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» Hatrack River Forum » Active Forums » Discussions About Orson Scott Card » OSC's Dislike of Star Wars (Page 1)

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Author Topic: OSC's Dislike of Star Wars
El JT de Spang
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As a lover of most (if not all) good sci-fi, I've always loved Star Wars. Not just the movies, but the universe. I read some of the books that follow eps. VI (the Zahn books, not the crappy ones). Now obviously, the new trilogy hasn't been that well received thus far, although I think expectations were unbelievably high for them, so of course there was the inevitable letdown. But still, everyone I know in real life who likes sci-fi in some form or another likes Star Wars and I guess the point of this thread is that I'm curious why you don't like it, Scott?

I'm interested in hearing your opinion, as well as the opinions of my fellow Hatrackers, because people here seem to be smart, perceptive, and well-informed (for the most part).

What have I missed about Star Wars that you guys all caught? I freely confess to be a terminally shallow movie watcher and book reader, so it doesn't take a lot to satisfy me because I don't expect a lot out of it. But with SW, (as it will be known from here on out) I daydreamed in that universe all the way through grade school. That, to me, is the mark of a good story. I can put myself in it and leave the story behind, going off on my own adventures.

[ April 24, 2005, 02:16 PM: Message edited by: El JT de Spang ]

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blacwolve
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quote:
But with SW, (as it will known from here on out) I daydreamed in that universe all the way through grade school.
I did that too! I had a whole life, I was Luke's daughter, but I spent most of my time with Leia and Han's children and we did all kinds of great things that our parents hated. Ah, those were the good days...
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Frangy.
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JT, where are you from???
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Stephan
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Though I watch them, they definitely don't rate up there as great sci fi in my opinion. I don't really like Fantasy, and Star Wars seems more fantasy then science fiction to me. Especially in terms of themes. Science fiction to me always at least leaves the possibility that this could really happen. Star Wars just doesn't have that feel to it.
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Dread Pendragon
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A comment on the high expectations for the new star wars movies: are they really any worse than the first three many of us love? How was jar jar a worse character than those stupid teddy bears. Jar Jar got politicized as a negative black stereotype, but the ewoks weren't flattering of native/aboriginal societies themselves.

And acting: besides Harrison Ford, who really did a great job? Carrie Fisher was fine, but the main character (which I will keep annonymous and just call him Mark H.) wasn't great. I don't mean to be overly negative. There were a lot of cool things about the original three (although the new edition with new scenes really screwed things up). Oh yeah, I liked Obiwan.

But I still loved them, and so did a lot of people. There were interesting things that made us love them despite their flaws.

So the new ones aren't that great, but they are still good. The don't have a harrison ford, and Lucas seems to make even the good actors perform badly (Ewan McGregor), but I think they are as good as the old ones and are worth watching.

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El JT de Spang
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Frangy

I'm from Louisiana.

I didn't think the first two were worse than the original three, but that was the general consensus. The acting in SW was never gonna win any oscars, no doubt. It was about the story, and the effects. Which is why I'm curious as to why my favorite storyteller doesn't like my favorite story (not strictly true, but I hate to break up a good sentence).

[ April 22, 2005, 01:25 PM: Message edited by: El JT de Spang ]

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Mr_Megalomaniac
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I'm a big fan of episodes IV, V, and VI.
The others though... let's just say I'm not holding my breath for episode III. I really can't stand episode I. It had many things in it that I just didn't like. The plot wasn't horrible and the music and special effects great, I especially liked the idea that Darth Sidious is manipulating the entire thing.

Stuck in rant mode: (Might as well just skip over this...)

It's not just Jar Jar (,who I hated with a passion,) that I hate or the acting. Darth Maul who could have been a really cool villan, but was nothing more than a mere icon and he easily took on Obi Wan and Qui Gon at the same time, but died in an extremely lame way. The "explanation" of the force was awful. Pod racing was far too long. Anakin accidently destroying the space station thing was head bashing. Anakin in general was a pain. Okay I really didn't care much for any character.

