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Seiji

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18-Apr-2005
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13-Oct-2006
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Post
#114344
Topic
6 DVD Box Set for this November
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/114344/action/topic#114344
Time
Quote
Originally posted by: Jay
The only thing I really want is a remastered TPM. The transfer on that DVD is horrible and nowhere near as clean as AOTC and, presumably, ROTS.

I also think the ESB puppet Yoda is the most believable Yoda, but a CGI Yoda in TPM would be more consistent with AOTC and ROTS.

I'm hesitant to buy any Star Wars box sets, new content or not, due to the impending release of BluRay and HD-DVD. Lucas took his time with the DVD release of the OT so he could do some more work, but I think the HD releases will hit the market much sooner.



I've heard about the BluRay and HD-DVD quite some time ago. The new DVD players that will play the BluRay and HD-DVD BETTER be able to play the old standard DVDs, as well! Just the thought of replacing over 400 DVDs with the new ones ... ugh.
Post
#114014
Topic
Ideas for a Star Wars Episode Zero
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/114014/action/topic#114014
Time
Here are some ideas I've accumulated over the years, the're not all mine, but I think they're fitting. This is just one mans opinion, take the way you want:

1.) As far as Hayden and Jake go, if you realize that they are going to struggle with many lines, you should cut out all unnecessary lines from these two. The less said by Anakin the better. I think a more minimalist style to Anakin's dialogue would allow the character to blend in better with Darth Vader, who was always a calculating and efficient with his word choice (examples: "I find your lack of faith disturbing" to Motti, "Perhaps you think you're being treated unfairly?" to Lando, and "The Emperor is not as forgiving as I am" to Jerjerrod). Anakin definitey has way too much dialogue in the prequels. If Anakin were more of a minor character in the Phantom Menace and a man of fewer words, he could have been much more effective. I think Obi-Wan should be the hero of all three prequel trilogies, and the scripts should have been written to reflect this. First scene on the chopping block (one of many): "It's working, it's working!" No kid actor could have delivered this line well.

2.) Instead of putting Anakin in the cockpit of the Naboo starfighter in Phantom Menace, Anakin should have stayed with Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon to watch them fight Darth Maul. This change would have removed the utter lack of seriousness for the space portions of the battle and would have furthered Anakin's character development, by having him witness a traumatic event and be exposed to both sides of the Force. I actually expected this to happen in the movie. Lines like "No one can kill a Jedi ... I wish that were so" and "It's a hard life" from Qui-Gon hint that Anakin will be exposed to these challenges within the movie. The scene would not have required any dialogue from Anakin, but merely a few telling glances from Qui-Gon and Maul. Instead he goes off and destroys the Federation battleships and delivers the line "This is podracing". Horrible stuff. Luke's attack on the Death Star was heroic and required maturity, but Anakin's attack on the Federation ships is idiotic and impossibly lucky, not heroic.

3.) Midi-Chlorians. Most have read my opinions on the matter. I'm tired of this issue so I just left it out.

4.) Shorten the podrace sequence, specifically by removing the pre-race introductions, the awful broadcasters, and Jar-Jar's cheering and by not having Anakin's podracer stall out at the beginning of the race. I cringe every time I watch the beginning of the Podrace. The final lap is decent and is all that was required to make the race seem dramatic and dangerous. The first two laps remove the tension. I also think Jabba should be more menacing in this scene, perhaps by having him laugh every time a racer dies.

5.) I am not a pure Jar-Jar hater like most people. I do hate scenes like when the creature farts at him on Tatooine, and other cheap attempts at humor. I actually think the character had some potential, and not all of his scenes were bad, but many of them were. I actually think the dialogue between Jar-Jar and Padme on Coruscant is excellent, but Jar-Jar's actions in the Battle of Naboo do not like up to his promise of those key lines "Gungans get pasted too, eh? ... Wesa no dying without a fight. Wesa got grand army." I actually love these lines, but they emphasized a change and maturation in Jar-Jar that never came to be. Much like Anakin in the space battle, Jar-Jar is not heroic, he is a stupid coward who gets lucky. We should have seen Jar-Jar's character develop over the course of the film, from initially being a clumsy kid and then learning from the example set by the Jedi and becoming a proud Gungan warrior once the time of crisis puts his people in danger. Jar-Jar should have learned from the Jedi over the course of his travels (specifically, have Qui-Gon give him a peice of advice about fighting droids that he teaches the Gungans later on) and then come back a changed person. We should have seen him rescuing Captain Tarpals in the battle (not vice-versa), and then have him be named general, and make it a bittersweet occasion as he learns he is relieved of his life debt. It also would have been nice to have Jar-Jar demonstrate a fraction of the loyalty to Qui-Gon that Chewie shows towards Han with his life debt. Jar-Jar should have been visibly upset any time he was separated from Qui-Gon, to demonstrate his basic goodness underneath the clumsiness and immaturity, and done some sort of mourning at the funeral (like Chewie's at the Carbonite Chamber).

