hey Dave. about Star Wars......

[primetime]

hey Dave, i too am a BIG Star Wars fan. May 02' is still too far for me. damn, why does it have to be every 3 years. what the hell was Lucas doing between 1983 and 1996 before he made Episode 1?????

anyway, there were several things that intrigue me about Episode 1. first of all, there is a contradiction. remember in Return of the Jedi when Ben was telling Luke about Vader? he told Luke that he thought he could teach as good as Yoda so he took it upon HIMSELF to train young Anakin. but in Episode 1, it was Qui-Gon that told him to teach the boy. what's up with that?

remember Darth Maul? i thought he was going to be a great addition to the saga, but he dies in the first episode. i figured he wouldnt make it to Episode 3, but why kill him in Episode 1? i loved his lightsaber. when he first displayed it was a double-bladed lightsaber, that to me was the best special effect in the whole movie. the fight scene was also the best ever in the Star Wars story.

didnt you think Anakin was a little "player" in that episode? the kid is what? 11? he's already trying to get with Amidala? remember the whole, "are you an angel?" line? man, the kid got game.......

did you really think Jar-Jar was that bad? he was alright. i dont think he was annoying enough for everyone to make a big deal.

what do you think is going to take place in Episode 2? i know it will involve the Clone Wars and will have Boba Fett. but i'm wondering what other kind of stuff we'll see. what do you think?

ever try explaining the whole Star Wars story to somebody? man, that story is DEEP. and if you think about it, Obi-Wan knows EVERYONE. he knew Anakin/Vader, Senator/Emperor Palpatine, Yoda, the droids, Han, Chewie, Luke, Leia, Amidala, EVERYBODY. he was probably the biggest character in the whole saga. he knew everything that happened.

one more question. who really is the "chosen one who is supposed to bring balance to the galaxy". of course we all know it's Anakin, BUT, if it wasnt for Luke, his son, would Vader have ever turned good again? so isnt Luke the one who brought balance back to the galaxy? just something to think about....let me know what you think of Episode 1 and then Episode 2.. thanks....

 

[Dave2112]

Primetime, thanks for the post. Let me try to address some of your questions.

Obi-Wan told Luke that he thought he could teach Anakin as well as Yoda. Yes, Qui-Gon initially wanted to train Anakin, but that job passed to Obi-Wan as Qui-Gon died. You'll find that Obi-Wan had a few reservations himself ("The council can see that the boy is dangerous, why can't you?"). Obi-Wan took on the task of training him rather than leave his fate in Yoda's hands out of respect for the dying wish of his beloved Master. Qui-Gon was a bit of a maverick as far as Jedi Masters go, and some of that rubbed off on Obi-Wan. Qui-Gon was actually a much more interesting character than Episode I showed, if you read "Cloak of Deception" and any of the "Young Obi-Wan" books. He had his own way of doing things and delved deeper into the "Living Force" than the "Unifying Force", and was often at the other end of the belief scale from Yoda.

As far as Vader/Anakin being the chosen one, you could look at that from two points of view. Yes, it was Luke who was indirectly responsible for Vader returning to the light, but ultimately it was Vader who made the decision. This was a bigger thing than most realize. There have been Dark Jedi who have "come back" in the past, but Vader was the first true Sith Lord to turn his back on the Dark Side and destroy his Master, something even Yoda thought was impossible. Any other Sith Lord would have watched his son die if was his Master's plan. In future books, a few characters (most notably Kyp Durron and Luke himself during one of Palpatine's clonings) have gone Dark and managed to come back, albeit a little different. This becomes a grave issue in the New Jedi Order series when the Jedi are at odds on how to deal with the Yuuzhan Vong invasion.

Yeah, the dual-phase lightsaber of Maul's was cool. He wasn't the first to use one, though. In Star Wars lore, that honor goes to Exar Kun.

No, I actually didn't think that Jar-Jar was that bad. He was supposed to be annoying. This represented the wide variety of races in the Galaxy, and played counterpoint to Qui-Gon's seriousness.

As far as Boba Fett in Episode II, he is portrayed as a child, the son of Jango Fett, who will be the bigger player in the next film.

Yes, Anakin was bit of a player. I think they were setting up the fated love between the two. Hayden Christiansen is reportedly a phenomenal actor, bring the role to a new level. If there was a problem I had with Anakin in Episode I, it was the battle against the Trade Federation ship at the end. I think this would have been a great scene to show how Anakin was "the best star-pilot in the Galaxy"...subtly showing his power in the Force, as with the Podrace scene. Instead, it was if he blew up the ship by accident, and it was bit too "Yippy-Skippy" for me.

Finally, pertaining to the importance of Obi-Wan Kenobi...I actually think that he may have been not the most powerful Jedi ever, but quite possibly the most important. He gave his life over to Anakin and then Luke, spending his latter years as a hermit, watching over Luke's growth. Obi-Wan was pivotal in more than you realize.

