Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Rahm Kota vs Qui-gon Jinn versus script


MARTIAL ARTS
Over the course of his life, Rahm Kota served many different causes, be it the Republic, Rebellion or Jedi. However, there is one consistent: his skill with the blade. Unlike most Jedi, Rahm Kota was extremely aggressive and proactive, practicing the seventh Form. Compensating for his chosen forms weakness, Rahm Kota's skill was such that he could slice through waves of storm-troopers and even stalemate the exceedingly powerful Galen Marek, only being defeated through a combination of exhaustion and Marek's superior power in the Force. Skilled with a variety of other weapons and unarmed combat, Rahm Kota proved himself to be skilled in the gladiator arena, as well as more traditional combat fields. As the Jedi Order of Rahm Kota's time required that any Jedi mastering form seven have a good grasp on at least three other Forms, it is reasonable to believe that Rahm kota was experienced in multiple forms, if not all seven.

Qui-gon Jinn was a master swordsman, often described as one of the best in the Jedi Order. Jinn was a master of the acrobatic Form four, although his advancing age forced him to retool the Form to fit a more strength based fighting style. Even before then, considering who his Master was, I believe Jinn's style was heavily influenced by Form two. A masterful duelist, Jinn has proven himself on several occasions. He was one of the very few Jedi capable of defeating the skilled Jedi killer Aurra Sing. He has also clashed with his former apprentice, Xanatos, on multiple occasions, most often coming out on top against the skilled Dark Sider. Most impressively, Qui-gon Jinn went head to head with the lethal Sith assassin Darth Maul for almost fifteen straight minutes, only being defeated when his stamina gave out. However, Jinn did have his weaknesses. His Master was able to defeat him with little effort and he was ultimately incapable of overcoming Darth Maul.

When exaiming these two Jedi Masters prospective skill sets, it becomes clear that a purely martial arts engagement between Jinn and Kota would likely end in an impasse. Despite Kota's lethally aggressive style, I believe Jinn's showing against Maul proves he could hold off and defend against Kota's similar Form seven style as long as his stamina holds out. On the other hand, the fact that Kota forced Galen Marek to resort to his Force powers implies that anything short of an absolute Master will be incapable of overwhelming Kota outright. Both Kota and Jinn are also described as master swordsmen, with a good deal of refinement and skill to back up there staunch defenses and overpowering offenses. Tactical approaches do not change this standing, as both Jinn and Kota are straight forward martial artists, preferring to deal with problems as they arise. In short, neither Jinn or Kota can really claim the martial arts advantage, as they fight in a similar fashion with a similar amount of ability to a similar level of effectiveness. I declare Rahm Kota and Qui-gon Jinn equals in terms of martial arts.

FORCE POWERS
Despite wielding a green bladed Lightsaber, Rahm Kota was certainly not a Jedi Consular, or at least not a traditional one. Primarily being focused on combat, Rahm Kota's Force powers remained comparatively underdeveloped. His telekinesis, self augmentation and telepathy was capable, if not anything to right home about. I also believe that Kota mastered Force sight, as losing his vision did not appear to affect his fighting style much. Aside from his temporarily lose of his Force connection, there really isn't anything else to say about Kota.

Although his skill with a Lightsaber was advanced, Qui-gon Jinn's power in the Force was nearly legendary. Jinn could augment himself with the Force to overcome his advanced age, at least briefly. His use of telekinesis was basic but powerful, although Jinn was mostly unwilling to use it in suture with his blade. His telepathic abilities were highly refined, with Jinn often being criticized for an over reliance on Mind Tricks. Possibly his most outstanding ability, Jinn was the first Jedi in centuries to achieve oneness with the Force, a skill he later taught others.

In all honesty, there isn't much reason to discuss Kota and Jinn's respective power in, with and against the Force. Jinn is certainly more knowledgeable and enlightened when it comes to the deeper aspects of the Force, but this is a contest of combat viability, not spirituality. Jinn's deep connection to the Force doesn't actually afford him any ability's beyond the standard Jedi Master fare and, ironically, Kota's greater focus on more mundane and practical aspects of the Force might actually surpass Jinn's abilities in this regard. However, as things stand, both these Masters are much more willing and likely to resolve conflict through there skill with a blade than overpowering displays of the Force. I once again declare Rahm Kota and Qui-gon Jinn equals, this time in the Force powers category.

PHYSICAL SKILLS
Rahm Kota was a middle aged human male in extremely good condition, at least for a man of his years. He was in extreme physical condition, surviving in a brutal arena battle for days on end without rest, which indicates an insane level of endurance. Due to wounds sustained during his battle against Vaders secret apprentice, Galen Marek, Kota was blinded.

