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StarTopic Star Wars |ST| SW fans cannot help what they are. Their passion leaves a trail. The enthusiasm for Star Wars is like an itch. They cannot help it.

Reader mode
chocolate_supra said:
The thing with Luke struck a serious chord with me, though, because I know what it's like to get hit with such a hard failure that you begin to honestly believe you'd make things worse by being involved. I was thoroughly engrossed by Luke's arc in Last Jedi and thought they communicated pretty well that while he cared, he had lost faith in himself and his ways and genuinely believed the best thing for his loved ones was for him to bow out.

That's why it bothers me so much when they call Luke's arc "character assassination." I was in tears during Last Jedi over how much I related to Luke. Then I went online and talked to my friends and had to listen to everyone telling me the character I saw myself in was shit.

It's a "me" problem for sure, but still.
Click to expand...
Right. Hermit Luke didn't not care, he cared so much he was willing to deny himself any connection with the people and things he loved because he thought that was better for them.
 
l2LNYVj_d.webp
 
So, I watched all of the HAL 9000 Sequel Trilogy fanedits and I have come to report my findings. One thing that these three have in common is that they are extremely impressive from a technical standpoint. I'm very familiar with both TFA and TLJ and some of the edits I wouldn't have noticed if I didn't have the changelog as reference. That said, the people working on these had different aims and a different approach for every movie with varying degrees of success.

The Force Awakens
In terms of overall structure this is probably the most radical one. It basically changes the plot around so the New Republic doesn't get wiped out during the second act when the heroes are at Maz'. The shots where everyone looks up to the sky to see the Hosnian system being destroyed have been removed with a shot of a Star Destroyer to sign that the First Order has found them (it also removes some lore inaccuracies).

So the plot changes to the Rebellion attacking Starkiller Base to prevent an attack on the New Republic but failing at first (timed with the death of Han Solo) and then destroying SKB before it can recharge to destroy the rebel base and just about managing to escape. I think this improves the overall plot to make it feel less like ANH, raises the stakes for the final act and also ends on a much darker note than in the original where the destruction of the New Republic feels quite removed.

Other than that there are a lot of minor changes that make for a nicer viewing experience, like truncating most of the Rathtar scene, cutting some bad attempts at humour (Finn's second "cute boyfriend" line), visual foreshadowing to R2D2's return etc. Surprisingly there's only two moments that stuck out as worse than the original: Some of the aforementioned Rathtar scene has been spliced into Rey's force vision with her being separated from Finn and it doesn't work as well but maybe that's due to me having it seen so many times. The other cut was in the scene where Finn and Han infiltrate SKB. Han nods to indicate that he saw Rey and in the original there's a bit of a comedic moment with Finn misunderstanding. The original scene I can take or leave but it's not as clean a cut in this fanedit.

Overall, I'd say that this edit greatly improves the original and it's impressive to see how they did it, not just by editing around the available footage but actually editing quite a few shots. This will definitely become my preferred version to watch TFA.

The Last Jedi
Episode VIII is my favourite of the sequel trilogy and in the running for my favourite SW movie overall so I was a bit hesitant to watch it. Luckily, unlike the TFA and TROS edit this one is fairly conservative. It doesn't change the overall plot but only cuts various things. The two big ones are Canto Bight being much shorter, with the space horse escape scene cut entirely, and there being no fight between Finn and Phasma. She dies during the Holdo manoeuvre and they even added her corpse in a shot.

Other than that it's multiple minor cuts to tighten the dialogue, make it less humorous or to remove some lines that come off as a bit hammy or corny. As an example, Poe's prank call at the very beginning of the movie has been cut considerably and consequently feels less juvenile. There's multiple other instances of this, like Luke's "yeah, that's pretty much nowhere", the porg scene etc. giving the entire movie a tone closer to TFA. Rose's line about "saving what you love" has also been cut which I feel a bit ambivalent about. I like it in theory but always felt like it was delivered in the worst moment. The throne room scene has also been changed, with Kylo Ren's betrayal being less telegraphed. Perhaps my favourite edit of them all, because of how subtle it is, is that they changed it so Luke's force projection doesn't affect the crate he sits on.

As I said, TLJ needed this the least and this fanedit didn't really change my mind on that but I say this as someone who didn't have many issues with the original to begin with. It's worth checking out if you didn't like the comedic tone of TLJ but I could have done with a shortened Canto Bight segment as the only change.

The Rise of Skywalker
By far the most impressive of these edits. I can only imagine how much work went into all of these FX shots. However, the most pertinent question is: Does it turn TROS into a good movie? And the answer is: It’s complicated. The editors had very little wiggle room here since there's barely any deleted scenes and it's pretty much impossible to "cut around" the most controversial parts. The overall narrative is still the same and the plot beats more or less follow the original. If you can't look past the story of TROS this absolutely isn't going to win you over. But if you're willing to give it another chance, this might be for you.

