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Scruffy

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Join date
29-Nov-2005
Last activity
31-May-2016
Posts
625

Post History

Post
#304941
Topic
Star Wars: The Best of 2007 (Looking Back at 30 Years)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/304941/action/topic#304941
Time
Marketing speak. Who cares? "Ignore the fact that we didn't do anything worthwhile last year; next year we've got big things in store! So get out your wallets and prepare to spend! Hey! Pay attention to us! Ignore that JJ guy. And what's with this 'Dark Knight' and that stupid clown? Wouldn't you rather watch a Jedi Knight fight a Sith? Wait! Come back! Would you like another rerelease of the soundtrack? I have collectibles! Please ... come back...."
Post
#302115
Topic
Fall to the Dark Side?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/302115/action/topic#302115
Time
Star Wars: Dark Lords of the Sith
The story introduced Exar Kun near the end of his training; he had mastered the lightsaber, and started poking around in Master Baas's Cabinet of Things Apprentices Do Not Need to See. From this, he learned of the Sith, and their power to destroy stars. He undertook an interplanetary personal research mission, falsely identifying himself as a Jedi archaeologist in order to gain access to Sith artifacts. In time he was contacted by a Sith spirit and led to their graveworld, where he was fatally injured by a collapsing temple. The Sith spirit offered to heal him, if he would only turn to the Dark Side. He did, and that selfish act started him down the dark path. He went on to discover more ancient Sith temples and the survivors of their slave race, and went about exploiting Sith technology and weaponry. By the end he had forgotten why he had started his research into the Sith, he only knew that he had more power than any Jedi alive and that he should use it somehow.

Meanwhile, Ulic Qel-Droma grieved the loss of his master, killed by a Krath ambush. (The Krath were a Sith-inspired cult that ruled a major mining system.) Against everyone's advice, he infiltrated the Krath to learn their secrets and destroy them from within. But once inside he enjoyed the comfort of their lifestyle too much, and twisted by his own use of the Dark Side--and the subtle and gross manipulations of the Krath--he turned on the Jedi and united with Exar Kun. However, until the very last moment, he kept telling himself that he was doing what he was doing to defeat the Krath and avenge his master.

In Star Wars: Dark Empire Luke Skywalker unwittingly retraced many of Ulic Qel-Droma's steps. He infiltrated the Empire's Berchtsgarden and pledged himself to the Dark Side in a ruse to access Imperial military command codes. But--probably due to coercion that takes place off-page--he was cast into utter despair, and became a Vader-like lackey until his sister set him free.

Selfishness, self-delusion, and overconfidence. These compose a Dark Side Trinity more potent than even fear, anger, and aggression. If this model had been used for Anakin, we would've seen him quickly master the Jedi arts and look to anathematized teachings for further knowledge and skill. He would have begun acting like a Sith long before he took a Sith name, or even admitted to himself that he was more aligned with them than the Jedi.

In another universe, several humans were turned to the dark side by the One Ring. The Ring, unlike the Dark Side proper, was a sentient or semi-sentient thing with a will of its own. It didn't offer its bearer any real power, but it did offer possession of itself. This desire to have something was expressed most strongly through Sméagol-Gollum, who gave up the legendarily comfortable trappings of hobbit civilization for centuries of eating fish and orcs in a cave. But as long as he had the Ring he was, if not content, somehow sated. Others fell or nearly fell because they saw in the Ring power, an ability to reorder the world to their liking. Boromir would not have accepted such a pitiful life as Gollum's nor, when he was alive, did he plan the type of despotic regime favored by the Ring's original owner. Doubtless he wanted to claim the Steward's Chair, or even the Throne, and usher in the kind of golden age that he must have believed Numenoreans once enjoyed. Though even the Numenorean state was probably vastly different than the accounts preserved in the Red Book and other writings of the Eldarin and Dunedain civilizations.

Possession for the sake of possessing and an ideal-driven ends-justify-the-means mindset were the road to the dark side here. If this had been applied to Anakin, the Dark Side would have been symbolized in the films by some thing offering great power--maybe a Sith relic, an obscure teaching, or a military command--and Anakin's search for, use, and eventual reliance on this object would drive him into sympathy for the Dark Side. Anakin might've been seeking this goal or object because he believed it was the best way to restore some idealized form of government, or maybe just because it was something grand to possess. Either way, coveting and protecting it would drive consideration for others out of his thoughts.