6.) At least a few Gungans should die in the Battle of Naboo (Hell, even an Ewok died in ROTJ). When Sidious says "Wipe them out, all of them," the droids should have obeyed this command. It actually bothers me when the droids start taking the Gungans prisoner. The droid control ship should go down during the heat of battle, not after the Gungan surrender.

7.) Either re-do the voices of the battle droids with a deeper voice, or have them use no voice at all. The destroyer droids were cooler and more menacing because they did not speak. The same could have been done for the battle droids.

8.) Another main problem I have with the Phantom Menace is the contrived plot device of the leaking hyperdrive. When the pilot rushes to deliver the line "the hyperdrive is leaking" just seconds after passing the blockade it feels very contrived, as does Obi-Wan's super quick reaction to the problem "Here, Tatooine". The hyperdrive problem was already done to death in Empire, and it should not have been used again. The writers could have found some other way for the characters to be stranded on Tatooine. It could have been as simple as saying that the Trade Federation would recognize their ship and destroy it at Coruscant, so that the characters need to buy a new ship. I think the hyperdrive problem is a glaring, sloppy error to the film.

9.) C-3P0 should not have been created by Anakin. His dialogue in TPM is also horrendous at times (ie- repeated lines: "That Jar-Jar creature is quite unusual"). C-3P0 would have worked better as a servant of the Naboo, or as a translator in the Senate, and R2-D2 would have worked better as Anakin's creation. He's the astrodroid with spunk and attitude, after all.

10) HAYDEN'S ACTING: Apart from his lack of tallent, Hayden's horrible portrayal was heightened to obviousness by two factors; bad scripting and bad directing. George Lucas has absolutely no idea how to write or play psychology. The character he created in a young Anakin Skywalker was comparible to a whiney 15-year-old pitching a fit when his father won't let him have the car for the weekend despite being underage as well as ignorant. There was nothing menacing, nothing intimidating, nothing remotely scary in the Anakin he was before Darth Vader. There's not even a shadow of Darth Vader in him. Darth Vader's hatred, all of his anger, would have to have been completely bottled up within him before he became the tyranical war leader. It would have been so subsided that even he didn't know it was there. He would struggle with it, but not know why. Then Darth Sideous, seeing the young man's tallent and potential, would draw that anger out of him and turn him toward the darkside. Recall how horrible Mark Hammil's acting was? However, it was overshadowed by good characterization. Hammil had a lot of anger he was dealing with in regards to an absent father. The character was just written better. Anakin's anger was more Freudian than that with the loss of his mother. However, no where has Anakin ever displayed the type of emotion worthy of being considered a leader. He makes poor childish decisions on a whim without thinking, lashing out without temprament. A leader must be wiser than that. Palpatine shouldn't have seen any potential in su
Post
#114011
Topic
what would you do if george reshot the OT with new actors & CGI so it flowed with the PT?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/114011/action/topic#114011
Time
I don't how George Lucas thinks or his reasons for not releasing them. I believe I read somewhere that he said they'd cost millions to restore, I find it hard to believe that he wouldn't make his money back on them. I just think he doesn't want to release them because they are dated and not on par with his original vision of the films. He'll probably release them at some point, doubling his profits, because I bought his so called "Original Star Wars Trilogy" and I'd buy them again if they were truly the orginals and a non-bootleg release. This is why I don't feel the least bit bad about owning bootlegs of the OT, he's got his money from me when I was duped in to buying the Special Edtions. He's basically forcing people to bootleg the OT, when in fact, he could be making a good profit off them by simply releasing them.

You're right, we don't own them or the Star Wars universe. He can do whatever he wants with his own work. But where would he be without the original fans of the orignal trilogy. We supported him, his movies, merchandise etc. through out the years, pre-prequels and Special Edtions. He knows how beloved the OT is, people grew up with these films and there is a lot of deep rooted nostalgia with them. I do think it's also a respect issue, out of respect for your fans and their full support for you over the years give them this small peice of the pie. If he doesn't have the ethics or enough respect for his fans to release the foundation of his great empire ... so be it, I don't have to respect him or his personal decisions.

