Behind the Scenes

Behind the Scenes of Broken Survivor

I was inspired to write this fanfic after reading two other fanfics of the same plot that were unfinished and discontinued. I had originally intended to go darker with trust issues, more abuse, and a broken Padawan with a young Jedi needing to pick up the pieces. After rereading the Star Wars: The Clone Wars novel, I was suddenly struck with the idea to make the fanfic take place during the pilot movie. 

The movie and the novel were a huge help and inspiration for this fanfic. Most of the dialogue was from both as I wanted to stay as close to canon as possible. Extra scenes and Anakin and Captain Rex's characterizations were taken or at least heavily inspired by the novel. 

The title Broken Survivor was decided by the original path this book was going to take. Then I matured as a writer. I realized that I had done something similar with Who I Am and that Ahsoka is mentally stronger than what I give her credit for. I thought it would be better for this character that I went with a less depressing route and I'm very happy with the results. 

What I am disappointed with in the end is the lack of Pong Krell in the story. He makes his intentions clear to the readers and to Ahsoka Tano, but I didn't write a lot of scenes between them or their relationship. However, it is a tiny thing that I can live with. 

I am really proud with how I was able to get into Anakin Skywalker's head, all thanks to the novel. Yes, he is cocky and unorthodox, but I tend to overlook how young he is. It's been roughly a month since Attack of the Clones, and Anakin is only twenty-years-old and newly knighted. 

Always a fan, I hid a few references in my story. I titled one of the chapters "It's a Trap!" in honor of the fallen hero Admiral Ackbar. He deserved a more heroic and memorable death. A lot of people also caught the Flash reference of a quote by Lenard Snart: "You make the plan, execute the plan, expect the plan to go off the rails, and when it does, throw away the plan!" I don't watch that show anymore, but a line from the SWtCW novel reminded me of it. I made a "high ground" reference without meaning to make a reference, but when I did, I thought you guys would get a kick out of it. I made a Lord of the Rings reference that was so subtle, no one noticed. When Obi-Wan says to Anakin, "You're late," I had Rex follow up with "You look terrible." This was what Legolas said to Aragorn upon his return to Helm's Deep in The Two Towers movie. Finally, Trip's number starts with 16 before he was interrupted because that's my age. 

I hinted a sequel in the acknowledgements at the end of the book. Here is my little teaser for what I'm thinking: Now that Pong Krell is dead and out of the game, how will Umbara go with Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano there to lead the charge alongside Captain Rex? I'm thinking that this will not be a direct sequel and can be read on it's own, but it's a nice what if after the conclusion of Broken Survivor.