UK Government Cares More About Statues Than Trans People

 

Statues have sparked debate for a number of years now as more people have become conscious to the fact that a number of them have been erected to memorialise people that probably shouldn't be remembered too fondly. Some of the biggest examples of this in recent years were Confederate soldier statues in the United States coming under fire (rightfully so), and here in Britain we've had a statue of Edward Colston, who made a fortune in the slave trade, being torn down and thrown into a river in Bristol.

One event that seemed to galvanise people against statue defacement in the UK was during the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, in which the words 'was a racist' were spraypainted on the plinth of a statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square. Since then the statue has received added protection during events, up to the point of having police officers form a protective ring around it; lest someone dare come within a foot of something so vitally important.

Winston Churchill is a figure that has become mythologised in Britain to the point where any talk of critiquing the man, or exploring the well documented facts of his life that cast him in a poor light will likely get you shut down on the spot. The Prime Minister during World War Two, Churchill was indeed important to the war effort, and the defeat of the Nazis, but has been transformed into a figure that some believe was so vital to that cause that without him the Nazis would have won, and is therefore immune to criticism or hate. This completely ignored the very real harms that Churchill committed during his lifetime.

'Keep England White' was a Churchill campaign slogan during the 1955 elections. He talked about how white people were a 'stronger race, a higher-grade race, a more worldly wise race to put it that way, has come in and taken their place' in reference to the destruction of indigenous peoples in countries like North America, Australia, and Palestine. He said that 'Indians breed like rabbits', and oversaw the Bengal Famine, in which three million people starved to death. He expressed his disgust of Asian people in 1954, saying 'I hate people with slit eyes and pigtails'. Churchill pushed colonialism as a form of 'help' for those that were conquered, saying 'by conquering and dominating other peoples, the British were also elevating and protecting them'.

Churchill also believed in eugenics, and pushed for the forced sterilisation of those deemed 'feeble minded'. He wrote openly about his views on the matter, even going so far as to send a letter to the then Prime Minister H. H. Asquith, in which he described the presence of these 'feeble minded' people as 'a national and race danger which it is impossible to exaggerate'. Churchill also played roles in people being sent to concentration camps in multiple countries, and there are some claims that he even supported the killing of 20,000 Kenyans in one such camp following the mau mau revolt.

So we have a man who held awful, racist views and wasn't afraid to share them. A man who wanted to force sterilise people he didn't like. A man who put people into camps. A man who oversaw a famine that claimed the lives of millions. A man who if he was anyone but the man who was in charge of Britain during the fight against the Nazis would be as villainised as they were. Unfortunately, Britain is so steeped in the vestiges of colonialism, it's racist history, and 'wartime nostalgia' that Churchill is seen as a hero despite his awful actions.

Today a new law has passed that would make climbing on the statue of Churchill that stands in Parliament Square a criminal offence, one that could land you with a £1,000 fine, and three months in prison. Whilst the statue is not an official war memorial, it will now be protected under the Crime and Policing Bill.

The Conservative Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer (let's be honest, he's basically a Tory), said 'Sir Winston Churchill stands at the summit of our country’s greatest heroes, and has been an inspiration to every prime minister that has followed him. The justifiable fury that is provoked when people use his statue as a platform for their protests speaks to the deep and enduring love that all decent British people have for Sir Winston. It is the least we owe him, and the rest of the greatest generation, to make those acts criminal.'

'But Amy, what does this have to do with trans people?' I hear you ask. Well, a month ago the UK Supreme Court made a ruling on the definition of woman as it pertains to the Equality Act 2010, and things have gotten very bad for trans people since then. Anti-trans campaigners have called this a victory for their side, with some even being so satisfied that trans people are finished that they've moved on to campaigning against immigrants. Organisations have used this ruling as an excuse to bring in new rules that discriminate against trans people. Some places have even enacted segregation-like tactics, forcing trans people into their own facilities that effectively force them to out themselves as trans and make their lives more dangerous. And throughout all of this Starmer and his government have remained either silent on the matter, or have come down on the side of bigots.

The UK government could shut this down, they could see that this ruling from the Supreme Court has put trans people in danger and change the laws to make it safe for us. They could condemn those calling for our rights to be taken away. They could be doing literally anything. But they're not. They're allowing this, and even making it worse. Let's not forget that this is the same government that decided that puberty blockers were super dangerous and had to be banned, but only for trans kids of course, cis kids could use them without any problem.

The British government doesn't like trans people. The voices within it that are standing up for us are few and far between, and most of the people in power either hate us, don't care enough to say anything, or will back any view that seems loud and popular to advance their own career. That's why the people who are calling for the eradication of trans peoples lives are given a free pass, and why the people who are kicking and screaming about the safety of statues of racist war criminals are listened to. Hell, they're the same type of old, white, hate filled fuckers. Even Starmer's statement that 'all decent British people' love Churchill frames those who disagree as indecent, terrible people. But why wouldn't this 'Labour' frame people that way?

The British government cares more about a statue than the thousands of lives it's putting on the line every single day to appease bigots. This is Britain in 2025, a Britain where the establishment seems to still hold many of the views they'd rather you not know Churchill had.

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UK Supreme Court Ruling and Fighting Back As a Trans Person

 

Last week the UK Supreme Court ruled that sex as listed in the Equality Act 2010 will now be defined as a person's observed sex at birth. This news was met by celebration by 'Gender Criticals' or 'TERFs (Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminists)', or more accurately, bigots who hate trans people, whilst the trans community, their allies, and anyone with an ounce of common sense saw this as a terrible decision that would have long reaching effects that would harm a wide range of people.

As a trans person living in the UK I was shocked by this news, but not hugely surprised. Over the last decade I'd watched as trans people went from largely ignored, allowed to get on with our lives, to being the flavour of the month minority group who were celebrated for being 'brave', to having become so demonised that small but influential groups of bigots have been campaigning non-stop to have us made into third class citizens. This ruling was something that should shock and sicken, and has for a lot of people, but for those of us who have been living this everyday it felt like the natural next step in this campaign to eradicate trans people.