Most importanly, I want these movies perserved on the newest format of technology. George Lucas said they're on VHS if anyone wants them. Gee, thanks George, I so want to watch the grandiose Star Wars on my old VCR and grainy, full screen VHS tape. Besides which, these tapes will only last so long, mine are already worn out.
Post
#113681
Topic
Midicholorians
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/113681/action/topic#113681
Time
I've discussed this a million gabillion zillion times. This is my opinion, take it the way you want. I'm not going to get in some kind of long, geek filled argument over it:

Remove the Midi-Chlorians. Qui-Gon's senses should be proof enough that Anakin is powerful, we don't need a blood test. I don't mind the Prophecy, but it would have been much better without the Midi-chlorian explanation. This change to the lore also contradicts the view of the Force shown by Obi-Wan in ANH and Yoda in Empire.

We would much rather have Qui-Gon's explanation of the Force be consistent with the explanations given by Obi-Wan in A New Hope and Yoda in Empire, but with his character's own personal touches. Here are their explanations of the Force (which is not unexplainable magic, as most seem to understand it).

Obi-Wan : "The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together."

Obi-Wan's explanation seems to imply that the Force is universal. Midi-chlorians do not create the ability to use the Force, but other living things create it. Any being can use the Force with enough training, focus, and patience. Specifically, your ability to use the Force stems from your mind, not from the number of symbiotic organisms within your body.

Yoda: "Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm? Hmm. And well you should not. For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you; here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere, yes. Even between the land and the ship. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter."

Notice how Yoda specifically made the contrast between matter and humanity. Yoda says that humans are more than just the sum of their cells. Explaining one's ability to use the Force through the results of a blood test means that the Force does boil down to 'crude matter'. He also repeats Obi-Wan's assertion that all life creates the Force.

The Midi-Chlorian explanation in Episode I specifically refutes the explanations of the Force given in the original two Star Wars films. In the OT, we could say that Yoda is the wisest and most powerful Jedi because of his faith, dedication, focus, patience, intelligence, etc. In the PT, we say that Yoda and Anakin are the two most powerful Jedi because they were born with the highest number of Midi-chlorians in their body. This is almost a Social Darwinist theory of the Force.

Qui-Gon says that without Midi-chlorians, life would not be possible and we would have no knowledge of the Force. Therefore, all living things possess midi-chlorians, and all living things should have access to the Force

The film would have been superior if the midi-chlorians were never mentioned, though. The Force definitely has changed since Obi-Wan described it in Episode IV (Lucas was trying to make a positive change, but hurt the films instead). In Episode IV, Obi-Wan comments: "When I first met your father, I was amazed at how strongly the Force was with him." In Episode I, this comment seems to have changed to "I was amazed at how high his midi-chlorian count was." The descriptions of the from the original trilogy imply that your ability to use the Force is limited only by the strength of your mind and will. Yoda makes it abundantly clear that NO PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS can be placed on the Force, including a Midi-chlorian count. In the PT, this is no longer the case.

Post
#113676
Topic
Kevin Smith interview in Rolling Stone on fans - Couldn't have said it better myself...
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/113676/action/topic#113676
Time
Anyone remember the short lived "Clerks" cartoon. He had a whole mock court scene where he put George Lucas on trial for how bad Star Wars Episode I was. While the lawyer, the guy who worked in the video store in "Clerks," grilled Lucas about parts of the movie the judge broke in with a, "Well, the pod race scene was kind of cool."

Bleh, I guess you'd have to see it.

I think his Star Wars stereotypes are just idiotic. Just because we have an opinion on the prequels we're now labeled as clueless virgins, playing D&D in our basements discussing how bad the prequels are and how bad Lucas fucked them up. I've excepted them for what they are, I'm over it, but I still think they're just average films with great special effects. Quite honestly, I don't give a shit about the prequels anymore.

Having the OT on DVD is what I really want.

Post
#109718
Topic
Give Lucas A Run For His Money...
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/109718/action/topic#109718
Time
Quote
Does this mean that when Anakin loses his legs and arms (a lot of cells) he also loses about 40% of his midichlorians and therefore much of his force ability?


From what was said in PT they live within our cells, I don't know if less cells=less Midi-chlorians=less force ability. I do know they throw physical limitations into the mix. It has now become the more midi-chlorians you're born with, the stonger your are with the force. This isn't how the force was explained by Yoda.

