Welcome back to another edition of Wookieepedia Interviews, where I talk with a fellow Wookieepedian about Fandom, Star Wars, and more! This week, I chat with moderator @Ajjviolin96 about the violin, symbolism, and art.
___
When did you join Wookieepedia and why?
I first “discovered” Wookieepedia’s existence through a reply in the comment section of Star Wars Theory YouTube channel. Back then, approximately at the end of winter of 2020, I was staring to get slightly more engaged with Star Wars, specially [the] Legends Expanded Universe, and some YouTube channels dedicated to the franchise were, during that time, my main source of information and knowledge. Until one day I read a comment about a video of SWT displaying the Je’daii, stating some minor mistakes he made about the lore in the video, and using the Wookieepedia to back up their argument. The name itself caught my attention, and immediately after that I went to investigate what Wookieepedia was, and when I found it out I was blown away by the huge amount of information and sources it has[. I was also] surprised that SW could possess its own official virtual encyclopedia. Although I registered myself on December 1st of 2019, I was majorly involved and active on the DC Wiki and completely oblivious regarding other wikis, nor had any idea that they all “belonged” to Fandom as a whole. I figured that out when I decided to sign in on the Wook and I realized I already had an account tied to Fandom (my Google account), so I didn’t need to sign in nor to log in again – and I haven’t logged out ever since. But all this was on the browser, because it was easier for me to read the articles on its current format.
It was thanks to Wookieepedia that satiated my hunger and thirst for knowledge about the SW universe and lore, and it incited me to buy my first Canon comics, and lately my first Legends novels, when I realized that, for more richly detailed the wiki article or page about a certain topic can be, the official sources are always the best way to study that specific subject, and so that led me to invest on more content: comics, novels, and reference books, from both continuities, and finally engage the animated series. As a matter of fact, I almost stopped to watch [YouTube] videos related to SW since I found the Wook, because most of their content were based on facts that are already fully illustrated on the Wook, and so what they do is to present their interpretation and theories about it, something that I personally stopped caring since I started to read the novels and comics[. Then] I started to analyze by my own and exercise my exegeses upon them (besides of practicing my reading in English at same time). Finally, approximately at mid-summer of 2020 (around the end of July), I found out about the Forum Discussions of Wookiepedia through the app, which I had downloaded recently in my phone, but I didn’t’ use it that much because I didn’t like its format. Nowadays [I've] already [gotten] used to [it], yet for research purposes I still prefer the browser. Because of my timidness and my lack of confidence with English back then, I remained as a passive and observant user for some time, until I gained courage enough to finally interact on the forum. I can’t recall my first post, but I believe it was approximately between mid to late August. The rest is history.
What has been your favorite contribution to Wookieepedia over the time you’ve been here?
It depends on which field and context. Sincerely, on the editing field, my contribution is null. I haven’t been interested [in it] – at least not enough – to engage it properly. Not that I wouldn’t like to, just not yet… at least until I feel myself confident enough. I feel that editing the Wook is a serious thing that, if it’s not properly handled and taken care of, it might lead to misinformation, thus to misinterpretation. Moreover, the integrity of the Wook and its commitment with facts is crucial and sacred. Despite I feel I’ve already surpassed the language barrier, I confess that I still lack confidence.
On the other hand, on Forum Discussions, it depends on the context. Directly, I haven’t contributed that much, honestly. I haven’t created any series, nor community projects, nor anything the like. Notwithstanding, I’ve contributed indirectly and implicitly in other ways, mostly with in-depth discussion posts about different topics within SW universe. Most recently, through the Origin Tree Suggestion Forum and the creation of the branch that later developed into the Essay of the Week Contest. As a final product, it’s part of a whole collective effort, but its main concept and vision came from @Spooder-Man777. What I do is to partially carry with his legacy, hosting the contest alongside @Givinname. Therefore, original projects that were de facto idealized by me are also null, … but that will change soon. I have something in mind to contribute to the forum that I’ve been developing for months. It shall debut later this year.
What’s the story behind your username? Where’d you get the idea?
