Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord (Season 1)

 

I've always enjoyed the Dave Filoni animated Star Wars shows, so I was excited for this show when it was announced. His Rebels and Clone Wars series added so much context and story to the Skywalker series, most of which was quite interesting. As for Maul, he is a character who is quite famous considering how relatively little screen time he had in just one of the main Star Wars movies, Episode 1. Despite the small amount of screen time, Maul as a character is quite complex, with a rich back story that is explained primarily in the Clone Wars TV show and extended in Rebels. From ChatGTP:

Darth Maul was born on the planet Dathomir as a member of the Nightbrother clan, a group tied to the mystical witches known as the Nightsisters. As a child, he was taken by the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, who secretly trained him to become a weapon of the Sith. Sidious raised Maul in extreme isolation and brutality, teaching him that anger, hatred, and pain were sources of strength.

By the time of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Maul had become Sidious’ deadly apprentice. Maul fought Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi on Naboo, killing Qui-Gon before Obi-Wan defeated him by cutting him in half and sending him down a reactor shaft.

Although presumed dead, Maul survived through sheer hatred and the dark side of the Force. He ended up on the junk planet Lotho Minor, mentally broken and using crude mechanical spider-like legs to survive. Eventually, his brother Savage Opress found him and brought him back to Dathomir, where the Nightsisters restored his mind and gave him cybernetic legs.

After recovering, Maul became obsessed with revenge against Obi-Wan Kenobi and also sought power independent of Sidious. During the events of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, he built a criminal empire called the Shadow Collective by uniting groups like Death Watch and several crime syndicates. He briefly took control of Mandalore and murdered Satine Kryze in front of Obi-Wan as an act of revenge.

In Star Wars Rebels, he became a wandering, bitter figure seeking ancient Sith knowledge and trying to manipulate Ezra Bridger into becoming an ally or apprentice.

Maul’s story ultimately ends on the desert planet Tatooine, where he tracked down an older Obi-Wan Kenobi. Their final duel was extremely short, with Obi-Wan killing Maul in a single strike. As he died, Maul asked whether Obi-Wan was protecting “the Chosen One,” and Obi-Wan confirmed it. Maul died believing that Luke Skywalker would one day destroy the Sith and avenge them both against Sidious.

In Maul: Shadow Lord, the series follows Darth Maul after the events of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, as he tries to rebuild his criminal empire while surviving in a galaxy now controlled by the Empire. He believes he can operate and regain strength while working from within the shadows. However, his actions draw the attention of the Empire, who send Inquisitors to retrieve him at first, and ultimately Darth Vader comes after him. Maul is portrayed as an angry and tragic villain, rather than just a Sith assassin. He is still upset at what Darth Sidious put him through, and is mad that the world has moved on without him. While the first couple of episodes are a bit slow and without much action, as the season moved along, the plot picked up and the action got intense, especially once the Empire showed up. The animation was appealing, almost looking like a van Gogh painting in style. I haven't heard news on a second season, but if there is one I will plan to watch. 

Andor (Season 2)

 

One of the challenges of watching TV in the streaming era is that the seasons are short and oftentimes separated by a large quantity of time, typically a few years. This makes it difficult to not only remember what happened in the previous season, it's also hard to maintain a sense of caring about the show. I remember Andor season 1 being very good, and thus was interested in season 2. Once the reviews came out, I knew for sure I wanted to watch it and it did not disappoint. Andor season 2 is probably the best season of a Star Wars show ever made. The Empire has a heavy presence in season 2, but there are no Jedi, no lightsabers, no Force. Just really good writing, acting, and dramatic plot set in a galaxy far, far away. Even thinking about the season as I write this post is giving me goose bumps.

Season 2 takes place in 3 episode blocks, with one year passing after each block. Starting in the year BBY 5 and ending right before the events of the movie Rogue One in BBY 1. By the time of the events of A New Hope, the rebellion was well established and clearly able to take on the mighty Empire, blowing up the Death Star at the end of the movie. In the year BBY 5, however, the rebellion is just forming, and they are a complete mess. They're unorganized and lacking leadership and power. The Jedi are long gone, in hiding from Order 66, and the Empire is an already established power house in the galaxy. The rebellion's lack of leadership is displayed in the first 3 episodes, when Andor is captured by a group of rebels who proceed to fight over what to do next. He's on their side! People know that change is needed, and that the Empire is evil, but they do not know the best way to proceed. 

I thought the first 3 episode block was just OK, but what happens starting in the second block of episodes (episode 4) until the end of the second season is fantastic. Orson Krennic is the director of an Imperial "power program" that is a cover for the materials needed to build the Death Star. From ChatGTP:

Andor Season 2 continues Cassian Andor’s transformation from reluctant rebel into a committed revolutionary, directly bridging the story to Rogue One. The season is structured around time jumps that show how the Rebel Alliance rapidly evolves as the Empire tightens its grip on the galaxy.

Cassian becomes deeply embedded in organized rebellion, carrying out increasingly dangerous missions for Luthen Rael and other rebel leaders. He struggles with the moral cost of resistance—assassinations, sacrifices, and civilian casualties—while learning that victory against the Empire requires compromise and secrecy. Cassian’s identity as a symbol is deliberately erased so the rebellion itself can survive.

Meanwhile, Mon Mothma takes major steps toward open rebellion. Her financial manipulations and political maneuvering finally collapse her cover, forcing her to flee Coruscant and fully commit to leading the Rebel Alliance. Her storyline shows how rebellion isn’t just fought with weapons, but with reputation, family, and personal ruin.

The season also shows the birth of unified rebellion: scattered cells begin coordinating, sharing intelligence, and accepting that martyrdom may be necessary. Several supporting characters pay the ultimate price, reinforcing the show’s central theme that rebellion is built on sacrifice, not glory.

By the finale, Cassian is fully committed, emotionally hardened, and strategically vital—but still largely unknown. The season ends immediately before the events of Rogue One, positioning Cassian as a key operative ready to accept a mission he knows he may not survive.