That language might sound inflammatory to some, and I'm sure that people are already scoffing at the word and accusing me of 'overreacting', but that's what's been happening. People want the trans population gone. We're something that they hate, something that they're frightened of, something that they take disgust in, and these people have dedicated their lives to erasing us. For now it's about doing it legally, removing rights and protections, but I'm sure if allowed to continue this way it will progress to removing the ability to transition at all, with the end goal being trans people existing outside of the closet being impossible. 

When I first started writing on this blog it was an outlet for me, with me having only just come out of the closet to myself. I'd been struggling with severe depression for most of my life, and I didn't know why I felt that way until one day something just clicked inside me and I realised I was trans. I came out to a small circle of people, and I was awaiting the chance to medically transition, and I felt like I was stuck in a limbo with no outlet; so I started writing. I wrote about whatever I wanted, with no real direction in mind. It could be writing about a film I'd watched, about being trans, or about personal experiences and hopes for the future.

Over the years I kept writing, and I wrote more about being trans and about things happening to trans people around the world. I was asked to contribute to a number of trans focused outlets, and I gained some attention online. Sadly, being openly, vocally trans online can draw negative attention, and through the combination of threats and abuse, constant negative stories, and my own personal issues at the time, I burned out. I got to the point where I had to step back from writing about trans issues, and I focused on other work. I ended up working with an entertainment outlet, where my book reviews took over much of my writing time, and I even ended up on the editorial team. Trans issues never left my life, never became something that I stopped caring about, but life kind of shifted them to being something I didn't write about myself anymore.

I've always felt a little guilty about that. I know I was never anyone important, that I never mattered, I wasn't some big figure in the trans community, or even a small one. I was just one voice that occasionally spoke up that may have been doing something good. But despite that, I felt like I'd let the trans community down and that by writing about frivolous things like comics and movies over the struggles of my community I'd done something that I should feel ashamed about, and I was always a little bit afraid of trying to go back to doing something. I tried to do a little, such as writing about the lives lost in the community on Trans Day of Remembrance, but it felt like it wasn't enough, and I felt guilty for even trying.

But then last week rolled around, and trans people in the UK lost their rights. The bigots were able to sway the court to their side. Trans people were excluded from proceedings, lies were allowed to be told about us, and we lost rights and protections. Overnight we became third class citizens, a large part of our existence was made illegal, and our futures became dark and uncertain. That, coupled with images and videos of bigots drinking champagne, cheering and celebrating outside of court, and smoking their victory cigars as they lauded the this ruling over us as a victory, broke something inside me.

I hadn't felt this depressed in almost a decade. Things felt hopeless. I didn't know if I was going to be safe outside my home anymore. I was suddenly back to being that newly out trans woman, afraid for her future, crying herself to sleep, drinking to numb the pain, and wondering if life was worth living anymore. And this is as someone with a support network around her, someone with safety, who even if things become worse will likely be okay. I couldn't imagine how hard last week was for those who didn't have that, for those newly out, for those without family and friends, for those without a secure home. 

Since the ruling came out I've gone from feeling utterly broken to feeling enraged. I look at the world and I feel so much anger that we've gotten to this point. I hate that the people who hate us have such elevated voices, that they have so much power to influence the world for the worse. I hate that they've twisted the narrative so much that trans existence is painted as a threat, that we've been made into the monsters that prey upon 'real' women and girls, and that women's rights have been so harmed in the fight against us. And I hate that they make me feel so much hate. I want to hope for a better tomorrow, for a world where trans people need not be afraid for their futures, where we're allowed to just exist and be ourselves without being made into monsters or victims. But his isn't a time for hope alone, hope without action won't do anything.

I'm just one voice, a voice who doesn't really matter, but I'm going to be using my voice again. I let myself and my community down for a long time by doing nothing. I'm one voice, and one voice alone can be forgotten, and can go unheard. But if all of us start shouting then those lone voices become something more, and we can start making ourselves heard. I will do what I can, even if all I can do is start talking about trans people and our fight more. I wish I could do more, I wish I wasn't so sick all the time, that I could take to the streets as part of the protests, that I could take more action, but I will use the platform I have, as little as it is.

I want to say that I'm sorry though. I've been content to do little for so long, to allow others to take up the cause, to shy away and keep myself safe and focus on my self. Yes, I've been sick, and dealing with my disability and the impact it's had on my life has taken up a lot of my time, but I can't use that as an excuse, because those coming for us won't give me a free pass because of that. I should never have stopped talking about trans people. I should never have let my voice falter. So, I'm sorry. But that stops now. This is a fight, and I will do whatever I can to help in that fight. 

I don't know what that means for my blog, how it's going to change things for those who've been reading it for all this time with it becoming a mixture of entertainment articles and trans focused writing. I don't know if it will lose me readers and subscribers, if it might even lose me relationships with the people I work with, if it will cost me the opportunity to get review copies of things and it effectively ends my ability to do what I've been doing for years now; because standing up for the trans community and drawing attention to our fight is more important than those things. 

I don't know how long this road is going to be, or how hard this fight will end up, but it's not a fight I can just ignore. I will never stop being me, I will never stop existing as long as I'm alive, no matter how much bigots try to make this world unsafe for trans people. Trans lives matter. We exist, and we will keep fighting.

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Changes Going into 2025

Trans-Scribe has been going for a number of years now (2025 will make it 14 years), and I massively appreciate the amount of support it has received over the years. Over the last fourteen years I have been the sole writer here, despite at one time thinking that perhaps I could entice others to come and do so, and I've become happy with this being for my writing output. I've written over three thousand articles, and I've had more than 1.5 million people come and read them. I'm proud of this work.

However, those of you who visit often (I'm still incredibly grateful for how many of you subscribe), will have noticed that there has been a decline in the frequency of my writing this last year, and I wanted to address that as well as talk briefly about the site going into 2025.

For the most part, each year has seen something of an increase in the amount that I have written, with most weeks having an article four or five days a week. This year, however, saw a big decrease in numbers, especially towards the back half of the year. This is down to a few different things. The first is that one of the publications I've worked with for a number of years, Set The Tape, has gone on hiatus. I was producing a lot of work there, with it then republished here, and with those assignments gone my article output slowed down. 

