There once was a Jedi who fought,
Even though his apprentice was snot.
He dealt with a Hutt,
Kicked Grevieous's butt,
And to Giddy was totally hot.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Limerick Friday II - Ode to Obi-Wan
There once was a Jedi who fought,
Even though his apprentice was snot.
He dealt with a Hutt,
Kicked Grevieous's butt,
And to Giddy was totally hot.
Monday, September 7, 2009
As Night Fell on the Republic
A Knight in shining armor. The Knights of the Round Table. A white Knight upon a fiery steed. Any way I look at it, a Knight is a hero, someone to revere, someone to call "Sir Galahad".
There are several unforgettable scenes in the Star Wars Saga, and on of them is Anakin Skywalker, or rather the newly minted Darth Vader, leading thousands of clone troopers up the steps to the Jedi Temple as the lights of the city burned brightly behind them.
I recently read a reference to this as "Operation Knightfall." The phrase brought a tear to my eye.
Operation Knightfall. A name rich in meaning. The Jedi Knights are falling, it happens under the cover of night, and night is falling on the Republic as its defenders of peace and justice are murdered.
It's also called the Jedi Purge, but it's murder just the same. Clone troopers in the battlefield murder their Jedi commanders; Troopers in the Jedi Temple murder younglings and civilians, while Vader ruthlessly cuts down the innocent children who look to him for help.
Operation Knightfall. The night the Dark Times began and the Empire was born.
There are several unforgettable scenes in the Star Wars Saga, and on of them is Anakin Skywalker, or rather the newly minted Darth Vader, leading thousands of clone troopers up the steps to the Jedi Temple as the lights of the city burned brightly behind them.
I recently read a reference to this as "Operation Knightfall." The phrase brought a tear to my eye.
Operation Knightfall. A name rich in meaning. The Jedi Knights are falling, it happens under the cover of night, and night is falling on the Republic as its defenders of peace and justice are murdered.
It's also called the Jedi Purge, but it's murder just the same. Clone troopers in the battlefield murder their Jedi commanders; Troopers in the Jedi Temple murder younglings and civilians, while Vader ruthlessly cuts down the innocent children who look to him for help.
Operation Knightfall. The night the Dark Times began and the Empire was born.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Attachment... It Never Quite Seems to Go Away
"Know do you, Obi-Wan, why reluctant I was for Skywalker to become your apprentice?" (Yoda in Wild Space)
Attachment. How much is too much?
Then tell you I will. Reluctant I was because the same flaw you share, Obi-Wan. The flaw of attachment. (Wild Space by Karen Miller)
No doubt about that, although Anakin took his attachment to extremes. Killing the Tuskens, for example. And his attachment to Padme was downright creepy. Ten years he held on to a childhood crush?
It occurred to him then, with a clarity that was startling, given the dark side hurricane howling through him, that Yoda was wrong about the dangers of attachment. Or at least that he wasn't altogether right.
It was true that attachment could weaken a Jedi's resolve. But it could also strengthen it... as he was strengthened now by his love for Qui-Gon, and Anakin. Without them he would have failed long before this moment. (Wild Space)
So in this case attachment was good. But where do you draw the line, or more importantly, where does a Jedi draw the line?
Obi-Wan's attachment to Qui-Gon and to Anakin gave him the strength to survive on Zigoola, and possibly times and places as well.
Anakin's attachment to Padme led to the destruction of the Jedi Order and the fall of the Republic.
Hmmmm, I wonder who was right and who was wrong? Obi-Wan and Bail were doomed to die if Obi-Wan hadn't called upon his inner strength to survive the Sith Temple and find a way to "phone home". He had nothing to lose, and used his attachments for good.
Anakin killed for his attachment, killed younglings, cut down fellow Jedi and led the troopers into killing even more. He traded the lives of every Jedi in the order, thousands of lives, for one life: Padme.
But he doesn't even do it for her, he does it for himself: "I can't live without her!"
It doesn't surprise me that he can live with his decision, but I wonder why he though Padme could. I can't believe that she'd want to save her own life at the expense of so many others. That's not the Padme we see on Naboo or Geonosis.
**SIGH** Attachments... can't live with 'em, can't just throw out with the bathwater...
Attachment. How much is too much?
Then tell you I will. Reluctant I was because the same flaw you share, Obi-Wan. The flaw of attachment. (Wild Space by Karen Miller)
No doubt about that, although Anakin took his attachment to extremes. Killing the Tuskens, for example. And his attachment to Padme was downright creepy. Ten years he held on to a childhood crush?
It occurred to him then, with a clarity that was startling, given the dark side hurricane howling through him, that Yoda was wrong about the dangers of attachment. Or at least that he wasn't altogether right.
It was true that attachment could weaken a Jedi's resolve. But it could also strengthen it... as he was strengthened now by his love for Qui-Gon, and Anakin. Without them he would have failed long before this moment. (Wild Space)
So in this case attachment was good. But where do you draw the line, or more importantly, where does a Jedi draw the line?