Andor mostly takes missions from Luthen Rael, a guy pulling the strings behind several undercover missions for the rebellion and is using his antiques store as a front. His missions rely on intelligence and espionage, and feel like a cold-war era spy story, a la James Bond. As the rebellion grows, Mon Mothma had been pulling strings with her power in the senate, but eventually loses her cover and flees to the main rebel base in Yavin. Luthen ends up dying - his cover is blown and he kills himself to avoid Imperial torture and giving away the rebels secrets. He is a mostly unsung hero of the rebellion, as the shift in focus goes to Yavin and the soon to happen battle of Yavin where the Death Star is exploded in A New Hope. The spying, espionage, sacrifice, everything that was required to get the rebellion up and running to be successful provided fantastic drama. Andor seasons 1 & 2 will be remembered as some of the best Star Wars television ever made.

Star Wars Outlaws

 

Being a Star Wars game, Outlaws was on my radar the moment it was first announced. When it was released, it got good but not great reviews, I think because of some quality of life issues around how the game dealt with stealth gameplay. From what I read, subsequent patches were released which improved on these issues. By the time I played Outlaws, a year after it was released, the gameplay issues which plagued the game were long gone. Outlaws is unique for a Star Wars game in that it doesn't feature any Jedi. In fact, with the exception of two cut scenes that feature Darth Vader, the game doesn't involve any of the traditional characters you'd expect to see in a Star Wars story. It takes place after the Battle of Hoth, or right around the time of episode V in the movies. From ChatGTP:

You play as Kay Vess, a scoundrel and thief trying to leave her troubled life behind and make it big with one massive score. Early in the game, she takes a job breaking into the vault of Sliro Barsha, the powerful head of the criminal syndicate Zerek Besh. The plan goes sideways when she discovers the crew she’s working with are Rebel Alliance operatives trying to free their leader, Asara Deyn. Kay is shot, blamed for the break-in, and branded with a death mark — essentially a huge bounty on her head.

To escape her predicament, Kay steals a ship called the Trailblazer but crash-lands on the desert moon Toshara. Stranded and desperate to fix her ship, she gets drawn deeper into the galaxy’s underworld and must work with or against various local syndicates to earn enough to survive and repair the Trailblazer. 

Eventually, Kay teams up with outlaw Jaylen Vrax and the droid ND-5 to assemble a crew for the ultimate heist — breaking into Sliro’s vault again. Along the way she recruits specialists across the galaxy, including a safecracker, a droidsmith, and even her estranged mother, the slicer Riko Vess. 

The game emphasizes a stealth approach, but you can use a blaster first approach if you prefer. Sneaking around all of the time is a bit anxiety inducing, but is definitely the easier route. When you're noticed, you are often outnumbered by a lot, and at times the gun battles can be tough, especially since Kay doesn't have any Force powers. There are few things in gaming more fun than aim and shoot gameplay, and I tend to enjoy this more than sneaking around. I'm glad this game incorporated both styles and not just stealth. There were also a handful of battles in your ship in space, which I didn't expect.

You get to visit a handful of planets with different environments, which was nice. You deal with different criminal syndicates, some of which are well known such as the Hutts, the Pykes, and Crimson Dawn. Depending on the choices you make throughout the game, you either get on the good side or bad side of each of these syndicates. I honestly thought this would play a bigger part of the game, but it really didn't seem to affect the outcome at all, which was a bit disappointing. I basically just did what benefitted me the most at the time and didn't worry too much about the various syndicates. 

In addition to the stealth and blaster gameplay, there was some mild puzzle solving and periodic platforming. My only complaint about the game is that on a handful of occasions I had to consult a YouTube video to figure out what to do or where to go to next. This happened despite yellow paint being used. Most of the time, if I couldn't figure out what to do next, it was a situation which involved using my sidekick pet Nix. After a bit I got used to this gameplay, but it through me for a loop a few times in the beginning. I should mention there were lots of vents to crawl through in this game, a la Snake and Metal Gear.

Overall I enjoyed this game quite a bit. The mix of stealth and blaster fire gameplay, along with visiting a handful of planets with beautiful environments, made for a fun time. The story was decent, and I had fun in the Star Wars world without being a Jedi. The main story clocked in right at 20 hours, which is just fine with me. I don't need every game to be a 50+ hour behemoth of a quest. I just need the game to be fun and enjoyable, and Outlaws ticked that box for me. 

STAR WARS: Battlefront II

 

I first came across the Iden Versio character from the book Battlefront II: Inferno Squad which I read back at the end of 2022. While I was reading the book, I learned about the game Battlefront II which extends the story. The game has been on my radar since. It got mediocre reviews initially, I think because it was littered with micro-transactions. However, EA fixed that issue and subsequent reviews were favorable. Most of the game revolves around a massive multi-player online environment and the main single player campaign is quite short. I knew this going in, so the six hours or so that it took me to finish the main story wasn't a disappointment. Plus, I bought the game on sale and only payed $2.50 for it.

The Inferno Squad is a group of elite Imperial troopers who are utilized for the toughest missions. The main member and character of the game is Iden Versio, and her father is the commander of the Inferno Squad. Iden defects after determining the Empire is evil, and joins the Rebel Alliance. You spend most of the game playing as Iden, but periodically switch to play some of the most famous characters in the Star Wars universe, including Han Solo, Leia, and Luke. This is the best part of the game, in my opinion, because not only is it fun to play as these characters, it also changes the gameplay as Han and Leia use blasters whereas Luke uses the Force and a light saber. There is also quite a bit of flying missions in the game, and depending on what part of the plot timeline you are on, at times you'll be flying a TIE fighter, wheres at other times you'll be flying an X-Wing. 

The planets and scenery are also quite stunning and varied. Battling in the streets while piloting an AT-AT and while TIE fighters are zooming by overhead is quite enjoyable. I really like the concept of the gameplay, as you never knew what to expect from stage to stage. It's just a shame the game wasn't a bit longer. I understand that the game's main feature is its online battles, and I played online a little bit and it was quite fun to be a battle droid on Geonosis ("roger, roger"), that's just not my thing. With that being said, I'll accept the short duration for the price as the game was enjoyable. I should point out that it is a bit buggy (enemies floating in the air after dying, enemies having weird rapid movements trying to take cover, etc.), but this never prevented me from finishing a stage or advancing so it was more amusing than anything else.