At the same time, I became sicker this year. I have chronic illness, to the point where I can't hold down a regular job. This has been part of the reason why I've had more time to write, especially when I can write ahead of time on my good days. However, those good days have grown less and less frequent, and the times in which I'm good on those days has gone down too. This has affected every aspect of my life, and in some ways my personal life has suffered because of this too. But my writing has too. I've been unable to meet a few deadlines for a number of things, and am now playing catch-up, and you may have noticed articles being published over December for books and films that were released earlier in the year. This will likely continue into 2025, with some late articles from 2024 making their way across into the new year.

However, I am going to be trying to keep up more, and at the time of writing this I already have a few new articles already scheduled in; something I hope to be able to continue. But, being sick is hard. I have next to no energy, I'm constantly tired, and I haven't had a minute free of pain in literal years. This, coupled with some personal and family issues across 2024, are why things slowed down somewhat. But the numbers on your side didn't. I've still had a ton of visitors to the site, and I really appreciate the continued support in these tougher times. So because of that I'm going to keep going for as long as I can, and whilst things might be less frequent than in the past I will still endeavour to keep writing.

On a smaller note, I will also be making some changes to the rating system going into 2025. In the past I was using a five star review score, thanks to my work at Set The Tape. I will be keeping this, but expanding it to include half stars (yes, I know this basically makes it an out of ten score system). There have been times when reviewing things where a film is better than a three star, but not quite a four star, and I've struggled with scoring it, so I'm hoping this new method will help with that. Articles will also be published earlier in the day.

As someone who's always loved writing and started this blog on a whim and for a bit of fun I want to say thank you to those who've been visiting and reading for all these years. Trans-Scribe has changed my life for the better more than once, and I've got to do some amazing things because of it, as well as making some great friends. So, thank you all again for the support, here's to seeing if I've got another 14 years in me.

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Witch - British Folk Horror Coming Soon

 

Released on 29th April 2024, Witch is a new British folk horror film from directors Craig Hinde and Marc Zammit. 

Witch takes viewers to 1575 England, where we will meet Twyla, played by Sarah Alexandra Marks, a caring wife and mother who has been accused of witchcraft. Facing the death penalty if found guilty, her husband William sets out to find the real witch behind the crimes Twyler has been accused of, hoping to bring her to justice to save his wife's life.

Witchcraft has often been a ripe source of inspiration for horror films, and whilst Witch promises to feature otherworldly horror, it's perhaps the very real horrors of the witch hunts and trials from history that take centre stage in this upcoming film. Set decades before the infamous witch trials of Salem, the film promises to shine a spotlight on the often forgotten witch hunts of Britain, and the terrors of the time for those accused of being practitioners of the dark arts. 

However, the film also tells the story of a devout husband, one willing to go through terrifying trials and face down awful horrors to save the woman he loves.

Witch releases in the UK on 29th April, and I will be reviewing it for release. However, until then, check out this clip from the film.

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The Passing of Akira Toriyama – How he inspired my love of an art form

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

Over the weekend the news broke that Akiray Toriyama had passed away at the age of 68, and thousands of people across the world grieved. A manga artist, writer, and character designer, Akira Toriyama’s work had a long reach, having worked on projects such as Dragon Quest, Chrono Trigger, Blue Dragon, and most famously, the Dragon Ball franchise. His work spanned more than five decades, and his style not only became instantly recognisable, but would inspire other creators across multiple fields, and around the world.

My first exposure to Akira Toriyama’s work came when I was eleven years old. Like a lot of people of my generation here in the UK (and for some in the US), my first experience with anime came when the children’s television network Cartoon Network (which was still free for everyone to watch at the time) aired the first episode of Dragon Ball Z. Despite the show being a continuation of a five season, 153 episode story, I was still absolutely hooked by that first episode. I didn’t know anything about these characters, their world, or the rules of anime, but I was drawn in by the bright and colourful characters, the over-the-top action, and an animation style that was so unlike anything I’d seen before. Yes, there had been more action oriented shows that I’d grown up with, things such as 90’s Spider-Man or X-Men: The Animated Series but against to the high octane action and violence of Dragon Ball Z these shows didn’t even begin to compare.

I began to watch Dragon Ball Z religiously. By the end of that first week the show had dropped the revelation that the lead character, a defender of the Earth named Goku, was actually an alien, and killed him. His young son, who was possibly the most powerful fighter on Earth, had been taken away by Goku’s once enemy to be trained to defend the Earth from a coming pair of alien warriors who would kill everyone. This was not how most kids’ shows start off. As the years went by and I watched more of the show, things would only get weirder and wilder as it introduced more and more powerful villains, special transformations, and gave viewers fights that would last weeks or more as you waited for episodes to air (and that’s weeks when airing daily!). Akira Toriyama’s work introduced a whole new style of storytelling and art form to me via Dragon Ball Z.

And because of Dragon Ball Z I found myself watching other anime, also on Cartoon Network. I watched Tenchi Muyo, and Gundam Wing when they aired and whilst neither drew me in as much as Dragon Ball Z I did watch a lot of them. I don’t know if it was a coincidence of timing, me noticing it more, or if the airing of Dragon Ball Z had started something, but other channels began to show more anime series too. I remember watching Digimon, Cardcaptors, and Yu-Gi-Oh! when they came on, my viewing habits definitely shifting more towards Japanese-created shows. The people I was friends with in school at the time also began sharing anime DVDs around this time, leading me to get to watch things like Ninja Scroll and The Grave of the Fireflies (which I watched way too young and it wrecked me).

But it wasn’t just television and film that Akira Toriyama changed for me, as I also started paying more and more attention to video games that fit into a similar vein. There were of course the Dragon Ball games, half of which my friends and I couldn’t get hold of legally, but an enterprising and clever friend hooked us up with thanks to emulators on floppy discs. But most JRPGs began to draw my attention at this time too. I tried out my first Final Fantasy game around this time and sank an unhealthy amount of time into it. This would become something that I would do a lot, and whenever I was shopping for a new video game and I saw one that had an anime style cover or was inspired by manga I would be drawn to it over most western games. Even as my gaming tastes changed over the years I’d still find myself coming back to these kinds of games, especially the Dragon Quest series, as it would feel like returning to some of the only happy times of my childhood.

