Star Wars

This show is going to benefit a lot from binge re-watching. Episode 5 was the most fun so far, and really dials up the stakes for most of the characters, but ultimately it's a long action set piece with a predictable reveal in the middle of it. Nothing much happens.

And while the reveal was predictable, it was also fine. If those motherfuckers had denied me DARTH BORTLES(!!!) I would have set the building on fire. Best acting and best character in the show so far, and really getting to chew the scenery with Sith philosophy that would be absolutely fanboy-friendly catnip if it were being delivered by a white male with a name they recognized.

I don't love everything about this show, not by a long shot, but beyond our villain, Sol is likeable, Jecki and Yord grew on me just enough I was mildly sad they killed them, and also surprised. There has also now been lightsaber combat that's better than anything in TV Star Wars. I actually want to find out what really happened and what the exact nature of the stain on the 4 Jedi souls is, so I guess that makes a show like this a success.

I do wish they'd offered a bit more of a lore dump to remind me about Cortosis, though. I really thought Jason Mendoza was permanently breaking lightsabers and was very confused when they started working again.

After 4 episodes, I am now convinced we've seen the best this show has to offer and it's only going to get worse.

I'm really enjoying this one so far. There's a few goofy things here and there but overall it's one of the better Star Wars series. If you haven't watched it yet, leave all baggage at the door, ignore the online angst, and just watch it for what it is: a space opera serial in the same lineage as Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers. It's just brought up to a more modern style with a more diverse cast. Not a big deal. Watch it like your ten-year-old self would, and you'll have a good time.

Man the Star Wars fanbase is shit. SO INCREDIBLY TOXIC JEEEEZ. The people here on Lemmy seem to be waaay more chill tho. I absolutely LOVED episode 3. The music (which many found cringe for some reason) is what I loved the most honestly. The ascension scene was ART imo. I genuinely don't get the hate for this show.

A note about the ascension scene: When the leader witch says, "we were at the brink of extinction", one of the witches does that crazy maniacal witch laughter. I was weirded out a little in the beginning as to why she would do that. But when you think about it a little, this is exactly what the witches are. They're different and weird, which is why they were ostracized by society and hunted down (as per the show). I see them as that cringe group of students that are present in every classroom. The others find them cringe, but they are actually very chill people. Unfortunately, because of their so called "cringeness", they are bullied a lot.

As for the ending, OF COURSE the twin didn't burn the fortress down on her own. That is LITERALLY what the first two episodes were about lmao. Why would the 10 year long meditation Jedi guy commit suicide then? Why would the other dark twin (forgot if it was May or Osha) go on a hunting spree against these particular Jedi?

Are people hating this show just because it is "woke" or something? Like... the witches aren't even actual lesbians. Like... you can't have homosexuality if heterosexuality doesn't exist, right? It would just be.... sexuality sexuality I suppose. I genuinely can't see how this thing was "woke". Or was it because the leader witch was black or something? Would people get upset about that NOW? Come on...

I also loved the leader witch... I think the actress portrayed her role very well! She definitely gave off those comforting motherly vibes...

Episode 5

Calling it, Sol is a Sith. He was Qimirs master, then Qimir somehow left (yes: somehow, Qimir left!) and Sol has been trying to convert another Padawan to his cause ever since. Osha didn't work out, so now its Jecki. Well, it was.

That's why Sol is familiar with Qimirs presence. It's also why he asks Qimir "why risk discovery" because he is a Sith in hiding. It is also why he tried to attack Qimir when he had his back turned on him.

It is the secret he wanted to talk to Osha about.

I know, bit farfetched. But something's fishy with Master Sol.

It may be a bit early to make this call, but I'm ready to retcon this entire show out of canon. It makes too many bold new assertions about the Star Wars IP without grasping the basics of the lore. It then compounds these missteps with lackluster choreography, cheesy writing, a horribly misguided plot, and several lapses in logic that not even Dave Filoni could explain away if you gave him a 7 season animated series. And it's only been 3 episodes.

Lee Jung-jae's back must really hurt after carrying this entire show alone. I wouldn't blame him if he never worked with western media ever again.

Hmmm I think my expectations were set incorrectly for this show. From the rumblings I heard before the premiere, it was on a similair level as Andor and was kind of a murder mystery thing. It is nothing like Andor (so far) and the murder 'mystery' was solved (at least for the viewers) at the end of the first episode. I was excited about the possibility of 'Law & Order in space with Jedi' since it seemed like a fresh genre for Star Wars but this...is more like 'generic Star Wars plot line #45'. I plan to keep watching because the High Republic era is interesting, but the story has been bleh so far for me.

Also weird that Carrie-Anne Moss figured so prominently in the hype & advertising just to be killed off in the first few minutes. If I was excited that she was in the show (I was ambivalent towards it myself) I would be super mad about that.