At the time of the battle of Naboo, Qui-gon Jinn was a Human male exactly sixty years of age. Due to his old age, Jinn was no longer capable of the advanced agility he demonstrated in his youth, although he compensated for this with a good deal of physical strength. Although his endurance was good for a man of his years, Jinn's stamina still had it's limits.

At last, a clear cut advantage. For a man of his years, Jinn is in amazing shape with enough speed and agility to match much younger warriors and, although it is far from perfect, his stamina is passable, not to mention his exceptional physical strength. However, Kota has shown just as much speed and agility, almost as much strength and a near inhuman level of stamina. The ability to go days on end in a brutal combat environment without rest is a feat not many, old and young alike, can match. In terms of pure stamina and an unwillingness to die goes, the only ones who really have Kota beat are Darth Malgus and Tol Braga. Needless to say, Kota can take anything Jinn throws at him and keep going, long after Jinn has collapsed from exhaustion. I give Rahm Kota the physical skills edge.

WEAPONS & EQUIPMENT
Rahm Kota, despite most defiantly not being a Jedi consular, was equipped with a emerald bladed Lightsaber.. Kota also wore a suit of battle armor.

Qui-gon Jinn's weapon of choice was a simple hilted, green bladed Lightsaber that signified his strong connection with the Force.

Niether Kota's or Jinn's Lightsaber have any inherent advantage over the other Masters weapon of choice. Kota's armor does not provide any protection against Lightsaber blades, meaning that it won't be a game changer either. In the end, Rahm Kota and Qui-gon Jinn are dead set equals in terms of weapons and equipment.

THE VERDICT
Unfortunately, I think you all have a pretty good idea of where I am going with this. A martial arts duel between these two would almost certainly result in an impasse, and there prospective Force powers would not do much to change this. There completely standard armament does nothing to offset this stalemate. In short, who wins this battle comes down to who can keep on there feet longer, and in that regard Rahm Kota leaves Qui-gon jinn in the dust. Visually, this battle would play out in the same fashion as Anakin vs Kenobi and Qui-gon vs Maul. It would be a battle of equals, with neither truly capable of claiming the High ground. However, as the fight wears on, Jinn wears down, and ultimately fatigue and exhaustion causes him to slip up and make a mistake, with fatal consequences. Now, of course, this is just one possible scenario. It is entirely possible that Jinn could overcome Kota and take him down before his energy runs out. However, it is equally possible that Kota would find a way around Jinn and take him down before the fight progresses to that point. It is simply my opinion that the most likely scenario is Kota winning a war of attrition, giving him an eight out of ten chance of victory, when combined with his other opportunities for winning. I delcare Jedi Master Rahm Kota the winner.

Saturday, January 17, 2015

What If: The C.I.S won the Clone Wars/Dooku killed Anakin & Kenobi


The year is 19 BBY. High above Coruscant, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker furiously duels Count Dooku, as Palpatine looks on. As the duel continues, Dooku eggs Anakin on, driving the young Jedi into a furious, overwhelming rage. His blows grow stronger. His Force powers heighten. His offensive grows faster. His blade-work grows...sloppy. Completely unbalanced by his rage, Anakin fails to meet the Counts attack properly. Taking advantage, Dooku runs the young man through, ending the life of the Hero with no fear. But how did events get to this point? Why didn't Anakin overcome the Count, as in canon? How else does this scenario differ? Lets see, shall we?

