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Sunday, December 13, 2015

Star Wars Universe's unlikeliest couples

Here is another Star Wars themed post (especially with the new movie coming out soon).  In this post, I will go over some of the galaxy's unlikeliest relationships.  Though I suppose even in real lift, the man/woman tht God intends for you to marry might not be someone you would expect.  Even my parents once lived on opposite ends of the US from each other long before they met and got married (my dad grew up on Long Island in New York and my mom was a California girl, living in the Sacramento area before meeting my dad).  Anyways, let's look at some of these relationships.  Note that this post contains spoilers (assumes you have watched the movies and read the books).

Relationship 1 - Anakin Skywalker (formerly a slave on the desert planet of Tatooine) and Padme Amidala (aka Queen Amidala in Episode 1)
Random picture of Anakin and Padme from Attack of the Clones(img source:
 
https://www.google.com/search?q=padme+and+anakin&espv=2&biw=1280&bih=678&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjm_LjaxtrJAhVM02MKHS2PAi4Q_AUIBigB#imgrc=xcGKOtzj0rFAqM%3A)

Random picture of Anakin Skywalker as a kid

Random picture Padme as Queen Amidala

Who would have thought that Anakin Skywalker, a slave on Tatooine who would later become a jedi knight and eventually Darth Vader, would marry a royal queen and later Senator from Naboo? Well, it did

Is there anyone here who haven't seen any of the star wars movies yet particularly the prequel trillogy (episodes 1-3)?  Despite the obvious flaws in episodes 1-3, in my opinion they do an amazing job in chronicalling the back story of Anakin Skywalker (who was destined become the evil Darth Vader).  Obviously, in along with the whole story about the jedi order along wth the infamamous clone wars as well as Palpatine's eventual rise to power as the emperor of the Galactic Empire (formerly the old republic).  In Return of the Jedi, when Luke reveals to Leia that they are actually brother and sister and that Darth Vader (aka Anakin) was their father, she does seem to reveal that she had some faint memories about her birth mother (though she must have had an amazing memory if she remembered Padme considering that she dies shortly after Luke and Leia are born) and their mother is none other Padme Amidala, herself.  When we first see Padme in episode 1 (Phantom Menace), she was recently elected as the queen of Naboo (apparently kings and queens are Naboo are elected officials much like presidents are here in Amerca and only serve several terms before they get replaced by a new king or queen) and her planet was facing invasion by the trade federation (who were under the influence of the villanous Darth Sidious).  A younger Obi Wan Kenobi as well as his master, Qui Gonn Gin are caught in the middle of the conflict (after the trade federation tries to kill the two when ordered by Sidious) and eventually manage to get Padme (who disguised herself as a handmaiden at the time) and a bunch of other people off of Naboo and head towards Coruscant.  However, they barely make it past the blockade (thanks to R2 helping them to get their shelds up) and are forced to make a pitstop on Tatooine on the way to get new parts of their hyper drive system.  Natually, Padme tags along with Qui Gon and Jar Jar binks as they venture into Mos Espa to try and buy parts for their ship from junk dealers like Watto.  Coincidentally, a young Anakin Skywalker happened to be working for Watto that day and had his chance encounter Padme, a meeting that would definitely help set up their relationship story that takes place in Episodes 2 and 3.  By the way, considering that most of us work, have you ever met a famous person where you work?  I remember meeting former Seattle Mariners Baseball player, Jamie Moyer once at the QFC in the University Village.  Was doing a demo for New Concepts in Marketing (long before getting hired onto Advantage) where I was tasked with working with him during a calendar signing event, which was pretty interesting to do, especially considering that I didn't have any real experience working as a body guard or security person.  Haven't had any demos like that since then.  I liked how Anakin said to Padme, "are you an angel.." and she giggled about it.  You can definitely tell in Phantom Menace that Anakin quickly develops an attraction towards Padme (even though he was probably only about 8 years old at the time) and that attraction would definitely grow significantly during the course of the prequel trillogy.  By the way, can't you imagine what it might have been like if Padme and Qui Gon did not stop on Tatooine or if Anakin wasn't in the shop that fateful day (or by chance if Anakin lost the pod race that Qui Gon betted Anakin's freedom on), probably would have messed up the whole prequel storyline unless if Anakin's path with Padme crossed another way.  Interestingly after Anakin gets off of Tatooine and goes to Coruscant with Qui Gonn and Padme, she does seem to develop some motherly love for Anakin too (definitely showing that the 2 had some degree of chemistry for each other). Eventually after defeating the Trade Federation's invasion on Naboo, the two would part ways for over 10 years, at least till the events of Attack of the Clones (episode 2).    

