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In a galaxy far, far away....
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in: Legends articles, Pages needing citation, Journals and memoirs

Journal of the Whills

< Journal of the Whills
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Click here for Wookieepedia's article on the Canon version of this subject.  This article covers the Legends version of this subject. 
For other uses, see Whills (disambiguation).
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"As new chapters are added to the history of our people and our galaxy, I hope this era is regarded as a glorious time, when freedom-loving beings finally defeated those who worshipped tyranny and evil. When our time is considered in the Journal of the Whills, I hope that people remember more than the events of the time, but have an understanding of why those events happened."
―Voren Na'al, reflecting on the history of the Galactic Civil War[1]

The Journal of the Whills was a legendary record of events in the galaxy. Ostensibly, the Journal was maintained by the Ancient Order of the Whills, a mysterious group of beings.

History[]

During the Galactic Civil War, some individuals wished their efforts be recorded in the Journal of the Whills, indicating it was an on-going recording of the history, widely known as a tradition to the inhabitants of the galaxy. The recording of their names and efforts in the Journal signaled their importance to the history, hence honorary.[source?] By 70 BBY[2] Darth Tenebrous had read part of the Journal of the Whills, and it contained the obscure legend of the Chosen One, a metaphorical savior prophesied to bring balance to the force. In four of the eleven possible translation of the journal, the phrase "born of pure force" was used to describe the Chosen One.[3]

The events surrounding the life of several members of the Skywalker family were recorded in the Journal by a Keeper of the Whills, after an interview with the astromech droid R2-D2 one hundred years after the Battle of Endor.[4]

Content[]

The inclusion of a brief overview of the fall of the Galactic Republic and the rise of Palpatine's New Order in the Journal's First Saga established that the Journal's beginning included at least the Clone Wars, though how far backwards or forwards in history the Journal's first segment covered was unknown.[source?] The prophecy of the Chosen One was included in the journal, and at least that part of the journal had to be translated to understand.[3]

Full text[]

Source: Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope novelizationAttribution: George Lucas (ghostwritten by Alan Dean Foster)

ANOTHER galaxy, another time.

The Old Republic was the Republic of legend, greater than distance or time. No need to note where it was or whence it came, only to know that… it was the Republic.

Once, under the wise rule of the Senate and the protection of the Jedi Knights, the Republic throve and grew. But as often happens when wealth and power pass beyond the admirable and attain the awesome, then appear those evil ones who have greed to match.

So it was with the Republic at its height. Like the greatest of trees, able to withstand any external attack, the Republic rotted from within though the danger was not visible from outside.

Aided and abetted by restless, power-hungry individuals within the government, and the massive organs of commerce, the ambitious Senator Palpatine caused himself to be elected President of the Republic. He promised to reunite the disaffected among the people and to restore the remembered glory of the Republic.

Once secure in office he declared himself Emperor, shutting himself away from the populace. Soon he was controlled by the very assistants and boot-lickers he had appointed to high office, and the cries of the people for justice did not reach his ears.

Having exterminated through treachery and deception the Jedi Knights, guardians of justice in the galaxy, the Imperial governors and bureaucrats prepared to institute a reign of terror among the disheartened worlds of the galaxy. Many used the Imperial forces and the name of the increasingly isolated Emperor to further their own personal ambitions.

But a small number of systems rebelled at these new outrages. Declaring themselves opposed to the New Order they began the great battle to restore the Old Republic.

From the beginning they were vastly outnumbered by the systems held in thrall by the Emperor. In those first dark days it seemed certain the bright flame of resistance would be extinguished before it could cast the light of new truth across a galaxy of oppressed and beaten peoples…


From the First Saga
Journal of the Whills

This work is copyrighted. The individual who uploaded this work asserts that this qualifies as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.

Behind the scenes[]

As well as not having a clear beginning, the style of the Journal is inconsistent. Whereas the First Saga is expository, written in the past tense with a third person perspective, another known excerpt, from early script drafts, is written in a formatted poetic style reminiscent of many religious texts. The excerpt reads as follows:

"... And in the time of greatest
despair there shall come a savior,
and he shall be known as:
THE SON OF THE SUNS."
Journal of the Whills, 3:127

Although it has never been confirmed, it is possible that this excerpt deals with the prophecy of the Chosen One seeing as that it does seem to make what could be considered references to Anakin Skywalker, though it could just as easily be referring to his son. The numeric reference is important as it indicates a possible chapter and verse from which the excerpt is taken. The style of the excerpt is also written in the future tense with a prophetic tone, a clear difference from the larger excerpt from the First Saga. However, the First Saga excerpt does indicate that some form of poetic style may be consistent throughout the Journal, as it states:

"The Old Republic was the Republic of legend, greater than distance or time. No need to note where it was or whence it came, only to know that... it was the Republic."
Journal of the whills

In his early drafts, George Lucas ostensibly planned to use the Journal of the Whills as a plot device to connect the Star Wars galaxy to our own. In Star Wars: The Annotated Screenplays, Lucas explains his original intent:

"Originally, I was trying to have the story be told by somebody else; there was somebody watching this whole story and recording it, somebody probably wiser than the mortal players in the actual events. I eventually dropped this idea, and the concept behind the Whills turned into the Force. But the Whills became part of this massive amount of notes, quotes, background information that I used for the scripts; the stories were actually taken from the 'Journal of the Whills'."

In 2005's The Making of Star Wars Revenge of the Sith, Lucas intimates that he intended the stories told in his films to be relayed to a Keeper of the Whills by R2-D2, who would record them in the Journal.

"Journal of the Whills" is also the name of the fanclub edition of Star Wars - Das offizielle Magazin, the official German Star Wars magazine.

Appearances[]

Sources[]

Notes and references[]

  1. ↑ The Movie Trilogy Sourcebook
  2. ↑ Darth Plageuis establishes that Darth Tenebrous died in 67 BBY. As SWInsider "The Tenebrous Way" — Star Wars Insider 130 estalbhises that he studied for three standard years about the prophecy after he had read part of the Journal of the Whills, he must have read it by 70 BBY
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 SWInsider "The Tenebrous Way" — Star Wars Insider 130
  4. ↑ The Making of Star Wars Revenge of the Sith

External links[]

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