Definitely one of my favorites! It’s rite up there with Rookies, Lair of Grievous and Blue shadow Virus three of my top favs. And we finally get see my favorite Jedi (besides Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Anakin and Yoda) Ki-Adi in all his Clone Wars glory! He had some great lines and action!

Between this Episode and the UNBELIEVABLE quality of the season one box set (it’s like seeing them for the first time!) and going to see Star Wars in concert next Thursday, and I just got my new Insider in mail, their has been a lot STAR WARS fun!

1. Four-way tie between TPM/ROTS/ANH/ESB.
2. AOTC/ROTJ – only slightly below the others, because of Ben Burtt’s editing of AOTC and that most of the Endor stuff in ROTJ is kind of slow.

I prefer just saying the whole saga rocks, period.

Myself, I don’t prefer one trilogy over another — I rank the films on an individual basis:

1. ESB
2. TPM
3. AOTC/ROTS/ANH — I like them all pretty much equally, but sometimes one comes to the fore, so to speak, depending on my mood.
4. ROTJ

I’ll join the chorus here on loving ESB but wishing that there wasn’t such a rush to “ESB-ify” all the latest additions to continuity, CW included. The occasional episode/element homaging ESB is fine, but CW should try to be CW, not ESB. In fact, I’m almost tempted to to an LJ post on why I *don’t* consider ESB to be this flawless paragon of filmmaking, but I’m not certain that wouldn’t be descending towards and/or inviting the level of “discussion” I see leveled at the PT in certain circles.

I’m sorry to hear that you’re thinking of shuttering the forum, but I can understand your reasons.

As for the basher issue…I think you have something there about them getting more attention than their numbers deserve, because they are very noisy, whereas people who like the prequels are usually not that vocal about it, for various reasons. I gave up trying to debate the cretins a while ago. It earned me nothing but raised blood pressure and bannings from message boards.

I have tried to extend olive branches to some bashers, including those who claim that complaining about SW is how they “fan” it — kind of a kissing cousin to the pious basher belief that they bash the “inferior” SW movies because they “love” SW, more than George Lucas in fact, because they know it could be better, that all the movies could have been as great as ESB, but Lucas “surrounds himself with fawning butt-kissing yes-men” and “sits all day in front of a computer” and “just pushed out subpar crap to make money,” blahblahblahpoodoocakes.

I thought I could understand that version of “fandom,” but ultimately, I can’t. Every movie or movie series needs its critics, but what does it mean to be a fan if ALL you do is bitch about it?

I love ESB too, and I happen to agree with the opinion that it’s the best of the SW movies. But I got sick of the glorification of it at the expense of the other SW movies long ago. It is possible to love something, and still think it’s overrated, which is how I feel about ESB. I can’t stand how bashers use it to bludgeon the other movies, not just the prequels but ROTJ and even ANH…and it gets very wearisome seeing people involved in the EU or CW ‘toons or whatnot say they’re trying to be like ESB, by which they usually mean “dark” and “deep” — two words that are often synonymous to fanboyz, but that’s another matter.

Not everyone thinks ESB is the best of the SW movies. Plenty of fans prefer ROTJ, which, to hear the bashers tell it, is an hour and forty-five minutes of Ewok footage, with Vader and Luke’s duel crammed in at the last second. Plenty of fans prefer ANH, which is the only SW movie I could really say was “lighthearted” and “cheery.” TPM looks that way on the surface, but underneath, things are very rotten in Denmark. Or should I say Coruscant. And there are kids today, and probably some adults too, whose first exposure to SW was the PT, and like it better than the OT. There are also people who grew up with the OT, but prefer the PT, like our dear Aeryn.

Next week’s issue of “TV Guide” has a blurb on the DVD set of Clone Wars: Season One. And nary a “witty” jab anywhere. As if that’s not cool enough, it actually makes a reference to people who prefer the PT, which not only acknowledges that PT fans exist, but the writer doesn’t include some parenthetical about how he/she can’t understand WHY anyone would like/prefer the PT. Mark your calendars.

Yeah, the “we’re trying to be like TESB” bit is a tad grating. I love TESB just fine but it’s not the end-all be-all of SW either.

Qui-Gon is the best!

You can’t go anywhere I check this site out numerous times a day!

You made some good points. But, my outlook tends to be more like Aeryn’s. I’ve met a lot of people who like Star Wars, the whole saga, 9 out of 10 times the PT seems to be brought more, in a positive way, “who’s your favorite Jedi, the Pod race is awesome, did you see those duels” etc. I think it’s just a matter of time before it get’s the respect it so rightly deserves. It took the OT almost 20years to become a “classic.” Films that everyone “hates” do not make the amount of money at the box office or have the video/DVD sales the PT has had.

I do agree with your take on Lucasfilm catering to the fanboys. As well as the media, but that’s a different story. It bothers me too. I’m SO sick of the ESB being brought up into EVERY Clone Wars interview. I’ve seen all the Episodes of TCW and I simply see Star Wars. To me it feels more on the lines of the PT with flashes of the OT in them. I don’t want to hear about ESB, I want to hear about “this is why we wanted to go back to Naboo, this is why Anakin does this, as he did in AOTC” etc. I guess we have to be patient like Qui-Gon, keep are “concentration here and now where it belongs.” And continue to LOVE the PT and Star Wars as whole saga.

Oh yeah, I’m going to see Star Wars in concert on Nov.12th. I CAN”T WAIT!