In Episode 2, things get alot more interesting between Padme and Anakin.  By episode 2, Padme is no longer queen (apparently the monarchy system on Naboo is more like the presidential system here in America where a king or queen has to be elected and can only serve up to 2 terms before being replaced by another king or queen), but a senator instead, and Anakin is training to be come a jedi with Obi Wan as his jedi master, and after she returns to Coruscant to oppose a bill to create a clone army, she survives an assasination attempt by Jango Fett and his crony,Sam (we learn later on in the movie Viceroy Gunray had a grudge against Padme after his defeat on Naboo and hired hitmen like Jango Fett to kill her along with the help from sith lord, Count Dooku).  At Chancelor Palpatine's suggestion, Padme and Anakin's paths would cross once again (probably the first time in over 10 years).  Obvously by the time Episode 2 comes around, Anakin was quite infatuated with Padme and those feelings only grow dynamically during the course of the movie and culminates with them getting married on Naboo.   By the way, considering that many of us have had crushed on someone at some point in our lives, have you ever crossed paths with your former crush or old flame (whatever you want to call him/her), especially if you were both still single?  I remember at one time, I used to have this crush on this cute blond girl, named, Kim Carlberg during my middle school and high school years.  Although I did get to know here somewhat, long story short, I was the typical shy guy type and I did let my shyness get the best of me (you know how we guys can be when  there is a girl we like in our lives) and missed my chance to get to know her better and possibly get into a relationship with her.  I know know I probably should have at least tried to "break the ice with her" and at least try to get to know her better, but it is what it is now.  We used to live in the same neighborhood (in the South Everett area), attended various classes together (both at Gateway and Jackson) and even did some sports together (such track and field).  However, life happens, as I ended up moving to Snohomish (where I live now), and after high school graduation, we parted ways.  I understand that she went off to the University of Washington in Seattle and I ended up going to Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma (at least during my first year and a half of college), though about a year and half later, I would transfer to Northwest University in Kirkland and spend the remainder of my college years there.  Interestingly she also ended up moving away too (probably to the Tacoma area, at least at the time I last saw her, though that was back in 2002 and I have no idea if she still lives there or not, considering that I lost touch with her since then).  To date, I only encountered her once after high school (bumped into her at a Starbucks in Mill Creek while running errands with my mother back in the spring of 2002), but like Anakin and Padme, we parted ways and I haven't seen or heard from her since then.  I have no idea if our paths will ever cross again considering that she has been out of the picture for a long time now, but I am not sure how I would react should she resurface in my life, especially if she was still single by chance (which seems unlikely at this point).  Would I be shy?  How would I react?  Who knows?  I suppose I will "cross that bridge" if and when I get there (like some of the contestants would say on Celebrity Apprentice).  By the way do any of you have similar stories (where you encountered a former crush much like Anakin and Padme do)?  I would love to hear your stories in the comments below.

