DuracellEnergizer

NeverarGreat said:

darklordoftech said:

TV's Frink said:

Why are you bringing up either Nolan or Earth, neither of which have anything to do with Star Wars?

I was trying to say that a Star Wars movie that takes place in the same universe as te EU (what some are advocating) would be like a Batman movie that takes place in the same universe as the Batman comics.

The comics and the movie are two different takes on the character. Different universes. The EU means Expanded Universe, not Different Universe. This is why Lucas specifically forbid writers from delving into the Clone Wars period and tried to make the prequels fit with the EU instead of disregarding it completely. However, since he doesn't have a good grasp of continuity as it is, the effort was rather wasted.

Taking bits and pieces of the EU that he likes and sticking them in the PT =/= trying to make the PT fit with the EU.

RicOlie_2 said:

And it's really dumb how you can't reply, thumbs up, or thumbs down the older comments anymore.

You won't believe how frustrated that's made me -- especially in regard to comments that are just so very stupid and desire a good rebuking.

Alright, I fixed it -- you happy now? =P

Oh, well, most people don't use correct grammar when they talk, anyway, and I am trying to give my characters authentic-sounding dialogue ... ;-)

I'm not a fan of Nolan's movies, but I agree that any attempt to make a Batman movie set in the comics' universe would really, really, really suck.

.

Tobar said:

I have nothing to add to this.

 Frankly, he looks like he's enjoying it.

Like I said, my grammar isn't perfect. I suppose the first might be an error (I can't really notice anything wrong with it, but I suppose it all depends on how one reads the line), but I'm not sure what is wrong with the second -- is it the use of "broke" instead of "broken"?

EXT. SPACE - KMN-0

A box-shaped cargo shuttle leaves the atmosphere of KMN-0, flying past the derelict hyperspace ring of Siri Tachi's starfighter as it heads for open space.

INT. SHUTTLE/CARGO BAY

Siri, the hood of her deep red robe pulled up over her head, sits atop a crate in the otherwise empty cargo hold of the cargo-hauling shuttle. There, palmed in her outstretched hand, is an activate holoprojector displaying the blue-white image of her Jedi mistress, Adi Gallia.

ADI GALLIA: (cont'd) ... and we'll dispatch an acolyte to retrieve your starfighter and bring it back to Coruscant.

SIRI: (nods) Thank you, Mistress. (beat) All the paperwork's in order?

ADI GALLIA: (nods) Each and every document has been scrutinized and gone over a thousand times to make sure nothing is vague and everything is legitimate. You should have no problem with the local authorities once you reach Tatooine.

SIRI: Still ... I can't help but have a bad feeling about this.

ADI GALLIA: Look inside yourself, Siri, find your centre. There you will find the living Force. Let it flow through you and soothe you and erase all doubt from your mind.

SIRI: (unconvinced) I'll try.

ADI GALLIA: The Force be with you, Siri.

SIRI: And with you, Mistress.

Leaving her with a smile, the holographic Jedi mistress winks out of existence, leaving Siri alone with her uneasy thoughts.

EXT. SPACE

The shuttle soon comes in reach of the Light Hammer, a large Dreadnaught-class heavy cruiser. Emblazoned on the side of the dreadnaught is the design of an intricate, down-turned gold triangle -- the Crest of Alderaan, indicating that the ship belongs to the Alderaanian fleet. Sidling up with the bow of the heavy cruiser, the small shuttle slips into the craft's docking bay.

INT. LIGHT HAMMER/DOCKING BAY

Gliding into the bay, the cargo shuttle touches down atop the polished metal plating of the deck. There in the bay, waiting for the ship, is a tall, broad-shouldered man in his late twenties with a full head of thick, black hair. This man, clad in the crisp gray uniform and decorated with the insignia of an Imperial admiral is BAIL PRESTOR ORGANA, the prince of Alderaan himself.

The side hatch of the shuttle lifts open, and Siri steps out. Tossing a fold of her cloak back, she approaches the admiral.

SIRI: Admiral Organa?

BAIL: (smiles) Call me Bail.

SIRI: If it's all the same to you, Admiral, I would prefer to address you by your rank.

BAIL: (shrugs) If that's what you prefer ...

SIRI: Thank you, Admiral.

BAIL: (gestures toward the doors leading out of the docking bay) Shall we?

Siri nods with affirmation. Together, they walk off for the wider regions of the ship.