Dragon Ball Z was also the very first manga that I read. I remember seeing the first three volumes of the books on the shelf at my local Waterstones, and grabbing them on the spot. This was a few years after Cartoon Network had switched over to being paid for, and I’d not been able to watch Dragon Ball Z for a long while. I read all three that same night, and whilst it would be a long time before I was able to get more volumes, it did start me reading manga in general and I would go on to read several other series over the years and would discover some stories that have stuck with me ever since.

In writing this I’ve even unlocked some long forgotten memories, one being of the time we were visiting family in Italy and a television advert came on to promote a Dragon Ball Z multi-part magazine collection that would slowly build up a set of the DVDs (the first time I’d seen this concept). I was supremely jealous of this and made sure that whenever we visited a shop that holiday that I kept my eyes open for a copy or two.

Another is how when in France on holiday with my family I found a vending machine that would drop out capsules containing random miniature Dragon Ball Z toys that I spent way too much on. But the one that sticks out in my head the most is actually my very first exposure to Akira Toriyama’s work, even before that first episode of Dragon Ball Z aired. A few years before, whilst still in primary school, a friend brought in a stack of Dragon Ball Z cards that she got when visiting her family in Japan. I was enraptured by the designs and the artwork, and she ended up giving me a holographic Imperfect Cell card. A card I kept for years and have since sadly lost.

I may not be a ‘weeb’ by any means, I don’t dedicate my life to reading manga or watching anime, but I always have time for them both. Japanese comic and animation have become genres that I love and that mean a lot to me, and is art that has helped to shape me into the person I am today and it all stems back to Akira Toriyama’s work. That’s why when the news broke that he’d passed it made me cry a little. The first celebrity death that ever has. Akira Toriyama helped to make me into the person I am today, and the memories connected to his creations are some of the only ones from my teens that aren’t painful to me. So for that all I can say is thank you so much Akira, you’ve touched my life in wonderful ways, and the lives of many others. You will be sorely missed.

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Listmas 2023 – Non-2023 Media

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

This year I took part in the Set The Tape Listmas articles, sharing my thoughts on some of my favourite media from the last year, but one of the lists was about media that wasn't from 2023. I share some of the older media that I've been loving this last twelve months.

Seeing Aliens in the cinema

I’ve already written extensively about how this year I got to see Aliens in the cinema for the first time ever, and lucky for me I can write about it all over again and make you hear it a second time!

I grew up watching Aliens thanks to an uncle who didn’t really police what videos of his I borrowed and watched, and I strongly believe his relaxed attitude helped to create my love of both science fiction and horror (I also borrowed Predator a lot). I don’t know the exact age that I first saw Aliens, but I do remember having watched it as far back as I can remember, and it’s always been a part of my life. It’s a film that I could probably quote near all of the dialogue to if you were to put me on the spot. It’s become lodged in both my brain and my heart in ways that no other film has.

Over the years it’s been shown in cinemas a few times, usually in the kinds of cinemas that show nothing but older genre films. Sadly, I’ve either missed those showings, or have just not been able to travel across the country to do it. But this year it was released just down the road from me, and I jumped at the chance to see it on the big screen. It was an amazing experience, one that took me back to my childhood (weird for that film I know), and made me appreciate how this film helped to shape me into the person I am today. 

Uncanny X-Men

The X-Men are my favourite corner of the Marvel Universe. The huge cast of characters have some amazing creations in them, and whilst some of the stories are more like terrible soap operas, there are some great runs and events across its history. I also think me being part of a minority that is often demonised in the media and by politicians I very much relate to the ‘feared and hated’ and continually treated like sub-human type stories in the X-Men’s catalogue. Magneto was right, by the way.

With current X-Men stuff revolving around the Krakoan Age, and being a huge commitment, I thought I’d wait until it was done before diving in and reading through it all. So, to fill the time until then I decided to go back to where X-Men began as the thing we really know it as now. Not the original Stan Lee stuff, but Chris Claremont‘s Giant-Sized X-Men, which not only introduced characters like Nightcrawler, Storm, Colossus, and Wolverine to the team, but created many of the best stories that people still recommend and adapt.

I’ve been reading my way through the series since that point, covering things like the Dark Phoenix saga, Days of Future Past, Storm becoming the leader of the X-Men, and the introduction of Shadowcat to the universe. I knew Claremont created a lot of stuff, and brought in things others had created, but I was shocked by just how much stuff that is now just an intrinsic part of the X-Men began in this era. Old comics can sometimes be hard reads, and there are times these issues can be tough to get through, but even the worst of this era are still fantastic to read. It’s like reading the true birth of the X-Men. 

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What To Watch Before Ahsoka

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

The upcoming Ahsoka series is a show that’s been a long time coming for some fans, with many seeing it not only as the next chapter in the story of Jedi Ahsoka Tano, but also a new live-action season of Star Wars Rebels. For those who’ve indulged in everything that the franchise has to offer, you’ll be in good stead to jump into this new show, but casual fans might need something of a catch-up first. Whilst the absolute best thing to do would be to watch the entirety of both Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels (some of the best things Star Wars has ever made), we know that’s simply not possible for everyone. So, we thought we’d put together a key info list of the stories and episodes from those shows which should get you up to speed on Ahsoka‘s cast.

The Gathering, A Test of Strength, Bound For Rescue & A Necessary Bond (The Clone Wars S5E06-09)

There were a number of times before this that showed Ahsoka (Ashley Eckstein) proving herself to be a competent and capable hero, but she was often playing second fiddle to characters such as Anakin (Matt Lanter) and Obi-Wan (James Arnold Taylor). Here, Ahsoka got to take centre stage as the most mature and experienced Jedi accompanying a group of younglings to the planet of Ilum, where they try to find the Kyber crystal that they need to make lightsabers. These episodes see Ahsoka and the children getting into danger and having to work together to survive, with Ahsoka leading the way.

