One and Only Star Wars Geekiness Thread

[BlackFlagg 0]

maybe Palpatine was concealing it as well, obviously the Jedi finding out and kicking Anakin out wouldn't have been good for him either

[2GOLD 0]

All I know is the new series absolutely killed the Darth Vadar character for me. They made him into nothing more than a whining little boy with emotional problems.

 

Obi Wan always sold it as Vadar turned to the Dark Arts and became this awesome power than rolled over people and lost himself. Instead he's the little puss who didn't want to think about his wife dying so he started screaming and crying alot.

 

It's sad, Vadar became a poser tough guy. What a rip-off.

[C Dubya 04 0]

All I know is the new series absolutely killed the Darth Vadar character for me. They made him into nothing more than a whining little boy with emotional problems.

 

Obi Wan always sold it as Vadar turned to the Dark Arts and became this awesome power than rolled over people and lost himself. Instead he's the little puss who didn't want to think about his wife dying so he started screaming and crying alot.

 

It's sad, Vadar became a poser tough guy. What a rip-off.

 

The way I look at it is that there was what, 20 years between the end of the new series and ANH right? You only saw Darth right after he turned to the Dark Side. He had to learn to use those powers to become the awesome power that Obi Wan describes.

 

Now, it taking 20 years to build the Death Star was a little be off for me.

[LessonInMachismo 0]

Has anybody read Betrayal, the first book in the new Legacy of the Force series? They're doing a "new world order" angle where the Galactic Alliance (UN analog) and putting all of its fingers in the pie and Corellia, Han Solo's homeworld, among others, are starting to just do what they want. I am about a quarter of the way through the book.

[Special K 0]

The whole thing is the pacing of the new trilogy was just so wrong. If it had started with Obi-Wan actually meeting this hot-shit young pilot, instead of some shitty cute kid, having him slowly turn in the second movie, and then finally complete the turn at the beginning of the third and just start fucking shit up, it would have been so much better.

 

Instead, they completely abandon any development of the main character of the trilogy by making him a child (a poorly acting one at that) in the first movie. And spending tons of time on fucking Jar-Jar, but let's not even get into that.

 

So... he had a dream his wife died, and it fucked him up enough that like 20 minutes later he's killing tons of kids. Deep.

 

The Samurai Jack installation of the series got it better, which is pathetic.

 

All in all, I've seen each installation of the new trilogy once, and the only one I think I'd ever want to see again is Ep 3. They're not just disappointments, the first 2 are just straight up BAD movies. The Phantom Menace is a TERRIBLE movie. It would probably be in my bottom 10 of terrible big-studio movies.

 

Well, I'll always have the Thrawn trilogy.

[2GOLD 0]

All I know is the new series absolutely killed the Darth Vadar character for me. They made him into nothing more than a whining little boy with emotional problems.

 

Obi Wan always sold it as Vadar turned to the Dark Arts and became this awesome power than rolled over people and lost himself. Instead he's the little puss who didn't want to think about his wife dying so he started screaming and crying alot.

 

It's sad, Vadar became a poser tough guy. What a rip-off.

 

The way I look at it is that there was what, 20 years between the end of the new series and ANH right? You only saw Darth right after he turned to the Dark Side. He had to learn to use those powers to become the awesome power that Obi Wan describes.

 

Now, it taking 20 years to build the Death Star was a little be off for me.

 

I don't care how much training he ended up having. He wasn't seduced by the darkside, he whined and cried until the Dark side, "there there baby, we can make it allll better."

 

They did just a really horrible job of making Darth Vadar.

[LessonInMachismo 0]

Episode I is something I'd love to see MATB do. In thirty years, it will be seen as our generation's Prince of Space.

 

Also amazing is how the CG looks FAKE. The original trilogy had that crisp feeling that the ships were real, that (some) of the aliens were real. Now we have Jar Jar, Dex, Jango Fett, etc. all CG'd up and looking like cartoons. Just really awful. CG has a wonderful purpose, but I don't think that purpose is making characters.

[Special K 0]

Seriously. He at least should have been fully evil by the end.

Two easy steps to make the third movie better:

1) He straight up stabs Padme through the chest in their confrontation

2) After being rebuilt, his only line is a good ole' "What is thy bidding, my master?"

 

That's a lot better than Padme dying of sadness and the infamous "NooooOOOOoooo!"

[LessonInMachismo 0]

The line about losing the will to live was pukeworthy.