So there's basically two different types of changes. The first are attempts to streamline the narrative and fix issues that come from JJ Abrams shoddy filmmaking, the bad script and the rushed editing. These work for the most part extremely well. Some examples:
  • There's a new opening crawl and establishing shots to better communicate what Kylo is doing at the beginning of the film.
  • They removed several bad, unnecessary or detrimental lines like Poe's "somehow, Palpatine returned", Finn wanting to tell Rey something before they get swallowed up by quicksand or revealing too early that C3PO has already been backed up.
  • Rey doesn't hold up the Sith dagger to align its outline with the shape of the Death Star wreckage. Instead, "Sith voices" direct her towards its location. It's still not perfect but at least this way it doesn't draw attention to how little sense the dagger and the entire wayfinder story contrivance makes.
  • Palpatine's ever shifting plan is simplified somewhat by removing some unnecessary lines. Here he first wants to use Kylo and then shifts over to Rey once Kylo turns away from the dark side. Again, not perfect but "as good as it can be".

These and more just make for a much more pleasing viewing experience. The original is literally "No time to explain, just get in": The Movie. It moves at a breakneck pace, haphazardly stringing scenes together and throwing just enough fanservice and mystery box bullshit at the viewer to keep them entertained. The faneditors couldn't really work magic here but they came close: Scenes flow better, follow some kind of dramatic logic and are given more room to breathe. Strangely, it comes off as much more confident filmmaking compared to the original which felt reactionary and pandering.

Then there's a plethora of visual changes that are a bit of hit or miss. My favourite is how they changed Leia's lightsaber to purple since that's what Carrie Fisher would have wanted for the character. It's the kind of fanservice I can get behind because it doesn't really affect the narrative as much and it also doesn't draw attention to itself. Then there's the force ghosts and while I get the intent (and was impressed by the execution)... I just don't think they add all that much. But I guess this is really a question of preference. All in all, I think this is really the best and only way to (re)watch TROS, regardless of how you felt about the movie.
 
Watched ep 4 of Kenobi and, what's the point of this series? I'm enjoying what's on screen but I feel like the series has no purpose.
 
eli said:
Watched ep 4 of Kenobi and, what's the point of this series? I'm enjoying what's on screen but I feel like the series has no purpose.
Click to expand...
The point is you stay subscribed to Disney +, and get to see a fan favorite character do cool Jedi stuff.
 
Obi-Wan Episode 4 thoughts:
  • OH SHIT IT'S ICE CUBE JR
  • I was afraid Indira Varma would be a one-off for ep3 but I'm soooo happy so watch her just badass all over the place
  • OH SHIT A BIGGER FISH
  • "Is this a staring contest?" God I love this kid
  • So I found out today Lola was named after a pet of Carrie Fisher's and if anything happens to her I will absolutely shit
  • This probe droid throwing off major EMMI vibes
  • Every time I see stormtroopers now I wonder if they're 501st
  • Jedi cold storage?
  • OH SHIT THAT LIGHTSABER IN THE DARK BIT WAS COOL AS FUCK
  • Did she just fuckin smack a stormtrooper on the helmet? 🤣
  • Goddamn I've always loved A-wings
  • Wait how'd she put a tracker on the A-wing that just zipped in and out like that?
  • Oh.
 
So, having caught up on all four episodes of Obi-Wan: It's enjoyable, but incredibly lightweight and insubstantial.

The things I like:

- Ewan is carrying this show on his back with his performance. Punished Obi Wan is not something I expected, but it makes sense for him as a character.

- Young Leia; I didn't expect her to be part of the story, then was worried her presence would be tacky and shoehorned, but the actress sells it. Young, sassy Leia is great.

- The main thrust of Vader and Obi Wans big reunion is fantastic; Vader deliberately burning Obi Wan and taunting him works way better than I thought it would. The Vader voice is spot on, and Hayden looks suitably nightmarish when we do get to see him in the Bacta tank.

Things I'm not so keen on:

- The plot is full of duplicates and redundancies:

Bail sends Obi Wan a message asking for help. Obi Wan says no. Bail turns up to ask for help. Obi Wan says yes.

Leia gets captured. Obi Wan rescues her. Leia gets captured again. Obi Wan rescues her.

Vader confronts Obi Wan. Obi Wan runs away. Vader confronts Obi Wan again. Obi Wan runs away again.

There's too much stuff here that feels like basic duplication of something that's already happened. The script desperately needed someone to go through it, get rid of all the redundant stuff, and replace it with stuff that actually propels the story.

- The editing is shockingly amateur at points. Plenty of goofs like the forest chase have already been picked apart online, but even basic things like Obi Wan exiting stage right, then reappearing stage right during the Vader showdown.

- Reva and the inquisitors in general just feel incredibly non-threatening.

- There's nothing more to the storyline than just "Rescue Leia". It feels like a six episode show that's been dragged out from three. I feel like for a show where Obi-Wan is wrestling with all the fallout from RotS
 
Last edited:
JazzPotatoes said:
Rest of the internet watching the episode: Why didn't they de age Hayden and Ewan for the AotC flashback?