STAR WARS: The Acolyte (Season 1)

 

The Acolyte sums up the good, the bad, and the ugly of Disney era Star Wars streaming shows. While I enjoyed the show more as the season progressed, there were a lot of rough patches to suffer through on the journey. I'm not going to be able to point out the issues with the show thoroughly, but all you have to do is read a review for any of the shows season 1 episodes, and you'll quickly realize the holes that exist in the show. However, it wasn't all bad, and some parts were quite good. To begin with, let's start with the aspects of the show that I enjoyed.

After seeing the first preview trailer for the show, I was excited. It is the first live-action show or movie in the Star Wars universe to take place outside of the Skywalker saga. I've always thought Star Wars had a bit of a Tatooine problem (meaning too many storylines center around the desert planet), and so I welcome any change of scenery. I've read a book featured in the High Republic era, but otherwise am completely unfamiliar with this part of the Star Wars timeline. With this in mind, the scenery and planets that were visited on the show looked fantastic. The action was great as well. There were unique light sabers, including a light saber whip, as well as saber throwing techniques as seen in Jedi: Fallen Order. One of the main antagonist fights with small knives. While I'm not a fan of over the top violence, I do like the more intense and mature fighting styles seen in The Acolyte. 

Now for the bad and ugly, but first, a brief overview of the plot. In the High Republic era, 100 years prior to the Skywalker saga, the galaxy is in a state of peace. However, after a Jedi is murdered, the council investigates the murder to determine who the killer is as well as their motive. They quickly discover that the murderer is the twin sister of former Padawan Osha, who was trained by Jedi master Sol. As the plot progresses, it is revealed that Sol killed Osha and Mae's mother, who was a witch and feared for their safety, which provides the motive for the murder. Actually, Mae has an entire hit list of Jedi she wants dead, everyone who was present on the planet Brendok when their mother was killed. It's also revealed that Mae is training with a Sith and that Mae and Osha are actually the same person, created from a vergence. 

All of this sounds like it should work to tell a story of the rise of the Sith, but unfortunately this is all built on a very weak foundation that just doesn't work out in the end. To begin, the episodes are too short. Most of them are in the 25-40 minute range (if you don't count the lengthy credits), and this just simply isn't long enough to have any character development or to develop any real attachment to the characters. More Jedi die in this show than possibly all other Star Wars shows combined, and for the most part it just doesn't matter because we don't even know who the characters are. The writing is pretty bad, as well. This could be a side effect of the short episodes because the plot is pushed forward at a quick pace, but the dialogue and interaction between the characters is oftentimes bad and cringe worthy at some points. It's difficult to cite specific examples in retrospect, as many of them were minor, but a large example is around the entire Osha/Mae character. 

Osha is originally framed as the murderer, until we find out that Mae exists, and then we learn that they are the same people. Osha is originally portrayed as the "good" sister while Mae is the "bad" sister. Their interactions are awkward throughout the season, and once we learn they are the same person and they learn that Sol was responsible for killing their mom (although didn't Mae already know that? It's confusing), Osha is immediately able to kill Sol without a weapon. This was a challenge the Sith gave Mae at the very beginning, one in which she was not successful. At no point during the season did I really create any type of attachment to either sister. I thought their acting was not great, and the writing around their story was not great either. They are the main characters of the show, and you can't have their acting and the writing both be bad for the main character. Their interaction with the Sith was just weird, and at times pseudo-sexual. While their story provides motivation for the murders, and may go on to further explain the power of a vergence, I feel like this season would have been better without them. Again, this is a problem since they are the main character. 

I could go on and on about my issues with this show, and it would have been easier to provide specific examples had I written a post about every episode. As it stands, I'm writing a big post after finishing the season and honestly it is difficult to remember all of the annoyances. If you want more specific details just pull up any of the reviews online. They all basically say the same thing. There were parts of the show that were good, and it is setup for a season 2 which could be interesting based on where this season left off. If season 2 happens, I just hope that the episodes are a little longer for character development and attachment, and I hope the writing gets a lot better. Star Wars fans deserve it.

The Bad Batch (Season 3)

 

Dave Filoni's animated Star Wars series have been some of my favorite Star Wars content. I always enjoyed the original trilogy, but I don't think I became a true Star Wars fan until Disney+ was available and packaged all of the content in addition to the feature films together. I don't remember what prompted me to start watching the Clone Wars animated series, but it gave me a much better understanding of the Clone Wars and secondarily a much better appreciation of episodes I-III. Prior to watching the Clone Wars series, I was like everyone else with regards to episodes I-III in that I felt about "meh" about them. The Clone Wars series opened up an entire universe of Star Wars stories and characters to me, one that expanded much beyond the original trilogy. I've been a big fan since, watching Rebels and subsequently the other non-animated shows from the Disney+ era, for better or worse. The Bad Batch animated series falls right into the middle of this conversation, a bit of an off shoot about supporting characters from the Clone Wars.

I've really enjoyed this series and am sad to see it end. While not as influential as the Clone Wars series, the show finally focused in on a meaningful plot in season 3. As the show progressed we realize that Omega is important to the Empire, but the big question is why? That is revealed in season 3. Apparently there is something about Omega's genetic makeup that allows her to be cloned without degradation of midichlorians. This allows the Empire to use her DNA to make clones who are force sensitive, a project known as necromancer. This tight focus on a much larger plot in the Star Wars universe made season 3 the best season of the series in my opinion. I always thought some of the story arcs in seasons 1 & 2 were a bit meandering and not all that important. That is not the case in season 3. 

A couple of other random thoughts about season 3. The animation is spot on. It is a wonderful looking show. There were times when watching it where I thought they should just do all Star Wars content in this animation. The second thought is that the sound and music in this show has been fantastic, and season 3 probably features the best soundtrack of the series. It has a very dark, almost Trent Reznor-like sound. 

Out of all the Star Wars content from the Disney+ era, some of it is must see and some of it is likely not worth your time. This show falls into the former, especially season 3. It is really well done and tells a very important story in the greater Star Wars universe. 

Lego BD-1

 

The recent Star Wars games featuring Cal Kestis have been a couple of my favorite video games, and Cal's side-kick BD-1 has become one of my favorite Star Wars droids. I was excited when I saw a Lego version of BD-1 was released to build. Priced at $100 and right at 1,000 pieces, it is a medium sized set that was relatively easy to build. Anytime you are building something with legs, there is an element of redundancy. Since BD-1 only has two legs, however, it wasn't too bad with this set. I really like BD-1's droid head, and I feel like Lego did a great job recreating the look and shape of his head, especially with the two camera lens eyes. 