There is no fancy story behind my username, it just literally describes my full name, what I do, and the year in which I was born. Amanda Jiménez Jústiz – AJJ. [I've studied] violin since I was five years old and music is the career I decided to follow, with the same instrument, though I’m still in university. It’s pretty much part of who I am. And 1996 is my birth year, at October 16th. That’s it. In the virtual world, my username [is] basically my second identity. My emails, social media… they are not exactly the same as on the Wook, but all of them revolve on the same principle: the initials of my full name or my name abbreviated, my instrument and my birth year or my birth country, which is Brazil, though I live in Portugal now. All this information is on my bio, regardless.
What inspired you to play violin? What do you like about it?
Actually, it was my mother who put me to study music once she realized my talent. At the beginning, I didn’t want to because that would mean less free time to play, lol. But, as years passed, I started to get used to it and to appreciate music as a whole, as well the instrument… as a good hobby. What really changed my mind to definitely follow the music career, was an unforgettable trip I made ten years and half ago (late Autumn of 2010). My mother is also musician – choir conductor – and she used to (not anymore, for economic reasons) travel with her choir to international festivals and the like. The last one was in Vienna, and I had the privilege to accompany her. It was my first time in Europe and I completely fell in love for that city. Since then, I started to crave for that, to live in Europe (or any city within the Eurozone), to study there and make my life there… but doing what I loved to do. With fourteen years old, I already realized I loved music enough to choose it as a career, like my mother and also my uncle before me. The teachers praised my talent, and if I worked really hard I could get a good future. But my main issue was that I didn’t want to live in Brazil anymore. The country is beautiful, but it is a third world one, and as such it has a lot of social problems, mainly violence (as well the entire Latinoamerica). I didn’t’ want that for me, nor my parents, so we worked in order that I could realize my dream… and well, here I am since February 15th of 2017, already finishing my bachelorship, though it was kind of delayed because of the pandemic, but now things are finally returning to normal. Portugal is a nice country to live, and although I aspire other places, I wouldn’t mind living here either. My parents remain in Brazil, nevertheless.
On the topic of the instrument, violin is considered one of the most difficult ones, and despite of that being partially true, I believe each instrument has its level of difficulty and it shouldn’t be underestimated. I’d dare to say that violin chose me rather than I chose violin, because as I cited previously, my mom was the one who put me into it, so I didn’t exactly chose it, lol. But it turned out to be one of my favorites. It’s also considered to be elitist and bourgeois due to its historical on the erudite field, and though that’s also partially true, it’s also a misconception. Violin is one of the most eclectic instruments that exist, and also one of the most versatile. As it is with every instrument, it has its pros and cons, but if you’re skillful enough, or happen to be a virtuoso, you can do whatever you want. I’m not an outstanding player, but I can hold my ground very well. As a matter of fact, I’ve learned all melodic musical themes from the Skywalker Saga, as well from Rogue One and Solo, and also The Mandalorian. I love to play them as much as I enjoy to listen; as it is said that music has the power to connect with God, Star Wars’ soundtracks also have the power to connect me - in a spiritual way - with the universe of the franchise. It works almost as a therapy; but I do it mainly for study purposes too. John Williams is one of the greatest composers of film industry and of 20th century, so studying his works is a natural thing to me, just as it is to study Mozart or Beethoven. The project that I’m developing to the Wook is related to music, by the way.
Music is a lot more powerful than people often know. Even a simple beat can change the mood of an entire room or impact someone's life. Can't wait to see the project you have in mind.
Where do you get inspiration when writing your essays?
Star Wars itself is already a powerful font of inspiration, enough to write endlessly through decades. It is literally a modern mythology created out of almost all things that exist in real life, and amalgamated in a universe composed of science and fantasy. It’s impossible not to get inspiration from it in something, and at some point. Also, I love to write. My teachers always praised my dissertations for my formality, good grammar and profundity, and I used to get nice grades on tests. The real challenge though was commencing to write in English at the same high level. My reading and comprehension were good, but my writing and conversation were not. Thankfully to the Wook, I could level up in English in a couple of months what I didn’t in years of English lessons, lol. I’ll confess that at the beginning I struggled a lot in my first weeks, having to use Google Translator any time I feel the need to, in order to check if it was all well written. As time passed, gradually, I was gaining confidence enough to write things for myself, and so the essays began.
