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Anchorhead

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12-Jun-2005
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7-Mar-2024
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3,679

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Post
#1496971
Topic
The Kenobi <s>Movie</s> Show (Spoilers)
Time

That’s it exactly. It’s really very easy. It also makes the stuff I like more emotionally peaceful when I’m watching it because I’m not trying to unsee or head-canon-fix stuff I don’t want.

I’ve done it for decades with films that are my very favorites. The sequels to Alien - never even considered seeing them. Jaws, also no way. Back To The Future, again no. Ghostbusters, still no way. For sure there are others I can’t recall at the moment. Those stories were perfect as told. I have zero interest in whatever came after.

Post
#1495637
Topic
Is everything that’s new automatically bad? Are old things better by default?
Time

Age of the person commenting would make this discussion a lot more honest. People in their 20s and 30s aren’t going to be able to speak to the question in an informed manner. Until you’ve passed through time, you won’t understand it. You just can’t. No amount of reading, studying, researching, interviews, etc is going to change that. Until 40 or 50 years have passed, you can’t even begin to comprehend what the good old days even are or how much your world will have changed.

To me, someone who has been around for many decades, nearly everything is better now. Cars, motorcycles, technology, healthcare/medicine/medical, communications, home entertainment, food safety, air quality, water quality, workplace environments & safety, and many others I’m probably forgetting.

The only thing better 40 years ago was the amount of time I had left in the journey.

Post
#1493277
Topic
<em><strong>ANDOR</strong></em> - Disney+ Series - A General Discussion Thread
Time

As a huge fan of Rogue One, I have to say I think this is odd. It may be great and worth two seasons. I sure hope it is. It’s largely a cast of unknown characters and new planets and that bodes well, just as it did for the first season of The Mandalorian.

That said, I’m confused as to why this gets a green light for two seasons before anyone sees a single episode but Obi-Wan, a long known and loved character only got 1/4 of that.

To me, Obi-Wan felt and at times looked rushed. It could have gone a few more episodes. If Andor turns out to be another BOBF mess, 24 episodes could be troublesome.

Then again, I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve had to eat crow on this board. 😉

Post
#1492326
Topic
The Kenobi <s>Movie</s> Show (Spoilers)
Time

VegetableMan said:

Anchorhead said:

Well then, guess that explains why he was trying to avoid him in the quarry. 😉

I have noticed you said you never watched the prequels and I wonder. Is it because you don’t want them to taint how you view the OT or are you just not interested?
I’m not blaming you or anything I’m just really curious.

Little of both I suppose, but mostly because I’m not interested. I saw Phantom when it was released, thought it was terrible, and have all but forgotten it. I remember a few scenes, but it’s not something I can recall other than how non-OT it looked and felt.

I haven’t seen the last sequel film either. Same reason. I’ve also only seen ROTJ twice that I’m sure of. Once in the theater and I wanted to walk out it was so stupid. I know I saw it again about 20 years ago when we did a lunchtime theater marathon of the OT where I worked. It’s possible there was a third time somewhere along the way, but I can’t be sure. That lunchtime theater was also the last time I saw Empire.

I don’t have a problem skipping what I don’t care for. I don’t battle the franchise the way some people do. They’re just movies. I watch what I like and skip the rest. It’s not difficult at all.

Post
#1492184
Topic
The Kenobi <s>Movie</s> Show (Spoilers)
Time

henzINNIT said:
…and whether Obi-Wan walking away after defeating Vader makes sense. I don’t believe it does, but that is no doubt influenced by my reading of Ben’s intentions in the OT. If I was to buy in to the notion that killing Vader is just not a jedi thing to do

I’m not familiar with the prequels, so this may be a dumb question: does Obi Wan know how bad a person Vader has become by the time he sees him in this show? Maybe he doesn’t kill him because he’s unaware of just how horrible he really is. He probably doesn’t think of him as someone who is going to become so evil that he’ll be ok with helping Tarkin kill millions of people.

Post
#1491393
Topic
The Kenobi <s>Movie</s> Show (Spoilers)
Time

Servii said:

Different power settings? That’s definitely just headcanon. There’s nothing to imply that you can freely toggle how deadly a lightsaber is. And why would Vader have it on a nonlethal setting, anyway?

I agree. If someone likes this show, they should watch it. If someone doesn’t, they should watch something else.
Coming up with in-universe explanations that border on pretzel logic is silly. That’s as nice as I can put it.
Also nothing at all wrong with watching it and discussing the shortcomings. That’s part of being a fan.