The last great turn to the dark side I can think of off the top of my head is the Joker's. Sometimes he remembers it one way, sometimes he remembers it another. If there has to be a past, it should be multiple choice. But one way he remembers it is, he had a bad day. He had a bad day and everything went wrong and he saw how cruel, random, and petty the world was. And he got the joke. So he decided to help other people get the joke, too. He doesn't consider acts of cruelty and violence in any way wrong, they're simply the lead-up to the punchline that will free others from the ennui of their lives. Some would say the same thing happened to Batman.

If Anakin had simply been insane, he would've become Darth Vader because that seemed like the best way to accomplish some dubious goal by means of internal logic that is impenetrable to the viewer. For instance, he may have fallen in order to save his wife from dying while giving birth to a child like he saw in a dream.
Post
#299638
Topic
When did the Jedi become monks?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/299638/action/topic#299638
Time
Originally posted by: CO

See I like the Jedi being a bunch of out of touch monks, cause it makes Lukes character that much better. I never understood why fans thought the Jedi should be this glamor bunch, cause if you watch just 4-6 again, Kenobi & Yoda were wrong the whole trilogy! They are lying to Luke, and everything they tried to steer him to in the end didn't work, cause it is eventually Luke who makes a new option NOT to fight and throw down his lightsaber, and that option was never presented once by Kenobi & Yoda.

Like I said, I agree that the Jedi were dipsticks and Luke's repudiation of them is what makes RotJ good. But the monastic model of dipstick just doesn't work for me. No one in the OT indicates that Jedi didn't have kids; not when Obi-wan first tells the story, not when Yoda is training Luke, not when Vader reveals who's the daddy, not when Yoda confirms it, not when Obi-wan tells the corrected version of the story, not when Luke and Leia briefly discuss their parents on Endor, not when Palpatine gloats about turning Luke's father, and not when Vader is dying and saying his last words to Luke. This story point could have been introduced at almost any point throughout the three movies, and it was not. There's nothing about it in the contemporary novelizations, or in what I've heard of the radio dramas. As far as I can tell, it just wasn't part of the conceptualization of the Jedi until some time after 1983, and it's incongruous with the Star Wars material made before 1999.

The Monk aspect gives a good message to the viewer that in the end, all these PT characters grew up around Jedi, Politicians, War, etc, and none of them really grew up in a normal family. Padme was a queen at 14, is that normal? The Jedi are taken from their families, and become soldiers to the republic, and forsake a normal life, is that normal? Luke & Leia grew up as normal people who got involved with politicians and jedi AFTER they became adults, and it show how normal they are, and how they think alot more rationale then the PT characters did.


Leia was a senator by the age of what, 19? That's not really normal, even if the Imperial Senate was a sinecure. I don't know how normal being a queen at 14 is, but it's not unheard of for children to ascend the throne while a regent rules until they reach the age of majority. This might be done in an elective monarchy solely because the majority of electors prefer a regent to a strong monarch, especially if the constitution term limits monarchs. But I must confess I don't remember whether or not Amidala had any real executive power; besides one viewing of The Phantom Edit, I haven't seen The Phantom Menace since opening day. I just remember thinking the constitution of Naboo would either have been really cool or really stupid. (They let the Gungans live there, so probably stupid.)
Post
#299633
Topic
When did the Jedi become monks?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/299633/action/topic#299633
Time
Originally posted by: lordjedi
Originally posted by: Scruffy
When ANH was produced, the tenets of Jedi Knighthood were ambiguous, but the Jedi could have children and could make decisions regarding the upbringing of their children, up to and including how they will be raised in the event that both parents die.

They could? According to what? As far as I've ever known, nothing outside of their abilities was ever even alluded to.

