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https://nerdist.com/article/ahsoka-tano-last-temptation-star-wars-the-clone-wars/
The swan song of Star Wars: The Clone Wars is in full swing. With the previous arc and this final one, the series has increasingly focused on Ahsoka Tano as its point of view character. With good reason, of course. We’re now officially overlapping Revenge of the Sith in the timeline. While many Clone Wars fans might be happy with a quite literal reanimation of the events of that film, it makes sense to focus on characters whose actions we haven’t yet seen during that time.
The following contains spoilers for Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
In the most recent Clone Wars episode, “The Phantom Apprentice,” fan favorites Darth Maul and Ahsoka share a series of confrontations, both of the verbal and lightsaber variety. It’s just before the last of these, a lightsaber duel that will likely get high placement in the saga’s all-time rankings, that we get a pretty intense conversation between the two. Maul reveals what he knows about Darth Sidious, and he attempts to enlist Ahsoka’s help in bringing the Sith Lord down.
Lucasfilm
This offer is reminiscent of several such offers in the Star Wars saga. Darth Vader asks Luke to join forces and take on the Emperor together. Kylo Ren asks the same of Rey. It’s a move from a dark side user to lure someone to embrace the dark side and become their apprentice. Maul himself has taken on an apprentice previously on The Clone Wars, his brother Savage Opress. He’ll attempt to do so again with Ezra Bridger on Star Wars Rebels. Here and now, he has his sights on Ahsoka. And for the faintest glimmer of a moment, she considers his offer.
There are two ways to read what happens next. When Maul holds out his hand and offers Ahsoka her first steps down a potential path towards the dark side, she says she will help him. It could be a ruse on her part. It could be that she is simply saying what she knows Maul wants to hear to give herself leverage to ask her next question. She may be working Maul to find out what he wants with Anakin Skywalker. But perhaps it truly isn’t. Perhaps her initial acceptance of Maul’s offer to take down Darth Sidious is legitimate.
An aspect of Ahsoka that I find fascinating is that while many want to consider her a “Grey Jedi,” this feels like a mistake. Despite her independence from the Jedi Order, she remains firmly rooted in the light side of the Force. She’s a ronin but a noble one. Despite her issues with the Jedi Order, despite bearing witness to the fall of the Republic and the Jedi and the rise of the Empire and Sith, she never falls.
Lucasfilm
But there is rarely anything interesting about perfection. It’s not enough for Ahsoka to merely never encounter the temptation to fall and thus avoid it. It is far more interesting for Dave Filoni and the Clone Wars team to orchestrate a moment like this, to put a path before her that she could legitimately take, and surprise us by showing her actually consider doing it. We see what it would take to get Ahsoka to fall, a path to hell paved with the grandest of intentions.
Taking the interpretation that Ahsoka is legitimately tempted by Maul, that for that half-second she almost followed him down his path, really ramps up what happens next. She asks Maul about Anakin and he lays her former Master’s fate, the fate we as the audience know to be true, out for her. He then states his plan to kill Anakin and foil Sidious’ plot. It’s this threat to Anakin that snaps Ahsoka out of it, that allows her to see Maul’s plan for what it really is, not an attempt to foil Sidious but simply to overtake him. To replace him. Using the death of Anakin to do it.
This episode makes great use of Ahsoka’s attachment to Anakin. First, Obi-Wan presents her with the Jedi plot to have Anakin spy on Chancellor Palpatine—something Obi-Wan tacitly agrees with her is the wrong move. Now, her concern for Anakin is what pulls her from the edge. It foreshadows “Twilight of the Apprentice” on Star Wars Rebels. In that story, Darth Vader himself declaring the death of Anakin Skywalker is what draws Ahsoka into combat with him. Then, the tiniest ray of hope, the oh so quick re-emergence of Anakin from beneath the helmet before being overtaken again by Vader’s rage, is what draws her compassion. In both cases, it’s what saves her.