Not only do these episodes go into the lore around how Jedi make their sabers and how the force works, but it also introduces the character of Professor Huyang (David Tennant), an ancient droid who has helped Jedi create their sabers for generations. Huyang has been shown in a few of the trailers for Ahsoka, so these episodes are a great introduction to his character.

Overlords, Altar of Mortis & Ghosts of Mortis (The Clone Wars S3E15-17)

Star Wars deals in magic and mysticism a lot. The Force is a mystical thing, and the Jedi are a religious order; as such, whenever the shows explored the Force across the galaxy, it would often be unexplained by science and more fantastical. The Mortis trilogy is a prime example of that, and an important piece of Star Wars lore. The episodes see Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka being drawn to a spot in space by the The Force, entering a mysterious plane called Mortis where they meet the living embodiments of the Force: The Son, The Daughter, and The Father, who embody the Dark Side, Light Side, and balance respectively.

Whilst Ahsoka is somewhat secondary here, she does play a very important role in the episode regarding Anakin Skywalker and his fate of becoming Darth Vader. With the next animated show, Star Wars Rebels, further adding more mystical elements to the Star Wars galaxy, it feels like the Mortis arc is going to have a lasting effect on Ahsoka’s story. It’s also worth noting that the owl-like bird which appears around Ahsoka a lot, named Morai, is connected to The Daughter, and shows that Ahsoka has a strong connecting to the Light Side of The Force, as well as the beings who shape it.

Sabotage, The Jedi Who Knew Too Much, To Catch A Jedi & The Wrong Jedi (The Clone Wars S5E17-20)

The final arc of the fifth season of Clone Wars put Ahsoka squarely at the heart of things, testing her in ways she’d never been before. When a bombing happens at the Jedi Temple, an investigation is launched, one where all of the evidence points to the culprit being Ahsoka Tano. Knowing that she didn’t do it, but having little proof in being acquitted, Ahsoka goes on the run across Coruscant, before being captured and put on trial. Thrown out of the Jedi Order, it’s only the intervention of Anakin, who goes against the Council’s wishes, that she’s proven not-guilty, and avoids the death sentence.

This is the story that sees Ahsoka leave the Jedi Order, refusing to go back after her trial. Having felt betrayed by the only people and home she’s ever known, Ahsoka quite literally walks off into the sunset to find her place in the galaxy. With Ahsoka not appearing in Revenge of the Sith, this was the episode which filled in that gap and it very quickly became a firm favourite with fans.

Old Friends Not Forgotten, The Phantom Apprentice, Shattered & Victory and Death (The Clone Wars S7E09-12)

The end of The Clone Wars conflict. After leaving the Jedi, Ahsoka joins up with Mandalorian warrior Bo Katan (Katee Sackhoff) to try and free Mandalore from the rule of former Sith assassin Maul (Sam Witwer). Having convinced the Republic to help, Ahsoka is briefly reunited with her former master, who gives her new lightsabers and leaves part of the 501st Legion with her to help in the battle. Whilst Ahsoka leads the Republic forces to victory and captures Maul, new orders come in on their journey home, Order 66.

Originally announced as the end point of the series, this story was initially shelved when The Clone Wars was cancelled, and it only was years later when the show was resurrected for a final season that we finally got it. Here, Ahsoka is the star, alongside Captain Rex (Dee Bradley Baker) as they fight to free Mandalore then to survive Order 66. This is the story that sets Ahsoka on her new path under the rise of the Empire, and helps to forge the person she’s going to be going forward.

The Ahsoka Novel / Resolve (Tales of the Jedi S1E06)

The Ahsoka novel and the final episode of the first season of Tales of the Jedi tell very similar stories, one that kind of conflict at times. Which of the two are actually canon is kind of up in the air, especially with Disney having said that all of the new books and comics are as much canon as the films and shows. Either way, both tell the story of Ahsoka following the events of Order 66 and see her living on a quiet farming world where she works as a farm hand. When she uses the Force to help save someone, it results in an Inquisitor being sent to hunt her down.

Both stories show Ahsoka defeating the Inquisitor, but the book expands upon this in a very important way: showing her take the crystals from his lightsaber and purifying them of the Dark Side, removing the bleeding done to turn the crystals red. Using them to construct her own sabers, this is where Ahsoka gets her white-bladed lightsabers that she will use going forward.

Blood Sisters (Star Wars Rebels S2E8)

This season two episode of Star Wars Rebels offers some insight into the history of Sabine Wren (Tiya Sircar), one of the major players in Ahsoka. In “Blood Sisters,” we meet a bounty hunter who Sabine used to work with. Not only that, but audiences discover that Sabine used to be part of the Imperial Accademy and get details about her escape. Whilst these topics will be gone into in more depth later, this is the real beginning to the fleshing out for Sabine, her connections to the Empire, and what that means for her as a Mandalorian.

Twilight of the Apprentice (Star Wars Rebels S2E21-22)

The episodes that much of season two were building towards. Ahsoka joins Kanan Jarrus (Freddie Prinze, Jr.) and Ezra Bridger (Taylor Gray) as they travel to a world where an ancient battle took place between the Jedi and the Sith. Whilst there, they encounter a number of Inquisitors and even ally themselves with Maul, who has been trying to get the holocron hidden on the planet. This is the story where Ahsoka finally comes face to face with Darth Vader (James Earl Jones) and learns that he was once Anakin Skywalker.

The emotional battle at the end of this story is the main draw for Ahsoka fans, and leads to a brilliant moment, one that sees her refusing to leave her former master. The two of them duel as the facility is destroyed around them, and fans are teased with a small glimpse of her apparently surviving – though had to wait a few years to have this confirmed.

The Antilles Extraction (Star Wars Rebels S3E4)

This episode of Rebels sees Sabine going undercover at the Imperial Academy in order to find and extract a pair of young Imperials who want to defect to the Rebel Alliance. As a byproduct, this is our first showcase of what Sabine was like as an Imperial, seeing her listening to the rules, wearing a uniform, and with dull black hair. What makes Sabine who she is gets stripped away under the Empire. It also showcases her bravery and willingness to put herself in danger to do the right thing, two qualities that become important parts of her personality. For wider franchise fans, the origin of one of the notable Rebel Alliance members from the Original Trilogy is additionally depicted.

