Intertrilogy Mirroring

I was watching TPM on my computer last night when I noticed something interesting and I can't believe that its taken me 5 years to pick up on this. The Phantom Menace mirrors Return of the Jedi.

Queen Amidala=Emperor Palpatine

Official of Colors of Naboo/the Republic=Sith Colors

Padme's Handmaidens=Palpatine's Imperial Royal Guards

Gungans=Ewoks

Attack on the Controlship=Battle of Endor

Anakin in the Control's hold=Death Star Core Strike

Gungan/Droid battle=Rebels/Ewoks/Imperials forest battle

Jinn/Maul/Kenobi duel=Sidious/Vader/Skywalker duel

Darth Maul falling down the melting pit=Sidious be thrown down the rector shaft

Theed Palace=Endor Bunker

Qui-gon's funeral pyre=Vader's funeral pyre

Augie's Municpal Band=The Emperor's Theme

I was really surprised by all the similarities between the two films. I wonder if there are any other such instances in the other movies.

 

According to Georgie boy, TPM is meant to purposely meant to mirror ROTJ to "bookend" the Saga. But then ROTS is meant to mirror ROTJ to parallel the third acts. And there is ROTJ itself. So really, half of the six film saga is just ROTJ !! (did i just blow your mind or what?)

 

In Saga you belong. Hmmm, yes!

 

good post


Official of Colors of Naboo/the Republic=Sith Colors

Padme's Handmaidens=Palpatine's Imperial Royal Guards


Yep, they both have red robed bodyguards. Where else is this shown?



Gungans=Ewoks


This one goes a lot deeper than most people realise.



Attack on the Controlship=Battle of Endor

Anakin in the Control's hold=Death Star Core Strike

Gungan/Droid battle=Rebels/Ewoks/Imperials forest battle


Good eye.



Darth Maul falling down the melting pit=Sidious be thrown down the rector shaft

Qui-gon's funeral pyre=Vader's funeral pyre


TPM - Youngest Sith falls to death, Obi-Wan becomes Jedi, Qui-Gon dies in Obi-Wan's arms.
ROTJ - Oldest Sith falls to death, Luke becomes Jedi, Anakin dies in Luke's arms.

-Qui-Gon's last words: "He is the chosen one, he will bring balance. Train him."
-Anakin's last words: "You were right. Tell your sister... you were right." This is after he has just brought balance as Qui-Gon foretold.



Augie's Municpal Band=The Emperor's Theme


Really? Could you point out the scenes?



I wonder if there are any other such instances in the other movies.

Sidious voice: "More than you know."

 

Yup, the ending celebration theme is in fact the same tune as the Emperors. Listen to the way they child-sounding choir sounds at the very end of TPM during the celebration--its just like a faster and higher-pitched version of the Emperor's choir tune. Very subtle touch. When TPM came out TF.N had an audio clip posted that compared the two (probably deleted by now) and it is indeed the exact same music.

 

I've posted in another thread that if you look at the six films as a mirror, then TPM would be the reverse image of ROTJ; AOTC that of ESB; and ROTS that of ANH. When you compare the films in that manner, the parallels are quite revealing and beautiful, in a sense. It gives a unity and span to the saga that is noticeable upon distant reflection, not when watching an individual film; the credit to this must go to Lucas who has commented on this saga mirroring.

Edit: Spelling

 

I agree with you, but i would call 1-3 and 3-6 reverse images.

I think the mirrors you described are slightly too subtle to be called "reverse images" -
1 --- 6
2 - 5
3-4

Not that I can think of a better way to describe it. It is very hard to write a cohesive post on this subject if the person reading hasn't seen the links themselves.

 

I'm gonna list some mirrors present Ep1

The Phantom Menace:

- Opening scene takes place at Naboo, home planet of Palpatine, ruled by Amidala.
Episode 3 - Opening scene takes place at Coruscant, current home planet of both Palpatine and Padme. This planet is already basically ruled by Palpatine, as is the majority of the galaxy.


- In the opening scenes of TPM, both Sidious and Amidala speak to the Seperatists via video/hologram.
Episode 2 - In the opening scenes both Palpatine and Padme speak to the Jedi in person.

Apprentice Contrast - Sidious tells Nute Gunray via hologram that he is sending his apprentice Darth Maul to join Gunray on Naboo. Gunray is worried. Maul arrives and protects them.
Episode 3 - Sidious tells Gunray that he is sending his apprentice Darth Vader to Mustafar "to take care of" them. This time Gunray is completely trusting. Vader arrives and kills everyone.


- The fact that Anakin is a slave mirrors every "student-mentor" relation ship Anakin will ever have.

- Pointless one I thought of: Anyone notice that the Ep1 pod-race ends similarly to the Ep6 speeder-bike chase? Anakin's pod gets attached to Sebulba's, causing Sebulba to crash. In Return of the Jedi Luke's bike gets attached to a storm-troopers bike, and Luke bails from the bike. Anakin ended the race traditionally, Luke just uses his sabre

- The Jedi Council in Ep1 are shown residing in a tower very similar to the design of the Emperor's tower in Return of the Jedi. It's a nice visual parallel between the Jedi's rule at the height of the Republic and the Sith's rule during the strongest reign of the Empire.

- A Sith (Maul) falls down a big hole when Obi-Wan becomes a Jedi in Ep1. A Sith (Sidious) falls down a big hole when Luke becomes a Jedi in Ep6.

 

Your arrogance blinds you Master Yoda
-Faith in your apprentice misplaced may be


Your overconfidence is your weakness
-And your faith in your friends is yours!


I INSTA noticed.

 

Ep. I
Naboo Royal Security defeats the TF Battle Droids within the city of Theed so Padme and Co. can capture Nute

Ep. V
Cloud City Police defeat the Imperial Stormtroopers so Leia and Chewie can try to aprehend Boba Fett

 

I don't think The Phantom Menace mirrors Return Of The Jedi. It mirrors A New Hope, but I don't like using the word mirrors. They just have the same themes.

The Phantom Menace:
The Jedi Master (Qui-Gon) is killed by the Sith Apprentice (Darth Maul) and the student (Obi-Wan) must go on without the master.

A New Hope:
The Jedi Master (Obi-Wan) is killed by the Sith Apprentice (Darth Vader) and the student (Luke) must go on without the master.

The Phantom Menace:
The small band of freedom fighters (Naboo pilots) must destroy the battle station (Trade Federation control ship). Notice how the Trade Federation control ship has a sphere that looks just like a small Death Star.

A New Hope:
The small band of freedom fighters (Rebel pilots) must destroy the battle station (Death Star).

The Phantom Menace:
A boy (Anakin) takes the first steps of his journey.

A New Hope:
A boy (Luke) takes the first steps of his journey.

 

*sigh*

TPM mirrors ANH & ROTJ
AOTC mirrors ANH & TESB
ROTS mirrors TESB & ROTJ

note - ep1 mirrors ep4 & 6 showing the full opening to ending of a period in time

then ep2-3 mirrors ep4 - 6 again showing a period in time (the clone wars)

for all those interested in these inter-trilogy mirrors i strongly advise u to check out the visual storytelling at its greatest thread on page 1 of saga forum