By "let him go" I did not mean literally, but emotionally, jsyk.
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A Wretched Hive of Scum and Villainy: The Star Wars Thread
Yeah but he did it literally too which is still baffling
Yeah, I'm always happy to see McDiarmid show up! He seems to take every chance at the character he's offered.
Happiest man in outer space.
As much as I liked Mandalorian, and I did quite a bit, this was easily my favorite of the D+ shows
As much as I liked Mandalorian, and I did quite a bit, this was easily my favorite of the D+ shows
One other notable thing: Obi-Wan absolutely could have finished Vader at the end. He was on his knees, saber down, defenseless and beaten. He just...can't kill his friend. He can leave him for dead, but he can't kill him. Again. Still.
The way they executed that whole sequence just really tied every element of these two from the prequels and Clone Wars and the original movies together in a really solid way, I thought.
The way they executed that whole sequence just really tied every element of these two from the prequels and Clone Wars and the original movies together in a really solid way, I thought.
I liked this climactic duel between Obi-Wan and Vader much more than the one we got in RotS. Much more visceral and less boingy boingy videogame acrobatics. Obi-wan saying "Goodbye Darth" really feels to me like this whole entire mini-series was made to explain why Oldie-wan refers to Vader as 'Darth' in a New Hope, as if that were his given name, "Only a master of evil, Darth", instead of a common Sith signifier. Sithnifier.
I really don't know what they were trying to do with Third Sister in this finale, those scenes felt distractingly disjointed from the main event and feel like they were shoehorned in due to some mandate from corporate. Is she getting her own series or something? That's the only thing I can imagine that would explain things. Not that I'd mind, there's lots you could do with a revenge-driven former Jedi and former Inquisitor trying to find a new place for herself if it's handled right, and as Mando showed a standalone series not based onto a pre-existing character can do well.
Also hey called it! Of course they got Liam Neeson back in costume for two and a half lines. Disney money will not be stopped! Now I'm thinking it's just a matter of time before we see Ahmed Best return as Jar Jar. And hell, Disney got Natalie Portman to return as Jane Foster, bring her back as one of Padme's vassals, I'm pretty sure that happened in a recent Vader comic, just adapt that. I demand a Dexter Jettster and Boss Nass miniseries!
I really don't know what they were trying to do with Third Sister in this finale, those scenes felt distractingly disjointed from the main event and feel like they were shoehorned in due to some mandate from corporate. Is she getting her own series or something? That's the only thing I can imagine that would explain things. Not that I'd mind, there's lots you could do with a revenge-driven former Jedi and former Inquisitor trying to find a new place for herself if it's handled right, and as Mando showed a standalone series not based onto a pre-existing character can do well.
Also hey called it! Of course they got Liam Neeson back in costume for two and a half lines. Disney money will not be stopped! Now I'm thinking it's just a matter of time before we see Ahmed Best return as Jar Jar. And hell, Disney got Natalie Portman to return as Jane Foster, bring her back as one of Padme's vassals, I'm pretty sure that happened in a recent Vader comic, just adapt that. I demand a Dexter Jettster and Boss Nass miniseries!
Are those last two separate demands, or a buddy cop team up show?
Reva might be getting her own series. I agree her segment was the weakest link in the episode, but I think the purpose was to demonstrate that if this fallen Jedi could come back from the brink after years doing bad, maybe Anakin could too. And to show that Owen and Beru aren't to be trifled with.
Which is honestly just kind of unconscionable to me. It's one thing to know intellectually that someone is a monster and foregone. But he saw it with his own eyes. He watched Anikin slaughter innocent people in the streets in terrifying ways, just to try and lure him out. The man murdered hordes of younglings, and he'll keep doing it until he's stopped. And he heard from his own mouth, that he's a lost cause and no longer the man he called a friend/brother. And it's not like Obi-Wan is adverse to killing or anything. It would be one thing if he thought he killed him, only for Darth Sidious to bring him back with some Darth Plageous Sith-magic. But he just kinda leaves him there, as if humiliating him yet again would do anything other than enrage him and cause his rampage through the galaxy to continue.
Agreed. Awesome fight. The setting itself was kinda boring, but the dark backgrounds lighting up with their lightsabers was awesome.
