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Darth Bizarro

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Join date
28-Nov-2010
Last activity
14-Aug-2013
Posts
277

Post History

Post
#636495
Topic
How many times have you bought the movies?
Time

1.  Was given the "Faces" VHS set as a kid as a gift.

2.  Was given the DVD set for my birthday in 2004.

3.  Was given TPM and AOTC for Christmas later that year.

4.  Bought ROTS from CVS/Pharmacy the day it came out using my employee discount.

5.  Bought 2006 ANH DVD when it came out.

6.  Bought 2006 ESB DVD used from my comic shop later.

7.  Bought 2006 ROTJ DVD from Best Buy later.

8.  Bought the Gold Case Special Edition VHS set from a flee market just to have it.

9.  Pre-Ordered the Blu-ray set from Wal-Mart.

Post
#636494
Topic
What are your favorites? List 'em 1-6
Time

1.  The Empire Strikes Back

2.  Star Wars

3.  The Clone Wars Series

4.  Revenge of the Sith

5.  Return of the Jedi

6.  Ewok Adventures

***********************

7.  Clone Wars Micro-Series

8.  The Lego Specials

9.  Robot Chicken Specials

10.  Family Guy Specials

11.  The Phantom Menace

12.  Attack of the Clones

13.  Ewoks

14.  Droids

15.  Holiday Special

Post
#634094
Topic
Star Wars: Reclamation - rumored upcoming animated series
Time

I wouldn't be disappointed if this was the direction they went.  No mention of Han Solo or Luke Skywalker (at least directly), possible Lux/Ahsoka offspring in the lead, the idea that the Jedi aren't openly well received in the New Republic.  Solid stuff.  

I really hope they don't feel the need to stick with the EU while doing these sequels and spin offs.  I want some surprises in my ST.  The EU was always hindered by the fact that they couldn't do anything too radical with the characters, preventing them taking any real risks that would keep them compelling.  By starting out with that as their template, they are seriously hindering their ability to create a story that really surprises the audience.  Han and Leia get marries, Luke meets someone, they all have kids, Luke builds a new Jedi Order, the Republic is rebuilt, these are all pretty much gimmes if you watched the end of Return of the Jedi.  This is pretty much exactly what fans would expect to transpire with the characters following Jedi.  If everything we see in Episode VII just pans out exactly the same way we all knew it was going to then that isn't interesting. 

The old EU has it's place in Star Wars history, but as far as I'm concerned, they should just allow the the current line of books to be given a proper finale to their story lines (which Crucible and Sword of the Jedi might be looking to do) and push them back down the continuity line.  They did the same thing with the Marvel series and people still find enjoyment there.  Maybe then they can find places to incorporate elements from the books into the new EU, just like they did with Marvel.

Post
#631690
Topic
What do you LIKE about the Prequels?
Time

I liked the basic story of the films and some of the action scenes were enjoyable.  My biggest beef is simply that 1 and 2 are just really kinda boring.  It's easy to point fingers at obvious annoyances like Jar Jar, Anakin, and space taxes, but really those are all just minor nitpicks compared to the real problem that they just simply weren't very fun to watch.  I can watch a movie with an annoying character or bad actor and still enjoy the movie otherwise.

Revenge of the Sith on the other hand I actually do consider to be a good movie and I like that the film is able to stand on it's own mostly from 1 and 2 so I can sometimes just watch the OT+ROTS.  

I look at the Prequels kind of the same way I look at the Silmarillion.  They both contain some interesting backstory information which expands the main body of work but fails to entertain to the same degree.

Post
#605201
Topic
Who should Direct the Star Wars VII, VIII, and IX ?
Time

My preferred choice is Spielberg.  

However, if I had to put down money one who I actually thought it would be, I'd have to go with Gore Verbinski.  I base this on he fact that Disney already has a good track record with him having done 3 Pirates movies and the upcoming Lone Ranger, and unlike a lot of the other names being thrown around, according to IMDB, he seems as though he might actually have an open schedule that would allow for it what with Lone Ranger in post production and scheduled for release next years and no future projects announced.   

Post
#594392
Topic
The Clone Wars: Season V
Time

danaan said:


As for "we can still watch it" , well, yeah, kinda. For a while. But I hope that you've noticed how quickly technology is developing now. VHS machines can no longer be bought, to the best of my knowledge. The latest release of the OT was on DVD, but DVD is already an outdated format. DVDs will go the same way, and soon, too. Very soon. Even Blue-ray is on the verge of becoming outdated with HD-TV and Netflix - because who needs to buy a record if you can access your movies in HD directly from the cloud? That possibility is already here.

 

I've noticed how quickly technology is developing, but unlike VHS, DVD is not an outdated format.  You can still go out and buy a DVD player and Blu-Ray players can still play DVDs.  And even if you are worried that Star Wars may never again see a release in a newer format, DVDs, unlike VHS tapes, can be inserted into computer drive and copied with relative ease, making it possible for you to convert Star Wars to whatever future format might exist.

And furthermore, like -1 said, there are countless fan preservations on this site of the original trilogy from various sources, most turning out even better than the official DVD release.  If you'd like help getting these I can even help you out if you're unsure how to get them.  

Post
#594383
Topic
The Clone Wars: Season V
Time

negative1 said:

danaan said:

 

 


As for "we can still watch it" , well, yeah, kinda. For a while. But I hope that you've noticed how quickly technology is developing now. VHS machines can no longer be bought, to the best of my knowledge. 