Lucasfilm
It is exactly these kinds of moments that show why a character can still surprise us, even when her past and future are extremely well documented. This is why it’s so amazing that The Clone Wars got to come back to finish out their tale. Seeing her slip and regain her footing at this moment gives a new angle on Ahsoka as a character that still feels organic to the trajectory of her story. Episodes like this are exactly what we were hoping for with this return. It has made the sometimes impatient journey through the previous two arcs completely worth it. And there are still two episodes left! And… oh no, there are only two episodes left.
Featured Image: Lucasfilm
The post The Last Temptation of Ahsoka Tano appeared first on Nerdist.
The swan song of Star Wars: The Clone Wars is in full swing. With the previous arc and this final one, the series has increasingly focused on Ahsoka Tano as its point of view character. With good reason, of course. We’re now officially overlapping Revenge of the Sith in the timeline. While many Clone Wars fans might be happy with a quite literal reanimation of the events of that film, it makes sense to focus on characters whose actions we haven’t yet seen during that time.
The following contains spoilers for Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
In the most recent Clone Wars episode, “The Phantom Apprentice,” fan favorites Darth Maul and Ahsoka share a series of confrontations, both of the verbal and lightsaber variety. It’s just before the last of these, a lightsaber duel that will likely get high placement in the saga’s all-time rankings, that we get a pretty intense conversation between the two. Maul reveals what he knows about Darth Sidious, and he attempts to enlist Ahsoka’s help in bringing the Sith Lord down.
Lucasfilm
This offer is reminiscent of several such offers in the Star Wars saga. Darth Vader asks Luke to join forces and take on the Emperor together. Kylo Ren asks the same of Rey. It’s a move from a dark side user to lure someone to embrace the dark side and become their apprentice. Maul himself has taken on an apprentice previously on The Clone Wars, his brother Savage Opress. He’ll attempt to do so again with Ezra Bridger on Star Wars Rebels. Here and now, he has his sights on Ahsoka. And for the faintest glimmer of a moment, she considers his offer.
There are two ways to read what happens next. When Maul holds out his hand and offers Ahsoka her first steps down a potential path towards the dark side, she says she will help him. It could be a ruse on her part. It could be that she is simply saying what she knows Maul wants to hear to give herself leverage to ask her next question. She may be working Maul to find out what he wants with Anakin Skywalker. But perhaps it truly isn’t. Perhaps her initial acceptance of Maul’s offer to take down Darth Sidious is legitimate.
An aspect of Ahsoka that I find fascinating is that while many want to consider her a “Grey Jedi,” this feels like a mistake. Despite her independence from the Jedi Order, she remains firmly rooted in the light side of the Force. She’s a ronin but a noble one. Despite her issues with the Jedi Order, despite bearing witness to the fall of the Republic and the Jedi and the rise of the Empire and Sith, she never falls.
Lucasfilm
But there is rarely anything interesting about perfection. It’s not enough for Ahsoka to merely never encounter the temptation to fall and thus avoid it. It is far more interesting for Dave Filoni and the Clone Wars team to orchestrate a moment like this, to put a path before her that she could legitimately take, and surprise us by showing her actually consider doing it. We see what it would take to get Ahsoka to fall, a path to hell paved with the grandest of intentions.
Taking the interpretation that Ahsoka is legitimately tempted by Maul, that for that half-second she almost followed him down his path, really ramps up what happens next. She asks Maul about Anakin and he lays her former Master’s fate, the fate we as the audience know to be true, out for her. He then states his plan to kill Anakin and foil Sidious’ plot. It’s this threat to Anakin that snaps Ahsoka out of it, that allows her to see Maul’s plan for what it really is, not an attempt to foil Sidious but simply to overtake him. To replace him. Using the death of Anakin to do it.
This episode makes great use of Ahsoka’s attachment to Anakin. First, Obi-Wan presents her with the Jedi plot to have Anakin spy on Chancellor Palpatine—something Obi-Wan tacitly agrees with her is the wrong move. Now, her concern for Anakin is what pulls her from the edge. It foreshadows “Twilight of the Apprentice” on Star Wars Rebels. In that story, Darth Vader himself declaring the death of Anakin Skywalker is what draws Ahsoka into combat with him. Then, the tiniest ray of hope, the oh so quick re-emergence of Anakin from beneath the helmet before being overtaken again by Vader’s rage, is what draws her compassion. In both cases, it’s what saves her.
