Why we are so Intrigued by Kamino

There are many worlds in Star Wars that are interesting, but not many are like Kamino.

It is as riveting as it is compelling, yet the fascination of this rainy planet is mind boggling.

Within the six movies of Star Wars, Kamino has only about 20 minutes of screen time. It is not talked about in any other movie and yet it continues to be a point of interest.

What could possibly be so interesting about a planet in the Outer Rim that is barely seen or even talked about?

Well for starters, its legacy.

Kamino was the catalyst that Palpatine (and Darth Plagueis) needed.

It was the birthplace to the Grand Army of the Republic which in part, gave Palpatine a conquering force that allowed him to transition the state of the Republic into a land of fear and uncertainty.

That fear and uncertainty was the perfect segue into Palpatine’s master plan giving him (at the time) just cause to bring forth the first Galactic Empire

Besides the fact that Kamino’s creation of the Clone troopers, what else makes the planet so appealing to Star Wars fans?

The obvious answer, the mystique of the planet due to its unique appearance.

I mean the planet is completely submerged in water! That’s just cool!

Kamino’s massive amount of water and menacing waves came about through climate change. At some point in Kamino’s past, the weather shifted to the point of cataclysmic proportions that melted Kamino’s mighty glaciers thus bringing the planet-wide ocean.

What’s also curious about the planet is its inhabitants.

The sentient species of Kamino are as peculiar as they are just plain weird!

They stand at 7.2 feet, their skin is bleach white with jet black eyes encompassed with a tinge of marble gray.

Besides their appearance, there is a quiet mischievous and mysterious nature to them as well, almost like they’re hiding something…

The Kaminoans are a homogeneous people since the population is 100% Kaminoan so in my opinion that just adds to the allure.

For me, what makes Kamino so intensely interesting is the murky depths of the ocean, it’s as terrifying as it is exhilarating.

Just look at Tipoca City.

During Episode II The Clone Wars, you don’t get the opportunity to see how long and wide the city really is but trust me…it’s big.

So big in fact that Tipoca City spans more than a hundred kilometers, that’s more than four and a half times New York City!

What makes this even more impressive is how high up the city is.

In the movie, when Obi-Wan is fighting with Jango Fett, there are multiple scenes where the sheer height of Tipoca City is displayed.

What’s more, Kamino’s inhabitants used a flying creature known as an aiwha for transport on Kamino.

All in all, Kamino is a profound planet that is as mysterious and eerie and it is captivating.

A world of constant rain, devastating waves and turbulent storms, Kamino is one of the most interesting places in the galaxy.

-Sith Pacify out

The Importance of Star Wars Battlefront

The Star Wars Battlefront franchise was introduced to the world in September of 2004. From that point on, Battlefront would continue to grow and become a dynamic force not only among Star Wars fans but within the video game universe as well.

The title brought with it unique opportunities for its users to duke it out on some of the famous maps that Star Wars fans have grown to love throughout the years.

It only took 405 days for Star Wars Battelfront II to be released.

The power that a Star Wars game generates is supreme and elite amongst video games. Battlefront II would go on to be a giant in the industry for years to come. Hell, I still play it from time to time and it’s almost been 10 years since its release!

Unfortunately, it’s not all good news when talking about Star Wars video games.

Major Star Wars titles began to disappear to the point of practical nonexistence after 2005.

As I have discussed in my other posts, between 2005 to about 2012, Star Wars as a whole experienced a period of stagnation.

I really believe that this is due in a large part to the strange absence of Star Wars Battlefront in the younger generations everyday lives.

The growth of Star Wars is contrived from different media enterprises. A large part of this was Battlefront.

Let’s be real, the driving force that follows Star Wars today is the younger generation. With the lack of a major uniting video game like Battlefront, Star Wars undoubtedly suffered.

Of course there were titles like Star Wars The Force Unleashed and Star Wars The Old Republic. But these titles had one thing in common: the premise was centered around lightsaber combat, not all-out war on a global scale.

This is what made Battlefront so incredible! Not to mention, the game also incorporated lightsaber combat as well.

Of course all Star Wars fans love lightsaber warfare but the key is “Star Wars fans”.

The beautiful element that Battlefront offered that separated it from any Star Wars video game is the fact that it encompassed all aspects of war that made the games appealing to gamers in general.

This central element of Star Wars games were missing.

Until, last year…

Finally, Star Wars fans and video gamers alike rejoiced everywhere as Star Wars Battlefront III was finally announced.

I’d compare the hype to the second release of Halo, the many releases of Grand Theft Auto as well as the highly anticipated Call of Duty games.

So I ask you (rhetorically speaking) why is Battlefront so important? Simple.

This game is the galvanizing force that assembles Star Wars fans energy and anticipation and constructs a beacon of immense excitement.

That right there is the power of video games.

The sheer build up of electric commotion, that stimulates fan bases from video games, is practically better than any other source of excitement out there.

With that being said, come November 17th, 2015, Star Wars fans (including me) will be celebrating with pure exuberance as their beloved game returns.

-Sith Pacify out

Story Saturday: The Failure of Exile

It’s common knowledge that Yoda went into a self-imposed exile after Chancellor Palpatine betrayed the Jedi and announced himself as the infamous Darth Sidious.

What isn’t so well known however is what happened to Yoda immediately after he arrived on Dagobah.

Well, the following short story will give you a better idea.

The premonitions were inevitable. A feeling long felt, dreamt, thought of, even daydreamed, yes he saw it coming.

Yoda, former Grand Master of the Intergalactic Jedi Order stands alone in his new home. While in exile on the Outer Rim remote planet of Dagobah, the nightmare of the demise of the Jedi replay in his head over and over.

Torture amongst solitude is enough to make even the strongest break.