Three years earlier, Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala are captured on Geonosis while attempting to rescue Jedi Master Obi-wan Kenobi. The three are sentenced to public execution in a gladiator arena, all the three of them manage to survive the onslaught of the deadly arena beasts. However, as Padme is felled by a Destroy Droid (Much to Nute Gunray's delight) and the Jedi barely manage to survive the attacks of Jango Fett, Dooku realizes that his Masters plan has gone wrong: The Jedi have not shown up to rescue there own. Eventually, after the Jedi manage to subdue Jango and kill another wave of attackers, Dooku calls off the ceremony, keeping Master and Apprentice captive. Soon, the Count discovers the reason for the lack of rescue attempts: the Republic has officially declared war on the Separatist movement, using the Clone army as expected, but the Jedi have denounced the movement and refused to get involved: They will not serve as the Republics generals. Disappointed by the Orders decision, Palpatine is forced to hastily change his plans: Instead of manipulating the war from behind the scenes, slowly eroding the Jedi's morals and the Republic, he will instead have the Separatists win the war, forming a new Order out of whats left of the Galaxy after the war. Despite his confidence in his new plan, Palpatine is more than a little worried when Dooku takes to the new idea with much more enthusiasm than the Sith master would like. For Dooku's part, the Count immediately sends the droid army at the Republic in full force and, without there Jedi generals (Who have withdrawn to Tython to even further limit there involvement in the war) the Republic is quickly pushed onto its back foot. Meanwhile, Dooku finally manages to convince Kenobi to join his cause, although Anakin (Furious at the death of Padme) denounces both his Count and his Master and eventually escapes, joining the Republic military against the Jedi's wishes. For three long years, the Republic struggles to mount anything but a last ditch defense, until Dooku brings them to there knees: He allows DR. Nuvo Vindi to create a deadly new virus that only affects clones, almost completely wiping out the Republics army. With the entire C.I.S navy quickly approaching through Hyperspace, the panicked citizens on Coruscant are shocked at who arrives first: the Jedi. Remorseful at the countless lives loosed due to there inaction, the entire Jedi Order is finally throwing there lot in with the Republic, to defend the galactic capital. Also among there number is Obi-wan Kenobi: remorseful for his actions under Dooku, Kenobi arrives to warn the other Jedi of the sheer size of the approaching droid army and fleet, as well as to patch things up with Anakin. Less than an hour later, the droids arrive and the final battle of the Clone Wars begins. Rallying, the Jedi fight valiantly, despite being outnumbered a thousand to one. Although they sustain many casualties, the Jedi and whats left of the Republic's non-clone military manage to defend Coruscant for over twenty-four hours straight, cutting down wave after wave of attackers, albeit with heavy casualties. Unwilling to bombard the planets surface (Wanting to capture, not destroy, the capital world) Dooku instead turns to another strategy: he publicly unveils Palpatine as a Sith lord over the Holonet. Although Sidious is furious at Dooku's actions, the act still has the desired affect: All across the planets surfaces Jedi un-ignite there weapons, crestfallen at how much effort they put into defending there Orders worst enemy. Dooku has succeeded where hundreds of Sith have previously failed. Dooku has broken the will of the Jedi Order. The Count calmly allows the surviving Jedi to pass the Separatist blockade, while the Republic officially surrenders and Palpatine arrives aboard the Separatist flagship to congratulate Dooku on his success. However, not all the Jedi are willing to give up so easy: Anakin, seeking revenge, and Kenobi, seeking redemption, unite for one final mission: The two Jedi board the ship and confront Dooku and Palpatine, with the intention of ending the Sith threat. Permanently. Unfortunately, both Anakin and Kenobi have spent over a day fighting and are far to exhausted to defeat the Count. At one point, both Jedi could be sure they would survive the fight, as Palpatine wanted Anakin to survive, while Dooku would be unwilling to kill Kenobi. This time However, Dooku has other plans. When he is thrown into the wall, Kenobi's neck is snapped by the impact killing him. As detailed above, Dooku unbalances and slays Anakin as well. Palpatine is once again furious at the Count for disobeying his order and prepares to kill the erstwhile apprentice. Unfortunately for the Dark Lord, Dooku manages to make a hasty exit from the Generals quarters, before sealing off the room. As Palpatine rants at him, Dooku calmly denounces the entire Sith Order and explains his plans: With the Confederacy in command of the galaxy, he will finally be able to rebuild society according to his vision. And Dooku's vision has no room for Sith. Palpatine becomes weightless as the quarters depressurize and he is blow out into space. For a brief moment The Sith lord believes he will be able to use his powers to survive the vacuum, seconds before he is disintegrated by a Turbolaser blast. Dooku doesn't take chances.