Personally, it’s my time to eat some Crow. I stated several pages back and before it was broadcast that I could tell it wasn’t for me and most likely I wouldn’t watch it. At the behest of a good friend and fellow Star Wars fan, I gave it a look. I was incorrect with my earlier thoughts. To be sure, it’s very prequelesque in several parts, in look and in story. I’m not familiar with the prequels as films, but I have plenty of understanding of the structure and story.

I’m not crazy about that, but I know it’s the price of admission so I accept it. It’s that or skip the series, which after a few episodes I didn’t want to do. There are plot holes, there are less-than-theatrical CGI scenes, there are issues with the timeline as it relates to how much older Ben is when we met him in 1977, and there are characters who are disposable.

I don’t care. The show, several of the episodes, the acting & writing of the characters Ben, Leia, Tala, and Anakin, and Reva (eventually) were all enough for me to enjoy the show as a whole.

Worth noting (for myself personally); Star Wars - the original film in 1977 is influence-proof in my world. I NEVER watch it and feel any connection to the 40+ years of films\shows\novels\etc that came after.

For that reason, I don’t battle the franchise. I have long been a watch what you like, ignore what you don’t fan.
I don’t know what else I can say about the show or how I feel about it.

But I’m sure I’ll come up with something. 😉

Post
#1489089
Topic
The Kenobi <s>Movie</s> Show (Spoilers)
Time

Timeline question for the gap between the prequels and originals for the board.

I’ve watched the Clone Wars series and Bad Batch. I know both are prequel adjacent in their timelines, possibly same-as in some areas. Because I’m not familiar with the prequel films, is there any time frame that isn’t covered by any of the three? Specifically, the time (obviously) before Anakin becomes Vader.

Judging from nearly all the comments here and on review sites, people seem to really be happy with Hayden’s work in this series. Being among the few unwashed, I don’t have anything to compare it to but I will say he seems fine in the role and fits age-wise. I hope we get one or two more scenes similar to what we got Wednesday.

My thought is really more of a question; Is there an unexplored timespan where Ewan and Hayden could do a short series that takes place before this show? I would be interested in that. I know he becomes Vader in the prequels so it would be within the greater prequel time space, but maybe an adventure. Maybe something along the lines of Outbound Flight.

Post
#1489041
Topic
Did G. Lucas ever intend to portray the Jedi as a flawed institution in the prequels? Or was it added later in the EU?
Time

Vladius said:

I absolutely agree with you OP and it’s one of the things that makes me irritated to no end about the current state of Star Wars and its fans. It’s tied up in prequel apologism, people not understanding the Force or what balance in the Force means, the concept of “gray Jedi,” the concept of the “light side,” and people thinking the entire series is cyclical and predestined.

That’s part of the issue for sure. The other is this:

Stardust1138 said:

The prequel trilogy is based on a back-story outline Lucas created in the mid-1970s for the original three “Star Wars” movies

It’s people believing he put anywhere near the thought into it back then that they continue to put into it 45 years later. He wrote A film. He didn’t write 3 films, 9 films, 12 films, or 6 films. Pick your interview because he gave plenty of them back in the 1980s, along with every answer he could come up with. If he had any thoughts on any other films back in the 1970s, he wouldn’t have hired two other people to write sequels.

Post
#1488685
Topic
The Kenobi <s>Movie</s> Show (Spoilers)
Time

Hot & cold on it, but overall not bad. As I’ve said plenty through the years with regard to the entire franchise, I don’t find Vader at all interesting. Not in 1977, not now. That said, he’s been well handled in this series. He looks strong and sounds strong (his voice was off in Rogue One, but that’s for other discussions). He seems very 1977 in this and that’s nice to see.

Also interesting, to me at least, is how much better Obi Wan and Anakin both work as characters at their current ages. I don’t really remember Phantom Menace, but I do remember how I felt about it. Something I thought back then was that Obi Wan would have worked better if we picked up the story when he was older. Same for the kid. I’ve seen a few clips and screencaps to have the same feeling about the other two prequels. Anakin and Obi Wan look too young (to me).

One of the things that most interested me way back when this series was first announced was how perfect Ewan looked now for the role. That has sure been the case now that the series is here. Same for Hayden. I’ve never seen him in anything before, so I’m going in fresh with this series and his portrayal of Anakin looks and feels correct for the character at this point in his journey.

Surprisingly, I thought having that training duel as an ongoing parallel throughout the episode was a very interesting way to show the parallels of who both men have always been through the years. When it first started, my thought was “oh, hell, a Prequel flashback. Not interesting, not interested.” It turned out to be, to me, the most interesting part of the episode. Well done for both characters and by both actors, as well as my first time seeing Hayden in anything. Consider me pleasantly surprised.

