Shmi & Anakin, Chris Travis / The Virgin And Child With Saints, Duccio Di Buoninsegna / Anakin, Padmé

“Chewbacca is… a Maoist. Hera Syndulla? A Trotskyist. Ahsoka Tano? A Social Democrat. Ezra Bridger? A Posadist. Lost! All of them, lost. I am the only one with clarity of purpose.”

ROGUE ONE 2016, dir. Gareth Edwards

Initially, I thought the whole “Luke looks like Anakin but is more like Padme; Leia looks like Padme but is more like Anakin” thing was kind of cute, but it’s become bit of a pet peeve of mine. It’s not horrible or anything like that, but it’s such an oversimplification of all four characters. And it’s not even that accurate, yet it’s become so common and is treated like indisputable canon. And I just don’t get this interpretation of them.

First of all, I want to start by stating Luke and Leia are who they are because their parents raised them to be that way. However, I know these movies are works of fiction, and when George Lucas was writing the prequels, he did so with Anakin and Padme’s children in mind. So, with that being said …

This fandom tends to treat Anakin and Padme like they’re opposites, which just isn’t true. They have a lot in common. Both are kind, brave, intelligent, stubborn, reckless, strong leaders, determined, loyal, idealistic … They love with their whole hearts, following their emotions and what they believe is right, even when common sense might dictate otherwise. And we can see these traits in BOTH Luke and Leia.

The main difference I see between Anakin and Padme is that the latter is the more rebellious one. I know TCW likes to portray Anakin as the type of Jedi who doesn’t care about the rules, but just going by the movies it really isn’t the case. Anakin is pretty subservient to those in authority, which makes sense considering he was a slave for nine years. He apologizes to Padme for disobeying orders by going to Tatooine to search for his mother. He apologizes to Obi-Wan for seemingly disappointing him for not being an ideal student. Even when he shows some defiance by arguing with the council for not being granted the rank of master, Anakin quickly submisses after a few words from Mace and a look from Obi-Wan. His marriage to Padme being an exception, Anakin just isn’t the rebellious type. Padme is though. Throughout the PT, we see her doing what she wants, and to hell what others think. The Republic isn’t going to help Naboo? Fine. She’ll save it herself. Obi-Wan’s in trouble? Well, Anakin can come with her or not because she’s going to Geonosis either way. And of course there’s her questioning the war and whether she’s on the right side and the Delegation of 2000, which should have never been cut from RotS because it added so much to Padme’s storyline. Anakin was part of the Empire’s birth, while Padme was part of the Alliance’s beginning, and I love that the Rebellion is included in Padme’s legacy. And this rebellious, defiant spirit was passed onto Luke and Leia. Luke is going to help his friends, even if Yoda and Obi-Wan thinks it’s a bad idea. And Leia is just Leia. She doesn’t care that she’s a prisoner and sentenced for execution. Tarkin and Vader are beneath her, and she’ll happily remind them of that fact.

Also, it’s kind of annoying how people associate Luke’s kindness with Padme and just forget about Anakin, who was a genuinely good person. He helps Padme, Qui-Gon, and the others when they’re stranded on Tatooine, putting his own life at risk, and not once did he stop to consider how he would benefit from the whole thing. Anakin just knew they were in trouble and he wanted to help them. And then people overlook Leia’s kindness. The girl had to watch her whole planet blow up, yet she still has enough empathy to comfort Luke after Obi-Wan’s death. But some people describe her as having anger issues like Anakin, and I’m always like WHAT anger issues?? Leia has never expressed anger in a situation where ANYONE wouldn’t be angry. And I don’t agree with the idea that Leia would be more drawn to the dark side than Luke. I see her as being similar to Padme in that they are both very strong in their convictions. They both know who they are, what they stand for, and they won’t let fear, anger, or temptation cloud that. Even when the Death Star’s laser was aimed toward Alderaan, Leia STILL had the clarity of mind to lie about the Rebellion’s location. When Leia says that she wishes she could leave with Luke in RotJ, he knows she wouldn’t even if she could, and he reminds her of that. Because Leia has always been strong, just like Padme, and neither will turn their backs on what they believe is good and right.

As for Luke, he is compared several times to Anakin in the OT, and the prequels include multiple scenes where Anakin parallels his son: his love of flying, wanting to leave Tatooine and explore the galaxy, blowing up the Trade Federation’s control ship, losing a limb and having it replaced by a cybernetic, his battle with Dooku in RotS … Lucas clearly wanted to show how Anakin and Luke’s storylines mirror each other, but Luke’s choices ultimately lead to him taking a different path than his father’s. And it’s not because Luke is a pure, innocent cinnamon roll (which he isn’t) just like Padme (which she also isn’t; let women have flaws jfc). Anakin lived the first nine years of his life as a slave, was separated from his mother only to be reunited with her a decade later when she dies in his arms, and has been groomed by Palpatine since he was a child. And due to the flaws within the Jedi Order, Anakin wasn’t able to cope with his fear and trauma in a healthy manner. Luke, on the other hand, lived a relatively normal life for nineteen years with friends, hobbies, and a loving family. And this normal life helps him cope with his own loss and trauma in a way that Anakin couldn’t. And Luke IS drawn to the dark side, and he does struggle with it because he is angry and impatient, and he hates the Emperor and Luke wishes he could just kill him because then the galaxy would be a better place. But Luke actively chooses not to give into the dark side, which is why him tossing away his lightsaber, refusing to kill Vader, and declaring himself a Jedi “like his father before him” is so important. But I still see people trying to argue how Luke’s story actually mirrors Padme’s?? Yeah, maybe in a few ways, but his similarities to Anakin play a larger part in Luke’s journey.

