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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Saga Watching the Star Wars Saga Eps I-VI for the first time

Discussion in 'Star Wars Saga In-Depth' started by Darth_Articulate, Dec 5, 2012.

  1. Seagoat

    Seagoat Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jan 25, 2013
    Ok, as promised, my father's thoughts on seeing the saga for the first time in chronological order. Keep in mind, this is a man who spends barely any time on the internet, so he has very few preconceived notions about the films.

    Episode I:
    When the movie started, he was surprised to see the red republic ship instead of the Rebel blockade runner. It seems he was confused because he thought that Episode I was the "first" one, so I had to quickly explain the order in which they were made. He seemed rather indifferent to Jar Jar Binks. He definitely didn't dislike the character, nor did her make him out to be the anti-christ of Star Wars that much of the fanbase does. He just said the character was worth a good laugh or two. After that, he was fairly quiet for a while, I remember he didn't say much else until the scene where the bongo is attacked by the giant fish. He laughed at Qui-Gon's "There's always a bigger fish" line, even though he thought it was pretty cheesy. I told him to get used to things like that! The next big thing he said really surprised me - during the scene where Sidious reveals Maul to Gunray, my dad seemed to figure out that Sidious and Palpatine were the same person - his logic being that by then, he'd seen that they were played by the same actor. Of course, he was right, but I played along with it, telling him that he was probably wrong, and actors have more than one role all the time. The comes the arrival at Tatooine and he said "Isn't this that planet where the guy sees two suns?" I probably laughed at that more than I should have. He at first was a little annoyed by Jake Lloyd as "that kid whose name I forgot", but eventually got used to it. He was amazed by the podracing scenes, and hugely impressed by the sound effects of the pods. The rest of the movie was pretty quiet from him until the battle of Naboo. I remember, as soon as Maul ignited his lightsaber in the palace, my dad said "Oh, it has TWO sides!" like an excited little kid! He was stunned at the lightsaber duel between the three (and honestly, I still am) but was disappointed that Qui-Gon and Maul both died, after he'd come to love the characters so much. Last thing he mentioned was during Qui-Gon's funeral. He actually noticed the camera focus on Palpatine right after Yoda mentioned the Rule of Two, and he said to me "I'm telling you, he's got to be Lord Sidious!" Overall, he seemed pretty amazed by the movie, and requested to see Episode II right away! I'll detail his reaction to that in the next post!
     
  2. Seagoat

    Seagoat Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jan 25, 2013
    Episode II:

    My father was confused by the same opening, and thought I'd accidentally put in Episode I again, then he saw that it said Episode II. I told him all the movies have the same style of opening like that, then he said "Oh... well that's kind of lazy!". He was pleasantly surprised to see so many returning characters, and was insistent on Palpatine being Sidious! (I kept thinking to myself how excited he'll be when he finally does learn the truth!) He wasn't thrown off at all by Anakin's dialogue or any of the romance in the film at all, and he thought it was similar to Shakespearean works, which if I'm not mistaken, it partially was. The somewhat rocky start was rectified as soon as he saw the chase through Coruscant. He was amazed by all the visuals, and said that it was even more exciting than the podrace was! When the younglings scene came on, he said" Oh no, why little kids?". He seemed pretty annoyed by them, and I remember thinking he'll be pleased with their ultimate fate in Episode III! [face_laugh]
    Anyway, he enjoyed the whole Kamino thing, and he seemed to instantly love Jango Fett! He was constantly making comments about how awesome he is during the fight with Obi-Wan, and the perfect thing happened during that scene! Just as Jango and Obi-Wan fell off the roof, my dad said "How many more tricks does this guy have up his sleeve?" and I said "That!" just as Jango's blades extended from his sleeve. Well, armor! He was rooting for Jango during the asteroid belt dogfight too. I think we've found Fett's biggest fan. I remember him being genuinely shocked by Anakin's confession of killing the Sand people. He really didn't say much else other than commenting Jango was a badass when he killed the green alien Jedi. When Mace decapitated him, my dad literally shouted "Oh this is bull****!" The last thing he said was more insistence that Palpatine is evil when he saw him looking at the clones!
     