SIRI: I have to say I'm astonished to find a ship of the Alderaanian fleet so far out from the Core Worlds. The Outer Rim territories are far beyond your usual patrol range, aren't they?

BAIL: After my promotion to admiral, I felt like getting as far away from the war as possible, so I requested an assignment which would take me out of the thick of things. I was assigned a tour of duty patrolling the border regions between Imperial and Hutt space. (beat) It sure beats having to deal with Neimoidian mercenaries and Dark Jedi conspiracies.

INT. LIGHT HAMMER/TURBOLIFT

Siri and Bail now stand within a turbolift, on ascent to a higher deck.

BAIL: So from what little information I've received, you've been having problems with Mandalorian raids along the Outer Rim. Can you give me any more details?

SIRI: Well, there isn't much more I can tell you. From what we gathered from what witnesses there are, a Mandalorian dungeon ship with an escort of two-to-five assault ships has been attacking lightly-defended ships and backwater settlements -- Imperial and non-Imperial alike -- taking whom they wish while slaughtering everyone else. We haven't been able to determine a motive.

BAIL: Maybe there isn't a motive. (beat) The Mandalorians of old were berserker warriors, fighting for the sheer pleasure of it. It isn't hard to imagine them slipping back into an old routine, especially following the collapse of Mandalore.

SIRI: I don't believe that, Admiral, not for a second. (beat) There's a dark design at work here -- I just have to figure out what it is.

INT. LIGHT HAMMER/BRIDGE

A door slides open, and Siri and Organa step out into the bridge, where several officers are moving with activity, preparing the ship for the journey ahead. A TALL, OLIVE-SKINNED WOMAN not much older than the Admiral rises from the command chair and walks over to the newcomers.

BAIL: (to Siri) Ms. Tachi, this is Commander Raia Vaness, my first officer and trusted confidant. (to Vaness) Raia, this is Siri Tachi, Jedi Knight on loan from Coruscant.

CMDR. VANESS: (bowing her head to Siri) It is a pleasure to meet you, Mistress Tachi.

SIRI: (returns the bow) Likewise, Commander.

BAIL: (to Vaness) Are we ready to go?

CMDR. VANESS: Just give the word, Admiral.

Moving away from Siri and Vaness, Bail walks over to the command chair. Sitting down, he turns toward the ship's helmsman -- a lean, yellow-skinned near-Duros.

BAIL: Set a course for Tatooine, Mr. Solo, hyper-factor 8.

MR. SOLO: Yes, sir.

The near-Duros helmsman punches the coordinates for Tatooine into the Light Hammer's navicomputer. Once the course has been charted, he pulls back on a lever, activating the hyperdrive.

EXT. SPACE

The form of the dreadnaught elongates and then shoots forward with a blur of pseudo-motion, punching through the fabric of realspace and into the extradimensional maelstrom of hyperspace.

INT. NYAX/ZULL'S CELL

Within the confines of her cell, Zull lies cowering in a heap on the floor in the centre of the room, clutching the torn remains of her robes about her as she sobs uncontrollably. The Mandalorian who violated her is long gone.

The cell doors unlock and the door slides open. Zull barely turns to regard the Force Hound as he steps inside, a set of clean coveralls folded against his arm.

FORCE HOUND: (subtitled) Your journey is almost over. We'll be reaching our destination within the hour. (holds out the tan coveralls) Here -- you need these. Please take them.

Zull merely looks upon the Mandalorian, her eyes burning with hate.

ZULL: (subtitled) Why have you done this to me?

Walking up to her, the Force Hound crouches down on one knee before her. Setting down the folded coveralls, he reaches out to her, touching her cheek gingerly. The priestess, her face bruised, flinches upon contact.

FORCE HOUND: (voice breaking) (subtitled) I don't want to do this to you -- I have to do this to you.

ZULL: (grinds her teeth) (subtitled) Why?

FORCE HOUND: (strokes her hair) (subtitled) From birth you were taught to believe -- as so many others have before you -- that what you call the Breath is divided into distinct halves of dark and light, at war with itself. (beat) This is a lie, perpetrated by fools who -- too afraid to embrace the potential within themselves -- would also deny that right to others, using fear to poison their minds against any evidence that runs contrary to their dogma. (beat) There is no distinct dividing line between the light side and the dark side -- they blur together, because they are one -- a unified Force.