 

dude, look around.

there are tons of combo vcr/dvd players STILL being made.

they're not THAT hard to find.

 

 

danaan said:

 

 

 


I wish the fanbase was more up in arms over this, I really do. It's strange to see so many people who claim to be Star Wars fans just shrug over the destruction of this piece of cultural history - the three movies that created their entire fandom disappears, and they don't care, beause they're too distracted by SW in 3D or some other LucasArts style-over-substance-product that has absolutely nothing to do with central thematic messages of the trilogy that started it all - and when people like me point this out, we're told we have no right to complain. 

 

some people are doing something about it!

look around you in the preservation forum!


later

-1

What he said.

I have both Harmy's versions and Dark_Jedi's on my computer.  I have burned copies of Dark_Jedi V3 sitting on my DVD shelf right next to my Blu Ray set, the Prequel DVDs, both versions of the original trilogy, the Clone Wars Micro-series DVDS, the Clone Wars Blu Rays, the Ewok Adventure movies, the Holiday Special, From Star Wars to Jedi, and the Puggo and Adywan versions.  

I can also take those Harmy and Dark Jedi files and convert them to any format I want.  In fact, I have the complete trilogy on my iPod.  And if another format comes along, then I'll just convert them from the original source files that I have no intention of getting rid of.

So no dude.  The original trilogy isn't going anywhere as long as the fans still care, which we do.  I'm not claiming to be a Star Wars fan, I am a Star Wars fan, whether I like Palpatine to have a lightsaber or not.

Post
#593401
Topic
The Clone Wars: Season V
Time

Baronlando said:

Except none of those new things are directly connected to the old thing disappearing. This will always be different. If the new James Bond directly caused GOLDFINGER to live on only with digital Judi Dench and 90s dinosaurs , there might be some resentment there when the new Bond comes out. CLONE WARS might be the greatest thing ever, but I'll never really know with this shit going on. 

Now lets not get carried away.  It would still be Bernard Lee's body, just with Judi Dench's head pasted on top.  

And you know Sean Connery riding a dinosaur would be awesome.

Post
#593361
Topic
The Clone Wars: Season V
Time

danaan said:

 

Darth Bizarro said:


Ok.  Now that makes sense.  But I still don't know why you can't just ignore them like I ignore Alien 3.  As I said before.  Just because we might not like all of the expanded content of some of our favorite works of fiction, doesn't mean we should let that content ruin our day.  Just like Alien, Jaws, Indiana Jones, Star Trek, Superman, Batman, X-Men, Spider-Man, the Matrix, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Planet of the Apes, there will always be a few entries some of the fan base don't care for and shouldn't let their mear existence get them down. 



I do my best to ignore them. But to be honest, it's really difficult to be a Star Wars purist and be social about it these days. If I "like" Star Wars" on FB, I'll get all sorts of PT stuff in my face, and that's pretty much true for most web forums, as well. Moreover, we "purists" are really a dying breed. For 15 years, kids have grown up used to include the PT in the canon as naturally as breathing, and this new generation does the same with the CW. In a decade or so, only die hards will remember what SW was before the PT came along. So, how can we ignore what Star Wars has been turned into when it's constantly in our face and the revisionist agenda is effectively winning. Lucas wanted to destroy the old Star Wars, and he succeeded.

Darth Bizarro said:


I understand Star Wars is a special case since not only does GL insist on making more movies and shows that some people don't like, but also makes changes to the old films to properly reflect the new canon.  But remember who's really at fault for that aren't the people who happen to find the Jar Jar hate a bit overblown.  Just because I don't hate the special editions completely doesn't mean that I don't also find it to be total bullcrap that I don't have a choice in the matter unless I'm willing to sit through a crappy laserdisc transfer or turn to Harmy.


Oh, I'm not blaming the PT-fans or the CW-fans in general for Lucas' suppression of the OOT (though those PT/CW fans who act as Lucas' apologists and actively condone his revisionism and hound us purists for speaking out against it are certainly complicit). I'm just expressing my opinion: SW should not be about Palpatine wielding dual lightsabers [edit: and importantly, such a scene violates some very founding principles of what SW should be about on a fundamental level]. I know I'm the minority voice in the larger fandom, but surely, it must be ok to express this (now increasingly framed as almost "fundamentalist") opinion, particularly on a forum specifically devoted to the Original trilogy, eh? ;P

I guess, this is where us Purists come to die. ;P

 

Lots of large fandom's break apart into subgroups, and many times, an old franchise will come back in a new form for a newer generation and the older fans might not like it.  A great example is Doctor Who.  A show that continued on in one form for many years, only to go off the air and come back in a newer flashier form.  Lots of fans embraced the new series while others continued to swear by the classic series.  If those Doctor Who fans who are totally stuck on Tom Baker and hate the new show decide to go and facebook and "Like" Doctor Who, they are inevitably going to be bombarded with updates about the new season with Matt Smith.  And do those fans really have any right to complain that their senses are being bombarded with a new incarnation of their favorite show from their youth that they happen to not like.  No they don't.  Because someone likes it other wise they wouldn't still be making it.  