With all possible threats finally destroyed, Dooku can finally begin shaping the Galactic society according to his will. The Confederacy takes up shop on Coruscant, establishing total rule over the entire Galaxy. The only exception is Hutt space, and that doesn't last long, as Dooku orders his forces to invade and capture it: Half a decade later they succeed and the Confederacy's rule if finally complete. On a smaller scale, Dooku allows trade to rapidly expand without restriction from the likes of the Trade Federation: Soon, Galactic citizens experience an amount of wealth and way of life unprecedentedly good...if you are a Human. Dooku may have been the leader of the Confederacy but his personal ideals and philosophy were much closer to that of the Empire. Especially his policy on race. Practically every high ranking Non-human is executed and discrimination rises like a tidal wave across the board. As time goes on, the Confederacy becomes more and more constricting, combining Dooku's ideal of total government control and the supposed freedom of his movement. On a personal level, Shortly after the battle of Coruscant when Grievous discovers a young Force sensitive Pau'an orphan, Dooku finally executes the general (Obstinately to keep the boys existence a secret) and begins training the Pau'an as his apprentice, despite Dooku claiming to no longer follow the ways of the Sith, or tolerate non-Humans for that matter. About this same time, Dooku uses his position of power to force whats left of the Jedi, as well as the Nightsisters, Baron Do and many other Force sensitive groups, to come directly under his personal command, forming a "New" Jedi Order. For the next ten years or so, Dooku's wonderful vision continues to expand, forcing countless world to his "benevolent" control. However, Dooku miscalculated when it came to his own servant, as most Dark Siders (And dictators for that matter) do. The Count is eventually killed by the young Dark Sider, who seizes power for himself and once again embraces the way of the Sith, Dubbing himself Darth Ural and taking a young woman known as Mara Jade as his Apprentice. Under Ural's command, the Confederacy begins to falter: Its relentless expansion stalls, its "senate" becomes controlled by bribery and black mail, the Jedi and Hutts gain a degree of freedom and so on. Even with a Pau'an now secretly pulling the strings of government, the pro Human stance remains, many alien species being persecuted into extinction. Ultimately, without Dooku to guide it into a gloriously imperialistic state, the government he established becomes exactly what the Count despised: decadent and corrupt, secretly controlled by the Sith. However, one must wonder what would happen in, say, twenty years, when this faltering, xenophobic government (That just happens to prefer the use of a droid army) is discovered by the Yuuzhan Vong. What indeed.

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

What if: Darth Maul and General Grievous switched places


Although both Darth Sidious and Tyranus had there own fair share of pawns, perhaps these two were there most famous. Both Darth Maul and General Grievous played important but ultimately forgotten roles in Galactic history: Maul reviled the existence of the Sith for the first time in thousands of years, and Grievous lead the Separatist army to countless victories, leaving destroyed worlds in his wake. However, what would happen if history shifted ever so slightly and there roles were reversed? Lets see, shall we?

When Mother Talzin is killed by a Jedi strike team, Sidious is left without a prospective means of acquiring an apprentice. However, when a group of Republic delegates lead by Sheev Palpatine was sent to the war torn world of Kalee, Sidious discovered an orphaned Kaleesh with a strong conection to the Force. Snatching the young child right out from under the noses of the Jedi, Sidious began raising the Kaleesh, now dubbed Darth Grievous, as his personal assassin. Eventually, when the Sith's plans on Naboo go awry thanks to Jedi intervention, Sidious finally decides it is time to revile the Sith Orders existence. To this end, he send Darth Grievous to Naboo, which quickly turns the tide in favor of the Sith's plotting: Although he ultimately fails to secure a total victory, Grievous does manage to escape, killing a young Obi-wan Kenobi in the process. Despite the Jedi now being aware of his existence (With Qui-gon Jinn and Anakin in particular gunning for revenge) Darth Grievous managed to avoid capture for the next ten years, although he did decide to build a cybernetic exoskeleton, which he began to favor for use in combat. Eventually, he was assigned to protect Ex-Jedi Count Dooku, the leader of the Separatist movement. However, Sidious's treatment of Dooku convinces Grievous that the Dark Lord plans to eventually betray him. Before Grievous can put any serious effort into overthrowing Sidious, he becomes involved in the opening battle of the Clone Wars on Geonosis, where he has the misfortune of running into Mace Windu. Although the Sith apprentice if finally killed, Darth Grievous is not the last pawn to be played by the Sith.

After Mother Talzin's death, her youngest son is captured by a rival Nightsister clan on Dathomir. This, however, turns about to be a big mistake on there side. Growing up a slave, Maul's anger, and by extinction his Dark Side powers, were fostered from a young age. Finally, the young Zabrak begins a revolution, taking over the Nightsister clan and beginning a power base on the normally female dominated society. Taking on the name "Maul", he continued to attack and conquer Nightsister clans. Slowly but surely subjugating the entire planet. However, this bid for power was cut short when his actions brought him to the attention of Darth Grievous. Tricking the powerful Maul into a meting with the leaders of Black Sun to discus hiring the Nightsisters, Grievous engineered an accident that cost Maul his legs. Replacing the lower half of the heavily wounded Zabrak, Grievous managed to convince Maul to join the separatist cause, although he secretly planned to use Maul against Sidious. After Grievous's death on Geonosis, Maul become the servant of Count Dooku, being given command of the Separatists droid army. Over the course of the next three years, Maul proved himself to be a capable leader, securing many victories for the Confederacy and personally killing dozens of Jedi. Due to these actions, Maul was brought into conflict multiple times with the Jedi Master Qui-gon Jinn, the two matching wits and blades on more than one occasion. Eventually, the Penultimate, for both the Clone Wars and Maul, would arrive. After Count Dooku was killed in a botched attempt to invade Coruscant, Maul was placed in complete command of the Separatists. Before he could make any significant changes however, Maul was tracked down by Qui-gon Jinn for a final confrontation with the Jedi master. After a lengthy duel, the Zabrak general was felled by the Jedi, putting an end to his reign of terror.