[Black Lushus 0]

maybe Palpatine was concealing it as well, obviously the Jedi finding out and kicking Anakin out wouldn't have been good for him either

 

he didn't know about the children until some point between the Battle Of Yavin and ESB...they didn't know about Leia at all until Luke started thinking about her during the final Luke/Vader duel.

 

speaking of which, it's weird how Vader never felt anything when he was around Leia but he could sense the force when he was chasing Luke through the trenches in his TIE Fighter..of course he did make a passing remark about her resistance to the mind probe, but that was that.

[The Metal Maniac 0]

1) He straight up stabs Padme through the chest in their confrontation

 

I still would've preferred if Anakin just got really, really pissed at Padme, and fried her with Force Lightning bolts without even meaning to. I mean, he is supposed to be the most powerful Jedi ever, so I can believe that he might be able to access powers he wasn't even trained in, especially where the Dark Side is all hate and rage and stuff. Plus it'd be a neat parallel to Luke being zapped, and you could easily imagine that being the moment where Vader is like "Oh shit, not again, I have to stop this".

 

Also amazing is how the CG looks FAKE.

 

I totally agree. As weird as this sounds, I don't think the special effects of the new trilogy will hold up as well as the old. I mean, I watch Episode III now and everything looks so glossly and fake and plastic...it's like it was nothing but a few actors in front of blue screens for two hours.

 

I'm not saying the effects of the old trilogy are better, but at least when I watch the OT, I'm not being constantly distracted by how fake *everything* looks.

[LessonInMachismo 0]

Ysalamiri

 

You have to understand this creature. It isn't simply "an animal that blocks the Force." There are mammals on the planet that hunt using the Force, and as a defense the ysalamiri developed the ability to create a "bubble" in the Force so that the predators could not sense them. It's evolution. And they were a fine plot device. Thrawn used them to control Joruus C'baoth and to ensure that his clone army didn't go insane, as Zahn reveals that improperly developed clones go batshit. The Ysalamiri somehow blocked the Force from affecting the clones' accelerated growth.

 

Luke's turn to the Dark Side in Dark Empire was shitty, as was the series and its sequels. As someone mentioned, Palpatine's return defeats the entire purpose of the movies and Vader bringing balance to the Force. At first the novels didn't acknowledge Dark Empire, but sadly, they began to. Thankfully, they rarely mention it.

 

I, for one, like the X-Wing books more than the Thrawn Trilogy, but they are pretty level in quality, so it's more of a taste thing.

[Mole 0]

Atleast the CG isn't as bad as King Kong.

[Conspiracy_Victim 0]

I, for one, like the X-Wing books more than the Thrawn Trilogy, but they are pretty level in quality, so it's more of a taste thing.

 

Indeed. It sucks that the last one is apparently the mediocre Starfighters of Adumar. The writing was OK (always liked Hobbie and Wes) but the entire plot just didn't strike a chord with me. And, while it was good to see Wedge get the proverbial happy ending, I just didn't like how everything finished tied up with a pretty bow.

[Slayer 0]

All I know is the new series absolutely killed the Darth Vadar character for me. They made him into nothing more than a whining little boy with emotional problems.

 

Obi Wan always sold it as Vadar turned to the Dark Arts and became this awesome power than rolled over people and lost himself. Instead he's the little puss who didn't want to think about his wife dying so he started screaming and crying alot.

 

It's sad, Vadar became a poser tough guy. What a rip-off.

That's essentially how I felt. It's like Lucas hung around Spielberg too much and inherited his copping out in film endings

 

"See? He wasn't evil and lusting for power, he was just young and stupid and in love!"

 

Though I would grant it could have worked if George had actually friggin' made the romance compelling, instead of completely evacuating any and all romantic subtext ("I hate sand...")

 

The lust for power angle would have been better though, not to mention more in line with the original trilogy.

[LessonInMachismo 0]

I, for one, like the X-Wing books more than the Thrawn Trilogy, but they are pretty level in quality, so it's more of a taste thing.

 

Indeed. It sucks that the last one is apparently the mediocre Starfighters of Adumar. The writing was OK (always liked Hobbie and Wes) but the entire plot just didn't strike a chord with me. And, while it was good to see Wedge get the proverbial happy ending, I just didn't like how everything finished tied up with a pretty bow.

 

Actually, SoA is my favorite Star Wars novel. I thought it was fresh and uninhibited in its creativity. And it was damned funny. But to each their own.

 

The lust for power angle would have been better though, not to mention more in line with the original trilogy.

