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TPM... the stand-alone prequel?

Discussion in 'Prequel Trilogy' started by Hatter, May 12, 2005.

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  1. Hatter

    Hatter Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 16, 2001
    Juat to get it out of the way, I love TPM as much as any other SW film. I'm not bashing it, just talking about the material.

    Something that became apparent with AOTC, though, and will probably be true with ROTS, is that TPM seems to stand alone, continuity-wise, in relation to the other films.

    I think one of the reasons some people had a hard time with TPM is that it was hard to connect all this brand-new material to the classic trilogy we all knew. I mean, you have a clean-cut young Padawan and an old hermit, they're both called Obi-Wan Kenobi, and your mind is deperately trying to link the two disparate images up. Same with Anakin=Darth Vader, Palpatine=Emperor, and to a lesser extend, Threepio.

    AOTC was that missing link, but the problem is that, supposedly, ten years have passed. So we didn't really get to see Padawan Obi-Wan transition to Alec Guiness... starting in AOTC, he's essentially playing Old Ben. Same with Anakin. He's a young man now, so it's easier to see him as Vader, but he doesn't really resemble the Anakin from TPM in any way.

    And the thing is, the continuity between AOTC and ROTS is going to be much tighter, since only three years have passed. Hell, I'm guessing that the transition from ROTS to ANH will be smoother than the one from TPM to AOTC.

    What makes it worse is that the era between TPM and AOTC is relatively unexplored, EU-wise. Most of the novels set during that era are intended for younger readers. Compare that to the wealth of Clone Wars material, including an animated series.
    It's becoming clearer and clearer that TPM shares very little with the other SW films, continuity-wise.

    And it doesn't help that Lucas put very little foreshadowing into TPM. Sure, we know that Palpatine is Sidious and Anakin becomes Vader, but there's only one or two moments that could be considered ominous, barely. I know TPM is supposed to be an innocent adventure, and it's fun to watch in that respect, but it can be frustrating when trying to tie it into the big picture.
     
  2. Plo_Koen

    Plo_Koen Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    May 23, 2001
    TPM... the prequel that makes the saga a trilogy, that's the way I see it.
     
  3. JONJEDI

    JONJEDI Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 11, 2002
    TPM... the stand-alone prequel?

    Damn right! It was the first SW I have ever seen and I loved it from start to finish, the only problem was it lived under the OT's shadow so when it was nothing like the OT people didn't like it. I love TPM, it's what made my love SW.
     
  4. Bacon164

    Bacon164 Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Mar 22, 2005
    ^
    What he said! TPM was also my first experience. There's tons of foreshadowing in TPM, some stuff not very noticable, whereas in AOTC, it's all spelled out. TPM is a much more subtle movie than AOTC, and much more adventorous, which is why I like it better.
     
  5. Jango10

    Jango10 Jedi Master star 5

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    Sep 22, 2002
    TPM does stand along, as far as plot goes. It introduces characters and stuff. Basically the only thing TPM has to do with the PT's plot, is getting Palpitine into power.

    Same with ANH, it hardly has to do plot-wise with ESB or ROTJ.
     
  6. GrandAlmightyMaster

    GrandAlmightyMaster Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    Mar 30, 2003
    Thats why I look at the saga as three parts.

    Episode 1 - The beginning

    Episodes 2,3 - Growing conflict

    Episodes 4,5,6 - Climax and Aftermath

    This helps me to except TPM as a part of the saga because it is very different in its overall story. This might change after RotS though because I am curious to see how smooth it will lead into ANH.
     
  7. The_Moldy_Crow

    The_Moldy_Crow Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    May 12, 2005
    I agree. That's true for almost any first movie in any movie series. I think it's because there's so much time in between TPM and AOTC and very little time between AOTC and ROTS. In Menace the Clone Wars are still 10 years away. And in Clones and Sith the Wars are going on. Mostly what connects Menace with the other two is the characters. And even then the characters evolved alot in the 10 year span.

    But the events of Clones and Sith are closely connected. The same could be said of ANH being stand alone from ESB and ROTJ. Events in Empire continue on into Jedi.
     
  8. Darth_Hater

    Darth_Hater Jedi Grand Master star 2

    Registered:
    Apr 22, 2002
    I too, love TPM...to me it epitomizes what a star wars movie is all about. ESB is the one that really seems different from all the others(and no, not because it was written and directed by someone other than George, like George had nothing to do with it, spare me)

    but nevertheless, as stated in my signature: all star wars films were created equal.

    can't wait to own all six, lock my self inside for a day, and be free of all haters.
     
  9. Vaderbait

    Vaderbait Jedi Knight star 6

    Registered:
    Sep 26, 2001
    Yeah, TPM is a stand alone prequel. Much like ANH was stand alone in the OT. I think it was intentionally done that way.
     
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