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Full Series The Mortis Opinion Poll

Discussion in 'Star Wars TV- Completed Shows' started by Orrelios, Mar 29, 2013.

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So What Do You Think Of The Mortis Arc?

  1. I Like/Love It

    62.1%
  2. I Dislike/Hate It

    15.5%
  3. I Have No Strong Feelings One Way Or The Other

    22.4%
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  1. Praenomen Cognomen

    Praenomen Cognomen Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 24, 2013

    Ha, I would say not to take it too seriously if that's how you feel. The Force is as much Mortis as it is... yunno... not Mortis. It's all-encompassing, so just as one character would see meaning in Mortis and another wouldn't, the same goes for viewers.
     
  2. anakinfansince1983

    anakinfansince1983 Skywalker Saga/LFL/YJCC Manager star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Mar 4, 2011
    I think an explanation would make me hate it more.
     
  3. Circular Logic

    Circular Logic Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 3, 2013
    I get where you're coming from, and I would probably take more time to respond to this in a bit more detail, but right now I'm rather jetlagged and gradually recalibrating my circadian rhythm. I also want to save some discussion for the Mortis episode regrade threads. But here's what I feel about this particular arc.

    I think Overlords could well have worked as a standalone due to its relatively nice resolution at the end of the episode, where Anakin proves himself as the Chosen One to the Father. I thought the episode did an excellent job of exploring the mythical concepts of the Force, while keeping that aura of mystery that makes it so intriguing and unique to the SW universe. I thought that the last two episodes, while fascinating, seemed largely extraneous due to some rather ham-fisted execution, particularly in the final episode, Ghosts of Mortis; Anakin's mind-wipe following the Son's revelation of his future seemed like a cop-out, as others have mentioned.

    As you stated, the concept of balance is explored to a great degree in this arc, but I feel much of it is left ambiguous. What exactly does it mean to "bring balance to the Force"? From my experience, different people have different opinions on the matter. Does bringing balance mean restoring the Force to harmony by returning the Dark Side to its original state, rather than the bloated, powerful, corrupting influence described as the "shroud" of the Dark Side clouding everything, as eht13 believes? Is it completely eradicating the powerful influence of the Sith in the galaxy, as represented by Palpatine and his apprentice? Or is it something else entirely?

    Overlords seems to imply that the Light Side and the Dark Side are supposed to be in perfect balance with one another, like yin and yang. Just look at the symbol inscribed on the ground of the Father's arena where Anakin brings the Son and the Daughter to heel:
    [​IMG]
    I know this has been discussed extensively, but what do you personally think this balance means?
     
    eht13 likes this.
  4. cwustudent

    cwustudent Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 25, 2011
    I don't disagree with you or anyone that thinks Overlords could/should be a standalone. It does everything it intended to do, and without just saying, "Anakin, you are the Chosen One." It showed us.

    Its those two other episodes that open the can of worms. All those metaphors. There's no point ignoring those two, so I'd like to find the meaning. I don't think they were excuses to have dark Ahsoka and a vision of Vader. There's more to it.
    Firstly, thank you for posting that picture.
    Balance. When you go outside, and the sun warms your skin. You think, this feels good. After a while, you stand under a tree, and the shade feels good, too. I think its important to distinguish good in context. I'm not talking about morality. Just merely noting that two opposites can be good at the same time. Its like the sun everyday, its wonderful to have sun, but its also good to have night. That's balance.

    Then I suppose we have to talk about morality. I think some are confusing this symbol, like the one above, as suggesting that for balance to occur, does that mean the universe must be overrun by 50% goodies and 50% baddies? That wouldn't make sense, because we all recognize that bad is bad for everyone, not just the goodies. We try to minimize bad. On the flip side, how can too much good be bad? Its not too much good; its just too much of anything. Its the lesson of moderation. Walking the middle path. So "good" in this context, in the sense of morality, is when everyone's needs are met. "Bad" would be an imbalance in the system: someone doesn't have enough, because someone else has too much.