Lucasfilm
It is exactly these kinds of moments that show why a character can still surprise us, even when her past and future are extremely well documented. This is why it’s so amazing that The Clone Wars got to come back to finish out their tale. Seeing her slip and regain her footing at this moment gives a new angle on Ahsoka as a character that still feels organic to the trajectory of her story. Episodes like this are exactly what we were hoping for with this return. It has made the sometimes impatient journey through the previous two arcs completely worth it. And there are still two episodes left! And… oh no, there are only two episodes left.
Featured Image: Lucasfilm
The post The Last Temptation of Ahsoka Tano appeared first on Nerdist.
Even though Hollywood (and everywhere else) is still on lockdown, plans for the Cassian Andor series are still underway. The Disney+ series follows The Mandalorian as the second live-action series set in the Star Wars universe. The still untitled series is a prequel that follows the adventures of Diego Luna’s character five years before the events of Rogue One: a Star Wars Story.
Now, it’s been announced that Rogue One screenwriter Tony Gilroy will be taking over showrunning duties for Stephen Schiff (The Americans). Gilroy wrote the screenplays for the first four Bourne films, as well as writing and directing Michael Clayton. Gilroy will also be directing the pilot episode of the series.
In addition, Genevieve O’Reilly and Denise Gough (The Kid Who Would Be King) have joined the prequel series. O’Reilly will reprise her role as Mon Mothma, while Gough’s role is still under wraps. They joined previously announced cast members Stellan Skarsgard and Kyle Soller. There’s no word yet on whether or not K-2SO will be joining the show, although my Alan Tudyk-loving self hopes he will.
There’s no word yet on when we can expect the Cassian Andor series, but add it to the list of things to look forward to post-quarantine.
(via The Hollywood Reporter, image: Disney/Lucasfilm)
- Congrats to Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger, who are expecting their first child together. (via EW)
- Here are ten story-driven video games to check out while quarantining. (via Gizmodo)
- Here’s a list of queer comfort reads during this trying time. (via Autostraddle)
- J. August Richards (Angel, Agents of SHIELD) has come out as a proud gay man. Congrats J. August!
- Who can we expect to see in season 2 of The Witcher? (via CBR)
- Let’s delve into Netflix’s Ghost in the Shell:SAC_2045. (via Polygon)
- Phoebe Waller-Bridge took home everyone’s favorite Fleabag set piece. (via AVClub)
- Randy Rainbow does it again!
🎶Just a spoonful of Clorox makes your temperature go down…🎶 🌂👨🏼⚕️🌈 #ASpoonfulOfClorox #TrumpDisinfectant pic.twitter.com/sQ7VOoyNWk
— Randy Rainbow (@RandyRainbow) April 25, 2020
Hope you’re having a safe and sweet Saturday, Sue Believers!
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It looks like Niecy Nash and Sherri Shepherd are trading places. Back in the day, it was Niecy who set Shepherd up with her ex-husband Lamar Sally during a matchmaking event at her home.
Now that Nash has divorced her husband Jay Tucker, Shepherd has her own ideas about who should be the next man in Nash’s life.
The two friends had a conversation with one another on Nash’s Instagram Live. While there, Shepherd said that Niecy is “ready to mingle.”
“I want you to be with someone, like real cultured. And real, like, about the world. Right now, in my mind, is, like big actors. I would love for you to be with Rob De Niro. And he like chocolate sisters. I just think that such a good look. Now he might be a little tired at night time. You might have to put his teeth on the counter. But, in the day time…”
Sherri is right. Robert De Niro does have a thang for the sistas. All three of his wives, Diahnne Abbott, Toukie Smith, and Grace Hightower are all Black women.
But Niecy made need some convincing on that front.
