“I’ve been in this fight since I was six years old!”

[rose_griffes]

One unpleasant side effect of enjoying how good Andor is: a revival of my burning rage at how badly Disney Star Wars botched the sequel trilogy--especially Finn and Rey. And while my DW is still an “I hate Rian Johnson's Star Wars film” safe space, the blame really lies with Bob Iger trying to rush things instead of giving the Star Wars team time to produce a solid foundation for a three-film series.

ANYWAY! Moving on.


One of the more common reactions I’ve seen from people who watched both Rogue One and season one of Andor is the wish that the show hadn’t retconned Cassian’s “grew up in the Rebellion” story from the film. And while I get it - and I’m not trying to convince people otherwise - that’s one thing that, ultimately, I decided was for the best.

1. We already have someone who grew up in the rebellion: Jyn! And look how that turned out! (Spoiler for Rogue One: not great.) It’s not exactly an idyllic childhood, right?

2. The show Andor added in SO MANY parallels between Cassian and Jyn’s stories. I’m okay with this one specific parallel being taken away.

3. I like the agency that this new backstory gives to Cassian. He’s going into the rebellion clear-eyed, by his own choice.

4. There are ways to smooth over the retcon. Been in the fight since he was six? Maybe that’s how old he was when the late Republic’s missteps and overreach led to the mining accident on Kenari. So he’s been pushing for both survival and revenge since then.

Again, not trying to persuade people who prefer the original version plus their various accompanying headcanons. It’s hard to give up Cassian speaking space Spanish! Plus, point number one about the horror story of growing up in the rebellion might be of great interest to many!

Before moving on: a big shout-out to all of you who prefer the original backstory for not whining about it in the pro-Andor-show spaces. I see you! Or rather, I don’t see you, and I definitely noticed and appreciate your tact.

---

So as I’ve rewatched Andor (I’m gonna run out of time soon! Not renewing Disney+ at the end of this month), I’ve really been struck by the almost-ending scene. Fan favorite Brasso is aboard the Breon Dayvan with B2EMO, Bix, Wilmon Paak, and Jezzi (a Daughter of Ferrix) piloting. They’re heading for Ganji moon. After that? Who knows! How will they survive?! THEY’RE AT GREAT RISK! The Empire will be after them soon--all of them!

And, uh... so. Fun fact, Pamela Nomvete, who plays Jezzi, was born in 1963, and Joplin Sibtain (Brasso) was born in 1969. That’s only six years difference! And now the two of them are on the run together, responsible for a minor human (Wilmon Paak is only 16), a sad dog-like droid, and a recently-tortured human (Bix) who literally can’t walk by herself at this point.

On the run! Together! Trying to take care of others! Together!

I’m shipping the two fiery, capable, caring older people, is what I’m saying.

Friends to lovers is a good trope - not my most favorite, but good. But “on the run together” is just fantastic. Especially when you add in things like cover identities and fake-dating or fake-marriage.

Unfortunately, there are some obstacles that make it unlikely that anyone (other than me? maybe? we’ll see?) writes these two as a romantic pairing.

1. Nomvete was only in three episodes. Jezzi was name-checked in episode one but we didn’t get a face for the name until episode ten. So THAT’S a big enough obstacle on its own.

2. Nomvete is older than Sibtain. And she’s a black woman who plays something of a caretaker role within the show. All traits that make fandom less likely to write her at all, much less pair her with someone younger.

Ah well. I make NO PROMISES for fic, but it’s fun to think about. But ugh, actually writing an on the run together story is hard! *whines* I’ve done it once, so I know! (Person of Interest fandom, Carter x Reese. My only novel-length fic. It’s good, you should read it and say nice things! Y’know... if you want.)

Gonna have to get rid of Jezzi's poncho, though. Ponchos: not sexy.

Comments

[fleurviolette]

Agreed, the galaxy far far away is so vast yet feels so lived in. Even with the shiny prequels, each planet felt like a real place, just far away from our galaxy. And there were different varieties of planets. Naboo is way different from Mustafar. It’s not just sand planet#3 according to Disney.

I watched Rogue One in a movie theater. I had a pleasant time watching it, but I thought it was okay. Better than the main d sequels but not as good as the original saga. I initially saw the movie as a side story. I can still understand the main characters’ motivations for joining the rebellion without watching a spin off movie. (What are your thoughts on Liam Neeson saying that Star Wars is diluted with too many spin-offs?)

I disagree with the sentiment that making Darth Vader a tragic figure, a former hero who has fallen from grace, ‘cheap’. If anything, it makes his story more complex, not just a one note villain. Now, Padme is my favorite character from the prequels. I liked her compassion and courage, which makes it very tragic when she dies at the end of episode 3. (Tho I’d disagree with Lucas killing Padme off right at the end. I can imagine that she’d live on as a rebel spy, keeping tabs on Luke and Leia until she sacrifices herself to save others, which deeply impacted Leia to fully go into the rebellion. Would make an interesting au but I digress…)

I was a kid when the prequels came out in theaters. To say that those films were widely reviled is rather dismissive of a key demographic of Star Wars fans who grew up watching and enjoying the prequels in the early 2000s.