BD-1 is Cal's buddy, always riding on his shoulder and ready to help by splicing some wires to open a door or to create a shortcut. The Lego set is a great recreation of the helpful droid, and is a great display of video game nerdom in my basement, right next to the Tallneck from Horizon.

Star Wars: JEDI Survivor

 

I really enjoyed 2019's JEDI Fallen Order, and thus was really looking forward to playing JEDI Survivor once it was released. I even interrupted Ghost of Tsushima in order to start playing Survivor. It should not be a surprise that I really enjoyed this game. I'm a big Star Wars fan, and this game starts right where Fallen Order left off, with an excellent story, gameplay, and music. Unfortunately, despite all of the positives, there was one rather large negative that made the game a bit frustrating at times. More on that in a bit. First, I'd like to focus on the positive aspects of the game, of which there were many.

Without regurgitating the entire plot of the game, suffice it to say that the story in JEDI Survivor is classic Star Wars. It involves tales of family, the delicate balance of the light and dark sides of the force, travel to planets with interesting surroundings, plenty of battle, and betrayal. It is good enough to be a side movie (similar to the Han Solo movie), and is considered canon. You play as Cal Kestis, a former Jedi who is living in a post-Clone Wars galaxy where the Empire is becoming increasingly powerful. One of the interesting aspects of the game is that the main group of antagonists, the Bedlam Raiders, use remnants from the Clone Wars to strengthen their defense. This includes using battle droids and other military personnel (including the always popular B1 battle droid, "roger, roger") as well as old Star Destroyer ships as a base. Thus the game is littered with easter eggs from the Clone Wars era, which I found amusing. Along the same lines, the encyclopedia within the game provides an interesting summary of the enemies as well as various technology that you interact with. All of this serves to feed the Star Wars nerd appetite, which is nice, and solidifies the game as truly being a part of the Star Wars universe.

The music is really good as well. On multiple occasions while playing I commented to myself on how good the music was. I read that it was nominated for a gaming award in the soundtrack category, which wasn't surprising. The game looked great, as well, which isn't surprising for a blockbuster game these days, but still worth mentioning. There were periodic graphical glitches, but nothing major or worth commenting on. 

Finally, I need to discuss the gameplay, which overall was great but had one glaring and recurring problem. Being able to walk around and use the powers of the force is absolutely bad ass. It was my favorite part of Fallen Order and continued to be my favorite part of Survivor. Force pulling/shoving enemies, melee battle with a lightsaber, basically any action involving an enemy was top notch. In fact, I resumed Ghost of Tsushima after I finished Survivor, and found myself wanting to double jump and use my samurai like a lightsaber. The environments themselves, however, look like open worlds but are really more like elaborate sets or hallways designed to funnel you to a specific location. Once you reach the location, oftentimes you can unlock a shortcut which opens a more direct route to that location. Getting to the desired location commonly requires platforming and wall running, and herein lies the problem. Very commonly it is unclear where you are supposed to go. The map on the game is difficult to read and basically useless, and there is no on screen icon indicating which direction to head. On multiple occasions I had to pull up a YouTube video just to see how I was supposed to leave an area. Every video I watched the comment section was littered with comments about how people were doing the same thing. Typically it involved a very subtle section of wall for wall running or a small crack in the wall you were supposed to fit through. Regardless, this occurred so often and was annoying enough that if the rest of the game weren't so good I thought about stopping play. EA really needs to fix this for the 3rd game if it occurs.

Speaking of a 3rd game, at the end of the game Cal is betrayed in a big way and becomes furious. Once this happens he is able to utilize the dark side of the force which was absolutely awesome. There is some speculation that in the 3rd game, Cal will turn to the dark side so more to come on this in the future.

Lego AT-AT

 

The All Terrain Armored Transport (AT-AT) is one of the Empire's most iconic symbols of military strength. The AT-AT walker was made famous on the ice planet at the Battle of Hoth in the Empire Strikes Back. Lego makes two versions of the AT-AT: an absolutely mammoth version that has 6,700 pieces and costs $850, and a smaller but still large version that has 1,200 pieces and costs $170. I built the smaller version. I've seen the larger version at the Lego store, and while it is impressively large, I don't think it is worth the nearly $700 jump in cost. The smaller version is still quite large and they look similar.

To be honest, this was not one of my favorite Lego builds. Building the body was fine, but building the legs was redundant and there was a lot of grey bricks, so not much variety. The cheaper walker looks impressive sitting in my bookshelf, but I will say it is a bit flimsy on its legs. It wouldn't take much to knock it over, and I wonder if this is an advantage the larger and more expensive model has over the one I built. My favorite part is that there is a pulley system coming out of the belly of the walker, where I've staged Luke Skywalker in his famous orange rebellion suit grabbing onto the wire to be pulled into the walker, with lightsaber in hand.

Ahsoka (TV Series)

 

Anakin Skywalker's Padawan Ahsoka Tano is one of my favorite Star Wars characters. Heavily featured in the animated Clone Wars and Rebels series, she played an important part in many Clone Wars era battles. She was framed for the bombing of the Jedi Temple in Coruscant and left the order. When the Clone Wars ended and the Empire rose to power, Ahsoka became a bit of a wanderer. She eventually teamed up with the Ghost Crew in Rebels, who took on Grand Admiral Thrawn. At the end of Rebels, Jedi Ezra Bridger is fighting Thrawn when they are both shipped off through Hyperspace to an unknown location in a different galaxy. Fast forward to the New Republic era, and Ahsoka has returned to her wandering ways. This is where the story picks up in the Ahsoka series.

Given the fact that there have been Star Wars shows in the Disney+ era that have been really good (The Mandalorian, Andor) and not so good (Boba Fett), I was really hoping this would be one of the better shows. For the most part it succeeds. Anyone who likes Rebels will like this show. It features all of the main characters from that show (minus Zeb) and their pursuit to find both Ezra and Grand Admiral Thrawn. They succeed in finding them, both living on a desolate planet in a different galaxy that was the home of the nightsisters prior to Dathomir. While they succeed in bringing Ezra home, they do not succeed in stopping Thrawn, who travels to Dathomir with his nighsister crew. Ahsoka and Sabine Wren remain stuck on the desolate planet, and Ahsoka seems oddly at peace with this. I found her behavior at the end very odd, because she failed her mission in defeating Thrawn, and he was supposed to be a massive threat to the galaxy. Other scenes where Captain Hera Syndulla is pleading with the New Republic government for resources to stop Thrawn and they act unconcerned also undermines the severity of the threat. 

