The Death Star Human Resources Department: September 15, 2023
The return of Snips and Skyguy, we try to make Star Wars fun, giant Funko Pops, and a lot more.
Hello there
Good morning or whenever you read this and welcome to this week’s edition of the Death Star Human Resources Department newsletter. As I stated last week, this is going to be a shorter edition. Whether or not that’s a good thing is up to you to decide. We’ve got more thoughts on Ahsoka, lightsabers, and Funko Pops.
As always, if you like what I’m doing please smash that subscribe button and/or tell a friend. Now, let’s get to it.
This Is Where the Fun Begins
I’m going to try this for a couple weeks and see if I like it. Leading off Death Star HR with a specific article or story or something I liked. Over at The Long Take, Jen Sopchockchai Bankard has a fantastic article on last week’s Ahsoka episode, the World Between Worlds, and Ahsoka Tano’s arc.
The World Between Worlds, this super chronotope, designed to force me (pun intended?) to contemplate the vastness, beauty, and intricacies of Star Wars canon and experience it all at once, demands that I cognitively process two characters I know best from animation as live action characters played by two actors who have never inhabited these roles together before, and are from two completely different eras of the franchise’s history — one brand new, having to establish herself with fans (Thumbs up, Rosario! You’re crushing it.), and one pulled from the past (Can we say the 90s are ancient history now? Sometimes I feel that old.), plucked from an entirely different fan timeline to be given not a second chance, because that would imply he’d have to earn something, but rescued and placed in a course-corrected timeline. That’s emotional and symbolic, all thanks to this distortion of time and space.
It’s a long read, but it’s worth your time. I highly suggest it. [waves hand] You will click the link.
Ahsoka Ep. 5: Keep on Truckin’
I mentioned this before, Emperor Palpatine’s #1 Fan and I have another couple that we do Star Wars nights with. It’s a good routine, we order pizza, have some drinks, and see what happens this week in a galaxy far far away. We used to do these Star Wars pizza parties on Fridays, but as now that I have to get Death Star HR to the printers Thursday night, we have to pick a weeknight. The Friday watch was a nice way to unwind. On the other hand, a weeknight Star Wars party is a good way to break the week up. Either way, there’s pizza and Star Wars. It’s not going to be a bad evening.
All this to say, we had a discussion after the episode, trying to get to the point of Anakin and Ahsoka’s time in the World Between Worlds. We almost got to see an It’s a Wonderful Life style montage. Young Ahsoka as a Padawan. A slightly older but still teenage Ahsoka at the Siege of Mandalore. Anakin as himself and as Vader. Sometimes alternating between the two. We even got a cameo from Captain Rex.
It was a great scene, but as much as it sucked you in while watching, the suspense was less of “will Ahsoka survive” and more “how does she get back to the real world?” There’s no killing Ahsoka. Anakin asking her if she wants to live or die is like asking if the sun will rise in the East or if it’s really cold on Hoth. We know the answer.
The real question is, as Ahsoka reckons with her past: Anakin, the Clone Wars, the Jedi Order, and Sabine, where does she go now? The answer is you can only keep moving forward. To borrow a catch phrase from another Disney movie, just keep swimming. And right now, she’s going forward into another galaxy via giant space whales.
Visually this was just a fantastic episode. The World Between Worlds looks just stunning. Still love the purrgi. Anakin turning into vader, both the quick cuts and the shots of him with the yellow Sith eyes were great.
How did Ahsoka get into the World Between Worlds (WBW)? She had to be pulled in by Anakin, just like when she was pulled in by Ezra in Rebels. But then how did Anakin access the WBW? Ezra got to it through the Jedi Temple on Lothal, while he was a real person. Remember this is in the Mandoverse, Anakin is dead. The WBW is not a Jedi-afterlife. I’m not sure it will even be explained. Or maybe it will be over-explained at some point. It’s Star Wars. You just never know.
Ahsoka coming out of the WBW with a new outlook on life and switching her clothes from black to white is a little on the nose.
The lightsaber duels have really picked up. I thought the one we got tonight was a lot of fun. Ahsoka throwing down Anakin’s red lightsaber a la Luke and Vader was again, a nice touch.
I said last month when Ahsoksa started I was concerned it would be really easy to just fall into the trap of cheap fan service. Yes, was still likely intended to be a show for the more casual fans, the normies. And I think for the most part it still is even though there’s a lot of backstory from Clone Wars and Rebels. But there’s been enough of the small things to keep the sickos like me happy.
Speaking of something the sickos would like, why didn’t Ahsoka call Anakin “Skyguy”? That would have set the internet on fire.