Sooner or later I’d feel the need to express my fanatic passion for SW in a way. Additionally, that would require deeper study on the lore, whether from the novels, comics and reference books I have with me, or the games, or the films and series, or the Wookieepedia itself; of course, subjects that mostly interested me. Topics that majorly encompassed human sciences and in which I could make parallels with real world stuff. That’s why I prefer to concentrate myself with in-universe themes. And that’s also why the lengths of my texts are insanely huge. In order to properly expose my full exegesis about something, I shall write as much as I find it necessary to formally support my argument, and clarify all things the best way I can. So whenever someone brings up a certain topic in which I already have an essay written about it, I share the link to it in the comment section, representing my definitive interpretation… or at least to my most recent conclusion. Back in October of 2020, a little before the premiere of the second season of The Mandalorian, for unknown reasons that are beyond my reach, apparently there was [an established] character limitation of at least ten thousand words to all posts. At first, it really frustrated me, but then it turned out to be the best thing that happened, because now I can format my essays the way I want, shaping their aesthetic as I see fit, lol.
As it is with everything in life, our perception about the world changes with time, and so will SW to my eyes. I’m sure that in ten years my points of view about the franchise would have evolved, for better or for worse. But above all else, my main goal is the exchange of mutual knowledge about Star Wars. Wookieepedia is a virtual encyclopedia that happens to have an open forum to discuss about the lore and content within its encyclopedia. I see it as if I were in a library, and there is an amphitheater in it where people can organize symposiums and debate about a specific theme or multiple ones, with proper civility and politely. Everyone exchanging their opinions and interpretations, realizing new perspectives and acquiring new knowledge. It’s not a political debate, in which I need to win over the "opponent’s argument". The point of a forum is not to convince others that your argument is the best and/or the righteous one, but to celebrate knowledge and the diversity of hermeneutics about an object. In the case of the Wook, it’s Star Wars. And Star Wars is something to be celebrated, if nothing else.
What is your favorite post or series?
Hard to tell. There are many posts that I love and I would recommend for anyone to read.
@WriterBuddha's, for example, [are] among my favorites of all the forum. His interpretation about the Jedi Order, the nature of the Force and Lucas’ vision is unique. It opened my mind and it clarified me many things. Most of his works serve as inspiration to me. Then it comes @Plexaura's, whose points of view about the Sequel Trilogy are highly edifying and admirable. We share many thoughts and feelings in common about the franchise too, and his series about conceptual arts of SW films and his analysis upon them are brilliant. @Aragorn Skywalker Of House Stark’s real-world comparisons are another great example to be followed and worshipped. His historical research and its exegesis upon them regarding SW themes is fascinating and enviable. Those three are just a few some among the outstanding ones that I can recall right now, with whom I had contact since my first weeks on the Wook, and who remain active. I love their works and I love the three of them too.
Other works that pop up in my mind is the Thrawn Thursdays from @WarlordGrandAdmiralThrawn, one of the best examples of Community Projects to me, and the greatest Thrawn fan I’ve ever seen. A huge connoisseur of the character, his knowledge and hermeneutics about the Chiss in general is splendid and superb, as well is his enthusiasm. I see that CP as an infinite love letter to Thrawn and another inspiration to me. Hall of Fame and Guess the Article are also among my favorites, but the one that takes it all is Project Overlook, by @Jade Moonstroller. It literally became the virtual museum of the forum, and anyone interested on knowing more about its history should read it. I consider it to be even above and beyond all those others I mentioned, because it summarizes in a gorgeous and magnificent way, the forum’s phases of evolution and its most outstanding events. Besides, Jade is among the best community leaders of forum discussions, alongside Spooder, who unfortunately is not active any longer (for now. I yearn for his return); a good example to follow to eveybody else.
Do you have a favorite character?