Me:

gandalf-aged.gif
Click to expand...
haha yeah. Me too!

Really enjoyed the latest episode a lot!

The flashbacks made me feel like a kid back in 2002-2005 again.
 
0
I've given Deborah Chow some flak, as I believe the directing has consistently been the weakest part of this show. But damn, the conversation between Obi Wan and Reva through the door and Reva v. Vader were legit fantastic.



I legit got teary-eyed during the Reva/Obi Wan scene. What an incredible character. Stupid chodes on the internet were so, so wrong about her.
 
JazzPotatoes said:
So, having caught up on all four episodes of Obi-Wan: It's enjoyable, but incredibly lightweight and insubstantial.

The things I like:

- Ewan is carrying this show on his back with his performance. Punished Obi Wan is not something I expected, but it makes sense for him as a character.

- Young Leia; I didn't expect her to be part of the story, then was worried her presence would be tacky and shoehorned, but the actress sells it. Young, sassy Leia is great.

- The main thrust of Vader and Obi Wans big reunion is fantastic; Vader deliberately burning Obi Wan and taunting him works way better than I thought it would. The Vader voice is spot on, and Hayden looks suitably nightmarish when we do get to see him in the Bacta tank.

Things I'm not so keen on:

- The plot is full of duplicates and redundancies:

Bail sends Obi Wan a message asking for help. Obi Wan says no. Bail turns up to ask for help. Obi Wan says yes.

Leia gets captured. Obi Wan rescues her. Leia gets captured again. Obi Wan rescues her.

Vader confronts Obi Wan. Obi Wan runs away. Vader confronts Obi Wan again. Obi Wan runs away again.

There's too much stuff here that feels like basic duplication of something that's already happened. The script desperately needed someone to go through it, get rid of all the redundant stuff, and replace it with stuff that actually propels the story.

- The editing is shockingly amateur at points. Plenty of goofs like the forest chase have already been picked apart online, but even basic things like Obi Wan exiting stage right, then reappearing stage right during the Vader showdown.

- Reva and the inquisitors in general just feel incredibly non-threatening.

- There's nothing more to the storyline than just "Rescue Leia". It feels like a six episode show that's been dragged out from three. I feel like for a show where Obi-Wan is wrestling with all the fallout from RotS
Click to expand...
I’m with you. I enjoy the show, but so much of it feels needless. And characters like the Inquisitors just seem like a bunch of ineffective goofballs (aside from Reva, who just seems generally ineffective).

Some of the action looks plain bad, too.
Reva facing down a ship firing at her at point-blank range looks far too silly for me to take it seriously.

But Ewan is a treasure and I’m happy to go on a trip with him one more time, even if it is a flawed journey (albeit less flawed than his last).
 
0
General thoughts on Ep 5:

It's the best episode so far, but still messy.

The flashback scene between Obi and Anakin was great, but it didn't need to be split up along the whole episode. They could have just opened with it, had it set up the themes for the rest of the episode, then left it at that. As it is, it doesn't foreshadow anything between Obi and Vader, it just clumsily telegraphs it.

Prequel-era lightsaber fighting makes me happy. Good to see they nailed that.

Reva finally got some character development, but still... Her being a survivor of Order 66 isn't some great plot twist, it was pretty obviously set up.

The siege felt very low-stakes. The Empire turns up, shoot outside the gate a bit, then everyone escapes in a decoy ship. As with a lot of stuff in this show, I like the idea, but the execution isn't quite there.

The Vader voice they're using is scarily good. My understanding is it's essentially a James Earl Jones filter applied to Vader's lines as spoken by Hayden or the stunt guys, but it is incredibly accurate.
 
Obi-Wan Episode 5 thoughts:
  • The episode starts with a warning? How Order-66y is this one gonna get?
  • Is this Coruscant? It looks.. eerily similar to the surface of the Death Star.
  • HOLY FUCKIN NOSTALGIA
  • Obi-Wan back to being a general, doing tactics an stuff
  • Leia's assertiveness continuing to show itself at an early age
  • WHOA does Cube Jr have one of Chewie's crossbows???
  • So Reva was there the night of Order 66! I've seen it theorized but didn't know to expect if it'd be the thing
  • Oh... oh that's why the disclaimer. 😳
  • She shoulda started with lightsabering the door instead of rolling out that big cannon
  • WHY DIDN'T TALA THROW THE DAMN THERMAL DETONATOR INTO THE CROWD??
  • Okay okay Vader's a badass, geez
  • I don't wanna gripe and I'm sure it's because plot and spectacle but ships that large should not go from motionless to that speed that quickly, not should they change direction that fast. It was less like ships taking off and more like a kid moving them around while playing
  • Hyperdrive is always down, ain't it
 
Watched episode 5, still enjoying the show even if I'm agreed it has rough edges:
loved the Obi-Wan/Reva scene, though Obi-Wan has once again created a problem he has to face another day in pushing Reva into fighting Vader and her surviving. Obi-Wan shows what price he's paying to survive though, and what price he'll pay to protect the Skywalker children: his manipulation of Reva is mirrored by Vader using her anger and discarding her when useless. Obi-Wan finds and uses her trauma, then abandons her to achieve his end. An interesting and unsettling parallel, and surely one that Reva will have noticed.