But the once all-powerful leader of the respected Jedi, is now cracking under the sheer guilt and immense weight that reality has left him.

It was like a bad dream that plays over and over in his head. The faces of his slain comrades, their emotion of being caught off guard, surprised.

It was exactly three weeks since the Jedi were extinguished. To this point, Yoda’s journey to remain isolated from the rest of the galaxy has gone unexpected.

The impeding guilt of what happened mixed with the constant quiet that is Dagobah has started to deteriorate the mighty warrior’s mind.

Yoda knew being alone would certainly present its challenges but this situation he was unprepared for.

He could feel the force but it now felt different, very different.

A master of the force, a being of almost 900 years and for the first time, what he knew best was alien to him.

He felt as if all of his former padawans, his Jedi compatriots, were now submerged in a world of nothingness.

Almost as if their very existence now bear one thing in common: failure…

This “stinging wound” inflicted by the once so-called “chosen one”, Anakin Skywalker, brought Yoda unexplainable pain. The pain he felt was as if his body was impaled with a thousand singeing lightsabers held by all the former and current Sith Lords of the galaxy.

Today, Yoda woke up in the usual fashion. After intense mental clashing with his own conscience and psyche, the small creature found himself back in a deep sleep forced on him from pure exhaustion.

As if he was lifting 10,000 stones with his mind while sifting through his once vaunted Jedi archives searching for a single word of a foreign tongue in dozens of intricate yet different texts.

The short time he had been away from all he once knew had already began to deteriorate Yoda’s mind, spirit and body.

Yes the egregious results of the near past mentally scarred Yoda far worse than any physical injury could cause.

Yoda sat down on a branch gazing into the greenish gray forests as the morning sun mixed with rain sprinkled upon the trees and the moss that filled the planet’s ecosystem.

As Yoda prepared to allow his mind to fall back into a trance of mental meditation, he froze. He could feel the prodding mind of the all powerful Emperor mentally searching every crevice and interstice around.

His gaze was expanding, filling everything with awareness.

He was searching for someone, he was searching for Yoda.

However, the former Jedi champion knew he was safe. The boundaries of Dagobah protected its inhabitants with a one of a kind force concealment.

As the Emperor’s wave unknowingly washed over the planet with Yoda unscathed, the former Jedi sat back in deep reflection of his thoughts once more.

He knew over 98% of all beings who called themselves Jedi in any capacity were exfoliated, but he also knew within that very little known 2%, some holdouts remained.

Specifically, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Three weeks ago, the Jedi master dueled the spewing-with-hate Darth Vader on the volcanic planet of Mustafar and cursed the fallen Jedi to inexplicable punishment.

Unbeknownst to Obi-Wan, Vader survived the bout and went through emergency surgery to save and repair what was left of the once almighty body of Vader’s.

Yoda studied this new mechanical monstrosity that was now Darth Vader.

He could feel his dilapidated body stained with shame, confusion and anger. The last few months before the purge of the Jedi yielded great amounts of alienation for Skywalker.

Struggling to come to grips with his rapidly growing connection with the force and his second to none physical prowess, he became more and more unhappy with his role as a Jedi knight.

The gifted Skywalker demanded more.

More responsibility, more attention and more respect.

In the end, these feelings would push the very limits of reality and unfathomably joining the dark side of the force as Darth Sidious’s pawn.

In trying to come to grips with his situation, Yoda stretched his mind to the future.

The change of direction felt refreshing and for once in many years, the future existence of reality was no longer clouded.

Since the Dark Side had already struck, its great shadow of “unknown” was lifted.

Yoda saw decades ahead of intergalactic submission forced upon by the new regime.

However, he foresaw a meeting that shook him to the very core.

It was the offspring of Anakin Skywalker, the boy, Luke.

While Yoda was alone on Dagobah, young Luke was being carefully watched from a distance by Obi-Wan.

The boy would learn the force and eventually come to grips with his situation through Yoda himself.

This was the astronomical vision that Master Yoda could see!

As it began to fade out, Yoda regained an emotion that felt as if it was absent for centuries, happiness.

Deep in his heart and mind, Yoda knew of a secret, a new hope has arisen. Yes, Yoda knew…

What if Tarkin evacuated the Death Star?

Here on the SithPacify blog we discuss events that occurred, people it effected or situations that ensued.

Today is a bit different. Instead, I’m going to be writing about the Grand Moff Tarkin.

We all know that he met his maker at the end of the battle above Yavin Prime when the Death Star was destroyed.

But what if he survived? After all, Imperial officer, Moradmin Bast approaches Tarkin minutes before the Death Star’s destruction claiming that there is a danger.

Of course Tarkin declines Bast’s request to prepare his ship and as they say, the rest is history.

But, what if he did evacuate? What if Tarkin survived? What would be the consequences of his continuance?

Immediate Repercussions

Tarkin was a hard-nosed, battle hardened leader. He was respected, he was strong and he was merciless. In seeing the Death Star’s decimation, his pet-project I might add, he would no doubt be furious and demand immediate retribution.

Tarkin is well known in getting his way too. I’m sure if he wanted his revenge, it would be almost a done deal.

For instance, in the Novel Tarkin written by the great James Luceno, the Moff is flawlessly described and portrayed as an ingenious military leader who gets what he wants through his own sheer will.

I assume Tarkin would instantly begin the planning on how he’d throw the return punch back at the Rebel forces as soon as he sat down on his evacuation shuttle.

He’d gather a research team and spare no resource in doing so too. His endgame would of course be utter annihilation for the likes of those who ultimately embarrassed him and took away his prized possession, the Death Star.

His Next Move

Tarkin would get crafty. He understands warfare better than anyone and he’d make sure everyone knew it too.

One way or another, he would discover the Rebel base on Hoth and unlike Vader, I would have to imagine Tarkin would order a space bombardment.

