[ROTS] ROTS effect on the Rest of the Saga

George Lucas has stated that he always planned that his Star Wars movie was always intended as the 4th of 6 movies. We have heard from those involved in the making of rots, from Lucas to Rick McCallum to Ewan and Hayden, that this movie will not only change the way we see Darth Vader, but how we view the entire saga.

I was watching ANH over the weekend to gear myself up for Wednesday night. And already my views of the movie has changed.

One way my view has changed is the inclusion of our beloved droids in the pt. When I first saw them in tpm, I groaned, and thought that GL was going a little far in including them, and to make connections. Now I see there importance, as through them, we are introduced to two of our new heroes Luke and Leia. And through them we meet up again with a hero from the pt, in Obi-Wan ?Ben? Kenobi. The way Luke is introduced, w/ Aunt Beru calling his name several times, so that we know who he is.

Also the way Obi-Wan is introduced has changed, and this is due to the wonderful performance by Sir Alec. When Luke says that R2 is looking for ?an Obi-Wan? check out Sir Alec?s performance. There is a look of fear in his eyes, and his body collapses. He is reconnected to a past that brings back some difficult memories.

So now that some of us have already seen rots, and many more of us will by Thursday, how has rots changed the way you view the rest of the saga?

 

I haven't seen ROTS yet, but I think it'll surround the Saga, penetrate the Saga...and bind it all together

 

After I have just seen the first two prequels and the teaser and trailer for ROTS, one of my favorite scenes in ANH is when Luke asks Ben about his father. It's pretty chilling to watch Ben's reaction after Luke asks "How did my father die?" *CHILLS*

 

Ghost, I haven't seen ROTS yet, but watched ANH yesterday and must've never noticed that Ben was visibly shaken when asked if he knew an Obi-wan Kenobi. Very good acting on his part.

I hope that more people realize what a global influence Star Wars (and Lucas) has had on society. Hopefully, this movie will deliver the goods as has been said by the few having already seen it.

 

I watched the OT in preparation for ROTS (actually, I watched all other five movies) and there were some scenes, especially in Jedi when Luke tries to make Vader come back to the good side and they duel in front of Palpy, I saw those scenes differently. The Burning of Vader's body was even more emotionnal than before.

 

Ghost - this is going to turn into one of the longest threads in 3NS after the 19th, I would bet.

I love when Luke asks Ben what happened to his father. Ben doesn't answer for a couple of seconds and gives this subtle shifty-eyed look - he's trying to figure out what exactly to tell Luke.

I would guess that TPM and ANH are most affected by ROTS, and then obviously the Throne Room scenes in ROTJ would take on new meaning.

 

It will make watching the rest of the saga so much better.

I've only seen ANH after ROTS, and the transition is PERFECT. Granted, a lot can happen in 20 years but what you will see in ROTS is more than enough to make a proper transition to ANH.

ROTS has also changed my viewpoint on Jedi/Sith, and what Anakin's prophecy really meant. I've also looked at certain characters with greater importance, when before I would hardly give them much thought.

One such character is Anakin's mom, Shmi. When he is kneeling at her grave in AOTC saying "I won't fail you again." it really has an affect on you, because you know what will happen in ROTS. But that line also comes into play in ROTJ because while he is saving Luke, I can't help but think that in addition to Padme, Anakin is also thinking about his mother, and the promise he made.

 

its funny i can see how much the OT is starting to grab my wife and kids more. they all were never too interested in the OT, more so the PT. and of course, i think this will only increase this week....

 

Ghost - this is going to turn into one of the longest threads in 3NS after the 19th, I would bet.

I love when Luke asks Ben what happened to his father. Ben doesn't answer for a couple of seconds and gives this subtle shifty-eyed look - he's trying to figure out what exactly to tell Luke.

Thanx there Garth I wanted to post this before someone else thought about it,


Yeah, as it has been said by other people, Sir Alec's performance in anh really makes the pt possible. When he is about to answer Luke's question, it as if he has been preparing his answer for the past 20 years, but still does not know how to answer the question.

And watching there meeting, really has me wondering about the name change.

 

True story. I'm watching A New Hope right now (it's the start to my Star Wars marathon before Wednesday), and it's at the part where Obi-Wan finds Luke out in the wastelands. I just thought it was kind of funny that people were talking about that scene in the thread, and it's the one going on right now as I type. Weird.

It'll be weird going back and watching this again on Thursday, knowing that my views on it will probably have changed.

 

ROTS shook my entire perception of Star Wars to its core! I love it! I've watched TPM and AOTC and both are so much deeper and more interesting, and YES my perspective on them is now different. I'm currently in the process of watching the OT so can't answer that yet.

Regarding the change in perception - No, it isn't that there is some tricky device like "Obi-Wan is Luke's father" or "Padme is really Boba Fett" or something stupid...the fascinating dialogue and plot movement in the film changes subtle perceptions of everyone and everything in all of the films.

I have to imagine that the part of the OT that will be the most powerful for me will be the Throne Room duel. We see Palpatine at the peak of his powers in ROTS, and then he disappears from the story for 25 years, only to come back in at the very end.

Wow...I can only imagine seeing the films in order for the first time in the future...after what Palps does in ROTS, I would be quaking in my boots when he walks down that shuttle ramp in ROTJ!!!! He is a bad, bad man!!!

 

I was watching the DVD that comes with the soundtrack yesterday, and there was one cut where Luke asks, "How did my father die?" while Anakin slicing through battle droids on Geonosis plays in slow motion. Gave me chills.

