Ian McDiarmid’s Fan X Panel

Learn how a lot of dead padawans got cut from ROTS and more from Palpie himself at last weekend’s Fan X convention in Utah.

H/T Naboo News

Funko’s ROTS Smuggler’s Bounty Box

Funko’s Smuggler’s Bounty box series has up for pre-orders its upcoming ROTS set.  If you’ve never purchased one before, it generally comes with at least one Pop bobble head, another Funko-manufactured figurine, and a load of cool stuff/surprises.  For example in the Sith box I got a Kylo Ren/Darth Vader t-shirt, a Darth Vader drink cup, and a Count Dooku Pop among other goodies.  Given that Pops alone go for at least ten bucks and t-shirts average $20-25 these days, it’s a really good deal for $25.

The deadline for ordering is July 15!

ROTS Star Words Part 3

“It’s not the Jedi way.”:

He was an unarmed prisoner, Anakin says. The Jedi don’t kill unarmed prisoners; they are not executioners. They will kill if necessary; if there is no other way to take down an enemy, but never unnecessarily, and never to satisfy their own bloodlust or vengeance.

But. This is an ideal. Do the Jedi really adhere to it? And should they? Palpatine offers two counterpoints to try to soothe Anakin’s conscience, to assure him that he has done nothing wrong. The first is that Dooku was too dangerous to be left alive. Leaving aside Palaptine’s ulterior motives as a Sith Lord looking to replace his apprentice, let’s consider that this argument may have some merit. Even without his hands, Dooku could still cause trouble, couldn’t he? He has tremendous skills in the Force; he’s devious and charismatic. Unarmed, perhaps, but harmless? Probably not. So maybe there are times when execution is the only option.

ROTS Star Words Parts 1 & 2

Happy May the 4th!

Matril has kicked off her Star Words analysis of ROTS.  Here’s part one and here’s part two.

 

I just love it. His jaunty little bow, his careless confidence…it makes you wonder if Anakin has been wearing off on him. And perhaps Obi-Wan has earned the right to be a little smug. He is, as far as anyone knows, the only Jedi to successfully defeat a Sith Lord in over a thousand years. And he and Anakin have fought Dooku before, though of course their attack was less than effective back then. Now, knowing how Anakin has matured and improved his skills in the intervening years, Obi-Wan has little doubt that they’ll be able to take him down together.

Star Words: End of AOTC, Beginning of ROTS

Last week, I’d missed the final AOTC Star Words installment in Matril’s Star Words series.

And here’s the first in her ROTS series:

 

This marvelous line can be enjoyed on at least four separate levels. First off, it’s a nice call-back to Han Solo’s line from the original film. When he says it, as they attempt to flee into hyperspace with several Star Destroyers in pursuit, it’s almost certainly sarcastic — though if Han didn’t enjoy danger at least a little, he wouldn’t have become a smuggler. What about Anakin?

That’s the second level. It’s a definite feature of his character that he delights in the thrill of battle. Just look at his face as he says the line. It’s in direct contrast to Obi-Wan’s attitude, who grumbles, “Oh, this is going to be easy” and “Blast; this is why I hate flying!” They’re both excellent fighters and pilots, hand-picked for this rescue mission, but they have very different demeanors about the whole ordeal. It makes them good counterparts in battle.

Ewan McGregor At Pre-TLJ Saga Marathon

Hollywood’s El Capitan Theatre ran a marathon of Eps I-VII before debuting TLJ and appearing to introduce ROTS was none other than Ewan McGregor:

 

Breakdowns of AOTC and ROTS

Ashley Eckstein for Hot Topic summarizing AOTC and ROTS (“Ahsoka left him and he didn’t get a job promotion” LOL):

Up next on our Star Wars binge? Ashley Eckstein from @HerUniverse recaps Attack of the Clones in 60 seconds. pic.twitter.com/frdQDdJhWY

— Hot Topic (@HotTopic) December 12, 2017

Twisted by the Dark Side. Ashley Eckstein from Her Universe recaps Revenge of the Sith in 60 seconds. pic.twitter.com/znP5Ebz2EJ

— Hot Topic (@HotTopic) December 13, 2017

Video: What If Anakin Went To Utapau

I haven’t highlighted The Prequels Channel on YouTube (though I have it under the blogroll links) because it posts videos very frequently.  But I thought I’d highlight this “what if” video:

Former Handmaiden Recalls ROTS

Australian actress Kristy Wright spoke briefly on a t.v. show called “The Daily Edition” about her role as handmaiden Moteé in ROTS:

HT Naboo News

A Look Back At AOTC & ROTS

Julian at World of Peacecraft posted his tributes to AOTC and ROTS.

Attack of the Clones also shines in its direction. While Lucas may not be the best actors’ director out there, his visual direction skills are on full display here, and they’re my favorite subtle element of this film. Look at the evolution of how Anakin uses his hands. He uses them for casual Force tricks in the first half, then looks at them in shock after murdering the Tusken Raider colony, then gets his right hand stuck in a robotic shoulder in the droid factory… the same hand that will become robotic by the time the credits roll. Look at the darkened forms of Anakin and Padmé as they kiss before being led into the execution arena, and the way that they lighten up as they’re dragged into the sun. This love may lead to a dark future, but it will also eventually defeat Darth Sidious once and for all, and I think that’s a really nice tool of visual storytelling. Look at the clouds of Naboo forming a yin-yang after Anakin has his nightmare, just before his darker side is put to its first true test. Look at Anakin’s battle with Count Dooku at the end of the film, where the only light sources are the red and blue glow of their lightsabers lighting up their faces. It’s only fitting that both of these characters’ stories when it comes to the Force have elements of both the Jedi and the Sith.

Add in Attack of the Clones‘s expert pacing, keeping the viewer involved from start to finish, and I think it ties with The Empire Strikes Back as the best directed Star Wars saga episode. It’s my second favorite film, but only slightly.

Although this one received considerably more praise than the first two films, once again the spread of anonymous sources has made sure Revenge of the Sith has “fallen from grace”, if you will, and is now hated by a lot of people. That’s a real shame, because, much like The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, this chapter is a heartfelt and above all brutally human movie. Revenge of the Sith was the first Star Wars film I was able to see in theaters, an experience that I won’t forget any time soon. Now, around this time, all the media surrounding it had come out, and I knew a lot of what would happen in the movie. But I was still so amazed by Revenge of the Sith that it quickly became not only my favorite Star Wars movie, but my favorite movie of all time, and it remains my favorite to this day. There were so many memorable moments I found just in that first viewing, and there is so much more I’ve come to appreciate about the movie after countless viewings.