With gentleness, the Force Hound takes the high priestess by her shoulders and draws her to him, embracing her.

FORCE HOUND: (crying) (subtitled) In order to open your eyes to the truth, I must break you -- force you into the abyss so that you may embrace it. Only then, with both sides of the Force as your ally, can you be made whole.

ZULL: (subtitled) And if I don't break?

FORCE HOUND: (subtitled) Then I will have failed, and I will have to live with the horror of knowing that what I did to you, I did for nothing.

Slowly, the Mandalorian releases the Meketrex priestess. Standing up, he walks over to the door and opens it.

ZULL: (subtitled) You don't have to worry, Mandalorian.

The Force Hound turns to face her. Her eyes glowing with rage, she bears her teeth at him.

ZULL: (cont'd) (subtitled) You've broke me.

Unable to respond, the Force Hound merely steps out of the cell, sealing and locking the door behind him.

Star Wars disco -- peh. What I want is Star Wars ambient (now that would be awesome).

INT. NYAX/TORTURE CHAMBER

Within a torture chamber -- one of many such chambers aboard the Nyax -- Zull stands against a metal rack, her wrists and ankles secured to prevent escape. With wicked-looking electrodes secured to her joints and extremities, the beautiful priestess can do nothing but scream as volt after volt of painful electricity is sent coursing through her body. Surrounding her, bearing witness to this cruel torture, are several heavily-armed security 'droids and four Mandalorians -- two escorts, the dungeon master, and the Force Hound himself.

FORCE HOUND: She's had enough. Let her down.

DUNGEON MASTER: As you wish, milord.

Pressing a few buttons and turning a dial set into his control panel, the Mandalorian dungeon master cuts the power to the electrodes. Finally free of the pain, Zull collapses into semi-unconsciousness. Moving over to the rack, the two escorts open the shackles of the rack, allowing the Meketrex high priestess to collapse into their arms.

FORCE HOUND: Return the girl to her cell.

The escorts nod once in acknowledgement. Hefting the loose form of the beautiful woman up so as to get a firmer hold of her, they begin half-carrying, half-dragging her off. The Force Hound, his features hidden behind his Mandalorian helmet, watches them as they leave.

INT. NYAX/CELL BLOCK

The two Mandalorians guide Zull down the corridor of her cell block. Having regained some of her wits, she is now able to support some of her own weight.

INT. NYAX/ZULL'S CELL

The door to the cell slides open, and the Mandalorian escorts push Zull inside, allowing the disheveled near-human girl to unceremoniously collapse to the filthy floor in a heap. The door slides closed and the intricate locks engage, leaving Zull there on the floor in near-pitch darkness.

MANDALORIAN #2: (O.S.) Hello there, goddess.

Hearing the voice, Zull slowly pushes herself up into a sitting position, looking toward the source of the voice.

ZULL: (scared) (subtitled) Who's that? Who's there?

A figure steps out of the deep corner of the cell into the scant light at the centre, revealing himself to be one of the two Mandalorians who first escorted her to the torture chamber.

MANDALORIAN #2: You wouldn't believe how long I've been waiting here. I was afraid you weren't going to come back.

The Mandalorian takes a threatening step forward. In fear, Zull scuttles back away from him.

ZULL: (subtitled) Stay away from me ...

MANDALORIAN #2: Oh, come now, goddess, don't be like that. Let's be friends.

Reaching upward, the Mandalorian removes his helmet. Underneath the cauliflower ears, slightly twisted nose, and light scars, the Mandalorian is a bonafide pretty boy with light blonde hair and piercing blue eyes.

MANDALORIAN #2: (cont'd) See now? I'm not a harsh sight, am I?

Zull scurries back further, pressing herself up against the far wall to get as far away from him as possible.

MANDALORIAN #2: (frowns) Alright, enough of that. I want to be friends, so we're gonna be friends -- good friends.

Tossing the helmet aside, the Mandalorian crosses the room to Zull.

INT. NYAX/CELL BLOCK

As the screams of the high priestess of the Meketrex begin pouring through the walls outside her cell, the Force Hound appears, standing by the locked door. He scrutinizes the sealed cell door, his mind full of thought, before hanging his head in shame and walking off to leave the Mandalorian within to satisfy his foul appetites.

