Entertainment
Everyone Is Wrong About Why The Jedi Died
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
With The Mandalorian & Grogu jetpacking its titular duo to the big screen, Star Wars mania is at a fever pitch once more. After all, this is our first film in the franchise since the Sequel Trilogy ended with the disastrous The Rise of Skywalker. Fans can’t help but wonder which enemies and allies Din Djarin and his pint-sized ward will encounter and if they will be as scary as Grand Admiral Thrawn, a villain whose return was first hinted at in The Mandalorian Season 2. Now that Thrawn has returned from the distant depths of the galaxy, fans can’t help but wonder if anyone else will be able to match his villainy.
Of course, what makes Thrawn such a worthy adversary is that he understands more about the Force than even the fans do. By teaming up with the Night Sisters, who are powered by the Dark Side, he intends to use the Force to reshape the galaxy in his image. That means taking out Ahsoka Tano, Ezra Bridger, Luke Skywalker, and any other Jedi who stand in his way. To fans, that makes Thrawn a supervillain, one intent on ridding the galaxy of its most powerful protectors. But it seems that Thrawn has stumbled onto a secret that has escaped the entire fandom: the Force wants the Jedi to die.
The Most Shocking Heel Turn In The Galaxy
In the very first Star Wars movie, Obi-Wan teaches Luke Skywalker (and, by extension, the audience) about the Jedi, a noble order of space monks who have kept the galaxy safe for millennia. He tells the young man about how Darth Vader, a former pupil, turned to evil and helped hunt down the Jedi. Later, we see this dramatized in Revenge of the Sith: Emperor Palpatine lures Anakin Skywalker to the Dark Side, rechristening him as Darth Vader. Driven by a demented desire to save his wife, Vader leads the charge in hunting down and murdering the Jedi, from the mightiest masters to the youngest younglings.
Anakin’s heel turn was particularly shocking to Jedi like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Mace Windu, both of whom were interested in a prophecy about a Chosen One who would “bring balance to the Force.” After Anakin slaughters everyone in the Jedi Temple, our heroes reach the same conclusion that the audience did: that Anakin clearly isn’t the Chosen One. Later, George Lucas insisted that the prophecy was real and that balance was achieved by Vader killing Palpatine. However, that no longer seems to be canon now that Palpatine (somehow) returned from certain death. Whether you agree with Lucas’ or not, though, one shocking fact is clear: the Force wanted all of those Jedi to die.
The Force Is A Fickle Friend
Weirdly enough, the clearest evidence for this theory is buried in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. There, we see the blind warrior Chirrut Imwe offering a kind of prayer to the Force as he openly walks through a battlefield filled with blaster fire. The film highly implies that these blaster shots miss because it’s the will of the Force; that is, this mystical energy field kept blasters from killing someone they favored. This retroactively explains how our heroes kept getting away back in the Original Trilogy. Stormtroopers don’t actually have bad aim, but their shots rarely connect because characters like Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Leia Organa are protected by the Force.
What does this have to do with Order 66 and the genocide of the Jedi? Everything, really. Once you accept that the Force is capable of deflecting blaster shots and generally choosing who lives and dies in a fight, it changes every aspect of the prequels. The Force wanted Qui-Gon Jinn to die so that Obi-Wan would guilt the Jedi into taking Anakin in. The Force wanted Shmi and Count Dooku to die, easing Anakin’s recruitment into the Dark Side. Incredibly, the Force even wanted Mace Windu and his entourage to die so that Anakin could be christened Vader and help kill almost every Jedi in the galaxy.
The Real Enemy Was Hiding In Plain Sight
Why would the Force want so many Jedi to die? It’s possible this mystic energy field agreed with the Sith that the galaxy had grown too complacent under Jedi stewardship. The Force might even have objections to Jedi practices like abducting children and forcing them into a cult. Whatever the motivation, though, Qui-Gon’s prophecy came true from a certain point of view. When all was said and done, we were left with two prominent Jedi (Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda), two prominent Sith (Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi), and a handful of Dark Side servants (like the Inquisitors) and Light Side allies (like Ahsoka Tano). Sounds pretty balanced to me!
Obviously, none of this removes moral culpability from Vader and Palpatine: these guys committed mass murder on an unheard-of scale, and they deserve their place as the galaxy’s biggest war criminals. They might have decided to kill all those Jedi, but it’s clear that this wouldn’t have worked if the Force hadn’t wanted all those do-gooder space wizards to die. They were betrayed by the very energy field they devoted their lives to understanding, and only after the Force suddenly and mysteriously diminished their power.
Sorry, Obi-Wan. In addition to binding us and holding the universe together, the Force does penetrate everyone. Not always with ageless space samurai wisdom, though. Sometimes, it just penetrates people with lasers, lightsabers, and way too much sand!
Entertainment
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$159
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Maybe it’s for travel, maybe it’s for work, or maybe you’re just tired of staring blankly at subtitles — whatever the motivation, this Babbel deal makes it easier to finally commit to learning a new language. StackSocial is currently offering lifetime access to every Babbel language course for a one-time payment of $159 (reg. $299) with code LEARN, giving you permanent access without monthly subscription fees hanging over your head.