Agreed on some of the janky stuff - the ship CGI was clumsy and felt like a crude way of showing Vader's power. It felt a bit redundant; more effective showing us how he clearly outclasses the inquisitors in ability, cunning and power, as the ensuing fight scene does.

Liked the flashback but dislike it being cut up. It feels too clumsy that way. Use it in its entirety to set up the thematic focus of the episode at the very start; that Obi-Wan's mercy, patience, and strategic thinking are why he was a Jedi Master: Anakin's impatience, aggression and will to power are why he became a Sith Lord. I like how this idea ultimately ties into Obi-Wan's final encounter with Vader, when Vader declares he is the Master now, but Obi-Wan is once again actually one step ahead. Generally it was something I quite liked and felt strongly in this episode; it achieved good middle ground between prequels and originals - no mean feat given the differences between the two sets of films. Little touches like Obi-Wan immediately taking charge of the battle plan established that feeling for me (Ah, General Kenobi). Huge credit again to Ewan McGregor, who has utterly aced my favourite genre of Jedi: tired defeated recluse (I identify with this, ok?).

Gutted about Indira Varma. Huge fan of hers after watching Rome, and felt she was utterly wasted in Game of Thrones thanks to the binfire they turned Dorne into, so it was great seeing her turn up in another Big Show but this time as a kick ass character. Disappointed she won't stick around for more time in the Star Wars verse.

Dardan Sandiego said:
So, I watched all of the HAL 9000 Sequel Trilogy fanedits and I have come to report my findings. One thing that these three have in common is that they are extremely impressive from a technical standpoint. I'm very familiar with both TFA and TLJ and some of the edits I wouldn't have noticed if I didn't have the changelog as reference. That said, the people working on these had different aims and a different approach for every movie with varying degrees of success.

The Force Awakens
In terms of overall structure this is probably the most radical one. It basically changes the plot around so the New Republic doesn't get wiped out during the second act when the heroes are at Maz'. The shots where everyone looks up to the sky to see the Hosnian system being destroyed have been removed with a shot of a Star Destroyer to sign that the First Order has found them (it also removes some lore inaccuracies).

So the plot changes to the Rebellion attacking Starkiller Base to prevent an attack on the New Republic but failing at first (timed with the death of Han Solo) and then destroying SKB before it can recharge to destroy the rebel base and just about managing to escape. I think this improves the overall plot to make it feel less like ANH, raises the stakes for the final act and also ends on a much darker note than in the original where the destruction of the New Republic feels quite removed.

Other than that there are a lot of minor changes that make for a nicer viewing experience, like truncating most of the Rathtar scene, cutting some bad attempts at humour (Finn's second "cute boyfriend" line), visual foreshadowing to R2D2's return etc. Surprisingly there's only two moments that stuck out as worse than the original: Some of the aforementioned Rathtar scene has been spliced into Rey's force vision with her being separated from Finn and it doesn't work as well but maybe that's due to me having it seen so many times. The other cut was in the scene where Finn and Han infiltrate SKB. Han nods to indicate that he saw Rey and in the original there's a bit of a comedic moment with Finn misunderstanding. The original scene I can take or leave but it's not as clean a cut in this fanedit.

Overall, I'd say that this edit greatly improves the original and it's impressive to see how they did it, not just by editing around the available footage but actually editing quite a few shots. This will definitely become my preferred version to watch TFA.

The Last Jedi
Episode VIII is my favourite of the sequel trilogy and in the running for my favourite SW movie overall so I was a bit hesitant to watch it. Luckily, unlike the TFA and TROS edit this one is fairly conservative. It doesn't change the overall plot but only cuts various things. The two big ones are Canto Bight being much shorter, with the space horse escape scene cut entirely, and there being no fight between Finn and Phasma. She dies during the Holdo manoeuvre and they even added her corpse in a shot.

Other than that it's multiple minor cuts to tighten the dialogue, make it less humorous or to remove some lines that come off as a bit hammy or corny. As an example, Poe's prank call at the very beginning of the movie has been cut considerably and consequently feels less juvenile. There's multiple other instances of this, like Luke's "yeah, that's pretty much nowhere", the porg scene etc. giving the entire movie a tone closer to TFA. Rose's line about "saving what you love" has also been cut which I feel a bit ambivalent about. I like it in theory but always felt like it was delivered in the worst moment. The throne room scene has also been changed, with Kylo Ren's betrayal being less telegraphed. Perhaps my favourite edit of them all, because of how subtle it is, is that they changed it so Luke's force projection doesn't affect the crate he sits on.