Now of course, this is not the end of the story. Palpatine has not been reviled as the Sith Lord, the Clone Wars has not been ended and even under Qui-gon's instruction, Anakin still struggles with the Dark Side. However, this is not a story of a Galaxy, or even just the Jedi and Sith. This is the story of only two beings. Tools fordged by fire to be used against the Jedi. Raised in death and treachery, used by there Masters, filled with hate and a desire for revenge. Maul and Grievous, regardless of what Universe they come from, are more alike then they would probably like to admit and they both were as much victims of Palpatine's scheming as anyone else. Mere pawns of the Sith.

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Darth Baras vs Darth Angral


MARTIAL ARTS
Unlike most characters from the Star Wars: the Old Republic, we actually know which Lightsaber combat Forms Darth Baras preferred: apparently, he preferred a combination of Forms five and four, likely taking full advantage of his physical build. Although much more willing to resolve matters through deception and intelligence, Darth Baras was nonetheless very capable in the dueling arena, holding off the exceptional swords-woman Satele Shan on two separate occasions and having a long standing rivalry with Jedi Master Nomen Karr. However, Darth Baras did have his own fair share of defeats, losing his first Lightsaber to Jedi Master Wyellett and his apprentice Xerender, not to mention eventually losing his life in single combat to his own apprentice, the dreaded Emperors Wrath. Again, although Darth Baras was not as focused on combat as some other Sith, he was still extremely skilled.

Darth Angral was a infamous Sith Lord, with even the Emperor considering him a useful servant. Although no cannon source confirms it, I personally believe the Form (or Forms) Darth Angral preferred was Form seven, possibly with the addition of Forms five and two. A veteran of the Galactic war and later the Cold war, Darth Angral was a powerful warrior, with a good deal of practice and first hand experience in combat and Lightsaber duels. Darth Angral's skill was such that he was easily capable of defeating Orgus Din (Who was known to put a heavy focus on martial arts) both when the Jedi Master was in his prime and later when he was a more experienced Council member. However, Darth Angral had his own fair share of defeats over the course of his career. He failed to defeat Jedi Master Dar'nala in single combat and ultimately, Darth Angral was no match for the Hero of Tython and Kira Carsen.

As things stand, both Darth's Baras and Angral are pretty evenly matched in terms of martial arts. Baras has a greater focus on strength and defense, but Angral's greater overall skill and pure aggression mostly cancels this out. Both challengers also have very comparable levels of experience, being long standing veterans of the Sith Order.  Baras and Angral have also both proven themselves to equal degrees on the battlefield: Baras stalemated Satele Shan, Angral stomped Orgus Din and both Lords were utterly defeated by the Emperors Wrath and Hero of Tython respectively. Ultimately however, there status as equals stems from another incident: Baras and Angral were actually involved in a serious one on one duel. As such, and rather obviously, the verdict of that fight should be the same as the martial arts category. Unfortunately, that duel did not last long enough for a winner to be determined and ultimately ended in a draw. As it turns out though, this is the martial arts verdict: by my analysis both Angral and Baras have an equal chance of overcoming the other one in a purely martial engagement. As such, I declare Darth Baras and Darth Angral equals with the blade.

FORCE POWERS
The self proclaimed Voice of the Emperor, Darth Baras had a powerful command of the Force. A master of the Sith arts, Darth Baras was capable of creating Force screams and we can assume his telekinesis was relatively advanced. Darth Baras was either capable of expertly cloaking his Force signature or genuinely drawing on the Light Side of the Force, as Satele Shan was unable to discern his true nature. Baras was also an absolute Master of Sith lightning, although his deadly bolts could still be deflected with a Lightsaber.

Darth Angral, as should be expected, was a powerful master of the Force. His telekinesis
was not the most powerful in terms of magnitude, but he was refined enough with it to guide a thrown Lightsaber. Darth Angral's Force lightning was, in a very similar fashion, nothing to write home about in terms of power, but Angral was refined enough with it to even create a defensive barrier of Lightning, something most couldn't. However, it should be noted his Force shield was not the most powerful, as he could be disabled by comparatively standard. Sith lightning.