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Mashable Deals
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Mashable Trend Report
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Entertainment
60+ of the best Memorial Day deals: We found TVs, mattresses, headphones, and more on sale
Table of Contents
The unofficial start to summer is almost here, but you don’t have to wait until Memorial Day itself on May 25 to find those Memorial Day deals.
There are already deals live at Amazon, where you’ll find savings of up to 40%. There are also plenty of savings from other online shopping destinations, with deals on products such as mattresses, TVs, furniture, and outdoor patio items. Plenty of brands are getting in on early MDW action — you can grab the Dyson Airwrap i.d. for $150 off and the Bose QuietComfort headphones for $120 off.
We’ll be updating all the best Memorial Day deals throughout the weekend, so be sure to keep checking back on this page for the biggest and best savings.
Best Memorial Day Amazon deals
$259
at Amazon
$349.99
Save $90.99
Why we like it
What says start of the summer better than slushies on demand? When Mashable’s Leah Stodart reviewed the Ninja Slushi, she pointed out the merits of the Slushi over a regular blender: no ice is required, and it keeps drinks frozen while in its cooling cylinder. From cola slushies to frosé, this might just be the ultimate summer drink machine. It has some downsides (sugar-free beverages are a no-go), but if you’re a frozen drink enthusiast, this deal is worth a closer look.
More Amazon deals
Best Memorial Day TV deals
$264.99
at Best Buy
$529.99
Save $265
Why we like it
Best Buy and Amazon have been racing to match prices on this Fire TV. Best Buy was initially $75 cheaper than Amazon, so Amazon dropped its sale price to keep pace. But that’s only a piece of the picture demonstrating just how good this deal is. Our resident TV expert, Leah Stodart, pointed out that this $264.99 price point is so good that it’s less than the sale price of the 43-inch version of Amazon’s most basic Ember 4K Fire TV. In other words, if you’re looking to score a solid deal on a smart TV this Memorial Day, this could be the one for you.
More TV deals
43-inch to 50-inch TVs
55-inch TVs
Mashable Deals
65-inch TVs
70-inch TVs and up
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Pioneer 70-inch 4K Roku TV — $319.99
$509.99(save $190) -
Insignia 75-inch QF QLED 4K TV — $399.99
$649.99(save $250) -
Hisense 75-inch E7 Mini-LED 4K TV — $749.99
$1,299(save $549.01) -
TCL 75-inch QM6K Mini-LED 4K TV — $899.99
$1,299.99(save $400) -
Hisense 85-inch U6 Mini‑LED 4K TV — $1,199.99
$1,999.99(save $800) -
TCL 85-inch QM6K Mini-LED 4K TV — $1,199.99
$1,999.99(save $800) -
LG 77-inch B5 OLED 4K TV — $1,499.99
$2,399.99(save $1,500) -
Sony Bravia 5 85-inch Mini-LED 4K TV — $1,798
$2,999.99(save $601.99)
Best Memorial Day mattress deals
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Avocado: Get up to 20% off organic mattresses, bed toppers, and bedding.
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Amerisleep: Get up to $1,000 off all mattresses and 40% off bundles
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Bear: Get 35% off sitewide, plus $275 worth of free accessories
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Casper: Get up to 30% off select mattresses and 35% off bundles
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Purple: Get up to $900 off a mattress and a base
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Helix: Get 25% off sitewide with code MEMDAY25
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Leesa: Get 30% off select mattresses
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Mattress Firm: Get up to 60% off select mattresses with queens starting at $189.99
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Nectar: Get up to 50% off select mattresses and 66% off bundles
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Saatva: Save up to $650 on mattresses, including the Saatva Classic and Memory Foam Hybrid mattresses
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Serta: Save up to $600 on select mattress and adjustable base sets
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Sleep Number: Save up to $1,200 on ClimateCool and ComfortNext mattresses, BOGO free Ultimate Shape Pillows, and BOGO 50% off sheets
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Tempur-Pedic: Save 40% on the Tempur-Cloud Mattress or up to $500 on adjustable mattress sets, plus free gifts
Best Memorial Day home deals
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Brooklinen: Refresh your bedding for summer with 25% off sitewide
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Buffy: Save up to 25% sitewide
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Caraway Home: Save up to 30% on cookware and bakeware
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Cozy Earth: Save 20% sitewide or 25% when you buy three or more items
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Crate & Barrel: Save up to 60% on rugs, 35% on kitchen brands, and 30% on furniture
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Cuisinart: Save 15% on $99.95+, 20% on $149.95+, and 25% on $249.95+
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Home Depot: Save up to 40% on select appliances, 20% on select patio furniture, and up to $175 off on select tools now through May 27
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Joybird: Take up to 45% off on bestselling furniture and up to 35% off sitewide through May 25
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Kohl’s: Save up to 50% sitewide on clothes, kitchen appliances, bedding, patio furniture, and more
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Lovesac: Save 40% sitewide through May 31
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Lowe’s: Save on appliances, grills, patio furniture, gardening supplies, and more through June 3
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Mellow Sleep: Get $20 off $100, $50 off $200, or $100 off $300
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Nest New York: Save 25% sitewide with code 25OFF
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Parachute: Save 25% sitewide plus 30% on bundles