Hera’s Heroes (Star Wars Rebels S3E5)

Another important character that will be playing a large part in the Ahsoka show is Hera Syndulla (Vanessa Marshall), who leads the Ghost crew in Star Wars Rebels. This semi-titular episode sees her returning to her home world, exploring her past and her reasons for having grown up to be a freedom fighter. It’s a brilliant look at her personality, showcasing why she’s one of the best leaders in the Rebellion. Conversely, it also works as a showcase for another major player in the new show, Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen), whose methodical approach, study of art and cultures, and cold detached attitude make him a deadly opponent.

Trials of the Darksaber & Legacy of Mandalore (Star Wars Rebels S3E15-16)

In this two-parter, the focus lands on Sabine who has found herself in possession of the legendary Darksaber. Knowing that it is a symbol for her people, one which can help to bring them into the fight against the Empire, she goes into training with Kanan in how to use the weapon, before travelling home to face her family who have begun to serve the Empire. The first part contains a lot of important information, both in how a person uses a lightsaber but also the pain and trauma that Sabine has been carrying with her over the years, whilst the second explores all of the relationships she has with her different family members and has Sabine questioning her place in both the fight against the Empire and the larger universe. With Sabine having been shown using Ezra’s saber in the Ahsoka trailers, the lessons she learns in these episodes play a key part in her progress.

A World Between Worlds (Star Wars Rebels S4E13)

There are a lot of ancient cultures and mysteries in the Star Wars universe, and the World Between Worlds is a major one. A nexus of time which exists outside of regular space, this place allows those within it to observe various times and places, even the ability to affect them. Having been discovered by Ezra, he uses the World Between Worlds to take Ahsoka out of time, saving her from the events of ‘Twilight of the Apprentice.’ The entrance to this space is destroyed in that same episode but, with multiple doorways on the other side, it’s likely that there are places where it could still be accessed.

Eagle-eyed fans have been poring over every frame of the show released so far and have found a number of things that could hint to a connection with the World Between Worlds. Whilst this could merely be over-excited fan speculation, it is possible that this more unusual part of the Star Wars galaxy may be revisited and, much like Mortis, play a large, if unexpected, role in things to come.

Family Reunion – and Farewell (Star Wars Rebels S4E15-16)

The final episodes of Rebels sees Ezra Bridger bringing together all of his allies to help free his home world of Lothal from the grip of the Empire. Having suffered several losses, the group plans one last desperate bid for victory. This final battle against Thrawn and his fleet will result in the Empire losing, but also the loss of both Ezra and Thrawn as they’re transported somewhere else in the galaxy. This is perhaps one of the most important episodes to watch as the search for Ezra and the threat of Thrawn is the entire premise of the new show.

Several moments from this finale are shown in live action in the advertisement for Ahsoka. The recording Ezra leaves his friends and family, the mural that Sabine paints, even the final scene of Rebels has been recreated. If there’s only one set of episodes from this list that you can find the time to watch, make sure it’s this one.

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Ahsoka – Who’s Who

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

As the galaxy far, far away becomes more complex and interconnected, it can sometimes mean that certain new films and television shows can become a bit more inaccessible for some viewers. Not everyone has the time or inclination to sit down to watch sixty plus hours of animation (though I’d always recommend it if you’ve got the time). With the latest Star Wars series, Ahsoka, being both the continuation of several stories and the beginning of a whole new chapter, we’ve put together a quick breakdown of the returning key players.

Ahsoka Tano

The titular character, Ahsoka Tano was first introduced to audiences in 2008 in the animated movie Star Wars: The Clone Wars, as Anakin Skywalker’s new Padawan. And audiences absolutely hated her. Fans knew that Anakin didn’t have a student in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, and they didn’t want a cartoon messing with their continuity. However, over the course of the show that spun out of the film, opinion of the character would change. Originally a bit of a bratty, snarky kid, Ahsoka proved to be the perfect student for Anakin as they were so similar. Over the course of multiple seasons, Ahsoka would mellow and become one of the most formidable Jedi around thanks to Anakin’s training, even holding her own against General Grievous more than once.

Towards the end of the series, Ahsoka was framed for a series of terrorist bombings and thrown out of the Jedi order. When her name was cleared she was offered her place back but refused, literally walking away from that part of her life. However, she couldn’t resist the call to action and fought in the Battle of Mandalore at the end of the Clone War, where she faced former Sith warrior Maul in combat. She would survive the events of Order 66 thanks to Anakin’s training and go into hiding for several years. Ahsoka would survive many encounters with Imperial Inquisitors, eventually joining Senator Organa in creating the early stages of the Rebel Alliance.

Fighting alongside the members of Phoenix Squadron, Ahsoka would come face to face with Darth Vader. During the battle with Vader, she learned the truth that he was once Anakin Skywalker. Since then, Ahsoka has been helping to search for a way to bring the missing Ezra Bridger home. During the events of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels Ahsoka was played by Ashley Eckstein, but will be played by Rosario Dawson in Ahsoka.

Sabine Wren

Sabine Wren is a Mandalorian explosive and weapons expert who was a member of the Ghost crew and the Phoenix Squadron cell in the Rebel Alliance. A former Imperial cadet, Sabine defected from the Empire when she discovered that her weapon designs were being developed into tech used to kill her fellow Mandalorians. She spent some time working as a bounty hunter before joining the crew of The Ghost, a small band of criminals and thieves.

When the Ghost Crew took a more active role in the Rebel Alliance, it was Sabine’s art which was used as inspiration for the symbol that the organisation would take on. During this time, Sabine would also lead efforts to bring Mandalorian factions into the conflict to help against the Empire, using the Darksaber (a relic of both the Jedi and Mandalorians) that she acquired from Maul to do so. Despite weilding the saber, Sabine handed it to Bo Katan, who she saw as a worthy leader to follow.