The ironic thing about this category is that it should be a forgone conclusion, but really isn't. To clarify, in one of there many personal clashes, Darth Baras subdued Darth Angral with nothing more than Sith lightning, which normally would indicate he was significantly more powerful in the Force than Angral. However, once we examine there respective abilities, it becomes clear that Angral's prowess in the Force is just as, if not more advanced than Darth Baras's, demonstrating several skills that Baras simply has not. Both Baras and Angral are absolute Masters of Force lightning, while Angral is more refined with telekinesis, if not more magnitude. Although Baras had a greater amount of experience and knowledge with the more arcane aspects of the Force, these abilities were by and large irrelevant in combat situations. Ultimately, Darth Baras taking down Darthj Angral had a lot more to do with getting the lucky first strike in then any disparity in power. I declare Darths Baras and Angral equals with the supernatural.

PHYSICAL SKILLS
Darth Baras was a Human male exactly 57 years of age. A man of extremely stocky build, Darth Baras took full advantage of his weight and height, sending his opponents flying with powerful physical strikes. Despite his size and strength, Baras was also at least reasonably fast and agile, keeping pace with much younger challengers more than once.

Darth Angral was a Human male of unknown age, although I peg him as being in his late thirties/early forties. Darth Angral displayed the pale white skin and burning yellow eyes typical of Dark Siders, although his physical abilities don't appear to be hampered. Darth Angral appeared to be reasonably strong, fast, tough and agile.

Although he has no known physical weakness, Darth Angral has no outstanding physical advantage either. On the flip side, Darth Baras's size did not appear to hamper his speed and agility while simultaneously providing him with greater strength. For this reason, Darth Baras gets the physical edge.

WEAPONS & EQUIPMENT
Darth Baras's Lightsaber was a piece of expert craftsmanship, displaying a slight curve, emitter spikes, a bone (or fang) of unknown origin and a blood red blade.

As with most Sith of the era, Darth Angral's Lightsaber produced a red blade and had a industrial designed hilt. Angral also wore a suit of red armor.

I chose not to focus on Darth Baras and Angral's armor (Not even mentioning Baras's suit) for the simple reason that neither provides either Sith Lord with an advantage the other can't match, be it through there own ability's or that of there own armor. This leave the equipment edge down to there Lightsaber designs, and here Darth Baras's advanced weapon leaves Angral's every day design in the dust. I give Darth Baras yet another edge.

THE VERDICT
Ultimately, as you have probably guessed, this battle is most likely not going to be decided by any skill or power wielded by either of these Sith Lords. They are, for all practical purposes, complete equals with the blade, they have comparable levels of power in the Force, Angral will be able to take Bara's blows and Baras's weapon doesn't provide enough advantages to tip the scales. No, ultimate victory will be determined by something else entirely: tactics. Darth Angral is certainly no slouch in this regard, especially when it comes to military engagements, but he wasn't exactly known for his genius in single combat and he never seemed to quite grasp Sith politics. Baras on the other hand can not only handle the long term scale of things, having the entire Sith Empire dancing on his strings for a time, but is also quite good in one on one scenarios, showing an ability to exploit any and all holes in his enemies defenses. And to further cement this, the best showing of Baras's tactical insight is when he defeated Angral with absolute ease by taking advantage of his blind, rage fueled attack. Now don't get me wrong: Like most Sith, Angral may have been overly aggressive and arrogant, but he wasn't a fool. It is entirely possible that Angral could defeat Baras with his considerable skill or power outright: the problem is, Baras has just as much of a chance of accomplishing this, even before you add in his massive tactical advantage. Ultimately, the Sith Emperor considered Angral a useful pawn, but he considered Baras a threat. I declare Sith Lord Darth Baras the winner.

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Top 10 duelists from Star Wars

Okay, lets get one thing straight: I absolutely HATE this idea. 36,000 years of almost completely unexplored history and you think we can pick out the ten absolute BEST? Riiight. I am not doing that, which is basically a fools errand, especially since my opinion on this kind of thing tends to change every other week. Except for the number one spot, which has remained consistent for over a year.

Simply put, canonically, Darth Sidious is the most powerful Sith in history. Luke beat him when he was about three decades before his prime. Okay, to be fare, Luke did require his sister's mental help and this was a Sidious I believe to be slightly less skilled than his ROTS self, but this is still a almost unparalleled feat. Basically, all you need to know is that Luke mastered all seven Forms of Lightsaber combat, single handily re-shaped the Jedi Order, is the son of the Chosen One and engaged Abeloth and a dozen Sith. At once. And was WINNING. But aside from Luke, who else is commonly mentioned as being a candidate?

