #a few months ago #but fr it's so good!!! #this and watching tpm last week and reading (listening to) the tpm novelization this week has me thinking a lot about padawan obi-wan #the guy ever

[nobie]

I started Padawan by Kiersten White yesterday and I’m already hooked. Padawan Obi is a mess, I love him sm. Compared to the composed “Jedi Calm” that he becomes. He’s like a baby so smol.

#Ik we saw padawan obi in TPM but in this book he’s so out of synch with Qui-Gon #it’s refreshing to read #obi wan kenobi #sw novels #star wars

[eliza-makepeace]

You know what's interesting is I don't think the Jedi actually make a big deal about the Chosen One thing in canon. Qui-Gon presents the idea and the Council is skeptical about it, and even Obi-Wan isn't sure. Qui-Gon has been established in canon novels to have had a special interest in prophecy that the other Jedi did not share. The other Jedi believe the future is always in motion and while visions of the future may come to pass, destiny does not supersede personal autonomy and assuming the certainty of a potential future is extremely dangerous— see: Anakin being certain Padmé will die in childbirth with only a dream for evidence, and Padmé ultimately giving birth in extremely fraught circumstances she would not have ended up in if Anakin had taken the dream with a grain of salt.

I don't think we give enough credit to how weird Qui-Gon is supposed to be, because his wise old man routine obscures the fact that he's a wild card. He's the Jedi equivalent of a moon landing truther who believes in astrology. The Jedi don't believe him when he insists the Sith have returned, and their skepticism is by no means unreasonable— the Sith have been extinct in the galaxy for about as long as the Vikings have in the real world. It's much more likely that Maul is a wannabe Sith LARPer or some other dark side wielder rather than the genuine article. A Sith LARPer is still dangerous, of course, and there is a slim possibility that Qui-Gon's actually on the money this time, so they don't brush it off, but send him to investigate. By the end, it's pretty clear that Maul is indeed a Sith.

I think this is what convinces the Council to allow Anakin to be trained. Qui-Gon was right about the Sith, maybe he's right about the Chosen One— maybe. They're not going to do a 180 and take this as a sign of the prophecy's validity; they'll train Anakin like any other Jedi (much as they can considering his background and late start) and if he happens to bring balance to the Force somewhere down the line, fantastic. Yoda initially thinks they're foolish for doing even that much and doesn't believe their assessment of Anakin should change. He could see that it was extremely risky to train Anakin, and he doesn't approve of the Council moving forward with it on the hope that he'll fulfill some prophecy. (Interestingly, Yoda isn't head of the Council at this time— Mace is.)

Throughout the movies, we always hear the prophecy referenced in questions and if terms. The Jedi aren't completely certain that the prophecy will come to pass. Qui-Gon says, "He is the Chosen One," but the other Jedi say, "Is he the Chosen One?" or when they're feeling confident, "Isn't he?" Yoda even posits at one point that if it is real, it might not mean what they think it does. For Anakin's part, I can't remember a time in the films when he brings it up himself. Still, the Mortis arc makes it clear that the prophecy does refer to him. It's just that in Star Wars, prophecies only present one of many possible futures. Obi-Wan's heartbroken lament mourns this reality— instead of bringing balance to the Force, Anakin plunged the galaxy into darkness.

Anakin does ultimately fulfill the prophecy, not because of predetermined destiny, but because of his own choice. He doesn't kill Palpatine to destroy the Sith, he kills him to save his son. He realizes that he's always been able to choose his destiny. He may have been Chosen by the Force to overthrow the Sith, but it was not the Force's choice to make. The dark side represents imbalance; the Force wishes to be balanced. If it were up to the Force, I don't think Order 66 would have been allowed to happen. It was always Anakin's choice to doom the galaxy or save it, much as that choice can fall to one person. I think that's a really interesting subversion of the Chosen One trope

This whole debate about the nature and consequences of the Chosen One in canon is fascinating. I don't exactly know what I think about it, truth be told.

