Star Wars Sim Forum: Roleplay, Simming and Fan Fiction

Discussion is good - in life and democracy.

However, this may not be the best venue for this discussion. I would question the use of the word 'promote' as that and others have been tactfully employed whenever anyone appears in a medium others take issue with. I will say, again, that acknowledgment of someone's existence or experience - through a character or storyline - does not necessarily mean a creator or corporate conglomerate is advocating for or against anything. The inclusion of different types of stories with various types of characters is generally a good thing as it adds depth and perspective. Exposure to such things does not influence who someone ultimately becomes but can make traditionally marginalized or maligned groups feel seen and heard through tales and adventures that include people like them. I am sure we can all agree that has been true for us at some point in our lives. On the corporate side, appealing to emerging audiences and demographics is a valid business strategy and one that has lucrative potential. It's not even a new concept as companies have been at it for years. If it doesn't appeal to you, don't watch it. If you don't like it, don't do it/don't buy it. Not everything is for or about you. There is something to be said for recognizing something that doesn't resonate with you and letting it be. 

But, let us get back to the purpose of this thread: The Acolyte.

With this latest episode, I heard echoes of Obi-Wan's words in my head: "...from a certain point of view."

After all, motives are driven, in part, by one's perceptions and experiences. There was, from what I gather, an inference to High Republic canon, e.g., the hyperspace disaster (in which Vernestra lost her master in, I believe) which led the Jedi to this world. From there, a lot of assumptions are made - from all parties - which lead to the titular choices.

Some thoughts:

Sol seems weirdly drawn to Osha. I mean, sure, he doesn't have a padawan but do they tell us why? Maybe he's a creeper or, more likely, struggles with attachment issues which manifests with Osha almost like an obsession. Having a padawan is probs a bad idea if he gets so bent emotionally - could be things from his own past he cannot let go of or is trying to compensate for and the council is like, no, bro. As far as getting her to leave with them, he sees what he wants to see and acts accordingly which leads to his killing Mother Aniseya. It could be interpreted as defense since it may have been unclear what she was doing but still seemed rather rash for the Jedi. Also, he previously said he watched Mae fall when in reality, he let her fall to save Osha. Certain points of view and all. He was so convinced they were in danger (Mae mentioning the whole sacrifice thing didn't help) but they acted without ascertaining first and failed to show any restraint that would prevent violence or loss of life. The Jedi were messy af here.

Force possession? Here for it. That manifestation of power was badass.

Indara is powerful, so much so that she decimates the coven via the psychic link while trying to save Kelnacca. Wild. Her willingness to obscure the truth about what happened certainly lends to the theory that the Jedi are their own worst enemies and likely why they were so unprepared for literally anything. Their own ranks were covering shit up left and right over the years to spare their reputation and justify their methods. Hate padawan Torbin (Oh, Tommen) but Indara is the team leader and showed a spectacular lack of control over the group.

Mother Korril was definitely an instigator here - also based on assumptions and point of view - but did we see her body? Is homegirl still around? Did she train The Stranger?

Once Osha finds out the truth, to the dark side she will fall!

Lastly, not sure they can wrap this up in a single episode in a satisfying way given how disjointed the execution has felt (at least to me) across the season. I do like the comparisons between ep 3 and ep 7 but unsure spending two episodes on flashbacks without a stronger present-day story anchor was the wisest creative choice - but willing to see how they cap it off.

 I'm saying its inflated in to a large societal dilemma when it doesn't affect the vast majority of us at any age.  It's weaponized as an ideology when I don't think promoting acceptance of diversity is an ideology so much as basic human decency.

 When percent of the 300k you cite (google says 121k per Reuters investgation from 2017-2021 published oct 2022) are happy with the outcome of their treatments vs those who feel duped or wronged?  That would be the more telling statistics I think.

 I just don't buy in to the idea that if you show a straight kid enough gay material they will start experimenting with gay ideas and acts.  I mean we've probably all known a gay kid that was not self-aware yet right?  So is the right course of action to shame the feminine tendancies out of them or to let them do them and make them strong confident individuals?






Homelessness is a blight problem but beyond that, what are you supposed to do about people choosing to do drugs before paying their bills or not knowing how to manage their finances and mortgaging homes they'll never be able to sustain on or not being able to conform and work a job at all?  There are plenty of good paying jobs for people who want them.

Children's hospitals like Boston Children's perform double mastectomies on confused 14 and 15 year old girls who think they're boys when they're not and never will be. That is material harm, and it starts with a cult trying to add this **** to everything we watch. I'm not OK with doctors abusing human beings of any age, much less children. And I'm not OK with Disney telling kids it's normal and fun and cool. It's not normal and fun and cool. It's abusive AF.

Entertaining the concept, what is the actual effect and outcome?  on an individual and society level



Why is an issue relevant to 0.0001% of the citizen population so widely proliferated?  No one who wouldn't already want to do this at any age is going to go down that path, and if they do well ok, so what.  There are easily influenced simpletons walking around every town in this country that buy in to every pile of shit idea that fits their preconceived notions.  Go ahead and do that shit if you think it will make you happy.

The matter is really simply in allowing people of all sorts to feel accepted not influence anyone one way or another.

Even the vast majority of non-straight folks are not interested in taking medication to change themselves or undergo surgical procedures.  This is a tiny fraction of the alternate community even.



  This is an invented crisis seized upon by the right to weaponize 'the future of your children and your childrens children'.  The reality is this affects so marginally few people it matters absolutely zero to our daily lives or the future of our nation.  It is a talking point and a place to hang or swat away a moral cap but doesn't matter for anything material unless you are part of the marginal fringe it really does affect, in which case, why not let them do their thing?

Heeeyyyy - that sounds more like personal bias than anything else. What material harm would such a character or story cause you? Not all stories are for or about or representative of your experience. That's cool, other people's stories still have value despite not being something you connect with. But by all means, do you.

Both Lucas and Disney have taken questionable creative swings but that's par for the course and should be expected for any creators and their interpretations and evolution of the source material. Not everything has resonated with me and I remember thinking that during the "special edition" re-releases how silly some of it seemed. Still, then I remembered how much Yoda's introduction and messing with Luke/R2 made me giggle as a kid. That shit was a riot! So, some of it is meant to be silly. Some serious, redefining, or even intentionally nebulous in the creator's quest to tell a story.

However, re: unique story value. It's a huge universe and a sweeping timeline. Not everything needs to connect to something larger, in my opinion. That was kind of the fun with Mando - set within but its own story and journey with other elements influencing their motives/decisions. I do like it when things add context to what we thought we knew or believed, as many of the new (shows at least) have done. Andor is the most compelling thus far in my opinion. The tension in that is palpable which adds dimension to what it took to rebel against the Empire, not all of it good or even entirely honorable. I didn't really get into the Clone Wars animated stuff but respect it for filling in those blanks since actually a lot of shit happened during that time. Rumor is the legends/questionably cannon entity known as the Abeloth will appear in Ashoka S2 which could really dive deeply into the esoteric nature of the force and how it manifests/how others interact with it. I like darting into creative corridors for a little adventure.

What I do know, for better or worse, Lucasfilm was an investment and investment needs return - that's, like, the core tenant of business. So, while I appreciate different creators as fans who get to tell their story, there will always be influence by the powers that be to profit from it. But to the fans, inside or outside of SW, success isn't always measured by commercial success but instead by how it captures our attention and imagination in this concept we all love so much.

Wonder how the Acolyte will wrap things up but interested to see what Hedland and team are looking to impart with this offering.