[shadowkat]

I don't know for certain, but the reaction to the prequels may have a lot to do with well...when you saw the originals, and how old you were for the prequels. (I was a kid for the original Star Wars film (saw it at 11 in the movie theaters - among the first to see it in my school/neighborhood. So I saw each of those long long before the fandom took off, and before the prequels or anything else was conceived. While I was in my late 20s, early 30s for the prequels - so for me, my friends, family, etc (who were in our thirties, forties, fifties) they were disappointing and ill-conceived. Keep in mind - that there was a twenty year gap (?) between the original films and the prequels for anyone who saw the originals in theaters. (Which is how I know you didn't see them when they were originally released - not possible. Lucas changed them upon re-release.)

I had issues with the insane age difference between Padme and Anakin. And I remember having issues with Hayden Christian's bad performance. He made what should have been a complex and fascinating character - kind of silly. I didn't care about him at the time, and cringed during that performance in Sith. I can't watch it - too cringe-inducing. And I'd waited over fifteen years to see it.

I disagree with Liam Neeson - Star Wars had a rich world, and was set up as a serial, not stand-alone. There's a lot to be explored there. Also, I don't think we can take him too seriously on that - he hated the shoot, because he was reciting bad dialogue in front of a green screen. It drove him nuts. Lucas is a tough director for actors - he cares more about the look of it, and not about the character motivation or the dialogue. Ford is famous for stating - "People don't talk like that, George." That's the problem with the prequels. I did see the cartoon version of the Clone Wars - which was brilliant in comparison (not Lucas, the other one that came out with the prequels - it did have great character arcs, and Anakin has an episode in a cave that's well done. It's so much better than the prequels.)

I honestly think kids probably liked the prequels better than the adult fandom did.

[fleurviolette]

I wasn’t born yet when the original trilogy came out in theaters. The first time that I watched those movies was on VHS, the 1997 editions. Yes, Lucas edited them to tie in the prequels with the original trilogy… to mixed opinions.

Though I initially enjoyed the prequels as a kid, as I grew up, I did start to see some issues with the prequels. Absolutely agreed that Anakin and Padme’s ages should have been similar, like in line with the actors’ ages during Episode 2. Han and Leia also had a bigger age gap, and so did the one terrible pairing that shall not be mentioned in the disney sequels. Very odd indeed.

Hayden did his job, he was trying to emulate Darth Vader’s cadence before he ‘went in the suit’. Could the direction and execution have been different? Maybe, but I didn’t have any issue with his portrayal.

The Filoni Clone Wars animated series is ok imo but at least it did its job of expanding on the prequels. Filoni worked with Lucas but at least he continued the original vision in his own way. I remember the 2d micro series tho, which was different and focused more on visual storytelling.

I think it’s more like Star Wars under Disney is losing its mystery with every single detail having to be explained in a book or a tv show. It depends.

[shadowkat]

I'm thinking it's very subjective? And tastes do change over time. I didn't notice the age difference at all between Leia and Han as a kid (both were adults when they met - so that helped), and Fisher played Leia older, while Ford played Han younger. (Also - it may have helped that the actors were having an affair at the time Star Wars was filmed. I know this because Fisher detailed the affair in The Princess Diaries. He didn't realize she was as young and innocent as she was - because she'd been in various adult films such as Warren Beatty's Shampoo prior. And acted worldly at the time. This is what Fisher stated, not Ford. It's an interesting read, if you ever feel inclined.) I'm about ten years younger than Fisher. So for me, Leia was my heroine. I identified with Leia. Fell for Luke and Han. I was 11 at the time, Fisher was 19-21 as was Hamil. Ford is the same age as my mother.

Expectations killed the prequels for me. I had twenty years worth. Also, if you'd seen the originals in the movie theaters in the 1970s and 80s, you'd have reacted to them very differently. (We didn't have the special effects people had in the 21st Century, let alone in the 1990s. Star Wars was insanely innovative - it was unlike anything we'd ever seen. Prior to that? Sci-fi was pretty much adult fare and horror. Monsters from outer-space, aliens. Star Wars was fun - it was a blend of fantasy, science fiction, World War II movie, and western. My father was excited about it - and we went out of our way to see it. Back then? We didn't have VHS. Movies didn't come to television until years after they'd been released. And there was no such thing as cable - it was just five channels, three network channels, PBS, UHF, that was it. I remember neighbors swearing King Kong would do better than Star Wars. I didn't agree, having see both. )

When Lucas re-released the originals he did more than merely edit them, he added stuff. He also changed scenes - such as had Greco fire on Han (unnecessary and didn't fit the prequels at all). But if you hadn't seen them in the 70s and 80s, it may not have mattered to you. You'd have reacted differently.

People do. A friend of mine didn't see Star Wars until she was an adult, about twenty years after it was released, so never got the appeal of the originals, and preferred Force Awakens. While my entire family, including my parents, with the exception of my niece, preferred the originals - nostalgia partly. We had the action figures of Leia, Luke, etc as little kids. They weren't expensive. And they were innovative back then.

I honestly think how, when, why, and who you view something with - has a huge effect on how you perceive it. Also, what baggage you bring to it. For me? Star Wars was the first time I saw a woman in a lead role in a science fiction movie, that wasn't horror. I couldn't watch horror. And she wasn't playing a damsel in distress or a romantic love interest - but down in the thick of things, and a fighter. Plus? She wasn't that much older than I was - bonus.

[fleurviolette]

It’s interesting reading your perspective as an older fan. I’m curious about your thoughts on the old expanded universe, or Splinter of the Mind’s Eye.

Star Wars to me is a good and engaging saga. When I watch any if the six films, they’re like great escapes from reality. I can still rewatch them and still have a great time.

Unfortunately with the disney sequels, I haven’t rewatched them since they were in theaters, and have no interest to rewatch them.