For one, I've seen interviews of George Lucas stating that Anakin is the Chosen One, and there's this strange aspect to him that is fundamentally linked with inevitability. His own name, according to Jett Lucas, is based on the Greek goddess of inevitability, Ananke. George Lucas has said Anakin was always the Chosen One, even as Darth Vader, and he was always supposed to be Darth Vader, and saved by Luke. So there's that. However, I still think it's also Anakin's choice to do it as he did, and he didn't kill Palpatine as the Chosen One, he killed him as a father who wanted to protect his son. So that's an interesting debate, about the degree that Anakin fulfilled his role as the Chosen One because it was prophesized he would or because he chose to (no pun intented).

Granted, the characters don't know that he is it. I think, rather than having doubts about the existence of the Chosen One, the Jedi have issues concerning his role, what that Chosen One might cause. The Force does warn, through a prophecy, that there will be a Chosen One. The question is: what will he do? What will he cause to the world as the Jedi know it? And therefore, will he keep the ideas of the Jedi or obliterate them? That's the question, the fear.

Which brings me back to the Jedi and their consideration of Anakin.

Anakin is a huge problem for a number of reasons, and I think that's the real issue:

1) no one knows what the Chosen One really should do, because "the prophecy could have been misread". The existence of the Chosen One isn't doubted, I think, but their nature, what the prophecy really says about them.

2) no one knows how Anakin as a person will deal with stuff because he has been living as a force sensitive non-jedi for 10 years, is incredibly powerful and has attachments. The Jedi distrust him because he has been raised away from the dogmas and considerations of the Order.

3) His "patron", biggest supporter, and also new attachment, is Qui-Gon Jinn. Aka the guy who isn't in the Council because he moonwalks in and out of the council chamber while telling everyone very nicely that maybe they should reconsider what they're doing. So the Jedi aren't really leaping with joy about him in general.

And the thing is, when Anakin is firstly introduced in front of the Jedi, and gets rejected, it is established that the main reason he's there is because Qui-Gon thinks he's the foretold chosen one. And they still reject him. Anakin suddenly is away from home, taken from his mom, Qui-Gon inadvertently puts a lot of weight on him by saying he's the Chosen One, and the Jedi don't want him. When they finally do allow him to join the Order, it's obvious their initial doubts are still there. The only reason they keep him is because, firstly Qui-Gon insists, and then, he dies and Obi-Wan insists for him. He practically threatens Yoda, "I will train Anakin, without the aproval of the Council, if I must." And because, in case he really is the Chosen One, it's better to keep him where we can see him, just in case. And if he's not, he's still very powerful, so we'll still keep an eye on him.

As for Anakin thinking he's the Chosen One or not, I remember (although I can't really say where I've seen it or which of the many) one interview of Hayden, where he talked about Anakin truly believing he's the Chosen One, and it's that sort of idea that he's a savior that makes him be so obsessed. He needs to save all the people, he just has to. It's his duty. And what kind of a Chosen One, a Hero With No Fear could he be, if he can't save his own mother, or his own wife and child? This isn't really stated in the movies, so obviously we can decide by ourselves whether or not we consider it canon. I myself do, because it clearly affected Hayden's performance to know that, whether or not there was dialogue to support it. But I also believe he believed he was, because, at least when he arrived and joined the Jedi, his being the Chosen One was both what, in general, allowed him to stay, and also kept him away from the other padawans and people around him.

So, yeah... I think there's this flip side of the coin, between Anakin's inevitable role as the Chosen One, and his own choice to be so. I think they're not mutually exclusive.

