Saga The Funniest Moment in the Saga...

I was watching parts of AOTC last night (I rarely feel the need to watch the films from beginning to end these days) and I started to wonder if it didn't contain what could be considered the funniest moment of the saga as a whole - the "death sticks" scene.

I think, as a comedic setup, it's pretty much perfect - conceptually, right through to it's execution. It's self-deprecating, tongue-in-cheek, and clever, while retaining a relevant message regarding our own culture and society (whether we agree with it or not). I think it really merits high praise and attention. It's also probably one of the few whole setups in the saga so deliberately designed to generate a laugh. I love how Kenobi refuses to even make eye contact Elan, and how, in return, he is perplexed at what is happening, even when his legs are so defiantly carrying him away from the scene. I really don't think it could have been scripted or executed any better.

Obviously there are many other humorous moments in the saga (those of the intentional kind, I'm referring to) and I was thinking it might be nice to list any others that we treasure most; debating and reviewing the merits of each.

To keep the ball rolling, I'd also have to praise Artoo's "what message?" in ANH, and the Ewoks "they believe I'm some sort of God" introduction in ROTJ.

 

HAN: Had a slight... weapons malfunction... but we're fine, we're all fine... here... now... thank you. How are you?

 

Good. How far is it? Ask him. We need some fresh supplies, too. And try and get our weapons back. And hurry up, will ya? I haven't got all day.

 

There are so many great one liners in ANH that are funny as that has the best mix of humor of all 6 movies without being forced.

Han: Where did you dig up that old Fossil?

Luke: Ben is a great man!

Han: Yeah....great at getting us into trouble!


or

Luke: I got one! (after shooting down a Tie-Fighter in the Falcon)

Han: Great Kid.....But don't get cocky!

or

Han: Listen your worshipfulness....

Leia: From now on, we do what I say and I what I want to do (I can't remember exact quote)

Han: (shaking his head) no reward is worth this!

 

Speaking of ANH, Han and Luke facing the wrong way before exiting the elevator is either amazing or awful. I can't decide which at that moment.

 

Yoda: "He is too old... yes too old to begin the training."

The reflection in Yoda's voice in this line is perfect. It's like discussion over, you can go now. I laugh at it every time.

Oh and also

Yoda: "Mine! Or I will help you not!"
Luke: "I don't want your help. I want my lamp back. I'm gonna need it to get out of this slimy mudhole."
Yoda: "Mudhole? Slimy? My home this is!"
Yoda: "Wha-ennnnn...enn...engh! Enh! Enh! Enh!"
Luke: "Oh, Artoo let him have it."
Yoda: "Mine! Mine! Mine! MINE!"
Luke: "Artoo!"

 

I've still never grasped whether Yoda has genuinely gone a bit loopy from all the years in isolation, or whether it was all a brilliant ruse designed to test Luke's patience. I've always assumed the latter, but it really isn't confirmed either way to my knowledge.

 

Crazy old Yoda rummaging through all of Luke's gear & tossing it over his shoulder - "Bleuuhhh! Bleuuuhh!" - is great fun.

He still knew what he was doing, though. It's not like any of that rubbish mattered - that was the point.

 

If you watch the BluRay documentary (ESB: 30 Years Later), Kershner added that whole part in to the original scene as it was not in the script. He said they just sort of improvised it and made him loopy just to throw the audience off track that he was this 'Yoda' person Luke was to see. He said it works for Luke and the audience as they both come to the realization at the same time that this IS Yoda. It also shows how the mind plays tricks on you because no one would think of this 'Jedi Master' being 3 feet tall, you would expect him to be an imposing figure.

A good documentary if you get a chance to see it.

 

Yoda VS R2

 

"I'm Luke Skywalker. I'm here to rescue you."

"You're who?"

---------------

"Close the blast doors!" …"Open the blast doors! Open the blast doors!"

---------------

"What an incredible smell you've discovered!"

---------------

"I beg your pardon, but what do you mean 'naked'?" …"My parts are showing?! My goodness!"

---------------

"I was beginning to wonder if you'd got my message."

"I retransmitted it to Coruscant just as you'd requested, Master. Then we decided to come and rescue you."





My favorite one, however, is the scene with Chewie inside the AT-ST walker with the two Ewoks. For whatever reason, the black one in the middle just starts cracking up; the midst of battle, the fate of the galaxy is at stake, and this little dude is just having a party. Makes me laugh every time.