I get this episode was all about Ahsoka, but it would have been to check on Sabine and company.
Only three episodes left and we still haven’t seen our favorite Grand Admiral/art critic. Maybe next week.
This was the first time I feel like the clone wars (the conflict not the show) was really shown as a war. I said the same thing about Rogue One when it came out, especially with the final battle on Scarif.
How screwed up are the Jedi? They take teenagers who haven’t known anything but the Jedi Order and then not only do they throw them into a war, they are expected to be commanders. Luke was right in The Last Jedi. Let the Jedi Order burn. No wonder Ahsoka is messed up.
Star Wars Should Be Fun
Without intending to, I used the word “fun” in two headlines this week. That wasn’t intentional. Sometimes it’s easy to get sucked into the details and easter eggs and whatnot of Star Wars and forget that it’s ultimately a silly movie about Space Wizards with Laser Swords. I’m as guilty of this as anyone. As they say these days, sometimes it’s good to touch grass. I do my best though, although I might not to actually touch real grass as this summer killed most of mine
TikToker Discount Bo-Katan went viral back when season 3 of The Mandalorian came out with her, uh, re-imagining of Bo-Katan and Mando’s meeting. If you’re reading this newsletter you’re probably online enough to have seen it, but if not you need to check it out1.
I don’t really use TikTok. It’s for the young. And I am an old. But it’s worth occasionally checking out to see if there’s something I can use here. I found another one from Discount Bo-Katan. If you remember a couple months ago here at Death Star HR I wrote about Dark Rey. Well, how much fun is Discount-Bo having with a Dark Rey saber? A lot.
That’s what Star Wars should be about. Having fun. Waving a lightsaber around in your house. Making lightsaber noises if you have a broomstick or something like that in your hands. Imagining you’re doing the Death Star trench run when you’re driving between Jersey walls. Enjoying all the Weird Little Guys like Grogu and Babu Frick. Giving your wife the nickname of Emperor Palpatine’s Number 1 Fan. Well, maybe don’t do that last one.
Great Moments in Star Wars Merchandising
Funko Pops are never really a thing I got into. I like them, I tend to think they’re pretty fun. I’ll check them out at the store and think about buying a couple and always end up putting them back. I have a limited amount of display space in my office and only so much disposable income, and I already buy books and records. There are a few in my collection, a Sparty and Grogu, along with a giant Grogu. Like it might actually be the size of the Grogu puppet they use on the show.
A few weeks ago I was at an antique story. When I say antique store, I’m not talking the stuffy ones I can’t afford. Much more kitschy and Mid-Century Mod. Dallas readers can probably guess the place. Think John Waters’ store in The Simpsons episode Homer’s Phobia. I was wandering around, looking for anything interesting when I came around the corner and saw this:
As you can see, this thing is huge. It’s a good 5 fee wide and it was taller than me, probably at least 6 feet. At $120.00 it would be a bargain at twice the price. Unfortunately, it’s probably still at the store.
If you were wondering, the blue Stormtrooper is from a promotion that Funko did with Gamestop and Make-A-Wish. I’m guessing for every one sold a portion of the proceeds went to Make-A-Wish. At least that’s what I’m hoping it is, and not that some kid’s dying wish was a blue version of the foot soldiers of a fascist regime.
From the Depths of Wookieepedia
This week we’ve got the planet of Grange. It’s an agrarian planet that’s the homeworld of Death Star designer Galen Erso, although it’s not the agrarian planet we see when we first meet Erso in Rogue One. Don’t you dare confuse Grange with the planet Lah’mu. Don’t even think about it…
Of course as soon as I saw the name of the planet, I immediately thought La Grange by ZZ Top and now have a mental picture of Galen Erso walking around his farm saying “A-haw, haw, haw, haw.” I can’t see Galen running a shack outside La Grange, he seems like too much of an upstanding citizen for that.
News From the HoloNet
Donald Glover’s ‘Star Wars’ Series ‘Lando’ Is Now a Movie
Probably only a matter of time before this happens with Mando.
Long-lost ‘Star Wars’ X-wing model up for auction with starting price of $400,000
May have to turn Death Star HR into a paid newsletter to afford this.
Every Piece Is In Place For Live Action ‘Clone Wars,’ However Unnecessary
Unnecessary is right. But I’d still watch. Because I’m an addict.
That’s it for this week. If you like what I’m doing, please subscribe. I’ll catch you next week, and may the Force be with you.
It’s right about now I wish Substack would let you embed a linked video.