Anakin Skywalker had a son and, according to Obi-wan, wanted his son to have his lightsaber when he was old enough. That means that Jedi can have children and direct the upbringing of those children, even after their death through informal or formal last wishes. You can retcon it by saying Obi-wan was lying the whole time, but until the PT there was no need to retcon it. Even if Obi-wan was lying, he was telling a lie that he thought was palatable. If the Jedi were notoriously celibate, as they are in the PT, he would not have told Luke that his father was a Jedi. That lie would invite dangerous questions. He would've told a more serendipitous lie. The obvious interpretation of the scene was that Anakin expected to have children, wanted one to be a Jedi, and that Obi-wan found nothing odd about this.

Originally posted by: Scruffy
Revenge of the Sith didn't particularly change anything, but it gave us a look at the effect this upbringing has on a young man.

I disagree completely. ROTS gave us a look at what happens when you treat someone as a saviour, but put no rules in place on them or give them things to do that you clearly should not be doing. Sending Anakin off to protect Padme shouldn't have been done since it was obvious he was falling in love. That and what just seemed like a sheer lack of punishment for breaking the rules were the big problem.

No, there were plenty of rules in place. Anakin bitched about the rules from time to time, and his elders and peers restated the rules for audience members who didn't catch on right away. There was no punishment because the violations weren't known to those in authority. They remained unknown because Anakin worked very hard to keep his relationship with Padme a secret; he did that because he was afraid of the punishment for violating the rules. That's how punishments work: They either deter behavior or they make offenders offend much more carefully.

And it probably wasn't obvious that he was falling in love with Padme. The Jedi didn't seem to know very much about love. We already know Obi-wan could read Anakin about as well as I read Linear B. (That is, not at all.) The Jedi council was composed mostly of nonhumans, of whom probably very few could pick up on subtle human behavioral cues. Even when Obi-wan did figure out there was an Annie Jr. on the way, he couldn't chalk it up to something so uncouth as love. When he confronts Padme before stowing away on her starship, he doesn't say, "You're in love, aren't you?" He says, "Anakin's the father, isn't he?" He doesn't consider the relationship that exists between these people, only the biological consequence of their coupling. Someone who believes fervently that desire is Wrong and unwittingly reduces a years-long relationship to "He knocked ya up" probably doesn't have the necessary empathy to pick up when a person is falling in love.

The Jedi survived for 1000 generations with these rules (Obi-Wan's words), there's no reason to believe that Anakin's turn was due to anything other than being "the chosen one", so no one seemed to want to give him some discipline.

I'm not sure I follow. Who would have disciplined Anakin, and for what? His affair was unknown to his superiors, except to Obi-wan near the end. His overreaction on Tatooine was unknown to his superiors; it's not Padme's job to discipline him. (Not without negotiationg the scene and agreeing on a safe word, anyway.) He really doesn't live an undisciplined life; he's apparently monogamous, has no vices, advanced rapidly through a difficult career, and maintained a secret second life. He did most of that while fighting as some kind of special operative and/or officer in a war. You don't do that if you can't stick to certain rules. Sure, he freaked out a little when his mother was raped to death or when he didn't get a promotion, but those are isolated events and not patterns of behavior. The pattern is one of a very disciplined man.

And could you supply a quote in context for that surviving a thousand generations under the late-Republic era rules? I don't own the PT, and I'd like to read that scene. Thanks. (Even if the Jedi did survive for ~25ka under the late-Republic system of rules, we don't know that they prospered continuously the whole time. There could have been many, many failed Jedi like Darth Vader that simply aren't mentioned because without the backing of the Supreme Chancellor they were quietly killed.)
Post
#299616
Topic
anyone reading the eu novel death star?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/299616/action/topic#299616
Time
Thank you for your opinion. Here is mine.

Consistency adds verisimilitude. No consistency, no verisimilitude, and the whole thing becomes an exercise in surreality. Some people bitch about George Lucas changing things between the OT and the SE, or the OT and the PT. Other people bitch about EU writers changing things from the movies. I liked the movies, so I don't like it when people ignore them and make things up.

Furthermore, the Star Wars universe is a setting that can support many genres of storytelling. Film purists sometimes pick up an EU book, see that it's not a good-vs.-evil epic with a smattering of Eastern philosophy, and give up on the whole thing. And that is their right. (Heck, I pretty much gave up on it when I saw they were going back to the epic style.) Some of us delight in writers that tell new stories, in new modes, using familiar elements. You want military specops? Comedy? High-level political and martial strategy? Romance? Fantastic alien cultures and life forms? Epic science fiction history? Highly detailed references to a created world? Metafictional stories about the power of Star Wars itself to inspire people? All of these and more exist in Star Wars.