The overuse of special effects to make it flashy was a little irritating. I like C3P0, but he shouldn't have been in it, ESPECIALLY the way he was. Built by Anakin... right.Yoda should have talked like a normal person in these movies and Darth Maul should have been an actual character and lived. It would have been great it Maul killed Anakin's mom and then Anaking kills Maul with only the force out of anger, but instead Anakin kills a bunch of weak sand people and it's skipped over. Wah!

Episode II wasn't as bad. The plot wasn't horrible, and liked how Darth Sidious was manipulating everyone again. I couldn't stand Anakin. Instead of being cool and dark at the same time; he was only annoying and revolved around teen angst. I've only seen this movie once or twice, so I don't remember it that well. Count Dooku was alright, but no where near as great as Darth Vader.

I also don't like how they made Boba Fett in this one. And Jango Fett was all up on Obi Wan, but at the end he did nothing but stand there and get killed by Mace. And it seemed a little strange for Jango to go from being cloned and then going to the side that was fighting the clones. I know he's a bounty hunter and that Sidious was basically in command of both, but still I didn't like it. C3P0 in that big battle and the end really annoyed me. That whole scene in the factory also seemed pointless except to be all special effectsy.

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Hamson
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To all people who don't like the prequel Starwars movies: Watch them backwards at normal speed, and put in your own commentary, it's quite hilarious if you do it with a few good friends.
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Pelegius
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The big differance between the First series and the prequels is that the first series was always tounge-in-cheek. The prequels are too serious.
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neo-dragon
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I love all of the Star Wars films, and many of the novels. Anyone here read "the New Jedi Order" series? Star Wars novels take up a large section of my book shelf. In fact, reading the earlier novels such as Timothy Zahn's trilogy when I was younger is what got me into reading sci-fi. If I hadn't have read those books, I probably never would have read "Ender's Game" either, and I wouldn't be posting here right now.
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FoolishTook
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I like Mr_Megalomaniac's take on it.

The movies weren't terrible. The plot and politics were great, but the characters left something to be desired.

Anakin was especially annoying. I think most Star Wars fans can't wait until he goes to the Dark Side, because then he'll be less irritating.

Wouldn't it have been much more interesting if Anakin were actually a likeable character? The audience grows attached to him, then watches him slowly turn evil. But when the bad guys are 100% bad, the good guys 100% good, and the future bad guys 100% annoying, why should we care what happens?

I grew up on the old Star Wars movies. They were revolutionary. Now, sitting next to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, they just aren't cutting it.

However, I'll still go to the opening with a bunch of light-saber wielding nerds--me being one of them--because I need closure, even if it's badly done closure. And maybe this one will surprise us all.

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Puffy Treat
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OSC liked the first two films, it's only the rest he's been down upon. So it's not as if he hates SW films "just because".

He thought the quality of subsequent SW films was poor, and that Lucas was prone to moral weirdness. Something I personally agree on.

(One last-minute act of good redeems Anakin from decades upon decades of murder?)

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Pelegius
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Isn't foregiveness a moral act? Actualy, the problem is the lack of Hans Solo in the first 2, not that this can be fixed: no one could step into Ford's footsteps. It isn't that Ford is a remarkably gifted actor, it doesn't take that much talent to make action films, it's that he had a perfect grasp on the charecter
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Agnes Bean
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quote:
Wouldn't it have been much more interesting if Anakin were actually a likeable character? The audience grows attached to him, then watches him slowly turn evil. But when the bad guys are 100% bad, the good guys 100% good, and the future bad guys 100% annoying, why should we care what happens?

Agreed. And it's actually very sad what they did with Anakin's character. The worst part is that, if his performance in Shattered Glass is any indication, Hayden Christensen could have actual played Anakin as both appealing and morally corrupt enough to turn to the dark side at the same time. (Note: if you haven’t seen Shattered Glass, you really should. It’s a fascinating movie about a reporter who fabricates stories, and it’s really shocking to see how good Hayden Christensen’s acting is.
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Bretagne
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quote:
I love all of the Star Wars films, and many of the novels. Anyone here read "the New Jedi Order" series? Star Wars novels take up a large section of my book shelf. In fact, reading the earlier novels such as Timothy Zahn's trilogy when I was younger is what got me into reading sci-fi. If I hadn't have read those books, I probably never would have read "Ender's Game" either, and I wouldn't be posting here right now.
Me too, though I never finished NJO (SPOILER: when they killed Chewbacca, I just couldn't go any further). Star Wars is what got me in to scifi and fantasy, and I owe it an immeasurable debt for that.