At this point, I think we're just better off without his prequels.

"I over-estimated Lucas's creativity and discovered that he's nothing but a cognitive creator with a good imagination, but can hardly direct and definitely could not write himself out of a wet paper bag (even if the pencil was sharp). However, someone with such a creative wit could never be stopped from exercising what they feel to believe their genious no matter how many people try to convince them they can't do it. Lucas established his influential powers early with the first Star Wars film and buddying up to other noted talents like Steven Spielberg. To do what Lucas wanted to do with Episodes I, II, and III, he strategically surrounded himself with a bunch of butt-kissing "yes" men. Those people gave him the liberty with 20th Century Fox he desired and was able to create a whole slew of crap without being hinged upon that was guaranteed success merely by name. He could have written the phonebook into either film, and they still would have grossed as well. They're "Star Wars" for crying out loud."


Quote
I like this idea. But instead of actually building him, maybe anakin could take home a broken astromech droid that Watto was going to throw out and repair him and program him in his own fashion, which would explain R2's personality (he's the only astromech who has one it seems).


Makes sense to me, Artoo is a astromech with attitude and spunk, why not. Or better yet, he could of left C3PO and R2 out entirely, maybe cameos. Why can't we have original characters with the same amount of appeal as C3PO, R2-D2, & Chewie. Oh wait ... we had Jar-Jar Binks and General Gravious!


Post
#109707
Topic
Should Lucas replace Guiness with an aged McGregor?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/109707/action/topic#109707
Time
Quote
I don't feel alot of love in this thread. You guys are also probably opposed to getting rid of Harrison Ford and replacing him with someone like Christian Slater.


Is this guy for real?

Ford made that series. His character as Han Solo is unmistakably the most entertaining. Not to mention the pair he made with Chewbacca.

Why should Lucas' prequels insert even more control over the superior OT. It should be ther other way around, something superior should always dominate something inferior.

Some people just have no taste whatsoever, this guy is a perfect example of that.







Post
#109466
Topic
Give Lucas A Run For His Money...
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/109466/action/topic#109466
Time
Quote
Originally posted by: nadcraker
Quote
Originally posted by: Seiji

Undoubtedly, Boba is going to kill Mace Windu.


Undoubtedly?


As I said, it was accumulated overs the years, it's not just my opinion but others that made some interesting points. I just agree with most of it and thought I'd share it since the topic was created. It has been stored on my computer for quite some time. Sorry for being lazy, I should of re-read it again to edit some stuff out.

Post
#109437
Topic
Give Lucas A Run For His Money...
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/109437/action/topic#109437
Time
These are just some ideas I've accumulated over the years since the release of TPM, and only related to TPM and AOTC. Not all of these are my suggestions/ideas, I just happen to agree with them:

1.) As far as Hayden and Jake go, if you realize that they are going to struggle with many lines, you should cut out all unnecessary lines from these two. The less said by Anakin the better. I think a more minimalist style to Anakin's dialogue would allow the character to blend in better with Darth Vader, who was always a calculating and efficient with his word choice (examples: "I find your lack of faith disturbing" to Motti, "Perhaps you think you're being treated unfairly?" to Lando, and "The Emperor is not as forgiving as I am" to Jerjerrod). Anakin definitey has way too much dialogue in the prequels. If Anakin were more of a minor character in the Phantom Menace and a man of fewer words, he could have been much more effective. I think Obi-Wan should be the hero of all three prequel trilogies, and the scripts should have been written to reflect this. First scene on the chopping block (one of many): "It's working, it's working!" No kid actor could have delivered this line well.

2.) Instead of putting Anakin in the cockpit of the Naboo starfighter in Phantom Menace, Anakin should have stayed with Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon to watch them fight Darth Maul. This change would have removed the utter lack of seriousness for the space portions of the battle and would have furthered Anakin's character development, by having him witness a traumatic event and be exposed to both sides of the Force. I actually expected this to happen in the movie. Lines like "No one can kill a Jedi ... I wish that were so" and "It's a hard life" from Qui-Gon hint that Anakin will be exposed to these challenges within the movie. The scene would not have required any dialogue from Anakin, but merely a few telling glances from Qui-Gon and Maul. Instead he goes off and destroys the Federation battleships and delivers the line "This is podracing". Horrible stuff. Luke's attack on the Death Star was heroic and required maturity, but Anakin's attack on the Federation ships is idiotic and impossibly lucky, not heroic.