 

In the months leading up to TPM, I remember reading somewhere -- was it Star Wars Insider? -- that Shmi was cruel to Anakin. It was probably Cinescape, because I remember it being in a caption under a pic of Anakin and Shmi, and her face was stern. That would have made a lot of sense.

[Guest Fook]

TPM would have worked out a lot better that way rather than making him a whiney mama's boy.

[LessonInMachismo 0]

TPM would have worked out a lot better that way rather than making him a whiney mama's boy.

 

I don't know if you interpreted it this way, but I wasn't being facetious. It really would have made more sense. And along those lines, they could have eliminated the whole slave thing, too. It would have at least saved us from the "BLOW YOU UP! PSHHHHH!" line.

[Guest Fook]

I didn't think you were. I agree with you 100%. Anakin's obsession with power and dominance (as that would be what he was exposed to growing up) would be a much better reason to turn to the dark side than fear of loss.

[Conspiracy_Victim 0]

I, for one, like the X-Wing books more than the Thrawn Trilogy, but they are pretty level in quality, so it's more of a taste thing.

 

Indeed. It sucks that the last one is apparently the mediocre Starfighters of Adumar. The writing was OK (always liked Hobbie and Wes) but the entire plot just didn't strike a chord with me. And, while it was good to see Wedge get the proverbial happy ending, I just didn't like how everything finished tied up with a pretty bow.

 

Actually, SoA is my favorite Star Wars novel. I thought it was fresh and uninhibited in its creativity. And it was damned funny. But to each their own.

 

Oh, it was good. I just thought that it was one of the weakest of the series. Again, Wes and Hobbie making fun of each other (and every one else) and Wedge finally "getting the girl" were definite high points. It seems like Allston loves to write sarcastic dialogue (Wes, Hobbie, Ton Phanan [possibly my favorite character in the series], Garik Loran, etc.). Heck, he even let Tycho make juvenile jokes at Janson's expense.

 

*looks back at his message* Man, I've read this series too many times.

[Black Lushus 0]

LiM, Anakin's worst line will forever be "I was glad to meet you toooooo!"

[LessonInMachismo 0]

LiM, Anakin's worst line will forever be "I was glad to meet you toooooo!"

 

I've got to question the decision to show Anakin as a kid at all. They should have started out with him as a teen. In ten years, Lucas will be saying "The prequels don't count and didn't fit my vision, so I'm redoing them." Well, the only problem with that is that HE'D be doing them.

[Black Lushus 0]

I think having him be 12 or 13 would have been the way to go...he could be hotheaded, argumentative, disrespectful yet still show the abilities to totally WOW Qui-Gon Jinn and the other Jedi.

 

and they should have had him actually PILOT something in the presence of Obi-Wan so that way his line to Luke about being impressed with Anakin's piloting skills when he first met him makes sense.

[Guest LiveFastDieNever]

I blame Yoda. Well, and Mace.

 

Seriously.

 

Had Qui-Gon lived, a decent father figure would have been there. But from day one, Obi-Wan was a little distant and the second the kid gets in front of Yoda he hears that his future is clouded and possibly dark.

 

Chances of growing up happy slashed in half on the spot.

[Spaceman Spiff 0]

Plus, it would parallel Yoda's "too old to begin the training" line in regards to Luke in ESB.

[Black Lushus 0]

I fully admit that the only thing I watch on TPM is the fight between Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan and Darth Maul.

[LessonInMachismo 0]

I fully admit that the only thing I watch on TPM is the fight between Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan and Darth Maul.

 

Actually, I didn't even like that part. I found the duel to be too choreographed. For my money, the best duel in the entire saga is Luke vs. Vader in ESB.

[Black Lushus 0]

I fully admit that the only thing I watch on TPM is the fight between Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan and Darth Maul.

 

Actually, I didn't even like that part. I found the duel to be too choreographed. For my money, the best duel in the entire saga is Luke vs. Vader in ESB.

 

no doubt...go back to the very first post in this thread...I gave each one on one (or two on one in some cases) star ratings a la wrestling matches and I said why I felt the Luke/Vader ESB battle was the best in the saga.

[pochorenella 0]

-Qui-Gon Jinn V. Darth Maul-Tatooine-**.

-Qui-Gon Jinn/Obi-Wan Kenobi V. Darth Maul-Handicap match-Naboo-****.

-Qui-Gon Jinn V. Darth Maul II-Naboo-**.

-Obi-Wan Kenobi V. Darth Maul-Naboo-****.

-Obi-Wan Kenobi V. Jango Fett-Kamino-***.