I remember when I first saw the picture of Jake Lloyd and then watched the OT again, I couldn't possibly imagine how far Anakin would have to fall to become Vader. It almost seemed unreal. After AOTC, it got closer, but there was still a disconnect. Now, after just seeing the trailers, it's starting to come together - the thought that one moment, he's Anakin Skywalker fighting his mentor on Mustafar, the next he wakes up in the suit.

I really hope after ROTS comes out on DVD, someone can splice together a musical montage that really integrates the entire saga together. The stuff on the bonus DVD was decent, but not enough PT/OT crossover for me.

 

One thing I noticed when the OT DVDs came out was when Obi-Wan says (about Anakin) "and he was a good freind" it sounds like he's saying "Anni was a good freind." Makes me wonder if Lucas had this line in mind when he decided to have characters refer to Anakin as 'Anni' in the prequels...

 

Akumz, very good catch. I hadn't noticed that before. Interesting. Great username by the way...



Bee

 

this film affects every other SW film. UP.

 

HA! I literally posted a new topic exactly like this at the exact moment. Feel free to lock it. Here's what I said:

I just finished ANH. I had thought it so slow at first in contrast to ROTS. But I finally finished it. When Vader and Luke battle in the trench, I felt so moved by what was happening. Father vs Son, battling for the fate of the galaxy. At last I believed Anakin Skywalker was in that suit, in that TIE fighter.

And then...I can't explain it...during the medal ceremony at the end...I was completely overcome. It is so happy, so heroic, and in such stark contrast to ROTS. I couldn't stop crying, I don't know why. I guess ROTS just really broke my heart, and ANH is such a beautiful contrast. Truly A New Hope has come to the dark galaxy of Palpatine.

Maybe I'm just sad because the pure innocence of Star Wars is gone forever after ROTS.

 

And what I said in storm's thread. :

I just watched ANH, and the thing that stood out to me more than before was the pain on Obi-Wan's eyes when he's talking to Luke in his hut.

Vader's line, 'You should not have come back' seemed to have more weight behind it too.

 

Yeah. That pain was already there, but so much deeper now.

One interesting thing about Obi-Wan...he was in some ways terribly innocent until he watched that security cam image of Anakin. From that point on he does whatever he must, almost without remorse. He uses Padme to find Anakin. He twists the truth in order to train Luke. His heart has been broken, and he is a stronger Jedi for it.

 

A thought on ROTJ...if you're watching in order, you'll be excited to hear Obi-Wan talk about Yoda. Then when Luke finds him, he's acting all crazy. First viewers might wonder if he's gone insane in his 20 years in the swamp. The surprise of 'THAT is Yoda??' will be gone but it will be interesting that he appears initially to have lost his mind.

 

I too have felt that my entire view of the Original Trilogy has changed after seeing ROTS. Pretty much every duel in the OT has a different meaning, knowing now how emotionally deep Vader was, and to feel the conflict when he goes up against Luke. Also, I think that the ROTJ throne room duel also makes Vader's conflict all the greater. In ROTS, we see just how loyal Anakin is to Palpatine as a friend, apprentice, etc. Even when things turn evil, he is standing there by the old man's side. The pure struggle that must have been going on in Vader's head when he was watching Sidious fry luke with lightning, and then finally turning on Sidious once and for all, it just stirs me inside personally.

 

The roles of both Obi-Wan and Yoda in the OT are made so much more powerful by the events of RotS. A specific example for Yoda is his line "Wars not make one great." Think about that in the context of what Yoda witnesses and experiences in RotS. "Failed, I have," he says after his encounter with Palpatine. Perhaps going into that battle Yoda thought of himself as "a great warrior," but his perspective was changed enormously afterwards.

 

Think about the visions in ESB.

Luke has a vision of his friends dying in a city in the clouds. He says they'll die, and Ben goes "you don't know that."

The danger of dreams and premonitions....

How about Vader? "Come with me, Luke. It's the only way to save your friends."

Vader should know better, but it's like he can't help it! [Vader thinking] "It worked on me, I'll use the same trick on my son!" [/Vader thinking]

I think ROTS increases the power of Vader's redemption, because he seems both more human/conflicted in the OT, yet more evil at the same time.

 

I've just thought of something. During the closing, look at the happiness on Owen and Beru's faces when Kenobi passes Luke to them. They've been given the gift of a baby boy and they clearly love him from the start.

Now, think of how Owen wants to keep Luke on the farm in ANH. Now, it seems less like, "I want to stop him from following his crazy dreams", and more like, "I want to protect the foster son I dearly love".

Well, that's how I see it...

 

Agreed. No wonder he didn't want Luke following Obi-Wan around on some crazy crusade.

"He has too much of his father in him."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

Obi-Wan had to explain to Owen and Beru why they had to take Luke. "Yeah, so Anakin turned to the Dark Side and helped create the Galactic Empire, and indirectly killed Padme as well. But we were able to save the twins. Can you take one on? He's had all his shots."

I can imagine why Owen wanted Luke to stick around.

 

Musically speaking, two pieces will forever make me teary eyed now: Princess Leia's theme and Qui-Gon's funeral music. Just both so hauntingly beautiful.

One thing I tried to look at was hard was all of the scenes on Tantive IV. Did any of you catch how Obi, Yoda and Bail, walked down that same hall and same entry that started in ANH. I always kind of wondered what was behind that door.

I wish we could have seen more of Alderaan than we did. I do understand now why we see Anakin (Hayden version) at the end of ROTJ now. I never had a big problem with it before and I certainly don't now.