Moving on, after a second assasination attempt on Padme's life by Jango Fett's associate, Zam, the Jedi Council would have Anakin become her bodyguard and have her watch over her on Naboo (isn't that convenient situations for him to "catch up" with her).  Soon, a romance sub plot emerges (much like that between Han and Leia in Empire Strikes back), and eventually the 2 would fall in love with each other despite her serving as senator and his vows to the Jedi (which does seem to forbid romantic relationships, a rule that Anakin seems to ignore after falling in love with Padme). Reminds me of a line from Pyro in Xmen 2, where he tells Rogue, "do you always do what you are told" when at one point in themovie.  Like Leia after her, Padme resists Anakin's advances at first probably due to their obvious differences, but understandably she develops feelings for him too and even flirts with him while on Naboo too (with her feelings for him becoming more pronounced by the time they survive an execution attempt on their lives on Geonosis at the hands of the separatists).  She could have rejected him if she wanted too (and I am sure she thought about it too), but her falling for Anakin is understandable considering that the original trillogy assumes everything in the prequel trillogy happened as they did.  After all, can't you imagine how the story might have been different if they broke up on Naboo instead of falling in love with each other?  That definitely probably would have messed up the rest of the storyline and it is possible that Luke and Leia might never had been born if that were the case.  By the end of the movie, Anakin and Padme secretly get married on Naboo, further establishing their bonds and would also have implications for episode 3 (and help lead to Anakin's downfall too, at least in a way).

By episode 3, Padme becomes pregnant with 2 babies (Luke and Leia) and Anakin does seem to like the idea at first, despite the fact that it might cost him a position on the Jedi council if discovered as the father.  Sadly, a happy ending for the 2 was not to be since Anakin would eventually turn to the dark side of the force much at the goading of the soon to be, Emperor Palpatine (aka Darth Sidious), who had already had his sights set on him after the death of Count Dooku when looking for a new apprentice, and become the evil Darth Vader (even murdering jedi padwans in the jedi temple at the commands of Darth Sidious (around the time he did his infamous "order 66" stuff causing the clone troopers to turn on their former Jedi comrades).  The irony of his transformation is that he had nightmares of Padme dying in childbirth (much like the dreams that Anakin had of Shmi before she died at the hands of the tusken raiders) and he thought that he could save her by turning to the dark side, but boy was he wrong since Padme would end up dying anyways in childbirth (in part at the hands of Vader when he used force choke on her when she confronted him on Mustafar with Obi Wan stowing on her ship too) thus fulfilling his dream she would die in childbirth (perhaps the dream was supposed to be taken as a warning not to turn to the dark side, but he probably did not think about that at the time).  I like the line that Darth Sidious towards the end of the movie where he says to Vader regarding Padme's fate, "it seems in your anger, you killed her" and Vader shouts out a huge "noooo!".  Despite the sour ending to their relationship, there relationship was definitely one of a kind and definitely one of the more coveted types of relationships in the star wars universe.  Who would have thought that a royal queen from Naboo would marry a slave boy on Tatooine?  But it happened.

What makes Padme and Anakin an unlikely couple?
Talk about winding up with someone "outside of your league".  Before Padme and Anakin met, not only did they literally live worlds apart (Padme on Naboo and Anakin living out in the deserts of Tatooine), but their lifestyles were radially different.  Before they met, Padme was queen on Naboo and Anakin was a slave working for Watto in Mos Espa on Tatooine (possibly a farm boy too).  I bet when Natalie Portman's character was a little girl, if someone told her that she will one day marry a slave on Tatooine that would later become a jedi and eventually Darth Vader, she probably would laughed it off in disbelief, but that is exactly what happened.  Can't you imagine the odds of such a relationship?  In addition, Anakin and Padme's age differences were different too (probably at least 8 years apart), though I suppose sometimes that does happen in real life too (even my parents are 6 years apart from each other).   In Episode 2, Anakin becomes a jedi padwan under Obi Wan and Padme becoems a senator and interestingly, the jedi code forbids romance relationships, which inevitably happens betwen Anakin and Padme, which puts him at odds with the Jedi counsil, especially after they secretly marry on Naboo and moreso after it is revealed that Padme is pregnant with Luke and Leia in episode 3.  Interestingly, Anakin seemed to have had a hard time keeping the marriage a secret, such as during the Clone Wars series when he gets jealous when another man develops feelings for Padme (forgot who he was) and when he gets the dream warning that Padme would die in childbirth, he goes great lengths, even turns to the dark side to try and prevent her death.  Eventually Obi Wan finds out about their relationship when he learns that she is pregnant with Luke and Leia which puts their relationship in a more awkard relationship.  Sadly their relationship disintegrates after she learns about Anakin's transformation to Darth Vader and she ends up dying from a broken heart after giving birth to Luke and Leia.  I liked the quote that Palpatine said "it seems, in your anger, you killed her".