In all honesty, I love Star Wars. Not because the characters are wonderful (they aren't, mostly) or because the acting was great (it wasn't, at all) or whatever. I love Star Wars because I can lose myself in that galaxy for hours on end. Used to dream about it? I still do!

And I owe Star Wars another debt, because if it hadn't been for Star Wars, I wouldn't have a boyfriend at the moment. The thing that brought us together was a mutual love for Star Wars. It's crazy.

Not only would I not have read Ender's Game if I hadn't first enjoyed Star Wars, I wouldn't be an aspiring writer. Why? [Blushing] I'm afraid that I, in my sixth-grade stupidity, thought that I would write the next Star Wars novel, and get it published. Thankfully, I eventually learned that it just wasn't that easy. But I was already hooked on writing, and now I've got a story that, in a few more weeks, will be ready to go out to editors to see if they'll publish it. That is a dream come true, and I really owe it to Star Wars for getting me writing in a serious way.

So, for as much as Lucas messed up, I owe him a debt of gratitude. [Hat]

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Szymon
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Gee, I wrote sometime ago, that Pequeninos are a bit similar to Ewoks in my imagination. UPS
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GiantBeanGirl
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i think you'll find that if you watch episodes 4,5,and 6 now, you can still appreciate them as being really cool when you were younger, and just laugh at all the corny parts now, so you can still enjoy the movies for what they were. thats what i have done recently to try to get back in the spirit for episode three, but i don't have high hopes. i think i'm only a little excited because previews always get me hyped up.
i couldn't stand episodes 1 and 2, but watched them because of the special effects and because i figured it was my duty as a loyal star wars fan to at least sit through them one time. i hated the characters like jar jar, because for one thing, everything that came out of his mouth was really stupid in my opinion. no offense to anyone. i was shocked that both those prequels had such bad acting from such great actors like liam neeson, and ewan mcgregor, natalie portman. it was like they did it on purpose, like they didn't care. i can only pray the final episode turns out better.

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El JT de Spang
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quote:
OSC liked the first two films, it's only the rest he's been down upon. So it's not as if he hates SW films "just because".

He thought the quality of subsequent SW films was poor, and that Lucas was prone to moral weirdness. Something I personally agree on.

(One last-minute act of good redeems Anakin from decades upon decades of murder?)

I don't know Scott's feelings on any of the movies; I've never read any of his thoughts on them specifically. So it's not like I'm accusing him of something. I'm just curious what he saw that I missed, because I respect his insights.

I also remember last week sometime someone asked if he would consider writing a novel in the SW universe and he responded something to the effect "If I'm gonna set a novel in a 2nd rate universe, it'll be my own 2nd rate universe". This is the comment that really started this thread. I've heard plenty of people, SW fans, that don't like the new movies. But it's rare for me to hear that someone dislikes the whole universe, et al.

And as far as Anakin's redemption, this is pretty much *.* catholicism's stance on repentance. Catholicism says that no matter what you've done, if you asked for forgiveness, it will be granted.

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signine
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*sigh*

This made me feel like ranting, since that's what it seems like everyone else is doing anyway.

I loved the first three movies (IV, V, VI). I'm one of those crazy people who likes Empire better than any of the other films. It's dark, it ends on a negative note, but throughout the film every single character evolves. Han Solo is suddenly shown to have a heart and a background, Leia is shown to be more than a prissy little stereotype, Luke grows up (in IV he was almost as whiney as Anakin was in II), even Chewbacca is developed further. It's an amazing film, simply put.

Admittedly though, considering Lucas drew a lot of his inspiration from Kurosawa, his films should have been MUCH better than they were.