And I’m not saying that Leia doesn’t resemble Anakin in some ways or that Luke isn’t similar to Padme because I know that’s not true. I just don’t think how they reflect their parents is as clearcut as some make it out to be. And it’s become slightly annoying how some fans keep repeating this like a knee-jerk reaction.

The light of Alderaan still travels through space and time, if you look up at the night sky it's like it never really left ✨ Happy May the 4th!

can’t wait to see the pixie cut and tablecloth next week

i don't want the ghorman project. i've thought it through all night, and i don't want it

Star Wars: A New Hope dir. George Lucas | May 25, 1977

Andor 2.10 - Make It Stop

So, let's talk about Emperor Palpatine's last week leading up to the conclusion of Episode IV. Just for a moment, let's consider the position this horrible old space warlock was in, shall we?

Military Intelligence Director Orson Krennic colludes with ISB to commit ethnic cleansing on Ghorman. In typical Krennic fashion, this plan goes neither as smoothly nor as quickly as it was pitched to you as being.

Grand Imperial Admiral Thrawn disappears. Your single best military commander just disappears. Reports indicate space whales are involved??? What???

In response to Krennic/Partagaz's actions on Ghorman, Mon Mothma declares open rebellion on the Senare floor. Her speech is broadcast across the entire galaxy due to what is the first in an absolutely CASCADING series of failures by the ISB. Mothma successfully evades arrest, and escapes Coruscant to Force only knows where.

Darth Vader has taken this increasingly dire moment in Imperial politics to apparently take some sort of Sith PTO at his personal residence on Mustafar. Just about as far out of reach as he can possibly for anyone.

There is a catastrophic data security breach at ISB. It turns out an overly ambitious field agent has been invited to several Signal groupchats about the Death Star that she wasn't supposed to be in, and her collecting of all this vital data in one place has led to a Rebel mole piecing together that you're building the Genocider 5000 instead of a super cool renewable energy program.

Said Rebel infiltrator is then immediately killed by his contact, Luthen Rael, formerly known as Axis. Luthen spreads word of the Death Star to his allies, and then kills himself when confronted by ISB. Maybe your two most important links for piecing together the Rebel Alliance have been lost.

The Rebellion begins spreading propaganda publicly. Their manifesto is playing on just about every available radio frequency.

The ISB collapses. Supervisor Partagaz takes his own life. Colonel Yularen is left with an agency staffed by effectively no one. Your entire intelligence gathering apparatus that was working just fine last week now functionally no longer exists.

NOTE: the following events occur within the span of only 48 hours.

Due to the leak at ISB, the Rebels have discovered the existence of the Death Star, and in very short order manage to steal its schematics. Your special projects divisions on both Eadu and Scarif are destroyed. Director Orson Krennic is KIA.

Darth Vader is recalled from vacation early, and boy is he being awfully himself about it.

You disolve the Imperial Senate. Much as you had anticipated, this is making a lot of people very angry and is being regarded as a bad move.

Darth Vader has lost the Death Star plans. Nobody knows where they are now.

Grand Moff Tarkin blows up the planet Aldaran, a not insiginificant player in the Galactic economy.

Obi Wan Kenobi infiltrates the Death Star, and then quite literally vanishes. Vader is not taking this development well.

LESS THAN 24 HOURS AFTER BECOMING FULLY OPERATIONAL, THE DEATH STAR IS DESTROYED. Grand Moff Tarkin is KIA. Admiral Motti is KIA. General Tagge is KIA. General Bast is KIA. General Molock is KIA. General Romodi is KIA. Colonel Yularin is KIA. Darth Vader is MIA. Millions of soldiers and skilled military professionals are killed. Quanities of money so vast they cannot be comprehended by the mortal mind have gone up in a flash of smoke and light.

The culprit of this unfathomable trespass is soon revealed to be a 19 year-old boy. His name is Luke Skywalker. You now have not one but two of these freaks of nature to contend with. And you don't know where either of them are at the moment.

What the Hell is an Alluminum Falcon?

Honestly, I kinda feel bad for the guy. Just a little bit. If I were his age (ancient) and his condition (rotting from the inside out, filled with cosmic evil) I might just have had a stroke and died. It is amazing he made it all the way to be thrown down that reactor shaft in Return of The Jedi.