As I said, TLJ needed this the least and this fanedit didn't really change my mind on that but I say this as someone who didn't have many issues with the original to begin with. It's worth checking out if you didn't like the comedic tone of TLJ but I could have done with a shortened Canto Bight segment as the only change.

The Rise of Skywalker
By far the most impressive of these edits. I can only imagine how much work went into all of these FX shots. However, the most pertinent question is: Does it turn TROS into a good movie? And the answer is: It’s complicated. The editors had very little wiggle room here since there's barely any deleted scenes and it's pretty much impossible to "cut around" the most controversial parts. The overall narrative is still the same and the plot beats more or less follow the original. If you can't look past the story of TROS this absolutely isn't going to win you over. But if you're willing to give it another chance, this might be for you.

So there's basically two different types of changes. The first are attempts to streamline the narrative and fix issues that come from JJ Abrams shoddy filmmaking, the bad script and the rushed editing. These work for the most part extremely well. Some examples:
  • There's a new opening crawl and establishing shots to better communicate what Kylo is doing at the beginning of the film.
  • They removed several bad, unnecessary or detrimental lines like Poe's "somehow, Palpatine returned", Finn wanting to tell Rey something before they get swallowed up by quicksand or revealing too early that C3PO has already been backed up.
  • Rey doesn't hold up the Sith dagger to align its outline with the shape of the Death Star wreckage. Instead, "Sith voices" direct her towards its location. It's still not perfect but at least this way it doesn't draw attention to how little sense the dagger and the entire wayfinder story contrivance makes.
  • Palpatine's ever shifting plan is simplified somewhat by removing some unnecessary lines. Here he first wants to use Kylo and then shifts over to Rey once Kylo turns away from the dark side. Again, not perfect but "as good as it can be".

These and more just make for a much more pleasing viewing experience. The original is literally "No time to explain, just get in": The Movie. It moves at a breakneck pace, haphazardly stringing scenes together and throwing just enough fanservice and mystery box bullshit at the viewer to keep them entertained. The faneditors couldn't really work magic here but they came close: Scenes flow better, follow some kind of dramatic logic and are given more room to breathe. Strangely, it comes off as much more confident filmmaking compared to the original which felt reactionary and pandering.

Then there's a plethora of visual changes that are a bit of hit or miss. My favourite is how they changed Leia's lightsaber to purple since that's what Carrie Fisher would have wanted for the character. It's the kind of fanservice I can get behind because it doesn't really affect the narrative as much and it also doesn't draw attention to itself. Then there's the force ghosts and while I get the intent (and was impressed by the execution)... I just don't think they add all that much. But I guess this is really a question of preference. All in all, I think this is really the best and only way to (re)watch TROS, regardless of how you felt about the movie.
Click to expand...
Thanks for posting this - had no idea it existed and this is how I'll eventually rewatch the sequels.
 
MisterSpo said:
Gutted about Indira Varma. Huge fan of hers after watching Rome, and felt she was utterly wasted in Game of Thrones thanks to the binfire they turned Dorne into, so it was great seeing her turn up in another Big Show but this time as a kick ass character. Disappointed she won't stick around for more time in the Star Wars verse.
Click to expand...
Not really a spoiler, but just so this doesn't even hint at what you were talking about 😅
Have you seen This Way Up? Indira Varma has a smaller part in it but it's where I first saw her and she's great in it.
 
I missed episode 4 last week since I was burned out on watching things during Not E3. I was happy to catch up with both episode 4 and 5 tonight. I liked the base they infiltrated in episode 4. I kind of sigh ahead of time knowing it will come, but the moment it happens when the glass breaks is always usually cool. Got very dark in both episode 4 and 5.

Anyway, episode 5 then was extra awesome with the big battles. Thought the flashback was neat to see even though you know how it will be used immediately and the end of it was cool. I think all of the big moments here worked for me except the decoy ship. It just looked weird in practice. Kind of wish they went through with it being the real ship after exploring Vader wrecking it so spectacularly, but then I’d have no idea where they’d go from there. I had guessed the backstory from episode 1 was tied to the third sister. No idea how the Grand Inquisitor lived though I guess they literally said it was like Darth Maul which I always thought was dumb even though I like him as a villain. Anyway overall this was some great Star Wars. Excited to see the finale next week.
 
0
Hey what time have Obi-Wan episodes been dropping in the USA? IIRC the first episode hit at 9pm PT on the Tuesday night before, but now google is saying midnight PT, 3am ET. 🤔
 
chocolate_supra said:
Hey what time have Obi-Wan episodes been dropping in the USA? IIRC the first episode hit at 9pm PT on the Tuesday night before, but now google is saying midnight PT, 3am ET. 🤔
Click to expand...
Ever since the surprise early drop of the first two episodes, the rest have been at 3:00 a.m. EDT. Maybe they'll change it for the finale.
 