One of the reasons Star Wars is so compelling is that the films continually hint at the larger universe. That adds verisimilitude. (There's that word again.) The EU has given talented writers, et alia, many thousands of pages to explore the rest of the universe and tell stories about it. There's nothing wrong with that. It gave us a fleshed-out Wes Janson. That alone makes the entire enterprise worthwhile.

I haven't read Shadows of the Empire in about a decade, but I don't remember any hard science in it. Not as much as, say, a Michael Crichton novel. Or even that Hardy Boys/Tom Swift crossover where they travel back in time in a truck. That was an awesome story, and I wish I still had my copy.
Post
#299599
Topic
When did the Jedi become monks?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/299599/action/topic#299599
Time
I agree that the Jedi should have had faults in the PT. The OT made Yoda and Obi-wan look like real dipsticks, and that should have been reflected in the PT. But that could've been done without retconning the Jedi into an insular cult. It would have been enough to say that the Jedi are so busy fighting the Clone Wars that they don't notice this guy is starting to crack under pressure, adopting unorthodox methods, reading forbidden scrolls, and all that.

In a way, it's too bad that Lucas had so little to do with Star Wars from 1983 until 1997. The story of an strictly monastic Jedi cult that drives one of their members to the Sith is a pretty good one, and he could've given the story germ to an EU writer to flesh out. It could have been one of the Tales of the Jedi stories, thousands of years before ANH. It's a good story, it just doesn't work as Anakin's story.
Post
#299593
Topic
anyone reading the eu novel death star?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/299593/action/topic#299593
Time
I'm following the discussion on stardestroyer.net. It sounds like an attempt to weave together disparate and sometimes contradictory versions of the same story, i.e. the mostly-coherent EU version of the Death Star history that has been developing for the past couple of decades and the giant monkey wrench that the prequels threw into the works. Since I'm not interested in retrofitting the EU with the prequels, I don't think I'll read the book.

On the plus side, they're correcting some of the mistakes that were made earlier regarding the Death Star's size and the gun complement of an ImpStar. These aren't revelations (see, for instance, Curtis Saxton's site which has been up forever) but it's still nice to see them getting wider circulation.

Also, it sounds like the novel doesn't really have a plot, like it's just a pop history of the Death Star with some cutout characters. Does that sound right? I would love to read a Jedi-free military sci-fi book set in the Star Wars universe, I'm just not sure Death Star is it.
Post
#299592
Topic
When did the Jedi become monks?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/299592/action/topic#299592
Time
Originally posted by: Dug
I have never cared for the "monk" Jedi aspect. I would prefer the more "knight" look Lucas had considered in early development, even wearing a form of "space armor" ala Flash Gordon-like. What became so embarrassing for the PT is that suddenly every @$#%^ing Jedi is wearing Tatooine garb!! Nothing infuriated me more than that. I blame the stupid EU for that, making every Jedi dress like that. The EU should just be outright ignored!


Tales of the Jedi handled the Jedi much better than the Prequel Trilogy. Read Dark Lords of the Sith, in which Exar Kun falls (or is perhaps pushed). He claims to be a Jedi archaeologist, researching the Sith, but he delves too deeply. He confidently tells himself, "I will never fall to the Dark Side" even as he uses the Dark Side again and again. Eventually, he is so steeped in darkness, hate and anger bring him power so readily, that it is perfectly logical for him to embrace the Dark Side and dedicate himself to the Sith tradition wholeheartedly.

While this is going on, Jedi Knight Ulic Qel-Droma infiltrates a Dark Side cult ruling the Empress Teta system. He thinks he can pretend to turn to the Dark Side, using it only further his deception, and destroy the Darksiders from within. Eventually, he too comes to rely on the Dark Side for quick and easy power. He blames himself for the death of his master in battle, and takes this quick, easy power to prevent the deaths of others--or so he tells himself. Like Exar Kun, he insists up until the very end that he is not under the control of the Dark Side and that his actions are meant to eradicate it from the Galaxy. But when he meets Exar Kun, he sees a kindred soul and becomes his apprentice.