Although I wouldn’t be all that surprised if he decided to raid the base and take prosoners…

Tarkin loved to make an example….(Alderaan)

What’s Next?

When Tarkin was alive, Vader, although completely in a class of his own, had to consult with Tarkin.

Vader might have been a Sith but when it came to the Galactic Empire’s  military, few if any were ahead of Tarkin.

It’s interesting in A New Hope, Tarkin gives the orders and everyone does what he says.

Then, in The Empire Strikes Back, it’s Vader who is now calling the shots.

If Tarkin survived, he’d undoubtedly still be in that position of power. That is unless the Emperor was so bold as to punish the Grand Moff for the loss of his prized battlestation.

It’s worth giving some thought too since Vader practically puts on hold any plans for the Empire and goes on a personal vendetta in sending a massive amount of Imperial resources to chase after the Millenium Falcon.

In my opinion, if Vader would have concentrated his attention on the bulk of the Rebellion, wherever they may be, the Empire would have drastically benefitted. This is exactly what Tarkin would have done.

Tarkin wasn’t a man who messed around. He was a to-the-point, black-and-white, high ranking military official whom saw to it that his missions were completed, always.

What Does it Mean? 

So what is the final result of Tarkin surviving the Death Star? Complete annihilation of the Rebellion.

I really don’t think Tarkin would allow the Rebels to continue to win and take it to the Empire as they did.

I mean, let’s be real, Vader practically allows the Rebellion to rip the Empire little by little as he goes off on his own crusade.

The threat the Rebels posed became so legitimate that the Emperor himself made the decision that his presence and supervision was needed.

I don’t exactly know how or when but you can bet that the Grand Moff Tarkin would not mess around with the Rebellion after a near brush with death and the loss of his station.

Tarkin’s strike would be so severe, that it would be fair to pose question of long it would take for the Rebellion to cease to exist.

Maybe there wouldn’t even be three movies in the original trilogy!

With Tarkin at the helm, the Rebellion’s days would certainly be numbered and eventually, the Empire would go on to crush their nemeses “with one swift stroke.”

-Sith Pacify out

Golden Age of Star Wars?

The year is 2015. Exactly 38 years since the release of the beginning of it all, A New Hope. 

The creator of it all, George Lucas, would go on to create five more Star Wars movies and inspire hundreds of millions of fans to become one with the force and embrace the Star Wars franchise.

In the timeline of Star Wars, I would say there is one major golden age. Starting in May of 1977 when A New Hope was released up until somewhere after 1984 to 1985ish.

The reason why I extend the dates just a bit after the release of Return of the Jedi (1983) is because the world was still abuzz over this new concept of sci fi battle.

Now, it would 16 years until a new film would be released. The new film of course being The Phantom Menace was received by a less enthused fan base. This would unfortunately build a bit of a rebellion against George Lucas and his ideas for the new prequels.

After the final prequel was released, many Star Wars fans thought Lucas had lost it. Many thought the fire he once kindled in millions of Star Wars fan’s hearts had been a thing of the past….until a new announcement.

On October 30th, 2012 Disney announced that they had purchased Lucasfilm.

This would be a turning point.

There was a bit of stagnation in between 2005 and 2014 that had many fans wondering was this the end?

The Star Wars universe just didn’t know what to expect. Star Wars video game titles began to shrink and disappear, merchandise sales were decreasing and the future was uncertain.

That was until the big announcement came.

On November 6th, 2014, the title for the new movie The Force Awakens was released.

And with that came the dawn of the second golden age in Star Wars history.

Countless amounts of projects have been announced from new TV shows to new video games and even new movies extending beyond the classic Star Wars timeline like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

With every release of information for the rapidly approaching film in December, Star Wars fans rejoice.

You can feel the insatiable hunger there is for this new film.

Almost like a never-ending desire for more and more Star Wars material.

It is a new age, an age of abundance, an age greatness.

I think the most important part of this new beginning for our beloved franchise is not the fact that there will be more material out there, but the fact that the young kids will now have a concrete foundation to love Star Wars as we all do.

The new millennial generation is in safe hands. They are so fortunate to have so many different venues to satisfy and educate their Star Wars needs.

In the end, the most important aspect I hope you all gather from this post is that Star Wars has returned.

Come December 18th, when that famous iconic music plays and those words start to filter from the top of the screen on down, I’ll know for sure, that Star Wars is back.

-Sith Pacify out

Story Sunday: Fugitive

Under fire and running out of options, Jango Fett, the notorious bounty hunter found himself in a predicament of certain death.

Hiding behind a pillar supporting the above overpass, Fett was under fire from local law authorities. He had been followed to his rendezvous point by an undercover Republic agent.

Now with seven officers closing in on the galaxy-known bounty hunter, Fett was sorting out his options.

He thought to himself…

“I could make a run for it, force my way into the closest cantina and hold out…”

“I could return fire and go out with a bang..”

“Or I could surrender and break away when the officer’s let their guard down..”

He thought for a minute and laid low as he could hear the footsteps of the officers slowly gaining on his position as his suppressing fire dissipated while he pondered his thoughts.

Fett was a man of honor, he discounted his idea of tricking the officers into their likely demise. A man of Fett’s aptitude simply did not operate in such a manner.

As the bounty hunter continued to think it through, he gave his situation a chuckle just as more blaster fire drenched the massive rock covering.

His thoughts on making a run for it sounded like the right move until he realized the officers had struck him on his left hand.

The situation had become so tenuous that he knew he needed to act now.

The blow of his singed hand felt like a flame being extinguished. His nerves around the wound were beginning to give out.

It now felt like his hand was alien to him and that in some strange way, it was acting as a paid mercenary ironically firing to keep the oncoming officers at bay while the actual mercenary, Jango Fett, cowered.

