Star Wars

[Jennpurr]

I have a question and I'm hoping one of you will know the answer.

In, A New Hope, when Obi-Wan is fighting Vader, why does Obi-Wan, upon seeing Luke observing the duel, stop fighting and let Vader kill him? That has always bothered me and I would love to know the answer.

Thanks in advance,

Jen

[urnofosiris]

I assume he did that for the reason he gave Darth Vader: ´If you kill me I will become more powerful than you can ever imagine´.
This way he was invulnerable and could appear to Luke and guide him where ever he happened to be. Otherwise he would have to physically tag along all the time.

[SySnootles]

I've always believed it was for two reasons...

Kenobi knew how much of a danger it would be if he was always tagging along with Luke because Luke would most likely do everything he could to protect him. This could certainly be a liability to the completion of missions which Luke would face in the future. The removal of Ben allowed Luke to concentrate on only one thing without the thought of "protection" in his head. (I think this was further exemplified in the beginning of ROTS, when Kenobi kept Anakin from helping out the Arc-170s by telling him "they're doing their job so we can do ours.")

The second reason was the "all-powerful" thing that Dr. G. mentioned above. If Kenobi was incorporeal, he could only be at one place at one time. If he was "part of the force," he could go where ever he was needed most at the drop of the hat (like the "Use the Force, Luke" during the Death Star trench run).

[Culzean]

My take was that Obi-Wan really couldn't have beaten Darth. As Vader points out, Obi-Wan has grown older and slower.

Obi-Wan's mission was to rescue Princess Leia and get R2D2, and the stolen plans, to the Resistance. I'm sure his mission was also to get Luke on the right path.

He kept Darth Vader busy and acted as a diversion which allowed the others to get to the ship. Once he saw his group boarding the Falcon, he stopped fighting. Had he tried to join them he would have had to get past Vader (again, I don't think he could have). Then the Storm Troopers would have tried to help Vader, Luke and Leia would have tried to help Obi-Wan and they may not have escaped.

As Obi-Wan said, he really couldn't lose. By leaving his physical form he completed all of his missions, and was now in an even better position to continue helping Luke.

Also, in the greater scheme, Luke was the one who had to confront Darth Vader.

Damn, that was a good movie!

[Jennpurr]

Thank you to all of you who answered my question. It makes sense to me now.

I found this joke. It's very corny and might be considered stupid, but I thought I would post it anyway.

Q: What happened when Luke Skywalker was struggling with his chopsticks in a local Chinese restaurant?

A: Obi Wan Kenobi appeared to him in a vision and said, "Use the *fork* Luke!"


Jen

[Hemiola]

Well, I finally saw it (I was waiting for the big crowds to be gone), and I must say I was impressed...very impressed. In fact, I was even moved in parts. Some outstanding points:

1. First, the special FX were up to the highest standards. I know that Lucas has come in for a lot of criticism for making "green-screen" animated films instead of "real" live-action films. But I have to say that I found the world created in this film entirely real and believable, and the integration between the cgi elements and the live-action was, to my eye, absolutely seamless.

2. For a change, there was good acting, particularly from Ewan McGregor, Ian McDiarmid and Natalie Portman. Of course, everyone was still fighting heroically against Lucas' wooden dialogue. For cryin' out loud, how is it possible for two young spouses so in love such as Padme and Anakin never to say "beloved" or "darling" to each other?? And shouldn't they have had some sort of discussion about baby names (which would have made her naming them later in the film much more convincing. BTW, shouldn't the medically advanced technology of this world have eased and/or eliminated the pain of childbirth?) Equally impressive was the voiceover contribution of Frank Oz as Yoda.

3. And finally, I have to say that Lucas actually managed to bring his saga to a satisfactory conclusion, beautifully linking it with parts "4-6" (which are, of course, actually "1-3" ). I found the second half of the film much more involving than the first. Although I wasn't terribly convinced by Padme's death by "broken heart" (such demises are tough to bring off, even in opera;-) ), I found her funeral on Naboo genuinely moving. Likewise I was very impressed by the adoption scenes of Leia by the Organa family and Luke by his aunt and uncle (it was a splendid idea to end on the very same shot of Tatooine's setting twin suns that we first saw in the original "Star Wars" back in 1977 ). And finally I was darned impressed by the changeover from Anakin Skywalker into Darth Vader, complete with the cavernous breathing and the voice of James Earl Jones.

