Me When Tragic Siblings:

Me when tragic siblings:

Just watched the first episode of The Acolyte and it looks promising to me! It’s REALLY cool to see the Jedi Order in its prime, and the amount of Jedi Order Lore (TM) warms my geeky heart! I also think the mystery they’re setting up is compelling.

I pretty much completely agree with how the show portrays attachment in the Jedi Order thus far, but regardless of my agreement (which I’ll probably do an essay expounding upon at some point), I’m glad The Concept Of Attachment doesn’t seem to be central to the show, since that’s such a loaded conversation in certain fandom circles and I don’t wanna think about The Discourse when watching the show lmao

I will admit that the biggest reason I enjoy the show is the tragic sibling relationship with Osha and Mae because I very much have a niche.

(But like come on - two siblings, and one of them turned evil and was believed to have died in a fire by the remaining sibling. It’s like the showrunners know how insane I am over Anakin and Obi-Wan lmfao)

I don’t think it’s gonna be anything revolutionary, but that could be just because it doesn’t center Anakin and/or Obi-Wan, which is really where my hyperfixation lies. But I’m enjoying it so far!

That s6 episode is also the one where dooku punts obi wan into orbit is it not? top ten Star Wars moment tbh just bc of how fast he forcibly exits stage left

YES, ANON, IT IS

It’s also the fight where Dooku literally rolls Obi-wan like a bowling ball:

But then I was looking at it again (for like, the thousandth time), and I realized just how good Dooku is in this duel. (And how almost good Obi-wan is.)

(And small disclaimer here, I have no knowledge of “real” sword-fighting aside from what I’ve absorbed through general cultural osmosis and a curious google instinct, this is just an interpretation from my over-excited brain.)

Anakin, for the most part, sticks with Djem So as his primary fighting style, incorporating elements of Ataru in his more acrobatic moments. This holds true throughout the entirety of TCW and is the form by which he eventually overwhelms Dooku in RotS. 

Dooku, however, gives a minor masterclass in sword(saber) fighting in this sequence, not only using his preferred Makashi (although I have to say, the man can take on Obi-wan and Anakin at once with one hand behind his back and my gods, is that not evidence of skill), but also demonstrating his ability at

Djem So:

Soresu (at least a bastardized form, but I can’t be the only person who recognized that stance Dooku uses):

and Ataru (I mean, Dooku did train Qui-gon):

But what I really love is the fact that Obi-wan tries to adapt to this, matching Dooku’s *Makashi:

and Ataru (in this case, exactly copying his movements):

Which...I mean, Obi-wan is essentially being a mini-Dooku here, although he isn’t quite at Dooku’s level for a variety of reasons I have discussed previously in terms of Obi-wan never being on his game around Dooku and actually consistently underperforming when he’s in the presence of his Grandmaster.

But you have to hand it to Dooku for not only winning a(nother) duel against two of the best Jedi in the Order, but doing it with style.

I love this evil, old man. 

Sometimes I think about how little Obi-Wan knew about what happened with Anakin and what this must have looked like from the few things he knew and why he tried so hard to give Anakin every possible chance.  (I THINK ABOUT IT A LOT.)  Not just because he loved Anakin–though, that was very much a part of this, too–but because he believed in Anakin. Their last interaction is one where Anakin admits that he was acting arrogant and unappreciative of everything people have done for him.  Yeah, he can be a brat sometimes, he gets way too caught up in his own shit instead of realizing how it comes across to others (the whole thing with being put on the Council is part of this, that Anakin was late for meetings because he was off doing other stuff, that he refuses to stop and see how it looks from the Council’s side of things that Palpatine is forcing them to accept Anakin, that it looks really bad, because everyone knows Anakin wanted to be a Master, etc.), and Obi-Wan sees the good in him still.  He believes in Anakin, because he always comes back around. This is why Obi-Wan tells Mace, “He will not let me down.  He never has.”  Not because he doesn’t recognize that Anakin makes mistakes, but instead because Anakin always comes back around, he has never truly disappointed Obi-Wan before, it’s only ever that (as Ewan McGregor has said) Obi-Wan was disappointed for him, not at him.  Whatever minor disappointments are between them, it hasn’t touched the bigger picture Obi-Wan believes in for him, that he still believes Anakin can overcome. The last time they see each other, Obi-Wan tells Anakin how proud he is, all the more so because he sees Anakin come back to himself again right there.  He believes that Anakin, no matter what temptations he faces, no matter what troubles he faces, will always overcome. Then he comes back from Utapau, Anakin is pledging himself to Sidious, he’s choking Padme, he’s declaring that he’s brought peace and justice and security to his new Empire, he’s killing younglings, he’s quoting Palpatine’s words rather than his own.  And this is too far, they can’t truly go back, not to the way things were, but Obi-Wan still has to believe there’s a chance for something of Anakin to come back, that’s why the entire fight (as Nick Gillard, the fight choreographer says) is designed to show Obi-Wan giving ground at every turn, to try to give Anakin the time to come back.  The last time Obi-Wan saw him, he came back.  He admitted his arrogance, he smiled at the praise, this is how Anakin has always been! But this time Anakin refuses to come back, he just keeps doubling down on it, unable to admit to what he’s done, even to himself.  Until even the last moment, Obi-Wan is still asking him not to try it, to give him one last chance, because maybe maybe maybe Anakin might find it in himself to admit his arrogance, admit his mistake, and at least try to fix something of this. And this is why their ending means so much.

Because Anakin finally did come back.  It took him a very long time to be able to do it, to finally let go of all the hate and rage and pain he’d held onto all his life, but he did it.  That’s the person who admitted his arrogance and mistakes, the one Obi-Wan was so proud of, the wise and strong Jedi he loved. This is why, as Pablo Hidalgo once said, “I’ve heard it said that George thinks he had help from the other side after self sacrificing.“  This is why Obi-Wan helped him over, because he’s always believed that Anakin could do it, could come back, if he chose to do so.  This is why Obi-Wan kept giving him chances, as many as he possibly could, even on the Death Star, he lets it be Vader’s choice about how this ends, he warns him about the path ahead of them. And, when it’s all said and done, when Anakin finally rises above again, Obi-Wan is there, smiling to see him, helping him over to the other side, probably with a, “Hello again, old friend.”

Going absolutely insane bc Obi Wan literally gave up the rest of his life for Anakin. He spent over a decade wasting away in a desert to protect Anakin’s children from Anakin. He saved Anakin’s daughter and watched over Anakin’s son, all while having raised Anakin himself when he wasn’t ready. He stayed with Anakin’s wife when she was alone in one of the darkest moments of her life and stayed with her as she died. Everything he did can he tied back to Anakin. He gave everything for Anakin and loved him so much, even when anyone else would’ve given up, and in the end, Anakin was the one who killed him.

never forget that i am, first and foremost, a star wars prequels apologist