Juuust about everyone from the Clone Wars era. Although there is nothing inherently better about being a duelist in the Clone Wars era, there's technically nothing worse about it either. Although events such as the New Sith Wars and Galactic Wars certainly involved more Lightsaber duels, they were almost all full scale battle engagements, which would not help develop the average swordsman in one on one situations any more than the Non-Lightsaber battles faced by the Clone Wars era Jedi/sith. In short, the only reason the TCW era Jedi/Sith are on a higher standing than Jedi/Sith from other eras is because of the sheer volume of information regarding there era. Still, I supose I should go ahead and address them.

Sidious is immediately off the table, for stating Dooku to be the more refined duelist of the two, most of his victories relying (In my opinion) on tactical ingenuity not skill and losing his respective duels to Yoda, Windu and Luke. Dooku is also pretty soundly removed from the equation, losing to Yoda (Twice) as well as to Anakin on more than one occasion (Regardless of what WollfMyth claims). Windu, despite advancing martial arts possibly more than anyone else of the era (Thanks to the creation of Vappad) was much more of a warrior than a duelist. Windu was forced to rely almost entirely on his Force powers to defeat Sidious (Shatter-point and the more powerful aspects of Vappad) instead of his martial skill, unlike the other candidates. Unlike most fans, I also believe Anakin deserves to be mentioned here, having defeated the good Count more than once, killing Sidious and Windu (Albeit in an alternate Universe) and massacring the entire Jedi Temple. And the elephant in the room, Yoda, is probably the best candidate, having 900 years of experience and out-dueling both Dooku and Sidious

Believe it or not, the Clone Wars is not the only era with prospective top tiers. Lumiya, Darth Caedus, Mara Jade and Jaina Solo were all at least close to being able to stalemate Luke, although none of them stand much of a chance of beating him (To be fair, it IS Luke). The Old Republic also has it's own fair share of extremely skilled warriors, a personal favorite of mine being The Hero of Tython. In short, lets keep our minds open and not dismiss uncommon ideas or other prospective duelists just because they don't have as many feats or standings as the TCW crowd. By that logic, no one will EVER be able to even compete with the sheer amount of overexposed Clone Wars characters. Except of course Luke Skywalker. Because Luke is a badarse.

Monday, January 5, 2015

Doctor Who Infinities season 0


Over the course of my time on Youtube, I have made it no secret that I am....less than fond of the "Jedi are evil theory" that is claimed by a variety of different sects of the fandom on the Internet. However, I would like to point out that, simply put, this is solely because these ideas are taken seriously: when it's just in fun, I have zero problem with coming up with ways the "heroes" are the true villains of the Saga. As such, I would remind you all before we begin that in all actuality the Doctor is my favorite fictional hero of all time, and that this video is purely theorizing for theorizing sake. Aka, do not take anything I say in this video seriously.

Before we begin, I also need to set up WHY the Doctor is doing what he is doing: during the height of the Time War, the ninth warrior incarnation of the Doctor gains a companion in the form of a "younger" Time Lord who hero worships the Doctor's past lives. When the Doctor sacrifices himself to save his Granddaughter, the young Time Lord decides to continue his legacy and becomes the new Doctor. However, the "Doctor" becomes disillusioned with the Time War, coming to believe that only complete totalitarian order in the Universe would stop the endless killing. To this end, the Doctor joins forces with his future selves and extremist Daleks to destroy most of the forces involved, while locking Gallifrey in an alternate Universe where the Time Lords could not interfere. After Regenerating and using the Tardis to imbue himself with enough of the first Doctor's residual Regeneration energy to pass as the same person, the Doctor begins his crusade to put the Universe under his benevolent rule.

Sunday, January 4, 2015

Doctor Who Infinities season 1


Rose
On a routine mission to stop a Auton invasion of Earth, the Doctor runs into A young woman by the name of "Rose Tyler" who shows great potential. Instead of destroying the Autons with ease, the Doctor instead prolongs the mission, seeking out Rose and testing her to see if she would make a good companion. When she succeeds with flying colors, the Doctor invites her aboard the Tardis, an offer she eventually excepts without any idea of the Doctor's true goal.