All in all, an excellent film. Well worth the money and the time.

An idea: if Lucas ever decides to do an "Episode 7", it would be nice to have Luke and Leia pay a visit to their mother's grave.

[idontlikejam]

hmmmmm, ok i loved the original star wars films and totally wanted to be a jedi but this new one disppointed me. i mean all padme did was stay at home and whine, for fucks sake just cus she was pregnant doesnt mean she was useless, plus i wanted to see anakin kill all the little jedis. ok it was cool how all the peeps turned against the jedis buti dont think it would have really happened. and i did like anakin being fucked over by the lava, but still, a better story would have been good.

[SySnootles]

I think showing the massacre of young children would have been a bit much for any movie, much less a beloved franchise film.

As for the turning of the clone troopers against their Jedi comrades, I don't understand what you mean by you don't think that would have really happened? Do you mean you don't believe the troops would have turned just like that? If that's the case, I believe the clone troops were "bred," if you will, to follow orders completely. If their commander-in-chief gave them an order, they had to follow it with no other thoughts in their head. That, coupled with the fact that Palpatine could very well have pre-programmed the clones during gestation, or during training and indoctrination, with something to do with Order 66.

You said you would have liked a better story. I don't understand what you mean by this, either. The story was about Anakin's decent into Darth Vader. What I was impressed with is the fact that it all made sense... it was, as weird as it is to say this, realistic. And it makes Darth Vader a much more sympathetic character than I had ever thought possible.

Just my thoughts and opinions, by the way. I don't mean to stir anything up. I just like discussing things. Especially when there's Star Wars involved.

EDIT: for lack of attention to spelling detail.

[Krazy Dreamer]

I have to agree with SySnootles. It is completely believable that the clone troops turned against the Jedi, because they were programmed to follow orders from their superior(s), just as any good soldier is. It's possible that they were pre-programmed concerning Order 66, but I don't think it would have actually been necessary.

That said, I really enjoyed this movie. Anakin/Darth Vader is one of the most realistic human characters I have ever seen portrayed in a movie. He does have good in him, but the darkness hovers over him, and eventually overshadows him. And the last straw that eventually leads to him completely giving in to the dark side is his love for Padme, and his fear of losing her. That's about as human as you can get. A villain with heart! I love it. I'm a firm believer in actions speaking louder than words, so for me this act, among others, more than makes up for any dialogue issues.

[Culzean]

I enjoyed Sith. It is by far the best of the prequels. Actually, I think there was enough story there for two films.

I thought the first two prequels were visually stunning, but pretty weak. I wish they had been combined into one story. Then we could lose that never-ending pod race, and have Anakin as a boy and whiney teenager over with in one film.

I really enjoyed the story of Anakin crossing from good to evil. I would have loved to see more of that. I thought the way he was manipulated into siding against the Jedi was done really well. Even the Jedi were morally in a gray area at that moment, and I could believe Anankin moving away from them in the interest of peace and Padme's life.

However, I thought it was quite a jump to go from siding with the Chancellor to killing children. Children he knew and may have taught. That I couldn't believe. I could have bought it if it happened after he lost Padme, his friends, large parts of his body, and much of his humanity. I think we could have spent more time with the transition.

I would have also enjoyed spending more time immediately after the change to Darth. I thought the scene in the operating room was great. When they began to lower the mask over Anakin's face you can see panic and claustophobia in his eyes. How must he have felt those first days and weeks? There was plenty of room for high drama here. At this stage I could believe he'd go after his own mother.

Again, I really enjoyed this movie. Just wanted more!

[urnofosiris]

I think showing the massacre of young children would have been a bit much for any more, much less a beloved franchise film.

Agreed. The way it was done was chilling enough without the gory details. The killing of the young jedi´s-to-be (I agree that was a pretty big hard to believe step to the dark side) has got to be the most evil thing Anakin/Darth Vader has done. In the original three movies I only recall him killing nasty admirals. Not that that makes him a prince, but this really shows just how bad he has become and it is painful to think about when you remember the sweet young jedi-to-be he was in the first episode. I can imagine Obi-Wan´s and Padme´s pain over losing him like this, it is worse than if he had died fighting the good fight. It is interesting that in the end he did fulfill his prophecy. He killed the Sith lord in the end, though I still feel his redemption came too easy.

