Saga What's your favorite small detail from the Saga?

I'm dying

I'm not sure if this really counts as a detail, but these two conversations seem to fit together so nicely. They make Return of the Jedi so, so touching. Were it not for these two conversations, Return of the Jedi wouldn't have as much finality as it does. These quotes were lifted from IMDB.

Conversation 1:
Luke: Search your feelings, Father, you can't do this. I feel the conflict within you. Let go of your hate.
Darth Vader: It is too late for me, son. The Emperor will show you the true nature of the Force. He is your master now.
Luke: Then my father is truly dead.

I bolded that line because it has always held so much weight for me. It reveals the humanity that still lives in Vader. Everyone always complains about how the PT made Vader a tragic hero instead of an epic villain, but in my opinion it was subtly established here. The delivery of the line by James Earl Jones coupled with the body language by David Prowse make this line come to life. Now we can see that Vader isn't necessarily proud of where he is. He almost sounds regretful. He can't turn back, even if he wanted to. Or so he thinks...

Conversation 2:
Darth Vader: Luke... help me take this mask off.
Luke: But you'll die.
Darth Vader: Nothing... can stop that now. Just for once... let me... look on you with my *own* eyes.
[Luke takes off Darth Vader's mask one piece at a time. Underneath, Luke sees the face of a pale, scarred, bald-headed, old man - his father, Anakin. Anakin sadly looks at Luke]
Anakin: Now... go, my son. Leave me.
Luke: No. You're coming with me. I'll not leave you here, I've got to save you.
Anakin: You already... have, Luke. You were right. You were right about me. Tell your sister... you were right.
[Anakin slumps down in death]
Luke: Father... I won't leave you.

Vader is saying that Luke was right about the good still being within him. The conflict that Luke was referencing was truly there, and his father redeemed himself (and saved the galaxy in the process). The delivery of those lines are so touching. Vader's final lines could not have been better.

 

I like when Han tries to assuage the Ewoks by telling them that Threepio is an old friend of his. It's nice to hear Han acknowledge that he and Threepio are friends, even if slightly sardonically.

 

When 3PO is boarding the Falcon in ANH and he walks past Han and cheerfully says "Hello, sir." Followed by the world's biggest eye roll from Han.

 

Going along with this, the music that plays as Vader dies is a really soft, piano version of the Imperial march.

 

Another subtle musical cue: the space battle in ROTJ. As the rebel pilots report in and Wedge says "lock s-foils in attack position," the main theme is heard very subtly while the ships prepare for battle. It's like the calm before the storm but also a call-back to ANH, like "here we go one last time."



Right after 1:20 in the video

 

Han covering Threepio's faceplate in ESB to get him to shut up is fairly genius.

 

I love those too, especially how Bail clenches his left hand spasmodically, almost fearfully/guiltily, as though he's just had a flash of premonition of the dark future into which this war is going to lead his beloved Republic, and feels responsible for having been complicit in it.

 

I'm not sure if my memory is faulty (I actually haven't seen the full films in years now, ack!), but I think I'm fondly remembering a moment that was cut from ANH. Anyhoo, if it was indeed trimmed out, I would have liked that little moment where Luke is about to put the restraining bolt back on C-3PO, but instead decides not to. It's a nice, subtle hint to how trusting he is, and how he's already starting to consider the droids as more than just droids, which is a start to how he treats them as friends later on in the saga.

 

Palps cackling when he's fighting Yoda. He either really digs fighting Yoda or loves the sound of his own laugh. Either way that fight wouldn't have been as good without all that sinister cackling.

 

You're right - it was cut out of the film (apparently it was shot, it's just never been publicly seen), but it appears in the novel, that's probably where you remember it from.

 

Ahh, okay then, thanks for clearing that up. Maybe stills of it have wound up online or something too, because I thought I remembered actually seeing it somehow. Oh well!

 

You might have seen a 'still' of it in a SW Insider issue which covered the 'Lost Cut' from 1976. The still itself wouldn't have looked much different to the rest of the scene, Luke is repairing Threepio's arm anyway, so if you read it anywhere which described the scene which was accompanied by a shot of Luke & Threepio, there you go.

 

Who is the third biggest villain? I can't decide between Dooku and Tarkin.

 

PT/OT. You don't have to decide. Both.

 

Hey, there's somebody else that thinks so! In my opinion, it just looks so much better than a hyper-realistic door.

 

When Vader walks up to the Imperial Tie-Fighter pilots and says "Several fighters have broken off from the main group. Come with me." and they walk off to their fighters. The music and the sirens (I think they were going off) make this scene pretty memorable imo.

 

-There's a deleted scene in Empire of Leia and Luke discussing Han's carbon freeze and Luke wryly remarks "poor Han" as though he really wasn't that surprised to hear his friend getting into so much trouble.

-On the Sail Barge in RoTJ when Luke says "I've taken care of everything" and Han is still incredulous about it: "Oh, great."

-I noticed this after the previous scene when I was watching RoTJ: Before Jabba tries to have Luke, Han and Chewie executed, R2 is seen moving inconspicuously to the top deck of the Sail Barge. Boba Fett turns his head towards R2's suspicious movements. Obviously he knew Luke wasn't going into the Sarlaac without a battle, and this was going to be his chance to confront him. It reminds the audience that his loyalty was to himself rather than Jabba or the Empire.

-When Han says "Hey, it's me" to Luke and Leia on Endor and they look at each other sarcastically. It's the whole camaraderie of the characters who undoubtedly have each other's backs in all these impossible situations.

 

Yeah, I LOLed at that too.

 

I love how it rains ashes on Mygeeto. It's a truly creative concept.

 

The floor of the room that Anakin is being operated and turned into Vader is the Imperial Crest. Love that detail.

 

When the Ewoks start worshipping C-3PO, Luke is chuckling in the background.

I also liked when non-Jedi characters say "May the Force Be With You/Us." It makes the Force more exclusive and not just for the use of the genetically lucky.

 

The Republic symbol becoming the Imperial symbol. I love the irony that the Empire was once the Republic.

 

• The languages! Not everyone speaks Basic, and yet we can understand them thanks to context. Also like how Nien Nunb's language is an actual Earth language. How cool is that?
• When the Stormtrooper hits his head on the door. Yeah, can't see much outta those eyeholes can ya, bud?
• Covering 3PO's speaker makes him shut up?? 1. speakers don't work that way, but 2. why doesn't someone do that more often?
• Corpsey the Ewok. Not all the good guys win.
• Seeing Moff Tarkin (don't think he's "Grand Moff, yet) in ROTS. Such an amazing double!
• "That business on Cato Neimoidia doesn't, doesn't count." Having a bit of trouble, trouble speaking? Even very powerful Jedi aren't perfect!
• Aurra Sing in TPM. Don't know why I like that... just interesting.
• And, finally, Robot Chicken and Family Guy doing their thing with the movies. LOVE that. Yeah, it's not in the actual Saga, but related. So sue me.

 

Really? I always thought his head was painfully fake-looking.

Although interestingly, he was apparently played by Wayne "Scorpius" Pygram, who wouldn't be a bad Young Tarkin.

 

Isn't there a harp in there?