“Sherri, let me tell you something. Shawty want a thug, bottles in the club.”
Oh.
You can watch these two discuss Nash’s romantic prospects in the video below.
@sherrieshepherd 
Writer: Kieron Gillen / Artist: Dan Mora, Tamra Bonvillain / Boom! Studios
There is something intrinsically appealing about a retelling or reinterpretation of a familiar myth. The stories we often learned in our childhood imprint on us and become a benchmark, a standard, a constant reference. Putting aside for just a moment the Eurocentric nature of my middle school and high school curriculum, I do have a fondness for Arthurian legend: King Arthur and the Round Table, the exploits and endeavors of brave knights fighting for their liege. Which is why I was so interested when I heard about Kieron Gillen providing his own iteration of the story with Once & Future.
Once & Future checks a lot of boxes when it comes to a story that I’m willing to invest in immediately: dark subversion of familiar tale, an examination of legacy within a familial context, and a predominantly fantasy facade with accents of horror. The opening of the volume has a sort of classic film vibe, where a merchant shows his wares to an interested customer, only to find that the said customer will not be paying in the conventional way and that said customer is almost certainly a bad person.
Gillen, alongside Mora’s illustration and Bonvillain’s colors, set the dark tone of the series right out of the gate. Then he immediately pivots to a much calmer scene: a nursing home featuring one of two protagonists, Bridgette. Bridgette is listening to the news with the rest of the residents before she hears a series of buzzwords that immediately catch her attention. She proceeds to ditch the orderly to go do something about it, which leads us to another scene shift to the other principle character: her grandson, Duncan.
We meet Duncan in an almost sitcom like fashion, wide eyed and arms raised in frantic apology. And when he gets the literal call to adventure from his grandmother, he finds himself suddenly made aware of his previously unknown legacy and the strange task he has as an inheritance. In essence, the prototypical arc of the hero’s journey. But just because the start of the story resembles the classics doesn’t mean the rest of the story does.
For one thing, Gillen’s signature humor and sardonic wit bleeds through the page. The sharp tongue of Bridgette clashes wildly against the everyday everyman’s bewilderment of Duncan. This dynamic carries the opening sequences as the grander myth arcs that differentiate the story are put into motion. We know how this of the story goes, but by the time we get to the end of the first chapter and Gillen’s re-contextualizing of the Arthurian legend in a Brexit-riddled timeline, that’s when things go off the rail in the best way.
The name King Arthur has an distinctive aura surrounding the myth. Gillen cleverly reminds us, the readers, that the King Arthur didn’t just unite the Britons, he waged war against a European empire and crushed it. This is a tale where King Arthur and his followers are straight villainous, and I love it. Because it is true to how history and myths are made. We sanitize the unsavory parts of the story. It speaks to the complicated history of British expansion. And because, it kind of just tracks with how the rest of the world is going.
Much like Duncan has this vision of King Arthur, we too get a chance to unravel the foundations of the myth and explore the parts of the story that are glossed over. Duncan, under the mentorship of his grandmother, becomes an intriguing character and I’ll let his arc speak for itself when you find time to pick up a copy of the book. Plus, the kinship facet to the story is a also a crucial and endearing element that I don’t want to spoil too much on, but know that is there.
And that’s just from the textual standpoint. From a visual stand point, Once & Future looks incredible. Mora’s characters and monster design is incredible and Bonvillain’s colors are a perfect compliment to the tone of the story. Each page has distinctive visual cues that make it very easy to track the actions and the scenes changes, something that I appreciate as someone who can occasionally speed past pages in excitement. But the way each page is structured draws the eye and lets them linger and languish in the beautifully dark fantasy world.
Once & Future‘s first volume is an exhilarating read. It’s a story that reflects the strange timeline we currently reside in and also provides a new take on the Arthurian myth that feels…. warranted. It warrants a read for all of you fantasy comic fans out there. It really does.
9.2 “Knights of a Kingly Court” out of 10
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The post Once & Future, Vol. 1 Review appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.