The rest of the episode was mostly filler, including the Reva twist. Handled well, Moses on top of her game, but too short and too late. That last 10 minutes felt rushed. It could have been an episode on its own and been a deeper narrative. Leia was hardly in this one, which I think was a good thing. We need a break to keep her from being over-used. This episode wasn’t about her, so it was good they didn’t shoehorn her in unnecessarily. Yes she was valuable to the story, but I doubt she had more than three or four minutes of screen time.

Minor nitpick; Way more civilians should have\would have been killed in that firefight.

Post
#1488555
Topic
The Kenobi <s>Movie</s> Show (Spoilers)
Time

yotsuya said:

Yeah, not exactly the same story at all. In ANH they rescue Leia because they happen to be there, and they botch it and Leia has to get them out of the mess. I really don’t see a lot of parallels other than Leia got rescued from an imperial facility.

That’s worth noting before we get too far in the weeds on finding comparisons and similarities that are completely unintentional. As Yotsuya points out, they weren’t going to rescue her at all. In fact, they weren’t even going to the Death Star. All of that was happenstance. Just as an unrelated, remote system, farm boy even being part of the story was happenstance (before Lucas had writer’s block a few years later).

That said, there are plenty of things to criticize about this series and I’ve done so myself. However, I don’t see any of that Ring or Rhyming bullshit that some factions swear exists. If anything, this series telling a new story is one of it’s strengths.

As to its conflicting with the 1977 film, I don’t care. As an original fan from 1977, I’ve never let anything conflict with that film. I either ignore attempted connectivity or skip films entirely. Star Wars is a movie from 1977. Obi Wan Kenobi is a TV show from 2022. I have no problem whatsoever separating the two. If anything, I’d struggle to connect the two.

Post
#1488403
Topic
The Kenobi <s>Movie</s> Show (Spoilers)
Time

Natalie Holt’s work on Loki is one of my all-time favorite soundtracks. Nothing I’ve heard on this show even comes close to the depth and atmosphere she brings to Loki. For the record, I don’t dislike the score for Obi Wan Kenobi, but it is more background than foreground. I can hear the criticisms. In fact, only one passage has stood out. Maybe it’s one Ms Holt wrote. It starts as they show Reva’s boots stepping off a ship onto the sea base in episode 3 (I think).

Here are some selections from Loki. Light years better than anything in Obi Wan Kenobi.

https://youtu.be/uFwUhMdINsA

https://youtu.be/PRMUUwtAmQQ

https://youtu.be/n_dGnkWfKF8

https://youtu.be/IAs5bVXA11w

Post
#1487996
Topic
The Kenobi <s>Movie</s> Show (Spoilers)
Time

DrDre said:

Anchorhead said:

DrDre said:

  1. Reva kills the guy from The Path in the previous episode, but thinks a little kid, who was thrust into this situation by Reva herself, can provide brilliant insight into the workings of The Path and the Jedi.

Valid points all, whether I agree or not, but I think this may be off. I suspect she wants Leia because she’s a direct connection to Obi Wan. She might be tangentially interested in The Path, but I doubt it’s a focus for her other than it possibly being another way to get to Obi Wan.

They’ve hinted that she’s so driven to find him that it’s a distraction to their larger work. With only two episodes left, we should get some history on why she hates him so much.

Sure, but the only link Leia has with Obi-Wan is the one Reva herself created. However, in the episode she throws the symbol of the Rebellion, which she ripped out of the wall on the table as if it should mean something to a ten year old. Additionally she starts to question Leia about the Path, and Obi-Wan as if a ten year old would have any clue about the locations she was in, and the people she briefly met while being hauled around the galaxy involuntarily.

The whole scene makes very little sense. It would be much more logical for Reva to present herself as a friendly face, and a representative of the Empire put in charge of bringing Leia to the safety of her parents, in hopes of getting at least some information. All Leia knows is, that she was taken by some pirates, and then apparently rescued by a former Jedi, who themselves are wanted criminals. There’s no subtlety in Reva’s character. She’s just a one note villain, who’s inept at interrogating a little kid, fails to recognize her innate Force ability (which is her job), and wants to torture her for information, she likely doesn’t have. Presenting a friendly face would make the Reva character more interesting, and competent, being able to do more than just yell and scowl. These Inquisitors are supposed to be the best, the brightest and most powerful agents of the Empire. So far, the only intelligent one was seemingly killed off in the second episode.

Good points, all. Yes, the symbol onto the table seemed off. For sure, Reva acting like a friendly rescuer would have been the better course. In fact, it seemed like she was going to do just that at the end of #3 but it had been completely abandoned immediately at the start of the next episode.

