The Padawan project
What is Star Wars and why I am interested in it?
Star Wars is a fantastic and vast universe, in the form of an epic space opera. The original trilogy (with Episode IV - A new hope; Episode V - The empire strikes back and Episode VI - Return of the Jedi) was released in the ‘70s and is an absolute gem, with appealing transitions, and it introduced the famous opening crawl “a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away (…)”.
The original trilogy by George Lukas also introduced us to Luke, Leia and Han Solo and all the other heroes of this world. And, even more famously, addressed a complex father-son relationship and it went all over the place on the found family (and it is actual family, accidentally) trope.
And there are plenty more stories and characters in this world; it is a complex world building, which includes the Jedi and the Sith. The original trilogy explored additional tropes I love, such as rebellion, brains against strength, and David against Goliath.
One of the elements that truly attracts me to the story is the fact that there is a clear cut good vs evil story and the Jedi can do mind tricks!
The Padwan Project
When I started thinking about a Star Wars project, I got immediately overwhelmed. While the live action movies are relatively manageable (and we are still talking about 11 movies, with three trilogies and two stand alone), there are a few live action series, even more animated series and the largest selection of books and comics. So I struggled to select where to start from.
And then Ahsoka came to save the day. I don’t need to study this entire galaxy from the first day until the last (although I would love to learn more about the time when the Jedi were quite common and they had a pretty strong academy). I need to decide to explore characters or eras. And Ahsoka has a famous villain as her counterpart, Grand Admiral Thrawn. And there are a few stories told around this character, not to mention that there is quite a lot of stories told around Ahsoka.
What is included in the plan?
So here is the plan to get to know as much as I can with Ahsoka:
On the books side, I will tackled the Star Wars: Thrawn trilogy, with Thrawn, Thrawn: Alliances and Thrawn: Treason.
Ahsoka the series will be part of my weekly views; and I am particularly excited to see Dave Filoni as writer for the entire series; and this makes me feel quite good about this story!
I want also to add more meat to the bone and better understand the story that will be on Ahsoka; and this includes not only getting to know Ahsoka with her master, Luke Skywalker; it also includes understanding who the Rebels are and who is who!
With that spirit, then I will add two animated series.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars includes 7 seasons of traditional Star Wars goodness: “(…) classic characters, astounding action, and the timeless battle between good nad evil, Star Wars: The Clone Wars expands the Star Wars story with all new adventures a set in a galaxy far, far away”.
Star Wars Rebels is “only” 4 seasons of more Star Wars goodness: “It is a dark time in the galaxy as the Galactic Empire continues to tighten its grip on the people through oppression and fear, compelling a few brave individuals to band together in resistance. The motley crew of the starship Ghost stands up for those who cannot fight for themself, providing the spark to ignite a rebellion.”
After binge consuming this content, what next?
I will see how to package all the content in something interesting and/or digestible. I have my own personal wishes in this exploration.
I would like to better understand the world building, who is who and who is for whom. I also would like to get a better understanding of the magic system (assuming there is need for it; yet it is always something quite fascinating for myself). I am also interested in getting a better feeling for the rebellion: where are we at? Are we finally getting closer to take the empire down? Last but not least, I genuinely am curious about the religious systems. Until the Mandalorian, I did not know that there was a whole religion and society built around the principles of the Mandalore (and yes, the Mandalorian showed it to me, as I have not explored the animate series just yet). I want to know if there is more of this out there and how it all fits together!
The hype!
I feel like an explorer who understands a few things on paper and has seen a few things in reality but still needs to get a much better understating of the background, what is what and get my bearings in this vast world building and huge characters’ list. It is an enticing and exciting moment and I wonder if I will be able to live up to my own expectations!
What is your experience with this world? How familiar are you with Star Wars’ lore? How much do you want to know about this world?