Fett was tired, hungry and disappointed. The last time he was caught in the act by a Republic agent, he was 17 and just starting out on a distinguished career path of being a known entity to all as the most deadly bounty hunter.

He finally had enough, coming to his senses, Fett stood up using the entire wall as cover.

Jango Fett loaded up his vintage and custom made WESTAR-34’s and in one swift motion he threw the left side of his body past the structure and into the sights of his pursuers.

Firing with such precision and accuracy, he eliminated four of his aggressors with shots to the head, exactly between the eyes on each.

It was rare for the bounty hunter to miss his mark, in fact so rare that he couldn’t recall a time where he did miss his intended target.

The three remaining officers scurried for cover. Fett could hear the immediate chatter on their communication devices. Their chaotic sounding voices, pleading their respondents for backup.

Jango was ready for this as he battled with multiple adversaries in his lenghty battle-tested past.

With a simple flick of a switch on the silvery bluish control panel on his right forearm. Without any warning, the officer’s electronic radios buzzed out and then made a crackling sound.

The bounty hunter’s actions activated a localized yet potent field security overloader or a  EMP blast that vibrated through the air and into the officer’s devices rendering them useless.

Startled and frantic, the officers attempts to repair their equipment were futile. Fett could almost feel the heavy sweat covering the terrified officers.

As he prepared to unleash his final act of retribution against his antagonists, he considered another idea…

Instead of ending them quickly, he would mutilate the officers in order to further cement his reputation as the galaxies deadliest bounty hunter.

“That should keep them off my tail,” he thought.

Word spread quick among these tactical agents throughout the systems, Jango Fett knew this.

This wasn’t the 42 year old’s first encounter with law enforcement.

As he made a dead sprint towards the first officer, the unsuspecting operative turned around at the last second. Jango could see the blue eyed irises of the man’s eyes and the feathery blonde hair overflowing his cap.

Fett’s pistol blasts rang out and severed the man’s head from the rest of his body.

As the other officers looked on, they attempted to cut down the bounty hunter as they started to respond with bursts of their own.

Fett was too quick. As he descended on his next victim, a shriek rang out in the practically bloodstained air.

The bounty hunter pounced on the man’s legs after knocking him off his feet, pulverizing the agent’s limbs just below the knees.

Jango Fett’s boots were designed from a form of durasteel alloy, a new metal that was hard as steel yet light like aluminum.

He then delivered the lethal blow as he fired six straight alternating shots from his pistols.

The distinct sounds of his weapons echoed through the mountains like an explosion 10 times its size would.

As the battle was coming to a conclusion, Fett was approaching the final officer as the man got a shot off striking him in the upper torso.

“How could I be so careless?” Fett would later reflect on.

Now blinded with rage, the bounty hunter leaped towards the man.

Knocking the man to the ground, Jango unleashed his wristband blades into the man’s upper part of his chest, just below the neck.

He kept the devastating blades in his victim while simultaneously keeping his gaze locked into the man’s wide eyed face, now splattered with his own blood.

With intense ferocity, Jango yanked downward as what felt like a waterfall of blood, entrails and other bodily contents poured out of the gouged chest cavity.

Fett then recalled his pistols as he holstered the still steaming weapons.

He looked back on the carnage he had left with a sense of pride.

“Another job well done,” the bounty hunter proclaimed.

Fett stood at his full height of 6’1. He wiped the blood from his helmet as his wounds sustained to his hand and torso throbbing.

He quickly gathered his thoughts and took off on his Merr-Sonn JT-12 jetpack.

As he flew off into the sunset sky, there was a tinge of red to the rapidly darkening heavens.

Blood had been spilled tonight.

Story Saturday: Commander Cody

From now on, Saturday and Sundays will be reserved for short stories!

I sincerely hope you all enjoy them as much as I enjoy writing them.

Millions of miles away from his home world of Kamino, Commander Cody stood on the outskirts of the gigantic structure known as Hangar 10.

Cody, a Marshall Commander of the 7th Sky Corps, 212 Attack Battalion was feeling unusually uneven.

A man of Cody’s significance and ability was used to being thrown into a war zone where thousands of his own would be killed.

But today, something was out of place.

The Commander looked down at his hands. Encased in his uniform shell, he could feel them trembling.

The night before, Cody had a dream that seemed more like a premonition.

In his dream, there was darkness, silence permeating the nothingness that surrounded him.

Cody was certain he was trapped under water since his movements were slowed by what felt like a goo.

Then it happened. Like a flash, images of rock and mountain began to spew out of his mind. Racing around his brain like flames leaping through a fire.

Normally a battle-tested veteran like Commander Cody would have his feelings and emotions under wraps but in this situation they were running free.

“Execute…execute…execute,” he kept on hearing. His mind in a flux of confusion as puzzlement ran rampant.

Suddenly more visions started to burst into his mind.

This time, Cody was standing on a landing platform.

Perfectly blue and puffy white clouds with radiating sunlight shone down past his helmet through his visor and directly into his eyes. Cody saw himself staring into a holovid of a dark shadowy figure.

A Commander of Cody’s stature didn’t get to his position without being a good judge of character and this figure he saw  emanated a pure evil and malicious hate.

Colors of light brown and tan and green and blue washed together as whatever it was he was staring at continued to move and rapidly at that.

And then he heard it. “Commander Cody, the time has come. Execute Order 66.”

Unable to decipher what he was seeing, Cody was at a loss.

Abruptly, unable to control his own movements,he raised his arm while saying “on my mark”.

Seconds passed that felt like hours then it happened. He could hear his own voice shout “FIRE!” in an even and under control manner.

At that very instant a blast from an AT-TE no more than five meters to his left rang out blasting the mountain top.

