TV Discussion LACWAC Member Interviews (★☆★ SpecialOpsUnit & Fives_Says_No_To_Sixes ★☆★)

Todd the Jedi

Duros?

Well, I love Cad Bane, but no. Probably a Nautolan. Despite being humanoid, it'd be a very different experience. To start with, the ability to live in the underwater cities of Glee Anselm - surely, that would be awesome?

Then there's the head tendrils. On land, they'd act as a very different kind of hair, but underwater they'd practically be their own limbs, floating all around. Plus, they all have that winning Fisto smile!

 

My thoughts exactly!

 

Todd the Jedi

Gosh, that one's actually really difficult. I absolutely love telekinesis, but I'd be immediately locked up by some secret service if I used it in public. Force cloak, I would actually be able to use, and since there presumably aren't others with Force powers, it would have great use. I could get into places I'm not supposed to, and I'm a curious person.

But if I wasn't being selfish, Force healing would probably be for me. I could basically be a super-medic. It'd be the most gratifying Force power to have, and I'd live happy using that one to help others.

 

Todd the Jedi

Empire Strikes Back. I'm a firm believer that SW is strongest when the bad guys are strongest. The latter half of ROTS is the best part of the Prequels, and Empire is the best of the originals.

It gave us a darker look at the Rebellion, we actually seeing them be blown to bits and run off of Hoth by the Empire. Snowspeeders vs. AT-ATs. Thereafter, the story splits into two, and we get a much better look at Han and Leia than we ever got in ANH. Oh, and asteroid sequence! Their romance is handled brilliantly, obviously ended with that classic line, "I know." Lando is charming. Very charming.

Luke goes to Dagobah, and we're introduced to Yoda (!), who just sells the mysticism of the Force. His lines on Dagobah are still what we, as SW fans, refer to to define the Force.

Vader and Skywalker. Fett and Solo. These are rivalries that work, and they generate tension for the audience. The first lightsaber battle between Vader and Luke is an awesome moment, and there is truly the feeling Luke could die towards the end of that duel.

It also ends with a superb downer ending, with Han gone, Luke defeated, and the Empire clearly gaining the upper hand over the Rebellion. You commonly find that the second entry in a trilogy is the worst, usually not progressing the story, and feeling like an unnecessary chapter. Empire proves this doesn't have to be the case. SW at it's very best.

As for the list:

V: The Empire Strikes Back
IV: A New Hope
III: Revenge of the Sith
II: Attack of the Clones
VI: Return of the Jedi

 

07jonesj Did you leave out TPM on purpose?

 

Todd the Jedi

Yeah, I don't like TPM. I mean, first of all, it's boring. Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Padme, Anakin... the film doesn't invest me in them. Anakin himself is annoying. They took Vader and did Jake Lloyd.

Maul has no character whatsoever, and is basically just a red obstacle holding a lightsaber. Trade disputes! I actually like SW politics, but it wasn't executed well here.

Jar Jar. Jar Jar. Jar Jar. He's not funny. Until Gascon and WAC-47, he was the worst SW character to be seen on-screen.

I simply don't enjoy watching it, and that's after all what SW is - entertainment. I own it only because you get all six films in the DVD, and then the Blu-Ray set. I don't watch it when I do a saga run-through.

I don't hate it. I love it, in fact! I just think after ANH and ESB, it was a little disappointing. On the contrary, AOTC and ROTS seem better because TPM is so bad (for me, obviously).

There's no beating the Yub-Yub ending.

 

Todd the Jedi

Season 4 > Season 3 > Season 2 > Season 5 > Season 1

Season 4 is the pinnacle of the show for me. Umbara delivered a dark (literally), brutal battlefield environment, whilst giving us a look at how clones differ from each other, and what can happen when a Jedi goes bad. There were some sad losses, with the clone vs. clone reveal being one of the most poignant of the show for me. Order 66 vibes too. Straight after, we have the comic adaptation (I haven't read it) of Slaves of the Republic. We get to see Anakin get angry in a more believable way than we did during the PT, and there's a great ROTJ homage. Miraj was an intriguing character, and I really loved Obi-Wan's content. Him having to stop being a Jedi to save others is what I want to see from the upcoming Kenobi novel.

Then there's the Hardeen/Deception arc, giving focus to Obi-Wan's character in full. This arc was a lot of fun for me. I love Cad Bane, and seeing him and Obi-Wan go on a bounty hunting escapade together was superb. Got to love the Council development with Anakin too. One of the most relevant arcs to ROTS. Next, we follow Asajj again, and are delivered a heart-breaking story with her entire clan being wiped out, and her being left all alone. Then she joins up with Boba Fett! Great character arc.

Maul resurrected (kind of)! Despite me still being iffy on bringing characters back to life (I just dislike the very notion), but there's no denying it was delivered with quality. Brothers was very cinematic, and had great build-up, and Spider-Maul was actually quite creepy. Maul is back, and a duel with Obi-Wan and Asajj together?!? /faints It was well choreographed, and a strong season finale.