#i think this answer is super incoherent and rambled #but anyway #i hope some of it makes sense #and is interesting enough to warrant a debate or food for thought lmao #i've talked about things i've seen/read/watched #but obviously there's a lot i don't know and i'm not really versed in the clone wars show so i can't really talk about what happens there #i don't want to put this in the big answer but. #i think we should differenciate between the prophecy of the chosen one and the dreams anakin has #because in canon they haven't been explained. as in why he has them #except in tpm novel or such but really not that much either #also i've seen suggested that the reason anakin dreamt of his mom was because palpatine was indirectly behind the tuskens taking her #and the same about padme in a way #like palpatine forced those dreams on him to freak him out #because otherwise how could he know she was his wife or that he had dreams about her death? #anyway those might be headcanons made by fans but whatever. they're still interesting to think about #regardless there's a difference between dreams about the future and prophecies. the first can change #the second... i'm not so sure #ask #anakin skywalker

[plokoonsdisapprovingeyebrows]

getting deeper into starwars fandom >> developing my own opinions and takes >> suddenly realising that fic/meta i enjoyed like four months ago is, in fact, rancid af

#thinkin especially of the many fics that just coincidentally happened to decide #that m4ce w1ndu is the posterboy for worst jedi and needs to be taken down a peg or two #like oh boy i wonder why its always him #just leaves a real bad taste in my mouth yaknow #the first few fics were like #okay i guess the author isn't a fan #the many that followed after? yeah okay there's a Pattern emerging and i Dont Like It #and every so often i come across stuff in them that i KNOW isnt even true #which is like. im a fuckin noob and i know that lmfao #fuckin dug out my tpm novelization to check and everything #i bought that book when i was like fuckin 11 and haven't read it all the way through since lmfao

[jaguarys]

Hey what if I sobbed forever and ever and ever

#HE BELIEVED DEEP DOWN INSIDE WHERE IT MATTERED THAT IT MUST.... WHAT THE FUCK!!! #WHAT THE FUCK!!!!! #from the tpm novelization #personal #star wars #anakin skywalker #darth vader #star wars prequels #the phantom menace #tpm #the phantom menace terry brooks #shmi skywalker #fandom: star wars #type: meta

[almiarangers]

Can we just put Matt Stover in charge of all of Star Wars? He seems to be the only one who actually understands these characters

#Cockatoo.txt #cowboy hat guy has lost my respect :/ #All hail Matt Stover #what I wouldn’t do for him to write new novelizations for tpm and aotc #(would also not object to rots novel bonus content mentioning Ahsoka and the tcw 501st boys) #(since they didn’t exist when the novel was written)

[randomguyonline71]

Another passage from the TPM novel that I love:

Anakin stood at the base of a temple column, still trying to come to terms with Padme's revelation. Everyone had been surprised, of course, but no one more than he. He wasn't sure how he felt about her now, knowing she wasn't just a girl, but a Queen. He had declared he would marry her someday, believing it so, but how could someone who had been a slave all his life marry a Queen? He wanted to talk to her, but there wasn't any opportunity for that here.

He supposed things wouldn't be the same after this, but he wished they could. He liked her as much now as he had before, and to tell the truth he didn't care if she was a Queen or not. He glanced over at the girl and the Jedi Knights and thought how different things were here than they had been on Tatooine. Nothing had worked out the way he had hoped for any of them, and it remained to be seen if leaving his mother and home to come with them was a good idea after all.

#anidala #star wars #the phantom menace #TPM novel #anakin and padme #anakin/padme #anakin skywalker #padmé naberrie #the prequels #baby anidala #padme amidala

[marvelstars]

Anakin and Slavers

"His undoing is that he loveth too much"

George Lucas

One thing that I always liked about George´s work in relation to Anakin and slavery is how out of the left field he and Dave Filoni wrote Anakin´s relationship to the people who owned or saw him as a property at one point or another and yet it makes total sense for his character.

For example kid Anakin has no doubt that Slavery is horrible and at 9 he is actually working towards developing technology to help free his Mom, friends and himself from it. He hates with capital H the fact those people have control over the life and death of other people but at the same time he has great compassion and kindness which his mother helped nurture. This along with the fact that Watto was the only adult male figure who was around during his early chilldhood, this complicated his feelings towards slavers in a very tragic way.