Without a second longer Cody was knocked from his vision within his dream and he was back in the liquid. The strange goo immediately started to drain and a long-necked, intense-eyed creature reached for Cody. Behind the creature there was nothing but intense white.

All at once, Commander Cody’s mind flashed back into his body. There he was again, standing on the boundary of Hanger 10. 

There wasn’t time to make sense of his memories of his dreams the night before as General Kenobi’s homing beacon was activated signaling the invasion was about to begin.

Without hesitation Cody locked and loaded his DC-15 standard issued rifle and took a leap of faith as he descended amongst his brethren.

He could feel the rush of the cool air sifting through the creases and cracks of his heavily worn uniform.

Like cool water quenching a burning flame, the Republic forces spearheaded the Confederacy with astonishing efficiency.

Quickly cutting down their counterparts the clones moved on through the several waves of oncoming droids. With renewed fire and will as well as sensing the end of the war nearing, the Clones were relentless.

As the battle continued, Commander Cody and his forces exposed the weaker droid army. In every single way, the Clones were superior to their counterparts.

It soon became evident that the Confederacy of Independent Systems were on the edge of collapse as the battle for Utapau was closing.

Cody felt an alert on his hip as the Jedi General, Obi-Wan Kenobi attempted to contact him.

The clone commander answered instantly as Kenobi alerted Cody that he had just put an end to the droid Supreme Commander, General Grievous.

With a second wind of renewed strength, Commander Cody blasted away what remained of the Droid forces.

No more than 10 minutes later did Kenobi approach him on his dragon-running beast.

Exchanging pleasantries as well as returning the General’s lightsaber, Kenobi proclaimed victory and urged Cody to move to the upper levels as victory was imminent.

Suddenly, a weird sensation came over Cody. He felt like he had been here before. Almost as if in this very moment, he knew how it would play out exactly.

With the General racing up the mountain pass towards the upper levels, Cody was receiving an incoming signal.

As he tapped the holovid on, he was momentarily shocked to see the figure of the Supreme Chancellor. The next words that were uttered from the Chancellor’s mouth had the impact of separating Cody’s soul from his body as he heard the “Execute Order 66”

With intense efficiency, Cody felt like he’d been here before. Then it all came back to him. This was his dream, exactly as he dreamt it.

Just like before, he raised his arm while saying “on my mark”.

The same seconds passed that felt like the same hours then he gave the order. It was his own voice although it sounded foreign to him as he heard “FIRE!” in the even and cold manner as before.

Up the mountainside he saw the effect of his actions. The AT-TE blast decimated the vicinity as the rock came crashing down.

There was General Kenobi, his friend, falling to his death.

Uncertainty clouded his thoughts but on the outside Commander Cody was resolute in his actions, the direct image of determination.

He was not sure what or why he just did what he did but he knew what’s done is done.

After all, he was a soldier. His purpose in life was to take orders, carry them out to his best ability and obey his superiors.

At that very second, Commander Cody made a very conscious decision to put his actions behind him and continue to do his duty. For his brothers. For his Republic. For his new Emperor…

The Sad Life of General Greivous

Grievous

The legendary General Grievous. Just the very name is fearsome and evil but the man? Well, he’s all of that and more.

General Grievous was the cyborg Supreme Commander of the Droid Army of the Confederacy of the Independent Systems, better known as the CIS.

Most Star Wars fans know Grievous as the merciless, temperamental leader that preyed and mutilated Jedi and clones alike. But what’s not commonly known about him is the dismal life he was literally forced to lead.

Beginnings 

Grievous was born as a Kaleesh on the planet of Kalee. His birth name was Qymaen jai Sheelal.

On his home world, he was a major hero to his people as they battled the dreaded Huk. From the beginning, Sheelal was an exceptional warrior. So much so that his people looked at him as a demigod.

Soon after he established his reputation as a hero among his people, Sheelal met a female Kaleesh, Ronderu Iij Kummar. Kummar, a sword master, became Sheelal’s love as they fought the Huk side by side.

Grief 

Unfortunately, Kummar would go on to be killed by the Huk.

Dejectedly, Qymaen jai Sheelal would go on to change his name to Grievous, signifying his forever lasting agony and despair for his lost love.

It was at this time that Grievous’s good times were behind him. The once proud leader of his people would fall down a path of horrific bereavement until the end.

Revenge

Grievous looked to the Huk with a burning passion of pure hatred. With the help from his fellow Kaleesh combatants, they managed to push back the Huk to their own planet.

The Kalee-born fighters engaged the Huk in a fierce and relentless assault on the Huk home world officially conquering them.

This is where the image of the General Grievous we know from the Clone Wars starts to come into picture.

Jedi Hatred

Backed into a corner, the Huk communed their struggles to the Galactic Republic.

In response, the Republic dispatched the Jedi to answer the Kaleesh and in turn, liberated the Huk planet and forced the Kaleesh back to Kalee.

The difference in this situation however was the fact that Kalee was now barren and desolate from war. With no food, the Kaleesh were left to starve.

Seemingly defeated, Greivous turned to the InterGalactic Banking Clan where he took a job as a enforcer to defend his people. Soon after, he learned that the Huk were back on the offensive and had attacked Kalee, Grievous departed for his home world.

The story gets worse as San Hill, IBC head, with support from CIS leader Count Dooku, planted a bomb on Grievous’s ship.

Mortally wounded, Grievous clung to life as he was approached by Hill. Given an ultimatum, Hill promised Grievous that they could rebuild him and make him a cyborg form of himself.

Angry and confused, Grievous had no choice.

After reconstruction, Grievous was introduced to the Count as a powerful weapon as a new conflict neared, the Clone Wars.

Unbeknownst Torture

After Grievous was named Supreme Commander, he was subject to relentless and inequitable treatment.

