PT Anyone who saw movies 1-3 first, could you please take this survey?

Thank you for agreeing to take this survey for my research paper. All of the questions in this survey require more than a yes/no answer; however, it is up to you how in depth you would like to go. If you feel more strongly about a certain question than another, you can certainly spend less time on the question you are less interested in. The longer the answers, the better, so don't feel like you have to shorten anything you are passionate about.
This is a 20 question survey. I'm letting you know beforehand because it is somewhat longer than other surveys; however, you DO NOT have to go into much depth if you do not want to. Simply answering the questions will work if you are pressed for time.
Please note that your name will not appear anywhere in my research paper. Thank you very much for participating in this survey. Also, this survey is specifically for the Star Wars FILMS ONLY. Anyone who has read books, comics, etc: please try not to be biased by other sources than the movies as I am only researching the movie for this particular research paper. Thank you once again!
1. In one sentence, what is your description of a villain?

2. Do you consider yourself a Star Wars fan? On a scale of 1-10, 1 being not a fan at all and 10 being a “super fan”, what would you consider yourself?

3. In what order did you first watch the Star Wars films?

A. Episodes 4-6 first, then Episodes 1-3 (A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith in that order.)
B. Episodes 1-3 first, then Episodes 4-6 (The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith, A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi in that order.)

4. Who is your favorite character from the films?

5. Who is your favorite villain from the films?

6. What is the first thing you think of when you think of your favorite villain from the film?

7. If your favorite villain was not the Emperor, what is the first thing you think of when you think of the Emperor?

8. If your favorite villain was not Darth Vader, what is the first thing you think of when you think of Darth Vader?

9. What is Senator Palpatine’s motivation for becoming the Emperor?

10. What is Anakin Skywalker’s motivation for becoming Darth Vader?

11. Do you feel sympathy for the Emperor?

12. Why or why not?

13. Do you feel sympathy for Darth Vader?

14. Why or why not?

15. When the Emperor died in Episode VI, what emotions did you feel, if any?

16. When Darth Vader died in Episode VI, what emotions did you feel, if any?

17. Do you think the Emperor fits into your description of a villain from question one?

18. Why or why not?

19. Do you think Darth Vader fits into your description of a villain from question one?

20. Why or why not?

 

1. In one sentence, what is your description of a villain?

Broadly defined, villain is a person who harms others and/or society in the pursuit of personal gain. In essence, they are an individual who is responsible for the suffering of others and accepts this in order to promote themselves.

2. Do you consider yourself a Star Wars fan? On a scale of 1-10, 1 being not a fan at all and 10 being a “super fan”, what would you consider yourself?

9, I guess. I don't really know what we're comparing against, but I imagine I spend much more time thinking about these films than 90% of the population. But I don't think I'm quite as obsessive as some fans (not that that's a bad thing).

3. In what order did you first watch the Star Wars films?

A. Episodes 4-6 first, then Episodes 1-3 (A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith in that order.)
B. Episodes 1-3 first, then Episodes 4-6 (The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith, A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi in that order.)

I didn't precisely watch it 1-3, then 4-6. I actually watched 1 and 2 completely first and then watched fragments of 4-6 (I fell asleep through large swathes of those films during a long car ride). This was before ROTS was released.

Then I watched them 1-6 all the way through when ROTS came out. So I guess the first time I watched all the films completely was 1-6. Sorry if that's not exactly what you're looking for. To be honest, though, I didn't realize that 1-3 and 4-6 were part of the same story until I saw Episode III, so I did go into ROTS unspoiled about basically everything.

4. Who is your favorite character from the films?

Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader

5. Who is your favorite villain from the films?

Palpatine

6. What is the first thing you think of when you think of your favorite villain from the film?

Manipulation

7. If your favorite villain was not the Emperor, what is the first thing you think of when you think of the Emperor?

N/A

8. If your favorite villain was not Darth Vader, what is the first thing you think of when you think of Darth Vader?

Anakin. I have a tendency to think of Vader primarily as Anakin rather than the other way around. "Darth Vader" really comes across as more of a title to me than a name or identity.