  3. Seagoat

    Seagoat Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jan 25, 2013
    Episode III:

    Right as the movie started, my father was blown away by the epic space battle over Coruscant. He was annoyed by the battle droids' squeaky new voices, but really wasn't bothered by much else at all throughout the film! He was surprised by how Dooku was killed by Anakin, and that Palpatine urged him on. He seemed to enjoy General Grievous for the side villainy he was worth. During the opera scene, when Palpatine told Anakin the Plagueis story, I finally (somewhat) admitted that he was right all along, and I told him "As keen as that is, I'm afraid it depends on your point of view.". I don't think he really understood me though! Anyway, the moment I was waiting for since he guessed it in Episode I - Palpatine's reveal scene. As soon as Anakin activated his lightsaber, my dad jumped up from the couch and pointed at me saying "I TOLD YOU I WAS RIGHT! IT WAS SO OBVIOUS!". Heh, my dad is pretty cool. He made an "ooh!" sound when he saw Palpatine activate his saber, and was stunned to see Anakin cut off Mace's hand. My dad just said "What the hell..." as soon as Mace was killed, and he stayed silent in shock all the way through the Order 66 scenes. The next time he said something was during the scene where Obi-Wan talks to Padme about everything. When Obi-Wan reveals that he knew about their relationship, my dad said "This is a really sad movie...". My dad was completely amazed by the simultaneous lightsaber duels, but he kept calling the character Anakin and I continually had to remind him that "Consumed he has been, by Darth Vader!". He didn't say anything else until the credits, when he said "I hope the next few movies are less depressing.". And then I asked what he felt from that last shot, of Luke being held by Owen and Beru. He said "I guess... hope?" and I held up the disc to episode IV. "A new one!" I said.

    (I'll probably get to writing his reactions to the OT tomorrow)
     
  4. GGrievous

    GGrievous Jedi Grand Master star 5

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    Nov 6, 2005
    What about the dialogue? Any complaints. :p
     
  5. Darth_Articulate

    Darth_Articulate Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Nov 1, 2012
    I am constantly, CONSTANTLY surprised that more people don't even suspect Palpatine during TPM. I always thought Sidious showed too much nose and mouth
     
  6. Jarren_Lee-Saber

    Jarren_Lee-Saber Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Apr 16, 2008
    I think we think like that cause we already knew/are looking for it. But to a brand new person, they aren't trying to find which bad guy is secretly pretending to be a good guy, and they just take it at face value.
     
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  7. Seagoat

    Seagoat Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jan 25, 2013
    Alright then, continuing onto my father's reactions to the OT!

    Episode IV:

    The first thing my dad mentioned is how pleasant it was to already see familiar faces despite the time jump (Vader, 3PO and R2). He was confused as to why the stormtrooper's didn't sound like they did in the PT, so I explained from an in-universe point of view that the Empire began recruiting. My dad was actually pretty surprised not to see Yoda or Palpatine after they had been in the first three, but I said that they really weren't really needed for the plot at the time. He liked Luke as the new hero, and he was just fine with the supporting cast. He didn't seem to even notice all the CGI, even though he knew that this was a 1977 movie. I remember one funny comment about the Han/Greedo thing he said. The scen went by so quickly that he couldn't tell what happened for a moment. After that, He really didn't have much to say about this film other than commenting on cool scenes, considering that this is probably the simplest of all of them. He actually noticed the parallels between Episodes I and IV, such as the mentor character dying and the hero blowing up a space station. "It's like poetry, they rhyme!"
     
  8. Veloz

    Veloz Jedi Grand Master star 6

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    Aug 30, 2004
    I've enjoyed reading your posts, Seagoat. Looking forward to reading what your dad thinks of the rest of the movies :D
     
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  9. Seagoat

    Seagoat Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jan 25, 2013
    Sorry for the wait everyone, I had a metric crapton of homework to do last night and couldn't finish <_< Anyway, now that that's done, onto something that's actually important! :p

    Episode V:

    For whatever reason, even he doesn't know why, my dad doesn't seem to like Hoth very much. He is a Summer person anyway, so... Anyway, he more or less liked the return of Obi-Wan as a ghost, but was confused when he said Yoda was his mentor and not Qui-Gon. This one was a little tough to explain in-universe, but I used the "he's not important at this time" card. My dad was laughing like a sick puppy when Luke and Leia made out, but of course I had to remind him that they weren't siblings yet at this point in development. Needless to say, seeing as my father seems to be Jango Fett's biggest fan, he was ecstatic to see Boba on screen, and loved the fact that he was voiced by Morrison. I admit, the New Zealand accent is pretty cool. Speaking of the Fetts, my dad seems to be noticing a lot more than I thought he would during his first viewings - he directly saw the mirror between the asteroid belt chases in Episodes II and V. One thing in this movie my dad was a little shaken about was the surprising lack of aliens. Honestly, there barely are any. There are the ugnaughts on Cloud City and the bounty hunters... that's really about it. Oh, but how could I forget Yoda!? My dad was glad to finally see him again, along with Palpatine's cameo, he had felt that something was missing without them in ANH. He particularly enjoyed the lightsaber duel at the end, and despite it not being a secret really, my dad still seemed shocked at the "I am your father" reveal. Perhaps not that he is the father, as we all already know, but maybe because Vader himself reveals it? Again like the perceptive genius he is, my dad saw the parallel between when Vader asks Padme to rule the galaxy with him, then again with Luke. Anyway, overall this one was a good experience!
     
  10. Seagoat

    Seagoat Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jan 25, 2013
    Finally, the next day, my father actually woke me up and requested to watch ROTJ. I was more than excited to comply with his wishes! ^_^

    Episode VI:
    Finally, after having spent the entirety of the previous day watching Star Wars, we were ready to finish this thing! My dad felt that it had a slow start, other than the Rancor scene, but was just fine when the Pit of Carkoon scene began. My dad was disappointed by Boba's death, but finally conceded that, as he put it, "******** deaths must be genetic.". (Mod edit: language not permitted)
    My dad was saddened by Yoda's death, but very excited to see Palpatine again! When the Ewoks first showed up, his initial reaction was "What the hell is that thing?!". I laughed and told him if he could handle Gungans, he could handle space teddy bears. He was surprised that Luke directly told Leia she was his sister, but I guess Hoth never happened :/
    During the scene where Luke goes with Vader, then Vader goes off and contemplates everything, my dad said "I know you can't see his facial expressions but... his body language tells more than enough.". Indeed, I agreed that Prowse pulled off that scene brilliantly. My dad thoroughly enjoyed the Endor space and ground battles, but in his opinion (and mine) those were vastly overshadowed by the conflict happening between Luke and Vader, while Palpatine watches on. He had decided already that this was his favorite lightsaber duel in the whole saga, seeing it as more of a culmination of the saga at this point, a battle of words and emotions, and inner conflicts. My dad's heart started racing when Luke gave into his anger and nearly destroyed Vader. After calming down from that, I could tell my dad's focus was more intense than ever during the scene where Anakin is redeemed. He didn't even seem to notice the "NOOO!" that was added it, so I guess it really doesn't distract too much from the moment at all. Even my heart starts pounding at that scene, after seeing the movies for so many years. My dad was silent for the rest of the movie, and seemed almost depressed himself when Anakin died. Finally, my dad seemed to sorrowfully enjoy the scene of Anakin's funeral, and smiled in joy at the galaxy wide celebration (thank the Force for the new celebration theme Williams composed btw. Yub Nub ruins it, imo). Finally, during my favorite scene in the whole saga, when the ghosts appeared, symbolizing a completed circle of events, the Force brought to balance, and the end of a saga, my dad and I both just happily smiled at the ending... And then after the credits ended, my dad ruined the mood by saying "Well finally he killed that Sidious ****er!".

    Well, that's it. My father's opinions of the Star Wars saga, for the first time. I think he truly enjoyed the saga as a whole. And I must say, even now I can't think of how the ST will offer the same feeling of an ending as I-VI did. I certainly have high hopes though...
     
  11. CaptainHamYoyo

    CaptainHamYoyo Jedi Master star 2

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    Aug 18, 2011
    Awesome! Thanks for sharing your experiences with your dad.

    Just curious if he preferred one trilogy over the other(or maybe he doesn't have that hang up like a lot of us do), or does he have a favorite of the 6?
     