Anakin feared Watto´s violence and didn´t for a moment doubt he would have been willing to sell off his mother or him if the customer got to a big enough price but at the same time he listens to his advice when he travels to the dune sea to do his work with the jawas and his pov is almost as important as his Mom´s, in the novelization of TPM Anakin remembers not to talk to strangers or to get close to Tuskens Raiders camps thanks to Watto´s advice.

So in Anakin´s mind, Watto is someone he fears but also someone he takes advice from, respects to a point, sometimes gets sassy to and actually listens to almost as a father figure BUT at the same time he has no doubt he would activate the killing chip if he tried to escape.

Pain/abuse/fear mixed with care/advice(sounds familiar?) Anakin knows slavery is awful but he can´t help but see Watto as a person because of who Anakin is, Annie is a kind and understanding person and to point may justify Watto as a "Man of bussines" and "Not as bad a other masters" "It could be worse" but he definitely doesn´t trust him in the same way he does his mother, she is blood, she is family. He and Mom are a team.They shared their secrets.

The first time Anakin saw Watto again after being freed, he was a Jedi with training, almost a knight and the first thing he does to the guy who beat him and his Mom some years ago is to ask him if he can help with the ship parts Watto is working on because he noticed Watto is struggling and his bussines is falling down compared to how it was when Anakin was a kid. When Watto noticed who Anakin was he didn´t reject him and accepted his congratulations but keep himself appart, hoping to learn about his mother whereabouts.

When Watto told Anakin he sold Shmi, Anakin doesn´t have a reaction, he takes Watto´s justification of "I am sorry Ani but bussines are bussines and anyway the person who bought her freed her and married her" Anakin doubts it´s as good a picture as Watto is talking about but he takes his justification and leaves.

When he meets Owen, Beru and Cliegg he sees they are indeed nice people and the reason for his mothers suffering is something completely different that they were not able to stop so he doesn´t blame them for her fate. When Anakin lost his mother it was only natural for him to seek a family, someone he could share how he really felt and his secrets, he could not be part of the Lars family but Padme was willing to love him so she became his new confirmed family, right along with Obi-Wan and Ahsoka but while he had to show himself different to them, he didn´t had to do that with Padme, just like he did with his mother.

In the clone wars Anakin shows again this complex view of slavers with Queen Miraj Scintel, the cartoon goes out of it´s way to show she looked at him as pretty property and he didn´t let her forget that and actually it was strongly suggested he may have been raped by her at some point to keep safe Obi-Wan, Rex, Ahsoka as well as the people they wanted to save while he got enough soldiers to stage their rescue. Anakin had a plan the whole time just as he did as a kid so he keep his cool even when he saw another slave choose suicide over keep being under the control of Scintel. Yet in the end when the Queen was killed by Count Dooku Anakin felt sorry for her, he could not help it.

So this mix of rejection/anger/hate/disgust towards slavers mixed with pity/understanding which is something that was part of what made Anakin a good person gets used agaisn´t him in his relationship with Palpatine.

He first shows himself as the father figure Anakin thought he could find in Qui-Gon before he died a better father figure than Watto had been, a father figure that didn´t reject this title like ObiWan did, Palpatine did this to get his trust as a young child and later young adult and then he showed himself as the real sith master he actually was, Palpatine knew that Anakin wasn´t a stranger to be treated as property by people who showed themselves as good advicers or somehow not as bad as others despite their actions. So Anakin´s initial compassion, kindness and understanding for people that abused him is played agaisn´t him to make him fall to the darkside and chain himself again to another worse master who didn´t just seek to use his skills and body but who wanted his soul as well.