The original Star Wars films ended in 1983 and for years there was nothing.  Star Wars could have been just another one of those franchises like Back to the Future that just ended up as a relic of a by gone era, and your senses wouldn't be bombarded today with anything Star Wars related because it would have died off like any other popular movie from the era, living on only in your memory, some old toys, and your new DVD Special Edition box set.  But Star Wars came back in a new form.  Some fans accepted it, other shunned it, and many new fans came into the series because of it.  So you may not like the fact that Star Wars has moved on without you, but you really don't have any rite to complain about it because that's how things work.  You can look back fondly at your memories of a by gone era but you can't become bitter at modern day for not maintaining it for you.  You should be thankful that the new stuff is still coming because it's keeping Star Wars alive in the public conscious.  If Star Wars had just ended in 1983, how many kids today do you think would have come along and willingly taken an active interest it if it wasn't for the new Star Wars coming along to guide them into it, just like a fan of the new Doctor Who series going back and taking a look at some of the old episodes and finding that they were pretty good too.    

So yes, I do, just like you, remember fondly those good times when Star Wars was a much simpler thing.  But there is nothing about anything new George Lucas has done since 1997 that will ever take that away and I for one am happy that Star Wars will live on a few generations longer, even if I don't necessarily like all the new stuff myself.   

And hell, at least we can still watch the original Star Wars.  Sure, it might not be in HD, but it's a lot better than the countless television shows that only live on today in 3rd generation television recordings ripped from VHS tapes.  For years, there was no way for me to get Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.  They only just recently started releasing those, same thing with Bobby's World.  Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles only just this past month released it's final season on DVD.  And my all time favorite television show from my childhood is Muppet Babies, a show that will likely never see release because of copyright issues regarding the use of the countless movie clips they used in the show that they didn't clear for use outside of broadcast.  So the shear fact that you can still watch Star Wars in decent quality is, while not optimal, is still good that it will be allowed to live on for you, with or without the validation of other "purists."

Post
#593200
Topic
The Clone Wars: Season V
Time

danaan said:

 

Darth Bizarro said:

Dude, you take Star Wars way too seriously.  

This goes beyond the argument of Star Wars being a part of our cultural heritage and film preservation.  A point that I am in full agreement on with basically everyone on this site.

What you're talking about though is contradictions in the "mythology" of a work of fiction which was based on actual mythology causing you physical and/or emotional pain.  No longer is this about the REAL issue of Lucas destroying our cultural heritage.  This is a whole new level of problems you seem to be experiencing.     

You don't just hate them.  Lots of people hate them, and I respect that fully.  I hate Alien 3, but I wouldn't be offended by someone showing up to a convention dressed as Ripley with their head shaved.  But for you, it seems, their very existence actually pains you.  That's not healthy dude.

George Lucas made some Star Wars movies, and you liked them.  Then he made more Star Wars movies, and you don't like them.  Simple as that.  Other people liking them shouldn't upset you so much.  


Hmm....

I dunno. Is my attitude unhealthy? I'm not at all convinced that it's as simple as that. For me, the issue of cultural heritage and my own love for this particular work of fiction are deeply intertwined. I abhor whenever cultural heritage of much "greater cultural standing" (high culture vs oop cultur, etc) becomes relativized, or even demolished. Think about how the Parthenon in Athens was blown up, how the Elgin marbles were removed from the building, how the library in Alexandria was burned by zealots, how Taliban destroyed Buddhist statues in Afghanistan, or what is now happening in Timbuktu. When someone says that history or our cultural heritage is useless or unimportant, I am outraged. I guess I'm just sensitive to such folly.

In the case of Star Wars, I loved that trilogy. It was probably my favourite movie experience when I was a kid. But it's more than that. I loved other movies, too - like Labyrinth, or the Never Ending Story. But revisiting them, they're just kinda "meh" to me now. Star Wars has lasted, because it is a classic of a whole different standing, and because of the profound messages. But now, those messages have been undermined, hollowed up, effectively destroyed by the PT and post-PT developments. So this is really a case of revisionism - Lucas fully intends, it seems, to destroy the memory that the SW saga was once something other than what the PT presents. Getting my hands on even the 2004 DVD is getting increasingly difficult. That's horrendous. And then some fan comes along and makes a statement to the effect of SW should be about Palpatine wielding dual lightsabers. It's, pardon the pun, lightyears from what the unaltered ANH-ROTJ series of films were about.

In conclusion - no, this is not about me being angry that others like films I don't like (though the elitist in me will always be baffled by the strange success of things like Dan Brown, Transformers or other such schlock). This about a set of very beautiful ideas in the form of a fairytale that has now been completely sidelined by Yoda doing computer-game shit. It's like seeing something I loved dearly die. Of course it hurts. And the fact that it does is just a testament to how much I loved it.

Btw, I can guarantee you that if the directors of other films I love dearly did the equivalent to what Lucas has been doing the past 15 years, I'd hurt over that, too. But they have the integrity to leave their work alone, or to offer several versions if they do want to tamper with their work after the fact, so there's no cause for mourning. In that sense, SW is uniquely ravaged by its progenitor.

Edit: Btw, there's plenty of other EU material I also feel does not live up to the OT. A recent example would be the TOR cinematics, which just seem to be regurgitating the visuals of the OT without any of the substance. The emphasis on the super-choreographed fights is one example. In one of them, they've even just re-written lines from ANH, which is the height of style over substance.