The End of the World
Although the Doctor was many things, rich was not one of them: Time Lord's abolished monetary systems centuries ago. Although normally not a problem, the Doctor decided it was necessary to have an incentive for the greedy of the Universe: The most Universally accepted currency was that used by the Human off shoots and the richest of them was Lady Cassandra. Thus, the Doctor disguises a "business trip" as a field trip for Rose. Conveniently for the Time Lord, Cassandra is killed as a result of her own plans and with the only one able to out the Doctor dead, he is able to seize her accounts.

The Unquiet Dead
Taking Rose on a trip back in time to see one of the Doctor's personal heroes, Charles Dickens. However, the Doctor and Rose are caught up in the attempt of the Gelth to conquer Earth. Remembering that the Gelth were a staunch Allie to the Time Lords during the Time War and a much more useful allie than Humans, the Doctor attempts to help the Gelth escape there imprisonment but is accidentally thwarted by Rose.

Aliens of London/World War III
Angry at Rose's accidental undermining of his plans, the Doctor takes her back to Earth a year after she left, in an attempt to drive a rift between her and her family/species. However, the Doctor's arrival is poorly timed as the Slitheen arrive and set there own plan in motion. Although the Doctor manages to pay the Slitheen to fake there own death, leave, and keep there silence, the events lead to the election of Harriet Jones, something the Doctor hoped to avert. On the other hand, the Doctor's original plan is mostly a successes, as Rose chooses the Doctor over her family.

Dalek
In preparation for his endgame, the Doctor steps his game up: Answering a distress signal, the Doctor plans to introduce Rose to the Daleks in a way that showed the Doctor himself as more of a villain, while simultaneously taking down practical world leader Henry Van Statten. For once, the Doctor's plans go off without a hitch: Rose releases the Dalek which leads to Van Statten's defeat, at the same time giving Rose some sympathy for the Dalek's. However, the Doctor is also unwillingly saddled with a new companion, Adam Mitchell.

The Long Game
The Doctor next takes Rose and Adam to the future, where he continues his plans. The Doctor "Discovers" a plot hampering with Human development, while at the same time pushing Adam into discrediting himself. After defeating the threat, leaving the future of Humanity to an unknown source, the Doctor takes Adam back to Earth, where he kicks Adam off of the Tardis, the angry young man later being approached by a stranger in a brown suit and spiky hair, who offers him a chance for revenge.

Fathers Day
A major obstacle to the Doctor's plans were the Reapers, creatures Bio-engineered by the Time Lords to protect the Time Vortex. In order to draw the creatures out, the Doctor takes advantage of Rose's emotions and places her directly in a place to violate the rules of Time, leading to a Paradox and the arrival of the Reapers. Although the mission almost ends in disaster, the Doctor manages to overcome the near failure, exterminate the Reapers and cement Rose's place at his side.

The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances
For once going back to a mission designed to help the Earth, the Doctor takes Rose to World War 2 era Earth in order to keep a Chula warship from destroying London. However, the Doctor runs into a shadow from his own past: A time agent he helped wipe the memory of years ago: Jack Harkness. Playing his cards right, the Doctor manages to conceal his past from the Captain and even stop the Chula threat without any casualties, something that reminded the Doctor of why he was doing everything: to save lives.. After the episode, the Doctor secretly contacts Jack and offers to reveal the Time Agents past in exchange for his service.

Boom Town
On a trip to refuel his Tardis in preparation for the final endgame, the Doctor discovers that one of the Slitheen has rejected his earlier offer and is planning to destroy the Earth for her own motives. The Doctor, rose and Jack put a stop to this and capture her. Despite her attempts to convince the Doctor that she and him are the same, the Slitheen is eventually regressed to an egg, allowing the Doctor to resolve the conflict without silencing another person for once.

Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways
Finally, the Doctor unveils his final move to place the Earths future under his command. In the future, the Dalek Emperor has steadily been rebuilding the Daleks and manipulating Earth, all on the Doctor's orders. Now, the Doctor plans to use the Daleks to conqueror the Earth (Jack being killed in the process, with the Doctor felling he was to much of a liability to allow) while he escapes after his plan to stop the Daleks "fails", hopefully with a new companion. However, the Doctor has grown to attached to Rose and allows her to escape back to the present instead of dying alongside Jack. The Doctor's plan does not go as expected however: the Doctor's potential new companion is killed by the Dalek's via a misunderstanding and Rose arrives with the power of the Time Vortex, in order to "save" the Doctor. Although he fails to stop her from killing the Dalek's, the Doctor does manage to remove the Time Vortex from Rose's mind before she discovers the Doctors true nature. Trapping Jack on the station, the Doctor decides to regenerate aboard the Tardis as Rose looks on, reasoning that this incarnation had grown to attached to her and that for his plans to work, he needed a new form.