I've sure that many of you who have been reading so far have noticed that I've capitalized the names of some races while leaving others lower case and wondered what was up with that. Well, I'd like to clarify that it's not due to sloppiness or poor editing; I've decided to stick to real world grammatical rules, which means that species' name which aren't explicitly proper nouns -- derived from the name of a planet, a nation, an ethnic group, etc. -- don't get capitalized. 

It may be a departure from the norm, but I'm a self-persecuting grammar Nazi (I'm not saying my grammar's perfect, but when I notice a grammatical error, I really notice it), and so if I don't do it, it'll just stand out like a sore thumb to my eyes and get deep under my skin.

Hal 9000 said:

But surely one can understand how a fanboy would feel sad about being told, for example, "The Solo children you know never existed." 

Stargate SG-1 tells me that Ra was never the last of a humanoid race who built a network of stargates, but instead was one of billions of parasitic snakes who merely used a network of stargates built by a race of superhumans who became glowing jellyfish. I ignore that series and its spinoffs.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4-6 and Freddy vs. Jason tell me that Freddy Krueger survived the events of A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 and killed off all the surviving kids from that movie, making Nancy Thompson's death totally meaningless. I ignore those sequels.

Highlander 2 revealed that Connor MacLeod and all the other Immortals from the first movie were aliens from the planet Zeist, Highlander 3 showed that Conner never actually won the Prize when he defeated the Kurgan at the end of the first film, and Highlander: Endgame had Conner die, losing his head to his own kinsman. I ignore each and every one of those movies.

Poltergeist II and III turn the primal, enigmatic Beast from the first movie into some goofy singing ghost preacher. I ignore both sequels.

Star Wars Episodes I, II, and III show that Anakin Skywalker was a murderous asshole, that Luke and Leia's mother was a selfish, racist airhead, that Obi-Wan was a senile old coot, that Palpatine was Henrietta from Evil Dead 2, that Yoda was a constipated frog on speed, and that the Jedi Order was made up of aloof, child-snatching, cultist enforcers. I definitely ignore those pieces of shit.

So, where am I going with all this? It's simple, really -- if someone fucks the canon up in such a way that pisses you off, then IGNORE IT and CREATE YOUR OWN. It's all fiction anyway -- no piece of it is anymore "real" than another.

SilverWook said:

Can't the EU continue on it's merry way while the new films come out?

AFAIK, this isn't even an issue with Trek fans, and that particular EU has been around a lot longer.

Ah, but the Star Trek EU isn't canon, isn't meant to be canon, and makes no pretentions of being canon, unlike the Star Wars EU, which has had The Rod of Continuity rammed straight up its backside by elevated, anal-retentive fanboys who can never see the forest for the trees.

SilverWook said:

I don't know what is sadder, the tiny SW section at Toy R' Us these days, or the fact I had to explain to employees what a Viewmaster is.

 Odd. I thought they still made those things.

^Let's not forget zombie plagues.

Which reminds me -- I hate Death Troopers. KJA's worst stories look like Shakespeare in comparison with this horribly paced, poorly characterized, internally inconsistent tripe.

TIMELINE-G

PODD

44 BBY

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

On this Tatooine, Gringo shot first.

FINAL NOTES

I wonder what bantha tacos taste like.

Here's something I've been thinking about for awhile now. If PT Yoda had to weild a lightsaber, why didn't he weild a lightsaber like this

or like this

when in battle? Wouldn't it make more sense for him not to expend needless energy jumping around, trying to hit a taller opponent with a toy lightsaber, and instead use one that allows him greater reach/leverage?

Fang Zei said:

An EU reboot would also be a huge slap in the face to all the fans who've made the company millions of dollars by continuing to buy the books. It could result in the exact kind of backlash Lucasfilm is trying to avoid.

Boo hoo. Anal-retentive idiots like that deserve to be slapped in the face.

hairy_hen said:

Smallville got really good in its last few seasons, which really made me wish it had adopted that storytelling style far earlier in its run, since it then ended just as I was getting really into it.

The previous years were filled with potential but wasted it on endless rubbish with the insufferable Lana Lang and Clark's inability to ever think straight around her, which was so bad it's a miracle I ever made it through any of that stuff.

But Erica Durance was so awesome as Lois Lane that it kept me going, since I'd heard it would become great by the end, and it definitely did not disappoint.