When Ezra Bridger was lost in the fight to retake his home world Sabine made a promise to watch over his planet, Lothal, for him and remained there until the end of the war against the Empire. Sabine was played by Tiya Sircar in Star Wars Rebels, and will be played by Natasha Liu Bordizzo in Ahsoka.

Grand Admiral Thrawn

Originally from the Unknown Regions of space, Thrawn is a member of the Chiss Ascendancy, an aristocratic oligarchical organisation that ruled their own empire. Discovered on a desolate planet on the edges of space, Thrawn managed to sneak his way on board an Imperial Star Destroyer after tormenting the crew on the planet for several hours. Eventually captured, his actions were so impressive that he was brought before the Emperor. Thrawn promised to bring his impressive mind to work for the Empire and was inducted into the Imperial Accademy, which he graduated from in record time. Despite his unorthodox tactics, Thrawn quickly rose through the ranks, eventually having the title of Grand Admiral created for him by the Emperor.

With the actions of Phoenix Squadron causing havoc on the planet Lothal, Thrawn was sent to bring the rebels to heel, something Imperial Inquisitors and Darth Vader had failed to do. Thrawn would engage the crew of the Ghost several times, landing a number of blows against the rebel forces. Eventually, a final battle between the two groups took place over the skies of Lothal, where Jedi Ezra Bridger used the Force to summon space whales to the rebels’ aid. The whales surrounded the ship that they were on, and he and Thrawn vanished into deep space. Since then there have been whispers of Thrawn working in the shadows to rebuild and continue the Empire. Thrawn was played by Lars Mikkelsen in Star Wars Rebels, and will be reprising the role for Ahsoka.

Hera Syndulla

Daughter of the Twi’lek freedom fighter Cham Syndulla, Hera was raised from a young age to fight for what’s right. With a passion for flying, Hera would eventually leave her home world, which had fallen under Imperial rule, and took her fight out into the galaxy. Becoming an agent for Bail Organa in the early days of the Rebellion, Hera met the surviving Jedi Kanan Jarrus on a mission and the two of them teamed up to take down the Empire. Over the coming years, the two of them would be joined by more allies who eventually grew into a crew and family on board Hera’s ship, the Ghost.

Hera became a key figure in the early days of the Rebellion, leading a number of important and dangerous missions, eventually earning the rank of General. She and Kanan became lovers as the years progressed and she would eventually have his son, Jacen, though Kanan would die before ever knowing that Hera was pregnant. Despite the loss of her lover, and other members of her found family, Hera continued in her fight against the Empire and was present at several notable battles, including the Battle of Scariff and the Battle of Endor. Hera was played by Vanessa Marshall in Star Wars Rebels, and will be played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead in Ahsoka.

Ezra Bridger

An orphan who grew up on the streets of Lothal after his parents were arrested by the Empire, Ezra discovered that he had a connection to the Force after meeting up with the crew of the Ghost. Originally out only for himself, the Ghost crew offered him his first chance to help others, and it was something that he realised he wanted to do. Trained by the Jedi Kanan Jarrus, Ezra would become strong with the Force whilst battling against the Empire, fighting against a number of Inquisitors, and even surviving an encounter with Darth Vader thanks to the intervention of Ahsoka Tano.

Kanan wasn’t the only person who had an interest in teaching Ezra, however, and he formed a strange relationship with former Sith warrior Maul. Maul wished to take Ezra on as an apprentice, and Ezra even used a Sith holocron for a while in order to learn more about the Force. Ultimately, though Ezra turned his back on learning from the Dark Side and continued his fight against the Empire. After the death of Kanan, Ezra brought together all of his allies to help free his home world of the Empire. Whilst the plan ultimately worked, Ezra never saw the results. Using the Force to summon space whales to his aid, Thrawn’s ship, along with Ezra, was transported across space. Ezra had left a message thanking the Ghost crew for being his family, but remains lost to this day. Ezra was played by Taylor Gray in Star Wars Rebels, and will be played by Eman Esfandi in Ahsoka.

There have been a number of other characters confirmed to be returning for Ahsoka though the extend of their involvement remains unknown. C1-10P ‘Chopper’, Hera’s droid and member of the Ghost crew has been seen in the trailer. Chopper is a droid who fought in the Clone Wars, has a grumpy disposition, and actually owns one of the highest body counts in all of Star Wars. Genevive O’Reilly will be reprising her role of Mon Mothma, now a member of the New Republic. Most exciting of all, it has been revealed that Hayden Christensen will be appearing as Anakin Skywalker, though we are yet to know if that will be as a Force Ghost or in flashback form. 

Imperial Magistrate Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto), whom Ahsoka fought against in her live action debut in The Mandalorian, will also be returning. And rounding out the returning characters is David Tennant as Professor Huyang, an ancient droid who has helped to teach Jedi to craft lightsabers for generations; they appeared in Star Wars: The Clone Wars alongside Ahsoka. It has not been confirmed if remaining Ghost crew member Zeb will be appearing in Ahsoka, but considering he appeared in The Mandalorian in a scene that would have cost a lot to make it’s likely he will also be appearing at some point.

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Aliens – Life as a Fan

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

Something that always seems to raise eyebrows with people when I tell them a bit about my love for the 1986 sci-fi horror blockbuster Aliens, is that it’s one of the first things that I can ever remember watching. Thanks to a childhood with some very laid back uncles who never really cared what videos I ended up borrowing from their rooms whenever I was around my nan’s house growing up, I ended up watching some stuff on TV that was way above my age range. My mother likes to remind me of how I wouldn’t go near windows after the sun went down for months when I was three because ‘Freddy Monster’ (Freddy Krueger from A Nightmare on Elm Street) was going to get me. But that’s a film my young mind successfully removed from my memories. One that never went, however, was Aliens.

I don’t know what it was about that film that grabbed me the way it did, whether it was the story, the craftsmanship of the movie, or simply the Xenomorph itself, but there was something that prevented my young mind – way too young for a film such as that – from putting it into the same secure lock-box as Freddy. As such, when I remember my childhood viewing habits whenever I stayed around my nan’s on a Saturday morning it’d be watching cartoons like 90’s Spider-Man and X-Men, followed by watching Aliens again. I knew that this wasn’t something that ‘normal’ kids were doing, that no one else my age I knew was watching Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and the Colonial Marines every week, but it was something that, for some reason, meant a lot to me.