-Mace Windu V. Jango Fett-Geonosis-*.

-Obi-Wan Kenobi V. Darth Tyranus-Geonosis-**.

-Anakin Skywalker V. Darth Tyranus-Geonosis-***.

-Yoda V. Darth Tyranus-Geonosis-***.

-Obi-Wan Kenobi V. Darth Vader-Death Star-*.

-Luke Skywalker V. Darth Vader-Cloud City-*****.

-Luke Skywalker V. Darth Vader II-Second Death Star-*****.

 

Episode III-Revenge Of The Sith:

 

-Obi-Wan Kenobi/Anakin Skywalker V. Darth Tyranus-Handicap match

-Anakin Skywalker V. Darth Tyranus II

-Mace Windu and his Jedi stable V. Emperor Palpatine

-Mace Windu V. Anakin Skywalker

-Yoda V. Emperor Palpatine

-Obi-Wan Kenobi V. General Grevious

-MAIN EVENT: Obi-Wan Kenobi V. Anakin Skywalker

 

I pretty much agree with the star ratings Lushus gave to the previous duels on the series. I also loved the ones from TPM, which some people said are too choreographed. I say so what? They looked awesome, the score was terrific, and other than the most recent Obi-Wan vs Vader on ROTS, they're the best in the entire new series. The ones in the original trilogy brought the drama, if not the workrate if I dare say so. The climatic duel on ROTS brought both the drama AND the workrate IMO, so I'll give it a good 'ol ****1/2 to boot, but I'll leave it to Lushus to provide the play-by-play and his own rating.

 

What do you say, Lushus? Feel like channelling Scott Keith again?

[Black Lushus 0]

-Qui-Gon Jinn V. Darth Maul-Tatooine-**.

-Qui-Gon Jinn/Obi-Wan Kenobi V. Darth Maul-Handicap match-Naboo-****.

-Qui-Gon Jinn V. Darth Maul II-Naboo-**.

-Obi-Wan Kenobi V. Darth Maul-Naboo-****.

-Obi-Wan Kenobi V. Jango Fett-Kamino-***.

-Mace Windu V. Jango Fett-Geonosis-*.

-Obi-Wan Kenobi V. Darth Tyranus-Geonosis-**.

-Anakin Skywalker V. Darth Tyranus-Geonosis-***.

-Yoda V. Darth Tyranus-Geonosis-***.

-Obi-Wan Kenobi V. Darth Vader-Death Star-*.

-Luke Skywalker V. Darth Vader-Cloud City-*****.

-Luke Skywalker V. Darth Vader II-Second Death Star-*****.

 

Episode III-Revenge Of The Sith:

 

-Obi-Wan Kenobi/Anakin Skywalker V. Darth Tyranus-Handicap match

-Anakin Skywalker V. Darth Tyranus II

-Mace Windu and his Jedi stable V. Emperor Palpatine

-Mace Windu V. Anakin Skywalker

-Yoda V. Emperor Palpatine

-Obi-Wan Kenobi V. General Grevious

-MAIN EVENT: Obi-Wan Kenobi V. Anakin Skywalker

 

I pretty much agree with the star ratings Lushus gave to the previous duels on the series. I also loved the ones from TPM, which some people said are too choreographed. I say so what? They looked awesome, the score was terrific, and other than the most recent Obi-Wan vs Vader on ROTS, they're the best in the entire new series. The ones in the original trilogy brought the drama, if not the workrate if I dare say so. The climatic duel on ROTS brought both the drama AND the workrate IMO, so I'll give it a good 'ol ****1/2 to boot, but I'll leave it to Lushus to provide the play-by-play and his own rating.

 

What do you say, Lushus? Feel like channelling Scott Keith again?

 

shit, I'm better than Scott Keith!

 

you know, poch, it's funny...i went back and read that and realized I totally forgot to review those fights...I'll try to get them when I get home today.

 

as far as "too choreographed" goes, I think it's because the Luke/Vader duels weren't all flippy floppy with 90 strikes a minute and that's what people were used to going in to TPM. You can chalk it up to several things:

 

-Vader hasn't had to fight in the same manner since he didn't have anymore Jedi to fight against so his skills got a little rusty...plus he was getting on in years. (though Yoda contradicts that, I suppose)

 

-Luke was nowhere near that level in ESB and was only on the cusp on being a Jedi in ROTJ.

 

-Jedi are trained in the ways of the lightsaber at a very young age so it's conceivable to think that they are just that good by the time they are adults.