 

Ok.  Now that makes sense.  But I still don't know why you can't just ignore them like I ignore Alien 3.  As I said before.  Just because we might not like all of the expanded content of some of our favorite works of fiction, doesn't mean we should let that content ruin our day.  Just like Alien, Jaws, Indiana Jones, Star Trek, Superman, Batman, X-Men, Spider-Man, the Matrix, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Planet of the Apes, there will always be a few entries some of the fan base don't care for and shouldn't let their mear existence get them down. 

I understand Star Wars is a special case since not only does GL insist on making more movies and shows that some people don't like, but also makes changes to the old films to properly reflect the new canon.  But remember who's really at fault for that aren't the people who happen to find the Jar Jar hate a bit overblown.  Just because I don't hate the special editions completely doesn't mean that I don't also find it to be total bullcrap that I don't have a choice in the matter unless I'm willing to sit through a crappy laserdisc transfer or turn to Harmy.

Post
#592902
Topic
The Clone Wars: Season V
Time

danaan said:

 

KazolOrajia said:


I'll just chime in quickly with my two cents.

I'm a fan of The Clone Wars, and I'm very, very excited for Season 5, which looks to be the best yet.

I completely understand the anti-Clone Wars arguments here, but they don't bother me too much, because the way at look at The Clone Wars, and most of Star Wars, is this: It's a fun space fantasy franchise. It's full of action and cool-looking shit, and while it's not always plausible, or particularly serious, that's fine, because it's pure escapist entertainment, and it's supposed to be. The OT was the same thing. Sure, there were deeper messages, and they were very well-made films that certainly deserve the praise and recognition they get....


This segment pretty much sums up my grievance with the PT and everything that has come afterwards. The point of SW was not the "pure escapist entertainment" - you can go to any blockbuster to get your fill of that, even Transformers and GI Joe. The point was indeed those deeper messages. But all those wisdoms offered by Yoda, Obi-Wan, Luke, Vader and even Palpatine in the OT have been rendered utterly pointless and devoid of meaning because of the PT and now, too, the CW.

When Lucas, in the "Making of AOTC"-footage, says that all fans have been waiting for Yoda to "whip out that little laserswords of his and go to town" he *completely* misses the point of his own mythology. Everytime i hear that statement I want to shout a Big No at the screen, it's so stoopid! But that's all we're likely to get from LucasArts now - kewl weaponcombos and shiny things that look like things did back in the OT, but that have actually been robbed of any of that deeper meaning that made SW so great.

For this old fan, that just hurts.

 

Dude, you take Star Wars way too seriously.  

This goes beyond the argument of Star Wars being a part of our cultural heritage and film preservation.  A point that I am in full agreement on with basically everyone on this site.

What you're talking about though is contradictions in the "mythology" of a work of fiction which was based on actual mythology causing you physical and/or emotional pain.  No longer is this about the REAL issue of Lucas destroying our cultural heritage.  This is a whole new level of problems you seem to be experiencing.     

You don't just hate them.  Lots of people hate them, and I respect that fully.  I hate Alien 3, but I wouldn't be offended by someone showing up to a convention dressed as Ripley with their head shaved.  But for you, it seems, their very existence actually pains you.  That's not healthy dude.

George Lucas made some Star Wars movies, and you liked them.  Then he made more Star Wars movies, and you don't like them.  Simple as that.  Other people liking them shouldn't upset you so much.  

Post
#592864
Topic
The Clone Wars: Season V
Time

KazolOrajia said:

I'll just chime in quickly with my two cents.

I'm a fan of The Clone Wars, and I'm very, very excited for Season 5, which looks to be the best yet.

I completely understand the anti-Clone Wars arguments here, but they don't bother me too much, because the way at look at The Clone Wars, and most of Star Wars, is this: It's a fun space fantasy franchise. It's full of action and cool-looking shit, and while it's not always plausible, or particularly serious, that's fine, because it's pure escapist entertainment, and it's supposed to be. The OT was the same thing. Sure, there were deeper messages, and they were very well-made films that certainly deserve the praise and recognition they get, and even if the prequels don't match them in quality, they do the same job in serving as fun popcorn flicks. There's plenty of cool nerd porn in them to keep fans talking to this day, and (although many here will disagree with me) I think there were some really high-quality aspects to them.

Even back in the '70s Lucas said that Star Wars was supposed to be a fun film, an entertaining film. There were sword fights, shootouts, dogfights, a wise wizard teaching a young man how to become a hero, a damsel in distress-all staples of entertainment of the past, updated to a space setting. I think fans are put a lot of meaning into the OT that wasn't necessarily part of it to begin with, although that doesn't make their interpretations less valid.

What The Clone Wars does is to provide fun, action-packed entertainment, with plenty of nerd porn for Star Wars fans. You don't have to like The Clone Wars, or the prequels, or any of the EU. It's just entertainment. And personally I think The Clone Wars is very high quality.

I eagerly await geeking out over Sidious dueling Maul and Savage with two lightsabres.

^What he said.

Post
#592863
Topic
The Clone Wars: Season V
Time

Star Wars Purist said:

DuracellEnergizer said:

 

Darth Bizarro said:


How does introducing a secondary set of villains prove that they should have been in the movies.  That's like saying that having the Black Sun appear as villains in Shadows of the Empire proves that they should have been in Empire Strikes Back.