I'm not ready to say a spin-off with her is predestined. Because as we've seen with Disney/Star Wars, they're perfectly happy to just sweep their plans under the rug in a heartbeat if it doesn't seem like fans are engaging with their stuff the way they want. But they're definitely laying the groundwork for her to be in a spin-off or sequel in some capacity at the very least. And to echo what others have said, yes she's very intentionally a mirror for Vader, showing that the Dark Side isn't a point-of-no-return, that people can come back from the brink, that Anikin's descent wasn't inevitable, etc. I think it worked well, and I like the character/actress a lot. The only part of it that felt forced, was that it was very nakedly an excuse to get Obi-Wan to interact with a young Luke for easy nerd feelings. Which was obnoxious on a certain level, but god damnit did it work. Obi-Wan deserved it.
Phantoon
I cuss you bad
I think the series actually made a few more things tie in. Vader's fight on the Death Star can be read as being cagey now. At this point, Obi-wan has fought the Sith six times (and a Sith trained murder borg once), and four of those times he's not only beaten them he's kicked the shit out of them, quite frankly (not counting Clone Wars here as I'm not familiar enough with it). He's lost a grand total of twice, both to Dooku. Vader can't afford to try anything cocky in case Obi-wan gives him some fresh cybernetics to order. Also we now know where his head wound came from.
I also love the "you didn't kill him. I did" line. Vader thinks he sounds like such a badass, but it's just sad and absolves Obi-wan instead. Vader is such an interesting character.
I also love the "you didn't kill him. I did" line. Vader thinks he sounds like such a badass, but it's just sad and absolves Obi-wan instead. Vader is such an interesting character.
And he has this little smirk as he says it that’s chilling. Christensen was really putting everything into that scene. McGregor too.
Imagine what they could've done with better material to work with in the prequels?
Rather than call this show Obi-wan they should have titled it 'Hayden Christensen Was A Good Choice For Anakin Actually'
Rather than call this show Obi-wan they should have titled it 'Hayden Christensen Was A Good Choice For Anakin Actually'
Obi-Wan finale was just excellent. Cannot believe how much this mini-series far exceeded my expectations.
I thought it was okay. The series suffered as I thought it might from the fact that nothing significant can actually happen because it takes place between III and IV. I did enjoy the scene between Obi-Wan and Vader after he breaks the helmet, but while I understand the emotional reason he didn't finish him off, it really drives home that this is all just the same stuff again.
Phantoon
I cuss you bad
That sounds like the worst milkshake
There was a meme going around of Darth Vader with his mask off in ROTJ looking like Billy Joel playing the harmonica so naturally I rewrote "Piano Man" about it:
It's the dying throes of the Death Star
The reactor is starting to go
I’ve dragged my old man to this hangar
After we laid the Emperor low
He says, "Son I’m sure this is killing me
And nothing can prevent that now
But I’ve never beheld you with my own two eyes
And I’d like to look on you but how"
Oh, la la la, la-di-da, la-di-da
La-la-la, la-di-da, la-di-da
Sing us a song, Master Anakin
Sing us a song tonight
Well, we're all in the mood for redemption
You’ve got to return to the light
Now Han up on Endor’s a friend of mine
He must have blown up that shield dish
And Leia’s OK or I’d be in a bad way
They must have pulled off Ackbar’s wish
He says, "Son tell your sister that you were right"
As his life faded to just a trace
"I thought I was gone but you showed I was wrong
When you told off my boss to his face"
Oh, la la la, la-di-da, la-di-da
La-la-la, la-di-da, la-di-da
Now Han is a real shady smuggler
Who never had time for a wife
But he’s got it for Leia, and they’ll have a kid, yeah
Who’ll turn to the dark side in life
The First Order will grow in the distant stars
Of the Unknown Regions of space
Yes, they're kidnapping children as conscripts
But we won’t know until it’s too late
Sing us a song, Master Anakin
Sing us a song tonight
Well, we're all in the mood for redemption
You’ve got to return to the light
Now it’s time to escape from this station
And put my dead dad on a pyre
He was a difficult man and he cut off my hand
But he saved me from Palpatine’s fire
And the Rebels celebrate with the Ewok tribe
While the teddy bears roast Empire troops
Don’t look into the stew or you’ll see things to rue
Plenty worse can be found in their soups
Oh, la la la, la-di-da, la-di-da
La-la-la, la-di-da, la-di-da
Sing us a song, Master Anakin
Sing us a song tonight
