#queenofthearchipelago

So this past weekend at San Diego Comic Con, the crew confirmed the 'mythical 3rd arc' that we thought had been folded into arc 2 (S4—S5 being their own thing, and S6-S7 being the third arc) is actually still its own full blown thing. This would bring TDP to being a 10 season show in total, with three main arcs.

Previously, we thought S7 was the series finale, but it's been confirmed there are 3 more seasons planned after S7. This would constitute arc 3, and these still need to be greenlit. Whether Arc 2 will finish similarly to Arc 1 — most things wrapped up entirely with only a couple of loose threads — or on a big cliffhanger of sorts remains to be seen.

Arc 3 will likely feature another timeskip and focus on more magic lore / dealing with the Cosmic Order council that Aaravos seemingly wants to destroy.

The best thing to do is to rewatch S6 fully through consistently on Netflix (especially this first week / month), submit request forms to Netflix for seasons, review on sites on IMBD and Rotten Tomatoes, and use hashtags like #GiveUsTheSaga and #ContinueTheSaga on Twitter (and potentially tumblr).

Learning about it felt like this and I'm still losing my mind

As in, why is everyone shipping Ford and Bill? Is that canon? I only casually watched the show as a teenager, I don't have lore lol

As crazy as it sounds... yes. Despite Ahsoka Tano (a main character in The Clone Wars but just a supporting cast member in Rebels) being the title character, the series is very much a direct sequel to Rebels. Honestly, after watching the first two episodes, I have no idea how the showrunners could claim you "don't need to have seen Rebels to understand it." You very much do. It's not like Rebels itself, which was an introduction into the world of Star Wars through the eyes of a brand-new character. This literally picks up characters and plot lines from Rebels and carries on with the assumption you know what's happening.

Are we happy about it? I would say... at peace. We've known since 2020 the show was coming, and since last year that it would more or less be our Rebels sequel (although just how very much so was still a surprise, albeit a pleasant one). I think most of the Rebels fandom would agree with me that we wish the show had been animated. The actors (with the exception of Ahsoka herself, in my opinion) seem to have really studied the animated characters' mannerisms, and they do feel like the same characters, even if it's still very strange to hear them speaking in different voices. Overall, I'm satisfied and quite excited to see where it goes.

Unfortunately, I think that the series is a victim of the mindset that live action is superior to animation. Most of the wider Star Wars fandom and general population ignored Rebels when it aired, and even now a lot of casual fans are upset that they have to watch a KiDs' ShOw to understand what's going in a BIG IMPORTANT LIVE ACTION series like Ahsoka. And it's unfair. These characters are incredible, and so many people are only giving them attention now that they're in live action. They have so much rich history!

Of course! Michael's philosophy really spoke to me so deeply too. It's worth putting on a frame. Here are the links!

➡️ Meta on How Aziraphale's Choice to Go to Heaven Connects to Michael Sheen's Belief in the Strength and Bravery of Goodness

➡️ Clip of Michael Sheen Describing how "to be good takes enormous reserves of courage and stamina" at MCM London Comic Con 2022

Crap, that's a hard one! Hm...

I know I for sure had something like that planned, but it might've been part 2 of my "Why S4 is Good, Actually" series that would've focused on both Callum (individually) and Rayla (as a couple) and we'll see if I get around to it. Part 1 about Rayla here.

But there's basically three layers stacked on top of each other when it comes to Callum's arc being shown > spelled out. Not that prior seasons do spell things out (or that spelling things out is bad) but that S4 definitely, understandably, relies on the fact that we have characterization context and therefore contrast with the previous three seasons to help us along. So let's talk about it

1) Previous characterization

In previous seasons, Callum hardly ever has to be prodded to open up. If anything, he gives heartfelt speeches or talks about how he's feeling quite often with very little prompting or even sometimes segue. He's goofy and more excited and deeply curious. Now, some of his changes in S4 is due to age and maturity (re: how much more mellowed out he is in Xadia compared to the googly-eyed amazement in most of S3, even in the new regions they travel to in S4). We also see that he's far less impatient, far more irritable regarding a lack of answers (1x06 with Rayla in a high stakes situation vs 4x01 with Soren in a possibly high stakes situation) and that a lack of answers is specifically triggering to him (4x02's book outburst). Callum's triggers - being unable to speak (1x02) / breathe (2x08-2x09) / choking (3x09) - are also important to keep in mind as to why the possession scene, which leaves him gasping for breath like he's being choked and then being literally deprived of his voice, affects him quite so deeply (beyond the obvious).

He is also, as previously noted, a lot more emotionally shut down about Rayla, but also just in general. He's still feeling like an awkward fit in his position at court, but this time it's as high mage rather than as prince ( "All that high mage stuff is so stuffy-" "Let's go talk about it in the high mage's office, that is, my office"). All of this is compounded particularly in the way he cannot say either Viren or Rayla's names until, well, she shows up:

2) Viren parallels

Now, I think there are two layers to the Viren parallels (many of which I am still dissecting and wanting to dissect). There are the more overt ones when it comes to magic and their dynamics with Aaravos: being obsessed with the mirror, Viren asking to be allowed to let go / die while Callum asks for Rayla to kill him, with both Claudia and Rayla refusing. (More on that hot mess of a squad's dynamic in S4 here.)