Was Black Sun ever established as being a major antagonist in the OT timeline in various interviews, notes, and spinoff material back in the day only to ignored when TESB and ROTJ rolled around? No? Then your comparison fails.

First, the idea of whether the Emperor should or should not have a light-saber is entirely a mater of opinion, not forgone fact (same thing with Yoda BTW).  But even if that weren't up for debate, how exactly is the Emperor going to defend himself against two attackers simultaneously both of whom are wielding double bladed lightsabers with only one lightsaber.  He needs two so he can block two simultaneous attacks.


The guy's got access to telekinetic and electrokinetic abilities. Waving a neon sword around when he can just toss/block/kill a guy with his mind or fry him with bolts of lightning is stupid.

 

Why have the neon sword?  Because it's shiny...and Prequel fans will go for superficiality over substance any day!  

Please don't talk down to us prequel fans like we're somehow inferior fans.  I find it very disrespectful.

The difference between you and me is simply this.  You like the original trilogy.  I like the original trilogy plus everything else.  I think we all need to sometimes be reminded of this.

Post
#592773
Topic
The Clone Wars: Season V
Time

darth_ender said:

Sometimes we all make me laugh because we argue about the correctness of such nerdy stuff.  Yes, I'm party to this silliness.  But I did want to chime in.  I agree, I very much prefer the pre-PT explanation (from EU sources) that Jedi masters had advanced so far in the Force that they no longer needed lightsabers.  Moreover, if lightsabers had to be used in the PT by masters, they didn't have to be overused by them as they currently are.  And lightsabers, which seemed so precious in the OT, are like cheap, replaceable water pistols in the PT.  But I think Bizarro makes a good case that the OT does not actually preclude Jedi masters using lightsabers.  It's pretty clear that Yoda and the Emperor do not consider lightsaber usage as beneath the Jedi.  The Jedi masters obviously expected the knights to use such methods as part of their growth.  When Yoda told Luke that he must face Vader again, I don't think he expected him to defeat him without one.  I believe that Luke's test at the cave was a message about giving in to anger, listening to fear, and relying on violence to solve all problems.  It did not mean that he would never have to resort to violence.  Bizarro said it right: there is more to being a Jedi than fighting, lightsabers, and heroics...but that does not leave those things completely out of the picture.

I'll agree that the lightsabers had lost that special quality in the prequels because of their abundance.  But then again, this is suppose to be the era before the Jedi had become extinct so there would naturally be a lot of characters who had them.  I do think it would have help though if there had been a few more none Jedi main characters in the story to help balance the action out.  Jedi effortlessly blocking blaster fire and slashing everything in sight is no where near as exciting as a good old corridor shoot out.  Maybe if Anakin had been allowed to progress in a similar manner to to Luke, he could have used a blaster for part of the movie still before fully embracing the lightsaber in Episode III.

Post
#592772
Topic
The Clone Wars: Season V
Time

danaan said:

 

Darth Bizarro said:


1. So I will first respond to the implosibility of the Darth Maul thing with simply a photograph.

http://www.mathewingram.com/work/wp-content/uploads/halfman2_450x400.jpg" title="www.mathewingram.com/work/wp-content/uploads/halfman2_450x400.jpg">http://www.mathewingram.com/work/wp-content/uploads/halfman2_450x400.jpg" target="_blank">http://www.mathewingram.com/work/wp-content/uploads/halfman2_450x400.jpg">http://www.mathewingram.com/work/wp-content/uploads/halfman2_450x400.jpg


*sighs*

Maul was cut a good deal higher up:

http://cache.io9.com/assets/images/8/2011/10/felldown-1.jpg

Really, what does it take for you to accept that a character is dead, I wonder? I mean, according to the standards you are setting, Boba Fett is also not proven dead - he could just fix the jet pack with the tools in his utility belt and fly out of Sarlacc or something. Which would be the lamest device for the continuation of a fan fave character evah. But completely in the same league as having Darth Maul come back.

Darth Bizarro said:


How exactly does fixing the flaws make Star Wars as a whole worse?  


Nothing of this fixes any flaw. "Attempting to fix" by building on an already flawed narrative with even more flawed ideas just compounds the existing flaws to the point of making the storyline outright laughably stupid. In short, the flaws in the PT can't be fixed by the Clone Wars show. They can only be fixed by re-making the PT.

Darth Bizarro said:


2.  Your entire argument here is circular and proves no point whatsoever so I won't even bother restating my original point again.


No. Not circular. It's a variant of my "the flaws of the PT can't be fixed by the CW"-argument + "there are plenty of ways the story of the PT could have been much more appealing than the schlock we were given".

Darth Bizarro said:


3.  Even if you completely discount the prequels from canon and go with the original trilogy on it's own, Obi-wan flat out states that Yoda trained him as a Jedi.  And Obi-wan says that a lightsaber is the weapon of a Jedi.  The Emperor says the same thing in Return of the Jedi.  So who exactly taught him to use the thing.  Based on the implications given to us in the OT, Yoda probably did.  You act like Yoda made some strong case in the movie about Jedi not using lightsabers when all he did was try to make a point that there was more to being a Jedi than just fighting.  So why exactly would it be acceptable to assume that Yoda would condone and even train a Jedi to use a lightsaber, and yet somehow completely ridiculous that he might use one himself.  That doesn't make any sense.  So yes, it is just a matter of opinion.


You clearly do not understand the profound significance of Yoda's teachings on Dagobah.