WhyS said:
Ever since the surprise early drop of the first two episodes, the rest have been at 3:00 a.m. EDT. Maybe they'll change it for the finale.
Click to expand...
Ah, gotcha. I won't revolve my dinner plans around it, then. 😅
 
0
There were some rough spots throughout, but talk about sticking the landing. Finale was excellent.
I cried multiple times, including during Obi-Wan's farewell to Anakin, his final words to Leia, meeting Luke, and finally seeing Qui-Gon again. 🥲 Even without a second season in the works, this would be a great place to leave things.
 
LOVE the ending. This reinforces my view they should have released all 6 episodes and let people binge or just did a movie out of this.
The 40-50 minute run times really broke up a lot of the momentum, but the arc of this story is solid, works better seen in one sitting or as a long movie.

Hoping for a season 2.
 
0
This is by far the shittiest piece of Star Wars after Boba Fett. I really really hated this. I'm ashamed I watched it. There are NO stakes, there is NO growth, the visuals suck, they made Vader look like a complete loser who can't do anything right. Couldn't get in a single hit except for a few rocks.
Nothing was gonna happen to Luke, Leia, Owen, Vader, Leias parents, no one. No one significant had made a single step of growth. All characters end the series as they started it

The only character that has had some growth was third sister and it all happened off-screen between two consecutive scenes. Obi: 'Hey Sis, Vader is also kinda bad you know' and next scene she attacks Vader

Even the music wasn't interesting.

I'm glad some of you liked this but this has put me off on anything future Star Wars for a while. Probably gonna watch new Mando as I'm kinda invested in that but quickly losing interest in knowing it will just be reference after reference after fan-service after reference. S2 was already kinda on the tipping point for me.

I hope they write NEW stories into this universe. But we're getting Ashoka instead.

There's no redeeming qualities in this show except young Leia's acting. She's good. Hope she'll find some decent jobs after this snoozefest.

3/10
 
Finished episode 6. General thoughts:

I enjoyed it overall, but only because (like redlettermedia) my expectations were rock bottom and I turned my brain off for most of it.

The actual plotting is all over the place, full of redundancies, inconsistencies, and contrivances. Things happen, then other things happen, and then they happen some more without any real arc or tension behind them to drive engagement. Half the problem is that the series insists on putting characters into mortal danger who we know are around for A New Hope.

The thematic ideas are there, but underbaked: Obi Wan needing to come to terms with Anakin's fall before seeing Qui-Gon, Anakin unable to move on from Kenobi as his master, Reva wanting revenge for Order 66. Decent ideas all, but none of them feel like they have the appropriate weight.

Unfortunately, it's the memberberries and Prequel connections which provide the series best moments, which is going to give Disney all the wrong feedback. Anakin under the destroyed mask with the distorted voice, Owen and Beru going straw dogs to defend Luke, Obi-Wan saying Hello There, Liam Neeson coming back to cameo as Qui-Gon... As a show with an actual story, it's pretty poor, but as an excuse for people to go back to all the things they enjoyed about the prequels, it's effective and fun.

I will say, I don't agree with the criticism that the show looks cheap. While the cinematography has shown that limits of the Volume set pretty clearly, that doesn't have anything to do with the actual money they've chucked at all the ships, sets, extras and CGI. It's no game of thrones, but it's also much much better looking than the CW shows it's been frequently compared to.
 
eli said:
This is by far the shittiest piece of Star Wars after Boba Fett. I really really hated this. I'm ashamed I watched it. There are NO stakes, there is NO growth, the visuals suck, they made Vader look like a complete loser who can't do anything right. Couldn't get in a single hit except for a few rocks.
Nothing was gonna happen to Luke, Leia, Owen, Vader, Leias parents, no one. No one significant had made a single step of growth. All characters end the series as they started it

The only character that has had some growth was third sister and it all happened off-screen between two consecutive scenes. Obi: 'Hey Sis, Vader is also kinda bad you know' and next scene she attacks Vader

Even the music wasn't interesting.

I'm glad some of you liked this but this has put me off on anything future Star Wars for a while. Probably gonna watch new Mando as I'm kinda invested in that but quickly losing interest in knowing it will just be reference after reference after fan-service after reference. S2 was already kinda on the tipping point for me.

I hope they write NEW stories into this universe. But we're getting Ashoka instead.

There's no redeeming qualities in this show except young Leia's acting. She's good. Hope she'll find some decent jobs after this snoozefest.

3/10
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This is the shittiest piece of Star Wars after Boba Fett? Isn't this the only piece of Star Wars after Boba Fett?

I agree that the show was ultimately pretty pointless and full of little odds and ends that either don't matter or don't make a lick of sense, but after TROS I've just accepted that that's how the cookie is going to crumble from here on out. I had a fun time with it; I don't blame you for not liking it.
 
ngpdrew said:
This is the shittiest piece of Star Wars after Boba Fett? Isn't this the only piece of Star Wars after Boba Fett?