Anakin Skywalker, on the other hand, heard a story and thought maybe his wife would die or maybe not, then immediately rejected the Jedi and pledged himself to the Sith.

As for TotJ costuming ... some wore cloaks and tunics with a superficial similarity to Obi-wan's. Some wore body suits with capes. Some wore bits and pieces of armor, or cultural flare, or military-style load bearing gear. Some wore headdresses. Some wore unadorned shirts and pants. At least two were naked. Pretty much, they wore cultural clothing with some concessions for utility.
Post
#299590
Topic
When did the Jedi become monks?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/299590/action/topic#299590
Time
Okay, I'm not as familiar with the PT as with the OT, but here are my observations as I remember them.

It was The Phantom Menace and its associated EU material that marked the big change in the nature of the Jedi order. For the first time, we saw that the Jedi trained not young men, but young children, and it was expected that they would be severed from their parents. This is the first hint of the cloistered nature of the entire Jedi order.* It seems apparent that the parent-child relationship is replaced by the master-apprentice relationship early on.

Attack of the Clones expanded the lore of the cloistered Jedi. The Knights were now forbidden to have possessions, to desire things, or to have normal romantic relationships. Obi-wan does seem to have a non-Jedi friend in Dex the short-order cook, but he also uses Dex for information. Do the Jedi have normal relationships outside the order? (Edit: And who can forget the Jedi leaving Schmi Skywalker in slavery on Tatooine, to be eventually raped to death by Sandpeople? Evidently I could.)

Revenge of the Sith didn't particularly change anything, but it gave us a look at the effect this upbringing has on a young man. Anakin has found a woman he loves, is soon to be a father, and has developed an incredible and highly-marketable skillset. The only monkey-wrench in his life is the fact that the Jedi order forbids marriage and paternity (at least, it forbids active parenting; it may secretly encourage purely reproductive coupling in the hopes of producing more Jedi initiates). Any normal person in Anakin's situation would shake hands with Obi-wan, resign from the Jedi, and work as a highly-paid contractor or consultant. He could then choose his own hours, make as much money as he needs, and publicly enjoy family life. But Anakin never considers this course of action; his "sad devotion to that ancient religion" has constrained him so much that he cannot envision life outside the order, not even with all his advantages. He is stuck on the Jedi ladder, attempting to gain rank and influence over his colleagues at the expense of developing a satisfying, meaningful personal life. It's not surprising Darth Vader happened. It's surprising he didn't happen all the time.

I think I got on a little tangent there, but here is my conclusion. I have always thought that the Prequels attempted to show the "other side" of the Jedi; that was the only explanation for the generally stupid and/or malicious way in which they behaved. They were the same organization described in the OT, but we were now seeing a different set of their characteristics, through a different lens. Now I'm not so sure. Now, I think the Prequels show a completely different idea of what the Jedi were. The PT and the OT cannot be reconciled, not without throwing out significant portions of the canon or tortuous rationalizations**. I don't think that will bother many here, but it's food for thought, if you have a taste for this kind of thought.

*It reminds me all too much of any number of cults and terrorist organizations that prey on children, twisting their development and teaching them to use violence from a very young age. Surely Lucas was aware of the parallels?

**If you do want to make a tortuous rationalization, I think the metafictional one is best. The Journal of the Whills, or The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, whatever is the source text for the Star Wars saga, was written by different authors in different eras and certain discrepancies may exist. Which facts are "true" is a matter of debate.
Post
#299529
Topic
When did the Jedi become monks?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/299529/action/topic#299529
Time
When did the Jedi become monks?

In A New Hope, the first Jedi we meet is a hermit, but Obi-wan is apparently only a hermit because a) he is hiding from the Empire, and b) he is watching Luke. Ben tells Luke that he, "was once a Jedi Knight, the same as your father," and that, "Your father wanted you to have [his lightsaber] when you were old enough."

When ANH was produced, the tenets of Jedi Knighthood were ambiguous, but the Jedi could have children and could make decisions regarding the upbringing of their children, up to and including how they will be raised in the event that both parents die.