Anyways, in real life, I am sure relationships like Padme and Anakin are very rare.  Padme marrying Anakin would be comparable to say Princess Kate from England marrying say a random farm boy from say Arizona or Nevada.  Interestingly, Owen Lars (Anakin's step brother) entered into a relationship within his league with Beru.  I don't know too much about Owen or Beru's history besides what is shown in the movies, but if I had to guess, I am sure they would have grown up together as farmers and a relationship formed between them more naturally.  Even I don't see myself marrying say a hollywood celebrity (rarely visit the Los Angeles area anyways) or a political figure.  More likely if I did get married, I would probably wind up with someone form here in Washington State, whoever that is.  Though, I suppose you never really know who you might encounter in your everyday life.  I remember when going to college, I met lots of fellow students who were from other states (like Oregon, California, Idaho, etc) and sometimes people do get into relationships with fellow college students too (even from out of state).  At my jobs at Crossmark and Advantage, I go to all kinds of different retailers and grocery stores all around the seattle area and sometimes even visit stores and areas that I might not visit otherwise (like the Ballard Fred Meyer, Burien Fred Meyer, or the QFC in the University Village near Seattle).  I never know who I might encounter at the stores I visit.  It can be fellow classmates (like Shannon Bates from Jackson High School at Albertsons in Mill Creek), friends from Church or even family members.  I am sure that there are famous people lurking around the Seattle area too (especially people like Bill Gates and Paul Allen who seem to live in the are too).  I still remember the time when I met baseball player, Jamie Moyer for the first time.  By the way, if you go to comic con events (like the Emerald City comic con here in Seattle), you just might meet a celebrity (I have sit in on several celebrity panels myself at those events) or even get an autograph or picture with one if you know where to look for them and when to look for them (though I wouldn't be suprised if some of them wander around the convention center during their breaks so you could meet one while wandering around too, though unlikely).  Even my parents lived in opposite ends of the US before they met (my dad lived in New York while my mother lived in California) and they eventually met at a party in the Bay area.  Despite the obvious differences between Anakin and Padme, it appears that they were destined to meet on the fateful day when Anakin happened to be working for Watto when Qui Gon, Jar Jar Binks and Padme (who decided to disguise herself as a handmaiden) showed up while on the run from the Trade Federation as well as the sith for that matter.   By the way, has something like this ever happened to you?  Have you ever met someone you never thought you would meet?  Has any celebrities ever flirted with you?  Feel free to share your stories in the comment section below

Relationship 2 - Han Solo (a smuggler) and Princess Leia (a princess on Alderaan and daughter of Padme).

Spoiler alert: I have seen Star Wars Force Awakens, so I will update the info on Han and Leia to reflect the new movie 