If you're talking about a quality, then I would say "fear" -- he both induces it and suffers from it terribly.

9. What is Senator Palpatine’s motivation for becoming the Emperor?

Power and, to a lesser degree, revenge. The Sith once controlled the galaxy but were forced to hide in the shadows for over 1000 years by the Jedi Order. I would argue that Palpatine largely seeks to destroy the Jedi Order in "repayment" for this act. But I think it is also natural to Sith philosophy to seek more power -- to think inwards, only about oneself. And the ability to bend others to your will would be an important component of that system.

10. What is Anakin Skywalker’s motivation for becoming Darth Vader?

Fear. Control and a desire for power are also large motivators, but I would say those stem from fear -- from wanting to be able to control every aspect of his life so he can't lose the things he cares about and so he can make things the way he wants them to be.

11. Do you feel sympathy for the Emperor? 12. Why or why not?

If by sympathy you mean "Feelings of pity and sorrow for someone else's misfortune" then, no, I don't feel sympathy for the Emperor. Things go his way in the prequels and he succeeds in his endeavors, so there's not much misfortune to be had there and I could hardly pity such an individual. He doesn't appear in ANH (and barely in ESB where he's relegated mostly to exposition), so that leaves ROTJ and his death.

In that regard, I can say that while I do lament the loss of life, I also feel that it is an example in which killing is justified -- in order to save another's life (Luke's in this case).

I do feel compassion for the Emperor in the sense that I do wish he would "see the light," but considering Palpatine's character, I think he'd laugh at the notion.

13. Do you feel sympathy for Darth Vader?

Yes

14. Why or why not?

I think his existence is a largely pitiful one in that he spends much of life separated from the people he loves and ultimately loses everything and everyone he ever cared about, though by his own fault. He also spends over half his life under the heel of a man who manipulated him since he was a child. And I do think that there's something very tragic about his story -- that he could have been a great and good man had he not allowed his fears to overwhelm him.

It's also simply do to the fact that I can very much sympathize with his fears of losing those he cares about. To me, the people I love are my entire world, and a world without them is a world not worth living in. So Anakin's fears about losing his mother and his family resonate very powerfully with me.

And regardless of the evil he did (and how much he had it coming by his own actions), his fate is not one I would wish on anyone.

15. When the Emperor died in Episode VI, what emotions did you feel, if any?

Relief that Luke was saved
Joy that Anakin returned to the light and that the Rebellion was that much closer to freeing the galaxy.
But I was a bit sad for Palpatine as well -- he's an engaging character and one of my favorites. Regardless of the evil a person does, I do think that his death (and every such death) is tragic in that it eliminates any possibility for a change of heart or redemption.

16. When Darth Vader died in Episode VI, what emotions did you feel, if any?

Happiness that Anakin had returned and learned to death
Pride in Luke for believing in him
Sadness that they had so little time together
I was also gratified that Anakin made sure to make it known that it was Luke who was right, it was Luke who saved him

17. Do you think the Emperor fits into your description of a villain from question one?

Yes

18. Why or why not?

He builds a weapon capable of destroying a planet solely to keep the galaxy under his heel and in control. He doesn't care who and how many have to suffer for him to get what he wants -- power.

19. Do you think Darth Vader fits into your description of a villain from question one?

Yes

20. Why or why not?

Although I do think Anakin had some noble intentions (I think he legitimately believed that the galaxy would be a better place under the Empire for a long time), I don't think his rationalizations can excuse his villainous actions. He kills so that he can gain power, control, and keep the things he wants by his side. Thus, he's a villain. A hero like Luke would put the needs of others over his own desires and sacrifice what he wants to meet those needs.

 

Thanks so much! That definitely helped.

 

you already created this thread in swc..

 

I created a thread similiar - not the same one. This one is only for people who watched 1-3 first.