On the flip side, Dave Filoni has always heavily featured the supernatural aspects of being a Jedi, and seeing the World Between Worlds in live action was absolutely awesome. Featuring the nightsisters was also awesome, as were the Sith lords. Overall I think the show was good, despite the awkward ending. It seems pretty obvious that it is setting up for a second season, so I hope to see more character development for Ahsoka, more Sabine (who was maybe the best character of the show), and more Thrawn with his nightsisters! 

The Mandalorian (Season 3)

 

Season 3 of The Mandalorian meanders at times, but by the time the season finishes it is able to nicely tie together three season's worth of plot. Most of the season focuses on Bo-Katan rather than title character Din Djarin and Grogu. The Mandalorians are fractioned across the galaxy. Their home planet of Mandalore has been defeated, and Bo-Katan's attempts to bring Mandalore back to power have not been successful. To make matters worse, she no longer possesses the Darksaber. Djarin travels to Mandalore to be baptized as a Mandalorian. However, he gets captured and looses the Darksaber. Bo-Katan is able to rescue him, winning back the Darksaber and seeing a Mythosaur in the process. Because of this, Bo-Katan is elected the leader of the Mandalorians and is tasked with reuniting the fractionated group.

In the post-Imperial era of the New Republic, an uprising is brewing. Moff Gideon has gone missing. Cloning has been banned. Bo-Katan experiences a TIE fighter attack. Gideon is made aware of the Mandalorian uprising and relays the information to the Shadow Council, a group of warlords from the days of the Empire. Gideon requests reinforcements, and questions the location of Grand Admiral Thrawn. The Mandalorians arrive on Mandalore, only to be encountered by Gideon and his army of Stormtroopers. Gideon reveals his plan of making a clone army of stormtroopers based on himself, with beskar-enhanced armor and the ability to use the force. This, of course, ties in the plot from season 1, where Grogu was being hunted for his force abilities. 

There were times during the third season where I was a bit down on the show. However, the final two episodes were fantastic. It did a good job of pulling together 3 seasons worth of storytelling. In addition, it created excitement for what will come next during the New Republic era by mentioning Grand Admiral Thrawn. I cannot wait for the Ahsoka series later this year.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch (Season 2)

 

In the Disney era of Star Wars, it is easy to become overwhelmed with content. With the arrival of Disney+, new Star Wars shows have come out at a rapid pace. Some of the shows have been really good (The Mandalorian, Andor), while others have felt a bit forced. The Bad Batch is an animated show that I think is one of the better Star Wars shows. The Batch are a group of genetically imperfect clones, trying to survive after Order 66 and the rise of the Empire. They work independently, but generally favor the Rebels. They become a target of the Empire as Omega is a part of their group. Omega is a female clone of Jango Fett, and the Empire is interested in continuing the cloning project started by the Kaminaons. 

Season 2 of The Bad Batch suffers from the occasional episode that wanders from the main plot and seems pointless, a theme that occurred in season 1 as well. However, in general, season 2 does a much better job of pushing the main story forward, and it is a big story. Following the end of the Clone Wars and rise of the Empire, we discover that the Clone project on Kamino was shut down following an attack by the Empire. Emperor Palpatine announces the Storm Trooper project to replace the Clone army. The Empire isn't finished with cloning, however. This makes sense, because we all know that the Clone Troopers are better soldiers than the Storm Troopers. Instead of continuing to use Nala Se's technology on Kamino, they decide to destroy Kamino, hold Nala Se prisoner, and attempt to develop their own cloning tech. Cloning is a popular topic with the Empire, as we've seen discussions about this in The Mandalorian as well, which takes place much later in the New Republic era. Regardless, the Bad Batch get caught up in the Empire's scheme because of their relationship with Omega.

One of my biggest complaints with season 1 was Omega's naive approach to the problems the Batch faced. She would encourage them to take action in situations where there seemed to be huge risk and very little to gain. In season 2, Omega has grown up and matured a bit, and I was happy to see that she did this much less. With the exception of a couple of episodes, season 2 did less side tracking missions and mostly focused on the big picture. Any time we get a glimpse of the early Empire it is interesting. 

A couple of side notes for season 2. The animation looked fantastic, as usual. I was able to watch the second half of the season in 4K thanks to Operation TV Swap. This was actually the first time I have seen a show in 4K, and it looks amazing. You can definitely tell a difference between it and HD. The season ended with a cliff hanging announcement that one of the scientists working for the Empire is also a female clone. Up to this point, we were left to believe that Omega was the only female. This revelation will surely have downstream effects, but we will have to wait until season 3 to find out what they are.

Star Wars - Battlefront II: Inferno Squad

 

The events of this book take place immediately following the Rebel Alliance's successful destruction of the Death Star in A New Hope.  Iden Versio, a TIE fighter pilot stationed on the Death Star, survives the explosion as she was flying in her TIE at the time. Her father, a powerful Imperial military commander, realizes the Rebel Alliance is growing in strength following the attack on the Death Star. In response, he creates Inferno Squad, a group of Imperial military members who go undercover to infiltrate the Dreamers, a group of extreme rebels following in the steps of Saw Gerrera. Of course, difficult decisions have to be made to keep their cover, including injuring and killing other Imperial members. After learning that the Dreamer's informant is a former Governor and his step-daughter, the book concludes with Inferno Squad killing the remaining members of the Dreamers and beginning their next mission.

Of interest, the book is associated with the 2017 video game Star Wars: Battlefront II. The events of the book take place prior to the events of the game. I've never played the game but it is on my radar after reading the book. 

Star Wars: Andor

 

Andor gives us the best reason to date as to why the rebellion exists. Sure, having a crazy Emperor and a force sensitive Sith in charge of the galaxy is bad, but the stories have always been about Darth and Luke. We've never really seen how the Empire's influence affects the daily lives of regular people. Andor explores this concept, and in the process shows the origin of the rebellion.

