I agree with most of the criticisms levied against this episode. I did forget about all of that for the briefest moment, though, when Leia held Obi-Wan’s hand.
Found this rescore of the Vader scene from Ep 4 that might be up your alley for this edit.
This is actually something I’m wanting to imply in an eventual ROTJ edit with some added Jabba subtitles!
Luke: You should’ve bargained, Jabba.
Jabba: [as Jabba waves them off] Why? Have you seen the future?
Luke: This is the last mistake you’ll ever make.
Shot of Leia being tugged closer to Jabba.
Jabba: [added line] Your vision fails you, Jedi.
I might not do both lines, but it would come right after that head nod like you mentioned. I think there are some really good explanations of their plan, but I think audiences would accept their crazy plan even more if the idea that Luke saw how events would unfold was hinted at. It also sort of parallels how the Emperor foresaw how events would unfold in the final act as well. In this version of the story, both Luke and the Emperor sets up traps for their enemies based on their future visions.
One theory I’m guessing is that since Mando was one of Disney+‘s first big shows (and the first live-action Star Wars show), it was crucial that it would be a big hit. I think they are generally maintaining that budget because how big of a hit it was, and because of Favreau. But now Disney+ is throwing money around everywhere to produce constant content for their platform, now they have less money to divvy out to all of their projects.
I read somewhere that new man in charge at Disney is also known to be pretty stingy where as Iger would throw money at projects, so maybe that’s a factor. But I have not done any research on that so that might not be true at all.
Yeah, the actual dialogue isn’t necessarily bad (though it definitely could’ve been trimmed here and there), it is mostly the actors performances or blocking, things under the director’s control, that makes the entire production feel a little more amateur.
And you’re right about the Mandalorian. I went back and watched a clip from Season 2 and immediately noticed how the blocking looked so much more artistic/professional in comparison to what we’ve generally seen in Kenobi. Hell, I think the best example is comparing the Mandalorian episode we got in the Book of Boba Fett to the rest of the show. It felt like that one episode had the same budget as the entire season of BOBF. But again, I don’t know if it is just because Favreau/Howard/Filoni and their crew have a better understanding of the Volume than the other creatives have. Might be worth going back and watching Chow’s Mando episodes to compare it with Kenobi. I recall her episodes being really solid, which is just leading me to believe they are just being forced to work with less money.
True, the framing is the really similar. But it didn’t click at first but I agree with Ady, the shot is poorly lit. And not in a “it’s meant to be poorly lit” way.
It’s funny because I’ve been seeing other comments around the internet also talking about how cheap or unprofessional looking this show is tending to be. Like the 180 break or the weird looking shots on Mustafar, things we’ve already mentioned here.
Agreed. Honestly the only thing I didn’t like was the combat. I thought the way he moved in the Rogue One hallway scene felt more like Vader than his duel with Obi. Though the UNRELENTING shaky cam may have played a role in that.
Random point: I love how Vader looks in this scene. I’m not sure why but it reminds me of how he was lit in A New Hope. Does anyone else see it?
Oh yeah. Angle kind of makes me think of this shot.
One thing I hate, a minor thing, is that that Luke and Vader never swap lightsabers during their duel in ROTJ.
This is something I would like to do in an eventual ROTJ edit!
And I agree with you about the dark side thing. I definitely think the out-of-universe names derive from it simply being the good side and bad side, but I like to interpret the in-universe naming of the “dark side” as referring to the mystery and unknown aspects of the Force that the Jedi deem too dangerous to tap into. It’s a deep, dark well of knowledge that could hide unimaginable secrets.
I think Palpatine hints at this by referring to the “great mystery”, and wanting to understand all its aspects, but I think it would’ve helped get that idea across even better if Palpatine had maybe used a clearer allegory.
I agree that it doesn’t technically contradict what was later established in the prequels. You could argue that the assumption would be that they flew together when Red Leader was a “boy”, or when he was still a young pilot like Luke. But further canon could’ve had a little moment where a young Red Leader encountered Anakin when he was fighting to liberate his planet during the Clone Wars. It seems canon has kept the idea that Anakin Skywalker was a bit of a war hero.