Little did Grievous know, the war was staged. Darth Sidious, the Sith Lord had manipulated both sides of the struggle with Grievous enduring times of great confusion, panic and gloom.

Grievous was meant to fail. He was secretly and confidentially put in situations to fail throughout his three years in the war.

What’s more, Grievous’s master and mentor Count Dooku, secretly despised the General. Dooku in being part of the same thought process as his master, the architect of the Clone Wars Darth Sidious, hated all creatures that weren’t human. Especially droids.

Strange enough, Grievous too had a hatred for droids but even more so than Dookus. Grievous actually still considered himself a man through these harrowing times.

Dooku harbored an intense hatred for the General and looked at him as a insufficient, weak piece of meat that was meant to plummet the galaxy further into chaos.

Grievous had the ultimate loyalty to his master yet Dooku continuously put him in situations where his hands were tied and he would fail.

General Grievous was a military genius. Someone who made all the right moves but rarely saw them play out because of the nature of the Clone Wars.

As the War raged on, The Jedi Order quickly took notice of the General as he quickly became their number one target.

It’s pretty amazing that Grievous lasted as long as he did. He was endlessly pursued by the Jedi and had dozens of close calls in which he barely escaped with his life.

End of Grievous

As the General carried out his master’s orders with flawless precision, he’d soon find out that he was doomed regardless of his actions.

It was Darth Sidious and Count Dooku’s doing who allowed Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker to enter the General’s Flagship The Invisible Hand.

What many don’t know is it was Dooku’s intention to have Grievous go down with the ship and perish. In fact, some time after the two Jedi knights confronted Dooku, Grievous attempts to contact him to no avail.

Grievous discovers from the security cameras that Dooku was bested by the combatants. If not for Grievous going against his master’s orders, he would have succumbed to the fiery mess of the battle above Coruscant.

We all know he flees to the Utapau system which ultimately is his final stand.

It was all meant to be, it was all predetermined. Which unfortunately doomed the General.

What Could have been

You never really think about it like this but General Grievous, Qymaen jai Sheelal, really had a tough life.

After his beloved was killed, everything went south and fast. He never was able to have complete control of any situation he was in from that point on.

Grievous was one of a kind. His leadership skills were unmatched, the fire in his heart burned brighter and stronger than any other and he was as fierce as anything..EVER really.

Just imagine if the Clone Wars were really a fair fight, no manipulation, no predestination, just an all out war between two sides.

The picture above pretty much sums it up with Grievous. The man is a killing machine standing at exactly seven feet and weighing in around 350 pounds.

Forget a lightsaber, the man would just tear your head off with his own claws! But you get the point.

Life was unfair to General Grievous, he never stood a chance. He didn’t start off evil but he sure ended so.

But really, can you blame him? I mean, come on. The man lost the love of his life to the invaders of his home world, was completely blown apart for just trying to return to his planet to help and was always lied and manipulated which at long last caused his death.

In the end, Grievous made to suffer.

-Sith Pacify out

What if Luke turned to the Dark Side?

What if?

Everyone knows at the end of Return of the Jedi, Luke fulfills his destiny as he symbolically denies the Emperor one last time and proclaims himself saying “I am a Jedi, like my father before me.”

But what would have happened if Luke succumbed to his emotions and struck the final blow to kill Vader?

Would he then go on to pledge himself to the Emperor or try to engage the Dark Lord in conflict as well?

First off, it’s important to understand this…Luke, much like his father, heavily relied on the advice from his role models.

Anakin had Chancellor Palpatine fill that void, that didn’t go so well for him but for Luke it might have been different.

As for Luke, he had old Ben Kenobi. A force in his life that would remain a major stalwart so much so that he would go on to name one of his sons Ben.

However, in this moment, Ben was not with him. Therefore leaving Luke dangerously open to seduction.

So, imagine Luke is standing over Vader’s lifeless corpse when the Emperor moseys on over.

Someone like Luke who would realize the gravity of the situation would almost immediately would look for guidance.

I’d imagine that the Emperor, using his crafty and grandfatherly advice would attempt to brainwash Luke to the point of no return. Yes, that’s right, to the Dark Side.

Now time to go back to the original question. Would Luke turn on Sidious in this moment? Maybe after he realized that it might be the only way to turn a heinous situation into a pertinent one and still remain one of the good guys.

I’d have to say, yes he probably would.

Of course in the movie, after he defeats Vader, Luke sees the flaws in his aggressive actions and tosses away his weapon and acknowledges his fate.

So for arguments sake, lets say Luke engaged the Emperor.

Luke vs Sidious

When the Emperor first lays eyes on Luke, there is a sense of trepidation and fear that even Luke feels emanating from the Dark Lord.

Not that this would have really mattered but nonetheless, the Emperor was afraid of Luke and saw him as a threat.

With this being said, I find it hard to believe that Luke would really stand a chance. After all, he’s completely decimated from the Emperor’s force lightning.

Plus, with the Emperor already feeling threatened and a tinge of fear, I’m sure he’d release his full arsenal of power.

Luke’s Jedi upbringing was incomplete and fragmented since both of his teachers died/killed at some point during his teachings.

With this being said, as you saw in the ROTJ, Luke would have been obliterated by the Emperor’s lightning.

He simply did not have the necessary training to comprehend how to counter the Emperor’s crackling electric energy spewing from his finger tips.

With his father now no more and the Emperor’s complete lack of mercy, Luke would be a goner.

You also have to understand this. The fact that the Emperor would need another enforcer since Vader has departed, I could very much see the Emperor end his electrical barrage at the last second and force Luke to swear his loyalty.

Of course he’d probably allow his darkness to handicap Luke in someway (similar to what happened to Anakin) in order for Sidious to feel more comfortable around a force like Luke.

Now it would remain to be seen if Luke would pledge himself (I doubt it) but nevertheless that’s how things would most likely play out.