 

ANH-Han Solo's call on the com to the Imperial Officer, Han and Chewie chasing the Stormtroopers through the Death Star or Han on the Death Star in general.
ESB-Crazy Yoda and R2
ROTJ-Chewie and the Ewoks stealing the Walker and everything with that.
TPM-As much as I don't care for Jar Jar anymore I love when he steals the food with his tongue and Qui-Gon catches his tongue with his hand the 2nd time.
AOTC-The Execution Arena exchange between Anakin and Obi-Wan.
ROTS-R2 oiling the droids and setting them on fire, R2 running into the wall, shocking the SBD and getting kicked over and Yoda force pushing the Imperial Guards into the wall.

 

I can't find images of it on google that show it with the backround but I always get a kick of Paploo the ewok stealing the speederbike from the stormtroopers especially when he is barely in control it

closest I could get was from when they did the stop motion:

 

I've actually grown to quite like Anakin's "oh you know, Master, I couldn't find a speeder that I really liked" in AOTC. Very Han Solo-esque, at least in conception. Works a lot better if you also identify the speeder that Anakin has stolen to be the GFFA's equivalent of a really old and unreliable car.

 

Agreed with most everything above, and I also get a kick out of Han's look of incredulousness when first surrounded by Ewoks. It's hilarious to see him completely not taking them seriously (until he gets a spear poked towards his face), and I think it was crucial in that moment to have at least one character acknowledging how ridiculous it all is, something Han excels at throughout the OT.

 

Agree with much of the above, especially the Han moments. Foe me, he is by far and away the funniest character in the saga.

 

Anakin and Obi-Wan talking to each other in the elevator in ROTS

 

Here's one that caused controversy in my household. My brother, despising all the changes in the OT Special Edition just for the sake of it, actually tried to tell me that the moment where Han chases the Stormtroopers down the corridor in ANH, only to find them facing him when he turns the corner, was better in the original, unaltered version. But for my money, until the Special Edition, it neither made much sense or was all that funny (Han's facial expression aside). Now, with the addition of a TIE Fighter Docking Bay (or whatever it is) + hundreds of other Imperial troops and guards, you can see why Han nearly has a heart attack. Also, it makes the Death Star seem much more vast and believable. In many ways I think this competes among the "best changes in the SE" category... while also making the moment among the funniest in the saga.

 

Respectfully disagree. It is believable in the OOT that Han find a few stormtroopers and survives even though he runs after them like a pyscho. But to run into a room of Stormtroopers, and not ONE of them shoots and hits him???? The stormtroopers are already a bad shot in the original, but this makes them seem like they all need to go back to basic training on Kamino!

 

But the idea that Han would look so shocked to see the very thing he's just chased around the corner looking back at him, when he's already aware they outnumber him, makes little sense. He's either very forgetful or silly. When he chases them down the corridor, he clearly feels he and Chewie can more than match them. It's only when he sees the thousands of troops around the corner does it make any sense for him to suddenly realize he's outmatched - not to mention that it makes the Stormtroopers actions much more logical, knowing they'd have reinforcements around the corner.

To be honest, a load of Stormtroopers proving unable to hit a target from a short distance is something we see plenty of in various other scenes, and it's not as if 5-6 of them being unable to hit Han was all that believable in the first place.

 

Han was shocked because they reached a dead end, and the stormtroopers he was chasing were there waiting to shoot him. They turned to chase him, instead of the other way around.

 

So the Death Star conceivably has meaningless dead-end corridors that serve no purpose? Where were the troops coming from originally? They seemed to be on a mission after all - "it's them!"

Regardless, the way it's presented originally makes the whole thing a bit too Benny Hill for my liking.

 

Maybe the dead end lead to a bathroom.

One of the few pretty funny moments in the PT.

 

I don't know. There's quite a bit of humour in there. Whether its funny or not is pretty subjective. I don't particularly get anything out of Jar Jar's "icky icky goo" moment (though I appreciate that kids will) but I remember the first time watching after he gets his mouth stuck in the podracer beam and crying with laughter. Seriously. It's not like I was a kid. I was 16. It still makes me smile.

Then you still have the witty one liners - "You were right about one thing, Master. The negotiations were short." which might be just as good as anything Han came up with. The "Oh blast! This is why I hate flying!" gives me a chuckle these days too. And the "always on the move" will forever bring a smile.

 

found video of the one with Han and the troopers



The look on Hans face when they get to the room where there is a whole Battalion(thanks to the Special Editions adding more troopers is a classic.

The reason only a few troopers shot instead of Han getting mowed down by a ton of blasts is that they were standing at Parade Rest it by the time they shouldered there blaster rifles Han and chewie were running back down the corridor.