Darth Sidious and Luke Skywalker. They represent to me the epitome of evil and good in the SW universe and the Skywalker Saga. Sidious is the night and Luke the day. The Sith Lord is the winter and the Jedi Master is the Spring. Both can perfectly be seen as the incarnations of the philosophies from their respective Orders. I love them in all their forms and representations. Palpatine as Senator, Chancellor, Emperor; Luke as farmer, Rebel, Jedi. The interpretations made about them by various authors in both continuities only complement each other, although I’m not so found of all stories in which they are displayed. Despite I’m not that kind of person who inspires itself or uses as font of inspiration to my life fictional characters and stories, Luke and Palpatine clearly teach me many valuable things about human nature, society, and metaphysics.
The way in which Lucas presents these characters in his canon is well done, and the message he wants to transmit is nicely delivered. Luke as one of the most perfect hermeneutics of Campbell’s monomyth concept, the quintessence of benignity and hope, the figurative transcendence from a mortal being to an unearthly deity; Sidious as the amalgam of all tyrants from our history, all psychopathic masterminds, and a dark entity embodying the four knights of apocalypse. Their dichotomic dynamic is, to me, just below Anakin’s, that is the summary of all this but in just one being, but above Renlo’s Force Dyad (Rey and Ben Solo), who are also all this things together but juxtaposed and inverted between them, and equaled with Jacen and Jaina Solo's conflict, one of the greatest narrative zeniths within Legends continuity. As a matter of fact, I’m preparing a Sidious thesis that will blow everyone’s mind, a thesis that I pretend to repeat the same format with Luke, once I finally read all the Legends novels in which he appears. I shall post Sidious’ sooner than it can be expected. Just wait and see.
Do you have any favorite franchises outside of Star Wars?
MCU and DC Films are my favorite franchises besides Star Wars. I’m used to keep up with their projects, and I also like to explore their stories in the comics, whenever I get the chance; when I feel the need, I visit their wikis too (not their forums). Additionally, Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter are franchises that have a special place in my heart, because I kind of grew up watching them. I haven’t rewatched the movies in forever and I’m not deeply involved with their universes, but I plan one day to finally read all the novels. Fantasy sagas always called my attention. Furthermore, there are also others like Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, and 007 (the most recent ones). And I’m not gonna even get started with animations nor TV series, otherwise I’ll be writing forever, lol. Although I always enjoyed science-fiction, Star Wars was the first blockbuster franchise in the genre that I watched and in which I decided to invest. On the other hand, Star Trek always had my curiosity, but I haven’t watched nothing about it yet. Though it is in my priority list on other blockbuster franchises to watch and to add in my catalog of fangirl nerd, lol.
Which do you prefer, Legends or Canon? Why?
Both. In my modest opinion, one of the main advantages of Legends over Canon is that the former has almost forty years of content created, while the latter doesn’t even have a decade. Making a nonsensical allegory, it’s like Netflix, which has already a decade in the market and much more content compared with the newest streaming services. But just because it has more content, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s better. However and naturally, more content can attract more people to their party, and so it’s normal that many people curious to know more about the Expanded Universe might seek information more in Legends than in Canon. I was one of those people. When I started to study more about Palpatine, I used to read his Legends article only, because obviously there is more content about his back story. When his Wook page began to grow old on me, I finally bought the novel Darth Plagueis. My satisfaction was complete; this same process happened with all the rest: first reading the Wook, then buying the novels and comics. Actually, I read the Old Republic novels before playing either KOTOR 1 and 2 or SWTOR. The order of factors does not alter the product to me.
As matter of fact, I’ve finished the pre-TPM era (still haven’t read the Knights of the Old Republic comics. I’ve only got the third issue of the compilation from Dark House. They are hard to find, and have been missing the last months on Amazon, lol. I’m aware of ComiXology and Marvel Unlimited, but I prefer them in physical media, because I like to collect them, and I’m in no hurry to read the stories); I’ve read most of the prequel era novels (the comics are another matter…) and almost nothing from the Imperial era. Frankly, post-RotJ is pretty much unknown territory to me yet, as I’ve only read Dark Empire… again, because of Sidious and how he managed to survive, besides the lack of knowledge TRoS provides. Though I have some novels from that period with me (Thrawn Trilogy, for example), I haven’t read them yet and they’re not in my priority list, for now. Despite of the many absurdities and nonsensical things it has that really concerns me, overall, I’m really glad and satisfied with Legends.