  12. Seagoat

    Seagoat Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jan 25, 2013
    I managed to make him see it the way I (and Lucas) see it, not as six movies or even two trilogies. Out of curiosity, I did ask him if he had had a favorite, and he told me he couldn't possibly choose, seeing as they support each other so well, and are as artful and beautiful as they are because of how they work like that, as one interconnected saga! (Lol I sound so corny right now... kind of like SW dialog)
     
  13. CaptainHamYoyo

    CaptainHamYoyo Jedi Master star 2

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    Aug 18, 2011
    Lol. No, that's cool! It's really interesting reading about his perspective on this.
     
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  14. Han Burgundy

    Han Burgundy Jedi Master star 3

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    Jan 28, 2013
    "******** deaths must be genetic" ahahahaha brilliant! (Mod edit: language not permitted)

    Great reactions! I can't even imagine what that ROTJ final duel must feel like when watching the saga for the first time.... wow. I love that he noticed all the visual symmetry!
     
  15. Ambervikings91

    Ambervikings91 Jedi Knight star 3

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    Dec 1, 2012
    this is a really cool thread!
     
  16. Ambervikings91

    Ambervikings91 Jedi Knight star 3

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    Dec 1, 2012
    yep and that is pretty cool, plus ep 5 isn't really a shocker anymore because culturally the like "i am your father" is something everybody knows. I would say watching them in the 1-6 order is a very cool experience though, showing them out of order never made much sense to me.
     
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  17. Random Comments

    Random Comments Jedi Grand Master star 5

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    Sep 25, 2012
    It makes sense because its production order, which traditionally is a better way to experience stories...having all the setup and exposition in the middle is odd usually...
    And it preserves twists (major and minor) that way. It's why i don't understand why anyone would read Magician's Nephew before The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe...

    I didn't know when I saw Episode V...and that was in 2005.
     
  18. Darth_Articulate

    Darth_Articulate Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Nov 1, 2012
    The difference is Lewis released the stories in the order he intended them to be read. Lucas did not.
     
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  19. Random Comments

    Random Comments Jedi Grand Master star 5

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    Sep 25, 2012
    Yet both are released in the altered order.
    I'm not necessarily saying above that "release order" is better for SW, just the rationalization there...

    Although personally, I /do/ prefer release order for the films. I think the "I am your father" was worth it. And the effects get steadily better, instead of having to explain that the films are now made much earlier, and everything looks less impressive now" when you get to ANH...and you can let little kids see the OT before they can see RotS (if you care about the violence and darkness), so IV, V VI, I, II, III, makes sense from an age perspective...
     
  20. Darth_Articulate

    Darth_Articulate Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Nov 1, 2012
    Oops! My bad. I didn't read the comment before yours, thinking it was the previous comment by the same poster. I agree with you that it makes perfect sense to watch them in release order as well. And also, the machete way. It just depends on what you're looking for. I prefer 1-6 because I like stories to begin with a beginning and end with an ending.
     
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  21. Random Comments

    Random Comments Jedi Grand Master star 5

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    Sep 25, 2012
    I have a bit of a problem with the "machete" Oder that excludes ep. 1...that's one that younger kids would enjoy, and it /is/ part of the story. Machete with I is okay, though.
    I like the reveals of the history of the Skywalker's coming after their foreshadowing (now retroactively) in the OT... "Oh, that's the Clone Wars!"
    But I understand why people watch them 1-6. It looks like the obvious choice, too...
     
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  22. Bobatron

    Bobatron Jedi Master star 4

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    Sep 3, 2012
    After these replies, I definitely have no interest watching these movies with people who haven't seen them. After experiences with others watching everything from Pulp Fiction to Poltergeist, I gave up a long time ago caring about others seeing movies I liked. They just either aren't going to feel the same way or won't admit to it. All too often I see girlfriends of guys go from not caring about watching something and joking about its fans to watching it just because that boyfriend liked it, and from then on posting every reference to it they can find. It looks so fake and pandering.
     
  23. Jarren_Lee-Saber

    Jarren_Lee-Saber Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Apr 16, 2008
    Your loss then. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will certainly do it again!
     
  24. Darth_Nub

    Darth_Nub Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Apr 26, 2009
    [​IMG]
     
  25. Darth_Articulate

    Darth_Articulate Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Nov 1, 2012
    So in that span of time between that point a long time ago when you stopped caring about others seeing movies you liked and the point where you started reading replies in this thread, you retained some possibility of interest in watching these movies with people who haven't seen them?