Luckily, my parents not only allowed this, but were fine with it, and it soon just became my thing. Not only that, but this began to expand out into other areas, and I was soon watching Predator with a regularity too, and I remember the joy when I’d come down for breakfast one morning and my mum would tell me that Predator 2, or Alien 3 had been on the night before, and that she’d taped them for me, expanding my love for both franchises. My nan came home from the charity shop one day and presented me with an old Alien Queen figure – complete with tail whipping action, and a thing you could squeeze under her carapace to make her inner mouth shoot out – with a huge sense of achievement because she knew I’d love it; and I did, and still own it to this day. I remember when we were round the house of a family friend and some movie show on TV was going behind the scenes of the upcoming Alien Resurrection and the other adults in the room were shocked to see this ten-year-old get super excited for it.

Alas, ten was far too young to convince my parents to sneak me into a showing of Alien Resurrection, so it was another film that I had to wait for a parent to record off television for me. As the years went by and I grew, up my love for the franchise, and the second film in particular, only grew. Even when I finally got to watch the original film, the last of the four main entries I saw, it failed to unseat Aliens as my favourite. The film would also go on to inspire a love of both science fiction and horror throughout my young life, and they became two genres that would go on to mean a lot to me. I would absorb anything I could get my hands on, and ended watching a lot of geeky TV because of it. It’s not hard to trace so many of the things I love now to that one film, and the effect that it had on me.

Despite being a very gifted reader as an adult, both my reading and writing skills into my early teens were not great, and I would have a lot of extra help in that regards as I fell behind my peers in relation to reading and writing ability. One of the things that’s hard about needing that extra help at that age is that you don’t want to be seen as needing it. It’s hard to hide the fact that you’re being taken out of class for what were labelled as ‘Special Needs’ lessons, but you could try and play it down by not reading books designed for primary school kids in order to practice your reading skills.

The peer pressure around fitting in, and the desire not to become a target for bullies mean you can often neglect the best things to do to help you. So, I didn’t want to read the ‘kids books’ my teachers were advising. But then I discovered something that would help my reading: graphic novels. My small town didn’t have a lot of variety in its shops, but there was this fantastic discount book shop that used to be there that had some amazing graphic novels in it. The ones that, of course, took my eye, were the Aliens ones being published by Dark Horse. I bought whatever I could from there, even getting in trouble for spending my money a time or two, and would go over those books again and again. And reading those comics helped; it helped my reading skills, and it helped spark a love of reading that would never leave me. I was ready to give up, to consign myself to never being able to read and write properly, but the Aliens comics helped to change my life.

Over the years my love of Aliens would continue, and I’d snap up the new releases as they came out. I remember when the four films were collected together onto DVD for the Alien Quadrilogy box set, which came with alternate versions of each film, and around three to five hours of extra features each. This box set was a blessing because it not only helped to stop the VHS copy of Aliens from wearing out to nothing, but it allowed me to delve into the making of the film.

I would watch those behind the scenes interviews and features more times than some other movies I owned, and I loved hearing the stories about the production, and seeing how they brought the film to life. Not only was I now able to recite every line of the movie, but I cold tell you stories about what was used to make the sets, how the props people came up with the vehicles and guns, and stories about things that the actors did on set. I absorbed it all in a way that I was never able to with other films.

Despite all of this, despite watching the film hundreds of times (not an exaggeration), watching the behind the scenes stuff, playing the video games, reading the comics, reading the novels, owning the toys, there was one thing that I’d never done which was always hanging in the back of my mind; I’d never seen the film in the cinema. There were times that I’d see it playing in small, independent cinemas, but these showings would often be on the other side of the country, in the middle of a large city late a night, and getting to them was always impossible. It felt like something that would just never happen. But then it was announced that it would be releasing for this year’s Alien Day, and I thought I finally had my chance. Then I saw that the times didn’t line up well for my partners’ schedules, and I was going to miss out again. Then they added a second day’s showing.

And this is the entire point of this article, the thing I’ve been building towards, me finally getting to watch my favourite film, a movie I’ve been watching over and over my entire life, in the cinema for the first time. We booked the tickets for the Saturday night following Alien Day, and I began counting down the days. A nervous excitement began to build inside me, and on the day I found myself clock watching more than once. When the time arrived I sat down in the seat, and had to fight back some tears as the film opened. I don’t know why it felt so emotional to me, but it felt like this was the ultimate end goal for this film for me, that I’d achieved something I’d become resigned to never happening. And it stirred emotions in me.

Having watched the film so many times I was expecting to get something of the same experience watching it on the big screen, but it made the entire thing feel like a fresh experience. I was picking out details that would have either been too small on TV screens to be noticed, or that had just blurred into the background for me because I’d not watched the movie with such focus in years. But it was the sound that got me too. The music had never sounded better, the chime of the motion tracker was never as sharp and scary, and I could feel the rumble of the gunfire and explosions for the first time. I’ve heard film fans say that certain films are made for the big screen, and have never really understood it until now. Aliens was meant to be seen in the cinema, and after more than thirty years of watching it in the wrong way, I finally got to see it done right. Despite coming out of the film at midnight, and having sat in a small, uncomfortable chair for so long my disabled body felt it was breaking, I was more awake and more happy than I’d been in a long time.

I have spent so many hours of my life absorbed in this franchise, and this one film in particular, that it feels like there are huge parts of my life and personality that are tied to it. I don’t know if I’d have fallen in love with the things I have if it weren’t for this movie, if my tastes would have been completely different without it. I don’t know if I’d have become the reader I am today, nor the writer I am, if it hadn’t have helped me through those challenges. Aliens isn’t just a film to me, it’s a part of my life, and it’s a part of my life that I got to experience in a whole new, wonderful way by seeing it in the cinema. It’s easy to scoff at people who talk about film as an experience, as something more than just entertainment, but something that matters; but I think we’ve all got that one film that means something special to us, that’s more than just a movie.

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