Random Picture of Han Solo and Princess Leia together (source: http://assets.vg247.com/current//2015/10/leia-and-han.jpg)
A smuggler and a princess together?  Happened to Princess Leia and Han Solo.  I don't know much about Han Solo's life before he met up with Luke and Obi Wan other than him being a smuggler, befriending a Wookie named, Chewbacca (apparently he has a life debt to Han) and presumably working for Jabba the Hutt and was known for his famous "Kessel Run" with the Millenium falcon, though both of which have yet to be explored in the cinematic star wars universe, though hopefully, the stand alone Han Solo movie (and possibly Star Wars Rogue One) will explore Han's back story, along with Han's friendship with Lando (along with him acquiring the falcon from Lando during a game of sabbac) as well as that he is a wanted man with a bounty placed on his head by Jabba the Hutt (presumably due to a botched smuggling run).   Of course, the course of Han's life would forever be changed on the day he met a then, young Luke Skywalker along with an aged Obi Wann Kenobi (who had finally come out of exile in the aftermath of the events from Revenge of the Sith), who were both on their way to Alderaan to help Princess Leia, who was in trouble after obtaining the stolen Death Star plans and was trying to flee from the Empire before getting captured by Darth Vader in the process.  Han thought that it was another routine trip for him to take and possibly an easy way to earn the extra money needed to pay off Jabba the Hutt, but it turned out that the Alderaan was destroyed by the Death Star and he along with Luke and Obi Wann inadvertantly found themselves on the Death Star too after getting caught in one of its tractor beams.  While they were on the Death Star, Obi Wan broke off with Han and Luke and went to disable the tractor beam along with confronting Darth Vader for the last time, while Luke and Han set out to rescue the princess much to the discovery of R2 and Luke goading Han into attempt the rescue.  Interestingly, Han almost missed out on Princess Leia considering that she was actually sentenced to death after witnessing the destruction of Alderaan (Tarkin even wanted to speed up her execution too after learning that she lied to him about the rebel base being on Dantooine) and she could have been days or even hours away from her scheduled execution when Luke and Han rescued her.  If Han put his foot down on rescuing her if they arrive to the death star too late, she could have been dead upon arrival and Luke (and Vader/Anakin for that matter) would never have known that she was his sister (doesn't get revealed till Return of the Jedi) and Han would have missed his chance with the perfect love interest in his life (plus she along with Luke, Chewie and Lando would later return the favor since they would later rescue Han from the clutches of Jabba the Hutt and even help him escape an execution attempt on his life too via the sarlacc pit on Tatooine).    
Princess Leia was definitely a feisty type and even resisted Han's advances on her at first much (which was pretty evident in Empire Strikes back) but she slowly falls in love with him (especially while spending lots of time with him on the Millenium falcon while trying to flee the empire) and they really do seem to fall in love with each other by the end of Return of the Jedi.  Interestingly there was some rivalry between Luke and Han over Leia (considering that both of them liked her) though that would change when Luke later finds out that Leia was in fact his long twin sister, seperated from birth at the end of Revenge of the Sith (though Luke didn't know that at first).  After the Events of Return of the Jedi, there are 2 versions of what happens in their relationship.

Legends Universe:
I haven't read all of the novels or comics (I've read some such as the Thrawn Trillogy, Jedi Academy trillogy, and others), but it appears that they would inevitably get married and give birth to jedi twins, Jacen and Jaina Solo, who would both later become jedis themselves.  Interestingly, it appears that Jacen pulls an Anakin Skywalker and turns to the dark side at that point, creating some extra friction in the family, though it seems like he eventually gets redeemed.  Chewbacca actually gets killed too at the hands of the yuuzhan-vong (I haven't read the yuuzhan-vong trillogy yet though, so I don't really know the details other than that chewie dies), which sends Han into a depression which also creates some more drama in the family too.    

What makes Han and Leia an odd couple:
A scrufty smuggler and a princess becoming a potiential couple?  I am sure in real life that such relationships are very unlikely if not impossible.  I live in the USA and we don't have a monarchy (though I suppose a president of the united states is very similar to having a king or queen barring some obvious differences such as being elected as well as limits on power).  Han Solo and Leia would be comparable to say a member of the criminal element like Al Capone (who was an alcohol smuggler during the prohibition years) marrying one of the president's daughter or a princess from colonial era England marrying say a pirate like Blackbeard.  Such relationships are very unlikely.  Though for Han and Leia, technically they were both finding themselves on the wrong side of the law.  Leia was one of the leaders of the rebel alliance, which I am sure that the empire did not take kindly to (along with having a target on her back after acquiring the stolen death star plans which she would later use to bring about the eventual destruction the death star by Luke Skywalker), and Han had a huge bounty placed on his head by Jabba the Hutt and had bounty hunters (especially Boba Fett) hot on his tail.  In the aftermath of the battle of Hoth, they were both on the run from the empire and were eventually united by facing common enemies.