    When I think about Anakin, he also seems to have an innate sense of balance, but he doesn't recognize it. You have the Jedi telling him, no attachments, grrr!!! Then you have Palpatine saying, do whatever you want, buddy, indulge!!! I don't think either side got it right. Both sides were driving Anakin to excess. He needed to recognize both sides of his being: his need to serve others, and his need to serve himself. He kept trying to separate them, when he needed to unite both sides.

    Anakin also lived approximately 10 years with his mom, and then approximately 10 years with the Jedi. I found it interesting that he came to a crossroad around 20. He never had to choose between being a Jedi and being a husband, because he was already both. Just like he didn't have to choose between saving Ahsoka or Obi-Wan, he could save them both.

    Then I wonder if Anakin just needed a hug.
     
  5. anakinfansince1983

    anakinfansince1983 Skywalker Saga/LFL/YJCC Manager star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Mar 4, 2011
    Anakin needed a hug and a face-slap. Now there's balance.
     
  6. EHT

    EHT Manager Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 13, 2007
    Circular_Logic : Thanks for the tag, and that's a very good summary of my take on what balance of the Force means. That also explains why I hated the inclusion of that yin-yang inspired symbol in the Mortis arc. A) it's heavy-handed, and B) to me, the yin-yang view doesn't fit with the Force as presented to us by the movies.

    anakinfansince1983 : Perfect. That's the balance that could have helped Anakin. :p
     
  7. Darth_Hydra

    Darth_Hydra Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 14, 2001
    Hated everything about the trilogy. Hopefully it'll all be forgotten now that TCW is over(and yes I know about the unreleased bonus material).
     
    anakinfansince1983 likes this.
  8. al patrickson

    al patrickson Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    May 17, 2013
    I have one theory about the Mortis trilogy.

    I asked Dave a question at the panel at Comic-Con for Season4 of "The Clone Wars" about the Mortis trilogy and my question was "Is Mortis the home planet of the Force?" The reason I asked was because in a commercial for S3, there was a question Ahsoka asked in her mind which was "Where does the Force come from really?" And, I believe that question was answered in S3 in the Mortis trilogy when I suddenly thought in my mind "Oh. I now think Mortis is where the Force really comes from". I asked Dave if it was true, and he said he wouldn't answer that because there are episodes coming in the future (hopefully in the Yoda arc in the "bonus content") that touch back and answer a lot of those questions about the Mortis trilogy. I have more evidence to support my theory of Mortis being the home planet of the Force:

    1) Mortis is described as a conduit and fulcrum for the Force which my mother says those two words kind of mean "home".

    2) Obi-Wan also said in the beginning of the arc "This planet is the Force".

    So, what do you think? Is Mortis the home planet of the Force? Give me your opinions.
     
    AkashKedavra_93 likes this.
  9. ThatsNoPloKoon

    ThatsNoPloKoon Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Apr 24, 2013
    I don't think the Force has a home planet. It just is. Always has been. Since the dawn of the universe.
     
  10. EHT

    EHT Manager Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 13, 2007
    Right, the Force just is, and it always has been... and it's everywhere.
     
  11. anakinfansince1983

    anakinfansince1983 Skywalker Saga/LFL/YJCC Manager star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Mar 4, 2011
    How can something that surrounds us, penetrates us and binds the galaxy together have a home planet?
     
    eht13 likes this.
  12. darklordoftech

    darklordoftech Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Sep 30, 2012
    Reminds me of http://boards.theforce.net/threads/savage-opress.31175693/page-31.
     
  13. Deputy Rick Grimes

    Deputy Rick Grimes Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Sep 3, 2012
    I don't know, someone will have to explain that
     
  14. Praenomen Cognomen

    Praenomen Cognomen Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 24, 2013

    Sorry to argue with your mother, but, unless she's "THE" mother... heheh...

    Conduit and fulcrum don't mean "home." A conduit is a concentrated channel through which something is conveyed, so as it pertains to this, Mortis is like a concentrated spot where the Force becomes tangible, literal, albeit in symbols which convey only a small comprehensible fraction of what the Force is. Fulcrum means the point between two extremes where a balance is reached, like the center of a seesaw, and in this case, that means that it's sort of the middle point between light and dark.
     
