Tag: yoda

Book Review: The Dark Lord Trilogy

My first experience of a Star Wars movie was Return of the Jedi. I was quite young, and with little to zero knowledge of the English language. Nevertheless, George Lucas’ creativity, and the seemingly expansive world of Star Wars with its magnificent Star Destroyers, exotic planets and alien species, the imposing Darth Vader, and the pure awesomeness of lightsabers got me hooked. I have remained a fan of the franchise ever since.

Star Wars The Dark Lord Trilogy was an engrossing experience that revisited events surrounding my favorite movie of the prequel trilogy, Revenge of the Sith. The book is in fact a combination of three novels: Labyrinth of Evil, Revenge of the Sith, and Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader.

While the book is not necessarily considered to be fully canon (excluding the novelization of Revenge of the Sith) in the present state of the franchise, the volume as a whole offers a unique perspective for the reader into the struggles of the “hero with no fear” Anakin Skywalker, his fall, and subsequent evolution into the dark lord of the Sith, Darth Vader.

Having watched the animated Clone Wars series (2003 and 2008 versions) I initially didn’t expect to be surprised (in terms of content) by the book. Having now completed the volume, I  can say I was sorely mistaken.

Knowing what is to come in Revenge of the Sith adds a sense of emergency throughout James Luceno’s Labyrinth of Evil. The Labyrinth of Evil provides an in-depth perspective of the epic chain of events leading into the last days of the Republic and the inevitable fall of the Jedi Order. Luceno takes the audience deeper into the pysche of the prominent players of the stage including fan-favorites Obi-Wan Kenobi, Mace Windu, Master Yoda, Padme Amidala, and many more as they walk towards their irrevocable fates in Revenge of the Sith. The events play out through the thoughts of the characters rather than as standalone observations adding greater depth and personality to the encounter.

“The circle is now complete” in Stover’s Revenge of the Sith where our heroes meet their  inenvitable downfall. As readers, we are left to wonder what could have been had certain plot threads met their rightful end but these thoughts are drowned amid the torrent of emotions that surround Anakin Skywalker: fear, guilt, betrayal, trust, friendship, and love, and leaving him the burned and mutilated husk of a man eventually reborn as Darth Vader. 

“You killed her because, finally, when you could have saved her, when you could have gone away with her, when you could have been thinking about her, you were thinking about yourself…and now your self is all you will ever have.”

“The hero with no fear” is an ironic moniker for Anakin Skywalker as throughout the events of his life leading up to his fall, he lives very much in fear, and rightfully so. Anakin’s childhood as a slave, his love for his lost mother, and wife Padme Amidala, alongside an uncertain future where he perceives the loss of his loved ones, are the instruments of his fall and the crux of his fears. Yet, it is those very same fears that make him who he is, a human.

Master Yoda’s perception and neglect of this basic fact, and the Jedi Council’s twisted interpretation of human emotion run contradictory to their own attachments to the Republic. Consequently, the fall of the Jedi becomes a foregone conclusion and to the readers, a deserving end to an order that had become stale, ignorant, and self-absorbed in its own search and control of power.

“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”

Anakin is reborn in the fires of Mustafar as the newly christened Darth Vader. Despite the various “machinations” that he now dons as the impregnable Dark Lord of the Sith, the final story of the volume, Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader, covers Anakin’s misconceptions, enduring guilt, self-doubt, and his true rise as “the hero with no fear.” With his rise, the Jedi endure a humbling transition under the hand of the galaxy’s ruthless new Emperor and his dreaded right hand, Darth Vader.

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The Dark Lord Trilogy is a must-read for all Star Wars fans alike. A tale of epic proportions, the stories add even more perspective to the classic space opera that is Star Wars.  While I would not suggest the novella for the newly initiated, the rich literature of the Star Wars universe beckons you forth to a galaxy far, far, away.

You can get started with this guide on the now defunct expanded universe which remains the source of Disney’s inspirations for current Star Wars products.

2019: The year in review

2019 was a roller-coaster ride, and it is now time to turn the page toward a new year. The ups and downs of 2019 have served to motivate my goals and aspirations, both of which share a common origin in the personal progress my life has witnessed thus far. The ride as a whole stabilized around November, providing me a chance to catch my breath, and get set for what I hope will be a much smoother 2020.

2019 arrived at a crossroads in various facets of my life involving my family, friends, and my career aspirations. Moving into 2020, I have about 1.5 years to go in completing my doctoral degree. 2020 also marks the continuation of a personal and introspective dialogue that has helped me come to terms with who I am as an individual, and who I wish to become in the future. 

Looking back, 2019 taught me an important lesson in being careful to not spread myself too thin in my efforts.  I had to set aside my “pen” and give myself time to contemplate in solitude. For so long, I had perceived said course of action to be foolish and of no use. 2019 and Yoda proved me wrong.

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I needed to be patient enough to first settle my doubts and misgivings before jumping on the irresistible bandwagon that included my lofty dreams and aspirations. I needed to ground myself in reality, and be a little more practical in my approach lest I go crazy with stress. More so, I had to learn to avoid being overly critical of myself which on many occasions led to frustrating results in my writing, and just about everything else, along with a veritable lack of confidence.