Padme´s and Anakin´s love talk was even more corny than I had dared believe after reading the comments here. Ye gods, poor Natalie and Hayden, no one could have made those lines work. I am disappointed by Padme´s role in this movie, little left of the strong asskicking woman from the previous parts. Dying of a broken heart makes no sense, though there is still room for interpretation. All they said is that apparently she had lost the will to live and that there did not seem to be anything medically wrong with her other than the detail of her dying.
She just gave birth to twins, she believes there is still good in Darth Vader and Anakin is still alive somewhere in there. Why would she not have the heart to live on? It makes more sense to me if Anakin has been inadvertently responsible for her death by choking her using the dark side of the force. To hear Darth Vader scream in agony over the Padme´s death was rather moving. He was always so stoic, to see this raw emotion was compelling.

One thing I found rather interesting, was that in a way Palpatine is Anakin´s father. At least I assume he is the one that influenced those midi-chlorians to create his powerful new pupil that would end up helping him gain absolute power and as fate would have it, kill him in the end.

I was annoyed with the way the Jedi Council, especially Mace Windu, treated Anakin. Not that I fault them for not giving him his way, but could they have used any worse psychology on him? For all their wisdom, I think they messed up badly with him. Except for Yoda, he was phenomenal as usual though. His fight with the emperor was awesome. If not for his fall he would have gotten the evil freak. Over all I enjoyed the movie, a few things bother me, but as a whole it was quite enjoyable and very dark indeed.

[aceivan]

To hear Darth Vader scream in agony over the Padme´s death was rather moving.

I was surprised to hear about the death of Padme. I had heard a rumour about her appearing in a new scene that was to be added to Return of the Jedi.

Ah well, in 10 or 20 years time George Lucas might release a new box set of all 9 movies with Luke and Leia reunited with their mother and hopefully Jar Jar Binks completely edited out. Please, George, I'm begging you!

[justin]

How it should have ended has a great cartoon showing how Star wars: episode 4 should have ended

ETA: It's a bittorrent file, so you'll need a copy of Bittorrent to download it

[urnofosiris]

and hopefully Jar Jar Binks completely edited out.

That would leave like 10 minutes of episode 1 wouldn't it? If only.

I wish he would bring back Padme, if after all he did, Anakin gets to walk around forever in an all powerful ghostlike state like Yoda and Obi-Wan then Padme should be there too and I don't care she was not a Jedi. It is sci-fi, anything goes. .

[Warduke]

The Editing Room - Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith: The Abridged Script

[sam7777]

Oh man that was hilarious.

[urnofosiris]

Justin that clip was brilliant. That script was hilarious as well, it pointed out all that was stupid and inconsistent perfectly.
I noticed it all and I still love these movies, all of them.

[Darth Pacula]

G'day all.

I'm a huge Star Wars fan (guess the name might be a tip-off ). Hell, I was born the year A New Hope came out and my mum used to feed me as a baby using Star Wars references, so I suppose it was inevitable.

I've liked all the movies, even the prequels. I have to admit I even didn't hate Jar Jar (Please don't stone me)

Anyway, the point of this post is to point out what I think is a hilarious little spoof of Star Wars using such things as vegetables and eggs instead of actors. Hope you enjoy.

http://www.storewars.org/flash/index.html

[urnofosiris]

Ah that has been posted already a page back, but it does not hurt to repost it as a reminder, it is very funny and very well done. I love all the parodies. As for Jar Jar, you are lucky is all I can say, not being driven up the wall by his character much make watching episode one a much more enjoyable experience.

[Warduke]

Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith on DVD...November 1st.

[sam7777]

Wow that didn't take long.

[urnofosiris]

Get it while it is hot. I think I will wait for the boxset of 1,2, 3. Not that I am particularly interested in episode 1, but I have the other box set. I think I´d like to see them in order one of these days. I hope it has some good extra´s, like all the scenes with Padme we should have had.