Idk how well-known it was that Luke was the son of Anakin when he first showed up at the Yavin base. I mean, how did Red Leader know who Luke’s father was when Luke just found out he was actually a war hero literally a day ago?
Considering how often future stories have really ridden the line of almost contradicting continuity, I feel like keeping this would’ve been far from the worst offender.
To be fair, it’s not like the original 70s effects still look good either. No matter what version you’re watching, Star Wars must be seen as a product of its time. Not that that’s a bad thing, I hate when people dismiss older stuff because it doesn’t hold up to modern standards.
Late reply. I do think people are generally forgiving of older effects because they recognize it as an older film. It fits the aesthetic, in a sense. In the end, a lot of those older effects still tend to be tangible things, versus early CGI. But I also think people are able to suspend their disbelief more with rubber alien costumes than CGI because it fits the mise-en-scène of those films. Idk if that makes sense, but I’m planning to write a longer post about this idea in the near future.
I think it has less to do with the location and more to do with how it was shot. Like the shots of Obi and Vader actually clashing felt almost fan-filmy. Hard to put my finger on it.
I do agree with the character stuff though.
Good to hear from you Faraday! Can totally understand the struggle with Busy Life Shit. Appreciate the update!
I love Anchorhead’s point about wishing for a more focused story that a movie could provide on one hand, but on the other, also loving the little character moments that a episodic series provides that may have been lost otherwise. That little conversation between Leia and Obi, about her birth parents, and Obi recalling fragmented memories of his own family, was a really nice moment.
I have to say, though, I feel like this show, of all shows, shouldn’t have needed to “save the budget” for the last few episodes. But again, we don’t really know why it looks the way it does. Could he budget, or filmmakers’ inexperience with the Volume.
Haha, in a way perhaps. His learner/master line (and his “underestimate my power” line) kind of makes me think a part of Vader wants to believe he is better than Obi-Wan. Vader may have built up this moment in his head for a long time, expecting another intense duel, only to be totally shocked by how little Obi-Wan put up a fight. I think the strategic reason is more about using Obi-Wan to find other enemies of the Empire, but I think there could be a more personal, selfish reason in there too.
Yeah, I almost feel like Vader telling the troopers to “Stop” might help with the audience head scratching. It easier to digest Vader choosing not to pursue rather than not being able to. You could argue Vader wants him to flee with his allies in hopes of it leading to other surviving Jedi, and those that are helping them hide.
On a more personal level, maybe Vader is just a little disappointed by the encounter. I imagine Obi-Wan was not in the condition he was expecting, beating him was much easier than he thought it would be, so a part of him wants to enjoy the hunt a little more.
No prob! Maybe once you drop a work print people may have some suggestions for things that could be added back in. Sometimes less is more, and I think it works for this situation. If anything, you could quick flashes of Fennic going in and out of consciousness if you wanted to show glimpses of her being rescued by Boba (but maybe use daytime shots with Boba’s spur sound effect), and quick shots inside the mod parlor, but I don’t think that is totally necessary.
Also wanted to say that I like how you are reframing the stories as well. Like you mentioned, it seems like the main Mandalorian story is moving toward the reformation of the Mandalorian culture. And someone, whether it be Din, Boba, or someone else, will become the new Mandalore. It definitely feels like Boba will play a role in that in some shape or form, so it makes sense to also include his story within this series. I like The Book of Mandalore as a title.
Something that could benefit from this idea is the weird decision to reunite Grogu and Din within the Book of Boba Fett. I know others are basically trying to take the Mando stuff from the Book of Boba Fett and turn it into basically The Mandalorian Season 3, Episode 0. I think that works too, but with how the stories are intertwined, this series might make that story choice work in the best possible way. A part of me is tempted to suggest putting a title card somewhere that says “Six months later” or “One year later” to imply that Mando and Grogu have been apart for some time before being reunited.
Also wanted to say I love how you trimmed the prologue! Good job with that.
I definitely think score changes need to be made for the show, but personally I’m still preferring how it is in the original version. The piano is better than the standard march, but it makes the scene sad rather than creepy/terrifying. And I think Obi-Wan isn’t necessarily feeling sadness in this moment, but horror. Horror at what he has created, what his apprentice has become. My two cents though.