I actually used to like the show when I was younger, and there are some aspects I still like, but it's hard for me now to ignore how poorly Clark was characterized, how mishandled the Superman mythos was, and how -- for lack of a better term -- "teen chic" it was. The overuse of elements taken from the Reeve films certainly didn't help any, either.

(We now return to the on-topic discussion already in progress)

Knowing I inspired this thread makes me feel like God.

(I totally wish BTTF dealt with branching, co-existing timelines, BTW; it would make BTTF1 & BTTF3 cooler than they already are, and probably make BTTF2 at least tolerable).

Ryan McAvoy said:

DuracellEnergizer said:

But BTTF doesn't show any indication of taking place within an immutable timeline. In fact, the movies go out of their way to show that they take place in anything but an immutable timeline.

Ah, shucks, this is starting to get out of hand ...

TIMELINE-F

PODD

February 20, 2014

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

On this Earth, it is forbidden to discuss the time travel mechanics of Back to the Future in Internet threads that don't explicitly deal with the Back to the Future films. To prevent the accidental reading of such forbidden discussions, technological hats designed to disable the visual parts of the brain upon exposure to such discussions have been invented and surgically grafted onto all persons who have regular Internet access.

FINAL NOTES

Stop talking about time travel in BTTF! 

 So are we in that timeline then?

 No, but serendipity has ways of working her dark magic ...

INT. LARS HOMESTEAD/LIVING AREA - SUNSET

Obi-Wan steps through the doorway into the living area of the Lars homestead, where he immediately notices that he isn't alone. Seated on a chair before a low-set table is BERU WHITESUN, a pretty young girl with sandy brown hair; it is apparent that Beru is only twelve years old, a fair bit younger than the seventeen-year-old Owen.

OBI-WAN: Oh, I'm sorry -- I didn't expect to find anyone down here.

BERU: (rises to her feet, smiling) You must be Owen's brother. I'm Beru, Owen's girlfriend.

The young girl holds out her hand. Obi-Wan takes it, shaking it lightly.

OBI-WAN: Beru Whitesun? One of Mir Whitesun's girls?

BERU: The very same.

OBI-WAN: I met your father once at Anchorhead. I don't think I was much younger than you are now. (grinning) He made quite the impression on me.

BERU: (laughs) He tends to do that.

Beru returns to her seat. Pulling up a chair, Obi-Wan joins her on the opposite side of the table.

OBI-WAN: Frankly, I'm surprised you're here so late. Shouldn't you be getting home before the suns go down?

BERU: Oh, but I am home. (beat) I moved in here a few months after we started dating, shortly after Jadzia --

Upon the mention of Obi-Wan's mother's name, the young man's face grows hard, his expression dark.

BERU: (places a hand on Obi-Wan's) Oh, I'm so sorry -- I forgot --

OBI-WAN: -- that I was her son. It's alright. (beat) How did your parents take your decision? Moving out of your parents' home and in with someone else for the very first time is a pretty bold move, especially at your age.

BERU: Well, when I told them I was going to move in with Owen, they didn't want to hear a word of it -- they kept saying that I was too young, Owen was too young, that we wouldn't be able to support ourselves, so on and so forth. (beat) When they realized how grown up -- how responsible -- Owen was, though, they came around. (beat) Nik still hasn't warmed up to the idea, though, even though he and Owen are the best of friends.

OBI-WAN: (confused) Nik?

BERU: Nik's my brother. (beat) My older, protective, brother.

OBI-WAN: (nods) Yes, of course. (beat) Owen was outside when I got here, but he told me he had places to be. Do you know where he'd be going off to at this time of day?

Beru's expression goes stern.

BERU: Probably off to run an errand for Watto.

OBI-WAN: The Toydarian junk dealer?

BERU: (nods) I don't have to remind you that Cliegg had a gambling problem.

OBI-WAN: No, you don't. (beat) It was the main reason I left.

BERU: (cont'd) A few years after you left for the Empire, Cliegg's debts got so bad that he had to ask Watto for money. Watto gave it, of course, and Cliegg was okay for awhile. Of course, he just exchanged many small creditors for one very large one, so in the end he didn't do himself any favours at all. (beat) He fought hard to give up gambling, and worked himself to the bone to pay off his debt to Watto. It was too much for him, though, far too much ...

OBI-WAN: I know. Owen told me as much in the last message he sent me.

A tear runs down Beru's eye. Noticing it, she wipes it away.