Obi-Wan's attachment to Qui-Gon and to Anakin gave him the strength to survive on Zigoola, and possibly times and places as well.
Anakin's attachment to Padme led to the destruction of the Jedi Order and the fall of the Republic.
Hmmmm, I wonder who was right and who was wrong? Obi-Wan and Bail were doomed to die if Obi-Wan hadn't called upon his inner strength to survive the Sith Temple and find a way to "phone home". He had nothing to lose, and used his attachments for good.
Anakin killed for his attachment, killed younglings, cut down fellow Jedi and led the troopers into killing even more. He traded the lives of every Jedi in the order, thousands of lives, for one life: Padme.
But he doesn't even do it for her, he does it for himself: "I can't live without her!"
It doesn't surprise me that he can live with his decision, but I wonder why he though Padme could. I can't believe that she'd want to save her own life at the expense of so many others. That's not the Padme we see on Naboo or Geonosis.
**SIGH** Attachments... can't live with 'em, can't just throw out with the bathwater...
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Somehow, I’ve Always Known
Orphan, Princess, Senator, Rebel leader, Head of State, wife and mother, ambassador, Jedi Knight. A strange career path for anyone except our own Leia Organa Solo.
Who can forget that scene in "Return of the Jedi?"
"The Force is strong in my family," Luke says. "My father has it, I have and my sister has it."
"I know," Leia replies. "Somehow, I've always known."
And it seem likely that she did. There she was running around the galaxy with two attractive men, one who mirrors her beliefs and ideals, the other one an older man, a scoundrel, one with his own agenda. One would seem the perfect match for her, and yet she falls for the dubious one.
(Yes, I know she kissed Luke in ESB, but that was just to make Han jealous.)
So even early on, she knows there's something special about Luke.
But even knowing, always knowing, doesn't make it easy to accept.
Even after all these months, she couldn't make herself entirely belief that actual Jedi blood ran in her veins... She had never entirely gotten her mind around the truth that her instincts and intuitions and premonitions were much more that psychological phenomena...
Coming to grips with their Jedi heritage must have been easier for Luke; growing up on the Outer Rim, he'd barely even known what a Jedi was. Leia, on the other hand, had been raised in a household that was steeped in reverence for the Jedi Order and everything it had stood for. ("Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor"
Before reading this, I never gave much thought to Leia's upbringing, and how it affected her throughout her life. Bail Organa was a great supporter of the Jedi, and his memories of the Old Republic and the Jedi Order must have seeped into the stories and lessons he gave his adopted daughter.
He knew she was the daughter of Anakin Skywalker, but did he know that Darth Vader was Anakin? I don't think so. I don't think he would have involved Leia so deeply in Imperial politics if he'd known. Whatever he knew, it's obvious he never told her anything, for her own protection.
It takes Leia a long time to come to terms with being a Jedi. Was it denial? Fear? Awe? Or just plain disbelief?
Whatever the cause, she does come around in the end and becomes a Jedi Knight. A fitting profession for someone who's done it all!
Who can forget that scene in "Return of the Jedi?"
"The Force is strong in my family," Luke says. "My father has it, I have and my sister has it."
"I know," Leia replies. "Somehow, I've always known."
And it seem likely that she did. There she was running around the galaxy with two attractive men, one who mirrors her beliefs and ideals, the other one an older man, a scoundrel, one with his own agenda. One would seem the perfect match for her, and yet she falls for the dubious one.
(Yes, I know she kissed Luke in ESB, but that was just to make Han jealous.)
So even early on, she knows there's something special about Luke.
But even knowing, always knowing, doesn't make it easy to accept.
Even after all these months, she couldn't make herself entirely belief that actual Jedi blood ran in her veins... She had never entirely gotten her mind around the truth that her instincts and intuitions and premonitions were much more that psychological phenomena...
Coming to grips with their Jedi heritage must have been easier for Luke; growing up on the Outer Rim, he'd barely even known what a Jedi was. Leia, on the other hand, had been raised in a household that was steeped in reverence for the Jedi Order and everything it had stood for. ("Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor"
Before reading this, I never gave much thought to Leia's upbringing, and how it affected her throughout her life. Bail Organa was a great supporter of the Jedi, and his memories of the Old Republic and the Jedi Order must have seeped into the stories and lessons he gave his adopted daughter.
He knew she was the daughter of Anakin Skywalker, but did he know that Darth Vader was Anakin? I don't think so. I don't think he would have involved Leia so deeply in Imperial politics if he'd known. Whatever he knew, it's obvious he never told her anything, for her own protection.
It takes Leia a long time to come to terms with being a Jedi. Was it denial? Fear? Awe? Or just plain disbelief?
Whatever the cause, she does come around in the end and becomes a Jedi Knight. A fitting profession for someone who's done it all!
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