Revised Star Wars Canon Han Solo and Princess Leia

***Spoiler alert***
This section assumes you have seen Star Wars Force Awakens.  It has been out for several weeks now (since December) and I am assuming most people have seen the new movies already (hey, I have seen the movie 3 times myself). If you haven't seen the movies yet or procrastinating on seeing the new movie, I might recommend seeing the movie soon while it is still in theaters (it will be in theaters for only so long before getting replaced by another movie) if you are trying to avoid spoilers  Of course, if you haven't seen the movie yet and want to be suprised, feel free to skip over
Star Wars 7-9 version of events.
Picture of the villanous Kylo Ren, who was also an offspring of Leia and Han too.  Image source:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjS0Mb5navKAhVY4mMKHU86B8AQjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fajmartinezauthor.com%2Fspoiler-alert-star-wars-force-awakens-movie-review-fans-hate-admit%2F&psig=AFQjCNE3jCf8BhJM24iBnpVbr3xNgPM8Hg&ust=1452927060148555 

As you probably know, Disney has scrapped the Expanded Universe version of the post return of the jedi storyline, and only time will tell what elements, if any, survives the cut and which ones don't.  That being said, like in the books, it does seem like Han and Leia do seem to get married and instead of having twins, they give birth to a boy named Ben Solo.  It is not clear if they had any other kids (though there does seem to be speculation that Rey might be their daughter, though it is not clear if those rumors are true or not and seems unlikely to be the case in my opinion).  While Ben's details are sketchy, he ends up joining Luke's "Jedi Academy" where Luke even attempts to rebuild the Jedi order, which was virtually non existant by the time Force Awakens comes around, largely due to the Empire trying exterminate all of the jedi starting with Darth Sidious' infamous "order 66" tag line in Revenge of the Sith and later culminating with the great jedi purge that occurs afterwards (especially between episodes 3 and 4 with Darth Vader leading the charge to helping the empire to hunt down and destroy the remaing jedi knights who survived order 66 and heeded Obi Wan's warning to stragglers to stay away from Coruscant). Of course, Luke is no Yoda (who was much more experienced with the force than Luke was and definitely better Jedi master in many ways), and eventually, Ben turns to the dark side (having "too much Vader in him" as General Leia Organa would say, presumably being seduced to the dark side by Snoke, much like how Darth Sidious seduces Anakin to the dark side in Revenge of the sith and seems to replace Darth Sidious as the "overlord" in the new trillogy).  It appears Ben (like Vader before hi)even sets out to kill all of Luke's jedi padwans and even wants to kill Luke too if possible (which leads him to go into hiding, much like how Obi Wan goes into hiding after Anakin turns into Darth Vader).  Sadly, the rise of Kylo Ren also causes Han and Leia to seperate (though not offically divorce).  Leia becomes a general of the resistance (formerly the rebel alliance) leading campaigns against the New Order (formerly the Galactic Empire) and Han returns to smuggling (evidently transporting Diagona or Sarlacc like creatures called Rathiers for various criminal organizations). He even loses the Millenium Falcon too, at least till it gets recovered by Rey and Finn (who was a former storm trooper that eventually defects to the New Order) as they are trying to evade capture by the first order on Finn and wind up on the freighter Han was on.  Eventually, Solo and Leia would reunite at the new resistance base before working with the resistance to destroying the Starkiller base (basically a huge planet version of the death star).
In the end, Han tries to get Kylo Ren turn back to the light side of the force (much like what Luke does with Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi) and help set things right, but long story short, he gets betrayed and murdered by Kylo Ren (who impales Han with his light saber and sending him falling to his death).  Interestingly, according to the IMDB, Harrison Ford is supposed to reprise his role as Han Solo in Episode 8, but it is not clear what his role to be after his apparent death on the Starkiller base.  It also remains to be seen whether Kylo Ren turns to the lights side of the force or not considering that he killed Han and seems to be beyond redemption by the end of Episode 7.
********************************************************************************

Other Odd Couples in the Star Wars Universe


Relationship 3 - Mara Jade and Luke Skywalker (Mara actually hated Luke long before they married), Star Wars Legends Universe.