And the same reasons why Anakin justified Watto at first when he was a young kid also applied to Palpatine, he may be a sith but he ran the Republic better than those corrupt politicians, he isn´t a perfect Emperor but in Padme´s absence he is better than the alternatives. He isn´t as bad as a master and anyway I deserve this because I fell to the darkside and nobody can come back from that, if he abuses me I got this coming because I choose this and he still teaches me the ways of the force, he rescued me from Mustafar when Obi-Wan left me to die and he didn´t have to, he is all I have left.

So once Anakin´s voice died down Vader was left with many reasons to say to Palpatine "What´s your bidding my master?" because in his mind master isn´t a word that contradicts father and Palpatine became his father in all but name, this makes George´s words about Anakin fatal flaw being the fact he loved too much make complete sense and it´s a tragedy.

#anakin skywalker #darth vader #george lucas #shmi skywalker #palpatine #star wars #slavery/rape mention #anakin meta #The tragedy of Anakin Skywalker

[jedi-enthusiast]

I’ve seen a couple posts floating around about the Jedi Apprentice books- (which I’ve only absorbed via fandom osmosis) -and the relationship between Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon in fics, so I just figured I’d toss in my two cents.

Personally, I don’t really have any particular opinion on Qui-Gon, he’s a very middle ground character for me—I don’t love him, I don’t hate him, I just think he’s neat. This gives me the advantage of being able to read any number of fics with him in it and his relationships with other characters can be varied, and none of it will really affect my enjoyment of the fic.

However, there is a particular characterization I like above all the rest.

I love the characterization of- "Qui-Gon is trying his best to do the right thing and be a good master for Obi-Wan."

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The- "Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan's relationship was always perfect" -characterization of their relationship is just plain boring, in my opinion---but so is the- "Qui-Gon was just a shitty master and never actually cared about Obi-Wan" -characterization.

The former just leaves a very small sandbox to play in, in my opinion, especially in regards to angst---since I know we all love to put Obi-Wan through the ringer. Perfect things, in general, tend to leave very little wiggle room, so I generally don't really like them.

The latter, though, just...doesn't make sense for Qui-Gon's character or the Jedi in general. Qui-Gon, in the movies and even in the SW novelizations by Matthew Stover, never really comes across as someone who would be actively abusive.

Someone who sometimes makes decisions that hurt those around them, which is a normal human thing? Yes.

Someone who abuses and hurts their padawan intentionally for...reasons unbeknownst to me? Definitely not.

Plus, the Jedi aren't stupid. They would, very easily I'd say, be able to tell if someone was being abused---and like hell they would allow that to go on and not immediately remove that padawan from their abusers care. There's just no way.

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For me, the perfect characterization in fics is that Qui-Gon is always trying.

He's not perfect, no one is, but he's trying so hard to be a good master and to give Obi-Wan the support and care he needs. Obviously there are mistakes from both sometimes, that's just the nature of being a person, but every time Qui-Gon tries so hard to make the right decisions for the greater good and Obi-Wan.

This, of course, leaves room for Qui-Gon to make the wrong decisions sometimes---which means double the angst on both sides, which is always fun to write---plus, more importantly, it leaves room for both Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon to grow.

It means that they don't have to stay stagnant, stuck either being perfect or horrible, with no room in between.

It means that Obi-Wan can still have his Traumatic Past Events™️ without having to bash Qui-Gon to do it.

And it means that they can mess up sometimes, but still make up and be the master-padawan duo that we all enjoyed seeing in TPM.

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So yeah, those are just my thoughts---take them as you will.

#star wars #jedi apprentice #sw prequels #pro jedi #obi wan kenobi #qui gon jinn #tw abuse

[ahsoka-in-a-hood]

I feel like The Phantom Menace is low on people's rewatch list. Lots of people love Revenge of the Sith and it's novelization and know it really well, but so often when I speak to people about TPM they don't remember it all that well and so much is filtered through years of fanfic. And the thing about fanfic is that being religiously adherent to canon is really quite rarely the point of fanfic, (which is good and proper). But I think it's a shame really, TPM is a very fun movie and lays so much of the groundwork. I definitely recommend it