Ahsoka 1.06, a play and a trailer
This article tells me there's a new play on the London stage about the encounter between J.S. Bach and Frederick the Great, titled Score, which causes the article writer, Michael Billington, to muse about other plays about composers (starting of course with Amadeus), and because this is an English article, and thus German language works do not exist, there's no nod to Mein Name ist Bach (German language Swiss film about that very encounter, used to be in its entirety up at YouTube, with English subtitles, no less, but no more, and thus I can't link you to the thing itself, but I did write an extensive review with screencaps; if nothing else, that film has a claim to fame for being the first movie to unambiguously, on screen textually present good old or rather young Friedrich as gay) or the play Mögliche Begegnung der Herren Bach und Händel about an imaginary encounter between Bach and Händel during Händel's last trip home to Saxony, which a couple of years ago was a stage and audio hit back here. Re: this new play Score: Brian Cox as Bach, eh? Not the first actor who'd come to mind, but of course I would love to see his interpretation.
On to this week's episode of Ahsoka:
Now I had read the original Thrawn trilogy back in the day, and I only watched three or so episodes of Rebels, but Ezra and Thrawn had the same emotional effect on me, which is: yeah, that's nice for their fans, but you're not giving me anything compelling in its own right yet, show. (I bet that's how many a non-Clone Wars watcher felt about Ahsoka herself when she started to show up.) By stark contrast, Baylan continues to be fascinating. This week, we get extensive interactions between him and his apprentice Shin, and they were incredibly compelling to watch for me, not least because every other master/apprentice dark side relationship in Star Wars has the master treating the apprentice awfullly. (I'm thinking of Dooku and Ventress, for example, but also Palpatine and anyone - yes, he's nice to Anakin while still grooming him, but once Anakin has gone Vader, that's over and done with, and Maul and Dooku aren't going to vote for Palps as Master of the Year, either.) Meanwile, Baylan is considerate and thoughtful. Both to Shin specifically but also in general. I'm really curious about his plan now. I mean, if he really wants to break the cycle of Jedi/Empire/Jedi/Empire etc., he'd have to get rid of Thrawn & Co. as well. Presumably he hopes that Thrawn and his Imperials on the one side and the New Republic forces on the other will wipe each other out? But that doesn't really fit, and when he tells Shin he longs for not what the Jedi were but what he thought they were, he sounds as if he meant it. So does he want to save the universe with some force users neither Sith or Jedi for which first both have to be entirely gone, or something else?
(Incidentally, colour me entirely unsurprised that Thrawn is already planning to screw Baylan and Shin over, that's standard Evil Overlord 101.)
For all the hype around Thrawn, Baylan is the antagonist running away with the show for me so far, is what I'm saying.
Sabine and the newest creatures from Team Jim Henson felt like we're periodically in a Labyrinth crossover, but that's very Star Wars, and the Turtlebeings in the grand tradition of the Ewoks as tiny sentient beings ignored/dismissed by the villains and thus great allies to the heroes. Like I said, her finding Ezra did not resonatae with me as it would for a Rebels fan, but I hope we see soon that she has a plan beyond "finding Ezra" that takes into account that Thrawn returning with his troops (btw, nice touch that everyone's armor is dirty, they didn't have the chance to get new ones in the last decade, after all) would be Very Bad for the rest of the galaxy and that maybe she should do something
Sidenote here: I don't think Luke heading off to help Leia and Han for the big showdown in Empire Strikes Back is comparable. Yes, Yoda and Obi-Wan told him he shouldn't, but they didn't give him a reason beyond "finish your training first", and in the meantime, for all he knew Leila and Han were in lethal danger. (In the end, Leia had to save him instead of the other way around, but i'm talking of why he went and what he knew he was risking.) Meanwhile, Ahsoka did spell out to Sabine just why Thrawn & Co. should stay far, far away, and just what the stakes were for millions.
Speaking of Ahsoka: only present in in one scene, but awwwwwwww. I have to say, I love the relationship between her and Huyang (aka David Tennant Droid). And as said before once or twice, Huyang as a character, this time offering to tell fairy tales as he did to the younglings when Ahsoka was one as a way to distract her from the impending doom. Also, making the iconic "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away" in fact the opening for every story Huyang ever told to Younglings throughout the millennia was an awesome touch and explains so much. Never mind contradictions between various canon installments: they're all literally fairy tales told by Huyang to some kids, and of course he adjusts them for the kids in question. (Clearly, the sequels were tales told to an impatient bunch who had cosplayed some of the previous tales' characters too much. *g*) More seriously, I do love the back and forth, Huyang admitting that maybe he needs some calming comfort as well, and Ahsoka confiding in him what she didn't tell Hera, that Sabine handed over the map to Baylan. In conclusion, if anyone ever kills off Huyang I shall be most put out and instead hope he will continue to exist and periodically show up in other installments.