BERU: Once he was gone, Owen and your mother had to take up his debt. Jadzia couldn't take it ... just couldn't take it ... Oh, God!

Unable to hold back the overwhelming sadness, Beru begins to sob into her hands. Her display of emotion proving to be too much for him handle, Obi-Wan begins to weep as well.

INT. NYAX/TORTURE CHAMBER

The Nyax's torture chamber is a large chamber, filled with cruel and foreboding instruments of torture. Dimly lit, it is hard to make out the various living forms which have been subjected to these devices, but their cries and moans of agony can be plainly heard.

Standing before one of the many devices of torture -- a coffin-like encasement -- are the Force Hound and the dungeon master. Unlike most of the Death Watchmen, the dungeon master wears neither the polished armour or elegant blue-and-gray robes of his brethren; he instead wears a heavy cape of dark gray sackcloth over armour so worn and dull that most of the coloured paint has worn away.

FORCE HOUND: Open it.

DUNGEON MASTER: As you wish, milord.

The dungeon master presses a release on the encasement and it splits open, revealing the prone form of the Meketrex high priestess Zull. Heavy drugged, she is unable to keep herself from collapsing to the deck in a heap.

ZULL: (weary) (subtitled) No more ... no more.

FORCE HOUND: (subtitled) Give me what I want, and it will end.

ZULL: (subtitled) What? What do you want?

FORCE HOUND: (subtitled) Tell me who you are.

ZULL: (coughing) (subtitled) What?

FORCE HOUND: (subtitled) Tell me who you are.

Regaining some of her strength, Zull pushes herself up into a sitting position, half-leaning against the deck with her arms to brace her.

ZULL: (coughing) (subtitled) I am Zull Uquesne, daughter of Egon and of Stantz. I serve the Gods of Light and Darkness as Their intermediary to my people, the Meketrex of Sloar.

FORCE HOUND: (subtitled) You have power, don't you? Power beyond that of any mere mortal.

ZULL: (subtitled) I am empowered by the Breath of the Gods. Through Their grace, I am able to pierce the veils of reality and glimpse the worlds as they really are.

FORCE HOUND: (subtitled) You can see through space, through time, into the hearts and minds of living souls throughout the galaxy.

ZULL: (nods) (subtitled) Yes.

FORCE HOUND: (subtitled) You could also move mountains, stop the rotation of planets, or even darken a star if you wished.

ZULL: (shakes her head) (subtitled) The Meketrex use their power to commune with the universe and the realities beyond, not to bend them to their will. (beat) That is a privilege granted to the Sebouillia alone.

FORCE HOUND: (subtitled) The Sebouillia were one with the Meketrex in ages past, weren't they?

ZULL: (subtitled) Before the Great Division of 14,019, we were one people, harnessing and communing with the Breath as we wished.

FORCE HOUND: (subtitled) Until a select few among you chose to take the power you wielded to subjugate the masses, to force them into submission under penalty of torment and death.

ZULL: (subtitled) It isn't that simple. Trying to commune with the worlds while also trying to influence them went against nature itself -- it drove us to madness and tore our world apart.

FORCE HOUND: (subtitled) A convenient lie. Here is an honest truth -- harness the Breath, use it as a weapon, and kill me where I stand.

ZULL: (outraged) (subtitled) What!?

FORCE HOUND: (cont'd) (subtitled) Reach out with the Breath and kill me, kill the man beside me, kill every Mandalorian alive on this ship, break your bonds and escape! The power is within you -- use it!

ZULL: (subtitled) No!

Enraged, the Force Hound throws out his hand, clenching his fingers. Instantly, the near-human woman begins to grasp at her throat, choking as an invisible force cuts off her air supply.

FORCE HOUND: (subtitled) Reach out and break my hold! Crush my heart! Boil my blood! Rupture my brain!

The Force Hound continues his hold for long seconds, bringing the priestess to the brink. Finally, he releases his hold, allowing her to suck in a deep breath of air.

FORCE HOUND: (yelling) (subtitled) What are you waiting for!? Take your vengeance -- strike me down!

ZULL: (coughing) (subtitled) Never!

FORCE HOUND: (subtitled) Then your torment will continue -- later. (turns to a pair of Mandalorian guards standing a ways away from the centre of activity) (in Basic) Take her back to her cell. 