I'm afraid Andor has ruined me when it comes to Star Wars media. :-/

Interesting that that opening fight had both knives and blood - I think there was a time (before Andor) where both those things weren't really allowed in Star Wars. It felt like nothing that came after really lived up to that. Episode 2 had two writers, joined by the word 'and' rather than an ampersand, meaning that they worked on it separately, which doesn't bode well (the last time I saw that for a TV show was Secret Invasion, and that was rubbish).

It's okay, good enough to keep watching. It looks like it's getting review-bombed though, so there must be something about it that's upset people.

Also, as soon as my stupid brain heard that a character was called Osha, it didn't stop thinking about Star Wars Health and Safety violations:

Osha on the cliff face:

"I didn't kill her!"

Bonus: She even escaped a crashed prison vehicle after being arrested for a crime she did not commit!

If Mae loses an arm now...

That one prisoner that Osha saved:

The premise of an evil doppelgänger framing the main character for murders seems trite to me, like an idea that was out of an ‘80s B-film. The One-Punch Man clad Jedi also seem to be making the worst plans for the sake of dragging out the plot, ex. sending in Osha alone to talk to the apothecary guy (whom they at the time didn’t know was unaware that Osha was alive), or somehow taking a long route and slow walk to the meditating Jedi even though they knew exactly where he was, or not sealing off the open roof above the meditating Jedi after he was attacked, or not using the stun gun on Mae during the attempted arrest. There were a few other nitpicks that I had.

The meditating Jedi was cool, though it feels like we needed more background on him. Sol is interesting, and I wonder why he claimed that he saw Mae die. I’d like further depth on Osha’s character, like her showing what makes her tick and what her aims are, rather than just pulling her through situations; her looking back to save the prisoner is a good example of what can help an audience understand a character’s personality, and her frustrated and crafty reaction to having to improvise surviving the landing is a good example of showing her skills and assets. I hope this series allows the characters to express their personalities more, rather than just be pushed from A to B by episodic plot. I’m not familiar with this era of the galaxy, so I look forward to further explanation within the show as to what sets the Jedi and High Republic government apart from how they are in the Prequel Trilogy.

All the silly kung fu fights and forced samurai references seem to be ruining what could have been a great story...

Don't get me wrong, I love old kung fu movies, and I LOVE samurai movies and TV shows, but this is too much. I realize the Jedi are somewhat based on samurai characters, but it feels almost like this is just a remake of an old martial arts film with Jedi thrown in so they could name it a Star Wars property

The actual detective/mystery story itself seems pretty interesting but it keeps getting lost under all the other fluff

Am I the only one that felt like they spoiled the whole plot in the first episode? Like the twin thing could have been a big mystery but we already know what's going on. Also we see the evil twin's master (whoever it is), so we know it's a Sith plot.

After the first 3 episodes felt like a 00's Disney teen sitcom I considered giving up on this show, but this week felt more coherent to me. The forests of Khofar is the best locale so far, the conversational writing has improved and so the acting feels more natural (mostly). I'm still not thrilled that the Jedi Order is being portrayed as mostly antagonistic, and I'm a bit concerned that the best episode so far is one in which very little happens, but the last scene actually has me excited for next week. Here's hoping that the second half overshadows the rocky start.

WHAT AN EPISODE!!!

Episode 4 was absolutely amazing! The acting has improved (the conversations between Osha and the padawan girl felt incredibly natural). And do I need to talk about the ending?

SPOLIERS AHEAD

How was the Sith? guy at the end so fkin powerful lol. One flick and he can send everything flying away? Jeeez... Also, is this guy Mae's friend? Uk, the one accompanying her everywhere. Would explain how he got there so fast. Also, what is his motivation to set Mae up? Does he just want to kill a few Jedi? Does he want to turn Osha to the dark side or something (uk, after seeing how he eyed her and didn't kill her)? Isn't Osha actually weaker in the force when compared to Mae? I've so many questions lol. Also, props to the designers of this character! His mask is SO CREEPY.

Really can't wait for the coming episodes.

The Jedi are SO competent with the force. Some memorable points (spoilers ofc):

• The masters’ restraint in never igniting their lightsabers unless lethality is absolutely necessary, relying on the force as their primary defence.
• The contrast between Yord’s anxious rule-focussed approach and Sol’s force-led approach.
• Torbin’s impenetrable force aura whilst meditating - for over 10 years!!
• Sol’s ability to restrain Mae in-place whilst using the force to figure out what she knows
• Every single example of Jedi mind trick use
• The lightsaber hilts and sounds each being more refined and elegant imo

Instantly sending me back to the pre-prequel era games, books & comics this series is. I am so glad that they chose to flesh out this era with the High Republic books first to ensure we have a vast array of literature and strong world building to draw from.

Naturally hyped for next week. We’re eating well today.