Darth Bizarro said:


Also, Mr. Purist.  We aren't talking about the original trilogy here.  We're talking about the Clone Wars, an off shoot from the Prequels.  So you can't try to make a point about how something in the Clone Wars shouldn't be, and then turn around and say that the prequels don't count because you don't consider them canon.  I'm sorry, but the second you start talking about the Clone Wars, you are officially outside the safety of the purist zone. 


I know. But the OP said that the CW is what SW should be. I disagree profoundly. SW should not be about who's got the most flashy weapons combo. It should be about moments like Yoda training Luke on Dagobah.

Darth Bizarro said:


4.  Luke blows up the Death Star, a space station filled with countless officers and enlisted men, none of which are necessarily the next Emperor or Vader and many of whom were likely drafted and he gets a medal.  Or what about all the people on Jabba's sail barge that he murdered when he blew the thing up.  Jabba was dead, all the guards who were attacking him had been taken out already.  What exactly did Luke have to gain by blowing up the sail barge which was at that point probably only filled with an bunch of drunks hanging out to watch the show, some servants, many of whom were likely enslaved, and the band members.  All the guys who where an actual threat to them were defeated already, so why blow it up?  Yet Anakin kills a village full of savage murderers who shoot at passerbys with riffles just for the lulz apparently, raid homesteads, pillage, capture, and torture people, and it's a one way ticket to the dark side.


Luke never gave in to his anger the way Anakin did on Tatooine. Again, you seem to fail to understand the dynamics of the OT - see the Throne Room scene in ROTJ. Luke passed that test. Anakin didn't. The sail barge scene was not a case of a defenceless village that Luke decided to destroy because of bigotry and hate. Luke did NOT initiate hostilities against Jabba's outfit. He had, in fact, tried SEVERAL non-lethal methods of getting Han out of there (3-4?). He had just been attacked by just about all of Jabba's thugs. As far as he knew, there could have been more guards coming up to follow the first ones. Could an even better outcome have been sought? Yes, but even so, the two situations are NOT comparable at all.

 

1.  A death certificate.  And there is no universe whatsoever where Boba Fett blasting out of the sarlacc pit is just as stupid as Maul surviving getting cut in half.

And BTW, not every one thinks that the Prequels are the worthless piles of crap that you do.  They may not be up to pare with the originals but the worst movies ever made they most certainly are not, regardless of what the hateboy industrial complex would have us believe.

2.  I'm sorry dude, but it is, get over it.  Introducing a secondary villain in the spin off series that was planed are part of a B-story in the movies and didn't make the cut does not prove that it should have been in there.  You seem to be greatly overstating the importance of the Mandalorians in the Clone Wars anyway.  

3.  I "clearly" don't understand the significance?  Is that a fact?  So because I don't think Yoda's words mean what you think they mean, I clearly don't understand?  Please enlighten me good sir.  What exactly did Yoda say that completely proves without a shadow of a doubt that he never would have used a lightsaber in his younger days?  Please, give me a few quotes.  Is it the size matters not thing you said earlier?  Because I thought that line simply meant that the amount of force you have isn't dependent entirely on you physical strength.  Or do I clearly not understand?

And who exactly says that it "should" be about moments like Yoda on Dagobah?  Is that what Mr. Plinket told you?

4.  Um, actually they are since both involve a Skywalker showing up in a den of murderers and thieve attempting to rescue someone they cared about and killing everyone in the process.  Yes, Luke didn't have the level of anger that Anakin did, but then again, Luke didn't fall to the dark side now did he.  Basically, Anakin and Luke did the exact same thing but because Anakin did it while pissed off and Luke didn't, Anakin should therefore be chastised and thrown in solitary by the Jedi Order to have the dark side beat out of him?  The Jedi aren't pacifists and they seem to have no qualm whatsoever to killing for the greater good.  You think Anakin is the first Jedi to come there way who had a brush with the dark side.  Probably not, and when Anakin began to brush with the dark side they tried to help him.  But predicting that he would have charge the Jedi Temple and slaughterer everyone inside?  I'd say there's some reasonable doubt as for that.   

5.  This is fun by the way :)

Post
#592597
Topic
The Clone Wars: Season V
Time

DuracellEnergizer said:

 

Darth Bizarro said:


So why exactly would it be acceptable to assume that Yoda would condone and even train a Jedi to use a lightsaber, and yet somehow completely ridiculous that he might use one himself.  That doesn't make any sense.  So yes, it is just a matter of opinion.


So if a parent teaches their child how to ride a bike, that automatically means they themselves have to ride or even own one of their own?

 

You would be correct.  Teaching a child to ride a bike doesn't automatically mean that they themselves have ever ridden one.  But it would be a logical guess that they might have.

The point I'm attempting to make isn't whether or not Yoda or the Emperor having a lightsaber is a good thing.  I'm simply stating that I don't feel the original trilogy makes a strong enough case against the notion of them using one to prove definitively that this is a contradiction of their characters.  There is no right or wrong answer here.

Post
#592572
Topic
The Clone Wars: Season V
Time

danaan said:

 

Darth Bizarro said:


How exactly does fixing the flaws make Star Wars as a whole worse?  And even if they were fixes for the worse, ala Greedo, I would hardly call that proof.

1.  He had no character whatsoever in TPM, how does bringing him back and giving him an actual identity make things worse.  Furthermore, he wasn't resurrected, he never died to start with.