Responding immediately, the two Mandalorians walk up to Zull and lift her to her feet. As they escort the Meketrex priestess from the premises, the Force Hound looks after them, his breath heavy with restrained frustration.

INT. TATOOINE - LARS HOMESTEAD/OWEN & BERU'S BEDROOM - EVENING

Obi-Wan stands over the bed of Owen and Beru, placing a cover over the sleeping form of the young girl. Staying a moment to make certain she is comfortably asleep, the young man then leaves, his expression solemn.

INT. LARS HOMESTEAD/OBI-WAN'S OLD BEDROOM - EVENING

Stepping inside his old room, Obi-Wan finds that, beyond a bed, a sofa, and a single table, the area is almost bare of accoutrements; it is obvious that most of Obi-Wan's old belongings have either been sold or put into storage. Sighing, Obi-Wan places his duffel bag on a chair, then makes his way over to the bed, sitting down on it, his back turned to the open door.

OWEN: (O.S.) I figured you weren't coming back, so I gave your stuff away.

Turning around, Obi-Wan finds his stepbrother standing there in the open doorway.

OWEN: (cont'd) I figured you Jedi aren't into physical attachments, anyway.

OBI-WAN: (stands up) That depends on the Jedi.

OWEN: I take it you met Beru.

OBI-WAN: (nods) Yes. (beat) She really is a lovely girl, Owen. Congratulations.

OWEN: (steps into the room) Save your congratulations for the wedding.

OBI-WAN: (surprised) You're getting married?

OWEN: (smiles) Maybe one day. That's in the future, though, once we've got everything sorted out.

OBI-WAN: She told me about the debt to Watto.

OWEN: (loses the smile) Just forget about it.

OBI-WAN: (steps up to Owen) Owen, I want to help you.

OWEN: (throws up his hands) I don't need you getting mixed up in things that don't concern you.

OBI-WAN: (incredulous) Don't concern me!? I'm your brother, Owen -- I think this concerns me!

OWEN: (angry) What are you doing here, anyway? You write us off and then you think you can just come back --

OBI-WAN: I never wrote you off!

OWEN: No, you just packed up and left so you could play at being a grand wizard master, leaving us in the real world behind to rot in this backwater cesspool --

OBI-WAN: I had to leave, Owen, don't you understand? As much as I loved you, and much as I loved Cliegg, I couldn't stand slaving away on this farm day-and-night knowing that any profit we made would be thrown away as soon as we could make it on some poorly placed bet or fixed sabacc game. I couldn't stand to watch him whittle his life -- your life -- all our lives away on nothing anymore.

OWEN: So you just abandoned us. Mighty fine tradeoff, I must say.

OBI-WAN: (angry) Goddammit, Owen, I kept in touch!

OWEN: Five messages in six years -- that has to be some kind of record!

OBI-WAN: (shakes his head) Training with Master Yoda kept me away from civilization most of the time. And then with the war ... (beat) When I found out that Dad had died -- that Mom had died -- I wanted to come to their funerals. Believe me, I did.

OWEN: But you didn't.

OBI-WAN: It was too late.

A moment of silence passes between the two brothers.

OWEN: So why now, after all this time?

OBI-WAN: (crying) I lost someone out there ...

OWEN: A girl?

OBI-WAN: (shakes his head) A friend. A friend I had come to see as a second brother. (beat) I came back ... because I don't know if I can handle it anymore. I don't know if I can be a Jedi anymore.

OWEN: (runs a hand through his hair) I'm sorry -- really, I am -- but I can't be the loving brother who's standing by to be a shoulder to cry on. I have my own sorrows to deal with.

Finished with Obi-Wan, Owen turns around and leaves the room, shutting the door behind him. Taking in a deep, shuddering breath, Obi-Wan walks over to the barren table. Removing his overcoat, he reveals a lightsaber clipped to his side. Tossing the coat onto the sofa, he unclips the lightsaber and then holds it up before him, examining it, before carefully setting it down atop the table and then returning to his bed.

Ryan McAvoy said:

That's more like it :-) That character sounds interesting, first positive thing this week.

Are you saying that the Mandalorian graffiti artist in the pink armour does nothing for you? ;-)

skyjedi2005 said:

He was also doomsday on smallville.  I liked him enough in the force unleashed and in the clone wars, but he was awful on smallville.

Almost everything on Smallville was awful (John Glover, Michael Rosenbaum, John Schneider, and Annette O'Toole excluded, of course).