A More Civilized Q&A - February 2021

This is a Good comment.

ByteSizeNudist

FYI there’s now a comic between Anakin and Obi-Wan that discusses why the Jedi use laser swords and not other light-weapons or blasters. “Let me tell you something Anakin. When I was a Padawan, I came up with the idea of two short-blades sabers attached to a thin chain.” “Master… that sounds amazing.” “I agree. I would have looked very impressive - assuming I didn’t chop off my foot trying to use it. I suggested it to Qui-Gon, and he told me what I’m about to tel you. It is about how we wish to be seen, Anakin, and how that ties into the central mission of the Jedi Order. We do not want to be powerful, we wish to stand tall against the dark. Our tools reflect that goal. Especially our chosen weapon. We all wield the same one, with minor variations, the lightsaber. We could make Kyber Bombs or Blasters… indeed it’s been tried. There are a few weapons like that in the sealed archives. But anyone can fire a blaster. Very few can safely and skillfully wield a lightsaber. Everyone in the Galaxy knows this to be true. We want our opponents to know that we use a weapon that requires intention, training, and choice. We choose a weapon with limitations — with difficulties. You cannot use a lightsaber to destroy a city or a planet. Every death or injury it inflicts must be precisely chosen. The lightsaber tells the Galaxy that the Jedi are not destroyers. We are protectors.” “But… the Sith use them as well.” “True. The Sith would give you their reasons, I’m sure. But ultimately, I believe they use lightsabers because they like to think anything the Jedi can do, they can do better. They are, of course wrong.” The same comic then jumps to Vader and Sidious with a similar but different lesson. “Lord Vader. Fight me.” “You fight like a Jedi. You fight as if this were your only weapon. It is not. The Sith’s weapon is not the lightsaber, it is the Dark Side of the Force. And the Dark Side touches everything. The Saber is merely a symbol. A flame, signifying the great blaze of the Dark Side. The Inferno that consumes all who come against it. All.”

Marandahir

I am signing the Crows Are Peoole petition

A sudden absence of bees

granted I am only 10 minutes into this and just joined patreon entirely to support this podcast, but I will admit this is my favorite thing to listen to. a year ago I truly would not believe it if you told me i would pay money to listen to more of a podcast about star wars, but yknow what, here we are. thank you so much.

joey

I'm not saying you need to add more to your plate, but I am saying that if you did a Star Wars Book Club at a higher Patreon level, I would sub to it without a second thought.

Michael K

I vote Steve Harrington as Young Sheev. But they would cast Timothee Chalamet...

I have a question based on listening to the eps so far (which are wonderful, thank you so much for all your hard work). I want to frame the question, but that might get a bit long, so I'll put the actual question in its own paragraph at the end. I'm not a huge star wars fan myself - I've watched all the movies except Rise of Skywalker, but never read any of the books/comics/games, and watching along with the pod is my first time seeing clone wars. So maybe this questions is something that has come up in other media and will seem very stupid, but I want to ask anyway. One of the things I keep thinking about with regards to the Jedi/the Force is the religious angle. I know there's a lot of gross orientalist shit in the way that it all gets framed in the actual movies, but especially in the Original Trilogy, I find it fascinating because it reminds me so much of monastic Catholicism. I grew up in Ireland, which was one of the prime historical sites for that, and so it's something I connect to a lot. Especially with Yoda on Dagobah, which feels so much like St. Columba on Iona or St. Kevin in Glendalough. (And that, I think, makes the use of Skellige as the real life location for Luke's retreat in The Last Jedi so appropriate.) But all of this feels like something that gets completely lost in the transition from OT to the prequels and Clone Wars. To put it bluntly, St. Kevin was never on the Vatican council. In my opinion, it seems like a real lost opportunity. I think it would have been incredibly interesting to get a prequel version of Yoda who was always that kind of slightly outside the hierarchy hermit style character. And in general I would love to see more of the way the Jedi relate to the Force as something metaphysical and spiritual. (Again, maybe this is covered extensively in other Star Wars media. I have no idea.) So, actual question: How do you feel about the Jedi as a monastic order? Is that something you would have liked the prequels to get into more, or do you think it would have muddied the story that they tell about liberalism and fascism? And do you think it would have benefitted or taken from Yoda's character if he had always been a kind of strange, mystical hermit figure instead of being central to power? PS. Cursed idea: Timothee Chalamet as young Sheev.

Eve Golden Woods

A Star Wars story idea I'm willing to share because I hope someone just goes ahead and does it is a queer romance between two Jedi during the Clone Wars. There's the obvious subtext of their love being forbidden but also of them realizing who they are amidst a galactic crisis and the system they grew up in being destroyed. They should still get a happy ending though amongst the tragedy because I don't need Star Wars to also kill its gays. It could also be a jumping off point to highlight how the Jedi are hypocritical about their anti-attachment rules (Ki Adi-Mundi's wives, Kit Fisto and Aayla Secura's affair, the technicality that Jedi can have casual sex, etc.)

Yes! Then I could finally have a place to talk Star Wars that I can trust.

Oh no. I totally forgot I asked the question about yoda and the high republic... romance possibilities

my life for a supercut of christopher lee delivering denzel's best lines from training day

Brendan McLeod

Make a discord!

Isaiah Agojo