Luke Wins

Consider the fact that the Emperor in his old age is practically ancient and by the look of his face alone, he looks prehistoric!

What would have happened if Luke got up close to the Sith Lord? Right there would be a turning point.

Not in ROTJ, but in the expanded universe, the emperor has said it himself. He considers lightsaber combat primitive and barbaric, something he likes to boast saying it’s a Jedi action.

The Emperor believes in conflict through the force.

Now what happens if Luke was able to incapacitate Sidous from using his force abilities?

I very much doubt that the Emperor carries around a lightsaber of his own anymore and I bet he’d be weaker than ever with it as well.

There is something to be said of his ability to augment his physicality and possibly raise his competitive edge up higher through exposing himself to the force.

Still, I don’t think he would be able to match Luke’s prowess. I mean, just look at Luke. He’s a physical specimen just like his father was.

Luke’s Next Move

Now that Luke has eliminated the heads of the Empire, what would his next move be?

He could easily just exit the Death Star and return to his friends. However, he could just as easily assume control of Imperial operations and follow a similar path that Anakin did.

I tend to think Luke would do the latter.

He even realizes himself that he had a strange fascination and enjoyed the power of the Dark Side as it surged through him and around him as he stands over his father.

Luke is an emotional person. It’s only up until he enters Jabba’s Palace does he begin to take charge of his emotions.

The key is, his emotional outbursts are still there, just guarded.

Of course it’s toned down compared to his bout with Vader in The Empire Strikes Back but it does remain in his character.

End Game

If Luke did end up joining the Dark Side, it signals ultimate doom for the Rebellion and future Jedi hope.

Luke would go on to be possibly the most powerful, dynamic and unopposed Sith Lord the galaxy had ever seen.

Reason being, all the Jedi competition would practically be eliminated and extinct!

That’s one way to remain at the top!

It’s plausible to say, Leia could still sway Luke or maybe Luke could even sway Leia.

Still, I can’t see Leia turning and abandoning her cause. She’s just too invested. Plus the Empire did kill her adopted parents so that’s a big hurdle to get over as well…

Leia just seems to stubborn and set in her ways compared to Luke but hey, ya never know!

One thing is for sure, it would be a dark dark day if Luke ever turned to the Sith.

-Sith Pacify out

Where does Darth Maul fit into the grand scheme of things?

Introducing Darth Maul

The great Darth Maul. Sith Lord and apprentice to the master of chaos, Darth Sidious. Maul was a creature of the dark, a weapon of evil and a warrior unmatched.

His abilities are astronomical and his prowess second to none, but when it comes down to legacy, what is Darth Maul’s?

If we’re talking strictly talking movie legacy, then it’s rather weak but extremely significant. He’s killed in Episode I and that’s the end of him onscreen. As for his impact, well that goes far beyond his quick exit.

Darth Maul first comes into focus when Darth Sidious demands Trade Federation head, Viceroy Nute Gunray and his Lieutenant Rune Haako force Queen of Naboo Padmé Amidala to sign their invasion of Naboo treaty.

The treaty when signed, was to officially authorize the Trade Federation’s invasion of Naboo. This detail was absolutely imperative to Sidous’s master plan or else the Senate would have legitimate cause to intervene.

As Sidious is told by the Neimoidians that the Queen Amidala has somehow slipped through the planet-wide lock down and has escaped Gunray’s demands for her to sign a treaty.

When the inept Neimoidian’s alert Sidious to their failure of the Queen’s escape, Sidious introduces the two leaders to his apprentice, Darth Maul.

At first sight of the shadowy figure, the viewer is introduced to the fiery eyed, evil looking Darth Maul.

As Episode I goes on, Maul is sent to Tatooine to track down the fugitive Queen.

It’s not till the heroes are making their way to their ship to leave the planet when Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn is ambushed by Darth Maul.

This scene is the realization of the Jedi Order’s worst nightmare. The Sith have finally reveal themselves after a thousand years of assumed extinction.

At the conclusion of the Sith/Jedi battle, Qui-Gon barely escapes with his life as he lands on his low flying ship’s landing ramp (thanks to Obi-Wan’s quick thinking) .

Darth Maul’s final appearance in the movies comes at the end of Episode I as he confronts Qui-Gon and his apprentice, the aforementioned Obi-Wan Kenobi. Maul ends up fatally impaling the Jedi Master but eventually loses the bout as he is severed at the waist by Kenobi.

After Death

As Maul’s character fades from the big screen, the apprentice of Sidious seems to be completely forgotten.

The only mention of the warrior at a later time is in the consequent film, The Attack of the Clones when the Jedi council is still discussing whether Maul was indeed a Sith.

Now that that’s settled, we can get to the good stuff. My favorite depictions of Darth Maul’s true character.

He is subject of various writings but the two books that shed the most awesome of light onto Maul is Michael Reaves, “Shadow Hunter” and Joe Schreiber’s “Lockdown”. 

Within these two books, the true identity of Darth Maul is revealed.

From the very beginning, Darth Sidious intends the assailant from Dathomir to be exactly that, an assassin! But don’t tell this to the Sith Lord as he hates to be titled an assassin rather than a Lord of the Sith.

If you think of it however, it’s pretty odd that he is called a Sith Lord since the assignments Darth Maul receives from his master are well below the capabilities of a Sith.

After all, Darth Maul isn’t one who highly relies on the force such as his master or other force users.

Not saying he doesn’t EVER use his force capabilities, instead he’s more reliant on his physical aptitude. The animation below illustrates a combination of both.

With this being said, it’s very important to understand that his physical abilities are simply more impressive than any other character in Star Wars…period!

From assassinating a runaway Neimoidian and tying all the loose ends of the job to locating the fabled arms dealer Iram Radique in the arena-like prison of Cog Hive Seven. It’s these two tales that identify Darth Maul as the terrorizing animal he is.