[sam7777]

I'd buy phantom if they would include the Jar Jar lite version and have a shorter pod race. They realy should include the phantom edit. They should do a special edition for all three. Clones could use a trim on that factory scen and Sith could use in addition to the good Padme scenes obvioulsy left on the cutting room floor, a better death scene where it is clear she died from the force choke and not having nothing to live for (:wtf anakin still has good and she has twins).

[aceivan]

I think I will wait for the boxset of 1,2, 3. Not that I am particularly interested in episode 1, but I have the other box set.

Yeah, me too. I've been waiting for this boxset since Attack of the Clones was released (still haven't seen it yet). I'd be surprised if a set didn't appear at the same time as the Revenge of the Sith DVD.

Len

[aceivan]

http://www.gazetteextra.com/jvlcon082005.asp

'Armed robber' was really a Stormtrooper at JVL-CON

The Force wasn't with a Stormtrooper-clad attendee of the JVL-CON science fiction convention on Friday at the Ramada Inn in Janesville.

Instead, it had him surrounded.

Janesville police got a surprise when they responded to a report of an armed robbery at the Ramada Inn, 3431 Milton Ave.

The alleged suspect was dressed as a Stormtrooper, a soldier for the Galactic Empire in the science fiction movie series "Star Wars."

"Apparently some people who saw him felt there was a threat," said Sgt. Kay Nikolaus of the Janesville Police Department.

The Stormtrooper was really a vendor participating in the weekend convention, held annually at the Ramada Inn, said Joann Lewandowski, who lives with event organizer Ray Norton.

"It was kind of silly but kind of understandable," Lewandowski said.

Whoever called police must have missed the Ramada's marquee out front, which announces the convention being held there, Lewandowski said.

The Stormtrooper got a warning from police-leave the plastic laser gun inside.

So, if you're passing the Ramada this weekend and you see a little green guy with pointy ears and wearing a robe, it shouldn't be an alien concept.

Len

[Lindy]

Me is having a question.

I remember Leah saying that she has some childhood-memories of her mom and that her mom was always quite sad.

If Padme really died, well, than who is Leah speaking of?

[justin]

There are two possibilites

1: She's talking about the woman who raised her
2: This is a continuity error

[sam7777]

2: This is a continuity error

That's my vote. Leia said that in "Return of the Jedi, I think. Some folks have tried to explain it away by saying that she was talking about her step mom but I don't buy it. I think Lucas just forgot. The whole Padme death thing was just badly done IMHO with her giving up when she has twins and thinks Anakin still has good in him?!?

[SySnootles]

Watch that scene again. Leia doesn't say she remembers specific things about her mom. She remembers "images... feelings." I don't think she's talking about her stepmother at all. Leia is strong in the force, as was her father and her brother. Many times throughout the films (and in books) force sensitive people "felt" things which they should otherwise have no knowledge of.

Though I do agree, it is a stretch. While it is something that stands out in may people's minds as a huge continuity error, considering the movies were made 22 years apart (with no concrete plans to make any other ones after ROTJ), I think Lucas did a pretty good job working everything together.

[urnofosiris]

I pointed that out before myself. It is possible to explain it away I guess by Leia remembering her sad mommy just after she was born, Leia is a child of the force too and all, but I think Lucas made no effort to properly explain it. In Return of the Jedi Luke specifically ask Leia about her real mother, so Leia must have known she was adopted, otherwise his question would have made no sense if she did not know. She would just tell him about his adoptive mother and what would have been the point in that. Clearly she did not know she was Anakin Skywalker´s/Darth Vader´s daughter until Luke told her, but she must have known she had another mother. Anyway, Leia answered Luke by saying she was young when she dies and that she was very beautiful and sad.

No hint at how she died in Return of the Jedi, they could have come up with something other than what they did. All they had to do was have that robot nurse shut up and not say there wasn´t anything physically wrong with her and not make a point of her losing her will to live or something like that. In that case it would have been much easier to accept then that Anakin had killed her by touching her with the dark side of the force.

Edited to add: the exact conversation from the shooting script:

Luke turns and looks at her a long moment.

LUKE
Leia... do you remember your mother? Your
real mother?

LEIA
Just a little bit. She died when I was very
young.

LUKE
What do you remember?

LEIA
Just...images, really. Feelings.

LUKE
Tell me.

LEIA
(a little surprised at his insistence)
She was very beautiful. Kind, but...sad.
(looks up) Why are you asking me all this?