Yeah, take a break! No need to burn yourself out.
Maybe you could show Boba seeing the flare, but don’t show Boba finding her body and him taking her to mod parlor. Boba seeing the flare could be the set up, and then later in the episode it is paid off when we fade in from black and reveal that Fennic is alive, and that Boba saved her life. For all we know, Boba could have found Fennic’s body not long after Din left.
I know showing is typically better than telling, but since Boba explains how he saved her, you could just skip all of that, and it would help truncate the “movie” a little more too. Also, I think the mod shop looks a little low budget, so cutting it is a plus in my opinion.
I also prefer the more eerie music of the original scene over the bombastic march.
I think some of Gordy Haab’s music could also be used for rescoring this series. He did the music for Battlefront and Jedi: Fallen Order, and I think he really nails the feel of Williams’ style without just repeating the same music.
For example, the theme for the Second Sister from Fallen Order could potentially be used as an Inquisitor motif that makes their appearances more menacing.
Also, maybe some stuff from the Shadows of the Empire soundtrack could also be used. I feel like that is another score that nails the Williams vibe pretty well.
I love that you’re bringing the long Falcon journey idea back!
I think it would be cool to have some different shots of the Falcon flying through space with just some cross fades, helping to imply the passage of time. I always pictured a shot of the Falcon passing by or above an exotic-colored gas giant, and passing through a nebula (sort of like one of your test shots). Maybe the nebula could be moving slightly in the background, with some nebula haze moving across camera in the foreground.
I do feel one problem is trying to have the Falcon maintain the right-to-left movement across the frame. I feel like it would be simpler if you could find a decent Falcon model that could be used to make a few new cool shots of it in space. Poppa and snooker both seem to have access to a decent Falcon model, and if we kept it small in the shot, you could potentially get away with the dish being incorrect, if it isn’t the proper one.
I did think this episode was more interesting than the last two, but yeah, overall I’m blown away by how cheap this show looks. It genuinely feels like one step above a fan film. I don’t know what it is. The production design budget? The cinematography? The lighting?
I think a good comparison is the way the Vader/Krennic scene looks in Rogue One to the scene of Vader speaking to the hologram of Reva in his castle. The lightning in the show is just, weird. So even if the writing on this show was amazing, I still would be let down by the lack of production value.
Some people mentioned it feeling weird that Vader would randomly torture/kill civilians, but to me, it felt like as soon as Vader sensed Obi-Wan was near, he began to torture the villagers in order to draw Obi-Wan out. It was ruthless but with purpose, which fits Vader’s MO. I did like this moment, and the music actually was not grating for a change. Thought it fit the eeriness of the scene. Generally, though, the music is pretty generic.
I didn’t care for the “duel” too much. In my mind, I try to see how we should be getting closer to their duel in ANH. This made me think of that Scene 38 fan film thing that I don’t really care for, more so than the original duel. Hopefully in their next duel, we see Obi-Wan fight with a little more control like we saw in 77, so there is a natural progression of the way they fight across the movies/shows.
I did like a lot of the dialogue scenes. I’m still enjoying the interactions between Leia and Obi-Wan. Even Reva was somewhat better in this episode (but then one line/shot too many ruins it for me). I still think a less is more approach would’ve been better when it came to the inquisitors.
I’m enjoying it more than Boba Fett, but for as long as I had been anticipating the Kenobi movie/series, it’s definitely more on the disappointing side of things.
Definitely have some ideas regarding the series too, but I’m kind of reluctant to think too hard about it until we see the whole picture. Definitely agree with trying to keep the timeline of Padme’s death kind of vague.
Anjohan, I’m curious what the sound situation is regarding the audio tracks. A lot of the music feels very generic to me, and I’m wondering if it would be a major challenge to try and rescore any of it.
Anchorhead, I have to say I am impressed how you’ve managed to avoid prequel lore all of these years as a Star Wars fan. I love your perspective on all of this, haha.
I’m curious, do you really think that character is dead? I thought it was surprising but I have no doubt they’re gonna get put in a bacta tank and healed up.
Deborah has had a decent track record before this. Makes me think that the a big chunk of the budget just went to drag these big name actors back into the franchise.