In The Empire Strikes Back, we meet another Jedi hermit, but Yoda is a special case. In addition to hiding from the Empire, it is implied that he's in isolation because he has moved beyond the martial aspect of the order into a mystical lifestyle. While he does teach Luke about the mystical side of the Force, he is primarily training Luke to be a weapon against Darth Vader. Yoda is, as far as he himself knows, the last living Jedi Master. There are apparently no other Jedi Masters living in isolation on other worlds. Either the Empire found them all, or there were few Jedi hermits to begin with.

From ESB we may surmise that the hermitlike lifestyle was rare among the Jedi, but we cannot draw any conclusions about whether or not any lived in communal monasteries.

Early versions of Return of the Jedi give us more details about Obi-wan's past; i.e. his brother was Owen Lars and, although they didn't get along, the two trusted each other enough that Lars agreed to raise Luke for Obi-wan.

ROTJ tells us that the Jedi maintained sometimes strained familial connections.

From the Original Trilogy, we get the idea that the Jedi lifestyle is a demanding vocation, but it does not replace the fundamental organizing unit of human society, the nuclear family. Jedi maintain contact with their blood relatives, have children, care for their offspring, and direct how they will be raised. Degrees of cenobitic living may exist, but complete isolation is rare.

Later, I think I will write about how the Prequel Trilogy turned this on its head. How odd that the trilogy which ostensibly portrays a romance, matrimony, and childbirth gave no voice to the echoes of family heard in the OT.
Post
#299254
Topic
"Lucas can't find home for Star Wars spin-off"
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/299254/action/topic#299254
Time
"7. The Death Star plans should come into play."

I hope this isn't true. I'm sick and tired of the Death Star plans. We've already had two computer games about stealing the DS plans, not to mention they figured prominently in the radio drama and the first movie. Aren't there any other MacGuffins they can use? Palpatine's briefcase that emits a wondrous glowing light? Darth Vader's identity? A holo made by Mon Mothma and Jan Dodonna in the privacy of her bedchambers and later stolen by Imperial Intelligence?
Post
#298860
Topic
Anything? Anything At All? (that is remotely positive or good about the SE and PT?)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/298860/action/topic#298860
Time
Originally posted by: Puggo - Jar Jar's "Yoda"
Originally posted by: Lan Hikari
I somewhat like changes like the expansion of Mos Eisley, ...

Brrrr... nooo!!! Mos Eisley was a dingy, dusty, and above all realistic hell hole of a dead desert truck stop with musty corridors and danger, and the SE turned it into Disneyland.


Some of us consider Disneyland to be a dingy, dusty, realistic hell hole of a dead tourist trap with musty corridors and danger
Post
#298859
Topic
"Lucas can't find home for Star Wars spin-off"
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/298859/action/topic#298859
Time
If they were smart, they'd release a few episodes free on the web. Maybe "leak" them to the torrent sites to build buzz and get the traditional media outlets interested. Everyone would have to see the "unaired pilot smuggled out of Skywalker Ranch;" it would hit AICN, SlashDot, and probably the "real" news -- especially if LucasCo could keep up the illusion that it was an unauthorized leak.

Unless the show is terrible, in which case this kind of viral marketing would kill it.
Post
#296575
Topic
George Lucas jealous of Irvin Kershner's Star Wars?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/296575/action/topic#296575
Time
I can understand loving Empire... I can even understanding wanting to up the others to its level... but by looking at the other films through that sort of stigma, you will loose a great deal of wealth and depth available within the films.


Respectfully, no, I will not. When I approach Star Wars as escapist entertainment, I can enjoy it any way I want, and that does not diminish my ability to perceive depth even in something I enjoy less. I could view Star Wars entirely through the lens of "Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina" and it would not occlude any facet of the Star Wars films. It would simply be my preferred mode of escaping into fantasy.

I'm a big fan of world-creating fiction. I know ANH established the SW universe, but ESB consolidated it and made it real. That's why it became, inevitably and irrevocably, my lens into the SW universe. The stories set in the Star Wars universe are told in various modes--Dark Empire is dystopian science fantasy, the Thrawn Trilogy is almost hard sci-fi, the Holiday Special is kitschy entertainment--but to me, Empire is the real Star Wars universe. The other stories are no less valid, but they don't satisfy my preference for reality in created worlds.