Wow, I'm scattered and completely on a tangent. Anyway, here's a play by play of my take on what we've seen so far (SPOILERS):
Episode I:
Very little plot or character development. Completely transparent and overdependent on really bad comic relief. It seems as if Lucas wanted to make a film to show off his new special effects techniques and sell toys. He suceeded. Jar Jar Binks is also the most irritating creature ever. He was like that little rat thing on Jabba's tail in ROTJ, but we had to put up with it for the entire film.
Episode II:
Incredibly ambitious, but suffered from the problem that Lucas was allowed to direct. His actors might be skilled, but it doesn't show through his direction, I would almost suspect that he intentionally squeezed that terrible acting out of them for some reason. The story could have been excellent, but trite dialogue and terrible acting ruined the film for me.
Episode IV:
You liked it, admit it. The story was transparent, the characters loveable (both evil and benign), and it was entertaining enough to watch again and again and again.
Episode V:
Dark, brooding, artsy. This film really doesn't belong with the rest of the series in either style or content, it doesn't seem to fit with the lighthearted transparent nature of the series. I hope Episode III changes that.
Episode VI:
Yes, it was cheesy. Yes, there were Ewoks. Yes there was that thing on Jabba's tail. About 25% of the movie was fan service for those who wanted to see Jedi kicking some butt. On the other hand the story was well-done, the acting wasn't half-bad, and though the Ewoks were cheesy furry little teddy bears, they were and will forever be superior to Jar Jar and the Gungans for the following reasons:
1. They had no moral compunctions against slaughtering humans, and in fact seemed to enjoy eating them. This seems fitting for a race of small furry carnivores living on a remote moon.
2. They couldn't speak English, and thus irritate the crap out of us.
3. They served a purpose in the film, namely kicking the crap out of stormtroopers with guerilla warfare.
4. The Ewok song was cool.

Gungans on the other hand had the following going for them:
1. Bad ethnic stereotyping.
2. Clear lack of intelligence.
3. Advanced technology used ineptly.

In short, what Lucas has been doing hasn't been horrible, but I think it's been poorly thought out in terms of the original story he told. If he wanted to sell toys, he could just put in more Boba Fett. We all love Boba Fett.

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Stephan
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How about the fact that after watching the first 2 prequels, I consider the droids to be pure evil. With all the questions Luke has about his past, R2 and C3P0 never bother to tell him? Even who his mother is?
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El JT de Spang
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That's true. I never thought about that, especially given threepio's propensity for volunteering information. That was a sneaky little trick.
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Rose the ____
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they can memory-wipe droids pretty easy though. who's to say 3po and d2 have the same minds and memories in the 2nd trilogy? over 17 years pass between the trilogies.
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Rose the ____
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wouldn't be much different from wiping your C drive after a nasty virus. or to get rid of sensitive info. or websites you don't want your wife to know you've visited. heh.
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Puffy Treat
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The Star Wars universe isn't Catholic. It's Calvinist.

Everything is "predestined".

And Vader never asked for forgiveness. He was saved by the Force apparently merely because he killed the Emperor before Luke was killed.

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Magson
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Threepio gets his memory wiped at the end of Ep III, according to the graphic novel. Artoo apparently didn't, though, so maybe it's *Artoo* that is the sneaky little devil in not telling Luke anything.

Of course. . . . Artoo was Anakin's droid, yet Obi-Wan didn't seem to recognize it in Ep Iv, nor did Artoo seem to recognize Obi-Wan either, so while it's easy to say Artoo might have also been wiped, why wouldn't Obi-Wan have recognized Artoo?

I think it's a case of trying to make the pieces fit where they don't quite simply becuz they weren't originally intended to, and so. . .they don't quite fit, and can't be made to do so.

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signine
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I disagree about the droid comment relating to R2 and Obi-Wan. R2 definitely knew Obi-Wan, from the script for A New Hope:
quote:
LUKE: Oh, this little droid! I think he's searching for his former master...I've never seen such devotion in a droid before...there seems to be no stopping him. He claims to be the property of an Obi-Wan Kenobi. Is he a relative of yours? Do you know who he's talking about?