Random picture of Luke and Mara from the EU (source:
http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/25300000/Luke-and-Mara-jedi-couples-25346043-464-375.jpg)
Long before Star Wars 7, Force Awakens came out and prior to Disney's aquisition of the Star Wars Franchise, most of the star wars story, both between the episodes (such as Shadows of the Empire bridging the gap between Empire Strikes back and Return of the Jedi) as well as most of the story that takes place after Return of the Jedi was explored by the Expanded Universe (particularly the books such as the Thrawn Trillogy, Truce at Bakkura, yuuzhan-vong trillogy, jedi academy trillogy, and many others).  There were even various games that seem to have continued the story too, such as the Dark Forces Jedi Knight franchise (which does provide one of the few onscreen appearances of Mara Jade along with several other EU elements), along with Force Unleashed (helps bridge the gap between Episodes 3 and 4 and aims to explain the rise of the rebel alliance and shows Darth Vader's infamous quest to rid the galaxy of the jedi) and even the "Knights of the Old" republic series too.  One prominent character that appeared in the Expanded Universe was Mara Jade.  She was a smuggler working with a man named Talon Kardde and apparently served in the Empire as one of Emperor Palpantine's most trusted agents.  What makes Mara and Luke an odd couple is that after the events of Return of the Jedi (most notably the death of Palpatine at the hands of Vader), she develops a hatred for Luke and even tries to kill him on various occasions.  I don't know too much about Mara's story after the Thrawn trillogy (haven't read all of the books), though I am sure you can read more about her on Wikipedia, but it appears that eventually she gets married to Luke and they have a son named Ben (much like Han and Leia do in the revised canon).  But I bet it had to be somewhat unsettling for Luke to wind up marrying her, especially considering that she wanted to kill him for a while.  I mean would you want to marry somone that hated you, even if it was like that in the past (for example, marrying say a Charles Mansion type)?  Definitely an interesting couple to watch in the EU version of events.

***Spoiler alert - this upcoming section assumes you have seen Star Wars Episode 7, Force Awakens.  If you haven't seen the movie yet and want to avoid spoilers, feel free to skip this section. **** 

Note about the revised version of the post Return of the Jedi Star Wars universe.

After Disney's acquisition of the Star Wars franchise and scrapping the EU version of the Star Wars Universe as canon, it will be interesting to see whether Mara Jade makes an appearence in the revised canon or if someone else will take her place (if anyone else).  I don't remember seeing her in Episode 7, though Luke himself doesn't appear till towards the end of the movie and exiled himself to some island on the outer rim, probably due to the rise of Kylo Ren and his quest to kill Luke (much like how Obi Wan goes into hiding on Tatooine after Anakin turns to the dark side) but it will be interesting to see how Luke's story plays out in the Episodes 8 and 9.  Does he survive to the end?  Does he die at the hands of Kylo Ren or even Snoke? Does he have a love interest (such as Mara Jade)?  There is speculation going around the net that Rey is in fact either Luke or Obi Wan's daughter (search "Rey as Luke's daughter" on google or bing to see what I mean), but it is not clear whether the rumors or true or not.  Personally, I doubt that she is related to Obi Wan, though if you saw the clone wars saga, you would know that he did seem to have a romantic connection with Dutches Satine, though seems unlikely they would have married or had kids like Anakin and Padme did considering that Obi Wan seemed to be more strict about following the Jedi code than Anakin was, plus she seems to get killed off by a resurrected and vengeful Darth Maul towards the end of the clone wars series.  If Rey is Luke's daughter, who is his wife?  If not, who else is she related to?  Does Mara Jade make an appearence in Episodes 8 or 9 or does someone else take her place?  I am sure Episodes 8 and 9 will expand on Luke's story, especially now that he has been brought out of hiding by Rey as well as the resistance, but it will be intersting to see how things play out. I could see reasons why Mara might not appear in the new movies, especially considering that she hasn't made any formal appearances yet in the cinematic Star Wars canon (no sign of her in the prequels, clone wars, star wars rebels or even the original trillogy) so it would be easy for Disney to exclude her if she want considering that it is very possible that she might not exist as far as the cinematic star wars universe is concerned.  My guess is that if she doesn't appear in Episodes 8 or 9, then she probably doesn't exist in the cinematic Star Wars Universe.  What elements from the EU version of the Star Wars Universe (if any) crosses over into the cinematic Universe, if any, remains to be seen.  Does she appear in Episodes 8 or 9?  Only time will tell for sure.