I agree that the show was ultimately pretty pointless and full of little odds and ends that either don't matter or don't make a lick of sense, but after TROS I've just accepted that that's how the cookie is going to crumble from here on out. I had a fun time with it; I don't blame you for not liking it.
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I'm not English but what I meant was that at rock bottom is Boba Fetta and this is only slightly above that.
 
eli said:
I'm not English but what I meant was that at rock bottom is Boba Fetta and this is only slightly above that.
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Oh, my bad.

I like this more than the prequels, Rogue One, TROS, but that's about it.
 
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At a certain point, my brain has just accepted that weird contrivances is what makes things happen in Star Wars, so I can't be too angry about that happening here. Like, it's stupid when they happen, but that's an issue with the whole franchise, not Obi-Wan specifically.

"Oh, Darth Vader happens to be Luke's dad? Doesn't seem like that's where they were going in A New Hope, but sure, I'll go with it."

"Ok, now Leia is Luke's sister? You guys are definitely making this up as you go along."

"Anakin Skywalker built C-3PO? Really now? And R-2 went round adventuring with Obi-Wan and Anakin?"

"A planet sized Death Star with the exact same weakness as the previous two???? Really???"

"Finn and Rose happen to bump into another one of a kind codebreaker, at the exact same time in the exact same cell they get taken to prison?"

I think at this point, Star Wars is just that space fantasy series where things happen because they need to, not because of any sort of logic or pre-planning in the story department. I wouldn't expect any of the upcoming films or series to be different in that regard.
 
Here we go
Here we go
Here we go now

Obi-Wan Episode 6 thoughts:
  • Was that a reference to line cutters at Disneyland?
  • "Whether he dies or I do, this ends today" lol no it doesn't
  • Obi-Wan is making the right choice here. Every time I've had mechanics tell me they can fix something in time, they're wrong
  • "I'm just getting started" That means a Roken series is coming now, right?
  • Aren't the Inquisitors supposed to hunt Jedi? Why would the Grand one try to convince Vader to go after a ship full of civvies instead of, like, The Jedi??
  • OH DANG THE CALLBACKS
  • Vader's an earthbender, cool
  • Pretty sure Obi-Wan just cast a Final Fantasy spell, holy shit
  • Okay fuckin up his breathing machine is smart but also, like, rude
  • Hayden has deserved this scene for 20 goddamn years, well done to all involved
  • This series has done more to piss me off about the destruction of Alderaan than literally the entire rest of Star Wars has managed to do.
  • oh my GAHD they did not just have him say that line 💀
  • oh
  • OH
  • AAAAAAHHHHHH
  • YEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS
  • tumblr_mmg898W3tE1qatn0fo1_400.gif
 
Jersh said:
@chocolate_supra

I'd say the hyping up of Hayden Christensen returning in the suit was justified in the end, my goodness.
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Wholeheartedly agree ❤️

JazzPotatoes said:
I think at this point, Star Wars is just that space fantasy series where things happen because they need to, not because of any sort of logic or pre-planning in the story department.
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I thoroughly enjoyed it, overall.

big missed opportunity for me was Obi-Wan not referencing Padme's last words: "There's good in him, I know this, still." I liked that moment earlier in the series when he referenced Padme, and I would've thought an appeal to Anakin's humanity would involve that. If Anakin rejects what faith Padme still had in him, then he really is dead to Obi-Wan.

But I enjoyed this a lot. Ewan McGregor's done good.
 
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You really need to turn off your brain while watching this. Watching a star destroyer pursue a tiny transport ship, was among the most ridiculous things in Star Wars. I mean star destroyers are the aircraft carriers of the galaxy, so where were all the tie fighters? They didn’t have to choose which ship to pursue. And the guns on the SD shouldn’t have any trouble anyway.

That aside, I did manage to look past the dumb stuff and enjoy this show a lot for what it was.
 
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Hermii said:
You really need to turn off your brain while watching this. Watching a star destroyer pursue a tiny transport ship, was among the most ridiculous things in Star Wars. I mean star destroyers are the aircraft carriers of the galaxy, so where were all the tie fighters? They didn’t have to choose which ship to pursue. And the guns on the SD shouldn’t have any trouble anyway.

That aside, I did manage to look past the dumb stuff and enjoy this show a lot for what it was.
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isn’t this all also true of the very first scene of the very first Star Wars movie?
 
Unfortunately the show is a big victim of fridge logic, where the more you think about things after you've watched an episode, the less sense they make.

In the first episode, it's made clear that the Empire will stop at nothing to hunt down every last Jedi. Then in the last episode, the Emperor calls Vader out for continuing to hunt Kenobi, the most powerful living Jedi.

Or the scene where Vader says "I killed Anakin" and Kenobi replies that his friend is truly dead... Then walks off, leaving Vader alive. Was he planning on killing Vader if he admitted to still being Anakin? Why not just end him there while he's down for the count?
 
Not to pick on anyone specifically, but the notion that there was no character growth for anyone in this show is one I just can't agree with.

Obi-Wan starts out as a broken man who has cut himself off from the Force and sees watching over Luke as his only purpose. By the end he has rediscovered himself as a person and as a Jedi, and has reconnected with the Force.