But Canon hasn’t let me down either, on the contrary, it has surprised me a lot. I consider the comics the spotlight of the continuity, and from the novels I already read, I’ve enjoyed them so far. The games are also outstanding, with the Jedi Fallen Order being my favorite. I’ve just got The High Republic novels, so my journey through it’s about to begin. But just like Legends, it’s far from perfect, as it has things that I really dislike. But again, Canon content is being carefully created and expanded right now, so it’s important to have patience and faith. We’ve got The Mandalorian, now The Bad Batch; as a matter of fact, new future projects in the form of TV series and motion pictures are coming, and I really hope they all turn out to be concretized and to be the best they can. Nevertheless, if the Expanded Universe of the continuity exists it’s mostly due to the Sequel Trilogy, and despite of my personal issues with it just like many fans, it was my main entrance door to the franchise, and its films were the ones responsible for give me my first cinematographic experiences with a SW product, thus my sentimental affinity with them shall remain through years. In that case, I’m grateful for its existence.
Quality and quantity are not always tied together, nonetheless, and on this case, both continuities are tied in 50/50 to me. Canon might not have the same level of inconsistencies that Legends has, regardless of the size of its content, but that is slightly starting to appear too (regarding TBB and that particular scene that you know what I mean, lol), which blatantly presents the imperative hierarchy of medias within Lucasfilm. Frankly, none of those stories will enter in the history of literature for having revolutionized the genre. Actually, they don’t revolutionize anything, but within SW universe they do – some are great, some are just fine, others are meh – yet both continuities, in my modest opinion, complement each other, then one’s headcanons “fixes” the inconsistencies. In fact, I like to mix them up in my essays as main sources, because the more information I have, the better; that would only enrich my dissertation, and because restraining myself to only one would be too limiting… of course, if the topic in question exists in both continuities. Ironically, Lucas’ canon only encompasses from episode 1 to 6 and the Clone Wars, so even the idea of the Expended Universe and what is Legends and what is Canon is kind of relative depending on the point of view of the creator; anyway, I digress, lol.
Which movie is your favorite and why?
The Last Jedi. A super short analysis in three points:
The imagery and visuals. It’s the most beautiful film of the sequels to me, and one of the most gorgeous of the saga. The scenarios are great, the CGI is well balanced and the soundtrack is one of my favorites. The darker tone and the more sober aesthetic fits very well with the atmosphere of the story, and the iconic metaphorical visuals and colors with deeper meanings and allusions to episode 5 are stunning. The performance of the cast it’s at its finest too.
The bolding plot. At first, I didn’t get the bigger picture behind it, but after rewatching it, I could finally appreciate its profundity. The deconstruction and death of Luke it’s probably its main feature, and it gives him more depth and complexity. Kylo’s internal conflict and ascension as Supreme Leader, Rey’s connection with the Force and her despair on knowing more about her parents, as well Rey and Kylo’s connection, Leia and the Resistance… of course, there are things that I didn’t like and that I still think it could have been better executed, like Finn’s arc and the whole Canto Bight sequence, for example. Holdo, Poe, Rose, Phasma – they all fulfilled their roles indeed, but they could have been better and deeper explored. Obviously the main focus was on Luke, Rey and Kylo, I just think it could have been more, but from what we’ve got, I think it was great.
The new vision and challenging direction. Despite all my issues with the Sequel Trilogy, I prefer Johnson’s interpretation over Abrams’ about the franchise. It presents something different and daring, more mature and complex. His main idea is good, he just sinned in the execution. And although I prefer the Rey Palpatine concept instead of “Rey Nobody”, I truly respect his message and understand where he was coming from. I believe his vision about the mythology, though kind of conflicting with Lucas’ in some aspects, it could be a fine addition to the lore and guide the franchise to a more adult direction.