Andor is unlike any other Star Wars show we've seen before. There are few pew-pew battles, few Stormtroopers, and no one is using the Force. What we get instead is a display of the increasingly powerful Empire and its Imperial Security Bureau (ISB). You see the Empire expand its reach, invading planets and affecting the daily lives of people. It feels less like Star Wars and more like something that could occur today in a communist society. 

Cassian Andor is looking for his sister when two private sector security guards start bothering him. He ends up killing them. The Empire becomes aware of the situation, and an overly-aggressive ISB agent suspects this could be more than a random crime. Andor becomes an Imperial target, and while trying to hide he becomes involved in a small rebellious gang who plots to rob an Imperial armory. They are successful, but in doing so set up a chain of events where the Empire becomes overly aggressive in their attempt to keep galactic order.

After the robbery, Andor is hiding at a beach-side vacation spot when he is arrested randomly (an example of the Empire's anger and stupidity, as they don't realize they have the man they are looking for under arrest). The prison scenes are some of the finest episodes of Star Wars content ever created. The psychological terror the Empire is able to provide feels real, and it is here where Andor learns he can lead a Rebellion against the Empire.

This show feels less like science fiction and more like a cold-war era spy thriller. It relies less on action and more on dialogue. Tatooine isn't even mentioned, which is a good thing. Instead, we're introduced to a new planet called Ferrix, which is refreshing. This is the best looking version of Coruscant I've seen. The music is super cool too, with an 80's horror vibe.

I really can't say enough good things about this show. In an era where Disney is churning out Star Wars shows left and right, a lot of them feel a bit recycled. Andor, however, is different. It is gritty and has a more "real" feel to it. It does away with a lot of the things that Star Wars relies on for stories - the Force, lightsabers, Jedi, etc., and instead tells a story about real people trying to survive the terrible regime that is the Empire.  I'm already looking forward to season 2.

Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi

 

Hello there! It's difficult to know where to begin when discussing this show. The start of the Clone Wars up to the events in Episode V is my favorite time period in the Star Wars Skywalker saga. This includes Episode II up to Episode IV, and the additional content such as the Clone Wars animated series, Rebels, etc. The Obi-Wan show falls within this time frame. Additionally, if I had to pick a favorite Jedi, it would probably be Obi-Wan. He plays such an important role in the events of the Skywalker saga, and his casual James Bond-like approach is super cool. I also really enjoy Ewan McGregor's portrayal of the character. Suffice it to say I was really looking forward to the show. However, after watching the series, it sort of represents the good, the bad, and the ugly of Star Wars series. With that being said, let's start with the good.

I really liked that they didn't spend the entire series on Tatooine. I feel like a lot of time is spent on that planet, and while this occurs for good reason, there are so many other cool locations in the galaxy that don't get enough screen time. I particularly liked the visuals from Daiyu, and Alderaan looked fantastic as well. We got to see some great Sith locations as well, such as Fortress Vader on Mustafar and Fortress Inquisitorius. As I was watching the rescue mission that occurred at Fortress Inquisitorius, I was thinking how it all seemed familiar. I finally realized that the exact same underwater entrance to the fortress, as well as having to navigate a flooded hallway, occurred in Jedi Fallen order. I suppose it was a nod to the game, and not a rip off. Visually these locations looked really cool, and while at times the Volume showed some cracks, I think generally the show looked good.

Having Hayden Christensen back as Darth Vader was also a plus. While his first battle with Obi-Wan was lame, he redeemed himself in the second battle, and generally it was just cool to see Vader in this stage of his career with the Empire. The scene where he force holds a ship, preventing it from taking off, was memorable as well. Of course, Ewan's performance as Obi-Wan was great as well. The writing and plot failed him at times, however, and that is where we get to the bad and ugly of this series.

Obi-Wan, now in hiding on Tatooine as Ben, gets a message from his pal Bail Organa that Leia has been kidnapped (by Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers, of all people). He is slow, and out of touch with the Force. This makes sense, because he is supposed to be watching over Luke and hiding from the Empire following order 66. The Grand Inquisitor and his side-kicks show up, looking for an unidentified Jedi. I was first introduced to the Inquisitors in Rebels, and they were portrayed as a group of bad ass dark side Force users, hunting force sensitive beings that survived Order 66. I was excited to see them in live action form. However, they were mostly portrayed as clowns in this show. After they find the Jedi, they are literally stumped by an awning that he uses the Force to throw in front of them. They could go around it, over it, etc. but this task seems too difficult for them to figure it out. Later in the series, the Grand Inquisitor actually thinks it would be better for Vader to chase a ship full of random people instead of chasing Obi-Wan's ship. What?!?

The main plot focuses on the Third Sister Reva. She was a youngling when Anakin killed all of her friends at the Jedi Temple. She has since grown up and joined the Empire as an Inquisitor, with the goal of killing Vader. I'm not sure how she knows that Vader was Anakin, but that's the story. She was behind Leia's kidnapping, a plot to get Obi-Wan out of hiding to kill him to get on Vader's good side. I suppose this makes sense, but how did she know Leia had any association with Obi-Wan? And why didn't Bail use his resources to hunt for Leia? Why would he immediately reach out to Obi-Wan? All seems suspicious.

All of this came to a head in episode 3. There is so much wrong with this episode it is difficult to know where to begin. Obi-Wan and Leia escape from a group of stormtroopers, then Obi-Wan struggles to turn off a fence across a bridge when he is on foot and can simply walk around it. Then they are immediately captured by another group of stormtroopers where they immediately surrender, even though they just demonstrated that they can defeat stormtroopers. They meet a woman who is part of the Path, a group of people who protect Force sensitive beings from the Empire. By this time, Vader has located Obi-Wan, and they engage in an epically bad fight. I would have never imagined that a fight between them could be bad, but oh man it was painful to watch. The Path woman leaves Leia to go help Obi-Wan, you know, because leaving a 10 year old alone while she is being hunted to help a grown man who can use the Force makes sense. Leia is running down a tunnel to escape the town, and somehow Reva is already present at the tunnel exit. How she knows where that is located we will never know. I could go on and on with examples like this, but I think you get the point. You don't have to poke very hard at all at this story before you will create holes.