I am looking forward to Episode II as well, and can't wait for May. This one is going to be much darker and more serious, kind of the "Empire Strikes Back" of this trilogy.

Thanks for the cool thread.

😎

 

[primetime]

you have to admit Dave, Star Wars has got to be one of the best stories ever told. sad thing is, you, me or anyone else could have thought of it and imagine just how rich we would be right now.

here's another thought about the saga. remember when Luke was hanging on by one arm, and Vader was pretty much taunting him on Bespin? remember the whole "I AM your father" quote? well, Vader gave him an offer. he asked Luke to join him, and together they can rule the universe as Father and Son. can you imagine if Luke said "okay." first i think Luke would still be a little miffed that Daddy dearest cut his hand off, but i think he would get over it. can you imagine them going to Coruscant and confronting the Emperor? i think the dialogue would have went something like this.

Emperor: Lord Vader, have you brought me Skywalker?
Vader: yes i have. but there is going to be a little change in plans. you see, ever since i was a boy you were watching me. it was cool then, but it was a little creepy. made me think you might have been a pedophile. but anyway, if it wasnt for you, i would be chillin' with Amidala, and showing my boy how to cut up a Bantha with a lightsaber and flying all over the universe. i also would have had a human body and not this machine crap now. this power thing was kind of cool, but being 2nd fiddle aint exactly the thing to rejoice about. so, i think it's time for you to retire and go back to Naboo where you and that ingrate Jar-Jar can play with those big ass fishes in the planet core. me and my boy are about to run this Empire, so you have got to go.
Emperor: i figured you were a softy. that's why i killed your mom. oops! i wasnt supposed to say that!

and with that, Luke comes in, screams, "you killed Grandma?!" whips out his saber and Vader and son shiskabobs Palpatine. then they proceed to rule the universe, but of course Luke goes back to that cantina and gets alittle payback for messing with the son of Vader.

cool huh?

i think in Episode 3 is when Vader arrives. but will they show how the Rebellion got rolling? at the beginning of Episode 4, the Empire was already established and so was the Rebellion. the call it the Galatic Civil War. usually that means one "nation" splits and fights one another. if there is an Empire, which means the rule everything, who "breaks" away? i thought it was a bunch of people who decided they cant stand this oppression thing and banded together. i see it more like the American Revolution than the American Civil War. any thoughts?

hey man, thanks for responding. its kind of cool to discuss the movie as i have loved Star Wars and the story since i was like 5 years old. that's when Star wars first came out. remember collecting all the toys? those were the days. anyway, i can talk about Star Wars about as much as i can talk about tickling. i love them both.

 

[Dave2112]

That would have been a cool scene, indeed!

My thought on this, and it's backed up by a lot of references although not explicitly said...

...had Luke turned, Palpatine would have killed Vader in favor of the more powerful apprentice. Palpatine still followed Darth Bane's edict of "One Master, One Apprentice". Palpatine was the most power-hungry Sith to ever live, and the possibility of Vader and Luke "ganging up" on him would have been too real a threat. This is a guy who had planets blown up to prove a point.

I think the term "Civil War" may have been a bit misleading. It wasn't one nation against another, but the term could still fit. It was one orginization against the other.

The Rebel Alliance was created out of the Senate that still existed even after the creation of the Empire. Palpatine did most of his work in secret, diverting funds for the creation of superweapons and the like. He never made a move too quickly until his power was undeniable.

After the slaughter of the Jedi, some citizens cheered while others shok thier heads in distress. Noble-minded Senators thought they could curb the Emporer's excesses through bureaucratic checks and balances. Then there was the Ghorman Massacre. In the Sern Sector, a peaceful anti-tax demonstration on Ghorman was broken up when a warship callously landed on top of the protesters. Palpatine praised this action and promoted the ship's captain, Tarkin, to the level of Grand Moff.

The Ghorman Massacre prompted Senetor Bail Organa of Alderaan that the ideals of the Old Republic were finally dead. Organa met with Mon Mothma of Chandrila to discuss an organized rebellion.

Meanwhile, Palpatine continued remaking the galaxy to fit his own desires. Coruscant was renamed Imperial Center. Nonhuman races were persecuted and anti-slavery laws were repealed. Palpatine restricted civilian access to the HoloNet communications system, preventing any planet from recieving news that wasn't Imperial propaganda.

Mon Mothma was more outspoken than Organa, and was found guilty of treason. She went underground, speaking to fledgling insurgent movements.

Two years before the Battle of Yavin, the Corellian Treaty was signed. It merged the three largest revolutionary groups into one unified party, The Alliance to Restore the Republic. It was signed by Mothma, Organa and General Garm Bel Iblis of Corellia.

The Alliance maintained a clear command heirarchy with Mon Mothma at it's head. She negotiated a secret arrangement with the Mon Calamari shipyards that gave the Rebels access to top-of-the-line capital ships, while a team of defectors from the Incom Corporation provided the Alliance with prototypes and blueprints of a new precision attack craft--the T-65 X-Wing.

And the rest is history.😀