The last few months have served as personal rehabilitation. I took a step back, and relaxed. Occasional road-trips helped as well. Altogether, I let life sink in, and every now and then, pondered over the nagging doubts, slowly overcoming my insecurities while solidifying my personal vision for my future. With 2020 at my doorstep, I spent much of December gradually organizing the blue-print for a committed, productive, and practical schedule in my full-time pursuit of a career in writing.

I find writing to be a dynamic activity, and one that is heavily influenced by the writer’s state of mind and day-to-day experiences. What I needed to find was balance in my personal life (as well as share and help my family understand the ensuing changes, the toughest part of it all)  and 2019 has been a resounding success in that measure. So, having accomplished this, what exactly do I have in mind for 2020?

I love writing but I’m also too stubborn to give up my love for science. My efforts will thus take me toward a serious pursuit of a career “sun-lighting” as a science writer, and “moon-lighting” as  an aspiring author/comic-book artist. The Pensive Reverie  has provided me the chance to share my thoughts and opinions with my friends and followers around the world on a variety of topics. I hope to expand that empire of mine while focusing The Pensive Reverie as a hub where I can discuss my interests as an aspiring author/comic-book artist: comic books, book reviews, writing, poetry, anime, art and animation.

Meanwhile, I intend to gradually build a separate audience for The Procrastinating Scientist which will cover my interests as a science writer. While it doesn’t seem like much in the outset, there is a lot involved on both these fronts and I will do my best to post regular updates while fencing with my doctoral studies. With that being said, I wish everyone and all a very…

Red Hot Chili Peppers, and all about being a PhD student

It has been a vivacious start to 2018, and I have been immersed in my studies over the last few weeks, teeing up for another set of courses this winter semester while putting the last touches on a research paper I intend to publish very soon.

Given my absence for so long, I was quite torn about what to post on my return but it didn’t take me long to realize that the answer sat in plain view. So today, I intend to provide all of you a brief glimpse of my daily life, and exactly what keeps me so busy. Let’s dig in.

We begin with the usual wake up call at 7 a.m in the morning, a goal which in the immediate outset of things provides for varying rates of success depending on the season. With winter, it is an issue of hustle, when the purpose of an alarm is lost over several snooze snippets, resulting in a hustle to get to classes on time. With summer, it is an issue of hassle, when the purpose of an alarm is moot, thanks to my bed bathing in sunlight in the early hours of 5 a.m. in the morning. Welcome to Edmonton!

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Much like the amusing contrast of my forgetful friend Bucky Barnes’ season oriented fashion and epithet, the ritual of morning alarms in my life is largely hyperbolic in nature. 

Now, assuming things do go as planned, I begin my day at the university around 9 a.m. in the morning, jogging along to my courses or engaging in research otherwise, with a finely conditioned but old package of a portable workspace aka my Lenovo G505s laptop. Ideally, I finish at 5 p.m. returning home to proceed with dinner, going to the gym, and engaging in my hobbies (writing, art, music) before heading to bed by around midnight.

Now, with that being said, we all know the obvious outcome: when it comes to life, things never go as planned…

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I often relate my academic life to the act of cooking; I enjoy both equally. While I do love my Indian spices, I have no problem flirting with various cuisines from around the world. In the end, cooking is often about finding a delicate balance, and most importantly, maintaining it.

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Unless I’m asking to be caught at the end of a Gordon Ramsay rant. 

It is the same with my studies. Not one to be attached to a single subject of interest, I’m a fan of interdisciplinary science; a notion that parallels my current research on “hot electrons,” but more about that another time. Ultimately though, it is all about discipline, organization, and a strong ability to multi-task.

Thankfully, I do not lack in any of these categories but that doesn’t take away the usual stumbling blocks that appear every now and then. In that vein, with my PhD, it is all about juggling my degree requirements while simultaneously building towards my goals. This largely revolves around  amassing a wealth of scientific publications, advancing my resume, cooking up original research, and last but not least, having fun while avoiding stress as much as possible. All in all, it is a business modeled around a philosophy of accretion. If you have the right balance, you’ve pretty much hit jackpot. Of course, this is not what happens in most cases, and so while I’m strung up like Anakin Skywalker dealing with an annoying Jedi Council,

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two good friends of mine provide some much needed reminders and send me on my way,

Thus, I survive by running a strict diet of activities removed from my academic pursuits, and by this I mean indulging avidly in my long-term pursuit of becoming a writer/mangaka, not to mention catching up on all the reading and fun one tends to miss while at university.

Where does this cycle end? Truth is, in my case, it probably never will, and with time I’ve grown to enjoy it more than anything else. While the journey has its fair share of ups and down, at the end of the day, when I take a step back and think about it, my mind finds rest within the reality that it is no different from cooking a new recipe and making sure to have a healthy balance of spices (especially in the case of adding chilies, where one should only rub their eyes after having washed their hands…)

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It took over an hour of suppressed pain before my eyes cleared up. 

Keeping with that attitude, I hope to add to my list of goals, a steady accretion of weekly blog posts. Winter break oversaw a rapid increase in viewer traffic on my blog,

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leaving me invigorated with new strategies and topics to engage all of you, my wonderful readers in what I hope will be a wonderful 2018! So, until next week, toodles!