BEN: Obi-Wan Kenobi...Obi-Wan? Now that's a name I haven't heard in a long time...a long time.

LUKE: I think my uncle knew him. He said he was dead.

BEN: Oh, he's not dead, not...not yet.

R2 was never technically owned by Obi-Wan, but Obi-Wan was Anakin's master, and as far as most know, Anakin died a horrible death at the hands of Vader.
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urbanX
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You'd think Vader would at least remember the droids. I mean he created 3-CPO and R2-D2 was almost a friend.
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0range7Penguin
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THe reasons I dislike the new ones and love the old ones is simple. As Mr. Card said himself in Maps in a Mirror a good story revolves not around a story but around its characters. IN IV V and VI you had characters that where deep with feelings, quirkiness, bichiness, whininess, etc. In the two new ones the characters are mostly all monotone serious throughout the whole thing. You can't empathize with any of the characters whatsoever. All great stories are based on characters.
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jjmelberg
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maybe we just love the old ones because they were one of the first type of movies to have special effects and action like they did? i loved them and have seen all 3 of the original's about 1000 times each, but if you asked me the last time i saw all three, i would have to say it was over a decade ago. i think ill keep them tucked away as a grand memory of my childhood.
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estavares
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I think the biggest problem with the prequels, other than basic bad screenwriting from Lucas (he's a fine storyteller, but he needs a professional writing the script––he makes basic freshman-level mistakes time and time again) is the form of moviemaking he's trying.

One of the big problems with digital filmmaking is when you shoot actors in segments, treating them as but another element of the scene rather than the scene itself, is that it becomes very, very difficult to have any continuity of character or a sense of emotion.

Lucas doesn't direct. He's doesn't care about emotion, motivation, backstory or anything that can energize the actor to an improved performance. He would be happier, I think, making PIXAR films where he can have direct control over even his actors. He is the ultimate control freak. He can't deal with actors trying out new things under his watch. I wouldn't be surprised to hear the REAL feelings of actors like Liam Neeson and Ewan and Ms. Portman once the trilogy is completely finished.

It's tough acting that way. Occasionally actors can transcend the format to make you forget it (see Sky Captain) but it's flaw of the medium. Hopefully, as actors grow familiar with the process, they become more comfortable with the mental tools needed to provide a more sophisticated performance.

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neo-dragon
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"You'd think Vader would at least remember the droids. I mean he created 3-CPO and R2-D2 was almost a friend."

Droids are like cars: they come in different models, but all the ones of the same model look alike. You see various 3PO and R2 units walking around in the original trilogy. There's no reason for Vader to assume that C-3PO and R2-D2 are the same droids he knew.

Anyway, I don't know why everyone is so critical of the prequels. I admit that Lucas goes overboard with the CGI at times, and there's simply no excuse for Jar-Jar Binks... and the acting and dialogue is weak at times, but regardless of all that, they're still fun to watch, and they tell a pretty good story about the fall of a man, and of a society.

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IanO
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quote:
I wouldn't be surprised to hear the REAL feelings of actors like Liam Neeson and Ewan and Ms. Portman once the trilogy is completely finished.
I remember reading a comment by Neeson after TPM about Qui Gon and Shmi's relationship. Specifically, when Shmi asks him to look after Anakin, Qui Gon agrees. Then, he puts his hand on Shmi's shoulder. Neeson said he really had to fight to get GL to let him do that. He felt it was important humanization and expression of the emotion they all must be feeling.

The fact that GL had to be coaxed into allowing it indicates the extent to which he is a control freak and unwilling to listen to valid criticisms of his decisions. (And keep in mind I defend the prequels all the time.)

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El JT de Spang
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quote:
Droids are like cars
Yes, if by cars you mean intelligent talking cars.
Vader not remembering 3PO is like Hasselhof not remembering KITT.

Remember, he built him.

