I'm reading Legends in timeline order, just finished Isard's Revenge, and now only a few pages into Jedi Search I'm seeing multiple references to a resurrected Palpatine and Luke serving the Emperor... Where would I read about that??
(I even double checked the Legends series list at the front of the book, and it puts Jedi Search immediately after Isard's Revenge 😅)
I really do think Rebels captured Thrawn's essential traits and did a great job with his characterization, and I have high hopes Ahsoka will continue this trend as we see more of Thrawn out of exile.
brilliant tactician ✅
very strict while also being reasonable in dealing with his subordinates ✅
studies art to understand his opponents, and even displays a certain level of respect toward them ✅
uses his understanding of his opponents via their artwork to great effect against them (I think Rebels takes the edge over Heir in the number of times they actually explain how Thrawn's art expertise helps him make his deductions) ✅
despite his attention to detail, he still manages to underestimate a critical point or two that ends up being his downfall (Rukh/Noghri loyalties in Legends, the Force/Jedi philosophy in canon) ✅
Canon did Rukh VERY dirty 😞 But Thrawn's depiction is fairly accurate thus far.
I really do think Rebels captured Thrawn's essential traits and did a great job with his characterization, and I have high hopes Ahsoka will continue this trend as we see more of Thrawn out of exile.
brilliant tactician ✅
very strict while also being reasonable in dealing with his subordinates ✅
studies art to understand his opponents, and even displays a certain level of respect toward them ✅
uses his understanding of his opponents via their artwork to great effect against them (I think Rebels takes the edge over Heir in the number of times they actually explain how Thrawn's art expertise helps him make his deductions) ✅
despite his attention to detail, he still manages to underestimate a critical point or two that ends up being his downfall (Rukh/Noghri loyalties in Legends, the Force/Jedi philosophy in canon) ✅
Canon did Rukh VERY dirty 😞 But Thrawn's depiction is fairly accurate thus far.
As a major book-lover, when it comes to books I've read being adapted on-screen, I find the top factor that determines whether I enjoy the adaptation or not is whether it stays true to the *overall* storyline - especially as a series.
For example: the 2005 movie The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe? LOVED it. Prince Caspian? Could have been better, but decent overall. Voyage of the Dawn Treader? There's a LOT I really like about it, and as a movie told apart from the book series it's good, but I REALLY didn't like that they stole elements from The Silver Chair, given that it changes the given story AND means the next story can't really be told.
Another example: the Lightning Thief movie? I liked it. Sea of Monsters? The third act completely rewrote the story. Like, the writers backed themselves into a corner. There was no way to continue the major storyline as told in the books if they had continued the movie adaptations.
Now we have the show, and even with all the changes - good and bad - the major storyline is still intact so far.
Gabe being abusive in more subtle ways? He's still abusive and Sally needed to get out of that relationship. Characters knowing or figuring out certain plot points very quickly? Well, it does reduce some of the dramatic tension unfortunately, but it still doesn't change where the storyline is heading. Annabeth not having major personal beef with Tyson spelled out in the show? She still has to trust a "monster," and Tyson's role in the story remains largely the same. The Party Ponies don't show up? That made me REALLY sad but even I have to admit it doesn't change the broader story. A few new characters are added in? They don't displace the major characters in their roles, and in some cases flesh out the major characters even more. Thalia's return and backstory changes? Unexpected, but can actually serve to expand on and highlight her character arc even more and emphasize her role in the overall plot.
Again: despite the changes being made, none of these changes fundamentally change the plot thus far. Of course, there's a chance the plot will drastically change later - though I sure hope it doesn't. But as it stands, while some details are in wild flux, the big picture story has been true to the books - and for an adaptation, I will happily take it and enjoy the show.
LOVED the backstory we got for Grogu in season 3; but realizing there's a good chance the story will continue in other directions and won't touch much more on the close to 30 years of Grogu's life during the Imperial era before Din found him, I decided to write it out myself 😂 So here's a (canon-compliant, at least at this point) fanfic of what I imagined happened to Grogu in the time between surviving the Jedi Purge at the temple, and being rescued by Din.
This fic isn't written in my usual style - I rarely write in first-person and writing from the POV of a near-infant non-human with undefined (canonically speaking) developmental patterns is an even rarer occurrence 😅 But I hope I did Grogu justice!
If you decide to read, hope you enjoy!
What did y'all like? Dislike? Things you're fine with but also would have been fine if they'd done differently?? Favorite characters/scenes/moments/lines?? Least favorites??
Just a few personal things off the top of my head...
THINGS I REALLY LIKED:
- Clarisse - she was a standout this season
- Annabeth's flashbacks and opening up to Percy in episode 4
- how they handled Percy's and Annabeth's fatal flaws
- Tyson's a dear 🥹
- Sally. I always love Sally!
- Circe's island and the backstory/motives they gave her were well done (though I do wonder how they'll draw a clear distinction between Circe and Calypso, who are now both essentially lonely/abandoned/trapped immortal sorceresses)
- Teared up at the scene of Percy asking his mom to stay clear if the fight 🥺
- They did a decent job humanizing Luke and showing how he's being manipulated while also showing that he's going too far.
CHANGES I'M UNDECIDED ABOUT:
- Characters knowing in advance that the Fleece might bring Thalia back did add some interesting conflict in that it opened up the questions of whether using the Fleece was the right move or not, and where Thalia's loyalties would lie. At the same time, I slightly prefer the book version, where Thalia's return was an unforeseen consequence of healing the tree.
- The backstory of Thalia being turned into a tree. The show version does up the ante a little bit by making Thalia's motivations and loyalties far less clear, while still maintaining the fact of Thalia being willing to stand and sacrifice her life for her friends. And I already dislike Zeus on principle, so I don't mind how much more his reputation takes a hit here. But also I don't really care for the idea of Chiron just, like, standing back and watching all that go down and then lying about it - it really makes Chiron seem... weak, not a great leader, untrustworthy. We'll see how this all plays out.
THINGS I WISH HAD BEEN DONE BETTER:
- I miss the Party Ponies!
- The show could definitely afford to include more humor, especially leaning more into Percy's witty side.
- Chiron... Just, Chiron.
I'm REALLY liking it overall so far. As a book reader who almost always prefers books over their on-screen adaptations, I'm pretty good at temporarily "forgetting" the books just enough to at least enjoy the associated show (provided there aren't any egregious plot holes or character assassinations looking at you movie version of Sea of Monsters and what you did to Annabeth) Anyway...
In particular I have to give a shout-out to episode 4, for how it handles Annabeth's history and self-doubt. I think it does a really good job fleshing out her character and motivations, and she and Percy play off each other brilliantly here.
Also love how Clarissa is being portrayed thus far.
Anyways, carry on!
Someday I might write a more detailed essay about this topic (assuming no one else already has - and I'm sure someone else already has 😅) but it really struck me today that Luthen and Kleya are kinda-sorta a dark mirror to Bail and Leia.
Like, they're both adopted father/daughter duos. Both fathers arguably saved their daughters' lives by taking them in. Both fathers have a huge influence on the trajectory their daughters' lives take, and the ideologies their daughters adhere to. And both duos are very active in the Rebellion.
How each duo goes about rebelling, though, is very different; and it's fascinating to see.