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Ruggable: Save up to 25% sitewide
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Rugs Direct: Save up to 80% sitewide on brands like Safavieh, Chris Loves Julia, Loloi, Rifle Paper Co., and Rugs USA
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SharkNinja: Save up to 30% on Ninja kitchen appliances and Shark vacuums, hair tools, and fans
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Target: Target’s Hello Summer Sale brings deals on summer favorites, including up to 20% off kids’ outdoor toys and up to 45% off patio furniture and garden essentials
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Wayfair: Save up to 70% sitewide
Best Memorial Day tech deals
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Best Buy: Save on TVs, Apple products, laptops, monitors, Sony cameras, Bluetooth speakers, and more
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BJ’s Wholesale Club: Get up to 50% off TVs and electronics, 25% off mattresses, and 15% off home and kitchen
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HP: Save up to 72% on OmniBook laptops, Omen gaming PCs, All-in-One desktops, and more
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Lenovo: Save up to 30% on ThinkPad, Yoga, ThinkBook, IdeaPad, and Legion laptops
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LG: Save up to 44% on TVs, 40% on monitors, and up to 58% on appliances
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Tile: Save up to 40% on trackers
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TP-Link: Save up to $220 on select products, including the Tapo C460 (4-Pack) + H500, plus get an additional 10% off sitewide with code USA10
Best Memorial Day beauty deals
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Dyson: Save up to $150 on the Dyson Airwrap i.d., Airstrait, and Supersonic Nural
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FabFitFun: Save 40% on your first box, plus get a free Vacation bonus box ($250 value) with an annual membership signup
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L’ange: Save up to 44% on select tools with code MEMORIAL, plus an extra 15% off your entire order with code EXTRA15
Best Memorial Day outdoor deals
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Bote: Save 15% sitewide
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Columbia: Save up to 40% on “almost everything”
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Dick’s Sporting Goods: Save up to 50% on bikes, kayaks, tents, grills, and golf gear, save up to to 40% on Nike and adidas
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Huffy: Save 25% on select bikes
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HOVERAir: Save up to 47%
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Rumpl: Save 25% sitewide
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Solo Stove: Save 15% on select fire pits and pizza ovens
Entertainment
Obsession Needed Only Two Weeks To Make Movie History
By Jonathan Klotz
| Published
Memorial Day weekend is a showdown between the two sides of modern Hollywood. On one side, we have Disney’s big-budget Star Wars blockbuster The Mandalorian and Grogu, and on the other, the latest micro-budget horror from Blumhouse: Obsession. The two films can’t be any more different, and while Star Wars’ return to the big screen is expected to earn over $400 million at the box office, it’s Obsession that’s going to enter the history books. Not only because of its total box office, it’s going to end up over a $100 million, but it’s how it’s earned the money. It’s the first film since Shrek to earn more its second weekend than its first, without the benefit of Christmas or Thanksgiving weekends. That’s one for the history books.
Obsession Defies Decades Of History
A second weekend drop of under 50 percent is considered a success in Hollywood. On average, movies tend to be frontloaded these days, and we’ll never again have a film like Titanic, which earned more on Valentine’s Day three months after release than it did on opening night. It was catastrophic that both Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania fell by 67 percent in their second weekends, but a franchise-saving success when Bumblebee dropped only 3 percent. Obsession has, percentage-wise, done better than all of those films, and thousands of others.
Obsession is, as of the time of this writing, on pace for a second weekend performance of $19 million. 16 percent above its original haul of $17 million. With outstanding word of mouth, rave reviews, and countless social media reactions, sketch comedian Curry Barker’s (no relation to that other Barker) horror debut shows no signs of slowing down. If the third weekend breaks $19 million, Obsession will become one of the most successful films in modern history.
The Next Big Name In Horror
With a total budget of under a million dollars, Obsession cost less than the catering budget for The Mandalorian and Grogu. The tight story, with a total runtime of barely over 100 minutes, has been able to capture the audience’s imagination in a way few horror films have before, already earning the film comparisons to The Ring, The Blair Witch Project, and Paranormal Activity. The One Wish Willow that allows Bear (Michael Johnston) to wish for his crush, Nikki (Inde Navarrette) to love him more than anyone is already being talked about as the subject of a second film, or an anthology, with multiple One Wish Willow’s going very, very badly for the wisher.
Low-budget horror has become a staple of cinema over the last few decades in particular, and Curry Barker is set to follow up his current hit next year with Anything but Ghosts starring Aaron Paul and Bryce Dallas Howard (with an estimated budget of $5 million) and in 2027, a new take on an old classic: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It’ll be a tough bar to clear the success of Obsession, which might break even more records before its run comes to an end, but given the reaction to his small-scale Monkey’s Paw story, Barker is going to become one of the hottest directors in Hollywood.
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