The series ends with an epically bad escape, where Vader's massive Star Destroyer can't seem to shoot down a simple transport ship or escape pod. Reva fails to kill Vader, and instead goes to Tatooine to kill Luke. She fails to do so, which is obvious since he is the main character in the original trilogy. It's unclear why this scene is necessary. Obi-Wan rides off into the sunset, finally being able to reach ghost Qui-Gon, which seemed a bit forced. I will say the show did redeem itself with the second Vader-Obi-Wan fight, which was excellent, both in terms of the fighting and dialogue.

This show was good, not great. Worth watching for Star Wars fans, and Ewan was great as Obi-Wan. I just wish the writing and plot were a bit better. 

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

 

The girls and I just finished playing through the main story of the Lego Skywalker Saga. What a fantastically fun game this was, especially being able to play 2-player with the kids. I had been looking forward to playing the game for over a year. The ability to play through all 9 movies just sounded cool. I played the game on PS5, and it looked fantastic. The gameplay had been improved from previous Lego games I've played, with damage points differing based on where you shot the enemy, you could take cover, etc. There were flying missions which were fun (these can sometimes be frustrating on games), and many fun, though not too challenging, boss battles. Plus, the ability to play as all the various Star Wars characters from the movies was fun as well.

After finishing the main story of all 9 movies, we actually only completed 20-30% of each movie's available tasks. Of course, most of what remains are random side quests, collection of kyber bricks, etc. It remains to be seen if I go back and work on any of this. My kids, however, have already spent some time putzing around. One really wants to play as Ahsoka Tano. Ahsoka is a playable character on the game, but wasn't utilized at all since she isn't in any of the movies. My other kid has taken a liking as playing as Rey, since for some reason she has a jetpack. We will see if they actually complete the game anymore than what we already have, or if they will mostly just putz around. Probably just putzing. The game did have periodic glitches, sometimes requiring a Google search to figure out how to get the game to progress, other times requiring quitting the game or stage and restarting. They were few and far between, but did exist. Every Lego game I've played (which is only two others) have had random glitches, which is interesting. But overall, this game was a blast to play through. I could see myself picking it up and playing it again at some point, either alone or with my kids again.

Thrawn: Treason

 

Thrawn competes with Orson Krennic for military funding in this book. Thrawn wants additional funds for his Tie Defender ships. Krennic doesn't want funding taken from the Death Star project to support the Tie Defenders. A supply line for the Death Star is being interrupted by Grallocs attacking their ships. Thrawn and Krennic enter a wager, orchestrated by Moff Tarkin. If Thrawn can get rid of the Gralloc problem to improve delivery of supplies to the Death Star, he can get additional funding for his Tie Defender program. If not, the funding will go to Krennic and the Death Star. Thrawn takes the wager, and in the process discovers a conspiracy.

The ships had been rigged to be attacked by Grallocs by pirates, in order for them to steal the supplies. The ships were thought to be lost in space, their hyperdrives destroyed. In reality, they were taken to a trading post where their supplies were confiscated. During his investigation, Thrawn runs into his old Chiss Ascendancy partner Ar'alani. Turns out the Chiss are also investigating these disturbances. Together, they learn that the trading post had been attacked by Grysk pirates, an alien group both Thrawn and Ar'alani consider to be a threat to their respective military. In addition to attacking the post, the Grysk had kidnapped a Chiss skywalker, a child navigator capable of using the Force to help with ship navigation, a skill called third sight. 

Thrawn and Ar'alani work together to save the Chiss navigator, as well as eliminate the Grysk. After rescuing the young skywalker, they use a much older skywalker's ability to use second sight to read the mind of the young navigator, leading them to the Grysk base where they defeat the aliens. In the process, Thrawn discovers that Grand Admiral Savit was responsible for the Gralloc attacks, thus disrupting the Death Star supply chain and committing treason. Like Thrawn, he disagreed with so much funding going to the Death Star, and instead thought it was more sensible to spread the money throughout the military.

Of course, in the process of working with Ar'alani to save the Chiss skywalker, Thrawn himself also made some questionable decisions by utilizing Empire resources to aid a foreign group. In the epilogue, the Emperor encourages Thrawn to return to Lothal to deal with Ezra Bridger. Afterwards, he is to return to Coruscant to have a long talk with the Emperor. In this sense, the book ends with a bit of a cliffhanger in terms of Thrawn's future., and I don't think any additional books exist (currently) that explain what happens to him. The last time we saw him on screen, he was battling with Ezra and they get blasted off into space along an unknown vector. Ahsoka mentions him during her appearance on The Mandalorian, apparently searching for him and Ezra, so I suspect we will learn more about his story in upcoming Disney+ shows. We also learn that Thrawn's former assistant, Eli Vanto, is doing research for the Chiss on Skywalkers and second and third sight, so there may be more to their story as well. 

Thrawn: Alliances

 

Thrawn is a character who is likely unknown by most Star Wars fans. With the exception of Ahsoka Tano's mention of his name in a season 2 episode of The Mandalorian, he has not appeared in any movies or live-action shows. And yet he plays a prominent role in the Empire's military rise after the Clone Wars. He is featured as a main character in the animated series Rebels, and there are several books written where Thrawn is the main character. Timothy Zahn has two trilogies focused on Thrawn's character. I've read roughly half of the Star Wars canon books, and Zahn's Thrawn books are among the best. He's portrayed as a brilliant military leader who studies art and culture to get an advantage over his opponent. Beyond that, however, it is interesting to point out that the Empire's military is led exclusively by humans, except for Thrawn. He is the only non-human (that I'm aware of) included in the Empire's military ranks, and he is a Grand Admiral at that. Zahn's books dive into Thrawn's backstory and describe how he was able to climb the Empire's military ranks.

Alliances tells two stories. Palpatine starts the current story, which takes place prior to Episode IV, by saying "I sense a disturbance in the Force." That's never a good thing. He sends Thrawn and Vader on a mission to investigate this disturbance. They discover an alien race called the Grysk, who according to Thrawn should not be underestimated in their strength. The Grysk are causing a disturbance in the Unknown Region, including kidnapping a group of Force-sensitive Chiss children, which is the disturbance Palpatine senses. We've learned about these Chiss children in Zahn's other Thrawn trilogy, Ascendancy. They are usually females between the age of 7-14, and are used as navigators. Interestingly, they are called Skywalkers. During their investigation, Thrawn warns Vader of the powerful nature of the Grysk. Some of his actions, however, cause Vader to question if Thrawn's alliance is really with the Empire or the Chiss Ascendancy.