So, this is what contemporary Star Wars has come to: a villain cut in half is no longer counted as "obviously dead". That's absurd, and sad.

Darth Bizarro said:


2.  How does introducing a secondary set of villains prove that they should have been in the movies.  That's like saying that having the Black Sun appear as villains in Shadows of the Empire proves that they should have been in Empire Strikes Back.


The whole "Boba Fett is super-important and the First Clone" is built on catering to fans who can't get enough of Boba Fett because his armour is so kewl. That's an exercise in superficiality. Boba Fett as a Mandalorian veteran, one of many, where his armour is not tailormade, but an actual uniform, is much more appealing for so many reasons. I.e. AOTC is flawed in so many ways. This is just one of them, and bringing in Mandalorians in the show is done because AOTC is flawed.

Darth Bizarro said:


3.  First, the idea of whether the Emperor should or should not have a light-saber is entirely a mater of opinion, not forgone fact (same thing with Yoda BTW).  But even if that weren't up for debate, how exactly is the Emperor going to defend himself against two attackers simultaneously both of whom are wielding double bladed lightsabers with only one lightsaber.  He needs two so he can block two simultaneous attacks.


No, on at least one level it's not just a matter of opinion. Yoda clearly states: "judge me by my size, do you?" This is of tremendous significance for the whole meta-physics of the Force. The master Force user has moved beyond the physical, transcended it. Thus, the lightsaber is utterly redundant. Those who are focused on shiny neon-swords over this understanding clearly do not comprehend what made Star Wars great in the first place.

As a note - the whole "lightsabers have been proven to deflect Force lightning" is a flawed argument on two accounts: 1) it rests on the user counting the PT as canon, which OOT-purists do not, for good reason, and 2) it's not like Force Lightning was ever supposed to be a highly effective offensive weapon. If the Emperor wanted to just kill Luke quickly he could have just snapped his neck, or crushed his heart with the telekinetic abilities of the Force - it would have been over in a split second, and is arguably the remedy against two assailants. The Lightning was used as a torture device.

Darth Bizarro said:


4.  Having Anakin become angry slowly as the show progresses helps make his fall to the dark side more believable than simply going all at once.  Anakin has had moments where he's dipped a little close to the dark side throughout the series and he always bounces back.  It's called foreshadowing.  BTW, Luke did the exact same thing in Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, getting angry at Yoda, Ben, Vader, the Emperor.  And he didn't fall to the dark side.  You could also argue that Obi-wan walked dangerously close to the dark side when he lashed out at Maul, or what about Mace Windu prepared to strike down a disarmed Palpatine.  There's a big difference between having a moment where you loose control of your emotions and sitting around constantly brooding.  The Jedi teach to let go of your anger, not suppress it.  You will get angry, but as a Jedi you need to be able to let it go.  You can't make an accurate distinction about whether or not the Jedi should have been able to see Anakin's fall to the dark side when you're looking at it through the goggles of hindsight.  It always seems so obvious after the fact, doesn't it, but I've never seen one of my friends or coworkers in a moment of frustration and immediately think to myself, wow, that guy is probably going to come in tomorrow and decapitate a bunch of children.  


I know what "foreshadowing" is. I also recognize poor usage of that storytelling device when I see it. We're talking about Anakin here, y'know, the guy who genocidally slaughtered an entire village, men, women and children, in murderous rage. It's bad enough that the Jedi didn't put in solitary confinment and intense therapy straight after that incident, but now we're supposed to believe that he can have recurring lapses into the Dark Side for *years* without anyone reacting at all? Man, those Jedi are incompetent eedjits in this narrative!

 

1.  So I will first respond to the implosibility of the Darth Maul thing with simply a photograph.  

http://www.mathewingram.com/work/wp-content/uploads/halfman2_450x400.jpg 

2.  Your entire argument here is circular and proves no point whatsoever so I won't even bother restating my original point again.

3.  Even if you completely discount the prequels from canon and go with the original trilogy on it's own, Obi-wan flat out states that Yoda trained him as a Jedi.  And Obi-wan says that a lightsaber is the weapon of a Jedi.  The Emperor says the same thing in Return of the Jedi.  So who exactly taught him to use the thing.  Based on the implications given to us in the OT, Yoda probably did.  You act like Yoda made some strong case in the movie about Jedi not using lightsabers when all he did was try to make a point that there was more to being a Jedi than just fighting.  So why exactly would it be acceptable to assume that Yoda would condone and even train a Jedi to use a lightsaber, and yet somehow completely ridiculous that he might use one himself.  That doesn't make any sense.  So yes, it is just a matter of opinion.  

Also, Mr. Purist.  We aren't talking about the original trilogy here.  We're talking about the Clone Wars, an off shoot from the Prequels.  So you can't try to make a point about how something in the Clone Wars shouldn't be, and then turn around and say that the prequels don't count because you don't consider them canon.  I'm sorry, but the second you start talking about the Clone Wars, you are officially outside the safety of the purist zone. 