When approaching Star Wars as art, I like to think I practice connoisseurship, no matter how amateur it may be. And as a connoisseur, I feel that Empire is the best of the films, and the others succeed where they most resemble Empire. I think this is true in pretty much every respect; whether it's direction, dialogue, plot, music, set design, miniature work, costuming, sound effects, or poster art. I did not arrive at this opinion capriciously, but by plumbing the depths of the other films.

So my use of Empire as a lens to view the saga is both the result of unconscious and conscious factors. It is the "kind" of story I like, and it also compares favorably to the rest of the saga on technical grounds. In the latter case, I am not deprived of the "wealth and depth" of the rest of the saga; I could not have made my conscious choice for Empire unless I had already explored the rest of the saga.
Post
#296557
Topic
George Lucas jealous of Irvin Kershner's Star Wars?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/296557/action/topic#296557
Time
Empire doesn't stick out from the other five. The other five fail to live up to Empire (although some come close). You see, I'm not a Star Wars fan. I'm an Empire fan. Everything else in the Star Wars universe, film or EU, I look at through the lens of Empire.

As for the Falcon, it was busted up in Empire to physically represent the sacrifices that Han had made in the years since he hooked up with the Rebellion. His fortunes had clearly fallen since the end of ANH, thus the Falcon is in a poor state of repair. Chewie starts to repair the Falcon just as Han resolves to finally leave and go pay off his debt. But the Empire attacks, interrupting Han's independent plan and Chewie's repair efforts. Likewise, the Falcon's flight is always interrupted by something. If the Falcon were in perfect working order, it would subtly clash with the disorder of Han's life. And people would wonder why a smuggler with a perfectly good starship hadn't used it to pay his bills.

Even in its disordered state, the Falcon was a formidable prey for Death Squadron. Just like Han, the morally disordered "scoundrel," was a formidable ally for the Rebels.
Post
#296440
Topic
The Music of Star Wars: 30 Anniversary Collection
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/296440/action/topic#296440
Time
Can I confess something to you guys?

I actually like Victory Celebration. It's no Rebel Fleet/End Title, but if we must have a juvenile choir singing a primitive, tribal* song, I prefer VC to Yub-Nub. Though I would still love to get a remastered RotJ with Yub-Nub, Lapti Nek, and all the rest.

* No offense to any real or imagined tribe intended; this is merely the best word that my WASP-conditioned mind could think of.
Post
#296238
Topic
Part VII VIII and IX
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/296238/action/topic#296238
Time
As long as we're on this kick, the whole point of the Star Wars Trilogy is to show a younger generation not making the mistakes of their elders. The conflict is intergenerational, but it is also optimistic. On the one hand, you have the old people:

Darth Vader
Emperor Palpatine
Governor Tarkin
Ben Kenobi
Yoda

On the other hand, you have the young'ns:

Luke Skywalker
Princess Leia
Han Solo

The old geezers are vying for the loyalty of Luke, who represents the young generation. There are two geezer factions: the Dark and the Light. The Dark Side represents the real-world establishment: they control the government and the military, and they have all the real-world power in the universe. The Light Side is sort of an idealistic paleoconservative group: they represent the "good old days" of the Republic, elegance, knighthood, and a desire to destroy evil. Each side attempts to indoctrinate Luke into their way of thinking. As the protege of the last Jedi, the son of Darth Vader, and a military hero, he is perfectly positioned to legitimate either point of view.

Luke creatively chooses a third way. He adopts much of the discipline and techniques of the Light Side, but not its harshness. He is not so much interested in destroying evil, which he probably views as hypocritical in light of the Light Side's peaceful philosophy, as he is in reaching out to the lost. Against the ardent advice of his two Jedi tutors, he obeys the love and hope in his heart, and is ultimately rewarded when that love is reflected from his father's heart.

Love, hope, these are the keys that both camps in the geezer faction lacked. They Dark Side sought control through fear and mass violence. The Light Side, from what little we know of it, sought control through direct if somewhat judicious violence. Luke, given the power of life or death, declined to exercise it and merely sought rapprochement with his enemy. The Republic fell, the Empire fell, but a young idealistic man lived to enjoy the company of his friends surrounded by tall trees and the smoky songs of their celebration.