Leia starts out as a rebellious child who doesn't grasp her responsibilities, and is insecure about her parentage. By the end she has started to move past these things and has started her growth into the rebel leader she will become.

It's basic stuff but there is definitely growth, even if there's a lot of messy stuff in and around the series.
 
JR436 said:
Not to pick on anyone specifically, but the notion that there was no character growth for anyone in this show is one I just can't agree with.

Obi-Wan starts out as a broken man who has cut himself off from the Force and sees watching over Luke as his only purpose. By the end he has rediscovered himself as a person and as a Jedi, and has reconnected with the Force.

Leia starts out as a rebellious child who doesn't grasp her responsibilities, and is insecure about her parentage. By the end she has started to move past these things and has started her growth into the rebel leader she will become.

It's basic stuff but there is definitely growth, even if there's a lot of messy stuff in and around the series.
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I felt like the rebellious child part was just to show that she was always a rebel rather than that she started to grasp her responsibilities. thus. no growth.
If you have to twist to think how a character must've grown maybe it's just really poorly written and shown.

Plus I don't feel like Obi-Wan was a broken man who cut himself from the Force, the show never said that. The show showed that he was laying low until it was the appropriate time to train Luke.

It's really apparent that this show, which started as a film, has gone through several rewrites and that Disney needed it out at some point instead of flatout cancelling it or giving it time to actually be something interesting.
 
eli said:
I felt like the rebellious child part was just to show that she was always a rebel rather than that she started to grasp her responsibilities. thus. no growth.
If you have to twist to think how a character must've grown maybe it's just really poorly written and shown.

Plus I don't feel like Obi-Wan was a broken man who cut himself from the Force, the show never said that. The show showed that he was laying low until it was the appropriate time to train Luke.

It's really apparent that this show, which started as a film, has gone through several rewrites and that Disney needed it out at some point instead of flatout cancelling it or giving it time to actually be something interesting.
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They certainly do. He can’t even use the force when he tries to at first, on account of the fact that he stopped using it while in hiding.
 
The most apparent problem of the show for me was that there were no identifiable stakes, and the overall plot felt shallow and meaningless as a result. It is a problem that is inherent when you try to tell a story where it is obvious that all major characters have plot armour, because everyone knows they are still alive and well a decade later in the timeline. As opposed to, say, Rogue One, where you also went in knowing the outcome, but it was still engaging to watch how it unfolded exactly, mostly because the stakes were higher. And most of all because there was more freedom in how the story unfolds, since it did not focus on major characters you already know, have seen prior, and thus have formed expectations on how they should act and behave in different situations.

Outside of some interactions between Kenobi and Anakin/Vader, the execution of this show's premise was just not very compelling to me. There are some weird inconsistencies in the motivations of different characters, that make it seem like the whole concept of the series was not really fleshed out and like they were making shit up along the way to steer the plot into the direction they needed in order to not contradict the OT too much. There were some enjoyable bits and pieces in there, but overall it felt lackluster, and relied on callbacks to the prequels, Rebels, and the OT more heavily than I would have liked.

I was already down on BoBF, and while I enjoyed Kenobi better than that, I think it just further emphasised for me that Disney is choosing quantity over quality when it comes to their Star Wars projects, which honestly, it is my fault for not realising this straight away when they announced like a dozen new projects at once.
 
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eli said:
You're right it's now the best series ever.
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....that's not what any of us said though. Sheesh.

Edit: It's a 6/10 show for me, with some high moments and some dragging bits. Not great, but not awful either.
 
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JR436 said:
Not to pick on anyone specifically, but the notion that there was no character growth for anyone in this show is one I just can't agree with.

Obi-Wan starts out as a broken man who has cut himself off from the Force and sees watching over Luke as his only purpose. By the end he has rediscovered himself as a person and as a Jedi, and has reconnected with the Force.

Leia starts out as a rebellious child who doesn't grasp her responsibilities, and is insecure about her parentage. By the end she has started to move past these things and has started her growth into the rebel leader she will become.

It's basic stuff but there is definitely growth, even if there's a lot of messy stuff in and around the series.
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Yeah, Obi-wan had a very well defined arc from an untrusting broken man who'd outright lost his connection to the Force and wouldn't help anyone to getting back to the Jedi he once was. Anyone who says there was no arc needs to pay better attention to their media. It was well done and beautifully acted.

Vader was fascinating. A force of nature, however he's a deeply broken man who has never learned from his mistakes; as he says he killed Anakin he thinks he sounds badass but he actually absolves Obi-wan (and makes what he says true, from a certain point of view). For the first time here, Vader and Anakin feel like the same person. I'm definitely up for more exploration of what's inside Vader's head.
 
absolutely loved the finale. Young Leia was casted perfectly. Got emotional when Obi Wan talked about her parents. Got teary eyed not gonna lie.
The show has its weaknesses of course but overall as someone growing up with the prequels its probably my favorite Star Wars thing since 2005.
 
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