Well, we're all in the mood for redemption
You’ve got to return to the light
It's the dying throes of the Death Star
The reactor is starting to go
I’ve dragged my old man to this hangar
After we laid the Emperor low
He says, "Son I’m sure this is killing me
And nothing can prevent that now
But I’ve never beheld you with my own two eyes
And I’d like to look on you but how"
Oh, la la la, la-di-da, la-di-da
La-la-la, la-di-da, la-di-da
Sing us a song, Master Anakin
Sing us a song tonight
Well, we're all in the mood for redemption
You’ve got to return to the light
Now Han up on Endor’s a friend of mine
He must have blown up that shield dish
And Leia’s OK or I’d be in a bad way
They must have pulled off Ackbar’s wish
He says, "Son tell your sister that you were right"
As his life faded to just a trace
"I thought I was gone but you showed I was wrong
When you told off my boss to his face"
Oh, la la la, la-di-da, la-di-da
La-la-la, la-di-da, la-di-da
Now Han is a real shady smuggler
Who never had time for a wife
But he’s got it for Leia, and they’ll have a kid, yeah
Who’ll turn to the dark side in life
The First Order will grow in the distant stars
Of the Unknown Regions of space
Yes, they're kidnapping children as conscripts
But we won’t know until it’s too late
Sing us a song, Master Anakin
Sing us a song tonight
Well, we're all in the mood for redemption
You’ve got to return to the light
Now it’s time to escape from this station
And put my dead dad on a pyre
He was a difficult man and he cut off my hand
But he saved me from Palpatine’s fire
And the Rebels celebrate with the Ewok tribe
While the teddy bears roast Empire troops
Don’t look into the stew or you’ll see things to rue
Plenty worse can be found in their soups
Oh, la la la, la-di-da, la-di-da
La-la-la, la-di-da, la-di-da
Sing us a song, Master Anakin
Sing us a song tonight
Well, we're all in the mood for redemption
You’ve got to return to the light
She’s Amidala and Anakins kid and they didn’t look their ages either
Apparently the actor turned 10 last month, so I wasn't wrong!
Phantoon
I cuss you bad
While the trend of "things must be adult and dark, so let's add a ton of gore, sex and swearing" is a deeply stupid thing, Andor makes a strong case for it. It's adult in the truer sense of the word, dealing with more complicated characters and referencing deeper human situations without going full Game of Thrones. Seeing a situation where the main character is a murderer and the antagonist is basically trying to enforce justice is really interesting. The Rogue One refocusing of the early days of the Rebellion being based on terrorist cells is very interesting, and there's a feel of Northern Ireland in the opening episode.
I feel for Star Wars to continue to be relevant it needs to push the envelope of what Star Wars can be. This looks to be a very promising start.
I feel for Star Wars to continue to be relevant it needs to push the envelope of what Star Wars can be. This looks to be a very promising start.
The MC killed some fascist thugs, and the antagonist is a fascist thug. It's not that crazy lol.
Phantoon
I cuss you bad
That's incredibly reductive. First, they're corporate security, not the Empire. Second, while the first murder was an accident, the second was not and killing two people was a hugely over the top response to the threat - if it was a real life situation and not space wizard land nobody could be surprised by law enforcement wanting to catch Cassian. It doesn't take a feat of imagination to imagine the exact same events in a series where the "hero" role is reversed. "I'm threatened" -> "I'll murder the threat" is only an acceptable thing in films and war, and there's not even a war here yet.
I'm not portraying this as a weakness of the series, it's a strength. Real life rebellions are unpleasant things done by unpleasant people, regardless of if they're in the "right".
In Cassian's very first scene in Rogue One he is shown murdering an informant who's freaking out to avoid getting caught. This show is rather obviously about why and how he is that guy.
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
I'm glad we have noir Star Wars. And specifically a messy noir Star Wars with a vulnerable, unglamourous and not "cool" protagonist who has what it takes to win but messes up a lot and is in way in over his head.
I mean, to me you just described Han Solo. Both his film, and just the innate character. But I know I'm a statistical outlier who thought Han was a loser and not the coolest guy ever
No offense, and not to get too political outside of the quarantines for it, but I don't think you know how this whole fascism thing works. The state essentially licensing out policing to corporate entities that are deeply intertwined with the state is fascism 101.