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Rose the ____
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after reading the graphic - hell, after reading way too many Star Wars comics and playing Star Wars video games, I think a message is trying to be cultivated by Lucas. I'm not sure what the real-world message is, but - for the SW universe: the ideals of the Jedi simply don't work. the Jedi die because - it's a utopian idea - and such utopian ideas don't really serve life, period. they serve themselves. hence the whole Jedi code sounding rather self-centered, selfish, and cold. Hence totally screwing up Anakin Skywalker, a boy full of love in his heart, turning hi- they always whine, in these stories, how love can give way to hate. sure it can. but the way all these jedi deny everything about life so much is the whole reas- it's a ridiculous world of opposites, this whole Jedi-Sith thing, and the stories and their characters become self-critiques and I'm ranting too much about it so I'll just shut up now :-[.

uh - you can skip all that up there and here's the point: Jedi are self-absorbed doofs afraid of their feelings, so of course their opposites would be consumed by said feelings. Jedi don't serve life, neither do sith serve death, they both just serve personal ego-trips and fiery phallic toys.

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Rose the ____
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also - who's to say Anakin doesn't remember his droids in the latter movies? when the 3rd comes out in, what, a month? go ahead, see all six, and see if you can say Anakin does or doesn't remember his droids, for certain. the new movies simply cast the old ones in a new light, that'll be part of the 'fun.'

"there is no pain, there is only the force..."
yeah, 'cept I'll groan when Anakin decides to kill hundereds of Jedi students. <sigh>

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Mr_Megalomaniac
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quote:
the Jedi die because - it's a utopian idea - and such utopian ideas don't really serve life, period.
That's why Joelee(sp?), from KOTOR, is the best Jedi ever. Okay, he was only a padawan when he left, but he's just as powerful as other jedis and so friggin cool. He's loved, great sense of humor, and still manages to be nowhere near evil. If only more jedi could be like him.

If you haven't played it, then nevermind. Anyone who hasn't, should. Very awsome game and even though it doesn't have Han Solo, I think it's better than any Star Wars movie.

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Magson
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Yah, I think that the KOTOR story could have made a great movie. I played it many times. Honeslty, the most fun was my LS Soldier 6/Guardian 14. I tried the DS Scout 2/Consular 18 route, but. . . I like melle more than magic. What can I say?

Anyway, the story was awesome. Too bad KOTOR 2 didn't quite live up to it. Still. . KOTOR was good enough, that what could?

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neo-dragon
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quote:
Yes, if by cars you mean intelligent talking cars.
Vader not remembering 3PO is like Hasselhof not remembering KITT.

Remember, he built him.

Don't be silly. What if every car in the world was intelligent and could talk. How would he tell KITT apart from another car of the same model just by looking at him? The fact that he built him doesn't mean anything unless he etched his initials into his butt or something. Like I said, there are identical 3PO model droids in the OT. There may be millions in the galaxy. Vader may have seen dozens of them since he last saw the one he built.

[ April 26, 2005, 11:09 PM: Message edited by: neo-dragon ]

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El JT de Spang
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quote:
Don't be silly. What if every car in the world was intelligent and could talk. How would he tell KITT apart from another car of the same model just by looking at him? The fact that he built him doesn't mean anything unless he etched his initials into his butt or something
We can even leave the intelligent part out of it. Let's assume that right now, in the current time, in a galaxy close, close to us, I built a red Ford Mustang. I build it out of scratch when I'm 6 years old, or whatever (I'm very precocious). Don't you think that from then on out, every red Ford Mustang I see is gonna remind me of the one I built? If I lose track of it, don't you think I'm gonna check every one I come across, just out of curiousity?

How can I be sure it's the one I built? I'm willing to bet my Ford Mustang has subtle difference from the mass produced ones, and while it's identical in looks, I could tell pretty easily. But then, maybe I'm being silly.

