figuring it out

*Spoilers ahead for DnD: Honor Among Thieves* 

I have a lot of love for subtle, well executed storytelling like the blue dragonfly that shows up throughout Edgin’s arc. The editing in that death/resurrection scene really sells the emotion beyond the literal content of the scene while placing trust in its audience to make the connection. I appreciate the symbolic meaning behind the dragonfly, but my little gremlin brain can’t help but take it one step further and wonder about its literal presence within the world of the movie. Even if it is not meant to be the same individual insect, the timings of the blue dragonfly’s appearances seem too perfect to be a random (e.g. dancing on the flames of Zia’s funeral pyre, landing on Edgin’s forearm after Holga passes). It’s almost as if it is following Ed around.

On the way to the Orifice, Xenk offers Ed some wisdom on the subject of resurrection: “I’d only ask that you consider that this plane we call ‘life’ is but one of many. To drag your lady love back to her old life is to deprive her of her new one.” This is a great character moment that also delivers an important piece of worldbuilding: when people leave the material plane through death, they are reincarnated or otherwise continue their existence on a different plane. You may see where I’m going with this.

Enter the Zia-Dragonfly extraplanar visitor hypothesis. Yes, the name could use some work. It is already widely accepted that the dragonfly is a visual representation of Zia living on in Ed’s memories. In addition to this reading, I propose that the dragonfly may be a subtle physical manifestation of Zia’s extraplanar influence within the world of the story. Even if she cannot physically return to the material plane, something about her new existence may allow her to visit or influence it in a small way. If true, then the recurring appearance of the blue dragonfly has sentient intention behind it, with Zia selecting this form for her messenger to evoke a specific memory in Ed and communicate its associated life lesson at key moments. This would provide a diegetic explanation for why the dragonfly appears when and where it does while offering Zia’s character more agency in the narrative in a way that feels appropriately subtle, yet satisfying.

“Light and darkness are part of the painting. Part of me.”

Not Star Wars: Visions giving us a visually stunning, beautiful representation of a person using art therapy to understand, heal, and grow from past psychological trauma. I love that it’s not just an aesthetic choice, but an integrated part of her emotional, thematic journey. It gives her the perspective and the strength to break free from life chosen for her by her former Sith master (read: abuser) and carve her own path, liberating herself physically and psychologically from his influence.

CW: abuse

To me, the Sith have always been about power, about manipulation, about abuse. They offer false hope as a lure to ensnare people when they are at their most vulnerable. They offer you what you think you need while gutting your support system, isolating you from those who could pull you back above water. Before you know it, the decisions you say you are making are no longer your own. And so, the visually brightest scene of the episode becomes its darkest moment thematically.

I am amazed that Star Wars continues to tell meaningful, complex stories about survivors, those who are able to liberate themselves from the confines of interpersonal and systemic abuse, as well as those who are unable to break free... yet. 

This is why hope is so fundamentally important, not just in Star Wars or in storytelling, but in the real lives we lead. There is always, ALWAYS hope. 

Apotheosis / Abduction