3.) Remove the Midi-Chlorians. Qui-Gon's senses should be proof enough that Anakin is powerful, we don't need a blood test. I don't mind the Prophecy, but it would have been much better without the Midi-chlorian explanation. This change to the lore also contradicts the view of the Force shown by Obi-Wan in ANH and Yoda in Empire.

We would much rather have Qui-Gon's explanation of the Force be consistent with the explanations given by Obi-Wan in A New Hope and Yoda in Empire, but with his character's own personal touches. Here are their explanations of the Force, which is not unexplainable magic, as most people seem to understand it.

Obi-Wan : "The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together."

Obi-Wan's explanation seems to imply that the Force is universal. Midi-chlorians do not create the ability to use the Force, but other living things create it. Any being can use the Force with enough training, focus, and patience. Specifically, your ability to use the Force stems from your mind, not from the number of symbiotic organisms within your body.

Yoda: "Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm? Hmm. And well you should not. For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you; here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere, yes. Even between the land and the ship. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter."

Notice how Yoda specifically made the contrast between matter and humanity. Yoda says that humans are more than just the sum of their cells. Explaining one's ability to use the Force through the results of a blood test means that the Force does boil down to 'crude matter'. He also repeats Obi-Wan's assertion that all life creates the Force.

The Midi-Chlorian explanation in Episode I specifically refutes the explanations of the Force given in the original two Star Wars films. In the OT, we could say that Yoda is the wisest and most powerful Jedi because of his faith, dedication, focus, patience, intelligence, etc. In the PT, we say that Yoda and Anakin are the two most powerful Jedi because they were born with the highest number of Midi-chlorians in their body. This is almost a Social Darwinist theory of the Force.

Qui-Gon says that without Midi-chlorians, life would not be possible and we would have no knowledge of the Force. Therefore, all living things possess midi-chlorians, and all living things should have access to the Force.

The film would have been superior if the midi-chlorians were never mentioned, though. The Force definitely has changed since Obi-Wan described it in Episode IV (Lucas was trying to make a positive change, but hurt the films instead). In Episode IV, Obi-Wan comments: "When I first met your father, I was amazed at how strongly the Force was with him." In Episode I, this comment seems to have changed to "I was amazed at how high his midi-chlorian count was." The descriptions from the original trilogy imply that your ability to use the Force is limited only by the strength of your mind and will. Yoda makes it abundantly clear that NO PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS can be placed on the Force, including a Midi-chlorian count. In the PT, this is no longer the case.

Lucas has treated his audience like complete idiots throughout the prequels. The audience understands exactly what Lucas is TRYING to do with the Midi-chlorians (all too well), but it does not have the desired effect. This is a clear-cut example of one of the main problems with the PT: Lucas explaining the story through expository dialogue instead of demonstrating things through action. (ie- Lucas tells us Anakin is strong with the Force through prolonged dialogue, while Luke demonstrates his strength through actions; Anakin and Padme tell us their feelings in words, while Han and Leia demonstrate their feelings through actions and expressions; etc.) These examples disrespect the intelligence of the audience rather than overestimate it.

To put things this way: Which explanation of the Force do you prefer? A New Hope, Empire, or Phantom Menace?

To put things another way: No one would ever complain about Yoda's sublime description of the Force in Empire, but very many people complain about Qui-Gon's explanation to Anakin. There is a definite reason why.

Of course, that's forgetting that Darth Vader redeemed himself, killed the Emperor and returned to Anakin Skywalker when Luke lifted his helmet. This naturally led to the poignant scene at the end of ROTJ where the newly-redeemed Anakin takes his rightful place with the other Jedi.

This recent change is illogical, lame, and obviously done so that the crappy Lucas Prequels can insert even more control over the superior OT. Lucas continually tries to get the Prequel scenes and story into the OT, like some ugly guy hanging out with a pretty boy, hoping some of the charm will rub off.

4.) Shorten the podrace sequence, specifically by removing the pre-race introductions, the awful broadcasters, and Jar-Jar's cheering and by not having Anakin's podracer stall out at the beginning of the race. I cringe every time I watch the beginning of the Podrace. The final lap is decent and is all that was required to make the race seem dramatic and dangerous. The first two laps remove the tension. I also think Jabba should be more menacing in this scene, perhaps by having him laugh every time a racer dies.

5.) I am not a pure Jar-Jar hater like most peopl