4.  Luke blows up the Death Star, a space station filled with countless officers and enlisted men, none of which are necessarily the next Emperor or Vader and many of whom were likely drafted and he gets a medal.  Or what about all the people on Jabba's sail barge that he murdered when he blew the thing up.  Jabba was dead, all the guards who were attacking him had been taken out already.  What exactly did Luke have to gain by blowing up the sail barge which was at that point probably only filled with an bunch of drunks hanging out to watch the show, some servants, many of whom were likely enslaved, and the band members.  All the guys who where an actual threat to them were defeated already, so why blow it up?  Yet Anakin kills a village full of savage murderers who shoot at passerbys with riffles just for the lulz apparently, raid homesteads, pillage, capture, and torture people, and it's a one way ticket to the dark side.

Post
#592241
Topic
<strong>Star Wars: Detours</strong> (animated series) - a general discussion thread <strong>(Unreleased)</strong>
Time

Baronlando said:

George came off fine in that clip. (Seeing him and hearing his voice though, his health worries me a little)  

I agree.  Though Lucas always has come off a little uncomfortable when it comes to big public appearances from what I've seen.  Probably why he mostly does one on one interviews.

I often wonder is the whole retirement thing might actually have other reasons we don't know of yet.  :( 

Post
#592229
Topic
The Clone Wars: Season V
Time

DuracellEnergizer said:

 

Darth Bizarro said:


How does introducing a secondary set of villains prove that they should have been in the movies.  That's like saying that having the Black Sun appear as villains in Shadows of the Empire proves that they should have been in Empire Strikes Back.


Was Black Sun ever established as being a major antagonist in the OT timeline in various interviews, notes, and spinoff material back in the day only to ignored when TESB and ROTJ rolled around? No? Then your comparison fails.

First, the idea of whether the Emperor should or should not have a light-saber is entirely a mater of opinion, not forgone fact (same thing with Yoda BTW).  But even if that weren't up for debate, how exactly is the Emperor going to defend himself against two attackers simultaneously both of whom are wielding double bladed lightsabers with only one lightsaber.  He needs two so he can block two simultaneous attacks.


The guy's got access to telekinetic and electrokinetic abilities. Waving a neon sword around when he can just toss/block/kill a guy with his mind or fry him with bolts of lightning is stupid.

 

1.  I don't give two flying craps what was said in interviews at some point or another.  According to interviews, there were suppose to be 12 movies.  What matters is what's in the movies and the Mandalorians aren't mentioned once in either the original trilogy or the prequels.  My point still stands that they are secondary villains and having them appear in the Clone Wars does not prove that they should have been in the prequels any more than any other secondary villain would.  They're a B-story, the kind of thing the Clone Wars series was made for.

2.  It's been proved twice that lightsabers can block force lightning.  Obi-wan blocked Dooku's in Attack of the Clones with minimal effort and Mace Windu blocked Palpatine's in Revenge of the Sith.  If his lightning can be blocked by one guy with a single saber, them I'm pretty sure two guys with duel sabers who are also trained in the dark side would have no problem.  

Post
#592221
Topic
<strong>Star Wars: Detours</strong> (animated series) - a general discussion thread <strong>(Unreleased)</strong>
Time

ratpack1961 said:

Looks like George Lucas was at the Detours panel at Celebration 6!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM5VECv5Y6A

This is an amazing appearance by George in that he comes off like a bit of a jerk

1.  He makes jokes about Seth Greene's and the other writer's height.

2. He makes jokes that he basically can't stand them and can only stay around them for a short time.

3. He makes a racist comment.  All the writers are taking photos of their experience onstage.  George jokes about this and says "The writers are all tourists" and  "Our writers meetings take place in Japan!"  So essentially hes saying that japanese people are known for taking pictures everywhere.  Nice stereotype.

4. The actor who voices Obi Wan Kenobi for the clone wars shows up onstage and introduces himself to George.  Apparently hes never met him!

This somewhat hostile attitude from George definitely makes me believe the story of the fans who asked him about releasing the untouched OT and him telling them to grow up.  The guy we see on stage in this clip would definitely do that.

Another thing I've observed about Detours is that it takes place between Ep. 3 and ep. 4.  But the main characters are pretty much all OT characters.  Why didn't George make a show making fun of the prequel characters? Oh yeah because he hates the OT and doesn't care.

 

 

 

I'm sure he totally comes off like a jerk in this clip if that's what you're looking to see.  All I saw was George joking around casually with the writers of the show.  I don't know about ya'll, but I make short jokes all the time at my friends expenses, and they usually come back pretty quickly with something about my weight.  It's all banter.

Yes, the thing about the Japanese taking pictures is indeed a stereotype.  It's a very well known stereotype, and like all stereotypes, it's based around some degree of truth.  What's your point?  The guys were running around the stage taking pictures left and right and he made a joke about it.

And as far as the James Arnold Taylor thing goes.  I'm pretty sure that was a joke based on the fact that he fake fainted.  And even if they had never meet, would that really by that difficult to believe.  Lucas works with the writers of the show.  Dave Filoni directs them.  It doesn't make him an ass for not having ever meet him.

He is making fun of the prequel characters.  Dexter Jester, Padme, Palpatine, Obi Wan, Cad Bane, Qui Gon, Anakin, Jar Jar Binks...prequels.  Setting the show between III and IV allows them to make fun of both sides of the series as much as they can.  You seem to be suggesting the that prequels are the only part of the series that should be made fun of and the originals are therefore some how holy and exempt like the face of Muhammad or something.  "Oh, George Lucas is making fun of the original trilogy because he hate the original trilogy while I completely ignore the obvious jabs he just made at the prequels."