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Honorable Mentions

1. Bastila and Darth Revan (knights of the Old Republic)


If you have played through the first Knights of the Old Republic game, you probably know that Bastala is a romance option for the player.  In the game, you play as a character who was once, Darth Revan who became a reformed jedi in an open ended pre Empire Star Wars universe.  As the game progresses, you can enter into dialogues with various NPCs, including those in your crew and you do develop relationships (both good and bad) with them depending on your choices.  Interestingly, Bastala too gets lured to the dark side by Darth Malek and the player can either try to dissuade her from joining the dark side or join her and it is possible to have romance dialogue options too.  An odd thing about this relationship is that Bastala was as a jedi master and Revan was once a sith lord (at least prior to the game) so that is worth mentioning.  It is not clear if Knights of the Old republic is considered part of the Star Wars canon (especially under Disney), it was definitely a fun an intersting Star Wars game t play through.
Random picture of Revan (the game's protaginist) and Bastila (from Wookiepedia)

2. Daisy and Rey (a desert scavenger and potiential future jedi from Jakku and an ex storm trooper who defected from First Order)

Random picture of Finn and Rey as they flee Storm troopers on Jakku

Although it remains to be seen whether they become a couple or not, there did seem to be some chemistry between the 2 from when they meet on Jakku and throughout the course of Force Awakens.  Interestingly in both the prequel trilogy and original trilogy, the second episodes in each trilogies usually expands on a romance sub plot (such as Anakin and Padme in Attack of the Clones along with Han and Leia in Empire Strikes back respectively), so it is possible that Disney might follow that tradition and feature a romance sub plot in Episode 8 too (such as possibly between Rey and Finn).  Obviously I don't have all of the answers about the upcoming movies, but it will be interesting to see how their relationship plays out during the course of Episodes 8 and 9.

3. Obi Wan Kenobi and Dutches Satine
Random picture of Obi Wan and Satine from the Clone Wars Saga.  Image source:
http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/6/63/Obi-Wan_Satine_VoT.png/revision/latest?cb=20120906224122

If you have seen the Clone Wars series, you probably know about the history between Obi Wan and Satine.  Apparently, long before Obi Wan became the jedi as we know him, he did seem to have a love interest: a Dutchess from Mandalore named Satine.  It is not really clear how close they were or if they ever married (let alone had kids), but it is worth mentioning.  Unlike Anakin and Padme, he seems to resist the temptation to fall in love with Satine though. Who would have thought that Obi Wan once had a love interest considering that he is was a very active member on the Jedi Counsil (and was strict about following the rules too) and even lived as a hermit for a while on Tatooine

Well, that is all for this post.  By the way, who all here have seen Force Awakens?  I have seen it 3 times myself.  Definitely an epic start to the new Trillogy that will explore the Star Wars story in the aftermath of Return of the Jedi.  Episode 7 has come and gone and 2 more movies are on their ways in the next several years, with several stand alone movies coming too (such as Star Wars Rogue One and the upcoming Han Solo movie too).

What do you think about this post?  Do any of you have similar stories to share about unlikeliest relationships?  Have you ever met a famous person or developed a relationship with them?  Feel free to leave a comment below.

Feel free to "like and share" this post if you like it.  Your support for this blog will be ost appreciated.

Resources:
Wookiepedia  I only know so much about the Star Wars universe.  For more exhaustive information about the saga, feel free to visit Wookiepedia (Star Wars' official wikipedia)
Also:
www.starwars.com (main website for Starwars)

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Bear in Whistler Village ringing door bell.

Here is something you don't see everyday: a bear ringing in the doorbell.  I have been to Whistler several times, but have yet to see a bear in the village (though they say that sometimes there are bear sightings in the village).  Here is a video about a crafty bear trying to get into a building.



(actually I meant to post this on my other blog)