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neo-dragon
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But let's just say that you built your red Ford Mustang exactly to specs. You would probably have to inspect it closly to recognize it after decades. Futhermore, if you consider yourself to be an entirely different person now, and hate everything that reminded you of who you were then, would you even want to know if it was your Mustang, seeing as how it would be just one more painful reminder of a past that you're trying to forget? Vader didn't even like Luke calling him by his real name.
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El JT de Spang
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quote:
But let's just say that you built your red Ford Mustang exactly to specs. You would probably have to inspect it closly to recognize it after decades. Futhermore, if you consider yourself to be an entirely different person now, and hate everything that reminded you of who you were then, would you even want to know if it was your Mustang, seeing as how it would be just one more painful reminder of a past that you're trying to forget? Vader didn't even like Luke calling him by his real name.
Kinda made my point. I just don't think it's likely that I built my mustang from scratch, yet decided to build it so that it was indistinguishable from any other mustang. Part of the fun of building is that each of your creations is a part of you, and you pour yourself into the build so fully that it literally becomes more than just a thing to you.

Although I concede that if I see my mustang 25+ years later and at that point I'm the second most evil person in the galaxy, on a quest to destroy my own children, maybe I don't think to check and see if it's *my* mustang.

Which I guess kinda makes your point.

So upon closer inspection I've decided:
1)Darth could have easily determined that 3P0 was his creation, and
2)It probably never occured to him to do so, as he was otherwise occupied.

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0range7Penguin
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Rose I don't think that is what Lucas was getting at it all. First off I don't know that the Star Wars movies actually have that much of a deeper meaning and if they do I don't think thats it. I think that if their is any knock on the Jedi's lack of emotion it's not that the Jedi where bad but that they needed to rethink thier ideas. THats why when Luke starts the new Jedi order the Jedi's get married and stuff. Havn't actually read any of the "New Jedi Order" books but I read all the ones before that because I used to be a complete Star Wars freak. Stopped right after Episode I came out.
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estavares
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quote:
I remember reading a comment by Neeson after TPM about Qui Gon and Shmi's relationship. Specifically, when Shmi asks him to look after Anakin, Qui Gon agrees. Then, he puts his hand on Shmi's shoulder. Neeson said he really had to fight to get GL to let him do that. He felt it was important humanization and expression of the emotion they all must be feeling.

What's funny about that story is that Shmi also reached up and took Qui-Gon's hand as a sign of their connection, continuing Neeson's suggestion--and guess what? Lucas cut it. Lucas doesn't get his way, so he makes sure to get it in the editing room.

Sheesh.

P.S. I just read part of filmmaker Kevin Smith's review of ROTS and he loved it. That's the problem with Star Wars. It's like heroin. We might complain but shoot up anyway time and time again. [Smile]

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IanO
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sounds about right.
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0range7Penguin
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Low <Shudder> on Star Wars <Shudder> trying to find needle...
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El JT de Spang
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Don't worry Orange, the wait's almost over.

Then we'll really have some stuff to argue/discuss.

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Tater
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quote:
How was jar jar a worse character than those stupid teddy bears.
I liked those stupid teddy bears. [Frown]

Wow, Bretagne. Let us know how that goes.

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GiantBeanGirl
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i also like the teddy bears, or ewoks. i loved watching them beat the crud out of stormtroopers with rocks and sticks in RotJ

Edit: watch it again sometime, its hilarious!

[ April 28, 2005, 09:25 PM: Message edited by: GiantBeanGirl ]

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urbanX
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I can't wait for the destruction of the Jedi. I've been waiting for this movie since the Return of the Jedi. Not only Palpatine reveal that the Jedi were under his control for several years, not only does he destroy the jedi in one foul swoop, he uses the chosen one to do it. Now that's what I call Revenge.
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prerak
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I've personally become slowly disillusioned by the movies (to the point where I don't even get a rise out of the original trilogy), but I guess I'm not at the point of childhood nostalgia yet (that should hit me in a decade or so). I've personally become addicted to all the books they've been making based on the Star Wars Universe.

On a side note, Kevin Smith (writer director of Clerks, Chasing Amy, etc.) had a chance to see a screening of the movie and posted his review here:

http://viewaskew.com/news/sith/

Its past the massive banner, but be warned: it contains MASSIVE spoiler. So if you're confident the movie will be good and don't want some of the details of the plot spoiled- avoid clicking on that link.

[ April 29, 2005, 09:26 AM: Message edited by: prerak ]

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