(Also: given he survived the Jedi Purge and the Empire, clearly Ahsoka rescued him from Ilum or wherever he was. Fodder for fanfic!)
And speaking of villains:
On to this week's episode of Ahsoka:
Now I had read the original Thrawn trilogy back in the day, and I only watched three or so episodes of Rebels, but Ezra and Thrawn had the same emotional effect on me, which is: yeah, that's nice for their fans, but you're not giving me anything compelling in its own right yet, show. (I bet that's how many a non-Clone Wars watcher felt about Ahsoka herself when she started to show up.) By stark contrast, Baylan continues to be fascinating. This week, we get extensive interactions between him and his apprentice Shin, and they were incredibly compelling to watch for me, not least because every other master/apprentice dark side relationship in Star Wars has the master treating the apprentice awfullly. (I'm thinking of Dooku and Ventress, for example, but also Palpatine and anyone - yes, he's nice to Anakin while still grooming him, but once Anakin has gone Vader, that's over and done with, and Maul and Dooku aren't going to vote for Palps as Master of the Year, either.) Meanwile, Baylan is considerate and thoughtful. Both to Shin specifically but also in general. I'm really curious about his plan now. I mean, if he really wants to break the cycle of Jedi/Empire/Jedi/Empire etc., he'd have to get rid of Thrawn & Co. as well. Presumably he hopes that Thrawn and his Imperials on the one side and the New Republic forces on the other will wipe each other out? But that doesn't really fit, and when he tells Shin he longs for not what the Jedi were but what he thought they were, he sounds as if he meant it. So does he want to save the universe with some force users neither Sith or Jedi for which first both have to be entirely gone, or something else?
(Incidentally, colour me entirely unsurprised that Thrawn is already planning to screw Baylan and Shin over, that's standard Evil Overlord 101.)
For all the hype around Thrawn, Baylan is the antagonist running away with the show for me so far, is what I'm saying.
Sabine and the newest creatures from Team Jim Henson felt like we're periodically in a Labyrinth crossover, but that's very Star Wars, and the Turtlebeings in the grand tradition of the Ewoks as tiny sentient beings ignored/dismissed by the villains and thus great allies to the heroes. Like I said, her finding Ezra did not resonatae with me as it would for a Rebels fan, but I hope we see soon that she has a plan beyond "finding Ezra" that takes into account that Thrawn returning with his troops (btw, nice touch that everyone's armor is dirty, they didn't have the chance to get new ones in the last decade, after all) would be Very Bad for the rest of the galaxy and that maybe she should do something
Sidenote here: I don't think Luke heading off to help Leia and Han for the big showdown in Empire Strikes Back is comparable. Yes, Yoda and Obi-Wan told him he shouldn't, but they didn't give him a reason beyond "finish your training first", and in the meantime, for all he knew Leila and Han were in lethal danger. (In the end, Leia had to save him instead of the other way around, but i'm talking of why he went and what he knew he was risking.) Meanwhile, Ahsoka did spell out to Sabine just why Thrawn & Co. should stay far, far away, and just what the stakes were for millions.
Speaking of Ahsoka: only present in in one scene, but awwwwwwww. I have to say, I love the relationship between her and Huyang (aka David Tennant Droid). And as said before once or twice, Huyang as a character, this time offering to tell fairy tales as he did to the younglings when Ahsoka was one as a way to distract her from the impending doom. Also, making the iconic "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away" in fact the opening for every story Huyang ever told to Younglings throughout the millennia was an awesome touch and explains so much. Never mind contradictions between various canon installments: they're all literally fairy tales told by Huyang to some kids, and of course he adjusts them for the kids in question. (Clearly, the sequels were tales told to an impatient bunch who had cosplayed some of the previous tales' characters too much. *g*) More seriously, I do love the back and forth, Huyang admitting that maybe he needs some calming comfort as well, and Ahsoka confiding in him what she didn't tell Hera, that Sabine handed over the map to Baylan. In conclusion, if anyone ever kills off Huyang I shall be most put out and instead hope he will continue to exist and periodically show up in other installments.
(Also: given he survived the Jedi Purge and the Empire, clearly Ahsoka rescued him from Ilum or wherever he was. Fodder for fanfic!)
And speaking of villains:
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