Definitely The Last Jedi is a film to be watched more than once in other to be better understood and fully appreciated, but it also requires an open mind. It reforms the idea of what a Star Wars film can be and it risks on trying to go beyond the comfort zone. It elevates the status of a SW motion picture to a new level in the seventh art, and proposes new patterns to the future. As a matter of fact, no wonder is a controversial work of art. If the so hypothetical Johnson trilogy in fact happens, I’d be more than glad and eager to see it.
Why do you love Star Wars?
Because it is an amalgam of many elements from our world juxtaposed altogether in just one universe: religions and ecclesiastic orders, wizards and sorcerers with mystical and supernatural powers, the metaphysical concepts of existence and the universe, social sciences of all kind, science and technology in all shapes… displayed in the forms of events, institutions, philosophies, illustrious figures; all these themes can trigger off an infinite number of stories with different subgenres and main focus, whether is drama, thriller, action, adventure, romance, comedy, suspense, etc., and even the combination of some of them with each other. As I’ve cited previously, fantasy stories have always called my attention. They curiously represent how far human imagination is capable to go on creating “original” mythologies and universes, as well they are an implicit and cathartic way for their authors to express their points of view about the world itself, and how they interpret it in an allegorical way.
What highlights Star Wars’ uniqueness is that all its mythology is set in the space, with a galactical range, giving the opportunity to explore science-fiction that otherwise in other sagas is not possible (many of them based on ancient/medieval styles or aesthetics). Spaceship battles and space stations, androids, AI’s and cyborgs, alien species of all kind and great ecumenopolis, and many other things that are singularly related with this genre. Although it also could be considered a rip-off of other things like western, samurai, templar knights, WWII, a blatant reiteration of the hero’s journey, etc., the way on how it is presented and specially how it is executed, is what makes the saga enjoyable to watch and interesting enough to get captivated by it. And that’s probably why it was so successful.
But above all, I consider Star Wars as a work of art: it’s authentic, timeless, a thing in itself, bigger than any of us. At least regarding its original field, which is the seventh art and in which it marked a before and an after; though I like to expand the concept to the entire franchise. Another unique characteristic is that SW made the opposite path than most fantasy sagas: it started in the cinema and expanded itself later in the literature and television field, when generally most famous sagas are conceived in novels and later go to the big screen, running the risk that its respective adaptations might not get well made. SW never had that problem, and the novelizations of the films only enrich the story. I must confess however that I would like to see the franchise going into a deeper level of complexity with its stories, more mature and adult like Dune or 1984, and SW universe has enough topics to swim through those waters.
Although I perfectly understand the infantile/juvenile nature SW has, and its animated series are an excellent prove of that, it doesn’t mean that they can’t develop a more adult branch, like the Black Label of DC Comics. Most of their stories encompasses most ages (PG-13), as well others more turned for children (PG), and also the ones targeted for adults (R Rated). I’ve no idea if SW will one day evolve to that status, but I don’t put too many expectations on that either. Though it’s not perfect, it’s beautiful in the way it is. It might not be in the same level of the narratives from Kafka, Tolstoy or Shakespeare, but it is gorgeous enough to captivate the most fine tastes. Before concluding, I’d like to clarify that, differently from many other fans, my love for Star Wars was a gradual process, not immediate. And ... the Expanded Universe [was mainly] responsible for that. Being totally transparent, I’m not sure if the films for the Skywalker Saga would be enough to get me hooked for good, particularly after my frustration with The Rise of Skywalker. And ironically thanks to that, I decided to investigate more about the franchise, I needed to know more in order to figure out “what went wrong”; sincerely, I don’t regret doing that. Anyway, there are innumerous reasons to justify my love for SW, but I believe that from what I’ve presented it’s more than enough.
Do you have any plans on leaving the Wook?
No, not for now. Not only because of my recent promotion, but even without that, I’m still not tired of the Wook. In a personal level, it has helped me in many things, and I feel there is still other areas to explore. I [haven't] even made a year on discussions yet, and I want to engage the editing field, as well other projects I want to realize on the forum that will take a long time to be completed. Of course, nothing lasts forever, and at some point my day shall come, but I can guarantee it will take a while for that to happen yet.
___
![♾ [Intro] Your Bio Thread | Fandom](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
Be sure to follow the archive!
Note: Please don't comment below asking to be interviewed.
