More Star Wars thoughts...

[darth_stitch]

Star Wars was and still remains my first fandom love, way before Lord of the Rings, way before Harry Potter, Highlander or the rest. Yes, fear me - I can love Star Wars and LOTR equally and see no point in comparing either film's pros and cons from end to end, simply because it's just plain a waste of time and effort. They're films and they're entertaining on their own particular terms. End of story. XP

It started with Return of the Jedi, the one movie I was old enough to see at the theater, which cemented my love for Ewoks, made me develop a phobia of frogs because of Jabba the Hutt (oddly enough, I adored Kermit on Sesame Street anyway) and that Certain Fellow in Black with the Scary Mask, the Deep Voice and the Bad Breathing Problem?

I was both fascinated and terrified of him.

And when Mommy Duck told me he was Luke Skywalker's Daddy - I was hooked completely.



See, Darth Vader started me on the road to musing about the good guys, the bad guys and the ones in between, the shades of gray and all that jazz. Also started my love of all the ambiguous/changeable/flawed/mysterious heroes/characters in any book/movie/tv show I ever saw.

So from Darth Vader, Ambiguous!Dracula and all his vampire spawn up and including Brat!Lestat and Louis, to Erik, the Phantom of the Opera, Nicholas Knight and Lucien Lacroix, Methos, Himura Kenshin/Hitokiri Battousai and Hajime Saitoh and at present, to Severus Snape - well, trace the similarities and you'll understand why I love the Bad Boys the way I love the Bad Boys. XP

So seeing ROTS was satisfying, although I still had some "Huh?!" moments, some nitpicky stuff, queries and Wise-Ass Cracks:

a. Why does Leia remember her "real" mother, if Padme died at childbirth?

Yeah, I know this is being asked everywhere. I don't buy that she was describing her adoptive mother, the only mother she has ever known. Luke specifically asks her, in Return of the Jedi, about her real mother and she understands that he means her blood parent, not the adoptive one.

*rolls eyes* The only thing I can think of is Padme hung around as a ghost. But then, why not hang around Luke, who was the child who carried her final hope - that good still remained in Anakin Skywalker? Leia certainly never struck me as having believed that and the Expanded Universe books have borne this out, although I think lots of fanfic, like fernwithy's stories, have handled it better.

b. General Grievous

Yes, I DID watch the Clone Wars cartoons. He was a complete bad-ass there; a total loser in the movie. Eh? Why? He's clearly beat the asses of a lot of trained, tough Jedi. But he turns into a wussy in the movie and somehow that kind of cheapens Obi-Wan's eventual kicking of his ass. *sigh*

c. The Opera

Yes, I know it was background. But it was a "DUH?!" kind of background. I knew what it was, because I hung around the spoiler boards more. I'm sure there was some bit of dialogue in the movie where Anakin or someone mentions that he is to attend the "opera" with Chancellor Palpatine. It's something easily missed with all the excitement going around and so if you go into that scene cold, you're left wondering, WHAT ON EARTH ARE THEY WATCHING?! My mother couldn't figure it out and I had to tell her - "weird, futuristic opera thing." She was confused. XP

d. Jar Jar Binks Should Have DIED. Preferably at Darth Vader's hands.

*grins* 'Nuff said.

e. I skimmed through Tatooine Ghost but is there any EU novel out there that finally, FINALLY had Luke and Leia finding out the name and identity of their real mother? And no, I'm not counting that idiotic book trilogy that sent Luke on a wild goose chase after some woman named "Nashira" or some such shit.

Really, have the Original Trilogy gang gone to Naboo? Did they ever learn about the young Queen who defied the Trade Federation and the little slave boy who was honored as a hero in that decisive battle?

Anyway, here's to the Star Wars saga and its most tragic hero, Anakin Skywalker. And to the fan fiction that best caught the saga's spirit and its characters, the best.

May the Force be with you, always.

Comments

[larochka173.livejournal.com]

hey gay... if you find any great fanfic, esp the alternative universe you were talking about, please send it my way, id like to read it.

also... i was wondering that about leia, i vaguely remember that. :)

[murasaki99.livejournal.com]

Let's see, so far, none of the EU SW books have Luke and Leia learning the name of their true mother - and I'm not sure why. No one remembers to quiz Ghost!Obi-Wan or Yoda next time they see them? Or Ghost!Anakin for that matter. There's NO records left on Padme Amidala? Why not?? And, Luke and Leia have FAMILY on Naboo! Padme had sisters, who probably married and had kids. The twins may have a passel of cousins by now.

*Grin* You need to read the Sith Academy's Iron Chef take off where Darth Maul competes using the featured ingredient, Gungan. :-D