I actually really enjoyed the Droids homage episodes. 3PO and R2 are the SW comedy duo, not Jar Jar or WAC. A 45-minute adventure romp, it surprisingly contains another of the most poignant moments of the show - R2 and 3PO shutting down during Nomad Droids. It's the closest we've ever got to a death scene for these guys, and I'm not going to lie, I almost teared up. I generally prefer more adult, darker stories. SW is where I let more of my inner child out, and these two droids represent that for me.

The Dac arc was eye-pleasing, and the battle sequences were truly unique for the show, but plot-wise it was nothing special. So merely good, rather than great.

Season 4 has 21 episodes I love, the only one missing it's mark being Shadow Warrior (seriously, why was that ending so rushed? If you're not going to finish the episode, don't create it in the first place!).

I seem to have created a WOT just covering one season, so I'll briefly cover the others.

Season 3 had a strange first half. The opener was brilliant, giving us two more looks at the lives of Domino squad. Then we get Supply Lines, a pointless episode. Sphere of Influence, another pointless episode. Corruption, just terrible. From there, it improves, and Heroes on Both Sides is possibly the show's best political episode, focusing on the Separatist Senate, something I wanted to see more of. Show us Dooku being this charming spokesperson. Show us how the CIS stole so many systems from the Republic.

The second half was 11 episodes of amazing, and the turning point for the show in terms of animation quality. The Nightsisters trilogy was a showcase of what TCW can pull off, and I, for one, am a fan of Mortis.

Season 2 lived up to the potential of what we saw build up during the first season. Despite not being my favourite season, it is certainly the most consistent in terms of quality, with no really bad episodes. The Geonosis storyline was especially involving, with huge battles and... zombies? Yes, the Geonosian brain worms were pretty cool, again with Order 66 vibes in Brain Invaders. Mandalore was introduced and Boba Fett joined up with Aurra Sing.

Season 5 was very strong too. I actually like Onderon, and the Young Jedi arc was surprisingly well made. The last two arcs are some of the best material we've seen. There's a huge hole in the middle of the season though. Gascon!!! 88 minutes of the worst SW ever put to screen. Who approved that mess?

Season 1 is the least consistent. It has the B1 battle droids at the height of their stupidity, the animation is at it's weakest, and the story is at it's most fragmented. Ahsoka is also the least likable here, for me.

 

Todd the Jedi

Hot chocolate fudge cake. Sooooo yummy!

 

Todd the Jedi

If I told you, you'd have to suffer an unfortunate accident. With a spoon. And a chicken.

Ignore the avatar. I'm definitely not the Shadow Broker. Go back and read the text that was kindly sized correctly for you to read.

 

Todd the Jedi

That's tricky. I don't really read comic books, so I'm going purely from the films here.

Nolan's Batman trilogy are my favourite superhero movies ever. I just love the way they were done. They took the source material and made it gritty, mature. I'm pretty hyped for Man of Steel too, while Superman Returns was enjoyable, this looks to be on a whole other level of quality. But other than those? There isn't really anything else (wasn't really big on Watchmen).

Of course, the Batman: Arkham video games are the best.

Four great X-Men films (none of that Wolverine Origins nonsense, thanks), four great Spider-Man films, two Hulk films, three Iron Man films, Thor, Captain America, the Avengers.

With the Marvel Cinematic Universe too, it's all in a connected, shared universe, which just improves every film in the franchise. So while I love Batman, and Superman looks good, it really can't compete with just the sheer amount of great Marvel films.

Answer: Marvel.

 

Todd the Jedi

This entire place is a riot!

Yes, I'm dodging the question. My mind just doesn't "rate" people in that way. I've had funny conversations with many of the people in this community.

 

I'm actually not a big online gamer, I tend to favour story-focused games, but Battlefront is a series I will definitely play online.

It should have all the planets from the saga, and ideally, it would have the ground-to-space transitions present in the cancelled Battlefront III. I loved the space battles in Battlefront II, and would like to see it be more complex. Have the battles be dynamic. If one team is winning in space, they get more reinforcements to the ground, and vice versa, those winning on the ground have more ships to take to space. That way, it's a battle to win both battlefronts.

Vehicles. DICE understand them, and SW vehicles were really fun to use in the prior two games. Look awesome, feel awesome, sound awesome, play awesome. Be a modern Battlefront game.

Oh, and maybe have a new upgraded version of galactic conquest? It'd be a blast to be able to play a longer campaign against an opponent.

Unless they somehow screw this up, I'm already trying to pre-order it. I have a feeling EA acquiring the license will lead to a new renaissance of SW titles, and this is certainly a big step in the right direction.

 

Todd the Jedi

I'm a lucid dreamer. Not every night, but I can often manipulate my dreams.