The physicality of the highly intelligent Darth Maul ranges from an expert tracker to an acrobatic fighter zooming through the air around his opponents.

But if you ask me, and in this case we are, his most devastating capabilities come from his physical tolerance of pain and his vigorous understanding and mastery of the martial arts.

Best example of this happens in Lockdown when Darth Maul’s limbs are tied to machinery that’s slowly ripping apart the Sith Lord. As his master demands Maul to keep his mastery of the force hidden, he has no choice but to dislocate his own shoulder in order for him to escape his perilous situation of impending death.

When I read this, I was just in awe over the awesome power and quick thinking of this guy. I mean, the man disjoints his own SHOULDER for goodness sakes! What an awesome scene!

I just find it unbelievably awesome that Darth Maul, one who heavily relies on the talents of his body and less on his mastery of the force, is still considered a Sith Lord! Yet I understand why and I agree!

That’s how much respect Maul garnishes. He’s a phenomenon and an anomaly all mixed together creature of dread and horror.

Another characteristic he represents that even furthers his prowess is the fact that he is a true warrior.

I mean, of course Darth Maul is. He’s the only formidable Sith or Jedi who is capable and very capable at that to wield a Saber staff.

But forget his physicality and understand this. As Maul trains on Coruscant, before he duels any Jedi, he salivates at the chance to take on the famed and sworn enemy of the Sith, the Jedi. He begs Sidious to give him a chance, to unleash his terror but he doesn’t give him the chance…not yet, that is.

The Difference between Maul and all the others

When Maul finally is given his chance, he brings a sort of samurai-like mentality into the confrontation. Of course to a certain extent. I mean when he faces Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, he does snarle like a wild animal but there are other instances of him giving his respect to a fellow warrior.

The notion of a Sith warrior respecting his opponent to the point of slight bow in mid-combat just shows how awesome this guy is. I mean, let’s be real. Could you ever imagine Darth Sidious giving a nod to Yoda as they do battle!? Of course not!

Darth Maul also believes in fairness too, another trait that sets him apart from past and future Sith Lords.

I’ll give you an example…

In the book Lockdown, Darth Maul is pitted against the Cog Hive Seven inmate, an Aqualish known as Rook.

The two combatants duke it out until Rook is pressed against the wall, knocking on death’s door.

In Maul’s search for the prison weapons dealer, he needed some vital information. As Darth Maul has Rook pinned, he offers a quick and painless death for a bit of information.

As Rook reveals a vital piece of info, the Sith Lord mercilessly snaps his adversary’s neck.

Why is this so significant? Well, for starters, the Sith preach to their own the triviality of a single life. Not to mention the literal teachings of “no mercy”!

The great part of Darth Maul’s actions though is that he went against his own teachings but for good reason. In doing so, he received vital clues to which led to his furthering of his mission.

All of these little personas in Darth Maul all add up to a super badass fighting machine.

Now to the case of his legacy.

Final Legacy

Sadly, in the end, to his master Darth Maul is a pawn in a game. A game that is ran by Darth Sidious.

In seldom occasions, Sidious talks about “The Grand Plan” and entices Maul to keep his head down and keep working by enticing him enough in saying that his involvement will soon be needed.

But of course, Maul eventually falls to the blade of Obi Wan Kenobi. In the animated series, The Clone Wars, which is excellent by the way, Maul does return to his former glory as a reborn rogue fighter only to be ironically tortured and destroyed by his Master.

I do wonder if Sidious really meant it when he allowed his apprentice to believe his future was to be heavily involved with “The Grand Plan”. It’s really difficult to say since he spent more than two decades in training Darth Maul, would it be that necessary to throw that all away with false promises and lies? I don’t know.

Of course he was trained and molded into the perfect, obedient assassin the galaxy has ever known but still. What would have happened if he defeated Obi-Wan Kenobi on Naboo? Would Sidious realize that this guy has the ability to take on more and more importantly, give it to him? Or would he just continue to allow his apprentice to think that and then ultimately silence Maul with his own blade?

It’s tough to say but if I were to really force myself to draw a conclusion I would say this…

It’s the way of the Sith. Deception, cruelty, betrayal, you name it. It’s just what they do, it’s how they’ve survived and it’s what they’re made of.

Darth Sidious is the master of all these dark traits. From killing his master, Darth Plaguis, to acquiescing Anakin Skywalker into believing that everyone is against him.

I believe that Sidious would NEVER have allowed a non-human, a seldom used force wielder and an assassin to join him on his quest to rule the galaxy and become the apprentice of the ultimate Emperor of all.

Still, one has to wonder, Darth Maul certainly had the ability and the loyalty to serve his master well.

Darth Maul’s legacy boils down to this.

He was the first Sith revealed since long before any living Jedi’s time. After all, he was the cog in the well-oiled machine that carried Darth Sidious from Senator of Naboo to Chancellor of the Republic.

It’s that last point, that is to not be overlooked…

End Game

Unfortunately, that’s where Darth Maul’s importance ends.

It’s just hard to credit him with anything more, he’s just not around long enough to really have any major effect on a major scale.

As for when he was alive, before that fateful meeting of his midsection and Obi-Wan’s lightsaber, he moved in darkness, in secrecy and in silence…and for good reason too.

It was vital for him to stay hidden and only reveal himself at the right time. This also had a unique twist on his legacy. Not negatively or positively, but just a man in the darkness, That’s who Darth Maul was, a man of darkness.

Darth Maul’s ultimate downfall was his failure in grasping the potential of his opponent (Kenobi) as well as his overconfidence.

His lack of humility would end up killing him and with that, the most unique yet extraordinary Sith Lord in Star Wars would be gone forever.

-Sith Pacify out