The second story involves Anakin on a rescue mission for Padme. It takes place in the past, during the Clone Wars. Padme goes to a remote planet at the insistence of one of her handmaidens, who discovers a secret Separatist base. When Padme arrives, she discovers that her handmaiden has been killed. Through her investigation, she also discovers the Separatist base. After not hearing from Padme, Anakin goes on a solo mission to investigate, a mission not sanctioned by the Jedi Council. Upon arriving, he crosses paths with Thrawn, who is in the area on his own mission for the Chiss Ascendancy. Thrawn joins forces with Anakin to help him find Padme. Interestingly, the scene where Thrawn first meets Anakin is described in Zahn's book Chaos Rising. Thrawn and Anakin rescue Padme, and in the process discover that the Separatist base is using Cortosis to produce battle droids and armor. Cortosis has high energy absorption, and can distribute energy from blasters and lightsabers in a way that causes no damage. They are able to shut down the base and destroy the Cortosis mine, which is a good thing, because otherwise the Clone Wars could have been very different if the Cortosis droids and armor were further developed. 

The Book of Boba Fett

 

When I watched the original trilogy of Star Wars movies, I never payed much attention to Boba Fett. He was in very few scenes, and only had a couple of lines in the films, and I viewed him as a very minor side character. I have since learned that the character has a bit of a cult following, with a lot of people liking him. I kind of get it. He's got cool armor and a cool ship, plus he has a jet pack which is always a bonus. After a few appearances in The Mandalorian, Fett finally gets the spotlight in his own show. 

The Book of Boba Fett takes place after the events of Episode VI. He was presumed dead, but somehow survived the Sarlacc pit. The first few episodes are split between current time where he has become the daimyo of Tatooine (after Jabba died and Fortuna was defeated)  and the past immediately after surviving the Sarlacc pit. In the past, he recovers and befriends a group of Tusken raiders. The Tusken raiders are typically portrayed as scary and ruthless warriors. The trouble with the flashback scenes is a lot of screen time is dedicated showing Boba recovering and becoming friends with the raiders, only to have them killed. It seems like a lot of effort that in the end is wasted, although the killing is used for motivation in the final episode.

There is also trouble with the current day scenes. The biggest issue is that Boba just isn't that interesting. He tries to rule diplomatically, which seems odd considering he is a killer by trade. He has trouble gaining support among the locals. He compromises with the cities gang leaders by saying if you won't join me, just don't turn against me. How do you think that worked out? Fennec Shand is a cool character introduced in Rebels and she appeared in The Bad Batch too. She was good in The Mandalorian and I looked forward to her appearance here. Unfortunately, she spent almost the entire series as Fett's sidekick, basically a muppet on screen who never says or does much. She doesn't get much action until the very last episode, which is a shame because she is a cool character.

The first half of the series is spent with the flashbacks. Once that ends, the series does get better but not because of Boba. It becomes a Star Wars cameo showcase, with the likes of Mando, Grogu, Luke, Ashoka, and others appearing. In fact, the show doesn't really become interesting until Mando shows up. Despite also saying little to nothing of interest, he somehow is a more interesting character than Boba, especially with that awesome Darksaber. The second half of the show seems to be setting up Mando season 3 (when does that start, by the way?). Grogu has to make an important choice - become a Jedi or a Mandalorian. He appears to chose to become a Mandalorian. While this story made this show more interesting, it seems to take the wind out of the sails of Mando season 3 a bit.

It was cool to see the Pykes on screen again, and I suspect we will be seeing more of them in other series. I'm hoping Emilia Clarke returns to play Qi'ra. It was cool to see Cobb Vanth return, and hopefully that bacta tank will heal him. I also have to mention how cool it was to see Cad Bane on screen. He is such a bad ass, and I always enjoyed his story arcs in the Clone Wars. I am really hoping he didn't actually die, so that we can see him in subsequent shows.

Star Wars: A New Dawn

 

A New Dawn takes place after the Clone Wars but before A New Hope. It focuses on former Jedi Kanan Jarrus. Jarrus first appeared in the animated series Rebels. He, alongside Hera Syndulla, lead a group of rebels against the Empire. One aspect of the post Order 66 era that is under explored in the movies is the fact that Jedi who survived have to remain in hiding. This concept is discussed in Rebels, as Inquisitors sent by the Empire actively hunt surviving Jedi. This concept is also explored in the awesome game Jedi: Fallen Order, which a sequel was just announced. This is where A New Dawn begins - with a Jedi in hiding.

We get a glimpse of the beginning of Caleb Dume's new life in the first episode of the Bad Batch. In the middle of a battle with his master, Order 66 is executed, and Caleb is able to escape. To help hide his identity, he changes his name to Kanan Jarrus. As an adult, Jarrus spends his time bouncing from job to job and planet to planet, hiding his force abilities and spending spare time in cantinas. He runs into Hera, who is investigating a person named Count Vidian. Vidian is an industrial and mining efficiency expert, who is sent to various planets by the Empire to improve efficiency and output of the mines. Mining materials is of major importance to Star Wars storylines in this time period due to the Empire's ambitions of building the Death Star. Of course, Vidian acts in a completely Empire kind of way, killing as seen fit and generally being a bad guy. He also has a checkered past, and has some interest in secondary gain as well. Hera is attempting to form a rebellion against the Empire, but is doing so intelligently, unlike the other character they run into, Skelly, who blows stuff up as he sees fit. Despite Kanan being a loner and hiding his Force abilities, he becomes smitten with Hera, and decides to help her out and eventually decides to join her rebellion at the end of the book.

The story told in this book is OK. It has a typical mining backdrop, Empire bad guy, and a hero or two. I new Vidian died at the end of the book and wasn't present in other Star Wars stories, so I didn't get too invested in him. To me, the most interesting part of this book was the portrayal of Caleb after Order 66 and what it did to him. Going from a promising young Jedi to a bar hopping loner is sad, and it shows how much devastation Order 66 brought with the rise of the Empire. This topic is under explored in the Star Wars canon, though it is getting more attention as of late. The other interesting aspect of this book is that it explains how his relationship with Hera is formed, which helps explain how the Rebels group in the animated series came to be.