tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584179467954809739.post7540116540479313918..comments2023-05-30T03:12:40.240-07:00Comments on Considering the Sequels Podcast: Ep. 9 - STAR WARS PREQUELS - February 2011Jason Pyles, Movie Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18335353071850524427noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584179467954809739.post-65592932608080269982011-07-15T07:13:46.139-07:002011-07-15T07:13:46.139-07:00Hi, Geo. Good question! Sorry for the delay in m...Hi, Geo. Good question! Sorry for the delay in my response; I wanted to give it some thought before responding. Here goes.<br /><br />I’m not sure Emperor Palpatine would have given much attention to his disfigurement or avenging something like that. The Emperor seemed to be a single-minded being: he thought only about accruing power by means of taking it from others (think of what Sidious screams while electrocuting Windu: “Power! U-N-L-I-M-I-T-E-D POWER!”). To that end, anything that happened along the way was trivial be it military casualties (TIE fighter pilots, Stormtroopers, etc.), genocide (Alderaan), or even personal disfigurement. In Episode III, once Anakin enters the room with Windu and Sidious, everything that Sidious does is bait to lure Anakin to becoming Sidious’s apprentice. In other words, the facial disfigurement was inconsequential to Sidious; it was just a means to more power (i.e., making Anakin his apprentice so Vader could be used as the Emperor’s lapdog).<br /><br />I think the big reason for Sidious doing things that vexed Vader was to keep Vader angry so he could forge a deeper connection to the dark side which continued Vader’s training as a Sith. Sidious did all he could to anger Vader: stuck him in a torturous suit (see pages 58-63 in James Luceno’s Dark Lord: The Rise of Lord Vader), associating with people in a way that bothered Vader (e.g., the Emperor’s various “Hands” such as Mara Jade), sending numerous assassins after Vader, etc.<br /><br />All this said, there’s still a lot we don’t know about Sidious because George Lucas has been fairly tightlipped about him. If you’re into novels, you might want to keep an eye out for a highly anticipated novel that comes out in the near future that may shed more light on what was going through Sidious’s mind: http://starwars.com/vault/books/darthplagueis/index.html. Also, if you’re still interested in some more Sith lore that is connected to Sidious, check out Michael Reaves’ Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter.Steven Hernandezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02580332909641926959noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584179467954809739.post-9050039110647922752011-07-12T22:03:09.426-07:002011-07-12T22:03:09.426-07:00To Steve Hernandez, our resident "Star Wars&q...To Steve Hernandez, our resident "Star Wars" guru:<br /><br />I work with one of our most faithful listeners. He had a question that he wanted me to ask you specifically. [Spoilers ahead for "Revenge of the Sith"] At the end of Episode 3, when Mace Windu is striking down Sidious and has him "on the ropes," Anakin's delay in saving him results in Sidious's disfigurement, not to mention pain.<br /><br />So, my pal, Geo, wants to know if the Emperor's cruelty toward Vader (such as the pain-inflicting suit and such) is a result of a grudge he's holding over Anakin's delay at saving him.<br /><br />Geo and I would love to hear any thoughts you might have on this.<br /><br />Thanks, Steve.<br />JasonJason Pyles, Movie Critichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18335353071850524427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584179467954809739.post-60782148224332729912011-03-28T15:41:40.203-07:002011-03-28T15:41:40.203-07:00Amen Vance! Thank you! :)Amen Vance! Thank you! :)K-HUDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01880863077728512326noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584179467954809739.post-9377271481318374672011-03-28T11:33:09.022-07:002011-03-28T11:33:09.022-07:00Thank you Steven for telling me about this Podcast...Thank you Steven for telling me about this Podcast. I really enjoyed it.<br /><br />For most kids (and some forgiving adults--myself included), it doesn't get any better than Star Wars for some easily-digestible cinematic fun. The prequels are no exception. Sure, the films have some problems, but the story and the world that Lucas created is really hard to top. I am impressed with the way the prequels tie in to the original trilogy. Fun stuff, much better than other mindless popcorn movies they make these days (Transformers 2, G.I. Joe, etc.)<br /> <br />@K-HUD: I agree. The final sword fight between Obi-Wan and Darth Maul is awesome. I for one find myself coming back to the prequels more than the original films, especially Return of the Jedi. People gripe about Jar Jar Binks all the time, but nobody seems to mind those silly Ewoks.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10917583459178641339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584179467954809739.post-41817299360063518272011-03-12T13:29:17.937-08:002011-03-12T13:29:17.937-08:00You would seriously rather watch the ewoks than da...You would seriously rather watch the ewoks than darth maul? ugh. I just watched Return of the Jedi again. That's painful. Granted the prequels are even more painful as a whole. But I can at least get excited for the final sword fight at the end of phantom menace. There's nothing exciting about Return of the Ewoks Who Were Meant to Compete With ET - oh I mean Jedi. :)K-HUDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01880863077728512326noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584179467954809739.post-2384243984547131182011-03-12T12:30:02.481-08:002011-03-12T12:30:02.481-08:00Cody - I forgive you for not singling me out for c...Cody - I forgive you for not singling me out for commendation. And I'm glad to know I'm not the only prequel hater in the valley.Andy Howellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17483436418309235519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584179467954809739.post-23707356804929849012011-03-11T11:25:38.472-08:002011-03-11T11:25:38.472-08:00I am deeply disappointed by this verdict. The enti...I am deeply disappointed by this verdict. The entire prequel trilogy is nothing if not the very definition of cinematic dead horse beating. Also, "Attack of the Clones" is definitely more useless than "The Phantom Menace." "Revenge of the Sith" is better than the other two, but only in the same way that a kick in the pants is better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. Plus it has the single worst moment of the entire prequel trilogy with the unveiling of Darth Vader.<br /><br />I almost relish the thought of listening to this podcast so that I can entertain myself by mentally ripping its pro-prequel arguments to bloody shreds.CODY CLARKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01598380993632090628noreply@blogger.com