Post
#1487943
Topic
The Kenobi <s>Movie</s> Show (Spoilers)
Time

DrDre said:

  1. Reva kills the guy from The Path in the previous episode, but thinks a little kid, who was thrust into this situation by Reva herself, can provide brilliant insight into the workings of The Path and the Jedi.

Valid points all, whether I agree or not, but I think this may be off. I suspect she wants Leia because she’s a direct connection to Obi Wan. She might be tangentially interested in The Path, but I doubt it’s a focus for her other than it possibly being another way to get to Obi Wan.

They’ve hinted that she’s so driven to find him that it’s a distraction to their larger work. With only two episodes left, we should get some history on why she hates him so much.

Post
#1487782
Topic
The Kenobi <s>Movie</s> Show (Spoilers)
Time

jedi_bendu said:

Anchorhead said:

Tiny nit-pick; The tracking device has been done. Come up with another way.

Done to death, I agree, but I liked the twist of the tracking device being Leia’s droid. That’s actually pretty cruel. It seems like Lola has been her constant companion for years.

I agree. I assumed it was somehow on the ship. To put it where she’ll take it to her home in the one device she trusts completely, very cruel.

Post
#1487756
Topic
The Kenobi <s>Movie</s> Show (Spoilers)
Time

I didn’t like it nearly as much as #3, which sure looks to be the high point in the series for me and what I hoped for with this show. I didn’t think it was as bad as some did and no doubt will as they log in and post. That said, I see and largely agree with some of the criticisms. They just don’t bother me as much. I do agree that the little nods to the OT are unnecessary. To me, this felt like a smaller episode. Maybe because it was one of the shortest, just 38 minutes.

While it felt smaller in story, I did feel a bit of stress at times and that was unexpected and welcomed. It needs more of that and not from battles and action. This time it was from all the scenes with Indira Varma. I think she is outstanding in the series and feels like she (her character and her talent) would work well in a film.

As for effects that did stand out as TV-level; The ship coming in to land on that ocean platform looked very CGI. Again, not enough to bother me, but it was noticeable compared to some other shots in this episode and others. Overall I think most of the shots of ships as they are in space or approaching\leaving planets has been top notch. I’m also very glad most of them have been free of the weirdly unnecessary 360 spin that Lucas and now Disney love to have every ship make as they land somewhere. Lucas was huge on twirling and spinning of things. Disney has carried that over a bit so I’m always pleasantly surprised when they don’t do it, e.g., quarry saber duel or ships landing in the direction they were traveling.

Tiny nit-pick; The tracking device has been done. Come up with another way.

Post
#1487475
Topic
The Kenobi <s>Movie</s> Show (Spoilers)
Time

haraldo23 said:

regularjoe said:

Saying that Star Wars is too centered on Tatooine is like asking why books about World War 1 and World War 2 keep talking about Germany.

Is it? It plays a big role in ANH and TPM, but it’s very arguable whether the movies were actually centered around Tatooine - at least TPM - cause Naboo and the space/Death Star settings mogged Tatooine in both of them. None of the other movies were centered around it. In fact, the best prequel (ROTS) and the best original (ESB) had the least to do with it, so maybe it’s time to take a hint.

The difference being that discussions of WWI and WWII have to include Germany. Star Wars films after 1977 do not. They do only because Lucas had writer’s block trying to pen any sort of story after the only film he had written or planned in the 1970s. He’s the one who has tied us, unfortunately, to The Solar System Far far Away.

Post
#1487216
Topic
The Kenobi <s>Movie</s> Show (Spoilers)
Time

I’m of two minds on Movie vs TV as well.

I like the less rushed format of TV. Most of episode 3 was exactly what I was hoping for with this series (Ben with a day job and Ben & little Leia). However, all that I enjoyed so much this week, the lengthy walk through the mining colony and the safe house, would have been lost or severely trimmed for time in a two-hour film. You just couldn’t burn a quarter of a film on that character depth and deeper pace. I’m fine with the lesser production value because for me, story comes first.

In defense of a film, we would have bigger better production values but how much better? Enough to sacrifice depth and story? Maybe not and as I just mentioned above, not for me. After the mess that was Solo, I think we’re years away from a theatrical event in the franchise. That may not be a bad thing.

Post
#1487200
Topic
The Kenobi <s>Movie</s> Show (Spoilers)
Time

Get it out of your systems. We’re about to lose a page or two of bullshit.

********** EDIT

I deleted a bunch and I was heavy-handed about it. Sorry, but I don’t have time to proofread every page of fighting and name-calling. As someone said earlier - and I probably deleted it as part of all this - it’s a damn TV show. Watch or don’t watch. If you do and you have legitimate criticisms, bring them.