  15. darklordoftech

    darklordoftech Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Sep 30, 2012
    "No wonder Luke was always looking to the stars... the force was located just beyond the Outer Rim.:p"
    - SithStarSlayer
     
    SithStarSlayer likes this.
  16. SithStarSlayer

    SithStarSlayer Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Oct 23, 2003
    U should sig that.:p
     
    darklordoftech likes this.
  17. darklordoftech

    darklordoftech Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Sep 30, 2012
    Will do.
     
  18. DANNASUK

    DANNASUK Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2012
    Mortis was brilliant in depicting the role of the Chosen One in the Galaxy.

    It implied Anakin had no choice, but to turn to the Dark Side in order to fulfill the Prophecy of the Chosen One. Remember the words of Yoda, "A prophecy misread, perhaps" and the Jedi assumed the Chosen One only had to defeat the Sith to bring balance. Not the Jedi Order, as well.
     
  19. anakinfansince1983

    anakinfansince1983 Skywalker Saga/LFL/YJCC Manager star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Mar 4, 2011
    If Anakin had no choice, his story really had no point and no impact.

    "Yeah, we knew he was going to overthrow Palpatine, and we knew that he had to turn to the Dark Side to do it, he couldn't have any other options. Nothing to see here, he's just doing what the prophecy said, move along."
     
  20. Heero_Yuy

    Heero_Yuy Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 28, 2000
    ^ Exactly. Which is why the Chosen One crap is one of the worst ideas Lucas has ever had.
     
  21. Darth Eddie

    Darth Eddie Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 14, 2013
    Mortis is just a prismic metaphor, and the obligatory mind-trip episode(s) of the series. I love them, and love to analyze them, ultimately though I don't regard Mortis as some sort of paradigm shift in what the force is in the bigger picture.
     
    VanishingReality likes this.
  22. VanishingReality

    VanishingReality Jedi Knight star 3

    Registered:
    Apr 21, 2013
    It's a very mindrape-y arc, especially since it's kind of between a few arcs that are no where near as surreal and weird. Despite the fact that it traumatized me on a whole, there were some parts I liked. The designs for the force personifications were pretty cool- mirroring the First Jedi and Sith. The fact that it was all kept vague- maybe it was a dream, or aliens or the force messing with them, really helped make it work for me.

    Also I loved the setting of the world, that turned from dark and dead wasteland to a paradise with happy sunshine at jarrring times. That's perfect symbolism for the changing nature of light and dark. I also enjoyed Anakin's dismissive attitude toward his own prophecy, which makes sense because the show as well as the characters never really reference or explain the prophecy aside from this point.

    The parts I didn't so much like: All the stuff that just seemed to make no sense or be there for shocking the viewers purposes. The force-personifications dying, the Son turning into Shmi and dissing Padme, the creepy vibes of the Daughter despite being a light-side personification, Qui-gon's bewildering appearance, the warnings of future!Ahsoka, Anakin going insane, and probably the scariest of all that will haunt my nightmares- Yandere Ahsoka.

    I'm kind of surprised (and very relieved) that they didn't just make Obi-wan turn to the dark side too while they were at it.
     
  23. Circular Logic

    Circular Logic Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 3, 2013
    What? You don't like the Harley Quinn-esque Dark Ahsoka? Blasphemy! :p

    [​IMG]
    I find your lack of faith...HILARIOUS! [face_tee_hee]

    Wait, you're serious?

    [​IMG]
    *Ignites sabers* Then I'll be the monster in your nightmares! [face_skull]

    But in all due seriousness, I found Dark Ahsoka to be quite entertaining and at times more interesting and enjoyable than normal Ahsoka. A glimpse into a potential dark future for Anakin's Padawan, perhaps? Ultimately averted when Ahsoka departs the Order...or so it would seem.
     
  24. Darth Valkyrus

    Darth Valkyrus Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 12, 2013
    This made me laugh out loud. It should have been in the screenshot caption thread.
     
    Circular_Logic likes this.
  25. CT-867-5309

    CT-867-5309 Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Jan 5, 2011

    Highly unlikely if the Force is created by life.
     
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